James Hogun

James Hogun was one of five generals from North Carolina to serve with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought against the British Army in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He was captured and imprisoned after the surrender of Charleston, and despite being offered the opportunity to leave internment under a parole, he remained in a British prisoner-of-war camp near Charleston.

About James Hogun in brief

Summary James HogunJames Hogun was one of five generals from North Carolina to serve with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Ireland, Hogan migrated to North Carolina – then a British colony – in 1751. A member of Halifax County’s Committee of Safety, he represented it at the North Carolina Provincial Congress and helped to draft the first Constitution of North Carolina. Hogun fought against the British Army in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and was present at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777–78. He was captured and imprisoned after the surrender of Charleston, and despite being offered the opportunity to leave internment under a parole, he remained in a British prisoner-of-war camp near Charleston. He became ill and died in the prison on Haddrel’s Point, a peninsula in Charleston’s harbor, on January 19, 1780. The Continental Congress promoted Hogun to brigadier general in 1779, although several congressmen and the North. Carolina General Assembly wished to see Thomas Clark of N.C. promoted instead. This caused some controversy, as the General Assembly was customarily consulted for the promotion of generals from that state, which had already nominated Thomas Clark and Jethner Sumner for the rank of Brigadier General of the Continental Congress.

In 1778, Hogun’s regiment served on a work detail tasked with building up the fortifications at West Point, and he was not satisfied with this task, but his men lacked sufficient weapons to allow them to serve as a combat unit at that time. In early 1779,. Major General Benedict Arnold, then Commandant of Philadelphia, requested that General George Washington send him an additional regiment of Continental soldiers to guard the Patriot soldiers in Philadelphia. On January 9,1779, while en route to Philadelphia, Hog Un was promoted to brig brigadiergeneral. Hog Un had exhibited what Thomas Burke, a fellow Irishman, termed the \”distinguished intrepidity,\” Hogun had exhibited at GermantOWN. He died in Charleston, North Carolina, on February 2, 1781. He is buried in the Hadd Rel’s Point Cemetery in Charleston. The couple had a son, Lemuel. The family moved to Halifax County in 1774, and Hogun made his home near the modern-day community of Hobgood in Halifax County. As a delegate in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth North Carolina provincial Congresses, and demonstrated an interest in military matters. He represented Halifax County between August and November, 1776.