Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/283

 SCHUYLER

SCHWAB

1759 he joined Gen. Jeffrey Amherst's army, and served until the conquest of Canada. He died at Peterborough (Newark), N.J., March 7, 1763.

SCHUYLER, Philip (John), soldier, was born in Albany, N.Y., Nov. 20. 1733; second son of John and Cornelia (Van Cortland) Schuyler; grandson of Capt. John and Elizabeth (Sloats) Wendell Schuyler and of Stephen Van Cortland, and greats-grandson of Philip Pietersen and Margarita (Van Slichtenhorst) Schuy- ler. Philip inherited his father's vast es- tate, and the Sara- toga estate of Col. Philip Schuyler. He attended the schools of Albany and studied under a private tutor at New Rochelle, N.Y. In 1755 he re- cruited a company in Albany, and was com- missioned captain, June 14, 1755. He served under Gen. Pliineas Lyman in the battle of Lake George, Sept. 8, 1755; was stationed at Fort Edward, 1755-56, and was appointed a commissary in the army in 1755. He was chief commissary to Col. John Bradstreet in the spring of 1756, and accompanied that general to Oswego, N.Y., to provision the fort there, taking part in the action with the French and Indians near the fort. He resigned from the British army in 1757, and in 1758 re- joined General Bradstreet as commissary with the rank of major. In 1758 he was sent to England as Bradstreet's agent to settle the colonial claims, and on his return in 1763, engaged in the lumber business at Saratoga. He also built the first flax mill in America, for which he received a medal of the Society for Promoting Arts. He was a boundary commissioner to settle the line between New York and Massachusetts in 1764, and later served on the commission that settled the New Hampshire boundary. He was a representative in the colonial assembly in 1768; and nominated Edmund Burke (q.v.) as agent in England for the colony. He was a delegate to the Continental congress, 1775-77, and served with George Wash- ington on the committee to draw up rules and regulations for the Continental army. On June 19, 1775, he was appointed one of the four major- generals of the Continental army, and was assigned to the command of the northern depart- ment of New York, with headquarters at Albany. He began the organization of an army for the invasion of Canada, but after going with the army so far as Lake Champlain, and placing Ticon-

deroga in a state of defence, he relinquished his command to Gen. Richard Montgomery (q.v.), his lieutenant, and returning to Albany continued liis work of raising troops. In 1776 he led the expedition to Johnstown and seized the militarj^ stores collected by Sir John Johnston. He was opposed to the expedition to Canada, and came in conflict with Gen. Horatio Gates, who was in command of the army in Canada. On Sept. 14,

1776, he formally offered his resignation, which was not accepted, and President Hancock of the Contniental congress requested his continuance in command. He was appointed chief of the militia in the state of Pennsylvania in 1777. He was returned to his command of the northern de- partment of New York in June, 1777. Burgoyne's advance from Canada caused the evacuation of Ticonderoga by Gen. Arthur St. Clair, July 4,

1777, but at Bennington a great victory had been won by the Patriot army. On Aug. 19, 1771, Gates was selected to command the army, and a court-martial was held to investigate charges made against Schuyler to the effect that he was guilty of neglect of duty in allowing the capture of Ticonderoga. The court found him not guilty and acquitted him with the higliest honor. He was again a delegate to the Continental congress, 1778-81; resigned from the army, April 19, 1779, and was chosen to confer with Washington on the state of the department of the soutli. He was state senator from the western district of New York, 1780-84, 1786-90 and 1792-97. In 1781 he withdrew from military service and re- turned to Albany. He was chairman of the board of commissioners for Indian affairs; was appointed state surveyor-general in 1782. and was a member of the council of appointment of New York. He was chosen one of the first U.S. sen- ators from New York in 1789, and drew thesliort term expiring, March 3, 1791, when he was suc- ceeded by Aaron Burr. He was deeply interested in the question of a canal system connecting the Hudson river with Lake Champlain, and later advocated a canal between the Hudson and Lake Erie. He was married, Sept. 17, 1755, to Cath- arine, daughter of John Van Rensselaer. She died, March, 7, 1803. General Schuyler died at Albany, N.Y., Nov. 18, 1804, and was buried with military honors. In 1871 a Doric column of Quincy granite was erected to liis memory.

SCHWAB, John Christopher, political econ- omist, was boin in New York city. April 1, 1865; son of Gustav and Catherine Elizabeth (von Post) Schwab; grandson of Gustav and Sophie (Gme- lin) Schwab and of Lawrence Henry and Hen- rietta M. (Meier) von Post, and a descendant of John Christopher Schwab, German philosopher and statesman, and of Conrad Weiser. Heniy Melchior Muhlenberg and John Christopher