Daniel Roberdeau
Daniel Roberdeau (1727 โ January 5, 1795) was an American Founding Father and merchant residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the time of the American War of Independence. He represented Pennsylvania from 1777 to 1779 in the Continental Congress, where he signed the Articles of Confederation. Roberdeau served as a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania state militia during the war.
Family and early life
Roberdeau was born in 1727 on the
Early service
Roberdeau was active in establishing
Revolutionary War service
When war neared, he joined the
Congressional service
Roberdeau was first elected to the Continental Congress in February 1777 and served there until 1779. Later that year, when the Continental Army entered winter quarters at Valley Forge, he worked with General George Washington to set up a militia support network known as the Flying Camp and served as its commander.
In April 1778, Roberdeau took a short leave from Congress. He had noted the shortage of powder and shot in the army and used the time off to establish a lead mine in what was then a part of Bedford County, now a part of Blair County. To protect the mine and camp from Indian attacks, he built a palisade, Fort Roberdeau, at his own expense. Historically, Roberdeau's fort was known as the "Lead Mine Fort". It has been reconstructed near its original site in Sinking Valley, near present-day Altoona, Pennsylvania.[5]
After the war, he moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and eventually settled in Winchester, where he died in 1795. He is buried in the Mt. Hebron Cemetery there.[6] His son, Isaac Roberdeau, became a civil engineer and U.S. Army officer, who helped Pierre L'Enfant lay out the plan for Washington, D.C.[citation needed]
References
- ^
- United States Congress. "Daniel Roberdeau (id: R000303)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^
- United States Congress. "Daniel Roberdeau (id: R000303)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ Continuation of the Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital: from the First of May 1754 to the Fifth of May 1761. Philadelphia, PA: B. Franklin & D. Hall. 1761. pp. 48โ51.
- ^
- United States Congress. "Daniel Roberdeau (id: R000303)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2022-02-18. Note: This includes David M. Berman (October 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Fort Roberdeau" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ Genealogy of the Roberdeau Family
External links
- Buchanan, Roberdeau (1876). Genealogy of the Roberdeau family : including a biography of General Daniel Roberdeau, of the revolutionary army, and the Continental Congress; and signer of the Articles of Confederation. Washington, DC: Joseph L. Pearson.