Arthur St. Clair Historical Marker

This section discusses the life of Arthur St. Clair, an important figure in the early history of Westmoreland County and a forgotten founding father. St. Clair was a soldier, statesman, businessman, and the first governor of the Northwest Territory. He made his home in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania after coming to the American Colonies as a soldier during the Seven Years War. St. Clair was a prominent landowner in Westmoreland County and played an active role in county politics working as a clerk for the courts. Additionally he fought in the Revolutionary War and served as president of the Continental Congress. He died in 1818 and is buried in Greensburg at St. Clair park, the parlor of his home the Hermitage, can be viewed today at Fort Ligonier.

Introduction 

Arthur St. Clair was a soldier, statesman, civil servant and landowner as well as a resident of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He fought in both the French and Indian War, and Revolutionary War, and was an important figure in America’s early frontier. 

Early Life 

 Arthur St. Clair was born in 1737 in the town of Thurso , Scotland. He spent his childhood and early adulthood in Scotland and attended the University of Edinburgh where he is believed to have studied medicine. Not much is known about his early life or childhood but following the death of his parents he abandoned his studies, and at the age of 20 he enlisted in the British Army in search of a fresh start. 

Service in the French and Indian War 

Upon enlisting in the British Army, St. Clair was sent to North America and served in the French and Indian War, a conflict fought for control of the land known as the Ohio Country. The French fought alongside their Indian allies against the British in a conflict that would decide the fate of the North American continent. After initial setbacks, however, the British emerged victorious and the French were soundly defeated. This had important implications for the future of the frontier and the relations between British American colonists and Native Americans which would ultimately come to define much of Arthur St. Clair’s later career. As a young soldier, St. Clair participated in the creation of a new order in North America which the British and later the Americans would dominate at the expense of the American Indians. After 7 years of warfare, the French were defeated in North America.. St. Clair himself fought in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which decided the fate of the continent and led to the capture of Quebec City. Eye witnesses of the battle reported that he partook in conscious acts of gallantry, bearing the colors during the battle after the color bearer had been shot. A soldier who witnessed the battle reported: ‘’Then came the fatal struggle on the plains during which Lieutenant St. Clair seized the colors, which had fallen from the hand of a dying soldier, and bore them until the field was won by the British..” The battle was a costly one and General Wolfe, the British commander, was mortally wounded in the fighting. St. Clair however had distinguished himself during the war leaving the British Army at the rank of Lieutenant. 

Life in Pennsylvania 

His service in the army brought him to North America after which St. Clair decided to make Pennsylvania his permanent home. St. Clair married a wealthy woman named Phoebe Bayard who came from an influential Boston family He built a home, known as The Hermitage, in Ligonier in what is now Westmoreland County and became a major landowner in Pennsylvania and was considered one of the largest landholders in the colony. He also served as an official in the county courts; as a justice and clerk of the orphans court. 

The Revolution 

Having left the British Army at the rank of Lieutenant, St. Clair would again return to military service during the Revolutionary War as an officer in the Continental Army. At this point he had settled into his new home in Pennsylvania and considered himself an American, throwing his support behind the Patriot cause. He played a major role in the Battle of Princeton in January of 1777 and was promptly promoted by General Washington for his role in winning the battle. St. Clair did however face a court martial that same year for his actions as the commander of Fort Ticonderoga. In June of that year, St. Clair took command of the garrison but ordered its evacuation a month later. This decision was met with heavy criticism from within the army and in a letter to Washington sent on the 17th of July, 1777, St. Clair defended his conduct. He explained that his garrison was short on men and supplies and felt that a British attack was near. He explained that his officers believed that the garrison could not withstand a British assault and that the army at Ticonderoga would likely be destroyed or captured. According to St. Clair, he and his officers believed a retreat was the best option given the circumstances, and would ensure the army could stay in the field and continue the fight. St. Clair thus gave the order to evacuate, and destroyed any equipment that would have fallen into British hands. St. Clair wished to clear himself of any misconduct relating to the evacuation, and asked Washington for a court martial. This request was granted, St. Clair was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing relating to the evacuation and continued on as a general. Subsequently, St. Clair developed a strong connection with Washington. On the 29th of October,1781, Washington ordered St. Clair and his forces South in order to drive the British out of Wilmington, and assist the army of Nathanael Green in the Continental Army’s Carolina campaign. During this time however, the Continental Army was making major gains in Virginia, and had decisively defeated the British at Yorktown on October 19th, 1781 bringing an end to the war and achieving an American victory. 

President of the Continental Congress 

After the war, St. Clair served a term as the president of the Continental Congress, the body which governed the young nation under the Articles of Confederation. During this time, the Congress passed legislation known as the Northwest Ordinance which created a territory known as the Northwest Territory. 

 Governor of the Northwest Territory 

Arthur St. Clair was appointed the first governor of the newly created Northwest Territory in 1788. As governor, he had the difficult job of administering a huge amount of territory in the lands of what is now modern day Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. The North West Ordinance, also provided rules for the governance of the new territory, and St. Clair was tasked with implementing the laws and regulations by which the new territory was to be governed. During this period, the U.S wished to settle this new territory, and white settlers came to settle in America's frontier. There was however a problem, as many Indian Nations still saw the land as their own. The new settlement of this land was ultimately at the expense of the American Indian, provoking conflict between Indians and white settlers.. St. Clair no doubt played a role in this however he did his best to prevent conflict and tried to punish wrongdoings committed against the Indians by American settlers. As governor, he was given the authority to negotiate treaties with the Indians that established boundaries between the United States, and Indian land in the hope of establishing peace. Despite his efforts as governor, conflict would continue, and in the fall of 1791 war broke out and St. Clair, still a general in the U.S army, led a military campaign against them. On November 4, 1791, disaster struck when St. Clair’s army was soundly defeated at the Battle of the Wabash. In this Battle , dubbed by the Indians as the Battle of 1000 Slain, St. Clair lost around half of his army and found himself yet again at the center of much controversy. He received much blame for the defeat and his longtime friend and now President George Washington forced him to resign. Though St. Clair asked for a court martial to clear himself and thus remain in the army, public outrage was too great and he had no choice but to resign his commission. A congressional investigation was launched which did clear St. Clair of wrongdoing and laid the blame on the army logistics corps. St. Clair was however allowed to remain governor and served under the Adams and Jefferson administrations. Politically, St. Clair was a staunch Federalist and had served Washington who had many Federalist leanings, and Adams a Federalist president. Thomas Jefferson was elected president in 1800, and was the first and only Democratic Republican president St. Clair served as governor. St. Clair was adamant about his opposition to the new administration’s policies leading to his removal by President Jefferson in 1801. 

Life as a Private Citizen 

After his tenure as governor of the Northwest, Arthur St. Clair returned to his home in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He attempted to start a foundry to support himself, but was in significant debt. St. Clair, once one of the largest landowners in Pennsylvania, was forced to sell much of his land. He moved to a log cabin in Greensburg, where he died in 1818 at the age of 81. 

Arthur St. Clair’s Legacy 

Arthur St. Clair made the journey to America as a Scottish immigrant in search of a fresh start, but died an American devoted to his new country. He served his country in war and helped his nation win independence. He was not perfect and made many mistakes, but was a devoted civil servant who spent much of his life in service to his nation. Today, St. Clair is not a household name but he without a doubt played a major role in the founding of the early American Republic. Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania can thus claim one of its own as a ‘’ founding father.” 

Colonial St. Clair Primary Sources. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.arthurstclair.com/p/magistrate-documents.html.

Letter to George Washington. “Letter to Washington,” May 2, 1789.

Partnership, Text Creation. “Proceedings of a General Court Martial, Held at White Plains, in the State of New-York, by Order of His Excellency General Washington, Commander in Chief of the Army of the United States of America, for the Trial of Major General St. Clair, August 25, 1778. Major General Lincoln, President.” Evans Early American Imprint Collection. Accessed May 1, 2022. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=evans%3Bidno.

St. Clair, Arthur. “Arthur St. Clair to James Ross,” January 21, 1789.

St. Clair, Arthur. “Enclosure: Report of Governor of the Northwest Territory.” Northwest Territory: Northwest Territory, 1790.

St. Clair, Arthur. Letter to George Washington. “Letter to George Washington,” April 7, 1792.

St. Clair, Arthur. Letter to George Washington. “Letter to George Washington,” September 14, 1789.

St. Clair, Arthur. Letter to George Washington. “To George Washington from Major General Arthur St. Clair.” White Plains, New York, July 25, 1777.

Stanley, Bill. “Arthur St. Clair.” Bill Stanley and the Forgotten Founders. Accessed May 1, 2022. http://theforgottenfounders.com/the-forgotten-fathers/arthur-st-clair/#:~:text=of%20January%201774.-,Arthur%20St.,west%20of%20the%20Allegheny%20Mountains.

Washington, George. Letter to Arthur St. Clair. “George Washington to Arthur St. Clair,” October 29, 1781.

Washington, George. Letter to Arthur St. Clair. “George Washington to Major General Arthur St. Clair,” July 17, 1777.

Washington, George. Letter to Arthur St. Clair. “Washington to St. Clair.” Philadelphia , March 28, 1792.