Henry Burbeck
| Henry Burbeck | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 10, 1754 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died |
October 2, 1848 New London, Connecticut |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1775 - 1784, 1786 - 1815 |
| Rank |
Colonel Brevet Brigadier General |
| Commands held |
Chief of Engineers Connecticut State Militia |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Signature |  |
Henry Burbeck (June 10, 1754 – October 2, 1848) was a long-time artillery officer in the United States Army who served from the early days of the American Revolutionary War through the War of 1812. He served as Chief of Engineers from 1798 to 1802.
Henry Burbeck was born in Boston on June 10, 1754, the son of William Burbeck and his wife Jerusha Glover of Boston. His father was a British colonial officer in the ordnance department and second in command of Castle William in Boston Harbor, but gave up his commission and supported the patriot cause when hostilities broke out.
Burbeck's education consisted of a public writing school in the North End of Boston under John Tileston (1735–1826). He would later credit his father with the remainder of his education. Prior to his military service, Henry worked at the copper-smith's forge with Paul Revere. He married his first wife, Abigail Webb, on April 12, 1775, in Boston.
At the outbreak of the Battle of Lexington, Burbeck's father escaped to Cambridge and reported to the Committee on Public Safety and its leader, General Joseph Warren, to join the patriot cause which resulted in a price being placed on his head by the British. Burbeck joined his father in Cambridge where they made ammunition used at the Battle of Bunker Hill and also participated in the battle. Henry served as a lieutenant in the Battle of Bunker Hill and his commission was signed by General Joseph Warren on May 19, 1775. Following the Battle of Bunker Hill, Burbeck married Abigail Webb on August 12, 1775, in Boston.
He was assigned as a lieutenant of artillery to the Massachusetts line commanded by Colonel Richard Gridley, the Continental Army's first Chief Engineer and artillery commander, in 1775.
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