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{{Short description|American politician (1751–1829)}}
{{for|his son|Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Henry Dearborn
|image        = Gilbert Stuart - Major-General Henry Dearborn - 1913.793 - Art Institute of Chicago.jpg
|caption      = ''[[Portrait of Henry Dearborn]]'' by [[Gilbert Stuart]], 1812
|office       = 5th [[United States Secretary of War]]
|president    = [[Thomas Jefferson]]
|term_start   = March 5, 1801
|term_end     = March 4, 1809
|predecessor  = [[Samuel Dexter]]
|successor    = [[William Eustis]]
|office1      = 7th [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Portugal|United States Minister to Portugal]]
|president1   = [[James Monroe]]
|term_start1  = August 16, 1822
|term_end1    = June 30, 1824
|predecessor1 = [[John Graham (diplomat)|John Graham]]
|successor1   = [[Thomas L. L. Brent]]
|office2      = 10th [[Commanding General of the United States Army|Senior Officer of the United States Army]]
|president2   = [[James Madison]]
|term_start2  = January 27, 1812
|term_end2    = June 15, 1815
|predecessor2 = [[James Wilkinson]]
|successor2   = [[Jacob Brown (general)|Jacob Brown]]
|office3      = Member of the<br>[[U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[Massachusetts]]
|alongside3   = [[Peleg Wadsworth]] and [[George Thatcher]] (1793–95)
|constituency3    = {{ushr|MA|4|C}} (1793–95)<br>{{ushr|MA|12|C}} (1795–97)
|term_start3  =  March 4, 1793
|term_end3    = March 3, 1797
|predecessor3 = [[Theodore Sedgwick]]
|successor3   = [[Isaac Parker (congressman)|Isaac Parker]]
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1751|2|23}}
|birth_place  = [[North Hampton, New Hampshire|North Hampton]], [[Province of New Hampshire|New Hampshire]], [[British America]]
|death_date   = {{death date and age|1829|6|6|1751|2|23}}
|death_place  = {{nowrap|[[Roxbury, Massachusetts|Roxbury]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States|U.S.]]}}
|party        = [[Anti-Administration party|Anti-Administration]] (Before 1792) <br /> [[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican]] (1792–1829)
|spouse       = {{marriage|Mary Bartlett|1771|1778|end=died}}<br>{{marriage|Dorcas Osgood Marble|1780|1810|end=died}}<br>{{marriage|Sarah Bowdoin|1813|1826|end=died}}
|signature    = Henry Dearborn Signature.svg
|allegiance   = United States
|branch       = [[Continental Army]] <br /> [[U.S. Army]]
|serviceyears = 1775–1783 <br /> 1812–1815
|rank         = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] <br /> [[Major general (United States)|Major General]]
|battles      = 
{{tree list}}
* [[American Revolutionary War]]
** [[Battle of Bunker Hill]]
** [[Invasion of Quebec (1775)|Invasion of Quebec]]
*** [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|Battle of Quebec]]
** [[Battles of Saratoga]]
** [[Valley Forge]]
** [[Battle of Monmouth]]
** [[Sullivan Expedition]]
*** [[Battle of Newtown]]
** [[Siege of Yorktown]]
* [[War of 1812]]
** [[Battle of Lacolle Mills (1812)|Battle of Lacolle Mills]]
** [[Battle of York]]
** [[Battle of Fort George]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}

'''Henry Dearborn''' (February 23, 1751&nbsp;– June 6, 1829) was an American military officer and politician. In the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], he served under [[Benedict Arnold]] in his [[Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec|expedition to Quebec]], of which his journal provides an important record. After being captured and exchanged, he served in [[George Washington]]'s [[Continental Army]]. He was present at the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] surrender at [[Siege of Yorktown (1781)|Yorktown]]. Dearborn served on General [[George Washington]]'s staff in Virginia.

He served as [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] under President [[Thomas Jefferson]], from 1801 to 1809, and served as a commanding general in the [[War of 1812]]. In later life, his criticism of General [[Israel Putnam]]'s performance at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] caused a major [[Dearborn-Putnam controversy|controversy]]. [[Fort Dearborn]] and [[Dearborn Park]] in Illinois, [[Dearborn County, Indiana]], and  [[Dearborn, Michigan]], were named in his honor.<ref name=USArmy>[[#Army|U.S. Army Center of Military History]]</ref><ref name=DearbornBio>[[#DearbornGov|U.S. Biographical Directory]]</ref>

==Early life==
Henry Dearborn was born February 23, 1751, to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in [[North Hampton, New Hampshire|North Hampton]] in the [[Province of New Hampshire]]. He was descended from Godfrey Dearborn, from [[Exeter]] in England, who came to the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in 1639. Godfrey Dearborn settled first at [[Exeter, New Hampshire]], and soon after at [[Hampton, New Hampshire|Hampton]], where four successive generations of his descendants lived. Henry spent much of his youth in [[Epping, New Hampshire|Epping]], where he attended public schools. He grew up as an athletic boy, notably strong and a champion wrestler.<ref>[[#Journal|Dearborn, Smith, 1939]], p.4</ref> He studied medicine under Dr. Hall Jackson of [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]] and opened a practice on the square in [[Nottingham, New Hampshire]], in 1772.<ref name="DAB"/>

Dearborn was married three times: to Mary Bartlett in 1771, to Dorcas (Osgood) Marble in 1780, and to Sarah Bowdoin, widow of [[James Bowdoin]], in 1813. [[Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn]] was his son by his second wife.<ref name=USArmy/>

==Revolutionary War service==
When fighting in the [[American Revolutionary War]] began, Dearborn fought with the Continental Army as a captain in the [[1st New Hampshire Regiment|1st]] and [[3rd New Hampshire Regiment|3rd]] New Hampshire Regiments; he soon rose to the rank of [[lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]]. He was appointed Deputy [[Quartermaster General of the United States Army|Quartermaster General]] in July 1781 and served on George Washington's staff while in [[Virginia]].<ref name=nypl1>[[#nypl|N.Y. Public library: Archives division]]</ref> At age twenty-three, he organized and led a local militia troop of sixty men to the [[Boston]] area, where he fought on June 17, 1775, at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] as a captain in Colonel [[John Stark]]'s 1st New Hampshire Regiment.<ref name=Willey161>[[#Willey|Willey, 1903]], p. 161</ref><ref>[[#Philbrick|Philbrick, 2013]], chap.10</ref> During the battle, Dearborn observed that "Not an officer or soldier of the continental troops engaged was in uniform, but were in the plain and ordinary dress of citizens; nor was there an officer on horseback."<ref>[[#Peckham|Dearborn, Peckham, 2009]], p. 5</ref>{{efn|In 1822 Dearborn wrote an anonymous plea in the [[Boston Patriot (newspaper)|''Boston Patriot'']] to urge the purchase of the site of the Bunker Hill battlefield, which was listed for sale.<ref name=Cray1/>}} Dearborn years later would accuse [[Israel Putnam]] of failing his duty during that battle, resulting in what has since been known as the [[Dearborn-Putnam controversy]].<ref name=Cray1>[[#Cray|Cray, 2001]]</ref>

Dearborn volunteered to serve under Colonel [[Benedict Arnold]] in September 1775, during the difficult [[Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec|American expedition to Quebec]]. Later Dearborn would record in his Revolutionary War journal their overall situation and condition: "We were small indeed to think of entering a place like [[Quebec]]. But being now almost out of provisions we were sure to die if we attempted to return back and we could be in no worse situation if we proceeded on our rout."<ref>[[#Peckham|Dearborn, Smith, 1939]], p.50</ref>

On the final leg of the march, Dearborn was taken seriously ill with fever, forcing him to remain behind in a cottage on the [[Chaudière River]]. Later he rejoined the combined forces of Arnold and Gen. [[Richard Montgomery]] in time to take part in the assault on Quebec.{{efn|During the battle Montgomery was killed and Arnold seriously wounded.}}<ref name=DAB>[[#Malone|Malone, Allan, 1930]], p. 174</ref> Dearborn's journal is an important record for that campaign. During the march he and [[Aaron Burr]] became companions.<ref>[[#Peckham|Dearborn, Smith, 1939]], p.19</ref> Along with a number of other officers, Dearborn was captured on December 31, 1775, during the [[Battle of Quebec (1775)|Battle of Quebec]], and detained for a year.<ref name=Willey162/><ref>[[#Peckham|Dearborn, Peckham, 2009]], pp. 36-37</ref> He was released on [[parole]] in May 1776, but he was not exchanged until March 1777.<ref name=USArmy/>

After fighting at [[Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777)|Ticonderoga]] in July 1777, Dearborn was appointed [[Major (rank)|major]] in the [[Scammell's 1781 Light Infantry Regiment|regiment]] commanded by [[Alexander Scammell]].

In September 1777, he took part in the [[Battles of Saratoga|Saratoga campaign]] against [[John Burgoyne|Burgoyne]] at [[Battles of Saratoga#First Saratoga: Battle of Freeman's Farm (September 19)|Freeman's Farm]]. The first battle was largely fought by troops from [[New Hampshire]], Dearborn's home state. The New Hampshire brigade under General [[Enoch Poor|Poor]] and a detachment of infantry under Major Dearborn, numbering about three hundred, along with detachments of other militia, and [[Whitcomb's Rangers]], co-operated with Morgan in the repulse of [[Simon Fraser of Balnain|Fraser's]] attack.<ref>[[#Willey|Willey, 1903]], p. 9</ref> The cautious General [[Horatio Gates]] reluctantly ordered a reconnaissance force consisting of [[Daniel Morgan]]'s Provisional Rifle Corps and Dearborn's light infantry to scout out the [[Bemis Heights]] area.<ref name=Willey162/> Gates later noted Dearborn's marked ability as a soldier and officer in his report. Thereafter Dearborn joined General [[George Washington]]'s main [[Continental Army]] at [[Valley Forge]], [[Pennsylvania]], as a lieutenant colonel, where he spent the winter of 1777–1778.<ref name=DAB/>

Dearborn fought at the [[Battle of Monmouth]] in [[New Jersey]] in 1778, following the British evacuation of [[History of Philadelphia|Philadelphia]] to retreat to concentrate at [[History of New York City|New York City]], in the final major battle of the [[Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War|Northern Theatre]], and in the summer of 1779 he accompanied Major General [[John Sullivan (general)|John Sullivan]] on the [[Sullivan Expedition]] against the [[Iroquois]] in upstate [[New York (state)|New York]]<ref name=Willey162>[[#Wileweweweley|Willey, 1903]], p. 162</ref> and in the [[Battle of Newtown]] against the Six Nations, thereafter laying waste to the [[Genesee Valley]] and the various regions around the [[Finger Lakes]].<ref name=DAB/>

During the winter of 1778–1779, he was encamped at what is now [[Putnam Memorial State Park]] in [[Redding, Connecticut]]. Dearborn rejoined General Washington's staff in 1781 as deputy quartermaster general and commanded the 1st New Hampshire at the [[siege of Yorktown]] with the rank of colonel<!-- in command of the Third Regiment --><ref>[[#Willey|Willey, 1903]], p. 13</ref> and was present when [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Cornwallis]] surrendered in October of that year.<ref name=Willey162/>

In June 1783, Dearborn received his discharge from the Continental Army and settled in [[Gardiner, Maine]], where he became Major General of the Maine militia. Washington appointed him marshal of the [[History of Maine|District of Maine]]. Dearborn served in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from the District of Maine, 1793 to 1797.<ref name=Willey162/>{{efn|Maine then being a part of [[History of Massachusetts|Massachusetts]].}} He was an original member of the New Hampshire [[Society of the Cincinnati]].<ref>[[#SOC|Proceedings of the General Society of the Cincinnati, 1784-, Volume 1 (1887)]], p. 98</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Henry Dearborn &#124; New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati|url=http://www.nhsocietyofthecincinnati.org/henry-dearborn-2/|website=nhsocietyofthecincinnati.org|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref>

===Revolutionary War journals===

During the American Revolution Dearborn maintained six separate journals where he recorded the various campaigns, battles, and other notable events from his point of experience. His ''Revolutionary War journals of Henry Dearborn, 1775-1783'', have provided historians of early American history with valuable first-hand information from the perspective of an officer who was engaged in the various battles and surrounding events. His journals were first published in 1939 by the [[Caxton Club]] of Chicago and were edited from the original manuscripts by historians Lloyd A. Brown and [[Howard Henry Peckham]]; the publication includes a biographical essay of Dearborn by Hermon D. Smith. The six journals are enumerated as follows:

{{center|1=Journal I. The Quebec Expedition<br>Journal II. The Burgoyne Campaign<br>Journal III. Operations in the Middle Colonies<br>Journal IV. Sullivan's Indian Expedition<br>Journal V. The Yorktown Campaign<br>Journal VI. Peace Negotiations<ref>[[#Peckham|Dearborn, Peckham, 2009]], pp. i - vii5</ref>}}

Dearborn also wrote ''An Account of the Battle of Bunker Hill''. Various scholars have cited the short work as being culturally important and greatly contributing to the knowledge base of early American history.<ref>[[#Dearbornaccount|Dearborn, 2016]]</ref>

==Post-Revolution==

Dearborn was commissioned as a [[brigadier general]] in the [[Massachusetts National Guard|Massachusetts Militia]] in 1787 and was promoted to [[major general]] in 1789. The same year he was appointed as the first [[U.S. Marshal]] for the [[District of Maine]] under the new Constitution of 1787 by [[George Washington|President Washington]]. He represented this district as a [[Democratic-Republican]] in the [[3rd United States Congress|Third]] and [[4th United States Congress|Fourth]] Congresses from 1793 to 1797, when he lost re-election to [[Isaac Parker (Massachusetts judge)|Isaac Parker]]. Dearborn attempted to return to his former congressional seat in 1798<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns - MA - 1st Eastern Race - Nov 05, 1798 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=729884 |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref> and 1800,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns - MA - 1st Eastern Race - Nov 03, 1800 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=729885 |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}</ref> losing both times to [[Silas Lee]], who had succeeded Parker after one term. 
[[File:Jefferson Portrait West Point by Thomas Sully.jpg|right|200px|thumb|President [[Thomas Jefferson]] frequently consulted Henry Dearborn on matters of military law and management.]]
In 1801, third President [[Thomas Jefferson]] appointed Dearborn [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]], a post he held for eight years until March 7, 1809. Dearborn advised Jefferson in matters of military personnel when Jefferson was formulating the [[Military Peace Establishment Act]] in 1800-01, which outlined a new set of laws and limits for the military and also led to the founding of a national military academy at [[West Point]].<ref>[[#Senate25March|Thomas Jefferson to the Senate, March 25, 1802]]</ref> In April 1801, Dearborn asked [[George Baron]], an Englishman who was Dearborn's friend from Maine, to be the mathematics instructor at the academy. Dearborn also offered the superintendency of the school to [[Jonathan Williams (engineer)|Jonathan Williams]],{{efn|A grandnephew of [[Benjamin Franklin]]; [[John Adams]] appointed Williams a major in the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers in February 1801. President Jefferson appointed him the Army's Inspector of Fortifications.}} who had translated into English some European treatises on artillery and fortification.<ref name="Dearborn War Dept report">[[#Reprot|Henry Dearborn's Report on the War Department, May 12, 1801]]</ref>

During the 1801 and 1802 period, Dearborn and Jefferson corresponded frequently, discussing various political and military matters. Notable among them was Dearborn's report of May 12, 1801 on the War Department,<ref name="Dearborn War Dept report"/> and his recommendation for "designating the boundary line between the United States, and the adjacent [[British possessions]], in such manner as may prevent any disputes in future..."<ref>[[#Dec5letter|Dearborn's December 5, 1801 letter to Jefferson]]</ref>

During his tenure, he helped Jefferson form a policy on [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], the goal being to establish a western boundary by procuring lands along the [[Mississippi River]].<ref>[[#TJF|Thomas Jefferson Foundation: Henry Dearborn (Physiognotrace)]]</ref>

In 1805, while events in the [[Burr conspiracy]] were beginning to unfold, [[Aaron Burr]] and [[Louisiana Territory]] governor [[James Wilkinson]] were allegedly planning war with Mexico, with the aim of establishing a secessionist state in the Southwest in the process.{{efn|Both Burr and Wilkinson, with large land holdings and other interests in the [[Louisiana Territory]], claimed that most Louisiana residents, who were recently ruled by France, preferred to be separate from the United States.}} Hoping to incite war with Spain, Wilkinson in a letter to Secretary of War Dearborn urged him to attack Western [[Spanish Florida]] from [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]]. Prompted by prevailing rumors of war, Dearborn ordered him to send three [[Company (military unit)|companies]] of troops to [[Fort Adams]] in [[Western Florida]] as a precaution.{{efn|Present-day southern Louisiana}} The prospect of war in turn was used by Wilkinson to justify sending an exploratory military expedition into the Southwest to find a route that would be used to supply a war effort at the U.S.-Spanish-Mexican border.<ref name=Wheelan128>[[#Wheelan|Wheelan, 2005]], p. 128</ref>{{efn|Burr and Wilkinson, with the support of General [[Andrew Jackson]], were earnestly promoting the idea (e.g. via newspapers) in the Southwest that war with Spain was imminent and that he would use "Mexican treasure" to entice the Western states along the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] and [[Ohio River|Ohio]] rivers into secession.<ref name=Wheelan128/>}} In May, Dearborn ordered Wilkinson to the Orleans territory, directing his general to "repel any invasion of the United States east of the [[Sabine River (Texas–Louisiana)|Sabine River]] or north or west of the bounds of what has been called West Florida..." Dearborn further maintained that any such movements across these borders would constitute "an actual invasion of our territorial rights". This was the opportunity both Burr and Wilkinson were hoping for, thinking that Spanish officials were on edge over the prospect of confrontation with the U.S. and could easily be provoked into war.<ref>[[#Stewat|Stewart, 2011]] pp. 148-149</ref> When Wilkinson, however, had asked Dearborn to send an exploratory military expedition into the Southwest, Dearborn replied that, "you, Burr, etc., are becoming too intimate ... keep every suspicious person at arm's length."{{efn|This is when Wilkinson realized that knowledge of his plotting with Burr was becoming commonplace, confirming similar reports coming out of New Orleans.<ref>[[#Stewart|Stewart, 2011]], p. 111</ref>}} At this time Dearborn also warned his top general that "your name has very frequently been mentioned with Burr's." Shortly thereafter Burr was arrested for [[treason]].<ref>[[#Stewart|Stewart, 2011]], pp. 110-111, 209</ref>

Dearborn was appointed collector of the [[port of Boston]] by President [[James Madison]] in March 1809,<ref>[[#McDonald|McDonald, 2004]], p. 115</ref> a position he held until January 27, 1812, when he was appointed as the [[Commanding General of the United States Army]].<ref name=DearbornBio/>

==War of 1812==
[[File:James Madison.jpg|thumb|164px|President [[James Madison]] appointed Henry Dearborn as Commanding General of the Northeastern theater.]]
During the [[War of 1812]], while President Madison was urging [[Federalist Party|Federalists]] to join in "united support" against Britain in a war they were given little reason to cooperate in, he gave Henry Dearborn senior command of the northeast sector which ranged from the [[Niagara River]] to the [[New England]] coast. Dearborn had favor with Madison as a Revolutionary War veteran who rose to the rank of [[colonel]] and for serving as Secretary of War under President Jefferson,<ref>[[#Daughan|Daughan, 2011]], p. 28</ref> and especially for helping Jefferson draft the Military Peace Establishment Act, which served to remove many Federalist officers from the ranks of the military. Subsequently, Madison's choice for commanding general of the northeast theater was not well received by most Federalists.<ref name=Taylor180>[[#Taylor|Taylor, 2010]], pp. 180-182</ref>{{efn|The Federalists viewed the war as a political plot against them, while the Democratic-Republicans portrayed the Federalists as traitors for their concerted efforts to oppose the war effort.<ref name=Taylor180/>}} At age 61, however, Dearborn was now overweight, slow and insecure, and he found it difficult to inspire confidence among the men under his command. In March he suffered a minor injury from a fall, and it is suggested that Dearborn took his time recovering. When the war broke out he spent even more time in Boston, fearing, as did Vice President [[Elbridge Gerry]], that the Federalists were once again plotting a northeastern secession{{efn|[[Timothy Pickering]] and the Federalists once attempted a northeastern secession during Jefferson's first term.<ref>[[#Dil|DiLorenzo, 1998, Yankee Confederates]]</ref>}} and ready to install a [[House of Hanover|"Hanoverian"]]-like monarchy in opposition to them.<ref name=Taylor180/>

Needing to present Congress with reports of progress, Secretary of War [[William Eustis]] urged Dearborn to promptly embark for [[Albany, New York|Albany]] and plan and make preparations for an invasion of [[Montreal]] in Canada. Dearborn maintained, however, that he must first get to New England and secure the militia for defending the New England coast, which would free up the regular troops of the region for the [[War of 1812#Invasions of Upper and Lower Canada, 1812|coming campaign against Canada]], and before the Federalists effected an open revolt there. After disputes with New England's several Federalist governors, who refused to supply the militia for coastal defense, Dearborn reluctantly left New England for Albany with regular troops in late July, leaving the coast almost defenseless against British coastal attacks.<ref name="Taylor, 2010, p. 182">[[#Taylor|Taylor, 2010]], p. 182</ref>{{efn|No British coastal attacks occurred for the first year of the war — presumably a favor from the British for New England's open opposition to the war.<ref name="Taylor, 2010, p. 182">[[#Taylor|Taylor, 2010]], p. 182</ref>}}

On August 9, while General [[William Hull]] was expecting a diversionary attack by Dearborn in the Niagara area, the latter was still at his headquarters at [[East Greenbush, New York|Greenbush]], just outside of Albany, and was having great difficulty amassing troops for the coming offensive in Canada. At this time [[George Prévost]] had sent British Colonel [[Edward Baynes]] to negotiate a temporary [[armistice]] with Dearborn. Dearborn learned that [[Lord Liverpool]] was giving the American government time to respond. Lacking the means to adequately engage the British in Canada, Dearborn was not eager for battle, welcomed the delay, and rushed news of the armistice to Madison for approval. In the meantime Dearborn gave orders to General [[Stephen Van Rensselaer|Van Rensselaer]] to avoid any engagements along the Niagara. The truce, however, was short-lived when on August 15 Madison repudiated Dearborn's agreement and orders were issued to renew the offensive.<ref name="Taylor, 2010, p. 182">[[#Taylor|Taylor, 2010]], p. 182</ref><ref>[[#Daughan|Daughan, 2011]], p. 95</ref>

[[File:Niagara River 1812.jpg|thumb|324px|left|The War of 1812, [[Niagara River]] and [[Lake Ontario]] theaters]]
Dearborn prepared plans for simultaneous assaults on [[Montreal]], [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Fort Niagara]], and [[Amherstburg]], but the execution was imperfect. A half-hearted advance into [[Lower Canada]] in November 1812 simply collapsed after a very minor engagement at the [[Battle of Lacolle Mills (1812)|Battle of Lacolle Mills]]. Some scholars believe that Dearborn also did not move quickly enough to provide sufficient troops to defend [[Siege of Detroit|Detroit]]. Hull, without firing a shot, surrendered the city to British General [[Isaac Brock]].{{efn|While governor, Hull's repeated requests to build a naval fleet on [[Lake Erie]] to properly defend Detroit, [[Fort Mackinac]], and [[Fort Dearborn]] were ignored by Dearborn, which contributed to Hull's overall unpreparedness.}} Hull was [[court-martial]]ed and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted. Dearborn headed the court martial.<ref>[[#Hickey|Hickey, 1989]] p. 84</ref>

On April 27, 1813, American forces on [[Lake Ontario]] under Dearborn and Commodore [[Isaac Chauncey]] gained success at the [[Battle of York]], occupying the town for several days and capturing many guns and stores. Thereafter the American army was transported across the lake in Chauncey's ships to Fort Niagara. Dearborn assembled 4,500 troops at Fort Niagara and planned to attack [[Fort George, Ontario|Fort George]] next, and entrusted the attack to Colonel [[Winfield Scott]],<ref>[[#Taylor|Taylor, 2010]], p. 217</ref> but his army required rest and reorganization. No preparations had been made to accommodate the troops at Fort Niagara, and they suffered considerable shortages and privations for several days.<ref name=Elting119>[[#Elting|Elting, 1991]], p.119</ref>

Although Dearborn had minor successes at the [[Battle of York|capture of York]] (now [[Toronto]]) on April 27, 1813, and at the [[Battle of Fort George|capture of Fort George]] on May 27, 1813, his command was, for the most part, ineffective. He was recalled from the frontier on July 6, 1813, and reassigned to an administrative command in [[New York City]],<ref>[[#Hickey|Hickey, 1989]] p. 88</ref> and married his third wife, Sarah Bowdoin.<ref name=USArmy/>

Dearborn was honorably discharged from the Army on June 15, 1815.<ref>[[#Malone|Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. V]], p.174</ref>

==Later life==
Dearborn was an original member of the [[Society of the Cincinnati]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Metcalf|first=Bryce|title=Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and Lists of the Officers of the General and State Societies|publisher=Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc.|year=1938|isbn=|location=Strasburg, Va.|pages=}}</ref> and was elected a member of the [[American Antiquarian Society]] in 1816, now the oldest historical society in the United States.<ref>[http://www.americanantiquarian.org/memberlistd American Antiquarian Society Members Directory]</ref>

Dearborn ran for [[Governor of Massachusetts]] in 1818 against incumbent [[John Brooks (governor)|John Brooks]]. Because Dearborn was a [[Democratic-Republican]] in a predominantly Federalist state, he needed favorable press to help his campaign. Subsequently, Dearborn accepted an offer from Charles Miner, the editor of ''[[The Port Folio]]'', a Philadelphia political magazine, asking him to verify and edit a British soldier's map depicting the Battle of Bunker Hill. Dearborn saw this as a chance to win public favor and seized the opportunity.<ref>[[#monument|Journal of the American Revolution]]</ref> However, his efforts backfired when he also wrote a "correct account" of the battle in the article, which was reprinted in 1818, accusing [[Israel Putnam]] of inaction and cowardly leadership during the battle, which sparked a major and long-lasting controversy among veterans of the war and various historians.<ref name=Cray1/><ref>[[#Purcell|Purcell, 2010]], pp.164-168</ref>

On March 1, 1815, President [[James Madison]] nominated Dearborn for reappointment as Secretary of War,{{when|date=December 2016}} but the Senate rejected the nomination, and in the face of fierce criticism over Dearborn's performance during the War of 1812, Madison withdrew the nomination.<ref name=DearbornBio/><ref>[[#Fredriksen|Fredriksen, 1999]], p. 210</ref> Dearborn was later appointed [[United States Ambassador to Portugal|Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal]] by President [[James Monroe]], serving from May 7, 1822, until June 30, 1824, when, by his own request, he was recalled.<ref name=DearbornBio/>

He retired to his home in [[Roxbury, Massachusetts]], where he died in 1829. He is interred in [[Forest Hills Cemetery]] in [[Jamaica Plain]] (outside of Boston at the time; annexed to the city in 1874).<ref name=USArmy/>

==Legacy==
[[Lewis and Clark]], appointed by Thomas Jefferson, named the [[Dearborn River]] in west-central [[Montana]] after Dearborn in 1803. [[Dearborn County, Indiana]]; [[Dearborn, Michigan]]; and [[Dearborn, Missouri]], were also named for him, as was [[Fort Dearborn]] in [[Chicago]], which in turn was the namesake for [[Dearborn Street]], a major street in downtown Chicago. There was also a Fort Dearborn in [[Adams County, Mississippi]], in the early 1800s (see [[Leonard Covington]]).

[[Augusta, Maine]], was so renamed after Henry's daughter, Augusta Dearborn, in August 1797.

A U.S. military armory, initially named "Mount Dearborn", was planned in the early 1800s to be built on an island near the confluence of the [[Catawba River|Catawba]] and [[Wateree River|Wateree]] rivers, adjacent to [[Great Falls, South Carolina]]. The facility was never constructed, but the island name stuck, and after the town was founded in 1905, its main thoroughfare was named Dearborn Street.

During [[World War II]], a coastal defense fort named [[Fort Dearborn (New Hampshire)|Fort Dearborn]] was established in Henry Dearborn's home state of [[New Hampshire]], to guard the approaches to [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]].

General Dearborn's son, [[Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn|Henry A. S. Dearborn]], was a U.S. congressman representing [[Massachusetts's 10th congressional district]] from 1831 to 1833.

==See also==
*[[List of American Revolutionary War battles]]
*[[List of New Hampshire historical markers (76–100)#85|New Hampshire historical marker no. 85]]: Nottingham – Chartered 1722
*[[Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States]]

==Notes==
{{notelist|2}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |title=Dictionary of American Biography, Feb. 23, 1751 - Jun. 6, 1829, Vol. V |year=1930 |first2=Dumas (Eds.) |last2=Malone |first1=Allen |last1=Johnson |author-link2=Dumas Malone |author-link1=Allen Johnson (historian) |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |ref=Malone}}
*{{cite book |title=An Account of the Battle of Bunker's Hill |publisher=Munroe & Francis, Boston |first1=Henry |last1=Dearborn |first2=Daniel |last2=Putnam |year=1818 |url=https://archive.org/details/accountofbattleo00dear |ref=Dearbornaccount}}
*{{cite book |title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005: The Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788 |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2005 |isbn=9780160731761 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9MBIctdjjkC&q=BIOGRAPHICAL+DIRECTORY+of+Congress+1774+-+2005 |ref=USGOV}}
*{{cite book |title=Bunker Hill Refought: Memory Wars and Partisan Conflicts, 1775-1825 |last=Cray |first=Robert E. |publisher=Historical Journal of Massachusetts |year=2001 |url=http://www.wsc.mass.edu/mhj/pdfs/Cray%20winter%202001%20combined.pdf |ref=Cray |access-date=April 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505163651/http://www.wsc.mass.edu/mhj/pdfs/Cray%20winter%202001%20combined.pdf |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book |title=Revolutionary War Journals of Henry Dearborn, 1775-1783 |publisher=Heritage Books, 282 pages |year=2009 |last1=Dearborn |first1=Henry |last2=Peckham |first2=Howard Henry |isbn=9780788401244 |author-link2= Howard Henry Peckham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dUBt7zJodLEC&q=Revolutionary+War+Journals+of+Henry+Dearborn,+1775-1783,+Smith |ref=Peckham }} [https://archive.org/details/revolutionarywar00dear e-Book]
*{{cite book |title=1812, The Navy's War |last=Daughan |first=George C. |year=2011 |publisher=Perseus Books, New York, 491 pages |isbn=9780465028085 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vg1BfuxefM4C |ref=Daughan}}
*{{cite book |last=Elting |first=John R. |year=1991 |title=Amateurs, to Arms! A Military History of the War of 1812 |publisher=DaCapo Press |isbn=0-306-80653-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdazpz-TCX0C |ref=Elting}}
*{{cite book |title=American Military Leaders |first=John C. |last=Fredriksen |year=1999 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576070017 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7MwvwL5UR0C&q=Henry+dearborn+-+Israel+Putnam+controversy |ref=Fredriksen}}
*{{cite book |title=The Guns of Independence: The Siege of Yorktown, 1781 |year=2009 |last=Green |publisher=Savas Beatie |isbn=9781932714685 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SOS5ZxFDRSIC&q=%2B%22Henry+Dearborn%22+%2B%22Yorktown%22 |ref=Greene}}
*{{cite book |title=The War of 1812, The Forgotten Conflict |last=Hickey |first=Donald R. |publisher=University of Illinois Press, 454 pages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ik6Vi82gLagC |year=1989 |isbn=9780252078378 |ref=Hickey}}
*{{cite book |title=Thomas Jefferson's Military Academy: Founding West Point |year=2004 |first=Forrest |last=McDonald |publisher=University of Virginia Press |isbn=9780813922980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Ry8MfiPuM8C&q=%2B%22henry+dearborn%22+%2B%22thomas+jefferson%22 |ref=McDonald}}
*{{cite book |title=Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution |last=Philbrick |first=Nathaniel |year=2013 |publisher=Penguin Books, 416 pages |isbn=9781101622704 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m7n_AzUJ51QC |ref=Philbrick}}
*{{cite book |title=Sealed with Blood: War, Sacrifice, and Memory in Revolutionary America |first=Sarah J. |last=Purcell |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2010 |isbn=9780812203028 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ipfXUo66O5wC&q=Henry+dearborn+-+Israel+Putnam+controversy |ref=Purcell}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ipfXUo66O5wC&q=dearborn pages covering account]
*{{cite book |title=Proceedings of the General Society of the Cincinnati, 1784-1884, Volume 1 |year=1887 |publisher=Society of the Cincinnati, Philadelphia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3QsAAAAMAAJ |ref=SOC }}
*{{cite book |title=American Emperor: Aaron Burr's challenge to Jefferson's America |last=Stewart |first=David O. |year=2011 |publisher=Simon & Schuster, 411 pages |isbn=9781439160329 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9OqI4PYqtFEC |ref=Stewart}}
* {{cite book |title=The Civil War of 1812 |last=Taylor |first=Alan |publisher=Alfred A Knopf, New York, 623 pages |year=2010 |isbn=9780679776734 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0nYRpx1X46YC |ref=Taylor}}
*{{cite book |title=Jefferson's Vendetta |last=Wheelan |first=Joseph |publisher=Carroll and Graf Publishers, New York, 344 pages |year=2005 |isbn=9780786714377 |url=https://archive.org/details/jeffersonsvendet00whee |url-access=registration |ref=Wheelan}}
*{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/statebuildersan00compgoog |last=Willey |first=George Franklyn |title=State Builders: An Illustrated Historical and Biographical Record of the State of New Hampshire |publisher=State Builders Publishing, Manchester, NH |year=1903 |ref=Willey}}

'''Website sources'''
*{{cite web |title=Dearborn, H.A.S. (Henry Alexander Scammell), 1783-1851 |publisher=New York Public library |url=http://archives.nypl.org/mss/756  |access-date=April 13, 2016 |ref=nypl}}
*{{cite web |title=Dearborn's 5 December 1801 letter to Jefferson |publisher=U.S. National Archives |access-date=December 30, 2019 |year=1801 |url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-36-02-0020 |ref=Dec5letter}}
*{{cite web |title=Henry Dearborn's Report on the War Department, [12 May 1801] |year=1801 |publisher=U.S. National Archives |url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-34-02-0062 |ref=Reprot}}
*{{cite web |title=Thomas Jefferson to the Senate, 25 March 1802 |publisher=U.S. National Archives |url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-37-02-0093#TSJN-01-37-02-0093-kw-0002 |access-date=March 23, 2016 |ref=Senate25March}}
*{{cite web |title=DEARBORN, Henry, (1751 - 1829) |publisher=U.S. Congress |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000178 |access-date=March 26, 2012 |ref=DearbornGOV}}
*{{cite web |title=Henry Dearborn |url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/CG&CSA/Dearborn-H.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212202118/http://www.history.army.mil/books/cg%26csa/Dearborn-H.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History |access-date=March 26, 2016 |ref=Army}}
*{{cite web |title=Henry Dearborn (Physiognotrace) |publisher=Thomas Jefferson Foundation |url=https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/henry-dearborn-physiognotrace |access-date=March 25, 2016 |ref=TJF}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ditext.com/dilorenzo/yankee.html |last=DiLorenzo |first=Thomas J. |year=1998 |title=Yankee Confederates |access-date=March 29, 2016 |ref=Dil}}
*{{cite web |title=Bunker Hill Monument and Memory |date=June 18, 2013 |url=https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/06/monuments-and-memory-the-battle-of-bunker-hill-debate/ |publisher=Journal of the American Revolution |access-date=April 15, 2016 |ref=Monument}}

===Further reading===
*{{cite book |title=The Invasion of Canada: Battles of the War of 1812 |last=Dale |first=Ronald J. |publisher=James Lorimer & Company, 96 pages |year=2001 |isbn=9781550287387 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXOaAgAAQBAJ |ref=Dale}}
*{{cite book |title=Battle of Bunker Hill |first=Richard |last=Frothingham |author-link=Richard Frothingham Jr. |publisher=Little, Brown & Company, 136 pages |year=1890 |ref=Frothingham}} &mdash; [https://books.google.com/books?id=8cl2AAAAMAAJ&q=putnam eBook]
*{{cite book |title=Israel Putnam: Pioneer, Ranger, and Major-general, 1718-1790 |url=https://archive.org/details/israelputnampion00livi |first=William Farrand |last=Livingston |publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons |year=1901 |ref=Livingston}} &mdash; [https://archive.org/details/israelputnampio00livigoog eBook]
*{{cite book |title=Life of Israel Putnam |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofisraelputn00tarb |publisher=Lockwood, Brooks & Company, Boston|year=1876 |last=Tarbox |first=Increase Niles |ref=Tarbox}} &mdash; [https://archive.org/details/lifeisraelputna00tarbgoog eBook]
*{{cite book |title=Narrative and Critical History of America, Volume 6 |first=Justin |last=Winsor |author-link=Justin Winsor |publisher=Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 777 pages |year=1887 }} &mdash; [https://books.google.com/books?id=to8LAAAAIAAJ&q=dearborn eBook]

==External links==
{{commons}}
*[https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/ The Society of the Cincinnati]
*[https://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/ The American Revolution Institute]
*[https://founders.archives.gov/search/Author%3A%22Dearborn%2C%20Henry%22 Letters from Henry Dearborn, to Washington, Adams, Jefferson, etc.]
*{{cite book| title = Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff: Portraits and Biographical Sketchs| chapter-url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/CG&CSA/Dearborn-H.htm| url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/CG&CSA/CG-TOC.htm| first = William Gardner| last = Bell| publisher = [[United States Army Center of Military History]]| year = 2005| pages = 72–73| chapter = Henry Dearborn| access-date = September 12, 2021| archive-date = April 10, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210410203809/https://history.army.mil/books/cg%26csa/cg-toc.htm| url-status = dead}}
*[http://www.glabarre.com/item/Henry_Dearborn___A_Republican_Insitution___Boston/2191 George LaBarre Galleries]: Henry Dearborn autographed as President, Republican Institution Certificate dated 1821.
* {{Gutenberg author|id=42399}}

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