Pierse Long
Encyclopedia
Pierse Long was an American
merchant from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
. He served as a colonel of the Continental Army
in the Revolutionary War
and served as a New Hampshire
delegate to the Continental Congress
in 1785 and 1786.
Pierse was the son of an Irish
immigrant (also Pierse) who had originally traded with Portsmouth merchants from Ireland. Around 1730, he moved to Portsmouth to open a store. In Portsmouth, Pierse Sr. married and had two daughters and a son, Pierse, who was born in 1739. He died only a year or two later. Young Pierse received a limited education, then was apprenticed to another merchant, Robert Trail.
After his apprenticeship, Pierse became a merchant in his own right, exporting timber to the West Indies
and importing goods from England
and Ireland. He prospered in business and became active in the militia and in civic affairs.
As the Revolution
neared, he became a member of Portsmouth's Committee of Safety
. In 1774, he participated in the raid that removed gunpowder from Fort William and Mary
. The following year, the town sent him to the revolutionary Provincial Congress held at Exeter
. As New Hampshire reorganized the militia in preparation for war, he was named colonel of the Continental Army regiment raised in New Castle, New Hampshire
called Long's Regiment
.
During the Saratoga campaign
of 1777, he led the bulk of his regiment in the withdrawal from Fort Ticonderoga. They successfully delayed the British at the Battle of Fort Ann
on July 8. Very soon thereafter, their enlistment terms expired, and most of the regiment was discharged. Long and a few of his men fought as volunteers in the Battle of Saratoga
as a part of Enoch Poor
's brigade. But, by the end of the year, he returned home to Portsmouth. He was confined to his home for nearly half a year by illness before resuming his mercantile activities.
In 1784, New Hampshire named him as a delegate to the Continental Congress. In congress, he was active in developing some of the proposals for dealing with western lands. While not passed at the time, many of these became part of the Northwest Ordinance
in 1787. On his return to New Hampshire, he served on the state council from 1786 until 1789. He was a member of the State's convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution
in 1788.
Long died at home in Portsmouth on April 13, 1789 and is buried in the Proprietor's Burying Ground there.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
merchant from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
. He served as a colonel of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and served as a New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1785 and 1786.
Pierse was the son of an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrant (also Pierse) who had originally traded with Portsmouth merchants from Ireland. Around 1730, he moved to Portsmouth to open a store. In Portsmouth, Pierse Sr. married and had two daughters and a son, Pierse, who was born in 1739. He died only a year or two later. Young Pierse received a limited education, then was apprenticed to another merchant, Robert Trail.
After his apprenticeship, Pierse became a merchant in his own right, exporting timber to the West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and importing goods from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Ireland. He prospered in business and became active in the militia and in civic affairs.
As the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
neared, he became a member of Portsmouth's Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
. In 1774, he participated in the raid that removed gunpowder from Fort William and Mary
Fort William and Mary
Fort William and Mary was a colonial defensive post on the island of New Castle, New Hampshire at the mouth of the Piscataqua River estuary. First fortified by the British in 1632, the fort guarded access to the harbor at Portsmouth....
. The following year, the town sent him to the revolutionary Provincial Congress held at Exeter
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
. As New Hampshire reorganized the militia in preparation for war, he was named colonel of the Continental Army regiment raised in New Castle, New Hampshire
New Castle, New Hampshire
New Castle is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 968 at the 2010 census. It is the smallest town in New Hampshire, and the only one located entirely on islands. It is home to Fort Constitution Historic Site, Fort Stark Historic Site, and the New Castle...
called Long's Regiment
Long's Regiment
Long's Regiment was raised on May 14, 1776 at New Castle, New Hampshire under Colonel Pierse Long for service with the Continental Army. The regiment was stationed at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence on Lake Champlain and fought a delaying action at Fort Ann, New York on July 8, 1777 against...
.
During the Saratoga campaign
Saratoga campaign
The Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
of 1777, he led the bulk of his regiment in the withdrawal from Fort Ticonderoga. They successfully delayed the British at the Battle of Fort Ann
Battle of Fort Ann
The Battle of Fort Anne, fought on July 8, 1777, was an engagement between Continental Army forces in retreat from Fort Ticonderoga and forward elements of John Burgoyne's much larger British army that had driven them from Ticonderoga, early in the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary...
on July 8. Very soon thereafter, their enlistment terms expired, and most of the regiment was discharged. Long and a few of his men fought as volunteers in the Battle of Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, south of Saratoga, New York...
as a part of Enoch Poor
Enoch Poor
Enoch Poor was a brigadier general in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He was a ship builder and merchant from Exeter, New Hampshire.-Biography:...
's brigade. But, by the end of the year, he returned home to Portsmouth. He was confined to his home for nearly half a year by illness before resuming his mercantile activities.
In 1784, New Hampshire named him as a delegate to the Continental Congress. In congress, he was active in developing some of the proposals for dealing with western lands. While not passed at the time, many of these became part of the Northwest Ordinance
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States, passed July 13, 1787...
in 1787. On his return to New Hampshire, he served on the state council from 1786 until 1789. He was a member of the State's convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
in 1788.
Long died at home in Portsmouth on April 13, 1789 and is buried in the Proprietor's Burying Ground there.