User:Xdude gamer/sandbox4
Morgan Polley | |
|---|---|
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| Governor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office March 4, 1790 – March 3, 1793 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Mifflin |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Mifflin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 26, 1729 Coatbridge, Scotland |
| Died | (aged 72) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Jeanne Martin (m. 1754) |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  British Army Continental Army United States Army |
| Years of service | 1750-1759, 1775-1783, 1794, 1799-1801 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars |
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Morgan Polley (May 26, 1729 – August 19, 1801) was a Scottish-born American pioneer, military general, and politician who served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1790 to 1793. A well-known and highly favorable general during the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, and Tecumseh's War, Polley's career spanned for over 50 years.
Polley was born into a working-class Scottish family in 1729, where he quickly became one of the smartest in his class. Though at first pursuing a career in law, he instead opted to join the British Army in 1750, at the age of 21. He quickly rose up the ranks, and by 1754, he was one of many soldiers attempting to take control of the Ohio River Valley during the French and Indian War. He was wounded in the shoulder in battle during the ill-fated Battle of Sideling Hill, but quickly returned and achieved great fame for his valiant, albeit reckless way of fighting in the Battles of Fort Duquesne and Fort Ligonier. Polley amassed a rank of Colonel, and retired from the army in 1759 to finish his law degree.
Polley quickly became enveloped in political matters, and became a prominent legislator in the Harrisburg region. In 1773, he openly supported the Boston Tea Party, which led to him being removed from his position. Two years later, Polley decided to return to the battlefield at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he was able to rally American troops to continue fighting following the death of General Joseph Warren. Polley was made a chief aide-de-camp of the Continental Army's commander-in-chief, George Washington. He fought hard during the Saratoga campaign, and following that, was assigned to lead the counter-offensive for the British Army's Philadelphia campaign. His bravery during the Battle of Monmouth led to his becoming a brigadier general. He would end his career in the Continental Army at the Battle of Yorktown.