LINCOLN, BENJAMIN ( 1733-1S10 ) . An American soldier, prominent in the Revolutionary lle was born at Hingham, Mass.. January "4, 1733, received a common-school education. and was engaged in farming at Hingham until 1774. acting successively as local magistrate. Rep resentative in the Massachusetts Legislature, and colonel of militia. In 1775 lie took an active part in organizing the Continental forces. and in 1776 was appointed major-general of the Massachusetts militia. At the siege of Boston. Washington put him in command of an expedition to force the British fleet out of Boston Harbor. Ile com manded the Massachusetts militia at the battle of White Plains: reinforced Washington by a fresh levy of Massachusetts militia at Morris town. N. -T., in February, 1777; and at Wash ington's request was made a major-general in the Continental Army, on February 19th of that year. He served with marked efficiency in the Burgoyne campaign. both under Schuy ler and Gates, being second in command under the latter; and on October 8, 1777. received a wound which maimed him for life, and caused his temporary withdrawal from the army. Resuming service in August. 177S. he was assigned to the command of the Southern Army in September. and arrived at Charleston. December 4th. A detachment of his army was defeated at Brier Creek (q.v.) in March. 1779,
and his main force met with a severe repulse at Steno Ferry in June. Later he acted in conjunc tion with the French under D'Estaing against Savannah, init. the combined forces meeting with a sanguinary repulse on October 9th. he returned to Charleston, where he was soon besieged by the English under Sir 'Henry Clinton and was forced to surrender May 12. 1780, after which he returned to Hingham, Mass., on parole. Ex changed in the spring of 1781. he joined Washing ton and was chosen by him at Yorktown to re ceive the sword of Lord Cornwallis. He held the office of Secretary of War in 1781-1783. and re tired to his farm at Hingham in 1784. In 1786 87 he commanded the _Massachusetts militia against Shays and his followers (see SHAYS's , and in 1789 was made Collector of the Port of Boston. which position he held until two years before his death. Late in life he took a great interest in science, and wrote a number of scientific papers which attracted considerable attention. He was a man of simple. earliest character; and the persevering zeal and disin terestedness of his public service gave him great popularity. Consult the biography by Bowen in Sparks, Library of Jnicrican Biography, series 2. vol. xiii. (Boston, 1847).