U.S. PRESIDENTS IN THE MILITARY (Washington-Monroe)

With Presidents Day coming up in nine days Balladeer’s Blog will be taking a look at the military service of America’s Commanders-in-Chief. For presidents like Washington, Grant and Eisenhower it would take thousands of words to cover their military service so I will save them for separate articles of their own in the future.

GEORGE WASHINGTON – Extensive service in the French & Indian War plus the Revolutionary War. Separate article to come.

JAMES MADISON

Conflict – Revolutionary War

Service – Madison was a colonel of Virginia’s Orange County Militia from 1775-1776.

JAMES MONROE

Conflict – Revolutionary War

Service – William & Mary Militia, taking part in the June 1775 raid on the Royal Governor’s Palace which seized several hundred muskets and swords for the rebel army. In early 1776 he became a lieutenant in the Continental Army and served in the New York & New Jersey Campaign.

Promoted to captain after the Battle of Trenton, Monroe took part in the Battle of Brandywine Creek and in the Philadelphia Campaign. He was promoted to major and under that rank he spent the terrible winter of 1777 into 1778 at Valley Forge.

In late June of 1778 Major Monroe fought in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse but resigned his commission in December of that year to return to college, where he studied law and political science.