Military officer; born in
Dracut, Mass., Dec. 17, 1748; graduated at Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1769, and became a lawyer in
East Greenwich, R. I. In 1784 he was commander of the Kentish Guards, from the ranks of which came
General Greene and about thirty other officers of the Revolution.
He was made colonel of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment in January, 1775, and soon afterwards entered the
Continental army, becoming brigadier-general in February, 1777.
He was at Red Bank (Fort Mercer), in command of all the troops on the
Jersey side of the
Delaware, when the
British took
Philadelphia; and it was under his direction that
Major Thayer made his gallant defence of
Fort Mifflin (q. v.).
General Varnum was at
Valley Forge the following winter; took part in the battle of
Monmouth (June 28, 1778) ; joined
Sullivan in his expedition to
Rhode Island, serving under the immediate orders of
Lafayette, and resigned in 1779, when he was chosen major-general of militia, which office he held until his death.
In the Continental Congress (1780-82 and 1786-87) he was very active, and an eloquent speaker.
Appointed judge of the Supreme Court in the
Northwestern Territory, he removed to
Marietta, O., in June, 1788, and held the office until his death there, Jan. 10, 1789.
