Warren County, Missouri is named after General Joseph Warren, but when he died, he wasn’t fighting as a General. How come? And who was he?
Who was Joseph Warren?
Joseph Warren was a doctor in Massachusetts. He was critical of the British before the start of the American Revolution. He was among the most well-known figures in Boston at the time, too.
Fun fact: Warren asked Paul Revere and William Dawes to spread the word that the British were coming. They helped create the famous adage, “One if by land, two if by sea!” What did that mean?
Here’s how Joseph Warren started in the Revolutionary War:
- Warren was asked by the Continental Congress to serve as a General commanding troops in the American Revolution against the British.
- At the start of what would become the Battle of Bunker Hill, he met two other American leaders, General Israel Putnam and Colonel William Prescott.
- Warren wanted to fight in the action and he believed Putnam and Prescott had more military experience.
- So, despite requests not to do so, he joined the other troops as the entry-level rank of private and fought as a soldier, not technically as a General.
The Americans had been successfully defending a small fort against the mighty British army for a few days at Bunker Hill. Then, for the third time, the British soldiers pointed their muskets and bayonets against the Americans on June 17, 1775.
Warren turned to his fellow troops and said, “These fellows say we won’t fight! By Heaven, I hope I shall die up to my knees in blood!”
During this third assault, Warren kept firing his musket as fast as he could until he ran out of ammunition. That’s when a British Lieutenant named Lord Rawdon fired his gun at Warren, killing him.
Because Joseph Warren was so well known and popular, his death encouraged more Americans to support the Revolution. He was known as “The first martyr of the American Revolution.”
Typically, a martyr, pronounced “mar-ter”, is a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty for believing in and refusing to renounce a religion.
But it can also be someone who sacrifices something of great value (like their life) for the sake of principle. John Warren sacrificed his life for the sake of his belief in the new United States of America.
How did Joseph Warren remain famous?
Many people died during the American Revolution. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans died in the war. Joseph Warren was one of them, and he died very early in the long war.
It was a long war! Lasting from 1765–1783, the Revolution took 18 years. That’s longer than many other American wars, including World War I and World War II.
There were many famous Americans at the time, like George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. So how come they’re a lot more famous than Joseph Warren today?
Part of the reason is that people like George Washington lived through the war, and Joseph Warren didn’t. The survivors of the war had more time to establish an even greater name for themselves.
But much of Warren’s fame, especially right after the war, is because of a painter named John Trumbull.
John Trumbull had started painting the great moments of America’s founding. He made this painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence:
This painting is completely made up! While the Founders did meet in a small room in Philadelphia, they rarely met all at once. People came to sign the Declaration of Independence one-by-one over several days as they arrived in town. The room did not have flags, curtains, or a rug. But what is accurate are the faces of the people, all of whom signed the Declaration of Independence.
George Washington was out of town, commanding American troops as part of the Revolutionary War. As a result, he never signed the Declaration of Independence.
But the first painting John Trumbull ever did was this one, called The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill:
Trumbull’s work made a big impact on early Americans. It was like a popular YouTube channel or how a viral photo might be today.
Abigail Adams wrote to her sister about the painting:
“He is the first painter who has undertaken to immortalize by his [brush] that great action that gave birth to our nation. By this means, he will not only secure his own fame, but transmit to posterity characters and actions which will command the admiration of future ages, and prevent the period which gave birth to them from ever passing away into the dark abyss of time.”
Abigail Adams married John Adams. John Adams signed the Declaration of Independence, was the first Vice President of the United States, and the second President of the United States after George Washington.
Abigail raised three children, including John Quincy Adams who would go on to become President. She managed a farm, home schooled her kids, and wrote over 1,000 letters to her husband John over their lifetime. In one of her early letters to John, she wrote,
“Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
Read more about Abigail and her letter to “Remember the ladies”.
Without Trumbull’s painting, it’s likely many of us would not remember Warren at all today. Trumbull’s painting gave Americans a visual piece to remember Warren by.
Today, there are fourteen counties across the United States, mostly in the Midwest. Dozens more cities and towns bear Warren’s name, plus all manner of townships, schools, post offices, and other public buildings. Joseph Warren never set foot or visited any of them!
Can you find other counties or towns named “Warren” on a map?