Written by Ann Robertson McConnell
The Continental Army was created by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775. George Washington was appointed to serve as General and Commander-in-Chief the following day. A special military unit called The Commander-in-Chief’s Guard was organized to protect General Washington as well as the money and official papers of the Continental Army. Washington wanted a “corps of sober, intelligent, and reliable men.” There were usually 180 men in the unit, although it was temporarily increased to 250 during the winter of 1779-1780, when the army was encamped at Morristown, New Jersey, where the army was close to the British Army. Because it was an honor to belong to the unit, care was taken to ensure that soldiers from each of the thirteen states were represented in the Guard. Laban Landon, patriot ancestor of DAR member Diane Putnam Ross, was a member of the Guard.
Laban Landon, son of William and Mercy Landon, was born January 13, 1759, in what is now Hackettstown in old Harwick Township, New Jersey. He enlisted as a Private in 1776 in the New Jersey State Troops. Landon served in several companies until 1781. When he was in Valley Forge, he was transferred to General Washington’s Guard in March 1778.
During his service he was in Yorktown October 19, 1781, when Lord Cornwallis surrendered, and in which engagement Landon was wounded in both arms. During his service he was in Yorktown October 19, 1781, when Lord Cornwallis surrendered, and in which engagement Landon was wounded in both arms.
After the war Landon married Elizabeth Gilless March 15, 1784. They had at least eleven children. Records from Tioga County show that he “bought fifty acres of land” there. He died June 28, 1828, in Troy Township, Bradford County.
Information for this article is from Records of the Pension Bureau, Washington; Adjutant-General, Trenton; Godfrey’s “The Commander-in-Chief’s Guard,” p. 20; and Wikipedia.
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NSDAR is a non-profit, non-political women’s service organization. Help researching and proving your lineage can be provided by the Colonel Abram Penn Chapter by contacting Ann Robertson McConnell at [email protected].
