MacIntosh, Lachlan

MacIntosh, Lachlan (1725-1806) General: Born in Scotland, MacIntosh emigrated to Georgia with his family. He received little early education and, at 17, became a clerk in a counting-house in Charleston, South Carolina. He returned to Georgia and became a land surveyor and, in 1776, mortally wounded his political opponent, Button Gwinett, in a duel. MacIntosh accepted a command in the central army under General Washington, who chose him to command in a campaign against western Native Americans in 1778. He was given the command of the 1st and 5th South Carolina regiments and, after driving the British from their outposts, took an active part in the siege of Savannah. Present at the surrender of Charleston to Sir Henry Clinton, he was held prisoner by the British. After the war, MacIntosh became a member of Congress and a commissioner to deal with issues related to Native Americans in the South. Late in his life, he lived in retirement and relative poverty.