Benjamin Lincoln

In 1782, Benjamin Lincoln served as Secretary of War for the United States. He previously served as a major general in the Continental Army and notably accepted the surrender of the British Army at Yorktown in 1781. While at Verplanck’s Point, General Washington actively corresponded with Lincoln, whose office was in Philadelphia, to update him about the status of the army.

Benjamin Lincoln
Painted by Charles Willson Peale
1781-1783
Oil and Canvas
Courtesy of Independence National Historical Park