American patriot and clergyman, born in Charlotte County, VA, in April 1734; shot by a sentry, near Elizabeth, NJ, on the 24th of November 1781. He was a graduate of Princeton in 1759, and became pastor of a Presbyterian church in Elizabeth, three years later. During the agitation preceding the Revolution he was active in arousing the spirit of rebellion, and was subsequently chaplain in the American army. A monument commemorating his life and service was erected at Elizabeth in 1846. He was known as the “Fighting Parson,” and to him is credited the saying, “Now put Watts into them, boys,” as he had supplied his men with hymnbooks to use for gun-wadding.
