Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-12-03
JOHN DUNLAP.
The Man Who First Printed
the Declaration Of lnde-
pendence.

The first man who printed the immortal
Declaration of Independence, John Dun
lap, was born in Strabane, County
Tyrone, Ireland, in 1747 He emigrated
at the age of nine to the United States,
where he came to live with his uncle,
William Dunlap, who was one of the
first printers and publishers i'll Philadel-
phia, and who, under Benjamin Frank
lin, became Postmaster at Lancaster, Pa
In I'LL he issued the first number of
the Packet, or General Advertiser, and
soon after became an extensive publisher
When the British had possession of Phil
adelphia September, III, to July, 1879,
owing to his taking the side of the pat
riots, Dunlap was compelled to move to
Lancaster, and in 1884 changed his paper
from weekly to daily, the first in the
United States.
When the First Continental Congress
assembled at Philadelphia, in IVA, John
Dunlap was appointed printer to the con-
vention and also to Congress and in that
capacity had the honor of being the first
who printed the Declaration of indie
pendence, to the principles and doctrines
of which his paper and his personal eff
fort, civilly and in action, were dedi-
Gated.
Before the War of the Revolution he
was Lieutenant of Philadelphia troop Of
cavalry, and at Princeton and Trenton
was the bodyguard of Gen. Washington.
After the battle of Trenton, in order to
reconnoiter the position of the enemy
and to obtain such information as was
required before the further movement of
the American army upon the enemy,
then at Princeton, six men volunteered
their services for this hazardous service
and placed themselves under command
of John Dunlap.
How this duty was performed is well
described by the historian: The raw
ages of the British had struck such ter
ror that no rewards could tempt any one
to 90 to Princeton on this errand. The
men, under their able commander, SCI
out and obtained such a perfect account
that Washington was able to give the
English another taste of defeat"
For this perilous undertaking Gen
Washington thanked the six men ii
these words: Though gentlemen Of
fortune, you have shown noble ex
ample, a spirit and bravery which will
ever be gratefully remembered by me-"
Near the close of the war John DUNLAP
became Captain of his troop, and, al
though a higher military station was OF
fered to him, he preferred his post i'll the
troop. In 1899, during the insurrectiof
of the four western counties of Pennsyl
vania, Major Dunlap and his troop were
sent to Muddy Creek, Washington coun
ty, and by his dexterity in capturing the
leaders of the movement the insurrectiof
was suppressed. William Finley, in hi
history of this instruction, says: "Aftei
Capt. Dunlap's capture of the prisoners
who committed outrages against the civil
authorities he captured several importan
witnesses, treated them with humanity
and provided them with lodgings ant
victuals before taking refreshments him
self"
Having thus periodically served hi
country against the oppression of Eng
land and the domestic disturbers OF the
peace of their own country, he retired
to his business. In the winter OF 1850
while the American army was in winte'
quarters at Morristown, N. j., where they
suffered even more than at Valley Forge
Mr.. Dunlap contributed $4,000 to sup
ply provisions and other necessities TO
the patriots, not mentioning his donation
to the Hibernian Society, of which HI
was a member. Mr. Dunlap died OF
November 27, 1912, and was buried will
all the honors of war.