James Hogun James Hogun ( died January 4 , 1781 ) was one of only five Continental Army generals from North Carolina in the American Revolutionary War . Initially a major in the 7th North Carolina Regiment , Hogun advanced quickly in rank to become the commander of that unit months later in 1776 . He participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown in 1777 . The Continental Congress promoted Hogun to the rank of brigadier general in 1779 , even though several congressmen and the North Carolina General Assembly wished to see Thomas Clark of North Carolina promoted instead . Hogun was in command of North Carolina ' s line brigade during the Siege of Charleston in the spring of 1780 , which ended in the surrender of all but one of North Carolina ' s regiments of regular infantry as well as more than 5 , 000 Patriot soldiers under Major General Benjamin Lincoln . Hogun was the highest - ranking officer from North Carolina to be captured and imprisoned after the surrender of Charleston . Despite being offered the opportunity to leave internment under a parole that was generally extended to other captured Continental officers , Hogun remained in a British prisoner of war camp near Charleston , perhaps in order to prevent the British Army from recruiting Continental soldiers for the British campaign in the West Indies . He became ill , and died in the prison on Haddrel ' s Point on January 4 , 1781 . Early life . Much of Hogun ' s early life remains unknown , due to his relative obscurity until the American Revolutionary War . It is known that Hogun immigrated to North Carolina from Ireland , his place of birth , in 1751 , and that on October 3 , 1751 , he married Ruth Norfleet . The two had a son , Lemuel , who survived him . Political involvement . In 1774 , Hogun became a member of the Halifax County , a fact that indicated Hogun ' s relative rise in prominence since arriving in the colony 23 years prior . Between August , 1775 , and November , 1776 , Hogun represented Halifax County in the Third , Fourth , and Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress es , demonstrating an interest in military matters . As a delegate , Hogun assisted in drafting the first Constitution of North Carolina . American Revolutionary War . Initial command . Hogun was named a major in the 7th North Carolina Regiment in April of 1776 , and was given command of that regiment on November 26 , 1776 . Initially , the regiment had some difficulty organizing after several of the officers delayed their military work in order to take care of their personal affairs . Hogun was forced to reprimand his officers sharply , threatening them with a loss of their commissions . At the same time , currents of doubt ran throughout North Carolina , as Loyalists attempted to hinder enlistment of Patriots by spreading rumors about the imminent demise of the Patriot army in the north , and disease that was allegedly ravaging that force . While commanding the regiment , Hogun fought against the British Army in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown , and was present at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777 – 78 . In 1778 , Hogun was given orders to assist in recruiting the so - called " additional regiments " requested by the Continental Congress from North Carolina , and thereafter returned to West Point with the first regiment so recruited . Throughout the late fall and winter of 1778 – 79 , Hogun ' s regiment served on a work detail tasked with building up the fortifications at West Point . Hogun found the task distasteful , but his men lacked sufficient weapons to allow them to serve as a combat unit until approximately 400 muskets were requisitioned for them . Promotion and Philadelphia . In early 1779 , Major General Benedict Arnold , then Commandant of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , requested that General George Washington send him an additional regiment of Continental soldiers to guard the Patriot stores in Philadelphia . Hogun was sent to Arnold with his newly recruited regiment , arriving on or before January 19 , 1779 . On January 9 , 1779 , while on route to Philadelphia , Hogun was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by the Continental Congress . His promotion came in part as a result of the " distinguished intrepidity " he had exhibited at Germantown . This caused some controversy , as the North Carolina General Assembly , which was customarily consulted for the promotion of generals from that state , had nominated Thomas Clark and Jethro Sumner for promotion to the rank of brigadier general . Sumner was promoted , but Clark was passed over in favor of Hogun , who received the support of nine of the thirteen states ( as each state delegation voted as one ) . Hogun ' s surprising victory was due in large part to the lobbying of Thomas Burke , a delegate to the Continental Congress from North Carolina , and a fellow Irishman . On March 19 , 1779 , Hogun was appointed as Arnold ' s successor as Commandant of Philadelphia , serving until November 22 of that same year . Southern campaign . In November of 1779 , Hogun took command of the North Carolina Brigade , composed of the 1st , 2nd , 3rd , and 4th North Carolina Regiment s of the North Carolina Line . Through the winter of 1779 – 80 , Hogun led the brigade of about 700 men from Philadelphia to Charleston , South Carolina , where he was to be placed under the command of Major General Benjamin Lincoln . The march was arduous , and Hogun ' s brigade endured one of the coldest , harshest winters in years . The unit arrived at Charleston on March 13 , 1780 , and Hogun was immediately put to the task of defending the city , which had come under siege by British General Henry Clinton in early March . Hogun was among the officers under Major General Benjamin Lincoln who surrendered to the British Army on May 12 , 1780 , along with approximately 5 , 000 Continental and militia soldiers at the conclusion of the Siege of Charleston . That surrender led to the loss of all but one of the regiments of the North Carolina Line then in existence , depriving that state of regular , non - militia soldiers . As a brigadier general , Hogun held the highest rank of the approximately 814 Continental soldiers from North Carolina who capitulated at Charleston . Imprisonment and death . Rather than allowing himself to be paroled , Hogun requested he be interned at the British prison camp at Haddrel ' s Point on Point Pleasant , located in what is now Mount Pleasant , South Carolina , and situated across from Sullivan ' s Island , with the soldiers he had commanded . Hogun ' s decision was based , in part , on his desire to stifle the recruiting efforts of the British , who sought to enlist captured Patriot soldiers to serve in the British West Indies . Soldiers at Haddrel ' s Point were subjected to harsh conditions , denied permission to fish for much - needed food , and threatened with deportation from South Carolina . Approximately 3 , 300 Patriot soldiers were confined in prison camps around Charleston like the one at Haddrel ' s Point , with many ultimately destined for cramped , unsanitary prison ships . Because of the conditions , many former Continental soldiers agreed to join Loyalist regiments , but Hogun set up courts martial in the camp and attempted to maintain a dignified military structure . Hogun ' s health soon declined , and he died in the prison camp on January 4 , 1781 . Legacy . Hogun was one of twenty - two Patriot generals who perished during the American Revolutionary War , and one of twelve who died from disease or other non - combat causes . North Carolina jurist and historian Walter Clark noted that while the careers of three of North Carolina ' s other generals — Brigadier Generals Francis Nash and James Moore , and Major General Robert Howe — were well - known to contemporary historians , the story of Hogun ' s career as well as that of Sumner had been neglected . Hogun ' s personal papers appear to have been destroyed while in the possession of his descendants in Alabama during the American Civil War , leaving virtually no surviving correspondence that would shed further light on his life . The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program , a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources , erected a historical marker in Hogun ' s honor near his former home in Halifax County in 1954 .