Thomas H. Cushing was born in Pembroke, Massachusetts on December 20, 1755, a son of Nehemiah Cushing (1721–1762) and Sarah (Humphrey) Cushing (1722–1804).[1] Nehemiah Cushing was serving as a captain in the Massachusetts Militia during the French and Indian War when he died at Crown Point, New York.[1] Sarah Humphrey Cushing married Isaac Hatch in 1763; according to local lore, she attended the ceremony clad in a petticoat to take advantage of an English custom, "smock marriage," by which a widow indicated she brought no property into her new marriage.[2][3] A smock marriage prevented creditors from attempting to collect the deceased husband's debts from the widow or her new husband; according to the Cushing family historian, Sarah Cushing maintained her modesty by wearing her petticoat over her dress.[3][4] Cushing was raised and educated in Pembroke, then supported the Patriot side in the American Revolution by joining the Continental Army.[5]
From February 27, 1797, to May 22, 1798, he served as Adjutant and Inspector General of the Army.[a] In 1799, he commissioned artist James Peale to create a miniature portrait of himself. On June 15, 1800, he was re-appointed as Adjutant and Inspector General and held the office until April 2, 1807. From 1800 to 1807 he resided in Washington, D.C.[8]
Cushing was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Infantry on April 1, 1802. He was promoted to colonel of the same regiment on September 7, 1805.[9]
In early 1811, Cushing was arrested on the order of Brigadier General Wade Hampton I and court-martialed on charges of disobedience to orders and misuse of government funds. The court first met on April 26, 1811, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was presided over by Colonel Alexander Smyth, with Winfield Scott appointed as the judge advocate (prosecutor). The trial lasted over a year and on May 5, 1812, Cushing was acquitted of most charges, and received only a written reprimand for the minor charges of which he was convicted.[10]
War of 1812
Cushing was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on July 2, 1812. During the War of 1812, he served as Adjutant General of the Army from July 6, 1812, to March 12, 1813. He was then assigned as commander of Military District Number 1 (consisting of the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire) with his headquarters at Boston.
After the war's end, he retired from the Army on June 15, 1815.
In 1817, Cushing fought a duel with Virginia congressman William J. Lewis and was saved when the bullet struck his watch. The two resolved their differences, and Lewis, stepping up to the general, said: "I congratulate you, general, on having a watch that will keep time from eternity."
Cushing died in New London in 1822. He was originally buried in the Second Burial Ground in New London but his remains were later relocated to the Cedar Grove Cemetery in the same city.
^Metcalf, Bryce (1938). Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and List of the Officers of General and State Societies'. Virginia Military Institute Library: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc., Strasburg, Virginia. p. 100.
