Weedon, George, 1734-1793

George Weedon was born in late 1734 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Weedon was appointed an ensign in the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War and rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1757 and to the rank of captain lieutenant in 1762. After the war, he moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and married Catharine Gordon (d. 1797). He operated a tavern in Fredericksburg. Weedon was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Virginia Regiment in January 1776 and received a commission in the continental army 13 February 1776. He was promoted to colonel in June 1776. In August 1776, he and his troops joined the continental army in New York. Appointed a brigadier general 21 February 1777, Weedon served with the army until retiring because of a dispute in rank and for his health. He was recalled to active duty in 1780 to organize and command troops in Virginia. He served at the siege of Yorktown, Virginia. After the war, Weedon returned to Fredericksburg and operated his tavern. Active in local politics, he served on Fredericksburg's council and as its mayor. Weedon died 23 December 1793 in Fredericksburg.

From the guide to the George Weedon Papers, 1776-1789, (The Library of Virginia)

Virginia Brigadier General, innkeeper, friend of Washington.

From the description of ALS, 1779 September 20 : Fredericksburg, to Col. Walter Stewart, Pennsylvania line Head Quarters. (Copley Press, J S Copley Library). WorldCat record id: 14123051

Army officer.

From the description of George Weedon correspondence, 1777. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70981499

Innkeeper and merchant, of Fredericksburg, Va.; officer in United States Continental Army.

From the description of Account book [manuscript], 1777-1793. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647866786

From the description of Account book, 1777-1793. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 34689920

A veteran of the French and Indian War and associate of George Washington, the Virginian George Weedon became an ardent proponent to the revolutionary cause. Elected colonel of the 3rd Virginia Regiment on August 13, 1776, Weedon served under Washington's command in New York and in the vicinity of Philadelphia, earning election to Brigadier General on February 21, 1777. He retired from the army, however, early in 1778 when his rival, William Woodford, was given seniority over him at Valley Forge. Weedon later returned to duty with the Virginia Militia, acquitting himself well during the Virginia Campaign of 1781.

From the guide to the George Weedon Orderly Book, 1777-1778, (American Philosophical Society)

Revolutionary War officer.

From the description of Letters: Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1779. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122632424

George Weedon was a brigadier general in the Continental Army.

From the description of Orderly book, 1777-1778, kept at Valley Forge. (American Philosophical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 122488845

From the description of Military correspondence, 1777-1786. (American Philosophical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 86165474

Weeden was an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

From the description of Letter to Governor Thomas Jefferson, 1781 February 28. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 49378157

General in the Continental Army.

From the description of George Weedon letter to Thomas Nelson [manuscript], 1781June 22. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647903041

Brigadier General George Weedon was a member of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War.

From the description of Letter : Williamsburg, Va., to Thomas Jefferson, Richmond, Va. 1781 April 9. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 31084216

From the description of Letter [manuscript] : Williamsburg, Va., to Thomas Jefferson, Richmond, Va. 1781 April 9. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647837506

George Weedon (1734-1793) ran a tavern in his native Fredericksburg, Virginia before and after the revolutionary war. Enlisting as a Lt. Colonel in the 3rd Virginia regiment in 1776, he advanced to Brigadier General by 1777 seeking action at Brandywine and Germantown. He resigned or was furloughed in 1777 after being Adjutant General of the U.S. Army. He was recalled to duty in 1780 and commanded the Virginia Militia at Yorktown. See the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY 12:313.

From the description of Letter, c. 1784, [Richmond?] to Col., [Fredericksburg?]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122646707

George Weedon (1734-1793) was Captain in the French and Indian War and a General in the American Revolutionary War. Between the two conflicts he was a prominent citizen of Fredericksburg, Virginia, operating a tavern in that city which served as a meeting place for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Marshall and others to discuss politics and the future course of the American colonies.

Weedon was born in 1734, a few months after his father’s death, in Westmoreland County in Virginia. His widowed mother married William Strother when Weedon was still very young, and the family moved to Stafford County, Virginia. Weedon’s first military experience came with the onset of the French and Indian War. He served as a Captain in the Virginia Militia, having been commissioned an officer after recruiting other soldiers.

After the war Weedon married Catherin Gordon and settled in Fredericksburg. Catherine’s father, John Gordon, operated a tavern in the city, and when he died Catherine’s mother continued to run it under as Mrs. Gordon’s Tavern. After Weedon’s marriage to Catherin, he took over operations of the tavern, under the name Weedon’s Tavern. The tavern served as post office for Fredericksburg and the surrounding area. As proprietor, Weedon became a prominent citizen of the city. He kept a stable with pure-bred horses for the amusement of visiting gentlemen, was an ardent sportsman and became secretary of the Jockey Club.

The tavern also became a meeting place for future leaders of the American Revolution, including Washington, Jefferson, Marshall, Patrick Henry, and many others. Weedon, by all accounts, was sympathetic to the cause of revolution from an early stage, and when the war started, he abandoned the tavern to join the army. Weedon has a distinguished military career during the war, and commanded the Virginia Militia at Gloucester Point during the Siege of Yorktown. He was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis in 1781. The Peace Ball, which was held in Fredericksburg to celebrate the victory at Yorktown, was held at Weedon’s Tavern and was attended by a large number of people, including Washing and Lafayette.

After the war Weedon served as Mayor of Fredericksburg, 1785-1786, and as the first President of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia. Weedon eventually retired to his country estate outside of town.

George Weedon died two days before Christmas in 1793.

From the guide to the George Weedon military correspondence, 1777-1786, 1777-1786, (American Philosophical Society)