William Darke
William Darke | |
|---|---|
c. 1791–1801 portrait of Darke by Frederick Kemmelmeyer | |
| Born | 1736 |
| Died | November 26, 1801 (aged 64–65) |
| Buried | Ronemous Engle Cemetery |
| Allegiance | Virginia United States |
| Branch | Virginia Provincial Forces Continental Army Kentucky militia Virginia militia |
| Service years | 1755–1791 |
| Rank | Major general (Virginia militia) |
| Unit | 8th Virginia Regiment |
| Commands | 1st Levy Regiment |
| Conflicts | |
Major General William Darke (1736 – November 26, 1801) was an American military officer and politician who served in the French and Indian War, American Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War. In 1755, he participated in the unsuccessful Braddock Expedition in the Virginia Provincial Forces. During the Revolutionary War, he was commissioned into the Continental Army but was captured by British forces at the 1777 Battle of Germantown. Exchanged in 1780, he resumed his military service and participated in suppressing the Whiskey Rebellion.
One of the delegates of the 1788 Virginia Ratifying Convention, Darke was subsequently elected to the Virginia General Assembly. During the Northwest Indian War, he was present at St. Clair's defeat, one of the worst defeats in American military history. Badly wounded, Darke survived and returned to friendly territory, though one of his sons was killed in action. Darke was not punished and continued his military career, being appointed as a major general in the Virginia militia. He died in Jefferson County, Virginia in 1801.