John Pitcairn

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. John Pitcairn (December 28, 1722 – June 17, 1775) was a British Marine who was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts at the start of the American Revolutionary War. Pitcairn was born in late December 1722 in Dysart, a port town in Fife, Scotland. His parents were the Reverend David and Katherine (Hamilton) Pitcairn. His father was descended from the ancient Scottish family of Pitcairn of Pitcairn. He was married to Elizabeth (1724–1909), daughter of Robert Dalrymple. He entered the Marines and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1746. He served in Canada during the French and Indian War as a Captain, and was promoted to Major in 1771. In 1774 he arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in command of 600 Marines to support the occupation. Major Pitcairn was respected by the citizens in Boston as one of the more reasonable officers in the occupying force.