Benjamin Lincoln was born on January 24, 1733, in Hingham, Massachusetts, to one of the first dynastic American families. The Lincolns had been one of the first families to settle in Hingham and were able to establish themselves through vast farmlands along with local governance. Benjamin Lincoln’s father, Colonel Benjamin Lincoln, amassed a considerable fortune through his family farms and his longstanding seat on the Governor’s Council. The younger Lincoln followed his father into governance from a very young age, becoming town constable of Hingham, Massachusetts, at the age of 21. Benjamin also followed his father into the colonial militia, enlisting in the same regiment where his father was colonel. Lincoln was active in the militia during the French and Indian War, but saw no actual combat, despite this, he was promoted to major by the end of the conflict. After the war, Lincoln used his place in local governance to actively protest Parliamentary taxation and the Boston Massacre.
From the onset of revolution in the colonies, Lincoln played an essential role in the war. In 1774 the Massachusetts Provincial Congress appointed Lincoln to oversee militia organization and supply in Massachusetts. This role became vital with the outbreak of war at Lexington and Concord, less than 30 miles away from Lincoln’s home in Hingham. As the initial conflict expanded and developed into the full Patriot siege of Boston, Lincoln’s job became pivotal. Both British and American forces dealt with a lack of supplies during the siege, Lincoln’s supply line kept the colonial army’s hopes alive, until General Henry Knox, on George Washington’s orders, brought heavy artillery to colonial forces outside the city. Knox gave the Continental Army a clear advantage and effectively ended the siege as the British soon evacuated the city.
