Tench Tilghman

Tench Tilghman (, December 25, 1744April 18, 1786) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Tilghman rose to become a trusted member of Washington's staff. The historic events of the time sparked his transformation from a privileged family member of Loyalists to a dedicated Patriot. He paid a high price, facing tragedies including a split with Loyalist members of his family, and illness and an early death from disease contracted during the American Revolutionary War. Early life, education, and career Tilghman was born on December 25, 1744, at Fausley, a plantation owned by his father, James Tilghman, located on Fausley Creek, a branch of the Miles River, in Talbot County, Maryland, a few miles from the town of Easton. His mother was Anne Francis Tilghman; his father was a lawyer and noted Loyalist. Like many prominent planter families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Tilghman family had social and business ties with business elites in Philadelphia, and has intermarried with some prominent Philadelphia families.Jennifer Hull Dorsey, Hirelings: African American Workers and Free Labor in Early Maryland (Cornell University Press: 2011), p. 5. Tilghman was the eldest of six brothers and four sisters.