John Coffin (judge)

John Coffin (c. 1751 – May 12, 1838) was an army officer, merchant, judge and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented King's in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1785 to 1816.

He was born in Boston, the son of Nathaniel Coffin and Elizabeth Barnes. Coffin entered the British Army and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He became a major in the Orange Rangers in 1777, serving in New Jersey and New York, and later transferred to the New York Volunteers, which saw action in Georgia and South Carolina. In 1781, he married Ann Mathews. Coffin became a major in the King's American Regiment in 1782. In 1783, he was placed on half pay and brought his family to what is now New Brunswick. Coffin acquired a large estate from Beamsley Perkins Glasier, where he built a grist mill and a sawmill. He also sold fish, lumber and rum. Coffin was named a justice of the peace and a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1812, he was named to the New Brunswick Council. Coffin raised the New Brunswick Fencibles during the War of 1812. In 1819, he was given the rank of full general. In 1817, Coffin moved to England but he retained his position on the New Brunswick Council until 1828. He later returned to New Brunswick and died in Westfield Parish.

His brother Isaac became a prominent land owner in Quebec. Military History John Coffin's sailing skills put him in command of a British frigate soon after his entry into the service. In 1775,as the British were scrambling to get troops from Britain to America to repel the rebel uprising, Coffin was ordered to assist General Howe in bringing his army to the battle. The British arrived in Boston on the 15th of June and Coffin landed his troops two days later onto the grounds at Bunker Hill. As the battle raged, it was on the request of his Colonel to "Come and watch the fun", that Coffin found himself fighting hand-to-hand combat with the rebel forces. After the British victory, Coffin was rewarded for his bravery by being presented the rank of Ensign on the Field. Shortly after he was once again promoted to a Lieutenant. After the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, Coffin was asked to command four hundred troops in New York. This small army became known as the Orange Rangers and consisted mainly of mounted rifle soldiers. In 1777 the Orange Rangers helped to defeat Gen. George Washington in the Battle of Long Island. By 1778 Coffin had moved to the south, namely Georgia, where he commanded a cavalry unit made up of loyal planters. His bravery in the battles of Savannah and Hobkirks Hill along with his success in the Battle of Cross Creek, won Coffin high praise from both his superiors and the Rebel forces. Major Coffin opened the battle at Eutaw Springs when he and a few of his men, who were out digging yams, came across the rebel army of General Green. His fire on the advancing enemy drew the attention of the British encampment and averted a surprise attack. As the war was coming to an end, Coffin found himself in Virginia where he was presented with a sword and new rank of Major by Lord Cornwallis. With the noose tightening on the British, and the troops facing starvation, Major Coffin continued to stage daring raids through the enemy lines in search of food. During this time the rebels posted a large reward for Coffin's capture, but it was never collected. Sir Guy Carleton, the Commander and Chief of the British forces appointed Coffin, Major of the American Regiment, shortly before the end of the war. Once the war ended, the British secured his safe passage to his new home in New Brunswick where at age twenty-eight he lay down his sword and began his new life.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Loyalists of Massachusetts-The Other Side of the Revolution by James H. Stark My Father's Shoes-Our Coffin Story, pp. 30–31 by Ross R. Coffin
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