This Author finds it somewhat incredible that the first instance recorded about the military service of James Hogun begins so late - in April of 1776. I tend to think that he must have served in some capacity between September of 1775 and April of 1776, but I cannot find any records thereof.

On 4/22/1776, James Hogun was commissioned as a 1st Major under Col. Willis Alston in the Halifax County Regiment of Militia.

On 5/11/1776, James Hogun was assigned as a Major under Col. Philemon Hawkins, Jr., who declined to serve, then under Col. Peter Dauge in the newly-created 2nd Battalion of Militia, a special regiment established in response to an anticipated British invasion along the Cape Fear region that never materialized. This unit went to Wilmington where they remained until they were disbanded on 8/13/1776 and sent home.

On 11/24/1776, James Hogun was commissioned as Colonel/Commandant over the newly-created 7th NC Regiment on the Continental Line. Col. James Hogun led the 7th NC Regiment in the battles of Brandywine Creek, PA (9/11/1777) and Germantown, PA (10/4/1777).

In early 1778, the 7th NC Regiment was disbanded due to low numbers. Col. James Hogun was sent home to ressurect the regiment from scratch, and the 7th NC Regiment was reinstated in August of 1778 with over 600 men, mostly "New Levies" who were only required to serve nine months. The 7th NC Regiment was marched to New York and in early 1779 it was folded into the 3rd NC Regiment and sent to Philadelphia, PA. The 7th NC Regiment was never to be resurrected after this.

On 1/9/1779, James Hogun was commissioned as a Brigadier General and given command of the 1st NC Brigade headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. At that time, the 1st NC Brigade consisted of the 1st NC Regiment, the 2nd NC Regiment, the 3rd NC Regiment, and two companies of NC Artillery.

On 8/10/1779, the 1st NC Brigade was ordered southward in anticipation of a new British invasion, but they did not start marching until September. Soon thereafter, Gen. George Washington ordered them to return to Paramus, NJ and join up with him near his headquarters in Morristown. When news finally arrived that Savannah, GA had been taken by the British, Gen. George Washington ordered the 1st NC Brigade home on 11/18/1779. It was a long and bitter march, with many stops in between. They finally arrived in Charlestown, SC on 3/3/1780, just before the British began bombarding the town.

On 5/12/1780, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln surrendered Charlestown, including most of the 1st NC Brigade - 814 NC Continentals, including Brig. Gen. James Hogun, were now prisoners of war. The British offered Brig. Gen. James Hogun a decent home in Charlestown, but he instead chose to be nearer his men at Haddrell's Point. Over the next six months, his health declined steadily, and he died on 1/4/1781, while still a POW.

In some instances, this man is found as James Hogan - the typical Irish spelling of the surname, but most often his last name is spelled "Hogun" by contemporaries and later historians.

James Hogun was born in Ireland in 1721. During his adult life, he lived in Halifax County, NC. He was elected to the Halifax County Committee of Safety on 12/21/1774, as a delegate to the 3rd Provincial Congress in August of 1775, and as a delegate to the 5th Provincial Congress of November 1776 that created the NC Constitution. He married the widow Ruth Norfleet on 10/3/1751, and they had one son, Lemuel Hogun. He died on 1/4/1781 at Haddrell's Point, SC, confined as a POW by the British.

Click Here for a biography of James Hogun provided by William Cicero Allen in his "History of Halifax County" (1918).

Click Here for a biography of James Hogun provide by Samuel A'Court Ashe in his "Biographical History of North Carolina, Volume IV," dated 1906.

Click Here for an online biography of James Hogun as provided by Wikipedia.com.

There are many other similar biographies found online as both James Hogun and James Hogan.