Amos Stoddard
Overview
| Commandant of Upper Louisiana Territory | Date of Birth: October 26, 1762 |
| Place of Birth: Woodbury, Connecticut | Date of Death: May 11, 1813 (age 51) |
History
Amos Stoddard was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, and served in the Continental Army during the Revolution as an enlisted man in the Twelfth Massachusetts Regiment. He participated in significant battles from West Point, New York, to Yorktown, Virginia, concluding the war as a non-commissioned officer in an artillery unit.
After the war, Stoddard moved to Boston in 1784, to study law and worked as a clerk for the State of Massachusetts Supreme Court. In 1786, he paused his legal studies to return to military service, commanding a Massachusetts militia artillery company during Shay's Rebellion. He resumed civilian life and law practice in 1788, briefly serving in the state assembly for a Massachusetts district now part of Maine. However, he re-entered military service, first with the Massachusetts State Militia, and was commissioned as a Captain of Artillery in the Army in 1798.
Captain Stoddard served in various garrisons from Maine to western Pennsylvania and the Northwest Territory between 1798 and 1803. Following the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France, he was appointed to oversee the transfer of Upper Louisiana in St. Louis and assumed command of civil and military affairs until a new territorial government was established.
Captain Stoddard arrived in St. Louis in February 1804, where he continued the practices of the outgoing administration and reappointed local officials. He also addressed Native American affairs and organized the territorial militia, earning praise from the incoming administration to President Jefferson. After being relieved of his military duties in July 1804, Stoddard served as the Chief Civil Officer until Governor William Henry Harrison replaced him in October 1804.
In 1807, Captain Stoddard was promoted to Major and served at various posts in New York. During the War of 1812, he acted as assistant questmaster in Pittsburgh before being assigned to Fort Meigs, where he was fatally wounded during its defense. He died on May 11, 1813.
Stoddard County in southeast Missouri is named in his honor.
