Stedman, Charles
Stedman, Charles
STEDMAN, CHARLES. (1753–1812). British officer, historian. Born in Philadelphia, Stedman studied at William and Mary College and took the British side at the start of the Revolution, serving as commissary under Sir William Howe. Fluent in German, he was liaison to the German troops serving with the British. Twice wounded during Howe's and Cornwallis's campaigns, Stedman was also twice taken prisoner, escaping from the same jail that held Major André. After the war he served on the commission established to examine Loyalist claims. His History of the Origin, Progress, and Termination of the American War (2 vols., 1794) became the standard British work on the Revolution, sparking a lively dispute with Sir Henry Clinton over a number of petty details. In his later years, Stedman was a deputy comptroller of the British stamp office.
revised by Michael Bellesiles