WAX PORTRAIT OF MAJOR LEONARD BLEEKER (1755-1844)

Major Leonard Bleeker (1755-1844)
Sculpted in Wax by Johann Christian Rauchner
Circa 1800

Diameter: 5 5/8 inches

Leonard Bleeker was born to Jacobus Rutger Bleecker and Abeltje Lispenard on December 21, 1755 in New Rochelle, Westchester in the British Colony of New York. He was baptized on May 4, 1756, with his uncle Leonard Bleeker and aunt Mabelle Stoupe as his godparents. He was one of approximately 10 children.
On June 28, 1775, he became a 2nd lieutenant in the 1st NY Regiment of the Continental Line, serving under General Richard Montgomery. He participated in Montgomery’s campaign against Canada, and was present for the attacks and surrenders of St. John’s and Montreal. On December 25th of that year, he participated in the assault on Quebec that led to the death of Montgomery. In the aftermath, most of the regiment spent a cold winter living on the outskirts of the city on limited provisions, before returning to New York in spring of 1776.
On November 20, 1776, he was promoted to the rank of Captain in Colonel Peter Gansevoort’s 3rd NY Regiment. In spring of 1777, the regiment was sent to garrison Fort Schuyler (formerly Stanwix) on the border of the new United States of America. Over the course of the summer, the fort became the focus of tensions between the US and Britain. Beginning in June, multiple soldiers and three women were attacked, kidnapped, mutilated, and/or murdered by loyalist and Native forces allied with the British.
In preparation for a larger assault, Bleeker led the efforts of the Continentals and local militia in downing trees to obstruct Wood Creek, the westernmost water way on the Oneida Carry, in an effort to slow down any armies that might approach from that direction. His company was assigned to protect the northeast bastion/corner of the fort. On August 2, 1777, the fort came under attack by the forces under command of Brevet General Barry St. Leger. An unconditional surrender on the part of the Americans was requested, but rejected. A siege of 21 days ensued, with the Americans holding the fort. Throughout the siege, several of Bleeker’s men were wounded. Despite their victory and a commendation that followed (from the Continental Congress), the regiment remained stationed at the lonely outpost for another year.
After leaving Fort Schuyler, Bleeker was given a commission as brigade major for the forces of General John Sullivan. During the campaign against the Haudenosaunee peoples in spring and summer of that year, Bleeker was responsible for facilitating communications among the various regiments and companies involved, and assigning various jobs. In 1780, he served again as a captain of light infantry in the reorganized 1st NY Regiment under Colonel Goose Van Schaick, before becoming brigade major for the Marquis de Lafayette from May to October 1781. Under Lafayette’s command, Bleeker witnessed the surrender of British General Cornwallis at the Siege of Yorktown. Bleeker remained a captain in the 1st NY until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. In 1783, he also became a founding member of the Society of Cincinnati, a Continental Officer veterans’ organization.
Bleeker was known as a fiery personality with a penchant for business. During his tenure at Fort Schuyler, he was personally called out in regimental orders in December 1777 by Colonel Gansevoort for his tardiness. In May 1778, another officer made a charge of abuse against Bleeker. After an investigation, the accusations were dismissed. Several years later, in May 1782, he was convicted at a court martial of “ungentleman-like behavior, in striking and abusing” an ensign, and was sentenced to be reprimanded in brigade orders. Despite this, he remained well known enough  to personally appeal to George Washington for an office in 1789 in the new government under the Constitution.
In 1792, Bleeker was one of 24 signatories to the Buttonwood Agreement, which allowed for the creation of the New York Stock Exchange. His nephew, James Ward Bleeker, became the 4th President and first Treasurer of the NYSE. Bleeker Street in New York City was named for Blecker’s elder brother, Anthony Lispenard Bleeker, whose farm ran on the land.
Bleeker was married twice:  His first wife was Johanna Abeel (married in 1783). They had six children: Elizabeth, Leonard, Edward, Gertrude, George Washington, and Jacob. In 1818, Bleeker married Grace Berrian Moore. Together they had one daughter, Maria. Around the time of the War of 1812, Bleeker’s money had run out, and he became indebted to multiple people to keep his family afloat. In March of 1818, the U.S. Congress passed “An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and Naval Service of the United States during the Revolutionary War,” which allowed for pensions to be given to veterans of the American Revolution; Bleeker applied for a veteran’s pension to aid him.
According to his official deposition, the entire sum of his belongings (included his clothing, religious books, three beds and the bedding needed for them, and the furniture to make one room comfortable for his wife) were valued at $200. He owed rent to his landlord, and was forced to sell his furniture and belongings to try and make up the difference. His pension was granted at the rate of $240 per year, a rate that was raised to $480 and then $524 because of his ranking in the military.
Bleeker died on March 9, 1844, at the age of 88, in New Rochelle, NY. He was survived by five of his older children and was buried at the Reformed Church of Newtown Cemetery in Elmhurst, NY.

Inventory Number:  668