David Wooster - Early Years

Early Years

David Wooster was born in Stratford, in the British province of Connecticut. He entered Yale College in 1735, and graduated in 1738.

In 1739, following the outbreak of war between Britain and Spain, he joined the provincial militia as a lieutenant, but apparently saw no action. In 1741 he was named lieutenant of a ship of the provincial guarda-costa, or coast guard, which the colony had established to protect against potential Spanish attack.

On March 6, 1745, Wooster married Marie Clapp, the daughter of Yale's president, Thomas Clapp. They went on to have four children; their son Thomas also served in the American Revolutionary War. His grandson Charles Whiting Wooster was Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy. Shortly after he was named captain of a company in the provincial regiment of Andrew Burr (uncle to future United States Vice President Aaron Burr), and saw service at that year's Siege of Louisbourg. He was sent to France as part of the prisoner escort following that action, and then to England, where he was given an audience with King George and a position as captain in the regiment of William Pepperrell in the British Army.

When the French and Indian War broke out, he served from 1755 to the war's end in 1761, during which he was promoted to colonel and given command of the 3rd Connecticut regiment. In 1758 his regiment was at the disastrous Battle of Carillon before Fort Ticonderoga, and in 1759 at the successful capture of Ticonderoga.