Who was Colonel J.F. Hamtramck? Where did he come from? How did he become an influential figure? What training did he have to prepare him for the challenges he would meet? The answers are found in the years of the American Revolution when his life was cast into the mold that made him a professional soldier. This book is an account of his life during those early years, from his birth in 1756, until the end of the Revolution in 1783.

This privately published book is a history of John Francis Hamtramck. Born in Quebec he left Canada to become a patriot in the American Revolutionary Army and rose to become one of America's highest ranking officers. Outside of the well known city in the Detroit area that bears his name, Colonel Hamtramck's exploits are not well known - till now. John Francis Hamtramck helped to shape the American army in the West during the Indian wars, served with the 5th New York Regiment in 1777-1778, was part of the Sullivan expedition sent against the Iroquois in 1778-1779, and later saw service at Morristown and in Virginia. Buried in Hamtramck, Michigan but still remembered at West Point as an outstanding leader this well documented history serves as an acknowledgement of Colonel Hamtramck's contributions to his adopted country and the American Army.