Geo: Hewey, Ensn. 62 Regt, his signature from a regimental paylist dated Pointe-Lévy, Québec, 23 May 1777

 

Nationality: Irish
Born: ca.1748
Regimental commission dates:
Ensign, 6 April 1776
Lieutenant, 18 August 1778
Captain, 6 June 1792
Wounded: Battle of Freeman's Farm, 19 September 1777
Captured: Saratoga, New York, 17 October 1777 (Convention Army)
Promoted into another regiment: Major, 4th (Nicholl's) West India Regiment, 1798
Died: 1800

 

Son of Henry (died 1755) and Elizabeth Hewey (née Ashe, of Ashbrook, 1725-1813), George Hewey was one of three brothers who at a young age lost their father, who died as a result of a fall from a horse.

George Hewey served with the 62nd Regiment as the oldest ensign (age 29) during the entirety of the Northern Campaign of 1777, including fighting in the Battle of Freeman's Farm (19 September), in which battle he was wounded. He remained with the main body of the officer corps during the period of the regiment's captivity until 1781. Upon the re-organization of the repatriated regiment in England during the summer of 1781, George Hewey was returned as the lieutenant of Captain George Marlay's battalion company, and was recruiting men for the regiment in Ireland. Although Hewey was able to achieve the rank of lieutenant in good time (within a little over two years), such was not the case while advancing to the rank of captain, as he remained a lieutenant for about 14 years before achieving his captaincy. Hewey left the 62nd Regiment in 1798 and was promoted to the majority of the 4th (Nicholl's) West India Regiment. He was killed while aboard a West India packet during action with a French vessel in 1800.

More than any other officer in the 62nd Regiment, Hewey was most victimized by inaccurate naming. For well over a decade, his surname was officially returned as "Harvey" in published lists of officers of the Army. His own ambiguous signature was no doubt partially to blame, along with the fact that he served in the regiment at the same time as Lieutenant Stephen Harvey, who hailed from a prominent and influential military family. It was only by the 1790s that Hewey's real surname was officially corrected, and it seems that he later enhanced his signature for clarity to make the point. The family name is often spelled "Huey."

 

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