Daniel Bissell
General, U.S. Army

Daniel Bissell was born in 1769.

When he was only 12 years old, Bissell was a Fifer with Connecticut's troops in the Revolutionary War.

In 1788 he enlisted with the U.S. Army, commencing a military career which saw service along the frontier from New Orleans to Canada. As Captain Bissell, he came to Missouri in 1804 where he became a close friend of Daniel Boone. Bissell received the official transfer of the Spanish fort at New Madrid, MO; the post was commissioned to him by Captain Amos Stoddard as agent of the French Republic.

In 1807, he was ordered to Fort Bellefontaine upon the death of his brother, Major Russell Bissell. He was appointed Commander of Fort Bellefontaine & Military Governor of Upper Louisiana by President Jefferson in 1808.

Bissell served with distinction during the War of 1812, in which he commanded U.S. forces at the Battle of Cook's Mill.

After retiring from active duty in 1812, he was prominent in the early affairs of St. Louis. His St. Louis home is now owned by St. Louis County and run as a historical attraction.

Death and Burial

General Daniel Bissell died on 14 December 1833 in St. Louis, MO, at age 65. He is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.