Born in
Plainfield,
New London County,
Connecticut Colony, Fellows settled in
Sheffield,
Province of Massachusetts around 1750. He fought in the
French and Indian Wars. During the Revolution he was present during the British
Siege of Boston under
George Washington. After the
battles of Lexington and Concord he led a regiment to Boston and fought at the
Battle of Bunker Hill. In August 1776, Fellows commanded a brigade at the
Battle of Long Island covering Washington's retreat after the loss. Fellows commanded a regiment in the
Massachusetts Militia at
Roxbury, Massachusetts until the end of 1775. On June 25, 1776, he was appointed by the Massachusetts General Court to be brigadier general of the militia reinforcements which was being assembled to support the
Continental Army at
New York City. On September 15, 1776, the British
General William Howe landed a large force of troops at Kips Bay on the East River near what is now 34th street in
NYC. Feeble defense by the American militia of
General Parsons and General Fellows soon ended in a rout of American forces. The failure to stop and oppose the enemy was a great disappointment to Washington. General Washington was said to be so distraught at seeing the rout, that he drew his sword and charged down the hill towards the advancing British forces, only to be restrained by an aide at the last moment. His army narrowly escaped annihilation. Fellows also commanded troops at the
Battle of White Plains, the
Battle of Long Island and in the
Saratoga campaign. A resident of Massachusetts, Fellows belonged to the
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. Fellows helped in the development and settlement at
Canandaiga, New York. In 1790 he built the first saw mill at Mud Creek, East Bloomfield, New York in 1790. The 1790 census shows him living in Ontario County, New York. Fellows was also the Sheriff of
Berkshire County, Massachusetts for many years. Fellows was appointed proprietor of the town of
Wolcott, Vermont. Fellows died on August 1, 1808, in Sheffield, Massachusetts, and is buried in its Bernard Cemetery.
Slave ownership According to research conducted by the
Massachusetts Historical Society, Fellows owned at least one
slave. A July 1, 1777
bill of sale shows General John Fellows selling a woman by the name of Ton to the 30-year old Sedgwick. ==Controversial book==