Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Brooks, Eleazer

BROOKS, Eleazer, soldier, b. in Concord, Mass., 10 Sept., 1727; d. in Lincoln, Mass., 9 Nov., 1806. Without schooling he acquired a valuable fund of knowledge, his practice being to read the best books, and then talk about them to intelligent men. He became captain of militia in 1773, and took a prominent part in the war for independence, rising to the rank of brigadier-general. At the battle of White Plains he commanded a regiment and distinguished himself by his bravery. Entering the general court in 1774, he had a public career of thirty-seven years, becoming successively a representative, a member of the senate, and a councillor. In 1801 he withdrew from public life.