 On January 9 , 1779 , while en route to Philadelphia , Hogun was promoted to brigadier general by the Continental Congress . His promotion came about in part as a result of what Thomas Burke , a delegate to the Continental Congress from North Carolina , and a fellow Irishman , termed the " distinguished intrepidity " Hogun had exhibited at Germantown . This caused some controversy , as the North Carolina General Assembly , which was customarily consulted for the promotion of generals from that state , had already nominated Thomas Clark and Jethro Sumner for promotion to the rank of brigadier general . Sumner was promoted , but Clark was passed over in favor of Hogun , who received the support of nine of the thirteen states . Hogun 's surprising victory was due in large part Burke 's lobbying efforts among his colleagues in the Continental Congress . By political conventions governing such matters , Burke was bound by the vote of the North Carolina General Assembly to support the state legislature 's recommendations of Clark and Sumner , but he worked to convince other Congressmen to vote for Hogun over Clark . Hogun was appointed to succeed Arnold as Commandant of Philadelphia on March 19 , 1779 , serving until November 22 that year . 
