Chatham County, North Carolina in 1771 from Orange County. It had been named in 1758 for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, who served as British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1768 and opposed harsh colonial policies. In 1907, parts of Chatham County and Moore County were combined to form Lee County. While not devoted to large plantations, the county was developed for small farms, where slave labor was integral to the owners' productivity and success. By 1860 one-third of the county population were African Americans, chiefly enslaved. George Moses Horton, Historic Poet Laureate of Chatham County, (1797?-1883) lived most of his life enslaved
John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham short interval out of office in 1806-7. He became the General Officer in Command of the Eastern District in 1806. In 1798 Chatham returned to the army. He was appointed to command a brigade in the Helder campaign in 1799. He was wounded by a spent ball at the Battle of Castricum on 6 October. After this he served as commander of various military districts, but for some reason was passed over in favour of Arthur Wellesley for a command in the Peninsular War. In May 1809 the Secretary of State for War, Lord Castlereagh, offered Chatham the command of