Horatio Gates transitioned from being a soldier to becoming a farmer.

The French and Indian War was a defining moment in Horatio Gates' career in the British army. He first worked for General Edward Braddock and participated in his botched expedition to seize Fort Duquesne in 1755. A fascinating tidbit about Horatio Gates is that he continued to serve under Generals John Stanwix and Robert Monckton, finally rising to the rank of major.

Gates, though, was a guy of great practicality. He quickly came to the conclusion that he lacked the connections and resources necessary to advance above the rank of major in the British Army. So, in 1769, he sold his major's commission in order to maximize the value of his military position.

After that, Gates emigrated to the New World with his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Robert, using the money he had earned. He decided on Virginia as the location for his new life, and after buying a modest property, he moved there with his family. When Gates got to Virginia, he bought a 659-acre farm along the Potomac River not far from Shepherdstown. This is one of the interesting facts about Horatio Gates due to he worked as a soldier and a farmer.