Thomas Adams Smith
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Thomas Adams Smith was an American military officer and, later, a government official, in the first half of the 19th century. He commanded troops in the "Patriot War" in Spanish
East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...
. He commanded the
Regiment of Riflemen The Regiment of Riflemen was a unit of the U.S. Army in the early nineteenth century. Unlike the regular US line infantry units with muskets and bright blue and white uniforms, this regiment was focused on specialist light infantry tactics, an ...
and then the Ninth Military Department. He was a slave owner. The city of
Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...
, is named for Smith, although he never went to its location.


Early life

Thomas Adams Smith was born on August 12, 1781, in Piscataway,
Essex County, Virginia Essex County is a County (United States), county located in the Middle Peninsula in the U.S. state of Virginia; the peninsula is bordered by the Rappahannock River on the north and King and Queen County, Virginia, King and Queen County on the s ...
. He was the fifth of seven children of Francis and Lucy Wilkinson Smith. At some point prior to entering the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
, Smith moved to
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
.


Military career

Smith was commissioned as a second lieutenant of artillery on December 15, 1803, and promoted to first lieutenant on December 31, 1805. In October 1806, General
James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American army officer and politician who was associated with multiple scandals and controversies during his life, including the Burr conspiracy. He served in the Continental Army du ...
used Smith, then serving as Wilkinson's aide, as a courier to transport letters relating to the
Burr conspiracy The Burr conspiracy of 1805-1807, was a treasonous plot alleged to have been planned by American politician and former military officer Aaron Burr (1756-1836), in the years during and after his single term as the third Vice President of the Unite ...
to President
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
. Smith enjoyed the support of Senator
William H. Crawford William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an American politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He later ran for U.S. president in the 1824 United States presidential electi ...
(whose present-day namesake
Crawford County, Arkansas Crawford County is a county located in the Ozarks region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,133. The county seat and largest city is Van Buren. Crawford County was formed on October 18, 1820, from the ...
, lies across the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
from its neighbor Fort Smith) and Congressman George M. Troup, both of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. It is unclear whether patronage was involved but Smith, now an experienced officer, was promoted to captain in the
Regiment of Riflemen The Regiment of Riflemen was a unit of the U.S. Army in the early nineteenth century. Unlike the regular US line infantry units with muskets and bright blue and white uniforms, this regiment was focused on specialist light infantry tactics, an ...
on May 3, 1808. When Lieutenant Colonel William Duane proved unequal to the task of being second in command of the Regiment of Riflemen, Smith was promoted to lieutenant colonel on July 31, 1810, and replaced Duane; he was promoted over John Fuller, the major in the regiment, who left the Army. A group of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
ns, calling themselves "Patriots", crossed into Spanish
East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...
and, on March 17, 1812, captured
Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...
from the Spanish garrison. The Patriots then "ceded" Amelia Island and the surrounding area to the United States. On April 12, 1812, Smith led two companies of riflemen who occupied Fort Mose, Spanish East Florida as part of the
Patriot War of East Florida The Patriot War was an attempt in 1812 to foment a rebellion in Spanish East Florida with the intent of annexing the province to the United States. The invasion and the occupation of parts of East Florida had elements of filibustering but was al ...
. The riflemen received little support from the US Government or the Patriots. Smith attempted a siege of
St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...
, but his supply lines were not secure and the Spanish garrison of
Castillo de San Marcos The Castillo de San Marcos ( Spanish for “ St. Mark’s Castle”) is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine, Florida. It was designed by the Spanish en ...
threatened his command. The Spanish counterattacked Fort Mose and Smith retreated to an encampment further from St. Augustine, Florida. On May 16, 1812, the Spanish set fire to Fort Mose to prevent its reoccupation. All US troops were withdrawn from East Florida by May 1813. Troops retreated to Point Petre, Georgia, under the leadership of Captain Abraham A. Massias. On July 6, 1812, Colonel
Alexander Smyth Alexander Smyth (1765April 17, 1830) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. Smyth served in the Virginia Senate, Virginia House of Delegates, United States House of Representatives and as a general during the War of 181 ...
left the regiment to become Inspector General of the Army and Smith was promoted to colonel and assumed command of the regiment. During the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, elements of the Regiment of Riflemen were allocated to different commands and rarely fought together. On January 24, 1814, Smith was promoted to brigadier general. He relinquished command to the riflemen to George W. Sevier and assumed command of a light infantry brigade near Plattsburgh, New York. In September 1814, Smith's brigade, including elements of the Regiment of Riflemen, proceeded to join forces operating near Niagara, New York. They failed to arrive before the campaign season ended in December. Smith was allowed to take leave in Knoxville, Tennessee. While he was on leave, the war ended. Following the end of the War of 1812, the Army was reduced in size. Smith was retained but reverted, on May 17, 1815, to his earlier rank of colonel; however, he was concurrently brevetted as a brigadier general postdated to January 24, 1814, the date of his wartime promotion. In July 1815, Smith was ordered to report to St. Louis, Missouri, and arrived on September 1, 1815. He resumed command of the Regiment of Riflemen. During Smith's tenure, the Regiment of Riflemen founded Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, Illinois; Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; Fort Howard, Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Fort Smith, Arkansas. The last was named after Thomas Smith and a community grew up around the fort. After a few years, the Army abandoned the installation, but the city of Fort Smith remained, and continued to grow. Throughout the twentieth century, it was the second-largest city in Arkansas. Smith resigned from the Army on November 10, 1818.


Later life

During the time Smith was assigned to Fort Bellefontaine, Missouri, legislation opened up new areas of Missouri for settlement and for the opening of a land officer in
Franklin, Missouri Franklin is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is located along the Missouri River in the central part of the state. Located in a rural area, the city had a population of 70 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia, Mis ...
. Smith wanted to be appointed as the receiver of the office because he wanted to establish a permanent residence for his wife and children as well as their inherited slaves.
John O'Fallon John O'Fallon (November 17, 1791 – December 17, 1865) was a businessman, philanthropist, and military officer, a nephew of the explorer William Clark. During the 19th century he rose to become the wealthiest person in St. Louis, Missouri. The ...
, formerly a captain in the Regiment of Riflemen and now a prominent businessman in St. Louis successfully pleaded his case and Smith was appointed to the position. Later, he was able to acquire six or seven thousand acres of land, on which he established a farm he named "Experiment." In 1829, Smith resigned his position as receiver and moved with his family to the house he had built on the farm, becoming a full-time farmer. He never sought another public office. Smith died on June 25, 1844, at Experiment Farm. (Heitman shows his date of death as December 1818.) The town of Smithton Company was named after him.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith Thomas Adams 1781 births 1844 deaths United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Army generals