William Thomson (1727–1796) was a South Carolina patriot in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. He was Colonel of the Orangeburgh District Regiment of Militia and commander of the

3rd South Carolina Regiment The 3rd South Carolina Regiment was an infantry regiment of the South Carolina Line during the American Revolutionary War. Raised in the western part of South Carolina, the regiment fought in the Siege of Savannah and the Siege of Charleston, su ...

of Rangers.

Early life

William Thomson was born on January 16, 1727, in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He was related to

Charles Thomson Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Founding Father of the United States and secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson prepared the Journals of the ...

. As a boy, his parents brought him to

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, where they settled along the west side of the

Congaree River The Congaree River is a short but wide river in South Carolina in the United States; It flows for approximately 53 miles (85 km). The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad wa ...

in Orangeburgh District.

Career

He later served as sheriff of Orangeburgh and was elected to the First Provincial Congress in January and June of 1775. He was selected as colonel in early 1775 over the Orangenburgh District Regiment of the South Carolina militia. He was later commissioned as lieutenant colonel and commandant of the 3rd South Carolina Regiment of Rangers on June 18, 1775, and later promoted to colonel on May 16, 1776. He was promoted to brevet general on September 30, 1783. He was involved in the following engagements: * December 22, 1775,

Battle of Great Cane Brake A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

* December 23-30, 1775,

Snow Campaign The Snow Campaign was one of the first major military operations of the American Revolutionary War in the southern colonies. An army of up to 3,000 Patriot militia under Colonel Richard Richardson marched against Loyalist recruiting centers in ...

* June 28, 1776,

Battle of Fort Moultrie A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

* 1776,

Cherokee Expedition The Cherokee Expedition, also known as Christie's Campaign, was a military offensive that occurred during the American Revolutionary War between American forces and Cherokee tribes allied to Great Britain. The British encouraged and facilitated C ...

* June 20, 1779,

Battle of Stono Ferry The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by po ...

* September 16 to October 18, 1779,

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the second battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

* March 28 to May 12, 1780,

Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The British ...

At the fall of Charleston on May 12, 1780, he was taken prisoner and was paroled until the end of the war. He returned to his estate at Belleville, South Carolina, where he continued the pursuit as an indigo planter. Because of poor health he moved to a medicinal springs in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, where he died on November 22, 1796.

3rd South Carolina Regiment

The 3rd South Carolina Regiment was originally authorized on June 6, 1775, as the South Carolina Regiment of Horse (Rangers). When organized in the summer of 1775, it consisted of nine companies from western South Carolina. On November 12, 1775, it was re-designated the 3rd South Carolina Regiment. On July 24, 1776, it was placed under the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and placed under the Southern Department.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, William 1727 births 1796 deaths Continental Army officers from South Carolina Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania