William Douglas (January 17, 1742 – May 28, 1777) was an American military officer who led regiments from Connecticut during the American Revolutionary War. The son of John Douglas (1703-1766) and Olive Spaulding (1709-1752), he was born in Plainfield, Connecticut, Douglas began his military career as a soldier in the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of sergeant. Following the war, he became a shipmaster and worked in the maritime trades until the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, when he raised the 6th Company of the 1st Connecticut Regiment and became its captain.“The Cyclopedia of American Biography” by John Howard Brown, Google Books
/ref> Douglas took part in military campaigns along Lake George and Lake Champlain commanding ships in upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and was stationed in Montreal. In 1776, he was promoted twice, first to major and then on June 20 as colonel of the Connecticut State Regiment, also known as the "Connecticut 5th battalion". Douglas privately acknowledged in letters to his wife that his troops were often ill-equipped for battle, writing at one point that they “give me much fatigue and trouble.” During the landing of British troops at Kips Bay in New York City on September 15, 1776, Douglas’ troops retreated wildly in the face of the British attack. General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, encountering the retreating troops, reacted angrily by flogging some of Douglas’ troops with his riding cane and declaring: “Are these the men with whom I am to defend America?” Douglas and his regiment also participated in the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776. On January 1, 1777, he was commissioned as a colonel of the 6th Connecticut Regiment. However, his health deteriorated during the course of the war and he was forced to return to his home at Northford, Connecticut, where he died on May 28, 1777. Col Douglas married, 5 July 1767, Hannah, daughter of Stephen Mansfield, of New Haven, where she was born 17th Nov 1747, dying in Northford, 22 May 1825. His daughter Olive Douglas married Solomon Fowler and had daughter Charlotte Fowler (1805–1873), who married missionary Dwight Baldwin (1798–1886), and had several other notable descendants. Douglas' grandson

Benjamin Douglas Benjamin Douglas (April 3, 1816 – June 26, 1894) was an American politician, inventor, and abolitionist who was the 50th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1861 to 1862. Family Douglas was born in Northford, Connecticut, on April 3, 181 ...

was a manufacturer, Mayor of

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

, and lieutenant governor of Connecticut in 1861-62 irtual American Biographies, William Douglas(blocked Internet link, 30 Sep. 2009). Another grandchild,

Charlotte Fowler Baldwin Charlotte Fowler Baldwin (November 7, 1805 – October 2, 1873) was an American missionary. She was a member of the Fourth Company of missionaries sent to the Hawaiian Islands by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Early life ...

(1805-1873), was a missionary in Hawaii.

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* (as Col William ''Douglass'', matches marker) {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, William 1742 births 1777 deaths People from Plainfield, Connecticut Continental Army officers from Connecticut People of Connecticut in the French and Indian War Military personnel from Connecticut