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

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. He was Colonel of the Orangeburgh District Regiment of Militia and commander of the 3rd South Carolina Regiment of Rangers.

Early life

William Thomson was born on January 16, 1727, in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He was related to

Charles Thomson Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...

. As a boy, his parents brought him to

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, 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 wate ...

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 * 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 * 1776, Cherokee Expedition * 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 ...

* 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 Britis ...

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 state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, 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 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