William Thompson (July 5, 1736 – September 3, 1781) was a soldier from

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, ...

who served as a colonel and later brigadier general in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Thompson was born in Ireland and emigrated to

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, Thompson served as a captain in the

Kittanning Expedition The Kittanning Expedition, also known as the Armstrong Expedition or the Battle of Kittanning, was a raid during the French and Indian War that led to the destruction of the American Indian village of Kittanning, which had served as a staging p ...

under John Armstrong. After news of the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

reached Pennsylvania in 1775, Thompson was appointed colonel of a rifle battalion and was sent to

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to help in the defense of Boston. His unit was known as Thompson's Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion, or the

1st Pennsylvania Regiment The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment - originally mustered as the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles; also known as the 1st Continental Line and 1st Continental Regiment, was raised under the command of Colonel William Thompson (general), William Thompson for se ...

. After Thompson's company of Pennsylvania sharpshooters drove back a British landing-party on November 9, 1775, he was made a brigadier-general, to the displeasure of

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 ...

, who had reservations about Thompson's abilities. Sent to reinforce American troops in Canada, Thompson was captured during an attack on the enemy at

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

in Quebec on June 8, 1776. He was paroled, but not exchanged for four years, and so he could not reenter military service. Thompson blamed Congressman

Thomas McKean Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734June 24, 1817) was an American lawyer, politician, and Founding Father. During the American Revolution, he was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Continental Association, the United ...

for hindering his exchange; his criticism became so harsh that he was censured by Congress. McKean successfully sued Thompson for libel. Thompson married Catherine Ross, sister of George Ross, signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

for

. While on parole in Philadelphia on December 17, 1778 he became an early Member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick''History of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and of the Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland: March 17, 1771-March 17, 1892.''
Hibernian Society 1892 , John Hugh Campbell , pp. 44, 135-136. After finally being exchanged for Baron Riedesel, Thompson died at his home near Carlisle. Thompson Street in the Greenwich Village and SoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City was named after General Thompson, as well as – originally – the adjacent

Vesuvio Playground Vesuvio Playground is an neighborhood park located on the corner of Thompson Street (Manhattan), Thompson Street and Spring Street (Manhattan), Spring Street, off of Prince Street, in SoHo, Manhattan, SoHo, Manhattan, New York City. It was named ...

."The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: Vesuvio Playground (Thompson Street Playground)"
/ref>

References

Cumberland County PA Archives
*Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. ''Encyclopedia of the American Revolution.'' New York: McKay, 1966; revised 1974. . *

External links

*
Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789. Monday, November 23, 1778
Censure of Thompson.

Sam Maner Revolutionary War Generals site {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, William 1736 births 1781 deaths American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Continental Army generals Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the French and Indian War Kingdom of Ireland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania