William Washington (General)

William Washington

William Washington (born February 28, 1752 in Stafford County , Colony of Virginia , † March 6, 1810 in Charleston County , South Carolina ) was an American cavalry officer in the Revolutionary War and one of the first brigadier generals of the newly founded United States of America .

origin

William Washington was born the eldest son of Bailey and Catherine (née Storke) Washington and was a second cousin of George Washington . Washington's childhood home was a mansion on a plantation in Virginia. Under these privileged conditions, he enjoyed the benefits of a southern upbringing. He was tutored in ancient Greek and various fields of theology by a clergyman, the Reverend Stuart. Washington aspired to a spiritual career. When the Revolutionary War broke out, he discarded his original professional plans and joined the American Independence Army.

American War of Independence

William Washington was named Captain of Staffort County Minuteman on September 12, 1775 . The infantry company was integrated into the 3rd Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army on February 25, 1776 . Washington's first combat mission was on September 14, 1776 in the Battle of Harlem Heights , in which he was wounded by a musket ball. Washington's unit took part in the northern campaign of the war and, under the command of Nathanael Greene, participated in the battle for the city of Trenton , which was successful for the American side . Washington surprisingly and successfully attacked the Hessian units fighting under the British flag. He captured two enemy cannons on King Street in Trenton so that they could not be deployed against continental attackers. Washington was wounded again in the fighting, along with young Lieutenant James Monroe , later President of the United States.

William Washington was commended for his services in the battle in Trenton by General George Washington in command. After the battle, he was promoted to major and was given command of the mounted unit 4. Continental Light Dragoons . Shortly afterwards there was another promotion and William Washington served under George Baylor in the rank of colonel as deputy commander of the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons. This mounted unit was almost completely wiped out by British units in the battle at River Vale and Old Tappan in New Jersey on September 27 and 28, 1778. Only 55 American soldiers survived or escaped captivity. The battle became known as "Baylor's Massacre". With the intention of strengthening the dwindling morale of American unity, William Washington was appointed regimental commander of the 3rd Light Dragoons on November 20, 1778 and at the same time promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Washington and his regiment were then seconded to Major General Benjamin Lincoln's continental units in Charleston , in America's southern war zone. In March 1780 Washington's regiment was busy with reconnaissance and protection tasks against the increasingly successful British army. Lt. Col. Washington and his regiment were involved in several skirmishes with the dreaded British Legion under the command of Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton involved. After mutual successes, Washington and his remaining men finally had to flee across the Santee River to avoid capture.

After the American units were defeated at the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780, the British army gained control of the south of the colony. Under the command of General Daniel Morgan , William Washington participated in a series of successful raids on adversaries and looters in western South Carolina. A notable success from these months is the victory at Rugeley's Mill, in which Washington took over 100 prisoners with 60 riders and without firing a single shot. Washington had a deceptively real-looking cannon made from a tree trunk, with the help of which the entrenched enemy was finally persuaded to give up.

William Washington during the Battle of Cowpens

In the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, William Washington fought directly with the commander of the British Legion and Light Dragoons, Banastre Tarleton, notorious for his brutality. Tarleton injured Washington in the knee from a pistol shot, while the latter wounded his opponent in the right hand. Tarleton escaped after shooting Washington's horse. The British units withdrew after more and more American units arrived on the battlefield. For his bravery on the battlefield, William Washington was awarded the Silver Medal of the Continental Congress. After the battle, Washington and his unit covered General Greene's retreat to Dan River in Virginia and North Carolina by keeping the British units at a distance. On March 15, 1781, at the Battle of Guilford Court House, Washington missed the opportunity to capture the British Commander-in-Chief, Lord Cornwallis , due to a communication error. On April 25, 1781 General Greene was attacked by British forces under the command of General Rawdon at Hobkirk Hill. Greene ordered Washington and his men to attack Rawdon's flank. Washington's unit, however, did not intervene in the main fighting because it was busy collecting prisoners of war. Without the expected support, General Greene ordered the withdrawal of American units. William Washington's reputation was damaged, and he and his unit were accused of preferring to enrich themselves by looting rather than fighting, thereby preventing American victory as a result. On September 8, 1781, William Washington was trapped under his horse at the Battle of Eutaw Springs after the latter collapsed, fatally hit by enemy musket fire. A British soldier also wounded him with a bayonet stab. As a British prisoner of war, William Washington remained interned near Charleston, Virginia until the end of the war .

The British commander in chief, Lord Cornwallis, later paid tribute to William Washington with the words: "There could be no more formidable opponent at the head of the enemy cavalry than Colonel William Washington."

After the war of independence

On April 21, 1782, William Washington married his wife Jane Elliott of Sandy Hill, South Carolina. He met his wife after she sewed the regimental flag that was used in the battles of Cowpens and Eutaw Springs. The couple settled on Sandy Hill Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina, where they engaged in farming and breeding pedigree horses. William Washington was a member of the South Carolina Parliament from 1787 to 1804, initially serving in the House of Representatives and later in the State Senate . However, he refused the post of governor that had been offered to him because he was, in his words, "not a born South Carolinian". In 1794 he became Brigadier General and commanded the Seventh Brigade of the South Carolina Militia.

During the undeclared naval war with France (see → Quasi-War ) in 1798, the former President George Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the American Army by incumbent President John Quincy Adams . George Washington brought William Washington to his general staff and made him brigadier general. In the United States Army he was responsible for the defense of South Carolina and Virginia until June 15, 1800.

William Washington died of a protracted illness on March 6, 1810, at the age of 58. He was buried in Live Oak, a plantation near Sandy Hill. In addition to his wife, he left a son and daughter. The daughter later married General Alexander Spotswood, a grandson of the Virginia governor of the same name.

literature

• Stephen Haller: William Washington: Cavalryman of the Revolution . Heritage Books, 2001, ISBN 0-7884-1803-3 .
• Henry Lumpkin. From Savannah to Yorktown. The American Revolution in the South . University of South Carolina Press, Columbia 1981.
• Felix B. Warley: An Oration (obituary), issued in Saint Michael's Church, Charleston, South Carolina, on June 19, 1810, on the death of Gen. William Washington. Charleston: WP Young, 1810.

Web links

• Biography

• William Washington in the database of Find a Grave (English)