William Douglas, Colonel of
the 6th regiment, Connecticut
William
Douglas (January 27, 1742 – May 28, 1777) was an American military
officer who led regiments from Connecticut during the American
Revolutionary War.
The son of John Douglas and Olive
Spaulding, he was born in Plainfield, Connecticut. At sixteen years
of age 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.
Before the Revolution he had made a fortune.
Douglas took
part in military campaigns along Lake George and Lake Champlain
commanding ships in upstate New York 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".
Early in 1776 he was Major in
Colonel Ward's regiment, ordered to New York, and June 20th he was
commissioned Colonel of the 5th battalion, Wadsworth's Brigade. This
battalion served on the right of the line of works during the battle
of Long Island, August 27th, and was in the retreat to New York,
August 29-30.
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, 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 Connecticut
6th Regiment. However, his health deteriorated during the course of
the war and he was forced to return to his home at Northfield,
Connecticut, where he died on May 28, 1777.
Col
Douglas married, 5th July 1767, Hannah, daughter of Stephen
Mansfield, of New Haven, where she was born 17th Nov 1747, dying in
Northford, 22 May 1825.
They had 4 children:
Olive, b
25 Mar 1768. Married Solomon Fowler, and had daughter Charlotte
Fowler (1805–1873), who married missionary Dwight Baldwin
(1798–1886), and had several other notable descendants.
William,
b 23 Feb 1770. Married Sarah Kirtland
Hannah, b 12 Apr 1772.
Married Amos Dutton
John, b 24 Mar 1775. d 20 Feb 1784
Douglas' grandson Benjamin Douglas was a manufacturer, Mayor
of Middletown, Connecticut, and lieutenant governor of Connecticut
in 1861-62
His brother, John Douglas, was commissioned lieutenant
colonel early in the war, rose to the rank of colonel, and finally
to that of general, and served with distinction throughout the war.
William Douglas died in 1858.
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
Errors and Omissions
|
|
The Forum
|
|
What's new?
|
We are looking for your help to improve the accuracy of The Douglas
Archives.
If you spot errors, or omissions, then
please do let us know. |
|
If you have met a brick wall with your research, then posting a
notice in the Douglas Archives Forum may be the answer. Or, it may
help you find the answer!
You may also be able to help others answer their queries.
Visit the
Douglas Archives Forum.
|
|
We try to keep everyone up to date with new entries, via our
What's New section on the
home page.
We also use
the Community
Network to keep researchers abreast of developments in the
Douglas Archives.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
