William Washington

William Augustine Washington (1757-1810), also a patriot officer in the Revolutionary War, was a native of Westmoreland County, Virginia and is often confused with William Washington (1752-1810), who had no middle name.

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William Henry Washington was a Whig Congressman from North Carolina.

Related Topics:
William Henry Washington - Whig - North Carolina

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William Washington (February 28, 1752 - March 16, 1810) was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Stafford County, Virginia, the son of Bailey and Catherine (nee Storke) Washington, and was a second cousin of George Washington. At the outbreak of the War for Independence, he was elected a Captain of Stafford County Minutemen on September 12, 1775 and, with his company, was integrated into the Third Virginia Regiment on February 26, 1776. After marching north with his unit later in the year, Captain Washington led a successful charge against a Hessian artillery battery at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. Wounded in this action, he was rewarded with a promotion to Major of the newly created Fourth Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons upon recovery.

Related Topics:
George Washington - Battle of Trenton

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By the end of 1779, Washington had advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the Third Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons, and was ordered to join the patriot forces of Major General Benjamin Lincoln in Charleston. By March 1780, Washington?s regiment was detached with the light forces near Monck?s Corner to reconnoiter and screen against the advancing enemy. On March 26, 1780 he had his first encounter with British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton near Rantowle's Bridge. However, Washington's command was chief among those overwhelmed and decimated by Tarleton at Monck's Corner on April 14, and again at Lenud?s Ferry on May 5. After refitting in North Carolina, he had military successes with the capture of Rugeley's Fort near Camden and the defeat of a marauding band of Tories at Hammond's Old Store in the Little River District later in the year. On January 17, 1781, Washington commanded a combined cavalry force at the Battle of Cowpens that was instrumental in the victory there. For his intrepidity in this engagement, Congress awarded him a silver medal. Always at the head of his regiment, Washington fought valiantly at the battles of Guilford Courthouse in March and, upon returning to South Carolina, Hobkirk Hill in April. At the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781, he was seriously wounded while leading a charge and was subsequently captured by the enemy. The British commander in the South, Lord Cornwallis, would later comment that ?there could be no more formidable antagonist in a charge, at the head of his cavalry, than Colonel William Washington.?

Related Topics:
Benjamin Lincoln - Battle of Cowpens - Guilford Courthouse - Lord Cornwallis

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As a prisoner of war, Colonel Washington spent the remaining war years in Charleston. There he married Jane Reily Elliott on April 21, 1782 and consequently gained Sandy Hill plantation and other properties in St. Paul Parish. Pursuing the life of a lowcountry planter, Washington represented the district in the state legislature from 1787 to 1804. He also accepted a post as Brigadier General commanding the Seventh Brigade of state militia in 1794 and, during anticipated hostilities with France, was appointed a Brigadier General commanding South Carolina and Georgia in the U.S. Army in 1798. After a lingering illness, William Washington passed away on March 16, 1810.

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