Remembering William Thompson

During the Revolutionary War, thousands of British soldiers were converging on Boston in a massive invasion. They were intent on compelling the Americans to comply with Parliament's demands. The American riflemen quickly became an important part of the Continental Congress' preparation to face them. On June 14, Congress authorized several companies of riflemen to join the army being formed in Boston, marking the first continental troops of the United Colonies.

William Thompson was given the commission of colonel to lead a battalion of these riflemen from Pennsylvania, making him the first colonel of the United States Army. Why did Congress perceive these frontiersmen as so important in 1775? Why was William Thompson chosen to command the nearly eight-hundred riflemen sent from Pennsylvania? And how did the developments in the American interior contribute to the continental war effort?

This story accents the unique conditions of the American backcountry in the decades leading up to the War for Independence. Historian Robert Guy sheds considerable light on a distinctly American approach to life and the thrust to become self-supporting and provide for a common defense, offering a broader backdrop to the events celebrated as the American Revolution.