Thomas Knowlton
American, 1740 - 1776
Following the Battle of Lexington, he was elected captain of an Ashford company and marched to the defense of Massachusetts. He fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was commissioned major of the 20th Continental Infantry on January 1, 1776. On January 8, 1776, he burned the houses in Charlestown quartering the British and captured five prisoners. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel by Congress on August 12, 1776, and after the battle of Long Island he organized a small corps of picked men called "Rangers." Knowlton was killed in the battle of Harlem Heights, where he was commanding the Rangers.
-- Excerpted and paraphrased from the Knowlton, Thomas entry in the Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. X.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1783 - 1825
American, 1806 - 1861