by John Beakes
Otho Holland Williams in the American Revolution is the third military biography in our series on General Washington’s best officers. Williams’ exceptional military career began at the very outset of the Revolutionary War when he joined a Maryland company of riflemen as a junior officer. He participated in the siege of Boston in 1776 and the defense of Fort Washington, where he was wounded and captured during the fierce fight.
The Maryland legislature promoted Williams to Colonel of the Sixth Maryland Regiment, and after he was exchanged, he commanded a regiment during the Battle of Monmouth. He was sent south in the spring of 1780 and led Nathanael Greene’s screening force with skill and daring during the “Race to the Dan” River early in 1781. He commanded the Maryland Line in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina, and at Hobkirk’s Hill and Eutaw Springs in South Carolina. Congress awarded him a sword for his gallantry at Eutaw Springs.
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in the American Revolution (Kindle Version)