Thomas Adams Smith
|
General Thomas Adams Smith |
|
|---|---|
Gen. Thomas A. Smith
|
|
| Born |
August 12, 1781 Piscataway, Essex County, Virginia |
| Died |
June 25, 1844 (aged 62) Experiment Farm, Saline County, Missouri |
| Resting Place | Memorial Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Napton, Saline County, Missouri (39°02′51″N 93°06′09″W / 39.04747°N 93.10258°WCoordinates: 39°02′51″N 93°06′09″W / 39.04747°N 93.10258°W) |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1803 — 1818 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands held | |
| Spouse(s) | Cynthia Berry White Smith |
| Relations |
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Thomas Adams Smith was an American military officer and, later, a government official, in the first half of the 19th century. He commanded troops in the "Patriot War" in Spanish East Florida. He commanded the Regiment of Riflemen and then the Ninth Military Department. He was a slave owner. The city of Fort Smith, Arkansas, is named for Smith, although he never went to its location.
Thomas Adams Smith was born on August 12, 1781 in Piscataway, Essex County, Virginia. He was the fifth of seven children of Francis and Lucy Wilkinson Smith. At some point prior to entering the U.S. Army, Smith moved to Georgia.
Smith was commissioned as a second lieutenant of artillery on December 15, 1803, and promoted to first lieutenant on December 31, 1805. In October 1806, General James Wilkinson used Smith, then serving as Wilkinson's aide, as a courier to transport letters relating to the Burr conspiracy to President Thomas Jefferson.
Smith enjoyed the support of Senator William H. Crawford (whose present-day namesake Crawford County, Arkansas, lies across the Arkansas River from its neighbor Fort Smith) and Congressman George M. Troup, both of Georgia. It is unclear whether patronage was involved but Smith, now an experienced officer, was promoted to captain in the Regiment of Riflemen on May 3, 1808. When Lieutenant Colonel William Duane proved unequal to the task of being second in command of the Regiment of Riflemen, Smith was promoted to lieutenant colonel on July 31, 1810, and replaced Duane; he was promoted over John Fuller, the major in the regiment, who left the Army.
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