William Leslie (British Army officer)
| William Leslie | |
|---|---|
,_by_British_School_of_the_18th_century.jpg)
Miniature portrait, c. 1780
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| Born |
8 August 1751 Fife, Scotland |
| Died | 3 January 1777 (aged 25) Princeton, New Jersey, United States |
| Buried | St. Paul's Lutheran Church graveyard Pluckemin, New Jersey, United States |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | |
The Honourable William Leslie (8 August 1751 – 3 January 1777), second son of the Earl of Leven and Melville from Scotland, was a Captain in the 17th Foot of the British Army during the American War of Independence. He was mortally wounded during the Battle of Princeton and buried with military honours by American General George Washington at Pluckemin, New Jersey.
He was born on 8 August 1751 to David Leslie, 6th Earl of Leven and Wilhelmina Nisbet. He was the nephew of General Alexander Leslie.
During the summer of 1767, he became a friend of Benjamin Rush, who was then studying medicine at University of Edinburgh and had visited the estate of the Earl of Leven.
In 1771, he joined the 42nd Highlanders. He next switched to the 17th Foot and was promoted to lieutenant in 1773, and to captain in 1776. Sent to America in 1776, he served in the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Fort Washington.
On 3 January 1777, during the Battle of Princeton, he was one of many who died. The British put his body in a wagon, that was later taken by the Americans. The following day, Rush, while treating the wounded at Princeton, learned of Leslie's death from British Captain John McPherson. On 5 January, at Pluckemin, when General George Washington learned that Leslie was a friend of Rush, he ordered military honours for the burial. The gravestone is in the graveyard of the former St. Paul's Lutheran Church (built 1757), where the Pluckemin Presbyterian Church is now located.
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