View source for William Graham (colonel)

{{Short description|American Revolution commander}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= William Graham
|nickname =
|birth_date= 1742 <!--{{birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
|death_date= May 3, 1835 <!--{{death date and age|dYYYY|dMM|dDD|YYYY|MM|DD}}-->
|birth_place= [[Augusta County, Virginia|Augusta County]], Colony of Virginia
|death_place= [[Boiling Springs, North Carolina|Boiling Springs]], US
|placeofburial= Twitty-Graham Cemetery, Boiling Springs, North Carolina
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|placeofburial_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}}-->
|image=
|caption=
|allegiance=United States
|branch= [[North Carolina]] militia
|serviceyears= 1775{{endash}}1781
|rank= Colonel
|unit= Tryon County Regiment, Lincoln County Regiment
|commands = [[Tryon County Regiment (North Carolina)|Tryon County Regiment]], [[Lincoln County Regiment]]
|battles= [[Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge]]<ref>https://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/revolution_grahams_fort.html</ref><br>[[Cherokee Expedition]]<br>[[Battle of Graham's Fort]]
|awards=
|spouse=  Susannah Beller Twitty
|children = Sarah (Graham) Irvine
|relations =
|laterwork =
|signature =
|signature_size =
|signature_alt =
|website = <!--{{URL|example.com}}-->
}}

Colonel '''William Graham''' (1742 {{ndash}} 1835) was commander of the Tryon County and Lincoln County Regiments of the North Carolina [[militia (United States)|militia]] and political leader from [[North Carolina]] during the [[American Revolution]].

==Early life==
William Graham was born in 1742 in [[Augusta County, Virginia|Augusta County]], [[Colony of Virginia]]. He was the son of Archibald Graham of [[Scotland]]. The younger Graham moved to the [[Province of North Carolina]] several years before the [[American Revolutionary War]]. There he was one of forty signers of the [[Tryon Resolves]]. In 1776, he served as a delegate from the extinct [[Tryon County, North Carolina]] to the 3rd and 5th [[North Carolina Provincial Congress]].  After Tryon County was dissolved in 1779, he lived in Lincoln and Cleveland Counties.<ref name="Pension"/><ref name="Docsouth"/>

He married the widow Susannah (Beller) Twitty before 1780.<ref name="History">{{cite book|author=Hunter, C. L.|title=Sketches of Western North Carolina, Historical and Biographical....|publisher=Raleigh News Steam Job Print|year=1877|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cRz7EdxeozQC}}, Google Books</ref>

==Military service==
He served as a colonel and commandant over two regiments in the North Carolina militia from 1775 to 1781:<ref name='Lewis'/>
* Colonel over the [[Tryon County Regiment (North Carolina)|Tryon County Regiment]] of the North Carolina militia (1775{{endash}}1779),  This regiment became the Lincoln County Regiment after Tryon County was dissolved.
* Colonel over the [[Lincoln County Regiment]] of the North Carolina militia (1779–1781)

As a colonel of militia, he served under General [[Griffith Rutherford]] of the [[Salisbury District Brigade]].  He was part of the successful [[Rutherford Light Horse expedition|Light Horse expedition]] against the [[Cherokee]] in 1776.<ref name="Carolina">Lewis, J.D. [http://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/revolution_cherokee_expedition_1776.html ''Cherokee Expeditions'']; Carolana.com; retrieved May 2016</ref><ref name='Lewis'>Lewis, J.D.; ''North Carolina in the American Revolution'', Service Record of [http://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/nc_patriot_military_colonels.html Colonel William Graham], accessed Jan 30, 2019</ref><ref name="Pension">{{cite web|url=http://revwarapps.org/s8624.pdf|title=Revolutionary War Pension Application S8624, Colonel William Graham|accessdate=March 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/colonel-james-johnston|title=NCPedia, Colonel James Johnston}}, mentions Colonel William Graham in the Cherokee expedition</ref>

In 1780, he missed the [[Battle of Ramseur's Mill]].  That same year Graham marched with his troops in the expedition that led to the famous [[Battle of Kings Mountain]], but again due to an illness in his family, he was not with his men when the battle was fought.  [[Joseph Dickson|Colonel Joseph Dickson]] took his place.<ref name='Lewis'/><ref name="Pension"/>

He did participate in skirmishes at Thicketty Fort, South Carolina on July 26, 1780;  Wofford's Iron Works, South Carolina on August 8, 1780; and Graham's Fort (his) in September of 1780.<ref name="Pension"/>

William Graham was the oldest Colonel in the frontier parts of western North Carolina.  He was involved in the selection of localities for Forts, which had to be erected and provided with a garrison. He directed the forts at Waddleboro, Earles White Oak, Russells and Botts.  He received information about threats from spies that reported to him.<ref name="Docsouth">{{cite web|url=https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr22-0024|title=Declaration by William Graham concerning his military service in the Revolutionary War, Graham, William, Volume 22, pp. 126–128|website=Colonial and State Records of North Carolina|accessdate=March 20, 2019}}</ref>

==Death==
He was residing in [[Rutherford County, North Carolina]] in October 1832.<ref name="Docsouth"/>  He died on May 3, 1835.<ref name="Pension"/>  Graham was buried at the Twitty-Graham Cemetery, Boiling Springs, Cleveland County, North Carolina.<ref name="History"/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, William}}
[[Category:1742 births]]
[[Category:1835 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Augusta County, Virginia]]
[[Category:North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution]]
[[Category:Signers of the Tryon Resolves]]
[[Category:Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses]]
[[Category:People from Lincoln County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Rutherford County, North Carolina]]