William Barton (general)

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William Barton (1748-1831) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence. He retired at the rank of colonel, although he is sometimes noted as a general due to his later role as adjutant general of the Rhode Island militia.

Barton was born in Warren, Rhode Island on May 26, 1748. He worked as a hatter in Providence, Rhode Island, and in 1771, he married Rhoda Carver. In 1775, he enlisted in the Continental Army as a corporal. He fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. In 1777, as a Colonel in the Rhode Island militia, he planned and led a raid on British headquarters, capturing a Major General. For this exploit, he was locally promoted to General and honored by a resolution of the Continental Congress.

When Rhode Island ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1790, Barton was sent to New York to notify George Washington. [1]

Later in life, Barton became embroiled in a suit in Barton, Vermont, which he helped to found. He refused to pay a fine and as a result, at the age of sixty-four, he was confined under house arrest. At the age of seventy-seven, he was released at the initiative of the visiting Marquis de Lafayette, who agreed to pay the balance of his fine.

Barton died on October 22, with the year of death being given variously as 1831 or 1833. He is buried in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island.