John Thomas (1724-2 June 1776) was a Major-General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Thomas was given command of the American forces in Canada as they withdrew from the region in 1776, and he died of smallpox during the retreat.
Biography[]
John Thomas was born in 1724 in Marshfield, Massachusetts, and he served as a surgeon in Nova Scotia during King George's War and a colonel in the provincial militia during the French and Indian War. In 1760, he led a division under Jeffrey Amherst during the capture of Montreal, and he served as the colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment. In June, Thomas became a colonel in the Continental Army while leading his troops in the Siege of Boston, and he nearly resigned when Artemas Ward was named Major-General from Massachusetts instead of him. However, George Washington and Charles Lee both persuaded him to remain, and following the death of Richard Montgomery on 31 December 1775, Thomas was given command of the army in Canada. On 1 May 1776, he besieged Quebec once more with less than 1,000 troops, facing superior British numbers. Smallpox raged throughout the force, forcing Thomas to withdraw, and he died near Chambly, Canada on 2 June 1776 of smallpox.