William Blount - American Revolution

American Revolution

As tensions heightened between Britain and the American colonies in the 1770s, the Blount family gradually aligned themselves with the Patriot cause. In April 1776, Jacob Blount was appointed paymaster of the 2nd North Carolina Regiment, and William Blount was appointed paymaster for the New Bern District militia the following month. Reading and Thomas Blount accepted commissions in the Continental Army. The Blounts provided provisions for the Colonial army and militias, and would profit both financially and politically from the war. They also began looking westward, with John Gray Blount acquiring a portion of Richard Henderson's Transylvania Purchase in mid-1776.

In December 1776, Blount was appointed paymaster of the 3rd North Carolina Regiment, and spent the first few months of 1777 with the unit as it marched north to join George Washington's main forces in the defense of Philadelphia. In November 1777, political rivals in the North Carolina legislature removed Blount as paymaster, though he was restored to the office in April 1778. He helped organize regiments for the defense of Charleston, which fell to the British in 1780. William's brother, Thomas, was captured during its fall.

In early 1780, Blount was appointed official commissary to General Horatio Gates, who had arrived in North Carolina to command southern colonial forces. Blount was present at Gates's defeat at the Battle of Camden in August 1780, and in the confusion of the battle, lost $300,000 of soldiers' pay.