Thomas Lancaster Lansdale

Continental Army officer (1748–1803)

Thomas Lancaster Lansdale

Born| (1748-11-10)November 10, 1748[1]
Died| (1803-01-19)January 19, 1803[1]
Buried|

Bowie, Maryland

Years of service| 1776-1783[2]
Rank| Major
Unit| 3rd Maryland Continental Infantry.[3]

Major Thomas Lancaster Lansdale (November 10, 1748 – January 19, 1803)[2] was an American soldier who served as an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

## Military service

[edit]

Portrait of Cornelia Van Horn Lansdale (Mrs. Thomas Lancaster Lansdale) by Rembrandt Peale

He served in the Continental Army from 1776 through 1783 as an officer[2] in the 3rd Maryland Continental Infantry.[3]

On January 25, 1783, Lansdale was berated in writing by George Washington for the shabby appearance of the troops under his command while encamped on the banks of the Hudson River.[4][5] Lansdale redeemed himself two weeks later with Washington who then wrote:

> It gave me very sensible pleasure to observe at the

> Review yesterday the very great alteration for the better in the appearance of the Maryland Detachment ... I anticipate the day when this Detachment will rival if not surpass in

> excellence the oldest & best Troops in the American Service.[5]

At the conclusion of the war, Lansdale was admitted as an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland.[6][7]

## Business

[edit]

Outside of military service, he was a merchant with the firm of Lansdale and Claggett in the port town of Queen Anne[1] and owned a sizeable tobacco plantation in Prince George's County.[5] He made his home at Hazelwood, overlooking Queen Anne.[8]

## Family

[edit]

His father was Isaac Lansdale who died in 1777.[8] His wife was Cornelia Van Horn Lansdale.[9]

## Legacy

[edit]

His grave in Collington, Maryland (now Bowie) is marked by a municipal park and a boulevard named in his honor.[2]

## External links

[edit]

* Thomas Lancaster Lansdale at Find a Grave
* The Society of the Cincinnati
* The American Revolution Institute

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Dorman, John Frederick (2005). Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5: Families G-P. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 183\. ISBN 9780806317632.
2. ^ a b c d "Major Thomas Lancaster Lansdale Park". Museums. The City of Bowie. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
3. ^ a b Maryland Historical Magazine, Volumes 41-42. Maryland Historical Society. 1946. p. 61.
4. ^ Ford, Worthington Chauncey (1891). The writings of George Washington, Volume 10. G.P. Putnam' Sons. pp. 143–145. "Thomas lansdale."
5. ^ a b c Schulz, Emily L. (2009). Maryland in the American Revolution (PDF). The Society of the Cincinnati. p. 35.
6. ^ Register of the Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland. Baltimore, Maryland: Order of the Society. 1897. pp. 78. "lancaster Lansdale."
7. ^ Metcalf, Bryce (1938). Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and Lists of the Officers of the General and State Societies Strasburg, VA: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc., p. 191.
8. ^ a b Lavoie, Catherine C. (March 1991). "Hazelwood" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 2–6\. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
9. ^ Larson, Judy L. (1994). American paintings at the High Museum of Art. Hudson Hills Press. pp. 28, 170. ISBN 978-1555950941.