William Irvine
William Irvine who was born near Enniskillen, Ireland, in 1742. His ancestors removed from the north of Scotland to the Emerald Isle. His grandfather was an officer in the Corps of Grenadiers that fought so desperately at the battle of the Boyne.Mr. Irvine was a student of the celebrated Dr. Cleghorn and proved to be an excellent surgeon and physician. On the completion of his studios he was appointed a surgeon on board a British man of war where he served for several years with great diligence and success.
Taken Prisoner
In 1763 he came to America and located at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In January of 1776 he was commissioned to raise and command a regiment, and on the 10th of the following June he joined the brigade of General. Thompson near the village of Trois Rivieres. A disastrous attack was immediately made upon the vanguard of the British army stationed at that place. Gen. Thompson, Colonel Irvine and near two hundred subordinate officers and privates were taken prisoners and sent to Quebec!An exchange was not effected until April 1778. On his return General Irvine was put in command of the second Pennsylvania brigade and continued in that position until 1781. He was then transferred to Pittsburgh and assigned to the important and delicate duty of guarding the northwestern frontier which was important because difficult to obtain supplies and was menaced with British and Indians in western Virginia.
In 1786 General Irvine was elected to Congress and was a member of the Pennsylvania convention that sanctioned the Federal Constitution.
The Whiskey Rebellion
A short while later he removed to Philadelphia where he was appointed as Intendant of Military Stores and made President of the Society of Cincinnati. Peacefully. General Irvine died in 1804.