During the war General Washington was navigating many hurdles. The British were not his only adversary. He often faced a dwindling Army as enlistment periods ended and soldiers did not re-enlist because they were not being paid as promised and were constantly dealing with a lack of supplies. The shortages did not apply just to guns and gun powder. Many were poorly clothed and some were very malnourished. In spite of this, some men were so committed to the cause they reenlisted repeatedly.

Among them was Thomas Campbell who was born near Windsor, Pennsylvania in 1750. He first appeared on the tax list of Monaghan township in 1771. In 1775, he married Isabella Lusk from Cumberland County. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, he enlisted as a private in a York Rifle Company in April of 1775. The unit left York PA on July 1, 1775 and arrived in the Boston area on July 25, 1775, as described in earlier articles.

Up to this point Thomas Campbell’s military experiences are closely aligned with those of Ed Cavanaugh from an earlier article. However, while Ed/Ned went with Benedict Arnold to Quebec, the unit Thomas was in was initially viewed as disruptive. However, by the time the siege of Boston was over the unit was regarded in a much better light. We will never know how Thomas as an individual was perceived. At the onset of the war, many men had only committed for periods of service as short as months and at the most 1 year. Knowing that, Thomas must have reenlisted several times as he continued to serve until the end of the war. 

His company participated in major battles throughout the war. It helped cover the retreat of the American forces in the Battle of Long Island in August in 1776. In early 1777, Thomas was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army. He went on to fight at the Battle of Brandywine and was at the Battle of Paoli in September 1777. At the battle of Germantown in early October, he was wounded while taking aim at the enemy with a ball passing through his wrist and torso, but he continued to serve and survived Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. 

He was at Yorktown, Virginia where British General Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781 and continued to serve through the Carolina Campaign in 1782 and through the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783.

After the war, he went on to be a York County representative to the State Convention 1787 for ratification of the Federal Constitution and later as a Pennsylvania State Representative (1793 – 1800) and State Senator from 1807 to 1811. A complete summary of his service of his country is provided by The State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania at Military History of Thomas Campbell (c. 1750 - 1/12/1815) 

To the left is the map of Thomas Campbell's first property which was in Monaghan Township. Judging by the location of Pippins Run and the curves on Lewisberry Road, it may be near the property currently being used by Countryside Animal Clinic.

We welcome your opinions! In his lifetime, he owned approximately 800 acres in our area at various times. 

Dillsburg’s Thomas Campbell was very much a patriot. His obituary, below, reflects this patriotism and his service to the new country!

From the Carlisle Weekly Herald, 26 January, 1815, p3:

Thomas Campbell DIED, suddenly on the 12th inst. At the house of Wm. Gilliland, Esq. near Gettysburgh, Col. Thomas Campbell of York county. He was a firm advocate in the cause of American freedom, not in theory alone, for he fought and bled! He endured the hardships of the campaign of ‘75, continuing in the service until the battle of Germantown, where a ball, when he was in the act taking aim at the enemy, passing through his wrist entered his breast and was extracted at the opposite side.

From the effects of this wound he endured throughout the remainder of his life many severe indispositions, terminating at last in dissolution. He has left a numerous connection to lament the sudden removal of his affections and his care. (Adams Cent.)

Thomas Campbell is buried in the Dillsburg cemetery alongside his brother, Archibald (who was killed at the Battle of Brandywine).

In closing, this author would like to say something about myself and these men. My journey with this research into our local Revolutionary War history began with an invitation by the Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle for the Dills Tavern to become a stop on a Revolutionary War driving trail they were developing. In the past, my interest was more focused on the Civil War, so I was exploring new areas of history. I believed that the geographic area that now makes up the Northern School District was not that involved in the Revolutionary War. Sure, I recalled from history class that York was once the capital of the colonies, but even that seemed far away from Dillsburg. It would be an understatement to just say I was wrong! We, in fact, have several heroes who sacrificed so much to give us the lives we enjoy today.

It can be disheartening to see cemeteries containing Revolutionary War veterans overgrown. Tombstones are broken and, in some cases, we have lost track of where some of the cemeteries are. I feel we owe these people more and hope that the community will participate in activities and celebrations of the 250th anniversary of our Country and tombstones were cleaned by high school volunteers. recognize the day is about more than just eating hot dogs and fireworks. These people risked their lives and everything they owned to secure our freedom. They placed their lives on hold for months and years to give us this way of life. Let's honor them with a celebration that is filled with thankfulness.    ~  Rich Conley

Recently, NYCHAPS hosted a Tombstone Cleaning  Workshop at Dillsburg Cemetery, and on that day both Thomas and Archibald’s tombstones were properly cleaned.

(Thomas Campbell's Tombstone)                                                                                                (Archibald Campbell's Tombstone)