Thomas Conway (February 27, 1735 – March 1795) was an Irish-born army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of French India from 1787 to 1789.
[5] Following the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War he went to the Thirteen Colonies and volunteered to join to the Continental Congress for military service in 1777.
Based on an introduction from Silas Deane, Congress appointed him as a brigadier general in the Continental Army on May 13, and sent him on to George Washington.
[6] The letter stated: "Heaven has been determined to save your country; or a weak general [George Washington] and bad counselors would have ruined it.
"[7] The letter was intercepted by Washington and his backers after its delivery was botched by Brigadier-General James Wilkinson, and brought before the Congress for inquiry.
There is also a slightly different version of these happenings: He was challenged to a duel by Washington's friend, Gen. Cadwallader, who proceeded to fire a bullet through Conway's mouth.
[10] He died soon after and was interred in Bath Abbey on March 3; the exact location of his memorial is unknown due to major renovations conducted in the 1860s.