The son of John Douglas (1703-1766) and Olive Spaulding (1709-1752), he was born in Plainfield, Connecticut, Douglas began his military career as a soldier in the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of sergeant.

[2] Douglas privately acknowledged in letters to his wife that his troops were often ill-equipped for battle, writing at one point that they “give me much fatigue and trouble.” During the landing of British troops at Kips Bay in New York City on September 15, 1776, Douglas’ troops retreated wildly in the face of the British attack.

General George Washington, encountering the retreating troops, reacted angrily by flogging some of Douglas’ troops with his riding cane and declaring: “Are these the men with whom I am to defend America?” [3] Douglas and his regiment also participated in the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776.

However, his health deteriorated during the course of the war and he was forced to return to his home at Northford, Connecticut, where he died on May 28, 1777.

[1] Col Douglas married Hannah, daughter of Stephen Mansfield, of New Haven, on 5 July 1767 where she was born 17th November 1747, dying in Northford, 22 May 1825.