John Thomas, Sr., was born May 4, 1718 (or April 5, 1720) in Cardiff, Wales. Shortly after his birth, his family immigrated to Chester County, Pennsylvania where he spent his childhood. Although raised Episcopalian, in 1740 he married Jane Black, a spirited young lady and zealous Presbyterian.
Thomas saw his first military action during the French and Indian War while serving under General Edward Braddock. In July, 1755 he fought in the Battle at Fort Duquesne.
At the end of his military service in 1755, he relocated his family to Fishing Creek in the Camden District of South Carolina. Around 1762 the Thomas family moved to the northern part of Ninety-Six District, settling in what is now Spartanburg County.
In the years leading up to the War of Independence John Thomas, Sr. served as a magistrate as well as a Captain under Colonel Thomas Fletchall in the Royal government. When tensions between England and the colonies reached a boiling point in 1775 South Carolina ordered the formation of militia regiments throughout the state. John Thomas resigned his commission under the Royal government.
In September of 1775 the Spartan Regiment was organized in the northern part of Ninety-Six District. Colonel Fletchall remained loyal to England and the crown and refused a commission under the South Carolina state government. As a result, John Thomas, Sr., was chosen as Colonel to lead the newly formed Spartan Regiment.
With Colonel Thomas in command, the Spartan Regiment would see its’ first action during the Snow Campaign in December 1775. The Spartans joined state troops and other militia regiments in a surprise attack on a loyalist encampment on the Reedy River (southern Greenville County). The larger patriot force easily overpowered the loyalists, killing six and capturing over one-hundred men at the Battle of Cane Break.
Colonel Thomas would remain in command of the Spartan Regiment until he was captured in February, 1779 and imprisoned for fourteen months. During his absence. his son, John Thomas, Jr., would assume command of the Spartan Regiment. Upon his release in April, 1780 he briefly resumed command until the fall of Charleston in May. Now over sixty years old, Colonel Thomas and other leaders, including Andrew Pickens, chose to accept British protection.
The above rifle belonged to John Thomas, Sr. On March 2, 1781, Captain Robert Thomas, son of Colonel John Thomas, Sr., was killed at the Battle of Mudlick Creek in Newberry County. It was recovered by a British officer and taken to England. It is currently part of the British Arms Museum’s historical collection at Windsor Castle.