Forging A Nation

Captain Alexander Thompson (1759-1809): Fought in the Revolutionary War in the Continental Artillery and fought in the Battle of Yorktown. Commissioned by President George Washington to the Corps of Artillerists & Engineers, formed in 1794. Stationed at Fort Niagara and Fort Lernoult. Instrumental in the building of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Colonel Alexander Ramsay Thompson (1793-1837): The 75th graduate of the Military Academy at West Point. Fought in the War of 1812. Stationed at numerous forts along the frontier. Killed leading his troops on Christmas day, 1837, at the Battle of Okeechobee in Florida, during the Seminole War.

Reverend Alexander Ramsay Thompson (1822-1895): Chaplain of the 17th Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers and the New England Soldiers' Relief Association in New York City during the Civil War.

Linda Zimmermann is an author and lecturer who has spoken about her work at the Smithsonian Institution, Gettysburg and West Point. She specializes in military history and science.