William Crawford (1732-1782) was an American soldier who fought Indians in the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolutionary War. He was tortured, scalped, and killed by Native Americans in a notorious incident near the end of that war.

Born in Virginia, he was the son of Valentine Crawford and Honora Grimes. After his father died when he was young, he grew up in the household of Richard Stephenson, whom his mother had remarried. He became friends with a young surveyor named George Washington, who taught Crawford the trade of surveying. Crawford was part of the army that in 1758 captured Fort Duquesne, where Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania now stands and later settled in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. There, as a friend of George Washington, he surveyed Washington's lands in the area. Also like Washington, Crawford had been a junior officer under the British and a surveyor. Crawford was also a veteran of the Braddock Expedition, Pontiac's War, and Lord Dunmore's War. Crawford had led previous missions against the Native Americans, and atrocities had been committed on both sides.

In 1782, Washington persuaded him to take command of an army to attack Indians north of the Ohio River. Taking the rank of colonel, he led an unsuccessful mission. While in retreat, Crawford and several other men were captured. Crawford and his son-in-law, William Harrison were both tied to a stake, burned, and scalped in retaliation for the patriot massacre of the neutral Natives at the Moravian mission at Gnadenhutten. British liaison Simon Girty was a witness to Crawford's execution, which took place in what is now Wyandot County, Ohio.

In 1982, the site of Colonel Crawford's execution was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1994, the Wyandot County Patriotic Citizens erected an 8.5 ft (2.6 m) Berea sandstone monument to commemorate the site. The Ohio Historical Society also has a historical marker nearby.

Crawford County, Ohio and Crawford County, Pennsylvania are named for him. Crawford County, Indiana may also be named for him.

1732 births | 1782 deaths | Continental Army colonels | People executed by burning at the stake | United States Army officers

ウィリアム・クロウフォード (軍人)