Colonel William Overton Callis

He was a childhood friend of Presidents James Madison and James Monroe, was with Washington at Yorktown, and was known to Lafayette, Thomas Jefferson,[2] and Benedict Arnold.

In November 1775, he became a Private, 1st Regiment, Capt. John Belfield's Troop, Light Dragoons, Continental Troops commanded by Col. Theoderick Bland.

On September 27, 1776, he enlisted in Col. Charles Dabney's Reg, Capt. Arthur Smith's Company of the 4th Virginia Regiment commanded by Col. Thomas Elliott. He was in New York City in the Battle of the Heights and in Washington's army through his retreat from New York across New Jersey.

On January 12, 1777, he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in Capt. John Smith's Company of the 4th Virginia Regiment of Foot, commanded by Col. Robert Lawson.

Valley Forge
In June 1778, he was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in Capt. George Wall's Company of the 5th Virginia Regiment of Foot, commanded by Col. James Wood, where he saw service at Camp Valley Forge, Camp Parsinus, Camp White Plains, and Camp Robert's Farm.

On September 30, 1778, he was wounded and listed as a supernumerary after his lungs were damaged by a cannonball at Monmouth. He left the war to go to the West Indies in Havana and Caracas in 1779 to recuperate. After recuperating, he re-entered the service, and in December 1780, he was a Captain of Volunteer Troop of Horses in the 4th Virginia Militia.1

At Yorktown
March 8, 1781 Yorktown—Letter from Capt. James Maxwell to Gov Jefferson described how a plundering party of about 300 British regulars under Col. Dundas were chased from Yorktown to Newport News by Maj. Callis & Lt. Allen with a small force of volunteers.

On April 6, 1781, now a Major, Callis delivered letters from Brig Gen. Weedon to the British Maj. Gen. W Phillips, Portsmouth, regarding the exchange of prisoners.

After the Siege of Yorktown, March 8, 1781, Capt. James Maxwell wrote a letter to Gov. Thomas Jefferson and described how a plundering party of about 300 British regulars under Col. Dundas were chased from Yorktown to Newport News by Maj. Callis & Lt. Allen with a small force of volunteers.

Meets Benedict Arnold
On August 1, 1781, having been promoted to Colonel, Callis reported on the fleet in the Portsmouth area to Brig Gen. Weedon at Williamsburg. Louis L. Kean relates how his great-great-great-grandmother Anne (Price) Callis told her grandchildren that Callis met with Benedict Arnold on the James River to arrange for the exchange of prisoners of war. As they waited for the papers to be processed, Arnold asked what would happen if he, Arnold, were taken prisoner. Callis replied, "Sir, the leg that was wounded in the service of your country would be buried with full military honors. The rest of you, they would hang!" A footnote in Irving's Life of Washington (p. 286) relates this incident but does not name the officer.

In 1782, Col. Callis was at the siege of Yorktown with Lafayette for Cornwallis's surrender; he was an aide to Gen. Nelson.

Col. Banastre Tarleton
During the siege of Yorktown, Capt. Callis was amused when a farmer dashed into the street and grabbed the bridle of the intensely disliked British Col. Tarleton's mount, declaring loudly, "This here be my horse that the damned Britishers stole"—and got his horse back. St. George Tucker, in his journal on the siege of Yorktown, corroborated that Capt. Callis was a witness of this incident. This is the hated British officer portrayed in the movie The Patriot (2000). The character in the movie (Colonel William Tavington) was based on Tarleton as a cruel, sadistic commander who massacred prisoners of war and innocent civilians.

Callis' Revolutionary War service was a total of 7 years and 10 months.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Overton_Callis

William was an Officer of the Revolution and Original Member of the Society of the Cincinatti in the State of Virginia. It was alleged that he was one of the 16 of 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention who refused to sign, this yet to be proven.