William Parsons of Virginia was known to be a Captain in the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons under the leadership of Lt Col William Washington.  Details of his life before and after the war are clouded by at least one other Virginia soldier with the name William Parsons.  Within the links below, it is obvious some researchers have confused the two, but we present here the portions of these accounts that seems to be accurate to "our" Captain Parsons.  It is notable that Parsons was the only officer of the 3dCLD not wounded, killed, or captured at the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781.  While SC Militia commander Wade Hampton was assigned to lead the Regiment after this battle, he was ably assisted by this officer who had likely seen action in almost every campaign in which the 3dCLD had operated.

From: http://home.mindspring.com/~cannicello/_wsn/page2.html

PARSONS, William (Captain)
Cadet. Sixth Virginia, March 25, 1776; coronet, Third Continental Dragoons, February 6, 1777; taken prisoner at Tappan, September 27, 1778; lieutenant January 1, 1778, captain, November 1779; retained in Baylor’s Consolidated Regiment of Dragoons November 9, 1782, and served to end of war. Land bounty was received by Parsons for his military service

From: http://www.cfhg.org/allied/parsons/

He enlisted in the Revolutionary Army on the 6th day of February, 1777, in the 3rd Regiment, Light Dragoons, Continental troops; he was commissioned Lieutenant Nov. 1, 1777; then commissioned Captain, after the battle of Eutaw, South Carolina, by order of the War Department, and served under this commission for the balance of the war. In recognition of his services he was allotted three hundred acres of land and six hundred dollars. 

Thank you to Dr. Jeffery Felton for clarification of information previously posted on this page.