Henry Jackson, born 1747, was a Boston native and served as an officer of the First Corps of Cadets in Boston. During the British occupation of Boston, this militia group was disbanded. Remnants of this unit later formed the Boston Independent Company, led by Henry Jackson. They successfully petitioned to joined the United States Continental Army; Jackson was given an officer’s commission of Colonel and the regiment was designated Jackson's Additional Continental Regiment. The regiment participated in the Philadelphia campaign of 1777, fought in the battle of Monmouth in Rhode Island in 1778, and participated in the battle of Springfield in 1780. In July of 1780, the regiment joined the Massachusetts Line and was given the new designation of 16th Massachusetts Regiment. After the unit was disbanded, Jackson was transferred to the 4th Massachusetts Regiment and promoted to brigadier general. After the Continental Army was disbanded, Jackson became commander of the 1st American Regiment, the only active infantry regiment after the American Revolutionary War. After it was disbanded in 1784, Jackson was discharged from the army but later served as a major general in the Massachusetts Militia, supervising the construction of the USS Constitution. He died in Boston on January 4, 1809.