Silas Thatcher

Silas Thatcher (1720 - 1754) was a high-ranking officer of the British Army and a prolific slave trader.

Early life
Silas was born to an affluent merchant in London in the year 1720. His father purchased a commission for him in the British Army when Silas was quite young.

He left for the Thirteen Colonies in the year 1750 and was posted at defenses along the Boston Neck. Silas was known for his cruelty and few men wished to serve with him. His personal assistant, "Cutter", was a notoriously cruel man.

Silas began to demand protection money from local merchants, fence stolen goods, and enslave and sell the local indigenous populace. Sometime during his stay, he became the commander of Southgate Fort, where he would receive deliveries of Native American prisoners for his slave-trade.

Death
Sometime in 1754, Silas demanded protection money from Benjamin Church, which he was denied. Subsequently, he had his men ransack Church's house and Silas captured Church and tortured him.

When Church still refused to pay him protection money, he order Cutter to torture Church more, but left as he was supposedly disgusted by the scene. Unknown to him, Haytham Kenway and Charles Lee killed Cutter and two other guards and rescued Church.

Haytham and his band of Templars commandeered a convoy bringing Silas a group of Kanien'kehá:ka slaves. They freed the slaves and infiltrated the fort in an attempt to kill Silas.

On discovering the ruse, Silas ordered his men to seal all the exits and fire on anybody that attempted to escape, or anyone they didn't recognize. The Templars dealt with his men and cornered him. Church executed Silas as payback for the torture he had inflicted on him.

Trivia

 * In the official E3 gameplay of Assassin's Creed III, Silas was portrayed as a Templar, and was shown to be an assassination target of the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton.
 * Unlike other prominent British Regulars such as John Pitcairn and Edward Braddock, Silas was not a historical figure.

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed III