Thomas Cumming and William Leechman: An Early Spat for the 'Fighting Quaker'

Thomas Cumming (?1714–1774), a native of Glasgow who became known as 'the Fighting Quaker' from his participation in the British taking of Senegal in 1758, was involved in a non-violent battle in print with the Scottish clergyman William Leechman in the early 1740s. An examination of Cumming's Rational Inquiry suggests the catalyst of the dispute was the personal relationship they shared with James Geddes, whom they tutored at various times.