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History 


OF 


Southwest  Virginia, 

1 746- 1 786, 

Washington  County, 

1777-1870. 


BY 

LEWIS  PRESTON  SUMMERS, 

OF    THE 

ABINGDON   BAR, 

Alumnus  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  of  Tulane  University, 

Louisiana,  and  Member  of  the  Virginia 

Historical  Society. 


Richmond,  va.  : 

J.  L.  Hill  Printing  Company, 

1903. 


CMjAiZ. 


1-232 

copy 


THE  LIBRARY  OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two  Copies  Keceived 

OCT    21  !903 

CopyrighJ    Entry 


'LAS^J     A.     XXo.  No, 

^    M-  1.  0    I 

COPY   A.     ' 


COPYRIGHT   1903 


LEWIS  PRESTON  SUMMERS. 


This  Book  is  dedicated  to  the  memory 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Southwest  Virginia, 
whose  enterprise  conquered  her  domain 
and  whose  love  of  freedom  and  valor  in 
defending  their  rights  have  given  to,  their 
posterity  the  blessings  of  civil  and  relig- 
ious liberty. 


ERRATA. 

On  pau;cs  18  ivnd  .'It)  the  inotto  on  the  Golden  Horseshoe  presented  hy  (Jovernor 
Spotswood  to  his  comrades  in  the  expedition  across  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains  is 
fiiven  as,  "Sic  jurat  transcendere  montes."  (Tlius  he  swears  to  cross  the  inonntains.) 
r  am  aware  that  some  autliorities  state  the  motto  was,  "Sic.juvat  transcendere 
niontes."     (Thus  it  deli^lits  (us)  to  cross  the  mountains.) 

On  page  18,  last  line,  instead  of  "countries"  read  "two  counties." 

On  page  31,  line  14,  read  "other"  between  words  "the"  and  "Indians." 

On  page  o3,  line  5,  instead  of  "  settling"  read  "setting." 

On  page  57,  line  11,  instead  of  "  Inglish  "  read  "  Inglis." 

On  page  73,  line  17,  instead  of  ".Tudds'  friend"  read  .Judds  Friend." 

On  page  70,  line  2,  the  word  "  Fountainbleau  "  should  lie  "  Fountainehleau." 

On  page  93,  lines  25  and  2i),  instead  of  "  Cloud's  Fort  "  read  "  Cloud's  Ford." 

On  page  114,  line  3,  instead  of  "  Walden  "  read  "  Wallen." 

On  page  14:5,  line  4,  instead  of  "  Glass  "  read  "  Gass." 

(Jn  page  146,  line  7,  instead  of  "Bower"  read  "Bowyer." 

(^n  page  148,  line  18,  instead  of  "  Isaach  "  read  "  Isaac." 

On  page  1()4,  line  2,  a  period  should  appear  after  "Burgesses,"  CoHowcd  l)y  a  new 
paragraph. 

On  page  184,  line  7,  instead  of  "county  "  read  "country." 

On  page  195,  line  22,  instead  of  "  marehandise"  read  "  merchandise." 

On  page  257,  line  li,  instead  of  "Washington  Districts"  read  "Washington  Dis- 
trict." 

On  page  291,  instead  of  "  1,098.9"  read  "1.098." 

On  page  292,  line  26,  instead  of  "  rank  "  read  "  ranks." 

( )n  page  360,  line  2,  instead  of  "  was  "  read  "  were." 

On  page 361,  line  11,  instead  of  "citizens"  read  "citizen." 

On  page  364,  line  5,  instead  of  "commissioners"  read  "commissioner." 

On  page  367,  line  4,  instead  of  "Tranalleghany  "  read  "Transalleghany." 

On  page  369,  line  6,  instead  of  "  Walliam"  read  "William." 

On  page  370,  line  6,  instead  of  "bans"  read  "  banns." 

On  page  435,  line  11,  instead  of  "agents"  read  "agent.'' 

On  page  448,  line  14,  instead  of  "A.  S.  A."  read  "  U.  S.  A." 

On  page  461,  line  20,  Instead  of  "effecting"  read  "affecting." 

On  page  463,  line  15,  instead  of  "effected  "  read  "affected." 

On  page  488,  line  U,  instead  of  "Moline  del  Rey  "  read  "Molino  del  Rcy." 

On  page  .502,  line  1,  instead  of  "receive"  read  "receives." 

On  page  521,  line  23,  instead  of  "ordinance"  read  "ordnance." 

On  page  522,  line  1,  instead  of  "  Cecill  "  read  "  Cecil." 

On  page  571,  line  9,  instead  of  "Dupree"  read  "Dupre." 

On  page  590,  line  12,  instead  of  "Hindley  Harris"  read  "Findley  Harris." 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  writer  is  a  native  born  son  of  Southwest  Virginia,  and  has 
always  felt  a  great  pride  in  his  country,  and  since  reaching  ma- 
tui-ity  has  been  interested  in  the  history  of  this  section. 

Jn  the  schools  bnt  little  has  been  tanght  in  regard  to  the  his- 
tory of  this  portion  of  Virginia,  as  but  a  small  part  of  its  history 
has  been  preserved.  Our  historians  have  been  citizens  of  Eastern 
\'n-giiiia  or  of  other  States;  and  while  onr  people  have  been  mak- 
ing history  from  the  earliest  settlement,  scarcely  any  effort  has 
been  made  to  preserve  it,  and  as  a  result  other  parts  of  our  country 
whose  history  has  been  preserved  have  in  many  instances  received 
credit  that  properly  belongs  to  the  people  of  this  section  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  being  impressed  with  this  fact,  and  prompted  by  a  de- 
sire to  preserve  the  past  history  of  our  people,  he  determined,  a 
few  years  since,  to  collect  the  history  of  Southwest  Virginia,  in 
so  far  as  it  was  possible,  and  to  rescue  the  same  from  oblivion,  and 
in  doing  this  work  he  has  given  such  time  only  as  he  could  spare 
from  his  professional  duties. 

If  an  apology  is  .needed  for  his  effort  in  thus  attempting  to  pre- 
serve this  history  it  will  bo  found  in  the  remark  oi  Lord  Macaulay, 
wherein  he  justly  observed :  "A  people  which  takes  no  pride  in  the 
noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors  will  never  achieve  anything 
worthy  to  be  remembered  with  pride  by  remote  descendants." 

There  can  be  no  question  that  this  section  of  Virginia  has  been 
robbed  of  much  of  the  honor  due  her  for  the  early  settlement  of 
the  vast  extent  of  country  to  the  west  and  south  thereof,  and 
that  the  noble  deeds  of  her  sons  have  been  ascribed  to  others ;  and 
a  knowledge  of  this  fact  has  rendered  necessary  the  preservation  of 
the  deeds  of  the  worthy  citizens  that  this  section  has  produced, 
not  only  to  gratify  the  pride  of  our  citizens,  but  to  remind  them 
of  the  obligations  they  are  under,  and  to  supply  them  with  exam- 
ples of  patriotism  which  they  may  seek  to  emulate. 

The  writer  feels  his  inability  to  properly  perform  this  task,  but 
hopes  that  the  gleanings  he  has  gathered  may  suffice  in  some  more 
skillful  hands  to  weave  for  the  founders  and  builders  of  our  country 


8  Jntroduciory. 

an  enduring  garland  of  glorv,  and  lie  asks  a  kind  iiidnlgoncc  of  the 
reader  for  sucli  errors^  omissions,  and  imperfections  as  ma}'  be 
found  in  this  work. 

In  the  words  of  Judge  Haywood:  "Let  no  one  censure  his  mo- 
tives, for  they  are  pure.  Thcire  will  indeed  be  much  room  to  blame 
the  defective  perfar-mancc  of  the  author,  but  this  he  will  hear 
with  the  greatest  pleasure  if  the  person  dissatisfied  will,  for  the 
benefit  of  his  eountr\'',  either  produce  a  more  perfect  work  or  con- 
tribute to  tlio  merits  of  this." 

Ill  the  pre])aration  of  this  woi'k  he  has  obtained  information 
from  various  pei-sons  and  ])laees,  hut  in  nearly  every  instance  has 
]-e(|uireil  documentary  evidence  for  all  statements  made,  and  has. 
given  I'eferences  where  the  statement  is  liable  to  be  (piestioned, 
and  in  quoting  original  pa])ers  has  clone  so  without  changing  the 
same  in  any  particular. 

In  the  course  of  the  preparation  of  this  work  he  has  received  as- 
sistance from  a  number  of  persons,  for  which  he  feels  deeply 
grateful.  He  desires  to  mention  in  this  connection  the  following 
persons:  Miss  Lucy  Land  rum,  his  stenographer,  who  has  faithfidly 
labored  in  preparing  his  manuscript  for  the  printer;  W.  G.  Stan- 
ard,  secretary  of  the  Virginia  Historical  Society;  the  secretary  of 
the  New  York  Historical  So{;iety,  Hon.  J.  L.  Bristow;  Fourth  As- 
sistant Postmaster-General,  C.  A.  Dmmington ;  Congressional  Li- 
brary, AVashington,  D.  C. ;  Thomas  E.  N-imnK>,  State  Library,  llich- 
mon,  Va. ;  Mrs.  IVlargarct  C.  Pilcher,  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  Prof. 
T.  I).  Davidson  and  maiiy  others.  L.  P.  Summers, 

June  13,  1903.  Abingdon,  Va.. 


History  of  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786, 
Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


CHAPTEE  I. 


1001-1716.  The  history  of  Virginia,  from  the  earliest  times 
until  the  date  of  the  formation  of  Washington  county  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  is  interesting  and  instructive,  and 
is  necessary  to  a  thorough  comprehension  of  thai  part  of  our  history 
subsequent  thereto. 

In  the  year  1001,  the  American  Continent  was  discovered  by  Leif 
Erickson,  a  ISTorthman,  who  sailed  west  from  Greenland,  and  landed 
on  the  coast  of  America  in  411/4  north  latitude.  He  named  the 
land  of  his  discovery  Vineland.  This  discovery  was  made  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  and  the  luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation  that 
adorned  the  land  suggested  the  name^ — Vineland. 

This  continent  was  visited  by  the  ISTorthmen  at  intervals  from 
the  time  of  the  discovery  of  Erickson  until  as  late  as  1347.  The 
visits  of  the  Northmen  to  America  have  often  been  questioned,  and 
were  generally  doubted,  until  discoveries  made  in  recent  times. 

An  examination  of  the  records  and  documents  to  be  found  in  the 
archives  of  the  Antiquarian  Society  of  Copenhagen  put  to  rest 
this  question. 

So  eminent  an  authority  as  Humboldt,  after  an  examination  of 
the  record,  says :  "The  discovery  of  the  northern  part  of  America 
by  the  Northmen  cannot  be  disputed." 

No  practical  benefit  resulted  from  the  adventures  of  the  North- 
men, and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  those  people  ceased  to  visit  the 
newly  discovered  country  after  1347,  and  actually  forgot  the  ex- 
plorations of  their  people,  they  are  to  be  given  but  little  credit  for 
their  early  discoveries. 

Erom  the  time  of  the  last  visit  of  the  Northmen,  in  1347,  until 
the  year  1492,  the  continent  of  America  was  unknown  to  the  inhabi- 


10  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

tants  of  the  rest  of  the  world ;  they  had  never  before  heard  of  such 
a  land;  the  curtain  of  oblivion  shut  out  from  the  vision  of  man- 
kind the  garden  spot  of  God^s  creation. 

1492.  In  the  year  1492,  Christopher  Columbus,  a  native  of 
Grenoa,  Italy,  bearing  the  flag  of  Spain,  after  surmounting  innumer- 
able difficulties,  sailed  west  in  search  of  a  new  land  and  discovered 
what  afterwards  proved  to  be  San  Salvador,  one  of  the  Bahama 
Islands.  He  took  possession  of  the  newly  discovered  land  in  the 
name  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain. 

Columbus  did  not  visit  the  mainland  of  the  American  Continent 
until  many  years  thereafter.  Nothing  could  be  more  pleasant  than 
to  study  the  life  and  daring  adventures  of  Columbus  and  other 
Spanish,  Portuguese,  and  French  explorers,  but  their  efforts  are  in 
no  way  associated  with  the  history  of  the  country  that  we  purpose 
to  deal  with  in  this  book ;  this  pleasure,  therefore,  must  be  deferred 
to  another  time. 

Columbus !  His  name  should  be  ever  revered,  and  his  fame  is 
as  imperishable  as  the  continent  that  he  gave  by  discovery  to  the 
world. 

1497.  John  Cabot,  in  the  year  1497,  sailing  the  flag  of  England, 
commissioned  so  to  do  by  Henry  VII,  discovered  Newfoundland 
and  Labrador,  and  declared  that  he  had  found  a  new  world. 

1498.  The  following  year  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  under  a 
new  commission  from  the  King  of  England,  fitted  out  an  expedi- 
tion under  the  charge  of  Sebastian  Cabot,  and,  sailing  in  a  north- 
wardly course,  sought  a  rente  to  the  East  India  Islands,  but  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather  and  the  insurpassable  barrier  of  ice 
forced  the  abandonment  of  the  original  purpose  of  the  expedition. 
The  course  of  the  voyage  was  consequently  changed,  and,  as  a  result, 
Virginia  was  discovered  in  the  year  1498. 

John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  were  the  first  to  discover  the  Eastern 
coast  of  America,  and  England  laid  claim  to  all  the  vast  territory 
between  the  34th  and  68th  parallels  of  north  latitude  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  oceans,  basing  her  claim  on  this  discovery. 

1539.  De  Soto,  by  a  commission  from  the  King  of  Spain,  in 
the  years  1539  and  1540,  extended  his  discoveries  from  the  north 
of  Florida  inland  to  the  head  waters  of  the  present  Holston  and 
Clinch  rivers  and  thence  to  the  Mississippi  river. 

1584.     Eighty-five  years  intervened  -between  the  time   of  the 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  11 

discoveries  of  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  and  the  first  permanent  set- 
tlement made  in  all  the  vast  territory  claimed  by  England  by  reason 
of  their  discoveries,  and  the  honor  attending  this  event  justly  be- 
longs to  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh,  a  young  nobleman,  a  participant  in 
the  French  Protestant  wars,  who  in  1493  applied  to  Queen  Eliza- 
beth for  assistance  in  fitting  out  an  expedition  for  the  purpose  of 
planting  a  Colony  in  America.  In  answer  to  his  application  the 
Queen  gave  him  a  commission  creating  him  Lord  of  all  that  por- 
tion of  the  American  continent  claimed  by  England. 

The  first  expedition  sent  out  by  Ealeigh  was  composed  of  two 
ships,  and  their  object  was  to  make  discoveries.  This  expedition 
sailed  in  April,  1584,  and',  on  the  13th  day  of  July  of  the  same 
year,  entered  Ocracoke  inlet  within  the  present  limits  of  North 
Carolina.  Here  they  remained  until  September,  1584,  at  which 
time  they  sailed  for  England,  and  upon  their  arrival  Elizabeth  gave 
the  country  the  name  of  Virginia.  Immediately  upon  their  return 
seven  ships  carrying  one  hundred  and  eighty  men  set  sail  for  the 
New  World  and  landed  at  Eoanoke  Island  in  the  year  1585. 

This  company,  charmed  with  the  prospects,  decided  to  settle  on 
the  island.  Many  of  the  company,  not  being  accustomed  to  labor 
and  not  being  inclined  to  work,  were  greatly  disappointed  in  their 
hopes,  became  disheartened  and,  at  the  first  opportunity,  returned 
to  England. 

Sir  Eichard  Grenville  left  fifteen  men  on  the  island  to  guard  the 
rights  of  England., 

Sir  Ealph  Lane,  one  of  the  returning  colonists,  introduced  the 
use  of  tobacco  into  England,  he  and  the  other  colonists  having 
learned  from  the  Indians  to  smoke  it. 

1587.  In  1587  Ealeigh  sent  out  another  expedition  to  settle 
Eoanoke  Island.  This  expedition  was  composed  of  women  and 
children  as  well  as  men. 

Upon  reaching  their  destination  in  safety  they  found  the  tene- 
ments and  fort  in  ruins  and  the  beasts  of  the  forest  feeding  on 
the  vegetation  where  the  former  settlements  had  been  located. 
They  found,  also,  scattered  about  the  former  settlement,  the  bones 
of  the  fifteen  men  left  by  Sir  Eichard  Grenville. 

This  Colony  was  in  charge  of  John  White.  Soon  after  the  land- 
ing, on  August  18th,  1587,  a  child  was  bom  to  Annias  and  Vir- 
ginia Dare,  to  whom  was  given  the  name  of  '"Virginia  Dare."    This. 


13  Southwest  Virginia,  nJlt.6-1786. 

was  the  first  white  child  born  of  Englisli  parents  in  America.  Soon 
after  the  birth  of  Virginia  Dare,  John  White  returned  to  England 
for  supplies  for  the  Colony,  leaving  behind  him  eighty-nine  men, 
seventeen  women  and  eleven  children.  He  was  delayed  on  his 
return  voyage  and  when  he  arrived  at  Eoanoke  Island  after  an 
absence  of  three  years  no  trace  of  the  Colony  could  be  found  except 
the  word  Croatan  carved  on  a  tree. 

It  is  said,  but  not  verified,  that  some  of  this  Colony  found  shelter 
among  the  Indians  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina. 

This  story  of  the  first  settlement  in  this  part  of  America  remains 
one  of  the  saddest  tragedies  in  our  history. 

1606.  One  hundred  and  fourteen  years  had  passed  since  the 
discovery  of  America  by  Columbus,  when  King  James  the  First 
of  England  granted  to  a  company*  of  wealthy  merchants  a  patent 
of  that  part  of  America  lying  between  the  34th  and  45th  degrees 
north  latitude  and  all  islands  within  one  hundred  miles  of  the 
coast.  This  grant  was  divided  between  the  London  and  Plymouth 
companies. 

The  London  Company  sent  out  an  expedition  composed  of  one 
hundred  and  five  colonists  under  the  command  of  Captain  Christo- 
pher Newport,  an  experienced  seaman.  Although  this  expedition 
sailed  in  1606,  it  did  not  reach  the  mouth  of  Chesapeake  bay  until 
May  15,  1607. 

f  James  river  and  Capes  Henry  and  Charles  were  discovered 
and  named  for  the  king  of  England  and  his  sons.  The  colonists 
continued  the  voyage  up  the  James  river  about  fifty  miles,  when 
they  landed  and  began  the  erection  of  houses  and  the  making  of 
all  necessary  arrangements  for  a  permanent  settlement.  Thus  was 
founded  Jamestown,  and  thus  occurred,  according  to  a  noted  histo- 
rian, "The  most  important  event  in  profane  history,"  and  thus 
the  foundation  stones  of  the  greatest  commonwealth  and  republic 
the  world  has  ever  known  were  laid  by  m^en  whose  posterity  were 
destined  to  kindle  a  spirit  of  political  and  religious  liberty  such  as 
can  be  extinguished  only  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

This  settlement  at  Jamestown  may  be  regarded  as  the  starting 
point  of  all  Virginia  histories. 

The  first  Colony  in  Virginia  began  under  circumstances  having 


*Stith— Henning's  Statutes  at  Large,  page  60. 
I  Indian  name  "Powhatan  River." 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  13 

a  tendency  to  discourage  the  thoughtful,  and  reasonably  so,  because 
of  the  fact  that  of  the  one  hundred  and  five  colonists  only  twelve 
were  laborers,  the  remaining  ninety-seven  being  tliriftless  and  dis- 
solute. 

All  power  was  vested  in  a  body  of  councillors  composed  of 
Bartholomew  Gosnold,  John  Smith,  Edward  Winfield,  Christopher 
Newport,  Jolin  Eatcliffe,  John  Martin  and  George  Kendall. 
Edward  Winfield  was  chosen  the  first  Grovemor  of  the  Colony  of 
Virginia,  and  thus  began  civil  government  in  America. 

Shortly  after  the  settlement  Captains  Newport  and  Smith  de- 
cided to  explore  the  country,  traveled  up  the  James  river  as  far  as 
the  falls  and  visited  Powhatan,  the  king  of  the  Indians,  whose 
capital  was  near  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Eichmond. 

After  a  short  stay  at  the  Indian  village,  Newport  and  Smith 
returned  to  Jamestown.  Newport  soon  left  for  England,  and 
immediately  thereafter  trouble  arose  among  the  colonists.  Win- 
field was  succeeded  by  Eatcliffe,  and  Eatcliffe  by  Captain  Smith, 
who,  by  his  excellent  management  of  the  Colony,  won  the  title  of  the 
"Father  of  Virginia." 

Late  in  the  autumn  Captain  Newport  returned  from  England, 
bringing  about  seventy  new  colonists,  two  of  the  number  being 
women  (Mrs.  Forrest  and  Annie  Bergess),  and  a  considerable 
quantity  of  supplies. 

Among  the  new  colonists  were  several  gold  refiners,  who,  dis- 
covering earth  near  Jamestown  having  a  resemblance  to  gold,  pro- 
nounced the  same  gold  of  the  best  quality,  and,  thereupon,  the 
entire  Colony  forsook  all  commendable  enterprises  and  wasted  their 
time  and  energies  in  loading  one  of  Newport's  vessels  with  this 
earth,  which  proved,  upon  its  arrival  in  England,  to  be  worthless. 

Another  ship  returning  to  England  would  have  been  loaded  with 
a  similar  cargo,  but  Captain  Smith  objected,  and  it  was  loaded 
with  cedar  wood.  This  was  the  first  valuable  cargo  exported  from 
this  part  of  America  to  England. 

The  Colony,  having  thus  wasted  their  energies  and  consumed 
their  supplies,  would,  no  doubt,  have  perished  during  the  winter 
that  followed,  had  not  Captain  John  Smith  exercised  the  energies 
of  his  resourceful  mind  in  feeding  and  protecting  them.  The 
best  friend  Captain  Smith  found  in  this  New  World  was  Poca- 
hontas, the  daughter  of  Powhatan,  the  chief  of  the  Indians.     The 


14  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

colonists  charged  that  Smith  intended  to  marry  Pocahontas  and 
make  himself  king  of  Virginia. 

1608.  In  the  year  1G08  Captain  Smith,  in  a  small  open  barge, 
explored  the  Chesapeake  bay  and  its  tributaries. 

1609.  In  the  month  of  May,  1609,  a  new  and  very  beneficial 
charter  was  granted  the  London  Company,  and  the  Colony  began 
to  prosper. 

The  new  charter  conferred  on  the  company  the  powers  of  the 
king,  the  local  authority  of  the  Governor  was  greatly  increased  and 
Lord  Delaware  was  made  Governor  for  life. 

Captain  Smith,  in  this  year,  divided  the  Colony  and  sent  a  part 
thereof  to  mai:e  a  settlement  at  the  falls  of  the  James  river,  near 
Eichmond,  and  another  part  thereof  to  Nansemond.  In  this  year 
Captain  Smith  was  forced  to  return  to  England  in  consequence  of 
serious  injuries  received  from  the  explosion  of  his  powder  flask.  At 
the  time  of  his  departure  the  Colony  numbered  four  hundred  and 
fifty  persons,  all  abundantly  supplied. 

Thus  terminated  the  career  in  America  of  the  man  who  faithfully 
earned  the  title  of  the  "Father  of  Virginia." 

The  Colony  thereafter,  for  a  time,  was  without  a  competent  ruler, 
and  such  was  the  profligacy  and  viciousness  of  the  ruler  they  had, 
and  the  people,  that  in  a  short  time  the  condition  of  the  Colony  was 
changed  from  prosperity  to  abject  want,  and  by  the  spring  of  1610 
there  remained  but  sixty  persons  in  the  Colony,  and  these  were  on 
the  verge  of  starvation. 

At  this  time  Gates  and  Somers  arrived  from  the  West  Indies,  and 
all  the  Colony,  crowding  aboard  their  ships,  had  actually  sailed  for 
Newfoundland,  but  they  were  not  out  of  the  James  river  when 
they  were  met  by  Lord  Delaware,  with  three  ships,  many  new  set- 
tlers and  a  large  quantity  of  provisions,  in  fact  everything  requisite 
to  relieve  the  situation.  Lord  Delaware  prevailed  upon  the  colo- 
nists to  return  to  Jamestown,  where  under  his  splendid  manage- 
ment the  Colony  prospered  again. 

Unfortunately,  in  the  year  1611  Lord  Delaware  was  forced  by  bad 
health  to  return  to  England,  and  the  government  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Sir  George  Percy,  a  man  wanting  in  authority.  In  a 
short  time  the  Colony  was  again  reduced  to  abject  want.  Percy 
was  succeeded  by  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  a  man  of  practical  ideas,  and 
again  the  Colony  prospered.     He  was  a  soldier  by  profession,  and 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  15 

his  authority,  exercised  rightly,  met  the  demands  of  the  hour. 
During  his  administration  the  Colony  was  augmented  by  the  arrival 
of  three  hundred  emigrants  from  England, 

From  the  founding  of  the  Colony  at  Jamestown  in  1607  until  the 
latter  part  of  the  administration  of  Sir  Thomas  Dale  all  property 
had  been  held  in  common,  but  he  directed  a  division  of  property 
among  the  colonists,  and  from  this  time  we  may  certainly  trace 
an  improvement  in  the  conditions  of  the  people. 

Every  man  thereafter  was  dependent  upon  his  individual  exer- 
tions for  his  livelihood.  Laziness  was  punished  by  flogging  and 
irons.  Mutineers  and  deserters  were  punished  with  death.  The 
lands  of  the  colonists  were  divided  and  allotted  to  the  members 
of  the  Colony,  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  the  right  of  property  in 
lands  was  recognized  in  America.  Several  new  settlements  were 
made  during  this  time  on  both  sides  of  the  James  river. 

The  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Colony  was  entrusted  suc- 
cessively to  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  George  Yeardly  and  Captain 
Argall,  and  to  George  Yeardly  again  in  1619. 

The  administration  of  George  Yeardly  marks  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  mankind. 

Beyond  question  his  inspiration  was  human  liberty  and  repre- 
sentative govenment.  He  believed  the  colonists  should  have  a 
hand  in  the  government  of  themselves.  He  called  a  legislative 
assembly  to  meet  at  Jamestown  on  July  30th,  1619,  to  be  composed 
of  two  representatives  from  each  of  the  eleven  boroughs  into 
which  the  Colony  was  divided,  and  this  assembly  was  called  the 
House  of  Burgesses. 

Thus  was  planted  the  germ  from  which  sprang  representative 
government  in  x\merica,  and  thus  to  Virginia  may  be  credited  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  State  in  the  world*  ''composed  of  separate 
boroughs  diffused  over  an  extensive  surface  in  which  the  govern- 
ment was  organized  on  the  principle  of  universal  suffrage." 

All  freemen,  without  exception,  were  entitled  to  vote. 

In  the  following  year,  1620,  a  Dutch  ship  landed  at  Jamestown 
and  sold  to  the  planters  about  twenty  Africans  to  be  held  as  slaves, 
and  thus  began  slavery  in  America. 

On  the  24th  day  of  July,  1621,  the  London  Company  gave  to 
the  Virginia  colonists  a  written  Constitution,  granting  all  the  rights 

*Bancroft. 


16  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

and  liberties  theretofore  granted  l)y  George  Yeardly,  and,  about  the 
same  time,  a  shipload  of  English  maidens,  about  one  hundred  in 
all,  arrived  at  Jamestown.  There  was  great  rejoicing,  and  general 
prosperity  prevailed;  the  colonists  were  no  longer  numbered  by 
hundreds,  but  by  thousands. 

1622.  Sir  Francis  Wyatt  became  Governor  in  the  year  1G23, 
and  this  year  witnessed,  on  March  22d,  the  massacre  of  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  men,  women  and  children  by  the  Indians,  but 
the  Colony  continued  to  grow  and  prosper. 

The  London  Company  was  dissolved  by  the  King  in  the  year  1625, 
and  from  this  time  the  crowTi  of  England  dictated  the  policy  of  the 
Colony. 

Events  passed  rapidly  in  Virginia  for  the  next  twenty  years.  One 
governor  after  another  came  and  Avcnt,  but  none  of  them  was  of 
sufficient  importance  to  be  mentioned. 

1634. /.y-In  the  year  1634^the  territory  of  Virginia  was  divided 
into  eight  shires  or  counties  similar  to  those  in  England.  For  each 
shire  lieutenants  were  appointed  to  look  after  the  military  affairs, 
and  sheriffs  and  justices  of  the  peace  were  commissioned  to  hold 
courts  in  each  of  the  counties,  or  shires.  Thus  was  constituted  and 
thus  began  the  county  court  system  that  continued  with  but  little 
change  until  1870. 

1646.  The  Virginia  Colony  in  the  struggle  between  Charles  T 
of  England  and  his  Parliament  S3'mpathized  with  the  King  and 
did  not  hesitate,  upon  the  death  of  Charles  I,  to  recognize  his  son, 
Charles  II,  as  king. 

-  Cromwell  sent  a  force  to  subdue  the  Colony  in  1650,  but  the 
attempt  was  futile  and  the  Virginians  submitted  only  upon  condi- 
tion that  they  be  permitted  to  retain  their  government  and  the 
rights  and  privileges  previously  bestowed  by  the  kings  of  England ; 
which  was  readily  agreed  to.  Eichard  Bennett  was  elected  Gover- 
nor, but  was  shortly  thereafter  succeeded  by  Edward  Diggs.  The 
next  Governor  of  Virginia  was  Samuel  Mathews,  a  Virginia  planter 
of  forty  years'  standing. 

1660.  Upon  the  restoration  of  Charles  II  in  1660,  Sir  William 
Berkley  again  became  the  Governor  of  Virginia. 

1666.  The  next  event  of  importance  in  the  history  of  Virginia 
arose  in  the  Colony  from  the  dissatisfaction  aroused  by  the  acts  of 
the  British  Parliament  and  the  conduct  of  Sir  William  Berkley.    A 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  17 

large  portion  of  the  people  of  Virginia,  under  the  leadership  of 
JSTathaniel  Bacon,  rebelled,  and  drove  Sir  William  Berkley  from 
Jamestown  and  forced  the  commissioning  of  Bacon  as  a  general. 
These  troubles  ceased  with  the  death  of  Bacon.  This  is  known  as 
Bacon's  rebellion,  and  it  partook  of  the  spirit  that  prompted  Patrick 
Henry  and  the  people  of  Virginia,  a  hundred  years  later,  to  aspire 
to  liberty  and  independence. 

For  a  period  of  nearly  fifty  years  but  little  of  interest  occurred  in 
the  history  of  Virginia  save  the  succession  of  governors. 

1698.  The  seat  of  government  was  removed  from  Jamestown  to 
Williamsburg  in  1698.  The  reason  assigned  for  the  removal  was 
that  Williamsburg  was  healthier,  and  the  situation  more  convenient. 

1710.  Alexander  Spotswood  became  the  Governor  of  Virginia 
in  1710,  and  with  prudence  governed  the  Colony  for  twelve  years. 
He  faithfully  guarded  the  interests  of  the  people  of  Virginia  and, 
during  his  administration,  inaugurated  many  new  enterprises  for 
their  good.. 

He  was  the  first  Postmaster-General  for  the  Colonies  and  estab- 
lished many  postofiices.  Under  his  administration  the  mails  were 
regularly  carried  from  Williamsburg  to  Philadelphia.  The  one 
undertaking  of  this  accomplished  gentleman  and  officer  that  is  espe- 
cially interesting  to  the  people  of  Western  Virginia  is  the  expedition 
undertaken  by  him,  when,  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1716,  he  set  out 
from  Chelsea  upon  the  famous  expedition  to  the  Blue  Eidge 
mountains. 

The  Virginia  Colony  of  one  hundred  and  five  souls  in  1607  had 
grown  to  nearly  one  hundred  thousand.  Twenty-four  counties  are 
to  be  found  in  the  Colony,  and  the  hardy  pioneer  was  fast  pushing 
his  way  to  the  base  of  the  Blue  Eidge  mountains,  but  of  the  country 
beyond  the  Blue  Eidge  mountains  notliing  was  known  except  the 
indefinite  accounts  of  Indian  traders. 

Governor  Spotswood  determined  to  explore  this  unknown  region 
and,  leaving  the  home  of  his  son-in-law  at  Chelsea,  in  August,  1716, 
accompanied  by  a  gay  and  gallant  band,  he  began  his  journey 
through  a  dense  wilderness  inhabited  by  beasts  of  prey  and  the  cruel 
savage,  and  after  thirty-six  days  of  incessant  toil  and  fatigue,  the 
Governor  and  his  party,  on  September  5,  1716,  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of  the  Blue  Eidge  mountains,  at 
Swift  Eun  Gap,  Augusta  county,  Virginia. 


18 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


What  a  spot !  What  an  occasion !  What  must  have  been  the  feel- 
ings experienced  by  these  gallant  knights,  when  for  the  first  time 
the  beautiful  Shenandoah  was  presented  to  their  vision!  The 
inspiration  of  the  occasion  must  have  been  full  compensation  for  all 
the  toil  and  perseverance  expended  in  the  effort.  Governor  Spots- 
wood,  in  commemoration  of  this  expedition  into  the  heart  of  the 
savage  wilderness,  presented  each  of  the  company  with  a  small 
golden  horse-shoe  set  with  jewels,  and  this  was  the  origin  of  the 
order,  "Knights  of  the  Golden  Horse-Shoe." 

The  inscription  upon  the  golden  horse-shoe  was  "Sic  jurat  trans- 
cendere  montes.'^  (Thus  he  swears  to  cross  the  mountains),  and  it 
is  stated  that  these  mementoes  were  given  to  all  who  would  accept 
them,  promising  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  inscription. 


Spotswood  Crossing  the  Blue  Ridge. 


Governor  Spotswood  and  his  company  descended  the  western  side 
of  the  mountain  into  the  valley,  and,  finding  a  ford,  they  crossed 
the  Shenandoah  river  and  "took  possession  of  the  country  for  King 
George  the  First  of  England."  They  crossed  the  Shenandoah  river 
on  September  6th  and  called  it  the  Euphrates. 

Thus  the  first  passage  of  the  Blue  Eidge  into  the  Valley  of 
Virginia  was  made  by  Governor  Spotswood  at  this  time,  but,  as 
early  as  1710,  a  company  of  adventurers  found  and  went  to  the 
top  of  the  highest  mountain  with  their  horses,  but  did  not  pass  over 
it  into  the  valley,  by  reason  of  the  lateness  of  the  season.  Abraham 
Wood  had  visited  the  New  Eiver  section  in  the  year  1654. 

1738.  In  the  year  1738  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia 
passed  a  bill  for  the  formation  of  two  countries  west  of  the  Blue 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  19 

Eidge  mountains,  and  accordingly  Orange  county  was  divided  and 
that  part  of  Orange  county  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge  mountains  was 
formed  into  two  counties,  called  Frederick  and  Augusta  counties. 
Thus  was  opened  to  settlement  a  magnificent  country  of  which 
Washington  county  is  a  part,  and  as  the  history  of  Washington 
county  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  early  history  of  Augusta 
county,  I  will  here  take  leave  of  the  general  history  of  Virginia. 


20  .    Southwest  Virginia,  17JiG-17SG. 

CHAPTER  II 

Indians  Living  in  Close  Pkoximity  to  Southwest  Virginia. 

The  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus  in  1492  can  be  attrib- 
uted to  the  pious  zeal  of  the  Queen  of  Spain  to  extend  the  bene- 
fits of  the  religion  of  Eome  to  all  manldnd,  and  to  the  search  for 
gold.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  the  Queen  of  Spain,  to  enable 
Columbus  to  explore  the  western  seas,  sacrificed  many  of  the  jewels 
pertaining  to  her  queenly  estate. 

And  the  Queen  of  Spain  was  but  one  of  many  emissaries  of  the 
church,  who,  in  their  zeal,  were  ready,  to  brave  tlie  unknown  seas 
and  to  make  any  sacrifices  to  serve  their  master.  With  Columbus 
came  a  number  of  priests,  and  with  every  ship  that  sailed  from  the 
co-ast  of  Spain,  France,  Portugal  and  Italy,  the  missionaries  of  the 
cross  were  to  be  numbered  among  the  passengers,  bound  for  Amer- 
ica, determined  to  explore  the  New  World,  hunt  out  the  inhabitants 
thereof,  and  convert  them'  to  their  master.  Thus,  within  a  few  years 
after  the  discovery  of  America,  priests  were  to  be  found  in  almost 
every  part  of  the  New  World,  exploring  the  country  and  teaching 
the  Indians  their  blessed  religion.  The  priesthood  of  Rome  in 
those  early  days  were  educated,  energetic,  observing  men,  as  they 
have  ever  been,  and  it  is  to  this  source  that  we  must  look  for  the 
earliest  histor}^  of  our  country  and  of  the  Indian  inhabitants  for 
many  years  previous  to  the  coming  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

These  early  visitors  to  this  portion  of  America  preserved  a  history 
of  their  times,  and  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  archives  of  the  govern- 
ments of  France,  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.  This  investigation  will  not  permit  any  inquiry  extending 
beyond  the  limits  of  that  portion  of  Southwest  Virginia  included 
within  the  bounds  of  Washington  county. 

In  the  year  1539  Hernando  De  Soto  landed  at  Tampa,  Florida, 
with  orders  from  the  Court  of  Spain  to  form  a  settlement  on  the 
seashore  and  to  explore  Florida  to  its  westernmost  limits. 

The  Spanish  government  at  that  time  contended  that  Florida 
included  all  that  part  of  America  extending  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  on  the  south  to  Virginia  on  the  north,  and  from  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Pacific. 


Southwest  Virginia,  llJ^G-nSG.  21 

Pursuant  to  his  authority  De  Soto,  at  the  head  of  a  thousand 
nien,  exploring  the  country,  traveled  in  a  northerly  direction  to  the 
home  of  the  Appalaches,  a  tribe  of  Indians  living  on  the  banks  of 
a  river  in  Georgia  called  by  the  Indians  Witchlacooche ;  thence, 
continuing  in  a  northerly  direction,  they  passed  near  the  present  site 
of  Columbia,  S.  C,  where  they  struck  the  Santee  river,  thenoe  pass- 
ing up  the  Saluda  branch  of  the  Santee,  they  came,  for  the  first 
time,  to  a  country  uninhabited,  and  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  food 
sufficient  to  sustain  themselves,  but  sending  out  companies  of  men 
to  search  for  Indians,  after  some  time  a  party  of  men  returned 
to  camp  accompanied  by  a  few  Indians,  who,  being  questioned, 
informed  De  Soto  that  to  the  north  of  them  there  lived  a  powerful 
tribe  of  Indians  on  the  Hogoheegee  river  (Tennessee  river),  to 
which  place  they  traveled.  This  tribe  of  Indians  was  called,  at  that 
time,  Cafitachique  and  was  governed  by  a  queen. 

The  historian  of  this  expedition,  Louis  Hernandez  De  Biedma, 
says :  "We  remained  ten  or  twelve  days  in  the  Queen's  village,  and 
then  set  off  to  continue  our  explorations  of  the  country." 

De  Soto  marched  thence  ton  days  in  a  northerly  direction  through 
a  mountainous  country  where  but  little  food  was  to  be  found  until 
he  reached  a  province  called  Xuala,  which  was  thinly  settled.  Ho 
then  ascended  to  the  source  of  the  Great  river,*  which  he  supposed 
was  the  St.  Esprit.  This  information  was  furnished  by  De  Biedma 
to  the  King  and  council  of  the  West  Indies  in  1544  and  is  now 
in  existence  and  fully  authenticated. 

To  any  one  who  will  take  the  time  and  trouble  to  investigate  this 
matter  it  will  be  evident  that  De  Soto  and  his  followers  explored 
the  country  from  Florida  to  the  Queen's  village,  which  must  have 
been  on  the  Tennessee  river  near  the  present  site  of  Knoxville, 
Tennessee.  Thence  ascending  the  same  to  its  sources  they  were,  as 
early  as  1540,  beyond  question,  visitors  to  the  territory  now  included 
within  the  boundaries  of  Washington  county. 

The  course  pursued  and  the  time  required,  it  has  been  aptly  said, 
confirm  this  opinion. 

But  a  small  part  of  the  account  of  this  trip  of  exploration  has 
been  herein  copied,  but  space  will  not  permit  much  to  be  said.  The 
reader  must  not  conclude  from  what  has  been  said  that  De  Soto 
and  his  followers  met  with  no  resistance  from  the  inhabitants  of 


*The  Indians  always  spoke  of  the  Tennessee  river  as  the  Great  river. 


23  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

the  country  through  which  they  passed,  for  this  same  account  de- 
tails the  incidents  connected  with  many  desperate  battles  between 
the  invaders  and  the  invaded,  and  at  no  part  of  the  journey  did  De 
Soto  meet  such  magnificent  specimens  of  mankind  or  find  greater 
resistance  than  upon  his  arrival  at  the  Queen's  village  on  the  Ten- 
nessee and  in  his  progress  thence  to  the  sources  of  the  Great  river. 

De  Biedma  tells  us  that  the  inhabitants  of  Xuala  were  a  hardy 
race,  living  in  log  houses  daubed  with  clay  and  very  comfortable  in 
the  winter  season,  but  that  during  the  summer  months  they  usually 
reposed  in  the  open  air,  spending  much  of  their  time  in  hunting. 

According  to  this  same  authority  they  used  sharped-edged  stones, 
slings,  bows,  arrows  and  clubs  in  war  and  peace.  Many  evidences 
of  the  instruments  used  by  the  Indians  and  the  places  of  their 
manufacture  are  to  be  found  in  Southwest  Virginia  at  this  date. 

The  inhabitants  of  Xuala  lived,  as  did  all  the  Indian  inhabitants 
south  of  the  Potomac  and  Ohio  rivers,  in  towns,  but  the  towns  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Xuala  differed  from  those  of  most  other  tribes 
of  Indians  in  this,  that  their  towns  generally  were  so  built  as  to 
combine  the  requisites  of  a  town  and  a  fort. 

These  forts  were  circular  and  varied  in  size  from  three  hun- 
dred to  six  hundred  and  a  thousand  feet  in  diameter. 

They  were  sometimes  built  of  stone,  and  in  other  instances  of 
earth.  The  embankments  were  from  six  to  ten  feet  high  and  in 
many  cases  surrounded  by  ditches  of  requisite  width  and  depth. 

They  were  used  as  towns  as  well  as  forts.  Many  fragments  of 
carved  stone  and  earthenware  are  to  be  found  near  those  old  forts. 

The  remnants  of  these  forts  or  towns  can  be  found  in  Southwest 
Virginia  at  this  time. 

In  Castle's  Woods,  Eussell  county,  as  well  as  on  the  farm  of  T.  P. 
Hendricks  and  at  other  places  in  this  county,  the  evidences  of 
former  Indian  towns  are  clearly  perceptible. 

A  stone  fort  of  great  size  formerly  stood  in  Abb's  Valley,  Taze- 
well county,  and  what  is  spoken  of  as  a  remarkable  fort  is  to  be 
found  on  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  a  Mr.  Crockett  near  Tazewell 
C.  H.,  having  evident  traces  of  trenches  and  something  like  a  draw- 
bridge. 

An  Indian  town  stood  upon  the  Byars  farm  in  the  upper  end  of 
this  county,  and  the  Indian  name  thereof  is  preserved :  "Kilmack- 
ronan." 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  23 

These  forts  and  other  eyidences  of  Indian  occupancy  must  be 
attributed  to  the  men  occupying  Xuala  at  the  time  of  the  visit  of  De 
Soto  in  1540,  for  they  cannot  be  the  product  of  the  Cherokees. 
since  an  examination  of  the  age  of  trees  found  growing  on  these 
forts  is  sufficient  to  show  that  they  were  there  before  the  coming 
of  the  Cherokees,  and,  for  this  better  reason,  these  forts  were  not 
built  after  the  manner  of  the  Cherokees. 

From  a  perusal  of  the  preceding  pages  it  is  evident  that  the 
land  of  the  Xualas  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  years  ago  was  none 
other  than  Southwest  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee,  and  that  it  was 
peopled  by  a  hardy,  ingenious,  war-like  race. 

It  is  proper  to  state  here  that  many  historians  repudiate  the  idea 
that  De  Soto  visited  Southwest  Virginia  in  1540,  but  it  is  the 
opinion  of  this  writer  that  he  did  visit  this  section  at  that  time, 
and  this  opinion  is  given  after  a  careful  perusal  of  all  available 
authorities. 

We  know  nothing  further  of  the  people  who  inhabited  Xuala,  or 
Southwest  Virginia  in  1540.  A  tradition  existed  among  the  Chero- 
kees that  these  people  were  driven  from  Southwest  Virginia  by 
the  Cherokees  some  time  in  the  ages  preceding  the  coming  of  the 
white  man,  but  no  authentic  information  exists  by  which  their  exit 
can  be  noted. 

Captain  Henry  Batte  with  a  company  of  rangers,  by  direction  of 
Governor  Berkley,  crossed  the  Blue  Eidge  mountains  at  "Wood's 
Gap  now  in  Floyd  county,  in  1671  and  came  near  to  the  habitations 
of  a  tribe  of  Indians  living  on  a  river  flowing  westward,  said  by  the 
Indian  guides  to  be  the  makers  and  venders  of  salt  to  Ihe  other 
Indian  tribes,  and  Trembling,  in  many  particulars,  the  inhabitants 
of  Xuala  as  described  by  De  Biedma,  and  it  is  rn^re  than  prob- 
able that  the  early  inhabitants  of  Southwest  Virginia  were  not 
driven  from  their  homes  until  after  1671. 

As  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  the  Indian  inhabitants  of  Southwest 
Virginia  have  been  Xualans,  Cherokees  and  Shawnese. 

Some  time  between  the  years  1671  and  1685  the  Xualans  were 
driven  from  Southwest  Virginia  by  the  Cherokee  tribe  of  Indians, 
and  this  tribe  is  closely  identified  with  the  settlement  of  Southwest 
Virginia. 

Adair,  an  early  writer,  says  that  this  tribe  of  Indians  derive  their 
name  from  Chee-ra  "fire,"  which  is  their  reputed  lower  heaven. 


24  Southwest  Virginia,  17 Ji  6-17 80. 

The  origin  of  this  tribe  is  not  known,  but  a  tradition  existed 
among  them  that  when  they  crossed  the  Alleghanies  they  found  a 
part  of  the  Creek  Nation  inhabitating  this  countr}^,  and  it  may  be 
that  the  Creek  Indians  were  the  inhabitants  of  ancient  Xuala. 

The  Cherokees  were  the  mountaineers  of  ahoriginal  America; 
they  loved  their  homes,  were  brave  to  a  fault,  and  were  never  happy 
except  when  engaged  in  war. 

This  nation  and  many  of  their  villages  will  be  frequently  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  early  exploration  and  settlement  of 
Southwest  Virginia,  for  many  times  did  our  ancestors  suffer  from 
their  vigor  and  enterprise. 

This  tribe  of  Indians  gave  names  to  most  of  the  rivers  in  South- 
west Virginia,  and  it  may  be  proper  to  here  detail  the  aboriginal 
names  of  the  rivers  of  Southwest  Virginia. 

The  Holston  river  from  its  source  to  the  junction  of  the  French 
Broad,  was  called  the  Hogoheegee,  and  from  thence  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Little  Tennessee  river  it  was  known  as  the  Cootcla. 

The  early  maps  of  this  section  of  America  made  by  the  French 
explorers  gave  to  the  Holston  river  the  name  of  the  Cherokee  river ; 
to  the  Clinch  they  gave  the  name  of  Shawanon,  and  to  the  same 
river  the  English  gave  the  name  of  Shawanoa,  and  the  Indian 
name  for  the  Clinch  river  was  Pellissippi. 

The  Cherokees  were  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
their  conquest,  for  as  early  as  1672  the  confederacy  of  the  Six 
Nations  conquered  the  Illinois  and  Shawnese  Indians,  the  latter 
tribe  being  a  part  of  the  Six  Nations. 

In  1685  they  added  to  their  conquests  the  Miamis  and  carried 
their  victorious  arms  to  the  Mississippi  and  south  as  far  as  Georgia, 
a  vast  territory  twelve  hundred  miles  in  length  and  six  hundred 
miles  in  breadth,  and,  in  doing  so,  destroyed  whole  nations  of  In- 
dians of  whom  no  record  was  found  by  the  English. 

The  Cherokees  were  driven  south  of  the  Tennessee,  and  settled 
upon  the  Savannah  and  in  the  territory  south  of  the  Tennessee,  and 
there  made  their  homes  until  moved  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  settlers 
about  one  hundred  years  thereafter. 

Thus  the  vast  extent  of  territory  lying  south  and  east  of  the  Ohio 
river  and  including  Southwest  Virginia  was  conquered,  but  not 
occupied,  by  the  confederacy  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  its  inhabitants 
were  driven  into  other  countries.   It  thus  became  a  vast  wilderness, 


Southwest  Virgmia,  1746-1786.  25 

never  thereafter  to  be  occupied  until  the  coming  of  the  white  man, 
except  by  roving  bands  of  Indians  while  himting,  or  in  passing  from 
their  habitations  in  the  south  to  the  Indian  towns  and  villages  in 
Ohio. 

This  vast  park  was  filled  ^vith  the  finest  game  in  great  quantities, 
and,  for  more  than  one  hundred  years  previous  to  its  settlement  by 
the  Anglo-Saxon,  it  was  jointly  used,  as  if  by  common  consent,  as 
a  hunting  ground  by  the  Cherokees,  Shawnese  and  Six  Nations,  but 
the  Cherokees  were  compelled  to  admit  the  superior  title  of  the  Six 
Nations  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  soil,  which  they  did  by  frequent 
gifts  of  game  killed  within  the  territory. 

Some  writers,  in  explanation  of  the  absence  of  the  Indians  from 
this  section  of  America  at  the  time  of  the  early  explorations  of 
the  white  man,  give  the  following  as  a  tradition  of  the  Cherokees 
and  Shawnese:  "tbat  in  so  favored  a  land,  where  man's  natural 
wants  are  so  fully  satisfied,  there  could  be  no  community  of  peace 
and  happiness^,  that  with  such  ease  to  the  body  and  disquiet  to  the 
soul  the  councils  of  man  must  always  overflow  with  the  vanities 
of  argument  and  the  pride  of  innate  egotism;  so  the  tradition  was, 
that  once  of  old  there  was  a  delegated  assemblage  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  Indian  tribes  for  a  conference  with  the  Great  Spirit,  at  which 
conference  the  Great  Spirit  detailed  certain  great  calamities  that 
had  befallen  them  in  the  paradise  of  Hogoheegee,  which  were  trace- 
able to  the  causes  named  above,  and  thereupon  the  Great  Spirit 
ordered  all  their  nations  to  remeve  beyond  certain  boundaries,  out 
of  this  Eden,  which  the  Great  Spirit  informed  them  was  too  easy 
of  life  for  their  content  and  happiness  and  their  future  security." 

Thereupon  this  vast  empire  was  consigned  to  the  peaceful  domin- 
ion of  nature,  and  all  the  lands  upon  the  waters  from  the  Holston  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  Kentucky  and  Cumberland  rivers  were  with- 
out permanent  inhabitants. 

The  first  cause  above  assigned  was  the  true  cause  of  the  uninhab- 
ited condition  of  Southwest  Virginia,  the  enmity  between  the  Chero- 
kees and  Shawnese.  This  enmity  was  such  as  to  deter  both  tribes 
from  any  considerable  aggressions  on  this  territor}^,  the  middle 
ground  between  the  nations.  Many  battles  were  fought  between 
these  two  nations,  and,  even  so  late  as  the  summer  of  1768,  a  des- 


26  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

perate  battle  was  fought  between  the  Cherokees  and  Shawnese  near 
Eieh  Mountain,*  in  Tazewell  county,  Virginia. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1768  about  two  hundred  Cherokee  In- 
dians camped  near  a  lick  in  that  part  of  Southwest  Virginia  to 
spend  the  summer  in  hunting. 

They  were  soon  disturbed  by  the  appearance  of  several  hundred 
Shawnese  Indians,  their  deadly  enemies. 

The  Shawnese  chief  immediately  sent  orders  to  the  Cherokees  to 
leave  the  lick  and  the  hunting  grounds,  but  his  messenger  was  sent 
back  with  a  defiant  answer  by  the  Cherokees  and  both  parties  began 
to  prepare  for  battle.  The  Cherokees  retired  to  the  top  of  Rich 
Montain  and  there  threw  up,  before  night,  a  breastwork  consisting 
of  an  embankment  running  along  the  top  of  the  mountain  about 
eighty  yards  and  then  turning  off  down  the  mountain  side,  the  em- 
bankment being  three  or  four  feet  high  and  running  east  and  west. 

The  battle  was  opened  the  evening  of  the  first  day,  but  after 
some  fighting  the  Shawnese  withdrew  and  made  preparations  to 
begin  the  attack  the  following  morning.  It  is  said  that  long  before 
day  the  fiendish  yells  of  the  warriors  might  be  heard  echoing 
over  the  rugged  cliffs  and  deep  valleys  of  the  surrounding  country. 
Day  came,  and  for  the  space  of  half  an  hour,  a  deathlike  stillness 
reigned  on  the  mountain  top  and  side.  With  the  first  rays  of  the 
rising  sun  a  shout  ascended  the  skies  as  if  all  the  wild  animals  in 
the  woods  had  broken  forth  in  all  their  most  terrifying  notes. 

The  sharp  crack  of  rifles  and  the  ringing  of  tomahawks  against 
each  other,  the  screams  of  women  and  children  and  the  groans  of 
the  dying  now  filled  the  air  around. 

Both  parties  were  well  armed  and  the  contest  was  nearly  equal, 
the  Shawnese  having  most  men,  while  the  Cherokees  had  the  advan- 
tage of  their  breastworks.  Through  the  entire  day  the  battle  raged, 
and  when  night  closed  in,  both  parties  built  fires  and  camped  on 
the  ground. 

During  the  night  the  Cherokees  sent  to  two  white  men  then  in  the 
vicinity  for  powder  and  lead,  which  they  furnished. 

When  the  sun  rose  the  next  morning  the  battle  was  renewed  with 
the  same  spirit  in  which  it  had  been  fought  on  the  previous  day.  In 
a  few  hours,  however,  the  Shawnese  were  compelled  to  retire.  The 
loss  on  both  sides  was  great.    A  large  pit  was  dug  and  a  common 


*Bickley's  History  of  Tazewell  County. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  27 

grave  received  those  who  had  fallen  in  this  the  last  battle  fought 
between  the  red  men  in  this  section  of  America.  The  battle-ground, 
breastwork  and  great  grave  are  still  to  be  seen. 

At  the  time  of  the  earlier  explorations  of  Southwest  Virginia  the 
nearest  permanent  Indian  settlements  were  to  be  found  south  of  the 
Tennessee  river. 

Many  vestiges  of  an  earlier  and  numerous  population  were  found 
in  Southwest  Virginia  and,  in  many  instances,  are  still  to  be  seen, 
indicating  a  state  of  civilization  far  in  advance  of  that  found  among 
the  Indians  of  that  day. 

Tlie  first  hunters  and  explorers  in  their  many  exped^itions 
throughout  all  this  vast  territory  never  found  a  single  wigwam  cr 
Indian  village.,  It  was  nothing  more  than  the  common  hunting 
ground  of  the  Cherokees  and  Shawnese. 

Along  the  valley  of  what  is  known  as  Southwest  Virginia  lay  the 
usual  route  of  travel  between  the  Southern  and  Northern  Indians, 
whether  engaged  in  peaceful  intercourse  or  warlike  expeditions,  and 
by  this  same  path  they  traveled  when  on  the  chase  or  their  migra- 
tions. 

Several  considerations  prompted  the  Indians  to  adopt  this  course 
in  their  travelings,  viz. :  such  as  the  ease  with  which  the  mountains 
could  be  crossed,  the  abundance  of  game,  the  absence  of  swamps  and 
large  streams  of  impassable  water  and  the  absence  of  hostile  inhabi- 
tants, and  these  same  considerations  led  to  the  early  settlement  of 
this  section  and  the  adoption  of  this  route  of  travel  by  the  early 
Scotchf^rish  and  English  settlers  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

One  of  these  routes  or  Indian  trails  was  nearly  on  the  present 
McAdam  road  passing  Eoanoke,  Va.,  thence  to  New  Eiver  near 
Inglis'  Ferry,  thence,  following  the  same  McAdam  road,  to  Seven 
Mile  Ford,  thence  to  the  left  of  the  present  main  road  and  following 
near  to  the  present  location  of  the  same  by  Abingdon  until  it  strikes 
the  North  Fork  of  Holston  river  a  few  miles  above  the  Long 
Island  of  Holston  river,  crossing  the  same  at  the  old  ford  of  the 
North  Fork  and  on  into  Tennessee  until  it  connected  with  the  great 
warpath  of  the  Creeks.  Near  Wolf  Hills,  now  Abingdon,  another 
route  or  trail  came  in  from  the  northwest.  This  trail  from  the 
northwest  pursued  nearly  the  route  traveled  by  the  early  settlers  to 
Kentucky,  crossing  the  mountains  at  Cumberland  Gap.     A  more 


28  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

minute  description  of  this  trail  will  be  given  in  another  and  more 
appropriate  place  in  this  book. 

This  trail  crossed  the  first  above  described  Indian  trail  at  a  point 
on  West  Main  street  where  the  Eussell  road  leaves  Main  street.  The 
statement  has  been  often  made  that  an  Indian  trail  followed  the 
northwest  bank  of  the  JSTorth  Fork  of  Holston  river  through  this 
count}',  but  I  am  not  satisfied  that  such  was  a  fact. 

Bickley,  in  his  history  of  Tazewell  county,  says  the  principal 
Indian  trails  through  Tazewell  county  led  through  the  Clinch  Val- 
ley, but  after  the  whites  began  to  settle,  these  Indian  trails  all  led 
from  the  Ohio  river.  One  of  these  trails  led  up  the  Indian  Eidge 
(now  on  the  boundary  between  Virginia  and  West  Virginia)  till 
opposite  the  Trace  Fork  of  Tug  river;  it  then  crossed  over  to  that 
braiich  and,  keeping  into  the  lowest  gap  of  the  hills,  led  into  Abb's 
Valley. 

Another  trail,  afterwards  much  used  by  the  whites,  left  the 
Indian  Eidge  and  struck  Tug  river  at  the  mouth  of  Clear  Fork 
creek,  thence  up  that  creek  till  it  fell  over  on  a  branch  emptying 
into  tlie  Dry  Fork  of  Tug  river.  It  then  followed  that  stream  to  its 
head  and  passed  through  Eoark's  Gap,  near  Maxwell's,  in  Taze- 
well county. 

Another  trail  cauie  up  the  Louisa  Fork  of  Sandy  river,  leading 
into  the  settlements  on  Clinch  river,  now  in  Eussell  and  Tazewell 
counties.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  tliat  these  trails  always  crossed 
the  mountains  and  ridges  at  the  lewdest  gaps  to  be  found,  and 
frequently,  built  in  these  gaps,  are  to  be  found  monuments  of 
rock  piled  up  oftentimes  to  considerable  height.  Several  of  these 
monuments  may  be  seen  in  this  coimty,  in  Little  Moccasin  Gap,  on 
the  Byars  farm  on  Middle  Fork,  on  the  Mahaffey  farm  on  South 
Fork,  and  another  in  Eoark's  Gap,  in  Tazewell  county. 

Eamsey,  in  his  Annals  of  Tennessee,  states  that  the  first  described 
Indian  trail  after  leaving  Seven  Mile  Ford  bore  to  the  left  and  fol- 
lowed the  Middle  and  South  Forks  of  Holston  river  until  it  crossed 
the  North  Fork  of  Holston  river  at  the  Old  Ford  above  Long 
Island  in  Tennessee. 

In  making  this  statement  the  historian  may  be  correct,  and  some 
evidences  yet  remain  that  might  be  given  to  sustain  this  statement, 
notably  a  small  Indian  mound  and  the  vestiges  of  an  old  Indian 
village  (Kilmackronan),  on  the  north  and  south  sides  of  the  Middle 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  29 

Fork  of  Holston  river,  where  the  same  passes  through  the  farm 
formerly  owned  by  Captain  James  Byars  near  Glade  Spring,  and  a 
small  Indian  mound  on  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  J.  Gr.  Mahaffey 
about  six  miles  southeast  of  Abingdon. 

But  we  cannot  admit  this  statement  to  be  coj-rect,  because  the 
route  as  described  is  inconsistent  with  the  habits  of  the  Indians, 
besides,  it  does  not  confonn  to  the  course  pursued  by  the  early  set- 
tlers of  this  section  of  Virginia. 

The  Indian  in  traveling  (almost  without  a  single  exception,  as 
far  as  I  can  ascertain)  followed  that  course  of  travel  which  would, 
as  far  as  possible,  avoid  the  crossing  of  water,  and  of  course  he 
followed  the  highlands  near  the  headwaters  of  the  creeks  and  rivers. 
It  is  evident  to  every  man  conversant  with  the  topography  of  this 
county  that  he  would  have  passed  through  this  county  near  Glade 
Spring,  Meadow  View  and  Abingdon. 

It  is  generally  accepted  as  true  that  the  early  hunters  and  explor- 
ers in  this,  as  well  as  other  sections  of  Virginia  and  the  United 
States,  followed,  almost  without  a  single  deviation,  the  trails  made 
and  used  by  the  Indians.  And  to  this  cause  may  be  attributed  the 
fact  that  many  of  the  public  roads  of  this  section  when  first  estab- 
lished were  located  over  the  steepest  hills  and  ridges  to  be  found  in 
our  country. 

In  other  words,  the  Indian  made  his  trail  over  the  hills  to  avoid 
the  waters ;  the  white  man  adopted  the  Indian  trail  as  his  road 
becaiise  it  was  already  open,  and  possibly,  to  some  extent,  for  the 
same  reason  as  the  Indian,  to  avoid  crossing  water. 

We  know  that  the  early  hunters  and  settlers  traveling  through 
and  settling  in  this  section,  after  leaving  Seven  Mile  Ford  passed 
througli  the  Byars  farm  near  Glade  Spring,  thence  near  Meadow 
View  and  through  the  location  of  Abingdon  of  the  present  day,  and 
into  Tennessee. 

Another  statement  made  by  Eamsey  as  to  this  same  Indian  trail 
is  frequently  challenged,  and  for  very  good  reason. 

Ramsey  states  that  this  Indian  trail  crossed  the  North  Fork  of 
Holston  river  above  Long  Island  as  above  stated,  while  from  all 
present  indications  this  trail  crossed  the  South  Fork  of  Holston 
river  at  Long  Island. 

At  least  evidences  of  an  Indian  trail  and  ford  are  to  be  seen 
near  Long  Island  at  this  time,  and  it  is  not  reasonable  to  believe 


30  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

that  the  Indians  would  cross  the  Xorth  Fork  of  the  Holston  river 
and  then  the  Holston  river  proper  to  reach  his  towns  and  home, 
when  he  could  cross  the  South  Fork  of  Holston  once  and  reach  his 
home. 

While  Southwest  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee  were  unoccupied 
by  the  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  early  settlements,  still  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  give  briefly  a  description  of  the  Indian  tribes  that  pre- 
ceded our  forefathers  and  afterwards  gave  them  so  much  trouble  in 
their  first  undertakings. 

As  to  the  remote  Indian  inhabitants  of  this  section  of  the  Ameri- 
can Continent,  nothing  authentic  is  known  beyond  the  evidences  of 
their  occupancy  to  be  gathered  from  tumuli  scattered  throughout 
the  country  and  the  remains  found  in  close  proximity  thereto. 

These  remains  indicate  the  existence,  at  some  distant  time,  of  a 
dense  population,  civilized  to  a  great  extent,  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  at  a  time  in  the  past  all  this  section  was  the  seat  of  a 
civilization  that  would  have  compared  favorably  with  that  of  Greece 
and  Eome. 

The  Cherokee  Indians  Icnew  nothing  further  of  these  vestiges 
than  that  their  forefathers  found  them  here,  and  they  considered 
them  the  evidences  of  a  numerous  population  far  advanced  in  civili- 
zation. 

The  modern  Indian  held  in  great  veneration  these  evidences  of 
an  extinct  tribe,  and  never  used  them  save  for  religious  purposes. 

The  piles  of  stones  often  found  scattered  throughout  the  country, 
generally  to  be  found  in  the  gaps  of  the  mountains  and  ridges,  are 
believed  to  be  the  work  of  modern  Indians.  The  modern  Indian 
was  of  an  exceedingly  superstitious  turn,  as  all  barbarians  or 
heathen  nations  have  been. 

It  has  been  for  all  time  not  uncommon  to  find,  in  heathen  coun- 
tries, similar  heaps  of  stone  erected  by  the  inhabitants  at  some 
particular  spot,  as  an  offering  to  an  evil  spirit,  who,  according  to 
their  superstitions,  would  afflict  or  bless  the  passer-by. 

A  pile  of  stone,  such  as  indicated,  may  be  seen  near  the  main 
turnpike  road  as  it  passes  through  Little  Moccasin  Gap. 

The  Indian  tribes  that  molested  the  early  settlers  in  this  section 
were  the  Cherokees  and  the  Shawnese. 

Adair,  an  early  Indian  trader,  and  later  historian,  in  describing 
the  Indian  and  his  passion  for  revenge,  says: 


'Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  31 

"I  have  known  them  to  go  a  thousand  miles  for  the  purpose  of 
revenge,  in  pathless  woods,  over  hills  and  mountains,  through  large 
cane  swamps  full  of  grape-vines  and  briars,  over  broad  lakes,  rapid 
rivers  and  deep  creeks  and  all  the  way  endangered  by  poisonous 
snakes,  if  not  by  the  rambling  and  lurking  enemy,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  they  were  exposed  to  the  extremities  of  the  heat  and 
cold,  the  vicissitudes  of  the  season,  to  hunger  and  thirst,  both  by 
chance  and  their  religiously  scanty  method  of  living  when  at  war, 
to  fatigue  and  other  difficulties.  Such  is  their  revengeful  temper 
that  all  these  things  they  contemn  as  imaginary  trifles,  if  they  are 
so  happy  as  to  get  the  scalp  of  their  enemy." 

And  this  record  is  preserved  by  a  man  who  spoke  from  his 
experience  with  the  Cherokee  Indians,  the  one  tribe  that  gave  the 
early  settlers  of  this  section  more  trouble  than  all  the  Indian  tribes 
combined. 

CHEROKEES. 

The  Cherokee  tribe  of  Indians,  at  the  time  of  the.  settlement  of 
Southwest  Virginia,  inhabited  one  of  the  most  attractive  sections 
of  the  American  Continent,  occupying  the  banks  of  the  Catawba, 
Savannah,  Yadkin  and  Tennessee  rivers  on  the  east  and  south  and 
several  of  the  feeders  of  the  Tennessee  on  the  west. 

There  were  no  fortresses  to  be  found  among  them.  Their  settle- 
ments were  rude  huts  scattered  irregularly  along  some  water  way 
convenient  to  good  pasture  land  and  hunting  and  fishing  grounds. 

They  usually  had  small  clearings  which  were  cultivated  by  the 
women  and  children  in  Indian  corn  and  beans. 

But  little  of  the  history  of  the  Cherokees  can  be  gathered  from 
their  traditions.  The  existence  of  this  tribe  of  Indians  was  noted  by 
the  historian  of  the  expedition  of  De  Soto  when  traveling  in  the 
South,  and  it  is  said  that  they  came  originally  from  east  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains.  Their  principal  town  or  capital  city  was 
Choto,  located  about  five  miles  from  the  ruins  of  Fort  Loudon,  in 
Tennessee. 

They  were  the  mountain  people  of  America  and  loved  their  homes 
and  their  liberties. 

They  frequently  aided  the  early  settlers  of  this  portion  of  America 
in  their  wars  with  the  French  and  English,  a  company  of  Indians 
from  this  tribe  having  participated  in  the  siege  of  Fort  Du  Quesne 


32  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

under  Captain  Pearls,  but  much  oftener  did  they  carry  death  into 
the  homes  of  tlie  early  settlers  of  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia. 

This  tribe,  previous  to  1769,  were  numerous  and  exceedingly 
quarrelsome  and  arrogant. 

At  this  time  they  quarreled  with  the  Chickasaw  Indians  and 
undertook  an  invasion  of  their  country,  but  were  overwhelmed  by 
the  Chickasaws  after  a  great  battle  at  the  Chickasaw  old  fields. 

This  overwhelming  defeat  occurred  at  the  same  time  that  Arthur 
Campl)ell,  William  Edmiston,  and  many  other '  hardy  pioneers 
fii-st  pitched  their  tents  on  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  occurrence  contributed  much  to 
the  rapid  settlement  of  this  section  of  Virginia. 

For  thirty  years  following  the  advent  of  the  first  settlers  into  this 
country  the  Cherokees  killed  and  scalped  the  inhabitants  at  every 
opportunity. 

The  population  of  tliis  tribe  in  1735  was  considerable.  Adair 
says  that  they  had  sixty^four  populous  towns,  and  their  fighting 
men  numbered  ahove  six  thousand.. 

In  the  year  1776  the  number  of  warriors  pertaining  to  this  tribe 
was  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-one. 

This  h-lhe  of  Indians  now  occupy  a  part  of  the  Indian  Territory. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Cherokees  used  principally  the  val- 
leys of  the  Holston  in  their  hunting  expeditions  and  seldom  visited 
the  valleys  of  the  Clinch. 

SIIAWNESE. 

But  little  can  be  said  of  this  Indian  tribe  save  that  it  was  known 
as  a  wandering  nation. 

At  times  in  their  history  they  occupied  territory  in  almost  all 
sections  of  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  south  of 
the  Lakes,  but  at  the  time  when  this  tribe  gave  trouble  to  our 
ancestors  their  homes  were  on  the  Wabash  and  Miami  rivers,  where 
they  built  many  villages.  Their  principal  town,  called  "Piquo,^'  was 
the  birthplace  of  the  great  Tecumseh. 

This  tribe  had  a  tradition  respecting  their  origin.  They  believed 
their  fathers  crossed  the  ocean  from  the  East  under  the  guidance  of 
a  leader  of  the  Turtle  tribe,  one  of  their  original  subdivisions,  and 
that  they  walked  into  the  sea,  the  waters  of  which  parted,  and  thus 
passed  over  on  the  bottom  to  this -land. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  33 

This  tribe  of  Indians  were  responsible  for  many  of  the  murders 
and  outrages  suffered  by  the  early  settlers  on  the  Clinch  and  many 
times  on  the  Holston,  the  Indians  coming  by  the  trails  through 
Cumberland  Gap  and  the  trails  coming  into  Tazewell  county  pre- 
viously described. 

The  population  of  this  tribe  in  1735  did  not,  according  to  Adair, 
exceed  four  hundred  and  fifty  souls. 

This  tribe  of  Indians  assisted  the  British  in  the  wars  of  1776 
and  1812,  and  in  the  latter  struggle  did  effective  service  for  their 
British  allies. 

In  1817  they  ceded  their  lands  in  Ohio  to  the  United  States  and 
were  soon  confined  to  a  small  reservation  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river. 


34  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


CHAPTEE  III 

Eaely  Explorations  of  Southwest  Virginia  by  the  White 

Man. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  at  Jamestown  in  1607,  the 
English  Colony  had  grown  rapidly  and  had  expanded  until  their 
western  borders  were  in  view  of  the  Blue  Eidge.  With  the  usual 
vigor  and  enterprise  of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  we  find,  in  the  year  1641, 
a  number  of  the  citizens  of  Virginia  petitioning  the  House  of  Bur- 
gesses for  permission  to  undertake  the  discovery  of  a  new  river  of 
land  west  and  southerly  from  the  Appomattox,  and,  in  March,  1642, 
we  find  the  House  of  Burgesses  passing  an  act  granting  such  per- 
mission.   The  act  is  as  follows : 

"Forasmuch  as  Walker  Austin,  Eice  Hoe,  Joseph  Johnson  and 
Walter  Chiles,  for  themselves  and  such  others  as  they  shall  think 
fitt  to  joyn  with  them,  did  petition  in  the  Assembly  in  June  1641 
for  leave  and  encouragement  to  undertake  the  discovery  of  a  new 
river  of  unknowne  land  bearing  west  southerly  from  Appomattake 
river.  Be  it  enacted  and  confirmed,  that  they  and  every  one  of  them 
and  whom  they  shall  admit  shall  enjoy  and  possess  to  them,  their 
heirs,  executors,  administrators  or  assigns  all  profit  whatsoever  they 
in  their  particular  adventure  can  make  unto  themselves  by  such 
discovery  aforesaid,  for  fourteen  years  after  the  date  of  the  said 
month  of  January,  1641,  provided  there  be  reserved  and  paid  into 
his  Majesty's  use  by  them'  that  shall  be  appointed  to  receive  them, 
the  fifth  part  of  Eoyal  Mines  whatsoever ;  provided  also,  that  if  they 
shall  think  fit  to  employ  more  than  two  or  three  men  in  the  said 
discovery  they  shall  then  do  it  by  commission  from  the  Governor  of 
the  Councill."* 

It  is  well  to  preserve  this  the  earliest  known  evidence  of  the  desire 
of  any  man  to  hunt  out  the  very  country  we  now  occupy. 

The  names  of  a  portion  of  these  first  daring  spirits,  Austin,  John- 
son and  Chiles,  afterwards  became  familiar  to  our  own  country, 
and  while  no  evidence  is  at  hand  to  establish  the  fact,  yet  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  these  men  by  their  efforts  made  possible  the 
future  success  of  Walker,  Draper,  Inglis,  Wood,  and  others. 


^1  Hen.  Stat.,  p.  262. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  35 

The  record  of  the  next  effort  to  reach  this  portion  of  the  wilder- 
ness by  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Eastern  Virginia  is  to  be  found 
in  an  act  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia  passed  in  July, 
1653j  more  than  a  hundred  years  before  a  permanent  settlement 
was  effected  on  the  waters  of  the  Clinch  or  Holston  rivers. 

The  Act  is  as  follows.     Passed  July,  1653  : 

"Whereas,  an  act  was  made  in  the  Assembly,  1642,  for  encour- 
agement of  discoveries  to  the  westward  and  southward  of  this 
country,  granting  them  all  profits  arising  thereby  for  fourteen 
years,  which  act  is  since  discontinued  and  made  void,  it  is  by 
this  Assembly  ordered  that  Colonel  William  Clayborne,  Esq.,  and 
Captain  Henry  Fleet,  they  and  their  associates  vidth  them,  either 
jointly  or  severally,  may  discover,  and  shall  enjoy  such  benefits, 
profits  and  trades  for  fourteen  years  as  they  shall  find  out  in  places 
where  no  English  ever  have  been  and  discovered,  nor  have  had  par- 
ticular trade,  and  to  take  up  such  lands  by  patents  proving  their 
rights  as  they  shall  think  good :  nevertheless,  not  excluding  others 
after  their  choice  from  taking  up  land  and  planting  in  these  new 
discovered  places,  as  in  Virginia  now  versed.  The  like  order  is 
granted  to  Major  Abram  Wood  and  his  associates." 

The  three  gentlemen,  William  Clayborne,  Henry  Fleet  and  Abra- 
ham Wood,  mentioned  in  this  act,  each  represented  a  shire  in  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  and  were  intent,  no  doubt,  upon  the 
acquisition  of  wealth  and  the  development  of  the  country. 

We  have  no  information  that  leads  us  to  believe  that  any  of  the 
persons  named  in  the  preceding  act,  with  the  exception  of  Colo- 
nel Abraham  Wood,  at  any  time  made  an  effort  to  accomplish  the 
purpose  of  that  act. 

Dr.  Hale,  in  his  book  'entitled  "Trans- Alleghany  Pioneers,'^ 
makes  the  following  statement : 

"The  New  river  was  first  discovered  and  named  in  1654  by  Colo- 
nel Abraham  Wood,  who  dwelt  at  the  falls  of  the  Appomattox,  now 
the  site  of  Petersburg,  Va.^' 

Being  of  an  adventurous  and  speculative  turn,  he  got  from  the 
Governor  of  Virginia  a  concession  to  explore  the  country  and  open 
up  trade  with  the  Indians  to  the  west.  There  is  no  record  as  to 
the  particular  route  he  took,  but  as  the  line  of  adventure,  explora- 
tion and  discovery  was  then  all  east  of  the  mountains,  it  is  prob- 


36  Southwest  Virginia,  171^0-1786. 

able  that  he  first  struck  the  river  not  far  from  the  Blue  Kidge  and 
near  the  present  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  lines.'' 

I  do  not  know  from  what  source  Dr.  Hale  obtained  this  infor- 
mation, and  I  give  it  for  what  it  is  worth. 

It  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  Colonel  Wood  made  this  trip, 
and,  to  support  this  view,  three  circumstances  may  be  mentioned. 
First.  The  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia  had  authorized  Colo- 
nel Wood,  along  with  others,  in  July  of  the  preceding  year,  to 
discover  a  new  river  of  unknown  land  where  no  English  had  ever 
been  or  discovered.  Secondly.  A  gap  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  lying 
between  the  headwaters  of  Smith  river,  a  branch  of  the  Dan,  in 
Patrick  county,  and  of  Little  river,  a  branch  of  New  river,  in  Floyd 
county,  is  to  this  day  called  Wood's  Gap.  Thirdly.  The  present 
New  river  was  known  at  first  as  Wood's  river.  It  is  known  that 
at  the  time  Thomas  Batts  and  a  company  of  men  acting  under  the 
authority  of  Colonel  Wood  visited  this  section  in  the  year  1671, 
Wood's  Gap  and  New  river  had  been  previously  visited  and  named 
by  Colonel  Wood. 

In  the  year  1671,  Thomas  Batts  and  several  other  persons 
traveled  from  the  falls  of  the  Appomattox,  the  present  site  of  Pe- 
tersburg, Va.,  acting  under  a  commission  from  Governor  Berkley, 
to  explore  the  country  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains  and  the 
South  Sea. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  at  the  time  this  expedition  was  under- 
taken it  was  believed  that  the  waters  flowing  westward  beyond  the 
Appalachian  mountains  emptied  into  the  South  Sea. 

This  was  the  first  effort  made  to  explore  the  country  west  of  the 
Blue  Ridge,  of  which  any  record  has  been  preserved. 

A  journal  of  this  expedition  was  made  by  Thomas  Batts,  one  of 
the  company.     The  first  entry  in  this  journal  is  as  follows : 

"A  commission  being  granted  the  Hon.  Maj.  Gen.  Wood  for 
ye  finding  out  of  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  ye  waters  behind  the 
mountains  in  order  to  the  discovery  of  the  South  Sea:  Thomas 
Batts,  Thomas  Wood,  Robert  Fallen,  accompanied  by  Perachute,  a 
great  man  of  the  Appomattox  Indians,  and  Jack  Nesan,  formerly 
servant  to  Majr.  Genl.  Wood,  with  five  horses,  set  forward  from 
Appomattox  town  in  Va.,  and  about  eight  of  the  clock  in  the  morn- 
ing being  Fryday  Septr.  1st.  1671,  and  traveling  about  forty  miles, 
took  up  their  quarters  and  found  they  had  traveled  from  Okene- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  37 

chee  path  due  west:  They  traveled  for  twenty-five  days,  a  part  of 
the  time  through  that  portion  of  Virginia,  near  the  present  line 
between  this  State  and  North  Carolina,  but  when  they  reached  the 
foot  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  where  the  same  merges  into  the 
Blue  Eidge,  now  in  Floyd  Co.  Va.,  they  turned  to  the  north  west 
at  a  low  place  in  the  said  mountain  known  as  Wood's  G-ap;  and 
after  some  time  they  came  to  a  river  which  Genl.  Wood  had  named 
Wood's  Eiver.*  This  river  for  many  years  thereafter  was  known 
as  Wood's  Eiver,  and  many  of  the  early  patents  in  that  section 
of  the  country  describe  the  lands  as  located  upon  Wood's  Eiver." 
The  entry  in  this  diary  of  date  the  16th  of  Sept.  says :  "About 
ten  of  the  clock  we  set  forward  and,  after  we  had  traveled  about 
ten  miles,  one  of  the  Indians  killed  a  deer;  presently  after  they 
had  a  sight  of  a  curious  river  like  the  Thames  agt.  Chilcey  (Chel- 
sea), which  having  a  fall  yt  made  a  great  noise,  whose  course  was 
N.  and  so  as  they  supposed,  ran  W.  about  certain  pleasant  mountains 
which  they  saw  to  the  westward.  At  this  point  they  took  up  their 
quarters,  their  course  having  been  W.  by  N.  At  this  point  they 
found  Indian  fields  with  cornstalks  in  them.  They  marked  the 
trees  with  the  initials  of  the  company,  using  branding  irons,  and 
made  proclamation  in  these  words:  'Long  live  King  Charles  ye  2nd. 
king  of  England,  France,  Scotland,  Ireland  and  Virginia  and  all 
the  terrytories  thereunto  belonging,  defender  of  the  faith.' 

"Wlien  they  came  to  ye  river-side  they  found  it  better  and 
broader  than  they  expected,  fully  as  broad  as  the  Thames  over  agt, 
Maping,  ye  falls  much  like  the  falls  of  the  James  Eiver  in  Va.,  and 
imagined  by  the  water  marks  it  fiowed  there  about  three  feet.  It 
was  then  ebbing  water.  They  set  up  a  stick  by  the  water,  but 
found  it  ebbed  very  slowly." 

At  this  point  their  Indian  guides  stopped,  and  refused  to  go  any 
farther,  saying  that  there  dwelt  near  this  place  a  numerous  and 
powerful  tribe  of  Indians  that  made  salt  and  sold  it  to  the  other 
tribes,  and  that  no  one  who  entered  into  their  towns  had  ever  been 
able  to  escape.  Thereupon  the  trip  was  abandoned  and  they 
started  on  their  return  to  their  homes  without  having  accomplished 
the  object  of  the  exploration,  to-wlt:  the  finding  of  the  South  Sea. 
But  the  journal  adds  that  when  they  were  on  the  top  of  the  hill 
they  took  a  prospect  as  far  as  they  could  see  and  saw  westwardly 


*Now  New  River. 


38  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

over  certain  delightful  hills  a  fog  arise,  and  a  glimmering  light  as 
from  water,  and  supposed  they  might  be  from  some  great  bog. 

Many  writers  suppose  that  this  exploring  party,  after  reaching 
the  New  river,  descended  the  same  to  the  falls  of  the  Kanawha, 
but  it  is  more  than  probable  that  after  they  reached  the  river  they 
ascended  the  same,  and  the  stopping  point  mentioned  in  the  diary 
was  in  Southwest  Virginia,  and  near  where  the  New  river  first 
enters  Virginia. 

Upon  the  return  of  this  company  to  their  homes  Governor  Berk- 
ley was  very  much  interested  in  their  report,  but  strange  as  it 
may  seem  to  the  reader,  no  further  attempts  were  made  by  au- 
thority of  the  Government  of  Virginia  for  forty  years  to  explore 
the  country  west  of  the  mountains. 

It  will  be  seen  from'  the  journal  of  Thomas  Batts  that  he  and 
his  associates,  and,  beyond  a  doubt.  Colonel  Abraham  Wood  an- 
ticipated, by  more  than  half  a  century.  Governor  Spotswood  and 
his  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horse-Shoe,  in  the  exploration  and  dis- 
covery of  the  country  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains. 

The  next  effort  made  to  explore  the  region  west  of  the  moun- 
tains, of  which  we  have  any  account,  occurred  in  1716,  forty-five 
years  after  the  journey  made  by  Thomas  Batts,  above  described, 
and  sixty  years  subsequent  to  the  visit  of  Colonel  Abraham  Wood. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1716,  Governor  Alexander  Spotswood, 
with  several  members  of  his  staff,  left  Williamsburg  by  coach  and 
proceeded  to  G^rmania,  where  he  left  his  coach  and  proceeded  on 
horseback.  At  Germania  this  party  was  supplemented  by  a  num- 
ber of  gentlemen,  their  retainers,  a  company  of  rangers,  and  four 
Meherrin  Indians — about  fifty  persons  in  all. 

They  journeyed  by  way  of  the  upper  Eappahannock,  and  on  the 
thirty-sixth  day  out,  being  September  5,  1716,  they  scaled  the  Blue 
Eidge  at  Swift  Run  Gap,  now  in  Augusta  county. 

John  Fontaine,  a  member  of  this  company,  has  left  a  journal  of 
this  expedition,  and  therein  thus  describes  what  occurred  when 
they  reached  the  summit  of  the  Blue  Ridge:  "We  drank  King 
George's  health  and  all  the  royal  family's  at  the  very  top  of  the 
Appalachian  mountains." 

The  company  then  descended  the  western  side  of  the  mountain, 
and,  reaching  the  Shenandoah  river,  they  encamped  upon  its  banks. 
Fontaine  thus  preserves  an  account  of  what  occurred : 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  39 

"The  Governor  had  graving  irons,  but  could  not  grave  anything, 
the  stones  were  so  hard.  I  graved  my  name  on  a  tree  by  the  river- 
side, and  the  Governor  hurried  a  bottle  with  a  paper  enclosed  on 
which  he  writ  that  he  took  possession  of  this  place  in  the  name 
and  for  King  Geo.  1st.  of  England.  We  had  a  good  dinner,  and 
after  it  we  got  the  men  together,  and  loaded  all  their  arms,  and 
we  drank  the  King's  health  in  champaign  and  fired  a  volley,  the 
Princess's  health  in  Burgundy  and  fired  a  volley,  and  in  claret 
and  fired  a  volley.  We  drank  the  Governor's  health  and  fired  an- 
other volley.  We  had  several  sorts  of  liquers',  viz.  Virginia  Eed 
Wine  and  White  Wine,  Esquebaugh,  brandy,  shrub,  rum,  cham- 
paign, cavory,  punch  water,  cider,  etc. 

"We  called  the  highest  mountain  Mount  George  and  the  one  we 
crossed  over  ]\Iount  Spotswood." 

Governor  Spotswood,  from  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  gave  the 
name  of  Euphrates  to  the  river  (now  Shenandoah),  and  he  be- 
lieved the  same  emptied  into  the  great  lakes  and  flowed  northward. 

The  Governor,  upon  his  return  to  Williamsburg,  instituted  the 
Order  of  the  Golden-Shoe,  and  presented  to  each  of  the  gentlemen 
accompanying  him  a  small  horse-shoe  made  of  gold  inscribed  with 
the  motto :  Sic  jurat  transcendere  monies,  "Thus  he  swears  to  cross 
the  mountains." 

Governor  Spotswood,  in  a  letter  written  in  1716,  says:  "The 
chief  aim  of  my  expedition  over  the  great  mountains  in  1716  was 
to  satisfy  myself  whether  it  was  practicable  to  come  to  the  lakes." 

The  country  thus  described  was  a  part  of  Sussex  county,  the 
western  boundary  of  which  was  undefined.  Spotsylvania  was 
formed  from  Sussex  in  1720,  Orange  from  Spotsylvania  in  1734, 
all  of  said  counties  including  the  territory  now  within  the  bounds 
of  this  county. 

All  this  information  is  necessary  to  a  history  of  Washington 
county,  because  Washington  county  was  formed  from  the  territory 
we  are  now  dealing  with,  and,  for  the  better  reason,  that  the  pro- 
moters of  our  early  settlements  and  the  founders  of  our  early  gov- 
ernment came  from  the  Valley  of  Virginia. 

In  the  year  1726,  two  men  named  Mackey  and  Sailings  explored 
the  Valley  of  Virginia. 

John  Peter   Sailings,  one  of  the  two  explorers  of  the  valley 


40  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

above  mentioned,  was  ca^jtured  by  the  Indians  and  passed  through 
this  immediate  section  as  early  as  1726. 

Withers,  in  his  history  entitled  "Border  Warfare/'  thus  de- 
scribes the  captivity  of  Sailings : 

"Sailings,"  he  says,  "was  taken  to  the  country  now  known  as 
Tennessee,  where  he  remained  for  some  years.  In  company  with 
a  party  of  Cherokees,  he  went  on  a  hunting  expedition  to  the  salt 
licks  of  Kentucky  and  was  there  captured  by  a  band  of  Illinois 
Indians,  with  Mdiom  the  Cherokees  were  at  war.  He  was  taken  to 
Kaskaskia,  and  adopted  into  the  family  of  a  squaw,  whose  son 
had  been  killed.  While  with  these  Indians  he  several  times  ac- 
companied them  down  the  Mississippi  river,  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Arkansas,  and  once  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Spaniards  in  Louisiana,  desiring  an  interpreter,  purchased 
him  of  his  Indian  mother,  and  some  of  them  took  him  to  Canada. 
He  was  there  redeemed  by  the  French  Governor  of  that  province, 
who  sent  him  to  the  Dutch  settlement  in  New  York,  whence  he 
made  his  way  home  after  an  absence  of  six  years. 

The  earliest  visit  to  this  section  of  Virginia  by  an  Anglo-Saxon 
of  which  we  have  any  record  or  knowledge  was  made  by  Dority,  a 
citizen  of  Eastern  Virginia,  who  in  the  year  1690  visited  the  Chero- 
kee Indians  in  their  home,  south  of  the  Little  Tennessee,  and 
traded  wdth  them.  There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  from 
a  very  early  period,  long  preceding  the  making  of  a  permanent 
settlement  by  the  wdiite  man  in  this  section,  many  of  the  citizens 
of  Virginia  living  east  of  the  mountains  carried  on,  in  many  in- 
stances, an  active  trade  with  the  Indians  living  south  of  the  Little 
Tennessee  and  in  Kentucky, 

This  section  was  uninhabitated  by  the  Indians  for  many  years 
previous  to  the  explorations  of  the  white  man,  and  the  wilderness 
was  full  of  game  of  almost  all  kinds.  Their  flesh  was  valuable, 
and  the  skins  and  furs  taken  in  one  season  by  a  single  hunter  would 
bring  many  hundreds  of  dollars,  and  thus  many  daring  hunters 
were  induced  to  visit  this  section  long  before  any  white  man  thought 
of  settling  the  lands. 

In  confirmation  of  this  idea  Mr.  Vaughan,  of  Amelia  county, 
Va.,  who  died  in  the  year  1801,  was  employed  about  the  year  1740 
to  go  as  a  packman  with  a  number  of  Indian  traders  to  the  Chero- 
kee nation. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17 Jf 6-17 86.  41 

The  last  hunter's  cabin  he  saw  as  he  traveled  from  Amelia 
county,  Va.,  to  East  Tennessee  was  on  Otter  river,  a  branch  of 
Staunton  river,  now  in  Bedford  county.  The  route  he  traveled 
was  an  old  trading  path  following  closely  the  location  of  the  Buck- 
ingham road  to  a  point  where  it  strikes  the  Stage  Eoad  in  Bote- 
tourt county;  thence  nearly  upon  the  ground  which  the  Stage 
Road  occupies,  crossing  ISTew  Eiver  at  Inglis'  Ferry;  thence  to 
Seven  Mile  Ford  on  the  Holston;  thence  to  the  left  of  the  road 
which  formed  the  old  Stage  Road;  thence  on  to  the  North  Fork 
of  Holston,  above  Long  Island  in  Tennessee,  crossing  it  where 
the  Stage  Road  formerly  crossed  it,  and  on  into  the  heart  of  Ten- 
nessee. 

This  hunter's  trail,  or  Indian  trace,  was  an  old  path  when  he 
first  saw  it,  and  he  continued  to  travel  the  same  until  1754,  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians. 

In  the  year  1730,  Jolm  and  Isaac  Van  Meter  obtained  from  Gov- 
ernor Gooch,  of  Virginia,  a  patent  for  forty  thousand  acres  of  land 
to  be  located  in  the  lower  valley,  and  this  warrant  was  sold  in  1731 
to  Joist  Hite,  of  Pennsylvania,  who,  in  1732,  brought  his  family 
and  sixteen  other  families  and  located  a  few  miles  soiith  of  the 
present  site  of  Winchester,  Va.,  and  this  is  generally  believed  to 
be  the  first  settlement  by  a  white  man  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 

Emigration  to  this  new  land  was  rapid,  and  soon  reached  beyond 
the  confines  of  Hite's  possessions. 

About  the  time  of  the  Hite  settlement  John  Lewis,  Peter  Sal- 
lings  and Mackey  made  settlements  in  the  valley.     Lewis 

settled  on  Lewis'  creek  near  the  present  site  of  Staunton,  Sailings, 
at  the  forks  of  James  river  and  Mackey,  at  Buffalo  Gap. 

Within  less  than  one  year  the  population  of  the  country  near 
the  settlement  made  by  Lewis  was  considerable,  so  rapid  was  the 
migration  to  the  new  land. 

The  early  settlers  in  this  portion  of  Virginia  had  to  contend 
with  titles  obtained  by  individuals  and  companies  for  large  tracts 
of  land,  and  such  grantees  were  usually  favorites  of  the  King  or 
of  the  King's  councillors. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1736,  William  Gooch,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  issued  a  patent  for  the  "Manor  of  Beverly," 
covering  one  hundred  and  eighteen  thousand  and  ninety-one  acres 
of  land  lying  in  the  county  of  Orange  between  the  great  mountains 


42  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

and  on  the  River  Sherando,  and  on  September  7,  1736,  William 
Beverlj^^of  Essex,  became  the  owner  of  the  entire  grant.. 

This  patent  covered  most  of  the  fine  lands  in  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia near  Staunton  and  Waynesboro,  and  soon  thereafter  Gov- 
ernor Gooch  granted  Benjamin  Borden -^tfe  hundred  thousand  acres 
of  land  situated  south  of  Beverly  Manor  and  on  the  waters  of  the 
James  and  Shenandoah  rivers. 

Each  of  the  grants  above  described  was  to  become  absolute,  pro- 
vided the  patentees  succeeded  in  settling  a  given  number  of  families 
thereon  in  the  time  named  in  the  grant,  and  as  a  result  the  paten- 
tees, Hite,  Beverly  and  Borden,  solicited  and  obtained  settlers 
from  America  and  Europe. 

Benjamin  Borden,  upon  the  receipt  of  his  grant,  immediately 
visited  England,  and  in  1737  returned  with  a  hundred  families, 
among  whom  were  the  McDowells,  Crawfords,  MeClures,  Alex- 
anders, Walkers,  Moores,  Matthews  and  many  others,  the  found- 
ers of  many  of  Virginia's  distinguished  families. 

In  1738,  the  counties  of  Frederick  and  Augusta  were  formed  out 
of  Orange.  The  territories  embraced  within  these  two  counties  in- 
cluded all  of  Virginia  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  was,  almost  with- 
out exception,  a  howling  wilderness  occupied  by  the  Indians  and 
wild  beasts.  It  is  evident  from  the  statement  contained  in  the  act 
establishing  Augusta  county  that  there  had  been  a  rapid  and  con- 
siderable increase  of  the  population  in  the  valley. 

The  act  establishing  the  county  of  Augusta  provided  that  the 
organization  of  the  county  should  take  place  when  the  Governor 
and  Council  should  think  there  was  a  sufficient  number  of  inhabi- 
tants for  appointing  jiistices  of  the  peace  and  other  officers  and 
creating  courts  therein. 

While  the  act  establishing  Augusta  county  was  passed  in  1738, 
the  county  was  not  organized  until  1745.  The  first  court  assem- 
bled at  Staunton  on  December  9,  1745,  at  which  time  the  following 
magistrates  were  sworn  in,  having  been  previously  commissioned y 
by  the  Governor  of  Virginia — viz. :  James  Patton^,  John  Buchanan, 
George  Robinson,  James  Bell,  Robert  Campbell,  John  Lewis,  John 
Brown,  Peter  Scholl,  Robert  Poa^^,  John  Findley,  Richard  Woods, 
John  Christian,  Robert  Craven,  John  Pickens,  Andrew  Pickens,"" 
Thomas  Lewis,.  Hugh  Thompson,  John  Anderson,''  Robert  Cun- 
ningham, James  Kerr  and  Adam  Dickenson. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  43 

James  Patton  was  commissioned  high  sheriff,  John  Madison, 
clerk,  and  Thomas  Lewis,  surveyor  of  the  county. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  James  Patton,  the  first  sheriff  of  Au- 
gusta county,  was  the  first  man  to  survey  and  locate  lands  within 
the  boundaries  of  Washington  county  as  originally  formed,  and  the 
land  by  him  acquired  composed  a  considerable  part  of  the  best  lands 
within  this  county. 

The  idea  of  offering  the  dissenters  from  the  Church  of  England 
inducements  to  settle  the  lands  west  of  the  mountains  had  often 
1:)een  suggested  and  earnestly  advocated  by  many  of  the  promi- 
nent men  in  the  Virginia  Colony,  but  no  move  in  that  direction 
was  taken  until  about  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  o.f  the  lower 
Valley,  at  and  after  which  time  the  Governoa-  and  Council  of  Vir- 
ginia, with  but  little  hesitancy,  permitted  the  erection  of  dissenting 
churches  in  the  Valley,  and  encouraged  the  immigration  of  settlers 
whenever  possible. 

The  result  of  this  action  was  a  flood  of  settlers,  emigrants  froan 
Scotland  and  Ireland,  who  came  by  way  of  Pennsylvania,  mostly 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  in  belief.  They  passed  into  and  settled 
in  the  Valley,  and  in  a  few  years  the  Valley  from  Harper's  Ferry 
to  ISTew  river  was  populated  with  a  progressive,  liberty-loving  peo- 
ple second  to  none  on  earth. 

Colonel  James  Patton,  who  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland  in 
1736,  was  one  of  the  first  and  most  influ-cntial  settlers  of  the  Val- 
ley of  Virginia. 

In  the  year  1745,  he  secured  a  grant  from  the  Governor  and 
Council  of  Virginia,  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  acres 
of  land  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge,  and  he  and  his  son-in-law,  John 
Buchanan,  who  was  also  deputy  surveyor  of  Augusta  county,  lo- 
cated lands  on  the  James  river,  and  founded  and  named  Buchanan 
and  Pattonsburg,  villages  that  were  built  on  the  opposite  sides  of 
the  James  river,  now  in  Botetourt  county. 

In  the  year  1748,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  who  afterwards,  on  the 
39th  day  of  September,  1752,  qualified  as  a  deputy  surveyor  of 
Augusta  county;  Colonel  James  Patton,  Colonel_Jqhn  Buchanan, 
Colonel  James  Wood  and  Major  Charles  Campbell,  accompanied 
by  a  number  of  hunters,  John  Findlay  being  of  the  number,  ex- 
plored Southwest  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee,  and  located  and 


44  Southwest  Virgmia,  17Ji6-17SG. 

surveyed  ;i  miiiil)er  of  very  v;iliial)l(!  tracts  of  land  by  authority  of 
the  grant  to  Colonel  James  Patton. 

We  give  below  a  list  of  the  first  surveys  made  on  the  waters  of 
the  Holston  and  Clinch  rivers. 

This  information  i«  derived  from  the  surveyor's  recorcTs 
of  Augusta  county  at  Staunton,  Va.  Each  of  the  above  surveys 
is  signed  by  Thomas  Lewis,  surveyor  of  Augusta  county,  and  in 
the  left-hand  corner  of  the  plot,  recorded  with  each  survey,  are 
w^ritten  the  letters  J.  B.,  the  initials  of  John  Buchanan,  deputy 
snryeyor  of  the  county. 

Tt  is  evident  from  this  rc>eord  that  John  Buchanan  surveyed  the 
rseveral  tnicts  of  land  first  located  in  Washington  county,  and  that 
he  was  on  the  waters  of  the  Indian  or  Holston  river  surveying  as 
early  as  the  14th  day  of  March,  174(5. 

It  will  be  observed  from  an  inspection  of  this  list  of  surveys 
that  on  April  2,  1750,  there  was  surveyed  for  Edmund  Pendleton 
3,000  acres  of  land  lying  on  AVest  creek,  a  branch  of  the  South 
Fork  of  Indian  river,  which  tract  of  la,nd  now  lies  in  Sullivan 
county,  'I'ennessee. 

'^^riiis  ti'act  was  patented  to  Edmund  Pendleton  in  1756  ujjon  the 
idea  that  the  Virginia  line,  Avhen  run,  Avould  embrace  these  lands. 

]t  is  \\(n-thy  of  note  (hat  these  early  explorers  and  the  many 
hunters  and  traders  who  had  previously  visited  this  section  called 
the  Holston  river  the  Indian  river,  while  the  Indians  gave  it  the 
name  of  Hogoheegee,  and  the  French  gave  it  the  name  of  the 
Cherokee  river. 

All  of  the  lands  surveyed  in  this  county  previously  to  1,748  are 
described  in  the  surveys  as  being  on  the  waters  of  the  Indian  river. 
These  explorers  returned  to  their  homes  delighted,  no  doubt,  with 
the  excellent  lands  they  had  visited,  but  nothing  resulted  from  their 
efforts  save  the  acquisition  of  a  knowledge  of  the  country. 

At  the  time  Dr.  Walker  and  his  associates  made  their  trip  of 
exploration  above  described  they  were  followed  as  far  as  New  river 
by  Thomas  Inglis  and  his  three  sons,  Mrs.  Draper  and  her  son  and 
daughter,  Adam  Harman,  Henry  Leonard  and  James  Burke,  pio- 
neers in  search  of  a  home  in  the  wilderness.  Lands  were  surveyed 
for  each  of  them,  which  lands  are  described  in  the  respective  sur- 
veys as  lying  on  Wood's  river,  or  the  waters  of  Wood's  river.    Here 


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46  Southwest  Virginia,  17Ji.6-1786. 

they  made  a  settlement,  the  first  west  of  the  Alleghany  divide  and 
the  first  on  Wood's  or  New  river. 

The  name  given  to  this  new  settlement  was  "Draper's  Meadows." 

The  surveys,  with  accompanying  plats  for  these,  the  first  set- 
tlers on  any  of  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Mississippi,  are  exceed- 
ingly interesting  and  instructive. 

These  first  settlers  were  immediately  followed  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  other  persons. 

The  Alleghany  mountains  having  been  crossed  and  the  waters 
flowing  into  the  Mississippi  reached,  the  pioneer  rapidly  sought  to 
bring  the  wilderness  under  his  dominion.  The  first  company  of 
settlers  at  Draper's  Meadows  were  at  once  increased  by  new  ar- 
rivals, and  numerous  tracts  of  land  west  of  ISTew  river  and  near 
what  were  afterwards  known  as  the  Lead  Mines  occupied.  Among 
the  early  settlers  in  that  section  of  Southwest  Virginia  were  the 
Crocketts,  Sayers,  Cioyds,  McGavocks  and  McCalls. 

James  Burke,  with  his  family,  settled  in  1753  in  what  has  since 
been  known  as  Burk's  Garden,  and  Charles  Sinclair  in  Sinclair's 
Bottom.  Stephen  Holston  built  his  cabin  within  thirty  feet  of  the 
head  spring  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  Indian,  since  called  Holston 
river,  some  time  previous  to  174'8,  and  thus  Burke,  Sinclair  and 
Holston  gave  names  to  the  localities  of  their  early  settlements. 

A  colony  of  people  called  "Dunkards"  settled  on  the  west  side  of 
New  river  near  Inglis'  Ferry,  and  in  the  year  1750  Samuel  Stal- 
naker,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Walker  and  his  associates,  erected 
his  cabin  on  the  Holston  nine  miles  west  of  Stephen  Holston's 
cabin. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  in  this  place  that  in  this  year,  1749, 
the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Legislatures  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  continued  the  boundary  line  between  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina  to  a  point  on  Steep  Eock  Creek,*  in  this  county. 

Dr.  Walker  and  his  associates  had  met  Samuel  Stalnaker  on  the 
waters  of  the  Holston  in  April,  1748,  between  the  Eeedy  Creek 
settlement  and  the  Holston  river,  at  which  time  it  is  evident,  from 
a  journal  kept  by  Dr.  Walker,  that  Stalnaker  told  Walker  and  his 
associates  of  the  Cumberland  Gap,  and  made  an  engagement  with 
Dr.  Walker  to  pilot  him  upon  a  trip  to  Kentucky  at  a  subsequent 
date. 


*Now  Laurel  Fork  of  Holston  river. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  47 

The  French  had  established  settlements  on  the  waters  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  claimed,  by  right  of  discovery 
and  occupancy,  as  territory  belonging  to  the  French  crown,  all 
the  lands  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  and  were  actively  as- 
serting their  right  to  all  of  this  territory  at  all  times  and  by  every 
possible  means.  It  is  claimed  that  the  French  had  established  a 
fort  near  the  Broad  Ford  of  the  Tennessee  river,  and  had  opened 
and  operated  mines  in  the  territory  now  included  in  Eastern  Ken- 
tucky; and  it  is  well  Icnown  that  the  French  traders  were  to  be 
found  in  nearly  all  of  the  Indian  villages  east  of  the  Mississippi 
river  and  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains. 

The  English  Government  and  the  American  Colonies  denied  the 
pretensions  of  the  French  crown,  and  looked  with  jealousy  upon 
every  movement  made  by  France  in  the  direction  of  the  accom- 
plishment of  her  claim. 

As  a  result,  on  the  12th  day  of  July,  1749,  the  Governor  and 
Council  of  Virginia  granted  to  the  "Ohio  Company"  500,000  acres 
of  land,  to  be  surveyed  and  located  south  of  the  Ohio  river,  and 
to  forty-six  gentlemen,  styling  themselves  the  "Loyal  Company," 
leave  to  take  up  and  survey  800,000  acres  of  land  in  one  or  more 
surveys,  beginning  on  the  bounds  between  this  State  and  North 
Carolina  and  running  to  the  westward  and  to  the  north  seas  to 
include  the  said  quantity,  with  four  years'  time  to  locate  said  land 
and  make  return  of  surveys. 

The  "Ohio  Company"  employed  Christopher  Gist,  one  of  the 
most  noted  surveyors  of  that  time,  to  go,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  the 
westward  of  the  Great  Mountains,  and  to  carry  with  him  such  a 
number  of  men  as  he  thought  necessary,  in  order  to  search  out  and 
discover  the  lands  upon  the  river  Ohio  and  other  adjoining  branches 
of  the  Mississippi,  down  as  low  as  the  Great  Falls  thereof,  now 
Louisville,  Kentucky. 

He  was  also  directed  to  observe  the  passes  through  the  mountains, 
to  take  an  exact  account  of  the  soil  and  products  of  the  lands,  the 
width  and  depth  of  the  rivers,  the  falls  belonging  to  them,  the 
course  and  bearings  of  the  rivers  and  mountains,  and  to  ascertain 
what  Indians  inhabitated  them,  with  their  strength  and  numbers. 

Pursuant  to  his  instructions,  he  set  out  from  the  old  town  on 
the  Potomac  river,  in  Maryland,  in  October,  1750,  and  spent  many 
days  on  the  lands  south  of  the  Ohio  river,  in  the  present  State 


48  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

of  Kentucky;  he  finall_y  came  to  the  Cumberland  mountains  at 
Pound  (lap,  at  which  gap  he  crossed  and  passed  down  Gist's  river 
to  Powell's  and  Clinch  valleys.  On  Tuesday,  the  7tli  day  of  May, 
1751,  he  came  to"New  river  and  crossed  the  same  about  eight  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  Bluestone  river.  On  Saturday,  the  11th,  he 
came  to  a  very  high  mountain,  upon  the  top  of  which  was  a  lake 
or  pond  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  long  northeast  and  south- 
west, and  one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide,  the  water  fresh  and  clear, 
its  borders  a  clean  gravelly  shore  about  ten  yards  wide,  and  a  fine 
meadow  with  six  fine  springs  in  it. 

From  this  description  it  is  evident  that  Gist  visited  Salt  Lake 
mountain,  in  Giles  county,  Va.,  as  early  as  1751,  and  found  the 
lake  as  it  now  is. 

It  is  evident  from  this  journal  that  the  traditions  that  we 
so  often  hear  repeated  about  this  lake  are  nothing  more  than  mythi- 
cal, and  that  this  lake  existed  as  it  now  is  at  the  time  of  the  earliest 
explorations  of  the  white  man.  Colonel  Gist  then  passed  south 
about  four  miles  to  Sinking  Creek  and  on  to  the  settlements. 

In  the  meantime  the  "Loyal  Companj'^'  were  not  idle,  but,  hav- 
ing employed  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  for  a  certain  consideration, 
sent  him  on  the  12th  day  of  December,  1749,  in  company  with 
Ambrose  Powell,  William  Tomlinson,  Henry  Lawless  and  John 
Hughes,  to  the  westward  in  order  to  discover  a  proper  place  for  a 
settlement.  A  journal  of  this  trip  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix 
to  this  work,  and  the  reader  will  find  a  perusal  of  this  journal  ex- 
ceedingly interesting,  as  Dr.  Walker  and  his  associates  passed  di- 
rectly through  what  might  reasonably  be  termed  the  centre  of 
Washington  county. 

It  will  be  necessary,  in  speaking  of  this  journal  of  Dr.  Walker's, 
to  call  the  reader's  attention  to  only  a  few  incidents  connected 
with  the  trip,  which  we  will  do  as  briefly  as  possible. 

On  March  15,  1750,  they  came  to  the  "Great  Lick,"  now  the 
present  site  of  the  city  of  Eoanoke,  Va.,  at  which  place  they 
bought  corn  of  Michael  Campbell  for  their  horses,  at  which  time 
Dr.  Walker  remarks:  "This  Lick  has  been  one  of  the  best  places 
for  game  in  these  parts,  and  M^ould  have  been  of  much  greater 
advantage  to  the  inhabitants  than  it  has  been  if  the  hunters  had 
not  killed  the  buffaloes  for  diversion  and  the  elks  and  deer  for 
their  skins," 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  49 

It  has  been  the  prevailing  opinion  that  there  were  no  bniialoes 
east  of  the  Blue  Eidge,  and  while  the  Great  Lick,  or  Eoanoke 
City,  is  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge,  it  is  altogether  probable  that  buf- 
faloes in  their  range  did  oftentimes  travel  beyond  the  mountains; 
at  any  rate  it  is  known  that  Colonel  Byrd  killed  buffaloes  in  1739 
on  the  boundary  line  between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  and 
south  of  Eoanoke. 

They  thence  went  up  the  Staunton  river,  now  -called  the  Little 
Eoanoke  river,  to  William  Inglis'.  Dr.  Walker,  at  this  point, 
notes  the  fact  that  William  Inglis  had  a  mill  which  is  the  fur- 
thest back,  except  one  lately  built  by  the  sect  of  people  who  called 
themselves  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Euphrates,  or  "Duncards,"  who 
are  the  upper  inhabitants  of  the  New  river  and  lived  on  the  west 
side  of  the  same. 

It  is  well  to  note  at  this  point  that  the  present  village  of  Blacks- 
burg  is  near  the  locality  occupied  by  William  Inglis  in  1750.  The 
Dunkards  spoken  of  by  Dr.  Walker  lived  on  the  west  side  of  New 
river  opposite  Inglis'  Ferry,  several  miles  above  the  crossing  of 
the  Norfolk  and  Western  railroad.  Their  next  stopping  point  was 
on  a  small  run  between  Peak  Creek  and  Eeed  Creek,  or  between 
Pulaski  city  and  Max  Meadows  of  the  present  day.  They  next 
camped  near  James  McCall's  on  Eeed  Creek,  and  on  the  22d  of 
March  they  reached  a  large  spring  about  five  miles  below  Davis' 
Bottom,  on  the  Middle  Fork  of  Holston  river,  where  they  camped; 
they  moved  thence  down  the  Middle  Fork  of  Holston,  where  they 
again  camped,  and  Ambrose  Powell  and  Dr.  Walker  went  to  look 
for  Samuel  Stalnaker  and  found  his  camp,  he  having  just  moved  out 
to  settle.  They  assisted  Stalnaker  in  building  his  house,  and  spent 
the  Sabbath  about  one-half  a  mile  below  him.  On  Monday,  the 
36th,  they  left  the  frontiers  of  civilization,  Stalnaker's  settlement 
being  the  farthest  west  at  that  time.  Their  trip  was  not  eventful 
until  the  30th,  on  which  day  they  caught  two  young  buffaloes,  and 
on  the  31st  they  traveled  down  the  Eeedy  creek  to  the  Holston 
river  at  the  foot  of  Long  Island,  where  they  measured  an  elm 
tree  twenty-five  feet  in  circumference  three  feet  from  the  ground. 
They  crossed  the  North  Fork  of  the  Holston  about  one-half  a 
mile  above  the  junction  of  the  North  and  South  Fork  rivers  at 
a  ford.  At  this  point  they  discovered  evidences  of  Indians.  They 
found,  in  the  fork  between  the  North  and  South  Forks  of  Holston 


50  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

river,  five  Indian  houses  built  with  logs  and  covered  with  bark, 
around  which  there  were  an  abundance  of  bones  and  many  pieces 
of  mats  and  cloth.  On  the  west  side  of  the  North  Fork  of  Hol- 
ston  river  they  foimd  four  Indian  houses,  and  four  miles  south- 
west of  the  junction  of  the  North  and  South  Forks  of  Holston 
river  they  discovered  an  Indian  fort  on  the  south  side  of  the  main 
Holston  river. 

On  April  2d  they  left  the  Holston  river  and  traveled  in  a  north- 
west direction  toward  Cumberland  Gap,  passing  over  Clinch  moun- 
tain at  Loony's.  Gap,  it  is  thought.  They  reached  the  Clinch  river 
above  the  present  location  of  Sneedsville,  in  Hancock  county,  Ten- 
nessee, and  on  the  12th  day  of  April  they  reached  Powell's  river, 
ten  miles  from  Cumberland  Gap.  It  is  well  to  note  at  this  point 
that  Ambrose  Powell,  one  of  Dr.  Walker's  companions,  cut  his 
name  upon  a  tree  on  the  bank  of  this  river,  which  name  and  tree 
were  found  in  the  year  1770  by  a  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty  Vir- 
ginians on  their  way  to  Kentucky  on  a  hunting  expedition,  from 
which  circumstance  the  Virginia  Long  Hunters  gave  it  the  name 
of  Powell's  river,  which  name  it  still  retains.  On  the  13th  they 
reached  Cumberland  Gap,  which  gap  Dr.  Walker  afterwards  named 
Cumberland  Gap  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  the  son 
of  George  II,  and  the  commander  of  the  English  forces,  on  the 
16th  of  April,  1746,  at  Culloden,  where  he  defeated,  with  great 
slaughter,  the  Highland  forces,  refusing  quarter  to  the  wounded 
prisoners. 

On  the  17th  of  April  he  reached  the  Cumberland  river  and 
named  it  at  that  time.  On  the  23d  a  part  of  this  company  was 
left  to  build  a  house  and  plant  some  peach  stones  and  corn.  On 
the  28th  Dr.  Walker  returned  to  his  company  and  found  that 
they  had  built  a  house  12x8  feet,  cleared  and  broken  up  some 
ground  and  planted  corn  and  peach  stones. 

This  was  the  first  house  built  by  an  Anglo-Saxon  in  the  State 
of  Kentucky,  and  it  was  used  and  occupied  as  late  as  1835.  The 
location  of  this  house  is  on  the  farm  of  George  M.  Faulkner,  about 
four  miles  below  Barboursville,  Ky.  They  thence  traveled  in  a 
northeast  direction,  crossing  Kentucky  river  and  New  river  and 
striking  the  waters  of  the  Greenbrier,  and  on  the  13th  day  of 
July  Dr.  Walker  reached  his  home.  On  this  journey  they  killed 
thirteen  buffaloes,  eight  elks,  fifty-three  bears,  twenty  deer,  four 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  51 

wild  geese  and  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  turkeys,  and  could  have 
killed  three  times  as  much  meat  if  they  had  wanted  it. 

It  is  to  be  recollected  that  this  trip  and  the  building  of  the  cabin 
in  the  wilderness  of  Kentucky  was  all  in  the  interest  of  the  "Loyal 
Company/' 

i\.bout  this  time  the  "Ohio  Company"  entered  a  caveat  against 
the  "Loyal  Company,"  and  the  Lo3/al  Company  got  into  a  dispute 
with  Colonel  James  Patton,  who  had  an  unfinished  grant  below 
where  this  company  were  to  begin,  and  no  further  progress  was 
made  by  the  company  until  June  14,  1753. 

In  the  year  1748,  Mr.  Gray,  Mr.  Ashford  Hughes  and  others 
obtained  a  grant  from  the  Governor  and  Council  for  10,000  acres 
of  land  lying  on  the  waters  of  the  New  river,  which  grant  was 
soon  afterwards  assigned  to  , Peter  Jeiferson  (father  of  Thomas 
Jefferson),  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  Thomas  Merriweather  and  David 
Merriweather,  which  lands  were  surveyed  and  principally  settled 
in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this  section. 

About  the  same  time  the  Governor  and  the  Council  of  Virginia 
granted  to  John  Lewis,  of  Augusta,  and  his  associates  100,000 
acres  of  land  to  be  located  on  the  Greenbrier  river,  and  thus  the 
English  Government  sought  to  displace  the  French  in  their  efforts 
to  settle  and  hold  the  lands  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  movements  of  the  English  were  closely 
watched  by  the  French,  who  were  equally  determined  to  defeat 
them  in  their  aspirations.  A  company  of  French  soldiers  in  1752 
were  sent  south  as  far  as  the  Miami  river  to  notify  the  English 
traders  among  the  Indians  to  leave  the  country,  which  they  re- 
fused to  do,  and  thereupon  a  fight  ensued  between  the  French  and 
Indians,  in  which  fourteen  Miami  Indians  were  killed  and  four 
white  prisoners  were  taken,  and  thus  began  the  contest  which  re- 
sulted in  the  loss  to  France  of  all  her  possessions  in  Canada  and 
east  of  the  Mississippi  river. 

In  April  of  the  year  1749,  the  house  of  Adam  Harmon,  one  of 
the  first  settlers  near  Inglis'  Ferry,  on  New  river,  was  visited  by 
the  Indians,  and  his  fuis  and  skins  stolen. 

*This  was  the  first  Indian  depredation  committed  on  the  white 
settlers  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1753,  the  House  of  Burgesses  of 


^Dr.  Hale's  "Trans-Alleghany  Pioneers. 


52  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Virginia  passed  an  act  for  the  further  encouraging  of  persons  to 
settle  on  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  which  act  we  here  copy  in 
full : 

1.  Whereas,  it  will  be  the  means  of  cultivating  a  better  cor- 
respondence with  the  neighboring  Indians  if  a  farther  encour- 
ageinent  be  given  to  persons  who  have  settled  on  the  waters  of 
the  Mississippi,  in  the  county  of  Augusta;  and,  whereas,  a  con- 
siderable number  of  persons,  as  well  his  majesty's  natural  born  sub- 
jects as  foreign  Protestants,  are  willing  to  come  into  this  Colony 
with  their  families  and  effects  and  settle  upon  the  lands  near  the 
said  waters  in  case  they  can  have  encouragement  for  so  doing;  and, 
whereas,  the  settling  of  that  part  of  the  country  will  add  to  the 
security  and  strength  of  the  Colony  in  general  and  be  a  means  of 
augmenting  his  majesty's  revenue  of  quit  rents ; 

2.  Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Council 
and  Burgesses  of  this  present  General  Assembly,  and  it  is  hereby 
enacted  by  the  authority  of  the  same.  That  all  persons  being  Prot- 
estants who  have  already  settled  or  shall  hereafter  settle  and  reside 
on  any  lands  situated  to  the  westward  of  the  ridge  of  mountains 
that  divide  the  rivers  Eoanoke,  James  and  Potowmack,  from  the 
Mississippi  in  the  county  of  Augusta,  shall  be  and  are  exempted 
and  discharged  from  the  payment  of  all  public  county  and  parish 
levies  for  the  term  of  fifteen  years  next  following,  any  law,  usage, 
or  custom  to  the  contrary  thereof,  in  any  wise  notwithstanding.* 

The  English  Government  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  encourage 
the  settlements  on  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  thereby 
strengthen  their  frontiers  and  fortify  their  claim  to  the  lands  lying 
west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  and,  in  keeping  with  this  desire, 
the  Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia,  on  June  14,  1753,  renewed 
the  grant  to  the  "Loyal  Company"  and  allowed  them  four  years' 
farther  time  to  complete  the  surveying  and  seating  of  said  land,  and 
on  the  6th  day  of  July  following  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  their  agent, 
proceeded  with  all  convenient  speed  to  survey  said  land  and  to  sell 
the  same  to  purchasers  at  three  pounds  per  hundred  acres,  exclu- 
sive of  fees  and  rights.  The  basis  of  the  operations  of  Dr.  Walker 
was  in  Southwest  Virginia,  and  by  the  end  of  the  year  1754  he  had 
surveyed  and  sold  224  separate  tracts  of  land  containing  45,249 
acres,  which  surveys  were  made  in  the  name  of  the  several  pur- 

*Hen.  S.,  p.  356.  , 


Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786.  53 

chasers  from  him,  and  many  of  the  said  tracts  of  land  were  actually 
occupied  by  settlers. 

During  this  time  James  Patton  was  actively  at  work  surveying 
and  selling  lands  to  settlers  under  his  grant  from  the  Governor  and 
Council,  and  the  tide  of  emigration  was  fast  settling  towards  South- 
west Virginia,  when  the  French-Indian  war  of  1754-1763  came  on, 
which  war  began  in  all  its  fury  about  this  time,  and  thereby  Dr. 
Walker,  agent  for  the  "Loyal  Company,"  and  James  Patton  and 
others  were  prevented,  for  the  time  being,  from  further  prosecuting 
their  enterprises  in  surveying  and  settling  this  portion  of  Virginia. 

In  the  spring  of  1754,  numbers  of  families  were  obliged,  by  an 
Indian  invasion,  to  remove  from  their  settlements  in  Southwest 
Virginia,  and  these  removals  continued  during  the  entire  war.  It 
will  be  well  here  to  note  the  fact  that  the  lands  held  by  Stephen 
Holston,  James  ]\IcCall,  Charles  Sinclair  and  James  Burke,  the 
earlier  settlers  of  this  portion  of  Virginia,  were  held  by  them  under 
what  were  known  at  that  time  as  "corn  rights — that  is,  under  the 
law  as  it  then  stood,  each  settler  acquired  title  to  a  hundred  acres 
for  every  acre  planted  by  him  in  corn,  but  subsequent  settlers,  as 
a  general  rule,  held  their  lands  under  one  of  the  above-mentioned 
grants.  Stephen  Holston,  who  settled  at  the  head  spring  of  the 
Middle  Fork  of  Holston  some  time  prior  to  1748,  did  not  remain 
long  at  this  place,  but  sold  his  right  to  James  Davis,  who,  on  the 
19th  of  March,  1748,  had  John  Buchanan,  deputy  surveyor  of 
Augusta  county,  to  survey  for  him  at  this  point  a  tract  of  land  con- 
taining 1,300  acres,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "Davis'  Fancy," 
and  the  descendants  of  James  Davis  occupy  a  portion  of  this  land 
to  this  day. 

Stephen  Holston,  when  he  had  disposed  of  his  rights  to  Davis, 
constructed  canoes,  passed  down  the  Holston,  Tennessee  and  Mis- 
sissippi rivers  to  Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  thence  returned  to  Vir- 
ginia, and  settled  in  Culpeper  county,  where  he  lived  in  1754;  af- 
terwards, in  1757,  he  was  captured  by  the  Indians,  but,  making 
his  escape,  he  returned  to  the  waters  of  the  Holston,  and  served 
under  Colonel  Christian  upon  the  expedition  to  Point  Pleasant  in 
1774,  and  in  the  expedition  against  the  Cherokees  in  1776.  Many 
of  his  descendants  are  to  be  found  in  East  Tennessee  at  this  time. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1753  two  families  resided  on  Back 
creek;  James  Eeed,  at  Dublin,  Va.    (from  whom  Eeed  creek  de- 


54  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

rived  its  name);  two  families  on  Cripple  creek;  James  Burk,  in 
Burk's  Garden;  Joseph  and  Esther  Crockett,  at  the  head  waters 
of  the  South  Fork  of  Holston  river;  James  Davis,  at  the  head 
waters  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  Holston  river,  and  a  family  of  Dimk- 
ards,  by  the  name  of  McCorkle,  on  the  west  bank  of  New  river 
near  Inglis'  Ferry.  Of  these  facts  we  have  record  evidence. 
Many  other  families  resided  west  of  New  river,  of  whom  we  have 
no  record. 

And  thus  closes  the  record  of  the  first  efforts  made  to  explore 
and  settle  Southwest  Virginia  by  the  white  man. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-17S6.  55 

CHAPTEE  IV. 

Southwest  Virginia. 

1754-1770.  Thus  matters  stood  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1754.  Governor  Dinwiddie,  in  this  year,  dispatched  George  Wash- 
ington on  a  mission  to  the  French  commander  on  the  Ohio. 
Washington,  accompanied  by  Christopher  Gist,  arrived  at  the 
French  headquarters,  which  were  situated  near  the  present  city 
of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  delivered  the  dispatches 
from  Governor  Dinwiddie,  informing  the  French  commander  that 
war  was  inevitable  unless  he  immediately  withdrew  from  the  coun- 
try. 

The  French  commander  denied  the  right  of  Governor  Dinwiddie 
to  give  him  orders  in  the  premises,  and  declared  his  purpose  to 
destroy  every  settlement  made  by  the  Virginians  in  the  west. 

To  form  some  idea  of  the  spirit  of  the  American  colonies  in  re- 
gard to  the  French  settlements  on  the  Ohio  and  their  apprehen- 
sions therefrom.  Governor  Dinwiddie  wrote  to  Earl  Granville,  in 
1754,  that  the  French  intended  to  build  forts,  not  only  on  the  Ohio, 
but  on  Greenbrier,  Holston  and  New  rivers,  and  the  French  and 
Indians,  he  says,  are  now  making  incursions  among  our  inhabi- 
tants in  Augusta  coimty,  driving  them  from  their  homes. 

Washington  returned  to  Williamsburg  and  reported  the  result 
of  his  trip,  whereupon  the  Governor  of  Virginia  proceeded  to  raise 
a  regiment  under  Colonel  Joshua  Fry  and  Lieutenant- Colonel 
George  Washington.  This  regiment  immediately  proceeded  to  the 
west,  and  at  Eedstone,  Western  Pennsylvania,  they  encountered 
a  force,  composed  of  Indians  and  French,  which  they  attacked,  kill- 
ing ten  and  capturing  the  rest. 

They  proceeded  to  the  Great  Meadows,  halted,  and  built  a  fort, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  "Fort  Necessity."  On  the  3d  day 
of  July,  1754,  a  force  of  French  and  Indians,  numbering  about  a 
thousand,  under  the  command  of  Count  de  Villiers,  vigorously 
assaulted  the  fort  and  attempted  to  take  it.  The  siege  lasted  for 
nine  hours,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  French  leader  sent  in  a 
flag  of  truce  offering  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  fort  upon  hon- 


5G  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

orable  terms,  wliicli  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  Virginians  marched 
out  next  morning. 

In  the  spring  of  1755,  the  American  colonies  attacked  the  French 
at  Nova  Scotia,  Crown  Point,  Niagara  and  on  the  Ohio  river. 

The  attack  on  the  French  and  Indians  on  the  Ohio  was  com- 
manded by  General  Braddock,  who  had  arrived  from  England 
early  in  tliat  year  with  two  royal  regiments — the  Eighteenth  and 
Forty-fourth.  Virginia  sent  800  men  to  join  Braddock,  and  the 
Virginia  troops  were  commanded  by  Captains  Waggoner,  Cock, 
Hogg,  Stevens,  Poulson,  Perrony,  Mercer  and  Stewart.  Brad- 
dock marched  from  Alexandria,  Virginia,  on  the  30th  of  April, 
1755,  with  2,200  men,  and  on  the  9th  of  July  he  reached  the 
Monongahela  river,  where  his  troops  fell  into  an  ambuscade. 
Braddock  was  mortally  wounded,  and  his  army  put  to  flight,  with 
a  loss  of  777  men  killed  and  wounded,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
coolness  and  courage  of  Washington  and  his  Virginia  troops  the 
entire  army  would  have  been  destroyed. 

The  army  retreated  a  himdred  and  twenty  miles  into  the  set- 
tlement, and  the  whole  frontier  of  Western  Virginia  was  thus  left 
open  to  the  ravages  of  the  French  and  Indians.  The  French  and 
Indians  crossed  the  Alleghany  mountains  into  the  valley  and  to 
New  river,  killing  and  scalping,  in  the  most  horrible  manner, 
men,  women,  and  children  without  distinction,  and  thus  ended 
the  first  year  of  the  war. 

On  the  21st  day  of  March,  1755,  the  County  Court  of  Augusta 
county  appointed  George  Stalnaker  constable  on  the  waters  of  the 
Holston  and  New  rivers,  and  he  built  a  stockade  fort  at  Dunk- 
ards'  Bottom,  the  name  of  which  was,  according  to  some  writers. 
Fort  Frederick,  but  there  is  some  doubt  about  it. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1755,  William  Wright,  an  ensign, 
who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Lewis,  near  Salem,  Virginia,  by  Major 
Andrew  Lewis,  accompanied  by  twenty  men,  marched  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Holston  river  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  set- 
tlers, but  his  movements  were  so  slow  that  he  failed  to  accomplish 
anything,  and,  upon  his  return,  he  was  reprimanded  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia. 

The  New  river  settlers  were  not  permitted  to  escape  the  ravages 
of  the  Indians  and  the  French,  for  on  the  8th  day  of  July,  1755, 
the  day  before  Braddock's  defeat,  a  considerable  party  of  Shaw- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786.  57 

nese  Indians  fell  upon  this  settlement  and  wiped  it  out  of  exist- 
ence. Colonel  James  Patton,  Casper  Barrier,  Mrs.  George  Draper 
and  a  child  of  John  Draper  were  killed.  Mrs.  William  Inglis  and 
her  two  children,  Mrs.  John  Draper  and  Henry  Leonard  were  taken 
prisoners.  Mrs.  Inglis  was  taken  to  Ohio,  thence  to  Bone  Lick, 
Kentucky,  whence  she  and  an  old  Dutch  woman  made  their  es- 
cape, and,  after  many  days,  returned  to  her  home  on  New  river. 

This  invasion  occurred  on  Sunday,  the  8th  day  of  July,  1755. 
Colonel  Patton,  accompanied  by  William  Preston,  was  on  a  visit 
to  the  New  river  settlement,  and  was  detained  by  sickness  at  the 
house  of  William  Inglish.  William  Preston,  William  Inglis  and 
John  Draper  were  away  from  the  house  at  the  time.  Mrs.  John 
Draper,  who  first  discovered  the  Indians,  ran  to  the  house,  secured 
her  infant  child,  and  attempted  to  make  her  escape  by  the  opposite 
side  of  the  house,  but  she  was  detected  by  the  Indians,  and,  having 
one  of  her  arms  broken,  the  child  fell  to  the  ground.  She  then 
took  the  child  in  the  other  arm  and  continued  her  flight,  but  was 
soon  overtaken,  the  child  taken  from  her,  and  its  brains  dashed 
out  upon  a  log  by  the  Indians.  Colonel  Patton,  at  the  time  of  the 
attack,  was  seated  at  a  table  writing,  with  his  broad  sword  beside 
him.  He  immediately  arose,  and  killed  two  of  the  Indians  be- 
fore he  was  shot  by  others  beyond  his  reach. 

The  Indians  then  plundered  the  premises  and  began  a  hasty  re- 
treat. 

On  their  retreat  they  passed  the  house  of  an  old  man  by  the 
name  of  Philip  Barger,  whom  they  killed  by  severing  his  head 
from  his  body,  and  carried  it  off  in  a  bag.  It  was  several  days 
before  efforts  were  made  to  overtake  the  enemy  and  rescue  the 
prisoners,  as  Vause's  Fort  was  the  nearest  point  from  which  help 
could  be  obtained. 

Mrs.  Inglis  and  the  other  prisoners  were  carried  by  the  Indians 
to  Ohio.  Mrs.  Inglis  was  al)sent  from  her  home  about  five  months, 
when,  in  the  month  of  December,  1755,  she  reached  the  house  of 
Adam  Harmon  on  New  river,  whence  she  was  taken  to  a  small  fort 
at  Dunkards'  Bottom,  on  the  west  side  of  New  river,  where  she  was 
found  on  the  next  day  by  her  husband  and  her  brother.  The  other 
captives,  with  but  few  exceptions,  were  either  rescued  or  redeemed 
and  returned  to  their  homes  after  many  years. 

The   body   of    Colonel   James   Patton   was   buried   at   Draper's 


58  Southivcst  Virginia,  1746-17S6. 

Meadows.  Colonel  John  Buchanan  sent  a  company  of  men  to 
pursue  the  Indians,  but  they  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  them, 
and  thus  occurred  the  first  Indian  massacre  of  the  white  inhabitants 
of  Southwest  Virginia. 

About  ten  miles  west  of  where  Christiansburg  now  stands,  and 
near  the  former  residence  of  Captain  Jacob  Kent,  about  two  and 
a  half  miles  east  of  Lafayette  and  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Eoa- 
noke  river,  there  stood  a  small  fort  that  in  those  days  was  known 
as  Vause's  Fort,  and  this  was  the  nearest  place  of  refuge  for  the 
settlers  on  New  river. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1755,  about  a  hundred  French  and  Indians 
came  upon  the  ISTew  river,  and  assaulted  and  captured  this  fort 
and  killed  or  carried  into  capti\ity  twenty-four  persons,  not  a 
single  person  escaping.  This  was  a  private  fort,  constructed  by 
the  settlers  for  their  own  protection,  and  was  built  of  logs  and 
easily  captured. 

As  best  I  can  ascertain,  at  the  time  of  this  invasion  James 
Burk,  who  had  settled  in  Burk's  Garden  in  the  year  1753,  was 
captured  with  his  entire  family;  they  were  all  either  killed  or  car- 
ried into  captivity. 

A  register  of  the  persons  who  were  killed,  wounded,  and  taken 
prisoners  in  the  3'ears  1754,  1755,  and  1756  on  the  New  river, 
Eeed  creek,  and  Holston  rivers  has  been  preserved,  and  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

1754,  Stephen  Lyon,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 
October.       John  Godman,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 

Benjamin  Harrison,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 

1755,  Burk,  Holston  Eiver,  prisoner;  escaped. 

]\Iay  3.        Mary  Baker,  Holston  Eiver,  wounded. 

June  18.      Samuel   Stalnaker,  Holston,  Eiver,  prisoner;  escaped. 

Samuel  Hydon,  Holston  Eiver,  prisoner. 

Adam  Stalnaker,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 

Mrs.  Stalnaker,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 

A  servant  man,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 

Mathias  Connie,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 
June  19.  Michael  Houck,  Holston  Eiver,  killed. 
July  3.        James  McFarland,  New  Elver,  killed. 

John  Bingeman,  New  Elver,  killed. 

Mrs.  Bingeman,  New  Eiver,  killed. 


Southtvest  Virginm,  17Jf6-17S6.  59 

Adam  Bingeman,  New  River,  killed. 

John  Cook.  New  Eiver,  killed. 

Henry  Lin,  New  River,  killed. 

A  young  child,  New  River,  killed. 

Nathaniel  Welshire,  New  River,  wounded. 

Dutch  Jacob,  New  River,  wounded. 

His  wife,  New  River,  prisoner ;  escaped. 

Frederick  Stern,  New  River,  wounded. 

Mrs.  Bingeman,  Jr.,  New  River,  wounded. 

Mrs.  Davis,  New  River,  wounded. 

Isaac  Freeland,  his  wife  and  five  children.  New  River ; 

prisoners. 
Bridgeman's  son  and   daughter  and  a  stranger,   New 

River;  prisoners. 
July  12.    ^Lieutenant  Wright  and  two  soldiers,  Reed  Creek,  killed. 
30.    \  Colonel  James  Patton,  Now  River,  killed,  t--— 
Caspar  Barrier,  New  River,  killed. 
Mrs.  Draper  and  one  child.  New  River,  killed. 
James  Cull,  New  River,  woimded. 
Mrs.  English  (Inglis)  and  her  two  children.  New  River, 

prisoners;  escaped. 
Mrs.  Draper,  Jr.,  New  River,  prisoner. 
Henry  Leonard,  New  River,  prisoner. 
Morris  Griffith,  Vause's  Fort,  prisoner ;  escaped. 
Robert  Looney  and  a  Dutchman,  Reed  Creek,  killed. 
John  Lee,  Reed  Creek,  killed. 
Michael  Motes,  Reed  Creek,  killed. 
Patrick  Smith,  Reed  Creek,  killed. 
Moses  Mann,  Reed  Creek,  prisoner. 
^Valentine  Harman  and  one  son,  New  River,  killed. 
Andrew  Moses,  New  River,  killed. 
25.      Captain  John  Smith,  Fort  Yause,  prisoner ;  escaped. 
Peter  Looney,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner ;  escaped. 
William  Bratton,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner;  escaped. 
Joseph  Smith,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 
William  Pepper,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 
Mrs.  Vause  and  two  daughters,  a  negro,  and  two  young 

Indians  and  a  servant  man.  Fort  Vause,  prisoners. 
Ivan  Medley,  and  two  daughters.  Fort  Vause,  prisoners. 


60  Soutliicest  Virginia,  I7J16-I786. 

James  Bell,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 
Christoj^her  Hicks,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 

Cole,  Fort  Vanse,  prisoner. 

Graham,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 

Benj.  Daries,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 
Lieut.  Jolin  Smith,  Fort  Vause,  killed. 
John  Tracey,  Fort  Vause,  killed. 

John  English,  killed. 

Mrs.   Mary  English,   Fort  Vause,  prisoner. 

Wm.  Eobinson,  Fort  Vause,  wounded. 

Thomas  Eobinson,  Fort  Vause,  wounded. 

Samuel  Eobinson,  Fort  Vause,  wounded. 

Eobert  Pepper,  Fort  Vause,  wounded. 

John  Eobinson,  Fort  Vause,  killed. 
1757.  John  Walker,  Fort  Vause,  prisoner."* 

Feb. 

In  Jul}^  of  this  year,  Eichard  Pearls,  who  was  located  on  the  Hols- 
ton  river  carrying  on  a  trade  with  the  Cherokee  Indians,  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  requesting  a  grant  for  the  lands 
on  the  Long  Island  in  the  South  Fork  of  the  Holston  river.  In 
reply  the  Governor  encouraged  Pearis  to  believe  that  he  could  olitain 
a  grant,  and  wrote  him  as  follows :  "I  am  surprised  the  inhabitants 
on  Llolston  river  should  submit  to  be  robbed  by  a  few  Indians.  Let 
the  Chickasaw  know  that  I  greatly  approve  of  his  conduct  and  have 
a  real  esteem  for  him."  This  last  sentence  in  the  Governor's  letter 
had  reference  to  a  Chickasaw  warrior  who  had  resented  the  murder 
of  one  of  the  white  settlers. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write  the  Virginia  colonists,  and  the 
Cherokee  and  the  Chickasaw  Indians  were  exceedingly  friendly,  and 
through  the  agency  of  Eichard  Pearis,  who  was  a  great  favorite  with 
the  Indians,  the  Govern(Nr  of  Virginia  subsequently  sought  to  en- 
list the  Cherokee  and  the  Chickasaw  Indians  in  the  war  against  the 
French  and  the  Northern  Indians. 

SANDY  RIVER  EXPEDITION. 

For  the  purpose  of  avenging  the  massacre  of  the  settlers  upon  the 
ISTew  river,  the  Governor  of  Virginia  enlisted  a  hundred  and  thirty 
Cherokee  Indians,  to  whom  were  joined  four  companies  of  the  Eang- 

*Col.  Wm.  Preston  diary  in  L.  C.  Draper  Manuiseript. 


Southivest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  61 

ers  of  West  Augusta,  for  the  purpose  of  invading  and  destroying  the 
Shawnese  towns  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  and  on  the  Ohio 
river.  The  command  of  this  expedition  was  given  to  Major  Andrew 
Lewis. 

This  force  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  white  meh, 
commanded  by  Captain  Peter  Hogg,  with  forty  men;  Captain 
William  Preston,  with  thirty  men;  Captain  John  fSmith,  with 
thirty  men;  Captain  Samuel  Overton,  with  forty  men;  Captain 
Obadiah  Woodson,  with  forty  men;  Captains  Robert  Breckenridge, 

Archibald    x\lexander,    John    Montgomery    and Dunlap 

commanding  eighty-three  volunteers,  and  Captain  Richard  Pearls 
commanding  a  hundred  and  thirty  Cherokee  and  Chickasaw  In- 
dians. 

This  force  was  rendezvoused  at  Fort  Lewis,  near  Salem,  Va., 
whence  they  marched  in  Feb.  1756,  for  the  Indian  towns.  They 
traveled  from  Fort  Lewis,  near  Salem,  to  the  New  river,  which  they 
crossed  at  the  Horseshoe  Bend;  they  thence  descended  the  New 
river  to  the  mouth  of  Wolf  creek,  thence  up  Wolf  creek  to  its 
source,  thence  to  Bluestone  river,  thence  to  the  head  of  North  Fork 
of  Sandy,  which  they  reached  on  the  28th  day  of  February,  1756 ; 
thence  down  the  Sandy  to  the  Great  Burning  Springs,  at  which  point 
they  saw  the  rawhides  of  several  buffaloes  hung  upon  bushes  to  dry. 
At  this  time  provisions  became  very  scarce  and  a  famine  was  threat- 
ened, but  this  little  army  was  saved  by  the  bravery  and  firmness  of 
Major  Lewis. 

The  army  then  proceeded  from  the  Burning  Springs  to  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio,  where  they  remained  for  two  days.  Seeing  no  evidences 
of  Indians,  they  began  to  retrace  their  steps,  and  by  the  time  they 
had  reached  the  Burning  Springs  on  their  return,  the  hunger  of  the 
men  had  become  so  great  that  the  hides  of  the  buffaloes,  which  had 
been  hung  upon  the  bushes,  were  cut  into  tugs,  and  the  men  de- 
voured them  as  the  only  means  of  preserving  life.  It  is  said  that 
from  this  circumstance  the  Tug  Fork  of  Sandy  river  received  its 
name.  Thus  this  expedition  ended  disastrously  for  the  settlers. 
The  Indians  were  correspondingly  elated  and  immediately  ad- 
vanced upon  the  settlements  east  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  com- 
mitting many  murders  and  carrying  off  many  prisoners. 

The  Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia  agreed  to  build  a  number 
of  forts  for  the  protection  of  the  western  settlements,  and,  among 


62  Southwest  Virginm,  1746-1786.         '- 

the  number.  Fort  Vausc,  wliicli  ]\a(l  been  destroyed  by  the  Indians 
a  short  time  previous.  The  building  of  tlie  fort  was  to  be  under  the 
supervision  of  Captain  Peter  Hogg,  and  was  to  be  at  least  one  hun- 
dred feet  square  in  the  clear,  with  stockades  at  least  sixteen  feet  long, 
and  was  to  be  garrisoned  by  seventy  men.  Immediately  upon  the 
erection  of  this  new  fort,  many  of  the  settlers  returned  to  their 
homes  at  and  near  the  fort.  About  this  time  companies  of  Rangers 
were  organized  for  the  purpose  of  running  down  and  capturing  . 
marauding  Shawnese  Indians  wherever  they  should  be  found.  A 
journal  of  one  of  these  expeditions  has  been  preserved,  which  we 
here  publish  as  a  relic  of  the  past. 

An  extract  of  a  Journal  "Concerning  a  march  that  Capt.  Eobert 
Wade  took  to  the  New  River"  in  search  of  Indians,  Saturday,  12th 
of  August,  1758 : 

Capt.  Robert  Wade  marc't  from  Mayo  fort,  with  35  men,  in 
order  to  take  a  Range  to  the  New  River  in  search  of  our  Enemy  In- 
dians. We  marcht  about  three  miles  that  Day  to  a  Plantation, 
Where  Peter  Rentfro  formerly  Lived  and  took  up  Camp,  where  we 
continued  safe  that  night — Next  morning  being  Sunday,  we  con- 
tinued to  march  about  three  or  four  miles,  and  one  Francis  New 
returned  back  to  the  Fort,  then  we  had  34  men  besides  the  Capt — 
We  marcht  along  to  a  place  called  Gobeling  Town,  where  we  Eat 
our  Brakefast — &  so  continued  our  march  till  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  took  up  Camp  at  the  Foot  of  the  Blew  Ledge  where  we 
continued  safe  that  night— Next  morning  being  Monday,  the  14th, 
Inst,  we  started  early  and  crossed  the  Blew  Ledge  and  Fell  upon 
a  branch  of  the  Little  River,  called  Pine  Creek, 

We  followed  the  sd :  Creek  down  to  Little  River,  and  crost  the 
Little  River  &  went  to  Francis  Easons'  Plantation  where  we  con- 
tinued that  night.  Our  hunters  brought  a  plentiful  supply  of  Ven- 
ison— Next  morning  being  tuesday  the  15  Inst,  we  marct.  down  to 
Richard  Rattlecliffs'  plantation  on  the  Meadow  Creek,  where  we 
continued  that  night — Next  morning  being  Wednesday  the  16th. 
Inst,  we  Sent  our  Spyes  and  hunters  to  Spy  for  Enemy  Signs,  &  to 
hunt  for  provisions.  But  the  body  of  the  Company  Tarryed  there — 
At  Night  they  came  in  with  a  plenty  of  Venison,  but  could  not  dis- 
cover any  fresh  sign  of  the  Enemy — Next  morning  Thursday  the 
17th  Inst,  we  sent  out  hunters  as  usual,  &  in  the  afternoon  some 
of  them  came  in  &  informed  us  that  they  had  seen  signs  of  Indians 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  63 

at  Drapers'  Meadow,  that  had  been  a  catching  of  horses  that  Day, 
and  that  they  had  gone  a  straight  course  for  Blackwater — upon 
that  we  began  to  get  in  Eeadyness  to  persue  them  next  morning — 
but  one  of  our  men  not  coming  in  that  night  disappointed  us — 
next  morning  Being  Fryday  the  18th.  Inst.  Some  of  the  men  were 
sent  to  Look  for  the  man  that  was  Lost — &  the  Eest  remained  there, 
for  we  counted  it  imprudent  to  Leave  the  Place  before  we  knew 
what  had  become  of  the  lost  man — so  we  tarryed  Till  the  Day  was 
so  far  Spent  that  we  could  not  make  anything  of  a  march  that  Day. 
So  the  Capt.  said  that  he  and  some  more  men  would  go  to  view  the 
sign,  and  See  what  they  could  Discover.  The  Capt.  and  Wm.  Hall 
and  Adam  Hermon,  and  two  or  three  more  went  off  &  Left  the  men 
under  my  Command  and  ordered  that  we  should  be  in  Eeadyness  for 
a  march  as  soon  as  he  returned — Soon  after  the  Captain  was  Gone, 
the  man  that  was  Lost  Came  in  &  Informed  us  that  he  had  been  lost 
in  a  Creek  of  the  Little  Eiver — But  when  the  Captain  came  to  the 
place  where  the  sign  was  Seen,  he  Tels  us  that  he  saw  a  Shoe  track 
among  them,  which  caused  them  to  believe  that  it  had  been  white 
men  after  their  horses — So  the  Captain  nor  none  of  the  men,  that 
was  with  him  returned  that  night,  But  went  a  hunting — Next 
morning  being  Saturday  19th  Inst,  the  Captain  not  coming  gave 
us  a  great  deal  of  Uneasyness — tho  we  Bore  it  with  so  much  pa- 
tience as  we  could  'till  about  noon,  for  we  lay  under  great  appre- 
hensions of  Danger — I  ordered  the  men  to  keep  a  Verry  Sharp  Look 
out,  and  Likewise  to  be  in  order  to  march  next  morning,  by  Sun 
Rise, — I  was  Determined  to  stay  that  night  &  if  the  Capt:  did  not 
come,  to  march  off  after  him — Soon  after  we  had  come  to  a  con- 
clusion about  it  Some  of  the  men  Spyed  five  Indians  Very  near  to 
us,  for  the  place  where  we  was,  was  grown  up  with  weeds  so  that  we 
could  not  Se  them,  nor  they  see  us  'till  thay  came  Verry  near  us — I 
was  a  Lying  down  in  the  house  when  I  heard  the  news — I  Eased  up 
and  presented  my  Gun  at  one  of  the  Indians,  But  I  heard  some  of 
our  Company  that  was  in  another  house,  Cry  out.  Don't  Shoot — 

I  Stopt  at  that  and  askt  them  what  they  were  &  I  beleive  they  said 
Cheroke,  but  Stood  in  amaise,  &  Eeason  they  had,  for  I  suppose 
there  was  20  Guns  presented  at  them,  we  went  up  to  them  & 
Examined  them— they  said  they  were  Cherokees,  I  made  signs  to 
them  to  show  me  their  Pass,  But  they  had  none, — They  had  with 
them  5  head  6t  horse  Kind  &  Skelps,  that  appeared  to  be  white 


64  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

mens — 4  of  the  horses  appeared  as  tho'  they  had  heen  Lately  taken 
lip,  hilt  the  other  was  very  poor — The  Indians  began  to  make  ready 
to  go  off,  hut  I  made  Signs  to  them  that  they  must  not  Go  that 
uight.  But  they  seemed  very  intent  to  go — but  we  would  not  agree  to 
it — Some  of  the  Company  insisted  to  fall  upon  them  and  Kill  them, 
for  they  said  they  believed  they  were  Shawnees,  &  that  they  were 
Spyes- — and  was  doubtful  that  they  had  a  superior  number  Some 
where  nigh — But  I  said  I  was  determined  to  keep  them  till  the  Capt : 
came,  without  they  would  go  by  forse,  and  if  they  would  we  would 
fire  upon  them — 2  of  the  men  went  off  after  the  Capt :  who  soon  met 
some  of  the  Company,  who  told  them  that  they  had  been  hunting 
&  that  the  Capt:  would  soon  be  in;  who  accordingly  came  soon  after 
.^i  we  informed  him  how  things  had  happened  in  his  absence  &  in 
wdia^  manner  the  Indians  appeared;  that  they  had  no  pass  and  that 
they  had  white  Skelps — After  Capt :  heard  the  opinion  of  the  peo- 
ple, he  past  sentence  of  Death  upon  tliem ;  but  there  was  one  Abra- 
ham Dunkleberry,  hunter  that  we  let  off  who  said  they  were  Chero- 
kees,  yet  he  agreed  that  they  were  Eogues ;  which  seemed  to  put  the 
Capt:  to  a  stand,  but  we  had  their  Guns  taken  from  them  &  a  guard 
kept  over  them  that  night — next  morning  Being  Sunday  20th  Inst, 
upon  what  Dunkleberry  had  said  the  Capt :  let  them  have  their  Guns 
&  let  them  go  off — which  displeased  some  of  the  Carolina  men — so 
much  that  they  swore  if  they  were  not  allowed  to  kill  them,  they 
would  never  go  Banging  again,  for  they  said  it  was  to  no  purpose 
to  Rang  after  the  Enemy,  &  when  they  liad  found  them,  not  to  be 
allowed  to  kill  them — which  you  must  think  is  very  hard  for  us  to 
be  compel  to  Bang  &  then  let  the  Enemy  have  Liberty  to  Kill  some 
of  us,  before  we  Dare  to  Kill  them — at  that  Bate  we  may  all  be 
Kill'd,  and  never  Kill  an  Indian,  for  if  there  is  enough  of  them  to 
overcome  us,  then  they  are  Eneni}^,  But  if  we  are  too  numerous  for 
them  they  are  friends. 

Upon  consideration  of  their  having  no  pass,  nor  white  man,  &  by 
reason  of  their  steal  of  horses,  they  did  not  appear  any  waise  Like 
friends,  so  the  Captain  told  them  to  be  Easy,  and  after  Dunkleberry 
was  gone,  wo  would  go  after  them  and  Kill  them.  So  Dimkleberry 
packt  up  his  skins  to  go  off  &  we  marcht  after  the  Indians — we 
overtook  them  and  past  them,  Because  the  Capt:  said  they  were 
in  such  order  that  we  could  not  kill  them  all,  but  would  wate  for  a 
better  opportunity — They  were  going  toward  the  New  River — so  the 


Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1180.  65 

men  that  had  been  acquainted  Knew  of  2  fords  &  they  Emagined 
they  would  cross  at  the  upper  ford — But  we  lade  an  Ambuslikaide 
at  each  ford,  the  Capt :  &  myself  and  a  partie  of  men  at  the  upper 
ford,  and  a  partie  of  men  at  the  Loer  ford  &  the  Capts :  orders  were 
to  fire  at  them  as  they  Crost  the  Eiver — But  after  we  had  placed  our- 
selves and  sat  awhile  3  or  3  of  the  men  came  from  the  Loer  Ford  & 
informed  us  that  two  of  the  Indians  had  Crost  at  the  Loer  ford,  and 
they  did  not  fire  at  them  because  they  were  not  altogether.  So  the 
Capt.  and  the  men  went  towards  the  Loer  Ford  &  as  we  went  along 
we  saw  4  of  the  Indians;  we  did  not  fire  at  them;  the  Capt:  con- 
cluded to  ly  by  awhile  and  let  them  all  get  together  &  then  follow 
them  and  kill  them — soon  after  the  other  Indians  followed  them, 
the  (*apts :  orders  was  for  13  of  the  best  men  to  follow  them  and 
Kill  them  and  the  remainder  of  the  Company  to  go  to  the  Dunker 
Fort  which  was  about  half  a  mile  below  us  &  the  Capt:  took  such 
men  as  he  Lik'd  and  set  clown  to  conclude  how  we  should  follow 
them — the  way  the  Capt  proposed  was  to  Dog  them  till  night  and 
then  ly  By  till  the  Brake  of  Day  and  then  Fall  upon  them  and  Kill 
them — he  said  if  we  fired  upon  them  in  tha  day,  some  would  get 
away — but  we  did  not  approve  of  his  skeems,  and  told  him  the  111 
Consequence  that  attended  it,  but  he  still  insisted  upon  that  way  of 
proceeding — ^At  length  we  desired  him  to  go  down  to  the  fort  with 
the  rest  of  the. men,  &  let  us  go  after  the  Indians,  to  which  he  con- 
sented, and  went  off  to  the  fort  and  we  after  the  Indians — 

The  men  that  followed  them  Arere  Adam  hermon,  Daniel  Her- 
mon,  Wm.  Hall,  Eic'd  Hall,  Jun'r,  Tobias  Clapp,  Philip  Clap, 
Joseph  Clapp,  Benj.  Angel,  David  Currie,  Eic'd  Hines,  James  Lyon 
&  my  self — 13  of  us — We  followed  them  and  overtook  them  at  a 
peach  orchard — jest  as  they  were  leaving  it,  we  watched  our  oppor- 
tunity, and  fired  at  them  and  followed  them  up  till  we  Killed  4  of 
them,  and  wounded  the  other — we  Skelpt  them  that  we  killed,  & 
then  followed  the  other — he  bled  verry  much,  he  went  into  the 
river  and  to  an  Island — but  we  could  not  find  where  he  went  out — 
some  of  the  men  left  looking  for  him,  and  some  went  after  the 
Indian  horse— but  myself  and  4  or  5  more,  we  Sercht  the  Island 
till  late  in  the  afternoon,  &  when  we  came  to  the  Fort  the  Capt.  and 
men  were  a  handling  the  Indians'  goods  &  after  a  while  the  Capt: 
told  me  we  were  all  to  be  sworn — so  we  Tarried  there  that  night- 
Next  morning  being  Monday  21st  Inst,  we  packed  up  in  order  to 


&6  South irest  Virginia,  17J,G-1786. 

march  liomeward,  for  signs  of  Indians  was  i:)lenty  &  we  had  bi;t  lit- 
tle amimition  bnt  before  we  left  the  fort,  we  were  Sworn — the  words 
of  the  oath  Do  not  remember  exactly,  but  the  Intent  of  the  thing 
was  not  to  tell  that  we  ever  heard  them  say  that  they  were  Chero- 
kees  without  required  to  swere — so  left  the  fort  and  marcht  till  dark 
&  took  up  Camp  at  a  Plantation  upon  a  Branch  of  the  Little  Elver. 
We  continued  there  that  night — next  morning,  being  Tuesday  the 
23nd  inst.  we  marcht  from  that  place  to  Blackwater — we  eat  din- 
ner with  them  marcht  off  again  Rob  Joneses  Plantation  on  the  head 
of  Pig  Eiver,  and  Tarryed  tliere  that  night,  next  morning  being 
Wednesday  23d.  inst.  they  delayed  time  in  the  morning,  and  we  had 
nothing  to  eat,  the  Company  had  some  rum  to  drink,  but  myself 
and  four  more  left  the  Company  and  went  across  to  Goblingtown 
&  came  to  Mayo  Fort^that  night — the  Captain  and  the  Rest  of  the 
men  tells  us  that  they  came  to  Ilickey's  fort  and  that  night  and 
next  day  to  Mayo  fort — I  remember  no  more  worth  making  a  remark 
of  so  Courteous  Reader  I  Rem'n 

Yrs.  &.,  John  Echols. 

Captain  Wm.  Preston  and  Captain  Wm.  Byrd  each  organized  a 
company  of  Rangers.  A  number  of  the  men  that  enlisted  under 
them  afterwards  settled  in  Washington  county  and  their  names  were 
as  follows: 

Capt.  Wm.  Preston  s  Co.  Capt.  Wm.  Byrd's  Co. 

Wm.  Johnston,  Michal  Morrison,  Sergt., 

Benj.  Estill,  John  Crank, 

George  Martin,  Thomas  Brumley, 

John  Johnston,  John  Donnelly,  Fifer, 

Jas.  Clendenen,  Richard  Staunton,  Sergt., 

John  Vance,  John  Lemons, 

Solomon  Kendrick,  Richard  Chapman, 

Christopher  Aekland,  Francis  Farmer, 

Robert  Rutherford.  Henry  Dooley, 

Drury  Puckett,  Sergt., 
John  Ross. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  175G,  a  Council  of  War  assembled  at  Staun- 
ton, by  direction  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  to  determine  at  what 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  67 

points  forts  should  be  built  along  the  frontier  for  the  protection  of 
the  settlers. 

The  Council  was  composed  of  Col.  John  Buchanan,  Samuel  Stal- 
naker  and  others,  of  which  Council  Wm.  Preston  acted  as  clerk. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Captain  Samuel  Stalnaker  represented 
the  Holston  settlement  and  that  it  was  at  his  request  that  the 
stockade  fort  was  built  at  Dunkards'  Bottom,  on  New  river,  and  at 
Davis'  Bottom,  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  Holston 
river. 

In  the  year  1757,  Dickenson's  Fort,  situated  on  the  Cow  Pasture 
river,  in  Augusta  county,  was  raided  by  the  Indians,  and  several  chil- 
dren, playing  under  the  walls  outside  the  fort,  and  a  number  of  men 
were  captured.  So  careless  were  the  commanding  oflBcers  that  the 
Indians  reached  the  very  gates  of  the  fort  before  they  were  discov- 
ered. At  the  time  of  this  raid  upon  Dickenson's  Fort,  the  Indians 
captured  a  boy  who  was  destined  in  after  years  to  play  such  a  part 
in  the  history  of  Washington  county  as  would  justly  entitle  him  to 
the  appellation  of  "Father  of  Washington  County,"  so  intelligent 
and  active  were  his  efforts  in  the  settling  of  our  county  and  in  the 
protection  of  its  earlier  inhabitants ;  and  this  boy  was  Arthur  Camp- 
bell, who  had  volunteered  as  a  militiaman  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontiers.  On  the  day  of  the  raid  he,  with  others,  had  gone  to  a 
thicket  near  by  in  search  of  plums,  when  the  party  was  fired  upon 
from  ambush  by  Indians,  and  Campbell  was  wounded  and  cap- 
tured. He  was  carried  by  the  Indians  to  Ohio  and  thence  to  the 
Lakes,  where  he  was  detained  for  a  number  of  years,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded in  making  his  escape  to  an  English  force  and  returned  to  his 
home.  Upon  his  return  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of 
Virginia,  detailing  the  circumstances  of  his  capture  and  detention, 
and  thereby  made  such  an  impression  upon  the  Governor  that  he 
was  afterwards  granted  a  thousand  acres  of  land  in  consideration  of 
his  services. 

Governor  Dinwiddie  was  so  much  in  earnest  about  enlisting  the 
Cherokee  and  other  Southern  Indians  in  the  war  against  the  French 
and  Northern  Indians,  that,  in  the  year  1756,  he  dispatched  the 
Hon.  Peter  Randolph  and  Wm.  Byrd  to  their  country  as  commis- 
sioners, to  negotiate  formal  treaties  with  them.  The  commissioners 
returned  to  Williamsburg  and,  either  before  or  at  that  time,  a  treaty 
was  made  with  the  Indians,  by  which  it  was  stipulated  that  the 


C8  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1780. 

Indians  were  to  send  reinforcements  to  aid  tlie  Colonies,  in  consid- 
eration of  the  agreement  of  the  Government  to  build  a  fort  in  their 
country.  On  the  24th  day  of  April  the  Governor  directed  Major 
Andrew  Lewis  to  enlist,  sixty  men  who  could  use  the  saw  and  axe, 
and  to  proceed  to  the  Cherokee  country  with  all  speed  and  erect  a 
fort  as  agreed  upon.  ]\Iajor  Lewis  did  not  start  for  the  Indian 
country  until  June  of  that  year,  and  on  the  20th  day  of  August, 
wrote  the  Governor  that  he  might  expect  a  reinforcement  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  Cherokees  and  fifty  Catawba  Indians  at  an  early  date. 

Major  Lewis,  with  his  force,  passed  down  the  waters  of  the  Hols- 
ton  to  the  southern  bank  of  the  Tennessee  river,  at  the  head  of  navi- 
gation, about  thirty  miles  from  the  present  city  of  Knoxville.  He 
there  built  a  fort,  which  ]:e  called  Fort  Loudon,  in  honor  of  the 
Governor  of  Virginia.  In  September  of  that  year,  Major  Lewis 
addressed  another  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  in  which  he 
stated  that  the  Indians  were  very  much  pleased  with  their  fort,  and 
that  the  Governor  might  expect  a  reinforcement  of  four  hundred 
Indians.  This  letter  also  contained  a  request  from  the  Indians 
that  the  Governor  would  send  a  small  garrison  of  white  men  to  hold 
the  fort  during  the  absence  of  their  warriors.  By  the  18th  day  of 
September,  1756,  Captain  Samuel  Overton  and  his  men,  who  had 
accompanied  Major  Lewis,  had  returned  to  their  homes,  leaving 
Major  Lewis  in  the  Indian  country  to  bring  in  the  reinforcements. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  Major  Lewis  returned  from  the  Chero- 
kee country,  accompanied  by  seven  warriors  and  three  women,  great- 
ly to  the  surprise  of  the  Governor.  The  French  in  the  meantime 
had  bought  off  the  Indians. 

Fort  Loudon  was  then  estimated  to  be  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
from  (lie  nearest  settlement,  was  at  a  place  at  all  times  difficult  to 
rjach,  even  in  times  of  peace,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  help  from 
the  settlements  in  the  event  of  war  with  the  Cherokee  Indians.  This 
fort  was  by  order  of  the  Earl  of  Loudon,  then  Governor  of  Virginia, 
garrisoned  by  two  hundred  troops  from  Britain. 

The  Indians  allured  artisans  into  Fort  Loudon  by  donations  of 
land,  which  they  caused  to  be  signed  by  their  own  chief  and^bv 
Governor  Dobbs  of  North  Carolina.  There  was  a  rapid  increase  of 
the  number  of  settlers,  as  a  result,  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
London. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  69 

In  the  year  1756  the  New  River  Lead  Mines  were  discovered  by 
Col.  John  Chiswell,  at  which  time  operations  were  begun. 

Coh  Chiswell  had  been  engaged  in  mining  operations  near  Fred- 
ericksburg, Va.,  for  some  time  previous  to  this  time,  and  was  an 
intimate  friend  of  Col.  Wm  Byrd. 

Abont  this  time  the  lead  mines  were  discovered,  and  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  including  the  mines,  were  surveyed  on  October 
1st,  3  781,  and  a  patent  was  issued  to  Chas.  Lynch,  trustee  for  the 
lead  mine  company,  by  Beverly  Randolph,  Governor  of  Virginia,  on 
the  7th  day  of  May,  1791,  in  consideration  of  £3  10s.  sterling,  paid 
by  Chas.  Lynch,  and  of  pre-emption  Treasury  warrants  Nos.  2393 
and  2356.  As  far  as  I  can  ascertain  this  property  was  owned  orig- 
inally by  Col.  Wm.  Byrd,  Col.  John  Chiswell  and  John  Robinson, 
afterwards  Treasurer  of  Virginia.  Col.  John  Chiswell,  some  time 
pi-evious  to  1775,  killed  a  man  in  Cumberland  county,  Virginia,  and 
while  awaiting  trial  he  committed  suicide.* 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  Legislature  of 
Virginia  directed  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  Fincastle  county  to 
lease  these  mines,  at  a  reasonable  rent,  and  if  they  could  not  lease 
them,  to  impress  them  for  fthe  use  of  the  State.  The  committee, 
acting  according  to  their  authority,  took  possession  of  the  lead  mines, 
whether  by  lease  or  by  impressment  I  cannot  say,  anc"  the  State  of 
Virginia,  through  her  agents,  Chas.  Lynch  and  Capt.  Calloway, 
operated  these  mines  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  paid  rent 
therefor  to  the  representatives  of  John  Robinson  and  Wm.  Byrd, 
and  to  John  Chiswell,  the  son  of  Col.  John  Chiswell. 

A  considerable  village  had  grown  up  around  Fort  Loudon  by  the 
year  1760. 

British  arms  were  successful  at  every  point  in  the  contest  with  the 
French  and  Indians  in  1758-1760.  Canada  was  conquered  and  the 
French  expelled  from  it  in  1759,  and  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  cap- 
turned  by  General  Forbes  and  the  French  expelled  from  the  Ohio 

Valley. 

The  result  of  the  expulsion  of  the  French  from  Canada  and  the 
Ohio  Valley  proved  very  disastrous  to  the  western  settlements  of  the 
Southern  Colonies.     "The  scene  of  action  was  only  changed  from 


*Ninth  Henning's  Statutes,  pages  73-237. 
t  Vol.  14  Call's  Rep.,  page  17. 
t  2  H.  &  M.  Rep.,  page  22. 


70  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

one  place  to  another,  and  the  baneful  influence  of  those  active  and 
enterprising  enemies  that  had  descended  the  Ohio  soon  manifested 
itself  in  a  more  concentrated  form  among  the  upper  Cherokees,  the 
interior  position  of  whose  country  furnished  facilities  of  immediate 
and  frequent  intercourse  with  the  defeated  and  exasperated  French- 
men, who  now  ascended  the  Tennessee  river  and  penetrated  to  their 
mountain  fastnesses.  An  unfortunate  quarrel  with  the  Virginians 
helped  to  forward  their  intrigues  and  opened  an  easier  access  into 
the  towns  of  the  savages.  The  Cherokees,  as  before  remarked,  had, 
agreeably  to  their  treaties,  sent  a  number  of  their  warriors  to  assist 
in  the  reduction  of  Du  Quesne.  Eeturning  home  through  the  back 
parts  of  Virginia,  some  of  them,  who  had  lost  their  horses  on  this 
expedition,  laid  hold  on  such  as  they  found  running  at  large  and 
appropriated  them.  The  Virginians  resented  the  injury  by  killing 
twelve  or  fourteen  of  the  unsuspecting  warriors  and  taking  several 
more  prisoners.  This  ungrateful  conduct  from  allies,  whose  fron- 
tiers they  had  defended  and  recovered,  aroused  at  once  a  spirit  of 

deep  resentment  and  deadly  retaliation The 

flame  soon  spread  through  the  upper  towns.  The  garrison  at  Fort 
Loudon,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  men  under  the  command 
of  Captains  Demere  and  Stuart,  was,  from  its  remote  position  from 
the  white  settlements,  the  first  to  notice  the  disaffection  and  to  suffer 
from  it.  The  soldiers,  as  usual,  making  excursions  into  the  woods 
to  procure  fresh  provisions,  were  attacked  by  them  and  some  of  them 
killed.  From  this  time  such  dangers  threatened  the  garrison  that 
every  one  was  confined  within  the  small  boundary  of  the  fort."     .     . 

"All   communication   with   the  settlements 

across  the  mountains  from  which  they  received  supplies  was  cut  off, 
and  the  soldiers,  having  no  other  sources  from  which  provision  could 
be  procured,  had  no  prospect  left  them  but  famine  or  death.  Par- 
ties of  the  young  warriors  rushed  down  upon  the  frontier  settle- 
ments, and  the  work  of  massacre  became  general  along  the  borders 
of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina."* 

The  Governor  of  North  Carolina  undertook  to  pacify  the  Indians, 
and  negotiated  a  treaty  with  six  of  their  head  men,  but  this  treaty 
did  not  express  the  sentiments  of  the  Indians  and  they  paid  no 
attention  to  it. 

Numerous  companies  of  Eangers  were  organized  to  patrol  the 

*Haywood. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  71 

frontiers  and  punish  the  Indians  for  any  depredations  they  might 
commit,  and  every  means  was  exhausted  to  bring  about  peace,  but 
the  Indians  were  nOt  disposed  to  listen  to  any  terms  of  accommo- 
dation and  continued  their  depredations  wherever  and  whenever 
possible. 

The  Crovernor  of  Virginia  directed  Col.  William  Byrd  to  proceed 
to  Fort  Loudon  with  a  body  of  backwoodsmen  froiu  Virginia,  num- 
bering al>out  six  hundred  men,  and  to  relieve  the  garrison.  Col. 
Byrd  organized  his  force  and  began  the  march,  but  was  greatly 
liampered  by  lack  of  men  and  supplies. 

JSFotwithstanding  the  fact  that  Col.  Byrd  was  an  experienced  cam- 
paigner, he  occupied  most  of  his  time  in  building  block-houses  and 
roads,  and  accomplished  nothing  in  the  way  of  relieving  Fort  Lou- 
don. 

He  crossed  Kew  river  to  the  lead  mines  and  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  build  a  fort  about  two  miles  south  of  the  present  site  of 
Max  Meadows  on  the  McAdam  road  near  the  home  of  James  Mc- 
Gavock,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Fort  Chiswell,  in  honor  of 
his  friend.  Col.  John  Chiswell,  who  was  at  that  time  working  the 
lead  mines  which  had  been  discovered  some  time  previously. 

From  Fort  Chiswell  Col.  Byrd  marched  to  the  Long  Island  in  the 
South  Fork  of  Holston  river,  opening  a  road  from  Fort  I'hiswell  to 
Long  Island. 

At  this  point.  Col.  Byrd  and  his  men  spent  the  winter  of  1760. 
During  the  winter  Col.  Byrd  erected  a  fort  upon  a  beautiful  level  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  South  Fork  of  the  Holston  river,  nearly  oppo- 
site the  upper  end  of  Long  Island,  to  which  fort  he  gave  the  name 
of  Fort  Robinson,  in  honor  of  John  Eobinson,  the  partner  of  him- 
self and  Col.  John  Chiswell  in  the  ownership  of  tlie  lead  mines. 
This  fort  was  built  upon  an  extensive  plan.  The  walls  were  suffi- 
cient in  thickness  to^  withstand  the  force  of  a  small  cannon  shot. 
There  were  proper  bastions,  and  the  gates  were  spiked  with  large 
nails  so  that  the  wood  was  entirely  covered.* 

At  the  time  this  fort  was  built,  it  was  supposed  that  the  Long 
Island  was  in  Virginia,  the  boundary  line  between  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  not  having  been  run  farther  west  than  Steep  Rock. 

And  thus  to  Virginians  may  be  assigned  the  lionor  of  having 

*Fort  Patrick  Heury,  177(3. 


72  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-178G. 

erected  Fort  London  and  Fort  Eobinson,  the  first  Anglo-American 
forts  witliin  tlie  present  State  of  Tennessee. 

\\'!iile  ciiiiaged  in  hiiildiiig  Fort  IJobinson  Col.  Byrd  was  joined 
by  five  Inuidi'cd  men  IVoiii  Xoi'lh  Carolina  nnder  the  command  of 
Col.  Waddell. 

As  a  resnlt  of  the  conrse  pursued  l)y  Coh  Byrd,  great  dissatisfac- 
tion arose  among  his  men,  and  C^ol.  Byrd  resig-ned,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  command  of  the  force,  now  numliering  al)out  twelve 
hundred  men,  by  Col.  Stephens. 

In  tlie  meantime,  the  distant  garrison  at  Fort  Lomlon,  consist- 
ing of  two  lumdred  men,  was  reduced  to  the  dreadful  alternative  of 
perishing  by  hunger  or  submitting  to  the  mercy  of  the  enraged 
Cherokees.  The  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  hearing  that  the  Vir- 
ginians had  undertaken  to  relieve  it,  for  awdiile  seemed  satisfied  and 
anxiously  waited  to  hear  the  news  of  that  happy  event,  but  so  remote 
was  the  fort  from  any  settlement  and  so  difficult  was  it  to  march 
an  army  through  a  barren  wilderness,  where  every  thicket  con- 
cealed an  enemy,  and  to-  carry,  at  the  same  time,  suffi.cient  supplies 
along  with  them,  that  the  Virginians  had  not  succeeded  in  giving 
them  assistance.  Provisions  being  entirely  exhausted  at  Fort  Lou- 
don, the  garrison  Avas  upon  the  point  of  starving.  For  a  whole 
month  they  had  no  other  subsistence  than  the  flesh  of  lean  hoTses 
and  dogs  and  a  small  supply  of  Indian  beans,  procured  stealthily  for 
them  by  some  friendly  Cherokee  w^omen.  The  officers  had  long  en- 
deavored to  encourage  the  men.  with  the  hope  oi  succour ;  but  now, 
being  blockaded  night  and  day  by  the  enemy  and  having  no  resource 
left,  they  threatened  to  leave  the  fort  and  die  at  once  by  the  hands 
of  the  savages,  rather  than  perish  slowly  by  famine.  In  this  extrem- 
ity the  commander  was  obliged  to  call  a  council  of  war  tO'  consider 
what  was  proper  to  be  done.  The  officers  were  all  of  the  opinion 
that  it  was  impossible  to  hold  out  longer.  They  therefore  agreed  to 
surrender  the  fort  to  the  Cherokees  on  the  best  terms  that  could  be 
obtained  from  them.  For  this  purpose,  Capt.  Stuart,  an  officer  of 
great  sagacity  and  address  and  much  beloved  by  those  of  the  Indians 
who  reuiained  in  the  British  interest,  ])rocured  leave  to  go  to  Chota, 
one  of  the  principal  towns  in  the  neighborhood,  where  he  obtained 
the  following  terms  of  capitulation,  which  were  signed  by  the  coni- 
iiiniiding  officers  and  two  of  the  Cherokee  chiefs. 

"•That  the  uai-rison  of  Fort  Ijoudon  march  out  with  their  arms 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  73 

and  drums,  each  soldier  having  as  much  powder  and  ball  as  his  officer 
shall  think  necessary  for  the  march,  and  all  the  baggage  he  may 
choose  to  carry;  that  the  garrison  be  permitted  to  march,  unmolested, 
to  Virginia  or  Fort  Prince  George,  as  the  commanding  officer  shall 
tliink  proper,  and  that  a  number  of  Indians  be  appointed  to  escort 
them  and  hunt  for  provisions  diiring  the  march;  that  such  sol- 
diers as  are  lame,  or  by  sickness  disabled  from  marching,  be  received 
into  the  Indian  towns  and  kindly  used  until  they  recover,  and  then 
be  allowed  to  return  to  Fort  Prince  George;  that  the  Indians  do 
ju'ovide  for  the  garrison  as  many  horses  as  they  conveniently  can  for 
the  march,  agreeing  with  the  officers  and  soldiers  for  payment ;  that 
tlie  fort,  gTeat  guns,  powder,  ball  and  spare  arms  be  delivered  to  the 
Indians  without  fraud  or  further  delay,  on  the  day  appointed  for 
the  march  of  the  troops.* 

"Agreeably  to  this  stipulation,  the  garrison  delivered  up  the  fort 
and  marched  out  with  their  arms,  accompanied  by  Oconostota, 
Judds'  friend,  the  Prince  of  Chota,  and  several  other  Indians,  and 
that  day  went  fifteen  miles  on  their  way  to  Fort  Prince  George. 

A-t  night  they  encamped  upon  a  plain  about  two  miles  from  Tali- 
quo,  an  Indian  town,  when  all  their  attendants,  upon  one  pretext  or 
another,  left  them ;  which  the  officers  considered  as  no  good  sign,  and 
therefore  placed  a  strict  guard  around  their  camp.  During  the 
night  they  remained  unmolested,  but  next  morning  about  break  of 
day  a  soldier  from  an  outpost  came  running  in  and  informed  them 
that  he  saw  a  number  of  Indians,  armed  and  painted  in  the  most 
dreadful  manner,  creeping  among  the  bushes  and  advancing  in  order 
to  surround  them.  Scarcely  had  the  officer  time  to  order  his  men 
to  stand  to  their  arms,  when  the  savages  poured  in  upon  them  a 
heavy  fire  from  different  quarters,  accompanied  by  the  most  hideous 
yells,  which  struck  a  panic  into  the  soldiers,  who  were  so  much  en- 
feebled and  dispirited  that  they  were  incapable  of  making  any  effect- 
ual resistance.  Captain  Demere,  with  three  other  officers  and  about 
twenty-six  privates,  fell  at  the  first  onset.  Some  fled  into  the  woods 
and  were  afterwards  taken  prisoners  and  confined  among  the  towns 
in  the  valley.  Captain  Stuart  and  those  that  remained  were  seized, 
pinioned  and  brought  back  to  Fort  Loudon.  No  sooner  had  Attakul- 
lakulla  heard  that  his  friend,  Mr.  Stuart,  had  escaped,  than  he  has- 
tened to  the  fort  and  purchased  him  from  the  Indian  that  took  him, 

*Haywood. 


74  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

giving  him  his  rifle,  clothes  and  all  he  could  command  hy  way  of 
ransom.  He  then  took  possession  of  Capt.  Demere's  house,  where 
he  kept  his  prisoner  as  one  of  his  family  and  freely  shared  with 
him  the  little  provisions  his  table  afforded,  until  a  fair  oppor- 
tunity should  offer  for  rescuing  him  from  the  hands  of  the  savages, 
but  the  poor  soldiers  were  kept  in  a  miserable  state  of  captivity  for 
some  time  and  then  redeemed  by  the  province  at  great  expense. 

"While  the  prisoners  were  confined  at  Fort  Loudon,  Oconostota 
formed  the  design  of  attacking  Fort  Prince  George.  To  this  bold 
undertaking  he  was  the  more  encouraged,  as  the  cannon  and  am- 
munition surrendered  by  the  garrison  would,  under  direction  of 
French  officers  who  were  near  him,  secure  its  success.  Messengers 
were  therefore  dispatched  to  the  valley  towns  requesting  their  war- 
riors to  meet  him  at  Stickoee. 

"By  accident,  discovery  was  made  of  ten  bags  of  powder  and  a 
large  quantity  of  ball,  that  had  been  secretly  buried  at  the  fort  to  pre- 
vent their  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands.  This  discovery  had  nearly 
proved  fatal  to  Captain  Stuart ;  but  the  interpreter  had  such  presence 
of  mind  as  to  assure  the  incensed  savages  that  these  warlike  stores 
were  concealed  without  Stuart's  knowledge  or  consent.  The  sup- 
ply of  ammunition  being  sufficient  for  the  siege,  a  council  was  held 
at  Chota,  to  which  the  captive  Stuart  was  taken.  Here  he  was  re- 
minded of  the  obligations  he  was  under  for  having  his  life  spared, 
and  as  they  had  determined  to  take  six  cannon  and  two  cohorts 
against  Fort  Prince  George,  the  Indians  told  him  he  must  accom- 
pany the  expedition,  manage  the  artillery  and  write  such  letters  to 
the  commandant  as  they  should  dictate  to  him.  They  further  in- 
formed him  that  if  the  officer  should  refuse  to  surrender,  they  had 
determined  to  burn  the  prisoners,  one  by  one,  before  his  face  and 
try  whether  he  could  be  so  obstinate  as  to  hold  out  while  his  friends 
were  expiring  in  the  flames. 

"Captain  Stuart  was  much  alarmed  at  his  present  situation  and 
from  that  moment  resolved  to  make  his  escape  or  perish  in  the 
attempt.  He  privately  communicated  his  design  to  Attakullakulla 
and  told  him  that  the  thought  of  bearing  arms  against  his  country- 
men harrowed  his  feelings,  and  he  invoked  his  assistance  to  accom- 
plish his  release.  The  old  warrior  took  him  by  the  hand,  told  him  he 
was  his  friend  and  was  fully  apprised  of  the  designs  of  his  country- 
men, and  pledged  his  efforts  to  deliver  him  from  danger.    Attakulla- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  75 

kulla  claimed  Captain  Stuart  as  his  prisoner  and  resorted  to  strata- 
gem to  rescue  him.  He  told  the  other  Indians  that  he  intended  to 
go  a  hunting  for  a  few  days  and  to  take  his  prisoner  with  him. 
Accordingly  they  departed,  accompanied  by  the  warrior's  wife,  his 
brother  and  two  soldiers.  The  distance  to  the  frontier  settlements 
was  great  and  the  utmost  expedition  was  necessary  to  prevent  sur- 
prise from  Indians  pursuing  them.  Nine  days  and  nights  did  they 
travel  through  a  dreary  wilderness,  shaping  their  course  by  the  sun 
and  moon,  for  Virginia.  On  the  tenth  they  arrived  at  the  banks  of 
the  Holston  river,  where  they  fortunately  fell  in  with  a  party  of  three 
hundred  men,  sent  out  under  the  command  of  Col.  Byrd  for  the 
relief  of  Fort  Loudon.  On  the  fourteenth  day  the  Captain  reached 
Col.  Byrd's  camp  on  the  frontiers  of  Virginia.  His  faithful  friend 
Attakullakulla  was  here  loaded  with  presents  and  provisions  and 
sent  back  to  protect  the  unhappy  prisoners  till  they  should  be  ran- 
somed and  to  exert  his  influence  with  the  Cherokees  for  the  restora- 
tion of  peace."* 

It  will  be  observed  that  Fort  Loudon  was  defended  by  twelve  great 
guns.  It  cannot  be  explained  how  the  cannon  had  been  transported 
to  Fort  Loudon  as  early  as  1756.  They  could  not  have  been  brought 
down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Tennessee,  for  the  French  were  in  pos- 
session of  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee.  The  only  plausible  ex- 
planation that  can  be  given  is  that  these  cannon  were  carried  across 
the  mountains  from  Augusta  county  when  reinforcements  were  sent 
to  Fort  Loudon,  and  then  along  Indian  trails  upon  pack-horses.  It 
is  possible  that  these  cannon  were  brought  from  Fort  Lewis  to  the 
head  waters  of  the  Holston  and  carried  down  the  same  in  boats  or 
canoes  to  the  mouth  of  the  Holston,  and  thence  up  the  Little  Ten- 
nessee to  Fort  Loudon. 

It  is  sad  to  contemplate  the  fate  of  the  occupants  of  this  the  first 
Anglo-American  fort  established  in  Tennessee. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  fort  at  Long  Island  was  permanently 
occupied  at  this  time.  About  this  time,  large  numbers  of  hunters 
from  Eastern  Virginia,  allured  by  the  report  of  the  abundance  of 
game  and  the  prospect  of  gain  in  the  western  wilderness,  organized 
themselves  into  companies,  and  hunted  throughout  Southwest  Vir- 
ginia, East  Tennessee  and  Eastern  Kentucky. 

The  first  company  of  hunters  who  visited  this  section,  as  far  as 

*Haywoo(i. 


76  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

I  can  ascertain,  was  a  company  organized  by  Elislia  Wallen  (from 
whom  Wallen's  Creek  and  Wallen's  Eidge  received  their  names,  as 
well  as  Wallen's  Station  in  Lee  county),  accompanied  by  Scaggs, 
Blevins,  Cox  and  others.  They  remained  eighteen  months,  during 
which  time  they  hunted  in  Clinch  and  Powell's  Valleys  in  Virginia, 
and  Carter's  Valley  in  Tennessee,  and  went  as  far  as  Laurel  moun- 
tain in  Kentucky. 

About  the  same  time  Daniel  Boone,  accompanied  by  several  hunt- 
ers, visited  the  Holston  and  camped  the  first  night  in  what  is  now 
known  as  Taylor's  Valley.  On  the  succeeding  day,  they  hunted  down 
the  South  Fork  of  Holston  river  and  traveled  thence  to  what  was 
thereafter  known  as  Wolf  Hills,  where  they  encamped  the  second 
night,  near  where  Black's  Fort  was  afterwards  built.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  at  this  point  that  Daniel  Boone  and  his  companion,  im- 
mediately after  nightfall,  were  troubled  by  the  appearance  of  great 
numbers  of  wolves,  which  assailed  their  dogs  with  such  fury  that  it 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  hunters  succeeded  in  repelling  their 
attacks  and  saving  the  lives  of  their  dogs,  a  number  of  which  were 
killed  or  badly  crippled  by  the  wolves.  The  wolves  had  their  home 
in  the  cive  that  underlies  the  town  of  Abingdon.  The  entrance  to 
this  cave  is  upon  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  residence  of  Capt. 
James  L.  White,  and  it  was  from  this  incident  that  Abingdon  re- 
ceived its  first  name,  Wolf  Hills.  Boone  and  his  companion  re- 
mained at  Abingdon  for  a  short  while,  during  which  time  they  dis- 
agreed and  separated,  Boone  taking  the  Indian  trail  leading  to  Long 
Island,  and  ISTathaniel  Gist,  his  companion,  following  the  Indian 
trail  to  Cumberland  Gap.    They  did  not  meet  again  upon  this  trip. 

On  Boon's  creek  in  East  Tennessee  was  found  a  tree  upon  which 
was  found  the  following  inscription:  "D.  Boon  cilled  a  bar  on  this 
tree  in  the  year  1760";  and  near  Long  Island  in  Tennessee  a  tree 
was  found  in  recent  years  upon  which  was  the  following  inscription : 
"D.  Boon  killa  bar  on  this  tree  1773." 

A  block  containing  the  last  inscription  was  taken  from  this  tree 
and  is  now  in  possession  of  Mrs.  James  W,  Preston,  of  Abingdon, 
and  establishes  the  fact  that  Daniel  Boone  was  upon  the  waters  of 
the  Holston  as  early  as  1760,  and  again  in  1773. 

A  treaty  of  peace  was  conclwded  between  the  French  and  English 
at  Fontainbleau,  in  1762,  by  which  the  English  acquired  Canada 
and  that  portion  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  east  of  that  river,  but 


Daniel  Boone  and  Boone  Trees. 


78  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

peace  was  not  concluded  with  the  Indians  until  the  next  year.  The 
Indians  had  become  accustomed  to  bloodshed  and  greatly  detested 
the  Anglo-American  settlers.  They  were  greatly  exasperated  by  the 
cession  of  Canada  to  the  English  and  at  the  French  for  deserting 
them. 

The  Indians  detested  the  Anglo- American  settlers  for  the  very  evi- 
dent reason  that  they  asserted  title  to  all  the  lands  lying  upon  the 
western  waters,  were  building  forts  at  various  places  upon  the  fron- 
tiers and  manning  them  with  British  troops,  and  because  their  set- 
tlers were  occupying  the  favorite  hunting  grounds  of  the  Indians. 
The  Indians,  being  deprived  of  the  more  moderate  counsel  of  their 
French  allies,  therefore  became  more  brutal  and  savage  in  their  con- 
duct towards  the  settlers,  and  so  active  and  intelligent  were  the 
Indians  in  conducting  their  campaigns  against  the  settlements  that 
all  the  land  lying  along  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  was  depopulated 
by  July,  1763,  except  a  small  settlement  at  Draper's  Meadows,  on 
New  river.  The  condition  of  the  country  at  that  time  is  best  de- 
scribed by  a  letter  of  Col.  Wm.  Preston,  which  letter  is  here  pub- 
lished. 

The  letter  is  dated  Greenfield,  27th  July,  1763.  The  writer 
says :  "Our  situation  at  present  is  very  different  from  what  it  was 
when  we  had  the  pleasure  of  your  company  in  this  country.  All  the 
valleys  of  Eoanoke  river  and  along  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  are 
depopulated,  except  Captain  English  with  a  few  families  on  the  New 
river,  who  have  built  a  fort,  among  whom  are  Mr.  Thompson  and  his 
family,  alone  remaining.  They  intend  to  make  a  stand  till  some  as- 
sistance be  sent  them.  Seventy-fi,ve  of  the  Bedford  militia  went  out 
in  order  to  pursue  the  enemy,  but  I  hear  the  officers  and  part  of  the 
men  are  gone  home,  and  the  rest  gone  to  Eeed  creek  to  help  in  the 
family  of  James  Davis  and  in  two  or  three  other  families  there  that 
dare  not  venture  to  travel. 

"I  have  built  a  little  fort  in  which  are  eighty-seven  persons,  twenty 
of  whom  bear  arms.  We  are  in  a  pretty  good  posture  of  defence, 
and  with  the  aid  of  God  are  determined  to  make  a  stand.  In  five  or 
six  other  plades  in  this  part  of  the  country  they  have  fallen  into  the 
same  method  and  with  the  same  resolution.  How  long  we  may  keep 
them  is  uncertain.  No  enemy  have  appeared  here  as  yet.  Their 
guns  are  frequently  heard  and  their  footing  observed,  which  makes 
us  believe  they  will  pay  us  a  visit.    My  two  sisters  and  their  families 


Southivest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  79 

are  here  and  all  in  good  health.  We  bear  our  misfortunes  so  far  with 
*  *  *  and  are  in  hopes  of  being  relieved  I  have  a  thousand 
things  *  *  *  Captain  Christian  can't  wait  *  *  *  i  give 
you  joy/'    (The  asterisks  indicate  parts  of  the  letter  torn  out.) 

In  the  year  1760,  a  party  of  Indians,  numbering  eight  or  ten, 
crossed  the  Blue  Eidge  and  murdered  a  number  of  people  in  Bedford 
county,  took  several  women  and  children  prisoners  and  returned  by 
way  of  New  river. 

A  man  in  the  New  river  settlement,  while  searching  for  stray 
horses,  discovered  the  Indians  eiicamped  about  six  miles  from  the 
New  river  fort,  of  which  information  was  given  to  William  Inglis, 
who  gathered  sixteen  or  eighteen  men  and  proceeded  to  attack  the 
Indians,  about  daybreak  the  next  morning.  A  considerable  battle 
followed,  in  which  one  white  man  and  seven  Indians  were  killed,  the 
rest  of  the  Indians  making  their  escape.  Capt.  Inglis  and  his  men 
secured  all  the  provisions  and  plunder  of  the  Indians. 

The  western  settlements  for  ten  years  enjoyed  comparative  peace 
from  the  Indians.  The  only  trouble  they  had  to  contend  with  was 
from  parties  of  thieving  Indians  that  occasionally  visited  the  settle- 
ments. The  British  Government  previously  to  1763  claimed  the 
lands  lying  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains  by  right  of  the  discov- 
ery of  John  Cabot  made  in  1497,  and  at  no  time  recognized  the 
claims  of  the  Indian  inhabitants  to  these  lands. 

In  the  treaty  concluded  with  France  in  1762,  while  France  ceded 
to  England  all  her  rights  in  this  territory,  otill  no  provision  was 
made  for  extinguishing  the  Indian  title  thereto,  and  the  Indians 
denied  the  right  of  France  to  cede  England  these  lands. 

In  March,  1764,  a  company  of  Indians  visited  the  home  of  David 
Cloyd,  about  five  miles  west  of  the  present  Fincastle,  Va.,  and 
tomahawked  Mrs.  Cloyd,  killed  John  Cloyd,  destroyed  the  entire 
household,  and  carried  off  a  large  sum  of  money  that  belonged  to 
David  Cloyd.  Mrs.  Cloyd  lived  until  the  next  morning  and  told 
all  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  raid.  Before  dying  she 
told  how  an  Indian  had  taken  up  a  cob  and  wiped  the  blood  from 
her  temples,  exclaiming  "Poor  old  woman !" 

This  company  of  Indians  were  pursued  by  a  company  of  militia 
under  Capt.  James  Montgomery,  and  one  of  the  Indians  was  killed 
(m  John's  creek  about  thirty  miles  from  Cloyd's  house,  with  £137 
18s.  on  his  person.     A  dispute  arose  among  the  militia  as  to  the 


80  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

ownership  of  the  money  and  it  was  deposited  in  the  hands  of  Capt. 
James  Montgomery  until  the  matter  should  be  decided. 

We  here  insert  a  copy  of  the  court  records,  which  best  explains 
the  matter. 

In  Augusta  County  Court,  August  Term,  1766. 

David   Cloyd    * Plaintiff, 

vs.                                Recover  goods  taken  by  Indians. 
James  Montgomery,    Defendant. 

We  agree  that  a  party  of  Indians  made  an  Irruption  into  the 
Colony,  attacked  the  Plaintiff's  House,  rifled  it  and  bore  off  up- 
wards of  £200  in  gold  and  silver  and  several  household  goods  and 
negroes. 

We  agree  that  a  party  of  the  militia  pursued  the  enemy  and  over- 
took them  on  John's  creek,  a  branch  of  the  James  river,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  30  or  35  miles  from  the  Plaintiff's  House,  and  attacked 
and  killed  one  of  the  number. 

We  agree  that  upon  searching  the  Indian's  Budgett  a  quantity  of 
gold,  some  dollars  and  pieces  of  small  silver  were  found,  which 
upon  being  weighed  amounted  to  the  sum  of  £137  18s. 

We  agree  that  the  money  found  in  the  budgett  of  the  Indians 
consisted  of  the  same  coins  whicli  the  Plaintiff  was  known  to  have 
in  his  house  when  plundered  by  the  Indians. 

We  agree  that  after  the  money  was  recovered  from  the  Indians  a 
dispute  arose  among  the  militia  to  whom  the  money  of  right  be- 
longed, whether  it  should  be  delivered  to  the  Pltff.  who  was  deeuied 
to  have  been  the  owner  of  it  before  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Indiana,  or  whether  the  militia  were  entitled  to  it  as  having  recov- 
ered it  from  them,  upon  which  dispute  that  sum  of  money  was 
lodged  in  the  hands  of  the  Defendant  to  be  by  him  kept  till  that 
point  should  be  settled. 

We  agree  that  the  Plaintiff  made  an  offer  of  30  shillings  to  each 
of  the  men  who  had  assisted  in  the  pursuit  of  the  Enemy. 

We  agree  that  a  part  of  the  Company  of  Militia  made  an  offer 
to  the  Plaintiff  of  delivering  up  his*  negroes  and  household  goods 
if  he  would  allow  them  the  money. 

We  agree  that  the  Defendant  paid  the  sum  of  money  out  of  his 
hands  to  the  Militia  and  that  several  of  them  returned  their  divi- 
dends to  the  Plaintiff  amounting  to  the  sum  of  £106.17.2. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  8l 

We  agree  that  the  Plaintiff  paid  to  several  of  the  captors  who 
returned  him  their  dividends  the  sum  of  30s.  the  premium  by  him 
before  offered  for  their  service. 

We  agree  that  if  the  law  be  for  the  Plaintiff  that  Judgment  be 
entered  for  him  for  the  sum  of  £31.0.10,  if  the  Law  be  for  the 
Defendant  we  agree  that  Judgment  be  entered  for  him. 

Gabriel  Jones^  Atty.  for  Pltff. 
Peter  Hogg^  Atty.  for  Deft. 

We  have  no  further  account  of  Indians  invading  Southwest  Vir- 
ginia, until  the  year  1764,  at  which  time  a  party  of  Indians  came 
up  Sandy  and  on  to  New  river,  where  they  divided,  one  party  go- 
ing towards  the  settlements  at  Roanoke  and  Catawba,  the  other  to 
the  settlement  on  Jackson  river.  The  company  of  Indians  that 
went  towards  the  Eoanoke  settlement  were  accidentally  discovered 
by  Captain  Paul  and  a  company  of  twenty  men,  at  midnight,  on  the 
New  river,  near  the  mouth  of  Indian  creek.  Capt.  Paul's  men  fired 
upon  the  Indians,  killing  three  and  wounding  many  others;  the 
rest  fled  and  escaped.  It  is  hard  to  depict  the  effect  of  these  terri- 
ble scenes  upon  the  settlers  of  Western  Virginia.  iVmong  the  pri- 
soners rescued  by  Capt.  Paul  was  a  Mrs.  Green,  who  knew  Capt. 
Paul  and  recognized  his  voice.  She  was  mistaken  for  an  Indian 
squaw  by  one  of  Capt.  Paul's  men,  who  was  in  the  act  of  tomahawk- 
ing her,  when  she  called  the  name  of  Capt.  Paul,  which  saved  her 
alive. 

She  was  asked  why  she  made  no  resistance ;  to  which  she  replied, 
"I  would  as  soon  die  as  not;  my  husband  is  murdered,  my  children 
slain,  my  parents  are  dead ;  I  have  not  a  relative  in  America,  every- 
thing dear  to  me  is  gone.  I  have  no  wishes,  no  hopes,  no  fears.  I 
would  not  rise  to  my  feet  to  save  my  life." 

The  English  Government  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  secure  peace 
with  the  Indians,  and  this  year  Col.  Boquet  published  a  royal 
proclamation  forbidding  the  whites  to  settle  or  hunt  west  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains;  which  read  as  follows:  "And  we  do  strictly 
enjoin  and  require  all  persons  whatsoever,  who  have,  either  will- 
fully or  inadvertently,  seated  themselves  upon  any  lands  within  the 
Countries  above  described  (West  of  the  Alleghany  mountains),  or 
upon  any  other  lands  which  not  having  been  ceded  to,  or  purchased 
by  us,  are  still  reserved  to  said  Indians  as  aforesaid,  forthwith  to 


83  Southwest  Virginia,  111^6-1786. 

remove  themselves  from  said  settelments."  This  proclamation  was 
issued  in  October,  17G4,  but  it  failed  to  accomplish  the  object  in 
view,  and  thereupon,  in  the  year  1765,  two  armed  movements  were 
made  into  the  Indian  Territory,  the  one  to  Lake  Erie  and  the  other 
to  the  Muskingum.  Two  treaties  were  made  Avith  the  Indians  in 
the  autumn  of  this  year,  one  at  Niagara  and  the  other  at  the  Mus- 
kingum. The  treaty  signed  at  the  Muskingum  was  negotiated  by 
Col.  Boquet  with  the  Delaware  and  Shawnese  Indians.  At  the 
time  of  the  signing  of  this  treaty.  Col.  Boquet  received  from  the 
Indians  two  hundred  and  six  prisoners,  ninety  Virginians  from 
West  Augusta  and  one  hundred  and  sixteen  Pennsylvanians. 

And  thus  was  concluded  at  the  end  of  ten  years  of  hard  fighting 
the  French-Indian  war,  which  began  in  1754. 

If  the  British  Government  was  candid  in  the  promulgation  of 
the  proclamation  of  1763,  she  thereby  admitted  the  claims  of  the 
Indians,  and  accomplished  nothing  as  a  result  of  the  ten  years'  war 
with  the  French  and  Indians  just  closed. 

After  the  publication  of  this  proclamation,  the  citizens  of  the 
Colonies  became  criminals  when  they,  in  any  way,  trespassed  upon 
any  of  the  lands  on  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  Nevertheless, 
the  frontier  hunters  and  the  western  settlers  proceeded  with  their 
explorations  as  if  that  proclamation  had  never  been  issued,  and 
some  historians  go  as  far  as  to  say  that  even  the  leading  public 
men  of  that  day  did  not  consider  this  proclamation  binding,  but  as 
only  intended  to  appease  the  apprehensions  of  the  Indians,  but  in 
this  opinion  we  cannot  join. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  intention  of  the  proclamation,  it  is 
certain  that  its  effect  was  to  greatly  retard  the  settlements  of  the 
lands  west  of  the  mountains. 

The  "Loyal  Land  Company"  on  the  25th  day  of  May,  1763,  peti- 
tioned the  Governor  and  Council  for  a  renewal  and  confirmation 
of  the  grant  made  to  them  for  800,000  acres  of  land  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  of  Virginia  in  1749,  but  their  petition  was  de- 
nied, upon  the  ground  that  they  were  restricted  by  his  Majesty's 
instructions  from  renewing  or  confirming  the  grant.  From  this 
action  of  the  Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia,  it  may  be  well 
said,  all  the  surveys  made  upon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and 
Clinch  rivers  by  James  Patton,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  and  others, 
and  all  the  patents  issued  therefor  were  void,  for  the  reason  that 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  83 

the  King  of  England  had  no  right  to  grant  to  any  of  his  subjects 
lands  belonging  to  the  Indians. 

Nevertheless,  Dr.  Walker,  agent  for  the  "Loyal  Land  Company," 
and  the  devisees  of  Col.  James  Patton,  immediately  proceeded  to 
survey  and  sell  lands  upon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch 
rivers,  under  their  grants,  as  if  they  had  never  been  restrained 
from  so  doing  by  the  proclamation  of  1763  and  by  the  action  of  the 
Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia,  and  by  the  16th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1773,  Dr.  Walker,  as  agent  for  the  "Loyal  Company,"  had 
actually  surveyed  and  disposed  of  to  purchasers  1,756  tracts  of  land 
containing  156,164  acres;  and  this,  in  addition  to  the  lands  sur- 
veyed in  the  years  1753-'54 — making  a  total  of  201,554  acres  out 
of  the  800,000  acres  granted. 

In  the  year  1766,  Dr.  Walker,  as  agent  for  the  "Loyal  Com- 
pany," caused  advertisements  to  be  distributed  through  several 
of  the  States,  north  and  south,  requesting  all  persons  who  had 
contracted  for  any  of  the  company's  land  and  were  driven  off  their 
settlements  in  the  former  war,  to  return  and  claim  the  same  or  it 
would  be  sold  to  others.  The  Legislature  of  Virginia,  in  the  fall 
of  the  year  1778,  confirmed  the  acts  of  Dr.  Walker  in  the  premises 
to  the  extent  stated,  but  declined  to  allow  the  company  any  fur- 
ther time  or  to  survey  any  further  lands  under  this  grant.  At 
the  same  session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  William  Pres- 
ton and  William  Thompson,  executors  of  James  Patton,  deceased, 
were  authorized  to  complete  the  grant  of  120,000  acres  of  land 
made  by  James  Patton,  under  his  grant,  and  to  execute  deeds  to 
the  purchasers  therefor. 

Nathaniel  Gist,  a  noted  Indian  trader,  in  the  year  1761,  pur- 
chased from  the  Cherokee  Indians  the  Great  Island  lying  in  the 
Holston  river,  known  as  Long  Island,  and  claimed  the  same, 
under  his  grant  from  the  Indians,  and  in  the  year  1777  he  peti- 
tioned the  Legislature  of  Virginia  to  confirm  the  title  thereto  to 
him.  What  action  the  Legislature  took  upon  this  petition  cannot 
be  ascertained,  but  it  may  be  presumed  that  the  Legislature  de- 
clined his  request,  as  on  the  24th  day  of  June,  1776,  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia,  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor,  "Eesolved, 
That  no  purchase  of  lands  within  the  chartered  limits  of  Virginia 
shall  be  made  under  any  pretense  whatever,  from  any  Indian  tribe 
or  nation,  without  the  approval  of  the  Virginia  Legislature." 


84  Souiliwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-178G. 

This  island  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians,  and  seemed 
to  have  been  anxiously  sought  after  by  Eichard  Pearis  and  Na- 
thaniel Gist,  probably  two  of  the  best  Indian  spies  and  hunters  we 
read  of  in  our  early  history.  From  the  conclusion  of  the  French- 
Indian  war  in  December,  1764,  until  February  13,  1770,  nothing 
of  importance  occurred  beyond  the  visits  of  the  Long  Hunters  and 
the  surveyors  for  the  land  companies,  a  few  settlements  being 
made. 

In  the  year  1765,  John  Campbell,  who  afterwards  became  clerk 
of  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  visited  the  waters  of 
the  Holston  with  Dr.  Walker,  and  purchased  for  his  father,  David 
Campbell,  and  himself,  from  John  Buchanan,  a  large  tract  of  land 
near  the  head  waters  of  the  Holston  river,  containing  740  acres, 
called  "Eoyal  Oak,"*  and,  being  the  same  tract  of  land  surveyed 
V   for  John  Buchanan  on  the  14th  day  of  October,  1747. 

Among  the  settlers  that  came  this  year  (1768)  was  Joseph  Mar- 
tin, a  daring  and  enterprising  backwoodsman.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  a  band  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  men,  and  led  them  to 
Powell's  Valley,  now  in  Lee  county,  Ya.,  where  they  erected  a  fort 
upon  the  north  side  of  a  creek,  near  two  fine  springs  of  water, 
which  fort  and  creek  were  thereafter  called  Martin's  Fort  and 
Martin's  Creek.  The  shape  of  the  fort  was  a  parallelogram  which 
enclosed  about  one-half  an  acre  of  ground.  There  were  some  five 
or  six  cabins  built  about  twenty  feet  apart,  with  strong  stockades 
between  them,  and  in  these  stockades  there  were  port-holes.  Here 
they  cleared  the  land  and  planted  corn  and  other  vegetables.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  this  year  the  Indians  broke  them 
up,  and  the  settlers  returned  to  the  waters  of  the  Holston.  Mar- 
tin's Fort  was  not  occupied  after  the  Eevolutionary  War. 

Several  years  thereafter  John  and  Arthur  Campbell,  accom- 
panied by  their  sister,  Margaret,  came  out  and  settled  at  Eoyal 
Oak,  and  in  the  year  1769  David  Campbell,  the  father,  with  his 
wife  and  sons,  James,  David,  Eobert  and  Patrick,  and  his  daugh- 
ters, Mary,  Martha,  Sarah  and  Ann,  came  out  and  settled  at  the 
same  place. 

In  the  year  1766,  a  party  of  hunters  visited  the  Clinch  Valley, 
and  two  of  their  number,  Carr  and  Butler,  decided  to  remain. 
They  built  a  cabin  at  a  place  afterwards  known   as   "Crab   Or- 


*Near  Marion,  Va. 


Southivest  Virginia,  17It-6-1786.  85 

chard,"  about  three  miles  west  of  Tazewell  Courthouse.  In  the 
year  1769,  Carr  separated  from  Butler  and  settled  on  a  beautiful 
piece  of  land  two  miles  east  of  Tazewell  Courthouse. 

While  many  prospective  settlers  visited  this  section  previously 
to  1769,  but  few  permanent  settlements  were  made  because  of  the 
fact  that  the  Indians  claimed,  and  the  English  Government  ad- 
mitted their  right  to  all  the  lands  lying  west  of  the  mountains, 
but  the  frontiers  were  lined  with  prospective  settlers  anxious  for 
an  opportunity  to  take  possession  of  and  settle  the  new  land.  Great 
numbers  of  emigrants  were  impatiently  waiting  along  the  fron- 
tiers for  an  opportunity  to  make  a  rush  for  new  homes  on  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  British  Government  recognized  the  fact  that  it  could  not 
much  longer  restrain  the  people  and  protect  the  Indians  in  their 
rights,  and  early  in  the  spring  of  1768  Sir  William  Johnson  was 
directed  by  the  home  government  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  the 
Delaware  and  the  Shawnese  Indians.  John  Stuart,  the  superintend- 
ent of  Indian  affairs,  about  the  same  time  was  directed  to  negotiate 
a  treaty  with  the  Southern  Indians,  extinguishing  their  rights  to 
the  much-desired  land.  Sir  William  Johnson,  pursuant  to  order, 
appointed  a  Congress  for  the  meeting  of  the  Six  Rations  with  the 
commissioners  of  Virginia,  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  at  Port 
Stanwix,  near  Oswego,  ISTew  York,  on  October  24,  1768.  The  Con- 
gress met  pursuant  to  order,  and  on  Kovember  5,  1768,  a  treaty 
was  negotiated  with  the  Indians,  by*  which  they  conveyed  unto  the 
British  Sovereign,  Lord  King  George  III,  all  of  a  certain  tract  of 
land  situated  in  North  Am.erica  at  the  back  of  the  British  settle- 
ments, tlie  deed  being  in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to-wit: 

To  ALL  to  whom  these  presents  may  come,  or  may  concern :  We 
the  Sachems  &  Chiefs  of  the  Six  United  Nations  and  of  the  Shaw- 
nese, Delawares,  Mingoes,  of  Ohio  and  other  dependent  Tribes,  on 
behalf  of  ourselves  and  the  rest  of  our  several  Nations,  the  Chiefs 
and  Warriors  who  are  now  here  convened  by  Sir  William  Johnson, 
Baronet,  His  Majesty's  Superintendent  of  our  Affairs,  send  greet- 
ing. Whereas  His  Majesty  was  graciously  pleased  to  propose  to  us 
in  the  year  1765,  that  a  Boundary  line  should  be  fixed  between  the 
English  and  us,  to  ascertain  and  establish  our  limits  and  prevent 
those  encroachments  of  which  we  have  so  long  and  so  loudly  com- 
plained, and  to  put  a  stop  to  the  many   fraudulent  advantages 


86  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

which  had  been  so  often  taken  of  us  in  Land  affairs,  which  Bound- 
ary appearing  to  us  as  a  wise  and  good  measure,  we  did  then  agree 
to  a  part  of  a  line  and  promised  to  settle  the  whole  finally  whenso- 
ever Sir  Wm.  Johnson  should  be  fully  empowered  to  trade  with  us 
for  that  purpose.  And  whereas  his  said  Majesty  has  at  length  given 
Sir  William  Jolinson  orders,  Sir  William  Johnson  has  convened 
the  Chiefs  and  Warriors  of  our  respective  Nations,  who  are  the  true 
and  absolute  proprietors  of  the  lands  in  question  and  who  are  here 
now  to  a  very  considerable  number,  and  whereas  many  uneasinesses 
and  doubts  have  arisen  amongst  us,  which  have  given  rise  to  appre- 
hension that  the  line  may  not  be  strictly  observed  on  the  part  of 
the  English,  in  which  case  matters  might  be  worse  than  before, 
which  apprehensions  together  with  the  dependent  state  of  some  of 
our  Tribes,  and  other  circumstances  which  retarded  the  settlement 
and  became  the  subject  of  some  debate.  Sir  Wm.  Johnson  has  at 
length  so  far  satisfied  us  as  to  induce  us  to  come  to  an  agreement 
concerning  the  line,  which  brought  to  a  conclusion.  The  whole 
being  explained  to  us  in  a  large  assembly  of  our  people,  and  before 
Sir  William  Johnson,  and  in  the  presence  of  his  Excellency  the 
Governor  of  New  Jersey,  the  Commissioners  for  the  Provinces 
of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  and  sundry  other  gentlemen,  by 
which  line,  so  agreed  upon,  a  considerable  tract  of  country  along 
several  provinces  is  to  be  thus  ceded  to  his  Majesty  which  we  are 
induced  to  and  do  ratify  and  confirm  to  his  said  Majesty,  from  the 
expectation  and  confidence  we  place  in  his  royal  goodness,  and  he 
will  graciously  comply  with  our  humble  request,  as  the  same  is 
expressed  in  the  speech  of  the  several  Nations  addressed  to  his  Ma- 
jesty through  Sir  William  Johnson,  on  Tuesday  the  first  of  the  pres- 
ent month  of  November,  wherein  we  have  declared  our  expectations 
of  the  continuance  of  his  Majesty's  favor,  and  our  desire  that  our 
ancient  engagements  be  observed  and  our  affairs  attended  to  by 
the  officer  who  has  the  management  thereof,  enabling  him  to  dis- 
charge all  these  matters  propefly  for  our  interest.  That  the  land_s 
occupied  by  the  Mohocks  around  their  villages,  as  well  as  by  any 
other  Nation  affected  by  this  our  cession,  may  effectually  remain 
to  them  and  to  their  posterity,  and  that  any  engagements  regard- 
ing property  that  they  may  now  be  under,  may  be  prosecuted  and 
our  present  grants  deemed  valid  on  our  parts,  with  the  several  other 
humble  requests  contained  in  our  speech.    And  whereas  at  the  set- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  87 

tling  of  the  said  line,  it  appears  that  the  line  described  by  his 
Majesty's  order,  was  not  extended  Northward  of  Oswego,  or  to 
the  Southward  of  Great  Kanawha  Eiver,  we  have  agreed  to  con- 
tinue the  line  to  the  Northward,  on  the  supposition  that  it  was  omit- 
ted by  reason  of  our  not  having  come  to  any  determination  con- 
cerning its  course  at  the  Congress  held  in  1765,  inasmuch  as  the 
"line  to  the  Northward  became  the  most  necessary  of  any  for  pre- 
venting the  encroachments  at  our  very  towns  and  residences,  and 
we  have  given  this  line  more  favorable  to  Pennsylvania  for  the 
reasons  and  considerations  mentioned  in  the  treaty.  We  have  like- 
wise continued  it  South  to  Cherokee  River,"*  because  the  same  is 
and  we  do  declare  it  to  be  our  true  bounds  with  the  Southern  In- 
dians, and  that  we  have  undoubted  right  to  the  country  as  far  south 
as  that  River,  which  makes  our  cession  to  his  Majesty  much  more 
advantageous  than  that  proposed. 

Now  THEREFOKE  KNOW  YE,  that  we,  the  Sachems  and  Chiefs 
beforementioned,  native  Indians  and  proprietors  of  the  lands  here- 
inafter described,  for  and  in  behalf  of  ourselves  and  the  whole  of 
our  Confederacy,  for  the  consideration  hereinbefore  mentioned 
and  also  for  and  in  consideration  of  a  valuable  present  of  the  sev- 
eral articles  in  use  and  among  the  Indians,  which,  together  with  a 
large  sum  of  money,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  the  sum  of  £10,460 
7s  3  pence,  sterling,  to  us  now  delivered  and  paid  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  Baronet,  his  Majesty's  Sole  Agent  and  Superintendent  of 
Indian  Affairs,  for  the  Northern  Department  of  America,  in  the 
name  and  on  behalf  of  our  Sovereign  Lord,  George  Third,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Ireland,  King,  De- 
fender of  the  Faith,  the  receipt  whereof  we  do  hereby  acknowledge, 
we  the  said  Indians  have  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  granted, 
bargained,  sold,  released  and  confirmed,  and  by  these  presents,  do 
grant,  bargain,  sell,  release  and  confirm,  unto  our  said  Sovereign 
Lord,  King  George  Third,  all  that  tract  of  land  situated  in  North 
America  at  the  back  of  the  British  settlements  bounded  by  a  line 
which  we  have  now  agreed  upon,  and  do  hereby  establish  as  the 
boundary  between  us  and  the  British  Colonies  in  America,  begin- 
ning at  the  mouth  of  the  Cherokee  or  Hogohegee  River,  where  it 
empties  into  the  River  Ohio,  and  running  from  thence  along  the 
Southern  side  of  the  said  River  to  Kittanning,  which  is  above  Fort 


*Holston  river. 


88  Southtvest  Virginia,,  17JfG-17S0. 

Pitt,  from  thence  by  a  direct  line  to  the  nearest  fork  of  the  West 
Branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  thence  through  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains along  the  Southern  side  of  the  said  West  Branch  until  it 
comes  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  a  creek  called  Tiadgton,  thence 
across  the  West  Branch,  and  along  the  South  Side  of  that 
creek  and  along  the  North  side  of  the  Burnett  Hills  to  a  creek 
called  Awandae,  thence  down  the  same  to  the  East  side  of  that 
Eiver  to  Oswego,  from  thence  East  to  the  Delaware  Kiver,  and  up 
that  Eiver  to  opposite  where  Tianadhera  flows  into  the  Susquehanna, 
thence  to  Tianahedra  and  up  the  West  side  thereof,  and  the  West 
side  of  its  West  Branch  to  the  head  thereof,  and  thence  by  a  direct 
line  to  Canada  Creek,  where  it  empties  into  the  Wood  Creek  at  the 
West  End  of  the  carrying  place,  beyond  Fort  Stanwix,  and  extend- 
ing Eastward  from  every  part  of  the  said  line  as  far  as  the  lands 
formerly  purchased  so  as  to  comprehend  the  whole  of  the  lands  or 
settlement,  except  what  is  within  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  to- 
gether with  the  hereditaments,  and  appurtenances  to  the  same  be- 
longing or  appertaining  in  tlie  fullest  and  most  ample  manner, 
and  all  the  Estate,  Eight,  Title,  Interest,  Property,  possession, 
Benefit  and  claim  and  demand,  either  in  law  or  equity,  of  each  and 
every  one  of  us,  in  and  of  the  same,  or  any  part  thereof,  to  liave  and 
to  hold,  the  whole  lands  and  premises  hereby  granted,  bargained, 
sold,  released  and  confirmed  as  aforesaid  with  the  hereditaments 
and  appurtenances  thereunto  belonging,  under  the  reservations 
made  in  the  Treaty,  unto  our  Sovereign  Lord,  King  George  Third, 
his  heirs  and  successors  to  and  for  his  and  their  behoof  forever. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  the  Chiefs  of  the  Confederacy,  have 
hereunto  set  our  marks  and  seals  at  Fort  Stanwix,  the  5th  day  of 
November,  1768,  in  the  9th  year  of  his  Majesty's  reign. 

Signed,  Sealed  and  delivered. 

In  presence  of 

Sir  William  Franklin,  Gov.  N.  J. 

Fred  Smith,  Chief  Justice, 

Thos.  Walker,  Commiss'r  from  Va. 

Eichard  Peters,      )       of  the  Council, 
James  Tilghman,  j 

His 
Texanasore,  or  Abraham,  [L.  S.] 

Mark. 


Southwest 

Virginia^ 

1H6-1786. 
His 

Conaquieso, 

Mark. 
His 

Sugnaregsora, 

Mark. 
His 

Blunt  or  Chenngliita, 

Mark. 

His 

Tigaya, 

' 

Mark. 
His 

Gostrave, 

Mark. 

89 


[L.  S.] 


[L.  S.] 


[L.  S.] 


[L.  S.] 


[L.  S.] 


This  Congress  was  attended  by  3,200  Indians  of  the  different 
tribes  composing  the  Six  Nations,  and  thns  the  title  of  the  North- 
ern Indians  to  all  the  territory  included  within  Washington  coun- 
ty was  extinguished. 

The  Confederacy  of  the  Six  Nations  claimed,  by  right  of  con- 
quest, title  to  the  lands  thus  ceded.  About  the  year  1685  this  Con- 
federacy of  Indians  overran  and  conquered  all  the  country  south- 
wards from  the  Ohio  as  far  south  as  Georgia  and  as  far  west  as  the 
Mississippi.  An  immense  territory,  1,300  miles  long  and  600  miles 
broad. 

It  will  be  observed  from  an  inspection  of  this  deed  that  Dr. 
Thomas  Walker  was  the  Virginia  Commissioner  at  this  Congress, 
and  he  was  beyond  question  interested  in  the  successful  negotiation 
of  this  treaty,  not  only  in  behalf  of  Virginia,  but  to  a  greater 
extent  in  behalf  of  the  "Loyal  Land  Company,"  of  which  he  was  a 
part  owner  and  the  agent.  Nothing  was  of  greater  importance  to  the 
"Loyal  Land  Company"  than  the  extinguishment  of  the  title  of  the 
Indians  to  the  lands  on  the  western  waters,  out  of  which  they  had 
a  grant  for  800,000  acres  of  land,  and  from  the  prosecution  of  their 
work  in  surveying,  settling  and  selling  the  same,  they  had  been  re- 


90  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

strained  and  prohibited  by  the  King's  proclamation  in  17G3,  and 
by  the  action  of  the  Governor  and  the  Council  of  Virginia. 

About  the  same  time  John  Stuart,  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs  in  the  South,  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Cherokee  Indians 
in  the  absence  of  Dr.  Walker,  by  which  the  British  Crown  acquired 
the  right  to  all  the  land  lying  east  of  a  straight  line  passing  by 
Chiswell's  mine,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Great  Kanawha*  Eiver, 
and  from  Chiswell's  mine  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  in  a 
straight  line  to  the  confluence  of  the  Great  Conhoway  in  Ohio. 
The  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  communicated  the  result  of 
the  treaty  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  by  letter,  which  letter  is 
as  follows: 

Hard  Labor,  Oct.  17,  1768. 
Sir: 

I  have  the  honor  to  acquaint  you  in  obedience  to  his  Majesty's 
commands,  on  the  13th  curr't,  I  met  at  this  place  all  the  principal 
Chiefs  of  the  upper  and  lower  Cherokee  Nations,  and  on  the  14th 
by  his  Majesty's  royal  authority  concluded  the  Treaty  with  said 
Indians,  ratifying  the  cession  of  land  lying  within  the  Provinces  of 
South  Carolina,  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  by  them  to  his  Ma- 
jesty and  His  heirs  forever,  and  confirming  the  Boundary  line 
marked  by  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  Trade  and  Plantations,  ac- 
cording to  the  several  agreements  entered  into  with  said  Indians. 
The  line  now  ultimately  confirmed  and  ratified  by  said  Treaty  was 
as  follows: 

Prom  the  place  called  Towahilie,  on  the  Northern  Branch  of  the 
Savannah  Eiver,  a  North  50  degrees  East  course  in  a  straight  line, 
to  a  place  called  Dewisses  corner,  or  yellow  water,  from  Dewisses, 
or  yellow  water,  a  North  50  degrees  East  course  in  a  straight  line  to 
the  south  bank  of  Eeedy  Elver,  at  a  place  called  Wanghoe,  or  Elm 
Tree,  where  the  line  behind  Carolina  terminates.  From  a  place 
called  Wanghoe,  or  Elm  Tree,  to  the  South  Bank  of  Eeedy  Eiver,  a 
course  in  a  straight  line  to  a  mountain  called  Tagon  Mountain  where 
the  great  ridge  of  the  mountains  becomes  impervious.  In  a  straight 
line  to  Chiswell's  mine  on  the  Eastern  Bank  of  the  Great  Conhoway 
Eiver,  to  a  N.  B.  E.  course,  and  from  Chiswell's  mine  on  the  East- 
ern Bank  of  the  Great  Conhoway  in  a  straight  line  to  a  North  course 

*New  River. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  91 

to  the  confluence  of  the  Great  Conhoway  with  the  Ohio.  As  soon 
as  possible  after  my  return  to  Charlestown  I  shall  send  you  extracts 
of  my  conference  and  an  authentic  copy  of  the  above  mentioned 
Treaty  concluded  with  said  Chiefs.  I  acquainted  the  Chiefs  that  I 
expected  their  Deputies  to  set  out  immediately  from  this  place 
with  my  Deputy  to  meet  your  Commissioners  at  Colonel  Chis- 
well's  Mine  in  order  to  finish  marking  the  Boundary  line,  as  agreed 
upon,  but  they  objected,  and  desired  that  that  service  might  be  de- 
ferred till  the  spring  of  next  year.  The  reasons  they  urged  for 
this  delay  are  as  follows :  That  when  they  set  the  10th  of  Novem- 
ber for  the  time  of  meeting  your  Commissioners  to  proceed  upon 
that  important  service,  they  understood  that  they  had  no  more  to 
mark  than  from  the  mountains  where  the  line  behind  North  Caro- 
lina was,  to  Chiswell's  Mine  on  the  Conhoway,  as  they  considered 
the  river  from  there  to  its  confluence  with  the  Ohio  as  a  natural 
Boundary.  But  as  the  line  is  to  run  in  a  straight  line,  almost  due 
North  from  the  Mine,  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  advanced 
season  of  the  year  will  render  that  service  impracticable  until  the 
Spring,  as  the  line  now  ultimately  agreed  upon  runs  through  a 
large  extent  of  mountainous  country,  uninhabited,  where  in  the 
winter  the  cold  will  be  extremely  intense,  and  there  will  be  no  shel- 
ter for  men,  nor  food  for  horses  at  that  season.  The  reasons  ap- 
peared to  me  so  just  and  good,  that  I  was  obliged  to  acquiesce  in 
them,  and  I  send  this  letter  by  Express  to  prevent,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, any  disappointment  that  may  result  from  this  alteration.  I 
hope  you  will  receive  it  in  time  to  prevent  your  Commissioners 
from  setting  out.  The  Chiefs  have  appointed  the  10th  of  May  next 
for  meeting  your  Commissioners  at  Chiswell's  Mine,  which  I  hope 
will  prove  agreeable  and  their  reasons  for  altering  the  time  satis- 
factory to  you.  I  reproached  the  Cherokees  severely  for  the  mur- 
der of  flve  emigrants  from  your  provinces,  who  were  going  to  the 
Mississippi,  which  was  committed  in  the  summer  last.  They  con- 
fessed it  and  said  the  perpetrators  were  a  party,  of  Chilhowie  peo- 
ple who  urged  in  their  own  defence,  that  their  relations  had  been 
killed  in  Augusta  County,  in  the  province,  in  1765,  for  which  they 
had  never  received  any  satisfaction  although  repeated  promises 
had  been  made  either  of  putting  the  guilty  persons  to  death,  or 
making  a  compensation  in  goods  from  your  province,  which  they 
believed,  because  I  had  confirmed  them.     That  they  nevertheless 


92  Southivest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

were  disappointed,  and  being  tired  with  waiting,  took  that  satis- 
faction which  they  could  not  obtain  from  our  justice.  All  the 
warriors  declared  that  they  disapproved  of  the  action,  but  that  the 
Chilhowie  people  were  authorized  by  the  custom  of  their  country  to 
act  as  they  did,  and  their  idea  of  never  having  received  any  satisfac- 
tion was  undeniable ;  that  in  any  other  instance  nothing  should  pre- 
vent their  executing  strict  justice  according  to  Treaties.  It  is 
not  only  extremely  disagreeable  to  myself,  but  very  detrimental  to 
his  Majesty's  service,  to  be  obliged  to  fail  in  any  promise  I  make 
to  Indians.  The  compensation  of  500  Indian  dressed  Deer  skins 
value  in  goods  for  every  person  murdered,  which  on  the  faith  of 
Gov.  Fauquier's  repeated  letters,  I  engaged  them  to  receive,  early  in 
the  Spring,  was  extremely  moderate,  and  this  you  will  acknowledge 
if  you  will  compare  it  with  the  sum  expended  by  the  Province  of 
Pennsylvania,  on  a  late  similar  occasion.  And  I  must  confess  that 
this  disappointment  will  render  me  extremely  cautious  in  making 
promises  on  any  future  occasion. 

I  am  to  meet  the  Chiefs  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Creek  Nations 
at  Silver  Bluff  on  Savannah  Eiver,  the  first  of  November,  to  ratify 
the  cessions  to  his  Majesty  in  the  two  Floridas  and  Georgia,  and 
expect  to  be  at  Charlestown  by  the  time  the  bearer  can  return  there. 

I  have  the  honor  of  being,  very  respected  Sir, 
Your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

John  Stuart. 

It  will  be  observed  from  a  perusal  of  the  above  letter  that  the 
superintendent  contemplated  the  running  of  the  line,  as  fixed  by 
the  treaty,  immediately,  but  the  Indians  insisted  upon  postponing 
the  time  for  running  this  line  till  the  10th  day  of  May,  1769. 

This  treaty  gave  great  dissatisfaction  to  the  Colony  of  Virginia 
and  to  Dr.  Walker,  the  agent  for  the  "Loyal  Land  Company,"  for, 
at  the  time  the  treaty  was  negotiated,  hundreds  of  settlers  had  fixed 
their  homes  on  the  lands  west  of  the  line  as  fixed,  and  not  only  had 
many  settlers  occupied  portions  of  these  lands,  but  Dr.  Walker  as 
agent  for  the  "Loyal  Land  Company,"  and  Col.  James  Patton's 
representatives,  had  actually  surveyed  and  sold  large  and  numer- 
ous tracts  of  land  lying  in  the  present  counties  of  Pulaski,  Wythe, 
Smyth  f^nd  Washington,  and  west  of  the  line  fixed  by  this  treaty. 
The  result  of  this  treaty  gave  the  Indians  an  excuse  for  depredating 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  93 

on  the  settlers,  and  the  settlers  were  forced  to  the  necessity  of 
denying  the  rights  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  to  the  lands  thus  set- 
tled. 

The  settlers  on  Holston  denied  the  right  of  the  Cherokees  to  the 
lands  included  within  this  county,  and  under  the  claim  that  the 
lands  belonged  to  the  Confederacy  of  the  Six  Nations,  they  held 
possession  of  their  lands  and  continued  their  settlements.  Dr. 
Thomas  Walker  acted  as  the  Virginia  representative  in  the  mak- 
ing of  the  treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1768  and, 
by  December  of  that  year,  had  communicated  the  result  to  the 
emigrants  along  the  borders,  and  no  longer  could  the  settlement  of 
this  country  be  postponed.  In  the  winter  of  1768  and  the  early 
part  of  the  year  1769,  a  great  flood  of  settlers  overran  Southwestern 
Virginia  and  advanced  as  far  south  as  Boone's  Creek  in  East  Ten- 
nessee. 

The  one  settler  who  ventured  farthest  into  the  wilderness  was 
Captain  William  Bean,  who,  with  his  family,  settled  on  Boone's 
Creek,  early  in  the  year  1769.  His  son,  Russell  Bean,  was  the  first 
white  child  1)orn  in  Tennessee. 

When  Col.  William  Byrd  visited  the  Long  Island  in  1760,  two 
men,  by  name  Gilbert  Christian  and  William  Anderson,  accompa- 
nied his  regiment.  In  this  year,  1769,  Christian  and  Anderson  de- 
termined to  explore  this  western  wilderness,  and,  in  company  with 
Col.  John  Sawyers  and  four  others,  they  crossed  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Holston  river  at  Cloud's  Fort  in  Tennessee  and  explored  the 
wilderness  as  far  as  Big  Creek,  now  a  part  of  Hawkins  county, 
where  they  met  a  large  body  of  Indians,  at  which  point  they  deter- 
mined to  return  to  their  homes. 

About  twenty  miles  above  Cloud's  Fort,  on  the  North  Fork, 
they  found  a  cabin  on  every  spot  where  the  range  was  good,  where 
only  six  weeks  before  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  a  howling  wilder- 
ness. When  they  passed  by  before,  on  their  outward  destination, 
they  found  no  settlers  on  Holston,  save  three  families  on  the  head 
springs  of  that  river. 

Just  preceding  this  inrush  of  settlers,  a  young  Englishman  by 
the  name  of  Smith  visited  this  section  of  Virginia  and  describes 
the  country,  as  he  found  it,  in  such  an  excellent  manner  that  I 
here  copy  in  full  his  remarks  upon  the  appearance  of  the  country, 
as  well  as  the  daily  journal  which  he  kept.    When  he  had  reached 


94  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

the  summit  of  the  mountains  above  New  river,  he  thus  speaks  of 
the  view  presented : 

"Language  fails  in  attempting  to  describe  this  most  astounding 
and  almost  unbounded  prospective.  The  mind  was  filled  with  a 
reverential  awe,  but  at  the  same  time  the  ideas,  and  I  had  almost 
said  soul,  were  sensibly  enlarged.  The  reflection  on  our  own  little- 
ness did  not  diminish  our  intellectual  faculties  nor  consequences, 
and  the  mind  would  boldly  soar  over  the  vast  extent  of  the  earth 
and  water  around,  and  even  above  the  globe  itself,  to  contemplate 
and  admire  the  amazing  works  of  the  great  Creator  of  all. 

In  short,  the  strong,  mighty,  pointed  and  extended  sensations  of 
the  mind  at  this  astonishing  period  are  far  beyond  the  power  of 
human  language  to  describe  or  convey  any  idea  of. 

On  the  northwest  you  will  observe  with  great  astonishment  and 
pleasure  the  tremendous  and  abrupt  break  in  the  Alleghany  moun- 
tains, through  which  pass  the  mighty  waters  of  New  river  and  the 
Great  Kanawha. 

On  the  west  you  can  very  plainly  discover  the  three  forks  or 
branches  of  the  Holston,  where  they  break  through  the  great  Al- 
leghany mountains,  forming  striking  and  awful  chasms. 

And  still  beyond  them  you  may  observe  Clinch  river,  or  Pelli- 
sippi;  that  it  is  almost  equal  to  all  three  branches  of  the  Holston. 
Throughout  the  whole  of  this  amazing  and  most  extensive  per- 
spective there  is  not  the  least  feature  or  trace  of  art  or  improve- 
ments to  be  discovered. 

All  are  the  genuine  effects  of  nature  alone,  and  laid  down  on  her 
most  extended  and  grandest  scale. 

Contemplating  them  fills  the  eye,  engrosses  the  mind  and  en- 
larges the  soul.  It  totally  absorbs  the  senses,  overwhelms  all  the 
faculties,  expands  even  the  grandest  ideas  beyond  all  conception 
and  causes  you  almost  to  forget  that  5'^ou  are  a  human  creature." 

He  then  proceeds  to  give  the  details  of  his  journey  through  this 
section  of  Virginia : 

"We  descended  the  moimtain,  and  halted  for  the  night  on  the 
side  of  a  large  rivulet,  which  we  conjectured  to  be  either  Little 
river  itself,  or  some  of  the  waters  of  it,  having  crossed  the  Blue 
ridge  at  a  most  disagreeable  and  dangerous  gap  in  the  afternoon. 

Next  morning  we  set  out  early  and  traveled  down  the  north  side 


Soufhwest  Virginia,  17ji.6-1786.  95 

of  the  rivulet,  which  we  found  to  be  Little  river,  until  we  arrived 
at  New  river  and  at  last  came  to  the  ford. 

The  New  river  is  broad,  deep  and  rapid,  frequently  impassable 
and  always  dangerous. 

However,  we  crossed  it  in  safety,  though  with  great  difficulty  and 
hazard  of  being  carried  down  with  the  stream,  and  we  looked  out 
for  a  convenient  spot  on  the  west  side,  where  we  now  are,  to  re- 
main for  the  night.  The  low  ground  on  New  river  is  narrow,  but 
exceedingly  rich  and  fertile ;  the  high  land  is  also  very  fine  in  many 
places,  but  excessively  broken,  rocky  and  mountainous. 

The  timber  on  the  high  land  is  very  large  and  lofty,  and  that  on 
the  low  ground  is  almost  equal  to  the  prodigious  heavy  trees  on  the 
Eoanoke  river. 

The  extreme  roughness  of  this  country  and  the  diflSculty  of  ac- 
cess to  it,  the  roads,  or  rather  paths,  being  not  only  almost  impas- 
sable, but  totally  impossible  ever  to  be  rendered  even  tolerable  by 
any  human  efl^orts,  will  not  only  greatly  retard  the  settlement  of 
this  country,  but  will  always  reduce  the  price  and  value  of  the  land, 
be  it  ever  so  rich  and  fertile. 

In  the  morning  our  horses  and  ourselves  being  very  much  re- 
freshed, we  set  out  again  on  our  journey,  and,  after  traveling  ten 
or  twelve  miles,  crossed  a  pretty  large  water  course  named  Peaks' 
creek,  and  soon  afterwards  a  large  branch  of  Eeed  creek. 

In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  another  great  ridge  of  the  Alleghany 
mountains  at  a  gap,  and  in  the  evening  came  to  the  waters  of 
the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Holston,  where  we  halted  for  the  night, 
having  traveled  this  day  nearly  fifty  miles  and  over  a  vast  quan- 
tity of  excellent  land. 

Next  morning  we  pursued  our  journey  and  traveled  down  the 
side  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Holston,  which  we  crossed  no  less 
than  three  times  this  day,  and  at  night  came  to  Stalnaker's,  where 
a  few  people,  indeed  all  the  inhabitants,  had  also  erected  a  kind  of 
wretched  stockade  fort  for  protection  against  the  Indians ;  but  they 
had  all  left  it  a  few  days  before  our  arrival  and  returned  to  their 
respective  homes. 

Here  we  remained  for  two  days  at  the  old  Dutchman's  house 
for  rest  and  refreshment  for  ourselves  and  horses,  which  we  had 
really  very  much  need  of,  and  also  to  make  inquiry  concerning 
our  future  route. 


96  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  land  on  the  Holston  is  certainly  excellent  and  fertile  in  the 
highest  degree;  the  climate  also  is  delightful. 

But  the  value  of  the  estates  here  cannot  be  considerable  for  many 
years — perhaps  centuries  to  come;  for  the  same  roughness  that  has 
been  mentioned  to  affect  those  on  New  river. 

Here  we  gained  intelligence  of  a  nearer  way  to  Kentucky  than 
that  commonly  made  use  of,  which  had  very  lately  been  discovered, 
viz. :  by  crossing  Clinch  river  about  sixty  miles  from  Stalnaker's, 
going  over  the  great  ridge  of  the  Alleghany,  or  Appalachian  moun- 
tains, at  a  gap  which  had  been  used  only  by  a  few  of  the  best  hunters, 
and  falling  down  on  the  waters  of  the  Warrior's  branch,  a  river 
that  runs  into  Kentucky.  With  this  route  pretty  exactly  laid  down, 
we  set  out  from  the  Dutchman's  house  on  the  third  morning  after 
our  arrival,  and,  after  traveling  over  a  vast  quantity  of  exceedingly 
strong,  rich  land  covered  with  lofty  timber,  we  reached  the  banks 
of  the  Nortli  Branch  of  the  Holston,  crossed  the  river,  and  put  up 
for  the  night,  having  traveled  that  day  more  than  thirty  miles. 

The  ford  of  this  branch  of  the  Holston  is,  if  possible,  worse  than 
any  we  have  hitherto  met  with,  and  is  indeed  extremely  dangerous, 
but  we  were  so  familiarized  to  danger  and  fatigue  as  to  regard  any- 
thing of  that  nature  but  little. 

On  the  next  morning  we  set  out  on  our  journey  by  the  route 
which  we  had  been  directed  to  pursue,  and  at  noon  arrived  at  the 
summit  of  a  vast  chain  of  mountains  which  separates  the  north 
branch  of  the  Holston  from  the  Clinch  river. 

Here  we  had  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  an  extensive,  wild  and 
romantic  view,  particularly  that  stupendous  ridge  of  the  Alleghany, 
or  Appalachian  mountains,  which  is  the  chief  and  most  lofty  of 
the  whole. 

It  was  rendered  more  interesting  to  me  by  reflecting  that  I  must 
cross  it  on  my  journey,  our  route  being  directly  over  it.  We  made 
no  unnecessary  delay,  however,  on  this  commanding  spot,  but  de- 
scended the  mountain  and  pursued  with  all  the  expedition  we 
could ;  and  we  arrived  on  the  banks  of  Clinch  river  late  that  even- 
ing, so  that  we  could  not  venture  to  cross  the  ford  that  night. 

In  the  morning  we  undertook  the  hazardous  task  of  fording 
Clinch  river,  and  accomplished  it  after  several  plunges,  as  usual, 
over  our  heads:  neither  did  we  halt  to  dry  our  clothes  until  noon, 
when  we  rested  at  the  side  of  a  savannah  (meadow) ;  here  we  re- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  97 

mained  for  two  hours,  and  then  arose  exceeding!}^  refreshed,  and 
jnirsned  our  journey. 

On  the  evening  we  had  reached  half  way  up  the  stupendous  west- 
ernmost ridge  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  the  last,  greatest  and 
loftiest  of  the  whole. 

Here  we  remained  all  night,  concluding  to  attempt  the  steepest 
and  most  difficult  ascent  in  the  morning.  We  always  alighted,  and 
led  our  horses  up  these  jjrodigious  and  perilous  ascents. 

We  pursued  our  journey  up  the  mountain  next  morning,  hut  the 
sun  was  several  hours  high  before  we  could  possibly  reach  the  sum- 
mit. 

This  ridge  of  the  Alleghany  mountains  is  indeed  of  a  most  stu- 
pendous and  astonishing  height,  and  conunands  a  prospect  propor- 
tionately extensive. 

I  took  a  retrospective  view,  with  satisfaction  and  pleasure,  of  the 
vast  chain  of  mountains  beyond  Clinch  river,  which  I  had  crossed, 
and  I  looked  forward,  with  interested  anxiety  and  eagerness,  toward 
the  great  ridge  of  mountains  which  I  had  still  to  pass  over. 

The  summit  of  this  ridge  is  the  most  lofty  of  all  the  Alleghany, 
is  nearly  a  mile  wide,  and  consists  of  excellent  strong,  rich  land 
of  a  deep  red  or  a  dark  reddish-brown  color,  with  very  large,  tall 
timber;  and  there  are  springs  of  water  almost  on  the  very  summit 
of  the  mountains.  When  we  rested  that  night  we  were  on  the 
waters  of  Warrior's  branch." 

We  give  no  more  of  this  diary,  for  our  traveler  has  now  passed 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  original  bounds  of  W^ashington  county. 

The  Governor  of  Virginia,  upon  the  receipt  of  the  letter  from 
John  Stuart,  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  immediately  set 
about  to  undo  what  had  been  done  by  the  treaty  at  Hard  Labor, 
S.  C.  He  thereupon  commissioned  Colonel  Andrew  Lewis  and  Dr. 
Thomas  Walker  to  visit  the  Indians  and  secure  a  new  line  from 
them.  On  the  5th  day  of  January,  1769,  they  began  their  journey 
t(y&(f^^  Carolina  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  Indians  and  nego- 
tiating with  them.  Dr.  Walker  and  Colonel  Lewis  returned  to  their 
homes  in  the  month  of  February  and  made  a  report  to  Lord  Bote- 
tourt, which  report  we  here  copy  in  full,  as  it  is  very  interesting, 
and  explains  fully  what  was  done : 

My  Lord, — On  receiving  your  Excellency's  instructions,  we  be- 


98  Southwest  Virginia,  1H6-1786. 

gan  our  journey  to  Charlestown,  South  Carolina;  on  the  fifth  day 
of  January,  we  waited  on  his  Excellency,  William  Tryon,  Esq.,  at 
Brunswick,  by  whom  we  were  kindly  received  and  promised  all  the 
assistance  in  his  power ;  on  the  next  day  we  went  to  Fort  Johnson, 
near  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  Eiver. 

On  the  8th,  Gov.  Tryon  wrote  us  that  some  Cherokee  Indians 
were  at  Brunswick,  that  Judds  Friend  and  Salue,  or  the  Young 
warrior  of  Estitoe,  were  two  of  them,  and  that  they  would  wait  up 
at  Fort  Jolmston.  His  Excellency  was  again  invited  to  go  with 
them.  On  their  arrival  we  informed  them  we  were  going  to  their 
father,  John  Stuart,  Esq.,  on  business  relative  to  the  Nation,  and 
should  be  glad  to  have  their  company,  and  they  readily  agreed  to 
come  with  us.  On  the  9th  the  ofiicer  we  had  engaged  was  ready  to 
sail,  and  we  embarked  with  the  two  Cherokee  Chiefs,  two  Squaws 
and  an  Interpreter.  On  the  11th,  we  waited  on  Mr.  Stuart,  de- 
livered your  Lordship's  letter  and  full  information  of  our  business. 

In  answer  Mr.  Stuart  told  us  that  the  Boundary  between  the 
Cherokees  and  Virginia  was  fully  settled  and  ratified  in  Great 
Britain,  and  that  any  proposal  of  that  kind  would  be  very  alarming 
to  them,  but  after  some  time  agreed  that  we  might  mention  it  to 
them,  which  we  did  on  the  13th  of  Jan'y.  The  Indian  Chiefs  ap- 
peared much  pleased,  and  agreed  to  wait  on  Mr.  Stuart  with  us,  and 
in  his  presence,  Judds  Friend  spoke  as  follows : 

Father, — On  an  invitation  from  Governor  Tryon,  we  left  our 
country  some  time  since;  Our  two  elder  Brothers,  Col.  Lewis  and 
Doctor  Walker,  from  Virginia,  who  had  matters  of  importance  to 
mention  to  us,  that  equally  concerned  our  people  as  well  as  theirs. 
His  news  gave  us  great  joy,  and  we  lost  no  time  in  waiting  on  them, 
and  with  great  pleasure  took  passage  with  them  in  order  to  wait 
on  you  on  the  business  which  was  much  concerning  us,  as  well  as 
their  people,  and  to  convince  you  that  we  like  their  talk,  we  now  take 
them  by  the  hand  giving  them  a  welcome,  and  present  them  with 
this  string  of  Wampum. 

Father, — They  tell  us  that  by  running  the  line  lately  mentioned, 
as  a  boundary  between  our  people  and  Virginia,  a  great  number  of 
their  people  will  fall  within  the  bounds  of  our  country,  which 
would  greatly  distress  these  our  poor  Brothers;  which  is  far  from 
our  intention.  And  to  evidence  to  you,  that  we  are  on  all  occasions, 
willing  to  testify  our  brotherly  affection  towards  them,  we  are 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  99 

heartily  willing  to  join  in  any  such  negotiations  as  may  be  thought 
necessary  and  most  expedient  for  fixing  a  new  Boundary,  that  may 
include  all  those  people  settled  in  our  lands  in  the  bounds  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  we  now  give  them  in  the  presence  of  you  our  Father,  this 
string  of  Wampum  as  an  assurance  that  those  people  shall  remain 
in  peaceable  possession  of  those  lands,  until  a  treaty  is  held  for  fix- 
ing a  new  Boundary,  between  them  and  our  people. 

Gives  a  string  of  Wampum. 

We  then  delivered  the  following  Talk  to  the  Warriors,  to  be  by 
them  communicated  to  their  Nation. 

To  the  Chiefs  of  the  CheroTcees: 

Brothers, — On  the  20th  day  of  December  last,  being  in  Williams- 
burg, we  received  instructions  from  Lord  Botetourt,  a  great  and 
good  man,  whom  the  great  King  George  has  sent  to  preside  over  his 
Colony  of  Virginia,  directing  us  to  wait  on  your  father,  John  Stu- 
art, Esq.,  Supt.  Indian  Affairs,  in  order  to  have  a  plan  agreed 
upon  for  fixing  a  new  Boundary  between  your  people  and  his 
Majesty's  subjects  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia.  On  our  way  to  the 
place,  to  our  great  joy,  we  met  with  our  good  brothers,  Judds 
Friend  and  the  Warrior  of  Estitoe,  who  with  great  readiness  took 
a  passage  with  us  from  Governor  Tryon,  to  this  place  where  we  had 
the  happiness  to  wait  upon  your  father,  Mr.  Stuart,  and  with  joint 
application,  represented  to  him  the  necessity  of  taking  such  meas- 
ures as  may  effectually  prevent  any  misunderstanding  that  might 
arise  between  his  Majesty's  subjects  of  the  Colony  of  Virginia  and 
our  brothers  the  Cherokees,  until  a  full  treaty  be  appointed  and 
held  for  the  fixing  a  new  Boundary  that  may  give  equal  justice  and 
satisfaction  to  the  parties  concerned,  and  that  his  Majesty's  sub- 
jects, now  settled  on  the  lands  between  Chiswell's  Mines,  and  the 
Great  Island  of  Holston  River,  remain  in  peaceable  possession  of 
said  lands,  until  a  line  is  run  between  them  and  our  good  brothers 
the  Cherokees,  who  will  receive  full  satisfaction  for  such  lands  as 
you,  our  brothers,  shall  convey  to  our  Great  King  for  the  use  of  his 
subjects.  I 

Your  Father,  Mr.  Stuart's,  message  to  you  on  this  head,  makes  it 
needless  for  us  to  say  any  more  on  this  subject.  He  will  let  you, 
at  a  proper  time,  know  both  the  time  and  place  where  this  great 
work  shall  be  brought  into  execution.     We  have  the  pleasure  to 


100  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

inform  j'oii  that  3'our  two  great  Warriors  now  present,  have  heartily 
concurred  with  us  in  every  measure  and  make  no  doubt  of  such 
measures  giving  great  satisfaction  to  the  whole  Nation. 
Gave  a  string  of  Wampum. 

Jan.  16th.  In  answer  to  which,  Judds  Friend  and  the  Warrior 
of  Estitoe  spoke  as  follows : 

Father:  and  our  Brothers  from  Virginia, — We  have  heard  your 
Talks,  which  we  think  very  good,  and  shall  with  all  convenient 
speed  return  to  our  Nation,  and  when  our  Chiefs  are  assembled 
shall  lay  these  Talks  before  them. 

Brothers, — We  are  sorry  to  have  it  to  say,  that  for  some  time  bad 
blood  and  evil  actions  prevailed  amongst  us,  which  occasioned  a 
stroke  from  our  Elder  Brothers;  but  now  we  have  the  satisfaction 
of  telling  you  that  our  hands  are  good  and  straight,  and  you  may  de- 
pend on  their  continuing  so,  and,  that  you  may  depend  the  more  on 
what  we  say,  we  take  off  these  black  beads  from  the  end  of 
this  string,  that  nothing  may  remain  but  what  is  pure  and  white, 
and  now  put  the  black  beads  in  your  hands,  which  we  call  the  re- 
mains of  our  evil  thoughts,  and  desire  you  may  now  cast  them 
away,  that  they  may  never  be  had  in  remembrance  more. 

Brothers, — We  shall  with  great  pleasure  comply  with  the  request 
that  yon  have  made  with  regard  to  the  lands  you  have  mentioned, 
and  shall  wait  with  impatience  for  a  general  meeting,  that  we  may 
have  opportunity  for  convincing  our  Elder  Brothers  of  our  friendly 
disposition  towards  them,  as  we  may  be  of  real  use  to  them,  for  to 
us  it  is  of  little  or  none,  as  we  never  hunt  there;  the  deer  do  not 
live  in  the  mountains,  and  you,  in  the  meantime,  may  depend  that 
your  people  shall  enjoy  peaceable  possession  until  we  make  a 
Treaty  with  the  Great  King. 

Brothers, — We  hope  the  measures  now  taken  will  be  productive  of 
many  advantages  to  our  people,  as  well  as  those  who  by  living  so 
much  nearer  to  us,  will  have  it  in  their  power  to  supply  us  with 
goods,  for  we  are  often  imposed  upon  greatly,  as  we  have  no  trade 
at  present  but  with  this  Province,  and  we  hope  you,  our  Brothers, 
will  signify  to  your  Governor,  whom  we  believe  to  be  that  great 
and  good  man  you  mention,  our  great  desire  to  have  a  trade  with 
Virginia,  that  after  this  business  is  happily  finished,  which  we 
make  no  doubt  of  on  the  part  of  our  Nation,  we  may  enjoy  a 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  101 

friendly  intercourse  and  have  an  advantageous  trade  with  our 
Brothers,  the  Inhabitants  of  Virginia. 

Brothers, — We  have  often  joined  you  in  war  against  your  ene- 
mies and  you  may  always  depend  on  our  assistance  on  any  future 
occasion. 

Gives  a  string  of  Wampum. 

After  we  had  given  Mr.  Stuart  the  reasons  for  thinking  it  ab- 
solutely necessary  that  the  new  Boundary  should  be  agreed  upon, 
he  desired  us  to  commit  these  reasons  in  writing  and  sign  them: 
which  we  did  in  the  following  words : 

Sir, — His  Excellency,  the  Eight  Honorable  ISTorborne,  the  Lord 
Botetourt,  Governor  in  Chief  of  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  and  the 
King's  Coimcil  of  that  Dominion,  having  ordered  us  to  wait  on  you 
and  assist  in  settling  the  Boundary  line  between  that  Colony  and 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  we  beg  leave  to  inform  you  that  the  line  pro- 
posed to  be  marked  from  Chiswell's  Mines  to  the  confluence  of  the 
Great  Kanawha  and  the  Ohio,  would  be  a  great  disadvantage  to 
the  Crown  of  Great  Britain,  and  would  injure  many  subjects  of 
Britain  that  now  inhabit  that  part  of  the  frontier,  and  have  in  mak- 
ing that  settlement  complied  with  every  known  rule  of  government 
and  the  laws  of  that  Colony. 

Lands  were  first  granted  on  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  by  Sir 
William  Gooch  of  Virginia,  and  the  Council  about  the  year  1746, 
in  consequence  of  instructions  from  England,  and  many  families 
settled  on  the  lands  so  granted.  In  the  year  1752,  the  Legislature 
of  Virginia  passed  an  act  to  encourage  settlers  on  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi.  By  that  act  they  were  exempted  from  the  payment  of 
taxes  for  ten  years.  To  this  act  his  late  Majesty,  of  glorious  mem- 
ory, gives  assent.  The  next  year  another  act  was  passed,  by  which 
five  years'  indulgence  was  added,  and  in  that  or  the  succeeding 
year  Eobert  Dinwiddle,  Esq.,  Governor  of  Virginia  at  that  time, 
received  instructions  from  King  George  2nd.  to  grant  lands  on 
these  waters,  exempted  from  the  payment  of  the  usual  right  money 
and  free  from  Quit-rents  for  ten  years. 

Under  these  encouragements  was  that  part  of  the  Colony  settled. 
Whilst  the  inhabitants  were  settling  on  these  lands,  the  Cherokee 
Indians  were  frequently  at  their  habitations,  and  never  that  we, 
either  of  us,  ever  heard  made  the  slightest  complaint  of  our  settling, 


102  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

or  laid  any  claim  to  the  lands  we  settled,  until  ISTovember,  1763, 
after  the  King's  proclamation  issued  in  that  year. 

The  Six  Nations  both  claimed  the  lands  that  were  settled  on  the 
branches  of  the  rivers  Kanawha  and  Monongahely  and  were  paid 
a  proper  consideration  for  them  at  Lancaster,  in  1744,  when  they 
executed  a  deed  of  cession  to  his  late  Majesty. 

We  flatter  ourselves  that  the  above  is  sufiScient  to  convince  you 
of  the  justice  and  legality  of  making  those  settlements.  The 
Boundary  line  that  has  been  proposed  would  include  many  of  the 
inhabitants  above  mentioned  within  the  limits  of  the  Cherokee 
Hunting  Grounds.  For  all  such  lands  and  improvements,  the  jus- 
tice of  the  crown  would  be  an  inducement  to  make  some  satisfac- 
tion to  the  owners  which  would  be  expense  to  the  crown  and  injure 
the  inhabitants  much  and  totally  ruin  many  of  them,  and  the 
evil  would  be  increased  by  the  loss  of  the  Quit-rents  paid  for 
these  lands,  and  would  also  give  the  Cherokees  a  large  tract  of  coun- 
try that  was  never  claimed  by  them  and  now  is  the  property  of  the 
crown,  as  Sir  William  Johnson  actually  purchased  it  of  the  Six 
United  Nations  of  Indians  at  a  very  considerable  expense,  and 
took  a  deed  of  cession  from  them  at  Fort  Stanwix,  near  the  head 
of  Mohock's  Eiver,  on  the  5th  day  of  November  last. 

The  interest  of  the  crown  and  the  inhabitants  of  Virginia  will 
be  most  served  by  fixing  the  Boundary  with  the  Cherokees  in  36° 
30m.  North  Latitude,  that  Boundary  being  already  marked  by  proper 
authority  as  far  as  Steep  Eock  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Cherokee 
Eiver,  and  is  the  proper  division  between  Lord  Granville's  Pro- 
prietary and  the  Dominion  of  Virginia,  and  includes  but  a  small 
part  of  the  lands  now  claimed  by  the  Cherokees,  they  having  often 
disclaimed  the  lands  lying  between  the  Ohio  and  a  ridge  of  moun- 
tains called  Sheep  Eidge,  that  divides  the  waters  of  the  Cumber- 
land Eiver  from  those  of  the  Cherokee  Eiver.  This  boundary  will 
give  room  to  extend  our  settlements  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  will 
raise  a  considerable  sum  by  the  Eights,  much  increase*  the  Quit- 
rents,  and  enable  the  Inhabitants  of  Virginia  to  live  thus  manu- 
facturing such  material  as  they  raise. 

ANDREV7    LeWIS^ 

Thomas   Walker. 
Feb.  2nd.  1769. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.         *  103 

Thus  it  will  appear  that  Colonel  Lewis  and  Dr.  Walker  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  from  the  Indian  chiefs  the  assurance  that  the 
settlers  on  the  land  in  Southwest  Virginia  should  remain  in 
peaceable  possession  of  their  homes  until  a  treaty  could  be  held  fix- 
ing new  bounds  between  them.  Acting  upon  this  assurance,  emigra- 
tion to  the  land  continued,  and  during  this  year  James  Bryan 
settled  near  the  present  residence  of  Captain  Kendrick,  Moab,  Va., 
and  erected  Bryan's  Fort,  William  Cocke  settled  upon  Spring  creek, 
then  called  Eenfro's  creek,  and  erected  Cocke's  fort,  near  the  present 
residence  of  C.  L.  Clyce.  Anthony  Bledsoe  settled  in  the  lower  end 
of  this  county  about  thirty  miles  east  of  Long  Island,  on  the  Fort 
Chiswell  road,  and  afterwards  built  Bledsoe's  Fort.  Amos  Eaton 
settled  seven  miles  east  of  Long  Island,  where  Eaton's  Fort  was 
afterwards  built,  and  by  the  beginning  of  the  year  1770  there  were 
many  settlers  upon  Holston. 

The  first  settlers  of  the  Liberty  Hall  neighborhood  were  the 
Edmistons,  Moores  and  Buchanans.     The  first  name  was  written  ■' 
Edmiston  until  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago.     All  the  land  from  ( 
Liberty  Hall  to  some  distance  east  of  Friendship  was  held  by  j 
William  Edmiston  under  a  grant  from  Charles  II,  King  of  Eng- 
land, and  under  the  King's  proclamation  of  1763,  Edmiston  being 
an  officer  in  the  French-Indian  war  of  1754-1763. 

Fort  Edmiston  was  built  by  the  settlers  as  a  protection  against 
the  Indians,  who  made  frequent  inroads  on  the  settlements.  As 
nearly  as  can  be  learned,  it  was  built  about  1765. 

The  site  was  about  three  hundred  yards  east  of  Liberty  Academy. 
The  old  Keys'  dwelling,  now  owned  by  William  Snodgrass,  stands 
on  the  site  of  the  old  fort.  A  soldier  by  the  name  of  Edmiston 
died  at  the  fort  and  was  the  first  person  buried  in  the  old  Moore 
graveyard. 

The  Indians  made  frequent  attacks  on  the  fort  and,  in  one,  cap- 
tured and  carried  off  a  Miss  Steele.  The  Indians  were  followed  by 
parties  from  the  fort,  and  she  was  recaptured  on  Walker's  moun- 
tain. She  was  traced  by  means  of  twigs,  which  she  had  presence 
of  mind  enough  to  break  off  along  the  road. 

Several  persons  from  the  fort  were  in  the  battle  at  King's  Moun- 
tain, among  whom  were  the  eight  Edmistons  and  William  Moore. 
Several  of  the  former  were  killed.  They  were  the  ancestors  of 
<he  Edmondsons  of  this  day. 


104  •         Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

Fort  Edmiston  was  one  of  the  first  forts  erected  in  this  section. 
Fort  Thompson,  six  miles  northeast  of  Liberty  Hall,  on  the  Huff, 
formerly  the  Byars  place,  was  erected  about  the  same  time.  It  was 
named  for  Captain  James  Thompson,  who  owned  the  property  at 
that  time,  and  it  remained  many  years  after  the  revolution. 

Tradition  says  Fort  Edmiston  ceased  to  exist  about  the  year 
1800. 

The  first  settlers  in  Widener's  Valley  were  John  Widener,  Paul- 
ser  Eouse  and  John  Jones.  They  came  from  Germany,  a  few  years 
prior  to  the  Eevolutionary  War,  or  about  1767.  They  first  settled 
in  Pennsylvania,  but  afterwards  came  to  this  country  and  settled 
temporarily  near  Fort  Thompson.  x\fter  remaining  there  a  short 
time,  they  removed  to  the  valley.  John  Widener  located  near  W. 
M.  Widener's  mill,  and  Jones  and  Eouse  in  the  lower  end  of  the 
valley. 

In  order  to  raise  money  to  get  away  from  Germany,  John 
Widener  pawned  or  bartered  his  son  Mike,  a  boy  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  old.  John  Widener  found  employment  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  earned  money  enough  to  redeem  Mike.  Mike  tlien  followed 
his  father  to  the  New  World.  He  arrived  just  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  revolution,  joined  Washington's  army,  was  a  brave  sol- 
dier, acted  as  interpreter  when  the  Hessians  were  captured,  and 
appears  to  have  been  a  favorite  of  Washington's,  who  called  him 
"Mikey." 

After  the  revolution  Mike  followed  his  father  and  settled  in  the 
valley  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Lilburn  Widener  farm.  Mike 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  Joel  Widener,  now  living,  is  a 
grandson.  The  present  generation  are  all  descendants  of  John 
and  Mike.  Several  families  of  Eouses,  descendants  of  Paulser,  still 
live  in  the  valley. 

At  the  time  of  these  early  settlements  there  were  a  good  many 
Indians  hunting  and  fishing  in  and  near  the  valley.  They  were 
very  peaceable,  however.  Two  large  Indian  camps  were  established 
— one  on  the  Middle  Fork  at  a  point  east  of  the  New  Bridge;  the 
other  in  the  lower  end  of  the  valley.  Of  the  latter  many  evidences 
still  remain. 

John  and  Michael  Fleenor  settled  in  Poor  Valley;  Casper  Flee- 
nor  in  Eich  Valley,  on  the  head  waters  of  what  is  now  called  Gas- 
per's creek,  and  Nicholas  Fleenor  settled  at  the  Lilburn  Fleenor 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  105 

place  in  Eich  Valley,  below  Benhams.  The  four  persons  named 
were  of  German  descent  and  brothers,  and  are  the  ancestors  of 
many  of  our  best  citizens. 

At  this  point  it  may  be  appropriate  to  give  a  description  of  the 
early  forts  erected  by  the  settlers  in  the  West. 

My  readers  will  understand  by  this  term,  not  only  a  place  of  de- 
fence, but  the  residence  of  a  small  number  of  families  belonging 
to  the  neighborhood. 

As  the  Indian's  mode  of  warfare  was  an  indiscriminate  slaugh- 
ter of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  it  was  as  requisite  to  provide  for  the 
safety  of  the  women  and  children  as  for  that  of  the  men.  The  fort 
consisted  of  cabins,  block-houses  and  stockades.  A  range  of  cabins 
commonly  formed  one  side,  at  least,  of  the  fort.  Divisions  or  par- 
titions of  logs  separated  the  cabins  one  from  another.  The  walls 
on  the  outside  were  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  the  slope  of  the  roof 
being  turned  wholly  inward.  Very  few  of  these  cabins  had  plank 
floors ;  the  greater  part  were  earthen. 

The  block-houses  were  built  at  the  angles  of  the  fort.  They  pro- 
jected about  two  feet  beyond  the  outer  walls  of  the  cabins  and 
stockades.  Their  upper  stories  were  about  eighteen  inches,  every 
way,  larger  in  dimension  than  the  under  one,  leaving  an  opening 
at  the  commencement  of  the  second  story  to  prevent  the  enemy 
from  making  a  lodgement  under  their  walls. 

In  some  forts,  instead  of  block-houses,  the  angles  of  the  fort 
were  finished  with  bastions.  A  large  folding  gate,  made  of  thick 
slabs  nearest  the  spring,  closed  the  fort. 

The  stockades,  bastions,  cabins  and  block-house  walls  were  fur- 
nished with  port-holes  at  proper  heights  and  distances.  The  whole 
of  the  outside  was  made  bullet-proof.  It  may  be  truly  said  that 
"necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention,"  for  the  whole  of  this 
work  was  made  without  the  aid  of  a  shingle,  nail,  or  spike  of  iron, 
because  such  things  were  not  to  be  had.  In  some  places  less  exposed 
a  single  block-house,  with  a  cabin  or  two,  constituted  the  whole 
fort.* 

In  this  same  year  Daniel  Boone,  John  Finley,  John  Stuart  and 
a  few  others,  as  well  as  numerous  other  companies  of  hunters  who 
are  of  no  importance  in  the  history  of  this  country,  explored  Ken- 

*Dodridge. 


106  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jk6-n86. 

tucky  and  hunted  throughout  Southwest  Virginia,  East  Tennes- 
see and  Eastern  Kentucky. 

In  the  year  1769  there  occurred  a  circumstance  that  greatly  aided 
the  early  settlers  of  Southwest  Virginia  and  Eastern  Tennessee  in 
settling  this  country  and  in  conquering  their  Indian  neighbors,  the 
Cherokees. 

The  Cherokee  Indians  were  exceedingly  overbearing  in  their  dis- 
position and  they  sought  a  quarrel  with  the  Chickasaw  Indians  and 
invaded  their  country. 

When  they  had  reached  the  Chickasaw  Old  Fields,  they  were  met 
by  the  Chickasaw  warriors.  After  a  terrible  battle  the  Cherokees 
were  defeated  with  great  loss  and  retreated  to  their  own  villages. 
The  very  flower  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  were  destroyed  in  this  bat- 
tle, and,  the  number  of  their  warriors  being  greatly  reduced,  for 
seven  years  the  early  settlers  were  permitted  to  pursue  their  course 
in  peace. 

All  of  the  incidents  above  related  occurred  while  the  lands,  now 
included  in  Washington  county,  were  a  part  of  Augusta  county,  but 
in  the  year  1769,  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia  passed  an  act 
for  the  division  of  Augusta  county,  and  all  that  part  of  Augusta 
county  lying  south  and  west  of  the  North  river,  near  Lexington, 
Va.,  was  given  the  name  of  Botetourt  county,  and  thus  a  new  county 
was  formed,  which  included  all  that  part  of  Virginia  in  which  we 
live  and  about  which  I  write. 

The  act  establishing  Botetourt  county  provided  that  from  and 
after  the  31st  day  of  January  next  ensuing,  1770,  the  said  county 
and  parish  of  Augusta  be  divided  into  two  counties  and  parishes  by 
a  line  beginning  at  the  Blue  Eidge,  running  north  55  degrees  west 
to  the  confluence  of  Mary's  creek,  or  the  South  river,  with  the  north 
branch  of  James  river,  thence  up  the  same  to  the  mouth  of  Carr's 
creek,  thence  up  said  creek  to  the  mountain,  thence  north  55  degrees 
west  as  far  as  the  courts  of  the  two  counties  had  it  extended,  and 
further.  Whereas  the  people  situated  on  the  waters  of  the  Mis- 
sisippi  in  the  said  county  of  Botetourt  will  be  very  remote  from 
their  courthouse  and  must  necessarily  become  a  separate  county  as 
soon  as  their  numbers  are  sufficient,  which  probably  will  happen  in 
a  short  time,  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that 
the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  said  county  of  Botetourt  which  lies 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  107 

on  the  said  waters  shall  be  exempted  from  the  payment  of  any 
levies  to  be  laid  by  the  said  county  court  for  the  purpose  of  building 
a  courthouse  and  prison  for  said  county. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  organization  of  the  county  of  Bote- 
tourt was  intended  to  be  temporary  only. 


108  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

SOUTHWEST  VIEGINIA— BOTETOUET  COUNTY. 

1770-1773. 

The  first  Coimty  Court  of  Botetourt  county  met  at  the  house  of 
Eobert  Breckenridge^  near  the  location  of  Fincastle,  Va.,  on  Tues- 
day, the  13th  of  February,  1770.  The  justices  composing  the  court 
were : 

^William  Preston,  David  Eobinson, 

George  Skillem,  James  Trimble 

Eichard  Woods,  John  Maxwell 

Benjamin  Hawkins,  William  Fleming, 

Benjamin  Estill,  Israel  Christian, 

John  Bowyer,  Jlobert  Breckenridge. 

A  number  of  the  members  of  this  court  were  not  present  on  the 
first  day  of  the  court,  but  were  subsequently  qualified.  The  follow- 
ing officers  qualified  on  that  day: 

County  Court  Clerk,  John  May. 
Sheriff  Botetourt  county,  Eichard  Woods. 

Deputy  Sheriffs  Botetourt  county,  Jas.  McDowell  and  Jas.  Mc- 
Gavock. 

County  Surveyor,  William  Preston. 
Escheator,  William  Preston. 
Coroner,  Andrew  Lewis. 
Colonel  of  Militia,  William  Preston. 

The  attorneys  qualifying  to  practice  in  the  court  were: 

Edmund  Winston,  John  Aylett, 

Luke  Bowyer,  Thomas  Madison. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  109 

On  the  14tli  day  of  February,  1770,  the  following  magistrates 
qualified  and  took  their  seats : 

John  Bowman,  Anthony  Bledsoe, 

AVilliam  Christian,  Walter  Crockett, 

Robert  Doach,  John  Howard, 

William  Herbert,  William  Inglis, 

Phili])  Love,  Andrew  Lewis, 

John  Montgomery,  James  McGavock, 

William  Matthews,  William  McKee, 

James  Eobertson,  Francis  Smith, 

Stephen  Trigg,  Andrew  Woods. 

And  on  the  11th  day  of  June,  1771,  the  following  members  of  the 
court  qualified: 

John  Van  Bebber,  James  Thompson,  of  Holstou, 

John  Stewart,  Matthew  Arbuckle. 

Botetourt  county  was  named  for  Lord  Botetourt,  Governor  of 
Virginia,  in  1768,  and  the  county  seat  was  fixed  at  the  present  loca- 
tion of  Finscastle,  Va.,  upon  forty  acres  of  land  presented  to  the 
county  for  a  town  seat  by  Israel  Christian.  Fincastle  was  named 
for  the  county  seat  of  Lord  Botetourt  in  England,  and  was  estab- 
lished as  a  town  by  law  in  1772. 

Of  the  members  of  the  County  Court  of  Botetourt  county,  James 
Eobertson,  Anthony  Bledsoe  and  James  Thompson  had  their  resi- 
dence upon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  the  Watauga.  On  the 
second  day  of  the  court,  being  February  14,  1770,  Frederick  Stern 
and  Eobert  Davis  were  appointed  constables  upon  the  Holston  river ; 
on  the  12th  of  June,  1770,  William  Pruitt  was  appointed  a  con- 
stable upon  the  waters  of  the  Clinch,  and  Arthur  Campbell  was 
appointed  surveyor  of  the  roads  from  the  State  line  to  the  Eoyal 
Oak,  and  James  Davis  from  the  Eoyal  Oak  to  his  house. 

On  the  13th  of  March,  1770,  Arthur  Campbell  obtained  permis- 
sion from  the  County  Court  of  Botetourt  county  to  erect  a  mill  at 
Eoyal  Oak,  on  the  Holston,  and  there  can  be  no  question  that  this 
was  the  first  mill  erected  upon  any  of  the  waters  of  the  Holston  or 
Clinch  river. 

On  the  same  day  Francis  Kincannon  was  appointed  surveyor  of 
the  roads  from  Stalnaker's  to  Eighteen  Mile  creek;  Thomas  Eam- 


110  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

say  from  said  creek  to  Beaver,  or  Shallow,  creek,  and  David  Looney 
from  said  creek  to  Fall  creek. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1770,  xVnthony  Bledsoe  was  appointed  to 
take  the  tithables  from  Stalnaker's  to  the  lowest  inhabitants. 

The  next  order  of  the  County  Court  of  Botetourt  county,  of  any 
importance  in  the  history  of  this  county,  was  made  on  the  14th  of 
August,  1771,  when  the  County  Court  ordered  that  Andrew  Colvill, 
George  Adams,  George  Tiller,  George  Baker,  David  Ward  and 
Alexander  Wilie,  or  any  three  of  them,  being  first  sworn  to  view 
the  way  from  the  head  of  Holston  river  to  the  Wolf  Hill  creek,  both 
the  old  and  the  new  way,  make  report  to  the  next  court  of  the  con- 
veniences and  inconveniences  thereof.  The  records  of  Botetourt 
county  fail  to  show  that  this  report  was  ever  made  or  that  the  road 
was  established,  but  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  road  was 
established  and  used,  and,  if  so,  this  was  the  first  public  road  estab- 
lished upon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  or  Clinch  river.  The  fore- 
going is  all  the  information  that  the  records  of  Botetourt  county 
give  of  any  of  the  people  living  upon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and 
Clinch  rivers. 

The  one  matter  of  supreme  importance  to  the  inhabitants  of  this 
section  of  Virginia  at  that  time  was  the  extinguishment  of  the 
claims  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  to  the  lands  which  they  were  set- 
tling and  occupying,  and,  pursuant  to  instructions,  John  Stuart, 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  assembled  the  Indian  chiefs  at 
Lochaber,  S.  C,  October  18,  1770,  and  on  Monday,  October  22, 
1770,  he  succeeded  in  concluding  a  treaty  with  the  chiefs  and  war- 
riors of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  by  which  George  III,  King  of  Eng- 
land, became  the  owner  of  all  the  lands  lying  east  of  a  line 
beginning  at  a  point  where  the  North  Carolina  (now  Tennessee) 
line  terminates  at  a  run,  thence  in  a  west  course  to  Holston  river, 
where  it  is  intersected  by  a  continuation  of  the  line  dividing  the 
Province  of  North  Carolina  (now  Tennessee)  and  Virginia,  and 
thence  in  a  straight  course  to  the  confluence  of  the  Great  Canaway 
river,  the  treaty  being  here  given  in  full : 

TREATY. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  principal  Chiefs  and  Warriors  of  the  Cherokee 
Nation  with  John  Stuart,  Esq.,  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs, 
etc.,  Lochaber,  South  Carolina,  Oct.  18th,  1770. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  Ill 

Present  Colo.  Donelson  by  appointment  of  his  Excellency,  the 
Eight  Honorable  Lord  Botetourt,  in  behalf  of  the  Province  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

Alex'r  Cameron,  Deputy  Superintendent ;  James  Simpson,  Clk  of 
his  Majesty's  Council  of  South  Carolina;  Major  Lacy,  from  Vir- 
ginia ;  Major  Williamson,  Capt.  Cohoon,  John  Caldwell,  Esq.,  Cap- 
tain Winter,  Christopher  Peters,  Esq.,  besides  a  great  number  of  the 
back  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  fol- 
lowing chiefs  of  the  Cherokee  Nation:  Oconistoto,  Killagusta,  At- 
tacallaculla,  Keyatory,  Tiftoy,  Terreaino,  Encyod  Tugalo,  Scali- 
loskie  Chinista,  Chinista  of  Watangali,  Octaciti  of  Hey  Wassie,  and 
about  a  thousand  other  Indians  of  the  same  Nation. 

John  Watts,  'j  ' 

David  McDonald,   I  Interpreters. 

John  Vans,  j 

Treaty,  Monday,  22nd  Oct. 

At  a  Congress  of  the  principal  chiefs  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  held 
at  Lochaber,  in  the  province  of  South  Carolina^  on  the  18th  day 
of  October  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1770,  by  John  Stuart,  Esq.,  his 
Majesty's  agent  for  and  Superintendent  of  the  Affairs  of  the  In- 
dian Nation  in  the  Southern  district  of  North  America. 

A  Treaty  for  a  cession !  His  most  sacred  Majesty,  George  the 
Third,  by  the  grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain,  France  and  Ireland, 
King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  etc.,  by  the  said  Nation  of  Cherokee 
Indians,  of  certain  lands  lying  within  the  limits  of  the  Dominion  of 
Virginia. 

Whereas  by  a  Treaty  entered  into  and  concluded  at  Hard  Labor, 
the  14th  day  of  Oct.  in  the  year  1768,  by  John  Stuart,  Esq.  his 
Majesty's  Agent  for  and  Superintendent  of  the  affairs  of  the  In- 
dian Nations,  inhabiting  the  southern  district  of  North  America, 
with  the  principal  and  ruling  Chiefs  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  all  of 
the  lands  formerly  claimed  by,  and  belonging  to  the  said  Nation  of 
Indians,  lying  within  the  province  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia, 
running  in  a  N.  B.  E.  course,  to  Colo.  Chiswell's  mine  on  the  East- 
ern bank  of  the  Great  Canaway,  and  from  thence  in  a  straight  line 
to  the  mouth  of  the  said  Great  Canaway  river,  where  it  discharges 
itself  into  the  Ohio  river,  were  ceded  to  his  most  sacred  Majesty,  his 


113  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

heirs  and  sucessors.  And  whereas  by  the  above  recited  Treaty,  all 
the  lands  lying  between  Holston's  Eiver,  and  the  line  above  specified 
were  determined  to  belong  to  the  Cherokee  Nation  to  the  great  loss 
and  inconvenience  of  many  of  his  Majesty's  subjects  inhabiting  the 
said  lands;  and  representation  of  the  same  having  been  made  to 
his  Majesty  by  his  Excellency,  the  Et  Hon'ble  ISTorborne,  Baron  de 
Botetourt,  his  Majesty's  Lieutenant  and  Governor  General  of  the 
dominion  of  Virginia.  In  Consequence  whereof,  his  Majesty  has 
been  generously  pleased  to  signify  his  Eoyal  pleasure  to  John  Stu- 
art, Esq.,  his  Agent  for  and  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  in  the 
Southern  District  of  North  America,  by  an  instruction  contained 
in  a  letter  from  the  Et.  Hon'ble  the  Earl  of  Hillsborough,  one  of 
his  Majesty's  principal  Secretaries  of  State,  dated  the  13th  of  May, 
1769,  to  enter  into  a  negotiation  with  the  Cherokees  for  establishing 
a  new  boundary  line  beg'g  at  the  point  where  the  No.  Carolina  line 
terminates,  and  to  run  thence  in  a  west  course  to  Holston's  Eiver, 
where  it  is  intersected  by  a  continuance  of  the  line  dividing  the 
province  of  North  Carolina  &  Virginia,  and  thence  a  straight  course 
to  the  confluence  of  the  Great  Canaway  and  Ohio  Elvers. 
Dec.  12,  1770. 

Article  1st. 

Pursuant  therefore  to  his  Majesty's  orders  to  &  power  and  autho- 
rity vested  in  John  Stuart,  Esqr.  Agent  for  and  Superintendent  of 
the  Affairs  of  the  Indian  Tribes  in  the  Southern  District:  It  is 
agreed  upon  by  the  said  John  Stuart,  Esqr.  on  behalf  of  his  most 
sacred  Majesty,  George  Third,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great 
Britain,  France  and  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  etc.,  and 
by  the  subscribing  Cherokee  Chiefs  and  Warriors  on  behalf  of  their 
said  Nation  in  consideration  of  his  Majesty's  paternal  goodness,  so 
often  demonstrated  to  them,  the  said  Cherokee  Indians,  and  from 
their  affection  and  friendship  for  their  Brethren,  the  Inhabi- 
tants of  Virginia  as  well  as  their  earnest  desire  of  removing  as  far 
as  possible  all  cause  of  dispute  between  them  and  the  said  inhabi- 
tants on  account  of  encroachments  on  lands  reserved  by  the  said  In- 
dians for  themselves,  and  also  for  a  valuable  consideration  in 
various  sorts  of  goods  paid  to  them  by  the  said  John  Stuart,  on 
behalf  of  the  Dominion  of  Virginia  that  the  hereafter  recited  line  be 
ratified  and  confirmed,  and  it  is  hereby  ratified  and  confirmed  ac- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  113 

cordingly :  and  it  is  by  these  presents  firmly  stipulated  and  agreed 
iipon  by  the  parties  aforesaid  that  a  line  beginning  where  the  boun- 
dary line  between  the  province  of  No.  Carolina  and  the  Cherokee 
hunting  grounds  terminates  and  running  thence  in  a  west  course 
to  a  point  six  miles  east  of  Long  Island  in  Holston's  river  and  thence 

to  said  river  six  miles  above  the  said  Long  Island,  thence  in  a 

course  to  the  confluence  of  the  Great  Canaway  and  Ohio  rivers, 
shall  remain  and  be  deemed  by  all  his  Majesty's  white  subjects 
as  well  as  all  the  Indians  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  the  true  and 
just  boundaries  of  the  lands  reserved  by  the  said  Nation  of  Indians 
for  their  own  proper  use,  and  dividing  the  same  from  the  lands 
ceded  by  them  to  his  Majesty's  within  the  limits  of  the  province  of 
Virginia,  and  that  his  Majesty's  white  subjects,  inhabiting  the  pro- 
vince of  Virginia,  shall  not,  upon  any  pretense  whatsoever,  settle 
beyond  the  said  line,  nor  shall  the  said  Indians  make  any  settlements 
or  encroachments  on  the  lands  which  by  this  treaty  they  cede  and 
confirm  to  his  Majesty;  and  it  is  further  agreed  that  as  soon  as  his 
Majesty's  royal  approbation  of  this  treaty  shall  have  been  signified 
to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  or  Superintendent,  this  treaty  shall  be 
carried  into  execution. 

Article  2nd. 

And  it  is  further  agreed  upon  and  stipulated  by  the  contracting 
parties,  that  no  alteration  whatsoever  shall  henceforward  be  made  in 
the  boundary  line  above  recited,  and  now  solemnly  agreed  upon,  ex- 
cept such  as  may  hereafter  be  found  expedient  and  necessary  for 
the  mutual  interest  of  both  parties,  and  which  alteration  shall  be 
made  with  the  consent  of  the  Superintendent  or  such  other  person 
or  persons  as  shall  be  authorized  by  his  Majesty,  as  well  as  with  the 
consent  and  approbation  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  of  Indians,  at  a 
Congress  or  general  meeting  of  said  Indians,  to  be  held  for  said 
purpose,  and  not  in  any  other  manner. 

In  testimony  whereof,  the  said  Superintendent,  on  behalf  of  his 
Majesty,  and  the  underwritten  Cherokee  Chiefs  on  behalf  of  their 
Nation  have  signed  and  sealed  this  present  treaty  at  the  time  and 
place  aforesaid. 

John  Stuart,  (L.  S.) 

Oconistoto,  YC,  (L.  C.) 

Kittagusta,  0.,  (L.  C.) 


114  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Attacallaculla,  X.,  (L.  C.) 

Keyatoy's  mark  ISTG.,  (L.  C.) 

Unkayonla,  C,  (L.  C.) 

Chuckamuntas,  C,  (L.  C) 

Kinalilaps,  NG.,  (L.  C.) 

Skyagusta  Tucelicis,  S.,  (L.  C.) 

Wolf  of  Keewees,  G.,  (L.  C.) 

Skyagusta  Tiftoy,  (L.  C.) 

Terrapino,  (L.  C.) 

Ency  of  Tugalo,  (L.  C.) 

Scalil^^skey  of  Sugar  Town,  (L.  C.) 
Thus  all  claim  asserted  by  both  the  northern  and  southern  In- 
dians to  any  of  the  lands  located  within  the  present  bounds  of 
Washington  county  was  extinguished,  and  the  settlement  of  these 
lands  was  greatly  expedited  thereby.  This  portion  of  Virginia  now 
opened  to  settlement  was  one  vast  forest  overspreading  a  limestone 
soil  of  great  fertility  and  excellently  watered,  and  this,  accompa- 
nied by  the  comparative  security  and  quiet  succeeding  the  French- 
Indian  war  of  1763,  contributed  greatly  to  the  rapid  settlement  of 
Southwestern  Virginia. 

In  the  year  1770,  Col.  James  Knox,*  accompanied  by  about 
forty  hunters  from  the  settlements  on  New  river,  Holston  and 
Clinch,  passed  oved  the  Cumberland  mountains  for  the  purpose  of 
hunting  and  trapping,  and  penetrated  to  the  lower  Cumberland. 
They  were  equipped  with  their  rifles,  traps  and  dogs,  and  the 
usual  outfit  of  backwoods  hunters,  and  thus  originated  the  name 
Long  Hunters.  The  usual  mode  of  hunting  followed  by  what  were 
known  as  the  Long  Hunters,  in  those  days,  was  for  not  more  than 
two  or  three  men  to  go  in  one  company,  each  man  having  two 
horses,  traps,  a  large  surplus  of  powder  and  lead,  a  small  hand  vise 
and  bellows  and  files  and  screw  plates  for  the  purpose  of  fixing 
guns,  if  any  should  get  out  of  fix.  They  usually  set  out  from  their 
homes  about  the  first  of  October  and  returned  the  latter  part  of 
March  or  first  of  April.  The  most  noted  Long  Hunters  were 
Elisha  Walden,  William  Carr,  William  Crabtree,  James  Aldridge, 
William  Pitman  and  Henry  Scaggs. 

During  the  season  above  mentioned,  large  numbers  of  hunters 


*Afterwards  Gen.  Knox.     The  last  named  erected  a  fort  near  the  present 
site  of  Kiioxville,  Tenn.,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Fort  Knox. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  115 

visited  the  valleys  of  the  Holston,  Clinch  and  Powell's  rivers,  and 
oftentimes  penetrated  into  the  very  heart  of  Kentucky. 

In  the  year  1771,  Absalom  Looney  settled  in  Abb's  Valley,  Taze- 
well county,  Virginia,  and  from  him  the  valley  received  its  name. 
Thomas  Witten  and  John  Greenup  settled  at  Crab  Orchard,  a  few 
miles  west  of  Tazewell  C.  H. ;  Mathias,  Jacob  and  Henry  Harmon 
settled  a  few  miles  east  of  Tazewell  C.  H.,  and  John  Craven, 
Joseph  Martin,  John  Henry,  James  King  and  John  Bradshaw  set- 
tled in  Tazewell  county,  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Clinch. 

In  the  year  1771,  a  company  of  about  twenty  men  from  near 
the  Natural  Bridge  in  Virginia  and  from  the  New  river  settle- 
ments met  about  eight  miles  below  Fort  Chiswell  on  New  river, 
whence  they  traveled  to  the  head  of  the  Holston,  and  thence  down 
the  Holston  Valley,  and  on  into  Kentucky,  where  they  continued 
to  hunt  for  about  nine  months. 

The  Holston  settlements  received  during  this  year  a  large  num- 
ber of  emigrants  from  North  Carolina.  The  government  of  North 
Carolina  was  in  the  hands  of  a  class  of  people  who  were  very 
haughty  and  oppressive  in  their  manner  towards  the  poorer  classes 
of  citizens,  which  caused  great  numbers  of  the  people  of  North 
Carolina  to  organize  themselves  into  bands  called  Regulators. 
They  petitioned  Governor  Tryon  for  relief,  which  was  denied;  tu- 
mult and  violence  succeeded,  the  courts  were  prevented  from  sit- 
ting and  the  laws  were  disobeyed.  The  principal  ground  of  com- 
plaint was  that  the  people  were  taxed  without  the  right  to  vote  and 
send  representatives  to  the  House  of  Commons  of  North  Carolina. 
About  three  thousand  Eegulators  banded  themselves  together,  and 
on  the  16th  of  May,  1771,  a  battle  was  fought  at  the  Alamance, 
between  the  Regulators  and  the  forces  commanded  by  Governor 
Tryon.  The  Regulators,  being  undisciplined  and  poorly  armed, 
were  defeated  with  the  loss  of  nine  killed  and  many  wounded,  the 
Governor's  forces  having  lost  twenty-seven  killed  and  many 
wounded.  And  thus  it  is  said  was  fought  the  first  battle  of  the 
Revolution,  and  thus  was  shed  the  first  blood  for  the  enjoyment 
of  liberty.  The  Eegulators  being  thus  defeated  and  dispersed, 
many  of  their  number  found  homes  on  the  waters  of  the  Holston 
and  Clinch  rivers.  At  this  time  the  settlements  extended  down  the 
north  side  of  the  Holston  river  as  far  as  Carter's  Valley,  about 
fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  above  Rogersville,  Tenn.,  and  that  por- 


116  Southivest  Virginia,  17J,6-17S6. 

tion  of  the  country  being  supposed  to  be  a  part  of  Virginia,  it  was 
soon  settled  by  people  from  the  Wolf  Hills  in  Virginia. 

A  settlement  was  made  on  the  Watauga  as  early  as  the  year  1770, 
upon  the  idea  that  the  lands  were  in  Virginia,  and  that  the  set- 
tlers would  be  entitled  to  take  up  the  lands  given  to  settlers  under 
the  laws  of  Virginia,  to-wit:  To  each  actual  settler  who  should 
erect  a  log  cabin  and  cultivate  one  acre  in  corn,  four  hundred  acres, 
located  so  as  to  include  all  improvements,  with  the  right  to  buy 
a  thousand  acres  adjoining  at  a  nominal  price.  Most  of  the  early 
settlers  on  the  Watauga  came  from  near  the  Wolf  Hills  and,  being 
loyal  Virginians,  they  did  not  contemplate  establishing  a  residence 
in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  but  thought  they  were  near  the 
boundary  between  the  two  States. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1771,  Anthony  Bledsoe  ran  the  boundary 
line  between  the  Colonies  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  far 
enough  west  to  ascertain  that  the  Watauga  settlement  was  in  North 
Carolina,  and  Alexander  Cameron,  the  British  agent,  immediately 
ordered  the  settlers  on  the  Watauga  to  move  off  of  the  Indian  lands. 
James  Eobertson  and  John  Sevier,  two  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  Watauga  settlement,  immediately  set  about  to  devise  ways 
and  means  by  which  they  could  avoid  the  order  of  the  British 
agent.  They  could  not  buy  the  lands  from  the  Indians,  because 
the  purchase  was  prohibited,  but  there  was  no  law  prohibiting  a 
lease  of  the  land,  and  in  the  year  1774,  the  Indians  leased  to  the 
settlers  on  the  Watauga  the  lands  in  the  Watauga  Valley  and  all 
was  peace  once  again. 

The  stream  of  emigration  that  poured  over  the  mountains  ex- 
tended along  the  Holston  as  far  as  Carter's  Valley  and  on  the  lands 
belonging  to  the  Indians.  They  were  all  from  Virginia  and  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  their  wealth  consisting  of  strong  arms  and 
stout  hearts. 

In  the  year  1772,  James  Moore  and  James  Poage  settled  in 
Abb's  Valley,  William  Wynn  at  Locust  Hill,  John  Taylor  and 
Jesse  Evans  on  the  north  fork  of  Clinch ;  Thomas  Maxwell,  Benja- 
min Joslin,  James  Ogleton,  Peter  and  Jacob  Harmon,  Samuel 
Ferguson  and  William  Webb,  near  Tazewell  C.  H.;  Eees  Bowen, 
at  Maiden  Spring,  David  Ward  in  the  Cove,  and  William  Garri- 
son at  the  foot  of  Morris'  Knob.    William  Wynn  erected  a  fort  on 


Soufhwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  117 

Wynn's    Branch,    Thomas    Witten   at    Crab    Orchard,    and   Bees 
Bowen  at  Maiden  Spring. 

The  earlj/Settlers  of  Southwest  Virginia  came  principally  from 
the  Valley^of  Virginia,  western  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  some 
of  them  coming  directly  from  Ireland.  They  were  of  a  mixed 
race,  and  a  large  majority  were  Scotch-Irish.  In  studying  the 
nationality  of  the  early  settlers  of  Southwest  Virginia,  it  must 
be  kept  in  mind  that  there  was  a  great  difference  between  the 
people  inhabiting  the  eastern  shores  of  Virginia  and  the  early  set- 
tlers in  the  mountains  of  western  Virginia.  They  differed  both  in 
their  ancestry  and  in  their  religion. 

The  early  settlers  of  Eastern  Virginia  were  English  by  birth  and  / 
Episcopalians  in  religion;  while  the  early  settlers  of   Southwest 
Virginia  were  Scotch-Irish  by  birth  and  Presbyterians  in  religious  j 
belief.  ' 

The  government  of  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  early  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  adopted  the  policy  of  offering  inducements  to  the 
dissenters  from  the  established  church  to  settle  and  make  their 
homes  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia  and  in  the  Southwest,  and  thereby 
sought  to  establish  a  barrier  between  the  Indian  tribes  and  the  set- 
tlers east  of  the  mountains. 

In  the  adoption  of  this  policy  the  government  of  the  Colony  of 
Virginia  was  actuated  by  selfish  motives;  they  little  dreamed  that 
they  were  thus  giving  a  foothold  to  a  vigorous  people,  who  were 
destined  tp  play  a  strong  part  in  the  future  history  of  their 
country. 

The  people  thus  invited  to  settle  the  garden  spot  of  Virginia 
were  the  sons  of  the  men  who  followed  Cromwell.  They  were  men 
who  regarded  themselves,  according  to  Macaulay,  as  "kings  by  the 
right  of  an  earlier  creation  and  priests  by  the  interposition  of  an 
Almighty  hand."  King  James  I,  when  speaking  of  a  Scotch  Pres- 
bytery, said,  "Presbytery  agreeth  as  well  with  monarchy  as  God  and 
the  devil."  They  were  Protestants  and  detested  the  Catholics,  the 
enemies  of  their  forefathers,  and  they  despised  the  Episcopalians, 
their  oppressors.  They  constituted  the  outposts  of  our  earlier  civiliza- 
tion, their  homes  being  in  the  moimtains.  A  distinguished  writer, 
in  speaking  of  these  people,  says :  "That  these  Irish  Presbyte- 
rians M^ere  a  bold  and  hardy  race  is  proved  by  their  at  once  pushing 
past  tlic  settled  regions  and  plunging  into  the  wilderness  as  the 


118  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

leaders  of  the  white  advance.  They  were  the  first  and  last  set  of 
emigrants  to  do  this;  all  others  have  merely  followed  in  the  wake 
of  their  predecessors.  But  indeed  they  were  fitted  to  be  Americans 
from  the  very  start;  they  were  the  kinsfolk  of  the  Covenanters: 
they  deemed  it  a  religious  duty  to  interpret  their  own  Bible,  and 
held  for  a  divine  right  the  election  of  their  own  clergy.  The  creed 
of  the  backwoodsmen  who  had  a  creed  at  all  was  Presbyterianism, 
for  the  Episcopacy  of  the  tidewater  lands  obtained  no  foothold  in 
the  mountains,  and  the  Methodists  and  Baptists  had  but  just  be- 
gun to  appear  in  the  west,*  before  the  Revolution  broke  out." 

Governor  David  Campbell,  who  lived  and  died  at  Abingdon,  in 
speaking  of  these  people,  says :  "The  first  settlers  on  Holston  river 
were  a  remarkable  race  of  people,  for  their  intelligence,  enterprise 
and  hardy  adventure."  The  greater  portion  of  them  had  emi- 
grated from  the  counties  of  Botetourt,  Augusta  and  Frederick,  and 
others  from  along  the  same  valley  and  from  the  upper  counties 
of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  and  generally,  where  they  had  any 
religious  opinions,  were  Presbyterians. 

A  very  large  proportion  were  religious,  and  many  were  mem- 
bers of'  the  church.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  motive 
actuating  the  early  explorers  and  settlers  of  this  country  was  the 
acquisition  of  wealth,  and  while  •  such  motive  may  have  had  its 
influence  on  some,  we  cannot  believe  that  such  was  the  real  motive 
of  the  great  body  of  our  early  settlers.  The  early  settlers  and 
forefathers  had  been  persecuted  in  their  homes  across  the  Atlantic 
because  of  their  independent .  spirit  and  their  undying  fealty  to 
the  doctrines  taught  by  Calvin  and  Knox ;  and  when  they  crossed 
the  waters  they  were  driven,  by  the  intolerant  spirit  of  the  estab- 
lished church,  beyond  the  lowlands  to  the  very  mountains,  where 
they  sought  a  place  and  opportunity  to  exercise  their  religion  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  their  consciences.  The  important  part 
played  by  this  people  in  the  early  history  of  our  country  cannot  be 
overestimated. 

Our  forefathers  were  inspired  and  governed  by  the  same  senti- 
ments that  actuated  the  founders  of  our  nation.  The  theology  of 
Calvin,  the  founder  of  the  republic  of  Geneva,  combined  with  the 
sturdy  independence  of  the  Scotch-Irish  settlers  of  the  American 
colonies,  gave  birth  to  our  republic.     "The  first  voice  raised  in 


*The  Winning  of  the  West,  Vol.  I.,  page  138. 


Soutliwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786.  119 

America  to  destroy  all  connection  with  Great  Britain  came  from 
the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians.*" 

The  Hon.  Wm.  C.  Preston,  of  South  Carolina,  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington county,  in  speaking  of  the  resemblance  between  the  consti- 
tution of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  the  constitution  of  our 
country,  said :  "Certainly  it  was  the  most  remarkable  and  singular 
coincidence  that  the  constitution  of  the  Presbyteilian  Chuj-ch 
should  bear  such  a  close  and  striking  resemblance  to  the  political  con- 
stitution of  our  country."  f 

Not  only  were  they  the  first  to  demand  the  separation  of  the 
colonies  from  the  mother  country,  but  they  were  the  first  to  de- 
mand religious  liberty  and  the  separation  of  Church  and  State. 

Hanover  Presbytery,  of  which  the  Eev.  Chas.  Cummings  was  an 
honored  member,  prepared  a  petition  with  this  object  in  view  and 
presented  it  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  on  the  24th  of 
October,  1776,  the  petition  being  as  follows: 

"A  memorial  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  was  presented  to  the 
House,  and  read :  setting  forth  that  they  are  governed  by  the  same 
sentiments  which  have  inspired  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  are  determined  that  nothing  in  their  power  and  influence  shall 
be  wanting  to  give  success  to  the  common  cause :  that  Dissenters 
from  the  Church  of  England  in  this  country  have  ever  been  desir- 
ous to  conduct  themselves  as  peaceable  members  of  the  civil  gov- 
ernment, for  which  reason  they  have  hitherto  submitted  to  several 
ecclesiastick  burthens  and  restrictions,  that  are  inconsistent  with 
equal  liberty,  but  that  now  when  the  many  and  grievous  oppres- 
sions of  our  mother  country  have  laid  this  continent  under  the 
necessity  of  casting  off  the  yoke  of  tyranny,  and  of  forming  inde- 
pendent governments,  upon  equitable  and  liberal  foundations,  they 
flatter  themselves  they  shall  be  freed  from  all  the  encumbrances 
which  a  spirit  of  domination,  prejudice  or  bigotry  hath  interwoven 
with  most  other  political  systems :  that  they  are  more  strongly  en- 
couraged to  expect  this,  by  the  declaration  of  rights,  so  universally 
applauded  for  the  dignity,  firmness  and  precision  with  which  it 
delineates  and  asserts  the  privileges  of  society  and  the  prerogatives 
of  human  nature,  and  which  they  embrace  as  the  Magna  Charta  of 
the  Commonwealth,  which  can  never  be  violated  without  endanger- 


*Bancroft's  His.  U.  S.,  Vol.  X.,  page  77. 
t Scotch-Irish  Seeds,  page  346. 


120  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1780. 

ing  the  grand  superstructure  it  was  destined  to  support:     There- 
fore they  rely  upon  this  declaration,  as  well  as  the  justice  of  the 
Legislature,  to  secure  to  them  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion, 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  consciences :  and  that  they  should 
fall  short  in  their  duty  to  themselves  and  to  the  many  and  nu- 
merous congregations  under  their  care,  were  they  upon  this  occasion 
to  neglect  laying  before  the  House  a  statement  of  the  religious  griev- 
ances under  which  they  have  hitherto  labored,  that  they  may  no 
longer  be  continued  in  the  present  form  of  government:  that  it 
is  well  known  that  in  the  frontier  counties  which  are  justly  sup- 
posed to  contain  a  fifth  part  of  the  inliabitants  of  Virginia,  the 
dissenters  have  borne  the  heavy  burthens  of  purchasing  glebes  and 
supporting  the  established  clergy,  where  there  are  very  few  Episco- 
palians either  to  assist  in  bearing  the  expense  or  to  reap  the  ad- 
vantage: and  that  throughout  the  other  parts  of  the  country  there 
are  also  many  thousands  of  zealous  friends  and  defenders  of  the 
State  who,  besides  the  invidious  disadvantageous  restrictions  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected  annually,  pay  large  taxes  to  sup- 
port an  establishment  from  which  their  consciences  and  principles 
oblige  them  to  dissent,  all  which  are  so  many  violations  of  their 
natural  rights,  and  in  their  consequences  a  restraint  upon  freedom 
of  inquiry  and  private  judgment.     In  this  enlightened  age,  and  in 
a  land  where  all  are  united  in  the  most  strenuous  efforts  to  be  free, 
they  hope  and  expect  that  their   representatives  will  cheerfully 
concur  in  removing  every  species  of  religious  as  well  as  civil  bond- 
age.     That    every    argument    for    civil    liberty    gains    additional 
strength  when  applied  to  liberty  in  the  concerns  of  religion,  and 
that  there  is  no  argument  in  favor  of  establishing  the  Christian 
religion  but  what  may  be  pleaded  for  establishing  the  tenets  of  Ma- 
homet by  those  who  believe  in  the  Alcoran :  or,  if  this  be  not  true, 
it  is  at  least  impossible  for  the  magistrate  to  adjudge  the  right 
of  preference  among  the  various  sects  which  profess  the  Christian 
faith,  without  erecting  a  chair  of  infallibility  which  would  lead  us 
back  to  the  Church  of  Eome.    That  they  beg  leave  farther  to  repre- 
sent that  religious  establishments  are  highly  injurious  to  the  tem- 
poral interests  of  any  community,  without  insisting  upon  the  ambi- 
tion and  the  arbitrary  practices  of  those  who  aro  favored  by  govern- 
ment, or  the  intriguing  seditious  spirit  which  is  commonly  excited 
by  this,  as  well  as  every  other  kind  of  oppression.     Such  establish- 


Southwest  Virginia,  nJf6-1786.  131 

ments  greatly  retard  population  and  consequently  the  progress  of 
arts,  sciences  and  manufactures:  witness  the  rapid  growth  and 
improvement  of  the  northern  provinces  compared  with  this.  That 
no  one  can  deny  the  more  early  settlement,  and  the  many  supe- 
rior advantages  of  our  country,  would  have  invited  multitudes 
of  artificers,  mechanics  and  other  useful  members  of  society,  to  fix 
their  habitation  among  us,  who  have  either  remained  in  the  place 
ef  their  nativity,  or  preferred  worse  civil  government,  and  a  more 
barren  soil,  where  they  might  enjoy  the  rights  of  conscience  more 
fully  than  they  had  a  prospect  of  doing  in  this :  from  which  they 
infer  that  Virginia  might  now  have  been  the  capital  of  America, 
and  a  match  for  the  British  arms,  without  depending  upon  others 
for  the  necessaries  of  war,  had  it  not  been  prevented  by  her  reli- 
gious establishment.  jSTeither  can  it  be  made  appear  that  the  gos- 
pel needs  any  such  civil  aid :  they  rather  conceive  that  when  our 
Blessed  Savior  declares  his  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  he 
renounces  dependence  upon  State  power,  and  as  his  weapons  are 
spiritual  and  were  only  designed  to  have  influence  upon  the  judg- 
ment and  heart  of  man,  they  are  persuaded  that  if  mankind  were 
left  in  the  quiet  possession  of  their  unalienable  privileges,  Chris- 
tianity, as  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  would  continue  to  prevail 
and  flourish  in  the  greatest  purity  by  its  own  native  excellence, 
and  under  the  all-disposing  providence  of  God.  That  they  would 
also  humbly  represent,  that  the  only  proper  objects  of  civil  gov- 
ernment are  the  happiness  and  protection  of  men  in  the  present 
state  of  existence,  the  security  of  the  life,  liberty  and  property  of 
the  citizens,  and  to  restrain  the  vicious  and  encourage  the  virtuous 
by  wholesome  laws,  equally  extending  to  every  individual :  but  that 
the  duty  they  owe  their  Creator,  and  the  manner  of  discharging  it, 
can  only  be  directed  by  reason  and  conviction,  and  is  nowhere 
cognizable  but  at  the  tribunal  of  the  universal  judge,  and  that 
therefore  they  ask  no  ecclesiastical  establishments  for  themselves, 
neither  can  they  approve  of  them  when  granted  to  others,  and  earn- 
estly entreating  that  all  laws  now  in  force  in  this  Commonwealth 
which  countenance  religious  denominations  may  be  speedily  re- 
pealed, that  all  and  every  religious  sect  may  be  protected  in  the 
full  exercise  of  their  several  modes  of  worship,  and  exempted  from 
the  payment  of  all  taxes  for  the  support  of  any  church  whatever. 


122 


Southivest  Virginia,  171,6-1786. 


farther  than  wliat  may  be  agreeable  to  their  own  private  choice,  or 
voluntary  obligations."* 

But  few  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  beautiful  country  at  the 
present  time  have  even  a  slight  idea  of  the  dangers  and  priva- 
tions endured  by  the  early  settlers,  the  dim  shadows  of  which  are 
vanishing  like  the  tints  in  a  dissolving  scene.  The  men  who 
worked  their  way  from  tlie  settlements  in  the  valley  to  their  future 


The  First  Temjiles. 

home,  groping  through  the  forest  without  a  road  and  with  nothing 
to  guide  them  in  their  course,  except  the  trail  of  the  Indian  and 
the  buffalo ;  at  night  resting  on  the  ground  with  no  roof  over  them 
save  the  branches  of  the  mighty  oak  or  the  broad  expanse  of 
heaven;  exploring  an  unknown  wilderness,  surrounded  by  insur- 
mountable obstacles  and  momentarily  threatened  with  assault  from 
their  deadly  enemies,  the  rattlesnake,  the  Indian  and  the  wild  beast 
of  the  forest,  but  always  accompanied  by  a  trust  in  their  God, 
came,  "with  the  Bible  in  one  hand  and  a  cross  in  the  other,  tread- 
ing the  sombre  shades  of  these  dark  old  woods  and  often  with  a 
boulder  of  granite  for  a  footstool,  and  the  eternal  cataracts  thundcr- 


*Journal  Va.  House  of  Delegates,  1776. 
resolution  by  many  years. 


This  petition  preceded  Jefferson 


Southwest   Virginia,  17J^6-1786.  123 

ing  amid  the  everlasting  solitudes  for  an  organ,  these  devout  men 
Avorshipped  their  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  consciences." 
Each  emigrant  brought  with  him  some  clothes,  a  little  bedding, 
guns  and  ammunition,  cooking  utensils,  seed  corn,  an  axe,  a  saw 
and  the  Bible.  Such  were  the  men  and  the  manner  of  their  com- 
ing, who  cleared  the  forests  and  opened  the  beautiful  and  rich 
farms  that  are  now  spread  out  upon  our. hills  and  mountain  sides 
and  grassy  plains. 

The  early  settlers  in  their  intercourse  with  others  were  kind, 
beneficent  and  disinterested:  extending  to  all  the  most  generous 
hospitality  that  their  circumstances  could  afford.  That  selfish- 
ness which  prompts  to  liberality  for  the  sake  of  remuneration  and 
professes  the  civilities  of  life  with  an  eye  to  individual  interest 
was  unknown  to  them.  They  were  kind  for  kindness'  sake  and 
sought  no  other  recompense  than  the  never  failing  concomitant 
of  good  deeds,  the  reward  of  an  approving  conscience. 

There  existed  in  each  settlement  a  -perfect  unison  of  feeling. 
Similitude  of  situation  and  community  of  danger  operated  as  a 
magic  charm  and  stifled  in  their  birth  those  little  bickerings  which 
are  so  apt  to  disturb  the  quiet  of  society.* 

Ambition  of  preferment,  the  pride  of  place,  too  often  hin- 
drances to  social  intercourse,  were  unknown  among  them.  Equal- 
ity of  condition  rendered  them  strangers  alike  to  the  baneful  dis- 
tinctions of  wealth  and  other  adventitious  circumstances,  a  sense 
of  mutual  dependence  for  their  common  security,  linked  them  in 
amity  and  they  conducted  their  several  purposes  in  harmonious  con- 
cert; together  they  toiled  and  together  they  suffered.  Such  were 
the  pioneers  of  the  Southwest;  and  the  greater  part  of  mankind 
might  now  derive  advantage  from  the  contemplation  of  their  "hum- 
ble virtues,  their  hospitable  homes,  their  spirits  potential,  noble, 
proud  and  free,  their  self-respect  grafted  on  innocent  thoughts, 
their  days  of  health  and  nights  of  sleep,  their  toils,  by  dangers 
dignified,  yet  guiltless,  their  hopes  of  cheerful  old  age  and  a  quiet 
grave  with  cross  and  garland  over  its  green  turf  and  their  grand- 
children's love  for  an  epitaph."* 

The  early  settlers  of  this  section  of  Virginia  were  a  strong, 
stern  people,  simple  in  their  habits,  God-fearing  in  their  practices, 
imbibing  the  spirit  of  freedom,  such  as  is  usually  found  among  the 

*Dodridge. 


124  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

inhabitants  of  a  mountainous  country,  kind  in  their  disposition 
towards  the  well-disposed  and  unmerciful  in  their  dealings  with 
their  enemies.  They  were  upright  in  all  their  dealings,  fearless 
advocates  of  the  right  and  undying  lovers  of  their  country. 

Dr.  Dodridge,  an  author  who  wrote  from  his  personal  knowl- 
edge, says  that  "linsey  coats  and  bed-gowns,  were  the  universal  dress 
of  the  women  in  the  early  times."  The  weed,  now  known  among 
us  as  the  "wild  nettle,"  then  furnished  the  material  which  served 
to  clothe  the  persons  of  our  sires  and  dames."  It  was  cut  down 
while  yet  green  and  treated  much  in  the  same  manner  in  which 
flax  is  now  treated. 

The  fibrous  bark,  with  the  exception  of  the  shortness  of  the 
fibres,  seemed  to  be  adapted  to  the  same  uses.  When  this  "flax," 
if  I  may  so  term  it,  was  prepared,  it  was  mixed  with  buffalo  hair, 
and  woven  into  a  substantial  cloth  in  which  the  men  and  women 
were  clothed.  It  is  a  true  maxim,  "Necessity  is  the  mother  of 
invention." 

"The  furniture  of  the  table,  for  several  years  after  the  settle- 
ment of  this  country,  consisted  of  a  few  pewter  dishes,  plates  and 
spoons;  but  mostly  of  wooden  bowls,  trenchers  and  noggins.  If 
these  last  were  scarce,  gourds  and  hard-shelled  squashes  made  up 
the  deficiency.  Iron  pots,  knives  and  forks  were  brought  from  the 
East,  with  the  salt  and  iron  on  horseback." 

"In  our  whole  display  of  furniture,  the  delft,  china  and  silver 
were  unknown.  It  did  not  then,  as  now,  require  contributions 
from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  to  furnish  the  breakfast  table, 
viz.,  the  silver  from  Mexico,  the  coffee  from  the  West  Indies,  the 
tea  from  China  and  the  delft  or  porcelain  from  Europe  or  Asia. 
Yet,  a  homely  fare,  unsightly  cabins  and  furniture  produced  a 
hardy  race,  who  planted  the  first  footsteps  of  civilization  in  the 
immense  regions  of  the  West.  Inured  to  hardship,  bravery  and 
labor  from  their  early  youth,  they  sustained  with  manly  fortitude 
the  fatigue  of  the  chase,  the  campaign  and  scout,  and  with  'strong 
arms  turned  the  wilderness  into  fruitful  fields,'  and  have  left  to 
their  descendants  the  rich  inheritance  of  an  immense  empire 
blessed  with  peace,  wealth  and  prosperity."* 

"For  a  long  time  after  the  settlement  of  this  country,  the  in- 

*Bickley. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  125 

habitants  in  general  married  young.  There  was  no  distinction  of 
rank  and  very  little  of  fortune.  On  these  accounts  the  first  impres- 
sion of  love  resulted  in  marriage,  and  a  family  establishment  cost 
but  little  labor  and  nothing  else. 

"A  description  of  a  wedding  from  beginning  to  end  will  serve 
to  show  the  manners  of  our  forefathers  and  mark  the  grade  of  civi- 
lization which  has  succeeded  to  their  rude  state  of  society,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years. 

"In  the  first  years  of  the  settlement  of  a  country,  a  wedding  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  the  frolic  was 
anticipated  by  young  and  old  with  eager  expectation.  This  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  when  it  is  told  that  a  wedding  was  almost  the 
only  gathering  which  was  not  accompanied  with  the  labor  of  reap- 
ing, log-rolling,  building  a  cabin,  or  planning  some  scout  or  cam- 
paign. On  the  morning  of  the  wedding  day  the  groom  and  his  at- 
tendants assembled  at  the  house  of  his  father  for  the  purpose  of 
reaching  the  home  of  his  bride  by  noon,  which  was  the  usual  time 
for  celebrating  the  nuptials  and  which,  for  certain  reasons,  must 
take  place  before  dinner. 

"Let  the  reader  imagine  an  assemblage  of  people  without  a 
store,  tailor  or  mantua-maker  within  a  hundred  miles,  and  an  as- 
semblage of  horses  without  a  blacksmith  or  saddle  within  an  equal 
distance.  The  gentlemen  dressed  in  shoepacks,  moccasins,  leather 
breeches,  leggings,  linsey  hunting  shirts,  and  all  home-made.  The 
ladies  dressed  in  linsey  petticoats  and  linsey  or  linen  bed-gowns, 
coarse  shoes,  stockings  and  handkerchiefs  and  buckskin  gloves,  if 
any.  If  there  were  any  rings,  buckles,  buttons  or  ruffles,  they  were 
the  relics  of  olden  times;  family  pieces  from  parents  or  grand- 
parents. The  horses  were  caparisoned  with  old  saddles,  old  bridles 
or  halters,  and  pack-saddles  with  a  bag  or  blanket  thrown  over 
them;  a  rope  or  string  as  often  constituted  the  girth  as  a  piece  of 
leather. 

"The  march,  in  double  file,  was  often  interrupted  by  the  narrow- 
ness of  our  mountain  paths,  as  they  were  called,  for  we  had  no 
roads,  and  these  difficulties  were  often  increased  by  the  good  and 
sometimes  the  ill-will  of  neighbors  by  felling  trees  and  tying  grape- 
vines across  the  way.  Sometimes  an  ambuscade  was  formed  by 
the  wayside,  and  an  unexpected  discharge  of  several  guns  took 


126  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

place,  so  as  to  cover  the  wedding  party  with  smoke.  Let  the  reader 
imagine  the  scene  which  followed  this  discharge ;  the  sudden  spring 
of  the  horses,  the  shrieks  of  the  girls  and  the  chivalrous  bustle  of 
their  partners  to  save  them  from  falling.  Sometimes,  in  spite  of 
all  that  could  be  done  to  prevent  it,  some  were  thrown  to  the 
ground.  If  a  wrist,  elbow  or  ankle  happened  to  be  sprained,  it  was 
tied  up  with  a  handkerchief,  and  little  more  said  or  thought 
about  it. 

"The  ceremony  of  the  marriage  preceded  the  dinner,  which  was 
a  substantial  backwoods  feast  of  beef,  pork,  fowls,  and  sometimes 
venison  and  bear  meat  roasted  and  boiled  with  plenty  of  potatoes, 
cabbage  and  other  vegetables.  During  the  dinner  the  greatest 
hilarity  prevailed.  The  table  might  be  a  large  slab  of  timber, 
hewed  out  with  a  broad-axe,  supported  by  four  sticks,  set  in  auger 
holes;  and  the  furniture,  some  old  pewter  dishes  and  plates;  the 
rest,  wooden  bowls  and  trenchers:  a  few  pewter  spoons  much  bat- 
tered about  the  edges  were  to  be  seen  at  some  tables.  The  rest  were 
made  of  horn.  If  knives  were  scarce  the  deficiency  was  made  up 
with  scalping  knives  which  were  carried  in  sheaths  suspended  to 
the  belt  of  the  hunting  shirt.     Every  man  carried  one. 

"After  dinner  the  dancing  commenced  and  generally  lasted  until 
the  next  morning.  The  figures  of  the  dancers  were  three  and  four 
handed  reels,  or  square  sets  and  jigs.  The  commencement  was 
always  a  square  form,  which  was  followed  by  what  was  called  jig- 
ging it  off;  that  is,  two  of  the  four  would  single  out  for  a  jig,  and 
were  followed  by  the  remaining  couple.  The  jigs  were  often  ac- 
companied with  what  was  called  cutting  out,  that  is,  when  either 
of  the  parties  became  tired  of  the  dance,  on  intimation,  the  place 
was 'supplied  by  some  one  of  the  company,  without  any  interrup- 
tion to  the  dance.  In  this  way  the  dance  was  often  continued  till 
the  musician  was  heartily  tired  of  his  situation.  Toward  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  night,  if  any  of  the  company  through  weariness  at- 
tempted to  conceal  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  sleeping,  they 
were  hunted  up,  paraded  on  the  floor,  and  the  fiddler  ordered  to 
play,  'Hang  out  till  to-morrow  morning.' 

"About  nine  or  ten  o'clock  a  deputation  of  young  ladies  stole 
off  the  bride  and  put  her  to  bed.  In  doing  this  it  frequently  hap- 
pened that  they  had  to  ascend  a  ladder,  instead  of  a  pair  of  stairs, 


Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1786.  137 

leading  from  the  dining  and  ball  room  to  a  loft,  the  floor  of 
which  was  made  of  clapboards  lying  loose. 

"This  ascent,  one  might  think,  would  put  the  bride  and  her 
attendants  to  the  blush;  but  the  foot  of  the  ladder  was  commonly 
behind  the  door,  which  was  purposely  opened  for  the  occasion, 
and  its  rounds  at  the  inner  ends  were  well  hung  with  hunting- 
shirts,  dresses  and  other  articles  of  clothing.  The  candles  being 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  the  exit  of  the  bride  was  noticed 
but  by  few. 

"This  done,  a  deputation  of  young  men,  in  like  manner,  stole 
off  the  groom  and  placed  him  snugly  by  the  side  of  his  bride.  The 
dance  still  continued;  and  if  seats  happened  to  be  scarce,  as  was 
often  the  case,  every  young  man  when  not  engaged  in  the  dance, 
was  obliged  to  offer  his  lap  as  a  seat  for  one  of  the  girls;  and  the 
offer  was  sure  to  be  accepted.  In  the  midst  of  this  hilarity  the 
bride  and  groom  were  not  forgotten.  Pretty  late  in  the  night 
some  one  would  remind  the  company  that  the  new  couple  must 
stand  in  need  of  some  refreshments.  Black  Betty,  which  was  the 
name  of  the  bottle,  was  called  for  and  sent  up  the  ladder;  but 
sometimes  Black  Betty  did  not  go  alone.  I  have  sometimes  seen 
as  much  bread,  beef,  pork  and  cabbage  sent  along  as  would  afford 
a  good  meal  for  half  a  dozen  hungry  men.  The  young  couple 
were  compelled  to  eat  and  drink  more  or  less  of  whatever  was 
offered. 

"But  to  return:  it  often  happened  that  some  neighbors  or  rela- 
tions, not  being  asked  to  the  wedding,  took  offence,  and  the 
mode  of  revenge  adopted  by  them  on  such  occasions  was  that 
of  cutting  off  the  manes,  foretops,  and  tails  of  the  horses  of  the 
wedding  company. 

"On  returning  to  the  infare,  the  order  of  procession  and  the 
race  for  Black  Betty  was  the  same  as  before.  The  feasting  and 
dancing  often  lasted  several  days,  at  the  end  of  which  the  whole 
company  were  so  exhausted  with  loss  of  sleep  that  many  days' 
rest  were  requisite  to  fit  them  to  return  to  their  ordinary  labors." 

HUNTING. 

"This  constituted  one  of  the  greatest  amusements,  and,  in  many 
instances,  one  of  the  chief  employments  of  the  early  settlers.  The 
various  intrigues  of  a  skillful  hunter,  such  as  mimicking  a  turkey. 


128  Southtvest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

owl,  wolf,  deer,  etc.,  were  soon  learned,  and  the  eye  was  taught 
to  catch,  at  a  glance,  the  faintest  impressions  left  upon  the  earth 
by  any  animal.  IMarks  which  would  be  by  any  but  a  hunter 
overlooked  were  easily  detected.  The  times  and  grounds  on 
which  elk,  deer,  etc.,  fed  were  soon  learned,  and  then  the  important 
lesson  of  preventing  spells  or  enchantments  by  enemies  was 
studied,  for  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  all  hunters  are  more  or  less 
superstitious.  Frequently,  on  leaving  home,  the  wife  would  throw 
the  axe  at  her  husband  to  give  him  good  luck.  If  he  chanced  to 
fail  to  kill  game,  his  gun  was  enchanted  or  spelled,  and  some  old 
woman  was  shot  in  effigy,  then  a  silver  bullet  would  be  run  with  a 
needle  through  it  and  shot  at  her  picture.  To  remove  these  spells, 
they  would  sometimes  unbreech  their  rifles,  and  lay  them  in  a 
clear  running  stream  for  a  certain  number  of  days.  If  this  failed, 
they  would  borrow  patching  from  some  other  hunter,  which 
transferred  all  the  bad  luck  to  the  lender,  etc. 

"Game  was  plenty  at  the  time  this  country  was  first  settled  by 
the  whites,  and,  acordingly,  the  woods  furnished  most  of  ihe 
meat.  The  elks  and  buffaloes  were  generally  killed  at  the  licks 
whither  they  repaired  to  salt  themselves.  Animals  were  hunted 
there  not  merely  for  their  meat,  but  for  their  skins  and  furs. 
These  served  to  pay  for  powder,  lead,  or  anything  else,  being  nomi- 
nally the  currency  of  the  country. 

"Neither  was  hunting  a  mere  pastime,  devoid  of  skill,  as  it  now 
is.  The  hunter  might  be  considered  somewhat  of  a  meteorologist; 
he  paid  particular  attention  to  the  winds,  rains,  snows,  and  frosts, 
for  almost  every  change  altered  the  location  of  the  game.  He 
knew  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass  by  the  thick  bark  and 
moss  on  the  north  side  of  a  tree,  so  that  during  the  darkest  and 
most  gloomy  night  he  knew  which  was  the  north,  and  so  the 
direction  of  his  home  or  camp. 

"The  natural  habits  of  the  deer  were  well  studied;  and  hence  he 
knew  at  what  times  they  fed,  etc.  If,  in  hunting,  he  found  a  deer 
at  feed,  he  stopped,  and  though  he  might  be  open  to  it,  did  not  seek 
to  obscure  himself,  but  waited  till  it  raised  its  head  and  looked 
at  him.  He  rem.ained  motionless  till  the  deer,  satisfied  that 
nothing  was  in  sight,  again  commenced  feeding.  He  then  began 
to  advance,  if  he  had  the  wind  of  it,  and  if  not,  he  retreated  and 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  139 

came  up  another  way,  so  as  to  place  the  deer  between  himself  and 
the  wind.  As  long  as  the  deer's  head  was  down,  he  continued  to 
advance  till  he  saw  it  shake  the  tail.  In  a  moment  he  was  the  same 
motionless  object,  till  again  it  put  down  its  head.  In  this  way  he 
Avould  soon  approach  to  within  sixty  yards,  when  his  unerring  rifle 
did  the  work  of  death.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  deer  never  put 
their  heads  to  the  ground,  or  raise  it,  without  shaking  the  tail  be- 
fore doing  so."* 

*Bickley. 


130  Soutluvest  Virginia,  17 46-17 S6. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

SOUTHWEST  VIEGINIA— FINCASTLE  COUNTY. 

1773-1777. 

The  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia  in  tlie  fall  of  the  year 
1772,  in  answer  to  the  petition  of  the  inhabitants  and  settlers  on 
the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  New  rivers,  representing  their  in- 
conveniences by  reason  of  the  extent  of  Botetourt  county  and  their 
remote  situation  from  the  courthouse,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Governor  and  Council  enacted  a  law  providing  that  from  and 
after  the  first  day  of  December,  1772,  the  said  county  of  Bote- 
tourt should  be  divided  into  two  distinct  counties;  that  is  to  say, 
all  that  part  of  said  county  within  a  line  to  run  up  the  east  side 
of  New  river  to  the  mouth  of  Culberson  creek,  thence  a  direct  line 
to  the  Catawba  road  where  it  crosses  the  dividing  ridge  between 
tlie  north  fork  of  Roanoke  and  the  waters  of  New  river,  thence 
with  the  top  of  the  ridge  to  the  bend  where  it  turns  eastwardl.y, 
thence  a  south  course,  crossing  Little  river  to  the  top  of  the  Blue 
Eidge  mountain,  shall  be  established  as  one  distinct  county,  to  be 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Fincastle ;  and  all  that  other  part 
thereof  which  lies  to  the  east  and  northeast  of  said  line  shall  be 
one  other  distinct  county  and  retain  the  name  of  Botetourt.  The 
act  establishing  Fincastle  did  not  designate  the  place  of  holding 
the  court  of  the  county,  but,  by  order  of  the  Governor  of  the 
Colony,  the  Lead  Mines,  now  in  Wythe  county,  Virginia,  was  desig- 
nated as  the  county  seat  of  the  new  county.* 

Pursuant  to  a  commission  from  the  Governor  of  the  Colony 
bearing  date  December  1,  1772,  directed  to 

William    Preston,  William  Inglis, 

William   Christian,  John  Montgomery, 

Stephen  Trigg,  Eobert  Doach, 

Walter  Crockett,  James  McGavock, 

Anthony  Bledsoe,  James  Thompson, 

Arthur  Campbell,  William  Eussell, 

Benjamin  Estill,  Samuel   Crockett, 

Alexander  McKee, 


*8  Hen.  Stat.,  page  600. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17JiG-J786.  131 

the  first  County  Court  for  Fincastle  county  assembled  at  the 
Lead  Mines,  on  New  river,  in  the  present  county  of  Wythe,  on 
the  5th  day  of  January,  1773.  The  following  m^^anbers  of  the 
court  being  present: 

Arthur  Campbell,  James  Thompson, 

-William  Preston,  William  Inglis, 

William   Christian,  Stephen  Trigg, 

Walter  Crockett,  James  McGavock. 

Arthur  Campbell  and  James  Thompson  administered  the  oath 
to  William  Preston  and  William  Inglis,  and  they  to : 

William   Christian,  Stephen  Trigg, 

Robert  Doach,  Walter   Crockett, 

James  McGavock,  James   Thompson, 

Arthur  Campbell. 

Subsequently  in  the  year  1773,  William  Campbell,  James  Mc- 
Corkle  and  William  Herbert  were  commissioned  and  qualified  as 
members  of  the  court.  The  following  officers  of  the  new  county 
qualified  on  that  day: 

Sheriff  Fincastle  count}', 
^William  Preston. 

Deputy  Sheriffs : 
Daniel  Trigg,  John  Floyd, 

James   Thompson,  Henry  Moore. 

Surveyor  Fincastle  County, 
William  Preston. 

Deputy  Surveyors : 
John  Floyd,  Robert  Preston, 

Daniel  Smith,  Robert  Doach, 

William  Russell,  James   Douglas. 

Clerk  Fincastle  county, 
John  Byrd. 

Deputy  Clerks : 
William    Christian, 
Stephen  Trigg,  ■ 
Richard  Madison. 


132  Southwest  Virginia,  174-6-1786. 

King-'s  Counsel  or  Dept.  Attorney  : 
John  Aylett,  Jan.  5th,  1773. 
Thomas  Madison,  May  3rd,  1774. 

The  following  attorneys  qualified  in  this  court  during  the  exist- 
ence of  the  county: 

Ephraim  Dun! op,  Luke  Bowyer, 

John  May,  Jolin  Todd, 

Harry  Innes,  Charles  Simm, 

John  Aylett,  Gabriel  Jones, 

Benjamin  Lawson,  Thomas   Madison. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  court  many  interesting  orders  were  en- 
tered, several  of  the  number  being  here  copied  as  entered : 

"The  Court  doth  appoint  the  house  adjoining  the  Court  House, 
where  the  court  is  now  held,  for  a  prison,  which  house  William 
Preston,  Sheriff,  doth  protest  against  as  insufficient. 

"Ordered  that  Stephen  Trigg  send  for  weights  and  measures 
for  the  use  of  the  said  county,  as  soon  as  possible  and  on  as  low 
terms  as  he  sells  goods  to  his  best  customers  on.^' 

"Ordered  that  John  Byrd  do  provide  all  necessary  law  books  for 
this  county,  and  that  he  bring  in  his  charge." 

A  number  of  orders  were  entered  by  the  court  on  the  first  day 
of  its  existence,  in  regard  to  that  section  of  Fincastle  county  lying 
iipon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch  rivers. 

Leave  was  given  Francis  Whitney  and  William  Kennedy  to 
erect  mills  on  the  properties  on  which  they  lived,  on  the  Holston 
river  and  the  waters  of  Holston  river. 

In  this  connection  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  tliat  at  the  time  per- 
mission was  given  to  Kennedy  and  Whitney  to  erect  their  mills, 
there  was  but  one  mill  on  the  waters  of  the  Holston,  so  far  as  the 
records  show,  to-wit:  the  mill  of  Arthur  Campbell  at  Royal  Oak. 

"It  is  further  ordered  by  the  court  that  Williiim  Edmiston, 
George  Adams,  John  Beaty,  Joseph  Drake,  David  Snodgrass  and 
James  Kincannon,  or  any  three  of  them,  being  first  sworn,  do  view 
the  nighest  and  best  way  from  the  Town  House  (now  in  Smyth 
County,  Va.,)  to  the  Eighteen  Mile  creek  (now  Abingdon),  and 
report." 

It  seems  that  there  was  some  contention  among  the  settlers  on 
Holston  as  to  the  location  of  this  road;  for,  on  the  3nd  day  of 


South  IV est  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  133 

^iarcli,  1773,  the  above  order  was  set  aside  by  the  court,  and  on 
that  day  it  was  ordered  that  John  Hays,  Benjamin  Logan,  William 
Campbell,  Arthur  Bowen  and  Thomas  Eamsey,  or  any  three  of 
them,  being  first  sworn,  do  view  the  several  ways  proposed  for  said 
road  and  make  a  report  of  the  conveniences  and  inconveniences 
attending  the  same.  The  viewers  thus  appointed  made  their  re- 
port to  the  County  Court  on  July  6,  1773,  recommending  that  the 
lower  road  be  established,  which  report  was  confirmed  and  the  road 
established,  and  William  Campbell,  William  Edmiston  and  James 
Bryan  were  appointed  overseers  of  the  said  road. 

The  above  is  all  the  information  that  the  records  contain  of  the 
controversy  in  regard  to  the  establishment  of  this  road,  but  I  ap- 
prehend that  the  action  of  the  court  in  establishing  the  road  as 
they  did  had  considerable  bearing  in  settling  the  future  location 
of  the  county  seat  of  Washington  county  at  Abingdon. 

Upon  the  second  day  of  the  court  it  was  recommended  to  his 
Excellency  the  Governor  that  he  wnll  be  pleased  to  establish  the 
courthouse  for  this  county  at  a  piece  of  land  commonly  called 
]\rc(^airs  place,  now  the  property  of  Eoss  &  Co.,  and  the  lands 
of  Samuel  Crockett,  in  lieu  of  the  Lead  Mines,  for  the  several 
reasons  following: 

That  tlie  said  McCall's  place  and  Crockett's  lies  on  the  Great 
Eoad  that  passes  through  the  county,  and  that  it  is  well  watered, 
timbered  and  level. 

That  it  is  more  central  than  the  mines,  and  that  it  is  in  the 
neigbborhood  of  a  great  deal  of  good  lands  and  meadows. 

That  the  Lead  ]\Iines  are  near  the  south  line  of  the  county,  that 
there  is  no  s})ring  convenient,  the  place  is  very  bare  of  timber  and 
in  a  neighborhood  where  there  is  very  little  pasture,  and  it  is 
certainly  off  the  leading  road. 

From  which  order  Arthur  Campbell  dissented. 

While  the  records  are  to  some  extent  indefinite  as  to  the  action 
of  the  Governor  upon  this  petition,  it  is  clear  that  the  county  seat 
was  not  removed  from  the  Lead  Mines  during  the  existence  of 
the  county  of  Fincastle,  as  is  evident  from  other  records  that 
have  a  bearing  upon  this  subject. 

The  County  Court  on  March  2,  1774,  entered  the  following 
order : 

^'Ordered  that  the  surveyor  lay  off  the  prison  bounds,  and  that 


134  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

he  include  all  the  houses  and  some  part  of  the  waters."  This 
clearly  applied  to  the  Lead  Mines. 

The  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  establishing  Montgomery 
county  directed  that  the  county  scat  should  be  Fort  Chiswell,  and 
one  of  the  first  orders  of  that  court  was  to  appoint  commissioners  to 
contract  for  and  superintend  the  erection  of  a  courthouse. 

The  above  facts,  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  circumstance 
that  Fort  Chiswell  was  at  no  time  mentioned  in  the  records  of  the 
County  Court  of  Fincastle  county,  except  in  the  petition  above  set 
out,  are  conclusive  in  regard  to  this  matter. 

On  May  2,  1773,  the  court  ordered  that  Robert  Davis,  Alexan- 
der Wylie,  Eobert  Buchanan,  and  Hugh  Gallion,  any  three  of 
whom  being  duly  sworn,  do  view  the  nighest  way  from  James  Davis' 
(at  the  head  spring  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Holston)  to  James 
Catherine's  (near  the  head  spring  of  the  South  Fork  of  the  Hol- 
ston), but  the  records  of  Fincastle  fail  to  show  that  this  road  was 
established. 

The  next  order  of  importance  entered  by  the  court  was  on  May 
5,  1773,  when  the  court  ordered  that  Isaac  Riddle,  Wesley  White, 
James  Young  and  James  Montgomery  do  view  the  nighest  and  best 
way  from  Eleven  Mile  creek,  on  Holston,  by  Jones'  place  at  the 
crossing  place,  going  to  Watauga,  and  report. 

The  commissioners  made  their  report  on  July  6,  1773,  and  the 
road  was  established,  and  James  Montgomery,  James  Young  and 
Isaac  Riddle  were  appointed  overseers. 

On  March  3,  1773,  James  McCarthy,  Matthew  Mounts,  John 
Smith,  Thomas  Byrd,  Nathan  Richerson  and  Peter  Lee,  or  any 
three  of  them,  being  first  sworn,  were  ordered  to  view  the  nighest 
and  best  way  from  the  Town  House  on  Holston  to  Castle's  Woods 
on  Clinch  river,  and  make  report. 

The  commissioners  made  their  report  on  July  6,  1773.  and  the 
road  was  partially  established,  beginning  at  John  Dunkin's  in  Elk 
Garden,  thence  over  the  mountains  to  Poor  Valley,  about  five  miles 
to  the  westward  of  the  old  path,  and  from  thence  by  the  Big  Lick, 
through  Lyon's  Gap  to  the  Town  House. 

On  March  2,  1773,  the  court  directed  John  Maxwell,  Robert  Al- 
lison and  Robert  Campbell,  or  any  three  of  them,  to  view  the 
nighest  and  best  way  from  Catherine's  Mill  to  Charles  Allison's, 
and  so  on  to  Sinclair's  Bottom,  and  report. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  135 

On  July  6,  1773,  the  commissioners  reported,  and  the  court  di- 
rected a  road  to  l)e  established  from  Catherine's  Mill  to  Charles 
Allison's  house  on  the  condition  that  the  people  on  the  South  Fork, 
or  any  others  on  same  road  who  think  it  useful,  do  cut  the  same 
themselves. 

On  the  same  day  the  court  ordered  that  William  Edmiston, 
Kobert  Edmiston,  Alexander  McNutt,  Robert  Buchanan,  and  John 
Edmiston,  any  three  of  whom  may  act,  do  view  a  road  from  Charles 
Allison's  house  down  the  South  Fork  to  Robert  Edmiston's  house 
and  report. 

On  May  5,  1773,  the  County  Court  directed  Arthur  Camp- 
bell to  take  a  list  of  the  tithables  on  the  Clinch  river  and  on  all  its 
forks,  as  low  as  the  Elk  Garden,  and  on  the  Wolf  Hill  creek. 

And  William  Eussell  to  take  a  list  of  the  tithables  from  the 
Elk  Garden,  on  the  Clinch,  down  to  the  county  line. 

And  Anthony  Bledsoe  to  take  a  list  of  the  tithables  from  Cap- 
tain Campbell's  down  to  the  county  line,  on  the  North,  South,  and 
Middle  Forks  of  Holston  river. 

And  that  Captain  James  Thompson  do  take  a  list  of  the  tith- 
ables in  Captain  William  Campbell's  company. 

On  May  4,  1773,  the  court  directed  James  Hays,  John  Hays, 
"^  Archibald  Buchanan,  and  Robert  Davis  to  view  the  nighest  and 
best  way  by  Robert  Davis'  into  the  leading  road  from  Holston. 

At"  the  meeting  of  the  County  Court  on  July  6,  1773,  Jonathan 
Jenning  was  fined  forty  shillings  for  speaking  of  the  court  with 
contempt  and  saying  that  they  were  self-interested  and  partial. 

And  on  the  same  day  Stephen  Trigg,  James  McCorkle,  Walter 
Crockett  and  James  McGavock  were  directed  to  agree  with  work- 
men to  repair  the  second  house  from  the  courthouse  for  a  prison 
in  such  manner  as  is  necesssary. 

And  on  the  9th  day  of  July,  1773,  Joseph  Black,  Andrew  Col- 
vill,  Samuel  Ewen,  William  Blackburn,  George  Blackburn,  Samuel 
Briggs,  Davis  Galloway,  John  Berry,  Christopher  Acklin,  John 
Keswick,  John  Vance  and  Benjamin  Logan  were  directed  to  clear 
the  nearest  and  best  way  from  Samuel  Brigg's^  on  Eighteen  Mile 
creek,  to  James  Bryan's,  on  Eleven  Mile  creek. 

On  November  2,  1773,  on  the  petition  of  a  number  of  the  in- 
habitants, it  was  ordered  that  William  Priest,  Henry  Willis,  Jo- 
seph Martin,  William  Bowen  and  Joseph  Craven,  any  three  of 


136  Southwest  VirgiJiia,  1746-1786. 

whom  may  act,  after  being  duly  sworn,  do  view  the  best  way  from 
Maiden  Springs  settlement  (now  in  Tazewell  county)  into  the 
Great  Road. 

No  further  orders  pertaining  to  Washington  county  were  en- 
tered by  the  court  until  March  2,  1774,  on  which  day  Patrick  Por- 
ter was  given  leave  to  build  a  mill  on  Falling  creek,  the  waters 
of  Clinch  river,  this  being  the  fii-st  mill  erected  on  Clinch  river, 
so  far  as  the  records  disclose. 

On  the  same  day,  on  the  motion  of  Charles  Allison,  leave  was 
given  him  to  build  a  mill  on  his  land,  on  the  South  Fork  of  Hol- 
ston,  near  the  head  spring. 

On  the  same  day  the  court  appointed  Andrew  Miller  and  Thomas 
Ramsay  commissioners  to  view  the  nighest  and  best  way  from 
Thomas  Ramsay's,  by  Kennedy's  mill,  to  the  Great  Road. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  court  on  May  3,  1774,  tlie  court,  on  the 
petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Beaver  creek,  m;dei"ed  Benjamin  Lo- 
gan to  open  a  road  from  James  Fulkerson's  to  the  wagon  road  at 
Joseph  Black's  (now  Abingdon),  the  best  and  most  convenient  way. 

On  the  same  day  the  court  directed  Anthony  Bledsoe  to  take  a 
list  of  the  tithables  in  Captains  Looney's,  Shelby's,  and  Cocke's  com- 
panies, William  Campbell  in  his  own  and  Captain  Arthur  Camp- 
bell's companies,  and  William  Russell  in  his  own  and  Captain 
Smith's  companies. 

The  County  Court  of  Fincastle  county  was  composed  of  men  of 
dignity  and  respectability,  and  they  purposed  to  deal  with  the  at- 
torneys practicing  at  tlieir  bar  in  such  a  manner  as  to  command 
the  respect  of  the  bar  and  the  citizens  of  the  county,  and,  as  an 
evidence  of  the  manner  in  which  they  dealt  with  the  members  of 
the  legal  profession,  we  here  copy  an  order  made  1)y  this  court  on 
May  3,  1774: 

"John  Gabriel  Jones,  having  misbehaved  himself  in  the  court,  it 
is  ordered  that  for  his  contempt  he  make  his  fine  with  our  Ijord, 
the  King,  by  the  ])ayniont  of  twenty  shillings,  and  that  he  be 
taken,"  etc. 

On  the  same  day  a  peculiar  order  was  entered,  which  read  as 
follows : 

"John  Dougherty  came  into  court,  and,  it  being  fully  proved 
that  his  left  ear  had  been  bitten  off  by  a  person  in  an  affray,  it  is 
ordered  that  the  same  be  recorded."     It  is  hard  to  perceive  his  ob- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  137 

ject  in  making  this  proof  and  having  it  recorded  unless  there  ex- 
isted at  that  time,  or  at  an  earlier  date,  some  law  or  custom  by 
which  criminals  lost  their  ears. 

At  the  August  term  of  this  court  it  was  directed  that  a  road  be 
built  from  Arthur  Camjjbell's  mill  to  Blue  Spring,  at  the  head 
of  Cripple  creek,  by  way  of  Eye  Bottom,  and  on  August  3d,  being 
the  same  day  as  the  above  order,  the  court  directed  a  road  to  be 
built  from  Arthur  CampbelFs  mill  to  Archibald  Buchanan's,  on  ^ 
the  North  Fork  of  Holston  river. 

In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  given  a  great  deal  of  the  records 
of  the  County  Court  of  Fincastle  county  directing  the  opening  of 
the  first  roads  and  granting  permission  to  erect  the  first  mills  on 
the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch  rivers,  and  it  cannot  be  other- 
wise than  interesting,  for,  previously  to  the  opening  of  these  roads, 
the  early  settlers  of  this  country,  as  a  general  rule,  were  compelled 
to  follow  the  Indian  and  buffalo  trails  made  before  their  advent. 

The  main  trail  down  the  Holston  and  through  Washington 
county  was,  from  the  very  earliest  time  of  which  we  have  any 
record,  called  the  Great  Eoad.  Before  the  erection  of  the  first  mills 
on  the  waters  of  the  Holston,  if  the  early  settlers  wished  to  have 
meal,  it  could  be  obtained  in  one  way  only,  and  that  by  cracking 
the  grains  of  corn  with  a  hammer  or  by  some  other  similar  method. 

The  first  deed  executed  to  any  of  the  settlers  on  the  Holston  was 
dated  January  5,  1773,  and  was  made  by  Edmund  Pendleton.  It 
conveyed  to  Benjamin  Logan  and  John  Sharp  676  acres  of  land 
situated  on  Beaver  creek,  alias  Shallow  creek,  and  was  the  same 
land  surveyed  by  John  Buchanan  for  Edmund  Pendleton  on  April 
■2,  1750. 

On  the  same  day  Edmund  Pendleton  conveyed  to  William 
Cocke  and  Eobert  Craig  950  acres  of  land  situated  on  Spring 
creek,  alias  Eenfro's  creek,  being  the  same  land  surveyed  by  John 
Buchanan,  deputy  surveyor  of  Augusta  county,  for  Edmund 
Pendleton  on  April  3,  1750,  and  described  in  the  survey  as  lying 
on  Eenfro's  creek.  This  survey  covered  a  considerable  part  of  the 
farms  now  owned  and  occupied  by  C.  L.  Clyce,  Jerry  Whitaker, 
Allen  Lester  and  H.  B.  Eoberts  on  Spring  creek. 

The  four  conveyances  above  described  are  older  by  more  than 
one  year  and  three  months  than  any  others  to  be  found  in  the  pres-- 


138  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

ent  bounds  of  Washington  county,  the  next  oldest  conveyance 
bearing'  date  April  14,  1774. 

It  may  be  interesting  at  this  point  to  know  the  oath  required  of 
the  members  of  the  first  County  Court  administering  justice  among 
the  settlers  upon  the  Holston.     We  here  copy  the  oath  : 

"You  shall  swear  that  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  county 
of  Fincastlo  in  all  articles  in  the  commission  to  you  directed,  you 
shall  do  equal  right  to  the  ])oor  and  to  the  rich,  after  your  cunning, 
wit  and  power  according  to  law;  and  3^ou  shall  not  be  of  any 
counsel  of  any  quarrel  hanging  before  you,  and  the  issues,  fines  and 
amercements  that  shall  happen  to  be  made,  and  all  the  forfeitures 
which  shall  fall  before  you,  you  shall  cause  to  be  entered,  without 
any  concealment  or  embezzling;  you  shall  not  let  for  gift  or  other 
causes,  but  well  and  truly  you  shall  do  your  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  as  well  within  your  county  court  as  without;  and  you  shall 
not  take  any  gift,  fee  or  gratuity,  for  anything  to  be  done  by  vir- 
tue of  your  office,  and  you  shall  not  direct  or  cause  to  be  directed, 
any  warrant  by  you  to  be  made  to  the  parties,  but  you  shall  direct 
them  to  the  Sheriff,  or  bailiffs  of  said  county,  or  other  the  King's 
officers  or  ministers,  or  other  indifferent  persons,  to  do  execution 
thereof,  so  help  you  God." 

The  oath  of  a  justice  of  the  County  Court  in  Chancery  was  as 
follows : 

"You  shall  swear  that  well  and  truly  you  will  serve  our  sovereign 
lord,  the  King,  and  his  people,  in  the  office  of  a  justice  of  the  county 
court  of  Fincastle  in  ( 'hancery,  and  that  you  will  do  equal  right  to 
all  manner  of  people,  great  and  small,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor, 
according  to  equity  and  good  conscience  and  the  laws  and  usages 
of  this  colony  and  dominion  of  Virginia,  without  favor,  affection 
or  partiality.     So  help  you  God."* 

A  considerable  number  of  people  had  settled  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Abingdon,  and  eastward  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Hol- 
ston, and  in  the  beginning  of  this  year  two  congregations  of  Pres- 
byterians had  organized  in  the  county — one  at  Sinking  Spring 
(now  Abingdon)  and  another  at  Ebbing  Spring,  on  the  Middle 
Fork  of  the  Holston  river,  near  the  James  Byars  farm ;  and  in  the 
month  of  April,  1773,  Samuel  Edmiston  was  commissioned  by  the 
two  congregations  above  mentioned  to  present  a  call  to  the  Rev. 


*5  Hen.  Stat.,  pages  489-490. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  139 

Charles  Cummings  at  the  Eeverend  Presbytery  of  Hanover  when 
sitting  at  the  Tinkling  Springs,  in  Angusta  county.  This  call  was 
reduced  to  writing  and  signed  by  the  members  of  the  Sinking 
Spring  and  Ebbing  Spring  congregations.  It  was  presented  to 
the  Presbytery  by  Samuel  Edmiston  for  the  services  of  Mr.  Cum- 
mings at  Brown's  meeting-house,  in  Augusta  county,  on  June  3, 
1773.     The  call  with  the  signatures  thereto  is  as  follows: 

"A  call  from  the  united  congregations  of  Ebbing,  and  Sinking 
springs,  on  Holston's  river,  Fincastle  county,  to  be  presented  to  the 
Rev,  Charles  Cummings,  minister  of  the  gospel,  at  the  Eeverend 
Presbytery  of  Hanover  when  sitting  at  the  Tinkling  Spring: 

Worthy  and  Dear  Sir, — We,  being  in  very  destitute  circum- 
stances for  want  of  the  ordinances  of  Christ's  house  statedly  ad- 
ministered amongst  us ;  many  of  us  under  very  distressing  spiritual 
languishments ;  and  multitudes  perishing  in  our  sins  for  want  of 
the  bread  of  life  broken  among  us;  our  Sabbaths  too  much  pro- 
faned, or  at  least  wasted  in  melancholy  silence  at  home,  our  hearts 
and  hands  discouraged,  and  our  spirits  broken  with  our  mournful 
condition,  so  that  human  language  cannot  sufficiently  paint.  Hav- 
ing had  the  happiness,  by  the  good  providence  of  God,  of  enjoying 
part  of  your  labors  to  our  abundant  satisfaction,  and  being  uni- 
versally well  satisfied  by  our  experience  of  your  ministerial  abili- 
ties, piety,  literature,  prudence  and  peculiar  agreeableness  of  your 
qualifications  to  us  in  particular  as  a  gospel  minister — we  do, 
worthy  and  dear  sir,  from  our  very  hearts,  and  with  the  most  cor- 
dial affection  and  unanimity  agree  to  call,  invite  and  entreat  you  to 
undertake  the  office  of  a  pastor  among  us,  and  the  care  and  charge 
of  our  precious  souls,  and  upon  your  accepting  of  this  our  call,  we 
do  promise  that  we  will  receive  the  word  of  God  from  your  mouth, 
attend  on  your  ministry,  instruction  and  reproofs,  in  public  and 
private,  and  submit  to  the  discipline  which  Christ  has  appointed 
in  his  church,  administered  by  you  while  regulated  by  the  word  of 
God  and  agreeable  to  our  confession  of  faith  and  directory.  And 
that  you  may  give  yourself  wholly  up  to  the  important  work  of  the 
ministry,  we  hereby  promise  to  pay  you  annually  the  sum  of  ninety 
poimds  from  the  time  of  your  accepting  this  our  call ;  and  that  we 
shall  behave  ourselves  towards  you  with  all  that  dutiful  respect 
and  affection  that  becomes  a  people  towards  their  minister,  using 
all  means  within  our  power  to  render  your  life  comfortable  and 


140 


SovtJL'west  Virginia,  17Ji6-17S6. 


liapp}''.  We  entreat  3'ou,  worthy  and  dear  sir,  to  have  compassion 
u])on  us  in  this  remote  part  of  the  world,  and  accept  this  our  call 
and  invitation  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  our  precious  and  immor- 
tal souls,  and  we  shall  hold  ourselves  bound  to  pray. 


(I^orge  Blackburn, 
Win.  Blackburn, 
John  Vance, 
John  Casey, 
Benjamin  Logan, 
l»(bert  Edmiston, 
Tliomas  Berry, 
IJobert  Trimble, 
AVm.  McGaughey, 
David  Dry  den, 
V.'m.  McNabb, 
\    .  •)hn  Davis, 
]  [albert  McClure, 
Arthur  Blackburn, 
"^    Tiathl.  Davis, 
Saml.  Evans, 
\Vm.  Kennedy,  "^ 

Andrew  McFerran, 
Saml.  Hendry, 
John  Patterson, 
-Tames  Gilmore, 
John  Lowry, 
Wm.  Christian, 
Andrew  Colville, 
Eobert  Craig, 
Joseph  Black, 
Jonathan   Douglass?, 
John  Cusick, 
Eobert  Gamble, 
,  Andrew  Martin, 
Augustus  Webb, 
Samuel  Briggs, 
Wesley  White, 
James  Dorchester, 
James  Fulkerson, 


John  Long, 
Eobert  Topp,  v 

John  Hunt, 
Thomas  Bailey, 
David  Getgood, 
Alex.  Breckenridge, 
George  Clark, 
James  Molden, 
William  Blanton, 
James  Craig,  "^ 

Thomas  Sharp, 
John  Berry, 
James  Montgomery, 
Samuel  Houston, 
Henry  Creswell, 
George  Adams, 
George  Buchanan, 
James  Dysart, 
William  Miller, 
Andrew  Deeper, 
David  Snodgrass, 
Danl.   McCormick, 
Francis  Kincannon, 
Jos.  Snodgrass, 
James  Thompson, 
Eobert  Denniston, 
William  Edmiston, 
Saml.  Edmiston, 
Andrew  Kincannon, 
John  Kelley, 
John  Eobinson, 
James  Kincannon, 
Margaret  Edmiston, 
John  Edmiston, 
John  Boyd, 


David  Carson, 
Samuel   Buchanan, 
William  Bates, 
William  McMillin, 
John  Kennedy, 
Eobert  Lamb, 
Thos.  Eafferty, 
Tliomas  Baker, 
John  Groce, 
Eobert   Buchanan, 
Chrisr.  Acklin, 
Joseph  Gamble, 
John  McNabb, 
Chris.  Funkhouser, 
John  Funkhouser,  Sr., 
John  Funkhouser,  Jr., 
Thomas  Evans, 
William  Marlor, 
Wm.  Edmiston, 
Thos  Edmiston, 
John  Beaty, 
David  Beaty, 
George  Teator, 
Michl.  Halfacre, 
Stephen  Cawood, 
James  Garvell, 
Eob.  Buchanan,  Jr., 
Edward  Jamison, 
ISTicholas  Brobston, 
Alexander  McNutt, 
William   Pruitt, 
John  McCutchen, 
James  Berry, 
James  Trimble, 
Eichard  Heggons, 


Southwest  'Virginia,  17JfG-17SG. 


141 


Stephen  Jordan, 
Alex.  Laughlin, 
James  Inglish, 
Richard  Moore, 
Thomas  Ramsey, 
Samuel  Wilson, 
Joseph  Vance, 
William  Young, 
William  Davidson, 
James  Young, 
John  Sharp, 


Robert  Kirkham, 
Martin  Pruitt, 
Andrew  Miller, 
William  Berry, 
James   Piper, 
James    Harrold, 
Saral.  Newell, 
David  Wilson, 
David  Craig, 
William  Berry, 
V  Moses  Buchanan, 


John  Lester^ 

Hugh  Johnson, 
Edward  Pharis, 
Joseph  Lester, 
Saml.  White, 
William  Lester, 
William  Poage, 
Saml.  Buchanan, 
Thos.  Montgomery, 
Samuel  Bell, 
John  Campbell. 


Tliis  call  was  accepted  by  Mr.  Cummings,  but  no  record  is  pre- 
served of  any  installation  being  appointed  or  performed.  It  was 
intended  that  this  call  should  have  been  presented  at  a  session  of 
the  Presbytery  in  the  preceding  April,  but,  for  some  cause,  it  was 
delayed  until  the  following  June.  Having  accepted  this  call,  he 
removed  his  family  to  the  Holston,  and  settled  upon  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  on  the  head  waters  of  Wolf  Hill  creek,  which  he  pur- 
chased from  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  for  the  consideration  of  thirty- 
three  pounds,  and  which  land  was  conveyed  to  him  by  Dr.  Walker 
by  a  deed  dated  April  14,  1774. 

We  hope  our  readers  will  indulge  us  if  we  pause  at  this  place 
to  remark  that  every  acre  of  this  three-hundred-acre  tract  of  land 
is  to-day,  129  years  thereafter,  in  the  possession  of  the  direct  lineal 
descendants  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Cummings.     A  remarkable  fact. 

As  soon  as  he  had  settled  his  family  on  the  Holston,  he  set  about 
the  performance  of  the  duties  pertaining  to  his  station  with  all  the 
energy  and  intelligence  of  which  he  was  capable.  He  purchased 
from  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  for  five  shillings,  by  estimation,  fifty- 
five  acres  of  land,  which  land  was  deeded  ])y  Dr.  Walker  "to  the 
minister  and  congregation  of  the  Sinking  Spring  Church  and 
their  successors  for  the  time  being  on  April  14,  1774.  This  tract 
of  laud  was  bounded  as  follows:  Beginning  at  a  red  oak  corner  to 
Andrew  Colvill,  running  thence  E.  10  poles  to  a  white  oak,  N. 
20',  E.  126  poles  to  a  hickory;  thence  N.  31',  W.  48  poles  to  a 
chestnut  on  a  high  ridge,  S.  53',  W.  96  poles  to  a  chestnut  and  a 
white  oak  on  the  side  of  said  ridge,  S.  35',  E.  46  poles  to  a  large 
white  oak,  S.  40',  W.  28  poles  to  a  black  oak  near  Sinking  Spring, 


142  SouUiwest   Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

S.  30',  E.  48  poles  to  a  white  oak;  thence  E.  12  poles  to  the  be- 
ginning."* 

A  considerable  part  of  noi-thwest  Abingdon  is  built  upon  this 
same  tract  of  land. 

The  first  meeting  house  of  the  Sinking  Spring  congregation  was 
erected  on  the  first  rise  in  the  present  cemetery  in  the  rear  of  the 
Martin  vault,  and  was  a  very  large  cabin  of  unhewn  logs.'  It  was 
from  80  to  100  feet  long  and  about  40  feet  wide,  and  had  a  very 
remarkable  appearance. 

Governor  David  Campbell,  in  speaking  of  the  men  who  signed 
this  call,  says:  "In  early  life  I  knew  personally  many  of  those 
whose  names  are  signed  to  it,  and  I  knew  nearly  all  of  them  from 
character." 

They  were  a  most  respectable  body  of  men,  were  all  Whigs  in  the 
revolution,  and  nearly  all,  probably  every  one  of  them,  performed 
military  service  against  the  Indians,  and  a  large  portion  of  them 
against  the  British  in  the  battles  of  King's  Mountain,  Guilford 
Courthouse,  and  other  actions  in  North  and  South  Carolina. 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  first  men  who  inhabited  our 
county  and  worshipped  in  this,  the  first  place  of  worship,  on  all  the 
waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch. 

Daniel  Boone  again  visited  the  waters  of  the  Holston  in  the 
fall  of  this  year.  The  Boones  and  five  other  families  set  out  from 
their  homes  on  the  Yadkin  river,  N".  C,  on  September  25,  1773. 
They  passed  through  Washington  county  and  on  into  Powell's 
Valley  (on  their  way  to  Kentucky),  where  they  were  joined  by 
William  Bryan,  with  forty  other  people.  While  this  body  of  emi- 
grants were  leisurely  traveling  through  Powell's  Valley  a  small 
company,  under  James  Boone,  Daniel  Boone's  eldest  son,  left  the 
main  body  and  went  to  the  home  of  William  Eussell  to  secure  pro- 
visions, and  on  the  9th  of  October  James  Boone  and  his  company, 
among  the  number  being  Eussell's  son  Henry  and  two  slaves,  en- 
camped a  few  miles  in  the  rear  of  the  main  body.  At  this  point 
they  Avere,  the  next  day,  waylaid  by  a  small  company  of  Shawnese 
and  Cherokee  Indians,  who  were  supposed  to  be  at  peace  with  the 
white  settlers.  On  the  morning  of  the  10th  James  Boone  and  his 
entire  company  were  captured,  and,  after  cruel  torture,  were  slaught- 
ered.    After  this  occurrence  Daniel  Boone's  company  of  emigrants 


*Deed  Book  "A,"  page  — ,  Fincastle  county. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  143 

broke  up  and  returned  to  the  settlements,  and  Daniel  Boone  and  his 
family  returned  to  the  home  of  William  Kussell,  near  Castle's 
Woods,  on  Clinch  river,  about  forty  miles  distant,  and  took  up  their 
residence  in  an  empty  cabin  on  the  farm  of  Captain  David  Glass, 
seven  or  eight  miles  from  William  Eussell's,  where  they  spent  the 
M'inter  of  1773-1774.  Daniel  Boone  had  twice,  previously  to  this 
time,  visited  the  Kentucky  wilderness,  and  had  decided  to  settle  in 
the  beautiful  country  which  he  had  visited.  And  thus  rudely  were 
his  first  efforts  frustrated. 

The  motive  actuating  the  Indians  in  making  this  assault  must 
have  been  jealousy  of  these,  the  first  emigrants  to  Kentucky.  They 
could  not  have  had  for  their  object  the  securing  of  plunder  alone, 
for  the  Indians  had  long  lived  in  peace  with  the  white  settlers 
without  any  effort  to  murder  or  burn.  In  this  assault  six  men, 
including  Boone's  son,  were  slain,  and  their  cattle  and  plunder 
secured  and  carried  oft'. 

We  have  now  reached  the  time  when  the  eyes  of  all  frontiersmen 
were  fixed  upon  the  fertile  lands  lying  beyond  the  Cumberland 
mountains.  The  Kentucky  wilderness  was  no  longer  visited  by 
the  hunter  alone,  but  the  explorer  and  the  settler  were  seeking  an 
opportunity  to  acquire  a  future  home  in  the  new  country. 

A  distinguished  author,  in  speaking  of  the  condition  of  the 
Indians  at  that  time,  says :  "Recently  they  had  been  seriously 
alarmed  by  the  tendency  of  the  whites  to  encroach  on  the  great 
hunting  grounds  south  of  the  Ohio,  for  here  and  there  hunters  and 
settlers  were  already  beginning  to  build  cabins  along  the  course  of 
that  stream,"  and  in  another  place  the  same  author  speaks  as  fol- 
lows :  "The  savages  grew  continually  more  hostile,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1773  their  attacks  became  so  frequent  that  it  was  evident  a 
general  outbreak  was  at  hand.  Eleven  people  were  murdered  in 
the  county  of  Fincastle  alone.  The  Shawnese  were  the  leaders  in 
all  these  outrages.  Thus  the  spring  of  1774  opened  with  every- 
thing ripe  for  an  explosion.  The  Virginia  borderers  were  fear- 
fully exasperated,  and  were  ready  to  take  vengeance  upon  any  In- 
dian, whether  peaceful  or  hostile,  while  the  Shawnese  and  Mingoes, 
on  their  side,  were  arrogant  and  overbearing,  and  yet  alarmed  at 
the  -continual  advance  of  the  whites."* 

The  Virginia   Colony  was  at  peace  with  the   Cherokees,   and 


*The  Winning  of  the  West,  Vol.  I.,  pages  250-252. 


144  SouUiivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

most   of   the    Indians'    depredations    during    the   year    1774-1775 
were  comniitted  by  the  northwest  Indians. 

A  Mr.  Russell  and  five  of  his  companions  were  murdered  by  the 
Indians  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1773  in  Fincastle  county,  and  about 
the  same  time  two  men,  l)y  the  name  of  Cochran  and  Foley,  and 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Hayes,  with  his  three  companions,  were 
murdered  by  the  Indians,  but  as  to  the  locality  of  these  murders 
or  the  circumstances  attending  them  we  have  no  information.! 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1774,  a  number  of  the  citizens 
of  Fincastle  county  were  captured  and  killed  by  the  northern  In- 
dians, among  the  number  being  Thomas  Hogg  and  two  men  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  and  Walter  Kelly,  with  three  or 
four  other  persons,  below  the  falls  of  the  Great  Kanawha.  William 
Kelly  and  a  young  woman  were  captured  on  Muddy  creek,  a  branch 
of  Green  river.  Kelly  was  killed  and  the  young  woman  carried 
into  captivity.  During  this  same  summer  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Shockley,  a  scout  employed  by  the  County  Court  of  Fincastle 
county,  was  shot  and  killed,  and  on  the  7th  day  of  August,  1774, 
the  house  of  one  John  Lybrook,  situated  on  Sinking  creek  in  the_ 
present  county  of  Craig,  was  attacked  by  the  Indians.  Lybrook 
was  wounded  in  the  arm,  and  only  saved  his  life  by  hiding  in  a 
cave.  Three  of  his  children  (one  of  them  a  sucking  infant),  a 
young  woman,  a  daughter  of  one  Scott,  and  a  child  of  widow 
Snidow  were  killed.  All  the  children  were  scalped  but  one,  and 
were  mangled  in  a  most  crxiel  manner.  At  the  same  time  and  in 
the  same  community,  John  and  Jacob  Snidow  and  a  younger 
brother,  whose  name  is  not  known,  were  captured  and  made  pris- 
oners. Two  of  the  brothers  escaped  from  the  Indians  on  the  fol- 
lowing Wednesday,  but  tlic  other  was  carried  into  captivity  and 
remained  with  the  Indians  until  he  acquired  their  habits  and  be- 
came so  fond  of  their  manner  of  life  that  he  ever  afterwards  lived 
among  them.  At  the  same  time  a  Miss  Margaret  McKiusie  was 
captured  and  carried  into  captivity,  where  she  remained  for  eighteen 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  she  returned  to  New  river  and 
married  a  Mr.  Benjamin  Hall. 

The  white  settlers  near  Pittsburg  were  on  very  bad  terms  with 
the  northwest  Indians.  On  the  last  day  of  April,  1774,  a  small 
•company  of  Indians  left  the  camp  of  the  Indian  Chief  Logan,  at 


tWm.  Preston  Mss. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17-^6-1786.  145 

Yellow  creek,  and  crossed  the  river  to  visit  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Greathouse,  a  place  which  they  had  been  accustomed  to  visit  for 
tlie  purpose  of  buying  rum  from  the  whites.  The  Indians  were 
made  drunk  with  liquor,  and  while  in  this  condition  were  cruelly 
murdered  by  Greathouse  and  his  associates.  Nine  Indians  in  all 
were  murdered  at  this  time,  among  the  number  being  the  entire 
family  of  the  Indian  Chief  Logan.  Logan  had  always  been  the 
friend  of  the  white  man,  and  had  always  been  exceedingly  kind  and 
gentle  to  women  and  children,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  some 
of  his  relatives  had  been  killed  by  the  whites  some  years  before. 
Logan  was  a  skilled  marksman  and  a  mighty  hunter  of  com- 
manding dignity,  who  treated  all  men  with  a  grave  courtesy  and 
exacted  the  same  treatment  in  return.  He  was  greatly  liked  and 
respected  by  all  the  white  hunters  and  frontiersmen  whose  friend- 
ship and  respect  were  worth  having.  They  admired  him  for  his 
dexterity  and  prowess,  and  they  loved  him  for  his  straightforward 
honesty  and  his  nol)le  loyalty  to  his  friends.* 

This  last  stroke  was  more  than  Logan  could  stand.  He  at- 
tributed his  misfortune  to  Captain  Cresap,  and  he  began  at  once 
to  raid  the  settlements  with  small  bands  of  Indians.  This  raid 
was  upon  the  settlers  of  the  Holston  and  the  Clinch.  On  his  first 
expedition  he  took  thirteen  scalps,  six  of  the  number  being  chil- 
dren. He  was  pursued  and  overtaken  by  a  party  of  men  com- 
manded by  a  man  by  the  name  of  McClure,  but  he  ambushed  and 
defeated  them  on  McClure's  creek,  now  in  Dickenson  county,  and 
it  was  from  this  occurrence  that  the  creek  obtained  its  name. 
Again,  during  the  same  year,  he  visited  the  waters  of  Holston, 
within  twelve  miles  of  the  present  location  of  Bristol,  and  cap- 
tured and  murdered  many  families.  At  the  house  of  one  Eoberts, 
whose  family  was  cut  off,  Logan  left  a  war-club,  to  which  was  tied 
a  note,  which  read  as  follows : 

"Captain  Cresap, — ^What  did  you  kill  my  people  on  Yellow 
creek  for?  The  white  people  killed  my  kin  at  Conestoga  a  great 
while  ago,  and  1  thought  nothing  of  that.  But  you  killed  my  kin 
again  on  Yellow  creek,  and  took  my  cousin  prisoner.  Then  I 
thought  I  must  kill,  too,  and  I  have  been  three  times  to  war  since; 
but  the  Indians  are  not  angry,  only  myself. 

elulv  21, 1774.  "Captain  John  Logan." 


^Winning  of  the  West,  Vol.  I.,  page  256. 


146 


Southwest  Virginia,  174G-1786. 


While  the  settlers  at  Pittsburg  provoked  this  diificulty,  it  seems 
that  the  settlers  on  the  Holston  and  Clinch  were  the  principal 
sufferers  thereby. 

Numerous  surveyors,  with  their  instruments,  visited  Kentucky 
during  this  year.  Among  the  number  were  James  Douglas,  Han- 
cock Taylor,  Isaac  Bledsoe,  and  John  Floyd.  The  last  named  left 
the  home  of  Colonel  William  Preston  at  Smithfield  on  April  9, 
1774,  accompanied  by  eight  men.  They  passed  down  the  Kanawha 
river  to  the  Ohio,  where  they  were  informed  by  a  company  they 
met  that  an  Indian  war  was  probable;  notwithstanding  which  in- 
formation they  continued  their  explorations,  surveying  many  tracts 
of  land  on  the  Ohio  and  in  the  present  State  of  Kentucky.  We  here 
give  a  list  of  a  few  surveys  made  by  the  men  who  visited  Kentucky  in 
this  year.  We  copy  this  list  from  the  fact  that  it  is  exceedingly 
interesting,  and  for  the  further  reason  that  it  contains  the  first  sur- 
veys made  by  the  white  man  in  the  present  State  of  Kentucky : 

Notable  Tmcit^  of  Land,  Surveyed  hy  John  Floyd,  Hancock  Taylor  and  James  Doug- 
las, in  1774-i77S,  lying  mostly  in  Kentucky 


Time. 


April  25 

1774 

" 

'20. 

177-i 

" 

22, 

177-1 

June 

7, 

1774 

" 

», 

1774 

April  15, 

1774 

June 

7, 

1774 

July 

8, 

1774 

7, 

1774 

n, 

1774 

12, 

1774 

H, 

1774 

20, 

1774 

May 

t>, 

1774 

June 

2, 

1774 

Name. 


Mitchell  Clay. 
Wni.  Inglis. 
Wm.  Inglis. 
Col.  Wm.  Cliristian. 
Jas.  McCorkle. 
Col.  Geo.  Washington 
John  Floyd. 
Patrick  Henry. 
Patrick  Henry. 
Wui.  Christian. 
Wm.  Russell.  •>* 
Wm.  Preston.  ^ 
Audley  Paul. 
Wm.  Christian. 
Wm.  Byrd. 


May    24, 1774  Wm.  Fleming. 

"      27, 1774  John  Corlin. 
June    2, 1774  Henry  Harrison. 
Mar.  23,  1774  Samuel  Scott. 
N-  Aug.     8, 1774]Andrew  Lewis. 

"       16,  1774  Evan  Shelby. 
May   31, 1774  Zachary  Taylor. 
June  17, 1774  Zachary  Taylor. 

"      29, 1774  Adam  Stephens. 


1, 1774  Jolin  Connallv. 

1, 1774  Wm.  Byrd. 
I 

2, 1774  Thomas  Bower. 
14,  1775  James  McDowell. 
11, 1775  Samuel  McDowell. 


July 

June  12, 1774  Wm.  Christian. 

"      24, 1775  Jethro  Sumner. 
"       3,  1774  Arthur  Campbell. 
May    12, 1774  Wm.  Christian 


ACBBS 


1,000 
200 
1,(100 
2,000 
1,000 
2,000 
1,000 
2,000 
3,000 
3,000 
2,000 
1,000 
2,000 
1,000 
1,000 

3,000 

200 

1,000 

40 

2,000 

2,000 
1,000 
2,000 


2,000 
1,000 

1,00) 
•..',000 
2,000 
1,000 

2,000 
1,000 
1,000 


Location. 


Botii  sides  Bluestone  Cr.,  Clover  Bottom. 
H'd  Spring  Wolf  Cr.,  Burks  Garden. 
Abbs'  Valley. 
Bear  Grass  Creek,  Br.  of  Ohio. 

Bank  of  Cole  River. 

W.  Bear  Grass  Creek. 

Elk  Horn  Creek,  Br.  of  Kentucky. 


N.  Br.  Ky.  River,  95  miles  from  the  Ohio. 

S.  Br.  Kentucky  River. 

N.  Br.  of  Kentucky. 

S.  Side  Ohio,  3  miles  above  mouth  of  Ky. 

About  11  miles  below  mouth  of  Ky.,  called 

"  Mt.  Byrd." 
On  Ohio  River. 
On  Ohio,  19  miles  above  falls. 
On  Ohio,  23^  miles  from  h'd  of  fall. 
The  Narrows.  Giles  County. 
Sinking  Cr.,  8  miles  from  Ky.  River,  N, 

course  from  Harwood  Landing. 
Elk  Horn  Cr.,  Branch  of  Kentucky. 
On  Ohio,  Mouth  Bear  Grass  Creek. 
Br.  Kv.  that  empties  at  Gireat  Crossing. 
N.  si<lV  K y.  River  and  N.W.  side  Klk  Horn 

Creek  al)i)ut8  miles  I'min  a  remarkable 

l)arialo  feeding  place,  tlie  Ky.  River. 
S.  side  Ohio  River  opposite  the  falls. 
S.   side  ( ihio,   nearly  opposite  flrst  island 

above  the  falls. 
Near  falls  of  Ohio. 
S.  Fork  Licking  Cr.,  Br.  of  Ohio. 
Elk  Horn  Cr.,  Br.  of  Kentucky. 
Salt  River,  20  miles  from  Great  Falls  Inc'd 

Spring  and  Buffalo  Lick. 
Elk  Horn  Creek  (Sumner's  Forest). 
Br.  Bear  Grass  Cr.,  S.  Br.  Ohio. 
Big  Bone  Lick  and  Butt'alo  Lick. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  147 

This  is  a  partial  list  only  of  the  many  surveys  made  in  west 
Fincastle  county,  now  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  by  Hancock  Tay- 
lor, James  Douglas,  and  John  Floyd. 

These  men  were  sent  to  Kentucky  by  direction  of  the  Governor 
of  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  and  all  the  lands  thus  located  were  for 
men  or  the  assignees  of  men  who  took  part  in  the  French-Indian 
war  of  1754-1763,  and  who  acquired  their  rights  under  the  King's 
proclamation  of  1763.  When  the  war  with  the  Indians  broke  out 
Lord  Dunmore  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  give  information  of  that 
fact  to  the  surveyors,  and  he  directed  Colonel  William  Preston, 
who  had  charge  of  the  defenses  of  Fincastle  county,  to  communi- 
cate the  fact  to  the  surveyors.  Colonel  Preston  authorized  Colo- 
nel William  Russell,  who  then  lived  on  the  Clinch  river,  to  employ 
two  faithful  woodmen  to  go  to  Kentucky  and  convey  the  infor- 
mation to  the  several  companies  of  surveyors  and  their  assistants, 
and  on  the  26th  of  June,  1774,  Captain  Russell  wrote  Colonel 
William  Preston  as  follows :  "I  have  engaged  to  start  immediately 
upon  the  occasion  two  of  the  best  hands  I  could  think  of,  Daniel 
Boone  and  Michael  Stoner,  who  have  engaged  to  reach  the  coun- 
try as  low  as  the  falls,  and  to  return  by  way  of  Gasper's  Lick,  on 
Cumberland,  and  through  Cumberland  Gap,  so  that  by  the  as- 
siduity of  these  men,  if  it  be  not  too  late,  I  hope  the  gentlemen 
will  be  apprized  of  the  imminent  danger  they  are  daily  in." 
Boone  and  Stoner  set  out  immediately  upon  their  trip,  and  warned 
Colonel  James  Harrod  and  thirty  men  at  Harrodsburg,  now  Ken- 
tucky. They  found  another  company  of  surveyors  at  Fontainebleau 
and  on  the  Kentucky  i-iver  they  found  Captalin  John  Floyd 
and  his  men,  and  thence  they  passed  to  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  where 
they  warned  the  surveyors  at  Mann's  Lick,  and,  after  an  absence 
of  sixty-one  days,  they  reached  J^ussell's  Fort  on  Clinch  river, 
having  traveled  800  miles  on  foot.  Captain  John  Floyd  imme- 
diately set  out  for  the  settlements,  and  on  the  13th  day  of  August, 
1774,  he  reached  the  home  of  Colonel  Preston  at  Smithfield,  and 
reported :  "That  on  the  8th  of  July  he  and  three  others  parted  with 
fourteen  men,  who  were  also  engaged  in  the  surveying  business, 
and  went  about  twenty  miles  from  them  to  finish  his  part  of  the 
work,  and  that  they  were  to  meet  on  the  first  day  of  August  at  a 
place  on  the  Kentucky,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Cabin,  in  order 
to  proceed  on  their  homeward  journey.     That  on  the  24th  of  July 


148  Southivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

he,  with  his  three  men,  repaired  to  tlie  place  appointed,  where  he 
found  that  a  part,  or  all  of  the  conipan}^,  had  assembled  according 
to  agreement,  but  had  gone  off  in  the  greatest  precipitation,  leav- 
ing him  only  this  notice  written  on  a  tree:  'Alarmed  by  finding 
some  people  killed,  we  arc  gone  down,'  upon  which  he,  with  his 
small  party,  iminodiatoly  set  out,  steering  for  our  settlements;  and 
after  an  extremely  painful  and  fatiguing  journey  of  sixteen  days 
through  mountains  almost  inaccessible  and  ways  unknown,  he  at 
last  arrived  on  Clinch  river.  He  did  not  well  understand  the 
notice  left  him  on  the  tree,  whether  part  of  the  company  had  as- 
sembled at  the  Cabin,  and  that  they  had  gone  down  to  the  camp  in 
order  to  warn  those  who  were  at  work  in  that  neighborhood  of 
danger,  or  whether  the  whole  company  had  met  and  were  departed 
down  the  Mississippi,  as  several  in  the  company  had  before  pro- 
posed returning  home  that  Avay,  with  a  view  both  to  see  the  coun- 
try and  avoid  the  fatigue  of  returning  by  land.  The  names  of 
some  of  the  party  not  then  returned  are  here  inserted,  viz. :  James 
Douglas,  Hancock  Ta5dor  and  Isaach  Bledsoe ;  Surveyors  John  Wil- 
lis, Willis  Lee,  Captain  John  Ashby,  Abraham  Hempenstall,  Wil-  ' 
liam  Ballard,  John  Green,  Lawrence  Darnell,  Mordecai  Batson, 
John  Sodusky,  James  Strother  and  John  Ball." 

The  northwestern  Indians  were  greatly  alarmed  at  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  white  settlers,  who  were  daily  surveying  and  settling 
the  lands  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  in  the  wilderness  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  white  settlers  insisted  that  they  had  a  right  to  survey 
and  settle  these  lands  under  the>])]'ovisinus  of  tlie  treaty  made  with 
the  confederacy  of  the  Six  Nations  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  17G8,  and 
they  were  greatly  exasperated  by  the  conduct  of  the  northwestern 
Indians  in  denying  their  right  to  said  lands  and  in  murdering 
their  people  and  plundering  their  settlements.  The  white  settlers 
had  long  been  restrained  by  the  British  Government  from  aveng- 
ing their  wrongs  on  the  Indians,  and  now  they  clamored  for  war. 
When  the  news  of  the  disposition  of  the  Indians  reached  Williams- 
burg the  Governor  of  the  Colony  and  the  House  of  Burgesses  of 
Virginia  immediately  took  steps  to  protect  the  western  settlers. 

By  the  direction  of  Lord  Dunmore,  Lieutenant-Colonel  William 
Christian,  in  the  month  of  May,  1774,  left  Williamsburg  for  Fin- 
castle  county  with  instructions  to  use  every  means  possible  to  pre- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1780.  149 

vent  the  inhabitants  from  leaving  tlie  settlements  on  the  approach 
of  the  Indian  war. 

As  soon  as  he  reached  his  home  a  council  of  the  militia  officers 
was  held  on  June  35,  1774,  at  the  Lead  Mines,  at  which  council  it 
was  resolved  that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Christian  should  march  with 
a  body  of  militia  to  the  Clinch  settlements.  The  militia  Avas  at ! 
once  mustered  in  and  equipped  at  the  personal  expense  of  Colonel  j 
Christian,  JVilliam  Preston  and  Major  Arthur  Campbell,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Clinch  settlements,  where  every  preparation  was ' 
made  for  war.  A  considerable  part  of  this  force  accompanied 
Colonel  Christian  to  Point  Pleasant  in  the  following  August.  Gen- 
eral Andrew  Lewis  was  directed  by  Governor  Dunmore  to  organize 
a  sufficient  force  to  carry  war  into  the  enemy's  country.  The  organi- 
zation of  this  body  of  troops  was  intrusted  to  General  Andrew 
Lewis  and  Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  of  Augusta  county.  As  it  would 
require  some  time  to  organize  this  body  of  troops,  it  was  thought 
proper  to  send  an  advance  guard  into  the  enemy's  country  to  re- 
strain the  Indians  wjiile  the  whites  were  preparing,  and  early  in 
June  about  400  men,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Angus  Mc- 
Donald, assembled  at  Wheeling  and  immediately  marched  to  the 
Indian  grounds,  on  the  Muskingum,  with  the  loss  of  two  men  killed 
and  eight  or  ten  wounded.  The  Indians  fled,  and  in  a  few  days 
returned  and  sued  for  peace,  but  their  pretensions  were  not  sin- 
cere; and  they  were  only  delaying  McDonald  while  they  removed 
their  property  and  their  women  and  children  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  Virginia  troops.  Thereupon  Colonel  McDonald  burned  the  In- 
dian towns  and  crops  and  retraced  his  steps  to  Wheeling.  As  soon 
as  the  troops  had  retired  from  the  Indian  country  small  bands  of 
Indians  invaded  the  western  settlements  at  many  points. 

Many  of  the  people  of  Fincastle  county  were  murdered,  and  by 
the  first  of  August  all  the  people  in  Pincastle  county,  except  a  few 
of  the  settlers  on  Holston,  were  gatliered  into  small  forts-;  and 
such  was  the  unhappy  situation  of  the  people  that  they  could  not 
attend  to  their  plantations,  nor  were  the  scouts  employed  by  the 
county  able  to  investigate  the  inroads  of  the  enemy,  as  they  came 
in  small  parties  and  traveled  along  the  mountains  with  great  cau- 
tion. About  the  last  of  June  one  Knox,  who  went  to  Ohio  with  the 
surveyors  in  the  spring,  reached  the  settlements  and  reported : 
"That  on  the  13th  of  June  one  Jacob  Lewis  departed  from  the 


150  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

camp  on  Salt  river  in  the  morning  to  hunt,  and  had  never  been 
heard  of  since;  that  on  the  8th  of  July,  being  at  said  camp,  about 
one  hundred  miles  from  the  Ohio  and  nearly  opposite  to  the  falls, 
he,  with  nine  otliei-s,  was  surprised  and  fired  upon  by  a  party  of 
about  twenty  Indians;  that  two  men  were  killed  on  the  spot,  viz.: 
James  Hamilton,  from  Fredericksburg,  and  James  Cowan,  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  as  the  enemy  rushed  upon  them  before  it  was 
possible  to  put  themselves  in  any  posture  of  defence,  they  were 
obliged  to  abandon  their  camp  and  make  their  escape  to  a  party  of 
thirty-five  men  who  were  in  that  neighborhood.  Next  day,  the 
whole  company,  being  forty-three  in  number,  after  burying  the 
dead,  set  out  for  the  settlement  on  Clinch  river,  wliere  they  arrived 
on  the  29th,  after  making  several  discoveries  of  the  enemy  on  the 
way." 

General  Andrew  Lewis  had  orders  to  raise  four  companies  of 
militia  from  Fincastle  and  Botetourt  counties,  to  rendezvous  at 
Camp  Union,  and  to  march  thence  down  the  Kanawha  to  Fort  Pitt, 
at  the  junction  of  the  Kanawha  and  Ohio.  Three  companies  of 
men  were  raised  in  Fincastle  county  and  were  commanded  by: 
Captain  Evan  Shelby,  the  forces  from  the  waters  of  the  Holston, 
Captain  Wm.  Eussell,  the  forces  from  the  waters  of  the  Clinch, 
Captain  Wm.  Herbert,  the  forces  from  the  waters  of  New  river. 

Captain  Eussell  left  EusselFs  Fort  on  Clinch  river  previously 
to  August  13th,  1774,  and  Captain  Evan  Shelby  began  the  march 
with  his  forces  on  the  17th  of  August,  1774,  both  companies  join- 
ing the  regiment  of  Colonel  Cliristian  on  New  river;  from  which 
place  Colonel  Christian,  with  his  regiment,  proceeded  to  Camp 
Union.  On  the  11th  day  of  September,  1774,  the  army  of  Gen. 
Lewis  began  the  march  down  the  Kanawha,  and,  after  the  expira- 
tion of  twenty-five  days,  they  arrived  at  Point  Pleasant  and  camped 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  When  the  army  of  General  Lewis  left 
Camp  Union,  Colonel  Wm.  Christian,  with  four  hundred  inen,  was 
directed  to  remain  and  guard  the  provisions  until  the  return  of  a 
company  of  horse  that  had  been  sent  to  the  mouth  of  Elk,  when  he 
was  to  hurry  things  forward.  But  the  companies  of  Captains 
Eussell  and  Shelby  accompanied  the  army  of  General  Lewis  upon 
its  march  from  Camp  Union  to  Point  Pleasant  and  w^ere  attached 
to  the  command  of  Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  of  Augusta  county. 

At  the  same  time,  Lord  Dunmore  raised  a  considerable  force  in 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  151 

the  lower  Valley  and  was  to  march  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  thence  to 
Point  Pleasant,  where  he  was  to  meet  General  Lewis.  Instead  of 
doing  so,  he  marched  into  Ohio.  General  Lewis,  upon  his  arrival  at 
Point  Pleasant,  waited  several  days,  expecting  the  arrival  of  Lord 
Dunmore,  and,  not  hearing  from  him,  he  dispatched  messengers, 
but  whether  he  received  a  reply  before  the  battle  is  a  matter  of  dis- 
pute. On  Sunday,  the  9th  day  of  October,  the  sturdy  Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians  from  Pincastle  county  spent  the  day  in  religious 
exercises,  little  dreaming  that  on  the  coming  day  they  would  be  sur- 
prised by  the  Indians  and  win  the  most  hotly  contested  battle  with 
the  Indians  recorded  in  the  annals  of  our  history. 

"^BATTLE  OF  POINT  PLEASANT. 

Early  Monday  morning,  October  10th,  James  Mooney  and  James 
Hughey,  of  Captain  Eussell's  company,  left  the  camp  in  quest  of 
deer.  When  about  three  miles  distant  from  their  camp,  they  unex- 
pectedly came  in  sight  of  a  large  body  of  Indians,  in  their  en- 
campment. The  Indians,  when  they  discovered  the  two  men,  fired 
upon  them,  and  Hughey  was  killed  by  a  white  renegade  by  the  name 
of  Travenor  Eoss.  Mooney  made  his  escape,  and,  returning  to  the 
camp,  reported  that  he  had  seen  a  body  of  the  enemy  covering  four 
acres  of  ground,  as  closely  as  they  could  stand  by  the  side  of  each 
other. 

About  the  same  time,  two  members  of  Captain  Shelby's  company, 
James  Eobertson  and  Valentine  Sevier,  who  had  been  out  hunting, 
returned  to  camp  and  reported  that  they  had  met  a  body  of  hostile 
Indians  advancing  upon  the  camp,  and  that  they  had  fired  upon 
them  at  the  distance  of  ten  steps.  It  being  dark,  the  Indians  were 
thereby  halted.  As  no  official  report  of  this  battle  has  been  pre- 
served, I  will  here  give  the  report  as  obtained  by  Dr.  Hale  from  a 
letter  published  in  the  Belfast  (Ireland)  News  Letter,  a  paper 
published  at  that  time. 

BELFAST. 

Yesterday  arrived  a  mail  from  New  York  brought  to  Falmouth 
by  the  Harriot  packet  boat,  Captain  Lee. 

Williamsburg,  Va.,  November  10th. 

The  following  letter  is  just  received  from  the  camp  on  Point 
Pleasant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kenhawa  (as  then  spelled), 
dated  October  17,  1774: 

"The  following  is  a  true  statement  of  a  battle  fought  at  this 


152  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

place  on  the  10th  instant:  On  Monday  morning  about  half  an 
hour  before  sunrise,  two  of  Captain  Eussell's  company  discovered  a 
large  party  of  Indians  about  a  mile  from  the  camp,  one  of  which 
men  was  shot  by  the  Indians;  the  other  made  his  escape  and 
brought  in  the  intelligence.  In  two  or  three  minutes  after,  two  of 
Captain    Shelby's    men    came    in    and    confirmed    the    account. 

"Colonel  Andrew  Lewis,  being  informed  thereof,  immediately 
ordered  out  Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  to  take  command  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  the  Augusta  troops,  and  with  him  went  Captain 
Dickinson,  Captain  Harrison,  Captain  Wilson,  Captain  John 
Lewis,  of  Augusta,  and  Captain  Lockridge,  which  made  the  first 
division.  Colonel  Fleming  was  then  ordered  to  take  comn^and  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  the  Botetourt,  Bedford,  and  Fin- 
castle  troops,  viz.,  Captain  Thomas  Buford,  from  Bedford;  Captain 
Love,  of  Botetourt;  Captain  Shelby  and  Captain  Eussell,  of  Fin- 
castle,  which  made  the  second  division. 

"Colonel  Charles  Lewis's  division  marched  to  the  right  some 
distance  from  the  Ohio,  and  Colonel  Fleming  with  his  division,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Ohio  to  the  left. 

"Colonel  Charles  Lewis's  division  had  not  marched  quite  half 
a  mile  from  the  camp  when,  about  sunrise,  an  attack  wac  made  on 
the  front  of  his  division,  in  a  most  vigorous  manner,  by  the  united 
tribes  of  Indians,  Shawnese,  Delawares,  Mingoes,  Tawas,  and  of 
several  other  nations — in  number  not  less  than  eight  himdrcd,  and 
by  many  thought  to  be  one  thousand. 

"In  this  heavy  attack.  Colonel  Charles  Lewis  received  a  wound, 
which,  in  a  few  hours  caused  his  death,  and  several  of  his  men  fell 
on  the  spot;  in  fact,  the  Augusta  division  was  obliged  to  give  way 
to  the  heavy  fire  of  the  enemy.  In  about  a  second  of  a  minute  after 
the  attack  on  Colonel  Lewis's  division,  the  enemy  engaged  the  front 
of  Colonel  Fleming's  division  on  the  Ohio,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
Colonel  received  two  balls  through  his  left  arm  and  one  through  liis 
breast,  and,  after  animating  the  officers  and  soldiers,  in  a  most  f  fdm 
manner,  to  the  pursuit  of  victory,  retired  to  the  camp. 

"The  loss  in  the  field  was  sensibly  felt  by  the  officer-  in  par- 
ticular; but  the  Augusta  troops  being  shortly  after  reinforced  from 
the  camp  by  Colonel  Field,  with  his  company,  together  with  Cap- 
tain McDowell,  Captain  Matthews,  and  Captain  Stewart,  from 
Augusta ;  Captain  Paulin,  Captain  Arbuckle  and  Captain  McClana- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  153 

h.m,  from  Botetourt,  the  enemy  no  longer  able  to  maintain  ihbiv 
girimd,  were  forced  to  give  way  till  they  were  in  a  line  Avith  the 
troops.  Colonel  Fleming  being  left  in  the  action  on  the  Ohio. 

"In  this  precipitate  retreat  Colonel  Fleming  was  killed.  During 
this  time,  which  was  till  after  twelve,  the  action  in  a  siT'.all  degree 
elated,  but  continued,  except  at  short  intervals,  sharp  enoacji  till 
after  one  o'clock.  Their  long  retreat  gave  them  a  most  ad\'anta- 
geous  spot  of  ground,  from  which  it  appeared  to  the  otticer^  so  diffi- 
cult to  dislodge  them  that  it  was  thought  most  advisahlo  to  stand 
as  the  line  was  then  formed,  which  was  about  a  mile  and  ^  <|ii.arter 
in  length,  and  had  sustained  till  then  a  constant  and  equal  v.-eight  of 
the  action,  from  wing  to  wing. 

"It  was  till  alwiit  half  an  hour  of  sunset  they  continued  firing  on 
us  scattered  shots,  which  we  returned  to  their  disadvan'cago.  At 
length  the  night  coming  on  they  found  a  safe  retreat. 

•''Phey  had  not  the  satisfaction  of  carrying  off  any  of  our  men's 
scalps,  save  those  of  one  or  two  stragglers  they  killed  before  the 
engagement.  Many  of  their  dead  they  scalped,  rather  than  we 
should  have  them,  but  our  troops  scalped  upwards  of  twenty  of 
their  men  that  were  first  killed. 

"It  is  beyond  doubt  their  loss,  in  number,  far  excecided  ours, 
'.vhich  is  considerable. 

"The  return  of  the  killed  and  wounded  in  the  above  battle,  same 
as  our  last,  is  as  follows: 

"Killed — Colonels  Charles  Lewis  and  John  Fields,  Captains 
John  Murray,  E.  McClanahan,  Samuel  Wilson,  James  Ward,  Lieu- 
tenant Hugh  Allen,  Ensigns  Cantiff  and  Bracken,  and  forty-four 
privates.    Total  killed,  fifty-three. 

"Wounded — Colonel  William  Fleming,  Captains  John  Dickinson, 
Thomas  Buford,  and  I.  Skidman,  Lieutenants  Goldman,  Eobinson, 
Lard  and  Vance,  and  seventy-nine  privates.  Total  wounded,  eighty- 
seven;  killed  and  wounded,  one  hundred  and  forty." 

When  Colonel  Charles  Lewis  fell,  Captain  Evan  Shelby  succeed- 
ed to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  and  ^saac  Shelby,  his  son, 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  his  father's  company,  and  late  in  the 
evening  General  Lewis  directed  Captains  Isaac  Shelby,  Matthews, 
and  Stewart  to  assail  the  Indians  in  the  rear,  by  advancing  up  the 
Kanawha  river,  protected  by  the  bank  and  undergrowi:h.  In  the 
execution  of  this  order  considerable  difficulty  was  experienced,  and 


154  Southwest  Virginia,  174-6-1786. 

possibly,  failure  would  have  been  the  result  had  it  not  been  for 
the  request  of  John  Sawyers  an  Orderly  Sergeant  in  Captain 
Shelby's  company,  for  permission  to  take  a  few  men  of  the  com- 
pany and  drive  the  Indians  from  the  position  which  afforded  them 
protection.  Permission  was  granted  and  the  Indians  were  dislodged. 
The  companies  above  mentioned  having  gained  their  rear,  the  In- 
dians precipitately  took  their  flight  across  the  Ohio. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  this  was  one  of  the  most  hotly  (on- 
tested  battles  between  the  white  men  and  the  Indians  that  took 
place  in  the  history  of  the  early  settlement  of  our  country.  The 
terrible  conflict  that  took  place  between  the  white  men  and  the 
Indians  in  this  battle  is  hard  to  depict  in  ordinary  language.  De 
Hass  thus  describes  the  conflict : 

"The  battle  scene  was  terribly  grand.  There  stood  the  com- 
batants, terror,  rage,  disappointment,  and  despair  riveted  upon  the 
faces  of  one,  while  calm  resolution  and  the  unbending  will  to  do  or 
die  were  marked  upon  the  other.  Neither  party  would  retreat, 
neither  could  advance.  The  noise  of  the  firing  was  tremendous.  ISTo 
single  gun  could  be  distinguished,  it  was  one  continuous  roar. 

"The  rifle  and  the  tomahawk  now  did  their  work  with  dreadful 
certainty.  The  confusion  and  perturbation  of  the  camp  had  now 
arrived  at  its  greatest  height.  The  confused  sounds  and  wild  up- 
roar of  the  battle  added  greatly  to  the  terror  of  the  scene.  The 
shouting  of  the  whites,  the  continued  roar  of  fire-arms,  the  war- 
whoop  and  dismal  yelling  of  the  Indians,  were  discordant  and  ter- 
rific.^ 

Colonel  Christian,  whom  General  Ivewis  had  left  at  Camp  Union, 
as  soon  as  he  had  complied  with  the. orders  of  General  Lewis,  set 
out  for  Point  Pleasant,  with  all  the  troops  under  his  command 
except  one  company  of  Fincastle  men,  whom  he  left  under  the 
command  of  Anthony  Bledsoe  at  Camp  Union  to  guard  the  sup- 
plies and  take  care  of  the  sick.  He  marched  his  troops  with  all 
possible  expedition,  and  arrived  at  Point  Pleasant  on  the  evening 
of  October  10th,  after  the  battle  had  been  fought.  Soon  thereafter. 
Lord  Dunmore  negotiated  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians  at  one 
of  their  towns  in  Ohio,  by  which  the  northwest  Indians  ceded  all 
their  claims  to  the  lands  lying  south  of  the  Ohio  river,  to  the  King 
of  England. 

General  Lewis  marched  his  army  back  to  Camp  Union  where  it 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  155 

was  disbanded.  The  body  of  militia  that  went  from  Fincastle  upon 
this  expedition  were  armed  with  rifle  guns,  and,  being  good  woods- 
men, were  looked  upon  to  be  at  least  equal  to  any  troops  for  the 
number  that  had  been  raised,  in  America.  It  is  sufficient  to  know 
that  the  credit  of  having  been  the  first  to  discover  the  approach 
of  the  Indians,  and  thereby,  possibly,  to  secure  the  preservation  of 
General  Lewis's  army,  was  due  to  the  vigilance  of  the  backwoods- 
men from  Fincastle.  And  in  addition  to  that,  it  should  be  a  mat- 
ter of  pride  to  every  citizen  of  this  section  of  Virginia  to  know  that 
the  troops  from  the  waters  of  the  Clinch  and  the  Holston  were 
among  the  number  to  receive  the  first  assault  of  the  enemy,  and  to 
their  skill  and  bravery  may  be  accredited,  the  successful  flanking, 
and  consequently  the  precipitate  rout,  of  the  Indian  army.  The 
killed  and  wounded  among  the  Fincastle  troops  were  considerable. 
The  names  of  a  few  of  the  killed  and  wounded  are  given  below : 

Eobert  Campbell,  private,  afterwards  granted  a  pension  of  10 
pounds  per  year. 

James  Hughey,  killed. 
James  Eobinson,  wounded. 
Mark  Williams,  private,  killed. 
John  Carmack,  private,  wounded. 
John  Steward,  wounded. 
John  McKenney,  wounded,  three  times. 
Lieutenant  Vance,  wounded. 

The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  men  who  accompanied  Cap- 
tain Evan  Shelby  on  this  expedition : 

Isaac  Shelby,  Captain.  Eobert  Handley, 

James  Eobertson,  0.  S.  William  Casey, 

James  Shelby,  John  Stewart,  wounded; 

Henry  Span,  Eichard  Burke, 

Frederick  Mongle,  Elijah  Eobertson, 

John  Carmack,  Eichard  Holliway, 

George  Brooks,  Julius  Eobison, 

Abram  Newland,  Benjamin  Graham, 

Emanuel  Shoatt,  Hugh  O'Gullion, 

Peter  Forney,  James  Hughey, 

John  Fain,  .  Basileel  Maxwell, 

Samuel  Fain,  Valentine  Sevier,  0.  S., 

Samuel  Samples,  John  Sawyers,  0.  S., 


156 


Southwest  Virginia,  171,6-1786. 


Jolm  Find  ley, 
Daniel  Mongle, 
John  Williams, 
Andrew  Torrenee, 
Isaac  Newland, 
George  Eiddle, 
Abram  Boga^-d, 
William  Tucker, 
Samuel  Vance, 
^  Samuel  Hand  ley, 
Arthur  Blackburn, 


George  Armstrong, 
Mack   Williams, 
Conrad  Nave, 
John  Riley, 
Rees  Price, 
Jarrett  Williams, 
Charles  Fielder, 
Andrew  Goff, 
Patrick  St.  Lawrence, 
John  Bradley, 
Barnett  O'Guillion. 


Captain  Wm.  Russell's  company: 
James  Mooney,  Joseph  Hughey. 

FINCASTLE  TROOPS. 

COMPANIES  NOT  KNOWN. 


Daniel  Smith, 
Rohert  Campbell, 
Andrew  Waggoner, 
Jolm  Gilmore, 
John  Lyle, 
Francis  Berry, 
James  Robinson, 

Hickman, 

AVilliam  Tate, 
George  Findley, 
Rees  Bowen. 


Walter  Steward,  Adjt. 

Fincastle  troops. 
William-  Campbell,  Captain. 
William  McFarland, 
John  McKenney, 
John  Moore, 
Conrad    Smith, 
John  Floyd, 
John  Steward, 
John  Campbell,  Lieutenant; 
"Moses  Bowen,  died  with 
small-pox  on  expedition ; 

Daniel  Boone,  upon  his  return  fi'om  Kentucky  to  Russell's  Fort, 
on  the  13th  day  of  August,  found  Captain  William  Russell  absent 
on  the  Point  Pleasant  expedition,  and  he  immediately  set  out  with 
a  body  of  troops  to  reinforce  him,  but  was  ordered  back  to  protect 
the  settlers  on  the  Clinch,  where  he  remained  for  some  time. 

The  forts  on  Clinch  river,  at  this  time,  with  the  number  of  men 
in  each  and  the  officers  in  command,  were  as  follows : 

Fort  Blackmore,  sixteen  men,  "Sergeant  Moore  commanding. 
Fort  Moore,  (twenty  miles  east),  twenty  men,  Lieutenant  Daniel 
Boone  commanding.     Fort  Russell  (four  miles  east),  twenty  men, 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  157 

Sergeant  W.  Poa^  eonimancling.  Fort  Glade  Hollow,  (twelve  miles 
east),  fifteen  vaeA,  Sergeant  John  Duncan  commanding.  Elk  Gar- 
den* (fourteen  miles  east),  fifteen  men,  Sergeant  John  Kinkead 
commanding.  Maiden  Spring,  (twenty-three  miles  east),  five  men, 
Sergeant  John  Crow  commanding.  Whitlow's  Crab  Orchard,  three 
men.  Ensign  John  Campbell  commanding. 

Boone  was  very  diligent  in  protecting  the  settlements  and  was 
commissioned  Captain  for  his  valued  services. 

As  soon  as  the  Indians  ascertained  that  so  many  of  the  citizens 
from  the  waters  of  the  Clinch  were  absent  on  the  expedition  to 
Point  Pleasant,  they  began  a  series  of  very  alarming  raids.  On  the 
8th  of  September,  1774,  they  visited  the  home  of  John  Henry,  on 
the  Clinch  river,  now  in  Tazewell  county,  Virginia,  in  Thompson's 
Yalley,  he,  having  on  the  15th  day  of  May  of  the  same  year,  settled 
upon  a  tract  of  land  that  Daniel  Smith,  Deputy  Surveyor  of  Fin- 
castle  county,  had  surveyed  for  him.  Henry  received  a  dangerous 
wound  from  which  he  died,  his  wife  and  three  children  were  taken 
prisoners,  and  on  the  same  day  a  man  was  taken  prisoner  by  an- 
other party  of  Indians  on  the  Hplston  river.  On  the  13th  day  of 
September,  1774,  a  soldier  was  fired  upon  by  three  Indians  on  the 
Clinch  river,  but  was  not  hurt.  He  returned  the  fire  and,  it  is  be- 
lieved, killed  an  Indian.  This  company  of  Indians  were  pursued 
for  several  days,  by  Captain  Daniel  Smith  and  a  company  of  militia, 
but  they  could  not  be  overtaken.  On  tlie  23d,  two  negroes  were 
taken  prisoners  at  Blackmore's  Fort,  on  waters  of  Clinch  river,  and 
a  great  many  horses  and  cattle  were  shot  down.  On  the  24th  day 
of  the  same  month,  an  entire  family  were  taken  and  killed,  at  Reedy 
Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Holston  river,  near  the  Cherokee  line.  On 
Sunday  morning,  the  25tli,  hallooing  and  the  report  of  many  guns 
were  heard.  These  last  murders  were  believed  to  be  the  work  of  the 
Cherokees,  who  appeared  at  that  time  in  very  bad  humor. 

The  victory  gained  at  Point  Pleasant  on  the  10th  of  October  put 
a  stop  to  all  organized  raids  upon  the  frontier  settlements,  for  the 
time  being.  Upon  the  return  of  the  Fincastle  troops  from  the  expe- 
dition to  Point  Pleasant,  the  free-holders  of  Fincastle  county  as- 
sembled at  the  Lead  Mines  and  drafted  an  address  to  the  Hon. 
John,  Earl  of  Dunmore,  thanking  him  heartily  for  his  exertions  in 


*Aboiit  six  miles  east  of  Lebanou  on  North  Fork  of  Cedar  Creek,  on  land  of 
the  Stuart  Land  &  Cattle  Company. 


V'- 


158  Southwest  Virgima,  1746-1786. 

their  behalf  in  the  late  war,  and  expressed  the  wish  that  the  late 
disturbances  might  be  amicably  settled. 

On  the  14th  day  of  April,  1774,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  conveyed  to 
James  Piper  365  acres  of  land  on  a  branch  of  the  Holston  river 
.called  Wolf  Hill  Creek ;  on  tJie  same  day,  he  conveyed  to  Alexander 
Breckenridge  360  acres  on  Wolf  Hill  Creek,  to  Samuel  Briggs  313 
acres  on  Wolf  Hill  Creek,  alias  Castle's  Creek,  to  Joseph  Black,  305 
acres  on  Eighteen  Mile  Creek  (this  being  the  name  of  the  small 
=*-.cre.ek  that  flows  through  Abingdon)  and  to  Andrew  Colvill,  334 
acres  on  Wolf  Hill  Creek.  The  persons  above  named  were  the  first 
v  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Abingdon. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1774,  the  free-holders  of  Fincastle 
county  met  at  the  Lead  Mines,  their  courthouse,  and  elected  two 
members  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  to  represent  Fincastle 
county,  viz. : 

William  Christian,  Stephen  Trigg. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  at  this  point  to  state  briefly  the  laws  gO'V- 
erning  the  qualifications  required  of  the  citizens  of  Fincastle  coun- 
ty to  vote  and  hold  office,  in  this,  the  last  year  that  the  Colony 
of  Virginia  adhered  to  the  crown  of  England.  The  freeholders  of 
every  county  possessed  the  liberty  of  electing  two  of  the  most  able 
and  fit  men,  being  freeholders  and  qualified  to  vote,  to  represent 
their  county  in  all  the  General  Assemblies.  The  electors  or  voters 
were  required  to  own  an  estate  of  freehold  for  his  own  life  or  the 
life  of  another,  or  other  greater  estate  in  at  least  fifty  acres  of  land, 
if  no  settlement  be  made  upon  it,  or  twenty-five  acres  with  a  planta- 
tion and  house  thereon  at  least  twelve  feet  square,  said  property  be- 
ing in  the  county  in  which  the  electors  offered  to  vote.  The  sheriff 
was  required  to  deliver  to  the  minister  and  reader  of  every  parish  in 
his  county  a  copy  of  the  writ  of  election,  and,  upon  the  back  of 
every  such  writ,  he  was  required  to  endorse  the  fact  that  said  elec- 
tion would  be  held  at  the  courthouse  in  his  county  upon  a  day 
appointed  by  him.  And  the  minister  or  reader  was  required  to 
publish  the  same  immediately  after  divine  services,  every  Sunday 
between  the  receipt  of  said  writ  and  the  day  of  election,  under 
heavy  penalty  for  failure  to  do  so.  It  was  further  provided 
that  every  freeholder  actually  residing  in  the  county  should  per- 
sonally appear  at  the  courthouse  on  the  day  fixed  and  give  his  vote, 
upon  the  penalty  of  forfeiting  two  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco,  if  he 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  159 

failed  to  vote.  The  sheriff  was  required  to  appoint  fit  persons,  and 
these  persons  after  being  duly  sworn,  were  required  to  enter  the 
names  of  every  candidate  in  a  distinct  column,  and  the  name  of 
every  freeholder  giving  his  vote,  under  the  name  of  the  person 
voted  for,  all  of  which  was  required  to  be  done  in  the  presence  of 
the  candidates  or  their  agents,  and  upon  the  close  of  the  polls  the 
sheriff  was  ordered  to  proclaim  the  names  of  the  successful  candi- 
dates. And  it  was  further  provided,  that  any  person  who  should 
directly  or  indirectly,  except  in  Ms  usual  and  ordinary  course  of 
hospitality,  in  his  own  house,  give,  present,  or  allow  to  any  person 
or  persons,  having  voice  or  vote  in  such  elections,  any  money,  meat, 
drink,  entertainment  or  provisions,  or  make  any  present,  gift,  re- 
ward, or  entertainment,  or  any  promise,  agreement,  obligation,  or 
engagement,  to  any  person,  etc.,  shall  be  declared  guilty  of  bribery 
and  corruption,*  and  rendered  incapable  to  sit,  or  vote,  or  to  hold 
office." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  laws  were  very  strict  in  regard  to  the 
manner  of  holding  elections,  and  it  cannot  be  doubted,  that  an  elec- 
tion held  under  such  laws  would  be  honest  and  would  express  the 
will  of  the  people.  Our  present  law-makers  might  well  learn  a 
lesson  from  the  example  set  them  by  the  law-makers  of  the  Colony 
of  Virginia,  under  the  rule  of  King  George  III. 

Early  in  the  history  of  Fincastle  county,  the  House  of  Burgesses 
enacted  a  law  which  provided,  "that  from  and  after  the  first  day 
of  December  next,  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  county  of  Fincastle 
shall  discharge  all  fees  due  from  them  to  the  secretary  and  other 
officers  in  said  county  at  the  rate  of  8s  and  4  pence,  for  every  hun- 
dredweight of  gross  tobacco. 

The  principle  asserted  by  the  regulators  at  the  Alamance  had 
spread  among  the  American  colonies,  until,  at  the  time  mentioned, 
it  seemed  to  permeate  the  whole  American  body  politic,  and,  on  the 
other  hand',  the  British  Parliament  had  repealed  all  the  port  dnties 
imposed  at  their  session  in  1767,  except  the  duty  of  three  pence  a 
pound  on  tea,  which  was  continued  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining 
the  principle  contended  for  by  the  British  Parliament,  to- wit:  that 
they  had  the  right  to  tax  the  American  Colonists  without  giving 
them   representation,   and  not   for  the   purpose  of   revenue   only. 

*8  Hen.  S.,  page  526. 


160  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  American  Colonists  were  opposed'  to  the  principle  of  taxation 
without  representation,  and  they  opposed  a  small  tax  as  bitterly 
as  they  opposed  the  port  duties  of  1767.  The  collection  of  the  tax 
was  resisted  at  every  point,  and,  at  Boston,  the  cargoes  of  tea  were 
thrown  into  the  sea.  Whereupon  the  British  Parliament  passed 
a  bill  closing  Boston  Harbor,  upon  which  information  great  indig- 
nation pervaded  the  entire  colonies.  The  House  of  Burgesses  of 
Virginia  observed  the  first  day  of  the  operation  of  the  bill  closing 
Boston  Harbor,  as  a  fast  day,  and  declared :  "That  any  attack  made 
on  one  of  our  sister  colonies  to  compel  submission  to  arbitrary  taxes 
is  an  attack  ma^e  on  all  British  America,  and  threatened  ruin  to  the 
rights  of  all,  unless  the  united  wisdom  of  the  whole  be  applied." 
And  they  proposed  a  general  Congress  to  take  such  action  as  the 
united  interests  of  the  American  Colonies  might  require.  This 
suggestion,  made  by  the  House  of  Burgesses,  was  accepted  by  all 
the  colonies  and  the  first  Continental  Congress  met  in  Philadelphia, 
on  the  5th  day  of  September,  1774,  just  one  month  and  five 
clays  preceding  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant. 

The  officers  and  men  under  command  of  Lord  Dunmore,  hearing 
of  the  action  of  the  first  Continental  Congress,  met  and  adopted 
a  resolution,  which  was  as  follows : 

"Eesolved,  That  as  the  love  of  liberty  and  attachment  to  the 
real  Interests  and  just  rights  of  America  outweigh  every  other 
consideration,  they  would  exert  every  power  within  them  for 
the  defence  of  American  Liberty  and  for  the  support  of  her  just 
rights  and  privileges;  not  in  any  precipitate,  riotous,  or  tumultu- 
ous manner,  but  when  regularly  called  forth  by  the  unanimous 
voice  of  our  countrymen." 

THE  EEVOLITTIOlSr. 

The  period  with  which  we  now  purpose  to  deal  will  be  ever 
remembered,  by  reason  of  the  production  of  one  of  those  master- 
pieces of  political  evolution  which  moidd  the  world  and  fix  the 
destiny  of  mankind,  an  event  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of  the 
world;  the  founding  of  the  American  Pepublic.  In  dealing  witli 
this  subject,  we  deem  it  necessary  to  an  intelligent  understanding 
of  the  motives  and  actions  of  the  men  of  that  day,  to  give,  with  some 
particularity,  the  story  complete,  from  its  inception  to  its  culmina- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  161 

tion,  recognizing  that  a  story  partly  told  is  misleading,  and  the 
true  merits  of  a  controversy  are  oftentimes  obscured  by  a  mutilated 
statement,  or  a  half-told  tale.  For  ten  years  preceding  the  resort 
of  the  American  Colonies  to  extreme  measures,  a  bitterly  contested 
controversy  constantly  engaged  the  attention  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment and  the  American  Colonies,  and  it  has  been  well  said  by 
one  of  the  fathers  of  our  country,  that  the  "Revolution  was  fin- 
ished before  the  war  was  commenced."  Indeed,  it  seems  to  the  stu- 
dent of  our  early  history  at  this  distance  from  the  time  of  the 
occurrences  of  which  we  are  now  Avriting,  that  our  early  fathers  in 
leaving  their  homes,  the  highlands  of  Scotland',  the  bogs  of  Ireland, 
the  fertile  lands  of  old  England,  were  imbued  with  exceedingly  un- 
favorable feelings  toward  the  land  of  their  nativity.  They  were 
devoid  of  that  affection  which  usually  accompanies  the  wanderer 
from  his  native  home,  and  it  is  certain  that  they  lost  no  opportunity 
to  instil  their  prejudices  and  dislikes  into  the  minds  of  their  chil- 
dren and  neighbors,  and  to  resist  the  operation  and  execution  of 
the  laws  enacted  by  the  British  Parliament  and  the  rules  attempted 
to  be  enforced  by  the  Governors  of  the  Colonies.  This  spirit  was 
evidenced  in  old  Virginia  as  early  as  16C6,  at  the  time  of  Bacon's 
Rebellion.  This  spirit,  so  prevalent  among  the  English  colonies  in 
America,  can  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  a  large  majority  of  the 
early  emigrants  were  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  tyranny  of 
the  English  Government,  and,  after  establishing  themselves  in 
this  country,  their  hatred  was  accentuated  by  the  arbitrary  conduct 
of  the  English  ministry,  in  pursuing  a  contracted  policy,  the  natural 
result  of  which  was  to  abridge  the  liberties  and  property  rights  of 
the  colonies.  A  large  majority  of  the  early  emigrants  to  the  Amer- 
ican colonies  were  inspired  by  that  spirit  of  liberty  that  has  been 
so  much  cherished  in  the  history  of  our  country.  They  were  be- 
lievers in  the  principles  which  prevailed  at  the  time  of  the  execu- 
tion of  Charles  the  First.  Many  of  them  were  the  followers  of 
Oliver  Cromwell,  and  detested  the  arbitrary  conduct  of  the  King 
and  the  rulers  of  England,  and  it  was  from  this  cause  that  they  left 
their  native  country  to  seek  a  home  in  the  wilderness,  vnth  the  deter- 
mination never  to  submit  to  the  oppressions  of  their  native  land. 

Many  of  the  early  emigrants  found  their  homes  among  the  high 
mountains  and  the  pathless  deserts  of  the  new  continent,  the 
nursery  of  the  spirit  of  freedom.     Among  the  early  emigrants  to 


162  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

this  new  country  were  numerous  "Dissenters,"  a  class  of  people 
who  worsEipped  God  according  to  their  own  reason  and  conscience, 
men  who  acknowledged  no  authority  but  that  which  had  been  estab- 
lished by  their  own  sanction  and  consent,  and  this  applied  to  their 
religious  principles  as  well  as  to  their  ideas  of  government.  They 
did  not  admit  the  right  of  the  British  government  to  compel  them 
either  to  attend  or  to  support  the  established  church. 

They  were  principally  from  the  middle  classes,  and  neither  ad- 
mitted nor  countenanced  any  claims  to  honor  or  distinction,  save 
such  as  arose  from  the  exercise  of  industry,  talent,  or  virtue.  In 
their  native  country  they  had  been  tenants,  and  did  not  regard 
themselves  superior  to  the  lowest  of  their  fellow  citizens;  in  their 
new  homes  they  were  freeholders,  and  believed  themselves  equal  to 
the  best,  and,  naturally,  they  soon  detested  that  idea  which  prevailed 
in  the  English  government,  in  accordance  with  which  individuals 
pretended  to  be  their  natural  rulers  and  superiors. 

During  the  French-Indian  war,  the  British  Ministry  proposed  a 
union  of  the  Colonies  for  the  purpose  of  repelling  the  French  en- 
croachments on  the  western  waters;  and,  pureuant  to  this  proposi- 
tion, the  Governor  and  leading  members  of  the  provincial  assem- 
blies convened  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1754.  This  Assembly 
was  unanimously  of  the  opinion,  that  the  Colonies  were  able  to 
defend  themselves  from  the  encroachments  of  the  French  without 
assistance  from  the  English  Government.  They  proposed  "that  a 
Grand  Council  should  be  formed  of  members  to  be  chosen  by  the 
provincial  Assemblies,  which  Council,  together  with  a  governor  to 
be  appointed  by  the  Crown,  should  be  authorized  to  make  general 
laws,  and,  also,  to  raise  money  from  all  the  Colonies  for  their  com- 
mon defence."  This  proposition  was  received  by  the  British  Min- 
istry with  displeasure,  and,  in  answer  thereto,  the  ministry  submit- 
ted a  counter-proposition,  which  was  as  follows :  "That  the  Gov- 
ernors of  all  the  Colonies,  attended  by  one  or  two  members  of  their 
respective  Councils,  should,  from  time  to  time,  concert  measures  for 
the  whole  of  the  Colonies,  erect  posts  and  raise  troops,  with  a  power 
to  draw  upon  the  British  treasury,  in  the  first  instance,  for  the 
expense,  which  expense  was  to  be  reimbursed  by  a  tax  to  be  laid  on 
the  Colonies  by  an  act  of  Parliament." 

It  will  be  well  to  observe  that  thus  early  began  the  contentions 
between  the  British  Parliament  and  the  English  Colonies ;  the  Brit- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  163 

ish  Ministry  seeking  to  lodge  the  taxing  power  in  the  hands  of  the 
British  Parliament,  a  body  in  which  the  American  Colonies  were 
not  permitted  to  have  representation,  whereas,  the  Colonies  insisted 
that  the  taxing  power  should  be  vested  in  their  local  institutions. 

This  proposition  upon  the  part  of  the  British  Ministry  gave  great 
dissatisfaction  to  the  people  of  the  Colonies,  as  they  objected  to 
being  taxed  by  a  body  in  which  they  had  no  representation,  but  no 
further  action  was  taken  in  regard  to  the  matter,  until  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  war,  in  1763. 

Previously  to  the  year  1764,  when  the  British  Parliament  desired 
a  contribution  from  the  American  Colonies,  the  object  was  accom- 
plished by  a  simple  requisition  upon  the  legislatures  of  the  several 
Colonies  for  the  sum  needed  and,  in  every  instance,  the  requisition 
had  been  honored  and  the  money  furnished  with  a  willing  hand. 
But,  in  tliis  year,  the  British  Parliament  sought  to  obtain  from 
tlie  American  Colonies  by  a  speedier  method  the  taxes  desired. 

A  measure  was  proposed  in  the  British  Parliament  by  the  Pre- 
mier, George  Grenville,  in  the  year  1764,  having  for  its  object,  "the 
raising  of  a  revenue  in  America,"  the  entire  proceeds  of  which  were 
to  go  into  the  exchequer  of  Great  Britain. 

We  have  before  mentioned  the  dissatisfaction  produced  by  the 
proposition  to  have  the  British  Parliament  levy  a  tax  upon  the 
American  Colonies,  when  the  entire  proceeds  of  the  tax  were  to  be 
used  for  the  development  and  the  protection  of  the  Colonies,  and 
the  reader  can  well  imagine  the  alarm  and  indignation  that  pre- 
vailed in  the  American  Colonies  at  the  suggestion  of  the  British 
Premier,  that  the  British  Parliament  should  lay  a  tax  upon  the 
American  Colonies,  the  entire  proceeds  of  which  were  to  go  into  the 
exchequer  of  Great  Britain. 

Pursuant  to  the  foregoing  proposition,  Mr.  Grenville,  on  the 
lOtli  of  March,  ,1764,  reported  a  resolution  imposing  certain 
""stamp  duties"  on  the  colonies,  with  the  request  that  it  shoidd  not 
be  acted  upon  till  the  next  session  of  the  Parliament.  This  gave 
the  agents  of  the  colonies  in  England  an  opportunity  to  transmit 
copies  of  this  resolution  to  the  assemblies  of  the  several  colonies. 

At  the  time  of  the  receipt  of  this  information  the  Virginia 
House  of  Burgesses  was  in  session,  and  immediately  appointed  a 
committee  to  prepare  an  address  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain  and 
to  the  two  houses  of  the  British  Parliament.     We  hare  give  the 


164  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,0-17S6. 

several  addresses  in  full  as  prepared  by  this  committee  and  re- 
ported to  the  Mouse  of  Burgesses  "To  the  King's  most  excellent 
Majesty." 

"Most  gracious  Sovereign, 

"We,  your  Majesty's  dutiful  and  loyal  subjects,  the  Council  and 
Burgesses  of  your  ancient  C'olony  and  dominion  of  Virginia, 
now  met  in  General  Assembly,  beg  leave  to  assure  your  Majesty  of 
our  fii'm  and  inviolable  attachment  to  your  sacred  person  and  gov- 
ernment; and,  as  your  faithful  subjects  here,  have  at  all  times 
been  zealous  to  demonstrate  this  truth  by  a  ready  coaupliance 
with  the  royal  requisitions  during  the  late  war,  by  which  a  heavy 
oppressive  debt  of  near  half  a  million  hath  been  incurred,  so  at 
this  time  they  implore  permission  to  approach  the  throne  with 
humble  confidence,  and  to  entreat  that  your  Majesty  will  be  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  protect  your  people  of  this  Colony  in  the  en- 
joyment of  their  ancient  and  inestimable  right  of  being  gov- 
erned by  such  laws,  respecting  their  internal  polity  and  taxation, 
as  are  derived  from  their  own  consent,  with  the  approbation  of 
their  Sovereign  or  his  substitute;  a  right  which,  as  men,  and 
descendants  of  BEITONS,  they  have  ever  quietly  possessed,  since 
first,  by  royal  permission  and  encouragement,  they  left  the  mother 
kingdom  to  extend  its  commerce  and  dominion. 

"Your  Majesty's  dutiful  subjects  of  Virginia  most  humbly  and 
unanimously  hope  that  this  invaluable  birthright,  descended  to 
them  from  their  ancestors,  and  in  which  they  have  been  protected 
by  your  royal  predecessors,  will  not  be  suffered  to  receive  an  injury, 
under  the  reign  of  your  sacred  Majesty,  already  so  illustriously 
distinguished  by  your  gTacious  attention  to  the  liberties  of  the 
people. 

"That  your  Majesty  may  long  live  to  make  nations  happy,  is 
the  ardent  prayer  of  your  faithful  subjects,  the  Council  and  Bur- 
gesses of  Virginia." 

The  memorial  to  the  House  of  Lords  was  as  follows : 

"To  the  right  honorable  the  Lord's  Spiritual  and  Temporal,  in 
Parliament  assembled;  the  Memorial  of  the  Council  and  Bur- 
gresses  of  Virginia,  now  met  in  General  Assembly  humbly  rep- 
resents, 

"That  your  memorialists  hope  an  application  to  your  lordships, 
the  fixed  and  hereditary  guardians  of  British  liberty,  will  not  be 


Southivest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  165 

thought  improper  at  this  time,  when  measures  are  proposed  suh- 
versive,  as  they  conceive,  of  that  freedom  which  all  men,  especiall}' 
those  who  derive  their  constitution  from  Britain,  have  a  right  to 
enjoy;  and  they  flatter  themselves  that  3'our  lordships  will  not 
look  upon  them  as  objects  so  unworthy  your  attention  as  to  regard 
any  impropriety  in  the  form  or  manner  of  their  application  for 
your  lordship's  protection  of  their  just  and  undoubted  right  as 
Britons. 

"It  cannot  be  presumption  in  your  memorialists  to  call  them- 
selves by  this  distinguished  name,  since  they  are  descended  from 
Britons  who  left  their  native  country  to  extend  its  territory  and 
dominion  and  who,  happily  for  Briton,  and  as  your  memorialists 
once  thought,  for  themselves  too,  effected  this  purpose.  As  our 
ancestors  brought  with  them  every  right  and  privilege  they  could 
with  justice  claim  in  their  mother  kingdom,  their  descendants  may 
conclude  they  cannot  be  deprived  of  those  rights  without  injustice. 

"Your  memorialists  conceive  it  to  be  a  fundamental  principle 
of  the  British  constitution,  without  which  freedom  can  no  where 
exist,  that  the  people  are  not  sul^jcct  to  any  taxes  but  such  as  are 
laid  on  them  by  their  own  consent,  or  by  those  who  are  legally 
appointed  to  represent  them ;  property  must  become  too  precarious 
for  the  genius  of  a  free  people,  whicli  can  be  taken  from  them  at 
the  will  of  others  who  cannot  know  M^hat  taxes  such  people  can 
bear,  or  the  easiest  mode  of  raising  them ;  and  who  are  not  under 
that  restraint  which  is  the  greatest  security  against  a  burthensome 
taxation,  when  the  representatives  themselves  must  be  affected  by 
every  tax  imposed  on  the  people. 

"Your  memorialists  are  therefore  led  into  an  humble  confidence 
that  your  lordships  will  not  think  any  reason  sufficient  to  support 
such  a  power  in  the  British  Parliament,  where  the  Colonies  can- 
not be  represented :  a  power  never  before  constitutionally  assumed, 
and  which,  if  they  have  a  right  to  exercise  it  on  any  occasion,  must 
necessarily  establish  this  melancholy  truth,  that  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Colonies  are  the  slaves  of  Britons,  from  whom  they  are 
descended,  and  from  whom  they  might  expect  every  indulgence  that 
the  obligations  of  interest  and  affection  can  entitle  them  to. 

"Your  memorialists  have  been  invested  with  the  right  of  taxing 
their  own  people  from  the  first  establishment  of  a  regular  govern- 
ment in  the  Colony,  and  requisitions  have  been  constantly  made 


166  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

to  them  by  their  sovereigns  on  all  occasions  when  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Colony  was  thought  necessary  to  preserve  the  British 
interest  in  America;  from  whence  they  must  conclude,  they  can- 
not now  be  deprived  of  a  ri,uiit  they  have  so  long  enjoyed  and 
which  they  have  never  forfeited. 

"The  expenses  incurred  during  the  last  war,  in  compliance  with 
the  demands  on  this  C^olony  by  our  late  and  present  most  gracious 
Sovereigns,  have  involved  us  in  a  debt  of  near  half  a  million,  a 
debt  not  likely  to  decrease  under  the  continued  expense  we  are  at  in 
providing  for  the  security  of  the  people  against  the  incursions  of 
our  savage  neighbors,  at  a  time  when  the  low  state  of  our  staple 
commodit}',  the  total  want  of  specie  and  the  late  restrictions  upon 
the  trade  of  the  Colonies,  render  the  circumstances  of  the  people 
extremely  distressful;  and  wliich,  if  taxes  are  accumulated  upon 
them  by  the  British  Parliament,  will  make  them  truly  deplorable. 

"Your  memorialisty  cannot  suggest  to  themselves  any  reason 
why  they  should  not  still  be  trusted  with  the  property  ol  their  peo- 
ple, with  whose  abilities  and  the  least  burthensome  mode  of  taxing 
(with  great  deference  to  the  superior  wisdom  of  Parliament)  they 
must  be  best  acquainted. 

Your  memorialists  hope  they  shall  not  be  suspected  of  being 
actuated  on  this  occasion  by  any  principles  but  those  of  the  purest 
loyalty  and  affection,  as  they  have  always  endeavored  by  their  con- 
duct to  demonstrate  that  they  considered  their  connexion  with 
Great  Britain,  the  seat  of  liberty,  as  their  greatest  happiness. 

"The  duty  they  owe  to  themselves,  and  their  posterity  lays  your 
memorialists  under  the  necessity  of  endeavoring  to  estalilish  their 
Constitution  upon  its  proper  foundation ;  and  they  do  most  hum- 
bly pray  your  lordships  to  take  this  subject  into  your  consideration, 
with  the  attention  that  is  due  to^  the  well  being  of  the  Colonies,  on 
which  the  prosperity  of  Great  Britain  does,  in  a  great  measure, 
depend." 

•  And  the  remonstrance  to  the  House  of  Commons  was  this : 
"To  the  honorable  Knights,  Citizens  and  Burgesses  of  Great  Brit- 
ain in  Parliament  assembled : 

"The  remonstrance  of  the  Council  and  Burgesses  of  Virginia. 

"It  appearing  by  the  printed  votes  of  the  House  of  Commons 
of  Great  Britain,  in  Parliament  assembled,  that  in  a  committee 
of  the  whole  House,  the  17th  day  of  March  last,  it  was  resolved,  that 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  167 

towards  defending,  protecting  and  securing  the  British  Colonies 
and  Plantations  in  America,  it  may  be  proper  to  charge  certain 
stamp  duties  in  the  said  Colonies  and  Plantations;  and  it  being 
apprehended  that  the  same  subject,  which  was  then  declined,  may 
be  resumed  and  further  pursued  in  a  succeeding  session,  the  Coim- 
cil  and  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  met  in  the  General  Assembly,  judge 
it  their  indispensable  duty,  in  a  respectful  manner,  but  with  decent 
firmness,  to  remonstrate  against  such  a  measure,  that  at  least  a 
cession  of  those  rights,  which  in  their  opinion  must  be  infringed 
by  that  procedure,  may  not  be  inferred  from  their  silence  at  so 
important  a  crisis. 

"They  conceive  it  is  essential  to  British  liberty,  that  laws,  impos- 
ing taxes  on  the  people,  ought  not  to.  be  made  without  the  consent  of 
representatives  chosen  by  themselves;  who  at  the  same  timje  that 
they  are  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  of  their  constituents, 
sustain  a  portion  of  the  burthen  laid  on  them.  The  privileges 
inlierent  in  the  persons  who  discovered  and  settled  these  regions, 
could  not  be  renounced  nor  forfeited  by  their  remO'Val  hither,  not 
as  vagabonds  or  fugitives,  but  licensed  and  encouraged  by  their 
Prince  and  animated  with  a  laudable  desire  of  enlarging  the 
British  dominion  and  extending  its  commerce;  on  the  contrary,  it 
was  secured  to  them  and  their  descendants,  with  all  other  rights 
and  immunities  of  British  subjects,  by  a  Eoyal  Charter  which 
liath  been  invariably  recognized  and  confirmed  by  his  Majesty  and 
liis  predecessors,  in  their  commissions  to  the  several  Governors, 
granting  a  power  and  prescribing  a  form  of  legislation,  according  to 
which,  laws  for  the  administration  of  justice  and  the  welfare  and 
good  government  of  the  Colony  have  been  hitherto  enacted  by  the 
Governor,  Council  and  General  Assembly,  and  to  them,  requisitions 
and  applications  for  supplies  have  been  directed  by  the  Crown. 
As  an  instance  of  the  opinion  which  former  Sovereigns  entertained 
of  these  rights  and  privileges,  we  beg  leave  to  refer  to  the  three 
Acts  of  the  General  Assembly  passed  in  the  thirty-second  year  of 
the  reign  of  King  Charles  II,  one  of  which  is  entitled  'An  Act  for 
raising  a  public  revenue  for  the  better  support  of  the  government 
of  his  Majesty's  Colony  of  Virginia,'  imposing  several  duties  for 
that  purpose,  which,  being  thought  absolutely  necessary,  were  pre- 
pared in  England  and  sent  over  by  their  then  governor,  the  Lord 
Culpeper,  to  be  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  with  a  full  power 


ICxS  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-17SG. 

to  give  tlie  royal  assent  thereto,  and  which  were  accordingly  passed, 
after  several  amendments  were  made  to  them  here;  thus  tender 
was  his  Majesty  of  tlu^  rights  of  his  American  subjects;  and  the 
remonstrants  do  not  discern  by  what  distinction  they  can  be 
deprived  of  that  sacred  birthright  and  most  valuable  inheritance 
by  their  fellow  subjects,  nor  with  what  propriety  they  can  be  taxed 
or  affected  in  their  estates,  by  the  Parliament,  wherein  they  are  not, 
and  indeed  cannot,  constitutionally  be  represented. 

"And  if  it  wore  proposed  for  the  Parliament  to  impose  taxes  on 
the  Colonics  at  all,  which  the  remonstrants  take  leave  to  think 
would  be  inconsistent  with  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Con- 
stitution, the  exercise  of  that  power,  at  this  time,  would  be  ruinous 
to  Virginia,  who  exerted  herself  in  the  late  war,  it  is  feared, 
beyond  her  strength,  insomuch  that  to  redeem  the  money  granted 
for  that  exigency,  her  people  are  taxed  for  several  years  to  come : 
this,  with  the  larger  expenses  incurred  for  defending  the  frontiers 
against  the  restless  Indians  who  have  infested  her  as  much  since 
the  peace  as  before,  is  so  grievous,  that  an  increase  of  the  burthen 
would  be  intolerable;  especially  as  the  people  are  very  greatly  dis- 
tressed already  from  the  scarcity  of  circulating  cash  among  them 
and  from  the  little  value  of  their  staple  at  the  British  markets. 

"And  it  is  presumed  that  adding  to  that  load  which  the  Colony 
now  labors  under  will  not  be  more  oppressive  to  her  people  than 
destructive  of  the  interest  of  Great  Britain ;  for  the  Plantation 
trade,  confined  as  it  is  to  the  mother  country,  hath  been  a  principal 
means  of  multiplying  and  enriching  her  inhabitants;  and,  if  not  too 
much  discouraged,  may  prove  an  inexhaustible  source  of  treasure 
to  the  nation.  For  satisfaction  on  this  jwint,  let  the  present  state 
of  the  British  fleets  and  trade  be  compared  with  what  they  were 
before  the  settlement  of  the  Colonies ;  and  let  it  be  considered,  that, 
whilst  property  in  land  may  be  acquired  on  very  easy  terms  in  the 
vast  imcultivated  territory  of  North  Amei'iea,  the  Colonists  svill 
be  mostly,  if  not  wholly,  employed  in  agriculture,  whereby  the 
exportation  of  their  comiiindities  to  Great  Britain  and  ihe  con- 
sumption of  manufactnrers  supplied  from  thence  will  be  daily 
increasing.  But  this  most  desirable  connexion  between  Great 
Britain  and  her  Colonies,  supported  by  such  a  happy  intercourse 
of  reciprocal  benefits  as  is  continually  advancing  the  prosperity 
of  both,  must  be  interrupted,  if  the  people  of  the  latter,  reduced 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  169 

to  extreme  poverty,  should  be  compelled  to  maniifactiire  those  arti- 
cles they  have  been  hitherto  furnished  with  from  the  former. 

"From  these  considerations,  it  is  hoped  that  the  Honorable  House 
of  Commons  will  not  prosecute  a  measure  which  those  who  may 
suffer  under  it  cannot  but  look  upon  as  fitter  for  exiles  driven  from 
their  native  country,  after  ignominiously  forfeiting  her  favors  and 
protection,  than  for  the  posterity  of  Britons,  who  have  at  all  times 
been  forward  to  demonstrate  all  due  reverence  to  the  mother 
Kingdom  and  are  so  instrumental  in  promoting  her  glory  and 
felicity ;  and  that  British  patriots  will  never  consent  to  the  exercise 
of  any  anti-constitutional  power,  which,  even  in  this  remote  cor- 
ner, may  be  dangerous  in  its  example  to  the  interior  parts  of  the 
British  empire,  and  will  certainly  be  detrimental  to  its  commerce." 

The  several  papers  above  given  breathe  a  spirit  of  humility  and 
dependence  that  did  not  correctly  voice  the  sentiments  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Colonists,  and  possibly  thereby  the  British  Parliament  was 
deceived  and  led  to  believe  that  the  American  Colonies  would  not 
assert  their  opposition  to  the  tax  measures  proposed,  otherwise 
than  by  protest  through  their  Assemblies. 

Most  of  the  Colonies  adopted  resolutions  protesting  against  the 
enactment  of  such  a  law ;  some  offering  a  specific  sum  of  money  in 
lieu  of  the  proposed  tax,  provided  it  was  received  as  a  voluntary 
donation.  But  no  one  of  the  Colonies  was  willing  to  admit  that 
the  British  Parliament  had  any  right  to  tax  them,  while  they  were 
denied  representation  therein. 

Mr.  Grenville  and  his  friends  argued  that  the  Colonies  were 
already  represented  in  the  same  manner  as  a  large  proportion  of  the 
inhabitants  of  England  who  had  no  vote  in  the  election  of  mem- 
bers of  Parliament,  and  this  same  argument  is  often  indulged  in 
by  the  advocates  of  a  restricted  suffrage  at  the  present  time.  In 
answer  to  this  ridiculous  argument,  the  Colonies  contended  that 
"the  very  essence  of  representation  consists  in  this;  that  the 
representative  is  himself  placed  in  a  situation  analogous  to  those 
whom  he  represents,  so  that  he  shall  be  himself  bound  by  laws  which 
he  is  entrusted  to  enact  and  shall  be  liable  to  the  taxes  which  he 
is  authorized  to  impose." 

But  the  soamd  reasoning  and  the  humble  petitioning  of  the 
American  Colonies  did  not  influence  the  British  Parliament,  the 
memorials  and  petitions  were  not  permitted  to  be  read  in  the  House 


170  Southwest  Virginia-,  1746-1786. 

of  Coninioiis,  and  iu  the  month  of  March,  17G5,  the  hill  for  laying 
a  stamp  duty  in  .America  was  called  up  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
but  little  o|)})osition  was  shown  to  the  measure,  and  few  indeed  were 
the  members  who  denied  the  right  of  Parliament  to  tax  the  Colo- 
nies. 

It  may  be  worthy  to  note  the  circumstances  attending  the 
debate  upon  this  measure  in  the  House  of  Commons.  Mr.  Charles 
Townsend,  an  advocate  of  this  measure,  concluded  his  speech  in 
advocacy  of  the  measure  in  the  following  words;  "And  now,  will 
these  Americans,  children  planted  hy  our  care,  nourished,  hi/  our 
indulgence,  till  they  are  grown  to  a  degree  of  strength  and  opulence 
and  protected  hy  our  arms,  will  they  grudge  to  contribute  their 
mite  to'  relieve  us  from  the  heavy  weight  of  that  burden  which  we 
lie  under?"  Colonel  Barre,  one  of  the  most  respectable  mem- 
bers of  the  House  of  Commons,  with  strong  feelings  of  indignation 
visible  in  his  countenance  and  manner,  thus  eloquently  replied ; 
"They  planted  hy  your  care!  No,  your  oppression  planted  them 
in  America.  They  fled  from  tyranny  to  a  then  uncultivated  and 
inhospitable  country,  where  they  exposed  themselves  to  almost  all 
the  hardships  to  which  human  nature  is  liable,  and  among  others 
to  the  cruelty  of  a  savage  foe,  the  most  subtle,  and  I  will  take  upon 
me  to  say,  the  most  formidable  of  any  people  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth ;  and  yet,  actuated  by  principles  of  true  English  liberty, 
they  met  all  hardships  with  pleasure  compared  with  those  they 
suffered  in  their  own  country  from  the  hands  of  those  that  should 
have  been  their  friends.  They  nourished  hy  your  indulgence! 
They  grew  up  by  your  neglect  of  them.  As  soon  as  you  began  to 
care  about  them,  that  care  was  exercised  in  sending  persons  to  rule 
them  in  one  department  and  another,  who  were  perhaps  the  deputies 
of  deputies  to  some  members  of  this  House,  sent  to  spy  out  their 
liberties,  to  misrepresent  their  actions  and  to  prey  upon  them. 
Men  whose  behaviour,  on  many  occasions,  has  caused  the  blood  of 
these  sons  of  liberty  to  recoil  within  them,  men,  who  were  pro- 
moted to  the  highest  seats  of  justice,  some  who,  to  my  knowledge, 
were  glad,  by  going  to  a  foreign  coimtry  to  escape  being  brought  to 
the  bar  of  a  court  of  justice  in  their  own.  They  protected  hy  your 
arms!  They  have  nobly  taken  up  arms  in  your  defence,  have 
exerted  a  valour,  amidst  their  constant  and  laborious  industry,  for 
the  defence  of  a  country  whose  frontier  was  drenched  in  blood. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  171 

while  its  interior  parts  yielded  all  its  little  savings  to  yoim* 
emolument.  And,  believe  me,  remember  I  this  day  told  you  so, 
that  same  spirit  of  freedom  which  actuated  that  people  at  first 
will  accompany  them  still;  but  prudence  forbids  me  to  explain 
myself  further.  God  knows  I  do  not  at  this  time  speak  from  any 
motives  of  party  heat.  What  I  deliver  are  the  genuine  sentiments 
of  my  heart.  However  superior  to  me  in  general  knowledge  and 
experience  the  respectable  body  of  this  House  may  be,  yet,  I  claim 
to  know  more  of  America  than  most  of  you,  having  seen  and  been 
conversant  in  that  country.  The  people,  I  believe,  are  as  truly 
loyal  as  any  subjects  the  King  has,  but  a  people  jealous  of  their 
liberties,  and  who  will  vindicate  them  if  ever  they  should  be  vio- 
lated.   But  the  subject  is  too  delicate.    I  will  say  no  more." 

Notwithstanding  the  opposition  made  to  the  passage  of  this  bill, 
it  passed  the  House  of  Commons,  and  on  the  22d  day  of  March, 
1765,  having  met  with  the  unanimous  approval  of  the  House  of 
Lords,  it  received  the  royal  assent.  By  the  provisions  of  this  bill, 
this  law  was  not  to  go  into  effect  until  the  first  day  of  November, 
1765. 

When  the  intelligence  of  the  passage  of  this  measure  reached 
Virginia,  the  indignation  and  rage  of  the  people  knew  no  bounds. 
While  no  violence  was  offered,  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  by 
a  series  of  resolutions  proposed  by  Patrick  Henry,  expressed  the 
sentiments  of  the  people  in  a  dignified  and  explicit  manner,  the 
resolutions  being  as  follows; 

"Eesolved,  That  the  first  adventurers  and  settlers  of  this,  his 
Majesty's  Colony  and  dominion,  brought  with  them  and  trans- 
mitted to  their  posterity  and  all  others  his  Majesty's  subjects 
since  inhabiting  in  this,  his  Majesty's  said  Colony,  all  the  privileges, 
franchises  and  immunities  that  have  been  at  any  time  held,  enjoyed 
and  possessed  by  the  people  of  Great  Britain. 

"Eesolved,  That  by  two  Eoyal  Charters  granted  by  King  James 
the  First,  the  Colonists  aforesaid  are  declared  entitled  to  all  the 
privileges,  liberties  and  immunities  of  denizens  and  natural  born 
subjects,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  if  they  had  been  abiding 
and  born  within  the  realm  of  England. 

"Eesolved,  That  the  taxation  of  the  people  by  themselves,  or 
by  persons  chosen  by  themselves  to  represent  them,  who  can  only 
know  what  taxes  the  people  are  able  to  bear  and  the  easist  mode 


173  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

of  raising  tliem  and  arc  equally  affected  by  sucli  taxes  themselves, 
is  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  British  freedom,  and  with- 
out which  the  ancient  constitution  cannot  subsist. 

"Resolved,  That  his  Majesty's  liege  people  of  this  most  ancient 
Colony  have  uninterruptedly  enjoyed  the  right  of  being  thus  gov- 
erned by  their  own  assembly  in  the  article  of  their  taxes  and  inter- 
nal police,  and  the  same  hath  never  been  forfeited,  or  in  any  other 
way  given  up,  but  hath  been  constantly  recognized  by  the  King  and 
people  of  Great  Britain. 

"Resolved,  therefore,  That  the  General  Assembly  of  this  Colony 
have  the  sole  right  and  power  to  lay  taxes  and  impositions  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  this  Colony;  and  that  every  attempt  to  vest 
such  power  in  any  person  or  persons  whatsoever,  other  than  tho 
General  Assembly  aforesaid,  has  a  manifest  tendency  to  destroy 
British  as  well  as  American  freedom." 

The  foregoing  resolutions  passed  the  House  of  Burgesses  in  May, 
1765,  and  formed  the  first  opposition  to  the. Stamp  Act  and  the 
scheme  of  taxing  America  by  the  British  Parliament.  Heretofore, 
it  had  been  humble  petitions,  now,  we  have  reached  the  point 
where  the  Colonies  were  defiantly  asserting  their  rights.  Patrick 
Henry,  at  this  time,  was  quite  a  young  man,  this  being  the  first 
time  that  he  had  served  his  country  in  the  House  of  Burgesses,  and, 
while  he  was  inexperienced,  he  was  inspired  by  that  spirit  of  liberty 
which  was  the  common  heritage  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  Amer- 
ican wilderness.  "When  these  resolutions  were  offered  in  the  House 
of  Burgesses,  many  violent  debates  took  place,  and,  after  a  great 
deal  of  oppasition,  the  resolutions  were  adopted  by  a  majority  of, 
possibly,  one  or  two  votes.  During  the  progress  of  the  debate  upon 
these  resolutions,  Patrick  Henry  gave  utterance  to  the  following 
words ; 

"Caesar,"  exclaimed  the  orator,  "had  his  Brutus ;  Charles  the 
First,  his  Cromwell,  nnd  George  the  Third  may  profit  by  his  ex- 
ample." 

The  passage  of  these  resolutions  gave  impetus  to  tlie  cause  of 
American  liberty  and  produced  an  alarming  state  of  affairs  among 
the  uiore  timid  and  loyal  inhal)itants.  In  Massachusetts  the  opj)osi- 
tion  took  a  different  form,  and,  in  the  city  of  Boston,  the  populace 
indulged  in  every  act  of  violence  that  could  be  imagined,  in  the 
exhibition  of  their  dislike  of  the  law  and  the  law  officers.     The 


Southwest  Virginia,  l7Jf6-1786.  1'<'3 

ships  in  the  harhor  placed  their  flags  at  half  mast,  the  bells 
tlironghoiit  the  town  were  tolling,  the  ship  masters  who  bought  the 
stamps  were  mistreated  and  insulted  and  required  to  deliver  the 
stamps  to  the  people,  who  made  a  bonfire  of  them  and  of  the  law. 
Meetings  were  held  througliout  the  colonies,  protesting  against 
this  act  of  the  British  Parliament  and  asserting  the  inalienable 
right  of  the  American  people. 

On  the  second  Tuesday  in  October,  1765,  pursuant  to  a  resolu- 
tion adopted  by  the  Assembly  of  Massachusetts,  the  first  Couti- 
nental  Congress  assembled  at  New  York,  "to  consult  as  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  Colonies  and  to  consider  the  most  proper 
means  of  averting  the  diflficulties  under  which  they  labored." 
Twenty-eight  deputies,  representing  the  States  of  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware, 
Maryland  and  South  Carolina,  composed  this,  the  first  Continental 
Congress  held  on  American  soil ;  Virginia,  New  York,  North  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia  were  prevented  from  sending  delegates  to  this 
Congress  by  the  action  of  their  royal  Governors,  by  dissolving  their 
respective  assemblies  before  action  could  be  taken  in  the  premises. 

This  Congress  adopted  a  series  of  resolutions  stating  the  griev- 
ances of  the  Colonies  and,  in  positive  terms,  asserting  the  exemp- 
tion of  the  Colonies  fro'm  all  taxes  not  imposed  by  their  own  Legis- 
latures. They  also  addressed  a  petition  to  the  House  of  Lords  and 
to  the  King  and  Commons,  and  on  the  25th  of  October  adjourned. 

The  first  day  of  November,  1765,  the  date  fixed  for  the  Stamp 
Act  to  take  efi'ect,  arrived,  and  the  day  in  the  city  of  Boston  was 
ushered  in  by  the  closing  of  business  houses  and  the  tolling  of  church 
bells,  and  Governor  Bernard  and  Justice  Hutchinson,  the  advocates 
of  the  British  Parliament  in  Massachusetts,  were  hung  in  effigy 
on  Boston  Neck,  where  the  effigies  were  permitted  tO'  remain  awhile, 
when  they  were  cut  down  and  torn  to  pieces,  to  the  great  delight 
of  the  people.  In  many  places  public  notice  was  given  to  the 
friends  of  TAberty  to  attend  her  funeral,  and  a  large  coffin  was 
prepared,  upon  which  was  written  the  word  LIBERTY.  This 
coffin  was  attended  to  tlie  grave  by  an  immense  concourse  of  people, 
where,  after  the  firing  o,f  minute-guns,  an  oration  was  pro- 
nounced, and  the  word  REVIVED  added  to  the  former  inscription, 
amidst  the  shouts  and  acclamations  of  the  people.  Throughout  the 
Colonies  the  stamp  papers  were  forcibly  taken   from  the  stamp 


174  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

officials  and  destroyed,  and  the  business  of  the  country  proceeded 
as  if  the  Stamp  law  had  never  been  enacted. 

Upon  the  assembling  of  Parliament  on  the  14th  day  of  January, 
17()(),  upon  a  motion  for  an  address  to  the  King,  William  Pitt,  one 
of  the  greatest  of  English  statesmen,  offered  the  following  remarks 
upon  the  state  of  the  country; 

"It  is  a  long  time,  Mr.  Speaker,"  said  he,  "since  I  have  attended 
in  Parliament.  When  the  resolutions  were  taken  in  this  House  to 
tax  America,  I  was  ill  in  bed.  If  I  could  have  endured  to  have 
been  carried  in  my  bed,  so  great  was  the  agitation  of  my  mind  for 
the  consequences,  I  would  have  solicited  some  kind  hand  to  have 
laid  me  down  on  this  floor  to  have  borne  my  testimony  against  it. 
It  is  my  opinion  that  this  Kingdom  has  no  right  to  lay  a  tax  upon 
the  Colonies.  At  the  same  time,  I  assert  the  authority  of  this 
Kingdom  to  be  sovereign  and  supreme  in  every  circumstance  of 
government  and  legislature  whatever.  Taxation  is  no  part  of  the 
governing  or  legislative  power;  the  taxes  are  a  voluntary  gift  and 
grant  of  the  Commons  alone.  The  concurrence  of  the  Peers  and  of 
the  Crown  is  necessary  only  as  a  form  of  law.  This  House  repre- 
sents the  Commons  of  Great  Britain.  When  in  this  House  we 
give  and  grant,  therefore,  we  give  and  grant  what  is  our  own,  btit 
can  we  give  and  grant  the  property  of  the  Commons  of  America'? 
It  is  an  absurdity  in  terms.  There  is  an  idea  in  some,  that  the 
Colonies  are  virtually  represented  in  this  House.  I  would  fain 
know  hy  whomf .  The  idea  of  virtual  representation  is  the  most 
contemptible  that  ever  entered  into  the  head  of  man;  it  does  not 
deserve  a  serious  refutation.  The  Commons  in  America,  repre- 
sented in  their  several  assembles,  have  invariably  exercised  this 
constitutional  right  of  giving  and  granting  their  own  money;  they 
would  have  been  slaves  if  they  had  not  enjoyed  it.  At  the  same 
time  this  Kingdom  has  ever  professed  the  power  of  legislative  and 
commercial  control.  The  Colonies  acknowledge  your  authority  in 
all  things,  with  the  sole  exception  that  you  shall  not  take  their 
money  out  of  their  pockets  without  their  consent.  Here  would  I 
draw  the  line;  quam  ultra  citraque  nequit  consistere  rectum." 

This  address  was  replied  to  by  Mr.  Grenville  in  a  speech  that 
voiced  the  sentiments  of  that  part  of  the  people  of  England  that 
wished  to  tax  the  Colonies,  and,  in  reply,  William  Pitt  submitted 
the  following  remarks: 


Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786.  175 

"Sir,  a  charge  is  brought  aginst  gentlemen  sitting  in  this  House, 
for  giving  birth  to  sedition  in  America.  The  freedom  with  which 
the}^  have  spoken  their  sentiments  against  this  unhappy  act  is 
imputed  to  them  as  a  crime,  but  the  imputation  shall  not  dis- 
courage me.  It  is  a  liberty  which  I  hope  no  gentleman  will  be 
afraid  to  exercise ;  it  is  a  liberty  by  which  the  gentleman  who 
calumniates  it  might  have  profited. .  He  ought  to  have  desisted  from 
his  project.  We  are  told  America  is  obstinate,  America  is  almost 
in  open  rebellion.  Sir,  /  rejoice  that  America  has  resisted;  three 
millions  of  people  so  dead  to'  all  the  feelings  of  liberty  as  volun- 
tarily to  submit  to  be  slaves,  would  have  been  fit  instruments  to 
make  slaves  of  all  the  rest ". 

I  maintain  that  Parliment  has  a  right  to  bind,  to  restrain  Amierica. 
Oiir  legislative  power  over  the  Colonies  is  sovereign  and  supreme. 
The  honorable  gentlemen  tells  us  he  i;nderstands  not  the  difference 
between  internal  and  external  taxation.;  but  surely  there  is  a  plain 
distinction  between  taxation  levied  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a 
revenue  and  duties  imposed  for  the  regulation  of  commierce. 
'When,'  said  the  honorable  gentleman,  'were  the  Colonies  emanci- 
pated f  At  what  time,  say  T,  in  answer,  'were  they  made  slaves?' 
I  speak  from  accurate  knowledge  when  I  say,  that  the  profits  to 
Great  Britain  from  the  trade  of  the  Colonies,  through  all  its 
branches,  is  two  millions  per  annum.  This  is  the  fund  which  car- 
ried 5"0u  triumphantly  through  the  war;  this  is  the  price 
America  pays  you  for  her  protection ;  and  shall  a  miserable  financier 
come  with  a  boast  that  he  can  fetch  a  pepper-com  into  the 
Exchequer  at  the  loss  of  millions  to  the  nation  ?  I  Imow  the  valour 
of  your  troops,  I  know  the  skill  of  your  officers,  I  know  the  force 
of  this  country ;  but  in  such  a  cause  your  success  would  be  hazard- 
ous. America,  if  she  fell,  would  fall  like  the  strong  man ;  she  would 
embrace  the  pillars  of  the  state  and  pull  down  the  Constitution  with 
her.  Is  this  yoiir  boasted  peace?  not  to  sheathe  the  sword  in  the 
scabbard,  but  to  sheathe  it  in  the  bowels  of  your  coimtrymen? 
The  Americans  have  been  wronged,  they  have  been  driven  to  mad- 
ness by  injustice.  Will  you  punish  them  for  the  madness  you  have 
occasioned?  No;  let  this  country  be  the  first  to  resume  its 
prudence  and  temper.  I  will  pledge  myself  for  the  Colonies,  that, 
on  their  part,  animosity  and  resentment  will  cease.     The  system 


176  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

of  policy  I  would  earnestly  exhort  Great  Britain  tO'  adopt  in  rela- 
tion to  America  is  happily  expressed  in  the  words  of  a  favorite 
poet : 

'Be  to  her  faults  a  little  blind, 

Be  to  her  virtues  very  kind ; 

Let  all  her  ways  be  unconfin'd, 

And  clap  your  padlock  on  her  mind.' 

Upon  the  whole,  I  will  beg  leave  to  tell  the  House  in  a  few 
words  what  is  really  my  opinion.  It  is.  That  the  Stamp  Act  he 
repealed,   ABSOLUTELY,   TOTALLY  and  IMMEDIATELY." 

On  the  23d  day  of  February,  176G,  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the 
House  of  Commons  having  for  its  purpose  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  which  bill  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  275  for,  to  177  against,  its 
repeal.  The  joy  of  the  peo])le  at  the  result  of  this  action  of  the 
House  of  Comanons  was  great.  The  opposition  to  the  repeal  of 
the  Stamp  Act  in  the  House  of  Peers  was  much  stronger  than  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  and  it  was  not  till  the  18th  day  of  March, 
1766,  that  the  repeal  was  carried,  and  then  by  a  majority  of  only 
34.  On  the  19th  day  of  March,  1766,  the  King  appeared  in  the 
House  of  Commons  and  gave  his  assent,  and  thereby  the  war 
between  the  English  Colonies  and  the  British  Government  was 
averted  for  the  time  being. 

'  In  Virginia,  this  information  was  received  with  great  joy  by 
all  classes  of  people,  and  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses 
voted  a  statue  to  the  King.  The  joy  that  followed  the  repeal  of 
the  Stamp  Act  was  of  bnt  short  duration.  The  Colonies  began  to 
realize  that,  by  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  England  had  virtually 
surrendered  nothing,  as  Parliament  still  maintained  the  right  to 
tax  the  Colonists,  and,  by  the  fall  of  the  year  1766,  discontent  again 
pervaded  the  Colonies.  The  Virginia  House  oi  Burgesses  post- 
poned the  consideration  of  the  Act  providing  for  a  statue  for  the 
King  until  some  succeeding  session.  When  the  new  Parliament 
assembled  in  the  year  1767,  they  received  information  that  the 
Assembly  of  New  York  had  refused  to  pass  a  bill  providing  for 
the  support  of  his  Majesty's  troops  which  had  been  stationed  among 
the  people  of  that  Colony.  Whereupon  Mr.  Grenville,  the  leader 
of  the  Parliamentary  forces  favoring  the  taxation  of  the  American 
colonies,  introduced  a  bill  the  object  of  which  was  to  restrain  the 
Assembly  and  Council  of  New  York  from  passing  any  act,  until 
they  had  complied  with  the  requisition  of  the  act  thus  mentioned, 


Southwest  Virginia,  171,6-1786.  177 

which  bill  was  almost  immediately  passed  and  became  a  law.  About 
the  same  time  a  body  of  British  troops  arrived  in  Boston,  and 
Governor  Bernard  immediately  began  to  provide  for  their  support 
out  of  the  public  treasury.  Both  of  the  above  acts  produced  a  great 
deal  of  discontent  in  the  Colonies,  and  in  the  month  of  June,  1767, 
a  bill  was  introduced  l^y  Charles  Townsend  in  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, imposing  duties  on  glass,  painters'  colours,  tea  and  paper, 
imported  into  the  Colonies.  Also,  another  bill  authorizing  the 
King  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Trade  to  reside  in  the  Colonies.  Also, 
a  bill  establishing  a  Board  of  Admiralty  in  the  Colonies  to  be  paid 
from  the  colonial  revenue,  but  to  be  independent  of  all  colonial 
regulations,  and  another  bill  fixing  the  salaries  of  the  Governors 
and  other  officials  of  the  American  Colonies.  These  several  bills 
passed  the  House  of  Commons  with  but  two  dissenting  votes,  and 
received  the  royal  assent  on  the  2d  day  of  July,  1767. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  system  of  taxation  proposed  by  Mr. 
Townsend  and  adopted  by  the  British  Parliament  was,  beyond 
question,  a  legal  exercise  of  the  right  of  Parliament  to  regulate  the 
commerce  of  the  Colonies,  and  this  right  had  oftentimes,  thereto- 
fore, been  admitted  by  the  American  Colonists,  but  the  people  of 
New  York  and  of  Massachusetts  were  greatly  irritated  by  the 
presence  of  the  British  soldiery  in  their  respective  Colonies,  and 
acting  upon  the  presumption  that  this  action  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment was  nothing  more  than  a  forerunner  of  other  oppressive  meas- 
ures against  the  Colonies,  numerous  petitions  and  remonstrances 
were  addressed  to  the  King  and  Parliament,  but  failed  to  accom- 
plish any  good  result.  The  merchants  and  citizens  of  nearly  all 
the  Colonies  assembled  in  their  different  towns  and  bound  them- 
selves not  to  purchase  goods  of  any  character  from  the  British 
manufacturers,  while  these  obnoxious  laws  continued  in  force. 

The  Assembly  of  Massachusetts  Colony  addressed  a  circular  letter 
to  the  Legislatures  of  the  other  Colonies  requesting  their  assistance 
and  co-operation,  which  letter  was  responded  to  by  all  the  Colonies, 
expressing  their  willingness  to  stand  with  Massachusetts  by  what 
had  been  done  and  expressing  their  readiness  to  co-operate  in  what 
might  further  be  proposed  for  the  common  securitj'  and  welfare  of 
the  Colonies. 

Bernard,  the  Eoyal  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  communicated  to 
Lord  Hillsborough,  the  Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  the  action  of  ihe 


178  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-178G. 

Massachusetts  Assembly;  whereupon,  his  lordship  directed  Gover- 
nor Bernard  to^  require  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  (in  Ms 
Majest3''s  name,  to  rescind  their  action,  upon  the  penalty  O'f  being 
dissolved,  which  message  the  Governor  immediately  communicated 
to  the  Assembly,  whereupon,  the  Assembly  voted  not  to  rescind 
their  action,  tlie  vote  being  17  yeas  to  19  nays,  and  they  declared, 
"if  the  votes  of  the  House  are  to  be  controlled  by  the  direction  of 
a  minister,  we  have  left  us  but  a  vain  semblance  of  liberty."  The 
Governor,  thereupon,  dissolved  the  House  according  to  his  threat, 
and  the  Governors  of  the  other  Colonies  dissolved  their  respective 
Assemblies  upon  their  refusing  to  rescind  their  action  endorsing 
the  Massachusetts  resolves. 

Lord  Hillsborough,  upon  the  receipt  of  this  information,  wrote 
to  General  Gage,  the  British  Commander  at  Boston,  that  at  least 
one  regiment  of  troop  would  be  sent  to  Boston  to  assist  in  preserving 
peace.  Upon  receipt  of  this  information,  a  meeting  was  held  by 
the  people  of  Boston,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  wait  upon 
the  Governor  and  request  him  to  call  the  Assembly  together. 
This  committee  waited  upon  the  Governor  and  presented  their 
request,  which  was  denied.  Thereupon,  it  was  determined  to  hold 
a  general  convention  in  the  city  of  Boston,  on  the  22d  of  September, 
and  all  the  towns  in  the  province  of  Massachusetts  were  requested 
to  send  and  did  send  delegates  to  this  Convention. 

The  Convention  met  at  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston,  and  adopted  sev- 
eral resolutions  and  adjourned.  Soon  thereafter,  two  reginients 
of  troops  landed  in  Boston  and,  by  direction  of  the  Governor,  were 
quartered  in  the  two  public  houses  of  the  city,  wliich  gave  great 
umbrage  to  the  people  and  produced  constant  difficulties  between 
the  citizens  and  the  soldiers. 

The  Colony  of  Massachusetts  was  in  open  rebellion  against  the 
British  Governor  and  the  Parliament.  At  a  meeting  of  the  British 
Parliament  in  the  year  1769,  a  measure  was  adopted  which  was 
intended  to  be  a  death  blow  to  the  liberties  of  the  Colonies.  This 
measure  directed  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts  to  ascertain  the 
nanues  of  all  persons  guilty  of  treason  or  misprisions  committed 
since  the  30th  day  of  December,  1767,  and  transmit  this  informa- 
tion to  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  State,  in  order  that  his  Majesty 
might  issue  a  special  commission  for  inquiring  of,  hearing  and 
determining  the  said  offences  within  the  realm  of  Great  Britain. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  179 

Heretofore,  the  offending  Americans  had  been  tried  by  a  jury  of 
their  own  countrymen,  upon  all  the  charges  that  were  preferred 
by  the  royal  government,  and,  as  a  general  rule,  acquitted,  but 
now  the  British  Parliament  proposed  to  have  them  arrested  and 
transported  across  the  seas  for  trial  in  England.  The  Virginia 
House  of  Burgesses  assembled  a  few  days  after  the  receipt  of  this 
information  and  adopted  a  series  of  resolutions,  "declaring  their 
exclusive  right  to  tax  their  constituents  and  to  petition  the  Sover- 
eign, either  separately  or  conjointly  with  the  other  Colonies,  and 
affirming  that  the  seizing  of  any  person  residing  in  the  said  Colony, 
suspected  of  any  crime  whatsoever  committed  therein,  and  sending 
such  persons  beyond  the  seas  to  be  tried  was  highly  derogatory 
to  the  rights  of  British  subjects."  These  resolutions  were  pre- 
sented l)e]iind  dosed  doors  for  the  purpose^of  preventing  the  royal 
Governor  fi'om  dissolving  the  Assembly  before  their  adoption.  The 
example  of  Virginia  was  followed  by  the  Assemblies  of  the  several 
Colonies. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1769,  Lord  Hillsborough,  the  British 
Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  addressed  a  circular  letter  to  the  Gov- 
ernors of  all  the  Colonies,  informing  them  that,  at  the  next  session 
of  Parliament,  the  duty  upon  glass,  paper  and  painters'  colors 
would  be  removed. 

The  next  session  of  the  British  Parliament  convened  on  the  9th 
day  of  January,  1770,  and,  on  the  22d  'day  of  February,  the 
Marquis  of  Rockingham  introduced  the  subject  of  the  repeal  of 
tliese  onerous  duties,  in  the  following  manner.  He  said,  "That 
the  present  unhappy  condition  of  affairs  and  the  universal  discon- 
tent of  the  people  did  not  arise  from  any  immediate  temporary 
cause,  biit  had  grown  upon  the  nation  by  degrees  from  t]^e  moment 
of  his  Majesty's  accession  to  the  throne;  that  a  total  change  had 
then  taken  place  in  the  old  system  of  English,  government  and  a 
new  maxim  adopted  fatal  to  the  liberties  of  the  coimtry,  viz.,  that 
the  royal  prerogative  alone  was  sufficient  to  support  government, 
to  whatever  hands  the  administration  should  be  committed."  "The 
operation  of  this  principle,"  said  his  lordship,  "can  be  ti-aced 
through  every  act  of  government  during  the  present  reign,  in 
which  his  Majesty's  secret  advisers  could  be  supposed  to  have  any 
influence.  He  recommended,  therefore,  strongly  to  their  lordships 
to  fix  an  early  day  for  taking  into  consideration  the  state  of  the 


180  Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-17 S6. 

country  hi  all  its  relations  and  dependencies,  foreign,  provincial 
and  doniestick,  for  we  had  been  injured  in  them  all.  That 
consideration,  he  trusted,  would  lead  their  Lordships  to  advise  the 
Crown,  not  only  how  to  correct  past  errors,  but  how  to  establish 
a  system  of  government  more  wise,  more  permanent,  better  suited 
to  the  genius  of  the  people  and  consistent  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Constitution." 

Before  a  vote  was  reached  upon  this  motion,  the  Duke  of  Grafton 
resigned  the  office  of  first  Lord  Commissioner  of  the  Treasury  and 
was  succeeded  l)y  Lord  North,  who  remained  at  the  head  of  the 
administration  until  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Among  the  first  acts  of  Lord  North's  administration  was  one 
for  the  repeal  of  the  port  duties  fixed  by  the  act  of  1767,  with  one 
exception,  that  being  the  duty  on  tea,  "which  the  British  Ministry 
desired  to  remain  in  force,  as  an  evidence  of  the  supremacy  of  the 
Parliament."  It  was  argued  by  tlie  friends  of  the  repeal  of  the 
port  duties,  that  to  retain  the  duty  on  tea  would  simply  continue 
the  agitation  and  increase  the  disturbance  in  the  Colonies  without 
accomplishing  any  good  results.  To  such  arguments,  Jjord  North 
answered,  "Has  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  taught  the  Americans 
obedience?  Has  our  lenity  inspired  them  with  moderation? 
Can  it  be  proper,  while  they  deny  our  legal  power  to 
tax  them,  to  acquiesce  in  tlie  argument  of  illegality  and,  by  the 
repeal  of  the  whole  law,  to  give  up  that  power  ?  No !  the  proper 
time  to  exert  oiir  right  to  taxation  is  when  the  right  is  refused. 
To  temporize  is  to  yield,  and  the  autlwrity  of  the  mother  country, 
if  it  is  now  unsupported,  will  in  reality  be  relinquished  for  ever. 

"A  total  repeal/'  he  continued,  "cannot  he  thovght  of  till  America 
is  PROSTRATE  AT  OUR  FEET." 

It  seems  peculiar  that  the  English  ministry  should  have  been  so 
short  sighted  as  to  thus  insult  the  American  Colonies,  at  the  same 
time  that  they  were  making  to  them  great  concessions  with  the 
avowed  purpose  of  restoring  the  Colonies  to  peace  and  quietude. 
While  the  British  Government  lost  the  benefit  of  the  import  duties 
by  the  repeal  of  the  act  of  1767,  still,  by  the  retention  of  the  duty 
on  tea,  the  cause  of  the  discontent  in  the  Colonies  remained.  The 
insult  offered  to  the  Colonists  by  Lord  North  in  his  speech,  and  the 
presence  of  the  King's  troops  in  the  province  of  Massachusetts  and 
New  Yo7-k,  kept  up  the  agitation  in  the  Colonies,  producing  mob- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  181 

violence  at  many  places.  In  the  city  of  Boston  a  difficulty  occurred 
between  one  of  the  King's  soldiers  and  a  citizen  of  the  town,  which 
resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  soldier.  He  obtaining  the  assistance 
of  a  few  of  his  comrades,  the  contest  between  the  citizens  and  the 
soldiers  became  general,  and  the  citizens,  assembling  in  great 
numbers,  compelled  Governor  Hutchinson  to  remove  the  soldiers 
immediately  from  the  town.  Similar  difficulties  occurred  in  New 
York  and  in  Ehode  Island.  Thus  matters  continued  until  the 
12th  of  March,  1773,  when  Dabney  Carr,  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  introduced  the  following  resolutions  in 
the  House  of  Burgesses;  which  resolutions  were  adopted  without  a 
dissenting  voice. 

"Whereas  the  minds  of  his  Majesty's  faithful  subjects  in  this 
Colony  have  been  much  disturbed  by  various  rumours  and  reports 
of  proceedings,  tending  to  deprive  them  of  their  ancient  legal  and 
constitutional  rights ; 

^And  whereas  the  affairs  of  this  Colony  are  frequently  con- 
nected with  those  of  Great  Britain,  as  well  as  the  neighboring 
Colonies,  which  renders  a  communication  of  sentiment  necessary. 
In  order,  therefore,  to  remove  the  uneasiness  and  to  quiet  tho 
minds  of  the  people,  as  well  as  for  the  other  good  purposes  above 
mentioned, 

"Be  it  resolved,  that  a  standing  committee  of  correspondence 
and  inquiry  be  appointed,  to  consist  of  eleven  persons,  to-wit: 
the  honorable  Peyton  Eandolph,  esquire,  Eobept  C.  Nicholas, 
Eichard  Bland,  Eichard  H.  Lee,  Benjamin  Harrison,  Edmund 
Pendleton,  Patrick  Henry,  Dudley  Digges,  Dabney  Carr,  Archibald 
Cary  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  esquires,  any  six  of  whom  to  be  a 
committee,  whose  business  it  shall  be  to  obtain  the  most  early  and 
authentic  intelligence  of  all  such  acts  and  resolutions  of  the  British 
Parliament  or  proceedings  of  administration  as  may  relate  to,  or 
affect  the  British  Colonies  in  America;  and  to  keep  up  and  main- 
tain a  correspondence  and  communication  with  our  sister  Colonies, 
respecting  these  important  considerations ;  and  the  result  of  such 
their  proceedings,  from  time  to  time  to  lay  before  this   House. 

'Resolved,  That  it  be  an  instruction  to  the  said  committee  that 
they  do,  without  delay,  inform  themselves  particularly  of  the 
principles  and  authority  on  which  was  constituted  a  court  of 
enquiry,   said   to   have  been  lately   held   in  Ehode   Island,   with 


183  Southwest  Virgima,  111^6-1786. 

powers  to  transport  persons  accused  of  offences  committed  in 
iVmerica  to  places  beyond  the  seas  to  be  tried. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Speaker  of  this  House  do  transmit  to  the 
Speakers  of  the  different  Assemblies  of  the  British  Colonies  on  the 
Continent,  copies  of  the  said  resolutions,  and  desire  that  they  will 
lay  them  before  their  respective  Assemblies,  and  request  them  to 
appoint  some  person  or  persons  of  their  respective  bodies  tO'  com- 
municate, from  time  to  time,  with  the  said  committee." 

The  retention  of  the  duty  on  tea  and  the  action  of  the  different 
Colonies  in  entering  into  an  agreement  neither  to  buy  nor  to  sell, 
nor  pay  any  duty  upon  teas  imported  into  the  Colonies,  had  been 
so  rigidly  observed  that  the  East  India  Company  suffered  great 
inconvenience  from  the  accumulation  of  their  stock  and  the  refusal 
of  the  American  Colonists  to  purchase;  and,  to  remedy  this  state 
of  affairs,  this  company  proposed  to  the  British  Parliament  to  pay 
double  the  amount  of  tlie  import  duties  on  tea  if  the  Parliament 
would  repeal  the  duties,  but  the  object  of  the  Parliament  not  being 
the  collection  of  a  revenue,  but  the  subjection  of  the  American 
Colonies,  the  offer  of  the  East  India  Company  remained  unac- 
cepted, and  the  oppression  of  the  American  Colonies  continued 
until  it  was  evident  that  the  American  people  had  determined  to  be 
free.  After  some  time  an  act  was  passed  by  the  British  Parliament 
allovidng  the  East  India  Company  to  export  their  teas  to  America 
free  of  duty,  after  which,  large  quantities  of  tea  were  shipped  by 
the  company  to  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Charleston. 

As  soon  as  the  Americans  heard  of  the  repeal  of  the  duty  on  tea 
and  the  shipments  made  by  the  East  Indian  Company,  they  deter- 
mined that  the  tea  should  never  be  disposed  of  in  America.  When 
the  ships  bearing  this  tea  arrived  at  the  American  ports,  they  were 
compelled  to  return  immediately  without  unloading  their  cargo. 

In  the  city  of  Boston  a  scene  of  great  disorder  prevailed.  The 
captain  of  the  vessel  carrying  the  tea  made  an  application  to  the 
Governor  for  the  papers  necessary  to  enable  him  to  return  to 
England  without  unloading,  which  request  the  Governor  positively 
refused  to  comply  with.  Of  this  action  the  people  were  informed, 
and,  thereupon,  a  number,  disguising  themselves  as  Mohawk 
Indians,  boarded  the  ship,  took  out  three  hundred  and  forty-two 
chests  of  tea  and  emptied  their  contents  into  the  water.  It  was 
thought  that  this  occurrence  would  precipitate  the  war  between  the 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  183 

Colonies  and  England,  but  such  was  not  the  case.  Upon  the  receipt 
of  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the  tea,  Lord  North  introduced 
a  bill  for  the  closing  of  the  port  of  Boston.  The  Constitution  and 
('barter  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts  were  taken  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  people  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  king,  and  all 
the  officers  of  the  Colony  were  made  dependent  upon  the  king. 
A  bill  was  also  passed  levying  a  fine  upon  the  city  of  Boston  to 
compensate  the  East  India  Company  for  the  tea  destroyed,  and 
another  law  was  enacted  providing  that  any  of  the  king-'s  officers, 
charged  with  the  commission  of  murder  in  the  execution  of  their 
duties  in  the  Colonies,  should  be  brought  to  England  for  trial.  All 
of  the  foregoing  bills  had  been  passed  and  received  the  royal  assent 
by  the  20th  day  of  May,  1774. 

The  consideration  of  these  measures  by  the  House  of  Commons 
produced  a  long  and  heated  debate,  during  which  Colonel  Barre, 
who  had  on  a  previous  occasion  ably  defended  the  Colonies,  con- 
cluded an  able  and  patriotic  speech  in  opposition  to  these  measures 
in  these  words :  "Yon  have  changed  your  ground.  You  are  becom- 
ing the  aggressors,  and  offering  the  last  of  human  outrages  to  the 
jjpople  of  America,  by  subjecting  them,  in  effect,  to  military  execu- 
tion. Instead  of  sending  them  the  olive  branch,  you  have  sent  them 
the  naked  sword.  By  the  olive  branch  I  mean  a  repeal  of  all  the 
late  laivs,  fruitless  to  you  and  oppressive  to  them.  Ask  their  aid 
in  a  constitutional  manner,  and  they  will  give  it  to  the  utmost  of 
their  ability.  They  never  yet- refused  it,  when  properly  required. 
Your  journals  bear  the  recorded  acknowledgments  of  the  zeal  with 
which  they  have  contributed  to  the  general  necessities  of  the  State. 
What  madness  is  it  that  prompts  you  to  attempt  obtaining  that  hy 
force,  which  you  may  more  certainly  procure  by  requisition.  They 
may  he  flattered  into  anything,  but  they  are  too  much  like  your- 
selves to  he  driven.  Have  some  indulgence  for  your  own  likeness, 
respect  their  sturdy  English  virtue,  retract  your  odious  exertions 
of  authority,  and  remember  that  the  first  step  towards  making  them 
contribute  to  your  wants  is  to  reconcile  them  to  your  government." 

At  the  same  time  William  Pitt,  now  Lord  Chatham,  gave  the 
House  of  Lords  his  views  upon  the  bills  proposed  and  the  condition 
of  American  affairs,  in  the  following  words: 

"If,  my  Lords,  we  take  a  transient  view  of  those  motives  which 
induced  the  ancestors  of  our  fellow  subjects  in  America  to  leave 


184  Southwest  Virginia,  17JiG-178G. 

tlioir  native  country,  to  encounter  the  innumerable  diflSculties  of  the 
unexplored  regions  of  the  western  world,  our  astonishment  at  the 
present  conduct  of  their  descendants  will  naturally  subside.  There 
was  no  corner  of  the  globe  to  which  they  would  not  have  fled,  rather 
than  submit  to  the  slavish  and  tyrannical  spirit  which  prevailed 
at  that  period  in  their  native  country ;  and  viewing  them  in  their 
original  forlorn  and  now  flourishing  state,  they  may  be  cited  as 
illustrious  instances  to  instruct  the  world  what  great  exertions  man- 
kind will  naturally  make,  when  left  to  the  free  exercise  ol  their 
own  powers.  Notwithstanding  my  intention  to  give  my  hearty 
negative  to  the  question  now  before  you,  I  condemn,  my  Lords,  in 
the  severest  manner,  the  turbulent  and  unwarrantable  conduct  of 
of  the  Americans,  in  some  instances,  particularly  in  the  late  riots 
at  Boston,  but,  my  Lords,  the  mode  which  has  been  pursued  to 
bring  them  back  to  a  sense  ol  their  duty  is  so  diametrically  oppo- 
site to  every  principle  of  sound  policy,  as  to  excite  my  utmost 
astonishment.  You  have  involved  the  guilty  and  the  innocent  in 
one  common  punisliment,  and  avenge  the  crime  of  a  few  lawless 
depredators  upon  the  whole  body  of  the  inhabitants.  My  Lords, 
the  different  provinces  of  America,  in  the  excess  of  their  gratitude 
for  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  seemed  to  vie  with  each  otlier  in 
the  expressions  of  loyalty  and  duty;  but  the  moment  they  per- 
ceived that  your  intention  to  tax  them  was  renewed,  under  a  pre- 
tense of  serving  the  East  India  Company,  their  resentment  got  tlie 
ascendant  of  their  moderation  and  hurried  them  into  actions  which 
their  cool  reason  would  abhor.  But,  my  Lords,  from  the  whole 
complexion  of  the  late  proceedings,  I  cannot  but  incline  to  think, 
that  the  administration  has  purposely  irritated  them  into  these 
violent  acts,  in  order  to  gratify  their  own  malice  and  revenge. 
What  else  could  induce  them  to  dress  Taxation,  the  Father  of 
American  Sedition,  in  the  robes  of  an  East  India  Director,  but  to 
break  in  upon  that  mutual  peace  and  harmony  which  then  so  hap- 
pily subsisted  between  the  Colonies  and  the  mother  county.  My 
Lords,  it  has  always  been  my  fixed  and  unalterable  opinion,  and  I 
will  carry  it  with  me  to  the  grave,  that  this  country  had  no  right 
under  heaven  to  tax  America.  It  is  contrary  tO'  all  the  principles 
of  justice  and  civil  policy;  it  is  contrary  to  that  essential,  unalter- 
able right  in  nature,  ingrafted  into  the  British  Constitution  as  a 
fundamental  law,  that  what  a  man  has  honestly  acquired  is  abso- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1786.  185 

lutely  his  own,  which  he  may  freely  give,  but  which  cannot  be 
taken  away  from  him  without  his  consent.  Pass  then,  my  Lords, 
instead  of  these  harsh  and  severe  edicts,  an  amnesty  over  their 
errours;  by  mea.sures  of  lenity  and  affection  allure  them  to  their 
duty;  act  the  pavt  of  a  generous,  forgiving  parent.  A  period  may 
arrive,  when  this  parent  may  stand  in  need  of  every  assistance  she 
can  receive  from  a  grateful  and  affectionate  offspring.  The  welfare 
of  this  country,  my  Lords,  has  ever  been  my  greatest  joy,  and, 
under  all  the  vicissitudes  of  my  life,  ha,s  afforded  me  the  most 
pleasing  consolation.  Should  the  all-disposing  hand  of  Providence 
prevent  me  from  contributing  my  poor  and  feeble  aid  in  the  day 
of  her  distress,  my  prayers  shall  be  ever  for  her  prosperity ;  "Length 
of  days  be  in  her  right  hand,  and  in  her  left  hand  riches  and  honor ! 
May  her  ways  be  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  be  peace !" 

The  Legislature  of  Virginia  was  in  session  when  the  Boston 
Port  Bill  arrived,  and  their  sense  of  it  was  imauediately  expressed 
by  the  following  order :  "This  House,  being  deeply  impressed  with 
apprehension  of  the  great  dangers  to  be  derived  to  British  America 
from  the  hostile  invasion  of  the  city  of  Boston,  in  our  sister  Colony 
of  Massachusetts  Bay,  whose  commerce  and  harbour  are,  on  the 
1st  day  of  June  next,  to  be  stopped  by  an  armed  force,  deem  it 
highly  necessary  that  the  said  1st  day  of  June  next  be  set  apart  l)y 
the  members  of  this  House  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and 
prayer,  devoutly  to  implore  the  divine  interposition  for  averting  the 
heavy  calamity  which  threatens  destruction  to  our  civil  rights  and 
the  evils  of  civil  war;  to  give  us  one  heart  and  one  mind,  firmly  to 
oppose,  by  all  just  and  proper  means,  every  injury  to  American 
rights;  and  that  the  minds  of  his  Majesty  and  Parliament  may  be 
inspired  from  above  with  wisdom,  moderation  and  justice,  to 
remove  from  the  loyal  people  of  America  all  cause  of  danger,  from 
a  continued  pursuit  of  measures  pregnant  with  their  ruin. 

^^Ordered,  therefore.  That  the  members  of  this  House  do  attend 
at  their  places  at  the  hour  of  ten  in  the  forenoon,  on  the  said  1st  day 
of  June  next,  in  order  to  proceed  with  the  Speaker  and  the  Mace,  to 
the  church  in  this  city,  for  the  purposes  aforesaid ;  and  that  the 
reverend  Mr.  Price  be  appointed  to  read  prayers  and  to  preach  a 
sermon  suitable  to  the  occasion." 

Lord  Dunmore,  the  Governor  of  the  Virginia  Colony  at  that 
time,  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  the  information  as  to  the 


186  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

action  taken  by  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  dissolved  tlie 
House.  But  the  patriotic  Virginians  were  not  to  be  thus  deprived 
ol  their  right  to  speak  their  sentiments;  for  on  the  following  day, 
eighty-nine  members  formed  an  association  and  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions : 

"We,  his  Majesty's  most  duiifid  and  loyal  suhjects,  the  late  repre- 
sentatives of  the  good  people  of  this  Colony,  having  been  deprived, 
by  the  sudden  interposition  of  the  executive  part  of  this  government, 
from  giving  our  countrymen  the  advice  we  wished  to  convey  to 
them  in  a  legislative  capacity,  find  ourselves  under  the  hard  neces- 
sity of  adopting  this,  tlie  only  method  we  have  left,  of  pointing  out 
to  our  countrymen,  such  measures  as,  in  our  opinion,  are  best 
fitted  to  secure  our  dear  rights  and  liberty  from  destruction  by  the 
heavy  hand  of  power  now  lifted  against  JSTorth  America.  With 
much  grief  we  find  that  our  dutiful  applications  to  Great  Britain 
for  the  security  of  our  just,  ancient  and  constitutional  rights,  have 
not  only  been  disregarded,  but  that  a  determined  system  is  formed 
and  pursued  for  reducing  the  inhabitants  of  British  America  to 
slavery,  by  subjecting  them  to  the  payment  of  taxes  imposed  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  people  or  their  representatives;  and  that, 
in  pursuit  of  this  system,  we  find  an  Act  of  the  British  Parliament, 
lately  passed,  for  stopping  the  harbour  and  the  commerce  of  the 
town  of  Boston,  in  our  sister  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  until 
the  people  there  submit  to  the  payment  of  such  unconstitutional 
taxes;  and  which  Act  most  violently  and  arbitrarily  deprives  them 
of  their  property,  in  Avharves  "erected  by  private  persons,  at  their 
own  great  and  proper  expense,  which  Act  is,  in  our  opinion,  a  most 
dangerous  attempt  to  destroy  the  constitutional  liberty  and  rights 
of  all  North  America.  It  is  further  our  opinion,  that  as  tea,  on  its 
importation  to  America,  is  charged  with  a  duty  imposed  by  Par- 
liament for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  revenue  without  the  consent 
oi  the  people,  it  ought  not  to  be  used  by  any  person  who  wishes  well 
to  the  constitutional  rights  and  liberties  of  British  America.  And 
whereas,  the  India  Company  have  ungenerously  attempted  to  ruin 
America,  by  sending  many  ships  loaded  with  tea  into  the  Colonies, 
thereby  intending  to  fix  a  pi-ecedent  in  favour  of  arbitrary  taxation, 
we  deem  it  highly  proper,  and  do  accordingly  recommend  it  strongly 
to  our  countrymen,  not  to  purchase  or  use  any  kind  of  East  India 
commodity  whatsoever,  except  salt-petre  and  spices,  until  the  griev- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786.  187 

ances  of  America  are  redressed.  We  are  further  clearly  of  opinion, 
that  an  attack  made  upon  one  of  onr  sister  Colonies,  tO'  compel 
submission  to  arbitrary  taxes,  is  an  attack  mad©  on  all  British 
America,  and  threatents  ruin  to  the  rights  of  all,  unless  the  united 
wisdom  of  the  whole  he  applied.  And  for  this  purpose  it  is  recom- 
mended to  the  coanmittee  of  correspondence,  that  they  communi- 
cate with  their  several  corresponding  committees,  on  the  expedi- 
ency of  appointing  deputies  from  the  several  Colonies  of  British 
America,  to  meet  in  General  Congress,  at  such  a  place  annually  as 
shall  be  thought  most  convenient;  there  to  deliberate  on  those  gen- 
eral measures  which  the  united  interest  of  America  may,  from  time 
to  timCy-  require. 

"A  tender  regard  for  the  interest  of  our  fellow-subjects,  the 
merchants  and  manufacturers  of  Great  Britain,  prevents  us  from 
going  further  at  this  time ;  most  earnestly  hoping  that  the  un- 
constitutional principle  of  taxing  the  Colonies  without  their  con- 
sent will  not  be  persisted  in,  thereby  to  compel  us  against  our  will, 
to  avoid  all  commercial  intercourse  with  Great  Britain.  Wishing 
them  and  our  people  free  and  happy,  we  are  their  affectionate 
friends,  the  late  representatives  of  Virginia." 

This  association  was  formed  on  the  27th  day  of  May,  1774,  and 
Stephen  Trigg  and  William  Christian,  the  representatives  O'f  Fin- 
castle  county,  in  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  were  members 
of  this  association. 

Virginia  had  not  suffered  from  the  acts  of  the  British.  Parlia- 
ment as  had  the  colonies  of  New  York,  Massachusetts,  and  Rhode 
Island,  but  her  statesmen  of  those  days  were  actuated  by  princi- 
ples that  they  loved  and  cherished,  and,  with  a  political  wisdom 
which  should  be  the  admiration  of  all  the  citizens  of  Virginia, 
they  were  always  ready  and  willing  to  resist  any  encroachment 
upon  those  principles,  whether  the  encroachments  were  made  in 
their  own  home  or  in  the  sister  colonies. 

The  1st  day  of  June,  1774,  was  observed  in  most  of  the  colo- 
nies as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  in  Virginia  all  business 
was  suspended,  and  the  citizens  bore  a  dejected  aspect,  but  were 
contemplating  a  brighter  day,  when  their  sorrow  would  be  turned 
to  joy. 

On  the  17th  day  of  June,  1774,  the  Legislature  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Colony  adopted  a  resolution  calling  a  Congress  of  the  rep- 


188  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

resentatives  of  the  colonies  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  day  of 
September,  1774.  The  royal  Governor  of  Massachusetts  imme- 
diately dissolved  the  Legislature  as  a  punishment. 

In  Virginia  the  representatives  of  the  several  counties  met  at 
Williamsburg  on  August  1,  1774,  and  adopted  the  following  reso- 
lutions, which  fitly  expressed  the  sentiments  of  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia : 

"The  unhappy  disputes  between  Great  Britain  and  her  Ameri- 
can colonies,  which  began  about  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  his 
present  Majesty  and  since  continually  increasing,  have  proceeded 
to  lengths  so  dangerous  and  alarming  as  to  excite  just  apprehen- 
sions in  the  minds  of  his  Majesty's  faithful  subjects  of  the  Colony 
that  they  are  in  danger  of  being  deprived  of  their  natural,  an- 
cient constitutional  and  chartered  rights,  and  have  cjompelled 
them  to  take  the  same  into  their  most  serious  consideration;  and 
being  deprived  of  their  usual  and  accustomed  mode  of  making 
known  their  grievances,  have  appointed  us,  their  represen- 
tatives, to  consider  what  is  proper  to  be  done  in  this  dangerous 
crisis  of  American  affairs.  It  being  our  opinion,  that  the  united 
wisdom  of  North  America  should  be  collected  in  a  general  Con- 
gress of  all  the  Colonies,  we  have  appointed  the  following  gen- 
tlemen as  deputies  to  represent  this  Colony  in  the  said  Congress, 
to  be  held  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  first  Monday  in  September 
next,  viz.,  Peyton  Eandolph,  Eichard  Henry  Lee,  George  Wash- 
ington, Patrick  Henry,  Eichard  Bland,  Benjamin  Harrison  and 
Edmund  Pendleton. — and  that  they  may  be  the  better  informed 
of  our  sentiments  touching  the  conduct  we  wish  them  to  observe 
on  this  important  occasion,  we  desire  that  they  Avill  express,  in  the 
first  place,  our  faith  and  our  allegiance  to  his  Majesty  King  George 
the  third,  our  lawful  and  rightful  sovereign;  and  that  we  are  de- 
termined, with  our  lives  and  fortunes,  to  support  him  in  the  le- 
gal exercise  of  all  his  just  rights  and  prerogatives.  And,  however, 
misrepresented,  we  sincerely  approve  of  a  constitutional  connexion 
with  Great  Britain,  and  wish  most  ardently  a  return  of  that  inter- 
course O'f  affection  and  commercial  connexion  that  formerly  united 
both  countries;  which  can  only  be  effected  by  a  removal  of  those 
causes  of  discontent  which  have  of  late  unhappily  divided  us. 

"It  cannot  admit  of  a  doubt  that  British  subjects  in  America 
are  entitled  to  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as  their  fellow  sub- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  189 

jects  possess  in  Britain,  and  therefore  tliat  the  power  as- 
sumed by  the  British  Parliament  to  bind  America  by  their  statutes, 
in  all  cases  whatsoever,  is  unconstitutional  and  the  source  of  these 
unhappy  differences. 

"The  end  of  government  would  be  defeated  by  the  British  Par- 
liament exercising  a  power  over  the  lives,  the  property  and  the 
liberty  of  American  subjects,  who  are  not  and,  from  their  local 
circumstances,  cannot  be,  there  represented.  Of  this  nature  we 
consider  the  several  Acts  of  Parliament  for  raising  a  revenue  in 
America,  for  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  Admiralty, 
for  seizing  American  subjects  and  transporting  them  to  Britain 
to  be  tried  for  crimes  committed  in  America,  and  the  several  late 
oppressive  Acts  respecting  the  town  of  Boston  and  Province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay. 

"The  original  constitution  of  the  American  Colonies  possessing 
their  assemblies  with  the  sole  right  of  directing  their  internal 
policy,  it  is  absolutely  destructive  to  the  end  of  their  institution 
that  their  legislatures  should  be  suspended,  or  prevented  by  hasty 
dissolutions,  from  exercising  their  legislative  powers. 

"Wanting  the  protection  of  Britain,  we  have  long  acquiesced  in 
their  Acts  of  navigation,  restrictive  of  our  commerce,  which  we 
consider  as  an  ample  recompense  for  such  protection,  but  as  those 
Acts  derive  their  efficacy  from  that  foundation  alone,  we  have 
reason  to  expect  they  will  be  restrained,  so  as  to  produce  the  rea- 
sonable purposes  of  Britain  and  not  be  injurious  to  us. 

"To  obtain  redress  of  these  grievances,  without  which  the  peo- 
ple of  America  can  neither  be  safe,  free,  nor  happy,  they  are  will- 
ing to  undergo  the  great  inconvenience  that  will  be  derived  to  them 
from  stopping  all  imports  whatsoever  from  Great  Britain  after 
the  first  day  of  November  next,  and  also  to  cease  exporting 
any  commodity  whatsoever  to  the  same  place,  after  the  10th  day 
of  August,  1775.  The  earnest  desire  we  have  to  make  as  quick  and 
full  payment  as  possible  of  our  debts  to  Great  Britain,  and  to  avoid 
the  heavy  injury  that  would  arise  tO'  this  country  from  an  earlier 
adoption  of  the  non-importation  plan,  after  the  people  have  al- 
ready applied  so  much  of  their  labor  to  the  perfecting  of  the  pres- 
ent crop,  by  which  means  they  have  been  prevented  from  pursuing 
other  methods  of  clothing  and  supporting  their  families,  has  ren- 
dered it  necessary  to  restrain  you  in  this  article  of  non-exporta- 


190  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

tion ;  but  it  is  our  desire  that  you  cordially  co-operate  with  our 
sister  Colonies  in  general  Congress,  in  such  other  just  and  proper 
methods,  as  they,  or  the  majority,  shall  deem  necessary  for  the 
accomplishment  of  these  valuable  ends.  *■ 

"The  proclamation  issued  by  General  Gage,  in  tlie  government  of 
the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  declaring  it  treason  for  the 
inhabitants  of  that  Province  to  assemble  themselves  to  consider  O'f 
their  grievances  and  to  form  associations  for  their  common  conduct 
on  the  occasion,  and  requiring  the  civil  magistrates  and  officers  to 
apprehend  all  such  persons  to  be  tried  for  their  supposed  offences, 
is  the  most  alarming  process  that  ever  appeared  in  a  British  Gov- 
ernment; the  said  General  Gage  has  thereby  assumed  and  taken 
upon  himself  powers  denied  by  the  constitution  to  our  legal  Sover- 
eign. He  not  having  condescended  to  disclose  by  what  authority 
he  exercises  such  extensive  and  unlieard  of  powers,  we  are  at  a 
loss  to  determine  whether  he  intends  to  justify  himself  as  the  rep- 
representative  of  the  King,  or  as  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  his 
Majesty's  forces  in  America.  If  he  considers  himself  as  acting 
in  the  character  of  his  Majesty's  representative,  we  would  remind 
him  that  the  statute  20th,  Edward  III.,  has  expressed  and  defined 
all  treasonable  O'ffences,  and  that  the  Legislature  of  Great  Britain 
hath  declared  that  no  offence  shall  be  construed  to  be  treason  but 
such  as  is  pointed  out  by  that  statute;  and  that  this  was  done  to 
taike  out  of  the  hands  of  tyrannical  Kings,  and  of  weak  and  wicked 
Ministers,  that  deadly  weapon  which  constructive  treason  had 
furnished  them  with,  and  which  had  drawn  the  blood  of  the  best 
and  honestest  men  in  the  kingdom,  and  that  the  King  of  Great 
Britain  hath  no  right  by  his  proclamation  to  subject  his  people  to 
imprisonment,  pains,  and  penalties. 

"Tliat  if  the  said  General  Gage  conceives  he  is  empowered  to 
act  in  this  manner,  as  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  his  Majesty's 
forces  in  America,  this  odioais  and  illegal  proclamation  must  be 
considered  as  a  plain  and  full  declaration  that  this  despotick  Vice- 
roy will  be  bound  by  no  law,  nor  regard  the  constitutional  rights 
of  his  Majesty's  subjects,  wherever  they  interfere  with  the  plans 
he  has  formed  for  oppressing  the  good  people  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bay;  and  therefore  that  the  executing,  or  attempting  to  execute 
such  proclamation,  will  justify  resistance  and  reprisal." 

All  of  the  American  colonies,  with  the  exception  of  Georgia, 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  191 

joined  iu  the  common  cause  and  sent  delegates  to  the  Philadel- 
phia Congress. 

The  second  Continental  Congress  of  the  American  colonies  as- 
sembled in  Philadelphia  on  September  5,  1774,  fifty-two  dele- 
gates from  twelve  colonies  present.  This  Congress  was  organized 
by  the  election  of  the  following  officers : 

President,  Peyton  Eandolph,  of  Virginia. 

Secretary,  Charles  Thompson,  of  Pennsylvania. 

Patrick  Henry,  of  Virginia,  was  the  first  member  of  this  Con- 
gress to  address  the  chair  upon  the  issues  which  had  brought  them 
together.  This  Congress  of  able  men  and  noble  patriots  occupied 
more  than  a  month's  time  in  serious  deliberation  before  anything 
of  importance  was  done.  On  the  8th  of  October,  1774  (two  days 
before  the  battle  at  Point  Pleasant)  they  adopted  the  following 
resolutions : 

"Resolved,  That  this  Congress  do  approve  of  the  opposition 
MADE  BY  THE  inhabitants  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  to  the  exe- 
cution of  the  late  Acts  of  Parliament;  and  if  the  same  shall  be  at- 
tempted to  be  carried  into  execution  by  force,  in  such  case  all 
America  ought  to  support  them  in  their  opposition. 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  body,  that  the  removal 
of  the  people  of  Boston  into  the  country  would  be  not  only  ex- 
tremely difficult  in  the  execution,  but  so  important  in  its  conse- 
quences as  to  require  the  utmost  deliberation  before  it  is  adopted. 
But  in  case  the  provincial  meeting  of  that  Colony  shall  judge  it 
absolutely  necessary,  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Congress,  that  all 
America  ought  to  contribute  towards  recompensing  them  for  the 
injury  they  may  thereby  sustain,  and  it  will  be  recommended  ac- 
cordingly. 

"Resolved,  That  this  Congress  do  recommend  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  to  submit  to  a  suspension  of 
the  administration  of  justice,  when  it  cannot  be  procured  in  a  le- 
gal and  peaceable  manner,  under  the  rules  of  the  Charter  and  the 
laws  founded  thereon,  until  the  effects  of  onr  application  for  a  re- 
peal of  the  Acts,  by  which  their  Charter  rights  are  infringed,  are 
known. 

"Resolved,  unanimously.  That  every  person  or  persons  whoso- 
ever, who  shall  take,  accept,  or  act  under  any  commission  or  au- 
thority in  any  wise  derived  from  the  Act  passed  in  the  late  ses- 


192  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

sion  of  Parliament,  changing  the  form  of  Government  and  vio- 
lating the  charter  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  ought  to 
be  held  in  detestation  and  abhorrence  by  all  good  men  and  con- 
sidered as  the  wicked  tools  of  that  despotism  which  is  preparing  to 
destroy  tliose  rights  which  God,  nature  and  compact  have  given 
to  America." 

On  the  14th,  Congress  agreed  upon  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions : 

"Whereas,  since  the  close .  of  the  last  war,  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, claiming  a  power  of  right  to  bind  the  people  of  America  by 
statute,  in  all  cases  whatsoever,  hath  in  some  Acts  expressly  im- 
posed taxes  on  them,  and  on  other  various  pretences,  but  in  fact  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  a  revenue,  hath  imposed  rates  and  duties 
payable  in  these  Colonies,  established  a  board  of  commissioners 
with  unconstitutional  powers  and  extended  the  jurisdiction  of 
Courts  of  Admiralty,  not  only  for  collecting  the  said  duties,  but 
for  the  trial  of  causes  merely  arising  within  the  body  of  a  county. 
And  whereas,  in  consequence  of  other  statutes,  judges,  who  before 
held  only  estates  at  will  in  their  offices,  have  been  made  dependent 
on  the  CroAvn  alone  for  their  salaries,  and  standing  armies  kept  in 
time  of  peace.  And  it  has  lately  been  resolved  in  Parliament,  that 
by  force  of  a  statute  made  in  the  35th  Henry  VIII,  colonists  may 
be  transported  to  England  and  tried  there  upon  accusations  for 
treasons  and  misprisions,  or  concealment  of  treasons,  committed  in 
the  Colonies;  and,  by  a  late  statute,  such  trials  have  been  directed 
in  cases  therein  mentioned. 

"And  whereas,  in  the  late  session  of  Parliament,  three  statutes 
were  made,  one  entitled  'an  Act  to  discontinue  in  siich  manner 
and  for  such  time  as  are  therein  mentioned,  the  landing  and  dis- 
charging, lading  or  shipping  of  goods,  wares  and  merchandise,  at 
the  town  and  within  the  harbour  of  Boston,  in  the  Province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  in  North  America,'  another  entitled  'an  Act 
for  the  better  regulating  the  government  of  the  Province  of  Massa- 
chiisetts  Bay,  in  New  England,'  and  another  entitled  'an  Act  for 
the  impartial  administration  of  justice,  in  the  cases  of  persons 
questioned  for  any  act  done  by  them  in  the  execution  of  the  law, 
or  for  the  suppression  of  riots  and  tumults,  in  the  Province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  in  New  England,'  and  another  statute  was 
then  made  'for  making  more  effectual  provision  for  the  govern- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  193 

ment  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  &c./  all  of  which  statutes  are 
impolitick,  unjust  and  cruel  as  well  as  unconstitutional,  and  miost 
dangerous  and  destructive  of  American  rights. 

"And  whereas,  Assemblies  have  been  frequently  dissolved,  con- 
trary to  the  rights  of  the  people,  when  they  attempted  to  deliberate 
on  grievances,  and  their  dutiful,  humble,  loyal,  and  reasonable  pe- 
titions to  tlie  cro'wn  for  redress  have  been  repeatedly  treated  with 
contempt  by  his  Majesty's  Ministers  of  State. 

"The  good  people  of  the  several  colonies  of  New  Hampshire, 
Massachusetts  Bay,  Ehode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations, 
Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  New  Castle, 
Kent  and  Sussex  on  Delaware,  Maryland  and  Virginia,  North 
Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  justly  alarmed  at  these  arbitrary 
proceedings  of  Parliament  and  the  Administration,  have  severally 
elected,  constituted  and  ajjpointed  deputies,  to  meet  and  sit  in 
general  Congress  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  in  order  to  obtain 
such  establishment  as  tliat  their  religion,  laws  and  liberties  may 
not  be  subverted :  Whereupon,  the  deputies  so  appointed  being  now 
assembled  in  a  full  and  free  representation  of  these  Colonies,  tak- 
ing into  their  most  serious  consideration  the  best  means  of  attain- 
ing the  ends  aforesaid,  do  in  the  first  place,  as  Englishmen,  their 
ancestors,  in  like  cases  have  usually  done,  for  asserting  and  vindi- 
cating their  rights  and  liberties,  DECLARE ; 

"That  the  inhabitants  of  the  English  Colonies  in  North  America, 
by  the  immutable  laws  of  nature,  the  principles  of  the  English 
Constitution  and  the  several  charters  of  compacts,  have  the  follow- 
ing RIGHTS. 

"Resolved,  nemine  contradicenie,  1st.  That  they  are  entitled  to 
life,  liberty  and  property;  and  they  have  never  ceded  to  any 
foreign  power  whatever,  a  right  to  dispose  of  either  without  their 
consent. 

"Resolved,  71.  c.  3nd.  That  our  ancestors,  who  first  settled  these 
Colonies,  were  at  the  time  of  their  emigration  from  the  mother 
country,  entitled  to  all  the  rights,  liberties  and  immunities  of  free 
and  natural  born  subjects  within  the  realms  of  England. 

"Resolved,  n.  c.  3rd.  That  by  such  emigration  they  by  no  means 

forfeited,  surrendered,  or  lost  any  of  those  rights,  but  that  they 

.were,  and  their  descendants  now  are,  entitled  to  tlie  exercise  and 


194  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

enjoyment  of  all  sncli  of  them,  as  their  local  and  other  circum- 
stances enable  them  to  exercise  and  enjoy. 

"Resolved,  n.  c.  4.  That  the  foundation  of  English  liberty  and 
all  free  government  is  a  right  in  the  people  to  participate  in  their 
legislative  coimcil ;  and  as  the  '  English  Colonists  are  not  repre- 
sented, and  from  their  local  and  other  circumstances  cannot  pro- 
]ierly  be  represented  in  the  British  Parliament,  they  are  entitled 
to  a  free  and  exclusive  power  of  legislation  in  their  several  Pro- 
vincial Ijegislatures,  where  their  right  of  representation  alone  can 
be  pr(>served,  in  all  cases  of  taxation  and  internal  policy,  subject 
only  to  the  negative  of  their  Sovereign,  in  such  manner  as  has 
heretofore  been  accustomed ;  but  from  the  necessity  of  the  case 
and  a  regard  to  the  mutual  interests  of  both  countries,  we  cheer- 
fully consent  to  the  operation  of  such  acts  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment as  are  bona  fide,  restrained  to  the  regulation  of  our  external 
commerce,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  commercial  advantages 
of  the  whole  empire  to  the  mother  country,  and  the  commercial 
])enefits  of  its  respective  members,  excluding  every  idea  of  taxation, 
internal  or  external,  for  raising  a  revenue  on  the  subjects  in 
America,  without  their  consent. 

"Eesolved,  n.  c.  5.  That  the  respective  Colonies  are  entitled  to 
the  common  law  of  England,  and  more  especially  to  the  great  and 
inestimable  privilege  of  being  tried  by  their  peers  of  the  vicinage 
according  to  the  course  ol  that  law. 

"Resolved,  n.  c.  6.  That  they  are  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  such 
of  the  English  statutes  as  existed  at  the  time  of  their  colonization, 
and  which  they  have,  by  experience,  respectively  found  to  be  appli- 
cable to  their  several  local  and  other  circumstances. 

"Resolved,  n.  r.  7.  That  these,  his  Majesty's  Colonies,  are  like- 
wise entitled  to  all  tlie  immunities  and  privileges  granted  and  con- 
firmed to  them  by  royal  charters,  or  secured  by  their  several  codes 
of  Provincial  laws. 

"Resolved,  7i.  c.  8.  That  they  have  a  right  peacably  to  assemble, 
consider  of  their  grievances,  and  petition  the  King;  and  that  all 
prosecutions,  prohibitory  proclamations,  and  commitments  for  the 
same  are  illegal. 

"Resolved,  n.  c.  9.  That  the  keeping  a  standing  army  in  any 
of  these  Colonies  in  times  of  peace,  without  the  consent  of  the 


Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-17S0.  195 

Tjegislaturo  of  that  Colony  in  which  snch  army  is  kept,  is  against 
tlie  law. 

"Eesolved,  n.  c.  10.  It  is  indispensahly  necessary  to  good  gov- 
ernment, and  rendered  essential  l)y  the  English  constitution,  that 
the  constituent  branches  of  the  Tjegislature  be  independent  of  each 
other;  that,  therefore,  the  exercise  of  legislative  power  in  several 
Colonies  by  a  Council  a})pointed,  during  pleasure,  by  the  Crown 
is  unconstitutional,  dangerous  and  destructive  of  the  freedom  of 
American  legislation. 

All  and  each  of  which  the  aforesaid  deputies  in  behalf  of  them- 
selves and  their  constituents  do  claim,  demand,  and  insist  upon, 
as  their  indubitable  rights  and  liberties;  which  cannot  be  legally 
taken  from  them,  altered  or  abridged  by  any  power  whatsoever, 
without  their  own  consent,  by  their  representatives  in  their  several 
Provincial  Legislatures." 

And  upon  the  30th  day  of  October,  ITT-i,  they  agreed  upon  the  fol- 
lowing articles  of  association,  to  which  each  member  present  sub- 
scribed his  name. 

"First,  That  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  December  next, 
we  will  not  import  into  British  America  from  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  any  goods,  wares,  or  merchandize  whatsoever,  or  from  any 
other  place,  any  such  goods,  wares  or  marchandise,  as  shall  have 
been  exported  from  Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  nor  will  we,  after  that 
day  import  any  East  India  tea  from  any  part  of  the  world;  nor  any 
molasses,  syrups,  paneles,  coffee  or  pimento,  from  the  British 
plantations,  or  from  Dominica ;  nor  wines  from  Madeira,  or  the 
Western  Islands ;  nor  foreign  indigo. 

"Second,  That  we  will  neither  import,  nor  purchase  any  slave 
imported  after  the  first  day  of  Deceml)er  next;  after  which  time 
we  will  wholly  discontinue  the  slave  trade,  and  will  neither  be  con- 
cerned in  it  ourselves  nor  will  we  hire  our  vessels,  nor  sell  our  com- 
modities or  manufactures  to  those  who  are  concerned  in  it. 

"Third,  As  a  non-consum])tion  agreement  strictly  adhered  to 
will  1)0  an  effectual  security  for  the  observation  of  non-importa- 
tion, we,  as  above,  solemnly  agree  and  associate,  that,  from  this 
day,  we  will  not  purchase  or  use  any  tea  imported  on  account  of 
the  East  India  Company,  or  any  on  which  a  duty  hath  been  or 
sliall  he  paid,  and  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  March  next,  we 
will  not  purchase  or  use  any  East  India  tea  whatever,  nor  will  we. 


19G  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

nor  shall  any  person  for  or  imdor  us,  purchase  or  use,  any  of  those 
goods,  wares  or  merchandize  we  have  agreed  not  to  import,  which 
we  shall  know  or  have  cause  to  suspect,  were  imported  after  the 
first  day  of  December,  except  such  as  come  under  the  rules  and 
directions  of  the  tenth  article  hereinafter  mentioned. 

"Fourth,  The  earnest  desire  we  have  not  to  injure  our  fellow- 
subjects  in  Great  Britain,  Ireland  or  the  West  Indies,  induces  us 
to  suspend  non-exportation,  until  the  tenth  day  of  September 
1775,  at  which  time,  if  the  said  Acts  and  parts  of  Acts  of  the 
British  Parliament,  hereinafter  mentioned,  are  not  repealed,  we 
will  not,  directly  or  indirectly,  export  any  merchandize  or  com- 
modity whatsoever,  to  Great  Britain,  Ireland  or  the  West  Indies, 
except  via  Europe. 

"Fifth,  Such  as  are  merchants  and  use  the  British  and  Irish 
trade,  will  give  orders,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  their  factors,  agents 
and  correspondents  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  not  to  ship  any 
goods  to  them,  on  any  pretence  whatever,  as  they  cannot  be  received 
in  America;  and  if  any  merchant  residing  in  Great  Britain  or 
Ireland  shall,  directly  or  indirectly,  ship  any  goods,  wares  or  mer- 
chandize, for  America,  in  order  to  break  the  said  non-importation 
agreement,  or  in  any  manner  contravene  the  same,  on  such 
unworthy  conduct  being  well  attested,  it  ought  to  be  made  publick ; 
a7id  on  the  same  being  so  done,  we  will  not  from  thenceforth  have 
any  commercial  connexion  with  such  merchant. 

"Sixth,  That  such  as  are  owners  of  vessels  will  give  positive 
orders  to  their  captains,  or  masters,  not  to  receive  on  board  their 
vessels  any  goods  prohibited  by  the  said  non-importation  agree- 
ment, on  pain  of  immediate  dismission  from  their  service. 

"Seventh,  We  will  use  our  utmost  endeavors  to  improve  the 
breed  of  sheep  and  increase  their  number  to  the  greatest  extent; 
and  to  that  end  we  will  kill  them  as  sparingly  as  may  be,  especially 
those  of  the  most  profitable  kind;  nor  will  we  export  any  to  the 
West  Indies  or  elsewhere ;  and  those  of  us  who  are  or  may  become 
overstocked  with,  or  can  conveniently  spare  any  sheep,  will  dispose 
of  them  to  our  neighbors,  especially  to  the  poorer  sort,  on  moderate 
terms. 

"Eighth,  That  we  will  in  our  several  stations  encourage  fru- 
gality, economy  and  industry,  and  promote  agriculture,  arts  and 
the  manufactures  of  this  country,  especially  that  of  wool,  and  will 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  197 

discountenance  and  discourage  every  species  of  extravagance  and 
dissipation,  especially  all  horse-racing,  and  all  kinds  of  gaming, 
cock-fighting,  exhibitions  of  shows,  plays  and  other  expensive  diver- 
sions and  entertainments.  iVnd  on  the  death  of  any  relation  oi 
friend,  none  of  us,  or  any  of  our  families,  will  go  into  any 
further  mourning  dress  than  a  black  crape  or  ribbon  on  the  arm 
or  hat  for  the  gentleman,  and  a  black  ribbon  or  necklace  for  the 
ladies,  and  we  will  discontinue  the  giving  of  gloves  and  scarfs  at 
funerals. 

"Ninth,  That  such  as  are  vendors  of  goods  or  merchandize  will 
not  take  advantage  of  the  scarcity  of  goods  that  may  be  occasioned 
by  this  association,  but  will  sell  the  same  at  the  rates  we  have 
been  respectively  accustomed  to  do,  for  twelve  months  last  past. 
And  if  any  vendor  of  goods  or  merchandize  shall  sell  such  goods 
on  higher  terms,  or  shall  in  any  manner,  or  by  any  device  what- 
soever, violate  or  depart  from  this  agreement,  no  person  ought,  nor 
will  any  of  us  deal  with  any  such  person,  or  his,  or  her  factor  or 
agent  at  any  time  thereafter  for  any  commodity  whatever. 

"Tenth,  In  case  any  merchant,  trader,  or  other  persons  shall 
import  any  goods  or  merchandize,  after  the  first  day  of  December, 
and  before  the  first  day  of  February  next,  the  same  ought,  forth- 
with, at  the  election  of  the  owner,  to  be  either  reshipped  or  deliv- 
ered up  to  the  committee  of  the  county  or  town  wherein  they  shall 
be  imported,  to  be  stored  at  the  risk  of  the  importer,  until  the  non- 
importation agreement  shall  cease,  or  be  sold  under  direction  of 
the  committee  aforesaid  ;  and  in  the  last  mentioned  case,  the  owner 
or  owners  of  such  goods  shall  be  reimbursed  out  of  the  sales  the 
first  cost  and  charges,  the  profit,  if  any,  to  be  applied  towards  the 
relieving  and  employing  such  poor  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Boston  as  are  immediately  sufferers  by  the  Boston  Port  Bill;  and 
a  particular  account  of  all  goods  so  returned,  stored,  or  sold,  to  be 
inserted  in  the  publick  papers;  and  if  any  goods  or  merchandizes 
shall  be  imported  after  the  said  fi.rst  day  of  February,  the  same  ought 
forthwith,  to  be  sent  back  again,  without  breaking  any  of  the 
packages  thereof. 

"Eleventh,  That  a  committee  be  chosen  in  every  county,  city, 
and  town,  by  those  who  are  qualified  to  vote  for  representatives  in 
Legislature,  whose  business  it  shall  be,  attentively  to  observe  the 
conduct  of  all  persons  touching  the  association;  and  when  it  shall 


198  Southtvest  Virginia.  17J,(]-17S(i. 

1)1*  made  to  aj)})C'ai"  to  the  satisfaction  of  a  majority  of  such  com- 
mittee, that  any  person  within  the  limits  of  their  appointment 
has  violated  this  association,  tliat  such  majority  do  fortlnvitli  cause 
tl)e  truth  of  the  case  to  he  ])uhlishe(!  in  the  (iazette,  to  the  end  that 
all  such  t'ocs  to  the  rights  of  British  Auiei'ica  may  he  ])ul)licklv 
known  and  universally  contemned  as  the  enemies  of  Amei-ican 
liherty;  and  thenceforth  we  will  res])ectively  hreak  olf  all  dealings 
with  him  or  her. 

"Twelfth,  That  the  Committee  of  Correspondenci'  in  the  i'esj)ec- 
tive  Colonies  do  frequently  inspect  the  entries  of  their  custom 
houses,  and  inform  each  other  from  time  to  time,  of  the  true  state 
thereof,  and  of  every  other  material  circumstance  that  may  occur 
relative  to  this  association. 

"Thirteenth,  That  all  manufactures  of  this  country  he  sold  at 
reasonable  prices,  so  that  no  undue  advantages  W  taken  of  a  future 
scarcity  of  goods. 

"Fourteenth,  And  we  do'  further  agree  and  resolve,  that  we  will 
have  no  trade,  commerce,  dealings  or  intercourse  whateM'i-  with 
any  Colony  or  Province  in  North  America,  which  shall  not  accede 
to,  or  which  shall  hereafter  violate  this  association,  hut  will  hold 
them  as  unworthy  of  the  rights  of  freemen  and  as  inimical  to  the 
liberties  of  their  country. 

"And  we  do  solemnly  bind  ourselves  and  our  constituents,  under 
the  ties  aforesaid,  to  adhere  to  this  association  until  such  parts 
of  the  several  Acts  of  Parliament  passed  since  the  close  of  the  last 
war  as  imposed  or  continue  diities  on  tea,  wine,  molasses,  syrups, 
paneles,  coffee,  sugar,  pimento,  indigo,  foreign  ]")aper.  glass  and 
painters'  colors  imported  into  America,  and  extend  the  powers 
of  the  Admiraltv  courts  beyond  their  ancient  limits,  deprive  the 
American  subjects  of  trial  by  jury,  authorize  the  judge's  C(>rtificate 
to  indemnify  the  prosecutor  fi-om  damages,  that  he  might  other- 
wise be  liable  to,  from  a  trial  by  his  peers,  require  oppressive  secu- 
rity from  a  claimant  of  ships  or  goods  seized  before  he  shall  be 
allowed  to  defend  his  property,  are  repealed.  And  until  that  part 
of  the  Act  of  the  13  Geo.  3,  ch.  24.  entitled  'an  Act  for  the  better 
securing  his  Majesty's  dock-yards,  magazines,  ships,  ammunition 
and  stores,'  by  which  any  persons  charged  with  committing  any 
of  tlie  offences  therein  described,  in  America,  may  be  tried  in  any 
shire  or  county  within  the  realm,  is  repealed — and  until  the  four 


Southwest  Virginia,  171,6-1786.  199 

Acts  2:)assed  in  the  last,  session  of  Parliament,  viz.,  that  for  stopping 
tlie  i)ort  and  blocking  np  the  harbonr  of  Boston — that  for  alter- 
ing the  Charter  and  Government  of  the  Massachnsetts  Bay — and 
that  which  is  entitled,  ''An  Act  for  the  better  administration  of 
justice,  &c." — and  that  for  "extending  the  limits  of  Quebec,  &c.," 
ai'e  rejx^aled.  And  we  recommend  it  to  the  Provincial  Conven- 
tions, and  to  the  committee  in  tlie  respective  Colonies,  to  establish 
such  furtlier  regulations  as  they  may  think  proper,  for  carrying  into 
execution  this  association." 

After  the  adoption  of  the  foregoing  resolutions  and  articles  of 
association,  the  Congress  drew  up  a  petition  to  the  king,  a  memo- 
rial tO'  tlie  people  of  England  and  an  address  to  the  people  of  the 
C^olonies,  and  another  to  the  French  Colonists  of  Quebec,  Georgia 
and  Nova  Scotia.  Tliis  Congress  adjourned  on  the  26th  day  of 
October,  1774,  after  having  decided  to  hold  another  Congress  at  the 
same  place  on  the  lOth  day  of  May,  1775,  if  their  present  grievances 
continued.  The  proceedings  of  this  Congress  have  enlisted  the 
admiration  of  the  world  for  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years,  and  the  work  of  the  fifty-two  men  composing  this  Con- 
gress will  live  while  a  Eepul)lican  form  of  Government  and  free 
institutions   exist. 

After  the  adjournment  of  this  Congress,  the  Colonies  were  in 
that  condition  which  precedes  the  coming  of  a  storm,.  The  people 
were  willing  to  foi-give  and  forget,  provided  their  petitions  were 
listened  to  and  their  wrongs  corrected ;  otherwise  they  were  ready 
to  give  their  lives  and  property  in  defence  of  their  liberty. 

It  was  now  time  for  the  English  statesmen  to  recognize,  in  the 
resistance  of  the  Colonies,  that  spirit  of  freedom  which  has  ever 
marked  the  actions  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  British  Parliament  on  the  30th  day  of 
January,  1775,  Lord  Dartmouth,  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colo- 
nies, laid  before  the  House  of  Peers  all  the  papers  relative  to  the 
American  Colonies.  As  soon  as  all  papers  were  read,  William  Pitt, 
the  undying  friend  ot  the  American  Colonies,  arose  and  moved  that 
an  address  be  presented  to  the  King,  requesting  him  to  direct  Gen- 
eral Gage  to  move  his  Majesty's  forces  from  the  town  of  Boston. 
He  said  :  "America  could  not  be  reconciled,  she  ought  not  to  be 
reconciled  to  this  country,  till  the  troops  of  Britain  are  removed 
from  the  Continent.     Besistance  to  your  acts  was  necessary,  and 


200  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

therefore  ju^t;  and  your  vain  declarations  of  the  omnipotence  of 
Parliament,  and  your  imperious  doctrines  of  the  necessity  of  sub- 
mission, will  be  equally  impotent  to  convince  or  enslave  America. 
You  may,  no  doubt,  destroy  their  cities,  you  may  cut  them  off 
from  the  superfluities,  perhaps  the  conveniences,  of  life;  but 
my  Lords,  they  will  still  despise  your  power,  for  they  have  yet 
I'emaining  their  woods  and  their  liberty.  He  said  that  the  spirit 
which  now  animates  America  was  the  same  that  led  to  the  revolu- 
tion in  England,  and  that  the  friends  of  liberty  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic  had  but  one  common  cause.  "In  this  great  cause," 
he  continued,  "they  are  immovably  allied;  it  is  the  alliance  of 
God  and  Nature,  immutable,  eternal,  fixed  as  the  firmament  of 
heaven."  His  Lordship  admitted  the  right  of  Parliament  to  con- 
trol the  complicated  machinery  of  commerce  and  navigation,  but 
denied  its  authority  over  the  property  of  the  people  of  the  Colonies ; 
"property  is  private,  individual,  absolute,  the  touch  of  another 
annihilates  it."  He  besought  the  House  to  rest  upon  that  distinc- 
tion, to  allow  the  Americans  to  maintain  their  principles  of  taxa- 
tion, and  to  confine  the  exercise  of  parliamentary  authority  to  the 
regulation  of  commerce.  Of  the  Continental  Congress  the  noble 
Earl  spoke  in  a  strain  of  the  highest  eulogy.  "History,  my  Lords," 
said  he,  "has  been  my  favorite  study,  and  in  the  celebrated  writings 
of  antiquity  have  I  often  admired  the  patriotism  of  Greece  and 
Eome ;  but,  my  Lords,  I  must  declare  and  avow,  that  in  the  master- 
states  of  the  world,  I  know  not  the  people  or  the  Senate,  who  in 
such  a  complication  of  difficult  circumstances  can  stand  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  Delegates  of  America,  assembled  in  General  Congress 
at  Philadelphia.  I  trust  it  is  obvious  to  your  Lordships,  that  all 
attempts  to  impose  servitude  upon  such  men,  to  establish  despotism 
over  such  a  mighty  continental  nation,  must  he  vain,  must  he  futile." 
The  speaker  went  on  to  say,  that  ministerial  manoeuvres 
would  never  be  able  to  resist  such  a  union  as  that  of  America,  that 
the  hour  of  danger  was  not  to  be  averted  by  the  tricks  of  office,  that 
matters  bad  now  gone  so  far  that  even  re])ealing  the  obnoxious 
Acts  would  not  restore  the  lost  confidence  of  America,  unless 
his  Majesty's  armed  force  was  withdrawn  from  the  Continent. 
The  jSToble  Lord  pledged  himself,  that  they  would  one  day  find 
themselves  compelled  to  undo  alL  their  oppressive  acts.  He  advised 
them,  therefore,  to  enter  at  once  into  that  course,  of  their  own 


Southwest  Virginia,  nJt6-1786.  '  201 

accord,  which  they  must  be  ultimately  forced  to  adopt.  "To  con- 
clude, my  Ivords,"  said  lie,  "if  the  Ministers  thus  persevere  in  mis- 
advising and  misleading  the  King,  I  will  not  say  that  they  can 
alienate  the  affections  of  his  subjects  from  the  Crown;  but,  1 
affiriv,  they  will  make  the  Crown  not  worth  his  wearing,  I  will 
not  say  that  the  King  is  betrayed,  but  I  will  prononnce  that  the 
Kingdom  is  undone." 

The  motion  of  Lord  Chatham  was  rejected  by  a  large  majority, 
and  the  British  Ministry  declared  their  purpose  never  to  abandon 
a  single  right  until  the  American  Colonies  were  whipped  into 
obedience.  The  same  day  that  William  Pitt  delivered  the  pre- 
ceding address  in  the  House  of  Lords,  the  backwoodsmen  of  Fin- 
castle  county  met,  pursuant  to  the  resolves  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, at  the  Lead  Mines,  their  county  seat,  and  took  action  in  the 
premises ;  of  which  the  following  is  a  correct  account : 

"In  obedience  to  the  resolves  of  the  Continental  Congress,  a 
meeting  of  the  Freeholders  of  Fincastlc  County,  in  Virginia,  was 
held  on  the  20th  day  of  January,  1775,  who,  after  approving  of  the 
Association  framed  by  that  august  liody  in  behalf  of  all  the  Colo- 
nies, and  subscribing  thereto,  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  Com- 
mittee, to  see  the  same  carried  punctually  into  execution,  when  the 
following  gentlemen  were  nominated  :  the  Eeverend  Charles  Curn- 
mings.  Colonel  William  Preston,  Colonel  William  Christian,  Cap- 
tain Stephen  Trigg,  Major  Arthur  Campbell,  Major  William  Inglis, 
Captain  Walter  Crockett,  Captain  John  Montgomery,  Captain 
James  McGavocl-,  Captain  William  Campbell,  Captain  Thomas 
Madison,  Captain  Daniel  Sviith,  Captain  William  Russell,  Captain 
Evan  Shelby  and  Lieutenant  William  Edmondson..  After  the  elec- 
tion the  committee  made  choice  of  Colonel  William  Christian 
for  their  chairman,  and  appointed  Mr.  David  Campbell  to  be  clerk." 

The  following  address  was  then  unanimously  agreed  to  by  the 
people  of  the  county,  and  is  as  follows : 

To  the  Honorable  PEYTO^t  RANDOLPH,  Esquire,  RICH- 
AED  HENRY  LEE,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  PATRICK 
HENRY,  Junior.  RICHARD  BLAND,  BENJAMIN  HARRI- 
SON, and  EDMUND  PENDLETON,  Esquires,  the  Delegates 
from  this  Colony,  who  attended  the  Continental  Congress  held  at 
PHILADELPHIA  : 

Gentlemen,— Had   it   not   been   for  our   remote   situation   and 


202  ^^oufhircsi  Virginia,  17J,()-17S6. 

the  ludian  M'nr  wliieli  we  were  bitoly  engaged  in  to  chastise  those 
cruel  and  savage  people  for  the  many  nuirders  and  depredations 
they  have  committed  amongst  us,  now  happily  terminated  under 
the  auspices  of  our  present  worthy  Governor,  His  Excellency  the 
Right  Honorable  the  Earl  of  Durwiore,  we  should  before  this  time 
have  made  know^n  to  you  our  thankfulness  for  the  very  important 
services  you  have  rendered  to  yowx  country,  in  conjunction  with 
(he  worthy  Delegates  from  tlie  other  Provinces.  Your  noble  efforts 
for  reconciling  the  motlier  country  and  the  Colonies,  on  rational 
and  constitutional  principles  and  yonr  pacifick,  steady  and  uniform 
conduct  in  that  arduous  work  entitle  you  to  the  esteem  of  all 
British  America,  and  will  immortalize  you  in  the  annals  of  your 
country.  We  heartily  concur  in  your  resolutions,  and  shall,  in 
every  instance,  strictly  and  invariably  adhere  tliereto. 

We  assure  you,  gentlemen,  and  all  our  countrymen,  that  we  are 
a  people  whose  hearts  overflow  witli  love  and  duty  to  our  lawful 
Sovereign,  George  the  Third,  whose  illustrious  House  for  several 
successive  reigns  have  been  the  guardians  of  the  civil  and  religious 
rights  and  liberties  of  British  subjects,  as  settled  at  the  glorious 
Eevolution;  that  we  are  willing  to  risk  our  lives  in  the  service  of  his 
Majesty  for  the  support  of  the  Protestant  religion  and  the  rights  and 
liberties  of  his  subjects,  as  they  have  been  estal:)lished  by  compact, 
law  and  ancient  chartei's.  We  are  heartily  grieved  at  the  dif- 
ferences which  now  subsist  between  the  parent  state  and  the  Colo- 
nies, and  most  ardently  wish  to  see  harmony  restored  on  an  equi- 
table basis  and  by  the  most  lenient  measures  that  can  be  devised 
by  the  heart  of  man.  Many  of  us  and  our  forefathers  left  our 
native  land,  considering  it  as  a  kingdom  subjected  to  inordinate 
power  and  greatly  abridged  of  its  liberties;  we  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
and  ex])lored  this  then  uncultivated  wilderness  Iwrdering  on  many 
nations  of  savages  and  surrounded  by  mountains  almost  inacces- 
sible to  any  but  those  very  savages,  who  have  incessantly  been  com- 
mitting l)arbarities  and  depredations  on  us  since  our  first  seating 
the  country.  These  fatigues  and  dangers  we  patiently  encoun- 
tered, supported  by  the  pleasing  hope  of  enjoying  those  rights  and 
liberties  which  had  been  granted  to  Virginians,  and  were  denied 
us  in  our  native  country,  and  of  transmitting  them  inviolate  to 
our  posterity;  but  even  to  these  remote  regions  the  hand  of  unlim- 
ited and  unconstitutional  power  hath  pursued  us,  to  strip  us  of 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6.  203 

that  liberty  and  property  with  which  God,  nature  and  the  rights 
of  himianity  liave  vested  lis.  We  are  ready  and  willing  to  coutri- 
biite  all  in  our  power  for  the  support  of  his  Majesty's  government, 
if  applied  to  constitutionally,  and  when  the  grants  are  made  by  our 
own  Eepresentatives,  but  cannot  think  of  submitting  our  liljerty 
or  property  to  the  power  of  a  venal  British  Parliament,  or  to  the 
will  of  a  corrupt  jVIinisti'y.  We  by  no  means  desire  to^  shake  off  our 
duty  or  allegiance  to  our  lawful  sovereign,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
shall  ever  glory  in  being  the  loyal  subjects  of  a  Protestant  prince, 
descended  from  such  illustrious  progenitors,  so-  long  as  we  can 
enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  our  religion  as  Protestants,  and  our 
liberties  and  properties  as  British  Subjects. 

But  if  no  pacifick  measures  shall  be  proposed  or  ado])ted  Ijy  Great 
Britain,  and  our  enemies  will  attempt  tO'  dragoon  us  out  of  those 
inestimable  privileges,  which  we  are  entitled  to  as  subjects,  and 
to  redTice  us  to  a  state  of  slavery,  we  declare  that  we  are  deliberately 
and  resolutely  determined  never  to  surrender  them  to  any  power 
upon  earth  but  at  the  expense  of  our  lives. 

These  are  our  real,  though  unpolished,  sentiments  of  lil)erty  and 
loyalty,  and  in  them  we  are  resolved  to  live  and  die. 

We  are,  gentlemen,  with  the  most  perfect  esteem  and  regard, 
your  most  obedient  servants. 

The  meeting  of  the  freehjDlders  of  Fincastle  county,  on  the  20th 
of  Janiiary,  1775,  in  answer  to  the  resolves  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress was  not  the  first  meeting  held  for  this  purpose  in  the  Colony, 
Init  it  was,  as  far  as  we  have  any  record,  the  first  meeting  in  which 
the  freeholders  declared  that  they  were  deliberately  and  resolutely 
determined  never  to  surrender  their  inestimable  privileges  to  any 
power  upon  earth  but  at  the  expense  of  their  lives.  The  senti- 
ments of  this  meeting  were  definitely  stated  by  the  Committee  of 
Safety  when  they  declared  that  the  freeholders  of  Fincastle  county 
did  not  desire  to  shake  off  their  allegiance  to  their  lawful  sovereign 
as  long  as  they  could  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion  as 
Protestants  and  their  liberties  and  properties  as  British  subjects. 
The  Committee  of  Safety,  appointed  by  the  freeholders  of  Fin- 
castle county,  was  composed  of  fifteen  men,  any  one  of  whom,  by 
reason  of  his  intelligence  and  patriotism,  was  competent  to  draft 
the  address  be'fore  given, 
'.^he  meml)ers  of  that  committee  living  at  that  time  on  lands 


204  Southwest  Virginia,,  1746-1786. 

afterwards  Avithin   tlie  limit?  of  the  county  of  Washington,  were 
;-even  in  niiinber,  as  follows: 

IJeverend  Charles  Ciimmings,  Major  Arthur  Campbell, 

Captain  William  Campbell,  Captain  Daniel  Smith, 

Captain  William  I'ussell,  Captain  Evan  Shelby, 

Lieutenant  William  Edmiston.  i 

Early  in  the  year  1775,  the  British  Parliament  passed  a  bill 
restraining  the  trade  of  Virginia  and  that  of  a  number  of  the  other 
colonies. 

Several  efforts  were  made  by  members  of  this  Parliament  to 
have  measures  adopted  that  would  have  a  tendency  to  bring  the 
Colonies  and  Great  Britain  together,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  In 
the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  Patrick  Henry  introduced  a  num- 
ber of  resohitions  for  arming  and  disciplining  the  militia  of  the 
(*olonies,  and  the  delegates  to  the  former  Congress  held  in  Phil- 
adelphia were  re-elected,  along  witli  Thomas  Jefferson,  to^  serve 
in  the  next  Congress  which  met  at  Philadelphia  in  May,  1775. 

In  the  month  of  April,  hostilities  began  between  General  Gage, 
commanding  the  British  forces  at  Boston,  and  the  troops  of  the 
Massachusetts  Colony,  and  the  first  blood  of  the  Eevolution  was 
shed  at  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  on  the  17th  day  of  April,  1775. 
In  a  few  days  this  news  spread,  and  the  entire  Colony  was  in  arms. 
The  first  blow  had  been  struck  by  the  King's  troops,  and  now  the 
Colonies  took  up  their  arms  in  self-defence. 

In  Virginia,  Governor  Dunmore,  upon  a  plea  that  an  insurrec- 
tion existed  in  a  neighboring  count)%  removed  the  powder  stored  in 
the  public  magazine  at  Williamsburg,  and  placed  it  on  board  of  a 
ship  by  a  small  body  of  marines,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1775.  This 
action  of  the  Governor  provoked  a  great  deal  of  discontent,  and, 
in  answer  to  a  request  from  the  officials  of  the  city  of  Williamsburg, 
he  promised  to  restore  the  powder  whenever  wanted,  but  declined 
to  do  so  at  that  time,  for  the  reason  that  he  had  heard  that  the 
people  were  armed,  and  that  he  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  put. 
powder  in  their  hands. 

This  promise  of  the  Governor  did  not  satisfy  the  people,  and, 
arming  themselves,  they  began  to  assemble  and  march  through,  the 
streets  of  Williamsburg,  whereupon,  Governor  Dunmore  sent  them 
a  message  in  which  he  stated  that  if  they  interfered  with  any  of 
the  King's  officers  he  would  declare  freedom  to  their  slaves  and 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  205 

lav  Williamsburg  in  ashes.  This  information  being  communicated 
to  the  sm-i-oimding  country  and  the  news  from  Massachusetts  hav- 
ing reached  Virginia,  the  people  flew  to  arms  in  all  directions. 
Patrick  Henry  placed  no  confidence  in  the  promise  of  the  Governor 
and  resolved  upon  making  an  effort  to  recover  the  powder. 

He  organized  a  company  in  his  own  county,  and,  with  this  com- 
pany, began  his  march  to  Williamsburg.  Patrick  Henry  was  very 
popular  with  the  people  of  the  Colony  and  upon  their  hearing  of  his 
determination,  fully  five  thousand  men  tendered  him  their  services. 
The  Governor  was  greatly  alarmed  by  this  occurrence  and  fled  from 
the  capitol  and  boarded  a  man-of-war.  Apprehending  the  conse- 
(luences  of  this  act  of  Patrick  Henrv's,  he  directed  the  Eeceiver- 
General  of  the  Colony  to  meet  Mr.  Henry  and  pay  him  in  full  for 
the  powdei"  that  had  been  carried  off,  which  he  did.  Thereupon, 
Henry  and  his  followers  dispersed  to  their  homes.  Two  days  after 
this  occurrence,  the  Governor  proclaimed  Patrick  Henry  an  out- 
law. Upon  the  ir)th  day  of  July,  1775,  the  Committee  of  Safety 
for  Fincastle  county  assembled  at  the  Lead  Mines,  ^d  adopted  the 
following  resolutions  in  approbation  of  the  course  pursued  by  Pat- 
lick  Henry.  S      i   '     I 

At  a  committee  held  for  Fincastle  County,  July  15th,  1775, 
William  Christian,  chairman.  The  committee,  taking  into  their 
consideratioB  the  clandestine  removal  of  the  gunpowder  from  the 
magazine  o^this  Colony  by  order  of  our  Governor,  are  clearly  and 
unanimously  of  opinion  that  his  Lordship's  conduct  reflects  much 
dishonor  on  himself,  and  he  very  justly  deserves  the  censure  so 
universally  bestowed  upon  him. 

Eesolved,  That  the  spirited  and  meritorious  conduct  O'f  Pat- 
rick Henry,  Esq.,  and  the  rest  of  the  gentlemen  volunteers  at- 
tending him  on  the  occasion  of  the  removal  of  the  gunpowder 
out  of  the  magazine  in  Williamsburg,  very  justly  merits  the  very 
hearty  approbation  of  this  committee,  for  which  we  return  them 
our  thanks,  with  an  assurance  that  we  will,  at  the  risk  of  our  own 
lives  and  fortunes,  support  and  justify  them  with  regard  to  the 
reprisal  they  made.* 

Eesolved,  That  the  council  of  this  Colony  in  advising  and 
co-operating  with  Lord  Dunmore  in  issuing  the  proclamation  of 
the  3d  of  May  last,  charging  the  people  of  this  Colony  with  an 


*Amer.  Arch.,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  16-20,  16-21. 


20()  Soiilhircst   Virginia,  l'7Jt6-1786. 

ungovernahlc  spirit  and  licentious  2:)ractices,  is  contrary  to  many 
known  inattcM's  of  fact,  and  l)nt  too  jnstly  shows  to  us  that  those 
who  oiialit  to  be  mediators  and  guardians  of  our  liberties  are 
become  the  abject  tools  of  a  detested  administration. 

Eesolved,  That  it  is  the  ojiinion  of  this  committee  that  the 
late  sanguinary  attempt  and  pre])arations  of  the  King's  troops,  in 
the  C'olony  of  Narragansett  Bay,  are  truly  alarming  and  irritating, 
and  loudly  call  upon  all,  even  the  most  distant  and  interiour  parts 
of  the  Colonies,  to  prepare  and  be  ready  for  the  extreme  event,  by 
a  fixed  resolution  and  a  firm  and  manly  resolve  to  avert  ministerial 
cruelty,  in  defence  of  our  reasonable  rights  and  liberties. 

A  perusal  of  these  resolutions  clearly  show  the  spirit  that  ani- 
mated the  people  of  Fincastle  county.  The  third  Continental  Con- 
gress asseudjled  at  Philadeli)hia  on  the  loth  day  of  May,  1775,  and 
elected  the  following  oificers  : 

l*residcnt,  Peyton  Randolph,  Virginia; 

Secretary,  -Charles   Thompson,   of   Pennsylvania. 

Among  the  first  measures  proposed  and  adopted  by  this  Con- 
gress was  one  looking  to  the  placing  of  the  Colonies  in  a  defensive 
position  and,  on  the  7th  day  of  June,  1775,  the  Congress  passed 
a  resolution  fixing  the  30th  day  of  July,  1775,  as  a  day  to  be 
observed  by  the  twelve  Colonies  in  humiliation,  fasting  and  prayer. 
About  this  time.  General  Gage,  commander  of  the  British  forces 
at  Boston,  issued  a  proclamation  in  the  King's  name^  offering  a 
jiardon  to  all  of  the  people  who  would  lay  down  their  arms,  except 
John  Hancock  and  Samii^l  Adams. 

At  this  time,  Peyton  Randolph,  President  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  resigned  his  position  as  President  of  the  Congress,  and 
thereii]K)n  John  Hancock  was  elected  president — this  election 
being  in  answer  to  General  Gage's  proclamation.  On  the  15th  of 
June,  1775,  tlie  Continental  Congress,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  elected 
as  Commander-in-Chief  of  all  the  continental  forces  George 
Washington,  of  Virginia,  and  elected  the  following  Major-Gen- 
erals:  Artemus  Ward.  Philip  Schuyler  and  Charles  Lee,  and  Ho- 
ratio Gates,  as  Adjutant-General. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  the  battle  of  Breed's  Hill  was 
fought,  in  which  l)attle  the  British  suffered  a  loss  of  eleven  hundred 
men,  of  whdin  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  were  killed,  eighty-nine 
of  the  niiiiiher  ollicers.     '^I'lie  American  loss  was  four  hundred  and 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J,0-17S0.  ^07 

fifty-three  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  The  Continental  Con- 
gress, in  this  month,  ordered  twelve  rifle  companies  to  l)e  raised 
in  Virginia,  ^laryland  and  Pennsylvania,  and  directed  the  issuing 
of  two  million  dollars  in  continental  currency,  for  the  redemption 
of  \\liich  they  pledged  the  ])roperty  of  the  twelve  Colonies.  Gen- 
eral Washington,  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  his  commission, 
proceeded  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  continental 
troops,  and,  l)y  the  middle  of  August,  the  rifle  companies  ordered 
to  he  raised  in  Virginia,  reached  Camhridge,  Massachusetts,  in  ' 
time  to  take  part  in  the  capture  of  Boston. 

While  we  have  no  documentary  evidence  of  the  fact,  there  can 
be  no  douht  that  a  nuniher  of  the  riflemen  from  Fincastle  county 
accompanied  the  troops  from  Virginia.  In  the  meantime,  on  the 
()th  day  of  July,  1775,  the  Congress  of  the  United  Colonies  adojited 
a  memorial  setting  forth  the  causes  that  led  to,  and  the  necessity 
of,  their  taking  up  arms. 

On  the  24th  day  of  Jul}',  1775,  the  ("olonial  Convention  of  Vir- 
ginia met  at  ^^'illiamsbu^g  and  appointed  a  Committee  of  Safety, 
and  passed  an  act  for  the  raising  of  two  regiments  to  be  placed 
under  the  command  of  Patrick  Henry,  who  was  made  commander 
of  all  tlie  forces  raised  and  to  l)e  raised  in  defence  of  the  Colony. 
The  two  regiments  were  speedily  raised,  and  assembled  at  Wil- 
liamsburg. 

The  Committee  of  Safety  for  Fincastle  county,  in  answer  to  the 
resolutions  of  the  Virginia  Convention,  immediately  dispatched  a 
company  of  choice  riflemen  from  Fincastle  county,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  William  Campbell,  this  company  being  among  the 
first  to  arrive  at  Williamsburg. 

On  the  3d  day  of  Septemljer  of  this  year,  a  Britisli  ship-of-war 
was  driven  ashore  near  Hampton,  Virginia,  during  a  storm,  and, 
on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  the  people  set  fire  to  and  destroyed  it. 
The  captain  of  the  ship  threatened  to  burn  the  town  and  actually 
tried  to  do  so,  but  the  Virginia  Committee  of  Safety  dispatched 
Colonel  Woodford,  with  three  companies  of  riflemen,  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  people  of  Hampton.  Of  the  three  companies  thus  dis- 
patched, one  was  the  company  of  Fincastle  troops  under  Captain 
William  Campbell.* 

When  the  British  captain  began  his  attack  upon  the  town  he 


*Amer.  Arch.,  Vol.  — ,  p.  296. 


208  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

was  so  warmly  received  by  Colonel  Woodford  and  his  men,  that  he 
took  to  flight  after  the  loss  of  a  number  of  men.  Thus  it  will 
be  seen  that  troops  from  Fincastle  county  took  part  in  the  first 
engagement  of  the  Eevolutionai-y  war,  on  Virginia  soil,  in  which 
blood  was  slied.  Upon  the  receipt  of  this  information.  Lord  Dun- 
more  issued  a  proclamation,  proclaiming  freedom  to  all  the  slaves 
who  would  join  his  standard.  He  thus  gathered  a  considerable 
number  of  volunteers,  of  whom  four  hundred  were  slaves.  Colonel 
Woodford  and  his  company  returned  to  Williamsburg.  Lord  Dun- 
more  with  his  forces  began  a  series  of  depredations  upon  the  people 
living  along  the  sea-coast,  and  the  Virginia  Committee  of  Safety 
again  dispatched  Colonel  Woodford  at  the  head  of  eight  hundred 
men  to  drive  him  from  his  position  at  the  Great  Bridge.  Colonel 
Woodford  had  not  been  long  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Great  Bridge, 
when  Lord  Dunmore  dispatched  Captain  Leslie,  with  the  regular 
troops  and  slaves,  to  attack  the  troops  under  Colonel  Woodford, 
and,  as  the  result  of  this  attempt,  every  man  of  the  British 
troops  was  killed,  wounded  or  captured ;  whereupon.  Governor  Dun- 
more  and  his  troops  went  aboard  their  ships,  leaving  Colonel  Wood- 
ford and  the  Colonial  troops  in  complete  control  of  the  position 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Governor. 

The  Colonial  troops  that  assembled  at  Williamsburg  formed 
two  battalions,  and  the  first  battalion,  to  which  the  troops  from 
Fincastle  were  attached ,  was  officered  as  followed : 

Colonel,  Patrick  Henry. 

Lieutenant-Colonel,   William    Christian,   of   Fincastle   county. 

Major,  Frank  Eppes. 

Lord  Dunmore,  after  his  defeat  at  the  Great  Bridge,  placed  all 
his  white  followers  on  board  the  ships  and  left  his  negro  allies 
to  shift  for  themselves.  After  some  time  his  provisions  began  to 
grow  scarce,  when  he  sent  a  request  to  the  citizens  of  Norfolk  for 
supplies,  which  request  was  denied,  and  on  the  1st  day  of  January, 
1776,  he  began  to  bombard  the  town  of  Norfolk,  with  four  ships, 
and,  under  cover  of  the  fire  from  these  ships,  a  company  of  sailors 
landed  and  set  fire  to  the  town,  which  soon  was  a  heap  of  ashes; 
an  uncalled  for  act  upon  the  part  of  the  British  forces. 

The  British  Parliament  at  its  session  in  1776,  passed  an  act  pro- 
hibiting all  trade  and  intercourse  with  the  thirteen  American 
Colo'nies,  and,  about  the  same  time,  the  King  of  England  nego- 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  209 

tiated  treaties  witli  some  of  tJie  petty  princes  of  Germany  for  the 
use  of  a  number  of  Hessian  troops  in  the  campaign  against  the 
American  Colonies.  When  information  of  this  act  of  the  British 
Parliament  reached  General  Washington,  he  decided  to  drive 
the  British  from  Boston  and  proceeded  to  do  so  on  the  2d  of  March, 
and,  on  the  4th  day  of  ]\Iarch,  General  Thomas,  with  a  detachment 
of  the  American  troops,  took  charge  of  Dorchester  Heights  over- 
looking Boston  harlwr.  In  a  few  days  thereafter.  General  Howe, 
with  nine  thousand  British  troops,  evacuated  Boston  without  a 
fight,  and  General  Washington,  at  the  head  of  the  continental  army, 
took  possession  on  the  17th  day  of  March,  177C. 

On  the  6th  day  of  May,  177C,  the  first  constitutional  conven- 
tion assembled  in  Virginia,  at  Williamsburg,  pursuant  to  the  direc- 
tions of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  under  an  ordinance  of  the  con- 
vention of  1775,  which  directed  that,  in  view  of  the  fact  tliat  the 
usual  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  a  constitutional  way  had 
been  altogether  obstructed,  it  had  become  indispensably  necessary 
for  the  oppressed  people  of  this  country,  at  a  crisis  so  alarming, 
to  adopt  such  other  mode  of  consulting  and  providing  for  the  gen- 
eral safety  as  may  seem  most  conducive  to  that  great  end.  The 
members  of  this  convention  were  elected  in  the  same  manner  in 
which  the  members  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  had  been  previously 
elected,  and  the  representatives  in  this  convention  from  Fincastle 
county,  were : 

Arthur  Campbell, 
W^illiam  Russell,  ^ 

both  citizens  of  that  part  of  Fincastle  county  afterwards  included 
in  the  subseqiiently  formed  county  of  Washington. 

It  is  hard  to  understand,  except  upon  the  idea  that  the  people 
living  upon  the  waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch  exceeded  in 
number  the  people  living  on  the  waters  of  the  New  river  in  Fin- 
castle county,  how  both  members  of  this  Convention  should  have 
been  residents  of  the  western  part  of  Fincastle  county. 

Some  may  say  that  this  was  done  by  consent,  but  such  was  not 
the  fact,  for  the  elections  in  those  days  were  as  hotly  contested 
as  any  held  in  more  recent  times.  It  is  worthy  to  be  remembered, 
that  in  these  early  days  every  freeholder  was  required  to  vote  under 
the  penalty  of  two  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  for  a  failure,  and 
every    freeholder   was    required    to   attend   and   vote   on   the    day 


210  South  iccsrVinjinla,   17J,G-17S0. 

a])p()inted,  at  the  Lead  Mines,  the  county  seat  of  Fincastle  county. 

Tlie  Virginia  convention  of  1776  was  one  of  the  most  important 
comentions  ever  lield  in  tlie  State,  whether  we  consider  the  char- 
acter of  the  memhers,  or  the  work  done  by  them.  The  Virginia 
Colony  at  tliis  time  was  in  open  revolt,  and  Lord  Dunmore,  the 
Governor,  was  an  exile  from  the  State. 

Tlic  King  by  liis  proclamation  had  declared  the  citizens  of  the 
(_!olony  rebels  and  enemies,  and  now  the  })eo2jle  by  their  representa- 
tives proceeded  in  an  orderly  manner  to  establish  a  government 
for  themselves. 

The  constitution  and  bill  of  rights  adopted  by  this  convention 
clearly  defined  the  fundamental  principles  of  all  free  government, 
and  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  enunciated  at  this  time,  was, 
beyond  (piestion,  the  forerunner  of  the  Great  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence adopted  by  the  Continental  Congress  on  July  4th,  1770. 
The  Bill  of  Eights  adopted  by  this  convention,  is  as  follows: 

"1st.  Whereas,  George  the  Tliird,  King  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  and  Elector  of  Hanover,  heretofore  intrusted  with  the 
exercise  of  the  kingly  office  in  this  government,  hath  endeavored 
to  pei-vert  the  same  into  a  detestable  and  insupportable  tyranny, 
by  putting  his  negative  on  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  necessary 
for  the  publick  good ; 

By  denying  his  governoui's  permission  to  pass  laws  of  imme- 
diate and  pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operation 
for  his  assent,  and,  when  so  suspended,  neglecting  to  attend  to 
them  for  many  years; 

By  refusing  to  pass  certain  other  laws,  unless  the  persons  to  be 
benefitted  by  them  would  relinf[uish  the  inestimable  right  of  repre- 
sentation in  the  legislatures; 

By  dissolving  legislative  assem.blies  repeatedly  and  continually, 
for  0])))osing  with  manly  firmness  his  invasions  of  the  rights  of 
the  people; 

When  dissolved,  by  refusing  to  call  others  for  a  long  space  of 
time,  thereljy  leaving  the  political  system  without  any  legislative 
head ; 

By  endeavoring  to  prevent  the  population  of  our  country,  and, 
for  that  ])nT]-)ose,  obstructing  the  laws  for  the  naturalization  of 
foreigners ; 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  211 

By  keeping  among  us  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies  and 
ships  of  war; 

By  affecting  to  render  tlie  military  independent  of,  and  superior 
to  the  civil  power; 

By  coml)ining  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  foreign  jurisdiction, 
giving  his  assent  to  their  pretended  acts  of  legislation ; 

For  quartei-ing  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us ; 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world ; 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent; 

For  depriving  us  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by  jury; 

For  transporting  us  beyond  seas  to  be  tried  for  pretended  of- 
fences ; 

For  suspending  our  own  legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves 
invested  with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever ; 

By  plundering  our  seas,  ravaging  our  coasts,  burning  our  towm:., 
and  destroying  the  lives  of  our  people ; 

By  inciting  insurrections  of  our  fellow-subjects,  with  the  al- 
lurements of  forfeiture  and  confiscation; 

By  prompting  our  negroes  to  rise  in  arms  among  us,  those  very 
negroes,  whom,  by  an  inhuman  use  of  his  negative,  he  hath  refused 
us  permission  to  exclude  by  law ; 

By  endeavoring  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers "  the 
merciless  Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare  is  an  un- 
distinguished destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes  and  conditions  of  exist- 
ence; 

By  transporting,  at  this  time,  a  large  army  of  foreign  mer- 
cenaries, to  complete  the  works  of  death,  desolation  and  tyranny  al- 
ready begun  with  circumstances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy  unworthy 
the  head  of  a  civilized  nation; 

By  answering  our  repeated  petitions  for  redress  with  a  repeti- 
tion of  injuries ; 

And,  finally,  by  abandoning  the  helm  of  government,  and  de- 
claring us  out  of  his  allegiance  and  protection. 

By  which  several  acts  of  misrule,  the  government  of  this  coun- 
try, as  formerly  exercised  under  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain,  is 
TOTALLY  DISSOLVED.* 

The  result  of  this  action  by  the  Convention  was  the  formation 


*9  Hen.  Stat.,  page  112. 


212  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

of  a  stable  and  efficient  government  for  the  State,  and  the  organi- 
zation of  the  militia  of  the  commonwealth. 

This  Constitution  was  proclaimed  on  the  29th  day  of  June,  1776, 
on  which  day  the  Committee  of  Safety,  designated  by  the  con- 
vention of  1775,  relinquished  their  authority,  and  Patrick  Henry 
was  -elected  the  first  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth.  At  the  same 
time  the  Privy  Council,  Treasurer,  Attorney  General,  and  the 
other  state  officers  were  elected  by  the  convention.  This  conven- 
tion, by  a  resolution,  adopted  a  design  for  a  seal  for  the  new  com- 
monwealth.   The  design  adopted  was  as  follows : 

"To  be  engraved  on  the  Great  Seal,  Virtus,  the  genius  of  the 
Commonwealth,  dressed  like  an  Amazon,  resting  on  a  spear  with 
one  hand  and  holding  a  sword  with  the  other  hand  and  treading 
on  Tyranny,  represented  by  a  man  prostrate,  a  crown  fallen  from 
his  head,  a  broken  chain  in  his  left  hand  and  a  scourge  in  his 
right.  In  the  exergon  the  word  "Virginia"  over  the  head  of  Vir- 
tus, and  underneath  the  words,  ^'^Sic  semper  tyrannis."  On  the 
reverse  a  groupe,  Libertas,  with  her  wand  and  pileus.  On  the  other 
side  of  her  Ceres,  with  the  cornucopia  in  one  hand  and  an  ear  of 
wheat  in  the  other.  On  the  other  side  Eternitas,  with  globe  and 
phoenix.    In  the  exergon  tliese  words :  Deus  IsTobis  Hasc  Otia  Fecit." 

This  declaration  of  the  Virginia  convention  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  declaration  of  independence  recorded  in  the  world's  his- 
tory. The  American  people,  until  this  time,  had  not  seriously  con- 
templated a  complete  separation  from  England,  but  now  that  the 
British  Parliament  had  refused  to  listen  to  their  petition  and  was 
waging  an  active  war  against  them,  Eichard  Henry  Lee,  a  repre- 
sentative from  Virginia  in  the  Continental  Congress  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  the  month  of  May,  gave  notice  that  on  a  day  named 
he  would  move  the  Congress  to  adopt  a  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. 

Early  in  this  same  month  the  Continental  Congress  had  adopted 
a  resolution  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  sentiment  of  the 
American  colonies  on  the  subject  of  the  independence  of  America. 
The  motion  of  Mr.  Lee  was  postponed  from  day  to  day,  until  the 
first  day  of  July,  two  days  after  the  adoption  of  the  Virginia  Con- 
stitution and  Bill  of  Eights,  when  the  Continental  Congress  re- 
solved itself  into  a  committee  of  the  whole,  and  began  the  con- 
sideration of  the  report  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Benja- 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  213 

inin  Franklin,  Eoger  Sherman,  and  E.  E.  Livingston,  the  com- 
mittee who  had  been  appointed  on  the  11th  of  Jime  to  prepare 
a  Declaration  of  Independence. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  this  committee,  when  appointed, 
agreed  that  each  member  should  draw  up  a  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence according  to  his  own  ideas,  with  the  understanding  that 
the  one  that  best  conformed  to  the  wishes  of  the  committee  as  a 
whole  should  be  adopted  as  the  report  of  the  committee.  It  is 
stated  that  Mr.  Jefferson's  Declaration,  being  the  first  read,  was 
imanimously  adopted  by  the  committee  without  debate,  the  other 
members  refusing  to  submit  their  papers  for  consideration. 

The  Continental  Congress,  after  three  days  of  heated  discussion, 
adopted  the  report  of  the  committee,  which  report  has  since  been 
known  as  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  is  as  follows : 

When  in  the  course  of  human  events  it  becomes  necessary  for 
one  people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have  connected 
them  with  another,  and  to  assume  among  the  powers  of  the  earth 
the  separate  and  ecpial  station  to  which  the  laws  of  nature  and 
nature's  God  entitle  them,  a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  man- 
kind requires  that  they  should  declare  the  causes  which  impel 
them  to  such  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident ;  that  all  men  are  created 
equal;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  un- 
alienable rights;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pur- 
suit of  happiness ;  that  to  secure  these  rights,  governments  are 
instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  tlic  consent 
of  the  governed,  that  whenever  any  form  of  government  becomes 
destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or 
abolish  it,  and  to  institute  a  new  government,  laying  its  founda- 
tion on  such  principles  and  organizing  its  power  in  such  form  as 
to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness. 
Prudence,  indeed,  would  dictate  that  governments  long  established 
should  not  be  changed  for  light  and  transient  causes;  and  accord- 
ingly all  experience  hath  shown  that  mankind  are  more  disposed 
to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to  right  themselves  by 
abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are  accustomed;  but  when  a 
long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably  the  same 
object,  evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute  despotism. 


214  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

it  is  their  right,  it  is  their  duty  to  throw  off  such  government,  and 
to  provide  now  guards  for  their  future  security. 

Such  has  been  tlie  patient  sufferance  of  these  colonies,  and  such 
is  now  the  necessity  wliich  constrains  tliem  to  alter  their  former 
systems  of  government.  The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great 
Britain  is  a  history  of  repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  hav- 
ing in  direct  object  the  establishment  cf  an  absolute  tyranny  over 
these  States.  To  prove  this  let  facts  be  submitted  to  a  candid 
world. 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  neces- 
sary for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and 
pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operations  till  his 
assent  should  be  obtained ;  and  when  so  suspended  he  has  utterly 
neglected  to  attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of 
large  districts  of  people,  imless  those  people  would  relinquish  the 
rights  of  representation  in  the  legislature — a  right  inestimable  to 
them  and  formidable  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  un- 
comfortable and  distant  from  the  depository  of  their  public 
records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing  them  into  compliance 
with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly  for  opposing, 
with  manly  firmness,  his  invasion  of  the  rights  of  the  people. 

He  has   refused    for   a   long   time,   after   such   dissolutions,    to  - 
cause  others  to  be  elected,  whereby  the  legislative  powers,  incapa- 
ble of  annihilation,  have  returned  to  the  people  at  large  for  their 
exercise,  the  State  remaining  in  the  meantime  exposed  to  all  the 
dangers  of  invasion  from  without  and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  States; 
for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  laws  for  naturalization  of  foTcign- 
ers,  refusing  to  pass  others  to  encourage  their  migrations  hither, 
and  raising  the  conditions  of  new  aj^propriations  of  lands. 

He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice  by  refusing  his 
assent  to  laws  for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone  for  the  tenure 
of  their  offices  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has   erected  a   multitude   of  new   offices,   and   sent  hither 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786.  215 

swarms  of  officers,  to  harrass  our  people  and  eat  out  their  sub- 
stance. 

He  has  kept  among  ns  in  times  of  peace  standing  armies  with- 
out the  consent  of  our  legislatures. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent  of  and  su- 
perior to  the  civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  otliers  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction 
foreign  to  our  constitution  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws, 
giving  his  assent  to  their  pretended  acts  of  legislation. 

For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us, 

For  protecting  them  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment,  for  any 
murders  which  they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of  these 
States, 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world. 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent, 

For  depriving  us  in  many  cases  of  the  benefit  of  trial  by  jury, 

FoT  transporting  us  beyond  seas,  to  be  tried  for  pretended 
offences, 

For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighboring 
Province,  establisliing  therein  an  arbitrary  government  and  enlarg- 
ing its  boundaries  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit 
instrument  for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these 
Colonies, 

For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable  laws 
and  altering  fundamentally  the  powers  of  our  gO'Vernments. 

For  suspending  our  own  Legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves 
invested  with  power  to  legislature  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his 
protection  and  waging  war  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burnt  our  towns, 
and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is,  at  this  time,  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mer- 
cenaries, to  complete  the  work  of  death,  desolation  and  tyranny, 
already  begun  with  circumstances  of  cruelty  and  perfidy  scarcely 
paralleled  in  the  most  barbarous  ages  and  totally  unworthy  the 
head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow-citizens,  taken  captive  on  the 
high  seas,  to  bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become  the  execu- 


216  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

tioners  of  their  friends  and  brethren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their 
hands. 

He  has  excited  domestick  insurrections  amongst  us,  and  has 
endeavored  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers  the  merci- 
less Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare  is  an  undistin- 
guished destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes  and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions,  we  have  petitioned  for  redress 
in  the  most  humble  terms;  our  repeated  petitions  have  been 
answered  only  by  repeated  injur3^  A  Prince  whose  character  is 
thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a  tyrant  is  unfit  to  be 
the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  attention  to  our  British  brethren. 
We  have  warned  them  from  time  to  time,  of  attempts,  made  by  their 
Legislature  to  extend  an  unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  us;  we 
have  reminded  them  of  the  circumstances  of  our  emigration  and 
settlement  here;  we  have  appealed  to  their  native  justice  and  mag- 
nanimity; and  we  have  conjured  them,  by  the  ties  of  our  common 
kindred,  to  disavow  these  usurpations,  which  would  inevitably 
interrupt  our  connections  and  correspondence.  They,  too,  have 
been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  consanguinity.  We  must  there- 
fore acquiesce  in  the  necessity  which  denounces  our  separation, 
and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  war, 
in  peace  friends. 

We,  therefore,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America  in  General  Congress  assembled,  appealing  to  the  Supreme 
Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the 
name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people  of  these  Colonies, 
solemnly  publish  and  declare,  that  these  United  Colonies  are,  and 
of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  States;  that  they 
are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown.;  and  that 
all  political  connections  between  them  and  the  State  of  Great 
Britain,  is  and  ought  to  be  totally  dissolved ;  and  that,  as  free  and 
independent  States,  they  have  full  power  to  le\7  war,  conclude 
peace,  contract  alliances,  establish  commerce  and  to  do  all  other  acts 
and  things  which  independent  States  may  of  right  do.  And  for 
the  support  of  this  declaration,  with  a  firm  reliance  on  the  protec- 
tion of  Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our 
lives,  our  fortunes  and  our  sacred  honor. 

It  has  been  said  that  this  Declaration  of  Independence  was  the 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  217 

most  sublime  exhibition  that  man  has  ever  made  to  man.  The 
members  composing  the  Congress  were,  in  their  intelligence  and 
patriotism,  the  giants  of  our  race,  and  the  object  of  that  Congress 
was  the  protection  of  our  race. 

This  Declaration  of  Independence  was  proclaimed  at  Philadel- 
phia on  the  8th  day  of  July,  1776,  and  on  the  9th  it  was  read 
to  each  brigade  of  the  Continental  army.  This  declaration  was 
received  by  the  people  at  all  points  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm. 

A  part  of  the  policy  adopted  by  the  British  Ministry  for  the 
reduction  of  the  American  Colonies  was  the  enlisting  of  the 
Indians  in  the  service  of  the  British  Government.  We  have  now 
reached  that  point  where  the  history  of  Southwest  Virginia  is 
closely  connected  with  the  operations  of  the  Indians  in  behalf  of 
the  British  Government.  Numerous  agents  of  the  Eoyal  Govern- 
ment were  sent  to  the  different  Indian  tribes  living  along  the 
waters  of  the  western  frontiers,  and  they  were  so  fai  successful  in 
their  efforts  to  incite  the  Indian  tribes  to  war,  that,  by  the  spring 
of  1776,  the  Creeks,  Cherokees,  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  were 
induced  to  take  up  arms  in  behalf  of  their  British  allies.  The 
Cherokee  Indians,  who  were  the  nearest  and  most  accessible  tribe 
to  the  white  settlers,  were  more  numerous  than  most  of  the  other 
Indian  tribes,  and  they  were  the  first  to  take  up  arms  at  the  instance 
of  the  British  agents. 

If  the  British  government  had  any  friends  among  the  back- 
woodsmen of  Fincastle  county,  this  action  was  of  such  a  character 
as  to  alienate  the  affection  and  respect  of  every  respectable  man. 
In  speaking  of  the  success  of  the  British  agents  in  this  matter, 
a  distinguished  author  has  said :  "Their  success  and  the  constant 
ravages  of  the  Indians  maddened  the  American  frontiersmen  upon 
whom  the  blow  fell,  and  changed  their  resentment  against  the 
British  king  into  a  deadly  and  lasting  hatred,  which  their  sons  and 
grandsons  inherited. 

Indian  warfare  was  of  such  peculiar  atrocity  that  the  employ- 
ment of  Indians  as  allies  forbade  any  further  hope  of  reconciliation. 
They  saw  their  homes  destroyed,  their  wives  outraged,  their  chil- 
dren captured,  their  friends  butchered  and  tortured  wholesale  by 
Indians  armed  with  British  weapons,  bribed  by  British  gold  and 
obeying  the  orders  of  British  agents  and  commanders."* 

♦Winning  of  the  West,  Part  II.,  p.  76. 


318  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

About  this  time  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  of  Fincastle  county, 
in  writing  of  this  action  of  the  British  Government,  in  arming  the 
Indian  tribes,  expressed  himself  as  follows :  "This  infernal  malig- 
nity of  a  professed  Christian  prince  was  reserved  to  be  exhibited  to 
the  world  in  the  reign  of  George  III." 

Alexander  Cameron,  the  British  agent  among  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  lost  dlo  time  in  calling  together  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of 
this  tribe  of  Indians,  to  inform  them  of  the  wishes  of  his  govern- 
ment. When  Cameron  disclosed  to  the  Indians  his  plans,  they 
were  greatly  astonished,  and  would  not,  for  some  time,  believe  the 
statement  of  Cameron,  that  one  part  of  the  white  people  wished  to 
wage  war  against  their  brothers,  for  a  civil  war  was  unknown 
between  Indians  speaking  the  same  language,  but  he  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  enlisting  the  Indians  by  promising  them  presents  in 
clothing  and  by  telling  them  that  they  could  plunder  and  rob  the 
settlers,  and  by  inducing  them  to  believe  that  all  the  lands  on  the 
western  waters  would  be  reserved  to  them  by  the  British  govern- 
ment as  their  hunting  grounds.  This  tribe  of  Indians  had  been 
acting  for  some  time  in  a  manner  that  clearly  indicated  that  they 
were  determined  upon  hostilities. 

In  the  spring  of  1775,  Andrew  Greer,  had  gone  to  the  Cherokee 
towns  to  purchase  furs.  While  there,  he  had  observed  the  conduct 
of  two  white  traders,  and  was  convinced  that  they  intended  to  do 
him  some  injury,  If  possible.  When  he  started  from  the  Indian 
towns  for  his  home,  he  left  the  main  trading  path  and  came  up  the 
Nolichucky  trace  and  escaped  injury,  but,  at  the  same  time,. two 
men  by  the  name  of  Boyd  and  Doggett,  who  had  been  sent  to  the 
Indian  towns  by  the  Virginia  authorities,  were  met  on  the  trace 
that  Greer  had  left,  at  Boyd's  creek,  by  Indians,  and  were  killed 
by  them  and  their  bodies  hidden.  The  Virginia  settlement  had 
long  been  at  peace  with  the  Indians,  but  they  were  sufficiently 
acquainted  with  their  character  to  know,  that,  having  once  tasted 
blood,  their  disposition  was  to  indulge  to  excess,  and  now  they  knew 
they  must  prepare  for  a  long  and  bloody  war  with  a  tribe  of  Indians 
that  exceeded  them  in  numbers.  T"hey  at  once  proceeded  to  put 
their  frontier  settlements  in  a  defensive  attitude.  A  fort  was  built 
at  Watauga,  to  which  Avas  given  the  name  of  Fort  Lee,  the  old  fort* 
at   Long   Island   was   repaired   and   called   Fort   Patrick   Henry. 


*Fort  Robinson. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786.  219 

Another  fort  was  erected  about  seven  miles  east  from  Long  Island, 
at  Amos  Eaton's,  on  the  trace  leading  to  Fort  Chiswell.  A  fort  was 
erected  shortly  before  this  time  at  Eye  Cove,  about  fifty  miles  from 
the  North  Fork  of  Clinch,  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Isaac  Crismen, 
who  was,  afterwards,  with  two  members  of  his  family,  murdered  by 
the  Indians. 

Information  of  the  invasion  intended  by  the  Indians  was  for- 
warded to  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  Fincastle  county  by  Isaac 
Thomas,  an  Indian  trader,  at  the  instance  of  Nancy  Ward,  a  noted 
Indian  woman  and  a  relative  of  several  of  the  principal  chiefs. 
The  frontier  settlement,  at  this  day,  was  in  Carter's  Valley,  the 
settlers  obtaining  their  supplies  from  the  settlement  at  Wolf  Hill 
..-.^^(now  Abingdon). 

The  action  of  the  Virginia  Committee  of  Safety,  requiring  a 
test  oath  of  all  the  citizens  of  the  Commonwealth,  had  driven  many 
sympathizers  of  the  British  Government  to  this  settlement  in  Car- 
ter's Valley,  where  they  hoped  to  escape  the  consequences  of  their 
refusal  to  subscribe  to  the  oath,  but  information  of  their  presence 
was  obtained  by  John  Carter,  a  Virginian,  who  communicated  the 
information  he  had  obtained  to  the  settlers  near  Wolf  Hill.  These 
settlers  were  great  Whigs,  and,  upon  receiving  this  information,  a 
number  of  them  assembled  and  went  to  Brown's  settlement  in  Car- 
ter's Valley,  and  after  having  assembled  the  people,  John  Coulter, 
a  member  of  the  county  court  of  this  county,  administered  to  them 
an  oath  to  be  faithful  to  the  common  cause.  Early  in  May,  the 
settlers  in  Carter's  Valley  and  all  the  families  below  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Holston,  in  view  of  the  threatened  Indian  invasion, 
left  their  homes  and  returned  to  the  settlements.  To  add  to  the 
alarm  of  the  frontier  settlers,  a  letter  was  delivered  at  the  house 
of  Charles  Eobertson,  on  the  18th  day  of  May,  1776,  under  circum- 
stances that  were  exceedingly  suspicious;  which  letter  accompanied 

by  the  affidavit  of  Nathan  Eeed,  was  as  f oIIom^s  :  "Wattaga 

This  day,  Nathan  Eeed  came  before  me,  one  of  the  justices  of  Wat- 
taga,  and  made  oath  on  the  Holy  Evangelists  of  Almighty  God, 
that  a  stranger  came  up  to  Charles  Eobertson's  gate  yesterday  even- 
ing— who  he  was  he  did  not  know — and  delivered  a  letter  of  which 
this  is  a  true  copy.  Sworn  before  me  the  19th  of  May,  1776. 
Attest,  James  Smith.  John  Carter." 

"Gentlemen: — Some  time  ago,  Mr.  Cameron  and  myself  wrote 


220  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

you  a  letter  by  Mr.  Thomas,  and  enclosed  a  talk  we  had  with  the 
Indians  resjwcting  the  purchase  which  is  reported  you  lately  m-J.dc- 
of  them  on  the  rivers  Wattaga,  Nolichucky.  We  are  since  informed 
that  you  are  under  great  apprenhension  of  the  Indians  doing  mis- 
cirief  immediately.  But  it  is  not  the  desire  of  his  Majesty  to  =iet 
bis  friends  and  allies,  the  Indians,  on  his  liege  subjects:  therefore 
whoever  you  are,  that  are  willing  to  join  his  Majesty's  forces  as 
soon  as  they  arrive  at  the  Cherokee  nation,  by  repairing  to  the 
King's  standard,  shall  find  protection  for  themselves  and  their 
families  and  be  free  from  all  danger  whatever;  yet,  that  his 
Majesty's  oflficers  may  be  certain  which  of  you  are  willing  to  take 
up  arms  in  his  Majesty's  just  right,  I  have  thought  fit  to  recom- 
mend it  to  you  and  every  one  that  is  desirous  of  preventing  in- 
evitable ruin  to  themselves  and  families,  immediately  to  subscribe 
a  written  paper  acknowledging  their  allegiance  to  his  Majesty 
King  George,  and  that  they  are  ready  and  willing,  whenever  called 
on,  to  appear  in  arms  in  defence  of  the  British  right  in  America ; 
which  paper,  as  soon  as  it  is  signed  and  sent  to  me  safe  by  hand, 
should  any  of  the  inhabitants  be  desirous  of  knowing  how  they  are 
to  be  free  from  every  kind  of  insult  and  danger,  inform  them  that 
his  Majesty  will  immediately  land  an  army  in  West  Florida,  march 
them  through  the  Creek  to  the  Chickasaw  nation,  where  five  hun- 
dred warriors  from  each  nation  are  to  join  them,  and  then  come 
by  Chota,  who  have  promised  their  assistance,  and  then  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  frontiers  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  at  the 
same  time  that  his  Majesty's  forces  make  a  diversion  on  the  sea 
coast  of  those  Provinces.  If  any  of  the  inhabitants  have  any  beef, 
cattle,  flour,  pork  or  horses  to  spare,  they  shall  have  a  good  price 
for  them  by  applying  to  us,  as  soon  as  his  Majesty's  troops  are  em- 
bodied. I  am  yours,  &c., 

"Henry  Stuart.'" 

Henry  Stuart  was  the  Deputy  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs 
for  the  British  Government,  and  in  this  capacity  he  wrote  this  let- 
ter. This  letter  did  not  accomplish  its  purpose,  and  only  had  the 
effect  of  exciting  the  settlers  to  more  vigorous  efforts  to  resist  the 
plans  of  the  agents  of  the  British  crown.  On  the  8th  of  June  Jar- 
rett  Williams,  an  Indian  trader,  returned  to  the  Virginia  settle- 
ment from  the  Cherokee  towns  and  gave  further  information  as  to 
the  intention  of  the  Indians,  which  information  was  embodied  in 


Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786.  221 

0'- 

an  affidavit  given  before  Anthony  Bledsoe,  a  justice  of  the  peace  of 
Fincastle  county.    The  affidavit  was  as  follows : 

"Fincastle,  ss. — The  deposition  of  Jarret  Williams  taken  before 
me,  Anthony  Bledsoe,  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  county  afore- 
said, being  first  sworn  on  the  Holy  Evangelists  of  Almighty  God, 
deposeth  and  saith :  That  he  left  the  Cherokee  nation  on  Monday 
night,  the  8th  inst.  (July)  ; 

"That  the  part  of  the  nation  called  the  Over-Hills  were  then 
preparing  to  go  to  war  against  the  frontiers  of  Virginia,  having 
purchased  to  the  amount  of  1,000  skins  or  thereabouts,  for  mocka- 
sons.  They  were  also  beating  flour  for  a  march,  and  making  other 
warlike  preparations.  Their  number,  from'  calculation  made  by 
the  Eaven  Warrior,  amoimts  to  about  six  hundred  warriors;  and, 
according  to  the  deponent's  idea,  he  thinks  we  may  expect  a  gen- 
eral attack  any  hour.  They  propose  to  take  away  negroes  and 
horses,  and  to  kill  all  kinds  of  sheep,  cattle,  &c. ;  also  to  de- 
stroy all  corn,  burn  houses,  &c.  And  he  also  heard  that  the 
Valley  towns  were,  a  part  of  them,  set  off;  but  that  they  had 
sent  a  runner  to  stop  them  till  all  were  ready  to  start.  He 
further  relates  that  Alexander  Cameron  informed  them  that  he 
had  concluded  to  send  Captain  Nathaniel  Guist,  William  Paulin, 
Isaac  Williams  and  the  deponent  with  the  Indians,  till  they 
came  near  to  jSTolichucky,  then  the  Indians  were  to  stop  and  Guest 
and  the  other  whites  above  mentioned  were  to  go  to  see  if  there 
were  any  King's  men  among  the  inhabitants;  and  if  they  found 
any  they  were  to  take  them  off  to  the  Indians  or  have  a  white  sig- 
nal in  their  hands,  or  otherwise  to  distinguish  them.  When  this 
was  done  they  were  to  fall  on  the  inhabitants  and  kill  and  drive 
all  they  possibly  could. 

"That  on  Saturday,  the  6tli  inst.,  in  the  night,  he  heard  two 
prisoners  were  brought  in  about  midnight,  but  the  deponent  saw 
only  one.  That  the  within  Williams  saw  only  one  scalp  brought 
by  a  party  of  Indians,  with  a  prisoner;  but,  from  accounts,  they 
had  five  scalps.  He  also  says  he  heard  the  prisoner  examined  by 
Cameron,  thought  he  gave  a  very  imperfect  account,  being  very 
much  cast  down.  He  further  says  that  the  Cherokees  had  received 
the  war-belt  from  the  Shawnese,  Mingo,  Taawah  and  Delaware 
nations,  to  strike  the  white  people.  That  fifteen  of  the  said  na- 
tions were  in  the  Cherokee  towns,  and  that  few  of  the  Cherokees 


222  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

■  • 
went  in  company  with  the  Shawnese,  &c.     That  they  all  intended 

to  strike  the  settlers  in  Kentucky;  and  that  the  Cherokees  gave 
the  Shawnese  four  scalps  of  white  men,  which  they  had  carried 
away  with  them.  The  said  Shawnese  and  Mingoes  informed  the 
Cherokees  that  they  were  then  at  peace  with  every  other  nation ; 
that  the  French  were  to  supply  them  with  ammunition,  and  that 
they  wanted  the  Cherokees  to  join  them  to  strike  the  white  peo- 
ple on  the  frontiers,  which  the  Cherokees  have  agreed  to. 

"And  the  deponent  further  saith  that,  before  he  left  the  nation, 
a  number  of  the  Cherokees  of  the  Lower  Towns  were  gone  to  fall 
on  the  frontiers  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia ;  and  further  saith 
not.  Jarrett  Williams/'' 

Signed  before  Anthony  Bledsoe. 

The  settlers  on  the  waters  of  tlie  Holston  and  Clinch  were  greatly 
aroused  by  the  information  received,  and  the  militia  was  or- 
ganized and  armed  for  the  purpose  of  resisting  the  contemplated 
expedition  planned  by  Cameron,  the  British  agent.  The  reader 
must  remember  that  all  the  settlements  as  low  down  as  Carter's 
Valley,  and  including  the  settlement  at  Watauga,  were  governed 
by  Virginia  laws  at  this  time,  and  expected  and  received  protec- 
tion from  the  authorities  of  Fincastle  county  in  Virginia. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  information  the  Watauga  committee 
sent  an  express  to  Colonel  William  Preston,  the  county  lieutenant 
of  Fincastle  county,  detailing  to  him  their  situation  and  requesting 
the  assistance  of  the  authorities  and  supplies  of  lead  and  powder. 
Colonel  Preston  replied  to  this  letter  on  June  3d  as  follows : 

"Gentlemen, — Your  letter  of  the  30th  ult.  with  the  deposition  of 
Mr.  Bryan,  came  to  hand  this  evening  by  your  messenger.  The 
news  is  really  alarming,  with  regard  to  the  disposition  of  the  In- 
dians, who  are  doubtless  advised  to  break  with  the  white  people, 
by  the  enemies  to  American  liberty  who  reside  among  them.  But 
T  cannot  conceive  that  you  have  anything  to  fear  from  the  pre- 
tended invasion  by  British  troops,  by  the  route  they  mention. 
This  must,  in  my  opinion,  be  a  scheme  purposely  calculated  to  in- 
timidate the  inhabitants,  either  to  abandon  their  plantations  or 
turn  enemies  to  their  country,  neither  of  which  I  hope  it  will  be 
able  to  effect. 

"Our  Convention,  on  the  14th  of  May,  ordered  500  poimds  of  gun- 
powder to  each  of  the  counties  of  Fincastle,  Botetourt,  Augusta,  and 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  223 

West  Augusta,  ,  and  double  that  quantity  of 

lead They  likewise  ordered  100  men  to  be  forthwith 

raised  in  Fincastle,  to  be  stationed  where  our  committee  directs  for 

the  protection  of  the  frontier I  sent  the  several  letters 

and  depositions  you  furnished  me,  from  which  it  is  reasonable  to 
belie\e  that  when  all  these  shall  have  been  examined  vigorous  meas- 
ures will  be  adopted  for  our  protection. 

"I  have  already  advertised  our  committee  to  meet  at  Fort  Chis- 
well  on  Tuesday  the  11th  instant,  and  have  directed  the  candidates 
for  commissions  in  the  new  companies  to  exert  themselves  in  engag- 
ing the  number  of  men  required  until  then.  I  much  expect  we  shall 
have  further  news  from  Williamsburg  by  the  time  the  committee 
meets.  I  have  written  toi  Colonel  Calloway  the  second  time  for  200 
pounds  of  lead,  which  I  hope  he  will  deliver  the  bearer.  This  re- 
ply will,  I  hope,  be  some  relief  to  j'our  distressed  settlement,  and,  as 
I  said  before,  should  more  be  wantecf  I  am  convinced  you  may  be 
supplied.  I  am  fully  convinced  that  the  expense  will  be  repaid 
you  by  the  Convention  of  Virginia  or  North  Carolina  on  a  fair  rep- 
resentation of  the  case  being  laid  before  them,  whichsoever  of  them 
takes  your  settlement  under  protection,  as  there  is  not  the  least 
reason  that  any  one  part  of  the  colony  should  be  at  any  extraor- 
dinary expense  in  the  defence  of  the  whole,  and  you  may  be  as- 
sured you  cannot  be  overstocked  with  that  necessary  article,  for 
should  it  please  Providence  that  the  impending  storm  should  blow 
over,  and  there  would  be  no  occasion  to  use  the  ammunition  in  the 
general  defense,  then  it  might  be  sold  out  to  individuals,  and  the 
expense  of  the  whole  be  reimbursed  to  those  who  so  generously  con- 
tributed towards  the  purchase. 

"I  am,  with  the  most  sincere  wishes  for  the  safety  of  your  settle- 
ment, your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

"Wm.  Pkeston." 

The  information  brought  by  Thomas  to  the  settlement  was  to  the 
effect  that  seven  hundred  warriors  were  to  attack  the  white  settle- 
ments in  two  divisions  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  each,  led  by 
Dragging  Canoe  and  Oconostota.  The  one  commanded  by  Ocono- 
stota  was  to  attack  the  Watauga  settlements,  while  the  other,  com- 
manded by  Dragging  Canoe,  was  to  attack  and  break  up  the  settle- 
ments between  the  North  and  South  fork  of  the  Holston  river. 


224  Southivest  Virginia,  17Jt6-1786. 

Battle  of  Long  Island  Flats. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  news  a  few  of  the  militia  hastily  as- 
sembled and  proceeded  to  Amos  Eaton's,  the  frontier  hoiise,  about 
fifteen  miles  in  advance  of  tlie  settlement,  and  began  to  build  a 
kind  of  stockade  fort  with  fence-rails,  and  after  some  time  a 
breast-work  was  completed  suflicient  to  repel  a  considerable  number. 
Thereupon  expresses  were  sent  to  'J'hompson's  Fort,  now  on  the 
Ihiff  farm,  in  the  upper  end  of  this  county;  to  Edmiston's  Fort, 
now  near  Lodi,  Virginia;  to  Cocke's  Fort,  on  Spring  Creek;  to 
Shelby's  Fort,  on  Holston  river,  and  to  the  settlements"**near  Wolf 
Hills,  and  on  the  following  morning  about  one  hundred  and  seventy 
men  reported  at  Eaton's  Fort  under  the  command  of : 

James  Thompson,  James  Shelby, 

\  William  Buchanan,  John  Campbell, 

William  Cocke,  Thomas  Madison. 

On  the  19th  day  of  July,  17 76,  the  scouts  returned  to  Eaton's 
Fort  and  reported  that  a  great  number  of  Indians  were  making 
into  the  settlements. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  tliis  information  it  was  debated  as  to  the 
prudent  course  to  pursue,  to  await  the  coming  of  the  Indians  in 
the  fort  or  to  march  out  and  meet  them  in  the  woods  and  fight  them 
wherever  they  could  be  found.  Capt.  William  Cocke  argued  that 
the  Indians  would  not  attack  them  in  the  fort,  but  would  pass 
by  and  assail  the  settlements,  killing  and  butchering  and  carrying 
off  the  property,  and  proposed  to  march  out  and  meet  the  enemy. 
The  proposition  made  by  Captain  Cocke  prevailed,  and  the  entire 
company,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  men,  marched 
from  the  fort  in  tlie  direction  of  Long  Island,  which  was  about 
seven  miles  distant.  This  company  marched  in  two  divisions,  with 
flankers  on  each  side  and  scouts  before,  and  had  proceeded  not  more 
than  five  miles  when  they  discovered  about  twenty  Indians  meet- 
ing them,  upon  whom  they  fired.  The  Indians  returned  the  fire, 
whcT-eupon  the  white  men  rushed  upon  them  and  put  them  to  flight. 
Ten  bundles  and  a  good  deal  of  plunder  were  captured  by  the  white 
men,  and  it  was  thought  that  some  of  the  Indians  were  wounded. 
The  ground  where  this  skirmish  took  place  was  not  very  advantage- 
ous for  a  pursuit,  and  the  men  -were  with  great  difficulty  restrained 
from  pursuing  the  Indians.    A  council  was  held,  and  it  was  decided 


Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786.  225 

to  return,  as  the  officers  had  good  reason  to  believe  that  a  large 
part}^  of  Indians  were  not  a  great  way  off.  They  accordingly  re- 
turned, and  had  not  marched  more  than  a  mile  when  they  heard  a 
noise  like  distant  thunder,  and  looking  around  they  saw  the  whole 
Indian  force  running  upon  them  at  full  speed,  whereupon  they 
made  a  hasty  retreat  to  an  eminence,  where  they  rallied,  and  Cap- 
tain Thompson,  the  officer  in  command,  ordered  that  the  right  line 
form  for  battle  to  the  right  and  the  left  line  to  the  left,  and  to  face 
.  the  enemy. 

In  attempting  to  obey  the  orders  of  Captain  Thompson,  the  head 
of  the  right  line  bore  too  much  along  the  road  leading  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  station,  and  Lieutenant  Eobert  Davis,  perceiving  that 
the  Indians  were  trying  to  outflank  them,  took  a  part  of  the  line 
and  formed  them  as  quickly  as  possible  on  the  right,  across  the  flat 
to  the  ridge,  preventing  the  Indians  from  accomplishing  their  pur- 
]jose.  The  officers  and  many  of  the  men  exhibited  in  this  battle  a 
heroism  almost  unexampled,  ^^'hen  the  Indians  began  their  attack, 
it  was  with  great  fury,  those  in  front  halloing,  "The  Unacas  are  run- 
ning. Come  on  and  scalp  them."  The  Indian  attack  was  made 
upon  the  centre  and  the  left  flank  of  the  whites  at  the  same  time, 
and  as  a  result  the  troops  were  thrown  into  great  confusion,  and  it 
was  found  almost  impossible  to  form  the  troops  in  the  face  of  the 
Indian  attacks.  Whereupon  Capt.  James  Shelby,  stepping  to  the 
front,  ordered  the  several  companies  to  go  to  the  rear  and  reform 
their  ranks,  while  he,  accompanied  by  Lieut.  Wm.  Moore,  Robert 
Edmiston,  John  Morrison  and  John  Findlay,  kept  the  Indians  at 
bay. 

Gilmore,  in  his  ''.Rear  Guard  of  the  Revolution,"  makes  the  state-, 
ment  that  Edmiston,  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight,  slew  three  or  four 
Indians,  Morrison  as  many  more,  and  that  Moore  became  engaged 
in  a  desperate  struggle  with  a  herculean  Indian  chieftain,  and,  as 
if  by  general  consent,  the  Indians  paused  to  await  its  issue.  This 
delay,  no  doubt,  saved  much  loss  of  life  among  the  one  hundred  and 
seventy.  It  lasted  for  some  minutes,  but  ended  by  Moore  sinking 
his  tomahawk  into  the  brain  of  the  Indian.  The  whites,  in  the 
meantime,  had  formed  their  line  of  battle  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
long  and  began  to  pour  a  destructive  fire  into  the  Cherokees  from 
cover  whenever  possible.  The  Indians,  having  witnessed  the  end 
of  the  conflict  between  Moore  and  their  chieftain,  made  a  rapid 


22G  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

advance  upon  Shelby  and  his  companions,  who,  about  this  time, 
began  to  fall  back  to  their  line.  Whereupon  the  Indians  made  a 
furious  asssault  upon  Robert  Edmiston,  wlio  held  a  position  in  the 
centre  of  the  line,  during  which  assault  it  was  afterwards  charged 
that  Edmiston  used  profane  language,  upon  which  charge  he  was 
tried  by  the  Ebbing  Spring  Presb3i;erian  congregation.  The  en- 
gagement lasted  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  when 
the  Indians  disappeared  as  if  by  magic,  leaving  the  wliite  men 
masters  of  the  situation.  Thirteen  dead  Indians  were  found  on  the 
ground,  and  many  more  might  have  been  found  if  search  had  been 
made  for  them,  for  many  trails  of  blood  were  seen  where  the  dead 
had  been  carried  off  or  the  wounded  escaped.  It  is  wonderful  to 
record  the  fact  that  no  white  man  was  killed  in  this  battle  and  only 
four  slightly  wounded.  The  names  of  the  white  men  wounded  in 
this  battle  are,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  Joshua  Jones  and  John 
Findlay. 

We  here  give  a  report  of  this  engagement  made  by  the  captains  in 
command  to  Col.  William  Preston,  the  county  lieutenant  of  Fin- 
castle  county: 

"On  the  19th  our  scouts  returned  and  informed  us  that  they  had 
discovered  where  a  great  number  of  Indians  were  making  into  the 
settlements,  upon  which  alarm  the  few  men  stationed  at  Eaton's 
completed  a  breast-work  sufficiently  strong,  with  the  assistance  of 
what  men  were  there,  to  have  repelled  a  considerable  number ;  sent 
expresses  to  the  different  stations  and  collected  all  the  forces  in 
one  body,  and  the  moTning  after  about  one  hundred  aaid  seventy 
turned  out  in  search  of  the  enemy.  We  marched  in  two  divisions, 
with  flankers  on  each  side  and  scouts  before.  Our  scouts  discov- 
ered upwards  of  twenty  meeting  us,  and  fired  on  them.  They  re- 
turned the  fire,  but  our  men  rushed  on  them  with  such  violence  that 
they  were  obliged  to  make  a  precipitate  retreat.  We  took  ten  bundles 
and  a  good  deal  of  plunder,  and  had  great  reason  to  think  some  of 
them  were  wounded.  This  small  skirmish  happened  on  ground 
very  disadvantageous  for  our  men  to  pursue,  though  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  our  officers  could  restrain  their  men.  A  coun- 
cil was  held,  and  it  was  thought  advisable  to  return,  as  we  imagined 
there  was  a  large  party  not  far  off.  We  accordingly  returned,  and 
had  not  marched  more  than  a  mile  when  a  number,  not  inferior  to 
ours,  attacked  us  in  the  rear.    Our  men  sustained  the  attack  with 


Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-17 S6.  337 

great  bravery  and  intrepidity,  immediately  forming  a  line.  The 
Indians  endeavored  to  surround  us,  but  were  prevented  by  the  un- 
common fortitude  and  vigilance  of  Capt.  James  Shelby,  who  took 
possession  of  an  eminence  that  prevented  their  design.  Our  line  of 
battle  extended  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  We  killed  about  thir- 
teen on  the  spot,  whom  we  found,  and  we  have  the  greatest  reason 
to  believe  that  we  could  have  found  a  great  many  more  had  we  had 
time  to  search  for  them.  There  were  streams  of  blood  every  way, 
and  it  was  generally  thought  tJiere  was  never  so  much  execution 
done  in  so  short  a  time  on  the  frontiers.  Never  did  troops  fight  with 
greater  calmness  than  ours  did.  The  Indians  attacked  us  with  the 
greatest  fury  imaginable,  and  made  the  most  vigorous  efforts  to  sur- 
round us.  Our  spies  really  deserve  the  greatest  applause.  We  took 
a  great  deal  of  plunder  and  many  guns,  and  had  only  four  men 
greatly  wounded.  The  rest  of  the  troops  are  in  high  spirits  and 
eager  for  another  engagement.  We  have  the  greatest  reason  to  be- 
lieve they  are  pouring  in  great  numbers  on  us,  and  beg  the  assistance 
of  our  friends. 

.  "James  Thompson,  "John  Campbell, 

"James  Shelby,  "William  Cocke, 

"William  Buchanan,  "Thomas  Madison." 

Several  incidents  are  related  as  having  taken  place  before  and 
during  this  battle  that  we  here  give  as  they  have  l)een  preserved, 
without  vouching  for  the  truth  thereof.  Benjamin  Sharp,  in  a 
letter  published  in  the  American  Pioneer,  gives  an  incident  as  oc- 
curring during  the  battle.  He  says :  "An  Alexander  Moore,  a  strong, 
athletic,  active  man,  by  some  means,  got  into  close  contact  with  an 
Indian  of  nearly  his  own  size  and  strength.  My  brother-in-law,  Wil- 
liam King,  seeing  Moore's  situation,  ran  up  to  his  relief,  but  the 
Indian  adroitly  kept  Moore  in  such  a  position  that  King  could  not 
shoot  him  without  hurting  Moore.  The  Indian  had  a  large  knife 
suspended  at  his  belt,  for  the  possession  of  which  they  both  struggled, 
Ijut  at  length  Moore  succeeded  and  plunged  it  into  the  Indian's 
l)owels.  He  then  broke  his  hold  and  sprang  off  of  Moore,  and  King 
shot  him  through  the  head." 

Several  historians  make  the  statement  that  William  Cocke,  one 
of  the  captains  upon  this  expedition,  was  charged  with  cowardice 
by  a  number  of  the  militia  immediately  after  a  coimcil  of  the 


238  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

officers,  had  decided  to  return  to  Fort  Eaton  instead  of  pursuing  the 
twenty  Indians  first  discovered,  and  that  Captain  Cocke,  soon  after 
the  return  march  had  begun  for  Eaton's  Fort,  halted  the  line  and 
delivered  a  speech  in  defence  of  his  reputation.  We  cannot  imagine 
the  reason  why  the  charge  should  have  been  made,  but  from  an  ex- 
amination of  the  records  of  the  Virginia  Privy  Council  it  appears 
that  on  December  9,  1776,  the  following  order  was  entered: 

"It  appearing  from  the  deposition  of  Thomas  Madison,  Esq., 
tliat  there  are  grounds  to  suspect  Capt.  William  Cocke  of  cowardice 
in  a  late  action  with  the  Indians,  it  is  therefore  ordered  that  the 
said  Captain  Cocke  be  forthwith  suspended;  that  the  Governor  be 
requested  to  write  to  the  county  lieutenant  of  Fincastle  directing 
]iim  to  hold  a  court  of  inquiry  touching  the  conduct  of  said  Captain 
Cocke,  and  to  transmit  to  this  board  a  copy  of  the  same." 

I  cannot  ascertain  what  disposition  was  made  of  this  charge 
against  Captain  Cocke,  but  I  am  compelled  to  believe  that  he  was 
acquitted,  for  he  was  afterwards  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of 

-^A'irginia  from  Washington  county,  and  in  a  few  years  thereafter 
became  one  of  the  first  United  States  senators  from  the  State  of 
Tennessee. 

The  result  of  this  victory  was  not  only  the  destruction  of  a  num- 
ber of  the  Indian  warriors  and  the  wounding  of  tlieir  savage  chief, 
Dragging  Canoe,  but  it  inspired  the  settlers  with  confidence  in  them- 
selves and  a  contempt  of  danger  from  the  Indians.  It  is  said  that 
ever  afterwards  the  inquiry  among  the  white  settlers  when  in  search 
of  the  Indians  was  not  "how  many  of  them  are  there,"  but  "where 
are  they  to  be  found  ?"  On  the  same  day  that  the  battle  was  fought 
at  the  Long  Island  Flats  another  body  of  Indians  attacked  Fort 
Lee  at  Watauga,  in  which  fort  were  Capt.  James  Eobertson  and 
forty  others.  But  the  Indians  were  repulsed  with  some  loss  by  the 
fire  from  the  fort,  but  for  three  weeks  skulked  around  the  fort, 
during  which  time  a  man  and  a  boy,  who  had  ventured  to  leave  the 
fort,  were  assailed  by  the  Indians  and  captured,  and  the  man  scalped 
on  the  spot.  The  boy,  who  was  a  brother  of  Lieut.  Wm.  Moore, 
was  reserved  for  a  worse  fate,  he  being  afterwards  burned  at  the 
stake  by  the  Indians.  Mrs.  Wm.  Bean,  who  lived  on  Boone's  creek, 
was  captured  by  the  Indians,  but  was  subsequently  released  through 
the  influence  of  Nancy  Ward. 

^      Colonel  Eussell,  who  was  located  at  Fort  Patrick  Henry,  was 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  229 

ordered  to  go,  with  five  companies  of  militia,  to  the  relief  of  Fort 
Lee,  but  he  was  so  slow  that  Col.  Evan  Shelby  raised  a  company  of 
about  one  hundred  men  in  the  vicinity  of  Wolf  Hills  and  proceeded 
to  Watauga,  where  he  found  the  inhabitants  in  their  fort  and  the 
Indians  gone. 

After  the  battle  at  Long  Island  Flats  the  Virginia  militia  re- 
turned to  the  fort  and  the  men  dispersed  to  their  several  homes  to 
take  care  of  their  families  and  property.  In  the  meantime  all  the 
frontier  settlements  were  breaking  up  and  the  settlers  fleeing  from 
every  quarter.  The  main  road  or  trace  was  crowded  with  people 
moving  with  the  greatest  haste  to  escape  the  invading  Indians.  At 
the  farm  of  Capt.  Joseph  Black,  where  Abingdon  now  stands,  be- 
tween four  and  five  hundred  people  collected  together  to  build  a 
fort. 

The  erection  of  Black^s  Fort  was  begun  on  the  30th  day  of  July, 
1776,  the  same  day  that  the  battle  of  Long  Island  Flats  was  fought, 
and  the  news  of  the  victory  of  the  settlers  in  that  battle  was  received 
the  next  day..  Upon  the  receipt  of  this  news  all  business  was  sus- 
pended, while  the  Eev.  Charles  Cummings  offered  up  a  prayer 
of  thanksgiving,  in  which  all  the  people  heartily  joined.  The  defeat 
of  the  Indians,  at  the  Long  Island  did  not  end  the  trouble  of  the 
settlers  on  the  Holston.  About  the  time  that  the  battle  was  fought 
a  party  of  Indians  came  up  the  Clinch  river  burning  all  the  prop- 
erty and  killing  and  scalping  all  the  settlers  that  they  could  find. 
Dividing  themselves  into  small  bodies,  they  invaded  the  settlements 
from  the  lower  end  of  what  is  now  the  present  county  of  Sullivan, 
in  Tennessee,  to  the  Seven  Mile  Ford,  in  Virginia.  About  the  24th 
of  July,  1776,  Capt.  James  Montgomery,  who  had  settled  on  the 
south  fork  of  Holston  river,  about  eight  miles  from  Black's  Fort, 
came  to  the  fort,  he  and  two  other  families  having  decided  to  defend 
their  own  homes.  He  came  in  quest  of  intelligence,  and  was 
earnestly  besought  by  the  people  of  the  fort  to  bring  in  the  families, 
to  which  he  agreed,  and  men  and  horses  were  sent  to  assist  him. 
This  company  soon  returned  toi  the  fort  with  the  families  and  some 
of  their  property,  and  went  back  to  bring  in  the  rest  of  the  prop- 
erty when,  to  their  surprise,  they  found  the  houses  plundered  and  in 
flames.  The  company  thereupon  hastily  retreated  to  the  fort,  and 
spies  were  sent  out  to  locate  the  Indians  if  possible,  but  no  dis- 
coveries were  made  for  some  days,  when  at  length  the  spies  came  in 


330  Southiuest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

one  night  and  reported  that  they  had  discovered  a  fire  on  the  bank 
of  the  river  above  Montgomery's  which  they  supposed  to  be  the 
Indian  camp.* 

Upon  receipt  of  this  informaiion  an  express  was  sent  to  Bryan's 
Fort  requesting  their  men  to  meet  the  men  from  Black's  Fort  at  a 
certain  place  that  night.  The  two  companies  met  according  to 
agreement,  and  the  spies  conducted  them  to  the  spot  where  they 
had  seen  the  fire,  when  the  Indians  were  surrounded  from  the  river 
below  to  the  river  above  them,  with  strict  injunctions  to  ,the  men  to 
preserve  a  profound  silence  till  the  report  of  the  captain's  gun 
should  give  the  signal  for  a  general  discharge;  and  in  this  position 
they  waited  for  daylight.  At  the  dawn  of  day,  when  tlie  Indians 
arose  and  began  to  stir  about  the  camp,  the  crack  of  the  captain's 
rifle  was  followed  by  a  well-directed  fire  from  every  quarter.  The 
Indians  fled  across  the  river,  exposed  all  the  way  to  the  fire  of  the 
whites.  Eleven  Indians  lay  dead  at  and  around  the  camp,  and  the 
number  that  fell  and  sank  in  the  river  is  not  known.  The  men 
crossed  the  river  and  found  numerous  trails  of  blood,  one  of  which 
they  followed  to  where  an  Indian  had  crept  into  a  hollow  log,  wliom 
they  drew  out  by  his  feet,  and,  according  to  his  request,  shot  him  in 
the  head.  As  a  result  of  this  slaughter  of  Indians  the  settlers  at 
Black's  Fort  were  greatly  rejoiced,  and  the  eleven  Indian  scalps 
were  attached  to  a  long  pole  and  fixed  as  a  trophy  over  the  fort 
gates,  f  Several  days  thereafter  tliree  companies  prepared  to  go  out 
from  the  fort  to  visit  their  plantations  and  on  other  missions.  The 
first  company  to  leave  the  fort  was  composed  of  John  Sharp,  his  t\vr, 
sons,  and  two  sons-in-law.  They  went  early  and  were  tmmolested. 
The  second  company  to  leave  the  fort  on  that  day  was  composed  oP 
Arthur  Blackburn,  William  Casey  and  his  sister  Nancy,  who  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age,  Eobert  Harold  and  several  others,  and 
about  the  same  time  a  third  company  left  the  fort  to'  visit  the  hoii.-e 
of  Rev.  Charles  Cummings  to  bring  his  books  and  some  of  his  prop- 
erty into  the  fort.  Both  of  these  parties  were  attacked  by  the 
Indians  at  the  same  time  within  hearing  of  the  fort,  where  an  inde- 
scribable scene  of  disorder  took  place,  the  women  and  children 
screaming,  wives  clinging  to  their  husbands,  mothers  to  their  sons 


*This  oamp  was  on  the  Mahaffey  farm. 

fBenj.  Sharp  letter,  published  in  American  Pioneer.    He  was  an  occupant 
of  the  fort  at  the  time. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  231 

and  sisters  to  their  brothers,  to  prevent  them  from  going  ont  of  the 
fort. 

However,  a  number  of  them  left  the  fort  and  ran  to  the  rescue 
of  the  companies  as  fast  as  possible,  but  before  they  arrived  upon 
the  scene  the  Indians  had  done  their  work  and  gone.  Of  the  second 
company  to  leave  the  fort  Arthur  Blackburn  was  shot,  tomahawked, 
and  scalped,  but  was  found  alive,  broaight  in,  and  recovered  from 
his  wounds.  Along  with  this  same  company  was  William  Casey 
and  his  sister  Nancy,  a  beautiful  little  girl  about  sixteen  years  of 
age.  As  Casey  was  running  for  his  life  to  the  fort  he  discovered 
the  Indians  in  hot  pursuit  of  his  sister,  and  seeing  Eobert  Harold, 
another  young  man,  close  by,  he  called  to  him  to  come  and  help  him 
save  Nancy.  Harold  obeyed,  and,  although  there  were  from  four 
to  seven  Indians  in  pursuit,  these  young  men  rushed  between  them 
and  the  girl,  and  by  dexterously  managing  to  fire  alternately,  still 
keeping  one  gun  loaded  when  tlie  other  was  discharged,  they  kept 
the  Indians  at  bay  till  they  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  the  girl  was 
brought  in  safe.  The  author  of  this  account  says,  "Such  acts  of  gen- 
erous bravery  ought  at  all  times  be  held  as  examples  to  our  youth." 

The  third  company  was  composed  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Cum- 
mings,  his  servant  Job,  William  Creswell,  the  driver,  James  Piper 
and  one  other;  and  when  they  had  reached  a  point  called  Piper's 
Hill,  they  were  attacked  by  a  band  of  Indians,  and  at  the  first  fire 
William  Creswell,  who  had  taken  part  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island 
Flats,  was  killed  and  two  of  the  other  men  were  wounded,  James 
Piper  having  his  finger  shot  off,  but  the  Rev.  Charles  Cummings, 
with  the  remaining  man,  and  his  servant  Job,  held  the  Indians 
at  bay  until  he  obtained  help  from  Black's  Fort,  when  he  brought 
off  the  wounded  men  in  safety.  William  Creswell  was  buried  near 
the  Presbyterian  church,  now  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery,  where  his 
grave  may  be  seen  at  this  day  marked  by  a  rude  tombstone.  An 
exact  reproduction  of  the  inscription  thereon  is  here  given : 

William  Creswell 

entered  this  place 

July,  1776. 

It  has  been  stated  that  this  is  the  oldest  known  grave  in  this  sec- 
tion, but  such  is  not  the  fact.  Poston's  graveyard  is  situated  on  a 
high  knob  in  close  proximity  to  the  falls  of  the  north  fork  of  Holston 


232  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

river,  in  this  county,  and  in  the  graveyard  is  found  a  grave  marked 
by  a  iimestone  rock  upon  which  is  inscribed,  "Mary  Boyd,  died  Feby. 
17,  1773,  aged  3  years.  Alexander  Boyd's  child."  Tradition  says 
that  this  death  occurred  by  the  capsizing  of  Boyd's  boat  in  passing 
over  the  falls,  Boyd  at  the  time  emigrating  to  the  extreme  frontiers. 

From  the  period  that  Mr.  Cummings  commenced  preaching  in 
the  Holston  settlements  up  to  the  time  of  this  attack  the  men  never 
went  to  church  without  being  armed  and  taking  their  families  with 
them.  On  Sabbath  morning  during  most  of  this  period  it  was  the 
custom  of  Mr.  Cummings  to  dress  himself  neatly,  put  on  his  shot 
pouch,  shoulder  his  rifle,  mount  his  horse  and  ride  off  to  church, 
where  he  met  his  gallant  and  intelligent  congregation,  each  man 
with  his  rifle  in  his  hand.  The  minister  would  then  enter  the 
church,  walk  gravely  through  the  crowd,  ascend  the  pulpit,  deposit 
his  rifle  in  a  corner  of  it,  lay  off  his  shot  pouch,  and  commence  the 
solemn  services  of  the  day.* 

The  Eev.  Charles  Cummings  was  what  would  be  termed  in 
our  day  "  a  fighting  parson."  Immediately  after  the  occurrence* 
above  stated  Mr.  Cummings  and  about  one  hundred  of  his  parishion- 
ers, under  the  command  of  Evan  Shelby,  hurried  to  the  relief  of 
the  Watauga  settlers  who  were  besieged  by  the  Indians  in  Fort  Lee, 
and  he  accompanied  Col.  William  Christian  on  his  expedition  against 
the  Cherokee  Indians  in  the  fall  of  this  year,  preaching  at  different 
points  in  East  Tennessee  to  settlers  and  soldiers  whenever  the  oppor- 
tunity offered  itself,  he  being  the  first  minister  of  the  gospel  to  de- 
liver the  message  of  peace  in  the  boundaries  of  the  present  State 
of  Tennessee.  In  the  year  1776  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Martha 
Washington  College  and  Stonewall  Jackson  Institute  was  a  dense 
chinquapin  thicket,  and  the  lands  between  the  thicket  and  Black's 
Fort  were  cultivated  in  flax.  During  the  summer  of  the  year 
1776  two  men  and  three  women  were  pulling  flax  near  the  fort 
with  Frederick  Mongle  stationed  as  sentinel  to  give  the  alarm 
should  the  Indians  make  their  appearance.  The  Indians,  who  had 
hidden  themselves  in  the  bushes  above  referred  to,  quietly  ap- 
proached and  wounded  and  scalped  Mr.  Mongle,  but  the  other 
persons  reached  the  fort  in  safety  by  dodging  from  tree  to  tree. 
The  men  from  the  fort  came  at  once  to  the  rescue,  and,  attacking 


Governor  David  Campbell's  MSS. 


Southwest  Virginia,  174-6-1786.  333 

the  Indians,  drove .  them  off.  Mr.  Mongle  soon  died  from  his 
wounds,  and  his  relatives  claim  that  his  grave,  and  not  William 
Creswell's,  was  the  first  made  in  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery.  But 
this  contention  cannot  be  correct,  for  Mongle  was  not  killed  until 
several  weeks  after  the  death  of  William  Creswell. 

During  the  summer  several  murders  were  committed  by  the 
Indians.  Two  men,  who  had  gone  out  to  bring  up  their  horses, 
were  killed  almost  in  sight  of  a  neighboring  fort,  and  of  the  two  men 
who  went  with  an  express  from  Fort  Black  one  was  killed  and  the 
other  made  his  escape. 

As  a  result  of  the  trouble  with  the  Indians  Col.  Wm.  Chris- 
tian, Capt.  Wm.  Campbell,  and  Capt.  Wm.  Eussell  returned  to 
their  homes  from  the  regular  continental  army  to  assist  in  the 
defence  of  their  homes  from  the  combined  attacks  of  the  British 
and  Indians.  The  Governor  of  Virginia  at  this  time  directed  Col. 
AVm.  Fleming,  of  Botetourt  county,  to  dispatch  a  body  of  the 
militia  of  that  county  to  the  frontiers  of  Fincastle  county  for  the 
protection  of  the  inhabitants,  and  pursuant  to  this  order  Capt. 
Thomas  Eowland  was  dispatched  with  his^company  to  the  fron- 
tiers. The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  Captain  Eowland's  com- 
pany: 

Capt.  Thomas  Eowland,  William  Kyles, 

Henry  Cartmill,  Martin  McFattin, 

Martin  Baker,  James  Esprey, 

John  Wood,  Samuel  McFarrin, 

Thomas  Bowyer,  George  Eutledge, 

James  Leatherdale,  William  Calbert, 

John  Crawford,  Edward  Carbin, 

David  WaUace,  Samuel  M'Eoberts, 

James  Bryant,  Thomas  Peage, 

William  Bryant,  Stephen  Holston, 

Eobert  Feely,  William  Henry, 

Elijah  Vinsant,  George  Givens, 

John  Moor,  James  Cloyd, 

Thomas  Eagnew,  Isaac  Lawrence, 

Isaac  Eichardson,  William  Wills, 

James  Nicholas,  James  McQuown, 

William  Crawford,  James  Eobinson, 


234  Sbuthtvest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

James  Alcorn,  William  Kichey, 

George  Tlutchinson  Joseph  Kyles, 

(B-otetourt  parish),  Samuel  McChire, 

Rev.  Adam  Smyth,  pastor,  Patrick  Lockliait, 

William  Astin,  John  Mills, 

W^illiam  Leatherdale,  Henry  Smith, 

Eobert  Woods,  James  Gaunt, 

Edward  Guilford,  Joseph  Carrol, 

Joseph  Bryant,  John  Jones, 

William  McFarrin,  Henry  Walker, 

Jacob  Kimberland,  John  Burks, 

Robert  Birdswell,  Thomas  Arbuekle, 

Thomas  Howell,  David  Lawrence, 

\   Samuel  Blair,  Patrick  Lawrence, 

David  Harbinson,  John  Frager, 

Jonathan  Wood,  William  Ross. 
Joseph  Titus, 

This  expedition  accomplished  nothing  of  value.  This  muster 
roll  is  given  as  a  matter  of  information  to  the  many  descendants 
of  these  men  who  are  now  living  in  this  county. 

In  the  year  1776,  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Long  Island  Flats, 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Lewis,  with  his  wife  and  seven  children, 
lived  in  the  bounds  of  the  present  county  of  Scott.  He  was 
informed  by  Captain  John  Redd,  that  the  Indians  had  declared  war 
and  were  on  the  warpath,  and  was  advised  to  move  into  the  settle- 
ments, but  he  swore  that  he  was  in  no  danger,  the  Indians  would 
never  find  him,  but,  soon  thereafter,  the  Indians  visited  his  home 
and  killed  and  scalped  Lewis,  his  wife  and  seven  children.  Among 
the  extreme  settlers  who  left  their  homes  and  returned  to  the  set- 
tlements, was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ambrose  Fletcher,  whose  fam- 
ily consisted  of  himself,  his  wife  and  two  children.  Fletcher  had 
settled  at  Martin's  Fort  in  Powell's  Valley,  and  fled  from  that 
point  to  Blackmore's  Foxt,  on  Cove  creek,  now  in  Scott  county,  ■ 
Virginia.  He  and  his  family  remained  in  Blackmore's  Fort  for 
a  few  days,  wben,  the  fort  becoming  very  much  crowded,  Fletcher 
built  a  small  cabin,  about  thirty  or  forty  yards  back  of  the  fort, 
and  moved  into  it.  Sliortly  afterwards,  Fletcher  left  his  home  to 
go  to  a  canebrake  to  get  his  horse,  and,  on  returning,  he  found  his 
wife  and  two  children  tomahawked  and  scalped. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Ji6-1786.  235 

At  this  time  the  following  forts  were  to  be  found  on  the  waters 
of  the  Holston  and  Clinch,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain : 

Thompson's  Fort,  located  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Huff  Bros. 

Edmiston's  Fort,  located  on  Snodgrass's  farm  at  Lodi,  Va. 

Bryan's  Fort,  located  at  Kendrick's  Mill. 

Black's  Fort,  located  at  Abingdon,  Virginia. 

Cocke's  Fort,  located  on  Clyce  Farm  on  Spring  creek. 

Bledsoe's  Fort,  located . 

Shelby's  Fort,  located  Bristol. 

Eaton's  Fort,  located  seven  miles  east  of  Long  Island. 

Fort  Patrick  Henry,  located  at  Long  Island. 

Fort  Lee,  located,  at  Watauga. 

Gillespie's  Fort,  located . 

Womack's  Fort,  located,  near  Bluff  City,  Tennessee. 

Martin's  Fort,  located  in  Powell's  Valley. 

Priest's  Fort,  located  in  Powell's  Valley. 

Mumps'  Fort,  located  in  Powell's  Valley. 

Rye  Cove  Fort,  located . 

Blackmore's  Fort,  located  Cove  creek. 

Glade  Hollow  Fort,  located  in  Russell  county. 

Hamlin's  Fort,  located  near  Castle's  Woods. 

Elk  Garden  Fort,  located  Russell  county. 

Fort  Bowen,  located  at  Maiden  Spring. 

Wynne's  Fort,  located  Tazewell  county,  Wynne's  branch. 

Crab  Orchard  Fort,  located  Tazewell  county. 

At  the  same  time  that  the  Virginia  settlements  were  suffering 
from  the  invasion  of  the  Indians,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia,  were  experiencing  like  invasions.  These  four  fron- 
tier colonies  decided  to  invade  the  Indian  country  and  bring 
them  to  their  senses,  by  destroying  their  towns  and  chastising  their 
warriors.  The  Cherokee  Indians  occupied  that  vast  country  north 
of  the  upper  settlements  in  Georgia  and  west  of  the  settlements  in 
North  and  South  Carolina  and  Southwest  Virginia.  Their  coun- 
try was  divided  into  three  sections,  and  the  number -of  the  warriors 
in  each  was  as  follows: 

Middle    Settlements   and   Valleys    878 

In   Lower   Towns    356 

In   Over-Hill   Towns    757 

Total    1,991 


236  Southwest  Virginia,  nJf6-n86. 

The  Georgia  militia,  under  tlie  command  of  Colonel  McBury  and 
Major  Jack,  invaded  the  Indian  settlements  on  the  Tugalo  river, 
routed  the  Indians  and  destroj^ed  all  their  towns.  The  militia:  of 
South  Carolina,  being  about  1150  men,  under  the  command  of 
General  Williamson,  in  the  early  days  of  August,  marched  into 
the  Indian  settlements  and  met  and  defeated,  at  Oconoree,  Alex- 
ander Cameron,  who  was  in  command  of  a  large  body  of  Indians 
and  white  men.  They  burned  a  number  of  Indian  towns  and 
returned  to  their  homes.  The  militia  of  the  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina, numbering  about  2,000  men,  under  the  command  of  General 
Eutherford,  marched  into  the  middle  settlements  and  valleys, 
about  the  same  time.  Upon  the  approach  of  this  army,  the  Indians 
fled.  Their  towns  were  burned,  to  the  number  of  thirty  or  forty, 
and  these  troops  returned  to  North  Carolina.  While  the  troops  of 
the  States  of  Georgia,  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina  were 
invading  the  middle  settlements  and  lower  towns  of  the  Cherokees, 
the  Virginia  authorities  were  making  every  preparation  to  invade 
the  over-hill  towns. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1776,  the  Virginia  Council  received  a  letter 
from  President  Eutledge,  of  South  Carolina,  informing  them  that 
hostilities  had  been  commenced  by  the  Cherokee  Indians,  and  that 
Georgia,  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina  had  agreed  to  set 
on  foot  an  expedition  against  the  lower  towns  and  middle  settle- 
ments at  once,  and  requesting  the  cooperation  of  Virginia,  asking 
that  she  carry  war  into  the  upper  or  over-hill  t/owns.  Thereupon, 
the  council  directed  Colonel  Charles  Lewis  to  march  immediately, 
with  his  battalion  of  minute  men,  to  the  frontiers.  Upon  the 
receipt  of  this  order  Colonel  Lewis  immediately  marched  his  bat- 
talion of  troops  to  the  vicinity  of  New  river  in  Fincastle  county, 
where  it  was  ascertained  that  a  number  of  his  men  were  unfit  for 
an  Indian  expedition ;  whereupon,  he  was  directed  to  discharge  all 
such  and  to  recruit  others  in  their  stead. 

On  the  first  day  of  August,  1776,  the  Virginia  Council  ordered 
that  a  commission  issue  appointing  William  Christian,  Esq.,  colonel 
of  the  first  battalion  and  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces 
raised  for  nse  in  the  expedition  against  the  Cherokee  Indians.  It 
was  decided  to  send  two  battalions  of  troops  upon  this  expedition, 
which  were  officered  as  follows: 

Commander-in-chief,  William  Christian. 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


287 


Colonel,  first  battalion,  William  Christian. 
Major,  first  battalion,  Evan  Shelby. 
Surgeon,  first  battalion,  Joseph  Starke. 
Colonel,  second  l^attalion,  Charles  Lewis. 
Surgeon,  second  battalion,  George  Hart. 

Captain  James  Thompson  and  his  company  formed  the  life 
guard  of  Colonel  Christian,  the  commander-in-chief,  upon  this 
expedition. 

The  folloAving  captains,  with  their  companies,  accampanied  thia 
expedition  against  tlie  (Jheiokee  Indians,  so  far  as  1  can  ascertain: 


Captain  John  Campbell, 
Captain  William  Russell, 
Captain  Eobert  Boggs, 
Captain  John  Sevier, 
Captain  James  Thompson, 
Captain  Isaac  Bledsoe, 
Captain  John  Momtgomery, 


Captain  Daniel  Smith, 
Captain  Aaron  Lewis, 
Captain  Jacob  Womack, 
Captain  William  Cocke, 
Captain  Benjamin  Gray, 
Captain  William  Preston, 
Captain  Thomas  Madison. 


Captain  Thomas  Madison  was  appointed  commissary  and  pay- 
master upon  this  expedition. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  participants  in  this  expedition.  I  have, 
therefore,  gathered  the  names  of  the  privates  who  took  part  in.  this 
expedition,  as  far  as  I  can  obtain  them.  Their  names  are  as 
follows : 


llobert,  Campbell, 
Thomas  Hobbs,  wounded. 
Thomas  Berry,  wounded. 
Christopher  Watson, 
Matthew  Allison, 
John  Finley, 
Andrew  Wallace, 
Humphrey  Higgins, 
James  Sawyers, 
William  Crawford, 
James  Buford, 
Joshua  Eenfro, 
William  Hogart, 
Ephraim  Dunlap, 


Michael  Ocheltree, 
Benjamin  Thomas, 
John  Wood, 
Eobert  Finley, 
William  WiUs, 
Jacob  Gardner, 
Samuel  Ewing, 
George  Caldwell, 
Jacob  Early, 
James  Berry, 
Henley  Moore, 
Jacob  Anderson, 
John  Adair, 
James  Robinson, 


238 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


William  Hicks, 

David  Getgood, 

Samuel  Gay, 

Isaac  Eiddle, 

David  Smith, 

Edward  Eoss, 

Gideon  Farris, 

Jesse  Womack, 

John  Furnham, 

William  Frogg, 

William  Milnm, 

Lance  Woodward, 

Francis  Katherine, 

Daniel  Henderson, 

Amos  Eaton, 

David  Ro'unceval, 

Samuel  Douglas,  wounded 

Duncan,  killed; 

George  Berry,  wounded; 
John  Reburn, 
Abraham  Crabtree, 
David  McKenzie, 
Christopher  Irwin, 
John  Cochran, 
James  Young, 
William  Meade, 
David  Wallace, 
Stephen  Holston, 
Patrick  Murphy, 
Isbon  Talbert, 
James  Campbell, 
:  Matthew  Scott, 
Thomas  Logwood, 
Robert  Preston, 
Robert  Campbell, 
Jacob  Cogor, 
Daniel  Kidd, 
John  Goff, 
Cuthbert  Jones, 


Samuel  Campbell, 
William  Markland, 
Joseph  McCormick, 
James  McCockle, 
Joseph  Russell, 
Jonathan  Martin,  - 
Gideon  Morris, 
William  Ingram, 
Robert  Stewart, 
James  Berry, 
Daniel  Smith, 
William  Haynes, 
John  McClanahan, 
John  Phelps, 
Abraham  McClanahan, 
James  Arnold, 
Hanrist  Carlock, 
Andrew  Little, 
Thomas  Berry, 
John  Latham, 
William  Ramsay, 
James  Bradley, 
Lambert  Lame, 
John  Rice, 
Joab  Springer, 
Onsbey  Carney, 
John  Crane, 
Benjamin  Drake, 
Benjamin  Rice, 
David  Irwin, 
George  Miller, 
Thomas  Ramsay, 
Thomas  Fowler, 
Thomas  Smith, 
George  Coon, 
William  Rice, 
Isaac  Rounceval, 
James  M'Farland, 
William  Ross, 


Southwest  Virginia^  1746-1786. 


339 


Philip  Love, 
David  English, 
James  Tuttle, 
Meredy  Eeins, 
Michael  Gleaves, 
Christian  Shiiltz, 
Samuel  Ingram, 
James  Newell, 
William  Bennett, 
Tittleton  Brooks, 
Michael  Eowland, 
William  Mitchell, 
William  Eice, 
Philip  Williams, 
James  Harris, 
Arthur  Onsbey, 
William  Nettles, 
John  Harris,  Jr., 
William  Lane, 
David  Hunter, 
Michael  Ohair, 
John  Walker, 
Ebenezer  Meads, 
Samuel  Campbell, 
Francis   Hamilton, 
^    James  Daugherty, 
Frederick  Fraily, 
William  Edmiston, 
David  Carson, 
James  M'Cain, 
James  Steel, 
Eobert  Gambell, 
Daniel  M'Cormack, 
Jonathan  Jennings, 
George  Parker, 
William  Peoples, 
Valentine  Little, 
Samuel  Fair, 
Alexander  Butler, 


William  Brown, 
Tjeonard  Helm, 
James  Greer, 
Samuel  Ewin, 
Eichard  Thomas, 
Eobert  Stephenson, 
Eobert  M'Elheney, 
Isaac  Thomas, 
John  Craig, 
Adam  Brausteter, 
Michael  Dougherty, 
James  M'Carthy, 
William  Henson, 
Charles  Eice, 
Jesse  Henson, 
Jonathan  Mulhey, 
Moses  Winters, 
John  Harris,  Sr., 
James  Beets, 
John  M'Farland, 
Nicholas  Edwards, 
James  Kelley, 
James  Eichardson, 
James  Hamilton, 
George  Newland, 
James  Williams, 
Henry  Whitner, 
Henry  Eichardson, 
John  Muldrough, 
Michael  Francisco, 
James  Mason, 
Solomon  Kendrick, 
William  White, 
Charles  Cocke, 
John  Craig, 
Eobert  McNutt, 
Jacob  Steams, 
John  Simpson, 
Thomas  Price, 


240 


Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 


Peter  Haff, 
Henry  Rice, 
William  Lane, 
Philip  Mulhey,  Sr., 
I^ewis  Crane, 
Isaac  Lindsay,- 
Samuel  Martin, 
James  M'Clern, 
James  Smith, 
Lewis  Whitner, 
William  Calvert, 
Samuel  Eason, 
James  M'Donald, 
Samuel  Montgomery, 
William  Carr, 
John  Gibson, 
James  Walker, 
Philip  Mulhey,  Jr.,    > 
Andrew  Cowan, 
John  Adair, 
James  Cameron, 


George  Scott,  • 
Joseph  Perrin 
Nicholas  Edwards, 
John  Hounshel, 
Adam  Brausteter, 
James  Doran, 
George  Caldwell, 
Jeremiah  Rush, 
Robert  Hardwicke, 
Joseph  M'Reynolds, 
Benjamin  Logan, 
Robert  Cowden, 
Andrew  Irwin, 
John  Gordon, 
Thomas  Goldsby, 
Peter  Tnrney, 
Anthony  Bledsoe, 
John  Walker, 
Evan  Williams, 
Edward  Piggett, 
Jacob  Vance. 


On  the  26th  day  of  July,  1776,  the  Honorable  Cornelius  Har- 
nett, president  of  the  Council  of  Safety  of  North  Carolina,  informed 
the  Virginia  Council  that  the  Cherokees  entertained  the  design  of 
cutting  off  the  persons  employed  at  the  Lead  Mines,  whereupon,  the 
Council  ordered  William  Preston,  the  county  lieutenant  of  Fincastlo 
county,  to  raise,  at  once,  a  stockade  fort  for  the  defence  of  said 
mines  and  to  garrison  the  same  with  a  force  of  twenty-five  men. 

On  the  first  day  of  August,  1776,  the  Virginia  Council  gave  the 
following  instructions  to  William  Christian,  commander-in-chief, 
and  Colonel  Charles  Lewis,  in  command  of  the  second  battalion, 
of  the  forces  in  the  expedition  against  the  Cherokees. 

"When  your  battalion  and  the  battalion  under  Colonel  Charles 
Lewis  are  completed,  you  are  to  march  with  them  and  the  forces 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Russell,  and  such  others  as  may  join 
you  from  Carolina,  into  the  Cherokee  country,  if  these  forces  shall 
be  judged  sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  severely  chastising  that  cruel 
and  perfidious  nation,  which  you  are  to  do  in  a  manner  most  likely 
to  put  a  stop  to'  future  insults  and  ravages  and  that  may  redound 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  241 

most  to  the  honor  of  American  arms.  If  the  Indians  should  be 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  suing  for  peace,  you  must  take  care  to 
demand  of  them  a  sufficient  number  of  their  chiefs  and  warriors  as 
hostages,  for  the  performance  of  the  conditions  you  may  require  of 
them.  You  must  insist  on  their  delivering  up  all  prisoners  who 
may  choose  to  leave  them  and  on  their  giving  up  to  justice  all  per- 
sons amongst  them  who  have  been  concerned  in  bringing  on  the 
present  war,  particularly  Stuart,  Cameron  and  Gist,  and  all  others 
whO'  have  committed  murder  or  robberies  on  our  frontiers.  You 
may  require  any  other  terms  which  the  situation  of  affairs  may 
point  out  and  you  may  judge  necessary  for  the  safety  and  honor  of 
the  Commonwealth.  You  must  endeavor  to  communicate  with  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  Carolina  forces  and  cooperate  with  him, 
making  the  attack  as  near  the  time  of  his  as  may  be. 

You  are  from  time  to  time  to  write  His  Excellency  the  Governor, 
giving  him  a  full  account  of  your  operations,  and  requiring  his 
further  instructions.  Instructions  to  Colonel  Charles  Lewis  of  the 
second  battalion  of  minute  men:  You  are  to  order  the  captains 
under  your  command  to  march  their  companies  to  their  respective 
counties,  then  to  discharge  such  of  their  men  as  are  not  properly 
qualified  to  serve  on  an  expedition  against  the  Indians,  and  to  raise 
with  all  possible  dispatch  in  their  stead  the  best  recruits  that  can 
be  found  for  the  service,  and,  having  so  completed  their  companies, 
to  repair  to  the  Big  Island  on  Holston  river  in  Fincastle  county,  the 
place  of  general  rendezvous." 

And,  on  the  6th  day  of  August,  1776,  the  Virginia  Council 
directed  tlie  keeper  of  the  magazine  to  forward  to  Colonel  William 
Christian  1,000  poimds  of  powder,  two  flints  to  be  used  on  this 
expedition. 

It  required  some  time  to  organize  and  equip  the  forces  intended 
to  proceed  against  the  Cherokee  Indians,  which  work  was  carried 
on  with  the  greatest  possible  expedition,  until  the  first  week  in  Sep- 
tember. 

FINCASTLE  COUNTY  OEGANIZED  UNDER  THE  STATE 
CONSTITUTION. 

The  first  county  court  of  Fincastle  county,  under  the  Constitution 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia,  assembled  at  the  Lead  Mines, 
(now  in  Wythe  county),  on  September  3,  1776,  at  which  time  the 


242  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-1786. 

following  members  of  the  county  court  and  officers  of  Fincastle 
county  qualified  by  taking  the  oatli  prescribed  by  an  ordinance  of 
the  Virginia  Convention,  which  oath  was  administered  by  James 
McGavock  and  Arthur  Campbell. 

MEMBEES  OF  TPIE  COUNTY  COUET: 

William  Preston,  Arthur  Campbell, 

James  McGavock,  John  Montgomery, 

James  McCorkle. 

Sheriff,  William  Preston,  appointed  by  the  court. 

Deputy  Sheriff,  William  Sayers, 

Deputy  Clerk,  Stephen  Trigg, 

County-Lieutenant,  William  Preston. 

Attorney-at-Law,  Harry  Innes. 

But  little  business  of  importance  was  transacted  at  this  term  of 
the  court,  so  far  as  the  records  that  have  been  preserved  show. 

Thus  began  the  first  organized  government  under  the  Constitu- 
tion of  Virginia,  in  Fincastle  county. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1776,  that  portion  of  the  troops  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  William  Eussell  began  their  march  to  the 
Great  Island  of  the  Holston,  at  which  time  Anthony  Bledsoe  entered 
two  wagons  in  the  public  service,  to  convey  the  baggage  and  pro- 
vision of  the  troops.  This  circumstance  is  mentioned,  for  the  rea- 
son that  this  was  the  first  time,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  that 
a  wagon  was  taken  by  tlie  white  man,  as  low  down  as  the  Long 
Island  in  Holston. 

When  Colonel  Eussell  reached  the  Long  Island,  he  thought  it 
necessary  to  erect  a  fort  in  a  field  on  the  land  of  John  Latham,  on 
Long  Island,  which  fort  was  speedily  erected  and  every  preparation 
made  for  the  coming  of  the  troops  under  command  of  Colonel  Chris- 
tian. A  company  of  militia  was  enrolled  at  Black's  Fort  (now 
Abingdon),  and  taken  into  the  pay  of  the  government,  to  guard 
the  new  fort,  called  Fort  Patrick  Henry,  at  Long  Island,  and  to 
guard  the  provision  and  baggage  wagons  going  to  and  returning 
from  that  fort.  By  the  first  day  of  October,  Colonel  Christian,  with 
his  entire  army  of  2,000  men,  including  about  400  men  from  North 
Carolina  under  command  of  Colonel  Joseph  Williams,  Colonel  Love 
and  Major  Winston,  arrived  at  Long  Island.  When  the  army  had 
proceeded  about  six  miles  beyond  Long  Island,  Colonel  Christian 


Southwest  Virginia,  174G-1780.  243 

halted  his  unny  and  offered  a  reward  of  one  hundred  pounds  to 
an}'  pei'son  or  persons  who  woukl  proceed  to  the  Cherokee  towns  and 
bring  liini  a  prisoner,  in  order  to  obtain  intelligence  of  the  motions 
of  the  enemy;  whereupon,  8amnel  Ewing,  John  Blankenship  and 
James  jMcCall  undertook  the  business,  and  in  a  few  days  entered 
the  town  of  To(pio,  after  crossing  the  Tennessee  river,  where  they 
met  an  Indian  man  on  horseback,  whom  they  permitted  to  escape, 
lest  it  might  occasion  a  discovery.  They  next  visited  the  house  of  a 
Iving's  man  by  the  name  of  LowTy,  where  they  were  refused  admit- 
tance. They  then  proceeded  to  the  house  of  one  Davis^  from  whom 
tliey  ol)tained  intelligence  of  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  when  they 
I'eturned  to  the  army  and  gave  a  true  account  of  the  situation  of 
affairs  in  the  Indian  country,  according  to  their  information,  and 
they  were  paid  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  the  one  hun- 
dred pounds,  pursuant  to  the  agreement  of  Colonel  Christian. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  information.  Colonel  Christian  and  his 
army  proceeded,  in  a  very  cautious  manner,  on  their  march  to  the 
Tennessee,  always  encamping,  at  night,  behind  brea.stworks,  to  pre- 
vent a  surprise. 

Colonel  John  Sevier  commanded,  upon  this  expedition,  a  com- 
])any  of  horse,  the  rest  of  tlie  army  being  infantry.  Sixteen  spies 
were  sent  in  advance  of  the  army  to  the  crossing  of  the  French 
Broad  ri^er,  a  point  where  the  Indians  said  the  white  men  should 
never  cro^ss.  After  being  several  days  out,  Alexander  Harlin  came 
into  camp  and  told  Colonel  Christian  that  3,000  Indian  warriors 
were  awaiting  his  arrival  at  the  crossing  of  the  French  Broad.  Col- 
onel Christian  permitted  him  to  go  through  the  camp  and  to  observe 
the  strengtli  of  his  army,  when  he  was  dismissed  by  Colonel  Chris- 
tian, with  direction  tO'  inform  the  Indians  of  his  determination  to 
cross,  not  only  the  French  Broad,  but  the  Tennessee  river,  before  he 
returned.  The  army  continued  its  march  through  the  wilderness, 
under  direction  of  Isaac  Thomas,  the  noted  Indian  trader  and  friend 
of  Nancy  Ward,  as  pilot.  When  they  approached  the  crossing  of 
the  French  Broad  river,  a  king's  man  by  the  name  of  Fallin 
approached  the  camp  with  a  flag  of  truce,  to  which  Colonel  Christian 
paid  no  attention,  permitting  Fallin  to  pass  through  the  camp  unmo- 
lested, that  he  might  observe  the  strength  of  Christian's  army.  It  is 
said  that  the  Indians  had  gathered  on  the  opposite  side  of  this  cross- 
ing determined  to  defend  its  passage  to  the  last  extremity,  when  a 


244  Southiuest  Virginia,  17J,6-178G. 

white  man  by  the  name  of  Starr,  in  the  absence  of  Fallin,  persuaded 
the  Indians  that  it  was  folly  to  resist  the  invasion  of  the  whites. 
In  an  earnest  harangue,  he  told  them  it  was  folly  to  contend  with 
the  white  man.  That  the  Great  Spirit  intended  he  should  over- 
run and  occupy  all  the  low  lands  which  should  be  cultivated.  To 
the  red  man  he  had  given  the  hills  and  forests,  where  he  might  sub- 
sist on  game  without  tilling  the  soil,  which  was  work  fit  only  for 
woiuen.  To  struggle  with  the  white  man  was,  therefore,  to  fight 
with  destiny.  The  only  safety  for  the  Indians  lay  in  a  speedy  retreat 
to  their  mountain  fastnesses."* 

From  some  cause  the  Indians  disbanded  and  dispersed  without 
offering  any  resistance  to  the  white  men.  Colonel  Christian  and 
his  army  crossed  tJie  river  and  pressed  rapidly  forward  to  the  Chero- 
kee towns  along  the  Little  Tennessee  and  Telico,  every  one  of  whicli 
was  destroyed,  except  Chota,  the  home  of  Nancy  Ward,  the  beloved 
woman  of  the  Indian  tribe  and  the  friend  of  the  white  man;  and 
Colonel  Christian  destroyed  all  grain,  cattle  and  other  provisions 
found  in  the  nation.  When  Colonel  Christian  had  destroyed  the 
towns  and  property  of  the  Indians  and  had  chastised  them  as  far 
as  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  he  sent  out  a  number  of  men  with  flags 
of  truce,  and  requested  a  talk  with  the  Chiefs.  A  number  of  them 
came  in  immediately  and  proposed  peace.  Colonel  Christian  told 
them  he  was  willing  to  grant  them  peace,  but  not  until  the  tribe  was 
fully  represented,  and,  thereupon.  Colonel  Christian  fixed  a  day  for 
the  concluding  of  peace  in' the  following  May,  at  Long  Island  in 
Holston  river,  and,  in  the  meantime,  hostilities  were  to  cease  except 
as  to  two  to\\Tis  on  the  Tennessee  river,  where  young  Moore,  who 
had  been  captured  at  Watauga,  had  been  burned  at  the  stake ;  which 
proposition  was  accepted.  Colonel  John  Sevier,  thereupon,  visited 
the  towns  in  question  and  left  the  same  in  ashes. 

Colonel  Christian  finding  nothing  further  to  engage  his  attention, 
returned  with  his  army  to  the  liOng  Island  in  Holston  river.  This 
campaign  lasted  three  months,  and  but  a  single  white  man  was 
killed.  This  w^as  a  man  whose  name  was  Duncan,  a  soldier  under 
Captain  Jacob  Womack.  He  was  killed  in  an  engagement  with  the 
Indians.  This  man  left  a  wife  (she  was  a  cripple),  and  five  small 
children,  to  whom  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  June  Ifi, 
1777,  allowed  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds  for  their  present  relief  and 

*Rear  Guard  of  the  Revolution,  p.  126. 


Southivest  Virginia,  17^6-1786.  245 

the  further  sum  of  five  pounds  per  annum,  for  the  period  of  five 
years,  with  directions  to  Anthony  Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke,  to  lay 
out  and  expend  the  same  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of  Eliza- 
beth Duncan  and  her  children.  Several  white  men  were  slightly 
wounded  by  the  Indians  and  by  accident,  upon  this  expedition, 
among  the  number  being  Samuel  Douglas,  Thomas  Berry  and 
George  Berry,  Jr. 

Upon  the  return  of  the  army  to  the  Long  Island  of  the  Holston, 
Colonel  Christian  reorganized  the  same,  and,  for  the  protection  of 
the  frontiers,  left  six  hundred  men  at  the  island  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Evan  Shelby  and  Major  Anthony  Bledsoe. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  directed  the  Governor  and 
Council  to  take  such  measures  for  the  preservation  and  disposition 
of  the  horses  and  provision  belonging  to  the  government  and  in  use 
upon  this  expedition  as  should  appear  to  be  most  proper  and  con- 
ducive to  the  interest  of  the  country.  And,  by  the  same  act,  the 
Governor  and  Council  were  directed  to  give  instructions  to  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  army  destined  against  the  Cherokees,  to 
take  such  steps,  at  the  end  of  the  campaign,  as  were  thonght  neces- 
sary for  the  future  safety  and  protection  of  the  southwestern  fron- 
tier of  this  State.  Whereupon  the  Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia 
directed  Captain  Thomas  Madison  tO'  take  the  necessary  steps  to  col- 
lect all  the  cattle  and  horses  on  hand  upon  the  return  of  the  army 
from  this  expedition,  and  to  take  care  of  them,  whereupon  Captain 
Madison  employed: 

William  Carmack,  John  Delaney, 

Stephen  Eichards,  TMatthew  Dean, 

John  Fulkerson,  Cornelius  Carmack, 

Andrew  Greer,  Joseph  Greer, 

John  Nash,  Samuel  Looney, 

Peter  Looney,  William  McBroom, 

John  Cox,  John  Carmack, 

Jonathan  Drake,  Ezekiel  Smith, 

Henry  Hickey,  Isaac  Drake, 

Hugh  Blair,  Benjamin  Drake, 

to  herd  and  take  care  of  the  country  cattle,  from  the  13th  day  of 
November,  1776,  to  the  11th  day  of  June,  1777.  And  Colonel 
Christian,  pursuant  to  the  directions  of  the  Governor  and  Council, 
stationed  the  six  hundred  men  as  above  detailed  at  Long  Island, 


246  Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

and  directed  Captaioi  Joseph  Martin  tO'  proceed  to  the  Eye  Gove 
Fort,  about  fifty  miles  from  North  Fork  of  the  Clinch  river,  with 
eighty  men.  The  rest  of  the  army  were  mnstered  out  of  service. 
Captain  Martin  immiHliately  l)egan  the  march  to  the  Rye  Cove. 
Upon  this  march  he  had  to  pass  through  a  very  dangerous  gap, 
called  Little  IMocca^in,  where  the  trail  went  through  a  very  nar- 
row and  deep  gorge  of  the  mountain  and  where  the  Indians  had 
killed  a  great  many  white  people.  When  Captain  Martin  began 
the  march  through  the  gap,  he  had  his  men  in  fine  order  and 
strung  out  in  smgle  file.  Just  as  the  head  of  the  column 
emerged  from  the  narrow  defile,  the  whole  column  was  fired  upon 
by  Indians  from  the  top  of  the  ridge,  where  they  were  strung  out 
in  a  line  as  long  as  Captain  Martin's.  As  soon  as  the  Indians 
fired,  they  ran  off,  having  failed  to  kill  any  of  Martin's  men 
But  one  man,  James  Bunch,  a  member  of  Martin's  company, 
had  five  balls  shot  through  his  flesh,  whereby  he  was  rendered 
incapable  of  getting  a  livelihood  hy  labor,  and  was  allowed  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  thirty  pounds  for  his  pres- 
ent relief  and  half  pay   as   a  soldier  for  three  years. 

The  Indians  liaving  all  fled,  Captain  Martin  proceeded  to  Eye 
Cove,  where  he  remained  until  the  first  of  May,  1777,  when  he 
was  ordered  back  to  the  Long  Island,  where  he  remained  until 
the  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  between  the  Indians  and  the 
whites  on  July  the  first. 

In  December  of  the  year  1776,  the  commanding  officer  at 
Fort  Patrick  Henry  dispatched  Samuel  Newell  and  another  per- 
son tO'  the  Cherokee  town  for  the  Indian  chief,  the  Eaven  of 
Chote.  Upon  their  return  trip  they  were  accompanied  by  the 
Indian  chief. 

A  short  time  thereafter,  in  the  month  pf  January,  1777, 
Samuel  Newell  was  again  ordered  to  tlie  Indian  town,  Chote, 
Avith  letters  in  regard  to  a  family  that  liad  been  murdered  near 
Fort  Patrick  Henry.  AVhile  on,  his  way  to  the  town  of  Toquo, 
he  was  tomahawked  l)y  the  Indians  and  scalped,  and  soon  there- 
after died  in  the  town  of  Chote.  His  horse,  gun,  saddle  and 
bridle,  saddle-bags  and  clotlies  were  carried  off  by  the  Indians, 
who  murdered  him. 

A  number  of  the  citizens  of  Fincastle  county  potitioned  the 
General    Assembly    of    Virginia    for    compensation    for    pasturage 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-178G.  347 

taken   and   the   provisions   nsed   by    Colonel    Oliristian   upon   this 
expedition,  among  the  number  so  petitioning  being 

Amos  Eaton,  John   Latham, 

James  Kincannon  Evan   Shelby, 

David  Getgood,  ±\hel  Eichardson, 

John  Beatie,  James  McGavock, 

AVilliam  Sayers,  James  Aylett, 

Ephraim  Dunlop,  Robert  Barnett, 
William  Cocke, 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  at  its  fall  sassion  in  1776, 
allowed  Isaac  Thomas,  the  faithful  friend  of  the  white  settlers, 
one  hundred  pounds  as  a  reward  for  the  services  he  had  rendered 
the  settlers  by  giving  them  information  of  the  intended  incur- 
sions of  the  Indians,  and  paid  him  for  the  stock  and  property 
lost  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  ol  the  Indian  war. 

The  Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia  directed  that  for  the 
purpose  of  concluding  a  treaty  of  peace  between  the  Indians  and 
the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  a  convention  should  be  held  at 
tlie  Long  Island  of  Holston,  in  the  month  of  May,  1777,  and 
appointed  Colonel  William  Christian,  Colonel  William'  Preston 
and  Major  Evan  Shelby  to  act  as  the  Virginia  commissioners  at 
said  convention.  The  Governor  and  Council  of  ISTorth  Carolina 
appointed  Waightstill  x\very,  Joseph  Winston  and  Eobert 
Lanier,  commissioners  upon  the  part  of  North  Carolina  at  said 
convention.  The  commissioners  of  the  two  States  met  the  Indian 
chiefs,  who  had  been  assembled  through  the  efforts  of  Nathaniel 
Gist,  at  the  Long  Island  in  May,  1777,  and  drafted  a  treaty, 
which  treaty  was  submitted  to  the  Goivernor  and  Oouncil  of 
Virginia  on  May  28,  1777,  at  which  time  the  Council  entered 
the  following  orders : 

"Having  referred  to  the  Governor  of  this  board  to  direct  a 
treaty  l>egun  with  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  such  manner  as  they 
think  best, 

"Eesolved,  That  the  Governor  be  desired  to  confer  with  the 
C*herokee  chiefs  and  warriors,  from  time  to  time  during  their 
said  meeting,  on  the  subject  of  all  disputes  now  subsisting 
between  them  and  this  State,  and  in  regard  to  the  treaty  of  peace 
now    under    consideration,    and    if    he   receive    any    proposals    to 


248  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

make  a  good  and  proper  answer  to  them,  preparatory  to  com- 
pletion, the  conference  to  be  held  at  the  Great  Island  on  twO' 
days  next  month,  and  this  board  will  attend  at  such  conference 
as  may  be  appointed,  and  that  Dr.  Walker  and  Colonel  Christian 
1)0  desired  to  provide  from  the  public  store,  or,  in  their  place, 
proper  presents  to  be  made  to  the  Indians  now  here  and  consider 
what  is  necessary  to  provide  for  the  Indians  at  the  next  meeting 
at  the  Great  Island. 

"Adjourned  at  10  o'clock. 

-    ''Jolm  Page,  Tho.  Walker, 

"Dudley  Diggs,  Nathaniel    Harrison, 

"John  Blair,  David  Jamison, 

"Bartho    Dandridge. 

"Colonel  William  Christian,  one  of  the  commissioners  ap- 
pointed on  behalf  of  this  State  to  form  a  treaty  of  peace  with 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  having  attended  this  board  with  the  pro- 
ceedings of  himself  and  the  other  commissioners  at  a  treaty  held 
at  the  Great  Island,  in  consequence  of  their  former  instructions, 
upon  considering  the  same  the  board  entirely  appro^ved  thereof, 
and  think  it  necessary  that  the  same  should  be  laid  before  the 
General  Assembly,  which  the  Governor  is  desired  to  do,  and  Col- 
onel William  Christian  having  also  iniormed  the  board  that 
several  of  the  chiefs  and  warrioTS  of  said  nation  of  Indians  will 
accompany  him  to  Williamsburg,  resolved  that  they  be  received 
and  treated  in  the  most  friendly  manner  and  furnished  with  all 
necessaries  until  the  General  Assembly  shall  give  further  direc- 
tions in  the  matter." 

This  treaty  was  not  concluded  until  the  first  day  of  July,  1777. 
By  this  treaty  a  new  boundary  line  was  established  between  the 
settlers  and  the  Indians.  The  boundaries  as  fixed  by  this  treaty 
extended  as  far  down  as  the  mouth  of  Cloud's  creek.  This  treaty 
was  signed  by  all  the  Indian  chiefs  except  Dragging  Canoe,  who 
was  woimded  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island  Flats.  He  said  "that  he 
would  hold  fast  to  the  talks  of  Cameron  the  British  agent  and 
continue  the  war  as  before."  While  the  treaty  was  being  nego- 
tiated two  men  were  murdered  on  the  Clinch  river  by  Dragging 
Canoe  and  some  of  his  men,  and  conduct  of  this  character  was 
continued  for  many  years  on  the  part  of  Dragging  Canoe  and  the 
Chickamauga  Indians. 


Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786.  249 

While  this  treaty  was  being  negotiated  a  great  many  Indians, 
with  their  squaws  and  children,  had  collected  and  were  quartered 
in  the  island,  surrounded  by  a  guard  to  prevent  improper  inter- 
course with  the  whites,  but,  notwithstanding  this  precaut^ion, 
some  abandoned  fellow  shot  across  the  river  and  killed  an  Indian. 
This  produced  great  confusion;  the  Indians  thought  they  were 
betrayed  and  prepared  to  fly,  and  it  was  with  much  exertion  that 
the  officers  and  commissioners  pacified  and  convinced  them  that 
such  was  not  the  fact.  Afterwards,  when  the  Council  met,  the 
Raven  opened  the  conference  on  the  part  of  his  people  by  a  speech 
in  which  he  reverted  to  the  case  of  the  murdered  Indian.  He 
said,  "lest  that  unhappy  affair  should  disturb  the  harmony  and 
sincerity  that  ought  to  exist  at  that  time  between  the  white  and 
red  brethren,  each  party  ought  to  view  it  as  having  happened  so 
long  ago,  that  if,  when  the  Indian  was  buried,  an  acorn  had  been 
thrown  into  his  grave,  it  would  have  sprouted  and  grown  and 
become  a  lofty  spreading  oak,  sufficiently  large  for  them  to  sit 
under  its  shade  and  hold  their  talk. 

This  speech  was  thought  by  many  to  be  equal  to  anything  in 
the  celebrated  speech  of  Logan. 

From  the  fall  of  1775  to  the  close  of  the  Eevolutionary  war, 
the  settlers  in  this  part  of  Virginia  were  compelled  to  occupy 
their  forts  from  early  spring  until  late  in  the  fall,  as  their  settle- 
ments were  constantly  visited  by  bands  of  Cherokee  and  Shaw- 
nese  Indians  sent  upon  them  by  the  British  agents,  but  the  settle- 
ments enjoyed  perfect  freedom  from  the  Indians  from  the  first 
appearance  of  winter  until  the  return  of  spring.  During  this 
interval  of  time  the  Indians  were  deterred  from  making  raids 
into  the  settlements,  by  the  great  danger  of  detection  in  conse- 
quence of  the  nakedness  of  the  trees,  by  the  danger  of  being 
traced  by  their  tracks  in  the  snow,  and  by  the  suffering  pro- 
duced by  exposure  to  cold  while  traveling  and  lying  in  wait.  The 
settlers  took  advantage  of  this  immunity  from  attacks  by  the 
Indians,  cleared  their  lands,  built  their  houses  and  made  everv 
possible  preparation  for  their  crops  during  the  coming  season. 

During  the  summer  of  1776,  elections  were  held  throughout 
the  Commonwealth  for  members  of  the  House  of  Delegates  and 
the  Senate  under  the  new  Constitution.  At  this  election  the  fol- 
lowing persons  were  elected  members  of  the  House  of  Delegates 


850  So'ulliwcfit   Virginia,  ] 746-] 786. 

From  Fincat^tle  county :  Arthur  Campbell  and  William  Eussell. 
And  the  member  of  the  Senate  from  Botetourt  and  Fincastle, 
I  hat  being  the  Tenth  Senatorial  District,  was  Colonel  William 
Christian. 

By  an  ordinance  of  the  convention  of  1775,  adopted  July  15, 
1775,  the  Western  District  ^9.f  Virginia,  of  which  Fincastle  county 
'vas  a  part,  was  required^  to  furnish  sixty-eight  expert  .riflemen 
for  the  regidar  service. 

And  by  an  Act  of  the  Asseml^ly  of  Virginia  adopted  in  Octo- 
l)er,  1776,  a  requisitioii  of  seventy-four  men  was  made  upon  tlie 
:uithorities  of  Fincastle  county  to  be  officered  by  a  captain  a})- 
[)ointed  by  the  Governor. 

A  First  Lieutenant, 

A   Second   Lieutenant, 

and  an  Ensign. 

The  officers  of  the  company  organized  in  Fincastle  county  for 
the  continental  service  in  the  year  177{)  cannot  be  ascertained, 
save  in  one  instance.  « 

John  Buchanan  was  lieutenant  of  this  company  at  its  organ- 
ization, and  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Seventh  Eegiment  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year,  and  remained  in  the  service  until  killed  in  the 
year  1777. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Asseml)ly  of  Virginia,  in  the  fall 
of  the  year  1770,  a  petition  from  the  inhal)itants  of  the  western 
parts  of  Fincastle  county  was  presented  to  the  House  and  read ; 
setting  forth  that  they  1)ecame  adventurers  in  that  ])art  of  the 
county  in  the  year  1774,  and  were  obliged  by  the  incursions  of 
the  Indians  to  abandon  their  settlements,  after  having  discovered 
and  explored  the  coiintry ;  that  others  afterwards  became  adven- 
turers and  claimed  the  lands  liy  warrants  from  Lord  Dunmore, 
under  the  royal  proclamation  of  17(53,  and  a  company  of  men 
from  ISToTth  Carolina  purchased,  or  pretended  to  purchase,  from 
tlie  Cherokee  Indians,  all  the  lands  from  the  soaithernmost  waters 
of  Cum'berland  river  to  the  banks  of  the  Louisa  river,  including 
the  lands  in  Powell's  Valley,  by  virtue  of  which  purchase  they 
styled  themselves  the  absolute  proprietoi-s  of  the  new  independent 
Trans3dvania ;  that  officers,  both  civil  and  military,  are  appointed, 
writs  of  election  issued,  assemblies  convened,  a  land  office  opened, 
and   lands   sold   at  an  exorl)itant   price,   and   a   system  of   policy 


Southtvest  Virginia,  17J^6-17S6.  251 

introduced,  not  agreeing  with  that  lately  adopted  b}'  the  late 
United  Colonies,  and  that  they  have  the  greatest  reason  tO'  ques- 
tion the  validity  of  the  purchase  aforesaid;  that  they  consider 
themselves  and  the  said  lands  to  be  in  the  State  of  Virginia, 
whose  legislature  they  acknowledge,  and  to  which  State  they  con- 
ceive they  justly  belong;  that  having  assembled  together  after 
due  notice,  they  elected  two  members  to  represent  them  in  this 
House,  and  hope  they  may  be  received  as  their  delegates;  that 
they  are  ready  and  willing,  to  the  utmost  of  their  abilities,  to 
assist  in  the  support  of  the  present  laudable  cause,  by  contri])ut- 
ing  their  quota  of  men  and  moneys,  and  that  in  order  to  pre- 
serve goO'd  order,  tliey  had,  as  was  done  in  West  Augusta,  elected 
a  committee  consisting  of  twenty-one  members,  and  cheerfully 
submitted  the  case  to  the  House.  This  petition  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  that  part  of  Fincastle  county,  now  included  within  the 
State  of  Kentucky,  was  accompanied  by  petitions  from  nearly 
all  the  settlers  on  the  Holston  and  Clinch  rivers,  and  was  pre- 
sented to  the  General  Assembly  on  the  eighth  day  of  October, 
1776,  and  the  General  Assembly  on  Friday,  October  11,  1776, 
adopted  the  folloMdng  resolutions : 

"Eesolved,  That  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  part  of  Fincas- 
tle county  not  being  allowed  by  the  law  a  distinct  representation 
in  the  General  Assembly,  the  delegates  chosen  to  represent  them 
in  this  House  cannot  be  admitted.  At  the  same  time  the  com- 
mittee are  of  opinion,  that  the  said  inha])itants  ought  to  be 
formed  into  a  distinct  county,  in  order  to  entitle  them  to  sucli 
representation  and  other  l)enefits  ot  government." 

The  petition  for  the  division  of  Fincastle  county  was  referred  / 
to  a  committee  of  which  Carter  Braxton  was  chairman,  whicli ' 
committee,  through  its  chairman,  on  Tuesday,  October  15,  1776, 
presented  a  bill  foT  the  division  of  the  county  of  Fincastle  into 
two  distinct  counties,  which  bill  was  read  the  first  time  and 
ordered  to  be  read  the  second  time.  On  Wednesday,  October  16, 
1776,  this  bill  was  read  a  second  time  and  was  committed  to 
Thomas  Jefferson  and  the  members  from  Augusta  and  Botetourt 
counties,  and  on  October  17,  1776,  Mr.  Jefferson,  from  the  com- 
mittee to  whom  the  bill  for  dividing  the  county  of  Fincastle  into 
two  distinct  counties  was  committed,  reported  that  the  com- 
mittee had  gone  through  the  bill  and  made  several  amendments 


252  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

thereto,  which  he  read  in  his  place,  and  afterwards  delivered  in 
at  the  clerk's  table,  where  the  same  was  again  twice  read  and 
agreed  to  and  ordered  to  be  engrossed  and  read  a  third  time. 
And,  on  Wednesday,  October  30,  177G,  this  bill  was  ordered  to  be 
committed  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  SimnLS,  Mr.  Bullitt  and  the 
members  from  Fincastle,  Augusta  and  Botetourt  counties,  and  on 
November  19,  177G,  Mr.  Mason  and  the  members  from  Frederick, 
Hampshire  and  Bedford  counties  were  added  to  the  committee, 
to  whom  the  bill  for  dividing  the  county  of  Fincastle  into  two 
distinct  counties  was  committed.  And  on  Monday,  November 
26,  1776,  the  bill  for  dividing  the  county  of  Fincastle  into  three 
distinct  counties  was   read   a  third  time,   and   it  was: 

"Eesolved,  That  the  said  bill  do  pass,  and  that  the  title  be,  an 
Act  for  dividing  the  county  of  Fincastle  into  two  distinct  coun- 
ties, and  the  parish  of  Botetourt  intO'  four  distinct  parishes,  and 
Mr.  Arthur  Campbell  was  appointed  to  carry  the  same  to  the 
Senate  for  their  concurrence. 

In  the  Senate,  several  amendments  were  proposed  to  the  bill 
passed   by   the   House,   which   amendments,   being   communicated 
to   the    House,   were   disagreed   to',   whereupon,   the    Senate   com- 
municated with  the  House,  through  Mr.  Ellzey,  as  follows : 
"Mr.   Speaker : 

"The  Senate  do  insist  on  the  amendments  by  them  proposed 
to  the  bill  entitled.  An  Act  for  Dividing  the  County  of  Fincastle 
into  three  distinct  coamties,  and  the  parish  of  Botetourt  into  four 
distinct  parishes.  And  upon  the  amendments  being  again  read, 
it  was,  by  the  House  of  Delegates, 

"Resolved,  That  this  House  do  recede  from  their  disagree- 
ment to  the  said  amendments  proposed  by  the  Senate,  which 
action  of  the  House  having  been  communicated  to  the  Senate,  the 
Senate  insisted  on  the  amendments  proposed  to  the  bill  by  them, 
whereupon,  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates,  on  December  6, 
1776, 

"Resolved,  That  this  House  do  insist  on  the  disagreement  to 
said  amendments,  and  that  Mr.  Campbell  do  acquaint  the  Sen- 
ate therewith." 

Which  resolution  being  communicated  to  the  Senate,  the  Act 

i  for  the  dividing  of  the  county   of   Fincastle   into  three   distinct 

counties,  and  the  parish  of  Botetourt  into  four  distinct  parishes, 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786.  353 

was  adopted,  the  Senate  having  receded  from  the  amendments 
proposed  by  them. 

This  act  provided  that  from  and  after  the  31st  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1776,  the  connty  of  Pincastle  shall  be  divided  into  three 
distinct  counties,  to  be  known  by  the  names  of  Montgomery, 
Washington  and  Kentucky. 

Thus  ends  tJie  history  of  Fincastle  county,  in  so  far  as  the 
history  of  that  county  forms  a  part  of  the  history  of  Washing- 
ton county. 


254  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

WASHINGTOX  COUNTY,  1 777-1 78G. 

The  Act  of  the  General  Assembl}^  of  A^irginia  dividing  the 
county  of  Fincastle  into  three  distinct  counties,  to-wit:  Mont- 
gomer}',  Washington,  and  Kentucky,  was  adopted  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia  on  the  6th  day  of  December,  1770,  and  pro- 
vided that  from  and  after  the  last  day  of  December,  177G,  the 
said  county  of  Fincastle  should  be  divided  into  three  counties. 
And  this  Act  defines  the  bounds  of  Washington  county  as  follows, 
viz. :  "That  all  that  part  of  said  county  of  Fincastle  included  in 
the  lines  beginning  at  the  Cumberland  mountains  where  the  line 
of  Kentucky  county  intersects  the  North  Carolina  (now  Tennes- 
see) line;  thence  east  along  the  said  Carolina  line  to  the  top  of 
Iron  mountain;  tJience  along  the  same  easterly  to  the  source  or 
the  South  Fork  of  the  Holston  river;  thence  northwardly  alone 
the  highest  part  of  the  highlands,  ridges  and  mountains  that  di- 
vide the  waters  of  the  Tennessee  from  those  of  the  Great  Ka- 
nawha to  the  most  easterly  source  of  Clinch  river;  thence  west- 
wardly  along  the  top  of  the  mountain  that  divides  the  waters  of  the 
Clinch  river  from  those  of  the  Great  Kanawha  and  Sandy  Creek 
to  the  line  of  Kentucky  county,  and  thence  along  the  same 
to  the  beginning,  shall  be  one  other  distinct  county  and  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  Washington.* 

"The  eastern  boundary  of  Washington  county  as  thus  defined  was 
altered  by  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  at  its  session 
in  the  month  of  IMay,  1777,  as  follows:  Beginning  at  a  ford  on 
Holston  river,  next  above  Captain  John  Campbell's,  at  the  Eoyal 
Oak,  and  rimning  from  thence  a  due  south  course  to  the  dividing 
line  between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina ;  and 
from  the  ford  aforesaid  to  the  westerly  end  of  Morris'  Knob,  about 
three  miles  above  Maiden  Spring  on  Clinch,  and  from  thence,  by 
a  line  to  be  drawn  due  north,  until  it  shall  intersect  the  waters  of 
the  Great  Sandy  river." 

The  Act  estal)lishing  the  county  of  Washington  directed  tlmt  the 


*Hening  statutes,  1776. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  255 

justices  named  in  the  commissions  of  the  peace  for  the  said 
county  shouki  meet  at  Black's  Fort,  in  said  county,  on  the  last 
Tuesday  in  January,  1777,  which  day  in  each  month  was  desig- 
nated l)v  said  Act  as  County  Court  day,  and  a  majority  of  the 
justices  .-_;o  commissioned  were  authorized  to  designate  tJie  place 
for  holding  said  court  and  to  elect  a  clerk  for  said  court. 

The  power  to  appoint  the  first  sheriff  of  the  county  was  vested 
in  the  (loA'ernor. 

The  territory  included  within  the  county  of  Washington  as 
thus  established  is  now  embraced  in  the  following  counties : 

Washington,  Tazewell, 

Russell,  Lee, 

Scott,  Buchanan, 

Smyth,  Dickenson, 

Wise, 

a  territory  sufficient  in  extent  and  wealth  to  constitute  a  great 
State. 

Governor  Patrick  Henry,  on  the  21st  day  of  December,  1776,  is- 
sued a  commission  of  the  peace  and  dedimus  for  Washington 
county  appointing  the  following  persons  as  justices  of  the  peace 
for  said  county : 

Arthur  Campbell,  William  Edmiston, 

Evan  Shelby,  Joseph  Martin, 

James  Dysart,  John  Campbell, 

John  Anderson,  Alexander  Buchanan, 

John  Coulter,  John  Kinkead, 

William  Campbell,  James  Montgomery, 

Daniel  Smith,  John  Snoddy, 

George  Blackburn  and  Thomas  Mastin, 

and  on  the  same  day  he  issued  his  commission  appointing  the  fol- 
lowing officers  f-or  the  said  county : 

Sheriff — James  Dysart, 
County  Lieutenant — Arthur  Campbell, 
Colonel — Evan  Shelby, 
Lieutenant-Colonel — William  Campbell, 
IMajor — Daniel  Smith. 

The  first  court  of  said  county  assembled  at  Black's  Fort  (now 
Abingdon)  on  the  last  Tuesday  in  January,  1777,  being  the  28th 


256  Southwest  Yirgima,  1746-1786. 

(lay  of  that  month,  pursuant  to  the  Act  of  the  Assembly  establish- 
ing the  county,  on  which  day  William  Campbell  and  Joseph  Mar- 
tin, two  of  the  justices  commissioned  by  the  Governor,  adminis- 
tered the  oath  of  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  of  a  justice  of  tlie 
County  Court  in  Chancery  to  Arthur  Campbell,  the  first  justice 
named  in  said  commission,  and  he  afterwards  administered  the 
aforesaid  oaths  to : 

William  Campbell,  William  Edmiston, 

John  Campbell,  Joseph  Martin, 

John  Kinkead,  John  Anderson,^ 

James  Montgomery,  John  Snoddy, 

and   George  Blackburn. 

The  court  thus  assembled,  constituting  a  majority  of  the  jus- 
tices commissioned  by  the  Governor,  proceeded  to  the  election  o' 
a  clerk,  when  David  Campbell  was  elected  clerk. 

At  the  time  Washington  county  was  established  by  law  Colo- 
nel Arthur  Campbell  and  Colonel  William  Eussell  represented 
Fincastle  county  in  the  House  of  Delegates,  and  Colonel  William 
Christian  represented  the  district  in  the  Senate  of  Virgiinia. 
Colonel  Campbell  andj  Colonel  Eussell  resided  in  that  portion  of 
Fincastle  county  afterwards  included  in  the  bounds  of  W^ashington 
county.  Colonel  Russell  and  Colonel  Christian  had  served  with 
General  Washington  in  the  Continental  Armyf  while  Colonel 
Arthur  Campbell  had  been  a  member  of  the  Convention  that 
adopted  the  Constitution  establishing  the  Co^mmonwealth  of  A^ir- 
ginia,  which  Convention  elected  General  George  Washington  a 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress  which  assembled  in  Philadcl- 
\)hm  in  1776.  It  is  not  definitely  known  who  suggested  the  name 
of  Washington  for  the  new  county;  and  while  the  question  is  'n 
doubt,  still  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Colonel  Arthur  Camp- 
bell was  the  author  of  the  idea,  as  it  appears  from  the  proceedings* 
of  the  House  of  Delegates  that  he  was  designated  by  the  House  to 
convey  the  information  to  the  Senate  of  Virginia  that  the  House 
had  passed  the  Act  establishing  the  county. 

But  without  regard  to  who  suggested  the  name  for  the  new 
county  it  is  a  fact  that  this  is  the  first  locality  in  the  United  States 
that  was  honored  with  the  name  of  the  "Father  of  Our  Country." 
The  Act  establishing  the  new  county  was  agreed  to  by  the  general 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  257 

Assembly  of  Virginia  on  December  6,  1776,  and  the  county  gov-  . 
ernment  was  organized  on  January  28,  1777. 

Tennessee  and  N^orth  Carolina  historians  insist  that  Washington 
county,  Tennessee,  was  the  first  locality  in  the  Union  to  receive 
the  name  of  Washington,  but,  by  an  examination  of  the  North 
Carolina  records,  it  will  be  ascertained  that  Wasliington  district?, 
North  Carolina  (now  Tennessee),  was  not  mentioned  until  April, 
1777,  and  the  county  of  Washington,  North.  Carolina  (now  Ten- 
nessee), was  not  established  by  the  G-eneral  Assembly  of  Nortli 
Carolina  until  November,  1777. 

Black's  Fort,  the  locality  of  the  meeting  of  the  first  court  of 
Washington  county,  was  erected  in  the  year  1776  on  the  lands  of 
Captain  Joseph  Black,  on  the  west  bank  or  near  the  west  banl: 
of  what  was  then  known  as  Eighteen  Miles  Creek,  alias  Castle's 
Creek,  by  the  settlers  living  in  the  vicinity,  and  about  five  hun- 
dred other  settlers  who  hg,d  fled  from  their  homes  west  of  Abing- 
don iipon  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  War  in  1776.  It  was  one 
of  those  rude  structures  which  the  pioneers  were  accustomed 
to  make  for  defence  against  the  Indians,  consisting  of  a  few 
log  cabins  surrounded  by  a  stockade.  The  locality  of  this  fort  was 
about  twenty-five  yards  south  of  the  Norfolk  and  Western  rail- 
road, in  the  Knob  road,  and  near  the  brick  cottage,  the  property 
of  Charles  F.  Palmer. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1879,  Captain  Frank  S.  Findlay,  while 
excavating  for  a  place  for  a  turbine  wheel  near  this  place,  discov- 
ered a  portion  of  an  old  wall  constructed  of  rock  and  logs  some  five 
or  six  feet  below  the  surface,  and  in  the  wall  was  found  an  arrow 
made  from  the  heart  of  a  white  oak,  with  a  sharp  iron  spike  af- 
fixed. This  wall  was  a  part,  of  the  old  fort,  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  this  arrow  was  sped  there  by  an  Indian.  In  the  year  1796 
a  mill  dam  was  erected  about  fifty  yards  south  of  this  old  wall.* 

The  first  court  of  Washington  county  was  in  session  two  days, 
January  28th-29th.  The  first  day  of  the  term  was  occupied  in 
qualifying  the  members  of  the  court,  the  election  of  a  clerk,  the 
qualifications  of  militia  officers,  as  above  given,  and  the  granting 
of  letters  of  administration  in  several  cases.  Upon  the  second  day 
of  the  term  the  first  matter  of  importance  that  received  the  atten- 
tion of  the  court  was  the  appointment  of  William  Campbell,  Wil- 


*Black's  Mill  Dam. 


258  Southwest  Vinjinia,  17Jff>-17SG. 

liain  Edmiston,  John  Anderson  and  George  Blaekhnrn  as  com- 
missioners to  hire  wagons  to  luring  up  the  county  salt  allowed 
by  the  Governor  and  Council,  and  to  receive  and  distribute  the 
same  agreeably  to  said  order  of  Council. 

Some  ]x^o])k',  in  speaking  of  this  order  of  the  County  Court, 
have  expressed  surprise  that  such  an  order  should  have  been  en- 
tered by  the  court  of  a  county  in  which  was  located  great  beds  of 
salt,  and,  further,  tliat  the  Governor  and  Council  thus  allotted 
salt  to  this  county. 

At  the  time  this  order  was  entered  salt  was  a  rare  article  and 
exceedingly  valualile,  and  was  not  known  to  exist  in  this  country. 
So  difficult  was  it  to  supply  the  demands  for  salt  that  in  the  year 
177G  the  General  Assembly  of  A^irginia  enacted  the  following  law : 

"Resolved  that  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  of  the  Privy  Coun- 
cil, be  empowered  tO'  purchase,  on  account  of  the  public  and  at  a 
generous  price,  all  the  salt  that  may  be  imported  into  this  coun- 
try in  the  course  of  the  next  six  months,  and  that  he  be  authorized 
to  issue  his  warrant  on  the  treasurer  to  pay  for  the  same:  that 
such  salt  when  purchased  be  immediately  stored  in  some  convenient 
and  secure  parts  of  the  country,  and  distributed  by  order  of  the 
Governor,  with  the  advice  of  the  Council,  amongst  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  different  counties,  im  such  proportion  as  their  exi- 
gencies and  the  quantity  procured  may  admit,  regard  being  prin- 
cipally had  to  such  counties  as  are  farthest  removed  from  salt 
water;  and  that  the  receivers  of  the  salt  do  pay  into  the  hands 
of  such  persons  as  may  be  appointed  for  that  purpose,  at  the  time 
of  the  delivery,  so  much  per  Inishel,  as  the  Governor,  with  the  advice 
of  the  Council,  may  judge  reasonable ;  the  money  when  received  ^o 
be  paid  with  all  convenient  dispatch  into  the  treasur}^  for  reim- 
bursing the  publick." 

It  was  pursuant  to  the  order  of  the  Governor  and  Council,  acting 
upon  the  authority  of  this  act,  that  the  commissioners  were 
appointed.  On  the  second  day  the  court  proceeded  to  appoint  a 
number  of  officers  to  take  a  list  of  tithables  and  of  the  quantity  of 
taxable  lands  in  the  county. 

The  following  commissioners  were  appointed  by  tlie  court  to 
do  this  work  in  the  localities  mentioned,  to-wit: 

Joseph  Martin,  on  north  side  Clinch  mountain,  high  as  Glade 
Hollow.     John  Kinkead,  Glade  Hollow  to  head  of  Clinch.     John 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  25D 

Campbell,  head  of  Holston  to  Stalnaker's  direct  across.  William 
Edmiston,  Stalnaker's  to  Black's  Fort,  direct  across.  James  Mont- 
gomery, Black's  Fort  to  Major  Bledsoe's.  John  Anderson,  from 
Major  Bledsoe's  as  low  as  there  are  settlers.  At  the  same  time 
the  court  appointed  the  following  constables :  Rawley  Duncan, 
from  Castle's  Woods  to  lowest  settlement.  James  Wharton,  Castle's 
Woods  to  Glade  Hollow.  James  Laughlin,  Glade  Hollow,  to  upper 
settlement  Elk  Garden.  William  Lean,  head  of  Holston  to  Seven- 
Mile  Ford.  Robert  Brown,  Seven-Mile  Ford  to  Eleven-Mile  Creek. 
Christopher  Acklin,  Eleven-Mile  Creek  to  Ford  of  Beaver  Creek. 
John  Fain,  Eleven-Mile  Creek  to  Sinking  Creek.  James  Steel, 
Ford  Beaver  Creek  to  Amos  Eaton's.  At  the  same  time  the  fol- 
lowing surveyors  of  roads  were  appointed :  Alexander  Wylie,  from 
county  line  to  Charles  Hayes.  John  Hays,  from  Charles  Hays'  to 
Mill  Creek.  Jacob  Anderson,^ from  Mill  Creek  to  Seven-Mile  Ford. 
Aaron  Lewis,  Seven-Mile  Ford  to  Big  Spring.  Andrew  Kincan- 
non  from  Big  Spring  to  James  Kincannon's.  James  Bryan,  from 
James  Kincannon's  to  Joseph  Black's.  Andrew  Colvill,  from 
Joseph  Black's  to  Ford  Beaver  Creek.  Benjamin  Gray,  Ford  Bea- 
ver Creek  to  Steel's  Creek.  David  Steel,  from  Steel's  Creek  to 
the  meeting  house.  Amos  Eaton,  from  meeting  house  to  Fort 
Patrick  Henry.  Thomas  Berry,  Watauga  Road,  James  Bryan's  to 
James  Montgomery's.  William  Young,  Captain  Montgomery's  to 
Isaac  Riddle's.    John  Cox,  Isaac  Riddle's  to  Ford  of  Holston. 

The  names  as  above  given  and  the  localities  assigned  to  each  are 
important  in  this,  that  they  definitely  indicate  the  established 
roads  in  the  county  at  the  beginning  of  our  local  government,  and 
define,  with  reasonable  certainty,  the  extent  of  the  settlements  at 
that  time.  Many  readers  will  be  surprised  to  know  that  the  Vir- 
ginia authorities  appointed  officials  and  exercised  jurisdiction  over 
the  country  (now  Tennessee),  as  low  down  as  Fort  Patrick  Henry, 
thirty  miles  below  Bristol.  The  explanation  is  that  our  people 
supposed  the  Holston  river  to  be  the  dividing  line  between  the  two 
States,  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  At  this  time  and  for  several 
years  thereafter,  Virginia  exercised  jurisdiction,  collected  taxes 
and  gave  protection  to  the  settlers  as  low  down  as  Carter's  Valley 
in  Tennessee. 

On  the  second  day  of  the  court,  Isaac  Shelby,  Robert  Craig,  John 
Dunkin  and  John  Adair,  were  recommended  to  the  Governor  as 


260  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

proper  persons  to  be  added  to  the  Commission  of  the  Peace  for  the 
connty,  and  they  were  commissioned  accordingly.  On  the  same 
day  the  court  recommended  to  Edmnnd  Eandolph,  Attorney  for 
the  Commonwealth,  Ephraim  Dunlop,  as  a  proper  person  to  act 
as  Deputy  Attorney  for  the  Commonwealth  in  this  connty,  and  he 
was  commissioned  accordingly,  and  became  the  first  practising 
attorney  for  the  Commonwealth  in  this  connty. 

On  the  same  day  the  conrt  ordered  that  the  house  adjoining  that 
whicli  tlie  court  is  held  in,  be  a  prison,  and  that  the  sheriff  be 
empowered  to  employ  some  person  to  put  it  in  the  best  repair  he 
can." 

The  statement  has  been  made  by  a  very  worthy  citizen  of  Wash- 
ington county  of  former  days,*  "that  the  first  court  of  this  connty 
assembled  in  a  grove  on  the  hillside  south  of  Greenway's  store,  but 
in  view  of  the  above  order  of  the  court,  this  statement  is  inaccu- 
rate, as  the  court  was  held  within  the  stockade  of  Black's  Fort,  and 
the  house  designated  as  a  prison  was  within  the  same  stockade. 

At  the  time  in  question,  the  courts  of  the  country  undertook  to 
regulate  the  private  affairs  of  the  citizens  to  a  much  greater  extent 
than  at  the  present  time,  which  can  be  accoimted  for  by  the  fact 
that  our  people  had  just  shaken  off  the  heavy  hand  of  monarchy 
and  established,  for  the  first  time,  constitutional  government. 

As  an  example  of  the  extent  to  which  the  private  concerns  of  the 
people  were  then  regulated  by  government,  the  court  of  this  county, 
on  the  second  day  of  its  term,  fixed  the  price  of  liquors  as  follows : 
Eum,  16s.  per  gallon ;  Eye  whiskey,  8s. ;  corn  whiskey,  4s. ;  a  bowl  of 
rum  toddy,  with  loaf  sugar,  2s.,  with  brown  sugar  Is. 

And  at  the  March  term,  1779,  it  fixed  the  price  of  a  warm  din- 
ner at  15s.;  cold  dinner,  9s.;  for  a  good  breakfast,  12s.;  oats  or 
corn  at  4s.  per  gallon;  good  lodging  with  clean  sheets,  2s.  Stab- 
blidge,  with  hay  or  fodder,  2s.,  and  good  pasturage  the  same. 

After  the  transaction  of  considerable  business,  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  29th  day  of  January,  1777,  the  first  court  of  the  county 
adjourned,  to  court  in  course,  which  was  the  last  Tuesday  in  Feb- 
ruary, being  the  25th  day  of  that  month,  on  which  day  the  court 
assembled  at  Black's  Fort,  with  several  members  present.  The  first 
business  of  importance  transacted  was  the  qualification  of  Luke 
Bowyer  to  practice  as  an  attorney  in  this  court,  and,  thereupon. 


*Charle3  B..  Coale. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  261 

the  court  proceeded  to  the  examination  of  Edward  Bond,  on  suspi- 
cion of  his  having  murdered  Thomas  Jones.  The  court  heard  the 
evidence  and  acquitted  the  prisoner.  On  the  following  day  the 
court  proceeded  to  the  examination  of  the  same  Edward  Bond, 
upon  suspicion  of  his  having  stolen  a  small  bay  mare  of  the  value 
of  fifteen  pounds,  and  upon  a  hearing  of  the  evidence  against  him, 
he  was  held  for  trial  at  the  General  Court,  at  the  capitol  in  the 
city  of  Williamsburg." 

The  student  of  our  early  history  must  be  impressed  with  thi^5 
fact,  that  our  forefathers  would  give  to  the  prisoner  charged  with 
murder  the  benefit  of  every  reasonable  doubt,  while,  on  the  other 
band,  they  would  give  the  prisoner  charged  with  horse-stealing,  the 
maximum  punishment  prescribed  by  law,  if  there  existed  against 
him  a  strong  suspicion. 

On  the  26th  day  of  February,  1777,  the  court  proceeded  to  recom- 
mend to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  the  militia  officers  for  Wash- 
ington county,  which  officers  were  duly  commissioned  and  were 
as  follows: 

Captains : 

William  Edmiston,  John  Campbell,  Royal  Oak; 

Joseph  Martin,  John  Shelby,  Sr. ; 

James  Montgomery,  Eobert  Buchanan,  Sr,, 

Aaron  Lewis,  John  Duncan, 

Gilbert  Christian,  James  Shelby, 

James  Dysart,  Thomas  Mastin, 

John  Campbell,  John  Kinkead, 

V  John  Anderson,  William  Bowen, 

George  Adams,  Eobert  Craig, 

Andrew  Colvill,  James  Eobertson,  Watauga. 

Ijieutenants  of  Militia : 

David  Beattie,  James  Maxwell, 

Samuel  Hays,  John  Snoddy, 

David  Ward,  John  Coulter, 

Thomas  Price,  Eoger  Topp, 

George  Freeland,  John  Anderson, 

James  Fulkerson,  George  Maxwell, 

John  Berry,  William  Blackburn, 

Charles  Campbell,  Andrew  Kincannon, 


262  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

Lieutenants  of  Militia — Con. 
John  Frazier,  C!harles  Allison, 

Alexander  Wylie,  Joseph  Black. 

Ensigns  of  Militia: 

Thomas  Whitten,  Eees  Bowen, 

Solomon  Litton,  Henry  Dickenson, 

Abraham  McClelland,  William  Eosebrough, 

John  Loony,  Josiah  Eamsey, 

James  Elliott,  William  Young, 

John  Davis,  William  Casey, 

John  Wilson,  John  Lowry, 

James  Shaw,  William  ISTeal, 

James  Crabtree,  Arthur  Bowen, 

Eobert  Davis,  Alexander  Barnett. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  immediately  upon  his  qualification  as 
county  lieutenant  of  Washington  coointy,  proceeded  to  organize  the 
militia  of  the  county,  and  place  the  same  upon  such  footing  as  they 
would  be  able  to  repel  any  attack  that  might  be  made  upon  the  set- 
tlers on  the  frontiers,  the  most  exposed  part  of  which  was  in  Car- 
ter's Valley  and  the  Watauga  settlement  in  the  vicinity  of  Eliza- 
bethton,  Tennessee. 

On  the  31st  day  of  March,  1777,  he  requested  James  Eobertson, 
a  captain  in  the  militia  of  this  county,  residing  at  Watauga  to  fur- 
nish him  with  a  list  of  the  settlers  at  Watauga,  that  he  might  loiow 
their  strength  and  give  such  orders  as  were  necessary  for  their  pro- 
tection. Captain  Eobertson  furnished  the  list,  whereupon  Colonel 
Campbell,  in  view  of  the  danger  in  which  the  settlements  stood, 
directed  Eobertson  to  assemble  the  settlers  in  one  or  two  places, 
and  he  recommended  Eice's  and  Patterson's  Mills  as  the  most  pro- 
per ones.  "Let  yoair  company  be  at  Eice's,"  said  he,  "and  Captain 
Gilbert  Christian  may  come  to  Patterson's  Mill." 

There  was  to  have  been  a  complete  suspension  of  hostilities 
between  the  Cherokee  Indians  and  the  white  settlers,  from  the 
return  of  Colonel  Christian,  in  the  fall  of  1776,  until  the  month 
of  May,  1777,  the  time  set  for  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty  at  Long 
Island.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  Indians  had  agreed  to 
a  suspension  of  hostilities,  and  that  there  were  four  hundred 
soldiers  stationed  at  Long  Island,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  263 

Evan  Shelby  and  Major  Anthony  Bledsoe,  numerous  hostilities 
were  committed  by  the  Indians.  Several  murders  were  committed 
on  the  frontiers,  and  on  the  10th  of  April,  1777,  James  Calvatt  was 
shot  and  scali3ed.  The  Indians  who  killed  Calvatt  were  pursued 
by  Captain  James  Eobertson  and  nine  men,  who  killed  one  Indian 
and  retook  ten  horses,  but,  upon  his  return  from  the  pursuit  of  the 
Indians,  he  and  his  men  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  Creeks  and 
Cherokees,  who  wounded  two  of  his  men  and  forced  him  to  retreat. 
At  the  same  time  two  men  were  killed  on  Clinch  river,  and  it 
developed  that  the  Indians  had  numerous  parties  out  murdering 
and  plundering  whenever  possible.  The  Indians  put  the  blame  of 
this  trouble  upon  Dragging  Canoe,  the  Indian  chief,  who,  upon 
receiving  a  wound  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island  Flats,  on  July  20, 
1776,  had  retired  to  the  Chickamauga  country  and  refused  to 
talk  of  peace. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1777,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  Commonwealtli  of  Virginia,  an  election  was  held 
for  members  of  the  G-eneral  Assembly  from  Washington  county, 
at  which  election  Arthur  Campbell  and  William  Edmiston  were 
opposed  by  Anthony  Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke. 

The  qualification  of  electors  voting  at  said  election  was  as  fol- 
lows: "Every  free  white  man,  who,  at  the  time  of  the  election, 
shall  have  been  for  one  year  preceding,  in  possession  of  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land  with  a  house  and  plantation  thereon,  or  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  without  a  house  and  plantation  thereon,  and 
having  right  for  an  estate  for  life,  at  least,  in  the  said  land,  in 
his  O'Wn  right  or  in  the  right  of  his  wife,  was  entitled  to  a  vote." 

This  election  was  hotly  contested  and  resulted  in  favor  of 
Anthony  Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke,  two  gentlemen  who  after- 
wards became  distinguished  in  the  history  of  Tennessee,  William 
Cocke  being  one  of  the  two  United  States  Senatoi-s  elected  to  repre- 
sent the  State  of  Tennessee,  at  the  date  of  its  formation,  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  and  Captain  William  Edmiston,  on  the 
20th  day  of  May,  1777,  filed  a  petition  with  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates of  Virginia,  setting  forth  that  the  petitioners,  with  Anthony 
Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke,  were  candidates  at  the  last  election  of 
delegates  for  the  county  of  Washington;  that  on  the  close  of  the 
poll  it  appeared  that  the  greatest  number  of  votes  taken  were  in 


264  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-17SG. 

favor  of  Anthony  Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke,  owing,  as  they  con- 
ceive, to  many  votes  being  given  in  by  persons  who  reside  in  North 
Carolina  and  by  others  not  entitled  to  vote ;  that  they  apprehend  the 
said  Bledsoe  is  incapable  of  sitting  as  a  member  of  the  legislature, 
he  having  a  military  command  which  excluded  him  by  the  consti- 
tution; tliat  the  said  Cocke  is  not  possessed  of  such  landed  prop- 
erty in  the  county  as  is  required  by  law,  not  to  mention  some 
instances  of  bribery  and  corruption  practised  contrary  to  the  spirit 
of  the  present  government;  that  these  matters  give  dissatisfaction 
to  what  they  believe  to  be  a  majority  of  the  legal  electors  in  the 
said  county;  and  submitting  themselves  to  such  determination  as 
shall  be  thought  reasonable  and  just.  Thus  our  county  was  hon- 
ored by  a  contested  election  in  the  dawn  of  its  history,  which  must 
have  excited  a  good  deal  of  feeling  among  the  pioneers  of  the  Hols- 
ton  and  the  Clinch. 

During  the  same  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  Mr.  Banister, 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Privileges  and  Elections,  reported 
toi  the  legislature  that  the  committee  had  agreed  upon  a  report  and 
had  comie  to  several  resolutions  thereupon,  which  they  had  directed 
him  to  report  to  the  House.  Having  read  the  report  in  his 
place,  he  afterwards  delivered  it  in  at  the  clerk's  table,  where 
the  same  was  read  and  was  as  foHoweth — viz. : 

"As  to  the  first  charge  contained  in  the  said  petition  against  the 
sitting  members,  as  not  having  a  greater  number  of  legal  votes  than 
the  petitioners,  it  appears  to  your  committee,  from  a  certificate  of 
tlie  sheriff  of  the  county  of  Washington,  that  upon  the  close  of  the 
poll,  the  number  of  the  voters  stood  as  follows — to-wit: 

For  Mr.   Anthony  Bledsoe    297 

For  Mr.  William  Cocke ■: 294 

For  Mr.  Arthur  Campbell 211 

For  Mr.  William  Edmiston    144 

It  also  appears  to  your  committee  by  a  line  run  by  Colonel  John 
Donaldson  between  this  State  and  North  Carolina,  as  far  as  the 
Holston  river,  that  should  it  be  continued  in  the  same  latitude  to 
where  it  would  intersect  the  north  fork  of  Holston  river,  a  consider- 
able number  of  those  who  voted  for  the  sitting  members  would  be 
left  in  North  Carolina,  and  if  allowed  the  right  of  suffrage  in 
the  said  county  of  Washington,  would  give  them  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  legal  votes. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  265 

It  farther  appears  to  your  committee,  from  the  information  of 
Thomas  Walker,  Esq.,  that  from  the  most  accurate  observations  he 
has  been  able  to  make,  the  Great  Island  on  the  Holston  river  lies 
in  this  State,  and  that,  shonld  a  direct  line  rnn  from  where  the 
said  Donaldson's  terminated  to  the  said  island,  the  greater  number 
of  voters  living  in  the  bend  of  Holston  river  would  be  taken  into 
the  county  of  Washington,  and  that  such' line  would  in  many  places 
intersect  the  river. 

It  appears  to  your  committee  from  the  information  of  Colonel 
William  Christian  that  he  brought  a  writ  of  ejectment  in  the 
County  Court  of  Fincastle  for  a  tract  of  land  lying  near  the  Hol- 
ston river,  between  the  Great  Island  and  the  termination  of  Don- 
aldson's line ;  that  the  person  who  was  in  possession  of  the  land  and 
defended  the  suit,  pleaded  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court,  which 
was  overruled  and  he  obtained  a  judgment. 

It  farther  appears  to  your  committee,  from  the  testimony  of 
James  Thompson,  that  he  acted  as  sheriff  in  the  county  formerly 
Fincastle  in  the  years  1774  and  1775,  during  which  time  he  col- 
lected levies  and  taxes  from  those  people  who  reside  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Holston  river  as  low  down  as  within  about  six  miles  of 
the  great  island,  which  was  esteemed  the  reputed  bounds  of  Vir- 
ginia. As  to  the  second  article  of  charge  contained  in  the  petition 
touching  Mr.  Bledsoe's  holding  a  military  command,  it  appears 
to  3'-our  committee  that  Mr.  Bledsoe  holds  no  other  commission 
than  that  of  a  major  in  the  militia. 

As  to  the  article  of  charge  against  Mr.  Cocke,  as  not  being  a  land- 
holder and  resident  in  the  said  county  of  Washington,  it  appears 
to  your  committee,  from  the  testimony  of  James  Thompson  and 
John  Montgomer3^  that  Mr.  Cocke  was  possessed,  under  a  survey, 
of  more  than  one  hundred  acres  of  land  for  one  year  preceding 
the  election,  hath  resided  in  the  county  formerly  Fincastle,  with 
a  family,  several  years,  until  some  time  in  February  last,  when 
Mr.  Cocke  moved  part  of  his  family  out  of  the  country  for  fear 
of  an  Indian  war,  but  continues  there  himself  the  greater  part  of 
his  time. 

That  the  said  John  Montgomery  was  present  when  the  poll  was 
closed  and  heard  the  sheriff  proclaim  the  sitting  members  duly 
elected. 

As  to  the  last  article  of  charge  respecting  the  bribery  and  cor- 


266  Southwest  Virginia,  171,6-1786. 

ruption,  it  appears  to  your  committee  to  be  groundless.   Whereupon 
your  committee  came  to  the  following  resolutions : 

Resolved,  as  the  opinion  of  this  committee,  That  the  said 
Anthony  Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke  were  duly  elected  to  serve  as 
delegates  in  this  present  General  Assembly  for  the  county  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  said  resolutions  being  severally  read  a  second  time,  were, 
upon  the  question  severally  put  thereupon,  agreed  tO'  by  the  House."* 

While  the  people  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  may  feel  some 
pride  in  knowing  that  our  people  explored  East  Tennessee  and 
furnished  the  rule  of  action  by  which  her  early  settlers  were  gov- 
erned, on  the  other  hand  East  Tennesseeans  will  find  pride  in  the 
fact  that  they  furnished  Washington  county,  Virginia,  her  first 
representatives  in  the  Assembly  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

This  election  was  held  at  Black's  Port,  the  county  seat  of  Wash- 
ington county,  and  every  elector  in  the  county  was  required  to 
attend  and  cast  his  vote  in  person,  under  a  penalty,  and  we  may 
well  imagine  what  a  busy  appearance  the  neighborhood  of  Black's 
Fort  presented  that  day,  946  men  from  Powell's  Valley,  Clinch 
Valley,  Holston,  Carter's  Valley  and  Watauga,  Tennessee. 

On  the  29th  day  of  April,  1777,  the  ancestor  of  a  great  many 
people  whose  names  have  been  honorably  associated  with  the  his- 
tory of  Washington  county  ^appeared  in  court.  He  was  not  a 
stranger  to  this  section,  nor  was  he  a  stranger  to  the  members  of 
that  court.  He  had  long  been  a  deputy  surveyor,  under  William 
Preston,  surveyor  of  Fincastle  county,  and  had  previously  thereto 
surveyed  for  the  citizens  of  Holston  large  and  numerous  tracts 
of  land.  His  name  was  Eobert  Preston,  and  on  that  day  he  pre- 
sented to  the  court  a  commission  from  the  masters  of  William  and 
Mary  College,  appointing  him  surveyor  of  Washington  county. 
The  position  of  county  surveyor  was  at  that  time,  the  most  lucra- 
tive position  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  counties  and  was  much 
sought  after.  William  Preston,  of  Smithfield,  as  well  as  Robert 
Preston,  had  long  been  actively  engaged  by  Colonel  James  Patton 
and  the  Tjoyal  Tiand  Company,  in  surveying  and  locating  their 
grants  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  and  eight  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Southwest  Virginia.  For  this  reason 
they  had  incurred  the  displeasure  of  many  of  the  people  of  South- 


*Joxirnal  House  of  Delegates,   1777. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  267 

western  Virginia,  and  particulaiiy  that  of  Colonel  Arthur  Camp- 
bell and  his  family,  men  who  were  ambitious  and  who  felt  it  their 
right  to  rule.  Whether  this  was  the  reason  for  the  action  of  the 
court,  or  whether  the  reason  is  correctly  stated  in  the  order  of 
the  court  cannot  be  stated.    The  court  entered  the  following  order: 

"Eobert  Preston,  Gent.,  produced  a  commission  from  the  Mas- 
ters of  William  and  Mary  College  appointing  him  a  surveyor  of 
Washington,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  court  that  the  same  should 
not  be  received,  as  it  is  issued  by  virtue  of  a  prerogative  from 
the  Crown  of  England." 

If  the  order  of  this  coiirt  correctly  stated  the  motive  of  the 
court,  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  court  detested  the  Crown 
of  England  and  everything  emanating  therefrom. 

Eobert  Preston  appealed  from  this  order  of  the  County  Court 
of  Washington  county,  to  the  General  Court  at  Williamsburg, 
which  appeal  was  pending  for  some  time,  during  which  time,  Eobert 
Preston  produced  a  surveyor's  commission  from  the  Masters  of 
William  and  Mary  College,  dated  January  23,  1777,  to  the  County 
Court,  ol  this  county,  and  desired  to  be  qualified  by  the  said  court, 
but  his  application  was  refused  by  the  court,  as  there  was  an  appeal 
pending  in  the  General  Court  for  a  refusal  of  the  same  character. 

AVhile  the  appeal  of  Eobert  Preston  was  pending  in  the  General 
Court,  numerously  signed  petitions  were  presented  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia,  praying  that  lx)dy  to  confer  the  power  ol 
selecting  coamty  surveyors  upon  the  Coimty  Courts  of  the  several 
counties,  but  Eobert  Preston  seemed  to  have  the  ear  of  government, 
and  all  petitions  were  rejected. 

I  cannot  say  what  disposition  was  made  of  the  appeal  of  Eobert 
Preston,  but  from  an  inspection  of  the  records  of  the  County  Court 
of  this  county,  the  following  information  is  gathered :  "Eobert 
Preston,  Gent.,  produced  a  commission  from  Thos.  Jefferson,  Gov. 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia,  being  dated  the  22nd  day  of 
December,  1779,  appointing  him  Surveyor  of  the  County  of  Wash- 
ington, and  gave  bond  with  James  Dysart  and  Aaron  Lewis,  his 
securities,  in  the  sum  of  20,000  pounds  for  the  faithful  discharge 
of  his  oflfico  and  took  the  oath  of  office." 

This  office  he  filled  until  the  year  1831,  a  little  more  than  fifty- 
one  years.  The  bad  feeling  between  thePreston  and  Campbell  fam- 
ilies continued  for  many  years,   during  which  time  there  was  a 


268  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

resort  to  arms.  A  duel  was  fought  and  a  member  of  the  Campbell 
family  wounded,  but  I  am  happy  to  say  this  feeling  has  long  since 
died  out,  and  the  two  families  for  many  years  have  been  intimately 
connected,  socially  and  otherwise. 

The  settlers  on  the  Plolston  and  Clinch,  during  the  years  1776- 
1777,  had  been  greatly  harassed  by  the  invasion  of  the  Indians, 
and  thereby  prevented  from  making  anything  like  a  crop  from  their 
lands.  They  had  also  been  required  to  furnish  supplies  to  Colonel 
Christian  and  his  army  of  two  thousand  men,  upon  their  invasion 
of  the  Cherokee  country,  and  the  country  was  thereby  greatly 
impoverished  before  the  crops  in  the  year  1777  were  harvested. 
The  good  citizens,  the  relatives  and  friends  of  the  settlers,  living 
in  Augusta  county,  contributed  through  Mr.  Alexander  St.  Clair 
considerable  sums  of  money,  and  provisions,  for  the  relief  of  the 
settlers  on  the  frontiers,  and  the  County  Court  of  this  county, 
besides  entering  the  following  order,  directed  Captain  William 
Campbell  to  have  Mr.  St.  Clair  to  lay  out  the  money  in  his  hands 
for  wheat. 

"Ordered  that  Joseph  Martin,  John  Kinkead,  John  Coulter,  Gil- 
bert Christian,  William  Campbell  and  Thomas  Mastin,  who  are 
hereby  appointed  as  commissioners  to  distribute  the  flour  con- 
tributed in  Augusta  county  or  elsewhere  for  the  distressed  inhabi- 
tants of  this  county,  and  to  hire  wagons  to  bring  the  same  to  this 
county." 

This  is  the  only  instance  save  one,  in  the  history  of  this  county, 
that  outsiders  have  been  called  upon  to  contribute  to  the  support 
of  the  people  of  Washington  county. 

On  the  same  day,  the  court  entered  an  order  appointing  Eobert 
Young,  constable,  from  Amos  Eaton's  to  Patterson's  Mill,  Castle- 
ton  Brooks,  from  Patterson's  Mill  to  lowest  settlements  down  the 
river.  These  appointments  were  made  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
advancing  settlements. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  court  on  the  30th  day  of  April,  1777,  it 
was  ''ordered  that  the  court  be  held  as  soon  as  the  courthouse  can  be 
built,  at  the  place  formerly  laid  off  for  a  town,  upon  the  land  given 
to  the  county  by  the  honorable  Thomas  Walker,  Joseph  Black  and 
Samuel  Briggs.^'  / 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the'^  county.  Dr.  Thomas 
Walker,  Joseph  Black  and  Samuel  Briggs  agreed  to  give  one  hun- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  269 

dred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  the  coimty  of  Washington  agree- 
ably to  a  survey  thereof  made  by  Robert  Doach  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  a  town  thereon,  and  for  raising  a  sum  of  money 
towards  defraying  the  expenses  of  building  a  courthouse  and  prison. 
This  offer  was  made  by  the  gentlemen  mentioned  to  the  County 
Court  as  an  inducement  to  have  them  establish  the  coimty  seat  near 
Black's  Fort  and  adjoining  their  other  lands. 

Tradition  says  that  the  co^urt  hesitated  for  sojn«  time  m  making 
a  selection  between  Wolf  Hills,  (now  Abiiigdon),  and  Shugarts- 
ville,   (now  Green  Spring). 

From  a  perusal  of  the  orders  of  the  County  Court,  it  appears 
that  a  number  of  logs  and  other  timber  had  been  gathered  at  Mr. 
Black's  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  magazine  when,  on  the  27th 
day  of  August,  1777,  the  County  Court  ordered  the  sheriff  to 
employ  some  person  or  persons,  upon  the  best  terms  he  could,  to 
remove  the  logs  and  other  timber  at  Mr.  Black's  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a  magazine,  to  some  convenient  place  where  the  town 
is  to  stand  and  there  to  be  built  for  a  courthouse." 

"And  likewise  to  build  a  prison  fourteen  feet  square,  with  square 
timber,  twelve  inches  each  way,  and  a  good  shingle  roof,"  with 
directions  to  line  the  side  wall  and  under  floor  with  two-inch  plank, 
and  put  nine  iron  spikes  in  each  plank,  six  inches  long  in  lieu  of  a 
stone  wall." 

Pursuant  to  this  order,  the  sheriff  of  the  county  let  the  contract 
for  the  building  of  the  county  courthouse  to  Samuel  Evans;  to 
Abraham  Goodpasture,  the  building  of  a  prison;  to  G.  Martin,  the 
contract  for  making  irons  for  criminals,  and  to  Hugh  Berry  the 
contract  for  making  the  nails  to  be  used  in  the  building  of  the 
courthouse 

The  courthouse  was  built  of  logs  and  stood  upon  the  lot  occupied 
by  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  James  W.  Preston.  The  jail  oi 
prison  (a  fair  description  of  which  has  been  previously  given),  stood 
on  the  lower  end  of  the  present  courthouse  lot,  a  short  distance  from 
the  street  and  north  of  the  present  courthouse. 

On  the  30th  day  of  April,  1777,  the  County  Court  "ordered  that 
Arthur  Campbell,  William  Campbell,  Daniel  Smith,  Joseph  Mar- 
tin, William  Edmiston,  John  Coulter  and  Eobert  Craig,  gents, 
be  appointed  trustees  to  dispose  of  the  land  given  to  the  county 
by  the  Honorable  Thomas  Walker,   Samuel   Briggs^  and   Joseph 


270  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Black,  and  formerly  laid  off  by  Captain  Robert  Doach,  and  that 
they  or  any  four  of  them  shall  sell  the  same  and  apply  the  money 
arising  therefrom  toward  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  publick 
buildings  in  tJiis  county." 

Pursuant  to  this  order  of  the  court,  the  trustees  therein  named 
employed  John  Coulter  to  lay  off  a  part  of  the  streets  and  alleys 
of  the  proposed  town,  which  service  he  performed  and  reported  to 
the  court  and  received  his  pay  therefor. 

The  time  when  the  new  courthouse  was  first  occupied  cannot 
be  definitely  fixed,  but  must  have  been  in  the  year  1778,  and  the 
new  prison  was  not  used  or  occupied  until  the  year  1779. 

On  the  same  day  the  court  directed  David  Campbell,  clerk,  to 
furnish  blank  books  for  keeping  the  public  records,  and  ordered  the 
sheriff  to  summons  twenty-four  of  the  most  capable  freeholders  to 
serve  as  a  grand  jury,  which  grand  jury  met  on  the  27th  day  of 
May,  1777,  at  Black's  Fort,  and  made  the  following  indictments — 
to- wit : 

Margaret  Drummon  for  having  a  bastard  child,  and  James 
Bryan  for  not  having  the  road  in  good  repair  he  was  surveyor  of. 
On  the  same  day  the  court  entered  the  following  order : 

"Ordered  that  it  be  certified  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  court, 
that  the  field  officers  for  Washington  county  be  recommended  to 
His  Excellency  the  Governor,  to  be  continued  and  be  in  the  office 
they  have  been  commissioned  to  by  his  Excellency,  which  appoint- 
ments are  approved  of  by  the  court  of  this  county. 

Major  Anthony  Bledsoe,  upon  his  election  as  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  of  Virginia,  resigned  his  position  as  major  of  the  forces 
stationed  at  Long  Island  and  left  for  Richmond,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Captain  William  Russell. 

Major  Bledsoe  and  Captain  Cocke  expected,  upon  the  assembling 
of  the  legislature  at  Richmond,  to  have  the  pleasure  of  displacing 
the  militia  officers  of  Washington  county  and  filling  their  positions 
with  their  friends  and  partizans,  and  Colonel  Campbell,  as  a  means 
to  disappoint  Cocke  and  Bledsoe  in  the  accomplishment  of  their 
purpose,  had  the  preceding  order  entered  by  the  court  of  this 
county,  which  action  had  the  desired  effect,  and  as  a  result  of  it 
Cocke  and  Bledsoe  preferred  charges  against  Colonel  Campbell, 
which  charges  were  heard  and  dismissed  by  the  Governor  and  Coun- 
cil, in  the  same  year. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  371 

The  County  Court  during  this  year,  upon  motion  of  James 
Dysart,  sheriff  of  the  county,  permitted  Joseph  Black,  James  Eob- 
erts  and  John  King,  to  qualify  as  deputy  sheriffs  for  this  county, 
and  during  the  same  year,  permitted  Eobert  Campbell  and  John 
Campbell  to  qualify  as  deputy  clerks  for  said  county. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  year  1777,  the  court  ordered  the  fol- 
lowing roads  opened  and  established :  "A  road  from  James  Kin- 
cannon's  to  William  Kennedy's  Mill.  A  road  from  Samuel  Henry's 
up  the  South  Pork  of  Holston,  the  way  viewed  by  Eobert  Buchanan, 
Alexander  McISTutt  and  Eobert  Edmiston,  pursuant  to  the  order 
of  the  Fincastle  court." 

And,  "on  motion,  John  Anderson,  Gilbert  Christian,  James 
Elliott,  James  Fulkerson  and  William  Eoberts,  were  appointed  com- 
missioners to  view  a  road  from  George  Blackburn's  by  James  Ful- 
kerson's  to  the  forks  of  the  path  leading  to  Kentucky  and  the  mouth 
of  Eeedy  creek." 

In  the  fall  of  this  year,  the  following  orders  relating  to  the  roads 
of  the  county,  were  entered : 

"Benjamin  Gray  and  William  Blackburn  were  appointed  commis- 
sioners to  view  and  locate  a  road  from  the  courthouse  to  Shoate's 
Ford  on  Holston  river  on  the  27th  day  of  August,  1777,  and  the 
report  of  the  viewers  establishing  this  road  was  confirmed  by  the 
court  on  the  30th  day  of  September,  1777. 

Josiah  Gamble,  Thomas  Berry  and  Adam  Keer  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  locate  a  road  from  the  courthouse  to  Philip's  Mill, 
on  the  Watauga  road,  on  the  27th  of  August,  1777 ;  their  report  was 
confirmed  and  the  road  established  on  the  30th  day  of  September, 
1777. 

William  Bowen,  David  Ward,  Eees  Bowen  and  James  Fowler 
were  appointed  commissioners  to  locate  a  road  from  the  Eichlands 
by  Maiden's  Spring  to  the  gap  of  the  Laurel  Fork  of  the  north 
branch  of  Holston  on  the  30th  day  of  September,  1777,  and  on 
the  same  day,  John  Finley,  John  Fowler  and  Abraham  Crabtree 
were  appointed  commissioners  to  locate  a  road  from  said  gap  down 
the  valley  to  the  head  of  Fifteen-Mile  creek  and  on  to  the  court- 
house. 

On  the  same  day,  Albert  McClure,  Thomas  McCulloch  and 
Joseph  Martin  were  appointed  commissioners  to  view  a  road  from 
the  foot  of  Clinch  mountain  where  James  Logan  lived  to  the  gap 


273  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

O'f  the  moimtain  opposite  the  head  of  Fifteen-Mile  creek.  Their 
report  was  received  and  confirmed  on  the  18th  day  of  March,  177S. 

John  Kinkead,  Daniel  Smith,  Thomas  Price  and  William  Gil- 
mer were  appointed  commissioners  to  locate  a  road  from  the 
north  side  of  Clinch  mountain,  over  Clinch  mountain,  to  Eobert 
and  James  Logan's  and  Halbert  McClure.  Thomas  McCulloch  and 
Joseph  Martin  were  appointed  commissioners  to  locate  a  road  from 
the  foot  of  Clinch  moimtain  at  James  Logan's  to  the  courthouse. 

William  Casey,  Eobert  Harrold  and  Samuel  Staples  were 
appointed  commissioners  on  the  36th  day  of  November,  1777,  to 
locate  a  road  from  the  mouth  of  Harrold's  creek  to  the  courthouse, 
and  on  the  same  day,  Francis  Cooper,  John  Dunkin  and  James 
Davis  were  appointed  commissioners  to  locate  a  road  from  the 
ISTorth  Fork  of  Holston  to  the  Castle's  Woods  road  through  Little 
Moccasin  Gap ;  this  last  road  was  established  by  order  of  the  court  on 
the  18th  day  of  March,  1778. 

We  give  this  information  in  regard  to  the  roads  established  in  the 
year  1777,  as  it  is  always  of  interest  to  the  citizens  to  laiow  the 
time  and  circumstances  attending  the  opening  of  our  public  roads. 

The  State  authorities  in  the  month  of  October,  1777,  made  a 
requisition  upon  the  authorities  of  Washington  county  for  thirty- 
three  men  for  the  continental  service,  which  requisition  was 
promptly  complied  with. 

During  the  summer  of  this  year,  all  the  western  settlements  were 
visited,  by  numbers  of  Tories  from  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State 
and  from  the  disaffected  portions  of  North  Carolina,  and  were 
greatly  troubled  by  their  presence  in  this,  that  they  usually  joined 
themselves  in  bands  and  traveled  about  through  the  settlements, 
stealing  horses  and  robbing  the  Whig  sympathizers ;  and  O'ftentimes, 
in  accomplishing  their  purposes,  committed  the  (>ffence_of  murder, 
and,  from  all  appearances,  in  the  fall  of  this  ^ear  it  looked  as  if  they 
would  be  able  to  give  the  settlers  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  unless  in 
some  manner  restrained. 

The  people  living  on  Holston  undertook  to  restrain  these  Tory 
sympathizers  by  a  resort  to  the  courts  and  by  inflicting  the  punish- 
ment prescribed  by  law,  and,  in  so  doing,  Isaac  Lebo,  Jeremiah 
Slaughter  and  William  Houston  were  indicted,  tried  and  convicted 
for  conduct  and  conversation  evidencing  a  disposition  inimical  to 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  273 

the  cause  of  America.    Their  goods  were  confis^ted_and  they  were 
fined  and  imprisoned. 

The  British  government  had  spies  scattered  throughout  the 
country,  carrying  messages  between  its  officials  ^nd  the  Indians 
living  to  the  south  and  west  of  the  Holston  settlements,  and  the 
situation  was  fast  becoming  exceedingly  precarious.  One  of  these 
spies  was  captured  and  punished  by  ColonerWilliam  Campbell  and 
some  of  his  friends,  in  this  yeiir,  when  Colonel  Campbell  was  return- 
ing to  his  liome  from  preaching,  in  company  with  his  wife  and  two 
or  three  gentlemen.  The  circumstances  were  as  follows:  "When 
Colonel  Campbell  had  gotten  within  a  few  miles  of  home,  he  dis- 
covered a  man  walking,  with  a  little  bundle  on  a  stick  thrown  over 
his  shoulder.  Wlien  the  man  got  within  some  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  Campbell,  he  turned  obliquely  off  from  the  road.  As  soon 
as  Campbell  discovered  this,  he  turned  from  the  road  in  a  direction 
to  intercept  him.  When  the  man  discovered  that  he  was  about  to 
be  intercepted  by  Campliell  and  his  companions,  he  broke  and  ran 
with  all  his  might  towards  the  river.  The  pursuers  galloped  after 
liim  and  as  there  was  no  ford  there  they  jumped  off  of  their 
horses  and  ran  across  the  river  and  overtook  their  game  in  an  ivy 
cleft.  Tliey  carried  him  back  to  the  road.  When  they  got  back 
several  other  men  fell  in  company  with  them.  The  spy,  as  I  will 
now  call  the  m.an,  was  dressed  very  shabbily.  Colonel  Campbell 
asked  him  why  he  turned  from  the  road.  The  spy  appeared  very 
silly  and  offered  some  flimsy  excuse.  Campbell  propounded  a  great 
many  other  questions  to  him.  The  fellow  pretended  to  have  very 
little  sense  and  said  that  he  was  a  very  poor  man  and  was  going 
tO'  the  back  settlements  where  there  was  plenty  of  land.  From 
the  many  questions  Campbell  proposed^  to  the  spy  he  became  per- 
fectly satisfied  that  he  was  a  man  of  fine  sense  and  under  the  dis- 
guise of  a  fool.  Campbell  informed  him  that  he  believed  him  to 
be  a  man  engaged  in  some  vile  service  and  he  must  be  searched, 
to  which  the  spy  had  no  objection.  His  bundle  was  searched,  in 
which  was  found  nothing  but  some  old  clothes.  Campbell  informed 
him  he  must  pull  off  all  the  clothes  he  had  on  and  put  on  the  suit 
he  had  in  his  bundle.  In  his  pocket  they  found  a  pass  and  some 
other  old  papers,  all  badly  written.  Every  part  of  his  clothing  was 
examined  very  minutely,  but  nothing  could  be  found.  Campbell 
remarked  to  the  spy  that  he  had  a  very  good  pair  of  shoes  on  and 


374  SouihwesL  Virginia,  17J^6-178G. 

he  believed  he  would  examine  them.  He  took  out  his  pocket  knife 
and  ripped  off  the  bottom  soles  of  the  shoes,  and  under  each  of  them 
he  found  a  letter  written  by  the  British  commander,  addressed  to 
V '  the  King  of  the  Cherokee  Indians.  The  letters  were  written  on 
very  fine  paper  and  were  enveloped  in  bladder  so  as  to  render  them 
water-proof.  The  Indians  were  informed  that  the  whites  had 
rebelled  against  their  king,  that  a  large  army  had  been  sent  against 
them,  which  would  in  a  short  time  subdue  them.  The  Indians 
were  exhorted  to  send  their  warriors  in  every  direction  and  harass 
the  whites  as  much  as  possible.  They  were  reminded  of  the  injuries 
they  had  received  from  the  whites  and  were  told  that  as  soon  as  the 
rebels  were  subdued,  they  would  be  amply  remunerated  for  all  the 
land  that  had  been  taken  from  them  and  for  whatever  other  losses 
they  had  sustained  from  them.  The  letter  wound  up  by  recom- 
mending the  bearer  to  the  king  as  a  man  of  sense  and  honesty  and 
as  one  in  whose  counsels  they  should  place  implicit  confidence.  After 
the  letters  were  read,  a  council  was  held  and  it  was  unanimously 
agreed  that  the  spy  should  be  hanged.  Colonel  Campbell  informed 
the  spy  that  he  had  but  a  short  time  to  live  and  he  had  as  well  make 
a  full  and  candid  confession  of  everything  connected  with  his  trip. 
The  spy  said  that  he  had  been  promised  by  the  British  commander 
a  large  sum  of  money  to  carry  these  letters  to  the  Indians  and  to 
incite  them  to  do  all  the  mischief  they  could  possibly  accomplish. 
Soon  after  this  confession  the  spy  was  taken  by  Campbell  and  his 
companions  and  swung  to  a  limb."* 

At  the  August  term  of  the  County  Court  of  1777,  th^  situation 
had  become  so  alarming  that  the  court  thought  proper  to  require  all 
the  citizens  of  the  county  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Com- 
monwealth and  directed  tliat  George  Blackburn  tender  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  all  free  male  inliabitants  living  in  the  bounds  of 
Captain  James  Shelby's,  Eobert  Craig's  and  Andrew  Colvill's  com- 
panies. 

James  Montgomery  to  tender  the  oath  to  those  living  in  liis  own 
and  Captain  John  Shelby's  companies. 

Arthur  Campbell  to  tender  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  all  in  Cap- 
tain Edmiston's  and  Captain  Dysart's  companies. 

William  Campbell  to  tender  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  those  living 
in  Captain  Aaron  Lewis's  company. 


.      *Capt.  John  Redd's  MSS. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  275 

John  Snoddy,  to  those  in  his  own  and  Captain  Adam's  compan3^ 

John  Camphell,  to  those  in  his  own  and  Captain  John  Camp- 
bell's companies  at  Eoyal  Oak. 

John  Kinkead  in  his  own  and  Captain  Dunkin's  company. 

Daniel  Smith,  to  those  living  from  the  npper  part  of  Captain 
Dunkin's  company  to  the  county  line,  and  to  John  Coulter  was 
assigiied  the  duty  of  tendering  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  all  free  male 
inhabitants  in  the  bounds  of  Captain  Gilbert  Christian's  company 
and  Captain  James  Eobertson's  company  at  Watauga. 

The  members  of  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county  were 
zealous  Whigs  and  were  so  aggressive  in  the  enforcement  of  their 
views,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  a  Tory  could  make  his  home 
anywhere  within  the  bounds  of  this  county  without  being  prosecuted 
to  the  full  extent  of  the  law.  A  majority  of  these  men  did  not 
recognize  any  distinction  between  an  Indian  who  would  scalp  his 
wife  and  children  and  a  man  with  a  white  skin  who  would  lend 
his  influence  to  a  government  that  would  offer  every  inducement 
to  the  Indian  to  murder  and  plunder  the  wliite  settlers. 

Colonel  William  Campbell  was  particularly  aggressive  in  his  pro- 
secution of  the  Tories  tO'  be  found  within  the  county,  and,  by  reason 
thereof,  was  the  object  of  special  hatred  on  their  part. 

At  this  time  there  lived  in  Washington  county  two  men  by  the 
names  of  Frands  Hopkins  and  William  Hopkins.  Francis  Hop- 
kins was  a  counterfeiter  and,  at  the  May  term  of  the  County  Conrt 
in  the  year  1778,  he  was  tried  by  the  court  on  suspicion  of  his  hav- 
ing counterfeited,  erased  and  altered  sundry  treasury  notes ;  the 
currency  of  this  Commonwealth,  knowing  the  same  to  be  bad.  He 
was  foimd  guilty,  fined  fifty  dollars  lawful  money  of  Virginia,  sen- 
tenced to  six  months  in  prison,  and  was  ordered  to  be  confined 
within  the  walls  of  the  Fort  at  William  Cocke's  (now  C.  L.  Clyce's), 
on  Eenfro's  creek,  alias  Spring  creek,  until  the  county  gaol  was 
completed.  He  was  conveyed  to  Cocke's  Fort,  but,  within  a  short 
time  thereafter,  made  his  escape  and  began  a  series  of  very  bold 
and  daring  depredations  upon  the  Whig  settlers  of  the  county.  He 
organized  a  band  of  Tories,  whose  occupation  was  to  steal  the  horses 
of  the  settlers  and  intimidate  the  citizens  whenever  possible.  He 
went  so  far  as  to.  post  notices  at  and  near  the  home  of  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Campbell,  warning  him  that  if  he  did  not  desist  from  his  pro- 


276  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

secution  of  the  loyal  adherents  of  George  III,  a  terrible  calamity 
would  befall  him,  either  in  the  loss  of  his  property  or  his  life. 

"On  a  quiet  and  beautiful  Sabbath  in  the  spring  time  of  the 
year  1780,  General  Campbell  accompanied  by  Ms  wife  (who  was 
^  a  sister  of  Patrick  Henry),  and  several  of  their  neighbors,  attended 
a  religious  service  at  a  Presbyterian  house  of  worship  known  as 
Ebbing  Spring  Church  in  the  upper  end  of  this  county.  As  they 
were  returning  to  their  homes  they  happened  to  be  conversing  about 
the  audacity  of  the  Tory  who  had  been  so  bold  and  defiant  in  his 
declarations  and  was  suspected  of  having  posted  these  notices  above 
referred  to.  Just  as  they  arrived  at  the  top  of  a  hill,  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  the  present  residence  of  Colonel  Hiram  A.  Greever, 
they  observed  a  man  on  horseback  on  the  opposite  hill,  coming 
towards  them.  General  Campbell  was  riding  beside  his  wife,  with 
an  infant  on  before  him.  One  of  them  remarked  that  the  individual 
meeting  them  was  the  Tory  of  whom  they  had  been  speaking,  prob- 
ably now  on  a  horse-stealing  expedition,  as  he  was  observed  to  be 
carrying  a  rope  halter  in  his  hand.  Hearing  this,  Colonel  Campbell, 
without  halting,  handed  the  infant  over  to  its  mother  and  dashed 
O'ut  in  front.  Seeing  the  movement  and  recognizing  the  man  whom 
he  so  much  feared  and  hated,  the  Tory  wheeled  his  horse  and  started 
back  at  quite  a  rapid  gait,  pursued  at  full  speed  by  Colonel  Camp- 
bell and  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  compan}'-,  whose  name  was 
Thompson.  Never,  it  may  be  presumed,  either  before  or  since,  has 
such  a  dashing  and  exciting  race  been  witnessed  upon  that  long 
level  between  the  residences  of  Colonels  Greever  and  Beattie.  As 
they  reached  the  branch  at  the  base  of  the  hill  a  little  west  of  Colonel 
Beattie's,  Colonel  Campbell  dashed  up  alongside  the  fleeing  Tory, 
who,  seeing  that  he  would  be  caught,  turned  short  to  the  right  down 
the  bank  and  plunged  into  the  river.  As  he  struck  the  water. 
Colonel  Campbell,  who  had  left  his  companion  in  the  rear,  leaped  in 
beside  him,  grasped  the  Tory's  holsters  and  threw  them  into  the 
stream,  and  then  dragged  him  from  his  horse  into  the  water. 

At  this  moment  Mr.  Thompson  rode  up.  They  took  their  prisoner 
out  on  the  bank  and  held  what  may  be  termed  a  drum-head  court. 
The  Tory,  who,  bad  as  he  was,  had  the  virtue  of  being  a  brave,  can- 
did man,  at  once  acknowledged  the  truth  of  the  charge  preferred 
against  him  and  boldly  declared  his  defiance  and  determination  to 
take  horses  wherever  he  could  find  them.  But  he  was  mistaken  in 
his  man,  for  in  less  tlian  ten  minutes  he  was  dangling  from  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  277 

limb  of  a  large  sycamore  that  stood  upon  the  bank  of  the  river,  the 
stump  of  which  was  to  be  seen  a  few  years  ago,  and  may  be  there 
yet  for  aught  the  writer  knows.* 

After  the  sudden  taking  off  of  Fran^i^  Hopkins,  as  above  detailed, 
William  Hopkins  continued  his  depredations  upon  the  Whig  settlers 
and  resorted  to  arms,  for  which  offence  he  also  was  arrested  in  the 
year  1779  and  committed  to  the  gaol  of  this  county  for  trial,  but 
escaped  therefrom,  whereupon,  the  court  entered  the  following  order 
on  the  16th  day  of  June,  1779  : 

"Washington  county  ss.  On  motion  of  Ephraim  Dunlop,  Deputy 
Attorney  for  the  Commonwealth,  that  the  estate  of  William  Hop- 
kins, who  had  been  taken  and  committed  to  the  gaol  of  this  county 
for  treasonable  practices  against  the  United  States  of  America,  in 
taking  up  arms  under  the  British  Standard  and  who  had  broken  the 
gaol  and  escaped,  be  sold  and  the  money  deposited  in  the  treasury,  it 
appearing  to  the  court  that  the  said  Hopkins  has  no  family,  and 
that  he  has  no  stated  place  of  abode, 

^'Ordered  that  the  sheriff  seize  and  sell  all  the  estate  of  the  said 
Hopkins  which  shall  be  found  in  his  bailiwick  and  that  he  keep 
the  money  accruing  from  such  sale  in  his  hands  until  the  General 
Assembly  shall  determine  how  the  said  money  is  to  be  expended." 

Ordered  that  the  clerk  of  the  court  transmit  this  order  to  the 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Delegates  at  the  next  session  of  the 
Assembly. 

The  good  citizens  of  the  county  organized  themselves  into  bands 
called  "Eegulators,"  and  patroled  the  county  and  meted  out  pun- 
ishment to  the  offenders  according  to  the  enormity  of  their  conduct. 
The  citizens,  following  the  example  of  their  leaders,  adopted,  in 
dealing  with  Tory  sympathizers,  measures  of  such  a  character  that 
this  county  was  comparatively  free  from  Tory  influences  during  the 
entire  war,  and  numbered  among  her  citizens  only  such  persons  as 
were  willing  and  ready  to  offer  their  lives  and  property  as  a  sacri- 
fice on  the  altar  of  their  country.  And  so  strong  and  healthy  was 
the  Whig  settlement  in  this  county,  in  the  5^ears  1778-1779,  that 
numbers  of  our  citizens  were  called  upon  to  assist  in  suppressing 
an  uprising  of  the  Tory  sympathizers  in  the  county  of  Montgomery. 

The  mode  of  procedure  adopted  by  our  Eevolutionary  fathers,  in 
dealing  with  tliis  matter,  may  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  some 


♦Charles  B.  Coale.^ 


278  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

at  this  day,  but  it  is  evident  to  the  student  of  our  history,  that  the 
methods  used  were  the  most  effective  in  dealing  with  the  unprin- 
cipled men  who  had  chosen,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Indians,  tO' 
commit  all  manner  of  depredations  and  outrages  upon  the  frontier 
settlements. 

In  the  county  of  Montgomery,  persuasion  and  good  treatment 
were  used  on  this  character  of  citizens  and  resulted  in  what  might 
be  termed  an  insurrection,  a  deplorable  state  of  affairs  that  could 
not  be  remedied  without  the  assistance  of  the  patriots  of  Washing- 
ton county  and  the  application  of  their  methods  in  the  premises. 

In  Washington  county  stern  justice  was  meted  out  speedily  and 
effectively,  to  all  violators  of  the  law,  Avhich  policy  was  approved  by 
the  body  politic  and  had  the  desired  effect. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1777,  the  Government  of  Virginia  decided 
to  appoint  a  superintendent  or  Indian  Agent  for  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  which  position  was  conferred  upon  Captain  Joseph  Mar- 
tin, and  the  agency  was  located  at  the  Long  Island  in  Holston 
river.  Captain  Martin,  upon  his  appointment  as  Indian  Agent, 
proceeded  to  build  a  large  store  house  on  the  island,  for  the  purpose 
of  depositing  such  goods  as  the  government  might  send  out  for  the 
Indians  and  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Indians  when  at  Long 
Island  on  business  with  the  Indian  Agent. 

Daniel  Boone,  in  March,  1775,  undertook  to  mark  out  for  a  num- 
ber of  North  Carolina  gentlemen  a  road  from  Watauga,  Tennessee, 
through  the  wilderness  to  Kentucky,  which  he  did.  The  road 
marked  out  by  Boone,  at  this  time,  was  from  the  Watauga  settle- 
ment near  Elizabethton  (Tennessee),  to  the  Cumberland  Gap,  and, 
from  the  Gap,  it  followed  the  Indian  trace  known  as  "the  War- 
rior's Path,"  about  fifty  miles,  where  it  left  the  "Warrior's  Path," 
bearing  to  the  west  to  the  "Hazel  Patch"  and  to  Pock  Castle  river. 
From  Eock  Castle  river  the  road  passed  through  the  present  county 
of  Madison  (Kentucky)  and  on  to  the  Kentucky  river,  at  the  moutli 
of  Otter  creek.  About  one  mile  below  the  moutli  of  this  creek, 
Boone  established  headquarters  and  erected  a  fort,  and  called  it 
Boonesborough.  Boone  was  followed  by  a  large  company  in  charge 
of  Eichard  Henderson,  who  claimed  to  own  all  the  lands  between 
the  Ohio  and  the  Cumberland  rivers,  l)y  purchase  from  the  Chero- 
kee Indians,  to  which  country  he  had  given  the  name  of  Transyl- 
vania. Benjamin  Logan  with  a  company  of  men  from  the  Wolf  Hills, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  279 

(now  Abingdon),  joined  Colonel  Henderson  in  Powell's  Valley,  and 
the  two  companies  traveled  together  as  far  as  Eockcastle  river  in 
Kentucky,  where  Logan,  not  approving  of  Colonel  Henderson's  pre- 
tensions or  plans,  left  Henderson  and  traveled  westwardly  in  the 
direction  of  the  Crab  Orchard,  and  when  he  had  reached  the  level 
land  he  halted  and  built  a  fort  which  he  called  "Logan's  Port." 

In  this  year,  a  large  number  of  emigrants  began  to  travel  into 
Kentucky,  seeking  homes,  and,  by  the  month  of  July,  a  considerable 
body  of  people  had  gathered  at  Boone's  Port  and  Logan's  Port. 

On  the  4th  day  of  July,  1777,  one  hundred  Indians  appeared 
before  Logan's  Port  and  laid  siege  to  it,  which  siege  continued 
until  the  month  of  September.  When  the  siege  had  lasted  foT 
some  time.  Captain  Benjamin  Logan,  with  a  number  of  friends, 
slipped  out  of  the  fort  by  night  and  began  an  exceedingly  hard  and 
dangerous  trip  to  the  settlements  on  Holston,  to  procure  supplies  for 
the  foTt  and  reinforcements  against  the  Indians.  They  traveled  by 
night  and  lay  by  during  the  day ;  but,  finally  reaching  the  Holston 
at  Wolf  Hills,  they  secured  powder  and  the  assistance  of  forty  rifle- 
men, and  returned  to  the  fort  within  ten  days. 

The  riflemen  from  the  Holston  settlenuents  were  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  John  Bowman.  Many  of  the  men  who  went 
to  the  rescue  of  their  relatives  and  fellow-citizens  in  Kentucky  at 
this  time  subsequently  made  their  homes  in  Kentucky,  and  Ben- 
jamin Logan  became  a  great  man  in  the  new  State. 

The  road  thus  marked  by  Daniel  Boone  and  Benjamin  Logan 
continued  to  be  the  passageway  of  many  hundreds  of  settlers  and 
emigrants  on  their  way  to  Kentucky  until  the  year  1781,  although 
it  was  nothing  more  than  a  mere  path  or  trace. 

By  the  3^ear  1779  great  numbers  of  people  were  emigrating  to 
and  settling  to  the  westward  of  the  Cumberland  mountains.  In 
this  year  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  passed  an  act  for  mark- 
ing and  opening  a  road  over  the  Cumberland  mountains  into  the 
county  of  Kentucky.  The  act  in  question  appointed  Evan  Shelby 
and  Eichard  Calloway  commissioners  to  explore  the  country  adja- 
cent to  and  on  both  sides  of  the  Cumberland  mountains,  and  to 
trace  and  mark  the  most  convenient  road  from  the  settlements  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountains  over  the  same  into  the  open  coun- 
try into  the  county  of  Kentucky,  and  to  cause  such  road,  with  all 
convenient  dispatch  to  be  opened  and  cleared  in  such  manner  as 


380  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

to  give  par^sage  to  travelers  with  pack-horses  for  the  present;,  and  to 
report  to  the  next  session  of  the  Assembly  the  distance,  the  prac- 
ticability and  the  cost  of  completing  and  making  the  same  a  good 
wagon  road.  The  act  further  j^rovided  that  should  the  said  Evan 
Shelby  or  Eichard  Calloway  refuse  or  be  unable  to  act,  then  the 
County  Court  of  their  residence  should  appoint  his  or  their  succes- 
sor. It  provided  also  that  a  guard  of  not  more  than  fifty  men  from 
the  county  most  convenient  should  attend  said  commissioners  while 
locating  this  road. 

Colonel  Evan  Shelby  declined  to  act  as  commissioner,  pursuant 
to  the  act  of  the  Assembly  above  mentioned,  and  the  County  Court 
of  Washington  county,  in  which  he  lived,  on  June  20,  1780,  en- 
tered the  following  order : 

"Ordered  that  Captain  John  Kinkead  be  appointed  in  the  room 
of  Colonel  Evan  Shelby,  who  has  refused  to  act  agreeably  to  the 
Act  of  Assembly  for  marking  and  opening  a  road  over  the  Cum- 
berland mountains  into  the  county  of  Kentucke." 

This  appointment  Captain  Kinlcead  accepted,  and,  along  with 
Captain  Calloway,  effected  the  opening  of  a  road  through  the 
Cumberland  mountains  to  Kentucky,  and  on  the  first  day  of  De- 
cember, 1781,  a  petition  of  John  Kinkead  was  presented  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia  "setting  forth  that  agreeably  to  ap- 
pointment of  the  County  Court  of  Washington  he,  in  conjunction 
with  the  other  commissioner,  proceeded  to  and  effected  the  open- 
ing of  a  road  through  the  Cumberland  mountains  to  Kentucky, 
and  praying  to  be  paid  for  the  service." 

The  road  thus  located  by  Captains  Kinkead  and  Calloway,  be- 
came what  was  known  as  the  "Wilderness  Eoad,"  and  for  twenty 
years  subsequent  thereto  was  the  principal  highway  traveled  by 
an  immense  train  of  emigrants  to  the  West.  This  road  passed 
through  Abingdon,  and  that  the  present  generation  may  be  able 
to  locate  this  road,  I  give  the  stopping  points,  with  the  distances 
between,  along  the  road  from  Inglis'  Ferry  at  New  river  to  Cum- 
berland Gap : 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.    ^  281 

Miles.  Miles. 

*From  Hand's  Meadow  to               To  Moccasin  Gap 5 

Inglis'  Ferry  at  New  Eiver  12         To  Clinch  Eiver 11 

To  Fort  Chiswell 30          To  Ford  Stock  Creek 2 

To    Atkins'    Ordinary 19          To  Little  Flat  Lick 5 

To  Mid.  Fork  Holston. .  .  —         To  North  Fork  Clinch 1 

To    Cross    White's,    Mont-               To  Powell's  Mountain 1 

gomery 3          To   Wallen's   Eidge 5 

To  Col.  Arthur  Campbell's     3          To   Valley   Station 5 

To  7-mile  Ford  of  Holston     6          To  Powell's   Eiver 2 

To  Major  Dysart's  Mill..   12         To   Glade  Spring 4 

To  Washington  Courthouse  10          To  Martin's  Station 19 

To  Head  Eeedy  Creek,  Sul-               To    Big    Spring 12 

livan  county,  N.  C 20  To   Cumberland  Mountain 

To  Block  House 13              Gap    8 

To  North  Fork  of  Holston     2 

Thomas  Speed  traveled  this  same  route  in  the  year  1790,  and 
gives  the  names  of  the  stopping  points  with  the  distances  between : 


Miles. 

IngHs'    Ferry 20 

To    Carter's 13 

To  Fort  Chiswell 12 

To  the  Stone  Mill 11 

To   Adkins' 16 

To  Eussell   Place 16 

To    Greenway's 14 

To  Washington  Co.  House     6 
To  the  Block  House 35 


Miles. 

To    Farriss's 5 

To  Clinch  Eiver 12 

To  Scott's  Station 12 

To  Cox's  at  Powell's  Eiver  10 

To   Martin's   Station 2 

To 

To   Cumberland  Mountain     3 
To  Cumberland  Eiver.  ...   15 


At  this  time  five  ferries  were  maintained  across  New  river  in 
Southwest  Virginia  by  land  owners,  toi-wit:  William  Inglis, 
Samuel  Pepper,  Cornelius  Brown,  Thomas  Herbert  and  Austin  & 
Co.,  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers  and  emigrants,  and  the 
General  Assembly  fixed  the  toll  at  four  cents  for  each  man  and 
four  cents  for  each  horse  ferried. 

Cliief-Justice  Eobertson,  of  Kentucky,  in  speaking  of  the  land 
law  enacted  for  Kentucky  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 


*Win.  Brovra's  MSS. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  283 

in  the  year  1779,  and  of  the  emigration  which  took  place  in  that 
year,  used  the  following  language : 

"This  heneficent  enactment  hrought  to  the  country  during  the 
fall  and  winter  of  that  year  an  unexampled  tide  of  emigrants,  who, 
exchanging  all  the  comforts  of  their  native  society  and  homes  for 
settlements  for  themselves  and  children  liere,  came,  like  pilgrims, 
to  a  wilderness  to  be  made  secure  by  their  arms  and  habitable  by 
the  toil  of  their  lives.  Through  privations  incredible  and  ^perils 
thick,  thousands  of  men,  women  and  children  came  in  successive 
caravans,  forming  continuous  streams  of  human  beings,  horses, 
cattle  and  other  domestic  animals,  all  moving  onward  along  a 
lonely  and  houseless  path  to  a  wild  and  cheerless  land.  Cast  your 
eyes  back  on  that  long  procession  of  missionaries  in  the  cause  of 
civilization ;  behold  the  men  on  foot  with  their  trusty  guns  on  their 
shol^lde^s,  driving  stock  and  leading  pack-horses;  and  the  women, 
some  walking  with  pails  on  their  heads,  others  riding  with  chil- 
dren in  their  laps,  and  other  children  hung  in  baskets  on  horses, 
fastened  to  the  tails  of  others  going  before;  see  them  encamped 
at  night  expecting  to  be  massacred  by  Indians ;  behold  them  in 
tlie  month  of  December,  in  that  ever  memorable  season  of  unpre- 
cedented cold  called  the  "hard  winter,"  traveling  two  or  three 
miles  a  day,  frequently  in  danger  of  being  frozen  or  killed  by  the 
falling  of  horses  on  the  icy  and  almost  impassable  trace,  and  sub- 
sisting on  stinted  allowances  of  stale  bread  and  meat ;  but  now, 
lastly,  look  at  them  at  the  destined  fort,  perhaps  on  the  eve  of 
Merry  Christmas,  when  met  by  the  hearty  welcome  of  friends  who 
had  come  before,  and,  cheered  by  the  fresh  Iniffalo  meat  and 
parched  corn,  they  rejoice  at  their  deliverance  and  resolve  to  be 
contented  with  their  lot." 

It  was  by  this  route  and  in  this  manner  that  many  of  our  citi- 
zens traveled  to  their  new  homes  in  Kentucky  and  throughout  the 
West,  and  it  was  for  the  protection  of  travelers  on  this  route  that 
the  county  officials  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  expended  a 
great  deal  of  effort  and  money,  the  Indians,  for  many  years  sub- 
sequent to  1775,  waylaying  this  route,  murdering  the  emigrants 
and  stealing  their  horses  and  plunder. 

The  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  being  Presbyterian  in  belief,  kept 
step  with  the  advance  of  the  settlers  upon  the  frontiers.  The  set- 
tlements had  scarcely  reached  the  vicinity  of  Jonesboro,  Tennes- 


284  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

see,  when  Rev.  Samuel  Doak,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  had 
been  educated  at  Princeton,  with  great  energy  and  with  a  deter- 
mination to  make  his  home  on  the  frontiers,  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  after  having  walked  through  Maryland  and  Virginia,  driv- 
ing before  him  a  horse  loaded  with  books.  He  was  greatly  appre- 
ciated by  the  people  among  whom  he  had  cast  his  lot,  and  he,  in 
turn,  exercised  a  "wonderful  influence  upon  tlie  early  settlers  of 
East  Tennessee. 

In  this  year,  1777,  through  the  influence  of  this  preacher,  a 
Presbyterian  log  church  was  erected  near  Jonesboro,  Tennessee, 
to  which  was  given  the  name  of  "Salem  Church."  Near  this 
church  soon  thereafter  he  erected  a  school-house  which  afterwards 
became  Washington  College,  this  church  and  school  being  the 
first  erected  in  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

On  the  26th  day  of  November,  1777,  the  county  court  of  this 
county  proceeded  to  make  a  statement  of  the  county  levy  for  the 
year  1777,  which  statement  was  as  follows: 

"To    Abraham    Goodpasture,    for   building   the 

prison,    £450 

To  Samuel  Evans,  for  building  a  house  to  hold 

court  in. 
To  John  Coulter  for  laying  off  the  lots  of  the 

town. 

To  Clerk  for  ex  officio  services, Tobacco,  1,000  lbs. 

To  Clerk,  for  public  services,   Tobacco,  1,300  lbs. 

To  a  blank  record  book  and  alphabet, £5 

To  carriage  for  do.  from  Williamsburg, 7s.  6d. 

To  Wm.  Young,  for  old  Wolf  Head, 

To  the  Sheriff,  for  ex  officio  services. 

To  Sheriff,  for  whole  of  his  public  services,.  .  .  .Tobacco,  12,000  lbs. 

To  building  of  pillory  and  stocks. 

By  890  tithables,  at  8s.,  £356 

To   Hugh   Berry,   for  making   1,760   nails   for 

cO'Urthouse  roof,    £5 

To  G.  Martin,  for  making  irons  for  criminals. 

From  an  inspection  of  this  county  levy,  it  will  be  seen  that  our 
first  county  government  was  very  frugal  and  economical.  Many 
readers  will  not  understand  how  it  was  that  a  part  of  the  county 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  285 

expenses  was  paid  in  tobacco.  The  explanation  is  that^  in  those 
early  days,  money  was  exceedingly  scarce,  and  the  House  of  Bur- 
gesses of  Virginia,  as  early  as  the  year  1772,  enacted  a  law  per- 
mitting the  inhabitants  of  this  section  of  Virginia  to  discharge 
all  secretaries',  clerks'  and  other  officers'  fees  in  tobacco  at  the  rate 
of  eight  shillings  and  four  pence  for  every  hundredweight  of  gross 
tobacco.    And  this  law  remained  in  force  for  a  decade  thereafter. 

The  Governor  of  Virginia,  on  the  23d  day  of  July,  1777,  issued 
a  new  commission  of  the  peace  and  dedimus  for  this  county, 
directed  to 


\ 


Arthur  Campbell,  Evan  Shelby, 

^    William  Campbell,  Daniel  Smith, 

\7illiam  Edmiston,  John  Campbell, 

Joseph  Martin,  Alexander  BuchaDan, 

James  Dysart,  Jolm  Kinkead, 

John  Anderson,  James  Montgomery, 

John  Coulter,  John  Snoddy, 

George  Blackburn,  Thomas  Mastin, 

Isaac  Shelby,  Robert  Craig, 

John  Dunkin,  John  Adair, 

Gilbert  Christian,  Thomas  Caldwell, 

and,  on  the  25th  day  of  November,  1777,  this  commission  was 
"produced  and  read,  and,  thereupon,  pursuant  to  the  said  dedimus, 
the  said  Arthur  Campbell  took  the  oath  of  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  a  justice  of  the  County  Court  in  chancery,  all  of  which  oaths 
were  administered  to  him  by  John  Kinkead.  Thereupon,  the  said 
Arthur  Campbell  administered  the  same  oaths  to: 

John  Kinkead,  James  Montgomery, 

John  Coidter,  Robert  Craig, 

John  Dunkin, 

and  thus  was  constituted  the  second  County  Court  for  Washington 
county. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year.  General  George  Rogers  Clark  traveled 
from  Kentucky  over  the  "Wilderness  Road,"  on  his  way  to  Rich- 
mond, in  company  with  a  young  lawyer  by  the  name  of  John 
Gabriel  Jones,  and  reached  Mump's  Fort  in  Powell's  Valley  about 
ten  days  subsequent  to  the  killing,  by  the  Indians,  of  a  settler  by  the 


286  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

name  of  Parks.  In  traveling  through  tJiis  portion  of  Virginia, 
he  usually  stopped  at  the  nearest  house  when  dark  overtook  him, 
for  which  he  usually  paid,  at  the  small  cabins,  a  shilling  and  six- 
pence for  breakfast,  bed  and  feed  for  horse.  On  his  way  he  became 
acquainted  with  Captain  William  Campbell,  whom  he  found  a  very 
agreeable  companion. 

The  object  of  this  journey  to  Richmond  on  the  part  of  General 
Clark  was  to  secure  the  approval  of  the  Governor  of  a  plan  that  he 
then  conceived  to  be  feasible  and  that  would  be  of  gi-eat  value  to 
the  American  Colonies.  He  sought  the  consent  and  assistance  of 
the  Governor  in  equipping  and  carrying  on  an  expedition  against 
the  British  posts  at  Vincennes  and  Kaskaskia  in  the  Illinois  county ; 
and  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  he  discussed  this  question 
with  Captain  Campbell,  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  Holston. 

He  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  consent  and  authority  of  the 
Governor  to  enlist  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  from  the  counties 
west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  to  be  used  upon  this  expedition, 
of  which  number  four  companies  were  to  be  raised  in  the  Holston 
and  Clinch  settlements,  and  Major  W.  B.  Smith  was  dispatched, 
in  the  year  1778,  to  recruit  men  for  that  service  in  this  section. 

There  seems  to  be  a  conflict  among  historians  as  to  the  number 
of  men  raised  in  this  section  by  Major  Smith  for  this  service,  one 
giving  the  number  as  amounting  to  four  companies;  another,  as^ 
one  company. 

The  men  recruited  for  this  service  were  not  informed  of  the  pur- 
pose for  wliich  they  were  intended,  until  they  had  reached  the  falls 
of  the  Ohio  (now  Louisville). 

The  company  of  recruits  from  the  Holston  settlements  did  not 
suppose,  when  they  entered  the  service,  that  they  were  to  be  taken 
upon  such  a  long  and  dangerous  expedition,  and  when  they  were 
informed  of  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  to  be  used,  they 
objected  to  proceeding  any  further  and  left  the  camp  of  General 
Clark  and  returned  to  their  homes.  This  is  the  one  disagreeable 
circumstance  connected  with  the  history  of  our  people.  These  men 
were  recruited  from  a  country  where  the  people  were  brave  and 
adventurous,  and  it  is  hard  to  account  for  their  conduct  upon  this 
occasion.  We  are  sorry  to  state  that,  by  their  conduct,  they  deprived 
this  portion  of  Virginia  of  the  honor  of  sharing  in  the  wonderful 
expedition  and  conquests  of  General  Clark. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  387 

While  the  company,  as  a  whole,  refused  to  go  upon  this  expedi- 
tion, a  few  of  the  men  joined  other  companies  and  took  part  in  the 
expedition;  and  their  names,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  gather 
them,  are  as  follows : 

Low  Brown,  John  Lasly, 

Solomon  Stratton,  Xealy  McGuire, 

William  Peery. 

Supplies  for  this  expedition  were  purchased  upon  the  Holston, 
as  is  evidenced  by  an  order  of  the  court  entered  on  the  17th  day  of 
Maj'ch,  1779,  which  order  is  as  follows: 

■'Whereas  twenty-six  forty  dollar  bills  were  found  in  the  pos- 
session of  Captain  Thomas  Quirk,  and,  on  the  examination  of  the 
court  of  Washington  county,  were  supposed  to  be  counterfeit,  the 
said  Captain  Quirk  delivered  the  said  bills  to  the  sheriff  in  the 
presence  of  the  court,  and  it  appears  by  the  oath  of  the  said 
Thomas  Quirk  and  Andrew  Colvill  that  the  said  Thomas  Quirk 
receiver]  these  bills  of  James  Buchanan,  commissary  for  the  Illi- 
nois service,  tO'  purchase  bacon.  Whereupon',  it  is  ordered  that  the 
sheriff  take  or  send  the  said  bills  to  the  Board  of  Auditors  for 
further  proceedings,  according  to  law.  A  list  of  the  bills  is  given, 
which  bills  are  signed  by  D.  Summers  and  G.  Brown  and  dated 
April   11,   1778." 

At  the  election  held  for  Washington  county  in  the  spring  of 
the  3'ear  1778,  Arthur  Campbell  and  Anthony  Bledsoe  were 
elected  members  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  and  William  Fleming, 
of  Botetourt,  a  member  of  the  Senate,  in  the  General  Assembly 
of  Virginia. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year.  Captain  James  Dysart  and  Lieutenant 
Samuel  Newell  were  placed  in  command  of  two  companies  of  mili- 
tia to  range,  during  the  summer,  along  the  frontiers  in  Powell's 
and  Clinch  A^alleys,  as  a  protection  against  the  Indians.  Early  in 
the  month  of  May,  before  the  departure  of  these  ranging  parties, 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Whitesides,  a  large,  active  man,  left  his 
home  near  Elk  Garden  Fort  for  Glade  Hollow  Fort,  where  he  had 
a  horse  running  on  the  range.  While  hunting  for  his  horse  about 
two  miles  from  Glade  Hollow  Fort,  he  was  captured  by  nine 
Indians,  who  pinioned  his  arms  back,  loaded  him  with  their  extra 
phmder  and  some  meat  cut  from  the  carcass  of  a  dead  horse,  and 


288  Southwest  Virginia,  nJ^6-1786. 

in  this  marmer  skulked  about  for  several  days,  watching  for  an 
opportunity  to  attack  Glade  Hollow  Fort,  which  was  in  a  wretched 
state  of  defence,  seven  men  only  being  in  the  fort.* 

These  men  were  engaged  daily  in  bringing  salt-petre  dust  from 
a  cave  at  some  distance  from  the  fort,  to  make  salt-petre,  upon  the 
discovery  of  which,  the  Indians  resolved  to  take  the  fort  the  next 
time  the  men  went  out. 

They  tied  Whitesides'  feet  and  left  an  Indian  to  guard  him, 
while  the  others  sought  a  more  convenient  place  to  attack  the  fort 
when  occasion  offered. 

In  the  meantime  the  Indian  who  had  charge  of  Whitesides, 
thinking  they  were  too  much  exposed  to  view,  untied  his  feet  and 
made  him  creep  further  into  the  brush  and,  laying  down  his  gun, 
sat  down  before  Whitesides  to  tie  his  feet  again.  At  that  moment, 
Whitesides  seized  the  gun,  and,  although  his  arms  were  pinioned, 
gave  the  Indian  such  a  blow  over  the  head  as  broke  the  gun  to 
pieces  and  felled  the  Indian  to  the  ground  and,  perhaps,  killed  him. 
Whitesides  then  sprang  to  his  feet  and  gave  the  alarm  to  the  men 
near  the  fort,  who  ran  back  to  the  fort  with  all  speed,  but 
Whitesides  ran  past  the  fort  towards  the  Elk  Garden  fort, 
carrying  all  the  Indian's  plunder  on  his  back.  The  eight 
Indians  who  were  waylaying  the  fort,  hearing  the  alarm, 
ran  back,  and  finding  their  companion,  perhaps  lifeless,  pur- 
sued Whitesides;  and  while  doing  so,  met  about  forty  men  in 
plain  view  of  the  fort,  on  their  way  to  act  as  rangers;  on 
whom  the  Indians  fired  and  killed  two.  The  rest  fled  ingloriously, 
each  one  in  his  way,  spreading  the  alarm  that  the  fort  was  taken. 
Upon  receipt  of  this  news  at  Black's  Fort,  Captain  Samuel  Newell, 
with  eighteen  men  set  off  for  Glade  Hollow  Fort.  They  ran 
about  twelve  miles  that  evening  and  waded  the  North  Fork  of 
Holston  just  before  night,  but  were  forced  to  stop  when  night  set 
in,  as  they  had  no  trace  they  could  follow  in  the  night,  and,  in 
many  places  the  weeds  and  grass  were  waist  high.  They  arrived  in 
view  of  the  fort  next  morning  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  and 
upon  reconnoitering,  found  the  fort  had  not  been  taken.  When  the 
occupants  of  the  fort  saw  them,  they  ran  out  to  meet  them.  The 
next  day,  Captain  James  Dysart,  with  eighteen  men,  arrived  at  the 
fort. 


*Beiijainin  Sharp  Letter,  American  Pioneer. 


Workington  County,  1777-1870.  389 

During  the  same  year,  in  the  lower  end  of  this  county,  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Fulkerson  was  killed  when  driving  up  his  horses 
from  the  range,  and  Thomas  Sharp  was  fired  at  and  badly  wounded, 
but,  being  on  horseback,  he  made  his  escape  and  recovered  from 
his  wounds.  Jacob  Fulkerson  and  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
Callahan  were  both  killed  this  year,  while  hunting  their  cattle  in 
the  range. 

On  the  23d  day  of  April,  1778,  the  court  entered  the  following 
order : 

"Ordered  that  Colonel  William  Campbell  be  appointed  to  dis- 
tribute the  county  salt  to  the  most  necessitous  of  the  frontier 
inhabitants  of  Clinch  and  the  lower  settlements  of  Washington 
county  below  the  mouth  of  the  ISTorth  Fork,  such  a  quantity 
reserving  as  he  shall  judge  sufScient  for  the  militia  on  duty,  also 
selling  at  such  rate  as  will  be  suflficient  to  discharge  the  first  cost 
and  expenses." 

"Ordered  that  Isaac  Lebo  be  permitted  to  go  towards  the  Mora- 
vian Town  for  salt,  and  that  he  return  within  the  term  of  three 
weeks." 

Isaac  Lebo  is  one  of  the  same  men  that  had,  previously  to  tliis 
time,  been  arrested,  tried  and  convicted  of  treasonable  practices 
against  the  Commonwealth,  and  this,  no  doubt,  was  an  excuse 
offered  by  him  for  an  opportunity  to  communicate  with  his  Tory 
friends  in  the  South. 

On  the  21st  day  of  May,  1778,  Samuel  Newell  qualified  as  Deputy 
Sheriff  for  the  county  and  gave  and  filed  a  bond  for  the  due  col- 
lection and  accounting  for  the  taxes  of  the  county  of  Washington, 
and  entered  upon  his  duties  as  first  tax  collector  for  the  county, 
under  the  law  of  Virginia.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  County  Court 
to  recommend  to  the  Governor  the  names  of  the  three  magistrates 
named  first  in  the  Commission  of  Peace,  from  which  list  the  Gov- 
ernor commissioned  a  sheriff  for  the  county,  and  on  the  20th  day 
of  April,  1778,  the  court  recommended  Arthur  Campbell,  William 
Campbell  and  Daniel  Smith  as  fit  and  proper  persons  to  execute 
the  office  of  sheriff  for  the  county  of  Washington.  From  this  list 
the  Governor  commissioned  Arthur  Campbell  as  sheriff  of  the 
county,  and  he  qualified  as  such  on  the  16th  day  of  February,  1779, 
with  Evan  Shelby,  Andrew  Willoughby  and  Andrew  Kincannon 
as  his  securities.    During  this  and  the  succeeding  year,  the  follow- 


290  Southivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

ing  gentlemen  qualified  as  deputy  sheriffs  of  the  count}';  Samuel 
Newell,  Christopher  Acklin  and  Alexander  Donaldson. 

At  the  March  court  1779,  Harry  Innes  and  Eowland  Madison 
qualified  to  practice  law  in  the  courts  of  the  county.  Harry  Innes 
afterwards  moved  to  the  county  of  Kentucky,  where  he  became 
distinguished  in  the  annals  of  that  State.  At  the  same  term  of 
the  court,  Daniel  Smith,  Robert  Craig  and  John  Campbell  were 
appointed  commissioners  of  the  tax,  the  land  owners  having  failed 
to  attend  and  elect  commissioners.  At  this  term  of  the  court,  David 
Campbell  resigned  his  position  as  Clerk  of  the  Court,  and  John 
Campbell  was  appointed  to  succeed  him,  which  position  he  occupied 
until  the  year  1824,  during  which  time  he  faithfully  discharged 
his  duties  and  retained  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  people  of 
this  county.  David  Campbell,  who  resigned  his  position  as  Clerk 
of  the  Court  on  the  15th  day  of  August,  1780,  obtained  a  commis- 
sion from  His  Excellency,  Thomas  Jefferson,  appointing  him  attor- 
ney-at-law,  and  qualified  as  such  in  the  court  of  this  county,  but, 
soon  thereafter,  he  removed  to  Campbell's  Station,  Tennessee,  in 
Avhich  State  he  won  distinction  in  his  profession  and  became  the 
first  Chief  Justice  of  that  State. 

From  the  orders  of  the  court  at  this  term,  it  appears  that  Samuel 
Evans  had  not  completed  the  courthouse,  pursuant  to  contract,  and 
Joseph  Black  was  directed  to  agree  with  Evans  as  to  the  amount 
he  should  receive  for  the  work  that  he  had  done  upon  the  court- 
house; and  the  sheriff  was  directed  to  agree  with  some  person  to 
finish  the  courthouse. 

At  the  April  term  ol  this  court,  a  statement  of  the  county  levy 
was  made  for  the  year  1779,  which  is  as  follows: 

"Ephraim  Dunlop,  for  services  as  State's  Attorney  for  the 

year  1777  and  for  the  year  1778, £200.00 

Abraham  Goodpasture,  for  building  prison, 500.00 

Samuel   Evans,   for  building  courthouse, 100.00 

Abraham  Goodpasture,  finishing  courthouse,   100.00 

Arthur  Campbell,  for  three  blank  books  for  the  Clerk,.  .  15.00 

To  do.  for  the  body  of  the  law  for  use  of  the  Court, 5.  ' 

To  do.  for  cash  paid  Hugh  Berry,  nails  courthouse, 5. 

To  do.  for  60  lbs.  iron  furnished  for  nails  courthouse,  ....  5. 

To  window  glass  for  courthouse,  12  lights  @  9s., .  5.8 

To  do.  for  ex  officio  services  for  1777-1778, 15.0 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


291 


Allowed  for  pillory  and  stocks, 75.0 

By  1464  tithables  @  15s.  per  titliable, 1,098.9 

At  this  same  court  the  following  order  was  entered : 
"Ordered  that  the  main  road  be  cut  according  to  report  of 
Joseph  Black,  Andrew  Colvill  and  James  Piper,  viewers  from 
the  courthouse  to  the  Twenty-llile  creek,  and  that  Andrew  Colvill 
be  surveyor  from  the  courthouse  to  the  west  side  of  Spring  creek, 
and  that  the  tithables  formerly  ordered  work  upon  the  same." 


The  Pillory — Used  in  this  Section  in  the  Earl_y  Days. 

The  road  was  opened  pursuant  to  this  order,  the  location  of 
which  was  about  the  same  as  tliat  of  the  present  road  from  Abing- 
don to  Papersville,  Tennessee. 

At  the  May  term  of  court,  1779,  tlu^  Attorney  for  the  Common- 
wealth filed  an  information  against  John  Yancy,  a  citizen  and  hotel 
keeper,  living  ia  the  town  of  Abingdon,  charging  him  with  the 
offence  of  enclosing  his  sheep  in  the  courthouse,  upon  which  inform- 
ation divers  witnesses  were  sworn  and  examined,  and  the  defendant 
heard  in  his  defence,  whereu})on,  the  court  fined  the  defendant 
twenty  shillings  and  the  costs. 

At  the  same  court,  the  prison  erected  by  Abraham  Goodpasture 
was,  by  order  of  the  court,  used,  but  not  received.  On  the  same 
day  the  court  entered  the  following  order : 

"Ordered  that  David  Carson  and  Joseph.  Black  lay  off  the  prison 


293  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

bounds,  exceeding  five  acres  and  not  more  than  ten,  and  take  in  the 
water,  and  David  Carson  was  paid  six  pounds  for  his  services." 

On  the  19th  day  of  August  the  court  entered  the  following  order : 

"Ordered  that  Arthur  Campbell,  Anthony  Bledsoe,  Daniel  Smith, 
Joseph  Black  and  John  Blackamore  be  appointed  examiners  of  the 
bills  of  credit  of  this  State  and  the  other  United  States,  agreeably 
to  the  act  of  the  Assembly  entitled  "An  Act  for  more  effectually 
guarding  against  counterfeiting  of  the  Bills  of  Credit,  Treasury 
Notes  and  Loan  OflSce  certificates." 

In  the  early  summer  of  this  year,  the  Tories  living  near  the  head 
of  the  Yadkin  river,  North  Carolina,  and  on  New  river  and  Walk- 
er's creek  in  Montgomery  county,  Virginia,  began  to  form  into  a 
body,  with  the  intention  of  destroying  the  Lead  Mines  on  New 
river,  robbing  the  well  affected  citizens  of  that  county,  and  then 
forcing  their  way  to  the  headquarters  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  who  was 
at  that  time  in  the  Carolinas.  There  was  every  prospect  that  an 
insurrection  would  take  place,  and,  notwithstanding  the  untiring 
efforts  of  Colonel  William  Preston,  the  county-lieutenant  of  that 
county,  he  was  unable  to  quiet  the  disaffected,  or  to  protect  the  well- 
disposed  citizens.  As  a  last  resort  Colonel  Preston  called  upon  the 
officials  of  Washington  county  for  assistance,  when  Captain  William 
Campbell,  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  militia  from  this 
county,  all  well  mounted,  turned  out  and  proceeded  to  suppress  this, 
a  new  kind  of  enemy  to  the  people  of  Washington  county.  The 
name  of  Captain  Campbell  was  such  as  to  strike  consternation  into 
the  ranlc  of  the  Tories,  who  dispersed  upon  his  approach  and 
offered  no  open  resistance.  The  militia  from  this  county  were  then 
dispatched  in  small  detachments  and  had  active  business  for  several 
weeks  pursuing,  taking  and  imprisoning  Tories.  The  militia  sub- 
sisted themselves  and  their  horses  upon  the  grain  and  stock  of  the 
Tories,  and  compelled  all  Tory  sympathizers  who  were  old  and  unfit 
for  service  to  give  security  for  their  good  behavior,  or  to  go  to 
jail.  The  young,  effective  men  were  pardoned  on  condition  of  their 
serving  as  faithful  soldiers  in  the  armies  of  the  United  States 
during  the  war,  as  an  atonement  for  their  crime.  Colonel  Camp- 
bell and  his  men  saw  hard  and  active  duty  during  this  time,  but 
lost  no  lives  nor  had  any  of  their  men  wounded. 

Captain  Campbell  and  his  militia  from  this  county  were  ably 
seconded  in  their  efforts  to  suppress  the  Tory  sentiment  then  exist- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  393 

ing  in  Montgomery,  by  Colonel  Walter  Crockett,  Captain  Charles 
Lynch,  Captain  Robert  Sayers  and  Captain  Isaac  Campbell.  Cap- 
tains Sayers  and  Campbell  each  commanded  a  company  of  men 
numbering  twenty-eight  and  thirty-five  respectively,  at  this  time, 
and  were  not  satisfied  with  a  suppression  of  the  Tories  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  but  thereafter  proceeded  to  perform  the  same 
service  in  parts  of  Surrey  and  Wilkes  counties.  North  Carolina. 

Captain  Campbell  and  his  men,  in  dealing  with  the  Tories  of 
Montgomery  county,  applied  the  same  methods  used  so  effectively 
in  Washington  county,  of  which  we  give  one  instance,  that  the 
reader  may  understand  the  methods  used. 

"There  is  a  beautiful  little  valley  known  by  the  name  of  "Black 
Lick,"  nestling  among  the  mountains  of  Wythe  county,  which, 
being  remote  from  highways  and  environed  by  uninhabited  forests, 
afforded  shelter  for  a  number  of  Tories,  who  made  frequent  forays 
upon  the  neighboring  settlements  and  then  concealed  themselves  in 
this  remote  and  quiet  retreat.  Their  hiding  place  becoming  dis- 
covered, General  Campbell's  men  surrounded  it,  captured  about  a 
dozen  and  hung  them  upon  two  white  oaks  which;  spared  by  the 
woodman's  ax  for  the  righteous  oflfice  they  had  performed,  were 
still  standing  a  few  years  ago,  and  were  long  loiown  by  the  name 
of  the  "Tory  Trees."* 

At  the  time  in  question.  Captain  Charles  Lynch,  of  Bedford 
county,  was  manager  for  the  Commonwealth  at  the  Lead  Mines  on 
New  river,  and,  as  a  result  of  the  visit  of  Captain  Campbell  to 
Montgomery  county  in  this  year,  he  thereafter  adopted  Campbell's 
method  of  dealing  with  Tories  and  wrong-doers;  and,  ever  after, 
during  the  war,  when  any  of  the  inhabitants  were  suspected  of 
wrong  doing  or  treasonable  conduct,  they  were  dealt  with  accord- 
ing to  what  was  termed  "Captain  Lynch's  Law,"  and  from  this  man 
and  this  occasion  originated  the  term  "Lynch  Law,"  as  it  is  prac- 
tised throughout  the  nation,  under  peculiar  circumstances,  at  this 
day. 

Upon  the  return  of  Captain  Campbell  and  his  men  from  Mont- 
gomery county,  considerable  complaint  was  made  by  the  Tory  inhab- 
itants of  that  section  of  Virginia,  and  efforts  were  made  to  prose- 
cute Cam.pbell  and  his  associates,  but  the  Legislature  of  Virginia, 
recognizing  the  valuable  services  of  these  patriots,  in  October  of 


*Chas.  B.  Coale. 


294  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

that  year  passed  an  Act  exempting  them  from  all  pains  and  pen- 
alties by  reason  of  their  acts,  which  Act  of  the  Assembly  is  as 
follows : 

"Whereas  divers  evil-disposed  persons  on  the  frontiers  of  this 
Commonwealth  had  broken  out  into  an  open  insurrection  and  con- 
spiracy and  actually  levied  war  against  the  Commonwealth,  and  it  is 
represented  to  the  present  General  Assembly  that  William  Camp- 
bell, Walter  Crockett  and  other  liege  subjects  of  the  Common- 
wealth, aided  by  detachments  of  the  militia  and  volunteers  from  the 
county  of  Washington  and  other  parties  of  the  frontiers  did  by  their 
timely  -and  effectual  exertion  suppress  and  defeat  such  conspiracy ; 
and  whereas  the  necessary  measures  taken  for  that  purpose  may  not 
be  strictly  warranted  by  law,  although  justifiable  from  the  imme- 
diate urgency  and  imminences  of  the  danger;  be  it  therefore 
declared  and  enacted,  That  the  said  William  Campbell,  Walter 
Crockett  and  all  other  persons  whatsoever  concerned  in  suppressing 
the  said  conspiracy  and  insurrection,  or  in  advising,  issuing  or 
executing  any  orders  or  measures  taken  for  that  purpose  stand 
indemnified  and  clearly  exonerated  of  and  from  all  pains,  penalties, 
prosecutions,  actions,  suits  and  damages  on  account  thereof;  and 
that  if  any  indictment,  prosecution,  action  or  suit  shall  be  laid  or 
brought  against  them,  or  any  of  them,  for  any  act  or  thing 
done  therein,  the  defendant  or  defendants  may  plead  in  bar,  or  the 
general  issue,  and  give  this  act  in  evidence."* 

In  the  summer  of  this  year,  at  the  instigation  of  British  agents. 
Dragging  Canoe  and  his  band  of  Indians,  living  at  Chickamauga, 
were  induced  to  undertake  a  campaign  against  the  Virginia  and 
Carolina  frontiers.  While  making  preparations  for  the  campaign, 
James  Eobertson,  ^\\\o  was  then  at  Chote,  received  information  of 
their  intended  invasion  and  immediately  informed  the  leaders  on 
the  Ilolston.  Upon  the  receipt  of  this  information  it  was  decided 
that  the  militia  of  the  twO'  governments  should  unite,  and  carry 
on  an  active  expedition  against  tlicse  Indians.  Colonel  Evan 
Shelby,  of  Sapling  Grove  (now  Bristol),  was  selected  to  command 
the  expedition.  The  forces  from  the  two  States  assembled  at  the 
mouth  of  Big  Creek  on  the  Clinch  river  (near  Rogersville,  Ten- 
nessee), on  April  10,  1779,  Captain  Isaac  Shelby  being  in  command 
of  the  forces  from  Washington  county,  Virginia.    At  this  point  the 


*10  Hening  Statutes,  page  195. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  295 

entire  army,  consisting  of  several  liundred  men,  volunteers  from  the 
settlements,  and  a  regiment  of  twelve-months'  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  John  Montgomery,  intended  as  a  reinforcement 
to  General  Clark  in  tlie  Illinois,  temporarily  diverted  from  that 
object  for  use  in  this  campaign,  embarked  in  canoes  and  boats,  and 
descended  the  Tennessee  river  to  the  home  of  the  Chickamoggas. 
The  Indians  were  completely  taken  by  surprise  and  fled  in  all 
directions  to  the  hills  and  mountains,  not  offering  any  resistance. 
Forty  Indians,  at  least,  were  killed,  and  their  towns  were  destroyed, 
their  horses  and  cattle  driven  away,  and  their  corn  and  provisions, 
as  well  as  twenty  thousand  pounds  in  value  of  stores  and  goods, 
carried  off.  Thereupon,  the  troops  destroyed  their  boats  and  canoes 
and  returned  to  their  homes  on  foot.  Thus  it  was  that  one  of  the 
cherished  hopes  of  the  British  ministry  was  foiled  and  the  prospects 
of  the  Colonies  exceedingly  enhanced. 

Colonel  Shelby,  while  making  preparations  to  conduct  this  expe- 
dition against  the  Indians  at  Chickamogga,  dispatched  Jolui  Do'Ug- 
lass  to  the  settlements  on  Clinch  river,  pursuant  to  the  orders  of 
Colonel  Russell,  but  Douglas  was  waylaid  and  killed  by  the  Indians 
and  his  horse  ridden  off. 

When  the  expedition  against  the  Chickamogga  Indians  was 
decided  upon,  Colonel  Evan  Shelby  dispatched  John  Hutson  to  the 
Indian  town  with  letters  to  Colonel  Joseph  Martin,  advising  him 
to  remove  from  the  Indian  country  to  the  Great  Island,  agreeably 
to  the  Governor's  instructions,  but,  unfortimately,  Hutson  was 
drowned  in  the  execution  of  that  business,  and  his  widow,  Eleanor 
Hutson  was  allowed  by  the  General  Assembly  at  its  fall  session  in 
the  year  1779,  the  sum  of  twenty-four  pounds  for  the  present  relief 
of  herself  and  cliildren,  and  twelve  pounds  per  annum  during  her 
widowhood. 

"In  the  summer  of  1779,  the  Indians  visited  the  home  of  Jesse 
Evans,  who  lived  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Clinch  river,  and 
destroyed  his  family.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  in  question,  Jesse 
Evans  left  his  honse,  with  five  or  six  hired  men,  for  the  purpose  of 
executing  some  work  at  a  distance  from  home.  As  they  carried  with 
them  various  farming  implements,  their  guns  were  left  at  the 
house,  where  Mrs.  Evans  was  engaged  in  weaving  a  piece  of  cloth. 
Her  oldest  daughter  was  filling  quills  for  her  wliile  the  four  remain- 


296  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

ing  children  were  either  at  play  in  the  garden  or  gathering  vege- 
tables. 

The  garden  was  about  sixty  yards  from,  the  house,  and,  as  no  saw- 
mills were  in  existence  at  that  day  in  this  country,  slab-boards  were 
put  up  in  a  manner  called  "wattling"  for  palings.  These  were  some 
six  feet  long  and  made  what  is  called  a  close  fence.  Eight  or  ten 
Indians,  who  lay  concealed  in  a  thicket  near  the  garden,  silently  left 
their  hiding  places  and  made  their  way,  unobserved,  to  the  back  of 
the  garden.  There,  removing  a  few  boards,  they  bounded  through 
and  commenced  the  horrid  work  of  killing  and  scalping  the  chil- 
dren. The  first  warning  Mrs.  Evans  had  was  their  screams  and 
cries.  She  ran  to  the  door  and  beheld  the  sickening  scene,  with 
such  feelings  as  only  a  mother  can  experience. 

Mrs.  Evans  was  a  stout,  athletic  woman,  and,  being  inured  to  the 
hardships  of  the  times,  with  her  to  will  was  to  do.  She  saw  plainly 
that  on  her  exertions  alone  could  one  spark  of  hope  be  entertained 
for  the  life  of  her  "first  born."  An  unnatural  strength  seemed  to 
nerve  her  arm  and  she  resolved  to  defend  her  surviving  child  to 
the  last  extremity.  Eushing  into  the  house  she  closed  the  door, 
which  being  too  small,  left  a  crevice,  through  which  in  a  few 
moments  an  Indian  extended  his  gun,  aiming  to  pry  open  the  door 
and  finish  the  bloody  work  which  had  been  so  fearfully  begun.  Mrs. 
Evans  had  thrown  herself  against  the  door  to  prevent  the  entrance 
of  the  savages,  but  no  sooner  did  she  see  the  gun  barrel  than  she 
seized  it  and  drew  it  in  so  far  as  to  make  it  an  available  lever  in 
prying  to  the  door.  The  Indians  threw  themselves  against  the  door 
to  force  it  open,  but  their  efi'orts  were  unavailing.  The  heroic 
woman  stood  to  her  post,  well  knowing  that  her  life  depended  upon 
her  own  exertions.  The  Indians  now  endeavored  to  wrest  the  gun 
from  her;  in  this  they  likewise  failed.  Hitherto  she  had  worked  in 
silence,  but  as  she  saw  no  prospect  of  the  Indians  relinquishing  their 
object,  she  began  to  call  loudly  for  her  husband,  as  if  he  were  really 
near.  It  had  the  desired  effect;  they  let  go  the  gun  and  hastily 
left  the  house,  while  Mrs.  Evans  sat  quietly  down  to  await  a  second 
attack,  but  the  Indians,  who  had  perhaps  seen  Mr.  Evans  and  his 
workmen  leave  the  house,  feared  he  might  be  near,  and  made  off 
with  all  speed. 

While  Mrs.  Evans  was  thus  sitting  and  brooding  over  the  melan- 
choly death  of  her  children,  anxious  to  go  to  those  in  the  garden,  but 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  297 

fearing  to  leave  her  surviving  one  in  the  house,  exposed  to  a  second 
attack,  a  man  named  Goldsby  stepped  up  to  the  door.  Never  did 
manna  fall  to  the  hungered  Jew  more  opportunely,  yet  no  sooner  did 
he  hear  her  woful  tale  than  he  turned  his  back  upon  her  and  fled 
as  if  every  tree  and  bush  had  been  an  Indian  taking  deadly  aim  at 
him.  Such  were  his  exertions  to  get  to  a  place  of  greater  safety  that 
he  brought  on  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  from  which  he  with  much 
difficulty  recovered. 

Seeing  herself  thus  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  savages,  Mrs.  Evans 
took  up  the  gun  she  had  taken  from  them  and  started  with  her 
remaining  daughter  to  Major  John  Taylor^s,  about  two  miles  dis- 
tant, where,  tired  and  frenzied  with  grief,  she  arrived  in  safety. 
She  had  not  been  gone  a  great  while,  when  Mr.  Evans  returned  and, 
not  suspecting  anything  wrong,  took  down  a  book,  and  was  engaged 
in  its  perusal  for  some  time,  till  finally  he  became  impatient  and 
started  to  the  garden,  where  he  supposed  Mrs.  Evans  was  gathering 
vegetables.  What  must  have  been  his  feelings  when  he  reached  the 
garden  to  see  four  of  his  children  murdered  and  scalped.  Seeing 
nothing  of  his  wife  and  eldest  daughter,  he  supposed  they  had  been 
taken  prisoners;  he  therefore  returned  quickly  to  the  house,  seized 
his  gun  and  started  for  Major  Taylor's  to  get  assistance  and  a  com- 
pany to  follow  on  and  try,  if  possible,  to  overtake  them.  Frantic 
with  grief  he  rushed  into  the  house  to  tell  his  tale  of  woe,  when  he 
was  caught  in  the  arms  of  his  brave  wife.  His  joy  at  finding  them 
was  so  great  that  he  could  scarcely  contain  himself;  he  wept,  then 
laughed,  then  thanked  God  it  was  no  worse.  As  is  common  in 
such  cases  in  a  new  country,  the  neighbors  flocked  in  to  know  the 
worst,  and  to  offer  such  aid  as  lay  in  their  power.  They  S5mipathized 
as  only  frontiersmen  can  sympathize,  with  the  bereaved  parents ; 
but  the  thought  of  having  to  bury  four  children  the  next  morning 
was  so  shocking  and  so  dreadful  to  reflect  on,  that  but  little  peace 
was  to  be  expected  for  them.  Slowly  the  reluctant  hours  of  night 
passed  away,  and  a  faint  gleam  of  light  became  visible  in  the  east- 
ern sky.  The  joyous  warblers  were  gayly  flitting  from  branch  to 
branch  and  carrolling  their  sweetest  lays,  while  the  sun  rose  above 
the  mountain  summit,  shooting  his  bright  beams  on  the  sparkling 
dewdrops  which  hung  like  so  many  diamonds  from  the  green  boughs 
of  the  mountain  shrubbery,  giving,  altogether,  an  air  of  gorgeous 
beauty  which  seemed  to  deny  the  truth  ol  the  evening's  tale.    The 


298  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-17S6. 

light  clouds  swimming  in  the  eastern  atmosphere,  brilliantly  tinted 
with  the  rising  sun, 

And  the  gentle  murmur  of  the  morning  breeze, 
Singing  nature's  anthem  to  the  forest  trees, 

seemed  to  say  sneh  horrid  work  could  not  be  done  by  beings  wear- 
ing human  form.  But  alas!  while  nature  teaches  naught  but  love, 
men  teach  themselves  lessons  which  call  forth  her  sternest  frowns. 

A  hasty  breakfast  was  prepared  and  the  men  set  otf  to  IMr.  Evans's 
house  tO'  bury  the  murdered  children.  With  a  heart  too  full  for 
■utterance,  the  father  led  the  way,  as  if  afraid  to  look  at  those  little 
forms  for  whose  happiness  he  had  toiled,  and  braved  the  dangers 
of  a  frontier  life.  But  a  day  ago  he  had  dandled  them  on  his  knees, 
and  listened  to  their  innocent  prattle ;  they  were  now  monuments  of 
Indian  barbarity. 

Turning  a  hill  the  fatal  garden  was  instantly  ]iainted  on  the 
retina  of  the  fond  parent's  eye,  to  be  quickly  (M-ased  l)y  the  silent 
tears  wdiich  overflowed  their  fountain  and  came  trickling  down 
his  weather  beaten  face. 

The  party  came  up  to  the  l)ack  of  th(>  house  at  the  front  of  which 
stood  the  milk-house,  over  a  spring  of  clear  water,  when,  lo !  they 
beheld  coming  up,  as  it  were  from  the  very  depth  of  the  grave,  Mary, 
a  little  child  only  four  years  old,  who  had  recovered  from  the  stun- 
ning blow  of  the  tomahawk  and  had  been  in  (|uest  of  water  at  the 
familiar  old  spring  around  which,  but  a  day  before,  she  had  sported 
in  childish  glee.  The  scalp  that  had  been  torn  from  the  skull  was 
hanging  hideously  over  her  ])ale  face,which  was  much  besmeared 
with  blood.  Rhe  stretclied  out  her  little  arms  to  meet  her  father, 
who  rushed  to  her  with  all  the  wild  joy  of  one  whose  heart  beats 
warm  with  parental  emotions !  She  had  wandered  about  in  the 
dark  from  the  time  she  had  recovered  and,  it  may  be,  had  more  than 
once  tried  to  wake  her  little  sisters  on  whose  heads  the  tomahawks 
had  fallen  with  greater  force.  This  poor,  half-nnirdered  little  child 
lived,  married  and  raised  a  largo  family."* 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1779,  at  the  election  held  for  members 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  Isaac  Shelby  and  David 
Campbell  were  elected  and  served  the  people  of  Washington  county 
for  this  year.  During  this  year  General  E.  Clarke,  of  Georgia,  was 
compelled  to  take  refuge  in  the  settlements  on  Watauga  and  Hol^ 


*Bickley's  History  of  Tazewell. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  299 

ton,  and,  while  in  the  settlements,  repeated  to  the  hardy  frontiers- 
men many  of  the  dastardly  deeds  committed  by  the  British  forces  in 
their  invasion  and  subjugation  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 
As  a  result,  many  of  the  citizens  of  these  settlements  returned  with 
him  to  his  home  in  Georgia  to  assist  in  avenging  the  wrongs  of 
their  fellow  countrymen  and,  in  addition  thereto,  creating  through- 
out Southwestern  Virginia  and  the  Holston  settlements  a  lively 
interest  in  the  affairs  to  the  south  of  the  settlements. 

The  officials  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  from  the  first  organ- 
ization of  the  county  until  this  time,  had,  without  question,  exer- 
cised their  authority  as  low  down  as  Carter's  Valley,  upon  the  sup- 
position that  all  that  portion  of  the  country  was  in  Virginia,  but, 
on  the  30th  day  of  September  in  this  year,  an  occurrence  took 
place  in  Carter's  Valley,  lietween  William  Cocke,  lately  a  represen- 
tative from  Washington  county  in  the  I^egislature  of  Virginia,  and 
Alexander  Donaldson,  a  deputy  for  Arthur  Campbell,  that  resulted 
in  greatly  curtailing  the  territory  included  within  this  county.  The 
circumstances  connected  with  this  transaction  are  best  stated  by 
the  order  of  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  Virginia, 
entered  on  the  20th  of  October,  1779,  which  is  as  follows: 

"The  complaint  of  the  sheriff  against  William  Cocke  for  insulting 
and  obstructing  Alexander  Donaldson,  deputy  sheriff,  when  col- 
lecting the  public  tax  about  the  thirteenth  day  of  September  last, 
and  being  examined  saith ;  that,  being  at  a  point  on  the  north  side 
of  Holston  river  in  Carter's  Valley,  collecting  the  public  tax,  the 
said  William  Cocke,  as  he  came  to  the  door  of  the  house  in  which 
said  sheriff  was  doing  business,  said  that  there  was  the  sheriff  of 
Virginia  collecting  the  tax,  and  asked  him  what  right  he  had  to 
collect  taxes  there,  as  it  was  in  Carolina  and  never  was  in  Virginia ; 
that  he  said  the  people  were  fools  if  they  did  pay  him  public  dues, 
and  that  he  dared  him  to  serve  any  process  whatever ;  that  he,  said 
Cocke,  undertook  for  the  people,  upon  which  sundry  people  refused 
to  pay  their  tax  and  some,  that  had  paid,  wanted  their  money  back 
again." 

"Ordered  that  the  conduct  of  William  Cocke  respecting  the 
obstructing,  insulting  and  threatening  the  sheriff  in  the  execution 
of  his  office  be  represented  to  the  Executive  of  Virginia. 

"Ordered  that  if  William  Cocke  be  found  in  this  county  that  he 
be  taken  into  custody  and  caused  to  appear  before  the  justices  at  the 


300  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

next  court  to  answer  for  his  conduct  for  obstructing  the  sheriff  in 
execution  of  his  oflBce." 

As  a  result  of  this  difficulty,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina  at  their  sessions,  in  the  year  1779,  appointed  Dr. 
Thomas  Walker  and  Daniel  Smith,  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  and 
Richard  Henderson  and  William  B.  Smith,  on  the  part  of  North 
Carolina,  commissioners,  to  run  the  line  between  the  two  States, 
beginning  where  Fry  and  Jefferson  and  Weldon  and  Churton  ended 
their  work,  near  Steep  Eock  creek,  if  found  to  be  truly  in  latitude 
36  degrees  30  minutes  North,  and  to  run  thence  due  west  to  the 
Tennessee  or  the  Ohio  river.  The  commissioners  ran  the  line  with- 
out trouble  for  about  forty  miles,  when  they  disagreed,  the  North 
Carolina  commissioners  claiming  the  true  line  to  be  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  place  at  which  the  commissioners  were  then  stationed. 
The  Virginia  commissioners  proceeded  to  run  the  line  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  and  made  their  report.  Nothing  further  will  be  said 
upon  this  subject  at  this  point,  but  it  will  be  separately  treated  in 
another  part  of  this  book.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  line,  as  ascer- 
tained by  the  Virginia  commissioners,  deprived  Washington  county 
of  from  one-third  to  one-half  of  the  territory  supposed  to  lie  within 
Washington  county;  and  the  North  Carolina  Legislature,  at  their 
fall  session  in  this  year,  established  Sullivan  county,  North  Caro- 
lina, afterwards  Tennessee,  and  the  government  of  that  county  was 
organized  at  the  house  of  Moses  Loony  in  the  month  of  February, 
1780. 

Isaac  Shelby,  one  of  Washington  county's  representatives  in  the 
Legislature  of  Virginia,  qualified  as  county  lieutenant  and  Ephraim 
Dunlop,  Washington  county's  deputy  attorney,  was  appointed  State's 
attorney  for  the  new  county. 

The  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  erecting  the 
county  of  Sullivan  recites  that  the  then  late  extension  of  the  north- 
ern boundary  line  of  the  State  from  Holston  river,  that  lies  directly 
west  from  a  place  well  known  by  the  name  of  Steep  Eock,  makes  it 
evident  that  all  the  lands  west  of  said  place,  lying  on  the  west  and 
northwest  side  of  said  river  Holston  have,  by  mistake  of  the  settlers, 
been  held  and  deemed  to  be  in  the  State  of  Virginia;  owing  to  which 
mistake  they  have  not  entered  said  lands  in  the  proper  offices.  It 
recites  also,  that  by  a  line  lately  run,  it  appears  that  a  number  of 
such  settlers  have  fallen  into  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  and  it 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  301 

makes  provision  for  the  security  of  their  lands  and  improvements. 
These  were  the  first  lands  taken  from  the  county  as  originally 
formed. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  Andrew  Colvill^  a  citizen  of  Wolf  Hills, 
was  commissioned  as  escheator  for  Washington  county,  and  Evan 
Baker  was  appointed  deputy  commissary  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Blue  Eidge,  agreeably  to  the  order  of  the  Governor  and  Council. 

On  the  22d  day  of  March,  1780,  the  County  Court  of  this  county 
entered  several  important  orders,  among  the  number  being  one 
fixing  the  county  levy  for  the  year  1779,  at  twenty  dollars  for  each 
tithable,  and  appointing  John  Campbell,  David  Carson  and  Alex- 
ander Montgomery  commissioners  of  the  tax  for  that  year,  and 
James  Dysart,  Eobert  Craig  and  John  Kinkead  commissioners  to 
collect  that  portion  of  the  tax  that  was  payable  in  commutable 
articles. 

Eobert  Craig  and  Aaron  Lewis  were  recommended  to  the  Gov- 
ernor as  fit  and  proper  persons  for  coroners  of  Washington  county 
and  were  commissioned  as  such,  and 

Benjamin  Estill,  David  Watson, 

Alexander  Montgomery,  Aaron  Lewis, 

Thomas  Montgomery,  James  Fulkerson, 

John  Latham,  David  Ward, 

Joseph  Black,  Eobert  Campbell,  and 

Alexander  Barnett, 

were  recommended  to  the  Governor  as  fit  and  proper  persons  to  be 
added  to  tlie  commission  of  the  peace  for  Washington  county,  and 
were  commissioned  as  such. 

These  recommendations  were  made  in  view  of  the  fact  that  quite 
a  number  of  the  members  of  the  court  of  this  county  had  been 
lost  to  the  county  when  the  State  line  was  run  and  Sullivan  county, 
North  Carolina,  was  formed. 

By  far  the  most  important  order  entered  by  the  court  on  this  day 
was  the  following : 

"Ordered  that  it  be  recommended  to  the  county  lieutenant  of 
this  county  not  to  call  a  general  muster  the  ensuing  month,  on 
account  of  the  apparent  danger  from  the  enemy  and  other  dis- 
tressing circumstances  of  the  county." 

The  army  of  Cornwallis  was  fast  approaching  the  southern  bor- 


302  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

(ler  of  North  Carolina,  and  every  friend  of  the  British  government 
was  stimulated  into  life  and  became  a  source  of  uneasiness  and 
trouble  to  the  back  settlements.  At  this  time  General  Rutherford, 
of  North  Carolina,  made  a  reqviisition  ujjon  Sullivan  and  Washing- 
ton counties  in  North  Carolina  for  tJie  aid  of  their  militia  in  the 
defence  of  the  State.  Cornwallis  was  meeting  with  but  little 
obstruction  in  his  march  and  contemplated  nothing  less  than  the 
overrunning  of  North  Carolina  and  the  invasion  of  Virginia.  It 
was  this  state  of  affairs  that  produced  the  alarm  among  the  set- 
tlers in  Washington  county. 

At  the  April  court,  1780,  William  Campbell  was  recommended  by 
the  court  and  commissioned  by  the  Goivernor,  as  colonel  of  the 
county  militia,  in  the  place  of  Evan  Shelby,  who  had  become  a 
citizen  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina.  Daniel  Smith  was  com- 
missioned lieutenant-colonel,  and  William  Edmiston  major.  At  the 
same  time  the  following  militia  officers  were  recommended  and 
commissioned : 

Captains  of  Militia: 
James  Crabtree,  William  Edmiston,  Jr., 

William  Edmiston,  Alexander  Barnett, 

David  Beatie,  Jr.,  David  Beatie, 

Charles  Cocke, 
and  previously  to  this  time  and  during  the  years  1778  and  1779, 
the  following  captains  of  militia  were  commissioned : 
George  Maxwell,  William  Neil, 

Thomas  Caldwell,  James  Fulkerson, 

Lieutenants  of  Militia: 
Robert  Edmiston,  Jr.,  Humberson  Lyon, 

William  Bartlett,  William  Davison,' 

William  Edmiston,  Joshua  Buckner, 

Joseph  Scott,  <i - 

and  in  the  year  1778-1779,  the  following: 

William  Blackburn,  John  Davis, 

Levi  Bishop,  Moses  Loony, 

Hugh  Crawford,  James  Leeper, 

Solomon  Litton,  Roger  Topp, 

William  Rosebrough,  Samuel  Newell, 

William  Pitman,  John  Lowry, 

George  Finley. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  303 

Ensigns  of  Militia: 
Kobert  Campbell,  John  McFerrin, 

James  Houston,  Nathaniel  Dryden, 

Andrew  Goff,  Daniel  Davison, 

Hugh  Campbell,  William  Blackmore, 

and  in  1778-1779: 

John  Sawyers,  Thomas  Sharp, 

Eees  Bowen,  George  Teeter, 

Patrick  Campbell,  Samuel  Vanhook, 

John  Steele,  William  Crockett. 

I  give  the  names  of  the  officers  of  the  county  militia  from  the 
formation  of  the  county  to  this  time  with  considerable  particularity, 
as  we  know  that  every  officer  at  the  Battle  of  King's  Mountain, 
from  Washington  count}^,  was  made  up  from  this  list.  And  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  all  the  officers  whose  names  (with  very  few 
exceptions)  have  been  given  were  present  on  that  occasion. 

At  the  county  court  held  on  the  last  Tuesday  in  April  of  this  year 
John  Yancy  and  Christopher  Acklin  were  licensed  by  the  court  to 
keep  ordinaries  in  the  town  of  Abingdon,  being  among  the  first 
ordinary  keepers  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

At  the  June  term  of  this  court  there  seemed  to  have  been  a  little 
trouljle  among  the  gentry,  which  is  evidenced  by  the  following  orders 
entered  by  the  court  on  that  day : 

"Ordered  that  James  Kerr  be  fined  two  hundred  pounds  for  in- 
sulting Joseph  Scott  in  open  court. 

"Ordered  that  William  Robinson  be  fined  two  hundred  pounds  for 
insulting  Joseph  Scott. 

"Ordered  that  Joseph  Scott  be  fined  two  hundred  pounds  for 
flashing  a  pistol  at  James  Kerr  in  the  court  yard. 

"Ordered  that  James  Kerr  be  fined  twenty  pounds  for  insulting 
James  Montgomery." 

At  the  same  term  of  the  court  Rol^ert  Irvin  qualified  as  deputy 
for  Arthur  Campbell,  sheriff  of  Washington  county. 

The  following  order  entered  by  the  court  on  August  17th  is  given, 
because  it  designates  the  first  settler  at  the  head  of  Little  Moccasin 
creek. 

"Ordered  that  John  Snoddy,  gent,  give  Alexander  Barnett  a  list 
of  tithables  to  work  on  the  road  from  the  mouth  of  Harrold's  creek 


304  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

to  Alexander  Montgomery's  old  cabin,  at  the  head  of  Little  Mocca- 
sin/' 

During  the  summer  of  this  year  the  militia  of  this  county  was 
kept  on  the  move  in  consequence  of  the  threatened  invasion  of  the 
British  forces  from  the  South.  In  the  months  of  August  and  Sep- 
tember one  hundred  and  fifty  men  from  Washington  county  saw- 
active  service  on  New  river,  about  the  Lead  Mines,  and  over  the 
jnountains  in  North  Carolina,  under  Colonel  William  Campbell,  to 
prevent  and  suppress  any  attempted  insurrection  among  the  Tories 
in  those  quarters. 

The  Cherokee  Indians,  in  September  of  this  year,  began  to  give 
evidence  of  an  unfriendly  disposition,  and  every  indication  pointed 
to  an  Indian  war,  when  the  Governor  of  Virginia  directed  Colonel 
AYilliam  Campbell  to  take  command  of  an  expedition  against  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  and  it  was  left  to  his  choice  whether  to  take  the 
troops  do-wii  the  Tennessee  by  water  or  on  horseback.  If  the  men 
went  on  horseback  they  were  to  be  paid  for  such  pack  horses 
as  might  be  lost  without  fault  of  the  owner. 

BATTLE  OF  KING's  MOUNTAIN. 

While  preparations  were  being  made  for  this  expedition  and  men 
were  being  mustered  into  service  Colonel  William  Campbell  was 
directed  by  the  Governor  to  take  command  of  the  militia  ordered  to 
suppress  the  Tories  who  were  at  that  time  rising  in  arms,  and  to 
apply  to  that  purpose  the  same  means  and  powers  that  he  was  in- 
vested with  for  carrying  on  the  Cherokee  expedition,  and,  while  mak- 
ing every  preparation  to^  execute  the  orders  of  the  Governor,  let- 
ters were  received  by  him  from  Colonels  Isaac  Shelby  and  John 
Sevier  requesting  his  assistance  in  a  contemplated  expedition 
against  Colonel  Ferguson,  the  British  officer  who  was  then  stationed 
at  Gilberttown,  North  Carolina.  Acting  under  the  orders  of  the 
Go'vernor  previously  given,  Colonel  William  Campbell  joined  in 
this  expedition,  and  marched  a  number  of  mounted  militia  from 
this  county  to  King's  mountain,  South  Carolina. 

Many  writers,  in  speaking  of  the  campaign  against  Ferguson  and 
of  the  battle  at  King's  mountain,  make  the  statement  that  tliis 
expedition  was  without  authority  of  government,  but  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Campbell  seemed  to  think  differently,  as  is  evidenced  by  a  cer- 
tificate made  by  him  in  his  own  handwriting  in  the  year  1781  and 
recently  discovered  among  some  old  papers  in  the  auditor's  office 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  305 

at  Eichmond.    This  certificate,  with  endorsements  thereon,  is  here 
given  in  full : 

"I  hereby  certify  that  when  I  was  ordered  by  the  Executive  last 
summer  to  take  command  of  an  expedition  against  the  Cherokee 
Indians,  it  was  left  to  my  own  choice  whether  to  take  the  troops  down 
the  Tennessee  by  water,  or  on  horseback,  they  were  to  be  paid  for 
such  pack  horses  as  might  be  lost  without  default  of  the  owners. 
That  expedition  not  being  carried  on,  I  was  directed  by  His  Ex- 
cellency the  Governor  to  take  command  of  the  militia  ordered  to 
suppress  the  Tories  who  were  at  that  time  rising  in  arms,  and  to 
apply  to  that  purpose  the  same  means  and  powers  which  I  was  in- 
vested with  for  carrying  on  the  Cherokee  expedition,  under  which 
direction  I  marched  a  number  of  mounted  militia  to  King's  moun- 
tain, S.  C.  Wm.  Campbell  (Col.)" 
June  16,  1781. 
Endorsed  on  back. 

1780  certificate  of  Colonel  William  Campbell  respecting  King's 
mountain  expedition. 

The  situation  to  the  south  of  Virginia  at  this  time  was  truly 
alarming.  The  British  had  captured  Charleston,  with  General 
Lincoln  and  his  entire  army,  early  in  this  year,  and  the  war  was 
transferred  to  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia.  General  Gates,  who 
had  captured  the  British  army  at  Saratoga  and  was  in  command 
of  the  Southern  army  during  this  year,  was  disastrously  defeated 
at  Camden,  and  Colonel  Sumpter  and  his  body  of  patriots  had 
been  cut  to  pieces  by  Colonel  Tarleton  at  Pishing  creek.  Detach- 
ments from  the  British  army  were  scattered  throughout  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia.  Colonel  Buford  and  his  Virginia  forces 
had  been  defeated  and  cut  to  pieces  by  Tarleton's  cavalry  at  the 
Waxhaw's,  and  every  preparation  was  being  made  by  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  to  overrun  with  his  victorious  army  the  States  of  North 
Carolina  and  Virginia  in  the  order  named.  Lord  Cornwallis  had 
placed  the  command  of  the  western  borders  of  North  Carolina  and 
South  Carolina  under  Colonel  Patrick  Ferguson,  one  of  the  ablest 
British  commanders  at  that  time  in  the  field,  and  he  had  overrun 
and  destroyed  the  Whig  forces  in  his  territory  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Whig  forces  were  driven  across 
the  mountains  to  the  Holston  settlements.  A  portion  of  the  mili- 
I  tia  of  Sullivan  and  Washington  comities.  North  Carolina,  under 


306  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

the  comanand  of  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby,  had  been  in  the  service  of 
the  State  and  had  exhibited  a  great  deal  of  ability  and  prowess  at 
the  battles  of  Miisgi-ove's  Mill  and  Cane  Creek,  after  which  they 
retired  to  their  homes  without  suffering  any  inconvenience  from 
Ferguson  or  his  forces.  Colonel  Ferguson  was  greatly  embittered 
toward  the  forces  from  the  Holston  or  back  waters  (as  it  was  then 
termed),  and  when  he  arrived  at  Gilberttown,  he  paroled  a  Whig 
prisoner  by  the  name  of  Samuel  Phillips,  a  relative  of  Colonel 
Isaac  Shelby,  and  sent  him  to  deliver  a  message  to  the  officers  of 
militia  on  the  waters  of  the  Holston,  Watauga  and  Nolichucky, 
which  message  was  as  follows : 

"If  they  did  not  desist  from  their  opposition  to  the  British  arms 
he  would  march  his  army  over  the  mountains,  hang  their  leaders, 
and  lay  their  country  waste  with  fire  and  sword."  There  can  be  no 
question  that  Colonel  FergusO'n  was  well  informed  of  the  situa- 
tion of  the  western  settlers  and  the  route  by  which  he  could  reach 
their  country,  for  at  that  time  there  were  in  his  army  a  number  of 
Tories  from  Ihe  back  waters. 

A  crisis  had  been  reached  in  the  struggle  for  liberty,  and  now 
at  the  darkest  hour  in  the  struggle  of  tlie  patriots,  the  opportunity 
and  the  men  have  met,  when  a  band  of  western  frontiersmen  were 
to  strike  a  telling  blow  for  the  cause  of  liberty  and  all  America. 
Phillips  immediately  crossed  the  mountains  and  delivered  the  mes- 
sage to  Colonel  Shelby  as  directed,  and  gave  him  such  infornuition, 
in  addition  thereto',  as  he  had  in  regard  to  the  strengtli  and  posi- 
tion of  Ferguson  and  his  men.  Colonel  Shelby  immediately  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  Colonel  Williaui  Campbell,  of  Washington 
county,  Virginia,  and  sent  it  by  express  by  liis  brother,  Moses 
Shelby,  while  Colonel  Shelby  went  to  the  home  of  Colonel  Jolm 
Sevier  and  informed  him  of  Ferguson's  threats,  and  suggested 
means  by  which  they  might  embody  a  force  sufficient  to  surprise 
and  attack  Ferguson  in  his  camp  and  prevent  the  imjx^nding  stroke. 
To  the  propositions  of  Colonel  Slielby,  Colonel  Sevier  readily 
agreed.  On  tlie  18th  day  of  September,  1780,  Cplonel  Charles  Mc- 
Dowell, of  "Quaker  Meadows,"  North  Carolina,  and  Colonel  An- 
drew Hampton,  of  South  Carolina,  patriot  leaders,  with  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  arrived  at  Colonel  John  Carter's  in  Carter's 
Valley,  fleeing  from  Ferguson  and  his  forces.  These  men  were 
consulted  by  Colonel  Shelby,  and  a  time  and  place  appointed  for 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  307 

the  assembling  of  all  the  forces  that  could  be  enlisted  for  this  expe- 
dition, at  the  Sj^cainore  shoals  or  flats,  on  the  Watauga  river, 
about  three  miles  below  the  present  town  of  Elizabethton,  Tennes- 
see. It  is  stated  by  many  writers  on  the  subject  that  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Campbell  refused  to  join  Shelby  in  this  expedition  when  first 
approached  upon  the  subject,  and  that  he  consented  only  upon  the 
receipt  of  a  second  and  more  urgent  request,  but  I  do  not  know 
upon  what  authority  this  statement  is  made,  for  on  the  6th  day 
of  September  of  this  year  Colonel  Campbell  was  at  Bethabara, 
Surry  county,  jSTorth  Carolina,  with  the  Washington  county  mili- 
tia, suppressing  and  preventing  insurrection  among  the  Tories  in 
that  section,  and  it  is  evident  to  any  one  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try that  he  must  have  marched  his  men  immediately  from  that 
point  to  Washington  courthouse,  and  from  there  to  the  Sycamore 
Shoals,  to  have  reached  that  point  on  the  35th  of  September.  I  do 
not  think  there  can  be  any  doubt  that  Colonel  Campbell  joined 
in  this  expedition  very  heartily,  upon  the  receipt  of  information 
from  Shelby,  and  that  he,  with  the  Washington  county  forces,  en- 
tered u])on  this  expedition  with  the  greatest  of  enthusiasm,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  large  numbers  of  volunteers  collected  and  the 
rapidity  of  their  movements. 

It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  was 
busy  enlisting  the  militia  of  this  county  and  equipping  them  for 
this  expedition  while  Colonel  William  Campbell  and  his  men  were 
returning  from  TsTorth  Carolina.  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  in 
speaking  of  the  situation  of  the  Southern  Colonies,  said :  "The  tale 
of  McDowell's  men  was  a  doleful  one,  and  tended  to  excite  the 
resentment  of  the  people,  who,  of  late,  had  become  inured  to  danger 
by  fighting  the  Indian,  and  who  had  an  utter  detestation  of  the 
tyranny  of  the  British  Government. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Colonel  William  Campbell,  in  Abingdon, 
on  the  22d  day  of  September,  1780,  it  was  decided  that  two  hundred 
of  the  militia  of  this  county  should  accompany  him  upon  this  expe- 
dition. The  men  seemed  animated  with  a  spirit  of  patriotism  and 
asseml)led  at  Wolf  creek,  near  the  Bradley  farm  west  of  Abingdon, 
from  which  point  they  marched  immediately  for  the  Sycamore 
Shoals,  arriving  at  that  point  on  the  25th  day  of  September,  accord- 
ing to  appointment.  Colonel  William  Campbell  did  not  accompany 
the  men  to  Sycamore  shoals,  he  going  by  Colonel  Shelby's  at  Sap- 


308  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

ling  grove  (n()^y  Bristol),  while  his  men  followed  tJie  Watauga 
road.  Colonel  Artlmr  Campbell,  who  had  been  left  at  Abingdon 
with  a  portion  of  the  militia  to  defend  the  inhabitants  of  the  county 
against  any  Indian  invasion,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  tlic 
militia  under  his  command,  and  wisliing  to  give  all  possible  strength 
to  the  expedition  against  Colonel  Ferguson,  on  the  24th  day  of 
September  left  Abingdon  with  an  additional  two  hundred  men 
for  the  Sycamore  shoals,  and  arrived  on  the  2Gth,  just  as  the  little 
army  of  mountaineers  were  preparing  to  march  for  the  Carolinas. 
The  approach  of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  with  the  reinforcements 
and  the  effect  that  it  had  upon  the  army  are  best  described  in  the 
words  of  a  North  Carolina  historian: 

"When  nearly  ready  to  begin  the  marcli,  the  sound  of  approach- 
ing voices  was  heard  once  more.  The  camp  was  astir;  unexpected 
visitors  were  discovered  in  the  distance ;  nearer  they  came,  and  recog- 
nition was  announced  by  a  wild  shout  of  joy,  and  Colonel  Arthur 
Campbell  led  two  hundred  men  into  the  camp.  One  thousand  and 
fifty  voices  now  made  the  welkin  ring  with  their  glad  acclaim.  Col- 
onel Campbell,  fearing  that  there  might  not  be  men  enough  to 
secure  certain  victory,  determined,  after  Colonel  William  Campbell 
had  left,  to  reinforce  his  strength.  This  being  now  done,  he  bade 
Ills  men  'Godspeed'  and  a  hearty  'goodbye,'  and  returned  to  his 
liome  again."* 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  militia  of  Washington  county  were 
not  only  willing  to  go  when  required  to  do  so,  but  were  anxious  to 
strike  a  blow  for  their  altars  and  their  homes,  and  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that,  if  the  country  had  been  free  from  the  fear  of  an 
Indian  war,  twice  four  hundred  men  would  have  voluntarily  accom- 
panied Colonel  Campbell  upon  this  expedition. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  little  army  of  patriots  assembled  at  the 
Sycamore  shoals.  This  army  was  made  up  and  commanded  as 
follows : 

Colonel  William  Campbell,    400  men 

Colonel  Isaac  Shelby,  240  men 

Colonel  John  Sevier, 240  men 

Colonel  Charles  McDowell  and  Andrew  Hampton,   ....  160  men 

The  money  to  equip  the  North  Carolina  militia  was  obtained  by 


*« 


Schenk,  N.  C,  1780-1781. 


Workington  County,  1777-1870.  '  309 

Colonels  Sevier  and  Shelby  from  John  Adair,  the  North  Carolina 
entrytaker,  in  Washington  county,  N'orth  Carolina;  but  the  Vir- 
ginia militia  under  Campbell  were  equipped  by  the  Washington 
county  authorities  and  paid  by  the  State  of  Virginia.  Every  mem- 
ber of  this  little  army,  with  but  few  exceptions,  was  dressed  in  the 
woolen  clothes  manufactured  by  his  wife  and  daughters,  and  wore 
a  fur-skin  cap. 

A  distinguished  historian  describes  in  such  an  interesting  way 
the  appearance  of  these  mountaineers  as  they  began  their  march, 
that  I  give  his  statements  in  regard  thereto : 

"Their  fringed  and  tasseled  hunting-shirts  were  girded  in  by 
bead-worked  belts,  and  the  trappings  of  their  horses  were  stained 
red  and  yellow.  On  their  heads  they  wore  caps  of  coon-skin  or 
minJc-skin,  with  the  tails  hanging  down,  or  else  felt  hats,  in  each 
of  which  was  thrust  a  buck's  tail  or  a  sprig  of  evergreen.  Every 
man  carried  a  small  bore  rifle,  a  tomahawk  and  a  scalping  knife. 
A  very  few  of  the  officers  had  swords,  and  there  was  not  a  bayonet 
nor  a  tent  in  the  army."* 

It  would  seem  from  the  descriptions  given  by  historians  in  speak- 
ing of  this  expedition,  that  the  men  were  very  poorly  equipped,  but, 
from  an  inspection  of  the  records  of  this  county,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  estates  of  the  men  killed  at  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain 
were  valued  very  high,  and  that  no  part  of  their  property  was  more 
valuable  than  their  equipments  at  the  time  they  were  killed,  a  sam- 
ple of  which  is  as  follows;  appraised  value :f 

"One  blue  broadcloth  and  linen  jacket, £150 

"One  pair  of  leather  breeches, 75 

"One  great  coat,   150 

"One  horse,   600 

"Every  member  of  this  little  army  was  equipped  with  a  Deckard 
rifle,  and  they  were  not  only  splendid  horsemen  but  excellent 
marksmen ;  and  by  the  warfare  that  they  had  been  carrying  on  with 
the  Indians  they  were  accustomed  to  every  kind  of  danger  and 
hardship.  They  had  oftentimes  heard  of  the  wrongs  of  their  Whig 
kinsmen  to  the  South;  not  only  from  Colonels  McDowell  and 
Hampton  and  their  men,  but  from  General  Clarke,  of  Georgia,  and 
his  men,  and  they  were  determined,  if  possible,  to  prevent  the 

*Winniiig  of  the  West. 
fCaptain  Wm.  Edmiston  estate. 


310  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

advance  of  Colonel  Ferguson  to  this  side  of  the  mountain,  and  to  ' 
rescue  their  brethren  to  the  South  from  their  sad  plight. 

"On  the  26th  day  of  the  month  when  they  were  ready  to  march, 
the  men  assembled  in  a  grove,  and  there  the  Eev.  Samuel  Doak,  a 
Presbyterian  preacher,  the  pioneer  clergyman  of  the  frontiers, 
made  a  few  remarks  befitting  the  occasion,  closing  the  same  with  the 
Bible  quotation:  'The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon.'  And 
while  these  stern  hardy  men  bowed  their  heads  in  reverence,  this 
good  man  invoked  on  the  expedition  the  blessings  of  the  Lord.  He 
recounted  the  dangers  that  surrounded  his  congregation  from  the 
savages  in  their  rear  and  the  British  in  their  front;  and  reciting 
the  promises  of  mercy  contained  in  the  word  of  their  Grod,  he 
earnestly  prayed  for  protection  to  their  families  and  success  to 
those  who  were  marching  to  defend  their  homes  and  liberty;  and 
so  effective  were  his  prayers  that  tears,  stole  down  the  cheeks  of 
many  of  the  rough  and  hardy  mountaineers.  After  this  the  army 
mounted  their  horses  and  commenced  their  march  for  South  Caro- 
lina. The  route  pursued  by  these  men  upon  this  march  is  a  matter 
of  considerable  interest  to  their  descendants,  and  I  give  the  route  as 
described  by  Draper  in  his  history  of  the  'Battle  of  King's  Moun- 
tain.' 

"Leaving  the  S3'camore  shoals,  they  probably  ate  their  dinner  at 
Clark's  mill  on  Gap  creek,  three  miles  from  the  shoals ;  they  thence 
passed  up  Gap  creek  to  its  head,  where  they  bore  to  the  left,  cross- 
ing Little  Doe  river,  passing  on  to  the  'resting  place'  at  the  Shelv- 
ing Eock,  about  a  mile  beyond  Crab  Orchard  and  about  twenty 
miles  from  the  shoals,  where  they  encam])ed  for  the  night.  At 
this  place  a  number  of  their  horses  were  shod  by  a  man  by  the  nauje 
of  Miller. 

"The  next  morning  they  were  delayed  for  some  time  in  butchering 
several  of  their  cattle,  after  which  they  passed  on  about  four  miles. 
Beaching  the  base  of  the  Yellow  and  Boan  ]\rountains,  they 
ascended  the  mountain,  following  Bright's  trace,  through  a  gap 
between  Yellow  mountain  on  the  north  and  Boan  niiountain  on  the 
soutli.  When  they  had  reached  the  table-land  on  top  of  the  moim- 
tain,  they  found  it  covered  with  snow  shoe-mouth  deep,  on  the  sum- 
mit of  which  there  were  about  one  hundred  acres  of  beautiful  table- 
land and  a  fine  spring  that  ran  over  into  the  Watauga.  In  tliis  field 
the  soldiers  were  paraded  under  their  respective!  officers  and  were 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  3li 

ordered  to  discharge  their  rifles,  and  such  was  the  rareness  of  the 
atniospliere  that  there  was  little  or  no  report.  This  body  of  table- 
land is  known  as  the  'Bald  Place/  or  'the  Bald  of  the  Yellow.' 

"At  this  point  two  men  from  Colonel  John  Sevier's  company 
deserted.     Their  names  were  James  Crawford  and  Samuel  Cham- 
bers.   It  was  suspected  that  they  would  make  their  way  to  Colonel 
Ferguson  and  inform  him  of  the  coming  of  the  backwoodsmen,  and 
this  suspicion  was  correct.    Upon  the  discovery  of  this  fact,  it  was 
decided  by  the  commanders  that  they  would  not  pursue  the  route 
previously  proposed,  but  would  pass  by  a  more  northerly  route,  so  as 
to  confuse   Ferguson,  should  he  send  spies  to  make   discoveries. 
After  they  had  refreshments  they  passed  on  down  the  mountain  a 
few  miles  into  Elk  Hollow,  a  low  place  between  the  Yellow  and 
Eoan  mountains,  where,  at  a  fine  spring,  they  encamped  for  the 
night.     On  the  28th  they  descended  Eoaring  creek  to  the  North 
Toe  river,  and  thence  down  the  Toe  to  a  noted  spring  on  the  Daven- 
port place,  since  Tate's,  and  now  known  as  Child's  Place,  where 
they  probably  rested,  and  thence  down  to  the  mouth  of  Grassy  creek, 
where  they  encamped  and  rested  for  the  night.     On  the  29th  they 
passed  up  Grassy  creek  to  its  head,  and  over  Blue  Eidge  at  Gilles- 
pie's gap  to  Cathey's  mill,  where  they  camped.     The  country  that 
they  had  passed  through  to  this  point  cannot  be  excelled  in  roman- 
tic grandeur  anywhere  on  earth.    It  was  excellently  watered,  broken 
by  high  moamtains   and  interspersed   with  beautiful   valleys.      A 
ISTorth  Carolina  historian,  in  speaking  of  this  country,  says:  "If 
we  were  to  meet  an  army  with  music  and  banners  we  would  hardly 
notice  it.     Man  and  all  his  works  and  all  his  devices  are  sinking 
into  insignificance.     We  feel  that  we  are  approaching  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  Almighty  Architect.     We  feel  in  all  things  about  us 
the  presence  of  the  great  Creator.     A  sense  of  awe  and  reverence 
comes  over  us,  and  we  expect  to  find  in  this  stupendous  temple  we 
are  approaching  none  but  men  of  pure  hearts  and  benignant  minds. 
But,  by  degrees,  as  we  clamber  up  the  winding  hill,  the  sensation 
of  awe  gives  way,  new  scenes  of  beauty  and  grandeur  open  upon  our 
ravished  visions,  and  a  multitude  of  emotions  swell  within  our 
hearts.    We  are  dazzled,  bewildered  and  excited,  we  know  not  how 
nor  why ;  our  souls  expand  and  swim  through  the  immensity  before 
and  around  us,  and  our  beings  seem  merged  into  the  infinite  and 
glorious  works  of  God.    This  is  the  country  of  the  fairies;  and  here 


312  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

they  liave  their  shaded  dells^  their  mock  mountains  and  their  green 
valleys,  thrown  into  ten  thousand  shapes  of  beauty.  But  higher 
up  are  the  Titian  hills ;  and  when  w©  get  among  them  we  will  find 
the  difference  between  abodes  of  the  giants  and  their  elfin  neigh- 
bors," 

At  Cathey's  mill  the  troops  were  divided,  Campbell,  with  his 
men,  following  a  trail  six  miles  south  to  Wofi'ord  Fort,  the  others 
going  to  Honey  Cut  creek,  at  which  point  Colonel  Charles  McDow- 
ell, who  had  left  the  Sycamore  shoals  in  advance  of  the  troops  to 
notify  the  Carolina  Whigs  of  the  coming  of  the  mountain  men, 
rejoined  the  army.  And,  on  Saturday  morning,  the  30th  day  of 
September,  the  mountain  men  passed  over  Silver  and  Linville 
mountains  in  an  easterly  course,  and  down  Paddle's  creek  to 
"Quaker  Meadows,"  where  the  fatted  calf  was  killed  and  the  moun- 
tain men  regaled  themselves  in  the  beautiful  valley.  Soon  thereafter. 
Colonel  Benjamin  Cleveland  and  Major  Winston  joined  the  moun- 
tain men  with  three  hundred  and  fifty  North  Carolinians  from  the 
counties  of  Surry  and  Wilkes. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  our  readers  to  know  that  Surry  county. 
North  Carolina,  joined  Virginia  on  the  south,  and  embraced  that 
portion  of  North  Carolina  now  included  in  the  present  counties  of 
Ashe,  Alleghany,  Watauga  and  Mitchell,  our  nearest  neighbors  to 
the  south. 

On  Sunday  morning,  October  1st,  the  Wliigs  left  "Quaker 
Meadows"  with  light  hearts  and  eager  footsteps,  believing  that  they 
would  soon  be  upon  Ferguson  and  his  corps.  They  rapidly  advanced, 
passing  Pilot  moimtain,  and  in  the  evening  encamped  in  a  gap 
of  the  South  mountain,  near  where  the  heads  of  Cane  and  Silver 
creeks  interlock  each  other,  and  on  Monday  they  remained  in  camp 
for  the  day  because  of  the  rain  that  was  constantly  falling.  On  this 
day  it  was  decided  that  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  military  head  to 
their  organization,  and  Colonel  McDowell  was  dispatched  to  General 
Gates,  requesting  him  to  send  forward  a  general  officer  to  take 
the  command.  The  letter  addressed  by  the  officers  to  General  Gates 
and  forwarded  by  Colonel  McDowell  was  as  follows : 

Rutherford  County,  Camp  near  Gilberttown, 

October   1st,   1780. 
Sir : — We  have  now  collected  at  this  place  about  1,500  good  men, 
diawn  from  the  counties  of  Surry,  Wilkes,  Burke,  Washington  and 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  313 

Sallivan  comities  in  this  State,  and  Washington  county  in  Virginia, 
and  expect  to  be  joined  in  a  few  days  by  Colonel  Clarke,  of  Georgia, 
and  Colonel  Williams,  of  South  Carolina,  with  about  1.000  Tuore. 
As  w«  have  at  this  time  called  out  our  inintia  withoiit  any  orders 
from  the  Executives  of  our  different  States,  and  with  tbo  view  of 
expelling  the  enemy  out  of  this  part  of  the  country,  we  think  such  a 
body  0^  men  worthy  of  your  attention,  and  would  request  you  to 
send  a  general  officer  immediately  to  take  the  command  of  such 
troops  as  may  embody  in  this  quarter.  Our  troops  being  all  militia 
and  but  little  acquainted  with  discipline,  we  would  wish  him  to  be 
a  gentleman  of  address  and  able  to  keep  up  a  proper  discipline  \^'ith- 
out  disgiTsting  the  soldiery.  Every  assistance  in  our  power  shall 
be  given  the  officer  you  may  thinlc  proper  to  take  the  command  of  us. 

It  is  the  wish  of  such  of  us  as  are  acquainted  with  G-eneral  David- 
son and  Colonel  Morgan  (if  in  service)  that  one  of  these  gentlemen 
may  be  appointed  to  the  command. 

We  are  in  great  want  of  ammunition,  and  hope  you  will  endeavor 
to  have  us  properly  furnished  with  that  article. 

Colonel  McDowell  will  wait  upon  you  with  this,  who  can  inform 
you  of  the  present  situation  of  the  enemy,  and  such  other  particulars 
respecting  our  troops  as  you  may  think  necessary. 

*We  are,  sir,  your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  ser'ts. 

(Signed)  BENJ.  CLEVELAND, 

ISAAC    SHELBY-, 
JOHN  LOED, 
AND'W  HAMPTON, 
WM.   CAMPBELL, 
JO.  WINSTON. 

Isaac  Shelby,  in  his  old  age,  made  the  statement  that  Colonel 
McDowell  was  dispatched  upon  this  mission  for  the  purpose  ol  dis- 
posing of  his  services,  as  he,  by  reason  of  his  age,  was  too  slow  and 
too  inactive  for  the  command  of  such  an  enterprise  as  they  were 
then  engaged  in,  and  this  statement  has  been  repeated  by  most  his- 
torians. While  it  may  be  true,  there  can  be  no  good  reason  for 
believing  the  statement,  for,  at  this  time.  Colonel  McDowell  was 
only  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  was  an  active  and  very  intelligent 


*( From  original  of  "Gates  papers"  in'possession  of  the  New  York  Historical 
society. ) 


314  Southwest  Virginia,  17Ji6-1786. 

man  and  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  service,  before  that  time,  in  his 
campaigns  against  the  invaders. 

It  is  much  more  reasonable  to  believe  that  Colonel  McDowell, 
being  the  commanding  officer  in  the  coimty  where  the  army  was 
tlien  stationed  and  knowing  the  country  well,  of  his  own  accord 
jiroposed  to  deliver  tliis  message  to  General  Gates.  IT^^on  the  depart- 
ure of  Colonel  JMcDowell  the  other  colonels  assemliled  and  elected 
Colonel  AVilliam  Campbell,  of  Washington  coimty,  to  command  the 
whole,  upon  the  suggestion  of  Isaac  Shelby,  who  had,  previously 
to  this  timie,  always  from  his  earliest  manhood  taken  orders  from 
Colonel  Canipl^ell,  who  had  served  as  an  officer  in  the  Continental 
army. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  October,  the  mountain  nien  made 
preparations  to  march  from  their  camp  to  the  gap  at  South  moun- 
tain, expecting  to  find  Colonel  Ferguson  at  Gilberttown  and  attack 
liini.  Before  beginning  the  march,  Colonel  Cleveland  requested  the 
troops  to  form  a  circle,  promising  to  tell  them  the  news.  After 
which,  he  came  within  the  circle,  accompanied  by  the  other  officei*s, 
and  taking  off  his  hat,  addressed  the  troops  as  follows : 

"Now,  my  brave  fellows,  I  have  come  to  toll  you  the  news.  The 
enemy  is  at  hand  and  we  must  up  and  at  them.  Now  is  the  time 
for  every  man  of  you  to  do  his  country  a  priceless  service,  such  as 
shall  lead  your  children  to  exult  in  the  fact  that  their  fathers  were 
the  conquerors  of  Ferguson.  When  the  pincli  comes  I  sliall  l)e  with 
you.  But  if  any  of  you  shrink  from  sliaring  in  the  battle  and  the 
glory,  you  can  now  have  the  opportunity  of  l)acking  out  and  leaving; 
and  you  shall  have  a  few  minutes  for  considering  the  uiatter." 

After  which  Major  McDowell  and  Colonel  Shelby  uiade  a  few 
remarks  and  requested  all  those  who  liesitated  about  going  further 
to  step  back  three  paces  to  the  rear  when  the  word  was  given.  When 
the  word  was  given  not  one  member  of  that  army  accepted  the  priv- 
ilege, but  a  shout  went  up  from  the  assemlbled  hosts  when  it  was 
ascertained  that  there  was  not  a  coward  or  a  slink  in  that  little 
army.  After  this  the  army  marched  down  Cane  creek  a  few  mile'^ 
and  encamped  for  the  night.  On  the  following  day  they  reached  a 
point  near  Gilberttomi  and  ascertained  that  Ferguson,  hearing 
of  their  coming,  had  retreated. 

Colonel  Ferguson,  upon  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  mountain 
men,  dispatched  two  messengers  to  Comwallis,  requesting  assist- 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  315 

anee  at  once,  and  issued  the  following  proclamation  to  the  country : 
"Gentlemen: — Unless  yon  wish  to  be  eat  up  by  an  inundation  of 
barbarians,  who  have  begun  by  murdering  an  unarmed  son  before 
an  aged  father,  and  afterwards  lopped  off  his  arms,  and  who,  by 
thoir  shocking  cruelties  and  irregularities,  give  the  best  proof  of 
their  cowardice  and  want  of  discipline;  I  say,  that  if  you  wish  to 
be  pinioned,  robbed  and  murdered,  and  vSee  your  wives  and  daugh- 
ters in  four  days  abused  by  the  dregs  of  mankind;  in  short,  if  you 
wish  to  deserve  to  live  and  bear  the  name  of  men,  grasp  your  arms 
in  a  moment  and  run  to  camp.  The  'Back  Water'  men  have 
crossed  the  mountains;  McDowell,  Hampton,  Shelby  and  Cleve- 
land are  at  their  head,  so  that  you  know  what  you  have  to  depend 
ii})on.  If  you  choose  to  be  degraded  forever  and  ever  by  a.  set  of 
mongrels,  say  sO'  at  once,  and  let  your  women  turn  their  backs  upon 
yoii  and  look  out  for  real  men  to  protect  them. 

PAT.  FEEGUSON, 
Major  71st  Eegiment." 
He  then  retreated  to  Green  river,  where  he  gave  out  that  he  was 
retreating  to  Fort  Ninety-six,  South  Carolina.  He  then  proceeded 
to  Dennard's  Fort,  on  Broad  river,  from  which  point  he  marched 
about  four  miles  on  the  2d  day  of  October  and  lay  on  his  arms  all 
that  night  expecting  an  attack,  and  on  the  3d  day  of  October  he 
marched  to  Tate's  place,  where  he  sent  the  following  message  to 
Cornwallis : 

"My  Lord  : — I  am  on  my  march  to'  you  by  a  road  leading  from 
C*herokee  Ford,  nortli  of  King's  mountain.  Three  or  four  hundred 
good  soldiers  could  finish  this  business.  Something  must  be  done 
soon.    This  is  their  last  push  in  this  quarter. 

"PATEICK  FEEGUSON"." 

The  position  occupied  by  Ferguson  at  this  time  was  sixteen  miles 
northeast  of  King's  mountain  and  thirty-five  miles  west  of  Char- 
lotte, the  headquarters  of  Cornwallis. 

It  seems  that  it  was  the  intention  of  Ferguson,  when  he  began 
his  retreat  from  Gilberttown  to  join  Cornwallis  at  Charlotte,  with 
all  possible  speed,  but,  for  some  strange  reason,  he  was  impelled  to 
march  to  the  southwest,  where  he  was  to  meet  his  destiny  and  lose 
his  life.  He  reached  King's  mountain  on  the  evening  of  the  6th 
of  October,  where  he  pitched  his  camp  and  made  all  necessary  pre- 
parations to  defend  his  position,  and  gave  utterance  to  the  follow- 


316  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

ing  sacrilegious  boast:  "That  he  was  on  King's  mountain,  that 
he  was  king  of  that  mountain,  and  God  Almighty  could  not  drive 
him  from  it." 

The  position  occupied  by  Comwallis  and  where  the  battle  was 
fought,  is  in  York  county.  South  Carolina,  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  south  of  the  State  line.  That  portion  of  the  mountain  upon 
which  the  battle  was  fought  was  nothing  more  than  an  oblong  hill 
or  stony  ridge,  some  six  hundred  yards  long  and  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  across  from  one  base  to  the  other,  and  from 
sixty  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards  on  the  top,  tapering  to  the 
south.  "So  narrow,"  says  Mill's  Statistics,  "that  a  man,  standing 
on  it,  may  be  shot  from  either  side."  The  top  of  the  ridge  is  about 
sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  country. 

Many  of  the  participants  in  the  battle  of  King's  mountain 
thought  that  they  could  see  a  resemblance  to^  that  battleground  in 
the  ridge  south  of  and  near  to  Abingdon,  and  to  this  they  gave  th^^ 
name  of  King's  mountain,  which  name  it  bears  at  the  present  time. 

The  principal  elevation  on  this  range  of  mountains  in  South 
Carolina  was  about  six  miles  from  the  battleground. 

We  left  the  mountain  men  near  Gilberttown,  where  they  were 
informed  that  Ferguson  had  retreated  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles  in 
the  direction  of  Fort  ISTinety-Six ;  which  information  greatly 
depressed  them,  but  they  determined  to  pursue,  which  they  did 
immediately,  as  far  as  Dennard's  Ford,  where  they  lost  the  trail  for 
awhile,  but  they  proceeded  to  Alexander's  Ford  of  Green  river, 
where  the  officers  determined  to  select  their  best  men,  best  hoi'scs 
and  best  rifles,  and  to  pursue  Ferguson  unremittingly  and  overtake 
him  before  he  could  receive  reinforcements  or  reach  any  fort  that 
would  give  him  protection.  The  mountain  men  were  for  some  time 
perplexed  by  the  movements  of  Ferguson,  and  were  unable  to  tell  by 
what  route  he  had  fled,  but  soon  ascertained  from  a  Whig  sympa- 
thizer, that  Ferguson,  on  the  evening  of  the  5th,  had  written  a  loi- 
ter to  Lord  Cornwallis  and  had  taken  a  position  on  the  following 
day  at  King's  moimtain. 

The  number  of  men  selected  on  the  night  of  the  5th  of  October, 
to  make  the  forced  march  to  overtake  Ferguson,  was  about  seven 
hundred,  thus  leaving  behind  abo'ut  six  hundred  and  ninety  men. 
The  Carolina  troops  thus  left  behind,  were  in  charge  of  Major 
Joseph  Herndon,  of   Cleveland's  regiment,   and  that  portion  of 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  317 

CampbeU's  regiment  left  behind  were  in  charge  of  Captain  William 
Neil.  The  men  selected  were  all  well  mounted,  while  those  left 
behind  were  not.  But  Colonel  Campbell  placed  the  Washington 
county  troops  in  charge  of  an  officer  of  much  energy  of  character, 
to  whom  he  gave  directions  to  do  ever3d;hing  in  his  power  to  expe- 
dite the  march  of  the  troops  placed  in  his  charge,  by  pushing  them 
forward  as  fast  as  possible. 

Campbell,  with  the  mounted  men,  started  in  pursuit  of  Ferguson 
on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  October,  passing  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion to  the  Sandy  Plains,  thence  southeasterly  to  the  Cowpens, 
about  twenty-one  miles,  which  point  they  reached  shortly  after  sun- 
set, where  they  found  Colonels  Hill,  Lacy,  Williamis  and  Graham, 
with  their  forces.  On  this  day,  they  passed  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  several  large  bodies  of  Tories,  one  of  which  numbered  six 
hundred.  "The  riflemen  from  the  mountains  had  turned  out  to 
catch  Ferguson,  and  this  was  their  rallying  cry  from  the  day  they 
left  the  Sycamore  shoals  on  the  Watauga.^'*      4 

They  did  not  intend  to  be  diverted  from  their  object,  and  there- 
fore did  not  waste  any  time  on  the  small  parties  along  their  way. 

Ensign  Kobert  Campbell,  of  the  Virginia  troops,  in  his  diary  says : 
"That  he  was  dispatched  with  a  party  of  eighty  men  to  break  up  the 
party  of  six  hundred  Tories  stationed  near  the  Cowpens,  but  that 
they  had  moved  before  the  mountaineers  reached  the  Cowpens  and 
could  not  be  overtaken  that  night." 

Captain  Colvill  undertook  to  surprise  this  same  company  the 
following  night,  but  met  with  no  better  success. 

While  the  troops  were  stationed  at  the  Cowpens,  a  Whig  spy,  who 
was  a  crippled  man,  reported  to  the  Whig  chiefs,  that  he  had  visited 
the  camp  of  Ferguson,  and  ascertained  his  plans,  and  that  his  forces 
did  not  exceed  1,500  men,  which  information  encouraged  the  moun- 
tain men  very  much,  but,  as  a  matter  of  precaution,  Enoch  Gil- 
more,  another  spy,  was  sent  out  to  gain  tlie  latest  intelligence  in 
regard  to  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  which  he  did,  and  returned 
to  the  camp  of  the  mountain  men  on  the  evening  of  the  6th,  When 
the  march  was  begun  from  the  Cowpens  on  the  evening  of  the  6th, 
the  whole  number  of  mounted  men  was  900,  besides  a  squad  of 
footmen  numbering  about  fifty. 

The  march  from  the  Cowpens  to  King's  mountain  was  made  by 


*Draper's  King's  Mountain. 


318  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

night  and  there  was  a  drizzle  of  rain  failing  during  most  of  the 
time.  Campbell's  men  lost  their  way,  and,  on  the  morning  of  the 
7th,  it  was  ascertained  that  they  were  not  more  than  five  miles 
from  the  Cowpens,  but  they  soon  joined  the  main  force  and  pushed 
rapidly  forward  in  an  easterly  direction,  passing  the  Cherokee  Ford 
and  on  to  Beason's  where  they  halted  for  a  short  while  and  learned 
that  Ferguson  was  only  nine  miles  off  and  in  camp. 

As  Colonel  Campbell  rode  off  froui  this  point,  a  girl  followed, 
and,  calling  to  him,  asked:  "How  many  of  you  are  there?" 
"Enough  to  wliip  Ferguson  if  we  can  find  him,"  was  the  reply, 
whereupon  the  girl,  pointing  her  finger  in  a  direct  line  to  King's 
mountain,  said :  "He  is  on  that  mountain." 

Several  persons  were  captured  between  this  point  and  Ferguson's 
camp,  one  of  the  number  being  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Pon- 
der, upon  whose  person  was  found  a  message  from  Ferguson  to 
Comwallis  imploring  assistance.  Another  was  Henry  Watkins,  a 
Whig,  whom  Ferguson  had  just  released,  and  who  gave  the  moun- 
tain men  accurate  information  of  Ferguson  and  his  situation. 

At  this  point  the  mountain  men  were  drawn  up  in  two  lines,  two 
men  deep.  Colonel  Campbell  leading  the  right  and  Colonel  Cleve- 
land the  left,  and  proceeded  on  their  march.  When  they  came  near 
to  the  mountain,  they  moved  up  a  branch  between  two  rocky  knobs, 
beyond  which  the  enemy's  camp  was  in  full  view,  550  yards  in 
front  of  them.  This  was  at  about  3  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Orders 
were  given  for  the  men  to  dismount  and  tie  their  horses,  and  to  tie 
their  blankets  and  coats  to  the  saddles,  and  a  few  men  were  detailed 
to  guard  them.  This  was  on  the  east  side  of  King's  creek,  after 
which  the  order  was  given  to  the  men,  "Fresh  prime  your  guns,  and 
every  man  go  into  battle  firmly  resolved  to  fight  till  he  dies." 

The  army  of  Ferguson  numbered  about  1,100  men,  the  two 
armies  being  about  equal  in  number,  but  there  was  a  considerable 
difference  in  the  motives  which  prompted  them  to  fight.  The  Tories 
were  fighting  for  the  honor  of  their  king.  That  was  one  and  various 
other  motives  might  be  mentioned;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
Whigs  fought  for  the  liberty  and  independence  of  the  American 
Colonies,  for  the  right  to  exercise  their  religious  views  without 
restraint  and  to  protect  their  homes  and  families  from  unprincipled 
Tories  and  savage  Indians. 


Washington  County^  1777-1870.  319 

Dr.  Draper,  in  speaking  of  tlie  Virginia  troops  who  participated 
in  tliis  battle,  says: 

"Those  men  from  the  Holston  under  Campbell  were  a  pecidiar 
people,  somewhat  of  the  character  of  Cromwell's  people.  They  were, 
almost  to  a  man,  Presb}i;erians.  In  their  homes  in  the  Holston 
Valley  they  were  settled  in  pretty  compact  congregations,  quite  tena- 
cious of  their  religious  and  civil  liberties,  as  handed  down  from 
father  to  son  from  their  Scotch-Irish  ancestors.  Their  preacher, 
Eev.  Charles  Cummings,  was  well  fitted  for  the  times;  a  man  of 
piety  and  sterling  patriotism,  who  constantly  exerted  himself  to 
encourage  his  people  to  make  every  needed  sacrifice,  and  put  forth 
every  possible  exertion  in  defence  of  the  liberties  of  their  country. 
They  were  a  remarkable  body  of  men,  botli  physically  and  mentally. 
Inured  to  frontier  life,  raised  mostly  in  Augusta  and  Eockbridge 
counties,  Virginia,  a  frontier  region  in  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
they  early  settled  on  the  Holston,  and  were  accustomed  from  their 
childhood  to  border  life  and  hardships ;  ever  ready  at  the  tap  of  the 
drum  to  turn  out  on  military  service;  in  the  busiest  crop  season, 
their  wives,  sisters  and  daughters  could,  in  tlieir  absence,  plant  and 
sow  and  harvest. 

They  were  better  educated  than  most  of  the  frontier  settlers  and 
had  a  moTc  thorough  understanding  of  the  questions  at  issue 
between  the  Colonies  and  their  mother  country.  These  men  went 
forth  to  strike  their  country's  foes,  as  did  the  patriarchs  of  old,  feel- 
ing assured  that  the  God  of  battles  was  with  them  and  that  he  would 
surely  crown  their  efforts  with  success.  They  had  no  doubts  noT 
fears.  They  trusted  in  God  and  kept  their  powder  dry.  Such  a 
thing  as  a  coward  was  not  known  among  them.  How  fitting  it  was 
that  to  such  a  band  of  men  should  have  been  assigned,  by  Camp- 
bell's own  good  judgment,  the  attack  on  Ferguson's  choicest  troops, 
his  Provincial  Eangers.  It  was  a  happy  omen  of  success,  literally 
the  forlorn  hope,  the  right  men  in  the  right  place." 

The  two  armies  now  confronted  each  other,  the  decisive  moment 
was  at  hand,  and  the  mountain  men  were  eager  to  pounce  upon  their 
prey. 

Colonel  Campbell  arranged  his  forces  in  two  divisions,  making 
each  division  as  nearly  equal  as  possible,  the  two  divisions  to  sur- 
roi-nd  the  mountain.  Campbell  was  to  lead  the  Virginians  across 
the  southern  end  of  the  ridge  and  southeast  side,  then  Sevier's  regi- 


320  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

ment  and  McDowell's  and  Winston's  battalions  were  to  form  a 
column  on  the  right  wing,  northeast  of  Campl)ell  and  in  the  order 
named,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  John  Sevier.  Shelby's  regi- 
ment was  to  take  a  position  on  the  left  of  the  mountain,  opposite 
to  Campbell,  and  form  the  left  center,  Camphell's  left  and  Shelby's 
right  coming  together,  beyond  Shelby  was  placed  Williams's  com- 
mand, including  Brandon,  Hammond  and  Candler,  then  the  South 
Carolinians  under  Lacy,  Hathorn  and  Steen,  with  the  remainder 
of  the  Wilkes  and  Surry  men  under  Cleveland,  together  with  the 
Lincoln  troops  under  Chronicle  and  Hambright.  The  regiments  or 
companies  in  the  order  named  surrounded  the  mountain;  Campbell 
on  the  southeast,  then  Sevier,  McDowell,  Winston,  Hambright, 
Cleveland,  Lacy,  Williams  and  Shelby.  Campbell  was  tx3  swing 
to  the  north  the  left  of  his  column  and  Shelby  to  the 
south  with  his  right  wing,  so  that  the  two  columns  should 
cross  the  mountain  at  its  southwestern  extremity ;  and  when  all  the 
companies  were  in  position  to  form  a  complete  cordon  around  the 
mountain,  which  was  to  be  drawn  closer  to  the  center  as  the  battle 
progressed.  Colonel  Campbell,  when  everything  was  in  readiness, 
visited  in  person  every  command  in  the  little  army,  and  said  to 
the  men :  "That  if  any  of  them,  men  or  officers,  were  afraid,  to  quit 
the  ranks  and  go  home;  that  he  wished  no  man  to  engage  in  the 
action  who  could  not  fight.  That  as  for  himself  he  was  determined 
to  fight  the  enemy  a  week,  if  need  be,  to  gain  the  victory."* 

He  gave  the  necessary  orders  to  his  subordinate  officers  and  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  his  own  regiment. 

Many  of  the  men  threw  aside  their  hats,  tying  handkerchiefs 
around  their  heads  so  as  to  be  less  likely  toi  be  retarded  by  limbs  and 
bushes  when  dashing  up  the  mountain. 

The  march  began  for  the  battleground,  and  when  the  mountain 
men  were  discovered  by  Colonel  Ferguson,  the  shrill  whistle  used 
by  him  was  distinctly  heard,  summoning  his  followers  to  arms ;  the 
battle  drums  were  beaten  and  every  preparation  was  made  in  the 
British  camp  for  battle. 

A  party  of  Colonel  Shelby's  men  captured  some  of  the  enemy's 
pickets  without  firing  a  gun. 

In  ordering  the  battle  Colonel  Campbell  had  directed  each  com- 
pany of  his  army  to  listen  for  the  Indian  "war  whoop"  from  the 


*Draper's  King's  Moiantains. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  321 

center  colmnn  when  everything  was  ready  for  the  attack.  When 
heard,  the  army  was  to  rush  forward  upon  the  enemy,  doing  all  pos- 
sible damage  and  repeating  the  same  "war-whoop." 

The  first  firing  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  Shelby's  men,  and 
before  they  had  taken  their  position  for  the  battle,  but,  they  were 
not  permitted  to  return  the  fire,  until  they  had  gained  their  desig- 
nated position.  Colonel  Shelby  directed  his  men  to  press  on  to  their 
places  and  then  their  fire  would  not  be  lost.  Colonel  Campbell, 
about  the  timie  this  firing  began,  taking  his  position  in  front  of  his 
men,  tlirew  off  his  coat  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  "Here 
they  are,  my  brave  boys ;  shout  like  h — 1  and  fight  like  devils !"  The 
woods  immediately  resounded  with  shouts  of  the  line,  in  which  they 
were  heartily  joined,  first  by  Shelby's  corps,  and  then  the  shouting 
was  instantly  caught  up  by  the  others  along  the  two  wings."* 

At  the  same  time,  Captain  Andrew  Colvill,  of  the  Virginia  troops, 
and  Major  Micajah  Lewis  and  Captain  Joel  Lewis,  with  their  troops 
were  directed  by  Colonel  Campbell  to  charge  the  British  main  guard, 
about  one  half  way  up  the  spur  of  the  mountain,  which  they  did, 
and  at  this  point,  the  first  heavy  fighting  between  the  two  armies 
t'.ok  place.  The  charge  was  made  by  the  mountaineers  with  such 
A\']for  that  the  British  guard  was  forced  to  retreat,  leaving  some  of 
their  men  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  Virginia  troops  lost  Lieu- 
tenant Eobert  Edmiston  and  John  Beattie  of  Colvill's  company, 
killed,  and  Lieutenant  Samuel  Newell  of  this  same  company  was 
wounded,  but  Newell  secured  a  horse,  which  he  mounted  and 
returned  to  the  conflict.  At  this  time  an  incident  occurred  which 
is  preserved,  and  is  here  given. 

One  of  the  mountaineers  came  within  rifle  shot  of  a  British  sen- 
tinel before  the  latter  perceived  him.  On  discovering  the  Ameri- 
can, he  discharged  his  musket  and  ran  with  all  speed  toward  the 
camp  on  the  hill.  This  'adventurous  Whig,  who  had  pressed  for- 
ward considerably  in  advance  of  his  fellows,  quickly  dismounted, 
leveled  his  rifle,  firing  at  the  retreating  Briton,  the  ball  striking 
him  in  the  back  of  the  head,  when  he  fell  and  expired."* 

The  position  assigned  to  Colonel  Campbell's  men  was  the  most 
difficult  of  ascent  of  any  part  on  the  ridge,  being  very  rocky  and 
steep,  but  they  were  not  to  be  deterred  by  such  obstacles,  pressing 
up  the  mountain  little  by  little  until  they  had  reached  near  the 


^Draper's  King's  Mountains. 


322  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

top  O'f  tlie  hill,  firing  all  the  time.  When  they  had  reached  this 
point  Colonel  Ferguson  ordered  his  Eangers  tO'  charge  the  Virginia 
troops  with  fixed  bayonets,  which  they  did.  The  Virginia  troops 
stood  their  ground  for  some  time,  but  were  forced  to  retreat  down 
the  mountain.  Colonel  Campbell  and  Major  Edmiston,  with  the 
assistance  of  Lieutenant  Newell,  rallied  the  Virginia  troops.  Colo- 
nel Campbell  led  his  men  again  to  the  conflict,  and  by  constant 
and  well-directed  fire  the  Virginians  drove  the  enemy  back  and 
reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  when  the  m^imitain  was  cov- 
ered Avith  flame  and  smoke  and  seemed  to  thunder."* 

Colonel  Shelby,  in  speaking  of  tlie  conduct  of  the  Virginians  at 
this  time,  says : 

"Campbell,  with  his  division,  ascended  the  hill,  killing  all  that 
came  in  his  way,  till,  coming  near  enough  to  the  main  l>ody  of  the 
enemy  who  were  posted  upon  the  summit,  he  poured  in  upon  them 
a  most  deadly  flre.  The  enemy,  with  flxed  bayonets,  advanced  upon 
his  troops,  who  gave  way  and  went  down  the  hill,  where  they  rallied 
and  formed  again  and  advanced."! 

During  this  last  attack  Lieutenant  Robert  Edmiston,  Jr.,  was 
wO'Unded  in  the  arm  and  sought  shelter  behind  a  tree,  where  John 
Craig  bandaged  his  arm,  when  Edmiston  exclaimed :  "Let  us  at  it 
again,"  and  returned  to  the  front  as  if  he  had  not  been  wounded. 
A  noted  historian,  in  speaking  of  this  incident,  has  said :  "Of  such 
grit  was  Campbell's  Holston  soldiers  coui]>osed ;  and  as  long  as 
there  was  any  fighting  to  be  done  for  their  country  and  they  could 
stand  upon  their  feet,  they  never  failed  to  share  largely  in  it." 
While  Campbell's  men  were  engaged  with  the  British  Rangers,  Colo- 
nel Shelby  was  pressing  the  «iemy  from  the  southwestern  end  of 
the  mountain  to  such  an  extent  that  Ferguson  was  forced  to  with- 
draw his  Rangers  from  that  quarter  and  to  charge  Shelby's  column, 
which,  in  turn,  were  forced  to  retreat  before  tlie  Britishi  Rangers, 
but  they  were  rallied  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  wlien  Shelby  addressed 
his  men  as  follows:  "Now,  boys,  quickly  reload  your  rifles,  and 
let's  advance  upon  them  and  give  them  another  h — 1  of  fire  !"* 

Campbell's  and  Shelby's  men  were  engaged  for  fully  ten  minutes 
before  the  other  forces  reached  their  position,  after  which  time 
Ferguson  and  his  forces  were  assailed  from  all  quarters  by  the  rifle- 


*Draper's  King's  Mountains. 

tCol.  Shelby's  letter  to  Col.  Arthur  Campbell,  October,  1780. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  333 

men,  who,  pressing  np  the  ridge,  protected  themselves  behind  the 
trees,  constantly  firing  on  the  British  forces. 

Sliortly  after  the  opening  of  the  battle  it  was  discovered  that  a 
portion  of  Ferguson's  forces  had  concealed  themselves  behind  a 
chain  of  rocks  at  a  very  dangerous  point,  from  which  they  success- 
fully assailed  the  mountain  men. 

Colonel  Shelby  directed  Ensign  Eobert  Campbell,  with  a  com- 
pany of  Virginia  troops,  to  move  to  the  right  and  to  dislodge  the 
men  from  their  position,  wliich  Campbell  did,  and  led  his  men 
within  forty  steps  of  them,  when  he  discovered  that  the  Virginia 
troops  had  been  driven  down  the  hill.  Then  he  gave  orders  to  his 
men  to  post  themselves  opposite  to  the  rocks  and  near  to  the  enemy, 
\\'hile  he  assisted  in  rallying  Colonel  Campbell's  men,  which  orders 
were  oljeyed,  Ensign  Campbell's  men  keeping  up  such  a  deadly 
fire  on  the  British,  that  Colonel  Ferguson  was  compelled  to  order 
a  strong  force  to  assist  the  men  placed  among  the  rocks,  but  they 
were  compelled  to  retire  to  another  position  on  the  mountain  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  action.  The  batttle  was  now  raging  all  around 
tlie  mountain:  the  report  of  hundreds  of  rifles  and  muskets,  the 
loud  commands  of  the  officers,  the  Indian  "war-whoops"  constantjy 
given  by  the  mountaineers,  and  the  shrill  noise  made  by  Fergu- 
son's whistle,  conspired  to  make  a  tumult  never  to  be  forgotten 
and  seldom  experienced  by  men. 

Colonel  Lacy,  with  the  South  Carolinians ;  ]\f ajor  Chronicle, 
with  his  North  Carolina  forces;  Colonels  Shelby  and  Sevier,  with 
the  Holston  forces;  Colonel  Cleveland,  with  his  boys  from  Surry, 
and  the  other  officers  in  this  little  army,  magnificently  vindicated 
in  this  conflict  their  claim  to  the  title  of  patriots.  When  the 
British  forces  would  attack  any  one  command  they  would  in  turn 
be  assailed  by  the  mountain  men  in  their  rear  and  be  forced  to 
turn  upon  their  pursuers,  but  every  charge  and  counter-charge 
saw  Ferguson's  ranks  grow  thinner  and  thinner,  and  the  coil  was 
drawn  closer  and  closer  around  the  top  of  the  mountain.  Ferguson 
and  his  forces  were  surrounded  by  the  mountain  men,  whose 
fire  was  so  constant  and  deadly  that  it  Avas  with  difficulty  that  the 
British  officers  could  rally  their  men.  The  British  troops  began 
to  give  way  on  the  southeastern  side  of  the  mountain,  where  they 
Avere  hard  pressed  by  Campbell  and  Shelby,  and  assailed  in  the  rear 
by  Cleveland,  and  on  their  flanks  by  McDowell  and  Winston.     At 


324  SoiifJnrr.^f   Viir/inin.    17 1,0-1  ISG. 

tllis  lime  two  white  \\;\\S>  W^'V  I'Jiiscd  on  the  lii'ilisli  line,  but 
Ferii'iisoii  iiimicilijitcly  cut  tliciii  down,  swearing;-  tliat  lie  would 
novor  sin-Tcii(l('i"  to  such  hiimJil li.  Sccini;-.  however,  tliat  lie  was 
Avhi])]X'cl.  with  a  tew  ri'ieiids  he  made  an  attempt  to  break  through 
the  lines  of  the  mountain  men  on  the  southeastern  side  of  the 
mountain  and  make  his  escape.  l)ut  in  making  the  effort  he  was 
shot  through  with  six  or  eight  bullets.  When  Ferguson  attempted 
to  make  his  escape  a  mountaineei'  hy  the  name  of  Gilliland,  who 
had  been  several  times  -wounded,  seeing  his  advance,  attempted  to 
fire  his  gun  at  him,  l)ut  it  snapped,  when  he  called  upon  Eol)ert 
Young,  a  member  of  his  company,  saying  to  h.im:  "There  is  Fer- 
guson; shoot  him,"  to  which  Young  rei)lied:  "111  try  and  see 
wdiat  Sweet  Li])S  can  do."  wdiereupon  he  discharged  his  rifle  and 
Ferguson  fell  from  his  horse  dead,  and  his  friends  were  driven 
back  within  the  lines.  Among  the  wounds  received  by  Colonel 
Ferguson  w-as  one  through  the  head.  He  received  the  fatal  shot 
near  Colonel  John  Sevier's  company,  and  not  far  from  the  position 
occupied  by  Ensign  Eohert  Cam])bell,  who  had  been  directed  by 
Colonel  Shelby  to  dislodge  the  British  stationed  behind  a  ledge  of 
rocks  as  before  detailed. 

The  last  conflict  between  Colonel  Cam])beirs  men.  assisted  by 
Colonel  Shell)y"s  men.  and  the  British,  lasted  fully  tAventy  minutes, 
the  contestants  being  not  more  than  forty  yards  apart.  This  is 
said  to  have  been  the  most  hotly-contested  part  of  the  action. 

Colonel  Cam])l)ell  at  this  time  was  some  distance  in  front  of 
his  company  urging  them  on  to  victory,  and  while  in  this  position 
he  called  to  his  men:  "T3oys,  remember  your  lil)erty!  Come  on, 
come  on!  niy  brave  fellows;  another  gun,  another  gun  will  do  it! 
D — n  them  ;  we  must  have  them  out  of  this."* 

While  the  British  made  a  noble  stand,  they  were  driven  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain  to  their  wagons,  from  which  ])osition  they  were 
driven  immediately  into  a  low  place  in  the  mountain,  where  they 
surrendered.  Colonels  Camjibell  and  Shelby  were  ably  assisted  by 
the  bravery  of  the  men  under  Cleveland,  Lacy  and  Williams,  who 
kept  up  a  vigorous  attack  from  their  position.  Ca])tain  DePeyster, 
the  next  in  command,  upon  the  death  of  Colonel  Ferguson,  imme- 
diately hois=;ted  the  white  flag  and  called  for  quarter,  wddch  flag  was 
soon  taken  from  his  hand  bv  one  of  his  officers  on  horseback  and  held 


*Draper's  King's  Mountains. 


Washiiujton  Countij,  1777-1S70.  325 

so  high  that  it  could  be  seen  all  along  the  American  line.  This  white 
flag  was  not  the  only  one  hoisted  in  the  British  army.  At  another 
point  a  Piritisli  soldier  was  mounted  on  a  horse  and  directed  to 
hold  up  a  wJiite  handkerchief,  wliicli  ho  did,  and  was  immediately 
shot  down  by  C'hnrles  Bow  en,  a  second  soldier  suffering  the  same 
fate;  l)ut  ujion  a  tliird  atteinj)t  Major  Evan  Shell)y  received  the 
flag  and  prochiimed  the  surrender,  Imt  tlie  mountain  men  who 
had  l)een  scattered  in  the  battle  were  ccmtinually  coming  u]) 
and  continued  to  lire  witliout  comprehending  in  the  heat  of  the 
moment  what  had  happeiu'd,'"*  and  many  others  were  ignorant  of 
the  meaning  of  a  white  riag  under  sucli  circumstances,  while  others 
were  angered  at  tlie  loss  of  rehitivcs  iind  friends  at  and  before  thi^ 
battle. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year  Colonel  1)11  ford,  in  command  of  a 
body  of  Virginia  troops,  had  been  siir]u-ised  and  his  command  cut 
to  pieces  by  Colonel  Tarleton  at  the  ^Vaxhaws  in  Xorth  Carolina ; 
Buford's  men,  Avhen  surrounded  by  Tarleton's  forces,  begged  for 
quarter,  which  Tarleton  declined  to  give,  and  they  were  cut  to 
pieces  without  mercy.  The  circumstances  attending  this  slaughter 
were  well  known  to  all  the  mountain  men  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  King's  Mountain,  and  the  word  "lUiford"'  had  been  adopted  as 
the  pass-word  by  the  mountain  men  before  engaging  in  this  action, 
and  when  the  British  were  driven  into  the  low  ground  hereto- 
fore described,  and  were  offering  to  surrender,  numbers  of  the 
mountain  men  were  heard  to  cry  out:  "Give  them  Buford's  play!" 
and  after  the  surrender  the  Americans  continued  to  slaughter  the 
British  for  some  time,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  Whig  offi- 
cers to  prevent  the  slaughter. 

About  this  time  Colonel  Campbell  came  running  up,  and,  see- 
ing Andrew  Evans,  a  mendjer  of  his  command,  about  to  fire  on  the 
British,  knocked  his  gun  up,  exclaiming:  "Evans,  for  God's  sake, 
don't  shoot!  It  is  nuirder  to  kill  them  now,  for  they  have  raised 
the  flag."  Cani])bell,  as  he  rushed  along,  repeated  the  order: 
"Cease  firing!  Eor  God's  sake,  cease  firing!"  Campbell  there- 
upon ordered  Captain  DePeyster,  the  British  officer,  to  dismount, 
calling  out  to  the  British  forces:  "Officers,  rank  by  yourselves.  Pri- 
soners, take  off  vour  hats  and  sit  down."     The  mountaineers  were. 


^Drapf'r's  King's  Mountains. 


32G  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-17S6. 

directed  to  surround  the  prisoners  in  one  eontinuoiis  circle  four 
deep. 

Colonel  Campbell  then  proposed  to  his  troops  "three  huzzas 
for  liherty."  At  this  time  a  small  squad  of  Tories,  who  had  been 
sent  by  Colonel  Ferguson  on  a  foraging  expedition,  returned  to 
the  mountain,  and,  not  knowing  of  the  surrender,  fired  upon  the 
mountain  men,  killing  Colonel  Williams,  of  South  Carolina. 
Colonel  Campbell,  acting  upon  his  belief  that  Colonel  Tarleton 
had  arrived  with  his  detachment,  ordered  the  men  of  Colonels 
Williams'  and  Brandon's  commands  to  fire  upon  the  enemy,  which 
they  did,  killing  about  one  hundred  of  them,  when  the  mistake 
was  discovered,  and  the  firing  ceased. 

Colonel  DePeyster  delivered  his  sword  to  Colonel  Campbell, 
while  Captain  Eyerson  delivered  his  sword  to  Lieutenant  Andrew 
Kincannnn,  of  the  A'irginia  forces.  Colonel  Campbell  at  this 
time  was  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  Avith  his  collar  open,  and  when  some 
of  the  Americans  pointed  him  out  as  their  commander  the  British 
officers  at  first,  from  his  unmilitary  plight,  seemed  to  doubt  it,  but 
a  number  of  officers  now  surrendered  their  swords  to  him,  and  he  had 
several  in  his  hands  and  under  his  arms. 

The  battle  Avas  now  ended  after  fifty  minutes  of  hard  fighting. 
Colonel  Ferguson,  the  British  commander,  was  killed,  and  the 
losses  in  his  army  were  as  follows : 

British  Rangers. 

Killed, 30 

Wounded,    28 

Prisoners,    57 

Tories. 

Killed,    127 

Wounded,    125 

Prisoners,   649 

The  killed  and  wounded  in  the  army  of  the  mountain  men  were 
thirty  killed  and  sixty  wounded.  Colonel  Campbell's  regiment  of 
Virginians  from  Washington  county  met  with  greater  losses  than 
anj  other  regiment  engaged  in  this  battle,  the  killed  being : 

William  Edmiston,  captain. 

Rees  Bowen,  lieutenant. 

William  Blackburn,  lieutenant. 

Eobert  Edmiston,  Sr.,  lieutenant. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  3)^7 

Andrew  Edmiston,  ensign, 
llumberson  Lyon,  ensign. 
James  Laird,  ensign. 
William  Flower,  private. 
John  Beattie,  ensign. 
James  Corry,  ensign. 
Nathaniel  Dryden,  ensign. 
Nathaniel  Gist,  ensign. 
James  Phillips,  ensign. 
Thomas  McCulloch,  ensign. 
Elisha  Pepper,  private. 
Henry  Henniger,  private. 

And  the  woimded  were  as  follows : 

James  Dysart,  captain. 
Samnel  Newell,  lieutenant. 
Pobert  Edmiston,  Jr.,  lientenant. 
Frederick  Fisher,  private. 
John  Scaggs,  private. 
Benoni  Btoning,  private. 
Charles  Kilgore,  private. 
William  Bnllen,  private. 
Leonard  Hyce,  private. 
Israel  Hayter,  private, 
and  W^illiam  Moore,  private.* 

It  is  a  fact  worth  remembering  that  in  this  contest  thirteen  offi- 
cers and  three  privates  of  the  Virginia  forces  were  killed,  being 
more  than  one-half  of  all  the  killed  in  this  battle,  and  that  three 
officers  and  eighteen  privates  were  wounded,  a  little  more  than  one- 
third  of  the  men  wounded  in  this  battle ;  they  were  members  of  the 
Virginia  companies.  Another  remarkable  fact  connected  with  this 
battle  is  that  of  the  eight  members  of  Colonel  Campbell's  regiment 
by  the  name  of  Edmiston  three  were  killed  and  one  wounded. 

Among  the  rocks  where  the  Tories  had  posted  themselves  dur- 
ing this  battle  the  bodies  of  eighteen  Tories  were  found,  all  of 
whom  had  been  shot  directly  through  the  head. 

All  the  prisoners  were  placed  under  strong  guard.  The  Whigs 
encamped  for  the  night  on  the  battleground  with  the  dead  and 


*The  names  of  ten  privates  wounded  in  this  battle  cannot  be  ascertained. 


328  Soiitlnrcsf    Vinilvia.  JlJid-TTSC).     . 

woundvil.  and  |)ass('(l  i]\o  iiii;hl  aiiiid  tlic  ui-oaii^  ami  laiiicntatinii-; 
of  tlio  wounded  Tories. 

A  great  quantity  of  powdt'i'.  lead,  sl-.ot  and  ])i-ovisions  were 
eapiiircd  and  aiipropioiated  as  a  result  of  this  battle,  and  Fer- 
guson's effects  were  divided  among  the  oflfieers,  his  sword  being 
given  to  Colonel  Se\ior.  Captain  Joseph  ^leDowell  secured  six 
of  his  china  diniu'i-  ])lates  and  a  small  coffee  cup  and  saucer;  Colo- 
nel Shelby  secured  his  lai'ge  sih'cr  whistle,  whWv  a  smaller  whistle 
was  obtained  Ijy  Elias  Powell,  one  of  his  soldici's;  Colonel  Sevier, 
his  silken  sash  and  lieutenant-coloners  commission  and  DePey- 
ster's  sword;  Colonel  C'leveland,  his  riding  horse;  Colonel  Camp- 
bell, a  ]>ortion  of  his  correspondence;  Samuel  Talbot,  of  this 
countv.  removed  his  dead  body  from  the  place  where  it  lay,  and 
secured  his  pistol,  which  had  dro])ped  from  his  pocket. 

Dr.  Draper  has  preserved  several  incidents  relating  to  the  sol- 
diers from  this  county  and  their  conduct  in  this  battle,  which 
are  here  copied  in  full  : 

"During  the  battle  Captain  William  Edmiston,  of  Campbell's 
regiment,  remarked  to  John  McCrosky,  one  of  his  men,  that  he  was 
not  satisfied  with  his  ])osition,  and  dashed  forward  into  the  hot- 
test part  of  the  battle,  and  there  received  the  charge  of  DePeys- 
ter's  Eangers,  discharged  his  gun,  then  clubbed  it,  and  knocked 
the  rifle  out  of  the  grasp  of  one  of  the  P)ritons.  Seizing  him  by 
the  neck,  he  made  him  his  prisoner  and  brought  him  to  the  foot 
of  the  hill.  Peturning  again  up  the  mountain,  he  bravely  fell 
fighting  in  front  of  his  company  near  his  beloved  colonel.  His 
faithful  soldier,  ]\IcCroskey,  when  the  contest  was  ended,  went  in 
search  of  his  cai)tain,  found  him  and  related  the  great  victorv 
gained,  wlien  the  dying  man  nodded  his  satisfaction  at  the  result. 
The  stern  (V)lonel  Campbell  was  seen  to  l)r\ish  away  a  tear,  when 
he  saw  his  good  friend  and  heroic  captain  stretched  u])on  the 
ground  under  a  ti'ee  with  one  hand  clutching  his  side  as  if  to  re- 
sfi'ain  his  life-blood  from  ebl)ing  away  until  the  battle  was  over. 
He  heard  the  shout  of  victory  as  his  commander  and  friend  grasped 
his  other  hand.  Me  was  past  speaking;  but  he  kissed  his  colonel's 
hand,  smiled,  loosed  his  feeble  hold  on  life,  and  the  Christian  pa- 
triot went  to  his  reward. 

"Lieutenarit  Pees  Bowen,  A\ho  commanded  out'  of  the  com|).:inies 
of  the  Virginia    reainuMit.   was  ol)served   while  marching  forwai'd 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  339 

to  attack  the  enemy,  to  make  a  hazardous  and  unnecessary  expos- 
ure of  his  person.  Some  friend  kindly  remonstrated  with  him : 
'Wh}'^,  Bowen,  do  you  not  take  a  tree?  why  rashly  present  your- 
self to  the  deliberate  aim  of  the  Provincial  and  Tory  riflemen 
concealed  behind  every  rock  and  busli  before  you?  Death  will  in- 
evitably result  if  you  persist.  Take  to  a  tree.'  He  indignantly 
replied :  'A''o !  Xever  shall  it  be  said  that  I  sought  safety  by  hiding 
my  person  or  dodging  from  a  Briton  or  a  Tor}'  who  opposed  me  in 
the  field.'  Well  had  it  been  for  liim  and  his  country  had  he  been 
more  prudent,  and,  as  his  superiors  had  advised,  taken  shelter 
whenever  it  could  be  fovmd,  for  he  had  scarcely  concluded  his 
brave  utterance  when  a  rifle  ball  struck  him  in  the  breast.  He  fell 
and  expired. 

"An  incident  of  an  exciting  character  occurred  near  the  close 
of  the  contest  which  very  nearly  cost  the  heroic  Colonel  Cleve- 
Umd  his  life.  Charles  Bowen,  of  Captain  William.  Edmiston's 
company,  of  Campbell's  regiment,  vaguely  heard  that  his  brother 
Eees  Bowen  had  been  killed,  and  was  much  distressed  and  exas- 
perated in  consequence*.  On  the  spur  of  tlie  moment  and  without 
due  consideration  of  the  danger  he  incurred  he  commenced  a  wild 
and  hurried  search  for  his  brother,  hoping  he  might  yet  find  him 
in  a  wounded  condition  only.  He  soon  came  across  his  own  fallen 
Captain  p]dmiston  shot  in  the  head  and  dying,  and,  hurrying  from 
one  jioint  to  another,  he  at  length  found  liimself  within  fifteen  or 
twenty  paces  of  the  enemy  and  near  to  Colonel  Cleveland,  when  he 
slipped  behind  a  tree. 

"At  this  time  the  enemy  began  to  waver  and  show  signs  of  sur- 
rendering. Bowen  promptly  shot  down  the  first  man  among  them 
who  hoisted  a  flag,  and  immediately,  as  the  custom  was,  turned  his 
back  to  the  tree  to  reload,  when  Cleveland  advanced  on  foot,  sus- 
pecting from  the  wildness  of  his  actions  that  he  was  a  Tory,  and 
demanded  the  countersign,  which  Bowen,  in  his  half-bewildered 
state  of  mind  had,  for  the  time  being,  forgotten.  Cleveland,  now 
confirmed  in  his  conjectures,  immediately  leveled  his  rifle  at  Bow- 
en's  breast  and  attempted  to  shoot.  l)ut,  fortunately,  it  missed  fire. 
Bowen,  enraged  and  perhajis  hardly  aware  of  his  own  act,  jumped 
at  and  seized  Cleveland  by  the  collar,  snatched  his  tomahawk  from 
his  belt,  and  would  in  another  moment  have  Iniried  it  in  tlie  colo- 
nel's  l)i-ains   had    not   his   ai-ui    been    arrested    bv   a    soldier   named 


330  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

Buchanan,  who  knew  both  parties.  Bowen,  now  coming  to  himself, 
recollected  the  countersign  and  gave  it  "Buford,"  when  Cleveland 
dropped  his  gun  and  clasped  Bowen  in  his  arms  for  joy  that  each 
had  so  narrowly  and  unwittingly  been  restrained  from  sacrificing 
the  other.  This  same  author,  in  speaking  of  Campbell's  regiment, 
says: 

"No  regiment  had  their  .endurance  and  courage  more  severely 
tested  than  Campbell's.  They  were  the  first  in  the  onset,  the  first 
to  be  charged  down  the  declivity  by  Ferguson's  Eangers,  the  first 
to  rally  and  return  to  the  contest.  Everything  depended  upon  suc- 
cessively rallying  the  men  when  first  driven  down  the  mountain. 
Had  they  become  demoralized,  as  did  the  troops  at  Gates'  defeat 
near  Camden,  and  as  did  some  of  Greene's  militia  at  Guilford,  they 
would  have  brought  disgrace  and  disaster  upon  the  Whig  cause. 
When  repulsed  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  the  well-known  voice  of 
tlieir  heroic  commander  bade  them  ^'halt !"  Eeturn,  my  brave  fel- 
lows, and  you  will  drive  the  enemy  immediately !"  He  was 
promptly  obeyed,  for  Campbell  and  his  officers  had  the  full  con- 
fidence and  control  of  their  mountaineers:  They  bravely  faced 
about  and  drove  the  enemy  in  turn  up  the  mountain.  In  these 
desperate  attacks  many  a  hand-to-hand  fight  and  many  an  act  of 
heroism  occurred,  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  beholders; 
but  there  were  so  many  heroic  incidents  where  all  were  heroes, 
that  only  the  particulars  of  here  and  there  one  have  been  handed 
down  to  us.  Ensign  Eobert  Campbell,  at  the  head  of  a  charging 
party,  -with  singular  boldness  and  address,  killed  Lieutenant  Mc- 
Ginnis,  a  brave  officer  of  Ferguson's  Eangers."* 

There  is  a  tradition  in  the  Bowen  family  that  Lieutenant  Eees 
Bowen,  when  he  received  orders  to  march  to  King's  mountain,  took 
with  him  John  Bowen,  his  son,  a  mere  boy,  who  participated  in 
the  battle  and  brought  home  to  his  mother  his  father's  bloody  shoes. 

A  similar  tradition  in  the  Breckenridge  family  is  to  the  effect 
that  Alexander  Breckenridge,  a  prosperous  farmer  living  in  the 
vicinity  of  Abingdon,  was  accompanied  to  this  battle  by  his  son, 
George  Breckenridge,  who  was  under  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  that 
he  (George  Breckenridge)  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle. 

On  the  morning  of  October  8th,  being  Sunday,  Colonel  Camp- 
bell's army  drew  the  British  baggage  wagons,  numbering  seventeen. 


*Draper's  King's  Mountain. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  331 

across  their  camiD-fires,  where  they  were  burned,  and,  with  all  the 
provision  that  they  could  possibly  carry,  they  began  their  return 
march  for  the  mountains  with  all  expedition  possible,  fearing  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  Tarleton,  encumbered  as  they  were  with  so  many 
prisoners  and  such  a  quantity  of  captured  stores.  The  prisoners 
Avere  required  to  carry  their  own  arms,  as  the  Whigs  had  no  other 
means  of  conveyance. 

The  report  was  current  in  the  camp,  upon  the  morning  the 
army  started  on  its  return,  that  Colonel  Tarleton  would  attempt 
a  rescue  of  the  prisoners,  numbering  more  than  six  hundred,  and 
it  is  stated  by  a  distinguished  Englishman,  who  was  at  that  time 
a  prisoner,  that  before  the  troops  moved  Colonel  Campbell  gave 
orders  to  his  men  that  should  they  be  attacked  on  the  march  they 
should  fire  on  and  destroy  the  prisoners;  but  it  is  exceedingly 
doubtful  whether  such  orders  were  ever  given. 

Colonel  Campbell,  with  a  party  of  men,  remained  behind  to 
bury  their  dead  countrymen,  and  he  directed  the  British  prison- 
ers to  bury  their  dead.  The  British  dead  were  interred  in  two 
pits — one  a  very  large  one,  in  which  the  Tories  Avere  laid  side  by 
side;  the  other  a  smaller  one,  in  which  doubtless  the  men  of  Fer- 
guson's corps  were  buried."* 

The  army  marched  that  day  twelve  miles  and  encamped  on  the 
eastern  bank  of  Broad  river.  The  next  day  they  marched  up  Broad 
river  and  encamped  on  the  northern  bank  of  Boran's  river,  and 
on  the  succeeding  Friday  Colonel  Campbell  issued  an  order  di- 
recting that  all  the  wounded  soldiers  who  were  not  able  to  march 
should  be  placed  by  the  companies  to  Avhich  they  belonged  at  the 
most  suitable  place  they  could  find,  Avhich  was  done.  The  army 
thereafter  moved  much  more  rapidly,  encamping  the  evening  of 
that  day  at  Bickerstaff's  Old  Fields,  where  on  the  14th  Colonel 
Campbell  issued  a  general  order  deploring  the  many  desertions 
from  the  army  and  the  felonies  committed,  by  those  who  had 
deserted,  on  the  poverty-stricken  people  of  the  country,  and  appealed 
to  the  officers  under  his  command  to  suppress  the  bad  practice. 

While  in  camp  at  this  point  the  officers  from  jSTorth  and  South 
Carolina  made  complaints  to  Colonel  Campbell  that  there  were 
among  the  prisoners  a  number  of  men  who  were  robbers  and 
assassins;  whereupon.  Colonel  Campbell  ordered  the  convening  of 


*Draper's  King's  Mountains. 


333  SouiJitrcst    Virginia,  17J/0-17SG. 

a  court-martial  to  examine  into  the  conq^laints.  A  copy  of  the 
law  of  Xorth  Carolina  was  obtained,  which  authorized  a  trial  of 
persons  charged  with  such  offences  by  a  jury  summoned  by  two 
jiia^iistrates,  and  directed  their  execution  if  found  onilty.  The 
c(uirt-iuai'tial  composed  of  the  field  officers  and  captains,  assembled 
and  conducted  their  meeting  in  an  orderly  manner.  Witnesses 
were  examined  in  every  case,  and,  during  the  day,  thirty-six  men 
Mere  tried  and  found  guilty  of  murder,  rohbery  and  other  offences, 
and  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day, 
an  oak  tree  which  stood  near  the  camp  l)y  the  road  side  was 
selected  as  a  proper  })lace  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  court.  The 
prisoners  were  brought  out,  surrounded  by  the  Whig  troops  four 
deep,  after  which,  the  lianging  l)egan.  Three  were  hanged  at  a 
time,  until  nine  of  the  condemned  men  had  been  executed.  Then 
a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Baldwin,  a  brother  of  one  of  the 
criminals,  approached,  and,  placing  his  arms  aroamd  his  brother, 
who  was  about  to  be  hanged,  wept  as  if  his  heart  would  l)reak,  and, 
while  doing  so,  cut  the  cords  tliat  bound  his  brother,  who  darted 
through  the  body  of  men  and  escaped,  every  man  being  so  much 
affected  In'  the  actions  of  young  Baldwin  that  not  one  man 
attempted  to'  recapture  or  take  his  brother.  At  this  point  Colonel 
Shelby  interposed  and  proposed  that  the  executions  should  cease, 
and  the  rest  of  the  thirty-six  condemned  criminals  escaped  hang- 
ing, being  pardoned  by  Campbell,  the  commanding  officer. 

The  Toi-y  leaders  who  were  lianged  at  Bickerstaff  were  left 
SAvinging  to  the  oak  tree  on  which  they  were  executed,  l)ut,  on  tli';' 
following  day,  after  the  departure  of  Campl)eirs  forces,  an  elderly 
lady  living  in  the  community,  with  the  assistance  of  one  man,  cut 
tlie  bodies  down  and  had  them  l)uried. 

The  march  of  the  mountaineers  began  on  the  15th  of  OctolxM-, 
and,  after  a  hard  day's  march,  through  a  constant  down]iour  of 
rain,  they  reached  "Quaker  IMeadows,"  the  borne  of  IVIajor  IMcDow- 
ell,  having  traveled  thirty-two  miles:  where  the  troops  Avere  tol- 
erably Avell  provided  for.  At  this  point  on  the  following  day,  it 
Avas  agreed  that  Colonel  Lacy  Avith  his  men  should  ret\irn  to  South 
C^arolina,  Avhile  tlie  regiments  of  Colonels  Sevier  and  Shelley,  Avitli 
that  ])ortion  of  Colonel  Campbell's  regiment  that  Avere  on  foot,  were 
directed  to  take  the  mountain  trail  and  return  to  their  homes.  The 
greater   ijortiou  of   Cami)beirs   regiment,   with   Clevehiiid,   Winston 


Washing  Ion  Counfi/,  1777-1S70.  333 

iind  McDowell  and  tlioir  Xnrth  Carolina  troops,  decided  to  remain 
in  the  service  and  act  as  a  guard  to  the  prisoners.  From  "Quaker 
Meadows,"  Canipheirs  troo])s  with  their  ])risoners.  marched  several 
days  in  the  direction  of  Hillshorough,  arriving  at  Haygood's  plan- 
tation on  Briar  creek,  where  Colonel  C^amphell  discharged  a  portion 
of  his  nwn;  from  wliich  point,  on  the  20th,  lie  addressed  a  letter 
to  his  hrother-in-law.  Colonel  Arthur  Camphell,  giving  him  an 
account  of  the  l)att]e.  which  letter  is  as  follows: 

Wilkes  county.  Cam])  on  Briar  Creek,  October  20,  1780. 
Deal-  Sir: — Ferguson  and  his  party  are  no  more  in  circumstances 
to  injure  the  citizens  of  America. 

We  came  uj)  with  him  in  Craven  connty.  South  Carolina,  posted 
on  a  height  called  King's  mountain,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  the 
CheroktH^  ford  of  Broad  riAcr,  al)out  two  o'clock  in  the  evening  of 
the  7th  instant,  we  having  marched  the  whole  night  before. 

Colonel  Shelby's  regiment  and  mine  began  the  attack,  and  sus- 
tained the  whole  fire  of  the  enemy  for  about  ten  minutes  while  the 
other  troops  were  forming  around  the  height  upon  which  the  enemy 
were  posted.  The  firing  then  became  general  and  as  hea\y  as  yon 
can  conceive  for  the  number  of  men.  The  advantageous  sitnation 
of  the  enemy — being  on  top  of  a  steep  ridge — oldiged  us  to  expose 
ourselves  exceedingly,  and  the  dislodging  of  them  was  equal  to 
driving  them  from  strong  breast-works;  though,  in  the  end,  we 
gained  the  point  of  the  ridge,  where  my  regiment  fought,  and  drove 
tliem  along  the  summit,  nearly  to  the  other  end,  Avhere  Colonel 
Cleveland  with  his  country  men  were.  There  they  were  drove  into 
a  huddle,  and  the  greatest  confusion.  The  flag  for  a  surrender 
was  immediately  hoisted  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  troops  could  be  noticed 
of  it,  the  firing  ceased,  and  the  survivors  surrendered  themselves 
])risoners  at  discretion. 

The  victory  was  complete  to  a  wish.  ^ly  regiment  has  suffered 
moi-e  than  any  other  in  the  action.  I  must  proceed  with  the  pri- 
soners until  1  can  some  way  dispose  of  them.  Probably  I  may 
go  to  Richmond  in  Virginia.  I  am,  &c., 

WU.  CV\MPBELL,  Col.  Com. 

From  Briar  creek  the  army  proceeded  by  slow  marches,  by  Salem 
to  Bethabara,  a  Moravian  village,  a  large  majority  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  which  were  Tories.     While  stationed  at  this  point.  Col- 


334  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

onels  Campbell,  Cleveland  and  Shelby  made  their  official  report  of 
the  battle  of  King's  mountain,  which  report  is  as  follows : 

"A  statement  of  the  proceedings  of  the  western  army,  from  the 
25th  day  of  September,  1780,  to  the  reduction  of  Major  Ferguson 
and  the  army  under  his  command.  On  receiving  intelligence  that 
Major  Ferguson  had  advanced  up  as  high  as  Gilberttown,  in  Ruth- 
erford county,  and  threatened  tO'  cross  the  mountains  to  the  west- 
ern waters,  Colonel .  Campbell,  with  400  men  from  Washington 
county,  Virginia,  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby  with  340  men  from  Sul- 
liran  county,  jSTorth  Carolina,  and  •  Lieutenant-Colonel  John 
Sevier  with  240  men  from  Washington  county.  North  Caro- 
lina, assembled  at  Watauga  on  the  25th  day  of  September, 
where  they  were  joined  by  Colonel  Charles  McDowell,  with 
160  men  from  the  counties  of  Burke  and  Rutherford,  who 
had  fled  before  the  enemy  to  the  western  waters.  We  be- 
gan our  march  on  the  26th,  and  on  the  30th  we  were  joined  by 
Colonel  Cleveland  on  the  Catawba  river,  with  350  men  from  the 
counties  of  Wilkes  and  Surry.  Ko  one  officer  having  properly  a 
right  to  command  in  chief,  on  the  first  day  of  October  we  dispatched 
an  express  to  ]\Iajor  General  Gates,  informing  him  of  our  situation, 
and  requested  him  to  send  a  general  officer  to  take  command  of  the 
whole.  In  the  meantime  Colonel  Campbell  was  chosen  to  act  as 
commandant  till  such  general  officer  should  arrive.  We  marched  to 
the  Cowpens,  on  Broad  river  in  South  Carolina,  where  we  were 
joined  by  Colonel  James  Williams,  with  400  men,  on  the  evening  of 
the  6th  of  October,  who  informed  us  that  the  enemy  lay  encamped 
somewhere  near  the  Cherokee  ford  of  Broad  river,  about  thirty 
miles  distant  from  us.  By  a  council  ol  the  principal  officers,  it 
was  then  thought  advisable  to  pursue  the  enemy  that  night  with 
900  of  the  best  horsemen,  and  leave  the  weak  horse  and  footmen 
to  follow  as  fast  as  possible.  We  43egan  our  march  with  900  of  the 
best  horsemen  about  eight  o'clock  the  same  evening,  and  marching 
all  night  came  up  with  the  enemy  about  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,  of  the 
7th,  who  lay  encamped  on  the  top  of  King's  mountain,  twelve 
miles  north  of  the  Cherokee  ford,  in  the  confidence  tliat  they  would 
not  be  forced  from  so  advantageous  a  post.  Previous  to  the  attack, 
on  the  march,  the  following  disposition  was  made :  Colonel  Shelby's 
regiment  formed  a  column  in  the  center  on  the  left;  Colonel  Camp- 
bell's regiment  another  on  the  right;  part  of  Colonel  Cleveland's 


Washington  County,  1111-1810.  335 

regiment,  headed  in  front  by  Major  Winston,  and  Colonel  Sevier's 
regiment  formed  a  large  column  on  the  right  wing;  the  other  part 
of  Colonel  Cleveland's  regiment,  headed  by  Colonel  Cleveland  him- 
self, and  Colonel  Williams'  regiment,  composed  the  left  wing.  In 
this  order  wo  advanced,  and  got  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the 
enemy  before  we  were  discovered.  Colonel  Shelby's  and  Colonel 
Campbell's  r(}giments  began  the  attack,  and  kept  up  a  fire  while  the 
right  and  left  wings  were  advancing  to  surround  them,  which  was 
done  in  about  five  minutes;  the  greatest  part  of  which  time  a  heavy 
and  incessant  fire  was  kept  up  on  both  sides ;  our  men  in  some  parts, 
where  the  regulars  fought,  were  obliged  to  give  way  a  small  dis- 
tance, two  or  three  times,  but  rallied  and  returned  with  additional 
ardor  to  the  attack.  The  troops  upon  the  right  having  gained  the 
summit  of  the  eminence,  obliged  the  enemy  to  retreat  along  the 
top  of  the  ridge  to  where  Colonel  Cleveland  commanded,  and  were 
tliere  stopped  by  his  brave  men.  A  flag  was  immediately  hoisted  by 
(Japtain  DePeyster,  their  commanding  officer  (Major  Ferguson 
liaving  been  killed  a  little  before),  for  a  surrender,  our  fire  imme- 
diately ceased,  and  the  enemy  laid  down  their  arms,  the  greatest 
part  of  them  charged,  and  surrendered  themselves  to  us  prisoners 
at  discretion. 

It  appeared  from  their  own  provision  returns  for  that  day,  found 
in  their  camp,  that  their  whole  force  consisted  of  1,125  men,  out 
(tf  which  they  sustained  the  following  loss:  Of  the  regulars,  one 
major,  one  captain,  two  sergeants,  and  fifteen  privates  killed; 
thirty-five  privates  wounded,  left  on  the  ground  not  able  to  march. 
I'wo  captains,  four  lieutenants,  three  ensigns,  one  surgeon,  five 
sergeants,  three  corporals,  one  drummer,  and  forty-nine  privates 
tjiken  prisoners.  Loss  of  the  Tories :  two  colonels,  three  captains 
and  201  privates  killed;  one  major  and  127  privates  wounded,  and 
left  on  th(;  ground,  not  able  to  march;  one  colonel,  twelve  cap- 
tains, eleven  lieutenants,  two  ensigns,  one  quartermaster,  one  adju- 
tant, two  commissaries,  eighteen  sergeants  and  600  privates  taken 
prisoners.  Total  loss  of  the  enemy,  1,105  men,  at  King's  mountain. 
Given  under  our  hands  at  camp. 

(Signed)  WM.  CAMPBELL, 

ISAAC    SHELBY,  ! 

BENJ.  CLEVELAND. 


o  n  r' 


Soulhirest   Vinjinia,  17J/0-17S'J. 


*The  nunibor  of  men  c()iu|)()sin(i-  tlic  ai-niy  of  tlic  mountain  ukmi 
on  this  expedition  was  as  follows: 

From  \\'asliinL':toii  county.  \'a.,  under  Colonel  Win.  C'amplicll.  400 

From  Sulli\aii  county.  X .  ('..  undci'  ( 'olone]  Isaat;  Shelby "J  10 

From  Washiniitoii  county,  \.  ('.,  undei-  (Vilonel  John  Seviei-,.  .  2-iO 
Frojn   Ihirke  and    IJuthcrford.   X.   ('..  under  Colonel   Charles 

McDowell 1  CO 

From  Wilkt'S  ajid  Surry.  X".  C..  under  Colonc^I   Cleveland  and 

Majol'   John   Winston ooO 


1.350 


The  official  rejxjrt  of  the  killed  and  wounded  in  the  ai'iny  of 
the  raountain  men.  as  ])uldishe(l  at  the  time  and  now  on  lilc  w  ith  tlie 
Gates'  papers  in  the  X^ew  X'ork  Tlistoi'ical  Society,  gives  the  killed 
and  wonnded  as  follows : 

liETUKN  OF  Killed  and  Wounded. 


KILLED. 

WOUNDED 

RKOIMENTS. 

oi 
o 

o 

o 

I 

a 

S 
a 

a 

S 

3 

_5) 

a 

s 

6 
> 

o 

o 

o 

5 

c 
S 

1 

'x 

a 

c 

■1 

6 

> 

H 

! 

a 

Campbell's . . ' 

12      4    ... 

0 

4 

12 
4 

1 

3 

17 
4 
8 

10 

21 
4 

8 
13 

•^8 

McDowell's  . 

Thomas'    .  .  . 

S 

1 

8 

Cleveland's  .... 

H 

s 

1 

2 

'>^ 

Shelbv's 

2 

2 
1 

10 
3 
3 

10 
3 
3 

i'> 

Hayes' 

Brannon's. ..'... 

I 



4 

..J..    1. 

R 

Tol.  Williams'     1 

'       1 

1 
28 

1 

19 



1 

3 

3 

;5 

62 

Total 1  1 

1 

1 

2 

4 

90 

Tt  will  he  seen  that  this  report  is  imperfect  in  this,  that  it  does 
not  i-e])ort  the  killed  and  wonnded  in  Colonel  Shelby's  reo-iment, 
and,  in  addition  thereto,  it  is  known  to  imperfectly  state  the  killed 
and  wounded   in  Colonel   Campbell's  reoiment. 

On  the  "itith  day  of  October,  Colonel  Cam])hi'll  issned  an  order 
apjK)intin,a-  Cdlonel  Cleveland  to  the  command  of  the  troops  then 
encamped  at  Uethabara.  aftei-  which.  Colonels  Cam])bell  and  Sldby 


*Foote's  Bketches,   N.  C,  page.  206 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  337 

j-i'|)ai]\'(l  to  (iciK'i-al  Gati's's  caiii])  at  Hillsljorough,  Colonel  Shelby 
to  offer  the  services  of  a  iiuiiil)er  of  mountain  men  under  Major 
McDowell,  to  serve  under  General  ^lorgan.  The  ohject  of  Colonel 
Campbell's  visit  is  hest  stated  in  a  letter  written  l)y  him  to  Gov- 
ernor  Jefferson  from  Hillsborough,  which  letter  is  as  follows: 

"Hillsborough.  Octo])er  31,  1780. 

"Sir, — I  came  to  this  place  last  night  tO'  receive  General  Gates' 
directions  liow  to  dispose  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  King's  moun- 
tain, in  the  State  of  South  Cai'olina,  upon  the  7tli  instant.  He  has 
ordered  them  to  l)e  talcen  over  to  Montgomery  county,  where  they 
are  to  be  secured  under  proper  guards.  General  Gates  transmits 
to  your  Excellency  a  state  of  the  proceedings  of  our  little  party  to 
the  westward.  I  flatter  myself  we  have  much  relieved  that  part  of 
the  country  from  its  late  distress. 

"I  am,  your  Excellency's  most  ohedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

"WILLIAM  CAMPBELL." 

General  Gates  directed  Colonel  William  Preston  to  prepare  a 
proper  place  for  the  reception  and  care  of  the  prisoners,  but  Colonel 
Preston  immediately  answered  General  Gates,  informing  him  that 
the  Lead  Mines  would  be  an  unsafe  place  for  the  prisoners,  as  a 
large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  Montgomery  county  were  dis- 
affected, and  advised  General  Gates  to  send  the  prisoners  to  Bote- 
tourt county.  General  Gates,  ujwn  receipt  of  Colonel  Preston's 
letter,  was  in  doubt  as  to  the  proper  disposition  of  the  prisoners, 
and  Colonel  Campbell  advised  him  to  send  the  prisoners  north  to 
Washington's  army,  which  idea  General  Gates  partially  approved, 
and  directed  Colonel  Campbell  to  proceed  to  Eichmond  with  dis- 
patches to  Governor  Jefferson  on  the  subject,  which  matter  was  re- 
ferred to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  by  Governor  Jefferson, 
and  that  body,  on  the  20th  of  !N"oveniber,  expressed  it  as  their 
opinion  that  the  governors  of  the  several  States  wdiose  citizens  were 
numbered  among  the  prisoners  should  make  such  orders  respecting 
the  prisoners  as  the  public  security  and  the  laws  of  the  respective 
States  may  require.  Acting  under  this  recommendation  of  Con- 
gress, that  portion  of  the  prisoners  that  had  not  previously  thereto 
escaped  were  either  paroled  or  enlisted  in  the  militia  of  the  States 
of  North  and  South  Carolina. 

Governor  Jefferson,  upon  receipt  of  General  Gates'  report  of  the 


338  Southwest  Virgitiia,  17J,6-17S6. 

battle  of  King's  mountain,  transmitted  the  same  to  the  Congress 
of  the  United  Colonies,  which  body,  on  the  15th  of  November, 
adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"Nov.  13,  1780. 

"A  letter  of  the  Tth  from  Governor  Jeflerson  was  read,  inclosing 
a  letter  of  the  first  from  Major-General  Gates  with  a  particular 
account  of  the  victory  ol)tained  by  the  militia  over  the  enemy  at 
King's  mountain,  on  the  7th  of  October,  last,  whereupon  Eesolved : — 

"That  Congress  entertain  a  high  sense  of  the  spirited  and  mili- 
tary conduct  of  Colonel  Campbell  and  the  officers  and  privates  of 
the  militia  under  his  command,  displayed  in  the  action  of  October, 
7tli,  in  which  a  complete  victory  was  obtained  over  superior  num- 
bers of  the  enemy  advantageously  posted  on  King's  mountain,  in 
the  State  of  S.  Carolina,  and  that  this  resolution  be  published  by 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  southern  army,  in  general  orders." 

On  tlie  15th  of  tlie  same  month  the  Senate  of  Virginia  passed 
the  following  resolutions : 

"Eesolved,  neminc  contradicente,  that  the  thanks  of  this  House 
ai-e  justl}'  due  to  Colonel  William  Campbell,  of  Wasliington  count_v, 
and  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  under  his  command,  who,  with 
an  ardor  truly  patriotic  in  the  month  of  September  last,  without 
waiting  for  the  call  of  Go\'ernment,  voluntarily  marched  out  to 
oppose  the  common  enemy,  at  the  time  making  depredations  on  the 
frontiers  of  North  Carolina,  and  on  the  seventh  day  of  October,  by 
a  Avell-timed,  judicious  and  spirited  attack,  with  a  force  inferior 
to  that  of  ]\rajor  Ferguson's,  then  advantageously  posted  on  King's 
mountain,  with  upwards  of  eleven  hundred  men,  and  by  a  perse- 
verance and  gallantry  rarely  to  be  met  with,  even  among  veteran 
troops,  totally  defeated  the  whole  party,  whereby,  a  formidable  and 
dangerous  scheme  of  the  enemy  was  effectually  frustrated." 

On  the  lOtli  day  of  November  the  Legislature  of  Virginia 
adopted  the  folloMang  resolutions: 

"Eesolved  that  the  thanks  of  this  House  be  given  to  Colonel 
William  Campbell,  of  the  county  of  Washington,  and  the  officers 
and  soldiers  under  his  command,  who  spontaneously  equipped 
tliemselves,  and  went  forth  to  the  aid  of  a  sister  State;  suffering 
distress  under  the  invasion  and  ravage  of  the  common  enemy,  and 
wlio,  combined  with  some  detachments  from  the  neighboring 
Slates,  judiciously  concerted   and  bravely  executed   an  attack  on 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  339 

a  party  of  the  enemy  commanded  by  Major  Ferguson,  consisting 
of  about  1,105  men,  British  and  Tories,  strongly  posted  on  King's 
mountain,  whereby,  after  a  severe  and  bloody  conflict  of  upwards 
of  an  hour,  the  survivors  of  the  enemy  were  compelled  to  surren- 
der themselves  prisoners  of  war;  and  that  Colonel  Campbell  be  re- 
quested to  communicate  the  contents  of  this  resolution  to  the  gal- 
lant officers  and  soUliers  who  composed  his  party." 

Joseph  Jones,  Iiichard  Henry  Lee  and  Colonel  William  Fleming 
wo]-e  appointed  a  couimittee  to  communicate  the  foregoing  vote 
of  thanlcs  to  Colonel  Campbell,  which  they  did,  to  which  Colonel 
Cauipljell  was  pleased  to  return  the  following  answer : 

''Gentlemen, — I  am  infinitely  happy  in  receiving  this  public  tes- 
timony of  the  approbation  of  uiy  country  for  my  late  services  in 
South  Carolina.  It  is  a  reward  far  above  my  expectations,  and  I 
esteem  it  the  noblest  a  soldier  can  receive  from  a  virtuous  people. 
Through  you,  gentlemen,  I  wish  to  communicate  the  high  sense 
I  have  of  it  to  the  House  of  Delegates.  I  owe,  under  Providence, 
much  to  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  who'  served  with  me;  and  I 
shall  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  transmitting  the  resolve  of 
your  House  to  them,  who,  I  am  persuaded  will  experience  all  the 
honest,  heartfelt  satisfaction,  I  feel  myself  on  this  occasion." 

Upon  the  receipt  of  Colonel  Campbell's  answer,  the  General  As- 
sembly of  Virginia  adopted  the  following  resolution : 

"Ordered  that  a  good  horse,  with  elegant  furniture,  and  a 
sword,  be  purchased  at  the  public  expense  and  presented  to  Gen- 
eral Campbell,  as  a  fartber  testimony  of  the  high  sense  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  entertain  of  his  late  important  services  to  his  coim- 
try." 

This  resolution  was  not  carried  into  execution  in  the  lifetime 
of  Colonel  Campbell,  but  the  horse  and  sword  were  afterwards  pre- 
sented to  William  C.  Preston,  a  grandson  of  Colonel  Campbell's, 
and  United  States  Senator  for  many  years  from  South  Carolina. 
The  gratitude  of  the  people  of  Virginia  to  Colonel  Campbell  and 
his  brave  men  for  the  great  service  they  had  rendered  their  country 
was  unbounded,  and  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  exhausted 
every  resource  in  their  power  to  make  evident  the  gratification  of 
the  people. 

On  the  14th  of  Jime,  1781,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
adopted  the  following  resolution : 


340  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

".Resolved,  that  AY  in.  Campbell,  Esq.,  be  appointed  a  Brigadier- 
General  in  the  militia  of  this  Commonwealth,  and  the  Governor 
elect  do  commission  him  accordingly." 

And  on  the  22d  of  November,  1783,  after  the  death  of  General 
Campbell,  the  General  Assembly  adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"Eesolved,  That  after  the  lands  given  by  law  as  bounties  to  the 
officers  and  soldiers  shall  be  surveyed  and  laid  off,  five  thousand 
acres  of  the  surplus  be  granted  to  Charles  Campbell,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  meritorious  services  of  his  late  father,  General  Camp- 
bell." 

And  on  the  9th  day  of  December,  1780,  the  General  Assembly 
adopted   the   following   resolution : 

"Eesolved,  That  the  Governor  be  directed  to  forward  to  Wash- 
ington county,  thirty  bushels  of  salt  and  six  hundred  pounds  cash, 
toi  be  by  the  court  of  that  county  distributed  among  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  the  slain  and  wounded  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  corps 
that  fought  at  King's  mountain,  in  such  proportion  as  by  the  said 
court  may  be  judged  proper." 

It  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  another  county  in  this  Union, 
whose  citizens,  either  voluntarily  or  by  command  of  the  govern- 
ment, rendered  such  valuable  services  to  their  country  in  a  time  of 
imminent  danger,  as  did  the  citizens  of  Washington  county  upon 
this  occasion,  and  you  may  search  history  in  vain  for  another 
instance  in  which  the  government  of  this  Union  or  of  any  State 
has  shown  such  gratitude  to  the  actors. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  in  speaking  of  this  expedition  in  after  years, 
said:  "I  well  remember  the  deep  and  grateful  impression  made  on 
the  mind  of  every  one  by  that  memorable  victory.  It  was  the  joy- 
ful annunciation  of  that  turn  in  the  tide  of  success  which  term- 
inated the  Eevolutionary  war  with  the  seal  of  our  independence." 

And  America's  greatest  historian,  in  speaking  of  this  expedition 
and  its  effect  upon  the  public  mind,  said : 

"The  victory  at  King's  mountain,  which,  in  the  spirit  of  the 
American  soldiers  was  like  the  rising  at  Concord,  in  its  effect  like 
the  success  at  Bennington,  changed  the  aspects  of  the  war.  The 
loyalist  no  longer  dared  to  rise.  It  fired  the  patriots  of  the  two 
Carolinas  with  fresh  zeal.  It  encouraged  the  fragments  of  the 
defeated  and  scattered  American  army  to  seek  each  other  and 
organize  themselves  anew.    It  quickened  the  Legislature  of  North 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  341 

Carolina  to  earnest  efforts.  It  encouraged  Virginia  to  devote  her 
resources  to  the  country  south  of  her  border." 

The  appearance  on  the  frontiers  of  a  numerous  enemy  from 
settlements  hej^ond  the  mountains,  whose  very  names  had  been 
unkno-wTi  to  the  British,  took  CoTnwallis  by  surprise,  and  their  suc- 
cess was  fatal  to  his  intended  expedition.  He  had  hoped  to  step 
with  ease  from  one  Carolina  to  the  other  and  from  those  to  the  con- 
quest of  Virginia,  and  he  had  now  no  other  choice  but  to  retreat."* 

Before  closing  this  account,  it  is  but  proper  that  there  should  be 
given  an  incident  connected  with  one  of  Washington  county's  brave 
soldiers,  who  lost  a  leg  and  who  was  badly  wounded  in  his  arm  in 
this  battle. 

"Among  the  wounded  left  by  General  Campbell  at  Bicker- 
staff  was  William  Moore.  Fpon  the  rotTirn  of  the  Virginia  troops 
to  their  homes,  information  was  imparted  to  Moore's  wife  of  the 
wounding  of  her  hiisband,  the  brave  part  he  had  taken  in  the  action 
and  the  disposition  made  of  him  at  Bickerstaff,  whereupon,  she 
immediately  mounted  her  hoi*se  and,  alone,  traveled  in  the  month 
of  N"ovember  the  long  and  dangerous  road  from  her  home  in  the 
upper  end  of  this  county  to  Bickerstaff  in  North  Carolina,  where 
she  found  her  husband,  nursed  him  l)ack  to  health  and  strength, 
and  brought  him  back  to  his  homo,  where  he  lived  an  honored  life 
until  the  year  182G. 

Tradition  says  that  he  was  an  elder  in  the  Ebbing  Spring  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  that  for  many  years  before  his  death  he  con- 
stantly attended  his  cliurch;  and,  at  every  meeting,  immediately 
upon  the  conclusion  of  the  services,  he  would  take  his  position,  upon 
his  crutch,  at  the  entrance  to  the  church,  and  receive  the  contribii- 
tions  of  the  people.  Many  of  the  descendants  of  William  Moore 
and  his  wife,  who  was  equally  as  brave  as  he,  at  the  present  time 
live  in  the  upper  end  of  this  county  and  are  numbered  among  our 
best  citizens. 

At  the  time  Colonel  Campbell  decided  to  join  the  expedition 
against  Colonel  Ferguson,  he  was  making  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions for  an  expedition  against  the  Cherokee  Indians,  under  orders 
from  Governor  Jefferson,  which  orders  were  as  follows : 

^^  *Bancroft. 


342  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

In  Council,  June  22,  1780. 

Sir: — Orders  have  been  sent  to  the  county  lieutenants  of  Mont- 
gomery and  AVashington,  to  furnish  250  of  their  militia  to  proceed 
in  conjunction  with  the  Carolinians  against  the  Chickamoggas. 
You  are  hereby  autliorized  to  take  command  of  said  men.  Should 
the  Carolinians  not  have  at  present  such  an  expedition  in  contem- 
plation, if  you  can  engage  them  to  concur  as  volimteers,  either  at 
their  own  expense  or  that  of  their  State,  it  is  recommended  to  you 
to  do  it.  Take  great  care  to  distinguish  the  friendly  from  the  hos- 
tile part  of  the  Cherokee  nation,  and  to  protect  the  former  while  you 
severely  punish  the  latter.  The  commissary  and  quartermaster  in 
the  Southern  department  is  hereby  required  to  furnish  you  all  the 
aid  of  his  department.  Should  the  men,  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
patch, furnish  horses  for  themselves  to  ride,  let  them  be  previously 
.'ippraised,  as  in  cases  of  impress,  and  for  such  as  shall  be  killed,  die 
or  be  lost  in  the  service  without  any  default  of  the  owner,  payment 
shall  be  made  by  tlie  public.  An  order  was  lodged  with  Colonel 
Preston  for  1,000  poimds  of  powder  from  the  lead  mines  for  this 
expedition;  and  you  receive  herewith  an  order  for  500  pounds  of 
j)owder  from  Colonel  Fleming  for  the  same  purpose,  of  the  expendi- 
ture of  which  you  will  render  account. 

I  am,  sir,  your  very  humble  servant, 

THOMAS  JEFFEESON.* 

Colonel  Campbell,  in  his  certificate  heretofore  given,  states  this 
to  have  been  his  authority  for  taking  his  men  upon  the  expedition 
against  Ferguson. 

Upon  the  return  of  Colonel  William  Campbell  and  his  forces 
from  King's  mountain,  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  the  county  lieu- 
tenant of  Washington  county,  immediately  proceeded  to  organize 
and  carry  on  the  expedition  against  the  Cherokees,  as  directed  by 
Governor  Jefferson.  Upon  his  return  from  this  expedition,  on  the 
15th  of  January,  1781,  he  made  a  report  to  the  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, which  is  so  full  and  complete,  that  I  here  give  it  in  the  words 
of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell: 

"Sir: — The  militia  of  this  and  the  two  western  North  Carolina 
counties  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  frustrate  the  designs  of  the 
Cherokees.     On  my  reaching  the  frontiers  I  found  the  Indians 


*Gibb's  Doc.  His.  of  the  American  Revolution,  Vol.  2. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  343 

meant  to  annoy  us  by  small  parties,  and  carry  off  horses.  To  resist 
them  effectually,  the  apparently  best  measure  was  to  transfer  the 
war,  without  delay,  to  their  own  borders.  To  raise  a  force  suffi- 
cient and  provide  them  with  provisions  and  other  necessaries  seemed 
to  be  a  work  of  time  that  would  be  accompanied  with  uncommon 
difficulties,  especially  in  the  winter  season;  our  situation  was  cri- 
tical, and  nothing  but  an  extraordinary  effort  could  save  us  and 
disappoint  the  views  of  the  enemy;  all  the  miseries  of  1776  came 
fresh  into  remembrance,  and,  to  avoid  a  like  scene,  men  flew  to  their 
arms  and  went  to  the  field.  The  Wattago  men,  under  Lieutenant 
Sevier,  first  marched  to  the  amount  of  about  three  hundred.  The 
militia  of  this  with  that  of  Sullivan  county  made  400  more.  The 
place  of  rendezvous  was  to  be  on  this  side  of  the  French  river. 
Colonel  Sevier,  with  his  men,  got  on  the  path  before  the  others, 
and  by  means  of  some  discoveries  made  by  his  scouts  he  was  in- 
duced to  cross  the  river  in  pursuit  of  a  party  of  Indians  tliat  had 
been  coming  towards  our  settlements.  On  the  IGtli  of  December 
he  fell  in  with  a  party,  since  found  to  consist  of  seventy  Indians, 
mostly  from  the  town  of  Ohote,  of  which  were  killed  thirteen,  and 
he  took  all  their  baggage,  etc.,  in  which  were  some  of  Clinton's 
Proclamations  and  other  documents  expressive  of  their  hostile  de- 
signs against  us. 

"After  this  action  the  Wattago  corps  tho't  it  proper  to  retreat 
into  an  island  of  the  river.  The  22d  I  crossed  the  French  river, 
and  found  the  Wattago  men  in  great  want  of  provisions.  We  gave 
them  a  supply  from  our  small  stock:  and  the  next  day  made  a 
forced  march  towards  the  Tenasee.  The  success  of  the  enterprise 
seemed  to  rest  on  our  safely  reaching  the  further  bank  of  that 
river:  as  we  had  information  the  Indians  had  obstructed  the  com- 
mon fording  places,  and  had  a  force  ready  there  to  oppose  our 
crossing.  The  meaning  of  the  24th  I  made  a  feint  towards  the 
Island  Town,  and,  with  the  main  body,  passed  the  river  without  re- 
sistance at  Timotlee. 

"We  were  now  discO'vered,  such  of  the  Indians  as  we  saw  seemed 
to  be  flying  in  consternation.  Here  I  divided  my  force,  sending  a 
part  to  attack  the  town  below,  and  with  the  other  I  proceeded 
towards  their  principal  town  Chote.  Just  as  I  passed  a  defile  above 
Toque,  I  observed  the  Indians  in  force,  stretching  along  the  hills 
below  Chote,  with  an  apparent  design  to  attack  our  van  there  with- 


344  Southivest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

out  our  view;  but  the  main  bcHly  too  soon  came  iu  sight  for  me 
to  decoy  them  from  ofO  the  hills.  So  they  quietly  let  us  pass  in 
order,  without  firing  a  gun,  except  a  few  scattering  shot  at  our 
rear;  at  a  great  distance  from  the  Cleft,  we  soon  were  in  possession 
of  their  beloved  Town,  in  Avhieh  we  found  a  welcome  supply  of  pro- 
visions. 

^'The  35th,  Major  Martin  went  with  a  detachment  to  discover 
the  route  the  enemy  were  flying  oif  by.  He  surprised  a  party  of 
Indians,  took  one  scalp  and  seventeen  horses  loaded  with  clothing, 
skins  and  house  furniture.  He  discovered  that  most  of  the  fugi- 
tives were  making  towards  Telico  and  the  TTi^\'asee.  The  same 
day,  Captain  Crabtree,  of  the  Virginia  Eeg't  was  detached  with 
sixty  men  to  burn  the  town  of  Chilhowee.  He  succeeded  in  setting 
fire  to  that  part  of  it  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  altho" 
in  the  time,  he  was  attacked  by  a  superior  force.  He  made  his  re- 
treat good. 

"The  36th,  IMajor  Tipton,  of  the  Carolina  Corps,  was  detached 
with  150  mounted  infantry,  with  orders  to  cross  the  river,  dislodge 
the  enemy  on  that  side  and  destroy  the  town  of  Tilassee.  At  the 
same  time  Major  Gilbert  Christian,  with  150  foot,  was  to  patrol 
the  hills  on  the  south  side  of  Chilhowee  and  burn  the  remaining 
part  of  that  town.  This  party  did  their  duty,  killed  three  Indians 
and  took  nine  prisoners.  The  officer  of  the  Horse,  by  unmilitary 
behavior,  failed  in  crossing  the  river.    This  trip  took  two  days. 

"In  this  time,  the  famous  Indian  woman,  Nancy  Ward,  came 
to  camp;  she  gave  us  various  intelligence  and  made  an  overture  in 
behalf  of  some  of  the  Chiefs  for  peace,  to  which  I  avoided  giving 
an  explicit  answer,  as  I  wished  first  to  visit  the  vindictive  part  of 
the  nation,  mostly  settled  at  Hiwassee  and  Chistowee,  and  to  dis- 
tress the  whole  as  much  as  possible,  by  destroying  their  habitations 
and  provisions. 

"The  2<Sth,  we  set  fire  to  Chote,  Scitigo  and  Little  Tuskeego, 
and  moved  oiir  whole  force  to  a  town  on  Telico  Eiver,  Kai-a-tee, 
where  I  intended  a  post,  for  to  secure  a  retreat  and  tO'  lay  up  pro- 
visions in.  This  evening,  Major  Martin,  on  returning  from  a  pa- 
trol, attacked  a  party  of  Indians,  killed  two,  and  drove  several  into 
the  river.  The  same  evening  in  a  skirmish  w^e  lost  Captain  James 
I]lliott,  a  gallant  young  officer,  being  the  first  and  only  man  the 


Washington  Countij,  1777-1S70.  345 

enemy  had  power  to  hurt,  on  the  Expedition.  The  Indians  lost 
three  men  on  the  occasion. 

"Tlie  ?9th,  I  set  out  for  Hiwassec,  distant  about  forty  miles,  leav- 
ing at  Kai-a-  tee,  under  Major  Christian,  a  garrison  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men. 

"The  80ih,  we  arrived  at  Hiwassee  and  found  the  towi\  of  the  same 
name  abandoned.  In  patrolling  the  environs  we  took  a  sensible 
young  warrior,  who  informed  us  that  a  body  of  Indians,  with 
McDonald,  the  British  agent  and  some  Tories,  were  at  Chistowee, 
twelve  miies  distant,  waiting  to  receive  us.  I  had  reason  tO'  believe 
the  cnou.y  had  viewed  us  from  the  hills  above  Hiwassee;  for  which 
reason  I  ordered  our  camp  to  be  laid  off,  fires  kindled,  and  other 
shews  made,  as  if  we  intended  to  stay  all  night.  At  dark  we  set  out 
with  about  three  hundred  men  (the  Wattage  men  refusing  to  go 
further),  crossing  tlie  river  at  an  unexpected  ford,  and  that  night 
got  near  the  town.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  31st,  we  found  that 
the  ene.uy  had  lied  in  haste  the  evening  before,  leaving  behind  them 
as  they  had  done  at  the  other  towns,  almost  all  their  corn  and  other 
provision3,  togetlier  v,ith  many  of  their  utensils  for  agriculture  and 
all  their  lieavy  household  furniture,  with  part  of  their  stock  of 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  Tliese  towns,  I  expected,  would  have  been 
contended  for  v/ith  obstinacy,  as  most  of  the  Chickamogga  people 
had  remov(!d  hence  after  their  visitation  in  1779.  Our  troops 
becom.ing  impatient  and  no  other  object  of  importance  being  in 
view,  it  'Aa^  resolved  to  retiu-n  homeward.  Major  Martin,  with  a 
detachment,  was  ordered  to  Sattago,  and  the  other  towns  on  the 
Telico  river.  In  his  route  he  took  four  prisoners,  from  whom  he 
learnt  that  .-evL'rnl  of  the  chiefs  had  met  a  few  days  before  in  order 
to  consult  on  means  to  propose  a  treaty  for  peace.  As  I  found  the 
enemy  n-erc  limnblod  and  to  gain  time,  I  took  the  liberty  to  send 
the  chiefs  a  message,  which  was  as  follows : 

"( 'liiefs  and  Warriors : — We  came  into  your  country  to  fight  your 
young  men.  We  have  killed  not  a  few  of  them  and  destroyed  your 
to^^'•ns.  You  know  }ou  began  the  war,  by  listening  to  the  bad  coun- 
cils of  iiie  Iving  of  England  and  the  falsehoods  told  you  by  his 
agents.  We  are  now  satisfied  with  what  is  done,  as  it  may  convince 
your  nation  that  we  can  distress  them  much  at  any  time  they  are 
so  foolish  as  to  engage  in  a  war  against  us.  If  you  desire  peace, 
as  we  understand  you  do,  we,  out  of  pity  to  your  women  and  chil- 


346  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

dren,  are  disposed  to  treat  Avith  you  on  that  subject  and  take  you 
into  our  friend.^hip  once  more.  We  therefore  send  this  by  one  of 
your  young  men,  who  is  our  prisoner,  to  tell  you  if  you  are  also 
disposed  to  make  j^eace,  for  six  of  your  head  men  to  come  to  our 
agent,  ]\h;jor  ]\Ia]-tin,  at  the  Great  Island  within  two  moons.  They 
will  have  a  safe  ]^as«port,  if  they  will  notify  us  of  their  approach 
by  a  runner  witli  a  flag,  so  as  to  give  him  time  to  meet  them  with  a 
guard  on.  IT ol stein  river,  at  the  boundary  line.  The  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  these  men  of  your  nation  that  protested  against  the  war,  if 
they  are  willing  to  lake  refuge  at  the  Great  Island  until  peace  is 
restored,  we  will  give  them  a  supply  of  provisions  to  keep  them 
alive. 

'■'Warriors  lislen  ettentively. 

"If  we  receive  no  answer  to  this  message  until  the  time  alreiidy 
mentioned  expires,  we  shall  conclude  you  intend  to  continue  to  be 
our  enemies,  v.hich  will  compel  us  to  send  another  strong  force  into 
yoi^r  country  who  will  come  prepared  to  stay  a  long  time,  and  take 
posppi^sion  thereof,  as  conquered  by  us,  without  making  any  restitu- 
tion to  you  for  yonr  lands. 

"Signed  at  Kai-a-tee  the  4th  day  of  January,  one  thousand  seven 
hiindied  and  eig'lity-one,  by 

^  "AETHUE  CAMPBELL,  Col. 
"JOHN  SEVIEE,  Lieutenant-Col. 
"JOSEPH  MAETIN,  Agent  &  Major  of  Militia." 

"The  fulfillment  of  this  message  will  require  your  Excellency's 
further  instructions,  and  in  which  I  expect  North  Carolina  will 
assist,  or  that  Congress  will  take  upon  themselves  the  whole.  I 
believe  advantageous  promises  of  peace  may  be  easily  obtained  with 
a  siiri'pnder  of  snch  an  extent  of  country,  that  will  defray  the 
expenses  of  war.  But  such  terms  will  be  best  insured  b}'  placing  a 
garrison  of  two  hundred  men  under  an  active  officer  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tenasee. 

"'('5iir  v.hole  loss  on  this  expedition  was  one  man  killed  by  the 
Indians  and  two  wounded  by  accident.  It  would  have  been  very 
pleasing  to  the  troops  to  have  met  the  whole  force  of  the  nation  at 
once  on  equal  ground,  but  so  great  was  the  panic  that  seized  them, 
after  seeing  us  in  order  over  tlie  Tenasee,  that  they  never  ven- 
turned  themselves  in  sight  of  the  army,  luit  on  rocky  clefts  and 
other  ground  inaccessible  to  our  mounted  infantry.    By  the  returns 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  347 

of  the  officers  of  the  different  detachments,  we  killed  twenty-nine 
]nen  and  took  seventeen  prisoners,  mostly  women  and  children.  The 
number  of  wounded  is  uncertain.  Besides  these,  we  brought  in  the 
family  cf  ISTancy  Ward,  whom  for  their  good  offices,  we  considered 
in  anotliei  light. 

'^'The  wliole  are  in  Major  Martin's  care  at  the  Great  Island  until 
the  sense  of  government  is  kno-wn  as  to  how  they  are  to  be  dis- 
posed of. 

''Jlie  towns  of  Chote,   Scitigo,    ,   Chilhowee,  Toque 

]\[ie]iqua,  Kai-a-tee,  Sattooga,  Telico,  Hiwassee  and  Chistowee,  all 
principal  towns,  besides  some  small  ones  and  several  scattering  set- 
tlements, in  which  were  upwards  of  a  thousand  houses  and  not  less 
than  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  corn  and  large  quantities  of  other 
kinds  of  provisions,  were  committed  to  the  flames  or  otherwise 
destroyed,  after  taking  sufficient  subsistence  for  the  army  whilst  in 
the  country  and  on  its  return.  No  place  in  the  over-hill  country 
]"enialned  unvisited,  except  the  small  town  of  Telasee,  a  scattering 
sottlejnent  in  the  neighborhood  of  Chickamogga,  and  the  town  of 
Caloogac,  sitnated  on  the  sources  of  the  Mobile.  We  found  in 
Oconostato's  baggage,  which  he  left  behind  in  his  fright,  various 
manuscripts,  copies  of  treaties,  commissions,  letters  and  other 
archives  of  the  nation,  some  of  which  shew  the  double  game  tJiat 
people  have  been  carrying  on  during  the  present  war.  There 
seemed  to  be  not  a  man  of  honor  among  the  chiefs,  except  him  of 
Kai-a-tee,  whom  I  would  willingly  have  excepted  had  it  been  in 
my  power.  Never  did  a  people  so  happily  situated  act  more  fool- 
i?]dy  in  losing  their  livings  and  their  country,  at  a  time  an  advan- 
tageous neiitrality  was  held  out  to  them,  but  such  is  the  consequence 
of  British  seductions. 

''The  enemy  in  my  absence  did  some  mischief  in  Powell's  Valley 
ard  on  the  Kentucky  path,  near  Cumberland  Gap,  besides  three 
small  children  that  they  scalped  on  Holstein,  one  of  the  perpetrators 
of  which,  we  knocked  up  on  our  return,  and  retook  a  number  of 
horses.  The  Botetourt  and  Montgomery  militia  were  too  slow  in 
their  movements  to  do  any  service.  The  Virginia  militia  that  served 
with  me  on  the  expedition,  expect  to  be  paid  in  the  same  manner 
with  those  that  served  last  year  in  Carolina. 

"What  provisions  were  needed  on  our  setting  out  were  purchased 
on  short  credit,  which  will,  I  trust,  be  punctually  paid  on  the  first 


348  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

apj)lication.  Yo;ir  Excellency  will  please  to  excuse  the  length  of 
this  narration.  T  thought  it  my  duty  to  give  a  circumstantial  detail 
of  the  facts,  as  tlie  undei-taking  had  something  singular  in  it  and 
may  lead  to  important  consequences. 

"I  am,  sir,  your  most  Ob't  and  very  humble  Serv't  &c., 

"AETHUR  CAMPBELL." 

On  the  1st  day  of  January,  1781,  the  army  of  Campbell,  Sevier 
and  Martin  divided  into  small  detachments  and  returned  to  their 
homes  by  different  I'outes,  after  having  laid  waste  all  the  country 
occupied  by  the  over-hill  Cherokees. 

In  answer  to  the  talk  sent  to  the  Indians,  a  number  of  chiefs 
met  Colonel  Martin  at  Chote,  but  nothing  was  accomplished  at 
this  time. 

Upon  the  return  of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  to  his  home,  he 
immediately  communicated  with  G-eneral  Greene,  the  Commander 
of  the  Southern  Department,  when  General  Greene  appointed 
Arihur  Campl)cll,  William  Preston,  William  Christian,  Joseph  Mar- 
tin, on  behalf  of  Virginia,  and  Robert  Lanier,  Evan  Shelby,  Joseph 
Williams  and  John  Sevier,  on  the  part  of  North  Carolina,  commis- 
sioners, to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  the  Cherokee  Indians,  at  the 
Long  Island  of  Ilolston  river,  on  the  24th  of  IMarch,  1781 :  on 
which  day.  Colonels  Campbell,  Martin,  Shelby  and  Sevier  met  at  the 
Long  Island  and  sent  off  one  of  the  Indian  prisoners  to  the  Indian 
nation  proposing  peace  and  fixing  the  10th  day  of  June  as  the  time; 
which  time  of  meeting  was  afterwards  postponed  until  the  20th  day 
of  July,  1781,  on  which  day  the  negotiations  were  completed.  But 
at  the  instigation  of  British  agents,  the  Indians  continued  their 
depiedations  u|)on  the  white  settlers.  On  the  13th  of  January,  1781, 
a  settler  in  PoAvell's  Valley  was  killed  and  fourteen  horses  that 
belonged  to  a  party -of  men  coming  from  Kentucky  were  carried  off. 
In  the  latter  part  of  January,  a  considerable  number  of  Indians 
attacked  Fort  Blackmore*  in  this  county,  and,  about  tlie  middle  of 
February,  three  men  were  killed  in  PowelFs  Valley  and  a  consid- 
ei'able  number  of  horses  carried  off. 

A  company  of  militia  was  organized  by  Colonel  Campbell  and 
ordered  to  patrol  Powell's  Valley,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
J()seph  Martin  and  Major  Aaron  Lewis.     As  this  company  of  troops 


*Now  Scott  county. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  349 

proceeded  on  their  outward  trip,  they  discovered  a  large  body  of 
Jiidians  in  Powell's  Valley.  The  Indians  discovering  the  presence 
of  Major  Lewis,  made  their  escape,  but  several  traces  of  smaller 
parties,  all  making  towards  the  mouth  of  Powell's  river,  were  dis- 
covered, and  the  one  that  appeared  the  freshest  was  followed  by 
Colonel  Martin  and  his  men,  for  about  thirty  miles  below  Cum- 
berland Gap,  where  the  Indians  were  surprised  and  surrounded, 
but  the  cane  was  so  thick  they  could  not  easily  be  detected  or  pur- 
si;ed  on  liorseback.  Thirty  guns  at  least  were  fired  upon  them,  and, 
while  it  was  thought  that  some  of  them  were  Avounded,  there 
were  none  killed  or  left  upon  the  ground.  Martin's  militia  captured 
a  number  of  shot  pouches  and  blankets,  upon  one  of  which  was 
found  the  name,  John  Brown,  written  in  full,  the  said  John  Brown 
having  been  previously  killed  in  Cumberland  Gap.  Colonel  Mar- 
tin and  his  men  pursued  the  Indians  for  about  seventy  miles.  In 
tiie  latter  part  of  March,  a  party  of  northward  Indians  came  up 
on  the  Sandy  river  and  penetrated  as  far  as  tlie  settlement  on  Hols- 
tou,  where  they  carried  off  a  son  of  Captain  Bledsoe's,  and  the 
f]-oj]tiers  were  invaded  at  numerous  other  points  by  the  Indians. 
Tlie  settlements  were  threatened  by  an  invasion  from  the  united 
forces  of  the  Cherokee  and  Creek  Indians,  assisted  by  the  British 
agents  and  Tories. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  recommended  to  the  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia the  building  of  a  fort  at  the  junction  of  the  Tennessee  and 
Ilf'lston  rivers,  and  was  actively  engaged  in  building  the  fort  at 
Cumberland  Cap  as  previously  ordered  by  the  Governor. 

The  Continental  Congress  and  the  officers  of  the  Continental  army 
having  ascertained  the  value  of  the  mountain  militia,  a  pressing 
application  from  General  Greene  for  men  was  received  by  Colonel 
Arthur  Campbell,  the  county  lieutenant  of  this  county.  Colonel 
Campbell  immediately  ordered  out  the  militia  of  this  county,  not- 
withstanding their  circumstances  were  ill-suited  to  such  an  expedi- 
tion, as  matters  with  the  Cherokees  were  still  unsettled  and  the 
Indians  from  the  northward  were  constantly  invading  the  settle- 
ments. On  the  25th  day  of  February,  1781,  one  hundred  men  under 
Colc.nel  William  Campbell  set  out  to  join  the  militia  of  Botetourt 
and  Montgomery  coiinties,  on  their  march  to  General  Greene's  army. 
Colonel  Arthur  Campl)ell,  in  a  letter  to  the  Governor  on  the  28th 
day  of  this  month,  said :     "A  large  number  would  have  gone,  were 


350  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-17S6. 

it  not  for  the  daily  appro! lonsion  of  attacks  from  the  northward 
and  southern  Indians." 

Colonel  William  Campbell  and  his  men  marched  to  a  point  at  or 
near  the  Lead  i\Iines,  where  they  were  joined  by  the  Montgomery 
militia. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1781,  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  county- 
lieutenant  of  Washington  county,  made  a  return  of  the  militia  of 
this  county,  from  Mdiich  it  appears  that  there  were,  at  this  time,  in 
this  county,  2  battalions,  6  field  officers,  55  commissioned  officers, 
4^  non-commissioned  officers,  953  rank  and  file.  In  addition,  there 
were  about  one  hundred  men  residing  between  Walker's  and  Plender- 
scn's  lines,  who  did  duty  at  times  as  their  inclination  led  them." 

Colonel  Canipl)ell,  with  his  com.pany  of  one  hundred  men  pro- 
ceeded from  Abingdon  by  the  Lead  Mines  and  on  into  North 
Carolina,  where,  on  March  2d,  he  joined  General  Greene  with  four 
hundred  volunteers.  Colonel  Campbell  was  now  to  oppose  Lord 
Cornwallis,  who  had  imbibed  a  personal  resentment  towards  him 
as  the  commander  at  King's  mountain,  and  wlw  had  threatened  that, 
should  Colonel  Campbell  fall  into  his  hands,  he  would  have  him 
instantly  put  tO'  death,  for  his  rigor  against  the  Tories,  evidently 
d(\:igning  to  hold  him  personally  responsible  for  the  execution  of  the 
Toi}  leaders  at  BickerstafP.  This,  instead  of  intimidating  Colonel 
Cnmpbell,  had  the  contrary  effect,  and  Campbell,  in  turn,  resolved 
tliat.  if  the  fortunes  of  war  should  place  CornAvallis  in  his  power,  he 
should  meet  the  fate  of  Ferguson.  It  was  not  long  until  Campbell 
and  his  men  were  called  into  action. 

The  Virginia  militia,  other  than  Colonels  Preston's  and  Camp- 
bell's commands,  w^hile  on  the  march  to  join  General  Greene,  were 
threatened  with  an  attack  from  Colonel  Tarleton's  cavalry,  with 
foui  hundred  infantry  and  two  pieces  of  artillery  sent  out  by  Cotu- 
wallis  to  intercept  them.  General  Greene  had  dispatched  Colonel 
Otho  Williams  to  protect  the  advancing  reinforcements  from  his 
camp  at  Speedwell's  Iron  Works,  on  the  upper  waters  of  Trouble- 
some creek.  The  Virginia  militia  were  marching  on  a  highway, 
rimning  west  from  a  point  below  Hillsborough,  to  General  Greene's 
headquarters.  Cornwallis  was  in  camp  on  the  Alamance  creek,  about 
thirty  miles  west  from  Hillsborough.  The  command  of  Colonel  Wil- 
liams was  between  the  camp  of  Cornwallis  and  the  advancing  mili- 
tia.   The  roads  leading  from  Cornwallis's  camp  and  Williams's  camp 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  351 

to  the  position  occupied  by  the  militia,  intersected  each  other  at 
Whitsill's  Mill,  which  was  the  nearest  point  at  which  Cornwallis 
could  attack  the  advancing  militia. 

It  was  the  design  of  Cornwallis  to  attack  and  scatter  this  militia 
force  and  to  destroy  the  three  thousand  arms  they  were  bringing 
to  General  Greene's  camp. 

General  Greene  moved  his  camp  to  Boyd's  Mill,  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Cornwallis,  and  Colonels  Williams  and  Pickens  were  on  the 
fiank  of  the  enemy.  General  Greene  anxiously  awaited  results  at 
his  camp,  seven  miles  above  Whitsill's  Mill.  Thus  matters  stood  on 
the  fith  of  March,  when  Cornwallis  made  a  sudden  dash  north, 
expecting  to  reach  Whitsill's  Mill  in  advance  of  Williams,  and, 
passing  north  ten  miles  further,  to  intercept  the  militia  reinforce- 
ments at  High  Eock  Ford  on  Haw  river,  but  Cornwallis  had  hardly 
left  his  camp  before  Colonel  Williams  received  the  news,  and  the 
]'ace  for  Whitsill's  Mill  began.  They  were  traveling  on  parallel 
roads,  Williams  with  his  light  troops  flying  to  the  rescue  oi  his 
friends,  Cornwallis  with  his  heavy  wagon  train,  dashing  through 
ever}  olistruction  with  reckless  speed,  hoping  to  intercept  and 
desti'oy  General  Greene's  reinforcements.  "As  the  patrols  and 
scouts  passed  from  one  column  to  the  other,  apprising  each  of  the 
advance  of  his  competitor,  the  race  grew  more  animated,  the  com- 
petitors more  earnest  and  resolute.  The  goal  was  now  getting  nearer 
and  the  excitement  greater,  when  Williams,  putting  forth  his  whole 
energy,  urged  his  men  to  a  triumphant  speed  and  dashed  down  the 
hill  and  across  the  Eeedy  Fork,  as  the  enemy  appeared  upon  the 
crest  in  their  rear,  entering  from  the  other  road."* 

Colonel  Williams  drew  up  his  forces  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
stream,  where  he  attacked  the  British  and  checked  them  in  their 
onward  march. 

Colonel  Williams'  command  was  composed  of  some  ISTorth  Caro- 
lina troops  and  the  Virginia  militia  under  the  command  of  Colonels 
Campbell  and  7h"eston,  who,  as  previously  stated,  had  joined  General 
Greene  on  March  2d,  and  the  cavalry  corps  of  Washington  and  Lee. 
The  position  occupied  by  Colonel  Williams'  forces  was  in  front  of 
the  ford  and  some  two  hundred  yavds  below  the  mill. 

As  the  British  forces  approached,  their  riflemen  formed  the  front 
rank'  and  fired  at  a  distance,  continuing  to  advance  toward  the  creek 


*Schenck's  North  Carolina,  1780-1781. 


352  Sovihwest  Virginia,  17.k6-n86. 

uiiiil  tlicv  wrie  within  eighty  yards  of  the  American  line,  wlicn 
('niii|ilM'll"s  and  Preston's  riflemen  tired  upon  them  with  deadly 
efiecl.  One  of  the  British  officers,  when  shot,  bounding  up  several 
feet  fell  dead.  The  enemy  continued  to  advance,  and  when  within 
forty-five  yards  of  the  American  line,  they  were  again  fired  upon 
jiy  the  riflemen.  The  enemy  used  their  small  arms  and  field  pieces, 
l)ut,  in  every  instance,  tlieir  firing  was  too  high,  and  took  effect  only 
among  the  limbs  of  the  trees. 

The  enemy's  forces  were  on  flic  hill,  and  their  view  was  greatly 
■obstructed  by  the  smoke  from  the  discharge  of  the  guns  of  the 
Americans,  who  were  below  them.  One  of  the  principal  objects 
^^'hicb  Colonel  Williams  had  in  view  was  the  protection  of  Whit- 
siH's  l\[i]l  for  a  time  sufficient  to  enable  the  provision  wagons 
belonging  to  General  Greene's  army  to  load  with  provisioii,  which 
Mas  effected,  and  to  prevent  Cornwallis  from  surprising  the  rein- 
forcements on  their  way  to  General  Greene.  The  Americans,  ^^n\- 
ing  accomplished  their  object,  retired  over  the  ford,  which  was  about 
fjircc  feet  deep,  with  a  rapid  current,  a  slippery,  rocky  bottom  and 
a  precipitous  brushy  bank  on  the  northern  side. 

While  crossing  the  ford.  Major  Joseph  Cloyd  observed  G!)l'>ncl 
William  Preston,  his  commaiider,  on  foot,  Preston  having  lost  his 
horse  in  the  skirmish,  whereupon  Cloyd  dismounted  and  assisted 
Colonel  Preston  into  his  saddle,  when  both  escaped. 

The  principal  part  of  the  fighting  in  this  skirmish  was  done  by 
Campbell's  and  Preston's  riflemen  and  Lee's  Legion. 

Colonel  Campbell,  in  speaking  of  this  engagement,  said  :  "John 
Craig,  one  of  his  riflemen,  acted  witli  his  usual  courage,"  and  Gen- 
eral Greene,  in  speaking  of  the  battle,  said  :  "The  enemy  wer.e  hand- 
somely opposed  and  suffered  considerably." 

Cornwallis  immediately  withdrew  his  forces  from  the  Alamance 
to  p  position  on  Leep  river,  not  far  from  JamestOiwn,  iSTorth  Caro- 
lina, and  the  militia  reinforcements  proceeded  on  their  way  and 
reached  General  Greene's  camp  at  High  Eock  Ford,  on  Sunday, 
March  11,  1781,  four  days  before  the  battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse. 
All  preparations  were  made  by  General  Greene  to  give  Cornwallis 
])attle  at  the  first  opportunity,  and  while  Colonel  Campbell  took 
fewer  men  upon  this  expedition  than  any  other  commander,  he  was 
assigned  one  of  the  conspicuous  parts  in  the  subsequent  campaign. 


Washington  County,  1111-1810.  353 

and  all  of  the  forces  under  his  command  have  been  since  spoken  of 
as  "Campbell's  Corps." 

The  aggregate  number  of  the  Virginia  militia,  outside  of  the 
regular  army,  that  participated  in  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court- 
house, was  as  follows : 

Colonel  William  Preston's  command, 300 

Colonel  William  Campbell's  command, 60 

Colonel  Charles  I^ynch's  command, 150 

Watkins's  dragoons,  50 

Virginia  militia,    1,693 

Total    2,353 

It  is  ef.timated  that  the  number  of  forces  commanded  by  General 
Greene  at  the  battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse  was  not  less  than  4,500 
men. 

General  Greene,  having  collected  an  army  of  not  less  than  4,500 
men  at  the  High  Eock  Ford  of  Haw  river,  began  his  march  from 
that  place,  on  Monday,  the  13th  day  of  March,  determined,  to  give 
battle  to  the  e>nemy  upon  the  first  opportunity,  and  reached  Guilford 
Courthouse  on  the  evening  of  the  14th.  He  encamped  about  a  mile 
above  the  town  that  night,  while  Corwallis  was  stationed  about  eight 
miles  above  the  Courthouse. 

Guilford  Courthouse,  at  the  time  in  question,  was  the  capital  of 
Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  and  contained  a  population  of 
about  two  hundred  people.  Its  principal  buildings  were  the  court- 
house, jail  and  a  large  coppersmith  shop.  In  recent  years,  it  is  noth- 
ing more  than  an  open  field,  the  county  seat  having  been  moved  to 
Greensboro. 

General  Greene  had  inspected  the  battlefield  at  Guilford  court- 
house on  the  10th  of  February,  and  pronounced  it  very  desirable  for 
his  army.  "It  afforded  a  forest  where  the  militia  could  fight  from 
tree  to  tree,  for  shelter,  and  be  protected  from  the  charge  of  cavalry, 
and  for  the  same  reason,  a  solid  column  of  bayonets  could  not  be 
kept  together,  among  the  undergrowth  of  the  trees.  The  roads  that 
concentrated  from  the  north,  northeast  and  east,  all  afforded  safe 
lines  of  retreat  for  his  army  to  his  supplies  and  reinforcements."* 

General  Greene,  in  forming  his  line  of  battle,  placed  Campbell's 

*Scheiick's  North  Carolina,  1780-1781. 


354  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

cor])s,  eonsisting  of  about  five  liimdred  and  forty  men,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  William  Campbell,  of  Virginia,  on  the  left  of 
Butler's  lino  and  ol.diqnel^y  to  it  in  the  woods,  and  in  the  rear  of  the 
angle  formed  1)y  those  two  lines  was  placed  Ijee's  Legion,  and  in 
the  rear  of  this  line,  on  the  gentle  slope  of  the  hill  and  about  three 
hundred  3'ards  distant  to  the  east,  were  posted  the  Virginia  militia. 

On  tbe  evening  of  the  14th  of  March,  Colonels  Campbell  and 
Lynch,  each  in  command  of  a  corps  of  riflemen,  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonels  Lee  and  Washington,  in  command  of  the  Light  Dragoons, 
Mcre  advanced  about  a  mile  in  front  of  the  army  and  within  seven 
ndles  of  Cornwallis's  camp.  The  next  morning  early,  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  enemy  was  in  motion  and  advancing  toward  Guilford 
Courthouse,  whereupon  Colonel  Lee,  with  his  Legion  and  about 
thirty  of  Campbell's  riflemen  from  Washington  county  under  com- 
mand of  Captain  William  Tate,  of  Augusta  county,  advanced  to 
mxcet  the  enemy,  while  the  rest  of  the  riflemen,  with  Colonel  Wash- 
ington's Horse,  formed  at  their  place  of  encampment  on  the  pre- 
ceding night,  to  support  Lee  and  Tate  upon  their  retreat.  Lee  and 
Tate  with  their  men  met  the  enemy  within  two  miles  of  their 
encampment  and  began  to  skirmish  with  them,  and  continued  fight- 
ing and  retreating  for  about  half  an  hour,  which  disconcerted  and 
delayed  the  enemy  very  much.  In  the  skirmish  between  the  forces 
of  Lee  and  Tate  and  the  forces  of  Colonel  Tarleton,  a  loss  of  about 
fifty  men  was  inflicted  upon  the  British  forces,  while  the  light 
infantry  of  the  guard,  after  losing  abont  one  hundred  of  their  num- 
ber at  the  hands  of  the  riflemen,  were  relieved  by  a  portion  of  Tarle- 
ton's  cavalry,  wdiich  were  ordered  to  their  assistance. 

While  this  skirmish  was  in  progress,  the  main  body  of  Greene's 
army  was  formed  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  the 
position  occupied  by  Campbell  and  Washington;  and,  upon  the 
arrival  of  Lee  and  Tate,  the  advance  guard  was  ordered  back  and 
directed  to  take  the  position  assigned  them  in  the  line  of  battle  by 
General  Greene.  Lee's  Legion  and  Campbell's  riflemen  formed  the 
corps  of  observation  on  the  left  flank,  while  the  riflemen  occupied 
a  woodland  position.  About  this  time  the  enemy  began  a  cannon- 
ade in  the  center,  which  lasted  about  twenty  minutes,  during  whicli 
time  they  formed  their  line  of  battle  by  filing  off  to  the  right  and 
loft,  and  then  immediately  advanced  upon  the  American  troops. 
The  battle  lasted  abont  two  and  one  half  hours. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  355 

While  the  militia  on  the  left  of  the  American  line  had  been  driven 
frO'm  their  position.  Colonel  Campbell,  with  his  riflemen,  made 
such  a  spirited  attack  on  the  British  regiment  on  the  right  wing, 
that  it  was  driven  back,  and  the  fire  became  so  deadly  tliat  Colonel 
JSTorton,  in  command  of  the  first  battalion  of  British  guards,  was 
directed  to  join  the  British  line  on  the  right  and  oppose  the  advance 
of  Campbell's  Corps;  and  at  this  point  the  struggle  became  des- 
perate, 

"As  the  Hessian  regiment  passed  the  line  of  militia,  it  wheeled  to 
tiic  right,  and,  in  line  with  Norton,  faced  Campbell.  Campbell 
was  reinforced  by  many  of  Butler's  brigade,  who  retreated  in  that 
direction,  and  Ijy  all  of  Forbes'  men,  who  formed  on  Campbell's 
right.  Lee's  Legion  was  on  that  flanlv.  The  Seventy-first  Eegiment 
of  Highlanders  continued  on  its  course  up  the  road  and  soon  engaged 
Stevens'  brigade  of  Virginians. 

"It  had  been  the  intention  of  Campbell  to  fall  back  and  put  his 
corps  in  line  on  the  left  of  Stevens,  but  the  Hessians  passed  so 
rapidly  in  the  front  as  to  cut  him  off.  He  was  also  delayed  by  his 
conflict  with  Norton  on  the  left.  The  riflemen,  retiring  deeper 
into  the  forest,  took  to  the  trees,  and  made  it  so  hot  for  the  guards 
tliat  they  were  compelled  to  retreat  in  great  disorder.  Cornwallis 
came  in  person  tO'  their  rescue,  and  by  riding  in  their  front  and 
e:--posing  himself  to  imminent  danger,  succeeded  in  rallying  them. 
The  Hessians,  being  now  joined  again  by  the  guards,  made  a  com- 
bined charge  and  drove  Campbell  to  the  south,  and  entirely  sep- 
arated his  command  from  the  American  army,  so  that,  in  fact,  two 
distinct  battles  were  raging  at  the  same  time. 

"About  one-qnarter  of  a  mile  on  the  southeast  of  Campbell's  first 
position  Cornwallis,  who  was  following  up  Norton  and  the  Hes- 
sians, had  a  large  iron  gray  horse  shot  under  him.  The  spot  is  now 
marked  by  a  persimmon  tree,  a  century  old,  whose  identity  is  well 
authenticated  by  tradition. 

"Ca^npbell  would  retreat  and  fire,  then  the  British  would  fall 
back,  and,  using  the  bayonet,  push  the  riflemen  back  again;  so  it 
raged  and  alternated  between  them  until  Campbell  was  driven  to 
a  high  range  of  hills,  or  a  little  moimtain  range  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  about  one  mile  from  Campbell's  first  position.  Here  the 
riflemen  began  to  gain  a  decided  advantage  and  to  drive  the  Hes- 


356  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

sian.-^  I)('foi-o  tluMii,  wlieii  T.ee,  iinexpeetod]}',  left  CampbeH's  flank 
and  Tarlcton  appeared  on  the  scene."* 

Lee  suddenly  left  Canipbell  without  warnins:,  and  was  now  an 
idle  spectator  of  this  scene  from  the  courthouse  hill,  across  Hunting 
creek,  without  notifying  Greene  of  his  presence  or  offering  to  cover 
the  flanks. 

Colonel  Tai'loton  had  l)oen  sent  by  Cornwallis  to  rescue  Colo- 
nel Norton-  wlio  was  engaged  by  Campl^ell.  and  Tarleton.  finding 
Canipbeirs  rear  unprotected,  ordered  the  Hessians  to  fire,  and 
rushed  his  cavalry  on  the  riflemen  under  cover  of  smoke  and  cut 
them  to  pieces. 

"Colonel  Camp-bell,  with  his  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  rifle- 
men, was  the  last  to  fire  a  gun  on  this  bloo^dy  field,  and  was  still 
firing  when  Greene  sounded  the  retreat.  They  became  scattered 
after  Tarleton's  charge  upon  them,  and  made  theii-  way  as  best 
they  could  to  the  camp  of  Greene  next  day."* 

Colonel  Campbell  was  very  much,  angered  at  Colonel  Lee,  and 
freely  expressed  his  opinion  of  his  conduct,  charging  that  Colonel 
Lee,  witb  his  cavalry,  rode  off  just  as  Tarleton  began  his  charge 
upon  the  flanks  of  the  riflenx-en.  It  is  the  opinion  of  many  that, 
had  Colonel  Tjee  acted  Avell  his  part  in  this  battle,  Cornwallis 
would  have  been  defeated  and  possibly  captured,  instead  of  the 
-Vmerican  arm.y  being  forced  to  retreat. 

General  Greene,  with  his  army,  retreated  in  good  order  to  Speed- 
well's Furnace,  about  ten  miles  below  the  battlefield,  not  being 
pursued  by  the  enemy  further  than  the  heights  above  Guilford 
Courthouse. 

Cornwallis,  with  his  army,  remained  on  the  battleground  from 
Thursday  until  Sunday,  and  on  the  evening  of  that  day  began  a  re- 
treat to  the  south. 

The  loss  of  General  Greene  in  this  battle  was  320  men  killed  and 
wounded,  while  the  British  killed  and  wounded  exceeded  600. 

General  Greene,  on  tlie  19th  day  of  March,  addressed  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Colonel  Camp})ell : 

"Headquarters,  March  19,  1781. 
"Sir, — Your  faithful  services  and  the  exertions  which  you  made 
to  second  the  efforts   of  the  Southern  army,   on  the   15th  inst., 


*Schenck's  North  Carolina,  1780-1781 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  357 

cJaim  m}^  warmest  thanlis.  It  would  be  ungenerous  not  to  ac- 
knowledge my  entire  approbation  of  your  conduct,  and  the  spirited 
and  manly  behavior  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  under  you.  Sensi- 
ble of  your  merit,  I  feel  a  pleasure  in  doing  justice  to  it.  Most 
of  the  riflemen  having  gone  home,  and  not  having  it  in  my  power 
to  make  up  another  command,  you  have  my  permission  to  return 
home  to  your  friends,  and  should  the  emergency  of  the  southern 
operations  require  your  further  exertions,  I  Avill  advertise  you. 

"I  am,  sir,  with  great  esteem,  your  most  humble  servant, 

"NATH'L  GEEENB. 

"CoToyrEL  Campbell." 

And  Colonel  Henry  Lee,  the  oi^cer  who  had  so  ingloriously  de- 
serted Colonel  Campbell  during  the  battle,  had  the  audacity  to  ad- 
dress tlie  following  letter  to  Colonel  Campbell: 

"March  17,  1781. 

"T  am  very  happy  in  informing  you  that  the  bravery  of  your  bat- 
talion, displayed  in  the  action  of  the  loth,  is  particularly  noticed 
by  the  General.  It  is  much  to  be  lamented  that  a  failure  took 
place  in  the  line  which  lost  the  day,  separated  us  from  the  main 
body  and  exposed  our  retreat.  I  hope  your  men  are  safe  and  that 
the  scattered  will  collect  again.  Be  pleased  to  favor  me  Avith  a 
return  of  your  loss,  and  prepare  your  men  for  a  second  battle. 

'^T  am,  most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"HE^RY  LEE,  Jun. 

"Colonel  Campbell.'"'' 

But,  notwithstanding  the  kind  words  spoken  and  many  urgent 
requests  made.  General  Campbell,  on  the  20th  of  the  month,  re- 
.-^i^emcd  bis  commission  and  returned  to  his  home,  declaring  he 
coidd  not  longer  serve  his  counti'y  in  the  army  with  honor;  and  ho 
would  not  serve  in  the  army  longer  where  Colonel  Lee  held  a  com- 
mission. 

Cornwallis,  while  he  succeeded  in  forcing  General  Greene  to  re- 
treat, was  realh^  the  loser  in  this  battle,  and  on  the  Sunday  fol- 
lowing, for  the  preservation  of  himself  and  army,  he  began  an  in- 
glorious retreat  that  terminated  at  Yorktown,  where  he  was  com- 
pelled, on  the  19th  day  of  October,  1781,  to  surrender  his  sword 
and  army  to  the  American  forces. 

Colonel  William  Campbell,  immediately  upon  his  return  to  his 


358  SonfJiwcst  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

liniiio.  announced  liimsolf  a  candidate  for  the  House  of  Delegates, 
to  whieli  position  he  was  elected  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1781. 
The  General  Assembly  met  in  Eichmond  in  May  of  that  year,  but 
were  forced  to  adjourn  tlieir  proceedings  first  to  Charlottesville  and 
afterwards  to  Staunton  to  prevent  capture  by  Colonel  Tarleton. 
On  the  1-lth  day  of  June  the  House  of  Delegates  appointed  Colo- 
U(^l  (*nn)p1)(>ll  a  l)rigadior-goncrnl  of  militia,  to  serve  under  Mi\r- 
quis  de  Lafayette,  \\lio  was  tlien  in  command  of  the  C*ontinental 
forces  in  Virginia. 

General  Campbell  immediately  ol)tained  a  leave  o-f  absence  and 
repaii-ed  to  the  army,  where  General  Lafayette  assigned  him  to 
the  conimand  of  the  Light  Infantry  and  Riflemen. 

General  Campbell  became  a  great  favorite  with  Lafayette,  who 
l^loced  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  his  judgment  and  ability.  Gen- 
eral Cauipbell  was  in  command  of  a  bi'igade  marching  in  the  di- 
rection of  Yorktown  through  Cumberland  county,  Virginia. 

*One  night  he  encam])ed  liis  men  near  the  residence  of  an  old 
English  parson  by  the  name  of  McEea,  who  had  been  drawing  his 
10,000  pounds  of  tobacco  for  many  years,  and  was  quite  wealthy. 
When  the  regiment  ])itched  their  tents  General  Campbell  went  a 
few  miles  to  spend  the  night  Avith  a  friend.  The  next  morning 
M'hen  he  returned,  his  officers  informed  him  that  old  McEae  had  been 
down,  and  said  all  he  could  to  discourage  the  soldiers.  He  had 
told  them  that  they  had  not  the  most  distant  idea  of  the  dangers 
they  were  al)out  to  encounter ;  that  Cornwallis  had  a  very  large  army, 
composed  of  the  finest  troops  that  had  ever  left  England,  and  it 
was  pei'fect  folly  to  think  of  encountering  them.  He  wound  up  by 
saying  that  they  were  going  to  a  slaughter-pen,  and  his  Lord  Corn- 
wallis would  slaughter  them  like  a  parcel  of  beeves.  As  soon  as 
Campbell  heard  this  ho  sent  three  of  his  soldiers  up  to  the  house  of 
McEea,  with  directions  to  tell  him  that  he  wished  to  see  him,  and 
if  he  refused  to  come  they  m-ust  bring  him  by  force.  McEea  soon 
arrived  at  the  camp.  Campbell  informed  him  that  he  had  during 
his  absence  said  all  that  could  have  been  said  to  discourage  his 
men,  that  lie  deserved  coriioral  punishmf^nt,  but  on  account  of  his 
old  age  he  would  not  inflict  that  on  him,  but  when  his  men  started 
he  would  show  him  how  his  men  and  the  rest  of  the  patriots  would 
serve  his  Lord  Cornwallis.    When  the  regiment  was  ready  to  start 


*Col.  John  Redd  MSS. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  359 

Campbell  commanded  McEea  to  lie  down  and  stretch  himself  out 
full  length  across  the  road.  As  soon  as  the  jiarson  was  stretched  out 
full  length  every  man  stepped  over  him.  Campbell  informed  him 
tliat  was  tbe  way  be  intended  to  serve  his  Lord  Cornwallis.  Tbu 
parson  left  our  gallant  general  in  such  an  ill  humor  that  I  am  afraid 
his  prayers  did  not  accompany  the  gallant  commander  of  the  regi- 
ment."* 

^^'hi]e  Lord  Cornwallis  was  encamped  at  Williamsburg  and  La- 
fayette was  six  miles  distant  towards  Eichmond,  Greneral  Camp- 
1)'>11,  who  was  in  command  of  a  brigade  of  light  troops  connected 
A\ith  Lafayette's  army,  posted  a  picket  guard  at  the  Three  Burnt 
ClrinmeyS'  about  midway  between  the  hostile  camps.  Upon  several 
occasions  the  enemy  sent  out  a  superior  body  of  horsemen  and  drove 
in  the  American  pickets.  Colonel  Campbell  saw  in  this  an  oppor- 
tunity to  strike  the  enemy  a  severe  blow,  and  on  the  following 
morning  he  posted  a  large  body  of  mounted  riflemen  with  himself 
at  their  head  in  a  grove  by  the  roadside,  a  short  distance  in  the 
rear  of  the  Burnt  Chimneys,  and,  as  usual,  the  pickets  were  posted 
at  the  Chimneys,  with  instructions  to  retire  on  the  approach  of  the 
Jh'itish  cavalry.  As  usual,  a  large  force  of  British  cavalry  was  sent 
to  dri\c  in  the  pickets,  and  in  doing  so  they  pursued  them  under 
v,]iip  and  spur,  but  when  they  reached  the  grove  they  met  with  an 
unexpected  reception.  Campbell's  riflemen  welcomed  them  with  a 
volley  of  rifle  balls,  which  killed  more  than  twenty  of  their  cavalry 
and  forty  of  their  horses.  It  is  useless  to  say  that  the  American 
pickets  were  not  again  disturbed. 

Soon  thereafter  General  Campbell  was  aftlicted  with  a  pain  in  his 
breast,  which  disabled  him,  when  he  was  conveyed  to  the  residence 
of  Colonel  John  Syme  at  Eocky  Mills,  Hanover  county,  where, 
after  a  few  days'  illness,  he  expired  on  August  22,  1781,  in  his 
thirty-sixth  year.  When  General  Lafayette  received  the  intelligence 
of  the  death  of  General  Campbell  he  issued  the  following  order : 

"The  general  has  no  douljt  that  the  army  will  unite  with  him  in 
regretting  General  Campbell's  death,  an  officer  whose  services  must 
have  endeared  him  to  every  citizen,  and  in  particular  to  every 
American  soldier.  The  glory  whicTi  General  Campbell  acquired  in 
the  affairs  of  King's  mountain  and  Guilford  Courthouse  does  his 


*John  Redd  MSS. 


3G0  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

memory  everlasting  honor  and  insures  him  a  high  rank  among  the 
defenders  of  liberty  in  the  American  cause. 

"The  general  wishes  it  had  been  possible  for  himself  and  the 
officers  of  the  army  to  ])ay  I'iin  those  lioiiors  to  whicli  his  rank,  bnt 
particularly  his  merit,  so  highly  entitled  him,  but  his  great  distance 
from  the  army  and  our  jiresent  situation  render  it  impossible. 

"The  lieutenant  of  tlie  county  will  assemble  a  corps  to  pay  mili- 
tary honors  to  the  deceased  general.  General  Stephens  is  re- 
(juested  to  name  a  deputation  of  four  field  officers,  and  will  im- 
mediately repair  to  Eocky  Mills,  aud.  in  the  name  of  the  army,  pay 
(rcneral  ('ampl)ell  their  last  I'espects." 

General  Campbell  was  buried  in  Hanover  county,  but  his  body 
was  afterwards  removed  to  Aspinvale,  his  home,  near  Seven-Mile 
Ford. 

The  settlements  on  the  Holston  were  now  being  constantly  as- 
sailed by  the  Indians.  Captain  Moses  Loony  was  captured  and  car- 
ried into  captivity,  where  he  remained  with  the  Indians  until  Au- 
gust of  this  year,  when  he  was  sent  by  them  to  inform  the  autlioi-i- 
ties  that  they  had  collected  all  the  prisoners  tliey  had  taken,  about 
fifty  in  number,  at  Chote,  and  were  ready  to  deliver  them  to  Colo- 
nel Martin;  also  that  the  Indian  chiefs  were  ready  to  attend  any- 
where, and  the  whole  nation  was  ready  to  make  peace. 

In  March  of  this  year  Colonels  John  Sevier  and  Isaac  Shelby 
undertook  an  expedition  against  ttie  Chickamogga  Indians,  and  in 
assist  in  this  undertaking  200  of  the  militia  of  Washingion  county 
joined  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby  and  marched  to  the  Big  Island  in  the 
Frencli  Broad  river,  where  the  troo|)s  wei-e  rendezvoused,  from 
which  ]>oint  they  marched  for  the  sources  of  the  Mobile  river,  and 
after  the  third  day  they  crossed  the  Tennessee  river  at  Scitico,  at 
which  point  they  held  a  council  with  the  friendly  Indians.  On  the 
(>th  day  they  encamped  on  the  Hiwassee  river,  and  on  the  7th  day 
tlii'y  crossed  the  river  and  passed  into  the  territory  of  the  hostile 
Indians,  ("olouel  Sevier,  with  his  forces,  marched  immediately 
against  V'ann's  Towns,  which  he  reduced  tO'  ashes,  and  thence  to 
Bull  Town,  at  the  head  of  Chickamogga  creek.  After  the  destruc- 
tion of  this  town  they  marched  to  the  Coosa  river,  where  they 
killed  a  white  man  by  the  name  of  Clements,  upon  whose  person 
was  found  papers  fi'om  which  it  was  ascertained  that  he  was  a  ser- 
geant in  the  British  army,  and  it  was  believed  that  he  instigated. 


WasJiington  Comity,  1777-1S70.  361 

the  Indians  in  their  depreciations  against  the  frontiers.  The  army 
then  proceeded  to  Spring  Frog  Town,  thence  up  the  Coosa  river  to 
Estanola,  an  Indian  town,  which  they  destroyed.  After  thus  de- 
stroying the  Indian  towns  and  killing  all  the  Indian  warriors  they 
could  find,  the  troops  returned  to  Chote,  where  a  council  was  held 
with  the  friendly  Indians,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  the  troops 
were  disbanded  and  returned  to  their  homes. 

This  may  be  said  to  be  the  last  expedition  against  the  Indians 
in  which  the  militia  of  Washington  county  in  any  numbers  parti- 
cipated. Washington  county  was  not  much  longer  to  be  considered 
a  portion  of  the  frontiers,  and  her  citizens  soldier}^  was  soon  to 
be  deprived  of  an  occupation  which  they  always  followed  with 
avidity — that  of  waging  war  against  the  Indians  and  Tories. 

In  April  of  this  year  a  party  of  Xorthward  Indians  came  into  the 
settlement  on  Clinch  and  killed  and  scalped  two  daughters  of  Cap- 
tain John  Maxwell's  and  took  nine  prisoners.  On  the  same  occa- 
sion they  visited  the  home  of  Captain  Eobert  Moffett  near  the 
Clinch  river.  Two  sons  of  Captain  Moffett's  being  at  a  sugar  camp 
near  their  home,  were  killed  and  scalped  by  the  Indians. 

Thomas  Inglis,  who  was  reared  at  Draper's  Meadows,  had,  with 
his  family,  some  time  previous  to  this  time,  settled  in  Burk's  Gar- 
den on  a  piece  of  land  that  had  been  patented  by  his  father,  William 
Inglis,  about  thirty  years  previously.  His  nearest  and  only  neigh- 
bor at  this  time  was  Joseph  Hix,  who  lived  about  two  miles  from 
his  home.  A  large  party  of  Indians  under  the  command  of  "Black 
Wolf,"  a  noted  Indian  warrior,  in  April  of  this  year  visited  Burk's 
Garden,  and  while  Inglis  was  out  on  his  farm  surrounded  his  house 
and  took  his  wife  and  three  children  and  a  negro  man  and  woman 
prisoners,  and,  after  loading  the  negroes  with  as  much  property 
as  they  could  carry,  they  burned  the  house.  Inglis,  observing  the 
size  of  the  party,  decided  to  make  his  way  to  the  nearest  settle- 
ment and  obtain  help.  He,  with  a  colored  man,  crossed  the  moun- 
tains to  the  settlement  in  the  Eich  Valley  (now  Smyth  county), 
and  arrived  at  that  point  at  a  very  opportune  time,  the  day  being 
the  muster  day  for  the  inilitia  of  the  community.  As  soon  as 
Inglis  gave  information  of  Avhat  had  occurred,  about  twenty  men 
volunteered  to  go.  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  and  immediately  be- 
gan the  march  for  Inglis'  home,  which  they  reached  tlie  next  morn- 
ins  about  daybreak,  to  find  nothing  but  a  heap  of  ashes  where  In- 


363  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

g]is'  house  had  formerly  stood.  Joseph  Hix,  Inglis'  neighbor,  dis- 
covering the  presence  of  tJie  Indians  in  the  coranmnity,  immedi- 
ately made  his  way  to  a  small  settlement,  about  six  miles  away, 
where  he  obtained  about  six  volunteers  and  returned  to  Burk's 
Garden  and  joined  tlie  forces  from  Eich  Valley.  Tl\p  company  thus 
composed  immediately  began  the  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  Captain 
James  Maxwell,  who  had  during  the  same  month  lost  two  of  his 
daughters  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  pursuers,  and,  after  five  days'  cautious  marching,  the  Indians 
were  discovered  in  camp  in  a  gap  of  Tug  mountain.  The  pursuers 
were  at  once  divided  into  two  companies.  Captain  Maxwell,  with 
about  one-half  the  number,  undertook  to  get  in  front  of  the  In- 
dians, while  Thomas  Inglis,  with  anotlier  party,  was  to  attack  them 
in  the  rear.  Captain  Maxwell  failed  to  get  in  a  position  to  attack 
the  Indians  by  daylight,  and  Inglis  and  his  party  attacked  them 
alono.  As  soon  as  a  shot  was  fired  the  Indians  began  to  tomahawk 
the  prisoners.  Thomas  Inglis  rushed  into  the  Indian  camp  and 
reached  the  side  of  his  wife.  At  that  moment  she  received  a  terri- 
ble blow  on  the  head  with  a  tomahawk  from  an  Indian,  and  in  fall- 
ing she  protected  the  infant  she  held  in  her  arms  by  covering  it. 
In  addition  to  Mrs.  Inglis'  injuries,  Mary  Inglis  and  William  Inglis, 
children  of  Thomas  Inglis,  were  scalped.  The  Indians,  in  making 
their  escape,  passed  near  Captain  IMaxwell  and  his  men,  upon  whom 
they  fired,  one  ball  striking  Captain  Maxwell  and  killing  him  in- 
stantly. He  wore  a  white  hunting  shirt,  and  was  a  good  target  for 
the  Indian  fire.  The  pursuers  encamped  upon  the  ground  for  the 
night,  and  proceeded  to  bury  Captain  Maxwell  and  William  Inglis, 
the  3'^oung  boy  who  died  from  his  wounds.  The  number  of  Indians 
killed  at  this  time  is  not  known. 

Maxwell's  Gap,  in  the  Tug  Eidge,  is  the  locality  of  this  occur- 
rence. Mary  Inglis,  the  little  girl,  died  a  few  days  after  the  skir- 
inisl),  but  Mrs.  Inglis  entirely  recovered  from  her  injuries. 

In  the  same  month  the  Indians  killed  a  man  on  Bluestone  and  a 
woman  at  Culberson's  Bottom,  on  'New  river.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  of  the  five  houses  visited  by  the  Indians  in  this  month 
four  l)elonged  to  militia  officers,  and  some  of  them  were  a  con- 
siderable distance  within  the  frontier  settlements;  from  which  fact 
it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Indians  were  prompted  and  led 
by  Tory  sympathizers  in  their  assaults  upon  the  frontiers. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  363 

Major  John  Taylor,  who  was  in  command  of  the  militia  on  the 
upper  waters  of  the  Clinch,  pursued  the  different  parties  of  invading 
Indians,  but  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  them,  and  Colonel  Pres- 
ton was  compelled,  for  the  protection  of  the  settlements,  to  direct 
Colonel  Joseph  Cloyd  to  call  out  the  militia  and  to  station  them  at 
"David  Doak's  Mill"  to  protect  the  settlements.  The  consternation 
produced  along  the  frontiers  from  Powell's  Valley  to  the  head  of 
the  Clinch  was  so  great  that  the  Governor  directed  Colonel  William 
Preston  to  assemble  the  field  oflBcers  of  Montgomery  and  Wash- 
ington counties  at  the  Lead  Mines  at  once  to  devise  ways  and  means 
to  protect  the  frontiers.  This  meeting  of  the  field  officers  took 
place  on  July  6,  1782,  on  which  day  the  following  proceedings  were 
had: 

At  a  meeting  of  the  field  officers  of  the  militia  of  Montgomery 
and  Washington  counties,  in  conformity  to  instructions  received 
from  Ilis  Excellency,  the  Governor,  etc.,  to  concert  and  settle  some 
proper  plan  for  the  defence  of  both  counties.    Present : 

Field  Officers  for  Montgomery  County. 
William  Preston,  Daniel  Trigg, 

Walter  Crockett,  John  Taylor> 

Joseph  Cloyd,  Abraham  Trigg. 

Field  Officers  for  Washington  County. 
Arthur  Campbell,  Aaron  Lewis, 

William  Edmiston,  James  Dysart,  and 

Major  Patrick  Lockhart,  District  Commissioner. 

It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  Board  of  Officers  that  the 
200  men  permitted  to  be  drawn  out  by  His  Excellency,  the  Governor, 
for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers  be  disposed  of  into  the  following 
districts,  namely,  on  New  river,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Captain 
Pearis,  30  men;  Sugar  Eun,  20;  Captain  Moore's,  head  of  Blue- 
stone,  25 ;  head  of  Clinch,  25  men. 

In  Washington,  at  Eichland,  20 ;  Castle's  Woods,  30 ;  Eye  Cove, 
20;  Powell's  Valley,  30  men.  The  extent  of  the  difi;erent  districts, 
from  Captain  Pearis's  to  Sugar  Eun,  10  miles ;  to  Captain  Moore's 
head  of  Bluestone,  30;  to  Captain  Maxwell's,  head  of  Clinch,  16 
miles,  which  is  nearest  the  Washington  line;  to  Eichland's,  24;  to 
Castle's  Woods,  30 ;  to  Eye  Cove,  28 ;  to  Powell's  Valley  Fort.  56 
miles,  in  all  164  miles. 


364  Southwest  Virginia,  171,6-1186. 

AVe  find  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  any  provision  for  the 
support  of  these  men  while  on  duty,  as  there  is  no  specific  tax 
brought  into  the  place  appointed  for  that  purpose  in  either  of  the 
counties ;  the  olTicers  have  therefore  recommended  Major  Lockhart, 
tlie  District  Commissioners, to  purchase  200  bushels  of  corn  in  ]\Iont- 
goinery  county,  at  the  most  convenient  places  where  the  militia  are 
to  do  duty,  at  three  shillings  a  bushel,  being  the  current  price,  and 
an  equal  quantity  in  the  county  of  Washington,  for  the  use  of  the 
troops,  etc.,  which  we  are  convinced  will  be  a  great  saving  to  the 
State,  as  the  transporting  from  Botetourt,  where  there  is  some 
belonging  to  the  public  on  hand,  to  the  several  districts  where  the 
militia  are  to  do  duty,  will  be  attended  with  very  great  expense,  the 
distance  being  from  GO  to  100  miles,  &c. 

As  objections  have  been  made  to  that  part  of  the  Governor's 
instructions  ordering  the  direction  of  the  militia  of  both  counties 
while  on  duty,  under  that  of  the  county-lieutenant  of  Montgomery, 
who  lives  upward  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  Powell's 
Valley  and  not  less  than  ninety  miles  from  Eichland  District,  in 
Washington,  which  renders  it  impossible  and  useless  for  him  to  havn 
these  men  under  his  directions,  for  which  reason  he  declined  that 
part  of  tlie  coinmand  :  Let  it  therefore  be  humbly  recommended  to 
His  Excellency  the  Governor,  to  alter  that  part  of  his  orders,  by 
giving  the  superintendence  of  the  troops  in  each  county  to  the  com- 
manding off.cer  of  the  same,  as  it  will  save  the  expense  of  a  field 
officer  being  on  duty,  which  otherwise  would  be  necessary,  and  the 
defense  of  the  frontier  will  in  all  probability  be  better  conducted. 

The  Board  of  Officers  are  unanimously  of  opinion  that  the  coun- 
ties of  IMontgomery  and  Washington  will  provide  the  number  of  men 
ordered  for  tlieir  defense,  without  calling  on  any  of  the  neig1iI)oring 
counties  for  assistance,  unless  there  is  a  real  reason  for  doing  so  in 
some  emergency  or  on  the  approach  of  a  large  body  of  the  enemy. 

They  also  beg  leave  to  suggest  that  the  usual  manner  the  Indians 
conduct  their  attacks  on  our  settlements  makes  it  necessary  that  a 
proper  number  of  scouts  be  employed  in  each  district  to  discover 
their  approaches,  for  which  reason  it  had  induced  the  officers  to 
direct  that  two  be  employed  in  each  district  for  the  iuimediate 
safety  of  the  inhabitants. 

Pursuant  to  the  recommendation  thus  made  by  tlie  field  officers 
of  the  two  counties,  the  number  of  militia  recommended  were  sta- 


Washinglon  County,  ]777-1870.  365 

tioned  at  the  places  designated,  and  all  placed  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  of  Washington  count}'. 

About  this  time  the  frontier  settlement  in  Powell's  Valley  was 
much  harassed  b}'  small  parties  of  Cherokee  Indians  from  the 
Chickamogga  towns,  who,  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  killed  two 
men,  and  had  almost  ruined  the  inhabitants  by  destroying  or  car- 
rying off  their  stock.  Captain  Samuel  Newell,  who  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  militia  in  that  locality,  pursued  the  Indians  on  several 
occasions,  and  at  one  time  had  the  good  luck  to  overtake  two  of 
their  parties,  one  about  forty-five  miles  above  the  Cuttawa  or  Cum- 
berland Gap,  and  firing  upon  them  in  camp,  wounded  some  and 
retook  everything.  The  other  party  was  overtaken  when  asleep; 
when  one  was  killed  and  another  wounded,  and  the  rest  of  the  party 
were  forced  to  make  their  way  home  naked. 

About  this  time,  as  two  friendly  Indians  were  coming  up  tlie  Hols- 
ton  river,  with  a  canoe  loaded  with  skins  for  Colonel  Joseph  Mar- 
tin at  Long  Island,  they  were  killed  by  two  of  the  settlers,  who, 
in  attempting  to  dispose  of  their  skins,  were  detected,  but  the 
inhabitants  in  the  community  of  Long  Island  would  not  permit  tlio 
criminals  to  be  brought  to  justice,  alleging  against  the  Indians  in 
general  the  late  depreciations  on  the  frontiers. 

In  the  year  1781,  a  company  of  eleven  Indians  visited  the  home 
of  a  Mr.  Hamblin,  on  Clinch  river,  near  Castle's  Woods.  Mrs.  Ham- 
blin,  who  was  at  home,  barred  the  doors  to  her  house  and  defended 
it  against  the  attack  of  the  Indians  with  an  old  musket-gun  that 
would  not  fire.  But  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1782,  the  Indians 
returned  to  her  home,  at  which  time  they  succeeded  in  killing  and 
scalping  Mrs.  Hamblin  and  all  her  children  except  one,  a  little 
boy,  whom  they  carried  a  prisoner  into  Canada. 

In  July  of  this  year,  Oconostato,  who  was  the  principal  chief  of 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  resigned  his  authority  to  his  son,  an  Indian 
chief  by  the  name  of  Tuckasee,  and  the  frontier  settlements  had 
great  hope  of  peace.  On  the  26th  day  of  July,  Ellis  Harland,  a 
noted  Indian  trader,  returned  from  the  Chickamogga  Indians  with 
the  information  that  they  desired  peace,  and  that  they  were  to  set  out 
for  Chote  with  all  their  prisoners,  the  day  he  left  them ;  and,  in  a 
few  days  thereafter,  Springstone,  an  Indian  trader,  brought  to  the 
settlements  two  prisoners,  one  a  woman  taken  from  Green  river 
in  Kentucky,  her  name  being  Stanley,  the  other  a  boy  about  ten 


3G6  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

years  old,  a  son  of  Thomas  Steward,  wlio  was  killed  going  down  the 
river  with  Colonel  Donaldson,  when  on  his  way  to  Cumberland. 

But,  notwithstanding  these  professions  of  peace,  a  party  of  north- 
ward Indians  penetrated  this  county  in  the  month  of  August  and 
killed  two  men:  and  on  the  11th  day  of  September,  1782,  a  party  of 
northward  Indians  came  as  far  as  the  settlement  on  the  head  of  the 
Moccasin  creek,  within  twelve  miles  of  Abingdon,  and  attacked  a 
family  of  fourteen  persons,  killing  the  husband  on  the  spot,  cap- 
turing the  wife  and  six  little  children,  three  of  whom  were  shortly 
afterward  inhumanly  murdered.  One  of  the  three,  a  young  woman, 
survived  the  blows  received  from  the  Indians  long  enough  to  tell 
the  tragic  tale.  Two,  the  wife  and  one  child,  made  their  escape 
the  first  day  and  night. 

A  considerable  booty  in  horses  was  carried  off  by  the  Indians. 
When  news  of  this  invasion  reached  the  settlement,  the  militia  on 
duty,  wath  perseverance  in  pursuing  through  a  most  rugged  and 
difficult  way,  overtook  the  Indians  and  wounded  several  of  them,  on 
McClure,  in  Buchanan  county,  Virginia,  and  recovered  unhurt  the 
wife  and  child,  with  the  Indian  baggage  and  all  the  plunder  they 
had  taken. 

In  September  of  this  year,  the  Chickamogga  Indians  met  Colonel 
Joseph  Martin,  at  che  Indian  town,  Chote,  and  delivered  to  him  all 
tlie  white  prisoners  in  their  possession?  except  three,  whom  they 
coidd  not  possibly  get  to  the  Indian  town  by  the  time  appointed  ;  and 
Colonel  ]\lartin,  in  addressing  Colonel  Campbell  in  regard  to  this 
subject,  said:  "1  believe  that  never  people  were  more  desirous  of 
peace  than  the  Cherokees." 

Notwithstanding  the  disposition  of  the  Cherokees,  and  their  efforts 
to  bring  about  peace,  their  warriors  were  being  constantly  persuaded 
by  the  Tories,  residing  in  their  nations,  to  commit  depredations 
upon  the  frontier  settlements,  and,  during  this  year,  in  Kentucky 
county  alone,  eighty-five  people  were  killed  and  scalped  by  the 
Indians.  Colonel  Campbell  in  the  fall  of  this  year,  in  a  letter 
addressed  to  a  Virginia  official,  said:  "What  if  it  should  be  the 
policy  of  the  British  ministry  to  drive  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Appalachian  mountains  all  the  settlers,  before  the  signing  of  the  pre- 
liminaries of  peace?"  and,  in  the  same  letter,  he  advised  a  strong 
expedition  against  the  northward  Indians,  and  declared  that  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  367 

state  of  our  western  affairs  calls  for  the  united  wisdom  and  most 
serious  attention  of  the  Executive.' 

While  the  Continental  army,  with  the  assistance  of  the  regular 
quota  of  troops  from  the  Tranalleghany  settlements,  were  repelling 
the  attacks  of  the  British  and  winning  the  liberty  of  our  country, 
the  frontiersmen  of  Western  Viriginia  and  North  Carolina  were 
winning  the  great  West  and  were  repelling  the  assaults  of  the  Brit- 
ish and  their  Indian  allies. 

On  Christmas  day,  1782,  a  party  of  Indians  attacked  the  house  of 
John  Inglis,  on  Clinch  river>  and  scalped  and  otherwise  grievously 
wounded  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Cox,  whom  they  overtook  in 
a  field,  and  two  days  thereafter,  near  the  head  of  Sandy  river,  this 
same  company  of  Indians  overtook  three  himters,  two  of  whom  they 
killed. 

Early  in  the  year  1783,  about  twelve  years  after  the  first  settle- 
ment at  Castle's  Woods,  a  party  of  northward  Indians  invaded  the 
settlement  and  attacked  the  fort  at  Hamblin's  IMill. 

This  fort  was  erected  by  Henry  Hamblin,  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers in  that  section,  in  the  year  1776,  with  the  assistance  of  Henry 
Dickinson,  Charles  Bickley,  William  Robertson,  William  Russell, 
Patrick  Porter,  Henry  Neece,  William  Wharton,  Humphrey  Dick- 
inson, Frederick  Fryley,  James  Bush,  Archelas  Dickinson,  Samuel 
Ritchie,  Jerry  Harrold,  Richard  and  William  Long  and  William 
Bowlin,  the  first  settlers  in  that  section. 

The  home  of  Henry  Hamblin  had,  previously  to  this  time,  been 
twice  invaded  by  the  Indians,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1782, 
liis  entire  family,  with  the  exception  of  a  little  boy,  who  was  carried 
into  captivity,  were  killed  and  scalped,  and  now  this  fort  was 
again  assailed  by  a  company  of  Indians  numbering  seventeen. 

The  Indians  first  ajipoared  in  the  community  at  the  house  of 
...-Joseph  Ray,  whom  they  killed  and  scalped  along  with  several  of  his 
family  and  a  neighlwr  by  the  name  of  Samuel  Hughes,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  at  Ray's  house  at  the  time;  besides  killing  these  per- 
sons they  made  several  others  ]irisoners  before  they  reached  the  fort. 
As  they  approached  the  fort  they  met  a  young  woman  by  the  name 
of  Ann  Neeee,  whom  they  tomahawked  and  scalped  and  left  for 
dead.  "They  then  approached  the  fort  and  were  discovered  by 
Simon  Oscher,  Henry  Dickenson  and  Charles  Bickley,  whO'  hap- 
pened to  be  working  at  a  mill  near  by.    The  Indians  observing  them 


368  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

about  the  same  time  and  the  white  men  being  unarmed,  their  sit- 
uation was  a  fearful  one.  It  was  now  to  be  a  struggle  which  party 
should  get  to  the  fort  first.  Charles  Bickley  remarked,  "Boys,  follow 
me,"  and  they  all  started  for  the  fort  at  full  speed,  the  Indians  halt- 
ing to  fire  upon  them.  They  got  safely  into  the  fort  through  a 
shower  of  balls,  without  receiving  a  scratch,  thus  literally  running 
the  gauntlet.  There  were  but  two  gims  in  the  fort,  and  with  these 
Ocsher  and  Dickenson,  each,  killed  an  Indian.  The  balance  of  the 
savages  knowing  nothing  of  the  strength  of  the  fort,  and  their  guns 
being  empty,  hastily  picked  up  their  fallen  companions  and  fled 
into  the  woods.  Meeting  with  a  colored  man  who  was  hunting  sheep, 
and  who  belonged  to  Henry  Dickenson,  they  captured  him  and  he 
was  never  heard  of  afterwards. 

Some  hours  after  their  departure,  and  while  there  were  still  appre- 
hensions of  their  return  by  the  few  persons  in  the  fort,  Ann  Neeeo 
was  seen  slowly  approaching,  as  bloody  as  if  she  had  been  dipped  in 
a  pool  of  gore,  with  streams  jetting  from  her  head  apparently  as 
numerous  as  had  been  the  hairs  of  her  head  before  she  was  scalped, 
each  jet  about  the  size  of  a  hair.  She  recovered,  married  and  raised 
a  family,  and  some  of  her  descendants  are  still  living  in  Eussell 
county."* 

Colonel  Daniel  Smith,  upon  hearing  of  this  invasion,  gathered 
a  number  of  men  and  marched  to  Hamblin's  Mill,  expecting  to  pur- 
sue the  Indians,  but  when  he  arrived  upon  the  scene,  he  ascertained 
that  a  party  of  fifteen  men  had  some  time  prior  to  that  time  pursued 
the  enemy. 

On  the  21st  day  of  March  of  the  same  year,  notwithstanding  every 
precaution  had  been  taken  by  the  militia  officers  to  protect  the  peo- 
ple, a  party  of  Indians  had  gotten  in,  undiscovered  by  the  inhab- 
itants of  Clinch  and  Blue  Lick,  to  Walker's  creek,  where  they  killed 
one  man  and  took  his  wife  and  two  children  and  two  children  of  a 
widow  prisoners.  Two  days  thereafter  a  man  was  killed  on  Blue- 
stone  by  the  Indians.  The  Indians  who  made  this  raid  were  imme- 
diately pursued  by  experienced  woodsmen,  but  were  not  overtaken. 

The  locality  of  this  Indian  raid  on  Walker's  creek  is  in  Bland 
county,  and  the  family  whose  head  was  killed  and  whose  wife  and 
children  were  carried  into  captivity,  was  named  White.  The  fol- 
lowing incident  connected  with  the  subsequent  history  of  one  of  the 

*Charles  B.  Coale. 


WasUngion  County,  1777-1870.  369 

children  captured  by  the  Indians  that  day  and  carried  into  cap- 
tivity, is  preserved : 

"A  number  of  years  after,  during  one  of  the  expeditions  by  Gren- 
eral  Clarke  to  quell  the  Indians  in  Kentuckj^,  he  had  encamped  on 
the  banks  of  tlie  Ohio,  awaiting  the  return  of  the  scouts  who  had 
been  sent  out  to  reconnoitre.  One  of  his  men  by  the  name  of  White, 
from  Wahvoi'^s  creek,  and  l)r()t]ier  of  the  boy  that  had  been  stolen,  was 
out  a  short  distance  from  camp  in  search  of  game,  when  he  saw 
a  solitary  Indian  sitting  on  a  log  mending  his  moccasins.  His  first 
impulse  was  to  shoot  him,  as  all  tlie  Indians  in  that  region  were 
hostile,  but  fearing  the  report  of  his  gun  might  start  up  a  score  of 
red  skins  in  the  vicinity,  and  as  the  back  of  the  savage  was  towards 
liim.  he  concluded  to  approach  stealthily,  and  capture  him  alive.  He 
did  so  and  took  him  into  camp.  From  his  hair  and  other  indica- 
tions, they  su])])osed  him  to  be  a  white  man,  and  after  com- 
pelling hinf  to  scrub  the  paint  off,  their  suspicions  were  confirmed. 
They  subsequently  learned  through  an  interpreter,  as  the  capti-ve 
had  forgotten  his  native  language,  that  his  name  was  White,  and 
that  he  had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians  from  his  home  in  Virginia, 
when  a  child.  He  eventually  proved  to  be  the  brother  of  the  man 
who  captured  him  and  came  so  near  taking  his  life. 

"The  brothers  lived  many  years,  settled  in  Kentucky,  and  he  wlio 
had  been  so  many  years  among  the  Indians  was  a  delegate  in  the 
Legislature  in  the  early  organization  of  the  State"* 

During  the  summer  of  1780,  Colonel  William  Campbell  was 
recommended  by  the  county  court  and  commissioned  by  the  Gover- 
nor as  Sheriff  of  Washington  county,  which  office  he  declined,  where- 
upon Daniel  Smith  was  recommended  and  commissioned  as  Sheriff, 
which  office  he  accepted,  and  named  John  Yancey  and  Matthew 
Willoughby,  as  deputy  sheriffs  of  the  county. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1781,  the  militia  of  Washington  county 
was  reorganized  and  divided  into  two  battalions,  which  battalions 
were  officered  as  follows :  First  battalion.  Colonel,  Walliam  Camp- 
bell; Lieutenant- Colon  el,  William  Edmiston;  Major,  Aaron  Lewis. 
Second  battalion.  Colonel,  Daniel  Smith ;  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
Joseph  Martin;  Major,  Thomas  Mastin. 

The  first  battalion  was  composed  of  the  militia  south  of  the 
Clinch  mountain,  and  the  second  battalion  of  officers  and  men  north 


*Charles  B.  Coale. 


370  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

of  Clinch  mountain;  which  arrangements  continued  without  inter- 
ference until  the  spring  of  1782,  some  time  after  the  death  of  Gen- 
eral William  Campbell,  when  the  officers  of  the  first  battalion  were 
us  follows:  Colonel,  William  Edmiston;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Aaron 
Lewis;  Major,  James  Dysart,  and  this  arrangement  continued  until 
the  end  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1781,  a  number  of  gentlemen  qualified 
as  deputies  to  Robert  Preston,  surveyor  of  Washington  county,  tlieir 
names  being:  David  Carson,  Walter  Preston,  Andrew  Lewis,  Charles 
Campbell  and  Benjamin  Sharp. 

Previously  to  the  year  1781,  it  seems  that  the  ministers  of  the  dis- 
senting churches  were  not  authorized  by  law  to  perform  the  rite  of 
matrimony  between  any  of  the  citizens  of  the  Commonwealth,  and, 
if  they  did  so,  considerable  doubt  was  expressed  as  to  the  legality  of 
the  marriage.  It  was  necessary  that  the  marriage  ceremony,  to  be 
legal,  should  be  performed  by  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  that  minister,  in  this  portion  of  Virginia,  was  the  Rev.  Adam 
Smyth,  who  lived  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia. 

I  cannot -ascertain  whether  our  early  settlers  were  united  in  mar- 
riage according  to  the  prescribed  method,  or  whether  they  were 
united  by  the  dissenting  ministers,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  situ- 
ation was  such  that  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  at  its  Octo- 
ber session,  1780,  enacted  a  law  declaring  what  should  be  consid- 
ered a  lawful  marriage.  The  preamble  to  this  act  declares  its  object 
to  be  to  encourage  marriages  and  for  removing  doubts  concerning 
the  validity  of  marriages  celebrated  by  ministers,  other  than  those 
of  the  Church  of  England.  By  the  act  in  question  it  was  declared 
that  it  should  be  lawful  for  any  minister  of  any  congregation  to 
celebrate  the  rite  of  matrimony  according  to  the  usage  of  the  con- 
gregation to  which  the  parties  to  be  married  respectively  belonged, 
and  declared  such  marriage,  as  well  as  those  theretofore  celebrated, 
to  be  good  and  valid  in  law.  But  the  act  provided  that  no  person 
should  be  married  without  lawful  license  first  had  or  thrice  pub- 
lication of  bans  in  the  respective  congregations  in  which  the  parties 
to  be  married  severally  resided,  and  the  fee  of  the  minister  was 
fixed  at  twenty-five  pounds  of  tobacco,  and  no  more.  The  minister 
was  required  to  make  a  certificate  of  the  fact  of  marriage  and  return 
it  to  the  court,  there  to  be  recorded  by  the  clerk. 

This  same  act  provided  that  the  courts  of  the  different  coun- 


WasUtigton  County,  1777-1870.  371 

ties  shall,  and  are  hereby  authorized,  on  recommendation  of  the  eld- 
ers of  the  several  religious  sects,  to  grant  license  to  dissenting  min- 
isters of  the  gospel,  not  exceeding  the  number  of  four  of  each  sect 
in  an}^  one  county,  to  join  together  in  holy  matrimony,  any  persons 
within  their  counties  only,  which  license  shall  be  signed  by  the 
judge,  or  elder  magistrate  imder  his  hand  and  seal. 

Pursuant  to  this  act,  the  following  ministers  of  dissenting  con- 
gregations were  granted  license  in  tliis  county: 

Eev,  Charles  Cummings,  Presbyterian, 

Eev.  Thomas  Woolsey'  Baptist, 

Eev.  Simon  Cockrell,  Baptist, 

Eev.  Joseph  Ehea,  Presbyterian, 

Eev.  Ebenezer  Brooks, 

Eev.  Timothy  Burgess,  Baptist, 

Eev.  Thomas  Brown  Craighead,  Presbyterian, 

Eev.  John  Frost,  Baptist, 

Eev.  Jacob  Snyder,  Eeg.  Eeformed. 

At  the  June  term  of  the  county  court  of  this  county,  the  follow- 
ing orders  were  entered : 

"Ordered  that  Francis  Beattie  and  Jonas  Smith  view  the  way  for 
a  road  from  near  the  junction  of  a  path  that  now  goes  by  the 
Ebbing  Spring  Meeting-House,  and  mark  the  said  road,  with  blazes, 
and  that  Francis  Beattie  be  the  overseer  of  said  road." 

"On  motion  of  Ann  Meek,  leave  is  granted  her  to  keep  an  ordi- 
nary at  her  own  house-  she  giving  bond  and  security  according  to 
law." 

"Ordered  that  Adam  Hope  have  leave  to  build  a  mill  on  his  own 
land." 

And  at  the  August  term,  1781,  tJie  folowing  order  was  entered: 

"Ordered  that  John  Yancy  have  a  bar,  clerk's  seat,  sheriff's  box, 
the  upper  floor  laid,  one  pair  of  stairs,  three  windows  and  shutters, 
for  the  courthouse,  and  prepare  the  prison  and  finish  the  stocks." 

And  at  the  March  term,  1782,  the  following  orders  were  entered: 

"Ordered  that  two  sixpence  be  levied  on  each  tithable  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  a  wagon  for  the  use  of  the  United  States." 

At  this  time  there  existed  a  controversy  between  the  citizens  of 
Washington  and  Montgomery  counties,  as  to  the  true  location  of  the 
dividing  line  between  the  counties,  and  at  the  May  term,  1783,  the 
county  court  of  this  county,  agreed  with  the  court  of  Montgomery 


373  Suuthiccst  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

eouiitv  to  the  ii])|)oi]iliiu'iit  of  Iliigli  Fulton  to  run  the  line  divid- 
ino-  the  two  counties,  Avhieli  he  did  and  made  his  report  on  the  Gth 
day  of  May-  ITSo.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  courses,  dis- 
tances and  houndaries  betAveen  the  counties  of  Washington  and 
Montgomery,  as  fixed  by  this  report: 

"Beginning  at  a  white  walnut  and  buckeye  at  the  ford  of  Hol- 
ston  next  above  the  Royal  Oak,  and  runneth  thence — N.  31  W.  over 
Brushy  mountain,  one  creek.  Walker's  mountain  north  fork  of  Hol- 
ston,  Locust  cove,  Little  mountain,  Poor  Valley  creek.  Clinch  moun- 
tain, and  the  south  fork  of  Clinch  to  a  double  and.  single  sugar  trees 
and  two  buckeye  saplings  on  Bare  grass  hill,  the  west  end  of  Mor- 
ris' knob,,  fifteen  miles  and  three  quarters.  Thence  from  said  Imob 
north  crossing  the  spurs  of  the  vsame,  and  Paint  Lick  mountain  the 
north  fork  of  Clinch  by  John  Hines'  plantation,  and  over  the  river 
ridge  by  James  Poark's  in  the  Baptist  Valley,  to  a  sugar  tree  and 
two  white  oaks  on  the  head  of  Sandy  five  miles,  one  quarter — twenty 
poles. 

"The  beginning  at  said  walnut  and  buckeye  above  the  Royal  Oak, 
and  running  south,  crossing  the  middle  fork  of  Holston,  Campbell's 
mill  creek,  three  mountains,  the  south  fork  of  Holston  above  Jones* 
mill,  his  mill  creek,  four  mountains,  Fox  creek  to  six  white  pines  on 
the  top  of  Iron  mountain  by  a  laurel  thicket,  eleven  miles,  three 
quarters  and  sixty  poles. 

"The  distance  of  said  line  from  the  head  of  Sandy  to  the  top  of  the 
Iron  mountain  is  thirty-three  miles. 

"Executed  and  returned.  May  th.e  6th,  1783. 

"HUGH  FULTOT^." 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1783  there  was  a  requisition  upon  the 
county  lieutenant  of  Washington  county  for  a  troop  of  horse,  which 
troop  Avas  raised,  and  by  order  of  the  county  court  entered  at  the 
March  term,  1783.  Robert  Campbell,  William  Dryden  and  Robert 
Kennedy  were  appointed  officers  of  said  company. 

In  the  early  days  of  our  history,  when  any  one  of  our  citizens  was 
sued  for  debt,  he  was  arrested  by  the  sheriff  and  required  to  give 
good  security  or  go  to  jail,  and  it  must  be  very  interesting  to  the 
reader  of  the  present  day  to  understand  the  obligation  that  a  secu- 
rity assumed  at  that  day,  and  we  give  the  following  order  for  the 
information  of  the  reader. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  373 

In  the  suit  of  William  Houston  vs.  Thomas  Smith,  for  a  debt  the 
following  order  was  entered  on  the  19th  day  of  September,  1782: 

"Abraham  Fulkerson  of  this  county  came  into  court,  and  under- 
takes for  the  defendant,  that  in  case  he  shall  be  cast  in  this  suit, 
he  shall  satisfy  and  pay  the  condemnation  of  the  court  or  render 
his  body  to  prison  in  execution  for  the  same,  or  that  he,  the  said 
Abraham  Fulkerson,  will  do  it  for  him." 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  by  an  Act  passed  in  the  year 
17S1,  permitted  certain  citizens  of  the  Commonwealth  to  pay  their 
taxes  in  such  stock  and  provisions  as  could  be  used  by  the  Conti- 
nental army,  and  in  April  of  the  year  1783  John  Campbell  was 
appointed  a  commissioner  to  receive  these  commutable  articles  at 
the  to-\vn  of  Abingdon.  At  the  same  term  of  the  court  a  gentle- 
man qualified  to  practice  law,  who  afterwards  became  distinguished 
in  the  history  of  Kentucky,  the  Honorable  John  Brown. 

Tn  the  early  days  of  the  history  of  this  county,  it  was  customary 
for  the  overseers  of  the  poor  to  apprentice  the  poor  orphan  children 
of  the  county,  aud  the  order  of  the  court  authorizing  such,  is  clearly 
shown  by  an  order  entered  at  the  May  term,  1783,  in  the  county 
court  of  this  county,  which  is  as  follows : 

"Ordered  that  James  Stuart,  an  orphan  child  of  Elizabeth  Baker, 
be  boiuid  to  John  Creenway  for  the  term  of  seven  years  to  learn  the 
art  and  mystery  of  blacksmith  and  cutler,  during  which  time  he  is 
to  learn  him,  the  said  Stuart,  to  read  and  write  and  the  five  com- 
mon rules  of  arithmetic,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship 
he  is  to  give  him  a  good  suit  of  clothes,  and  to  get  part  of  his  learn- 
ing in  the  three  last  years  of  his  time." 

The  members  of  our  county  court  in  those  early  days  detested 
the  law-breaker  and  never  failed  to  impose  upon  the  guilty  the 
punishment  prescribed  by  law,  and  their  orders  indicate  that  they 
insisted  upon  a  speedy  execution  of  their  judgments. 

The  following  order  was  entered  by  the  court  on  the  15th  day  of 
July,  1783,  upon  the  trial  of  a  citizen  of  the  coimty: 

"This  day  came  as  M'ell  the  attorney  for  the  Commonwealth  as  the 
ra^'d  defemdantl,  whereupon,  Mary  Henderson  wavs  sworn  and 
examined,  and  the  defendant  heard  in  his  own  defence,  on  consid- 
eration whereof,  it  is  ordered  that  the  said  defendant  pay  ten  pounds 
in  half  an  hour,  or  receive  twenty  lashes  on  his  bare  back  well  laid 
on,  at  the  common  whipping  post,  &c." 

The  Continental  Congress  of  the  United  Colonies  received  from 


374 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J/0-17S6. 


the  British  govoi-nnicnt,  early  in  the  fall  of  1783,  a  proposal  for 
peace,  and  provisional  articles  were  signed  at  Paris  on  the  13th  day 
of  November,  1783.  A  proclamation  declaring  a  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities ^A'as  published  by  the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia 
on  the  7th  day  of  April,  1783,  and  by  the  Governor  of  Virginia 
on  the  31st  day  of  April,  1783;  and  a  permanent  treaty  of  peace 


AVhipping  Post. 

was  conchided  on  the  19th  of  April  thereafter,  by  which  treaty  the 
independence  of  the  colonies  was  recognized. 

Onr  people  had  demonstrated  to  the  world  that  they  were  patriots 
and  worthy  of  their  independence.  They  were  now  to  demonstrate 
to  the  world  that  they  were  capable  of  forming  a  national  character 
and  that  they  were  worthy  of  the  lilessings  of  liberty. 

The  Continental  Congress  of  the  United  Colonies,  by  a  proclama- 
tion at  a  meeting  on  the  18th  day  of  October,  1783,  recommended 
to  all  the  people  of  the  colonies  the  celebration  of  the  3d  day  of 


Washington  County,  1711-1810.  375 

December,  1783,  as  a  clay  of  public  tbanksgiving,  in  token  of  their 
gratitude  to  Almighty  God  for  their  deliverance  and  independence, 
and  pursuant  thereto,  the  people  of  the  colonies  celebrated  the  day 
in  an  appropriate  manner. 

For  some  cause  that  I  cannot  now  explain,  William  Edmiston, 
who  was  commissioned  sheriff  of  Washington  county,  in  the  year 
1782,  refused  to  give  security  for  the  collection  of  the  tax  as  directed 
by  law,  but  he  seemed  to  have  been  permitted  to  execute  the  duties 
of  the  office  during  the  year  and  until  the  16tli  of  March,  1781,  on 
which  day,  James  Dysart  produced  the  Governor's  commission  bear- 
ing date  the  8th  day  of  December,  1783,  :ap])ointing  him  sheriff  of 
Washington  county,  and  took  the  oath  of  office,  naming  Alexander 
Donaldson,  James  Craig,  Christopher  Acklin  and  Joseph  Snodgrass, 
deputy  sheriffs,  all  of  whom  took  the  oath  of  office.  At  the  same 
time  the  court  required  the  sheriff  to  give  security  for  the  collection 
of  the  public  tax  for  the  year  1783,  which  security  he  refused  to 
give,  whereupon  the  court  directed  that  the  clerk  certify  this  fact 
to  the  Governor,  along  with  the  names  of  the  two  next  oldest  magis- 
trates in  the  commission  of  peace  and  who  had  not  yet  been  com- 
missioned sheriff',  whereupon,  the  clerk,  complying  with  the  order  of 
the  court,  certified  to  the  Governor,  the  names  of  John  Kinkead  and 
James  Montgomery,  whereupon  James  Dysart  excepted  to  the  action 
of  the  court,  by  his  counsel,  John  BroAra,  and  gave  the  following 
reasons  for  his  non-compliance,  to-wit : 

"That  he  did  not  receive  his'  commission  until  some  time  in  Feb- 
ruary, and  no  court  being  held  imtil  the  present  date  it  was  utterly 
out  of  his  power  to  comply  with  the  law  in  making  the  collection 
for  the  yea?  1783;  that  he  is  ready  and  will  exert  himself,  if  con- 
tinued in  office,  to  make  the  collection  for  the  present  year  in  which 
he  received  his  commission,  and  would  willingly  undertake  to  col- 
lect arrears,  if  sufficient  time  would  be  given  by  amendment  of  the 
revenue  law  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly;  that  he  humbly 
conceives  that  neither  the  letter  nor  the  spirit  of  the  law  can  operate 
so  against  him  as  to  deprive  him  of  his  right  secured  by  the  constitu- 
tion, the  authority  of  which  he  trusts  will  always  be  deemed  para- 
mount to  any  particular  act." 

The  order  of  the  court  recommending  John  Kinkead  and  James 
Montgomery  for  the  position  of  sheriff  for  the  county  is  as  follows : 

"Ordered  that  John  Kinkead  and  James  Montgomery  be  recom- 


:i76  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

mended  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor  as  fit  and  cajiable  persons 
for  sheriff  of  Washington  county,  also,  that  Joseph  Martin  stands 
first  in  the  commission  of  the  peace,  but  he  being  a  senator  for  Sul- 
livan county  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  we  leave  it  to  the 
Executive  to  judge  right." 

Notwithstanding  the  protest  of  Captain  Uysart,  he  lost  his  posi- 
tion, and  the  Governor,  on  the  5th  day  of  June,  1784,  commis- 
sioned John  Kinkead,  but  he,  in  turn,  failed  and  refused  to  give 
tlie  liond  required  by  law,  whereupon,  the  county  court  of  this  county 
recommended  James  Montgomery  and  Thouias  Mastin,  as  fit  and 
capable  persons  for  sheriffof  the  county,  and  James  Montgomery 
was  commissioned  as  such,  and  gave  the  bond  required  by  law,  on 
the  18th  day  of  January,   1785. 

When  Montgomery  assumed  the  duties  of  this  position,  the  peo- 
ple of  Washington  county  had  not  paid  their  taxes  for  three  years. 
While  the  reason  is  not  known,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  from  other  facts 
that  are  known,  that  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  induced  Edmiston, 
Dysart  and  Kinkead  to  refuse  to  give  the  security  for  the  collec- 
tion of  the  taxes,  and  that  he  prompted  the  people  in  their  refusal  to 
pay  their  taxes. 

Archibald  Scott  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  quiet  and  beau- 
tiful little  valley  that  nestles  between  Powell's  mountain  and 
Wallen's  ridge  in  Lee  county,  along  which  Wallen's  creek  winds 
its  noisy  and  meandering  way,  and  which  is  now  the  home  of  so 
many  happpy  and  prosperous  families.  This  little  valley  was 
sejected  by  the  first  settlers  for  its  fertility,  its  water  facilities,  its 
superior  range,  romantic  surroimdings  and  remoteness  from  the 
usual  route  of  predatory  bands  of  Indians,  who,  at  that  day,  occa- 
sionally left  their  toAvns  beyond  the  Ohio  to  prey  upon  the  scattered 
settlers  on  the  Holston.  Mr.  Scott  had  married  Miss  Fannie  Dicken- 
son, of  Eussell  county,  many  of  whose  relatives  are  still  living  there. 
Being  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  brave  and  hardy  pioneers  of  Castle's 
Woods,  she  had  been  reared  among  the  dangers  and  excitements  of 
frontier  life,  and  hence  was  a  companion  upon  whose  coolness  and 
fortitude  her  fearless  and  enterprising  husband  coidd  depend  in  their 
new  home  on  the  verge  of  civilization.  They  removed  to  it  in  1783 
just  five  years  after  Daniel  Boone  had  passed  along  the  same  trace 
with  his  family  on  their  way  to  the  wilderness  beyond  the  Cumber- 
land, and  twelve  years  before  the  Indian  raid  on  the  Livingston 


WasJiington  County,  1777-1870.  377 

family  on  Holston.  He  located  a  corn  right  to  all  that  valuable 
tract  of  one  thousand  acres  subsequently  owned  by  Mr.  Eobert  Duff, 
and  still  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Duff's  descendants.  Mr.  Scott 
erected  his  cabin  on  the  head  waters  of  Wallen's  creek,  near  the  spot 
now  occupied  by  the  residence  of  ]\[r.  Thomas  D.  Duff. 

Here,  with  his  wife  and  little  ones,  he  was  living  on  the  rewards  of 
honest  toil,  and  doubtless  looking  forward  with  prophetic  vision  to 
the  day,  not  far  in  the  future,  when  that  rich  and  romantic  valley- 
reposing  so  quietly  among  the  mountains,  would  teem  with  wealth 
and  a  happy  population.  He  bared  his  brawny  arm  and  cleared  the 
forest,  and  for  three  years  his  cabin  was  the  home  of  contentment, 
plenty  and  domestic  joys.  On  June  20,  1785,  the  family,  after  a  day 
of  toil  and  after  partaking  of  their  frugal  meal,  had  retired  to  rest, 
without  a  thought  perhaps  of  impending  danger,  and  dreaming  per- 
cliance  of  the  luxuriant  harvest  so  soon  to  be  reaped  and  garnered. 
That  pleasant  summer  day,  as  Mr.  Scott  was  toiling  amid  the  grow- 
ing corn,  he  was  seen  and  watched  by  a  band  of  about  twenty  Shaw- 
nese  Indians,  who,  by  some  means,  had  been  diverted  from  their 
usual  route,  and,  having  observed  the  smoke  rising  from  the  cabin, 
were  attracted  towards  it,  and  lay  in  ambush  on  the  mountain  side 
till  night  spread  her  curtain  over  the  valley.  When  all  was  quiet 
they  approached  and  entered,  and  the  first  notice  that  the  hus- 
band and  father  had  of  their  presence  was  the  gleam  of  the  toma- 
hawk that  killed  him  in  his  bed.  The  leader  of  the  band  was  the 
notorious  and  cruel  half-breed  Benge,  who  was  killed  six  years  there- 
after, not  many  miles  from  the  same  place,  as  he  was  making  his 
way  to  Big  Stone  Gap,  with  the  Livingston  captives.  After  scalping 
Mr.  Scott  they  murdered  and  scalped  his  five  children,  plundered 
and  burned  the  cabin,  took  Mrs.  Scott  prisoner,  and  started  back  on 
their  long  journey  to  their  towns  beyond  the  Ohio.  Her  suffering 
during  this  journey  over  steep  mountains  and  through  deep  and 
rapid  streams  was  indescribable.  When  faint  and  weary  and  foot- 
sore, she  failed  to  travel  as  rapidly  as  her  captors  desired,  they  would 
slap  her  in  the  face  with  the  bloody  scalps  of  her  husband  and 
children.  Being  a  woman  of  great  strength,  activity  and  nerve,  she 
bore  up  wonderfully,  and  even  surprised  the  savages  by  her  endu- 
rance. 

After  traveling  about  two  hundred  miles  and  reaching  one  of  their 
fa^'orite  hunting  grounds  in  Kentucky,  not  far  from  the  Ohio,  they 


378  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

stopped  a  few  days  to  rest  and  Inmt.  It  was  decided  among  them, 
that  one  of  the  Indians,  when  they  reached  their  town  on  the  Miami, 
should  have  their  captive  for  a  wife,  and  hence  he  was  designated 
to  guard  her  while  the  rest  were  engaged  in  the  hunt.  Some  hours 
after  they  left,  the  Indian  on  guard  fell  into  a  profound  sleep.  See- 
ing which  and  making  a  noise  that  did  not  seem  to  disturb  his  slum- 
bers, she  determined  to  kill  him  with  his  own  tomahawk  which  lay 
by  his  side,  and  then  try  to  escape.  She  took  the  weapon  and  raised 
it  above  his  head'  but,  being  weak  and  nervous  from  fatigue  and 
distress  of  mind,  she  feared  she  might  not  be  able  to  strike  a  fatal 
blow  and  concluded  to  make  an  effort  to  escape.  She  made  her  way 
to  a  spring  a  short  distance  from  the  camp,  waded  along  the  branch 
to  conceal  her  trail,  and  was  soon  safe  from  the  pursuit  of  her 
guard  in  a  thick  cane-brake.  Hearing  those  who  were  hunting  not 
a  great  way  off,  she  wait'^d  until  their  whooping  died  in  the  dis- 
tance, when  she  started  out  on  the  long  and  perilous  journey  towards 
the  Cumberland  mountain,  the  dim  outlines  of  which  she  had  seen 
as  she  crossed  an  elevation.  For  weeks  she  wandered  through  the 
unbroken  forest  without  food  and  almost  destitute  of  raiment,  sub- 
sisting on  berries,  barks  and  roots,  and  many  days  wandering  so 
much  out  of  her  way  as  to  make  but  a  mile  ot  two.  Finally  coming 
to  a  river  (supposed  to  be  the  Kentucky),  she  foimd  a  path  on  the 
bank  which  she  followed.  One  morning  while  following  the  path 
up  the  stream,  she  heard  a  hunting  party  meeting  her,  and  seeing 
a  large  sycamore  near  the  path,  she  stepped  behind  it  and  fortu- 
nately found  it  hollow  where  she  concealed  herself,  imtil  the  Indians 
had  passed.  A  day  or  two  after  this  and  before  she  had  reached  the 
head  waters  of  the  stream,  she  heard  the  Indians  on  her  trail  with 
dogs.  She  crawled  into  a  hollow  log  that  lay  across  the  path,  over 
which  some  of  them  jumped  their  ponies,  and  others  passed  around 
the  end  without  discovering  her. 

After  the  Indians  had  disappeared,  she  followed  on  very  cautiously 
till  she  came  to  where  the  path  forked.  This  perplexed  her  some- 
what, not  knowing  which  to  take.  She  finally  took  the  left,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  plainest,  when  a  bird  flew  past,  touched  her  shoulder 
and  lighted  in  the  other  path.  She  kept  on,  however,  but  had  pro- 
ceeded but  a  few  steps  when  the  bird  repeated  its  singular  action. 
This  led  her  to  stop  and  reflect,  and,  coming  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  bird  was  the  spirit  of  one  of  her  murdered  children  come  to 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  379 

guide  her  throuo-h  tlie  wilderness,  she  took  the  other  path,  which 
proved  to  be  the  right  one,  and  led  her  through  what  is  now  known 
as  Pound  Gap.  She  eventually  made  her  wa}^  intO'  Castle's  Woods, 
where  many  of  her  relatives  resided  and  still  reside. 
^  After  some  years,  Mrs.  Scott  married  Mr.  Thomas  Johnson,  for 
whom  the  county  of  Johnson  in  Tennessee  was  called.  She  raised  a 
family  of  children,  all  of  Avhom  married  and  became  useful  and 
respectable  members  of  society.  She  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and 
her  ashes  now  repose  on  a  little  hillock  near  the  old  blacksmith  shop, 
not  far  from  the  l)ase  of  Clinch  mountain  at  Hayter's  Gap,  in  Eus- 
sell  county,  Virginia."* 

In  addition  to  the  facts  contained  in  this  account  as  preserved  by 
]\Ir.  Coale,  we  are  able  to  give  from  reliable  documentary  authority, 
the  following : 

"Another  house  stood  by  the  residence  of  Archibald  Scott,  in 
which  was  a  little  girl  eleven  or  twelve  years  old,  with  her  brother 
some  years  j^oimger  than  herself. 

"Into  this  house  the  Indians  did  not  enter  for  some  reason,  but 
shot  through  the  door  and  killed  the  boy,  whereupon  the  girl 
sprang  out  at  a  window  and  hid  in  a  nursery  of  young  peach  trees 
til]  the  Indians  were  gone.  She  then  re-entered  the  house,  laid  out 
her  dead  brother,  and  sat  by  him  all  night,  and  till  late  the  next  day, 
when  a  pa-rty  of  men  arrived  to  bury  the  dead." 

The  history  of  Washington  county  from  this  time  henceforth,  will 
be  uninteresting  as  compared  with  that  portion  of  our  history  with 
which  we  have  been  dealing. 

In  April  of  the  year  1784,  a  number  of  depredations  were  com- 
mitted by  the  Indians  in  Powell's  Valley  and  on  the  Kentucky  road. 
A  boy  was  killed  and  a  girl  taken  prisoner  in  Powell's  Valley,  and 
a  man  and  a  woman  and  two  children  were  killed  in  the  winter  of 
]  784,  on  the  Kentucky  road  by  a  party  of  Cherokees  under  a  young 
Indian  chief  by  the  name  of  Rattlesnake,  and  within  the  same  year 
three  men  were  killed  near  Cimiberland  Gap,  by  the  Creeks,  and  a 
boy  killed  and  scalped  and  an  arrow  left  in  his  breast  on  Powell's 
river. 

In  the  year  1783,  the  Governor  and  Council  of  Virginia  authorized 
the  building  of  a  fort  at  Cumberland  Gap,  on  the  Virginia  side  of 
the  line,  which   fort  was  erected  under  the  supervision  of  Colonel 


*Charles  B.  Coale. 


380  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Joseph  Martin  in  the  fall  of  1783.  This  fort  was  intended  to  be 
the  residence  of  Colonel  Joseph  Martin,  the  Virginia  Commissioner 
to  the  Indians,  who  of  necessity  had  to  remove  from  Long  Island, 
then  ascertained  to  be  in  the  State  of  jSTorth  Carolina.  Into  this 
fort  there  gathered  about  one  hundred  persons,  and  upon  the  out- 
break of  hostilities,  it  was  with  difficnlty  that  they  could  be  prevented 
from  breaking  up.  Captain  James  Shelby  had  been  killed  near  this 
station  on  his  way  to  Washingion  county,  and  a  man  had  been  killed 
on  the  north  fork  of  Holston  river  on  the  5th  of  A])ril,  and  ten  days 
afterward  a  man  was  wounded  with  arrows  on  the  head  waters  of 
Clinch. 

In  Septeml^er  of  the  year  1784,  a  party  of  Shawnese  Indians 
ascended  the  Sandy  river  and,  passing  over  to  the  head  of  Clinch, 
divided  into  small  parties  to  steal  horses  and  annoy  the  settlers.  One 
of  these  parties  came  to  the  present  location  of  Tazewell  courthouse, 
where  they  visited  the  home  of  Andrew  Davidson.  Davidson's  fam- 
ily consisted  of  a  wife  and  three  children,  two  small  girls  and  a  boy 
and  two  orphan  children  by  the  name  of  Broomfield.  Mr.  Davidson 
was  absent  from  his  home  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking. 
When  the  Indians  appeared  at  the  house  they  informed  Mrs.  David- 
son that  she  must  go  with  them  to  their  home  in  the  West,  and  there 
being  nothing  else  that  she  could  do,  she  took  up  her  youngest  child, 
the  Indians  carrying  the  others,  and  began  the  journey.  Mrs. 
Davidson  received  kinder  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  than 
she  expected,  and  proceeded  on  tbe  way  to  their  homes  beyond  the 
Ohio.  But,  when,  the  India,ns  arrived  at  their  homes  they  took  Mrs. 
Davidson's  two  little  girls,  tied  them  to  trees  and  shot  them  before 
her  eyes.  The  boy  was  given  to  an  old  Indian  squaw  and  was  soon 
afterwards  accidentally  droAvned,  Mrs.  Davidson  was  sold  to  a 
Frenchman  living  in  Canada,  where  she  was  found  by  her  husband 
after  several  jeaTS  and  returned  to  her  home.  Another  company 
of  Indians  at  the  same  time  killed  William  Whitley,  who  lived  in 
Baptist  Valley.  They  mutilated  his  body  in  a  terrible  manner ;  his 
bowels  were  torn  out  and  stretched  upon  the  bushes ;  his  heart  was  in 
one  place  and  his  liver  in  another.  Another  company  of  this  same 
band  of  Indians  discovered  Henry  Ilarman  and  his  two  sons,  George 
and  Ma,thias,  and  George  Draper  hunting  in  a  section  of  country 
through  which  the  Indian  trail  led.  Ilarman  and  his  associates 
were  not  expecting  Indians  so  late  in  the  season,  and  early  in  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  381 

morning  the}'  Iniilt  their  camp..  Harraan's  two  sons  had  gone  out 
to  see  whether  tliey  could  find  game,  when,  to  their  surprise,  tliey 
discovered  an  Indian  camp  but  a  short  distance  from  their  own, 
with  ever}  indication  of  the  very  recent  presence  of  the  Indians. 
They  returned  to  camp  and  reported  what  they  had  found;  where- 
upon tlie  himters  immediately  proceeded  to  return  to  the  settlements. 
They  had  not  proceeded  far  before  they  were  fired  upon  l^y  the 
Indians  from  behind  a  log,  whereu23on,  the  Indians  immediately 
advanced  on  Henry  Harman,  Avho  fell  back  to  where  his  sons  stood 
I'eady  to  meet  the  Indians.  A  right  brisk  figlit  took  place,  a 
description  of  which  is  as  follows : 

"The  Indians  immediately  surrounded  the  Avhite  men,  who  had 
formed  a  triangle,  each  man  looking  out,  of  what  would  have  been 
Mith  men  enough,  a  hollow  square.  The  old  gentleman  bade  ]\Iathias 
to  reserve  his  fire,  while  himself  and  George  fired,  wounding,  as  it 
would  seem,  two  of  the  Indians.  George  was  a  lame  man  from  hav- 
ing had  white  swelling  in  his  childhood,  and  after  firing  a  few  rounds 
the  Indians  noticed  his  limjiing,  and  one  who  had  fired  at  him, 
rushed  upon  him  thinking  hiui  w^ounded.  George  saw  the  fatal 
tomahawk  raised,  and  drawing  back  his  gun  prepared  to  meet  it. 
When  the  Indian  had  got  within  striking  distance,  George  let  down 
upon  his  head  with  the  gun,  which  brought  him  to  the  ground;  he 
soon  recovered  and  made  at  him  again,  half  bent  and  head  fore- 
most, intending,  no  doubt,  to  trip  him  up,  but  as  he  got  near  enough, 
George  sprang  up  and  jumped  across  him,  which  brought  the  Indian 
to  his  knees.  Feeling  for  his  own  knife  and  not  getting  hold  of  it, 
he  seized  the  Indian's  and  plunged  it  deep  into  his  side.  Mathias 
struck  him  on  the  head  with  a  tomahawk,  and  finished  the  work 
with  him. 

"TwOi  Indians  had  attacked  the  old  man  with  bows,  and  were 
manoeuvering  around  him,  to  get  a  clear  fire  at  his  left  breast.  The 
Harmans.  to  a  man,  wore  their  bullet  pouches  on  the  left  side,  and 
with  this  and  his  arm  he  sO'  completely  shielded  his  breast,  that  tlie 
Indians  did  not  fire  until  they  saw  the  old  gentleman's  gun  nearly 
loaded  again,  when  one  fired  on  him  and  struck  his  elbow  near  the 
joint,  cutting  one  of  the  principal  arteries.  In  a  second  more  the 
fearful  string  was  heard  to  vibrate,  and  an  arrow"  entered  Mr.  Har- 
man's  breast  and  lodged  against  a  rib.  He  had  by  this  time  loaded 
a  gun,  and  was  raising  it  to  his  face  to  shoot  one  of  the  Indians, 


382  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-17S0. 

wlion  tlic  stream  of  blood  from  the  wounded  artery  flew  into  the 
pan,  and  so  soiled  his  gun  that  it  was  impossilile  to  make  it  fire. 
Eaising  the  gun,  however,  liad  the  effect  to  drive  baok  tlio  Indians, 
who  retreated  to  where  the  otliers  stood  with  their  guns  ein])ty. 

"jMathias  who  had  remained  an  almost  inactive  spectator,  now 
asked  permission  to  fire,  which  the  old  man  granted.  The  Indian 
at  whom  he  fired  appeared  to  he  the  chief  and  was  standing  under 
a  large  beach  tree.  At  the  report  of  the  rifle,  the  Indian  fell,  throw- 
ing his  tomahawk  high  among  the  limbs  of  the  tree  under  wliich  he 
stood. 

"Seeing  two  of  their  number  lying  dead  upon  the  ground,  and  two 
more  badly  wounded,  they  immediately  made  off,  passing  by  Draper, 
who  had  left  his  horse,  and  concealed  himself  behind  a  log."* 

Draper,  as  soon  as  the  Indians  had  passed  him,  fled  to  the  set- 
tlements and  reported  that  Harman  and  his  sons  were  killed.  A 
number  of  people  set  out  the  next  morning  to  bury  the  dead,  when  to 
their  surprise  they  met  Harman  and  his  sons  returning  to  their 
homes. 

This  same  l>ody  of  Indians  sent  three  of  tlieir  number  into  Abb's 
Valley,  where  resided  Captain  James  Moore  and  John  Poage.  Near 
the  home  of  Captain  James  Moore,  they  captured  his  son,  James 
^loore,  Jr.,  a  boy,  fourteen  years  old.  They  took  the  young  man  to 
a  field  where  his  father's  horses  were  running  at  large,  and  tried  to 
capture  the  horses,  failing  in  which  they  proceeded  on  their  jour- 
ney to  the  Ohio.  When  they  came  near  their  towns  in  Ohio,  the 
Indians  painted  themselves  black,  but  did  not  paint  the  boy.  The 
cliief  sold  young  ]\Ioore  to  his  half-sister,  who  afterwards  sold  him 
to  a  French  trader  at  Detroit,  where  young  ]\loore  met  a  trader 
from  Kentucky,  who  knew  his  father  and  whom  he  requested  to 
write  to  his  father  and  inform  him  of  his  situation.  He  remained 
in  captivity  until  Octo1)er,  1789,  and  returned  to  his  homo  in  Taze- 
well county  three  years  after  the  murder  and  captivity  of  his  father 
and  family. 

Early  in  the  year  of  1786,  another  party  of  Indians  visited  the 
home  of  Captain  James  Moore  in  Abb's  Valley,  an  account  of  which 
visit  has  been  preserved,  which  I  give  in  full : 

"In  July,  1786,  a  party  of  forty-seven  Indians,  of  the  Shawnese 
tribe,  again  entered  Abb's  Valley.     Captain  James  Moore  usually 


Bickley's  History  of  Tazewell. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  383 

kept  five  or  six  loaded  guns  in  liis  house,  which  was  a  strong  log 
building,  and  hoped,  b}'  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  who  was  very 
active  in  loading  a  gun,  together  with  Simpson,  a  man  who  lived 
with  them,  to  be  able  to  repel  the  attacks  of  any  small  party  of 
Indians.  IJelying  on  his  prowess,  he  had  not  sought  refuge  in  a 
fort,  as  many  of  the  settlers  had ;  a  fact  of  which  the  Indians  seemed 
to  be  aware,  from  their  cutting  out  the  tongues  of  his  horses  and 
cattle,  and  partially  skinning  them.  It  seems  they  were  afraid  to 
attack  him  openly,  and  sought  rather  to  drive  him  to  the  fort,  that 
they  might  sack  his  house. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  attack.  Captain  Moore,  who  had  pre- 
viously distinguished  himself  at  Alamance,  was  at  a  lick  bog  a  short 
distance  from  his  house,  salting  his  horses,  of  which  he  had  many. 
William  Clark  and  an  Irishman  were  reaping  wheat  in  front  of  the 
house.  ]\Irs.  j\toore  and  the  family  were  engaged  in  the  ordinary 
business  of  housework.    A  man  named  Simpson  was  sick  upstairs. 

"The  two  men  Avho  were  in  the  field  at  work  saw  the  Indians 
coming  at  full  speed  down  the  hill  toward  Captain  Moore,  who  had, 
ere  this,  discovered  them  and  started  in  a  run  for  the  house.  He 
was,  however,  shot  through  his  body  and  died  immediately.  Tavo 
of  his  children,  William  and  Eebecca,  who  were  returning  from  the 
spring,  were  killed  about  the  same  time.  The  Indians  had  now 
approached  near  the  house  and  were  met  by  two  fierce  dogs,  which 
fought  manfully  to  protect  the  family  of  their  master.  After  a 
severe  contest  the  fiercest  one  was  killed  and  the  other  subdued. 

"The  two  men  wbo  Avere  reaping,  hearing  the  alarm  and  seeing  the 
house  surrounded,  fled  and  alarmed  the  settlement.  At  that  time 
the  nearest  family  was  distant  about  six  miles.  As  soon  as  the 
alarm  was  given  Mrs.  Moore  and  Martha  Ivens  (who  was  living  in 
the  family),  barred  the  door,  but  this  was  of  no  avail.  There  was' 
no  man  in  the  house  at  this  time  except  Jolm  Simpson,  the  old 
Englishman  already  alluded  to,  and  he  was  in  the  loft  sick  and' 
in  bed.  There  were  five  or  six  guns  in  the  house,  but,  having  been 
shot  off  the  evening  before,  they  were  then  empty.  They  intended 
to  load  them  after  breakfast.  Martha  Ivens  took  two  of  the  guns 
and  went  upstairs  where  Simpson  was.  and,  handing  them  tc 
him,  told  him  to  shoot.  He  looked  up,  but  had  been  shot  in  the 
head  through  a  crack  and  was  then  near  his  end.  The  Indians  then 
proceeded  to  cut  down  the  door,  which  they  soon  effected.    During 


384  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

this  time  Martha  Ivens  went  to  the  far  end  of  the  house,  lifted  up  a 
loose  plank,  and  went  under  the  floor  and  requested  Polly  Moore 
(then  eight  years  old),  who  had  the  youngest  child,  called  Margaret, 
in  her  arms  (which  was  crying),  to^  set  the  child  down  and  come 
under.  Polly  looked  at  the  child,  and  clasped  it  to  her  breast,  and 
determined  to  share  its  fate.  The  Indians,  having  broken  into  the 
house,  took  Mrs.  Moore  and  her  children — viz. ;  John,  Jane,  Polly 
and  Peggy,  prisoners,  and  having  taken  everything  that  suited  them, 
they  set  it  and  the  other  buildings  on  fire,  and  went  away.  Martha 
Ivens  remained  under  the  floor  a  short  time  and  then  came  out 
and  hid  herself  under  a  log  that  lay  across  a  branch  not  far  from 
the  house.  The  Indians  having  tarried  a  short  time  with  a  view  of 
catching  horses,  one  walked  across  on  this  log,  sat  down  on  one  end 
of  it  and  began  to  fix  his  gunlock.  Miss  Ivens  supposing  that  she 
was  discovered  and  that  he  was  preparing  to  shoot  her,  came  out 
and  gave  herself  up.  At  this  he  seemed  much  pleased.  They  then 
set  out  for  their  towns.  Perceiving  that  John  Moore  was  a  boy, 
weak  in  body  and  mind  and  unable  to  travel,  they  killed  him  the 
first  day.  The  babe  they  took  two  or  three  days,  but,  it  being  fret- 
ful on  account  of  a  wound  it  had  received,  they  dashed  its  brains 
out  against  a  tree.  They  then  moved  on  with  haste  to  their  towns. 
FoT  some  time  it  was  usual  to  tie  very  securely  each  of  the  prisoners 
at  night,  and  for  a  warrior  to  lie  beside  each  of  them,  with  toma- 
hawk in  hand,  so  that  in  case  of  pursuit,  the  jirisoner  might  be 
speedily  dispatched. 

"Shortly  after  they  reached  the  towns,  IMrs.  Moore  and  her  daugli- 
ter  Jane  were  put  to  death,  being  burned  and  tortured  at  the  stake. 
This  lasted  some  time,  during  which  she  manifested  the  utmost 
Christian  fortitude  and  bore  it  without  a  murmur,  at  intervals  con- 
versing with  her  daughter  Polly  and  Martha  Ivens,  and  exprassing 
great  anxiety  for  the  moment  to  arrive  when  her  soul  should  wing 
its  way  to  the  bosom  of  its  Saviour.  At  length  an  old  squaw,  more 
humane  than  the  rest,  dispatched  her  with  a  tomahawk. 

"Polly  Moore  and  Martha  Ivens  eventually  reached  home,  as 
described  in  the  narrative  of  James  ]\foore. 

"Several  incidents  in  this  narrative  liave  been  left  out.  When  the 
Indians  set  fire  to  the  house  and  started,  they  took  from  the  stable 
the  fine  black  horse  Yorick.  He  was  a  horse  of  such  a  vicious  nature 
iliat  no  one  but  Simpson  could  manage  him.    The  Indians  had  not 


Washingio7i  County,- 11 71 -1870.  385 

proceeded  far  when  one- mounted  liim^  but  soon  the  horse  had  him 
on  the  ground  and  was  pawing  him  to  death  with  his  feet;  for  this 
purpose  a  Iqw  strokes  were  sufficient.  Another  mounted  him  and 
was  served  in  like  manner.  Perfectly  wild  with  rage,  a  vei'y  large 
Indian  mounted  him,  swearing  to  ride  him  or  kill  him.  A  few 
])lungcs  and  the  Indian  was  under  the  feet  of  the  desperate  horse- 
his  teeth  buried  in  his  flesh,  and  uttering  a  scream  as  if  he  intended 
to  avenge  the  death  of  his  master,  he  had  just  dispatched  the  Indian 
when  another,  running  up,  stabl)ed  him,  and  thus  put  an  end  to 
the  conflict.    'Alas  !  poor  Yorick.' 

"It  is  said  that  ]\Irs.  INIoore  had  her  body  stuck  full  of  lightwood 
splinters  which  were  fired,  and  she  Avas  thus  tortured  three  days 
before  she  died. 

"When  Martlia  Ivens  and  Polly  ]Moore  Avere  among  the  French 

they  fared  much  worse  than  when  among  the  Indians.    The  French 

had  plenty,  but  were  miserly,  and  seemed  to  care  little  for  their 

wants.     The  Indians  had  little,  but  would  divide  that  little  to  the 

particle."* 

lii  April.  178n.  ]\I;ithias  Ilarman  and  Benjamin  Thomas,  tAvo 
scouts  employed  ])y  the  authorities  of  Eussell  county,  visited  the 
house  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dials,  now  in  Tazewell  county. 
Dials  kept  liquor  for  sale,  and  Thomas  and  Harman  were  soon  intox- 
icated. Mrs.  Dials  was  making  preparations  for  dinner,  Avhen  Dials 
and  Thomas  left  tlie  house  to  olitain  wood.  When  they  reached  the 
mouth  of  a  lane  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house,  they  Avere 
ilred  upon  by  a  party  ol  six  or  seven  Indians;  seA^eral  of  the  shot 
struck  Dials,  and  one  of  the  Avarriors  j^ursued  him,  in  the  direction 
of  his  house.  When  they  approached  the  house  the  Indian  gave 
up  the  pursuit,  as  he  Avas  aware  of  Harman's  presence  at  the  house, 
and  Dials  reached  the  corner  of  the  house,  where  he  fell  dead  against 
the  chimncA^  Thomas  was  fired  at,  but  was  not  shot ;  he  was,  how- 
ever, during  the  pursuit,  knocked  doAvn  by  the  Indian,  scalped  and 
left  for  dead.     Thomas  died  seven  days  thereafter. 

Harman,  who  was  very  much  intoxicated  at  that  time,  ran  out 
of  the  house,  mounted  his  horse  and  pursued  the  Indians,  challeng- 
ing them  to  stop  and  fight,  which  they  declined.  About  this  time 
some  Cherokee  Indians  killed  two  men  near  the  the  end  of  Clinch 
mountain.     The  militia  from  the  surrounding  country  combined 


*Bickley's  History  of  Tazewell. 


386  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-17S6. 

and  luan-lit'd  within  iii'tcon  miles  of  their  town,  when  they  sent  for 
Old  Tassel,  The  Hanging  Man  and  other  Indian  chiefs,  to 
come  to  them,  which  they  did,  and  informed  the  white  people  that 
this  murder  was  done  by  two  or  three  Indian  fellows  who  lived  in 
a  town  called  Caw-a-tie,  abont  twenty  miles  below  Chote,  and  that 
they  had  been  hired  to  do  so  by  an  old  fellow  from  Chickamogga, 
who  had  two  sons  killed  by  the  white  people  last  spring.  The 
Indian  chiefs  informed  the  white  people  that  their  desire  was  for 
peace,  but  the  white  people  answered  that  they  would  have  their 
lands,  to  which  the  Indians  replied  that  they  had  no  right  to  give 
them  their  land,  whereupon  the  whites  immediately  marched  into 
their  towns,  which  they  destroyed,  along  with  a  part  of  their  corn, 
and  killed  and  shot  several  Indians.  About  this  same  time, 
William  ]\Iartin,  a  son  of  Colonel  Joseph  Martin,  was  killed  by  the 
Creek  Indians  while  on  his  way  to  Georgia,  and  a  whole  company 
of  settlers,  except  a  woman,  were  killed  near  Chickamogga;  and  a 
son  of  Tom  Wallen  was  shot  near  his  father's  home,  but  made  his 
escape. 

The  settlers  on  the  Blue  Stone  (now  in  Tazewell  county,  Va.), 
being  the  principal  sufferers  by  the  Indian  invasions,  in  August  of 
this  year  forwarded  a  petition  to  the  Executive  of  Virginia,  stating 
their  position  on  the  frontiers  and  asking  for  protection  against  the 
Indians,  "from  whose  cruelties  they  had  lately  been  great  sutferers. 
The  settlement  had  become  much  weaker  on  account  of  these  attacks 
and  was  not  able  to  protect  itself  longer  without  prompt  aid  from 
the  government.  Upon  the  approach  of  danger,  the  inhabitants  are 
required  to  betake  themselves  and  families  to  the  forts,  thus  expos- 
ing their  effects  and  property  to  the  marauders,  and,  being  few  in 
number  and  scattered,  they  are  unable  to  pursue  and  punish  their 
enemies.  Unless  some  suitable  and  regular  method  for  the  defence 
of  the  county  be  adopted  at  once,  they  should  be  obliged  to  abandon 
their  homes,  and  thus  expose  to  the  savages  the  more  interior  parts 
of  the  country." 

In  answer  tO'  this  petition,  the  Governor  of  Virginia  directed  the 
county-lieutenant  of  Eussell  county  to  call  out  forty  men  for  the 
protection  of  the  frontiers  of  the  county  and  three  sets  of  spies,  one 
for  the  upper  part  of  the  county,  one  for  the  lower  part  of  the  county, 
and  another  at  Castle's  Woods.    The  frontiers  of  Eussell  county,  at 


Washmgto7i  County,  1777-1870.  387 

this  time^,  were  140  miles  in  length,  extending  from  the  Montgom- 
ery county  line  to  Martin's  Station  in  Powell's  Valley. 

On  the  17th  day  of  J\Iarch,  1785,  the  Indians  visited  the  house 
ot  John  Wallen,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Martin's  Station,  and 
killed  and  scalped  his  wife,  and  a  Mrs.  Cox  was  shot  at  by  three 
Indians.  On  the  24th  day  of  March  two  families  were  captured  by 
three  Indians  in  New  Garden,  about  twenty  miles  from  Abingdon, 
the  two  families  consisting  of  fifteen  persons. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  the  smallpox  broke  out  in  the  Indian 
nation,  spreading  rapidly  and  causing  so  much  distress  that  the 
"Eaven  of  Chickamogga,"  the  chief  of  the  Chickamogga  Indians, 
addressed  a  peace  talk  to  the  Virginia  Commissioner,  which  was  as 
follows : 

"Brother, — I  am  now  going  to  speak  to  you  about  powder.  I  have 
in  my  towns  six  hundred  good  hunters,  and  we  have  very  little  pow- 
der. I  hope  you  will  speak  to  my  elder  brother  of  Virginia,  to  take 
pity  on  us,  and  send  us  as  much  as  will  make  our  fall's  hunt.  He 
will  hear  you.  We  are  very  poor,  but  don't  love  to  beg,  which  our 
brother  knows,  as  I  have  never  asked  him  for  anything  else  before. 
I  thank  him  however  for  all  his  past  favors  to  the  old  towns.  I 
hope  he  will  not  refuse  this  favor  I  ask  of  him,  I  have  taken  Virginia 
by  the  hand,  and  I  do  not  want  to  turn  my  face  another  way,  to 
a  strange  people.  The  Spaniards  have  sent  to  me  to  come  and  speak 
to  them.  I  am  not  going,  but  some  of  my  people  have  gone  to  hear 
what  they  have  to  say.  I  am  sitting  still  at  home  with  my  face 
towards  my  elder  brother  of  Virginia,  hoping  to  hear  from  him  soon. 
I  will  not  take  of  any  strange  people  till  I  hear  from  him.  Tell  him 
that  when  I  took  hold  of  your  hand,  I  looked  on  it  as  if  he  had 
been  there.  The  hold  is  strong  and  lasting.  I  have  with  this  talk 
sent  you  a  long  string  of  white  beads  as  a  confirmation  of  what  I 
say.     My  friendship  shall  be  as  long  as  the  beads  remain  white. 

"A  STEING." 

Colonel  Martin  was  disposed  to  listen  to  the  professions  of  the 
Indians  and  was  making  preparations  to  furnish  them  with  the  pow- 
der which  they  requested,  when  a  party  of  Indians  appeared  upon 
the  Clinch  and  chased  a  son  of  Frederick  Fryly  and  ran  him  until 
within  sight  of  his  father's  house.  Numerous  signs  ol  Indians  were 
discovered  down  Sandy  river,  and  the  whole  of  the  frontiers    was 


388  Southwest  Virginia,  11^6-1786. 

thrown  into  great  disorder.  In  July  of  the  year  1785,  several  mer- 
chants from  Baltimore  opened  a  very  large  store  at  North  Fork, 
two  miles  below  the  Long  Island  of  Holston,  this  being  the  first  store 
opened  in  that  section  of  the  country.  At  the  election  held  in  the 
year  1785,  for  Washington  county,  Colonel  William  Kussell  and 
Andrew  Kincannon,  were  elected  to  represent  Washington  county,  in 
the  House  of  Delegates.  One  of  the  first  measures  proposed  by  Col- 
onel Eussell,  upon  the  assembling  of  the  General  Assembly  in  the 
fall  of  that  year,  was  a  bill  having  for  its  purpose  the  division  of 
Washington  county,  which  bill  was  favorably  reported  and  after- 
wards, on  January  2,  1786,  passed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia and  approved  by  the  Governor.  By  this  bill  it  was  provided 
that,  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  May,  1786,  the  county  of  Wash- 
ington shall  be  divided  into  two  distinct  counties,  that  is  to  say :  all 
that  part  of  said  county  lying  within  a  line  to  be  run  along  Clinch 
mountain  to  the  Carolina  line,  thence  with  that  line  to  the  Cumber- 
land mountain,  and  the  extent  of  the  country  between  the  Cum- 
berland mountain,  Clinch  mountain  and  the  line  of  Montgomery 
county,  shall  be  one  distinct  county,  and  called  and  known  by  the 
name  of  Russell,  and  the  residue  shall  retain  the  name  of  Washing- 
ton. The  same  bill  directed  the  first  court  of  said  county  to  be  held 
at  the  house  of  William  Roberson  in  Castle's  Woods,  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  May,  1786. 

Pursuant  to  this  Act  of  the  Assembly,  the  first  court  of  Russell 
county  assembled  at  the  house  of  William  Roberson,  in  Castle's 
Woods,  on  May  9th,  which  court  was  composed  of  the  following 
gentlemen : 

Alexander  Barnett,  Henry  Smith, 

David  Ward,  Andrew  Cowan, 

Samuel  Ritchie,  Thomas  Carter, 

Henry  Dickenson,  John  Thompson, 

and,  subsequently  within  the  same  year,  the  following  gentlemen 

were  commissioned  and  added  to  the  court: 

Charles  Bickley,  James  Wharton, 

Richard  Price,  John  Frazer, 

William  Martin,  Charles  Cocke, 

/Thristopher  Cooper,  John  Tate, 

John  Bowen. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  389 

At  the  same  time  the  following  officers  qualified : 
Sherifi^^  David  Ward. 

Deputy  Sherifl:s,  Eobert  Craig,  Charles  Carter  and  John  Carter. 
Clerk  County  Court,  Henry  Dickenson. 

Commissioners  of  the  Revenue,  Samuel  Eitchie  and  Patrick  Por- 
ter. 

County  Surveyor,  Henry  Smith. 
County  Lieutenant,  Alexander  Barnett. 
Colonel  of  Militia'  Henry  Smith. 
Lieutenant- Colonel  of  Militia,  Andrew  Cowan. 
Major,  Charles  Cocke. 

Captains  of  Militia. 
David  Ward,  William  Thompson, 

William  Dorton,  Charles  Bickley, 

Francis  Browning,  James  Davidson. 

Samuel  Eitchie,  Josiah  Fugate, 

William  Martin. 
Lieutenants  of  -Militia. 
John  Bowen,  Charles  Haj^s, 

John  Tate,  James  Osbourne, 

Samuel  Eoherson,  l^lisha  Farris, 

Thomias  Carter,  Moses  Skeggs, 

John  Van  Bebber. 
Ensigns  of  Militia. 
Samuel  Young,  John  Thompson, 

Eobert  Tate,  Henry  Hamblin, 

Solomon  Litton,  William  Byrd, 

Benjamin  Nichalson,  Joseph  Johnston, 

William  Ewing. 
Coroner,  Francis  Browning. 

The  following  lawyers  qualified  to  practice  in  the  court  of  Eussell 
in  the  year  .1786  : 

Andrew  Moore,  Francis  Preston, 

Ephraim  Dunlop,  James  Blair, 

David  Dunnan. 

The  coimty  court  proceeded  to  select  a  permanent  location  for  the 
courthouse,  when  Henry  Dickenson,  the  clerk  of  the  court,  offered 
to  give  to  the  county  a  tract  of  land  at  what  has  since  been  known 
as  Dickensonville,  which  offer  the  court  accepted,  and  proceeded  to 


390  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

erect  the  necessary  buildings  thereon,  and  the  court  of  Eussell 
county  asvsembled  at  Dickensonville  or  Russell's  old  courthouse  on 
the  20th  day  of  September,  1787. 

By  the  organization  of  this  new  county  a  great  extent  of  coun- 
try and  many  valuable  citizens  were  lost  to  Washington  county. 

Information  in  regard  to  the  history  of  Washington  county  sub- 
sequent to  the  year  1786  is  exceedingly  hard  to  obtain,  as  the  minute 
books  of  the  county  court  from  the  year  1786  to  the  year  1819  and 
from  the  year  1821  until  1832  were  destroyed  along  with  the  court- 
house by  the  Federal  troops  in  December,  1864. 

Such  history  as  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  for  the  period  men- 
tioned has  been  derived  fro^m  the  records  at  Richmond  and  from  an 
examination  of  the  files  of  the  Holston  Intelligencer  and  the  Politi- 
cal Prospect,  newspapers  published  in  Abingdon  and  covering  the 
period  from  1810  to  1815. 


Washingto7i  County,  1777-1870.  391 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

EFFORT  TO  ESTABIJSH  A  NEW  STATE. 

Tn  tlie  month  of  Jamian%  1781,  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia passed  a  resolution  expressing  her  willingness  to  cede  her 
northwest  territor}''  to  the  Congress  of  the  colonies,  for  the  benellt 
of  the  United  Colonies,  npon  the  follo-\ving  condition,  to-wit:  that 
the  territory  so  ceded  shall  be  laid  out  and  formed  into  States  con- 
taining a  suitable  extent  of  territory,  and  shall  not  be  less  than 
one  hundred  nor  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  square  or 
as  near  thereto  as  circumstances  will  admit.'  That  the  States  so 
formed  shall  be  distinct  republican  States  and  be  admitted  mem- 
bers of  the  Federal  Union,  having  the  same  right  of  sovereignty, 
freedom  and  independence  as  the  other  States. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  immediately  upon  his  acquisition  of 
this  information,  with  a  vision  that  was  almost  prophetic,  set  about 
to  organize  a  new  State  and  to  include  Washington  county  in  the 
same.  He  immediately  proposed  a  scheme  for  obtaining  the  sense 
of  the  inhabitants  of  tiie  western  country  on  the  subject  of  the  Vir- 
ginia resolution  and  the  resolves  of  the  Congress  upon  the  same  sub- 
ject, his  scheme  being  as  follows : 

"First.  That  Selectmen  or  Deputies  be  chosen  for  the  five  south- 
western counties  of  Virginia  and  the  coimties  of  Washington  and 
Sullivan  in  ISTorth  Carolina,  to  meet  at  Abingdon  the  third  Wed- 
nesday in  April,  1782. 

"Second.  That  in  ordei"  that  the  representation  be  adequate,  let 
the  Deputies  be  in  number  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  farm- 
ers above  eighteen  years  of  age,  allowing  one  Deputy  for  every  hun- 
dred such  farmers. 

"Third.  That  the  election  be  held  at  the  respective  Court  Houses, 
the  third  Tuesday  in  the  month  of  March  next,  1782,  by  the  same 
officers  and  under  the  same  regulations  as  elections  for  delegates 
are  held. 

"Fourth.  That  the  business  and  power  of  the  deputies  when  con- 
vened be  confined  to  the  consideration  of  the  late  resolves  of  Con- 
gress respecting  the  Western  Country,  and  that  they  adopt  such 
measures  as  may  be  adjudged  proper  by  a  majority,  for  the  interest 
and  safety  of  their  constituents  as  members  of  the  American  Union. 


392  Southwest  Virginia,  17Ji6-17S6. 

"Fifth.  That  the  representation  continue  one  year,  in  which  time 
the  Deputies  may  adjourn  from  time  to  time,  and  to  such  places 
witliin  the  ^^'estern  Countries  as  may  be  found  most  convenient. 

"The  day  appointed  for  the  election  is  the  second  Tuesday  in 
March,  1783." 

I  am  unable  to  state  that  the  election  was  held  at  the  time  pro- 
posed by  Colonel  Campbell,  on  the  third  Tuesday  in  March,  1782, 
or  that  the  iVssembly  proposed  by  him  met  at  Abingdon  on  the 
third  Wednesday  in  April,  1783,  as  therein  proposed,  but  I  can  say 
that  an  election  was  held  and  that  an  Assembly  met  at  Abingdon 
in  this  or  tlie  following  year  in  the  manner  proposed  by  Colonel 
Campbell.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  this  election  was  held  in  1782, 
as  proposed  by  Colonel  Campbell,  as  four  members  of  the  Assembly 
that  met  at  Abingdon  were  citizens  of  Sullivan  county,  North  Caro- 
lina, and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  liad  the  State  of  Frankland 
been  proposed  or  organized  at  the  time  of  this  election  the  Sullivan 
county  citizens  would  have  united  with  that  State. 

The  Assembly  that  met  at  Abingdon  in  the  year  1783 
adopted  a  memorial,  which  they  addressed  to  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  and  which  was  as  follows : 

MEMORIAL. 

To  the  Honorable  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  of  America: 

The  memorial  of  the  Freemen  inhabitating  the  Country  Westward 
of  the  Alleghany  or  Appalachian  mountain,  and  Southward  of  the 
Ouasioto*  Humbly  sheweth : 

That  having  been  made  acquainted  with  the  several  resolves  and 
other  Acts  of  Congress,  respecting  Western  Territory,  and  having 
considered  maturely  the  contents  of  the  same,  we  are  highly  pleased 
with  that  equal  respect  for  the  Liberties  of  the  people,  which  seems 
to  influence  the  Councils  of  Congress.  That  nothing  but  a  firm  ad- 
herence to  the  principles  of  the  Confederation,  and  a  sacred  regard 
to  the  rights  of  Mankind  could  produce  the  late  Resolves  for  laying 
off  new,  Independent  States,  thereby  pointing  out  such  effectual 
measures,  to  prevent  the  encroachments  of  arbitrary  power  on  the 
Asylums  of  Freedom. 

That  we  are  happy  to  find  so  large  a  part  of  Territory  already 
ceded  to  the  United  States  for  National  purposes,  and  trust  that 


*Tndian  name  for  Cumberland  mountain. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  393 

every  obstacle  will  speedily  be  removed  for  the  completion  of  that 
business  by  the  individual  States  affected  thereby.  That  we  are  too 
much  elated  at  the  prospect  before  us  not  to  wish  that  we  may 
speedily  enjoy  the  advantages  of  such  a  Government  as  will  be  ex- 
ercised over  a  convenient  territory,  not  too  small  for  the  support  of 
authority,  nor  too  large  for  the  security  of  Freedom. 

That  our  situation  is  such,  inhabiting  valleys  intermixed  with 
and  environed  by  vast  wilds  of  barren  and  inaccessible  mountains, 
that  the  same  compensation  of  latitude  allotted  to  the  new  States 
JTorthwest  of  the  Ohio,  might  prevent  us  from  ever  being  on  an 
equal  footing  with  our  neighbors,  blessed  with  so  many  natural  ad- 
vantages, navigable  waters,  and  a  level,  fertile  country. 

That  the  state  boimded  by  a  meridian  line  that  will  touch  the 
confluence  of  Little  river,  near  Inglis'  Ferry,  thence  down  the  Ka- 
nawha to  the  Eonceverte  or  Green  Briar  river,  thence  Southwest  to 
latitude  37  Xorth,  thence  along  the  same  to  the  meridian  of  the 
rapids  of  the  Ohio,  South  along  the  Meridian  until  it  reaches  the 
Tenasee  or  Cherokee  river,  down  the  same,  and  eastwardly  on  that 
parallel  to  the  top  of  the  Appalachian  mountains,  and  along  the 
highest  parts  of  the  same,  and  the  heights  that  divide  the  sources  of 
the  waters  that  fall  into  the  Mississippi  from  those  that  empty  into 
the  Atlantic  to  the  beginning.  This,  though  not  equal  in  quantity 
of  habitable  lands  with  the  adjoining  States,  yet  may  be  sufficient 
territory  for  a  society  that  wishes  to  encourage  industry  and  tem- 
perance as  cardinal  virtues. 

That  in  our  present  settlements  we  have  maintained  our  ground 
during  the  late  perilous  war,  and  frequently  gave  effectual  aid  to 
our  Brethren  to  the  South  and  Westward;  that  we  are  first  occu- 
pants and  aborigines  of  this  country.  Freemen,  claiming  natural 
rights  and  the  privileges  of  American  citizens. 

Our  prayer  therefore  is,  that  your  Honorable  Body,  with  a  gen- 
erous regard  to  the  Eights  of  ]\Iankind,  would  speedily  erect  the 
aforesaid  described  Territory  into  a  free  and  independent  State, 
subject  to  the  Federal  Bond,  and  likewise  confirm  and  guarantee  to 
its  inhabitants  all  their  equitable  rights  and  privileges  acquired 
under  the  laws  of  the  States  lately  claiming  this  Territory;  that 
the  disposition  of  the  vacant  lands  be  under  the  power  of  the  Leg- 
islature of  the  new  State,  in  as  full  a  manner  as  that  exercised  by 
such  of  the  Eastern  States  having  unappropriated  lands,  with  this 


39i  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Eeservation,  that  the  monies  arising  from  the  sale  of  vacant  lands 
shall  be  faithfully  paid  to  the  order  of  Congress,  towards  the  pay- 
ment of  the  National  debt. 

And  yonr  Memorialists  shall  ever  pray,  &c. 

Approved  and  subscribed  by  us  in  behalf  of  ourselves  and  the 
Freemen  of  our  Eespective  Districts,  whoni  we  represent. 
Charles  Cummings,  Chairman.  • 

John  Jameson,  John  Campbell, 

Alex'r  "Wiley,  Eobert  Buchanan, 

George  Finley,  William  Tate, 

Arthur  Campbell,  John  Kinkead, 

John  Campbell,  S'n'r,  E.  0.       Tliomas  Woolsey, 
John  Davis,  Eichard  Brownlow, 

Gilbert  Christian,  ]\Tatthew  Willoughby, 

David  Looney,  John  Anderson, 

John  Adair. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  this  Assembly  addressed  the  Freemen  of 
Washington  county  on  the  subject  of  their  public  affairs,  which  ad- 
dress is  as  follows : 
"To  the  Freemen  of  Washington  County: 

"Your  Deputies,  after  mature  consideration,  have  agreed  to  ad- 
dress you  on  the  subject  of  your  Public  Affairs,  well  knowing  that 
there  is  only  wanting  an  exact  and  candid  examination  into  the 
facts  to  know  Avhether  you  have  I)een  well  served  or  abused  by  your 
Eepresentatives,  whether  Government  has  been  wisely  administered 
and  whether  your  rights  and  Lil)erties  are  secure.  As  members  of 
the  Civil  Society,  you  will  acknowledge  that  there  are  duties  of  im- 
portance and  lasting  obligation  which  must  take  place  before  indi- 
vidual conveniences  or  private  interest,  but  it  must  be  granted  that 
in  free  Communities  the  laws  are  only  obligatory  when  made  con- 
sonant witli  the  constitution  or  Original  Compact;  for  it  is  the  only 
means  of  the  surrender  then  made,  the  power  therein  given  and  the 
right  ariseth  to^  Legislate  at  all.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  the  power 
of  Legislators  is  in  the  nature  of  trusts  to  form  Eegulations  for  the 
good  of  the  whole,  agreeable  to  the  powers  delegated,  and  the  de- 
posite  put  into  the  General  stock,  and  the  end  proposed  is  to'  obtain 
the  greatest  degree  of  happiness  and  safety,  not  for  the  few  but 
for  the  many.  To  attain  these  ends  and  these  only,  men  are  in- 
duced to  give  up  a  portion  of  their  natural  Liberty  and  Property 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  395 

when  they  enter  into  society.  From,  this  it  is  plain  that  Eulers  may 
exceed  their  trust,  may  invade  the  remaining  portion  of  natural 
libert}^  and  property,  which  would  be  a  usurpation,  a  breach  of 
solemn  obligation  and  ultimately  a  conspiracy  against  the  majesty 
of  the  people,  the  only  trea.^on  that  can  be  committed  in  a  common- 
wealth. A  much  admired  writer  on  the  side  of  Liberty  begins 
his  work  with  the  following  remarkable  sentence,  which  we  tran- 
scribe for  your  information,  and  entreat  you  to  read  and  ponder 
well : 

"In  every  human  Society  there  is  an  effort  continually  pending 
to  confer  on  one  part  the  height  of  power  and  happiness,  and  re- 
duce the  other  to  extremes  of  weakness  and  misery.  The  intent  of 
good  laws  is  to  oppose  these  Efforts,  and  to  diffuse  their  influence 
universally  and  equally.  But  men  generally  abandon  the  care  of 
tlieir  most  important  concerns  to  the  uncertain  prudence  and  discre- 
tion of  those  whose  interest  it  is  to  reject  the  best  and  wisest  in- 
structions, and  it  is  not  until  they  have  been  led  into  a  thousand 
mistakes  in  matters  the  most  essential  to  their  lives  and  Liberties, 
and  are  weary  of  suffering,  that  they  can  be  induced  to  apply  a 
remedy  to  the  evils  with  which  they  are  oppressed.  It  is  then  they 
begin  to  conceive  and  acknowledge  the  most  palpable  truths,  which 
from  their  very  simplicity  commonly  escape  vulgar  minds,  in- 
capable of  analyzing  objects,  accustomed  to  receive  impressions  with- 
out discretion,  and  to  be  determined  rather  by  opinions  of  others, 
than  by  the  result  of  their  own  examination." 

A  few  plain  Questions  3'ou  may  honestly  put  to  yourselves  when 
in  retirement,  or  ^dien  your  heads  are  reclined  on  3'our  pillows ;  For 
what  end  hath  the  Almighty  wrought  out  such  a  wonderful  revo- 
lution in  the  affairs  of  men  as  that  of  the  Independence  of  America  ? 
What  part  ought  I  to  act  through  the  remaining  part  of  my  life,  so 
as  to  be  most  pleasing  to  my  Creator  and  the  most  useful  to  So- 
ciety? Whether  are  my  head  and  heart  so  enlightened  and  in  such  a 
frame  as  to  attend  to  and  receive  the  truth,  whether  it  comes  from 
a  person  I  dislike  or  not?  Is  not  the  duty  we  owe  the  succeeding 
generation  equal  to  that  we  owe  the  present;  Several  Mediums  of 
knowledge  are  open  to  all  diligent  inquirers.  The  productions  of 
the  Printing  Press,  Literary  Schools,  and  the  meetings  of:  the  peo- 
ple to  debate  on  public  measures.  The  inhabitants  of  this  county 
have,  as  hitherto,  been  peculiarly  circumstanced.     They  became 


396  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

possessors  of  a  Wilderness  at  a  perilous  Era:  The  greatest  part  of 
their  time  since  has  been  necessarily  employed  merely  to  provide 
subsistence,  coarse  clothing  and  cheap  dwellings,  to  defend  their 
families  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  no  time  or  money  to 
spare  to  build  elegant  or  convenient  houses,  to  erect  suitable  places 
for  public  worship,  to  found  Seminaries  for  classical  learning,  to 
promote  the  education  of  youth,  that  most  indispensable  of  all  obli- 
gations to  children.  It  is  also  a  prior  duty  to  any  you  owe  the  state 
to  provide  food  and  raiment  for  your  families.  Plain  fare  and 
coarse  clothing  you  might  be  content  with,  if  it  was  necessary  to 
part  with  all  the  superfluities  to  answer  the  real  exigencies  of  the 
State,  and  did  you  see  your  fellows  in  more  favorable  situation  pur- 
suing the  same  course  and  also  could  you  be  persuaded  that  a  judi- 
cious economy  pervades  all  the  disbursements  of  all  the  public 
money,  then,  and  not  till  then,  ought  you  to  part  with  the  produce 
of  your  Industry  at  the  call  of  Eulers.  It  may  be  alleged  by  your 
enemies  that  you  do  not  mean  to  contribute  anything  to  alleviate 
the  burthens  of  the  Nation  and  support  Government.  This  charge 
will  vanish  on  a  fair  enquiry  into  the  various  schemes  of  finance 
and  the  present  state  of  the  Public  Funds. 

The  following  estimate  of  Taxes,  and  what  has  operated  as  taxes 
in  the  Western  Country,  will  prove  that  you  have  contributed  some- 
thing, probably  your  full  share. 

Treasury  and  pre-emption  warrants, 16,000,000  pounds 

Taxes  collected  in  the  years  1778,  '79,  '80,  '81, .  180,000  pounds 
Bills  lost,  sunk  or  funded, 5,000,000  pounds 

Paper   money, 21,130,000  pounds 

Cash  paid  commissioners  in  hard  money  reduced, $10,000 

Composition  money  sent  in  with  the  plots, 70,000 

One-sixth  of  the  surveyor's  fees, 5,000 

Eegisters'  fees  prior  to  1784, 30,000 

Eegisters'  fees  prior  to  1784, 3,000 

Eegisters'  fees  prior  to  1785, 10,000 

Additional  tax  of  5s.  per  hundred  on  land, 25,000 

Duty  on  salt  will  cost  the  western  consumption  6s.  per 

bushel,   1.500 

Duties  on  imports  on  foreign  goods  and  enumerated  articles  2,500 

Loyal  Company's  claim  on  W.  &  M.  counties, 8,000 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  397 

Taxes  on &c.,  may  produce  annually, 2,000 

Assessment  subsequent  to  1781,  an  enormous  simi  that  it 

is  impracticable,  if  not  unjust,  to  collect, 172,000 

Should  the  Legislature  abolish  assessment,  and  the  above  not  be 
suiEcient,  you  miglit  endure  taxing  a  few  luxurious  articles  and 
some  vices,  that  woidd  increase  the  sum,  and  make  it  equal  to  your 
just  proportion  of  ex[)enditures. 

If  your  eastern  nciglibois  were  generous,  they  would  make  some 
allowance  for  the  great  losses  sustained  by  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians,  and  for  the  many  valuable  lives  lost  to  keep  them  safe. 
The  appropriations  of  your  public  money  ought  also  to  be  a  subject 
of  serious  enquiry,  for  if  at  any  tiine  it  should  be  applied  to  the 
purposes  of  venality  and  corruption,  you  would  then  be  feeding  your 
destroyers,  and  enable  them  to  make  further  invasions  on  your 
remaining  rights  and  liberties,  until  you  would  have  left  nothing 
worth  contending  for,  and  yon  and  your  posterity  would  be  obliged 
to  stoop  to  an  abject  vassalage. 

"All  is  not  lost  yet,  therefore  beware  in  the  future  of  the  objec- 
tion of  either  weak  or  interested  men  who  would  persuade  you  to 
a  passive  conduct  under  all  the  Measures  of  Government.  Your 
Eulers,  as  well  as  those  of  other  nations,  are  only  fallible  men. 
When  they  act  well,  honor  and  applaud,  when  wickedly,  impeach 
and  punish  them.  Disregard  their  impotent  threats  and  ridicu- 
lous fallacies,  and  let  them  know  that  th^  little  selfish  cry  of  an 
individual  is  not  to  be  heard  when  the  loud  sounds  of  the  peo- 
ples' are  publishing  their  wrongs. 

'•'Signed  by  order, 

"CHAELES  CUMMINGS,  Ch'm." 

A  copy. 

This  document  is  thus  endorsed  by  the  Governor: 
"Memo.     James  Montgomery  put  this  paper  into  my  hands,  and 
can  prove  its  authenticity,  and  that  Arthur  Campbell  personally 
explained,  enforced  and  inculcated  its  contents  on  the  people,  par- 
ticularly the  State  of  Taxes  p'd  by  that  conntry." 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  and  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens  of 
Washington  county,  from  this  time  forward,  made  every  possible 
effort  to  secure  the  approval  of  th©  Congress  of  the  United  States 
of  their  views  in  regard  to  the  formation  of  a  new  State,  and  their 


398  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

views  seemed  to  permeate  and  meet  with  the  approval  of  all  the 
citizens,  with  but  few  exceptions,  living  on  the  western  waters. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1784,  the  General  Assembly  of  North 
Carolina  passed  an  Act  ceding  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
all  her  western  lands,  including  the  counties  of  Sullivan,  Washing- 
ton, Greene  and  Davidson,  now  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
State  of  Tennessee,  and  at  the  same  session  of  the  Xorth  Carolina 
Assembly,  the  Western  Land  Office  was  closed. 

Immediately  upon  the  adjournment  of  the  jSTorth  Carolina 
Assembly,  the  four  delegates  from  the  western  counties  returned 
to  their  homes  and  gave  intelligence  to  the  people  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina,  whereupon,  it  was 
proposed  that  the  people  shoukl  elect  two  representatives  in  each 
captain's  company  in  the  counties  of  Washington,  Sullivan  and 
Greene,  as  committeemen  to  deliberate  upon  tbe  state  of  public 
affairs  and  to  recommend  a  plan  of  action  suited  to  the  occasion. 
These  committees  met  and  recommended  the  election  of  delegates 
from  the  several  counties,  to  meet  in  convention  at  Jonesboro,  with 
j'Ower  to  adopt  such  measures  as  they  thought  necessary. 

The  delegates  were  elected  and  assembled  at  Jonesboro  on 
August  23,  1784,  and  elected  the  following  officers:  President, 
John  Sevier;  Secretary,  Landon  Carter. 

The  convention  immediately  proceeded  to  appoint  a  committee 
to  take  into  consideration  the  state  of  public  affairs  and  the  ces- 
sion to  Congress  b}^  North  Carolina  of  her  western  territory. 

This  committee,  after  a  resolution  had  been  offered  by  a  member 
declaring  the  three  western  counties  independent  of  North  Caro- 
lina, unanimously  adopted  the  following  report,  which  was  submit- 
ted to  the  convention: 

EEPORT. 

"Your  committee  are  of  opinion  and  judge  it  expedient,  that  the 
counties  of  Washington,  Sullivan  and  Greene,  which  the  Cession 
Bill  particularly  respects,  form  themselves  into  an  association  and 
combine  themselves  together,  in  order  to  support  the  present  laws 
of  North  Carolina,  which  may  not  be  incompatible  with  the  modes 
and  forms  of  laying  off  a  new  State.  It  is  the  opinion  of  your 
committee  that  we  have  a  just  and  undeniable  right  to  petition  to 
Congress  to  a(;cept  the  cession  made  by  North  Carolina,  and  for 
that  body  to  countenance  us  in  forming  O'Urselves  into  a  separate 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  399 

government,  and  either  to  frame  a  permanent  or  temporary  con- 
stitution, agreeably  to  a  resolve  of  Congress  in  such  case  made  and 
provided,  as  nearly  as  circumstances  will  permit.  We  have  a  right 
to  keep  and  hold  a  convention  from  time  to  time,  by  meeting  and 
convening  at  such  place  or  places  as  the  said  convention  shall 
adjovirn  to.  When  any  contiguous  part  of  Virginia  shall  make 
application  to  join  this  association,  after  they  are  legally  permitted, 
either  by  the  State  of  Virginia  or  other  power  having  cognizance 
thereof,  it  is  our  opinion  that  they  be  received  and  enjoy  the  same 
privilege  that  we  do,  or  shall  enjoy.  This  convention  has  a  right 
to  adopt  and  prescribe  such  regulations  as  the  particular  exigencies 
of  the  times  and  the  public  good  may  require;  that  one  or  more 
persons  ought  to  be  sent  to  represent  our  situation  in  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  and  this  convention  has  just  right  and  autho- 
rity to  prescribe  a  regular  mode  for  his  support." 

This  report  was  received  by  the  convention  and  adopted,  and 
the  convention,  by  a  vote  of  28  to  15,  declared  in  favor  of  forming 
a  separate  and  distinct  State  at  this  time,  and  appointed  Messrs. 
Hardin  and  Cocke  to  draw  up  articles  of  association,  which  they 
did  and  which  articles  were  approved  by  the  convention.  Pursuant 
to  tlie  Articles  of  Association,  the  first  members  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  Franklin  were  chosen,  and  assembled  at 
Jonesboro  in  the  month  of  March,  1785,  at  which  time  officers  were 
elected  and  laws  adopted  for  the  government  of  the  State  of  Frank- 
land.     The  officers  elected  were  as  follows: 

Governor,  John  Sevier. 

Secretary  of  State,  Landon  Carter. 

Treasurer,  William  Cage. 

Surveyor-General,  Stockly  Donaldson. 

Brigadier-Generals,  Daniel  Kennedy  and  William  Cocke. 

Council  of  State,  William  Cocke,  Landon  Carter,  Francis  A. 
Ramsay,  David  Campbell,  Daniel  Kennedy  and  Colonel  Taylor. 

Member  of  Congress,  General  William  Cocke. 

The  government  as  thus  organized,  proceeded  in  an  orderly  way 
to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  people. 

There  can  be  but  little  question,  that  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell, 
the  author  of  the  idea  of  a  new  State,  played  a  leading  part  in  the 
organization  of  the  State  of  Frankland.  During  the  years  1783- 
1784,  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  organizing  this  new  govern- 


400  Suuthivest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

ment  and  enlisting  the  sympathies  of  the  people  ol  Washington  and 
Montgomery  counties  in  behalf  of  the  same.  He  drew  i;p  a  Decla- 
ration of  Eights  and  a  Constitution  for  the  new  government,  and 
while  I  am  unable  to  obtain  a  copy  of  the  Constitution  that  he 
proposed  for  the  new  State,  still  I  am  able  to  give  the  Declaration 
of  Eights  prepared  by  him,  which  is  as  follows : 

A  DECLAEATION  OF  EIGHTS. 

1st.  That  all  political  power  is  vested  in  and  derived  from  the 
oeople  only. 

2nd.  That  the  people  of  this  State  ought  to  have  the  sole  and 
>xclusive  right  of  regulating  the  internal  government  and  police 
thereof. 

3d.  That  no  man,  or  set  of  men,  are  entitled  to  exclusive  or 
separate  emoluments  or  privileges  from  the  community  but  in  con- 
sideration of  public  services. 

4th.  That  the  legislative,  executive  and  supreme  judicial  powers 
of  government  ought  to  be  forever  separate  and  distinct  from  each 
other. 

5th.  That  all  powers  of  suspending  laws,  or  the  execution  of 
laws,  by  any  authority,  without  the  consent  of  the  representatives 
of  the  people,  are  injurious  to  their  right  and  ought  not  to  be 
exercised. 

'  6th.     That  election  of  members  to  serve  as  representatives  in 
General  Assembly  ought  to  be  free. 

7th.  That  in  all  criminal  prosecutions,  every  man  has  a  right 
to  be  informed  of  the  accusation  against  him  and  to  confront  the 
accusers  and  witnesses  with  other  testimony,  and  shall  not  be  com- 
pelled to  give  evidence  against  himself. 

8th.  That  no  freeman  shall  be  put  to  answer  any  criminal 
charge  but  by  indictment  or  impeachment. 

9th.  That  no  freeman  shall  be  convicted  of  any  crime  but  by 
the  unanimous  verdict  of  a  jury  of  good  and  lawful  men  in  open 
court,  ns  heretofore  used. 

101  h.  'J'liat  excessive  bail  should  not  be  required,  nor  excessive 
fines  imposed,  nor  cruel  nor  unusual  punishments  inflicted. 

11th.  That  general  warrants,  whereby  an  officer  or  a  messenger 
may  be  commanded  to  search  suspected  places,  without  evidence 
of  the  fact  committed,  or  to  seize  any  person  or  persons  not  named, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  401 

whose  offences  are  not  particularly  described  and  supported  by  evi- 
dence, are  dangerous  to  liberty  and  ought  not  to  be  granted. 

12th.  That  no  freeman  ought  to  be  taken,  imprisoned  or  dis- 
seized of  his  freehold,  liberties  or  privileges,  or  outlawed  or  exiled, 
or  in  any  manner  destroyed  or  deprived  of  his  life,  liberty  or  prop- 
erty, but  by  the  law  of  the  land. 

13th.  That  every  freeman  restrained  of  his  liberty,  is  entitled  to 
a  remedy,  to  enquire  into  the  lawfulness  thereof,  and  to  remove 
the  same,  if  unlawful ;  and  that  such  remedy  ought  not  to  be  denied 
or  delayed. 

14th.  That  in  all  controversies  at  law,  respecting  property,  the 
ancient  mode  of  trial  by  jury  is  one  of  the  best  securities  of  the 
rights  of  the  people  and  ought  to  remain  sacred  and  inviolable. 

15th.  That  the  freedom  of  the  press  is  one  of  the  great  bul- 
warks of  liberty,  and  therefore  ought  never  to  be  restrained. 

16th.  That  the  people  of  this  State  ought  not  to  be  taxed,  or 
made  subject  to  payment  of  any  impost  or  duty,  without  the  con- 
sent of  themselves  or  their  representatives  in  General  Assembly 
freely  given. 

17th.  That  the  people  have  a  right  to  bear  arms  for  the  defence 
of  the  State ;  and  as  standing  armies  in  time  of  peace  are  dangermis 
to  liberty,  they  ought  not  to  be  kept  up;  and  that  the  military 
should  be  kept  under  strict  subordination  to,  and  governed  by,  the 
civil  power. 

18th.  That  the  people  have  a  right  to  assembly  together,  to 
consult  for  their  common  good,  to  instruct  their  representatives, 
and  to  apply  to  the  Legislature  for  redress  of  grievances. 

19th.  That  all  men  have  a  natural  and  unalienable  right  to 
worship  Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  con- 
sciences. 

20th.  That  for  redress  of  grievances  and  for  amending  and 
strengthening  the  laws,  elections  ought  to  be  often  held. 

21st.  That  a  frequent  recurrence  to  fundamental  principles  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  preserve  the  blessings  of  liberty. 

22d.  That  no  hereditary  emoluments,  privileges  or  honors 
ought  to  be  granted  or  conferred  in  this  State. 

23d.  That  perpetuities  and  monopolies  are  contrary  to  the 
genius  of  a  free  State  and  ought  not  to  be  allowed. 

24th.     That  retrospective  laws  punishing  acts  committed  before 


402  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

the  existence  of  such  laws,  and  by  them  only  declared  criminal,  are 
oppressive,  imjiist  and  incoinpatible  with  liberty;  therefore  no  ex 
post  facto  law  ought  to  be  made," 

James  Montgomery,  when  he  accepted  the  commission  of  the 
Governor  as  sheriff  of  Washington  county  and  gave  security  for  the 
collection  of  the  taxes  due  for  the  three  preceding  years,  incurred 
the  displeasure  of  Colonel  Campbell  and  the  majority  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  county,  and,  in  turn,  he  became  the  bitter  enemy  of 
Colonel  Campbell. 

The  people  had  been  advised  and  expected  that  they  would  be 
released  from  the  payment  of  their  taxes  for  the  preceding  years, 
upon  the  organization  of  the  new  State,  which  they  confidently 
believed  would  take  place.  Early  in  the  year  1785,  James  Mont- 
gomery, William  Edmiston,  Arthur  Bowen,  James  Kincannon, 
Samuel  Edmiston  and  James  Thompson  addressed  the  following 
communication  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  preferring  charges 
of  majpractices  and  misconduct,  in  his  office,  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  against  Arthur  Camjabell. 

"Sir: — Viewing  with  concern  the  present  situation  of  affairs  in 
this  country,  through  attempts  of  ambitious  men,  thereby  intend- 
ing to' incense  the  good  people  thereof  against  the  laws  of  the  State 
and  proceedings  of  government  requisite  thereto,  finally  tO'  effect  a 
new  State  in  this  quarter  of  the  country,  we  cannot  any  longer 
remain  tacit  beholders  of  the  evils  already  generating  among  us, 
without  tlie  most  alarmed  sensations,  which  we  think  the  ties  of 
humanity  and  obligations  to  our  country  lead  us  to  disclose. 

Most  secret  plans  have  been  laid  to  delude  the  people,  holding  out 
to  them  the  idea  of  oppressive  acts  imposed  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly, intended  to  burthen  them  unjustly  with  a  weight  of  taxes. 
Small  committees  were  contrived  and  convened  by  Colonel  Arthur 
Campl>ell,  the  leader  of  this  disorder,  as  early  as  February  and 
March  last,  under  pretext  of  seeking  redress  of  grievances  in  behalf 
of  the  county  the  present  year,  and  decrying  the  laws  in  general  of 
the  last  Assembly.  !N"otwithstanding  every  opposition  made  to  his 
measures,  he  continued  to  convene  his  committees,  and,  not  long 
after,  in  one  of  his  committees  at  Major  Dysart's  disclosed  his  plan 
of  representation  to  Congress,  thereby  aiming  to  fix  a  boundary  to 
include  a  part  of  Virginia  in  the  Frankland  State. 

It  is  also  notoriously  known  that  Colonel  Campbell  did,  in  a  con- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  403 

vention  of  the  North  Carolina  people,  publicly  propose  to  separate 
himself  with  the  citizens  of  Washington  and  Montgomery  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  joining  them  declare  themselves  immediately  independ- 
ent of  the  States  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  and  moreover, 
stand  in  the  front  of  the  battle  between  these  people  and  Virginia 
when  necessary.  His  declaration  to  the  people  of  this  county  at  the 
March  court,  to  elect  no  delegates  to  the  Greneral  x^ssembly  this 
year,  together  with  his  late  opposition,  at  the  July  court,  to  the 
proclamation  issued  by  your  Excellency  in  Council  the  10th  of 
June  last,  may  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  your  Excellency  and  Hon- 
orable Council  that  the  mischievous  spirit  prevailing  here  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  present  collection  and  other  proceedings  of  govern- 
ment, may  have  arisen  from  the  licentious  spirit  of  Colonel  Camp- 
bell, conveyed  to  them  through  his  artful  insinuations  daily  since 
last  court,  exercised  by  public  meetings  in  this  county,  intended  to 
overset  the  designs  of  the  Executive  in  the  present  arrangement  of 
the  militia;  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  he  is  now  aiming  to 
effect  associations  to  oppose  the  collection  when  attempted  to  be 
made.  The  charges  herein  contained  can  undoubtedly  be  supported 
by  General  Russell,  Captain  Andrew  Kincannon,  Captain  Henry 
Smith  and  Captain  William  Cocke,  of  the  Frankland  settlement. 
We  rest  the  charges  herein  contained  for  the  discussion  and  ulti- 
mate decision  of  your  Excellency  and  the  Honorable  Council,  that 
if  necessary  he  may  be  cited  to  answer  the  charges  against  him." 

When  the  attention  of  Governor  Henry  was  called  to  the  situation 
of  affairs  in  this  county,  he  removed  the  suspension  of  the  opera- 
tion of  the  militia  law  adopted  by  the  Assembly  at  its  session  in 
the  year  1784,  and  removed  from  office  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell, 
the  county  lieutenant  of  this  county,  and  such  of  the  field  officers, 
in  the  militia  of  this  county,  as  were  active  partizans  of  the  new 
State.  Colonel  William  Russell  was  commissioned  a  brigadier- 
general  of  militia  with  a  full  quota  of  officers  who  were  opposed  to 
the  formation  of  the  new  State.  By  this  act,  the  Governor  remO'Ved 
from  office  many  of  the  men  who  had  served  at  King's  mountain, 
and  such  was  the  dissatisfaction  produced  by  this  action,  that  a 
number  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county  who  had  not  taken 
part  in  the  previous  disturbances,  addressed  the  following  petition 
to  the  Governor  and  Council  of  the  State : 


404  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

To  His  Excellency,  Patrick  Henry,  Esquire,  Governor  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Virginia,  and  the  Honorable  Council  of  State: 
The  petition  of  simdiy  freemen  whose  names  are  thereunto  sul)- 
scribed  humbly  sheweth,  that  being  pleased  with  the  name  and 
wishing  to  glory  in  the  reality  of  being  citizens  of  a  Commonwealth, 
it  is  with  infinite  concern  that  we  are  constrained  to  address  your 
Excellency  on  a  subject  tliat  we  apprehend  will  eventually  endanger 
our  liberties — we  mean  the  adoption  of  the  new  militia  law. 
That  we  believe  the  Constitution  is  imperfect  in  some  particulars; 
but  whilst  we  retain  it  as  an  acknowledged  plan,  springing  from  a 
higher  source  than  the  ordinary  Legislature,  we  ought  to  consider 
it,  until  altered  by  the  same  authorities,  as  the  basis  of  the  laws  and 
all  legitimate  government,  and  besides  our  allegiance  points  out 
to  us  as  a  duty,  to  maintain  it  inviolate,  that  former  examples  both 
ancient  and  modern,  our  own  experience  and  the  reason  of  things 
tell  us  that  if  an  infraction  is  once  made,  and  that  by  a  delegated 
powder,  then  there  will  be  no  right,  however  sacred,  that  is  possessed 
by  the  citizens,  but  may  be  usurped,  and  our  government  ere  long 
terminate  in  anarchy  or  despotism,  those  mournful  calamities  that 
too  soon  befall  the  human  race. 

To  avert  such  direful  events,  to  recur  to  first  principles  and  to 
reinstate  our  liberties  in  their  pristine  vigor,  we  are  encouraged  to 
approach,  with  freedom  and  truth,  a  patriotic  Chief  Magistrate, 
and  an  enlightened  Council,  humbly  praying  that  the  powers  with 
which  your  Honorable  Board  are  invested  may  be  now  exercised  by 
refusing  to  execute  the  aforesaid  Act  as  being  unconstitutional  and 
oppressive;  or,  if  need  be,  assemble  the  Legislature,  at  an  earlier 
period  than  it  stands  adjourned  to,  that  we  may  have  an  opportu- 
nity to  seek  redress  from  a  legal  tribunal.  And  your  petitioners 
shall  pray: 

Andrew  Willoughby,  Jr.,  James  Logan, 

James ,  Eobert  Montgomery, 

James  Craig,  Joseph  Acklin, 

Charles  Cummings,  George  Finley, 

Era.  Allison,  Eobert  Campbell, 

Thomas  Cummings,  Samuel  x\cklin, 

John  Trousdale,  Samuel  Houston, 

James  Dunlop.  John  Preston, 

John  Campbell,  James  Cummings, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  405 

John  Davis,  David  Kinkead, 

James  Moore,  Andrew  Davison, 

Gilbert  Watson,  Thomas  Osburn, 

John  Christian,  Eobert  Johnston, 

Robert  Craig,  N"ath.  Willoughby, 

Michael  Higgins,  David  Watson, 

Samuel  Davis,  William  Bradley, 

John  Cummings,  William  Craig  and  others. 

The  Governor  being  slow  to  act  upon  the  charges  preferred  by 
James  Montgomery  and  others  against  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell, 
in  the  sununer  ol  the  year  1785,  William  Edmiston,  James  Kin- 
cannon,  Samuel  Edmiston,  James  Thompson  and  Arthur  Bowen' 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Governor  of  A^irginia,  prefer- 
ring additional  charges  against  Colonel  Campbell: 
"Please  Your  Excellency  and  the  Honorable  Council : 

"Sir, — A  complaint  being  exhibited  during  the  course  of  last 
summer  against  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  for  mal-conduct,  con- 
trary to  the  most  sacred  ties  of  government,  as  Avell  under  his  late 
county  lieutenancy  as  judge  of  the  court  of  Washington,  in  which 
he  continues  to  act,  we  have  consequently  thereto,  been  honored  by 
advice  from  our  Ijieutenant-Governor,  that  the  charges  would  be 
attended  to  by  the  Executive  which  we  still  hope  will  meet  your 
patronage  in  due  season  and  the  offender  in  your  wisdom  cited 
before  a  proper  trilmnal  to  answer  the  charges  against  him.  Bely- 
ing that  the  Executive  will  not  suffer  such  atrocious  insidt  to  the 
Commonwealth  of  Virginia  to  pass  unnoticed,  we  think  it  neces- 
sary to  add  fresh  matter  of  complaint  against  Colonel  Campbell 
that  with  the  former  now  in  your  possession,  his  wicked  and  per- 
severing conduct  may  be  more  clearly  explained  to  your  Honorable 
Board.  When  the  decision  of  the  Executive  made  it  necessary  to 
arrange  the  militia  of  Washington  county  under  the  law  of  eighty- 
four,  and  the  Governor's  proclamation  Avas  issued  for  that  purpose, 
which  being  accompanied  witb  the  field  officers'  commissions  were 
laid  before  Washington  court,  Colonel  Campbell  on  the  bench 
objected  to  the  proclamation  and  power  of  the  Executive,  under 
the  law,  and  quitting  the  bench  addressed  himself  to  the  court,  tell- 
ing them  that  the  militia  law  was  arbitrary,  tyrannical  and  oppres- 
sive; and  after  condemning  the  last  Assembly  for  enacting  the  law, 
said  that  the  power  of  enforcing  the  law  was  in  the  court,  not  in 


406  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

the  Executive,  and  that  the  court  should  by  no  means  suffer  the 
field  officers  to  qualify ;  he  also  hoped  that  the  court  and  people  oi 
the  county  would  pay  no  obedience  to  the  law  or  proclamation. 
Colonel  Campbell  finding  some  opposition  to  his  measures  by  the 
court,  alleged  that  the  Executive  having  suspended  the  operations 
of  the  law  till  January,  1786,  he  had  not  a  right  to  take  off  that 
suspension,  by  M'hich  time,  he  made  no  doubt,  the  law  would  be 
repealed;  and  after  finding  some  of  the  court  opposed  to  his  pro- 
positions, plead,  (notwithstanding  the  danger  of  the  frontiers) 
that  the  court  should  not  suffer  the  field  officers  to  qualify  at  that 
time.  His  constant  endeavors  to  prejudice  the  citizens  of  this 
county  ever  since  against  the  law,  will  appear  from  a  petition  to 
the  Assembly  which  he  promoted." 

And  at  the  same  time  James  Montgomery,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  from  Washington  county,  preferred  the  follow- 
ing charges  against  Colonel  Campbell: 

"1st.  That  he  advised  persons  chargeable  with  pulilic  taxes  to 
refuse  payment  thereof. 

2d.  That  he  advised  freeholders  against  electing  members  to  the 
General  Assembly. 

3d.  That  he  attempted  by  various  means,  openly  and  secretly,  to 
induce  the  inhabitants  of  Washington  county  to  separate  from  this 
Commonwealth. 

4th.  That  he  left  the  bench  on  a  day  when  the  court  was  sitting 
and  attempted  to  persuade  the  court  that  no  regard  ought  to  be 
paid  to  the  militia  law,  or  the  Governor's  proclamation  for  enforc- 
ing it." 

The  Governor  and  Council,  upon  consideration  of  said  charges, 
directed  that  tbe  first  Monday  in  April,  1786,  be  set  apart  for 
enquiring  into,  the  charges  aforesaid,  at  the  Council  chamber  in 
the  city  of  l^ichmond,  and  that  the  said  Arthur  Campbell  have 
notice  of  such  intended  inquiry  and  be  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the 
charges  exhibited  against  him  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  February 
next,  and  that  the  parties  be  at  liberty  from  that  period  to  the  15th 
day  of  March  next,  to  take  depositions  of  witnesses,  respecting  the 
charges  aforesaid,  giving  ten  days'  previous  notice  of  the  time  and 
place  of  taking  the  same,  and  that  when  taken  they  be  transmitted 
to  His  Excellency  the  Governor,  under  the  hand  and  seal  of  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  407 

magistrate  or  magistrates  who  attended  the  taking  of  such  deposi- 
tions. 

In  answer  to  Governor  Henry's  proclamation  enfoi'cing  the  mili- 
tia law,  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  who  had  been  particularly  named 
therein,  addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Governor : 

"Sir, — After  having  been  honored  lately  with  the  receipt  of  sev- 
eral of  your  Excellency's  letters,  particularly  that  of  the  17tli  of 
May  last,  and  the  several  communications  made  in  consequence  of 
them,  particularly  my  letter  of  the  13th  of  June,  the  principal  offi- 
cers and  the  Whig  interest  in  this  county  seemed  to  rest  satisfied 
that  an  amicable  and  enlightened  administration  would  pave  the 
way  to  the  Legislature  and  to  Congress  for  the  efficient  and  per- 
manent redress  of  the  principal,  and  in  some  cases  the  almost 
intolerable  grievances  of  the  western  inliabitants.  Birt.  v^'fluile 
secure  in  this  confidence,  we  have  to  lament  that  the  voice  of 
calumny  and  faction  has  reached  the  seat  of  supreme  rule,  and 
that,  without  a  constitutional  enquiry,  without  a  fair  hearing,  it 
has  been  in  some  degree  listened  to,  and  had  effect.  It  is  hard  to 
defend  when  it  is  not  known  what  we  are  charged  with,  and  at 
all  times  who  can  disarm  private  pique,  or  be  able  to  withstand 
malice  and  envy  without  feeling  some  smart.  But  political  fury, 
engendered  by  Tory  principles,  knows  no  bounds  and  is  without 
a  parallel.  Bernard  and  Hutchison  have  exhibited  to  Governors 
and  the  wotM,  examples  that  ought  to  teach  wisdom  to  this  and 
succeeding  generations.  We  are  told  (but  it  is  only  from  report) 
that  we  have  offended  government  on  account  of  our  sentiments 
being  favorable  to  a  new  State,  and  our  looking  forward  for  a  sep- 
aration. If  such  a  disposition  is  criminal,  I  confess  there  are  not 
a  few  in  this  county  to  whom  guilt  may  be  imputed,  and  to  many 
respectable  characters  in  other  counties  on  the  western  waters.  If 
we  wish  for  a  separation  it  is  on  account  of  grievances  that  daily 
become  more  and  more  intolerable,  it  is  from  a  hope  that  another 
mode  of  governing  will  make  us  more  useful  than  we  are  now  to  the 
general  confederacy,  or  ever  can  be  whilst  so  connected.  But  why 
can  blame  fall  on  us,  when  our  aim  is  to  conduct  measures  in  an 
orderly  manner,  and  strictly  consistent  with  the  Constitution. 
Surely  men  who  have  bound  themselves  by  every  holy  tie  to  sup- 
port republican  principles,  cannot  on  a  dispassionate  consideration 
blame  us.     Our  want  of  experience  and  knowledge  may  be  a  plea 


408  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

against  ns.  We  deplore  our  situation  and  circumstances  on  that 
account,,  but  at  the  same  tiiuo  fii'inly  believe  that  our  advances  to 
knowledge  will  still  continue  ^\o\\\  jicrhaps  verge  towards  ignorance 
and  barbarism,  without  the  benefit  of  local  independent  institutions. 

But,  sir,  why  may  we  not  take  courage  and  say  we  are  right  when 
adverting  to  onr  omti  constitution,  to  the  ditTerent  Acts  of  Con- 
gress, that  of  different  legislatures,  the  opinion  of  the  first  states- 
men in  America,  among  whom  we  can  number  an  illustrious  com- 
mander, a  great  lawyer  and  judge  in  this  State,  and  a  Governor  of 
Virginia  himself? 

All  that  I  have  to  ask,  and  it  is  all  that  I  may  ever  crave,  is 
that  your  Excellency  may  not,  from  invidious  information,  form 
such  rash  measures,  so  urge  matters,  at  an  untimely  day  to  extremi- 
ties, which  only  might  gratify  an  angry  individual,  but  would,  by 
no  means,  promote  the  interest  and  peace  of  the  Commonwealth, 
or  its  lionor  and  dignity. 

I  am,  sir,  with  res}>cct,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

AKTHUE  CAMPBELL. 

The  agitation  continued  until  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Virginia,  on  October,  1185,  at  which  time,  the  Grovemor 
transmitted  to  the  General  Assembly  a  message  in  regard  to  the 
action  taken  l)y  the  people  of  this  portion  of  Virginia,  praying  the 
establishment  of  an  independent  State. 

Accompanying  the  message  was  the  memorial  adopted  by  the 
Assembly  that  met  at  Abingdon,  addressed  to  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  as  heretofore  given.  The  message  of  the  Governor 
to  the  General  Assembly  was  as  follows : 

MESS  AGE.  OF  GOVERNOR  PATRICK  HENRY. 
"I  transmit  herewith  a  letter  from  the  Honorable  Mr.  Hardy, 
covering  a  memorial  to  Congress  of  sundry  inhabitants  of  Washing- 
ton county,  praying  the  establishment  of  an  independent  State,  to 
be  bounded  as  is  therein  expressed.  The  proposed  limits  include 
a  vast  extent  of  country,  in  whicli  we  have  numerous  and  very 
I'espectable  settlements,  which  in  their  growth  will  form  an  inval- 
uable barrier  between  this  country  and  those,  who,  in  the  course 
of  events,  may  oecujiy  the  vast  places  westward  of  the  mountains, 
some  of  whom  have  views  incompatible  with  our  safety.  Already 
the  militia  of  that  part  of  the  State  is  the  most  respectable  we  have, 
and  by  their  means  it  is  that  the  neighboring  Indians  are  awed 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  409 

into  professions  of  friendship.  But  a  circumstance  has  lately  hap- 
pened, which  renders  the  possession  of  the  territory  at  the  present 
time  indispensable  to  the  peace  and  safety  of  Virginia;  I  mean  the 
assumption  of  sovereign  power  by  the  western  inhabitants  of  North 
Carolina.  If  the  people  who,  without  consulting  their  own  safety 
or  any  other  authority  known  in  the  American  Constitution,  have 
assumed  government,  and  Avhile  unallied  to  us  and  under  no 
engagements  to  pursue  the  objects  of  the  Federal  government,  shall 
be  strengthened  by  the  accession  of  so  great  a  part  of  our  country, 
consequences  fatal  to  our  repose  will  probably  follow.  It  is  to  be 
observed  that  the  settlements  of  this  new  society  stretch  into  a 
great  extent  in  contact  with  ours  in  Washington  county,  and  there- 
by expose  our  citizens  to  the  contagion  of  the  example  which  bids 
fair  to  destroy  the  peace  of  North  Carolina.  In  this  state  of  things 
it  is  that  variety  of  information  has  come  to  me  stating  that  several 
persons,  but  especially  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  have  used  their 
utmost  endeavors,  and  with  some  success,  to  persuade  the  citizens 
in  that  quarter  to  break  O'ff  from  this  Commonwealth,  and  attach 
themselves  to  the  newly-assumed  government,  or  to  erect  one  dis- 
tinct from  it.  And  to  effect  this  purpose  the  equality  and  authority 
of  the  laws  have  been  arraigned,  the  collection  of  the  taxes  impeded, 
and  our  national  character  impeached.  If  this  most  important  part 
of  our  territory  be  lopped  off,  we  loose  that  barrier  for  which  our 
people  have  long  and  often  fought;  that  nursery  of  soldiers,  from 
which  future  armies  may  be  levied,  and  through  which  it  will  be 
almost  impossible  for  our  enemies  to  penetrate.  We  shall  aggran- 
dize the  new  State,  whose  connections,  views  and  designs,  we  know 
not :  shall  cease  to  be  formidable  to  our  savage  neighbors,  or  respect- 
able to  our  western  settlements,  at  present  or  in  the  future. 

Whilst  these  and  many  other  matters  were  contemplated  by  the 
Executive,  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  the  attempt  at  separation  was 
discouraged  by  every  lawful  means,  the  chief  of  which  was  dis- 
placing such  of  the  field  officers  of  the  militia  in  Washington 
county  as  were  active  partizans  for  separation,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  weight  of  office  being  put  in  the  scale  against  Virginia.  To 
this  end  a  proclamation  was  issued,  declaring  the  militia  laws  of 
the  last  session  in  force  in  that  county,"  and  appointments  were 
made  agreeable  to  it. 

I  hope  to  be  excused  for  expressing  a  wish  that  the  Assembly,  in 


410  Southwest  Virginia,  171,6-1186. 

deliberating  on  this  affair,  will  prefer  lenient  measures  in  order 
to  restrain  our  erring  citizens.  Their  taxes  have  run  into  three 
years  and  thereby  gro\m  to  an  amount  beyond  the  ability  of  many 
to  discharge;  while  the  system  of  our  trade  has  been  such,  as  to 
render  their  agriculture  Tinproductive  of  money.  And  I  cannot  but 
suppose  that  if  even  the  warmest  supporters  of  separation  had  seen 
the  mischievous  consequences,  they  would  have  retraced  and  recon- 
sidered that  intemperance  in  their  OAvn  proceedings,  which  oppo- 
sition in  sentiment  is  too  apt  to  produce. 

The  limits  proposed  for  the  new  government  of  Frankland,  by 
Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  and  the  people  of  Virginia  who  aimed  at 
a  separation  from  this  State,  were  expressed  in  the  form  of  a  con- 
stitution which  Colonel  Campbell  drew  up  for  public  examination, 
and  were  these :  Beginning  at  a  point  on  the  top  of  the  Alleghany 
or  Appalachian  mountains,  so  as  that  a  line  drawn  due  north  from 
thence  will  touch  the  bank  of  .the  New  river,  otherwise  called 
Kenawha,  at  the  confluence  of  Little  river,  which  is  about  one 
mile  above  Inglis'  ferry,  doM^i  the  said  river  Kenawha  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Eoncevcrt,  or  Greenbrier  river,  a  direct  line  thence  to 
the  summit  of  Laurel  mountain,  and  along  the  highest  part  of  the 
'sr.me  to  the  same  point  where  it  is  intersected  by  the  parallel  of 
37°  north  latitude;  Avest  along  that  latitude  to  a  point  where  it  is 
met  by  a  meridian  line  that  passes  through  the  lower  part  of  the 
river  Ohio ;  south  along  the  meridian  to  the  Elk  river,  a  branch  of 
the  Tennessee ;  down  said  river  to  its  mouth,  and  down  the  Ten- 
nessee to  the  most  southwardly  part  or  bend  of  said  river;  a  direct 
line  from  thence  to  that  branch  of  the  Mobile,  called  Tombigbee; 
down  said  river  Tombigbee  to  its  junction  with  the  Coosawattee 
river,  to  the  mouth  of  that  branch  of  it  called  the  Hightower; 
thence  south  to  the  top  of  the  x\ppalachian  mountain,  or  the  highest 
land  that  divided  the  sources  of  the  eastern  from  the  western  wat- 
ers ;  northwardly  along  the  middle  of  said  heights,  and  the  top  of 
the  Appalachian  mountain,  to  the  beginning.  It  was  stated 
that  the  inhabitants  within  these  limits  agree  with  each  other 
to  form  themselves  into  a  free,  sovereign  and  independent 
body  politic  or  State,  by  the  name  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Frankland.  The  laws  of  the  Legislature  were  to  be  enacted  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Frankland ;  and  all 
the  laws  and  ordinances  which  had  been  before  adopted,  used  and 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  411 

approved  in  the  different  parts  of  this  State,  whilst  under  the  juris- 
diction of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  shall  still  remain  the  rule 
of  decision  in  all  cases  for  the  respective  limits  for  which  they  were 
formerly  adopted,,  and  shall  continue  in  full  force  until  altered- 
or  repealed  by  the  Legislature;  such  parts  only  excepted,  as  are 
repugnant  to  the  rights  and  liberties  contained  in  this  Constitution, 
or  those  of  the  said  respective  States." 

As  heretofore  stated,  early  in  the  year  1785  the  Governor 
removed  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  county  lieutenant  of  Washing- 
ton county  and  all  the  militia  ofhcers  who  advocated  a  new  State, 
and  commissioned  General  Eussell  as  brigadier-general  of  militia 
and  a  number  of  other  gentlemen  who  Avere  opposed  to  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  State,  as  militia  officers  in  Washington  county;  but 
when  Colonel  Eussell  and  the  other  gentlemen  holding  commis- 
sions under  the  Governor  appeared  before  the  court  and  offered  to 
qualify  as  required  by  law.  Colonel  Campbell,  who  was  the  pre- 
siding officer  of  the  court,  demanded  of  Colonel  Eussell  and  his 
friends  to  know  by  what  authority  they  sought  toi  qualify,  when 
the  commissions  were  produced,  and  Colonel  Campbell,  having 
read  the  commissions,  left  the  bench  and  declared  that  he  would 
not  tamely  submit  to  the  orders  of  the  Governor,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  address  the  court,  declaring  the  militia  law  to  be  in 
the  highest  degree  oppressive  and  tyrannical,  and  that  the  Gover- 
nor, having  suspended  the  law  until  January,  1786,  had  no  right 
to  enforce  it  at  this  time.  He  pronounced  the  Governor's  proclama- 
tion illegal,  declaring  the  Governor  and  Coimcil  had  exceeded  their 
power,  and  that  they  had  no  right  to  enforce  the  militia  law  at 
tliat  time,  nnd  he  assured  the  court  that  the  power  to  enforce  law 
was  in  them  and  not  in  the  Executive;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
earnest  protest  of  Colonel  Eussell,  the  court  declined  to  permit 
the  Governor's  appointees  to  qualify. 

The  General  Assembly  convened  on  the  3d  day  of  October.  1785, 
and  the  first  act  passed  by  the  Assembly  was  to  amend  the  mil  it  in 
law  enacted  at  the  session  in  1784,  and  to  provide  that  the  officers 
of  the  militia,  who  were  displaced  and  removed  from  office  by  vir- 
tue of  said  act,  are  hereby  reinstated  and  shall  take  precedency  of 
rank  agreeably  to  dates  of  the  commissions  they  severally  held  prior 
to  the  passage  of  said  Act. 

And  this  same  Assembly  passed  several  Acts  having  for  their 


412  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

object  the  removal  of  the  grievances  complained   of  by   Colonel 
Campbell  and  his  followers  in  Washington  county. 

By  the  Act  of  the  Assembly  above  given,  Colonel  Campbell,  once 
again,  prevailed  against  his  enemies  and  continued  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  county  lieutenant  of  Washington  county  for  many 
years. 

The  measures  adopted  by  the  Legislature  were  exceedingly  mod- 
erate and  conciliatory,  and,  as  a  result,  all  active  opposition  to  the 
authority  of  the  Virginia  government  ceased. 

The  idea  of  forming  a  new  government  out  of  the  western  terri- 
tory originated  with  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  and  was  adopted  by 
the  citizens  of  North  Carolina  at  his  suggestion.  He  was  co^m- 
pelled  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  the  State  of  Virginia  some 
time  previous  to  the  dissolution  of  the  State  of  Frankland  in 
North  Carolina,  because  of  the  circumstances  surrounding  the  two 
peoples.  Colonel  Campbell  and  his  Virginia  followei-s  lived  in 
that  portion  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  which  the  State 
had  never  agreed  to  cede  to  the  Continental  Congress,  and  the  sov- 
ereignty ol  which  the  Commonwealth,  at  no  time,  was  willing 
to  surrender  to  any  other  power,  while  the  situation  in  North 
Carolina  was  entirely  different.  The  General  Assembly  of  that 
State  had  ceded  all  that  portion  of  her  territory  embraced  in  the 
State  of  Frankland  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
citizens  of  North  Carolina  felt  but  little  interest  in  the  matter,  and 
as  a  result  of  this  condition  the  Virginia  seceders  were  promptly 
suppressed,  while  those  in  North  Carolina  were  for  some  time  per- 
mitted to  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  their  way. 

""JMie  prosecution  of  Colonel  Campbell  continued  with  unabated 
vigor,  and  numerous  depositions  were  taken  to  sustain  the  charges 
made  against  him.  The  deposition  of  Colonel  William  TJussell, 
the  chief  prosecutor  in  the  case,  was  as  follows : 

"General  William  Eussell,  deposeth  and  saith  :  On  the  12th 
day  of  January,  17S5,  at  the  house  of  William  Colly  in  Wash- 
ington county,  your  deponent  attended  a  meeting  of  a  number  of 
inhabitants  of  said  county.  The  people  assembled.  Colonel  Camp- 
bell addressed  them,  saying  he  had  called  them  together  to  explain 
to  them  the  enormous  sum  of  money  paid  by  the  people  of  this 
county  to  the  State  of  Virginia,  which  he  said  repeatedly  amounted 
to  nearly  two  million  more  than  was  due  from  this  county  to'  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  413 

government.    He  said  he  was  exceedingly  alarmed  to  find  that  taxes 
were  to  be  demanded  of  the  peoj^le  of  Washington  that  year,  then 
reduced  to  absolute  certainty,  the  sheriff  having  given  security  for 
the  collection.     Your  deponent  well  remembers  Colonel  Campbell 
told  the  people  that  sum  of  money  operated  upon  them  as  a  tax, 
and  that  the  people  ought  to  pay  no  tax  till  that  sum  was  accounted 
for  by  the  government  to  the  people  here.    Your  deponent  then  told 
the  people  that  Colonel  Campbell's  deductions  were  drawn  from 
erroneous  calculations  by  the  lump,  intended  to  mislead  and  incense 
them  against  government.     Your  deponent  then  urged  the  people 
to  pay  half  the  tax  then  called  for,  and  furtlier  told  the  people  their 
compliance  with  that  in  future  might  perhaps  favor  them  to  pro- 
cure an  abatement,  if  not  a  final  remittance,  of  the  arrears  by  our 
Af;sembly.     Colonel  Campbell  immediately  replied,  truly  the  gen- 
tleman preaches  up  to  you  passive  obedience  and  non-resistance. 
Yoiir  deponent  then  informed  the  people  the  sheriff  would  take 
l3eof  cattle  for  the  collection,  to  make  it  easy  for  those  who  could 
not  raise  money  to  pay  their  tax.      Colonel   Campbell   instantly 
replied,  he  liked  such  men  who  would  take  up  arms  rather  than 
submit  to  so  unjust  a  tax.     Colonel  Campbell  then  proposed  that 
all  for  his  measure  should  choose  a  committee,  and  with  these 
retired  aside.    Your  deponent  attended  a  meeting  at  Major  Dysart's 
on  the  14th  of  the  same  instant,  when  Colonel  Campbell  addressed 
the  people  then  present  with  the  same  explanation  of  statements  he 
had  offered  on  the  12th  at  William  Colly's,  urging  that  the  people 
of  this  county  had  paid  two  millions  money  more  than  their  just 
quota,  and  alleged  it  was  unjust  for  us  to  pay  tax  till  that  was 
accounted  for.    Your  deponent  attended  one  other  meeting  at  Sink- 
ing Spring  Meeting  House,  on  the  15th  of  the  same  instant,  being 
Washington   February  court  day,   and  yonr  deponent   supposetli 
nearly  three  hundred  people  were  present  at  said  meeting.    Colonel 
Campbell  addressed  them  as  before  in  opposition  to  the  collection  of 
the  taxes,  and  again  alleged  this  county  had  paid  nearly  two  mil- 
lions over  and  above  what  ought  to  be  paid  to  government,  and 
recommended  the  people  ought  to  pay  no  tax  until  that  was  settled 
by  the  State.    Colonel  Campbell  said  he  was  surprised  to  find  in 
what  manner  measures  had  been  taken  to  precipitate  the  collection 
by  the  sheriff  and  his  sureties.    Colonel  Campbell  observed,  we  had 
but  lately  escaped  from  British  tyranny  and  he  feared  it  was  likely 


414  Southwest  Virginia^  174G-1786. 

to  take  place  in  our  own  State.  He  exclaimed  generally  against  the 
laAvs  passed  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1784,  as  tyrannical  and 
oppressive.  Your  deponent  once  more  observed  to  the  people  that 
Colonel  Campbell's  inferences  led  them  to  secede  from  government; 
that  his  insinuations  and  refusal  to  pay  taxes  led  to  rebellion,  in 
which  predicament,  if  led  by  him,  we  must  either  subjugate  Vir- 
ginia, or  Virginia  would  reduce  us. 

At  July  Washington  court,  1T85,  the  Grovernor's  proclamation 
being  read  near  the  courthouse  door,  by  the  sheriff  intended  to 
enforce  the  militia  law  of  1784,  your  deponent  and  field  officers,  as 
by  a  late  appointment  by  the  Governor,  went  before  the  court,  and 
applied  to  be  qualified  to  their  commissions.  Colonel  Campbell, 
then  on  the  bench  and  judge  of  the  court,  he  enquired  to  know  what 
co'mmission,  of  which  your  deponent  informed  him,  and  handed 
him  the  Governor's  proclamation ;  lie  having  read  it,  or  part  of  it, 
took  his  hat,  and  lca^'^ng  the  bench,  declared  he  would  not  tamely 
submit  to  it  so. 

Colonel  Cariipbell  then  addressed  the  court,  and  said  tha{  i'lo 
Governor  and  Council  had  exceeded  their  power.  He  told  the  court 
the  Governor's  proclamation  was  not  laAv.  Your  deponent  observed 
to  the  court  it  was  a  power  sufficient  to  enforce  a  law.  Colonel 
Campbell  then  observed  the  militia  law  was  in  the  highest  degree 
oppressive  and  tyrannical,  and  the  Executive  having  suspended  the 
law  till  Januar}',  1786,  had  no  right  to  enforce  it  at  that  time,  and 
he  assured  the  court  the  ])owcr  to  infoice  that  law  or  not,  was  in 
them,  and  not  in  the  Executive. 

It  appeared  to  your  deponent,  that  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell, 
supposing  that  he  Avould  be  overruled  by  the  court  in  his  proposi- 
tion, then  proposed  to  the  court  to  postpone  the  qualification  of  the 
officers  till  the  August  court.  Your  deponent  then  observed  to 
the  court  the  risk  of  the  frontier  woidd  not  admit  of  that  delay, 
as  depredations  had  been  committed  not  long  before  on  our  fron- 
tiers by  the  savages. 

Colonel  Campbell  then  replied  that  avus  not  of  inucli  consequence, 
and  further  your  deponent  saith  not. 

Depositions  pro  and  con  were  taken  in  tbis  ease,  at  the  town 
house,  on  March  G,  178G,  at  the  house  of  Captain  Tliomas  Price  on 
Clinch,  on  the  10th  day  of  March,  and  at  Henry  Herkleroads,  on 
the  14th  of  said  month.     The  following  witnesses  were  examined 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  415 

against  Colonel  Campbell :  Joseph  Cole,  Andrew  Kincannon, 
Thomas  Berry,  James  Thompson,  Charles  Bowen,  Arthur  Bowen, 
William  Crabtree,  Andrew  Cowan,  George  Clark,  James  Kincan- 
non  and  Eobert  Preston.  And  the  following  witnesses  were  sworn 
in  behalf  of  Colonel  Campbell:  John  Latham,  Benjamin  Sharp, 
James  Dysart,  Elisha  Dnngan,  Greorge  Finley,  Alex.  Breckinridge, 
James  Snodgrass,  John  Kinkead,  Joseph  Black  and  Eobert  Craig. 

These  depositions  were  taken  before  David  Ward,  Andrew  Cowan, 
John  Latham,  John  Kinkead,  John  Lowry,  James  Fnlkerson  and 
Joseph  Black. 

The  principal  deposition  given  in  behalf  of  Colonel  Arthnr  Camp- 
bell, and  the  one  that  l:)est  illustrates  his  defence,  was  that  of  Cap- 
tain Eobert  Craig,  which  is  as  follows : 

"And  the  deponent  further  saith;  that  at  July  court,  1785,  he 
was  sent  for  to  come  into  court,  and  when  he  camo  in  saw  Arthur 
Campbell  standing  on  the  floor,  and  after  the  said  deponent,  taking 
his  seat  on  the  bench.  Colonel  Eussell,  produced  to  the  bench  a 
commission  which  he  was  desirous  of  swearing  in.  Colonel  Camp- 
bell wished  the  bench  to  consider  the  matter  niatiirely  first.  Col- 
onel Eussell  told  the  court  they  could  not  get  over  swearing  the 
officers  into  this  commission,  as  there  was  the  Governor's  procla- 
mation enforcing  the  new  militia  law  in  this  county.  A  member 
of  the  court  was  desirous  of  seeing  the  proclamation,  upon  which 
it  was  handed  to  the  court,  when  Arthur  Campbell  raised  some 
objections  against  it  as  it  was  an  unusual  manner  in  which  it  came ; 
but  however.  Colonel  Eussell  still  insisted  to  swear  into  the  commis- 
sions, urging  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  swearing  into  them, 
as  the  frontier  was  in  danger  of  being  harassed  by  Indians.  Arthur 
Campbell  m.ade  answer  that  every  necessary  measure  had  been 
taken  for  the  defence  of  the  frontier,  and  said  that  the  officers 
which  had  acted  would  not  neglect  doing  every  duty  for  the  fron- 
tiers in  their  power  until  the  August  court,  which  was  the  longest 
time  he  wanted.  That  the  then  officers  which  were  to  swear  into 
their  commissions  should  not  be  opposed,  if  nothing  was  done  by 
the  Executive  favorable  to  the  old  officers,  for  he  was  certain,  he 
said,  that  thei-e  had  been  some  misrepresentation  sent  to  the 
Executive,  or  they  never  would  have  thrown  out  officers  who  had 
never  been  called  to  an  account  for  any  misconduct.  He  likewise 
further  said  that  he  would  leave  it  to  the  choice  of  the  people  which 


41G  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-1786. 

could  be  known  against  tlie  August  court,  and  if  the  new  militia 
law  was  the  choice  of  a  majority  of  the  people,  he  would  be  heartily 
agreed,  and  could  shoulder  his  musket  as  well  as  any  of  them;  and 
then  the  said  Arthur  Campbell  retired  out  of  the  house,  and  he  does 
not  remember  of  his  returning  into  the  house  that  day.  He  con- 
sidered Arthur  Campbell  as  acting  as  a  private  citizen  merely  in 
his  course,  and  had  never  known  ol  his  having  been  guilty  of  mis- 
conduct as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  &c.,  &c. 

"The  deponent  being  interrogated,  what  information  James 
Montgomer}^  gave,  one  of  the  days  of  the  last  court,  respecting  liis 
reasons  and  motives  for  accusing  Arthur  Campbell  for  malprac- 
tices in.  his  office  as  Justice  of  the  Peace;  Answers,  on  Wednesday 
the  Snd  day  of  the  court  in  conversation  with  Jam.es  Montgomery, 
said  Montgomery  often  urged  that  he  had  been  ill  used  by  Ar- 
thur Campbell,  and  particularly  for  that  judgment  which  was 
obtained  against  him  for  holding  a  false  Election  in  1785,  and  for 
not  getting  justice  in  recommendations.  As  a  Militia  Officer,  the 
said  Deponent  observed,  that  no  judgment  was  yet  ol)tained  against 
him  in  Court,  but  he  still  insisted  there  was,  and  he  blamed  no 
other  man  but  Arthur  (Campbell  for  it.  And  s'd  Deponent  asked 
said  Montgomery  Avhy  he  and  Arthur  (*am]il)ell  had  so  many  dis- 
putes, as  they  were  once  good  friends,  and  why  they  might  not 
cordially  drop  these  disputes  and  commence  good  friends  again ; 
said  Montgomery  answered  that  he  had  been  willing  to  be  good 
friends  with  him,  Init  it  was  too  late  now.  and  if  it  had  not  been 
purely  out  of  ambition  and  revenge  he  would  never  have  raised  a 
charge  against  Colonel  Campbell. 

"And  lieing  fiirtlier  interrogated,  if  wliat  he  heard  liim  sny 
in  his  opinion,  was  in  a  dispute,  depending  before  this  Court  or 
relative  to  tlie  charges  now  pending  before  the  Executive?  The 
said  Deponent  answered  that  he  understood  it  to  be  that  which 
lay  before  the  Fxeciitive.  Ee'ing  fuither  'initerrogaited,  if  he 
thought  James  Montgomery  was  in  his  ])roi>er  senses,  or  if  he 
thinks  he  was  disguised  with  liipuu-  nt  the  time  tliey  had  this  Con- 
versation ;  the  deponent  answers  that  he  drank  a  share  of  a  quart 
bowl  of  whiskey  grog,  and  seemed  as  if  he  had  been  drinking  freely 
before,  but  tTie  said  deponent  cannot  say  he  was  di-unk.  nlthough 
he  expressed  himself  very  uoi^y.  l)iit  as  scnsiltle  as  usual. 

"The  first  depositions  taken  in  this  case  were  suppressed  by  the 


Washington  County,  1111-1810.  417 

Governor   and    Council.      The   order  of   the   Council   suppressing 
these  depositions  was  as  follows : 

"Arthur  Campbell,  appearing  in  person  and  being  attended  by 
James  Innes  and  Archibald  Stuart,  Esquires,  his  counsel,  the 
Board  resumed  the  consideration  oi  the  charges  exhibited  against 
him  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the  county  of  Washington,  and, 
the  charges  being  read,  the  said  Arthur  Campbell  by  his  Coun- 
sel, objected  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Board  to  proceed  to  the  en- 
quiry, under  the  Act  entitled  'An  Act  to  extend  the  powers  of  the 
Governor  and  Council,'  as  being  repugnant  to  the  eighth  article 
of  the  declaration  of  rights,  and  the  principles  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, which  objection  being  overruled  by  the  Board,  the  Counsel 
for  the  said  Campbell  proceeded  to  object  to  the  nature  and  pro- 
priety of  the  testimony  by  Depositions,  alleging  the  witnesses 
should  personally  appear  and  be  examined  'viva  voce,'  and  that 
the  depositions  were  taken  in  a  partial  manner,  declaring  at  the 
same  time  that  tbeir  client  meant  not  to  shrink  from  the  charges 
being  enquired  into,  if  impartial  persons  should  be  appointed  to 
take  depositions  respecting  the  charges,  and  transmit  them  to  the 
Board. 

"Whereupon,  the  Board  delivered  their  opinion,  that  as  the 
certificate  of  the  judges  annexed  to  the  depositions  did  not  state 
the  place  as  well  as  the  time  where  the  depositions  were  taken,  in 
conformity  to  the  notice  given,  they  were  not  sufficient  evidence. 
It  was  therefore  ordered  by  the  consent  of  the  said  Campbell  and 
Alexander  Montgomery,  attending  on  the  part  of  the  accusers,  that 
depositions  respecting  the  charges  aforesaid,  as  well  on  the  part  of 
the  Commonwealth  as  the  said  Arthur  Campbell  be  taken  by  either 
party  at  the  Court  House  of  said  Washington  County,  between 
the  first  and  last  of  next  month,  giving  ten  days'  notice  of  the  time 
and  place  of  taking  them,  and  that  David  Ward,  Andrew  Cowan, 
John  Latham,  John  Kinkead,  John  Lowry,  James  Fulkerson  and 
Joseph  Black,  Gentlemen,  or  any  three  of  them  being  the  commis- 
sioners chosen  by  the  parties,  attend  the  taking  of  the  depositions 
of  such  witnesses  as  shall  be  produced,  and  that  the  commission- 
ers transmit  the  depositions  so  taken,  lyider  their  hand  and  seal, 
to  the  Governor  on  or  before  the  second  Tuesday  in  June  next, 
at  which  time  the  parties  are  to  be  heard  in  the  Council  Chamber 
touching  the  charges  aforesaid." 


418  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-17S6. 

These  depositions  wore  retaken  puvsnant  to  tlie  above  order  of 
tlie  Couneil  and  returned  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  whereupon 
Colonel  Campbell  addressed  the  following  memorial  to  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council : 

To  His  Exccllcncii,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  the  Honorahle 
the  Council  of  Slate: 

THE  MEMOEIAL  OF  ARTHUE  CAMPBELL. 

"Sheweth :  that  conscious  of  the  pnritv  of  his  intentions  and 
the  inoffensiveness  of  liis  transactions  in  1785,  he,  last  April, 
waived  his  undoubted  privilege  of  viva  voce  testimony  being  pro- 
duced against  him  before  your  Honorable  Board.  That  he  should 
not  have  waived  such  a  benefit  had  it  not  been  for  the  apparent 
sense  of  the  Board  in  April  last,  and  in  confidence  that  the  same 
rule  for  admitting  evidence  would  be  adopted  before  the  commis- 
sioners appointed  to  take  depositions,  as  are  always  adliered  to  in 
the  Courts  of  Law,  that  such  rules  liave  l)een  disregarded  and  such 
persons  admitted  to  swear,  who  are  parties  in  the  dispute,  and 
others  interested  and  not  credible  witnesses — That  as  all  your 
Memorialist's  conversation  complained  of  happened  at  public 
places,  where  were  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  generally  as- 
sembled, several  of  whom  must  have  heard  what  words  were  spoken, 
as  well  as  Colonel  Eussell,  or.  any  of  the  avowed  complainants. 
That  he  has  no  objection,  and  it  was  really  his  desire  to  have  a 
number  of  the  most  credible,  disinterested  persons  in  the  county 
to  say  on  their  oath  what  they  knew  of  the  charges  l)rought  against 
your  memorialist.  However,  he  believes  there  are  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  such  persons  already  qualified  to  make  the  truth  appear  to 
your  Honorable  Board,  without  being  obliged  to  resort  to  the  tes- 
timony indirectly  obtained,  and  coming  from  such  persons  imder 
the  influence  of  such  passions  as  always  vitiate  testimony  in 
the  Courts  of  Law.  Your  Memorialist  therefore  prays,  that  none 
of  the  depositions  taken  before  the  C^ommissioners,  in  Washington 
County,  dated  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  days  of  this  instant,  may 
be  admitted  against  him,  because,  however  secure  he  may  now  con- 
clude himself  from  the  attack  of  malice,  yet  the  precedent  would 
be  a  dangerous  one,  and  might  one  day  return  on  the  heads  of 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  419 

those  w]iO'  are  now  so  passionately  anxious  for  the  destruction  of 
one  who  has  really  done  the  public  no  wrong. 
"And  your  Memorialist  will  ever  I'ray,  &c.,  &c., 

"ABTHUE  CAMPBELL." 

As  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  the  Governor  and  Council  sustained 
the  charges  against  Colonel  Campbell  and  removed  him  from  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  connty  court  in  August,  1786,  but  he  was 
almost  immediately  reinstated  upon  the  request  of  the  court  of 
this  county. 

While  Colonel  Campbell's  conduct  in  this  matter  may  have  been 
indiscreet  and  imprudent,  there  can  be  no  question  that  he  voiced 
the  sentiments  of  a  great  majority  of  the  citizens  living  in  Wash- 
ington county. 

At  the  next  election  for  members  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from 
Washington  county,  held  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1787,  he,  along 
with  Eobert  Craig,  was  overwhelmingly  elected  froin  this  county, 
and  Colonel  Campbell  for  many  years  thereafter,  retained  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  of  this  county  and  the  State  officials  at  Rich- 
mond. 


420  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

CHAPTEK  IX. 

WASHINGTON    COUNTY^    1787-1840. 

On  tlie  8th  day  of  March,  1787,  a  small  party  of  Indians  came  to 
the  settlement  in  Castle's  Woods,  where  they  killed  a  woman  and 
two  children,  and  made  their  escape  in  snch  a  manner  that  they 
conld  not  be  pursued. 

A  short  while  previous  to  this  time  the  Indians  had  visited  Lin- 
coln couuty,  Kentucky,  and  stolen  a  number  of  horses,  and  com- 
mitted other  depredations  on  the  people,  whereupon  a  company  of 
militia,  being  about  100  in  num1)er,  set  out  from  Lincoln  county, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  John  Logan,  to  attack  and  destroy 
a  small  town  inhabited  by  the  Chcrokees,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Tennessee  and  l)elow  the  Cuml>erland  mountain,  who  were  blamed 
for  the  depredations  on  the  Kentucky  Path  and  in  the  Kentucky 
country. 

This  company,  after  a  few  days,  came  on  a  fresh  trace  of  In- 
dians, which  they  followed  across  Cumberland  Gap,  and  they  fell 
in  with  a  company  of  Indians  and  killed  seven,  a  chief  and  six 
warriors,  and  wounded  several  others,  one  of  the  Kentucky  militia 
being  killed  and  another  wounded.  This  company  of  Indians 
proved  to  be  from  the  friendly  town  of  Chote. 

On  the  9th  day  of  ,Iuly,  1787,  a  party  of  Indians  came  to  the 
house  of  John  Carter,  on  the  Clinch,  and  killed  his  wife  and  six 
children,  and,  after  phmdering  the  house,  placed  the  dead  bodies 
in  the  same  and  burned  the  whole.  About  the  same  time  a  family 
of  thirteen  or  fourteen  were  murdered  by  the  Indians  on  the 
Clinch. 

During  the  spring  of  this  year  the  Indians  killed  five  persons  on 
the  head  waters  of  the  Clinch,  two  men  and  three  women,  and  every 
indication  pointed  to  war. 

The  Spanish  Government  and  the  American  people  were,  at 
this  time,  engaged  in  a  controversy  in  regard  to  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  and  a  gentleman  writing  from  the  Cherokee 
country  to  his  friend  in  Virginia,  on  the  2d  day  of  August,  1787, 
said: 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  421 

"Through  a  cliannel  that  may  be  credited,  I  am  informed  that 
Alexander  McGillivray  is  using  his  utmost  exertions  to  engage  the 
Creek  Indians  in  a  War,  not  only  with  Georgia,  but  with  the  west- 
ern parts  of  Virginia  and  No.  Carolina.  He  has  said  to  some  of 
his  friends  that  his  object  is  to  make  the  war  as  hot  as  possible  at 
first,  which  will  induce  overtures  for  peace,  and  make  the  United 
States  glad  to  grant  advantageous  terms,  such  as  to  acknowledge 
the  independence  and  sovereignty  of  the  Creek  Nation,  and  admit 
them  as  members  of  the  Federal  Union. 

"A  great  number  of  Tories  and  other  white  desperadoes  have 
taken  refuge  in  the  Creek  country.  IMcGillivray  was  a  noted  one, 
but  has  lately  ingratiated  liimself  into^  the  good  graces  of  the  Span- 
ish commandant  at  Mobile;  is  now  agent  for  his  Catholic  Majesty 
in  the  Creek  Nation,  and  a  Colonel  in  the  Spanish  pay,  and  of 
late  has  usurped  the  regal  authority  over  the  Indians.  McGillivray 
seems  to  be  possessed  of  abilities,  has  an  insatiable  ambition  for 
honor,  and  being  aggrandized,  and  may  not  be  much  inferior  to 
Hyder  Ali  had  he  the  same  opportunity. 

"Upon  the  whole  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  whole  is  a 
plan  of  the  Court  of  Spain  to  curtail  the  United  States  in  a  part 
of  their  territory.  If  that  be  the  case  there  cannot  be  too  great  care 
taken  to  disconcert  them.  If  the  Creek  Nation  was  well  humbled, 
and  the  nest  of  Tories  that  is  settled  among  them  routed  and 
drove  out  of  the  country,  I  think  we  might  have  lasting  peace; 
otherwise  we  may  expect  that,  the  longer  it  is  delayed,  our  enemies 
will  become  more  numerous  and  formidable." 

A  large  body  of  Creeks  united  and  crossed  the  Hiwassee  river, 
declaring  their  purpose  to  march  for  the  Holston  settlements. 
Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  who  was  in  command  of  the  defences 
of  this  and  Eussell  county  at  the  time,  directed  Captain  Samuel 
Newell,  with  a  detachment  of  men,  to  keep  a  vigilant  outlook  for 
the  Creek  Indians  on  the  frontiers,  and.  for  the  purpose  of  retain- 
ing the  friendship  of  the  Cherokee  Indians,  he  sent  their  chief  the 
following  talk : 

"Brother : — It  is  Math  great  concern  that  we  hear  that  a  number 
of  your  Towns'  people  have  lately  been  killed  by  some  white  men 
between  Clinch  river  and  Cumberland  mountain,  and  that  you 
blame  the  Virginians  for  it.  As  to  who  done  it,  I  cannot  cer- 
tainly say,  but  have  heard  that  one  hundred  men  from  Kentucky 


422  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-178G. 

had  gone  towards  Chickaraogga  Towns  to  take  satisfaction  for  the 
murder  that  was  done  on  the  Kentucky  path  last  October,  and 
what  made  the  people  exceedingly  angry,  was  that  they  heard  their 
Captives,  mostly  women,  were  all  burnt  in  the  Chickamogga  To\mis. 

''Yon  know  when  the  Americans  go  to  Avar,  they  kill  no  prison- 
ers and  try  to  save  alive  all  the  women  and  children.  Wai-riors 
will  only  seek  to  fight  with  men;  cowards  may  go  to  war  with 
Avomen. 

"Brother,  listen  attentively:  ever  since  the  year  1781,  when  yonr 
towns  were  all  destroyed  rnr  joining  the  Phiglish,  the  Virginians 
buried  the  tomahawk  deep,  and  ncAcr  wish  to  raise  it  again  against 
their  brothers,  the  Cherokees,  but  are  willing  to  live  in  friendship 
as  long  as  the  moon  endures.  It  will  l)e  your  fault  if  the  friend- 
ship is  broken.  I  venture  to  pi'omise  further,  that  none  of  the  Vir- 
ginians living  on  this  side  of  the  Cumberland  mountains  will  mo- 
lest the  Cherokees  without  first  ol)taining  orders  from  our  Cover- 
nor,  who  is  a  good  man,  and  will  see  that  you  liave  justice  done 
if  you  remain  peaceable.  He  will  also  call  the  Kentuckians  to  ac- 
count, if  they  have  been  guilty  of  destroying  any  of  the  friendly 
Cherokees. 

"Brother,  call  a  CVnineil  of  yoiir  head  men,  give  them  this 
Talk,  exhort  them  to  live  peaceable,  and  wait  until  the  Governor 
of  Virginia  can  hear  all  the  truth,  and  if  his  people  are  to  blame, 
he  will  give  him  satisfaction  and  put  a  stop  to  former  wrongs ;  but 
if  you  rashly  go  to  war  and  kill  innocent  people,  there  may  be  a  great 
deal  of  blood  shed,  for  we  can  send  a  great  army  against  you  that 
may  destroy  you  altogether. 

"Listen  well.  You  must  see  that  I  have  now  given  you  good 
advice  both  for  you  and  your  nation.  Send  me  in  return  an  answer, 
a  very  long  talk.  Tell  me  all  there  is  in  your  heart.  If  you  are  for 
keeping  the  chain  of  friendship  bright,  I  will  be  your  friend  as  here- 
tofore, and  do  you  all  the  good  I  can.  It  will  give  me  pleasure  to 
use  means  to  heal  tlie  wounds  and  dry  up  tb.e  tears  of  those  that 
have  lost  their  friends,  and  be  strong  in  endeavors  to  do  justice  to  all 
the  red  peojile  that  kec])  the  ])eace  and  love  the  Americans. 

"ARTHUR  CAMPBELL. 
"To  ye  Great  Warrior  of  the  Cherokees." 

In  the  month  of  December,  1787,  the  Indians  killed  and  scalped 
Stephen  English,  near  Laurel  river,  on  the  Kentucky  path,  and 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  433 

William  English  and  a  yoamg  woman  on  Holston,  and  at  tlie  same 
time  took  a  woman  and  four  cliildren  prisoners,  and  made  an  in- 
cursion into  Powell's  Valley.  They  killed  also,  several  men,  wo- 
men and  cliildren,  and,  with  a  number  of  horses,  fled  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Cherokee  country.  During  this  year  a  large  quantity 
of  powder  and  lead  was  sent  from  the  Holston  to  the  Kentucky 
country,  but  it  had  to  be  guarded  through  the  wilderness  by  fifty 
militia. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year,  Colonel  Joseph  Martin  was  discontinued 
from  office  as  Indian  agent  for  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr. White. 

With  the  opening  of  the  spring  of  1788,  the  Indians  began  again 
to  disturb  the  settlements,  and  on  the  20th  of  April,  came  into  the 
Kye  Cove  settlement  and  carried  off  three  boys  and  a  negro  man, 
two  of  the  boys  being  the  sons  of  Thomas  Carter,  who  then  repre- 
sented Russell  county  in  the  General  Assembly.  Early  in  the  month 
of  March,  a  party  of  Cherokees  visited  the  settlements  on  the  lower 
Holston,  wounded  one  man  and  carried  off  about  one  hundred 
liorses,  and  in  the  month  of  June,  1788,  four  men  were  killed  in 
Russell  county,  and  three  men  were  killed  and  scalped  on  the 
Black  mountain.  One  of  the  Elmires,  three  of  the  Breedings  and 
Neal  Roberts,  from  the  New  Garden  settlements  in  Russell  county, 
were  found  on  Black  mountain,  killed  and  scalped. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year  the  Governor  requested  the  representa- 
tives from  Montgomerv,  Washington  and  Russell  counties  to  recom- 
mend tbe  number  of  militia  and  scouts  necessary  for  the  protection 
of  their  several  counties,  when  the  following  recommendations  were 
submitted : 

"1st.  That  only  one  troop  of  horse  are  necessary  to  each  regiment, 
and  in  some  counties  that  might  be  dispensed  with,  and  that  the 
appointment  of  officers  may  be  deferred  until  recommendations  come 
from  the  respective  counties. 

"2d.  We  believe  six  scouts  will  be  sufficient  for  Washington  and 
Russell,  four  for  Montgomery,  and  the  like  number  for  Greenbrier. 

"3d.  We  hope  that  at  least  one  full  company  of  Rangers  under 
an  experienced  officer  will  be  allowed  to  do  duty  towards  the  Ohio, 
and,  if  attacks  are  apprehended  from  the  Southern  Indians,  another 
company  may  be  necessary  in  Powell's  Valley  on  Clinch.  Or  the 
last-mentioned  company  might  be  raised  by  occasional  drafts  from 


424  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

the  militia  or  detacliments  from  tJie  light  companies  of  Washington, 
Montgomery  and  Eussell. 

"We  believe  it  would  bo  an  improvement  were  the  ranging  com- 
panies of  one-half  musket  men^  their  guns  and  bayonets  to  be  of  a 
neat  and  light  construction,  something  similar  to  those  used  by  the 
British  Highland  regiments  when  in  America. 

"The  scouts  ought  to  occasionally  attend  the  ranging  companies, 
and  if  Indians  were  to  be  pursued  over  the  Ohio,  horsemen,  prop- 
erly armed,  would  be  useful.  These  are  cursory  thoughts;  perhaps 
a  more  perfect  plan  and  more  economical  might  be  formed,  should 
your  Excellency  judge  it  proper  to  leave  the  consideration  of  the 
subject  to  a  council  of  the  field  oflBcers  of  the  three  Southwestern 
counties,  to  meet  in  February,  except  as  to  scouts,  which  we  think 
ought  to  be  ordered  into  service  in  February  or  early  in  March." 

In  June  of  this  year,  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  several 
counties  of  Virginia  assembled  in  Richmond  for  the  purpose  of 
rejecting  or  ratifying  the  Constitution  of  tlie  United  States,  as  pro- 
posed by  the  Philadelphia  Convention. 

The  delegates  from  Washington  county  in  this  convention  were 
Samuel  Edmiston  and  James  Montgomery.  At  this  time  such  dis- 
tinguished Virginians  as  Patrick  Henry  opposed  the  ratification  of 
the  Constitution  as  submitted  by  the  Philadelphia  Convention,  but 
the  Virginia  Convention  ratified  tlie  Constitution  by  a  vote  of  89 
to  79,  the  delegates  froui  Washington  county  voting  against  the  rati- 
fication of  the  Constitution. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  and  his  followers  were  heartily  in  favor 
of  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  no  doubt  opposed 
the  election  of  Edmiston  and  Montgomery. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1788,  Eichard  Pemlierton,  with  his  family, 
lived  in  Baptist  Valley  about  five  miles  Avest  of  Tazewell  courthouse. 
"On  a  Sabbath  morning  late  in  August,  he  started  to  his  field, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two  childrou,  to  soe  that  liis  fences 
were  not  down  and  to  repair  any  breach  that  might  have  been  made. 
According  to  the  custom  of  the  times  Mr.  Pembertou  had  taken  with 
him  his  gun,  which  was  his  constant  com])anion.  After  satisfying 
himself  that  his  crops  were  safe,  the  little  party  started  back.  They 
had  gone  but  a  few  hundred  yards,  liowever,  when  two  Indians 
armed  witli  ])o\vs  and  arrows,  knives  and  tomahawks,  came  yelling 
toward  them  at  full  speed.     In  an  instant  the  pioneer's  gun  was 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  425 

leveled  and  the  trigger  pulled;  it  missed  fire  and  in  liis  hurry  to 
spring  the  lock  again,  he  broke  it  and  of  course,  could  not  fire.  See- 
ing him  raise  his  gun  to  shoot  caused  the  Indians  to  halt  and  com- 
mence firing  arrows  at  him.  Keeping  himself  between  his  wife  and 
children  and  the  Indians  he  ordered  them  to  get  on  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible and  try  to  reach  a  house  at  which  a  Mr.  Johnson  lived  and 
where  several  men  were  living.  This  house  was  some  half  a  mile 
distant,  but4ie  hoped  to  reach  it  and  save  those  Avhom  he  held  dear- 
est, his  wife  and  children.  The  Indians  made  every  possible  attempt 
to  separate  him  from  his  family,  all  of  which  proved  vain.  They 
would  retreat  to  a  respectful  distance  and  then  come  bounding  back 
like  so  many  furies  from  the  regions  of  indescribable  woe.  When 
they  came  too  near,  he  would  raise  his  gnn  as  if  he  were  really 
reserving  his  fire,  which  would  cause  them  to  halt  and  try  to  sur- 
round him.  But  at  every  attack  they  shot  their  arrows  into  his 
breast,  causing  great  pain. 

For  nearly  an  hour  this  running  fight  was  kept  up ;  still  the  blood- 
thirsty savages  pressed  on.  At  last  he  was  sufficiently  near  John- 
son's house  to  be  heard.  He  was  heard,  when  he  raised  his  powerful 
voice  for  succor.  But  no  sooner  did  the  men  at  the  house  hear  the 
cry  of  "Indians,"  than,  they  took  to  their  heels  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion. At  last  he  arrived  at  the  house  closely  pursued  by  the  Indians, 
and  entering  after  his  family,  barred  the  door,  and  began  to  make 
preparation  for  acting  more  upon  the  defensive,  when  the  Indians 
made  a  rapid  retreat.  Pemberton  reached  his  own  house  the  fol- 
lowing day,  where  he  resided  many  years,  an  eye-sore  to  those  who 
had  so  ingloriously  fled  from  his  assistance.  Many  ari'ow  points 
which  entered  his  breast  were  never  removed  and  were  carried  to  th« 
end  of  his  life,  as  the  best  certificate  of  his  bravery  and  devotion 
to  his  family."* 

Upon  the  ratification  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
the  General  Assembly  of  A^irginia  divided  the  State  into  ten  con- 
gressional districts,  the  third  district  being  composed  of  the  follow- 
ing counties: 

Botetourt,  Rockbridge, 

Montgomery,  Greenbrier, 

Washington,  Augusta, 

Russell,  Rockingham, 

*Bicklev's  History  of  Tazewell. 


436  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

and  directed  that  an  election  be  held  on  the  2d  day  of  Febriiary, 
1789,  at  the  court-house  in  each  county  in  the  district,  for  the  elec- 
tion of  a  congi-essman.  This  election  was  held  pursuant  to  the 
directions  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  and  Andrew  Moore, 
of  Eockbridge  coimty,  was  eh^eted  our  first  representative  under 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  15th  day  of  May,  1789,  the  Indians  visited  the  home  of 
Joseph  Johnson,  in  the  Eye  Cove  settlement,  and  destroyed  nine 
members  of  his  family,  Johnson  and  his  two  sons  making  their 
escape.  His  wife  and  child  were  found  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  house,  killed  and  scaljied,  and  the  bones  of  another  child 
were  found  burned  in  the  house,  and  the  rest  were  killed  or  carried 
into  captivity.  Johnson  lived  on  Clinch  river,  where  the  old  path 
crossed  between  the  block-house  and  Eye  Cove. 

On  the  first  day  of  October.  1789,  a  party  of  Indians  captured 
the  family  of  one  Wiley,  who  lived  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Clinch. 
They  killed  and  scalped  four  of  his  children  and  took  his  wife  and 
youngest  child  into  captivity.  Mrs.  Wiley  soon  made  her  escape, 
and  upon  her  return  made  oath  that  the  Indians  told  her  that  they 
would  bring  foair  hundred.  Indians  against  Clinch  and  Bluestone 
in  the  summer  of  1790. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year,  William  Whitely,  who  lived  in  Baptist 
Valley,  on  the  line  dividing  Eussell  and  Montgomery  counties,  liad 
occasion  to  leave  his  home  for  a  short  distance  In  search  of  his 
horses,  when  a  party  of  Indians  fell  on  him  and  cut  him  intO'  small 
pieces,  which  they  strung  on  the  bushes ;  they  cut  out  his  heart  and 
flung  it  against  the  ground  with  so  much  violence  that  it  covered 
itself  in  the  soil.  During  this  same  year,  a  party  of  Shawnese 
Indians  ascended  the  Dry  fork  of  Tug  river  and  fell  upon  the  family 
of  James  Eoark,  who  lived  at  a  gap  in  the  dividing  ridge  between 
the  Clinch  and  Sandy  rivers.  Eoark  and  two  of  his  sons  were  not 
at  home  at  the  time.  The  Indians  killed  Mrs.  Eoark  and  several 
children.  Eoark's  Gap,  the  scene  of  this  massacre,  is  near  Maxwell's 
station  in  Tazewell  county,  and  the  location  of  the  house  occupied 
by  Eoark  and  his  family  is  still  pointed  out  by  the  citizens  to  every 
passer-by.  The  house  stood  near  a  beautiful  spring,  and  what  is 
termed  an  "Indian  mound"  is  found  near  by. 

During  this  same  year,  John  Davidson,  who  lived  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  Clinch,  was  waylaid  and  killed  by  a  band  of  Indiaais 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  427 

while  feeding  his  horse  at  a  cabin.  The  Indians  were  accompanied 
on  this  expedition  by  a  white  man,  who  robbed  Davidson's  saddle- 
bags of  their  contents. 

In  October  of  the  year  1789,  Colonel  Campbell  made  a  return  of 
the  militia  of  Washington  connty,  from  which  it  was  ascertained  to 
consist  of  one  county  lieutenant,  one  colonel,  one  lieutenant-colonel, 
one  major,  fifteen  captains,  thirteen  lieutenants,  eleven  ensigns, 
thirty  sergeants,  three  drummers,  two  fifers,  G75  rank  and  file,  add- 
ing in  his  remarks,  "no  return  from  three  companies." 

"In  June,  1790,  a  predatory  party  of  Indians  came  from  the 
Rockcastle  hills  in  Kentucky  and  made  their  appearance  at  the  cabin 
of  Isaac  ISTewland,  on  the  North  fork  of  Holston,  the  place  subse- 
quently owned  by  Michael  Fleenor  and  still  in  possession  of  his 
descendants,  some  eight  miles  north  of  Abingdon.  Mr.  ISTewland 
and  his  son  were  at  work  in  a  clearing  near  by,  with  no  one  at  the 
cabin  but  his  wife  and  her  infant.  The  Indians  captured  the  mother 
and  infant,  burnt  the  cabin  and  hurried  away  with  their  captives 
directly  through  the  mountains  toward  Paissell.  The  alarm  being 
given  Jacob  Mongle  (father  of  Colonel  Abram  Mongle),  being  the 
nearest  neighbor,  gathered  a  company  in  as  short  a  time  as  possible 
and  took  the  trail,  which  had  been  plainly  marked  by  Mrs.  Newland, 
who  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  break  twigs  by  the  way  and  leave 
other  signs.  After  reaching  the  valley  in  which  Lebanon  is  now 
situated,  and  fearing  that  the  powder  in  their  flint  guns  had  become 
dampened  in  passing  through  the  thick  undergrowth  of  the  moun- 
tain, they  discharged  their  guns  for  the  purpose  of  reloading,  in 
order  to  make  sure  work  should  they  overtake  the  savages,  but  it 
unfortunately  so  happened  that  the  Indians  had  halted,  and  hearing 
the  report  of  firearms  took  the  alarm,  murdered  their  victims  and 
made  their  escape.  A  few  minutes  after,  the  pursuing  party  came  to 
where  the  mother  and  child  were  lying,  the  latter  not  quite  dead. 
They  brought  them  back  to  the  settlements,  Jacob  Mongle  carrying 
the  infant,  which  died  in  his  arms  on  the  way. 

The  alarm  having  reached  the  little  settlement  at  Abingdon  it 
produced  great  consternation  and  serious  apprehensions  as  to  what 
might  befall  the  little  community  at  Castle's  Woods,  as  the  Indians 
would  probably  return  in  that  direction,  it  being  in  a  line  wi^■h  their 
towns  beyond  the  Cumberland.  A  young  man  by  the  name  of  Doug- 
lass living  at  Abingdon,  a  fearless  and  determined  Indian  fighter. 


428  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

proposed  to  cross  the  mountains  to  Castle's  Woods,  for  the  purpose 
of  warning  the  settlers  of  the  impending  danger,  and  a  young  friend 
by  the  name  of  Benham,  volunteered,  against  the  expostulations  of 
his  relatives  and  friends,  to  accompany  him  on  this  perilous 
journey. 

"Everybody  in  this  country  acquainted  with  the  old  road  through 
Little  Moccasin  Gap,  will  remember  the  large,  square,  flat,  table-like 
rock,  some  five  or  six  feet  high,  which  stood  on  the  lower  side  of  the 
old  trace  along  the  creek  not  far  from  opposite  the  little  mill  now 
on  the  new  road  in  the  gap,  the  noisy  machinery  of  which  send;^ 
strange  echoes  along  the  surrounding  peaks  in  these  days  of  piping 
peace  and  corn  dodgers.  Douglass  and  Benham  had  reached  that 
rock,  and  as  was  the  custom  of  most  wayfarers  as  long  as  that  old 
road  was  the  highway  through  the  gap,  had  probably  halted  to  eat 
a  snack.  At  this  moment  the  report  of  a  rifle  was  heard,  when 
Douglass  fell  mortally  wounded. 

He  at  once  told  Benham  tliat  the  shot  was  fatal  and  urged  him  to 
dodge  into,  the  laurel  bordering  the  stream,  make  his  escape  to  Cas- 
tle's Woods  and  warn  the  settlers.  Douglass  saw  the  smoke  of  a 
rifle  rise  from  a  log  between  the  stream  and  where  the  road  now 
passes,  and  knowing  that  it  was  the  habit  of  the  Indian  to  lie  still 
under  such  circumstances  till  the  smoke  cleared  away,  when  he 
would  cautiously  raise  his  head  to  see  the  effect  of  his  flre,  he  drew 
a  bead  upon  the  spot  as  he  lay  propped  upon  his  elbow,  and  Benham 
afterwards  stated  that  he  had  not  gone  fifteen  yards  when  he  heard 
the  report  of  Douglass's  rifle.  Benham  hurried  on  through  the  gap, 
reached  Castle's  Woods  in  safety,  and  gave  the  alarm.  A  company 
returning  a  day  or  two  after  found  the  body  of  Douglass  lying  where 
Benham  left  him,  with  his  scalp  gone,  and  on  examining  the  place 
where  the  smoke  of  the  Indian's  rifle  was  seen,  blood  and  brains 
were  foimd  upon  the  log,  showing  that  Douglass  at  the  instant  he 
entered  upon  that  journey  from  which  no  traveler  returns,  took  an 
Indian  with  him  on  the  solemn  march.  A  grave  was  excavated 
among  the  rocks  on  the  roadside  where  he  fell,  in  which  his  body 
was  deposited  and  still  sleeps,  amid  the  wildest  and  most  romantic 
scenery  of  all  our  mountain  gorges.  It  was  the  custom  for  each 
passer-by  who  laiew  the  spot  to  drop  a  pebble  upon  the  rude  mound, 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  resting  place  of  the  brave  pioneer 
who  sacrificed  his  life  for  the  safety  of  others  perhaps  unknown  to 


Washington  County,  1777 -187 a.  439 

him,  but  the  vandalism  of  modern  change,  instead  of  rearing  a  mon- 
ument to  his  memory  on  the  spot,  wantonl}^  changed  the  location  of 
the  road  to  avoid  a  slight  elevation,  and  thus  obliterated  forever 
the  little  hillock  that  marked  the  receptacle  of  the  ashes  of  tlie  hero 
and  martyr.* 

Captain  Isaac  Newland  was  an  active,  thriving  man,  ambitious 
for  preferment  by  his  country,  but  the  sad  occurrence  abO'Ve  given 
had  such  a  bad  effect  upon  him,  that  "grief  for  a  time  seemed  to 
absorb  all  powers  of  his  mind  and  body,  and  he  settled  down  into  a 
deep  melancholy,  regardless  of  every  object  or  occurrence.  He  finally 
sought  comfort  in  religion,  and  became  a  Baptist  preacher."  f 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1790,  a  little  boy,  the  son  of  John  Fra- 
zer,  of  Eussell  county,  was  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the  fall  of  this 
same  year,  the  entire  family  of  John  Frazer  was  murdered  on  tlie 
Kentucky  road.  About  the  middle  of  August,  1790,  six  persons 
were  killed  by  the  Indians  on  Clinch  river  in  Russell  county. 

In  the  year  1791,  Ensign  Simon  Cockrell  recommended  to  tlie 
Governor  the  placing  of  ten  men  at  Baptist's  Valley,  ten  men  at 
Eichlands,  ten  men  at  New  Garden,  ten  men  at  Glade  Hollow, 
twenty  men  at  Castle's  Woods,  ten  men  at  crossing  of  Clinch  and 
Kentucky  road,  ten  men  at  Moccasin  Gap,  ten  men  at  Eye  Cove,  as 
a  protection  against  the  invasion  of  the  Indians,  and  as  far  as  I 
can  ascertain,  the  people  of  this  section  were  exempt  from  Indian 
attacks  until  the  fall  of  1792. 

In  the  fall  of  1791,  the  Governor  instructed  Captains  Andrew 
Lewis  and  John  Preston  to  recruit  two  companies  of  volunteer  mili- 
tia for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers  of  Montgomery,  Wythe  and  Rus- 
sell counties,  and  by  the  7th  of  February,  1792,  their  companies  con- 
sisted of  four  musicians,  two  ensigns,  eight  sergeants,  eight  (x<\- 
porals,  six  scouts  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  privates,  beside? 
the  captains  and  lieutenants,  and  with  this  force  Captains  Lewis 
and  Preston  very  effectively  defended  the  frontiers  during  the  suin- 
mer  of  1792. 

In  the  year  1793,  in  the  election  for  a  representative  in  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  the  candidates  before  the  people  of  the 
Fourth  District  of  Virginia,  which  district  was  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Wythe,  Greenbrier,  Kanawha,  Lee,  Eussell,  Montgomei-y, 


*Wilburn  Waters  and  Chas.  B.  Coale. 
tChas.  B.  Coale. 


430  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-17S6. 

Grayson  and  Washington,  were  Abraham  Trigg,  of  Montgomery 
county  and  Francis  Preston,  of  Washington  county. 

Abraham  Trigg  was  a  Jeilersonian  Eepublican,  while  Preston  was 
a  Washingtonian  Federalist,  and  the  contest  between  the  candidates 
representing  these  diverse  principles  was  bitter. 
■  The  result  was  the  election  of  Colonel  Preston  by  a  majority  of 
ten  votes. 

Colonel  Trigg  was  not  satisfied  witli  tlic  result  and  contested  the 
election  of  Preston,  and  assigned  the  following  grounds  to  sustain 
his  contest. 

First.  That  the  shcriif  of  Lee  county  closed  the  poll  at  2  P.  M. 
on  the  day  of  the  election  and  refused  to  reopen  the  same. 

Second.  That  the  sheriff  of  Washington  county  adjourned  the 
poll  two  days  instead  of  one  as  required  by  the  laAv,  and  that  non- 
residents of  the  State  voted  for  Colonel  Preston  in  said  election. 

Third.  That  Captain  William  Preston,  a  brother  of  Francis  Pres- 
ton, was  stationed  near  J\fontgomery  courthouse  with  sixty  or  sev- 
enty Federal  troops,  and  that  on  the  day  of  the  election.  Captain 
Preston's  troops  were  marched  three  times  around  the  court-house 
and  were  paraded  in  front  of  and  close  to  the  door  thereof. 

Foujth.  That  said  troops  were  polled  in  favor  of  Preston. 

That  a  part  of  the  troops  stood  at  the  door  of  the  court- 
house and  refused  to  let  the  electors  favoring  Trigg  enter  the  house, 
and  in  one  instance  knocked  down  a  magistrate  who  sought  admis- 
sion, being  an  advocate  of  Colonel  Trigg. 

Tills  contest  was  as  hotly  fought  before  Congress  as  the  election 
had  been  before  the  people. 

The  Elections  Committee  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  on  the 
17th  day  of  April,  1794,  reported  in  favor  of  rmseating  Francis 
Preston. 

This  report  was  debated  for  many  days,  after  which  a  vote  was 
taken,  which  vote  resulted  in  the  report  of  the  committee  being 
rejected  and  Francis  Preston  was  thereupon  declared  duly  seated. 

Colonel  Preston  was  returned  a  member  of  Congress  from  thirf 
district  by  successive  elections  till  the  year  1797. 

Thus  our  district  early  in  its  history  witnessed  a  contest  before 
the  Congress  of  the  United  Statos. 

At  the  election  held  for  a  presidential  elector,  on  the  first  Monday 
in  jSTovember,  1792,  for  the  district  composed  of  the  counties  of 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  431 

Wythe,  Washington,  Eussell  and  Montgomeiy,  Chiiborne  Watkins 
was  selected  an  elector  from  this  district  to  vote  for  President  and 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1792,  Captain  Tate  and  forty  men 
were  passing  througli  the  wilderness  on  their  way  to  Kentucky, 
when  they  were  attacked  by  a  company  of  Creek  and  Cherokee 
Indians,  and,  about  tbe  same  time,  several  lesser  encoimters  oc- 
curred, but  I  cannot  ascertain  the  casualties  on  either  side. 

In  the  fall  of  1793,  the  citizens  of  North  Carolina  provoked  a 
war  with  the  Indians,  and,  in  the  month  of  October,  John  Watts, 
at  the  head  of  a  thousand  hostile  Indians,  threatened  an  invasion  of 
the  Holston  settlements  and  the  settlements  in  Powell's  Valley. 
Watts,  with  liis  forces,  began  his  march  for  the  settlements  and 
reached  Buchanan's  fort  witliin  five  miles  of  Knoxville,  where  ho 
v.as  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  fifteen  men  killed,  AVatts  himself  receiv- 
ing a  bad  wound.  After  this  repulse,  Watts's  army  dispersed  in 
small  parties,  declaring  their  purpose  to  invade  the  settlements  and 
to  attack  the  settlers  out  of  their  forts.  It  was  the  declared  pur- 
pose of  W^atts  and  his  followers,  to  drive  off  and  destroy  the  whole 
of  the  inhabitants  in  Powell's  Valley. 

The  situation  was  truly  alarming  for  the  Virginia  settlements  in 
Powell's  Valley,  and  the  Governor  of  Virginia  requested  Colonel 
Arthur  Campbell  and  Captain  John  Preston  to  submit  to  him  their 
vieM^s  as  to  the  proper  manner  to  proceed  to  place  the  western  fron- 
tiers in  a  defensive  position.  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  submitted 
the  following  proposal : 

"That  a  company  of  fifty  men  as  rangers,  be  engaged  for  three 
months  from  the  first  day  of  December  next,  to  do  duty  at  or  near 
Cumberland  Gap. 

As  it  is  in  the  contemplation  of  the  Executive  of  the  State  of 
Kentucky  to  have  a  fort  built  about  half  way  in  the  wilderness,  and 
place  a  garrison  of  fifty  men  in  it,  our  troops,  after  they  fortify  their 
camp,  may  meet  those  rangers  occasionally,  and  to  the  southward 
meet  those  under  the  direction  of  Governor  Blount,  which  would 
form  a  chain  of  connection  that  might  preclude  the  necessity  of 
troops  being  stationed  on  Clinch  river.  As  to  attempts  of  the  South- 
ern enemy,  the  regulars  on  the  Ohio  may  cover  that  frontier  from 
the  inroads  of  the  Northern  Indians.  But  it  will  be  useless  respect- 
ins  the  Southern  war. 


432  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  post  at  Cumberland  Gap,  besides  covering  a  detached  fro'.itior 
settlement  in  Virginia,  will  divide  the  distance  between  Danville 
and  Hawkins  Courthouse  and  of  course  will  facilitate  the  trans- 
portation of  the  mail  and  secure  our  intercourse  with  the  army  on 
the  Ohio  by  land. 

This  is  a  plan  of  economy,  on  account  of  the  idea  of  the  Executive 
of  the  general  government.  A  full  company  ought  to  be  the  number 
tor  this  service,  as  they  may  be  assailed  by  large  parties  of  Indimis 
and  as  they  will  be  more  than  one  hundred  milps  from  the  settle- 
jnent  from  which  they  can  expect  succour  in  case  of  extremity. 

It  will  be  peculiarly  mortifying,  if  the  frontier  of  Virginia, 
exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  Southern  Indians,  be  ncg-ected,  \rhen 
their  neighbors  in  the  Southwestern  Territory,  not  so  much  in  dan- 
ger, have  an  ample  force  ranging  around  the  "ettl.^ments.  Tlie 
Virginians,  without  murmuring,  pay  duties  to  the  general  govern- 
ment; the  citizens  of  the  Southwestern  Territory  not  a  shiHiug; 
Georgia  and  South  Carolina  are  arranging  to  -opposa  the  f^ami' 
eremy,  and  will  no  doubt  be  paid  for  their  services  out  of  the  Treas- 
nry  of  the  United  States." 

Captain  John  Preston  proposed,  that  there  should  be  stationed: 

"At  the  mouth  of  Greenbrier,  an  ensign,  sergeant  and  sixteen 
privates. 

"At  the  five-mile  fork  of  East  river,  a  lieutenant,  one  sergeant,  a 
corporal  and  twenty-four  privates. 

"At  Lincolnshire,  on  Clinch,  a  captain,  a  sergeant,  a  corporal  and 
twenty-four  privates. 

"At  Hawkins,  in  the  Baptist  Valley,  a  sergeant  and  eight  privates. 

"At  Brown's  or  Fugate's,  in  the  Eichlands,  a  sergeant,  corporal 
and  twelve  privates. 

"At  Wilkinson's,  in  the  New  Garden,  a  lieutenant,  sergeant  and 
sixteen  privates. 

"At  the  montli  of  Dump's  creek,  an  ensign,  two  corporals  and 
twelve  privates. 

"At  .Roberson's,  in  Castle's  Woods,  a  captain,  a  sergeant,  corporal 
and  twenty-four  privates. 

"At  Blackmore's  Station,  a  sergeant,  corporal  and  twelve  privates. 

"At  Carter's,  in  Rye  Cove,  a  captain,  sergeant,  corporal  and 
twenty-four  privates. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  433 

"At  Turkey  Cove,  a  captain,  sergeant,  corporal  and  twenty-four 
privates. 

"At  Martin's  old  station,  an  ensign,  sergeant  and  corporal. 

"At  Cox's,  an  ensign,  sergeant,  corporal  and  sixteen  privates. 

"At  Martin's  lower  station,  sometimes  called  the  blockhouse, 
where  Eobinson  lives,  which  is  the  lower  settlement  of  Virginia, 
and  where  the  Kentucky  road  enters  this  State,  a  captain,  two  ser- 
geants, two  corporals  and  thirty-one  privates. 

"At  Blackwater  branch,  a  place  exposed  to  the  south  in  Lee 
county,  a  lieutenant,  sergeant,  corporal  and  twelve  privates. 

"And  tlie  scouts  to  be  dispersed  along  the  frontier  as  shall  be 
deemed  necessary,  and  changed  when  required." 

I  cannot  say  which  proposition  was  acted  upon,  but  it  is  certain 
that  steps  were  taken  to  protect  the  frontiers. 

Captain,  Matthew  Willoughby  and  Ensign  William  Campbell 
were  stationed  in  Powell's  Valley. 

The  trouble  with  the  Indians  began  at  the  opening  of  spring  in 
the  year  1793.  On  Sunday  about  the  first  day  of  April,  Ensign 
Moses  Cockrell  and  two  men  were  passing  from  Eye  Cove  to  Powell's 
Valle}^,  with  several  loaded  horses.  On  the  top  of  Powell's  mountain 
they  were  fired  on  by  twelve  Indians.  The  two  men  who  accompa- 
nied Cockrell  were  shot  dead  on  the  spot,  and  Cockrell  himself  was 
pursued  to  tlie  foot  of  the  mountain.  Two  of  his  horses  were  killed 
and  all  the  loads  lost. 

Captain  Neal,  with  a  party,  pursued  the  Indians  but  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  overtaking  them.  The  Chief  who  led  this  company  of 
Indians  was  a  half-breed  Shawnese  by  the  name  of  Benge.  A  writer 
in  speaking  of  this  occurrence  says :  "He  was  remarkable  for  his 
strength,  activity,  endurance  and  great  speed  as  a  runner.  He  was 
a  man  of  more  than  average  intelligence  also,  as  well  as  of  great 
bravery  and  strategy,  and  had  more  than  once  approached  the  settle- 
ments so  stealthily  and  by  a  route  so  secret  that  he  fell  upon  the  scat- 
tered settlers  without  an  intimation  of  his  approach  and  retired  to 
his  wigwams  beyond  the  Cumberland  without  leaving  a  trace  of  the 
route  he  had  traveled,  though  rangers  were  constantly  on  the  lookout 
for  his  trail.  One  of  these  rangers  of  the  Holston  settlements  was 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Cockrell,  and  the  writer  must  make  a  digres- 
sion to  record  an  incident  in  his  history.  He  was  famous  for  his 
size,  activity  and  handsome  person.    Benge  and  himself  were  rivals 


434  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

in  manhood  and  woodcraft,  each  jealous  of  the  other's  prowess  and 
courage,  and  both  anxious  for  an  occasion  to  moot  in  single  combat. 
Xot  many  months  before  Benge's  last  incursion,  they  met  on  top  of 
Powell's  mountain,  in  what  is  now  Lee  county,  each  with  a  band 
of  followers.     The  Indians  were  in  ambush,  having  observed  the 
approach  of  the  whites,  who  were  not  aware  of  their  proximity,  and 
Benge  instructed  his  companions  not  to  kill  Cockrell,  so  that  he 
himself  might  run  him  down  and  capture  him.    At  the  crack  of  the 
Indian  rifles  two  or  three  of  Cockrell's  companions  fell;  seeing 
which  and  at  once  comprehending  the  folly  of  a  combat  with  a 
dozen  savages,  he  sprang  aAvay  down  the  mountain  side,  like  an  ante- 
lope, with  Benge  in  close  pursuit.    Two  miles  away  in  the  valley  on 
Wallen's  creek  was  the  cabin  of  a  pioneer,  in  reaching  which  Cock- 
rell knew  was  his  only  chance  of  escape.     Having  two  hundred 
dollars  in  specie  in  a  belt  around  him,  he  found  he  was  carrying  two 
much  weight  for  a  closely  contested  race,  and  that  Benge  w^as  gain- 
ing on  him.     Making  a  desperate  effort,  however,  he  increased  his 
speed  a  little,  and  as  he  leaped  the  fence  that  surrounded  the  cabin, 
Benge's  tomahawk  was  buried  in  the  top  rail  before  Cockrell  reached 
the  ground.     Benge  seeing  that  he  had  missed  his  aim,  and  not 
knowing  how  many  men  and  rifles  might  be  in  the  cabin,  fled  back 
to  his  companions,  sadly  disappointed. 

A  few  years  after  this  Cockrell  died  on  the  north  fork  in  this 
county,  and  during  the  "wake,"  while  his  body  lay  in  the  cabin,  an 
old  comrade  who  had  been  in  many  a  hard  pinch  with  him,  thus 
gave  utterance  to  his  thoughts  and  feelings  as  he  paced  the  punch- 
eon floor  in  great  sorrow :  "Poor  Cockrell,  he  is  gone !  He  was  a 
noble  fellow  after  Injuns  and  varmints,  and  I  hope  he  has  gone  to 
where,  there  is  as  much  game  and  as  desperate  good  range  as  he 
had  on  Holston  !"* 

During  the  same  week,  fourteen  persons  were  killed  on  the  Ken- 
tucky road,  near  the  Hazel  Patch.  The  whites  discovered  the  In- 
dians and  attempted  to  secure  the  first  fire,  but  failed,  and  only 
two  of  the  whites  made  their  escape.  The  Indians  lost  five  dead, 
and  one  white  man  with  them  killed.  Both  parties  broke  and  ran 
at  the  same  time  in  opposite  directions. 

About  the  15th  of  March,  1793,  several  emigrants  were  killed  on 


*Coale's  "Wilbuni  Waters." 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  435 

the  Kentucky  road.  Captain  Andrew  Lewis,  to  appease  tlie  set- 
tlers who  were  about  to  break  up,  placed  a  sergeant  and  twelve  men 
at  Dump's  creek. 

At  Eye  Cove,  a  sergeant  and  seven  men. 

At  St.  Mary's,  with  the  French,  a  sergeant  and  seven  men,  which 
left  twenty  men  at  Fort  Lee. 

On  the  20th  day  of  March,  1793,  a  party  of  Indians  numbering 
twenty-tliree  appeared  upon  the  frontiers  of  Wythe  and  Montgom- 
ery, frequently  showing  themselves,  to  the  terror  of  the  inhabitants. 
John  Davidson  was  murdered  by  them  and  a  number  of  horses  were 
stolen  from  Wolf  creek,  Bluestone  and  Island  creek.  The  Indians 
made  their  escape,  except  a  small  party  entrusted  with  the  care  of 
about  eighty  horses,  from  Island  creek.  This  company  was  pur- 
sued by  a  large  party  from  Bluestone  and  another  from  the  head  of 
Clinch,  and  were  overtaken  the  next  day,  at  the  mouth  of  Little 
Cole,  at  what  is  called  the  Island  of  Guyandotte,  where  they  were 
attacked  by  the  whites.  Three  of  their  number  were  killed  and 
scalped,  all  tlie  horses  retaken,  with  the  arms  and  blankets  of  a  part 
of  their  warriors.  The  number  of  Indians  concerned  in  the  murder 
of  John  Davidson  at  the  Laurel  fork  of  Wolf  creek  was  about  twelve. 
This  party  of  Indians  carried  off  a  number  of  horses  from  that 
neighborhood  and  passed  with  them  in  daylight  through,  the  heart 
of  the  Bluestone  settlement. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1793,  was 
commissioned  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  as  Indian 
agents,  and  in  April  of  this  year,  communicated  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  a  request  from  the  Chickasaw  Indians 
for  tlie  building  of  a  fort  and  the  settling  of  a  strong  garrison,  at 
the  Muscle  Shoals,*  and,  in  commenting  upon  this  request  wrote: 
"I  will  observe  on  this  invitation,  that  I  am  of  opinion,  from  the 
best  information,  that  the  United  States  had  never  so  great  an  offer 
made  them,  for  the  point  of  position  which  they  will  give  peaceably 
into  our  hands  commands  a  portage  of  sixteen  miles  only,  between 
the  Tennessee  and  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Mobile,  as  well  as  an 
immense  extent  of  country,  which  must  shortly  become  the  bone  of 
Spanish  contention,  and  facilitate  the  route  to  many  angles  on  the 


*Near  Chattanooga,  Term. 


43G  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

Mississippi.  It  is  Nature's  masterpiece  for  an  immense  and  power- 
ful ciij.  It  intercepts  the  main  communication  between  the  hostile 
tribes  of  the  North  and  South.  It  secures  the  Chickasaw  and  Choc- 
taw Nations  as  effective  light  infantry  in  our  service.  It  places  the 
troops  where  they  can  be  supplied  with  every  necessary,  even  with 
native  productions  from  the  respective  western  settlements,  and  puts 
us  in  a  condition  to  convey  heavy  artillery  o.*"  our  owu  easting  ns 
well  as  arjiiT  and  military  supplies,  with  a  degree  of  facility  unsus- 
pected by  the  fSpanish,  whenever  the  threatening  harms  shall  burst 
on  thip  devoted  country,  this  field  of  contest." 

This  extract  from  the  writings  of  Colonel  Campbell,  is  given  to 
illustrate  his  character  and  foresight. 

In  the  same  letter  he  says :  "I  have  nearly  completed  a  new  map 
of  all  this  country,  as  well  as  that  of  Kentucky  and  a  part  of  the 
northwestern  territory,  and  shall  go  on  in  a  few  days  to  lay  it  before 
the  President."  I  am  sorry  indeed  that  I  cannot  find  this  map  in 
any  of  the  records  I  have  been  able  to  obtain. 

Colonel  Isaac  Bledsoe  was  killed  on  Cumberland  in  the  month  of 
April,  and  on  the  30th  of  the  month,  a  skirmish  took  place  between 
twenty  Indians  and  eight  white  men  at  Laurel  river,  in  Ken- 
tucky, in  which  skirmish  the  white  people  were  all  killed,  except 
McFarland,  who  escaped,  and  a  number  who  were  wounded. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1793,  a  considerable  band  of  Indians 
were  seen  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Clinch  river  attempting  to 
steal  horses.  The  Indians  finally  succeeded  in  stealing  eight 
horses,  and  made  off  toward  the  Ohio.  In  the  meantime  Major 
Eobert  Crockett  proceeded  to  gather  a  company  to  pursue  the  In- 
dians, and  while  engaged  in  gathering  them  in  he  directed  Joseph 
Gilbert  and  Samuel  Lusk,  two  scouts,  to  follow  the  Indians,  and, 
in  case  they  found  them,  to  give  him  information. 

Gilbert  and  Lusk  had  not  followed  the  Indians  more  than  an 
hour,  when  they  came  to  a  lick,  at  which  the  Indians  had  con- 
cealed themselves  waiting  for  deer  or  elk.  As  soon  as  the  scouts 
approached  the  lick  they  were  fired  upon  by  the  Indians,  and 
Lusk  was  wounded  in  the  hand.  Gilbert  turned  and  started  to 
run,  when  Lusk  called  him  to  stay  and  save  his  life,  if  possible. 
Gilbert,  fired  with  all  the  noble  instincts  of  true  manhood,  turned 
and  shot  the  first  Indian  dead  on  the  spot.     The  Indians  sur- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  437 

rounded  him,  and,  his  gun  being  empty,  he  dropped  it  and  drew 
his  hunting  knife,  and  attacked  the  Indians  with  such  spirit  that 
they  dared  no  longer  get  within  his  reach;  but  they  used  their 
tomahawks  with  such  effect  that  he  soon  lay  dead  by  the  side  of 
Lusk,  who  was  now  reviving.  The  Indians  scalped  Gilbert  and 
carried  Lusk  off  a  prisoner.  Major  Crockett  and  his  force  came 
up  after  some  time,  but  they  were  too  late  to  accomplish  any  good. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1793,  the  first  postofBce  on  the  waters  of 
the  Holston  or  Clinch  was  established  at  Abingdon  with  Gerrard 
T.  Conn  as  postmaster,  this  being  the  first  time  that  the  people  of 
this  portion  of  Virginia  were  given  the  privilege  of  mail  facilities. 
Previous  to  this  time  the  means  employed  by  the  people  for  com- 
munication was  by  sending  tlieir  k'ttcrs  by  tJu'  hand  of  some  one 
going  or  returning.  A  citizen  of  Abingdon,  contemplating  a  trip 
to  Kentucky,  or  to  the  Valley,  or  Eastern  Virginia,  would  adver- 
tise the  fact,  and  the  time  when  he  would  begin  his  journey,  that 
he  might  be  the  bearer  of  letters  and  messages  between  the  people. 

The  settlements,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  were  exempt  from  in- 
vasion by  the  Indians  until  the  month  of  October  of  this  year. 
On  the  third  day  of  this  month  a  party  of  Indians  attacked  two 
families  who  had  lately  settled  on  the  road  through  the  wilder- 
ness, on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  Cumberland  mountain,  within 
three  miles  of  Hawkins'  Station.  They  killed  one  man  and 
wounded  two  children,  but  were  driven  off  by  a  man  who  occupied 
an  adjoining  house. 

In  the  fall  of  1793,  a  party  of  eight  Indians  passed  through 
the  thinly-settled  parts  of  Kussell  county,  and  captured  a  negro 
woman,  the  property  of  Paul  Livingston,  near  Big  Moccasin  Gap, 
but  before  they  could  carry  her  beyond  the  settlements  she  made 
her  escape  and  reached  her  home. 

On  the  14th  day  of  April,  1794,  a  number  of  citizens  presented 
a  petition  to  the  Governor,  which  is  as  follows : 

"The  memorial  and  petition  of  the  subscribers.  Inhabitants  in 
the  western  part  of  Washington  county,  and  the  eastern  settle- 
ments of  Lee,  near  Mockison  Gap, — 

"Humbly  sheweth.  That  altho'  we  have  been  considered  an  in- 
terior settlement,  yet,  from  yarious  xmfortunate  occurrences,  it 


438  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

miist  appear  that  we  are  equally  exposed  with  the  most  distant 
frontier  settlements. 

"That  by  attending  to  the  geography  of  the  Southwestern  fron- 
tier, it  Avill  appear  that  from  the  western  settlement  of  Eussell 
county,  on  Clinch  river,  and  the  eastern  of  Lee  in  Powell's  Valley, 
there  is  an  uninhabited  space  of  more  than  twenty  miles  nearly 
north  of  your  petitioners'  dwellings,  which  makes  us  to  that  extent 
a  frontier  to  the  State, 

"That  the  predatory  parties  of  the  Indians,  always  industrious 
in  discovering  the  weakness  of  our  settlements,  have  for  years  past 
made  their  inroads  through  this  vacant  or  uninhabited  space,  and 
have  committed  several  cruel  murders  in  the  neighborhood  of  your 
petitioners,  as  will  appear  by  the  following  detail : 

"August  £6,  1791,  a  party  of  Indians  headed  by  a  Captain  Bench, 
of  the  Cherokee  tribe,  attacked  the  house  of  Elisha  Ferris,  two 
miles  from  Mockison  Gap,  murdered  Mr.  Ferris  at  his  house,  and 
made  prisoner  Mrs.  Ferris  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Livingston,  and 
a  young  child  together  with  ISTancy  Ferris.  All  but  the  latter  were 
cruelly  murdered  the  first  day  of  their  captivity. 

"April  1793,  the  same  chief  with  a  party  of  Indians,  attacked 
and  murdered  the  family  of  Harper  Eatcliffe,  six  in  number,  about 
eight  miles  west  of  the  above-mentioned  gap. 

"March  31,  1793,  the  enemy  attacked  on  Powell's  mountain 
Moses  Cockrell  and  two  •others,  who  had  horses  loaded  with  mer- 
chandise; killed  two  men,  took  all  the  goods,  and  pursued  Mr.  Cock- 
rell nearly  two  miles. 

"July  17,  1793,  Bench  with  two  other  warriors  traversed  the  set- 
tlement, on  the  north  fork  of  Holston  for  upwards  of  twenty  miles, 
probably  with  the  intention  of  making  discoveries  where  were  negro 
property.  In  this  rout  they  fired  at  one  Williams,  and  took  pri- 
soner a  negro  woman,  the  property  of  Paul  Livingston,  who  after 
two  days  captivity  made  her  escape. 

"And  lastly,  April  6,  1794,  the  melancholy  disaster  which  befell 
Mr.  Livingston's  family  and  property,  which  has  urged  this  appli- 
cation for  assistance  to  prevent  the  depopulation  of  a  considerable 
settlement. 

"From  the  above  facts  your  Excelleiicy  and  Council  will  be  a 
judge  of  the  justice  of  our  claim,  that  such  protection  be  afforded 
us,  as  the  State  may  be  able  to  afford  and  our  necessities  require. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  439 

"All  of  which  we  submit  with  deference  and  your  petitioners 

will  ever  pniy. 

"A.  BLEDSOE, 
"GEORGE  WILCOX, 
"ABRAHAM    FULKERSON, 
"JOHN  V.  COOK, 
"JAMES   FULKERSON, 

"April  14,  1794/' 

The  disaster  referred  to  in  this  communication  as  happeninor  to 
Mr.  Livingston's  family,  occurred  on  the  6th  of  April,  1794,  near 
the  present  town  of  Mendota  in  this  county. 

William  Todd  Livingston  was  one  of  the  first  persons  to  settle  in 
this  county  and  was  the  first  and  only  man  for  many  years  in  the 
county,  who  had  more  than  one  name.  He  had  died  some  years  pre- 
ceding this  occurrence,  and  his  son  Peter  Livingston,  had  become 
the  owner  of  his  valuable  lands  and  numerous  negro  slaves.  The 
Indians,  in  making  their  incursions  into  the  country,  never  failed 
to  steal  and  carry  off  a  negro  slave,  when  possible,  and  there  can 
be  but  little  doubt  that  the  presence  of  negroes  at  the  Living- 
ston farm,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Indians.  An  account  of 
this  Indian  raid  was  given  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Livingston,  and  put 
down  in  her  presence  nearly  in  her  own  words,  and  is  as  follows : 

"April  6th,  1794. 
"About  10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  as  I  was  sitting  in  my  house, 
the  fierceness  of  the  dog's  barking  alarmed  me.  I  looked  out  and 
saw  seven  Indians  approaching  the  house,  armed  and  painted  in  a 
frightful  manner.  No  person  was  then  within*  but  a  child  of  ten 
years  old,  and  another  of  two,  and  my  sucking  infant.  My  husband 
and  his  brother  Henry  had  just  before  walked  out  to  a  barn  at  some 
distance  in  the  field.  My  sister-in-law,  Susanna,  was  with  the 
remaining  children  in  an  out-honse.  Old  Mrs.  Livingston  was  in 
the  garden.  I  immediately  shut  and  fastened  the  door;  they  (the 
Indians)  came  furiously  up,  and  tried  to  burst  it  open,  demanding 
of  me  several  times  to  open  the  door,  which  I  refused.  They  then 
fired  two  guns;  one  ball  pierced  through  the  door,  but  did  me  no 
damage.  I  then  thought  of  my  husband's  rifie,  took  it  down  but  it 
being  double  triggered,  I  was  at  a  loss ;  at  length  I  fired  through  the 
door,  but  it  not  being  well  aimed  I  did  no  execution ;  however  the 


440  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Indians  retired  from  that  place  and  soon  after  that  an  old  adjoining 
house  was  on  fire,  and  I  and  my  children  suffering  much  from  the 
smoke.  I  opened  the  door  and  an  Indian  immediately  advanced 
and  took  me  prisoner,  together  with  the  two  children.  I  then  dis- 
covered that  they  had  my  remaining  children  in  their  pos- 
session, my  sister  Sukey,  a  wench  with  her  young  child,  a  negro 
man  of  EdWard  Callihan's  and  a  negro  boy  of  our  own  about  eight 
years  old.  They  were  fearful  of  going  into  the  house  I  left,  to 
plunder,  supposing  that  it  had  been  a  man  that  shot  at  them,  and 
was  yet  within.  So  our  whole  clothing  and  household  furniture 
were  consumed  in  the  flames,  which  I  was  then  pleased  to  see,  rather 
than  that  it  should  be  of  use  to  the  savages. 

"We  were  all  hurried  a  short  distance,  where  the  Indians  were 
very  busy,  dividing  and  putting  up  in  packs  for  each  to  carry  his 
part  of  the  booty  taken.  I  observed  them  careless  about  the  chil- 
dren, and  most  of  the  Indians  being  some  distance  off  in  front, 
I  called  with  a  low  voice  to  my  eldest  daughter,  gave  her  my  young- 
est child,  and  told  them  all  to  run  towards  neighbor  John  Russell's. 

"They,  with  reluctance,  left  me,  sometimes  halting,  sometimes 
looking  back.  I  beckoned  them  to  go,  although  I  inwardly  felt 
pangs  not  to  be  expressed  on  account  of  our  doleful  separation. 
The  two  Indians  in  the  rear  either  did  not  notice  this  scene,  or  they 
were  willing  the  children  might  run  back. 

"That  evening  the  Indians  crossed  Clinch  Mountain  and  went 
as  far  as  Copper  creek,  distant  about  eight  miles. 

"April  7th,  set  out  early  in  the  morning,  crossed  Clinch  river 
at  McLean's  fish  dam  about  twelve  o'clock,  then  steered  north- 
wardly towards  tBe  head  of  Stoney  creek.  There  the  Indians 
camped  carelessly,  had  no  back  spy  nor  kept  sentries  out.  This 
day's  journey  was  about  twenty  miles. 

"April  8th.  Continued  in  camp  until  the  sun  was  more  than  an 
hour  high;  then  set  out  slowly  and  traveled  five  or  six  miles  and 
camped  near  the  foot  of  Powell's  mountain.  This  day  Benge,  the 
Indian  chief,  became  more  pleasant,  and  spoke  freely  to  the  pri- 
soners. He  told  them  he  was  about  to  carry  them  to  the  Cherokee 
towns.  That  in  his  route  in  the  wilderness  was  his  brother  with 
two  other  Indians  hunting,  so  that  he  might  have  provision  when 
he  returned.  That  at  his  camp  were  several  white  prisoners  taken 
from  Kentucky,  with  horses  and  saddles  to  carry  them  to  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  441 

towns.  He  made  enquiry  for  several  persons  on  Holston,  particu- 
larly old  General  Shelby,  and  said  he  would  pay  him  a  visit  during 
the  ensuing  summer,  and  take  away  all  his  negroes.  He  frequently 
enquired  who  had  negroes,  and  threatened  he  would  have  them  all 
off  the  North  Holston.  He  said  all  the  Chickamogga  towns  were 
for  war,  and  would  soon  be  very  troublesome  to  the  white  folks. 

"This  day  two  of  the  party  were  sent  by  Benge  ahead  to  himt. 

"April  9th.  After  travelling  about  five  miles,  which  was  over 
Powell's  mountain,  and  near  the  foot  of  the  Stone  mountain,*  a 
party  of  1;hirteen  men  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Vincent 
Hobbs,  of  the  militia  of  Lee  county,  met  the  enemy  in  front, 
attacked  and  killed  Benge  the  first  fire,  I  being  at  that  time  some 
distance  off  in  the  rear.  The  Indian  who  was  my  guard  at  first 
halted  on  hearing  the  firing.  He  then  ordered  me  to  run,  which 
I  performed  slowly.  He  attempted  to  strike  me  in  the  head  witli 
the  tomahawk,  which  I  defended  as  well  as  I  could  with  my  arm. 
By  this  time  t«^o  of  our  people  came  in  view,  which  encouraged  me 
to  struggle  all  I  could.  The  Indian  making  an  effort  at  this 
instant  pushed  me  backward,  and  I  fell  over  a  log,  at  the  same 
time  aiming  a  violent  blow  at  my  head,  which  in  part  spent  its  force 
on  me  and  laid  me  for  dead.  The  first  thing  I  afterwards  remem- 
bered was  my  good  friends  around  me,  giving  me  all  the  assistance 
in  their  power  for  my  relief.  They  told  me  I  was  senseless  for 
about  an  hour. 

"Certified  this  15th  day  of  April,  1794. 

"A  CAMPBELL." 

Vincent  Hobbs  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  militia  of  Lee  county, 
and,  at  the  time  in  question,  he  was  attending  the  court  of  that 
county  which  was  in  session.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  express  with 
the  news  of  the  Indian  invasion,  the  court  immediately  adjourned 
and  a  party  was  organized  upon  the  spot,  under  the  command  of 
Hobbs,  to  waylay  a  gap  in  Cumberland  mountain  called  the  Stone 
gap,  through  which,  it  was  supposed,  the  Indians  were  mostly  to 
pass.  On  his  arrival  at  the  gap,  Hobbs  discovered  that  the  Indians 
had  just  passed  through  before  him :  he  therefore  pursued  with 
eagerness  and  soon  discovered  two  Indians  kindling  a  fire;  these, 
they  instantly  dispatched,  and  finding  some  plunder  with  them. 


*Near  Dorchester,  Wise  county. 


442  Southwest  Virginia,  llJt6-1786. 

which  they  knew  must,  have  been  taken  out  of  Livingston's  house, 
they  at  once  came  to  the  conclusion  that  these  two  had  been  sent 
forward  to  hunt  for  provisions  and  that  the  others  were  yet  behind 
with  the  prisoners. 

"The  object  of  Hobbs  was  now  to  make  a  quick  retreat,  to  cover 
his  own  sign  if  possible,  at  the  gap,  before  the  Indians  should  dis- 
cover it,  and  perhaps  kill  the  prisoners  and  escape.    Having  gained 
this  point  he  chose  a  place  of  ambuscade;  but  not  exactly  liking 
this  position  he  left  the  men  there,  and  taking  one  with  him  by  the 
name  of  Van  Bibber,  he  went  some  little  distance  in  advance  to 
try  if  he  could  find  a  place  more  suitable  for  his  purpose.    As  they 
stood  looking  around  for  such  a  place,  they  discovered  the  Indians 
coming  up  with  their  prisoners.    They  cautiously  concealed  them- 
selves and  each  singled  out  his  man.    Benge,  having  charge  of  the 
younger  Mrs.  Livingston,  led  the  van,  and  the  others  followed  in 
succession;  but  the  Indian  who  had  charge  of  the  elder  Mrs.  Liv- 
ingston was  considerably  behind,  she  not  being  able  to  march  with 
the  same  light,  elastic  step  of  her  sister.     When  the  front  came 
directly  opposite  to  Hobbs  and  Van  Bibber  they  both  fired,  Hobbs 
killing  Benge,  and  Van  Bibber  the  one  next  behind  him.     At  the 
crack  of  the  rifle  the  other  men  rushed  forward,  but  the  Indians 
had  escaped  into  a  laurel  thicket,  taking  with  them  a  negro  fellow. 
The  Indian  who  had  charge  of  the  elder  Mrs.  Livingston  tried  his 
best  to  kill  her,  but  he  was  so  hurried  that  he  missed  his  aim.    Her 
arms  were  badly  cut  by  defending  her  head  from  the  blows  of  his 
tomahawk.     The  prisoners  had  scarcely  time  to  recover  from  their 
surprise  before  the  two  Livingstons,  who  heard  the  guns  and  were 
now  in  close  pursuit  with  a  party  of  men  from  Washington,  came 
running  up  and  received  their  wives  at  the  hands  of  Hobbs  with  a 
gust  of  joy.     Four  Indians  were  killed  and  five  had  escaped,  and 
it  appears  they  were  separated  into  parties  of  three  and  two.    The 
first  had  the  negro  fellow  with  them,  and,  by  his  account,  they 
lodged  that  night  in  a  cave,  where  he  escaped  from  them  and  got 
home.  '        :    !^'^! 

In  the  meantime  a  party  of  the  hardy  mountaineers  of  Eussell 
collected  and  proceeded  in  haste  to  wa3day  a  noted  Indian  crossing 
place  high  up  on  the  Kentucky  river.  When  they  got  there  they 
found  some  Indians  had  just  passed.  They  immediately  drew  the 
same  conclusion  that  Hobbs  had  done,  and  hastened  back  to  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  443 

river  for  fear  those  behind  should  discover  their  sign.  Shortly 
after  they  had  stationed  themselves,  the  other  three  made  their 
appearance;  the  men  fired  upon  them,  two  fell  and  the  other  fled, 
but  left  a  trail  of  blood  behind  him,  vrhich  readily  conducted  his 
pursuers  to  where  he  had  taken  refuge  in  a  thick  canebrake.  It 
was  thought  imprudent  to  follow  him  any  further,  as  he  might  be 
concealed  and  kill  some  of  them  before  they  could  discover  him. 
Tims  eight  of  the  party  were  killed  and  the  other  perhaps  mortally 
wounded."* 

Colonel  Campbell  communicated  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  the 
circumstances  attending  this  raid  by  the  Indians;  along  with  the 
written  statement  of  Mrs.  Livingston^  as  heretofore  given.  Colonel 
Campbell  in  his  letter  to  the  Governor,  says :  "The  scalp  of  Captain 
Benge,  I  have  been  requested  to  forward  to  your  Excellency,  as  a 
proof  that  he  is  no  more,  and  of  the  activity  and  good  conduct  of 
Lieutenant  Hobbs,  in  killing  him  and  relieving  the  prisoners. 
Could  it  be  spared  from  our  treasury,  I  would  beg  leave  to  hint 
that  a  present  of  a  neat  rifle  to  Mr.  Hobbs  would  be  accepted,  as 
a  reward  for  his  late  services,  and  the  Executive  may  rest  assured 
that  it  would  serve  as  a  stimulus  for  future  exertions  against  the 
enemy."  The  General  Assembly  oi  Virginia,  pursuant  to  this 
recommendation,  voted  Lieutenant  Vincent  Hobbs  a  handsome  and 
costly  silver-mounted  rifle.  Many  of  the  descendants  of  Lieutenant 
Hobbs  live  in  Soutliwest  Virginia  at  this  time,  and  are  highly 
respected  and  patriotic. 

One  of  the  principal  creeks  in  the  county  of  Wise,  at  this  day 
bears  the  name  of  the  Indian  chief,  Benge. 

This  is  the  last  recorded  invasion  of  Southwest  Virginia  ])y  the 
red  men. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1794,  Colonel  Campbell  reported  the  militia 
of  the  county  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  as  follows:  Eegiment 
No.  70,  brigade  N"o.  17,  division  Ko.  3,  1,287  free  white  males  of 
sixteen  years  and  upwards,  completely  organized. 

In  August  of  this  year  William  King  and  James  Caldwell, 
natives  of  Ireland  and  merchants  by  profession,  took  tlie  oatli  of 
fidelity  to  the  Commonwealth  in  the  county  court  of  this  county. 

William  King,  who  at  this  time  became  a  citizen  of  AVasliina^ton 


*MSS  letter  of  Benj  Sharp. 


444  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

county,  afterwards  became  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  influen- 
tial men  who  ever  lived  in  this  county  and  left  a  large  number  of 
relatives. 

The  General  Assembly  of  A'irginia,  on  the  28th  day  of  December, 
1794,  passed  an  act  requiring  the  peoj)le  of  Washington  county  to 
pay  their  taxes  for  the  years  1782-1783-1.784,  and  appointed 
Thomas  Mitchell  to  collect  the  same  as  the  officer  of  the  State,  and 
after  some  time,  he  succeeded  in  collecting  all  that  was  due  the 
State  from  the  people  of  the  comity. 

In  the  year  1795,  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  Washington  and 
Eussell  counties  emancipated  their  slaves ;  among  the  number 
Elizabeth  Eussell,  sister  of  Patrick  Henry  and  wife  of  General  Wil- 
liam Campbell,  Francis  Preston,  Charles  Bickley  and  others.  The 
deeds  executed  by  Mrs.  Russell  and  Francis  Preston  are  as  follows : 

Whereas  by  the  wrong  doing  of  men  it  hath  been  the  unfortu- 
nate lot  of  the  following  negroes  to  be  slaves  for  life,  to-wit :  Vina, 
Adam.  Nancy  sen.,  Nancy,  Kitty  and  Selah.  And  whereas  believ- 
ing the  same  have  come  into  my  possession  by  the  direction  of  Prov- 
idence, and  conceiving  from  the  clearest  conviction  of  my  con- 
science aided  by  the  power  of  a  good  and  just  God,  that  it  is  l)otli 
sinful  and  nnjust,  as  they  are  by  nature  equally  free  with  myself, 
to  continue  them  in, slavery,  I  do,  therefore,  by  these  presents,  under 
the  influence  of  a  duty  I  not  only  owe  my  conscience,  but  the  just 
God  who  made  us  all,  make  free  the  said  negroes  hoping  while 
they  are  free  of  man  they  will  faithfully  serve  their  Maker  through 
the  merits  of  Christ. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  this  21st  day  of  July,  1795. 

ELIZABETH  EUSSELL,  (L.  S.) 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern : 

Whereas  my  negro  man  John  (alias)  John  Broady,  claims  a 
promise  of  freedom  from  his  former  master  General  William  Camp- 
bell, for  his  faithful  attendance  on  him  at  all  times,  and  more  par- 
ticularly while  he  was  in  the  army  in  the  last  war,  and  I  who  claim 
the  said  negro^  in  right  of  my  wife,  daughter  of  the  said  General 
William  Campbell,  feeling  a  desire  to  emancipate  the  said  negro 
man  John,  as  well  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  above-mentioned  prom- 
ise, as  the  gratification  of  being  instrumental  of  prompting  a  parti- 
cipation of  liberty  to  a  fellow  creature,  who  by  nature  is  entitled 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  445 

thereto,  do  by  these  presents  for  myself,  my  heiis,  e.vecHitois  unci 
administrators  fully  emancipate  and  make  free  to  all  mtenls  and 
purposes  the  said  negro  man  John  (alias)  John  Jiioady  fiom  me 
forever.  As  witness  my  hand  and  seal,  this  20tli  day  of  ;>eptember, 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-three. 

FEANCIS  PEESTON,  (L.  S.) 

From  an  inspection  of  the  records  of  our  coui't  at  the  time  in 
question,  it  seems  that  there  was  a  strong  sentiment  prevailing 
among  the  people  of  this  section  of  Virginia  in  favor  of  abolishing 
slavery. 

The  next  occurrence  of  importance  was  the  organization  of  a 
Masonic  lodge,  at  the  house  of  James  White,  in  the  town  of  Abing- 
don, on  the  3d  day  of  October,  1796,  by  virtue  of  a  dispensation 
from  the  Grand  Master  of  Virginia  This  lodge  ol  Masons  was 
organized  through  the  influence  of  William  King,  Daniel  Murphey, 
Eobert  Johnston,  Charles  Carson,  William  Preston  Skillem,  Francis 
Preston,  Claiborne  Watkins  and  Joseph  Hays.  The  lodge  thus 
organized  is  still  in  existence,  and  has  exercised  a  wonderful 
influence  for  good  in  the  history  of  our  county. 

Upon  the  death  of  General  Washington,  in  the  year  1799,  infor- 
mation of  which  reached  Abingdon,  in  January,  1800,  the  Masonic 
Lodge,  at  their  regular  stated  meeting  on  the  21st  day  of  January, 
adopted  the  following  resolutions : 

"The  lodge,  viewing  with  a  lively  regret  the  loss  the  world  and 
particularly  Masonry  has  sustained  by  the  death  of  our  beloved 
brother,  'the  great  Washington,^  and  being  desirous  to  exhibit  a 
testimonial  of  its  exalted  opinion  of  its  virtues, 

"Eesolved,  That  the  AVorshipful  Master,  Francis  Preston,  be 
requested  to  deliver  an  eulogium  on  the  22d  day  of  next  month,  at 
the  courthouse,  adapted  to  the  occasion." 

And  at  a  stated  meeting  of  the  lodge  on  the  18th  of  February, 
1800,  the  following  resolutions  were  adopted : 

"On  motion  of  Bnotheir  Smith,  seconded  by  Brother  Tate, 
ordered  that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  the  Worshipful  Master, 
consisting  of  five  members  of  the  lodge  to  meet  a  committee  of  the 
citizens  of  Washington  county  in  order  to'  enter  into  regulations  for 
the  celebration  of  the  memory  of  the  great  Washington  on  the  22d 
instant,  so  that  the  Mason  and  the  soldier  may  be  united  with  ease 


44G  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

and  ornament.  That  the  said  committee  do  meet  the  citizens  forth- 
with; whereupon  the  Master  appointed  Brothers  William  Tate, 
Eobert  Preston,  Francis  Smith,  William  King  and  Joseph  Hays  to 
form  the  said  coniinittee. 

"Resolved,  That  on  the  22d  instant  the  Masons  meet  at  their 
hall  and  march  in  procession  from  the  lodge  to  the  court-house, 
after  which,  each  Mason  acting  as  captain  of  the  militia,  will  pro- 
ceed to  his  company  with  his  Masonic  apparatus,  uniting  in  the 
man  the  Mason  and  the  soldier." 

While  there  is  no  documentary  evidence  of  the  fact,  there  can 
be  but  little  doubt  that  a  great  concourse  of  the  citizens  of  Wash- 
ington county  assembled  at  Abingdon  on  the  22d  day  ol  February, 
1800,  to  pay  a  last  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  great  Washington. 

Upon  the  reassembling  of  the  Masonic  lodge  on  the  evening  of 
the  same  day,  a  committee  was  appointed  with  instructions  to 
draft  an  account  and  a  sketch  of  the  proceedings  of  the  day,  and 
to  have  the  same  published  in  the  "Virginia  Argus,"  a  news- 
paper published  in  Eichmond,  Virginia,  along  with  the  address  of 
Francis  Preston  delivered  upon  the  occasion. 

At  the  March  term,  1799,  of  the  court  of  Washington  county, 
Virginia,  William  King,  James  Armstrong,  John  Eppler  and  Rob- 
ert Craig,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  to  the  next  court 
the  plan  of  a  stone  prison  and  the  probable  expense  of  building 
the  same. 

This  committee  reported  at  the  April  term,  1799,  and  the  con- 
tract for  the  building  of  the  new  jail  or  prison  house  was  let  to 
James  White,  at  the  sum  of  $1,536.21. 

He  was  paid  a  large  part  of  the  contract  price  for  building  this 
jail,  out  of  the  moneys  derived  from  the  sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of 
Abingdon,  and  the  balance  was  paid  by  a  levy  upon  the  citizens  of 
the  county. 

In  this  year  the  militia  of  Washington  county  was  rearranged, 
the  Seventieth  Regiment  of  militia  was  divided,  and  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment  of  militia  organized,  Colonel  Fran- 
cis Preston  commanding  the  Seventieth  and  Colonel  Robert  Camp- 
bell the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment  of  militia  of  Washing- 
ton county  upon  its  reorganization. 

By  the  year  1803,  William  King  and  other  enterprising  citizens 
of  the  county  were  actively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  salt  at 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  447 

Saltville,  Virginia,  and  throngh  the  influence  of  these  gentlemen 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  undertook  the  first  internal 
improvement  upon  the  public  account  in  Southwestern  Virginia. 
On  the  28th  day  of  December,  1803,  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  incorporated  the  Abingdon  and  Saltville  Turnpike,  and 
appointed  William  King,  Francis  Preston,  William  Tate,  William 
Poston,  Samuel  Edmiston,  James  White  and  David  Campbell,  com- 
missioners to  mark  out  and  let  to  contract  the  building  of  a  turn- 
pike road  from  Abingdon  to  Saltville. 

Tliis  Act  of  the  Assembly  provided  that  "the  tolls  received  from 
the  said  road  should  be  subject  to  the  order  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Virginia,"  and  by  the  same  Act  the  tolls  to  be  charged  for 
the  use  of  said  road  was  prescribed  as  follows : 

One  loaded  wagon  and  team,  25c. 

On  every  cart,  per  wheel,   5c. 

On    every    saddle-horse,    6c. 

On  riding  carriages  per  wheel,   6c. 

On  every  head  of  cattle,    Ic. 

This  road  was  for  many-  years  the  best  to  be  found  in  our 
county. 

Some  time  between  the  years  1800-1810,  a  new  court-house  built 
of  brick  was  erected  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  on  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  present  public  square.  The  date  of  the  erection  of  this 
court-house,  its  dimensions  and  cost,  along  with  the  name  of  the 
contractor,  cannot  be  ascertained,  as  the  records  of  the  court  cov- 
ering this  period  have  been  destroyed. 

Nothing  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  recorded  occurred  in  this 
county,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  from  1803  until  the  year  1806. 

On  the  4th  day  of  January,  1806,  John  G.  Ustick  published  the 
first  newspaper,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  in  Washington  county, 
the  title  of  which  was  the  "HOLSTON  INTELLIGENCEK  AND 
ABINGDON  ADVERTISEE,"  a  four-column,  four-page  paper, 
a  copy  of  which  is  preserved,  a  very  creditable  paper  indeed,  giv- 
ing the  local  news  of  the  county,  the  proceedings  of  Congress  and 
foreign  news. 

Abingdon  has  not  been  without  a  newspaper  from  January  4, 
1806,  until  the  present  time,  except  the  period  from  December  15, 
1864,  when  the  town  was  burned  by  the  Federal  troops,  to  December 
8,  1865. 


448  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

THE    WAR   OF    1812-1815. 

By  the  opening  of  tlie  year  1813,  the  situation  of  affairs  was  snch 
as  to  strongly  indicate  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  Tlie  American  public  was  greatly  excited  and  seemed 
to  be  anxious  for  the  conflict.  The  government  of  the  United 
States  was  making  every  preparation  for  war. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1812,  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  passed  a  resolution  by  a  vote  of  79  to  49  declaring  war  against 
Great  Britain,  over  the  protest  of  the  Federalist  members  of  Con- 
gress, among  the  number  being  Daniel  Sheffey,  the  member  from 
this  district,  and  on  the  18tli  day  of  June,  1812,  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  by  a  vote  of  19  to  18,  concurred  in  the  resolu- 
tion of  Congress,  and  war  was  formally  declared. 

On  July  6,  1812,  David  Campbell  was  commissioned  a  major  in 
tl:p  Twelfth  Eegiment  of  Infantry,  A.  S.  A.,  and,  raising  all 
recruits  possible,  he  proceeded  to  Winchester,  Virginia,  where  Ik' 
joiniM]  his  regiment.  The  Twelfth  Regiment  of  Infantr}-  A\as 
<if!icei'ed  as  follows: 

(^olonel,  Thomas  Parker. 

Lieutenant-Colonel,  James  Patton  Preston,  of  Montgomery 
county. 

ITajor.  David  Campbell,  of  Washington  county. 

Captains : 

John  Gibson,  Archibald  C.  Rando]j)h, 

James  Charlton,  Thomas  P.  Moore, 

Charles  Page,  A.  L.  Madison, 

Willoughby  Morgan,  James  Paxton. 

Lieutenants : 

L.  B.  Willis,  J.  G.  Camp, 

Lockville  Jackson,  Angns  McDonald, 

Bichard  P.  Fletcher,  P.  G.  Kite. 

Second  Lieutenants : 

Russell  Harrison,  William  Stone, 

John  Keys,  John  Kenny, 

Matthew  Hughes,  John  Towles, 

0.  W.  Callis,  Robert  Houston. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  449 

Ensigns : 

J.  W.  McGavock,  Isaac  Keys, 

John  Shonimo,  Bailey  Bruce, 

Philip  Wagoner,  W.  C.  Parker, 

Thomas  B.  Barton. 

On  the  10th  of  April,  1813,  President  Madison  issued  an  order 
for  12,000  men  for  the  regular  army  from  Virginia,  which  men 
were  to  be  taken  from  the  several  militia  regiments  of  the  State. 
To  make  up  this  number,  the  Seventeenth  Brigade  was  required 
to  furnish  488  men,  of  which  Captain  Francis  Preston's  rifle  com- 
pany was  to.  furnish  fifty  men,  Captain  T upper's  company,  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  fifty  men;  Captain  Hale's  rifle  company,  Grayson 
county,  fifty  men;  Captain  Steffey's  company,  of  Wythe  county, 
fifty  men. 

It  is  probable  that  the  forces  thus  levied  accompanied  Major 
David  Campbell  to  Winchester.  Upon  the  arrival  of  Major  David 
Campbell  at  Winchester,  he  immediately  proceeded  to  assist  in  drill- 
ing and  recruiting  the  regiment,  which  regiment,  on  the  29th  day 
of  August,  1812,  marched  for  the  lakes  of  Canada,  wdiere  it  was 
placed  under  the  command  of  Alexander  Smyth,  of  Wythe  comity, 
who,  on  the  6th  day  of  July,  1812,  was  commissioned  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  inspector-general  with  the  rank  of  briga- 
dier. General  Smyth,  on  the  15th  day  of  June,  1812,  was  in 
Washington  city,  and  addressed  a  letter  to  a  gentleman  in  Abing- 
don in  which  he  stated : 

"It  is  wdiispered,  and  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  fact,  that  to-day 
the  Senate  passed  the  bill  froui  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  for 
declaring  war  against  Great  Britain. 

"The  recruits  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge  in  Virginia  are  intended 
for  the  North.  Considering  this  circumstance  together  with  the 
land  bounty,  tlie  abolition  of  corporal  punishment,  &c.,  I  shall 
expect  the  recruiting  service  to  succeed  well." 

Upon  the  first  intimation  of  war,  many  of  the  citizens  of  this 
county  immediately  volunteered  their  services  to  their  country. 

In  March  of  the  year  1812,  a  volunteer  troop  of  cavalry  was 
formed  within  the  bounds  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Pifth  Eegiment, 
and  was  officered  by  Captain  William  Duff  and  Lieutenant  Samuel 
Brown. 


450  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1788. 

On  the  olst  day  of  March  the  following  order  was  published  by 
the  officer  of  the  troop : 

ATTENTION ! 

WASHINGTON  VOLUNTEEE  TEOOP  OE  CAVALRY. 

"Our  muster,  of  course,  is  at  Abingdon,  on  Saturday  the  11th 

day  of  April,  when  you  are  to  appear  in  uniform  with  your  arms 

and  accoutrements  in  good  order,  at  11  o'clock  A.  M.,  with  six 

rounds  of  blank  cartridges,  for  the  purpose  of  exercising. 

"At  a  crisis  like  the  present,  when  war  is  more  than  anticipated, 
we  presume  your  patriotic  spirit  will  not  suffer  a  single  member 
to  be  delinquent. 

"By  order  of  the  Captain. 

"SAMUEL  BROWN,  Lieut. 
"March  31,  1812." 

The  next  order  that  we  find  in  regard  to  this  company  was 
issued  on  September  12,  1812,  and  was  as  follows :     ■ 

"ATTENTION !" 
"THE  VOLUNTEER  TROOP  OF  CAVALRY,  attached  to 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment.  You  are  hereby  requested 
to  attend  private  muster  at  Abingdon,  on  the  last  Saturday  in  this 
month,  for  the  purpose  of  exercising  and  for  other  purposes  that 
the  times  demand. 

"SHOW  YOUR  VALOR— BE  PATRIOTIC. 

"WM.  DUFF,  Captain." 

On  the  25th  day  of  April,  1812,  the  following  advertisement 
appeared  in  the  Political  Prospect: 

"THE  TOCSIN  OF  PATRIOTISM. 

"A  MEETING  of  the  young  men  of  the  county  of  Washington  is 
requested  at  the  tavern  of  Mr.  Soule's,  on  Saturday,  the  2d  day  of 
May,  1812.  The  object  of  the  meeting  is  of  the  highest  importance, 
and  it  is  desired  and  hoped,  that  every  young  man,  whose  bosom 
burns  with  the  holy  fire  of  patriotism  and  feels  the  multiplied 
wrongs  of  his  country,  will  be  present  at  this  meeting. 

"April  23,  1812." 

The  young  men  of  the  county  met,  pursuant  to  this  notice,  and 
organized  a  company  of  infantry,  and  selected  Peter  Mayo  captain, 
to  wliich  was  given  the  name  of  tlie  Light  Infantry  Company,  and 


(v- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  451 

passed  a  resohition  appointing  the  IGtli  day  of  May,  1812,  as  the 
time  and  the  Bell  Tavern  in  Abingdon  as  the  place  of  meeting  to 
select  non-commissioned  officers,  and  directed  their  captain  to  issue 
his  orders  accordingly,  which  order  was  as  follows: 

"INFANTEY ! 

"Pursuant  to  a  resolution  entered  into  on  Saturday  last,  notice  is 
hereby  given,  that  there  will  be  a  meeting  of  the  Light  Infantry 
Company  on  that  day  two  weeks,  precisely  at  11  o'clock,  at  the  Bell 
Tavern  in  the  town  of  Abingdon,  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  non- 
commissioned officers,  and  of  making  othgr  arrangements  for  the 
regulation  of  the  company.  All  those  whose  names  are  enrolled  on 
the  list  of  the  said  company  are  requested  to  attend  without  fail, 
as  the  objects  of  the  meeting  are  of  much  importance  to  its  pros- 
perity. Those  who  feel  a  disposition  to  become  members  of  the 
company  may  do  so  by  attending  and  enrolling  themselves  on  that 
day. 

"P.  MAYO,  Captain. 

"]Sr.  B. — It  is  requested  that  all  those  who  have  guns  of  any 
description  will- bring  them  on  that  day." 

On  the  15th  day  of  June,  1813,  Captain  Spotswood  Henry,  of  the 
Second  Eegiment  of  Artillery,  U.  S.  A.,  arrived  in  Abingdon,  and 
proceede  1  to  recruit  men  for  the  regular  army,  and  by  the  6th  day 
of  September,  1813,  he  had  recruited  a  full  company  of  regulars. 
The  Political  Prospect,  in  speaking  of  the  departure  of  Captain 
Henry  and  his  recniits  from  Abingdon,  says : 

"On  Sunday  last  Captain  Spotswood  Henry  marched  from  this 
place  for  Philadelphia  with  a  full  company  of  regulars  enlisted  in 
Abingdon  and  the  surrounding  country.  Captain  Henry  was  not 
quite  three  months  enlisting  his  men,  and  we  venture  to  say  no 
officer  in  the  same  period  of  time  ever  enlisted  as  fine  a  company 
of  men,  most  of  them  young,  active  and  strong,  a  large  majority  of 
them  sober  and  men  of  good  character.  We  believe  it  may  be  said 
with  truth  that  during  their  stay  in  Abingdon  their  conduct  (with 
a  few  exceptions)  has  been  good,  infinitely  better  than  that  of  any 
other  body  of  new  recruits  we  ever  saw.  Captain  Henry,  though 
a  new  officer,  seems  to  possess  the  art  of  being  both  loved  and  feared 
by  his  men.    He  is  true  to^  the  cause  he  is  engaged  in,  and  we  trust, 


452  Soulliwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

should  he  ever  be  brought  in  contact  with  the  enemy,  lie  will  not 
disgrace  his  country. 

"They  were  accompanied  on  their  road  about  two  miles,  by  almost 
every  citizen  of  Abingdon,  and  after  partaking  of  some  refresh- 
ments at  Captain  W.  Jones',  they  continued  their  march,  accom- 
panied by  the  prayers  of  all  who  witnessed  their  departure,  for 
their  success  and  happiness." 

The  services  of  the  companies  organized  by  Captains  Mayo  and 
Dulf  were  not  accepted  by  the  government,  and  it  is  very  probable 
that  numbers  of  their  men  enlisted  with  Captain  Heni-y.  I  can- 
not definitely  ascertain  what  disposition  was  made  of  Captain 
Henry's  troops  upon  their  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  but  it  can  be 
stated  with  some  certainty,  that  most  of  the  recruits  from  South- 
western Virginia,  in  the  regular  army,  were  in  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  Artillery  and  the  Twelfth  and  Twentieth  Kegiments  of 
Infantry,  commanded  by  Colonels  Parker  and  Pandolph  and  Gen- 
erals Smythe  and  Van  Eensselaer. 

No  further  efforts  were  made  to  organize  and  equip  additional 
troops  from  this  county  this  year,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain. 

In  April  of  the  year  1813,  in  the  contest  for  member  of  Con- 
gress from  this  district  and  for  members  of  the  Legislature  from 
this  county.  Honorable  Daniel  Sheffey  was  elected  a  member  of 
Congress,  defeating  the  Honorable  Edward  Campbell,  of  Hall's 
Bottom,  by  a  considerable  majority,  Campbell's  majority  in  Wash- 
ington county  being  seventeen.  The  vote  for  members  of  the  House 
of  Delegates  from  this  county  was  as  follows : 

Colonel  Francis  Preston,  341 

Captain  Eeuben  Bradley,   314 

Captain  James  Meek,    266 

Mr.  Jolin  Fulton,    151 

On  the  24th  day  of  February,  1812,  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia appointed  the  following  persons,  for  Washington  county,  to 
conduct  the  presidential  election  to  be  held  in  November  of  this 
year:  Francis  Preston,  James  White,  David  Campbell,  Benja- 
min Estill,  Francis  Smith,  John  Preston  and  George  Dixon. 

But,  for  some  reason,  the  coinmissioners  thus  appointed  did  not 
act,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  notice: 


Washington  County,  1771-1870.  453 

To  the  Freeholders  of  the   County  of  Washington. 

Citizens :— You  are  hereby  notified  to  attend  at  your  court-house, 
on  the  first  Monday  in  November  next;  for  the  purpose  of  voting 
for  twenty-five  electors  to  CHOOSE  A  PEESIDENT  AND 
VICE-PEESIDENT  of  the  UNITED  STATES.  At  this  import- 
ant crisis  of  affairs,  it  is  hoped  tliat  no  citizen  of  Washington  will 
show  the  smallest  backwardness  in  coming  forward  on  that  day  with 
a  determination  of  supporting  our  Eepublican  ticket. 

FEANCIS  PEESTON, 
HENEY  ST.  JOHN  DIXON, 
EOBEET  PEESTON, 

Commissionel-s. 
September  19,  1812. 

At  the  election  held  in  November,  being  the  first  hotly-contested 
presidential  election  in  the  history  of  our  country,  the  counties  of 
Southwestern  Virginia,  between  James  Madison  and  DeWitt  Clin- 
ton, the  contesting  candidates,  voted  as  follows : 

Madison.  Clinton. 

Washington,    355  80 

Lee,    67  00 

Montgomery,    181  58 

Wythe,    129  19 

Eussell,    126  00 

Giles,    60  04 

Grayson,    73  45 

Early  in  this  year  Captain  Henry  Dixon  organized  a  corps 
of  volunteer  riflemen,  which  was  attached  to  the  First  Battalion 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Virginia  Eegiment  of  Militia. 
Many  of  the  young  men  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Abingdon  joined 
this  corps,  the  lieutenant  of  which  was  George  W.  Dixon. 

The  patriotism  of  the  people  was  unbounded,  and  it  was  arranged 
to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July,  1812,  at  Abingdon,  in  a  manner  in 
accord  with  the  sentiments  of  the  people.  The  citizens  of  the  upper 
end  of  the  county  likewise  celebrated  the  day  in  a  manner  befitting 
patriots. 

The  4th  of  July,  1812. 

*"This  day  was  celebrated  by  Captain  Dixon's  Company  of  Vol-, 

*PoliticarProspects. 


454  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

imteer  Eiflemen  and  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  tlie  town  of  Abing- 
don with  their  accustomed  conviviality  and  mirth.  Tlie  declaration 
of  war  had  fired  the  breasts  of  that  band  of  citizen  soldiers  with  an 
unusual  portion  of  pride  of  country,  and  they  consequently 
expressed  with  great  freedom  their  determination  to  rally  to  the 
standard  of  their  country  in  defence  of  its  rights,  liberties  and  laws. 

Captain  Mayor's  company  of  infantry  were  invited  by  the  rifle- 
men to  join  in  the  entertainments  of  the  day,  in  which  they  dis- 
played an  equal  degree  of  patriotic  ardor  and  love  of  country. 

The  rifle  company  met  at  the  court-house  at  8  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and,  after  performing  several  evolutions  and  firing  a 
number  of  rounds,  marched  to  Captain  Dixon's  quarters,  and  fired 
three  rounds,  then  to  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  tow^n  and  did  the 
same,  then,  returning  to  the  court-house,  were  dismissed  until  ten 
o'clock,  when  they  again  assembled,  at  which  period  they  were 
joined  by  Captain  Mayo's  company  of  infantry.  After  mustering 
through  the  town  and  performing  several  evolutions  and  firing, 
which  occupied  until  one  o'clock,  they  were  marched  to  the  camping 
ground  at  Piper's  Spring,  where  they  partook  of  an  elegant  dinner 
furnished  by  Mr.  E.  Soule. 

Colonel  Francis  Preston  was  called  to  the  chair  and  Colonel 
James  King  chosen  vice-president. 

After  the  cloth  was  removed  the  following  toasts  were  drunk  with 
great  cordiality  of  sentiment. 

1st.  The  Day.  May  its  celebration  only  cease  with  our  national 
existence. 

S.  The  President.  May  he  continue  to  deserve  the  confidence  of 
a  free,  enlightened  people. 

3d.  Congress.  In  declaring  war  against  Great  Britain,  they  have 
echoed  the  voice  of  the  nation. 

4th.  The  Heads  of  Departments.  May  the  spirit  of  '76  animate 
their  councils. 

5th.  The  Memory  of  AVashington.  May  we  look  upon  his  like 
again. 

6th.  The  Venerable  Clinton.  He  will  still  live  in  the  hearts  of 
his  countrymen. 

7th.  The  Heroes  of  the  Revolution.  May  their  posterity  inherit 
their  virtue  and  their  valor. 


Washington  Countij,  1777-1870.  455 

8th.  The  Union  of  the  States.  Liberty's  surest  pledge — Hail 
Columbia. 

9th.  The  army  of  the  United  States — Composed  of  freemen,  it 
cannot  fail  to  merit  the  glorious  boon  of  independence. 

10th.  The  navy  of  the  United  States.  The  choicest  sons  of  ISTep- 
tune  will  brave  every  danger  in  defence  of  their  liberty. 

11th.  The  volunteers  of  the  times.  Hailed  by  your  countrymen 
as  the  gallant  defenders  of  their  dearest  rights. 

12th.  The  Heroes  of  Tippecanoe  have  set  their  countrymen  a 
glorious  example — Soldiers  return. 

13th.  The  Militia  of  the  United  States  will  defendHheir  rights 
when  assailed  by  tyrants. 

llth.  The  Tree  of  Liberty,  may  its  branches  ever  succor  its  sup- 
porters. 

15th.  John  Eandolph,  D.  Sheffey,  &c.  May  their  constituents 
furnish  them  with  a  suit  of  Tor}^  uniform,  tar  and  feathers !  Eogue's 
March ! 

16th.  The  18th  of  June,  1812.  The  day  that  adds  solidarity  to 
the  foundation  of  our  independence. 

17th.  The  Impressed  American  Seamen.  May  they  return  to 
the  bosom  of  their  country,  with  their  hands  imbrued  in  the  blood  of 
their  enemies. 

18th.  The  Fair  Daughters  of  Columbia.  Their  smiles  will  reward 
their  defenders. 

The  volunteer  toasts  were  very  numerous_,  but  we  have  been  able 
to  collect  only  a  few  of  them. 

VOLUNTEEES. 

By  Colonel  Francis  Preston — God  bless  these  United  States — 
May  he  who  attempts  their  disunion  meet  the  fate  of  Percival. 

By  Colonel  James  King — All  hands  and  all  hearts. 

By  Captain  Dixon — Our  war — May  it  lead  us  to  conquest  and 
glory,  and  return  us  to  peace  and  haj)piness. 

By  Lieutenant  Dixon — The  Eising  Company  of  Light  Infantry 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Virginia  Eegiment — May  success 
attend  the  soldiers  of  this  union. 

By  Captain  Eohert  Craig — Our  Government — May  they  be  decis- 
ive in  their  councils,  and  every  party  spirit  done  away,  and  may  the 
spirit  of  '76  animate  every  breast. 


456  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1780. 


Our  Manufactures — May  they  be  perse- 
vered in  until  tliey  make  us  completely  independent  of  all  other 
nations. 

By  Mr.  L.  L.  Henderson — The  Commerce  of  the  United  States — 
Like  an  April  shower,  the  day  clouds  for  a  moment,  but  to  return 
with  resplendent  vigor. 

By  Andrew  Eussell,  Esq. — Neutral  Rights — May  all  governments 
be  compelled  tO'  respect  them. 

By  Mr.  Isaac  Whitaker — Randolph,  Sheffey  &c. — May  they 
be  compelled  to  eat  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  republican  tables. 

"Saturday  last  being  the  anniversary  of  our  national  independ- 
ence, a  number  of  inhabitants  of  the  upper  end  of  this  county  col- 
lected at  Seven-Mile  ford  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  the  day 
in  some  manner,  however  plain  and  simple.  The  fore  pai-t  of  the 
day  was  occupied  by  Captain  Hopkins  in  exercising  his  military 
students;  in  the  evening  the  company  retired  to  a  spring  convenient 
to  the  ford,  where  they  partook  of  an  elegant  barbecue  which  had 
been  prepared  for  them.  After  dinner  the  following  toasts  were 
given : 

By  Captain  William  Love — The  Fourth  of  July — May  it  ever  be 
held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  the  free-born  sons  of  America. 
Two  guns. 

By  Captain  William  Byars— The  Declaration  of  War  by  Con- 
gress on  the  18th  of  June  last,  against  Great  Britain — May  it 
progress  with  successive  victories  on  our  part,  and  may  it  ultimately 
procure  us  that  justice  for  which  we  contend.     Three  guns. 

By  Major  William  Davis — The  Spirit  of  '76— May  it  inspire  the 
breast  of  every  free-born  American  with  such  zeal  as  may  support 
the  dignity  of  the  present  measures  of  our  general  government. 
Four  guns. 

By  Captain  Hopkins — The  patriots  of  the  United  States  Army — 
May  they  always  be  actuated  by  virtue  and  crowned  with  victory. 
Four  guns. 

By  Captain  George  Byars — May  the  American  eagle  subdue  the 
British  lion.    Four  guns. 

By  Mr.  Parker  Smith — The  memory  of  Captain  Nathan  Hale, 
who  fell  a  martyr  in  the  cause  of  his  country  witli  the  firm  intre- 
pidity of  an  American  and  the  amiable  resignation  of  a  Christian 


Washington  Covniy,  1777-1870.  457 

hero — May  his  worth  and  memory  be  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen  as  long  as  we  enjoy  that  liberty  and  independence  for 
which  he  freely  gave  up  his  life.     Five  guns. 

By  Mr.  John  Phaup — The  Virtuous  Sons  of  Freedom — May  they 
never  taste  the  bitter  apples  of  affliction.     Four  guns. 

By  Mr.  Campbell  Anderson — The  Federal  Compact — May  it 
{-tand  firm  and  unshaken  as  the  pillars  of  heaven.    Two  guns. 

By  Mr.  Pleasant  Smith — The  Honest  Farmer — May  his  industry 
always  be  rewarded  with  an  abundant  harvest.     Five  guns. 

By  Captain  Andrew  Edmiston — The  tyranny  of  Great  Britain. 
May  it  be  completely  subdued  and  American  independence  reign 
forever.    Three  guns. 

By  John  Byars,  Esq. — General  Montgomery — May  we  never  want 
such  men  to  march  to  the  plains  of  Abraham,  to  teach  the  enemies 
of  our  free  and  happy  country  that  we  will  not  submit  to  the  insult? 
heretofore  practised  on  us.    Five  guns. 

By  Mr.  Eobert  Beattie — The  Memory  of  General  Washington — 
May  his  courage  and  patriotism  be  an  example  to  our  generals  of 
the  present  day.    Four  guns. 

By  Mr.  James  Eobinson — James  Madison,  President  of  i.hs 
United  States.    Two  guns. 

By  Mr.  Daniel  Hughes — May  we  all  stand  imited  and  fii-mlv 
.agree  to  rally  around  the  standard  of  sweet  liberty.     Two  guns. 

By  Captain  James  Cole — The  Tree  of  Liberty — May  it  continue 
to  produce  unfading  blossoms,  and  may  its  branches  extend  ^o  the 
remotest  part  of  our  wide  extended  territory.    Five  guns. 

By  Mr.  A.  K.  Love — Thomas  Jefferson — May  his  virtues  be  an 
example  to  his  cnnntrymen,  and  may  his  patriotic  services  be  held 
in  grateful  remembrance.    Four  guns. 

This  account  of  the  celebration  of  the  4th  of  July  by  the  citizens 
of  Washington  county  is  obtained  from  a  copy  of  a  paper  published 
in  Abingdon  at  that  time,  and,  if  we  may  judge  from  this  account, 
the  sentiments  of  the  people  of  the  county  must  have  been  strongly 
in  favor  of  war ;  and  their  enthusiastic  devotion  to  their  country 
unexcelled. 

John  Gibson,  a  citizen  of  Abingdon  and  a  partner  in  business  with 
Connally  Findlay,  was,  on  March  13,  1812,  commissioned  a  captain 
in  the  regular  army  and  was  assigned  to  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of 


458  Sonthtvest  Virginia,  174G-1786. 

Infantry;  as  a  result,  a  dissolution  of  partnership  between  himself 
and  Findlay  was  rendered  necessary,  and  soon  thereafter  the  fol- 
lowing notice  appeared  in  the  Abingdon  paper : 

NOTICE! 

"The  partnership  between  the  two  persons  involved, 

Of  Gibson  and  Findlay,  is  this  day  dissolved ; 

With  hearts  smooth  and  easy  right  onward  we  went. 

And  this  day  we  part  by  mutual  consent. 

All  those  who  have  claims  come  to  Findlay  for  pay. 

And  those  who  owe  us  must  not  long  delay. 

But  to  pay  their  accounts,  I  hope  they'll  agree, 

And  not  trouble  Gibson,  but  pay  them  tO'  me; 

The  business  henceforward  I  mean  to  conduct, 

And  all  my  good  customers  freely  instruct; 

That  all  sorts  of  saddles,  neat  boots  and  fine  shoes. 

They  may  come  and  examine  and  buy  what  they  choose ; 

With  saddle-bags,  bridles  and  best  tanned  leather, 

Which  shall  brave  the  hard  clods  and  defy  the  bad  weather ; 

And  pray,  gentle  friends,  let  me  tell  you  besides, 

111  purchase  your  skins  and  buy  all  your  hides, 

FoT  which  I  wall  pay  you  the  cash  in  a  trice, 

For  every  article  at  market  price; 

And  now  you  may  think  what  I  say  is  but  fun. 

You  all  may  trust  me,  l)ut,  faith,  I'll  trust  none. 

"JOHN  GIBSON, 
"CONNALLY  FINDLAY." 

On  Saturday,  the  2d  day  of  May,  1812,  the  settlements  on  the 
western  extremity  of  this  county  were  visited  by  a  most  tremendous 
hail-storm.  Eobert  Preston  suffered  the  loss  of  an  extensive  crop 
of  rye  and  much  other  damage  done  to  his  plantation.  Several 
others  in  the  same  neighborhood  suffered  severely.  On  the  Jones- 
borough  road,  was  the  greatest  loss  suffered,  though  Joseph  Gray 
and  others  were  severely  handled.  Large  trees  were  torn  up  by  the 
roots  and  fences  destroyed  in  all  directions.  Some  of  the  largest 
of  the  hail  that  fell  on  Saturday  was  gathered  on  Sunday  and 
carried  to  Abingdon,  where  it  was  still  as  large  as  the  largest  nut- 
meg. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  459 

The  track  of  this  cyclone  and  hail-storm  was  perceptible  as  late 
as  the  year  1882. 

This  county  was  again  visited  by  very  severe  hail-stornis  in  the 
year  1814. 

The  American  army,  stationed  near  Buffalo,  experienced  some 
pretty  hard  fighting  abont  this  time,  and  the  soldiers  from  this 
county  bravely  maintained  the  reputation  of  our  people.  In  the 
month  of  October,  they  had  a  skirmish  near  Fort  Erie,  an  account 
of  which  is  given  by  Major  David  Campbell,  in  a  letter  written  to 
a  friend  in  Abingdon,  and  is  as  follows: 

"We  last  night  took  two  vessels  from  the  British,  when  they 
were  at  anchor  immediately  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Erie.  The 
vessels  were  taken  by  volunteers  from  our  brigade  and  some  sailors 
in  two  row-boats,  and  150  men.  Our  men  rowed  alongside,  fas- 
tened their  boats  to  the  ship  under  fire  from  her,  they  alsoi  firing, 
and  boarded  her  sword  in  hand — we  have  lost  eight  men — the 
British  number  not  known,  it  is  supposed,  however,  50  to  40.  One 
of  the  vessels  was  immediately  brought  safe  to  shore.  Her  cargo  has 
been  taken  out,  and  is  estimated  by  General  Smyth  at  $150,000. 
The  other  they  ran  aground  in  the  river  near  a  small  island— she 
is  the  Brig.  Adam,  laden  with  2,000  stand  of  arms  taken  from  Hull, 
and  the  cannon  taken  there  also.  This  morning  early  a  messenger 
came  to  camp  and  informed  General  Smyth,  that  2,000  British  had 
landed.  We  immediately  paraded  and  marched  to  the  scene.  The 
cannon  was  roaring  from  both  shores.  When  we  got  there  we  found 
no  enemy  on  this  side.  They  had  been  at  the  vessel  nigh  the  island, 
but  had  left  her.  We  left  the  Fifth  and  part  of  the  Eighteenth 
regiments  to  protect  the  vessel  and  returned.  They  have  made  two 
other  attempts  during  the  day  to  retake  the  vessel,  and  have  been 
completely  repulsed  with  great  loss.  We  have  not,  since  morning, 
lost  a  man.  It  has  given  me  great  pleasure  to'  retake  the  arms 
taken  at  Detroit.  We  have  also  retaken  thirty  or  forty  prisoners, 
our  brave  countrymen  taken  there.'* 

Among  the  plunder  captured  by  the  American  forces  at  this  time, 
was  a  bell,  from  one  of  the  British  vessels,  which  bell  was  brought  by 
General  Smyth  to  his  home  in  Wytheville,  and  by  him  given  to 
^ythe  county  to  be  used  as  a  court-house  bell.    This  bell  is  at  this 


460  Soiithirest  Virginia,  17Jt6-1786. 

day  in  the  old  court-house  at  Wytheville,  in  an  excellent  state  of 
preservation,  and  bears  the  following  inscription : 

"De  Welfahrt  van  Het.  Schip. 
De  I.  Iffrauw.   Elisabeth- 

Voor  De  Heeren- 

Casper,  Voice  &  Compagni- 

Captain  Daniel  Joachim.  Eahlap 

Anno  1781. 

Me-Ioh :  iven-in  Hamburg.'^ 

Which  being  translated,  is: 

"The  welfare  of  the  ship. 
The  Lady  Elisabeth. 

For  the  Sirs. 

Casper,  Voice  &  Co. 

Captain  Daniel  Joachim  Eahlap. 

Anno  1781. 

'Me'  loh'  iven'  in  Hamburg." 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1812,  the  volunteer  rifle  company,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Henry  Dixon,  was  ordered  to  assemble  at  Cap- 
tain Eobert  Davis's,  which  order  was  as  follows: 

"ATTENTION ! 

"The  volunteer  rifle  corps  attached  to  the  First  Battalion,  One 
Huiidred  and  Fifth  Virginia  Eegiment,  are  directed  to  attend  the 
regimental  muster  at  Captain  E.  Davis's  on  Friday,  16th  instant, 
(completely  armed  and  e<]uipped)  at  11  o'clock  A.  M.  Each  mem- 
ber will  furnish  himself  with  ammunition  and  one  day's  rations. 

"GEOEGE  W.  DIXON,  Lieut. 
"Comdt.  V.  E.  C.  105tli  regt/' 

At  this  meeting,  the  following  order  was  published : 
"COMPANY  OEDEES  !     ATTENTION  EIFLEMEN ! 

"The  Battalion  Court  of  Inquiry  for  the  assessment  of  fines  in  the 
First  Battalion  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Virginia  Eegiment, 
is  ordered  to  meet  at  Mr.  James  Crow's  on  Friday  the  23d  instant. 
The  regimental  court  will  assembly  at  Captain  Eobert  Davis's  on 
the  5th  day  of  November  next,  at  which  times  and  places,  excuses  to 
offer  for  delinquencies,  may  attend.    A  correct  list  of  all  the  delin- 


Washington  County^  1777-1S70.  461 

quents  in  the  Rifle  Corps  will  be  left  with  the  printer  of  the  Political 
Prospect;,  for  the  inspection  of  its  members. 

"G.  W.  DIXON. 
"Comdt.  V.  R.  C.  1st  Bat.  105th  R. 
"October  17,  1812." 

And  on  the  28th  day  of  February,  1813,  Captain  Dixon  issued  the 
following  order: 

A/  OLUNTEER  RIFLEMEK. 

The  members  of  the  Volunteer  Rifle  Company  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifth  Regiment  will  punctually  attend  at  the  court-house 
in  Abingdon,  on  Saturday  the  6th  day  of  March,  without  uniform, 
on  business  of  importance. 

H.  DIXON",  Captain. 

This  company  of  riflemen  were  not  called  into  service  until  the 
summer  or  fall  of  1814. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1813,  Lieutenant  Peter  C.  Jolmston,  of  the 
regular  army  began  recruiting  in  the  town  of  Abingdon,  but  what 
success  attended  his  efforts  I  am  unable  to  ascertain. 

Captain  L.  L.  Henderson  had  organized  a  company  of  artillery  in 
the  upper  end  of  Washington  county,  and  an  order  was  issued  effect- 
ing this  company  on  May  3,  1813,  which  order  was  as  follows: 

"ATTENTION ! 

"The  members  of  the  artillery  company  commanded  by  Captain 
L.  L.  Henderson  will  attend  a  battalion  muster  at  Mr.  James  Crow's 
on  Frida}^,  the  28th  of  this  month. 

"WILLIAM  SMITH, 
"Lieutenant  of  Artillery." 

This  company  was  not  mustered  into  service  until  the  year  1814. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1813,  Major  David  Campbell  was  pro- 
moted and  became  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Twentieth  Regiment 
United  States  army,  and  participated  in  the  arduous  campaigns 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  and  near  Lake  Champlain,  which  position 
he  resigned  on  the  28th  of  January,  1814. 

Upon  his  return  to  his  home  in  Virginia,  he  again  entered  the 
service  of  his  State,  as  aide  de  camp  to  Governor  James  Barbour, 
and  rendered  valuable  assistance  in  organizing  the  large  force  of 


462  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

troops  called  into  service  in  the  neighborliood  of  Kichmond  and 
Petersburg,  in  the  summer  of  1814. 

The  General  Assembly  at  its  session  in  the  year  1814,  provided  for 
the  raising  of  ten  thousand  troops,  and,  under  this  law.  Colonel 
Campbell  was  elected  general  of  the  Third  Brigade. 

On  the  35th  of  January,  1815,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
Third  Virginia  Cavalry,  but  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Fifth 
Eegiment  of  Cavalry. 

Under  the  law  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1814,  most 
of  the  companies  from  Washington  county  proceeded  to  Riclunond, 
which  point  they  reached  about  the  9th  day  of  September,  when 
information  reached  Eichmond  that  the  enemy  had  landed  on  the 
Northern  Neck.  The  forces  from  Washington  county  formed  a 
part  of  the  Third  Brigade,  and  upon  receipt  of  the  news  that  the 
enemy  had  landed,  three  companies  of  riflemen  and  one  troop  of 
cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Coleman,  were  ordered  to 
the  Northern  Neck. 

This  force  marched  to  the  place  directed  and  were  out  sixteen 
days.  They  marched  day  and  night  to  attack  the  enemy,  but  failed 
to  overtake  them.  They  frequently  encamped  on  the  same  ground  a 
few  hours  after  the  enemy  had  marched.  Upon  this  expedition,  the 
first  encampment  was  one  mile  from  Richmond,  at  Camp  Mitchell. 

About  this  time  the  militia  was  transferred  from  the  State's  ser- 
vice to  the  service  of  the  United  States,  to  serve  six  months.  A  por- 
tion of  the  Washington  county  militia  marched  for  the  city  of 
Washington  a  few  days  after  Colonel  Coleman  marched  for  the 
Northern  Neck,  and,  upon  the  return  of  Coleman's  forces  to  Fort 
Mitchell,  the  field  and  staff  officers  of  his  command  were  ordered  to 
Washington  city.  The  troop  of  cavalry  and  riflemen  were  ordered  to 
Charles  City  courthouse,  from  which  point  they  passed  to  Camp 
Snowden  near  Snowden's  Iron  Works,  Maryland,  at  which  place 
the  troops  were  newly  equipped  with  guns  and  ammunition,  from 
which  point  they  marched  to  Camp  Cross-Eoads,  Maryland,  where 
tliey  were  encamped  on  the  15th  of  November.  At  this  point  our 
forces  were  commanded  by  General  James  Breckenridge  as  briga- 
dier, and  Major-General  Pegram.  The  health  of  the  Washington 
companies  was  fairly  good,  although  109  men  were  sick  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  14th  of  November,  1814.  A  very  few  of  the  number  were 
dangerously  sick. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  463 

A  number  of  the  Washington  county  troops,  in  the  fall  of  this 
year  and  the  spring  of  1815,  marched  to  Norfolk,  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Francis  Preston  and  other  militia  officers,  but  as  to 
their  services  I  cannot  obtain  any  information. 

It  is  lamentable  that  no  record  has  been  preserved  of  the  services 
of  our  countrymen  upon  this  expedition  to  Norfolk. 

We  publish  in  the  appendix  to  this  book,  an  official  statement 
of  the  militia  officers  of  Washington  county,  for  the  years  1810- 
1815;  which  gives,  bej^ond  queston,  authentic  information  of  the 
officers,  with  thc'ir  rank,  during  this  war. 

Peace  was  proclaimed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  on 
the  18th  day  of  February,  1815,  one  month  and  ten  days  subsequent 
to  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 

With  the  exception  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  the  record  of 
this  war,  as  far  as  it  ejff ected  the  land  fighting,  is  humiliating  indeed, 
to  the  average  American  citizen. 

The  failure  of  our  military  expeditions  during  this  war  must  not 
be  attributed  to  the  want  of  patriotism  or  valor  on  the  part  of  O'Ur 
people,  but  was  due  to  the  ideas  of  our  rulers,  none  of  whom,  either 
by  principle  or  practice,  was  fitted  to  conduct  a  successful  war. 

In  this  war  Colonel  James  Campliell  died  in  the  service  at  Mobile, 
Alabama,  and  Colonel  Jolm  B.  Campbell  fell  at  the  battle  of  Cliip- 
pewa,  where  he  commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  army  under  Gen- 
eral Winfield  Scott.  Both  were  sons  of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell, 
the  "Father  of  our  County."  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  himself  died 
at  Ids  home,  the  present  location  of  Middlesborough,  Kentucky,  in 
the  year  1811,  and  his  body  was  buried  at  that  place  according  to 
the  directions  of  his  will,  which  is  of  record  in  the  county  clerk's 
office  of  this  county. 

When  Middlesborough,  Kentucky,  first  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  business  people  of  this  country,  and  great  developments  were  in 
progress  at  that  point,  the  grave  of  Colonel  Campbell  was  discovered 
in  an  out-of-the-way  place,  and  his  remains  were  removed  by  his 
Tennessee  relatives,  and  the  grave  newly  marked.' 

The  grave  of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  was  marked  with  an  iron 
slab,  upon  which  the  following  inscription  was  found : 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  who  was 
bom  in  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  November  3,  1743,  old  style,  and 
after  a  well-spent  life,  as  his  last  moments  did  and  well  could 


4G4  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

approve,  of  sixty-seven  years  eight  months  and  twenty-live  days, 
ere  a  constitution  preserved  by  rigid  temperance,  and  otherwise 
moral  and  healthy,  could  but  with  reluctance  consent,  the  lamp  was 
blown  out  by  the  devouring  effects  of  a  cancer  on  the  8th  day  of 
August,  1811,  leaving  a  widow,  six  sons  and  six  daughters  to  mourn 
his  loss  and  emulate  his  virtues. 

Her©  lies  entombed  a  Eevolutionary  sage. 

An  ardent  patriot  of  the  age. 

In  erudition  great,  and  useful  knowledge  to  scan 

In  philanthrophy  hospitable,  the  friend  of  man. 

As  a  soldier  brave. 

Virtue  his  morality. 

As  a  commander  prudent. 

His  religion  charity. 

He  practised  temperance 

To  preserve  his  health. 

He  used  industry  to  acquire  wealth. 

He  studied  physic  to  avoid  disease. 

He  studied  address  to  please. 

He  studied  himself  to  complete  his  plan. 

For  his  greatest  study  was  to  study  man. 

His  statue  tall. 

His  person  portly. 

His  features  handsome, 

His  manners  courtly. 

Sleep,  honored  sire. 

In  the  realms  of  rest. 

In  doing  justice  to  thy  memory 

A  son  is  blest. 

A  son  inheriting  in  full  thy  name 

One  who  aspires  to  all  thy  fame. 

COLONEL  ARTHUK  CAMPBELL." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1814, 
a  new  county  was  formed  from  the  territory  of  Lee,  Washington 
and  Russell  counties,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Scott 
county,  in  honor  of  General  Winfield  Scott.  The  boundaries 
of  the  new  county  as  fixed  by  the  Act  of  Assembly,  of  date 
IsTovember  ^'4,  J814,  were  as  follows:    Beginning  at  the  head  of 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  4G5 

Eeedy  creek,  where  the  wagon  road  crosses  the  same  in  Washington 
county;  thence  down  the  Tennessee  line  to  the  south  fork  of  the 
Clinch  river ;  thence  nortliward  passing  the  Flag  Pond  to  the  top  of 
Powell's  mountain,  in  Lee  county;  thence  along  it  to  the  Eussell 
county  line;  thence  along  the  Eussell  county  line  to  the  Kentucky 
line;  thence  along  Cumberland  mountain  to  the  head  of  Guesses' 
river;  thence  down  it  to  Clinch  river;  thence  to  Kendrick's  Gap, 
in  Clinch  mountain;  thence  by  the  western  end  of  Samuel  Hen- 
sley's  plantation  to  the  beginning. 

The  boundaries  of  Scott  county  as  thus  given  were  altered  at  the 
same  session  of  the  General  Assembly. 

By  the  same  Act,  John  McKenney,  Eeuben  McCully  and  James 
Wallen,  of  Lee;  Jonathan  Wood,  Samuel  Eitchie  and  James  Moss 
of  Eussell;  Andrew  McHenry,  Jacob  Severs  and  Abraham  Fulker- 
son,  ol  Washinglon  county,  were  appointed  commissioners  to  .iileet 
a  permanent  iocation  for  the  county  seat  of  Scott  county. 

The  first  County  Court  of  Scott  county  assembled  at  the  hou>!e 
of  Benjamin  T.  Hollans,  at  Big  Moccasin  Gap,  and  organized  with 
tbe  following  oflScers: 

Justices  of  the  Peace. 
John  Anderson,  '^  William  George, 

Samuel  Eitchie,  Eeuben  McCully, 

James  Gibson,  James  Albert, 

John  McKenney,  John  Berry, 

John  Montgomery,  James  Moss, 

Jacob  Severs,  Eichard  Fulkerson, 

Benj.  T.  Hollans,  Isaac  Skillem, 

James  Wallen. 

Sheriff,  John  Anderson. 

Deputy  Sheriffs,  Isaac  Anderson  and  Isaac  Skillem. 

Clerk,  William  H.  Carter. 

Deputy  Clerk,  Alfred  McKenney. 

County  Surveyor,  Jonathan  Wood. 

Commonwealth's  Attorney,  Andrew  McHenry. 

County  Militia. 
County  Lieutenant,  Henry  Livingston. 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  John  Wood. 
Majors,  Eobert  Gibson  and  Isaac  Anderson. 


466  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Captains  of  Militia. 

Iiieliard  Fiilkerson,  George  George, 

John  McHenry,  Hiram  Kilgore, 

William  Fugate,  Jolm  Berry, 

Cornelius  Fugate;  James  Watson. 

Jjieutenants  of  Militia; 

Jbnas  Wolfe^  Eobert  Spear^ 

Goldman  Davidson^  Elijah  Carter^ 

Wood  Osborn,  Isaac  Low, 

Jeremiah  Culbertson. 

Ensigns  of  Militia. 

joiin  Martin,  Daniel  Wallen^ 

Clinton  Godsey,  James  Gibson,  Jr., 

Meshaek  Stacy,  George  McConnell, 

William  Bickley. 

The  commissioners  appointed  to  ascertain  the  proper  place 
for  holding  the  courts  and  erecting  the  public  buildings  for  the 
new  county  made  their  report  on  May  9,  1815.  The  lands  donated 
by  James  Davidson,  Sr.,  the  present  site  of  Estillville,  or  Gate  City, 
were  selected,  and  the  public  buildings  erected  thereon;  and  tliis  is 
still  the  county  seat  of  Scott  county. 

By  this  Act  Washington  county  lost  a  considerable  extent  of  val- 
iiable  territory  and  many  valuable  citizens. 

In  the  year  1816,  a  convention  assembled  at  Staunton,  for  the 
23urpose  of  devising  measures  for  obtaining  a  Constitutional  Con- 
vention for  the  State.  Thirty-five  counties  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge 
were  represented  in  this  convention,  but  if  Washington  county  had 
a  representative  present,  I  cannot  ascertain  his  name ;  but  the  object 
of  the  convention  affected  Washington  county  as  much  as  any  of 
the  territory  west  of  the  mountain. 

The  object  in  view  in  amending  the  Constitution  of  the  State  was 
to  correct  the  inequalities  in  the  representation  of  the  different  sec- 
tions of  the  State  in  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia. 

This  convention,  by  a  vote  of  61  to  7,  adopted  a  memorial  in 
favor  of  a  convention  to  amend  the  Constitution. 

The  country  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge  at  that  time  contained  a 
white  population  of  two  hundred  and  twelve  tliousand  and  thirty-six, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  467 

with  four  senators;  while  the  territory  east  of  the  inountain  con- 
tained a  white  population  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  seventeen  and  had  thirteen  senators. 

General  James  Breckenridge  was  elected  president  of  this  conven- 
tion and  Erasmus  Strihbling,  secretary.  This  subject  has  been  agi- 
tated in  Virginia  from  the  earliest  time,  but  the  people  of  western 
A'irginia  have  never  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  fair  representation 
in  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  and,  to-day,  the  inequality  of 
representation  between  the  two  sections  is  greater  than  it  has  been 
at  any  time  heretofore  in  our  history;  considering  the  wealth  and 
population  of  Western  Virginia. 

In  the  election  of  members  to  the  General  Assembly  from  Wash- 
ington county,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1819,  the  certificates  of 
election  were  awarded  to  Peter  Maj'o  and  William  Poston.  The  elec- 
tion was  contested  by  William  Preston  Thompson.  The  depositions 
were  taken  by  Thomas  Edmondson,  William  Snodgrass,  Eeuben 
Bradley,  John  Goodson  and  Charles  Tate,  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county  for  that  purpose,  and 
upon  the  final  hearing  of  the  case  in  the  General  Assembly,  Mayo 
was  unseated  and  Thompson  awarded  the  certificate,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  Peter  Mayo  and  Nathaniel  Dryden  defeated  Thompson 
by  a  good  majority. 

On  the  first  day  of  July,  1819,  the  Coimty  Court  of  Washington 
county  tried  a  negro  by  the  name  of  Sam  for  larceny,  found  him 
guilty  and  ordered  him  to  be  burnt  in  the  hand  in  the  presence  of 
the  court,  and  that  he  receive  ten  lashes  on  his  bare  back  at  the 
public  whipping-post. 

By  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  approved  March  10, 
1819,  a  voting  precinct  was  established  at  the  house  of  James  Meek, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  middle  fork  of  the  Holston  river  in  the 
upper  end  of  this  county.  From  the  organization  of  the  county 
until  this  time,  every  voter  in  the  county  was  required  to  attend  the 
election  at  Abingdon,  the  only  voting  precinct  in  the  county. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1819,  John  Preston,  Jr.,  was  commissioned 
colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Eegiment  of  infantry,  and 
James  White,  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  same  regiment.  William  P. 
Thompson  was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Seventieth 
Begiment,  while  David  Campbell  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the 
Third  Eegiment  of  cavalry  of  the  militia  of  Virginia,  and  in  the 


4C8  Southwest  Virginia,  lH  1^6-17 86. 

following  year  Eobert  Beattie  was  commissioned  major  of  the  Sev- 
entieth Kegiment. 

The  number  of  tithables  in  Washington  county  in  1820  was  3,137, 
and  the  proportion  of  the  tax  due  from  each  tithable  was  fifty  cents. 
The  taxes  collected  from  the  people  in  the  years  1819-1830  so  fai- 
exceeded  the  expenditures  of  the  county  that  no  taxes  were  levied 
for  the  year  1821. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  1821,  the  County  Court  of  Washington 
county  entered  the  following  order  in  regard  to  the  width  of  the 
roads  of  the  county. 

"Ordered  that  the  public  roads  of  this  county  be  of  the  following 
widths,  to-wit:  The  main  Island  road,  the  main  Kentucky  road, 
the  Wataga  road  below  Abingdon,  the  Blountvillo  road,  the  Kussel] 
road  by  Michael  Fleenor's,  the  main  Saltworks  road  from  Abingdon, 
the  Eiver  road  above  the  Saltworks,  through  Lyon's  Gap,  remain  as 
at  present  established,  thirty-three  feet  wide  each,  and  that  all  the 
other  public  wagon  roads  in  this  county  be  twenty  feet  wide." 

By  order  of  the  county  court  of  date  June  22,  1820,  a  new  road 
was  ordered  to  be  established,  leading  from  near  Smith's  cabin  (now 
Greendale),  to  the  north  fork  of  Holston,  said  road  to  be  eiglit 
feet  wide  and  to  be  located  at  or  near  the  "Lawyer's  Path."* 

Colonel  James  White  at  this  time  was  operating  several  iron  fur- 
naces in  this  county  and  in  Johnson  county,  Tennessee.  A  consid- 
erable forge  known  as  "White's  Grove  Forge,"  and  a  furnace  known 
as  "Elizabeth  Furnace,"  had  been  established  on  the  north  fork  of 
the  Holston  river,  some  miles  apart,  and  business  among  the  citizens 
of  the  county  was  excellent,  and  had  been  so  since  1815. 

It  is  to  be  regretted,  tliat  the  minute  books  of  the  County  Court 
of  Washington  county  covering  the  period  from  1821  to  1837  were 
destroyed  in  1864.  For  this  period  I  have  been  able  to  gather  but 
few  facts  of  historical  importance,  and  such  as  I  have  gathered  are 
principally  from  the  Acts  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia. 

By  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  of  date  January  15, 
1823,  Henry  Bowen,  John  Smith  and  John  Cecil  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  locate  and  open  a  wagon  road  from  the  Kentucky 
line  on  the  north  fork  of  Sandy  river  to  the  Eichlands  in  Tazewell 
county, 

*The  early  name  of  the  road  from  Abingdon  leading  through  Little 
Moccasin  Gap. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  469 

In  1823  a  dispute  arose  as  to  the  correct  location  of  the  boundary 
line  between  Washington  and  Eussell  counties  from  Hayter's  Gap, 
east  to  the  Tazewell  line,  and  the  General  Assembly  on  the  28th 
day  of  February,  1824,  authorized  the  county  courts  of  Washington 
and  Eussell  counties  to  appoint  one  commissioner  each,  to  run  and 
mark  the  line  between  the  two  counties,  but,  for  some  reason  which 
I  cannot  now  ascertain,  the  boimdary  line  was  not  run. 

On  the  26th  day  of  January,  1825,  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia appointed  John  H.  Fulton,  of  Washington  county,  and  George 
W.  Johnson,  of  Eussell  county,  commissioners  to  run  and  mark  the 
line  between  the  counties,  beginning  on  the  top  of  Clinch  moun- 
tain, wliere  the  road  from  Abingdon  to  Lebanon  crosses  the  same  at 
Hayter's  Gap,  and  from  thence  east  to  the  Tazewell  line.  Pursuant 
to  this  order,  the  line  was  run  and  marked  in  the  same  year. 

By  an  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  of  date,  January 
4,  1826,  it  was  declared  that  all  that  part  of  the  counties  of  Wash- 
ington and  Wythe  known  by  the  name  of  Poor  Valley  within  the 
following  bounds,  to-wit: 

Beginning  on  the  top  of  Clinch  mountain  at  the  highest  point 
opposite  to  the  plantation  of  Major  John  Ward ;  thence  a  south 
course  until  it  strikes  the  top  of  Little  Piney  mountain  in  the 
county  of  Washington,  and  with  the  top  of  said  mountain,  running 
east  to  Wilson's  Gap,  in  the  county  of  Wythe,  thence  north  to  the 
Tazewell  line,  shall  be  a  part  of  the  county  of  Tazewell. 

By  an  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  the  third  election  precinct  in 
this  county  was  established  at  the  house  of  John  Shaver,  at  Three 
Springs,  in  the  lower  end  of  this  county,  on  January  2,  1829. 

By  the  year  1828,  the  sentiment  of  the  people  of  Washington 
county  was  decidedly  democratic ;  and  to  such  an  extent  that  in  the 
presidential  election  of  that  year.  General  Andrew  Jackson  received 
every  vote  cast  in  the  county,  except  thirteen. 

By  the  beginning  of  the  year  1830,  a  healthy  disposition 
had  grown  up  among  the  people  in  favor  of  public  improve- 
ments, and  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  the  19th  day  of 
February,  1830,  incorporated  the  Abingdon  Turnpike  Company  and 
authorized  the  building  of  a  turnpike  road  from  the  forks  of  the 
road  west  of  William  Carpenter's  to  the  forks  in  Abram  Bradley's 
lane.  This  company  was  authorized  to  receive  subscriptions,  and 
the  Act  of  the  Assembly  authorized  and  directed  the  following  citi- 


470  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

zens  to  solicit  and  receive  subscriptions  to  this  enterprise  at  the 
town  of  Abingdon :  James  White,  David  Campbell,  Francis  Pres- 
ton, John  M.  Preston,  John  H.  Fulton,  Charles  C.  Johnston,  Peter 
J.  Branch,  Benjamin  Estill,  John  I^.  Humes,  John  Gibson,  Andrew 
Russell  and  Abram  Bradle3^ 

While  I  have  no  evidence  of  the  fact,  it  is  reasonable  to  believe 
that  this  effort  to  build  a  turnpike  road  in  Washington  coimty  was 
successful. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  April  5,  1830,  incorporated 
the  Lynchburg  and  jSTew  River  Railroad,  the  object  of  which  was  to 
connect  Southwestern  Virginia  with  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State. 
The  Act  of  the  Assembly  incorporating  the  road  authorized  public 
subscriptions  to  the  enterprise  and  appointed  the  following  commis- 
sioners to  solicit  and  receive  subscriptions  at  iVbingdon:  Francis 
Preston,  Francis  Smith,  James  White,  James  Campbell,  Benjamin 
Estill,  John  H.  Fulton,  John  M.  Preston,  John  C.  Greenway, 
Charles  C.  Johnston,  Andrew  Russell  and  Charles  H.  Preston. 

This  effort  to  build  a  railroad  was,  so  far  as  Southwestern  Vii-- 
ginia  was  concerned,  a  failure. 

From  the  date  of  the  convention  that  assembled  at  Staunton  in 
181G  to  this  time,  the  demand  for  a  convention  to  revise  the  Con- 
stitution had  constantly  grown  throughout  the  State.    The  citizens 
of  Virginia  living  west  of  the  mountains  were  opposed  to  the  basis 
established  for  the  exercise  of  suffrage  by  the  Convention  in  1776, 
which  excluded  all  persons  from  voting  who  were  not  free-holders. 
Another  question  that  presented  itself  was  whether  the  representa- 
tion in  the  General  Assembly  should  be  apportioned  on  the  basis  of 
the  white  population,  or  on  the  basis  of  population  and  property 
combined.     The  citizens  of  Eastern  Virginia  favored  a  restricted 
suffrage  and  an  apportionment  on  the  basis   of  population  and 
property,  wdiile  the  people  west  of  the  mountains  favored  an  un- 
restricted suffrage  and  an  apportionment  on  the  basis  of  popula- 
tion alone.     From  the  year  1816  to  1829  these  questions  were  dis- 
cussed throughout  the  State  with  vehemence,  ability  and  eloquence. 
The  General  Assembly,  on  the  31st  day  of  January,  1828,  submit- 
ted to  the  voters  of  the  State  the  question  of  calling  a  convention, 
and  in  the  election  that  followed  21,896  votes  were  polled  for,  and 
16,637  against,  calling  a  convention.    The  convention  was  accord- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  471 

iiigly  called,  and  most  hotly  contested  elections  for  delegates  to  this 
convention  took  place  throiiglioiit  the  State. 

As  a  result  of  the  issues  involved,  this  convention  was  composed  of 
many  of  the  most  brilliant  gentlemen  througliout  the  State.  It  has 
l)een  said  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  representative  body  ever 
convened  in  the  world's  history,  before  or  since,  w^hich  included  so 
nmch  talent,  eloquence,  expei'ience  and  intellectual  power,  as  did  the 
convention  of  1839-18;J0.  In  the  election  of  delegates  to  this  con- 
vention the  State  was  divided  into  districts,  of  which,  Washington, 
Lee,  Scott,  Eussell  and  Tazewell  composed  one  district. 

The  delegates  elected  from  this  district  were  John  B.  George,  of 
Tazewell;  Andrew  McMillan,  of  Lee,  and  Edward  Campbell  and 
William  Byars,  from  Washington.  The  convention  assembled  on 
October  5,  1829,  and  remained  in  session  until  January,  1830,  and 
was  presided  over  by  James  Monroe  and  Philip  P.  Barbour. 

On  the  14th  of  January  the  draft  of  the  Constitution  was  adopted 
by  the  convention  and  submitted  to  the  people  of  the  Commonwealth 
for  ratification  or  rejection. 

The  vote  of  the  counties  of  Southwest  Virginia  upon  the  ratifi- 
cation or  rejection  of  this  Constitution  was  as  follows : 

For.  Against. 

Giles,    21  556 

Grayson,   TO  649 

Lee, 330  99 

Montgomery, 194  670 

Kussell,  ./. 86  240  ~ 

Scott,    155  297 

Tazewell,    35  423 

Wythe,    41  625 

Washington    556  175 

The  Constitution  of  1829-'30  exteaided  the  right  of  suffrage  to  a 
considerable  extent,  but  the  basis  of  representation,  which  was  bit- 
terly contested  in  the  convention,  was  but  slightly  altered,  and  a 
great  majority  of  the  citizens  of  Western  Virginia  were  opposed 
to  the  new  Constitution  for  that  reason. 

The  Constitution  was  adopted  by  the  people  of  the  State  by  a 
vote  of  26,055  for  ratification  to  15,563  for  rejection — a  majority 
of  10,492  in  favor  of  the  Constitution.    Thus  the  people  of  West- 


472  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

ern  Virginia  were  denied  an  equal  representation  with  the  citi- 
zens of  Eastern  Virginia  in  the  representative  bodies  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. 

By  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  approved  Febru- 
ary 23,  1832,  a  new  county  was  formed  from  the  counties  of  Wythe 
and  Washington,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Smyth  county. 
The  boundaries  of  the  new  county  were  as  follows:  Beginning  on 
the  Main  Stage  road  at  a  bridge  in  a  hollow  at  the  point  where  the 
spring  branch  of, Philip  Greever,  deceased,  crosses  the  same;  thence 
a  direct  line  passing  equi-distant  between  Preston  &  King's  salt 
wells,  to  the  line  of  Eussell  county,  and  from  said  point  on  Main 
Stage  road  aforesaid,  where  said  spring  branch  crosses  the  same, 
running  south  25  degrees  east  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Wash- 
ington county,  and  beginning  on  the  Main  Stage  road  leading  by 
Abingdon  and  Wythe  courthouses,  ten  miles  by  said  road,  from 
the  line  dividing  Washington  and  Wythe  counties,  running  thence 
northwest  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Wythe  coimty,  and  south- 
east to  the  southern  boundary  of  Wythe  county,  the  said  line 
through  Wythe  county  running  precisely  parallel  with  the  line 
aforesaid  through  Washington  county. 

The  Act  establishing  this  county  directed  Isaac  J.  Leftwich,  of 
Wythe,  Edward  Fulton,  of  Washington,  and  John  Campbell,  of 
Smyth,  to  run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  of  said  county. 

The  Act  of  Assembly  establishing  Smyth  county  directed  that 
the  county  court  of  that  county  be  composed  of  fifteen  justices  to 
be  commissioned  by  the  GoTernor,  and  directed  the  first  court  of 
the  county  to  meet  at  the  house  of  John  Thomas  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  April,  1832. 

By  this  same  Act  Charles  L.  Crockett,  of  Wythe ;  John  H.  Pul- 
ton, of  Washington ;  William  Price,  of  Eussell ;  Samuel  McCamant, 
of  Grayson,  and  Thomas  Peery,  of  Tazewell,  were  appointed  com- 
missioners to  select  a  permanent  location  for  the  county  seat  of 
said  county  upon  which  to  erect  the  necessary  public  buildings. 

This  committee  selected  the  present  location  of  Marion  as  the 
county  seat  of  the  county. 

The  first  county  court  of  Smyth  county  assembled  at  the  house 
of  John  Thomas,  at  the  Royal  Oak,  on  Monday,  the  2d  day  of 
April,  1833,  pursuant  to  the  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  473 

ginia,  at  which  time  the  following  officers  took  the  oath  prescribed 
by  law  and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  their  duties : 

Justices  of  the  Peace. 

Charles  Tate,  James  Taylor, 

Samuel  Williams,  George  W.  Davis,  "<' 

Hatch  D.  Poston,  Joseph  Adkins, 

Henry  B.  Thompson,  William  Porter, 

Thompson  Adkins,  Robert  Houston, 

Joseph  P.  Bonham,  Abraham  B.  Trigg, 
Isaac  Spratt.  v 


Clerk  of  the  County  Court,  Robert  Beattie. 

Deputy  Clerk,  James  F.  Pendleton. 

Sheriff,  Charles  Tate. 

Commonwealth's  Attorney,  Charles  E.  Harrison. 

County  Surveyor,  Charles  Taylor. 

Coroner,  George  Byars. 

The  following  lawyers  qualified  to  practise  their  profession  on 
the  first  day  of  the  court :  John  H.  Fulton,  David  McComas,  John 
Foster,  Isaac  J.  Leftwich,  Charles  E.  Harrison  and  Andrew  S. 
Fulton. 

By  the  formation  of  this  county  a  large  portion  of  the  most  val- 
uable lands  included  in  the  original  bounds  of  Washington  county 
were  lost  to  the  county,  and  the  representation  of  the  county  in  the 
General  Assembly  was  reduced  to  one  member,  and  the  county  of 
Washington  did  not  send  more  than  one  member  of  the  Legislature 
to  the  Grcneral  Assembly  again  until  1853. 

This  is  the  last  instance  that  we  will  have  to  record  of  the  muti- 
lation of  the  territory  of  Washington  county,  although  considerable 
efforts  have  been  made  within  the  last  fifteen  years  to  form  a  new 
county  out  of  parts  of  Washington,  Russell  and  Scott  counties. 

The  representatives  from  Washington  county  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia,  at  the  date  of  the  formation  of  Smyth  county, 
were  John  H.  Fulton  in  the  Senate,  and  John  Kellar  and  Thomas 
McCulloch  in  the  House  of  Delegates. 

Smyth  county  was  named  in  honor  of  General  Alexander  Smyth, 
who  served  as  brigadier-general  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  represented 


474  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfO-1786. 

this  district  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  for  twelve  years, 
and  died  while  a  member  of  Congress  in  the  year  1830. 

A  dispute  arose  as  to  the  correct  location  of  the  boundary  Ime 
between  Washington  and  Sm}i:h  counties  in  the  year  1896,  where- 
upon the  County  Court  of  Washington  county  appointed  W.  B. 
Robertson,  J.  G.  Breckenridge,  James  Broady,  William  Galliher  and 
John  D.  Blackwell,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Washington 
county,  and  the  County  Court  of  Smyth  county  appointed  C.  D. 
Carter,  A.  F.  St.  John,  T.  W.  Buchanan  and  W.  IST.  McGee,  as  com- 
missioners on  the  part  of  Smyth  county  to^  run  said  line  from 
Greever's  Bridge  near  Chilhowie  to  the  Eussell  county  line. 

The  commissioners  ran  said  line  and  filed  their  report  on  June 
27,  1896.  The  line  as  fixed  by  the  report  of  the  commissioners  was 
marked  by  a  planted  stone  at  Greever's  Bridge,  and  ran  from  that 
point,  N.  37  degrees  15  minutes  W.  to  Jamison's  Gap,  where  a  sec- 
ond stone  was  planted,  and  said  line  was  continued  on  the  same 
degree  to  the  Russell  county  line,  and  stones  were  planted  on  the 
farm  of  Vint  Thomas,  at  the  Rich  Valley  road,  on  Chestnut  Ridge, 
at  Saltville  between  the  salt  wells,  on  both  sides  of  the  Holstou 
river,  on  Little  mountain,  and  in  Poor  Valley  to  mark  said  line.* 

In  the  election  held  in  the  year  1831  for  a  representative  in  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  from  the  Twenty-second  Congres- 
sional District  oi  Virginia,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Scott, 
Wythe,  Lee,  Tazewell,  Grayson  and  Washington,  the  Honorable 
Joseph  Draper,  of  the  county  of  Wythe,  and  the  Honorable 
Charles  C.  Johnson,  of  the  county  of  Washington,  were  the  oppasing 
candidates. 

Mr.  Draper  had  been  elected  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  General 
Alexander  Smyth,  in  the  year  1830.  Charles  C.  Johnson  was 
one  of  the  most  talented  and  brilliant  men  that  Washington  county 
had  ever  produced. 

The  canvass  w^as  one  of  the  most  exciting  ever  held  in  this  district, 
and  the  result  was  a  majority  of  seventy-eight  votes  in  favor  of 
Johnson,  upon  the  face  of  the  returns.  The  vote  in  the  several 
counties  of  the  district  was  as  follows : 


*M.  B.  31,  paiTP  11-1'^,  County  Court  Washington  county. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  475 

Johnson.  Draper. 

Eussell  county, 347  247 

Scott  county,   495  115 

Wythe  county,   43  786 

Lee  county,   343  265 

Tazewell  county,   208  392 

Grayson  county,   44  750 

Washington  county, 1,270  116 

Totals,    2,749         2,671 

Jolm son's  majority,  78. 

Mr.  Draper  was  not  satisfied  with  the  result  and  contested  the 
election  of  Johnson,  charging  many  irregularities,  the  principal 
irregularity  being  the  fact  that  the  Sherif?  of  Washington  county 
held  the  election  in  said  county  for  four  days  instead  of  closing  the 
poll  on  the  third  day,  as  required  by  law,  thereby  giving  to  Johnson 
eighty-eight  votes  more  than  he  was  entitled  to,  that  being  the  num- 
ber of  electors  voting  in  Washington  county  on  the  fourth  day  of  the 
election. 

Mr.  Johnson  on  the  other  hand  charged  and  proved  many  irregu- 
larities in  Wythe  county,  the  result  being  that  a  majority  of  the 
Committee  on  Elections  on  the  13th  of  April,  1832,  made  a  report 
recommending  that,  in  justice  to  the  electors  of  the  disti'ict,  the 
seat  be  declared  vacant  and  a  new  election  ordered,  while  the  minor- 
ity of  the  committee  reported  in  favor  of  Charles  C.  Johnson,  the 
sitting  member.  The  vote  was  taken  upon  the  majority  and  minor- 
ity reports  and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  by  a  vote  of 
eighty-five  to  thirty-five,  declared  Charles  C.  Johnson  entitled  to  the 
seat. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year,  1832,  Charles  C.  Johnson  was  drowned 
in  the  Potomac  river  while  crossing  from  Alexandria  to  Washington 
city.  An  election  was  held  to  fill  the  vacancy,  at  which  election 
Joseph  Draper  was  returned  the  representative  from  tliis  district 
in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

General  Jackson,  upon  his  inauguration  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  nominated  Colonel  John  Campbell,  of  Hall's  Bottom, 
in  this  county,  as  Treasurer  of  the  United  States,  which  position 
Colonel  Campbell  accepted,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  same 


476  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

with  honor  to  himself  and  credit  to  his  native  county.  Colonel  John 
Campbell  was  the  second  native-born  citizen  of  Washington  county 
to  occupy  a  position  of  gi-eat  honor  in  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  the  other,  General  John  Armstrong,  Secretary  of  War  in  the 
Cabinet  of  President  Madison,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 
The  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  in  the  year  1832,  was 
composed  of  a  very  distinguished  body  of  men,  the  fathers  and 
grandfathers  of  many  of  the  present  generation,  and  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  many  persons  to  know  the  appearance  and  character  of 
the  members  of  that  court,  given  by  a  writer  who'  was  personally 
acquainted  with  each  of  them  and  who  was  a  very  competent  judge 
of  men.  In  speaking  of  the  members  of  this  court  the  writer  says  :* 
One  of  nature's  noblemen  is  presiding.  He  is  of  large  stature,  has 
a  full  suit  of  white  liair,  of  florid  complexion,  and  possesses  a  fine, 
clear  and  somewhat  musical  voice.  His  man- 
ners are  easy  and  refined,  and  you  will  pro- 
nounce him  the  very  soul  of  dignity.  That 
is  Colonel  John  Preston.  See  him  as  he 
grasps  the  arm  of  the  old  justice's  seat.  Does 
a  lawyer  quibble  or  travel  from  the  record  to 
make  out  his  case?  He  mildly  recalls  him 
from  his  wanderings,  as  he  remarks :  "You 
must  confine  yourself,  sir,  to  the  law  and  to 
the  testimony  in  the  case." 
coioneijohn' Preston,  of  ^^ear  by  are  two  l)rothers,  of  large  stature, 
Walnut  Grove.  of  Eonian  forms,  gray  heads  and  mild  de- 
meanor. Their  judgments  are  well  balanced,  and  their  opinions 
are  worthy  of  the  highest  respect.  Those  are  Major  Abram  and 
Thomas  Fulkerson. 

The  venerable  James  Keys,  Esq.,  you  observe,  is  very  feeble  and 
but  seldom  is  on  the  bench;  he  is  sent  for  frequently,  however,  to 
sign  important  proceedings  of  the  court. 

On  the  right  of  the  chair  is  sitting  a  low,  corpident  gentleman 
with  full  round  features,  thin  hair,  a  little  bald,  and  his  gold 
spectacles  thrown  back  on  his  head.  His  utterances  are  ready  and 
clear,  springing  from  a  mind  quick  in  its  preceptions  of  right.  That 
is  Captain  Francis  Smith. 


*Rev.  L.  F.  Cosby. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  477 

That  gentleman  near  him,  of  large  frame,  of  Atlas-like  propor- 
tions— as  thongh  he  could  bear  np  a  whole  community  on  his  should- 
ers, is  Colonel  James  White.  He  is  somewhat 
silent  and  meditative  at  times,  hut  delivers 
his  opinions  (often  presiding)  with  force  and 
independence.  His  hair  is  also  gray  and  in- 
clined to  curl  over  his  broad  forehead. 

Next  yoi.i  see  a  gentleman,  once  tall  but  now 
bent  with  age — head  quite  white  and  face 
ruddy.  He  speaks  mildly  and  seems  to  regret 
tluit  tlie  stern  arbitrament  of  law  is  necessary     „  ,      ,  -         „r,  •* 

''       Colonel  James  White, 

to  compel   to  do  right  towards  their  fellow-  of  Abingdon, 

ci-eatures.     That  is  General  Francis  Preston. 

Tliat  justice  on  the  right,  very  tall  and  very  erect,  of  excellent 
form,  sandy  hair,  red  face,  and  of  fine  mind,  is  William  Khea,  Esq. 

The  next  is  a  large  gentleman  with  round,  full  head  and  face, 
liair  black,  with  a  mixture  of  gi'ay.  That  is  Jonathan  King,  Esq. 
He  is  quite  unobtrusive,  but  firm  and  decided  in  his  opinions. 

That  mild-looking  gentleman  to  tb'e  left,  well  set,  of  medium 
height  and  good  judgment,  is  Peter  Minnick,  Sr.,  Esq. 

Next  to  him  is  quite  a  tall,  strongly-lniilt  gentleman;  that  is 
Joseph  Miller,  Esq. 

That  tall  and  slender,  light  complexioned  justice,  sitting  near, 
is  William  Shaw  Logan,  Esq. 

Among  the  group  of  justices  on  the  left,  you  see  two  brothers  of 
large  stature  an.d  strong  features.  They  are  of  peculiar  mould  and 
utterly  disregard  the  vain  blandishments  of  the  world,  and  deal 
only  iai  realities.  These  are  Major  Abram  and  Captain  Eeuben 
Bradley. 

That  very  tall,  square-shouldered  gentleman,  sitting  near  Col- 
onel Preston,  with  elongated  features,  and  smiling  as  he  speaks 
earnestly,  is  Tobias  Smith,  Esq.  He  loves  his  position,  and  renders 
his  gratuitous  services  freely  for  the  good  of  his  country,  and  no 
man  has  served  it  more  faithfully  than  he. 

Near  by  is  sitting  Eobert  E.  Lowry,  Esq.  He  has  a  very  mild 
countenance,  his  eyes  resting  in  repose.  He  exhibits  great  good 
nature,  and  is  very  modest  in  expressing  his  opinions. 

Near  him  is  a  short  gentleman  with  round  features,  and  of  ratJier 
retiring  demeanor.    That  is  Lewis  Smith,  Esq. 


478  Sovf hurst  Virginio.,  17Ji6-17S6. 

Next  is  a  man  of  great  solid  worlli,  of  mcMliumi  height,  of 
sterling  integrity,  of  excellent  mind  and  heart.  That  is  William 
Bnchanan,  Esq. 

Two  other  justices  yon  discover  on  the  right  of  th'e  chair.  They 
are  brothers  and  above  the  ordinary  height.  The  first,  Eobert  E. 
Cnmmings,  Esq.,  has  round  features,  is  well  proportioned,  shoulders 
droop  a  little.  The  other,  James  Cummings,  Esq.,  is  slender,  of 
good  form,  and  generous  bearing.  Indeed  they  possess  fine  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart,  and  kindness  is  stamped  upon  their  very  natures ; 
they  are  very  deliberate  and  express  their  opinions  cautiously. 

Next  to  the  justices  just  named,  there  sits  another  remarkable 
man,  of  commanding  personal  appearance.  The  flash  of  his  dark 
eye,  his  compressed  but  somewhat  protruding  lips,  indicate  gTcat 
firmness  and  determination  of  character.  He  speaks  but  seldom; 
when  necessary,  however,  he  utters  his  opinions  with  great  force  and 
independence.  That  is  John  M.  Preston,  Esq.  He  hates  a  mean- 
ness in  any  one  as  he  does  his  Satanic  Majesty,  and  is  firm  in  meting 
out  strict  justice  to  all  men.    Integrity  is  one  of  his  cardinal  virtues. 

There  on  tlie  right  you  see  sitting  near  one  another  Colonel  John 
Kellar,  Major  Henry  B.  Thom]:)son  and  Colonel  Thomas  McCUd- 
loch.  The  first  is  dark  complexioned,  has  blue  eyes,  is  quick-spoken 
and  is  of  excellent  judgment.  He  is  noted  for  his  fine  social  quali- 
ties and  kindness  of  heart.  What  man  or  woman  in  this  section 
of  the  country  that  docs  not  revere  and  love  the  memory  of  Colonel 
Kellar?  That  he  is  a  bachelor  is  to  be  regretted.  His  erect  form 
and  fine  personal  l^earing  are  douljtless  attractive. 

Major  Thompson  is  very  good  looking,  has  a  fine  eye,  and  an 
excellent  disposition. 

Colonel  McCulloch's  appearance  is  fine;  he  is  of  genial  nature, 
and  is  an  excellent  officer.  All  three,  subsequently,  were  members 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia. 

That  corpulent  justice  on  the  left,  with  full  round  face  and  white 
hair,  is  John  Dulf,  Esq.  But  few  magistrates  transact  more  busi- 
ness at  "Wai-rant  tryings''  than  he,  and  general  satisfaction  is 
given. 

That  very  tall,  venerable  and  clerical-looking  gentleman  near  Mr. 
Duff  and  from  the  same  region  of  the  county,  is  Edward  Latham, 
Esq.  His  fine  suit  of  black  velvet,  for  which  he  has  a  great  par- 
tiality, and  his  Avhite  flowing  hair  combed  back  over  his  head,  well 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  479 

formed,  and  his  countenance  lighted  up  with  a  smile,  render  his 
appearance  very  imposing.  He  possesses  an  excellent  mind,  and 
generally  arrives  at  very  correct  conclusions. 

Those  two  justices  just  taking  their  seats  are  Major  James  Tay- 
lor and  Hatch  D.  Poston,  Esq.  They  reside  in  the  upper  end  of 
the  county  and  are  gentlemen  of  excellent  minds.  In  person  they 
are  fine  looking,  and  as  officers  of  the  county,  they  are  highly 
esteemed. 

Next  you  see  a  heavy,  well-set  justice.  In  his  manner,  he  is 
very  pleasant  and  agreeable,  of  good  natural  qualities,  of  well- 
balanced  mind,  of  sound  and  correct  judgment.  That  is  William 
Davis,  Esq. 

Esteemed  for  his  manly  firmness  and  excellent  nature,  you  see  a 
tall  and  slender  gentleman  to  the  right  of  Mr.  Davis.  That  is  John 
McCuUoch,  Esq. 

Abram  Nordyke,  Samuel  Moore  and  Thomas  McChesney,  Esqs., 
sit  next.  Those  gentlemen  are  deservedly  honored,  and  held  in  high 
esteem.  They  take  rank  among  the  substantial  men  of  the  country. 
On  the  extreme  left  you  are  attracted  by  three  gentlemen  com- 
paratively young;  we  may  say  in  the  prime  of  manhood.  They 
seem  to  take  their  position  deferentially  to  the  venerable  men  from 
whom  they  would  learn  lessons  of  wisdom  in  their  new  vocation. 
The  first  exhibits  a  fine  personal  appearance,  ready  in  his  utter- 
ances, and  bends  gracefully  forward  as  he  expresses  an  opinion,  his 
red  face  sparkling  with  smiles,  and  he  takes  care  to  indulge,  mean- 
while, in  an  occasional  sally  of  wit  and  good  humor.  His  genial, 
happy  nature  leads  him  to  think  well  of  the  denizens  of  this  world, 
and  sometimes,  even  on  the  bench,  he  will  illustrate  his  opinions  by 
the  relation  of  an  appropriate  anecdote.  Intelligent  and  wise  in 
council,  the  county  has  long  been  favored  with  his  services.  The 
justice  referred  to  is  John  N.  Humes,  Esq. 

The  second  is  a  slender  gentleman,  very  neat  in  his  dress,  sits 
quite  erect  and  frequently  turns  his  quick,  penetrating  eye  towards 
the  senior  members  of  the  court.  He  seems  to  measure  his  words, 
which  are  fitly  spoken,  when  uttered',  a  valuable  member  of  the  court, 
very  commendably  polite,  and  e:^tremely  graceful  in  his  manners. 
That  member  is  Peter  J.  Branch,  Esq. 

The  third  gentleman  is  very  easy  and  social  in  manner  and  dis- 
position.   His  shoulders  droop  a  little  as  he  sits  on  the  bench ;  his 


480  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-17S6. 

opinions  are  communicated  Avitli  unreserved  freedom  and  with  a 
sincere  desire  that  right  and  justice  shall  prevail.  His  face  is  some- 
what elongated  when  he  is  looking  serious,  but  pleasant  and  social 
as  he  is  generally,  he  will  often  give  you  the  benefit  of  one  of  his 
old-fashioned  jokes.  That  valuable  citizen  and  justice  is  Colonel 
Samuel  E.  Goodson.  Pity  some  amiable  lady  had  not  long  since 
won  his  heart,  for,  unfortunately  for  his  country's  good,  lie  is  a 
bachelor !    Since  a  Representative  in  the  State  Legislatui-e. 

Thomas  McChesney,  Esq.,  occupies  his  seat  near  the  three  last- 
named  gentlemen.  His  tall,  slender  figure,  his  intellectual,  gray 
head,  forehead  sloping  back,  give  him  an  appearance  at  once  com- 
manding respect.  He  performs  a  great  deal  of  private  business  for 
his  countymen  in  writing  documents,  and  is  a  very  useful  citizen. 

Near  Mr.  McChesney  sits  Captain  John  Moffet.  He  is  a  gentle- 
man of  fine  sense,  plain  and  unostentatious  in  manner.  He  is  about 
five  feet  eleven  inches  high,  with  a  full  developed  form,  and  has  a 
very  pleasant  and  genial  appearance.  In  dispensing  justice,  he  is 
decided,  but  always  mild  and  courteous. 

The  following  lawyers  composed  the  Abingdon  bar  in  1831, 
including  those  not  residents  of  the  county :  Henry  St.  John  Dixon, 
Edward  Campbell,  John  H.  Fulton,  Peter  C.  Johnston,  Peter  Mayo, 
David  McComas,  Charles  C.  Johnson,  Joseph  Draper,  William  M. 
Fulton,  Samuel  Logan,  Dale  Carter,  Andrew  S.  Fulton,  Charles  E. 
Harrison,  Charles  S.  Bekem,  Beverly  R.  Johnston  and  John  Hall, 
Esqs. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  March  11,  1836,  incorpo- 
rated the  Lynchburg  and  Tennessee  Railroad,  and  authorized  sub- 
scriptions to  the  enterprise  at  different  points  from  Lynchburg,  west. 

The  commissioners  appointed  to  solicit  and  receive  subscrip- 
tions at  Abingdon  were:  David  Campbell,  James  White,  Andrew 
Russell,  John  M.  Preston,  John  C.  Greenway,  Francis  Smith,  John 
Preston,  William  Byars,  Samuel  E.  Goodson,  Jonathan  King  and 
John  W.  C.  Watson. 

So  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  no  effort  of  any  consequence  was  made 
to  build  or  complete  the  railroad  as  contemplated  by  the  foregoing 
Act. 

In  the  year  1837  the  construction  of  a  turnpike  road  from  Pond 
Gap  of  the  Cumberland  mountain  on  the  Kentucky  line  to  the 
Fincastle  and  Cumberland  Gap  road  was  begun,  and  John  Preston, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  481 

William  Byars,  Charles  S.  Bekem  and  Charles  J.  Cummings,  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  solicit  subscriptions  to  this  enterprise 
by  the  coimty  court  of  this  county. 

Some  time  previous  to  the  year  1837,  the  county  court  of  this 
county  decided  to  erect  a  new  building  to  be  used  as  a  jail  for  this 
county,  and  appointed  John  M.  Preston,  Samuel  Chastain  and  Elias 
Ogden  a  committee  to  superintend  the  erection  of  said  building,  and 
on  the  38th  day  of  May,  1838,  the  county  court  of  this  county 
authorized  the  erection  of  a  stone  kitchen  twenty  feet  square  from 
ont  to  out,  on  the  public  lot  on  which  the  new  jail  was  situated,  and 
appointed  John  M.  Preston,  Elias  Ogden  and  Jacob  Lynch  commis- 
sioners for  the  purpose  of  contracting  for  and  superintending  the 
building  thereof. 

The  court  directed  this  stone  kitchen  to  be  erected  out  of  stone 
from  the  old  jail  of  the  county,  which  old  jail  was  built  at  a  very 
early  date  in  the  history  of  our  county.  The  new  county  jail  was 
completed  on  the  23d  day  of  October,  1838,  and  received  by  the 
county. 

This  jail  was  destroyed  by  the  Federal  troops  in  December,  1864. 
It  stood  upon  the  lot  at  the  intersection  of  Valley  and  Court  streets. 

In  the  year  1837,  Colonel  John  Keller,  the  representative  from 
this  county  in  the  Senate  of  Virginia,  and  a  member  of  the  county 
court  of  this  county,  departed  this  life.  Whereupon  the  county 
court  of  this  county  adopted  the  following  resolutions : 

"Authentic  information  of  the  recent  death  of  our  highly-es- 
teemed fellow-citizen.  Col.  John  Keller,  late  our  Eepresentative  in 
the  Senate  of  Virginia  and  a  member  of  this  Court,  having  reached 
the  court  of  Washington  county,  whilst  in  session,  and  the  court 
and  bar  being  desirous  of  testifying  their  sense  of  the  worth  and 
excellence  of  Col.  Keller,  as  well  as  their  sorrow  for  his  loss  by  this 
afflicting  dispensation  of  Divine  Providence,  in  removing  from  us 
in  the  prime  of  manhood,  a  citizen  so  distinguished  for  his  worth 
and  usefulness  and  so  generally  esteemed  and  beloved  for  his 
amiable  deportment  and  sterling  integrity;  it  is  therefore  resolved 
that  in  token  of  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  late  Col.  John 
Keller  and  regret  for  his  loss,  the  members  of  this  co'Urt  and  bar 
will  wear  crape  for  the  next  month  on  the  left  arm.  And  it  is  fur- 
ther resolved  that  these  proceedings  be  entered  amongst  the  minutes 
of  the  court  and  published  in  the  Virginia  Statesman" 


483  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

Colonel  Keller  was  succeeded  in  the  Senate  of  Virginia  by  tiie 
Honorable  Fayette  McMullen,  who  represented  this  senatorial  dis- 
trict for  tJie  term  of  ten  years  without  a  break. 

At  tlie  same  time  and  for  the  same  term  the  Hon.  George  W. 
Hopkins  represented  this  district  in  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  Hon.  Samuel  E.  Groodson  represented  this  county 
in  the  House  of  Delegates  of  Virginia,  three  Democrats  of  the  Jack- 
sonian  type  and  three  of  the  most  successful  politicians  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country. 

On  the  2-2d  day  of  October,  1838,  Colonel  James  White,  one  of 
the  distinguished  citizens  of  this  country,  departed  this  life. 

Upon  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  death  of  Colonel  White,  the 
county  court  of  Washington  county  adopted  the  following  resolu- 
tions : 

"The  death  of  Colonel  James  White,  a  most  enterprising,  use- 
ful and  w^ortliy  citizen  of  this  county,  who  has  long  been  an  able, 
enlightened,  just  and  :firm  member  of  this  court,  being  announced, 
and.  this  court  and  its  officers  and  the  members  of  the  bar  being  de- 
sirous of  expressing  their  deep  grief  for  his  loss  and  the  high  re- 
spect which  they  entertain  for  his  memory,  unanimously  adopt  the 
following  resolutions,  which  are  ordered  to  be  sj)read  ujjon  the 
records  of  the  court. 

"1st.  Ecsolved,  That  the  court,  its  officers  and  the  members  of 
the  bar  have  heard  with  unfeigned  regret  of  the  death  of  Colonel 
James  White. 

"2d.  Eesolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Colonel  James  White  society 
has  lost  a  worthy,  intelligent  and  excellent  member,  and  the  county 
an  upright,  just  and  efficient  public  officer. 

"3d.  Resolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  respect  for  the  memory  of  the 
deceased,  the  court,  its  officers  and  the  members  of  the  bar  will  w^ear 
the  usual  badge  of  mourning  for  30  days. 

"4th.  Resolved,  That  they  tender  their  sincere  condolence  to  the 
widow  and  children  of  the  deceased,  and  that  they  sincerely  join 
with  them  in  deploring  the  loss  of  the  husband,  father  and  friend. 

"5tli.  Resolved,  That  the  clerk  of  this  court  do  furnish  a  copy  of 
these  resolutions  to  the  widow  of  the  deceased  and  that  he  also  cause 
a  copy  of  them  to  be  furnished  the  Virginia  Statesman,  with  a  re- 
quest that  the  same  be  inserted. 


Washingto7i  County,  1777-1870.  483 

"6th.  Eesolved,  That  this  court  do  now  adjourn  and  that  they, 
its  oflBcers  and  tlie  members  of  the  bar  will  attend  the  funeral  of 
tlie  deceased  to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock." 

Colonel  White  was  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  and  at  the 
date  of  his  deatli  the  wealthiest  man  that  has  lived  in  Washington 
county. 

Alexander  Findlay,  E.  S.  Watson  and  Peter  J.  Branch  were  se- 
lected to  appraise  and  divide  his  property  between  his  heirs-at- 
law,  and  their  report  shows  that  his  personal  property  and  landed 
estate  was  worth  $669,085.05.* 

As  an  evidence  of  the  superstition  even  now  occasionally  exist- 
ing among  the  lower  class  of  the  country,  there  resided  in  1838,  m 
the  hills,  a  few  miles  from  Abingdon,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Marsh, 
who  was  deemed  by  his  neighbors  not  only  honest  and  industrious, 
but  possessed  of  as  much  intelligence  as  most  people  in  the  lower 
walks  of  life.  This  man  was  severely  afflicted  with  scrofula,  and 
imagined  his  disease  to  be  the  effects  of  a  spell  or  pow-wow  prac- 
ticed upon  him  by  a  conjurer  or  wizard  in  the  neighborhood  by  the 
name  of  Yates.  This  impression  taking  firm  hold  ol  Marsh's  mind, 
he  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  Yates  could,  if  he  chose,  remove 
the  malady.  The  latter,  termed  an  Indian  doctor,  was  sent  for 
and  administered  his  nostrums.  The  patient,  growing  worse, 
determined  to  try  another  remedy,  which  was  to  take  the  life  of 
Yates.  To  accomplish  this  he  sketched  a  rude  likeness  of  Yates 
upon  a  tree,  and  shot  at  it  repeatedly  with  bullets  containing  a 
portion  of  silver.  Yates,  contrary  to  his  expectations,  still  sur- 
vived. Marsh  then  determined  to  draw  a  bead  upon  the  original, 
and  accordingly  charged  an  old  musket  with  two  balls,  an  admix- 
ture of  silver  and  lead,  watched  an  opportunity  and  shot  his  vic- 
tim as  he  was  quietly  passing  along  the  road,  both  balls  entering 
the  back  of  the  neck.  Yates,  however,  survived,  and  Marsh  was 
sent  to  the  penitentiary,  f 


*Deed  Book  21,  page  8,  Washington  county. 
tCampbell  MSS. 


484  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WASHINGTON  COUNTY^  1840-1870; 

About  this  time  political  lines  were  closely  drawn  in  Washing- 
ton county,  and  the  zealous  work  of  the  advocates  of  the  Whig  and 
Democratic  parties  has  not  been  surpassed  in  the  history  of  our 
county. 

Freeholders  were  the  only  qualified  voters,  and  the  great  ef- 
fort of  the  advocates  of  the  two  parties  was  to^  enfranchise  every 
male  citizen  sympathizing  with  their  respective  parties. 

*Two  brothers,  prominent  citizens  of  this  county,  were  opposed 
in  their  political  views,  one  being  a  Whig  and  the  other  a  Demo- 
crat. They  were  the  owners  of  a  large  tract  of  land  situated  in 
this  county.  The  Whig  brother  conveyed  his  interest  in  the  said 
land  to  a  large  number  of  persons  of  Whig  sympathies,  qualify- 
ing them  to  vote,  and  thereupon  the  Democratic  brother  con- 
veyed his  lands  to  an  equal  number  of  male  citizens  of  Demo- 
cratic proclivities,  and  Governor  David  Campbell,  who  was  the 
owner  of  the  south  side  of  Clinch  moimtain  from  Little  Moccasin 
Gap  to  Mendota,  executed  numerous  deeds  to  his  political  friends 
for  the  purpose  of  enfranchising  them.  In  many  instances  the 
grantee  never  knew  the  location  of  his  land  nor  did  he  care. 

In  the  presidential  campaign  in  1840  William  Henry  Harrison 
was  elected  President  of  the  United  States,  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing  among  the  Whigs  of  this  section.  The  AVhig  ticket  in 
that  campaign  was  as  follows : 

REPUBLICAN  WHIG  TICKET. 

For  President, 

WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON,  of  OHIO. 

For  Vice-President. 
JOHN  TYLER,  of  Virginia. 


*B.  K.  and  M.  H.  Buchanan. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  485 

Districts.  Electors. 

1.  JOHN  W.  MUEDAUGH,  of  Norfolk  comity; 

2.  JOHN  UEQUHAET,  of  Southampton; 

3.  WILLIAM  S.  AECHEE,  of  Amelia; 

4.  EICHAED  KIDDEE  MEADE,  of  Dinwiddle; 

5.  HENEY  E.  WATKINS,  of  Prince  Edward; 

6.  JAMES  C.  BEUCE,  of  Halifax; 

7.  WHITMELL  P.  TUNSTALL,  of  Pittsylvania; 

8.  THOMAS  E.  JOYNES,  of  Accomack; 

9.  NOEBOENE  E.  SUTTON,  of  Caroline; 

10.  WILLOUGHBY  NEWTON,  of  Westmoreland ; 
11.' JAMES  LYONS,  of  Eichmond  City; 

12.  VALENTINE  W.  SOUTHALL,  of  Albemarle; 

13.  JOHN  S.  PENDLETON,  of  Culpeper; 

14.  JOHN  JANNEY,  of  Loudoun; 

15.  ANDEEW  HUNTEE,  of  Jefferson; 

16.  PHILIP  WILLIAMS,  JE.,  of  Frederick; 

17.  WILLIAM  SEYMOUE,  of  Hardy; 

18.  BEISCOE  G.  BALDWIN,  of  Augusta; 

19.  BALLAED  SMITH,  of  Greenbrier; 

20.  EDWAED  JOHNSTON,  of  Botetourt; 

21.  JOHN  N.  HUMES,  of  Washington; 

22.  GEOEGE  W.  SUMMEES,  of  Kanawha; 

23.  WAITMAN  T.  WILEY,  of  Monangalia. 

There  were  but  three  precincts  in  Washington  county  at  this 
time,  to-wit,  Joseph  Meek's,  the  courthouse  and  Three  Springs. 

The  election  at  the  three  precincts  named  was  conducted  by  the 
following  persons : 

Joseph  Meek's.  Courthouse.  ; 

Parker  Smith,  Ed.  Latham, 

Joseph  Miller,  Jonathan  King, 

John  Clark,  Daniel  Lynch, 

David  Beattie,  J.  A.  Davis, 

Lewis  Smith,  Samuel  Logan. 

■  *  ^   Three  Springs. 
Thos.  Fulkerson, .  John  Horn, 

Peter  S.  Hanby,  Isaac  Stoffle, 

Zachariah  Jourdan. 


486  Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-1786. 

Upon  the  death  of  President  Harrison,  in  1841,  the  14th  of 
May,  1841,  was,  pursuant  to  the  proclamation  of  John  Tyler, 
President  of  the  United  States,  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  by  the  citizens  of  Wt^shington  county;  and  on  the  13th 
day  of  May,  1841,  the  Circuit  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Chan- 
cery of  this  county  entered  the  following  order — Judge  Estill  pre- 
siding : 

"To-morrow  being  the  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer 
appointed  by  proclamation,  to  be  ohserved  by  the  people  of  the 
U.  S.  in  testimony  of  a  nation's  sorrow  for  the  death  of  William 
Henry  Harrison,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  and  this 
court  and  bar  intending  so  to  observe  the  said  day,  it  is  therefore 
ordered  that  this  court  be  adjourned  till  Saturday  next,  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,'' 

A  similar  order  was  entered  by  the  circuit  court  of  Washington 
county,  Virginia,  upon  the  death  of  President  McKinley  in  the 
3'ear  1901. 

The  cost  of  supporting  the  poor  of  the  county  had,  by  the  year 
1841,  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  the  county  court  of  this 
county  decided  to  sell  the  poorhouse  and  maintain  the  poor  by 
having  them  supported  in  their  homes,  and  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  purpose  of  selling  the  lands  occupied  by  the  poor- 
house  of  the  county,  but  soon  thereafter  and  before  the  lands 
were  sold,  the  order  directing  the  sale  of  the  property  was,  for 
some  reason,  revoked,  and  between  this  time  and  the  year  1860 
considerable  improvements  were  made  upon  the  poorhouse  farm, 
M'hich  consisted  of  the  lands  now  occupied  by  J.  A.  P.  Eyan. 

By  order  of  the  county  court  during  this  year  the  commissioners 
of  the  revenue  were  directed  to  omit  from  their  lists  the  stu- 
dents of  the  Ahingdon  Academy  and  of  Emory  and  Henry  College. 

The  country  at  the  time  in  question  was  greatly  agitated  over 
the  Texas  revolution  and  the  attitude  of  Mexico  toward  the  United 
States.  The  Democratic  party,  advocating  war  and  the  annexation 
of  Texas,  nominated  James  K.  Polk  for  President,  and  the  Whigs 
nominated  Henry  Clay.  The  contest  between  the  parties  in  this 
election  was  bitter  from  the  start,  but  resulted  in  the  election  of 
James  K.  Polk. 

As  a  result  of  this  election  war  was  inevitable,  and  from  the 
spring  of  1845  to  the  summer  of  1846  the  youth  "of  Washington 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  487 

county  were  monthly  drilled  and  trained  in  the  art  of  war.  The 
Government  at  Eichmond  furnished  the  militia  officers  of  Wash- 
ington county  with,  a  cannon  and  a  number  of  guns,  and  Abram 
Mongle,  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  regiment, 
was  given  permission  by  the  county  court,  on  the  28th  day  of 
April,  1845,  to  erect  a  shed  on  the  public  lot  for  the  protection 
and  preservation  of  the  artillery  allowed  the  coimty,  and  on  the 
25th  day  of  March,  1846,  A.  C.  Cummings  was  permitted  to  erect 
a  house  on  the  public  square  for  the  preservation  of  a  cannon  al- 
lowed the  militia  of  the  county  by  the  State  authorities,  and 
twenty  dollars  was  appropriated  by  the  county  court  to  pay  for  the 
house. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  War,  three  large  com- 
panies of  volunteers  were  organized  in  Washington  county,  one  in 
the  lower  end  of  the  county,  officered  by  Captain  Frank  Campbell 
and  Lieutenant  Samuel  V.  Fulkerson;  another  at  Abingdon,  offi- 
cered by  Captain  Arthur  Campbell  Cummings  and  Lieutenant 
James  T.  Preston;  another  in  the  upper  end  of  the  county,  the 
names  of  the  officers  of  which  I  cannot  ascertain. 

General  Peter  C.  Johnston  took  an  active  interest  in  enlisting 
the  young  men  of  the  county  in  these  companies,  and  during  the 
time,  acco'mpanied  by  a  number  of  young  men  from  Washington 
county,  visited  Lebanon  on  a  court  day,  and  took  with  him  the  can- 
non that  was  at  that  time  in  the  possession  of  the  militia  officers 
of  Washington  county. 

When  the  three  companies  above  mentioned  were  completed,  their 
services  were  tendered  to  the  Governor  of  the  State,  but  were  de- 
clined, as  the  State  had  furnished  its  full  quota  of  men. 

The  only  opportunity  for  the  citizens  of  this  county  to  serve 
their  country  in  this  war  was  to  secure  their  commissions  from  the 
President  and  enlist  in  the  regular  army. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1847,  President  Polk  commissioned 
Arthur  Campbell  Cummings,  a  graduate  of  the  Virginia  Military 
Institute  and  an  attorney  at  the  Abingdon  bar,  a  captain  in  the 
regular  army.  Upon  the  receipt  of  his  commission  Captain  Cum- 
mings proceeded  to  enlist  all  volunteers  possible  for  the  regular 
army,  and  on  the  27th  day  of  April,  1847,  with  fifteen  recruits, 
left  Abingdon  for  Mexico.  The  night  of  the  first  day  was  spent 
at  Hansonville,  the  night  of  the  second  day  at  Virginia  City,  with 


488  Southwest  Virginia,  nJf6-nS6. 

James  Dickeaison;  the  night  of  tlie  third  day  at  Wise  Courthouse 
with  Captain  Samuel  Sal3^ers;  the  night  of  the  fourth  day  one 
mile  over  the  Cumberland  mountains  with  a  Mr.  Mullin ;  the  night 
of  the  fifth  day  fifteen  miles  east  of  Pikeville,  Kentucky,  and  from 
Pikeville,  Kentucky,  Captain  Cuinmings  and  the  troops  proceeded 
by  water  to  Newport,  Kentucky;  thence  by  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  thence  to  Vera  Cruz, 
Mexico,  where  he  joined  his  command. 

Captain  Cummings  and  his  men  were  assigned  to  Company  K 
of  the  Eleventh  regiment  of  the  United  States  Infantry,  which 
regiment  was  officered  as  follows : 

Colonel,  Albert  C.  Eamsey,  of  Pennsylvania. 

Lieutenant-Colonel, Graham,  killed  in  the  battle 

of  Moline  del  Eey. 

Lieutenant-Colonel,  John  LI.  Savage,  Tennessee,  succeeded  to 
command  upon  the  death  of  Graham. 

Captain,  iVrthur  Campbell  Cummings. 

Privates. 

James  Dickenson,  killed,  Abingdon,  1865. 

William  Haley,  served  in  C.  S.  A. ;  died  at  Winchester,  1862. 

Wesley  Hubbard,  Tazewell  county. 

Moses  Hubbard,  died  Pueblo,  Mexico,  18-17. 

John  S.  Lynch,  Washington  county,  killed  Passo  Ovejas, 
Mexico;  buried  there. 

Pawpaw,  wagoner,  died  Pueblo,  Mexico,  1847. 

John  Slaughter,  Washington  county ;  served  in  C.  S.  A. ;  died  near 
Banhams  in  1898. 

James  J.  Shelton,  Washington  county;  served  in  C.  S.  A.; 
married  a  daughter  of  George  Garrett;  killed  at  Chancellorsville. 

Hezekiah.  Smallwood,  Scott  county;  killed  accidentally  in  Scott 
county. 

Snead,  Scott  county. 

Robert  Wilson,  died  near  Lynchburg. 

James  Wynn,  Tazewell  county ;  emigrated  to  Missouri. 

Marvel  White,  Scott  county. 
■     W.  S.  Wood,  Scott  county,  brother-in-law  of  Payette  McMullen. 

In    addition    to    the    volunteers    accompanying    Captain    Cum- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  489 

mings,  the  following  Mexican  veterans  lived  in  this  county,  so  far 
as  I  can  ascertain : 

John  Dinsmore,  William  E.  Jones, 

John  M,  Cunningham,  John  P.  Johnston, 

William  Ehea,  John  C.  Deadmore,  Tex.,  Eev. 

Samuel  Davis,  Tex.,  Eev.  Madison  Leedy,  Tex.,  Eev. 

The  successfiTl  conclusion  of  the  Mexican  War  gave  great  im- 
petus to  the  emigration  from  this  section  of  A^irginia  to  Texas, 
large  numbers  of  the  young  men  of  the  county  emigrating  thither. 

The  building  of  a  new  courthouse  for  the  county  was  considered 
by  the  county  .court  of  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1847,  and  the  Leg- 
islature of  Virginia,  on  the  15th  of  January,  1848,  authorized  the 
County  Court  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  to  borrow  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new  courthouse.  The 
county  court  at  the  June  term,  1848,  decided  to  borrow  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  and  erect  a  new  courthouse,  and  appointed  John  M. 
Preston,  William  Y.  C.  WHiite  and  John  D.  Mitchell,  commission- 
ers, to  borrow  the  money  and  superintend  the  erection  thereof. 

The  building  of  the  new  courthouse  was  let  to  Herbert  M.  Led- 
better  and  William  Fields,  contractors,  and,  by  the  spring  of  1850, 
the  courthouse  was  completed  and  Jacob  Lynch  and  Connally  F. 
Trigg  were  appointed  a  committee  to  purchase  the  necessary  tables, 
chairs,  carpets,  etc.,  for  the  new  coiirthouse. 

The  courthouse  thus  completed  served  the  county  until  the  15th 
of  December,  18G4,  at  which  time  it  was  destroyed  by  the  fire  that 
burnt  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

In  the  year  1848,  General  Zachary  Taylor  and  General  Lewis  Cass 
were  the  Whig  and  the  Democratic  candidates  for  the  presidency, 
while  the  Honorable  Fayette  McMullen  and  Samuel  E.  Goodson 
were  the  Democratic  candidate;.",  and  Andrew  S.  Fulton  the  Whig 
candidate  for  Congress  from  this  district.  The  Whig  ticket  was  as 
follows : 

For   President, 
MAJ.-GEN.  ZACHAEY  TAYLOE,  OF  LOUISIAFA- 

For  Vice-President,  -^ 

MILLAED  FILLMOEE,   OF  NEW  YOEK. 


490  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Electoral  Ticket. 

1.  John  J.  Jones,  Isle  of  Wight, 

2.  George  W.  Boiling,  of  Petersburg. 

3.  Henry  P.  Irving,  of  Cumberland. 

4.  Joseph  K.  Irving,  of  Lynchburg. 

5.  W.  Martin,  of  Franklin. 

6.  B.  Johnson  Barbour,  of  Culpeper. 

7.  Eobert  E.  Scott,  of  Fauquier. 

8.  H.  T.  Garnett,  of  Westmoreland. 

9.  John  A.  Meredith,  of  Eichmond  City. 

10.  Robert  Saunders,  of  Williamsburg. 

11.  Andrew  Hunter,  of  Jefferson. 

12.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  of  Augusta. 

13.  S.  McD.  Moore,  of  Eockbridge. 

14.  Connally  F.  Trigg,  of  Washington. 

15.  G.  W.  Summers,  of  Kanawha. 

16.  G.  D.  Camden,  of  Harrison. 

17.  F,  H.  Pierpont,  of  Marion. 

Assistant  Elector. 

14th  District,  James  W.  Sheffey,  Esq.,  of  Smyth. 

County  and  Town  Electors. 

Grayson,  Dr.  Robertson. 
Lee,  John  M.  Crockett, 
Russell,  Dale  Carter. 
Scott,  William  Spear, 
Sm3rth,  Thomas  L.  Preston. 
Tazewell,  John  A.  Kelly, 
Wythe,  P.  S.  Buckingham. 
Washington,  Charles  S.  Bekem. 

In  the  contest  for  the  seat  in  Congress,  the  Honorable  A.  S. 
Fulton  defeated  his  Democratic  opponents  and  represented  tliis  dis- 
trict until  the  year  1849. 

The  Honorable  Fayette  McMullen  represented  this  district  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  Congress  of  Lhe  United  States,  and  while 
he  had  but  little  ability  as  a  statesman,  he  was  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular men  and  effective  canvassers  that  ever  lived  in  this  district. 
He  kissed  the  babies,  joked  with  the  men  and  flattered  the  women 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  491 

upon  all  occasions.  He  knew,  personally,  nearly  every  voter  in  the 
district  Numerous  anecdotes  are  told  of  Colonel  McMuUen,  the 
best  now  recollected  being  told  by  Senator  Vest,  of  Missouri.  This 
anecdote  was  told  by  the  Senator  to  illustrate  the  propensity  on  tbe 
part  of  some  people  for  speech-making. 

"It  occurred  in  Virginia,"  said  Vest.  "Old  Fayette  McMullen 
was  canvassing  his  district  for  a  nomination  for  Congress,  years 
ago,  and  during  the  canvass  a  man  was  hung  in  that  locality  for 
murder.  About  ten  thousand  men  collected  to  witness  the  scene, 
and  among  them  old  Mac,  who,  by  the  favor  of  the  sheriff,  occupied 
a  place  on  the  platform  in  the  rear  of  the  gallows,  his  oratorical 
mouth  watering  at  the  sight  of  the  magnificent  audience  in  front. 
When  everything  was  ready,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  the  sheriff 
asked  the  culprit  if  he  had  anything  to  say  before  the  sen- 
tence of  the  law  was  passed  upon  him;  to  which  the  condemned 
responded  that  he  would  say  nothing.  Whereupon  old  Mac 
stepped  forward,  rubbing  his  hands,  and  remarked :  'Mr,  Sheriff, 
if  the  gentleman  will  yield  his  time  to  me,  I  will  embrace  this 
occasion  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  political  situation,  and 
announce  myself  a  candidate  for  Congress.' " 

Major  Eobert  E.  Bradley,  a  distinguished  and  popular  citizen 
of  this  county,  died  in  the  month  of  November,  1849,  and  the 
coimty  court  of  this  county  out  of  respect  to  his  memory  adopted 
appropriate  resolutions. 

The  Constitution  of  1829-1830  had  never  been  satisfactory  to  a 
large  majority  of  the  people  of  Virginia  in  this,  that  the  right 
of  suffrage  was  restricted  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  times 
demanded,  and  the  representation,  as  between  the  sections,  was  so 
imequally  apportioned  as  to  give  dissatisfaction  to  all  the  people  of 
Western  Virginia.  By  the  year  1850,  Western  and  Northwestern 
Virginia  had  increased  in  population  and  wealth  so  rapidly  that  in 
this  year  this  section  of  Virginia  succeeded  in  having  adopted  a 
resolution  by  the  General  Assembly  submitting  to  the  people  the 
question  of  the  calling  of  a  Constitutional  Convention.  This  ques- 
tion was  submitted  to  the  people  on  the  fourth  Thursday  in  April, 
1850,  and  resulted  in  the  calling  of  a  Constitutional  Convention. 

The  election  for  members  to  this  convention  was  held  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1850.  This  district  was  composed  of  Wythe,  Smyth  and 
Washington,  and  the  candidates  before  the  people  in  said  election 


492  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

were :  George  W.  Hopkins,  B.  R.  Floyd,  Thomas  M.  Tate,  Demo- 
crats, Connally  F.  Trigg,  Andrew  S.  Fulton,  James  W.  Sheffey, 
Whigs.  The  two  first  named  were  elected  by  an  average  majority  of 
three  hundred  and  forty-one,  while  the  majority  of  Thomas  M. 
Tate,  Democrat,  over  James  W.  Sheffey,  Whig,  was  fifty-five. 

At  the  time  in  question,  George  W.  Hopkins  was  a  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  and,  upon  the  convening  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  he  was  elected  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Delgates,  and  resigned  his  position  as  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  the  Honorable  Connally  F. 
Trigg  was  elected  without  opposition  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

This  Convention  assembled  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates at  Eichmond,  on  October  14,  1850.  It  was  controlled  in 
nearly  all  of  its  proceedings  by  what  was  known  at  the  time  as 
"Eeformers.'^  This  convention  extended  the  right  of  suffrage  to 
every  white  male  citizen  of  the  Commonwealth  of  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  who  had  been  a  resident  of  the  State  for  two  years^  and 
of  the  county,  city  or  town  where  he  offered  to  vote,  for  twelve 
months,  excluding  persons  of  unsound  mind,  criminals,  etc. 

It  was  provided  therein  that  the  vote  should  be  given  openly,  or 
viva  voce,  and  not  by  ballot. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  was  a  radical  change  from  the  pro- 
visions of  -the  former  constitution  of  the  State,  property  qualifica- 
tions of  all  kinds  were  dispensed  with,  and  manhood  suffrage,  for 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Commonwealth,  was  made  a 
part  of  the  organic  law  of  the  State. 

The  question  of  the  apportionment  of  representation  was 
deferred  by  this  Constitution  until  the  year  1865,  and  was  never 
put  into  operation,  as  in  the  year  1865  the  Commonwealth  was 
in  great  turmoil. 

Had  the  provisions  of  this  Constitution  become  effective  as  to 
representation,  this  question  would  have  been  settled  in  a  manner 
satisfactory  to  the  citizens  of  Western  Virginia. 

By  this  Constitution,  the  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor  and 
Attorney-General  were  made  elective  by  the  people,  the  Governor 
and  Attorney-General  of  the  State  having  been  theretofore  selected 
by  the  Council  of  State  and  the  General  Assembly.  This  was  a 
great  change  from  the  former  conditions  existing  in  Virginia  and 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  493 

was  antagonistic  to  tlie  old  system  and  former  institutions  of  the 
State. 

All  the  judges  and  justices  were  made  elective  by  the  people. 
Each  county  was  to  be  laid  oii'  into  districts^  and  four  justices  were 
to  be  elected  from  each  district. 

This  Constitution  was  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification  or 
rejection,  and  all  persons  qualified  to  vote  under  the  proposed 
Constitution  were  permitted  to  exercise  the  right  of  suffrage  in 
said  election.  The  vote  resulted  in  the  ratification  of  the  Consti- 
tution by  the  people  in  the  month  of  October,  1851,  the  vote  being 
75,748  for,  and  11,060  against  the  new  Constitution.  The  vote 
in  Washington  county  was  1,083  for  and  12  against  the  ratification 
of  the  Constitution,  the  twelve  votes  against  the  Constitution 
being  polled  at  Abingdon  precinct. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  the  Democratic  and  Whig  parties  nomi- 
nated their  strongest  men  for  Go'vernor  and  the  Legislature, 
George  W.  Summers,  of  Kanawha  county,  being  the  Whig,  and 
Joseph  Johnson,  of  Harrison  county,  the  Democratic  candidates 
for  Governor,  while  in  this  county,  Isaac  B.  Dunn  and  William 
King  were  the  Democratic  candidates  and  John  A.  Campbell  and 
James  Orr,  the  Whig  candidates  for  the  Legislature.  The  result 
v>as  the  election  of  the  Democratic  candidates  in  the  State  and 
the  county  by  a  greatly-reduced  majority.  This  was  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  the  Commonwealth  that  the  Governor  of  the  Com- 
monwealth was  elected  by  popular  vote  and  Virginia's  first  expe- 
rience with  manhood  suffrage. 

At  the  same  election  the  followiiig  county  officers  were  selected:' 

Clerk  of  the  County  Court,  Jacob  Lynch. 

Commonwealth's  Attorney,  Samuel  Logan. 

Sheriff,  Matthew  H.  Buchanan. 

County-Surveyor,  James  C.  Black. 

Commissioner-Eevenue,  upper  end,  Eobert  H.  Henderson. 

Commissioner-Eevenue,  lower  end,  James  L.  P.  Campbell. 

At  the  same  time  twenty-four  members  of  the  county  court  were 
elected  by  the  people.  In  the  year  1852,  Washington  county  was 
divided  into  magisterial  districts  by  Jonathan  King,  Washington 
Bishop,  Eobert  B.  Edmondson,  Alexander  Findlay,  James  C. 
Fulcher,  James  L.  Davis,  Michael  W.  Weathers,  John  M.  Hamilton, 
L.  L.  Waterman,  Peter  S.  Hanby  and  Whitley  Fullen,  commis- 


494  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

sioners  appointed  for  that  purpose,  aud  the  members  of  the  county 
court  were  divided  into  classes  and  held  the  court  in  the  order 
arranged. 

From  this  time  forward,  the  magnificent  specimen  of  manhood 
that  so  often  adorned  the  old  county  court  of  this  county  grad- 
ually disappeared,  and  their  places,  in  many  instances,  were  filled 
by  men  who  were  able  to  control  the  voters,  either  by  an  appeal 
to  party  passion  or  corrupt  measures. 

The  members  of  the  county  court  were  elected  from  this  time 
until  the  year  1870,  at  which  time  the  old  county  court  system  was 
abolished. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1850,  a  considerable  revival  was  evidenced 
among  the  agricultural  portion  of  the  people  of  Washington  county. 
After  notice,  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  the  county  assembled  at 
the  courthouse  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  an  agricultural 
society  for  this  county. 

At  this  meeting,  upon  motion  of  Connally  F.  Trigg,  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Byars  was  elected  chairman  and  John  A.  Campbell  secretary, 
and  the  followmg  resolution  was  adopted : 

That  the  chair  appoint  a  committee  of  five  gentlemen  to  pre- 
pare and  report  a  constitution  to  our  next  meeting,  under  which 
the  agricultural  society  for  Washington  county  shall  be  organized. 

Thereupon  the  chairman  appointed  the  following  committee : 
Connally  P.  Trigg,  chairman ;  Wyndham  Eobertson,  F.  H.  Preston, 
Samuel  E.  Goodson  and  William  Y.  C.  White.  The  meeting  then 
adjourned  to  the  28th  day  of  September,  1850,  on  which  day  a 
.large  number  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county  met  at  the 
courthouse  and  adopted  a  constitution  and  by-laws  and  elected 
the  following  officers  of  the  agricultural  society. 

President,  William  Byars. 

Vice-Presidents,  David  Campbell,  William  C.  Edmondson  and 
James  L.  Davis. 

Secretary,  John  A.  Campbell. 

Treasurer,  John  M.  Preston. 

Executive  Committee,  William  Y.  C.  White,  Lewis  F.  Cosby, 
Isaac  Home,  F.  H.  Preston  and  John  Baker. 

The  agricultural  interest  of  Washington  county  was  closely 
looked  after,  and  prospered  to  a  considerable  extent  for  many 
years. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  495 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  at  its  session  in  the  year 
1849,  incorporated  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Railroad  Company, 
and  interest  throughout  this  section  of  Virginia  in  the  building  of 
this  railroad  was  greatly  stimulated. 

A  railroad  meeting  was  held  at  Abingdon  on  the  first  day  of 
July  court,  1849,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  delegates  to  a  con- 
vention to  be  held  at  Christiansburg  on  the  7th  of  August.  Gov- 
ernor Wyndham  Eobertson  was  elected  chairman  and  Leo  Shaver, 
secretary  of  the  meeting,  and  on  motion  of  John  A.  Campbell  the 
chairman  appointed  John  M.  Preston,  Dr.  Snead,  Jacob  Lynch, 
C.  F.  Trigg  and  John  A.  Campbell  a  committee  to  draft  resolu- 
tions expressive  of  the  sense  of  the  meeting.  The  meeting  was 
addressed  by  Governor  Eobertson,  who  dwelt  upon  the  paramount 
importance  of  the  road  to  this  section  of  Virginia. 

John  A.  Campl)ell,  chairman  of  the  committee,  reported  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions,  Avhich  were  adopted : 

"Eesolved,  That  we,  the  people  of  Washington  county,  respond 
cordially  to  the  invitation  made  us  by  the  county  of  Montgomery, 
to  appoint  delegates  to  the  convention  proposed  to  be  held  at  Chris- 
tiansburg on  the  7th  of  August,  next,  to  take  measures  in  aid  of, 
and  to  promote  subscriptions  of  stock  to,  the  Virginia  and  Ten- 
nessee Eailroad. 

Eesolved,  That  both  local  and  general  considerations  urgently 
recommend  this  great  work  to  the  enlightened  self-interest  and  the 
patriotism  of  the  people  of  the  whole  Southwest. 

Eesolved,  That  twenty  delegates  he  appointed  in  behalf  of  this 
county  to  attend  the  said  convention ;  and  that  they  be  charged  to 
cooperate  heai-tily  in  any  measure  proposed  by  said  convciitioji,  cal- 
culated to  attain  the  desired  object. 

Pursuant  to  the  third  resolution,  the  chairman  appoiutcd  the 
following-named  gentlemen  delegates  to  said  convention :  John  M. 
Preston,  Colonel  William  Byars,  Major  John  Campbell,  William 
King  Heiskell,  William  C.  Edmondson,  William  Y.  C.  White, 
C.  F.  Trigg,  Thomas  L.  Preston,  John  Gray,  Charles  B.  Coale, 
John  A.  Campbell,  Colonel  Ota  H.  Ward,  C.  S.  Bekem,  John  D. 
Mitchell,  Colonel  James  L.  Davis,  Dr.  N.  Snead,  William  B.  Byars, 
Dr.  A.  E.  Preston,  John  C.  Cummings  and  Colonel  Abram  Moiigle. 

The  convention  was  held  at  Chxistiansbnrg,  and  in  the  month  of 


496  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

April,  1850,  a  corps  of  engineers  were  engaged  in  making  a  survey 
preparatory  to  the  location  of  a  railroad  through  this  county. 

Another  mass  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the  county  was  held  in 
Abingdon  on  the  25th  day  of  August,  1850,  for  the  purpose  of  elect- 
ing delegates  to  a  railroad  convention  to  be  held  in  the  to-mi  of 
Wytheville  on  the  11th  of  September,  1850,  at  which  meeting  Dr. 
Daniel  Trigg  presided  and  James  T.  Preston  acted  as  secretary. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  1850,  a  railroad  meeting  was  held 
at  Elizabeth  Chapel  at  Saltville,  having  for  its  object  the  election 
of  delegates  to  a  railroad  convention  to  be  held  at  Jeffersonville, 
on  the  17th  of  October.  The  object  of  this  convention  was  to  have 
the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  railroad  located  from  New  river  along 
Walker's  creek  and  Holston  Valley,  passing  Saltville.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  said  meeting  were  as  follows : 

"On  motion.  Major  A.  B.  Trigg  was  called  to  the  chair  and 
William  P.  Bishop  and  William  King  were  appointed  secretaries. 

The  object  of  the  meeting  was  explained  by  Dr.  Eobert  Thurman, 
and  the  following-named  persons  appointed  to  report  resolutions 
for  the  action  of  the  meeting:  Dr.  Alex.  McCall,  Major  Thomas 
Tate,  Dr.  Eobert  Thurman,  H.  D.  Poston,  Theo.  G.  Pearson,  D. 
M.  Hunter  and  John  Eoberts. 

The  committee  retired  and  afterwards  reported  the  following 
resolutions  which  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Eesolved,  That  it  is  expedient  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  objects 
of  this  meeting  that  the  committee  hereby  appointed  shall  solicit 
the  concurrent  support  of  the  people  of  Eussell,  Tazewell,  Washing- 
ton, Smyth,  Wythe,  Mercer,  Giles,  Boone,  Monroe,  Logan,  Wyo- 
ming, Kanawha,  Fayette  and  Greenbrier  coamties,  in  behalf  of 
obtaining  a  survey  for  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  railroad  from 
New  river  along  Walker's  creek  and  Holston  A^alley,  passing  the 
Gypsum  bank  and  Salt  Works  to  the  Tennessee  line  for  intersection 
with  the  Tennessee  railroad  at  the  most  convenient  point. 

Eesolved,  That  a  general  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the  aforesaid 
counties  and  others  interested  be  held  on  the  17th  day  of  October 
next,  at  TazeWell  Courthouse,  in  aid  of  the  aforesaid  objects. 

Eesolved,  That  the  following-named  persons  be  appointed  dele- 
gates to  said  convention :  Tobias  Smyth,  James  Kelly,  W.  W.  Har- 
vey, James  McNew,  J.  M.  Eopp,  Wyndham  Eobertson,  Alex. 
McCall,  D.  M.  Hunter,  Thomas  L.  Preston,  James  T.  Morehead, 
Eobert  Thurman,  James  Saunders,  T.  G.  Pearson,  H.  D.  Poston, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  497 

Whitley  Fullen,  0.  H.  Ward,  John  Eoberts,  Charles  C.  Taylor, 
Charles  C.  Campbell,  Jerome  Campbell,  Jezrell  Harman,  P.  C. 
Buchanan,  Jr.,  Joseph  Sexton,  A.  H.  Cox,  James  Cox,  Eansom 
Tilson,  Martin  Davis,  William  P.  Milner,  C.  F.  McDonald,  G.  W. 
Buchanan,  John  B.  Tate,  C.  J.  Shannon,  P.  C.  Buchanan,  Sr. 
and  J.  F.  Baugh. 

Eesolved,  That  the  names  of  the  chairman  and  secretaries  be 
added  to  the  said  delegation. 

Eesolved,  That  the  Abingdon  Democrat,  Abingdon  Virginian, 
Jeffersonville  Democrat,  Wytheville  Eepublican  and  other  papers 
friendly  to  tlie  objects  of  this  meeting  be  requested  to  publish  its 
pi'oceedings  at  the  earliest  time  practicable. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

A.  B.  TEIGG,  Chairman. 

W.  P.  BISHOP, 

WILLIAM  KING,  Secretaries. 

The  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  on  the  28th  of  July, 
1851,  directed  the  election  officers  of  this  county  to  submit  to  the 
qualified  voters  of  the  county,  at  the  next  general  election,  the  ques- 
tion whether  the  court  of  this  county,  on  behalf  of  the  county,  should 
subscribe  to  the  stock  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad 
Company  the  sum  of  $33,400,  on  condition  that  said  road  be  put 
under  contract  to  the  Tennessee  line  the  ensuing  fall,  and  in  the 
month  of  October,  1851,  a  great  railroad  meeting  was  held  in 
Abingdon,  at  which  meeting  delegates  attended  from  most  of  the 
counties  of  Southwestern  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  this  meeting  are  here  given. 

On  Wednesday  last,  pursuant  to  previous  notice,  a  "great  railroad 

convention  was  held  in  Abingdon.     It  met  at  12  M.  and  was  tem- 

-  porarily  organized  by  the  call  of  Major  John  Campbell  as  chairman, 

and  the  appointment  of  Charles  B.  Coale  and  William  King  Heis- 

kell  as  secretaries. 

On  motion  of  C.  F.  Trigg,  a  committee  of  seven  was  appointed 
to  select  and  report  officers  for  the  convention,  whereupon  the  chair- 
man appointed  the  following  gentlemen  said  committee — viz. :  C.  F, 
Trigg,  I.  B.  Dunn,  W.  Y.  C.  White,  P.  J.  Branch,  J.  L.  Davis,  Dr. 
T.  M.  Tate  and  Colonel  William  Byars. 

The  committee  having  retired  for  a  few  minutes,  returned  and 
reported  the  following  nominations  for  officers,  all  of  whom  were 
■unanimously  elected. 


498  Southwest  Virginia,  17If6-1186. 

For  President^  Hon.  Seth  J.  Lucky,  of  Tennessee. 

For  Vice-Presidents,  Colonel  William  L.  Burwell,  of  Bedford; 
Colonel  L.  C.  Haynes,  of  Tennessee;  Colonel  Thomas  J.  Boyd,  of 
Wythe;  Hon.  William  B.  Preston,  of  Montgomery;  John  S.  Gaines, 
Esq.,  of  Tennessee;  E.  S.  Watson,  Esq.,  of  Smytlie;  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Heiskell,  of  Tennessee. 

For  Secretaries,  Charles  B.  Coale,  Leonidas  Baugh  and  William 
King  HeiskelL 

The  names  of  the  delegates  were  then  recorded. 

From  Washington  coimty,  Virginia,  there  were  several  hundred 
delegates  in  attendance,  and  it  was  impossible  to  procure  a  list  of 
them. 

Smyth  county — James  F.  Pendleton,  Thomas  L.  Preston,  James 
Saimders,  Dr.  Thomas  M.  Tate,  H.  D.  Poston,  Esq.,  Meade  E. 
Smythe,  Eichard  Haller,  John  C.  Poston,  William  T.  Campbell, 
E.  S.  Watson,  Esq.,  Dr.  William  T.  Thurman,  William  Porter, 
Esq.,  Kobert  Houston,  Esq.,  A.  H.  Campbell,  James  C.  Smythe, 
Dr.  Eobert  Tliurman,  John  C.  Rogers  James  Campbell,  John 
Campbell,  Thomas  H.  Thurman,  Colonel  Hiram  A.  Greever,  John 
H.  Barton,  John  Pride  and  Robert  Goolsby. 

Wythe  county — Colonel  Thomas  Boyd,  Mitchell  B.  Tate,  Charles 
S.  Crockett,  Esq.  and  P.  S.  Buckingham,  Esq. 

Bedford  county — William  M.  Burwell,  Esq. 

Scott  count}' — Samuel  V.  Fulkerson,  Esq. 

Russell  county — Richard  H.  Lynch,  Dr.  John  T.  Smith,  John 
McElheny  and  Charles  L.  Creigh. 

Montgomery  county — Hon.  William  B.  Preston. 

Emory  and'  Henry  College — Professor  Edmund  Longley. 

Richmond  city — Wyndham  Robertson. 

Giles  county — (as  alternates).   Colonel   Thomas  J.   Boyd,  Dr. 
Thomas  M.  Tate  and  Colonel  S.  E.  Goodson. 
From  Tennessee. 

Sullivan  county — Robert  P.  Rhea,  Samuel  Rhea,  William  Lynn, 
James  W.  Preston,  John  S.  Gaines,  George  M.  Bachman,  Rev.  S.  D. 
Grimes,  Hon.  A.  McClellan,  A.  B.  Tipton,  General  James  Dulancy, 
Eli  Marsh,  Cyrus  King,  D.  Willoughby,  Benjamin  Pembertoii, 
David  McClellan,  James  Crockett,  John  G.  King,  Wiliicim  Wil- 
loughby, John  L.  Keys,  William  Odell,  Leander  G.  Dryden  and 
Leander  M.  King. 


Washington  CounUj,  1777-1870.  499 

Jefferson  county — William  F.  Anderson  and  Samuel  N.  Fain. 

Green  county — John  McGaughey,  Peter  Earnest  and  Colonel 
Loyd  Pilghman,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Tennessee  and  Virginia 
Eailroad. 

Washington  county — Dr.  Samuel  B.  Cunningham,  Colonel  Lan- 
don  C.  Haynes,  Hon.  Seth  J.  Lucky,  William  G.  Gammon,  Joseph 
S.  Ehea,  Samuel  D.  Mitchell,  Isaac  McPherson,  Henry  Voung, 
George  Grisham,  John  A.  Wilds,  William  H.  Crouch,  Albert  S. 
Graham  and  Colonel  A.  E.  Jackson. 

McMinn— Thomas  L.  Preston,  W.  Y.  C.  White  and  Colonel  Wil- 
liam King  Heiskell  as  alternates. 

Monroe  county — Colonel  William  King  Heiskell. 

Carter  county — N".  J.  Taylor,  Colonel  William  C.  Emmert  and 
Nathaniel  M.  Taylor,  Esq. 

Caldwell  county,  North  Carolina — Colonel  William  A.  Lenoir. 

Huntsville,  Alabama — Dr.  L.  B.  Sheffey. 

The  chair  appointed  Messrs.  W.  Eobertson  and  C.  F.  Trigg  to 
conduct  the  president-elect  to  the  chair,  who  promptly  and  cheer- 
fully performed  that  duty,  when  the  president  indulged  in  a  few 
brief  and  eloquent  remarks  explanatory  of  the  object  of  the  con- 
vention, and  closed  by  calling  upon  the  president  of  the  Virginia 
and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company  (General  0.  G.  Clay)  for  an 
exposition  of  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  work. 

General  Clay,  having  complied,  stated  that  but  the  comparatively 
insignificant  sum  of  $200,000  was  wanting  to  complete  the  work 
from  Lynchburg  to  the  Tennessee  line.  On  motion  of  C.  F.  Trigg, 
Esq.,  Professor  Edmund  Longley,  who  was  present,  and  who  had 
been  appointed  a  delegate  to  this  convention,  by  a  meeting  of  the 
students  of  Emory  and  Henry  College,  was  invited  to  take  a  seat 
and  participate  in  the  deliberations  of  the  convention. 

It  was  moved  by  Wyndham  Eobertson,  Esq.,  that  a  committee 
of  seven  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  series  of  resolutions  for  the  con- 
sideration of  this  convention;  whereupon  the  president  appointed 
the  following  gentlemen  said  committee:  W.  Eobertson,  Esq.,  Dr. 
S.  B.  Cimningham,  Colonel  S.  E.  Goodson,  Hon.  A.  McClellan, 
Thomas  L.  Preston,  Esq.,  Captain  J.  A.  Campbell  and  William 
King  Heiskell,  Esq. 

The  committee  having  retired,  in  response  to  a  call  made  upon 
him.  Colonel  L.  C.  Haynes,  of  Tennessee,  entertained  the  audience 


500  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

for  more  than  an  hour,  with  a  most  thrilling,  eloquent  and 
unanswei-abie  address,  in  advocacy  of  this  great  improvement;  at 
the  close  of  which  (the  conmiittee  not  having  returned).  Colonel 
William  M.  Burwell,  of  Bedford,  was  loudly  called  for  and  briefly, 
but  eloquently,  addressed  the  convention. 

The  committee  returned,  but  not  having  accomplished  their 
work, 

On  motion,  the  convention  adjourned  till  to-morrow  morning  at 
ten  o'clock. 

The  convention,  in  pursuance  of  adjournment  yesterday,  assem- 
bled at  ten  o'clock. 

A  number  of  ladies  were  present  on  the  morning  of  the  second 
day,  blessing  and  cheering  the  members  of  the  convention  and  those 
in  attendance,  -with  their  smiles  and  presence,  urging  us  on  to 
renewed  efforts  in  behalf  of  this  great  work,  for  their  sakes,  at  least 
if  not  for  onr  own. 

Colonel  John  McGaughey,  being  called  upon  for  that  purpof., 
occupied  the  stand  for  a  short  time,  during  which  he  advocated 
tJie  speedy  completion  of  this  great  railroad  line,  and  deprecate^ 
that  want  of  energy  and  nerve  that  has  lost  to  so  many  forlorn 
l>aclielors  a  prize  worth  more  than  all  the  gold  of  California;  and 
the  lack  of  which  is  so  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  our  great 
railroad. 

After  Mr.  McGaughey  concluded,  the  committee  appointed  yes- 
terday, through  its  chairman,  Wyndham  Eohertson,  Esq.,  submitted 
the  following  resolutions — viz. : 

Resolved,  That  all  history  has  shown,  and  all  experience  still 
attests,  that  an  easy  and  convenient  means  of  intercourse  between 
men  and  of  a  ready  interchange  of  the  products  of  labor,  if  not  the 
main  spring,  is  yet  the  indispensable  condition  of  human  progress 
and  national  power,  and  of  all  the  ameliorations,  social,  moral, 
political  and  material,  that  follow  in  their  train. 

Eesolved,  That  from  the  introduction  of  railroads  to  the  present 
day,  a  like  unvarying  experience,  wherever  they  have  been  tried, 
has  fully  established  their  vast  and  yet  unrealized  importance  to 
the  cause  of  civilization  and  of  natural  and  individual  wealth — 
outstripping  in  their  results,  year  after  year,  all  previous  calcula- 
tions of  their  capacity  for  usefulness,  and  that,  in  view  of  the  over- 
whelming array  of  concurrent  proof,  we  feel  authorized  to  declare. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  501 

that,  in  o^ur  opinion,  the  value  of  the  railroad  is  no  more  than  the 
value  of  light  and  heat,  of  the  steamboat  or  mariner's  compass,  open 
to  question. 

Eesolved,  That  among  the  projected  railway  communications  of 
the  day,  we  recognize  the  great  southwestern  national  route — pass- 
ing through  Southwest  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee — which  pur- 
poses to  connect,  through  the  most  favorable  depression  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  the  waters  and  people  of  the  West  and  South  with  the 
waters  and  people  of  the  East  and  North,  which,  in  particular,  by 
the  most  direct  location  possible  across  the  Union  connects  New 
Orleans  with  the  seat  of  the  national  government  and  the  eastern 
cities,  and  which  promises  at  no  distant  day  to  offer  the  most  direct 
practicable  connection  between  our  Pacific  and  Atlantic  borders, 
as  second  in  importance  to  no  other,  exerting,  as  it  must,  a  great 
and  most  beneficent  influence  on  all  the  great  interests  of  our  coun- 
try— commercial,  social  and  political. 

Eesolved,  That  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  and  the 
East  Tennessee  and  Virginia  Eailroad,  occupying  the  very  throat 
of  the  pass  between  the  West  and  East,  form  a  most  interesting 
portion  of  this  great  line  and  must  largely  share  in  the  mighty 
results  to  flow  from  it;  and  yet  more,  because,  viewed  in  its  local 
aspects,  their  result  must  inevitably  be  to  augment  production, 
cheapen  transportation,  increase  population  and  diffuse  knowledge, 
they  pre-eminently  deserve  the  fostering  care  of  the  States  in 
which  they  lie,  and  present  the  strongest  claims  on  them  and  on  the 
people  along  the  line,  to  a  most  liberal  support. 

Eesolved,  That,  connected  by  the  strong  ties  of  vicinage  with 
our  sister  State  of  Tennessee  and  by  the  bond  of  a  common  interest 
in  the  prosecution  of  this  great  line  of  improvement,  this  conven- 
tion feels  at  liberty  and  does  most  earnestly  appeal  to  the  authori- 
ties of  the  State  to  lend  their  liberal  aid  and  cooperation  to  our 
fellow-citizens  of  East  Tennessee,  who  are  now  laboring,  with  inade- 
quate means,  but  enlightened  and  patriotic  spirit,  to  construct  the 
East  Tennessee  and  Virginia  Eailroad. 

Eesolved,  That  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  by  its  generous  par- 
ticipation in  the  expenses  of  the  construction  of  the  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  Eailroad,  by  the  liberal  charter  granted  it  and  by  the 
wise  policy  it  encourages  by  authorized  county  subscriptions  to 
public  works,  has  well  and  wisely  discharged  a  high  public  duty. 


502  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^G-17S6. 

and  receive  the  merited  tribute  of  the  acknowledgments  oi  this 
convention. 

Eesolved,  That  while  we  consider  the  ultimate  completion  and 
trinmphant  success  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  as 
beyond  all  contingency,  we  yet  deem  its  early  construction  through- 
out the  line  to  its  western  terminus  to  be  of  the  highest  importance, 
and  to  insure  that,  it  is  only  necessary  to  put  forth  renewed  exer- 
tions ;  that  we  entertain  no  doubt  whatever  of  the  great  value  of  its 
stock,  and,  confidently  recommending  it  as  a  safe  and  valuable 
investment,  we  earnestly  invite  present  subscribers,  so  far  as  they 
can,  to  enlarge  their  subscriptions,  and  particularly  appeal  to  those 
who  are  able  to  aid  in  the  enterprise  and  situated  so  as  necessarily  to 
share  its  benefits,  but  who  from  whatever  reasons  have  heretofore 
held  back,  now  that  its  final  completion  is  certain,  to  come  up  to  the 
work  and  no  longer  refuse  to  share  its  preliminary  burdens. 

Eesolved,  That  we  recommend  the  appointment  of  committees 
for  the  various  counties  interested  in  this  improvement  to  solicit 
individual  subscriptions  and  a  standing  central  committee  in  the 
county  of  Washing-ton,  and  that  such  subscriptions  be  on  the  condi- 
tion that  steps  be  taken  by  the  company  during  the  present  fall 
to  place  the  road  under  contract  through  its  whole  length. 

Eesolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  convention,  the  counties 
along  the  line  of  the  road  will  derive  benefits  from  a  subscription 
to  the  road  in  increased  wages  to  the  laborer,  increased  prices  of  the 
farming  products  and  lands,  in  the  increased  amount  of  circulating 
money,  in  increased  variety  of  employments,  and  the  early  and  per- 
manent reduction  of  county  taxes,  so  great  as  to  render  a  small  tem- 
porary provision  for  any  required  loan  scarcely  felt  as  a  burden, 
and  felt  in  all  time  after  as  the  source  of  unmixed  benefits. 

Eesolved,  That  the  company  shall  apply  its  present  resources  first 
to  completing  and  putting  in  operation  the  first  division  ter- 
minating at  Salem ;  secondly,  the  grading  and  masonry  of  remaining 
divisions  to  the  Tennessee  line;  relying  upon  the  rema;inling 
resources  after  the  said  grading  and  masonry  shall  have  been  com- 
pleted and  upon  further  subscriptions  to  purchase  the  iron  neces- 
tion. 

Eesolved,  That  we  deem  the  uninterrupted  prosecution  and  ear- 
liest possible  completion  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  to 
be  commended  by  every  consideration  of  sound  policy;  that  we 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  503 

applaud  the  energetic  policy  which  has  heretofore  marked  its  maii- 
ageiuent;,  and  express  the  undoubting  confidence  that  a  persistence 
in  it  will  insure  within  a  period  of  three  years  from  this  day  its 
triumphant  consummation. 

A  call  being  made  for  Hon.  William  Ballard  Preston,  he  arose 
and  took  the  stand  and  entertained  a  large  and  attentive  audience 
for  two  or  three  hours,  with  a  speech  of  great  force  and  eloquence, 
in  which  he  showed  the  importance  of  this  road,  not  only  as  a  local 
or  State  work,  but  as  a  great  national  work,  and  as  an  important 
link  in  the  great  chain  of  railway  communication  that  is  destined  to 
convey  the  productions  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere  to  Europe,  and 
to  the  Eastern  shores  of  this  country. 

On  motion  the  convention  adjourned  until  this  evening  at  half 
past  four  o'clock. 

EVENING  SESSION. 
The  first  business  in  order  was  the  report  of  the  Committee  on 
Eesolutions,  but  before  any  action  was  taken  thereon,  a  call  was 
made  on  the  "distinguished  gentleman  from  Bedford,"  Mr.  William 
M.  Burwell,  who  entertained  the  convention  for  more  than  two 
hours  with  a  masterly  address  in  favor  of  the  great  line  from  New 
Orleans  to  Norfolk. 

The  convention  now  took  a  recess  for  one  hour.  On  reassembling 
at  candle-light,  Sidney  Baxter,  Esq.,  having  appeared  as  a  delegate 
from  the  city  of  Eichmond  and  being  introduced  to  the  conven- 
tion, proceeded  to  address  it  for  a  short  time. 

After  Mr.  Baxter  "wound  up,"  the  resolutions  of  the  Committee 
on  Business  coming  up  in  order,  they  were  imanimously  adopted. 
Thomas  L.  Preston,  Esq.,  then  introduced  the  following  resolu- 
tion : 

Eesolved,That  this  convention  highly  approve  of  the  proposed 
•opueral  Eailroad  Convention  to  be  held  at  New  Orleans,  on  the 
."irst  Monday  in  January  next,  and  request  the  appointment  by  the 
president,  on  its  behalf,  of  five  delegates  thereto. 

Hon.  William  Ballard  Preston,  submitted  the  following,  which 
was  adopted : 

Eesolved,  That  a  committee  of  seven  be  appointed  by  the  chair, 
to  prepare,  after  the  adjournment  of  this  body,  an  address  to  the 
country  setting  forth  the  character,  advantages  and  relations.  State, 
National  and  international,  of  the  Southwest  Virginia  and  East 


504  Southwest  Virginia,  IT 46-11  sL 

Tennessee  Eailroad,  and  that  the  same,  with  the  resolutions 
adopted  by  this  convention,  be  respectfully  presented,  on  its  behalf, 
to  the  legislatures  of  the  two  States. 

Mr.  Eobcrtson  moved  that  the  President  have  leave  to  appoint 
the  several  committees  required  under  different  resolutions  of  the 
convention,  after  its  adjournment,  which  motion  was  agreed  to. 

The  following  resolution  was  on  motion  of  Mr.  McGaughey 
unanimously  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  tliis  convention  are  due  to  the 
people  of  Abingdon  and  its  vicinity  for  their  bountiful  hospitality, 
and  to  the  ladies  for  their  countenance  and  support  to  this  con- 
vention. 

The  president  being  requested  to  vacate  the  chair.  Colonel  Wil- 
liam M.  Burwell  was  requested  to  occupy  it  for  a  few  minutes, 
when  on  the  motion  of  John  A.  Campbell,  Esq.,  "the  thanks  of  the 
convention  were  unanimously  tendered  to  Plon.  Seth  J.  Lucky,  for 
the  dignity,  ability  and  impartiality  with  which  he  presided  over 
the  deliberations  of  this  convention." 

The  president  in  a  few  brief  remarks  signified  his  appreciation 
of  the  honor  conferred  upon  him,  and  invoked  the  united  efforts  of 
all  in  favor  of  the  railroad. 

On  motion  the  convention  then  adjourned  sine  die. 

SETH  J.  LUCKY,  President. 
CHAS.  B.  COALE, 

WILLIAM  K.  HEISKELL, 

LEONIDAS  BAUGH, 

Secretaries. 

On  the  2'J:th  of  November,  1851,  the  county  court,  upon  motion 
of  the  president  and  directors  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eail- 
road  Company,  appointed  James  Edmondson,  Jolin  Eakin,  James 
Orr,  Michael  W.  Withers  and  James  K.  Lowry  commissioners  to 
ascertain  a  just  compensation  to  the  owners  of  lands  upon  the  line 
of  the  proposed  railroad  through  this  county. 

The  election  at  which  the  question  of  voting  the  subscription  to 
the  railroad  was  considered  was  held  on  June  1,  1852,  a  consider- 
able majority  of  the  citizens  of  the  county  voting  for  said  sub- 
ircription. 

The  advocates  of  the  subscription  held  public  meetings  at  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  505 

six  precincts  in  Washington  county  on  the  day  of  the  election,  at 
which  meetings  the  following  gentlemen  addressed  the  people : 
follows : 

.Abingdon,  Colonel  S.  E.  Goodson. 

Three  Springs,  C.  F.  Trigg. 

Jones's  Mill,  J.  H.  Earnest. 

Meek's,  Dr.  N.  Snead. 

Ward's  Store,  A.  C.  Cummings. 

Fieenor's,  J.  A.  Campbell. 

TJie  county  court  of  this  county  on  the  38th  of  June,  1852,  sub- 
scribed, on  behalf  of  the  county  of  Washington,  $33,400  for  three 
hundred  and  thirty-four  shares  of  the  stock  of  the  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  Eailroad  Company,  and  appointed  William  Y.  C.  White 
the  agent  for  said  county  to  subscribe  said  sum  in  three  annual 
instalments  of  $ll,133l^  each,  and  authorized  the  said  agent  to 
issue  the  bonds  of  the  county  payable  twenty  years  after  date  bear- 
ing six  per  cent,  interest  from  date,  and  to  sell  the  same  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  the  subscription  to  the  railroad,  the  said  bonds 
to  bear  interest  from  June  28,  1854. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  the  town  of  Abingdon  in  the  fall 
of  the  year  1856. 

At  the  February  term,  1852,  of  the  County  Court  of  Washington 
county,  Virginia,  Green,  a  slave,  the  property  of  Thomas  Wilson, 
was  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  for  the  murder  of 
Tom,  a  slave,  the  property  of  William  Y.  C.  White,  but,  by  a  sub- 
sequent order  of  the  court,  his  sentence  was  commuted  and  he  was 
transported  from  the  Commonwealth.  In  the  sj)ring  of  the  same 
year,  Campbell  and  Benjamin  Smith  were  arrested,  and,  at  the 
April  court,  were  tried  for  rape.  Campbell  Smith  was  sentenced 
to  be  himg,  and  on  the  S3d  of  October,  1852,  was  executed  pursuant 
to  his  sentence.    An  account  of  the  execution  is  here  given : 

"Campbell  Smith,  a  free  negro,  was  hung  yesterday  (Friday) 
near  this  place,  in  pursuance  of  the  sentence  pronounced  upon  him 
by  his  Honor,  Judge  Hopkins,  at  the  late  term  of  the  Circuit  Court 
for  this  county. 

The  crime  of  which  Campbell  Smith  was  found  guilty  was  one 
of  so  heinous  and  diabolical  a  character,  committed  as  it  was  by 
two  stout  negroes,  and  upon  a  young  respectable  white  girl,  tliat 
but  little  sym]^athy  was  manifested  for  the  prisoner  by  any  one 


506  Suutliwesl  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

present.    The  culprit  himself  seemed  indifferent  to  his  fate,  almost 
as  much  as  many  of  those  present  to  witness  his  execution. 

He  was  taken  from  the  jail  about  twelve  o'clock  and  followed  to 
the  place  of  execvition  by  between  3,000  and  4,000  people.  After 
arriving  at  the  gallows,  the  Eev.  George  E.  Barr,  at  the  request  of 
the  prisoner,  engaged  in  a  short  and  appropriate  religious  service 
with  him,  having  previously  addressed  a  few  remarks  to  the  large 
crowd  assembled  around  the  gallows.  The  prisoner  stated,  through 
Mr.  Barr,  that  he  became  religious  six  years  ago,  and  continued 
faithful  for  four  years,  when  in  an  evil  hour,  through  the  influence 
of  intoxicating  liquor,  he  lost  the  image  of  his  Maker,  and  now 
found  himself  condemned  to  die  for  an  offense  which  he  told  Mr. 
Barr,  had  it  been  committed  by  another,  he  would  call  as  loudly 
as  any  in  the  crowd  for  his  execution. 

He  said  he  died  at  peace  with  all  the  world  and  trusted  in  the 
mercy  and  forgiveness  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  He  struggled 
for  some  time  after  the  wagon  was  driven  from  under  him. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1853,  the  County  Court  of  Washington 
county,  on  behalf  of  the  county,  subscribed  $4,000  to'  the  old  court- 
house and  Abingdon  turnpike,  and  appointed  Jacob  Lpich  the 
agent  of  the  county  to  make  said  subscription,  and  on  the  23d  day 
of  October,  1854,  the  court  subscribed  $2,250  to  the  Abingdon  and 
Pattonville  turnpike,  and  appointed  C.  S.  Bekem  the  agent  of  the 
county  to  make  the  subscription. 

At  this  time  in  our  history  the  attention  of  our  public  men 
was,  to  a  great  extent,  directed  to  the  internal  improvement  of 
the  country,  to  the  building  of  turnpikes,  MacAdam  roads  and  rail- 
roads. 

At  the  August  term,  1853,  of  the  County  Court  of  this  county, 
Peter  C.  Johnson,  A.  C.  Cummings,  I.  A.  McQuown,  Andrew 
Edmondson  and  Washington  Bishop  were  appointed  commissioners 
to  run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  between  the  counties  of  Wash- 
ington and  Grayson,  and  in  the  month  of  October  these  commission- 
ers made  their  report,  which  was  received  and  recorded  on  the  29th 
day  of  ISTovember,  1853. 

Among  the  public  improvements  that  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  people  of  Southwest  Virginia,  and  the  one  that  was  of  greater 
importance  to  this  section  of  Virginia  than  all  others  combined,  was 
the  Southwestern  Turnpike  road. 


Washington  County,  177.7-1S70.  507 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1846,  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia incorporated  the  Southwestern  Turnpike  road,  which  road  was 
to  be  a  MacAdamized  road  from  Salem,  Virginia,  by  the  way  of 
Christiansburg,  Newbern,  AVytlieville,  Marion  and  Abingdon  to  the 
Tennessee  .line,  and  appropriated  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  to 
carry  into  effect  the  object  of  the  act. 

The  said  road  was  to  be  graded  to  a  width  not  less  than  twenty- 
four  feet,  and  to  be  MacAdamized  to  a  width  not  less  than  twenty- 
two  feet. 

This  act  provided  for  the  condemnation  of  the  lands  over  which 
the  road  was  to  pass,  said  road  to  be,  at  no  point,  on  a  grade 
exceeding  three  degrees. 

An  engineer,  who  was  also  to  be  superintendent  of  the  road,  was 
to  be  selected  by  the  president  and  directors  of  said  company,  and 
it  was  made  the  duty  of  the  engineer. to  make  all  contracts  for  the 
opening  and  constructing  of  said  road,  erecting  bridges  and  what- 
ever else  was  necessary  for  finishing  the  same,  but  all  such  con- 
tracts were  to  be  approved  by  the  president  and  directors  of  said 
company. 

The  consti'uction  of  this  road  was  begun  during  the  same  year 
and  the  work  upon  the  road  was  carried  on  with)  commendable 
speed  until  the  year  1848. 

In  January  of  this  year,  the  road  had  been  completed  as  far 
as  "Wytheville,  and  there  was  an  urgent  demand  for  its  immediate 
completion  to  the  Tennessee  line,  by  the  citizens  living  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Smyth,  Wythe,  Washington  and  Scott,  and  the  General 
Assembly  on  the  17th  of  January,  1848,  appropriated  the  sum  of 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  complete  said  road,  not  exceed- 
ing sf.venty-five  thousand  dollars  of  said  sum  to  be  expended  in 
any  one  year. 

The  superintendent  and  engineer  of  the  Southwestern  Turnpike 
let  the  contract  from  Wytheville  west  to  the  Tennessee  line  to 
William  L.  Lewis,  and  this  contract  was  approved  by  the  president 
and  directors  of  said  company  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1848.  At  the 
fall  session  of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  year  1848,  and,  on  the 
day  of  the  approval  of  said  contract  as  above  stated,  E.  E.  Watson, 
a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  from  Albemarle  county,  intro- 
duced a  resolution  in  the  Legislature  to  suspend  the  work  upon  the 
Southwestern  road  west  of  Wytheville.     A  large  majority  of  the 


508  Southiuest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

Legislature  were  in  favor  of  the  resolution,  but  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  Board  of  Public  Works  had  signed  a  contract  for  the  con- 
struction of  this  road,  the  resolution  was  defeated  and  work  was 
continued  upon  the  road. 

Fifty  thousand  dollars  of  the  public  money  appropriated  for  the 
construction  of  this  road  was  paid  to  William  L.  Lewis,  the  con- 
tractor, but  for  some  reason,  which  cannot  now  be  explained,  the 
work  of  constructing  said  road  was  delayed,  and  but  little  progress 
was  made  until  the  year  1851. 

The  road  was  surveyed  and  located  to  the  Tennessee  line  by  the 
spring  of  1850. 

By  an  Act  of  the  Assembly  adopted  on  the  29th  of  March,  1851, 
it  was  provided  that  unless  William  L.  Lewis,  the  contractor, 
should  complete  a  section  of  the  road  twenty  miles  west  of  Wythe- 
ville  by  the  first  day  of  April,  1851,  it  should  be  the  duty  of  the 
Board  of  Public  Works  within  ninety  days  thereafter  to  take  legal 
steps  upon  the  bond  of  the  said  Lewis  and  his  sureties  to  recover 
damages  for  his  default,  with  the  proviso  that  the  sureties  of  the 
said  Lewis  might  become  undei-takers  to  complete  the  twenty  mile? 
of  road  according  to  the  tenor  of  the  said  contract,  and  in  that 
case  action  on  the  bond  of  the  said  Lewis  should  be  suspended  for 
one  year. 

This  same  Act  provided  that,  should  the  said  William  L.  Lewis, 
abandon  or  forfeit  any  other  portion  of  his  contract  for  constructing 
the  said  road  to  the  Tennessee  line,  the  Board  of  Public  Works 
were  directed  and  instructed  to  relet  said  road  to  the  sureties  of  the 
said  William  L.  Lewis.  And  in  the  event  the  said  sureties  did  not 
become  the  undertakers  of  said  road  under  this  act,  the  Board  of 
Public  Works  should  not  give  the  said  Lewis  any  further  time  to 
complete  his  contract,  but  should,  so  soon  as  any  part  of  his  con- 
tract for  constructing  said  road  is  abandoned  or  forfeited,  proceed 
forthwith  to  relet  the  same  in  sections  of  not  more  than  five  miles. 

As  a  result  of  this  act,  Lewis,  or  his  sureties,  completed  said 
MacAdamized  road  as  far  west  as  Seven-Mile  Ford  in  Smyth  county, 
Virginia. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  on  the  5th  day  of  April,  1851, 
at  which  time  a  resolution  was  offered  by  Colonel  Hopkins,  direct- 
ing the  Board  of  Public  Works  to  relet  said  road,  to  which  resolu- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  509 

tioii  Mr.  Stavall,  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  offered  the  following 
substitute : 

"llesolved,  by  the  General  Assembly,  That  the  Board  of  Public 
Works  be  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  required  to  suspend 
the  further  construction  of  the  Southwestern  Turnpike  road,  except 
so  much  as  may  be  necessary  to  finish  any  intermediate  sections 
between  the  eastern  part  of  said  road  which  has  been  finished,  and 
the  extreme  western  part  of  said  road  upon  which  the  contractors 
may  have  commenced  work/' 

This  substitute  was  eloquently  and  energetically  opposed  by  Col  ■ 
onels  Hopkins  and  Imboden,  but  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  fifty-two 
to  forty-four,  and  the  friends  of  the  road  were  unable  to  obtain 
a  reconsideration  of  the  vote. 

A  number  of  unsuccessful  efforts  were  made  by  the  friends  of 
this  road  to  have  work  on  the  same  resumed,  but  without  success. 

The  newspapers  of  Abingdon  charged  that  Governor  Johnson 
and  the  Board  of  Public  Works  were  responsible  for  the  suspension 
of  work  upon  this  road,  and  Governor  Floyd  was  severely  censured 
for  his  course  in  the  matter.  The  road  was  never  completed  west 
of  Seven-Mile  Ford,  and  while  Southwest  Virginia  and  Wash- 
ington county  have  had  to  bear  their  portion  of  the  great  public 
debt  created  for  public  improvements  previous  to  1860,  they  have 
received  no  benefit  therefrom. 

The  failure  to  complete  this  road  has  been  attributed  to  different 
causes,  among  the  number  being: 

First.  The  anticipated  construction  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennes- 
see Kailroad. 

Second.  The  principles  actuating  Governor  Johnson  and  his 
advisers,  which  principles  were  opposed  to  internal  improvements 
by  the  Commonwealth  and  favored  a  strict  construction  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Third.  The  indisposition  of  the  representatives  from  Eastern 
Virginia  to  interest  themselves  in  the  welfare  of  Western  Virginia. 

It  will  be  nothing  more  than  an  act  ef  justice  to  this  section  of 
Virginia,  if  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  should  yet  complete 
this  road. 

In  the  year  1855  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company 
decided  to  build  a  branch  railway  from  Glade  Spring  to  Saltville, 
to  be  known  as  the  Saltworks  Branch,  and  on  the  27th  day  of 


510  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

February,  on  molioii  of  the  railroad  company,  the  county  court 
appointed  William  A.  Preston,  Lewis  F,  Cosby,  Isaac  Home,  James 
Orr  and  Pleasant  Smith  conunissioners  for  the  purpose  of  ascer- 
taining a  just  compensation  to  the  owners  of  the  lands  through 
which  the  Saltworks  Branch  would  pass.  This  road  was  built 
shortly  thereafter  and  the  town  of  Glade  Spring  had  its  beginning. 
About  this  time,  at  the  instance  of  John  M.  Preston,  a  number 
of  citizens  contributed  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to  MacAdamize  the 
main  road  leading  east  from  Abingdon  to  near  the  railroad  crossing 
at  McConnell's  Switch.  Some  evidence  of  this  work  is  still  to  be 
seen. 

On  the  23d  of  JiilV;  I'S')'),  the  county  court  of  this  county,  upon 
recei[)t  of  information  of  tlie  death  of  Samuel  Logan,  who  had  for 
many  years  been  the  very  efficient  attorney  for 
the  Commonwealth  in  this  county,  adopted  the 
following  resolutions : 

"Eesolved,  That  in  the  removal  from  amongst 
us  of  Samuel  Logan  by  an  all-wise  Providence, 
this  court  has  been  deprived  of  an  able  and  effi- 
cient officer,  the  members  of  the  bar  of  a  courte- 
ous and  gentlemanly  practitioner,  the  coinmu- 
nity  of  a  laborious,  able  and  well-informed  law- 
ver,  and  his  family  of  a  kind  and  indulgent  hus- 

Samuel  Logan.         ^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^^ 

"Eesolved,  That  the  court,  its  officers  and  the  members  of  the 
l>ar  extend  Wunr  warmest  sympatliies.  to  the  bereaved  widow  and 
children  of  the  deceased  in  this  most  afilicting  dispensation  of  Di- 
vine Providence. 

"Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  upon  the  minutes 
of  the  court,  and  that  the  clerk  furnish  a  copy  thereof  to  Mrs. 
Logan,  and  also  to  each  of  the  newspapers  of  Abingdon  for  pub- 
lication." 

Nothing  of  any  importance  occurred  imtil  November,  1858,  at 
which  time  John,  S.  Mosby,  wlio  liad  settled  in  the  town  of  Good- 
son,  qualified  to  practice  law  in  the  courts  of  this  county. 

The  abolition  sentiment  in  tlie  meantime  was  fast  obtaining 
prominence  throughout  the  Union,  and  by  the  fall  of  the  year  1860 
excitement  was  at  fever  heat,  and  the  feeling  between  the  sec- 
tions had  srrown  to  such  an  extent  that  war  was  inevitable. 


^Yashingfon  County,  1777-1870.  511 

The  Democratic  (.'on\ention  held  in  this  year  for  the  purpose 
of  nominating  a  candidate  for  President  was  not  harmonious,  and 
as  a  residt  three  candidates  for  President  were  nominated  hy  three 
diiferent  conventions  hekl  by  the  Democratic  party,  viz.,  John  C. 
Breckenridge,  Jolm  Bell,  and  >Stephen  A.  Douglas,  while  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  fl-as  nominated  by  the  Eepublican  party. 

The  campaign  preceding  the  election  was  exceedingly  bitter,  and 
the  election  resulted  in  favor  of  Lincoln  and  the  Eepublican  party. 
The  effect  of  the  election  of  Lincoln  was  to  create  great  excite- 
]uent  throughout  the  South  and  advocates  of  secession,  peaceable, 
if  possible,  by  force,  if  necessary,  were  heard  and  applauded 
throughout  the  Southern  States;  but  such  were  not  the  senti- 
ments of  the  people  of  Washington  county. 

Four  hundred  patriots  from  the  county  of  Washington  had  as- 
sisted in  the  erection  of  the  Union.  Their  descendants  long  hesi- 
tated before  lending  their  assistance  to  any  movement  that  had  for 
its  object  the  dissolution  of  that  Union  and  they  did  not  give  their 
consent  nor  lend  their  assistance  to  the  movement  until  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  called  upon  the  States  for  seventy-five  thousand  men 
to  invade  and  overcome  the  Southern  country. 

It  must  not  be  understood  from  what  is  here  stated  that  the  peo- 
ple of  this  county  were  unanimous  in  their  opposition  to  secession, 
for  it  is  a  fact  that  numbers  of  our  citizens  were  strong  advoeites 
of  secession  from  the  beginning. 

War  Between  the  States— 1861-1SG5. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1860,  or  January,  18G1,  a  volunteer 
company  was  organized  in  Abingdon  and  was  Icnown  as  the  Wash- 
ington Mounted  Eiflemen,  and  the  county  court  of  this  county-, 
on  the  29th  of  January,  1861,  entered  an  order  permitting  this 
company  to  use  and  occupy  the  rooms  on  the  third  floor  of  the 
courthouse  as  an  armory,  and  from  this  time  on,  during  the  spring 
and  Slimmer  of  the  year  1861,  the  sole  theme  of  conversation  was 
the  organization  of  companies  of  volunteers  and  preparations  for 
war. 

At  the  election  for  members  of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  year 
1859  George  W.  Hopkins  and  Jacob  Lynch  were  elected  to  the 
Assembly  from  Washington  coimty,  and  Ben  Eush  Floyd,  of  the 
county  of  Wythe,  was  elected  to  the  Senate  from  this  district,  but 
Jacob  Lynch  soon  thereafter  became  president  of  the  Exchange 


512  Southwest  Virginia,  nJf6-n86. 

Bank  of  Abingdon,  Va.,  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Assembly,  and 
Dr.  A.  E.  Preston  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

The  one  subject  that  engrossed  the  Assembly  at  its  meeting  in 
the  year  1860-1861  was  the  secession  of  the  Southern  States  from 
the  Union,  and  on  the  14th  of  January,  1861,  the  General  As- 
sembly called  a  convention  and  directed  that  an  election  be  held 
on  the  4th  day  of  February,  1861,  to  select  delegates  tO'  the  con- 
vention thus  called. 

This  Act  directed  that  the  sense  of  the  qualified  voters  be  taken 
as  to  whether  any  action  of  said  convention  dissolving  the  connec- 
tion of  the  State  with  the  Federal  Union  or  changing  the  organic 
laws  of  the  State  should  be  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification 
or  rejection.  In  other  words,  the  Legislature,  by  submitting  to 
the  voters  at  this  time  the  last  question  stated,  did  so  for  the  pur- 
pose of  securiug  their  ratification  of  the  action  of  this  convention 
in  advance  of  any  action  by  the  convention. 

The  candidates  for  the  position  of  delegates  to  this  convention 
from  Washington  county  were:  John  A.  Campbell  and  Eobert  E. 
Grant  opposed  to  secession,  and  William  Y.  C.  White  for  seces- 
sion. The  result  of  the  election  held  on  the  4th  of  February,  1861, 
was  an  overwhelming  triumph  for  Campbell  and  Grant,  the  vote 
in  this  county  being  as  follows : 

WASHINGTON  COUNTY— Official. 

WAIT-A-BIT.  SECESSION. 

Precinas.                         Camphell.  Grant.  White.  Floyd.    Ref.  No  Ref. 

Courthouse    307  236  154  79  209  92 

Clark's  Mills    11  9  13  13  10  13 

Davis'     36  34  18  16  35  17 

Waterman's  121  113  33  30  120  27 

Three  Springs 173  169  61  60  169  60 

Gobble's    83  83  10  9  92  1 

Craig's  Mill    125  125  4  21  127  1 

Worley's    103  92  13  00  105  00 

Williams' 48  26  28  4  47  6 

Morell's    48  39  39  37  62  14 

Fullen's    58  54  32  38  59  34 

Matt   Clark's    56  19  69  90  50  68 

Kelley's            51  50  33  33  52  32 

DeBusk's    75  74  17  18  69  19 

Arch    Orr's   64  64  41  39  61  43 

Miller's 122  119  34  37  119  31 

Good  Hope •  9  7  2  1  9  1 

Green  Spring  65  62  21  23  66  ^ 

1555   1375    622    529   1651    476 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  613 

While  Governor  Floyd  was  not  a  candidate,  he  was  voted  for 
in  this  election,  being  a  strong  advocate  of  secession,  and  Secretary 
of  War  in  the  cabinet  of  President  Buchanan. 

It  will  be  observed  from  an  inspection  of  the  returns  from  this 
election  that  the  people  of  the  coimty  were  overwhelmingly  op- 
posed to  secession  and  to  jjermitting  the  convention  to  proclaim 
its  action  without  referring  the  same  to  the  people. 

At  this  time  South  Carolina,  Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama 
and  Georgia  had  adopted  ordinances  of  secession,  and  excitement 
was  at  fever  heat. 

At  tlie  February  court  following  this  election  a  tremendous 
crowd  of  people  were  in  Abingdon,  and  an  incident  occurred  that 
might,  under  other  circumstances,  have  definitely  fixed  the  senti- 
ment of  the  people  of  tliis  county  against  secession  and  have  placed 
this  section  within  the  State  of  West  Virginia. 

A  few  over-zealous  advocates  of  secession  on  the  morning  of  the 
day  in  question  obtained  a  Confederate  flag  and  placed  it  upon  a 
rope  stretched  across  Main  street  from  the  residence  of  John  D. 
Mitchell  to  what  is  known  as  the  White  House,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  street. 

When  the  presence  of  this  flag  was  observed  it  greatly  enraged 
the  citizens  of  the  county  who  were  opposed  to  secession,  and  Wil- 
liam B.  Clark,*  one  of  the  best  and  bravest  men  this  county  has 
ever  produced,  proposed  to  the  anti-secession  men  present  that 
they  immediately  tear  down  what  he  termed  "that  d — d  rag,"  say- 
ing, "Boys,  it  is  not  the  flag  of  our  fathers,"  and  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  execute  his  threat. 

At  the  same  time  the  advocates  of  secession  appeared,  and  war 
seemed  imminent,  but  by  the  advice  and  counsel  of  Joseph  T. 
Campbell,  Judge  Campbell,  Charles  S.  Bekem,  and  others  the  dis- 
turbance was  quelled. 

It  is  proper  to  be  stated  at  this  point  that  as  soon  as  Virginia 
had  seceded  from  the  Union  and  the  homes  of  our  people  were 
threatened  with  invasion,  the  men  who  that  day  proposed  to  tear 
down  the  Confederate  flag  were  the  first  to  enlist  in  the  service  of 
their  State,  were  the  bravest  in  battle  and  the  last  to  surrender, 
William  B.  Clark  himself  dying  in  the  service  of  his  country. 


"Grandson  of  James  Hillan.  who  fought  at  King's  mountain. 


514  Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-1786. 

Tlie  convi'iiliun  aiiseinbled  in  the  cily  of  liiclnnoud  on  the  13th 
day  of  February,  ISGl,  and  on  tlie  17th  of  April,  1861,  by  a  vote 
of  81  to  51,  adopted  an  ordinance  to  repeal  the  ratification  of  tlie 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  by  the  State  of  Virginia,  and 
to  resume  all  the  rights  and  powers  granted  under  said  Constitu- 
tion. Tills  act  of  the  convention  was  submitted  to  the  people  for 
ratification  at  an  election  held  on  the  fourth  Thursday  of  May, 
18G1,  at  which  election,  the  ordinance  of  secession  was  ratified. 
Washington  county  voted  for  the  ratification  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  •  On  the  15th  of  June,  1861,  the  convention  agreed  to  a 
permanent  Constitution  for  the  State,  but  tliis  Constitution,  when 
submitted  tO'  the  people,  was  rejected  by  a  small  majority,  and  the 
Constitution  of  1850  remained  the  fundamental  law  of  the  State. 

The  convention  that  adopted  the  ordinance  of  secession  elected 
five  gentlemen  to  represent  Virginia  in  the  Confederate  Congress, 
then  in  session  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  Judge  Waller  E.  Staples 
being  tlie  representative  from  this  section  of  Virginia. 

While  the  delegates  from  Washington  county  sent  to  Eiclimond 
were  opposed  to  secession,  they  afterwards  voted  in  favor  of  the 
ordinance  of  secession  in  view  oi  the  course  pursued  by  President 
Lincoln  and  his  cabinet. 

In  the  month  of  March  President  Jefferson  Davis  formed  his 
cabinet,  which  was  confirmed  by  the  Senate  of  the  Confederate 
States,  and  was  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen:  Robert 
Toombs,  C.  C.  Memminger,  L.  P.  Walker,  S.  E.  Mallory,  J.  H. 
Eeagan  and  J.  P.  Benjamin. 

On  the  24tli  of  December,  1860,  the  county  court  of  Washington 
county,  upon  motion  of  the  president  and  directors  of  the  Virginia 
and  Kentucky  Eailroad  Company,  appointed  James  L.  Davis,  L. 
L.  Waterman,  John  Gobble,  Eoland  T.  Legard  and  William  Fields 
commissioners  to  ascertain  a  just  compensation  to  a  number  of 
land  owners  through  whose  land  said  road  was  proposed  to  be 
constructed,  and  these  commissioners  made  their  report  to  the 
county  court  on  the  24th  of  February,  1861.  This  was  the  incep- 
tion of  the  efforts  that  resulted  in  the  building  of  the  Virginia 
and  Southwestern  railroad  from  Bristol  to  Big  Stbne  Gap. 

At  the  January  term  of  the  county  court  in  1861  the  court  gave 
permission  to  Thaddeus  Harris,  Samuel  Merchant,  Barbary  Bev- 
erly and  Senah  Richmond,  free  persons  of  color,  to  remain  in  tlie 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  515 

county  for  the  space  of  ninety  days  for  the  purpose  of  settling 
their  business,  the  authorities  having  theretofore  required  all  free 
persons  of  color  to  leave  the  county,  but,  notwithstanding  this  pro- 
vision, many  free  persons  of  color  remained  in  the  county  through- 
out the  entire  war  by  having  s^me  responsible  white  man  stand 
security  for  their  good  behavior. 

At  the  April  term  of  the  court  of  this  county  the  sum  of  fifteeii 
thousand  dollars  was  voted  by  the  county  court  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  necessary  supplies  for  the  support,  equipment  and  arming 
of  the  volunteer  companies  of  the  county,  which  companies  were  at 
that  time  being  formed,  and  James  K.  Gibson,  William  Y.  C. 
White,  John  W.  Johnson,  T.  Gf.  McConnell,  James  C.  Greenway 
and  Thomas  S.  Stuart  w^ere  appointed  a  committee  and  autho- 
rized to  borrow  said  money  and  to  issue  the  bonds  of  the  county  for 
the  same,  said  bonds  to  be  paid  in  one,  two  and  three  years,  or  upon 
longer  time  if  said  committee  should  think  proper. 

At  the  May  term  of  the  county  court  the  court  adopted  a  plan  to 
police  the  county  for  the  protection  of  the  citizens,  the  order  of 
the  court  being  as  follows : 

1st.  The  magistracy  of  this  county  shall  constitute  a  vigilance 
committee,  who  shall  be  always  on  the  alert  and  at  all  times  more 
prom23t  and  active  than  ever  in  the  performance  of  their  duties 
under  the  law  in  the  protection  of  the  rights  and  interests  of  the 
citizens. 

2d.  The  county  court  shall  have  control  over  all  measures  of 
home  protection  and  defence. 

3d.  There  shall  be  a  central  vigilance  committee  in  each  dis- 
trict, composed  of  four  magistrates  and  two  other  discreet  gen- 
tlemen, to  be  appointed  by  the  court  within  the  bounds  of  every 
district.  This  committee  shall  have  power  to  direct  and  dispense 
all  measures  of  protection  and  defence  wathin  the  sphere  of  their 
actions,  and  make  a  report  in  writing  at  least  once  a  month  to 
the  county  court  of  all  matters  worthy  of  note. 

4th.  There  shall  be  one  or  more  volunteer  companies  of  not 
less  than  forty  men  within  each  district  to  be  commanded  by  a  cap- 
tain and  two  lieutenants  and  four  sergeants,  respectively,  which 
officers  shall  be  selected  by  the  men  of  the  companies  and  confirmed 
by  the  court.  Each  man  shall  be  armed  with  his  own  rifle,  musket 
or  shot-gun,  or  wdth  arms  of  like  character,  loaned  or  furnished 


516  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

hi  in  by  the  citizens  oi  each  district  from  the  house,  stock  or  lauds 
or  otherwise.  In  like  manner  he  to  furnish  or  liave  procured  to 
him  a  suflQciency  of  ammunition.  The  coanpanies  shall  be  divided 
into  two  platoons,  extending  from  the  center  to  the  extremities  of 
the  district  as  nearly  as  practicable,  and  shall  act  as  a  general  pa- 
trol within  the  proper  bounds  and  under  their  proper  officers 
at  least  once  a  week,  performing  alternate  turns  of  duty.  The 
company,  or  companies,  of  the  district  shall  assemble  semi-montlily 
at  some  central  point,  under  the  command  of  the  captain,  for  the 
purpose  of  drill  and  instruction.  At  these  meetings  a  report  of 
the  general  operations  of  the  company,  and  especially  the  condi- 
tion of  things  within  the  districts  as  regards  the  peace,  security 
and  good  order  of  the  ctiizens,  shall  be  made  to  the  captain,  and  by 
him  reduced  to  writing  and  forwarded  to  the  central  committee. 

5th.  The  district  committee  shall  have  power  to  order  out,  when 
in  their  opinion  deemed  necessary,  an  additional  police  to  act  in- 
dependently of,  or  in  conjunction  with,  the  armed  police. 

6th.  The  needy  families  of  all  the  volunteers  absent  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  State  shall  be  provided  for,  and  with  this  view  the 
magistrates  of  each  district  shall  be  appointed  by  the  court  a  com- 
mittee whose  duty  it  will  be  to  inquire  into  the  condition  and  ne- 
cessities of  said  families,  and  provide  at  once  for  the  same,  if  neces- 
sary, and  report  in  writing  to  the  next  and  every  succeeding  county 
court,  and  thereupon  the  proper  allowance  will  be  made. 

7th.  In  the  event  of  invasion  or  for  the  purpose  of  suppressing 
insurrections  within  the  county,  this  court  will  at  once  proceed  to 
appoint  a  field  officer,  who  shall  be  empowered  to  call  out  and 
command  the  voluntary  forces  provided  for,  or  so  much  thereof 
as  may  in  his  opinion  be  deemed  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
pelling such  invasions  or  suppressing  such  insurrection. 

The  court  then  proceeded  to  the  appointment  of  the  additional 
committee  under  the  third  clause,  and  thereupon  John  L.  Brad- 
ley and  Jacob  Neff  were  appointed  in  district  No.  1 ;  Henry  Eoberts 
and  Francis  Preston,  in  district  No.  2;  John  Gobble  and  A.  M. 
Apling,  in  district  No.  3;  Jeriel  D.  Linder  and  John  J.  Scott,  in 
district  No.  4;  Alex.  G.  Thompson  and  David  M.  Stuart,  in  dis- 
trict No.  5;  Benj.  K.  Buchanan  and  Eobert  B.  Edmondson,  in 
district  No.  6:  Andrew  Edmondson  and  James  Kelly,  in  district 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  517 

No.  7;  Thomas  M.  Preston  and  John  Eakin,  in  district  No.  8; 
Robert  L.  Berry  and  Lilburn  0.  Byars,  in  district  No.  9. 

The  court  then  unanimously  elected  James  T.  Preston  colonel 
or  field  officer  under  the  seventh  clause. 

A  number  of  muskets  had  been  furnished  the  county  by  the 
State  authorities  early  in  the  year^  and  had  been  distributed 
throughout  the  county,  but  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  them  of 
little  value  to  the  authorities,  and  at  the  May  term  of  the  court 
the  shej'iff  of  the  county  was  directed  to  collect  and  deposit  them 
in  Abingdon. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1861  ten  companies  were  or- 
ganized in  Washington  county,  which  were  officered  as  follows : 

The  Washington  Mounted  Rifles — Captain  William  E.  Jones. 

The  Mountain  Boys — Captain  William  White. 

The  Glade  Spring  Eifles — Captain  E.  P.  Carson. 

Washington  Independents — Captain  Dr.  James  L.  White. 

Company  B,  Forty-eighth  Virginia  Regiment — Captain  Milton 
White. 

Company  I,  I'orty-eighth  Virginia  Regiment — Captain  James 
C.  Campbell. 

Company  H,  Thirty-seventh  Virginia  Regiment — Captain  Robert 
E.  Grant. 

Goodson  Rifle  Guards — Captain  John  F.  Terry. 

Floyd  Blues — Captain  David  C.  Dunn. 

Company  F,  Forty-eighth  Virginia  Regiment — Captain  D.  A.  P. 
Campbell. 

The  Washington  Mounted  Rifles  were  sent  to  First  Virginia  Cav- 
alry, Stuart's  command,  while  the  companies  of  Captains  Terry,  Car- 
son, Grant,  James  L.  White  and  William  White  formed  a  part  of  the 
Thirty-seventh  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Samuel  V.  Fulker- 
son,  and  the  companies  officered  by  D.  A.  P,  Campbell,  James  C. 
Campbell  and  Milton  White  formed  a  part  of  the  Forty-eighth  regi- 
ment, commanded  by  Colonel  John  A.  Campbell,  of  Abingdon,  and 
D.C.Dunn's  company  formed  a  part  of  Floyd's  Brigade.  Captain  A. 
C.  Cummings  was  commissioned  colonel  by  a  committee  composed 
of  Governor  Letcher,  Judge  Allen  and  Francis  Smith,  in  the 
month  of  May,  1861,  and  was  ordered  to  report  at  once  tO'  General 
Jackson  at  Harper's  Ferry,  which  he  did,  and  was  there  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  Second  reginient,  afterwards  the  Tenth  Vir- 


518       ■  Sovihivesl  Virginia,  1H6-1786. 

giiiia  regiment,  but  Avas  soon  thereafter  placed  in  command  of  the 
Thirty-third  Virginia  regiment. 

At  the  June  term  of  the  county  court  Thomas  G.  McConnell 
was  appointed  by  the  court  to  visit  all  the  volunteer  companies 
from  this  county  then  in  the  service  of  the  State  or  thereafter  to 
be  formed,  and  to  provide  for  their  wants  out  of  any  money  that 
might  be  in  the  hands  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  court  at  the 
April  term. 

About  this  time  Charles  Eckerbusch  was  arrested  and  committed 
to  jail  upon  the  suspicion  that  he  was  not  true  to  the  institutions 
of  the  So'Uth,  but  was  discharged  by  the  court  upon  his  taking 
the  following  oaths,  to-wit : 

"I  declare  myself  a  citizen  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia, 
and  solemnly  s^ear  that  1  will  be  faithful  and  true  to  the  said 
Commonwealth,  and  will  support  the  Constitution  thereof  so  long 
as  1  continue  to  be  a  citizen  thereof,  so  help  me  God." 

"I  do  solemnly  swear  that  1  will  obey  all  orders  of  the  legally 
constituted  authorities  of  the  State  of  Virginia  and  of  the  Confed- 
erate States,  and  that  I  will  in  no  wise  give  aid  and  comfort  to 
the  enemies  of  the  State  or  Confederate  States  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, so  help  me  God." 

On  Sunday  night,  September  1,  1861,  at  about  10  o'clock  a  col- 
lision occurred  on  tlK>  railroad,  al)out  one  mile  west  of  Abingdon, 
between  trains  loaded  with  troops.  The  first  train,  carrying  a  part 
of  the  second  regiment  of  the  Polish  Brigade  from  Louisiana,  was 
ascending  the  grade  west  of  the  depot  when  a  shackle  pin  broke, 
and  the  cars  descended  to  the  level  at  the  bridge  over  Wolf  creek. 
At  this  time  the  second  train,  heavily  loaded  with  soldiers,  ran 
into  the  front  section  at  the  bridge,  the  result  being  one  soldier 
killed  and  seventeen  wounded,  one  of  the  wounded  soldiers  after- 
guards djdng.  The  wounded  soldiers  were  removed  to  the  houses 
of  the  Eev.  James  McChain,  Messrs.  T.  G.  McConnell,  J.  M.  Eopp, 
and  Judge  S.  V.  Fulkerson,  and  were  attended  by  Drs.  Preston, 
Barr,  Heiskell  and  Pitts. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  18G1,  the  coimty  court  of  this  county 
appropriated  an  additional  sum  of  $2,500  for  the  purpose  of  sup- 
plying the  volunteers  of  this  county  in  the  service  of  the  Confed- 
erate States,  and  directed  the  committee  theretofore  appointed  to 
borrow  said  sum  of  money  and  apply  it  to  the  purposes  mentioned. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  5i9 

At  the  same  term  of  the  court  William  B.  Dickenson  was  ap- 
pointed quartermaster  for  the  eastern  and  John  M.  Hamilion  for- 
the  western  district  of  the  oonntj,  and  they  were  directed  to  aid 
the  committee  appointed  by  the  conrt  in  applying  the  snms  above 
voted  to  the  purposes  directed. 

On  Thursday,  NQ,yember  6,  1861,  an  election  was  held  through- 
out the  Confederate  States  for  President,  Vice-President  and  mem- 
bers of  Congress.  Jefferson  Davis  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens  had 
no  opposition  for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice-President  of 
the  Confederate  States  of  America,  but  in  this  district  the  Hon. 
Walter  Preston,  of  Abingdon,  and  the  Hon.  Fayette  McMullen,  of 
Scott  county,  were  opposing  candidates. 

Polls  were  opened  at  all  the  voting  precincts  in  the  county,  and, 
in  addition  thereto,  at  Camp  Dickenson,  Camp  Cooper  and  at  the 
Confederate  camp  at  Abingdon,  soldiers  being  stationed  in  this 
county  at  the  places  mentioned. 

Preston  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Confederate  Congress  by  a 
considerable  majority. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  1863,  the  sheriff  and  his  deputies  and  the 
commissioners  of  the  revenue  were  directed  to  enroll,  as  soon  as 
possible,  all  able-bodied  free  negroes  in  the  county  and  report  the 
same  to  the  clerk  of  the  court. 

By  this  time  the  families  of  the  absent  soldiers  were  beginning 
to  feel  the  burden  of  the  war,  and  a  number  of  the  wealthier  citi- 
zens of  the  county  by  voluntary  contributions  undertook  to  relieve 
their  situation.  The  following  citizens  contributed  the  sums  set 
opposite  their  names  to  this  cause : 

1863.     April  38.     Henry    Preston, $    300  00 

1863.     April  38.     Stuart,  Buchanan  &  Co^, 1,000  00 

1863.     Dec.     33.     Mrs.    Wyndham    Eobertson, 100  00 

1863.     Oct.     36.     Wyndham  Eobertson, 500  00 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  the  39th  of  March,  1863, 
passed  an  Act  authorizing  the  counties  to  issue  notes  of  less  denomi- 
nation than  five  dollars,  and  the  county  court  of  this  county,  on 
the  28th  of  April,  1863,  deciding  to  avail  itself  of  the  advantages 
of  this  law,  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  James  K.  Gibson, 
Thomas  G.  McConnell  and  William  King  Heiskell,  to  ascertain 
and  report  to  the  court. 

First.  A  design  for  said  notes. 


520 


Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-17 86. 


Second.  Whether  a  supply  of  suitable  paper  could  be  procured 
and  on  what  terms. 

Third.  The  terms  upon  which  said  notes  could  be  printed  and 
the  amount  and  denomination  of  the  notes  necessary  to  be  issued. 

Tins  committee  on  the  following  day  made  their  report,  which 
report  was  filed,  and,  upon  consideration  of  said  report,  the  county 
court  ordered  that  this  county  issue  $15,000  of  these  notes  of  the 
following  denominations  and  amounts : 

Nine  thousand  ten-cent  notes. 
^    Six  thousand  fifteen-cent  notes. 

Eighteen  thousand  twenty-five-cent  notes. 

Three  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  one-dollar  notes. 

Six  thousand  fifty-cent  notes. 

Three  thousand  seventy-five-cent  notes. 

The  form  of  said  notes  as  prescribed  by  the  court  is  shown  by 
the  facsimile  of  a  one-dollar  note  and  a  twenty-five-ccnt  note. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  521 

John  G.  Kreger,  clerk,  whose  name  appears  to  said  notes,  was 
required  by  the  court  to  issue  the  same  as  soon  as  practicable,  and 
was  appointed  treasurer  for  the  purpose  of  exchanging  said  notes 
for  other  funds  to  pay  the  indebtedness  of  the  county. 

The  court,  on  the  34th  of  June,  directed  the  clerk  not  to  issue 
the  ten-cent  notes  as  provided  for  by  their  former  order,  but  to 
issue  twenty-one  thousand  six  hundred  notes  of  the  denomina- 
tion of  twenty-five  cents  instead  of  eighteen  thousand  as  provided 
by  their  former .  order,  and  John  G.  Kreger,  the  clerk,  on  the  24th 
of  February,  1863,  was  allowed  one  thousand  dollars  for  issuing 
and  redeeming  said  notes. 

On  Tuesday,  the  4th  of  April,  1862,  a  company  of  Confederate 
soldiers  was  organized  in  Abingdon,  to  which  was  given  the  name 
of  the  Abingdon  Confederates.  This  company  was  officered  as 
follows : 

Captain,  William  L.  Hunter. 

First  Lieutenant,  Milton  W.  Humes. 

Second  Lieutenant,  William  McChesney. 

Third  Lieutenant,  James  H.  Smith. 

This  was  Company  A,  and  formed  a  part  of  the  Sixty-third  Eegi- 
ment,  Virginia  Volunteers. 

On  the  11th  day  of  April,  186S,  the  Methodist  Protestant  church 
and  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  Abingdon  delivered  the 
bells  used  by  the  respective  churches  tO'  the  ordinance  department 
of  the  Confederate  States  for  use  in  manufacturing  cannon,  and 
on  the  25th  of  April  of  the  same  year  the  Presbyterian  and  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  churches,  South,  performed  a  like  service. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1862,  the  armies  of  the  Confederate 
States  were  reorganized,  and  upon  the  reorganization  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  and  Forty-eighth  regiments  Colonels  Fulkerson  and  Camp- 
bell, as  well  as  Lieutenant-Colonels  Carson  and  Garnett,  were  re- 
elected. Major  Williams  was  re-elected  in  the  Thirty-seventh,  and 
Captain  James  C.  Campbell,  of  Abingdon,  succeeded  Major  Stuart 
in  the  Forty-eighth  regiment. 

In  the  companies  there  Avas  a  considerable  change  as  follows : 

Captain  Grant  was  succeeded  by  Sergeant  Duff. 

Captain  William  White  was  succeeded  by  Lieutenant  B.  P.  Mor- 
rison. 

Captain  James  L.  White  was  succeeded  by  Captain  James  Vance 


522  Southivest  Virginia,  17Ji6-1786. 

and  Captain  Vance  was  succeeded  by  Sergeant  T.  M.  Gobble. 
Captain  Milton  White  was  succeeded  by  Lieutenant  W.  Y.  C. 
Ilannuni.  Captain  D,  A.  P.  Campbell  was  succeeded  by  Lieu- 
tenant W.  T.  GreenA\ay. 

At  the  October  term  of  the  county  court,  in  the  year,  1862,  the 
court  appointed  agents  in  the  several  magisterial  districts  of  this 
county  to  solicit  subscriptions  in  their  districts  of  articles  of  cloth- 
ing, shoes,  etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  volunteers  in  tlie  service  of  the 
Confederacy. 

At  this  time  a  great  scarcity  of  salt  prevailed  in  the  county  as 
a  result  of  the  State  authorities  taking  charge  of  the  salt  works, 
and  the  county  court  appointed  John  N".  Humes  a  committee  to 
correspond  with:  Governor  Letcher  and  seek  to  have  the  contract 
of  Stuart,  Buchanan  &  Company,  made  with  the  county  authori- 
ties in  July  of  this  year,  enforced,  but  the  court  obtained  no  relief 
in  this  particular. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1SG2,  Colonel  Samuel  V.  Fulkerson,  of  the 
'Thirty-seventh  Eegiment,  was  mortally  wounded  near  Eichmond  on 
the  second  day  of  the  great  battle  before  Eichmond,  and  died  the 
next  day.  Upon  the  receipt  of  the  news  of  his  death,  a  public  meet- 
ing was  held  at  the  courthouse  of  this  county  for  the  purpose  of 
(Offering  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased. 

"On  motion,  J.  N.  Humes,  Esq.,  was  called  to  the  chair,  and 
William  King  Heiskell  appointed  secretary. 

The  object  of  the  meeting  was  explained  by  Adjutant  Joseph  T. 
Campbell  in  brief  but  appropriate  remarks,  and,  on  his  motion,  a 
■committee  of  ten  gentlemen  was  appointed  as  an  escort  of  honor  to 
meet  the  remains  at  Wytheville.  The  following  gentlemen  were 
appointed :  Adjutant  J.  T.  Campbell,  Hon.  Walter  Preston,  Wil- 
liam King  Heiskell,  Colonel  A.  C.  Cummings,  Thomas  G.  McCon- 
nell,  G.  Y.  Litchfield,  Jr.,  William  Y.  C.  White,  James  C.  Green- 
way,  J.  G.  Kreger  and  D.  M.  Stuart." 

This  committee  met  the  remains  of  Colonel  Fnlkerson  at  Wythe- 
ville and  accompanied  the  same  to  Abingdon. 

Colonel  Fulkerson,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  judge  of  the 
Seventeenth  Circuit  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Chancery, 
and  soon  thereafter  an  election  was  held  in  this  circuit  to  fill  the 
vacancy,  at  which  election  John  A.  Campbell,  John  W.  Johnson, 
William  B.   Aston   and   W.   F..  CeQill,  were  opposing  candidates. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  523 

Judge  Campbell  was  elected  by  a  considerable  majority  and  served 
until  removed  by  the  military  authorities  of  the  United  States  in 
the  year  18G9. 

In  May,  1863,  President  Jefferson  Davis  issued  his  proclamation 
setting  apart  the  16th  day  of  May,  1863,  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humil- 
iation and  prayer,  and,  on  the  day  appointed,  the  several  congre- 
gations of  the  town  united  in  regular  services  at  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  at 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  at  four  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

On  the  4th  day  of  October,  1863,  in  the  lower  end  of  this  county, 
on  the  farm  of  Colonel  John  Preston,  William  McDaniel,  a  very 
respectable  citizen  was  brutally  murdered  by  Jerry  and  Jim,  two 
negroes,  the  property  of  James  Allen,  of  Tennessee.  These  negroes 
had  left  their  homes  and  were  scouting  in  the  woods,  with  a  lot  of 
stolen  property  in  their  possession,  when  they  observed  McDaniel 
approaching.  After  meeting  McDaniel  and  engaging  in  a  conver- 
sation with  him,  as  to  what  they  were  doing  there,  and  where  they 
were  going,  Jack,  one  of  the  negroes,  struck  and  seriously  wounded 
McDaniel,  and  the  negroes  hid  his  body  until  night  camo  on  and 
then  returned  and  carried  it  to  the  creek  and  placed  it  therein. 
They  were  tried,  and  Jim  and  Jerry  were  sentenced  to  be  hung  on 
the  23d  of  January,  1863,  on  which  day  they  were  executed  pur- 
suant tO'  the  sentence  of  the  court. 

The  Abingdon  paper  in  describing  the  scene  in  Abingdon  on  that 
day  says: 

"At  an  early  hour  the  people  began  to  pour  into  town  from  the 
farthest  limits  of  this  and  adjoining  counties,  and  from  the  gorges^ 
and  coves  of  the  mountains.  They  came  by  railroad,  in  wagons,, 
on  horses  and  mules,  and  hundreds  came  wading  up  to  their  knees, 
in  mud.  Some  rode  bare-back,  others  on  sheep-skins,  and'  again, 
others  with  halters  and  hlind  bridles.  Little  boys  and  negroes  gal- 
loped into  town  almost  breathless,  bespattered  with  mud  and  wild 
with  excitement  to  see  two  negroes  choked  to  death.  But  stranger 
still  was  it  to  see  probably  not  less  than  a  thousand  hearty,  robust 
young  men  jostling  and  elbowing  their  way  through  the  dense 
mass  of  humanity  towards  the  field  where  the  scene  was  to  be 
enacted ;  and  when  we  saw  them  working  and  twisting  their  tor-, 
tuous  way  like  so  many  eels  in  the  mud,  we  wondered  if  they 
would  have  been  as  eager  and  as  hurried  if  there  had  been  a  squad; 


524  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

of  Yankees  in  that  direction.  If  Stonewall  Jackson  had  them,  he 
would  cross  the  Potomac  in  a  week." 

This  execution  took  place  in  the  Academy  field  west  of  Abingdon 
and  was  the  last  execution  of  any  person  in  this  county  for  any 
offense. 

The  Provost-Marshal  at  Abingdon  at  this  time  was  Colonel 
John  H.  Earnest. 

In  October  of  this  year  President  Lincoln  issued  his  proclama- 
tion emancipating  all  negroes  after  the  first  day  of  January,  18G3, 
which  information  greatly  excited  the  slave  owners  of  the  county. 

Some  idea  of  the  conditions  existing  during  this  time  may  be 
gathered  from  a  diary  kept  by  a  very  aged  citizen  of  Abingdon, 
from  the  summer  of  1861  to  the  fall  of  1863,  which  diary  is  here 
given, 

"1861.  July  1st.  The  evening  train  had  about  150  troops;  100 
from  Arkansas,  the  balance  from  Georgia,  remnants  of  companies 
gone  on. 

"1861.  July  2d.  At  dark  I  saw  the  comet  for  the  first  time,  but 
it  was  seen  the  night  before  by  others.  It  is  the  largest  I  have  ever 
seen;  it  was  high  up  north  of  west,  at  ten  o'clock  it  was  large,  the 
tail  was  broad  and  appeared  to  be  250  feet  long,  the  body  of  it 
appeared  the  size  of  a  common  hat. 

"1861.  July   3d.  The  evening  train   had   200   Arkansas  troops. 

"1861.  July  4th.  This  day  eighty-five  years  ago  since  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  of  the  old  U.  S.  It's  gone,  and  to-day  there 
is  another  declaration  going  on  for  independence,  the  South  against 
the  North,  and  it  must  and  will  end  the  same  way  the  first  declara- 
tion did  against  old  England.  The  South  must  be  independent 
of  the  North,  her  cause  is  more  just,  etc.  In  1775  there  were  two 
parties,  one  for  immediate  independence  from  old  England,  the 
other  was  for  no  separation  from  the  mother  country,  as  they  called 
it.  But  independence  was  declared  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776.  The 
party  that  went  for  independence  of  the  mother  country  and  fought 
for  it  and  got  it  was  called  Whigs  and  the  party  against  indepen- 
dence was  the  Tory  party  and  fought  against  it,  but  was  defeated ; 
yet  they  remained  Tories,  for  I  can  remember  hearing  one  of  them 
in  Wythe  county  when  he  got  drunk,  "halloo"  for  King  George,  &c. 
The  present  revolution  for  independence  and  a  separation  from 
Northern  tyrants,  or  rather  Northern  Goths  and  vandals,  against 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  525 

So'Uthern  rights  is  tenfold  greater  than  the  first  revolution^  and  in 
all  respects  like  it,  as  to  the  parties  Whig  and  Tory.  Bnt  I  believe 
it  will  end  just  like  the  first  revolution. 

"1861.  July  4th.  Cold  all  day.  The  evening  train  took  Captain 
David  Campbell  Dunn's  company  to  General  Floyd's  Brigade  at 
Wytheville,  seventy-eight  men  and  boys. 

"1861.  July  16th.  To-day  awful  news  from  General  Garnett's 
command  at  Beverly,  Eandolph  county.  Fulkerson's  regiment  is 
part  of  it.  Colonel  Fulkerson's  regiment  is  composed  of  five  com- 
panies from  Abingdon  and  county,  two  from  Eussell,  one  from 
Davis  and  one  company  from  Lee  county.  The  news  is  that  all  are 
killed  and  taken  and  that  General  Garnett  is  killed. 

"1861.  July  33d.  News  this  morning  of  a  great  battle  fought  on 
the  31st,  last  Sunday,  at  Manassas,  between  the  Southern  forces 
and  Lincoln's  ISTorthern  or  black  army,  in  which  the  latter  lost 
25,000  men  killed,  the  South  15,000.  If  this  be  true  it  beats 
Waterloo,  for  the  South  had  only  60,000,  while  the  Korth  had 
95,000. 

"1861.  July  36th.  Colonel  John  A.  Campbell's  regiment  left 
for  Staunton  to-day,  ten  companies,  three  companies  from  Wash- 
ington county,  nine  companies  of  old  Washington  county  now  in 
the  field.  Colonel  Campbell  has  Captain  White's  and  David  Camp- 
bell's and  J.  C.  Campbell's  companies. 

"1861.  August  31.  This  morning  at  five  o'clock  the  house  trem- 
bled and  shook,  the  window  sash  rattled  so  much  that  it  awakened 
all,  the  rocking  of  the  house  awakened  me.  I  never  felt  such  a 
sensation  before,  the  house  appeared  to  be  standing  on  something, 
the  house  would  quiver  and  rattle  like  it  would  fall. 

"1861.  September  1st.  Two  trains  at  ten  o'clock  with  1,100 
troops,  one  company  of  eighty-two  from  Mobile,  Alabama,  and  the 
balance  from  New  Orleans,  mashed  up  at  the  bridge  west  of 
Abingdon  depot,  killing  one  and  wounding  twenty  odd,  the  front 
engine  with  the  conductor  cut  loose  and  went  on  towards  Lynch- 
burg, the  other  engine  was  mashed  up  in  the  wreck,  but  the  engineer 
and  conductor  left  rather  suspiciously. 

"September  3d.  The  soldier  scalded  in  the  mash  up  died  last 

night. 

"1861.  September  21st.  John  M.  Preston  died  this  morning  at 

Seven-Mile  Ford. 


52()  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1186. 

•'18G1.  September  2-itli.  Charles  G.  Preston,  son  of  F.  H.  Pres- 
ton, died  on  the  15th.  He  belonged  to  the  Greenbrier  Cavalry,  was 
in  the  retreat  from  Laurel  Hill  in  July  last  when  General  Garnett 
was  killed. 

"18G1.  September  28th.  No  trains  from  the  East  yesterday,  no 
mail,  the  rivers  were  higher  yesterday  than  any  one  recollects, 
hO'Uses  were  taken  off  where  never  known  before.  The  whole  roof 
of  one  house  was  left  on  the  bank  of  the  river  below  Mr.  Cole's 
on  the  Middle  Fork.  Tlie  Holston  river  was  six  feet  higher  than 
ever  known  before. 

"18G1.  October  1st.  Part  of  a  company  of  horse  got  here  last 
evening  from  Kentucky. 

"1861.  October  3d.  Hon.  John  C.  Breckenridge  and  William 
Preston,  of  Kentucky,  got  to  Abingdon  to-day. 

"18G1.  October  14th.  A  company  of  horse,  111  from  Kentucky 
by  way  of  Pound  Gap,  got  here  this  evening,  all  armed  with  double- 
barreled  shot-guns,  under  Captain  Desha. 

"18G1.  October  15.  I  was  wrongly  informed  as  to  the  arms  of 
the  Kentuckians,  they  have  Minnie  rifles  and  muskets,  and  were  a 
part  of  the  State  guard.  Three  thousand  dollars  reward  for  the 
above-mentioned  Captain  Desha ;  his  father  is  here  with  him. 

"1861.  October  30th.  The  Kentucky  company  took  the  cars  for 
Qeneral  Buckner's  headquarters  by  way  of  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
and  all  took  the  oath  this  morning.  One  of  the  Kentuckians  by 
accident  shot  himself  through  the  arm  above  and  below  the  elbow. 

"1861.  November  13th.  This  day  the  Cherokee  artillery  of  Geor- 
gia got  here  from  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina.  The  train  with 
most  of  the  regiment  ran  off  near  Senter  depot  last  night  and 
killed  three  and  hurt  several.  They  have  three  brass  six-pounders 
and  one  iron  rifled  six-pounder. 

"1861.  November  25t]i.  Twenty  of  Colonel  Jenkins'  cavalry  got 
here  to-day  from  Dublin,  where  they  took  ninety-four  prisoners 
captured  at  Guyandotte  on  the  17th. 

"1861.  November  26th.  Colonel  Stewart's  Fifty-sixth  Virginia 
Volunteer  Pegiment  got  to  Abingdon  depot  to-night  on  their  way 
to  Pound  Gap  to  join  General  Humphrey  Marshall. 

"1861.  December  9th.  Three  hundred  cavalry,  Colonel  Phillips, 
of  Georgia  Legion,  got  here  to-day  from  Tory  mountains  of  Vir- 


Washington  Comity,  1777-1870.  527 

ginia,  and  left  for  Taylorsville,  Term.,  the  Tory  moimtains  of 
Tennessee.     The  balance  of  the  regiment  is  behind. 

"N.  B. — The  above  regiment  is  said  to  be  the  Fifty-seventh  Vir- 
ginia, and  that  a  battalion  from  North  Carolina  went  about  the 
same  time  after  night  and  stopped  at  Bristol. 

"1861.  December  8th.  There  are  now  at  the  depot  six  cannon, 
two  of  them  rifled,  and  twenty-four  carriages. 

"1861.  December  31st.  Mrs.  Humes  died  to-day,  General  Floyd's 
Brigade  has  been  going  for  the  last  week  on  the  railroad  from  the 
Tory  mountains  of  Virginia  to  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky. 

"1862.  March  16th.  Jacob  Lynch  died  this  morning  at  two 
o'clock,  his  brother  Daniel  died  at  Estillville,  Scott  county,  the  16th 
of  March,  1843,  at  12  o'clock. 

"1862.  May  18th.  Adam  Hickman  died  this  morning  at  twenty 
minutes  past  nine  o'clock,  lias  been  in  bad  health  for  about  ten 
years. 

"1862.  July  1st.  It  rained  very  liard  at  sundown,  just  after  the 
train  got  to  the  depot  with  the  remains  of  Colonel  Fnlkerson,  who 
was  shot  the  evening  of  the  27th,  in  the  battle  below  Kichmond  in 
a  charge  on  the  enemy's  battery,  which  was  taken,  but  the  Colonel 
died  the  28th,  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  His  place  cannot  be 
filled  in  Southwest  Virginia,  and  I  doubt  if  it  can  be  in  the  State. 
He  was  buried  July  2d  at  twelve  o'clock. 

"1862.  November    6th.    got    home    to-day    from 

Kentucky ;  has  been  there  almost  two  months ;  brought  a  fine  Bowie 

knife  of  a  Union  Tory  and  his  cap   (tip  too)   

killed  him.  Nothing  now  on  this  continent  in  the  shape  of  man 
but  thieves,  robbers  and  murderers. 

"1862.  December  22d.  Jerry  and  Jim,  slaves  of  Allen,  of  Ten- 
nessee, were  convicted  for  the  murder  of  William  McDaniel  on  the 
farm  of  Colonel  John  Preston  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  on  the 
23d  day  of  January,  1863. 

"1862.  December  31st.  It  is  said  that  1,500  or  3,000  cavalry 
(Yanks)  came  through  Stone  Gap,  and  got  to  Blountville,  the  30th, 
and  took  it. 

"1863.  Jannary  23d.  This  day  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock 
Jerry  and  Jim  were  hung  in  the  Academy  field  for  the  murder  of 
William  McDaniel  in  October,  1862. 

"1863.  March   4th.  This  night,    1841,   Charles   B.    Coale   and 


528  Soutluvest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 

mj'self  were  converted  by  Dave  Shaver  in  what  is  called  the  Kadical 
Church,  to  Methodism ;  Hum — 

"1863.  March  28th.  Yesterday  was  Jeff  Davis'  fast  day,  whether 
the  people  fasted  or  not  I  don't  know,  but  they  went  to  the  different 
churches. 

"18G2.  November  22d.  William  Fields  died  the  22d  of  Novem- 
ber, 1862,  in  the  fifty-second  year  of  his  age,  no  better  man  has 
lived  or  died  in  Washington  county.  His  father  died  New  Year's 
morning  1829,  just  such  a  man." 

By  the  fall  of  the  year  1862,  the  Southern  sympathizers  living  in 
the  State  of  Kentucky  were  compelled  to  leave  their  homes,  and 
the  provisional  Grovernor  of  that  State,  after  being  inaugurated  at 
Frankfort,  Kentucky,  on  the  4th  of  October,  was  forced  to  leave  his 
State  and  had  his  headquarters  in  Abingdon  on  the  31st  of  October. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1862,  shoes  in  Abingdon  brought 
from  $10  to  $12  per  pair,  boots  from  $20  to  $30  per  pair,  a  pair  of 
jeans  pants,  $20 ;  a  jeans  coat,  $30  to  $40 ;  a  bushel  of  corn,  $2.50 
to  $3 ;  a  bushel  of  wheat,  $4 ;  a  barrel  of  flour,  $25,  and  a  bushel  of 
sweet  potatoes.  $5. 

The  people  of  this  county  were  greatly  excited  by  the  invasion 
of  East  Tennessee  by  about  fifteen  himdred  Federal  troops  under 
the  command  of  G-eneral  Carter. 

At  the  time.  General  Humphrey  Marshall  with  his  brigade  was 
at  Abingdon,  and  immediately  started  in  pursuit,  accompanied  by 
a  volunteer  company  from  this  county  under  Lieutenant  Warren 
M.  Hopkins. 

The  invaders  succeeded  in  destroying  the  railroad  bridge  across 
the  Holston  and  Watauga  rivers  and  made  their  escape. 

In  January,  1863,  the  GrOvernor  of  Virginia  made  a  requisition 
upon  the  authorities  of  Washington  county  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  slaves  to  work  upon  the  fortifications  around  Richmond, 
which  request  was  complied  with,  after  some  time. 

The  court  directed  the  sheriff  and  his  deputies  to  ascertain  the 
number  of  slaves  in  the  county  of  all  ages  and  sexes  and  the  num- 
ber of  male  slaves  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five 
years.  The  sheriff  and  his  deputies  and  the  commissioners  of  the 
revenue  reported,  ascertaining  the  number  of  slaves  in  this  county 
to  be  twenty-seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  and  the  number  of 
male  slaves  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five  years  to 


WasUngion  County,  1777-1870.  529 

be  six  hundred  and  fourteen;  thereupon  the  court  directed  Tobias 
Smith,  Jolin  N.  Humes,  Abram  Mongle  and  Joseph  W.  Davis  to 
apportion  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  slaves  required  from  this 
county,  upon  the  male  slaves  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 
forty-five  years,  and  required  the  slave-holders  of  the  county  to 
deliver  his  or  her  quota  of  slaves  to  the  sheriff  of  this  county  at 
Abingdon,  Goodson  and  Glade  Spring  on  the  21st  of  February, 
1863,  and  Jolm  L.  Bradley  and  Moses  Brooks  were  appointed 
agents  or  overseers  for  such  slaves,  and  Floyd  B.  Hurt  was  directed 
to  notify  the  railroad  company  of  the  number  of  slaves  to  be  sent 
from  this  county  to  Richmond. 

At  the  same  term  of  the  court  an  order  was  entered  appointing 
the  Eev.  Thomas  Catlett  agent  for  the  county  to  proceed  to  North 
Carolina  to  purchase  cotton  yarn  and  domestic  for  the  destitute 
families  of  soldiers  in  this  county. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  1863,  the  portion  of  salt  allotted  to 
this  county  from  the  Saltworks  was  distributed  among  the  people 
by  T.  G.  McConnell,  William  R.  Rhea  and  Robert  C.  Allison,  in 
quantities  not  less  than  ten  bushels  and  at  $2  per  bushel. 

On  Thursday  evening,  the  10th  of  September,  1863,  Rebecca 
Lynch  and  Elizabeth  Murray,  of  this  ooimty,  were  under  an  oak 
tree  near  Lynch's  Spring  on  the  turnpike  at  the  head  of  McBroom's 
mill-dam,  with  twO'  Confederate  soldiers,  during  a  storm.  Light- 
ning struck  the  tree  under  which  they  had  taken  shelter  and  the 
four  persons  were  killed. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1863,  Washington  coimty  was  overrun  by 
stragglers  and  deserters  from  the  army,  claiming  to  belong  to  the 
cavalry  service.  These  men  traveled  about  and  over  the  county  in 
bands  of  from  two  to  twenty,  and  robbed  the  citizens  indiscrimi- 
nately of  their  money,  clothing,  horses,  saddles,  bridles,  their  grain 
and  forage,  by  force  and  actual  violence,  and  such  was  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs  that  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county 
appealed  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  for  a  remedy,  stat- 
ing that  they  had  appealed  to  the  military  authorities,  but  without 
avail. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  and  the  spring  and  summer  of  1863  several 
companies  of  infantry  and  cavalry  were  organized  in  this  connty — 
viz.:  Company  E,  of  the  Sixty-third  Virginia  Regiment,  Captain 
David  0.  Rush;  Company  F,  of  the  Sixty-third  Virginia  Regiment, 


530  Southwest  'Virginia,  nife-llSG. 

Captain  James  Snodgi-ass;    Company  C,  of  the  Twenty-first  Vir- 
ginia Eegiment,  Captain  R.  J.  Preston;    Company  ,  Twenty- 

iirst  Virginia  Cavalry,  Captain  Fred  Gray. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  another  requisition  was  made  upon  the 
county  autlioritics  for  eighty  slaves  to  work  upon  the  fortifications 
at  Saltville. 

The  county  had  been  tlireatened  with  an  invasion  by  the  enemy 
during  the  fall  of  the  year  and  had  been  overrun  as  before 
described,  and  the  County  Court,  at  the  October  term,  petitioned 
the  Governor  to  exempt  this  county  from  the  requisition,  but  their 
petition  was  refused  and  the  slaves  were  furnished  early  in  the  year 
18G4. 

At  tlie  same  term  of  the  court  an  order  was  entered  appointing 
-lohn  Roberts  a  general  agent  for  the  county  to  purchase  supplies 
for  the  families  of  soldiers  who  were  in  indigent  circumstances, 
and  district  agents  were  appointed  in  the  several  districts  of  the 
county  with  authority  to  purchase  supplies  for  the  same  purpose 
and  to  draw  upon  John  G.  Ivreger  for  such  sums  of  money  as 
were  needed  for  tlie  purpose. 

At  the  November  court,  1863,  the  districts  of  the  commissioners 
of  revenue  for  the  county  were  designated,  pursuant  to  an  Act 
of  Assembly,  the  Western  District  being  No.  1,  and  the  Eastern 
District  No.  2. 

By  December,  1863,  the  condition  of  affairs  was  such  that  the 
people  of  the  county  were  threatened  with  a  famine  for  bread,  and 
the  County  Court  entered  an  order  calling  the  attention  of  the  Con- 
federate-authorities  at  Richmond  to  the  condition  of  affairs  in  this 
county  and  asking  their  aid  in  every  legitimate  way  to  prevent  any 
further  appropriation  of  the  means  of  the  people  of  this  county  to 
the  support  of  the  army. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1863,  a  company  was  organized  at 
Abingdon  for  home  defence.  This  company  was  officered  as  fol- 
lows: 

Captain,  Peter  C.  Johnson. 

First  Lieutenant,  Joseph  T.  Campbell. 

Second  Lieutenant,  Charles  F.  Keller. 

Third  Lieutenant,  W.  R.  Trigg. 

A  full  complement  of  sergeants  and  corporals  were  appointed 
and  Saturday  was  fixed  as  the  day  for  drilling.    This  was  the  sec- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  531 

ond  company  organized  for  home  defence  in  the  town,  the  first  com- 
pany having  been  organized  on  the  22d  of  June,  1863,  and  was 
officered  as  follows: 

A.  C.  Cummings,  captain. 

John  A.  Campbell,  first  lieutenant. 

G.  V.  Litchfield,  second  lieutenant. 

Charles  F.  Keller,  first  sergeant. 

James  L.  Davis,  second  sergeant. 

Henry  Roberts,  third  sergeant. 

John  Leach,  fourth  sergeant. 

James  A.  King,  fifth  sergeant. 

James  S.  Munsey,  first  corporal. 

These  two  companies  undertook  the  protection  of  this  community 
upon  ordinary  occasions  and  discharged  their  duties  well. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year.  Colonel  William  E.  Peters  was  elected 
to  represent  this  district  in  the  Senate  of  Virginia,  while  Colonel 
A.  C.  Cummings  and  Captain  George  Graham  were  elected  to 
represent  the  county  in  the  House  of  Delegates,  but,  in  the  fall.  Colo- 
nel Peters  resigned  his  position  as  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  Colonel  Joseph  J.  Graham,  of  Wythe,  was  elected  to  fill 
the  vacancy. 

The  tlii-eatened  invasion  by  the  Federal  troops  from  the  West  was 
so  imminent  that  on  the  16th  of  October,  1863,  Abingdon  was 
honored  with  two  major  and  six  brigadier-generals — to-wit:  Ean- 
som,  Samuel  Jones,  Corse,  Wharton,  Williams,  W.  E.  Jones,  Jack- 
son and  C'rittenden. 

By  January  1,  1864,  this  county  had  furnished  at  least  two 
thousand  men,  nearly  all  volunteers,  to  the  army  of  the  Confederate 
States,  and  had  been  subjected  to  the  necessity  of  having  quartered 
on  them  large  numbers  of  troops,  and  provisions  and  forage  were 
scarcer  in  the  county  than  they  had  been  for  many  years.  Serious 
apprehensions  were  felt  that  the  poor  of  the  county  and  the  families 
of  soldiers  would  suffer.  During  the  fall  of  1863,  the  brigades  of 
Generals  Corse,  Jones  and  Wharton  were  encamped  near  Abing- 
don for  more  than  a  month,  and  had  consumed  large  quantities  of 
provision  and  forage.  There  were  at  this  time  about  one  thousand 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers  in  the  three  hospitals  in  the  county. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  situation  of  the  people  of  the  county, 
in  the  month  of  ]\Iarch,  1864,  officers  were  impressing  in  the  lower 


532  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

end  of  this  county  ail  provisions  to  be  found  except  five  bushels  of 
giuin  and  fifty  pounds  of  beef  or  bacon  to  each  adult  of  tlie  family, 
and  one-half  the  quantity  for  those  under  fourteen  years  of  age, 
for  use  by  General  Longstreet's  forces,  and  by  tlie  sumniar  of  this 
year,  wheat  sold  at  $30  per  bushel  and  corn  at  $24. 

It  seems  tliat  such  a  condition  of  affairs  would  have  been  unbear- 
able, but  such  was  the  patriotism  and  loyalty  of  our  people  to  their 
Commonwealth,  that  they,  with  but  little  hesitation,  furnished  the 
officers  of  the  Confederate  government  the  greater  portion  of  all  the 
grain  and  provision  that  they  could  possibly  secure. 

General  Buekner  and  General  Morgan  were  both  in  Abingdon  on 
the  first  of  April,  1864. 

A  portion  of  General  Morgan's  Brigade  were  encamped  for  a 
few  days  near  our  town. 

On  the  5th  day  of  February,  1864,  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
Jacob  Mullens,  of  Wise  county,  Virginia,  was  shot  by  order  of 
Colonel  Prentiss,  in  West  Abingdon,  at  the  location  of  the  colored 
graveyard.  Mullens  had  deserted  from  his  company  and  Joined  the 
enemy.  The  Abingdon  paper  in  speaking  of  Mullens  says:  "He 
was  an  exceedingly  ignorant  young  man,  almost  a  heathen,  having 
never  read  the  Bible,  nor  heard  it  read  until  after  his  conviction, 
and  never  heard  a  sermon  in  his  life.  The  chaplain  of  the  post 
and  several  other  ministers  here  gave  him  the  benefit  of  their  coun- 
sel and  consolation,  and  he  seemed  to  be  penitent.  He  was  greatly 
affected  on  the  day  of  his  execution,  but  exhibited  a  good  deal  of 
firmness  and  composure  after  arriving  at  the  place  of  execution. 
He  was  sitting  upon  his  coffin  with  his  fingers  in  his  ears  when  the 
order  to  fire  was  given.  He  expired  almost  immediately,  five  balls 
having  pierced  his  breast.^^* 

This  is  but  one  instance  of  the  many  that  happened  during  the 
war,  such  executions  being  necessary  to  enforce  discipline  and  to 
render  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy  effective. 

The  first  day  of  April,  1864,  was  set  apart  as  a  day  of  humilia- 
tion, fasting  and  prayer  throughout  our  Southland,  and  tliat  day 
was  observed  by  all  our  people. 

On  the  same  day  James  K.  Gibson  resigned  his  office  as  Con- 


••"  Abiugdon  Virginian." 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  533 

federate  States  Depositary  at  Abingdon,  and  Floyd  B.  Hurt  was 
appointed  his  successor. 

The  Comity  Court  at  its  April  term,  1864,  directed  that  $50,000 
be  levied  upon  the  county  to  buy  grain  in  Georgia  or  elsewhere  to 
be  distributed  among  the  poor  and  the  families  of  soldiers  who 
were  in  indigent  circumstances  in  this  county,  and  Aaron  L.  Hen- 
dricks was  appointed  to  purchase  the  said  corn  and  have  it  con- 
veyed to  this  county,  and  committees  were  appointed  in  each  of  the 
magisterial  districts  of  the  county  to  solicit  subscriptions  and 
relieve  the  sufferings  of  the  people  as  far  as  possible. 

The  County  Court  at  this  time  had  on  hand  six  hundred  and 
eighty  bushels  of  salt,  which  was  much  more  valuable  than  the  Con- 
federate currency  and  county  scrip,  and  the  court  directed  Jonas 
S.  Kelly  to  convey  this  salt  to^  Tennessee  and  exchange  the  same  for 
corn,  to  relieve  the  suffering  families  of  the  soldiers  of  this  county. 

The  indebtedness  of  Washington  county  on  the  23d  of  May,  1864, 
Avas  ascertained  to  be  $53,648.66. 

To  add  to  the  sufferings  of  the  people  of  the  county,  small-pox  in 
a  dangerous  form  appeared  in  the  vicinity  of  Abmgdon,  produc- 
ing a  great  deal  of  uneasiness  among  the  people. 

On  the  3d  day  of  September,  1864,  General  John  H.  Morgan, 
who  had  been  of  great  service  to  the  people  of  this  county,  was 
foully  murdered  at  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Williams  in  Green- 
ville, Tennessee.  He  was  betrayed  by  a  young  Mrs.  Williams,  who 
had  left  her  home  upon  the  coming  of  General  Morgan,  and 
informed  the  Federal  troops  of  the  whereabouts  of  General  Mor- 
gan and  the  number  of  guards  on  duty,  and  on  Sunday  morning 
the  3d,  the  house  where  General  Morgan  was  sleeping  was  sur- 
rounded by  Federal  troops,  and  in  attempting  to  escape  General 
Morgan  was  shot  through  the  right  breast  and  killed,  his  body 
thrown  across  a  horse  and  paraded  through  the  streets  of  the  town. 

On  Monday  night  the  remains  of  General  Morgan  arrived  at 
Abingdon,  and  were  taken  to  the  residence  of  Judge  Campbell  in 
the  vicinity,*  where  Mrs.  Morgan  with  one  or  two  relatives  were 
sojourning.  On  Tuesday  evening  at  4  o'clock,  funeral  services  weire 
performed  by  Chaplain  Cameron,  and  the  procession  formed  by 
General  George  B.  Crittenden.    It  was  the  largest  and  most  impoa- 


*Aoklin,  home  of  Mr.  Mingea. 


534  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

ing  procession  of  the  sort  ever  seen  in  this  part  of  the  country.  The 
order  was  as  follows : 

1st.  Jlearse,  with  the  body  and  guards  on  each  side,  withouC 
arms. 

2d.  Chaplains. 

3d.  Family  of  deceased. 

4th.  Military  family,   mounted  by  twos. 

Sth,.  Military  court,  mounted  by  twos. 

6th.  Officers  of  the  army,  mounted  by  twos. 

.'('th.  Privates^  mounted  by  twos. 

8th.  Citizens,  mounted  by  twos. 

9th.  Citizens,  dismounted. 

As  the  sun  went  down  behind  dark  masses  of  clcnids  in  the  West, 
emblematic  of  the  sorrow  and  glooui  that  pervaded  the  vast  con- 
course in  attendance,  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  immortal  John  H. 
Morgan  A\-as  consigned  to  the  rest  of  the  tomb,  there  to  sleep, 
unmindful  of  the  clash  of  arms  and  the  terrible  tread  of  armies, 
until  the  trump  that  marshals  the  buried  millions  shall  break  his 
slumbers. 

The  remains  of  General  Morgan  were  interred  in  Sinking  Spring 
Cemetery,  but  were  subsequently  removed  to  his  home  in  Kentucky. 

General  Morgan  was  succeeded  in  his  command  by  General  Duke, 
of  Kentucky,  but  from  this  time  forward  the  people  of  this  county 
were  without  hope  and  calmly  awaited  the  inevitable. 

The  subscription  price  of  the  "Abingdon  Virginian,"  at  this  time 
was  $8  per  year. 

BATTLE  OF  SALTVILLE. 

Major-General  Burbridge,  in  command  of  about  five  thousand 
Federal  troops,  at  this  time  entered  A'irgiuia  l)y  way  of  Pikeville, 
Kentucky,  and  proceeded  up  the  Big  Sandy  and  crossed  the  moun- 
tains into  Tazewell  county  at  Eichlands.  At  the  same  time  Gen- 
eral Gillem,  at  the  head  of  a  considerable  force  of  Federal  troops, 
was  making  every  effort  tO'  enter  Virginia  from  East  Tennessee,  but 
the  progress  of  Gill'em  was  greatly  retarded  by  the  efforts  of 
General  Vaughan,  who  was  in  command  of  a  considerable  body  of 
Confederate  troops  in  that  section. 

It  was  known  that  the  destination  of  General  Burbridge  and 
General  Gillem  was  the  Saltworks  in  this  county,  and  the  reserves 


Washington  County,- 1777-1870.  535 

of  this  county  (being  boys  under  seventeen  and  men  over  forty- 
live  years  of  age)  were  called  upon  to  organize  for  the  purpose  of 
defending  their  homes,  and,  by  the  30th  day  of  September,  four 
companies  were  ready  for  service  under  the  command  of  Colonol 
James  T.  Preston,  as  follows : 

Company  I,  Captain  Thomas  Patterson. 
Company  C,  Captain  William  B.  Campbell. 
Company  E,  Captain  John  W.  Worley. 
Company  F,  Captain  William  Barrow. 

A  portion  of  these  companies  were  organized  some  time  pre- 
vious to  this  time. 

At  the  same  time.  General  Vaughan  with  his  forces  was  ordered 
to  Saltville  from  East  Tennessee,  where  he  had,  until  this  time, 
successfully  opposed  the  advance  of  General  Gillem's  Brigade. 
When  it  was  known  that  General  Vaughan  had  been  ordered  to 
Saltville,  such  a  stampede  as  occurred  among  the  people  of  this 
section  had  never  before  been  witnessed  in  this  county.  The  roads 
were  crammed  and  blocked  with  cattle,  sheep,  negroes,  wagons,  bug- 
gies and  great  numbers  of  citizens  with  their  families.  The  scene 
was  almost  indescribable,  and  Abingdon  was  deserted,  with  the 
exception  of  a  very  few  old  men,  ^^'omen  and  children. 

About  seven  hundred  reserves  had  gathered  at  Saltville  under 
the  command  of  C^olonel  Robert  Smith,  of  Tazewell;  Colonel  Robert 
Preston,  of  Montgomery;  Colonel  James  T.  Preston,  of  Wash- 
ington, and  Colonel  Kent,  of  Wythe. 

Colonel  Robert  Trigg,  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Virginia  Regiment, 
being  at  Saltville  at  that  time,  took  charge  od:  this  force  and  was 
actively  engaged  in  organizing'  it  wlien  General  A.  E.  Jackson 
arrived  and  took  connnand  and  began  to  plan  the  defences  of  the 
place. 

General  Burbridge  had  followed  the  State  road  from  •  Kentucky 
into  Tazewell  county  and  from  Richlands  directed  his  course  by 
Cedar  Bluff  toward  the  Saltworks. 

Giltner's  Brigade,  composed  of  the  Fourth  Kentucky,  Johnson's 
Battalion,  Jenkin's  Battalion,  Clay's  Battalion,  the  Tenth  Ken- 
tucky Cavalry  and  the  Sixty-fourth  Virginia  Regiment,  met  Bur- 
bridge's  army  at  Cedar  BlufP,  and  from  that  point  disputed  his 
advance  at  every  opportunity  from  the   30th  day  of   September 


536  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

until  he  had  passed  Laurel  Gap  in  Clinch  mountain  on  Saturday, 
October  1,  1864. 

This  brigade  of  Confederate  troops  was  composed  of  probably 
the  best  soldiers  in  the  Confederate  army  and  numbered  about 
twelve  hundred  men. 

They  not  only  assailed  Burbridge's  army  at  every  opportunity, 
but  cut  trees  across  the  road  and  placed  every  obstruction  in  the 
way  that  could  be  thought  of  to  retard  tlie  progress  of  the  Federal 
army  through  Tazewell  county,  and,  notwithstanding  the  superior 
forces  commanded  by  Burbridge,  the  Federal  army  was  unable  to 
pass  through  the  Laurel  Gap  in  Clinch  moimtain  for  more  than  a 
day. 

When  Giltner's  Brigade  had,  by  superior  strength,  been  driven 
from  the  Laurel  Gap,  it  was  divided  into  two  sections  of  about 
equal  numbers,  the  first  section  passing  down  the  Poor  Valley  road 
destroying  bridges  and  obstructing  the  road  in  every  possible  way. 
This  force  was  commanded  by  Dr.  E.  0.  Guerrant,  of  Giltner's 
staff,  and  Colonel  Pryor,  of  the  Fourth  Kentucky,  while  the  second 
section  crossed  the  river  and  followed  the  Valley  road  to  Saltville, 
and  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  H.  L.  Giltner. 

Colonel  Giltner  expected  Burbridge  with  his  army  to  march 
to  the  Saltworks  that  night,  and  if  he  had,  the  capture  of  the  works 
would  have  been  inevitable,  but,  to  the  surprise  of  the  Confederate 
forces,  Burbridge's  army  went  into  camp  in  the  bottom  on  the  south 
of  Laurel  Gap  and  remained  imtil  the  following  morning,  Sunday, 
October  2,  1864. 

The  Federal  forces  began  their  march  to  Saltville  and  arrived  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river  near  Governor  Saunder's  residence 
between  nine  and  ten  A.  M.  of  that  day,  and  in  the  meantime  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  same  day.  General  John  S.  Williams,  of 
Wheeler's  Cavalry,  arrived  at  Saltville,  with  his  division,  which 
was  composed  of  Eobertson's  Brigade,  of  soldiers  from  Texas, 
Dibrell's  Brigade  and  the  ISTinth  iCentucky  Cavalry  commanded  by 
Colonel  William  C.  P.  Breckenridge. 

The  Confederate  forces  at  Saltville  at  this  time  were  as  follows : 

Colonel  H.  L.  Giltner's  Brigade,  composed  of  the  Fourth  Ken- 
tucky, commanded  by  Colonel  Pryor ;  Tenth  Kentucky,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Edwin  Trimble;  Johnson's  Battalion,  Kentucky  troops; 
Clay's  Battalion,  Kentucky  troops;  Jenkins'  Battalion,  Kentucky 
troops;     the    Sixty-fourth    Virginia    Regiment,    commanded    by 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  537 

Colonel  A.  L.  Pridemore;  Brigadier-General  John.  S.  Williams' 
Brigade,  composed  of  Eobertson's  Brigade,  commanded  by  General 
Eobertson;  Dibrell's  Brigade,  commanded  by  General  George  Dib- 
rell;  Ninth  Kentucky  Cavalry,  commanded  by  Colonel  William 
C.  P.  Breckenridge ;  First  Kentucky,  commanded  by  Colonel  Grif- 
fith; the  Thirteenth  Battalion  of  Virginia  reserves,  commanded 
by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Eobert  Smith,  of  Tazewell  county,  the  rank- 
ing colonel  then  present.  This  battalion  was  composed  of  the  fol- 
lowing companies: 

Company  A,  Smyth  county,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  James 
Golahon. 

Company  B,  Tazewell  county,  commanded  by  Captain  Samuel  L. 
Graham. 

Company  C,  Washington  county,  commanded  by  Tjieutenant 
J.  S.  Booher. 

Company  D,  Smyth  county,  commanded  by Anderson. 

Company  F,  Washington  county,  commanded  l\v  Captain  Wil- 
liam Barrow. 

Company  G,  Russell  county,  commanded  by  Captain  A.  P. 
Gilmer. 

Company  H,  Tazewell  county,  commaiided  by  Captain  George  E. 
Starnes. 

Company  I,  Washington  county,  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas 
E.  Patterson. 

Company  E,  Washington  county,  commanded  by  Captain  Henry 
B.  Eoberts,  Avas  on  duty  at  Abingdon,  and  did  not  reach  the  battle- 
ground until  about  sundown  of  October  2d. 

Kent's  Battalion,  commanded  by  Colonel  Kent  and  Major  Houn- 
shell,  of  Wythe. 

This  battalion  was  composed  of  several  companies  of  militia  from 
Wythe,  Carroll  and  Grayson  counties;  the  officers'  names  I  do  not 
know. 

The  forces  at  Saltville  were  under  command  of  General  A.  E. 
Jackson  until  about  9  :30  of  the  morning  of  the  day  of  the  battle, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  General  Williams,  who  arrived  at  that 
time,  and  took  command  of  all-  the  forces  then  at  Saltville. 

General  Williams  began  his  preparations  for  the  battle  and 
arranged  his  forces  as  follows: 

Colonel  James  T.  Preston,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  reserves. 


538  Sovfhwesl  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

was  directed  to  form  a  skirmish  line  along  the  river  and  to  defend 
the  ford  one-half  a  mile  above  the  lower  works. 

The  line  of  battle  was  formed  from  right  to  left  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  the  right  wing  of  the  army  fronting  the  residence  of 
Governor  Saunders,  the  forces  being  arranged  in  the  following 
order : 

To  the  north  of  the  road  and  on  the  extreme  left  the  First  Ken- 
tucky, Colonel  Griffith,  and,  in  the  order  named,  to  the  right,  the 
Ninth  Kentucky  Cavalry,  Colonel  William  C.  P.  Breckenridge, 
Giltner's  Brigade,  as  follows:  Fourth  Kentucky,  Colonel  Pryor; 
Johnson's  Battalion,  Colonel  Thomas  Johnson;  Jenkins'  Bat- 
talion, Captain  Jenkins;  Clay's  Battalion,  Colonel  Clay;  Sixty- 
fourth  Virginia  Eeginient,  Colonel  A.  L.  Pridemore;  Tenth  Ken- 
tucky, Colonel  Edwin  Trimble — this  last  regiment  defending  the 
ford. 

To  the  south  of  the  road  and  facing  Governor  Saunders'  resi- 
dence, in  the  order  named,  the  Thirteenth  Battalion  of  Virginia 
Eeserves,  Colonel  Eo.  Smith;  Kent's  Battalion,  Colonel  Kent; 
Eobertson's  Brigade,  General  Eobertson,  and  Dibrell's  Brigade, 
General  George  Dibrell — this  last  brigade  forming  the  extreme 
right  of  the  army,  wliile  the  artillery  under  the  command  of  Cap- 
tain John  W.  Barr,  was  placed  on  Church  Hill,  north  of  the  pub- 
lic road  near  the  position  occupied  by  the  First  Kentucky  and  in  a 
position  that  commanded  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 

William  King's  Battery  was  to  the  south  of  Eobertson's  Brigade 
and  south  of  the  ridge,  and  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  take 
part  in  the  battle. 

The  Federal  forcas  were  partly  on  the  north  side  of  the  river 
and  partly  south  of  the  river  and  east  of  Dibrell's  Brigade.  Such 
was  the  position  of  the  opposing  forces  when  an  overwhelming  force 
of  Federal  troops,  colored  soldiers,  assaulted  Dibrell's  Brigade, 
which  brigade  retired  to  the  west  side  of  Cedar  creek,  and  had  every 
advantage  of  the  attacking  forces. 

A  part  of  Kenf s  Battalion  of  Eeserves  commanded  by  Major 
Hounshell  and  stationed  east  of  and  near  to  Governor  Saunders' 
house,  thinking  that  Dibrell's  Brigade  were  acting  in  a  cowardly 
manner  and  not  being  themselves  accustomed  to  war,  refused  to  leave 
their  position  and  for  some  time  and  without  any  assistance  main- 
tained the  contest  against  overwhelming  numbers,  suffering  the  loss 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  539 

of  a  number  of  excellent  men,  Major  Hoimshell  himself  exhibiting  a 
bravery  never  excelled,  but  after  some  time  this  force  was  induced 
to  retire  to  the  west  side  of  Cedar  creek,  and  at  this  point  the 
battle  began  in  earnest,  and  in  a  few  mojuents  the  colored  regiment 
was  repulsed  with  groat  numbers  killed,  Colonel  Dibrell's  Brigade 
being  especially  effective  in  mowing  down  the  advancing  enemy. 

About  the  time  of  the  attack  on  Dibroll's  Brigade  the  Federal 
troops  attempted  to  foice  the  ford  at  the  position  occupied  by  the 
Tenth  Kentucky,  and  the  right  wing  of  Colonel  G-iltner's  Brigade, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  fouglit  with  determined  bravery, 
were  gradually  pressed  back  a  short  distance  from  their  ]X)sition  by 
a  whole  brigade  of  the  enemy  commanded  by  Colonel  Hanson,  and 
every  field  officer  of  the  Tenth  Kentucky  was  killed  or  wounded  at 
this  time. 

Colonel  Trigg,  seeing  the  situation  of  Giltner's  Brigade,  detached 
two  companies  from  Kent's  Battalion,  Wythe  and  Carroll  compa- 
uies,  and  sent  them  forward  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Kent 
to  reinforce  Colonel  Giltner. 

The  two  companies  thus  sent  to  the  assistance  of  Colonel  Giltner 
were  soon  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  and  lost  twenty-four  men, 
including  Captain  Shockley  and  First  Lieutenant  Bolt  of  the  cav- 
alry company. 

The  artillery,  under  command  of  Captain  Barr,  did  very  effec- 
tive work.  The  reserves  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Eobert 
Smith,  Colonel  Eoliert  Preston  and  Colonel  Kent,  were  in  the  thick- 
est of  the  fight,  and  their  gallantry  and  bravery  upon  this  occasion 
were  highly  commended  at  tlie  time  and  have  since  been  the  pride  of 
all  the  citizens  of  Southwest  Virginia. 

The  force  commanded  by  Colonel  James  T.  Preston  was  attacked 
at  about  two  o'clock  by  a  brigade  of  infantry  and  a  regiment  of 
cavalry  under  Colonel  Charles  Hanson,  but  held  their  position  from 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  until  dark,  with  the  assistance  of  about 
one  hundred  men  from  the  Tenth  Kentucky  Eegiment.  About 
one-half  an  hour  l^efore  dark.  Colonel  Hanson,  who  commanded  the 
enemy's  forces,  was  wounded  and  thereupon  withdrew.  The  battle 
lasted  from  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  sundown  of  the  same 
day,  and  resulted  in  the  precipitate  retreat  that  night  of  General 
Burbridge  to  Kentucky  by  the  road  thiit  lie  had  come,  hotly  pur- 
sued by  the  Confederate  forces. 


540  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

The  forces  engaged  in  tliis  battle  were,  according  to  the  official 
report  of  General  Burbridge,  four  thousand  eight  hundred  picked 
troops  on  the  Federal  side,  while  not  more  than  three  thousand 
men,  including  the  reserves,  were  on  the  Confederate  side. 

The  Federal  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  in  this  battle  was  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty,  the  number  of  prisoners  captured  is 
variously  estimated  at  from  three  to  twelve  hundred.  The  Federals 
left  dead  upon  the  field  one  hundred  and  four  white  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  negro  soldiers. 

The  Confederate  loss  was  eight  killed  and  fifty-one  wounded, 
among  the  killed  being  Colonel  Trimble  and  Lieutenant  Crutch- 
field,  of  the  Tenth  Kentucky  Eegiment. 

General  John  C.  Breckenridge,  who  was  in  command  of  this 
department  at  that  time,  reached  the  field  of  battle  about  sun-down, 
and  General  Vaughan,  who  had  made  a  forced  march  from  East 
Tennessee,  Math  his  own  and  Duke's  and  Cosby's  Brigades,  reached 
the  field  of  battle  just  as  the  enemy  began  to^  withdraw  and  in  time 
to  hear  the  shout  of  victory  given  along  the  lines  of  this  gallant 
army  of  Confederate  soldiers. 

It  was  thought  at  the  time  that  the  bravery  exhibited  in  this  con- 
test by  the  reserves  from  Southwest  Virginia  was  equal  to  the 
bravery  exhibited  by  the  citizens  of  this  county  at  King's  mountain 
in  1780. 

General  Burbridge  was  not  only  hotly  pursued  by  the  victorious 
forces,  but  he  was  assailed  at  all  points  upon  his  retreat,  and  escaped 
into  Kentucky  with  great  loss. 

This  victory,  if  it  could  have  been  the  fortune  of  our  country  to 
take  advantage  of  it,  as  did  our  forefathers  of  the  battle  of 
King's  mountain,  might  have  turned  the  tide  of  the  war  and  won 
for  the  South  her  independence.  But  the  condition  of  our  country 
at  this  time  was  hopeless. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  South  had  been  overrun  by  the  Fed- 
eral forces,  and  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy  were  starving  and 
naked,  while  the  families  of  the  soldiers  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
kept  starvation  from  the  door. 

The  County  Court  of  this  county  at  the  November  term,  1864, 
appropriated  $10,000  to  be  used  for  this  purpose. 

The  last  call  for  troops  was  made  by  the  Confederate  States 
in  the  month  of  November,  and  met  with  a  hearty  response  from 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  541 

our  authorities,  but,  as  the  county  was  about  drained  of  its  male 
population,  the  court  of  this  county  petitioned  the  Secretary  of  War 
of  the  Confederate  States  to  exempt  from  this  call  two  to  four  men 
in  each  of  the  nine  districts  of  the  county,  blacksmiths,  wagon- 
makers,  coffin-makers,  shoemakers,  tanners,  one  physician,  and  one 
miller.  The  names  of  the  men  thus  asked  to  be  exempted  were  fur- 
nished to  the  Secretary  of  War  and  entered  of  record  by  said  court. 

General  Burbridge,  shortly  after  his  return  to  Kentucky,  united 
his  forces  with  those  of  Generals  Stoneman  and  Gillem,  making  an 
army  of  at  least  ten  thousand  men,  and  again  began  the  march  for 
Southwest  Virginia.  The  people  of  this  county  were  informed  of  the 
movements  of  the  Federal  troops,  but  were  so  reduced  by  the  pov- 
erty and  want  that  surrounded  them  upon  all  sides  and  the  almost 
total  absence  from  the  county  of  men  able  to  bear  arms,  that  the 
march  of  the  Federal  troops  met  with  but  little  resistance.  The 
people  were  expecting  the  arrival  of  the  Federal  troops  for  several 
days  preceding  the  14th  day  of  December,  1864,  and  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  14th  at  about  nine-thirty  o'clock,  the  report  of  the  guns 
of  the  Federal  pickets  was  heard  at  the  western  outskirts  of  Abing- 
don. 

A  part  of  General  Duke's  command  of  Confederate  soldiers  was 
encamped  at  the  farm  of  James  A.  Bailey,  a  few  miles  noTtheast  of 
Abingdon,  and  a  number  of  soldiers  from  that  camp  were  in  Abing- 
don at  the  time  the  fire  of  the  Federal  pickets  was  heard. 

These  soldiers  undertook  to  delay  the  Federals  in  entering  the 
town,  but  a  company  of  the  Federal  troops  advanced  up  Main 
street,  firing  at  intervals,  and  when  they  had  reached  a  point  oppo- 
site the  residence  of  S.  N.  Honaker,  a  discharge  from  their  guns 
in  the  direction  of  the  court-house  caused  Duke's  men,  who  had 
formed  a  line  at  the  intersection  of  Court  and  Main  streets  to 
rapidly  disperse  in  the  direction  of  their  camp  at  Bailey's. 

General  Stoneman,  after  taking  possession  of  the  town,  passed 
on  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  Lead  Mines,  having  directed  the 
burning  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  depot,  Hurt's  store,  Sinon's 
wagon-shop,  Musser's  wagon-shop,  the  county  jail  and  the  barracks 
opposite  the  jail,  at  the  corner  of  Court  and  Valley  streets.  All  of 
the  places  thus  burned  were  occupied  by  the  officials  of  the  Con- 
federate States  and  in  all  of  them  were  stored  Confederate  supplies. 

The  Federal  commander  issued  orders  forbidding  the  troops  to 


543  Southwest  Virginia,  17 Jf 6-17 86. 

enter  private  houses  or  to  pluiuler  or  bum  any  portion  of  the  town 
other  than  the  places  mentioned. 

A  number  of  Federal  soldiers  and  stragglers  remained  at  a  black- 
smith shop  in  the  east  tmd  of  the  town  on  the  morning  of  the  15th 
for  the  purpose  of  having  their  horses  shod. 

A  company  of  Confederate  soldiers  numbering  about  twenty  men, 
being  a  part  of  Colonel  Lee's  regiment  from  Mississippi,  had 
become  detached  from  their  regiment  and  were  following  in  the 
rear  of  Stoneman's  army,  capturing,  plundering  and  harassing  the 
enemy  to  as  great  an  extent  as  possible. 

This  company  reached  i\bingdon  some  time  during  the  night  oi 
December  1-itli,  and  encamped  on  the  Glebe  land  back  of  the  reser- 
voir, and  early  on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  sent  one  of  their  num- 
ber disguised  in  Federal  uniform  into  the  town  to  see  what  was 
going  on. 

About  the  time  this  messenger  reached  Abingdon,  a  straggler 
from  the  Federal  army  by  the  name  of  James  (Tites)  Wyatt,  who 
had  been  reared  in  this  community  and  had  served  as  an  apprentice 
to  Gabriel  Stickley,  rode  into  town,  dressed  in  Federal  uniform, 
and  declared  his  purpose  to  bui'u  the  town,  because,  as  he  said, 
"Noble  I.  McGinnis,  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town  and  a  member 
of  the  County  Court,  had  some  time  previous  to  the  war,  pun- 
ished him  for  an  oft'ence  of  which  he  was  not  guilty."  He  dis- 
mounted in  front  of  the  court-house,  had  a  negro  to  hold  his  horse, 
went  to  the  cupola  of  the  court-house  and  set  it  on  fire.  He  then 
remounted  and  proceed  to  fire  all  the  buildings  on  the  south  side 
of  :\Iaiii  street,  riding  into  the  buildings  and  firing  them  as  he 
went.  After  he  had  partially  completed  his  work,  he  halted  his 
horse  at  the  intersection  of  Main  and  Court  street,  in  front  of  the 
store  now  kept  by  Nidermaier  &  Bai'bee,  put  his  leg  across  the  horn 
of  the  saddle  and  watched  the  fire  as  it  rapidly  devoured  the  build- 
ings on  eith.er  side  of  the  street. 

He  would  not  permit  any  one  to  extinguish  the  flames.  In  the 
meantime  the  messenger  from  the  camp  of  the  Confederate  soldiers 
had  returned  and  reported  the  presence  in  the  town  of  the  Federal 
soldiers  at  John  G.  Clark's  blacksmith  shop,  and  the  firing  of  the 
town  by  Wyatt. 

While  Wyatt  was  occupying  the  position  last  stated,  this  com- 
pany of  Confederate  soldiers,  partially  disguised  in  Federal  uni- 


Washington  Ootinty,  1777-1870.  543 

form,  were  seen  rapidly  galloping  down  the  hill  fronting  Jackson 
Institute,  and  from  that  point  they  b^gan  to  disperse,  a  part  of  the 
soldiers  turning  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  at  Hayes  and  Slaughter 
streets.  After  passing  Slaughter  street,  two  of  the  number  kept  up 
Main  street,  the  others  following  Valley  and  Water  streets  to'  the  east 
end  of  the  town.  The  twO'  that  came  up  Main  street  were  named 
John  and  Samuel  Findlay,  and  were  from  Holly  Springs,  Miss. 
When  they  had  reached  a  point  near  the  residence  of  N.  K.  White, 
Samuel  Findlay  asked  a  number  of  boys  as  to  the  whereabouts  of 
the  man  who  was  firing  the  town.  In  answer,  a  boy  by  the  name 
of  Deady  pointed  out  Wyatt  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Court 
streets.  Thereupon  Findlay  began  to  fire  upon  him,  and  Wyatt 
began  to  call  to  Findlay  that  he  was  shooting  at  his  own  men,  but 
Findlay  continued  to  fire,  and  Wyatt,  getting  himself  in  position, 
rushed  his  horse  by  the  Findlays,  going  toward  the  west  end  of  the 
town.  Samuel  Findlay  thereupon  turned  his  horse  and  pursued 
Wyatt  to  Hayes  street,  when  Wyatt's  horse  turned  to  the  left  and 
Wyatt  fell  to  the  ground,  mortally  wounded.  Findlay  captured 
Wyatt's  horse,  and  soon  joined  his  fellows  in  the  east  end  of  the 
town. 

John  Findlay  did  not  halt  his  horse  as  he  passed  Wyatt  at  the 
court-house,  but  rapidly  proceeded  to  the  east  end  of  town.  Before 
he  had  reached  the  intersection  of  the  street  at  Webb's  store,  the 
Federal  troops  at  Clark's  blacksmith  shop  had  been  charged  by  the 
Confederate  soldiers  that  came  down  Valley  street,  and  Findlay 
joined  in  the  pursuit 

One  of  the  Federal  soldiers,  beyond  question  a  brave  man  and 
bolder  than  the  rest,  turned  in  his  saddle  as  he  started  east  from 
Webb's  store  and  deliberately  fired  upon  his  pursuers,  and,  as  a 
result  he  was  shot  from  his  horse  near  the  residence  of  A.  B.  Trigg, 
the  horse  making  its  escape.  The  Confederate  soldiers  thereupon 
returned  to  Abingdon. 

The  fire  started  by  Wyatt  consumed  all  the  buildings,  including 
tlie  courthouse,  on  both  sides  of  Main  street  from  the  Court  street 
to  Brewer's  street. 

This  account  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  burning  of 
Abingdon  was  given  me  by  an  eye-witness  of  th'e  transaction.* 

The  Federal  troops  continued  their  march  to  the  Lead  Mines  in 


*W.  H.  Mitchell. 


544  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

Wythe  county,  which  they  destroyed,  and  from  that  point  they 
returned  to  Seven-Mile  Ford  and  thence  to  the  right  to  Saltville. 
When  they  had  reached  Saltville,  some  slight  resistance  was  offered 
by  a  number  of  Confederate  soldiers  and  reserves  who  were  at  the 
place  at  that  time,  but  the  town  was  easily  captured  and  the 
works  destroyed.  The  particulars  of  the  last  visit  of  the  Federal 
troops  to  Saltville  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  at  this  time,  as  all 
newspaper  plants  in  this  country  had  been  destroyed  previously 
thereto,  and  the  accounts  given  by  persons  present  at  the  time  are 
so  conflicting  and  unreliable  tliat  T  do  not  undertake  to  state  the 
facts. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1864,  the  County  Court  of  tin's  county 
appointed  Peter  J.  Branch,  John  G.  Kreger,  Joseph  T.  Campbell 
and  James  Fields,  a  committee  to  procure  suitable  rooms  for  a 
courthouse  and  clerk's  office,  and  tO'  report  at  that  term  of  the 
court.  On  the  same  day  this  committee  reported  that  they  had  pro- 
cured Dunn's  store-house,  (now  the  old  Arlington  Hotel),  for  one 
year,  at  the  price  of  $1,500.  This  report  was  accepted  by  the  court 
and  the  committee  before  named  were  directed  to  proceed  at  once 
and  have  said  building  fitted  up  in  a  proper  manner  for  the  court- 
house and  clerk's  office,  and  the  jail  of  Smyth  county  was  adopted 
as  the  jail  of  Washington  comity. 

Dunn's  storehouse,  at  the  time,  was  occupied  by  Captain  J.  G. 
Martin,  commandant  of  the  military  force  at  this  place,  as  a  guard 
house,  and  he  declined  to  surrender  possession  to  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  County  Court,  which  fact  the  committee  reported 
to  the  court,  and  the  court  at  its  January  term,  1865,  issued  a  rule 
against  Captain  Martin,  summoning  him  to  appear  before  the  court 
at  once,  and  show  cause  why  he  should  not  surrender  the  pos- 
session of  the  building  to  the  court. 

This  rule  was  issued,  and  Captain  Martin  appeared  before  the 
court  and  answered  that  he  had  made  a  report  to  Major-General 
Breckenridge  and  had  received  a  commimication  from  Adjutant 
J.  Stoddard  Johnston  directing  him  to  hold  possession  of  the 
rooms,  and  that  he  intended  to  obey  the  order,  and  immediately 
retired  to  an  adjoining  room  and  ordered  his  guard  under  arms, 
some  of  whom  went  into  court  with  arms  in  their  hands.  The 
court  evidently  thought  that  this  action  was  taken  to  intimidate 
the  court,  for  thereupon  an  order  was  entered  referring  the  matter 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  545 

to  the  GoTernor  of  the  Commonwealth,  requesting  tliat  a  sufficient 
force  be  ordered  out  by  the  Governor  to  enforce  the  order  of  the 
County  Court  of  this  county. 

Nothing  more  of  importance  occurred  in  this  county  until  the 
close  of  the  war  in  the  following  April. 

This  county,  in  addition  to  furnishing  more  tlian  three  thousand 
soldiers  to  the  armies  of  the  Confederate  States,  produced  a  num- 
ber of  officers  who  won  distinguished  honors  in  their  several 
spheres,  among  them  being  Generals  Joseph  E.  Jolmson,  John  B. 
Floyd,  William  E.  Jones,  William  Y.  C.  Humes,  John  S.  Preston 
and  Colonels  John  S.  Mosby,  Samuel  V.  Fulkerson,  John  A. 
Campbell,  John  P.  Terry,  R.  P.  Carson,  A.  C.  Cummings,  D.  C. 
Dunn,  Connally  F.  Lynch,  James  W.  Humes,  Abram  Fulkerson 
and  many  others,  all  of  whom  were  citizens  of  this  county  by  birth 
or  by  choice. 

The  Confederate  officers  stationed  in  Abingdon  during  the  war, 
so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  were  M.  B.  Tate,  William  Rodefer  and 
E.  Crutchfield,  quartermasters;  R.  A.  Williams  and  Francis  Smith, 
commissaries;  John  H.  Earnest,  D.  B.  Baldwin  and  J.  G.  Martin, 
provost  marshals;  James  K.  Gibson  and  Floyd  B.  Hurt,  Confeder- 
ate States  depositaries. 

A  hospital  was  maintained  in  the  White  House,  opposite  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  John  D.  Mitchell,  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
war,  and  Dr.  Lightfoot,  of  Kentucky,  was  the  principal  surgeon 
in  charge,  in  1864.  -The  wounded  soldiers  at  this  hospital  were 
attended  by  Drs.  Barr,  Heiskell,  Pitts  and  Preston,  and  received 
every  attention  possible  from  the  ladies  of  the  town. 

The  close  of  the  war  found  the  people  of  this  county  in  as  de- 
plorable a  condition  as  could  be  imagined — without  money,  credit, 
clothing  or  the  wherewithal  to  eat,  with  hundreds  of  wounded  and 
disabled  soldiers,  their  farm  houses,  fences,  and  farming  utensils 
destroyed,  and  with  grave  apprehensions  as  to  the  future. 

RECONSTRUCTION,  1865-1870. 

Upon  tJie  surrender  of  the  Confederate  armies,  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia accepted  the  situation  in  good  faith  and  were  ready  and 
willing  to  resume  their  former  position  in  the  Union  and  to  loy- 
ally discharge  all  the  duties  imposed  thereby.  The  victors  in  this 
contest  had  insisted  that  the  one  object  in  view  was  the  preserva- 


546  Southwest   Virginia,  1746-1786. 

tion  of  the  union  of  the  States,  and  the  people  of  Virginia  sup- 
posed that  it  was  their  dut}^  to  proceed  with  their  gO'Vernment  as 
formerly,  and  did  not  anticipate  any  interference  tlierewitli  from 
the  victors. 

The  people  of  Washington  county,  pursuant  to  the  proclamation 
of  Governor  Pierpont,  held  an  election  for  county  officers  in  this 
county  on  the  3d  day  of  August,  18(55,  at  which  election  David  C. 
(himmings  was  elected  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  and  James  C. 
('am})bell  clerk  of  the  county  court  of  this  county,  and  Eees  B. 
I^'diiiondson  (Jommonwealtirs  attorney;  James  Fields,  sheriff; 
Commissioners  of  the  Keveiiue,  District  No.  1,  John  F.  Terry; 
District  No.  2,  D.  x\.  P.  Camj^bell  and  members  of  the  county 
court,  constables,  and  overseers  of  the  poor. 

fSoon  after  this  election  the  attorney-general  of  the  State  gave  it 
as  his  opinion  that  all  jjersons  who  had  held  office  imder  the  Con- 
federate States  Government  were  ineligible  to  office,  and  as  a  re- 
sult a  number  of  officers  elected  in  July  were  compelled  to  resign 
in  the  latter  part  of  this  year. 

The  county  court  thus  elected  held  several  meetings  and  trans- 
acted soine  business  of  importance. 

This  court,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1865,  took  into  consideration 
the  building  of  a  new  jail  and  courthouse  for  this  county.  James 
Pulcher,  William  C.  Edmondson  and  Joseph  W.  Davis  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  new 
county  jail,  while  John  A.  Campbell,  Newton.  K.  White  and  W. 
W.  Blackford  were  appointed  a  committee  to  ascertain  on  what 
terms  a  courthouse  and  clerk's  office  could  be  erected  upon  the  pub- 
lic square;  and  on  the  same  day  the  court  proceeded  to  classify  the 
justices  foT  the  performance  of  their  duties  in  court. 

Governor  Pierpont,  by  proclamation,  appointed  John  N.  Humes 
and  Charles  J.  Cummings  commissioners  to  reorganize  the  govern- 
ment of  the  county,  and  pursuant  to  this  authority  they  adminis- 
tered the  oaths  of  office  required  by  law  to  the  members  of  the 
county  court. 

Governor  Pierpont,  acting  upon  the  opinion  of  the  attorney- 
o-eneral,  ordered  new  elections  to  be  held  in  the  counties  of  the 
State  to  fill  the  vacancies  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  all 
county  officers  who  had  held  Confederate  commissions. 

The  county  court,  on  the  26th  day  of  September,  18G5,  directed 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  547 

the  commissioners  of  election  of  this  coamty  to  hold  an  election 
in  said  county  on,  Thursday,  the  12th  day  of  October,  1865,  for 
the  election  of  a  representative  in  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  a  member  of  the  Senate,  members  of  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates, and  to  take  the  vote  of  the  electors  upon  the  question,  "Shall 
the  next  General  Assembly  be  clothed  with  power  to  alter  or  amend 
tlie  third  article  of  the  Constitution  according  to  laAv  ?" 

In  this  election  Daniel  Hoge,  of  Montgomery  county,  Edmund 
Longi'ey  and  Thomas  J.  McCulloch,  of  Washington  county,  were 
candidates  for  Congress,  the  election  resulting  in  favor  of  Daniel 
Ploge. 

Joseph  W.  Davis  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  Charles  S. 
Bekem  and  Josiah  Teeter  were  elected  to  the  House  of  Delegates, 
and  a  considerable  majority  was  given  in  favor  of  clothing  the 
General  Assembly  with  power  to  alter  or  amend  the  third  article 
of  the  Constitution. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States  and  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  assembled  in  December  of  .this  year.  Daniel  Hoge  was 
not  permitted  to  take  his  seat  in  Congress,  and  Virginia  was  de- 
prived of  representation  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  from 
this  time  until  January  24,  1870. 

But  the  representatives  from  this  county  in  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Delegates  were  permitted  to  take  their  seats,  and  the 
business  of  the  General  Assembly  proceeded  without  interruption. 
Governor  Pierpont,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  Constitution, 
adopted  for  the  State  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  nominated  Judge 
John  A.  Campbell  to  preside  over  tliis  circuit,  which  nomination 
was  confirmed  by  the  Legislature  on  the  22d  of  February,  1866, 
Judge  Campbell  receiving  the  unanimO'US  vote  of  the  General  As- 
sembly. 

Eees  B.  Edmondson,  James  Fields  and  John  F.  Terry  were 
compelled  to  resign  the  offices  to  which  they  were  elected,  and  at 
a  special  election  held  on  January  11,  1866,  Eees  B.  Edmondson 
was  elected  Commonwealth's  attorney,  James  L.  Campbell  sheriff, 
and  Ben  C.  Clark  commissioner  of  the  revenue  in  District  No.  1. 

At  the  November  term,  1865,  of  the  county  court  of  this  county, 
orders  were  entered  letting  to  contract  the  building  of  a  new  jail 
and  directing  the  fitting  up  of  the  Temperance  Hall  for  the  use  of 
the  court  until  a  new  courthouse  could  be  built,  and  the  court  was 


548  Southwest  Virginia,  lllfG-llSe. 

lield  in  the  Temperance  Hall  from  the  spring  of  the  year  1866  until 
the  year  1868.  The  action  of  the  court  in  occupying  the  Temper- 
ance Hall  was  authorized  by  proclamation  of  Governor  Pierpont 
in  the  month  of  October,  1866. 

The  government  of  the  county  as  thus  reorganized  was  in  the 
hands  of  tlie  best  citizens  of  the  county,  men  who  in  nearly  every 
instance  had  been  active  supporters  of  the  Government  of  the 
Confederate  States. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1865,  York  A.  Woodward,  first  lieu- 
tenant Twenty-fourth  V.  R.  C,  assistant  superintendent  Eighth 
District  of  Virginia,  arrived  in  Abingdon  for  the  purpose  of  or- 
ganizing the  Preedmen's  Bureau.  His  district  was  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Washington,  Russell,  Buchanan,  Wise,  Scott  and  Lee. 

He  established  his  headquarters  at  Abingdon  and  had  his  office 
in  the  Swedenborgian  Temple  on  Main  street,  but  subsequently 
his  office  M'^as  removed  to  the  courthouse  by  permission  of  the 
countj^  court. 

The  Freedman's  Court  for  Washington  county  was  organized  at 
the  December  term  of  the  county  court  of  this  county,  and  was 
constituted  as  follows:  Lieutenant,  York  A.  Woodward,  of  the 
Freedman's  Bureau;  John  N.  Humes,  Esq.,  selected  by  the  county 
court;  Colonel  D.  C.  Dunn,  selected  by  the  freedmen.  This  court 
held  weekly  sessions,  commencing  Saturday  morning  of  each  week 
at  9  o'clock. 

The  purpose  of  this  court  was  tO'  determine  all  matters  of  diffi- 
culty, civil  and  criminal,  that  arose  between  the  whites  and  the 
freedmen,  to  take  a  census  of  the  freedmen  in  the  district,  to  cele- 
brate the  rites  of  matrimony  between  freedmen  and  freedwomen 
and  to  require  all  the  able-bodied  freedmen  and  freedwomen  to 
enter  into  written  contracts  for  their  services  and  to  see  that  the 
contracts  were  faithfully  observed  by  both  parties. 

The  organization  of  schools  for  the  instruction  of  freedmen  and 
freedwomen  was  also  undertaken  by  this  court. 

In  this  year  a  white  man,  by  the  name  of  Parks,  and  his  wife 
came  to  Abingdon  at  the  instance  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  and 
for  some  time  conducted  a  school  for  colored  children  in  the  build- 
ing now  occupied  by  the  colored  Masons  of  Abingdon,  on  the  south 
side  of  Water  street,  the  land  having  been  purchased  for  the  pur- 
pose. Colonel  D.  C.  Dunn,  of  his  own  volition,  contributing  one- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  549 

half  the  cost.  The  object  sought  to  be  obtained  by  the  Freedmen'* 
Bureau  was  accomplished  to  a  great  extent  in  this  community,  and 
the  conduct  of  Captain  Woodward  was  such  as  to  command  the 
respect  of  all  good  citizens. 

Captain  Woodward  remained  Jn  Abingdon  for  some  time  and 
was  succeeded  by  Captain  Sherwood. 

Upon  his  departure  the  Abingdon  Virginian  said:  "The  people 
of  Abingdon  and  Washington  county  will  regret  to  hear  of  the 
transfer,  as  the  official  conduct  of  Captain  Woodward  has  been  such 
as  to  entitle  him  to  the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom 
he  had  business  transactions.  The  system  here  worked  well  under 
his  direction  and,  in  the  main,  gave  the  fullest  satisfaction  to 
both  races.    The  Freedmen's  Bureau  was  abolished  in  the  year  1869. 

In  January,  186G.  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  authorized 
the  coimty  court  of  Washington  county  to  sell  and  dispose  of  its 
stock  in  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company,  and  the 
county  court  of  this  county,  pursuant  to  this  Act,  at  the  May 
term  of  said  court,  appointed  A.  C.  Cummings,  J.  C.  Greenway 
and  James  K.  Gibson  a  committee  to  ascertain  for  what  price  these 
bonds  could  be  sold  and  upon  what  terms  a  courtliouse  could  be 
built.  This  committee  reported,  and  the  contract  for  the  erection 
of  the  new  courthouse  was  awarded  as  follows :  To  Messrs.  James 
and  David  Fields,  the  plastering;  Mr.  Hockman,  of  Harrisonburg, 
the  carpenter's  work;  Messrs.  Keller  &  Grim,  the  roofing;  Messrs. 
Morrison  and  Vaughan,  the  painting. 

The  courthouse  thus  let  to  contract  was  completed  in  Novem- 
ber, 1868,  and  was  occupied  by  the  courts  of  the  county  in  De- 
cember of  the  same  year. 

Elections  were  held  throughout  the  county  on  the  24th  of  August, 
1866,  for  field  officers  in  the  militia  regiments  of  the  county,  pur- 
suant to  an  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  passed  on  the  2d  day  of 
March,  1866. 

At  this  election  the  following  officers  were  chosen : 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Eegiment — Colonel,  James  L. 
F.  Campbell;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  David  0.  Eush;  Major,  Joel  W. 
Hortenstine ; 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Eegiment — Colonel,  D.  A.  P. 
Campbell;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Eobert  J.  Keller;  Major,  W.  W. 
Hurt. 


550  Southivest  Virginia,  17 46-17 86. 

The  officers  elected  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Eegiment  I 
cannot  ascertain. 

The  militia  organization  of  the  county,  an  organization  that  had 
existed  from  the  earliest  times,  was  alwlished  by  the  Constitution 
of  1S68. 

The  ^'loyal"  citizens  of  Virginia  wore  very  much  dissatisfied  with 
the  manner  in  wliich  the  State  and  county  governments  were  reor- 
ganized and  undertook  to  have  tlie  Congress  of  the  United  States 
set  aside  the  government  thus  organized  in  Virginia  and  to  es- 
tablish a  territoral  government  in  its  place. 

The  thirteenth  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  had  been  adopted  in  the  year  1865  without  opposition  from 
the  people  of  this  State,  but  no  sooner  had  the  amendment  been 
adopted  than  tlie  fourteenth  amendment  to  the  Constitution  was 
proposed.  This  amendment  had  been  vetoed  by  President  Johnson, 
but  was  passed  over  his  veto  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  both  Houses 
of  Congress. 

The  General  Assembly  of  A'irginia  declined,  witli  one  dissenting 
vote,  to  ratify  this  amendment. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  on  the  20th  day  of  Febru- 
ary, 1867,  passed  the  Shellabarger  bill,  which  provided  that  when- 
ever the  people  of  any  of  tlie  States  lately  in  rebellion  should  adopt 
a  Constitution  framed  by  a  convention  ol  delegates  elected  by  the 
male  citizens  of  said  State  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  upwards, 
of  whatever  race,  color  or  previous  condition  (excepting  therefrom 
such  persons  as  were  disfranchised  for  participation  in  rebellion), 
and  when  the  General  Assembly  of  said  State  should  ratify  the 
fourteenth  amendment  to  the  Constitution,  their  representatives 
should  be  admitted  to  seats  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  22d  day  of  March,  18G7,  another  Act  was  passed  over  the 
veto  of  the  President  providing  for  the  registration  of  the  voters 
and  the  calling  of  constitutional  conventions  in  the  States  lately 
in  rebellion. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  Acts  in  question  a  great  majority  of  the 
white  citizens  were  denied  the  right  to  participate  in  the  elections 
contemplated,  and  great  uneasiness  prevailed,  as  there  was  strong 
probability  that  the  persons  lately  freed  would  he  able  to  control 
the  State  and  county  organizations. 

The  Southern  States  were  divided  into  military  districts,  this 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  551 

portion  of  Virginia  being  District  No.  1,  commanded  by  General 
Schofield,  and,  pursuant  to  the  authority  vested  in  liim  l)y  tlie 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  on  April  2,  18GT,  he  issued  an  order 
suspending  all  elections  l3y  the  people  until  the  registration  of  the 
voters  had  been  taken  as  required  by  the  Act  of  Congress. 

The  llegistration  Board  for  this  county  was  appointed  by  Gren- 
eral  Schofield,  and  Captain  Jolm  O'N'eal  Avas  elected  Pi-esident  of 
the  board  for  this  county. 

The  registration  of  the  voters  of  this  county  began  on  the  32d 
day  of  June  and  ended  on  the  19th  of  July,  1867.  The  result  of 
tlie  registration  in  the  nine  districts  of  this  county  was  as  follows : 

White.  Colored. 

First    District, 276  170 

Second    District, 336  84 

Third    District, 351  42 

Fourth   District, 2,78  15 

Fifth  District, 309  59 

Sixth   District, 280  106 

Seventh    District, 201  38 

Eighth   Disti'ict, 279  34 

Ninth    District, 112  19 

Total, 2,422  567 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  tlie  registration  of  the  voters  in  this 
county,  by  oxder  of  General  Schofield  an  election  was  ordered  to  be 
held  thronghont  Virginia  on  the  22d  day  of  October,  1867,  for  the 
purpose  of  selecting  delegates  to  a  Constitutional  Convention  to  be 
held  in  Eichmond  in  December,  1867,  and  by  the  same  order  the 
counties  of  Washington  and  Smyth  were  made  one  district  and 
were  entitled  to  two  representatives. 

The  two  parties  existing  at  this  time  were  termed  Conservatives 
and  Radicals,  and  the  candidates  voted  for  in  this  election  were 
Joseph  T.  Campbell  and  J.  H.  Thompson,  Conservatives,  and 
G.  G.  Goodell  and  Henry  C.  White,  Eadicals.  The  vote  of  this 
county  for  delegates  in  this  election  and  upon  the  question  of  tlio 
holding  of  the  convention  was  as  follows : 

White.  Colored. 

Campbell   (Con), 1,180  5 

Thompson   (Con), 1,175  5 


552  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1186. 

Goodell    (Rad.), 416  500 

White    (Rad.), 417  498 

For   Convention, 423  500 

Against   Convention, 1,154  5 


Campbell  and  Thompson  were  elected  to  represent  this  district 
in  the  Constitutional  Convention.  This  convention  assembled  in 
the  city  of  Richmond  on  the  3d  day  of  December,  1867,  and  was  com- 
posed of  a  hundred  and  five  delegates,  thirty-three  of  whom  were 
Conservatives  and  seventy-two  Radicals. 

The  Constitution  proposed  by  this  convention  embodied  many 
praiseworthy  principles,  and  while  some  objectionable  features 
were  found  in  the  instrument  as  originally  proposed,  it  may  be 
truthfully  stated  that  the  Constitution  as  ratified  has  given  greater 
satisfaction  to  the  majority  of  the  people  of  Virginia  than  any  simi- 
lar instrument  adopted  in  the  history  of  our  State.  The  one  serious 
objection  to  this  Constitution,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  was  the 
enfranchisement  of  a  gi'eat  body  of  illiterate  voters,  while  on  the 
other  hand  it  provided  for  the  free  school  system  and  gave  all  the 
guarantees  necessary  to  the  enjoyment  of  personal  liberty  to  its 
fullest  extent. 

This  Constitution  was  submitted  to  the  people  at  an  election 
held  on  the  6th  day  of  July,   1869. 

At  the  same  time  an  election  was  held  for  Governor,  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  Attorney-General,  Congressmen,  Senator  and  Represen- 
tatives in  the  House  of  Delegates. 

At  this  election  the  vote  of  the  county  was  as  follows : 

For  the  Constitution,    3,539 

Against  the  Constituton, 35 

For   Clause   4,    491 

Against  Clause  4,    3,109 

For  Section  7,   493 

Against   Section   7,    3,115 

For  Governor— G.  C.  Walker,   1,971 

H.   H.  Wells,    569 

For  Lieutenant-Governor — J.  F.  Lewis,    1,969 

J.  D.  Harris, 531 

For  Attorney-General— J.   C.  Taylor,    3,043 

T.  R.  Bowden,   663 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  553 

JFor  Congress— J.    K.    Gibson,    2,026 

A.    C.    Dunn, 13 

George  S.  Smith, 573 

For  Congress  at  Large — Joseph  Segar,   1,876 

A.  M.  Crane,  564 

For  State  Senate — E.   B.   Edmondson,    860 

J.  S.  Greever,    1,163 

Charles   McDougall,    517 

For  House  of  Delegates — George   Graham,    1,675 

John  F.   Terry,    1,702 

Harry  Remine, 49.7 

M.  L.  Ingram, 629 

Jeriel  D.  Linder, 98 

White  voters, 2,212 

Colored    voters,    389 


2,601 

The  Constitution  was  ratified  by  the  people,  and  Gilbert  C. 
Walker,  John  F.  Lewis,  J.  C.  Taylor,  J.  K.  Gibson,  Joseph  Segar, 
James  S.  Greever,  George  Graham  and  John  F.  Terry  were  elected 
to  the  respective  offices  for  which  they  were  candidates. 

James  K.  Gibson  was  permitted  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  on  the  24th  of  January,  1870. 

Early  in  the  year  1868,  the  Conservative  party  in  Virginia  nomi- 
nated a  ticket  for  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Attorney- 
General,  which  ticket  was  as  follows : 

For  Governor,  Eobert  E.  Withers,  of  Lynchburg. 

For  Lieutenant-Governor,  James  A.  Walker,  of  Pulaski. 

For  Attorney-General,  John  L.  Marye,  of  Fredericksburg. 

The  object  of  the  Conservative  party  was  not  only  to  elect  their 
ticket,  but  to  defeat  the  Constitution  proposed  by  the  convention  that 
adjourned  on  the  15th  of  April,  1868.  Numerous  canvassers  were 
appointed  throughout  the  State  and  every  preparation  was  made  to 
defeat  the  Constitution  proposed,  but  in  March  of  the  year  1869 
the  Eadical  convention  assembled  in  Petersburg  and  two  tickets 
were  nominated,  headed  by  H.  H.  Wells  and  Gilbert  C.  Walker, 
respectively,  the  latter  being  termed  the  nominee  of  the  Liberal  Ee- 
publican  party. 


554  Sonlliwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 

The  State  Executive  Committee  of  the  Conservative  party,  believ- 
ing this  to  be  the  opportunity  to  aeconiplish  their  object,  withdrew 
their  ticket  and  decided  to  support  tlie  ticket  headed  by  Gilbert  C. 
Walker,  with  the  residt  that  Walker  was  elected  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1808,  the  term  of  office  of  Gov- 
ernor Pierpont  having  expired.  General  Schofield  appointed  H.  H. 
Wells  Governor  of  the  State,  and  on  the  27th  of  March,  1SG9,  an 
order  was  issued  by  the  military  authorities  removing  Wells  and 
vesting  all  executive  power  of  the  State  in  General  Stoneman. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  on  the  33d  day  of  January, 
1869,  adopted  a  resolution  directing  the  removal  of  all  persons 
holding  civil  offices  under  the  prO'visional  governments  of  Virginia 
and  Texas,  who  could  not  take  the  oath  prescribed  by  an  act  of 
CongTess  passed  on  the  22d  of  July,  ISfifi,  and  conferring  upon  the 
military  authorities  the  power  to  fill  all  vacancies  from  persons  who 
could  swear  that  they  had  not  engaged  in  tlie  rebellion  against  the 
United  States.  In  the  month  of  February,  1869,  Judge  John  A. 
Cam])!)!'!],  of  the  Circuit  Court,  was  removed  and  John  W.  John- 
son, whose  disabilities  had  been  removed,  was  appointed  Judge  of 
this  Circuit,  and  the  following  persons  were  appointed  to  fill  vacan- 
cies occasioned  l)y  the  removal  of  the  officers  of  the  county. 

Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  John  O'Neal. 
Clerk  of  the  County  Conrt,  Charles  McDougall. 
County  Surveyor,  Leonidas  Baugh. 
Sheriff,  W.  A.  Dunn. 
Commonwealth-Attorney,  Henry  C.  Auvil. 

At  the  same  time  members  of  the  County  C'ourt,  constables  and 
overseers  of  the  poor  were  appointed  by  General  Stoneman. 

The  Constitution,  as  originally  proposed  by  the  convention  of 
1868,  contained  many  objectionable  clauses,  and,  had  the  same 
been  adopted  as  pi'o posed,  it  would  have  been  very  disastrous  and 
humiliating  to  Virginia,  Init  through  the  intercession  of  a  com- 
mittee of  nine  prominent  citizens  of  this  State,  among  the  num- 
ber being  Governor  Wyndham  Robertson,  of  Abingdon,  General 
Grant,  soon  after  his  inauguration  on  the  4th  of  March,  1869,  by 
the  direction  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  issued  a  procla- 
mation appointing  July  6,  1869,  as  the  day  for  the  people  of  the 


Washington  County,,  1777-1870.  555 

State  to  vote  iipoii  the  question  of  the  ratification  or  rejection  of 
the  proposed  Constitution. 

By  the  terms  of  this  Act  of  Congress  General  Grant  was  author- 
ized to  submit  to  the  voters  of  the  State,  separately,  such  clauses  of 
the  proposed  Constitution  as  he  might  think  proper,  and,  pursuant 
to  this  avithorit\^,  clause  four  and  section  seven  of  the  proposed 
Constitution  were  submitted  to  the  people  to  be  voted  upon  separ- 
ately and,  as  a  result,  the  only  objectionable  clauses  contained  in 
this  Constitution  were  eliminated. 

The  General  Assembly  elected  on  the  6th  of  July,  1869,  assembled 
in  Eichmond  on  October  5th,  of  the  same  year,  and,  after  organiz- 
ing, ratified  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  amendments  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  elected  two  United  States  senators 
and  adjourned  to  meet  again  on  the  8th  of  February,  1870. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1870,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
passed  a  bill  admitting  the  representatives  from  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia to  their  seats  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

When  the  General  Assembly  re-assembled  on  the  8th  of  February, 
1870,  they  proceeded  to  reorganize  the  government  of  the  State 
under  the  Constitution. 

John  A.  Kelly,  of  Smyth  county,  was  elected  judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court  and  E.  M.  Page,  judge  of  the  Coiinty  Court  of  this  county. 
County  officers  were  elected  on  the  8th  of  November,  1870,  as  fol- 
lows: 

Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  L.  T.  Cosby. 

Clerk  of  the  County  C-ourt,  W.  G.  G.  Lowry. 

Commonwealth-Attorne}^,  James  \j.  White. 

Sheriff,  James  L.   F.   Campbell. 

Treasurer,  George  E.  Barr, 

The  last  term  of  the  old  County  Court  was  held  on  the  9th  day 
of  April,  1870,  with  the  following  members  present:  Henry  Daven- 
port, John  D.  Eose  and  Jacob  B.  Kent. 

This  court,  during  its  existence,  was  one  of  the  most  valued  insti- 
tutions in  the  State,  being  well  suited  to  the  genius  of  our  people 
and  affording  a  reliable  and  speedy  remedy  for  wrongs. 

For  a  number  of  years  immediately  subsequent  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  an  organization  existed  in  this  county  and  in  many  por- 
tions of  the  South,  known  as  the  Ku-Klux-Klan,  having  for  its 
object  the  restriction  of  that  large  body  of  freedmen  found  in  every 


556  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

section  of  the  South,  and,  in  many  instances,  very  difficult  to  con- 
trol, the  object  being  to  restrain  the  vicious  without  the  commission 
of  any  wrong  against  the  well-meaning  freedman.  The  terror 
created  in  the  minds  of  the  ordinary  freedraen  by  the  mention  of  the 
word  Ku-Klux-Klan  would  be  hard  to  describe. 

The  following  notice  was  published  in  the  Abingdon,  paper  on  the 
3d  of  April,  1868 : 

"NOTICE.    - 
TO  THE  UNTEERIFIED  KU-KLUX-KLAN". 


No.  969. 


X     O 


Meet  at  the  Smoky  Don  of  Destruction  to  hear  what  the  royal 
avenging  Giant  has  to  say  for  the  good  of  this  Klan ;  be  prompt  to 
be  there  at  3  o'clock  on  the  1st  April  (night)  * 

By  order  of  the  4th  Demon  now  in  the  land." 

In  the  month  of  January,  1869,  a  depot  was  erected  by  the  Vir- 
ginia and  Tennessee  Railroad  Company  near  Goforth's  Mill,  six 
miles  east  of  Bristol,  and  since  that  time  a  considerable  town  has 
grown  up  at  this  point  and  is  now  known  as  Wallace's  Switch. 

A  Law  Library  Association  was  organized  in  Abingdon  in  Octo- 
ber, 1869,  by  James  W.  Humes  and  other  prominent  citizens  of  the 
town,  but  for  some  reason' this  association  was  short  lived. 

On  the  24th  of  November,  1870,  the  sense  of  the  people  of  this 
county  was  taken  upon  a  proposition  for  a  county  subscription  of 
$200,000  to  the  Norfolk  and  Great  Western  railroad,  and  the  propo- 
sition was  negatived  by  a  vote  of  nine  hundred  and  ninety-five 
against,  to  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  for. 

The  county  of  Washington,  previous  to  the  year  1872  divided 
into  nine  districts,  was  changed  in  that  year,  pursuant  to  an 
Act  of  thfe  General  Assembly,  and  was  divided  into  six  districts  by 
M.  H.  Buchanan,  I.  A.  McQuown,  D.  A.  P.  Campbell,  John  Rob- 
erts, John  M.  Hamilton  and  W.  P.  Wallace,  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  County  Court  of  this  county  for  that  purpose. 

The  names  of  the  districts  as  thus  established  were  Glade  Spring, 


*This  notice  wats  published  along  with  a  representation  of  a  skull  and 
cross  bones. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  66^ 

Saltville,  North  Fork,  Abingdon,  Groodson  and  Kinderhook  Dis- 
tricts. In  1876,  by  order  of  the  County  Court  of  this  county,  Hol- 
ston  District  was  established  and  became  the  Seventh  District  of 
the  county. 

At  this  point  I  will  close  the  history  of  tlie  county,  as  it  has  often- 
times been  truly  said :  "Nations  only  begin  to  look  after  the  his- 
tory of  their  founders  and  search  into  their  oxigin  when  they  have 
outlived  the  memory  thereof." 

EDUCATION. 

By  far  the  most  creditable  chapter  in  the  history  of  Abingdon  and 
the  people  of  Washington  county,  has  been  the  effort  of  the  people 
to  afford  excellent  facilities  for  the  education  of  the  youthful 
inhabitants  of  Abingdon  and  the  surrounding  country. 

William  Webb  was  the  first  schoolmaster  that  taught  an  English 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  Abingdon.  He  was  an  Englishman  and 
came  to  America  in  the  employment  of  Lord  Fairfax,  in  whose 
land  office  in  the  Northern  Neck  of  Virginia  he  wrote  for  many 
years  at  the  same  time  that  George  Washington,  with  whom  Mr. 
Webb  was  well  acquainted,  was  surveying  for  Lord  Fairfax.  He 
came  to  Abingdon  in  1782  or  1783  with  a  wife  and  nine  chil- 
dren and  was  employed  by  John  Campbell,  clerk  of  the  county,  in 
recording  deeds  and  doing  other  work  in  the  clerk's  oflfice.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  Mr.  Canipl)ell  had  a  school  made  up  for  him,  and  a 
schoolhouse  was  built  just  across  the  creek  from  Mr.  Findlay's  old 
tan-yard,  at  the  head  of  Black's  mill  pond,  and  near  where  a  good 
spring  came  out  from  between  rocks.  The  ground  was  the  floor  and 
the  seats  for  the  scholars  were  made  of  hewn  slabs  placed  on  forks 
driven  into  the  ground  around  the  walls,  and  their  writing  table  was 
of  the  same  material  placed  on  forks  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Such 
was  the  furniture  of  the  first  school-house  in  Abingdon.  Mr.  Webb 
was  a  very  small  man,  with  a  round  face  and  sparkling  black  eyes. 
He  was  talkative,  lively  and  intelligent,  and  though  feeble,  was  very 
independent  in  his  opinions,  and  when  aroused  was  as  bold  as  a 
lion.  He  had  a  ready  use  of  his  pen  and  wrote  a  most  beautiful 
hand,  as  is  evident  from  an  inspection  of  his  work  now  to  be  found 
in  the  clerk's  office  of  Washington  county.  ]\Ir.  Webb  removed  to 
Russell  county  in  1786,  and  settled  near  the  present  location  of 
Tazewell  Courthouse,  Virginia,  and  taught  school  until  his  death  in 
the  year  1818. 


558  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jt6-17S6. 

The  next  teacher  of  any  distinction  that  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
Abingdon  was  Tui'uer  Lane,  an  Irisliman,  who  had  previously 
thereto  taiiglit  school  at  the  Eoyal  Oak,  where  Marion,  in  Smyth 
county  now  stands.  He  began  to  teach  school  in  Abingdon  in  the 
year  1786,  in  a  house  on  the  land  of  John  Bradley.  In  1788  or 
1789  a  school-house  was  built  for  him  near  the  meeting-house 
spring,  at  a  location  within  the  present  enclosure  of  the  Sinking 
Spring  Cemetery.  At  this  location  he  taught  for  several  years, 
and  subsequently  removed  to  Tennessee  and  settled  near  Sparta. 
He  was  a  man  of  good  size  and  appearance,  very  orderly  in  his 
requirements  in  school,  but  not  tyrannical.* 

At  this  location  a  school  was  conducted  until  the  organization  of 
the  Abingdon  Male  Academy  in  the  year  1802. 

ABINGDON  MALE  ACADEMY. 
At  the  fall  session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  in  the 
year  1802,  Eobert  Craig,  Sr.,  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from 
Washington  county,  at  the  request  of  a  number  of  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Abingdon,  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Legislature  o>i  Virginia 
having  for  its  object  the  incorporation  of  the  Abingdon  Academy. 
This  bill  became  a  law  on  the  IHth  of  January,  1803,  and  provided 
that : 

John  Campbell,  Jiobert  Craig,  Sr., 

Eichard  White,  Eobert  Campbell, 

James  Bradley,  Gerrard  T.  Conn, 

William  King,  Erancis  Preston, 

James  White,  Claiborne  Watkins, 

Andrew  Eussell,  William  Tate, 

Henry  Dixon,  Frederick   Hamilton    and 

David  Campbell, 
should  constitute  a  body  politic  and  incorporate  by  the  name  of 
the  Trustees  of  Abingdon  Academy,  and  by  that  name  should  have 
j3erpetual  succession,  a  common  seal,  and  sue  and  be  sued.  They 
Avere  given  the  power  to  make  rules  and  regulations,  to  appoint 
oflBcers  and  remove  the  same,  in  the  establishment  and  conduct  of 
the  proposed  Academy,  and  vacancies  occurring  on  the  Board  of 
Trustees  were  to  be  filled  by  the  surviving  trustees." 

By  this  same  act  the  trustees  of  the  town  of  Abingdon  and  their 
successors,  or  the  majority  of  them,  were  authorized  to  raise,  not 


*Gov.  David  Campbell  M?S 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  559 

exceeding  $2,000,  by  lottery  or  lotteries,  to  be  applied  by  them  in 
purchasing  a  library,  philosophical  and  mathematical  apparatus,  and 
anything  else  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  said  Academy. 

The  school  as  thus  chartered  was  opened  in  the  Masonic  Hall,* 
in  the  town  of  Abingdon,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1803,  and  the  Acad- 
emy was  conducted  in  the  same  hall  until  about  the  3Tar  1820. 

livery  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  appointed  by  this  act  was 
personally  interested  in  the  success  of  the  Academy,  each  contribut- 
ing everytliing  possible  to  the  institution  and  the  success  of  the  same. 

Four  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  town  of  Abing- 
don met  at  the  courthouse  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  on  the  18th 
of  June,  1803,  and,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  Act  of  the 
Assembly  of  date  Janiuiry  13,  1803,  had  the  following  proceedings: 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  the  town  of  Abingdon,  at  the 
courthouse  of  Washington  county,  ou  .Saturday,  tlie  18th  day  of 
June,  1803. 

Present,  Tiobert  Campbell,  Andrew  Kussell,  Frederick  Hamilton 
and  James  White. 

By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Vir- 
ginia, passed  the  13th  day  of  Januar}^,  1803,  it  is  enacted  that  it 
shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  the  trustees  of  the  said  town,  and  their 
successors  or  a  majority  of  them,  to  raise  by  lottery  or  lotteries,  a 
sum,  not  exceeding  two  thousand  dollars,  to  be  applied  by  them  in 
purchasing  a  library,  philosophical  and  mathematical  apparatus, 
and  anything  else  necessary  for  the  iise  of  the  said  Academy.  In 
pursuance  whereof  we  have  adopted  the  following  scheme  of  a  lot- 
tery to  be  denominated  'The  Abingdon  Academy  Lottery,'  to  raise 
the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  for  the  purposes  aforesaid,  by 
account  of  twenty  per  cent,  on  prizes  alone. 

1  Prize  of  $1,000,   $  1,000 

2  Prizes  of  $500, 1,000 

15  Prizes  of  $100,   1,500 

40  Prizes  of  $50,   2,000 

50  Prizes  of  $20,    1,000 

700  Prizes  of  $5,   3,500 

I 

808  Prizes,    $10,000 

1192   Blanks,    

2,000   Tickets@$5,    $10,000 


*Thi3  hall  atood  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  new  county  jail  on  Water  street. 


560  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  drawing  will  commence  in  the  Abingdon  Academy  as  soon 
as  the  tickets  are  sold,  and  continued  from  day  to  day  until  finally 
completed;  immediately  after  which  the  prizes  will  be  paid  to  the 
fortunate  adventurers.  Such  as  shall  not  be  demanded  within  six 
montlis  after  the  close  of  the  drawing  will  be  consid'ered  as  relin- 
quished.   We  have  adopted  tlie  following  form  of  the  tickets : 

Abingdon  Academy ! 

This  ticket,  'No. entitles  the  drawer  to  the  first 

prize  annexed  to  its  number  subject  to  a  discount  of  twenty 
per  cent,  thereon. 

EGBERT  CAMPBELL, 
ANDREW  RUSSELL, 
FREDERICK  HAMILTON, 
JAMES  WHITE, 

Trustees. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  the  "drawing  under  this  lot- 
tery took  place,  but  with  what  success  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain. 

The  first  principal  of  the  Abingdon  Academy  is  unknown,  and 
the  success  attending  the  Academy  previous  to  1820  is  equally 
unknown;  but  it  is  probable  that  the  institution  received  consid- 
erable patronage  and  to  some  extent  at  least  met  the  object  of  its 
projectors. 

William  King,  a  young  man  who  had  been  identified  with  the 
town  of  Abingdon  since  an  early  day  in  its  history,  became  very 
much  interested  in  the  Abingdon  Academy,  and  being  a  man  of  con- 
siderable means,  at  the  time  of  the  execution  of  his  will  he  made  the 
following  provision  for  the  Academy — to-wit:  I  also  leave  and 
bequeath  to  the  Abingdon  Academy  the  sum  of  ($10,000)  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  payable  to  the  trustees  in  the  year  1816,  or  lands  to 
that  amount,  to  be  vested  in  said  Academy  with  the  interest  or  rents 
thereon  forever.'^ 

His  will  was  probated  on  the  20th  of  December,  1808. 

William  King  was  an  Irishman  and  a  self-made  man  in  every 
particular,  but  evidently  had  received  a  good  English  education 
himself.  By  this  act  he  rendered  a  great  service  to  many  gen- 
erations of  people,  and  his  name  will  be  intimately  associated  with 
the  history  of  his  adopted  home  as  long  as  education  is  appreciated 
by  our  people. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  56i 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1812,  tlie  following  advertisement  appeared 
in  the  "Political  Prospect/'  a  newspaper  published  in  Abingdon : 

ABIi^TGDON^  ACADEMY. 

"The  trustees  of  this  institution  have  the  happiness  to  announce 
to  the  friends  of  Erudition,  that  the  muses  are  about  to  pour  out 
th'eir  treasures  from  the  Pierian  Spring  in  this  Seminary.  To  the 
American  Youth  who  thirst  for  literary  acquirements,  they  offer  the 
draughts  of : 

LANGUAGE  AND  SCIENCE. 

Under 

The  REV.  THOMAS  ERSKINE  BIRCH,  WHOSE  TALENTS 

as  a  preceptor  have  been  so  universally  authenticated  that  any 

encomium  is  unnecessary. 

PRICES  FOR  TUITION. 

For  a  novitiate, $10  00 

Reading  and  writing, 12  00 

English  Gram.,  Arithmetic,  &c., 15  00 

Language  &  Mathematical  Science,  Elocution,  Philosophy, 
Belles-Lettres  and  Astronomy,  Book-keeping,  geography 

and  Navigation,  &c., 30  00 

Nothing  more  is  known  of  the  Academy  at  this  time. 
The  trustees  of  the  Abingdon  Academy  in  the  year  1819  insti- 
tuted a  suit  in  the  court  of  this  county  having  for  its  object  the 
enforcement  of  the  provision  made  by  William  King  in  his  will  for 
Abingdvn  Academy. 

Matthew  Willoughb}^  Edward  Latham  and  James  Vance  were 
appointed  conunissioners  by  the  coiirt  to  ascertain  the  lands  own.ed 
by  William  King  in  Abingdon  and -vicinity,  and  to  ascertain  the 
value  of  eaid  lands  and  report  to  the  court. 

These  commissioners  reported  to  the  court  at  the  October  term 
tlioreof,  and  by  a  decree  of  said  court  entered  on  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1819,  the  following  lands  were  directed  to  be  conveyed  by  the 
adult  heirs  of  William  King,  deceased,  and  by  Jacob  Lynch,  com- 
missioner of  the  court,  to  the  trustees  of  the  Abingdon  Academy, 
99  acres  and  31  poles;  39  acres  and  80  poles;  10  1-3  acres;  30  3-4 
acres;  33  acres  and  59  poles;  33  acres;  40%  acres;  15  acres  and 
130  poles;  17  acres  and  88  poles;  8^^  acres;  100  acres;  10  quarter- 


562  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,G-178G. 

acre  lots  in  the  Robert  Craig  addition  to  the  town  of  Abingdon,  and 
being  lots  Nos.  31,  35,  33,  37,  38,  39,  40,  and  43;  10  quarter-acre 
lots  in  the  David  Craig  addition  to  said  town,  and  being  lots  Nos. 
15,  16,  17,  18,  25,  26,  27,  28,  29,  and  30." 

Deeds  were  executed  pursuant  to  this  order  of  the  coairt,  and  tlie 
trustees  of  the  Academy  set  about  in  earnest  to  make  the  institu- 
tion of  great  service  to  the  community. 

Soon  after  the  determination  of  this  suit,  the  trustees  of  Abingdon 
Academy  emjDloyed  Natlianiel  Holley  as  principal  of  the  Academy, 
and  rented  a  room  for  tlie  school  to  be  taught  in  until  the  Academy 
building  could  be  erected. 

In  the  year  1824,  the  Board  of  Trustees  appointed  Francis  Smith, 
James  Cummings  and  Earl  B.  Clapp,  curators  for  the  Academy 
land,  and  in  the  same  year  appointed  David  Campbell,  James  White 
and  Francis  Smith,  a  conmiittee  to  select  a  location  for  the  Academy 
and  have  the  site  for  the  Academy  cleared  out,  and  in  the  following 
year,  Francis  Smith,  John  M.  Preston  and  David  Campbell,  were 
appointed  a  committee  tO'  let  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  a  brick 
Academy  to  cost  $2,000,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Board  of  Directors 
directed  that  the  cost  of  the  erection  of  this  Academy  be  paid  by 
money  raised  by  private  subscription. 

In  the  year  1826,  when  the  brick  Academy  was  nearing  com- 
pletion, the  Board  of  Trustees  of  tJi©  Academy  sold  and  conveyed 
to  General  Francis  Preston,  all  their  interest  in  the  old  Academy 
building  on  Water  street,  and  in  the  year  1827,  occupied  tlie  new 
Academy  building,  and  elected  W^illiam  Ewing  principal. 

The  brick  Academy  erected  in  this  year  was  situated  upon  the 
location  of  the  present  Academy  building,  and  was  one  of  the  best 
school  buildings  in  Western  Virginia  at  the  time. 

William  Ewing  served  as  -principal  of  the  Academy  until  1833, 
and  during  his  occupancy  the  attendance  was  considerable  and  the 
Academy  prosperous. 

From  the  year  1833  to  1837,  Professor  Peter  McViccar,  formerly 
a  professor  in  Hampden-Sidney  College,  was  principal  of  the  Acad- 
emy, and  received  for  his  compensation  $1,300  yearly.  The  tui- 
tion fee  was  $10  per  session  and  the  number  of  students  exceeded 
forty. 

In  the  yciir  1833,  tlie  trustees  of  Abingdon  Academy  decided  that 
it  would  be  advisable  to  unite  the  male  and  female  schools  af  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  563 

town,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  ascertain  the  practicability  of 
selling  the  Academy  lands  and  uniting  the  two  schools,  bnt  this 
undertaking  of  the  trustees  evidently  failed,  as  there  is  no  evidence 
that  the  two  schools  were  ever  united. 

In  the  year  1833  there  were  four  schools  for  boys  in  the  town 
of  Abingdon,  conducted  by  the  Eev.  David  Spyker,  Eev.  F.  L.  B. 
Shaver,  Samuel  Baillie  and  a  Mr.  Hathaway,  and  one  school  for 
girls. 

In  the  year  1774,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  conveyed  to  the  minister 
and  congregation  of  Sinking  Spring  and  their  successors  fifty-five 
acres  of  land,  now  in  West  Abingdon  and  including  Sinking  Spring- 
Cemetery,  and  a  portion  of  Fruit  Hill  and  Taylor's  Hill. 

In  the  year  1800  the  validity  of  this  deed  was  questioned  by  some, 
and  on  the  11th  of  January,  1800,  Colonel  Francis  Walker,  as 
executor  of  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  conveyed  this  same  land  to  the 
Eev.  Charles  Cummings  and  others  and  their  successors. 

In  the  year  1840,  the  validity  of  this  last  conveyancee  was  ques- 
tioned, and  on  the  23d  of  May  in  that  year,  William  C.  Eives  and 
his  wife,  Judith  P.  Eives,  Mann  Page,  and  Jane  F.  Page,  the  heirs- 
at-law  of  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  conveyed  these  lands  to  the  trustees 
of  Abingdon  Academy  and  their  successors. 

Subsequently  it  was  decided  that  the  first  deed  executed  by  Dr. 
Walker  was  valid  and,  consequently,  all  subsequent  deeds  void. 

The  next  information  that  we  have  of  the  Academy  is  in  the  year 
1849,  at  which  time  W.  A.  Woodson  and  B.  F.  Ficklin  were  prin- 
cipals. 

During  the  administration  of  Woodson  and  Ficklin  the  Academy 
was  a  military  institution,  and  for  a  number  of  years  thereafter. 
The  students  were  uniformed  and  daily  drilled.  The  uniform  worn 
by  the  students  was  as  follows :  A  coatee  of  gray  cloth  with  white 
metal  buttons,  with  pantaloons  of  the  same  material  for  winter, 
and  white  linen  or  cotton  for  summer  and  a  blue  cloth  cap.  The 
attendance  during  this  period  in  the  history  of  the  school  was 
large,  and  the  school  was  exceedingly  prosperous. 

W.  A.  Woodson  and  J.  M.  Brockenbrough  were  the  principals 
of  the  Academy  in  the  year  1851,  but  they  disagreed,  and  J.  M. 
Brockenbrough  during  the  following  year  conducted  a  school  for 
boys  in  the  basement  of  the  Temperance  Hall.    To  this  school  he 


5G4  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1736. 

gave  the  name  of  Washington  Institute,  liut  the  school  ceased  to 
exist  after  the  first  year. 

The  principals  of  the  Ahingdon  Academy  from  1822  until  the 
jjresent  time  have  been  as  follows: 

1822-1827,  Nathaniel  Holley. 

1827-1833,  William  Ewing. 

1833-1837,  Peter  McViccar. 

1837-1838,  Kev.  Ephraim  D.  Saunders,  Cumberland  county. 

1838-1840,  George  Clive,  Albemarle  county. 

1840-1843,  Eev.  Samuel  Matthews. 

1843-1849,  John  G.  Winniford. 

1849-1850,  B.  F.  Ficldin  and  W.  A.  Woodson. 

1850-1851,  W.  A.  Woodson  and  J.  M.  Brockenbrough. 

1851-1852,  W.  A.  Woodson  and  W.  Y.  C.  Humes. 

1852-1853,  J.  E.  Blankenship. 

1853-1854,  Eev.  Thomas  Bro^vn. 

1854-1855,  Eev.  Henry  T.  Lee. 

1 855-1856,  Stephen  J.  Pendleton,  Williamsburg. 

1856-1859,  Eev.  Thomas  Brown. 

185l'-1860,  Charles  T.  Brown. 

1860-1861,  E.  H.  Hall. 

1861-1865,  William  Farmer. 

18t3o-1871,  Eobert  P.  Carson. 

1871-1872,  John  H.  McEae. 

And  since  1872,  Eobert  P.  Carson,  J.  B.  Baker,  A.  P.  Wilmer, 
J.  W.  Cole  and  B.  E.  Smith  in  the  order  named. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  at  this  point  that  John  G.  Winniford,  who 
for  a  number  of  years  successfully  conducted  the  Abingdon  Acad- 
emy, was  the  son  of  the  principal  contractor  in  the  building  of 
EmoTy  and  Henry  College,  and  probably  the  first  graduate  of  that 
ir^stitntion. 

Mr.  Hall,  the  principal  of  this  Academy  in  the  year  1861,  resigned 
his  position  as  principal  of  the  Academy  and  enlisted  in  the  service 
of  the  Confederate  States. 

Eobert  J.  Preston,  Samuel  B.  Paston  and  James  G.  McCliaiu,  in 
the  order  named,  were  assistant  professors  at  the  Academy  during 
the  administration  of  Eobert  P.  Carson. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1861,  the  volunteers  from  Scott  county 
were  permitted  to  occupy  the  Abingdon  Academy  temporarily,  but 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  565 

this  permission  was  abused,  and  the  trustees  of  the  Academy  peti- 
tioned the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  Confederate  States  to  prohibit 
the  use  of  the  Academy  by  the  soldiers,  and  in  June,  186S,  tliis 
petition  was  granted  and  the  soldiers  forbidden  to  occupy  the 
Academy. 

By  the  year  1872  the  Academy  buildings  by  neglect  and  bad  usage 
had  cracked  and  were  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition,  and  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  because  of  the  necessity  above  stated,  began  the  erection 
in  that  year  of  the  present  Academy  building  and  the  brick  residence 
near  thereto. 

The  coTner-stone  of  the  Academy  was  relaid  jointly  by  Waterman 
Lodge,  No.  319,  and  Abingdon  Lodge,  JSTo.  48,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  on  the  15th  day  of  July,  A.  L.,  5872,  A.  D.,  1872, 
conducted  by  P.  G.  M.  Thomas  F.  Owens. 

The  program  was  as  follows : 

Eobert  E.  Withers,  Grand  Master  of  Virginia. 

Waterman  Lodge,  JSTo.  219. 

John  C.  Campbell,  Master. 

John  G.  Clark,  S.  W. 

William  White,  J.  W. 

George  E.  Barr,  Secretary. 

Charles  B.  Coale,  Treasurer. 

Abingdon  Lodge,  No.  48. 
John  A.  Barrow,  Master. 
P.  C.  Landrum,  S.  W. 
John  D.  Cosby,  J.  W. 
G.  V.  Litchfield,  Secretary. 
W.  F.  Barr,  Treasurer. 

Committee  of  Arrangements: 

E.  M.  Page, 

George  E.  Barr,     J>  Lodge  No.  219. 

Thomas  K.  Trigg, 

G.  V.  Litchfield,     ^ 

John  D.  Cosby,      I  Lodge,  No.  48. 

John  A.  Barrow,    ) 


5r,r,  SoullnrrsI    I'm/n/zV/,   17J,6-1786. 

Trustees  of  Abingdoii  Academy : 

E.  M.  Campbell,  President. 

John  G.  Kreger,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

James  K.  Gibson,  C.  S.  Bekem, 

John  A.  Campliell,  A.  C.  Cummings, 

A.  E.  Preston,  George  V.  Litchfield,  Sr., 

Charles  J.  Cummings,  N".  K.  White, 

T.  G.  McConnell,  D.  G.  Thomas, 

James  Fields,  S.  N".  Honaker, 

James  L.  White. 
Contractors : 
James  Fields,  Masonry. 
Frank  Smith,  carpenter. 

The  buildings  thus  begun  were  completed  in  a  short  time,  and  at 
this  day  are  in  use  by  the  authorities  of  the  Academy. 

The  trustees  of  the  Academy  in  the  meantime  had  sold  and  con- 
veyed the  property  derived  under  the  will  of  William  King,  and,  pre- 
vious to  18G1,  had  used  the  interest  arising  from  this  endowment 
fund  in  discharging  the  current  expenses  of  the  school,  but  by  the 
depreciation  of  the  securities  held  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  this 
fund,  the  entire  fund  was  exhausted  by  the  erection  of  the  buildings 
before  mentioned  and  since  that  time  the  school  has  been  without 
an  endowment  fund. 

Since  the  close  of  the  war  the  following  gentlemen  have  acted  as 
principals  of  the  Academy  in  the  order  named :  Colonel  E.  P.  Car- 
son, J.  B.  Baker,  A.  P.  Wilmer,  J.  W.  Cole,  and  B.  E.  Smith. 

This  Academy  is  situated  within  view  of  the  Norfolk  and  Western 
Eailway  and  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  depot  thereof. 
The  grounds  consist  of  about  eighteen  acres  of  land,  and  the 
Academy  buildings  are  situated  on  a  high  hill  in  the  midst  of  a 
splendid  grove  of  poplar,  oak  and  chestnut  trees  overlooking  tlie 
town  of  Abingdon,  and  from  this  hill  a  splendid  view  may  be  had 
of  all  the  surrounding  country. 

Many  of  the  distinguished  men  produced  by  this  county  and  this 
section  of  Virginia  have  been  students  of  this  Acadeni)',  and  under 
its  present  very  efficient  management  many  of  the  sons  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Virginia  are  being  prepared  for  a  life  of  nsefulness  and 
honor. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  567 

■\Vhat  this  Academy  most  needs  is  an  endowment  fnnd  that  will 
enable  the  trustees  to  extend  the  sphere  of  usefulness  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  if  some  of  our  well-to-do^  citizens  could  be  impressed  with 
the  fact  that  wealth  transmitted  to  descendants  has  an  enervating 
effect  and  oftentimes  destroys  the  usefulness  of  excellent  men,  maybe 
they  would  be  impelled  to  confer  a  small  portion  at  least  of  their 
wealth  upon  this  institution,  and  thereby  forever  merit  the  love 
and  respect  of  their  fellow-citizens  and  their  posterity.  The  pro- 
vision contained  in  the  will  of  William  King,  as  above  set  out,  has 
done  more  to  perpetuate  his  memory  and  to  instill  into  the  minds  of 
his  posterity  and  fellow-citizens  a  sublime  respect  for  his  character 
as  a  man  than  all  the  great  wealth  that  passed  at  liis  death  to  his 
relatives. 

Female  Education. 

As  early  as  March,  1840,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  in- 
corporated the  Abingdon  Female  Academy  with  a  capital  of  $50,- 
000,  under  the  management  of  the  following  trustees : 

David  Campbell,  John  M.  Preston, 

Alexander  Findlay,  John  W.  C.  Watson, 

John  N.  Humes,  Fairman  H.  Preston, 

Jacob  Lynch,  Daniel  Trigg, 

Samuel  H.  Wills,  William  Y.  C.  White, 

Jeremiah  Bronough,  John  C.  Greenway, 
John  Dunn. 

This  school  was  for  many  years  conducted  in  a  room  in  the  Ma- 
sonic Hall,  which  was  located  on  A^alley  street,  on  now  the  vacant 
lot  between  the  Presbyterian  manse  and  the  residence©  of  Mrs.  S. 
M.  Withers.  This  school  for  many  years  was  under  the  supervision 
of  Miss  Melville  and  Miss  Agnes  Mitchell  (the  latter  won  distinc- 
tion by  her  production  entitled  the  "Smuggler's  Son"),  and  after- 
wards by  Miss  Bettie  Litchfield,  and  at  one  time  by  the  Eev.  Thomas 
Brown. 

In  the  year  1851,  Miss  Bettie  Litchfield  conducted  the  school  at 
the  Masonic  Hall,  and  ]\Iisses  Sallie  C.  and  Elizabeth  Balfour  con- 
ducted a  school  for  young  ladies  in  the  Methodist  Protestant  church. 

In  February  of  the  year  1851,  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
Holston  Conference  met  in  Abingdon  and  discussed  the  propriety 
of  establishing  a  female  college  within  the  bounds  of  the  confer- 


568 


Southwest  _  Virginia,  17J^6-1 786. 


ence;  and  while  this  committee  failed  to  establish  a  school  in  Abing- 
don, the  subject  was  extensively  discussed  and  was  finally  brought 
to  the  attention  of  McCabe  Lodge,  No.  56,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Abingdon, 
and,  as  a  result,  the  lodge,  in  the  year  1853,  projected  a  plan  for  the 
erection  of  a  first-class  female  college  in  Abingdon,  to  which  was 
given  the  name  of 

MAETHA  WASHINGTON  COLLEGE. 

This  name  was  suggested  by  Colonel  John  Campbell,  of  Hall's 
Bottom,  who,  in  speaking  of  this  enterprise,  said:  "If  the  name  of 
your  county  was  the  first  honor  of  the  kind  paid  to  General  Wash- 


Martha  Washington  College,  Abingdon,  Va. 

ington,  the  name  you  are  about  to  give  to  your  female  college  will 
be  the  first  of  the  kind  paid  to  his  wife,  who  shared  with  him  his 
anxieties  and  hopes  in  our  struggle  for  liberty  and  whose  domestic 
virtues  made  her  a  perfect  model  of  female  excellence.  By  thus  con- 
ferring the  name  you  will  do  honor  to  the  bosom  friend  of  Washing- 
ton, who  consoled  him  during  his  wonderful  career.  You  will  also 
do  honor  to  the  first  settlers  of  Washington  county,  who  proved 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  569 

themselves  in  the  darkest  hours  of  the  revolution  to  be  worthy  the 
name  that  had  been  selected  for  their  county." 

The  Odd-Fellows  Lodge  that  undertook  this  worthy  enterprise 
was  organized  on  the  27th  of  June,  1847,  the  following  persons 
being  charter  members:  James  D.  McCabe,  John  C.  Campbell,  F.  L, 
B.  Shaver,  Matthew  Davis  and  Charles  B.  Coale. 

The  growth  of  the  lodge  was  rapid,  and  its  usefulness  was  un- 
bounded, and  by  the  year  1853  most  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Abing- 
don were  active  members. 

When  the  lodge  had  decided  to  undertake  this  enterprise  co'nmiit- 
tees  were  appointed  to  select  the  location  for  the  college  and  ascer- 
tain the  cost  thereof,  to  solicit  subscriptions  from  the  citizens  of  the 
town  and  county  and  from  other  lodges,  and  shortly  thereafter  the 
lodge  purchased  from  William  Y.  C.  White  about  ten  acres  of  land 
on  the  hill  north  of  the  county  courthouse  for  the  sum  of  twelve 
liundred  dollars,  the  purchase  money  being  paid  in  cash.  W.  W. 
Blackford,  a  member  of  the  lodge,  was  employed  to  furnish  the  plan 
for  said  college,  which  plan  was  reported  and  adopted,  and  contracts 
were  let  for  the  building  of  a  large  three-story  building  intended 
ds  the  main  building  of  the  college. 

In  the  meantime  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  the  3d 
day  of  March,  1854,  incorporated  the  proposed  college  under  the 
name  and  style  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Martha  Washington  College, 
the  following  gentlemen  being  named  as  trustees :  B.  E.  Johnston, 
James  H.  Dunn,  James  Fields,  David  C.  Dunn,  John  L.  Bradle}^, 
Samuel  Garner,  George  E.  Barr,  Samuel  Logan,  William  K.  Heis- 
kell,  Thomas  L.  Preston,  Peter  E.  B.  C.  Henritze,  Henry  W.  Baker 
and  John  C.  Cummings,  to^  which  board  were  subsequently  added 
Charles  B.  Coale  and  John  G.  Kreger. 

This  board  organized  by  the  election  of  Thomas  L.  Preston  as 
president  of  the  board. 

The  ladies  of  the  town  were  interested,  and  conducted  several 
fairs  for  the  benefit  of  the  college.  A  Gift  Enterprise  was  conducted 
at  Abingdon  and  50,000  tickets  were  sold  at  $1.00  each.  Fifty  thou- 
sand gifts  were  bestowed  upon  the  holders  of  the  tickets  sold,  among 
the  gifts  being  a  farm  of  150  acres  of  land,  house  and  lot  in  the  town 
of  Abingdon,  piano,  carriage,  buggy,  certificates  of  scholarsliip  in 
the  proposed  college,  and  several  thousand  steel  engravings  of  the 
proposed  college  buildings. 


570  South  vest   Virginia,  1740-1786. 

By  the  year  1858  the  main  building  of  the  college  was  about  com- 
pleted and  the  grounds  somewhat  improved,  when,  during  a  very 
severe  storm,  the  building  was  so  badly  injured  as  to  make  it  neces- 
sary to  tear  it  down  and  rebuild  it,  and  it  was  apparent  that  the 
lodge  would  not  be  able  to  complete  the  undertaking  as  at  first  pro- 
posed, although  they  had  expended  $30,000  thereon. 

At  this  time  the  Rev.  E.  E.  Wiley,  representing  the  Holston  Con- 
ference, submitted  a  proposition  to  the  lodge  on  behalf  of  the  confer- 
ence. The  lodge  accepted  the  proposition  of  the  conference,  and 
the  college,  wdth  its  debts,  real  estate  and  subscription  list,  was 
transferred  to  the  Holston  Conference,  the  transfer  taking  effect 
on  Monday,  June  14,  1858. 

The  conference  immediately  began  preparations  for  the  comple- 
tion of  the  enterprise  undertaken  by  the  lodge,  and  soon  thereafter 
purchased  from  Thomas  L.  Preston  the  present  location  of  the  col- 
lege for  the  sum  of  $21,600. 

The  property  thus  purchased  was  the  former  residence  of  Gen- 
eral Francis  Preston,  and  the  home  at  one  time  of  William  C.  Pres- 
ton and  John  S.  Preston,  oi  South  Carolina ;  Mrs.  Wade  Hampton, 
South  Carolina;  Mrs.  Eobert  J.  Breckenridge,  of  Kentucky;  Mrs. 
General  Carrington,  of  Albemarle  county;  Mrs.  John  B.  Floyd, 
Mrs.  James  McDowell,  of  Rockbridge,  and  Mrs.  John  M.  Preston,  of 
Abingdon. 

The  General  Assembly  of  A^'irginia  incorporated  Martha  Wash- 
ington College  on  the  22d  of  February,  1860,  naming  the  following 
trustees : 

George  V.  Litchfield,  Ephraim  E.  Wiley, 

Milton  Y.  Heiskell,  T.  P.  Hoofnagle, 

B.  R.  Johnston,  William  P.  Bishop, 

C.  B.  Coale,  W.  K.  Heiskell, 
Thomas  S.  Stewart,  Edmond  Longley, 
Joseph  Haskew,  Tbomas  G.  McConnell, 

John  A.  Campbell. 

This  board  organized  by  the  election  of  John  A.  Campbell  as 
president,  and  the  first  session  of  the  school  was  duly  opened  on 
March  15,  1860,  and,  save  for  the  suspension  of  a  few  months  in 
the  year  1862,  has  continued  in  successful  operation  to  tbe  present, 
the  last  few  years  being  the  most  prosperous  in  its  entire  history. 

This  college  can  boast  of  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  grad- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  571 

nates,  representing  all  of  the  ►Southern  States  and  many  of  the 
Northern  and  Western  States. 

'  The  description  of  the  buildings  and  grounds  is  best  given  by  one 
of  the  original  trustees  of  this  college : 

"The  buildings  and  grounds  are  of  the  most  elaborate  and  mag- 
nificent order,  unsurpassed  for  beauty  and  convenience  in  the  South 
or  out  of  it.  The  grounds  comprise  eight  acres,  and  are  gorgeously 
ornamented  with  trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers.  There  are  more 
than  a  mile  of  continuous  serpentine  walks  for  the  young  ladies 
to  promenade  in,  all  tastefully  bordered  with  flowering  shrubbery. 
Fruits  in  great  variety,  including  berries  and  grapes  in  great  abund- 
ance, grow  in  all  parts  of  the  ground,  at  all  times  in  their  season 
accessible  to  the  inmates,  and  the  young  ladies  seem,  in  their  beau- 
tiful and  well-ordered  "home  school,"  to  be  as  happy  as  the  first 
inhabitants  of  Eden  before  that  Snake  came  along.  The  buildings 
are  extensive,  convenient  and  imposing,  and  capable  of  accommO^ 
dating  from  125  to  150  boarders.  The  Faculty  is  equal  to  any 
anywhere;  and  if  we  were  young  again,  we  believe  we  might  be 
bewildered  at  the  sight  of  tlie  bright  eyes,  sunny  curls  and  fairy- 
like  forms  that  sport  amid  the  flowers  of  the  campus  on  calm  sum- 
mer evenings.  Some  of  our  young  men  are  half  crazy  now,  but 
they  dare  not  pass  the  enclosure,  except  to  see  a  sister  or  a  cousin,  and 
they  all  have  cousins  of  course,  and  even  then  nearly  every  tree  and 
bush  and  flower  seems  to  say — "thus  far  shalt  thou  go  and  no 
further."* 

The  buildings,  four  in  number,  are  constructed  of  brick,  and  are 
heated  by  steam  and  are  lighted  by  incandescent  electric  lights. 

The  principals  of  tliis  college  during  its  very  useful  career  have 
been:  W.  A.  Harris,  B.  Arbogast,  R.  W.  Jones,  Warren  Dupree, 
E.  E.  Hoss,  E.  E.  Wiley,  D.  S.  Hearon,  S.  N.  Barker  and  W.  M. 
Dyer. 

STONEWALL  JACKSON  INSTITUTE. 

In  the  year  1SG8,  a  number  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Abing- 
don, principally  affiliating  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  feeling 
it  necessary  that  another  school  for  the  education  of  girls  should  be 
established  in  this  section  of  the  State,  undertook  the  founding  of 
such  an  institution  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 


*Charles  B.  Coale. 


573 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 


The  location  selected  was  the  brick -residence  erected  by  General 
John  S.  Preston  in  the  year  1833,  and  lots  ISTos.  10,  11,  12,  13,  20, 
21  and  3-4  of  lot  No.  9,  in  West  Abingd4)n.  This  property  was 
occupied  by  General  Preston  until  his  removal  to  South  Carolina, 
and  then  by  Governor  Floyd  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

After  the  death  of  Governor  Floyd,  his  wife,  Sally  B.  Floyd,  and 
W.  B.  Byars,  trustee,  conveyed  this  property  to  A.  L.  Hendricks, 
who,  on  the  16th  of  January,  1868,  sold  and  transferred  the  same 
to  the  trustees  of  Martha  Washington  College. 


Stonewall  Jackson   Institute,  Abingdon,  Va. 

When  it  was  definitely  determined  to  undertake  the  establish- 
ment of  this  school,  the  trustees  of  the  Sinking  Spring  Presbyterian 
Church,  purchased  from  the  Trustees  of  Martha  Washington  College 
the  property  above  mentioned,  and  the  gentlemen  interested  at 
once  met  and  organized  a  Board  of  Trustees  composed  of  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen:  W.  Y.  C.  White,  A.  C.  Cummings,  T.  P.  Clapp, 
F.  B.  Hurt,  Kobert  A.  Preston,  T.  M.  Clapp,  James  W.  Preston,  Eev. 
James  McChain,  D.  G.  Thomas,  D.  C.  Dunn,  S.  A.  Preston, 
D.  C.  Greenway  and  J.  G.  Kreger,  and  elected  the  following  officers : 

President,  W.  Y.  C.  White. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  573 

Vice-President,  A.  C.  Cuinmings. 

Secretary,  John  G.  Kreger. 

Treasurer,  Samuel  A.  Preston. 

The  Trustees  of  the  Sinking  Spring  Presbyterian  Church 
appointed  the  Eev.  A.  L.  Hogshead  as  agent  to  solicit  subscrip- 
tions to  the  new  enterprise,  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  gave  to  the 
new  institution  the  name  of  Jackson  Female  Institute,  and  selected 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies  Stuart,  of  Staunton,  Virginia,  as  principal  ■ 
of  the  institution  for  the  first  year,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Brown  as 
principal  professor.  The  first  session  of  this  school  began  on  the 
15th  of  September,  18G8,  with  a  large  attendance  and  bright  pros- 
pects. The  name  given  to  the  institution  was  bestowed  and  intended 
as  a  tribute,  so  far  as  such  an  act  can  constitute  a  tribute,  to  a 
majestic  character,  a  great  name  that  will  ever  shine  with  un- 
dinimed  glory  upon  the  page  of  history. 

When  General  Lee  received  information  of  the ,  organization  of 
this  institution  he  addressed  tlie  following  letter  to  the  principal 
of  the  Institute,  expressing  his  feelings  in  regard  thereto: 

Eev.  S.  D.  Stuart: 

In  reply  to  yours  of  the  IGth  instant  in  reference  to  the  Stone- 
wall Jackson  Institute,  I  assure  you  that  any  scheme  designed  to 
perpetuate  the  recollections  of  the  virtue  and  patriotism  of  General 
Jackson  meets  with  my  approval.  As  he  was  a  friend  of  learning, 
I  know  of  no  more  effective  and  appropriate  method  of  accomplish- 
ing the  praiseworthy  object  in  question  than  the  establishment  of 
an  institution  in  which  tlie  young  women  of  our  country  may  be 
trained  for  the  important  and  responsible  duiies  of  life.  I  hope 
the  institution  established  by  the  people  of  Southwest  Virginia,  and 
dedicated  to  the  memory  of  General  T.  J.  Jackson,  may  meet  with 
entire  success  and  prove  a  blessing  to  the  State. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  B.  LEE. 

AVhat  more  fitting  monument  could  be  erected  to  the  memory  of 
General  Jackson,  who  was  loved  chiefly  for  his  patriotism,  gen- 
tleness, truth,  his  love  for  his  family  and  his  God,  than  an  institu- 
tion of  learning  of  this  character. 

Could  General  Jackson  know  the  manner  in  which  the  young 
lady  pupils  of  this  institution  are  taught  and  witness  them  in  their 
uniforms  of  Confederate  gray,  he  would  feel  that  this  is  the  grand- 


574  Southwest  Virginia,  17JtG-1786. 

est  moninneiit  that  lias  yet  been  erected  to  his  name  by  a  loving 
people. 

By  the  year  1870,  it  was  found  necessary  to  have  this  institution 
incorporated,  and  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  the  27  th  of 
June,  1870,  incorporated  the  same  with  the  following  Trustees: 
W.  Y.  C.  White,  T.  P.  Clapp,  James  W.  Preston,  S.  A.  Pres- 
ton, David  C.  Dunn,  Floyd  B.  Hurt,  D.  G.  Thomas,  John  G. 
Kreger,  David  C.  Greenway,  H.  S.  Preston,  E.  H.  Barnett,  George 
E.  Barr,  James  W.  Humes,  George  W.  Palmer,  A.  C.  Cummings, 
Isaac  B.  Dunn  and  Joseph  E.  Anderson. 

I.  B.  Dunn  and  Joseph  E.  Anderson  declined  to  serve  as  trustees 
and  E.  M.  Page  and  John  A.  Buchanan  were  elected  tO'  fill  the 
vacancies. 

Considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  by  the  trustees  of  this 
institution  in  relieving  it  from  its  indebtedness,  but  after  a  few 
years  the  financial  condition  of  the  institution  was  such  as  to 
justify  the  erection  of  a  commodious  addition,  three  stories  in  height, 
at  the  east  end  of  the  original  building,  and  about  ten  years  ago  a 
handsome  building  was  erected  at  the  west  end  of  the  original  build- 
ing, and  the  grounds  were  terraced  and  placed  in  excellent  condi- 
tion. 

The  trustees  of  this  institution  until  recent  years  were  selected, 
one-half  by  the  trustees  of  the  Institute  and  the  other  half  by  the 
trustees  of  Sinking  Spring  Presbyterian  Church,  but,  in  the  year 
1896,  the  trustees  of  the  Sinking  Spring  Presbyterian  Church 
transferred  their  interest  in  the  institution  to  Abingdon  Presbytery, 
and  the  charter  of  Jackson  Female  Institute  was  amended  by  the 
General  Assembly  changing  the  name  to  Stonewall  Jackson  Insti- 
tute and  provides  for  the  appointment  of  new  trustees  by  the  Abing- 
don Presbytery  and  the  trustees  of  the  Institute. 

It  may  be  said  that  this  institution  bids  fair  to  experience  in  the 
near  future  such  an  era  ot  prosperity  and  usefulness  as  is  seldom 
witnessed,  and  that  not  without  cause. 

Could  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  our  country  know  and  expe- 
rience the  gentle  Christian-like  influences  that  are  constantly 
exerted  by  the  principal  of  this  institution  in  her  dealings  with  her 
pupils,  they  could  not  hesitate  to  intrust  their  daughters  to  her  care. 

The  Institute  is  situated  upon  a  beautiful  eminence  on  west  Main 


Washin!jion  Cotiniy,  1777-1870.  575 

street,  the  grounds  are  studded  with  handsome  shade  trees,  all  of 
them  of  full  growth,  many  of  them  of  stately  stature  and  patri- 
archal age ;  the  surface  is  undulating  in  graceful  terraces  and  inter- 
sected by  winding  paths.-  The  front  and  sides  of  the  campus  are 
enclosed  with  a  handsome  stone  wall,  surmounted  throughout  its 
entire  leng-th  by  an  artistic  iron  fence.  The  buildings  occupy  the 
crest  of  a  hill  of  considerable  elevation  above  the  street  upon  which 
they  front  and  from  which  they  are  quite  far  removed,  while  the 
town  of  Abingdon  is  2,05,7  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  In  salu- 
brity of  climate,  which  is  an  important  consideration  in  selecting  a 
school.  Southwest  Virginia  is  not  excelled  by  any  other  section  of 
the  country. 

The  principals  of  the  institute  since  its  founding  have  been: 
Eev.  Samuel  D.  Stuart,  Thomas  D.  Davidson,  A.  Q.  HoUiday,  Eev. 
John  0.  Sullivan,  J.  D.  Anderson  and  Miss  Kate  M.  Hunt. 

Under  the  present  administration  the  institute  has  received  a 
larger  patronage  than  in  any  preceding  period  of  its  history. 

EMORY  AND  HENEY  COLLEGE. 

From  an  early  day  in  our  histoi-y  the  need  of  an  institution  of 
learning  that  would  afford  educational  advantages  of  a  high  order 
was  Jvcenly  felt,  and  for  many  years  the  practicability  of  establish- 
ing such  an  institution  was  discussed  by  the  leading  citizens  of  this 
section  of  our  country,  l)ut  no  practical  results  were  obtained  until 
about  the  year  1833.  Colonel  William  Byars,  Tobias  Smith,  Alex- 
ander Findlay  and  the  Eev.  Creed  Fulton,  about  this  time,  under- 
took the  establishment  of  such  an  institution  in  this  county,  and 
had  made  some  progress,  when  the  Holston  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  at  its  fall  session  of  1835,  held  in  Knox- 
ville,  Tennessee,  resolved  to  establish  in  Southwestern  Virginia  a 
manual  labor  college,  and  soon  thereafter,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1836, 
Colonel  William  Byars  and  Alexander  Findlay  purchased  from 
George  M.  Crawford  and  the  other  devisees  of  the  Eev.  Edward 
Crawford,  554  1-3  acres  of  land  for  the  sum  of  $4,158.75. 

The  lands  thus  purchased  were  situated  on  the  waters  of  Cedar 
creek,  described  in  the  deed  as  the  waters  of  the  Little  Holston  creek, 
and  were  the  same  lands  that  were  surveyed  by  John  Buchanan, 
deputy  surveyor  of  Augusta  county,  for  Colonel  James  Wood,  on 
the    26th  of  March,  1874  and  th?  24th  of  March,  1749.    These 


576 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 


lands  were  devised  by  Colonel  Wood  to  his  wife,  Mary  Wood,  and 
by  her  conveyed  to  James  Dysart  and  Matthew  Eyburn,  executors 
O'f  John  Beattie,  deceased,  and  by  D3'sart  and  Eyburn  conveyed  to 
the  Eev.  Edward  Crawford,  and  by  the  Eev.  Edward  Crawford 
devised  to  his  children  by  his  wife,  Jane.* 

The  Holston  Conference,  at  the  same  time  that  it  decided  to 
establish  the  manual  labor  school  in  Southwest  Virginia,  commis- 


0^M 


Emory  and  Heniy  College,  Emory,  Va. 

sioned  the  Eev.  Creed  Fulton  as  an  agent  to  solicit  funds  for  the 
undertaking,  Avhich  duty  he  immediately  proceeded  to  discharge. 
Upon  his  return  from  Knoxville,  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the 
upper  end  of  this  county  was  held  at  the  Old  Glade  Spring  Church, 
having  for  its  object  the  obtaining  of  subscriptions  for  the  enter- 
prise. This  meeting  was  largely  attended  and  $5,000  was  sub- 
scribed to  the  enterprise  at  that  time  and  pi  ace,  f  and  soon  there- 
after another  meeting  was  held  in  Abingdon  at  which  a  subscription 
equally  as  large  was  obtained.  In  the  meantime  Colonel  William 
Byars,  Alexander  Findlay  and  Tobias  Smith  were  furnishing  the 


*The  will  of  Eev.  Edward  Crawford  was  probated  on  January  21st,  1823. 
tTobias  Smith  was  the  first  subscriber,  his  snbgcription  being  $500. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  577 

money  and  were  giving  tlieir  time  to  the  erection  of  buildings  upon 
the  location  selected  for  the  school,  being  the  lands  purchased  by 
Byars  and  Findlay  from  George  M.  Crawford  and  others. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  main  college  building  was  laid  with 
Masonic  ceremonies  on  the  30th  day  of  September,  1836,  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  people.  The  contract  for  the  build- 
ings had  been  previously  let  to  Lyle  &  Sheppard  and  the  carpen- 
ters' work  to  George  Winniford,  and  by  the  spring  of  1838  the 
buildings  were  sufficiently  advanced  to  justify  the  opening  of  the 
school,  and  the  first  session  began  on  the  13th  day  of  April,  1838. 

The  name  given  to  this  college  was  Emory  and  Henry  College,  in 
honor  of  Bishop  Emory  and  Patrick  Henry,  and  the  Kev.  Charles 
Collins  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the  college. 

Colonel  William  Byars  was  elected  president  and  Alexander  Find- 
lay  secretary,  of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  of  Emory  and  Henxy 
College.  The  first  Board  of  Trustees  of  Emory  and  Henry  College 
was  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen: 

Colonel    William   Byars,  John  W.  Price, 

Alexander  Findlay,  John  W.  C.  AVatson, 

Tobias  Smith,  Rev.  Creed  Fulton, 

Daniel  Trigg,  M.  D.,  Rev.  ISTathaniel  Sherman, 

Colonel  Thomas  L.  Preston,      John  N.  Humes, 
Rev.  Thomas  Catlett,  Nickerson  Snead,  M.  D., 

Rev.  Arnold  Patton. 
This  school,  in  its  inception,  was  called  a  manual  labor  college, 
and  was  intended  as  an  institution  in  which  the  pupils  were  to  be 
taught  to  labor  with  their  hands  as  well  as  to  think.  They  were  to 
be  permitted  to  work  upon  the  farm  and  to  receive  credit  upon 
their  tuition  and  board  for  labor  thus  performed,  and  while  this 
feature  of  the  institution  was  maintained  for  many  years,  it  was 
finally  found  to  be  impracticable  and  was  abandoned.  One  hun- 
dred students  were  enrolled  during  the  first  year,  and,  as  far  as 
patronage  was  concerned,  the  school  was  prosperous. 

This  institution  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Assembly 
approved  March  5,  1839,  and  on  the  24th  of  December,  1840,  Wil- 
liam Byars,  Alexander  Findlay  and  Catherine  Findlay,  his  wife, 
conveyed  to  the  trustees  of  Emory  and  Henry  College  the  lands 
they  had  purchased  from  the  devisees  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Crawford 
in  1836,  and  in  this  deed  William  Byars  retained  a  lien  on  the 


578  Soidliivest  Yirgima,  llJtG-1186. 

lands  thus  conveyed  to  secure  to  himself  the  sum  of  $7,400,  and  to 
Alexander  Findlay  and  John  D.  Mitchell  $2,000,  money  advanced 
by  them  in  the  establishment  and  support  of  said  college. 

By  the  year  1843  the  trustees  of  tlie  college  found  the  institu- 
tion considerably  in  debt  and  petitioned  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  for  a  loan  of  $18,000  from  the  Literary  Fund,  and  by  an 
Act  of  the  Assembly  approved  on  the  27th  of  February,  1843,  the 
directors  of  the  Literary  Fund  were  authorized  to  loan  to  the 
trustees  of  Emory  and  Henry  College  the  sum  of  $18,000,  provided 
the  trustees  of  said  college  would  secure  the  payment  of  said  sum  of 
$18,000  and  its  interest  by  a  deed  of  trust  upon  all  their  property, 
and  by  good  personal  security,  and  pursuant  to  this  Act  of  the  Assem- 
bly the  trustees  of  tlie  college  on  the  24th  of  March,  1843,  executed 
to.  Leverly  E.  Johnston  a  deed  of  trust  upon  all  their  real  estate  in 
this  county  to  secure  the  said  sum  of  $18,000  and  its  interest,  and 
William  Byars,  Alexander  Findla}^,  Tobias  Smith  and  other  prom- 
inent citizens  of  the  county  became  endorsers  on  their  note. 

This  incumbrance  upon  the  property  of  the  college  was  discharged 
on  August  20,  1890,  by  the  trustees  of  Emory  and  Henry  College 
conveying  to  the  Board  of  Public  Works  of  Virginia  248  1-2  acres  of 
their  real  estate  situated  at  Emory. 

It  should  be  stated  to  the  credit  of  the  management  of  this  insti- 
tution that,  from  the  year  1843,  the  college,  without  an  endowment, 
was  free  from  debt  for  about  thirty  years,  and  that  the  income  from 
tuition  and  board  was  not  only  sufficient  to  meet  the  current 
expenses  of  the  school,  but  the  trustees  were  enabled  to  make  con- 
siderable improvement  during  this  time,  such  as  the  erection  of 
handsome  buildings  and  enlarging  the  library  and  apparatus.  The 
patronage  of  the  school  reached  280  pupils  in  the  year  1860,  and 
since  the  close  of  the  war  has  varied  from  80  to  150. 

Colonel  William  Byars  and  Governor  Wyndham  Eobertson,  each, 
in  the  early  history  of  the  college  gave  to  the  trustees  a  sum  of 
money  the  annual  interest  of  which  has  for  many  years  furnished 
the  Byars'  Medal  for  the  highest  proficiency  in  Natural  Sciences, 
and  the  Eobertson  prize  medal  for  encouraging  oratory,  while  Pro- 
fessor James  A.  Davis  donated  to  the  college  valuable  instruments 
costing  about  $700. 

Moi"'^  than  five  thousand  young  men  have  been  educated  and  more 
than  five  hundred  have  Graduated  from  this  institution  in  its  his- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  579 

tory.  It  has  accomplished  great  good  in  its  time,  and  the  prospects 
are  that  it  will  accomplish  untold  benefits  to  our  country  in  the 
fa  Lure. 

The  presidents  of  this  institution  have  been: 

1837-1852,  Eev.  Charles  Collins,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 

1862-1879,  Eev.  Ephraim  E.  Wiley,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 

1S79-18S0,  John  L.  Buchanan,  M.  A.,  LL.  D. 

1880-188-1,  Eev.  David  Sullins,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 

1884-1885,  Eev.  E.  Embree  Hoss,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 
and  since  that  time,  Thomas  W.  Jordan,  Eev.  James  M.  Atkins 
and  Eev.  E.  G.  Waterhouse. 

The  location  of  Emory  and  Henry  College  is  in  a  beautiful  val- 
ley nine  miles  east  of  Abingdon,  just  south  of  the  extreme  west  end 
ol  Walker's  mountain,  and  cannot  be  excelled  for  its  beauty  and  fer- 
tility anywhere  in  our  country.  The  college  is  situated  2,000  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  with  the  White  Top  mountain  in  plain 
view,  and  directly  upon  the  line  of  the  Norfolk  &  Western  Eailway. 

LIBEETY  HALL  ACADEMY. 

Liberty  Hall  Academy  was  founded  in  18(36 — thirty-seven  years 
ago.  It  has  ranked  high  as  a  school  ever  since.  Its  founder  was 
Eev.  James  Keys,  who  had  taught  successfully  for  many  years  in 
Johnson  county,  Tennessee,  and  was  driven  out  by  the  war.  It  is 
a  commodious  brick  building,  built  at  Mr.  Keys'  O'Wn  expense.  He, 
as  principal,  assisted  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  T.  W.  Hughes,  had 
charge  until  1878. 

His  patronage  exceeded  that  of  any  other  school  in  the  county  ex- 
cept Emory.  In  the  year  above  mentioned  Mr.  Keys  retired  on  ac- 
count of  age  and  infirmity,  and  the  property  was  purchased  by  a  board 
of  gentlemen  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This  purchase  was  made 
in  1878.  The  object  was  to  continue  the  school,  and  to  that  end  they 
signed  and  placed  an  agreement  on  record  that  the  property  should 
be  used  for  school  purposes  forever. 

1'he  first  principal  after  the  purchase  was  Professor  T.  W. 
Hughes.  He  continued  in  charge  seven  years,  and  was  STicceeded  by 
Eev.  Mr.  McClure,  who  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  second  year.  He 
was  succeeded  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  who  remained  for  brief 
periods  and  whose  success  was  not  conspicuous.  Professor  W.  J. 
Edmondson,  at  present  county  superintendent,  became  principal 
in  1891,  and  continued  in  charge  six  years.    The  character  of  the 


580  Sontliwest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

school  was  fully  sustaiiu'd  under  liiiu  and  tlu'  patronage  very  large. 
His  successor  was  Professor  \V.  G.  Edmondsoii,  wlio  resigned  at  the 
end  of  the  second  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Professor  Sam 
Edmondson,  the  present  principal. 

Liberty  Hall  has  been  a  school  for  thirty-seven  years.  Its  average 
patronage  has  been  large.  Its  instructors  have  generally  been  men 
•of  first-class  attainments.  Its  standard  has  always  been  high,  and 
no  similar  institution  in  Southwest  Virginia  has  fitted  as  many 
young  men  for  college  or  sent  into  the  ranks  so  many  of  the  teach^ers 
of  our  common  schools. 

While  Liberty  Hall  Academy  is  nominally  Presbyterian,  it  is  not 
in  any  sense  denominational. 

An  effort  is  now  being  made  to  secure  an  endowment  of  $10,000, 
by  which  means  the  salary  of  the  principal  will  be  secured,  and  rates 
of  tuition  correspondingly   lowered. 

BAEEACK  INSTITUTE. 

While  the  writer  has  but  little  information  in  regard  to  Solomon 
G.  Barrack  or  the  history  of  the  institute  established  by  his  donation 
near  Love's  Mill  in  this  county,  he  thinks  it  worthy  of  note  that 
Solomon  G.  Barrack,  a  citizen  of  this  county,  and  of  very  limited 
means,  by  his  will,  which  was  executed  prior  to  the  war  between 
the  States,  devised  the  larger  portion  of  his  estate  to  Leonidas  Love, 
to  be  invested  by  him  upon  undoubted  security  as  a  school  fund, 
and  directed  that  said  fund  be  kept  on  interest,  and  the  interest 
expended  yearly  in  paying  the  salary  of  a  competent  teacher  under 
the  direction  of  Leonidas  Love,  David  Jones,  Oscar  Love  and 
Charles  Meek,  and  by  the  same  will  directed  the  erection  of  a  school- 
house  upon  a  piece  of  land  near  Love's  Mill,  Virginia. 

The  gentlemen  above  named  were  incorporated  under  the  name 
and  style  of  Trustees  of  Barrack  Institute  in  the  year  1866.  The 
school-house  provided  foT  was  erected  under  their  supervision  and 
for  now  more  than  thirty-five  years  the  youth  of  that  community 
have  been  enjoying  the  benefits  oi  educational  advantages  that  they 
would  not  have  enjoyed  had  the  founder  of  this  institution  been 
actuated  by  selfish  motives  alone  and  conferred  his  property  upon 
his  relatives. 

The  memory  of  Solomon  G.  Barrack  is  entitled  to  a  position 
along-side  that  of  William  King,  and  th'e  memory  of  both  should  be 
honored  and  respected  by  the  citizens  of  this  county. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  581 

WHITE  TOP  MOUNTAIN.f 

*"This  is  a  peak  in  the  Appalachian  range,  here  more  familiarly 
known  by  the  local  name  of  Iron  mountain,  and  near  the  point 
^vhere  the  three  States  of  Virginia,  Tennessee  and  N'orth  Carolina 
all  unite  at  a  common  corner.  It  is  about  twenty  miles  from 
Abingdon  the  way  the  crow  flies,  though  perhaps  thirty  by  the 
intricate  bridle  paths  through  intervening  mountains,  by  which  it 
is  approached.  Until  within  a  few  years  comparative!}',  owing  to  its 
inaccessibility,  it  was  almiost  in  its  primitive  state,  and  visited 
only  by  hunters  and  trappers,  and  here  and  there  a  "squatter,"  who 
may  have  fled  to  its  fastnesses  to  evade  those  penal  exactments  which 
a  certain  class  of  men  in  most  communities  deem  oppressive.  It  is 
some  5,000  feet  high  from  base  to  summit,  and  upwards  of  6,000 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Its  summit  is  a  vast  field  compris- 
ing from  300  to  500  acres,  witho'ut  a  tree  or  shrub,  and  covered  with 
a  luxuriant  growth  of  wild  grass  resembling  that  of  our  north- 
western prairies,  which  is  highly  nutritious  and  cropped  with 
insatiable  avidity  by  vast  herds  of  stock  driven  from  the  neighbor- 
ing settlements  to  graze  and  fatten.  During  th:e  months  ol  May 
and  June,  this  field,  as  well  as  a  large  portion  of  the  wooded  parts 
of  the  mountain,  is  gorgeously  carpeted  with  wild  flowers  of  every 
imaginable  hue,  and  so  fragrant  that  their  perfume  is  often  wafted  a 
considerable  distance  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  which  sometimes 
sweeps  across  the  broad  fields  like  the  dying  throes  of  a  hurricane, 
with  fitful  shrieks  of  wild  and  melancholy  music. 

Bordering  this  natural  field  are  great  numbers  of  native  goose- 
berry and  currant  bushes,  which  yield  their  acrid  fruits  in  never- 
failing  abundance,  and  the  wild  leopard  lily,  springing  from  its 
rocky  bed,  sways  to  and  fro  and  scatters  its  rich  perfume  as  the 
blast  sweeps  by. 

Upon  the  very  summit,  various  springs  of  ice-cold  water  gusli 
from  the  rocks  and  leap  do\vn  the  declivities,  babbling  their  wild 
music  as  they  disappear  among  the  magnificent  rhododendrons  and 
the  dazzling  crimson  of  the  Indian  pink.  These  waters  are  so 
pure  and  light  that  they  never  oppress,  no  matter  how  freely  the 
thirsty  visitor  may  quaff  them. 

The  field  above  referred  to  is  bordered  by  a  very  singular  as 


tFor  illustration  see  page  282, 
'*Cliarles  B,  Coale. 


582  South tresl  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

well  as  very  beautiful  growth  of  timber,  known  in  tliat  region  by 
the  name  of  Lashorn.  Some  of  these  trees  grow  to  an  immense 
height,  but  generally  are  not  more  than  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet 
high,  and,  what  is  very  remarkable,  where  not  crowded  they  are 
perfectly  flat  on  top,  spreading  out  to  a  diameter  of  from  fifteen 
to  thirty  feet.  It  is  a  species  of,  and  very  much  resembles,  Norway 
spruce,  an  ornamental  tree  often  found  in  the  yards  of  our  more 
elegant  city  residences.  The  Lashorn  of  White  Top  mountain  is 
peculiar  to  that  locality,  and  of  the  thousands  that  have  been  trans- 
planted, not  one  has  ever  been  known  to  grow,  though  some  have 
lived  several  years.  The  limbs  at  the  top  where  they  spread  out  are 
so  tenacious  and  inflexible,  and  so  closely  interlaced,  that  the  writer 
has  seen  as  many  as  twenty  persons  standing  and  stepping  about 
upon  the  top  of  the  same  tree  at  the  same  time.  It  is  very  easy  to 
ascend  and  descend,  as  the  limbs  usually  begin  at  the  ground,  and 
being  cut  oft'  about  a  foot  from  tlie  trunk,  a  very  convenient  "Indian 
ladder"  is  formed,  and  then  a  hole  being  cut  through  the  foliage 
in  the  centre  of  the  top,  it  is  not  difficult  for  even  a  lady  to  ascend  and 
step  out  upon  the  vernal  platform.  Where  the  forest  of  this  singular 
and  beautiful  growth  is  dense  there  is  no  undergrowth,  the  trees 
limbless  to  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet,  the  tops  intermingling 
and  forming  a  canopy  the  sun  can  scarcely  penetrate,  and  the  earth 
covered  with  a  carpet  of  lichen  moss  which  feels  to  the  tread  as 
soft  and  elastic  as  a  sponge.  During  the  summer  months  these 
trees  are  literally  alive  with  snow  birds,  the  little  creatures  con- 
gregating here  in  millions  to  build  their  habitations  and  rear  their 
yo'ung. 

Notwithstanding  the  romantic  beauty  of  this  grand  elevation, 
and  the  exliilarating  efPects  of  the  highly  rarified  atmosphere  upon 
the  system,  himdreds  and  thousands  have  lived  and  died  within  sight 
of  it  without  ever  having  paid  it  a  visit.  The  reason  for  tliis  has 
been  the  difficulty  of  access,  want  of  accommodations  in  the  vicinity, 
and  the  mere  cattle  paths  by  which  it  is  approached  through  deep 
and  intricate  gorges,  over  steep  foot-hills,  and  through  almost 
impenetrable  laurel  jungles,  sometimes  infested  by  bears,  wolves, 
wild-cats  and  rattlesnakes.  There  are  but  few  of  these  "varmints" 
there  now. 

The  view  from  the  summit  of  the  White  Top  is  grand  beyond 
idescription  or  even  conception.    Looking  toward  the  south,  you  have 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  583 

within  the  scope  of  vision,  stretching  away  from  east  to  west,  the 
Blue  Eidge  Eange,  which,  in  the  dim  distance,  looks  like  an  azure 
band  bordering  the  horizon,  with  here  and  there  a  tall  peak  hiding- 
its  head  in  the  clouds.  To  the  east,  mountain  piled  upon  mountain 
meets  the  view,  their  gentler  slopes  in  places  dotted  with  "clearings," 
and  a  column  of  smoke,  here  ascending  and  there  lying  in  long 
folds  along  the  mountain  side,  denoting  the  rude  habitation  of  the 
ruder  "squatter."  Looking  toward  the  nortli  you  have  the  grand  old 
Cumberland  range,  the  barrier  that  divides  the  "Dark  and  Bloody 
Ground"  from  the  Old  Dominion,  as  if  swelling  up  from  an  ocean  of 
green,  and  struggling  to  lift  itself  above  the  vapor  that  hangs  lazily 
upon  its  sides.  To  the  west  the  view,  though  less  imposing,  is  not 
less  beautiful.  You  have  before  you  the  broad  valley  of  the  Holston, 
which,  although  diversified  with  hill  and  dale,  bold  promontories  and 
pine-clad  ridges,  still,  from  the  altitude  from  which  you  look  out 
upon  it,  has  the  appearance  of  a  vast  sea  dotted  vsdth  picturesque 
islands.  In  the  distance  the  spires  and  tin  roofs  of  the  town  of 
Abingdon  glisten  in  the  sunlight,  large  plantations  look  like  blan- 
kets spread  out  in  the  forest,  and  at  intervals,  as  it  dashes  out  from 
behind  a  bluff,  or  winds  its  way  through  a  green  pasture,  may  the 
White  Top  Fork  of  Laurel  be  seen,  like  a  serpentine  thread  of  silver, 
its  sparkling  waters  shimmering  like  diamonds  among  the  foliage 
and  wild  flowers  upon  its  bank. 

The  writer  of  this  has  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  many  a  magnificent 
scene  in  his  wanderings,  but  has  never  seen  that  from  the  summit 
of  the  White  Top  excelled,  or  even  equaled.  He  was  there  on  one 
occasion  when  a  storm  came  riding  on  the  blast  more  than  a  thou- 
sand feet  below  where  a  company  of  gentlemen  were  standing.  The 
whole  valley  was  shrouded  as  with  a  pall.  The  deep-toned  thunder 
bellowed  below,  preceded  by  brilliant  fla.shes  of  lightning,  illuminat- 
ing the  dark  bosom  of  the  cloud.  The  scene  was  aw^fully  grand,  and 
lo  far  transcends  the  powers  of  mortal  description,  tiiat  he  would 
not  dare  attempt  it." 

ATATUEAL  BEIDGE  AND  TUN^^EL  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY. 
One  of  the  curiosities  of  Southwest  Virginia  is  the  Natural  Tun- 
nel and  Bridge  of  Scott  county.  It  spans  a  turbulent  and  rapid 
stream  bearing  the  name  of  Stock  creek,  and  like  the  Natural  Bridge 
of  Eockbridge  county  has  a  public  road  passing  over  it.  It  is  not  so 
perfect  a  bridge  as  that  of  Eockbridge  county,  but  is  much  grander 


584  Soutlmest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

in  proportion  and  is  laid  out  ujion  a  much  more  stupendous  scale. 
It  is  by  actual  measurement  420  feet  high,  about  twice  as  high 
as  the  Natural  Bridge  of  Eockbridge  county,  and  the  face  of  the 
structure  is  as  smooth  and  perpendicular  as  if  fashioned  by  the  skill 
of  a  mason.  Its  imperfections  consist  in  being  much  wider  than 
long,  and  in  the  small  proportion  of  arch  to  the  immense  mass  of 
rock  above  it.  It  is  really  more  of  a  tunnel  than  a  bridge,  although  a 
public  road  crosses  the  chasm  upon  it.  The  tunnel  is  not  straight, 
but  is  in  the  sliape  of  an  S,  and  from  two  to  three  hundred  yards  in 
length."* 

The  track  of  the  Virginia  and  Southwestern  Railroad  is  located 
through  the  tunnel,  and  the  arcli  is  far  more  than  sufficient  for  the 
na??age  of  the  train.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  tunnel  there  are  several 
large  caves  in  wliieh  are  found  a  great  variety  of  stalactites  and  sta- 
lagmites in  all  stages  of  formation,  and  in  tliese  caves  are  found 
Indian  bones  and  many  Indian  relics. 

SALTVILLE  VALLEY. 

The  location  of  the  Saltworks  in  this  county  was  surveyed  by  John 
Buchanan,  a  deputy  surveyor  of  iVugusta  county,  for  Charles  Camp- 
bell, on  December  13,  1748,  and  in  the  plat  that  was  returned  with 
the  survey,!  the  words  "Buffalo  Lick,"  are  written,  and  a  patent  for 
the  same  was  procured  from  the  Governor  of  Virginia  in  1753. 
Charles  Campbell  was  the  father  of  General  William  Campbell,  of 
King's  mountain  celebrity,  and,  upon  his  death,  General  Campbell 
became  the  owner  of  this  tract  of  land,  but  the  presence  of  salt  water 
upon  this  property  was  not  discovered  until  about  the  time  of  the 
death  of  General  William  Campbell,  which  occurred  in  1781. 

General  William  Campbell  left  two  children,  Sarah  Buchanan 
Campbell  and  Charles  Henry  Campbell,  the  latter  dying  at  the 
age  of  five  years,  and  (*olonel  Arthur  Campbell  and  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Christian,  upon  the  death  of  General  Campbell,  qualified  as 
guardians  of  his  children,  and  they  proceeded  to  improve  this 
property  to  a  considerabe  extent. 

When  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  voted  Charles  Henry 
Campbell  five  thousand  acres  of  land  in  consideration  of  the  distin- 
guished services  of  his  father,  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  his  guard- 


*Oharles  B.  Coale. 

fSxirveyor's  record,  Augusta  county,  Staunton,  Va. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  585 

ian,  entered  this  grant  in  the  name  of  Charles  Henry  Campbell  on 
lands  adjoining  the  Salt  Lick  tract,  and  this  land  passed,  upon 
the  death  of  Charles  Henry  Campbell,  to  his  sister,  Miss  Sarah 
Buchanan  Campbell,  afterwards  Mrs.  General  Francis  Preston. 

Some  years  after  the  death  of  General  Campbell,  his  widow  mar- 
ried General  William  Eussell,  who  moved  with  his  family  to  the  Salt 
Lick  in  February,  1788,  and  built  what  was  afterwards  known  as 
the  "IMadam  Eussell"  house. 

General  Eussell  dug  a  well  on  the  margin  of  the  flat  in  front  of 
his  house,  obtained  salt  water,  and  built  a  furnace  and  salt  houses ; 
the  furnace  was  an  open  shed,  and  the  kettles  were  the  camp  kettles 
of  that  day,  of  a  capacity  of  from  eight  to  ten  gallons. 

A  dispute  arose  between  General  Arthur  Campbell  and  General 
William  Eussell,  and,  in  1.789,  the  court  appointed  Colonel  Thomas 
Madison,  an  uncle  of  Sai'ah  Buchanan  Campbell,  her  guardian  in 
the  place  of  Colonels  Campbell  and  Christian.  In  1790  Colonel 
Thomas  Madison  rcmoAcd  to  the  Salt  Lick,  built  a  log  cabin  upon 
the  location  of  what  was  afterwards  known  as  the  Preston  House, 
and,  digging  a  well,  began  tlie  manufacture  of  salt,  and  continued 
to  manufacture  it  at  this  place  until  the  marriage  of  his  ward  to 
General  Francis  Preston  in  17913. 

In  the  meantime  General  William  Eussell  had  died  at  the  home  of 
his  son,  Eobert  L.  Eussell,  in  Culpeper  county,  on  the  14th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1793. 

In  1795  General  Francis  Preston  built  an  addition  to  the  log 
cabin  of  Thomas  Madison,  and,  in  1797,  upon  his  retirement  from 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  moved  with  his  family  to  the 
Salt  Lick,  and  made  his  homo  there  until  the  year  1810,  when  he 
removed  to  Abingdon. 

Soon  after  General  Preston  located  at  the  Salt  Lick,  he  had 
another  well  dug  near  that  of  Colonel  Madison,  and  enlarged  the 
furnaces  and  the  kettles. 

In  1795  William  King  bought  150  acres  to  the  west  of  the  Preston 
tract,  and  in  1799  erected  furnaces  and  other  buildings  thereon  and 
began  the  manufacture  of  salt.  On  the  30th  of  February,  1801,  he 
rented  the  Preston  Salines  for  the  period  of  ten  years,  for  $12,000 
per  year,  and  manufactured  salt  with  great  success  until  the  date  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1808.    From  that  time  until  the  year 


586  Southwest  Virginia,  17Ji6-1786. 

1819,  the  works  were  carried  on  by  James  King,  William  Trigg, 
Mar}^  King,  Charles  S.  Carson,  executor  of  James  King,  and  Lilburn 
L.  L.  Henderson,  execntor  of  William  Trigg. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1819,  the  Saltworks  were  leased  to  John 
Saunders  for  five  j^ears  from  August  1,  1819,  at  an  annual  rental 
of  $30,000,  but  Saunders,  during  the  following  years,  assigned  his 
lease  to  James  White,  who  renewed  the  lease  and  continued  his 
operations  until  September  3.  1833.  The  Saltworks  were  then  leased 
to  Alexander  McCall  and  William  King  at  an  annual  rental  of 
$15,972  for  the  King  Saltworks,  and  $16,000  for  the  Preston 
Salines,  during  the  life  of  Mrs.  William  Trigg,  and  they  continued 
in  possession  of  the  property  until  ]  845,  when  Thomas  L.  Pres':on 
took  charge  of  the  Preston  Saline,  and  King  and  McCall  and  Find- 
la}^,  Mitchell  &  Company  took  joint  possession  of  the  King  Salt- 
works. 

In  1846  Thomas  L.  Preston  rented  the  King  estate  from  the 
court  at  an  annual  rental  of  $16,000  for  five  years,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  his  lease,  Wyndham  Robertson  became  the  lessee 
thereof  for  the  period  of  five  years,  and  was  in  turn  succeeded  by 
Thomas  L.  Preston,  who,  in  the  j^ear  1858,  rented  both  estates  tO' 
Spencer,  Ackerman  &  Company.  In  1863,  Stuart,  Palmer  and 
Parker  purchased  the  Preston  property,  and  in  1864  a  joint  stock 
company  of  the  two  estates  was  formed  under  the  title  of  the  Holston 
Salt  and  Plaster  Company,  and  this  company  continued  business 
until  1893,  when  the  present  proprietors  of  the  Mathieson  Alkali 
Works  became  the  owners  of  the  two  estates. 

The  King  Salines,  in  the  year  1819,  produced  from  90,000  to 
100,000  bushels  of  salt  per  year,  and  in  1861-1865  the  production 
of  the  Saltworks  was  many  times  greater  than  in  the  year  1819. 
The  larger  portion  of  all  the  salt  used  in  the  Southern  States  during 
that  time  was  supplied  from  the  SaltAvorks,  it  being  a  common  thing 
to  see  as  many  as  a  thousand  salt  wagons  at  one  time  at  the  Salt- 
works during  the  period  mentioned. 

Since  1893  the  present  company  have  manufactured  soda  and 
other  alkalies  upon  an  extensive  scale,  and  employ  hundreds  of 
hands. 

In  the  eighteenth  century,  and  soon  after  the  discovery  of  salt 
water  at  the  Salt  Lick,  the  bones  of  a  mammoth,  the  king  of  the 
\and  animals,  were  dug  up  by  the  laborers  at. the  Preston  Salines,_ 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  587 

They  were  from  three  to  seven  feet  below  the  surface  of  earth,  and 
furnished  convincing  proof  that  the  mammoth  was  formerly  an 
inhabitant  of  this  country. 

NEWSPAPEES. 

By  the  year  1806,  the  enterprising  citizens  of  this  county  had 
secured  the  services  of  a  printer,  and  a  newspaper  outfit  had 
arrived  at  Abingdon,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  January,  1806,  the 
first  newspaper  published  in  this  portion  of  Virginia  was  given  to 
the  public.  The  editor  of  this  paper  was  John  G.  Ustick,  who 
afterwards  married  a  Miss  Berry,  of  this  county,  and  the  name  of 
the  paper  was  the  Holston  Intelligencer  and  Abingdon  Advertiser. 
This  paper  was  published  every  Tuesday,  and  the  subscription  price 
was  $2  per  annum,  payable  half-yearly  in  advance,  if  the  sub- 
scription was  paid  in  cash,  but  if  paid  in  produce  the  subscription 
was  required  to  be  paid  for  the  entire  year  in  advance.  When  the 
subscriber  neglected  to  pay  his  subscription  in  advance,  the  price 
was  fJteen  shillings  per  annum,  half  of  which  was  to  be  collected  at 
any  period  after  the  commencement  of  each  six  months,  subscrip- 
tions to  the  paper  to  be  withdrawn  at  the  end  of  each  six  months 
on  the  payment  of  arrearages,  but  not  otherwise.  The  terms  of 
advertising  were  63  1-2  cents  per  square  for  the  first  insertion  and 
three  dollars  for  chancery  notices.  This  paper  was  ably  edited  by 
Mr.  Ustick,  was  uncompromising  in  its  Eepublicanism,  advocating 
the  policies  of  Madison  and  supporting  his  administration  upon  all 
occasions. 

In  the  year  1812,  Mr.  Ustick  changed  the  name  of  this  paper  from 
the  Holston  Intelligencer  and  Abingdon  Advertiser „  to  the  Political 
Prospect,  and  continued  to  publish  the  Political  Prospect  until  the 
year  1830. 

Mr.  Ustick  was  not  only  an  enterprising  editor,  but  he  was  a, 
patriotic  citizen,  and  in  February,  1815,  being  a  member  of  the 
Eifle  Company  formed  at  Abingdon,  he  accompanied  this  com-, 
pany  upon  their  expedition  to  Norfolk  and  was  absent  from  his 
home  for  nearly  five  months,  as  he  says,  "in  the  service  of  a.  righteous 
government  and  a  holy  cause."  The  descendants  of  the  editor  of  the 
first  newspaper  published  in  this  portion  of  Virginia  have  entirely 
disappeared  from  among  our  people. 

Mr.  Ustick  was  succeeded  by  James  Alexander,  who  published  a, 
newspaper  in   Abingdon   from  18;30-LS35,  under  the  title  of  the^ 


588  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Virginia  Republican.    As  to  the  character  of  this  paper  I  can  say 
nothing,  as  I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  a  copy  of  the  same. 

Alexander  was  succeeded  by  J.  W.  Lampkin,  who  published  a 
newspaper  in  Abingdon  from  1835-1838,  called  the  Virginia  States- 
man. 

In  the  year  1838,  Mr.  Lampkin  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles 
B.  Coale,  and  this  partnership  published  the  Southwest  Virginian 
from  1838  to  1840,  in  the  old  frame  building  that  stood  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  jail  lot  in  the  rear  of  the  courthouse.  No 
copy  of  the  Virginia  Statesman  or  Southtvest  Virginian  is  now  in 
existence,  and  nothing  is  known  of  the  policy  or  character  of  these 
papers.  The  editors  of  these  papers  were  men  of  character  and 
ability,  John  W.  Lampkin  being  a  young  lawyer  of  fine  attain- 
ments. He  subsequently  mariied  and  removed  to  Kussell  county, 
where  his  descendants  are  to  be  found  at  this  time,  while  Charles  B. 
Coale  continued  to  reside  in  Abingdon,  and  won  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  this  country  that  will  be  forgotten  only 
when  the  sons  of  the  fathers  who  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  the 
old  Abingdon  Virginian  have  all  passed  away. 

In  1810,  John  N.  Humes  became  the  owner  and  editor  of  the 
Southwest  Virginian  and  published  the  same  in  the  building  occu- 
pied by  the  Academy  ^of  Visitation  east  of  the  creek  in  East 
Abingdon. 

While  no  copy  of  this  paper  has  been  preserved,  there  can  be  no 
question  as  to  its  politics,  as  John  N.  Humes  was  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Whig  party,  at  the  time  in  question,  in  Southwest  Virginia. 
In  this  year,  he  was  the  elector  for  this  district  upon  the  presidential 
ticket  headed  by  William  Henry  Harrison. 

In  March,  1841,  George  R.  Barr  and  Charles  B.  Co-ale  became  the 
owners  of  the  Southwest  Virginian  and  began  the  publication  of 
the  Abingdon  Virginian  as  a  Whig  paper  in  the  town  of  Abing- 
don, and  continued  the  publication  of  this  paper  until  the  year 
1873,  with  but  one  interruption. 

When  the  town  of  x'Vbingdon  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  15th  of 
December,  1864,  the  Abingdon  Virginian  was  published  in  the 
brick  building  opposite  the  Colonade  Hotel  (now  occupied  by  C.  A. 
Pobst),  and,  of  course,  was  destroyed  at  the  same  time  that  the 
building  was  burned.  The  publication  of  the  Abingdon  Virginian 
was  resumed  in  December,  18G5.     This  paper  during  the  thirty- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  589 

three  years  that  it  was  published  by  Coale  &  Barr,  was,  beyond  doubt, 
one  of  the  most  readable  and  deservedly  popular  country  newspapers 
tliat  have  ever  been  furnished  to  the  public  in  this  section  of  Virginia. 
During  the  war  between  the  States,  notwithstanding  the  great  diffi- 
culties which  confronted  the  newspaper  publisher,  the  Abingdon 
Virginian  never  failed  to  stand  nobly  by  its  people  or  to  issue  weekly 
until  the  destruction  of  its  plant  as  b'efore  described. 

In  the  year  1863,  the  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the 
Abingdon  Virginian: 

"EAGS ! 

"We  call  upon  everybody  who  has  rags,  rich  and  poor,  old  and 
young,  learned  and  unlearned,  to  send  them  to  us  and  get  foi;r 
cents  per  pound,  or  more  if  demanded.  We  are  obliged  to  have 
them  or  stop  printing.  So  send  them  along  for  humanity's  sake, 
and  help  us  to  keep  the  machine  in  motion." 

In  the  year  1873,  the  Abingdon  Virginian  was  transferred  to 
George  R.  Dunn,  and  soon  afterwards  became  the  property  of 
George  W.  Ward. 

The  Abingdon  Virginian,  as  published  by  Coale  &  Barr,  advo- 
cated in  a  high-toned  and  able  manner  the  Whig  cause,  and  the  ef- 
fect upon  the  politics  of  the  people  would  have  been  exceedingly 
dangerous  if  not  counteracted. 

In  December,  1841,  at  the  instance  of  the  Democratic  leaders  in 
Washington  county,  Eobert  Latham  became  the  editor  and  W.  R. 
Fitzsimmons  the  publisher  of  a  Democratic  paper  in  the  town  of 
Abingdon  called  The  Banner.  This  paper,  a  copy  of  which  is  now 
in  existence,  was  a  very  creditable  publication.  In  the  copy  now  in 
existence  is  to  be  found  an  account  of  a  Democratic  mass-meeting 
held  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  on  the  second  of  March,  1843,  at 
which  meeting  Colonel  Samuel  E.  Goodson  was  nominated  for  the 
Legislature,  and  in  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting  Colonel  Harold 
Smyth,  Colonel  William  Byars,  Eobert  Latham,  Dr.  Nick  Snead, 
Tobias  Smith,  John  W.  S.  Watson,  Parker  Smith  and  James  Davis 
took  an  active  part.  This  paper  survived  but  a  few  years,  and  was 
succeeded  by  a  paper  called  the  Jachsonian,  edited  by  W.  E.  Pitz- 
simmon.  The  Jacksonian  was  published  in  a  house  owned  by  Jack- 
son Toncray,  on  the  lot  now  owned  by  S.  N".  Honaker,  opposite  tlie 
former  residence  of  James  K.  Gibson  in  East  Abingdon. 

The  Jacksonian  ceased  to  exist  in  1846,  and  the  outfit  was  sold 


590  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

to  Dr.  H.  F.  Peery,  who  removed  the  same  to  Jeffersonville,  now 
Tazewell  Courthouse,  Virginia,  and,  in  the  year  1847,  began  the 
publication  of  the  Jeffcrsonville  Democrat. 

On  the  28th  of  i\.pril,  1849,  Leonidas  Baugh,  of  Abingdon,  be- 
gan the  publication  of  the  A  hingdon  Democrat,  a  paper  strong  in 
its  advocacy  of  Democratic  principles,  to  which  the  greater  part  oi 
its  space  was  devoted.  This  paper  thrived  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  was  transferred  by  Mr.  Baugh  some  time  after  his  appointment 
as  postmaster  at  Abingdon,  in  1853,  to  John  B.  Floyd,  and  the  paper 
was  thereafter,  until  the  year  1857,  published  by  J.  M.  H.  Brunet,  of 
Petersburg,  who  soon  died,  and  then  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Stephen  J.  Pendleton. 

In  the  year  1857,  this  paper  was  sold  at  public  auction  to  pay 
the  debts  of  Mr.  Pendleton,  and  Henry  W.  Baker  became  tlie  editor 
and  owner  thereof,  and  continued  to  publish  said  paper  until  1861, 
when  the  plant  was  sold  to  the  Southern  Advocate,  Groodson,  Vir- 
ginia. 

From  this  time  until  the  year  1876,  the  Ahingdon  Virginian  was 
the  only  newspaper  published  in  Abingdon. 

In  April,  1882,  Georg'e  W.  Gary,  of  Eiclimond,  began  the  publi- 
cation in  Abingdon  of  a  monthly  paper  called  The  Trade  Journal, 
and  continued  the  publication  of  the  same  until  the  year  1883,  when 
lie  became  the  owner  and  editor  of  the  Ahingdon  Virginian.  Mr. 
Gary  conducted  an  excellent  and  successful  paper  until  the  year 
1890,  when  the  entire  outfit  was  sold  and  transferred  to  the  Abing- 
don Publishing  Company,  which  company  had  become  the  owner 
of  the  Standard,  a  Democratic  newspaper  that  had  been  established 
in  Abingdon  in  the  year  1876  and  was  edited  by  Hindlay  Harris, 
lifterwards  by  Samuel  P.  Withers  and  then  by  P.  E.  Hardwick. 

The  Virginian,  under  the  management  of  Judge  Ward,  strongly 
advocated  the  cause  of  the  Eeadjuster  party  in  Virginia.  After 
the  retirement  of  Judge  Ward  from  the  Ahingdon  Virginian,  he 
became  the  owner  and  editor  of  the  Southwest  Examiner,  a  Eead- 
juster-Democratic  paper,  but  after  Judge  Ward  went  upon  the 
bench  the  Southwest  Examiner  passed  into  the  hands  of  E.  E. 
Hardwick  and  in  a  short  while  ceased  to  exist.  The  Ahingdon 
Virginian,  during  the  ownership  of  the  Abingdon  Publishing  Co)r\- 
pany,  was  edited  by  Thomas  H.  Mason  and  W.  F.  Smith. 
While  the  paper  Avas  well  edited,  it  was  a  financial  failure,  and  in 


Washington  County,  1777-1810.  .  591 

the  year  1896  was  sold  at  public  auction  and  purchased  by  L.  P. 
Summers.  The  Virginian  from  this  time  till  June,  1001.  was  an 
advocate  of  Republican  principles  and  was  a  success  financially. 

Upon  the  acquisition  of  the  Abingdon  Virginian  by  »bammer3 
in  1896,  and  during  the  five  years  of  his  ownership,  a  number  of 
efforts  were  made  by  the  advocates  of  the  Democratic  party  to  estab- 
lish a  Democratic  paper  in  the  town. 

In  the  year  1897,  the  Glad&  Spring  Citizen  was  removed  to 
Abingdon  and  began  publication  as  a  Democratic  paper,  ''The 
Citizen''  with  G.  C.  Porterfield  as  editor,  but  within  the  year  the 
newspaper  outfit  became  the  property  of  the  editor  of  the  Virginian, 
and  Mr.  Porterfield  became  a  strong  advocate  of  the  Republican 
party. 

In  the  year  1899,  J.  AV.  Lyons,  of  Greenville,  Tennessee,  became 
the  editoT  of  a  newspaper  in  Abingdon,  to  which  was  given  the 
name  of  the  Abingdon  Democrat. 

This  effort  upon  the  part  of  Mr.  Lyons  proved  a  failure  and  in 
the  spring  of  the  year  1900  he  returned  to  Greenville,  his  former 
home. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1900,  Thomas  S.  Hamilton  and  George  H. 
McCormick  began  the  publication  of  the  Washington  Herald,  a 
Democratic  newspaper,  in  the  Scott  building  in  West  Abingdon. 
This  venture  also  proved  a  failure,  and  the  property  of  the  Herald 
was  sold  and  transferred  to  the  editor  of  the  Virginian,  in  the  same 
year,  since  which  time  no  effort  has  been  made  to  establish  a  rival 
newspaper  to  the  Virginian  in  Abingdon. 

On  the  night  of  the  29th  of  May,  1898,  the  Greenway  store  was 
destroyed  by  fire;  the  offices  of  the  Abingdon  Virginian  caught 
therefrom  and  the  entire  outfit  was  destroyed,  but  by  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  a  one-story  brick  building  had  been  erected  upon  the  site 
of  the  former  frame  building  and  the  publication  of  the  Virginian 
was  resumed. 

The  Virginian  became  the  property  of  E.  M.  Slack  by  purchase  on 
June  11,  1901,  and  has  since  been  edited  by  him. 

The  present  editor  of  the  Abingdon  Virginian  is  yo'ung,  intelli- 
gent, independent  and  enterprising  to  a  degree  that  is  seldom 
excelled  in  this  country,  and  in  the  opinion  of  the  author  he  is  the 
best-equipped  newspaper  man  that  the  town  has  seen  in  many  years. 


593  Souihivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  newspaper  of  which  he  is  the  editor  is  beyond  question  the 
best  country  newspaper  to  be  found  in  the  Soutliwest. 

JUDICIARY. 

A  distinguished  historian  has  said  that  "the  laws  of  a  country 
are  necessarily  connected  with  everytliing  belonging  to  the  people 
■of  it,  so  that  a  thorough  knowledge  of  them  and  their  progress 
would  inform  us  of  everything  that  was  most  useful  to  be  known 
al)out  them,  and  one  of  the  greatest  imperfections  of  historians  in 
general  is  owing  to  their  ignorance  of  law."* 

While  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  laAV  is  necessary  to  a  com- 
plete understanding  of  the  history  of  a  country,  at  this  point  we 
regret  the  necessity  that  compels  to  a  brief  notice  of  the  courts  that 
have  administered  the  law  in  this  Commonwealth  and  county. 

Prior  to  the  Eevolutionary  war,  the  laws  of  this  Common- 
wealth were  administered  in  the  county  or  monthly  courts  and  in 
a  general  court  wliich  was  held  first  at  Jamestown  and  afterwards 
at  Williamsburg. 

The  county  or  monthly  courts  were  composed  of  a  number  of 
persons  coimnissioned  by  the  Governor  and  Council,  and  theirs 
was  an  extensive  jurisdiction,  wdiile  the  general  court  was  composed 
of  the  Governor  and  Council,  any  five  constituting  a  court,  and  it 
had  jurisdiction  to  hear  and  determine  all  causes  whatsoever  relating 
to  or  concerning  any  person  or  persons,  ecclesiastical  or  civil,  or  to 
any  person  or  thing  of  any  nature  whatsoever,  whether  brought 
before  them  by  original  process,  appeal  from  an  inferior  court  or 
by  any  other  way  or  means,  its  jurisdiction  being  limited  only  to 
controversies  of  the  value  of  ten  pounds  sterling  or  2,000  pounds 
of  tobacco  and  upwards.  It  had  exclusive  criminal  jurisdiction  of 
all  cases  of  free  persons  wherein  the  judgment  on  conviction  was 
loss  of  life  or  member. 

After  the  Eevolution,  the  county  courts  were  continued  and  a 
Court  of  Appeals,  High  Court  of  Chancery,  a  General  Court  and  a 
Gonrt  of  Admiralty  were  established.  The  judges  of  said  courts 
were  chosen  by  the  General  Assembly  and  commissioned  by  the 
Governor. 

The  Court  of  Appeals  was  established  in  May,  1779,  and  was 
composed  of  the  judgeg  of  the  High  Court  of  Ohancery^  Gejieral 

*Priestly, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  593 

Court  and  Court  of  Admiralty,  until  1788,  when  five  judges  were 
chosen  by  the  General  Assembly  and  commissioned  by  the  Governor. 
This  co'urt,  from  the  timje  of  its  establishment  until  1830,  was  the 
supreme  civil  tribunal  of  the  State,  and  since  that  time  it  has  been 
the  supreme  civil  and  criminal  tribunal  of  the  State. 

The  first  president  of  this  court  was  Edmund  Pendleton.  The 
General  Court  was  composed  of  ten  Judges  and  was  the  supreme 
criminal  tribunal  of  the  State  until  1830,  when  it  was  abolished. 
The  Admiralty  Court  ceased  to  exist  upon  the  adoption  of  the  Fed- 
eral Constitution. 

County  Courts. 

"The  institution  of  tlie  County  Court  originated  as  early  as 
1623-4;  and  as  it  is  the  most  ancient,  so  it  has  ever  been  one  of  the 
most  important,  of  our  institutions,  not  only  in  respect  of  the 
administration  of  justice,  but  for  police  and  economy.  They  were 
first  called  monthly  courts.  At  first  only  two  of  them  were  estab- 
lished, and  their  jurisdiction  was  jealously  limited  to  petty  contro- 
versies, reserving  for  the  party  cast  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council,  who  were  the  judges  of  what  were  then  called 
quarter  courts.  In  1642-3,  the  style  of  monthly  courts  was  changed 
to  that  of  county  courts,  the  colonial  assembly  having  previously 
begun  and  continuing  thenceforward  to  enlarge  their  duties,  powers 
and  jurisdictions  and  to  extend  the  system  to  every  county,  as  it 
was  laid  ofi'.  As  early  as  1645  they  had  been  matured  into  courts 
of  general  jurisdiction,  in  law  and  equity,  and  the  most  important 
duties  in  the  matters  of  police  and  economy  were  confided  to  them. 
In  1661-2,  the  Governor  and  Council  were  constituted  itinerant  jus- 
tices, to  sit  in  the  county  courts,  but  that  provision  was  repealed  the 
next  year.  Hitherto  the  judges  of  the  county  courts  had  been  styled 
commissioners  of  the  county  courts,  but  in  1661-2  it  was  enacted 
that  they  should  take  the  oath  of  justices  of  the  peace  and  be  called 
justices  of  the  peace.  These  tribunals  now  assumed  a  perfectly 
regular  form  and  their  functions  were  ever  after  so  important 
that  their  institution  may  well  be  considered  as  a  part  of  the  Con- 
stitution, both  of  the  colonial  and  the  present  government.  No 
material  change  was  introduced  by  the  revolution  in  their  jurisdic- 
tion or  general  powers  or  duties  of  any  kind.^'* 

The  county  court  remained  unchanged  until  the  year  1850,  and 


*Henning's  Statutes  at  Large. 


594  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

it  is  impossible  for  any  man  to  estimate  the  character  and  utility  of 
tliis  system  without  actual  experience  of  its  operation.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  court,  prior  to  1850,  were  recommended  to  the  Gov- 
ernor by  the  county  courts  of  their  respective  counties,  were  com- 
missioned by  the  Governor  and  held  office  during  good  behavior. 
They  served  without  pay  and  were  selected  by  reason  of  their  charac- 
ter and  ability. 

The  Constitution  of  1850  made  the  members  of  this  court  elective 
by  the  people,  and  they  were  allowed  a  small  fee  for  their  services. 
From  this  time  until  the  year  1870,  we  find  a  great  deterioration  in 
the  character  of  the  members  of  this  court,  and  its  efficacy  was  to  a 
great  extent  destroyed.  This  court  was  abolished  by  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1868. 

Can  anyone  question  the  character  and  efficiency  of  a  court  pre- 
sided over  by  such  men  as  Arthur  Campbell,  William  Campbell, 
Daniel  Smith,  M^illiam  Edmiston,  James  Dysart,  John  Kinkead, 
Eobert  Craig,  James  White,  John  Goodson,  Eobert  Davis,  John 
Gibson,  Eeub'en  Bradley,  James  Cummings,  John  Preston,  Jr., 
Francis  Preston,  Charles  Tate,  William  P.  Thompson,  Thomas 
McChesney,  John  M.  Preston,  John  Eakin,  M.  B.  Tate,  Tobias 
Smith,  Henry  Davenport  and  many  others,  presiding  justices  of  this 
court  during  its  existence  ? 

Upon  the  abolition  of  the  old  county  court  by  the  Constitution 
of  1-868,  a  new  institution  came  into  existence,  to-wit:  the  county 
co'urt  of  the  present  time.  This  court  exercised  a  criminal  jurisdic- 
tion concurrent  with  the  Circuit  Court  and  a  limited  civil  jurisdic- 
tion. The  first  session  of  this  court  in  this  county  was  held  on  the 
S5th  day  of  April,  1870,  Judge  B.  M.  Page  presiding,  Leonidas 
Baugh  clerk,  and  Beverly  R.  Johnston  Commonwealth's  Attorney. 

This  court  has  been  abolished  by  the  Constitution  of  1902,  and 
will  cease  to  exist  on  the  first  day  of  February,  1904,  and  such  a 
thing  as  a  county  court  will  no  longer  be  heard  of  in  this  Common- 
wealth, after  an  existence  of  nearly  300  years. 

Th'^  judges  presiding  in  this  court  since  the  date  of  its  for"ina- 
tion  in  1870  are  as  follows: 

1870-1880,  R.  M.  Page. 

1880-1881,  George  W.  Ward. 

1882-1886,  William  F.  Ehea. 

1886-188,7,  Francis  B.  Hutton. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  595 

1887-1897,  George  W.  Ward. 
1897-1904,  David  C.  Cummings,  Jr. 

The  attorneys  representing  the  Commonwealth  in  this  coiinly 
from  the  organization  of  the  county  until  the  year  1850  were 
appointed  first  by  the  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  upon  the 
recommendation  of  the  county  court,  and  were  after  that  time 
elected  by  the  county  court. 

The  first  Commonwealth's  Attorney  of  Washington  comity,  being 
the  first  lawyer  qualifying  to  practise  in  the  courts  of  this  county, 
was  Ephraim  Dunlop,  who  came  from  Pennsylvania.  He  had  but 
one  leg,  the  other  having  been  amputated  above  the  middle  of  the 
thigh.  He  had  some  capacity,  but  was  a  drunkard.  He  was 
appointed  prosecuting  attorney  for  this  county  in  the  year  1777,  and 
was  pretty  severe  upon  the  Tories,  many  of  whom  had  taken  refuge 
in  the  mountains.  On  one  occasion  Dr.  Brooks,  whose  right  arm 
was  palsied,  was  passing  along  the  road  below  town  when  he  found 
Dimlop,  who  had  fallen  from  his  horse,  lying  with  his  foot  in  the 
stirrup  and  his  head  on  the  ground,  the  horse  standing  perfectly  still 
and  quiet.  The  Doctor  having  no  use  of  his  right  arm  and  Dunlop 
having  but  one  leg,  made  the  case  a  difficult  one  to  decide  what  he 
should  do.  He  dismounted,  however,  and  succeeded  in  getting  Dun- 
lop into  his  saddle,  intending  to  take  him  to  the  next  house.  After 
balancing  and  straightening  Dunlop  as  well  as  he  could  in  his  saddle, 
he  mounted  his  own  horse  and  they  started,  but  in  a  few  yards 
Dunlop  made  a  move  in  his  saddle  and  down  he  went  again.  The 
horse  seemed  to  be  conscious  of  the  state  of  things  and  stood  still 
again.  The  Doctor  dismounted  again  and  raised  him  to  his  horse's 
back,  then,  by  riding  close  to  him  on  his  leg  side,  he  kept  him 
from  falling  until  he  brought  him  to  a  house,  half  a  mile  from 
where  he  fell. 

When  soher,  Dunlop  was  interesting.  At  the  bar  he  would  rise 
and  place  his  stump  of  a  thigh  on  the  bar  and  in  that  manner  steady 
himself  and  then  proceed  with  whatever  he  had  to  say  to  the  court. 
He  was  listened  to  with  attention. 

After  the  courts  were  organized  in  Sullivan  county,  Ke  attended 
them,  and  some  ten  or  fifteen  years  afterwards  died  on  the  road 
between  Abingdon  and  Blountville.     I  believe  he  had  no  family.* 

Since  the  year  1852,  the  attorneys  representing  the  Common- 


*David  Campbell  MSS. 


596  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

wealth  in  this  county  have  been  elected  by  the  people.  The  attor- 
neys representing  tlie  Conmionwealth  in  this  county  since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  county  have  been  as  follows : 

1777,  Ephraim  Dunlop. 

. . . .,  Benjamin  Estill. 

1831,  Henry  St.  John  Dixon. 

1831-1837,  Edward  Campbell. 

1837-1855,  Samuel  Logan. 

1855- ,  George  Eakin  Naff. 

1855-1863,  John  H.  Ernest. 

1863-1865,  Joseph  T.  Campbell. 

1865-1869,  Rees  B.  Edmondson. 

1869- ,  Henry  C.  AuviL 

1869-1870,  J.  S.  Slater. 

1870- ,  Beverly  R.  Johnston. 

1870-1872,  James  L.  White. 

1872-1884,  Connally  F.  Trigg. 

1884-1885,  George  W.  Ward. 

1885-1887,  John  L.  Rowan. 

1887-1891,  John  C.  Summers.      •   • 

1891-1895,  Francis  B.  Hutton. 

1895-1904,  Feter  J.  Davenport. 

The  clerks  of  the  county  court  from  the  organization  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  this  county  until  the  year  1852,  were  elected  by  the 
county  court,  and  since  the  year  1852,  they  have  been  elected  by 
the  people.  The  clerks  of  this  court  from  its  first  organization  until 
the  present  time  have  been  as  follows : 

17,77-1779,  David  Campbell. 

1779-1824,  John  Campbell. 

1824-1837,  David  Campbell.  : 

1837-1858,  Jacob  Lynch. 

1858-1865,  John  G.  Kreger. 

1865-1869,  James  C.  Campbell. 

1869-1870,  Charles  McDougal. 

1870-1871,  Leonidas  Baugh. 

1871-1887,  William  G.  G.  Lowry. 

1887-1897,  David  C.  Cummings,  Jr. 

1897-1904,  Robert  Preston  Cummings. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  597 

District  Courts. 

The  General  Assembly  at  its  session  in  the  year  1784,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  rendering  the  administration  of  justice  more  expeditions 
and  convenient  and  less  burthensome  to  individuals  and  to  the 
Commonwealth,  passed  an  Act  establishing  courts  of  assize  through- 
out the  Commonwealth,  for  the  trial  of  issues  and  inquiry  of  dam- 
ages, in  suits  then  pending  in  the  General  Court,  and  such  as  may 
thereafter  be  brought,  and  also  for  the  trial  of  all  treasons,  felonies 
and  other  crimes  and  misdemeanors  that  should  be  brought  before 
the  court.  This  court  was  to  be  held  by  two  judges  of  the  General 
Court,  and  it  was  directed  that  all  verdicts  of  said  court  should  be 
certified  to  the  General  Court  at  Kichmond.  The  State  was  divided 
into  districts.  The  counties  of  Montgomery  and  Washington 
formed  one  district,  and  it  was  directed  that  this  court  of  assize 
should  meet  at  Washington  Courthouse  and  Fort  Chiswell,  alter- 
nately, on  the  lOth  day  of  May  and  on  the  11th  day  of  October  of 
each  year.  This  Act  never  went  into  operation,  but  after  several 
suspensions  it  was  succeeded  by  an  Act  of  the  Assembly,  in  the  year 
1788,  establishing  district  courts. 

The  Act  establishing  the  district  courts  became  a  law  on  the  23d 
day  of  December,  1788,  and  directed  that  the  Commonwealth,  except 
tlie  district  of  Kentucky,  should  be  divided  into  districts,  and  a 
superior  court  held  in  each  on  the  9th  of  June  and  the  9th  of 
No'vember  in  each  year. 

The  counties  of  Washington,  Montgomery  and  Eussell  composed 
one  district,  and  it  was  directed  that  a  court  should  be  Held  at  Wash- 
ington and  Montgomery  courthouses  alternatelj^,  on  the  2d  day  of 
May  and  the  2d  day  of  October  in  each  year.  This  court  was  to 
be  held  by  two  judges  of  the  General  Court  assigned  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  jurisdiction  of  the  district  courts,  as  fixed  by  this  Act, 
was  as  follows :  "Over  all  persons  in  all  causes,  matters  or  things  at 
common  law,  then  cognizable  in  the  General  Court,  amounting  to 
thirty  pounds  sterling  money  or  3,000  pounds  of  tobacco,  whether 
brought  before  the  court  by  original  process  or  by  appeal  from  the 
County  Court."  This  court  was  given  the  power  to  hear  and  deter- 
mine all  treasons,  murders,  felonies  and  other  crimes  and  misde- 
meanors committed  within  their  district. 

Claiborne  Watkins  was  the  first  clerk  of  this  court,  and  lived  at 
Abingdon  and  discharged  the  duties  of  this  office  for  many  years. 

The  Act  establishing  the  district  courts  was  amended  in  December, 


598  ■    Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

1789,  and  it  was  directed  that  Washington,  Wythe  and  Russell 
counties  should  form  a  district,  that  the  next  court  for  said 
district  should  he  held  at  the  courthouse  of  the  county  of  Wythe, 
late  the  courthouse  of  the  county  of  Montgomery  (Fort  Chiswell), 
and  that,  thereafter,  every  court  for  said  district  should  be  held  at 
Washington  courthouse.  This  court  continued  to  exist  until  it  was 
succeecJed  by  the  Superior  Court  of  Laws,  established  in  the  year 
1808. 

The  General  Assembly  in  the  year  177.7,  established  a  High  Court 
of  Chancery  composed  of  three  judges  selected  by  the  General 
Assembly  and  commissioned  by  the  Governor,  to  hold  office  during 
good  behavior.  This  court  was  held  at  Williamsburg  and  afterwards 
at  Richmond,  in  the  months  of  April  and  September  of  each  year, 
with  a  general  jurisdiction  over  all  person^  and  causes  in  chancery, 
whether  by  original  process  or  appeal,  where  the  amount  in  con- 
troversy exceeded  ten  pounds.  The  judges  of  this  court  were  after- 
wards reduced  to  one,  George  Wythe,  who  was  the  president  of  the 
first  court. 

On  the  23d  of  January,  1803,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
divided  the  State  into  three  districts  and  established  a  superior 
court  of  chancery  in  each.  The  county  of  Washington  was  included 
in  the  Western  District,  and  the  High  Court  of  Chancery  for  this 
district  was  directed  to  be  held  at  Staunton  on  the  12th  of  March, 
the  1st  of  July  and  the  15th  of  November  of  each  year.  This  court 
exercised  the  jurisdiction  formerly  exercised  by  the  High  Court  of 
Chancery  as  originally  established,  and  was  to  be  held  by.  a  judge 
selected  by  the  General  Assembly  and  commissioned  by  the  Governor, 

The  Honorable  John  Brown,  of  Staunton,  was  elected  judge  of 
this  court  and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  same  until  the  year  1827, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  Honorable  Allen  Taylor,  of  Botetourt 
coimty,  who  discharged  the  duties  of  this  office  until  the  year  1831, 
when  this  court  was  merged  into  the  Circuit  Superior  Court  of 
Law  and  Chancery. 

The  General  Assembly  in  1818  divided  the  Commonwealth  into 
nine  districts,  instead  of  three  districts  as  formerly,  and  directed 
that  a  Superior  Court  of  Chancery  should  be  held  in  each  of  said 
districts. 

The  counties  of  Lee,  Russell,  Scott,  Washington,  Tazewell,  Wythe, 
Grayson,  Giles  and  Montgomery  composed  the  Eighth  District,  and 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  599 

a  Superior  Court  of  Chancery  was  held  at  Wythe  courthouse  on  the 
Monday  first  succeeding  each  term  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Law 
for  the  said  county  in  every  year,  and  after  this  time  a  Superior 
Court  of  Chancery  was  held  at  Wythe  courthouse,  by  Judge  Brown 
until  1837,  and  by  Judge  Taylor  until  1831. 

A  portion  of  the  records  of  this  court  are  still  to  be  found  at 
Wythe  courthouse,  and  present  to  the  practicing  attorney  at  this 
day  a  clear- idea  of  the  proceedings  of  the  court  of  that  time. 

During  the  existence  of  this  court,  every  paper  connected  with  a 
chancery  cause  was  recorded  in  the  minute  book  of  the  court,  and 
in  one  case  decided  by  this  court  the  process,  bill,  answer,  deposi- 
tions of  witnesses  and  other  papers  connected  with  the  suit  fill  one 
entire  book  of  several  hundred  pages.* 

The  General  Assembly,  on  the  1st  of  February,  1808,  amended 
the  Act  of  1789  establishing  the  district  courts,  divided  the  Com- 
monwealth into  twelve  districts,  established  a  superior  court  of  law 
in  each  of  i^aid  districts  and  directed  that  a  judge  of  the  General 
Court  should  be  allotted  to  each  of  said  districts  and  should  hold  a 
superior  court  of  law  twice  a  year  at  the  courthouse  of  each  county 
in  said  district. 

The  counties  of  Grayson,  Washington,  Lee,  Russell,  Tazewell, 
Giles,  Montgomery  and  Wythe  compost.d  the  Fourth  Circuit,  and 
the  Hon.  William  Brockenbrough,  a  Judge  of  the  General  Court, 
was  assigned  to  this  district  and  di3(;liarged  the  duties  of  the  same 
with  marked  ability  until  May,  1811,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  the 
Hon.  Peter  Johnson, f  a  judge  of  the  General  Court,  who  discharged 
the  duties  of  the  office  until  June  6th,  1831,  when  the  Superior  Court 
of  La-\.-  was  merged  into  the  Circuit  Superior  Court  of  Law  and 
Chancery. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of 
the  Constitution  of  1829-1830,  rearranged  the  conrts  of  the  Com- 
monwealth and  established  the  Circuit  Superior  Court  of  Law  and 
Chancery,  which  court  superseded  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  and 
the  Superior  Court  of  Chancery. 

The  first  session  of  this  court  was  held  at  Abingdon  on  the  6th 


*Pierce  vs.  Jackson,  etc 

f  Judges  Brockenbrough  and  Johnston  exchanged  circuits,  Johnston  being  a 
native  of  Prince  Edward  county. 


600  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

of  June,  1831,  Benjamin  Estill  presiding.  This  court  continued  to 
be  the  principal  court  of  this  section  until  the  year  1870,  when  some 
alterations  were  made  in  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court  and  the  name 
was  changed  to  the  Circuit  Court. 

The  judges  presiding  in  this  court  during  its  existence  have  been 

1831-1852,  Benjamin  Estill. 

1852-1857,  George  W.  Hopkins. 

1857-18G2,  Samuel  V.  Fulkerson. 

1862-1869,  John  A.  Campbell. 

1869-1870,  John  W.  Johnston. 

1870-1895,  Jolm  A.  Kelly. 

1895-1904,  John  P.  Shefi'ey. 

Judge  Fulkerson,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1861,  was  elected  col- 
onel of  the  Thirty-seventh  Virginia  Eegiment  of  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, in  which  capacity  he  served  until  the  fall  of  1862,  when  he 
was  shot  and  killed  in  one  of  the  battles  near  Eichmond.  During  his 
absence  in  the  army  Judges  Andrew  S.  Fulton,  David  McComas  and 
G.  D.  Camden  presided  over  the  courts  held  at  Abingdon. 

The  Constitution  adopted  in  the  year  1902  made  soroie  alterations 
in  the  courts  of  the  State,  and  the  Greneral  Assembly  of  Virginia  on 
the  13th  day  of  February,  1903,  elected  Francis  B.  Hutton,  of 
Abingdon,  judge  of  the  Twenty-third  Circuit,  composed  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Eussell,  Washington  and  Smyth. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  district  court  in  the  year  1788, 
Claiborne  Watkins  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  court,  and,  as  far 
as  I  can  ascertain,  he  and  Andrew  Eussell  performed  the  duties  of 
this  office  until  the  year  1830. 

The  clerks  of  the  old  District  Court,  the  Superior  Court  of  Law, 
the  Superior  Court  of  Chancery  and  the  Circuit  Superior  Court  of 
Law  and  Chancery  were  appointed  by  the  court  until  the  year  1852, 
and  from  that  time  they  have  been  elected  by  the  people.  The  clerks 
of  the  Circuit  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Chancery  and  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  have  been  as  follows  : 

1831-1838,  Andrew  Eussell. 

1838-1853,  Connally  F.  Trigg,  Sr. 

1853-1865,  Peter  J.  Branch. 

1865-1869,  David  Campbell  Cummings,  Sr. 

1869-1870,  John  O'Neal. 

1870-1871,  Dr.  A.  E.  Preston. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  601 

1871-1887,  L.  Thomson  Cosby. 

1887-1893,  John  G.  Kreger. 

1893-1904,  John  M.  Kreger. 

When  an  effort  was  made  to  secure  the  photographs  of  the 
deceased  judges  of  this  court  for  use  in  this  history,  the  propriety  of 
securing  and  placing  their  photogi'aphs  in  the  courthouse  of  this 
county  was  discussed  by  several  members  of  the  bar,  and,  as  a  result, 
a  meeting  of  the  bar  was  called  for  the  8th  of  October,  1901,  which 
meeting,  after  discussing  the  matter,  appointed  Daniel  Trigg,  James 
L.  White,  F.  B.  Hutton,  E.  M.  Page  and  L.  P.  Summers,  a  commit- 
tee to  secure  the  portraits  of  the  deceased  judges  of  this  court  and  to 
make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  hanging  said  portraits  in  the 
court-room  of  the  court,  and  i6  wait  upon  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
of  this  county  and  request  that  they  place  the  court-room  in  a  suita- 
ble condition  for  said  portraits.  This  action  of  the  bar  was  made  an 
order  of  the  Circuit  Court.  The  committee  ap})ointcd  proceeded  to 
the  discharge  of  their  duties  and  secured  portraits  of  Judges  Peter 
Johnston  and  John  W.  Johnston  from  Dr.  George  Ben  Johnston, 
of  Eichmond,  photographs  of  Judges  Samuel  V.  Fulkerson  and 
John  A.  Kelly  from  Colonel  Sanuiel  V.  Fulkerson  and  Joseph  L. 
Kelly,  of  Bristol,  and  photographs  of  Judges  Estill,  Hopkins  and 
Campbell  from  friends. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  in  answer  to  the  request  of  this  com- 
mittee appointed  J.  D.  Williams,  J.  0.  Susong  and  J.  C.  Hayter,  of 
the  board,  and  James  L.  White,  W.  I.  Newton  and  F.  B.  Hutton 
outside  thereof,  a  committee  to  superintend  the  repairs  to  the  court- 
house, and  by  the  spring-  of  the  year  1903  the  repairs  were  completed 
and  the  committee  reported  their  proceedings  to  the  judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court..  Their  report  was  received  and  entered  of  record,  f 
and  thereupon  the  court  appointed  L.  P.  Summers,  Preston  W. 
Campbell,  John  W.  Neal,  W.  H.  Eobertson  and  John  J.  Stuart  a 
committee  to  arrange  a  program  for  the  exercises  attending  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  portraits  of  the  deceased  judges  to  the  county  of 
Washington. 

This  committee  arranged  a  program  and  reported  their  action  to 
the  court,  wliich  report  was  received  and  made  a  matter  of  record.* 


*Law  Order  Book,  Circuit  Court,  K,  page  116. 
f  Law  Order  Book,  Circuit  Court,  K,  page  133. 


602  Southwest  Virginia,  nifS-nse. 

The  presentation  exercises  were  held  on  the  11th  day  of  May, 
1903,  and  the  following  program  was  rendered  on  that  occasion: 

Chairman,  Judge  John  P.  Shefifey. 

Secretary,  John  M.  Kreger. 

Portrait  of  Judge  Peter  Johnston. 

Speech  of  presentation  by  Captain  J.  L.  Whifc 

Portrait  of  Judge  Benj.  Estill. 

Speech  of  presentation  by  L.  P.  Summers,  Esquire. 

Portrait  of  Judge  G.  W.  Hopkins. 

Speech  of  presentation  l\y  Daniel  Trigg,  Esquire. 

Portrait  of  Judge  S.  V.  Fulkerson. 

Speech  of  presentation  by  Judge  E.  M.  Page. 

Portrait  of  Judge  John  A.  Campbell. 

Speech  of  presentation  by  William  E.  Burns,  Esquire. 

Portrait  of  Judge  John  W.  Johnston. 

Speech  of  presentation  by  D.  F.  Bailey,  Esquire. 

Portrait  of  Judge  John  A.  Kelly. 

Speech  of  presentation  by  Judge  Jolm.  A.  Buchanan. 

Manuscript  remarks  of  Hon.  Patrick  Hagan  read  by  John  J. 
Stuart,  Esquire. 

Speech  of  acceptance  on  behalf  of  the  Supervisors  of  Washington 
county.  Judge  F.  B.  Hutton. 

United  States  Circuit  and  District  Courts. 

In  the  year  18 — ,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  created  a 
district  in  Western  Virginia,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  the 
Western  District  of  Virginia,  and  soon  thereafter  the  court  of  said 
district  was  organized.  For  many  years  this  court  was  held  at 
Wytheville,  but  it  was  subsequently  removed  to  Abingdon.  This 
district  at  the  present  time  is  composed  of  the  following  counties : 
Alleghany,  Albemarle,  Amherst,  Appomattox,  Augusta,  Bath,  Bed- 
ford, Bland,  Botetourt,  Buchanan,  Buckingham,  Campbell,  Carroll, 
Charlotte,  Clarke,  Craig,  Cumberland,  Dickenson,  Floyd,  Fluvanna, 
Franklin,  Frederick,  Giles,  Grayson,  Greene,  Halifax,  Henry,  High- 
land, Lee,  Madison,  Montgomery,  Nelson,  Page,  Patrick,  Pulaski, 
Pittsylvania,  Eappahannock,  Eoanoke,  Eockbridge,  Eockingham, 
Eussell,  Seott,  Shenandoah,  Smyth,  Tazewell,  Warren,  Washington, 
Wise  and  Wythe. 

Courts  are  held  at  five  points  in  the  district,  semi-annually,  to- 
wit:  Abingdon,  Roanoke,  Harrisonburg,  Lynchburg  and  Danville, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  603 

The  jurisdiction  of  this  court  is  confined  to  matters  arising  under 
the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States. 

This  court,  from  the  time  of  its  first  meeting  in  Abingdon  until 
the  year  1891,  held  its  sessions  on  the  second  floor  of  the  county 
courthouse  of  this  county. 

Some  time  previous  to  the  year  1884,  through  the  efforts  of  Col- 
onel Abram  Fulkerson  and  General  William  Mahone,  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  appropriated  money  sufficient  to  erect 
a  handsome  courthouse  in  Abingdon  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
United  States  courts,  which  courthouse  was  completed  in  the  year 
1891,  at  an  expense  to  the  United  States  of  $85,000,  including  the 
furnishing  of  the  same,  and  was  occupied  the  same  year. 

The  judges  of  this  court,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain, 
have  been: 

18 — ,  Judge  Caldwell,  of  Wheeling. 

1839-1846,  Isaac  S.  Pennypacker,  of  Harrisonburg. 

1846-1871,  John  W.  Brockenbrough,  of  Lexington. 

1871-1883,  Alexander  Eives,  of  Albemarle. 

1883-1900,  John  Paul,  of  Harrisonburg. 

1900 ,  Henry  Clay  McDowell,  of  Big  Stone  Gap. 

The  clerks  of  this  court  have  been  as  follows : 

1839 ,  Thomas  L.  Moore. 

1839-1846,  E.  W.  Moore. 

1846-18—,  Erasmus  Stribling. 

1861 ,  Joseph  W.  Caldwell. 

1871-1874,  E.  S.  Watson. 

1874-1884,  Benjamin  Gildersleeve. 

1884 ,  Isaac  Chapman  Fowler. 

The  attorneys  representing  the  United  States  in  this  court  since 
1871  are  as  follows: 

1871 ,  Eobert  W.  Hughes. 

1871-1883,  Warren  S.  Lurty. 

1882-1885,  Daniel  Sheffey  Lewis. 

1885-1889,  Henry  C.  Allen. 

1889-1893,  William  E.  Craig. 

1893-1897,  A.  J.  Montague. 

1897-1901,  T.  M.  Alderson. 

1901-1905,  Thomas  Lee  Moore. 

The  marshals  of  this  court  since  1855  have  been  as  follows : 


604  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

1855 ,  Jefferson  T.  Martin. 

1871-1878,  Algernon  S.  Gray. 

1878-1882,  John  F.  Lewis. 

1883-1886,  John  G.  Watts. 

1886-1887,  Samuel  L.  Graham. 

1887-1890,  James  E.  Jordan. 

1890-1893,  John  G.  Watts. 

1893-1898,  George  W.  Levi. 

1898-190-,  S.  Brown  Allen. 

In  addition  to  the  officers  above  named,  several  of  the  citizens  of 
this  county  and  district,  to-wit:  F.  B.  Hutton,  David  F.  Bailey, 
John  J.  Stuart  and  John  C.  Blair,  have  discharged  the  duties  of 
assistant  district  attorney  in  this  court  with  distinguished  ability. 

PRESBYTEEIANISM  IN  WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 

Tlie  first  settlers  of  Washington  county  were  principally  Presi)y- 
terian  in  belief  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  as  early  as  the 
year  177S  the  Rev.  John  Craig  and  the  Rev.  James  Campbell,  Pres- 
byterian ministers,  had  visited  and  preached  to  the  settlers  upon  the 
frontiers  (then  Southwest  Virginia). 

It  may  be  thought  strange  that  men  situated  as  were  the  first  set- 
tlers of  this  section  would  have  need  or  would  wish  to  be  instructed 
ip.  religious  matters,  as  their  lives  were  a  constant  effort  to  either  kill 
their  adversaries,  the  Indians,  or  to  prevent  the  Indians  from 
slaughtering  themselves  and  families;  but  man  is  a  religious  being 
and  cannot  divest  himself  of  his  religious  nature.  Herodotus,  the 
ancient  traveler  and  the  father  of  history,  said  that  "cities  with- 
out walls  could  be  found  and  communities  without  pretence  tO'  arts, 
laws,  or  even  morals,  but  no  tribe  or  nation  could  be  found  without 
a  religion."  The  idea  of  God  is  intuitive,  inherent  in  the  soul  of 
man.  And  the  first  settlers  of  this  section  were  not  only  susceptible 
to  this  idea,  but  as  a  rule  they  had  been  taught  in  their  youth  to 
honor  and  love  their  Creator  in  all  their  walks  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. 

Prior  to  the  year  1772,  two  congregations  had  been  organized 
in  this  county,  the  one  at  Sinking  Spring,  the  otlier  at  Ebbing 
Spring,  and  by  the  summer  of  1773  these  congregations  had  grown 
until  their  membership  was  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  persons, 
and  these  congregations  extended  a  call  to  the  Rfev.  Charles  Cura- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  605 

mings,  who  was  then  preaching  at  Brown's  Meeting  House,  in 
AngTista  county. 

This  call  was  presented  by  Samuel  Edmiston  at  a  session  of  the 
Presbytery  held  at  Brown's  Meeting  House  on  June  2,  1773. 

Mr.  Cunimings  accepted  the  call  and  remO'Ved  with  his  family  to 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Sinking  Spring  church  (Abingdon), 
purchased  land  and  settled  upon  it.  Mr.  Cummings  served  the  two 
congregations  until  the  year  1780,  when  the  Eev.  Thomas  Brown 
Craighead  took  charge  of  the  Ebbing  Spring  congi-egation,  while 
Mr.  Cunimings  remained  in  charge  of  and  served  the  Sinking 
Spring  congregation  faithfully  and  well  until  1812,  the  date  of  his 
death. 

From  the  time  Mr.  Cumiiiings  commenced  preaching  at  Sinking 
Spring  up  to  about  the  year  1776,  the  men  never  went  to  church 
without  being  armed,  and  taking  their  families  with  them.  On 
Sabbatli  mornings  during  this  period,  it  was  Mr.  Cummings'  cus- 
tom, for  he  was  always  a  very  neat  man  in  his  dress,  to  dress  him- 
self, then  put  on  his  shot-pouch,  shoulder  his  rifle,  mount  his  dun 
stallion  and  ride  off  to  church.  There  he  met  his  gallant  and  intel- 
ligent congregation,  each  man  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand.  When 
seated  in  the  meeting  house  they  presented  altogether  a  most  solemn 
and  singular  spectacle.  Mr.  Cummings'  uniform  habit,  before  enter- 
ing the  house,  was  to  take  a  short  M-alk  alone  whilst  the  congregation 
were  seating  themselves ;  he  would  then  return,  at  the  door  hold  a  few 
words  of  conversation  with  some  one  of  the  elders  of  the  church, 
then  would  walk  gravely  through  the  crowd,  mount  the  steps  of  the 
pulpit,  deposit  his  rifle  in  a  corner  near  him,  lay  off  his  shot  pouch 
and  commence  the  solemn  worship  of  the  day.  He  would  preach 
two  sermons,  having  a  short  interval  between  them,  and  go  home. 

The  congregation  was  very  large,  and  preaching  was  always  well 
attended.  On  sacramental  occasions,  which  were  generally  about 
twice  a  year,  the  table  was  spread  in  a  grove  near  the  church.  He 
preached  for  many  years,  and  until  far  advanced  in  life,  to  one  of 
the  largest,  most  respectable  and  most  intelligent  congregations  ever 
assembled  in  Western  Virginia.* 

In  the  year  1783,  the  elders  of  the  Sinlving  Spring  congregation 
were:  Samuel  Newell,  Sr.,  George  Finley,  Jolm  Blackburn,  John 
Davis,  Andrew  Willoughby,  Sr.,  William  Lowry  and  James  Douglas. 


♦Governor  David  Campbell's  MSS. 


606  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-17^6. 

Mr.  Cummings  was  a  very  zealous  Whig  and  did  much  to  fire  the 
patriotism  of  his  congregation  and  the  settlers  upon  the  frontiers. 
He  was  the  first  named  on  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  Fincastle 
county  and  to  his  pen  has  been  generally  attributed  the  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  freeholders  of  Fincastle  county  on  the  20th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1775.  He  was  a  member  of  Hanover  Presbytery  and  assisted 
in  the  preparation  of  the  petition  for  the  abolition  of  the  established 
church,  which  was  presented  to  the  General  Assembly  on  the  24th 
of  October,  1776,  and  after  the  organization  of  Washington  county, 
in  the  year  1777,  he  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  for 
this  county  during  the  Eevolution,  and  never  failed  to  serve  his 
country  in  the  cause  of  liberty  when  an  opportunity  afforded. 

An  idea  may  be  had  of  his  influence  and  the  dependence  placed 
upon  him  by  our  leaders  during  the  darkest  days  of  the  Eevolution 
from  a  letter  addressed  to  him.  by  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  in  June, 
1778,  upon  his  return  from  Richmond: 

"Yesterday  I  returned  home,  the  Assembly  having  adjourned 
until  the  first  Monday  in  October.  The  acts  passed  and  a  list  of 
their  titles  I  here  enclose,  together  with  an  address  of  Congress 
to  the  people  of  America,  for  you  to  publish  agreeably  to  the  resolve. 
I  wish  you  could  make  it  convenient  to  preach  at  the  lower  meeting 
house  in  this  county,  if  it  was  but  a  week  day,  as  the  contents  of  the 
address  are  of  the  most  interesting  nature,  both  as  to  the  moral  and 
political  conduct  of  the  good  people  of  America.  Providence  is 
daily  working  out  strange  deliverances  for  us.  The  treaty  with 
France  is  much  more  advantageous  than  the  wisest  men  of  this 
country  expected.  The  Indians  the  other  day  were  unexpectedly 
discomfited  on  Greenbrier.  I  think  the  overthrow  was  something 
similar  to  what  happened  in  this  country  about  two  years  agO'.  I 
must  give  you  the  intelligence  at  full  length,  as  the  most  hardened 
mind  must  see  and  admire  the  divine  goodness  in  such  an  interpo- 
sition." 

Mr.  Cummings  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Stephen  Bovel,  and  an 
eye-witness  of  the  place  and  character  of  the  service  at  the  Sinking 
Spring  church  in  the  year  1833  says:  "The  Presbyterians  wor- 
shipped in  a  very  old  log  building  at  'the  Grave- Yard' — weather- 
boarded  outside  and  ceiled  inside.  To  this  plain,  old-fashioned 
house  would,  literally,  the  gathering  of  the  people  be.  From  the 
hills  and  valleys  the  worshippers  would  pour  in  until  an  overflowing 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  607 

house  would  leave  a  multitude  outside.  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  with 
their  children,  would  walk  there  twice  a  day  in  summer^s  heat  and 
winter's  cold,  and  listen  to  one  or  two  discourses  before  returning  to 
Abingdon  !  They  went  there  for  a  purpose,  and  that  purpose  was  to 
worship  God.  The  silence  of  death  almost  prevailed  before  preach- 
ing. Talking  and  jesting  in  the  house  of  God  had  not  then  become 
a  fashionable  amusement.  They  were  prayerful,  solemn,  thought- 
ful, serious,  and  never  failed  to  enjoy  the  services  of  the  sanctuary 
and  of  the  minister.  The  same  writer  says :  "Dr.  Bovel  was  a  minis- 
ter of  the  olden  stamp.  .  We  have  heard  gray-headed  members  of  the 
church  speak  of  his  teaching  them  'the  Assembly's  Catechism,'  when 
they  were  children.  Venerable  patriarch  of  the  church!  We  saw 
him  when  far  beyond  his  three  score  years  and  ten.  With  his  white 
head,  tremulous  voice  and  faltering  steps,  he  still  moved  amongst 
the  former  people  of  his  charge.  In  extreme  age — the  activity  and 
usefulness  of  his  3'Oung  manhood  having  passed  by,  and  repose  and 
comfort  should  have  been  his — he  journeyed  far  away,  and  sought  a 
home,  and  found  his  gi'ave  in  a  distant  State."* 

In  the  year  1830  Mr.  Bovel  was  succeed'ed  by  Eev,  David  E.  Pres- 
ton, and  shortly  thereafter  this  congregation  erected  a  new  church 
building  (now  Temperance  Hall),  and  worshipped  in  this  building 
until  the  schism  of  1837  divided  the  church;  when  one  branch  of 
the  church  erected  a  new  building  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Slaughter  streets. 

From  the  year  1837  until  1865,  two  congregations  of  Presbyte- 
rians worshipped  in  the  town,  one  at  the  Temperance  Hall  and  the 
other  at  the  new  church,  and  the  feelings  between  the  two  con- 
gregations were  such  as  to  greatly  endanger  the  existence  of  the 
church. 

The  total  membership  of  both  churches  in  1865  was  one  hundred 
and  twelve  members  only.  The  two  congregations  were  united  in 
1865,  through  the  efforts  of  the  Kevs.  Thomas  Brown  and  James 
McChain,  and  since  that  time  the  church  has  greatly  prospered, 
the  membership  at  the  present  time  being  three  hundred  and  thirty. 

This  church  took  its  name  from  the  Sinking  Spring  near  the 
marble  yard  of  James  L.  Brown,  and  this  church  is  the  parent  of 
the  Meadow  View,  Cold  Spring,  Green  Spring,  Walnut  Grove,  Maple 
Grove,  Spring  Creek,  Bethel  and  the  first  Presbyterian  church  of 
Bristol,  Tenn. 


*Rev.  Lewis  F.  Cosby. 


608  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

The  pastors  serving  this  chuTch  during  its  history  have  been  : 

17,74-1812,  Itev.  Charles  Ciimmings. 

1812-1830,  Kev.  Stephen  Bovel. 

1830-1835,  Rev.  David  E.  Preston. 

1835 ,  Eev.  William'  Preston,  stated  supply. 

1835-1842,  Eev.  Stephen  Taylor. 

1842-1866,  Eev.  James  McChain. 

1870-1883,  Eev.  E.  H.  Barnett,  and  in  recent  years  Eevs.  P.  D. 
Stephenson,  T.  A.  Wharton  and  E.  V.  Lancaster. 

The  ruling  elders  of  this  church,  so  far  as  J  can  ascertain,  in  addi- 
tion to  those  previously  given,  have  been :  James  Vance,  James 
Davis,  Michael  Shaver,  Alexander  White,  J.  W.  C.  Watson,  Elias 
Ogden,  Henry  Parrot,  Archimedes  Davis,  T.  P.  Clapp,  John  F. 
Preston,  Philip  Snapp,  Jacob  N.  Campbell,  E.  C.  Craig,  Samuel  A. 
Preston,  D.  C.  Dunn,  E.  L.  Francisco,  Eobert  J.  Preston,  T.  D. 
Davidson,  B.  Gildersleeve,  John  A.  Buchanan,  E.  A.  Preston,  John 
A.  Hagy,  F.  B.  Hutton,  W.  B.  Ingham,  T.  M.  Clapp  and  B.  E. 
Smith. 

Ebbing  Spring. 

This  was  one  of  the  first  churches  to  be  organized  in  Washing- 
ton county,  and  its  first  pastor  was  the  Eev.  Charles  Cummings,  who 
served  the  church  until  1780,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Eev. 
Thomas  Brown  Craighead. 

This  church  was  named  from  the  Ebbing  Spring,  the  church 
building  being  on  the  hill  a  short  distance  north  of  the  spring.  This 
spring  is  now  on  the  farm  owned  by  David  Stump,  on  the  Middle 
Fork  of  Holston  river,  in  the  upper  end  of  this  county,  and  in  its 
normal  condition  it  is  a  beautiful  stream  flowing  from  among  lime- 
stone rocks.  Before  the  water  begins  to  flow  there  is  a  gurgling 
sound,  and  then  the  stream  gushes  out  with  a  rapid  current,  filling 
the  channel.  The  ebb  begins  gradually,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  the  spring  is  as  limpid  and  quiet  as  before  the  disturbance.* 
This  was  the  place  of  worship  of  General  William  Campbell  and 
the  families  east  as  far  as  the  licad  of  Holston,  and  the  number  of 
the  worshippers  at  this  church  was  exceeded  by  that  of  the  Sinking 
Spring  only. 

In  the  year  1792,  it  was  decided  to  remove  the  church  building 
from  the  Ebbing  Spring  to  the  Old  Glade  Spring.     With  the  re- 


*Thomas'L.  Preston. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  609 

inoval  of  the  church  from  Ebbing  Spring  the  name  was  changed 
to  Glade  Spring.  The  new  church  was  erected  upon  property  given 
by  Francis  Kincannon  and  deeded,  by  the  direction  of  Kincannon, 
by  John  Eobinsou  on  the  15th  of  February,  1814,  to  Eobert  Buch- 
anan, Joseph  Snodgrass,  David  Beattie,  Jolm  Porterfield,  Thomas 
Edmiston,  William  Beattie,  James  Scott,  Samuel  Edmiston,  Leon- 
ard Hutton  and  William  Eakin,  jnembers  of  the  Presbyterian  con- 
gregation of  Glade  Spring.  The  families  constituting  this  congre- 
gation in  the  early  days  were  among  the  most  patriotic  citizens  to 
be  found  anywhere  within  the  colonies;  th'ey  were  respectable  and 
progressive,  and  their  descendants  at  this  time  practice  the  same 
ideas  that  rendered  their  ancestors  distinguished.  The  pastors 
serving  the  Ebbing  Spring  congregation  have  been : 

1774-1780— Rev.  Charles  Cummings. 

1780-1790— Eev.  Thomas  Brown  Craighead. 

1790-1816— Eev.  Edward  Crawford. 

1816-1831— Eev.  Alexander  McEwen. 

1835         —Eev.  Philip  Wood. 

1843-1844— Eev.  Eobert  C.  Graham. 

1844-1848— Eev.  A.  G.  Taylor. 

1848  —Eev.  Eobert  Glenn. 

1848-1852— Eev.  Levi  E.  Morrison. 

1852-1856— Eev.  D.  F.  Palmer. 

1856-1859— Eev.  Henry  Smith. 

1859-1862— Eev.  J.  J.  McMahon. 

1863-1866— Eev.  E.  L.  McMurrin, 
and  since  1866,  the  Eevs.  Henry  M.  White,  J.  0.  Sullivan,  Frank 
McCutchen,  P.  H.  Guinn,  and  J.  E.  Herndon. 

The  ruling  elders  of  this  church,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to 
ascertain,  have  been :  Mitchell  Eobinson,  David  Beattie,  John 
Eakin,  Peter  Clark,  John  S.  Clark,  Arthur  Hutton,  John  Eobinson, 
Philip  B.  Snapp,  J.  C.  Porterfield,  Isaac  M.  Benham,  W.  B.  Dick- 
enson, James  A.  Buchanan,  A.  D.  Hutton,  A.  H.  Byars,  George  A. 
C.  Beattie,  M.  W.  Eobinson,  E.  B.  Clark,  T.  'hk  Porterfield,  A.  M. 
Byars,  and  J.  D.  Kent. 

This  church  Ms  experienced  a  very  rapid  growth  in  recent  years, 
and  at  the  present  time  five  churches  and  chapels  are  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Glade  Spring  church,  viz. :  Old  Glade  Spring  church. 


610  Southwest  Virginia,  i  7^6-1 7^^. 

Glade  Spring  church,  Seven  Springs,  Ebbing  Spring  Chapel,  and 
the  membership  of  the  church  is  considerable. 

The  location  of  the  church  erected  in  1792  was  near  a  fine 
spring  and  there  was  a  long  glade  free  from  timber  looking  south- 
east from  the  location  of  the  church,  and  it  was  from  this  circum- 
stance that  the  church  took  the  name  of  Glade  Spring  in  the  year 
1792. 

When  the  building  of  Emory  and  Henry  College  was  proposed,  a 
meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  soliciting  subscriptions  at  th'e 
Old  Glade  Spring  church  and  the  members  of  this  congregation  con- 
tributed the  greater  portion  of  a  $5,000  subscription  to  the  enter- 
prise, and  Colonel  William  Byars,  Alexander  Eobinson,  Madison 
Beattie,  Absalom  Beattie,  W.  B.  Edmondson,  W.  C.  Edmondson 
and  J.  M.  Byars,  active  members  of  this  church,  have  given  their 
influence,  money  and  labor  to  the  upbuilding  of  Emory  and  Henry 
College  since  the  inception  of  the  enterprise. 

There  is  not  a  community  in  Washington  county  that  excels  that 
of  Glade  Spring  in  intelligence,  patriotism  and  worth,  and  this  fact 
is  in  great  part  due  to  the  influence  of  this  church. 

Roch  Spring  Church. 

The  Rock  Spring  church,  by  far  the  oldest  church  organization 
in  that  section  of  the  county,  was  organized  just  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, in  the  year  1784. 

The  land  upon  which  this  church  stands  was  deeded  to  the  con- 
gregation, March  15th,  1820;  fifty-five  poles  by  Robert  Edmond- 
son, twenty  poles  by  Matthew  Brown. 

No  sessional  records  appear  to  have  been  kept  until  1843,  but 
the  membership  was  large  and  somewhat  scattered.  In  1880,  sixty- 
three  of  its  members  were  organized  into  a  separate  church,  known 
as  Bethel,  near  Osceola. 

The  total  membership  of  Rock  Spring  church  from  1843  to  1902 
is  estimated  at  something  over  500.  Its  present  membership  is 
over  seventy. 

Many  of  the  signers  of  the  original  call  to  Rev.  Charles  Cum- 
mings  lived  within  the  bounds  of  Rock  Spring  church,  and  some 
of  their  descendants  still  occupy  the  old  homesteads  of  their  an- 
cestors. 

The  church  has  occupied  three  separate  buildings;  the  second 


Washington  County,  1717-1870.  611 

was  remove*]  in  1884.  and  the  present  large  and  IVeautifid  building- 
erected  near  the  old  site. 

The  names  of  those  who  ministered  to  the  people  of  IJock  Spring 
church  prior  to  18-13  arc  (so  far  as  can  be  learned)  Crawford,  Bevel, 
Glenn  and  McEwen,  of  tlie  Presbyterian  clmrch,  an.d  Harper,  Mc- 
La\\s,  Scott,  Patrick' and  Tliompson,  of  the  Eeformed  Presbyterian 
church.  About  1825,  ]\fcEwen,  who  was  then  stated  supply,  and 
who  appears  to  have  l)een  an  al)le  and  popular  minister,  was  de- 
posed from  the  ministry  on  the  charge  of  immorality.  The  contro- 
versy over  his  trial  was  bitter  and"  protracted,  and  checked  the 
i:in\\ til  of  the  church  for  several  years. 

h\  the  great  controversy  of  1837  over  church  representation,  out 
■of  which  grew  the  Old  and  Ncir  Scliooh.  Pock  Spring  sided  with 
the  former. 

Down  to  1843  the  church  had  no  regular  pastor.  In  that  year 
the  Eev.  P.  (J.  Graham  was  called  and  installed. 

At  that  time  Samuel  Moore,  Andrew  Edmoiidson,  and  Eobert 
E.  Lowry  were  elders.  Their  first  meeting  under  the  new  pastor 
was  on  December  10,  1843.  Erom  that  meeting  records  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  session  were  kept:  the  memborship  at  that  time  was 
ninety. 

Mr.  Graham's  pastorate  appears  to  have  ended  in  1847.  It  re- 
sulted in  a  largely  increased  membership.  From  1847  to  1866  the 
church  had  no  pastoi'.  The  stated  supplies  during  that  time  were 
Hodge,  Stickley,  Eeece,  Wilson  and  Hogshead.  The  last,  in  the 
year  1866,  was  installed  pastor,  and  continued  as  such  until  the 
year  1871. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Eev.  J.  C.  Carson,  as  stated  supply,  who 
continued  in  charge  until  the  autumn  of  1875,  when  Eev.  J.  0. 
Sullivan  l)ecame  pastor.  His  pastorate  ceased  in  the  year  1881, 
when  he  l)ecame  president  of  Stonewall  Jackson  Institute. 

The  present  clmrch  building,  one  of  the  most  commodio'us  in  the 
Presbytery,  was  erected  in  the  year  1884,  at  a  cost  ot  about  $3,000. 

The  next  pastor  was  the  Eev.  Frank  McCutchen.  He  remained 
until  1893,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  Eogersville,  Tenn.  Eev.  J. 
B.  Hutton,  Eev.  S.  E.  Preston  and  the  Eev.  j\Ir.  Yisor  were  stated 
supplies  until  October,  1896,  when  Eev.  J.  B.  Morton  became  pastor. 
He  resigned  in  1901  because  of  disaffection  in  the  congregation. 


G12  Southtvest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  present  pastor  (not  yei  installed)  is  Eev.  Allen  Jones,  an  able 
and  most  energetic  man. 

Maple  Grove  Church. 

The  first  Presb3'terian  preacher  to  conduct  regular  services  in 
this  community  was  the  Eev.  Stephen  Bovel,  and,  as  a  result  of  his 
eiforts,  a  log-house  was  built  upon  the  location  of  the  present 
church  in  1831.  A  partial  organization  of  the  church  was  ef- 
fected about  the  same  time,  but  all  records  pertaining  thereto  have 
been  lost,  and  the  first  regular  session  of  this  church  of  which  we 
have  any  record  was  organized  in  the  year  1836,  with  the  following 
elders  present:  John  Gray,  John  Davis,  John  Anderson,  Wallace 
Maxwell,  Peter  S.  Hanby  and  A.  C.  Maxwell. 

The  first  regularly  installed  pastor  of  this  church  was  the  Eev. 
John  H.  Wallace. 

In  th'e  year  1874,  the  log  church  erected  in  1831  was  torn  down, 
and  a  handsome  country  church  erected  in  its  place.  The  church 
has  been  served  by  the  following  pastors,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain: 
Eevs.  Stephen  Bovel,  James  McChain,  John  H.  Wallace,  Henry 
Eose,  J.  P.  Briscoe,  John  L.  Allison,  W.  T.  Mobray,  J.  B.  Morton, 
G.  W.  Henderlite  and  E.  B.  Hudson. 

Spring  Creeh  Church. 

This  church  was  organized  in  the  year  1852,  with  John  F.  Pres- 
ton and  Archimedes  Davis  as  ruling  elders,  and  the  following  mem- 
bers: Archimedes  Davis,  John  F.  Preston,  Mrs.  Kancy  Preston, 
Mrs.  Margaret  L.  Fulkerson,  Mrs.  Mary  Bradley,  Misses  Mar- 
garet J.  Willoughby,  Caroline  Willoughby,  Elizabeth  Eush,  Mary 
J.  Legard,  Andrew  Willoughby,  Jeremiah  Eush,  Sr.  and  James 
Eush. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  church,  Andrew  Willoughby 
was  installed  an  elder,  and  within  recent  years  Henry  B.  Eoberts, 
J.  G.  E.  Davis  and  others  have  served  in  the  same  capacity. 

The  land  upon  which  this  church  stands  was  given  by  John  F. 
Preston.  A  very  commodious  frame  building  was  erected  thereon 
in  the  year  1852  and  remained  until  1886,  when  the  old  building 
was  torn  down  and  a  handsome  frame  building  erected  in  its  stead. 

The  pastors  that  have  served  this  church  have  been  the  same  that 
served  the  Maple  Grove  church. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  613 

Upon  this  church  property  stood  an  old  log-house  in  which  the 
writer  attended  the  public  schools,  and  in  the  church  building  he 
was  taught  the  Shorter  Catechism  by  H.  B.  Eoberts  and  a  faithful 
corps  of  noble  women. 

Walnut  Gi'ove  Cliurcli. 

This  church  was  organized  at  an  early  day  and  has  been  of  great 
usefulness;  but,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that,  notwithstanding  very  per- 
sistent efforts,  I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  any  information  in  re- 
gard to  its  liistory. 

Green  Spring  Church. 

This  church  was  established  in  the  year  1794,  and  the  first  build- 
ing M^as  erected  upon  a  tract  of  land  conveyed  to  the  members  of 
the  Green  Spring  congregation  and  their  successors,  they  calling  a 
regular  Presbyterian  minister  of  the  gospel,  adhering  to  tlie  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith  and  the  doctrine  and  discipline  therein 
contained,  with  the  Larger  and  Shorter  Catechism,  James  Mont- 
gomery. 

This  church  is  situated  in  the  strongest  Presbyterian  community 
in  Washington  county,  ])ossibly  in  Southwest  Virginia,  and  has  had 
a  very  useful  career :  Init  I  must  express  my  regret  at  being  unable 
to  obtain  any  information  in  regard  thereto. 

x\ll  that  has  been  said  in  regard  to  the  Glade  Spring  community 
will  apply  to  this,  the  peer  of  the  Glade  Spring  commimity. 

The  Kings,  McConnells,  Berrys,  McChesneys,  Coxes,  Kellers, 
]\rcCauleys,  Grays,  Thomases,  Lowrys,  Parks,  Avens,  Mimmicks 
and  Campbells  constitute  a  large  part  of  this  congregation. 

METHODISM  IN  WASHHSTGTOF  COUNTY. 

]\Iethodism  made  its  appearance  in  Washington  county,  Vir- 
ginia, by  emigration,  somewhere  between  1770  and  17,75.  The 
first  circuit,  in  what  is  now  Holston  Conference,  appeared  in  the 
minutes  of  1783  entitled  "Holston  Circuit,"  with  sixty  members, 
and  Jeremiah  Lambert  was  appointed  in  charge  of  it.  This  cir- 
cuit embraced  the  scattered  Methodists  in  Southwestern  Virginia 
and  upper  East  Tennessee.  In  1784,  Lambert  reported  seventy-six 
members,  a  gain  of  sixteen. 

Bishop  Asbury  held  the  first  conference  west  of  the  Alleghanies, 
at  Stephen  Keywood's,  Washington  county,  Virginia,  May,  1788. 


614  Southwest   Virginia.  IIJ^G-IISG. 

Ke3'\voo(l  lived  ahnut  uiiihvny  Ix'twcon  Saltvillc  and  wliat  is  now 
Glade  Spring  depot.  He  li^■(■(l  in  a  two-story  log-house  with  a  mas- 
sive stone  chimney  at  one  end.  The  conference  met  in  an  upper 
room  without  fire,  and  sat  three  days.  Keligious  exercises  were 
kept  up  daily,  M'ith  fine  results.  .John  Timnell,  Thomas  Ware  and 
others  had  preaching  at  Koywood's  every  day  for  a  week  before 
the  session  of  the  conference  began,  and  on  Sunday  before  the  con- 
ference John  Tunnell  preached  in  the  morning.  Under  this  ser- 
mon Madam  Elizabeth  Russell,  wife  of  General  William  Russell, 
of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  sister  to  Patrick  Henry,  was  convinced 
that  she  was  the  veriest  sinnei'  on  earth,  although  up  to  that  period, 
as  a  member  of  the  Episco])al  church,  she  had  been  exemplary  in 
life  and  thought  she  was  a  child  of  Tiod.  She  invited  the  preach- 
ers home  with  hei'  to  pray  for  and  instriK't  her.  They  complied, 
and  in  the  afternoon  she  emerged  from  darkness  into  light,  prais- 
ing God  with  a  loud  voice.  This  good — yea,  great — woman  became  a 
flame  of  Christian  zeal,  and  to  the  day  of  her  death,  which  occurred 
in  1825,  she  served  God  and  her  generation  with  a  zeal  not  sur- 
passed in  ancient  or  modern  times.  Mrs.  Russell's  first  husband 
was  Genei'al  William  Gam|)bell,  of  King's  mountain  celebrity.  Her 
'daughter.  Miss  Sarah  V>.  Campbell,  married  General  Francis  Pres- 
ton. Among  the  children  of  General  Preston  may  be  mentioned 
the  Hons.  William  C.  Preston  and  John  S.  Preston,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, Thomas  L.  Preston,  and  Mrs.  John  B.  Floyd,  the  last  a  life- 
long j\rothodist. 

Up  to  1812,  Washington  county  was  generally  included  in  Hol- 
ston  Circuit ;  but  in  that  year  Abingdon  Circuit  appears  in  the 
minutes.  This  circuit  embraced  Washing-ton  county  and  some  ad- 
jacent territory  in  Yii-ginia  and  Tennessee.  Baker  Wrather  was 
the  first  ai^pointee  to  Abingdon  Circuit.  This  circuit  was  a  part 
of  Tennessee  Conference  until  1824,  when  Holston  Conference  was 
organized.  Abingdon  station  was  established  in  1826,  with  the 
Rev.  George  Atkins  as  its  first  pastor. 

At  \\hat  date  the  first  IMethodist  church  in  Abingdon  was  built 
1  am  unaljle  1o  stale.  In  18-19,  the  old  Abingdon  church  was  torn 
down  and  su])])lanted  l)y  a  neat  Iirick  cha])el  where  tlie  old  IMetho- 
dist graveyard  is.  This  chapel  afterwards  gave  place  to  the  pres- 
ent church  on  ]\Iain  street.  The  Findlays,  Litchfields,  Mitchells, 
Floyds,  Campbells,  Hoofnagles,  Honakers,  Hamiltons  and  Bans 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  fjlo 

liave  been  among  tlie  most  prominent  >retho(list  families  of  Al)ing- 
don. 

John  Baker,  toiir  iriiles  west  of  Abingdon,  was  a  wealthy  j\letho- 
dist,  and  was  for  luany  years  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  church. 
Jolm  ^\'.  I'rice,  near  Glade  Spring,  \ras  a  wealthy  farmer  and  an 
active  church  worker,  often  exhorting  and  holding  protracted  meet- 
ings, resulting  in  great  revivals  in  his  cojnmunity. 

Lebanon  camp-ground,  some  six  miles  east  of  Abingdon,  w^as 
established  at  an  early  day.  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  one  of 
the  most  po])ular  camp-gTounds  in  the  connection.  Methodists 
fi-om  Abingdon  and  other  parts  of  the  county  camped  there,  and 
many  of  the  first  preachers  of  the  connection  preached  from  its  pul- 
pit. 

In  1835,  Holston  Conference  projected  a  scheme  for  an  agricul- 
tural college.  The  Eev.  Creed  Fulton,  agent,  and  also  member 
of  the  committee  to  locate  the  school,  raised  a  subscription  and 
called  the  committee  together.  The  present  site  of  Emory  and 
Henry  College  was  chosen,  and  the  erection  of  buildings  was  begun 
at  once.  In  1838,  the  school  was  inaugurated  under  the  presidency 
of  Charles  Collins,  of  Maine,  a  graduate  of  the  Middieton  (Conn.) 
A\'esleyan  University.  He  was  a  well-rounded  man,  and  under  liis 
wise  administration  the  college  prospered;  but  the  school  reached 
its  zenitli  afterwarils  under  th"  ndmini'^tration  of  President  E.  E. 
Wiley. 

^fartha  Washington  College  was  projected  in  1858.  The  confer- 
ence accepted  from  the  Odd-Fellows  a  site  and  unfinished  build- 
ings in  the  northern  suburb  of  Abingdon,  but  abandoned  the  site 
afterwards,  and  bought  the  Preston  propei-t}',  the  present  site. 
This  college  has  had  a  very  useful  career. 

Some  years  afterwards  the  Methodists  of  Bristol  built  and  es- 
tablished Sullins  College  there,  with  Dr.  David  Sullins  as  presi- 
dent. This  school  has  been  a  successful  competitor  of  Martha 
Washington  College  in  the  cause  of  female  education. 

Methodism  has  always  been  strong  in  Washington  county,  of  an 
evangelical  type,  and  a  powei'ful  factor  in  educating  and  refining 
the  people  and  creating  a  good  quality  of  citizenship.  Long  will 
the  memory  of  such  people  as  Father  Wilkenson,  Father  HaskeM', 
Dr.  George  Barr,  "Aunt  Bettie  HaskewV  "Aunt  Kittle"  Findlav. 


616  Southiuest  Virginia,  17J/G-17S6. 

aud  otH'ers  like  them,  linger  among  onr  healthful  hills  as  a  sweet 
perfume. 

I  should  have  mentioned  particularly  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church.  This  denomination  was  organized  in  1830.  It  was  at 
first  made  up  of  members  and  preachers  who  formerly  represented 
the  Annual  and  General  Conferences,  and,  being  opposed  to  an 
episcopal  form  of  government,  seceded  from  the  M.  E.  Church, 
and  set  up  a  church  more  democratic  in  polity.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Cosby  and  Dr.  George  R.  Barr  were  the  principal  pioneers  of  this 
cliurch  in  Alnngdon.  A  nice  brick  church  was  built,  and  regular 
preaching  kept  up  for  many  years.  Dr.  Barr  was  many  years  its 
pastor,  and  a  revered  and  venerable  name.  The  church  had  some 
influence  at  other  points  in  this  county,  but  made  little  headway 
against  its  older  and  more  thoroughly  established  rival.* 

The  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  about  the 
year  1845,  disagreed  upon  the  question  of  slavery,  and  divided 
their  church  property,  and  since  that  time  there  have  been  two 
branches  of  the  same  church  in  this  county,  to-wit:  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  exjjerienced  a  very  rapid 
growth  in  Washington  county  since  1865,  and  to-day  has  thirteen 
churches  and  a  large  number  of  communicants  in  this  county,  while 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  has  churches  and  com- 
municants in  nearly  every  community  in  the  county. 

ABINGDON,  VIRGINIA— ITS  HISTORY. 

The  present  location  of  Abingdon  was  immediately  upon  the 
Indian  trail  from  the  south  and  the  Indian  trail  from  the  north- 
west, Avhich,  jjassing  through  Cumberland  Gap,  crossed  the  south- 
ern trail  at  about  the  present  location  of  Hurt's  store,  in  the  town 
of  Abingdon,  in  the  direction  of  North  Carolina. 

When  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  and  his  company  of  explorers  visited 
Southwestern  Virginia  in  the  years  1749-1750,  they  followed  this 
Indian  trail,  and  on  July  14,  1752,  King  George  II.  of  England 
granted  to  Dr.  Thomas  Walker  a  large  body  of  land  surrounding 
and  including  the  site  of  the  town  of  Abingdon  and  supposed  to 
contain  6,780  acres. 


*Rev.  R.  N.  Price. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


617 


This  is  the  first  record  that  we  have  of  the  early  exploration  of 
the  lands  upon  which  the  town  of  Abingdon  has  been  built. 

Dr.  Walker  made  no  immediate  effort  to  settle  the  lands  secured 
by  his  grant,  and  the  next  mention  that  we  have  of  this  locality 
was  in  the  year  1760,  in  which  year  Daniel  Boone  and  Nathaniel 
Gist  left  the  home  of  Boone,  in  North  Carolina,  and,  crossing  the 
Holston  mountains,  encamped  in  M'hat  is  now  known  as  Taylor's 
Valley,  from  which  point  they  passed  down  the  Holston  river  to 
near  Glenn's  Mill,  and  thence  to  the  present  location  of  Abingdon, 
\\'here  they  encamped   on  the   second   night,   near   where   Black's 


Abingdon,  Virginia,  1835. 


Fort  was  afterwards  built  at  a  spring.  Boone  and  Gist  were  upon 
a  hunting  expedition  at  the  time  and  were  accompanied  by  their 
dogs.  Soon  after  nightfall,  the  hunters  were  greatly  disturbed  by 
the  appearance  of  a  large  number  of  wolves.  Th'eir  dogs  were  as- 
sailed with  such  fury  that  Boone  and  Gist  with  great  difficulty 
succeeded  in  repelling  the  attack  of  the  wolves  and  preserving  their 
lives,  several  of  their  best  dogs  being  killed.  From  this  circum- 
stance the  present  location  of  Abingdon  received  its  first  name, 
"Wolf  Hills."  The  wolves  had  their  home  in  the  cave  that  under- 
lies the  town  of  Abingdon,  the  entrance  to  which  is  upon  the  lot 
now  occupied  as  a  residence  by  Captain  James  L.  White. 

The  creek  that  passes  through  the  eastern  and  southern  portions 
of  the  town  about  this  time  received  the  name  of  Castfe's  Creek, 


618  Southwest   Virginia,  nJtf6-ll!86. 


Abin.o-flon.   Virginia.    1902.     Looking-  East   from   Fruit    Hill. 


Al)ingdon,  Virginia,  1!)02.     Looking  South  from  Fruit  Hill. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  619 

which  name,  about  fifteen  years  afterwards,  was  changed  to  Eigh- 
teen ]\Iile  C*reek,  and  the  creek  west  of  Abingdon  was  given  the 
name  of  Wolf  Hill  Ci-eek,  which  names  are  retained  iintil  this  time. 

Some  time  between  the  years  ITGo  and  1T?(),  James  Douglas, 
Andrew  ("olvill,  George  Blackburn,  Joseph  Black,  Samuel  Briggs,- 
James  ri])er  and  sevei'al  othei'  persons  settled  upon  lands  sur- 
rounding and  including  the  present  location  of  Abingdon,  under 
])urchases  from  Dr.  Tbonias  Walker,  which  lands  were  afterwards 
conxcyed  to  the  sett  lei  s  in  the  year  ITT -I. 

V>\  this  time.  1TT4,  the  imnu'diate  \icinity  of  the  ])resent  loca- 
tion of  Abingdon  was  settled  by  large  numbers  of  jx^ople,  and  dur- 
ing this  year  a  church  was  built  near  the  entrance  gate  of  the  pres- 
ent cemetery,  west  of  the  town  of  Abingdon,  under  the  directi-on 
of  the  Eev.  Charles  Cummings  and  undei-  tlu'  auspices  of  the  Pres- 
liyterian  Church. 

The  early  settlers  of  this  section  of  Mrginia  at  this  early  date 
recognized  the  importance  of  this  locality,  and  as  the  natural  in- 
stinct of  the  Indian  had  made  this  the  passing  point  of  two  great 
Indian  trails,  so  the  same  instinct  of  the  white  man  caused  him  to 
recognize  this  as  a  central  location  for  his  operations. 

C^aptain  Joseph  Black,  Avho  settled  on  Eighteen  ]\Iile  Creek 
nearly  south  of  the  present  residence  of  Colonel  Arthur  Cummings, 
with  the  assistance  of  his  neighbors,  erected  a  small  fort  near  his 
residence  for  the  protection  of  the  neighborhood  froin  attacks 
by  the  Indians,  which  fort  was  called  "Black's  rf)rt."  and  this  fort 
was  used  until  the  summer  of  177G. 

In  the  s]iring  of  this  ycar^  1TT().  the  Cberokee  Indians,  after 
twelve  years  of  c(mii)arative  ]ieace  and  fi'iendliness,  decided  to  wage 
a  war  against  the  whites,  and  to  exterminate  or  drive  them  from 
the  waters  of  the  Ilolston  and  Clinch  rivers;  and  in  the  month  of 
July  news  came  to  the  settlement,  which  extend'ed  down  as  far  as 
Eaton's  Fort,  seven  miles  east  of  Long  Island  of  Holston,  that 
Dragging  Canoe,  a  noted  Indian  chief,  at  the  head  of  seven  him- 
dred  Indian  warriors,  was  marching  upon  the  settlements,  which 
news  created  great  consternation,  and  every  settler,  with  but  few 
exceptions,  gathered  his  family  and  traveled  with  all  speed  for  the 
older  settlements. 

There  was  but  one  public  highway  passing  through   this  sec- 


620  Southivest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

tion  at  that  time,  which  was  known  as  the  Great  road  and  passed 
directly  by  Black's  Fort. 

By  the  20th  of  July,  1776,  fully  four  hundred  men,  women  and 
children,  had  assembled  at  Black's  Fort,  and,  at  the  suggestion  of 
their  leaders,  determined  to  l^iiild  a  substantial  fort  and  contest 
the  further  progress  of  the  Indian  invasion. 

While  the  building  of  tliis  fort  was  in  progress,  the  battle  of 
Tjong  Island  Flats  was  fought  and  resulted  in  an  overwhelming 
victory  for  the  settlers.  The  news  of  this  battle  reached  Black's 
Fort  on  the  following  day. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  good  news,  the  Eev.  Charles  Cummings 
had  all  work  upon  the  fort  suspended,  assembled  the  multitude, 
and,  kneeling  in  prayer,  thanked  God  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
people. 

The  work  upon  the  fort  was  continued  until  completed  and,  when 
completed,  it  was  one  of  the  best  forts  upon  the  frontiers. 

During  the  week  following  the  battle  of  Long  Island  Flats  the 
settlers  at  Black's  Fort  were  greatly  annoyed  by  small  bands  of  In- 
dians traveling  thfough  the  settlements,  killing  the  settlers  indis- 
criminately, burning  their  homes  and  driving  off  their  property. 

Three  parties  of  Indians  came  within  the  vicinity  of  Black's 
Fort.  One  party  scalped  Arthur  Blackburn  and  left  him  for  dead, 
another  succeeded  in  killing  and  scalping  Jacob  Mongle,  and  a 
third  party  assailed  the  Eev.  Charles  Cummings,  his  negro  ser- 
vant. Job,  William  Creswell  and  James  Piper,  and  succeeded  in 
killing  William  Creswell  and  crippling  James  Piper  by  shooting 
off  one  of  his  fingers. 

After  the  battle  at  Long  Island  Flats,  the  settlers  were  greatly 
encouraged,  and,  at  the  same  time,  felt  very  much  outraged  at  the 
depredations  of  their  Indian  neighbors,  and  a  portion  of  the  set- 
tlers at  Black's  Fort,  with  the  assistance  of  a  few  men  from  Bryan's 
Fort,  succeeded  in  killing  and  scalping  eleven  out  of  a  party  of  In- 
dians that  visil^ed  the  home  of  James  Montgomery,  near  the  South 
Fork  of  Holston  river,  about  eight  miles  south  of  Abingdon.  The 
scalps  of  the  eleven  Indians  were  brought  to  Black's  Fort  and 
tied  to  the  end  of  the  longest  pole  that  could  be  found  in  the  vi- 
cinity, and  this  pole  was  planted  at  the  gate  of  the  fort  as  a  warn- 
ing, we  suppose,  to  future  invaders  tliat  they  would  meet  a  like 
fate. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  631 

The  county  of  Wasliington  was  established  by  an  Act  of  the 
Assembly  of  Virginia  in  the  fall  of  the  year  17 70,  and  by  tlie 
provisions  of  that  Act  Black's  Fort  was  designated  as  the  first  place 
of  meeting  of  the  Connty  Court,  of  the  new  county.  The  time  of 
the  meeting  was  fixed  as  January  28,  1777. 

Tradition  says  there  was  a  great  contest  between  the  citizens  of 
this  county  as  to  the  location  of  the  county  seat,  a  portion  of  the 
citizens  advocating  the  present  location-  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  Green  Spring  as  the  proper  location  for  the  county  seat. 

But  several  im|X)rtant  inducements  decided  the  contest  in  favor 
of  Black's  Fort;  to-wit:  first,  the  fact  that  Black's  Fort  was  directly 
upon  the  line'  of  the  Great  road  passing  through  this  section,  and, 
secondly^ laecause  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  Joseph  Black  and  Samuel 
Briggs^greed  to  give  to  the  county  of  Washington  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  for  the  purpose  of  locating  the  town  and 
assisting  in  discharging  the  cost  of  the  erection  of  the  necessary 
public  buildings,  and,  in  addition.  Dr.  Walker  agreed  to  deed  to 
the  trustees  of  the  town  of  Abingdon,  for  a  nominal  consideration, 
four  hundred  and  eighty-four  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  above  spoken  of. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  selection  was  a  wise  one,  especially 
in  view  of  the  mutilation  of  the  territory  of  Washington  county 
as  originally  formed,  by  the  formation  of  new  comities  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Virginia,  and  the  encroachments  upon  Virginia 
territory  by  the  State  of  Tennessee.  The  county  seat  was  as  nearly 
centrally  located  as  possible. 

The  four  hundred  and  eighty-four  acre  tract  of  land  which  Dr. 
Walker  agreed  to  sell  to  the  trustees  of  the  town  of  Abingdon  for 
a  nominal  consideration  was  conveyed  to  said  trustees  by  Daniel 
Smith,  attorney  in  fact  for  Dr.  Walker,  on  October  7,  1781. 

The  power  of  attorney  from  Dr.  Walker  constituting  Daniel 
Smith  his  attorney  in  fact  to  convey  said  lands  was  executed  Sep- 
tember 9,  1777  and  was  witnessed  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  Eeuben 
Lindsay  and  George  Dives. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the  County  Court  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Virginia,  to-wit:  on  April  29,  1777,  the  County  Court 
entered  an  order  appointing  -• 


622  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-178G. 

Arthur  Canipbell,  \\'illiaiu  Campbell, 

Daniel  Smith,  Joseph  Martin, 

William  Edmiston.  John  Conlter, 

Eobert  Craig, 

trustees  to  dispose  of  the  lands  given  to  the  county  by  Walker,  Black 
and  Briggs, 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  })resent  location  of  Abingdon,  at  the 
time  in  (pu'stion,  was  without  a  nauie.  and.  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain, 
it  (lid  not  ceceive  the  name  of  Abingdon  until  the  summer  of  this 
year.  / 

The  one  hundred  and  twen'ty  acres  of  land  given  to  the  county  by 
Walker,  Black  and  Briggs  were  surveyed  by  Captain  Robert  Doach, 
and,  immediately  after  the  appointment  of  the  trustees  above 
named,  they  directed  John  Coulter  to  survey  and  lay  out  the  main 
street  of  the  town  of  Abingdon,  which  was  accordingly  done. 

The  County  C'ourt,  on  the  2rth  day  of  August,  1,777,  directed 
James  Dysart,  the  sheriff  of  Washington  county,  to  employ  some 
person  or  persons,  upon  the  best  terms  he  could,  to  remove  to  some 
convenient  place,  where  the  town  was  to  stand,  the  logs  and  other 
timber  whieli  had  been  placed  at  Mr.  Black's  for  the  purpovse  of 
building  a  magazine,  to.  be  used  in  l)uilding  a  courthouse.  The 
sheriff,  pursuant  to  this  order,  selected  the  present  location  of  the 
yard  of  Mrs.  James  W.  Preston  as  a  convenient  place  for  the  same, 
and  let  the  contract  for  the  building  to  Samuel  Evans. 

The  County  Court,  at  the  same  time,  directed  tlie  sheriff'  of  the 
county  to  build  a  ]n-ison  fourteen  feet  square,  with  square  timbers, 
twelve  inches  each  way,  and  with  a  good  shingle  roof,  and  in  lieu 
of  a  stone  wall  to  line  the  side  walls  and  also  the  under  floor  with 
two-inch  plank,  and  to  put  in  each  plank  nine  iron  spikes  six  inches 
long;  and  the  sheriff',  pursuant  to  directions,  let  the  contract  for 
the  building  of  the  prison  to  Al)raham  Goodpasture. 

At  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  courthouse,  the  County  Court 
of  Washington  county  had  erected  what  was  known  as  stocks,  just 
west  of  the  courthouse  and  on  J\Iain  street. 

These  consisted  of  a  jjlatform  some  five  or  six  feet  above  the 
ground,  with  a  centrejiiece  aljout  seven  feet  above  the  platform. 
To  this  were  attached  movable  boards,  one  at  the  foot  of  the  plat- 
form and  another  about  four  feet  abo\e  the  first.     In  these  boards 


Washinc/ton  County,  1777-J870. 


623 


were  holes,  through  wliich  the  head,  liands  and  feet  of  the  cul- 
prit were  thrust."* 

It  is  said  that  one  application  of  this  mode  of  punishment  made 
a  lasting  impression  upon  offenders. 

To  George  Martin  was  given  the  contract  for  making  irons  for 
criminals,  and  to  Hugh  Berry  that  of  making  nails  to  he  used  in 
the  erection  of  the  courthouse  and  prison. 

The  courthouse  and  prison  were  not  completed  until  the  3^ear 
ITiB,  at  which  time  the  County  (*ourt  directed  David  Carson  and 
Joseph  Black  to  lay  off  the  prison  hounds,  and  on  tlie  17th  day  of 
.June,  1779,  David  Carson  and  Josepli  Black,  affer  laying  ot!  the 
])rison  hounds,  made  the  following  report: 

Pursuant  to  an  order  of  court,  we  the  suliscribers  have  laid  off  the 
Prison  Bounds,  as  in  the  annexed  Piatt. 


/       ^     \ 

% 

Spring 

AREA 
A.    R.    P. 

8.    3.    2. 

/ 

Z-^' 

"S 
^ 

\i/ 

Witness  our  hands  this  17th  June,  1779. 

DAVID  CARSON, 
JOSEPH  BLACK. 

Beginning  at  the  X.  W.  corner  of  the  gaol  at  a  stump  S.  35°  E. 
4U  poles,  crossing  the  road  at  3  forked  wliite  oak  saplings ;  thence  IST. 
63°  E.  35  poles  crossing  a  creek  at  the  old  fording  at  a  large  white 


*Thomas  L.  Preston. 


624  Southwest  Virginia,  17 J/6-1786. 

oak  tree  by  the  north  side  of  the  road;  thence  N.  32°  W.  30  poles 
crossing  said  creek  JST.  E.  of  head  of  a  spring  at  a  white  oak  stake 
and  an  old  black  stump ;  and  thence  to  a  white  oak  sapling  on  a  N.  E. 
stony  bank  on  Mr.  Willoughby's  lot;  thence  S.  62°  W.  36  poles  to 
the  north  end  of  the  prison  house  at  the  beginning. 

DAVID  CAESON. 

Eroni  this  report  it  will  be  observed  that  numbers  of  white  oak 
saplings  were  standing  within  the  present  limits  of  the  town  of 
Abingdon  as  late  as  the  summer  of  1779. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  be  said  at  this  point  that  the  prison 
bounds  thus  laid  out  were  used,  until  the  year  1850,  as  a  place  of 
confinement  for  delinquent  debtors,  and  it  would  be  a  matter  of 
great  surprise,  could  the  present  generation  read  the  names  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  this  county  who  were  confined  within  these 
prison  bounds  because  of  the  non-paA'ment  of  their  debts. 

As  soon  as  the  Main  street  of  the  town  was  located  and  the  lots 
on  the  north  and  south  sides  of  said  street  surveyed,  the  trustees  of 
the  town  proceeded  to  sell  and  dispose  of  said  lots ;  but,  finding  some 
difficulty  in  disposing  of  said  lots  by  reason  of  some  uncertainty 
in  their  title  to  said  property,  eleven  members  of  the  County  Court 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  1777  addressed  the  following  petition  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia : 

To  the  Honorable,  the  Speaker  and  Gentlemen  of  the  House  of 
Delegates : 
The  petition  of  the  court  of  Washington  county. 

Whereas  a  certain  tract  or  parcel  of  land  is  given  by  the  Honor- 
able Thomas  Walker,  Joseph  Black  and  Samuel  Briggs,  and  also 
another  tract  of  land  is  agreed  to  be  sold  at  a  certain  rate  by  the 
said  Walker  for  the  benefit  of  the  aforesaid  county  to  erect  their 
public  buildings  on,  and  as  this  court  has  already  fixed  upon  a 
place  on  said  land  for  their  courthouse  and  prison,  and  has  also  laid 
off  a  part  thereof  for  a  town,  and  whereas  it  is  apprehended  that  it 
would  mtich  conduce  to  the  speedy  settling  of  the  aforesaid  town 
and  advance  the  value  of  the  lots  if  an  Act  of  Assembly  should  pass, 
enabling  the  said  court  or  their  trustees  to  receive  titles  from  the 
above-named  gentlemen  for  the  land  given  and  sold,  and  also  to 
enable  them  to  lay  off,  sell  and  make  conveyances  to  the  purchasers. 


Washington  Co'unty,  1777-1870.  635 

and  grant  such  privileges  and  iniiuunities  to  the  settlers  on  such 
lots,  as  to  citizens  in  like  cases  have  been  granted,  in  the  premises 
we  submit  to  the  consideration  of  your  honorable  House,  and  pray 
you  to  grant  us  such  redress  as  you  judge  just  and  right,  and  your 
j)etitioners,  as  in  duty  bound,  shall  pray,  etc. : 

George  Blackburn,  Andrew  Colvill, 

John  Kinkhead,  William  Campbell, 

William  Edmiston,  John  Snoddy, 

James  Montgomery,  Daniel  >Smith, 

John  Campbell,  Thomas  Mastin, 

Arthur  Campbell. 

This  petition  was  referred  to  the  proper  committee  on  November 
8,  1777,  but  was  not  again  heard  of  until  the  fall  of  the  year  1778. 

Washington  county's  representatives  in  the  Legislature  at  this 
time  were  William  Cocke  and  Anthony  Bledsoe,  neither  of  whom 
had  any  particular  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  proposed  town. 
But  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1778,  Arthur  Campbell  and  Anthony 
Bledsoe  were  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  from  Washing- 
ton county,  and,  as  a  result  of  the  efforts  of  Arthur  Campbell,  the 
town  was  incorporated  in  December,  1778. 

For  some  reason  which  I  cannot  explain,  the  trustees  appointed 
by  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  on  April  29, 
1777,  with  but  two  exceptions,  never  acted  in  the  capacity  of  trus- 
tees, William  Edmiston  and  Eobert  Craig  being  the  exceptions, 
but  on  the  6th  of  June,  1777,  William  Edmiston,  Eobert  Craig, 
James  Armstrong,  Eobert  Preston  and  Eobert  Campbell,  terming 
themselves  trustees  for  the  town  of  Abingdon,  met  at  Christopher 
Acklin's,  in  said  town,  and  proceeded  to  business  and  surveyed 
a  part  of  said  town,  namely  the  inner  lots;  after  which  the  board 
adjourned  until  the  next  day,  the  7th  of  June,  1777,  on  which  day 
the  trustees  ordered  an  alley  to  be  laid  off,  one  pole  wide,  adjoining 
the  lower  end  of  the  lots  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street;  and 
that  a  street  be  laid  off,  three  poles  wide,  ten  poles  from  said  alley, 
and  that  the  land  between  the  alley  and  said  street  be  laid  off  in 
half  acre  lots,  and  that  the  land  on  the  south  side  of  said  street 
be  laid  off  in  acre  lots,  and  that  said  street  be  known  by  the  name 
of  Water  street;  and  to  the  alley  between  Water  and  Main  streets 
was  given  the  name  of  Troopers'  alley. 


626  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-J78G. 

liobert  Preston  was  (lirc'ctcd  to  sui'vcy  said  lots  a.nd  to  deliver  Jl 
draft  of  the  same  lo  C'hi'istopher  Aekliu,  who  was  directed  to  sell 
said  lots  at  public  oiitci-y  at  the  following  June  court,  which  lots 
were  accordingly  disposed  of  by  Cbristopher  Aekliu  at  j)ul)lic 
auction. 

There  seems  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  first  settler 
within  the  bounds  of  Abingdon.  Charles  B.  Coale  makes  the  state- 
ment that  the  first  house  erected  in  the  town  was  b}'  Dr.  Smith, 
who  built  his  house  about  the  year  1760,  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by 
Mrs.  Henry  S.  Preston. 

The  statement  of  J\lr.  Coale  is  evidently  a  mistake,  as  this  por- 
tion of  Virginia  was  not  settled  in  the  year  1T60. 

There  can  be  no  cpiestion  that  Cbristopher  Acklin,  as  early  as 
June,  1777,  had  a  house  built  and  was  living  upon  the  lot  now  occu- 
pied by  the  county  courthouse. 

As  previously  stated,  in  the  month  of  October,  1778,  the  town  of 
Abingdon  was  established  by  Act  of  the  Assembly,  and  Evan 
Shelby,  William  Campbell,  Daniel  Smith,  William  Edmiston,  Eob- 
ert  Craig  and  Andrew  Willoughby  were  named  as  trustees  for  said 
town,  and  the  title  to  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
given  by  Dr.  Walker  and  others  was  vested  in  fee  simple  in  said 
trustees  by  said  Act,*  and  said  trustees  or  any  three  of  them  were 
empowered  to  make  conveyances  of  such  lots  in  said  town  as  had 
been  previously  sold  and  of  such  as  might  be  sold  thereafter. 

Considerable  power  was  conferred  upon  said  Board  of  Trustees, 
as  will  be  seen  by  an  inspection  of  the  Act  establishing  the  town. 

The  name  given  to  the  town  was  evidently  suggested  by  Colonel 
Arthur  Campbell,  through  whose  influence  the  Act  incorporating  the 
town  was  passed. 

Whire  the  object  in  view  in  giving  the  name,  Abingdon,  to  the 
town  is  not  known,  several  statements  in  regard  thereto  have  been 
made  by  different  Avriters  upon  the  sul)ject,  one  statement  being 
that  the  town  was  given  the  name  of  Abingdon  as  a  compliment 
to  Martha  Washington,  the  wife  of  General  Washington,  it  being 
the  name  of   the  parish   in   whicli  she  worshipped   in  girlhoodf  ; 

*No  deed  having  passed  between  Walker,  Briggs  and  Black  and  said 
trustees. 

tAbingdon  was  the  name  of  the  eountry  seat  of  Mrs.  Martha  Custis  be- 
fore her  marriage  to  General  ^^'ashingtnn.  and  was  but  a  few  miles  from 
Mt.  Vernon. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  627 

another  statement  being  that  the  town  was  named  in  honor  of  Lord 
Abingdon,  a  young  English  nobleman  of  Scotch  descent,  with  whom 
William  Campbell  was  well  acquainted.  Lord  Abingdon  being  very 
much  in  sympathy  with  the  ideas  of  his  Scotch  kinsfolk  living  in 
America,  in  their  contest  with  England. 

Daniel  Boone,  at  this  time,  was  known  as  the  greatest  explorer 
and  hunter  on  the  frontiers,  and  the  name  may  have  originated 
with  him.  Abingdon,  Pennsylvania,  situated  about  twelve  miles 
north  of  Philadelphia,  was  his  first  residence  in  America,  and,  for 
many  years,  was  the  home  of  many  of  his  family. 

The  lands  deeded  to  the  trustees  of  tlie  town  of  Abingdon 
included  four  hundred  and  eighty-four  acres  in  addition  to  the 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  given  by  Dr.  Walker  and  others  and 
vested  in  said  trustees  by  Act  of  the  Assembly.  These  four  hundred 
and  eighty-four  acres  lay  north  and  northeast  of  the  town  of 
Abingdon  of  the  present  day ;  and  while  Main  and  Water  streets 
were  laid  off  previously  to  1778,  and  lots  on  either  side  of  said 
streets  surveyed,  the  lands  included  within  the  four  hundred  and 
eighty-four  acre  survey  were  not  surveyed  until  August,  1781, 
during  which  month  Daniel  Smith  surveyed  and  divided  said  four 
hundred  and  eighty-fonr  acres  into  nineteen  tracts  containing  from 
thirteen  to  fifty-six  acres  to  the  lot,  which  tracts  of  land  were 
d'enominated  the  outer  lots  of  said  town. 

"The  lands  on  which  the  town  is  built  were  given  to  the  county 
of  Washington  by  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  of  Albemarle  county,  and 
by  Samuel  Brigg-s,  who  owned  the  tract  adjoining  to  the  east,  and 
Joseph  Black,  who  owned  the  one  to  the  west  of  the  town.  I  first 
saw  the  town  hill  in  1782,  and  then  there  were  on  it  a  log  court- 
house about  twenty-five  feet  square,  standing  opposite  Dunn's  Hotel 
across  the  street — a  small  log  jail  on  the  lower  corner  of  the  present 
public  lot;  Christopher  Acklifi.'s  Tavern  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  public  square ;  John  Yancey's  Tavern,  on  the  lot  where  Dunn's 
Hotel  stands;  and  William  Dryden's  Tavern  on  the  lot  where  Mr. 
Mitchell's  dwelling  stands,  that  formed  the  then  town  of  Abingdon. 
In  1782,  Yancey  sold  his  house  and  lot  to  John  Campbell,  and 
shortly  afterwards  Dryden  sold  his  to  Dr.  Alexander  Smith,  the 
first  husband  of  Mrs.  Conn." 

Acklin  and  Smith  now  entertained  all  who  called  on  them,  Acklin 
those  who  were  fond  of  their  brandy.  Smith  the  more  temperate. 


628  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Two  Irishmen,  named  Dan  and  Manasas  Friel,  at  this  time 
appeared  with  a  cargo  of  merchandise  and  opened  their  goods  in  a 
I'oom  in  John  Campbell's  dwelling  house.  Tliey  tOon  built  a  store- 
house across  the  street  and,  for  ten  or  twelve  years  from  1783, 
sold  goods  and  made  a  handsome  property.  They  then  removed  to 
Wythe,  and  Manasas  to  a  valuable  farm  near  Fort  Chiswell.  About 
the  time  they  had  located  themselves  in  their  new  storehouse,  Wil- 
liam Bagnell  and  Mrs.  Bagnell  came  to  the  town  and  built  a  large 
cabin  on  the  lot  east  of  Dunn's  Hotel.  This  couple  were  from 
Baltimore  and  merit  special  notice. 

William  Bagnell  was  a  dwarf  about  foui^  feet,  nine  iiiches,  high, 
and  diminutive  in  form.  ^Irs.  Bagnell  was  just  the  opposite  in 
every  respect — a  large,  athletic  woman  of  good  figure,  rather  hand- 
some than  otherwise,  and  intelligent.  They  appeared  tO'  be  about 
thirty  years  of  age.  Bagnell's  Tavern  soon  attracted  attention  and 
commanded  company.  Mrs.  Bagnell  had  been  evidently  well 
accustomed  to  the  noise  and  confusion  of  a  drinl^ing  establishment, 
and  acted  in  her  cabin  with  good  authority.  She  was  often  visited 
by  an  old  man  and  two  sons  from  the  foot  of  Iron  mountain,  who 
never  left  without  having  a  drunken  frolic.  On  one  occasion  they 
continued  their  bacchanalian  riot  imtil  late  in  the  night  and  until 
Mrs.  Bagnell  was  fairly  wotu  down  with  it  and  refused  to  let  them 
have  any  more  whiskey.  They  begged  and  pled  and  threatened,  but 
her  ladyship  was  firm  to  her  purpose  and  would  not  yield.  They 
then  commenced  beating  her  and  running  her  around  the  cabin, 
they  pursuing  and  she  retreating  and  defending  herself.  At  length 
she  was  able  to  escape  up  a  ladder  to  the  loft,  and  there  she  shouted 
murder  with  all  her  strength.  The  town  was  roused  and  all  came 
to  her  relief  and  to^  hear  what  was  the  matter.  The  three  bacchana- 
lians retreated  into  the  street  and  bade  defiance,  and  Mrs.  Bagnell 
complained  of  being  much  hurt.  The  sheriff  made  his  appearance 
and  was  ordered  by  a  justice  to  arrest  the  men.  He  summoned  a 
posse,  and  for  a  short  time  there  was  a  general  engagement;  at 
length  the  men  were  taken  and  committed  to  jail.  In  the  melee 
several  persons  were  seriously  injured,  but  the  prosecutions  failed. 

Henry  Dickenson  came  to  town  to  live  and  built  on  the  corner  lot 
on  which  William  King's  old  brick  house  stands.  Near  the  same 
time  Captain  William  Y.  Conn  arrived  from  Alexandria  with  a 
cargo  of  merchandise,  built  a  storehouse  across  the  street  from 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  639 

Dunn's  Hotel  and  opened  goods.  Alexander  Smith  died  and  Mrs. 
Smith,  then  a  beautiful  young  widow,  continued  the  house,  which 
was  always  crowded  with  the  best  company.  John  Greenway  came 
from  Pennsylvania,  purchased  out  Henry  Dickenson  and  built  his 
blacksmith  shop  on  the  corner.*  All  this  time  the  society  of  two  or 
three  genteel  families  and  the  constant  intercourse  of  well-informed 
strangers  made  Abingdon  a  most  agreeable  place. 

Although  the  country  was  settled  with  a  well-informed  population, 
generally,  yet  there  was  in  it  a  mixture  of  all  sorts.  The  leading 
characters  of  one  class  were  Edward  Callahan  and  his  wife  Succy. 
Where  they  originally  came  from  I  do  not  know,  but  they  were 
themselves  originals.  Edward  was  a  hunter  by  profession,  and 
when  they  emigrated  to  Holston  he  selected  for  his  residence  the 
banks  of  the  north  fork  twenty-five  miles  below  Abingdon,  at  a  point 
where  he  could  see  the  top  of  Clinch  mountain  through  a  gap 
in  the  river  knobs.  Here  he  lived  many  years.  Succy  was  a  cake 
woman,  but  with  the  cakes  she  sold  something  to  drink.  She  made 
her  appearance  on  the  first  day  of  every  court,  with  a  cartload  of 
cakes,  pies  and  drinkables,  haltfed  in  the  middle  of  the  street  and 
made  an  awning  for  herself  and  commenced  business.  Edward 
followed  on  foot  at  the  tail  of  the  cart  in  the  full  dress  of  the 
hunter,  with  rifle  and  shot  pouch,  and  his  fine,  well-taught  hunting 
dog  at  his  heels,  and  when  he  had  gotten  Succy  fairly  started  at 
her  business  he  moved  off  with  his  peltry  to  transact  his  own  busi- 
ness. Siiccy  was  a  shrewd  woman  and  adopted  all  sorts  of  evasions 
to  avoid  paying  license,  and  sometimes  she  was  hard  pressed  by  the 
grand  jurors  and  Attorney- General  Dunlop.  On  one  occasion  she 
was  nearly  at  her  wit's  end  about  retailing  whiskey,  when  John 
Campbell,  the  clerk,  said  something  to  the  court  in  mitigation, 
and  the  justices,  being  very  willing  to  accept  any  excuse,  let  Succy 
off.  She  never  forgot  the  kindness,  and  fifteen  years  afterwards 
I,  the  son  of  John  Campbell,  was  riding  in  that  part  of  the  country 
and  was  benighted  at  Succy's  cabin,  when  she  treated  me  with  a 
kindness  and  hospitality  which  1  shall  never  forget  and  in  a  manner. 


*John  Greenway  afterwards  purchased  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
Eleven  Mile  creek,  near  the  residence  of  W.  C.  Ladlock,  gave  it  the  panje 
of  "Springfield,"  and  lived  there  many  years. 


630  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

too,  that  showed  she  knew  how  to  act  her  part.  I  have  named  two 
originals  of  each  sex."* 

In  the  year  1780,  Abingdon  was  a  considerable  village,  boasting 
of  two  hotels,  one  occupying  the  present  location  of  the  Bank  of 
Abingdon  and  kept  by  James  Armstrong,  and  the  other,  kept  by 
Mrs.  Mary  McDonald,  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street  nearly  oppo- 
site the  courthouse.  There  were  no  buildings  west  of  the  present 
residence  of  the  late  S.  IST.  Honaker,  and  from  this  point  to  the  west- 
ern limits  of  the  original  town  was  a  wild  plum  and  chinquapin 
thicket,  with  a  few  large  white  oak  trees  interspersed. 

The  residence  of  Daniel  Friel  occupied  the  location  of  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  Mrs.  Kate  Preston,  while  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Smith  occupied  the  present  location  of  the~ residence  of  Mrs.  John  D. 
Mitchell,  the  residence  of  Dr.  Groce  occupying  the  position  of  what 
is  known  as  the  White  House,  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street,  while 
to  the  west  of  Dr.  Groce's  residence  there  lived  several  families,  one 
by  the  name  of  Wise,  another  by  the  name  of  Eedpath  (James) .  A 
house  built  by  William  Brice  stood  on  the  present  location  of  the 
Colonnade  Hotel.  These  were  about  all  the  houses  to  be  found  in 
the  town  in  the  year  1786. 

A  writer  upon  this  subject  makes  the  statement  that  General 
John  Armstrong,  Secretary  of  War  under  President  Madison,  and 
General  Francis  Preston  Blair,  of  Missouri,  were  born  on  the  lot 
occupied  by  Dr.  Groce;  but  it  is  more  probable  that  General  Arm- 
strong was  born  at  the  home  of  his  father,  James  Armstrong,  and 
that  General  Blair  was  born  at  the  residence  of  his  father,  James 
Blair,  both  of  whom  lived  in  Abingdon. 

The  next  ejffort  made  to  extend  the  town  was  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  at  the  house  of  William  Y.  Conn,  on  the  13th 
day  of  January,  1789. 

At  this  meeting  it  was  ordered  that  all  that  part  of  said  town 
lying  north  of  the  lots  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street  be  laid  off 
into  one-fourth-acre  lots,  that  an  alley  be  left  at  the  north  end  of 
the  lots  fronting  on  Main  street,  and  that  a  street  be  laid  off  ten 
poles  north  of  said  alley,  said  street  to  be  three  poles  wide.  To 
the  alley  was  given  the  name  of  Cliinquapin  alley,  and  to  the  street 
thus  proposed  was  given  the  name  of  Office  or  Valley  street. 


•Governor  David  CampbeH's  MSS. 


Washington.  County,  1777-1810.  631 

Eobert  Preston  was  directed  to  survey  said  land  and  to  deliver 
particular  plats  to  Andrew  Eussell,  and  Christopher  Acklin  was 
directed  to  sell  said  lots  at  public  outcry,  as  directed  by  the  Act 
incorporating  the  town. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Valley  street,  as  originally  proposed, 
was  three  poles  wide,  but  at  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  on  the  4th 
of  October,  1798,  it  was  ordered  that  the  street  known  as  Valley  or 
Office  street  be  altered  and  made  four  poles  wide,  ten  poles  north  of 
Chinquapin  alley.  This  alteration  in  the  width  of  Valley  street  was 
induced  by  the  fact  that  the  owners  of  the  lands  along  said  street 
by  their  improvements  had  evidenced  that  they  believed  that  said 
street  was  four  poles  wide.  At  the  same  meeting  of  the  trustees, 
Andrew  Eussell  was  elected  secretary  and  was  directed  to  record  a 
plan  of  the  inner  and  outer  lots  of  said  town. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  on  the  32  d  of  November, 
1798,  Slaughter  street  was  opened  two  poles  wide,  running  from 
Valley  street  in  a  northwestwardly  course  to  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  town  land,  but  for  some  reason  the  name  Slaughter  street 
has  been  given  to  the  cross  street  running  from  Valley  street  to 
the  railroad  and  crossing  the  Main  street  near  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

The  original  town,  as  it  was  in  1798,  contained  three  streets  run- 
ning east  and  west,  known  as  Water,  Main  and  Valley  streets,  with 
two  alleys  north  and  south  of  Main  street  and  known  as  Troopers' 
and  Chinquapin  alleys,  the  cross  streets  being  Tanners'  street,  which 
crosses  Main  street  near  to  and  west  of  the  residence  of  Captain 
James  L.  White;  Cross  street,  now  known  as  Court  street,  crossing 
Main  street,  east  of  the  courthouse ;  Brewers'  street,  crossing  Main 
street  near  to  and  west  of  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Bessie  Watson,  and 
Slaughter  street,  which  began  at  Main  street  and  ran  a  northwest- 
wardly course  to  the  boundary  of  the  town  land. 

]\rost  of  the  lots  within  the  town  of  Abingdon  were  sold  at  pub- 
lic auction,  preA'iously  to  the  year  1798.  The  names  of  such  pur- 
chasers as  have  been  preserved  are  given  in  another  place. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1798,  Andrew  Willoughby  resigned 
as  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  town  of  i^bingdon,  and  an  election 
to  fill  the  vacancy  was  held  on  the  3d  day  of  November,  1798. 
The  election  was  held  at  the  court-house  in  said  town,  and  only  the 
freeholders  living  within  the  town  were  permitted  to  vote. 


032  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  candidates  voted  for  were  Andrew  Russell  and  Frederick 
Hamilton,  and  the  freeholders  voting  in  said  election  were : 

William  Brice,  James  White, 

John  Gold,  William  Greenway, 

Frederick  Hamilton,  Solomon  Marks, 

C.  Watkins,  James  Armstrong, 

Eobert  Dukes,  Samuel  Glenn, 

James  Longley,  Patrick  Lynch, 

Joseph  Hays,  Michael  Deckard, 

Jacob  Baker,  John  McCormick, 

Joseph  Acklin,  James  Eedpath, 

C'onually  Findlay,  Andrew  Russell. 

It  will  be  seen  from  an  inspection  of  this  poll-list  that  the  free- 
holders living  within  the  bounds  of  Abingdon  in  1798  were  few 
in  number. 

On  the  18th  day  of  April,  1793,  the  County  Court  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Virginia,  directed  that  twenty-five  pounds  out  of  the 
bonds  arising  from  the  sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  be 
appropriated  towards  building  a  market-house  on  the  courthouse 
lot;  and  James  Armstrong,  James  Bradley,  John  McCormick  and 
Claiborne  Watkins  were  appointed  commissioners  to  superintend 
the  building  of  the  same;  and  in  September  of  the  same  year,  the 
court  appropriated  twenty  pounds  to  complete  a  well  upon  the  pub- 
lic lot. 

The  market-house,  when  completed,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
officers  of  the  town,  and  Tuesdays  and  Saturdays  were  the  regular 
market  days,  and  it  was  made  an  offence  for  any  person  to  sell 
Initchers'  meats  at  other  times  and  places  in  the  said  town.  This 
institution  was  maintained  for  many  years  subsequent  to  1793,  and 
as  late  as  the  year  1810  the  law  governing  the  subject  was  strictly 
enforced. 

A  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  in  Abingdon  at  the  residence  of 
James  White  on  the  3d  day  of  October,  1796,  and,  by  the  year 
1800,  this  lodge  had  erected  a  Masonic  hall  in  the  town  on  Lot  No. 
50,  Water  street,  the  present  location  of  the  new  jail.  A  part  of 
this  building  was  used  by  the  Abingdon  Academy  from  the  year 
1803  until  about  the  year  1820. 

In  1798  Henry  Clay  and  Captain  Henry  St.  John  Dixon  came  to 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  633 

Abingdon  together  for  the  purpose  of  settling,  provided  the  country 
suited  them.  The  former,  after  looking  around  for  a  week  or  two, 
proceeded  on  to  Kentucky,  where  his  mother  had  settled  after  her 
second  marriage,  and  the  latter,  having  become  acquainted  with 
the  family  of  Mr.  Dick  White,  on  the  farm  now  OMOied  by  William 
Clark,  married  one  of  his  daughters  and  lived  for  many  years  where 
the  Stonewall  Jackson  Institute  now  stands.* 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1799,  the  County  Court  appointed  Wil- 
liam King,  James  Armstrong,  John  Eppler  and  Eobert  Craig 
commissioners  to  report  a  plan  for  a  new  stone  prison,  which  was 
afterwards  built  on  the  public  square  in  the  rear  of  the  present 
courthouse,  James  White  being  the  contractor,  at  the  price  of 
$1,532.25. 

By  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  of  date  January  10, 
1803,  the  corporate  limits  of  Abingdon  were  extended  to  the  west 
as  far  as  Lot  No.  16,  which  addition  to  the  town  has  since  been 
known  as  ''Craig's  addition''  to  the  town  of  Abingdon.  On  the 
13th  of  January,  1803,  the  General  Assembly  authorized  the  trus- 
tees of  the  town  of  Abingdon  to  conduct  a  lottery  for  the  benefit 
of  Abingdon  Academy,  the  proceeds  to  be  used  in  purchasing  a 
library,  philosophical  and  mathematical  apparatus  and  anything 
else  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  said  Academy.  By  this  same  Act 
the  Academy  was  chartered,  with,  many  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  the  town  as  trustees,  evidencing  the  disposition  of  the  citizens 
of  Abingdon,  at  this  early  day,  to  afford  their  children  every 
necessary  facility  for  securing  an  education. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  during  the  first  fifty  years  of 
the  history  of  Abingdon,  adopted  numerous  laws  extending  the 
time  of  the  property  owners  for  building  houses  upon  the  lots 
purchased  of  the  town,  as  required  by  the  Act  of  the  Assembly  in 
the  year  1778. 

On  the  3d  day  of  August,  1802,  an  election  was  held  for  trus- 
tees to  succeed  Andrew  Willoughby,  who  had  died,  and  Robert 
Craig  and  James  Armstrong,  who  had  removed  from  the  town. 
The  candidates  voted  for  by  the  freeholders  of  the  town  were 
Andrew    Eussell,    James    White,    Frederick    Hamilton    and    John 


'Charles  B.  Coale. 


634  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

McClelland,  the  three  first  named  being  elected.     The  freeholders 
voting  in  this  election  were  as  follows : 

William  King,  Samuel  Glenn, 

John  McClelland,  Pat  Lynch, 

John  McCormack,  John  Gold, 

W.  Greenway,  James  Longley, 

A.  Eussell,  G.  T.  Conn. 

Between  the  years  1800  and  1810,  a  new  courthouse  was  built 
upon  the  public  square,  which  courthouse  served  the  county  until 
the  year  1848.  This  courthouse  was  built  of  brick  and  was  a  very 
substantial  structure. 

By  the  year  180G,  the  town  and  county  had  grown  in  importance 
to  such  an  extent  that  a  newspaper,  a  badly-needed  institution,  was 
established  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  by  John  G.  Ustick,  the  name 
of  the  paper  being  "The  Holston  Intelligencer  and  Abingdon 
Advertiser." 

The  first  postoffice  in  Southwestern  Virginia  was  established  at 
Abingdon  on  the  25th  day  of  April,  1793,  with  Gerrard  T.  Conn 
as  postmaster,  and  this  was  the  only  postoffice  to  be  foimd  in  the 
county  of  Washington,  until  the  year  1833.  It  is  hard  to  believe 
that  the  citizens  of  this  county  for  forty  years  had  but  one  post- 
office  and  one  place  at  which  they  could  mail  their  letters  and  receive 
their  mail. 

From  the  year  1793  until  about  1835,  Abingdon  was  the  centre 
of  the  business  life  of  Southwest  Virginia,  East  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky;  all  mails  for  the  sections  named  were  distributed  at  the 
Abingdon  postoffice;  and  a  large  per  cent,  of  the  wholesale  trade 
for  the  same  section  was  controlled  and  supplied  by  Abingdon 
merchants. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  aft'airs  in  Abingdon  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war  of  1812,  and,  with  the  first  evidences  of  war,  the  patriotism 
of  the  citizens  of  the  town  knew  no  bounds. 

A  number  of  brick  buildings  had  been  erected  in  Abingdon, 
among  the  number  being  the  brick  building  erected  by  William 
King,  which  building  is  still  standing  on  the  east  side  of  Court 
street,  opposite  the  courthouse,  and  is  beyond  question  the  oldest 
building  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

Abingdon  was  visited  by  its  first  great  fire  on  Thursday  night. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  635 

September  10,  1812.  A  description  of  the  fire  and  the  damage 
done  thereby  is  here  copied  from  a  newspaper  published  in  Abing- 
don on  the  following  Saturday.* 

"At  the  hour  of  midnight  of  Thursday  night  last  we  were  alarmed 
by  the  cry  of  Fire !  which  proved  to  be  in  the  new  brick  building  of 
Colonel  Francis  Preston,  which  was  in  a  few  moments  so  far  con- 
sumed as  to  preclude  all  hopes  of  its  salvation.  The  flames  con- 
tinued to  rage  until  the  following  property  was  consumed :  Colonel 
Francis  Preston's  frame  dwelling  house,  brick  building,  ice-house 
and  every  stick  of  timl)er  on  his  lot;  two  bouses  occupied  by  ^Ir. 
John  McCormack,  with  their  out-houses;  Mr.  Estill's  office,  Mr. 
William  IMcKee's  dwelling  honse,  his  new  frame  store,  compting 
room,  kitchen,  etc. ;  Major  James  White's  saddle  shop,  dwelling 
liouse,  kitchen,  etc.,  and  tb.e  Imilding  occupied  by  John  McClellan, 
Esq. 

"This  dreadful  destruction  of  property  was  the  work  of  some  fiend 
•of  hell.  An  attempt  was  made  to  fire  the  new  courthouse,  but  the 
exertions  of  a  single  person,  a  slave,  saved  it.  Captain  F.  Smith, 
who  was  early  on  the  spot,  discovered  the  fire  in  the  court-house. 
He  entered  when  the  flames  had  risen  toi  the  height  of  a  man's 
head.  He  was  about  to  abandon  the  building,  when  Mr.  William 
Trigg's  yellow  man  JOE  ran  in,  caught  up  in  his  arms  the  combus- 
tibles on  fire,  threw  them  into  the  street  and  saved  the  building. 
This  was  done  at  the  hazarrl  of  his  life.  If  the  courthouse  had 
been  consumed,  we  apprehend  not  a  building  in  the  western  pre- 
cinct of  the  town  would  have  escaped. 

"The  citizens  are  about  to  reward  JOE  by  presenting  bim  witli  a 
sum  of  money.  A  subscription  will  be  hanrlcd  tbe  citizens  of  tbo 
to^Ti  for  that  purpose.  CTCntlemcn  of  the  County  who  feel  an  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  Abingdon,  and  who  may  happen  to  be  in 
town  can  have  an  opportimity  of  contributing  by  calling  on  Benj. 
Estill,  Esq.,  Capt.  F.  Smith,  or  Andrew  Eussell,  Esq." 

The  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  town  of  Abingdon,  Ijetween  the 
years  1808  and  1813,  adopted  a  number  of  by-laws  and  ordinances 
which  conduced  very  much  to  the  peace  and  good  order  of  the  town. 
They  began  by  first  adopting  I'ldt^  and  regulations  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  trustees  at  their  regular  meetings. 


*Political  Prospect. 


636  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Secondly.  They  adopted  an  act  to  enforce  the  attendance  of  the 
trustees. 

Third.  An  act  describing  the  duties  and  regulating  the  fees  of  the 
town  sergeant. 

Fourth.  An  act  to  levy  a  tax  on  the  tithables  and  property  in  the 
town  of  Abingdon. 

Fifth.  An  act  to  protect  property  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  against 
fire. 

Sixth.  An  act  concerning  out-houses. 

S^eventh.  An  act  laying  off  the  streets  and  alleys  into  precincts 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  same  in  repair. 

Eighth.  An  act  to  regulate  the  l)uilding  of  chimneys  to  houses 
and  blacksmith  shops. 

Ninth.  x\n  act  to  prevent  ol^striictions  and  remove  nuisances  from 
the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  town. 

Tenth.  An  act  to  restrain  negroes  and  mulattoes  from  being  dis- 
orderly and  for  other  purposes. 

Eleventh.  An  act  to  preserve  good  order  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

Twelfth.  An  act  to  establish  market  days  in  the  town  of  Abing- 
don. 

Thirteenth.  An  act  concerning  houses  of  evil  fame. 

Fourteenth.  An  act  to  prohibit  the  female  of  the  dog  kind  from 
running  at  large  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

Fifteenth.  An  act  fixing  the  marks  of  the  hogs  owned  by  the  citi- 
zens of  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

Sixteenth.  An  act  to  restrain  negroes  from  wandering  about  the 
streets  after  night. 

Seventeenth.  An  act  allowing  witnesses  for  their  attendance  be- 
fore a  justice  of  the  peace. 

Eighteenth.  An  act  respecting  patrols  in  the  town  of  Abingdon. 

This  last  act  was  passed  on  Friday,  11th  day  of  September,  181^, 
the  day  after  th'fe  fire  heretofore  mentioned. 

Among  the  laws  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  at  this  time  was 
one  that  provided  that  '^'any  woman  found  quarreling  or  rioting  in 
the  streets  or  alleys  or  in  any  other  part  of  said  town  to  the  distnrb- 
ance  of  the  inhabitants,  shall  b'e  punished  by  ducking,  as  is  pre- 
scribed by  the  Act  of  the  Assembly  of  this  Commonwealth."  This 
law  was  adopted  on  the  29th  of  April,  1809. 

The  by-laws  and  ordinances  adopted  by  the  trustees  were  excelTent 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  637 

in  their  character,  and  conkl  not  be  improved  upon  by  the  law- 
makers of  this  day. 

At  the  time  in  question  and  until  the  year  1833,  Abingdon  was 
without  sidewalks,  and  her  citizens  had  nothing  nuore  than  a  dirt 
footway  on  either  side  of  the  street. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  1811,  the  Board  of  Trustees,  by  an  ordi- 
nance, declared  that  "there  shall  be  nine  feet  laid  off  in  front  of  the 
lots  on  Main  street,  the  main  cross  and  Valley  streets  for  a  footway, 
and  the  same  shall  be  kept  constantly  clear  and  free  from  obstruc- 
tio'us  for  the  convenience  of  passengers ;  and  tliat  the  footways  in  all 
other  streets  of  the  town  shall  be  seven  feet  wide." 

About  this  time  nimierous  trees  were  planted  along  the  footways 
above  mentioned,  some  of  which  are  to  be  seen  at  this  day,  notably 
the  large  trees  along  Main  street  west  of  the  courthouse  and  front- 
ing the  residence  of  Mrs.  Bessie  Watson. 

If  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Abingdon  held  meetings  or  made  a 
record  of  tlieir  proceedings  from  the  year  1813  until  the  year  1828 
I  cannot  find  it. 

The  Greneral  Assembly  of  Virginia  of  the  30th  of  December,  1819, 
adopted  a  new  charter  for  the  town  of  Abingdon,  extending  the  cor- 
porate limits  of  the  town  east  to  the  creek  near  the  tan-yard  of  Lind- 
say &  JSTewland;  thence  to  Valley  street;  thence  following  the  outer 
limits  of  Valley  street  to  the  old  town. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  any  of  the  particulars  of  this  extension  of 
the  town,  as  no  record  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  this  period  has 
been  preserved. 

On  May  9,  1828,  the  trustees  of  the  town  re-enacted,  with  but  few 
changes,  the  by-laws  and  ordinances  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees in  the  years  1808  and  1812. 

The  additional  by-laws  adopted  were  : 

First.  An  act  to  impose  "a  tax  on  public  shows. 

Second.  An  act  to  prevent  mischievous  dogs  from  running  at 
large  in  the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  town. 

Third.  An  act  concerning  coal-houses. 

Fourth.  An  act  to  restrain  hogs  from  running  at  large  in  the 
town  of  Abingdon. 

Fifth.  An  act  concerning  small-pox,  and 

Sixth.  An  act  to  require  the  sidewalks  or  footways  on  the  main 
street  of  Abingdon  to  be  paved. 


C38  Southioest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

On  the  IStli  of  June,  1833,  the  following  members  of  the  Board 
of  trustees — to-wit:  Andrew  Russell  (President),  J.  W.  Paxton, 
Thomas  Findlay,  John  M.  Preston,  Daniel  Lynch,  Charles  C.  Gib- 
son, Elias  Ogden  and  Jacob  Lynch — met  at  the  courthouse  in  the 
town  of  Abingdon  and  enacted  the  following  law : 

"Whereas  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  town  are  now  engaged  in 
the  laudable  enterprise  of  MacAdamizing  the  Main  Street  between 
the  sidewalks  or  footways,  and  it  is  deemed  proper  by  this  Board 
that  the  said  sidewalks  or  footways  shall  be  paved  with  brick,  and 
curbstones  shall  be  placed  next  the  street,  in  order  to  place  the  said 
Main  Street  in  proper  repair,  and  that  this  repairing  should  be 
made  in  front  of  each  lot  by  the  owner  thereof, 

"Pirst.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Trusteees  of  the  town  of  Abingdon, 
that  every  owner  of  a  lot  on  the  Main  Street  in  said  town  be  and 
he  is  liereby  required,  within  twelve  months  from  the  time  said 
MacAdamizing  shall  bo  completed,  to  pave  with  brick  the  footway 
in  fiont  of  liis  lot,  and  every  person  failing  herein  shall,  for 
every  montli  the  said  foot  way  in  front  of  his  lot  shall  remain 
uiipa\ed,  pay  a  fine  of  five  dollars,  to  be  recovered  as  other  fines  are 
recovered  by  law. 

"Second.  Be  it  further  enacted,  tliat  every  owner  of  a  lot  or 
part  of  a  lot  on  said  Main  Street  be  and  he  is  hereby  required 
to  deliver  or  cause  to  be  delivered,  in  front  of  his  lot  on  or  before 
the  15th  day  of  August  next,  to  John  Kellar,  the  superintendent 
of  the  MacAdamizing  of  said  street,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  curb- 
stones to  curb  the  side  of  the  foot  way  in  front  of  his  lot,  which 
curb-stones  shall  be  at  least  twenty  inches  in  depth  and  twelve 
inches  in  width  and  not  less  than  five  or  more  than  seven  inches 
tliick.  Every  person  failing  herein  shall  pay  a  fine  of  eight  dol- 
lars for  every  lot  he  or  she  shall  own,  or  in  tliat  proportion  foT  a 
greater  or  lesser  piece  of  ground,  which -fines,  or  so  much  thereof 
as  may  be  necessary,  shall  be  appropriated  to  tlie  purchase  of  the 
curb-stones  hereby  required  to  be  delivered." 

The  approach  to  the  courthouse  from  the  east  and  west  pre- 
vious to  1830  was  exceedingly  steep,  the  courthouse  standing  upon 
the  summit  of  an  oval-shaped  hill  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street 
and  facing  south.  The  approach  from  the  east  was  not  only  steep, 
but  large  limestone  rocks,  to  a  great  extent,  rendered  the  street 
ahuost  impassable. 


Woshington  County,  1777-J870.  639 

As  early  as  the  year  1830,  Colo'iiel  John  Kellar,  who  was  super- 
intendent of  the  streets  in  the  eastern  precinct  of  the  town,  spent 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  in  blasting  the  rocks  ont  of  the  street 
east  of  the  courthonse,  and  soon  thereafter  a  number  of  the  enter- 
prising citizens  of  the  town,  by  private  subscription,  undertook  the 
macadamizing  of  the  main  street  of  the  town.  The  subscribers  to 
this  cause,  with  the  amount  contributed  by  each,  as  far  as  I  can 
ascertain,  were  as  follows : 

Andrew  Eussell,    $  17  71 

John  Gibson,   10  00 

Chas.  S.  Bekem,   5  00 

John  Preston,  Jr.,    5  00 

Samuel  Logan, 20  00 

Elias  Ogden, 25  00 

John  Hall,   3  00 

Daniel  Sheffey,    30  00 

John  S.  Preston, 40  00 

General   Francis   Preston,    50  00 

John  M.  Preston, 500  00 

If  there  were  other  contributors  to  this  fund,  no  record  of  names 
or  amounts  contributed  has  been  preserved.  The  work  of  macada- 
mizing Main  street  was  done  by  Jacob  Clark  under  the  supervision 
of  Colonel  John  Kellar. 

The  county  of  Washington  and  the  town  of  Abingdon  assisted  in 
discharging  the  cost  of  macadamizing  the  main  street,  the  private 
subscriptions  not  being  sufficient  for  the  purpose. 

Washington  county  was  represented  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  in  the  year  1834  by  Colonel  John  Kellar  in  the  Senate  and 
Thomas  McCulloch  in  the  House  of  Delegates. 

Colonel  John  Kellar  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  citizens 
that  ever  lived  in  the  town  of  Abingdon,  and,  as  a  result  of  his 
efforts  in  behalf  of  the  town,  he  succeeded  in  having  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  the  11th  day  of  March,  1834,  adopt  a  new 
charter  for  the  town  of  Abingdon,  which  charter  completely  changed 
the  form  of  government  and  greatly  extended  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  town. 

Under  tliis  new  charter  the  limits  of  the  town  were  as  follows : 
Beginning  on  the  northeast  corner  of  the  bridge  near  the  currying 
shop  of  George  V.  Litchfield,  and  in  a  line  with  the  lands  of  John  N". 


640  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Humes ;  thence  northwardly  on  said  line  to  a  point  in  a  line  parallel 
to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  inner  lots  of  the  said  town ;  thence 
westwardly  on  said  parallel  and  along  the  said  line  to  the  line  of  the 
land  of  Alexander  Findlay ;  thence  Avith  the  said  Findlay's  line  to  a 
point  parallel  to  the  southern  line  of  Valley  street;  thence  with  the 
said  parallel  westwardly  to  a  point  parallel  to'  the  western  line  of  the 
lot  on  which  Jacob  Loehr  formerly  lived ;  thence  in  a  direct  line 
southwardly  to  the  line  of  said  lot  and  along  the  same  to  the  alley ; 
th&nce  with  said  alley  to  Ijot  No.  17  in  Eobert  Craig s  plan;  thence 
with  the  eastern  line  of  said  Lot  No.  17,  and  continuing  in  the  same 
direction  to  a  point  parallel  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  inner 
lots  first  laid  off  for  the  said  town ;  thence  to  the  said  southern  boun- 
dary and  along  it  to  the  southwestern  boundary  of  Samuel  Bailie's 
lots ;  thence  with  the  line  of  said  lot  to  the  gate  at  the  corner  of 
General  Francis  Preston's  and  John  N.  Hume's  land ;  thence  in  a 
straight  line  to  the  beginning. 

This  charter  provided  that  all  the  free  white  inhabitants  of  said 
town  should  be  a  body  corporate  by  the  name  and  style  of  Mayor, 
Council  and  Inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Abingdon,  and  by  that  name 
sue  and  be  sued,  etc. 

This  charter  directed  that  on  the  first  Monday  in  May,  1834,  and 
annually  thereaft^er  on  the  first  Monday  in  May,  the  inhabitants  of 
said  town  legally  authorized  to  vote  for  members  of  the  General 
Assembly  and  the  freeholders  therein  who  may  not  be  inhabitants 
and  all  other  housekeepers  therein  not  thus  qualified  shall  assemble 
at  the  courthouse  of  the  county,  in  said  town,  and  shall  there  and 
then  elect  ten  persons,  being  freeholders  in  said  town,  who  shall  be 
called  and  denominated  a  Council,  and  one  other  person  who  shall  be 
denominated  a  Mayor.  The  Council  thus  chosen  were  directed  to 
hold  two  regular  meetings  in  each  and  every  year — one  the  first  Mon- 
day after  they  were  elected  and  the  other  on  the  first  Monday  in 
December,  and  at  such  other  times  as  they  shall  be  assembled  by  the 
Mayor.  The  Council  were  authorized  to  appoint  a  clerk  and  treas- 
urer, and  the  Mayor  was  authorized  to  appoint  the  town  sergeant, 
surveyors  and  superintendents  of  the  streets,  and  such  other  powers 
were  conferred  upon  the  Mayor  and  Council  of  the  town  as  were 
pecessary  for  the  government  aaid  improvement  of  the  same. 

This  charter  has  been  followed  in  all  subsequent  amendments  of 


Washington  Covnty,  1777-1870.  641 

the  laws  of  the  town,  and  it  is  from  this  source  that  we  derive  our 
present  form  of  town  government. 

The  first  Mayor  and  Council  elected  under  this  charter  were  as 
follows : 

Mayor — John  M.  Preston. 

Council — Daniel  Lynch,  Augustus  Oury,  John  S.  Pi-eston,  Jere- 
miah Bronough,  E.  E.  Preston,  Benjamin  Estill,  John  Kellar,  Peter 
J.  Branch,  Daniel  Trigg,  Chas.  S.  Bekem. 

Clerk  and  Treasurer — Jacoh  Lynch. 

Sergeant — Jacob  Clark. 

The  Mayor  and  Council  thus  elected  adopted  the  necessary  laws 
for  the  government  of  the  town,  and  in  doing  so  they  followed,  to  a 
great  extent,  the  laws  adopted  in  the  years  1808  and  1812  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  town. 

The  one  act  adopted  by  th-e  town  of  Abingdon  that  is  worthy  of 
notice  at  this  point  was  an  act  to  regulate  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits 
in  the  town,  adopted  June  13th,  1837.  This  act  provided  that,  "If 
any  person  within  the  corporation  of  Abingdon  shall  sell  by  retail 
(other  than  an  ordinary  keeper),  to  be  drunk  in  or  at  the  place 
where  sold,  or  in  or  upon  the  premises  of  which  such  person  has  con- 
trol, or  within  the  said  corporation,  any  wine,  rum,  brandy  or  other 
ardent  spirits,  or  a  mixture  thereof,  he  or  she  so  offending  shall  pay 
a  fine  to  the  said  corporation  of  $5.25  for  each  offence." 

A  description  of  Abingdon  as  it  was  in  the  year  1835  has  been  pre- 
served, which  description  is  as  follows : 

"It  is  situated  on  the  great  valley  road,  about  8  miles  north  of 
the  Tennessee  Iwundary,  at  the  southeast  side  of  a  mountain  ridge, 
about  seven  miles  distant  from  either  of  the  two  main  forks  of  the 
Holston  River.  A  part  of  the  town  stands  on  a  considerable  emi- 
nence, beneath  which  there  is  a  cavern  containing  a  lake. 

"Abingdon  contains,  besides  the  ordinary  county  buildings,  be- 
tween 150  and  200  dwelling-houses,  many  of  them  handsome  brick 
buildings.  A  portion  of  the  inhabitants  are  followers  of  Baron 
Swedenborg,  in  other  words  belong  to  the  New  Jerusalem  Church, 
but  they  possess  no  house  of  worship  and  their  preacher  occasionally 
occupies  one  or  the  other  of  the  Methodist  houses. 

"There  is  an  academy  for  females  and  one  for  males,  (both  brick 
edifices)  2  hotels  kept  in  good  style,  3  taverns  principally  used  for 
the  accommodation  of  wagoners,  1  manufacturing  flour  mill,  9  mer- 


642  Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

eantile  houses,  some  of  wliicli  are  wholesale  establishments  and  sell 
goods  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  an- 
nually, 3  groceries,  1  woolen  and  2  cotton  manufactories  and  one 
well-established  nursery. 

"There  are  4  tanyards  with  saddle  and  harness  manufactories  at- 
tached to  them,  10  blacksmith's  shops,  1  hat  manufactory  and  store, 
6  wheelwrights  and  wagon  makers,  2  cabinet  warehouses,  3  brick- 
layers, 2  stone  masons,  3  house-carpenters,  3  watch-makers  and  jewel- 
ers, 2  boot  and  shoe  factories,  3  house  and  sign  painters,  2  copper- 
smiths and  tin-plate  workers  and  3  tailors. 

"Abingdon  is  rapidly  increasing  in  population  and  trade.  Old 
houses  are  giving  place  to  handsome  brick  buildings,  which  tlie  opu- 
lent and  enterprising  citizens  are  daily  erecting.  The  main  street 
has  lately  been  MacAdamized  at  considerable  expense,  but  greatly  to 
the  improvement  of  its  utility,  beauty  and  comfort. 

"As  a  specimen  of  the  flourishing  condition  of  this  town,  we  must 
mention  that  a  quarter  acre  lot,  situated  near  the  courthouse,  re- 
cently sold  for  upwards  of  $4,000.  There  is  a  distributing  postoffice 
here.  Population,  1,000  persons,  of  wdiom  thirteen  are  resident  at- 
torneys, and  3  regular  physicians. 

"County  Courts  are  held  on  the  4th  Monday  in  every  month; 
quarterly,  in  March,  June,  August  and  jSTovember. 

"Judge  Estill  holds  his  Circuit  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Chan- 
cery on  the  2nd  Monday  after  the  4th  of  April  and  September." 

It  may  excite  some  surprise  when  told  that  in  this  large  and  well- 
populated  county  there  were  in  1831  but  two  postofflces,  the  one  in 
Abingdon  and  the  other  at  Seven-Mile  Ford ;  but  since  the  severance 
of  Smyth  the  one  at  Seven-Mile  Ford  is  now  in  that  county,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  there  is  not,  to  our  knowledge,  any  other  postoffice 
in  this  county  except  the  one  at  Abingdon,  the  county  seat.  The 
merchants  doing  business  in  the  town  of  Abingdon  at  this  time 
were:  William  McKee  &  Co.,  Edward  M.  &  John  C.  Greenway,  John 
M.  Preston,  Col.  James  White  and  Findlay  &  Mitchell,  and  with 
such  merchants  Abingdon  was  the  centre  of  trade  for  all  the  sur- 
rounding country.  All  goods  were  brought  tO'  Abingdon  from  Bal- 
timore by  wagon. 

The  practicing  physicians  in  Abingdon  at  the  time  were  Drs. 
Earl  B.  Clapp,  James  W.  Paxton  and  Alexander  E.  Preston. 

There  was  but  one  church  in  the  town,  and  that  was  a  frame 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  643 

structure  occupied  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  one 
in  the  vicinity,  and  that  was  the  Presbyterian  cliurch  situated  west 
of  the  entrance  gate  to  the  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery.  That  church 
was  a  very  okl  log-building,  weatherboarded  on  the  outside  and 
ceiled  inside,  and  to  this  old-fashioned  house  nearly  all  the  people 
gathered  from  the  town  and  surrounding  country  for  the  worship 
of  God. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Eev.  Lewis  F.  Cosby  in  Abingdon  in  March, 
1831,  efforts  were  immediately  set  on  foot  to  build  a  Methodist 
Protestant  church,  which  church  was  erected  that  year  upon  the 
present  location  of  that  church.  The  Presbyterians,  being 
stimulated  thereby,  at  once  undertook  the  erection  of  a  new  church, 
and  in  the  same  year  their  new  church,  now  Tentperance  Hall,  was 
completed  and  occupied. 

The  Co'Unty  Court  of  Wasliington  count}^  on  the  24th  of  July, 
1838,  upon  the  application  of  John  W.  Stevens,  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  artillery,  granted  permission  to  erect  a  gun-house  upon  the 
public  lot,  and  John  M.  Preston,  Elias  Ogden  and  Jacob  Lynch 
were  directed  to  superintend  the  erection  of  it.  This  company  was 
organized  as  a  result  of  the  agitation  preceding  the  Texas  Revo- 
lution, and  Captain  Stevens  organized  this  company  of  artillery 
from  the  patriotic  youth  of  Abingdon. 

On  the  23d  day  of  October,  1838,  a  new  county  jail  was  completed 
on  the  public  lot  at  the  corner  of  Court  and  Valley  streets,  and 
the  prison  bounds  were  so  extended  as  to  include  the  new  jail. 

On  the  IGth  day  of  November,  1841,  Andrew  Russell,  after  more 
than  forty  years  of  active  participation  in  the  government  of  the 
town  of  Abingdon,  departed  this  life,  and  appropriate  resolutions 
were  adopted  by  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  Virginia, 
in  token  of  respect  to  his  name. 

On  the  2,7th  of  May,  1844,  the  County  Court  of  Washington 
county  appointed  John  M.  Preston  a  commissioner  to  have  a  well 
dug  upon  the  jail  lot,  which  was  done,  and  this  served  large  numbers 
of  the  people  of  the  town  until  the  year  1901. 

In  the  3' ear  1846,  the  citizens  of  Washing-ton  county  were  very 
greatly  interested  in  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
Captain  A.  C.  Cummings  and  General  Peter  C.  Johnson  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  efforts  made  to  organize  the  citizens  of  this 
county  and  enlist  them  in  the  service  of  their  country,  and  on  the 


644  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-178G. 

25tli  of   March,   184G,   the    County   Court  entered   the  following 
order : 

"On  motion  of  Arthur  C.  Cummings,  Captain  of  the  Artillery 
attached  to  the  lG4th  Eegiment  of  Virginia  Militia,  and  it  appearing 
to  the  court  that  the  cannon  which  was  sent  out  for  the  use  of  the 
said  company  is  being  injured  for  want  of  a  shed  to  place  the  said 
cannon  under  to  protect  it  from  the  weather,  it  is  tlierefore  ordered 
that  leave  be  granted  the  said  Cummings  to  have  a  suitable  shed 
erected  for  the  purpose  aforesaid  on  the  lower  end  of  the  public  lot 
on  which  the  courthouse  stands,  provided  he  can  procure  the  same 
to  be  done  at  an  expense  not  exceeding  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars, 
and  that  the  same  be  levied  in  the  next  County  levy/^ 

A  number  of  the  citizens  of  this  county  served  in  that  war  under 
Captain  Cummings,  while  General  William  E.  Jones  and  Lieuten- 
ant John  Preston  Jolinston  did  valiant  service  for  their  countiy, 
Johnston  losing  his  life  in  the  service. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1847  the  County  Coairt  of  Washington 
county,  Virginia,  authorized  the  building  of  a  new  courthouse 
for  the  county  in  the  town  of  Abingdon,  which  courthouse  was 
completed  by  the  year  1850,  the  court  occupying  a  house  of  the  late 
James  White  as  a  court-room  from  the  year  1847  to  1850. 

Herbert  M.  Ledbetter  was  the  undertaker  of  said  building,  and 
William  Fields  assisted  in  the  completion  of  the  building.  Upon 
the  completion  of  the  courthouse  Connally  F.  Trigg  and  Jacob 
Lynch  were  appointed  commissioners  to  secure  tables  and  chairs  for 
the  new  courthouse  and  to  have  the  courthouse  bell  removed  and 
hung  therein. 

It  was  also  directed  that  the  portico  to  the  new  courthouse  should 
be  enclosed  with  an  iron  railing;  that  the  public  lot  should  be  en- 
closed and  suitable  pavements  provided.  The  floors  of  the  court- 
house M^ere  ordered  to  be  carpeted. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Vir- 
ginia, held  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  in  the  month  of  May,  1849,  a  branch 
bank  was  ordered  to  be  established  at  Abingdon,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000,  and  during  the  same  month  this  branch  bank  was 
organized  at  Abingdon  by  the  election  of  the  following  officers: 
President,  Dr.  Daniiel  Trigg;  casliier,  Robert  R.  Preston;  directors, 
John  C.  Greenway,  David  Campbell,  Beverly  R.  Johnston,  Jacob 
Lynch,  Isaac  B.  Dunn  and  Thomas  L.  Preston. 


WasJiington  County,  1777-1870.  645 

This  was  Abingdon's  first  bank,  and  the  town  has  not  been  with- 
out a  bank  since  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  period  in 
the  fall  of  theyear  1893. 

Upon  the  30th  of  May,  1850,  a  peculiar  order  was  entered  by  the 
County  Court,  which  was  as  follows : 

"It  appearing  to  the  Court  that  there  is  now  no  overseer  of  the 
streets  and  alleys  in  the  western  end  of  the  town  of  Abingdon,  and 
that  there  is  at  present  no  j\Iayor  in  said  town  who  could  appoint 
an  overseer,  and  it  further  appearing  to  the  Court  that  the  street 
in  said  town  called  Slaughter  or  Butcher  Street  south  of  the  Main 
Street  is  in  such  bad  repair  as  to  render  it  unsafe  to  pass  over  it  with 
a  vehicle  of  any  kind  or  for  man  on  horseback ;  it  is  therefore  ordered 
that  Norman  Crawford  be  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed 
to  proceed  and  cause  the  said  street  to  be  put  in  such  repair  as  to 
render  the  passage  along  the  same  safe  and  convenient  for  wheel 
carriages  and  horsemen,  and  that  the  expense  thereof  be  levied  O'ut 
■of  the  next  county  levy." 

On  the  27th  of  April  preceding,  James  H.  Dunn,  with  ten  other 
prominent  citizens  of  the  town,  were  elected  Mayor  and  councilmen, 
and  why  this  order  was  entered  cannot  be  ascertained  from  the 
records  preserved.  • 

In  the  year  1856,  the  Mayor  and  Council  of  Abingdon  appointed 
E.  M.  Campbell,  W.  J.  Deady  and  John  C.  Campbell  a  committee 
to  have  Slaughter  street  graded  and  macadamized,  which  was  ac- 
cordingly done. 

At  the  April  term,  1S53,  of  the  County  Court  of  this  county,  the 
court  appointed  John  j\r.  Preston,  Peter  J.  Branch  and  Beverly  E. 
Johnston  a  committee  to  plant  trees  in  the  public  square  north  of 
the  courthouse,  which  duty  was  performed  and  the  trees  thus  planted 
remained  in  the  sqitare  until  the  year  1902,  when  they  were  cut  down 
and  removed  from  the  premises. 

On  the  31st  day  of  March,  1856,  a  fire  of  considerable  projDortions 
consumed  a  portion  of  the  western  end  oi  the  town.  A  descrip- 
tion of  the  fire  and  the  damage  done,  as  given  by  the  "Virginian" 
at  the  time,  is  here  copied. 

"On  Saturday  morning  last,  about  2  o'clock,  our  town  was  visited 
by  the  most  destructive  fire  that  has  occurred  here  since  1812.  The 
hour  at  which  it  commenced,  when  the  whole  population  was  buried 
in  slumber,  and  the  place,  in  the  midst  of  the  largest  collection  of 


646  Southwest  Virginia,  17.^0-1786. 

combustible  material  in  the  town,  rendered  it  but  the  more  resistless 
and  disastrous.  It  broke  out  in  the  extensive  coach  factory  of 
Mr.  Henry  Sinon,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  five  large  buildings, 
four  of  them  wood,  were  consumed,  besides  numerous  out-buildings 
that  were  either  burned  or  torn  down.  Mr  Sinon  lost  his  dwelling, 
his  shops  and  every  building  upon  his  premises,  besides  everything 
they  contained,  except  a  portion  of  his  furniture.  Some  forty-odd 
new  carriages  and  buggies  were  destroyed,  as  well  as  all  his  lumber, 
tools,  materials,  books  and  papers,  involving  a  total  loss  of  every- 
thing he  possessed,  except  his  family  and  part  of  his  furniture  and 
apparel. 

"The  house  recently  purchased  for  the  Gift  Enterprise  was  also  re- 
duced to  ashes,  and  the  buildings  of  Mr.  William  Eodefer,  adjoin- 
ing, were  demolished  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  tiames.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street  Mr.  Michael  Shaver  lost  two  tenements, 
one  his  old  family  residence  on  the  corner,  and  the  other  a  new 
two-story  brick,  recently  erected. 

"The  wind,  coming  from  the  west,  for  a  time  threatened  the  de- 
struction of  the  whole  town,  as  the  flames  broke  out  at  various  times 
and  places  upon  the  roofs  of  many  of  the  neighboring  buildings. 
Under  all  the  circumstances,  the  dryness  of  the  weather,  the  stiff 
northwest  breeze,  the  combustible  material  of  the  buildings,  the  in- 
flammable contents  of  the  large,  well-filled  coach  shop,  the  hour 
of  the  night  and  consequent  relaxation  of  the  muscles  and  energies 
of  the  people,  and  the  scarcity  of  water,  the  wonder  is  that  the 
destructio!!  of  property  was  not  greater,  but  when  the  people  did 
get  there  and  had  their  blood  warmed  up,  they  put  forth  all  their 
energies  and  fought  the  devouring  element  manfully.  The  whole 
population  was  out,  men,  women,  children  and  servants,  and  all 
performed  their  duty. 

"The  loss  is  a  heavy  one,  probably  between  $30,000  and  $40,000, 
and  the  whole  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  work  of  an  incendiary. 
A  negro  girl  of  Mr.  Sinon's,  who  had  previously  forboded  or  threat- 
ened evil  to  the  family,  is  now  in  Jail  under  suspicion. 

"Messrs.  Crawford,  Ellis,  Joseph  A.  Brownlow  and  H.  B.  Tunnell 
are  the  other  persons  whose  families  were  left  without  shelter,  all 
of  whom,  so  rapid  was  the  progress  of  the  flames,  lost  a  portion 
of  their  household  property.     A  broad  expanse  of  blackened  earth 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  647 

with  a  ninuber  of  tall,  ghost-like  chimneys,  is  all  that  is  left  of  the 
best  improved  portion  of  the  west  end  of  Abingdon. 

"In  addition  to  Mr.  Sinon's  loss  of  carriages,  Mr.  Greenway  lost 
four,  Mr.  Robertson  two,  and  Messrs.  T.  L.  Preston,  B.  K.  and 
M.  H.  Buchanan,  Thos.  G.  McConnell,  J.  M.  Rose  and  others  one 
each. 

"On  Saturday  evening  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  held  for  the 
purpose  of  relieving,  as  far  as  possible,  the  destitution  of  the  suf- 
ferers, at  which  John  M.  Preston,  Esq.,  was  called  to  the  chair 
and  John  G.  Kreger  appointed  Secretary.  The  Chairman  ex- 
plained the  object  of  the  meeting  and  appointed  Revs.  McChain, 
Baldwin,  Dickey,  and  Barr  and  Wni.  Y.  C.  White,  Esq.,  a  com- 
mittee to  wait  iipon  the  people  for  such  aid  as  they  might  be  dis- 
posed to  contribute.  The  last  we  heard  of  the  effort,  upwards  of 
$1*200  had  been  raised,  which,  for  the  citizens  of  town  and  vicinity, 
is  exceedingly  liberal." 

By  this  time  tlie  Virginia  and  Tennessee  railroad  was  approacliing 
Abingdon,  and  on  the  1st  day  of  April,  1854,  the  Council  of  Abing- 
don passed  an  ordinance  allowing  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Rail- 
road Company  to  enter  the  town  and  to  use  the  streets  and  cross 
streets  of  the  town,  provided  they  place  their  depot  in  the  town  or 
at  the  eastern  end  thereof,  and  the  citizens  of  the  town  presented 
a  petition  to  the  authorities  of  the  new  road  asking  that  the  same 
be  located  at  the  Knob  Road,  or  the  eastern  end  of  the  town. 

In  addition  to  what  the  Council  of  the  town  did  to  secure  the 
depot  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Railroad  Company,  the  citizens 
of  the  town  petitioned  the  railroad  authorities  to  place  their  depot 
at  the  eastern  end  of  the  town,  but  Thomas  L.  Preston  agreed  to 
give  the  railroad  three  acres  of  land  at  the  present  location  of  the 
Norfolk  and  Western  depot,  and  the  depot  of  the  railroad  was  estab- 
lished at  that  point,  the  railroad  being  completed  as  far  as  Abingdon 
by  the  year  1856. 

John  D.  Mitchell,  the  j\Iayor  of  Abingdon,  departed  this  life  on 
Tuesday  morning,  March  loth,  1859,  and  on  the  following  morn- 
ing the  Council  of  the  town  convened  at  the  courthouse  and  ap- 
pointed Dr.  E.  M.  Campbell,  S.  W.  Carnahan  and  James  C.  Green- 
way  a  committee  to  draft  and  report  suitable  resolutions,  which 
committee  reported  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  The  resolu- 
tions were  as  follows : 


G48  SoutJnvest  Virginia,  17K>-^7S6. 

"Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  call  suddenly  from 
our  midst  John  D.  Mitchell,  Esq.,  our  ^\■ol■thy  officer  and  esteemed 
citizen,  therefore : 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  with  deej^  regret  we  have  heard  of  the  sud- 
den death  of  our  Ma3'or  and  friend,  John  D.  Mitchell,  Esq.,  and 
that  in  his  death  the  community  has  lost  a  long  tried  and  faithful 
piiblic  servant  and  an  esteemed  and  worthy  citizen,  and  this  body 
an  efficient  and  honored  presiding  officer. 

"Resolved,  That  we  deeply  sympathize  with  the  family  of  the 
deceased. 

"Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  Council  and  its  officers 
wear  a  badge  of  mourning  for  thirty  days. 

"Resolved,  That  this  preamble  and  these  resolutions  be  entered 
upon  the  record  of  the  Council. 

"Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  be  transmitted  to. 
the  family  of  the  deceased. 

"Resolved,  That  the  editors  of  the  'Virginian'  and  'Democrat' 
be  requested  to  publish  the  foregoing  preamble  and  resolutions  in 
their  respective  papers." 

This  is  the  only  death  of  a  Mayor  of  the  town  while  in  office  in 
the  history  of  the  town. 

Nothing  furtlier  of  importance  occurred  previously  to  the  spring 
of  18G1,  the  opening  of  the  war  between  the  States.  In  the  spring 
of  this  year  the  following  officers  of  the  town  were  elected : 

Mayor,  Samuel  W.  Carnahan;  Councilmen,  James  K.  Gibson, 
Thomas  S.  Stuart,  Milton  Y.  Heiskell,  Jacob  Lynch,  John  G. 
Kreger,  Isaac  Benham,  Newton  K.  White,  William  Keller,  John  W. 
Johnston  and  William  Eodefer;  Sergeant,  B.  C.  Clark. 

The  charter  of  the  town  was  amended  by  Act  of  tlie  Assembly  on 
the  18th  of  March,  1852,  and  by  this  charter  the  town  was  au- 
thorized to  construct  water  works  for  the  town,  but  the  question 
had  to  be  submitted  to  the  voters  of  the  town  for  their  approval  or 
disapproval. 

By  an  order  of  the  Council  an  election  was  ordered  for  the  second 
day  of  July,  1853,  which  election  was  held,  but  the  result  cannot 
be  given,  as  no  record  of  the  same  has  been  preserved.  It  is  probable 
that  the  vote  was  adverse,  as  the  question  is  not  mentioned  again 
in  the  records. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  649 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  new  Council^  on  the  9th  of  July,  1861, 
the  following  orders  were  entered : 

"Ordered  that  the  Mayor  appoint  a  patrol  of  the  citizens,  re- 
gardless of  age,  to  patrol  the  town  of  nights,  who  are  able  to  render 
such  service." 

"On  motion  the  Mayor  is  directed  to  appoint  a  committee  to 
wait  upon  those  who  sell  liquor  in  the  town  and  request  them  not 
to  sell  liquor  toi  the  soldiers  in  and  about  Abingdon." 

"On  motion  it  was  made  the  duty  further  of  said  committee  to 
request  of  officers  permitting  their  men  to  come  to  Abingdon  to 
require  of  them  to  leave  their  side-arms  in  their  camp  quarters." 

The  record  of  the  town  government  from  this  time  until  the 
summer  of  1863  has  not  been  preserved. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Town  Council  on  the  18th  of  August,  1863, 
the  Mayor  was  appointed  a  committee  to  ascertain  at  what  price  a 
negro  man,  suitable  for  work  on  the  streets,  could  be  purchased 
by  the  coTporation.  The  committee  reported  on  September  1st, 
1863,  that  a  negro  man  suitable  for  the  purpose  could  be  pur- 
chased of  Mr.  Seabright  for  $1,800.  Thereupon,  it  was  moved 
and  seconded  that  the  negro  man  be  purchased,  upon  which  mo- 
tion a  vote  was  taken  and  resulted  in  a  unanimous  vote  against 
the  purchase  of  the  negro,  otherwise  we  might  now  have  to  record 
the  corporation  of  Abingdon  as  a  slave-owner. 

At  the  same  meeting  of  the  Council,  C.  S.  Bekem  and  E.  M.  Camp- 
bell were  appointed  a  committee  to  select  a  suitable  piece  of  ground 
outside  of  the  present  enclosure  of  the  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery 
as  a  burial  ground  for  Confederate  soldiers,  to  ascertain  the  cost 
of  the  same,  and  report  to  the  next  meeting  of  the  Council,  but 
this  committee  was  discharged  on  the  18th  of  April,  1864,  without 
reporting,  and  a  resolution  was  adopted  requesting  Captain  M.  B. 
Tate,  post-quartermaster,  to  make  some  arrangements  as  to  a  proper 
location  for  the  burial  of  Confederate  soldiers  and  enclosing  the 
same. 

Quit*e  a  numljer  of  Confederate  dead  are  buried  in  the  Sinking 
Spring  Cemetery,  and  their  graves  to-day  are  unmarked,  and  not 
the  slightest  effort  has  recently  been  made  to  keep  green  the  graves, 
or  fresh  in  memory  the  brave  souls  who  died  in  defence  of  their 
country,  and,  as  they  were  taught  to  believe,  in  a  righteous  cause. 
Could  these  brave  men  again  appear  in  the  flesh  and  see  their 


650  Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

surroundings,  how  justly  could  they  reproach  their  fellow-soldiers, 
descendants  and  kinsmen,  for  their  failure  to  discharge  such  an 
obligation  to  the  worthy  dead.* 

By  the  latter  part  of  August,  1863,  numbers  of  wounded  soldiers 
and  officers  were  in  Abingdon,  and  the  enemy  not  thirty  miles 
distant,  and  on  September  1st,  1863,  the  owners  of  carriages  in  and 
around  Abingdon  lent  every  assistance  in  transporting  the  sick  and 
wounded  to  Washiugion  Springs. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1863,  this  community  was  threatened 
by  an  invasion  of  the  Federals  from  the  west.  An  account  of  the 
situation,  as  it  was  in  Abingdon  at  that  time,  is  here  given : 

"On  Saturday  last,  great  excitement  prevailed  all  over  this 
county,  in  consequence  of  the  apprehended  approach  of  the  Yankees 
from  Kingsport,  Tenn.,  in  this  direction.  The  particulars,  as 
accurately  as  we  can  obtain  them  from  the  mass  of  contradictory 
rumors  and  accounts,  are  these:  Two  companies  of  Col.  Carter's 
1st  Tenn.  Cavalry  had  been  resting  and  recruiting  their  horses  for 
a  few  days  on  Netherland's  Island,  near  Kingsport,  after  their  suc- 
cessive skirmishes  with  the  enemy  near  Cumberland  Gap,  when  they 
were  suddenly  attacked  by  a  Yankee  Brigade  under  General  Eoss. 
Carter  threw  his  few  men  on  this  side  of  the  river  and  made  a  stand 
at  Vance's  Ford  of  Eeedy  Creek,  opposite  the  upper  end  of  Kings- 
port.  After  holding  the  enemy  in  check  awhile,  a  very  large  force 
was  seen  crossing  the  river  above  the  island,  for  the  purpose  of 
flanking  him.  Carter's  men  then  fell  back,  taking  the  Holston 
Springs  road  one  mile  this  side  of  Kingsport,  and  being  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  command,  they  proceeded  to  Bristol  on  Sat- 
urday. The  Yankees  kept  the  Eeedy  Creek  road  to  Morell's  Mill, 
and  thence  to  Bristol.  A  large  portion  of  Colonel  Carter's  men, 
from  freqiieut  skirmishing  and  falling  back,  became  much  scattered, 
but  the  small  number,  about  one  hundred  and  fift}^,  who  were  led 
by  the  Colonel  in  person,  fought  gallantly  and  made  a  stand  when- 
ever and  wherever  there  was  a  chance  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check. 

"The  enemy  reached  Bristol  about  the  middle  of  the  day  Satiir- 
day,  and  committed  some  depredations,  among  which  were  the 
burning  of  the  commissary  house  with,  some  say  a  hundred,  and 
others  three  hundred,  barrels  of  flour,  a  small  amount  of  bacon 


*Since  the  above  was  written  a  neat  wire  fence  has  been  placed  around 
the  square  containing  the  bodies  of  the  Confederate  dead. 


Washington  Comity,  1777-1870.  651 

and  some  dozen  boxes  of  ammunition,  rifled  Gugginheimer's  store 
and  despoiled  the  houses  of  a  few  citizens.  This  latter  was  done 
by  a  few  stragglers  who  had  been  left  behind  and  who  were  in- 
toxicated. 

"The  enemy  then  started  in  this  direction,  and  Carter  again 
gave  them  fight  at  Millard's  Mill,  one  mile  this  side  of  Bristol, 
farther  than  wliich  they  did  not  come  in  force.  Foraging  parties 
scattered  out  as  far  up  perhaps  as  Col.  John  Preston's,  but  no  par- 
ticular damage  was  done  that  we  have  heard  of.  They  all  then 
retired  beyond  Bristol,  and,  on  Sunday  morning,  proceeded  towards 
Zollicoffer,  where  they  were  met  by  General  Jones  and  got  more 
than  they  bargained  for.  The  fight  lasted  several  hours,  with,  it  is 
said,  a  loss  to  the  enemy  of  nine  killed  and  about  thirty  wounded,  and 
to  us  of  two  killed  and  seven  or  eight  wounded.  General  Williams 
pursued  the  enemy  to  within  two  and  one-half  miles  of  Blountville 
and  only  returned  when  called  back  by  a  dispatch  from  Gen.  Jones. 

"All  day  Saturday  most  intense  excitement  prevailed  in  Abing- 
don. The  company  recently  organized  in  town  was  under  arms  all 
day,  together  with  various  squads  from  the  country,  in  support  of 
Davidson's  Battery,  then  stationed  in  this  vicinity,  with  the  Provost 
Guard,  and  also  a  portion  of  Colonel  Carter's  cavalry,  and  Col. 
Chenneworth  and  his  command.  From  the  position  of  our  forces, 
a  fair  view  of  the  road  towards  Bristol  was  had  for  a  mile  or  two, 
in  which  direction  all  eyes  were  constantly  turned.  Ever  and  anon, 
when  a  cloud  of  dust  produced  by  flying  refugees,  men,  women, 
negroes  and  stock,  rose  in  the  distance.  Captain  Davidson  could  be 
seen  to  look  sternly,  and  the  fingers  of  the  undrilled  infantry 
pressed  upon  the  triggers  of  the  charged  muskets.  Had  the  Yan- 
kees approached,  many  saddles  would  have  been  emptied,  for  de- 
termined resistance  was  depicted  in  every  countenance. 

"Had  it  not  been  humiliating  it  would  have  been  amusing  to  see 
citizens  and  strangers  stampeding  through  town  with  as  much  haste 
and  excitement  as  if  the  Yankees  had  been  at  their  heels,  when 
the  latter  were  quietly  regaling  themselves  at  Bristol,  without  a 
thought  of  proceeding  another  foot  in  this  direction.  As  night 
approached,  scouts  brought  the  information  that  th'e  enemy  had 
gone  in  the  opposite  direction,  when  ^quiet  once  more  reigned  in 
Warsaw.'  "* 


*  Abingdon,  Virginia. 


G52  Southivest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

From  this  time  until  the  summer  of  1864,  the  officers  and  citi- 
zens of  Abingdon  were  kept  busy  guarding  the  town,  nursing  the 
sick  and  wounded  and  burying  the  dead.  To  add  tO'  the  troubles 
of  the  people,  in  the  month  of  June,  1864,  small-pox  was  dis- 
covered in  the  town,  which  caused  a  great  deal  of  uneasiness  and 
annoyance. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  people  of  the  town  in  the  month 
of  December,  1864,  when  General  Stoneman,  in  command  of  about 
10,000  Federal  troops,  arrived  at  Abingdon  on  the  evening  of  the 
14t]i.  By  order  oi  General  Stoneman,  the  depot  of  the  Virginia 
and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company,  the  Government  Commissary 
(Hurt's  store),  in  charge  of  Captain  Williams,  the  issuing  depart- 
ment of  the  Quartermaster's  Department  (Sinon  &  Co.'s  brick 
carriage  factory),  in  charge  of  Major  Crutchfield,  Quartermaster's 
storing  department  (Musser  &  Co.'s  carriage  factory),  in  charge 
of  J.  E.  C.  Trigg,  the  county  jail  and  the  barracks  opposite 
the  jail,  on  the  corner  of  Court  and  Valley  streets,  were  destroyed 
by  fire,  the  Federal  officers  strictly  enjoining  the  destruction  of  any 
other  than  government  property.  After  the  destruction  of  this 
property,  the  Federal  troops  resumed  their  march  to  the  east,  but 
had  not  left  the  town  more  than  two  hours  before  a  renegade  by 
the  name  of  James  (Tites)  Wyatt,  who  had  formerly  been  an 
apprentice  to  Gabriel  Stickley,  being  in  the  town  on  horseback, 
proceeded  to  fire  all  the  property  on  both  sides  of  Main  street 
from  Court  street  to  Brewers'  street.  He  succeeded  in  firing  the 
courthouse  and  other  buildings  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street 
and  had  fired  all  the  buildings  on  the  south  side  of  Main  as  far 
west  as  the  present  storehouse  occupied  by  Honaker  &  Sons,  when 
he  discovered  the  presence  of  a  number  of  Confederate  soldiers  and 
undertook  to  make  his  escape,  passing  down  Main  street  to  the  west 
with  all  possible  speed,  hotly  pursued  by  the  Confederate  soldiers, 
being  hard  pressed  all  the  time.  When  he  reached  Hayes  Street 
he  turned  to  the  south  at  the  eastern  gate  of  Stonewall  Jackson 
Institute.  At  this  point  he  fell  from  his  horse  and  was  left  for 
dead,  but  was  afterwards  carried  into  the  former  residence  of  Gov- 
ernor Floyd,  where  he  soon  died. 

The  fire  that  he  thus  started  destroyed  the  courthouse  of  the 
county  and  all  the  buildings  west  as  far  as  the  present  residence 
of  S.  ISr.  Honaker.     All  the  buildings  on  that  side  of  the  street 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  653 

were  of  brick  and  almost  all  were  three  stories  high.  On  the  south 
of  Main  street  every  building,  without  an  exception,  was  destroyed, 
from  Court  street  on  the  east  to  Brewers'  street  on  tlie  west. 
The  fire  might  have  been  stopped  sooner,  but,  at  the  time,  in  Abing- 
don was  hardly  an  able-bodied  man,  and  about  the  only  witnesses 
of  the  destruction  of  the  town  were  old  men,  women  and  children. 

Thus  the  people  of  Abingdon  were  to  a  great  extent  rendered 
homeless,  with  starvation  and  sickness  on  every  side  and  their 
co'untry  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Such  was  the  condition  of  the 
town  when  peace  came,  in  18G5. 

The  fall  of  1865  and  spring  of  1866  were  used  by  the  people 
in  collecting  and  preserving  such  property  as  had  been  left  after 
four  years  of  desperate  fighting. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Town  Council  of  Abingdon,  after  the 
surrender,  was  held  at  the  office  of  Dr.  W.  F.  Barr  on  March  3d, 
1866,  with  the  following  officers  present:  Mayor,  G.  E.  E.  Dunn; 
Councilmen,  j^orman  Crawford,  Charles  J.  Cummings,  John  G. 
Clark,  David  G.  Thomas,  William  Eodefer,  Milton  Y.  Heiskell 
and  W.  F.  Barr. 

The  first  order  entered  by  this  meeting  was  one  repealing  the  by- 
laws in  so  far  as  the  same  referred  to  the  punishment  of  slaves  and 
free  men  of  color,  and  the  Mayor  was  directed  tO'  refer  all  viola- 
tions of  the  laws  of  the  towTi  by  freed  men  or  freed  women  to 
Lieutenant  Woodward,  superintendent  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau 
of  this  district. 

At  the  same  meeting  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  petition 
the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company  to  locate  the  new 
depot  on  or  near  the  Knob  Eoad  leading  from  Abingdon,  or  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  town,  and  on  March  16th,  1866,  a  committee 
of  three  was  appointed  to  ascertain  what  ground  could  be  procured 
for  a  depot  and  what  subscription  could  be  raised  to  aid  in  build- 
ing the  depot,  and  on  June  21st,  1866,  a  resolution  was  adopted, 
requesting  the  directors  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad 
Company  to  send  a  committee  to  Abingdon  to  discuss  with  the 
Council  the  question  of  the  location  of  a  depot;  but,  notwithstand- 
ing the  efi^orts  of  the  officers  and  tlie  people  of  the  town  of  Abing- 
don, the  depot  was  built  upon  the  location  of  the  old  depot. 

The  Council  and  people  of  Abingdon  from  this  time  hencefor- 
ward lent  their  every  energy  toward  the  upbuilding  of  the  town. 


654  Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

and  in  a  few  years  the  damages  suffered  by  the  town  as  a  result 
of  the  war  wei-e  completely  obliterated. 

Pursuant  to  the  proclamation  of  the  Governor,  the  courts  of  the 
county  and  circuit  were  held  in  the  Temperance  Hall  until  the 
county  could  build  a  new  courthouse. 

The  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  in  November,  1866, 
awarded  the  contract  of  building  a  new  courthouse  to  the  follow- 
ing persons :  To  Messrs.  James  and  David  Fields,  the  brick-work 
and  plastering;  to  Mr.  Hockman,  of  Harrisonburg,  the  carpentry- 
work;  to  Messrs.  Keller  &  Grim,  the  tin-work;  to  Messrs.  Morri- 
son and  Vaughan,  the  painting.  The  courthouse  was  completed  by 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1869,  and  at  the  time  was  said  to  be  the 
liandsomest  courthouse  in  the  State. 

On  May  10th,  1873,  Valley  sti-eet,  from  the  residence  of  Martin 
Keller  to  the  west  gate  of  the  residence  of  G.  V.  Litchfield,  was 
ordered  to  be  macadamized,  G.  Y.  Litchfield  paying  a  large  part 
of  the  costs  of  said  macadamizing. 

We  here  give  a  description  of  the  town  as  it  was  in  1875,  written 
by  the  late  Charles  B.  Coalc. 

"Abingdon  was  endowed  with  its  name  anterior  to  1776.  The 
streets,  of  which  there  are  seven,  intersect  each  other  at  right  angles, 
three  east  and  west,  and  four  north  and  south,  with  an  equal  number 
of  alleys  running  in  the  same  direction.  The  streets  are  sixty 
feet  wide  and  the  alleys  sixteen.  The  main  street  is  MacAdamized, 
as  are  several  others  partially,  with  brick  pavements  on  either  side, 
from  one  end  of  the  town  to  the  other.  There  is  no  place  of  its 
size  in  the  State  more  noted  for  fashion,  taste  and  morality,  with  its 
usual  proportion  of  loafers  and  gentlemen  of  leisure;  and,  like  all 
other  places  where  there  is  or  has  been  considerable  wealth,  there  is 
a  right  smart  sprinkling  of  what  some  people  would  term  aristoc- 
racy, but  which,  in  reality,  is  nothing  more  than  a  decent  observance 
of  the  co'nventionalities  of  life.  Many  ef  the  private  residences, 
as  well  as  the  public  buildings,  are  of  brick,  large  and  tasteful, 
and  a  number  of  them  three  stories  high.  Th'ey  are  generally  neat, 
some  of  them  approaching  elegance,  and  but  few  dilapidated, 
tliough  one  here  and  there  may  look  as  if  it  had  been  rocl^ed  by  an 
earthquake,  or  had  danced  to  the  piping  ef  a  hurricane,  at  some 
period  in  its  history.  We  claim  to  have  one  of  the  most  capacious 
and  convenient  conrthouses  in  the  Commonwealth,  and  by  some  it 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  655 

is  considered  a  model  in  architecture,  with  its  massive  pillars  and 
towering  steeple,  though  the  writer  must  confess  that  he  cannot 
exactly  see  it  in  that  light. 

"We  are  great  church-going  people  and  have  a  variety  of  de- 
nominations. For  instance,  we  have  two  Methodist  churches,  Epis- 
copal and  Protestant,  a  Baptist,  a  Presbyterian,  a  Protestant  Epis- 
copal, and  a  Eoman  Catholic,  and  for  good  measure  we  have  thrown 
in  a  Swedenborgian  Temple,  and  a  few  Lutherans,  Universalists 
and  Christian  Baptists  lying  around  loose.  In  all  these  churches 
are  regular  services,  except  the  Baptist,  which  is  rather  too  far 
from  water  to  be  very  vigorous,  and  the  Swedenborgian.  We 
liave  three  large  and  well  kept  hotels,  nine  variety  stores,  two 
drug  stores,  two  fancy  stores,  two  or  three  drinking  saloons,  half  a 
dozen  confectionaries,  an  agricultural  warehouse,  a  bakery,  a  bil- 
liard saloon,  an  iron-foundry,  three  or  four  black-smith  and  as 
many  wheelwright  shops,  two  tanneries,  two  or  three  saddle  and 
harness  establishments,  any  number  of  carpenters,  painters,  shoe- 
makers, tailors,  brick  and  stone-masons,  a  large  brick  town-hall,  a 
library  association  and  reading  room,  in  which  may  be  found  all 
the  leading  literature  of  the  day,  and  last,  though  not  least,  two 
of  the  best  weekly  papers  within  a  circuit  of  a  dozen  miles,  and  a 
job  office.  The  town  was  incorporated  by  legislative  enactment 
many  years  ago,  and,  city-like,  has  a  mayor  and  common  council, 
who  maintain  the  peace  and  dignitj^  of  the  corporation  and  periodi- 
cally enforce  the  hog-law. 

"We  have,  as  is  the  case  in  all  places  where  the  people  get  sick 
and  die,  or  fall  out  with  and  wrong  each  other,  a  redundancy  of 
doctors  and  lawyers,  five  or  six  of  the  former  and  a  baker's  dozen 
of  the  latter,  none  of  them  probably  making  fortunes  very  rapidly 
by  their  professions, 

"There  seems  to  be  no  possible  chance  of  a  diminution  of  lawyers 
shortly,  but  there  is  a  bare  probability  that  some  of  the  doctors 
may  take  a  dose  of  his  own  medicine  one  of  these  days,  and  if  so, 
the  jig  is  certainly  up  with  him.  One  of  our  citizens.  Judge 
Jolmston,  is  a  United  States  Senator,  and  we  have  a  score  or  less 
who  would  love  to  be  in  the  house  of  representatives.  And  right 
here  it  might  be  said,  that  we  have  three  banks,  all  as  stubborn 
as  mules  since  tlie  Legislature  has  limited  interest  to  six  per  cent., 
two  or  three  insurance  companies,  a  machine  shop  operated  by 


656  Southivest  Viryiuia,  17Jf6-178G. 

steain,  two  tin  and  copper-smith's  establisliments,  a  photograph  gal- 
lery, two  barber  shops  and  the  biggest  sort  of  a  colored  school/' 

Nothing  more  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  worthy  of  note  oc- 
curred from  this  time  until  the  year  1884.  In  the  month  of  April 
of  that  year  the  Council  of  the  town  appropriated  $100  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  a  committee  to  the  city  of  Washington  to  prevent  the 
United  States  Courthouse  from  being  located  at  Wytheville.  And 
in  this  year  the  main  street,  from  J.  M.  Eose's  to'  Wall  street,  and 
Wall  street,  from  Main  street  to  the  depot,  was  macadamized, 
thirty  feet  in  width,  and  from  six  to  twelve  inches  in  depth.  Side- 
walks made  of  brick  and  curb-stones  Avere  placed  on  both  sides  of 
Main  street  and  of  Wall  street,  at  an  expense  of  several  thousand 
dollars.  A  large  portion  of  the  territory  in  the  western  part  of 
the  town  was  thus  opened  and  prepared  for  rapid  development,  and 
at  this  time  the  community  thus  dealt  Math  constitutes  the  best 
business  section  of  the  town. 

The  Maj^or  and  Council  were  authorized  and  directed  to  issue 
$20,000  in  bonds,  pursuant  to  the  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
date  March  4th,  1884,  and,  in  keeping  wath  this  spirit  of  improve- 
ment, the  Council,  by  an  ordinance  passed  on  the  12th  day  of 
April,  1886,  ordered  all  porches  and  steps  to  be  removed  from  the 
streets  of  the  town,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  on  April  5tli  of 
the  same  year  to  investigate  the  opening  of  Valley  street,  through 
the  property  of  Miss  Ella  V.  Findlay  and  that  of  Dr.  William 
White.  By  an  ordinance,  adopted  on  the  11th  day  of  October, 
1886,  the  sergeant  of  the  town  was  ordered  to  kill  all  the  English 
sparrows  foimd  within  the  corporate  limits. 

The  author  of  the  last  ordinance  is  unknown,  the  record  giving 
no  information  of  the  member  of  the  Council  upon  whose  motion 
this  order  was  made. 

About  this  time  a  peculiar  order  was  entered  by  the  Council  of 
the  town.  The  contest  as  to  the  readjustment  of  the  State  debt 
was  the  sole  theme  of  public  discussion,  and,  upon  motion  of  James 
H.  Hines,  William  H.  Mitchell  was  permitted  to  erect  a  pole  at 
the  corner  of  Court  and  Main  streets  and  near  the  Bank  of 
Abingdon  building  and  to  place  thereon  a  Eeadjuster  flag.  This  is 
the  only  instance  in  the  history  of  the  town,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain, 
in  wdiich  a  request  of  this  kind  was  made  and  granted. 

On  the  14th  day  of  October,  1887,  S.  F.  Hurt,  a  member  of  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  657 

Town  Council,  at  the  request  of  Captain  James  L.  White,  moved 
that  an  election  be  ordered  to  take  the  sense  of  the  citizens  of  the  ' 
town  of  Abingdon  upon  the  voting  of  $20,000  of  the  bonds  of  the 
town  to  the  Abingdon  Coal  &  Iron  Eailroad  Company.  The  Council 
directed  this  election  to  be  hold  on  the  24th  of  November,  1887,  and 
John  C.  Campbell,  David  J.  Webb  and  W.  M.  G.  Sandoe  were  ap- 
pointed judges  to  conduct  the  election,  in  which  election  all  per- 
sons authorized  to  vote  in  any  election  held  in  the  town  for  town 
officers  were  permitted  to  vote.  The  result  of  the  election  was  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  votes  for  the  subscription  and  thirty  votes 
against  the  subscription,  being  one  hundred  and  eighty  votes  out  of 
a  total  registration  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-four.  In  this  elec- 
tion seventy-five  freeholders  voted;  sixty-one  for  the  subscription 
and  fourteen  against  it. 

The  Council  thereupon  subscribed  $20,000  to  said  railroad  com- 
pany, John  A.  Buchanan,  George  E.  Penn  and  W.  J.  Brown  having 
been  appointed  by  the  Council  for  that  purpose  on  December  22d, 
1887. 

The  question  arose  as  to  when  the  bonds  thus  subscribed  tO' 
said  railroad  should  be  issued,  and  upon  this  question  George  E. 
Penn  and  W.  J.  Brown,  two  of  the  committee,  recommended  that 
said  bonds  should  be  issued  and  delivered  as  fast  as  the  road  was 
graded,  at  the  rate  of  $133,331/^  per  mile,  while  Judge  Buchanan 
filed  a  minority  recommendation  that  said  bonds  be  issued  for  the 
sum  mentioned  as  each  mile  of  the  railroad  was  completed,  but 
the  majority  report  was  adopted,  and  the  bonds  were  issued  and 
delivered  as  the  road  was  graded. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Council  on  the  18th  of  August,  1888,  on  mo- 
tion of  Dr.  George  E.  Wiley,  seconded  by  H.  H.  Scott,  an  election 
was  ordered  to  be  held  on  the  29th  of  September,  1888,  to  take  the 
sense  of  the  voters  of  the  town  upon  the  question  of  a  subscription 
of  a  sum  not  exceeding  $20,000,  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  water 
and  lights  for  the  town.  In  this  election  sixty-three  votes  were 
poled  for  the  proposition  and  fifty-seven  against  it,  but  the  Council 
refused  to  subscribe  any  amount  to  this  enterprise.  It  was  a 
short  time  only  until  the  town  obtained  the  benefits  of  a  very 
efficient  water  and  light  company. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Council  on  th©  6thi  of  July,  1892,  upon  mo- 
tion of  Samuel  A.   Carson,  seconded  by  Colonel  A.  F.   Cook,  a 


658  Southwest  Vii-ginia,  17.k6-178(). 

committee  was  appointed  to  buy  a  lot  in  tlie  town,  of  Abingdon, 
upon  which  to  build  a  Mayor's  office  and  city  prison.  This  com- 
mittee purchased  a  part  of  a  lot  situated  near  the  centre  of  the 
town  ujion  the  south  side  of  the  street,  adjoining  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 
Hall,  for  the  sum  of  $450,  and  immediately  erected  thereon  a  very 
co'mmodious  building,  which  has  since  been  occupied  by  the  officials 
of  the  town,  and  in  the  year  1897,  a  house  was  erected  upon 
the  same  lot,  in  wliicli  all  prisoners  failing  to  pay  their  fines  in 
money  are  required  to  break  rock  to  satisfy  the  same,  the  rock  thus 
prepared  being  used  to  macadamize  the  streets  of  the  town. 

In  the  year  1900  Col.  A.  C.  Cummings  and  D.  S.  Grim,  surviv- 
ing trustees  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  transferred  to  the  to^vn 
of  Abingdon  the  title  to  Temperance  Hall,  and  their  action  was  con- 
firmed shortly  thereafter  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia, 
whereupon  John  W.  Barr,  H.  H.  Scott,  J.  W.  Bell,  D.  A.  Preston 
and  E.  M.  Page  were  named  as  trustees  to  hold  said  property 
for  the  town.  It  is  the  purpose  of  the  town  to  improve  this 
property,  and,  if  this  be  done,  it  will  be  quite  an  addition  to  the 
town  and  probably  a  source  of  revenue. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  history  of  Abingdon  as  it  has  been 
preserved. 

In  the  words  of  another  and  a  more  gifted  writer : 

"If  there  is  any  more  picturesque  country  than  that  which  sur- 
rounds Abingdon,  the  writer  has  never  been  so  fortunate  as  to  see 
it;  that  is,  according  to  his  idea  of  the  grand  and  beautiful  in 
nature.  For  a  mile  or  two  around,  the  landscape  is  undulating, 
interspersed  with  bolder  hills  generally  wooded,  standing  out  like 
islands  in  a  storm-tossed  sea.  During  Spring  and  Summer  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth,  except  cultivated  fields,  seems  to  be  covered 
with  a  carpet  of  green  irregularly  figured  with  wild  flowers,  a 
rural  picture  with  a  frame-work  of  mountains.* 

"To  the  south  of  and  adjoining  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town, 
is  'King's  Mountain,'  now  thickly  populated.  It  was  so  named 
because  of  a  fancied  resemblance  to  the  famous  mountain  in  South 
Carolina,  on  which  was  fought  the  battle  of  October  7th,  1780. 
The  victory  won  there  by  the  western  mountaineers,  quorum  magna 
pars  were  Washington  county  men,  Mr.  Jefferson  said,  turned  the 
tide  of  war  in  favor  of  the  United  States  and  led  Cornwallis  to 


*Charles  B.  Coale. 


Washington  County,  1177-1870.  659 

march  to  Yorktown,  t-o  his  surrender  there,  and  to  the  end  of  the 
war." 

"There  were  many  of  the  veterans  of  that  campaign  alive  in  1825, 
and  to  rehearse  the  incidents  of  the  contest  and  imj)ress  upon  the 
minds  of  that  generation  the  gallant  and  daring  deeds  of  their  an- 
cestors, a  sham  battle  was  fought  at  King's  Mountain.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  Eevolutionary  commanders  was  occupied  by  some  offi- 
cers who  were  instructed  (perhaps  drilled,)  how  to  play  their  part, 
and  the  English  people  in  red  coats,  with  cannon  and  bayonetted 
muskets,  occupied  the  crest  of  the  hill.  There  was  great  firing  of 
blank  cartridges,  charging  up  the  hill  and  retreat  from  the  fixed 
bayonets  of  the  British  regulars,  until  Colonel  Ferguson  was  killed 
and  a  white  flag  raised.  In  all  of  this  melee  nO'  fatal  accidents  oc- 
curred and  few  casualties."* 

To  the  north  and  northwest  of  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town 
is  Fruit  Hill,  commonly  called  "Taylor's  Hill,"  which  is  thickly 
settled,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  say  that  at  least  one-third  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  proper  are  without  the  corporate  limits. 

The  main  street  of  Abingdon  of  the  present  day  is  fully  one 
mile  in  length.  The  streets  are  excellently  macadamized,  with 
brick  pavements  on  both  sides. 

Valley  street  is  more  than  one-half  mile  in  length,  a  part  of  the 
street  being  macadamized,  and  brick  pavements  are  on  the  eastern 
end  thereof.  This  street  is  rapidly  developing  and  is  destined  to  be- 
come the  main  thoroughfare  of  the  town. 

It  would  be  a  considerable  undertaking  to  enumerate  the  many 
and  varied  enterprises  of  the  town. 

The  chief  pride  of  Abingdon  are  her  educational  facilities,  there 
being  three  institutions  in  and  near  the  town  that  cannot  bo 
excelled  anywhere  in  this  country,  to-wit:  Martha  Washington 
College,  Stonewall  Jackson  Institute  and  the  Abingdon  Male 
Academy,  to  each  of  which  a  separate  chapter  has  been  devoted. 

Mayors  of  Abingdon. 

1834-1835— John  M.  Preston. 

1836  —James  White. 

1837  —Samuel  H.  Wills. 

1838  —Daniel  LATich. 


*Thomas  L.  Preston. 


(560  Southivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

1839  — Andrew  Gibson. 

1840-1841 — Jeremiah  Bronougli. 
1843  —John  M.  Preston. 

1843-1844— John  D.  Mitchell. 

1845  — Isaac  B.  Dunn. 

1846  —Daniel  Trigg. 

1847  —John  D.  Mitchell. 

1848  — James  W.  Preston. 

1849  —John  D.  Mitchell. 

1850  — James  H.  Dunn. 

1851  — John  G.  Kreger. 
1853  —William  Ptodefer. 
1853-1854— John  D.  Mitchell. 

1855  — Lewellyn  C.  Newland. 

1856  —David  G.  Thomas. 

1857-1858— Jolm  D.  Mitchell.    Died  March  15,  1859 
1859  — Wm.  Eodefer.    Unexpired  term. 

1859  — ISfewton  K.  White. 

1860-1861— Samuel  W.  Carnahan. 
1863-1864— W.  F.  Barr. 
186.5-1866— Geo.  E.  B.  Dunn. 

1869  — W.  H.  Smith. 

1870  — D.  A.  Jones. 
1873  — Jas.  C.  Campbell. 

1873  — G.  V.  Litckfield,  Jr. 

1874  —John  G.  Clark. 

1875  —David  P.  Sandoe. 

1876  —Milton  G.  Heiskell. 

1877  —John  G.  Clark. 
18,78-1879— Milton  G.  Heiskell. 
1880-1881— D.  P.  Sandoe. 
1883-1887— John  W.  Barr. 
1888  —Thomas  K.  Trigg. 
1888-1889— John  W.  Barr. 
1889-1890— P.  C.  Landrum. 
1893-1904— J.  H.  Hines. 

Treasurers  and  Clerics. 
1884-1887— Geo.  Keller.  1855-1884— Geo.  E.  Barr. 

1834-1855— Jacob  Lynch. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


661 


Clerks. 

1887-1893— Geo.  E.  Barr.  1894-1896— D.  T.  Campbell. 

1892-1894l^C.  H.  Jennings.  1896-1900— W.  A.  Johnston. 

1900-1904— W.  H.  Hamilton. 


1887-1896— Geo.  Keller. 


Treasurers. 

1896-1904— D.  A.  Preston. 


Sergeants. 

1834  —Jacob  Clark.  1860 

1835  — Wm.  N.  Euley.  1873 

1836  —John  W.  Leckie.  1873 
1837-1839— L.  C.  Price.  1874 

1840-1841— Job  Clark.  1875 

1843-1843— M.  C.  Orr.  1876 

1844-1845— W.  N.  Euley.  1877 

1846  —Samuel  Garner.  1878 

1847-1848— James  Leccly.  1879 

1849  —Samuel  Garner.  1880- 

1850  —James  Leedy.  1883 

1851  — Lewellyn  C.  Newland.    1883 
1852-1856— Jos.  A.  Brownlow.  1884- 
1856-1858— James  Henritze.  1890 
1859          — W.  W.  Barker.  1893- 


— B.  C.  Clark. 

— Theo.  P.  Dunn. 

— Isaac  DeBusk. 

— S.  G.  Keller. 

—Geo.  W.  Oswald. 

— E.  H.  Henritze. 

—J.  H.  Hines. 

— E.  H.  Henritze. 

— J.  E.  Deadmore. 
1881— B.  P.  Morrison. 

— F.  B.  Brownlow. 

— John  W.  Love. 
1890— W.  T.  Graham. 

—Geo.  A.  Hall. 
1904— T.  H.  Crabtree. 


Abingdon^  Virginia. 
*Trmtees— 17.78-1834:. 

Date  of  Qualification. 


177  8 — James  Armstrong. 
1808— Valentine  Baugh. 
1830— Peter  J.  Branch. 
1778— William  Campbell. 
1778— Eobert  Craig. 
1778— Eobert  Campbell. 
1808— David  Campbell. 
1833— Chas.  C.  Gibson. 
1808— Michael  Deckard. 


1808- 
1778- 
1833- 
1808- 
1808- 
1808- 
1830- 
1830- 
1808- 


-Eobert  Dukes. 
-William  Edmiston. 
-Thomas  Findlay. 
-James  Graham. 
-James  Harper. 
-William  King. 
-Jacob  Lynch. 
-Daniel  Lynch. 
-John  McClelland. 


*Many  of  the  trustees  named  served  for  many  years. 


I 


662 


Southwest  Virginia,  17-^6-1786. 


1830— Elias  Ogden. 
1830 — Augustus  Oury. 
1778— Eobert  Preston. 
1830— John  M.  Presix)n. 
1830 — Francis  Preston. 
1833— J.  W.  Paxton. 

1778— 


1798 — Andrew  Russell. 
1778 — Daniel  Smith. 
1778— Evan  Shelby. 
1808 — Jonathan  Smith. 
1808— William  Trigg. 
1808— James  White. 
Andrew  Willoughby. 


*Memhcrs  of  Toivn  CotmdZ- 1834-1902. 
Date  of  Qualification. 


1834- 
1834- 
183(5- 
1837- 
1834- 
1846- 
1847- 
1851- 
1855- 
1858- 
1859- 
1860- 
1865- 
1870- 
1876- 
1876- 
1876- 
1880-^ 
1881- 
1890- 
1890- 
1892- 
1894- 
1894- 
1900- 

1855- 
1836- 
1838- 
1843- 
1850- 
1856- 
1856- 


— Peter  J.  Branch. 
—Jeremiah  Bronough. 
—Daniel  M.  Bailey. 
—Austin  Bronough. 
-Chas.  S.  Bekem. 
— B.  K.  Buchanan. 
-G'eo.  R.  Barr. 
-Leonidas  Baugh. 
-Isaac  Baker. 
-Wm.  W.  Barker. 
-Jos.  C.  Baltzell. 
-Isaac  M.  Benham. 
-W.  P.  Barr. 
-John  W.  Barr. 
-John  A.  Buchanan. 
-A.  McBradley. 
-H.  C.  Brownlow. 
-Thomas  Brooks. 
-Frank  B.  Brownlow. 
-Wm.  H.  Barrow. 
-Geo.  M.  Bright. 
-John  A.  Barrow. 
-J.  W.  Bell. 
-R.  E.  Boiling. 
-J.  K.  Buckley. 

-Isaac  L.  Clark. 
-David  Campbell. 
-John  C.  Cummings. 
-Chas.  J.  Cummings. 
-JSTorman  Crawford. 
-E.  M.  Campbell. 
-D.  C.  Cummings. 


1856— John  C.  Campbell. 
1858— S.  W.  Carnahan. 
1860— John  A.  Campbell. 
1865— John  G.  Clark. 
1866 — James  C.  Campbell. 
1876— C.  F.  Trigg. 
1881— L.  T.  Cosby. 
1884— A.  W.  Carmack. 
1885— A.  F.  Cook. 
1886—1.  G.  Clark. 
1887— Thomas  H.  Crabtree. 
1892— Samuel  A.  Carson. 

1836— John  Dunn. 
1844—1.  B.  Dunn. 
1845 — Edwin  L.  Davenport. 
1853 — Hiram  S.  Dooley. 
1854— D.  C.  Dunn. 
1855 — Andrew  J.  Dunn. 
1855 — James  H.  Dunn. 
1870— Geo.  R.  Dunn. 
1896— J.  E.  Deaton. 

1834— Benj.  Estill. 

1843— John  B.  Floyd. 
1835— John  H.  Fulton. 
1839— Edward  Fulton. 
1845 — James  Fulcher. 

1837— Andrew  Gibson. 
1842— C.  C.  Gibson. 
1843 — John  C.  Greenway. 


*Many  of  the  persons  named  served  for  many  years  in  succession. 


Woshington  Couniy,  1777-1S70. 


663 


1846- 

— James  K.  Gibson. 

1878- 

-S.  G.  Keller.       - 

1853- 

-H.  C.  Gibbons. 

1894- 

— E.  B.  Kreger. 

1856- 

—J.  C.  Greenway. 

1870- 

— D.  C.  Greenway. 

1834- 

—Daniel  Lynch, 

1876- 

-W.  T.  Graham.' 

1836- 

—Jacob  Lynch. 

1838- 

—Samuel  Logan. 

1835- 

—Adam  Hickman. 

1844- 

-Geo.  V.  Litchfield,  Sr. 

1852- 

— Wm.  Hawkins. 

1847- 

-H.  M.  Ledbetter. 

1854- 

-W.  K.  Heiskell. 

1856- 

-W.  J.  Leedy. 

1860- 

-M.  G.  Heiskell. 

1866- 

—Daniel  Ijewark. 

1864- 

-E.  M.  Hickman. 

1872- 

-Geo.  V.  Litchfield,  Jr, 

1866- 

-John  A.  Hagy. 

1872- 

— Wm.  G.  G.  Lowry. 

1876- 

-S.  jST.  Honak'er. 

1877- 

-Paul  C.  Landrum. 

1880- 

-J.  H.  Hines. 

1892- 

—John  E.  Lyon. 

1880- 

-Jas.  A.  Hagy. 

1881- 

-Chas.  Harris. 

1834- 

-John  D.  Mitchell. 

1882- 

-E.  A.  Hines. 

1851- 

-T.  G.  McConnell. 

1882- 

-M.  H.  Honaker. 

1856- 

-Noble  I.  McGinnis. 

1885- 

-S.  F.  Hurt. 

1866- 

-Samuel  D.  Meek. 

1885- 

-F.  B.  Hntton. 

1870- 

-Benj.  P.  Morrison. 

1885- 

-J.  B.  Hamilton. 

1878- 

-Daniel  Musser. 

1889- 

-E.  S.  Haney. 

1887- 

-Samuel  Mothner. 

1894- 

-P.  M.  Hagy. 

1894- 

-P.  E.  Hayter. 

1834- 

-Augustus  Oury. 

1896- 

-Wm.  Hagv. 

1836- 

-Elias  Ogden. 

1898- 

-C.  F.  Hurt. 

1838- 

—James  Orr. 

1849- 

-Peter  E.  B.  C.  Henritze. 

1850- 

-Abram  S.  Orr. 

1860- 

-Jas.  Henritze. 

1878- 

-W.  C.  Hagy. 

1834- 

-John  S.  Preston. 

1835- 

-John  N".  Humes. 

1834- 

-Eobert  E.  Preston. 

1887- 

-W.  B.  Ingham. 

1836- 

-John  M.  Preston. 

1836- 

-James  W.  Paxton. 

1840- 

-Peter  C.  Johnston. 

1838- 

-Alexander  E.  Preston. 

1843- 

-Beverly  E.  Johnston. 

1838- 

-Fairman  H.  Preston. 

1855- 

-Hugh  Johnston. 

1850- 

-Walter  Preston. 

1860- 

-John  W.  Johnston. 

1859- 

-Samuel  A.  Preston. 

1872- 

-James  M.  Jones. 

1866- 

-W.  H.  Pitts. 

1874—1.  Frank  Jones. 

1870- 

-E.  M.  Page. 

1879- 

-J.  N.  Jordan. 

1875- 

-Henry  S.  Preston. 

1888- 

-D.  A.  Jones. 

1884- 

-Geo.  E.  Penn. 

1896- 

-Chas.  H.  Jennings. 

1900- 

-W.  A.  Johnson. 

1846- 

-Wm.  Eodefer. 

1846- 

-Philip  Ehor. 

1834- 

-John  Keller. 

1876- 

-Jackson  M.  Eose. 

1846- 

-Wm.  Keller. 

1889- 

-David  0.  Eush. 

1860- 

-John  G.  Kreger. 

1896- 

-Wm.  F.  Eoberson. 

1875- 

-Martin  H.  Keller. 

1896- 

-David  G.  Eose. 

664  Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-17 S6. 

1836— Michael  Shaver.  1858— David  G-.  Thomas. 

1850— Gabriel  Stickley.  1873— Thos.  K.  Trigg. 

1852— Thomas  S.  Stuart.  1880— Daniel  Trigg,  Jr. 
1870— Wm.  M.  G.  Sandoe. 

1874— David  P.  Sandoe.  1836— Samuel  H.  L.  Wills. 

1886— H.  H.  Scott.  1838— Thomas  J.  Wallis. 

1896— Sol.  L.  Scott..  1851— Newton  K.  White. 

1872— John  G.  White. 

1834— Daniel  Trigg.  1872— James  L.  White. 

1835— Connally  F.  Trigg.  1887— Geo.  E.  Wiley. 

1845— Francis  S.  Trigg.  1888— David  J.  Webb. 

Postmasters  at  Ahingdon. 

Date  of  Appointment. 

Gerrald  T.  Conn, April  25,  1793. 

George  Simpson, July  1,  1796. 

John  W.  McCormack, October  1,  1800. 

John  McClellan, October  1,  1813. 

Augustus  Oury, August  28,  1820. 

Eobert  R.  Preston, July  9,  1836. 

James  K.  Gibson, January  4,  1842. 

George  R.  Barr, July  26,  1849. 

Leonidas  Baugh, May  12,  1853. 

Henry  W.  Baker, October  18,  1858. 

George  Sandoe,  March  27,  1861. 

W.  M.  G.  Sandoe, September  6,  1865. 

Jackson  M.  Rose, May  31,  1869. 

Lewis  W.  Rose, June  25,  1878. 

Rosalie  S.  Humes, March  1,  1879. 

Jackson  M.  Rose, March  2,  1883. 

Connally  T.  Litchfield, March  7,  1887. 

Lewis  P.  Summers, March  20,  1890. 

Jobn  G.  White, January  12,  1894. 

James  W.  McBroom, February  18,  1898. 

Rosa  Rose, February  10,  1902. 

Lots  Sold  by  Christopher  AcMiti. 

Name  of  Purchaser.        Date  of  Sale.  No.  Lot. 

Alexander  Montgomery,       June,  1787,  23 

Jo.  Acklm,  "     1787,  22 

Christopher  Acklin,  "     1787,  21 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  665 

Name  of  Purchaser.  Date  of  Sale.  No.  Lot. 

Joseph  Black,  June,  1787,  15 

John  Thomas,  "     1787  16 

Andrew  Davison,  "1787  17 

Joseph  Campbell,  "     1787,  18 

Henry  Harkleroad,  "     1787,  20 

Henry  Harkleroad,  "     1787,  19 

Devault  Keller,  "     178,7  38 

Alexander  Montgomery,  "     1787  37 

James  Vance,  July,  1787,  32 

Josiah  Danforth,  "1787  5 

Jacob  Wills,  <•  g  1737  4 

James  Porterfield,  "1787  7  ^ 

George  Findlay,  "     1787,  31 

Edward  Callahan,  "     1787,  6 

James  Parberry,  ~  April,  1789,          34-35-36 

Walter  Welsh,  «     1789,  l 

James  Bradley,  «     1.789,  2 

Geo.  Colvill,  «     1789,  3 

Thomas  Welsh,  "     1789,  33 

Alexander  Breckenridge,  "     1789  28 

Charles  Cummings,  "     1789,  14 

Eobert  Campbell,  *'     1789,  43 

Nancy  McDonald,  "     1789,  44 

Samuel  Acklin,  «     1789  51 

Eobert  Campbell,  "     1789,  45 

Elijah  Smith,  April,  1789,  50 

Eobert  Campbell,  "     1789,  43 

Elijah  Smith,  «     1789,  49 

James  Vance,  «     1789,  42 

William  Brice,  "     1789  41 

Jolm  Lusk,  «     1789,  52 

Jos.  Gamble,  June,  1789,  61 

Eobert  Laird,  «     1789,  62 

Jos.  Gamble,  «     1789,  60 

John  Fegan,                    April  14,  1790,  59 

Patrick  Lynch,         ■  "    14,  1790,  58 

James  Bradley,  "           I79O  57 

Claiborne  Watkins,  "    15,  1790,  81 


666 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


Lime  of  Purchaser. 

Date  of  Sale. 

No.  Lot. 

Claiborne  Watkins, 

April 

L 

1790, 

82 

Patrick  Lynch, 

1790, 

63 

Chas.  Cummings, 

1790, 

66 

Archilas  Dickenson, 

1790, 

65 

Chas.  Cummings, 

1790, 

64 

Andrew  Colvill, 

1790, 

80 

Andrew  Colvill, 

1790, 

79 

Claiborne  Watkins, 

1790, 

83 

William  Greenwa}', 

17; 

,  1790, 

84 

Eobert  Montgomery, 

.  1790, 

86 

William  Greenway, 

1790, 

85 

Christopher  Acklin, 

1790, 

29 

Urbin  Ewing, 

1790, 

6 

Josiah  Danforth, 

September 

,  1790, 

58 

Nicholas  Mansfield, 

June, 

,  1790, 

39 

Urbin  Ewing, 

1790, 

40 

Nicholas  Mansfield, 

1790, 

20 

Daniel  Friel, 

1790, 

19 

Trustees, 

1790, 

8 

William  Brice, 

1790, 

12 

Baldwin  Harles, 

1790, 

16 

Alexander  Montgomery,      April, 

1791, 

90 

Samuel  Vance, 

(( 

1791, 

89 

Wm.  McDowell, 

iC 

1791, 

67 

Andrew  Willoughby, 

il 

1791, 

87 

Jos.  Acklin, 

C( 

1791, 

69 

Christopher  Acklin, 

u 

1791, 

68 

Jos.  Acklin, 

ii 

1791, 

70 

Jolm  Alexander, 

ii 

1791, 

71 

Wm.  Mifflins. 

a 

1791, 

72 

James  Bredin, 

a 

1,791, 

74 

James  Dysart, 

« 

1791, 

78 

John  Alexander, 

a 

1791, 

77 

Wm.  Delap, 

a 

1791, 

76 

Wm.  Delap, 

u 

1791, 

75 

Thos.  Hammond, 

a 

1791, 

73 

Wm.  King, 

li 

1791, 

73 

Pobert  Preston, 

a 

1791, 

73 

Date  oi 

'  Sale. 

No. 

.  Lot. 

April, 

1791, 

11 

1791, 

15 

1791, 

13 

1791, 

14 

1791, 

17 

1791, 

18 

Washington  County,  1717-1870.  667 

JSTame  of  Purchaser. 

James  Dysart, 

Wm.  Y.  Conn, 

Andrew  Russell, 

Eobert  Preston, 

James  White, 

Gerrald  T.  Conn, 

Andrew  Enssell, 

Jos.  Acklin, 

Francis  Preston, 

Geo.  Simpson, 

Andrew  Russell, 

Geo.  Simpson, 

Cliristoplier  Acklin, 

Jos.  Acklin, 

Lands  sold  by  David  Craig. 

James  Eedpath. 

Jeremiah  Rush, 

Peter  Dcckart. 

An  Act  for  EstahJishing  a  Toirn  at  flic  Courthouse  in  tJie  Counlij 

of  Washi^igton. 

Passed  October,  1778. 

"Whereas  it  hath  been  represented  to  this  present  general  assem- 
bly that  Thomas  Walker,  Esq.,  Joseph  Black  and  Samuel  Briggs 
have  engaged  to  give  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  the 
county  of  Washington,  where  the  court  house  of  the  said  county  now 
stands,  agreeal^le  to  a  survey  thereof  made  by  Robert  Doach,  for  the 
purpose  of  estal)lishing  a  town  thereon,  and  for  raising  a  sum  of 
money  towards  defraying  the  expenses  of  building  a  court  house  and 
prison,  agreeable  to  which  part  of  the  said  land  has  been  laid  off, 
and  several  lots  sold,  and  buildings  erected  thereon ;  and  whereas  it 
would  tend  to  the  more  speedy  improvement  and  settling  the  same, 
if  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  thereof  could  l)e  entitled  to  the 
same  privileges  enjoyed  by  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  other 
towns  of  this  state,  Be.  it  Enacted  By  tliis  Present  General  Assem- 
bly, That  the  said  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  agreeable 
to  a  survey  made  thereof,  relation  thereto  being  had  may  more  fully 
appear,  be  and  the  samo  is  hereby  vested  in  fee  simple  in  Evan 


668  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

Shelby,  William  Campbell,  Daniel  Smith,  William  Edmondson, 
Ilobert  Craig  and  Andrew  Willonghby,  gentlemen,  trnstees  and 
shall  be  established  a  tcnvn  by  the  name  of  Abingdon. 

"And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  said  trustees,  or  any  three  of 
them,  shall,  and  they  are  hereby  empowered  to  make  conveyances  to 
the  purchasers  of  any  lots  already  sold,  or  to^  be  sold,  agree  able  to 
the  conditions  of  the  contracts,  and  may  also  proceed  to  lay  off  such, 
other  part  of  said  land  as  is  not  yet  laid  off  and  sold,  into'  lots,  and 
streets  and  such  lots  shall  be  sold  by  the  said  trustees  at  publick 
auction  for  the  best  price  that  can  be  had,  the  time  and  place  of  sale 
being  previously  advertised  at  least  three  months  before,  on  some 
court  day  at  the  court  house  of  that  and  the  adjacent  county,  the 
purchasers  respectively  to  bold  tlie  said  lots  subject  to  the  condition 
of  building  on  such  lots  a  dwelling  house  at  least  twenty  feet  long 
and  sixteen  feet  wide,  with  a  brick  or  stone  chimney,  to  bo  finished 
within  four  years  from  the  date  of  sale,  and  the  said  trustees,  or  any 
three  of  them,  shall,  and  they  are  hereby  empowered  to  convey  the 
said  lots  to  the  purchasers  thereof  in  fee  simple,  siibject  to  the  con- 
dition aforesaid,  and  receive  the  monies  arising  from  such  sale,  and 
pay  the  same  to  the  order  of  the  Court  of  Washington  County,  to- 
wards defraying  the  expenses  of  their  publick  buildings,  and  the 
over-plus,  if  any,  to  be  applied  in  repairing  the  streets  of  the  afore- 
said town. 

"And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  said  trustees,  or  the  major 
part  of  them,  shall  have  power  from  time  to  time  to  settle  and  de- 
termine all  disputes  concerning  the  bounds  of  said  lots,  and  to 
settle  such  rules  and  orders  for  the  regular  and  orderly  buildings 
of  houses  thereon  as  to  them  shall  seem  best  and  most  convenient. 
And  in  case  of  the  death,  removal  out  of  the  country,  or  other  legal 
disability  of  any  of  the  said  trustees,  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for 
the  freeholders  of  the  said  town  to  elect  and  chose  so  many  other 
persons  in  the  room  of  those  dead,  removed  or  disabled,  as  shall 
make  up  the  number,  which  trustees  so  chosen  shall  be  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  individually  vested  with  the  same  power  and  authority 
as  any  one  in  this  act  particularly  mentioned. 

"And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  purchasers  of  the  lots  in  the 
said  town,  so  soon  as  they  shall  have  built  upon  and  saved  the  same 
according  to  the  conditions  of  their  respective  deeds  and  convers- 
ances. sliall.be  entitled  to  and  have  and  enjoy  all  the  rights,  pi-ivi- 


WasUngton  County,  1777-1870.  669 

leges  and  imiimnities  which  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of 
other  towns  in  this  state,  not  corporated  by  charter,  have,  hold  and 
enjoy. 

"And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  if  the  purchasers  of  any  lots  sold 
by  the  said  trustees  shall  fail  to  build  thereon  within  the  time  before 
limited,  the  said  trustees,  or  the  major  part  of  them,  may  thereupon 
enter  into  such  lot,  and  may  either,  sell  the  same  again,  and  apply 
thig  money  towards  repairing  the  streets,  or  in  any  other  way  for  the 
l^enefit  of  the  said  town,  or  they  may  appropriate  the  said  lot,  or  any 
part  of  it,  to  any  publick  use  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  of 
said  town. 

"^And  be  it  further  enacted,  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  that  the 
trustees  of  the  said  town,  and  their  successors,  for  the  time  being, 
shall,  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  by  that  name 
to  sue  and  implead  either  in  the  court  of  the  said  county,  or  the 
general  Court,  any  person  or  persons  who  shall  commit  a  trespass 
on  the  streets  of  said  town,  or  lands  which  may  have  been  appro- 
priated for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants  thereof.  All  sums  of  money 
recovered  by  virtue  hereof  shall  be  applied  by  the  said  ti'ustees 
towards  repairing  the  streets  of  the  said  town. 

"Provided,  always.  That  nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  con- 
strued to  affect  the  legal  rights  of  any  person  holding  lands  adjoin- 
ing the  said  town."* 

BEISTOL,  YIEGINIA. 

It  is  with  delicacy  that  we  undertake  to  write  of  a  locality  that  at 
the  present  time  is  attracting  the  attention  of  a  considerable  part  of 
the  business  world  and  that  is  destined  to  become  a  great  city. 

There  has  been  something  in  the  location  of  Bristol  that  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  early  explorers  of  our  country,  and  afterwards 
many  of  our  best  and  noblest  citizens. 

Some  time  after  Colonel  James  Patton  had  obtained  from  the 
(lovernor  and  Council  of  Virginia  a  grant  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  to  be  located  in  this  section  of  Vir- 
ginia, John  B-uchanan,  a  deputy  surveyor  of  Augusta  county,  with  a 
company  of  explorers,  visited  this  section  of  Virginia  and  from  the 

*9  Hen.  S.,  p.  55. 


Bristol,  1850. 


Bristol,  1903. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  671 

year  1746  to  the  year  1750  surveyed  made  tracts  of  the  choicest  land 
to  be  found  on  all  the  waters  of  the  Indian  river.* 

Among  the  lands  surveyed  by  John  Buchanan  were  three  tracts  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  Bristol. 

The  three  tracts  in  question  were  surveyed  for  John  Taylor^  of 
Caroline  county,  Virginia,  and  are  described  as  follows : 

1,946  acres.  Shallow  Creek,  f  waters  of  Indian  river. 

1,000  acres.  Shallow  Creek,  waters  of  Indian  river. 

730  acres.  Shallow  Creek,  waters  of  Indian  river. 

The  first  tract  was  surveyed  on  the  22d  of  February,  1749,  and  to 
it  was  given  the  name  of  "Sapling  Grove" ;  the  second  tract  was  sur- 
veyed on  the  23d  of  February,  1749,  and  to  it  was  given  the  name  of 
"Timber  Grove,"  while  the  third  tract  was  surveyed  on  the  19th  of 
March,  1749,  and  was  given  the  name  of  the  "Forks." 

From  this  time  until  about  the  year  1765,  the  close  of  the  French- 
Indian  war,  no  efforts  Avere  made  to  settle  the  lands  in  question,  so 
far  as  can  be  ascertained. 

In  the  year  1765,  or,  shortly  thereafter,  Evan  Shelby  and  Isaac 
Baker  left  their  homes  in  Maryland*  and  came  to  the  Holston  coun- 
try, and  soon  thereafter  pni'chascd  the  "Sapling  Grove"  tract  of 
1,946  acres  from  John  Buclianan,  who,  by  assignment  from  John 
Taylor,  had  become  the  owner  thereof.  This  tract  of  land  was 
divided  between  Shelby  and  Baker  by  Eobert  Preston,  Shelby  own- 
ing 973  acres,  the  western  end  thereof,  and  Baker  973  acres,  the 
eastern  end  thereof. 

Soon  after  the  purchase  Evan  Shelby  erected  his  residence  upon 
the  lots  now  occupied  by  Dr.  John  Ensor  and  John  H.  Caldwell, 
in  South  Bristol,  while  Isaac  Baker  erected  his  residence  on  Beaver 
Creek,  about  300  yards  north  of  the  present  residence  of  A.  A.  Hob- 
son  and  north  of  the  creek.  The  location  of  his  residence  is  pointed 
out  at  the  present  time  in  an  old  field  in  which  stand  a  few  apple 
trees. 

John  Buchanan  died  before  a  patent  issued  for  said  land  and 
before  he  had  executed  a  deed  for  same  to  Shelby  and  Baker,  and 
William  Preston   and   William   Campbell,  the  executoi*s  of  John 


*Now  Holston. 
fBeaver  Creek. 
J  Now  Washington  county,  Md. 


673  Southivcst  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 

Buchanan,  for  some  reason,  did  not  convey  said  land  during  their 
lifetime. 

Colonel  William  Preston,  by  his  will,  appointed  John  Preston, 
Francis  Preston,  John  Breckenridge  and  John  Brown  his  execu- 
tors, and  on  the  2d  of  May,  1796,  John  Preston,  one  of  tlie  executors 
of  William  Preston,  executor  of  John  Buchanan,  deceased,  executed 
a  deed  to  Isaac  Baker,  Jr.,  for  the  973  acres  of  land  contracted  to  his 
father,  Isaac  Baker,  deceased,  and  on  the  22d  of  November,  1798, 
Francis  Preston,  one  of  the  executors  of  William  Preston,  executor 
of  John  Buchanan,  deceased,  conveyed  to  Isaac  Shell)y,  as  executor 
of  Evan  Shelby,  deceased,  the  973  acres  of  land  contracted  to  Evan 
Shelby  by  Jolm  Buchanan.  The  consideration  paid  by  Isaac  Baker 
was  304  pounds,  and  by  Evan  Shelby  304  pounds.  This  1,946-acre 
tract  of  land  was  patented  to  William  Preston  and  William  Camp- 
bell, executors  of  John  Buchanan,  deceased,  on  the  2d  of  November, 
1,779. 

Evan  Shelby  and  Isaac  Baker  were  intimate  friends  before  their 
emigration  to  the  Holston,  as  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  Shelby  had 
named  one  of  his  sons  Isaac  for  Isaac  Baker,  while  Baker  had 
named  one  of  his  sons  Evan  for  Evan  Shelby.  Isaac  Shelby  won  dis- 
tinction at  King's  mountain  and  was  several  times  Governor  of  Ken- 
tucky, while  Evan  Baker  took  an  active  part  in  the  cause  of  the 
Colonies  and  served  during  the  Eevolutionary  war  as  deputy  com- 
missary on  the  waters  of  the  Holston. 

Isaac  Baker  by  his  will  devised  his  moiety  in  the  "Sapling  Gro've" 
tract  of  land  to  his  sons,  Isaac  Baker,  Jr.,  and  William  Baker. 

Evan  Shelby  and  Isaac  Baker,  in  their  lifetime,  conveyed  small 
portions  of  their  respective  properties  to  Henry  Harkleroad,  William 
Bolton  and  John  O'Brian. 

It  is  worthy  of  mention  at  this  point  that  Evan  Shelby  and  Isaac 
Baker,  in  their  old  age,  were  bereft  of  their  wives,  and  subsequently 
remarried — the  former,  Isabella  Elliott ;  the  latter,  Mary  Head,  a 
3'oung  widow — and  each  was  required  by  his  prospective  wife  to 
make  a  settlement  upon  her  before  marriage,  Evan  Shelby  con- 
ferring upon  his  second  wife  a  considerable  interest  in  his  personal 
property,  which  was  large,  and  of  which  a  considerable  number  of 
slaves  formed  a  part,  and  in  his  real  estate  at  "Sapling  Grove,"  while 
Jsaac  Baker  made  a  similar  provision  for  his  second  wife,  and  in 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  673 

addition  thereto  conve3'ed  to  the  two  sons  of  Mary  Head  by  her  for- 
mer marriage  one  hundred  acres  of  land  each. 

Stirring  scenes  were  often  witnessed  in  the  "Sapling  Grove"  com- 
munity from  the  date  of  the  settlement  made  by  Shelby  and  Baker 
until  the  year  1800.  The  armies  of  the  State  and  large  delegations 
of  Indians  were  many  times  visitors  to  ttiis  co'mmunity. 

Colonel  Evan  Shelby  was  one  of  the  great  men  produced  by  the 
conditions  existing  upon  the  frontiers  in  those  days.  He  was  well 
educated^  patriotic  and  a  very  wise  counsellor,  and  many  times  did 
he  command  expeditions  against  the  Indian  tribes  living  south  of 
the  Tennessee. 

The  Virginia  Government  greatly  appreciated  his  worth,  and 
prior  to  1781  conferred  upon  him  numerous  (very  valuable)  tracts 
of  land  within  her  territory,  and  subsequent  to  1781  the  Govern- 
ment of  North  Carolina  showered  upon  him  every  honor  that  could 
b©  thought  of. 

Colonel  Shelby  departed  tliis  life  in  the  year  1794,  leaving  Isaac 
Shelby,  Moses  Shelby,  Evan  Shelby  and  James  Shelby,  sons,  and 
several  daughters. 

His  remains  were  interred  in  a  grove  of  very  fine  trees  and  within 
view  of  his  former  residence,  and  remained  there  until  the  growth 
of  Bristol  required  their  removal  to  the  present  cemetery.  The  lo- 
cation of  liis  grave  previous  to  this  removal  is  now  pointed  out  as 
being  on  Fifth  street  immediately  in  front  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  Bristol,  Tennessee.  Isaac  Baker  was  buried  in  this  same 
graveyard. 

Isaac  Baker,  Sr,,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  left  six  sons,  to-wit: 
William  Baker,  Isaac  Baker,  Joshua  Baker,  Evan  Baker,  John 
Baker  and  Thomas  Baker  and  several  daughters,  to-wit:  Hatchy 
Baker,  Susannah,  who  married  Thomas  Worley,  Mary,  who  married 
Thomas  Van  Swearingen  and  Catharine,  who  married  Ephraim 
Smith. 

William  Baker,  who  obtained  an  interest  in  the  "Sapling  Grove" 
by  the  will  of  his  father,  removed  to  Knox  county,  Tennessee,  and 
on  tlie  10th  of  September,  1799,  conveyed  his  interest  in  said  land, 
being  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  to  John  Goodson,  for  the 
sum  of  $3,000,  and  this  tract  of  land  afterwards  became  the 
property  of  Colonel  Samuel  E.  Goodson,  and  the  location  of  a  large 
part  of  East  Bristol. 


074  Southwest  Virginia,  17.!f6-17S6. 

Isaac  Baker^,  Jr.,  conveyed  part  of  the  lands  devised  to  him  by  his 
father  to  William  Bolton,  Solomon  Sell,  Henry  Harkleroad,  David 
Worley,  John  Cornett,  Ephraim  Jolmson,  John  Cuff,  Simeon  Ely 
and  Jacob  Susong,  while  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby,  as  executor  of  Evan 
Shelby,  conveyed  the  lands  owned  by  Evan  Shelby  at  ''Sapling 
Grove"  to  James  King,  Jr.,  on  the  2Gth  of  November,  1814,  for  the 
sum  ol  $10,000.  James  King,  immediately  after  his  purchase,  built 
a  residence  on  Solar  Hill,  near  Sullins  College  and  near  the  present 
location  of  the  late  residence  of  H.  E.  McCoy,  while  the  former 
residence  of  Isaac  Baker  was  occupied  Ijy  John  Goodson. 

Some. years  previously  to  this  an  iron  furnace  was  built  on  Beaver 
Creek  about  three  and  a  half  miles  below  the  present  location  of 
Bristol  at  the  Sulphur  Springs.  James  King  and  John  Goodson 
for  many  j'cars  exercised  great  diligence  in  farming  their  respective 
properties,  and  persons  now  living  often  speak  of  King's  Meadows 
as  a  beautiful  farm. 

In  the  year  18-12,  James  King  conveyed  six  acres  of  the  "Sapling 
Grove"  tract  to  Campbell  Galliher,  and  on  the  18th  ef  June  he  con- 
veyed to  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company,  in  addition 
to  an  eighty-foot  right  of  way,  ten  acres  of  land  for  the  use  of  the 
company,  and  on  the  13th  of  April,  1854,  he  conveyed  to  his  son-in- 
law,  Joseph  Anderson,  four  acres  of  land. 

By  the  year  1850  the  building  of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  rail- 
road had  become  an  assured  fact,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
terminus  of  that  road  under  the  A^irginia  charter  was  the  State  line, 
the  building  of  a  town  at  this  point  was  begun. 

Colonel  Samuel  E.  Goodson  had  a  part  of  his  lands  surveyed,  and 
offered  the  same  for  sale.  He  gave  to  the  proposed  town  the  name 
of  ^'Goodsonville,"  which  name  it  retained  until  the  incorporation 
of  Goodson  in  the  year  1856. 

He  also  gave  to  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Eailroad  Company  a 
right  of  way  through  his  lands,  and  transferred  to  the  said  company 
for  a  consideration,  in  the  years  1851-1852,  eleven  acres  of  land  for 
the  use  of  the  said  company.  Among  the  first  conveyances  executed 
by  Colonel  Goodson  was  to  John  G.  King,  Jacob  H.  Susong  and 
J.  P.  Hammer,  as  trustees  for  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd-Fel- 
lows, and  to  John  Fleming,  John  Moore,  Fleming  Crumbly,  D.  W. 
Crumbly,  W.  W.  James,  William  F.  Bolton,  Wm.  H.  Snodgrass, 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  675 

Jesse  Aydlott  and  Hardy  Pool,  as  trustees  for  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 

The  lot  last  conveyed  was  Lot  No.  103  in  the  plan  of  Goodson- 
ville,  as  surveyed  by  Edmund  Winston,  and  this  lot  is  now  occupied 
by  the  Colored  Methodist  Episcopal  church  on  Lee  street. 

Some  time  previous  to  the  1st  of  April,  1855,  A.  K.  Moore,  from 
Pennsylvania,  arrived  in  Bristol  and  decided  to  make  it  his  home, 
and  ever  thereafter  until  his  death,  in  the  year  1863,  he  was  a  most 
enthusiastic  believer  in  the  future  of  Bristol.  He  was  a  real  estate 
agent  by  profession  and  an  accomplished  gentleman,  and  his  views 
in  regard  to  the  future  of  Bristol  were  so  convincing  that  the  early 
settlers  of  the  town  were  confident  that  it  was  a  question  of  only  a 
few  years  wdien  Bristol  would  monopolize  the  trade  and  business  of 
all  the  surrounding  country.  And  having  this  object  in  view,  the 
projectors  of  the  town  so  named  the  streets  thereof  that  by  the  year 
1860  we  find  the  principal  streets  having  the  following  names :  Vir- 
ginia street,  in  honor  of  the  Commonwealth ;  Washington  street,  in 
honor  of  Washington  county;  Russell  street,  in  honor  of  Eussell 
county ;  Lee  street,  in  honor  of  Lee  county ;  Scott  street,  in  honor  of 
Scott  county ;  Cumberland  street,  in  honor  of  the  mountain  of  that 
name;  while  ]\Ioore  street.  King  street,  Shelby  street  and  Spencer 
street  were  named  for  James  King,  A.  K.  Moore,  Evan  Shelby  and 
Geo.  M.  Spencer,  and  Edmund  street  in  honor  of  Edmund  Win- 
ston, who  first  surveyed  the  lots  and  streets  of  the  town.' 

In  the  year  1855  the  Magnolia  House  was  built  upon  the  location 
of  the  present  Hamilton  House,  and  a  number  of  small  houses  were 
erected  on  both  sides  of  Main  street.  James  King  about  this  time 
moved  from  his  resid'ence  on  Solar  Hill  to  liis  home  in  South  Bris- 
tol, where  he  subsequently  died  in  1867,  and  his  former  home  on 
Solar  Hill  was  occupied  and  used  as  a  boarding  house  and  as  an 
office  by  Dr.  J.  P.  Hammer  and  Walter  Willoughby. 

A  storehouse  and  hotel  were  built  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Main  streets  on  the  corner  now  owned  by  John  E.  Dickey,  and 
was  occupied  by  Wilson  &  Loyd,  merchants,  and  the  hotel  was  con- 
ducted by  J.  H.  Everett. 

Jos.  E.  Anderson  occupied  the  brick  building  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Main  and  Fourth  streets,  and  conducted  a  store  therein. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1855  it  was  found  necessary  to  have  local 
government  in  the  town,  and  all  the  citizens  of  Bristol,  Tennessee, 


G76  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

and  Goodson,  Virginia,  were  called  to  meet  upon  the  present  loca- 
tion of  the  St.  Lawrence  Hotel,  and  at  this  meeting  the  Rev.  James 
King  presided.  The  meeting  decided  that  it  was  necessary  that  the 
town  should  have  local  government,  and  after  petitioning  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Virginia  to  incorporate  the  town  of  Goodson,  they 
proceeded  to  select  one  of  their  number  to  act  as  Mayor  until  a 
charter  could  be  obtained.  William  L.  Rice,  a  citizen  of  Goodson 
and  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  Count}'  Court  of  Washington 
county,  and  having  the  power  in  that  capacity  to  administer  oaths, 
to  issue  warrants  for,  and  ti-y,  offenders  against  the  law,  was  selected 
by  the  meeting  to  act  as  Mayor,  tax  collector  and  sergeant  of  the 
town. 

Pursuant  to  tliis  authority,  Mr.  Rice  proceeded  to  discharge  his 
duties,  and  wishes  the  fact  to  be  recorded  that  V.  Keebler  was  the 
first  man  in  the  town  to  voluntarily  pay  one  dollar  to  be  used  in 
discharging  the  costs  of  the  government  thus  organized. 

Pursuant  to  the  petition  of  the  citizens  of  the  two  towns,  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1856,  incor- 
porated the  town  of  Goodson,  and  directed  that  the  officers  of  the 
said  town  should  consist  of  seven  trustees  and  a  sergeant,  and  their 
term  of  office  was  fixed  at  one  year  and  until  their  successors  were 
appointed,  and  it  was  directed  that  an  election  should  be  held  for 
the  selection  of  the  trustees  and  sergeant  therein  provided  for  on  the 
first  Saturday  in  April,  1856,  and  James  Fields,  John  N.  Bosang 
and  A.  T.  Wilson,  or  any  two  of  them,  were  directed  to  conduct  said 
election. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  Act  contemplated  the  government  of 
the  town  by  a  Board  of  Trustees,  and  nothing  was  said  as  to^  a  Mayor, 
but  the  citizens  of  the  town  thereafter  selected  a  Mayor  until  the 
charter  of  the  town  was  amended,  among  the  number  thus  selected 
being  A.  K.  Moore,  A.  M.  Appling,  William  L.  Rice,  Philip  Rohr 
and  others,  whose  names  I  have  been  unable  to  obtain. 

The  persons  thus  selected  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  Mayor  also 
acted  as  sergeant  of  the  town. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  no  record  has  been  preserved  of  the 
early  trustees  of  the  town  of  Goodson. 

The  boundaries  of  the  town  of  Goodson,  as  set  out  in  the  Act  of 
incorporation,  were  as  follows :  Beginning  at  a  sycamore  tree  on  the 
west  side  of  the  said  town;  running  thence  north  32  east  one  hun- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  677 

dred  and  ten  poles;  thence  due  east  one  hundred  and  fifty  poles; 
thence  due  south  22  east  one  hundred  and  forty  poles ;  thence  south 
56  west  one  hundred  poles;  thence  north  37  west  one  hundred  and 
fifty  poles  to  the  beginning. 

The  sycamore  tree  mentioned  in  this  Act  stood  about  two  feet 
south  of  the  middle  of  Main  street,  and  in  front  of  the  storehouse 
formerly  occupied  by  T.  F.  Wood. 

The  Virginia  and  Tennessee  railroad  reached  Bristol  in  the  fall 
of  the  year  1856,  and  at  the  time  the  following  merchants  were 
doing  business  in  the  town,  to-wit :  Seneker  &  James,  on  Main  street 
between  Fourth  and  Water  streets  at  the  place  now  occupied  by 
Bunn's  store;  Jos.  E.  Anderson,  at  the  comer  of  Fourth  and  Main 
streets,  as  before  described ;  Eosenheim  Bros.,  on  southwest  corner  of 
Main  and  Fifth  streets,  the  present  location  of  the  drug  store; 
Martin  Bros.,  on  the  location  of  the  National  Bank  of  Bristol,  and 
Wilbar  Bros.,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Sixth  streets; 
Smith  &  Wilson,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Washington  streets,  and 
L.  F.  Johnson,  in  a  brick  building  south  of  the  Norfolk  and  Western 
railway  and  near  the  west  bank  of  the  creek. 

J,  N.  Bosang  kept  a  bar-room  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the 
Dominion  National  Bank  and  AVilliams  Walters  a  bar-room  at  the 
present  location  of  the  Stanley  House,  and  in  addition  thereto 
whiskey  was  retailed  at  several  of  the  stores  above  enumerated. 
Three  hotels  were  found  in  the  town  at  that  time,  the  Caywood 
House,  kept  by  Ezekiel  Caywood,  at  the  present  location  of  the 
Thomas  House;  the  Magnolia  House,  kept  by  Peck  &  Langhorne, 
at  the  present  location  of  the  Hamilton  House,  and  the  Virginia 
House,  kept  by  John  H.  Everett,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Wash- 
ington streets  on  the  Dickey  lot.  In  addition  to  the  places  named 
several  small  houses  were  found  along  the  Virginia  side  of  Main 
street  from  Fourth  to  Moore,  and  one  brick  residence  on  Main 
street  between  Fourth  and  W^ater  streets,  east  of  Bosang's  bar-room, 
and  knowTL  as  the  Zimmerman  House.  A  portion  of  this  house  is 
now  occupied  by  Col.  J.  B.  Peters,  President  of  the  Board  of  Health, 
as  an  office. 

In  the  year  1855,  upon  the  application  of  William  L.  Eice,  the 
county  court  of  this  county  appointed  John  P.  Preston,  Wallace 
Maxwell,  Moses  H.  Latham,  William  B.  Campbell,  E.  E.  Ehea  and 
Jonathan  T.  Hanby  commissioners  to  view  a  location  for  a  road 


GrS  Soiitliwest  Virgima,  17.k6-n86. 

from  the  towoi  of  Goodson  to  the  Jonesboro  road  at  or  near  the  lands 
of  John  L.  Bradley,  three  miles  west  of  Abingdon.  The  commis- 
sioners thus  named  made  their  report,  and  the  main  Bristol  road  was 
opened  in  the  followang  year. 

In  December  of  this  year  the  county  court  of  this  county  ap- 
pointed the  following  citizens  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Goodson  to 
patrol  in  the  neighborhood  of  Goodson :  Eoland  T.  Legard,  captain, 
James  T.  Preston,  Henry  A.  Wilds,  William  A.  Preston,  E.  L. 
Brooks,  Jolm  P.  Buchanan,  Joseph  Ehea,  Alexander,  James,  and 
Jacob  Carmack. 

In  the  following  year  Xunley  &  Fuqua  and  Booker  &  Trammel 
were  licensed  to  conduct  business  in  the  town  of  Goodson. 

Early  in  the  year  1857  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  Goodson  and 
Bristol,  recognizing  the  importance  of  a  newspaper,  formed  a  joint 
stock  company  and  purchased  a  printing  press  in  Philadelphia,  and 
in  the  mouth  of  May,  1857,  began  the  publication  of  the  Bristol 
News.  The  head  lines  of  this  paper  presented  a  very  suggestive 
scene.  To  the  left  of  the  page  was  placed  an  engine  and  car  and  to 
the  right  was  j^laced  a  man  on  horseback,  the  train  and  horseman 
facing  to  the  centre  of  the  page.  This  paper  was  edited  for  a  short 
while  by  A.  K.  Moore,  who  was  succeeded  by  J.  Austin  Speery. 
Speery  continued  to  edit  this  paper  until  the  year  1862,  in  which 
year  ho  became  the  editor  of  the  Knoxville  Register,  and  the  News 
was  discontinued  until  18C5.  In  1858  Lafayette  F.  Johnson  and 
Andrew  Manonie  were  licensed  to  transact  business  in  Goodson  by 
the  county  court  of  Washing-ton  county. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1858,  at  about  1  o'clock  A.  M.,  in  tlic  night 
time  of  that  day,  the  Magnolia  Hotel  was  destroyed  by  fire  and 
Minor  Bolcr  and  George  Ligon,  free  men  of  color,  were  arrested 
and  tried,  charged  with  having  fired  said  building,  but  were  ac- 
quitted . 

Soon  thereafter  the  county  court  of  this  county  appointed  the 
following  citizens  to  patrol  in  the  town  of  Goodson :  Robert  B.  Moore, 
captain,  Lucian  Johnson,  J.  F.  H.  Ledbetter,  Edward  Johnson, 
John  C.  Carner,  Samuel  G.  Booker,  Hardy  Pool,  John  Hammit, 
James  Williams  and  Joseph  Barnes. 

About  this  time  two  lawyers  came  to  Bristol  and  decided  to  make 
it    their    future    home,    John    S.    Mosby*    and    Oideon    Bui-kett, 


*The  since  celebrated  Colonel  John  S.  Mosby. 


Washington  Coiniiy,  1777-1S70.  G79 

Burkett  located  on  the  Tennessee  side  of  the  town  and  had  his  oflEice 
in  the  frame  huihling  that  stood  ii[)on  the  lot  occnpied  by  Kosen- 
heim  Bros.,  while  j\[osby  settled  on  the  Virginia  side  and  had  his 
office  in  a  bnilding,  owned  by  James  King,  that  stood  upon  the  lot 
now  occupied  by  the  Tip-Top  Kestaiirant,  at  the  corner  of  Cumber- 
land and  Fourth  streets. 

Bristol,  Virginia,  should  be  proud  of  the  fact  that  her  first  lawyer 
afterwards  distinguished  hiiuself  in  the  defence  of  his  State. 

In  the  year  1859  Eaine  &  Megginson,  Jos.  W.  Jones,  Lafayette 
F.  Johnson  and  Eaine  &  Jamison  were  licensed  to  transact  busi- 
ness in  the  town  of  Goodson,  and  John  S.  Mosby  qualified  as  a 
notary  public. 

By  the  year  18G0  Col.  Goodson  had  sold  and  transferred  lots  in 
the  town  of  Goodson  to  the  following  citizens :  Eeuben  H.  Crabtree, 
J.  N.  Bosang,  Thos.  E.  Bibb,  Morgan  &  Thomas,  James  H.  John- 
son, J.  C.  Hayter,  Samuel  Sells,  John  B.  Wagoner,  M.  T.  &  James 
W.  Morgan,  Jane  G.  Wilds,  Thos.  Lanahan,  Stephen  Connelly, 
A.  T.  Wilson,  Ella  Shelor,  Sarah  A.  Howard,  Henry  Eosenheim, 
David  Eust,  John  OBrian,  Elijali  Coman,  John  Ehea,  George  M. 
Spencer,  Mary  A.  Hammit,  David  P.  Jamison,  Alex.  Morgan,  James 
Johnston,  H.  D.  Shell,  I.  IST.  McQuown,  Thos.  J.  Morrison,  Wni. 
Eencher  (colored  barber),  John  Dulaney,  Cordle  Harmeling,  L.  F. 
Johnston,  W.  E.  Eakin,  Wm.  Trammel,  I.  B.  Dunn,  S.  H.  Milliard, 
James  A.  Apling,  D.  J.  Ensor,  and  many  others. 

The  Eev.  James  King  had  sold  to'  David  F.  Scranton  and  Joseph 
Johnston,  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  sixty-five  and  a  half  acres  of  land, 
and  they  had  conveyed  parts  thereof  to  W.  L.  j\IaA'tin,  James  A. 
Apling,  W.  F.  Moon,  M.  W.  Jones,  Alexander  Lazenbay,  Jesse 
Aydlott,  V.  Keebler,  Samuel  E.  l^liilijjs,  Bridget  Powers,  Sparrel 
Askew%  John  H.  Newman,  Thos.  E.  Lancaster,  Jos.  W.  Jones,  and 
several  others. 

Such  was  Goodson,  as  best  it  can  be  described,  at  the  opening  of 
the  war  between  the  States. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  18G1  Philip  Eohr  was  elected  Mayor, 
V.  Keebler  Eecorder  and  Treasurer,  Campbell  Gallih'er,  Sergeant, 
and  J.  IST.  Bosang,  J.  E.  Pepper,  John  Johnston  and  W.  H.  Tram- 
mel aldermen  of  said  town,  and  the  officers  thus  elected  served  with 
but  few  changes  until  the  year  1870. 

Immediately  upon  the  declaration  of  war  a  company  was  or- 


680  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1186. 

ganized  at  Goodson,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  the  Goodson 
Rifles,  of  which  company  John  F.  Terry  was  elected  captain. 
This  company  was  assigned  to  the  Thirty-seventh  Virginia  Eegi- 
ment,  commanded  by  Col.  Samuel  V.  Fulkerson,  and  many  brave 
deeds  are  recorded  as  having  been  performed  by  the  members  of  this 
company. 

On  the  33d  of  July,  1861,  Campbell  Galliher,  Sergeant  of  the 
toMTi  of  Goodson,  appeared  before  the  county  court  of  Washington 
county  and  represented  to  the  court  the  need  of  firearms  in  said 
town,  whereupon  the  county  court  directed  the  sherifE  of  this 
county  to  lend  to  the  said  Galliher,  for  use  in  the  town  of  Goodson, 
ten  guns,  the  property  of  the  Commonwealth. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1862,  Martin  L.  Comann  and  Ivev. 
W.  W.  Neal  purchased  from  Henry  W.  Baker  the  outfit  of  tlie 
Abingdon  Democrat,  and  on  the  2,vth  of  March,  1863,  the  first  issue 
of  the  SoutJiern  Advocate  was  published  in  the  town  of  Goodson, 
the  Bristol  News  having  passed  out  of  existence  at  this  time.  Tlie 
headline  of  this  paper  was  such  as  to  be  worth  recording.  Between 
the  words  Southern  and  Advocate,  which  were  printed  in  large  let- 
ters, were  placed  the  seal  of  the  State  of  Virginia  and  the  seal  of 
the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  above  tiie  seals  was  printed  in  small 
type  "Virginia  &  Tennessee."  From  this  paper  I  ascertain  that 
Jos.  B.  Palmer  was  at  that  time  practising  law  in  the  town  of 
Goodson,  that  L.  A.  Womack  and  W.  W.  Nickels  were  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Exchange  Hotel,  afterwards  the  Nickels  House,  and 
that  the  Bank  of  Philippi  was  temporarily  transacting  business  in 
Goodson,  with  -L.  D.  Morall  as  president  and  J.  W.  Payne  as  cashier. 
The  Provost  Marshal  stationed  at  Bristol  in  the  year  1863  was 
Joshua  H.  Pitts,  but  he  was  shortly  thereafter  succeeded  by  Wil- 
liam D.  Gammon. 

In  the  month  of  April  the  authorities  of  the  Presbyterian  and 
Methodist  churches  of  Bristol  tendered  the  use  of  their  churches  to 
the  authorities  of  the  Confederate  States  for  the  care  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  soldiers. 

In  1863  a  young  ladies'  boarding  school  was  conducted  in  Bristol 
by  Mrs.  M.  M.  Bailey  and  was  continued  for  several  years  there- 
after. At  the  same  time  two  schools  for  boys  were  conducted  in  the 
town  the  Bristol-Goodson  Academy,  of  which  Thos,  D.  Wal- 
thall was  principal,  and  the  Bristol  High  School,  of  which  Prof. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  681 

H.  C.  JN'eal  was  principal.  From  the  files  of  the  Southern  Advocate 
we  ascertain  that  W.  M.  Pettyjohn  was  conducting  a  general  land 
agency,  L.  M.  Hall  practising  dentistry,  and  A.  P.  Johnston,  J.  F. 
Parrot,  M.  D.  Eichmond  &  Co.,  Johnston  &  Pile  and  Wilbar  Bros., 
merchants,  were  doing  business  in  the  town. 

In  February,  1863,  small-pox  appeared  in  the  town,  causing  a 
great  deal  of  uneasiness,  and  Philip  Eohr,  the  Mayor  of  Goodson, 
applied  to  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county  and  was  al- 
lowed the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  to  fight  the  small-pox  in  the 
town. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year  the  Southern  Advocate  ceased  to  exist, 
and  the  first  issue  of  the  State  Line  Gazette  was  published  on  the 
6th  of  March,  1863.  Martin  L.  Comann  and  Wm.  L.  Eice  owned 
and  edited  this  paper,  and  afterwards  W.  W.  Langhome,  a  young 
lawyer  who  had  settled  in  the  town,  was  associate  editor.  This 
paper  lived  about  five  years,  and  ceased  to  exist. 

By  this  time  Goodson  contained  a  considerable  population,  and 
on  the  25th  of  May,  1863,  Wm.  F.  Moon*  petitioned  the  County 
Court  of  Washington  coimty  for  the  establishment  of  a  voting  pre- 
cinct in  the  town,  which  precinct  was  established  at  the  storehouse 
of  A.  M.  Apling,  and  Wm.  L.  Eice  was  appointed  conductor  and 
Wm.  F.  Moon,  Malon  S.  Susong,  Valentine  Keebler,  Elijah 
Seneker  and  Hugh  M.  Milliard  commissioners  to  hold  all  elections 
in  said  town.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  1863  the  Federal  forces 
reached  Bristol  and  destroyed  the  freight  depot,  the  brick  stoTC- 
house  occupied  by  L.  F.  Johnston,  and  the  Masonic  Lodge.  And 
while  the  town  was  visited  several  times  thereafter  by  the  Federal 
forces  during  th'e  war,  no  other  property  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

In  this  year  A.  K.  Moore  was  killed  by  Captain  Lucas,  of  Ken- 
tucky, at  the  Thomas  House,  in  Bristol,  Tenn. 

Upon  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  1865,  the  Bristol  News  was 
resurrected  by  John  Slack,  and  the  first  issue  of  this  paper  appeared 
on  the  9  th  of  August,  1865. 

From  the  files  of  this  paper  we  find  that  Chas.  E.  Vance,'  J.  E. 
Deadrick  and  J.  B.  Palmer,  practising  attorneys,  then  lived  in 
Bristol-Goodson. 

Previous  to  the  incorporation  of  Goodson  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  the  year  1856,  and  probably  as  late  as  the  year  1860,  the 


•Father  of  John  A.  Moon,  M.  C,  from  the  Third  Tennessee  District. 


683  Soutliivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

postoffice  was  "Sapling  Grove/'  and  was  at  first  kept  in  the  resi- 
dence of  James  King  on  now  Solar  Hill,  and  afterwards  in  a  small 
frame  house  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  St.  Lawrence  Hotel. 
The  postoffice  was  removed  to  the  Tennessee  side  of  the  town  in 
1865,  by  order  of  President  Johnson. 

Early  in  the  year  1866,  the  Eev.  James  King  donated  property 
situated  in  South  Bristol,  and  valued  at  $16,000,  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  school  for  young  men,  and  to  be  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Holston  Presbytery.  The  Presbytery  which  met  at 
Leesburg,  Tenn.,  shortly  thereafter,  accepted  the  proposition  of  Mr. 
King  and  appointed  a  board  of  curators,  consisting  of  fifteen  gen- 
tlemen, and  this  board  was  directed  by  the  Presbytery  to  assemble 
in  Bristol  on  the  4th  of  July,  1866,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
the  school  and  electing  officers  for  the  same.  This  school  was  or- 
ganized, and  has  for  many  years  been  known  as  King  College,  one 
of  the  best-equipped  schools  to  be  found  in  all  this  section  of  the 
Holston  country. 

The  Virginia  and  Kentucky  railroad  Avas  undertaken,  and  con- 
siderable work  was  accoanplished  on  said  road  previously  to  1861,  but 
thte  outbreak  of  the  war  caused  a  cessation  of  all  work  for  the  time ; 
but  interest  in  the  building  of  this  road  was  again  manifested  in  the 
year  1866,  and  the  attention  of  the  citizens  of  Goodson-Bristol  to 
this  matter  was  urged  by  Eobert  W.  Hughes,  president  of  the  com- 
pany, and  a  mass-meeting  of  the  citizens  was  held  in  the  Metho- 
dist church  iu  Goodson  in  this  year. 

Governor  Francis  H.  Pierpoint  and  the  Board  of  Public  Works 
attended  this  meeting,  and  a  great  deal  of  interest  was  manifested. 
The  meeting  was  called  tO'  order  by  the  Rev.  Philip  Eohr,  then 
Mayor  of  Goodson,  Robert  W.  Hughes  Avas  elected  chairman 
and  Chas.  R.  Vance  secretary,  and  strong  resolutions,  prepared  by 
a  committee  composed  of  James  King,  John  Slack  and  Wm.  L. 
Rice,  were  adopted,  and  Jos.  R.  Anderson,  Philip  Rohr  and  L.  P. 
Johnston  were  appointed  a  committee  to  solicit  subscriptions  tO'  the 
enterprise.  The  building  of  this  railroad  was  begim,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  subscriptions  of  private  individuals,  the  toAvn  of  Good- 
son,  on  the  13th  of  May,  1877,  subscribed  five  thousand  dollars  to 
the  Bristol  Coal  and  Iron  ISTarrow-Guago  Railroad  Company,  the 
successor  of  the  Virginia  and  Kentucky  railroad,  and  to-dav  this 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  683 

road,  now  called  the  Virginia  and  Southwestern,  is  one  of  the  most 
profitable  enterprises  that  Bristol  can  boast  of. 

In  March,  1866,  the  following  lawyers  were  practising  in  the 
to^\Ti  of  Goodson:  W.  W.  Langhorne,  J.  B.  Maclin,  N".  M.  Taylor 
and  York  &  Fulkerson. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  the  Bristol  News  was  leased  by  John  Slack 
to  David  F.  Bailey,  and  the  first  issue  of  the  News  published  by 
Bailey  was  on  the  9th  of  August,  1867.  From  an  inspection  of  this 
paper  we  find  that  M.  L.  Blackley  and  W.  IST.  Clarkson  were  prac- 
tising law  in  the  town,  and  that  the  Bristol  High  School,  under  the 
management  of  J.  D.  Tadlock,  and  a  male  and  female  school,  under 
the  management  of  B.  G.  Maynard,  were  doing  a  thriving  business. 

The  Bristol  News  was  edited  by  D.  F.  Bailey,  and  then  by  Bailey 
and  Eamey,  and  on  August  7th,  1868,  was  sold  and  transferred  to 
I.  C.  and  Elbert  Fowler. 

In  the  year  1870  John  Slack  began  the  publication  of  the  Bristol 
Courier,  and  the  two  papers,  the  News  and  the  Courier,  are  still  pub- 
lished in  Bristol. 

At  the  time  of  the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, 1869,  Goodson  being  in  the  centre  of  tJie  path  of  totality,  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey  directed  Colonel  E.  D.  Cutts,  of  tlie 
United  States  Navy,  to  proceed  to  Bristol  and  to  prepare  for  making 
observation  during  the  eclipse.  Colonel  Cutts  visited  Goodson  and 
erected  an  observatory  on  Lancaster  Hill,  now  called  Solar  Hill. 
The  observations  were  taken,  and  the  latitude  of  Goodson  ascer- 
tained to  be  36°  35'  50.2",  the  longitude  to  be  5°  08'  Washington 
time,  20-32  fast.  Afterwards,  in  the  year  1870,  the  street  now 
known  as  Solar  street  was  opened,  and  the  observatory  used  by 
Colonel  Cutts  was  found  to  be  in  the  centre  of  the  proposed  street, 
and  from  that  circumstance,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Mayor, 
the  street  was  called  Solar  street,  and  the  hill  has  since  b'een  called 
Solar  Hill. 

By  the  year  1870  Goodson  had  gi'own  rapidly  and  the  future  of 
the  town  was  exceedingly  bright,  and  in  this  year  the  General  As- 
sembly of  Virginia  amended  the  charter  of  the  town  and  extended 
the  corporate  limits,  the  provisions  of  said  charter  as  to  the  limits 
of  said  town  being  as  follows :  Beginning  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Virginia  and  Tennessee  States'  line  and  the  western  boundary  line 
of  tKe  town  cemetery,  and  running  west  with  said  State  line  twenty- 


684  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 

two  hundred  yards;  thence  north  nine  hundred  and  fifty  yards; 
thence  east  twenty-two  hundred  yards  on  a  line  parallel  with  the 
States'  line ;  thence  south  nine  hundred  and  fifty  yards  to  the  point 
of  beginning.  This  Act  provided  for  a  mayor,  five  councilmen,  a 
recorder  and  sergeant,  all  to  be  elected  by  the  vote  of  the  people,  and 
directed  that  the  election  should  be  held  for  that  purpose  on  the  2d 
of  July,  1870,  at  King  Block,  on  Front  street,  and  Jolin  N.  Bosang, 
John  Keys  and  Jesse  H.  Pepper  were  directed  to  superintend  said 
election. 

The  first  election  held  under  this  Act  resulted  in  the  election  of 
the  following  officers : 

Mayor — I.  C.  Fowler. 

Recorder— J.  T.  Millard. 

Sergeant — J.  L.  Ligon. 

Councilmen — John  H.  Winston,  President;  S.  L.  Saul,  Chas.  T. 
Pepper,  Geo.  H.  DeVault  and  Jos.  W.  Owens. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Mayor  and  Council  on  the  27th  of  July, 
1870,  rules  and  regulations  were  adopted  by  the  Council  for  the 
government  of  the  body  in  their  proceedings,  and  the  foundations 
were  laid  for  an  era  of  prosperity  and  gi'owth  that  has  met  the  ex- 
pectations of  the  most  ardent  friends  of  the  town. 

By  the  amended  charter  the  Council  of  the  town  was  authorized 
to  provide  a  building  for  the  safekeeping  of  all  persons  sentenced  to 
imprisonment  under  the  ordinances  of  the  town,  and,  pursuant  to 
this  authority,  the  Council  appointed  a  committee  to  select  a  place 
and  to  ascertain  the  cost  of  such  a  building.  This  committee 
selected  a  place  on  Washington  street,  now  Wagoner's  planing  mill, 
and  employed  Arclicr  &  Carmack  to  erect  the  necessary  buildings 
thereon. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Mayor  and  Council  of  the  town  on  the  23d 
of  January,  1871,  the  Council  requested  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  to  amend  the  charter  of  the  town  sO'  as  to  increase  the 
Council  from  five  to  seven  members,  and  to  authorize  the  Council  of 
the  town  to  open  and  extend  the  streets  of  the  town,  and  to  sub- 
scribe a  sum  of  money,  not  exceeding  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
to  be  used  in  purchasing  suitable  grounds  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  for  a  public  square,  for  building  a  town  hall,  and  also  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  a  tract  of  land  then  within  the  corporate 
limits  of  the  said  town,  the  property  of  Joseph  Johnston,  and  giving 


Washi7igton  County,  1777-1870.  685 

to  the  Council  the  authority  to  lay  otf  said  land,  when  purchased, 
into  lots,  and  dispose  of  the  same  to  the  best  interest  of  the  corpora- 
tion, and  pursuant  to  this  petition  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  14th  of  Mareli,  1S71,  amended  the  charter  of  Goodson 
as  petitioned  for,  except  that  it  was  provided  that  no  subscription 
should  be  made  until  the  expediency  thereof  should  be  submitted  to 
the  qualified  voters  in  the  corporation  and  should  receive  three- 
fifths  of  the  votes  actually  polled  at  said  election;  and  it  was  fur- 
ther provided  that  said  property,  when  purchased,  should  be  sold 
by  the  Council,  and  for  the  purpose  of  improvement  only. 

The  Council  of  Bristol  ordered  this  election  to  be  held,  and  the 
proposition  to  purchase  the  Johnston  lands  received  more  than 
three-fifths  of  all  the  votes  polled,  and  these  lands,  containing  about 
sixty  acres,  were  purchased  by  the  Mayor  and  Council  of  Goodson 
for  the  sum  of  eighteen  thousand  dollars. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  1871,  I.  C.  Fowler,  John  H.  Winston  and 
Jos.  W.  Owens  were  appointed  a  committee  to  superintend  the  lay- 
ing off  of  said  lands  into  streets  and  lots,  and  Thos.  D.  Walthall 
was  designated  to  survey  said  land.  The  lands  when  laid  off  into 
lots  were  ordered  to  be  sold,  and  Dr.  David  Sullins  was  the  auc- 
tioneer. 

After  the  sale  of  these  lots,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the 
lots  owned  by  the  town  and  the  money  and  notes  received  from  the 
purchasers  of  lots  previously  sold  amounted  to  $41,218,  or  $16,000 
profit  on  the  investment. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1870,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
incorporated  the  Bank  of  Goodson,  with  Z.  L.  Burson,  W.  W. 
James,  I.  C.  Fowler,  U.  L.  York  and  I.  B.  Dunn  as  directors.  This 
bank  was  organized  and  transacted  business  in  Goodson  for  several 
years,  and  was  known  as  James'  Bank. 

In  August  of  the  year  18,71,  while  great  improvements  were 
being  projected  and  the  Council  of  Goodson  was  transacting  the 
most  extensive  real  estate  business  that  the  town  has  known  in  its 
history,  the  Council  of  the  city  were  presented  with  a  melon  by  the 
"Marble  Players"  of  the  town,  and  the  present  was  so  much  appre- 
ciated that  the  Council  at  its  meeting  on  the  39th  of  August 
adopted  the  following  resolution : 

"Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Council  be  tendered  the  'Mar- 


686  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-1786. 

ble  Players'  of  this  corporation  for  the  present  of  a  magnificent 
melon." 

In  the  same  year  a  chain-gang  was  organized,  and  in  the  year 
1S73  goats,  swine  and  cows  were  prohibited  from  running  at  large 
in  the  town. 

In  1874  it  was  provided  that  wooden  buildings  should  not  be 
erected  in  the  town  except  upon  the  petition  of  two-thirds  of  the 
land-owners  in  the  square  where  the  building  was  proposed  to  bo 
erected,  and  from  the  year  1871  to  1880  most  of  the  streets  of  the 
town  were  macadamized,  and  in  many  cases  extended  so  as  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  a  rapidly  increasing  population. 

In  the  year  1881  it  was  thought  necessary  by  the  Council  of 
Goodson  to  have  a  public  building  erected  for  the  use  of  the  officers 
of  the  town,  and  the  question  was  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  having  received  the  necessary  vote,  the  Council  appointed 
John  H.  Winston,  Z.  L.  Burson  and  W.  W.  James  a  conmiittee  to 
report  a  plan  and  the  cost  of  a  public  building.  This  committee  re- 
ported, and  a  very  commodious  hall,  built  of  brick,  was  erected 
some  time  thereafter  on  the  corner  of  CUimberland  and  Lee  streets, 
at  a  cost  of  about  $7,000  to  the  corporation. 

By  the  year  1890  the  town  of  Cioodson  had  grown  to  be  a  cit}^, 
and  the  inconvenience  attending  the  transaction  of  the  legal  busi- 
ness of  the  town  at  Abingdon  created  a  public  demand  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  corporation  court  for  the  city,  and  in  answer  to 
this  demand  the  General  Assembly  of  Yirginia,  on  the  13th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1890,  changed  the  name  of  the  town  of  Goodson  to  that  of 
the  city  of  Bristol,  and  adopted  a  now  charter  for  said  city.  The 
offi.cers  provided  for  by  the  new  charter  were  a  mayor,  treasurer, 
nine  councilmen,  a  clerk  of  the  corporation  court,  an  attorney  for 
the  Commonwealth,  a  sergeant,  one  justice  of  the  peace  for  each 
ward  in  said  city,  and  one  constable.  Pursuant  to  this  Act  of  the 
Assembly,  the  first  C!orporatio"n  Court  of  the  city  of  Bristol  assem- 
bled in  the  City  Hail  on  the  3d  of  March,  1890,  Judge  Wm.  F. 
Ehea  presiding.  The  following  officers  were  appointed  by  the  court 
for  said  city :  Clerk,  J .  H.  Winston,  Jr. ;  Commonwealth's  Attor- 
ney, W.  S.  Hamilton;  Treasurer,  C.  C.  Minor;  Sergeant,  Chas. 
Worley;  Commissioner  of  the  Kevenue,  J.  W.  Mort. 

The  court  thus  organized  has  continued  until  the  present  time 
and  is  at  this  time  presided  over  by  Judge  Wm.  S.  Stuart.     The 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  687 

city  of  Bristol  lias  ,gro\vn  rapidly  and  to-day  it  is  a  vei-y  thrifty  city, 
with  beautiful  sti-eets  and  many  large  and  handsome  business 
houses. 

In  the  city  of  Bristol  are  to  be  found  two  female  colleges — to- 
wit:  Sullins  College  and  the  Southwest  Virginia  Institute — that 
cannot  be  excelled  anywhere  in  the  South. 

In  the  year  1902  the  Norfolk  and  Western  Eailway  Company 
tore  down  the  old  depot,  erected  in  18G5,  and  on  the  same  site 
erected  as  handsome  a  depot  as  is  to  be  found  in  Southwest  Virginia. 

Census  of  Bristol^  Virginia. 

1880 1,562 

1890 2,902 

1900 4,579 

Census  of  Bristol,  Tennessee, 

1880 1,647 

1890 3,324 

1900 0,271 

Officers  of  Bristol-Goodson. 

Mayors. 

1871-1875—1.  C.  Fowler. 
1875-1886— John  F.  Terry. 
1886-1889— A.  F.  Miles. 
1889-1894— W.  A.  Eader. 
1894-1898— J.  H.  Winston,  Jr. 
1898-1902— Chas.  F.  Gauthier. 
1902  —William  L.  Eice. 

Sergeants. 

1871-1872— J.  L.  Ligon. 
1872-1874— D.  A.  Wheeler. 
1874-1875— W.  H.  Trammell. 
18,75-1877— E.  T.  Hamlet. 
1877-1881— John  B.  Keller. 
1881-1884— D.  A.  Wheeler. 
1884-1887— Chas.  Worley. 


688  Southivest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

1887-1888— W.  P.  Hughes. 
1888-1890— Chas.  Worley. 
1890-1892— W.  J.  Cox. 
1892-1894— Justin  King. 
1894-1898— John  H.  Gose. 
1900  — Luther  Eush,  resigned. 

1902  — Jerry  Bunting,  appointed. 

Recorder  and  Treasurer. 

• 

1870-1876— T.  J.  Millard. 
1876-1878— M.  T.  Devault. 
1878-1884— G.  G.  Hickman. 
1884-1885— James  Byrne. 
1885-1886— A.  F.  Miles. 
1886-1887— G.  G.  Hickman. 
1887-1888— John  D.  Witt. 
1888-1890— J.  W.  Mort,  Clerk. 
1890-1894— J.  H.  Winston,  Jr.,  Clerk. 
1894-1896— J.  A.  Stone, 
1896-1897— G.  H.  Eeed, 
1897-1900— H.  Doriot,  " 

1900-1902— W.  H.  Price,  Jr., 
1902  —J.  PI.  Gase, 

1902  —P.  C.  Marsh.  " 

Judges  of  Corporation  Court. 

1890-1896— Wm.  F.  PJiea. 
1896-1904— Wm.  S.  Stuart. 

Commonwealilis  A itorneys. 

1890-1894— William  S.  Hamilton. 
1894-1896— Preston  Lewis  Gray. 
1896-1904— John  S.  Ashworth. 

Chris  of  Corporation  Court. 

1890-1894— J.  H.  Winston,  Jr. 
1894-1896— Isaac  Sharett. 
1896-1898— James  A.  Stone. 
1898-1902— W.  H.  Price,  Jr. 
1902  —John  H.  Gose. 


WasMngton  County,  1777-1870.  689 

Treasurers. 

1890  — C.  C.  Minor. 

1890-1896— J.  L.  C.  Smith. 
1896-1904— J.  W.  Owens. 

Commissioners  of  the  Revenue. 

1890-1896— J.  W.  Mort. 
1896-1900— J.  W.  Frizzell. 
1900-1902— S.  D.  Keller. 
1902-1904— Geo.  W.  Hammit. 

Chief  of  Police. 

1896-1898— Geo.  W.  Wolf. 
*1898-1904— W.  B.  Ivilgore. 

VILLAGES  OF  WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 
Glade  Spring. 

Glade  Spring  is  situated  in  the  best  section  of  AVasliington  county, 
and  previous  to  the  spring  of  the  year  1856  but  five  houses  were  to 
be  found  in  that  vicinity,  viz.,  the  residence  of  David  Beattie, 
which  occupied  the  location  of  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  W.  B. 
Cobb ;  the  house  of  Beattie  Allison,  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Brewer ; 
a  log  house  occupied  by  David  (Proctor)  Edmondson,  on  the  lot 
where  Dr.  W.  L.  Dunn's  residence  stands;  the  residence  of  W.  Mc. 
Eyburn  and  the  residence  of  James  0.  Eyburn,  now  occupied  by 
his  widow. 

The  Virginia  and  Tennessee  railroad  was  completed  to  this  place 
in  the  spring  of  the  year  1856.  A  depot  was  built,  and  for  a 
short  time  was  called  Passawatamie,  but  it  was  changed  within  a 
short  time  to  Glade  Spring  by  the  request  of  all  the  citizens  of 
that  community. 

The  name  Glade  Spring  was  derived  from  Glade  Spring  Presby- 
terian church,  located  some  distance  south  of  the  town. 

In  the  year  1856,  about  the  time  the  depot  was  erected, 
W.  B.  Dickenson  and  J.  S.  Buchanan  employed  Francis  Smith, 
of  Abingdon,  to  erect  the  frame  building,  now  painted  red,  stand- 
ing a  short  distance  southwest  of  the  depot  and  on  the  main  road, 


*Lists  furnished  by  Captain  Frank  T.  Barr. 


690  Southivest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

and  Dickenson  &  Buchanan  occupied  tlic  same  as  a  storehouse  for 
five  years  thereafter.  This  was  the  first  husiness  liouse  established 
in  Glade  Spring. 

By  the  year  18G1,  a  considerable  village  had  grown  up  around 
the  depot  at  Glade  Spring  and  considerable  business  was  trans- 
acted there. 

This  is  one  town  in  Southwestern  Virginia  that  escaped  the 
ravages  of  the  Federal  forces  in  1864-1865,  the  depot  being  saved 
at  the  request  of  David  (Proctor)  Edmondson. 

Since  the  close  of  the  war  Ghide  S})ring  has  been  incorporated 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  Yirginia  and  now  has  a  full  quota 
of  town  officials,  namely: 

Mayor — J.  T.  Morris. 

Councilmen — W.  K.  Brooks,  M.  Y.  Edmondson,  J.  D.  Kent, 
Samuel  Keys  and  E.  M.  Atkins. 

Three  attorneys  at  law,  to-wit:  Seklen  Longiey,  S.  D.  Jones 
and  A.  M.  Dickenson,  have  had  their  homes  in  the  town  at  different 
times  since  1870,  and  for  a  number  of  years  a  newspaper  and  a 
bank  have  thrived  in  the  town. 

The  citizens  living  in  and  around  Glade  Spring  cannot  be  ex- 
celled for  virtue,  wealth,  intelligence  and  enterprise  anywhere  in 
our  country. 

Postmasters — Glade  Spring. 

Office  established  December  30,  1833. 
1833-1839— David  E.  Smyth. 
1839-1845— Nickerson  Snead. 
1845  — John  K.  Cunningham. 

1845-1847— Benjamin  F.  Aker. 
1847-1852— D.  M.  Stewart. 
1852-1853— Samuel  Vance. 
1853-1856— Abram  S.  Orr. 
1856  — James  Robinson. 

1856-1858— Eobert  H.  Henderson. 
1858-1869— James  S.  Buchanan. 
1869-1870- Lavinia  M.  Eyburn. 
1870-1872— Ann  S.  Cook. 
1872-1873— Eoger  Sullivan. 
1873-1874— Hiram  V.  Thompson. 
1874-1885— John  C.  O'Rear. 


Washington  Cotunly,  1777-1S70.  G91 

1885-1889— Eobert  S.  Ciinuingham. 
1889-1894— John  Faris. 
1894-1898- Joseph  D.  Williams. 
1898-1900— John  E.  Hendricks. 

j\rEAD0W  View. 

Tliis  is  a  tli)i\ing  village  about  seven  miles  east  of  Abingdon, 
on  the  Norfolk  and  Western  railwa}',  and  is  experiencing  a  rapid 
growth  at  the  present  time,  having  several  large  and  thriving 
stores,  several  beautiful  churches  and  a  number  of  very  thrifty 
people  for  citizens. 

The  name  of  this  village  was  suggested  by  the  location  (foi-- 
merly  "Edmondson's  Meadows"). 

Wyndale. 

For  many  years  this  village  was  known  as  Montgomery's  Switch, 
the  depot  having  been  located  on  the  lands  of  S.  W.  Montgomery, 
but  several  years  ago  the  name  of  the  railroad  station,  but  not 
the  postoffice,  was  changed  to  Wyndale  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Norfolk  and  Western  railway. 

This  village  has  experienced  some  growth  within  recent  years. 

Wallace's  Switch. 

When  the  railroad  reached  this  point  in  the  year  1856,  Major 
Goforth  was  the  owner  of  the  mill  at  that  point,  and  at  his  in- 
stance the  citizens  of  tlie  community  petitioned  the  railroad  for 
a  station,  and  the  station  was  established  and  called  Goforth's, 
but  tlie  name  was  shortly  changed  to  Wallace's  Switch  in  honor 
of  the  Eev.  W.  P.  Wallace,  a  Presbyterian  minister  who  lived  in 
that  community.  The  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  town  has 
been  greatly  retarded  in  recent  years  by  the  rapid  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  Bristol,  which  is  in  close  proximity  thereto. 

This  towTi  has  several  good  business  houses  and  churches  and 
an  excellent  flouring  mill,  owned  by  Dr.  W.  M.  Phillips. 

Mendota. 

Mendola  is  situated  on  the  North  Fork  of  Holston  river  op- 
posite the  noted  Kinderhook  farm  and  immediately  on  the  Vir- 
ginia and  Southwestern  railroad. 

The  excellent  river-bottom  lands  opposite  Mendota  were  pat> 
ented  by  the  Commonwealth  to  Thomas  Kendrick,  William  Todd 


693  Southivest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

Livingston  and  others,  and  the  home  of  Peter  Livingston  was  but 
a  short  distance  below  Mendota  at  the  time  the  noted  half-breed 
Benge  made  his  raid  thereon  in  the  year  1794. 

The  river-bottom  land  opposite  Mendota,  some  time  previous  to 
1860,  became  the  property  of  Adam  Hickmen,  a  native  of  Kinder- 
hook,  N.  Y,  Upon  his  acquisition  of  this  property,  he  gave 
it  the  name  of  Kinderhook,  and  from  this  farm  Kinderhook 
magisterial  district  derived  its  name. 

The  postofiice  at  this  point  was  for  many  years  Kinderhook, 
but  some  years  ago  the  name  was  changed  to  Mendota  by  Henry 
C.  Holly,  who  for  many  years  merchandised  at  that  place. 

A  number  of  thriving  business  houses  and  pretty  residences 
are  to  be  found  at  this  place,  and  several  physicians  and  one  law- 
yer reside  in  the  town. 

Hamilton  Institute  was  established  at  Mendota  in  the  year 
1874,  and  has  continued  from  that  time  to  be  the  resort  of  the 
ambitious  youth,  both  male  and  female,  of  that  section  of  this 
county,    x'^t  present  its  prosperity  is  fairly  good. 

Several  efforts  have  been  made  in  recent  years  to  organize  a 
new  county  out  of  parts  of  the  counties  of  Scott,  Washington  and 
Eussell,  and  Ifendota  has  been  the  only  place  suggested  as  the 
county  seat  of  the  proposed  new  county. 

Damascus. 

When  the  Abingdon  Coal  and  Iron  Eailroad  Company  was  first 
suggested,  and  for  some  years  thereafter,  the  location  of  this  town 
and  the  postoffice  at  this  place  were  known  as  Mock's  Mills  and 
remained  so  until  about  the  year  1892;  when  the  postoffice  was 
changed  to  Damascus  at  the  instance  of  General  J.  D.  Imboden, 
who  at  that  time  was  very  much  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
community. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  name  of  Damascus  was  given  to 
this  locality  because  of  a  fancied  resemblance  to  Damascus  in  Pales- 
tine, near  the  scene  of  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul. 

The  location  of  this  town  was  laid  off  into  streets  by  the  year 
1892,  and  the  plans  of  a  magnificent  hotel  and  numerous  business 
enterprises  were  projected;  but  the  crisis  came  soon  thereafter, 
and  all  growth  and  progress  ceased  until  about  the  year  1897. 

In  the  meantime  business  had  revived,  and  the  property  of  the 
Abingdon  Coal  and  Iron  Eailroad  Company  became  the  property 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  693 

of  the  Virginia  and  Carolina  Eailway  Company,  of  which  W.  E. 
Mingea,  of  Eoanoke,  was  president,  and  the  railroad  had  been 
completed  to  Damascus. 

The  first  train  carrying  passengers  reached  Damascus  on  the 
7th  day  of  February,  1900,  and  at  that  time  the  building  of  the 
Beaver  Dam  railroad  from  Damascus  to  Crandull,  Tennessee,  was 
b'eing  rapidly  pushed  to  completion,  and  every  preparation  was 
being  made  for  a  rapid  development  of  the  magnificient  water- 
power,  mineral  deposits  and  immense  forests  of  splendid  timber 
found  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Damascus. 

Since  that  time  the  Beaver  Dam  railroad  has  been  completed, 
and  the  Virginia  and  Carolina  Eailway  Company  has  been  ex- 
tended some  distance  up  Laurel  Fork  of  Holston  river  in  the  di- 
rection of  North  Carolina.  A  large  tannery,  extract  plant,  an 
extensive  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  and  numerous  saw  mills 
carried  on  by  hundreds  of  hands  are  at  work  in  and  around  Da- 
mascus at  the  present  time.  The  town  itself  has  experienced  a 
very  rapid  growth,  and  to-day  boasts  of  several  churches,  a  splen- 
did public  school  building,  a  number  of  prosperous  mercantile 
establishments,  one  physician,  Dr.  Fortune,  one  real  estate  agent, 
E.  F.  Fortime,  a  bank  and  many  thrifty  citizens. 

Greendale. 

Greendale  is  situated  six  miles  northwest  of  Abingdon  on  the 
Eussell  turnpike,  in  the  Eich  Valley.  The  name  of  tliis  town 
was  suggested  by  the  location,  and  the  town  boasts  of  an  excellent 
high  school,  several  stores,  two  mills,  several  churches  and  many 
good  citizens. 

Boundaries  of  Washington  County. 

The  boundaries  of  Washington  county,  with  the  exception  of 
the  southern  boundary,  between  this  county  and  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee, formerly  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  have  been  fully 
given  at  other  places  in  this  history,  and  as  to  them  there  has  been 
no  serious  controversy. 

The  southern  boundary  of  Virginia,  extending  from  Steep  Eock 
creek,  now  the  Laurel  Fork  of  Holston  river,  to  Cumberland  Gap, 
has  been  the  subject  of  controversy  since  the  coming  of  th"e  first 
settlers  to  this  portion  of  Virginia,  and,  therefore,  it  is  deemed 
proper  that  a  history  of  this  controversy  shonld  he  preserved, 


694  Southivcst  Virginia,  171,6-1786. 

The  first  charter  of  Virginia  was  granted  by  King  James  in 
the  year  IGOG  to  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  Sir  George  Somers,  Richard 
Hackluit,  Edward  Maria  Wingfield,  Thomas  Hanham,  Robert  Gil- 
bert, William  Parker  and  George  Popham,  and  embraced  all  the 
lands  lying  and  being  all  along  the  sea  coast  between  34°  of  north 
latitnde  from  the  eqninoctial  line,  and  45°  degrees  of  the  same 
latitude,  and  in  the  main  land  between  the  same  34  and  45  degrees 
of  latitnde  and  the  islands  thereunto  adjacent  or  within  one  hun- 
dred miles  of  the  coast  thereof. 

The  second  charter  of  Virginia  was  granted  by  King  James  in 
the  year  1G09  to'  the  treasurer  and  company  of  adventurers  and 
planters  of  the  city  of  London  for  the  first  Colony  of  Virginia. 

The  territory  thus  granted  was  described  as  follows:  "All  those 
lands,  countries  and  territories  situate,  lying  and  being  in  that 
part  of  America  called  Virginia,  from  the  point  of  land  called 
Cape  or  Point  Comfoi-t  all  along  the  sea  coast  to  the  northward 
two  hundred  miles,  and  from  the  said  point  of  Cape  of  Comfort 
all  along  the  sea  coast  to  the  southward  two  hundred  miles,  and 
all  that  space  and  circuit  of  land  lying  from  the  sea  coast  of  the 
precinct  aforesaid  up  into  the  lands  throughout  from  sea  to  sea 
west  and  north  west,  and  also  all  the  islands  lying  within  one  hun- 
dred miles  along  the  coast  of  both  seas  of  the  precinct  aforesaid. 

"In  the  year  1663,  Charles  II.,  King  of  England,  granted  a 
charter  to  Edward,  Earl  Clarendon,  George,  Duke  of  Albemarle, 
William,  Lord  Craven,  John,  Lord  Berkley,  Anthony,  Lord  Ash- 
ley, Sir  George  Carteret,  Sir  William  Berkley  and  Sir  John  Col- 
leton, of  all  that  territory  or  tract  of  ground  situated,  lying  and 
being  within  our  dominions  of  America,  extending  from  the  north 
end  of  Lucke  Island,  which  lyeth  in  the  southern  Virginia  seas 
and  within  six  and  thirty  degrees  of  the  northern  latitude,  and 
to  the  west  as  far  as  the  South  seas,  and  so  southerly  as  far  as  the 
river  St.  Mathias,  which  bordereth  upon  the  coast  of  Florida  and 
Mn'thin  one  and  thirty  degrees  of  northern  latitude,  and  so  west  in 
a  direct  line  as  far  as  the  South  seas  aforesaid." 

A  second  charter  was  granted  by  King  Charles  II.  in  the  year 
K'.C.'^  to  the  same  persons,  and  by  this  charter  the  northern  boun- 
diiry  of  Caroline  was  fixed  at  36°  and  30  minntes  north  latitude 
and  so  west  in  a  direct  line  to  the  South  seas. 

Considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  hj  the  twQ  colonies  in 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  695 

agreeing  upon  tlie  time  location  of  this  line  previously  to  tlie  year 
)77G,,  bul:,  notwithstanrling  these  difficulties,  tlie  lino  was  extended 
as  far  west  as  Steep  liock  •  creek,  now  Beaver  Dam  creek, 
in  this  county,  by  Joshua  Fry  and  Peter  Jefferson,  commissioners 
upon  the  part  of  Virginia,  and  Daniel  Weldon  and  William  Clmr- 
ton,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  ISTorth  Carolina. 

It  will  be  observed  that  tlie  lands  included  in  the  Carolina 
charter  had  been  previously  granted  by  King  James  to  the  treas- 
urer and  company  of  adventurers  and  planters  of  the  city  of  Lon- 
don for  the  first  Colony  in  Virginia,  and  a  similar  condition  ex- 
isted as  to  the  colonies  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 

When  the  delegates  and  representatives  from  the  several  coun- 
ties in  Virginia  met  in  Williamsburg  and  adopted  a  Constitution 
for  the  Commonwealth  on  tlie  5th  day  of  May,  1776,  section  21 
of  that  Constitution  contained  the  following  provision : 

"The  territories  contained  within  the  Charters,  erecting  the 
Colonies  of  ]\faryland,  Pennsylvania,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
are  hereby  ceded,  released  and  forever  confirmed  to  the  people  of 
these  colonies  respectively,  with  all  the  rights  of  property.  Juris- 
diction and  government,  and  all  other  rights  whatsoever,  which 
might,  at  time  heretofore,  have  been  claimed  by  Virginia,  except 
the  free  navigation  and  use  of  the  rivers  Patomoque  and  Poke- 
moke,  with  the.  property  of  the  Virginia  shores  and  strands,  bor- 
dering on  either  of  the  said  rivers,  and  all  improvements  which 
have  been  or  shall  be  made  thereon.  The  Western  and  Kortliern 
extent  of  Virginia  shall  in  all  respects  stand  as  fixed  by  the  Char- 
ter of  King  James  I.,  in  the  year  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
nine,  and  by  the  public  treaty  of  peace  between  the  courts  of 
Britain  and  France,  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-three;  unless,  by  Act  of  this  Legislature;  one  or  more  gov- 
ernments be  established  westward  of  the  Alleghany  mountains. 
And  no  purchases  of  lands  shall  be  made  of  the  Indian  natives, 
but  on  behalf  of  the  Public  by  authority  of  tlie  General  Assembly." 

Thus  Virginia  disposed  of  all  her  rights  in  and  to  the  large  ter- 
ritory included  within  the  State  of  North  Carolina. 

By  this  time  the  lands  west  of  the  mountains  and  exfending 
far  into  the  present  State  of  Tennessee  were  being  rapidly  settled, 
and  disputes  were  frequent  and  oftentimes  resulted  in  violence. 

The  first  controversy  as  to  the  true  location  of  this  line  in  this 


696  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

section  of  Virginia  arose  out  of  the  election  held  for  members  of 
the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county,  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  177.7. 

Tlie  right  of  Anthony  Bledsoe  and  William  Cocke,  the  delegates 
receiving  the  majority  of  votes  in  that  election,  was  contested  by 
Arthur  Campbell  and  William  Edmiston,  the  principal  ground  of 
their  contest  being  that  Bledsoe  and  Cocke  were  elected  by  citizens 
living  in  North  Carolina. 

The  contention  of  Campbell  and  Edmiston  was  not  sustained, 
and  the  citizens  living  as  far  down  as  the  Long  Island  of  Holston 
were  accepted  as  legal  voters  in  said  election. 

In  the  following  year  Arthur  Campbell  and  Anthony  Bledsoe 
were  elected  to  represent  this  county  in  the  House  of  Delegates 
of  Virginia  and,  upon  the  assembling  of  the  General  Assembly, 
Anthony  Bledsoe  presented  a  bill  for  extending  the  boundary  line 
between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  which  bill  became  a  law  at 
the  same  session  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  bill  as  thus  passed  was  as  follows : 

Whereas,  the  inhabitants  of  this  commonwealth  and  those  of 
the  State  of  North  Carolina  have  settled  themselves  farther  west- 
ward than  the  boundary  betw^een  the  said  two  states  hath  hitherto 
been  extended,  and  it  becomes  expedient  in  order  to  prevent  dis- 
putes among  such  settlers,  that  the  same  should  be  now  farther 
extended  and  marked.  Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  General  As- 
sembly, that  two  commissioners  shall  be  appointed  by  joint  ballot 
of  both  houses  of  assembly,  who  shall  have  authority  to  meet  with 
others  to  be  appointed  on  the  part  of  said  State  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  proceed  to  extend  and  mark  the  line  between  this  Com- 
monwealth and  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  beginning  where 
Joshua  Fry  and  Peter  Jefferson,  commissioners  from  Virginia, 
together  with  others  from  North  Carolina,  formerly  appointed  to 
run  the  said  line,  ended  their  work,  and,  if  that  be  found  to  be 
truly  in  the  latitude  of  thirty-six  degrees  thirty  minutes  north, 
then  to  run  from  thence  due  west  to  Tenasee  river,  or,  if  it  be 
found  not  truly  in  the  said  latitude,  then  to  run  from  the  said 
place  due  north  or  south  into  said  latitude,  and  thence  due  west  to 
the  said  Tenasee  river,  correcting  the  said  course  at  due  intervals 
by  asti'onomical  observations.  If  either  of  the  commissioners  so 
to  be  appointed  shall  decline  or  be  unable  to  go  through  the  duties 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  697 

of  his  appointmeiit,  the  governor  and  council  shall  appoint  some 
other  to  act  in  his  stead;  The  said  commissioners  shall  nominate 
svich  skillful  surveyor  to  execute  their  directions  and  such  other 
attendants  as  shall  be  necessary,  and  shall  endeavor  to  procure  the 
most  accurate  instruments,  which,  if  injured  in  said  service,  shall 
be  made  good  at  the  public  expense,  or  wholly  paid  for,  at  the 
election  of  the  proprietor,  if  borrowed  from  an  individual,  or  of 
any  such  other  person  or  persons,  as  shall  have  authority  to  make 
such  election,  if  borrowed  from  any  seminary  of  learning.  Bach 
commissioner  shall  be  allowed  for  his  trouble  herein  fifty  shillings 
per  day  for  every  day  he  shall  attend.  Each  surveyor  with  the 
chain  carriers  and  other  attendants,  shall  be  allowed  such  sums  as 
the  commissioners  shall  certify  they  respectively  ought  to  receive 
and  be  paid  by  the  treasurer  of  this  commonwealth  out  of  any 
publick  money  in  his  hands,  together  with  the  allowance  to  the 
commissioners  as  aforesaid;  and  the  saii commissioners  are  hereby 
directed  to  make  a  report  of  their  proceedings  to  the  general  as- 
sembly. 

And  whereas,  from  the  hostile  disposition  of  the  Indian  na- 
tions, it  may  be  unsafe  for  the  commissioners  and  attendants  to 
proceed  on  the  business  hereby  directed,  without  a  sufficient  guard 
to  protect  them.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  governor,  with 
the  advice  of  the  council,  shall,  on  application  of  the  commission- 
ers so  appointed  direct  and  order  a  sufficient  number  of  officers 
and  men  to  be  raised  for  that  purpose,  by  voluntary  enlistment,  or 
if  that  cannot  be  done,  then  to  be  furnished  from  the  militia  of 
such  counties  as  shall  be  convenient,  to  attend  the  said  commis- 
sioners as  a  guard,  and,  for  their  safe  conduct  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  business  by  this  act  directed  shall  order  them  a  sufficient 
number  of  tents  and  camp  utensils,  and  shall  appoint  a  commis- 
sary to  furnish  necessary  provisions  during  the  time  they  shall 
be  employed  for  the  purpose  aforesaid;  which  commissary  shall, 
previously  to  his  entering  on  the  execution  of  his  office,  give  bond 
with  sufficient  security  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty, 
and  shall  receive  for  his  services  such  allowance  as  is  given  to 
other  commissaries  of  this  commonwealth. 

In  the  year  1779,  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  concurred 
in  the  action  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  and  passed  the  fol- 
lowing Act: 

"Whereas,  the  iuliabitants  of  this  State  and  those  of  the  com- 


698  Southwest  Virginia,  17.^6-1186. 

raonwealth  of  Virginia,  have  settled  themselves  farther  west- 
wardly  than  the  boundary  between  the  said  two  States  hath 
hitherto  been  extended;  and  it  becomes  expedient  in  order  to  pre- 
vent disputes  among  such  settlers,  that  the  same  shall  be  further 
extended  and  marked.  2  Be  it  therefore  enacted,  &c.,  that  Oroon- 
dates  Davis,  John  Williams  (Caswell),  James  Kerr,  William 
Bailey  Smith  and  Eicliard  Henderson,  or  any  three  of  them,  bo 
and  they  are  hereby  appointed  commissioners  with  full  power  and 
authority  to  meet  with  other  commissioners  from  the  common- 
wealth of  Virginia,  and  to  proceed  to  extend  and  mark  the  line 
between  that  commonwealth  and  this  State,  beginning  where 
Joshua  Frye  and  Peter  Jefferson,  commissioners  on  the  part  of 
Virginia,  together  with  Daniel  Weldon  and  William  Churton,  from 
North  Carolina,  formerly  appointed  to  run  the  said  line,  ended 
their  work;  and  if  that  be  found  to  be  truly  in  the  latitude  of 
thirty-six  degrees  thirty  minutes  north  then  to  run  from  thence 
due  west  to  Tennessee  or  the  Ohio  river;  or  if  it  be  found  not  truly 
in  said  latitude,  then  to  run  from  the  said  place  due  north  or  due 
south,  in  the  said  latitude,  and  thence  due  west  to  the  said  Ten- 
nessee or  Ohio  river;  correcting  the  said  course  at  due  intervals 
by  astronomical  observations.  If  either  of  the  commissioners  by 
this  act  appointed  shall  decline,  or  be  unable  to  go  through  the 
duties  of  his  appointment,  the  Governor  and  Council  shall  appoint 
some  other  to  act  in  his  stead. 

And  the  said  commissioners  are  hereby  directed  to  make  report 
of  their  proceedings  to  the  General  Assembly"* 

The  Governor  of  Virginia,  pursuant  to  the  authority  vested  in 
him,  directed  Thomas  Sharp  and  a  company  of  militia  to  act  as 
guard  to  the  commissioners  while  running  the  boundary  line  as 
directed,  and  designated  Anthony  Bledsoe  to  act  as  commissary 
to  the  commissioners  and  the  guard  while  running  said  line. 

The  Governor  of  Virginia,  pursuant  to  the  authority  vested  in 
him,  appointed  Dr.  Thomas  W^alker  and  Daniel  Smith  commis- 
sioners upon  the  part  of  Virginia,  and  the  Virginia  commissioners, 
in  the  summer  of  1779,  met  the  J^orth  Carolina  commissioners 
at  Steep  Eock  creek,  and  proceeded  to  discharge  the  duties  di- 
.roftcd  by  the  General  Assemblies  of  the  two  States. 

As  to  what  occurred  at  this  time  and  upon  this  undertaking,  the 

^'KovLsed  Stiitutes  of  N.  C,  Vol.  IF.,  page  82. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  699 

report  of  Dr.  Walker  and  Daniel  Smith  is  the  best  evidence,  and 
is  here  given : 

To  the  Honorable,  the  Speaker  and  Gentlemen  of  the  House  of 

Delegates: 

"In  obedience  to  ah  act  of  the  assembly  entitled  "An  act  for 
extending  the  boundary  line  between  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina/' 

We,  the  subscribers,  proceeded  to  run  the  said  Line.  

The  gentlemen  from  North  Carolina  did  not  meet  us  so  soon  as 
had  b'een  agreed;  and  after  they  came  many  accidents  happened 
which  protracted  the  business.  The  place  where  Messrs.  Fry  and 
Jefferson  ended  their  line,  on  Steep  Eock  creek,  could  not  be 
found,  owing,  we  suppose,  to  so  much  of  the  timber  thereabout 
being  since  dead !  We  proceeded  to  observation  in  order  to  fix 
upon  the  spot  on  Steep  Eock  creek,  where  we  should  begin.  On 
Monday,  6th  September,  1779,  having  agi-eed  with  the  Carolina 
gentlemen  in  Observation,  the  following  Memorandums  were  en- 
tered on  their  Journal  as  well  as  ours,  as  proper  preliminaries 
agreed  upon,  necessary  for  fixing  this  line.  Viz.  "That  the  Sun's 
Meridian  Altitude  was  this  day  fifty-nine  degrees  fifty-two 
minutes — ^that  this  place  of  observation  was  one  minute  and 
twenty-five  seconds  north  of  the  proper  latitude,  or  one  mile,  two 
hundred  and  one  poles  and  a  half — That  at  Steep  Eock  we  were 
in  superficial  measure  339  miles  West  of  Currituck  Inlet:  That 
there  should  be  an  abatement  of  twelve  miles  for  mountainous 
and  imeven  ground,  or  that  we  were  317  miles  or  five  degrees  and 
forty-two  minutes  west  of  Currituck  Inlet;  That  a  degree  of  longi- 
tude in  this  latitude  is  48.23  geographic  miles,  or  of  statute  miles 
55  and  1,083  yards.  That  Currituck  Inlet  was  in  75  degrees  30 
minutes  west  Longitude,  this  being  the  average  of  three  differ- 
ent accounts,  and  of  course  that  the  Longitude  we  were  then  in 
was  81  degrees  18  minutes  west  of  London.  We  measured  off  the 
one  mile  and  201^/2  poles  a  due  south  course,  and  the  beginning 
of  the  line  was  thus  fixed  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  We  should 
not  have  troubled  you  with  these  particulars,  but  for  some  subse- 
quent events  which  make  us  think  it  our  duty.  After  running 
the  line  as  far  as  Carter's  valley  45  miles  west  of  Steep  Eock 
creek,  the  Carolina  gentlemen  then  conceived  the  line  was  farther 
South  than  it  ought  to  be,  and  on  trial  it  was  found  that  the  va- 


700  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

riation  of  the  needle  had  altered  a  little,  which  must  have  hap- 
pened very  lately,  and  was  owing,  w©  believe,  to  oiir  being  just 
then  near  some  Iron  Ore:  because  on  observing  the  Sun's  Meri- 
dian Altitude  the  line  was  not  too  far  South.  As,  the  Carolina 
gentlemen,  by  their  Observations,  made  out  otherways,  they  pro- 
posed that  the  surveyors  on  each  side  should  observe  and  fix  the 
latitude.  This  was  agreed  to  by  one  of  us,  influenced  by  a  knowl- 
edge of  a  small  change  of  the  variation,  and  was  not  dissented  to 
by  the  other,  as  most  of  the  observations  on  the  part  of  Virginia 
had  been  made  by  him.  But,  quite  contrary  to  our  expectations, ' 
they  agreed  that  we  were  more  than  two  miles  too  far  South  of 
the  proper  latitude,  which  distance  was  measured  off  directly  north 
and  the  line  run  eastward  from  that  place  superintended  by  two 
of  the  Carolina  gentlemen,  and  one  of  us;  while  from  the  same 
place  it  was  continued  westwardly,  superintended  by  the  others 
for  the  sake  of  expediting  the  business.  The  instruments  proper 
for  ascertaining  the  latitude,  were  mostly  taken  back  on  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  line,  in  order  that  those  who  superintended  it 
might  be  farther  satisfied ;  but  after  going  back  more  than  twenty 
miles,  and  observing  every  day  on  this  line,  his  judgment  was  un- 
alterably fixed  that  this  line  was  wrong,  although  the  Carolina 
gentlemen  could  not  seem  to  be  of  this  opinion,  and  he  returned 
and  overtook  his  colleague  on  the  Western  part  of  the  line  on 
Blackwater  creek  or  thereabouts,  to  whom  he  imparted  his  senti- 
ments, proposing  that  he  should  also  observe  for  some  days — 
which  he  did — The  result  was  that  we  concluded  our  first  line  right, 
and  we  brO'Ught  it  up  accordingly  from  Carter's  valley  where  it 
had  been  left  and  continued  on  with  it  to  the  westward. 

It  was  once  after  this  proposed  by  us,  and  agreed  to  by  the 
Carolina  Gentlemen,  that  as  we  differed  so  much  in  Observation 
we  would  each  run  his  own  line,  encamp  as  near  together  as  we 
could  and  let  future  observers  hereafter  to  be  appointed,  de- 
termine which  was  right,  which  might  be  done  at  a  small  expense. 
But  this  they  afterwards  declined,  although  they  carried  their  line 
as  far  as  Cumberland  mountain,  protesting  against  our  line. 
This  protest  was  received  in  a  letter  after  we  had  crossed  Cumber- 
land mountain.  We  continued  however  as  far  as  Clear  fork,  being 
12334  miles  from  Steep  Eock  creek,  marking  a  Poplar  and  two 
Hackberry  trees  with  initials  of  our  names  and  with  November 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  701 

22,  1779,  and  had  serious  thoughts  of  going  no  further.  But  when 
we.  considered  that,  perhaps,  three-fourths  of  the  whole  expense 
was  already  incurred,  that  a  number  of  People  were  settling  to 
the  Westward,  who  imagined  they  were  in  North  Carolina,  while 
we  thought  they  were  on  the  lands  reserved  for  our  officers  and 

soldiers : These  and  some  more  of  the  like  considerations, 

made  us  think  it  more  conducive  to  the  good  of  the  State  in  gen- 
eral that  we  should  keep  on,  than  that  we  should  return.  But  as 
the  season  was  far  advanced  and  the  Country  before  us,  as  far  as 
it  was  known,  was  very  mountainous  and  barren,  not  yielding  a 
sufficient  quantity  ot  Cane  for  our  pack  horses,  which  for  some 
time  had  been  their  principal  support:  these,  among  other  reasons, 
made  us  judge  it  best  to  leave  off  running  the  line  here,  and  go 
farther  to  the  westward,  into  a  "better  Country,  where,  by  reason 
of  many  people  being  about  to  settle,  it  might  be  of  importance 
to  run  the  line  speedily.  The  map  will  show  our  route  to  a  place 
on  Cumberland  Eiver,  where  we  built  canoes  to  carry  our  luggage 
and  rest  the  pack  horses,  which  were  too  much  reduced  to  do  ser- 
vice that  way.  And  here,  to  add  to  the  number  of  our  difficulties 
and  misfortunes,  we  were  frozen  up  more  than  forty  days  in  a  river 
never  known  to  be  frozen  before.  We  went  by  water  from  this 
j)lace  until  we  got  into  the  proper  latitude  (as  we  judge  one  hun- 
dred and  nine  miles  west  of  Clear  Fork)  and  began  the  line  on 
two  Beech  trees  marked  with  our  names  and  Feb'y  25,  1780,  on  the 
West  bank  of  Cumberland  Eiver,  a  creek  coming  in  about  a  mile 
above  us  on  the  AVest  side,  and  another  one  so^mewhat  smaller 
about  half  a  mile  below  us  on  the  East  side.  From  this  place  we 
extended  the  line  across  the  heads  of  Green  Eiver  and  Eed  river, 
through  a  country  called  the  Barrens,  from  there  being  little  or 
no  timber  in  it,  in  many  places,  crossed  the  Cumberland  again  at 
131  miles,  where  there  is  a  cliff  on  the  Northeast  side,  and  a  bot- 
tom about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  broad  on  the  other  side,  and  at 
the  end  of  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  one  quarter  and  eight 
poles  from  the  two  Beech  trees,  on  the  23rd  day  of  March  found 
ourselves  on  the  Bank  of  the  Tennessee  Eiver,  and  of  course  had 
run  the  line  as  far  westward  as  we  were  authorized  to  do,  not- 
withstanding the  hardships  and  difficulties  we  had  to  contend 
with — One  of  us  kept  through  the  woods  with  the  surveyor  while 
the  other  went  down  by  water,  by  which  means  a  tolerable  map  of 


702  Southwest  Virginia,  17-^6-1786. 

ilie  CuiJiljciJiiiid  Ikivcr  is  takeii^  ii  liii*'  rivfr,  lje'in<^'  navigabh;  sit, 
least  700  jiiih-s  froiii,  ili'i-  rnoiitli  upwards.  Wlicii  wo  liad  roturnt'd 
liO'RiCwards  about  IGO  Jiiiles  we  met  with  orders  I'roiii  his  Excel- 
lency the  Governor  to  do  another  piece  of  service,  wliich  we  sup- 
pose he  has  made  you  acquainted  with. 

"We  have  also  since  seen  Col.  Henderson,  one  of  the  JSToi-th 
Carolina  commissioners  who^  with  another  of  his  Colleagues  has 
been  examining  our  line,  and  he  has  repeatedly  given  us  more 
reason  to  believe  their  state  will  establish  the  line  as  we  ran  it. 

"Thomas    Walker. 
"Daniel    Smith.'' 

This  report  of  the  Virginia  commissioners  accompanied  the 
Governor's  communication  tO'  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  in 
the  year  1780,  and  was  received  by  the  Legislature  and  ratified, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  Anthony  Bledsoe,  who  had  acted  as  com- 
missary to  the  commissioners,  and  Thomas  Sharp  and  his  com- 
pany of  militia,  who  had  acted  as  guard  to  the  commissioners, 
were  allowed  compensation  for  their  expenses,  etc. 

If  Richard  Henderson  and  his  associates  made  a  report  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ob- 
tain it.  The  disorder  that  prevailed  upon  the  failure  of  the  com- 
missioners to  agree  was  alarming.  Tlie  criminals  of  the  country 
found  a  place  of  security  between  the  lines  as  run  by  Walker  and 
Henderson,  and  the  people  living  between  said  lines  refused  to' 
pay  taxes  or  perform  military  services  in  either  State. 

The  Virginia  Legislature,  on  the  0th  of  June,  1781,  adopted 
the  following  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  committee  that  another 
and  more  pointed  representation  may  be  made  to  the  General  As- 
sembly of  North  Carolina,  in  support  of  the  title  of  tlie  citizens 
of  Virginia  as  well  as  the  title  of  others,  circumstanced  as  they 
are,  to  lands  which,  previous  to  the  lat'e  extension  of  the  boundary 
line  between  this  State  and  that  of  North  Carolina  were  supposed 
to  be  in  this  commonwealth,  but  since  have  been  proved  to  lie  in 
the  said  State  of  North  Carolina. 

"Resolved,  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  committee,  that  such  other 
parts  of  the  said  memorial  as  pray  that  a  public  agent  may  be  ap- 
pointed to  present  the  same  to  the  General  Assembly  of  said  State 
of  North  Carolina,  and  receive  their  final  answer  thereupon,  are 


Washington  Countij,  1117-1810.  703 

reasonable  and  that  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  of  the  Council,  he 
authorized  and  required  to  appoint  such  an  agent." 

And  on  the  15th  of  December,  1783,  when  the  situation  was  pre- 
carious indeed,  the  General  Assembly  of  A'irginia  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  of  his  Council, 
be  authorized  and  required  to  propose  to  the  Stafe  of  North  Caro- 
lina, either  to  confirm  the  boundary  line  extended  by  the  Virginia 
commissioners  between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina, or  to  choose  able  commissioners  from  some  other  of  the 
United  States,  who  shall  begin  where  Joshua  Fry  and  Peter  Jef- 
ferson, commissioners  from  Virginia,  together  with  others  from 
North  Carolina,  formerly  appointed  to-  run  the  same  line,  ended 
their  work:  And  if  the  termination  of  the  old  line  be  found  truly 
in  the  latitude  of  thirty-six  degrees  80'  north,  to  extend  the  same 
to  the  river  Mississippi,  and  should  the  termination  of  the  old 
line  not  be  truly  in  the  latitude  aforesaid,  then  i^  run  from  thence 
due  north  or  south  to  the  same,  and  fi'om  thence  di^c  west  to  the 
river  Mississippi ;  and  that  all  necessary  expenses  incurred  in  car- 
rying this  resolution  into  execution  be  paid  out  of  any  money  in 
the  hands  of  the  treasurer,  not  otherwise  appropriated."* 

But  the  General  Assembly  of  jSTorth  Carolina,  for  some  reason, 
delayed  action  as  to  the  confirmation  of  the  Walker  line  until  the 
year  1789.  In  the  meantime  the  authorities  of  Washington 
county  were  exercising  all  their  energies  in  keeping  the  peace  and 
preserving  order  in  the  disputed  territory. 

Colonel  Arthur  Campl)ell,  the  county  lieutenant  of  Washing- 
ton county,  in  answer  to'  an  inquiry,  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  in  the  year  1787: 

"Sir, — If  I  recollect  right,  about  the  year  1749,  the  boundary 
line  betwixt  Virginia  and  N.  Carolina  was  extended  by  Col.  Fry 
and  Jefferson  as  far  Avest  as  a  place  called  Steep  Eock  creek,  since 
known  by  the  name  of  Laurel  Fork  of  the  Holston  Eiver.  This 
line  being  extended  on  the  true  latitude  by  commissioners  on  both 
sides,  and  mutually  agreed  to  was  returned  and  recorded  in  Public 
Offices  in  both  States. 

"In  1779,  the  Commissioners,  Thomas  Walker  and  Daniel 
Smith,   on   the   part   of   Virginia,   and   Richard   Henderson   and 


•^Journal  House  of  Delegates,  1781. 


704  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jt6-1786. 

James  Smith  on  the  part  of  North  Carolina,  met  at  the  place 
where  Fry  and  Jefferson  left  off,  and,  after  spending  many  days  in 
making  observations,  agreed  to  continue  Fry  and  Jefferson's  line 
as  the  tnie,  or  at  least  nearest  the  true  latitude.  Both  parties  pro- 
ceeded amicably  about  40  miles,  until  they  crossed  the  north  fork 
of  Holston,  near  the  Great  Island.  By  this  time  the  Pilots  and 
Hunters  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  both  Cumberland  Gap  and 
the  settlement  on  Cumberland  Eiver,  at  the  French  Lick,  would 
both  fall  into  Virginia.  A  halt  was  made  and  several  days  passed 
in  making  observations,  debating,  and  even  abusing  one  another. 
Henderson  said  the  line  must  be  run  crooked,  and  insisted  on  de- 
lay until  a  parallel  at  two  miles  distant,  north  of  the  line  then 
run,  should  be  extended  eastward  back,  which  would  prove  whether 
the  surveyors  had  lost  the  latitude  and  run  the  line  crooked.  To 
this  Dr.  Walker  assented,  that  if  the  line  was  found  crooked  he 
would  rectify  it.  The  surveyors  ran  back  accordingly,  accom- 
panied by  two  commissioners,  and  the  line  was  found  equi-distant 
in  all  parts  that  Avas  tryed.  It  was  then  acknowledged  that  the 
error  did  not  proceed  from  the  surveyors.  Notwithstanding  which, 
Henderson  proceeded  westwardly  on  the  north  line  and  Walker  on 
that  of  the  South,  it  being  a  due  west  direction  from  Steep  Eock. 
The  Commissioners,  when  they  reached  Cumberland  mountain 
again,  had  a  meeting  and  spent  many  days  in  taking  observations. 
At  length  Walker  proceeded  on  over  the  mountain  with  his  line, 
without  being  accompanied  by  Henderson,  spent  the  winter  in 
the  woods  and,  the  next  spring,  continued  the  line  to  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  Carolina  Commissioners  left  off  at  Cumberland  Moun- 
tain, and  when  they  found  that  the  boundary  run  by  Dr.  Walker 
left  the  French  Lick  upwards  of  twenty  miles  to  the  South,  they 
seemed  well  satisfied,  and  it  was  generally  thought  that  Dr.  Wal- 
ker's report  would  be  agreed  to  and  signed  by  both  parties.  But, 
from  what  motive  I  know  not,  yet  Henderson  returned  his  works 
as  run  only  to  the  Cumberland  Mountain  to  the  Executive  of  North 
Carolina.  And  I  have  been  told  that  the  papers  have  since  lain 
dormant,  no  opinion  having  been  given  one  way  or  tJie  other. 

"The  People  settled  between  those  lines  have  ever  since  adhered 
to  either  State,  as  Interest,  caprice  and  sometimes  very  unworthy 
jnotives  dictated.     Although  the  public  authority  seeras,  in  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  705 

first  instance,  to  be  blamable,  yet  the  evil  amongst  the  people  is 
increasing,  and  prudence  points  out  delay  as  improper." 

In  the  meantime  Daniel  Smith  had  appeared  before  the  General 
Assembly  of  North  Carolina  and  represented  to  that  body  the 
true  situation  of  affairs  in  the  disputed  territory,  and,  as  a  result, 
the  committee  to  whom  the  communication  from  the  Virginia 
authorities  had  been  referred,  reported  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  North  Carolina  at  their  session  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1789, 
which  report  is  as  follows : 

REPOET 

Of  the  Committee. of  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina,  on  Wal- 
ker's Line,  at  their  session  at  Fayetteville,  which  began  on 
the  3nd.  of  November  and  ended  on  the  22nd.  of  De- 
cember, 1789. 

Mr.  Person,  from  the  committee  tO'  whom  was  referred  the  let- 
ter from  his  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  on  the  subject 
of  establishing  the  boundaries  between  this  State  and  Virginia, 
reported  that  it  is  proposed  on  the  part  of  Virginia  that  the  line 
commonly  called .  Walker's  line  be  established  as  the  boundary  be- 
tween us.  Should  this  proposal  not  be  acceptable  to  tliis  State, 
they  then  will  appoint  commissioners  to  meet  any  persons  who 
may  be  appointed  on  the  part  of  North  Carolina,  empowered  to 
confer  on  the  propriety  of  establishing  Walker's  or  Henderson's 
line,  and  to  report  to  the  Legislature  of  tlieir  respective  State 
their  proceedings. 

On  examining  the  manner  in  which  those  lines  were  run  by  the 
commissioners  in  the  year  1780,  they  iind  that  the  commissioners 
began  and  extended  the  line  together  about  forty  miles,  when  some 
difference  took  place  and  the  commissioners  on  the  part  of  this 
State  ran  a  parallel  line  two  miles  north  of  the  other  line,  for 
about  half  the  distance,  and  extended  the  line  no  farther.  Mr. 
Walker  and  the  other  commissioners  from  Virginia  extended  the 
line  to  the  Tennessee  river  and  marked  its  termination  on  the 
Mississippi  by  observations,  leaving  the  line  from  the  Tennessee 
to  that  place  unsurveyed. 

As  the  difference  between  said  lines  would  be  only  two  miles, 
running  most  of  the  distance  through  a  mountainous,  barren  coun- 
try, and  as  they  have  great  reason  to  believe,  from  the  information 


TOG  Southivest  Virginia,  17J,6-17S6. 

of  General  Smith,  that  the  commonly  called  Walker's  line  is  the 
true  line,  your  committee  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  object  is  not 
worth  the  expense  of  sending  commissioners  to  confer  on  the 
propriety  of  establishing  Henderson's  line  in  preference  to  that  of 
any  other  and  do  recommend  that  a  law  be  passed  confirming  and 
establishing  the  line  usually  called  Walker's  line  as  the  boundary 
between  this  State  and  the  State  of  Virginia,  with  a  reservation 
in  favor  of  the  oldest  grants  from  either  State  in  deciding  the 
rights  of  individual  claimants  in  the  tract  of  country  between  the 
two  lines  commonly  called  Henderson's  and  Walker's  lines. 

This  report  was  not  definitely  acted  upon  until  the  11th  of  De- 
cember, 1790,  upon  which  day  an  Act  was  passed  establishing  Wal- 
ker's line  as  the  boundary  line  between  the  States,  which  action  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  I^orth  Carolina  was  immediately  com- 
municated to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  at  the  fall  session,  1791, 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  and  on  the  ,7th  day  of  De- 
cember the  following  action  was  taken  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  Virginia : 

§  1.  Whereas,  official  information  hath  been  received  by  the 
General  Assembly  that  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  North 
Carolina  have  resolved  to  establish  the  line  as  the  boundary  line 
between  Nortli  Carolina  and  this  Commonwealth,  and  it  is  judged 
expedient  to  confirm  and  establish  the  said  line  on  the  part  of 
this  State,  be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly,  that 
the  line  commonly  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Walker's 
line  shall  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  declared,  to  be  the  boundary 
line  of  this  State. 

§  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  in  all  courts  of  law  and 
equity  within  this  Commonwealth,  the  claims  for  lands  lying  be- 
tween the  line  commonly  called  Walker's  line  and  the  line  com- 
monly called  Henderson's  line  shall  be  decided  in  favor  of  the 
oldest  title,  whether  derived  from  this  Commonwealth  or  from 
the  State  of  North  Carolina. 

In  the  meantime  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  through  her  sena- 
tors in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  had  conveyed  and  ceded 
to  the  United  States  of  America  all  of  her  western  possessions,  in- 
cluding the  territory  affected  by  the  disputed  line  and  which  ces- 
sion was  accepted  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  on  the  7th 
day  of  April,  1790. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  '5'07 

As  a  result,  the  authorities  of  the  southwest  territory,  now  in- 
cluded in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  denied  the  right  of  North  Caro- 
lina to  act  in  the  premises,  and  held  the  action  taken  to  be  invalid, 
and  asserted  their  right  to  the  territory  lying  between  the  Walker 
and  Henderson  lines. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1792,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  by 
proclamation,  asserted  the  authority  of  this  Commonwealth  to  the 
lands  in  dispute,  and  directed  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell,  the 
county  lieutenant  of  this  county,  to  transmit  a  copy  of  the  law 
and  proclamation  to  William  Blount,  the  Governor  of  the  south- 
west territory,  and  to  Gilbert  Christian,  the  county  lieutenant  of 
Sullivan  county. 

Pursuant  to  the  direction  of  the  Governor,  Colonel  Campbell, 
on  the  7th  of  June,  1792,  addressed  the  following  letter  to  Gov- 
ernor Blount: 

"Sir, — I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  a  law,  with  a  proclamation  of  the 
Governor  of  Virginia,  by  the  same  conveyance.  I  am  instructed 
to  exercise  the  authority  of  the  State  to  the  boundary,  usually 
called  Walker's  line.  In  this  business,  it  is  the  wish  of  the  Execu- 
tive that  the  subordinate  officers  conduct  themselves  in  an  amica- 
ble manner  to  the  inliabitants  over  which  North  Carolina  for- 
merly exercised  'Jurisdiction,  and  with  due  respect  to  the  authority 
of  the  Government  south  of  the  Eiver  Ohio;  these  orders  are  per- 
fectly consonant  to  my  own  feelings  and  sentiments.  Therefore, 
Sir,  if  you  have  any  objections  to  make  to  the  change  taking  place, 
or  anything  to  ask  in  favor  of  the  people,  it  will  be  respectfully 
attended  to  by  me  and  immediately  reported  to  the  Governor  of 
Virginia. 

"I  am  Sir,  Your  most  Ob't  Serv't, 

"A.  Campbell." 

At  the  same  time  Colonel  Campbell  addressed  a  letter  to  Gil- 
bert Christian  asking  information  as  to  the  orders  given  by  Gov- 
ernor Blount  as  to  the  disputed  territory,  and  in  reply  received 
the  following  letter  from  Gilbert  Christian : 

"Dear  Sir, — Some  days  past  I  received  a  letter  from  you,  re- 
questing me  to  inform  you  whether  Governor  Blount  had  given 
special  orders  to  me  to  draft  between  Walker's  and  Henderson's 
lines.  Sir,  my  orders  are  to  draft  the  men  required  from  the  County 
of   Sullivan,   which  I   conceived  extends   from  Henderson's   line 


708  Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1780. 

from  everytliing  I  have  laiown  or  seen,  respecting  that  matter  for 
when  the  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  passed  the  cession  Act,  that 
part  was  claimed  by  North  Carolina,  but  after  they  passed  the  s'd 
cession  Act,  and  at  the  same  Assembly  they  passed  a  resolve,  giv- 
ing up  that  part  to  Virginia  with  a  condition  Congress  wonld  con- 
sent to  it,  which  has  never  been  done  as  I  know  of.  I  have  seen,  a 
proclamation  from  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  informing  the  peo- 
ple in  those  bounds  that  the  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  made  such 
a  Eesolve,  and  at  the  next  year's  Assembly  they  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  confirm  the  s'd  Eesolve,  which  they  did.  But  Congress 
had  received  the  cession  Act,  before  that  several  months,  and 
appointed  and  commissioned  Governor  Blount  to  exercise  his  au- 
thority over  the  ceded  territory.  I  cannot  see  what  right  North 
Carolina  had  to  say  anything  about  our  territory,  without  our  con- 
sent or  the  consent  of  Congress,  for  the  Constitution  says  the  peo- 
ple are  not  to  be  bound  by  law,  but  by  their  own  consent,  either  by 
themselves  or  by  their  Representatives  in  General  Assembly.  So, 
Sir,  I  apprehend  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  had  as  great  a  right 
to  have  confirmed  the  aforesaid  Resolve  as  the  State  of  North 
Carolina.  If  the  Executive  of  your  State  had  mentioned  in  the 
Proclamation  a  confirmation  of  the  Resolve  aforesaid  by  Congress, 
it  might  have  been  considered  authentick,  but  as  it  is  I  cannot  con- 
ceive it  so." 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  letter.  Colonel  Campbell  enclosed  the 
same  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  addressed  the  following 
letter  to  the  Governor : 

"Sir, — The  enclosed  letter  from  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
militia,  of  Sullivan  county,  seems  to  be  an  avowal  of  an  opposition 
to  an  act  of  our  Legislature,  for  establishing  Walker's  line  as  the 
boundary  line  to  this  State. 

"That  I  conceive  it  my  duty  to  forward  it  to  your  Excellency. 
About  half  of  the  inhabitants  between  the  lines  seem  desirous  to 
be  governed  by  the  laws  of  Virginia,  but  they  complain  of  it  as  an 
oppression  to  be  harassed  by  the  authority  of  the  Southwest  Ter- 
ritory, and  to  pay  obedience  to  the  laws  of  this  State  at  the  same 
time." 

The  authorities  of  the  Southwest  Territory  used  every  means 
possible  to  induce  the  people  in  the  disputed  territory  to  give  their 
allegiance  to  the  Southwest  Territory.    Governor  Blount  published 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  709 

in  the  Knoxville  Gazette,  on  the  10th  of  March,  1792,  a  communi- 
cation Vhich  purported  to  give  the  reasons  why  the  people  living 
in  the  disputed  territor}^  should  he  subject  to  the  authority  of  the 
territory.  The  arguments  used  were  exemption  from  the  payment 
of  taxes,  local  convenience  and  the  accessibility  of  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment of  the  Southwest  Territoiy. 

The  State  of  Tennessee  was  admitted  into  the  Union  on  the  1st 
day  of  June,  1796,  and  the  Constitution  of  the  State  adopted  in 
the  same  year  defines  the  boundaries  of  the  State  as  follows : 

"Beginning  on  the  extreme  height  of  the  Stone  mountain  at  the 
place  where  the  line  of  Virginia  intersects  it  in  latitude  thirty- 
six  degrees  and  thirty  minutes  north,  running  thence  along  the 
extreme  height  of  the  said  mountain  to  the  place  where  Watauga 
Eiver  breaks  through  it;  thence  a  direct  course  to  the  top  of  the 
Yellow  mountain,  wliere  Bright's  road  crosses  the  same;  thence 
along  the  ridge  of  said  mountain,  between  the  waters  of  Doe  Eiver 
and  the  waters  of  Eock  Creek,  to  the  place  where  the  road  crosses 
the  Iron  Mountain ;  from  thence  along  the  extreme  height  of  said 
mountain  to  the  place  where  Nolichucky  Eiver  runs  through  the 
same;  thence  to  the  top  of  Bald  ]\Iountain;  thence  along  the  ex- 
treme height  of  said  mountain  to  the  Painted  Eock,  on  French 
Broad  Eiver;  thence  along  the  highest  ridge  of  said  mountain  to 
the  place  where  it  is  called  the  Great  Iron  or  Smoky  Mountain; 
thence  along  the  extreme  height  of  said  mountain  to  the  place 
where  it  is  called  the  Unicoi  or  Unaka  Mountain,  between  the 
Indian  towns  of  Cowee  and  Old  Chota;  thence  along  the  main 
ridge  of  the  said  mountain  to  the  southern  boundary  of  this  State, 
as  described  in  the  Act  of  session  of  North  Carolina  to  the  United 
States  of  America  that  all  the  territory,  lands  and  waters  lying 
west  of  said  line,  contained  in  the  chartered  limits  of  the  State 
of  North  Carolina,  are  within  the  boundaries  and  limits  of  this 
State." 

The  boundaries  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  as  fixed  by  the  Con- 
stitution of  1796  were  incorporated  in  the  Constitutions  of  that 
State,  adopted  in  the  years  1834  and  1870. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Tennes- 
see designates  their  northern  line  to  be  in  thirty-six  degrees  and 
thirty  minutes  north  latitude,  when,  in  fact,  the  line  now  insisted 


710  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

upon  by  that  State  is  in  latitude  36°  36'  00.94",  or  6'  00.94"  north 
of  the  true  line. 

Such  was  the  condition  oi  affairs  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1800. 

On  the  10th  of  January,  1800,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
adopted  the  following  resolution : 

^'Resolved,  That  the  Executive  be  authorized  and  requested  to 
appoint  three  commissioners,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  meet  com- 
missioners to  be  appointed  by  the  State  of  Tennessee,  to  settle  and 
adjust  all  differences  concerning  the  said  boundary  line^  and 
to  establish  the  one  or  the  other  of  the  said  lines,  as  the 
case  may  be,  or  to  run  any  other  line  which  may  be  agreed  on  for 
settling  the  same;  and  that  the  Executive  also  be  requested  to 
transmit  a  copy  of  this  resolution  to  the  Executive  authority  of 
the  State  of  Tennessee.'^ 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  on  November 
13,  1801,  adopted  the  following  act: 

1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Tennes- 
see, That  the  Governor,  for  the  time  being,  is  hereby  authorized 
and  required,  as  soon  as  may  be  convenient  after  the  passing  of 
this  act,  to  appoint  three  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  State, 
one  of  whom  shall  be  a  mathematician  capable  of  taking  the  lati- 
tude, who,  when  so  appointed,  are  hereby  authorized  and  em- 
powered, or  a  majority  of  them,  to  act  in  conjunction  with  such 
commissioners  as  are  or  may  be  appointed  by  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia, to  settle  and  designate  a  true  line  between  the  aforesaid 
States. 

2.  Be  it  enacted.  That  there  shall  be  appointed  by  the  authority 
aforesaid  one  surveyor,  who,  together  with  the  aforesaid  commis- 
sioners, shall  each  receice  five  dollars  per  day  as  full  compensation 
for  their  services  and  expenses  whilst  they  are  performing  the 
duties  enjoined  in  this  act,  and  there  shall  also  be  chosen  by  the 
commissioners  one  suitable  person  as  marker  of  the  line  afore- 
said, who  shall  receive  two  dollars  per  day  in  full  discharge  for 
his  services  and  expenses. 

And  whereas,  it  may  be  difficult  for  this  Legislature  to  ascer- 
tain with  precision  what  powers  ought  of  right  to  be  delegated  to 
the  said  commissioners;  therefore, 

3.  Be  it  enacted,  That  the  governor  is  hereby  authorized  and  re^ 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  711 

quired,  from  time  to  time,  to  issue  such  instructions  to  the  com- 
missioners as  he  may  deem  proper  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into 
effect  the  object  intended  by  this  act  consistent  with  the  true 
interest  of  the  State. 

4.  Be  it  enacted,  That  said  commissioners,  as  soon  as  may 
be,  shall  report  in  writing  to  the  governor  for  the  time  being  a 
true  statement  of  all  their  proceedings  relative  to  the  running  and 
establishing  of  the  said  line,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  lay  the 
same  before  the  succeeding  Legislature. 

Pursuant  to  the  authority  thus  conferred  Peter  Johnston,  Joseph 
Martin  and  Creed  Taylor  were  appointed  commissioners  upon 
the  part  of  Virginia,  and  Moses  Fisk,  John  Sevier  and  G-eoTge 
Eutledge  commissioners  upon  the  part  of  Tennessee  to  ascertain 
and  adjust  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  States,  while  Brice 
Martin  and  Nathan  B.  Markland  were  appointed  surveyors  to 
run  and  mark  the  said  line. 

The  commissioners  thus  appointed  proceeded  to  the  discharge 
of  their  duties  and  completed  their  labors  at  the  house  of  "William 
Eobertson,  near  Cumberland  Gap,  on  the  8th  of  December,  1802. 

The  commissioners  and  surveyors  thereupon  reported  their 
action  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  States  of  Virginia  and 
Tennessee.  Their  report  was  confirmed  and  the  boundary  line 
between  the  States  established  as  reported  by  an  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Virginia  passed  on  the  22d  of  January,  1803,  which 
act  is  as  follows: 

'1.  Whereas  the  commissioners  appointed  to'  ascertain  and  ad- 
just the  boundary  line  between  this  State  and  the  State  of  Tennes- 
see in  conformity  to  the  resolution  passed  by  the  Legislature  of 
this  State  for  that  purpose  have  proceeded  to  the  execution  of  the 
said  business,  and  made  a  report  thereof  in  tlie  words  following, 
to-wit:  "The  commissioners  for  ascertaining  and  adjusting  the 
boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  ap- 
pointed pursuant  to  public  authority  on  the  part  of  each,  namely. 
Genera]  Joseph  Martin,  Creed  Taylor  and  Peter  Johnston,  for  the 
former,  and  Moses  Fisk,  General  John  Sevier  and  General  George 
Rutledge,  for  the  latter,  having  met  at  the  place  previously  ap- 
pointed for  that  purpose  and  not  uniting  in  the  general  results  of 
their  astronomical  observations  to  establish  either  of  the  former 
lines,  called  Walker's  and  Henderson's,  unanimously  agreed,  in 


712  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

order  to  end  all  controversy  resjjecting  the  subject,  to  run  a  due 
west  line  equally  distant  from  both,  beginning  on  the  summit  of 
the  mountain  generally  known  by  the  name  of  White  Top  moun- 
tain, where  the  northeastern  corner  of  Tennessee  terminates,  to 
the  top  of  the  Cumberland  mountain,  where  the  southwestern 
corner  of  Virginia  terminates,  which  is  hereby  declared  to  be  the 
true  boundary  line  between  the  said  States,  and  has  been  accord- 
ingly run  by  Brice  Martin  and  Nathan  B.  Markland,  the  sur- 
veyors duly  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  marked  under  the 
direction  of  the  said  commissioners,  as  will  more  at  large  appear 
by  the  rejwrt  of  the  said  surveyors,  hereto  annexed,  and  bearing 
equal  date  herewith. 

"3.  The  Commissioners  do'  further  nnanimonsly  agree,  to  recom- 
mend to  their  respective  States,  that  individuals  having  claims  or 
titles  to  lands  on  either  side  of  said  line,  as  now  fixed  and  agreed 
upon,  and  between  the  lines  aforesaid,  shall  not  in  consequence 
thereof,  in  any  wise  be  prejudiced  or  affected  thereby ;  and  that  the 
Legislatures  of  their  respective  States,  should  pass  mutual  laws 
to  render  all  such  claims  or  titles  secure  to  the  owners  thereof. 

"3.  And  the  said  Commissioners  do  further  unanimously  agree 
to  recommend  to  their  States  respectively,  that  reciprocal  laws 
should  be  passed,  confirming  the  acts  of  all  public  officers,  whether 
Magistrates,  Sheriffs,  coroners,  surveyors  or  constables,  between 
the  said  lines,  Mdiich  would  have  been  legal  in  either  of  said  States 
had  no  difference  of  opinion  existed  about  the  true  boundary  line. 
.  "4.  This  agreement  shall  be  of  no  effect  until  ratified  by  the 
Legislatures  of  the  States  aforesaid,  respectively,  and  until  they 
shall  pass  mutual  laws  for  the  purpose  aforesaid.  Given  imder 
our  hands  and  seals  at  William  Eobertson's,  near  Cumberland 
Gap,  December  the  eighth,  eighteen  hundred  and  two. 

"Joseph  Martin  (L.  S.)  "Moses  Fisk  (L.  S.) 

"John  Sevier  (L.  S.)  "Peter  Johnston  (L.  S.) 

"Creed  Taylor  (L.  S.)  "George  Rutledge  (L.  S.) 

5,  And  whereas  Brice  Martin  and  Nathan  B.  Markland,  the 
surveyors  duly  appointed  to  run  and  mark  the  said  line,  liave 
granted  th'eir  certificate  of  the  execution  of  their  duties,  which 
certificate  is  in  the  words  following,  to-wit:  "The  undersigned 
surveyors,  having  been  duly  appointed  to  run  the  boundary  line 
between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  as  directed  by  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  713 

commissioners  for  that  purpose,  have,  agreeably  to  their  orders, 
]'iin  the  same,  beginning  on  the  summit  of  White  Top  Mountain, 
at  the  termination  of  the  northeastern  comer  ,of  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  a  due  west  course  to  the  top  of  Cumberland  mountain, 
where  the  southwestern  comer  of  the  State  of  Virginia  terminates 
keeping  at  an  equal  distance  from  the  line  called  Walker's  and 
Henderson's,  and  have  had  the  new  line  run  as  aforesaid  marked 
with  five  chops  in  the  form  of  a  diamond,  as  directed  by  the  said 
commissioners.  Given  under  our  hands  and  seals,  this  eighth  day 
of  December,  eighteen  hundred  and  two. 

"B  Martin,  (L.  S.).         Nat.  B.  Markland,  (L.  S.)." 

And  it  is  deemed  proper  and  expedient  that  the  said  boundary 
Hue  so  fixed  and  ascertained  as  aforesaid  should  be  established  and 
confirmed  on  the  part  of  this  Commonwealth. 

"Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Com- 
mionwealth  of  Virginia,  That  the  said  boundary  line  between 
this  State  and  the  State  of  Tennessee,  as  laid  down,  fixed  and 
ascertained  by  the  said  commissioners  above  named,  in  their  said 
report  above  recited,  shall  be,  and  is  hereby  fully  and  absolutely, 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  whatsoever  ratified,  established  and 
confirmed  on  the  part  of  this  Commonwealth,  as  the  true,  certain 
and  real  boundary  line  between  the  said  States. 

"7.  All  claims  or  titles  to  lands  derived  from  the  government 
of  ISTorth  Carolina  or  Tennessee,  which  said  lands  by  the  adjust- 
ment and  establishment  of  the  line  aforesaid,  have  fallen  intO'  this 
State,  shall  remain  as  secure  to  the  owners  thereof  as  if  derived 
from  the  government  of  Virginia,  and  shall  not  be  in  any  wise 
prejudiced  or  affected  in  consequence  of  the  establishment  of 
the  said  line. 

"8.  The  acts  of  all  public  officers,  whether  magistrates,  sheriffs, 
coroners,  surveyors  or  constables,  heretofore  done  or  performed  in 
that  portion  of  territory  between  the  lines  called  Walker's  and 
Henderson's  lines,  which  has  fallen  into  this  State  by  the  adjust- 
ment of  the  present  line  and  which  would  have  been  Tegal  if  done 
or  performed  in  the  States  of  North  Carolina  or  Tennessee,  are 
hereby  recognized  and  confirmed. 

"9.  This  act  shall  commence  and  be  in  force,  from  after  the 
passing  of  a  like  law  on  the  part  of  the  State  of  Tennessee.'' 


714  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  on  November 
3,  1803,  adopted  an  act  confirming  the  report  of  the  commission- 
ers establishing  the  bonndary  line  between  the  two  States  and 
confirming  the  title  of  all  lands  lying  in  the  State  of  Tennessee 
granted  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  as  fully  as  if  said  land 
had  been  granted  by  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

The  act  in  question  is  identical  with  the  act  of  the  Virginia 
Assembly  before  given. 

It  was  supposed  that  the  boundary  line  thus  established  would 
forever  settle  this  question,  biit  by  the  year  1856  it  seems  that  the 
old  controversy  was  renewed,  and  in  that  year  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Virginia  passed  an  act  appointing  two  commissioners  to 
meet  commissioners  appointed  by  the  State  of  Tennessee  to  again 
run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  between  the  States.  The  General 
Assembly  of  Tennessee  did  not  take  action  in  this  matter  until 
the  first  of  March,  1858,  on  which  day  an  act  was  passed  au- 
thorizing the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  to  appoint  two 
commissioners  to  meet  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Virginia  to  re-run  and  mark  the  line  of  1802,  and 
said  commissioners  were  directed  to  cause  monuments  of  stone  to 
be  permanently  planted  on  said  line  where  there  is  now  growing 
timber  by  which  the  line  may  be  plainly  marked,  said  stones  to 
be  planted  at  least  one  in  every  five  miles. 

The  commissioners  thus  appointed  were  given  full  power  and 
authority  to  re-run  and  mark  the  line  of  1802,  and  it  was  made 
their  duty  to  employ  a  field  party  to  consist  of  one  engineer,  one 
surveyo'r,  one  back-sighter,  one  axe-man  and  such  others  as  were 
necessary,  the  said  engineer  and  surveyor  to  be  well  qualified  to 
make  said  survey  upon  scientific  principles,  said  commissioners  to 
superintend  the  work. 

The  Governor  of  Virginia  appointed  James  C.  Black  and 
Leonidas  Baugh  commissioners  upon  the  part  of  Virginia,  and 
the  Governor  of  Tennessee  appointed  Samuel  Milligan  and  George 
B.  McClelland  commissioners  upon  the  part  of  Tennessee,  to  run 
and  re-mark  said  line.  The  commissioners  thus  appointed  began 
work  on  the  29th  of  September,  1858,  and  on  the  3d  of  December, 
1859,  submitted  their  report  to  the  executives  of  the  State  of 
Tennessee  and  the  State  of  Virginia.  Their  report  was  in  the 
following  words  and  figures,  to-wit: 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  715 

"To  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Virginia: 

"In  obedience  to  commissions  respectively  conferred  upon  us 
under  an  act  of  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Virginia  passed 
the  18th  day  of  March,  1856,  and  an  act  of  the  legislature  of  the 
State  of  Tennessee,  passed  the  1st  day  of  March,  1858,  authorizing 
the  executives  of  each  of  said  States  respectively  to  appoint  com- 
missioners 'to  again  run  and  mark'  the  boundary  line  between 
the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  we  the  undersigned  com- 
missioners, proceeded  to  discharge  the  duties  assigned  us,  and  beg 
leave  to  submit  the  following  as  our  joint  action :  Our  first  object 
was  to  determine  the  duty  with  which  we  were  charged  under  the 
acts  of  both  states,  which  we  found  to  be  substantially  the  same 
and  both  exceedingly  vague  and  indefinite. 

"But  the  manifest  intention  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  was,  in  our  opinion,  to  ascertain  and  re-mark  the  com- 
promise line  of  1802,  but  the  laws  evidently  drafted  without  a 
loiowledge  of  the  facts  as  we  found  them  to  exist,  imposed  upon 
us  obligations  which  it  was  practically  impossible  to  comply  with. 

"We  were  required  to  begin  the  line  'on  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  commonly  known  by  the  name  of  the  White  Top,  where 
the  northeastern  corner  of  Tennessee  terminates'  and  thence  to 
run  due  west  'to  the  top  of  the  Cumberland  Mountain  where  the 
southwestern  corner  of  Virginia  ends.'  This  line,  by  the  laws  of 
Virginia  and  Tennessee,  Vt^as  declared  to  be  on  the  parallel  of 
36  30'  north  latitude,  and  midway  between  Walker's  and  Hender- 
son's lines  run  in  1779. 

"With  these  legal  restraints  upon  us,  after  engaging  the  services 
of  Professor  Eevel  Keith,  an  experienced  astronomer,  and  Charles 
S.  Williams,  a  practical  engineer,  with  an  efficient  field  party,  we, 
on  the  29th  day  of  September,  1858,  repaired  to  the  field,  but  ob- 
servation and  experiment  soon  demonstrated  the  utter  impractica- 
bility of  a  literal  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  law. 

"We  began  the  experimental  work  at  the  town  of  Bristol,  a  small 
village  situated  on  the  compromise  line  of  1802,  at  a  point  where 
there  was  no  controversy  as  to  the  locality  of  the  line,  and  our  first 
observation  at  that  point  showed  the  latitude  to  be  36°  36'  nearly, 
which  upon  calculation  we  found  to  be  a  little  over  six  statute 
miles  north  of  the  latitude  contemplated  by  law.  Further  obser- 
vations and  experiments  all  along  the  line  furnished  nearly  similar 


716  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

results.  In  the  region  of  the  White  Top  mountain  we  met  with 
still  more  insuperable  difficulties  to  a  strict  compliance  with  the 
requirements  of  the  law.  The  summit  of  this  mountain,  which  is 
well  defined  and  elevated  above  the  surrounding  mountains,  we 
found  to  1)6  about  three  miles,  a  northeast  course  from  the  termina- 
tion of  the  marked  timber  on  the  line;  and  at  right  angles  with 
the  parallel  36  30'  north  latitude,  a  little  over  eight  miles  north 
of  said  parallel.  The  northeastern  corner  of  Tennessee  was  desig- 
nated by  no  monument,  nor  was  there  any  evidence  on  the  ground 
by  which  we  could  determine  the  corner  or  the  beginning  of  the 
compromise  line  of  1802. 

"The  marks  on  the  timber  which  were  found  throughout  the 
whole  line  ceased  on  a  spur  of  a  dividing  range  of  mountains  that 
connects  the  Stone,  Pond  and  White  Top  mountains  called  the 
'Divide'  from  the  fact  that  the  waters  flow  from  it  both  east  and 
west,  and  about  one  mile  from  the  summit  of  this  dividing  range. 

"At  the  point  where  the  marks  on  the  line  of  1803  terminate 
there  is  no  marked  corner  or  any  change  in  appearance  oi  the 
marks  on  the  timber  indicating  a  purpose  to  establish  a  corner  or 
beginning  point  of  the  line,  nor  is  there  any  marked  timber  between 
that  point  and  the  summit  of  the  'Divide,'  although  thickly 
wooded,  except  on  the  summit,  where  it  appears  to  have  been  cleared 
twenty  or  twenty-five  years  ago  and  is  now  under  cultivation. 

"Under  this  perplexing  state  of  facts  w©  were  neither  able  to 
comply  strictly  with  the  requirements  of  the  law  or  definitely  to 
settle  the  'northeastern  corner  of  Tennessee,'  or  tO'  establish  the 
beginning  point  of  the  line  we  were  required  to  trace. 

"The  Virginia  commissioners  insisted  that  the  line  sliould  be 
extended  east  from  the  end  of  the  marked  line  on  the  little  moun- 
tain south  of  the  Denton  Yall'ey  to'  the  top  of  the  'Divide,'  because 
it  would  be  but  a  continuation  of  the  line  from  Cumberland  Gap, 
which  is  to  that  point  about  midway  between  Walker's  and  Hen- 
derson's lines,  and  1)ecause  the  existence  of  a  cross  line  running 
south  22°  west  was  not  even  known,  or  the  line  from  the  top  of 
the  little  mountain  westward  to  the  river  heretofore  recognized  as 
the  boundary,  or  any  part  of  it. 

"And  the  Tennessee  commissioners,  that  the  northern  line  as 
connected  by  the  cross  line  with  the  southern  should  be  extended  to 
the  'summit  of  the  Divide,'  and  the  northeastern  corner  of  Tennos- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  717 

see  there  established^  because  it  is  the  only  unbroken  and  con- 
tinuously marked  line  ascertained;,  and  the  summit  of  the  'Divide' 
presents  the  only  natural  monument  that  reasonably  conforms  tO' 
the  commissioners'  purpose  to  establish  one  at  the  end  of  the 
marks  on  the  line.  No  conclusive  agreement  could  be  made,  and 
wo  were  compelled  to  leave  the  point  of  beginning  an  open  ques- 
tion. 

"After  making  these  and  various  other  experiments  calculated 
to  determine  the  character  of  the  line  and  its  offsets,  and  taking 
the  latitude  at  different  points  between  Bristol  and  White  Top 
mountain,  and  also  at  Cumberland  Gap  in  the  fall  of  1858,  we 
found  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  and  the  advanced 
season,  that  it  would  be  manifestly  to  the  interest  of  both  States 
to  suspend  operations  until  the  following  summer,  when  the  season 
w^ould  be  more  propitious  for  the  progress  of  the  work. 

"On  the  7th  day  of  June,  1859,  we  again,  with  our  'Surveyor 
and  field  part}'-,'  assembled  at  Bristol,  and  after  determining  to  re- 
trace and  remark  the  compromise  line  of  1802,  w^e  resumed  the 
w^ork  and  accurately  ran,  re-marked  and  measured  the  old  line  of 
1802  with  all  of  its  offsets  and  irregularities,  as  shown  in  the  sur- 
veyor's report  herein  incorporated  and  on  the  accompanying  map 
herewith  submitted. 

SURVEYOE'S  EEPORT. 

To  Leonidas  Bciugli.  and  James  C.  Blade,  of  Virginia,  and  Samuel 
Milligan  and  George  B.  McClelland,  of  Tennessee,  commission- 
ers for  running  and  re-marMng  the  boundary  line  hetween  their 
respective  States: 

Gentlemen, — Herewith  I  submit  a  map  of  the  boundary  line 
between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  as  liaced  and  re- 
marked by  the  field  party  in  my  charge  under  your  direction. 

After  a  thorough  search  through  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  mountain  "commonly  know^n  as  White  Top,"  the  line  marked 
by  the  commissioners  of  1802  was  found  marked  upon  a  northern 
spur  of  the  ridge  known  as  the  "Divide." 

This  ridge  divides  the  waters  flowing  into  New  River  on  the 
east  froin  those  flowing  into  Holston  River  on  the  west.  The 
point  wdiere  the  line  was  found  is  about  a  mile  northwestwardly 
from  the  residence  of  j\fr.  Wdls  Blcvins,  upon  the  "Divide"  and 
about  three  miles  southwesterly  from  the  summit  of  White  Top. 


718  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Although  diligent  search  was  made,  no  trace  of  a  line  was  found 
east  of  this  point,  neither,  on  the  other  hand,  was  there  the  least 
indication  of  a  corner,  the  line  being  marked  as  elsewhere.  Traced 
westerly  to  Denton's  Valley  the  line  varies,  generally  one  and 
one-half  (1%)  degrees  north  from  a  truly  west  course  as  found 
by  astronomical  observation.  In  Denton's  valley  an  offset  was 
found,  the  line  bearing  soi;th  22  west  (by  the  needle),  for  a  dis- 
tance of  8,700  feet,  to  a  point  upon  a  high  spur  of  the  little  moun- 
tain immediately  west  of  Mill  Creek.  From  the  southern  ter- 
minus of  this  offset  the  line  runs  upon  a  course  very  closely  ap- 
proximating due  west  to  a  point  in  the  eastern  boundary  line  of 
the  town  of  Bristol,  where  a  small  variation  was  found.  The  line 
was  so  adjusted,  however,  as  to  coincide  with  the  central  line  of  the 
main  street  of  Bristol,  the  magnetic  course  being  south  89°  40' 
west,  and  so  continued  to  the  west  branch  of  Beaver  Creek. 

From  Bristol  west  to  Cumberland  Gap,  the  line  generally  pre- 
serves a  due  west  course,  as  determined  by  astronomical  observa- 
tions, with  the  following  exceptions : 

1.  On  the  farm  of  Jolin  Hickman,  west  of  Bristol,  the  line 
varies  to  North  821^  west  (magnetic  course),  for  a  distance  of 
310  feet. 

2.  At  the  crossing  of  Wallen's  ridge,  where  an  offset  of  1,457 
feet  occurs,  which  was  connected  by  an  oblique  line,  as  shown  on 
the  map. 

3.  Near  Cumberland  Gap,  where  the  direction  of  the  line  varies 
to  north  88  west  (magnetic  course)  for  a  distance  of  6,922  feet. 

The  line  was  found  plainly  marked  where  the  timber  remained 
standing,  was  readily  found  through  most  of  its  course  and  is 
subject  to  minor  deviations  incidental  to  long  compass  lines,  gen- 
erally, however,  preserving  a  due  west  course. 

The  standing  timber  along  the  line  was  marked  in  five  chops 
in  the  form  of : 


The  total  length  of  line  as  run  and  remeasured  with  a  level 
chain  is  113  miles. 

Eespectfully  submitted. 

Charles  S.  Williams, 
Surveyor  Boundary  Commissioner. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  719 

The  territory  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  lying  between  the  top 
of  Little  mountain  and  the  red  lines  on  the  map  in  what  is  known 
as  "Denton's  Valley/'  has  heretofore  been  recognized  by  the  citi- 
zens residing  therein  as  included  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  the 
top  of  Little  mountain  is  recognized  as  the  boundary  line.  To  this 
supposed  boundary  both  States  have  heretofore  exercised  jurisdic- 
tion, and  north  of  the  summit  of  the  mountain  the  citizens  resid- 
ing in  the  triangle  have  derived  their  land  titles  from  the  State  of 
Virginia;  they  have  there  voted,  been  taxed,  and  exercised  all  the 
rights  of  citizens  of  that  State.  The  line,  though  plainly  marked 
from  the  top  of  Little  mountain  westward  nearly  to  the  river,  and 
the  cross  line  at  Denton's  Valley  running  south  twenty-two  west 
and  connecting  the  north  and  south  lines,  seem  not  to  have  been 
recognized  as  the  boundary  line,  the  very  existence  even  of  the 
cross  line  being  unknown  until  we  discovered  it;  but  it  is  also  well 
defined  and  so  distinctly  marked  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  it  was 
run  and  marked  in  1802.  With  this  single  exception,  the  line  as 
traced  by  us  has  been,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  ascertain,  recognized 
throughout  its  entire  length  for  fifty-seven  years  as  the  true  boun- 
dary line  between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee.  The  lati- 
tude, as  marked  on  the  map  east  of  Bristol  and  at  Cumberland  Gap, 
was  carefully  determined  by  Professor  Keith  with  a  "zenith  tran- 
sit" or  transit  instrument,  the  most  modern  and  improved  astro- 
nomical instrument  now  in  use,  and  may  be  relied  upon  as  per- 
fectly accurate,  except  at  Bristol,  and  that  was  ascertained  under 
disadvantageous  circumstances,  but  it  is  believed  to  be  nearly  cor- 
rect. West  of  Bristol,  except  at  Cumberland  Gap,  the  latitude  was 
determined  by  Lieutenant  Francis  T.  Byan,  of  the  corps  of  United 
States  topographical  engineers,  with  a  "sextant,"  and  may  also  be 
relied  upon  as  correctly  determined. 

The  line  was  traced  with  a  "theodolite,"  and  great  care  observed 
thrdughout  correctly  to  ascertain  its  true  bearing,  offsets  and  ir- 
regularities. We  found  the  old  line  marked  with  "five  chops  in  the 
form  of  a  diamond,"  and  we  varied  ours  by  using  only  four  chops, 
and  placed  them  on  the  tree  somewhat  in  the  form  of  the  letters 
wye:  \x  as  shown  in  the  surveyor's  report.  The  fore  and  aft 
marks  were  placed  truly  on  the  line,  and  th'e  side  marks  were  placed 
respectively  on  that  portion  of  the  timber  next  the  true  line. 
Where  we  found  no  growing  timber  we  caused  monuments  of  stone 


720  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 

to  be  erected,  "firaily  planted"  one  foot  and  a  half  in  the  ground 
and  extending  two  and  a  half  feet  above  the  ground,  well  dressed 
and  marked  on  the  north  side  with  the  letter  V,  and  the  south 
side  with  the  letter  T,  so  that  the  line  may  be  readily  identified 
throughout  its  entire  length. 

At  Cumberland  Gap  the  line  terminated  on  a  chestnut  oak  on  the 
summit  of  a  mountain,  at  which  there  is  also  marked  a  monument 
of  stone.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the  line  where  the  marked  timber 
ceases  w^e  placed  a  monument  of  stone,  but  we  put  no  inscription 
upon  it,  indicating  that  point  to  be  the  "northeastern  corner  of 
Tennessee"  for  the  reason  hereinbefore  assigned.  We  deem  it  pro- 
per further  to  state  that  we  have  indicated  on  the  map  at  different 
points  the  reputed  locality  of  the  Walker  line,  but  we  found  no 
marked  timber  indicating  its  position,  except  at  the  western  end 
of  the  line,  which  we  have  truly  represented  on  the  map.  We  saw 
no  trace  of  the  Henderson  line  at  any  point,  and  consequently  were 
unable  accurately  to  represent  its  position  on  the  map.  Its  reputed 
position  is  represented  on  the  map  at  a  point  near  Bristol.  We 
further  beg  leave  to  state  that  the  general  course  of  the  line  lies 
over  a  rough  and  mountainous  country,  almost  inaccessible,  es- 
pecially the  eastern  portion  of  it,  and  its  survey  was  attended  with 
an  amount  of  labor  and  privation  which  we  are  sure  no  one  can 
justly  appreciate  but  those  who  have  actually  undergone  them. 
But  we  felt  justified  in  stating  that  we  spared  nO'  pains  or  labor 
accurately  to  trace  and  mark  the  line,  as  well  as  to  show  the  true 
state  of  facts  that  surround  it,  that  the  legislatures,  both  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Virginia,  can  act  understandingly  in  ratifying  or  re- 
jecting it,  as  in  their  wisdom  they  may  think  right  and  proper. 
All  of  which  is  most  respectfully  submitted. 

Sam  Milligan^ 
George  E.  McClellan^ 
Tennessee  Commissioners. 

Leonidas  Baugh^ 
James  C.  Black, 

Virginia  Commissioners. 
December  30,  1859. 

This  report  was  disapproved  and  rejected  by  the  General  As- 
sembly of  Virginia  on  the  9th  of  March,  1860,  and  the  Governor 
of  the  Commonwealth  was  authorized  and  directed  to  settle  with 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  731 

Bangh  and  Black  for  services  rendered,  and  to  appoint  one  or  more 
commissioners  to  run  again  and  re-mark  the  line  between  Virginia 
and  Tennessee  in  strict  conformity  with  the  compact  of  1802, 

The  result  of  this  effort  to  run  and  re-mark  the  line  of  1802 
having  failed,  the  entire  question  was  again  open  for  discussion 
and  controversy. 

In  the  year  18G9,  the  superintendent  of  the  United  States  Coast 
Survey  directed  Kichard  B.  Cutts  to  proceed  to  Bristol,  with  in- 
structions to  observe  the  solar  eclipse  on  August  7th,  and  to  con- 
nect the  station  at  Bristol  with  one  or  more  of  the  monuments 
which  mark  the  boundary  line  in  that  vicinity.  Pursuant  to  in- 
structions, Mr.  Cutts  proceeded  to  Bristol,  and,  after  having  dis- 
charged his  duties,  made  the  following  report  to  his  superior. 

"Washington^  D.  C, 
"December  30th,  1869. 
"Profr.  Beri'j'n  Pierce,  Sup't.  U.  S.  Coast  Survey: 

"Sir, — In  yO'Ur  letter  of  instructions  to  observe  the  Solar  Eclipse 
of  August  7th,  at  or  near  Bristol,  Tenn.,  you  also  directed  me  to 
comply,  if  practicable,  with  the  request  made  by  the  President  of 
Washingion  College,  Virginia,  to  connect  the  station  at  Bristol, 
the  position  of  which  would  be  astronomically  determined,  with 
one  or  more  of  the  monuments  which  mark  the  boundary  line  of 
the  State  of  Virginia  in  that  vicinity,  so  that  the  longitude  and 
latitude  thereof  may  be  accurately  known. 

"Ascertaining  soon  after  my  arrival  at  Bristol  that  the  connec- 
tion could  be  readily  made,  the  work  was  undertaken  and  com- 
pleted without  interfering  with  the  regular  duties  assigned  to  the 
party.  Signals,  which  were  visible  from  the  astronomical  station, 
were  erected  on  the  boundary,  or  main  street  separating  Goodson 
in  Virginia  from  Bristol  in  Tennessee,  and  the  connection  effected 
by  means  of  a  measured  base  and  triangulation.  In  view  of  the 
fact,  however,  that  the  signals,  or  monuments,  were  placed  on  a 
line  which,  though  recognized  as  the  boundary  between  Virginia 
and  Tennessee,  has  not  been,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  definitely  set- 
tled as  such,  and  as  the  results  of  the  observations  and  triangula- 
tion, made  under  my  direction,  may  be  used  as  authority  in  the 
discussion  of  the  question  should  it  again  arise,  I  beg  leave  to  show 
the  character  of  the  operation  by  which  the  direction  of  the  line, 
and  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  monument  were  obtained. 


722  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

and  to  describe,  by  a  short  historic  sketch  hereto  appended,  the 
special  line  referred  to,  there  having  been  three  or  more  lines  run 
by  the  interested  parties  at  different  periods, 

"The  instruments  employed  to  determine  the  exact  geographical 
position  of  the  observatory  on  Lancaster  Hill,  Goodson,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Eclipse  of  August  7th,  were  a  Transit  and  Zenith 
Telescope,  each  mounted  on  a  solid  pier  composed  of  brick  and 
cement.  The  latitude  was  determined  by  12  pairs  of  stars,  and 
the  longitude  by  the  transmission  of  time  signals  to  the  Naval  Ob- 
servatory at  Wasliington,  on  three  nights,  the  telegraph  wires  hav- 
ing been  connected  and  placed  at  -our  disposal  for  that  purpose. 
The  observations  to  secure  those  results  were  made  by  Assistant  A. 
T.  Mosman  during  nine  nights,  between  the  28th  of  July  and  the 
7th  of  August. 

"To  connect  the  Zenith  Telescope  with  the  boundary,  a  base  was 
measured  and  a  triangulation  executed,  including  two  stations  on 
the  line  recognized  by  the  inhabitants  as  the  boundary  of  1802,  and 
as  specially  pointed  out  by  Thomas  D.  Walthall,  Esq.,  of  Bristol, 
an  engineer  and  surveyor  well  informed  on  the  subject. 

"The  azimuth  of  the  line  was  derived  from  measurements  made 
between  U7'sa  Minor  at  its  upper  culmination  and  three  of  the 
principal  triangle  sides. 

"Before  leaving  Bristol,  it  was  understood  that  permanent  monu- 
ments would  be  erected  by  the  municipal  authorities  of  Bristol  and 
Goodson,  at  two  points  determined  on  the  boundary.  The  piers  on 
Lancaster  Hill  were  placed,  by  letter,  under  the  protection  of  the 
Mayor  of  Goodson. 

"Upon  examination  of  the  charters,  agreements  and  legislative 
enactments  referring  to  the  dividing  line  between  Virginia  on  the 
one  side  and  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  on  the  other,  as  fully 
quoted  and  explained  in  the  accompanying  appendix,  it  will  be 
ascertained  that  from  the  date  of  the  second  charter  of  King  Charles 
II.,  in  1665,  to  the  latest  legislation  in  regard  to  its  demarcation  in 
1860,  the  southern  boundary  of  Virginia  has  been  supposed  to  be 
situated,  as  it  was  in  part  directed  to  be  traced,  on  the  parallel  of 
36°  30'. 

"''The  joint'  commission  which  was  organized  in  1779  was  di- 
rected to  start  upon  the  parallel  of  36  30',  and  to  continue  on  that 
parallel  to  the  Tennessee  river.     As  the  respective  commissioners 


WasMnyton  County,  1717-1810.  'i'23 

differed  in  the  residts  of  th'eir  observations,  two  lines  were  run, 
known  as  the  Walker  and  Henderson  lines,  neither  of  which  was 
correct.  Finally  as  a  kind  of  compromise  and  under  the  supposi- 
tion that  the  true  line  must  certainly  be  between  the  two  then  in 
dispute,  otlier  commissioners  were  appointed  in  1800,  with  full 
powers  from  A^irginia  and  rather  limited  powers  from  Tennessee, 
and  under  the  direction  of  this  Joint  Commission  a  supposed  mid- 
dle line  was  then  marked,  which,  line  was  ratified,  established  and 
confirmed  by  Virginia  an  the  22d  of  January,  1803,  and  by  Ten- 
nessee in  the  month  of  November  following.  This  line  is  neither 
on  the  parallel  of  30  30'  nor  midway  between  the  Walker  and  Hen- 
derson Lines,  and  yet  it  must  be  recognized,  as  the  law  directs,  'as 
the  true,  certain  and  real  boundary  between  the  two  States.' 

"Owing,  however,  to  the  lapse  of  time,  this  line  has  become  'in- 
distinct, uncertain  and  to  some  extent  unknown,'  and  in  conse- 
quence thereof  Virginia,  ni  1856,  appointed  Coiumissioners  to 
'again  run  and  mark  said  line.'  In  1858,  the  State  of  Tennessee 
responded  to  the  A^irginia  legislation  by  authorizing  the  appoint- 
ment of  Commissioners  for  a  similar  purpose,  and  also  the  organi- 
zation of  a  Field  Party,  to  consist  of  an  Engineer  and  Surveyor, 
well  qualified  to  make  said  survey  upon  scientific  principles. 
This  last  direction  would  appear  to  confer  an  indirect  but  very 
necessary  authority  to  run  a  new  line,  in  case  the  old  one  could 
not  be  identified.  The  Commissioners  duly  reported  their  proceed- 
ings and  acts  to  their  respective  States.  In  1860,  Virginia  disap- 
proved of  and  rejected  the  line  thus  re-run  and  marked,  and,  by  the 
same  resolution  of  the  General  Assembly,  the  Governor  was  em- 
powered to  appoint  one  or  more  commissioners  to  again  run  the 
boundary  as  defined  in  the  Statute  of  January  22nd,  1803.  This 
is  the  last  act  of  legislation  referring  to  the  boundary  line  between 
Virginia  and  Tennessee,  and  from  this  it  has  been  inferred  that 
the  location  of  the  line  has  not  been  definitely  settled. 

"The  following  table  and  memoranda  show  the  results  of  the 
operations  at  Bristol.  The  latitudes  of  the  Henderson  and  Wal- 
ker lines  at  points  situated  respectively  Xorth  and  South  of  Bris- 
tol, w^ere  computed  from  data  supplied  by  Thomas  D.  Walthall, 
Esq.: 


724 


South we.si  Virginia,  17'iG-1786. 


When 
Run. 

Supposed 
Latitude. 

True 
Latitude. 

True 
Longitude. 

Henderson,  or  North 
Carolina  line 

Walker    or   Virginia 
line 

1779 

1779 
1802 
1802 

36°    36'     00'^ 
36°    36'     00" 
36°    36'     00" 
36°    36'    00" 

36°  36'  48.  " 
36°  34'  25.5" 
36°  35'  38.9" 
36°  40'  40.0" 

The  Middle  line, 
East  Mont 

The  Middle  line, 
West  Mont 

82°  10'  40.00" 
82°  11'  25.12" 

"The  azimuth,  or  direction  of  the  line,  from  East  to  West  monu- 
ment is  91°,  51',  51",  or  North  88°,  09',  00"  West  true. 

"It  will  be  perceived  that  the  direction  of  the  Middle  line,  the 
present  acknowledged  boundary,  is  nearly  two  degrees  north  of  a 
due  west  course,  and  if  this  direction  should  have  been  continued 
to  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  a  very  large  wedge  of  Virginia  ter- 
ritory must  have  been  cut  ofT.  In  fact,  we  fmd  from  the  numerous 
and  reliable  observations  made  for  latitude,  in  1859,  at  Newlee's 
sulphur  spring,  at  or  close  to  the  Cumberland  Gap,  as  published  in 
the  'Eeport  of  the  Commissioners  appointed  to  mark  the  boundary 
line  between  the  States  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee'  that  the  South- 
west corner  of  Virginia  is  situated  in  latitude  36°,  36',  00.94",  or 
6',  91",  North  of  the  true  line. 

"According  to  the  observations  made  in  connection  with  the  sur- 
vey of  the  coast  of  the  United  States,  the  correct  latitude  of  the 
line  where  it  crosses  Knott's  Island,  situated  about  three  miles 
west  of  the  site  of  old  Currituck  Inlet,  is  36°,  33',  15",  and  not  36°, 
31',  as  determined  in  1728;  and  the  correct  latitude  of  the  line, 
west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  where  it  separates  Goodson  from 
Bristol,  is  36°,  35',  39",  .5  and  not  36°,  31',  upon  which  parallel 
it  was  intended  by  all  the  parties  interested  that  the  line  should 
be  run. — These  discrepancies  are  not  a  matter  of  surprise  in  view 
of  the  defective  method  adopted  for  tracing  the  parallel,  of  the  in- 
ferior class  of  astronomical  and  surveying  instruments  employed 
by  the  old  surveyors,  and  of  the  more  than  probable  errors  commit- 
ted in  running  the  line,  due,  in  part,  to  a  want  of  care  in  determin- 
ing the  magnetic  variation.  From  the  data,  already  presented,  it 
may  be  fairly  inferred  that  if  the  different  surveys  had  been  con- 
ducted as  they  would  be  to-day,  the  State  of  Virginia  would  now 


Washington  County,  1177-1870.  725 

include  within  its  limits  at  least  800  square  miles  of  additional 
territory. 

"'X  sketch  of  the  triangulation,  and  the  computations  of  the  tri- 
angle sides,  latitudes,  longitudes,  and  azimuths,  are  attached  to 
this  report. 

"I  am,  Kespectfully  yours, 

"ElCHARD  D.  CUTTS." 

In  the  year  1871,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  passed  an 
act  providing  for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  ascertain 
and  locate  the  true  boundary  line  between  this  State  and  the  State 
of  Tennessee,  and  in  the  year  188G  a  similar  act  was  adopted,  but 
tlie  State  of  Tennessee  persistently  refusing  to  take  any  action, 
looking  to  a  settlement  of  the  question,  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia,  on  the  31st  day  of  January,  1890,  passed  an  act  repeal- 
ing the  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  passed  on  the  22d 
of  Jan\iary,  1803,  conllrming  and  establishing  the  boundary  line 
l-)etween  this  State  and  the  State  of  Tennessee  as  ascertained  by  the 
rejjort  of  the  commissioners  appointed  in  that  year,  and  declared 
tlie  true  line  of  this  State  to  be  in  latitude  36°,  30'  north;  and  that 
tlio  line  agreed  upon  between  the  States  on  the  22d  of  January, 
1803,  was  erroneous  by  reason  of  mistakes  in  fact  caused  by  de- 
fective instruments  and  incompetent  observers,  and  that  the  same  is 
not  obligatory  on  the  State.  In  the  meantime,  on  the  Ttli  day  of 
Januar}^,  1890,  a  suit  had  been  instituted  in  the  Supreme  CWrt  of 
the  United  States  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  through  her 
attorneys,  E.  A.  Ayers  and  William  F.  Ehea  vs.  the  Commonwealth 
of  Tennessee,  the  object  of  the  suit  being  to  have  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  declare  the  true  line  between  the  States 
to  be  36°,  30'  north  latitude,  as  provided  for  in  the  original  char- 
ter of  the  colonies  of  Virginia  and  ISTorth  Carolina. 

Numerous  depositions  were  taken  in  this  case,  and  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  on  the  3d  day  of  April,  1893,  rendered 
their  opinion,  and  decided  that  Virginia  was  estopped  by  her  ac- 
tion in  the  year  1803,  and  declaring  the  true  line  between  the  States 
to  be  the  compromise  line  of  1803.* 

Controversies  between  the  citizens  of  Virginia  and  the  citizens 
of  Tennessee  at  this  time  and  for  some  time  previous  thereto  were 


448  U.  S.  Reports,  page  503. 


72Q  Southwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

of  frequent  occurrence,  and  oftentimes  seriously  threatened  the 
breach  of  tlie  peace. 

In  the  year  1889,  N.  t.  Wills,  Joseph  Southerland  and  R.  E. 
Butler  undertook  to  take  possession  of  a  tract  of  land  situated  near 
Green  Cove  in  this  county,  the  property  of  Marion  Miller  and  the 
heirs  of  George  W.  Hopkins,  deceased,  and  continued  their  efforts 
until  the  year  1892,  in  which  year  Marion  Miller  obtained  an  in- 
junction from  the  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  this  county  re- 
straining the  said  Wills,  Southerland  and  Butler  from  interfering 
with  said  property,  and  in  the  month  of  October,  1893,  the  de- 
fendants answered  in  said  suit.  Xumcrous  depositions  were  taken, 
and  on  the  24th  of  ]\Iay,  1895,  the  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
this  county  rendered  an  opinion,  holding  that  the  summit  of  White 
Top,  as  the  beginning  of  the  compromise  line  of  1802,  did  not 
mean,  nor  never  was  intended  to  mean,  the  top  of  the  highest  peak 
of  that  mountain,  but  that  it  meant  the  top  of  the  mountain  at 
the  point  where  the  compromise  line  run  by  the  commissioners  of 
1802  began.  But  the  court,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  corner 
where  the  line  of  1802  actually  began  was  uncertain,  ordered  and 
decreed  that  the  following  issues  out  of  chancery  should  be  tried 
at  the  bar  of  the  court,  namely : 

First.  Does  the  compromise  line  of  1802,  between  the  States  of 
Virginia  and  Tennessee,  as  located  and  established  by  General  Jo- 
seph Martin,  Creed  Taylor  and  Peter  Johnston,  commissioners  on 
the  part  of  Virginia,  and  Moses  Fisk,  General  John  Sevier  and 
General  George  Eutledge,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Tennessee, 
lie  south  or  north  of  the  lands  in  controversy  ? 

Second.  At  what  point  did  it  actually  begin,  and  in  what  direc- 
tion was  it  actually  run  and  located  imtil  it  passed  west  of  the 
lands  now  claimed  by  complainant  and  in  controversy  in  this  cause  ? 

This  issue  was  tried  by  a  jury,  composed  of  E.  P.  Carson,  W.  0. 
Booker,  H.  B.  Eoberts,  D.  A.  Jones,  Jerry  Whitaker,  Thomas  H. 
Alters,  J.  C.  Ha^-ter,  George  Keller,  James  Ilagy,  W.  F.  Arnett, 
Eobert  Miller,  and  James  Fields. 

This  jury,  after  hearing  all  the  evidence  produced  by  the  \ya.r- 
ties,  returned  the  following  verdict : 

"1st.  We,  the  jury,  find  and  decide  that  the  compromise  line  of 
1802-'03  runs  soutli  of  the  land  in  controversy. 

"2nd.  The  jury  further  find  that  the  point  where  that  line  be- 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  ''i'2'i 

gan  is  on  the  summit  of  Pond  Mountain,  and  runs  due  west  be- 
yond the  lands  in  controversy." 

The  defendants  jnoved  the  court  to  set  aside  this  verdict  of  the 
jury  and  grant  them  a  new  trial,  and  the  court,  in  the  month  of 
January,  1896,  delivered  an  opinion  disagreeing  with  the  jury  in 
their  conclusions  and  adjudging  that  the  top  of  Pond  mountain  was 
not  the  summit  of  White  Top,  where  the  said  line  began,  and  fixed 
said  line  north,  instead  of  south,  of  the  land  in  controversy,  and 
declared  the  land  in  controversy  to  be  in  the  State  of  Tennessee 
and  without  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court. 

From  this  opinion  of  the  court  the  plaintiif,  Marion  Miller,  ap- 
pealed to  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  Virginia,  and  that  court,  on  the 
18th  of  November,  1897,  delivered  an  opinion  reversing  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Washington  county  and  fixing  the 
Ijoundary  line  between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee  as  a 
straight  line,  beginning  on  the  to])  of  White  Top  mountain  where 
the  northeastern  comer  of  Tennessee  terminates  and  following  a  due 
west  course  midway  l)etween  Walker's  and  Henderson's  lines  to  the 
top  of  the  Cuml)erland  mountain  where  the  southwestern  corner  of 
Virginia  terminates.* 

By  this  decision  the  contention  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  of 
Virginia  was  sustained,  and  the  position  of  the  claimants  of  lands 
under  titles  derived  from  the  State  ol  Virginia  was  greatly 
strengthened. 

Thus  matters  stood  when,  on  the  30th  day  of  April,  1900,  a 
consent  decree  was  entered  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  in  the  suit  of  Tennessee,  complainant,  vs.  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia, defendant,  directing  commissioners  to  ascertain,  retrace,  re- 
mark and  re-establish  the  boundary  line  between  the  State  of  Ten- 
nessee and  the  State  of  VirgiDia  as  fixed  in  the  year  1803. 

W.  C.  Hodgkins,  J.  B.  Baylor  and  Andrew  H.  Buchanan  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  execute  said  decree. 

Tliese  commissioners  proceeded  to  execute  this  decree,  and  on 
the  5th  day  of  Januarv,  1903,  filed  their  report  in  the  clerk's  office 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  which  report  is  in  the 
words  and  figures  following,  to-wit : 


"92  Virginia  Reports,  page  337. 


728  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

To  the  Honorable  the  Chief  Justice  and  Associate  Justices  of  the 

Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States: 

Your  commissioners,  appointed  by  decree  of  tliis  honorable  court, 
dated  April  30,  1900,  to  ascertain,  retrace,  re-mark  and  re-estab- 
lish the  boundary  line  established  between  the  States  of  Virginia 
and  Tennessee,  by  the  compact  of  1803,  which  was  actually  run 
and  located  under  proceedings  had  by  the  two  States,  in  1801-1803, 
and  was  then  marked  with  five  chops  in  the  shape  of  a  diamond, 
and  Avhich  ran  from  White  Top  mountain  to  Cumberland  Gap,  re- 
spectfully represent  that  they  have  completed  the  duties  assigned 
to  them  by  the  said  decree  of  April  30,  1900,  that  they  have  re- 
marked and  retraced  the  said  boundary  line  as  originally  run  and 
marked  with  five  chops  in  the  shape  of  a  diamond  in  the  year  1803, 
and  that  for  the  better  securing  of  the  same  they  have  placed  upon 
the  said  line,  besides  other  durable  marks,  monuments  of  cut  lime- 
stone, four  and  a  half  feet  long  and  seven  inches  square  on  top, 
with  V's  cut  on  their  north  faces  and  T's  on  their  south  faces,  set 
three  and  a  half  feet  in  the  ground,  conveniently  located  as  herein- 
after more  fully  described,  so  that  the  citizens  of  each  State  and 
others,  by  reasonable  diligence,  may  readily  find  the  true  location 
of  said  boundary ;  all  of  wliich  is  more  particularly  set  forth  in  the 
detailed  report  of  their  operations  which  your  commissioners  here- 
with beg  to  submit,  together  with  two  maps  explanatory  of  the 
same,  a  list  of  the  several  permanent  monuments  and  other  durable 
marks,  and  a  complete  bill  of  costs  and  charges.  x\nd  your  com- 
missioners further  pray  that  tliis  honorable  court  accept  and  con- 
firm this  report;  that  the  line  as  marked  on  the  ground  by  said 
commissioners  in  the  years  1901  and  1903  be  declared  to  be  the 
real,  certain  and  true  boundary  between  the  States  of  Tennessee 
and  Virginia;  that  your  commissioners  be  allowed  their  expenses 
and  reasonable  charges  for  their  own  services  in  these  premises,  as 
shown  on  the  bill  of  costs  which  forms  a  part  of  this  report;  and 
finally  that  your  commissioners  be  discharged  from  further  pro- 
ceedings in  these  premises. 

[seal.]  William  C.  Hodgkins^ 

Commissioner. 

[seal.]  Jaisles  B.  Baylor^ 

Commissioner. 

[seal.]  Andrew  H.  Buchanan, 

Commissioner. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  729 

Detailed  report  of  the  operations  of  the  commission  appointed 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  (April  30,  1900,)  to 
retrace  and  re-mark  the  boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Virginia. 

At  the  date  of  th'e  above  decree  and  for  several  months  there- 
after the  State  of  Virginia  Imd  no  funds  available  for  the  proceed- 
ings ordered  by  the  court,  and  none  could  be  had  until  there  could 
be  a  session  of  the  State  T^egislature  to  make  the  needed  appro- 
priation. It  was,  therefore,  necessary  for  your  commissioners  to 
seek  an  extension  of  the  time  within  which  they  might  make  their 
report,  and,  upon  the  motion  of  the  attorney-general  of  Virginia, 
an  extension  was  granted  until  the  next  term  of  court. 

At  a  session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  held  in  the 
winter  of  1900-1901,  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  was  appro- 
priated for  the  purpose  of  paying  Virginia's  share  of  the  expenses 
of  this  boundary  survey.  The  Tennessee  Legislature  had  pre- 
viously made  a  like  appropriation. 

Your  commissioners,  therefore,  made  preparations  for  beginning 
the  execution  of  their  duties  under  your  decree  of  April  30,  1900, 
as  early  in  the  season  of  1901  as  the  weather  conditions  should  per- 
mit. 

The  commission  held  its  first  meeting  at  Washington,  D.  C,  on 
May  16,  1901,  and  organized  by  choosing  William  C.  Hodgkins, 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  as  chairman,  James  B.  Baylor,  of 
the  State  of  Virginia,  as  secretary,  and  Andrew  H.  Buchanan,  of 
the  State  of  Tennessee,  as  treasurer. 

At  this  meeting  there  was  a  full  discussion  of  the  problem  pre- 
sented and  of  the  method  of  work  which  might  be  most  suitable 
under  all  the  conditions.  Arrangements  were  also  made  for  pro- 
curing the  necessary  camp  outfit  and  supplies. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  the  superintendent  of  the  United  States 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  your  commissioners  M-ere  able  to  pro- 
cure from  that  bureau,  without  charge,  not  only  the  outfit  of  tents 
and  camp  furniture  required  for  the  shelter  and  comfort  of  the 
party,  but  also  valuable  instruments  needed  for  the  survey. 

This  relieved  the  States  of  Tennessee  and  Virginia  of  a  consider- 
able expense  which  would  otherwise  have  been  unavoidable. 
The  two  States  were  spared  another  lieavy  item  of  expense  by  tlv/ 
fact  that  each  of  your  commissioners  is  a  civil  engineer  and  entirolv 


730  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 

familiar  witli  work  of  this  nature.  It  was,  therefore,  unnecessary 
to  follow  the  usual  course  of  employing  engineers  or  surveyors  to 
carry  out  the  field  M^ork  under  the  direction  of  the  commissioners. 
Instead  of  that,  your  commissioners  themselves  conducted  all  the 
field  work,  hiring  only  such  rodmen,  axemen,  etc.,  as  were  necessary 
from  time  to  time.  By  such  methods  and  hy  exercising  rigid 
economy  in  all  their  expenditures,  your  commissioners  have  heen 
able  to  complete  the  entire  work,  including  the  setting  of  cut-stone 
monuments  and  also  including  the  amount  charged  for  their  own 
remuneration  for  the  sum  of  $9,^175.99,  which  is  but  little  more 
than  the  amount  charged  to  the  State  of  Virginia  alone  by  the  joint 
commission  of  1858-1859. 

It  having  been  decided  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  commission 
that  the  most  convenient  place  for  beginning  field  operations  would 
l)e  the  city  of  Bristol,  which  is  located  directly  upon  the  boundary 
line,  the  commission  adjourned  to  that  place. 

Field-work  was  begun  on  May  22,  1901,  with  the  examination  of 
a  portion  of  the  line  east  of  Bristol,  where  a  number  of  trees  were 
found  which  bore  the  marks  of  the  surveys  of  1802  and  1858-'59. 
As  there  have  been  considerable  controversy  and  confiicting  testi- 
mony in  regard  to  the  nature  of  these  old  marks,  it  may  be  well  to 
show  by  diagrams  and  photographs  the  actual  arrangements  and 
appearance  of  those  of  both  years,  as  well  as  of  the  somewhat  dif- 
ferent mark  which  was  used  for  the  present  re-marking  by  your 
commissioners : 

1802.  1859.  1902. 

_   =  _  W  ^J 

AVliile  the  marks  made  in  1858-'59  are  still  numerous  in  forested 
areas  and  are  generally  easily  distinguishable,  those  made  in  1803 
are  becoming  scarce,  and  sometimes  are  barely  discernible  when 
found. 

This  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  photograph  of  a  large  Avhite 
oak  tree,  upon  which  the  marks  of  1858-'59  can  readily  be  traced, 
while  only  three  of  those  made  in  1802  can  be  distinguished,  and 
those  with  difficulty.  The  marks  of  1802  were  apparently  made 
with  a  small  and   lic'bt  hatchet,  and  on  manv  trees  which  have  a 


Washington  County,  1777-1810.  731 

thick  and  rough  bark  the  hatchet  does  not  seem  to  have  reached 
the  wood,  and  in  such  cases  the  gradual  exfoliation  of  the  bark 
has  often  nearh^  or  entirely  obliterated  the  mark.  Where  the  wood 
was  wounded  a  small  burr  has  formed,  which  can  nearly  always  be 
recognized;  but  cuts  which  did  not  completely  penetrate  the  bark 
have  sometimes  disappeared. 

The  marks  left  l3y  the  survey  of  1858-'59  were  found  of  very 
great  value  as  guides  to  tlie  older  "diamond"  marks  of  1802.  Both 
marks  were  often  found  on  the  same  tree,  and  it  was  a  rare  occur- 
rence to  find  the  diamond  mark  without  the  mark  of  1859  either 
above  or  below  it.  In  fact,  it  was  very  soon  noticed  that  the  mere 
fact  of  finding  the  mark  of  1858-'59  either  above  or  below  the  nor- 
mal position  on  a  tree  was  an  almost  certain  indication  that  a  dia- 
mond mark  had  been  found  there  at  the  date  of  tlie  latter  marking, 
even  though,  through  tlie  action  of  time  and  tlie  elements,  all  ves- 
tiges of  it  may  now  have  disappeared.  Since  the  date  of  the  last 
survey,  very  many  marked  trees  have  been  destroyed  through  va- 
rious agencies,  especially  since  the  more  rapid  development  of  this 
section  in  the  recent  years  has  caused  a  greater  demand  for  lum- 
ber, and  in  some  places  the  trees  bearing  the  old  marks  are  so  far 
apart  and  the  marks  themselves  are  so  faint  that  great  trouble  and 
delay  would  often  have  been  experienced  in  tlie  search  for  these  old 
marks  had  it  not  been  for  the  aid  afforded  by  the  marks  of  1858-'59, 
which  always  proved  reliable  guides  by  which  tO'  find  the  older 
marks. 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  b'e  inappropriate  for  your  commis- 
sioners to  state  that  they  everywhere  found  that  the  joint  commis- 
sion of  1859  did  its  work  in  a  careful  and  conscientious  manner, 
and  that  they  believe  its  line,  as  marked  on  the  gTowing  timber,  is 
identical  with  that  marked  by  the  joint  commission  of  1802,  and 
that  full  credence  should  be  given  to  statements  of  fact  in  the-  re- 
port of  that  survey. 

From  a  point  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  east  of  Bristol  the  line 
was  traced  without  difficulty,  other  than  that  due  to  the  broken  na- 
ture of  the  country  traversed,  as  far  as  the  beginning  of  what  is 
commonly  known  as  the  Denton  Valley  offset. 

At  this  point  occurs  the  greatest  and  most  remarkable  irregu- 
larity in  the  whole  course  of  this  line,  there  being  a  deflection  from 
the  direct  course  of  ()G°,  10'  for  a  distance  of  8715. H  feet.     The 


732  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

portion  of  the  boundary  east  of  the  offset  is  further  north  than  that 
west  of  the  offset,  so  that  the  deflection  is  to  the  south  in  going 
westward  from  the  eastern  end  of  the  line,  the  direction  in  which 
it  was  originally  run  out,  or  to  the  north  in  working  eastward  from 
Bristol,  as  was  done  in  the  present  survey  for  reasons  of  conveni- 
ence. In  either  case  the  deflection  is  to  the  left  hand ;  but  it  is  not 
the  same  in  each  case,  as  the  two  portions  of  the  line  east  and  west 
of  the  offsets  are  not  exactly  parallel  to  each  other.  This  differ- 
ence of  direction  amounts  to  1°,  30',  as  shown  on  the  map  of  the 
line  accompanying  this  report. 

Owing  to  the  long  controversy  over  this  offset  and  the  persistent 
assertions  of  certain  parties  that  marked  timber  would  be  found  on 
the  eastern  prolongation  of  the  portion  of  the  line  extending  from 
Bristol  to  Denton's  valley,  if  the  same  were  run  out,  your  commis- 
sioners felt  obliged,  in  order  to  settle  th'e  question  for  all  time,  to 
run  out  this  line  and  make  a  careful  search  for  marked  timber 
along  its  course.  This  was  accordingly  done  and  a  careful  exami- 
nation of  the  timber  on  each  side  of  the  transit  line  was  made  as 
the  work  progressed,  but  with  only  negative  results. 

Although  several  weeks  were  spent  in  running  this  line  across 
the  series  of  very  rough  and  heavily-timbered  mountains  lying 
between  Denton's  valley  and  Pond  Mountain,  near  the  comer  of 
ISForth  Carolina,  and  although  every  story  brought  to  the  commis- 
sioners by  people  interested  in  the  result  was  carefully  examined, 
your  commissioners  were  utterly  unable  to  find  or  have  pointed  out 
to  them  one  authentic  mark  of  the  line  1803,  either  on  this  line  or 
anywhere  in  its  vicinity. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  "offset  line"  and  the  portion  of  the  line 
running  eastward  from  the  offset  toi  the  vicinity  of  the  White  Top 
mountain  Avere  found  well  marked;  both  the  1803  and  the  1858-'59 
marks  were  found  at  frequent  intervals. 

In  order  to  be  assured  that  tliese  marks  were  authentic,  blocks 
were  cut  from  several  of  these  trees  at  different  points  on  said 
offset  line,  and  the  ages  of  the  marks  were  determined  by  counting 
the  rings  of  the  annual  growth. 

These  tests  showed  that  the  marks  were  of  the  supposed  age. 
The  ages  of  the  most  important  marks  were  verified  by  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Forestry.  As  was  found  in  1858-'59,  the  marking 
of  tlic  timber  ceased  (or  began)  on  a  comparatively  low  eminence. 


Washington  County,  1177-1810.  733 

kuowu  as  Burnt  Hill,  which  from  the  neighboriug  heights  of  White 
Top  or  Pond  mountain  seems  to  be  in  the  bottom  of  a  hollow. 

The  apparent  discrepancy  between  this  situation  and  the  lan- 
guage of  the  report  of  the  joint  commissioners  of  1803,  which 
reads :  '^'Beginning  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain  generally  Icnown 
as  the  White  Top  mountain/'  etc.,  has  led  some  to  suppose  that 
the  line  should  be  extended  further  east,  to  the  summit  of  the  so- 
called  "divide"  or  watershed  between  the  tributaries  of  the  Holston 
and  New  rivers. 

There  seems,  however,  nothing  to  support  this  theory  except  the 
somewhat  hazy  idea  that  the  eastern  end  or  point  of  beginning  of 
this  line  ought  to  be  on  a  summit. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  actual  end  of  the  line  of  Burnt  Hill  is 
on  quit©  as  much  of  a  summit  as  if  it  had  been  on  the  "divide," 
which  in  this  place  is  so  low  and  fiat  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible 
as  an  elevation  of  any  importance.  It  certainly  could  never  be  sup- 
posed to  be  the  summit  of  White  Top  mountain,  which  towers  far 
above  it,  its  huge,  dome-like  bulk  filling  the  northeastern  horizon. 

No  marked  trees  of  1802  or  1858-''59  could  be  found  east  of 
Burnt  Hill,  though  the  line  was  produced  through  heavy  timber  of 
original  growth  to  the  "divide,"  and  careful  search  was  made  for 
them.  The  same  condition  was  found  in  1859,  as  reported  by  the 
commission  of  that  year.  A  point  which  that  commission  seems 
to  have  overlooked  is  the  important  fact  that  the  eastern  end  of 
the  marked  line  at  Burnt  Hill  is  almost  exactly  in  line  between 
the  comer  of  North  Carolina,  on  Pond  Mountain,  and  the  sum- 
mit of  White  Top  mountain.  What  more  likely  than  that  the 
commissioners  of  1803,  who  had  agreed  to  lay  out  a  line  equally 
distant  from  the  older  lines,  known  as  Walker's  and  Henderso^n's 
and  beginning  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain  generally  known 
as  the  White  Top  mountain,  should  begin  at  the  point  where  the 
Walker  line  reached  the  northwestern  corner  of  North  Carolina, 
and  where  accordingly  the  jurisdiction  of  Tennessee  should  begin, 
and  run  thence  in  the  direction  of  the  most  important  peak  to  the 
northward  and  eastward  until  they  reached  the  desired  middle 
point  between  the  lines  of  Walker  and  Henderson,  and  from  that 
point  started  on  their  westerly  course.  It  is  hard  to  understand 
why  they  should  have  omitted  to  mark  this  part  of  the  line;  but 
this  small  bit  of  boundary  extending  from  the  northeast  corner  of 


;34  Southivest  Virginia,  l7Jt6-1786. 

Tennessee  to  the  northwest  coi-ner  of  Xorth  Carolina  seems  \o  have 
been  somewhat  overlooked  in  more  recent  proceedings.  Yonr  com- 
missioners respectfully  recommend  that  the  straight  line  between 
these  two  points  be  declared  to  be  the  boundary,  believing  as  they 
do,  in  the  absence  of  any  marks  to  the  contrary,  that  this  was  the 
original  and  trne  line.  All  of  this  section  is  composed  of  very 
nigged  and  densely-wooded  mountains  with  but  a  scanty  popula- 
tion. 

The  progress  of  the  work  in  this  mountainous  anl  almost  inac- 
cci-sible  region  M'as  delayed  not  only  by  the  nature  of  the  country 
and  by  the  fact  that  in  this  very  worst  part  of  the  whole  line  it  was 
necessary  to  run  out  these  two  independent  lines,  doubling  the  labor 
to  be  expended,  but  also  by  the  inifortunately  rainy  weather  which 
was  experienced.  The  frequent  and  heavy  rains  often  stopped 
field  work,  washed  the  few  roads  so  l)adly  that  they  became  almost 
impassable,  and  raised  the  streams  so  high  that  sometimet?  for 
days  at  a  time  it  was  impossible  to  ford  them. 

It  was  not  until  Se])teml)er  21st  tbat  your  commissioners  were 
able  to  close  woi'k  in  the  White  Top  region  and  return  to  Bristol 
to  start  westward  from  that  place  towards  Cumberland  Gap. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  season,  however,  both  the  weather  and 
the  nature  of  the  country  wore  mucli  more  favorable  for  field 
operations,  and  excellent  progress  was  made,  though  it  was  impo'^- 
sible  to  complete  the  work  before  the  a])])roach  of  wintei'. 

So  far  as  the  portion  of  the  Ijoundary  passing  through  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  city  of  Bristol  is  concerned,  the  labors  of  your 
commissioners  were  forestalled  by  a  special  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  approved  January  28,  1901, 
ceding  to  the  State  of  Virginia  the  northern  half  of  the  main 
street  of  the  two  cities.  The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  ac- 
cepted the  cession  by  an  act  approved  February  9,  1901,  and  the 
action  of  the  two  legislatures  was  subsc^quently  ratified  by  the  Con- 
gress and  approved  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  March 
3,  1901.  This  cession  covers,  however,  but  a  small  part  of  the 
boundary,  extending  only  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  old 
town  of  Bristol  on  the  west  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  Bristol 
cemetery  on  the  east.  As  it  is  important  to  guard  against  the 
possible  renewal  of  this  long-standing  controversy,  and  as  the  town 
is  already  extending  beyond  the  above  limits,  it  was  deemed  ]iroper 


Washington.  Vouniij.  1777-1S70.  735 

to  mark  the  old  diamond  line  by  monuments,  just  as  if  there  had 
been  no  legal  change  in  the  boundary  for  this  short  distance.  But 
your  commissioners  regTet  to  report  that  they  have  been  unable  to 
reach  a  unanimous  conclusion  in  regard  to  the  true  location  of  the 
said  diamond  line  within  and  near  the  above  limits. 

Commissioners  Hodgkins  and  Buchanan,  after  careful  study  of 
all  the  evidence  ot  record  and  after  diligent  examination  of  the 
ground,  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  said  diamond  line  of  1802-1803 
runs  from  monument  Xo.  25,  near  the  first  marked  trees  east  of 
Bristol,  in  a  straight  line,  to  monument  Xo.  26,  on  the  western 
boundary  of  the  Bristol  cemetery  and  on  the  north  line  of  Main  or 
State  street;  thence  along  the  northern  line  of  said  ]\Iain  or  State 
street  to  "a  planted  stone  in  the  edge  of  a  field  formerly  owned  by 
Z.  L.  Burson,  being  the  northwest  corner  of  the  corporate  territory 
of  the  old  town  of  Bristol"  referred  to  in  the  act  of  cession,  supra; 
and  thence  in  a  straight  line  to  monument  Xo.  28  in  the  fork  of  the 
main  road  and  near  the  first  marked  trees  west  of  Bristol. 

Commissioner  Baylor,  on  the  other  hand,  after  equally  careful 
consideration  of  all  the  evidence  of  record  and  diligent  examina- 
tion of  the  ground,  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  said  diamond  line  of 
1802-1803  runs  from  monument  Xo.  25,  near  the  first  marked  tree 
east  of  Bristol,  in  a  straight  line  to  monument  Xo.  27,  situated 
just  outside  of  the  wall  of  the  Bristol  cemetery,  and  on  the  middle 
line  of  Main  or  State  street  as  it  runs  west  from  this  point;  and 
thence  in  a  straight  line  along  the  middle  of  Main  or  State  street 
to  monument  Xo.  28,  near  the  centre  of  the  fork  of  the  main  road 
and  near  the  first  marked  trees  of  1858-'59  west  of  Bristol. 

The  said  line  running  through  the  centre  of  Main  or  State  street 
is  just  thirty  feet  south  of  monument  Xo.  26  on  the  north  property 
line  of  Main  or  State  street  outside  the  western  wall  of  Bristol 
cemetery. 

Westward  from  Bristol,  the  boundary  was  retraced  without  dif- 
ficulty by  the  marked  trees,  just  as  in  the  previous  work  to  the 
eastward. 

Only  one  marked  deviation  from  the  general  course  of  the  line 
M'as  encountered  during  the  remainder  of  the  season.  This  was  on 
the  property  formerly  known  as  the  Hickman  place,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  village  of  Bloomingdale,  Tennessee. 

Here  the  line  was  found  to  have  a  deflection  of  8°,  30'  to  the 


736  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

right  or  north  for  the  distance  of  3161.8  feet.  From  the  west- 
ern end  of  this  offset  the  line  resumed  its  general  westerly  course, 
and  so  continued  until  the  end  of  the  work  of  that  year.  As  the 
season  advanced  it  became  evident  that  even  under  the  most  favor- 
able conditions  it  would  be  impossible  to  complete  the  survey  with- 
out worldng  far  into  the  winter,  which  on  many  accounts  was  un- 
desirable. 

The  attorney-generals  of  the  two  States  therefore  joined  in  a 
request  for  a  further  extension  of  time  within  which  your  com- 
missioners might  file  their  report,  and  this  honoraljle  court  there- 
upon extended  that  time  until  the  opening  of  the  October  term, 
1903. 

The  field  operations  for  tlie  season  of  1901  were  closed  at  the 
end  of  October,  at  which  time  the  survey  had  been  extended  to  the 
Clinch  river,  forty-three  miles  east  of  Cumberland  Gap,  the  total 
lengih  of  boundary  retraced  being  .seventy  miles,  besides  sixteen 
miles  of  trial  line  run  on  the  extension  of  the  "straight  line"  from 
Denton's  valley  to  Pond  mountain. 

Before  the  opening  of  the  field  work  for  the  season  1902  a  com- 
plaint reached  your  commissioners  from  a  citizen  of  Johnson 
county,  Tennessee,  supposed  to  be  reliable,  to  the  effect  that  inter- 
ested parties  were  interfering  with  the  marks  placed  on  the  line  the 
previous  year,  and  that,  in  some  cases  at  least,  the  monuments  had 
not  been  properly  placed  by  the  persons  employed  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

Although  these  statements  seem  scarcely  credible  in  view  of  the 
general  interest  taken  in  the  work  by  the  inhabitants,  your  com- 
missioners thought  it  best  to  investigate  the  matter  and  to  satisfy 
themselves  by  personal  inspection  that  the  monuments  had  re- 
mained undisturbed  in  their  proper  places. 

This  was  accordingly  done  at  the  outset  of  the  season's  work, 
and  it  was  ascertained  that  the  stories  of  falsification  of  the  mark- 
ing were  without  any  foundation  of  fact;  that  all  the  monuments 
l)etween  the  northeast  corner  of  Tenuessee  and  Bristol  had  been 
properly  set,  and  that  none  of  tliem  had  been  disturbed. 

These  preliminary  operations  occupied  the  time  from  June  33 
to  July  4,  on  which  day  your  commissioners  returned  to  Bristol. 
After  placing  some  additional  monuments  on  the  old  line  in  and 
near  Bristol  they  proceeded  to  Gate  City,  Virginia,  where  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  737 

camp  outfit  had  l)cen  stored  at  the  close  of  the  work  in  the  pre- 
ceding autumn,  and  at  once  went  into  camp  at  Robinett^  Tennes- 
see, west  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Clinch  river. 

The  survey  of  the  boundary  line  was  resumed  at  the  point  where 
it  had  been  suspended  the  year  before,  at  the  crossing  of  Clinch 
river  near  Church's  ford. 

From  this  point  to  Cumberland  Gap  the  line  crosses  a  succession 
of  mountains  and  valleys  with  comparatively  little  level  or  cleared 
land.  Little  difficulty  was  experienced  in  tracing  the  line  in  this 
part  of  its  course,  the  marked  trees  being  generally  found  at  fre- 
quent intervals.  The  line  preserved  its  general  course  as  before, 
except  that  two  deflections  to  the  noTthw^ard  were  found,  which 
were  similar  to  that  found  the  year  before  near  Bloomingdale. 

The  first  of  these  occurred  on  the  mountain  called  Wall'en's 
Ridge,  where  the  line  made  a  deflection  of  19°  to  the  north  before 
reaching  the  summit,  and  k'ept  that  course  for  a  distance  of  4643.7 
feet  before  resuming  its  usual  direction.  There  were  numerous 
trees  with  both  the  1803  and  1859  marks  on  this  deflected  line. 

The  final  deflection  of  4°  10'  to  the  north  for  a  distance  of 
6503.3  feet  began  at  the  "old  furnace  road"  near  Station  creek, 
I'ess  than  three  miles  from  the  west  end  of  the  line  on  Cumberland 
mountain.  From  the  western  end  of  this  otfset  the  line  runs 
straight  to  the  terminus. 

There  has  been  considerable  controversy  and  litigation  over 
these  last  three  miles  of  the  boundary,  and  a  number  of  witnesses 
have  testified  in  the  case  of  Virginia  ag't  Tennessee,  Supreme 
Court  United  States,  October  term  1891,  that  there  were  none  of 
the  marks  of  the  previous  surveys  remaining  between  Station  creek 
and  the  summit  of  Cumberland  mountain,  owing  to  the  destruction 
of  the  timber  in  that  area  during  the  military  operations  of  the 
Civil  war. 

Your  commissioners  were  able  to  find,  however,  three  trees  well 
marked  with  the  mark  of  1859  survey,  and  at  least  one  of  these 
bore  evidence  in  the  position  of  this  mark  that  an  old  diamond 
mark  was  formerly  visible  above  it. 

These  marked  trees  were  found  on  the  east  and  west  part  of  the 
line  west  of  the  offset,  and  are  in  excellent  alignment,  and  settled 
beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt  the  location  of  this  part  of  the 
boundary,  and  hence  the  short  remaining  distance  to  the  summit 


138  >So7itJiirest  Virginia,  17Ji6-17SO. 

of  Cumberland  mountain.  This  line  passes  near  and  a  little  south 
of  the  old  mill  several  times  referred  to  in  the  case  above  cited,  and 
thence  across  the  Union  railroad  station,  leaving  most  of  the  town 
of  Cumberland  Gap  in  Tennessee.  The  summit  of  Cumberland 
mountain  was  reached  on  Saturday,  August  33,  1902,  and  on  the 
following  Monday  the  field  work  of  the  survey  was  completed  and 
the  camp  outfit  was  packed  and  shipped  to  Washington.  Your 
commissioners  then  separated ;  Professor  Buchanan  returned  to 
his  home  at  Lebanon,  Tennessee,  to  work  up  his  field  notes,  and 
Mr.  Hodgkins  to  Washington,  to  attend  to  business  of  the  commis- 
sion and  to  draft  a  report  of  its  operations,  while  Mr.  Baylor 
remained  on  the  ground  until  September  13,  superintending  the 
placing  of  monuments  along  the  part  of  the  line  surveyed  in  1902. 

In  conclusion,  your  commissioners  state  that  they  have  found  the 
duties  imposed  upon  them  by  your  instructions  often  arduous 
and  exacting,  and  that  the  survey  just  completed  proved  far  more 
lal)orious,  and  was  attended  by  greater  hardships,  than  any  of  them 
had  anticipated ;  but  that  they  have  nevertheless  given  the  same 
careful  attention  to  every  part  of  it,  and  that  they  believe  it  to  be 
correct  throughout. 

List  of  monumejits  of  cut  limestone  and  other  duralde  marks  as 
hereinafter  more  fully  described : 

(1) — At  northeast  corner  of  Tennessee,  at  Burnt  Hill. 

(2) — On  summit  of  Flat  Spring  ridge. 

(3) — On  Valley  Creek  road  on  John  Tolliver's  place. 

( 1) — On  road  from  Laurel  river  to  White  Top  mountain  near  an 
old  mill. 

(5) — On  road  up  Laurel  river  near  a  double  ford. 

On  summit  of  Iron  moimtain,  near  the  north  end  of  the  rocky 
bluff,  a  cairn  of  rocks  was  erected. 

(6) — At  eastern  foot  Holston  mountain,  a  short  distance  from 
Beaver  Dam  creek  and  the  Virginia  and  Carolina  railway. 

Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  triangidation  station,  "Damascus," 

U      S 
on  summit  of  Holston  mountain,  a  stone  marked     X 

C      S 

(7) — On  Eockhouse  Branch  road  in  the  valley  on  Mary  Nealy 
place. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  739 

(8) — On  road  from  Barron  railway  station  to  New  Sliady  road 
cut-stone  monument  of  1858-'59. 

(9)— In  woods  north  of  New  Shady  road  where  the  line  changes 
its  course  to  south  23°  50'  west  (mag.)  a  marked  deflection  from 
the  general  course  of  the  line. 

(10) — On  the  New  Shady  road  where  this  deflected  line 
crosses  it. 

(11) — In  wo-ods  on  Little  mountain  west  of  Cox  creek  where 
this  bearing  of  south  23°  50'  west  (mag.)  ends,  and  the  line  re- 
sumes its  general  course  to  the  westward. 

(12) — On  the  road  just  north  of  cross  road  leading  to  Thomas 
Denton's  place. 

(13)— On  road  on  hill  on  C.  D.  Short's  place. 

(14) — On  road  on  east  bank  of  the  south  fork  of  Holston  river, 
cut-stone  monument  of  1858-'59. 

(15) — On  hill  in  George  Garrett's  cow  lot  west  and  north  of 
south  fo'ik  Holston  river. 

(16) — On  road  to  King's  mill  near  John  Buckle's  house. 

(17) — On  road  to  King's  Mill  via  Thomas'  place. 

(18) — On  summit  of  open  hill  east  of  Painter  place,  concrete 
monument. 

(19) — On  road  running  east  of  Painter  house. 

(20) — On  road  running  west  of  Painter  house,  cut-stone  monu- 
ment of  1858-'59. 

(21) — On  road  through  woods  west  of  Painter  property. 

(22) — On  summit  of  first  high  ridge  east  of  Paperville  road. 

(23) — On  Paperville  road  at  Jones'  place. 

(24) — On  road  west  of  Carmack  house. 

(25) — On  Booher  place  near  first  marked  tree  of  1858--'59  efv?t 
of  Bristol. 

(26) — On  north  property  line  of  the  main  street  of  Bristol  out- 
side the  western  wall  of  the  cemetery.  Commissioner  Baylor  does 
not  consider  this  a  part  of  the  true  line. 

(27) — Outside  the  street  wall  of  Bristol  cemetery  at  the  point 
where  the  average  centre  line  of  Main  street  intersects  said  wall. 
Commissioners  Hodgkins  and  Buchanan  do  not  consider  this  a 
point  on  the  boundary.  A  stone  post  in  the  edge  of  a  field  formerly 
owned  by  Z.  L.  Burson  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  old  corporate 


740  Southivest  Virginia,  17Jt6-1780. 

U'l-ritory  of  the  old  town  of  Brii^tol.     Commissioner  Baylor  does 
not  consider  this  a  point  on  the  bonndary. 

(28) — In  the  fork  of  the  main  road  west  of  the  town  of  Bristol. 

(29) — On  the  road  to  Bristol  east  of  Worley  place. 

(30) — On  road  to  Bristol  west  of  Worley  place. 

Coast  and   Geodetic   Snrvey  triangnlation   station,  "Dunn,"   on 

U      S 
summit  of  ridge  on  old  Dnnn's  place,  stone  marked     X 

C      S 

(ol) — On  Dishner  Yalley  road. 

(32) — On  road  tO'  Bristol  east  of  Gumni  spring. 

(33) — On  road  to  Bristol  near  Tallman  house. 

(34) — On  road  in  valley  west  of  old  abandoned  railway  bed. 

(35)— On  Scott  road. 

(36) — On  road  west  of  Akard  place. 

(37)^ — On  road  near  Jackson  place. 

(38) — On  Boozey  Creek  road. 

(39) — On  road  to  Hilston  ford,  cut-stone  monument  18r)8-'r)9. 

(40) — On  Timbertree  road. 

(41) — Between  two  roads  just  east  of  Gate  City  road. 

(42) — In  woods  west  of  Gate  City  road  where  there  is  a  deflec- 
tion of  8°  30'  to  the  right  or  north  from  the  general  course  of  the 
line  on  old  Hiclanan  place. 

(43) — In  woods  northeast  of  Bloomingdale  where  this  8°  30'  de- 
flec^tion  from  the  general  course  of  the  line  ends  in  going  west- 
ward and  line  resumes  its  general  course. 

(44)- — On  road  to  Bloomingdale. 

(45)— On  Wall  Gap  road. 

(46) — On  road  up  ravine. 

(47) — On  Carter  Valley  road. 

(48) — On  Gate  City  and  Kingsport  road,  cut-stone  monument  of 
1858-'59. 

Coast  and  Geodetic   Survey  triang-ulation  station,  "Cloud,"  on 

U      S 
bluff  of  Nortli  Holston  river,  stone  marked     X 

C      S 

(49) — On  east  bank  of  North  Holston  river. 

(50) — On  road  on  west  bank  of  North  Holston  river. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  741 

(51) — At  cross  roads  on  Stanle}^  Valley  road,  cut-stone  monu- 
ment of  1858-'59. 

(52) — On  Stanley  Yalley  road  on  hill  at  turn  in  road. 

(53) — On  Cameron  postoffice  road. 

(54) — On  Stanley  Valley  road  south  of  harn  of  N.  J.  Bussell, 
cnt-stone  monument  of  1858-'59. 

(55) — On  Stanley  Valley  road,  cut-stone  monument  of  1858-'59. 

(50) — On  road  which  runs  across  Opossum  ridge. 

(57) — On  Moore's  Gap  road. 

(58) — On  Caney  Valley  road. 

(59) — On  Little  Poor  Valley  road  south  of  Mary  Field  house. 

(60) — On  Poor  Valley  road,  cut-stone  monument  of  1858-'59. 

On  summit  of  Clinch  mountain,  cairn  of  rocks  erected  a  few 

feet  south  of  the  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  triangulation  station, 

U      S 

"Wildcat,"  whicli  station  marked  with     X     cut  in  sandstone  rock, 

C      S 
(61)— On  Clincli  Valley  road. 

(62) — On  road  on  east  hank  of  Clinch  river  ahove  Church's  ford. 

(63) — On  road  at  Jane  Bagley's  house. 

On  summit  of  open  hill  east  of  Fisher  Valley  road  line,  crosses 
solid  rock.  Small  hole  drilled  in  it  with  a  T  cut  south  of  hole  and 
V  north  of  it. 

(64)— On  Fisher  A^alley  road. 

On  summit  of  a  high  ridge  east  of  Eobinett  line,  crosses  solid 
rock.  Small  hole  drilled  in  it  with  V  cut  on  north  side  of  hole  aiid 
T  south  of  it. 

(65)— On  road  at  Eobinett. 

On  side  of  ridge  at  east  edge  of  woods  line,  crosses  rock.  Small 
hole  drilled  in  it  with  V  cut  on  north  side  of  hole  and  T  on  south 
of  it. 

On  summit  of  ISTewman's  ridge  line,  crosses  rock  similarly  marked. 

(66) — On  Eogersville  and  .Tonesville  road. 

(67)— On  Little  Creek  road. 

(68)— On  Sneedville  and  Black  Water  Salt  Works  road. 
■    (69)- — On  Black  Water  A'alley  road  near  J.  Mullen's  house. 

Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  triangulation  station,  "Powell,"  on 

US 
summit  of  Powell  mountain,  large  sandstone  rock  mai-ked     X 

0    s 


742  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

(70) — On  Mulberry  Gap  and  Wallen  Creek  road  near  large 
poplar. 

(71) — Near  junction  of  Mulberry  Gap  and  Jonesville  roads. 

(72) — On  east  face  of  Wallen's  ridge  on  edge  of  trail  over  ridge 
where  there  is  a  deflection  to  the  right  or  north  of  19°  from  the 
general  course  of  the  line. 

On  summit  of  Wallen's  ridge  lino,  crosses  large  sandstone  rock. 
Small  hole  cut  in  it  with  V  cut  north  of  hole  and  T  south  of  it. 

(73) — On  west  face  of  Wallen's  ridge  in  open  field  on  the 
boundary  fence  of  Mollie  Thompson  and  J.  W.  Moore,  where  this 
deflection  of  19°  from  the  general  course  of  the  line  ends  in  going 
westward  and  line  resumes  its  general  course. 

(74) — On  road  east  of  Powell  river  and  north  of  Welch  or 
Baldwin  ford. 

On  rock  bluff  west  of  Powell  river  a  small  hole  was  cut  with  V 
north  of  this  hole  and  T  south  of  it. 

(75) — On  Powell  river  and  Sneedville  road,  on  west  hill  of 
Powell  river,  rough  stone  monument  with  V  cut  on  north  face  and 
T  on  south  face. 

(76) — On  Powell  river  and  Sneedville  road. 

(77) — On  Martin  Creek  road. 

(78) — On  Low  Hollow  road. 

(.79)— On  Four  Mile  Creek  road. 

(80)— On  Bayless'  Mill  road. 

(81)   On  Ball's  Mill  road. 

Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  triangulation  station,  ''Minter,"  on 
summit  of  hill  near  gate  and  fence  corner. 

(83) — On  road  south  of  Jacob  Estep's  house. 

(84) — On  East  Machine  Branch  road. 

(85) — On  West  Machine  Branch  road. 

(86) — On  Ducktown  road. 

(87) — On  Mud  Hollow  Hole  road  near  large  limestone  spring. 

(88) — On  Hoskin's  Valley  road  near  large  limestone  spring. 

(89) — On  George  Souther's  saw-mill  road. 

(90) — On  Louisville  and  JSTashville  railway  near  Brooks'  cross- 
ing. 

(91) — On  old  Iron  Works  roads  where  there  is  a  deflection  of 
4°  10'  to  the  fight  on  north  from  the  general  course  of  the  line. 

(92) — On  Station  Creek  road. 


WasJiington  County,  1777-1S70.  743 

(93) — On  the  east  side  of  Poor  Valley  ridge  where  this  deflec- 
tion of  -1°  10'  from  the  general  course  of  the  line  ends  in  going 
v\estward  and  line  resumes  its  general  course. 

(94) — On  Cumberland  Gap  and  Virginia  road  east  of  Cumber- 
land Gap. 

(95) — On  small  hill  just  east  of  road  connecting  Cumberland 
Gap  with  Old  Virginia  and  Cumberland  Gap  road  in  the  edge  of 
the  old  town  j)ark. 

(96)— On  side  of  open  hill  facing  south  about  two  and  one-half 
squares  east  of  the  Tazewell  and  Kentucky  roads  at  Cumberland 
Gap. 

(97) — On  west  side  of  Tazewell  and  Kentucky  roads  and  just 
east  of  woolen  factory  at  Cumberland  Gap. 

(98) — At  foot  of  Cumberland  mountain  west  of  the  Union  Eail- 
way  station  and  in  line  with  the  south  edge  of  the  south  chimney 
of  said  Union  Eailway  station. 

(99)— On  summit  of  Cumberland  mountain.  The  monument 
of  cut  limestone  had  V  and  T  cut  on  its  adjacent  vertical  faces 
and  "Corner"  cut  on  its  top.  Its  base  is  set  in  cement  and  broken 
rock  with  one  diagonal  running  east  and  west.  The  summit  of  the 
sandstone  ledge  w^as  blast*ed  in  order  to  set  this  monument. 

In  addition  to  the  cut-stone  monuments  and  other  durable  marks 
your  commissioners  marked  with  six  chops,  thus : 

W 
W 

the  trees  on  and  within  ten  feet  of  this  line  on  each  side. 

Your  commissioners  unanimously  agree  in  recommending  that 
the  rights  of  individuals  having  claims  or  titles  to  lands  on  either 
side  of  said  boundary  line  as  ascertained,  re-marked  and  re-estab- 
lished by  your  commissioners  shall  not  in  consequence  thereof  in 
any  wise  be  prejudiced  or  atfected  where  said  individuals  have  paid 
their  taxes  in  good  faith  in  the  wrong  State. 

[seal.]  '  William  C.  Hodgkins^ 

Commissioner. 
[seal.]  James  B.  Baylor^ 

Commissionei\ 
[seal.]  Andrew  H.  Buchanan, 

Commissioner. 


744  Southwest  Virginia,  17 Jf 6-17 86. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  on  the  Ist  day  ot  June, 
1903,  conhrmed  this  report  and  entered  the  following  order: 

This  cause  came  on  to  be  heard  on  May  18,  1903,  on  the  proceed- 
ings heretofore  had  herein  and  upon  the  report  of  William  C. 
Hodgkins.  James  B.  Baylor  and  Andrew  H.  Buchanan,  commis- 
sioners ap])ointed  by  the  decretal  order  herein  of  April  30,  1900,  to 
ascertain,  retrace,  re-mark  and  re-establish  the  real,  certain  and 
true  boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Tennessee  and -Virginia 
as  actually  run  and  located  from  White  Top  mountain  to  Cumber- 
land Gap  under  proceedings  had  between  the  two  States  in  1801- 
1803,  and  as  adjudged  and  decreed  by  this  court  in  its  decree  of 
April  3,  1893,  in  a  certain  original  case  in  equity  wherein  the  State 
of  Virginia  was  complainant  and  the  State  of  Tennessee  was  de- 
fendant, which  report  is  annexed  hereto  and  made  part  hereof. 

And  it  appearing  to  the  court  that  said  report  was  filed  in  this 
court  on  the  5th  day  of  January,  1903,  and  that  the  same  is  un- 
excepted  to  by  either  party  in  any  respect,  therefore,  upon  tlie  mo- 
tion of  the  State  of  'Tennessee  by  her  attorney-general  and  (»f  the 
State  of  Virginia  by  her  attorney-general,  it  is  ordi'red  that  said 
report  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  in  all  things  confirmed. 

It  is  thereupon  ordered,  adjudged  and  decreed  that  the  real, 
certain  and  true  boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Tennessee 
and  Virginia  as  actually  run  and  located  under  the  compact  and 
proceedings  had  l)etween  the  two  States  in  1801-1803.  and  as  ad- 
judged by  this  court  on  the  3d  day  of  April,  1893,  in  said  original 
cause  in  equity  wherein  the  State  of  Virginia  was  complainant  and 
the  State  of  Tennessee  was  defendant  as  aforesaid,  was  at  the  in- 
stitution of  this  suit,  and  noAv  is,  except  as  hereinafter  shown,  as 
described  and  delineated  in  said  report  filed  herein  on  January  5, 
1903,  as  aforesaid. 

And  it  further  appearing  to  the  court,  and  it  being  so  admitted 
by  both  parties,  that  since  the  institution  of  this  suit  and  the  de- 
cretal order,  of  April  30,  1900,  as  aforesaid,  a  compact  was  entered 
into  by  the  States  of  Tennessee  and  Virginia  expressed  in  the  con- 
current laws  of  said  States,  namely,  the  act  of  the  General  Assean- 
bly  of  Tennessee,  approved  January  28,  1901,  entitled  "An  act  to 
cede  to  the  State  of  Virginia  a  certain  narrow  strip  of  territory  be- 
longing to  the  State  of  Tennessee  lying  between  the  northern 
boundary  line  of  the  city  of  Bristol,  in  the  county  of  Sullivan. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  745 

and  the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  city  of  Bristol,  in  the  county 
of  Wa,shington,  State  of  Virginia,  being  the  northern  half  of 
Main  street  of  the  said  two  cities,"  and  the  reciprocal  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  approved  February  9,  1901,  en- 
titled "An  act  to  accept  the  cession  by  the  State  of  Tennessee  to 
the  State  of  Virginia  of  a  certain  narrow  strip  of  territory  claimed 
as  belonging  to  the  State  of  Tennessee  and  described  as  lying  be- 
tween the  northern  boundary  line  of  the  city  of  Bristol,  in  the 
county  of  Sullivan,  State  of  Tennessee,  and  the  southern  boundary 
line  of  the  city  of  Bristol,  in  the  county  of  Washington,  State  of 
Virginia,  being  tlie  northern  half  of  the  Main  street  of  the  said 
two  cities." 

And  it  further  appearing  that  said  compact  received  the  consent 
of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  by  joint  resolution  approved 
March  3,  1901,  as  follows : 

"Eesolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresentatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  a  recent 
compact  or  agreement  having  been  made  by  and  between  the  States 
of  Tennessee  and  Virginia  whereby  the  State  of  Tennessee  by  an 
act  of  its  legislature  approved  January  twenty-eighth,  nineteen 
lumdred  and  one,  ceded  to  the  State  of  Virginia  certain  territory 
specifically  described  in  said  act,  and  being  the  northern  half  of  the 
^lain  street  l^etween  the  cities  of  Bristol,  Tennessee  and  Virginia, 
and  the  State  of  Virginia,  by  act  of  its  general  assembly,  approved 
February  ninth,  nineteen  hundred  and  one,  having  accepted  said 
cession  of  the  State  of  Tennessee,  the  consent  of  Congress  is  hereby 
given  to  said  compact  or  agreement  between  said  States  fixing  the 
boundary  line  between  said  States  as  shown  by  said  acts  referred  to, 
and  the  same  is  hereby  ratified." 

And  the  said  commissioners  in  their  said  report  having  ascer- 
tained and  recommended  the  straight  line  from  the  end  of  the  "dia- 
mond marked"  or  compact  line  of  1801-1803  to  the  corner  of  the 
States  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  as  the  true  boundary  line 
between  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee  between  those  two 
points,  the  court,  approving  said  recommendation  and  finding  of 
said  commissioners,  doth  adopt  the  same. 

And  the  court  being  of  opinion  that  it  is  proper  to  recognize  the 
line  so  established  by  said  last  mentioned  compact  of  1901  as  th'e 
real,  certain,  and  true  interstate  ])oundary  line  within  and  between 
said  two  cities,  and  to  definitely  determine  and  fix  in  this  cause 


746  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

what  is  the  real  and  true  and  certain  boundary  line  between  said 
States  throughout  the  entire  length  thereof  from  the  corner  of  the 
States  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  on  Pond  mountain,  to 
the  corner  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  at  Cumberlnd  Gap,  doth 
therefore  adjudge,  order,  and  decree  that  the  entire,  real,  certain 
and  true  boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Tennessee  and  Vir- 
ginia is  the  line  described  and  delineated  in  said  report  filed  herein 
on  January  5,  1903,  modified  as  to  so  much  of  said  line  as  lies 
between  the  two  cities  of  Bristol  by  the  aforesaid  compact  of  1901 
between  the  two  States,  and  as  so  described,  delineated  and  modi- 
fied said  boundary  line,  from  the  said  North  Carolina  corner  to  the 
eastern  end  of  the  compact  line  of  1801-1803,  known,  as  the  "dia- 
mond marked"  line,  and  thence  to  Cumberland  Gap,  is  hereby  de- 
termined, fixed  and  established. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  action  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  will  put  an  end  to  this  controversy,  which  has  lasted 
for  more  than  130  years. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  717 


Biographical  Sketches. 


REV.  CHAS.  CUMMINGS. 

Mr.  Cummings  was  an  Irishman  by  birth,  and  came  to  America  in  early 
manhood.  Soon  after  arriving  in  this  country  he  entered  Carlisle  College, 
Pennsylvania.  After  receiving  a  thorough  education  he  settled  in  Lancas- 
ter county,  Virginia,  and  on  the  13th  of  February,  1766,  he  married  Miss 
Mildred  Carter.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Hanover  Presbytery  on  the 
18th  of  April,  1767,  and  received  a  call  to  the  North  Mountain  church,  in 
Augusta  county,  which  church  he  served  until  1772,  when  he  received  a 
call  to  the  Sinking  Spring  and  Ebbing  Spring  congregations,  on  the  Hol- 
ston.  This  call  he  accepted,  and  removed  with  his  family  to  a  tract  of  land 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Abingdon.  He  served  the  Sinking  Spring  church 
until  the  year  1812,  the  date  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  March  of  that 
year. 

He  accompanied  Colonel  Christian  upon  his  expedition  against  the  Chero- 
kees  in  the  year  1776,  and  preached  in  the  territory,  now  in  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  being  the  first  preacher  in  that  territory. 

He  joined  a  company  organized  at  Abingdon  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Evan  Shelby,  and  hurried  to  the  relief  of  the  inhabitants  at 
Watauga  when  besieged  by  the  Indians,  in  1776. 

He  was  the  first  named  on  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  Fincastle  county, 
and  is  accredited  with  the  honor  of  having  drafted  the  Fincastle  resolutions 
which  were  adopted  on  the  20th  of  January,  1775.  He  assisted  in  drafting 
a  petition  from  Hanover  Presbytery  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia, 
asking  the  separation  of  the  Church  and  the  State,  in  October,  1776. 

When  Washington  county  was  formed,  in  the  year  1777,  he  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  by  his  example  and  admonition 
did  much  to  fire  the  spirit  of  patriotism  which  blazed  forth  so  brilliantly 
among  the  people  of  the  Holston  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

He  was  of  middle  stature,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  well  set  and  well 
formed,  possessing  great  personal  firmness  and  dignity  of  character.  His 
voice  was  strong  and  had  great  compass;  his  articulation  slow,  clear  and 
distinct;  withotit  apparent  etTort  he  could  speak  to  be  heard  by  ten  thou- 
sand people.  His  mind  was  good,  but  not  brilliant.  He  understood  his  own 
system  well;  spoke  always  with  gravity,  and  required  it  from  all  who  sat 
under  the  sound  of  his  voice.  He  would  not  tolerate  any  movement  among 
the  congregation  after  the  services  commenced.  He  uniformly  spoke  like 
one  having  authority,  and  laid  down  the  law  and  the  gospel,  as  he  under- 
stood them,  with  great  distinctness. 


748  SoutJuccst  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

COLONEL  ARTHUR  CAMPBELL. 

He  was  born  in  Augusta  county  in  the  year  1743.  Entered  the  service 
of  liis  country  wlien  a  youth;  was  captured  at  Dicken.son's  Fort  and  carried 
into  captivity  by  the  Indians  and  kept  for  three  years;  returned  to  his 
home  and  moved  to  Holston  settlements  in  17G5.  Major  in  Fincastle  mili- 
tia and  member  of  the  County  Court  of  Fincastle  county;  member  of  the 
House  of  Burgesses  from  Fincastle  county;  one  of  the  original  trustees  of 
Washington  College.  Covmty  lieutenant  and  presiding  justice  of  Wash- 
ington coimty  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Represented  Fin- 
castle county  in  the  Convention  of  1776  and  Washington  comity  many 
times  thereafter  in  the  General  Assemblj'  of  tlie  State.  Made  an  effort  to 
organize  a  new  State  west  of  the  moimtains  in  1782-1785.  He  was  a 
statesman  and  a  patriot. 

Died  at  the  present  location  of  Middleborough,  Ky.,  on  August  8th,  1811. 

COLONEL  \V1LLIAM  RUSSELL. 

Born  in  Culpeper  county  in  the  year  1748.  Settled  near  the  Clinch  river, 
south  of  Castle's  Woods,  about  1770,  and  built  Russell's  Fort.  Commanded 
a  company  of  frontiersmen  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  in  the  fall  of 
1774.  Member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  from  Fincastle  county  in  177(>. 
Commissioned  captain  in  the  Continental  army,  and  accompanied  Colon-.d 
C'hristian  upon  his  expedition  against  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  1770.  Mem- 
ber of  the  G-eneral  Assembly  of  Virginia  in  1786.  and  introduced  bill  for 
formation  of  Russell  county,  \'irginia.  Brigadier-general  of  Virginia  mili- 
tia. Married  Mrs.  ^^'m.  Campbell,  and  for  many  years  resided  at  Saltville, 
Virginia.  Died  in  the  year  1794  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Robert  S.  Russell, 
in  Shenandoah  county,  Virginia. 

COLONEL  WILLIAM  COCKE. 

Colonel  \^'m.  Cocke  was  a  son  of  Abraham  Cocke,  of  Amelia  county.  Was 
born  in  1747,  and  died  August  22d,  1828.  He  was  an  early  pioneer  of  Ken- 
tucky; active  in  the  fonnation  of  the  "State  of  Franklin,"  and  afterwards 
of  Tennessee;  served  in  two  wars — the  Revolution,  in  which  he  was  a  cap- 
tain, and  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he  volunteered,  though  an  old  man,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  IjCgislature  in  four  States — Virginia,  North  Carolina. 
Tennessee  and  Misisissippi.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of 
Delegates  from  Washington  county  in  1777,  and  was  Ihiited  States  Senator 
from  Tennessee,  1790-'7,  1799-180.5.  He  was  afterwards  a  judge  of  tlic 
Circuit  Court  of  Tennessee,  and  later  removed  to  Mississippi,  where  he  died. 

MAJOR  ANTHONY  BLEDSOE. 

Born  in  Augusta  county.  Member  of  the  County  Court  of  Botetourt,  Fin- 
castle and  Washing-ton  counties.  Officer  in  the  militia  of  Fincastle  and 
Washington  eoimties.  Built  Bledsoe's  Fort.  i;ci»resented  Washington 
county  in  the  General   .Assembly   1777-1778.     ('ommanded  C'hristian's  army 


Washington  County.  1777-1870.  749 

at  Long  Island  from  December,  1776,  to  April,  1777.     Removed  to  Bledsoe's 
Lick,  near  Naishvilie,  Tennessee,  where  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians. 

CAPTAIN  ^VM.  EDMISTON. 

Born  in  Augusta  count}'.  Served  in  the  French-Indian  war  of  1754-1763. 
Member  of  the  county  coui'ts  of  Fincastle  and  Washington  counties.  Officer 
in  the  militia  of  Washington  and  Fincastle  countias.  Received  a  grant  of 
3,000  acres  of  land  under  the  King's  proclamation  of  1763  for  services  ren- 
dered in  the  French-Indian  war,  and  laid  the  grant  in  the  community  of 
Edmiston's  Fort,  in  this  county.  Captain  of  a  companj'  on  the  expedition 
into  South  Carolina  in  October,  1780.  Was  killed  at  the  head  of  his  com- 
pany in  tlie  battle  of  King's  Mountain. 

COLONEL  JOSEPH  MARTIN. 

Son  of  English  parents,  who  emigrated  from  Bristol,  England,  and  set- 
tled in  Albemarle  county,  Virginia.  Colonel  Martin  was  born  in  Albemarle 
county  in  the  year  1740.  Married  Susanna  Childs.  Settled  in  Pittsylvania 
county,  Virginia.  In  1765  attempted  the  establishment  of  Martin's  Sta- 
tion, in  Powell's  Valley,  but  was  driven  off  by  the  Indians.  Afterwards  ap- 
pointed entry-taker  by  Colonel  Richard  Henderson  for  that  portion  of  the 
Henderson  purchase  situated  in  Powell's  Valley.  Commanded  a  company  of 
men  upon  Christian's  expedition  against  the  Cherokees  in  1776.  Appointed 
Indian  agent  and  stationed  at  Long  Island  of  Holston  river,  which  position 
he  occupied  until  the  year  1789.  Was  a  member  of  the  Convention  of  North 
Carolina  called  for  the  adoption  or  rejection  of  the  Federal  Constitution, 
and  several  tiroes  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina. 
About  the  year  1790  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Henry  county,  Vir- 
ginia. Was  soon  thereafter  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
from  Henry  county,  and  continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  luitil  he  him- 
self thought  he  was  by  age  unfit  for  further  usefulness.  Died  in  1808,  in 
the  isixty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

GENERAL  WM.  CAMPBELL. 

Was  a  native  of  Augusta  county,  of  the  true  Caledonian  race  by  the  ma- 
ternal line  as  well  as  by  that  of  the  father.  Being  an  only  son,  he  received 
a  liberal  education  imder  the  best  teachers  of  the  times.  He  had  an  ardent 
mind,  very  susceptible  of  literary  improvements,  and  acquired  early  in  life 
a  correct  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  of  ancient  and  modern  his- 
tory, and  of  several  branches  of  mathematics.  Nature  had  formed  him  for 
a  commander  in  military  capacity.  His  personal  appearance  was  grave 
and  masculine,  being  something  about  six  feet  high  and  well  proportioned : 
in  conversation  rather  reserved  and  thoughtful;  in  his  written  eommuiiica- 
tions  expressive  and  elegant.  His  patriotism  was  not  of  a  timid  cast.  He 
never  balanced  between  his  military  duty  and  prudential  maxims.  When 
his  ire  was  excited  he  showed  in  his  countenance  the  fury  of  an  Achilles. 
The  trusty  Andreferrara,  the  sword  he  wore  on  the  day  of  battle,  wais  once 


750  Southwest  Virginia,  17^6-1786. 

the  property  of  his  grandfather  from  Scotland,  and  he  had  an  arm  and  a 
spirit  that  coukl  wiekl  it  with  effect.  In  the  year  1775  he  was  of  the  first 
regular  troops  raised  in  Virginia,  being  lionored  with  a  captain's  commis- 
sion ill  the  first  regiment.  Here  he  acquired  a  j^ractical  knowledge  of  tac- 
tics and  the  discipline  of  an  army.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1776  he 
resigned  his  position  on  account  of  the  Indian  war  breaking  out,  by  which 
his  family  and  friends  were  exposed  to  immediate  danger.  Soon  after  he 
was  promoted  to  be  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  militia  of  Washington  county, 
and  the  next  year,  on  the  resignation  of  Evan  Shelby,  Sr.,  to  that  of  colonel 
of  the  regiment.  In  this  rank  he  remained  until  after  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain  and  of  Guilford,  when  he  was  appointed  by  a  vote  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Virginia  to  rank  as  a  brigadier-general,  and  was  ordered  to  join  the 
Marquis  LaFayette,  to  oppose  the  invasion  of  the  enemy  in  1781.  After 
the  defeat  of  Ferguson,  the  British  general,  Cornwallis,  imbibed  a  personal 
resentment,  and  had  the  temerity  to  theaten  that  if  General  Campbell  fell 
into  his  hands  he  would  have  him  instantly  put  to  death  for  his  -rigor 
against  the  Tories.  This,  instead  of  intimidating,  had  the  contrary  effect, 
and  in  turn  the  American  general  resolved,  if  the  fortune  of  war  should 
place  Cornwallis  in  his  power,  he  should  meet  the  fate  of  Ferguson.  This 
at;  the  battle  of  Guilford  had  nearly  been  the  case,  for  had  all  the  militia 
behaved  with  the  same  firmness  and  courage  as  on  the  wing  where  General 
Campbell  commanded,  the  British  army  must  have  met  with  a  total  defeat. 
On  forming  the  army  in  Virginia,  under  Marquis  LaFayette,  in  1781, 
General  Campbell  became  a  favorite  of  that  gallant  nobleman,  who  gave 
him  command  of  the  brigade  of  light  infantry  and  riflemen.  A  few  weeks 
before  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  took  sick  of  a  complaint  in  his  breast, 
which  obliged  him  to  retire  from  the  army  to  a  friend's  house  in  the  coun- 
try, and  there,  after  a  short  sickness,  to  end  his  days,  in  the  thirty-sixth 
year  of  his  age,  much  lamented  by  the  friends  of  liberty  who  knew  him. 
Of  his  military  character  we  have  given  a  short  sketch.  His  moral  senti- 
ments and  social  demeanor  in  civil  life  were  exemplary.  Although  an  only 
son  and  heir  to  a  considerable  property,  he  never  gave  way  to  the  fashion- 
able follies  of  young  men  of  fortvme.  He  well  knew  that  vice  at  any  time 
of  life,  or  in  any  shape,  darkens  the  understanding,  perverts  the  will,  and 
thus  injures  social  order  in  every  grade  of  society.  He  kept  a  strict  guard 
on  his  own  passions,  and  was  by  some  deemed  too  severe  in  punishing  the 
deviations  of  others.  His  military  career  was  short,  but  brilliant.  Warren 
and  Montgomery  acted  at  a  conspicuous  stage,  and  deserved  the  eulogisms 
so  often  repeated.  Campbell  undertook  a  no  less  arduous  task,  with  an 
inferior  number  of  undisciplined  militia.  He  marched  in  a  few  days  nearly 
two  hundred  miles,  over  vast  mountains,  in  search  of  the  enemy,  who  were 
commanded  by  an  experienced  officer,  of  known  bravery  and  military  skill, 
and  who  had  chosen  his  field  for  battle.  It  was  at  (King's  Mountain)  rather 
a  fortification  than  an  open  space  for  combatants  to  meet  upon.  The  as- 
sault of  the  Americans  was  impetuous  and  irresistible,  and  the  event  was  a 
victory  to  a  wish.  This  victory  resulted  in  the  retreat  of  the  main  British 
army  a  considerable  distance  and  their  relinquishment  of  the  scheme  of 


WasJmigton  County,  1777-1870.  751 

invading  Virginia  that  year.  It  also  reanimated  all  the  friends  of  liberty 
in  the  Southern  States,  and  was  the  prelude  of  adverse  events  to  the  enemy, 
which,  in  the  course  of  the  next  campaign,  terminated  in  their  final  over- 
throw.* 

COLONEL  WILLIAM  PRESTON. 

Son  of  John  Preston,  of  Augusta  county.  Born  in  Ireland  1730,  and  died 
at  Sniithfield,  now  Blacksburg,  1783.  One  of  the  first  trustees  of  Staunton. 
Member  the  House  of  Burgesses  from  Augusta  county  17G6-1768,  and  from 
Botetourt  county  1769.  Commanded  a  company  of  Rangers  in  the  French- 
Indian  war  1754-1763.  On  the  formation  of  Botetourt  county,  1769,  he 
was  appointed  colonel  of  the  militia,  coroner,  escheator  and  county  sur- 
veyor. Upon  the  formation  of  Fincastle  county  he  was  appointed  sheriff 
and  surveyor.  He  was  engaged  with  Colonels  Cainpbell  and  Christian  in 
their  expeditions  against  the  Cherokees  in  the  year  1776.  Was  at  the  battles 
of  Whitsill's  Mills  and  Guilford  Courthouse,  1781,  and  was  actively  en- 
gaged throughout  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  of  Fincastle  county,  and  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  Fincastle 
Resolutions.  He  left  eleven  children,  all  of  whom,  both  male  and  female, 
became  distinguished  in  the  history  of  our  country.  His  five  sons  were 
John,  Francis,  James,  William  and  Thomas,  and  his  six  daughters  were 
Mrs.  Thomas  Madison,  Mrs.  Thomas  McDowell,  Mrs.  Hart,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Lewis  and  Mrs.  John  Floyd.  One  son  and  one  of  his  sonis-in-law  became 
governors  of  Virginia. 

COLONEL  JAMES  KING. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  1752. 
He  was  well  educated,  and  emigrated  to  Virginia  about  the  year  1769,  and 
by  purchase,  entry  and  condemnation  acquired  about  50,000  acres  of  land 
in  and  arovind  Bristol,  Tennessee  and  Virginia,  of  the  present  day.  Colonel 
King  married  Sarah,  one  of  the  seven  daughters  of  Colonel  Thomas  Good- 
son,  in  Montgomery  county,  Virginia,  and  settled  a  few  miles  southwest 
of  Bristol  near  the  Sulphur  Springs.  Colonel  King  won  his  title  through 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Was  captured  and  escaped  and  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment, and  after  some  time  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  his 
home,  near  Bristol,  rather  than  deliver  to  the  quartermaster  a  magnificent 
mare  from  which  he  had  knocked  a  British  officer,  but  subsequently  re- 
joined his  regiment,  and  was  at  Yorktown  when  Cornwallis  surrendered. 
Colonel  King  some  time  previous  to  the  year  1800  erected  an  iron  furnace 
(Barbary  Furnace)  near  the  Sulphur  Springs,  and  made  the  first  iron  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Tennessee.  Colonel  King's  partner  in  this 
enterprise  was  Governor  Blount,  of  the  Southwest  Territory.  The  iron 
made  at  this  furnace  was  hauled  in  wagons  to  Kingsport,  a  distance  of 
twenty-five  miles,  the  junction  of  the  North  and  South  forks  of  Ilolston 
river,  and  transported  from  that  point  by  water.     Kingsport  took  its  name 


*Colonel  Arthur  Campbell. 


752  Sovthtrest  Virginia,  rr 46-1786. 

from  Colonel  King.  Some  time  previous  to  the  jear  1810  Colonel  King 
purchased  from  Isaac  Shelby,  executor  of  General  Evan  Shelby,  976  acres 
of  land,  one-half  the  Sapling  Grove  tract,  tor  $10,000,  and  it  is  said  that  the 
backs  of  two  hoiwes  were  ruined  in  canying  this  silver  to  Frankfort,  Ken- 
tucky, the  home  of  General  Isaac  Shelby.  Colonel  King  afterwards  had  this 
property  conveyed  to  his-son,  the  Rev.  James  King.  Colonel  King  was  a 
very  active  and  useful  man.  He  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners  who 
negotiated  the  treaty  of  Holston,  and  afterwards  laid  oflf  the  site  of  Knox- 
ville,  Tennesisee.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  and  furnished  An- 
drew Jackson  (afterwards  President  of  the  United  States)  the  money  witl; 
which  Jackson  and  John  Overton  purchased  the  Chickasaw  Bluflf  (now  tlic 
site  of  the  city  of  jMemphis,  Tennessee).  The  draft  for  this  money  is  as 
follows : 

Col.  James  King, 
Sir: 

Pleaise   pay   to   Mr.   Andrew   Jackson   or   order  two   thousand   five 
hundred  one  dollars  sixty-seven  cents  which  place  to  account  of 
Sir 

Your  Ul).  Servant, 

Dot  id  Allison 

Dolls.  2.501  67-100  May  13th,  179.3. 

Colonel  King  died  of  gout  August  17th,  1825,  aged  seventy-three  years, 
leaving  three  children,  to-wit:  l!ev.  James  King,  who  married  Mourning 
Micajah  Watkins,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Micajah  Watkins,  of  Halifax 
county;  William  King  and  Sarah  King. 

Colonel  King  was  buried  five  miles  west  of  Bristol,  under  an  old  coffin- 
shaped  tomb  of  rock  and  an  iron  slab,  on  which  the  following  inscrijition 
is  cast: 

Col.  James  King 

Dec'd 

Aug.  17th  1825 

Aged  73  years 

A  Patriot 

of 

1776. 

The  Rev.  James  King  above  mentioned  was  a  distinguished  Presbyterian 
divine,  a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  the  founder  of  Bristol,  Tennessee,  and 
of  King  College.     He  left  a  large  family  of  children. 

None  but  the  wealthy  in  the  early  days  of  our  country  could  afford  a 
four-wheel  carriage.  The  Eev.  James  King,  Jr.,  was  the  owner  of  such  a 
carriage,  and  below  is  given  a  receipt  for  the  taxes  assessed  by  the  Federal 
Govenunent  upon  this  luxury: 

This  is  to  certify  that  .James  King,  Jr.,  in  the  county  of  Sullivan,  in  the 
first  collection  district  of  Tennessee,  has  paid  the  duty  of  Thirty  dollars, 
for  the  year  to  end  on  the  31st  da^  of  December  jiext,  for  and  upon  a  foui'- 


Washingirni  Covnfi/,  1777-1S70.  753 

wheel  carriage,  called  a  '"Coachee,"   owned  l)y  him,  and  tlie  harness  used 
therefor. 

This  certificate  to  be  of  no  a^ail  any  longer  than  the  aforesaid  carriage 
shall  be  owned  by  the  .said  James  King,  Jr.,  unless  said  certificate  shall  be 
produced  to  a  collector,  and  an  entry  be  made  thereon,  specifying  the  name 
of  the  then  owner  of  said  carriage,  and  the  time  when  he  became  possessed 
thereof. 

Given  in  conformity  with  the  laws  of  the  United  States  this  2nd  day  of 
February,  1818. 

NATHAN  GREGG, 
Deputy  Collector  of  tlie  Revenue,  &c. 

GENERAL  WM.  E.  JONES. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  wais  bom  on  tlie  INIiddle  Fork  of  Holston  river, 
in  the.  upper  end  of  Washington  county,  on  the  3d  day  of  May,  1824.  He 
was  the  son  of  Robert  Jones  and  wife  (formerly  a  Miss  Edmondson).  He 
was  educated  at  Emory  and  Henry  College  and  at  the  Military  Academy, 
West  Point,  New  York,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1848,  and  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  in  the  Mounted  Rifles,  and  for  three 
yeans  served  in  that  capacity  in  what  was  after- 
wards the  State  of  Oregon.  On  January  13th,  1852, 
while  on  a  furlough,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Eliza  M.  Dunn,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Dunn,  of  this  county.  Mrs.  Jones  \\as  accidentally 
drowned  at  Pass  Cubolla,  Texas,  on  the  26th  of 
March,  1852,  while  on  her  way  with  her  husband  to 
^j^   t^^^  join  his  command  in  the  West.     In  1857  he  resigned 

^       ,„       „   .  his  command  in  the  United  States  army,  and  after 

Gen.  Wm.  E.  Jones  -  -^ ' 

visiting  many  jilaces  of  interest  in  the  Old  World 

he  returned  to  his  father's  estate,  near  Glade  Spring,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  several  French  and  German  emigrants  he  planted  an  extensive  vine- 
yard, and  was  so  engaged  when  the  war  between  the  States  began.  He  or- 
ganized a  cavalry  company  in  the  spring  of  1861,  numbering  102  officers 
and  men,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  the  Washington  Mounted  Rifles, 
afterwards  Company  D  of  the  First  Virginia  Cavalry.  In  September,  1861, 
he  waiS  commissioned  colonel  of  tlie  First  Virginia  Cavalry,  which  position 
he  held  until  April,  1862,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Seventh  Virginia  Cavalry,  General  Turner  Ashby's  old  regiment,  and  was 
succeeded  in  the  command  of  the  First  Virginia  Cavalry  by  Fitzhugh  Lee.  In 
September,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  brigadier-general,  and  was  assigned 
to  a  command  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  a  serious  disagreement  arising  be- 
tween Generals  Stuart  and  Jones.  General  Jones  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  Department  of  Southwest  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee, 
and  arrived  upon  the  scene  during  the  battle  at  Blountville.  Shortly  there- 
after he  svirprised  the  enemy  near  Rogersville,  Tenn.,  and  captured  from 
eight  to  nine  hundred  prisoners.     He  was  at  the  siege  of  Knoxville  with 


754  Southwest  Virginia,  17 Jf 6-1786. 

General  Longstreet,  and  during  the  same  fall  and  winter  he  surprised  and 
routed  the  Federal  force  of  about  six  hundred  officers  and  men  stationed  in 
Lee  county.  In  the  spring  of  18G4  his  command  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Cloyd's  Mountain,  in  Pulaski  county.  From  Cloyd's  Mountain  he  was  or- 
dered to  the  Valley  of  Virginia  to  oppose  the  advance  of  the  Federal  forces 
under  command  of  General  Hunt.  General  Jones,  with  the  infantiy  force 
he  had  at  his  command,  advanced  rapidly  to  Staunton,  and  from  Staunton 
to  Mt.  Hope.  At  this  point  his  forces  were  attacked  by  General  Hunter, 
and  every  indication  pointed  to  the  success  of  the  Confederate  arms, 
when  General  Jones  indiscreetly  rushed  into  the  hottest  of  the  fight  to  rally 
and  encourage  some  of  his  men,  when  he  was  shot  and  fell  from  his  horse 
dead.  In  a  moment  all  was  confusion,  and  the  Confederates  were  routed. 
And  thus  ended  the  battle  of  Piedmont. 

General  Jones  was  directly  descended  from  one  of  the  Edmiston  families, 
whose  ancestor  participated  in  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  and  was  one 
of  the  bravest  and  most  striking  figures  that  Washington  county  has  ever 
produced. 

His  remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Old  Glade  Spring  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  his  grave  is  marked  by  a  plain  marble  shaft,  which 
bears  the  following  inscription: 

Gtn.  Wm.  E.  Jones, 

killed 

June  5th,  1864, 

In  the  battle  at  Piedmont,  Virginia, 

aged 

40  years  and  27  days. 

JAMES  L.  WHITE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Wm.  Y.  C.  White  and  his  wife, 
Margaret  Greenway.  Was  born  at  Carpet  Hill,  Abingdon,  Va.,  the  home  of 
his  father,  on  the  29th  of  August,  1842.  Was  edu- 
cated at  the  Abingdon  Academy  and  University  of 
Virginia.  Was  a  student  at  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia m  the  spring  of  1861,  joined  a  company  at 
the  University  and  went  to  Harper's  Ferry  in  the 
spring  of  that  year.  Became  lieutenant  of  Captain 
J.  F.  Mcllhaney's  company  (Russell  county)  in  the 
Thirty-seventh  Virginia  Regiment,  and  became  adju- 
tant of  the  Thirty-seventh  Virginia  Regiment.  Af- 
terwards served  on  the  staff  of  General  Wm.  Terry. 
Wounded  at  Appomattox  Springs  a  few  days  before 
the  surrender,  and  was  left  upon  the  battle-field  and 
James  L.  White.  thought  to  be  dead.     Afterwards  recovered  and  re- 

turned to  his  home.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  studied  law,  and  gradu- 
ated in  this  profession  from  Washington  and  Lee  University.  Was  licensed 
and  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Abingdon,  and  in  the  spring  of  1870  was 
elected    Commonwealth's    Attorney    for    this    county    by    1,600    majority. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  755 

Since  that  time  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  has  attained  that  position  where  it  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  is  the 
peer  of  any  lawyer  to  be  found  in  our  country.  A  high-toned,  honorable 
gentleman,  an  honor  to  his  country  and  a  credit  to  his  profession.  Early 
in  life  be  married  Miss  Kate  Robertson,  daughter  of  Governor  Wyndham 
Robertson,  and  they  have  reared  a  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters. 


MEMBERS  OF  CONGRESS. 


ANDREV/  MOORE. 
Was  bom  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia.  Received  an  academical  eau 
cation.  Was  elected  a  representative  from  Virginia  in  the  First  Congress, 
and  was  reelected  to  the  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  Congresses,  serving  from 
March,  1789  to  1797.  Succesisfully  contested  the  election  of  Thos.  Lewis  in 
the  Eighth  Congress,  serving  from  March,  1804,  to  Novmber  6,  1804,  when  he 
was  appointed  a  United  States  Senator  from  Virginia  (in  place  of  Wilson 
Gary  Nicholas,  resigned ) .  Was  subsequently  elected  a  United  States  Senator 
(in  place  of  Abraham  B.  Venable,  resigned ) ,  serving  from  December  17,  1804, 
to  March  3,  1809.  Served  in  the  Continental  army,  his  company  forming  a 
part  of  Morgan's  Corps  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  Member  of  the  conven- 
tion that  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  in  1788.  Many 
times  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Rockbridge  county.  Brigadier- 
general  of  militia,  and  in  1809  was  appointed  a  major-general  of  militia. 
In  the  year  1810  he  was  appointed  United  States  Marshal  for  the  State  of 
Virginia,  and  served  in  that  position  to  the  date  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  24th  of  May,  1821. 

FRANCIS  PRESTON. 

Son  of  Colonel  Wm.  Preston,  of  Smithfield.  Was 
born  at  Greenfield  (now  Botetourt  county)  on  the 
'la  day  of  August,  1765.  Graduated  at  William  and 
Mary  College  and  studied  law  under  Chancellor 
Wythe.  Settled  in  Abingdon  and  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  and  was  for  many  years  recognized  as 
one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  Married  Sarah  Buchanan  Campbell,  daugh- 
Col.  Francis  Preston.  ter  of  General  William  Campbell,  on  the  10th 
January,  1793.  Elected  a  member  of  Congress  in  the  same  year,  and 
served  till  the  year  1797.  After  retiring  from  Congress  he  settled  at  the 
Saltworks.  In  the  year  1810  he  removed  to  Abingdon.  Elected  to  the 
General  Assembly  from  Washington  county.  Was  commissioned  a  colonel, 
and  marched  with  his  regiment  to  Norfolk  in  1814.  He  was  elected  briga- 
dier-general of  militia  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  in  1820.  He 
died  at  the  home  of  Wm.  C.  Preston,  in  South  Carolina,  on  the  26th  day  of 
May,  1836,  and  his  remains  were  interred  at  Aspinvale,  near  Seven-Mile 
Ford.     He  left  a  family  of  children,  all   of  whom  became  distinguished, 


756  Southwest  Virginia,  174G-1786. 

viz.,  United  States  Senator  Wm.  C.  Preston,  of  South  Carolina ;  General 
John  S.  Preston,  of  South  Carolina;  Thomas  L.  Preston,  University  of  Vir- 
ginia; Mrs.  Wade  Hampton,  of  South  Carolina;  Mrs.  Robert  J.  Breckeu- 
ridge,  of  Kentucky;  Mrs.  General  Carrington,  of  Albemarle  county;  Mrs. 
John  B.  Floyd,  of  Wasliington  county;  ]Mrs.  James  McDowell,  of  Virginia; 
Mrs.  Jolm  M.  I'rciston,  of  Abingdon.* 

ABRAM  TRIGG. 

Born  in  Montgomery  county,  Virginia.  Was  elected  a  representative 
from  Virginia  in  the  Fifth  Congress.  Was  reelected  to  the  Sixth,  Seventh, 
Eighth,  Ninth  and  Tenth  Congresses,  serving  from  May  loth,  1797,  to 
March  3d,  1800. 

DANIEL  SHEFFEY. 

Was  born  at  Frederick,  Maryland,  in  1770.  Was  bred  a  shoemaker  in  his 
father's  shop,  bvit  became  proficient  in  astronomical  and  mathematical 
studies.  Arriving  at  manhood,  he  walked  into  Virginia,  carrying  his  tools,' 
and  finally  located  at  Abingdon.  Studied  IsiW  under  Alexander  Smyth. 
Was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice.  Was 
elected  from  Augusta  county  to  the  House  of  Delegates.  Was  elected  a 
representative  from  Virginia  to  the  Eleventh,  Twelfth,  Thirteenth  and 
Fourteenth  Congresses  as  a  Federalist,  sei-\'ing  from  May  22d,  1809,  to 
March  3d,  1817.     Died  in  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  December  3d,  1830. 

ALEXANDER  SlilYTH. 

Alexander  Smyth  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Rothlin,  Ireland,  in  1765. 
Emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1775,  and  located  in  Botetourt  county, 
Virginia.  Received  an  academic  education.  Studied  law,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1789,  and  commenced  practice  at  Abing- 
don. Removed  in  1792  to  Wytlie  county.  Was  a 
member  of  the  State  House  of  Representatives  in 
1792,  1796,  1800,  1804-1808.  Was  appointed  by 
President  Jeff'erson  colonel  of  a  United  States  rifie 
regiment,  which  he  commanded  at  the  Southwest 
until  1811,  when  he  wais  ordered  to  Washington  to 
prepare  a  discipline  for  the  army.  Was  appointed 
inspector-general  in  1812  and  ordered  to  the  Cana- 
dian frontier,  where  he  failed  in  an  invasion  of 
Canada  and  left  the  army.  Resumed  his  practice. 
Was  appointed  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Public  Works.  Was  again  elected  to  the  State 
House  of  Representatives.  Was  elected  a  representative  from  Virginia  in 
the  Fifteenth  Congresis,  receiving  1,443  A'otes,  against  711  votes  for 
Estill.  Was  reelected  to  the  Sixteenth,  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth 
Congresses,  serving  from  December  1st,  1817,  to  March  3d,  1825.     Was  again 


♦Three  of  his  sons-in-law  were  Governors,  one  of  South  Carolina  and  two  of 
Virginia. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  757 

elected  to  the  Twentieth  Congress,  receiving  2,604  votes,  against  991  votes 
for  Sharp,  and  was  reelected  to  the  Twenty-first  Congress,  serving  from 
December  3d,  1827,  to  April  17,  1830,  when  he  died  at  Washington  city. 
He  published  "Regulations  of  United  States  Infantry"  and  "Remarks  on 
the  Apocalypse."  General  Smyth  had  four  children — Harold,  Alexander, 
Malvina  and  Frances.  Malvina  married  Captain  John  P.  Matthews,  who 
was  for  many  years  clerk  of  Wythe  County  Court  and  a  member  of  the 
State  Constitutibnal  Convention  1829-1830.  Frances  married  Captain 
James  H.  Piper,  who  at  one  time  represented  the  Wythe  district  in  the 
State  Senate.  Colonel  Piper  had  the  distinction  of  climbing  the  Natural 
Bridge  in  Virginia. 

JOSEPH  DRAPER. 

Son  of  John  and  Jane  Crockett  Draper.  Born  in  Draper's  Valley  De- 
cember 25th,  1794.  Enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  war  of  1812-1814.  Studied 
law  under  Daniel  Sheffey,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Wytheville  in  1818. 
His  fame  as  an  orator  came  with  his  first  case  in  court,  and  it  is  said  that 
he  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  speakers  of  his  day. 
In  1820  he  married  Margaret  Sa^vyers,  a  daughter  or 
John  T.  Sawyers,  of  Max  Meadows,  Va.  In  1828  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  over  General  James 
Hoge,  of  Pulaski.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  to  fill 
the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  General  Smyth, 
in  1830,  and  was  again  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  oc- 
casioned by  the  death  of  Chas.  C.  Johnston,  in  1832. 
While  in  Congress  he  was  a  warm  friend  and  great 
admirer  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  and  was  on  the  friend- 
liest terms  with  his  colleague  and  cousin,  David 
Crockett,  of  Texas.  He  was  a  great  friend  of  Daniel 
Webster,  with  whom  he  was  associated  in  a  number  Joseph  Draper, 
of  cases  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  He  died  on  June 
10th,  1834,  aged  forty  years. 

CHAHLES  C.  JOHNSTON". 

Son  of  Judge  Peter  Johnston.  Was  bom  at  Panicello,  near  Abingdon. 
Received  an  academic  education.  Studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
commenced  practice  at  Abingdon.  Was  elected  a  representative  from  Vir- 
ginia in  the  Twenty-second  CongresvS,  serving  from  December  5th,  1831,  to 
June  I7th,  1832,  when  he  went  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  to  visit  a  friend, 
and  on  his  return  at  night  he  fell  from  the  wharf  into  the  Potomac  river 
and  was  drowned.  Mr.  Johnston  was  a  brilliant  orator  and  splendid  law- 
yer. He  left  two  children — John  Preston  Johnston,  who  was  killed  in  the 
Mexican  war,  and  Mrs.  Eliza  M.  Hughes,  wife  of  Judge  Robert  W.  Hughes, 

JOHN  H.  FULTON. 
Born  in  Augusta  county.    Educated  at  Hampden-Sidney  College.    Studied 
jaw  under  Judge  Bp,Jdwin,  of  Staunton.     Located  in  Abingdon.     Adwitt^4 


758  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

to  the  bar.  Elected  to  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county 
1823-1824.  Represented  the  Washington  district  in  the  Senate  of  Virginia 
1829-1831.  Was  elected  to  the  Twenty-third  Congress  as  a  Whig,  receiving 
2,621  votes,  against  1,257  for  Wm.  Byars,  Democrat,  serving  from  Decem- 
ber 2d,  1833,  to  March  3d,  1835.  Was  a  candidate  for  reelection  when  he 
died,  in  January,  1836,  his  opponent  in  this  election  being  George  W.  Hop- 
kins. His  remains  were  interred  in  the  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery,  Abing- 
don, Va.,  and  his  grave  is  at  this  day  marked  by  a  large  iron  slab,  upon 
which  is  the  following  inscription: 

"  Tread  not  upon  his  ashes, 
For  he  was  the  poor  man's  friend." 

Notwithstanding  this  inscription,  a  path  through  the  cemetery  passes  al- 
most directly  over  this  grave. 

GEORGE  W.  HOPKINS. 

George  W.  Hopkins  was  born  in  Goochland  county,  Virginia,  February 
22d,  1804.  Received  a  public  school  education.  Taught  school  in  Smyth 
county.  Studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  commenced  practice  at 
Lebanon,  Virginia.  Was  a  member  of  the  State  House  of  Representatives 
1833-1834.  Was  elected  a  representative  from  Virginia 
in  the  Twenty-fourth  Congress  as  a  Democrat,  defeating 
John  H.  Fulton.  Was  reelected  to  the  Twenty-fifth  Con- 
gress, receiving  1,475  majority  over  John  N.  Humes, 
Whig.  Was  reelected  to  the  Twenty-sixth  Congress,  re- 
ceiving 2,821  votes,  against  2,308  votes  for  George, 
Whig.  Was  reelected  to  the  Twenty-seventh  Congress. 
Was  reelected  to  the  Twenty-eighth  Congress,  receiving 
about  1,000  majority  over  Fulton,  Whig.  Was  reelected 
George  W.Hopkins.  *°  *^^  Twenty-ninth  Congress,  serving  from  December 
7th,  1835,  to  March  3d,  1847.  Was  charge  cVaffaires  to 
Portugal  March  3d,  1847,  to  October  18,  1849.  Was  again  a  member  of  the 
State  House  of  Representatives  in  1849.  Was  a  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court. 
Was  again  elected  to  the  Tliirty-fifth  Congress,  receiving  5,318  votes,  against 
5,249  votes  for  Martin,  American,  serving  from  December  7th,  1857,  to 
March  3d,  1859.  Was  again  elected  a  member  of  the  State  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, and  died  March  2,  1861.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  1850,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  resigned  and  was 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Delegates  of  Virginia. 

ANDREW  S.  FULTON. 

Born  in  Augusta  county  September,  1800.  Educated  at  Hampden-Sidney 
College.  Studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Baldwin,  in  Staunton,  Virginia. 
Located  in  Abingdon,  Virginia,  in  1825.  Removed  to  Wytheville  in  1828. 
Represented  Wythe  county  one  term  in  the  Legislature.  Was  several  times 
Commonwealth's  Attorney  of  Wythe.    Elected  to  the  Thirtieth  Congress  as 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


,759 


Aiiilicw   h.  h  Liltou. 


a  Whig,  receiving  2,084,  against  2,078  votes  for  McMuUen,  Democrat,  and 
serving  from  December  6th,  1847,  to  March  3d,  1849,  and  in  the  year  1852 
vi^as  elected  judge  of  the  Fifteenth  Judicial  Circuit 
of  Virginia,  and  held  this  position  for  seventeen 
years.    He  died  in  November,  1884. 

FAYETTE  McMULLEN. 

Was  born  in  Scott  county,  Virginia.  Received  an 
academic  education.  Was  a  stage  driver  by  pro- 
fession. Was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  Virginia  from 
the  Washington  district  in  the  year  1838,  and 
served  till  the  year  1849.  Was  elected  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  Virginia  in  the  Thirty-first  Congress  as 
a  Democrat,  receiving  4,421  votes,  against  2,155 
votes  for  George,  Whig.  Was  reelected  to  the 
Thirty-second  and  Tliirty-third  Congresses,  having 
no  opposition.  Was  reelected  to  the  Thirty-fourth  Congress,  receiving  7,383 
votes,  against  3,982  votes  for  Connally  F.  Trigg,  American,  serving  from 
December  3d,  1849,  to  March  3d,  1857.  Was  appointed 
by  President  Buchanan  Governor  of  Washington  Ter- 
ritory, serving  1857-1861.  Was  elected  a  representa- 
tive in  the  Second  Confederate  Congress  from  Vir- 
ginia, serving  from  February  22d,  1864,  to  the  over- 
throw of  the  Confederacy.  Was  many  times  a  candi- 
date for  Congress  subsequently  to  the  war,  and  died  in 
the  year  1881,  having  been  killed  on  the  railroad  near 
Marion,  Virginia. 

ELBERT  S.  MARTIN. 
Born  in  Indiana.  Removed  to  Lee  county,  and  was  F=iy<^-"e  McMullen. 
reared  in  Jonesville.  Educated  at  Emory  and  Henry 
College;  married  Martha  Dickenson  in  1852.  Was  a 
merchant  by  profession.  Was  elected  to  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Congress  as  an  American,  receiving  6,382  votes, 
against  5,579  votes  for  Ben  Rush  Floyd,  Democrat, 
serving  from  December  5th,  1859,  to  March  3d,  1861. 
Was  elected  captain  of  the  first  company  that  left 
Jonesville  for  the  Confederate  service,  and  remained 
in  the  sei-vice  until  the  surrender.  Emigrated  to 
Texas  in  1870,  and  died  in  the  city  of  Dallas  on  Sep- 
tember 3d,  1876.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Dr.  M.  L.  Stal- 
lard,  now  lives  at  Norton,  Va. 


Gilbert  S.  Martin 


WALTER  PRESTON. 

Son  of  John  M.  Preston.     Born  in  Abingdon,  Virginia.     Educated  for  the 
bar.     He  became  distinguished  in  his  profession  as  a  la\vyer  and  an  orator. 


760 


Southwest  Virginia,  17 Ji  6-17 86. 


Candidate  for  Attorney-General  of  Virginia  previously  to  the  war  between 
the  States.  Was  elected  to  the  Confederate  Congress  in  November,  1861, 
defeating  Fayette  McMulIen.     Died  shortly  after  the  war. 


JAMES  KING  GIBSON. 
Son  of  John  and  Amelia  C.  Gibson.  Born  in  Abingdon  February  18th, 
1812.  Received  a  common  school  education,  and  was  brought  up  in  a  store. 
Went  to  Limestone  county,  Alabama,  in  1833,  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  Returned  to  Virginia,  and  was  deputy 
sheriff  of  Washington  county  in  1834,  and  again  in 
1835.  Wais  a  merchant  in  Abingdon  from  1835  to 
1840.  Was  postmaster  at  Abingdon  (a  distribu- 
ting office)  from  1838  to  1849,  by  the  appoint- 
ments of  Presidents  Van  Buren,  Tyler  and  Polk. 
Was  appointed  teller  and  clerk  in  the  branch  of 
the  Exchange  Bank  of  Virginia  at  Abingdon  in 
1849;  also  notaiy  public,  and  held  all  these  offices 
until  after  the  war,  when  he  became  a  farmer,  and 
was  elected  a  representative  from  Virginia  in  the 
Forty-first  Congress  as  a  Democrat,  receiving 
James  KiiiK  (^ii'son.  14,508  votes,  against  5,966  votes  for  Smith,  Radi- 
cal, .serving  from  January  28th,  1870,  to  March  3d,  1871.  Died  March  30th, 
1879. 

WIIXIAM  TERRY. 

William  Terry  was  born  in  Amherst  county,  Virginia,  August  14th,  1824. 
Received  a  classical  education,  graduating  at  the  University  of  Virginia  in 
1848.  Taught  school.  Studied  law,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  commenced  practice  at  Wytheville  in 
September,  1851.  Was  for  some  eighteen  months  ono 
of  the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Telegraph.  Was 
in  the  military  service  of  Virginia  in  the  "John 
Brown  raid"  in  1859.  Entered  the  Confederate  army 
in  April,  1861,  as  lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  Virginia 
Infantry,  "Stonewall  Brigade."  Served  during  the 
war,  and  by  successive  promotions  attained  the  rank 
of  brigadier-general  March  20th,  1864.  Was  elected  a 
representative  from  Virginia  in  the  Forty-second 
Congress  as  a  Conservative,  receiving  10,398  votes, 
against   4,384    votes    for    F.    McMullen,    Independent 

Democrat,  and  3,922  votes  for  R.  W.  Hughes,  Republican,  serving  from 
March  4th,  1871,  to  March  3d,  1873.  Was  again  elected  to  the  Forty-fourth 
Congress  as  a  Conservative,  receiving  8,052  votes,  against  1,821  votes  for 
G.  W.  Henderlite,  Republican,  and  6,760  votes  for  F.  McMullen,  Independent, 
serving  from  December  6th,  1875,  to  March  3d,  1877.  He  was  accidentally 
drowned  in  Wohlford's  Ford,  E,eed  Creek,  two  miles  south  of  Wytheville, 
when  returning  from  Grayson  County  Court,  the  5th  of  September,  1888. 


William  Terry 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


,761 


REES  T.  BOWEN. 

Was  born  at  Maiden  Spring,  Tazewell  county,  Virginia,  January  10th, 
1809.  Received  an  academical  education  at  home  and  at  the  Abingdon 
Academy.  Was  a  farmer  and  grazier.  Married  Maria  Louisa  Peery,  Janu- 
ary 13,  1835.  Was  appointed  brigadier-general  of  Virginia  militia  by  Gov- 
ernor Wise.  Represented  Tazewell  county  in  the 
Legislature  of  Virginia  in  1863-1864.  W^as  elected 
to  the  Forty-third  Congress  as  a  Conservative,  re- 
ceiving 10,352  votes,  against  5,304  votes  for  R.  W. 
Hughes,  serving  from  December  1st,  1873,  to  March 
3d,  1875.  Died  August  29th,  1879.  Was  a  direct 
lineal  descendant  of  Lieutenant  Rees  Bowen,  who 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain. 

A.  L.  PRIDEMORE. 


Was  born  in  Scott  county,  Virginia,  June  27th, 
1837.  Was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  By  his  own  exer- 
tions, alternately  teaching  and  going  to  school,  he  at- 
tained a  fair  English  education.  In  August,  1861, 
he  raised  a  company  of  volunteer  infantry,  and  served 
as  its  captain  until  1862,  when  he  was  promoted  to 
major  of  the  Twenty-first  Battalion  of  Virginia  In- 
fantry. Was  again  promoted  in  December,  1862,  to  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  infantry,  and  in  October,  1863,  colo- 
nel of  cavalry,  and  commanded  the  Sixty-fourth  Vir- 
ginia Cavalry  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  in 
March,  1865,  but  the  close  of  the  war  prevented  him 
from  taking  his  seat.  Commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
1865.  Was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  practised  at  Jones- 
ville.  Was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  State  Senate  1871- 
1875,  and  was  elected  a  representative  from  Vii"ginia' 

in  the  Forty-second  Congress  as  a  Democrat,  receiv- 
ing 15,127  votes,  against  4,791  votes  for  George  T. 
Egbert,  Republican,  serving  from  March  3d, 
1877,  to  1879.  Died  at  his  home,  in  Jonesville,  Lee 
county.  May  17th,  1900. 


Rees  T.  Bowen. 


A.  L.  Prld^more. 


JAMES  BUCHANAN  RICHMOND. 

Was  born  in  Turkey  Cove,  Lee  county,  Virginia,  on 
the  27th  day  February,  1847.  Received  a  limited 
education  at  Emory  and  Henry  College.  Practised 
law  in  the  circuit  and  county  courts  of  Lee,  Scott 
and  Wise  counties,  Virginia,  and  in  the  Court  of 
Appeals  at  Wytheville,  Virginia.  Held  the  office  of  orderly  sergeant  and 
captain  of  Company  "A,"  Fiftieth  Virginia  Infantry,  during  the  first  year 


James  B.  Richmoud. 


762 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 


of  the  war,  in  the  command  of  General  John  B.  Floyd,  of  Virginia.  Wa^ 
afterwards  major  of  the  Sixty-fourth  Virginia  Regiment  for  a  time.  Was 
promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel,  Sixty-fourth  Virginia  Regiment,  some  time 
before  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  elected  to  the  Forty-sixth  Congress  as 
a  Democrat,  receiving  5,120  votes,  against  4,829  votes  for  Fayette  McMullen, 
Independent;  4,640  votes  for  Samuel  W.  Newberry,  Independent,  and  613 
votes  for  Camp,  Republican.  Was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from 
Scott  county  in  1873.  Judge  of  the  County  Court  of 
Scott  county  for  six  years,  beginning  in  the  year  1885. 
Advocated  sound  money  in  his  candidacy  for  Congress 
in  the  year  1877.  Was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1901-1902.  Now  actively  practicing  law 
at  Gate  City,  Virginia. 

COLONEL  ABRAM  FULKERSON. 

Colonel  Fulkerson  was  born  on  the  13th  day  of  May, 
1834,  four  miles  north  of  Bristol,  in  Washington  county, 
Gol  Abmm  Fulkerson  Virginia.  His  father  was  Abram  Fulkerson,  a  captain 
in  the  war  of  1812,  and  his  mother  was  Margaret  Vance. 
He  graduated  at  the  Virginia  Military  Institute  in  1857.  Taught  school  at 
Palmyra,  Virginia,  and  at  Rogersville,  Tennessee,  and  w^as  at  the  latter 
place  when  the  civil  war  began.  He  raised  a  company  in  Hawkins  county, 
Tennessee,  and  joined  the  Ninth  Tennessee  Regiment  at  Knoxville,  and  was 
elected  major  of  the  regiment.  Was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Sixty-third  Tennessee  Regiment,  and 
was  commissioned  colonel  on  the  12th  day  of  February,  1864,  and  was  again 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  In  1866  he  began  the  practice  of 
law,  and  rapidly  rose  to  the  front  ranks.  He  was  elected  to  the  Virginia 
House  of  Delegates  in  1871-1873;  to  the  Senate  of  Virginia  in  1877-1879. 
Was  elected  to  the  Forty-seventh  Congress  as  a  Re- 
adjuister,  receiving  8,096  votes,  against  7,621  votes 
for   C.    F.    Trigg,    Funder;    3,640   votes    for   G.    G. 

Goodell,  Republican,  and  500  votes  for  Fayette  Mc-  fS  ^^       "  K 

Mullen,   Independent.     He  died  on  December   17th, 
1902,  at  his  home,  in  Bristol,  Virginia. 


HENRY  BOWEN. 

Son  of  Rees  T.  Bowen.  Was  born  at  Maiden 
Spring,  Tazewell  county,  Virginia,  December  26th, 
1841.  Received  a  collegiate  education.  Entered 
th«  Confederate  army  in  1861 ;  served  continuously 
most  of  the  time  as  captain  of  cavalry  in  Payne's 
Brigade,  Lee's  Division,  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  until  December  21st, 
1864,  when  he  was  captured  in  a  night  attack  by  Sheridan'is  cavalry  at  Lacy 
vSprings,  Virginia.  When  released  from  Fort  Delaware,  Delaware,  June 
19th,  1865,  returned  to  Virginia  and  engaged  in  farming  and  grazing.     In 


JIcniN    l!i)\vrn 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


763 


1869  was  elected  to  the  Virginia  Legislature,  and  reelected  in  1871.  In 
1882  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Readjuster,  and  was  elected  to  the  Fiftieth 
Congress  as  a  Republican,  receiving  13,497  votes,  against  9,927  votes  for 
R.  R.  Henry,  Democrat. 


Connally  F.  Triiic:. 


CONNALLY  F.  TRIGG. 
Was  born  at  Abingdon  September  18th,  1847.  Is  a  lawyer.  Was  elected 
Commonwealth's  Attorney  for  Washington  county  in  1872,  which  position 
he  held  until  he  resigned  in  1884.  Was  elected  to  the 
Forty-ninth  Congress  as  a  Democrat,  receiving  13,844 
votes,  against  12,650  votes  for  D.  F.  Bailey,  Republi- 
can. 

JOHN  ALEXANDER  BUCHANAN. 
Was  bom  October  7th,  1843.  Was  a  private  in  the 
Stonewall  Brigade,  Confederate  army.  W^as  taken 
prisoner  at  Gettysburg  July  3d,  1863,  and  remained 
in  prison  until  February,  1865.  Graduated  from 
Emory  and  Henry  College,  Emory,  Virginia,  June, 
1870.  Studied  law  at  the  University  of  Virginia, 
1870-1871.    Was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates 

of  Virginia  from  1885  until  1887.    Wais  elected  to  the 

Fifty-first  Congress  as  a  Democrat,  receiving  16,520 

votes,  against  16,042  votes  for  Henry  Bowen,  Repub- 
lican.    Was  reelected  to  the  Fifty-second  Congress  by 

an  overwnelming  majority ;  declined  a  renomination, 

and  was  soon  thereafter  elected  judge  of  the  Court  of 

Appeals  of  Virginia,  which  position  he  now  occupias. 

_      JAMES  W.  MARSHALL. 


Mr.  Marshall  was  born  in  Augusta  county,  Vir- 
ginia, March  31st,  1844.  Served  as  a  private  soldier 
for  four  years  in  Confederate  amiy  commanded  by 
General  R.  E.  Lee.     Attended  Roanoke  College  part 

of  two  sessions,  and  graduated  from  same  in  1870.  Studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  Was  elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for  Craig 
county  in  1870;  served  until  1875.  Elected  to  Virginia  Senate  in  1875,  and 
served  four  years.  Elected  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
in  1882-1883.  Elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for  Craig  county  in  1884, 
and  served  until  1888.  Was  a  presidential  elector  on  the  Cleveland  and 
Thurman  ticket  in  1888.  Elected  to  the  Virginia  Senate  in  1891  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  and  was  elected  to  the  Fifty-third  Congress  as  a  Democrat, 
receiving  18,431  votes,  against  12,699  votes  for  H.  C.  Wood,  Republican; 
1,709  votes  for  George  W.  Cowan,  People's  party,  and  135  votes  scattering. 
Elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Constitutional  Convention  1901-1902. 
Now  practising  law  at  Newcastle,  Craig  county,  Virginia. 


John  A.  Buchanan. 


764 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J,G-1786. 


JAMES  ALEXANDER  WALKER. 

Was  born  in  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  August  27th,  1832.  Was  edu- 
cated at  the  Virginia  Military  Institute.  Studied  law  at  the  University  of 
Virginia  dviring  the  sessions  of  1854  and  1855.  Began  the  practice  of  law  in 
Pulaski  county,  Virginia,  in  1856,  and  followed  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  October  20th, 
1901.  Entered  the  Confederate  army  in  April,  1861, 
as  captain  of  the  Pulaski  Guards,  afterwards  Com- 
pany C,  Fourth  Virginia  Infantry,  Stonewall  Brigade. 
Was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel  and  asisigned  to 
the  Tliirteenth  Virginia  Infantry  (A.  P.  Hill,  colonel) 
in  July,  1861.  Promoted  to  colonel  of  the  Thirteenth 
Virginia  Infantry  in  March,  1862,  and  May,  1863,  was 
promoted  to  brigadier-general  and  assigned  to  com- 
mand of  the  "Stonewall  Brigade."  Commanded 
Early's  old  division  at  the  surrender  at  Appomattox. 
Was  severely  wounded  at  Spotsylvania  Courthouse 
May  12th,  1864.  Elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney 
for  Pulaski  county  in  1860.  Represented  Pulaski  county  in  the  House  of 
Delegates  of  Virginia  in  1871-1872.  Was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Virginia  in  1877.  Removed  to  Wytheville,  where  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion. Was  elected  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  as  a  Republican,  defeating 
Judge  H.  S.  K.  Morrison,  of  Scott  county.  Democrat,  by  about  1,000  ma- 
jority, and  was  reelected  to  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress,  receiving  16,077  votes, 
against  14,900  votes  for  S.  W.  Williams,  Democrat. 


James  A.  Walker. 


WILLIAM  FRANCIS  RHEA. 

Was  bom  in  Washington  county,  Virginia,  forty-seven  years  ago.  Worked 
on  a  farm  and  attended  oldfield  School  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  Attended 
college  about  three  years,  then  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Soon  afterwards  w^as  elected  judge  of  the  County  Court  of  Washington 
county.  Served  four  years,  and  was  then  elected  to  the  State  Senate. 
SerA'ed  four  years,  and  was  then  elected  judge  of  the 
City  Court  of  Bristol.  In  1895  resigned  the  city 
judgeship  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  Was 
unanimously  nominated  by  the  Democratic  i^arty  and 
elected  to  the  Fifty-sixth  Congress,  and  was  reelected 
to  the  Fifty -seventh  Congress,  receiving  20,163  votes, 
to  18,412  for  James  A.  Walker,  Republican. 

CAMPBELL  SLEMP. 


Campbell  i^lt  mp, 


Was   born   in   Lee   county,  Virginia,  Drcember   2d. 
1839.      Until    1880   was   allied   with   the   Democratic 
party.    Was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  has  been  a  farmer  most  of  his  life,  being 
also  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business  and  in  trading  in  coal  and  timber 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  765 

lauds.  Was  a  student  at  Emory  aud  Henry  College,  Virginia,  but  did  nor 
graduate,  owing  to  the  death  of  his  father.  Served  in  the  Confederate 
army  as  captain  and  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  Twenty-first  Virginia  Bat- 
talion, and  as  colonel  of  the  Sixty-fourth  Regiment,  whicli  wa.s  both  infantry 
and  cavalry.  Was  elected  to  the  House  of  Delegates  in  1879  and  1881;  was 
defeated  by  forty  votes  in  1883.  Ran  for  Lieutenant-Governor  with  Wm. 
Mahone  in  1889.  Was  elector  on  the  Harrison  ticket  in  1888,  and  on  tlie 
McKinley  ticket  in  1896.  Was  married  in  1864  to  Miss  Nannie  B.  Cawood, 
of  Owlsey  county,  Kentucky.  Was  elected  to  the  Fifty-eighth  Congress,  re- 
ceiving 13,694  votes,  to  13,476  for  Wm.  F.  Rhea,  Democrat. 


UNITED  STATES  SENATOR. 


JOHN  WARFIELD  JOHNSTON. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  "Panicello,"  one-quarter  of  a  mile 
east  of  Abingdon,  at  the  home  of  his  grandfather.  Judge  Peter  Johnston,  in 
the  year  1818.    He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  John  W.  Johnston  and  Louisa  Bowen 
Johnston.    He  was  educated  at  the  Abingdon  Academy,  University  of  Soutli 
Carolina,  and  the  University  of  Virginia.     He  mar- 
ried Miss  Narcissa  Floj'd,  daughter  of  Governor  John 
Floyd   and   sister   of   Governor   John   B.   Floyd.      He 
was  licensed  to  practice  law  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1840,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Tazewell  Courthouse.     He  served  as  Commonwealth's 
Attorney  for  the  county  of  Tazewell,  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate  from  the  Tazewell  dis- 
trict, and  in  the  year  1859  removed  to  Abingdon,  and 
after  some  years  established  himself  at  "Eggleston," 
the  name  of  his  country  seat,  four  miles  east  of  Abing- 

1  I     -rxx  t'.^     .  ^on    (now  the  county  poorhouse).     In  the  year  1869 

John  W.  Johnston.        ,      ,  .    ,  ^    ,      ^  . 

he  became  judge  of  the  Circuit.  Court,  which  position 

he  held  a  little  more  than  ten  months,  when  he  resigned  to  take  his  seat  in 

the  Senate  of  the  United  States.    He  was  three  times  elected  by  the  General 

Assembly  of  Virginia  a  Senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  from 

Virginia,  serving  from  1870-1883.     He  died  in  Richmond  in  1890,  and  his 

remains  were  interred  in  the  Catholic  Cemetery  at  Wytheville.     He  was 

survived  by  his  wife  and 'the  following  children:     Dr.  Geo.  Ben  Johnston, 

of  Richmond;  Joseph  B.  Johnston,  of  Richmond;  Mrs.  Louisa  Bowen  Trigg, 

wife  of  Daniel  Trigg,  of  Abingdon;  Mrs.  Sallie  J.  Lee,  wife  of  Captain  Henry 

C.  Lee;   Mrs.  Lavalette  McMullen,  wife  of  John  F.  McMullen,  of   Elliott 

City,   Maryland,   and   Misses   Letitia   Floyd   Johnston    and   Coralie   Henry 

Johnston. 


766 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


GOVERNORS  OF  VIRGINIA. 


WYNDHAM  ROBERTSON. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  William  Robertson  and  Chris- 
tina Williams,  his  wife,  and  was  born  on  the  26th  of  January,  1803,  in  the 
city  of  Richmond.  He  attended  private  schools  in  his  native  city,  and  com- 
pleted his  education  at  William  and  Mary  College  in  the  year  1821.  Studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1824.  Was  elected  a  member  of  th". 
Council  of  the  State  in  1833,  and  on  the  31st  of  March,  1836,  became  the 
senior  member  of  the  Council,  and  as  such  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State, 
and  upon  the  resignation  of  Governor  Tazewell,  in 
the  same  year,  he  became  Governor  of  Virginia.  Gov- 
ernor Robertson  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  the 
Legislature  being  Democratic,  he  was  succeeded  as 
Governor  of  Virginia  in  1837  by  David  Campbell,  of 
Abingdon.  Upon  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  his 
office,  in  March,  1837,  he  retired  to  the  country  home 
of  his  wife,  "Mary's  Meadows,"  near  to  and  south  of 
Abingdon  (his  wife  was  Mary  Trigg  Smith,  daughter 
of  Captain  Francis  Smith,  of  Washington  county), 
where  he  lived  until  1858,  when  he  returned  to  Rich- 
Wyndliam  Robertson  .niond,  and  in  1860  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Delegates  of  Virginia  from  Richmond  city.  He 
was  opposed  to  Virginia's  seceding  from  the  Union,  and  did  all  he  could  to 
prevent  the  war  between  the  States,  but  after  the  proclamation  of  Lincoln 
calling  for  troops  from  Virginia,  he  was  from  that  time  forth  zealously 
active  in  all  measures  for  the  defence  of  his  State.  After  the  war  he  re- 
moved to  Abingdon,  where  he  died,  on  the  11th  day  of  February,  1888,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  at  Cobbs,  Chesterfield  county.  He  was  a  man  of 
excellent  manners  and  of  considerable  ability.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife 
and  the  following  children :  Frank  S.  Robertson,  Wyndham  Robertson, 
Mrs.  James  L.  White,  ]\Irs.  Connally  F.  Trigg  and  Mrs.  W.  W.  Blackford. 


•     DAVID  CAMPBELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  son  of  John  Campbell  and  Eliza- 
beth McDonald,  his  wife,  of  Hall's  Bottom,  Washington  county,  Virginia, 
and  was  born  on  the  2d  of  AugUiSt,  1779,  at  Royal  Oak  (now  in  Smyth 
county ) ,  and  was  about  eight  j^ears  of  age  when  his  father  removed  to  Hall's 
Bottom.  There  he  grew  up,  receiving  such  edvication  as  the  frontier  settle- 
ments could  provide.  In  the  year  1794,  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he  was  ap- 
pointed an  ensign  in  Captain  John  Davis'  company  of  militia.  In  1799  he 
was  commissioned  a  captain  of  a  company  of  light  infantry  assigned  to  the 
Seventieth  Regiment  of  Militia,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  married 
his  cousin,  Mary  Hamilton.     He  studied  law,  and  was  licensed,  but  never 


WasMngton  Comity,  1777-1870.  .767 

practised  his  profession.  In  1802  he  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the 
County  Court  of  Washington  county,  and  chiefly  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  office  to  the  year  1812.  On  the  6th  of  July,  1812,  he  was  commissioned 
a  major  in  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  United  States  army,  and 
marched  with  the  forces  to  the  lakes  of  Canada,  where  he  served  under 
Generals  Alexander  Smji;h  and  Van  Rensselaer.  On  the  12th  of  March, 
1813,  he  was  conunissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Thirtieth  Regiment, 
where  he  served  until  the  year  1814,  when  he  resigned  his  commission.  Upon 
his  return  home  he  entered  the  sei^vice  of  Virginia  as  aide-de-camp  to  Gov- 
ernor Barbour,  and  gave  valuable  assistance  in  organizing  the  large  military 
forces  called  into  the  service  in  the  summer  of  1814.  In  the  year  1815  he 
was  elected  by  the  General  Assembly  as  general  of  the  Third  Brigade  of  the 
Virginia  Militia.  On  the  25th  of  January,  1815,  he  was  appointed  colonel 
of  the  Third  Virginia  Cavalry,  and  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Fifth 
Regiment  of  Cavalry.  Upon  his  return  to  Abingdon, 
he  entered  the  clerk's  office,  where  he  remained  until 
1820,  when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate 
from  the  Abingdon  district  for  the  term  of  four  years. 
In  1824  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  County  Court  of 
AVaishington  county,  which  position  he  occupied  until 
he  took  his  seat  as  Governor  of  Virginia,  on  the  31st 
of  March,  1837.  Governor  Campbell,  at  the  time  of 
his  election,  was  a  Jackson  Democrat,  but  while  Gover- 
nor, and  during  the  administration  of  President  Van 
Buren,  the  sub-treasury  scheme  and  the  standing  army  David  Campbell. 
bill,  as  they  were  commonly  called,  were  made  party 

measures,  and  being  opposed  to  them,  he  warmly  supported  General  Harri- 
son in  the  presidential  campaign  of  1840,  and  ever  after  acted  with  the 
Whig  party.  Governor  Campbell,  in  his  first  message  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly, proposed  the  establishment  of  the  common  school  system,  of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  position 
of  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  he  was  commissioned  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Washington  county,  and  was  diligent  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  as  such  until  the  year  1852,  when  he  retired  to  private  life,  after 
having  spent  nearly  one-half  a  century  in  the  public  service.  In  person 
Governor  Campbell  was  about  five  feet  eleven  inches  in  height,  spare  and 
erect  in  carriage,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes  and  intellectual  countenance  and 
pleasing  manners.  He  died  at  "Mont  Calm,"  his  home,  now  the  home  of 
Colonel  Cummings,  on  March  19th,  1859,  without  issue,  and  his  remains 
were  interred  in  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery,  Abingdon,  Virginia. 

JOHN  BUCHANAN  FLOYD. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  son  of  Governor  John  and  Lae- 
titia  Preston  Floyd.  He  was  born  at  Smithfield  (now  Blacksburg,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Virginia,)  June  1st,  1806.  Graduated  at  the  College  of 
South  Carolina  in  1826.  Studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1828, 
and  began  practise  in  his  native  county.     Settled  in,  Washington  county  in 


768  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

1839.  In  1847  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from 
Washington  county,  and  while  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  he  was 
elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  of  which  office  he  took  charge  on  January  1st, 
1849.  The  ^Ya«hington  monument,  which  graces  the  public  square  in  Rich- 
mond, was  authorized  and  commenced  during  the 
term  of  office  of  Governor  Floyd.  The  corner-stone 
was  laid  on  the  22d  of  February,  1850,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  large  concourse  of  people,  among  the  num- 
ber being  Zachary  Taylor,  President  of  the  United 
States.  Governor  Floyd  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  in 
1855,  served  as  a  presidential  elector  in  185G, 
was  appointed  Secretary  of  War  in  the  Cabinet 
of  James  Buchanan  in  March,  1857,  and  served  until 

T  I-    T,  T-,,     J  December  20th,  1860,  when  he  resigned  and  became 

John  B.  Floyd.  *= 

an  earnest  advocate  of  secession.    He  was  appointed 

brigadier-general  in  the  Confederate  States  army  on  May  23d,  1861,  and 
served  with  distinction  through  the  war.  He  was  chief  in  command  at  Fort 
Donaldson  when  it  was  besieged  by  General  Grant,  but  made  his  escape  from 
the  fort  on  February  15th,  1862,  with  3,000  men.  He  was  commissioned  a 
major-general  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  and  was  authorized  to 
raise  a  division  of  troops  from  among  the  classes  not  embraced  in  the  con- 
scription acts  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  He  died  August  26th,  1863,  at 
Abingdon.  He  married  in  early  life  Sarah  Buchanan  Preston,  daughter  of 
General  Francis  Preston,  and  died  without  isisue.  His  remains  were  interred 
hi  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery,  Abingdon,  Virginia. 


JUDGES  OF  THE  COURTS. 


SUPERIOR  COURT  OF  LAW. 


JUDGE  PETER  JOHNSTON. 

1811-1831. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  son  of  Peter  and  Martha  Johnston,  of 
"Longwood,"  Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia.  He  was  educated  at  Hamp- 
den-Sidney  College,  receiving  a  classical  education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  ran  off  from  his  home  and  joined  Lee's  Legion.  Was  made  a  lieutenant. 
In  1782  he  resigned  from  Lee's  Legion,  joined  the  Light  Corps  formed 
by  General  Greene,  and  was  adjutant,  with  the  rank  of  captain.  Upon  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  returned  to  his  father's  home,  studied 
law,  and  practised  his  profession  in  Prince  Edward  and  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties. He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  several 
times,  and  was  a  member  at  the  time  of  the  celebrated  resolutions  of  1798 
1799,  an4  the  speech  that  he  made  upon  this  occasion  waa  considered  so  able 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


769 


that  it  was  publislied  in  full  in  the  Register,  then  the  leading  paper  in  tlie 
United  States.  In  1811  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  General  Court  and 
assigned  to  the  Prince  Edward  Circuit,  but  he  ex- 
changed circuits  with  Judge  Wm.  Brockenbrough, 
who  had  been  assigned  to  the  Southwest  Virginia 
Circuit,  and  came  to  Abingdon  to  live,  and  for 
twenty-one  years  lived  at  "Panicello,"  one-fourth 
of  a  mile  east  of  Abingdon,  and  presided  over  the 
Superior  Court  of  Law  for  this  district  with  dis- 
tinguished ability  for  more  tlian  twenty  years.  He 
died  December  8th,  1831,  and  was  buried  near  his 
home,  in  this  county.  He  was  commissioned  n 
brigadier-general  by  the  Legislature  in  early  life, 
and  left  a  distinguished  family  of  children.  His 
wife,  Mary  Johnston,  was  the  daughter  of  Valen- 
tine Wood  and  Lucy  Henry,  his  wife,  a  sister  of  Patrick  Henry  and  a 
woman  of  distinguished  ability.  The  names  of  his  descendants  were  John 
W.  Johnston,  Peter  Carr  Johnston,  Edward  Johnston,  General  Jos.  E.  John- 
ston, Beverly  Randolph  Johnston,  Chas.  C.  Johnston,  Benjamin  Johnston, 
Mrs.  Jane  C.  Mitchell  and  Algernon  Sidney  Johnston. 


Judtic  PrttT  Johnston. 


CIRCUIT  SUPERIOR  COURT  OF  LAW  AND  CHANCERY. 


BENJAMIN  ESTILL. 

1831-1852. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  Benjamin  Estill  and  Kitty 
Moffett,  who  settled  upon  1,400  acres  of  land  that  they  purchased  from 
Colonel  Wm.  Christian  at  Hansonville  (now  in 
Russell  county,  Virginia,)  on  January  1st,  177i). 
Benjamin  Estill,  Jr.,  was  born  on  this  farm  on 
the  13th  day  of  March,  1780.  He  received  an  aca- 
demic education.  Studied  law,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  settled  in  Abingdon.  He  became  the 
Attorney  for  the  Commonwealth  for  this  countj^, 
and  filled  the  position  with  distinguished  ability 
for  many  years.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  Washington  covmty;  proposed 
and  advocated  the  formation  of  the  county  of 
Scott,  and  gave  to  the  county  its  name.  He  was  a 
great  admirer  of  Winfield  Scott,  with  whom  he 
agreed  in  politics,  and  thus  sought  to  honor  him. 
To  the  new   county  seat  was  given  the  name  of 

Estillville  (now  Gate  City).  Such  was  the  popularity  of  Benj.  Estill  that 
in  the  year  1825  he  was  elected  to  the  Nineteenth  Congress  of  the  United 
States  from  this  district,  receiving  nearly  every  vote  cast,  and  serving  from 


Beujiiuiiu  EstUl. 


770  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

1825-1827.  Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  courts  of  the  Commonwealth, 
in  the  year  1831,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  General  Court  and  as- 
signed to  the  Fifteenth  Judicial  Circuit,  comijosed  of  the  counties  of  Lee, 
Scott,  Russell,  Washington  and  Tazewell,  and  served  with  distinguished 
ability  in  this  capacity  until  the  year  1852,  when  he  resigned  his  office  and 
moved  to  a  farm  in  Oldham  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  died  and  was 
buried,  his  death  occurring  on  July  14th,  1853.  Judgfe  Estill  was  six  feet 
four  inches  in  height,  broad-shouldered  and  of  striking  appearance,  and  is 
said  to  have  been  the  most  eloquent  man  this  county  has  produced  in  its 
history.  Persons  now  living  make  the  statement  that  the  citizens  of  Abing- 
don would  close  their  business  houses  and  crowd  the  courthouse  on  the  first 
day  of  his  court  to  hear  him  deliver  his  charge  to  the  grand  jury,  such  was 
his  eloquence  and  attractiveness.  While  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  he  lived 
in  the  residence  now  occupied  by  Thos.  W.  White,  on  Main  street,  Abingdon, 
Virginia,  until  1844,  and  subsequently  thereto  on  a  fann  about  one  mile  west 
of  Jonesville,  Virginia,  on  the  Mulberry  Gap  road,  and  now  owned  by  Judge 
Morgan.  Fifty  years  have  passed  since  Judge  Estill  ceased  to  move  among 
the  people  of  Southwest  Virginia,  still  his  strong  and  powerful  mind,  his 
piety,  patriotism,  eloquence,  gentle  manners  and  transcendant  legal  abilities 
are  fresh  in  the  memory  of  our  people,  and  the  position  attained  by  him  in 
the  front  rank  of  the  men  of  Southwest  Virginia  has  not  been  questioned 
with  the  passing  of  the  years.    Of  him  it  may  be  truly  said : 

"  The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just 
Shall  flourish  when  he  sleeps  in  dust." 

What  better  evidence  of  the  true  merit  of  the  man?     What  a  tribute  to 
his  memory. 

JUDGE  SAMUEL  V.  FULKERSON. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  Abram  Fulkerson  and  Margaret 
Vance,  and  was  born  at  his  father's  farm   (now  the  John  E.  Burson  farm), 

in  the  lower  end  of  this  county,  in  the  year ,  but 

was  principally  reared  in  Grainger  county,  Tennessee. 
He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Colonel  McClelland's  regi- 
ment in  the  Mexican  war,  and  served  throughout  the 
war  with  distinction.  Studied  law  and  began  tho 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Estillville  in  1846.  Was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1850.  Was  elected  judge  of  this  circuit,  defeating 
Jos.  Strass,  of  Tazewell  county,  in  the  year  1856,  and 
served  until  the  spring  of  the  year  1861,  when  he  was 
elected  and  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh    Virginia    Regiment    of    Infantry,    and    com-  ^  ^r  ^  ,, 

.  ...,-■■  ^-,1      -.o/^^        I         1       Judge  S.  V.  Fulkerson. 

manded  this  regiment  until  June  27th,  1862,  when  he 

fell  mortally  wounded  whilst  gallantly  leading  the  Third  Brigade  in  a  bold 
and  splendid  charge  upon  one  of  the  enemies'  strong  positions  on  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  He  died  on  the  following  day,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in 
the  Sinking  Spring  Cemetery,  Abingdon,  Virginia.    His  career,  in  the  words 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


m 


of  another,  was  bright,  brief  and  useful,  and  his  name  deserves  to  be  in- 
scribed in  the  catalogue  of  the  names  of  the  gallant  men  who  died  for  their 
country.     Judge  Fulkerson  was  never  married. 


JOHN  A.  CAMPBELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  Edward  Campbell.  Was  bora 
at  Hall's  Bottom,  in  this  county,  in  the  year  1823.  Educated  at  the  Abinc,- 
don  Academy,  Emory  and  Henry  College  and  Vir- 
ginia Military  Institute.  Studied  law.  and  was 
licensed  in  1846.  Was  a  Whig  candidate  for  the 
Legislature  from  Washington  county  in  1852. 
Member  of  the  Secession  Convention  of  1861.  Com- 
missioned colonel  of  the  Forty-eighth  Virginia  Regi- 
ment of  Infantry  in  1861.  Wounded  at  Winchester. 
Virginia,  in  1862.  Was  elected  judge  of  this  circuit 
in  1863,  and  served  till  1869  with  distinguished 
ability.  Was  president  of  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Emory  and  Henry  College  for  seventeen  years.  He 
was  a  patriot  and  the  peer  of  any  lawyer  that  prac- 
tised at  this  bar  during  the  many  years  of  his  life. 
He  married  Mary  Branch,  daughter  of  Peter  Branch,  and  died  witliout  issue 
June  I7th,  1886. 


John  A.  Campbell. 


JUDGE  JOHN  A.  KELLY. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Lee  county,  Virginia,  June  23' 1, 
1821.  He  spent  his  early  life  carrying  the  mail  and  acquiring  an  education. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  employed  in  the  clerk's  office  of  Russell  county, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  Rev.  James  P.  Carroll,  clerk  of  the  Russell 
court,  he  attended  Emory  and  Henry  College.  He  taught  school  in  Smyth 
and  Giles  counties,  and  while  teaching  in  the  latter  / 

coimty  he  studied  law  under  Samuel  Peck,  with 
whom  he  afterwards  formed  a  partnership.  Was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1843.  Was  cashier  of  the  North- 
western Bank  of  Virginia  from  1854  until  after  the 
war.  After  the  war  .he  removed  to  Smyth  county  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Robert  A.  Richard- 
son, and  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice.  Was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  Smyth  county  in 
1869;  in  February,  1870,  was  elected  judge  of  the 
Sixteenth  Circuit;  assumed  this  office  on  April  23d, 
1870,  and  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  thereof 
until  1894,  when  he  declined  a  reelection.  Judge 
Kelly  was  excellently  fitted  for  the  duties  of  this  office,  and  for  nearly 
twenty-five  years  was  diligent,  upright  and  learned  in  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  his  position.     He  died  at  Marion,  Virginia,  November  17th,  1900. 


Judge  J  no.  A.  Kelly. 


772 


Southwest  Virginia^  171^6-1786. 


JUDGE  JOHN  PRESTON  SHEFFEY. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  James  White  Sheffey  and  Ellen 
Fairman  Preston,  his  wife,  and  was  born  at  Marion,  Virginia,  December 
12th,  1837.  He  graduated  at  Emory  and  Henry  College  in  June,  1857. 
Studied  law  at  the  University  of  Virginia  1858-'59,  and  began  the  practice 
of  law  in  1859.  Enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army, 
served  as  second  and  first  lieutenant,  and  was  elected 
captain  of  Company  "A,"  Eighth  Regiment  of  Vir- 
ginia Cavalry,  at  the  reorganization  in  1862;  was  taken 
prisoner  at  Moorefield,  Virginia,  August  7th,  1804,  and 
confined  in  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  until  February,  1805; 
was  exchanged,  and  afterwards  joined  his  company  at 
Appomattox.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  continued  until  Januaiy  1st,  1895,  when  he 
assumed  the  duties  of  judge  of  the  Sixteenth  Circuit  of 
Virginia,  to  which  position  he  had  been  elected  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia.  Was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  Smyth  county  1893-'94,  and  several  times  a  member  of 
the  Council  of  Marion,  Virginia.  Was  married  June  19th,  1803,  to  Miss 
Josephine  Spiller,  and  has  seven  children,  all  living. 


John  P.  Sheffey. 


JUDGE  FRANCIS  BEATTIE  HUTTON. 

Was  born  two  miles  south  of  Emory  and  Henry  College,  this  county, 
January  28th,  1858.  Is  a  son  of  Dr.  A.  D.  Hutton.  Was  educated  in  tlie 
public  schools  of  the  county,  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  and  Emory  and  Henry 
College,  graduating  therefrom  June,  1877.  He  read  law  under  Judge  Wm. 
V.  Deadrick,  Blountville,  Tennessee,  and  General  A.  C.  Cummings,  Abing- 
don, Virginia,  and  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 
Was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880,  and  has  prac- 
tised his  profession  in  Abingdon,  in  partnership  at 
first  with  Professor  Jas.  H.  Gilmore,  of  Marion,  and 
afterwards  until  the  present  time  with  Martin  H. 
Honaker.  Was  elected  judge  of  the  County  Court 
in  December,  1885,  which  position  he  resigned  in 
October,  1886,  to  accept  the  position  of  Assistant 
United  States  Attorney  for  the  Western  District  of 
Virginia,  to  which  position  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland.  He  resigned  this  position  upon 
the  election  of  President  Harrison,  and  was  elected 
Commonwealth's  Attorney  of  Washington  county  in  May,  1891,  by  2,700 
majority.  He  was  elected  judge  of  the  Twenty-third  Judicial  Circuit  of 
Virginia  February  12th,  1903. 


Francis  B.  Hutton. 


WasJdngton  County,  1777-1870. 


,773 


COUNTY  JUDGES. 


REUBEN  MURRELL  PAGE. 

Reuben  Muriell  Page  was  born  at  Abingdon,  May  Ttli,  1843.  In  May, 
1861,  went  into  the  Confederate  army  as  a  member  of  the  Washington 
Mounted  Riflemen  (under  command  of  Captain,  afterwards  General,  Wil- 
liam E.  Jones),  which  company  became  Company  "D"  of  the  First  Regi- 
ment of  Virginia  Cavalry.  Was  severely  wounded 
near  Newtown,  in  Frederick  count}',  November 
12th,  1804.  Was  licensed  as  a  lawyer  in  February, 
1868,  after  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Campbell  & 
Humes  from  the  fall  of  1865  and  serving  as  deputy 
clerk  of  the  County  Court,  under  Major  Jas.  C. 
Campbell,  for  about  fourteen  months.  Was  mar- 
ried November,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  Crawford,  of 
Abingdon.  Was  the  first  county  judge  of  Wash- 
ington county,  being  chosen  to  said  jaosition  in 
April,  1870,  and  reelected  in  1873,  continuing  in 
that  office  until  the  beginning  of  the  year  1880. 
Was  Grand  Master  of  Masons  of  Virginia,  Decem- 
ber, 1881,  to  December,  1883.  In  1881  became  associated  with  Colonel  Abram 
Fulkerson  in  the  practice  of  law,  under  the  name  of  Fulkerson  &  Page, 
which  law  firm  afterwards  became  Fulkerson,  Page  &  Hurt. 


Koulx^n  ]Sruii('ll  Page. 


JUDGE  GEO.  W.  WARD,  Jr. 

Son  of  Geo.  W.  Ward.  Born  at  Winchester,  Va.,  July  31st,  1847.  Edu- 
cated ,at  the  Virginia  Military  Institute.  Took  part  in  the  battle  of  Ncaa'- 
market  in  May,  1864.  Studied  law  in  the  law  school  of  Judge  Richard 
Parker  at  Winchester  arid  at  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia. Licensed  to  practise  law,  and  settled  at  Spring- 
field, Missouri,  in  the  year  1872.  Came  to  Abingdon  in 
1874,  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  became 
the  editor  of  the  Ahhigdon  Virginian.  In  the  year  1880 
he  was  elected  judge  of  the  County  Court  of  this 
county,  which  position  he  resigned  before  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term.  He  subsequently  filled  the  ofiice  of 
Commonwealth's  Attorney,  and  was  thereafter  twice 
elected  county  judge,  which  office  he  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  He  became  ill  of  pneumonia,  and  died  on 
the  21st  day  of  January,  1897.  Judge  Ward  was  a 
scholarly  man,  was  able  and  energetic,  and  was  recog- 
nized as  an  accurate,  painstaking  and  honest  lawyer. 
Rosalie  Preston,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Walter  Preston,  who,  with  lier  son 
and  daughter,  survived  him. 


Geo.  W.  Ward,  Ji\ 
He   married   Mis- 


774 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 


JUDGE  DAVID  CAMPBELL  CUMMINGS. 

Son  of  David  C.  and  Eliza  White  Cummings.  Born 
June  23d,  1861,  in  Abingdon.  Served  as  deputy  clerk 
of  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county  from 
April,  1882,  to  July  1st,  1887.  Was  elected  clerk  of 
the  County  Court  of  Washington  county,  and  served 
as  such  from  July  1st,  1887,  to  February  1st,  1897. 
Commissioned  judge  of  the  County  Court  of  Wash- 
ington .county  February  1st,  1897,  and  at  the  present 
time  occupies  this  position.  For  many  years  a  com- 
missioner of  accounts,  and  served  as  president  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Southwest  State  Hospital, 
David  C.  Cummings.      Marion,  Virginia,  from  1894  to  1898. 


MEMBERS  OF  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVEi^^ON. 


EDWARD  CAMPBELL. 

Son  of  John  Campbell,  of  Hall's  Bottom.  Received  an  academic  educa- 
tion. Studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Served  as  Commonwealth's 
Attorney  for  Washington  county  for  many  years.  Elected  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  1829-'30.  Brother  of  Governor  David  Campbell 
and  an  uncle  of  Governor  Wm.  B.  Campbell,  of  Tennessee.  He  left  several 
sons,  who  became  distinguished  in  their  several  spheres,  to-wit :  Judge  John 
A.  Campbell,  Jos.  T.  Campbell,  and  Dr.  E.  M.  Campbell. 


COLONEL  WM.  BYARS. 

Was  born  November  18th,  1776.  A  man  of  moderate  education,  but  of 
.fine  judgment,  made  accurate  by  close  observation. 
he  by  diligence  and  excellent  management  of  farm- 
ing operations  accumulated  wealth,  much  of  which 
he  used  in  founding  and  promoting  the  interest 
of  Emory  and  Henry  College  and  for  the  public 
good  in  general.  He  was  a  leading  member  of  tlio 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Emory  and  Henry  College 
for  many  years.  Member  of  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates from  Washington  county  1809-1812.  Can- 
didate for  Congress  1833.  Died  February  14th, 
1856.  Was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1829-1830. 


Col.  Win.  Byars. 


CONNALLY  F.  TRIGG. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Abingdon  March  8th,  1810.   Studied 
law,  became  a  la\vyer  of  eminent  ability,  and  had  but  few  equals  at  the 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


775 


liar.  Was  elected  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Washington  county,  May 
12th,  1838.  Candidate  for  Congress  in  1855.  In  1856  he  removed  to  Knox- 
ville,  Tennessee,  where  he  was  soon  recognized  as  the 
peer  of  any  lawyer  at  the  bar.  He  was  appointed 
July  2d,  1862,  by  President  Lincoln  to  the  judgeship 
of  the  United  States  Circuit  and  District  Courts  of 
Tennessee.  By  his  firmness  and  decision  upon  the 
bench  he  did  much,  if  not  more  than  any  other  one 
person  in  Tennessee,  in  quieting  the  turbulent  ele- 
ments of  the  State  during  the  terrible  days  of  recon- 
struction. He  died  at  his  home,  a  few  miles  south  of 
Bristol,  Tennessee,  April  25th,  1880,  and  was  buried 
at  Abingdon.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of   1850-1851.  Connally  F.  Trigg 


JOSEPH  T.  CAMPBELL. 

Son  of  Edward  Camjjbell,  of  Hall's  Bottom.  Born  at  Hall's  Bottom,  iu 
this  county,  in  the  year  1827.  He  was  educated  for  the  law,  and  settled  and 
practised  his  profesision  at  Abingdon.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  war 
between  the  States.  Became  adjutant  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Virginia  Infantry.  Was  elected  Common- 
wealth's Attorney  of  Washington  county,  and 
served  from  1862  to  1865.  Was  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  1867-'68.  Was  educated 
at  the  Abingdon  Academy,  University  of  Virginia 
1846-'48.     Died  April  10th,  1878,  at  Abingdon. 

BENJAMIN  RUSH  FLOYD. 

Was  born  December  10th,  1811,  in  Montgomery 
county.  Was  a  son  of  Governor  John  Floyd  and  a 
Joseph  T.  Campbell.  brother  of  Governor  John  B.  Floyd.  Was  educated 
at  Georgetown  College,  D.  C,  in  1832,  graduating  with  the  first  honors  of 
his  class.  Studied  law  and  practised  at  Wytheville,  Virginia,  for  many 
years.  A  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  1847-1848.  Member 
of  the  State  Senate  from  this  district  1857-1858.  Member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  from  this  district  1850-'51.  Defeated  for  Congress  by 
Elbert  S.  Martin  1859,  and  died  in  Washington,  D.  C,  February  15th,  1860. 


THOMAS  M.  TATE. 

Was  born  in  Rich  Valley  in  1801.  Son  of  Chas.  Tate  and  Mary  Tate,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  General  Wm.  Tate,  who  was  a  general  in  (he  Revolu- 
tionary army.  His  father  lived  near  Broad  Ford  (now  in  Smyth  county, 
Virginia ) .  He  was  by  profession  a  physician.  Sheriff  of  Washington 
county.  Was  several  times  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Smyth  county. 
\Vas  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  this  district  in  the  years  1852 
1857.     Was  appointed  Sixth  Auditor  in  the  Postoffice  Department  by  Presi- 


7Tfi 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 


dent  Buchanan,  and  served  until  Lincoln  was  inaugurated.    He  was  a.  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1850-1851. 


PRESTON  WHITE  CAJMPBELL. 

Son  of  Edward  and  Ellen  White  Campbell.     Bom  in  Abingdon   in  the 

year .     Was  educated  at  the  Abingdon  Academy  and  the  University  of 

Virginia.  Read  law  under  Judge  F.  B.  Hutton  and  at 
the  University  of  Virginia.  Was  licensed  to  practise 
law  in  1890,  and  settled  at  Abingdon.  Was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Constit\itional  Convention  of  1901- 
1902. 

JOHN  C.  SUMMERS. 

Son  of  Andrew  Summers  and  Oliva  Wirt  Hawkins, 
his  wife.  Was  born  at  Gap  Mills,  Monroe  county, 
West  Virginia,  February  1st,  1841.  Was  educated  at 
Emory  and  Heniy  College  and  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia. Was  licensed  to  practise  law  in  1860.  En- 
Preston  W.  Campbell,  jj^^g^i  ^^  ^  private  in  the  Monroe  County  Invincibles 
in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Scarrie  Creek  and 
Sewell's  Mountain.  Was  elected  major  of  the  Sixtieth  Virginia  Regiment 
at  the  reorganization  in  1862,  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  in  1863,  and  was 
commissioned  a  colonel  in  the  Provisional  army  in  1864.  Was  under  tlic 
command  of  Generals  Field  and  A.  P.  Hill  in  the  battles  around  Richmond. 
In  the  absence  of  the  colonel,  he  commanded  the  Sixtieth  Regiment  at 
the  battle  of  Cold  Harl^or,  and  when  night  came  on,  being  hard 
pressed  by  the  enemy,  he  charged  them  witli  bayo- 
nets. The  conduct  of  the  regiment  at  this  time  was 
observed  by  General  Hill  in  person,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  Confederate 
States  ordered  cross  bayonets  to  be  inscribed  upon 
the  flag  of  the  regiment.  Was  caiJtured  at  Moore- 
field  in  1864,  and  imprisoned  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio, 
until  July,  1865,  when  he  was  releai-ed.  In  March, 
1866,  he  married  Miss  Nannie  ]\I.  Preston,  daughter 
of  John  F.  Preston,  of  tliis  county,  and  in  the  san," 
year  settled  in  this  cinnity  and  began  In  ])r:i(tise  his 
profession.  Was  elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney 
of  Washington  county,  and  served  from  1887-1891. 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1901-1002,  receiving  a  majority  of  49S 
votes  over  J.  H.  Winston,  Democratic  nominee  in  Washington  county,  and  a 
majority  of  157  in  the  district. 


.lohii  C.  Summers. 
^^'as  elected  a  memljor 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


777 


COMMONWEALTH'S  ATTORNEYS. 


SAMUEL  LOGAN. 

Born  October  19tli,  1799.  Educated  for  the  law.  Settled  at  Abingdon, 
where  he  practised  his  profession.  Was  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for 
Washington  county  for  more  than  fifteen  years.  He  died  at  Prince 
Edward  Courthouse,  Virginia,  July  15th,  1855.  He  was  an  excellent  citizen 
and  a  lawyer  of  distinguished  ability. 


GEORGE  EAKIN  NAFF. 

Was  born  at  Jonesboro,  Tennessee,  July  3d,  1829.  Educated  at  Emory  and 
Henry  College.  Won  the  Robertson  prize  medal  in  1847,  in  his  junior  year, 
having  John  Goode,  Wm.  E.  Peters,  Everett,  Clayton, 
Ridgeway,  et  als.,  for  competitors.  Studied  and  prac- 
tised law  until  1855,  when  he  took  charge  of  a  female 
college  at  Athens,  Alabama.  Was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Soule  Female  College,  Murfreesboro,  Ten- 
nessee, in  1858,  which  position  he  held  until  1862, 
when  he  died  of  erysipelas.  In  1850  he  married  Mar- 
garet Elizabeth  Hope,  of  this  county.  Was  appointed 
and  served  as  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for  this 
county  in  1855,  upon  the  death  of  Samuel  Logan. 


JOHN  HENRY  ERNEST. 


George  E.  Naff. 


John   Henry   Ernest  was   bom   May   7th,    1825,   in 
Hanover    county,    Virginia,    and    died    at    his    home, 

Brook  Hall,  in  1868.  He  graduated  at  William 
and  Mary  College  in  1847,  and  married  Amanda  J. 
Byars,  daughter  of  Colonel  Wm.  Byars,  of  this 
county.  He  was  elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney 
for  Washington  county  in  1855,  and  served  until 
1863.  Was  provost  marshal  at  Abingdon  for  two 
years  during  the  war.  After  the  war  he  retired  to 
his  farm  and  devoted  himself  to  farming.  On 
March  3d,  1868,  while  directing  some  laborers  on 
his  farm  who  were  moving  a  log,  he  was  crushed 
by  the  log  and  killed.  Colonel  Ernest's  pastor 
says  of  him:  "The  writer  of  these  lines  knew 
him  well,  and  does  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he 
never  knew  a  more  liberal,  kind-hearted  and  humane  man.  His  liberality 
dispensed   with   the  most  profuse  and   lavish  kindness  the  earnings  of  his 


John  Henry  Ernest. 


778 


SoutJnvest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 


own  labor.  When  the  war  ended  he  found  a  poor  man  in  the  mountains  wlio 
ho.d  lost  an  arm  in  the  service.  Instantly  his  generous  heart  was  moved 
with  pity,  and  he  clothed  him  in  genteel  apparel,  sent  him  to  college,  and 
assumed  the  whole  cost  of  his  education." 


REES  B.  EDMONDSON. 

The,  subject  of  this  sketch  was  bom  in  Tazewell  county,  and  died  in  the 
city  of  Washington  on  February  13th,  1901.  He  was  a  lawyer  by  profes- 
sion, and  practised  in  Abingdon,  Virginia,  Mem- 
phis, Tennessee,  and  Washington,  D.  C.  Entered 
the  Confederate  service  as  second  lieutenant,  and 
served  throughout  the  war.  He  walfe  elected  Com- 
monwealth's Attorney  of  Washington  county  in 
18G5,  and  served  for  several  years. 

JOHN  L.  ROWAN. 

Son  of  Colonel  John  M.  and  Virginia  Summei-. 
Rowan.  Was  born  in  Monroe  county.  West  Vir- 
ginia, February  25th,  1862.  Graduated  at  Wash- 
ington and  Lee  University  in  June,  1883.  Prac- 
tised his  profession  in  Abingdon  for  several  years. 
Was  appointed  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for  the  county,  and  served  in  tliat 
capacity  for  some  time.  Removed  to  Union,  Monroe  county,  West  Virginia, 
where  he  has  since  practised  law,  serving  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  that 
county  for  a  number  of  years. 


Roes  B.  Edmondson. 


Peter  .).  I  lavcniiorl. 


PETER  JOHNSTON  DAVENPORT. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  near  Lindell, 
in  this  county,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1863.  He 
is  the  son  of  Elijah  P.  Davenport,  a  native  of  this 
county,  and  Adelia  H.  Hall,  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
Hall,  of  Russell  county.  Educated  in  the  schools  of 
the  county.  Studied  law  in  the  office  of  Colonel 
John  C.  Summers,  Abingdon,  Virginia.  Was  licensed 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Abing- 
don. Was  elected  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for 
Washington  county  in  the  year  1895,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  since  held,  and  the  duties  of  which  he 
has  discharged  with  marked  ability. 


Wasliingion  County,  1777-1870. 

STATE  SENATORS. 


779 


Wni.  K.  Peters. 


WM.  E.  PETERS. 

He  was  bom  in  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  August  18th,  1829.  Received 
academic  training  at  New  London  Academy.  Entered  Emory  and  Henry 
College  in  1840,  and  graduated  in  1848.  Taught  a 
private  school  at  Lynchburg,  and  entered  the  Uni- 
versity in  1850.  In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  chair 
of  ancient  languages  in  Emory  and  Henry  College, 
filling  this  position  until  1856,  when  a  leave  of  ab- 
sence was  granted  him  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  and 
he  spent  two  years  studying  ancient  and  modern 
languages  at  Berlin,  Prussia;  after  which  he  re- 
sumed his  duties  at  Emory  arid  Henry.  He  entered 
the  Confederate  sei'vice  as  a  private  in  April,  1861 ; 
served  as  lieutenant  of  cavalry;  later  as  captain, 
lieutenant-colonel  of  infantry  and  colonel  of  the 
Twenty-first  Virginia  Cavalry.     After  having  been 

three  times  wounded,  he  surrendered  with  his  command  at  Appomattox 
Courthouse.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  this  district 
in  1863,  which  position  some  months  thereafter  he  resigned.  Professor  of 
Latin  in  the  University  of  Virginia  from  1866  to  1902. 

JOSEPH  J.  GRAHAM. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.    His  grandfather, 
Robert  Graham,  emigrated  to  this  country  from  the  north  of  Ireland  prior 
to  the  American  Revolution  and  settled  in  North  Carolina,  near  Guilford 
Courthovise.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  so  harassed  by 
the  Tories  that  he  refugeed  to  what  is  now  the  east- 
ern  portion   of   Wythe  county,   about  twelve  miles 
east  of  Wytheville,  where  he  accumulated  a  consid- 
erable fortune.     Jos.  J.  Graham  was  born  on  one  of 
the  farms  owned  by  his  grandfather,  near  Max  Mea- 
dows, on  the  16th  of  July,  1811.     In  his  early  life 
he  taught  a  country  school.     Afterwards  he  had  em- 
ployment with  his  uncle   (David  Graham),  who  was 
the  pioneer  in  the  iron  industry  in  Southwest  Vir- 
ginia.    After   remaining  with   him  some  years,  he 
went  to  Tennessee,  where  he  was  engaged  in  busi- 
nea.s  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  war.     He  went 
witli   a   body   of  troops   to   join   Scott's   cohunn    in 
Mexico,  and  took  part  in  the  bombardment  of  the  fortress  of  Vera  Cruz. 
After  the  Mexican  war  he  returned  to  Wythe  county,  and  for  several  years 
was  engaged  with  the  late  Colonel  James  Piper,  of  Wythe  county,  in  lo- 
cating turnpike  roads  in  Southwest  Virginia.     He  was  three  times  elected  a 


Jo.SPJill 


780 


Southwest  Virginia,  nif6-1786. 


James  S.  Greever. 


member  of  the  Legislature  from  Wythe  county,  and  once  to  the  State  Senate 
from  this  district.    He  died  April  9th,  1877,  without  issue. 

HERAM  A.  GREEVER. 
Was  born  October  30th,  1806,  and  died  the  23d  day  of  May,  1882.    He  was 
colonel  of  militia  before  the  civil  war,  and  served  in  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates from  Smyth  county.     He  afterwards  served  one  term  as  a  Senator  in 
the  General  Assembly  from  this  district;  after  which 
he  retired  to  private  life  on  his  estate,  in  Smyth 
county,   a    part   of   which   was    inherited   from   his 
father,  who  was  among  the  pioneers  of  Southwest 
Virginia. 

JAMES  S. 'greever. 

General  James  S.  Greever  was  born  September  9th, 
1837,  and  died  December  30th,  1895.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Emory  and  Henry  College,  and  was  an 
honor  graduate  in  the  year  1859.  The  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  him  in  1867  by  the  same  institution. 
When  war  was  declared  he  entered 'the  Confederate  service  as  captain  of 
Company  A,  in  the  Forty-eighth  Virginia  Infantry.  In  1869  he  was  elected 
to  the  Senate  from  Smyth  and  Washington  counties.  He  was  reelected  at 
the  expiration  of  his  first  term,  serving  through  the  administrations  of 
Walker  and  Kemper.  During  this  period  he  married  an  only  daughter  of 
Mr.  Richard  Woolfork  Scott,  of  Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia,  and  left 
one  child,  Miss  Virginia  Holmes  Greever,  who,  with  her  mother,  survives 
him.  General  Greever  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Emory  and  Henry  College  in  1875,  which  place  he  held  until  his  death.  He 
also  served  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Southwest  Virginia  Hospital, 
at  Marion.  He  filled  other  responsible  positions,  being  for  years  agent  for 
th%  large  and  valuable  property  kno-wn  as  the  "Douglas  Lands."  When  he 
died  he  was  president  of  the  Bank  of  Glade  Spring,  and 
it  was  largely  through  his  influence  that  this  bank 
commenced  operations.  He  died  at  his  home,  "West- 
view,"  a  fine  estate  lying  along  the  banks  of  the  Hol- 
ston  river,  near  Chilhowie,  Virginia,  where  his-  wife 
and  daughter  still  reside. 

DAVID  FLOURNOY  BAILEY. 


David  F.  Bailey. 


Born  January  23d,  1845,  in  Charlotte  county,  Vir- 
ginia. Came  to  Bristol  before  the  civil  war,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  Learned  the  art  of  printing  in  the 
office  of  the  Bristol  Neus  and  at  one  time  owned  and  edited  that  paper. 
Was  a  private  Confederate  soldier  in  Company  A,  Thirty-seventh  Virginia 
Infantry,  and  later  in  the  cavalry  service.  Studied  law  at  Cumberland 
University,  Lebanon,  Tennessee,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
July,  1869,  at  Bristol.    Was  married  February  29th,  1872,  to  Sarah  Eleanor 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


,781 


Roberts. 


I'reston.  daiighter  of  John  F.  Preston,  of  "Locust  Glen,"  Washington  county, 
\  irginia.  He  represented  Washington  county  in  the  Legislature  of  Vir- 
ginia 1879-1880,  and  was  chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee.  Was  Sena- 
tor from  Washington  and  Smyth  counties  in  1881-1885.  Was  Republican 
nominee  for  Congress  in  1884,  and  was  defeated  by  C.  F.  Trigg.  Was  As- 
sistant United  States  Attorney  for  the  Western  District  of  Virginia  during 
Harrison's  administration.  Was  a  delegate  from  this  district  to  the  Na- 
tional Republican  Convention  at  St.  Louis  in  189G, 
and  placed  in  nomination  General  James  A.  Walker 
for  Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  Was  the 
Republican  elector  from  this  district  in  the  year 
1900,  and  at  the  present  time  is  referee  in  bank- 
ruptcy for  this  division. 

E.  L.  ROBERTS. 

The  subject  of  this  isketch  was  born  at  Broad  Ford. 
Smyth  county,  Virginia,  April  4th,  1831.  Was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  county,  and 
held  tlie  position  of  Superintendent  of  Schools  for 
Smyth  county  before  the  war.  Soon  after  the  war 
he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  county  and  circuit 
courts  of  Smyth  countj^  which  position  he  held  for  six  years.  Was  twice 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Smyth  and  Bland  counties. 
\\'as  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  thiis  district  in  the  year 
1889.     Has  served  as  school  trustee,  sheriff  and  justice  of  the  peace. 

B.  F.  BUCHANAN. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Smyth  county,  Virginia,  and 
graduated  in  the  academic  department  of  the  University  of  Virginia  in  1880 
and  the  law  department  in  1884.  Was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Senate  from  this  district,  serving 
from  1893  to  1897.  Was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  in  1900,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Democratic  Committee  for  ten  years. 
Was  Grand  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templar  of  Virginia  for  the 
years  1901-1902.  Now  pi.i.- 
lices  law  at  Marion,  Va. 

CHAS.  W.  STEELE. 


B.  F.  Buchanan. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  \\  as 
born  at  Steelesburg,  Tazewell 
county,  Virginia,  July  24th,  1858.  Married  and  settled 
in  this  county.  Was  land  assessor  in  1895.  Elected 
a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  this  district,  and 
served  from  1897  to  1901. 


Cliarles  W.  Steele. 


783 


Southwest  Virginia,  17 Jf 6-17 86. 


J.  CLOYD  BYARS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  his  father's  farm,  "Southern 
View,"  in  Washington  county,  Virginia,  on  December  9th,  1868.  Located  at 
Bristol  in  1891.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in  1896.  Was 
elected  City  Attorney  for  Bristol  in  1899.  Was  de- 
feated for  Mayor  of  Bristol  in  1900,  and  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  from  the  First  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict, composed  of  the  counties  of  Smyth  and  Wash- 
ington, in  the  year  1901,  which  position  he  now  fills. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF 
DELEGATES. 


JOHN  GIBSON. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  Avas  born  in  the  Valley         j.  cioyd  Byars. 
of  Virginia  January  1st,   1775,  and  married  Amelia 

Carter  Cummings,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Charles 
Cummings,  and  settled  in  this  county.  He  was  a 
captain  in  the  war  of  1812  and  a  member  of  the 
"Legislature  from  Washington  county  in  the  year 
1837,  and  died  at  liis  home,  in  this  county,  August 
26th,  1863. 

ROBERT  E.  GRANT. 

The  subject  of  this  sketcli  was  born  on  the  2.5th 
of  September,  1825,  in  Washington  county,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Anna  Snod- 
grass,  of  this  county.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the 
John[Gibson.3  Legislature  from  Washington  county  in  1855,  and  a 

member  of  the  Secession  Convention  of  1861.     Upon 

the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  organized  a  company, 

afterwards  Company  H  of  the  Thirty-seventh  Virginia 

Volunteers,  of  which  company  he  was  captain.  He  en- 
tered the  service  and   remained  until  the  surnnder  ai 

Appomattox.     He  removed  with  liis  family  to  Austin, 

Texas,    in    1872.      Died    July    17th,    1888,    leaving   his 

wife  and  several  children  surviving  him. 

JACOB   LYNCH. 

Major  Lynch  was  born  in  Abingdon  in  the  year  1798, 
and  died  March   IGth,  1862.     He  was  educated  by  Mr. 
Samuel  Baillie,  who  taught  a  school   in  Abingdon   for      Robert  E.  Grant, 
many  years.     He  entered  the  Clerk's  office  at  the  age 

of  fourteen  years  as  a  deputy  to  Andrew  Russell,  and  remained  with  him  for 
many  years.    He  then  became  deputy  clerk  to  David  Campbell,  and  remaineil 


Washingion  County,  1777-1870. 


,783 


Jacob  Lynch. 


with  him  until  he  (Campbell)  was  elected  Governor  of  Virginin.  Jacol) 
Lynch  was  then  elected  clerk  of  the  court,  and  held  this  office  until  1858, 
when  he  declined  a  reelection.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1859  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington 
county,  and  served  until  the  spring  of  1860,  when  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Abing- 
don, and  resigned  his  position  as  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  He  was  for  many  years  president  of 
the  Russell  Turnpike  Company. 

DR.  ALEXANDER  R.  PRESTON. 

Dr.  Preston  wais  born  at  "Locust  Glen,"  the  home 
of  his  father,  Robert  Preston,  five  miles  west  of  Abing- 
don, on  December  8th,  1805.  He  was  the  son  of  Robt. 
Preston,  who  emigrated  to  this  countiy  from  Ireland, 

and  Jennie  Preston,  his  wife,  a  daughter  of  Robert 

Preston,  of  Walnut  Grove.     He  received  his  ecftica- 

tion  at  the  Abingdon  Academy,  and  was  educated 

in  medicine  at  Transylvania  College,  and  practised 

his  profession  in  this  community  until  March  5th, 

1874,  the  date  of  his  death.  He  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber   of    the    General    Assembly    from    Washington 

county  in  the  year  1860,  and  was  clerk  of  the  Circuit 

Court  of  this  county  in  the  year  1870. 

DAVID  B.  CLARK. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  near  the  Old 
Glade  Spring  Church  on  the  18th  of  March,   1827, 

tnd  died  March  12th,  1896.  He  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  County  Court  of  this  county, 
a  school  trustee  for  Saltville  District,  and  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county 
in  1863-1865. 


Alex.  R.  Preston. 


DAVID  CAMPBELL  DUNN. 

The  subject  of  this  sketcli  was 
born  at  Abingdon,  Virgin!  i. 
May  7th,  1829.  Educated  at 
the  Abingdon  Academy.  Mem- 
ber of  Captain  J.  M.  Stephen-," 
Daviii  li.  Clark.  militia  company  befor?  the  v\  ""i 

In   April,    1861,   he   enlisted   .'^ 
a    private    in    Company   B,    Floyd's    Brigade;    pin 
moted  to  captaincy  of  Company  B;  second  lieuten- 
ant  of    the   Sixty-third   Virginia   Regiment,   which  Uavid  c.  Duuu. 
position  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war.   He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Cross  Lanes.     Was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington 
county  from  1861  to  1865.    Now  lives  at  Couway,  South  Caroliua. 


r84 


Southwest  Virginia,  174^6-1786. 


ARTHUR  CAMPBELL  CUIIMINGS. 


Tlie  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  Ciiinmings,  and 
was  born  October  Lst,  1822,  on  the  locution  of  the  first  settlement  made  by 
liis  great-grandfather,  Charles  Cumniings,  in  about  the  year   1774,  at  tlie 
head  of  Wolf  Hill  Creek,  about  three  miles  west  of  Abingdon.     Attendeii 
the   private   schools    of   the   neighborhood   until    appointed    a   cadet   at    the 
Virginia  Military   Institute   in   the   year   LS41,   from   which    institution    he 
graduated  in   1844.     He  studied  law  and  wais  licensed  to  practise  in  1S4(). 
When  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  commenced,  in  May, 
1846,  he   raised  and  was  elected  captain  of  two   different  volunteer  com- 
panies under  a  call  for  volunteers  by  the  United  States  Government,  but 
neither   company   was   calkd   to   go   into   service.      Was   commissioned    by 
President  Polk  in  March,  1847,  as  captain  of  Company  K,  Eleventh  Regi- 
ment of  the  United  States  Infantry,  being  one  of  the  ten  regiments  raised 
under  an  act  of  Congress  to  serve  for  five  years,  or  during  the  war.     He 
enlisted  about  thirty-six  men  at  Abingdon  and  at  Chillicothie,  Ohio,  the 
rest  of  the  company  being  enlisted  by  the  two   lieutenants   at  Wheeling, 
Virginia.     He  was  then  ordered  to  join  his   regiment,  and  reached  Vera 
Cruz  the  1st  of  July,  1847;  was  there  attached  to  the  command  of  Major 
Lally,  being  the  first  troops  to  leave  Vera  Cruz  after 
the  army  under  General  Scott  had  commenced  their 
march   on   the   city   of   Mexico.     Captain   Cummings 
was  dangerously  wounded  in  an  engagement  with  a 
large  force  of  guerillas  concealed  in  a  chaparral,  at 
a  place  called  Paso  Ovejas,  near  the  National  Bridge 
leading  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  vvais  made  brevet 
major  for  gallant  conduct  in  that  engagement.     He 
served  as  captain  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
discharged  witu  the  regiment  at  Fort  Hamilton,  Long 
Island,  New  York,  about  September  1st,  1848.     Was 
appointed  division  inspector  of  militia  for  the  Fiftli 
Division  on  October  22d,  1849;  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Fifth  Regi- 
ment of  Artillery    (militia)    July   24th,   1858;   was   commissioned   captain 
of  the  Eleventh  Regiment  of  Infantry    (militia)    May  20th,   1847.     On  his 
return  home  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law.    In  May,  1861,  he  was  commis- 
sioned colonel   of  Virginia  Volunteers;   was  ordered  to   report  to  General 
T.  J.  Jackson  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  was  by  him  assigned  to  the  command 
of  what  was  then  the  Second,  afterwards  the  Tenth,  Regiment.     In  June, 
1861,  by  order  of  General  Jackson,  he  organized  the  Third  Regiment,  then 
reporting  from  the  adjoining  counties.    He  afterwards  organized  the  Thirty- 


A.  C.  Cummings. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


.785 


third  Regiment,  and  was  assigned  to  its  command,  and  this  command  be- 
came a  part  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade.  He  commanded  this  regiment  at  the 
first  battle  at  Manassas  and  until  the  reorganization 
in  1862.  Elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates 
from  this  county  in  1863  and  again  in  1869  and 
1871. 


GEORGE  GRAHAM. 

Bom  August  9th,  1831,  at  the  location  of  his  pres- 
ent residence,  in  this  county.  Entered  the  Confed- 
erate service  in  April,  1861,  as  first  lieutenant  of  the 
Glade  Spring  Rilles,  known  in  the  service  as  Company 
E,  Thirty-seventh  Virginia  Regiment.  Was  promoted 
to  captain  in  Jime,  1861,  where  he  remained  until  September,  1863,  when 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington 
county.  Was  reelected  in- 1869;  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  iu 
farming  vipon  an  extensive  estate.  He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Preston, 
daughter  of  Colon'^l  Thomas  M.  Preston. 


George  Graham. 


SELDEN  LONGLEY. 

Born  at  Emory  and  Henry  College  on  tlie  7th  of  February,  1846,  and  is 
the  son  of  Edmond  Longley  and. May  Hammond  Longley.  Educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  Emory  and  Henry  College.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
entered  the  Confederate  army,  first  in  Captain  J.  K.  P^ambo's  company  of 
Border  Rangers;  was  afterwards  transferred  to  Company  F,  Twenty-first 
Virginia  Cavalry,  Captain  Fred  Gray  and  others  commanding.  He  was 
made  orderly  sergeant  soon  after  he  enlisted,  and  commanded  a  company  for 
several  months  befoi'e  the  close  of  the  war.  When 
the  war  was  over  he  reentered  Emory  and  Henry 
College,  and  in  Jime,  1866,  won  the  Robertson  prize 
medal  for  oratoiy,  and  graduated  in  1868.  He  was 
elected  assistant  professor  of  ancient  and  modern 
languages,  and  taught  at  Emory  for  one  year. 
Studied  law  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870.  In  June,  1870,  he  was 
the  final  orator  of  the  Washington  Literary  Society 
at  the  University  of  Virginia,  and  in  November, 
1873,  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Delegates  from 
Washington  county,  and  in  the  same  year  he  was 
happily  married  to  j\Iiss  Leona  Howard  Jordan, 
daughter  of  Colonel  W.  J.  Jordan,  of  Pula.ski  county.  In  1891  he  re- 
moved to  Pulaski  county,  was  appointed  judge  of  the  County  Court  of 
that  county  by  Governor  Chas.  T.  O'Ferrall,  and  was  elected  by  the  General 
Assembly  in  1897  to  serve  for  the  term  of  six  years,  which  position  he  now 
occupies. 


Selden  Longley. 


:s6 


Southwest  Virginiaj  17 Jf 6-1786. 


ISAAC  CHAPMAN  FOWLER. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Tazewell,  Virginia,  September  23d, 
1831,  but  was  principally  reared  near  Red  Sulphur  Springs  (now  West  Vir- 
ginia).    Was  educated  at  Emory  and  Henry  Col- 
lege.     Was    engaged   in   mercantile   pursuits    at 
Tazewell  from  April,  1852,  until  October,   1860, 
when  he  removed  to  Emory  and  engaged  in  mer- 
cliandising  there  until  all   of   his   property  was 
swept  away  by  the  war.     Was  connected  with  the 
Commissary     Department     of     the     Confederate 
States    under   General    Breckenridge.     After   the 
close  of  tlie   war  he   removed   to   Bristol.     Was 
five    times    Mayor    of    that    town.      Represented 
Washington   county   in   the   House   of   Delegates 
for  six  years,  during  which  time  he  was  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Delegates.   Was  owner  and  editor 
of   the  Bristol   News   from   August,    1868,   until 
Isaac  Chapman  Fowler.       February,  1884,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed 
clerk   of  the  United   States   Court,  Abingdon,  Vir- 
ginia, which  position  he  now  holds. 

CHARLES  B.  COALE. 
Was  born  in  Maryland  in  1807.  He  came  to 
Abingdon  and  became  associate  editor  and  proprie- 
tor of  the  Abingdon  Virginian,  in  1837.  In  1841  he 
associated  himself  with  Geo.  R.  Barr  and  began 
the  publication  of  the  Aiingdon  Virginian.  To- 
gether they  continued  to  own  and  publish  the 
Abingdon  Virginian  until  February,  1873.  Wa.s 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from 
this  county  in  the  year  1875.     Was  the  author  of  a 

book  entitled  "Wilbum  Waters,"  in  which  much  of 
the  history  of  this  county  has  been  preserved.  While 
not  a  native  of  this  county,  he  contributed  his  time 
and  energy  to  a  greater  extent  than  any  that  had  pre- 
ceded him  in  preserving  the  history  of  the  county. 
Was  an  actiA^e  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  Lodge,  of 
Abingdon,  Virginia,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
founding  of  Martha  Washington  College.  He  died  on 
January  3d,  1879,  and  was  buried  in  Sinking  Spring 
Cemetery.     He  left  no  descendants. 


Charles  B.  Coale. 


Jonas  8.  Kelly. 


JONAS  S.  KELLY. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  wa.s  bora  near  Emory, 
Virginia,  February  22d,  1819;  died  November  29th,  1895.     He  was  a  mem- 


WasJiingtoji  County,  1777-1870. 


787 


Daniel  Trigs 


ber  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  for  eight  years.  Was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  from  Saltville  District  for  many 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  most  popular  men  that 
ever  appeared  before  the  people  of  Washington 
county. 

DANIEL  TRIGG. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Daniel 
Trigg  and  Anna  Munford  Trigg,  daughter  of  Alexan- 
der Tompkins,  and  was  born  in  Abingdon  on  the  12th 
day  of  March,  1843.  Was  educated  at  the  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  resigned  there- 
from in  1861  and  joined  the  Confederate  States  navy, 
and  served  therein  throughout  the  war,  attaining  the 
rank  of  lieutenant.  After  the  war  he  studied  law, 
was  licensed,  and  settled  in  Arkansas  in  the  year  1868,  but  returned  to 
Abingdon  and  settled  in  the  year  1869,  where  he  has  since  practised  his  pro- 
fession with  success.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  in 
the  year  1882,  and  took  high  rank  in  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  following  sessions  of  the  General  As- 
sembly. He  married  INIiss  Louisa  Bowen  Johnston, 
daughter  of  Judge  John  W.  Johnston,  and  has 
three  sons  and  two  daughters  now  living. 

CHAS.  W.  ALDERSON. 
Born  at  Lebanon,  Russell  county,  Virginia,  June 
21st,  1846.  Settled  in  Washington  county.  Was 
elected  a  justice  for  the  Glade  Spring  District  ^or 
the  year  1887.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  in  the  year  1891.  Served  as 
school  trustee  in  Glade  Spring  District  from  1896  to  1900. 


Chas.  W.  Alderson. 


L.  H.  SNODGRASS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Sulb'van 
county,  Tennessee,  June  18th,  1859.  Married  and 
settled  at  Craig's  M:lls,  in  this  county.  Served  a^^ 
supervisor  and  school  trustee  of  Kinderhook  Dis- 
trict for  several  years.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  in  18!^! 

JAMES  CROW. 
James    Crow    was    born    near    Friendship,    October 
15th,  1821,  and  died  November  14th,   1902.     He  was 
the  descendant  of  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  this        L.  H.  Snodgrass. 
county.     Wa.s  well  known  and  respected  for  his  fine  character  and  ability. 
Was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  fifteen  years;  supervisor,  first  of  Glade  Spring 


788 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


District  and  afterwards  of  Ilolst^n  District  for  a  miniber  of  years.  Was 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  this  county  in  1881). 
He  accumulated  a  considerable  fortune  and  left  very  respectable  descendants. 

E.  S.  KENDRICK. 
Was  born  in  New  Garden,  Russell  county,  Virginia,  September  20th, 

Removed  to  Bristol  in   1882.     Was  a  member  of  the  Washington 

School  Board  for  Goodson  District  for  several  yeais 

and  a  member  of  the  Town  Covmcil  for  Goodson  foi 

four  years.     Represented  Washington  county  in  the 

House  of  Delegates  1889-1890,  and  during  this  time 

secured  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  changing 

the  name  of  Goodson  to  the  city  of  Bristol.     Was  a 

member  of  the  City  Council  for  Bristol  for  four 
years  and  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  of  the  city. 
Again  represented  Washing 
ton  county  and-  the  city  of 
Bristol  in  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates in  the  years   1893-1894. 


E.  S.  Ken d rick. 


James  Crow. 


ANDREW  F.  RAMBO. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  near  Palestine, 
in  this  county,  July  5th,  1845.  Educated  in  the 
schools  of  the  county.  Has  been  a  merchant  most  of 
his  life.  Joined  the  Washington  Mounted  Rifles  in 
April,  18G1 ;  served  through  the  war.  Has  been 
postmaster  at  Palestine  since  1881.     Was  elected  a  y-,,^ 

member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  ^ 

county  in  the  year  1895. 


JOSEPH  M.  BUTT. 

Was  born  four  miles  north- 
west of  Abingdon,  October 
29th,  1846.  Was  the  youngest 
child  of  Rignal  and  Sarah 
Butt.  Served  as  lieutenant  in 
Company  E,  Thirteenth  Bat- 
talion   of    Virginia    Reserves. 

Was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from 
Wa^shington  county  in  1895.  Twice  married — first  to 
Theresa  J.  Lyon,  of  Washington  county,  and  secondly 
to  Fannie  A.  Drinkard,  of  Richmond,  Virginia. 


Andrew  F.  Rambo. 


Joseph  M.  Butt, 


W.  H.  TOMNEY. 
Great-grandson  of  Christopher  Simmerman,  who  gave  the  land  for  the 
location  of  the  town  of  Wytheville.     Was  born  in  Wytheville,  September 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


789 


15th,  1862.  Has  spent  his  life  in  the  newspaper  business.  Was  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  in  the  year  18i);^, 
at  which  time  he  was  the  editor  of  the  Glade  Spring  Citizen. 

JOHN  ROBERTS. 

Born  on  the  head  waters  of  Rattle  Creek,  in  this  county,  five  miles  north 
of  Abingdon,  on  December  9th,  1834.  Was  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
Roberts.  Was  captain  of  militia  in  1858.  Enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Comi)any  I,  Forty-eighth  Virginia 
Regiment,  in  18G1,  and  was  elected  lieutenant  of 
the  company  at  the  reorganization  in  18G2.  He 
lost  his  right  leg  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville, 
May  3d,   1862.     Was   appointed   purchasing  agent 

for    the    county    in     1864. 

Twice     represented     North 

Fork   District  as   a   super- 

viisor.      Elected    a    member 

of  the  Legislature  in  1887. 

Has     served     as     Commis- 
sioner of  the  Revenue  for  the  Western  District  since 

1895. 

SAMUEL  P.  EDMONDSON. 


W.  Jl.  Tuiiin 


John  Roberts. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  direct  lineal  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  heroes  of  King's  Mountain. 
He  was  born  in  this  county,  educated  in  the  schools 
of  the  county,  and  for  many  years  has  been  a  veiy 
successful  farmer  and  cattle  trader.  Has  held  a 
number  of  very  responsible  positions.  Was  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washmg 
ton  county  in  the  year  1887. 


Samuel  P.  Edmondson, 


Charles  H.  Jennings. 


CHAS.  H.  JENNINGS., 
Born  in  Bristol,  Vii 
ginia,  Februaiy  9th,  18G5 
Has  lived  in  Abingdon 
since  January  1st,  1883. 
Member  of  the  To\\ti  Coun- 
cil and  the  School  Board  of  Cave  City  School  Dis- 
trict. ISIarried  Miss  Hattie  McChesney  Jones,  De- 
cember 9th,  1884.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county  in 
1897.  Is  now  the  proprietor  of  the  Hattie  House 
and  of  Jennings'  drug  store,  Abingdon,  Va. 


THOMAS  J.  CAMPBELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  son  of  Wm.  B.  Campbell,  and  was  reared 
on  the  Jonesboro  road,  about  nine  miles  west  of  Abingdon.     Has  been   a 


790 


Southwest  Virginiaj  1 7 Jf  6-1786. 


fiirruer  all  his  life.     Was  elected  a  member  of  the  Hoase  of  Delegates  from 
Washington  eountj'  in  1897. 


,)U11N  W.  PRICE. 

John  W.  Price,  a  son  of  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Price,  was  born  at  his  father's  home, 
on  the  Middle  Fork  of  Holston  river,  in  this  county.  Was  educated  at  Emory 
and  Henry  College.  Studied  medicine  and  gradu- 
ated with  high  honors.  Afterwards  studied  law,  and 
settled  and  began  to  practise  his  profession  in  Abing- 
don in  1894.  Was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for 
Commonwealth's  Attorney  in  1895.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  removed  to  Bristol,  where  he  has  since 
practised  his  profession  with  success.  Was  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washing- 
ton county  and  the  city  of  Bristol  in  1899,  and  was 
recently  elected  judge  of  the  Corporation  Court  for 
the  city  of  Bristol  for  the  terra  beginning  February 
1st,  1904. 


.Jolin  W.  Frice. 


C.  H.  McCLUNG. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Greenbrier  county  (now  West  Virginia),  April  30th, 
1841.  Was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
county.  Entered  the  Confederate  service  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Company  C,  Nineteenth  Virginia  Regiment 
of  Cavalry,  in  1861,  and  served  as  such  until  1864, 
when  he  became  adjutant  of  his  regiment.  Was  cap- 
tured in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and  remained  a  pris- 
oner at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  until  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  After  the  war  he  began  farming,  and  at 
times  managed  hands  in  the  grading  of  the  Chesa- 
peake and  Ohio  railway  on  New  River,  West  Virginia. 
Was  appointed  sheriff  and  treasurer  of  Fayette  county, 
West  Virginia,  in  1877,  and  at  the  following  election 
was  elected  to  the  same  office  for  the  term  of  four  years. 
In  1888  he  removed  to  Meadow  View,  Washington 
county,  Virginia.  In  1895  was  a  candidate  for  treas- 
urer of  Washington  county,  but  was  defeated  by  S.  M. 
Withers.  Was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates from  this  county  in  the  year  1899;  since  which 
time  he  has  been  farming  and  merchandising. 


C.  H.  McClung. 


A.  J.  Huff. 


A.  J.  HUFF. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Roanoke 
county,  May  27th,  1865.  He  has  been  an  extensive  farmer  and  stock-raiser 
since  maturily;  is  a  part  owner  of  the  Byars'  farm,  in  the  upper  end  of  this 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


791 


county,  and  has  lived  in  this  county  since  October  15th,  1001.     Was  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  this  county  in  the  year  1901. 


J.  W.  .Molt. 


J.  W.  MORT. 

Was  born  in  Strasburg,  Shenandoah  county,  Virginia,  September  10th, 
1855.  Moved  to  Bristol  in  1876.  Was  appointed  Commissioner  of  the  Reve- 
nue for  the  city  of  Bristol  in  1890.  Was  afterwards  elected  to  succeed  him- 
self four  times  in  that  office,  and  served  ten  years.  Was  twice  elected  a 
member  of  the  City  Council.  Was  elected  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Delegates  from  Washington  county 
and  the  city  of  Bristol  in  1901. 

CHARLES  STUART  BEKEM. 

Charles  Stuart  Bekem  was  bom  in  Abingdon,  Vir- 
ginia, December  25th,  1802,  and  died  in  his  native 
town,  August  19th,  1875,  in  the  seventy-second  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  the  son  of  William  and  Jane 
Bekem,  who  came  to  America  from  Ireland  before  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  settled  in  Abing- 
don. Mrs.  Bekem  was  a  sister  of  Lieutenant  John 
Carson,  of  the  First  Continental  Artillery,  who  died  the  12th  of  September, 
1781,  of  wounds  received  at  Eutaw  Springs,  South  Carolina,  8th  September, 
1781,  and  of  Chas.  S.  Carson,  who  was  a^soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  who 
figured  conspicuously  in  the  business  affairs  of  Southwest  Virginia.  Tlie 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  graduate  of  Washington  College,  Tennessee. 
Mr.  Bekem  was  a  prominent  lawyer,  distinguished  for  his  hon&sty  and  in- 
tegrity, and  was  called  upon  often  to  represent  his  county  in  tlie  Legislature, 
which  he  did  with  great  fidelity.  He  was  Commonwealth's  Attorney  for  the 
counties  of  Washington  and  Russell,  and  achieved  quite 
a  reputation  in  this  capacity  for  uprightness  of  conduct 
and  fair  dealing  with  those  he  had  to  prosecute.  Mr. 
Bekem  had  as  his  contemporaries  at  the  bar  such  men  as 
James  W.  Sheffey,  Samuel  Logan,  Arthur  C.  Cummings. 
John  W.  Johnston,  John  A.  and  Jos.  T.  Campbell,  and 
others  equally  as  prominent.  Mr.  Bekem  was  a  promi- 
nent Mason.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  was  an 
ardent  admirer  of  the  principles  of  that  party,  his  coun- 
sel often  being  sought  in  regard  to  party  affairs.  Mr. 
Bekem  had  three  sisters — Margaret  C,  who  never  mar- 
ried ;  Sallie  K.,  who  married  W^m.  King,  of  Saltville,  and 
Jane  Eliza,  who  married  Rev.  Lewis  F.  Cosby,  D.  D. ;  two  brothers,  John  C. 
and  James  C,  who  died  unmarried.  In  religious  belief  the  Bekems  were 
Presbyterians. 

JOHN  CAMPBELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  David  Campbell,  and  was  born 
in  Augusta  county.     In  about  ^he  year  1765  he  accompanied  Dr.  Thomas 


Chas.  S.  Bekem. 


792  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 

Walker  to  the  waters  of  the  Holston,  and  with  his  father  and  brothers  pur- 
chased a  valuable  tract  of  land  on  the  waters  of  the  Middle  Fork  of  Holston 
river,  called  the  "Royal  Oak,"  now  about  one  mile  east  of  Marion,  Virginia. 
He  was  a  captain  of  militia  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island 
Flats.  He  was  a  member  of  the  County  Court  of  Washington  county, 
became  clerk  of  the  court  of  the  county  in  tlie  year  1779,  and  served  until 
1815,  thirty-six  years.  About  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  he 
purchased  from  Jacob  Young  a  valuable  tract  of  land  in  the  lower  end  of 
this  county,  since  known  as  "Hall's  Bottom."  This  Jacob  Young  came 
directly  from  Germany  with  a  large  household;  was  a  wealthy  man,  and 
lived  and  ruled  his  household  and  tenantry  like  a  lord.  To  this  tract  of 
land  John  Campbell  removed  and  lived  for  many  years,  and  reared  a  large 
family  of  children,  many  of  whom  became  distinguished.  John  Campbell, 
his  son,  was  for  ten  years  treasurer  of  the  United  States,  and  represented 
this  county  in  the  Legislature  before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  David 
Campbell,  his  son,  was  for  twenty-two  years  clerk  of  the  County  Court  of 
this  county,  member  of  the  Senate  of  Virginia  for  four  years,  and  Governor 
of  Virginia  from  1837  to  1841.  A  grandson,  Wm.  B.  Campbell,  was  Gover- 
nor of  Tennessee,  and  a  brother-in-law,  Archibald  Roane,  the  husband  of  Ann 
Campbell,  was  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  and 
Governor  of  that  State  from  1801  to  1804.  Another  son,  Edward  Camp- 
bell, was  a  distinguished  lawyer,  and  lived  in  this  county. 

COLONEL  JOHN  PRESTON. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  Robert  Preston,  the  first  sur- 
veyor of  this  county.  He  was  born  in  Abingdon  in  1781,  and  died  tit 
Walnut  Grove  in  1805.  He  was  educated  for  the  law,  but  never  practised 
his  profession.  The  landed  estate  inherited  by  him  from  his  father  was 
immense,  and  he  devoted  his  life  to  farming  pursuits.  He  was  for  many 
years  presiding  justice  of  the  County  Court  for  Washington  county,  and 
exercised  great  influence  in  his  time.  He  left  a  large  and  highly  respectable 
family  of  children. 

COLONEL  JOHN  CAMPBELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  John  Campbell,  and  was  born 
at  Royal  Oak  in  about  the  year  1791.  He  was  educated  at  the  Abingdon 
Academy,  and  in  the  year  1811  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Dele- 
gates from  Washington  county,  became  a  member  of  the  Council  of  State, 
and  acquired  an  excellent  reputation.  In  the  year  1818  he  decided  to  settle 
in  Alabama,  and  President  James  Monroe,  when  informed  of  that  fact,  ad- 
dressed the  following  communication  to  Governor  Bibb,  of  Huntsville,  Ala- 
bama, in  regard  to  Colonel  Campbell : 

Louisville,  June  24th,  1819. 
Dear  Sik  : 

Had  I  seen  you  when  at  Huntsville  I  should  have  spoken  to  you 

and  recorowCTded  to  jroyr  kini  »UmUon  ^^jor  Joh»  Cfimpbell,  lately  of 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


793 


the  Council  of  State  in  Virginia,  now  a  resident  of  Alabama.  I  consider 
him  a  young  man  of  great  merit  for  integrity,  strength  and  correctness  of 
judgment  and  purity  of  political  principles.  In  his  welfare  I  take  great  in- 
terest. Well  knowing  his  merit,  I  have  thought  it  proper  to  communicate 
to  you  the  sense  I  entertain  of  it,  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  of  some  ser- 
vice to  him. 

With  great  respect  and  esteem,  I  am,  dear  sir, 

Yours, 

JAMES  MONROE. 
Gov.  Bibb,  Huntsville. 

Colonel  Campbell  did  not  remain  long  in  Alabama,  bvit  returned  to  this 
county,  and  in  April,  1829,  he  was  appointed  Treasurer  of  the  United 
States  by  President  Jackson,  and  discharged  the  du- 
ties of  that  position  with  distinguished  ability  until 
1839,  when,  finding  himself  opposed  to  many  of  the 
policies  of  President  Van  Buren,  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion, returned  to  his  home,  and  ever  afterwards  advo- 
cated the  policies  of  the  Whig  party. 


COLONEL  JAMES  WHITE. 

W  The  subject  'of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Carlisle, 
Pennsylvania,  February  22d,  1770,  of  Scotch-Irish  pa- 
Col  Jno  Campbell  rents,  and  when  quite  young  was  a  clerk  in  the  con- 
cern of  Talbot,  Jones  &  Co.,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
with  whom  he  remained  two  or  three  years.  This  firm  advanced  him  a  small 
stock  of  goods,  with  which  he  made  his  first  trip  to  Southwest  Virginia. 
On  the  4th  of  January,  1798,  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Wilson,  and  settled  in 
Abingdon.  All  of  his  undertakings  seemed  to  pros- 
per, and  at  the  date  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Oc- 
tober 20th,  1838,  his  estate  was  estimated  to  be 
worth  more  than  two-thirds  of  a  million  dollars.  He 
was  over  six  feet  in  height,  of  broad  shoulders,  deep 
chest,  and  that  symmetry  of  limb  that  indicates 
agility  and  strength.  He  left  a  very  large  and  dis- 
tinguished family  of  children. 


WILLIAM  KING. 


Col.  James  White. 


Was  born  in  Ireland  in  1769,  and  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  landing  at  Newcastle, 

Delaware,  August  17th,  1784,  and  was  for  five  years  engaged  with  a  mer- 
chant at  Philadelphia,  his  father,  Thomas  King,  having  previously  to  that 
time  settled  in  Fincastle  county.  William  King  remained  in  Philadelphia 
until  1791,  when  he  joined  his  father  at  Abingdon.  (The  home  of  Thomas 
King  was  near  to  and  a  little  east  of  the  present  residence  of  Dr.  Wm. 
White.)  He  received  a  legacy  of  100  pounds  from  his  grandmother,  Eliza- 
beth Pavis,  apd  \yith  this  capital  he  started  as  a  pedler  to  m^'^f  |xis  fof'; 


794 


Southwest  Virginia^  1746-1786. 


tune.  His  success  was  rapid,  and  he  established  stores  along  his  line  of 
travel  and  stocked  them  with  such  merchandise  as  best  suited  the  people  of 
the  country.  In  1799  he  married  Mary  Trigg,  and 
built  the  first  brick  house  in  Abingdon.  (This  house 
is  still  standing  on  Court  street  opposite  the  court- 
house.) He  died  in  1808.  The  crowning  act  of  his 
life  was  the  devise  of  $10,000  to  the  Abingdon 
Academy. 

JOSEPH  W.  DAVIS. 

Joseph  W.  Davis  was  born  in  what  is  now  Smyth 
county,  Virginia,  in  1798.  Moved  to  Washington 
county  in  1846  from  his  former  home  at  Pleasant 
Hill.  For  several  years  he  represented  Smyth 
county  in  the  Legislature,  and  after  the  war  was 
State  Senator  for  two  years.  He  did  much  as  a 
magistrate,  surveyor  and  civil  engineer.  Became  manager  of  the -Emory 
and  Henry  College  boarding-house  and  farm  in  1846,  holding  this  position 
for  six  years.  Svibsequently  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  finally  in  farm- 
irg.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Emory  and  Henry  College  for  about  twenty  years. 
]\Iajor  Davis  was  a  man  of  deep  and  earnest  convictions,  and  few  men 
have  exerted  a  more  positive  influence  on  others. 


Jos.  W.  Davis. 


ROBERT  W.  HUGHES. 

Judge  Robert  William  Hughes  was  born  in  Powhatan  coimty,  Virginia, 
June  16th,  1821,  and  was  reared  by  Mrs.  General  Carrington,  daughter  of 
General  Francis  Preston,  of  Abingdon.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Caldwell  Institute,  Greensboro,  North  Caro- 
lina. Was  tutor  in  Bingham  High  School,  Hillsboro, 
North  Carolina,  1840-1843.  Was  a  practising  lawyer 
in  Richmond  1843-1853.  WaiS  editor  of  the  Richmond 
Examiner  1850-1857,  and  joint  editor  of  that  paper 
from  May,  1861,  to  April,  1865.  Upon  the  close  of  the 
war  he  aligned  himself  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  edited  first  the  Richmond  Republic  and  after- 
wards the  Richmond  Journal.  In  1873  he  was  the  Re- 
publican candidate  for  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  in 
January,  1874,  he  was  by  President  Grant  commis- 
sioned United  States  District  Judge  for  the  Eastern 
District  of  Virginia,  in  which  position  he  served  with 
marked  ability  and  distinction  till  February  22d,  1898,  when,  owing  to  his 
advanced  age,  he  tendered  his  resignation.  On  June  4th,  1850,  at  the  Gov- 
ernor's Mansion,  in  Richmond,  he  married  Miss  Eliza  M.  Johnston,  daughter 
of  Hon.  Chas.  C.  Johnston  and  Eliza  Mary  Preston,  niece  of  General  Jos.  E. 
Johnston.  For  many  years  he  occupied  as  a  summer  home  his  fine 
estate,  about  three  miles  southeast  of  Abingdon.  He  was  the  author  of 
biographies  of  General  Floyd  and  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  published  in 
"Lee  and  His  Lieutenants,"  1867;  a  volume  entitled  "The  American  Dol- 


Robt.  W.  Hughes. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


,795 


lar,"  1885,  and  of  five  volumes  of  United  States  Circuit  and  District  Court 
reports,  entitled  "Hughes'  Reports,  1879-1885."  In  the  year  1866  Judge 
Hughes  fought  a  duel  with  Wm.  E.  Cameron,  afterwards  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, which  resulted  in  Cameron's  receiving  a  broken  rib  at  the  first  fire. 
He  died  December  10th,  1901.  His  remains  were  interred  in  Sinking  Spring 
Cemetery. 

REV.  LEWIS  F.  COSBY. 

Rev.  Lewis  F.  Cosby,  D.  D.,  was  the  son  of  Dabney  Cosby,  deceased,  of 
Staunton,  Virginia.  Was  born  the  15th  day  of  January,  1807,  and  de- 
parted this  life  the  6th  day  of  July,  1883,  in  Abingdon.  At  the  age  of 
eleven  years  he  was  converted,  and  some  years  afterwards  became  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  in  the  Methodist  Protestant  church, 
serving  many  charges  in  Eastern  Virginia.  He 
came  to  Abingdon  and  assumed  charge  of  the 
church  here.  During  a  revival  in  said  church  a 
very  accomplished  young  lady  (Miss  Jane  Eliza 
TJekem)  professed  religion,  and  on  the  13th  day  of 
January,  1833,  she  became  the  wife  of  the  young 
preacher,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  the 
Rev.  David  R.  Preston,  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
To  this  union  seven  children  were  born,  four  of 
whom  are  yet  living.  After  this  Dr.  Cosby  re- 
turned to  Eastern  Virginia,  but  in  the  year  1844, 
with  his  family,  removed  to  Washington  county, 
and  settled  at  "Oakland,"  where  he  farmed  success- 
fulljr  and  preached  in  Abingdon  and  often  in  the  surrounding  country.  Mrs. 
Cosby  departed  this  life  June  13th,  1853.  He  was  married  the  second  time, 
his  last  wife  being  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Montgomery,  who  survived  him  a  few 
years.  Dr.  Cosby  was  noted  for  his  kindliness  of  heart,  his  generosity  to  tbe 
poor  and  suffering,  and  for  the  purity  of  his  life.  He  was  a  fluent  speaker, 
and  had  a  voice  in  song  that  was  unexcelled.  He  lived  honored  and  re 
spected  by  all.  He  took  great  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  gave  much  of 
his  time  and  talents  for  tlie  good  of  the  public.  His  dust  lies  in  Sinking 
Spring  Cemetery. 


Rev  Lewis  F.  Cosby. 


roe  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


APPENDIX. 


JOURNAL  OF  DOCTOR  THOMAS  WALKER— 

1749-'50. 

Having  on  the  12th  of  December  last  been  employed  for  a  certain  con- 
sideration to  go  to  the  westward  in  order  to  discoA^er  a  proper  place  for  a 
settlement,  I  left  my  home  on  the  6th  day  of  March,  at  10  o'clock, 
1749-'50,  in  company  with  Ambrose  Powell,  William  Tomlinson,  Colby 
Chew,  Henry  Lawless  &  John  Hughes.  Each  man  had  a  horse  and  we 
had  two  to  carry  the  baggage.  I  lodged  this  night  at  Col.  Joshua  Fry's, 
in  the  Albemarle,  which  county  includes  the  Chief  of  the  head  Branches  of 
James  River  on  the  east  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 

March  7th.  We  set  off  about  8,  but  the  day  proving  wet,  we  only  went 
to  Thomas  Joplin's  on  Roekfish.  This  is  a  pretty  River,  which  might  at  a 
small  expense  be  made  fit  for  transporting  Tobacco;  but  it  has  lately 
been  stopped  by  a  Mill  Dam  near  the  Mouth  to  the  Prejudice  of  the  upper 
inhabitants  who  would  at  their  own  expense  clear  and  make  it  navigable, 
were  they  permitted. 

March  8th.  We  left  Joplin's  earlj\  It  began  to  rain  about  Noon.  I  left 
mj'  people  at  Thomas  Jones's  and  went  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Robert  Rose's 
on  Tye  River.  This  is  about  the  size  of  Roekfish,  as  yet  open,  but  how 
long  the  Avarice  of  Millers  will  permit  it  to  be  so,  I  know  not.  At  pres- 
ent the  Inhabitants  enjoy  plenty  of  Fine  fish,  as  Shad  in  their  Season, 
Carp,  Rocks,  Fat-Backs  which  I  suppose  to  be  Tench,  Perch,  Mullets,  etc. 

March  9th.  As  the  weather  continues  unlikely,  I  moved  only  to  Baylor 
Walker's  quarters. 

March  10th.  The  weather  is  still  cloudy,  and  leaving  my  people  at  the 
Quarter,  I  rode  to  Mr.  John  HarA'ies',  where  I  dined  and  returned  to  the 
quarter  in  the  evening. 

nth.  The  Sabbath. 

March  TZth.  We  crossed  the  Fluvanna  and  lodged  at  Thomas  Hunt's. 

13th.  We  went  early  to  William  Calloway's  and  supplied  ourselves  with 
Rum,  Thread,  and  other  necessaries  &  from  thence  took  the  main  wagon 
Road  leading  to  Wood's  or  the  New  River.  It  is  not  well  cleared  or  beaten 
yet,  but  will  be  a  very  good  one  with  proper  management.  This  night 
we  lodged  in  Adam  Beard's  low  grounds.  Beard  is  an  ignorant,  impudent, 
brutish  fellow,  and  would  have  taken  us  up,  had  it  not  been  for  a  reason 
easilj'^  to  be  suggested. 

We  went  from  Beard's  to  Nicholas  Welche's,  where  we  bought  corn  for 
our  horses,  and  had  some  Victual  dressed  for  Breakfast,  afterwards  we 
prossed  the  jPlue  Ridge.    The  ascent  and  despent  is  so  easy  that  a  Strangef 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  797 

would  not  know  when  he  crossed  the  Ridge.  It  began  to  rain  about  Noon 
and  continued  until  night.  We  lodged  at  William  Armstrong's.  Corn 
is  very  scarce  in  these  parts. 

Maroh  15th.  We  went  to  the  Great  Lick*  on  a  Branch  of  the  Staunton 
&  bought  corn  of  Michael  Campbell  for  our  Horses.  This  Lick  has  been 
one  of  the  best  places  for  Game  in  these  parts  and  would  have  been  of 
much  greater  advantage  to  the  Inhabitants  than  it  has  been  if  the  Hunters 
had  not  killed  the  Buffaloes  for  diversion,  and  the  Elks  and  Deer  for  their 
.skins. 

Tliis  afternoon  we  got  to  the  Staunton  where  the  Houses  of  the  Inhabi- 
tants had  been  carried  off  with  their  grain  and  Fences  by  the  Fresh  last 
Summer,  and  Lodged  at  James  Robinson's,  the  only  place  I  could  hear  of 
where  they  had  Corn  to  spare,  notwithstanding  the  land  is  such  that  an 
industrious  man  might  make  100  barrels  a  share  in  a  seasonable  year. 

March  16th.  We  kept  up  the  Staunton  to  \Mlliam  Englishe'is.  He  lives 
on  a  small  branch,  and  was  not  much  hurt  by  the  Fresh.  He  has  a  Mill, 
which  is  the  furthest  back  except  one  lately  built  by  the  Sect  of  people, 
who  call  themselves  of  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Euphrates,  (17th)  and  are 
commonly  called  the  Duncards,  who  are  the  upper  inhabitants  of  the  New 
River,  which  is  about  400  yards  wide  at  this  place.  They  live  on  the  west 
side  and  we  were  obliged  to  swim  oiu-  Horses  over.  The  Duncards  are  an 
old  set  of  people  who  make  it  a  matter  of  religion  not  to  shave  their 
Beards,  ly  on  beds,  or  eat  Flesh,  though  at  present,  in  the  last  they  trans- 
gress, being  constrained  to  it,  as  they  say,  by  want  of  a  sufficiency  of 
Grain  and  Roots,  they  having  not  long  been  seated  here.  I  doubt  the 
plenty  and  deliciousness  of  the  Venison  &  Turkeys  has  contributed  not 
a  little  to  this.  The  unmarried  have  no  private  property,  but  live  on  a 
Common  Stock.  They  don't  baptize  either  Young  or  Old,  they  keep  their 
Sabbath  on  Saturday,  &  hold  that  all  men  shall  be  happy  hereafter,  but 
must  first  pass  througn  punishment  according  to  their  Sins.  They  are 
very  hospitable. 

March  18.  The  Sabbath. 

19th.  We  could  not  find  oiu-  Horses  and  spent  the  day  in  looking  for 
them.     In  the  evening  we  found  their  track. 

20th.  We  went  very  early  to  the  track  of  our  Horses  &  after  following 
them  six  or  seven  miles,  we  found  them  all  together.  We  returned  to  the 
Duncards  about  ten  o'clock,  and  having  purchased  half  a  bushel  of  meal 
and  as  much  small  Hominy  we  set  off  and  Lodged  on  a  small  Run  be- 
tween Peak  Creek  and  Reedy  Creek. 

March  21st.  We  got  to  Reedy  Creek  and  Camped  near  James  McCall'sy 
I  went  to  his  House  and  Lodged  and  bought  what  Bacon  I  wanted. 

22nd.  I  returned  to  my  People  early.  We  got  to  a  large  Spring  about 
five  miles  below  Davis's  Bottom  on  Holston's  River  and  Camped. 

23rd.  We  kept  down  Holston's  River  about  four  miles  and  Camped;  and 
then  Mr.  Powell  and  I  went  to  look  for  Samuel  Stalnaker,  who  I  hfvd  be«°>i 


•Now  Roanoke. 

f  Now  He^X  Mea^dOWS. 


798  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 

iufonncd  was  just  iiiovod  out  to  settle.  We  found  his  Camp,  and  returned 
to  our  own  in  the  Evening. 

24th.  We  went  to  Stalnaker's,  helped  him  to  raise  his  house  and  Camped 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  him.  In  April  1748,  I  met  the  above 
mentioned  Stalnaker  between  the  Reedy  Creek  Settlement  and  Holston 
River,  on  his  way  to  the  Cherokee  Indians,  and  expected  him  to  pilot  me 
as  far  as  he  knew  but  his  affairs  would  not  permit  him  to  go  with  me. 

March  25 th.  The  Sabbath.    Grass  is  plenty  in  the  low  grounds. 

2Gth.  We  left  the  Inhabitants,  and  kept  nigh  West  to  a  large  Spring  on 
a  Branch  of  the  North  fork  of  Holston.  Thunder,  Lightening,  and  Rain 
before  Daj'. 

27th.  It  began  to  Snow  on  the  morning  and  continued  till  Noon.  The 
Land  is  very  hilly  from  West  to  North.  Some  Snow  lies  on  the  tops  of 
the  mountains  N.  W.  from  us. 

28th.  We  traveled  to  the  lower  end  of  Giant's  Ditch  on  Reedy  Creek. 

29th.  Our  Dogs  were  very  uneasie  most  of  the  Night. 

30th.  We  kept  down  Reedy  Creek,  and  discover'd  the  tracks  of  about 
20  Indians,  that  had  gone  up  the  Creek  between  the  time  we  Camped  last 
Night,  and  set  off  this  INIorning.  We  suppose  they  made  our  Dogs  so  rest- 
less last  Night.    We  Camped  on  Reedy  Creek. 

March  30th.  We  caught  two  young  Buffaloes  one  of  which  we  killed, 
and  having  cut  and  marked  the  other  we  turn'd  him  out. 

31st.  We  kept  down  Reedy  Creek  to  Holston  where  we  measured  an 
Elm  25  feet  round  3  feet  from  the  Ground.  We  saw  young  Sheldrakes,  we 
Avcnt  down  the  River  to  the  North  Fork  and  up  the  North  Fork  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  Ford  and  then  crossed  it.  In  the  Fork  between  Hol- 
ston's  and  the  North  River,  are  five  Indian  Houses  built  with  loggs  and 
covered  with  Bark,  and  there  were  abundance  of  Bones,  some  whole  Pots 
and  Pans,  some  broken  and  many  pieces  of  mats  and  Cloth.  On  the  West 
Side  of  the  North  River,  is  four  Indian  Houses  such  as  before  mentioned, 
we  went  four  miles  Below  the  North  River  and  Camped  on  the  Bank  of 
Holston's,  opposite  to  a  large  Indian  Fort. 

April  ye  1st.  The  Sabbath.  We  saw  Perch,  Mullets,  and  Carp  in  plenty, 
and  caught  one  of  the  large  Sort  of  Cat  Fish.  I  marked  my  Name,  the 
day  of  the  Month,  and  date  of  the  year  on  several  Beech  Trees. 

2nd.  We  left  Holston  &  travelled  through  small  Hills  till  about  Noon, 
when  one  of  our  Horses  being  choaked  by  eating  Reeds  too  greedily,  we 
stopped,  having  travelled  seven  miies. 

3d.  Our  horse  being  recovei-'d,  we  travelled  to  the  Rocky  Ridge.  I  went 
up  to  the  top  to  look  for  a  Pass,  but  found  it  so  Rocky  that  I  concluded 
not  to  attempt  it  there.  This  Ridge  may  be  known  by  Sight  at  a  distance. 
To  the  Eastward  are  many  small  Mountains,  and  a  Buffalo  Road  between 
them  and  the  Ridge.  The  growth  is  Pine  on  the  Top  and  the  Rocks  look, 
white  at  a  distance.    We  went  Seven  miles  this  day. 

4th.  Wo  kept  under  the  Rocky  Ridge  crossing  several  small  Branches 
to  the  Head  of  Holly  Creek.  We  saw  many  small  Licks  and  plenty  of 
Deer. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  799 

April  5th.  We  went  down  Holly  Creek.  There  is  much  Holly  in  the 
Low  Grounds  &  some  Laurel  and  Ivy.  About  3  in  the  afternoon,  the  Ridge 
appeared  less  stony  and  we  passed  it  and  Camped  on  a  small  Branch 
about  a  mile  from  the  top.  My  riding  Horse  choaked  himself  this  Even- 
ing and  I  drenched  him  with  water  to  wash  down  the  Reeds,  and  it  an- 
swered the  End. 

6th.  It  proving  wet  we  did  not  move. 

7th.  We  rode  8  miles  over  broken  Land.  It  snowed  most  of  the  day. 
In  the  Evening  our  dogs  caught  a  large  He  Bear,  which  before  Ave  could 
come  up  to  shoot  him  had  wounded  a  dog  of  mine,  so  that  he  could  not 
Travel,  and  we  carried  him  on  Horseback,  till  he  recovered. 

8th.  The  Sabbath.     Still  snow. 

9th.  We  travelled  to  a  river,  which  I  suppose  to  be  that  which  the 
hunters  Call  Clinche's  River,  from  one  Clinch  a  Hunter,  who  first  found  it. 
We  marked  several  Beeches  on  the  East  side.  We  could  not  find  a  ford 
Shallow  eneugh  to  cany  om-  Baggage  over  on  our  horses.  Ambrose  Powell 
Forded  over  on  one  horse,  and  we  ckove  the  others  after  him.  We  then 
made  a  Raft  and  carried  over  one  Load  of  Baggage,  but  when  the  Raft 
was  brought  back  it  was  so  heavy  that  it  would  not  carry  anything  more 
dry. 

April  10th.  We  waded  and  carried  the  remainder  of  our  Baggage  on  our 
shoulders  at  two  turns  over  the  River,  which  is  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  yards  wide.  We  went  on  about  five  miles  and  Camped  on  a  small 
Branch. 

April  11th.  Having  travelled  5  miles  to  and  over  a  High  Mountain,  wo 
came  to  Tiu-key  Creek,  which  we  kept  down  4  miles.  It  lies  between  two 
Ridges  of  Mountains,  that  to  the  Eastward  being  the  highest. 

12th.  We  kept  down  the  Creek  2  miles  further,  where  it  meets  with  a 
large  Branch  coming  from  the  South  West,  and  thence  runs  through  the 
East  Ridge  making  a  very  good  Paiss;  and  a  large  Buffalo  Road  goes 
from  that  Fork  to  the  Creek  over  the  West  Ridge,  which  we  took  and 
found  the  ascent  and  descent  tolerably  easie.  From  this  Mountain  we 
rode  four  miles  to  Beargrass  River.  Small  Cedar  Trees  are  very  plenty 
on  the  flat  ground  nigh  the  River,  and  some  Barberry  trees  on  the  East 
side  of  the  River.  On  the  Banks  is  some  Beargrass.  We  kept  up  the 
River  tw^o  miles.  I  found  some  Small  pieces  of  Coal  and  a  great  plenty  of 
very  good  yellow  Flint.  The  water  is  the  most  transparent  I  ever  saw. 
It  is  about  70  yds.  wide. 

April  13th.  We  went  four  miles  to  a  large  Creek,  which  we  called  Cedar 
Ci'eek,  being  a  Branch  of  Bear  Grass,  and  from  thence  Six  miles  to  Cave 
Gap,  the  land  being  level.  On  the  North  side  of  the  Gap  is  a  large  Spring, 
which  falls  very  fast,  and  just  above  the  Spring  is  a  small  Entrance  to  a 
large  Cave,  which  the  Spring  runs  through,  and  there  is  a  constant 
Stream  of  Cool  air  issuing  out.  The  Spring  is  sufficient  to  turn  a  Mill. 
Just  at  the  foot  of  the  Hill  is  a  Laurel  Thicket,  and  the  Spring  Water 
runs  through  it.  On  the  South  side  is  a  plain  Indian  Road.  On  the  top 
of   the  Ridge  are  Laurel   Trees   marked   with   Crosses,   others   blazed  and 


800  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf-6-1786. 

several  Figures  on  them.  As  I  went  down  on  the  other  Side,  I  soon  came 
to  some  Laurel  in  the  head  of  a  Branch.  A  Beech  stands  on  the  left  hand 
on  which  I  cut  my  name.  This  Gap  may  be  seen  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, and  there  is  no  other  that  I  know  of,  except  one  about  two  miles 
to  the  Nortli  of  it,  which  docs  not  appear  to  be  so  low  as  the  other.  The 
JMountain  on  the  North  Side  of  the  Gap  is  very  Steep  and  Rocky,  but  on 
the  South  Side  it  is  not  so.  We  called  it  Steep  Eidge.  At  the  foot  of  the 
hill  on  tlio  North  West  Side  we  came  to  a  Branch,  that  made  a  great  deal 
of  llat  Land.  W«  kept  down  it  2  miles,  Several  other  Branches  coming  in 
to  make  it  a  large  Greek,  and  we  called  it  Flat  Creek.  We  camped  on  the 
Bank  where  we  found  very  good  Coal.  I  did  not  See  any  Lime  Stone  be- 
yond this  Ridge.    We  rode  13  miles  this  day. 

April  14th.  We  kept  down  the  Creek  .5  miles  Chiefly  along  the  Indian 
Road. 

15th.  Easter  Sunday.  Being  in  bad  grounds  for  our  Horses  we  moved 
7  miles  along  the  Indian  Road,  to  Clover  Creek.  Clover  and  Hop  Vines 
are  plenty  here. 

April  10th.  Rai(n).  I  made  a  pair  of  Indian  Shoes,  those  I  brought  out 
being  bad. 

17th.  Still  rain.  I  went  down  the  Creek  a  hunting  and  found  that  it 
went  into  a  River  al;out  a  mile  below  our  Camp.  This,  which  is  Flat 
Creek  and  some  .others  joined,  I  called  Cumberland  River. 

18th.  Still  Cloudy.  We  kept  down  tlie  Creek  to  the  River  along  the  In- 
dian Road  to  wlitie  it  crussLH.  Indians  lived  about  this  Ford  Some  years 
ago.  We  kept  on  down  the  South  Side.  After  liding  5  miles  from  our 
Camp,  we  left  the  River,  it  being  very  crooked.  In  riding  ,3  miles  we  camr- 
on  it  again.  It  is  ;ib(iut  GO  rr  70  yards  wide.  We  rode  8  (?)  miles  this 
day. 

19th.  We  left  the  River  but  in  four  miles  we  came  on  it  again  at  the 
Mouth  of  Licking  Creek,  wliich  we  went  up  and  down  another.  In  the 
Fork  of  Licking  Creek  is  a  Lick  much  used  by  Buffaloes  and  many  large 
Roads  lead  to  it.  This  afternoon  Ambrose  Powell  was  bit  by  a  Bear  in 
his  Knee.    We  rode  7  miles  this  day. 

20th.  We  kept  down  the  Creek  2  miles  to  the  River  again.  It  appears 
not  any  wider  here  than  at  the  mouth  of  Clover  Creek,  but  much  deeper. 
I  thought  it  proper  to  cross  the  River  and  began  a  bark  Canoe. 

April  21.st.  We  finished  the  Canoe  and  tryed  her.  About  noon  it  began 
to  thunder,  lighten,  hail  and  rain  prodigiously  and  continued  about  2  hours. 

22nd.  The  Sabbath.  One  of  the  horses  was  found  unable  to  walk  this 
morning.  I  then  propos'd  that  with  2  of  the  Company  I  would  proceed, 
and  the  other  three  should  Continue  here  till  our  return,  which  was  agreed 
to  and  Lots  were  drawn  to  determine  who  should  go,  they  all  being  de- 
sirous of  it.    Ambrose  Powell  and  Colby  Chew  were  the  fortunate  Persons. 

2.3rd.  Having  carried  our  Baggage  over  in  the  bark  Canoe  and  Swum  our 
horses,  we  all  crossed  the  River.  Then  Ambrose  Powell,  Colby  Chew  and 
I  departed.  Leaving  the  others  to  provide  and  salt  some  Bear,  build  an 
house,   and  plant  some   Peach   Stones   and  Corn.     We  travelled   about   12 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  801 

miles  and  encamped  on  Crooked  Creek.  The  mountains  are  very  siuall 
hereabouts  and  here  is  a  gi'eat  deal  of  flat  Land.  We  got  through  the 
Coal  to-day. 

April  24th.  We  kept  on  Westerly  18  miles,  got  Clear  of  the  mountains 
and  found  the  Land  poor  and  the  woods  very  Thick  beyond  them,  and 
Laurel  &  Ivy  in  and  near  the  Branches.  Our  Horses  suffered  very  much 
here  for  want  of  food.  This  day  we  Came  on  the  fresh  Track  of  7  or  8 
Indians,  but  could  not  overtake  them. 

25th.  We  kept  on  West  5  miles,  the  Land  continuing  much  the  Same,  the 
Laurel  rather  growing  worse,  a)id  the  food  scarcer.  I  got  up  a  tree  on  a 
Ridge  and  saw  the  Growth  of  the  Land  much  the  same  as  Far  as  my  Sight 
could  reach.  I  then  concluded  to  return  to  the  rest  of  my  Company.  I 
kept  on  my  track  1  mile  then  tui'n'd  Southerly  &  went  to  Cumberland 
Kiver  at  the  mouth  of  a  water  Course,  that  I  named  Rocky  Creek. 

26th.  The  River  is  150  yards  wide  and  appears  to  be  navigable  from  this 
place  almost  to  the  mouth  of  Clover  Creek.  Rocky  Creek  runs  within  40 
yards  of  the  River  Bank  then  turns  off,  and  runs  up  the  River,  surround- 
ing about  25  acres  of  Land  before  it  falls  into  the  River.  The  Banks  of 
the  River  and  Creek  are  a  sufficient  Fence  almost  all  the  way.  On  the 
Lower  Side  of  the  mouth  of  the  Creek  is  an  Ash  marked  T.  W.,  a  Red 
Oak  A.  P.,  a  white  Hickory  C.  C,  besides  several  Trees  blazed  Several 
ways  with  3  Chops  over  each  blaze.  We  went  up  the  North  Side  of  the 
River  8  miles,  and  Camped  on  a  Small  Branch.  A  Bear  Broke  one  of  my 
Dogs  forelegs. 

April  27th.  We  crossed  Indian  Creek  and  went  down  Meadow  Creek  to 
the  River.  There  Comes  in  another  from  the  Southward  as  big  as  this 
we  are  on.  Below  the  mouth  of  this  Creek  and  above  the  mouth  are  the 
remains  of  Several  Indian  Cabins  and  amongst  them  a  round  Hill  made 
by  Art  about  20  feet  high  and  60  over  the  Top.  We  went  up  the  River,  and 
Camped  on  the  Bank. 

28th.  We  kept  up  the  River  to  our  Company  whom  we  found  all  well, 
but  the  lame  Horse  was  as  bad  as  we  left  him,  and  another  had  been  bit 
in  the  Nose  by  a  Snake.  I  rub'd  the  wounds  with  Bear's  oil,  and  gave  him 
a  drench  of  the  same  and  another  of  the  decoction  of  Rattle  Snake  root 
some  time  after.  The  People  I  left  had  built  a  House  12  by  8,  cleared  and 
broke  up  some  ground  &  planted  Corn  and  Peach  Stones.  They  also 
had  killed  several  Bears  and  cured  the  meat.  This  day  Colby  Chew  and 
his  Horse  fell  down  the  Bank.  I  bled  and  gave  him  Volatile  drops,  &  he 
soon  recovered. 

April  29th.  The  Sabbath.  The  bitten  Horse  is  better.  3  quarters  of 
a  mile  below  the  House  is  a  Pond  in  the  Low  Ground  of  the  River,  a 
Quarter  of  a  naile  in  Length  and  200  yds.  wide  much  frequented  by  Fowl. 

30th.  I  blazed  a  way  from  our  House  to  the  River.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  River  is  a  large  Elm  cut  down  and  barked  about  20  feet  and  an- 
other standing  just  by  it  with  the  bark  cut  around  at  the  root  and  about 
15  feet  above.  About  200  yards  below  this  is  a  white  Hickory  Barked 
about  15  feet.     The  depth  of  water  here,  \\hen  the  lowest  that  I  have  seen 


803  Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-J786. 

it,  is  about  7  or  8  feet,  the  Bottom  of  the  River  Sandy,  ye  Banks  very 
high,  &  the  Current  very  slow.  The  bitten  Horse  being  much  mended, 
we  set  off  and  left  the  lame  one.  He  is  white,  branded  on  the  near  But- 
tock with  a  swivil  Stirrup  Iron,  and  is  old.  We  left  the  River  and  having 
Crossed  Several  Hills  and  Branches,  Camped  in  a  Valley  North  from  the 
House. 

May  1st.  Another  Horse  being  bit,  I  applyed  Bear's  Oil  as  before  men- 
tioned. We  got  to  Powell's  River  in  the  afternoon  and  went  down  it 
along  an  Indian  Road,  much  frequented,  to  the  mouth  of  a  Creek  on  the 
West  side  of  the  River,  where  we  camped.  The  Indian  Road  goes  up  the 
Creek,  and  I  think  it  is  that  Which  goes  through  Cave  Gap. 

2nd.  We  kept  down  the  River.  At  the  mouth  of  a  Creek  that  oomes 
in  on  the  East  side  is  a  Lick,  and  I  believe  there  was  a  hundred  Buffaloes 
at  it.  About  2  o'clock  we  had  a  Shower  of  rain.  We  camped  on  the  River, 
which  is  very  crooked. 

May  3rd.  We  crossed  a  narrow  Neck  of  Land,  came  on  the  River  again 
and  kept  down  it  to  an  Indian  Camp,  that  had  been  built  this  Spring,  and 
in  it  we  took  up  our  Quarters.  It  began  to  rain  about  Noon  and  continued 
until  Night. 

4th.  We  crossed  a  nanow  Neck  of  Land  and  came  on  the  River  again, 
which  we  kept  down  till  it  turn'd  to  the  Westward,  we  then  left  it,  and 
went  up  a  Creek,  which  we  Called  Colby's  Creek.  The  River  is  about  50 
yards  over  where  we  left  it. 

5th.  We  got  to  Tomlison's  River,  which  is  about  the  size  of  Powell's 
River,  and  I  cut  my  name  on  a  Beech,  that  stands  on  the  North  Side  of 
the  River.  Here  is  plenty  of  Coal  in  the  South  Bank  opposite  to  our 
Camp. 

Gth.  Tlie  Sabbath.  I  saw  Goslings,  which  shows  that  Wild  Geese  stay 
here  all  the  year.  Ambrose  Powell  had  the  misfortune  to  sprain  his  well 
knee. 

7th.  We  went  down  Tomlison's  River  the  Land  being  very  broken  and 
our  way  embarrassed  by  trees,  that  had  been  blown  down  about  2  years 
ago. 

May  8th.  We  went  up  a  Creek  on  the  North  Side  of  the  River. 

9tR.  We  got  to  Lawlesse's  River  which  is  much  like  the  others.  The 
Mountains  here  are  very  Steep  and  on  Some  of  them  there  is  Laurel  and 
Ivy.  The  tops  of  the  Mountains  are  very  Rocky  and  some  part  of  the 
Rocks  seem  to  be  composed  of  Shells,  Nuts  and  many  other  Subst>ance3 
petrified  and  cemented  together  with  a  kind  of  Flint.  We  left  the  River 
and  after  travelling  some  Miles  we  got  among  Trees  that  had  been  blown 
down  about  2  years,  and  were  obliged  to  go  down  a  Creek  to  the  River 
again,  the  Small  Branches  and  Mountains  being  impassable. 

10th.  We  Staid  on  the  River,  and  dressed  an  Elk  skin  to  make  Indian 
Shoes — most  of  ours  being  quite  worn  out. 

11th.  We  left  the  River,  found  the  Mountains  very  bad,  and  got  to  a 
Rock   by   the  side   of   a   Creek   sufficient  to   shelter   200   men    from   Rain. 


Washmgton  Count y,  1777-1S70.  803 

Finding  it  so  convenient,  we  concluded  to  stay  and  put  our  Elk  skin  in 
order  for  shoes  and  make  them. 

12th.  Under  the  Rock  is  a  Soft  Kind  of  Stone  almost  like  Alum  in 
ta.ste;  below  it  a  Layer  of  Coal  about  12  inches  thick  and  white  Clay  under 
that.  I  called  the  Run  Alum  Creek.  I  have  observed  several  mornings 
past,  that  the  Trees  begin  to  drip  just  before  day  &  continue  dripping 
till  about  Sun  rise,  as  if  it  rain'd  slowly.    We  had  some  rain  this  day. 

13th.  The  Sabbath. 

14th.  AVhen  our  Elk  Skin  was  prepared  we  had  lost  every  Awl  that  we 
had  brought  out,  and  I  made  one  with  the  Shank  of  an  old  Fishing  hook, 
the  other  People  made  two  of  Horse  Shoe  Nailes,  and  with  these  we  made 
our  Shoes  or  Moccosons.  We  wrote  several  of  our  Names  with  Coal  under 
the  Rock,  &  I  wrote  our  names,  the  time  of  ovu'  comeing  and  leaving  this 
place  on  paper  and  stuck  it  m  to  the  Rock  with  Mortar,  and  then  set  off. 
We  Crossed  Hughes's  River  and  Lay  on  a  large  Branch  of  it.  There  is  no 
dew  this  morning  but  a  shower  of  Rain  about  6  oclock.  The  River  is 
about  50  yards  wide. 

May  15th.  Laurel  and  Ivy  increase  upon  us  as  we  go  up  the  Branch. 
About  noon  it  began  to  rain  &  we  took  up  our  Quarters  in  a  Valley  be- 
tween very  Steep  Hills. 

16th.  We  crossed  Several  Ridges  and  Branches.  About  two  in  the  after- 
noon, I  was  taken  with  a  Violent  Pain  in  my  Hip. 

17th.  Laurel  and  Ivj  are  very  plentiful  and  the  Hills  still  very  steep. 
The  Woods  have  been  burnt  some  years  past,  and  are  now  very  thick,  the 
Timber  being  almost  all  kill'd.  We  Camped  on  a  Branch  of  Naked  Creek. 
The  pain  in  my  Hip  is  something  asswaged. 

18th.  We  went  up  ISIaked  Creek  to  the  head  and  had  a  plain  Buffalo 
Road  most  of  the  way.  From  thence  we  proceeded  down  Wolf  Creek  and 
on  it  we  Camped. 

19th.  We  kept  down  ye  Creek  to  Hunting  Creek,  which  we  crossed  and 
left.     It  rained  most  of  the  afternoon. 

May  20th.  The  Sabbath.  It  began  to  Rain  about  Noon  and  continued 
till  next  day. 

21st.  Left  off  raining  about  8.  We  crossed  several  Ridges  and  Small 
Branches  &  Camped  on  a  Branch  of  Hunting  Creek.  In  the  Evening  it 
rained  very  hard. 

22nd.  We  went  down  the  Branch  to  Hunting  Creek  &  kept  it  to  Milley's 
River. 

23rd.  We  attempted  to  go  down  the  River  but  could  not.  We  then 
Crossed  Hunting  Creek  and  attempted  to  go  up  the  River  but  could  not. 
It  being  veiy  deep  we  began  a  Bark  Canoe.  The  River  is  about  90  or  lOO' 
yards  wide.  I  blazed  several  Trees  in  the  Fork  and  marked  T.  W.  on  a. 
Sycamore  Tree  40  feet  around.  It  has  a  large  Hole  on  the  N:  W:  side; 
about  20  feet  from  the  Giound  and  is  divided  into  3  Branches  just  by  the 
hole,  and  it  stands  about  80  yards  above  the  mouth  of  Hvmting  Creek. 

May  24th.  We  finished  the  Canoe  and  crossed  the  River  about  noon,  and 
I  marked  a  Sycamore  30  feet  round  and  several  Beeches  on  the  North  side 


804  Southwest  yirginia,  1746-1786. 

of  the  Kivcr  opposite  to  the  nioulh  of  the  Creek.  Game  is  very  scarce 
hereabouts. 

25th.  It  began  to  rain  before  day  and  continued  till  about  noon.  We 
travelled  about  4  miles  on  a  Ridge  and  Camped  on  a  small  Branch. 

26tli.We  kept  down  the  Branch  almost  to  the  River,  and  up  a  Creek,  and 
then  along  a  Ridge  till  our  Dogs  roused  a  large  Buck  Elk,  Which  we  fol- 
lowed down  to  a  Creek.  He  killed  Ambrose  Powell's  Dog  in  the  Chase,  and 
we  named  the  Run  Tumbler's  Creek,  the  Dog  being  of  that  Name. 

27th.  The  Sabbath. 

28th.  Cloudy.  We  could  not  get  our  Horses  till  almost  Night,  when  we 
went  down  the  Branch.    We  lay  on  to  the  main  Creek,  and  turn'd  up  it. 

May  29th.  We  proceeded  up  the  Creek  7  miles,  and  then  took  a  North 
Branch  &  went  up  it  five  miles  and  then  encamped  on  it. 

30th.  We  went  to  the  head  of  the  Branch  we  lay  on  12  miles.  A  shower 
of  Rain  fell  this  day.  The  Woods  are  burnt  fresh  about  here  and  are  the 
only  fresh  burnt  Woods  we  have  seen  these  Six  Weeks. 

31st.  We  crossed  2  Mountains  and  Camped  just  by  a  Wolf's  Den.  They 
were  very  impudent  and  after  they  had  been  twice  shot  at,  they  kept 
howling  about  the  Camp.    It  rained  till  Noon  this  day. 

June  ye  1st.  We  found  the  Wolf's  Den  and  caught  4  of  the  young  ones. 
It  rained  this  morning.  We  went  up  a  Creek,  crossed  a  mountain  and 
went  through  a  Gap,  and  then,  camped  on  the  head  of  A  Branch. 

2nd.  We  went  down  the  Branch  to  a  River  70  yards  wide,  which  I  called 
Frederick's  River.  We  kept  up  it  a  half  a  mile  to  a  Ford,  where  we  crossed 
and  proceeded  upon  the  North  Side  3  miles.  It  rained  most  of  the  after- 
noon.    Elks  are  very  plenty  on  this  River. 

June  3rd.  Whit-Sunday.    It  rained  most  of  the  day. 

4th.  I  blazed  several  trees  four  ways  on  the  outside  of  the  low  Grounds 
by  a  Bufl'alo  Road,  and  marked  my  Name  on  several  Beech  Trees.  Also 
I  marked  some  by  the  River  side  just  below  a  "mossing"  place  with  an 
Island  in  it.  We  left  the  River  about  10  o'clock  &  got  to  Falling  Creek, 
and  went  up  it  till  5  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  very  black  Cloud  appear- 
ing, we  turn'd  out  our  Horses,  got  tent  Poles  up,  and  were  just  stretching 
a  Tent,  when  it  began  to  rain  and  hail,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  violent 
Wind  which  Blew  down  our  Tent  &  a  great  many  Trees  about  it,  several 
large  ones  within  30  yds.  of  the  Tent.  We  all  left  the  place  in  confusion 
and  ran  diiferent  ways  for  shelter.  After  the  Storm  was  over,  we  met  at 
the  Tent,  and  found  all  safe. 

5th.  There  was  a  violent  Shower  of  Rain  before  day.  This  morning 
we  went  up  the  Creek  about  3  miles,  and  then  were  obliged  to  leave  it, 
the  Timber  being  so  blown  down  that  we  could  not  get  through.  After  we 
left  the  Creek  we  kept  on  a  Ridge  4  miles,  then  turned  down  to  the  head 
of  a  Branch,  and  it  began  to  rain  and  continued  raining  very  hard  till 
Night. 

June  6th.  We  went  down  the  Branch  till  it  became  a  large  Creek.  It 
runs  very  Swift,  falling  more  than  any  of  the  Branches  we  have  been  on 
of  late.    I  called  it  Rapid  Creek.    After  we  had  gone  8  miles  we  could  not 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  805 

ford,  and  we  Camped  in  the  low  Ground.  There  is  great  sign  of  Indians  on 
this  Creek. 

7th.  The  Creek  being  fordable,  we  Crossed  it  &  kept  down  12  miles  to  a 
River  about  100  yards  over,  which  we  called  Louisa  River.  The  Creek  is 
abodt  30  yards  wide,  &  part  of  ye  Reiver  breaks  into  ye  Creek — making 
an  Island  on  which  we  Camped. 

8th.  The  River  i.s  so  deep  we  cannot  ford  it  and  as  it  is  falling  we  con- 
cluded to  stay  and  liunt.  In  the  afternoon,  ]\Ir.  Powell  and  my  Self  was  a 
hunting  about  a  mile  &  a  half  from  the  Camp,  and  heard  a  gun  just  below 
us  on  the  other  side  of  the  River,  and  as  none  of  our  People  could  cross, 
I  was  in  hopes  of  getting  some  direction  from  the  Person,  but  could  not 
find  him. 

June  9th.  We  crossed  the  River  &  went  down  it  to  the  mouth  of  a  Creek 
<ic  up  the  Creek  to  the  head  and  over  a  Ridge  into  a  Steep  Valley  and 
Camped. 

10th.  Trinity  Sunday.  Being  in  very  bad  ground  for  our  Horses,  we 
concluded  to  move.  We  were  very  much  hindered  by  the  Trees,  that  were 
blown  down  on  Monday  last.     We  Camped  on  a  Small  Branch. 

11th.  It  rained  violently  in  the  Latter  part  of  the  Night  &  till  9  o'Clock. 
The  Branch  is  impassable  at  present.  We  lost  a  Tomahawk  and  a  Cann 
by  the  Flood. 

12th.  The  Water  being  low  we  went  down  the  Branch  to  a  large  Creek, 
&  up  the  Creek.  Many  of  the  trees  in  the  Branches  are  Wash'd  up  by 
the  Roots  and  others  barked  by  the  old  trees,  that  went  down  ye  Stream. 
The  Roots  in  the  Bottom  of  the  Runs  are  Barked  by  the  Stones. 

June  13th.  We  are  very  much  hindered  by  the  Gust  &  a  shower  of  Rain 
about  Noon.  Game  is  very  scarce  here,  and  the  mountains  very  bad,  the 
tops  of  the  Ridges  being  so  covered  with  Ivy  and  the  sides  so  steep  and 
stony  that  we  were  obliged  to  cut  our  way  through  with  our  Tomahawks. 

14th.  The  Woods  are  still  bad  and  Game  scarce.  It  rained  to-day  about 
Noon  &  we  Camped  on  the  top  of  A  Ridge. 

15th-16tli.  We  got  on  a  large  Creek  where  Turkey  are  plenty  and  some 
Elks.  We  went  a  hunting  &  killed  3  Turkeys.  Hunted  &  killed  3  Bears 
&  some  Turkeys. 

17th.  The  Sabbath.    We  killed  a  large  Buck  Elk. 

18th.  Having  prepared  a  good  stock  of  Meat,  we  left  the  Creek  cro.ss- 
ing  several  Branches  and  Ridges.  The  \^'oods  still  continuing  bad  the 
weather  hot  &  our  Horses  so  far  spent,  that  we  are  all  obliged  to  walk. 

June  19th.  We  got  to  Laurel  Creek  early  this  morning,  and  met  so  im- 
pudent a  Bull  Buffalo  that  we  were  obliged  to  shoot  him,  or  he  would 
have  been  amongst  us.  We  then  went  up  the  Creek  six  miles,  thence  up  a 
North  Branch  of  it  to  the  Head,  and  attempted  to  cross  a  mountain,  but 
it  proved  so  high  and  difficult,  that  we  were  obliged  to  Camp  on  the  side 
of  it.    This  Ridge  is  nigh  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Coal  Land. 

20th.  We  got  to  the  top  of  the  Mountain  and  Could  discover  a  flat  to 
the  South  &  South  East.  We  went  down  from  the  Ridge  to  a  Branch  and 
down  the  Branch  to  Laurel  Ci-eek  not  far  from  where  we  left  it  yester- 


g(jG  Southwest   Virginia,  17pj-17S6. 

day  &  Camped.  My  riding  Horse  was  bit  by  a  Snake  this  day,  and  hav- 
ing no  Bear's  Oil  1  'nib'd  the  phice  with,  a  piece  of  fat  meat,  which  had  the 
desired  effect. 

21st.  We  found  the  Level  Nigh  the  Creek  so  Full  of  Laurel  that  we  wer« 
obliged  to  go  up  a  Small  Branch,  and  from  the  head  of  that  to  the  Creek 
a^ain,  and  found  it  good  travelling  a  Small  distance  from  the  Creek.  We 
Camped  on  the  Creek.  Deer  are  very  scarce  on  the  Coal  Land.  I  have 
seen  but  4  since  the  30th  of  April. 

June  22nd.  We  kept  up  to  the  head  of  the  Creek,  and  the  Land  l>eing 
Leveller  than  we  have  lately  seen,  and  here  are  some  large  Savanna's. 
:Many  of  the  Branches  are  full  of  Laurel  and  Ivy.  Deer  and  Bears  are 
plenty. 

23rd.  Land  continues  level  with  Laurel  and  Ivy  &  we  got  to  a  large 
Creek  with  very  high  &  steep  Banks  full  of  Rocks  which  I  called  Clifty 
Creek,  the  Rocks  are  100  feet  perpendicular  in  some  Places. 

24th.  The  Sabbath. 

25th.  We  Crossed  Clifty  Creek.  Here  is  a  little  Coal  and  the  Land  still 
flat. 

26th.  We  crossed  a  Creek  that  we  called  Dismal  Creek,  the  Banks  being 
the  worst  and  the  Laurel  the  thickest  I  have  seen.  The  Land  is  Moun- 
tainous on  the  East  Side  of  the  Dismal  Creek,  and  the  Laurels  end  in  a 
few  miles.    We  Camped  on  a  Small  Branch. 

June  27th.  Tlie  Land  is  very  high  &  we  crossed  several  Ridges  and 
camped  on  a  small  Branch.  It  rained  about  Noon  and  continued  till  the 
next  day. 

2Sth.  It  continued  raining  till  Noon,  and  we  set  off  as  soon  as  it  ceased 
and  went  down  the  Branch  we  lay  on  to  the  New  River  just  below  the 
mouth  of  Green  Bryer.  Powell,  Tomlison  and  myself  stripped,  and  went 
into  the  New  River  to  try  if  we  could  wade  over  at  any  place.  After 
some  time  having  found  a  place  we  returned  to  the  others  and  took  such 
things  as  would  take  damage  by  water  on  our  Shoulders,  and  waded  over 
Leading  our  Horses.  The  bottom  is  very  uneven,  the  Rocks  very  slippery 
and  the  Current  very  Strong  most  of  the  way.  We  Camped  in  the  Low 
Ground  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  Green  Bryer. 

29th.  We  kept  up  Green  Bryer.  It  being  a  wet  day  we  went  only  2 
miles,  and  Camped  on  the  North  Side. 

June  30th.  We  went  7  miles  up  the  River,  which  is  very  crooked. 

July  ye  1st.  The  Sabbath.  Our  Salt  being  almost  spent  We  travelled  10 
miles,  sometimes  on  the  River  and  at  other  times  some  distance  from  it. 

2nd.  We  kept  up  the  River  the  chief  part  of  the  day  and  we  travelled 
about  10  miles. 

3rd.  We  went  up  the  River  10  miles  to-day. 

4th.  We  went  up  the  River  10  miles  through  very  bad  Woods. 

5th.  The  way  growing  worse  we  travelled  9  miles  only. 

6th.  We  left  the  River.  The  low  grounds  on  it  are  of  very  little  Value, 
but  on  the  Branches  are  very  good,  and  there  is  a  great  deal  of  it,  and 
the  high  land  is  very  good  in  many  places.    We  got  on  a  large  Creek  called 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  807 

Anthony's  Creek,  which  affords  a  great  deal  of  Very  good  Land,  and  it  is 
chiefly  bought.  We  kept  up  the  creek  4  miles  and  Camped.  This  Creek  took 
its  Name  from  an  Indian,  called  John  Anthony,  that  frequently  hunts  in 
these  Woods.  There  are  some  inhabitants  on  the  Branches  of  Green  Bryer, 
but  we  missed  their  Plantations. 

July  7th.  W^e  kept  up  the  Creek,  and  about  Noon  5  men  overtook  us  and 
inform'd  us  we  were  only  8  miles  from  the  inhabitants  on  a  Branch  of 
James  River  called  Jackson's  River.  We  exchanged  some  Tallow  for  Meal 
and  parted.  We  Camped  on  a  Creek  nigh  the  top  of  Alleghany  Ridge, 
which  we  named  Ragged  Creek. 

8th.  Having  Shaved,  Shifted,  &  made  new  Shoes,  we  left  our  useless 
Raggs  at  ye  Camp  &  got  to  Walker  Johnston's  about  Noon.  We  moved 
over  to  Robert  Armstrong's  in  the  Afternoon  &  staid  there  all  Night. 
The  People  here  are  very  hospitable  and  would  be  better  able  to  support 
Travellers  was  it  not  for  the  great  number  of  Indian  Warriors,  that  fre- 
quently take  what  they  want  from  them,  much  to  their  prejudice. 

July  9th.  We  went  to  the  hot  Springs  and  found  Six  Invalids  there. 
The  Spring  Water  is  very  Clear  &  warmer  than  new  Milk,  and  there  is  a 
spring  of  cold  Water  within  20  feet  of  the  Warm  one.  I  left  one  of  my 
Company  this  day. 

10th.  Having  a  Path  we  rode  20  miles  &  lodged  at  Captain  Jemyson's 
lielow  the  Panther  Gap.  Two  of  my  Company  went  to  a  Smith  to  get 
their  Horses  Shod. 

11th.  Oiu-  Way  Mending,  We  travelled  30  miles  to  Augusta  Court 
House,  where  I  found  Mr.  Andrew  Johnston,  the  first  of  my  acquaintance 
1  had  .seen  since  the  26th  day  of  March. 

12th.  Mr.  Johnston  lent  me  a  fresh  Horse  and  sent  my  Horses  to  Mr. 
David  SteAvard's,  who  was  so  kind  as  to  give  them  Pasturage.  About 
8  o'clock  I  set  off  leaving  all  my  Company.  It  began  to  rain  about  2  in 
the  Afternoon  &  I  lodged  at  Capt.  David  Lewis's,  about  34  miles  from 
Augusta  Court  House. 

13th.  I  got  home  about  Noon. 

We  killed  on  the  Journey  13  Buffaloes,  8  Elks,  53  Bears,  20  Deer,  4 
Wild  Geese,  about  150  Turkeys,  besides  small  Game.  We  might  have 
killed  three  times  as  imich  meat  if  we  had  wanted  it. 


808 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


First  Lands  Surveyed  on  the  Waters  of  the  Holston  and 
Clinch  Rivers  of  which  Any  Record  is  Preserved. 


SURVEYOR'S  RECORD  OF  FINCASTLE  COUNTY. 


Sui-vcycd  by  John  Floyd,  Robert  Doach,  Bobert  Preston  and  Francis  Smith. 


ACRES, 

Mar.  15,16,74. 

Wm.  Edmiston,   . . . 

.1000 

April   IG, 

1774. 

John  Campbell,    . . . 

.   200 

Feb.      19, 

1774. 

Benj.  Logan,    

.   250 

15, 

1774. 

Lewis  Pitts,   

.   154 

22, 

1774. 

Benj.  Hawkins,    . .  . 

.   365 

21, 

1774. 

Nathaniel  Davis,  . . 

.   118 

23, 

1774. 

Elias   Moore,    

.   400 

15, 

1774. 

Anthony  Herd,  .... 

.   210 

21, 

1774. 

John  Davis,    

.   275 

Jan.     22, 

1774. 

Daniel  McCormick, . 

.   330 

24, 

1774. 

Colin  McKinney,   . . 

.    103 

24, 

1774, 

Benj.  Maiden, 

.     90 

24, 

1774. 

James  Bryan, 

.  475 

24, 

1774, 

Andrew   Kincannon, 

.   200 

24,  19,  '74. 

Francis  Kincannon;. 

.      33 

24, 

1774. 

Joseph  Lester,    .... 

.    153 

18, 

1774. 

Alex.    Wiley,    

.   235 

20, 

17/4. 

Robert  Shannon,   .  . 

.   258 

21, 

1774. 

Robert  Crow,    

.   241 

21, 

1774. 

Ed.    Pharez,    

.    115 

24, 

1774. 

Wm.    Lockhart,    .  .  . 

.   215 

22, 

1774. 

John  Wiley,    

.   234 

12, 

1774. 

Thomas  Crow,    .  .  .  . 

.   226 

13, 

1774. 

David   Phillips,    .  .  . 

.    155 

21, 

1774. 

Edward  Crow,    .  .  .  . 

.   299 

24, 

1774. 

Thos.  McCulloch,   . . 

.   290 

12, 

1774. 

James   Cameron,    .  . 

.      29 

24, 

1774. 

Samuel  Simpson,  .  . 

.    140 

22 

1774. 

Samuel  McHenry,   . 

.     95 

14, 

1774. 

John  Boyd,   

.   260 

11, 

1774. 

Francis  Delaney,   .  . 

.   155 

11, 

1774. 

John  Kirk,    

.   290 

15, 

1774. 

George  Adams,  .  .  .  . 

.   535 

Feb.        4, 

,  1774. 

Roger  Topp, 

.   400 

and    1000   bet.    M.    &    S.    Forks 

Holston. 
Rich  Valley,  W.  North  Fork. 
Beaver  Creek. 
North  Fork. 
Wolf  Creek. 
Beaver  Creek,  N.  Fork, 
on  Middle  Fork  of  Holston. 
Rich  Valley,  North  Fork. 
Beaver  Creek. 
Middle  Fork. 
Cedar  Creek. 
Waters  Noi-th  Fork. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
&  546  N.  &  M.  Fork  of  Hols'n. 
Middle  Fork. 
Middle  Fork. 

Bear  Creek,  M.  Fork  Holston. 
Hungers  Mother,  Br'ch  of  M.  F. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Waters  M.  F.,  nr.  bend  thereof. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Waters  of  North  Fork. 
Holston. 
Middle  Fork. 
Eleven-Mile  Creek. 
East  side  Middle  Fork. 
Waters   Middle   Fork. 
Waters  Middle  Fork. 
Holston. 
Holston. 


Washington  County,'  1777-1870. 


801) 


5, 

1774. 

16, 

1774. 

5, 

1774. 

17, 

1774. 

24, 

1774. 

5, 

1774. 

4, 

1774. 

25, 

1774. 

27, 

1774. 

27, 

1774. 

12, 

1774. 

14, 

1774. 

25, 

1774. 

14, 

1774. 

5, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

10, 

1774. 

20, 

1774. 

13, 

1774. 

8, 

17/4. 

12, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

10, 

1774. 

12, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

12, 

1774. 

13, 

1774. 

20, 

1774. 

29, 

1774. 

27, 

1774. 

13, 

1774. 

19, 

1774. 

28, 

1774. 

10, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

5, 

1774. 

8, 

1774. 

7, 

1774. 

11, 

1774. 

8, 

1774. 

17, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

16, 

1774. 

16, 

1774. 

15, 

1774. 

12, 

1774. 

ACRES, 

John  Bealer, 290 

George  Lester,    60 

Alex.  Laughlin,  ....  395 
Jonathan  Wood,  ...  160 
Arthur   Blackburn,..    130 

Daniel  Miller,    340 

Henry  Turney,   340 

George   Clark,    380 

Samuel  Henry,  ....  204 
Wm.  Montgomery,. . .  224 
Robert  Buchanan,   .  .   210 

David  Remey, 261 

Arthur  Gilbreath,   . .   356 

James  Bishop,    351 

John  Parker,    322 

Wm.   Lewis, 176 

Mitchell  Borden,  .  . .  282 
Abraham   Stailey,    ..    152 

Jos.  Cole, 221 

Jos.  Cole, 278 

Martin  Gash,    195 

Henry   Bowen,    426 

Matthew  Evans,  ...  197 
Matthew  Bishop,   ...      77 

John   Thomas,    404 

Ihomas  Baker, 328 

John   Kelly,    190 

Shadrack  Newton,  . .    133 

Nicholas    Fain,    230 

Wm.  McGaughy,    .  .  .   235 

John  Riky, 120 

Jos.   Snodgrass,    ....   390 

John  Fain,    30 

John  Johnson,    230 

David  Meachin,   ....     45 

James   Elliott,    560 

Daniel  Miller, 340 

Tliomas  Fugate,   ....    140 

Jo.    Beattie,    226 

Wm.  Cox,    220 

David  Steele, 290 

Ed.  Bond,    •320 

Margaret  Elliott,  .  .  .  430 
John   Edmiston,    .  .  .     345 

Jameis   Sproul,    220 

Isaac   Bledsoe,    300 

John   Cearnes,    108 


Beaver  Creek. 

Middle  Fork. 

Sinking  Creek. 

Middle  Fork. 

Waters  M.  F. 

Cedar  Branch,  W.  Beaver  C'k. 

Waters  of  Holston. 

M.  F.  Eleven-Mile  Creek. 

S.  F.  Fifteen-Mile  Creek. 

S.  F.   Fifteen-Mile  Creek. 

M.  F.   , 

Waters  S.  Fork. 

Waters  M.  Fork. 

Waters  S.  ForK. 

Crab  Orchard  Cr.,  Br.  Holston. 

South  Fork. 

South  Fork. 

Middle  Fork. 

South  Fork. 

South  Fork. 

South  Fork. 

W.  S.  Fork  of  Holston. 

W.  S.  Fork  of  Holston.  - 

S.  F.  of  Holston. 

W.  S.  F.,  Holston. 

Reedy  Hill  Cr.,  S.  F.  Holston. 

S.  Branch  Holston  River. 

N.  Branch  Holston  River. 

on  Wolf  Hill  Cr.,  S.  F.  of  Hol'n. 

on  Head  Sugar  Tree  Draft. 

Holston  Sinking  Creek. 

W.  M.  F.  Holston. 

Wolf  Hill  Cr.  Br.,  S.  F.  of  Hoi. 

Sinking  Creek,  Br.  Holston. 

Steel's  Creek. 

Waters  of  Holston. 

Cedar  Br.,  W.  Beaver  Creek. 

Reedy  Creek. 

&  360  Waters  of  Holston. 

Reedy  Creek. 

Br.  Steele's  Creek. 

Beaver  Creek. 

Reedy  Creek. 

S.  F.  of  Holston. 

Rich  Valley. 

W.  IN.  F.  of  Holston. 

W.  Reedy  Creek. 


SIO 


Southwest   Virginia,  17 J/6-1786. 


Feb. 

10, 

1774. 

12, 

1774. 

16, 

1774. 

Mar. 

15, 

1774. 

Feb. 

16, 

1774. 

16, 

1774. 

1, 

1774. 

12, 

1774. 

17, 

1774. 

Jan. 

20. 

1774. 

Feb. 

17. 

1774. 

10. 

1774. 

17. 

17/4. 

11, 

1774. 

IS, 

1774. 

Feb. 

10, 

1774. 

Jan. 

28, 

1774. 

Feb. 

11, 

1774. 

10, 

1774. 

21, 

1774. 

Jan. 

21, 

1774. 

Feb. 

16, 

1774. 

10, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

11, 

1774. 

18, 

1774. 

18, 

1774. 

20, 

1774. 

21, 

1774. 

Mar. 

14, 

1774. 

Jan. 

28, 

1774. 

Feb. 

3, 

1774. 

19, 

1774. 

Jan. 

28, 

1774. 

Feb. 

12, 

1774. 

12. 

1774. 

10. 

1774. 

Mar. 

21. 

1774. 

May 

4. 

1774. 

Mar. 

4, 

1774. 

31, 

1774. 

May 

IT, 

,  1774. 

21, 

1774. 

4, 

1774. 

ACKES. 

(Jeorge   Steele,    95  Rich  Valley. 

Robert  Snodgrass,   . .  200  W.  Reedy  Creek. 

Thomas   Knight,    ...  96  Rich  Valley. 

Moses    Buchanan,    ..  170  South  Fork  Holston.    ~ 

Wm.   Henderson,    ...  160  Rich  Valley,  W.  of  N.  Fork. 

John  Robinson,    180  Rich  Valley,  W.  of  N.  Fork. 

John   Owen,    104  M.  F.  of  Holston. 

John  Adair,    86  W.  Reedy  Creek. 

Thomas  Jones    .....  290  W.  Beaver  Creek. 

David    Snodgrass,    .  .  690  N.  side  of  Holston. 

Henry    Grimes,    ....  240  Beaver  Creek. 

Robert   Steele,    386  Kincaid  Cr.,  Br.  of  Holston. 

Chris.  Fiuikhouser,.  .  IGO  W.  Beaver  Creek. 

John   Berry,    139  W.  Wolf  Hill  Creek. 

David   Berry,    212  Beaver  Creek. 

Alex.  Doran, 105  Head  Cane  Brake  Sp'r  Iron  Mt. 

James  Steele,    342  Kincaid  Creek. 

Francis  Davis,   i  280  Wolf  Creek. 

John    Donohue,    ....  254  K.  Creek. 

-John  Hollis,    162  W.  of  Holston. 

Nath.  Davis,  ......  115  Beaver  Creek. 

James  Doran,   268  Wolf  Creek. 

Abraham   Ellis,    82  Rich  Vaiiey,  \v.  of  X.  Fork. 

Francis    Scott,    252  Waters  of  Holston. 

Archibald  McNeal,     .  191  Jvincaid  Creek. 

George  Maxwell,    ...  113  W^aters  of  Holston. 

Wm.  Hughes,   220  Waters  Beaver  Creek. 

Samuel  Newell,    ....  69  Waters  Beaver  Creek. 

John  Roark,   93  Waters  Beaver  Creek. 

John  Blackburn,    ...  78  Waters  Beaver  Creek. 

Samuel  Edmiston,    .  .  200  W.  M.  Fork,  north  side. 

Robert  Gramall 340  Fifteen-Mile  Creek,  west  side. 

T.  King  &  J.  Sharp..  130  North  Fork,  north  side. 

James    Roark 63  Waters  Beaver  Creek. 

Andrew   Martin.    ...  110  Fifteen-Mile  Creek,  ea.st  side. 

Wm.  Elliott,   270  Waters  Reedy  Creek. 

Wm.  Anderson,    .  .  •  •  160  Waters  Reedy  Creek. 

John  Donohue,   330  Br.  Holston  River. 

Anthonj'  Bledsoe,  .  .  .  740  Meeting  House,  Br.  W.  Holston. 

Wm.  Tiiompson,  ....  195  S.    Fork   Clinch   River. 

John   Wilson,    279  Rich  Valley. 

John  Walker,  v -.  94  Sinking  Creek. 

Wm.    Robertson,    .  .  .  617  Castle's  Woods. 

Henry  Dickenson,  ...  170  both  sides  Clinch  River. 

John  Hays,   227  foot    Brushy    ]\it.,    both     sides 

Leatherwood  Run,  Waters  of 

Holston. 


Washingtun   Couriiy,   1777-1870. 


811 


Mar. 

14, 

1774. 

14, 

1774. 

3, 

1774. 

April 

3, 

1774. 

2 

1774. 

5, 

1774. 

Mar. 

20, 

1774. 

April 

5) 

1774. 

May 

5. 

1774. 

4, 

1774. 

23, 

1774. 

Mar. 

25, 

1774. 

4, 

1774. 

13, 

1774. 

21, 

1774. 

22, 

1774. 

26, 

1774. 

24, 

1774. 

24, 

1774. 

23, 

1774. 

April 

5, 

1774. 

4. 

1774. 

Mar. 

25. 

1774. 

April 

5, 

1774. 

May 

10, 

1774. 

15, 

1774. 

24. 

1774. 

20, 

1774. 

26, 

1774. 

26, 

1774. 

20, 

1774. 

April 

5. 

1774. 

21, 

1774. 

7, 

1774. 

1, 

1774. 

5, 

1774. 

Mar. 

.30, 

1774. 

20. 

1774. 

April 

5, 

1774. 

Mar. 

29, 

1774. 

May 

26, 

1774. 

April 

5, 

1774. 

3. 

1774. 

3, 

1774. 

May 

31. 

1774. 

June 

10. 

1774. 

Henry  Smith,    

Daniel  Smith, 

Philip   Phillips,    

Samuel   Cowan,    .  .  .  . 

Chris.  Kilgore, 

David  Cowan, 

John  Carter, 

Joseph  Moore,    

Samuel  McAdams,  .  . 

James  King, 

John  Anderson,  .  .  .  . 
John  Blackmore,    .  .  . 

John  Wilson,    

James  Wilson,   

Fred.  Fryley,    

Abraham  McClelland 
Thomas  Carter,  .  .  .  . 
Samuel  Ritchie,  .  .  .  . 
Jas.  Blackmore,   .  .  .  . 

Lewis   Green,    

John    Boles,    

Samuel  McAdams,  .  . 

Isaac  Crisman, 

Matthias  Mounts,  .  . 
Matthias  Mounts,    .  . 

John  Henry,    

John  Anderson,    .  .  .  . 
Wm.    Thompson,    .  .  . 
Archilas    Dickenson,. 
Humphr'y  Dickenson 
Arthur  Campbell 
James  Burke,   .  . 
James  Moore,   .  . 
John  Crank,    .  .  . 
Patrick   Porter, 
John  Smith,    .  .  . 
Rich.   Staunton, 
Deal  Carter,    .  .  . 
Wm.   Moore,    .  .  . 
tJ  ohn   Blackmore, 
Henry   Hamblin, 
Wm.   Trimble,    . 
David  Guess,    .  . 
David  Wharton, 
Aln-aham  Crabtree 

Thomas   Porter, 


ACRES. 

464  S.  Fork  Clinch  River. 

673  Indian  Cr.,  Waters  CTch  River. 

120  N.  side  &  an  island  in  C.  River. 

254  both  sides  McKinney  Run. 

256  E.  side  Falling  Creek. 

264  Mill  Creek. 

92  N.  W.  side  Clinch  River._ 

334  S.  Branch  Clinch  River.      - 

225  at  end  Morris'  Knob. 

132  S.  F.  Clinch  River. 

64  both  sides  Clinch  River. 

515  Stoney  Cr.,  N.  side  Cl'ch  River. 

270  Rich  Valley. 

253  foot  Brushy  Mountain. 

216  Clinch  River,  S.  side. 

343  Sinking  Waters  Clinch,  S.  side. 

197  Clinch  River,  N.  side.  — 

111  Clinch  River,  south  side. 

75  Clinch  River,  north  side. 

91  Clinch  River,  south  side. 

262  in  Castle's  Woods. 

147  Clmch,  K  side  South  Fork. 

225  Cove  Creek. 

243  Castle  Run,  west  side. 

305  S.  Waters  Clinch  River. 

167  Clinch,  Waters   South  Fork. 

95  both  sides  Clinch. 
229  N.  W.  of  South  Fork. 
310  Clinch,  on  W. 

I,  310  north  side  Clinch  River. 

.    293  north  side  Clinch  River. 

96  Copper  Creek. 
.      92  Abb's  Valley. 
.    116  Copper  Creek. 
.    214  Falling  Creek.  W.  side. 
.    224  in  Castlewoods. 
.      73  Clinch,  N.  side. 
.      96  Clinch,  N.  side.   - 
.   493  Clinch,  S.  side. 
.    200  S.  side  bet.  R'r  Hills  ii,  C.  Cr. 
.   310  Clinch,  N.  side. 
.    113  Clinch,. S.  Waters. 
.   434  Sinking  Waters,  S.  side  Clinch. 
.   218  Clinch,  S.  side. 
.    104  Holston,   bet.    Pawpaw   Bottom 

and  Clay  Lick. 

.  .    144  M.  F.  H.,  S.  Brancn. 


812 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J{.6-17S6. 


June    11,  1774. 


7, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

9, 

1774. 

8, 

1774. 

11, 

1774. 

Jlav 

31, 

1774. 

June 

8, 

1774. 

]SLi.v 

30, 

1774. 

26, 

1774. 

27, 

1774. 

23, 

1774. 

June 

11, 

1774. 

11, 

1774. 

May 

26, 

1774. 

June 

7, 

1774. 

May 

26, 

1774. 

7, 

1774. 

June 

8, 

1774. 

10, 

1774. 

]\Iay 

30, 

1774. 

June 

2, 

1774. 

1, 

1774. 

May 

27, 

1774. 

27, 

1774. 

June 

8, 

1774. 

1, 

1774. 

5. 

1774. 

7, 

1774. 

Mav 

5, 

1774. 

June 

5, 

1774. 

1, 

1774. 

2, 

L774. 

7, 

1774. 

May 

28, 

1774. 

June 

7 

1774. 

Jan. 

4, 

1775. 

Dec. 

2 

1774. 

3, 

1774. 

23, 

1774. 

23, 

1774. 

7, 

1774. 

15, 

1774. 

23, 

1774. 

2, 

1774. 

ACRES. 

Elias  Mackay,    124 

Conrad  Henniger,    . .  37 

Rich.  Higgins,    119 

Chas.  Campbell, 285 

James   Fullen,    126 

Rouse    Potter,    151 

Alex.  Vance, 192 

Joseph  Drake, 326 

John  Fowler,   152 

Arthur  Neal, 44 

James   Crabtree,    ...  373 

Jeremiah  Harrison,.  .  412 

Hellen  Dungins,  ....  354 

Jonathan  Dean,   ....  60 

Wm.  Crabtree,   98 

Rich.  Humphreys,   .  .  404 

Humberson  Lyon,    .  .  343 

Isaac  Crabtree, 50 

Aaron  Horn, 261 

Wm.   Marl  in,    151 

Wm.   Fowler,    375 

Thomas  Stern,   91 

Fred  Stern, 238 

John  Crabtree, 129 

Nathan  Richison,  ...  122 

Hanchrist  Carlock,..  126 

Fred  Stern, 176 

John  Hopton, 279 

Jeremiah  Barnet,  .  .  .  259 

Wm.   Whitley,    142 

Justice  Reynolds,  . . .  123 

Conrad  Carlock,  ....  168 

Samuel  Scott, 94 

Samuel  White, 45 

Abel  Richison,   309 

George  Hyce,    205 

Evan   Shelby,    1000 

John  Carson,    130 

Anthony  Linder,  ....  79 

David   Linder,    150 

Jacob  Mongle,    86 

Nathan  Reid,   63 

James  Davidson,   ...  90 

Fred.  Gobble,    32 

Job   Coeliran,    145 


S.  Br.  M.  F.  H\l  Higgin's  Mill 

Run. 
Middle  Fork,  N.  side.  . 
Mill  Creek. 

S.  B.  of  Mid.  F.  of  Holston. 
Carlock's  Br.  M.  Fork. 
S.  Branch. 
Beaver  Creek. 
Carlock's  Br.,  Middle  Foik. 
Sinking  Rock  Br.,  N.   F. 
North  Fork. 
Beaver  Creek. 

Sinking  Rock  Br.,  Morth   F. 
Neils'  Br.,  N.  F.  Head  Spring. 
South  Fork. 
North  Fork. 
M.  F.  Neil's  Branch. 
North  Fork,  both  sides. 
Cedar  Branch,  head  of. 
Middle  Fork  N.  B. 
Neil's  Branch,  Middle  F. 
Beaver  Creek. 
Branch  of  Lick  Run. 
Branch  of  Lick  Run. 
Incld.    Head    Spring,    Elkhorn 

Br.,  Waters  of  Holston. 
N.  F.  Sinking  Branch. 
Mid.  F.  S.  Br.,  Lick  Run. 
M.  Fork  Clapboard  Cabin  Br. 
Neil  Branch,  Middle  Fork. 
Middle  Fork. 

Simpson  Branch,  Middle  Fork. 
Middle  Fork  S.  Branch. 
M.  Fork  Branch  Lick  Run. 
Middle  Fork  Lick  Run. 
Middle  Fork  Dry  Run. 
N.  Fork  Beaver  Creek. 
Big  Spring  Branch  Middle  F. 
Beaver  Creek. 
North  Fork. 

North  Fork,  Rich  Valley." 
North  Fork. 
North  Fork. 
Noj-th  Fork. 

Moccasin  Creek,  North  F. 
North  Fork,  north  side. 
Rich   Valley,  North  F. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  813 

1774.  Rich.  Lynem,    160  North  Fork  Rich  Valley. 

1774.  1  eter  Anderison,   ....     80  North  Fork  Rich  Valley. 

1774.  Zach.  Clemmons,   ...    160  North  Fork. 

1774.  Jonathan  Wood, 185  North  Fork  Moccasin  Creek. 

1774.  Thomas  McNeil,    ...    125  South  Fork  Mill  Creek. 

1774.  George  Baker, 82  Waters  M.  F.  Holston. 

1774.  Michael   Huffaker,...   100  Rich  Vaiiey,  North  Fork. 

1774.  David  Mongle,   90  North  Fork. 

1774.  Robert  Tate,   174  Moccasin  Creek,  North  Fork. 

1774.  Isaac  Newland,    ....    175  North  Fork. 

1774.  Abraham  Newland,..    175  Nortn  Fork. 

1774.  John  Robinson,    220  W.  N.  F. 

1774.  Wm.  Huston,    535  MocKison  Cr.,  Br.  N.  F.  Hols'n. 

1774.  John   Carmack,    470  Sinking  Creek,  Br.  of  Holston. 

1774.  Tliomas   Sharp,    580  Sinking  Creek,  Br.  of  Holston. 

1775.  Isaac  Baker, 450  Beaver  Creek. 

1774.  Wm.  Crabtree,   79  Rich  Valley,  N.  F.  Holston. 

1774.  Thomas  Raflferty,  ...   335  Mill  Creek. 

1774.  Peter  Lee,   230  Rich  Valley,  North  Fork. 

1775.  Alex.  Laughlin,   590  W.    Sinking   Cr.,   lucid,   former 

survey. 

1774.  Wm.  Davidson, 325  N.  side  Holston  River. 

1774.  James   Craig,    480  Middle  Fork. 

1774.  Wm.  T.  Livingston,.   470  North  I'ork. 

1774.  Wm.   Samples,    86  North  Fork. 

1774.  John  Jones, 219  Waters  of  South  Fork. 

1774.  John  Sevier,   65  North  Fork. 

1774.  Wm.  Pruitt,   300  South  Fork. 

1774.  Wm.   Williams,    280  North   Fork. 

1774.  Rich.  Moore, 390  Beaver  Creek. 

1774.  Jesse  Cain,   75  North  l^ork. 

John  Fugate,    180  North  Fork. 

1774.  Robert  Carson, lii\j  North  Fork,  Rich  Valley. 

1774.  John  Sevier,   200  North  Fork. 

1774.  Jeremiah  Hatfield,  .  .    140  North  Fork  Waters. 

1774.  John  Frazier,   180  Mockison  Creek. 

1774.  Francis   Whitney,    .  .   220  Mill  Creeic. 

17/4.  Rich.    Brumley,    ....      80  Branch  North   Fork. 

1774.  John  Lovelace,   186  Rich   Vaaey. 

1774.  Moses  Buchanan,   ...      87  N.  side  S.  Fork  Oi  Holston. 

1774.  Moses   Keewood,    ...    18(7  Rich  Valley. 

1774.  John  Tate,    145  Mockison  Creek. 

1774.  John  Patterson,   ....    145  Rich  Valley. 

1774.  Wm.  Blackburn, 220  Branch  of  Holston. 

1774.  Halbert  MeClure,  ...    208  N.  side  North  F.  Holston. 

1774.  Henry  Pirtle,   142  Br.  North  Fork  Holston. 

1774.  vieo.  Hatfield, 120  W.  North  Fork  of  Holston, 

1775.  Heni^v  Harkleroad,.  .    114  Beaver  Creek. 


814 


Southwest   Virginia,  1746-1786. 


Feb. 
.Ian. 
Feb. 
,Ian. 
Feb. 
Jan. 

Feb. 
Dec. 


June 
Dec. 
Feb. 

Mar. 


Feb. 


Mar. 
Feb. 


ACRES. 

12,  1774.  Robert  Patterson,    ..  170 

12,  1775.  Cornelius  Carmack,..  100 

4.  1774.  George  Riddle,   310 

;51,  1774.  James  Phillips,    200 

12,  1774.  Robert  Williams,   ...  125 

7,  1775.  John   Carmack,    97 

15,  1774.  Wm.  Bates, 130 

I,  1774.  David  Dryden,    160 

7.  1774.  Stephen  Iveewood,   .  .      50 

8,  1774.  George   Pirtle,    190 

16,  1774.  Kasper  Mansker,   .  .  .    190 

3,  1774.  Jonas   Smith,    270 

17,  1774.  Robert  Trimble, 220 

8,  1775.  Samuel  Davis,    364 

4,  1774.  Nathaniel  Davis,   ...    115 
14,  1776.  George  Peariis,    95 

22,  1775.  John  Bradshaw, 335 

31,  1775.  Thomas  Farley,   355 

1,  1775.  Wm.  Allison,    150 

27,  1775.  David   Campbell,    ...    141 

II,  IVVo.  John  ivlorris,    131 

28,  1775.  John  Vaught, 390 

23,  1775.  Thomas   Worley,    .  .  .   612 

6,  1775.  henry  Wagoner,    .  .  .   476 
25,  1775.  John  Crow, 210 

7,  1775.  Chas.   King 177 

8,  1775.  John  Campbell,    156 

1,  1775.  Lewis  Abel, 249 

7,  1775.  John  Hays,   308 

*  8,  1775.  Arthur   Campbell,    ..   279 


22,   1775.  John   Williams, 


134 


24,  1775.  Jolm  Jakes,    249 

24,  1775.  Hugh   Johnson.    341 

28,  1775.  John  Morrison,    271 

23,  1775.  Jonathan  Dean,   203 

23,  1775.  Henry  Vice,    329 

28,  1775.  Alex.  Campbell,   173 

27,  1775.  David  McCord, 218 

27,  1775.  Robert  Preston,   154 

June     16,  1774.  Robert  Buchanan,    ..   722 

April   — ,  1774.  Wm.   Ellis,    200 

Mar.     10,  1774.  Jos.  Cole,  Jr., 215 

♦Now  Marion,  Va. 


Reedy  Creek. 

Beaver  Creek. 

Branch  of  Holston. 

Wolf  Hill  Creek. 

Reedy  Creek. 

Sinking  Creek. 

Br.  Middle  Fork  Holston. 

N.  side  South  Fork  Holston. 

Rich    Valley,    Drm.    in    Colonel 

Byrd's  Reg. 
Rich  Valley. 
Mockison  Creek. 
Bi-anch  of  Holston. 
Mockison  Creek. 
H'd  Waters  M.  F.  of  Holston. 

Beaver  Creek. 

foot  Big  Spr.  Mt.,  W.  New  Ri'r. 

Plumb  Cr.,  Br.  N.  F.  of  Hols'n. 

Cumberson  Bottom,  New  River. 

Br.  Laurel  Fork,  Waters  S.  F. 

Middle  Fork. 

Middle   Fork. 

South  Fork. 

South   Fork. 

Dividing  Ridge  Hoi.  &  Reed  C. 

Hungers  Mother,  Br.  Mid.  F. 

Hays'   Spring,   Br.  Middle  F. 

Middle  Fork. 

Joining  Iron  Mt.,  S.  side  S.  F. 

Spence  Creek,  Br.  Middle  Fork. 

M.    F.   bet.   Gooseberry   Garden 
and  Royal  Oak. 

N.  Br.  M.  F.,  above  Seven-Mile 
Ford. 

Middle  F.,  oppo.  Aspin  Bottom. 

N.  Br.  Middle  Fork  of  Holston. 

South  fork. 

N.  side  South  Fork. 

North  side  Soutn  Fork. 

North  side  South  Fork. 

S.  F.,  includ.  head  Sp'g  thereof. 

Laurel  Fork  of  Holston. 

Head  Waters  of  Holston. 

Flat  Rock,  Br.  Waters  of  N.  F. 

Waters  South  Fork. 


Washington  County,  1717-1810. 


815 


Jan. 

29, 

1774. 

Mar. 

10, 

1774. 

Jan. 

28, 

1774. 

Feb. 

21, 

1775. 

21, 

1/75. 

20, 

1775. 

Dec. 

16, 

1774. 

Mar. 

2, 

1775. 

2, 

1775. 

Feb. 

4, 

1775.  , 

22, 

1775. 

24, 

1775. 

25, 

1775. 

27, 

1775. 

Mar. 

1, 

1775. 

1, 

1775. 

2 

1775. 

Feb. 

21, 

1775. 

^8, 

1775. 

22, 

1775. 

Mar. 

2, 

1775. 

Feb. 

28, 

1775. 

Mar. 

4, 

1775. 

Feb. 

24, 

1775. 

May 

16, 

1775. 

18, 

1775. 

19, 

1775. 

17, 

1775. 

15, 

1775. 

12, 

1773. 

20, 

1775. 

15, 

1775. 

16, 

1775. 

19, 

1775. 

12, 

1775. 

20, 

1775. 

20, 

1775. 

20, 

,  1775. 

Mar. 

21, 

1775. 

ACRES. 

Wm.  Lester,    250  Poplar  Grove,  Br.  of  Holston. 

Wm.  McMiillin,    250  South   l^ork. 

Arthur  Gilbreath,    . .    255  Middle  ForK. 

Wm.    Campbell,    ....  1345  Aspinvale. 

Arthur  Campbell,    ..l;il5  Royal  Oak,  Middle  Fork. 

John  Sharp 100  Beaver  Creek. 

J.  Dysart,  W.  Miller,  200  Mockison  Creek. 

John  Hays,   234  Rich  Valley. 

Wm.  Richison,   157  Waters  North  Fork  Holston. 

John  Haven,    176  Sugar  Tree  Bot'm,  W.  X.  Ri"r. 

Andrew  Lamie, 110  Cove  Creek,  N.  F.  Holston. 

Henry  Dougherty,   .  .   240  Big  Creek,  waters  N.  F.  of  Hoi. 

John  Campbell,    260  Rich  Valley. 

Wm.  McElheny, 250  Rich  Valley,  North  Fork. 

Isaac   Spratt,    264  Waters  N.  Fork  of  Holston. 

John    Spratt,    232  North  Fork. 

Andrew  Steel, 85  Lick  Creek,  waters  North  Fork. 

Benj.   Watson,    184  Rich  Valley. 

Wm.  Hays,    224  North  Fork. 

Arch.  Buchanan,    .  .  .   266  Locust  Cove,  North  Fork. 

John    Bowyer,    180  Lick  Creek,  N.  F.  of  Holston. 

Chas.   Blackly,    180  Lick  Creek,  N.  F.  of  Holston. 

Wm.  Davies,   573  both  sides   Beaver  Dam  C.  the 

Bend. 

Robert  Preston,    315  Rich  Valley. 

Andrew  Leaper,   ....    270  Waters  South  F.  Holston. 

John   Gross,    200  south  side  South  Fork. 

Reuben  Thomas,  ....    100  south  side  South  Fork. 

Alex.  McClure, 570  South  F.  Holston. 

Griffith  Lewis,    192  Two-Mile  Cr.,  Br.  S.  F.  Holston. 

Wm.  Allison.'  224  Head  Waters  S.  Fork  Holston. 

Wm.  Lamie 250  Waters  Mid.  F.  of  Holston. 

Joshua  Jones, 273  One-Mile  Cr.,  Waters  S.  F.  Hoi. 

Wm.   Lewis,    204  south  side  S.  F.  of  Holston. 

Robert  Lamie,    206  N.  side  South  Fork  Holston. 

Robert   Allison,    340  Head  Waters  S.  F.  Holston. 

Daniel  Johnson,   ....   243  north  side  of  Clinch. 

Wm.  Patienson,    ....    143  Waters  North  Fork  of  Clinch. 

James   Scroggs,    ....    145  N.  Waters  of  Clinch. 

Francis   Hynes,    ....    144  S.  side  North  Fork  of  Clinch. 


S16  Southwest   Virginia,  IIJ^G-IISG. 

.AIEMBERS     OF     ITIE     HOUSE     OF     REPRESENTATIVES     OF     THE 

UNITED   STATES    REPRESENTING   WASHINGTON    COUNTY 

FROM  1789-1904. 

1777-1789 — Representatives  elected  by  the  General  Assembly. 

1789-1793 — Andrew  Moore,  Rockbridge  county,  Third  District. 

1793-1797 — Francis  Preston,  Washington  county.  Fourth  District. 

1797-1809 — Abram  Trigg,  Montgomery  county.  Fourth  District. 

1809-1817 — Daniel  ShefTey,  Wythe  county.  Sixth  District. 

1817-1825 — Alexander  Smyth,  Wythe  county. 

1825-1827 — Benjamin  Estill,  Washington  county.  Twenty-second  Dis- 
trict. 

1827-1830— Alexander  Smyth,  Wythe  county. 

1830-1831^oseph  Draper,  Wythe  county. 

1831-1832 — Cliarles  C.  Johnston,  Washington  county. 

1832-1833— Joseph  Di-aper,  Wythe  county. 

1833-1835— John  H.  Fulton,  Washington  county. 

1835-1847 — George  W.  Hopkins,  Washington  county,  Tliirteenth  Dis- 
trict. 

1847-1849— Andrew  S.  Fulton,  Wythe  county. 

1 849- 1857— Fayette  McMullen,  Smyth  county. 

1857-1859 — George  W.  Hopkins,  Washington  county. 

1859-1861— Elbert  S.  Martin,  Lee  county. 

1861- 1SG3 — Walter  Preston,  Washington  county,  Confederate  States 
Congress. 

1863-1865— Fayette  McMullen,  Smyth  county,  Confederate  States 
Congress. 

1865-1867 — Daniel  Hoge,  Montgomery  county,  not  admitted  to  seat. 

1869-1871 — James  K.  Gibson,  Washington  coimty. 

1871-1873— William  Terry,  Wythe  county. 

1873-1875— Rees  T.  Bowen,  Tazewell  coynty. 

1875-1877 — William  Terry,  Wythe  county. 

1877-1879 — A.  L.  Pridemore,  Lee  county. 

1879-1881— J.  B.  Richmond,  Scott  county. 

1881-1883 — Abram  Fulkerson,  Washington  county. 

1883-1885— Henry  Bowen,  Tazewell  county. 

1885-1887 — Connally  F.  Trigg,  Washington  county. 

1887-1889— Honry  Bowen,  Tazewell  county. 

1889-1893 — John  A.  Buchanan,  Washington  county.    ^ 

1893-1895— James  W.  Marshall,  Craig  county. 

1895-1899— James  A.  Walker,  Wythe  county. 

1899-1903— William  F.  Rhea,  Bristol  city. 

1903-1905— Campbell  Slemp,  Lee  county. 


WasJiington  County,  1777-1870. 


817 


:MEMBERS  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  DELEGATES  IN  THE  GENERAL  AS- 
SEMBLY OF  VIRGINIA  FROM  WASHINGTON  COUNTY  FROM 
1777-1904. 


77 — William  Cocke  and  Anthony  Bledsoe. 


78 — Arthur  Campbell  and  Anthony  Bledsoe. 

79 — David  Campbell  and  Isaac  Shelby.\ 

80 — William  Campbell  and  Aaron  Lewis. 

81 — ^William  Campbell  and  William  Moore. 

82 — Arthur  Campbell  and  David  Campbell. 

83 — Arthur  Campbell  and  James  Montgomery. 

84 — ^\Villiam  Russell  and  James  Montgomery. 

85 — Andrew  Kincannon  and  William  Russell. 

86 — ^Arthur  Campbell  and  Robert  Craig. 

87 — Arthur  Campbell  and  Samuel  Edmiston. 

88 — John  Lowry  and  Samuel  Edmiston. 

89 — William  Tate  and  Thomas  Edmiston. 

90 — William  Tate  and  Samuel  Edmiston. 

91 — William  Tate  and  Samuel  Edmiston. 

92— William  Tate  and  J.  S.  Blair. 

93— Samuel  Edmiston  and  William  Tate. 

94 — Samuel  Edmiston  and  William  Tate. 

95 — William  Tate  and  Daniel  Perkins. 

96 — William  Tate  and  Daniel  Perkins. 

97 — James  Bradley  and  Samuel  Meek. 

98 — James  Bradley  and  Samuel  Meek. 
1799 — James  Dysart  and  Samuel  Meek. 
1800 — Samuel  JNIeek  and  Robert  Craig. 
1801^ — Samuel  Meek  and  James  Dysart. 
1802 — Samuel  ]\Ieek  and  Robert  Craig. 
1803 — Samuel  Meek  and  John  Fulkerson. 
1804 — Frederick  Hamilton  and  Andrew  McHenry. 
1805 — Henry  S.  Dixon  and  Thomas  Edmiston. 
1806 — Andrew  McHenry  and  Frederick  Hamilton. 
1807 — Frederick  Hamilton  and  William  Byars. 
1808 — David  Ci-aig  and  William  Byars. 
1809 — William  Byars  and  David  Craig. 
1810 — William  Byars  and  David  Craig. 
1811 — William  Byars  and  John  Campbell. 
1812 — Reuben  Bradley  and  Francis  Preston. 
1813 — Reuben  Bradley  and  John  Campbell. 
1814 — Reuben  Bradley  and  Francis  Preston. 
1815 — Reuben  Bradley  and  Francis  Preston. 
1816 — Reuben  Bradley  and  Benj.  Estill. 
1817 — John  Goodson  and  L.  L.  Henderson.  • 

1818 — John  Goodson  and  L.  L.  Henderson. 


SIS  Southurst   Vin/inia,   17JfG-17S6. 

18ir)_^Villi;nn    Poston   and   William   P.    Thompson.     Unseated 
by  contest,  Peter  Mayo. 

1820— Nathaniel  Dryden  and  Peter  Mayo. 

1821 — Reuben  Bradley  and  Peter  Mayo. 

1822— Reuben  Bradley  and  Peter  Mayo. 

1823 — John  H.  Fulton  and  Robert  Edmiston. 

1824— John  H.  Fulton  and  Reuben  Bra^lley. 

1825 — .lames  Miller  and  Patterson  Fletcher. 

1826 — Robert  E.  Cummings  and  John  Keller. 

1827 — Robert  E.  Cummings  and  John  Keller. 

1828 — Robert  E.  Cummings  and  Henry  P.  Thompson. 

1829 — Robert  E.  Cummings  and  John  Keller. 

1830 — Robert  E.  Cummings  and  John  Keller. 

1831— Thomas  McCulloch  and  John  Keller. 

1832 — Thomas  McCulloch  and  John  Keller. 

1833-1834— Thomas    McCulloch. 

1835-1830- John  Clark. 

1837— John  Gibson. 

1838-1847— Samuel  E.  Goodson. 

1848-1849— John  B.  Floyd. 

1850 — George  W.   Hopkins,     Elected    Speaker   House    of    Dele- 
gates. 

1851 — George  W.  Hopkins. 

1852 — William  King  and  I.  B.  Dunn.     Dunn  resigned.     W.  K. 
Heiskell  elected  to  fill  vacancy. 

1853 — William  King  and  William  K.  Heiskell. 

1854—1.  B.  Dunn  and  C.  S.  Bekem. 

1855— W.  K.  Heiskell  and  John  B.  Floyd. 

1857— R.  E.  Grant  and  W.  L.  Rice. 

1359 — George  W.  Hopkins  and  Jacob  Lynch.     Lynch  resigned. 
A.  R.  Preston  elected  to  fill  vacancy. 

1861— D.  C.  Dunn  and  David  B.  Clark. 

1863 — A.  C.  Cummings  and  George  Graham. 

1865— C.  S.  Bekem  and  Josiah  Teeter. 

1869— George  Graham  and  J.  F.  Terry. 

1871 — A.  C.  Cummings  and  A.  Fulkerson. 

1873 — Selden  Longley  and  A.  Fulkerson. 

1875—1.  C.  Fowler  and  C.  B.  Coale. 

1877—1.  C.  Fowler  and  Jonas  S.  Kelly. 

1879^Jonas  S.  Kelly  and  D.  F.  Bailey. 

1881—1.  C.  Fowler  and  Jonas  S.  Kelly.     I.  C.  Fowler  elected 
Speaker  House  of  Delegates. 

1883— Jonas  S.  Kelly  and  Daniel  Trigg. 

1885 — John  A.  Buchanan  and  A.  Fulkerson. 

1887 — John  Roberts  and  S.  P.  Edmondson. 

1889— James  Crow  and  E.  S.  Kendrick. 

1891— C.  W.  Alderson  and  L.  H.  Snodgrass. 
1893— E.  S.  Kendrick  and  W.  H.  Tomney. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  819 

1895— A.  F.  Rambo  and  J.  M.  Butt. 
1897— C.  H.  Jennings  and  T.  J.  Campbell. 
1899— John  W.  Price  and  C.  H.  McClung. 
1901— John  W.  Mort  and  A.  J.  Huff. 


Senate. 

1777-1787 — William  Fleming,  Botetourt  countj'. 

1787-1795 — William  Russell,  Russell  county. 

1795-1802— John  Preston,  Montgomery  county. 

1802-1805 — James  Preston,  Montgomery  countj^ 

1805-1809— Daniel  Sheffey,  Wythe  county. 

1809-1811— Alexander  Smyth,  Wythe  county. 

1811-1813 — Francis  Smith,  Washington  county. 

1813-1818 — Henry  Chapman,  Giles  county. 
.1818-1822 — Francis  Preston,  Washington  county. 
-1822-1824— David  Campbell,  Washington  county. 

1824-1829— John  D.  Sharp,  Lee  county. 

1829-1831— John  H.  Fulton,  Washington  county. 

1831-1834— George  Cowan,  Russell  county. 

1834-1838— John  Keller,  Washington  county. 

1838-1849— Fayette  McMullen,  Smyth  county. 

1849  — Henry  S.  Kane,  Scott  county. 

1850-1851— George  Cowan. 

1852-1857— Thomas  M.  Tate,  Smyth  county. 

1857-1861— B.  R.  Floyd,  Wythe  county. 

1861  - — Hiram  A.  Griever,  Smyth  county. 

1863-1864— William  E.  Peters,  Smyth  county. 

1864-1865— Jos.  J.  Graham,  Wythe  county. 

1865-1871 — Jos.  W.  Davis,  Washington  county. 

1871-1877 — James  S.  Griever,  Smyth  county. 

1877-1881— A.  Fulkerson,  Bristol,  Va.. 

1881-1885— D.  F.  Bailey,  Bristol,  Va. 

1885-1889— W.  F.  Rhea,  Bristol,  Va. 

1889-1893— E.  L.  Roberts,  Bristol,  Va. 

1893-1897— B.  F.  Buchanan,  Smyth  county. 

1897-1901— C.  W.  Steele,  Washington  county. 

1901-190  —J.  C.  Byars,  Bristol,  Va. 


820  Soidhwest  Virginia,  17JfG-1786. 

\1K(;1KIA  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTIONS. 
FiNCASTLE  County. 
1776 — Aitlmr  faiiiphfll  and  William  Kussell. 

Washington  County. 

178S— Samuel  Edniiston  and  James  Montgomery. 
1829-1830— Edward  Campbell  and  William  Byars. 

— John  B.  George,  of  Tazewell,  and  Andrew  McMillan,  of  Lee. 
1850-1851 — Benjamin  Rush  Floyd,  George  W.  Hopkins, 
— Thonuis  M.  Tate  and  Connally  F.  Trigg. 
Hopkins  resigned.     Elected  Speaker  of  House  of  Delegates. 
Trigg  elected  to  fill  vacancy  caused  by  resignation  of  Hopkins. 
1867-1868 — I.  H.  Thompson,  Joseph  T.  Campbell. 
1901-1!H)'2 — lohn  ( '.  Summers,  Preston  W.  Campbell. 

JUSTICES  OF  THE  COUNTY  COURT. 

Augusta  County,  1740-1770. 

Anderson,  John,    December   1,  1740. 

Alexander,  Archibald,    June   11,  1751. 

Archer,  John,    June   15,  1757. 

Buchanan,  John,    December   1,  1740. 

Brown,   John,    December    1,  1740. 

Bell,  James,    December    I,  1740. 

Barton,   Richard,    June,  1746. 

BordeK,   Benjamin,    June    11,  1751. 

Breckenridge,  Robert,   June  11,  1751. 

Bowyer,  John,    March  25,  1755. 

Buchanan,   James,    June    15,  1757.  — 

Blagg,  John,    June  15,  1757. 

Bowyer,  William,    June   15,  1757. 

Cunningham,   Robert,    December    1,  1740. 

Christian,  John,    December   1,  1740. 

Campbell,   Robert,    December    1,  1740. 

Craven,   Robert,    December    1,  1740. 

Christian,  William,   June  11,  1751. 

Christian,  Israel June   15,  1757. 

Dickenson,  Adam,    December   1,  1740. 

Downs.  Henry,    June,   1746. 

Downs,   Ifenry,  Jr.,    May  9,  1749. 

Denton,   John,    June    11,  1751. 

Dickenson,  John,   March  20,  1755. 

English,   Thomas June    11,  1751. 

Fleming.    W  illiam,    June,  1765. 

Gray,   Samuel,    June,    1746. 

Gilbert,   Felix,    Tune    11,  1757. 

Hart,    Silas,    June    1,  1740. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


831 


Hook,    Robert,     May    9 

Harrison,   William,    May   9 

Harberson,  William,   June  11 

Jamison,  William,    May  9 

Keer,    James,    December    1 

Kennedy,  Joseph,    June    11 

Lewis,   John,    December    1 

Lewis,   Thomas,    December   1 

Lewis,  Andrew,  June  1 1 

Lynn,   John,    June   11 

Ijockhart,   James,    June    11 

Lyle,  John,    June    1 1 

Montgomery,  James,    June   1 

Martin.   Patrick,    June   11 

Mills,  John June  11 

"^McClanalian,   Robert,    June    11 

Matthews,  John,        June   11 

Martin,  Robert,    June   11 

ilcClanahan,  Alexander,    June  11 

Matthews,   Sampson,    June   11 

McDowell,    Samuel,    June    11 

Neely,  James,    March   20 

O'Dell,  Samuel,   May  9 

Patton,  James,    December   1 

\  Poa^,   Robert,    December   1 

Pickens,  John,   December  1 

Pickens,  Andrew,    December   1 

Patterson,  Erwin,    June   11 

»Preston,  William,   March  20 


1745. 
1745. 
1751. 
1745. 
1740. 
1751. 
1740. 
1740. 
1751. 
1751. 
1751. 
1751. 
1746. 
1751. 
1751. 
1751. 
1751. 
1757. 
1757. 
1757. 
1757. 
1755. 
1749. 
1748. 
1748. 
1748. 
1748. 
1751. 
1755. 


1740 — George  Robinson. 
1751 — James  Rutledge. 
1757 — Daniel   Smith. 
1751 — ^Mathias  Scltger. 
1751— David   Stewart. 
1740 — John  Tinier. 
1746 — William  Thompson. 
1741 — Abraham   Vanderpool. 
1 740 — John  Wilson. 


1751 — Robert  Ramsey. 
1751— John  Riddle. 
1755 — Alexander   Sayers. 
1740— Peter  Scholl. 
1751 — Thomas  Stewart. 
1 740 — Hugh  Thompson. 
1741 — Ephraim  Vass. 
1740— Richard  Woods. 
1751 — Alexander  Wright. 


BOTETOURT  COUNTY— 1770-1774. 

The  first  court  met  at  the  house  of  Robert  Breckenridge  in  said  county 
on  Tuesday,  the  1.3th  day  of  February,  1770.  William  Preston  and  James 
Trimble  administered  the  oath. 

Arbuckle,  Matthew,  June  11,  1771. 

^Breckenridge,  Robert,  February  1.3,  1770. 

Bowyer,  John,    February   13,  1770. 


832  Southwest   Virginia,  17Jt6-17SG. 

Bowman,  John,    February   14,  1770. 

Bkdsoe,  Anthony,    February    14,  1770. 

Christian,  Israel,   February  13,  1770. 

Christian,   William,    February   14,  1770. 

Crockett,  Waiter,   February   14,  1770. 

Doage,  Kobcrt, February  14,  1770. 

Estill,   Benjamin,    Febiiiary    13,  1770. 

Fleming,   William,    February    13,  1770. 

Hawkins,  Benj.,   February  13,  1770. 

Howard,  John,   February   14,  1770. 

Herbert,  William,   February   14,  1770. 

Inglis,  William,   February  14,  1770. 

Love,  Philip,    February  14,  1770. 

Lewis,  Andrew,    February   14,  1770. 

Montgomery,  John,   February  14,  1770. 

IMaxwell,  John,  February  13,  1770. 

McGavock,  James,    February   14,  1770. 

Matthews,  William, February  14,  1770. 

McKee,  W'illiam,   February  14,  1770. 

Preston,  William,   February   13,  1770. 

Kobinson,  David,  February  13,  1770. 

Robertson,  James,  Febniary  14,  1770. 

Robinson,  John,   June  11,  1771. 

Skillem,  George,  February  13,  1770. 

Smith,  Francis,    February   14,  1770. 

Stewart,  John, June  11,  1771. 

Trigg,  Stephen,  February  14,  1770. 

Trimble,  James,    Februai-y   13,  1770. 

Thompson,  James-on-Holston,   June  11,  1771. 

Woods,  Richard,    February   13,  1770. 

W^oods,, Andrew,  February  14,  1770. 

Van  Bebber,  John,   June  11,  1771. 

FINCASTLE  COUNTY— 1773-1777. 

Court  assembled  at  the  Lead  ]\Iines  on  January  5,   1773.     Oath  admin- 
istered by  Arthur  Campbell  and  James  Thompson. 

Bledsoe,  Anthony,  January  5,  1773. 

Campbell,   Arthur,    January   5,  1773. 

Christian,  William,    January  5,  1773. 

Crockett,  Walter,    January  5,  1773. 

Crockett,  Samuel,   January  5,  1773. 

Campbell,  William,    January   6,  1773. 

Doach,   Robert,    January   5,  1773. 

Estill,  Benj.,   January  5,  1773. 

Herbert,   William,    January    6,  1773. 

Inglis,   William,    January    5,  1773. 

Montgomery,   John,    January   5,  1773. 


Washingto7i  County,  1777-1S70.  833 

McGavock,  James,    January  5,  1773. 

McKee,   Alexander,    January  5,  1773. 

McCorkle,  James,    January  6,  1773. 

Preston,   William,    January  5,  1773. 

Russell,  William,    January  5,  1773. 

Thompson,    James,    January  8,  1773. 

Trigg,  Stephen,    January  8,  1773. 

JUSTICES  OF  WASHINGTON  COUNTY— 1777-1870. 

Anderson,   John, January   28,  1777. 

Adair,  John,    November  25,  1777. 

Buchanan,  Alexander,    January  28,  1777. 

Blackburn,   George,    January  28,   1777. 

Barnett,  Alexander,    July    18,  1780. 

Black,   Joseph,    July    18,  1780. 

Blackmore,   John,    November   29,  1782. 

Bradley,   James,    January    17,  1791. 

Buchanan,  Wm.   (died  ]\[arch  29,  1846,),- -October  16,  1813. 

Barb,    Jacob,    June    19,  1821. 

Bronough,   Jeremiah,    May   27,  1839. 

Baltzeli,  David,   July  25,  1842. 

Bradley,  Reuben   (died  June  6,  1844,) March  18,  1806. 

Bradley,  Abram  (died  October,  1846,), January  1,  1814. 

Bowen,  Arthur  M.,   May  27,  1824. 

Byars,  William  B., September  23,  1844. 

Bradley,  John  L., September  23,  1844. 

Bradley,  Abram  F., .  .  . September  23,  1850. 

Bradley,  D.  O September  23,   1850. 

Berry,  Nathaniel,    September  23,  1852. 

Buchanan,   Solon,    August  23,  1852. 

Beattie,  Absalom,   August  23,  1852. 

Bailey,  James  A.,   May  24,  186 -. 

Butt,   William  A., April   10,  1869. 

Buchanan,  Matthew,   July  15,  1811. 

Berry,  John,    October   24,  1793. 

Baker,   Jacob,    December   20,  1805. 

Byars,   John,    April   30,  1808. 

Byars,  William,    March   30,  1810. 

Branch,  Peter  J., May  30,  1826. 

Bonham,  Joseph, September  8,  1829. 

Campbell,  Arthur,    January  28,  177. 

Campbell,  William,   January  28,  1777. 

Campbell,  John,   January  28,  1777. 

Coulter,  John,    January  28,  1777. 

Christian,  Gilbert,   November  25,  1777. 

Craig,  Robert,    November  25,  1777. 

Caldwell,    Thomas, November    25,  1777. 


834  Soiiihiref<t   Yirgwia,  17J/6-17S6. 

CaiiipbelK  Kobort July  18,  1780. 

Cowan,  William,  November  29,  1782. 

Cowan,  Andrew,   November  29,  1782. 

Campbell,  Arthur  Jr., September  9,  1820. 

Conn,  William  Y., September   9,  1793. 

Cunimings,  John  C May  27,  1839. 

Clark,  David,   May  27,  1839. 

C';nnpl)ell,  David,    July   25,   1842. 

Cummin<,is,  Robert  E.,    August    10,  1811. 

Cummings,  James   (died  Aug.  1,  1840) ,.  .October  19,  1803. 

Carson,  David,    September    15,  1812. 

Christian,  Samuel, May  27,  1837. 

Craig,  Robert  C,    September  23,  1844. 

Catron,  i^'rancis  K.,    September  23,  1844. 

Carmack,   Cornelius,    September   23,  1850. 

Caldwell,  John  S.,    August  23,  1852. 

Campbell,  James  L.,   August  23,  1852. 

Campbell,  John  C,  August  23,  1854. 

Cole,  James  L.,    August  23,  1854. 

Crockett,  J.  M., August  23,  1854. 

Crow,  James, August  23,  1854. 

Cummings,   Robert   E.,    May  24,  186--, 

Campbell,  J.   L.   F.,    May  24,  186-. 

Clark,  D.  B., May  26,  1864. 

Campbell,  Chas.  C, ^ June  25,  1867. 

Counts,  L.  h., .  .April  10,  1869. 

Craig,  James,    September   27,  1796. 

Campbell,  David,  Jr., July  15,  1811. 

Dysart,  James,   January  28,  1777. 

Dirnkin,  John,    November  25,  1777. 

Davis,  Jas.  (son  of  Jno.,  died  Mar.  16, 1844,) .  June  19,  1821, 
Davis,  James  L.,   May  25,  1840. 

Duff,  Samuel  C,    May  25,  1840. 

Davis,  Robert, .August  20,  1811. 

Duff,  John, December  20,  1814. 

Dryden,  Nathaniel,    December  20,  1814. 

•    ,  Davis,  William,   May  27,  1837. 

Dunn,  I.  B.,   September  23,  1850. 

Davenport,  I'homas,  August  23,  1852. 

Duff,  Wm.  K., Auguist  23,  1854. 

Davis,  Joseph  W., August  23,  1856. 

Denton,  David  C,   May  26,  1864. 

Dutton,  Peter,   August  28,  1865. 

Deck,  Joseph,    August  28,  1865. 

Davenport,  Henry   (presiding  justice),   ....April  10,  1869. 

DeBusk,  Wm.,    May   14.  1860. 

Dixon,  George,    July    15,  1811. 

Davis,  John,    December  25,   1798. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  825 

Edmiston,    Wm.,    January    28,   1777. 

Estill,   Benj.,    July    18,  1780. 

Edmiston,    Samuel,     ,  17 — . 

Edmiston,  Andrew,   May  25,  1839. 

Eakin,  John   (presiding  justice),   May  25,  1839. 

Edmiston,  Robert,    March   18,  1806. 

Ellington,  Francis,    May  27,  1837. 

Edmiston,  W.  C, August  23,  1852. 

Ellington,  J.  D.,   May  27,  186--. 

Edwards,  Arthur,   September  25,  1865. 

Eastridge,    William,    . August    28,  1865. 

Edmondson,  W.  C, March  30,  1810. 

Edmiston,  John,    December  20,  1805. 

Eulkerson,   James,    July    18,  1780. 

Eulton,  Samuel,    December  25,  1798. 

iulkerson,   Thomas,    . September    19,  1820. 

1^'leenor,  Michael  C,    June   19,  1821. 

Eulkerson,  Abram,   January  21,  1812. 

Fullen,   Francis,    May   27,  1837. 

Fudge,  Conrad,   August  23,  1852. 

Fleenor,   Drury,    August   23,  1852. 

Fleenor,  Allen,    December  25,  1854. 

Fields,  James,    May  24,  186--. 

Fleenor,  John,    December   20,  1805. 

Uillenwaters,   Elijah,    December    17,  1793. 

Ganaway,  Robinson, September  21,  1820. 

Gibson,  Andrew   (died  Nov.  21,  1839), June  19,  1821. 

Gibson,  John,    March  30,  1810. 

Goodson,  John,    May   2,  1806. 

Graham,  William,    September   15,  1827. 

Goodson,  Samuel  E.,    September   15,  1827. 

Gillenwaters,  John  W.,   September  23,  1844. 

Gobble,  Wm.  M.,   September  23,  1850. 

Greenway,  James  C,   May  24,  186-. 

Gillenwaters,  G.  L.,   May  24,  186 -. 

Gollihorn,  James  A.,    May  26,  1864. 

Hensely,  Samuel, .December  27,  1798. 

Houston,  John, December  27,  1798. 

Henderson,  Lilburn  L.,   January  19,  1819. 

Hanby,  Peter  S.,   May  27,  1837. 

Humes,  John  N.,   May  30,  1826. 

Horn,  John,    May  30,  1826. 

Home,    Isaac,    September  23,  1844. 

Hagy,  Martin,    September  23,  1850. 

Hamilton,   John   M.,    Sept^-mber  23,   1850. 

Hendricks,  T.  P.,   May  24,  186-. 

Hite,   Nicholas,    May  26,  1864. 

Houstoi.,  Samuel, May  26,  1864. 


.826  Southwest  Virginia,  17J/G-1786. 

llorne,  Joel,    May  26,  1868. 

Hurt,  ¥.  B.,    May  26,  1860. 

Home,  John  E.,   May  24,  1860. 

Harper,  James,    April  30,  1808. 

Hamilton,  Frederick,   August  20,  1803. 

Iiayter,  Abraham,  Jr.,    December  25,  1798. 

Hawkins,  John   October  24,  1793. 

Houston,  Robert, September     8,  1829. 

Ingle,  Willis,    May  24,  1860. 

Jamison,  Edward   H September  19,  1820. 

Jett,   spencer,    June  21,  1808. 

Johnson,  Walter,   May  24,  1860. 

Jones,  John,    May  24,  1860. 

Jamison,  John,   March  18,  1784. 

Johnston,  Peter  C,   May  27,  1824. 

Kinkead,  John  (died  Octo.  22,  1841),  .  .January  28,  1777. 

Keys,  James,   January  17,  1797. 

King,  James,   June  19,  1&21. 

King,  Jonathan,    September     8,  1829. 

Keys,  James,    July  15,  1842. 

Kincannon,  James,    October  20,  1810. 

King,  Sidney,    August  23,  1852. 

Key,  George  B.,    August  23,  1852. 

Keys,   Robert,    August  23,  1856. 

Kelly,  James,   May  26,  1864. 

King,  James  A., May  26,  1864. 

Kent,  Jacob  B.,   April  10,  1869. 

Keller,  John,    May     3,  1826. 

Lewis,  Aaron, July  18,  1780. 

Latham,  John,   July  18,  1780. 

Lowry,  John,    May  .29,  1782. 

Ix)gan,  Wm.  S.  (died  July  26,  1843), June  21,  1808. 

Latham,  Edward,    September  18,  1820. 

Love,  Leonidas, May  27,  1839. 

Lynch,  Daniel  (died  March  16,  1845),  .May  22,  1824. 

Lyon,   Humberson,    September  23,  1844. 

Lenahan,  John,    August  23,  1856. 

Linder,  J.  D.,    May  24,  186--. 

Lowry,  John  M.,   May  26,  1864. 

Love,  J.  W.,   May  26,  1864. 

Linder,  Abram, May  26,  1860. 

Lowry,  Robert  S.,   May  21,  1827. 

Martin,   Joseph,    January  28,  1777. 

Montgomery,  James,   January  28,  1777. 

Mastin,  Thomas, January  28,  1777.' 

Montgomery,  Thomas,    July  18,  1780. 

Montgomery,  Alexander,    July  18,  1780. 

McCarty,   Enoch,    August  24,  1793. 


Washington   Comity,   1777-1S70. 

McChesney,  Thomas,    June 

McCulloch,    Tliomas,    September 

Meek,  James,   December 

Meek,  William,   January 

Mitchel,   John,    August 

Mitchel,  John  D., May 

Moffett,  John,    June 

Maxwell,  John  N.,    May 

Meek,  James,    May 

McChesney,  Hugh  A.   (died  Dec,  1845), May 

Mallicote,  A.  R.,   July 

Minnick,   Peter,    October 

McCulloch,  John,    February 

Meek,  James    (died  Oct.,  1865),   February 

McCulloch,  Robert,    April 

Mooi-e,   Samuel,    April 

McNew,  James, ^^7 

Merchant,  Jacob,   May 

McConnell,  James  S., JMay 

Miller,  Joseph   (died  Dec,  1845), March 

McGhee,  William,    March 

Mongle,   Abram, .  September 

Maxwell,  Wallace,    September 

McHenry,   David,    September 

Milner,  W.  P.,   August 

McGinnis,  Noble  I.,    August 

Mann,  Henry  A.,   May 

Maiden,  J.  M.,    May 

McNew,   Elisha,    August 

Moore,   W.   F.,    May 

Maxwell,  Thomas, .March 

MeClellan,   John,    December 

Newell,    Samuel,    November 

Nordyke,  Abraham,    September 

Nuchols,  Richard,    May 

Orr,  A.  S., May 

Outlaw,  Alexander,   November 

Orr,   James, .  .May 

Ogden,  Elias,    May 

Preston,   Robert,    November 

Preston,  Wm.  C,    June 

Preston,  Robert,  Jr.,   January 

Preston,   T.   L.,    July 

Preston,  John,  Jr.,   January 

Poston,  Hatch  D.,  December 

Preston,  Francis,   November 

Preston,  John  M.,   May 

Preston,  W.  A.,   May 


827 


15 

1802 

19 

1820 

25 

1805 

19 

1821 

20 

1803 

27 

1839 

19 

1821 

27 

1839 

25 

1840 

25 

1840 

25 

1842 

19 

1816 

18 

1806 

18 

1806 

30 

1808 

21 

1818 

22 

1837 

22 

1837 

22 

1837 

20 

1810 

20 

1810 

23 

1844 

23 

1850. 

23 

1850 

23 

1852 

23 

1852 

27 

1858 

26 

1864 

28 

1865 

24 

1860 

20 

1810 

25 

1805 

29 

1782 

19 

1820 

24 

1860 

24 

1860 

24 

1782 

27 

1839 

27 

1837. 

17 

1783. 

19, 

1821. 

17, 

1804. 

25, 

1842. 

17 

1804. 

25, 

1814. 

22 

1798. 

27, 

1837. 

27, 

1837. 

828  Southwest   Virginia,  IIJ/O-ITSO. 

Paxton,  James  W.,   May  27,  1837. 

Patterson,   Andrew,    May  27,  1837. 

Price,  John  W.,    September  25,  1844. 

Preston,  John  F.,   September  25,  1844. 

Patterson,  Thomas   E.,    August  23,  1852. 

Patterson,   Sampson,    August  23,   1856. 

Price,  Daniel   E.,    August  23,  1856. 

Phelps,   James,    May  24,  1865. 

Patterson,  S.  C,    May  26,  1864. 

Porterfield,  J.  C,    May  26,  1864. 

Pippin,  Elisha,   April   10,  1869. 

Preston,  James  T.,    •  .   May  24,  1860. 

Ritchie,   Samuel,    Wovemher  29,  1782. 

Roddy,  Frederick   Y.,    June   19,  1821. 

Robertson,  Wyndham,    July  25,   1842. 

Rosenbalm,  Valentine,    May  22,  1837. 

Rhea,  W.  R.,    September  23,  18.50. 

Reid,  Benjamin,    August  23,  1852. 

Roberts,  Heniy,    August  23,  1852. 

Rice,  W.  L.,    August  23,  1856. 

Rosenbalm,   David,    May  26,  1864. 

Rose,  John  D.,   ' April   15,  1869. 

Rosenbalm,  L.  F.,    April   15,   1869. 

Roberts,  John,    May  24,  1860. 

Russell,   William,    October  24,  1793. 

Shelby,  Evan,    January  28,  1777. 

Smith,  Daniel, January  28,  1777. 

Snoddy,    John,    January  28,  1777. 

Shelby,    Isaac,    November  25,  1777. 

Smith,  Henry,    November  29,  1782. 

Smyth,  Tobias, September  19,  1820. 

Stewart,  Robert,    September  19,  1820. 

Smith,  Francis  (died  July  26,  1844),  .  .December  25,  1814. 

Smith,  Lewis,    June  21,  1810. 

Smith,  Parker,  May  22,  1837. 

Shankland,  R.  M.,    September  23,  1844. 

Snodgrass,  J.  M.,    August  23,  1862. 

Stratton,  James  P., August  23,  1856. 

Stitton,  John  F., May  24,  1860. 

Snodgrass,   James,    ,.  .  .May  26,  1864. 

Sharp,  James   L.,    May  24,  1860. 

Scott,  Wm.,    May  22,  1783. 

Scott,    Archibald,    May  22,  1783. 

Sevier,  Jacob,    December  20,  1805. 

Smith,   Jonathan,    April  30,  1808. 

Tate,  William, .March  18,  1784. 

Taylor,    James,    October  18,  1803. 

Thompson,  Henry  B.,  May  15,  1821. 


Washington  County,  1711-1870. 


829 


Tilson,  Thomas,    March 

Teeter,  Jacob,    June 

Thomas,  Thomas,    February 

Tate,  Charles,    February 

Thompson,  W.  P.,   June 

Taylor,  James,    June 

Trigg,   Daniel,    May 

Trigg,  William  K.,   May 

Trigg,  Abram  F.,  .  .  , September 

Teeter,  Josiah,   May 

Tate,  M.  B.,   May 

Tate,  M.,    March 

Trigg,  Jos.  C,    March 

Ward,  David,   July 

Watson,  David,    July 

Willoughby,  Matthew,   September 

White,  James   (died  Oct.  20,  1839), February 

Wills,  Samuel  H.,   IVIay 

White,  Wm.  Y.  C,   May 

Weathers,  Michael  W., September 

Worley,  John  W.,   September 

Ward,  Ota  H.,   July 

Widener,  Reuben,   August 

White,  H.   C,    August 

Widener,  Elias,    April 

Widener,  James  J.,   April 

Watson,  Patrick,   May 


17, 

1812. 

10, 

1821. 

19, 

1806. 

19, 

1806. 

22 

1808. 

22 

1808. 

22 

1837. 

22, 

1837. 

23, 

1844. 

24, 

1860. 

24, 

1864. 

24, 

1810. 

27, 

1824. 

18, 

1780. 

18, 

1780. 

27, 

1796. 

19, 

1799. 

27, 

1839. 

27, 

1837. 

23, 

1844. 

23, 

1850. 

23, 

1852. 

23, 

1852. 

25, 

1865. 

10, 

1869. 

10, 

1869. 

22, 

1783. 

SHERIFFS  AUGUSTA  COUNTY,  1745-1770. 

Patton,  James,    December     9,  1745. 

Downs,  Henry,    June  17,  1746. 

Lewis,   John,    July  16,  1748. 

McClanahan,   Robert,    August  27,  1749. 

Stewart,  David,    November  21,  1751. 

Breckenridge,   Robert,    ,  . 

Lewis,  Andrew,    November  18,  1756. 

Botetourt  County,  1770-1773. 

Woods,    Richard,    February  13,  1770. 

Christian,  Israel,   November  12,  1771. 


SHERIFFS  AND  DEPUTY  SHERIFFS. 

FiNCASTLE  County,  1773-1777. 

Preston,   William,    January  5,  ]  773. 


830  Southwest   Virginia,  17 46-1 7 S6. 

W'AsiiixGTON  County. 

Dysart,  Jaimis    January  28,  1777. 

Campbell,  Arthur,    February  16,  1779. 

Ediiiiston,  Wm.,    August  20,  1782. 

Dysart,  James,   March  16,  1784. 

Kinkead,  John,   August  17,  1784. 

Montgomery,  James,    January  18,  1785. 

Craig,  Hobert,   February  13,  1787. 

Fulkerson,  James,    January  11,  1789. 

Montgomeiy,  Alexander,   Januaiy  11,  1791. 

Campbell,   Robert,    January  15,  1793. 

Preston,  Robert,   January  20,  1795. 

Campbell,  Arthur,    January  17,  1797. 

Edmiston,  Samuel,   January  15,  1799. 

Tate,   William,    February  17,  1801. 

McCarty,  Enoch,    March  15,  1803. 

Conn,  William  Y.,    February  20,  1805. 

Gillen waters,  Elijah,   January  20,  180/. 

Bradley,  James, .June  20,  1809. 

Willoughby,  Matthew,   June  18,  1811. 

Keys,  James, July  20,  1813. 

Fulton,  Samuel,    June  20,  1815. 

Hensely,  Samuel,   March  19,  1817. 

White,   James,    March  16,  1819. 

Houston,  John,   March  24,  1821. 

McChesney,  Thomas,   March  18,  1723. 

Taylor,  James,    March  15,  1825. 

Cummings,   James,    March  20,  182V. 

Preston,  John,  Jr.,    March  17,  1829. 

Thomas,  Thomas,  April  19,  1831. 

Meek,  James,    March  25,  1833. 

Bradley,  Reuben,    December  23,  1833. 

McCulloch,   John,    May  — ,  1836. 

Logan,  Wm.  S.,   May  12,  1838. 

Smith,   Lewis,    May  15,  1840. 

Jiradley,  Abram,    May  21,  1842. 

Buchanan,  William,    May  13,  1844. 

DufF,  John, .  .May  22,  1846. 

Minnick,  Peter,    May  16,  1848. 

Moore,  Samuel,    May  13,  1850. 

Latham,  Edward,   March  22,  1852. 

Buchanan,  Matthew  H.,  July     1,  1852. 

Skinner,   Samuel,    July     1,  1857. 

Heiskell,  Wm.  King,    July     1,  1860. 

Hamilton,  John  M.,    July     1,  1862. 

Heiskell,  Wm.  King, July     1,  1864. 

Fields,  James,    July     3,  1865. 


Washington  County,   1777-1870. 


831 


Campbell,  James  L.  F.,  January  11,  1866. 

Henritze,  James,    May  26,  1866. 

Dimn,  William  A.,   March  15,  1869. 

Fields,  James,    April  25,  1870. 

Cosby,  John  D., October     8,  1870. 

Jones,  1.  F.,   July     1,  1879. 

Hughes,   Robert  E.,    July     1,  1883. 

Hortenstine,  Joel  W.,   July     1,  1896. 

DEPUTY  SHERIFFS  BOTETOURT  COUXTV,  1770-1773. 

McDowell,  James,   February  13,  1770. 

McGavock,  James,    February  13,  1770. 

Mastin,    Thomas,    February  13,  1770. 

McClanahan,  William,    November  12,  1771. 

Smith,    Francis,    February  13,  1770. 

Trigg,  Daniel,   November  12,  1777. 

Woods,  Arthur,    April  15,  1770. 

Fi>'CAsTLE  County,  1770-1776. 

Trigg,  Daniel,    January  5,  1773. 

Floyd,  John,    January  5,  1773. 

Moore,    Henrj^,    January  5,  1773. 

Thompson,  James,    January  5,  1773. 

Sayers,  William,   September  3,  1776. 


Washixgtox  CorxTY. 

Acklin,  Christopher,    April  22 

Ashley,  D.  L.,  July     1 

Browning,  Jesse,    ,  — 

Bruce,  N.  B.,  February  26 

Black,  Joseph,    April  29 

Buchanan,  M.  H.,    * March  26 

Buchanan,  James  S.,    July  — 

Buchanan,  B.  K.,   March  24 

Buchanan,  W.  R., March  23 

Baltzell,  David,    March  31 

Barker,  W.  W.    (jailer) ,    May  26 

Bradley,  A.  F.,   March  27 

Baugh,  B.  F.,   July     1 

Craig,  Robert,   ,  — 

Craig,  John,    — ■,  — 

Craig,  Wm.,    ,  — 

Carter,  Charles,    ,  — 

Colvill,   A.,    ,  — 

Craig,    Hiram,    ,  — 

Carson,  William,    ,  — 


1779. 
1899. 
1795. 
1877. 
1777. 
1851. 
1852. 
1845. 
1846. 
1838. 
1864. 
1843. 
1871. 
1786. 
1786. 
1786. 
1786. 
1788. 
1791. 
1792. 


832  Southwest   Virginia,  1740-17S0. 

Craig,  David,    > 

Clark,  Benj.,   >  — 

Carmack,  D.  C,   April  24 

Craig,  James, August  23 

Clark,  Benj.  C,   May  22 

Campbell,  D.  A.  P May  22 

Clark,  Job,   Soi)tember  28 

Crawford,  John,   August  18 

Campbell,  Francis  S June     3 

Clark,  Jacob    (jailer) .   May  22 

Clark,  Benj.  L.,  July     1 

Clark,  J.  W.  C, July     1 

Carmack,  Goodson, i^'ebiiiary  22 

Colley,  T.  W.,   February  28 

Clark,  John  J.   (jailer) ,   December     6 

Clark,  P.  D.,  .  .  . July  — 

Clark,  W.  H.,   — ,  — 

Countiss,  C.   C,    J)eeember     6 

Calahan,  Walter  A.,    August     9 

Donaldson,  Alexander,   June  20 

DeBusk,  Wm., December  27 

Davidson,  Andrew    (jailer) ,    May  31 

Davis,  Matthew,   August     9 

Dunn,  D.  C, August     9 

Dunn,  John  L.,   ; August     9 

Erwin,  Robert,   May  18 

Edmondson,  Wm.,   May  26 

Ewing,  Urbine,   ,  — 

Edmiston,    J.,     ,  — 

Edmiston,  T.,    ,  — 

Edmiston,  James,  ,  — 

is^ilcher,  James    (jailer) October  26 

Fleenor,  ^Nlilton,   July     1 

Fields,  Thos.  J.,  ! July  27 

Fulkerson,   Pat ,  — 

Gobble,  Thos.  M.,   December  27 

Gibbons,  H.  C,   December  27 

Gibson,  John,   September  28 

Gibson,  Chas.   C September  28 

Galliher,  Campbell,    December  27 

Gray,  James,   December  16 

Gibson,  D.  H December     7 

Graham,  W.  T ^Ovember  20 

Hoover,   Samuel    1)..    September  28 

Houston,  Samuel    (jailer),    September  27 

Henritze,  James    (jailer) ,   April  25 

Heiskell,  Wm.  K March  24 

Haller,  Richard  J.,   March  23 


1797. 
1803. 
1870. 
1782. 
1862. 
1862. 
1831. 
1820. 
1838. 
1839. 
1891. 
1891. 
1867. 
1871. 
1887. 
1896. 
1897. 
1887. 
1870. 
1780. 
1858. 
1857. 
1870. 
1870. 
1870. 
1781. 
1851. 
1786. 
1779. 
1799. 
1797. 
1843. 

1870. 
1786. 
1858. 
1858. 
1831. 
1831. 
1849. 
1821. 
1840. 
1890. 
1831. 
1854. 
1870. 
1845. 
1846. 


Washington  County,   1717-1810. 

Hortenstine,   John    August 

Hortenstine,  Bernard  T., , 

Hort«nstine,  James  W.,   , 

Hughes,  R.  R.,   July 

Hughes,  C.  W.,    July 

Henritze,    VVm.,    April 

Henritze,  R.  H.,   January 

Huston,  Wm., , 

Irvine,  Robert,    , 

Johnston,  Walter,    May 

Jones,  I.  F.    (jailer),   July 

Jones,  R.,   , 

Kelly,  James  E.,   July 

King,  John,  March 

Keys,  RoDert,   May 

Keller,  S.  G.,    October 

Kidd,  John  J.,   May 

Kidd,  John  E.,   April 

Keller,  J.  B.,    March 

Longley,  James    (jailer) ,   , 

Lee,  Wm.,    October 

Leedy,  James    (jailer) ,    May 

Lynch,  Jacob   (jailer) ,   May 

Litchfield,   Abram   T.,    July 

Lowrj',  R.  S.,   July 

Legard,  S.  P., July 

Linder,  J.  D.,    February 

Love,  Wm.,    , 

Lowry,  W.  G.  G.,   December 

Maiden,  Noah  L.,    May 

Mongle,  Abram,   May 

Mitchell,  John  H.,   March 

Morrison,  Joe  L July 

Miller,  G.  G.    (jailer) .    March 

Marshall,  A.,   , 

Maxwell,  David,   , 

Newell,    Samuel,    May 

Newton,  W.  I.    ( jailer ) July 

Overbay,  Thos.  W.,    April 

Orr,  James,   , 

Fippin,  W.  B., January 

Price,  Emory  O March 

Price,  Richard,    . 

Poston,   Wm.,    , 

Ryburn,  W.  S.,    January 

Roberts,  James,    August 

Roberts,  John,    May 

Rowan,  Henry,    , 


833 


12,  1895. 


1 

1879. 

1, 

1879. 

28 

1870. 

23 

1866. 

— 

1795. 

— 

1788. 

13 

1855. 

1 

1875. 

— 

1789. 

— 

1852. 

19 

1778. 

24 

1860. 

4 

1873. 

2G 

1874. 

26 

1875. 

31 

1883. 

— 

1797. 

18 

1871. 

22 

1846. 

13 

,  1850. 

— 

1854. 

21 

,  1870. 

21 

1883. 

27 

1867. 

— 

1792. 

24 

1866. 

26 

,  1864. 

12 

,  1838. 

16 

1819. 

1 

1891. 

31 

,  1883. 

— 

,  1791. 

— 

,  1792. 

19 

1778. 

2 

1895. 

18 

,  1820. 

— 

180.5. 

11 

,  1866. 

27 

1866. 

— 

,  1792. 

— 

,  1792. 

11 

,  1816. 

26 

,  1777. 

26 

1864. 

— 

.  1786. 

834 


Southwest  Tirginia,  17J^6-1786. 


Rhea,  Matthew,    »  — 

Snodgrass,  James,   March  16 

Skinner,  Samuel    (jailer),   December  27 

Skinner,  Wm.  W.,    January     1 

Smyth,  Harold,    March  16 

Snodgrass,  Samuel  M.,   May  22 

Sharp,  Benj.,  > 

Saunders,   St€phen,    ,  — 

Smyth,    Alexander,    ,  — 

Toncray,  Lewis    (jailer) ,   March  16 

Tate,  John,    January  16 

Tate,  Charles,   »  — 

Toncray,  James,    June  17 

Thompson,  B.  W.,   July     1 

Trigg,   Lilburn,    July     1 

Thompson,  R.   H.,    Januaiy  25 

Taylor,  Wm., ,  — 

Willoughby,  Matthew,  June  19 

Webb,  Chas.,  September  27 

Worley,  Chas.,  July  1 

Walkup,  A., J  — 

Yaney,  John,  June  19 


1790. 
1783. 
1858. 
1857. 
1819. 
1839. 
1786. 
1788. 
1791. 
1819. 
1821. 
1791. 
1819. 
1891. 
1883. 
1871. 
1788. 
1/81. 
1.-57. 
xS87. 
1791. 
1781. 


Attorneys  and  Date  of  Qualification. 


Augusta  Countt,  1744-1770. 


Chew,  Thomas,    1774. 

Henry,  Patrick,   1766. 

Harvie,    John,    1747. 

Hogg,  Peter, 1766. 

Jones,  Gabriel   (K.  C),   1746. 

Madison,  Tliomas,   1766. 

Marr,   Gideon,    1746. 

Meriot,  Obadiah,    1746. 


Quin,   John,    1746. 

Nicholas,  John   (dec!'  K.  C.),..1745. 

Newport,  John,    1745. 

Russell,  William,  1740. 

Sherman,  John,    1748. 

Pendleton,  Benj.,    1745. 

Porter,  James,    1740. 

Wythe,  George,    1747. 


Wright,   William,    1745. 

Botetourt   County,    1770-1773. 

Aylett,  John,    1770.       Jones,  John  Gabriel, 1773. 

Bowyer,  Luke   (K.  C.) ,    1770.       Madison,  Thomas,    1770. 

Dunlop,  Ephraim,    1770.       Todd,   John,    1771. 

Jones,  Harry,   1773.       Winston,   Edmund,    1770. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70. 


835 


FiNCASTLE    County,    1773-1776 

Aylett,  John   (dep.  atty. ),   .  .  .  .1774 

Breckenridge,   John,    1775 

Bowser,  Luke,    1773 

Dunlop,  Ephraim,    1773 


Jones,    Gabriel,    1773. 

Lawson,    Benj.,    1773. 

May,  John,    1773. 

IVIadison,  Thomas  (Dep.  K.  C),  1774. 


Innes,  Harry,   1773.       Sims,  Charles,    1773. 

Todd,   John,    1774. 


Washington   County,   1777-1900. 


Anderson,  Wm.  Preston, 

179S. 

Arnold,  James, 

1830. 

Aston,   Wm.    B.,    

1805. 

Ayers,  Rufus  A.,   

1874. 

Ayers,   W.   A.,    

1874. 

Bro^\Ti,  John,    

1783. 

Bradley,   Robert  E.,    ... 

1832. 

Boyd,  Thomas  J.,    

1837. 

Bekem,  Chas.  S.,   

1837. 

Buckingham,  P.  S.,   .... 

1849. 

Black,  J,M., 

1859. 

Baxter,  iiSidney  S., 

1865. 

Barker,  '-Albert,    

1861. 

Blackley,'M.  L.,  

1866. 

Brockenbrough,  John  W. 

1866. 

Bailey,  D.  F.,   

1869. 

Burson,  John  E.,   

1872. 

Buchanan,  John  A.,    .  .  . 

1872. 

Brown,  John  M.,   

1874. 

Blanchard,  A.  H.,    

1875. 

Bowyer,  Luke,    

1777. 

Baskerville,   Chas.,    .... 

1877. 

Barr,  F.   T.,    

1877. 

Beavers,    Alex.,    

1881. 

Barr,  Paul  E.,   

1882. 

Buchanan,  R.  E.,   ...... 

1883. 

Byars,  J.  C, 

1896. 

Campbell,  David,   

1780. 

Campbell,  Edward,    .... 

1818. 

Cummings,  Chas.   J.,    .  . 

1837. 

Clapp,  Jeremiah   W.,    .  . 

1838. 

Campbell,  John  A.,   .... 

1846. 

Cummings,  A.  C,    

1846. 

Cooke,   Wm.   H.,    

1848. 

Campbell,  Jos.  T.,   

1849. 

Crank,  W.   S.,    

1864. 

Clarkson,  Wm.  N.,   .... 

1865. 

Cole,  A.  P.,    

1867. 

Caldwell,   Jos.   W.,    1871. 

Campbell,  Daniel  T.,    1883. 

Campbell,  Etlward  K.,    1883. 

Campbell,  J.   G.,    1885. 

Co.sby,  L.   T.,    1888. 

Campbell,  Preston  W.,   1896. 

Dixon,  Henry  St.  John,    1819. 

Dixon,   Henry,    1820. 

Draper,  Joseph,   1833. 

Davis,  Archimedas,   1853. 

Davis,  A.  M.,    1855. 

Day,  Lexington  M.,   1865. 

Dickenson,  A.  M.,    1872. 

Dinwiddle,  S.  S.,   1883. 

Davenport,  P.  J.,   1888. 

Dishner,  J.  H.,   1892. 

Estill,  Benj.,   . 

Evans,   Walter,    1848. 

Earnest,  John  Henry,    1851. 

Edmondson,  Reese  B., 1861. 

Egbert,  George  T.,    1872. 

Early,  Jubal  A.,    1876. 

English,  Arthur,    1885. 

Fulton,  John  H.,   1821. 

Fulton,  Andrew  S.,   1832. 

Floyd,  John  B.,   1834. 

Floyd,  Wm.  P.,    1834. 

Floyd,  Benj.  Rush,   1843. 

Fulkerson,  S.  V.,    1846. 

Fulkerson,   Abram,    1866. 

Findlay,  Frank  S.,    1866. 

Flournoy,  H.  W.,   1881. 

Fulkerson,  S.  V.,  Jr.,   1887. 

Gregory,  Francis  R.,    1832. 

Gibbons,  H.  C, 1848. 

Gilmore,  James  H., 1851. 

Griffith,  J.  F.,    1889. 

Green,  C.  R., 1889. 


836 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J,6-1786. 


Harrison,  Chas.  E.,  1827. 

Hall,    John,    1832. 

Humes,  Jas.  W.,    1855. 

Hughes,  R.  W.,    1859. 

Hounshell,  David  S.,    1861. 

Hopkins,  Henry  L.,    1867. 

Holdway,  H.  W.,   1867. 

Humes,  Francis  A.,    1870. 

Hopkins,  Geo.  W.,   1834. 

Hawthorn,  Hugh   C,    1874. 

Honaker,  M.  H.,    1879. 

Hutton,  F.  B.,    1880. 

Hamilton,  W.  S.,   18S.3. 

Humes,  C.   F.,    1884. 

Hamilton,  H.  H.,  1886. 

Hudgens,  W.  P., 1887. 

Hamilton,  Thomas  S.,    1889. 

Hoge,  Lacy,    1889. 

Hurt,  J.  I., 1889. 

Innes,    Harry,    1779. 

Johnston,  Peter  C,   1831. 

Johnston,  Charles  C, 1831. 

Jones,  Geo.  W.,   1836. 

Johnston,  Beverly  R.,  1839. 

Johnston,  John  W.,    1839. 

Jones,  H.  C,  1872. 

Jones,  James  Alfred,   1873. 

Jones,  S.  D.,   1879. 

Jenkins,  Geo.  G.,   1886. 

Johnston,  Walter  A.,    1896. 

Kane,  Henry  S.,    1832. 

Kent,  Robert  L.,    1853. 

King,  Wm.  Rutledge,   1894. 

Leftwich,  Isaac  J.,   1833. 

Logan,  Samuel,    1837. 

Lampkin,  John  W.,  1838. 

Latham,  Robert,    1841 . 

Little,  David  Z.,    1848. 

Logan,  T.   M.,    1855. 

Logan,  Samuel  T., 1855. 

Logan,  John  B.  J.,   1861. 

Langhome,  Wm.  W.,   1867. 

Longley,   Seldon,    1870. 

Lindsay,  S.  F.,   1890. 

Madison,  Rowland,    1779. 

Mayo,   Peter,    1831. 

McComas,  David,  1832. 

Mayo,  W.  H.,   1835. 


Miller,   David,    1856, 

Mosby,   John   S.,    1858. 

McCormick,  Samuel, 1855. 

Miller,  Samuel  A.,    1863. 

McGinnis,  Ira  J.,    1866. 

McDougall,    Chas.,    1869. 

Massie,  N.  H.,   1870. 

McCrosky,  W.  D.,   1877. 

Miller,  D.    C,    1878. 

Miles,  A.  F.,  '..1882. 

Naff,   Geo.   E.,    1850. 

Neal,  John  W.,    1897. 

Preston,  John,    1833. 

Preston,  Walter,    1843. 

Preston,  Wm.  B.,    1846. 

Preston,  James  T.,    1847. 

Pendleton,    Stephen   J.,    1856. 

Pendleton,  A.  G.,   1856. 

Palmer,  Joseph  H.,   1861. 

Pendleton,  Jas.  H.,   1864. 

Preston,  Henry  S.,    1867. 

Page,  R.  M.,   1868. 

Page,   L.    R.,    1873. 

Penn,  Geo.  E.,   1875. 

Preston,  Walter  E., 1875. 

Porterfield,  G.  C,    1882. 

Page,    Wm.,    1885. 

Price,   John   W.,    1893. 

Quarrier,  F.  M.,    1864. 

Richmond,  Jonathan,    1861. 

Ramsay,  John  C,   1864. 

Richardson,  Robert 1866. 

Royal,  W.  L.,   1871. 

Robertson,   Walter  H.,    1874. 

Robinson,  A.  L.,    1878. 

Rhea,  W.   F.,    18—. 

Sheffey,  James  W.,   1833. 

Smyth,  Harold,    1833. 

Sharp,   John  D.,    1836. 

Stevens,  John  W.,   1840. 

Shaver,  Leonidas,    1844. 

Sawyers,  Thos.  L.  W.,   1848. 

Strother,  James  A.,    1857. 

Speed,  John  W.,    1860. 

Sheffey,  John  P.,   1856. 

Stafford,  John  W.,    1866. 

Summers,  John  Calhoun,    ....1866. 
Smyth,  Francis,   1880. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


837 


Smythe,  W.  F.,    1881. 

Stuart,  John  J.,    1883. 

Sutherland,  H.  W.,   1890. 

Summers,  Lewis  Preston,    ....1895. 

Shackleford,  J.  B.,    1892. 

Summers,   Robert  J., 1896. 

Trigg  Connally  F., 1833. 

Trigg,  L.   H.,    1836. 

Teetor,  Josiah,   1858. 

Talliferro,  Wm.  M.,    1866. 

Taylor,   Henry  H.,    1866. 

Trigg,   Daniel,    1869. 

Trigg,   C.   F.,    1869. 


TON  County  in  the  Years  1812-1831,  Wytheville,  Va. 


Tilson,  Thomas  J.,    

1874 

Vance,  C.  R.,    

1862 

Wilson,   John,    

....1831 

White,  Francis  S.,    

....  1838 

Watson,  Ed.  S.,   

....1856 

White,  James  L., 

1867 

Ward,   George  W.,    

....1874 

Wiley,  Edward,    

1896 

Watson,  John  W.  C,   ... 

....1837 

White,   John   P.,    

1853 

Wysor,  Benj.  F.,   

....  1860 

Wood,   Harvey   J.,    

1868 

White,  Milton,   

rinTTDT   nc   Ptt  A  wcTTUv   vein 

.  .  .  .1883 

W  ASWTVfi- 

Chapman,  John. 
Sheffey,  Daniel. 
Estill,  Benj. 
Dixon,  Henry  St.  John. 
Chapman,  Henry. 
Smyth,  Alex. 
Campbell,  Edward. 
McComas,  David. 
Johnston,  ChaiS.  C. 
Mayo,  Peter. 
Craig,  Robert. 
Draper,  Joseph. 
Fulton,  John  H. 
Smith,  Wm. 
McFarland,  Jos.  T. 
Logan,  Samuel. 
Vanstavern,  Nicholas. 
Foster,  John. 
Stuart,  Archibald. 
Sisson,  Baldwin  L. 
McCamart,    Samuel. 


Harrison,  Chas.  E. 
Leftwich,  Isaac  J. 
Carter,  Dale. 
Fulton,   Andrew   S. 
Preston,  Wm.  B. 
Pendleton,  Albert  G. 
Johnston,  B.  R. 
Bekem,  Chas.  S. 
Boyd,  Thomas  J. 
Thompson,  James. 
Willianiison,  John. 
McHenry,  Andrew. 
Henderson,   Granville. 
Forbes,  John. 
Henderson,  Arthur. 
Michie,  Thomas  J. 
Linton,  John. 
Preston,  W.  C. 
Field,  Silas. 
Gray,  John  G. 
Smith,  William. 
Haden,  Samuel. 


Deputy  Clerks  of  Washington  County  Court. 


Branch,  Peter  J., 
Blackwell,  A.  R., 
Baugh,   Leonidas, 

Cosby,  L.  T., 

Cummings,  R.  P., 
Campbell,  Robert, 
Campbell,   John,    . 


.1847.       Cummings,  D.  C,  Jr.,    1882 

.  1884.       Campbell,   E.   K.,    1876 

.1869.       Cummings,  D.  C,  Sr., 1871 

.  1875.       Evans,  W.   F.,    1882 

.  1889.       Henritze,  B.  J.,    1868 

.  1777.       Kreger,  John  G.,   1848 

.  1778.       Trigg,  Thos.   K.,    1865 


838 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Ji.6-17S6. 


Lyncli,  Jacob,   

Lynch,   Richard,    . . 
Preston,  S.  R.,   


,  1858.       Page,   R.   M.,    186G. 

,  1838.       Page,    Wm.,    1870. 

,  1897.      Webb,  Wm.,    1784. 


Deputy  Clerks  Circuit  Court. 

Branch.  Peter  J.,  1842.      Kreger,  John  G.,   1858. 

Campbell.  Jas.   C,    186G.       Lynch,  Jacob,    1831. 

Campbell.  David,   1835.       Lynch,    Richard,     1839-1869. 

Cummings,  David  C,  Sr.,   1869.       Lowry,  Wm.  G.  G.,   1865. 

Dixon,  Richard  T.,    1833.      Moore,  Albert  B.,    1838. 


.1899. 
,1875. 


Treasurers  of  Washington  County. 

Barr,  George  R.,    1870.       Bradley,  John  O.,    

Gray,  John  C,   1881.       Clark,  Benj.  C,   

Withers,  Salmon  M., 1887. 

Superintendents  of  Alms  House. 
Miller,  Jacob,    .  .  .  .August  24,  18 i3.       Colley,  Thomas  W., 1878. 


Ryan,    James,     1865. 

Stanfield,  John  C,    1^71. 

Thom])son,  James  H.,   1875. 


Porter,  W.  J.,    1887. 

Caldwell,  R.  J.,    1891. 

Casteel,  John  R.,   1890. 


Betts,  W.  H.,   .  . 
Blackwell,  A.  R., 
Carmack,  D.   C, 
Duft',  D.  A.,    ... 
Findlay,  F.  S.,   . 
G«isler,  J.  J.,   .  . 
James,  N.  S.,   .  . 
Mumpower,   R.   B., 
McChesney,  Sam'l  J 
Ritchie,  J.  L.,    .... 
Withers,  S.  M.,    .  .  , 
Sisk,  J.  C,   


Deputy  Treasurers  of 

1875. 

1896. 


,1878. 
,1878. 
,1870. 
,1883. 
.1890. 
,1875. 
,1883. 
,  1875. 
,1878. 
,1899. 


Washington  County. 

Barr,  John  W.,    1873. 

Clark,  W.  W.,    1875. 

Caywood,  W.   W.,    1879. 

Dimn,   Geo.   R.,    1870. 

Geisler,  J.  M.,    1883. 

Hilliard,  R.  A.,    1895. 

Jones,  L  F.,    1875. 

McNeal,  W.  B.,    1875. 

Nunley,  C.  A.,    1887. 

Ryburn,   Wm.    S.,    1871. 

Williams,   James,    1875. 

Kendrick,  Cas,    1899. 


Commissioners  of  the  Revenue  of  Washington  County. 


Duffy,  James,   1798. 

Snodgrass,  Wm.,    1807. 

Snodgrass,  Wm.,    1819. 

King,    Jonathan,    1837-1843. 

Ropp,  John  M.,   1848. 

Mongle,  Abram,   1850. 

Lowry,  James  K.,   1851. 

Edmondson,  John  L.  G., .  .1856. 

Campbell,  D.  A.  P., I860. 

Miller,   Wm.,    1862. 


Campbell,  D.  A.  P., 1864. 

Terry,  John  F.;   1865. 

Miller,   Jacob,    1869. 

Clark,   Benj.   C,    1870. 

Blackwell,  John  D.,    1875. 

Blackwell,  John  D., 1883. 

Ritchie,  James  L., 1887. 

Duff,  D.   A.,    1891. 

Duff-,  D.   A.,    1895. 

Maiden,  John  W.,   1899. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


839 


Hamilton,   Frederick,    1802. 

Fulkerson,   Thomas,    1819. 

Smith,  Parker,    1837-1843. 

Trigg,  A.  B.,   1843-1844. 

King,    Jonathan,    1844-1850. 

Edmondson,  Andrew,    1851. 

Henderson,   Robert,    1852-185C. 

Campbell,  Jas.  L.  F.,    ...1852-1860. 

Davis,  John  G.  K,   1860. 

Duff,  W.  K.,   1862. 


Miller,    Wm.,    

Campbell,  D.  A.  P., 
Barker,  William,  . 
Campbell,  D.  A.  P., 
Hendricks,  Thos.  P., 

Keller,  C.  F.,   

Keller,  C.  F.,   

Keller,  C.  F.,   

Roberts,  John,  .... 
Roberts,  John,    .... 


.1864. 
.1865. 
.1869. 
.1870. 
.1875. 
.1883. 
.1887. 
.1891. 
.1895. 
.1899. 


Surveyors  of  Augusta  Couis^ty,  1745-1770. 

Lewis,  Thos. 

Deputy  Surveyors. 

Buchanan,  John.  Walker,  Thomas,  1752. 

Botetourt   County,    1770-1773. 

Preston,  William,    1773. 

Deputy  Surveyors. 

Trimble,  James,   1770.       May,  Robert,    1771. 

Smith,  Francis,    1771.       Lewis,    Samuel,    1772. 

FiNCASTLE    County,    1773-1776. 

(Preston,  William,    1773. 

Deputy  Surveyors. 

Floyd,  John,   1774.       Russell,    Wm.,    1774. 

Preston,   Robert,    1774. 

Washington  County. 
Surveyors. 
1779.       Latham,  Edward, 


Preston,   Robert, 
Black,  James  C, 
Bradley,  John  L., 
Buchanan,   R.   G., 
Buchanan,  R.  G., 

Craig,  Robert,    .  . 
Orr,   James,    .... 
Buchanan,   Benj. 
Maxwell,  Alex.  C 
Jones,  A.  M.,    . . . 


K., 


..1852.       McQuown,    Isaac   A.,    . 
..1883.      McQuown,  Isaac  A.,   .., 

.  .  1887.      Gobble,  E.  L.,  

..1896.       Cumbow,  Anderson  H., 

Coroners. 
.  .  1780.       Lewis,   Aaron,    

Gibson,  C.  C, 

Graham,    William,    .  .  .  . 

Barr,  John  W.,    


.1845. 
,1844. 
,  1865. 
,1889. 


.1831. 

.1862. 
.1883. 
.1895. 
.1899. 

,1780. 
,1842. 
,1852. 
,1875. 


Washington  County  Supervisors,  1870-1904. 

Supervisors    Abingdon   District. 


Greenway,  Jas.  C,   1870-1873. 

Campbell,  Jas.  C,    1873-1875. 

Kreger,  John  G.,    1875-1879. 

Preston,  Robert  A.,   1879-1891. 

Fugate,  Henley,    1891-1893. 


Gray,  Robert  H.,    1893- 

Rush,  Robert  W., 1897- 

Hope,  Thomas  A.,    1899- 

Hayter,  James  C,    1901- 


1897. 
1899. 
1901. 
1904. 


840 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 


Counts,  James  M., 
Price,  James  T.,  .  . 
Butt,  James  H.,  •  • 
Stanfield,  John  C, 


Supervisors  North  Fork  District. 
Mallicote,  Jasper  N.,  . .  .  .1870-1873.      Counts,  L.  H., 

Dickenson,  Mongle,    1873-1874. 

Mallicote,  Jasper  N., 1874-1875 

Roberts,  John,    1875-1871J 

Price.  James  T.,   1879-1883 

Stanfield,  John  C,  1883-1887. 

Supervisors  Glade  Spring  District. 
Porterfield,  James  C,   ...1870-1873.      Buchanan,  James  S., 

Crow,  James,    1873-1877.       Porterfield,  J.  C,   .. 

Porterfield,  James  C,  . . . .  1877-1887.      Stuart,  George,   

Allison,  Robert  C,  1887-1889.      Williams,  Joseph  D., 

Supervisors  Saltville  District. 

Kelly,  Jonas  S.,   1870-1883.      Talbert,  Andrew  J., 

Kelly,  James,    1883-1885. 

Kelly,  Jonas  S.,   1885-1887. 

Davenport,  Solomon  R.,  .  .1887-1889. 
Kelly,  Jonas  S.,   1889-1891. 

Supervisors  Goodson  District. 

Davis,  John  M.,    1870-1872.       Rader,  W.  A., 

Preston,  Francis,    1872-1874. 

Johnson,  Walter,    1874-1879. 

Rader,  W.  A.,   1879-1881. 

Preston,  Jam'es  B., 1881-1885. 

King,  James  A., 1885-1887. 


.1887-1889. 
.1889-1891. 
.1891-1895. 
.1895-1897. 
.1897-1904. 


Litton,  L.  R.,    

Davenport,  R.  H., 

Henderson,  W.  F.   (died), 
Litton,  L.  R.  (appointed), 


Berry,  David  L.,  . .  . 
Rhea,  Edward  R.,  . 
Berry,  David  L.,  .  . . 
Campbell,  John  W., 
Susong,  J.  0.,   


Supervisors  Kinderliook  District. 


Holly,  Henrj'  C,    1870-1871. 

Vance,  Emmet  B.,    1871-1872. 

Barker,  Joseph  H., 1872 . 

Pettyjohn,  G.  W.  (ap't'd),  1872-1875. 

Price,  Daniel  E., 1875-1879. 

Cook,  L.  C,   1879-1881. 

Withers,  S.  M.,  1881-1883. 

Barb,  Lacy  J., 1883-1885. 

Price,  Daniel  E.,    1885-1887. 


Johnson,  Jacob  H., 
Hilliard,  R.  A.,  .  . 
Sharrett,  Wm.  R., 
Snodgrass,  L.  H., 
Barker,  A.  F.,  ... 
Fleenor,  W.  M.,  .  . 
Dye,  Creed  F.,  .. 
Ellington,  J.  E.,   . 


.1889-1891. 
,1891-1895. 
.1895-1901. 
.1901-1904. 

.1891-1895. 
.1895-1899. 
.1899-1901. 

1901-1902. 

1902-1904. 

.1887-1891. 
.1891-1895. 
,1895-1897. 
.1897-1899. 
.1899-1901. 
.1901-1904. 

.1887-1889. 
.1889-1891. 
.1891-1893. 
.1893-1895. 
.1895-1897. 
.1897-1899. 
.1899-1901. 
.1901-1904. 


Supervisors  Holston  District. 


Crow,  James,    1877-1883. 

Rosenbalm,   Joel,    1883-1885. 

Smith,  John  B.,   1885-1887. 

Widener,  Wm.  M.,  1887-1891. 


Hawthorne,  B.  D., 
Preston,  R.  B.,    .  .  . 
Widener,  Wm.  M., 
Preston,  R.  B.,    . .  . 


1891-1895. 
,1895-1897. 

1897-1899. 
,1899-1904. 


Constables  on  Holston. 
1755.  George  Stalnaker  appointed  Constable  on  Holston  river. 

Botetourt  County,  1770-1773. 
Stem,  Frederick.  Davis,  Robert. 

Prewitt,  William.  Lester,  John. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


841 


FiNCASTLE  County,  1773-1776. 

David  Beattie,  from  Kincannon's  to  Bryan's  Fort. 
James  Bryan,  from  his  fort  to  Black's  Fort. 
Andrew  Colvill,  from  Black's  Fort  to  ford  of  Beaver  Creek. 
John  Carmack,  from  Beaver  Creek  to  Bledsoe's  Fort. 
'■>— David  Steel,  from  Bledsoe's  Fort  to  Meeting  House. 
John  Adair,  from  Meeting  House  to  Amos  Eaton's. 
Samuel  Simpson,  on  Holston. 
Samuel  Wilson. 
John  Upton. 

1773.  John  Crow,  on  upper  part  of  Holston. 
1773.  Thomas  Byrd,  on  upper  part  Holston. 
1773.  Samuel  Simpson,  from  Eleven-Mile  Creek  to  Spring  Creek  and  across 

the  Holston  waters. 
1773.  Samuel  Wilson,  from  Spring  Creek  to  Steel's  Creek  and  across  the 

Holston  waters. 
1773.  From  Steel's  Creek  to  county  line  and  across  the  Holston  waters. 
1773.  Robert  Williams,  on  Holston  in  place  Samuel  Wilson. 

1773.  Jacob  Stems,  on  Holston  in  place  of  Thomas  Byrd. 

1774.  Samuel  White,  in  place  of  Jacob  Sterns. 

1775.  Rich  Humphreys,  in  Capt.  Wni.  Campbell's  company. 


Washington   County,   1777-178-1. 


Able,  Jeremiah. 
Alley,  James. 
Acklin,  Christopher. 
Anderson,  William. 
Allen,  Christopher. 
Brown,  Robert. 
Brooks,   Castleton. 
Berry,  George. 
Berry,  John. 
Bailey,  Stephen. 
Breding,  John. 
Chambers,  Mark. 
Craig,  John. 
Cole,  Sampson. 
Crunk,  Wm. 
Duncan,  Rawley. 
Davidson,  Joseph. 
Doran,  Alexander. 
Dorton,  Wm. 
Duncan,  John. 
Edmiston,  Thomas. 
Ellis,  Wm. 


Constables. 
Evans,  Joseph. 
Evans,  Samuel. 
Funkhouser,  John. 
Fain,  John. 
Fullen,  James. 
Graham,  John. 
Gibson,  Samuel. 
Hicks,  William. 
Hazel,  Daniel. 
Holt,  Sebastian. 
Hall,  Jesse. 
Higganbothan,  Moses, 
Keewood,  John. 
Laughlin,  James. 
Lean,  William. 
Lindsay,  Isaac. 
Laird,  James. 
Loveless,   John. 
McClung,  Francis. 
Moore,   Richard. 
McCulloch,  Robert. 
McCauley,  James. 


Maxwell,  John. 
Musick,  Jonathan. 
Oney,  Richard. 
Osborne,  John. 
Owen,  John. 
Patterson,  Wm. 
Price,  Richard. 
Robinson,   Wm. 
Rogers,  John. 
Rowan,  Isaac. 
Steel,  James.    — 
Sharp,  John. 
Snodgrass,  Joseph. 
Scott,  Wm. 
Teeter,   John. 
Vanhook,  Samuel. 
Vance,  John. 
Wharton,  James. 
Williams,  Robert. 
Whisinhunt,  John. 
Woolisey,  Richard. 


842  Southircst   Vrrginia,  1746-17S6. 

ROADS. 
Overseers  AxM)  Sukveyoks  Augusta  County,  1853. 

Mar.  23,      John  Lowry,  Appointed    surveyors    to    open    a    road    from 

Henry  Holston.  John's  Creek  over  the  mountain  the  nearest 

and  best  way. 

Botetourt  County,  1770-1773. 
June  12,  1770.  Arthur  Campbell,  from  State  line  to  Royal  Oak. 
June  12,  1770.  James  Davis,  from  Royal  Oak  to  his  home. 
June  12,  1770.  Richard  Higginson. 

Mar.  13,  1770.  Francis  Kincannon,  from  Stalnaker's  to  Eleven-Mile  Creek. 
Mar.  13,  1770.  Tliomas  Ramsey,  from  Eleven-Mile  Creek  to  Beaver  Creek. 
Mar.  13,  1770.  David  Looney,  from  Beaver  Creek  to  Fall  Creek. 
Jan.      6,  1773.  Andrew  Colvill,  from  Eighteen-Mile  Creek  to  Beaver  Creek. 
Jan.      6,  1773.  Stephen  Jordan,  from  Beaver  Creek  to  Steel's  Creek. 
Jan.      6,  1773.  David  Steel,  from  Steel's  Creek  to  Muddy  Creek.  — -- 
Jan.      6,  1773.  Moses  Looney,  from  Muddy  Creek  to  county  line. 
Mar.     2,  1774.  Michael  Cregor,  from   S.   F.   Reed  Creek  to  crossing  below 

Jacob  Catherine's. 
Sept.    7,  1773.  Roger  Topp,  on  Holston  in  place  of  Stephen  Jordan's. 

FiNCASTLE  County,   1773-1777. 

Jau.  5,  1773.  Arthur  Bowen,  from  Seven-Mile  Ford  to  lower  end  Royal 

Oak. 

Jan.  5,  1773.  John  Hay,  from  lower  end  of  Royal  Oak  to  Alex.  Wiley's. 

Jan.  5,  1773.  Alex.  Wiley,  from  his  home  to  Wm.  Davis'. 

Jan.  5,  1773.  Wm.  Davis,  from  his  house  to  South  Fork  Reedy  Creek. 

Jan.  5,  1773.  James  I'inley,  from  Wm.  Davis'  to  McCall's  place. 

July  6,  1773.  James  Smith,  from  Castlewoods  to  Elk  Garden. 

July  6,  1773.  David  Cowan,  from  Castlewoods  to  Elk  Garden. 

July  6,  1773.  Wm.  Crabtree,  from  Town  House  to  Big  Lick. 

July  6,  1773.  Peter  Lee,  from  Big  Lick  to  Clinch  Mountain. 

July  6,  1773.  William  Campbell,  from  Seven-Mile  Ford  to  Big  Spring. 

July  6,  1773.  Wm.  Edmiston,  from  Big  Spring  to  James  Kincannon's. 

July  6,  1773.  Jas.  Bryan,  from  Kincannon's  to  Eighteen-Mile  Creek. 

July  6,  1773.  Jas.  Montgomery,  from  Eleven-Mile  Creek  to  his  home. 

July  6,  1773.  James  Young,  from  thence  to  Isaac  Riddle's. 

July  6,  1773.  Isaac  Riddle's,  from  thence  to  ford  of  Holston. 

Sept.  7,  1773.  John  Reed,  from  Eighteen-Mile  Creek  to  John  McKinley's. 

Aug.  3,  1774.  John  Shelby,  from  Watauga  road  in  room  of  Isaac  Riddle. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  Wm.  Calhoun,  from  Wylie's  Ford  to  Mill  Creek,  at  Royal 

Oak. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  Andrew  Bowen,  from  Royal  Oak  to  Seven-Mile  Ford. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  William  Story,  from  Seven-Mile  Ford  to  Grayson  Spring.3. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  Geo.  Adams,  from  Grayson  Springs  to  James  Kincannon's. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  David  Beattie,  from  Kincannon's  to  Bryan's  Fort. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  843 

Sept.  3,  1776.  James  Bryan,  from  Bryan's  Fort  to  Black's  Fort. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  Andrew  Colvill,  from  Black's  Fort  to  Beaver  Creek. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  John  Carmaek,  from  Beaver  Creek  to  Major  Bledsoe's. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  David  Steel,  from  Bledsoe's  to  the  Meeting  House. 

Sept.  3,  1776.  John  Adair,  from  Meeting  House  to  Amos  Eaton's. 


Washington  County,  1777-1784. 


Anderson,    Jacob. 
Allison,  Charles. 
Ayliott,  James. 
Anderson,  Benjamin. 
Bryan,    James. 
Berry,  Thomas. 
Berry,  James. 
Beattie,  Wm. 
Bates,  Joseph. 
Beattie,  John. 
Bowen,  Wm. 
Baylor,  John. 
Barnett,  Alexander. 
Buchanan,  George. 
Bates,  Wm. 
Bowen,  Chas. 
Breckenridge,  Alex. 
Bowles,  John. 
Buchanan,  Samuel. 
Berry,  John. 
Bradley,  John. 
Colvill,   Andrew. 
Cox,  John. 
Craig,  Robert. 
Craig,  David. 
Carmaek,  Cornelius. 
Cole,  Hugh. 
Clark,  George. 
Carter,  Thomas. 
Campbell,  Robert. 
Cunningham,  Jonath. 
Caldwell,  Thomas. 
Doolan,  James. 
Dorton,  Wm. 
Davis,  Andrew. 
Davis,  John. 


Doran,  James. 
Eaton,  Amos. 
Edmiston,  Robert. 
Edmiston,  John. 
Elliott,  Wm. 
Evans,  Andrew. 
Fowler,  James. 
Fulton,   Thomas. 
Funkhouser,  John. 
Fowler,  John. 
Finley,  George. 
Farris,  Isaac. 
Gray,  Benj. 
Gray,  Joseph. 
Gamble,  Josiah. 
Galbrath,  Arthur. 
Gamble,  James. 
Gilmore,  Wm. 
Griever,  Philip. 
Halbard,  Wm. 
Hay,  John. 
Halfacre,  Michael. 
Helter,  Abraham. 
Holland,  Wm. 
Heard,  Joseph. 
Hobbis,  Thomas. 
Hope,  Adam. 
Johnston,  Cui'tis. 
Kincannon,  Andrew. 
Kinkead,  John. 
Keewood,  John. 
Keewood,  Stephen. 
Lewis,  Aaron. 
Laughlin,  Alexander 
Linder,  Anthony. 
Montgomery,  Wm. 


Mahon,    David. 
McElwee,  James. 
McMillian,  Wm. 
Markland,  Wm. 
Oglesby,  Elisha. 
Outlaw,  Alexander. 
Piper,  James. 
Robinson,  Wm. 
Rice,  Heniy. 
Rosebrough,  Wm. 
Ramey,  Daniel. 
^Steel,  David. — 
Sharp,  John. 
Snoddy,  John. 
Scott,  Wm. 
Sproles,  James. 
Smith,  Wm. 
Smith,  Thomas. 
Scott,  Archibald. 
Smith,  John. 
Topp,  Roger. 
Tewell,  Obadiah. 
Teat,  Robert. 
Tate,  Wm. 
Tate,  Thomas. 
Vance,  Alexander. 
Vanhook,  Aaron. 
Wylie,  Alexander. 
Whitney,  Francis. 
White,  Solomon. 
Willoughby,  Andrew. 
Walker,  Wm. 
Wheeler,  James. 
Wood,  Jonathan. 
Young,  Daniel. 


844 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


MINISTERS  OF  THE  IVIETHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


Cunnin<rham,  Oscar  F.,    1837. 

Rogers.  Rui=isell  B.,   1839. 

CrisTOond,  John  M., 1840. 

Harris,  John  E.,   1840. 

Cunningham,  B.  K.,    1843. 

•Wiley,  E.  E., 1845. 

•Burnett,  Jackson  S., 1845. 

Brooks,  Archibald  T., 1847. 

♦Hickey,  Rufus  M.,   1851. 

•Wexler,  Edwin  P., 1853. 

•Dickey,  James  M.,  1856. 

•Davis,  James  A.,  1857. 

Stewart,  A.  D.,    1861. 

•Keys,  James,    1862. 

Fraley,  Francis  A.,   1863. 

•Harris,  W.  A.,   1863. 

Andrews,  G.  C,   1867. 

McCulloch,  J.  L.,  1870. 

Gobble,  Jonathan,    1871. 

Polk,  James  K.,   1872. 

•Atkins,  Daniel  H., 1874. 

Smith,  Robert  E., 1875. 

Cunningham,  John  R.,   1877. 

•Hoss,  E.  E., 1879. 

Wright,  Thomas,   1879. 

Bowman,   Uriah,    1879. 

Bean,  John  M., 1880. 

•Blake,  Eugene,   1880. 

•Leith,  W.  H.,   1882. 

Dyer,  M.  A.,   1884. 

Henderson,  W.  H., 1886. 

Todd,  I.  N.,  1886. 

•Munsey,  I.  N.,   1887. 

•Neal,  T.  G.,    1889. 

•Stradley,  Charles  L.,   1891. 

•Fisher,  C.  C,   1893. 

Barker,  C.  H.,   1896. 


Page,  Gabriel  F., 1837. 

Kelly,  John  M.,   1840. 

Ingle,  Willis,    1840. 

Atkins,  James,   1843. 

Alexander,  G.  W.,   1843. 

Gibson,  John  D.,   1845. 

•Longley,  Edmund,  1847. 

•Cunningham,  Wm.  G.  E., 1849. 

•Huffaker,  Jas.  U.  S., 1852. 

•McTeer,  John  M., 1853. 

•Bates,  Wm.  H.,    1857. 

*Stringfield,  J.  K.,    I860. 

•Munsey,  Wm.  E., 1861. 

•Smith,  Tobias  F., 1863. 

•Price,  R.  N.,  1863. 

Crumly,  T.  D.,   1867. 

Leonard,  Wilson,   1868. 

Davenport,  David,   1870. 

Tippens,  Hemy,  1872. 

Ingle,  A.  H.,   1873. 

Holt,  J.  H.,   1875. 

Rider,  Wm.,    1877. 

•AtKins,  James,   1878. 

Jordan,  J.  T.,   1879. 

•Maiden,  Geo.  A.,    1879. 

Pippin,  L  K,   1879. 

Grace,  John  E.,    1880. 

Crumly,  T.  J., 1882. 

Johnston,  G.  F., 1883. 

•Mort,  E.  W.,  1885. 

Kilgore,  J.  E.,    1886. 

Buekner,  R.  J., 1887. 

•Garden,  W.  C,   1888. 

•Maiden,  J.  M.,   1890. 

•Chambers,  J.  R.,    1892. 

•Barker,  S.  N.,  1894. 

Dye,  A.  v.,   1895. 


Presbyterian  Ministers. 


Cummings,  Charles,    1781. 

Craighead,  Thos.  Brown,   1782. 

Taylor,  Albert  G.,  1844. 

Morrison,  Levi  R.,    1847. 

Hodge,  Samuel,   1854. 

Caldwell,  Geo.  E.,   1865. 


Sullivan,  John  0., 1876. 

Rogers,  J.  W.,    1881. 

Brooks,  Ebenezer,    1781. 

McEwen,  Alexander,   1819. 

McChain,  James,   1844. 

King,  John  R.,   1848. 


*Methodist  Episcopal,  South. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


845 


Blackburn,  Andrew,    1857.      Briscoe,  J.  P.,   .. 

Carson,  James  C,   1872.      Henderlite,  R.  E., 

Protestant  Episcopal. 


..1878. 
..1896. 


McCabe,  James  D., 184G. 

Mobray,  Wm.,    1861. 

Mickle,  John  B.,   1868. 

McNabb,  John,   1876. 

Sykes,  J.  W., 188.5. 


Lee,  Henry  T.,   1854. 

Ingle,  Edward  A., 1864. 

Brooks,  Pendleton,    1871. 

Funstan,  James  B., 1882. 


Lawton,  John  W., 
Cosby,  Lewis  F.,  . 
Woods,  James  M., 
Butt,  Thomas,  . .  . 
Wilkinson,  J.  P.,  . 
Dameron,  H.  C,  . . 


Methodist  Protestant  Ministers. 

.  1837.  Roberts,  Zeb  C,  1897. 

.  1833.  Stinson,  Mandird,    1840. 

.  1842.  Rhor,  Philip,    1841. 

.  1849.  Barr,  Getf.  R.,    1842. 

.  1878.  Butt,  Henry  C,  1870. 

.  1881.  Musick,  A.  C,   1880. 

Christian  Ministers. 


Buck,  David  M.,    1849. 

Milliard,  Samuel  H.,   1853. 

Lindsay,  F.  E.  C,   1865. 

Pendleton,  W.  J.,  1875. 

Baptist 

Burgess,  Timothy,   1781 . 

Cockrell,   Simon,    1782. 

Senter,  Drury,    1819. 

Countiiss,  John,    1843. 

Patterson,  Andrew,   1844. 

Baker,  Shei-wood  M.,  M.  B.,   .  .1854. 

Lindsay,  C.  E.  W.,   1857. 

White,  B.  F.,  M.  B.,  1865. 

Phelps,  John,    1866. 

Spiller,  Richard,    1874. 

Buck,  E.  C,    1875. 

Mason,  H.   B.,    1879. 

Ross,  J.  H.,    1881. 

Richards,  J.  C, 18SG. 

Bellamy,  H.  W.,    1888. 

Upchurch,  M.  B.,  1888. 

Petty,  Thomas  H., 1888. 

Jones,  E.  D.,    1892. 

Cox,  Jesse  H.,   1892. 

Manual,  W.  F.,    1896. 

Baldwin,  Noah  C, . 

Woolsey,  Thomas,   1781. 

Frost,  John,    1784. 

Barker,  Joseph,   1840. 


Gobble,  John,   1851. 

Metcalf,  S.  P.,   1863. 

Foster,  John  W.,  1865. 

Ministers. 

Davenport,  Julius  T.,   1844 

Cole,  Uriah, 1850 

Speer,  James  0., 1857 

Wharton,  Morton  B.,  M.  B.,  ...  1862 

Fleenor,  Wm.  F.,   1866 

Talbert,  James  G., 1872, 

Armsted,  J.  M.,   1875 

Taylor,  Henry,   1877 

Smith,  David,  1880 

Hanner,  James  R., 1882 

Thomas,  W.  J., 1888 

Thomas,  John  F., 1888 

Thomas,  J.  W., 1888 

Morris,  J.  M.,  1890 

Fullen,  John  W.,   . 1892 

Edmondson,  T.  F., 1894 

Henderson,  W.  T.,   1898 

Colley,  Thomas  W.,  

Buck,  D.  T.,  Church  of  Dis.,  . . .  1880 

Masters,  J.  W., 1883 

Buck,  C.  S., 1884 

Hapgood,  Josephus, 1882 

Barnett,  Wm., 1884 

Howington,  W.  M.,   1884 


846 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 


Missionary  Baptist  Ministers. 

Edmondson,  Elijah, 1850.       Maiden,  Henry  A., 1871, 

Little,  L.  H., 1884.       Little,  Branson,   1888. 

Church  of  Christ  Ministers. 

Gentry,  E.  B.,    1895.       Chapman,  J.  W.,   1895. 

Campbell,  J.  A.,    189;). 


Handier,  Wm. 


Lutheran  Ministers. 

1839.       Brown,  Abel  J., 1852. 


Universalist  Ministers. 
Chambers,  Wm.  R., .' 1848. 

Reformer  Ministers.  • 
Snyder,  Jacob,  regular, 1783. 

Catholic  Ministers. 
Silvian,  Wm.,   1871.       Murray,  John,    1882. 


Oliver,  Emile, 1890. 

Burke,  P.  F., 1897. 


Toner,  George  H.,   1895. 


The  following  is  a  complete  table  of  the  candidates  for  President  of  the 
United  States  from  the  formation  of  our  government  to  date,  with  the  name 
of  the  party  to  which  they  were  attached: 


Partv. 


Year. 


No  party  1789. 

Federalist    1792. 

Federalist   1796 . 

Republican    1796. 

Republican    1800 . 

Federalist 1800. 

Republican    1804 . 

Federalist   1804. 

Republican    1808 . 

Federalist    1808. 

Republican    1808 . 

Republican    1812 . 

Federalist    1812. 

Republican    1816 . 

Feueralist   1816 . 

Republican    1820 . 

Opposition  1820 . 

Republican 1824 . 

Coalition   1824 . 

Republican    1824 . 

Republican    1824 . 


Candidates. 
.George   Washington ...  No   opposition. 

•  George   Washington.  .  .No   opposition. 

.  John  Adams   Elected. 

.  Thomas  Jefferson    Defeated. 

.  Thomas  Jefferson    Elected. 

■  John  Adams    Defeated. 

.  Thomas  Jefferson Elected. 

.  Charles  C.  Pinckney Defeated. 

•  James  Madison Elected. 

•  Charles  C.  Pinckney Defeated. 

•  George  Clinton Defeated. 

•  James  Madison    Elected. 

•  DeWitt  Clinton  Defeated. 

•  James  Monroe  Elected. 

.  Ruf uis  King   Defeated. 

•  James  Monroe   Elected. 

•  John  Q.  Adams   Defeated. 

.  Andrew  Jackson No  election. 

■  John  Q.  Adams No  election. 

.William 'II.  Crawford   ...No  election. 

•  Henry  Clay   No  election. 


Washington  CounUj,  1777-1870. 


847 


The  popular  election  not  resulting  in  any  candidate  having  a  majority 
of  the  electoral  vote,  the  election  devolved  upon  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives.    Adams  was  elected  on  the  tirst  ballot,  receiving  the  votes  of  thirteen 
States;  Jackson,  seven,  and  Crawford,  four  States. 
Party.  Year.  Candidates. 

Democratic 1828 .  .  .  .Andrew  Jackson    Elected. 

National  Republican 1828 .  .  .  .John  Q.  Adams   Defeated. 

This  is  the  first  election  at  wnich  the  party  name  Democrat  was  used. 
Previous  to  that  date  the  party  was  called  Republican  and  the  opposition 
Federalists. 


Party.  Year. 

Democratic    1832 .  . 

Republican    1832 .  . 

1832.. 

Anti-Masonic    1832 .  . 

Democratic    1836.  . 

Whig    1836.. 

Whig    ". 1836.. 

Whig    1836.. 

Whig    1836.. 

Whig    1840.. 

Democratic    1840 .  . 

Liberty   1840.. 

Democratic    1844 .  . 

Whig    1844.. 

Liberty    1844 .  . 

Whig    1848.. 

Democratic    1848 .  . 

Free  Soil    1848.. 

Democratic    1852 .  . 

Whig    1852.. 

Free  Democratic    1852.  . 

Democratic    1856 .  . 

Republican    1856 .  . 

American    1856 .  . 


Candidates. 

.  .Andrew  Jackson Elected. 

.  .  Henry  Clay    Defeated. 

.  .  John  Floyd   Defeated. 

.  .William  Wirt Defeated. 

.  .  Martin  Van  Buren   Elected. 

.  .William  Henry  Harrison  .  .  Defeated. 

.  .Hugh  L.  Wiiii^e   Defeated. 

.   Daniel  Webster   Defeated. 

.  .  W.  R.  Margerum Defeated. 

.  .W.  H.  Harrison   Elected. 

.  .Martin  Van  Buren   Defeated. 

.  .James  G.  Birney Defeated. 

.  .James  K.  Polk   Elected. 

.  .  Henry  Clay    Defeated. 

.  .  James  G.  Birney   Defeated. 

•  .  Zachary  Taylor   Elected. 

.  .  Lewis  Cass Defeated. 

.   Martin  Van  Buren   Defeated. 

•  .  Franklin   Pierce    p]lected. 

.  .  Winfield  Scott   Defeated. 

.  .John  P.  Hale   Defeated. 

•  ■  James  Buchanan    Elected. 

.    John  C.  Fremont Defeated. 

.  .  Millard    Filmore     Defeated. 


This  was  the  first  appearance  of  the  present  Republican  party  in  the  field 
of  national  politics.     Their  National  Convention  was  held  in  Philadelphia. 


Party.  Year. 

Republican    1860 .  . 

Democratic    1860 .  . 

Constitutional  Union   I860.. 

Independent  Democratic  ...  I860.. 

Republican    1864 .  . 

Democratic    1864 .  . 

Republican    1868  .  .  , 

Democratic    1868 .  . 


Candidates. 

Abraham  Lincoln    Elected. 

.  J.  C.  Breckenridge   Defeated. 

John  Bell    Defeated. 

.  Stephen  A.  Douglas   Defeated. 

■  Abraham  Lincoln    Elected. 

.  George  B.  McClellan Defeated. 

.U.  S.  Grant  Elected. 

■  H.  Seymour   Defeated. 


848 


Southwest  Virginia,  17J^6-1786. 


Party.  Year. 

Republican    1872 .  . 

Democratic  and  Liberty   . .  1872 . . 

Democratic   1872 .  . 

Opposition  Democratic 1872.  . 

Temperance   1872 .  . 

Opposition  Democratic  ....  1872.. 

Opposition  Democratic   ....  1872 .  . 

Opposition  Democratic  ....  1872.  . 

Republican    1876 .  . 

Democratic    1876 .  . 

Greenback   1876 . . 

Prohibition   1876 .  . 

Republican    1880.. 

Democratic   1880 .  . 

Greenback   1880.. 

Prohibition   1880.  . 

American    1880 .  . 

Democratic   1884 .  . 

Republican    1884 .  . 

Prohibition   1884 .  . 

Greenback   1884 . . 

Republican    1888 .  . 

Democratic    1888 .  . 

Prohibition    1888.  . 

Union  Labor 1888 .  . 

American    1888 .  . 

Union  Labor  1888 .  . 

Equal  Rights   1888 .  . 

Industrial  Reform 1888 .  . 

Democratic    1892 .  . 

Republican    1892 .  . 

People's    1892.  . 

Prohibition   1892.  . 

Socialist  Labor   1892 . . 

Republican    1896 .  . 

Democratic   1896 .  . 

Prohibition   1896 .  . 

People's   1896.  . 

Socialist  Labor   1896.  . 

National 1896.. 

National  Democrat 1896 .  . 


Candidates. 

.  U.  S.  Grant   Elected. 

.  H.  Greeley   Defeated. 

.  Chas.    O'Connor    Defeated. 

.Ihos.  A.  Hendricks    Defeated. 

.  James  Black Defeated. 

.  B.  Gratz  Brown Defeated. 

.  C.  J.  Jenkins   Defeated. 

.  David  Davis Defeated. 

.  R.  B.  Hayes   Elected. 

.  S.  J.  Tilden   Defeated. 

■  Peter  Cooper    Defeated. 

.  G.  Clay  Smith   Defeated. 

.  James  A.  Garfield   Elected. 

.  W.  S.  Hancock Defeated. 

•  J.   B.   Weaver    Defeated. 

.  Neal  Dow   Defeated. 

.John  W.  Phelp% Defeated. 

.  Grover  Cleveland Elected. 

.  J  ames  G.  Blaine   Defeated. 

.J.  P.  St.  John   . Defeated. 

.B.  F.  Butler Defeated. 

.  Benjamin  Harrison Elected. 

.  Grover  Clevel  nd    Defeated. 

•  C.  B.  Fisk Defeated. 

.  A.  J.  Streeter Defeated. 

.J.  L.  Curtis   Defeated. 

.  R.  H.  Cowdrey    Defeated. 

.  Belva  Lockwood    Defeated. 

.  A.  E.  Redstone    Defeated. 

■  Grover  Cleveland    Elected. 

.  Benjamin  Harrison    Defeated. 

.J.  B.  Weaver Defeated. 

.  J.   Bidwell    Defeated. 

.  Simon   Wing    Defeated. 

.  William  McKinley    Elected. 

.  William  J.  Bryan    Defeated. 

•  J.   Levering    Defeated. 

.  W.  J.  Bryan   Defeated. 

.  C.  B.  Matchett    Defeated. 

.  C.   E.  Bentley    Defeated. 

.  J.   M.   Palmer    Defeated. 


The  Vice-President  has  succeeded  the  President  on  five  occasions,  by  reason 
of  the  President's  death  in  each  case.  Tyler  succeeded  Harrison  in  1841; 
Fihnore,  Taylor  in  1850;  Johnson,  Lincoln  in  1865;  Arthur,  Garfield  in 
1881,  and  Roosevelt,  McKinley  in  1901. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  849 

LIST  OF  VICE-PRESIDENTS. 
Name.  State.         Political  Party.  Qualified. 

John  Adams    Mass Federalist    June   3,  1789. 

John  Adams   Mass Federalist    Dec.   2,  1793. 

Tliomas  Jefferson Va Dem.-Republican   ....  March  4,  1797. 

Aaron  Burr  N.  Y Dem.-Republican   ....  March  4,  1801. 

George  Clinton N.  Y Dem.-Republican   ...  March  4,  1805. 

George  Clinton N.  Y Dem.-Republican   ....  March  4,  1809. 

Elbridge  Gerry Mass Dem.-Republican March  4,  1813. 

Daniel  D.  Tompkins N.  Y Dem.-Republican   ....  March  4,  1817. 

Daniel  D.  Tompkins N.  Y Denr.-Republican   ....  March  5,  1821. 

John  C.  Calhoun S.  C Dem.-Republican   ....  March  4,  1825. 

John  C.  Calhoun S.  C Dem.-Republican March  4,  1829. 

Martin  Van  Buren   N.  Y Democratic    March   4,  1833. 

Richard  M.  Johnison Ken Democratic    March  4,  1837. 

John  Tyler   Va Elected  by  Whigs    .  .   March  4,  1841. 

George  M.  Dallas, Penn Democratic    March  4,  1845. 

Millard  Filmore    N.  Y Whig    March   4,  1849. 

Wm.  R.  King Ala Democratic    March  4,  1853. 

John  C.  Breckenridge Ky Democratic    March  4,  1857. 

Hannibal  Hamlin   Maine.  .  .  .Republican    March   4,  1861. 

Andrew  Johnson Tenn Republican    March   4,  1865. 

Schuyler  Colfax   Ind Republican    March   4,  1869. 

Henry  Wilson Mass Republican    March   4,  1873. 

Wm.  A.  Wheeler N.  Y Republican    March   5,  1877. 

Chester  A.  Arthur N.  Y Republican    March   4,  1881. 

Thomas  A.  Hendricks   Ind Democratic    March  4,  1885. 

Levi  P.  Morton   N.  Y Republican    March  4,  1889. 

Adlai  E.  Stevenson Ill Democratic    March   4,  1893. 

Garrett  A.  Hobart N.  J Republican    March   4,  1897. 

SUPREME   COURT,   CHIEF  JUSTICES   AND   ASSOCIATE   JUSTICES. 

Chief  Justices.      Associate  Justices.     State.                   Term  of  Service. 
John  Jay    N.  Y 1789  to  1795. 

John  Rutledge S.   C 1789.     Declined. 

William  Gushing Mas.s 1789  to  1810. 

Robert  H.  Harrison   ■   Maryland     1789  to  1790. 

James  Wilson    Pa 1789  to  1798. 

John  Blair Va 1789  to  1796. 

James   Iredell    N.   C .1790  to  1799. 

Thomas  Johnson   Maryland     1791  to  1793. 

William  Paterson   N.   J 1793  to  1806. 

John  Rutledge.  .  .   (Not  confirmed.)     S.   C 1795  to  1795. 

William  Gushing Mass 1796.     Declined. 

Samuel  Chase   Maryland     1796  to  1811. 

Oliver  Elsworth Conn 1796  to  1800. 

Bushrod  Washington .  .  Va 1798  to  1829. 

Alfreu  Moore N.  C 1799  to  1804. 


850  Southwest   Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Chief  Justices.     Associate  Justices.     State.  Term  of  Service. 

Jolin  Jay   N.  Y 1800.     Declined. 

John  Marshall Va 1801  to  1835. 

William  Johnson    .  .  .  .  S.    C 1804  to  1834. 

Brockholst  Livingston,  N.  Y 1807  to  1823. 

Thomas   Todd    Ky 1807  to  1826. 

Levi  Lincoln    Mass 1811.     Declined. 

John  Quincy  Adams     .Mass 1811.     Declined. 

Joseph  Ston-    Mass 1811  to  1845. 

Gabriel  Duvall   . Marj-land     1811  to  1835. 

Smith  Thompson N.  Y 1823  to  1843. 

Robert  Trimble Ky 1826  to  1828. 

John  McLean   Ohio    1829  to  1861. 

Henry  Baldwin    Fa 1830  to  1844. 

James  M.  Wayne   Ga 1835  to  1867. 

Roger  B.  Taney .  .  .* Maryland     1836  to  1864. 

Philip  P.  Barbour Va 1836  to  1841. 

William   Smith    Ala 1837.     Declined. 

John   Catron    Tenn 1837  to  1865. 

John  McKinley    Ala 1837  to  1852. 

Peter  V.  Daniel V^a 1841  to  1S60. 

Samuel   Nelson    N.  Y 1845  to  1872. 

Levi  Woodbury M.  H 1845  to  1851. 

Robert  C.  Grier Pa 1846  to  1870. 

Benjamin  R.  Curtis   .  .Mass 1851  to  1857. 

John  A.  Campbell  .  .  .  .Ala 1853  to  1861. 

Nathan   Clifliord    Maine    1858  to  1881. 

Noah  H.   Swayne    Ohio    1862  to  1881. 

Samuel  F.  Miller Iowa    1862  to  1890. 

David  Davis  Ill 1862  to  1877. 

Stephen  J.  Field   Cal 1863  to  1897. 

Salmon  P.  Chase Ohio    1864  to  1873. 

"Edwin  U.  Stanton    .  . Pa 1869. 

William  Strong Pa 1870  to  1880. 

Joseph  P.  Bradley   .  .  .N.   J 1870  to  1892. 

Ward  Hunt    N.  Y 1872  to  1886. 

Morrison  R.  Waite Ohio    1874  to  1887. 

John  M.  Harlan   Ky 1877  to  . 

William  B.  Woods   .  .  .Ga 1880  to  1887. 

Stanley  Matthews Ohio    1881  to  1889. 

Horace  Gray   Mass 1881  to  1902. 

Samuel  Blatchford   ...N.  Y ..1882  to  1893. 

Lucius  Q.  C.  Lamar  .  .Miss 1888  to  1893. 

MelviTle  W.  Fuller Ill , . . 1888  to  . 

David   J.   Brewer    . .  .  Kan 1889  to  . 

Henry  B.  Brown Mich. 1891  to  . 

George  Shiras,  Jr.    ...  Pa 1892  to  . 

Howell  E.  Jackson   .  .  .Tenn 1893  to  1895. 

Edward  D.  White La     1894  to  . 

Joseph  McKenna    Cal.  1898  to  . 


*  Died  bpfore  his  commission  took  eflect. 


Washington  County^  1777-1S70.  851 

CENSUS  OF  VIRGINIA— 1900. 

Total  i)oi3ulation  of  Virginia  classified  by  color,  age  and  literacy,  1900: 

White  Popuxation. 

Total    white    1,192,855 

White  males  over  twenty-one  years    301,379 

White  males  under  twenty-one  years   300,617 

White  females  over  twenty-one  years 297,292 

White  females  under  twenty-one  years    293,567 

Total  wiiue  literate 1,094,695 

White  illiterate    98,160 

Total  white  population  over  twenty-one  years,  598,671 

Total  white  under  twenty-one  years   594,184 

Colored  Population. 

Total  colored    660,722 

Colored  males  over  twenty-one  years    146,122 

Colored  males  under  twenty-one  years    177,337 

Colored  females  over  twenty-one  years    155,306 

Colored  females  under  twenty-one  years   ....  181,957 

Colored    literate     446,886 

Colored    illiterate    213,836 

Total  colored  over  twenty-one  years    301,428 

Total  colored  under  twenty-one  vears    369,294 


CENSUS  OF  WASHINGTON  COUNTY— 1790-1900. 

1790 5,625                 1800 9,530 

1810 12,1.56                1820 12.444 

1830 15,614                 1840 13,001 

1850 14,612                1860 16.892 

1870 16,816                1880 25,203 

1890 26,118                1900 28,995 

Bt  Districts — 1890-1900.                                1900.  1890. 

Abingdon  district,  including  Abingdon  town 5,569  5,506 

Abingdon    town     1,306  1,67-4 

Glade  Spring  district,  including  Glade  Spring  town 3,490  3,316 

Glade   Spring  town    304  500 

Goodson  district    4.846  7,456 

Holston   district    3,593  2,485 

Kinderhook  district    4,438  3,934 

>Jorth    Fork    district    3.349  3,214 

Saltville  district,  including  part  of  Saltville  town 3,710  3,109 

Saltville  town,  part  rf   173  • 


852  Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 

Population  of  Towns  and  Cities  of  Washington  County— 1900. 

Abingdon. 

1870 715 

1880 1,064 

1890 1,674 

1900 1,306 

Mendota. 
1880 112 

Glade  Spring. 

1880 262 

1890 500 

1900 304 

Bristol,  Virginia. 

1880 1,562 

1890 2,902 

1900 4,579 

Wallaces  Switch. 

1880 137 

1890 407 

Mendota,  Wallaces  Switch  and  Meadow  View  are  all  unincorporated,  con- 
sequently the  population  of  these  places  was  not  returned  iseparately  in 
1900.    Meadow  View  does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  census  reports. 

Population  of  Several  Towns  and  Counties  in  Southwest,  Va. — 1900. 

Gladeville  (or  Wise) 511       Clinchport    183 

Norton 654      Duffield     98 

Tacoma   247       Abingdon   1,306 

Bond    295       Glade  Spring 304 

Coeburn    295       Lebanon   335 

Big  Stone  Gap 1,617       Honaker    295 

East  Stone  Gap  349      Saltville 1,051 

Gate  City   521       Marion    2,045 

We  give  in  connection  with  the  above  the  population  of  some  of  our  South- 
western counties: 

Wise    19,653  Dickenson   7,747 

Lee    19,853  Russell    18,031 

Scott    22,694  Washington    28,995 

Buchanan   9,692  Tazewell    24,384 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70. 


853 


FIXCASTLE  COUNTY. 

Militia  Officers,  1770-1777. 

Lieutenant-Colonel — Wm.  Christian. 
Lieutenant  of  Militia — Wm.  Inglis,  John  Byrd. 
Lieutenant-Colonel — James  Robertson,  Wm.  Christian. 
Major — Walter  Crockett. 


Daniel  Trigg, 
Thomas  Madison, 


Captains. 


Joseph  Cloyd, 
John  Tavlor. 


Samuel  Campbell, 


Lieutenants. 

William  Inglis. 


WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 

Militia  Officers,  1777-1780. 

1777.  County  Lieutenant — Arthur  Campbell. 

Colonel — Evan  Shelby. 
Lieutenant-Colonel — Wm.  Campbell. 
Major — Daniel  Smith. 

1780.  Colonel — Wm.  Campbell. 
Lieutenant-Colonel — Daniel  Smith. 
Major — Wm.  Edmiston. 

1781.  1st  Battalion:   Colonel — Wm.  Campbell. 

Lieutenant-Colonel — Wm.  Edmiston. 
Major — Aaron  Lewis. 
2d  Battalion:   Colonel— Daniel  Smith. 

Lieutenant-Colonel — Joseph  Martin. 
Major — Thomas  Mastin. 

1782.  1st  Battalion:   Colonel — Wm.  Edmiston. 

Lieutenant-Colonel — Aaron  Lewis. 
Major — James  Dysart. 


Adams,  George. 
Anderson,   John. 
""  Buchanan,  Robert,  Sr. 
Bowen,  Wm. 
Bowen,  Arthur. 
Beattie,  David. 
Barnes,  Alexander. 


Captains. 
Black,  Joseph. 
Barnett,  Alexander. 
V    Buchanan,  Samuel. 
Bowen,  Robert. 
Campbell,  John    (R. 
Christian,  Gilbert. 
Campbell,  John. 


0.) 


Craig,  Robert. 
Colvill,  Andrew. 
Caldwell,  Thos. 
Cock,  Charles. 
Cole,  Joseph. 
Crabtree,  Jamea. 
Cowan,  Andrew. 


854 


Southwest  Virginia.  ITJ^G-ITSO. 


Cowan,  William. 
Duiikin,  John. 
Dysart,  James. 
Davis,  John. 
Deniston,  Eobert. 
Davis,  Robert. 
Edmiston,  Wm. 
Tulkerson,  James. 
Frazier,  John. 
Fulkerson,  Richard. 
Head,  Wm. 


Jamison,   John. 
Kincannon,  Andrew. 
Kinkead.  John. 
Keys,  James. 
Lewis,  Aaron. 
Lowry,  John.  ^- 
Lyon,  Hnmberson. 
Martin,  Joseph. 
Montgomery,  J  a  m  es. 
Maistin,  Thoma>s. 
]\Iaxwell,  George. 


Xeal.  Wm. 
Xewell,   Samuel. 
Robertson,  James. 
Ritchie,  Alexander. 
Russell,   William. 
Snoddy,  John. 
Shelby,  John,  Sr. 
Shelby,  James. 
Smith,  Heniy. 
Trimble,  Robert. 
Willoughby.  Wm. 


Anderson,  John. 
Allison,  Chas. 
Buchanan,  John. 
Beattie,  David. 
Blackburn,  Wm. 
Berry,   John. 
Black,  Joseph. 
Bishop,  Levi. 
Buckner,  Joshua. 
Blackmore,  Wm. 
Boran,  Bazil. 
Buchanan,  Robert. 
Bartlett,  Wm. 
Coulter,  John. 
Camjjbell,   Chas. 
Cowan,  Wm. 
Crawford,  Hugh. 
Campbell,  Patrick. 
Campbell,  Robert. 
Cole,  Thomas. 
Cowan,  Andrew. 
Davis,  John. 


Bickley,  Chas. 
Berry,  Thomas. 
Buchanan,   Samuel. 
Beattie,  John. 
Barnett,  Alexander. 
Bowen,  Arthur. 
Bowen,  Rees. 
Blackmore,   Wm. 
Campbell,  Robert. 
Carpenter,  John. 
Caiiipbell,  Hu^h. 


Lieutenants. 

Davidson,  Wm. 
Dickenson,  Henry. 
Elliott,  Jajiies. 
Edmiston,  Robert. 
Freeland,  George. 
Fulkerson,  James. 
Frazer,  John. 
Finley,  George. 
Fi'azer,  Daniel. 
Farris,  Thomas. 
Hays,  Samuel. 
Huston,  James. 
Houston,  John. 
Jamison,  John. 
Kincannon,  Andrew. 
Keys,  James. 
Leeper,   James. 
Looney,  Moses. 
Lyon,  Humberson. 
Lyon,  William. 
McCulloch,  Thomas. 
Maxwell,  James. 

Ensigiis. 
Crabtree,  James. 
Casey,  Wm. 
Campbell.  Patrick. 
Crockett,  Wm. 
Davidson,  Daniel. 
Dryden,  Nathaniel. 
Dorton,  Wm. 
Doran,  Alexander. 
Davis,  Robert. 
Davis,  John. 
Davidson,  Wm. 


^Maxwell,  George. 
Montgomery,  Alexander. 
Newell,  Samuel. 
Neil,  Wm. 
Price,   Thoma.s. 
Pitman,  Wm. 
Patterson,  ^^'m. 
Perrin,  Joseph. 
Rosebrougli,  Wm. 
Robinson,  John. 
Rucker,   Joshua. 
Roberts,  James. 
Renen,  James. 
Snoddy,  John. 
Scott,  William. 
Scott,  Archibald. 
Scott,  Joseph. 
Topp,  Roger. 
Thompson,   ^Vm. 
Ward,  David. 
Wylie,  Alexander. 
Willoughby,  Wm. 


Dickenson,  Henry. 
Edmiston,  Robert. 
Elliott,  James. 
Goff,  Andrew. 
Greer,  Wm. 
Gibson,   George. 
Henegar,  Jacob. 
Houston,  James. 
Henegar,  John. 
Kennedy,   John. 
Kincannon,  Matthew. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


855 


Lowiy,  John.         '' 
Leeper,  James. 
Lewis,  John. 
Looney,  John. 
Litton,  Solomon. 
McCutcheon,  John. 
McCutcheon,  Wm. 
McCutcheon,  Samuel. 
McClelland,  Abraham. 
McFerrin,  John. 


McFarland,  Eobert. 
Main,    Tobias. 
Neil,  Wm. 
Xewland,  Isaac. 
Roberts,  James. 
Russell,  Robert. 
Rhea.  Joseph. 
Rosebrough,  Wm. 
Ritchie,   Alexander. 


Ramsey,  Josiah. 
Shaw,  John. 
Steele,  John. 
Smith,  Henry. 
Teeter,  George. 
Vanhook,   Samuel. 
Vance,  James. 
Whitten,  Thomas. 
Young.  Wm. 


WASHINGTON  COUNTY. ' 
REVOLrXIOXAKY  SOLDIERS,  1776-1783. 


Allen,  Moses. 

Alexander,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
Alexander,  Jeremiah,  King'iS  Mountain. 
Alexander,  Olivei",  King's  Mountain. 
Anderson,  William,  King's  Moiuitain. 
Anderson,  Jacob,  King's  Mountain. 
Anderson,  John,  King's  Mountain. 


Buckner,  William,  Virginia  Line. 

Burke,  .John,  First  Maryland  Regiment  and  Ninth  Virginia  Regiment. 
Barker,  Edmiuid,  King's  JNIountain,  Mrginia  Continental. 
Barker,  Enoch,  King's  Mountain. 
Barker,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 
Barker,  Joel,  King's  Mountain. 
Barker,  Edward,  King's  Mountain. 
Barker,  Henry,  King's  Mountain. 
Blackburn,  Arthur,  King's  Mountain. 
Blackburn,  .John,  King's  Mountain. 
Blackburn,  Joiseph,  King's  Mountain. 
Blackmore,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Blackburn,  William,  King's  Mountain.    Killed.    Lieutenant. 
Bowen,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Son  of  Rees  Bowen. 
Bowen,  William,  King's  ^Mountain.     Captain. 
Bowen,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 
Bowen,  Henry,  King's  Mountain. 
Bowen,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 

Bowen,  Rees,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.    Lieutenant.     Commanded  a  com- 
pany. 

Bowen,  Arthur,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 
Browning.  Enas,  King's  Mountain. 
Brown,  Michael,  King's  Mountain. 
Boran,  Bazil,  King's  Mountain. 


856  Southwest  Virginia,  171^6-1786. 

Brush,  Enoch. 

Bishop,  Levi,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Brown,  Low. 

Boiling,  Jarrett. 

Brooks,   William. 

Beard,  Richard,  First  Virginia  Eegiment.     Captain  Campbell's  Company. 

Berry,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Berry,  Tliomas.    Wounded  by  Indians  September  4th,  177G. 

Beny,  Bradley.  Died  in  service.  Fourth  Virginia  Eegiment.  Yellow 
Spring,  Pa. 

Blackmore,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Burney,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Seattle,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign.     Killed. 

Beattie,  David,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Beattie,  Francis,  King's  Mountain. 

Beattie,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Bickley,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 

Benning,  Benoni,  King's  Mountain.     Wounded  three  times. 

Bullen,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Beane,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Buchanan,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Buchanan,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Breckenridge,  Alex.,  King's  Mountain.  Captain  Continental  Line,  Rus- 
sell's Regiment. 

Breckenridge,  George,  King's  Mountain.     Twelve  years  old. 

Breckenridge,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Black,  Joseph,  King's  Mountain. 

Barnes,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Bartlett,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Bamett,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Buchanan,  John.     Captain  Continental  Line.     Killed  1777. 

Bowman,  Esaius,  King's  Mountain. 

Craig,  Robert,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Craig,  Robert,  Jr.,  King's  Mountain. 

Carson,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

Craig,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Clark,  George,  King's  Mountain. 

Corry,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Killed. 

Colley,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Campbell,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

Cock,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Cock,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 

Campbell,  William,  Jr.,  King's  Mountain. 

Campbell,  William,  King's  Mountain.    Colonel. 

Crow,  James,  Iving's  Mountain. 

Carpenter,  John,  King's  Mountain. 


^yaslungton  County,  1777-1S70.  857 

Craig,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 
Craig,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

Cusick,  John,  King's  Mountain,     ^^"ounded  \Yhitsill's  Mill. 
Colvill,  AndreAV,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Colvill,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain.     Wounded.     Died  November  20,  1780. 
Campbell,  Robert,  King's  Mountain.     Wovmded  Long  Island.     Ensign. 
Campbell,  Hugh,  King's  Mountain. 
Campbell,  Patrick,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 
Cowan,  Andrew,  King's  ^Mountain. 
Cowan,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 
Curry,  James,  King's  Mountain. 
Cook,  Henry,  Second  Virginia  Regiment. 
Conn,  W.  Y.,  North  Carolina  Militia. 
Cline,  Andrew,  Virginia  Militia. 
Crunk,  William,  King'iS  Mountain. 
Cole,  Hugh.    Died  in  Continental  service. 
Crawford,  John  R. 
Carmack,  William. 

Cock,  William.     Captain  battle  Long  Island  Flats. 
Carson,  John. 
Colvitt,  Joseph   (S.  C). 
Carswell,  Andrew,  King's  Mountam. 
Cole,  William. 

Cole,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 
Cole,  Joseph,  King's  Mountain. 

Cunningham,  William.  \ 

Cunningham,  Jonathan. 
Cuddy,  John. 
Cuddy,  James. 

Campbell,  John.     Commander  of  Indian  Spick,  1790-1794. 
Campbell,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 
Crabtree,  James,  King's  Moinitain.     Captain. 
Crabtree,  Jacob. 

Cope,  John,  King's  Mountain.    Continental  Army.    Substitute  for  Mathiak. 
Harman. 

Caldwell,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Casey,  William. 

Crockett,  William. 

Crock,  William.     Ensign.    King's  Mountain. 

Davison,  Daniel,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Davison,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Davenport,  Claiborne,  Seventh  and  Fifth  Virginia  Regiments. 

Doran,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Doran,  Terance,  Ninth  and  First  Virginia  Regiments. 

Doran,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Dunkin,  John.     Prisoner  in  Canada. 


858  Southwest  Virginia,  1740-17SG. 

Dryden,  Natliaiiiel,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.     Ensign. 

Dufl',  8anuiel,  King's  Mountain. 

Diyden,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Dryden,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Dolberry,  Lytton.  « 

Dysart,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Dickerson,  Henry,  King's  Mountain.     Private  Captain  Colvill's  Company. 

Dennison,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Dorton,  William,  Jr.,  King's  Mountain. 

Davis,  John,  King's  Mountain.    Captain. 

Davis,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Dorton,  Moses,  King's  Mountain.     Horse  killed  Whitsill's  Mill. 

Douglas,  Jonathan,  King's  Mountain.     Wounded  accidentally. 

Darnel,  David,  King's  Mountain.     Wounded. 

Duck,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Daviis,  Nathaniel,  King's  Mountain. 

Davis,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Douglas,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Dunn,  Samuel,  Continental  Line  at  Yorktown. 

Edmiston,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.     Captain. 

*Edmiston,  Robert,  Jr.,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.     Lieutenant. 

Edmiston,  Andrew,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.     Captain. 

Estill,  Benjamin,  King's  Mountain. 

Eakin,  William. 

Evans,  David,  Virginia  Line,  April  19,  1780. 

Evans,  Evan,  King's  Mountain,  Guilford  Courthouse. 

Ely,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Evans,  Andrew,  King's  Mountain. 

Evans,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Edmiston,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Edmiston,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

England,  John,  Virginia  Continental. 

Elder,  Robert. 

Edmiston,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Edmiston,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Edmiston,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Major. 

Elliott,  James.     Captain.     Killed  in  service,   1780. 

Finley,  John.     Wounded  Long  Island  Flats. 
Fleenor,  Michael,  Virginia  Militia. 
Fleenor,  Joel,  King's  Mountain. 
Fleenor,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 
Fulkerson,  Janles,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 
Fulkerson,  Richard,  King's  Mountain. 
Fisher,  Frederick,  King's  Mountain.    Wounded. 


*Shot  by  British  guard  beto.    ihe  action  began. 


Washington  Couniy,  1717-1870.  859 

Fowler,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Killed. 

Fowler.  James.  King's  Mountain.     Noted  scout  Continental  service  undsr 
Colonel  William  Eussel,  Fort  Blair. 
Fields,  William,  Virginia  Militia. 
Frazer,  Daniel,  King's  Mountain. 
Frazer,  John,  King's  Mountain. 
Faris,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 
Francis,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 
Freeman,  William,  Virginia  Line. 
Fletcher,  Thomas,  King's  JNIountain. 
Finley,  George,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 
Fork,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Gervis,  James,  Ninth  Virginia  Regiment. 

Gist,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Gilbert,  Samuel. 

Gray,  Alexander. 

Galliher,  Joel,  King's  Mountain.     Horse  killed  in  fight. 

Gillespie,  I'homas,  King's  Mountain. 

Gist,  Nathaniel,  King's  Mountain.     Killed. 

Given,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Gist,  Richard,  King's  Mountain. 

Gibson,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Gibson,  George,  King's  Mountain. 

Gibson,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Graham,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Grimes,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Gobble,  Christian,  Maryland  Militia. 

Gilliland,  James,  Virginia  Militia,  King's  Mountain. 

Greer,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Grier,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Goff,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Goft,  Andrew,  King's  Mountain.    Ensign.  V, 

Harrell,  Reuben,  King's  Mountain. 

Henegar,  Henry,  King's  Mountain.    Killed. ' 

Henegar,  Jacob,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Henegar,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Hyce,  Leonard,  King's  Mountain.    Wounded. 

Hayter,  Israel,  King's  Mountain.     Wounded. 

Hobbs,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain  and  Cherokee  Expedition.     Wounded. 

Hamilton,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Hemphill,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 

Higganbottom,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Hall,  Jesise,  King's  Mountain. 

Howard,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Hinds,  William,  Second  Regiment  Artiller' 


860  Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf6-17S6. 

Hunsuoker,  Abraham,  North  Carolina  Militia. 

Humphreys,  Robert,  Virginia  State  Line. 

Henderson,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Heliot,  Solomon,  Second  Virginia  Regiment. 

Houston,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Houston,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Henry,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Hortenstine,  Abraham,  King's  Mountain. 

Himt,  Zacariah. 

Harris,  Nathaniel. 

Hilliard,  James. 

Hughes,  Peter. 

Hillan,  James,  North  Carolina  Line,  King's  Mountain. 

Hobbs,  Ezekiel. 

Hamilton,  Alexander. 

Hughes,  Samuel. 

Hamilton,  John,  Virginia  Continental. 

Hampton,  John. 

Hundley,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Hughes,  John. 

Hamonds,  Abraham. 

Hensley,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Harkleroad,  Henry,  King's  Mountain. 

Hays,  Samuel.  King's  Mountain. 

Houston,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Johnston,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain.     Virginia  State  troops. 
Jamison,  John,  King's  ^Mountain.     Lieutenant. 
Jenkins,  Thomas,  King's  ^Mountain. 
Jenkins,  William,  King's  ]Mountain. 
Johnston,  Peter,  Lee's  Legion. 

Keeps,  James,  Sergeant,  King's  ]Mountain. 

Kilgore,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 

Keys,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Virginia  ^Militia.     Lieutenant. 

Kincannon,  Andrew,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Kincannon,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Kincannon,  ]\Latthe\v,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Kendrick,  Solomon,  King  s  Mountain. 

Kelly,  John. 

Kennedy,  Moses,  Virginia  Line,  April  10,  1780. 

Kennedy,  Robert.     Officer  Troop  of  Horse. 

Kennedy,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Kerr,  Adam,  King's  Mountain. 

Kinkead,  John,  King's  Molmtain.     Captain. 

Leonard,  Robert,  Second  Virginia  Regiment. 


Washington  County,  1777-1S70.  861 

Leonard,  Henry,  Second  Virginia  Regiment. 

Lewis,  Aaron,  King's  Mountain. 

Luisk,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Low,  Henry,  Fifth  Marj-land  Regiment,  1776  and  war  18r2-'14. 

Litton,  Solomon.    Prisoner  in  Canada.     Second  Lieutenant. 

Litton,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Leckie,  William,  Virginia  Militia. 

Logan,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Laird,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Color  Sergeant.     Killed. 

Laird,  James,  King's  Mountain.    Killed. 

Laird,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

Leonard,  Cleorge,  King's  Mountain. 

Lynn,  Adam,  King's  Moimtain. 

Lindsay,  John. 

Lyon,  Humberson,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant.     Killed. 

Leonard,  Frederick,  King's  Mountain. 

Lawson,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Lewis,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Loyd,  John,  King's  Mountain  and  Virginia  ]\Iilitia.  '  ^.- 

Lowry,  William,  King's  Mountain.  .^  ' 

Long,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Lowry,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Second  Lieutenant. 

Latham,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Leeper,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Second  Lieutenant. 

Looney,  Moses,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Looney,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Lyon,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Looney,  Robert,  King's  Moimtain.     Ensign. 

Livingston,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

Moore,  Arthur. 

Main,  Tobias,  King's  Mountain.    Ensign. 
Maxwell,  Nathaniel,  Pennsylvania  Militia. 
Moss,  Matthew. 
McKinley,  John. 

McCulloeh,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.     Lieutenant.     Commanded 
part  of  a  company. 

MeCulloch,  Robert,  King's  Mountain.    Wounded. 

Montgomery,  Richard,  King's  Mountain.     Virginia  Militia. 

Montgomery,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

McLain,  Thomas. 

Morgan,  Robert. 

Murdock,  John,  Virginia  Line. 

McCauley,  John,  Virginia  Line. 

McGhee,  Thomas. 

Mills,  Francis,  Virginia  Line. 

Maripn,  Samuel. 


862  Southwest  Yirf/inla.  17J,G-17S6. 

Morgan,  Thomas.     Disabled  in  service,  May  20,  1770. 
McXutt,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain. 
Muaser,  John. 
MeGochlin,  John. 
Mobley,  Francis. 
Miller,  John. 

McCulloch,  Jolm,  King's  Mountain.     Virginia  ^lilitia. 
McConnell,  Abram,  King's  Mountain. 
McGlochlin,  Charles. 

Moore,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Lost  right  leg;  wounded  left  arm. 
Maxwell,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

McCroskey,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Private  Captain   William   Beatie's 
Company. 
Martin,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Mc]\Iillen,  Alexander,  King's  INIonntain,  Whitsell's  Mill. 
McClelland,  Abraham,  King's  Mountain. 
McFerrin,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Montgomery,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain.     Saddle  lost  in  fight. 
McDonald,  Magnus,  King's  Mountain.     North  Carolina  Militia. 
McMillan,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
McHenry,  John,  King's  Mountain. 
McCutcheon,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
McFarland,  Eobert,  King's  Mountain. 
Maxwell,  George,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 
Maxwell,  James,  King's  Mountain. 
McCutcheon,  John,  King's  Mountain. 
McCutcheon,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 
Neely,  Robert. 

Newell,  Samuel,  Sr.,  King's  Mountain. 
Newell,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain.     Second  Lieutenant. 
Neil,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 
Newland,  Isaac.     Ensign. 

Oney,  Joseph. 

Outlaw,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain. 

Owens,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Pirtle,  George,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Pitman,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Perrin,  Joseph,  King's  Mountain. 

Preston,  Robert.     Excused  by  Colonel  Campbell  at  Watauga.* 

Phillips,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Killed.     Ensign. 

Preston,  Walter,  King's  Mountain. 

Purviance,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Piper,  James,  King's  Mountain. 


•But  three  days  married  at  the  time,  and  he  was  excused  by  Colonel  Campbell, 
without  Preston  s  knowledge. 


^Yashington  County.  1777-1S70.  863 

Pipjjin,  Robert,  King's  Mountain.     Virginia  Militia. 
Periy,  Solomon,  King's  Mountain. 
Pitts,  Lewis,  King's  Mountain. 
Price,  James,  King's  Mountain. 
Price,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Phillips,  Samuel,  King's  [Mountain.     Carried  message  from  Ferguson  to 
Shelby. 

Patterson,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
Poston,  Richard,  King's  Mountain. 
Pepper,  Elisha,  King's  Mountain.     Killed. 

Rust,  John,  Virginia  Militia. 

Ross,  Valentine.     Captain  Henry  Hill's  Virginia  Infantry. 

Pv.iley,  Daniel,  Virginia  Line,  Colonel  Russell's  Regiment. 

Roberts,  David. 

Roy,  Benjamin. 

Ramsey,  Josiah. 

Reamy,  Daniel,  King's  Mountain. 

Rose,  James. 

Russell,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant.    ^ 

Ritchie,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Ritchie,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Rhea,  Joseph,  King's  Mountain. 

Russell,  Robei-t,  King's  Mountain. 

Roberts,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Riley,  David,  Continental  Line,  Colonel  William  Russell's  Regiment. 

Reazer,  Peter,  King's  Mountain. 

Roberson,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Robinson,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Second  Lieutenant. 

Rosebrough,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Scott,  John,  Captain  Rowland  Madison's  Company.     Died  in  service. 

Stein,  Leonard.     Died  in  service,  1778. 

Statzer,  Martin.     Died  in  service. 

Scott,  Joseph,  Sr.,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Scott,  Joseph,  King's  Mountain. 

Shaver,  Michael.    Killed  Camden,  S.  C. 

Spiars,  John. 

Smith,  Francis,  Virginia  Continental  Line.     Lieutenant. 

Sharp,  Richard  E.,  King's  Mountain. 

Sharp,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Shatter,  John. 

Smith,  Edward. 

Stewart,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Smith,  John. 

Smith,  James,  King's  Mountain. 

Sloan,  William. 


864  Southtvest  Virgim-a,  17Jf6-17S6. 

Smith,  Daniel.     Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Sawyens,  John.     Ensign. 
Sword,  Michael. 

Sykes,  John,  Virginia  Continental. 
Skaggs,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Wounded. 
Stovall,  Bartholomew,  King's  Mountain. 
Scott,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain. 
Scott,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
Snodgrass,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
Smith,  Henry,  King's  Mountain. 
Stevenson,  John,  King's  Mountain. 
Self,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 
Scott,  Walter,  King's  Mountain. 
Scott,  Tliomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Sharp,  Benjamin,  King's  ^Mountain,  Guilford  Courthouse. 
Sharp,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
Snodgrass,  James,  King's  Mountain. 
Smith,  William,  King's  Mountain. 
Scott,   Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 
Scott,  Archibald,  King's  Moimtain. 
Scott,  Eobert,  King's  Mountain. 
Smith,  Jonas,  Virginia  Militia. 
Stuart,  John.     Wounded  Point  Pleasant. 
Snoddy,  John,  King's  Mountain. 
Shaw,  John. 
. —  Steele,  John,  King's  Mountain.     Enisign. 
Shote,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Tate,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Thomas,  David. 

Thacker,  Reuben. 

Talbert,  Charles,  King's  Mountain. 

Thompson,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Thompson,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Captain. 

Trimble,  Robert,  King's  Mountain. 

Treadway,  William,  Cherokee  Expedition,  1780. 

Topp,  Roger,  King's  Mountain. 

Teeter,  George,  King's  Mountain. 

Vance,  James,  King's  Mountain.     Enisign. 

Vance,  Samuel,  King's  Mountain. 

Vance,  John,  King's  Mountain. 

Vanhook,   Samuel,  King's  Mountain.     Ensign. 

Vermillion,  Jesse. 

Vineyard,  George.     At  Yorktown. 

Woodward,  Jacob,  Virginia  Line. 
Walker,   Wm. 
Wilson,  John. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  865 

■Widener,  Michael,  Virginia  Militia,  Continental  Line. 

Witten,  Thomas,  Sr. 

Welsh,  Robert,  Colonel  Richard  Parker's  Regiment. 

Watson,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

Woolsey,  Thomas,  King's  Mountain. 

Ward,  David,  King's  Mountain. 

White,  Benjamin,  King's  Mountain. 

Wynn,  William,  King's  Mountain. 

Willoughby,  William,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant.     Killed. 

Willoughby,  Matthew,  King's  Mountain. 

Whitten,  Solomon,  King's  Mountain. 

Wiley,  Alexander,  King's  Mountain.     Lieutenant. 

Yontz,  George,  King's  Mountain. 
Yearv',  Henry,  King's  Mountain. 
Young,  William,  King's  ^lountain. 
Young,  James,  King's  Mountain. 


NUMBER  OF  TROOPS  FURNISHED  BY  THE  STATES  DURIXG  THE 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

Continental  Armies.     Militia.  Total. 

New   Hampshire    12,497.  4,000.  16,497. 

Massachusetts     67,907.  20,000.  87.907. 

Rhode   Island    5,908.  4,000.  9,908. 

Connecticut 31,939.  9.000.  40,939. 

New   York    17,781.  10,000.  27,781. 

New  Jersey    10,726.  7,000.  17,726. 

Pennsylvania    25,678.  10,000.  35,678. 

Delaware     2,386.  1,000.  3,386. 

Maryland     13,912.  9,000.  22,912. 

Virginia     26,678.  30,000.  56,678. 

North  Carolina    7,263.  13,000.  20,263. 

South   Carolina    6,417.  20,000.  26,417. 

Georgia     2,679.  8.000.  10,679. 


231,771.  145,000.  376,771. 


WASHINGTON  COUNT  Y. 

Officers  in  the  Militia,  1812-1815. 
Colonel  105th  Regiment. 
Preston,  John. 
Captains. 
Miller,  Joseph.  Fulkerson,  Abram.  Dryden,  Nathaniel. 

Gray,  William.  Gibson,  John.  Hickman,  Michael. 

Scott,  James.  Bradley,  Reuben.  Ireson,  William. 

Smith,  William. 


8(5G 


Southwest  Vir(jini((.  111^6-1186. 


Scott,  James. 
Fulkerson,   John. 
Davanlt,  John. 
McGinn  is,  Samuel. 
Gray,  John. 
Talbott,  James. 
Beattie,  James. 
Patterson,  Andrew. 


Robinson,  Alex.,  Jr. 
Halkett,  John. 
Hickman,  George. 
Shaver,  Thomas. 
Henderson,  John. 
Beattie,  Armstrong. 
Hill,  Moses. 
Crabtree,  James. 


Lieutenants. 
Fleenor,  Adam. 
Mayo,  Peter. 
Crawford,  Jno. 
Shell,  Lewis. 
Wolf,  Jonas. 
Trigg,  Jos.  C. 
Scott,  Charles. 
Clark,  Job. 
Camjjbell,  David. 

Ensigns. 
Allen,  James. 
Edmond,  Henry. 
MjcConnell,  Thomas. 
Smith,  John. 
Bradshaw,  .Joseph. 
Edmiston,  Jos.,  Jr. 
Halfacre,  Michael. 
Langford,  Jonathan. 


McConnell,  Thomas. 
Parrott,  Henry. 
Shoer,  Jacob. 
Jordan,  Moses. 
Goodson,  Samuel  E. 
Laughlin,   Nath.   W. 
McConnell,  Wm. 
!McQuouni,  Thos. 


Currin,  Waddy  T. 
Laughlin,  N.  M. 
Campbell,  James,  Jr. 
Buchanan,  John. 
Carmack,  Joseph. 
Craig,  Robert  P. 
Nordyke,  Abram. 


Cornets. 
Clark,  John.  Willoughby,  Andrew. 

Colonels  lOtli  Regiment. 
^Francis  Preston    (promoted   Brigadier-General),     Tate,   Chas. 

Major. 
Byar.s,  Wm. 


Ganaway,  Robert. 
Harlev,  James. 


Bowen,  Arthur,  Jr. 
Ganaway,  Edmond. 
Edmiston,  Wm.    ■ 
Main,  Timothy. 
Henderson,  Andrew. 


Thomas,  Jos. 
Rylie,  Chas. 
Hathorn,  Robert. 


Beattie,  David. 


Captains. 
Trigg,  Jos.  C. 
Orr,  James. 
Apperson,  Wm. 

Lieutenants. 
]\ieek,  James,  Jr. 
Ireson,  Wm. 
McConnell,  Wm. 
McClellan,    Samuel. 
Loehr,  Jacob. 

Ensigns. 

Rouse,  Rufus. 
Talbert,  Chas. 
Beattie,  Samuel. 
Edmiston,  Sanuud. 

Cornets. 
McQuown,  Tliomais. 


Beattie,   Robert. 
Houston,  William. 


Crabtree,  James. 
Beattie,  James. 
Clark,   .John. 
Tate,  Wm.  C. 
Apperson,  Jolm. 


Trigg,  Joseph. 
McCarty,  Benj. 
McCulloch,  Thos. 


Smith,  Tobias. 


Thos.  W.  Colley,  Confederate  Soldier.     Confederate   l^attle  Flag. 
Confederate  Uniform. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870.  867 

WASHINGTON  COUNTY  CONFEDERATE  SOLDIERS,   1861-1865. 

WASHINGTON  MOUNTED  RIFLES. 

Company  "L,"  Afterwards  Company  "D,"  First  Regiment, 
Virginia  Volunteer  Cavalry. 


Ofjicers. 

William  E.  Jones,  captain   (afterwards  brigadier-general). 

W.  W.  Blackford,  first  lieutenant   (afterwards  captain). 

Rees  B.  Edmondson,  second  lieutenant. 

G.  V.  Litchfield,  Jr.,  third  lieutenant. 

James  King,  orderly  sergeant. 

C.  T.  Litchfield,  first  sergeant. 

Thomas  B.  Edmondson,  second  sergeant. 

James  M.  Byars,  third  sergeant. 

James  K.  Rambo,  first  corporal. 

John  A.  P.  Baker,  second  corporal. 

Jacob  L.  Fields,  second  corporal.     Appointed  June,  1861. 

Gilbert  C.  Greenway,  third  corporal. 

W.  M.  Hopkins,  color  sergeant  (colonel  25th  Virginia  Cavalry). 


Officers  at  Reorganization ,  1862. 
C.  T.  Litchfield,  captain. 
Rees  B.  Edmonason,  first  lieutenant. 
G.  V.  Litchfield,  second  lieutenant. 
T.  B.  Edmondson,  third  lieutenant. 
P.  C.  Landrum,  orderly  sergeant. 
M.  M.  S.  Ireson,  first  sergeant. 
M.  M.  Pendleton,  second  sergeant. 
P.  C.  Miles,  third  sergeant.     Killed  1863. 

C.  H.  Dulaney,  fourth  sergeant.     Killed. 

D.  A.  Fields,  first  corporal. 

Thomas  W.  Colley,  second  corporal.     Appointed  May  23,  1864. 

C.  M.  Waldron,  third  corporal. 

B.  Gilder  sleeve,  ordinance  sergeant  for  1st  Regiment  Virginia  Cavalry. 

S.  J.  McCliesney,  ordinance  sergeant  for  1st  Regiment  Virginia  Cavalry. 


Privates. 

Byars,  James  M.  Bailey,  Thomas  W.  Buchanan,  Randolph. 

Beatie,  R.  F.  Bailey,  Oscar  S.  Barker,     W.     D.      (trans- 

Beatie,    Fountain     (trans-  Bailey,  J.  A.,  Jr.  f erred  to  63d  Va.  Inf.; 

ferred  to  Mosby's  Com-  Baker,   Joe  H.  made      ordinance      ser- 

mand ) .  Baker,  J.  A.  P.  geant ) . 

Beattie,  Walter  D.  Butt,  J.  W.  Barr,  David. 


868 


Southwest  Virginia,  17 46-17 8G. 


Buskcll,  Alexander. 

Buskell,  Richard  ( trans- 
ferred Stuart's  Horse 
Artillery ) . 

Catron,  A.  P.  R. 

Clark,  M.  R. 

Clark,  W.  F.  P. 

Cole,  Thomas  V. 

Cole,  D.  C. 

Cassell,  Rufus  R. 

Colley,  Thomas  W. 

Colley,  L.  T. 

Crawford,  Ben  C. 

Crawford,  Thomas  C. 

Cook,  Frank  J. 

Cato,  J.  L. 

Davis,  John  G.  R. 

Dunn,  Wm.  L.    Doctor. 

Dulaney,  Charles  H. 

Deyerle,   J.    B. 

Edmondson,  M.  V. 

Euk,  Frank  J.  (Frenchman 
Capt.  Jones  brought 
him  from  France  with 
other  French  and  Ger- 
mans to  work  vine- 
yards. ) 

Edmondson,  T.  B. 

Findlay,  Frank  S. 

Fields,  C.  R. 

x'ields,  J.  L. 

Findlay,  T.  K. 

Fulkerson,  Frank  R.,  Rog- 
ersville,  Tenn. 

Gildersleeve,  B.,  Jr. 

Gray,  F.  T.,  captain  21st 
Cavalry,  1863. 


Gray,  R.  E. 

Gray,  D.  C. 

Gollihon,  J.  A. 

Gammon,  Melvin. 

Hockett,  John. 

Hockett,  William. 

Hubble,  Thos.,  Smji;h  Co. 

Ireson,  M.  M.  S. 

Jones,  Jasper  (transferred 
to   Mosby's    Command ) . 

Jones,  Henry  S. 

Johnson,  W.  M. 

Kelly,  S.  F. 

Larimore,  John. 

Lynch,  D.  C. 

Loggin,   John. 

Litchfield,  C.  T. 

Loggins,  J.  H. 

Meek,  S.  D. 

Montgomery,  Wm.  F. 

Morrell,  William  W. 

Morrell,  David  H. 

Morrell,  Charles. 

MclSTew,  Leander. 

McNew,  Tobias. 

McReynolds,  J.  M, 

McReynolds,  Wm.  (trans- 
ferred from  4th  Texas 
1861). 

McChesney,  S.  J. 

MaHaffey,  Wm.  A.  (trans- 
ferred to  Horse  Artil- 
lery  1861). 

Mosby,  John  S.  (after- 
wards colonel  Independ- 
ent Rangers ) . 

Moore,  David. 

Miles,    P.    C.     (killed    at 


Spotsylvania  C.  H. ). 

Ornduff,  John. 

Orr,  M.  C.  (discharged  for 
deafness ) . 

Page,  R.  M. 

Pendleton,  M.  M. 

Price,  Wm.  H.   (doctor). 

Roberts,  John  M. 

Rambo,  James  K. 

Rambo,  A.  F. 

Riddle,  James  W. 

Rush,   Jerry  C. 

Rusisell,  John,  Rogersville, 
Tenn. 

Robertson,  Frank  S.  (af- 
terwards Lieut.  48th  Va. 
Inf.). 

Rodefer,  J.  Alex,  (trans- 
ferred to  45th  Va.  Regi- 
ment ) . 

Sanders,  Robert  J.  (dis- 
charged  1863). 

Sanders,  J.  W.  S.  (trans- 
ferred to  Mosby's  Com- 
mand ) . 

Sandoe,  David  P. 

Scott,  William  E. 

Smith,  William  Buck. 

Smith,  Thomas  (trans- 
ferred to  45th  Va.  Regi- 
ment ) . 

Smith,  William. 

Snodgrass.  William  L. 

Shepherd,  Thomas  J. 

Vaughan,  William  W. 

White,  William  B. 

Williams,  Rufus  C. 


Members  who  volunteered  in  the  Washington  Mounted  Rifles,  and  ivho 
did  not  go  out  with  the  company — joined  other  commands. 

Dickerson,  J.  W.  P.                Skinner,  Daniel.  Hunt,  Stephen. 

MaHaflFey,  F.  C.                       Bittle,  Robert  L.  Clark,    Thomas    W.     (dis- 

Grant,  J.  T.                               Johnson,  William  M.  ability).    Sleepy  Tom. 

Cato,  J.  L.                                 Dorsey,  Elias.  Wright,  T.  D. 
Bowser,  J.  B. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


8G9 


Recruits  Which  Came  to  the  Company  from  1862  to  1865. 


Arnett,  James  A. 
Asberry,  Mansfield. 
Asberiy,   William. 
Asberry,  L.  D. 
Allison,  Abram. 
Bearden,  William. 
Bailey,    Walter. 
Bailey,  William. 
Butt,  Henry  C. 
Buchanan,   William. 
Bradley,  James  H. 
Black,    William    D.     (dis- 
charged 1862). 
Black,  Samuel  D. 
Byars,  A.  H.   (Old  Dad). 
Bryant,  John  W. 
Campbell,  John. 
Carmack,  D.  C. 
Catron,  Frank  M. 
Clark,  James  H. 
Clark,  William  D. 
Clark,  I.  L. 
Clapp,  T.  M. 
Crockett,  A.  M.,  Lee  Co. 
Cosby,  L.  T.,  1862. 
Colley,  William  L. 
Cosby,  John  D. 
Cubine,  William. 
Davis,  John  M. 
Davidson,  Thomas. 
DeBusk,  David. 
DeBusk,  Samuel. 
Duff,  T.  B. 
Duff,  J.  M. 
Edmondson,   John   B. 
Edmondson,  Strong. 
French,  J.  L.  M. 
Greenway,  W.  T. 
Gray,  Charles  P. 
Gray,  James. 
Grant,  Robert. 
Hall,  William  A. 
Hall.  John  D. 


Harris,  A.  Findlay. 

Hockett,  Samuel. 

Hickman,  R.  M. 

Hewlett,  Geo.,  Amherst 
county. 

Horn,  Basal. 

Jones,  Robert  M. 

Jones,  David  (transferred 
to  Mosby's  Command 
and  captured  by  Union 
men  and  hung  with  six 
comrades  by  order  Gen. 
Custer,  near  Fr't  Roy'l, 
in  1864.) 

Keesling,  M.  G.,  Wythe 
county. 

Keesling,  Emory,  Wytlie 
county. 

Keesling,  John,  Wythe 
county. 

Keller,  Robert  J. 

King,  H.  G.,  Wythe  Co. 

Latham,  M.  H. 

Latham,  L.  W. 

Ligon,  Ben.  D. 

Lowry,  David  ( color-bearer 
at  Appomattox;  remov- 
ed flag  from  staff,  con- 
cealed and  brought  it 
home  with  him). 

Lewark,  D.  K.  H. 

Littleford,  John. 

Littleford,  Willis. 

Meek,  James  R. 

Montgomery,  Lilburn. 

Morrison,  J.  L. 

McNew,  George. 

McChesney,    Wallace. 

Meadows,  M.  T. 

McConnell,  Tliomas. 

Munday,  M.  J.,  Madison 
county. 

Murray,  J.  H. 


MeCall,  Samuel,  Wythe 
county. 

Mead,  Wm.  (From  near 
Georgetown,  D.  C.  Ran 
off  from  his  mother  and 
joined  our  company. 
Capt.  Jones  became  very 
much  attached  to  him. 
He  was  only  13  years 
old.  Gen.  Jones  took 
him  to  the  Valley  of  Va. 
with  him'.  He  was  killed 
in  1863.) 

Page,  J.  H. 

Page,  John  W. 

Page,  Robert. 

Painter,  William. 

Pendleton,  H.  G.,  Wythe 
county. 

Preston,  R.  B. 

Pendleton,  Joseph. 

Preston,  Thomas. 

Roe,  Edward. 

Roe,  S.  E. 

Ritchie,  James  L. 

Rosenbalm,  A.  D. 

Roe,    William. 

Ryburn,   David. 

Roe,  Newton. 

Richards,  John  B. 

Saunders,  S.  D. 

Swartz,  J.  J. 

Smith,  John  L. 

Strother,  W.  Trigg. 

Trigg,  C.  F. 

Trigg,  Thomas  K. 

White,  Dr.  William. 

White,  John  G. 

Webb,  A.  H. 

Wright,  F.  D. 

Waldron,  C.  M. 

Wampler,  E.  W.,  Wythe 
county.* 


♦Furnished  by  Thomas  W.  Colley. 


870 


Southivest  Virginia,  17Jf6-1786. 
GooDSON  Rifle  Guakds. 


Officers. 


John  F.  Terry,  captain. 
John  T.  Megginson,  first  lieutenant. 
Alexander  Lazenby,  second  lieutenant. 
William  L.  Rice,  third  lieutenant. 
William  G.  Lindsey,  first  sergeant. 
E.  S.  Johnston,  second  sergeant. 
Charles  W.  Taylor,  third  sergeant. 
Henry  Guggenheimer,  fourth  sergeant. 
John  C.  Gamer,  first  corporal. 
John  M.  C.  Eakin,  second  corporal. 
John  M.  Buchanan,  third  corporal. 
George  A.  Feathers,  fourth  corporal. 


j^rivates. 


Appling,  James  A. 
Alvis,   Samuel   W. 
Bailey,  D.   F. 
Butler,  M.  M. 
Blancett,  Harden  L. 
Brown,  William  H. 
Bibb,  Samuel  F. 
Burlingame,  Miles. 
Betterton,  Robert  F. 
Betterton,  James  T. 
Buck,  Charles  C. 
Beasley,  Robert. 
Barker,  John  H. 
Carson,  Thomas  J. 
Campbell,   Andrew  J. 
Crabtree,  James  B. 
Coleman,   Lewis   L. 
Crumley,  Stephenson  M. 
Cooley,  George  A. 
Foalden,  James  A. 
Foster,  Ben. 
Ferguson,  William  R. 
Foster,   Shadrach. 


Grubb,  Henry. 
Green,  Benjamin  H. 
Girtman,  William. 
German,  John  A. 
Hughes,  John  W. 
^Hamilton,  James  M.. 
Johnson,  Lucian  A. 
Jones,  Elbert  S. 
Jamison,   John   L. 
Kerin,  Joseph   R. 
Kelly,  Joseph  W. 
*Lancaster,  William  H. 
Luttrell,  Bryan. 
Lester,  Noah  L. 
McCrosky,  John  J. 
Maxey,  Corland  P. 
Morgan,  James  W. 
Nickels,  Lsaae  A. 
Owen,  Joseph  W. 
Pile,  George  C. 
Pepper,  George  P. 
Preston,  William  S. 
Preston,  Samuel  F. 


Paflf,  John  C. 
Quails,  William  R. 
Ruti",  Benjamin  H. 
Rhea,  Joseph  A. 
Rhea,  Robert. 
Rhea,  Edwin  R. 
Rosenheim,  Segman. 
Short,  A.  D.  L. 
Sharrett.  John  R. 
Stokes,  John  R. 
Speiss,  Philip  G. 
Salsburg,  Samuel  S. 
Slade,  Charles. 
Taylor,  Adam. 
Thomas,  James  P. 
Thomas,  James  M. 
Thomas,  Charles  F. 
Tyler,  William  C. 
Tranbarger,  David. 
Wilson,  Thomas  H. 
White,  Preston  A. 
Waldron,  William  R. 
Weddle,  Asa  L. 


*Roster  at  the  date  of  organization  of  company  in  1861. 


Washington  County^  1777-1870. 


871 


"MOUNTAIN  BOYS." 
Company  "B,"  Thirty- seventh  Virginia  Regiment. 


Officers  at  Organization. 

Dr.  William  White,  captain. 
F.  A.  Humes,  first  lieutenant. 

B.  P.  Morrison,  second  lieutenant. 
J.  N.  Humes,  third  lieutenant. 
David  King,  color  sergeant. 

C.  M.  Knott,  first  orderly  sergeant. 

Ed.  Hortenstine,  second  orderly  sergeant. 


Officers  at  Reorganisation,  1862. 

B.  P.  Morrison,  captain. 

E.  Hortenstine,  first  lieutenant. 

C.  M.  Knott,  second  lieutenant. 
J.  N.  Humes,  third  lieutenant. 
William  H.  Suit,  first  sergeant. 
J.  R.  Crawford,  second  sergeant. 
John  N.  Hilliard,  third  sergeant. 
Joseph  E.  Earls,  fourth  sergeant. 
Samuel  B.  Bowers,  fifth  sergeant. 
John  G.  Duff,  first  corporal. 
Ebenezer  Dinsmore,  second  corporal. 
Isom  H.  Williams,  third  corporal. 
John  T.  Bott,  fourth  corporal. 


Alfreds,  James  C. 
Barker,   William  F. 
Bowers,  John  L. 
Bowman,   Peter. 
Bowman,  Tyre. 
Bridgeman,   John. 
Bridgeman,  Joshua. 
Campbell,  William  H. 
Chick,  Meriwether  L. 
Chapman,  George  W. 
Clark,  Alpheus. 
Church,  Dewey  C. 
Church,  Nathaniel. 
Clark,  George  W. 


Privates. 

Clark,  .James  C. 
Clark,  Samuel. 
Coalter,  James  C. 
Chick,  William. 
Chick,  Lewis. 
Cox,   Alison. 
Cox,  James. 
Cuddy,  James  G. 
Dinsmore,  James. 
Dinsmore,  Samuel. 
Dinsmore,  William. 
Dooly,  Frank  W. 
Drake,  Edward. 
Duff,  John  S.  B. 


Dye,  Richard. 
Davis,  Wm.   (Drummer.) 
Dinsmore,  George  L. 
Estep,  James  F. 
Estep,  James. 
Estep,  George. 
Ewing,  James  A. 
Fern,  John  H. 
Fern,  Nathan  B. 
Franklin,  Miles  H.  T. 
Glenn,  William. 
Gentry, ,  killed  at  Mc- 
Dowell. 
Gilliland,  Mike. 


872 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


Goff,  Hugh  L. 
Goff,  William  H. 
Gilliland,  David. 
Gobble,  Lilburn  H. 
Goff,  Jacob. 
Green,  Joshua. 
Greer,  Buck. 
Hilliard,   James. 
Harless,  Alfred  P. 
Harlees,  William  A. 
Henritze,  Samuel. 
Holley,  William. 
Holt,  Isaac. 
Holt,  James  H. 
Hilliard,  Samuel  L. 
Hilliard,  Robert  A. 
Hickok,  Charles  H. 
Johnston,  Daniel. 
Johnston,  William  D. 
Keller,    John. 
King,  Cyrus. 
King,   Edward. 
King,  J.  Stanton. 
Linticum,  Thomas. 
Leggins,   Alexander. 
Leggins,  John. 
Moore,  James. 
McVey,  Samuel. 


McVey,  James. 
McDaniel,  Alfred. 
Moorefield,  Stephen  C. 
Mitchell,  John. 
Mise,  Russell. 
Mise,  Jesse  S. 
Massey,  Gus. 
Owens,  William. 
Oney,  Robert    (killed). 
Perry,  Wm. 
Pippin,  Robert. 
Privitt,  Eli. 
Privott,  Chester. 
Pippin,  Tom. 
Phillips,  Jasper. 
Roe,  Elisha. 
Roberts,  William  E. 
Rock,  Thomas. 
Scott,  Joseph. 
Scott,  Andy  J. 
Skinner,  William   (Fifer). 
Shelton,  Jacob  M.(M.D.). 
Shelton,  Jacob. 
Shelton,  William  L. 
Shelton,  James. 
Shelton,  James  J. 
Stone,  Samuel  L. 
Shepherd,  Henry  P. 


Shortt,  Daniel. 
Skinner,  Daniel  T. 
Scott,   Campbell. 
Sullins,  Elisha. 
Saul,  William. 
Sullins,  Russell. 
Sullins,  Joseph  T. 
Sullins,  John. 
Shaver,  David. 
Shaver,  Joshua. 
Tate,  Austin  B. 
Thomas,  William  R. 
Taylor,  Joe. 
Vaughan,  Edward. 
Vaughan,  Joseph. 
Wallace,  William  L. 
Webb,  Charles  0. 
Weaver,   William. 
Williams,  William. 
Woodward,  George  W. 
Woodward,  Robert  S. 
Wilson,  James. 
Williams,  Isom. 
Wirrum,  John. 
Worley,  Wid. 
Williams,  John. 
Whicker,  Ewell. 


'WASHINGTON     INDEPENDENTS,"     AFTERWARDS     COMPANY     K, 
THIRTY-SEVENTH  VIRGINIA  INFANTRY. 

Officers  at  Organization. 

Dr.  James  L.  White,  captain. 
Joseph  T.  Campbell,  first  lieutenant. 
Wm.  B.  Clark,  second  lieutenant. 
Benj.  C.  Clark,  third  lieutenant. 
Charles  F.  Keller,  first  sergeant. 
Abram  B.  Keller,  second  sergeant. 
Robert  S.  Bowie,  third  sergeant. 
Wm.  Clark,  fourth  sergeant. 
W.  j\.  Aven,  first  corporal. 
Samuel  Houston,  second  corporal. 
Daniel  T.  Stone,  third  corporal. 
Thomas  J.  Warren,  fourth  corporal. 
W.  S.  Preston,  color-bearer. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


873 


Officers  at  Reorganization. 

John  A.  Preston,  captain. 
L.  Irby  Forrest,  first  lieutenant. 
Kobert  S.  Bowie,  second  lieutenant. 
Walter  S.  Preston,  third  lieutenant. 
Andrew  W.  McConnell,  first  sergeant. 
Thomas  J.  Warren,  second  sergeant. 
John  K.  Deadmore,  third  sergeant. 
Wm.  Clark,  fourth  sergeant. 
Adam  F.  Thompson,  fifth  sergeant. 
Lilburn  Fern,  first  corporal. 
Wm.  J.  Crabtree,  second  corporal. 
Joseph  H.  McNew,  third  corporal. 
Joseph  B.  McDaniel,  fourth  corporal. 
James  Vance  elected  captain  1861  to  fill  vacancy  occasioned  by  resigna- 
tion of  Captain  James  L.  White. 


Privates. 


Aven,  W.  A.,  wounded  March  20, 
1862:  died  since  war. 

Aven,  M.  G.,  killed  at  Cedar  Pvun 
August  9,  1862. 

Berry,  R.  A.,  died  since  war. 

Berry,  Smith,  discharged. 

Berry,  J.  D. 

Branch,  W.  S. 

Brannon,  J.  C. 

Barger,  J.  T.,  discharged. 

Brooks,  J.  F.,  died  during  war. 

Brown,  James. 

Brown,  T.  E.,  died  since  war. 

Bowie,  R.  S.,  wounded;  died  since 
war. 

Cronan,  Thomas. 

Clark,  W.  B.,  died  during  war. 

Clark,  W.,  died  since  war. 

Clark,  B.  C,  died  since  war. 

Clark,  I.  G. 

Clark,  Thomas,  died  since  war. 

Clark,  J.  A.  W.,  Avounded  at  Mc- 
Dowell. 

Clark,  Andrew,  died  since  war. 

Cole,  F.  P.,  wounded ;  died  since  war. 

Cole,  B.  G. 

Campbell,  J.  G.,  died  since  war. 

Campbell,  J.  H.,  died  during  war. 


Cavenah,  J. 

Cosb}^,  J.  D.,  discharged,  afterwards 

joining  Company  D,  First  Virginia 

Cavalry. 
Crabtree,  W.  J. 
Daniel,  J.  B.,- wounded;  died  May  3, 

1863. 
Carmack,  D.  C,  died  since  war. 
Daniel,  J.  D. 
Davis,  L.  D. 
Davis,  John. 

Davis,  J.  E.,  died  since  war. 
DuflF,  S.  G. 
Deadmore,  J.  K.,  wounded ;  died  since 

war. 
Driskell,  James. 

Denton,  J.  R.,  killed  August  9,  1862. 
Denton,  J.,  died  during  war  at  Fort 

Delaware. 
Denton,  E.,  died  during  war  at  Foi't 

Delaware. 
Dunn,  Theophilus,  wounded  May  25, 

1862. 
Donagough,  J.,  killed. 
Estep,  George,  killed  May  3,  1863. 
Estep,  James,  killed  May  3,  1863. 
Fleenor,  M.  V. 
Forran,  Lilburn,  wounded. 


874 


Southwest  Virginia.  11J^6-178C). 


Fields,  J.  T. 

Forrest,  L.  I.,  killed  Spotsylvania 
Courthouse  1864. 

Forrest,  J.  T.,  wounded. 

Farnsworth,  J.  S.,  discharged;  died 
since  war. 

Gorman,  J. 

Gray,  M.  L.,  died  during  war,  1861. 

Grimm,  S.  D.,  wounded  Petersburg 
March  25,  1865. 

Hayter,  F.  H.,  killed  August  9,  1862. 

Hayter,  W.  D.,  died  since  war; 
wounded  at  Winchester. 

Hicks,  R.,  wounded;   discharged. 

Hobbs,  J.  L.,  killed  August  9,  1862. 

Hobbs,  J.  W. 

Hobbs,  Elkanah. 

Houston,  Samuel,  died  since  war. 

Hill,  Felix,  wounded;  died  since 
war. 

Ireson,  H.  H.,  died  during  war,  1861. 

Johnston,  Joseph  W.,  wounded. 

Kane,  Edward,  wounded. 

King,  James,  killed  March  23,  1862. 

Keller,  0.  F. 

Keller,  S.  G.,  wounded  March  23, 
1862. 

Keller,  A.  B.,  wounded. 

Kenney,  David. 

Kiser,  A.  R.,  wounded. 

Keys,  A.,  died  during  war. 

Keller,  John. 

Lowry,  David. 

Middleton,  J.  H.,  wounded  August 
9,  1862. 

Mallicote,  A.  L.,  died  since  war;  dis- 
charged. 

Maxwell,  A. 

Maxwell,  J.  V.,  died  since  war. 

Mays,  J.  R.,  died  since  war. 

McConnell,  A.  W.,  wounded;  died 
since  the  war. 

McConnell,  J.  J.,  killed  May  3,  1863. 

McHenry,  W.  A.,  wounded  at  Mc- 
Dowell. 

McNew,  Joseph,  killed  August  9, 
1862. 


IMitdiell,  J.  D. 

Malone,  D. 

Minnick,  Ben. 

Minnick.  W.  S..  wounded. 

Milliard,  E.,  wounded  May  3,  1863. 

Milliard,    S.    L.,    killed    McDowell, 

1862. 
McCarty,  C.  P.,  discharged. 
Morefield,  D. 
McCauley,    F.    S.,   wounded   May    3, 

1863. 
O'Brien.  Martin. 
Osborne,    E..    wounded    Chancellors- 

ville. 
Osborne,  W.,  killed  at  Spotsylvania 

Courthouse. 
Pemberton,  S.  H.,  discharged. 
Preston,  W.  S.,  wounded. 
Preston,  R.  J. 
Preston,   J.   A.,   wounded   August  9, 

1862,     Cedar     Run     and     Amelia 

Courthouse. 
Preston,  R.  A. 

Potler,  A.,  wounded;  died  in  service. 
Ropp,  Wm.  H.,  died  since  war. 
Ropp,   H.   P.,  killed   at  Winchester, 

1864. 
Reedy,  Fred.,  killed  August  9,  1862. 
Roadman,  Wm.,  killed  1864. 
Rigle,  J.  W.,  wounded  Sharpsburg. 

Shaver, . 

Scott,  A.  J. 

Sherman,    L.    S.,    wounded    May    3, 

1863. 
Stewart,    W.,    wounded;    died    since 

the  war. 
Stewart,  B. 

Sullivan,  J.,  died  during  war. 
Stone,  T.  P.,  discharged;   died  since 

war. 
Stevens,  D.  C,  discharged. 
Smith,  James  A.,  died  during  war. 
Stone,  D.  T.,  discharged. 
Talbert,  W. 
Thompson,  W.  M.,  Avounded  August 

9,  1862. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


875 


Thompson,  A.   F.,   wounded  May  2,       Vance,   James,   wounded   March   23, 
1863,  and  second  Manassas.  1862;  died  since  war. 

Trigg,    A.    B.,    wounded    August  9,       Warren,  T.  J.,  wounded. 
1862;  died  since  war.  *White,  James  L. 

Trigg,    T.    K.,    wounded    August  9,       'Whicker,  Thomas. 
1862. 


GLADE  SPRING  RIFLES. 
Company  F,  Thirty-Seventh  Virginia  Regiment  Infantky. 
Officers. 

Robert  P.  Carson,  captain. 
Georgd  Graham,  first  lieutenant. 
James  L.  Cole,  second  lieutenant. 
Benj.  Snodgrasis,  third  lieutenant. 
P.  S.  Hagy,  first  sergeant. 
William  M.  Allison,  second  sergeant. 
Andrew  Kelly,  third  sergeant. 
Wm.  H.  Miller,  fourth  sergeant. 
Michael  H.  Duff,  first  corporal. 
John  B.  Allison,  second  corporal. 
Benjamin  Reed,  third  corporal. 
Samuel  P.  Edmondson,  fourth  corporal. 


Alderson,  Davis. 
Authenreith,  Louis. 
Asberry,   Wm.   L. 
Adkins,  Wm. 
Allison,   Wm.   W. 
Allison,  John  B. 
Anderson,  Jos.  J. 
Buchanan,  A.  E. 
Buchanan,  Davis  A. 
Buchanan,   Wm.   R. 
Buchanan,  Wm.  W. 
Buchanan,  David  H. 
Buchanan,   A.   R. 
Buchanan,  Moses  S. 
Blackwell,   Wm.   B. 
Barbary,   W.   H. 
Bullen,  David. 
Carson,   R.   P. 
Cole,  Jas.  L. 
Clark,  W.  D. 


Privates. 

Clark,  Wm.   A. 
Clark,  John  B. 
Clark,  Jas.  A.,  Jr. 
Clark,  Jas.  A. 
Carpenter,  John  C. 
Duff,  M.  J.  H. 
DeBusk,  Wm. 
DeBusk,  David  J. 
DeBusk,  Andrew  J. 
Doss,  Elias. 

Edmondson,   Andrew   B. 
Edmondson,  Samuel  P. 
Edmondson,  Samuel  N. 
Edmondson,   David. 
Edmondson,  James. 
Edmondson,  John  W. 
Edmondson,    Robert. 
Faris,   Jacob   M. 
Faris,   Samuel. 
Fry,  Thomas. 


Graham,    George. 
Garrett,   Henry. 
Graham,  Samuel. 
Gentry,   Elijah. 
Glenn,   John. 
Glenn,   Samuel. 
Glenn,   William. 
Hutton,    Samuel    J. 
Hutton,  Robert  S.  C. 
Horn,  Eassel  L. 
Houston,   W.   C. 
Haden,   Nathaniel. 
Hawthorn,  Wm. 
Hawthorn,    Robert. 
Hawthorn,  M.   B. 
Havpthorn,   A.    F. 
Hawthorn,  David  T. 
Hawthorn,  B.  D. 
Hawthorn,   H.   C. 
Holloway,   A.   J. 


♦Furnished  by  Walter  Preston,  T.  K  Trigg  and  C.  F.  Keller. 


876 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


Hagy,   Wm.   Mc. 
Hagy,  Wm. 
Hagy,  P.  S. 
Home,  John  E. 
Heath,   William. 
Kelly,  Andrew. 
Kelly,  Wm.  B. 
Kelly,  George. 
Kelly,  Wm. 
Kelly,  Wm.  R. 
Kelly,   Samuel. 
Keys,  Andrew. 
Lowry,    Wm.    G.    G. 
Lowry,   Robert   S. 
Love,  Jos.   R. 
Lefler,  Sam.  H. 
Loggins,  John  M. 
LfOggins,   Wm.  A. 
Lilly,   Wm.   W. 
Larimer,   Robert   E. 
Larimer,   Robert   J. 
Louis,   Philip. 
MeCall,  John. 
McCall,   John  M. 
McCall,  Wm. 
Mock,   E.    H. 
Mock,  Peter  G. 
Moore,  James. 
McVey,  James. 
McVey,   William. 
McVey,    Anderson. 
McNew,  Arthur. 
McNew,  John. 


Mindler,  F.  T. 
McCrackin,    Madison. 
Miller,   Wm.   H. 
McCall,  Robert  L. 
Moore,  Wm. 
Moore,  Andrew  F. 
Nye,  James  H. 
NeflF,  Andrew  M. 
Nichols,  Edmond. 
Owens,  Alexander. 
Owens,    William. 
Orr,  James. 
Preston,  John. 
Powers,  Samuel  H. 
Powers,  James  M. 
Poore,  Jerry. 
Poole,  John  R. 
Poole,  C.   S. 
Pafford,  M.  \Y. 
Painter,  Thomas  R. 
Reed,   Benj. 
Reed,  Thomas. 
Reed,  Arthur. 
Reedy,  Elijah  H. 
Reedy,   Wm.   M. 
Ryburn,   Wm.   B. 
Rambo,  Samuel  K. 
Reedy,  David. 
Rotenberry,  James. 
Robinson,  Samuel. 
Rosenbalm,  J.  D. 
Rosenbalrii,  R.  R. 
Rosenbalm,  James. 
Roe,  Andrew  J. 


Snodgrass,  Benj. 
Snodgrass,    Wm.    M. 
Snodgraiss,   Wm. 
Snodgrass,  James. 
Stewart,  Thomas   H. 
Sheffield,  Thos.   P. 
Straus,  Jos. 
Smith,  Henry. 
Stringer,  Winston. 
Stringer,   Thos.   H. 
Stringer,   Jeff.   A. 
Thurman,  P.  B. 
Thomas,  Charles. 
Thomas,   Edward   H. 
Thomas,  Moses  E. 
Thomas,  Andrew. 
Thomas,   Samuel. 
Thomas,  Geo. 
Tilson,  Stephen  J. 
Tomlinson,  Jabez. 
Trent,  John. 
Trent,  Isaac. 
Troxwell,  John. 
Vanderpool,  James, 
Wright,  John. 
Wright,  H.  F. 
Wright,  Henry. 
Widener,  Wm.  M. 
Widener,   Nelson. 
Widener,  James. 
White,  James. 
White,  Thomas   J.   B. 
*Widener,  John  J. 


TWENTY-SECOND  REGIMENT  VIRGINIA   CAVALRY,   COMPANY    C. 

Officers. 

Henry  Bowen,  colonel. 

John  T.  Radford,  lieutenant-colonel. 

Henry  F.  Kendrick,  major. 

John  C.  Stanfield,  captain  Company  C,  Twenty-second. 

John  B.  Hamilton,  first  lieutenant. 

Theophilus  Dunn,  second  lieutenant. 

Robert  Horton,  third  lieutenant. 

Robert  Bittle,  adjutant. 


♦Furnished  by  Benj.  Reed  and  Andrew  Kelly. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


877 


Albridge,    Newton. 
Belcher,   Jos. 
Barker,   Martin. 
Bailey,  John. 
Brummit,  Wm. 
Bare,    Larkin. 
Bagley,   Tobias    (Ky.). 
Clark,  Job. 
Cowan,  Isaac. 
Cuddy,   Henry. 
Cuddy,  L.  B. 
Cuddy,  John. 
Dunn,  John   F. 
Dunn,  R.  H. 
Dishman,  Albert. 
Dowell,   James. 
Francher,    Chas.* 
Fields,  John. 
Fleming,  Wm. 
Graham,  W.  L.  (S.  C). 
Norton,  Nathan    (Scott). 
Hamilton,   Thomas. 


Privates. 
Hamilton,  Robert. 
Hamilton,    Brandon. 
Hartsock,  Thomas. 
Hartsock,  Charles. 
Harmon,    Godfrey. 
Hewitt,  Malachi. 
Ingle,    John    W. 
Jenkins,  John. 
Kenady,  M.  J. 
Leonard,  Robert. 
Leonard,  Jordan. 
Lane,  Thomas. 
Mitchell,  Wm. 
Mitchell,   Levi. 
Massingill,  Henry. 
Musick,  W.  Y.  C. 
Musick,   Thomas. 
McHenry,  Wm. 
McCotwiek,  John. 
Miles,  John. 
Nunly,  James. 
Nunly,  Ashborn. 


Piper,  Brown. 

Piper,  . 

Paugh,  A.  J. 
Philips,   Robert. 
Price,  Robert. 
Ruple,  Joseph. 
Roberts,  James. 
Scott,  George. 
Stuffle,   Jordan. 
Smith,  Chesterfield. 
Smith,  Wm. 
Slaughter,  John.f 
Sproles,   Jos. 
Stone,  Chas.    (S.  C). 
Thompson,  Albert. 
Vermillion,  Wm. 
Walker,   Robert. 
Williams,  James. 
Woods,  John. 
Worley,  Nathan. 
Worley,  (4.  B. 
Worley,  Joseph.^ 


Remarks. 
This  regiment  belonged  to  General  John  MeCausland's  Brigade  and  Ran- 
som's Division.     Made  the  raid  to  Washington,  D.  C,  with  Early;  then  to 
Chambersburg,  Pa. 


TWENTY-FIRST  VIRGINIA  CAVALRY,  COMPANY  F. 

Officers. 
William  E.  Peters,  colonel. 
David  Edmondson,  lieutenant-colonel. 
John  Halley,  major. 

Starks,  adjutant. 

F.  T.  Gray,  captain. 

J.  G.  R.  Davis,  first  lieutenant. 

B.  D.  Hawthorn,  second  lieutenant. 

James  Gray,  third  lieutenant. 

Mike  Gilliland,  first  sergeant. 

T.  B.  Berry,  second  sergeant. 

W.  F.  Allison,  third  sergeant. 


♦This  man  belonged  to  United  States  army.    His  brother  was  shot  for  sleeping  on 
post,  and  he  came  South  for  revenge. 

fBelonged  to  A.  C.  Cummlng's  Company,  Mexican  war. 
JFurnished  by  Captain  J.  C.  Stanfleld. 


878 


Southwest  Virginia,  17Jf.6-1786. 


Aven,  Wiley. 
Brown,  Alex. 
Bowers,  Abe. 
Berry,  D.  F. 
Boiling,  Gam. 
Boiling,  James. 
Cowan,  Rutledge. 
Clark,  Peter  J. 
Campbell,  David. 
Campbell,  John. 
Campbell,  David,  Jr. 
Cox,  Mike. 
Clark,  Andrew. 


Privates. 

Caldwell,  Wm.  K. 
Cross,  James. 
Gray,  John  C. 
Gray,  W.  M. 
Garrett,  Abe. 
Keys,   Robert. 
Keller,  Jacob. 
King,   Leander. 
King,  Samuel. 
Loggins,  Wm. 
Loggins,  James. 
Larimer,  Andrew. 
Longley,  Seldon. 


McQuown,  Alex. 
McCall,  James. 
McDaniel,  Joseph. 
Pemberton,  B.  F. 
Pemberton,   Richard. 
Quisenberry,  Lewis. 
Roe,  Edward. 
Talley,  Wm. 
Widener,  Nelson. 
Widener,  Lilbum. 
Wright,  Robert  W. 
Wiley,   Wm.    W.* 


COMPANY  I,  FORTY-EIGHTH  VHIGINIA  REGIMENT. 
Officers. 

J.  C.  Campbell,  captain.    Wounded  McDowell, 

F.  S.  Robertson,  first  lieutenant. 

J.  Carmack,  second  lieutenant.     Bristol. 

E.  Rodefer,  third  lieutenant.     Greendale. 

J.  A.  Vance,  first  sergeant.    Died  Lewisburg,  W.  Va. 

William  Fields,  second  sergeant.    Wounded  at  Richmond. 

W.  H.  Hamilton,  third  sergeant. 

S.  G.  Ingham,  fourth  sergeant. 

M.  R.  Latham,  fifth  sergeant. 

T.  M.  Gobble,  first  corporal. 

T.  N.  Hamilton,  second  corporal. 

F.  C.  CoUings,  third  corporal. 

M.  L.  Bocock,  fourth  corporal. 


Privates. 


Alfreds,  L.  S. 
Bowser,  J.  R. 
Berry,  Hugh. 
Buckles,  H.  G. 
Branson,  W.  J. 
Booher,  George. 
Booher,  John  S. 
Booher,  W.  D. 
Branson,  A. 
Bowers,  John  R. 


Cunningham,  A.  J.,  wounded  second 
Manassas. 

Campbell,  0.  H.,  wounded  at  Gettys- 
burg. 

Choice,  P.  P.,  wounded  at  Winches- 
ter. 

Carr,  Alfred,  died  in  camp  at  Big 
Spring. 

Chapman,  D.  G. 

Crowell,  Wm.  S. 


*Partial  list  furnished  by  Thomas  B.  Berry. 


Washington  County,  1777-1870. 


879 


Crowell,  Robert  N. 

Cuddy,  John  E,.,  died  in  prison. 

Dixon,  C.  B. 

Dickenson,  C.  0.,  killed  at  Chancel- 
lorsville. 

Dickenson,  W.  H. 

Dickenson,  John  P.,  died  in  prison. 

Davis,  Wm.  M. 

Dickenson,  James. 

Dickenson,  R.  C. 

Fleenor,  Isa-ac  G.,  killed  at  Gettys- 
burg. 

Fleenor,  Robert  H.,  killed  at  Gettys- 
burg. 

Fleenor,  James. 

Fleenor,  Harvey  G.,  died  a  prisoner. 

Fleenor,  Thos.  C,  killed  at  Winches- 
ter. 

Fleenor,  Samuel  E. 

Fleenor,  W.  W.,  wounded  at  Sharps- 
burg. 

Fleenor,  M.  G.,  wounded  at  Chan- 
cellorsville. 

Guess,  John. 

Guess,  Jas.  W.  P.,  wounded  at  Chan- 
cellorsville. 

Guess,  N.  C. 

Gobble,  J.  B. 

Grubb,  Jacob  H. 

Hagy,  J.  Harrison. 

Henderson,  John  L.,  killed  at  Cedar 
Mountain. 

Hamilton,  John  B. 

Harris,  Samuel  L. 

Hagy,  David  C. 

Humphreys,  John. 

Humphreys,  Daniel,  woimded  at 
Chancellorsville. 

Heatherly,  Geodfry. 

Hughes,  James  E. 

Hughes,  0.  F. 

Hutton,  J.  H. 

Hayton,  George. 

Harley,  John  M.,  died  in  prison. 

Hagy,  W.  F. 

Hamilton,  W.  H. 

Ingham,  Moses. 

Ireson,  W.  L.,  wounded  Gettysburg 
and  Petersburg. 


Ingle,  A.  H.,  wounded  Chancellors- 
ville. 

Ingle,  Joseph. 

Ireson,  J.  L. 

Jones,  T.  F. 

Johnston,  John  F. 

Jones,  Russell,  wounded  Hatcher's 
Run. 

Kestner,  J.  H.,  died  near  Harrison- 
burg, Va.    ( supposed ) . 

Kegly,  Wm.  H.,  wounded  Mine  Run. 

Kingsolver,  A.  F.,  died  in  prison. 

Kingsolver,  David. 

Kennedy,  John  W.,  died  Valley 
Mountain. 

Kennedy,  A.  J.,  died  Elmira,  N.  Y. 

Kestner,  J.  A.,  wounded  second 
Manassas. 

Lewis,  George  W. 

Lyon,  Churchill,  died  in  hospital. 

Lyon,  David,  died  in  hospital. 

Lyon,  Josiah. 

Lyon,  R.  F. 

Mumpower,  M.  M.,  wounded  at 
Gettysburg. 

Morgan,  W.  J. 

McPhatridge,  N.  B. 

Murray,  Drewry. 

Minnick,  Thomas  J. 

Minnick,  John  P. 

Meade,  John  E.,  wounded  at  Bath. 

MaHafFey,  Samuel  C. 

Moore,  Jos.  E. 

Moore,  R.  S.,  killed  at  Richmond. 

McGee,  C.  J. 

Mobley,  W.  W. 

Meayle,  Abram  F. 

Mitchell,  J.  W. 

Muisick,  A.  G.,  wounded  at  Wilder- 
ness. 

Musick,  T.  W. 

Price,  Daniel  E. 

Price,  Wm.  F. 

Price,  Emory  O.,  woimded  at  Gettys- 
burg. 

Perdue,  Wiley  H.,  died  in  hospital. 

Painter,  Arthur  R.,  died  in  hospital. 


880 


Southwest  Virginia,  1746-1786. 


Pitzer,  James  M. 

PaiTott,  Henry. 

Ramsey,  Wm.  H. 

Rush,  Robert  W. 

Roberts,  David  C,  killed  at  Gettys- 
burg. 

Roberts,  Henry. 

Ramsey,  H. 

Roberts,  James. 

Roberts,  W.  W. 

Roberts,  John,  wounded  Chancellors- 
ville. 

Shaver,  Martin,  wounded  at  the 
Wilderness. 

Shoemaker,  R.  R.,  died  in  camp. 

Smith,  John  A. 

Seyphers,  W.  G. 

Stout,  Samuel. 

Stout,  Wm.,  killed  at  Gettysburg. 

Stout,  J.  H. 


Stout,  W.  W. 

Thompson,  A.  G.,  wounded  Gettys- 
burg. 

Town  send,  George  F. 

Trammell,  Nath.  A. 

Vaughan,  E. 

Wilson,  James  P. 

Wilson,  W.  J. 

Wilson.  John  A.,  woimded  at  Rich- 
mond. 

Wilson,  J.  H. 

Wilson,  A.  S. 

Wilson,  Samuel. 

Wilson,  J.  H. 

Webb,  G.  T. 

^^'ebb,  David  J. 

Warren,  W. 

White,  J.  M. 

"White,  John  H. 


COMPANY  H,  THIRTY-SEVENTH  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEERS. 

Officers. 

R.  E.  Grant,  captain. 

Robert  Wright,  tirst  lieutenant. 

I.  C.  Rambo,  second  lieutenant. 

W.  B.  Edmondson,  third  lieutenant. 


Arnold,   Thomas. 
Arnold,  M.   S. 
Buck,  Wm. 
Barlow,  James. 
Beattie,  John. 
Berry,  James.    - 
Barberry,  James. 
Black,    Samuel. 
Bailey,  Wm. 
Brown,  Abe. 
Buchanan,   Moses. 
Carson,  Wm. 
Clark,   P.   D. 
Caldwell,  S.  T. 


Privates. 

Caldwell,  T.  Jeff. 
Carrington,  W.  C. 
Cole,  Andrew. 
Duff,  Felix. 
Duff,  E. 
Davis,  Edward. 
DeBusk,  Thomas. 
DeBusk,  David. 
Dungan,  Thomas. 
Elrod,  Henry. 
Elrod,   Wiley. 
Edmondson,  M.  R. 
Fulcher,  James. 
Grant,  J.  Tol. 


Harris,  Jacob. 
Hellenstruttet,  Wm. 
Keller,  Joseph. 
Lowry,  Robert. 
McClme,  N.  B. 
McGhee,  John. 
Moser,  James. 
McGinnis,  Samuel. 
McKee,  Matt. 
McKee,   Joseph. 
Morrison,  David. 
McCrackin,  Fulk. 
McCraekin,    Frank. 
McCrackin,   Hugh. 


♦Furnished  by  John  Roberts  and  .lohu  B.  Hamilton. 


Washington  Covnty,  1777-1870. 


881 


McCrackin,   Joseph. 
MeCrackin,    James. 
McCrackin,  Green. 
Neely,  Joe. 
Rhea,  John. 
Rhea,  Joseph. 
Roe,  T.  J. 
Roe,  N. 

Rosenbalm,  Tice. 
Rosenbalm,  James. 
Rosenbalm,   Eli. 
Rosenbalm,  Dave. 


Speer,  Joe. 
Speer,  John. 
Smith,  Tobe. 
South,  Clabe. 
South,  Columbus. 
South,  C.   A. 
South,  Frank. 
Thomas,   Isaac. 
Thomas,  J.  D. 
Thomas,  J.  Matt. 
Thomas,  Con. 
Thomas,   Henry. 
Vestal,  L. 


Vestal,  Henry. 
Vestal,   John. 
Vestal,  Robert. 
Wright,  Wm. 
Wright,  Frank. 
Wright,  James. 
Wright,  Thomas. 
Wright,  John. 
Widener,  John. 
Widener,   Wm; 
Widener,  James. 
Widener,  Lige.* 


COMPANY  C,  TWENTY-FIRST  VIRGINIA  CAVALRY    (AT  CLOSE 

OF  WAR). 

Officers. 
Robert  J.  Preston,  captain. 
Thomas  Sutherland,  first  lieutenant. 
William  Meriweather,  second  lieutenant. 
James  McChain,  orderly  sergeant. 
John  Prather,  second  sergeant. 
Marsh  Baker,  third  sergeant. 


Byars,  D.  0. 
Burkes,  Wm. 
Dickson,   Thos. 


Privates. 
Lane,  Geo. 
Mooney,  Richard. 
Osborne,  Elbert. 
Osborne,  Thos. 


Sutherland,  Tuck. 
Wix,  John. 
Wright,  Dick. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR,  1898. 

[Citizens  of  Washington  County  Participating  Therein.) 

Company  K,  Forty-third  LTnited  States  Infantry. 

John  Hortenstine,  corporal.     Died  in  service. 
Frank  Woolwine,  R.  Ed.  Booher, 

Charles  C.  Sandoe,  Hugh  Stephenson, 

William  Maiden. 
James  E.  Clark.    Died  in  service  in  Philippine  Islands. 
Jamas  McCall  and  Andrew  Taylor.     Rejected  for  physical 
disability  at  Fort  Ethan  Allen,  Vt. 


Company  H,  Third  Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry  U.  S.  A. 
R.  J.  Summers,  corporal,  promoted  to  sergeant. 


•Partial  list  furnislied  by  Isaac  C.  Rambo. 


882  Southwest  Yirginia,  171^6-1786. 

Burch,  G.  V.  Kestner,  J.  R.  Shell,  Henry. 
Booher,   R.   E.  Maloy,  F.  L.  Sandoe,  Ray  B. 
Clark,  Jas.  E.  Williams,  Jas.  W.  Sandoe,  Chas.  C. 
Comett,  Wm.  H.  Widener,  A.  J.  Scott,  J.  W.    Died  in  ser- 
Flannagan,  Matthew.  Maiden,  Frank.  vice. 
Flannagan,  Chas.  Nicholas,  C.  H.  Snodgrass,  A.  0. 
Greer,  Wm.  Rosenbalm,  J.   R.  Williamson,    Andrew. 
Gregory,  Tuck.  Rambo,  H.  J.  Brownlow,  Frank.    After- 
Hudson,  E.  L.  Roberts,  John.  wards       Corporal      2d 
Hagy,  R.  Preston.  Stultz,  W.  D.  Tenn.  Regiment. 

This  company  was  organized  at  Danville,  Va.,  and  was  mustered  into 
United  States  service  at  Camp  Lee,  Richmond,  Va.,  May  24,  1898,  and  was 
commanded  by  Captain  R.  E.  Freeman,  of  Danville,  Va. 

Fourth  Virginia  Regiment. 
J.  C.  Watson,  major. 
Privates. 
Thomas  R.  Hines,  John  Rodefer,  B.  D.  Smythe. 

J.  Nathan  Boardwine,  Roosevelt's  Rough  Riders.  Wounded  at  San  Juan 
Hill. 


TRUSTEES  OF  THE  ABINGDON  ACADEMY,  WITH  DATE   OF 
APPOINTMENT. 

1803.  John  Campbell    Died  1825. 

Robert  Craig,  Sr Resigned  1824. 

Richard  White  Died  1826. 

Robert  Campbell   Removed  from  county  1825. 

James  Bradley Removed  from  county  1824. 

Gerrard  T.  Conn   Died  about  1823. 

William  King    Died  in  1808. 

Francis  Preston Died   May,    1835;     president   of   Board 

1822-1826. 
James  White    Died  October,  1838;  president  of  Board 

1831-1838. 

.:,  Claiborne  Watkins  Died  1804. 

Andrew  Russell   Treasurer  1825-1841. 

William  Tate   Resigned  1822. 

Henry  Dixon Resigned. 

Frederick  Hamilton    Died  1808. 

David  Campbell  Resigned;  secretary  of  Board  1803-1837. 

1804.  James  King Removed  1805. 

1805.  Edward  Campbell Died  February,  1833. 

1807.    John   Preston    Resigned. 

Stephen  Bovell Removed  from  county  1836. 


Washington  County,  111 7-1810.  883 

1807.    Earl  B.  Clapp   Died  September,  1854;   treasurer  1823- 

1825. 

John  McClellan   Removed  from  county  1819. 

Francis  Smith   Resigned  1843. 

James  Harper    Died  1815. 

William  Trigg Died  1813. 

Jonathan  Smith Removed  from  county  1810. 

Thomas  McChesney    Died  1836. 

Michael  Deckard    Removed  from  county  1811. 

William  Snodgrass   Resigned  1822. 

William  Y.  Conn Died  1837. 

James  Cummings    Died  August,  1840. 

Robert  Craig,  Jr Removed  from  county  1817. 

Connally   Findlay    Died  1817. 

1822.    Peter  Johnston    Died    1831 ;     president   of   Board    1826- 

1831. 

Benjamin  Estill  Resigned  1837. 

Wm.  C.  Preston Removed  from  county  1824. 

Robert  E.  Cummings    Removed  from  county  1834. 

Joseph  C.  Trigg Died  September,  1831. 

Richard  White,  Jr Died  1827. 

William   Byars    Resigned. 

James  Taylor Lived  Smyth  county. 

John  M.  Preston   Resigned;     president    of    Board    1838- 

1849. 
John  Gibson   Resigned  1826. 

1826.  John  N.  Humes    Died   July,    1871 ;    president   of   Board 

1849-1871. 
Peter  J.  Branch Secretary     1837-1861,    treasurer     1841- 

1861. 

John  H.  Fulton   Died  January,  1836. 

James  King   Resigned. 

Chas.  C.  Johnston   Died  1832. 

James  W.  Preston  Removed  from  county  1838. 

Peter  C.  Johnston   Removed  to  Smyth  county. 

Edward  Latham Resigned  1843. 

James  L.  White Died  December,  1838. 

1827.  W'illiam  Ewing   Removed  from  county. 

1832.    Daniel  Trigg   Died  February,  1853. 

Robert  R.  Preston  Resigned  1837. 

Jacob  Lynch  Died  March,  1862. 

Samuel  Logan   Died  July,  1855. 

1840.  Connally  F.  Trigg Removed  from  county  1856. 

William  Y.  C.  White Resigned  1871. 

1841.  John  W.  C.  Watson   Removed  from  county. 

Jeremiah  Bronough    Removed  from  county  1843. 

1843.  Wyndham  Robertson. 


884  Southwest  Virginia,  1740-1786. 

1843.  Chas.  G.  Gibson  Died  June,  1844. 

1844.  Thomas  L.  Preston Removed  to  Smyth  county. 

1849.  James  D.  McCabe Removed  from  county. 

1852.  James  K.  Gibson    Died  March,  1879. 

Beverly  R.  Johnston  .......  .Resigned  1862. 

John  A.  Campbell   Died. 

1854.    Walter  Preston   Died  iVovember,  1867. 

1856.    George  W.  Hopkins   Died  March,  1861. 

Edward  M.  Campbell   Died   June,    1878;    president   of   Board 

1871-1878. 

James  McChain   Died  March,  1869. 

Charles  S.  Bekem Died  August,  1875. 

1859.    Alexander  R.  Preston   Died. 

George  V.  Litchfield Died  February  5,  1875. 

Samuel  V.  Fulkerson   Died  July,  1862. 

Arthur  C.  Cummings   Resigned. 

1862.    John  G.  Kreger Secretary  and  treasurer  1861-189--. 

Tliomas  G.  McConnell. 

Newton  K.  White. 
1864.    Charles  J.  Cummings. 
1869.    David  G.  Thomas. 

James  Fields. 
1871.    James  L.  Wliite. 

Samuel  N.  Honaker   Died  January  22,  1903. 

1875.    Robert  A.  Preston. 

Daniel  Trigg Prasident  of  Board  1878-1904. 

James  C.  Greenway. 
1878.    John  F.  Sutton. 
1880.    Thomas  W.  White. 
1886.    George  E.  Penn  Secretary  189-  to  1904. 

G.  V.  Litchfield,  Jr. 

Frank  B.  Button. 

F.  S.  Robertson. 

Wm.  G.  G.  Lowry. 

Henlev  Fugate. 


I  N  D  E  X  /^ 


America,  9;  visited  by  Columbus,  20-24,  25,  27,  42,  132,  133,  138,  142;  Colo- 
nists, 160-161;  Republic  liberty,  160-173,  199,  201,  208,  273,  277,  286, 
340,  352,  354,  355,  356,  357,  359,  360. 

Atlantic  Ocean,  10. 

Anglo-Saxon  race,  12,  20,  24,  25,  34,  40,  50,  78,  199. 

Argall,  Captain,  15. 

Africans,  15. 

Appalaches,  21,  36,  38,  366. 

Abb's  Valley,  22,  114,  116,  146,  382,  385. 

Alleghanies,  24,  31,  37;  divide,  46,  47,  51,  52,  61,  286. 

Abingdon,  27,  29,  132,  133,  138,  142,  157,  219,  229,  235,  242,  255,  269,  279, 
280,  291,  303,  350,  366,  373,  387,  390,  392;  postoffice  established  1793, 
437;  turnpike,  contract  to  build,  447;  tolls,  new  coiirthouse  built,  451; 
calls  to  arms,  453,  458;  officers  commissioned,  464,  465;  turnpike  com- 
pany incorporated  1830,  469,  470-483;  academy,  486-493;  railroad  meet- 
ing, 496-497;  Virginia  and  Tennessee  completed  1856,  505;  turnpike, 
506;  railroad  collision  near,  September  1st,  1861,  517;  act  authorizing 
issue  of  notes,  1862,  with  cuts,  519;  church  bells  made  into  cannon, 
companies  reorganized,  521,  530,  532;  burning,  account  of,  541-543; 
Freedmen's  Bureau  established,  548-554;  Law  Library  Association 
1869,  556;  academy,  558;  female  academy,  principals,  564;  comer-stonp 
laid,  565;  its  history,  616,  621;  prison  bounds,  623-624;  named  179. 
626-627;  freeholders  voting.  632-633;  new  courthouse,  634;  account  of 
fire,  635;  by-laws  and  ordinances,  street  improvements,  new  charter, 
639-640;  mayor  and  council  elected,  description  of  town  1835,  641,  642, 
643;  bank  established,  644;  street  repairs,  645,  647;  officers  elected 
1861,  648-649;  threatened  invasion  by  Federal  troops,  650-651;  small- 
pox, town  burned  by  Wyatt,  652,  653;  situation — first  meeting  town 
council  1865-1866,  proceedings,  653;  contract  awarded  for  new  court- 
house, same  completed,  654;  description  1875,  654,  656;  United  States 
court,  656;  orders  and  requests  town  council,  656,  658;  officers'  list  of, 
with  years  served,  659,  664;  lots  sold  by  Christopher  Acklin,  665-667; 
almshouse  superintendent,  838;  west  Main  street,  27,  630,  638;  Valley 
street,  481,  630,  654;  opened,  656;  Court  street,  481,  630,  638;  Water 
street,  631;  Brewer  street,  631. 

Academy,  Abingdon,  trustees,  882-884. 

Adair,  Indian  trader,  30,  32,  33,  259. 

Appomattox  river,  34,  35,  36;  town,  36;  Indians,  36. 

A^ustin,  Walker,  34;  Austin  &  Co.,  281. 


•This  index  does  not  purport  to  give  names  of  persons  mentioned  in  the  appendix, 
nor  names  of  persons  mentioned  in  the  text  matter  of  the  History. 


886  Index. 

Augusta  county,  38,  42,  43,  44,  55;  record  from,  80,  82,  106,  118,  149,  152, 
251,  252,  268,  354. 

Arkansas,  40. 

Amelia  county,  40. 

Alexandria,  Va.,  56. 

Alexanders,  40. 

Anderson,  John,  42 ;  William  Anderson,  93,  258. 

Alexander,  Archibald,  61. 

AttakuUakulla,  73,  'i4,  75. 

Aylett,  John,  108,  132. 

Arbuckle,  Matthew,  109,  152. 

Adams,  George,  110,  132;  Samuel,  206;  John,  212. 

Aldridge,  James,  114. 

Alamance,  battle  of,  115,  159;  creek,  350,  353. 

Allison,  Robert,  134;  Charles,  134,  136. 

Acklin,  Christopher,  135,  290,  303,  375,  626,  631.  665,  667. 

Ashby,  John,  Captain,  148. 

Allen,  Hugh,  153. 

Armstrong,  156;  James,  630,  632,  633. 

Affidavit,  Jarret  Williams,  221-222. 

Avery,  Waightstill,  247. 

Aspinvale,  360. 

Articles  of  Association,  399. 

Artillery,  regiment  of,  452. 

Appendix,  463. 

hnshouse,  sale  of,  486. 
i.Qgi'xCultural  Society  organized  1850,  494. 

Abolition,  510. 

Alderson,  C.  W.,  787. 

Attorneys  practicing  in  courts,  834-837. 

Assembly,  General,  158,  209,  228,  243,  244;  petition  to,  246,  247,  248,  250, 
251,  254,  256,  257,  258,  263,  264,  266,  277,  279,  280,  281,  287,  295,  298, 
299;  resolutions  1781,  339,  340,  357,  370,  373,  388,  391,  392;  address  of, 
394,  397,  423,  424;  first  representatives  elected,  426,  447-452;  1814,  rais- 
ing of  troops,  462,  464,  466;  spring  session  1819,  officers  elected,  467; 
voting  precincts  established,  commissioners  appointed  1823,  468-469; 
Lynchburg  and  New  River  railroad  incorporated,  470;  effort  a  fail- 
ure, 473;  representatives  1836,  Lynchburg  and  Bristol  Railroad  Com- 
missioners, 480;  Tennessee- Virginia  railroad  meeting,  resolutions  1849, 
495-496;  members  elected  1859,  511;  convention  dissolving  connection 
of  States,  512;  commissioners  of  revenue,  530,  547;  acts  of  1867,  550; 
1869,  555,  556,  621;  petition  1777,  624,  625;  1803,  633;  charter  amended, 
648;  new  council  elected,  649;  act  establishing  county  seat,  667,  669; 
incorporating  Goodson,  681 ;  Bristol  Coal  and  Iron  Narrow-Gauge  rail- 
road, begun  1877,  682. 


Index. 


B. 

Brutus,  172. 

Bristow,  J.  L.,  8. 

Bahama  Islands,  10. 

Bergess,  Annie,  13. 

Burgesses,  House  of,  15,  18,  34,  35,  36,  51,  106,  130,  148,  158,  160,  163;  peti- 
tion, 164-169,  170,  176,  178,  179,  181;  resolution,  186,  187,  204,  209, 
217,  285. 

Bennett,  Richard,  16. 

Berkley,  Sir  William,  16,  17,  23,  36,  38. 

Bacon,  Nathaniel,  17,  161. 

Blue  Ridge,  17,  23,  34,  36,  37,  38,  41,  42,  43,  49,  130,  466. 

Byars'  farm,  22,  28,  29,  104,  138.  i 

Batte,  Captain  Henry,  23,  36. 

Bickley's  History  of  Tazewell,  28,  76;  Charles,  367,  368. 

British  Indians  assist,  33;  government,  148;  Parliament,  159,  161,  180,  187, 
199,  201,  219;  standard,  277,  286;  agents,  294,  299,  302,  341,  348,  351, 
354,  355,  356,  359,  366,  374;  vessels,  459. 

Baptist  ministers,  845. 

Baptist  missionary  ministers,  846. 

Battes,  Thomas,  journal  of  trip  of  exploration,  36,  38;  Governor,  220,  273. 

Bedford  county,  41,  79,  152,  252. 

Buckingham  Road,  41. 

Botetourt  coimty,  act  establishing,  41,  43,  106,  108,  109,  118,  130,  150,  152, 
153,  232,  233,  251,  252,  297,  337,  349,  364,  370;  Lord  Botetourt,  97,  109. 

Buffalo  Gap,  41;  Buffalo  Lick,  45,  146;  Buffalo  Bottom,  45. 

Beverly,  William,  42;  manor  of,  41,  42. 

Buchanan,  John,  42,  43,  44,  45,  53,  58,  67,  84,  136,  137,  250,  669,  671. 

Buchanan,  Robert,  134,  271;  Archibald,  135,  136;  James,  287. 

Buchanan,  President  James,  513;  Buchanan  county  first  settlers,  43,  254, 
366,  103. 

Burke,  James,  45,  46,  53,  54,  58;  Burke's  Garden,  45,  46,  54,  58,  361,  362. 

Burke,  Richard,  155. 

Bluestone  river,  48,  61,  362,  363,  368,  386,  426;  Bluestone  creek,  146. 

Byrd,  Colonel  William,  49,  66;  Roster  ranging  party,  67,  69,  70,  75,  92,  146; 
Thomas,  134;  John,  131,  132;  Byrd's  boundary  lines,  46,  116;  dispute 
between  Washington  and  Russell,  469;  Washington  and  Montgomery, 
372;  Smyth  and  Washington,  commissioner's  report,  474;  Grayson,  506; 
Washington  county  and  State  of  Tennessee,  693 ;  committee  report,  sur- 
veyor's report,  issues  tried,  726,  746. 

Blacksburg,  49. 

Battle  of  Colloden,  50. 

Back  Creek,  53. 

Braddock,  General,  his  defeat,  56. 

Barrier,  Casper,  57,  59. 

Barger,  Philip,  67. 


888  Index. 

Bingemaii,  John,  Mrs.,  Adam,  Mrs.,  Jr.,  58-59. 

Bridgmap,  59. 

Baker,  Mary,  58;  David,  110;  Isaac,  671,  672,  673. 

Breckenridge,  General  James,  467;  Robert,  61,  108;  John  C,  511;  Alexan- 
der, 158. 

Butt,  J.  M.,  788. 

Boone,  Daniel,  76;  tree,  105,  142,  156,  157,  617;  James,  142;  Boone's 
Creek,  76,  93,  228 ;  Boonsborough,  278. 

Bledsoe,  Anthony,  103,  109,  110,  116,  130,  135,  136,  137,  221,  223,  242,  243- 
263,  264,  270,  279,  287,  292,  349,  625;  Isaac,  436;  sketches,  748. 

Bean,  William,  92;  Mrs.  Bean,  228;  Russell  Bean,  92. 

BoAvyer,  John,  108;  Luke,  108,  132,  260;  Thomas,  146. 

Blevins,  76. 

Boquet,  Captain,  81. 

Butler,  84. 

Benhams,  105;  Benham,  428. 

Beaver  Creek,  110,  13*6,  137. 

Bowen,  John,  109;  Rees,  116,  156,  271;  Arthur  Bowen,  133,  452;  William, 
135,  271;  Moses,  156. 

Baptists,  118;  Baptist  Valley,  380,  426. 

Beattie,  John,  132;  Francis,  371. 

Bradshaw,  John,  115. 

Bryan,  James,  133,  135;  William,  142. 

Black,  Joseph,  135,  136,  157,  229,  257,  268,  269,  270,  271,  290,  291,  292,  300, 

619,  621,  622;  Black  Lick,  293;  Black  Wolf,  361;  Black  Mountain,  423. 
Blackburn,  William,  135;  George,  135,  256,  258,  271,  274;  Arthur,  230,  231, 

620,  156. 

^CJBriggs,  Samuel,  135,  158,  268,  269,  621,  622.  * 
Bear  Grass  Creek,  146. 
Bone  Lick,  146. 
Ballard,  William,  148. 
Batson,  Mordecai,  148. 
Belfast,  151. 
Ball,  John,  148. 
Buford,  152,  153,  293. 
Bracken,  153. 

Brooks,  George,  155;  Brooks,  Castleton,  268;  Rev.  Ebenezer,  371. 
Bradley,  John,  156;  Reuben,  455;  Robert  E.,  491. 
Bogard,  Abram,  156.  ^ 

Berry,  Francis,  156;  Thomas,  271,  245;  George,  245;  Hugh,  269;  John,  135. 
Boston  Harbor,  160,  172,  181,  182,  199,  207,  208,  209. 
Barre,  Colonel,  170. 
Bernard,  Governor,  173,  177. 

Board  of  Admiralty,  177;  Board  of  Trade,  177;  Board  of  Officers,  363,  364. 
Bland,  Richard,  181,  188,  207. 
Breed's  Hill,  battle  of,  206. 
Bill  of  Rights,  210,  212;  bills  of  credit,  292. 


Ind&x.  889 

Boyd's  Creek,  218;  Boyd,  218;  Mary,  232;  Alexander,  232;  Boyd's 

Mill,  351. 
Brown's  settlement,  219;  Cornelius  Brown,  281;  Low  Brown,  287;  G.  Brown, 

287;  John  Brown7349,  373,  375. 
Bluff  City,  235. 
Big  Island,  241. 
Blankenship,  John,  243. 
Bunch,  James,  246. 
Braxton,  Carter,  251. 
Bullitt,  252. 
Bond,  Edward,  260. 
Bannister,  Mr.,  264. 
Bo\ATiian,  Captain  John,  279. 
Blackamore,  John,  292. 
Big  Creek,  93,  294,  360. 
Blue  Spring,  136;  Blue  Lick.  368. 
Bamett,  Alexander,  301. 

Battle  of  King's  Mountain,  303,  304,  337,  338,  340. 
Bennington,  340. 
Bickerstaff,  341,  350. 
Butler's  line,  354;  brigade,  355. 
Bailey,  D.  F.,  780. 
Buchanan,  B.  F.,  sketch,  781.^ 
Bekem,  Charles  S.,  sketch,  791. 
Bull  Town,  360. 
Bush,  James,  367. 
Bowlin,  Wm.,  367. 
Bergess,  Rev.  Timothy,  371. 
Brushy  Mountain,  372. 
Broomfield  children,  380. 

Breeding, ,  423. 

Benge,  Indian  chief,  433,  443. 

Big  Moccasin  Gap,  437. 

Barbour,  Governor  James,  461. 

Barr,  Rev.  George  R.,  506. 

Bekem,  C.  S.,  506,  516. 

Bell,  James,  42,  60;  John,  511. 

Buckner,  General,  532. 

Barrack,  Solomon  G.,  580;   Institute,  580. 

Birch,  Rev.  Thomas  Erskine,  561. 

Balfour,  Sallie  C.  and  Elizabeth,  567. 

Bagnell,  Wm.  and  Mrs.,  628. 

Branch,  Peter  J.,  645. 

Bowen,  Rees  T.,  sketch,  761. 

Bowen,  Henry,  sketch,  762. 

Buchanan,  John  A.,  sketch,  763. 

Byars,  Colonel   William,  sketch,  774. 

Byars,  J.  Cloyd,  sketch,  782. 


890  Index. 

Bristol,  235,  259,  294 ;  Virginia-Tennessee  railroad  erected,  556-669,  673 ; 
boundaries,  676;  1855 — business  houses,  678-679;  Thirty-seventh  Vir- 
ginia Regiment  organized,  680;  newspaper,  schools,  681;  King  College, 
682;  Colonel  Cutt's  observation,  solar  eclipse,  683;  charter  amended, 
683;  first  officers,  rules  and  regulations  adopted,  684;  lots  sold,  James 
Bank  incorporated,  685;  city  incorporated,  officers,  corporation  court 
established,  686;  census  Virginia-Tennessee,  officers,  687,  689. 

C. 

Confederate  troops  roster,  867-881. 

Caesar,  172. 

Congressional  Library,  8. 

Columbus,  Christopher,  10,  20. 

Cabot,  John,  10,  79;  Sebastian,  10. 

Clinch  Mountain,  10,  82,  115,  132,  134,  135,  136,  156,  157,  272,  369,  370,  388, 
420. 

Croatan,  12. 

Chesapeake  Bay,  12,  14. 

Cape  Henry,  Cape  Charles,  12. 

Colony,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  34,  43,  47,  143,  148,  286,  295. 

Canada,  76,  147,  182,  199;  British  Canada,  40,  51;  French  expelled  from, 
acquired  by,  380. 

County  court  system  organized,  16,  256,  263,  275,  280,  285,  289,  299,  446. 

Counties — Smyth  county,  officers,  lawyers,  472,  473;  Scott  county,  465; 
July,  1819,  negro  tried,  467;  minute  books  destroyed,  468;  Washington 
court  members,  description  of,  1832,  476,  480;  new  jail  erected  1837, 
481;  new  buildings  1850,  489;  members  elected  by  vote,  493;  1852,  slave 
convicted,  514;  railroad  directors  appointed,  proceedings  regarding 
slaves,  money  voted  for  army  supplies,  police  protection,  home  defence, 
field  officers,  more  money  appropriated,  officers  appointed  1861,  515- 
519;  April  term  1864,  money  levied  to  buy  grain,  533,  546,  547;  Freed- 
men's  Court  established,  548-549;  officers  elected,  555;  last  term  old 
County  Court,  April,  1870,  555;  1776,  621;  order  entered,  622;  pro- 
ceedings, 624;  prison  plan  1779,  633;  1838,  643,  644;  elected,  645;  reso- 
lutions of  court,  647;  Augusta  organized,  42. 

Charles  I,  16,  161,  172;  Charles  II,  16,  37,  123. 

Cromwell,  16,  117,  161. 

Chelsea,  17. 

Counties  established  west  of  mountains,  18;  Scott  1814,  464;  officers  of, 
465,  466;  Smyth  county,  472. 

Crow,  James,  sketch,  787. 

Campbell,  Thomas  J.,  sketch,  789. 

Church  of  Christ  ministers,  846. 

Christian  minis Lcrs,  845. 

Columbia,  S.  C,  21. 

Cafitachieque,  21. 

Castle  Woods,  22,  134,  142,  235,  272,  363,  365,  367,  386,  388,  426. 

Crockett,  Mr.,  22;  Samuel,  46,  130,  131,  133;  Joseph  and  Esther,  45-54. 


Index.  891 

Cherokee  Indians,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27;  battle  Chickasaw  Old  Fields,  32,  40, 
53,  60,  61,  67,  70,  72,  75,  93,  106,  142,  143,  157,  217;  town,  220,  232,  234, 
235,  236,  237,  240,  241,  243,  245,  246,  248,  250,  262,  263,  268,  278,  304, 
341,  349,  364,  366,  379,  385,  420;  Creek  nation,  24,  27,  30;  passion  for 
revenge,  31;  principal  town,  31,  217,  263,  349,  379,  380,  386,  420; 
Cherokee  river,  24,  44,  102,  155. 

Cootcla  river,  24. 

Clinch,  24,  28,  32,  35,  44,  50,  109,  114,  142,  143,  145,  146,  147,  148,  149,  150, 
209,  219,  222,  229,  246,  248,  254,  271,  286,  288,  294,  295,  361,  363,  364, 
367,  368,  387,  388,  420,  426;  valley,  28;  visited  bv  Shawnese,  33,  48,  76, 
84,  287. 

Cumberland  river,  25,  50,  147,  250,  254,  263,  264,  266,  268,  278;  mountaias, 
48,  50,  104,  143,  278,  279,  280,  480;  Gap,  27,  33,  46,  50,  76,  280,  349, 
364,  366,  379,  420,  431;  Cumberland  county,  69,  358. 

Clear  Fork  creek,  28. 

Catawba  river,  31,  81;  Indians,  60;  road,  130. 

Choto,  31,  74,  244;  Chote,  246,  294,  348,  360,  361,  365,  366,  386,  420. 

Carolinas,  32,  234,  241,  292,  294,  299,  340,  388. 

Campbell,  Arthur,  32;  captured  by  Indians,  67,  84,  109,  130,  131,  132,  133, 
135,  146,  149,  201,  204,  209,  218,  242,  250,  252,  255,  256,  262-274,  285, 
287,  289,  292,  299,  342,  348,  349,  350,  364,  376,  391,  392;  charges  against, 
302,  403;  communications  relative  to  charges,  404,  419;  memorial,  418- 
419;  talk  to  Indians  1787,  421,  424,  431,  432,  435,  436;  militia  report, 
443 ;  death,  epitaph,  463,  464,  625,  707 ;  sketch,  748. 

Clerks,  deputies,  837-838. 

Commissioners  of  revenue,  838-839. 

Constables  on  Holston,  840-841. 

Campbell,  Preston  W.,  sketch,  776. 

Campbell,  Robert,  42,  134,  155,  271;  Major  Charles,  43,  45;  Michael,  48; 
Campbell,  John,  156,  157,  254,  271,  275,  290,  306,  373;  sketch,  791; 
Margaret,  84;  Robert,  84,  156,  301,  372;  James,  84;  Patrick,  84;  David 
and  daughters,  84,  256,  270,  290;  Isaac,  293;  Governor  David,  118,  142, 
201,  452,  459,  461;  sketch,  766;  Joseph  T.,  513;  sketch,  775;  General 
William,  133,  156,  233,  269,  272,  274,  275,  286,  289,  292,  339,  341,  350, 
355,  356,  357,  358,  359,  366,  369,  370;  sketch,  749;  Colonel  James,  463; 
William,  201,  203,  207,  256,  302,  626;  Edward,  452;  sketch,  774;  Camp- 
bell's Station,  290;  David,  298;  General  John  B.,  463;  sketch,  792; 
Charles,  370;  Campbell's  choice,  45;  E.  M.  Campbell,  647;  Campbell's 
X-Roads,  462. 

Campbell,  John  A.,  771. 

Christian,  John,  42;  Colonel  William,  53,  79,  130,  131,  148,  149,  157,  187, 
233,  255,  236,  241,  242,  243,  244,  245,  247,  250,  255,  26;  Christiansburg^ 
58;  railroad  convention,  495,  505;  Gilbert  Christian,  93.  262,  268,  271, 
290;  Israel,  108,  109;  William,  109,  130,  131. 

Cripple  Creek,  54. 

Crown  Point,  56. 


893  Index. 

Cocke,  Captain  \^illiam,  56,  103,  137,  227,  228,  245,  283,  264,  270,  275,  299, 

625;  sketch,  748. 
Cull,  James,  59. 
Connie,  Mathias,  58. 
Cook,  John,  59. 
Cole,  60. 

Chiswell,  Colonel  John,  discovers  lead  mines,  69,  71,  90,  513. 
Cox,  76,  367;  Mrs.  387. 

Carter's  Valley,  76,  115,  116,  219,  222,  259,  262,  266,  267,  299. 
Carter,  Thomas,  43;  John,  219,  420;  Landon  Carter,  398. 
Creek,  Boone's,  76. 
Creek,  John's,  79,  80. 

Cloyd,  Mrs.,  46,  79;  David,  79,  80;  Major  Joseph,  352,  363. 
Carr,  84,  85;  William,  114;  Dabney,  181. 
Colvill,  Andrew,  110,  135,  141,  157,  274,  287,  290,  301. 
Crabtree,  William,  114;  Abraham,  271. 
Crab  Apple  Orchard,  45. 
Crab  Orchard,  115,  117,  279. 

Cameron,  Alexander,  116,  218-219,  222-235,  241,  248;  John  A.,  493,  513. 
Clyce,  C.  L.,  103,  137,  235,  275. 

Chickasaw  Indians,  32,  60,  61,  106,  217;  Old  Fields,  battle  of,  32,  106. 
Chiles,  Walter,  34. 
Clayborne,  Colonel  William,  35. 
Castle  Creek,  45,  157,  257. 
Cedar  Creek,  45;  Cedar  Run,  45. 
Crawfords,  42;  Rev.  Edward,  576. 
Crisman,  Isaac,  219. 
Creswell,  William,  231,  233,  620. 
College,  Martha  Washington,  232. 
College,  William  and  Mary,  267. 
Choctaws,  217. 
Cove  Creek,  234,  235. 

Chickamauga,  248,  263,  294,  295,  360,  365,  366,  386,  387. 
Chickamauga  Creek,  360. 
Calvatt,  James,  263. 
Coulter,  John,  268,  269,  270,  275,  285. 
Cooper,  Francis,  272. 
Calloway,  Richard,  279,  280. 
Clark,  George  Rogers,  285,  286,  295,  298,  368. 
Clark,  William  B.   (incident  of  flag),  513. 
Clark,  David  B.,  sketch,  783. 
Carson,  David,  291,  292,  301,  370,  624. 

CornwallLs,  292,  301,  302,  341,  350,  351,  352,  355,  356,  357,  358,  359. 
Churton,  300. 
Concord,  340. 
Charlottesville,  357. 
Coosa  river,  360,  361. 


Index.  893 

Clements,  360. 

Cuttawa,  365. 

Cockrell,  Simon,  371;  Moses,  433. 

Culpeper  county,  53. 

Cunningham,  Robert,  42. 

Creek  Peak,  49. 

Cullodon,  battle  of,  53. 

Cummings,  Rev.  Charles,  119;  call  to  Sinking  and  Ebbing  Spring,  character 

of  congregation,  119,  139,  141,  201,  204,  229,  230,  231,  232,  371,  619, 

620;  sketch,  747. 
Cummings,  Colonel  A.  C,  531,  619,  643,  644;  sketch,  784. 
Cummings,  Judge  David  C,  774. 
Church  and  State  separation,  119-123. 
Culberson  Creek,  130;  Culberson  Bottom,  362. 
Catherines,  James,  134-135. 
Craven,  Joseph,  135. 

Craig,  Robert,  137,  259,  269,  274,  285,  290,  301,  625,  626,  633,  640. 
Craig,  James,  375. 
Craig  county,  143. 

Craighead,  Rev.  Thomas  Brown,  371. 
Cochran,  143. 
Cresap,  Captain,  145. 
/Clay,  Mitchell,  146;  Henry,  486,  632. 
Corlin,  John,  146. 
Connally,  John,  146. 
Cabin,  146,  148. 
Cowan,  James,  150. 
Camp  Union,  150. 
Cantiff,  Ensign,  153. 
Carmack,  John,  155.     .'' 

Casey,  William,  155,  230,  231,  272;  Nancy,  230-231. 
Crow,  John,  157. 
Crow,  James,  sketch,  787. 
Gary,  Archibald,  181. 
Charleston,  182. 
Charles  City,  462. 
Chatham,  Lord,  183,  201. 
Cambridge,  207. 
Commonwealth,  212,  241,  247,  249,  256,  260,  263,  266,  267,  27/,  289,  291, 

294,  370,  373,  851. 
Census  of  Virginia,  851;  Washington  county,  851. 
Coale,  Charles  B.,  379,  626   (description  of  Abingdon,  1875),  654-656,  658; 

sketch, . 

Caw-a-tie,  386. 

Conn,  Gerrard  T.,  437,  634. 

Caldwell,  James,  443. 

Celebration  4th  July,  1812— toasts,  453-457. 


894  Index. 

Chippawa,  battle  of,  463. 

Cass,  General  Lewis,  489. 

Catlett,  Rev.  Thomas,  529. 

Callahan,  Edward  and  Succy,  629-630. 

Cosby,  Rev.  Lewis  F.,  643;  sketch,  795. 

Carnahan,  S.  W.,  647. 

Cutts,  Colonel  Richard,  683 ;  letter  Superintendent  United  States  Coast  Sur- 
vey, 721,  725. 

Circuit  Superior  Court  of  Law  and  Chancery,  486. 

Courthouse  bell,  Wytheville  (inscription  on),  46L 

Court  of  Russell  county,  members,  388-389. 

Court  orders  1780,  ?03,  304. 

County  levy,  284,  290,  291. 

Commissioners,  258,  259,  260,  285,  289. 

Committee  on  Privileges  and  Elections,  report,  resolutions,  264,  266,  475. 

Continental  army,  256,  367,  373. 

Colonial  Convention,  207. 

Constitutional  Convention,  242,  256;  division  of  State,  425,  466;  suffrage 
votes,  470,  471;  qualification  of  voters,  492;  State  and  county  officers 
elected  by  the  people,  492-493;  ordinance  to  appeal,  514,  549;  ratified 
by  the  people,  553;  objectionable  clauses,  554,  555;  members  of,  820. 

Constitution  and  charter,  15,  119,  182,  241,  242,  249,  256,  263,  424. 

Congress,  187,  160,  173,  191,  199,  201,  203,  206,  210,  212,  256,  349,  373,  374, 
391,  392;  memorial,  392,  394,  398;  representative  election  1793,  431, 
474 ;  seats  contested,  547,  551 ;  remove  civil  officers,  appointments,  554 ; 
bills  passed,  555. 

Congress,  members  oi,  755-764,  816. 

County  Court,  members  of,  820-829. 

D. 

Dunnington,  C.  A.,  8. 

Davidson,  T.  D.,  8;  Mrs.  Andrew,  380;  Andrew,  380;  John,  426;  Davidson 

county,  398. 
De  Soto,  10,  20;  explores  county,  21,  22,  23,  31. 
Dare,  Anninas  and  Virginia,  11. 
Delaware,  Lord,  14;  State,  173;  tribe,  152. 
Dale,  Sir  Thomas,  14. 
Dutch,  15,  40. 

Diggs,  Dudley,  181 ;  Edward,  16. 
De  Biedma,  Louis  Hernandez,  21,  22,  23. 
Draper,  34;  Mrs.,  44,  57,  59;  Draper's  Meadows,  46;   Indian  massacre  at, 

57,  361;  John,  57;  Mrs.  John,  57;  George,  380. 
Dan  River,  36. 
Dority,  Indian  trader,  40. 
Dickenson,  Adam,  42;   Dickenson  Fort,  67;   Dickenson,  Captain,   152,  153; 

Dickenson  county,  255 ;  Henry,  367,  368,  369 ;  Humphrey,  367.  v. 
Dickensonville,  389,  390. 
Dissenters,  43,  62,  162. 


Index.  895 

Davis,  James,  45,  53,  54,  78,  109,  272;  Davis'  Fancy,  45,  53;  Bottom,  49,  67; 
Mrs.  Davis,  57;  Robert,  109,  133;  Davis,  243;  John,  273;  President 
Jefferson  Davis  Cabinet,  514,  523;  Joseph  Davis,  547. 

Duke  of  Cumberland,  50. 

Dublin,  53. 

Dinwiddie,  Governor,  55,  67. 

Duncard's  Bottom  Fort  built,  56,  57,  67. 

Darries,  Benj.,  60. 

Dunlap,  '—,  61. 

Demere,  Captain,  70,  74. 

Dobbs,  Governor,  69. 

Doach,  Robert,  109,  130,  131,  269,  270,  622. 

Douglas,  James,  13,  146,  147,  148;  John,  295;  Samuel,  245;  Stephen  A.,  511. 

Dunlop,  Ephraim,  132,  260,  277,  300;  John,  295. 

Drake,  Joseph, . 

Dunkin,  John,  134,  157,  259,  272,  275,  285. 

Duncan,  244;  Elizabeth,  245. 

Dunn,  Isaac  B.,  493. 

Dougherty,  John,  136. 

Dunmore,  Lord,  147,  149,  150,  151,  153,  156,  160,  185,  204,  205,  208,  209. 

Darnell,  Lawrence,  148. 

Draper,  Joseph,  sketch,  757. 

Davenport,  Peter  J.,  sketch,  778. 

Dunn,  D.  C,  sketch,  783. 

Davis,  Joseph  W.,  794. 

Duke  of  Grafton,  180. 

Dartmouth,  Lord,  199. 

Dorchester  Heights,  209. 

Declaration  of  Independence,  208,  213,  216,  217. 

Design  of  State  seal,  212. 

Doggett, -,  218. 

Dragging  Canoe,  223,  228,  248,  263,  294. 

Dysart,  James,  255,  267,  271,  274,  287,  288,  370,  375,  376,  622. 

Deputy  attorney,  260. 

Drummon,  Margaret,  270. 

Doak,  Samuel,  283 ;  Doak's,  David,  Mill,  363. 

Donaldson,  Alexander,  290,  299,  366,  375. 

Deep  River,  352. 

District  Commissioners,  364. 

Dryden,  William,  372. 

Dials,  ,  385. 

Duff,  Captain,  452. 

Dixon,  Captain  Henry  St.  John,  632;  George,  452;  Captain  Henry,  453,  460. 

Democrats,  486,  493;  convention,  511. 

Damascus,  692,  693. 


896  Index. 


E. 

Episcopal  ministers,  845. 

Eriekson,  Leif,  9. 

Edmondson,  Rees  B.,  sketch,  778. 

England,  10;  Church  of,  43,  103,  153;  King  of,  208;  crown  of,  267,  358. 

East  India  Company,  82,  183,  186;  East  India  Islands,  10. 

Euphrates,  18,  39;  Brotherhood  of,  49. 

English,  24;  route  of  travel,  27,  31,  35,  36,  47,  51. 

Eden,  25 ;  Eden's  Ridge,  76. 

Explorations,  34,  35,  47,  48. 

Esisex  county,  42. 

Europe,  2,  42. 

English,  Mrs.,  59;  John,  60;  Mrs.  Mary,  60;  Stephen,  422;  William,  422. 

Expedition  Sandy  river,  60;  Captain  Robert  Wade, . 

East  Tennessee,  106. 

Estill,  Benj.,  108,  130,  301,  452;  Estillville  established,  466;  sketch,  768. 
Episcopalians,  117. 
Eleven-Mile  Creek,  134,  135. 
Eighteen-Mile-Creek,  132,  135,  157,  257. 
Elk  Garden,  134,  135,  156,  287. 
Elk  Horn  Creek,  146. 
Ebbing  Spring,  138,  139,  341,  371. 
Elk  Fork,  150. 
Eppes,  Major  J'rank,  208. 
Elizabethton,  262,  278. 
Ewing,  Samuel,  242. 

Evans,  Jesise,  116;  destruction  of  family,  account  of,  295,  298;  Samuel,  290; 
Mrs.  Evans,  295,  298. 

Eaton,  Amos,  268. 

Elliott,  James,  277. 

Emigration  to  Kentucky,  283. 

Estanola,  361. 

Elmires, ,  423. 

Emancipation  of  slaves,  444. 

Election — James  Madison,  453;  Congress  representatives,  474;  votes,  47, 
475;  precincts  established,  commissioner,  475;  Whig  ticket,  489,  490; 
members  to  convention,  491,  492;  election  1852,  popular  vote,  493; 
secession,  result  of,  512;  Confederate  States  county  officers,  State  offi- 
cers 1865,  47,  54;  Conservatives  and  Radicals,  551,  552,  553,  554;  free- 
holders voting,  562;  1802,  633,  634. 

Elizabeth  Furnace,  408. 

Emory  and  Heniy  College  founded,  486,  575;  presidents  of.  579. 

Eckerbusch,  Charles,  518. 

Edmondson,  L.  P.,  sketch,  789.    • 

Education,  556.  580.  569;  Bristol-Goodson  Academy  1862,  680,  682,  687. 


Index.  897 

Edmiston,  William,  32,  103,  132,  133,  134,  135,  201,  203,  256,  258,  262,  263, 
264,  269,  302,  369,  370,  375,  376,  402;  Robert,  235,  271;  Samuel,  138, 
139;  William  P.,  467;  William,  sketch,  749. 

Earnest,  John  H.,  sketch,  777. 

F. 

Ports,  description  of,  125;  Loudoun,  31;  built,  68,  69;  captured  by  Indians, 
70,  72,  74,  75;  Du  Quesne,  31,  69,  70;  Necessity,  55;  Frederick,  56; 
Lewis,  56,  61;  Vause,  57,  58,  62;  Dickenson,  67;  Robinson,  70,  72; 
Patrick  Henry,  71,  218,  228,  235,  242,  246,  259;  Prince  George,  73,  74; 
Black,  76,  231,  233,  235,  242,  254,  288;  Stanwix,  85,  93,  148;  Bryan's, 
103,  235;  Cocke,  103,  235,  275;  Edmiston,  103,  104,  235;  Eaton,  103, 
219,  228,  235;  Bledsoe,  103,  104,  235;  Thompson,  104,  235;  Chiswell, 
70,  115,  134,  219;  Knox,  115;  Wynn,  117,  235;  Russell,  147,  150,  156: 
Pitt,  150,  151;  Blackamore,  156,  157,  234,  235,  248;  Moore,  156;  Glade 
Hollow,  157,  235,  287,  288;  Lee,  235;  Crab  Orchard,  235;  Gillespie, 
235;  Womack,  235;  Priest,  235;  Mumps,  235;  Rye  Cove,  235,  246; 
Logan,  279;  Boone,  279;  Elk  Garden,  287,  288;  Erie,  459;  Knox,  114; 
Pitt,  151;  Glade  Hollow,  157. 

Ford,  Cloud's,  93;  Cloud's  Creek,  248. 

Fleet,  Captain  Henry,  35. 

French-Broad  river,  243,  200;  French-Indian  war,  53,  59,  103,  114,  147,  162. 

French  explorers,  10,  24,  31,  44,  47,  51,  55,  56,  60,  69,  75;  France,  20;  gov- 
ernment, 40. 

Florida,  10;  visited  by  De  feoto,  20,  21. 

Frederick  county  established,  19,  42,  118,  252. 

Fredericksburg,  69,  150. 

Floyd  county,  23,  36,  37;  John  Floyd,  131,  146,  147,  156;  Ben  Rush  Floyd, 
511,  512;  sketch,  775. 

Fallen,  Rob*t,  36;  Fallin,  243,  244. 

Falling  Creek,  136. 

Fountain,  John,  38;  journal  of  exploration,  39. 

Fountainbleau,  treaty  of,  76. 

Findley,  John,  42,  43,  104,  156,  271;  George,  155;  Alexander,  483;  Captain 
F.  S.,  257 ;  Connally,  458. 

Favilkner,  George  M.,  50. 

Freeland,  Isaac,  59. 

Forks,  45. 

iiriendship,  103. 

Fleenor,  John,  Michael,  104;  Indian  raid,  427;  Casper.  Nicholas,  Lilburn, 
104. 

Fiy,  Colonel  Joshua,  55;  ■  Fry,  300. 

Flemming,  William,  108,  146,  152,  153,  232,  233,  287. 

Ferguson,  Samuel,  116;  Colonel,  341,  350. 

Fulkerson,  James,  136,  271,  301;  Colonel  Samuel  V.,  518,  522,  680;  sketch, 
770. 

Fulkerson,  Colonel  Abram,  sketch,  762. 

Fowler,  John,  271;  James,  271. 


898  Index. 

Fowler,  1.  C,  sketch,  . 

Foley,  143. 

Forbes,  355. 

Falmouth,  151. 

Field,  Captain  John,  152,  153;   Fields,  William,  489,  644. 

Pield  officer  Wasliington  county,  Montgomery,  363. 

Fielder,  Charles,  156. 

Fain,  Samuel,  John,  155. 

Forney,  Peter,  155. 

I'aneuil  Hall,  178. 

Fletcher,  Ambrose,  234. 

Franklin,  Benj.,  212. 

Frankland,  State  ot,  391,  398,  419;   officers  elected   1785,  declaration,  400, 

402. 
Fryley,  Frederick,  367,  387. 
Fifteen-Mile  Creek,  271,  272. 
Frost,  Rev.  John,  371. 

Fulton,  Hugh,  report  of,  372;  John,  452;  Andrew  S.,  489. 
Federal  Union,  391,  420;  troops,  447. 
Freemen,  address  to,  394,  397. 
l<'reedmen's  Bureau  established,  548. 
Freeholders,  484. 
Frazer,  John,  429. 
Flag  Pond,  465. 

J<"riel,  Daniel  and  Manassas,  628,  630. 
Fulton,  John  H.,  sketch,  757. 
Fulton,  Andrew  S.,  sketch,  758. 
Floyd,  Governor  John  B.,  sketch,  767. 
Fincastle  county  organized,  130;  militia  officers,  853. 

G. 

Greenland,  9. 

Greenbrier  river,  50,  51,  55. 

Greenup,  John,  115. 

Green,  Mrs.,  81;  Green  river,  143,  365;  John,  148. 

Greenway's  store,  260. 

Green  Springs,  269. 

Greene,  General,  348,  349,  350,  351,  352,  353,  354,  356,  357. 

Green  county,  398. 

Grenville,  Sir  Richard,  11,  174,  176. 

Grenville,  163. 

Gosnold,  Bartholomew,  13. 

Gates,  Captain,  14. 

Gate  City,  466. 

Gulf  of  Mexico,  20-40. 

Georgia,  21,  24,  173,  199,  234;  militia,  236,  298,  299,  386. 

Great  River,  21,  22. 

Great  Spirit,  25,  244. 


Index.  899 

Great  Lick,  48-49. 

Great  Meadows,  55. 

Great  Burning  Springs,  61. 

Great  Road,  133,  136,  137. 

Great  Island,  295,  242. 

Great  Bridge,  208. 

Great  Britain,  181,  187,  204. 

Great  Falls,  146. 

Great  Crossing,  146. 

Great  House,  145. 

Glade  Spring,  29,  556,  689,  691:  officers,  postmasters,  690,  691. 

Greece,  30. 

Germania,  38. 

Germany,  104-208. 

Gouch,  Governor  vVilliam,  41-42. 

Gooseberry  Garden,  45. 

Gisp,  Christopher,  trip  of  exploration,  47,  55. 

Gist,  Nathaniel,  76,  83,  84,  241,  247,  617. 

Gist's  river,  48. 

Gray,  Benj.,  271;  Joseph,  458. 

Gray,  Mr.,  51;  Benj.,  271. 

Garrison,  William,  116. 

Gallion,  Hugh,  134,  135. 

Galloway,  Davis,  135. 

Guilford  Courthouse,  352,  353;  militia,  354,  356,  359;  Guilford  county,  N. 

C,  353. 
Gass,  Captain  David,  143. 
Caspar's  Lick,  147. 
Governor  of  the  Colony,  148. 
Goldman,  153. 

Graham,  ,  60;  Joseph  J.,  153,  531,  779;  Benjamin,  155. 

Godman,  John,  58. 

Griffith,  Moses,  59. 

(jolT,  Andrew,  156. 

Gage,  General,  1<8,  206,  337. 

Greer,  Andrew,  217. 

Goodpasture,  Abraham,  269,  291. 

Gamble,  Josiah,  271. 

(4ilmer,  272. 

Gilbert,  Joseph,  436. 

Gibson,  John, . 

Goodson,  Samuel  E.,  482,  489,  556. 

Greendale,  693. 

Gibson,  James  King,  sketch,  760. 

Greever,  H.  A.,  780. 

Greever,  James  S.,  780. 

Gibson,  John,  782. 


900  Index. 

Grant,  Robert  E.,  782. 

General  Assembly,  members  of,  779,  791,  817,  819. 

Governors,  766-768. 

H. 
Haywood,  Judge,  8. 
Humboldt,  9. 
Henry  the  VII,  10. 
Henry,  Captain  Spotswood,  recruits  men  for  regular  army,  press  notice  of, 

451-452. 
Henry,  Patrick,  17,  146,  171,  172,  181,  188,  191,  201,  204,  205,  207,  208,  242; 

petition  to,  404,  405;  message  of,  408-411. 
Henry,  Samuel,  271;  John,  115,  157. 
Hogohegee  river,  21,  24,  25,  44. 
Hendricks,  T.  P.,  22. 
Henderson,  Richard,  278-279. 
Henderson,  350. 
Holston,  10,  24,  25,  30,  32;  valleys  visited  by  Cherokees,  32,  33,  35,  44,  49, 

50,  53,  55,  56,  58,  60,  76,  103,  109,  114,  115,  132,  142,  149,  155,  209,  222, 

229,  241,  242,  244,  251,  259,  264,  267,  268,  270,  271,  273,  286,  288,  298, 

300,  348,  359,  372,  376,  380,  388;  North  Fork,  27,  28,  29,  30,  41,  49,  50; 

Middle  Fork,  28,  29,  30,  46,  53,  54,  67,  134,  223,  271,  288,  289;   South 

Fork,  46,  271,  422. 
Holston,  Stephen,  46,  53. 
Hoe,  Richard,  34. 
Hale,  D.,  35,  36,  151. 
Hite,  Joist,  41-42. 
Harper's  Ferry,  43,  517. 
Harmon,  Adam,  44,  51,  57. 
Harman,  Valentine,  59;  Mathias,  Jacob  and  Henry,  115;  Peter  and  Jacob, 

116. 
Harman,  Henry,  George,  Mathias,  Indian  fight  with,  380,  381,  385. 
Holly  Bottom,  45. 

Hughes,  John,  48;  Samuel,  367;  Ashford,  51. 
Hughey,  James,  151,  155,  156. 
Hancock  county,  50. 
Hancock,  Corneliuis,  240;  John,  206. 
Hanover  county,  359,  360. 
Hanover  Presbytery,  119,  123. 
Highland  forces,  50. 
Hogg,  Captain  Peter,  56,  60,  62,  81. 
Harrison,  Benjamin,  58,  188,  201. 

Harrison,  William  Henry,  elected  1840,  death  of  1841,  order  of  court,  486. 
Harrison,  Henry,  146;  Captain,  152;  Benjamin,  181. 
Huff,  A.  J.,  sketch,  790. 
Hughes,  R.  W.,  sketch,  794. 
Hydon,  Samuel,  58. 
Houck,  Michael,  58. 


Index.  901 

Hicks,  Christopher,  60. 

Horseshoe  Bend,  New  river,  61. 

Hawkins  county,  93;  Hawkins,  Benjamin,  108. 

Herbert,  William,  109,  150;  Thomas,  281. 

Howard,  John,  109. 

Hunting,  how  followed,  127,  129. 

Hunting  Creek,  356. 

Hays,  John,  133,  135;  James,  135;  Hayes,  143. 

Hall,  Benjamin,  144. 

Hall's  Bottom,  452. 

Harwood  Landing,  146. 

Harrod,  Colonel  James,  147. 

Harrodsburg,  147. 

Harrold,  Robert,  230,  231,  272;  Jerry,  367. 

Hempenstall,  Abraham,  148. 

Hamilton,  James,  150. 

Hampton,  207. 

Hamblin,  Mr.,  365;  Mrs.,  365;  Henry,  367. 

Hamblin's  Mill,  367,  368. 

Handley,  Robert,  155;  Samuel,  156. 

Holliway,  Richard,  155. 

Hickman,  157. 

Hutchison,  Justice,  172. 

Hillsborough,  Lord,  177,  178,  179,  350. 

Howe,  General,  209. 

Hessian,  104,  355,  356. 

Hart,  George,  237. 

Harlin,  Alexander,  243. 

Hampshire,  252. 

House  of  Commons,  176,  177. 

House  of  Lords,  183;  Peers,  199,  201. 

House  of  Delegates,  249,  252,  256,  263,  277,  287,  357,  388;  votes,  452,  473, 

492,  639. 
Houston,  William,  272. 

Hopkins,  Francis,  275-277;  William,  275-277. 
Hopkins,  George  W.,  482,  492,  511;  sketch,  758. 
Hazel  Patch,  278. 
Hutson,  John,  Eleanor,  295. 
High  Rock  Ford,  351,  352,  353. 
Highlands,  Seventy-first  Regiment  of,  355. 
Haw  river,  351,  352,  353. 
Hix,  Joseph,  361,  362. 
Hiwassie,  360. 
Harland,  Ellis,  365. 
Hanging  Man,  386. 
Hutton,  Judge  F.  B.,  sketch,  772. 


903  Index. 

I. 

InlrodvK'tioii,  7. 

Indian  traders,  17,  40,  365. 

Indians,  20,  21,  22;  battle  between,  25;  Soutliern,  Northern,  27;  route  of 
travel,  29;  description  of,  30,  49,  51,  53,  55;  treaty  with,  67,  78.  85.  89, 
90,  92;  report  Dr.  Walker  and  undrew  Lewis,  97,  102;  treaty,  110,  143, 
148;  Point  Pleasant,  151,  152;  affairs,  220,  229,  232,  233,  236,  241,  243, 
244,  278,  283,  285,  288,  295,  298,  248,  349,  360,  361,  366,  367,  368;  raid, 
376,  379;  Harman  fight,  380,  381;  Moore  raid,  382,  385;  scouts,  Indian 
chiefs,  386,  387;  Pemberton  raid,  424,  429,  431,  433,  435,  436;  Living- 
ston raid  and  capture  by  Lieutenant  Hobbs,  439,  443,  620;  Illinois  In- 
dians, 24,  40:  Territory,  32;  Indian  Ridge,  32;  trails,  27,  28,  29,  33,  76; 
Indian  river,  44,  45,  46;  camp,  45;  Indian  Chief  Logan,  144,  145. 

Irisli  settlers,  27. 

Inglis'  Ferry,  27,  41,  46.  49,  51,  54,  280,  281;  Thomas,  .34,  44,  362;  William, 
49,  57,  79,  109,  130,  131,  146,  201,  281,  361.  362;  Mrs.  Inglis,  57,  362; 
Mary,  362,  367. 

Innes,  Harry,  132,  242. 

Illinois  county,  286,  287,  295. 

Iron  Works,  Speedwell,  350. 

J. 

James  river,  12,  13,  15,  37,  41,  43. 

■Jamestown,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  34,  352. 

Justices,  16. 

Johnson,  Joseph,  34,  426. 

Johnson,  Sir  William,  84. 

Johnston,  Charles  C,  474,  475;  sketch,  757. 

Johnson,  Joseph,  493. 

Johnson,  Andrew,  550. 

Johnston,  Judge  Peter,  768. 

Johnston,  Peter  C,  643. 

Johnston,  John  Preston,  644. 

Johnston,  Beverly  R.,  645. 

John's  Creek,  79,  80. 

Jeff"erson,  Thomas,  51,  181,  204,  212,  213,  251,  252,  290,  337,  340.  .342. 

Jefferson,  Peter,  51. 

Jefferson,  300. 

Jones,  General  William  E.,  644;  sketch,  753. 

Jones,  John,  104. 

.Jones,  Gabriel,  132. 

Jones'  Place,  134. 

Jones,  John  Gabriel,  136,  285. 

Jones,  Thomas,  261;  Jonesboro,  281,  398,  399. 

Journal,  Smith's,  94-97;  of  citizen,  524,  528;  Captain  Robert  Wade,  62,  66. 

Jacob,  Dutch,  59. 

Judd's  Friend,  73. 

Joslin,  Benjamin,  236. 


Index.  903 

• 
Jim  and  Jerry,  hanging  of,  523-524. 

Judiciary,  592-604. 

Jack,  Major,  236. 

Jackson  river,  81. 

Jennings,  Charles  H.,  sketch,  789. 

Journal,  Dr.  Thomas  Walker,  796-807. 

Jackson's  General,  inauguration,  475. 

Jackson,  General  T.  J.,  517,  573. 

Jennings,  Jonathan,  135. 

Johnston,  John  W.,  sketch,  765. 

Judges  of  county  and  circuit  courts,  768-774. 

K. 
King,  James  I.,  12,  170. 
King,  16. 

King  George  I,  18,  38;  11,  III,  217,  276. 

King,  Jonas,  115;  John,  271;  William,  443,  446,  493,  585,  633,  793. 
King's  Mountain,  103,  142,  304,  336,  338,  359;  soldiers  participating,  855- 

866. 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe,  18,  38,  39. 
Knoxville,  68. 

Knox,  Colonel  James,  114;  Knox,  149. 
Kilmackronan,  22,  28,  45. 
Kentucky  river,  25,  50,  146. 
Kentucky,  State  of,  27,  40,  46,  47,  50,  51 ;  Bone  Lick,  57,  106,  143,  146,  251, 

253,  254,  271,  278,  279,  280,  281;  emigration  to,  283,  285,  290,  348,  365, 

366,  368,  373,  379,  422,  463,  528. 
Kanawha  river,  38,  90,  143,  150,  151,  153,  254. 
Kaskaiskia,  40,  286. 
Kerr,  James,  42;  Adam,  271. 
Kent,  Captain  Jacob,  58. 

Kendriek,  Captain,  103;  Kendrick's  Mill,  235. 
Kincannon,  Francis,  109;  James,  132,  271,  402;  Andrew,  289. 
Kennedy,  William,  132;  Kennedy's  Mill,  136,  272;  Robert,  372. 
Keswick,  John,  135. 

Kelly,  Walter,  143 ;  William,  143 ;  Kelly,  Judge  John  A.,  555. 
Keller,  Colonel  John,  481. 

Kellar,  Colonel  John, . 

Kelly,  Judge  John  A.,  771. 

Kendriek.  E.  S.,  788. 

Kinkead,  John,  156,  256,  272,  280,  285,  301,  375,  376. 

Knob  Road,  257. 

Kendall,  George,  13. 

Kreger,  John  G.,  530. 

Ku-Klux  Klan,  555,  556. 

Kinderhook,  556. 

Keys,  Rev.  James,  579. 

King,  Colonel  James,  751. 


904  Index. 

• 

L. 

Landrum,  Lucy,  8. 

Labrador,  10. 

Lane,  Sir  Ralph,  1 1 ;  Turner  Lane,  558. 

London  Company,  12,  14,  15,  16;  Earl  of,  68. 

Lieutenants,  16. 

Long  Island,  27,  28,  29,  49,  60,  71,  75,  76,  83,  93,  218,  219;  battle  of,  224, 

226,  228,  229,  234,  235,  244,  245,  248,  262,  263,  270,  278,  348,  365,  380, 

388,  020. 
Little  Moccasin  Gap,  40. 
Lewis,  John,  41,  42,  51,  152;  Lewis  Creek,  41;  Thomas,  42,  43,  44;  Major 

Andrew,  56,  60,  68,  97,  102,  109,  146,  149,  150,  151,  152,  153,  154,  349, 

370;  Colonel  Charles,  149,  150,  152,  154,  236,  237,  240,  241;  Jacob,  149; 

Lewis,  234;  Aaron,  267,  301,  348,  369,  370. 

Louisiana,  40. 

Leonard,  Henry,  44,  57,  59. 

Lead  Mines,  46;  grant  from  Virginia,  130,  133,  148,  157,  158,  201,  205,  209, 

240,  241,  292,  304,  337,  350,  363,  544. 
Loyal  Company,  47,  48,  51,  52,  82,  89,  91,  266. 
Louisville,  Ky.,  47,  286. 
Lawless,  Henry,  48. 
Looney's  Gap,  50 ;  Robert,  59 ;  Peter,  59 ;  David,  59 ;  Absalom,  1 14 ;  Captain 

Looney,  136;  Moses,  300,  360. 
Lawyers  practicing  in  courts,  834-837. 
Lutheran  ministers,  846. 
Long,  Richard,  William,  367. 
Long  Hunters,  50,  75,  84,  86. 
Lafayette,  58,  358,  359. 
Lyon,  Stephen,  58;  Lyon's  Gap,  134. 
Lee,  John,  59. 
Lee  county,  76,  84,  351,  376;  Peter,  134;  Willis  Lee,  148;  Captain  Lee,  151, 

354,  355,  356,  367,  373;  Richard  Henry  Lee,  181,  188,  201,  212;  Charles 

Lee,  206,  228;  Lee's  Legion,  352,  354,  355;  Colonel  Henry  Lee,  358. 
Lynch,  Charles,  69,  293,  354;  Jacob  Lynch,  487,  506,  511,  643,  644;  Lynch 

law,  293;  Rebecca  Lynch,  529. 
Lin,  Henry,  58. 
Logan,  Benjamin,  33,   135,   136,  278,  279;     Indian  chief  Logan,   144,   145; 

James,  272. 
-Logan,  Samuel,  sketch,  777. 

Logan's  Fort,  279;  Samuel  Logan,  death  of,  resolutions,  510. 
Liberty  Hall,  103;  academy,  105,  579,  580. 
Love,  Philip,  109;  Captain  Love,  152;  Colonel  Love,  242. 
Laurel  Mountain,  76. 
Lochaber  treaty,  110,  114. 
Lawson,  Benjamin,  132. 

Lester,  Allen,  137.  ^ 

Lybrook,  John,  143. 


Index.  905 

Lands  surveyed,  146. 

Licking  Creek,  146. 

Lockridge,  Captain,  152. 

Lard,  153. 

Lyle,  John,  156. 

Lexington,  Mass.,  204. 

Leslie,  Captain,  208. 

Livingston,  William  Todd,  439;  Elizabeth  and  Peter,  439,  441;  R.  R.  Living 
ston,  213;  Paul  Livingston,  437;  letter  Colonel  William  Preston  rela- 
tive to  raid,  222,  223. 

Lynch,  Jacob,  sketch,  782. 

Lands  first  surveyed  on  Holston  and  Clinch,  808-815. 

Lodi,  235. 

Latham,  John,  242,  301. 

Lowry,  ,  24rf. 

Lanier,  Robert,  247,  348. 

Louisa  river,  250. 

Legislature,  270,  340,  369,  473. 

Lebo,  Isaac,  272,  289. 

Lasly,  John,  287. 

List  militia  officers,  302,  303. 

Light  Dragoons,  354. 

Light  Infantry,  358. 

Lockhart,  Major,  364. 

Letter   in  regard  to   controversy   relative  to  navigation  Mississippi   river, 
420-421. 

Lusk,  Samuel,  436. 

Lake  Champlain,  461. 

Lawyer's  Path,  . 

Ledbetter,  Herbert  M.,  469,  644. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  511. 

M. 

MacCauley,  Lord,  7-117. 

Mississippi  river,  10,  24,  32,  33,  40,  46,  47,  51,  52,  53;  valley  of,  148,  420. 

Martin,  John,  13;  Joseph,  84,  115,  135,  245,  256,  265,  269,  271,  272,  278,  295, 

348,  349,  360,  365,  366,  369,  376,  380,  386,  423;  Martin's  Station,  387; 

Martin's  Creek,  84;  Martin's  Vault,  142;  G.  Martin,  269;  William,  386; 

Joseph,  749. 
Maidens,  ship-load,  16;  Maiden  Spring,  116,  136,  156,  254,  271. 
Massacre,  16. 

Matthew,  Samuel,  16,  42;  Captain,  152-153. 
Miami  Indians,  24,  51;  Miami  river,  32,  51. 
Meherin  Indians,  38. 
Maxwells'   Gap,   362;    Maxwells,   28;    Captain   James,   362:    Thomas,    116; 

Basileel,  155;  John  Maxwell,  134,  361. 
Mahaffey  Farm,  28. 
Meadow  View,  29,  691. 


906  Index. 

Mt.  G-eorge,  39. 

Mt.  Spotswood,  39. 

Mt.  Byid,  146. 

Mackey,  39,  41. 

McDowells,  42;  James,  108,  146,  152;  Samuel,  146. 

McClures,  42;  Halbert,  272;  Albert,  271;  McClures'  Creek,  14,  366. 

Moores,  42;  James,  116,  152,  244;  Henry,  103,  136,  156:  Lieutenant  Wil- 
liam, 228,  341,  363;  John,  156;  James,  382,  385. 

Madison,  John,  43,  108;  Richard,  131;  Thomas,  108,  131,  132,  201,  237; 
roll  of  company,  245;  Rowland,  290;  Madison,  Ky.,  278. 

Mastin,  Thomas,  268,  369,  376. 

Moccasin  Creek,  45,  366. 

McGavocks,  46;  James,  109,  130,  131,  135,  201,  242. 

McCalls,  46;  James,  49,  o3,  243. 

Maryland,  47,  173,  207,  284. 

Max  Meadows,  49. 

Meriweather,  Thomas  and  David,  51. 

McCorkle,  54;  James,  135,  146,  242. 

Mercer,  Captain,  56. 

Monongahela  river,  56. 

McFarland,  James,  58;  William,  156. 

Motes,  Michael,  59. 

Mann,  Moses,  59;  Mann's  Lick,  147. 

Moses,  Andrew,  59. 

Medley,  Ivan,  59. 

Montgomery,  Thomas,  301;  Captain  John,  61,  108,  130,  201,  242,  295;  Ale.v- 
ander,  301 ;  Captain  James,  79,  80,  134,  229,  230,  256,  285,  375,  376,  402. 

Montgomery  county  organized,  134,  253,  254,  277,  278,  292,  293,  337,  349, 
350,  363;  field  officers,  364,  371,  372,  388. 

Muskingum,  82,  149. 

McClung,  C.  H.,  sketch,  790. 

Mort,  J.  W.,  sketch,  791. 

Mingoe  Indians,  85,  143,  152. 

Moab,  103. 

May,  John,  108,  132. 

McKee,  William,  109;   Alexander,  131. 

McCathey,  James,  134. 

Mounts,  Matthew,  134. 

McNutt,  Alexander,  135,  271. 

Miller,  Andrew,  136. 

McKenzie,  Miss  Margaret,  144. 

Masoni-  Lodge,  445,  446,  548,  565,  632. 

McDonald,  Colonel  Angus,  14r 

Mooney,  James,  151,  156.  ..i 

MeClanahan,  Captain,  152,  153 

McKenney,  John,  155,  156. 

Mongle,  Frederick,  155,  232-233;  Daniel,  156;  Jacob,  620. 


Index.  '  907 

Massachusetts,   172,   177,   178;   Governor  of,   183;   bay,   185,   186,   187,   188, 

204,  205,  207. 
Mace,  185. 
Martha  Washington  College,  232;   first  organized,  567,  571;   principals  of, 

571. 
Missionary  Baptist  ministers,  846. 
McBury,  Colonel,  236. 
Morris'  Knob,  254. 
McCulloch,  Thomas,  271,  272. 
McGuire,  Nealy,  286. 
Maravian  Town,  289. 
McRea,  358,  35y. 
Mobile,  360,  421. 
Moffitt,  Captain  Robert,  361. 
Memorial,  392,  394,  418. 
McGillivray,  Alexander,  421. 
Middlesborough,  403. 
Methodist  Protestant,  845. 
Marshall,  James  W.,  sketch,  763. 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  844. 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  844. 
Marion,  472. 

McMullen,  Fayette,  482,  489,  491,  519;  sketch,  759. 
Marsh,  483. 
McKinley,  President,  486. 

Mexican  war, . 

Mexico,  486-489. 

Mitchell,  John  D.,  489,  513,  647,  648. 

Masby,  John  S.,  510,  678. 

McDaniel,  William,  murder  of,  hanging  of  murderers,  523,  525. 

Murray,  Elizabeth,  529. 

Morgan,  General,  death  of,  532-534. 

Mitchell,  Agnes,  567. 

Methodism,  118,  613,  616,  643. 

Mendota,  691,  692. 

Moore,  Andrew,  sketch,  755. 

Martin,  Elbert  S.,  sketcn,  759. 

N. 
New  York  Historical  Society,  8. 
Nimmo,  Thomas  E.,  8. 
Northmen,  9. 

Newfoundland,  10.  >■ 

North  Carolina,  11,  37,  46,  47,  49,  173,  236;   souncil  of  safety,  240,  242,  250, 

254,  257,  259,  272,  278,  292,  299,  3fO,  301,  302,  341,  351,  352,  353,  356, 

376,  380,  392,  398,  399. 
Newport,  Captain  Christopher,  12-13. 
New  river,  18,  27,  35,  36,  38,  43,  44,  46,  48,  49,  51,  54,  55,  56,  58,  60,  61,  79, 


908  Index. 

81,  130,  150,  236,  280;  ferries,  281,  292,  304,  362,  363. 

New  World,  20. 

New  York,  151,  173,  176,  182,  187. 

News  letter,  151. 

New  Jersey,  173. 

Nevvland,  Abram,  155;  Isaac,  156,  427. 

New  Garden,  387,  423. 

New  Orleans,  463. 

New  State  of  Frankland  organized,  39-419. 

Newspaper  notices,  390,  447 ;  dissolution  notice,  458 ;  hail-storm,  458 ;  hang- 
ing Campbell  Smith,  505-506;  hanging  of  Mullens,  532,  549;  academy, 
559,  561,  587,  592-634;  account  of  fire,  635;  account  of  fire,  645,  647; 
Bristol  papers,  680;  small-pox,  voting  precinct  established,  663,  681. 

Newell,  Samuel,  246,  287,  289,  290,  365,  421. 

Nesan,  Jack,  36. 

Natches,  53. 

Nova  Scotia,  56,  199. 

Natural  Bridge,  115. 

Narrows,  146. 

North,  Lord,  speech  of,  180-183. 

Nave,  Conrad,  156. 

Nicholas,  Robert,  181. 

North  America,  186,  188. 

Narragansett  Bay,  205. 

Norfolk,  208 ;  Norfolk  and  Western  railroad,  49,  257,  556. 

Nolichucky,  218. 

Number  of  warriors,  235. 

Notes,  292. 

Norton,  Colonel,  355,  356. 

Neece,  Henry,  367 ;  Ann  Neece,  367-368. 

Nafi",  George  E.,  sketch,  777. 

0. 

Ocracoke  Inlet,  11. 

Orange  county  divided  19,  39,  41,  42. 

Ohio  river,  22,  24,  28,  278;  Ohio  State,  25,  33,  55,  56,  61,  143,  146,  148,  153, 

286,  369 ;  Ohio  Company,  47,  51 ;  falls  of,  147. 
Otto  river,  41,  47,  146. 
Otter  Creek,  278. 
Overton,  Captain  Samuel,  61,  68. 
Oconostata,  73,  74,  223,  365. 
Ogleton,  James,  116. 
Oaths,  138,  443,  528. 
Oconoree,  236. 

Orders  of  court  for  1780,  303,  304;  1782,  371;  1783,  373. 
Oscher,  Simon,  367,  368. 
Orr,  James,  493. 


Index.  909 

Ogden,  Elias,  643. 
O'Gullion,  Hugh,  155. 
O'Gullion,  Barnett,  156. 

P. 
Protestant  Episcopal  ministers,  845. 
Pileher,  Mrs.  Margaret  C,  8. 
Portugese  explorers,  10. 
Pacific  Ocean,  10-20. 
Plymouth  Company,  12. 
Powhatan,  king  of  Indians,  13. 
Pocahontas,  13-14. 
Percy,  Sir  George,  14. 
Parliament,  16,  159,  178,  179,  185,  208. 
Postmaster-General,  17. 

Philadelphia,  17,  182,  187,  188,  201,  204,  217,  374,  424,  452. 
Portugal,  20. 

Priest  visits  new  world,  20;  William,  135. 
Potomac  river,  22,  47. 
Pellisippi  river,  24. 

Pearis,  Captain  Richard,  32,  60,  61,  84,  363. 
Piquo,  town  of,  32. 
Pioneers,  35. 
Petersburg,  35-36. 
Patrick  county,  36. 
Perachute,  36. 

Pennsylvania,  41,  43,  55,  82,  104,  150,  173,  207.  /^ 

Patton,  James,  42,  43,  44,  45,  51,  55,  57,  82,  92,  266.   ^ 
Pattonsburg,  first  settled,  43. 
Poage,  Robert,  42;  James,  116;  William,  157. 
Pickens,  John,  Andrew,  42. 

Presbyterians,  Scotch-Irish,  43,  117,  118,  151,  283,  284,  341,  643. 
Presbytery,  117;  Hanover  petition  to  Legislature,  119,  123,  139,  141. 
Peters,  Colonel  William  E.,  779. 
Price,  John  W.,  790. 
Poorhouse  superintendents,  838. 
Presbyterian  ministers,  844. 
Pendleton,  Edmund,  44,  45,  137,  181,  188,  201. 
Pemberton,  Richard,  424,  425. 
Pawpaw  Bottom,  45. 
Pound  Gap,  48. 
Powell's  Valley,  48,  76,  84,  142,  234,  235,  250,  266,  279,  285,  286,  348,  349, 

363,  364,  365,  379,  387. 
Powell's  river,  50,  115,  349. 
Powell,  Ambrose,  48,  49. 
Peak  Creek,  49. 
Pulaski,  49;  county,  92. 
Protestants,  52. 


510  Index. 

Point  Pleasant,  53,  149,  150,  151;  battle  of,  152,  154,  156,  157.     . 
Poulson,  Captain,  56. 
Perrony,  56. 

Pepper,  William,  59;  Robert,  60;  Samuel,  281. 
Paul,  Captain,  surprises  Indians,  81;  Audley,  146. 
Paulin,  Captain,  152. 

Proclamation  of  1763,  81,  90,  103,  147;  of  peace  1815,  463,  523,  532. 
Poor  Valley,  104,  134. 
Pruitt,  William,  109.     ' 
Pitman,  William,  114. 
Porter,  Patrick,  136,  367. 

Pittsburg,  55,  143,  147;  William  Pitt,  defence  of  America,  174-183;  address 
of,  183,  185,  199,  201. 

Piper,  James,  157,  231,  291;  Piper's  Creek,  231;  hill,  231. 

Port  bill,  185. 

Peoples'  address,  201,  203. 

Privy  Council,  212;  order  of,  228. 

Population  of  Virginia,  851. 

Price,  Mr.,  185;  Price,  Thomas,  272. 

Poston,  231. 

Palmer,  Charles  F.,  257. 

Patterson's  Mill,  263,  268. 

Phillips'  Mill,  271. 

Princeton,  284. 

Parks, ,  286. 

Peery,  William,  287. 

Papersville,  291. 

Pickens,  Colonel,  351. 

Paris,  374. 

Parker,  Colonel,  452. 

Pond  Gap,  480. 

Polk,  James  K.,  486. 

Peters,  William  E.,  531. 

Pierpoint,  Governor,  546,  548,  554. 

Page,  R.  M.,  555. 

Public  improvements.  Southwestern  turnpike,  McAdam  road,  amount  ap- 
propriated, contracts  let,  acts  of  Assembly  in  regard  to  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  Railroad  Company,  Saltville  branch.  Board  of  Public  Works, 
506-510. 

Preston,  Walter,  519,  522;  sketch,  759. 

Preston,  Thomas  L.,  647-659. 

Preston,  Dr.  A.  R.,  512,  783. 

Preston,  Colonel  John  M.,  489,  643,  645. 

Preston,  Robert,  131,  266,  267,  370,  458,  631. 

Preston,  Walter,  370. 


Index.  911 

Preston,  Colonel  William,  57,  59,  61,  66,  67,  78,  83,  108,  119,  130,  131,  132, 
136,  146,  147,  201,  222,  223,  226,  227,  230,  240,  242,  247,  292,  337,  339, 
348,  350,  352,  363;  sketch,  751. 

Pridemore,  A.  L.,  sketch,  761. 

Preston,  Colonel  John,  sketch,  792. 

Preston,  Francis,  445,  452;  sketch,  775. 

Preston,  Mrs.  James  W.,  76,  269. 

Preston,  Captain  John,  432,  433,  452. 

Page,  R.  M.,  sketch,  773. 

Presidents  of  United  States,  846-849. 

Q. 

Queen  Elizabeth,  11. 

Quebec,  199. 

Quirk,  Captain  Thomas,  287. 

R. 

Roanoke  river,  49,  58,  81,  130. 

Roanoke  Island,  11. 

Roanoke,  Va.,  27,  48,  49. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  11. 

Richmond,  13,  270,  285,  286,  337,  358,  359,  390,  492,  514,  555. 

Rome,  20,  30. 

Rich  Mountain,  Indian  battle  on,  26. 

Roark's  Gap,  28. 

Ramseys'  Annals  of  Tennessee,  28-29. 

Ramsey,  Thoma^s,  109,  133,  136. 

Rappahannock,  38. 

Robinson,  George,  42;    William,  60;    Thomas,  60;    Samuel,   60;    John,   60; 
Julius,  155;  James,  155,  156;  John,  69,  71;  David,  108. 

Robertson,  James,  109,  116,  151,  153,  155,  228,  262,  263,  275,  294;  William, 
367,  388;  Elijah,  155;  Charles,  219;  Chief  Justice  Robertson,  281. 

Roberts,  H.  B.,  137;  Roberts,  145;  James,  William.  271. 

Renfro's  Creek,  45,  103,  137. 

Richland,  45,  271,  363,  364. 

Royal  Oak,  45,  84,  109,  254,  275,  372. 

Reedy  Creek,  46,  49,  157,  271. 

Reedy  Fork,  351. 

Roberts,  E.  L.,  781. 

Rambo,  A.  F.,  788. 

Russell  county,  22,  28,  235,  255,  368,  285,  386,  388,  390. 

Russell,  Elizabeth,  444. 

Russell,  William,  Colonel,   142,   143,   146,   147,   150,   151,   1.52,   156-201,  204, 

209,  228,  233,  240,  242,  250,  256,  270,  295,  367,  388,  748. 
Russell,  Henry,  142. 
Russell,  Andrew,  643. 
Russell,  Mr.,  143. 
Russell,  William,  130,  131,  135. 


912  Index. 

Richmond,  James  B.,  sketch,  761. 

Rhea,  W.  F.,  sketch,  764. 

Reed  Creek,  49,  53,  58,  78. 

Reed,  Nathan,  219,  220. 

Reed,  James,  53. 

Redd,  Captain  John,  234. 

Redstone,  Penn.,  55. 

Reform  Church  ministers,  846. 

Randolph,  Peter,  67,  188,  191,  201,  206,  252;   Beverly,  69;   Edmund,  260; 

Peyton,  181. 
Regulators,  115. 
Rouse,  Paulser,  104. 
Roman  Catholic  ministers,  846. 
Rogersville,  115. 

Religious  freedom,  119,  123;  religion,  604-616. 
Koss,  133;  Travenor  Ross,  151. 
Riddle,  Isaac,  134;  George,  156. 
Richerson,  Nathan,  134. 
Riley,  John,  156. 

Revolution,  150,  204,  208,  277,  340,  370;  soldiers'  roster,  855-865. 
Rhode  Island,  173,  181,  187. 
Rockingham,  Marquis  of,  179. 
Rock  Castle  river,  278,  279. 
Rocky  Mills,  359,  360. 
Resolutions,  188,  190,  191. 
Rowland,  Captain  Thomas,  233,  234. 
Rutledge,  President,  236. 
Rutherford,  General,  236,  302. 
Rice  Mill,  263. 

Rice,  William  L.,  676,  687,  681. 
Rogerville,  294. 
Rich  Valley,  361,  362. 
Ritchie,  Samuel,  367. 
Ray,  Joseph,  367. 
Rhea,  Rev.  Joseph,  371. 
Rattlesnake   (Indian  chief),  379. 
Raven  of  Chickamauga,  387. 
Robertson,  Governor  W.,  sketch,  766. 
Rowan,  John  L.,  sketch,  778. 
Roads,  overseers,  842-843. 
Revenue,  commissioners  of,  838-839. 
Rye  Bottom,  137 ;  Cave,  219,  245,  363,  423,  426. 

Recommendations  for  militia  protection,  423,  424,  429,  432,  433,  435,  643. 
Republican  ticket,  484,  485,  511. 
Ryan,  J.  A.  P.,  486. 
Reconstruction,  545. 
Roberts,  John,  789. 


Index.  913 

S.  • 

Stanard,  W.  G.,  8. 

Spain,  10;  Queen  assists  Columbus,  20,  420. 

Spaniards,  40. 

Smith,  John,  13-14. 

Smith  river,  36. 

Smyth,  General  Alexander,  452,  459,  473,  474,  629 ;  Alex.  Smith,  629-756. 

Smyth,  Rev.  Adam,  370. 

Smith,  Patrick,  59;  Captain  John,  59,  61,  134;  Joseph,  59;  Lieutenant  John, 
60;  Smith's  journal  of  trip  of  exploration  Southwest  Virginia,  94-97; 
Daniel  Smith,  131,  156,  157,  201,  204,  255,  272,  275,  289,  290,  292,  299, 
369,  452;  Conrad,  156;  James,  219;  Thomas,  373;  Major  W.  B.,  286, 
300;  Francis,  109,  452. 

Smyth  county,  92,  255,  361,  472,  474. 

Smithfield,  146,  147. 

Somers,  Captain,  14. 

Slavery,  15. 

Sherifi",  16. 

Spotswood,  Alexander,  17;  expedition,  17,  38;  journal,  39. 

Swift  Run  Gap,  17-38. 

Shenandoah,  18,  38,  39,  42. 

Southwest  Virginia,  20,  22,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  30,  31,  38,  40,  43,  46,  52,  53, 
54;  first  Indian  massacre,  73,  75,  81,  93,  106,  114,  235,  299. 

Santee  river,  21. 

Salada  branch,  21. 

St.  Esprit  river,  21. 

Shawnese  Indians,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  30,  32,  56,  61,  62,  82,  85,  143,  152,  348, 
380. 

Surveyors — Augusta  county,  839;  Botetourt,  839;  Fincastle,  839;  Wash- 
ington, 839. 

Shawanon  river,  24;  Shawanoa,  24. 

Six  Nations,  24,  25,  89,  93,  148. 

Savannah  river,  24,  31. 

Scotch  settlers,  route  of  travel,  27,  116. 

Seven-Mile  Ford,  27,  28,  29,  41,  229,  360. 

San  Salvador,  10. 

Sandy  river,  81,  349,  367,  380,  388;  Tug  Fork,  61;  Louisa  Fork,  28;  Big 
Sandy,  60;  North  Fork,  61. 

Sandy  Creek,  254. 

Sandy  river  expedition,  60. 

South  Seas,  36. 

Sussex  county,  39. 

Spotsylvania,  39. 

Sailings,  John  Peter,  39,  40,  41. 

Salt  Licks,  Ky.,  40;  Salt  river,  146,  149;  Salt  Lake  Mountain,  48. 

Saltville,  447,  496 ;  salt  allotted,  529 ;  battle  of,  534-540,  544,  557,  584,  587. 

Staunton  river,  41,  49. 


914  Index. 

Staunton,  41,  42.  44,  G6,  358;  convention,  470. 

SchoU,  Peter,  42. 

Scotland,  43. 

Sullivan  county,  44,  229,  300,  301,  302,  392,  398. 

Surveys,  first  on  Holston  and  Clinch,  457. 

St.  Clair,  Charles,  45,  46,  53,  268;  St.  Clair's  Bottom,  40,  134. 

Slielton,  John,  45. 

Sapling  Grove,  45,  294. 

Shallow^  Creek,  45. 

Sayers,  46,  242 ;  Captain  Robert,  293. 

Stalnaker,  Samuel,  46,  49,  58,  67;  George,  56,  109,  110:  Adam,  58,  Mrs.,  58. 

Steep  Rock  Creek,  46,  71,  102,  300. 

Sneedville,  50. 

Slietl'ey,  Daniel,  sketch,  /56. 

Slemp,  Colonel  Campbell,  764. 

Supervisors — Abingdon  District,  839;  North  Fork,  840;  Glade  Spring,  840; 
Saltville,  840;  Goodson,  840;  Kinderhook,  840;  Holston,  840. 

Sinking  Creek,  48,  143. 

Sinking   Spring   Church,    139,    141;    cemetery,   231,    233,    643;    Confederate 
dead,  649. 

Supreme  Court  of  United  States,  849-850. 

Spring  Creek,  103,  137,  235,  291. 

Stevens,  Captain,  56 ;  John  W.,  643 ;  Adam,  146. 

Stephens,  Colonel,  72,  355,  360. 

Salem,  56,  61 ;  Salem  Church,  284. 

Stewart,  Captain,  56;  John,  109,  155;  Captain,  152. 

Stuart,  Captain,  70-73;   Henry,  220;   John,  Superintendent  Indian  Affairs, 
85,  90,  105,  241. 

Steward,  Walter,  156;  Thomas,  366. 

Stickoee,  74. 

Scaggs,  Henry,  76,  114. 

Sawyers,  John,  93,  154,  155. 

Snodgrass,  Joseph,  375;  William,  103;  David,  132;  farm,  235. 

Steele,  Miss,  captured  by  Indians,  103. 

Skillem,  George,  108. 

Sevier,  John,  116;  Valentine,  151,  155;  Colonel  John,  243,  244,  348,  360,  398. 

Settlers,  first,  their  character,  125,  161,  162. 

Siram,  Charles,  132;  Simms,  252. 

Syme,  Colonel  John,  359. 

Sharp,  Benjamin,  370;  John,  137,  230;  Thomas,  289. 

Shockley, ;  143. 

Scott   (Archibald),  376,  379;  Samuel,  146;  General  Winfield,  463. 

Scott  county  organized,  434-455,  465;  boundaries,  465;  County  Court,  Natu- 
ral Bridge  and  Tunnel,  583,  584. 

Snidow,  Widow,  143 ;  Jacob  Snidow,  143 ;  John,  143. 

Snyder,  Rev.  Jacob,  371. 

Shelby,  Evan,  146,  150,  151,  152,  153-154,  201,  203,  229,  232,  237,  245,  247,. 
255,  263,  279,  280,  289,  302,  348,  360,  626;  home  or,  671,  673. 


Index.  '  915 

Shelby,  John,  274;  Isaac,  150,  153,  155,  259,  300;  James,  155,  274,  380. 

Stoner,  Michael,  147. 

Sumner,  Jethro,  146. 

Senators,  State,  779-782,  819. 

SheriflfiS,  with  their  deputies,  829-834. 

Sodiisky,  John,  148. 

Strother,  James,  148. 

Skidman,  I.,  153. 

Spar,  Henry,  155. 

Shoatt,  Emanual,  155. 

Shoate's  Ford,  271. 

Samples,  Samuel,  155.  ^ 

South  Carolina,  173,  337,  299. 

Stamp  Act,  173,  174,  170,  180. 

Speaker,  185. 

Schuyler,  Philip,  206. 

State  seal  design,  212. 

Sherman,  Roger,  213. 

Stonewall  Jackson  Institute,  232,  571,  575;  principals,- 575,  633. 

Starke,  Joseph,  237. 

Starr, ,  244. 

Senate,  248,  2.50,  252,  263,  339. 

Snoddy,  John,  256.    -  -       / 

Shugartsville,  269. 

Staples,  Samuel,  272. 

Slaughter,  Jeremiah,  272. 

Stopping  points  on  Wilderness  Road,  281,  282. 

Speed,  Thomas,  281. 

Statement  coimty  levy,  284. 

Stratton,  Solomon,  287. 

Summers,  D.,  287 ;  George  W.,  493. 

Surry  county,  293. 

Speedwell's  Iron  Works,  350-356. 

Seventy-first  Regiment  Highlanders,  355. 

Scitico,  300. 

Sheffey,  Judge  John  P.,  772. 

Steele,  C.  W.,  781. 

Spanish- American  war  roster,  883. 

Snodgrass,  L.  H.,  787. 

Summers,  Colonel  John  C,  776, 

Spring  Frog  Town,  361. 

Springstone,  365. 

Sugar  Run,  363. 

Stanley,  Mrs.,  365.     • 

State  of  Frankland,  391,  419;  officers  elected,  399;  declaration,  400-402. 

St.  Lawrence,  461. 

Stribbling,  Erasmus,  467- 


916  Index. 

Stoneman,  General,  raid,  541. 

Slack,  John,  681,  682,  683. 

8ullins,  Dr.  David,  685. 

Schofield,  General,  551,  554. 

Surveys,  first  on  Holston  and  Clinch,  808-815. 

T. 

Tobacco  used,  11. 

Tampa,  20. 

Tennessee  river,  21,  22,  23,  24,  27,  31,  68;  Indians  ascend,  70,  75,  243,  244. 

Tazewell  county,  22,  26,  28,  33,  115,  136,  157,  235,  255,  385,  386,  469;  bounds, 
public  improvements,  469. 

Tazewell  Courthouse,  22,  85,  117,  380. 

Trails,  27,  28,  29,  33,  76. 

Tennessee,  27,  29,  30,  31,  40,  41,  43,  44,  47,  50,  53,  72,  76,  93,  231,  233,  243, 
244,  257,  262,  263,  266,  278,  283,  284,  290,  291,  295,  300. 

Tug  river,  28,  61;  Trace  Fork,  28,  61;  Dry  Fork,  28,  61,  426;  Tug  Ridge, 
Tug  Mountain,  362.  \ 

Teciunseh,  Indian  chief,  32. 

Turtle  tribe,  32. 

Trans- Alleghany  pioneers,  35,  367. 

Thames  river,  37. 

Trader's  Path,  41. 

Thompson,  Hugh,  42;  William,  83;  James,  Captain,  104,  109,  130,  131,  135, 
237,  402;  Charles,  191,  206;  Valley,  157. 

Tomlinison,  William,  48.  . 

Timber  Grove,  45. 

Tomney,  W.  H.,  788. 

Taylor,  John,  45,  116,  363;  Hancock,  146,  147,  148;  Zachary,  146,  489;  Tay- 
lor's Valley,  76. 

Tracey,  John,  60. 

Treaty  with  Indians,  67,  85,  89,  90,  92,  110,  114. 

Trimble,  James,  108. 

Trigg,  Stephen,  109,  130,  131,  132,  135,  158,  187,  201,  242;  Daniel,  131; 
Connally  F.  Trigg,  489-492,  644,  774. 

Trigg,  Abram,  sketch,  756;  Daniel,  787. 

Tiller,  George,  110. 

Trigg,  Connally  F.,  sketch,  763. 

Tyron,  Governor,  115. 

Todd,  John,  132. 

Town  House,  132,  134. 

Tawas  Indians,  152. 

Tinkling  Spring,  139. 

Torrence,  Andrew,  156. 

Tate,  William,  156,  354. 

Tucker,  William,  156. 

Townsend,  Charles,  170,  177. 

Tugalo,  236. 


Index.  917 

Toquo,  243. 

Telico,  244. 

Thomas,  General,  208;  Benjamin,  38.5;  Isaac,  243,  247. 

Transylvania,  250,  278. 

Tories,  272;  hanging,  account  of,  273,  274,  275,  276,  277,  292,  2!I3,  349,  301^ 

302,  360,  421. 
Treasurers  Washington  county.  S38. 
Twenty-Mile  Creek,  291. 
Treasury,  292. 

Tarleton,  Colonel,  350,  354,  350,  358. 
Troublesome  Creek,  350. 
Three  Burnt  Chimneys,  359. 
Tuckasee,  365. 

Twelfth  and  Twentieth  Regiment  Infantry,  452. 
Three  Springs,  469. 
Tadlock,  Dr.  J.  D.,  683. 
Terry,  General  William,  sketch,  700. 
Tate,  Thomas  M.,  775. 

U. 
Union,  257,  340,  510. 

United  States,  29,  33,  228,  250,  250,  203,  277,  292,  337,  392,  421. 
United  States,  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-President,  846- 849;  judges 

of  Supreme  Court,  849-850. 
Union  Camp,  150,  154. 

United  Colonies,  resolutions  of,  338,  373,  374,  391. 
Ustick,  John  G.,  447,  587,  634. 
Universalist  ministers,  846. 

V. 

Virginia  Historical  Society,  8. 

Virginia,  10;  names,  11;  government  organized,  13-14;  divided  into  shir 
16;   sympathizers  with  Charles  II,  16;   Cromwell  attempts  to  subdi. 
16;  Bacon's  rebellion,  16;  population,  17;  Valley  of  Virginia,  18;  route 
traveled  by  settlers  in  this  section,  29;  Indians,  32,  43;  council  grant 
120,000   acres,  43;   boundary  line,  46,   116;    grant  to   Ohio  and  Lr 
companies,  47-49;   800  men  sent  to  join  Braddock,  56,  143,  148,  i 
convention,  207;   settlement,  220,  228,  229,  233;   Southwest,  234,  236; 
council,  240,  241,  242,  243,  244;  council,  245;  treaty,  247-248;  Western 
District  of,  250,  251,  259,  260,  266,  267,  2^8,  281,  283,  284,  285,  280. 
292;  Legislature,  293,  294,  299;  executive,  299,  300,  302,  304,  341,  348, 
350,  351,  353,  354,  35.5,  3.50,  358,  306,  367,  309,  370,  373,  374,  379,  380, 
380,  388,  391;  resolutions,  391,  392,  420,  421;  Soutliwest,  4-52,  401 ;  mili- 
tia, 467,  491,  514,  643;  population,  851. 

Vineland,  9. 

Vaughan,  Indian  trader,  40. 

Van  Meter,  Isaac  and  John,  41. 

Villiers,  De  Count,  55. 

^^      ies'  Fort,  57,  58,  62. 


918  Index. 

Vause,  Mrs.,  59. 

Van  Bebber,  John,  109. 

Vance,  John,  135,  153,  155;  Samuel,  150. 

Voters.  158;  registration  of,  551. 

Vincinues,  286. 

Vann's  Towns,  360. 

Van  Rensselaer,  Colonel,  452. 

VV. 

White,  308,  309. 

White,  Wesley,  134. 

White,  James,  452,  408;'  dealli  and  rosoliitioiis,  482-483,  (il7.  ()31,  033. 

White,  Dr.,  423. 

White,  John,  IJ . 

White,  William  Y.  (".,  489. 

White,  James  L.,  76,  617,  031,  033. 

W'hite's  Grove  Forge,  408. 

White  Top  Mountain,  581-583. 

Whitesi(le.s,  287,  288. 

Wiiilield,  Edward,  13. 

West  Indies,  14,  21. 

Wyatt,  Sir  Francis,  10;  Josejih,  052. 

Williamsburg,  17,  38,  39,  55,  07,  148,  151,  188,  204,  205,  207,  208,  209.  ":!. 

267,  359. 
Williams,  Mark,  155;  John,  156;  Jarrett,  150,  220;  affidavit,  221,  222. 

\^ilhani3,  Colonel  Joseph,  242,  348,  351,  352. 

,'illiams.  Colonel  Otho,  350. 
vVilliam  and  Mary  College,  267. 

Yilliamson,  General,  235. 

Western  Virginia,  17. 

Wood,  Absalom,  visits  New  river,  18,  34,  35,  36,  38;  Colonel  .lames  Wood, 

43,  45,  153. 
Wood,  Thomas,  36. 

'oods'  Gap,  23,  36,  37;  Woods'  river,  3(),  37,  44,  4(!. 
Woods.  Kiehard,  42.  108;  Andrew,  109. 
'Woodson,  OJjediah,  61. 

Wolf  Hills,  27,  76,  110,  1  l(i.  157,  229,  2(i9,  278,  279,  301. 
Wolf  Creek,  110,  135,  141. 
Wolf  Creek,  Giles  coiiiity.  (il. 
Witehlacoocla  rivei-,  21. 
W^abash  river,  32. 
Winchester,  41.  ' 

Waynesboro,  42. 
West  Creek,  44. 
W'ar  of  1812,  ollicevs.  805. 


Index.  919 

Washington  county,  19,  21,  43;  lands  tirst  surveyed,  44-48,  89,  92,  97,  133, 
136,  142,  204,  228,  252,  254;  justices,  255,  257;  militia  officers,  261,  262, 
263,  267,  268,  269,  270,  272,  278,  280,  283,  287,  289,  292,  293,  294,  298, 
299,  300,  301,  302,  303,  340,  341,  351,  354,  360,  361,  363;  field  officers, 
363,  364,  365,  369,  371,  372,  374,  375,  376,  379,  380,  388,  390,  391,  394, 
398-420  (1787-1840),  437,  439,  453;  militia  marches  for  Washington 
city,  for  Norfolk,  400;  tithables,  order,  new  road,  468;  representatives, 
473;  members  County  Court  1832,  476-480,  484,  493;  agricultural  so- 
ciety oiganized,  494,  505;  sulwcription  to  turnpike,  506,  512;  conven- 
tion, official  vote,  514;  arms  furnished  and  companies  organized  1861, 
517;  contributions  to  f:uiiilics  of  soldiers,  519;  comjtanies  organized 
1862,  Abingdon  Confederates,  521,  529,  530;  indebtedness,  533;  dis- 
tricts changed,  556;  stocks,  622,  623,  043,  644;  establiishing  county, 
667,  (i(i9;  villages,  689-693:  boundaries,  693,  746;  census,  851;  militia 
olhcers,  853. 

Wasliington.  (ieorge,  55,  56,  146,  188,  201,  207.  208,  209,  ::54;  horse,  354; 
:\lartha,  620. 

Wasliington  College,  284.    . 

Walker,  Dr.  Thomas,  34, "43,  44,  45,  40;  trip  of  exploration,  48,  49;  visits 
Kentucky,  50,  51,  52,  53,  82,  84,  89,  92,  93,  97,  102,  152,  208,  269,  300, 
016,  621  ;  John  ^\alker,  60;  Thomas  Walker's  journal,  796-807. 

Walker'is  Mountain,  103;  Walker's  Creek,  368-369. 

Walker  and  Henderson's  line,  350. 

W  asp  Bottom,  45. 

Waggoner,  Captain,  56;  Andrew,  156. 

Welshire,  Nathaniel,  59. 

Wright,  William,  50,  59. 

Wade,  Captain  Robert,  journal,  62. 

Waddell,  Colonel,  joins  Byrd  with  North  Carolina  troops,  72. 

\\allens,  John,  387. 

W  aliens'  Creek,  76;  Ridge,  76. 

W'aUen,  Thomas,  386;  p:iislia,  114. 

Wytheville,  459. 

Wythe  county,  92,  130,  241,  293. 

W  idencrs'  Valley,  104. 

Widener,  John,  William  ^1.,  Lilburn.  Joel,  104. 

Winston,  Edmund,  108. 

Watauga,  109,  116,  134,  218,  222,  228,  229,  235,  244,  262,  266,  267,  271,  275. 
298. 

Ward.  David,  110,  116,  271,  301;  Ward,  Artemus,  200. 

Ward,  Nancy,  228,  243,  244. 

Witten,  Thomas,  115. 

Wynn,   V7 jX,  116;  ^Yynn'.s  Branch,  235. 

^^'ebb,  William,  116. 

Wcbh,  William,  first  school  master,  557. 


920  Index. 

Weddings,  description  of,  125-126. 

Whitney,  Francis,  132. 

Willis,  Henry,  135;  John,  148. 

Whitaker,  Jerry,  137. 

VVhooling,  149. 

Wilson,  (!iiptain,  152;  tSaimu'I,  15;!. 

Whitlow's  Crab  Orchard,  157. 

VVoodlurd,  Colonel,  207,  208. 

Winston,  Major,  242,  247. 

Woinack,  Jacob,  Captain,  244. 

West  Augusta,  250. 

Wise  county,  255. 

Whigs,  272,  273,  277. 

Warrior's  Path,  278. 

Wilderness  Road,  280;  stations  on,  281,  285. 

Willoughby,  Andrew,  289,  631,  633. 

Willoughby,  Matthew,  369. 

Wilkes  county,  N.  C,  293. 

Weldon,  300. 

Watson,  David,  301. 

Whitsill's  Mill,  350,  352. 

Wharton,  William,  367. 

Woolsey,  Rev.  Thomas,  371. 

Whitley,  William,  380,  426. 

Wiley,  426. 

Watts,  John,  431. 

Woodward,  York  A.,  548,  549;  Abingdon  Virginian,  notice  of,  549. 

Wallace's  Switch,  depot  erected,  556,  691. 

Wyndale,  691. 

War  1812,  1815,  officers  of,  448,  449;  call  to  arms,  4.50,  451,  460,  461,  486,  489. 

War,  Mexican,  487-489. 

War  between  States  1861,  186,  545;  secession  of  States,  513;  high  prices, 

invasion  of  troops,  slaves,  528,  529,  530;   impressing  provisions,  532; 

last  call  for  troops,  540;   Stoneman  at  Abingdon,  652;   Thirty-seventh 

Virginia  Regiment  organized,  680. 
White,  James  L.,  sketch,  754. 
Walker,  General  James  A.,  sketch,  764.^ 
Ward,  Judge  George  W.,  773. 
White,  Colonel  James,  793. 

X. 

Xuala,  21,  22,  23,  24. 


Yeardly,  George,  15. 
Yadkin  river,  31,  142,  292. 
Young,  James,  134. 
Yellow  Creek,  145. 
"^oung,  Robert,  268. 
Yancy,  John,  291,  303,  369. 
Yorktown,  357,  358. 
Yates,  483. 


Index.  921 


0    9  66 


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