Notes and Plans for Western Defense, [23 July 1779 and after]
Notes and Plans for Western Defense
[23 July 1779 and after]
Plan for regimenting & stationing the two Western battalions.
Joseph Crocket & James Knox Lt. Colonels commandants |
appointed by the Council | |
George Walls, Robert Powell. Majors. | ||
William Cherry, Samuel Gill. Captains. | ||
Thomas Walls, Peter Moore. Ensigns. |
no. of men supposed they will raise | Officers to be recommended by the feild officers of the respective countries | Destination. | |||
Yohogania. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | |||
40. | Monongalia. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | ||
12. | Ohio. | an Ensign. | |||
Kentuckey | a Lieutenant. | ||||
41. | Hampshire | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | ||
44. | Berkeley | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | ||
41. | Frederick. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | ||
37. | Shenandoah. | a Captain. | an Ensign. | ||
21. | Rockingham. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign | ||
25. | Rockbridge. | a Captain. | |||
31. | Botetourt. | a Captain. | an Ensign. | ||
76. | Loudoun. | a Captain | a Lieutenant. | two Ensigns. | |
45. | Fauquier. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign. | |
69. | Culpepper. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | two Ensigns. | |
24. | Orange. | a Lieutenant | an Ensign. | ||
506 | |||||
NORTH WESTERN POSTS |
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32. | Fairfax | a Captain. | for such stations on Northwestern frontier as shall be recommended by Col. Matthews, Abr. Hite & Duval, who are to meet at Shenandoah C. H. Aug. 31. one of the captains & both ensigns appointed by council to be of this division. |
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31. | Prince Willm. | a Captain. | |||
28. | Louisa. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign. | ||
22. | Goochland. | a Lieutenant. | |||
12. | Fluvanna. | a Lieutenant. | |||
36. | Albemarle | a Captain. | an Ensign. | ||
61. | Augusta. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign. | |
244 | 22. | Greenbriar | a Lieutenant. | |||
SOUTH WESTERN POSTS |
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38. | Washington. | a Captain. | an Ensign. | for such stations on South Western frontier as shall be recommended by Genl. Lewis, Colo. Fleming & Wm. Christian, who are to meet at Botett. C. H. Aug. 31. one of the captains appointed by council to be of this division. |
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25. | Montgomery. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign. | ||
32. | Henry. | a Captain. | an Ensign. | ||
29. | Pittsylvania. | a Captain. | an Ensign. | ||
61. | Bedford. | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign. | |
24. | Amherst. | a Lieutenant. | |||
25. | Buckingham. | a Lieutenant. | |||
253 | 19 | Cumberland. | a Lieutenant. | |||
497 |
Plan for regimenting and stationing one of the Western battalions
Stations on the Ohio | No. of men proposed |
from what counties |
Officers from each county | No. supposed each county will raise |
Actual strength of the post |
Feild officers to be stationed. |
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Fish creek | 75. | Fairfax | a Captain | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | 32 | 32. | 75 | |||
. . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | * an Ensign | . . | |||||||
Prince William | a Captain | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | 31. | |||||||
Fluvanna | . . . . . . . | a Lieutenant | . . . . . . . | 12 | 43 | ||||||
. . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | *an Ensign | . . | . . | ||||||
Little Kanhaway. | 75. | Augusta | a Captain. | a Lieutenant. | an Ensign | . . . | 61. | 75. | |||
Louisa. | . . . . . . . | a Lieutenant. | . . . . . . . | . . . | 14 | ||||||
Fort Randolph. | 100. | Albemarle | a Captain. | . . . . . . . | an Ensign. | 36. | 58. | 94 | Lieut. Col. Commdt. Crocket. |
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Green Briar | . . . . . . . | a Lieutenant. | . . . . . . . | 22 | |||||||
. . . . . . . | *a Captain. | 36 | |||||||||
Goochland. | a Lieutenant. | 22. | |||||||||
Louisa. | an Ensign. | 14 | |||||||||
Guiandot1 | 50. | . . . . . . . | *a Captain | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | 50. | 50. | ||||
Sioto | Bedford | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | 11. | ||||||
Cumberland | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | 7. | |||||||
Buckingham | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | a Captain. | 7. | |||||||
Montgomery. | 7. | a Lieutenant | an Ensign | 25. | |||||||
Big Sandy river Great Salt lick |
50. | Bedford | a Captain. | a Lieutenant | an Ensign | 50. | 50. | ||||
Licking creek Kentucky |
100. | Henry. | a Captain. | a Captain. | an Ensign. | 32. | 50. | 103 | a Major. | ||
Buckingham | . . . . . . . | a Lieutenant | . . . . . . . | 18. | |||||||
Pittsylvania | a Captain. | . . . . . . . | an Ensign | 29. | 53. | ||||||
Amherst. | . . . . . . . | a Lieutenant. | . . . . . . . | 24 | |||||||
Martin’s cabbin | |||||||||||
in Powel’s valley | 50. | Washington | a Captain. | . . . . . . . | an Ensign | 38. | 50 | 50. | |||
Falls of the Ohio. |
Cumberland. | . . . . . . . | a Lieutenant. | . . . . . . . | 12 |
Pittsburgh | Big Buffalo lick | 390. | |
to Logstown. | 18. | Large islands | 410. |
Beaver cr. | 29 ¼ | Little Miamis. | 492. |
Little do. | 42. | Licking cr. | 500. |
Yellow cr. | 52. | Gr. Miamis | 527 ½ |
Mingstown | 71 ¼ | Elephant’ bones | 560 ½ |
Two creeks (Weeling). | 72 ¼ | Kentucke riv. | 604 ½ |
Long creek (Fishg cr.) | 123 ½ | Falls of the Ohio | 682 |
end of do. | 139 | Low country begins | 837 ¾ |
Muskingham riv. | 168. | Beginng of 5 islands | 960. |
L. Kanhawa riv. | 182. ¾ | Wabache | 999 ¾ |
Hockhocking riv. | 186. | Big rock & cavern | 1062 ½ |
Gr. Kanhaway | 266 ¼ | Shawanis riv. | 1094. ¾ |
Yandsto | 308. | Cherokee riv. | 1107. |
B. Sandy cr. | 321. | Fort Mansiack | 1118 |
Sioto | 366. | Mouth of Ohio | 1164. |
Lindsay says an intermediate post at Lawrence’s creek 54 miles below Sioto and about 75 above Licking creek would be most essential. the principal war path crosses there from the Shawanese Wiandots & Northern Indians in general, and it is the only way a waggon road can be got from Kentucke up the Ohio.
A state of the Western posts & garrisons recommended by Col. Fleming
Augusta Tyger’s valley. on the headwaters of 60 | Augusta 61 Cheat & the waters of little | Canhaway. | Head of Green bryar - - - 40 | Greenbriar. Fort Randolph. on Ohio at mouth | Gr. Kanhaway 200. | Kelly’s on the Gr. Kanhaway 20. } | m. abov. mouth of Elk. } | Greenbriar 22 Little meadows. on waters of Gr. } | briar abt 30. or 40. mi. from } 100 | warm springs, more to Northward } | Sinks on Gr. Kanhaway opposite } | mouth Bluestone. } | Montgomery Head of Guyandot } | Montgomery 25 Culbertson’s bottom. at mouth of } 100 | Bluestone } | Washington Sandy river } | Washington 38 Powel’s valley. it is the valley } 100 | betw. Kentucke & Clinch } | or } | Blackmore’s. is on Clinch 60. mi. | above it’s mouth.2 |
Two tabular MSS and 2 pages of MS notes (DLC); entirely in TJ’s hand; undated. In Vi there are 2 other pages of notes and estimates by TJ relative to the raising and stationing of the western battalions; these were written partly on the verso of TJ’s amendment to the draft Orders for Defense of the Western Frontier, preceding, and partly on the verso of his draft letter to William Preston, 7 Aug. 1779. Since, with the exception noted below, the notes in Vi include no matter not found in the present Notes and Plans, they are omitted here.
The data here compiled with TJ’s customary care obviously implement the Order of Council of 23 July 1779 and are therefore printed under this date. However, substantial portions of them must have been set down during the fall after TJ had received advice from Fleming and Lewis; see their letter to him of 31 Aug. 1779.
1. This place, like “Big Sandy river” and “Licking creek” below, was enclosed by TJ in rectangular lines in the MS. The significance of the asterisks in this table is not clear, but they may represent the commissions that had been taken up.
2. At the end of the fragmentary notes in Vi, mentioned in the descriptive note above, TJ wrote: “I am to direct the feild officers of each county for the 1st. Western battalion to recommend officers in proportion to the men they furnish as nearly as can be, so as to make up a compleat set of captains and subalterns for one battalion.”