Four Militia Soldiers from Powell Valley Slain
By Dallas
Bogan
Reprinted with Permission from Dallas Bogan.
By Emory L. Hamilton
From the unpublished manuscript, Indian Atrocities Along the Clinch,
Powell and Holston Rivers
Captain Andrew Lewis, Jr.,
who was in command of the militia troops on the Virginia frontier, with
his headquarters at Fort Lee, in the Rye Cove of Scott Co., VA, wrote
to the Governor of Virginia, December 19, 1793, (1) thusly:
Agreeable to the Governor's request
to me, the following is a statement of manner in which Captain
(James) Hawkins' company sustained the loss in October last. On
the first day of November I received the information as represented
to me - supposed the officer to have acted with neglect. I immediately
wrote to Captain Hawkins to inquire into the conduct of the officer
and to report to me. On receipt of my letter he came to Fort Lee
and reported as follows: 'That he had went out with a party of
about 20. After crossing Cumberland Mountain he fell on the sign
of 2 or 3 Indians making into the inhabitants; that he directed
a small number of his men to follow that trail in and give the
settlements notice, which they refused. He then said he would
take a few men, come in himself, and the other party consisting
of 15 men might go on, which he did, and ordered the party that
went to observe the directions of Samuel Oxer (Auxier), a Scout.
After going on some time, they fell on the sign of about 10 Indians
and pursued them; although the signs appeared fresh, they observed
no order, but shot at turkeys, etc., until discovered by the enemy
who lay in ambush for them. Just before they came to the enemy
Samuel Oxer left them to kill some provisions - had got but a
very small distance from the party, when he came upon the Inidans'
knapsacks and fell to plundering them - while at that he heard
the party fired upon; at which fire Hobbs, Stennett, Fowler, and
Knowles fell - the rest fled precipately.' I cannot help regretting
the loss of the men - at the same time hope it will be a warning
to officers, or rather convince them the necessity of soldiers
obeying orders, but no doubt, but he intended well.
Again on the 24th of December, 1793,
Captain Lewis wrote to the Honorable James Wood, Lieutenant Governor
of Virginia, (2) saying:
On conversation with Colonel
Charles Cox (Cocke) of Lee County, who appears to be a disinterested
person, have collected the following information respecting
Captain James Hawkins' conduct in respect to the loss of his
troops on the 22nd of October last: 'Horses had frequently been
stolen by the Indians, and was generally supposed to be camped
over Cumberland Mountain. Captain Hawkins took a part of his
company, the number 19, including himself, to endeavor to find
them out. After going the distance of about forty miles, he
fell on the sign of a small party of Indians making toward the
settlements. He proposed then that four men should return on
that sign and give the inhabitants notice. There appeared an
unwillingness in their disposition to return. At length a non-commissioned
officer proposed to return if Captain Hawkins would go with
him, which he consented to do with three men. Came in and set
the people on their guard. He then directed the main body of
his men to take the back trail of the party that they were on
and follow it over the mountain, then to turn up the north side
of the same, and so into the settlements, and directed them
to observe the orders of Samuel Oxer, a Scout, but having no
respect to the orders given, they proceeded the distance of
about 35 miles over the mountain and fell on the sign of about
10 Indians; followed that a day and a half, paying no respect
to orders, firing at everything they met with until discovered
by the enemy, who waited on their sign, fired on them, the superior
in number, they fled precipatately.
Just where the four soldiers were killed in Kentucky, across
the Cumberland mountains from Powell Valley cannot be pinpointed.
The four that were killed cannot be traced through the records
since no first names are given, but they were probably local
residents of the area, certainly the name Hobbs is a Lee County
resident.
The scout, Samuel Oxer, was
a son of Michael Oxer, who died on Little Copper Creek, prior to 22
March, 1780. Samuel Oxer, at the age of 15 years enlisted in the militia
and served the last three years of the Revolutionary War; migrated from
Russell Co., VA, to the Blockhouse Bottom near the mouth of John's Creek,
Big Sandy River - then Mason County, subsequently Floyd County, and
was instrumental in settling Harman's Station near there. Was killed
in 1798 or 1799 by being thrown against a tree by his horse that he
was riding on a buffalo hunt, married in Virginia in 1779, Sarah (Sallie)
Brown (born about 1763, died about 1862), daughter of Nathaniel Brown,
and niece of Thomas C. Brown, Revolutionary War soldier. Samuel Oxer
was at Kings Mountain in Captain James Dysart's company.
Samuel Oxer was a brother of Simon Oxer
who was one of three men who defended Bush's Fort against the attack
of 17 Indians in 1783, when Ann Neece was tomahawked and scalped. Also
a brother of George Oxer in whose care the McClure family were placed
after their rescue from the Indians.
The Oxer family of Russell Co., VA, were
of French extraction, all leaving this area and settling in Floyd Co.,
KY, where the descendants spell the name "Auxier". Old Michael
Oxer who died on Little Copper Creek and father of the above mentioned
was born in France.
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