As we are approaching the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens, I would like to submit this story this week in honor of those men who bravely fought and served during the Revolutionary War that secured our freedom from Great Britain.
Today America is in such conflict over our past and present ideas of what our founding Fathers thoughts were when they wrote those precious documents that have given us freedom and liberty. Let us turn back the clock and look at what our own ancestors were doing to help bring about the freedoms that we are still fighting for today.
In 1806, Ann Nancy Glasgow, daughter of Arthur & Rebecca Anderson (McNutt) McCorkle Glasgow left her home near Lexington in Rockbridge County, Virginia to travel to the newly opened Ohio Valley. Ann’s father-in-law, Robert Glasgow had fought in the Revolutionary War and as payment for his service was given a thousand acres of land in the Ohio Valley.
Robert and his immediate family members and a number of friends traveled by wagon train through Kentucky to cross the Ohio River at Manchester into Adams County, Ohio. Robert settled on the waters of the West Fork of the Ohio Brush Creek (near Tranquility, where the Waldo Armstrong and Kennedy farms are today) in Scott Twp., Adams County, Ohio. Robert tried repeatedly to persuade his younger brother Arthur to come to Ohio with him but he chose to remain in Virginia. Arthur was Ann Glasgow’s father whom we mentioned earlier. Ann had married Joseph (Robert Glasgow’s son) her first cousin a practice that was common in those days. Even though Arthur’s oldest daughter, Ann had chosen to move to the Ohio territory, Arthur could not be persuaded to follow suit.
It is here in the story I want to pause however and talk about Ann’s mother, Rebekah Anderson McNutt. Rebekah was the daughter of John “Scotch Johnny” Alexander & Catherine Rebekah (Anderson) McNutt. (We will in time come back to Scotch Johnny as he a led a very colorful life.) Rebekah was born in 1751 the year after her parents had arrived in the upper valley of the James River in Augusta County, later Rockbridge County (formed from Augusta County), Virginia from Donegal, Ireland. They settled on the James River just six miles east of Lexington where Scotch Johnny had land grants from the government. In 1771, Rebekah married John McCorkle. John was born in 1738 and had grown-up as a close neighbor of Rebekah’s parents. John served in the Rockbridge County Militia during Revolutionary War. John was appointed an Ensign on 7 Jul 1778, by Governor Patrick Henry. John made out his will in Oct 1780, providing for his wife and children. John left his wife, Rebekah, 3 months pregnant & their 2 small sons, alone as the Militia from Rockbridge County under Captain James Gilmore is order to join the campaign in South Carolina under General Morgan.
The following is a letter written by John McCorkle to his wife, Rebeka (Rebekah Anderson (McNutt) McCorkle) while the Rockbridge Militia is stationed at Charlotte, North Carolina awaiting orders for their next campaign.
Charlotte, N.C. Nov. 8th day, 1780
My Dear Wife,
I have longed for an opportunity to write to you but have never yet been so fortunate as to have any way to send a letter to you. I have written letters and left them at different places. Perhaps you may get some of them. I am well at present thanks be to God for his mercies to me and I hope these few lines may find you and all my dear connections in the same state of health.
On the seventh day of November, we arrived at headquarters about ten miles below Charlotte where Major-General Smallwood’s Regiment was in camp, but we are to join Colonel Morgan’s Light Infantry and we cannot tell how soon we must march from here.
We expect to do most of the fighting. The enemy have left Charlotte. Part of them went to Camden and crossed the Catawba River. Some think that they are on the way to Charleston. We got to Hillsborough the fourth (twenty-fourth?) day of October about 10 o’clock and that day we marched 6 miles on our way to Guilford. I did not then have time to write you. At Guilford I had the opportunity of seeing Colonel William Campbell who informs me that he defeated Ferguson at King’s Mountain and out of 1,125 he killed and captured 1,105 English and Tories. The loss on our side was not great, only 28 killed and 8 wounded. Nathaniel Dryden was killed and three of the Edmundson’s boys.
Being at such a distance I almost think myself buried to you, not having many opportunities to write. If you can write to me, you musts do so. Write in care of Capt. John (James) Gilmore’s Rifles with General Morgan. Remember me to all my friends and neighbors. You may inform them that their sons Alex and Robert McNutt, Trimble Moore and Alex Stewart are well.
I add no more at present, but remain Your loving husband, John McCorkle
In 1780, John was part of the Rockbridge Militia under Captain James Gilmore. Their departure point was Red Mill, a point up Cedar Creek from Natural Bridge, and marched to within 16 to 18 miles of Charlotte. The men were equipped, not as ordinary infantry with smoothbore muskets and bayonets, but as rangers, with flintlock rifles, tomahawks and scalping knives. Many of the riflemen had campaigned against the Shawnee, in Lord Dunmore’s War, on the Ohio in 1774 and, more recently, against Indians cooperating with the British; Cherokees in the Tennessee Valley and Shawnees in western Virginia. The rifle companies were considered by General Daniel Morgan, (the Old Wagoner) (an affectionate name given to Gen. Morgan as he had started his military career as a wagon driver in the French and Indian War 1754-1763) as good militia as could be found, and were used by him for tactical purposes as regulars, along with his 290 Maryland/Delaware Continentals.
The Battle of Cowpens took place on January 17, 1781. The term “cowpens” was an endemic term to South Carolina and merely stood for frontier pastureland. General Morgan had decided to take his stand at Cowpens, a well-known crossroads and frontier pasturing ground. The morning was clear and bitterly cold as the men took their assigned posts. General Morgan, the hero of Saratoga, had visited the campfires the night before to encourage and remind his men of the battle plan. He also spoke passionately concerning the killing of their brothers in arms as they had tried to surrender after the Battle at Waxhaws in May 1780. Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton had massacred the 10th Virginia Line at Waxhaws; where Tories had bayoneted the wounded of that regiment where they lay on the field. Revenge for this action was taken at the Battle of King’s Mountain by Colonel Wm Campbell and his over-mountain men when they surprised and massacred a Tory army in their bivouac. According to tradition, Tarleton’s refusal to offer quarter which consisted of sparing the lives of those who were trying to surrender, led to the derisive term “Tarleton’s Quarter”. Many of you may remember Tarleton’s notoriety made it into the movie staring Mel Gibson, “The Patriot.” Although most of what he did in the movie was untrue, in real life he did allow for the butchering of soldiers and the cruel treatment of civilians. In today’s world he would have been tried for war crimes. General Morgan nicknamed for Tarleton was, “Benny”. A term he used to poke fun at his enemy.
The Battle of Cowpens was over in less than an hour. The British army lead by Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton had lost and the tide of the war changed. General Morgan’s overall losses were light: 12 killed and about 60 wounded of around 950 engaged. After burying their own dead, Morgan, and his men, and those able to walk of their prisoners, retreated before the main British army, back behind the flooding Catawba northwest of Charlotte. There the 3 months enlistments of Tate’s and Gilmore’s men having long since run out, were assigned to take their 500 remaining British prisoners, together with others being held at Salisbury, back north over the mountains to the Valley of Virginia.
The Rockbridge losses out of 40 engaged, were Robert McNutt, Rebekah’s brother and James McCorkle, John’s brother and a man by the name of Trimble Moore. A John Caldwell was wounded and John McCorkle, Rebekah husband, was wounded in the wrist. There may have been others wounded as well. A William Youel, who was said to have been slightly wounded, picked up a powder horn from among the fallen British on the battlefield and carried it home for a souvenir.
On the way home to his beloved Rebekah, Ensign John McCorkle, was left behind near Guilford Court House. His wound had become infected and he died there of lockjaw or some say gangrene. Rebekah pregnant with their third child gave birth to a daughter about four months later on 3 May 1781 and named her Catherine after her mother.
Rebekah lost her husband, brother and brother-in-law at the Battle of Cowpens. She was left a widow with three small children to raise. Rebekah had married John circa 1771 and had already lost two sons before 1778. John died before ever knowing he had fathered a daughter.
