Snodgrass Family History Book

Snodgrass Family Documents, Stories & Articles
died in Sullivan County, Tennessee. William Snodgrass
married Priscilla had son David Snodgrass who married
Elizabeth Johnson had daughter Priscilla Snodgrass who
married George Pile. Source 5 - Book 57 page 86
Col. William Snodgrass of Washington County. Virginia,
Sullivan County, Tennessee son of David and Martha
(Glenn) Snodgrass son of William and Catherine (Patterson)
Snodgrass. Source 5
At the time of the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he was
living in Washington ('ounty, Virginia and he continued to
live in that county throughout the war. He was to sec active
1nilitary service on at least seven different occasions during
the war and appears to have been a volunteer every time.
Most of his service was as a Private, but he served as a
Sergeant on at least one occasion. (N .B. - Several sources
state that he was an officer during this war but such was not
the case.) Following is a chronological account of his
service taken pritnarily from his pension application 1nore
than 50 years later; his age then and resultant faulty memory
caused his account to be somewhat disjointed and lacking in
detail.
During the summer of 1775 he volunteered for service under
Captain George Adams and was kept in Washington County,
Virginia to guard the frontier inhabitants against the Indians.
his company pursued a party of Indians below the Big Lick
on Sandy River and overtook them. In the ensuing fight
they routed the Indians and then pursued them onward to the
Cumberland Mountains before stopping. This tour \Vas
about six to eight weeks in length.
Within two or three days after returning home he again
volunteered for service under Captain Edmonton and the
company returned to the sa1ne section of the country where
they had previously been. This time the company was
divided and he vvas stationed at NC\\' Garden Fort for about
six to eight weeks before being discharged from duty again.
In the summer of 1778 he volunteered again and served one
tour of two months in length under Lieut. William
McCoones (or McCooney) and another tour of duty of two
months as a substitute for James Glenn. In one of these
tours (probably the latter) he was again stationed at New
Garden Fort under Sergeant William McCormick of Captain
James Dorsey's Company (name also seen as Daisey).
In the winter of 1779 he volunteered under Captain Lev~ris
and Captain Evan Shelby and Participated as a Sergeant in
the Chickamauga Campaign. They marched against the
Chickamauga tribe of the Cherokee Nation and burned 12
Indian towns, killed some Indians, took some prisoners and
destroyed and burned the Indians com before returning
home. This tour was of about four months duration.
In the summer of 1776 he volunteered again for service
under Captain George Adams and served another six months
in Washington County guarding the inhabitants against the
Indians.
At an unknown time during 1776 he also volunteered to
guard some wagons that were going to the head of New
River to the lead mines (about 80 or 90 mi. from
Washington County) for the purpose of procuring lead to
supply the different forts in Washington County, Virginia.
Ile stated that he did not serve under any particular officer
during this period of duty.
About that same time or shortly after his return he was
ordered by Col. (then Capt.) William Edmonton to take
charge of a company of men to apprehend a man by the
name of Cummings who had been charged with having set
the Cherokee Indians onto the frontier settlers. He pursued
the man above the salt works in Washington County where
he took him prisoner and brought him back and delivered
him to Col. Dorsey.
In the summer of 1777 he volunteered under Capt. William
Edmonton and was marched to Ne\v Garden Fort on the
waters of Clinch River (now in Russell County, Virginia).
He was also at Richland Fort (now in Tazewell County),
Capt. Smith's Fort, and Elk Garden Fort (now in Russell
County. During this tour of duty the Shawnee Indians were
frequently killing the frontier settlers and on one occasion
In the fall of 1780 he volunteered under Captain Andrew
Colville, Colonel William Campbell's Virginia Regiment,
and they marched to Cleveland County. North Carolina. He
is said to have served as a leader of the scouts under Col.
Cainpbell. He participated in the Battle of King's Mountain
on 7 Oct 1780 where a force of about 900 Americans
opposed l IOO British and in an hour's fighting the British
lost about 250 killed and wounded (including Col. Ferguson
killed) and 664 men taken prisoner while the Americans lost
only 28 men killed - although a large number were wounded.
William added that a few days af\er the battle he received a
permit to go do\\ 1 n Catawba River on business where he
remained ten or twelve days on account of high water.
Since Colonel Tarlton's troops were in this section of the
country at that time, he and another man in the same
company with him took to the woods and made their way to
General Su1nter and General Davis' anny. They received a
message to Col. Campbell whose army they again joined at
the Moravian town where the army and prisoners were. He
was discharged in the Moravian town (he said they remained
there four days until a sufficient number of Whigs could be
collected to pass the Blue Ridge, as there were bodies of
Tories in that range of mountains) and returned home after
four months service.
In the summer of 1781 he served another tour of indefinite
lenb'1h in which he was engaged in dispersing Tories in
different parts of the county. In the fall of 1781 he
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