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Volume 13, Issue 15 - Feature #6000

Pioneers & Sub-Pioneers of Highland County Virginia

I did a search in this book for our GWIN and WARWICK's and found quite a few mentions of each. Especially, one of our Paternal Great Grandfathers (don't really keep track of how Great-Great-Great he was, but call him a Great Grandfather, anyway) was Captain David Gwin.<br /><br /> In the Highland county Virginia history by Oren F. Morton, it states, "The Augustans also backed up their words with bullets. men who at that time or later were residents of Highland served in Washington's army. They also helped to guard the western frontier against the Indian allies of the British. Highland counters under Captain David Gwin marched to the support of General Greene in 1781 and took part in the Battle of Guilford. There a large majority of the Virginia militia fought so well that Greene wished he could have known of it beforehand. He had reason for his doubts, because the American militia had often behaved badly in battle. But on the field of Guilford the raw Virginians helped very much in making the nominal victory of Cornwallis a crushing defeat in reality. He lost a third of his men and had to get out of North Carolina in hot haste.<br /><br /> The companies raised in Augusta were expected to consist of expert riflemen. Each man was to "furnish himself with a good rifle, if to be had, otherwise with a tomahawk, common firelock, bayonet, pouch or cartouch box, and three charges of powder and ball."<br /><br /> What was a "cartouch box?"<br /><br /> On affidavit that the rifleman could not supply himself as above, he was to be supplied at public expense. For furnishing his equipment he was allowed a rental of one pound ($3.33) a year. His daily pay was to be 21 cents. Out of this was an allowance for "hunting shirt, pari of leggings, and binding for his hat."

Linda McGill Wagner - 2011-04-12 12:18:43

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