Battle of Long Island Flats

On The Trail of - Colonel CHARLES COCKE

THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND FLATS
	Josiah Ramsey served in the battle of Long Island Flats (Kingsport) in July, 1774, before he went on the Point Pleasant Campaign in the fall of 1774. At this battle: "Thomas Price, Josiah Ramsey and Ezekiel Smith were (Indian) Spys, and were rising somewhat separated to the summit of a ridge and there Ramsey discovered an Indian on one knee, his gun leveled, resting it on the side of a sapling, aiming at Price, some forty yards off to one side. Ramsey at once shot and killed the Indian who proved to be a principal man among his people. Other Indian spys nearby ran, dropping some match coats and some conjuring conch shells and some other articles accidentally. The firing attracted the attention of the nearest of the troops who ran up to see and were near enough to see the match-coats, and among those who ran forward was John Sicks, (an early settler on Holston) but without venturing further returned to the whites down the hill. Here a sort of council was held and resolved to return to (Amos) Eaton's Fort when price and the Spy party came. Cocke (Col. Charles Cocke?) said, 'We've got their conjuring tools, they ain't going to come any more - this will satisfy our wives and children.' Sicks and others said they had seen the match-coats and would go to get them, that the Indians were coming. The result was they returned and fought the battle." (July 20, 1774). http://shadybanks.net/Wise2/JosiahRamseyMA.html The above account is supposed to have been from the Draper Manuscripts. It is not known who inserted the parenthetical "(Col. Charles Cocke?)". Not sure if the above means that Cocke refused to fight in the Battle.

THE BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND FLATS

Josiah Ramsey served in the battle of Long Island Flats (Kingsport) in July, 1774, before he went on the Point Pleasant Campaign in the fall of 1774. At this battle:

"Thomas Price, Josiah Ramsey and Ezekiel Smith were (Indian) Spys, and were rising somewhat separated to the summit of a ridge and there Ramsey discovered an Indian on one knee, his gun leveled, resting it on the side of a sapling, aiming at Price, some forty yards off to one side. Ramsey at once shot and killed the Indian who proved to be a principal man among his people. Other Indian spys nearby ran, dropping some match coats and some conjuring conch shells and some other articles accidentally. The firing attracted the attention of the nearest of the troops who ran up to see and were near enough to see the match-coats, and among those who ran forward was John Sicks, (an early settler on Holston) but without venturing further returned to the whites down the hill. Here a sort of council was held and resolved to return to (Amos) Eaton's Fort when price and the Spy party came. Cocke (Col. Charles Cocke?) said, 'We've got their conjuring tools, they ain't going to come any more - this will satisfy our wives and children.' Sicks and others said they had seen the match-coats and would go to get them, that the Indians were coming. The result was they returned and fought the battle." (July 20, 1774).

http://shadybanks.net/Wise2/JosiahRamseyMA.html

The above account is supposed to have been from the Draper Manuscripts. It is not known who inserted the parenthetical "(Col. Charles Cocke?)". Not sure if the above means that Cocke refused to fight in the Battle.