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In 1780, the Washington
County Court recommended that Charles Cocke be promoted
to Captain:
At a Court held for
Washington County June 20th 1780.
"Ordered that Charles
Cocke be recommended to his Excellency the
Governor as a fit and proper person for Captain
of the Militia of the County of Washington and
that Joshua Bucher Lieutenant and Hugh Campbell
Ensign."1
This period of service
was described by Charles Cocke in his Pension
Application:
That about the month
of July in the year 1780, he was commissioned by
the Governor of Virginia as a captain of Malitia,
in the then County of Washington in the said
State of Virginia, over a company of Rangers in
the regiment at that time commanded by Col.
Arthur Campbell, the number of which, the
declarant has now forgotten. That he was
stationed, with the company under his command,
during the balance of that year, and in 1781 at
the Rocky Station Fort, in the County of
Washington but now County of Lee, on the old
Kentucky trace, on the Southwestern frontier of
Virginia, that during that time, which embraced a
period of about eighten months, the declarant
with some part of his command, was in constant
service, either in acting as Spies, in pursuit of
the Savages, or in guarding the Fort. That being
himself very active and enterprising, and from
his infancy accustomed to the woods, and well
acquainted with the Indian character and wiley
arts, he always himself, when spying was to be
done selected two or three men of his command, on
whom he could most depend for that Service, and
with them acted himself as a spy, intrusting the
protection of the Fort to his subordinates and
the majority of the company that during this
service, the declarant several times pursued the
savages when they would make incursions into the
settlements, murdering the inhabitants and
stealing their property and on several occasions
he was engaged in bloody skirmishes with the
indians; and can say with certainty that he
killed several of them himself on the occasions.
That he too, was many times in this most imminent
danger, when some times alone, and at other times
with but one or two individuals in company and
but for his activity and his thorough knowledge
of the Indians habits and characters, he must
often have fallen a victim of their savage
ferocity. This mode of life, and duty continued
from the year 1780 until Sinclairs defeat which
the declarant thinks was in 1790. But his duties
were no so incessant after 1781 as the
Settlements were growing more populous, other
Stations were created, and Major Andrew Lewis,
Capt Hawkins and others were sent out with aids.
Major Lewis, with his command visited this
declarants station in 1782, which was the only
aid he received before the close of the
revolution in 1783. when Major Lewis was here in
1782 the declarant joined him in an expedition
some distance down into what is now the State of
Tennessee, toward the cherokee Towns, but
although they were often in the immediate
vicinity of the Savages, they had at that time no
engagement with them. But the declarant has
little doubt that this boldness and show of
increased strength intimidated the Savages and
made them more cautious and less frequent in
their incursions to the settlements, so that
subsequently up to the end of the revolutionary
war although the declarant was continued in his
command as a guard at the Fort. yet his duties
were not so laborious, as previously, nor his
dangers often so imminent after the revolution
ended his duties still continued for some years,
during which he has several active, short
campaigns.2
His service at Rocky
Station Fort was confirmed by affidavits of William Yeary
and his brother in law, William Ewing. William Yeary
stated that:
This day William
Yeary personally appeared before the court of Lee
county and made oath that his father, when this
affiant was about ten years of age, moved to the
Rocky Station Fort, then in Washington, but which
is now in Lee county Virginia, in the year 1780.
That Col Charles Cocke was then a Capt over a
Company of Rangers, in command at the said Fort
in which command he continued for many years. And
was then and has ever since been computed to be a
brave and vigilant officer. That it was then said
he was in many indian skirmishes. That he himself
has killed several indians, and was a most
cunning and active Spy.3
It appears that at least some of the Yeary family
served under Charles Cocke. Henry Yeary is noted as a member of
Charles Cocke's company from 1780-1782.4 William's
father Benedict may have also served.
The affidavit of William
Ewing stated that:
On this 15th day of
January 1838 personally appeared William Ewing in
open court, before the court of Lee county and
made oath that in the year 1782 he came to the
Rocky Station Fort, then in Washington but now in
Lee county aforesaid at which time Col Charles
Cocke was then in command of a company of Rangers
at said Fort as a capt of Malitia. That he
continued in command at said Fort as a Capt for
several years after the affiant came to it and
that the affiant was in several expeditions with
him, against the indians. That said Cocke was
always estimated, a brave and vigilant officer
and although in command a vigilant unremitting
and active spy.5
These affidavits show
that, not only was Charles Cocke placed in charge of a
company of Rangers, but that he was the kind of man who
was not afraid to put himself at risk. The hazardous
nature of this duty is shown by the fact that several of
the other Forts were either abandoned or forced to
surrender. It is said that Rocky Station Fort was the
only Fort that remained open during the Revolution. Much
of the credit for this success is undoubtedly due to
Charles Cocke's practice of making frequent patrols into
the surrounding countryside. As any soldier will tell
you, a base commander who makes a routine practice of
sending out patrols is less likely to be overrun, both
because of the intelligence provided and because of the
psychological message which such patrols send- that the
troops are not afraid of whatever is out there. And while
soldiers do not always appreciate having to go out on
patrol, with the constant risk of ambush, these soldiers
must have been heartened to find that their commander was
not afraid to take on these risks himself.
The dangers associated
with this kind of duty were shown by the affidavit of
Robert Sinclair, who filed his pension claim in Madison
Co., Missouri:
Captain Cox's
company rendezvoused at Wolf Hills (Abingdon) and
marched to Powell's Valley to guard the
frontiers. Sixteen days after marching to Powells
Valley, Solomon Kendrick, the Spy, was killed by
the Indians and this applicant and Richard Lynam
acted as spies.6
The pension statement of
Alexander Ritchie is supposed to have listed
numerous attacks on the Fort and encounters with the
enemy.7
Nor was this the kind of
stockade fort commonly seen in the movies. To the
contrary, it was little more than a fortified house, but
a sturdy one, because the structure is still standing and
is located 5 miles east of Jonesville. |
