Crissman Family

Isaac Crissman Killed in Rye Cove
                      By Emory L. Hamilton
                                
     Isaac Crissman entered 225 acres of land
on both sides of Cove Creek in Fincastle Co., VA,
February 28, 1774. He had possibly been living on
this land sometime before his entry was made.
     Sometime prior to 1775 he had built a fort
of some sort upon his land. John Redd of Martin's
Fort in Powell Valley says it was about eight miles
from the North fork of Clinch, situated about a
mile off from the stream (Cove Creek) on it's west
side. There were several fine springs at the fort. It
enclosed about a half acre of land, which was large
for that day. The Indians attacked Crissman's fort
sometime in 1776 while the militia was away at
Point Pleasant and killed Crissman and two
members of his family. Captain Joseph Martin was
then ordered into the Rye Cove to protect the
people and remained there until the following
spring of 1777. (1)
     Isaac Crissman served as a militia soldier
at Glade Hollow Fort in 1774. (2) It was probably
in this year that Crissman built his fort in Rye
Cove for Charles Bickley tells in his pension
statement of serving at a fort in Rye Cove in 1775.
Crissman's fort is hard to understand for he had
another fort in Powell Valley known as the "Rocky
Station" His preemption warrant for this reads:
     We, the Commissioners, etc...do certify
that Isaac Crissman, (Jr.) heir-at-law of Isaac
Crissman, deceased, is entitled to preeemption of
1000 acres of land on account of settlement made
in 1775, lying in Washington County in Powells
Valley known by the name of Rock Spring. (3)
     Crissman's Fort was later known as the
Rye Cove Fort.
     Perhaps Crissman had sold or abandoned
his fort in Rye Cove, was living in Powell Valley
and when it was evacuated in June 1776 had
returned to Rye Cove fort for protection.
     The Rocky Station in Lee County, was,
however, the only fort in that valley that remained
open from this time and on through the
Revolutionary War, and was commanded from
1776 to 1780 by Colonel Charles Cox and his
Rangers.
     The estate of Isaac Crissman was
administered at the first court held for Washington
County on January 28, 1777, by Archibald Cox,
with John Kinkaid, Abraham McClellan, John
Anderson and John Snoddy as securities, and the
appraisers of the estate were: John Kinkaid, Sr.,
James Wharton, John Dunkin and Samuel Porter.
It is interesting to note of these men appraising and
administering Crissman's estate that Archibald
Cox and Wharton were killed later by Indians, and
John Dinkin and Samuel Porter were captured and
carried to imprisonment in Canada.

(1) John Redd's Narrative, Virginia Magazine of
History and Biography.
(2) Draper MSS 2 QQ 408
(3) Land Office Preemption Warrants 1 0 2132 and
1926.

Contact: Rhonda Robertson at: rsr@mounet.com

Return to Indian Captives Main Page