Cowan Family

Killing of Samuel Cowan at Houston's Fort
                      By Emory L. Hamilton
                                
     From the unpublished manuscript,
Indian Atrocities Along the Clinch, Powell and
Holston Rivers, pages 24-26.

     On April 3, 1774, a survey in Fincastle
County, Virginia, was made for Samuel Cowan, of
284 acres of land, lying on both sides of
McKinney's Run in Castlewood. This same tract
was surveyed in Washington County, (VA) on the
15th of March, 1783, for John Cowan, who was the
oldest son of the slain Samuel Cowan. The son,
John, apparently moved to Tennessee for Russell
County Deed Book 1, page 43, refers to John
Cowan of Greene Co., NC (later TN), and same
reference page 44, refers to him as being in Greene
County on the 10th of November, 1788, and also
page 298, reads as follows: "Between John Cowan
of Knox County, Southwest Territory, of the one
part and James McKinney of Russell...dated
September 24, 1799."
     In his pension statement filed in Russell
County, VA, on the 8th of September, 1836,
Charles Bickley, who was then stationed at
Blackmore's Fort on the Clinch, says: Information
reached the fort through Captain Daniel Smith
that the Indians were upon the waters of Moccasin
Creek, whereupon Captain (John) Montgomery
with his company, joined Captain Smith, and his
company, and marched in pursuit of the Indians,
and pursued their trail within a short distance of
Houston's Fort upon Moccasin Creek, where from
their apparently having separated, were unable to
prosecute the pursuit further in that way, and
marched on the last named fort. Upon arrival at
the fort, they found that no assault had, as yet,
been made upon it by the Indians and found there
a man from Cassell's Woods of the name of
Samuel Cowan, riding as this declarant now
remembers a Stud Horse belonging to one Deskin
Tibbs.
     Cowan proposed to leave the fort and
return to his family, but was admonished of the
danger of an attempt to do so, as the Indians were
in the immediate neighborhood, but he persisted
in his determination and set out, but proceeded a
short distance when the firing of guns was heard
in the fort and the forces sallied out to attack.
When soon they came upon the body of Cowan,
shot from his horse and scalped, and although
still alive, was taken to the fort and died the same
evening.
     Mrs. Samuel Scott of Jessamine County,
Kentucky, tells of the killing of Samuel Cowan
when interviewed by the Rev. John D. Shane, (1)
who, along with her father, John McCorkle, was at
Houston's Fort during this raid. In this interview
she mistakenly calls him "Matthew" Cowan, with
a question mark in the original manuscript after the
name "Matthew" as though she were uncertain of
its correctness after the elapse of many years. She
states: 
     Matthew (?) Cowan brought the express
(news) from Moore's Fort to Houston's Fort that
300 Indians were coming to attack Houston's
Station. (2) The next morning he would start to go
back and thought he could get through, but was
shot. His horse got in safe (to Castlewood). His
wife (3) fainted when she saw the horse - a stud
horse, all in a power of sweat. He, (Samuel
Cowan) was brought in wounded and died. There
my father, John McCorkle, was at the time. There
were 300 Indians to 21 families (in the fort). I
think the men didn't exceed thirty. The Indians
stayed there about 8 days killing the cattle. They
were Cherokees. None of the people in the fort
were killed. Relief came in from the Holston and
then they left. (4)
     Samuel Cowan was slain in either June or
July, of 1776. William Cowan, who was perhaps
his brother, was appointed Administrator of the
estate of Samuel Cowan on August 19, 1778, with
John Walker, (perhaps Samuel's brother-in-law)
and Andrew Colvill as securities. The estate was
appraised by William Trimble, James Wharton,
(later killed by Indians), Joseph Moore, Frederick
Fraley and Edmund Smith, all residents of
Castlewood and neighbors to the slain Samuel.

(1) Draper Mss 11 CC 224
(2) Houston's Fort was the home of William Houston
(3) Samuel Cowan's widow was later taken prisoner by
the Indians. See Capture of Ann Cowan.
(4) "Relief from Holston" was Captain John
Montgomery's Company who joined Capt. Daniel
Smith's Company to the rescue. Those troops were
gathering at Blackmore's Fort to go on the Cherokee
Campaign.

Contact: Rhonda Robertson at: rsr@mounet.com

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