Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-10-25
EVENING STAR,
GEN. ANDREW IFwfs

on the Capitol square, In Richmond:
"Our Virginia historians have confined their
narratives too much to the trivial details Of a
| thousand skirmishes and petty incidents in the
East, and have almost totally omitted TO re-
cord the contests of Western Virginians with
the savage at their doors, as we'll as with the
tories and red coats in the Carolinas. which
they volunteered to march hundreds Of miles
to fight and defeat. They would stare a va
| cant surprise if asked who was Andrew Lewis
though he won fame second only TO Wash
ingtOn's in command of the Virginia buck
skins at Braddock's defeat; though he COM
manded In the most desperate Of all the ante
Revolutionary Indian battles at Point Pleas
ant; though he was urgently nominated by
washington as major general to the Con-
| gress which selected himself as the first COM
mander-in chief of the American armies-a
man who, in the rugged character Of his mill
tary character, was to the polished Washing
ton In the field what Jefferson was afterward
to Madison in the cabinet ..... -
There are some additional facts of interest
connected with the subject Of this lust eulo-
GUM, and with his remarkable family. con-
tanned in tradition Of the race, which was
found among the papers Of the late John Howe
Peyton, Esq, of StautOn, and published by his
son, John Lewis Peyton, in the Virginia His
| torical Register. From this source, and from
Howe's Historical Collection. the Richmond
Dispatch makes the following condensation:
John Lewis, the first Of the family who en-
lgrated to Virginia, was a citizen Of Ireland.
descended from a Huguenot family, which
took refuge in that kingdom His rank was
that Of an esquire, and he inherited a hand
| some estate, which he increased by industry
and frugality. lie married Margaret LYNN.
daughter Of the Laird Of Lych Lynn, who was
| descendant of the chieftains of a once now
erful clan in the Scottish Highlands. He had
four sons by this marriage, Thomas, Andrew
and William born in Ireland, and Charles,
| the child Of the old age, born in Virginia
The emigration Of John Lewis to Virginia
was the result Of brutal and ferocious attack
made upon his legal rights and domicile by an
Irish nobleman and a party of armed despe-
! -adOes whom he had employed for that nur-
! pose Lewis, unarmed and unasssted. killed
| the nobleman and one of his servants with a
club, when the rest, terrified by the fierce re-
| slstance, made a precipitate retreat This
| awful occurrence brought the affairs of Lewis
in Ireland to a crisis. The connections of the
nobleman were rich and powerful. and it was
deemed by the friends of Lewis rash and up-
wlse, that, even W tn law and Justice on his
side, he should surrender himself to his enc
mics. de accordingly left Ireland, and in
the summer Of 1872 established his residence
In Augusta county, Virginia After due in.
vestigation of the affair by the authorities in
AiSAohuj paiuOu vas STduOeQ 10 JOhn LeWls
| ana patents are still extant by which his ma.
Jesty granted to him large portion of West
| ern Virginia
We could ell this Journal with thrilling de-
tails ct the heroic feats of the Lewis family in
repelling the assaults Of the Indians, and con-
9uerirg them throughout Western Virginia.
The names of the four sons of John Lewis
have be;ome like household words in the an
| nails OF Indian warfare in the West. The fests
Of Charles, (who afterwards fell at the head
OF his regiment, leading on the attack at Point
Pieasant,) have not been equ allied in roman
TIC herolsm since the days of Captain John
| smith. During this savage warfare, on one
occasion, John Lewis, then very old and ia.
hrm, occupied fort which was attacked bv
the Indians. The only occupants of this fort
were the old hero, his wife, and two Young
women. Lewis, however, opened a port-boIe'
from which he fired at the savages, while his
; wife reloaded the guns. In this way be .us-
| tanned siege of six hours, during which he
killed upwards of score of the Indians. when
| he was relieved by the appearance of q party
OF trends An old settler relates an anecdote
| illustrating the Indian idea of the proves of
! the LewiSes: The white clover is of indigenous
growth the red was introduced by Jobn
Lewis, and II was generally reported and be-
heved by the Indians that the blood OF the
red men slain by the Lewises and their fol-
lowers had dyed the trefoil to its sanguiue
hue
The women Of the family shared the spirit of
the men. When, in the war Of the reyolu.
ton, volunteers were called for 70 preyent
Tarleton from passing Rockfsh Gap. the wife
OF William I'D son OF john called her oply
three sons who were not in the army, whose
ages were IL, Is and IL years, and said: 600.
my children; L spare not my youngest nv
talr-haired boy: the comfort of my declining
years L devote you all to my country. Keen
back the foot of the invader from the soil of
augusta, or see my face no more 1t was
when this incident was related to Washipg gton
tnat he made the famous exclamatio Leave
me but banner to plant upon the mountains
OF Augusta, and [ will rally around me the
men who will lift our bleeding country from
the dust and set her Free
zen. Andrew Lewis, to whom a statue Is to
be erected in the Washington group. was the
second son of John and Margaret Lewis. In
nraddock war he was In company in which
were all his brothers. They were especially
distinguished at Braddock's defeat. They
were in the advance and the first attacked by
the enemy. Severed from the rest of the army.
they cut their way through the enemy TO
their companies. In the attack upon Fort
Duquesne, Andrew Lewis was a major, and
his conduct acquired for him the highest rep.
utation for courage and prudence. He was
the commanding general Of the Virginia troops
at the great battle Of Point Peasants, fought
May 10, IVA, The splendid valor and skill
displayed on this memorable occasion were re-
warded by the total defeat of the Indians,
were driven west Of the Ohio. Washing
ton, says Howe, "in whose regiment Lewis
had once been a ma ajer, had formed so high an
opinion of his bravery and military skill, that
at the commencement of the revolutionary
war, he was induced to recommend HIM to
Congress as one of the major-generals of the
American army" 1t is also said that hen
Washington was commissioned as commander
ln-chief, he expressed 4 wish that the ap-
pointment had been given to General Lewis
He commanded the Virginia troops when Lord
Dunmore was driven from Gwynn's Island, in
l776, and announced his orders for attacking
the enemy by putting a match to the first gun,
an eighteen FOUNDER, himself"
"Gen. Lewis, says Stuart, in his Histori-
cal Memoirs, "was upwards Of six feet high,
of uncommon strength and agility, and his
form OF the most exact symmetry. He had a
stern and invincible cOuntenance, and was of
reserved aud distant department, which rem
dered his presence more awful than engaging.
He was a commissioner, with Dr. Thomas Wal
Ter, to hold a treaty, on behalf Of the CoIony