The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-10-19
General Andrew Lewis.

A FAMILY OF VIRGINIA HEROES
The Richmond Examiner thus speaks of General
Andrew Lewis, the great Hero of Western yirgi-
MA whose statue will form one of the group around
the Washington Monument on the Capitol Square ::
"Our Virginia historians have confined their ia IRA
ves too much the trivial details of thousand Skin
uishes and petty incidents tho East aud have al
most totally omitted to record the contests of Western
Vrgnians with the savage at their doors well as
with the tories and red coats III the Caroinas which
they volunteered to march hundreds of miles to fight
and defeat. They would stare surprise if
asked who was Andrew LeWis-thouHh he won fame
second only to Wasinngtons III command of the Nir-
sna buckskns at Braddock's defeat; though he com
manded the most desperate of all the ante Reyol-
tionary Indian battles at Point Please though he was
urgently nominated by Washington as Il Major Gene
rH the Congress which selected himself as the first
Commander-in-Chief of the American armies-a man
who, in the rugged energy of his military character
to the polished " oshngton in the field what JEFF
ferson was afterwards to Madison in the cabinet"
There are some additional facts of interest con.
nected with the subject of this just eulogium and
with his remarkable family, contained in tradi-
ton of the race, which was found among the pa
pers Of the late John Howe Peyton, ESQ., of Staun-
ton, and published by his son, John Lewis Peyton,
in the Virginia Historical Register From this
source, and from Howc's Historical Collection, we
make the following condensation:
John Lewis, the first of the family who emipra
from Huguenot family, which took refuge in that
kingdom. His rank was that of an ESQUIRE. and he
inherited handsome estate, which he increased by
industry and frugaty He married Margaret LYNN.
daughter of the Laird of Loeb Lynn who was a
descendant of the chieftains of a once powerful
clan in the Scottish Highlands He had four sons
by this marriage, Thomas, Andrew and William
born in Ireland, and Charles, the child of his 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 domcile, by an Irish no.
bleman and party of armed desperadoes whom
he had employed for that purpose Lewis. unarm.
cd and unassisted, killed the nobleman and one Of
his servants with club, when the rest. terrified bv
his herce RESISTANCE, made precipitate retreat
This awful occurrence brought the affairs of Lewis
in Ireland to a crisis. The connections of the no.
bleman were rich and powerful, and it was deemed
by the friends of Lewis rash and unwise that
even with law and justice on his side, he should
surrender himself to his enemies. He accordingly
left Ireland, and in the summer of 1892 established
liz residence in Augusta county, Virginia. After
ouc investigation of the affair by the authorities in
ireland, a pardon was granted to John Lewis, and
patents are still extant, by which his majesty
o"" W nm d large portion of Western vir
ginia
we could fill this journal with thrilling details of
inc heroc leafs OF the Lewis family in renell;no
inc assaults OF the Indians, and conoueripe ,ba,o
throughout Western Virginia. The names of the
,'ur sons OF John Lewis have become like bonse.
noid words in the annals of Indian warfare j., tho
vest The feats of Charles, Cxho afterwards foil
.. ,ne mead of his regiment, leading on the sttaek
ON, fieasant,) have not been eoualled in 70.
Durn .,ioSln since the days of Capt John Smith
Ing ,h's savage warfare, on one occasion .Iobn
-, 'Aeh very old and infirm, occuned !, for,
"nen was attacked by the Indians. The onl,. %.
eapah's 81 TINS fort We're the old hero his Viz
TWO young women Lewis hov.,,.u "''''
Portfolio from which he fired at N. 'p p..'s
while his wife reloaded the guns In Mi. aees'
sustained siege of six hours, during - nc
Killed upwards Of score of the Indians VI, ~
was relieved by the appearance of parry -
friends An Old settler relates an aneedote ilns'
irafins the Indian idea Of the prowess of N.
Le"ises The white clover Is of indigenous growth.
the red was introduced by John Lewis, and /, wa
generally reported and believed by the Indians
ne blood OF the red men slain by the Lewises and