The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-06-27
John Sepier.

euOule5, IN pTeocuCe VI al III
mense concourse of people, some
among them being his own descend
ants, and many the descendants OF
hose who fought with him In all
the ventures and adventures that
kept him in the field successful
soldier fol nearly or quite twenty
years. Until Andrew Jackson
succeeded him as the first man in
the State Sewer was the most pop
ular of leaders. He was one of the
original settlers of the Wautauga
Association, was the t:usted COM
mander OF many expeditions
against the Indians, who respected |
and finally confided in him, and he
commanded at Kings Mountain |
the contingent of mount aineers
who there won decisive battle and |
ended the dreams of the British |
for supremacy in what they term
ed the Southern DIsttict. He was
q delegate to the Legislature oil
North Carolina from Washington
County, as the Wautauga settle
ment was afterward named, and he
was Governor of the State OF Frank
lin, which he maintained for four
years in defiance of the power of
the mother State and when at last
the State Of Tennessee was organ
lied, he became Its first Governor,
was re elected twice and would
have been continued in that office
for life If he had consented and the
Constitution pc: mitted. No man
public life in Tennessee ever
enjoyed u greater measure of popu-
lariLy, and he deserved it. For
no man in the history of the State
has left a higher reputation for f.
deity TO public trusts and self
sacrificing patriotism. He was the
father and one of the founders of
the State, and TO his latest breath
was beloved by the people. John
Sewer, originally Xavier, OF HUI
guenot stock, was born in Rocking
ham County, Va, February %,
l745. His father, Valentine Sew
er, emigratod to this country from
London about l740. John was ed
ucated until he was sixteen years
of age at the academy in Freder-
icksburg, Va. He married at the
age OF seventeen, and founded the
village OF Newmarket, in the valley
of Shenandoah He then became
celebrated as an Indian lighter, was
q victor IN many battles with the
nelghboring tribes, and III I772 was
appointed captain IN Nh: Virginia
Line. In the spring of that year
he removed to Wautauga, and be-
came one OF the principle me- liz
the colony. When the war against
the Shawnee and other tribes began
in 1873 he resumed his rank in the
Virginia Line, served throughout
the campaign, and, on the 10Th OF
October, l774, took part in the
battle OF Point Pleasant. AT the
beginning OF the Revolution he
drew up the memorial Of the citi-
liens OF Wautauga to the North
Carolina Legislature, asking to be
annexed to that colony, that "Lhey
might aid 10 he unhappy contest
and bear their tnll proportion of
the expenses OF the war" Their
petition was granted, aud the whole !
of what is now the State Of rennes-
see was organized into county or
North Carolina, theu known as
Washington District. Sewer was
chosen a delegate to the State Con-
vention, aud in the "Declarat.on OF
Rights" introduced clause de-
tinlng the lin It's of the STATE, using |
this language: Chat it snail not
be o constructed as to prevent The |
eSta bliShment Of one or more Gov
efnments westward OF This State |
by consent of the Legislature" |
showing that he had already in his |
mimi the establishment Of q srpa..
rate commonwealth hey ond tue Al
leghenles. Win Col. Isaac Shelby |
in 1880, he planned the battle OF
Kings Mountain, which he was
mainly instrumental in winning.
For this service he received .
sword and pistols from the North
Carolina Legislature. Alter his
third term as Governor he was
elected to Congress, where he serg-
ed two terms and was elected for a
third term in 1915, but diei in AL
ALBANIA before entering upon it. He
died while crossing the faIlapoosa
river on his return TO old Fort De-
catur, where he had gone TO make
treaty with the Creeks as COM
missioner authorized for that pur.
pose by Gen. Andrew Jack son,
whose tame then "flled the land"
as the hero of New Orleans. He
was buried near the fort, in Macon
County, and there he has lain for
seventy five Yeas and until the
l7Lh inst, when his remains were
exhumed and removed to their final
resting place at Knoxville, amidst
the scenes Of his contests and OF
his labors TO found q great COM
monwealth. 1t is contemplated to
build q monument to his memory.
The people of the whole State
should make this q work of love 1t
should be erected on command-
ing eminenco near Knoxville, ovet-
looking the valley where he SO of
ten led his fellow settlers 10 victo-
ry and where be helped 20 oonsum-
mate on an enduring basis ;he civ
Il policy by which Tennessee has
been guided as prosperous State
of the American Union, Mem pins
Appeal,