The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1892-03-06
COL. JOSEPH WINSTON

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ihlrd OF a Series of Biogranbieal
Sketches by Students Making His
torical Researches at the
University.
rromlnent among the early
friends of liberty in North Carolina
was Col. Joseph Winston. He be.-
longed to an old Yorkshire family
which had settled in Wales and af,
terwards emigrated to Virginia, and
soon distinguishing itself there by
It's talent and its love of liberty
These qualities were nobly illus
trated in the lives of Judge Winston
and Patrick Henry, the great Vir-
glnia orator, whose mother was a
Winston. Some authorities saw
that Patrick Henry's mother was
the sister of Col. Joseph Winston's
father. Col. Winston was born in
Louisa county, Virginia, June 18th.
l746, inheriting the liberty-lovine
spirit of his ancestors and a fond
ness for the hardships and adven-
lures of the chase.
He received fair education ac-
cordlng to. the standard Of that day,
but was more adventurous than stu
dious. At the age of seventeen he
joined company Of Rangers form
ed for the purpose Of fighting the
Indians, who we're very troublesome
in that section. During an expedi-
ton to the frontier, for the object Of
Furnishing a marauding party, his
company was ambuscaded and made
desperate resistance, but were
overpowered and put to flight.
During this skirmish young Win
ston acted with great gaIlantry.
lis horse was killed under him and
he himself received two balls-one
hn Ahe, thgh.anda the other in the
body. Dragging himself painfully
into the underbrush, the Indians.
in pursuit ofthe retreating Rangers.
passed him by. Here he would
doubtless have perished, had he not
been discovered by comrade, who,
like himself, had sought the brush
for refuge. His friend. being un-
wounded, aided him to escape, faith
'''v carrying him on his back for 3
Il hey reach d ht. welcome
shelter OF a trontierSman's cabin Du.
ring this toilsome and painful Jour-
ney they had no food save the ber-
ries of the wild rose, which, fortu-
nately, were quite plentiful. One
of the bullets which be then re-
ceived was never extracted and
continued to the end of his life to
be a source of suffering.
Early in 1910 Winston migrated
to what was then Surry,now Stokes
county, North Carolina, settling in
the vicinity of the forks of Dan
River. He embraced with ardor
the cause of the Colonies in their
dispute with the mother country,
and was chosen by the people Of
his county to represent them in the
i'm portant Provincial Congress- of
l775. In February following he
was one of an expedition against
the Scotch Tories on Cross Greek,
who in the endeavor to effect a
junction with the royal troops un-
der Sir Henry Clinton, were sig
nally defeated at Moore's Greek
Bridge, on the 9th Of that month.
By the Provincial Congress of
April, 1776, he was appointed
First Major and Commandant of
the Militia for the county Of Surry.
In this capacity he served under
General Griffith Rutherford in the
arduous expedition across the noun
tains in the fall of the same year.
By this expedition the Cherokees
were so efectually humbled that
they continued peaceful during the
rest of the war.
Under the Constitution of 1776,'I
Major Winston was elected men,
Der of the first House of Commons,
which met the following year.
Upon him, in conjunction with
Waightstill Avery and Robert La
nler, was conferred the important