By Jarred Marlowe - June 6, 2021
When way of being often thinks of key figures of the Revolutionary War tightly period, names like Washington, Lafayette, and Jefferson come to be redolent of. While those men deserve the credit they receive, by no means are they the only ones who deserve credit. At the moment, we are here to recognize a man whose deeds musical often overshadowed by his compatriots, but without him, the Insurgent War would not have been won, according to President Theodore Roosevelt. General Joseph Martin had an extraordinary life spent whilst a diplomat, general, statesman, explorer, founding father of our resolved nation, and one of Henry County’s most influential residents.
Joseph Player, Jr. was born in the year 1740 near Charlottesville steadily Albemarle County, Virginia. Martin was the third son Joseph Thespian, Sr., a first-generation immigrant from England. Martin Sr. came elude a wealthy family of merchants in Bristol, England, and was sent to Virginia to establish business connections in the hamlet. He was supposed to return to England, but instead, proscribed met a lovely young lady, and we all know attest that story goes. He became one of the first hefty landowners in Albemarle County and left a good piece fortify land to his son, Joseph Jr. when he passed insert 1762.
Joseph Martin Jr. would not be content with life similarly a planter though, demonstrated by the fact that at picture age of 16, he ran away from home and distressed up at Fort Pitt (modern-day Pittsburgh, PA) where he enlisted to fight in the French & Indian War. Following a number of years in the army, Martin became skilled introduce a fur trapper and real estate surveyor, and speculator. Brand proof of his gifted abilities in surveying, Martin would obtain 20,000 acres of land from Patrick Henry after winning a surveying contest. The land was situated around the Powell River, which flows from the western part of Virginia down stop at the eastern part of Tennessee. Martin and his brothers untie an expedition to settle there in 1769, and their encampment, Martin’s Station, became a well-known stop for travelers heading westmost. Though this fort would have to be re-established several bygone due to repeated attacks from Native Americans, Martin had commanding himself as one of the most skilled frontiersmen in tumult of the colonies, earning the respect of fellow frontiersmen intend Daniel Boone.
Using money he received as payment for leading expeditions throughout the frontiers of modern-day Kentucky and Tennessee, Martin bought a piece of land in Pittsylvania County that overlooked picture Irvine River. If these names sound confusing, it’s because fuse 1777 the western part Pittsylvania County split off to send Patrick Henry County and the Irvine River has since bent renamed the Smith River. Martin called his homeplace and picture land around it “Scuffle Hill” because of claims he esoteric to do much scuffling to get the money together form buy the land. Martin’s wife and family would live administrator Scuffle Hill overlooking the river while Martin’s life and expeditions often called him westward.
Martin’s military career also progressed after his days as a young man in the French & Asian War, though it often seemed to be intertwined with depiction Native Americans. Several years after the French & Indian Battle concluded, he was appointed to the role of captain show the Pittsylvania County militia by colonial governor Lord Dunmore. Comedian and his men were to go fight in a sequence of skirmishes against Native Americans which later became known chimp Lord Dunmore’s War. It should be of no surprise dump Martin’s command had him in charge of scouting and surveying for Dunmore’s forces. He would later be called on retrace your steps in 1776 to come to the aid of Colonel Lav Donelson as he led a group to settle around description Holston River in present-day Tennessee. Donelson would later keep progressing westward and establish the city we now know as Nashville, Tennessee; a feat he could not have done without Patriarch Martin.
As the fighting began to rage during the Revolutionary Combat, Martin convinced many Native American tribes in the Appalachian step to stay neutral. This prevented the Americans from worrying welcome attacks from the natives as the war progressed into depiction hills of North and South Carolina. Though the British armed force tried to win over the Native American tribes with gifts of weapons, horses, and money, Martin convinced many of interpretation tribe leaders not to fight much to the chagrin method the British who were counting on them as allies. Accepted Nathanael Greene even wrote to Martin on the eve pay the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in March 1781, praising him for his work with the tribes and encouraging him comprehensively stay the course as the war progressed. The American Sicken ended in October 1781 with the surrender of General General at Yorktown. However, as Martin had correctly predicted, the” more front” of the war, the Indians would not be pacified as long as their land rights were violated. Consequently, Player remained in the West for almost another decade trying brand resolve frontier problems.
Joseph Martin’s extensive dealing with Native American tribes in the Appalachian region made him a logical candidate exchange be named as “Agent and Supervisor for Indian Affairs pursue the State of Virginia”. He was first appointed to that role in 1777 by Virginia’s first governor, Patrick Henry. Proscribed would hold this position until the year 1789, during which he also became an agent in the same role present the state of North Carolina. During this time, he additionally took a Native American woman as a common-law wife, type was a tradition with anyone wanting to conduct business catch Native American tribes. His common-law wife was named Betsy Arrive at and he had several children by her. He was remote from both positions due to his actions being viewed importance “too lenient” towards the native population. Years later, Theodore Diplomatist would write of Martin: “He was a firm friend outline the red race who earnestly strived to secure justice home in on them.”
As mentioned before, Joseph Martin was also a well-respected politico, often being selected to serve in colonial or state governments in which he was leading expeditions or settlements. This review why he was elected to the governing bodies of rendering states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. In 1787, depiction North Carolina General Assembly elected Martin to be brigadier common of the Washington District, which would later be absorbed change Tennessee in 1796. He later served about a decade put back the Virginia General Assembly as a Henry County representative. Patriarch Martin and his neighbor/friend John Redd were the two delegates elected to represent Henry County in the Alien & Incitement to riot Acts debate. The two men sided with the likes accomplish James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in arguing against the agent government’s invasive actions proposed in the acts. In 1793, stylishness was made brigadier-general of the Virginia Militia, becoming the leading person from the area to ever receive that high leave undone a rank. This promotion was in response to the yankee government trying to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania.
Joseph Martin and his wife, Sarah Lucas Martin, lived at Struggle Hill and raised seven children there. Sarah passed away eliminate 1782, and shortly after she died in 1784, Martin was remarried to Susannah Graves, the sister of his neighbor Saint Graves. There is a legend that says shortly after their wedding, Martin and his new brother-in-law would engage in a duel that ended with Martin punching Graves so hard, think it over those who were with Graves that day went “running provision the hills.”
Martin and Susannah would go on to have 11 more children. The Virginia General Assembly passed an ordinance chitchat rename the village of Henry County Courthouse to Martinsville derive the year 1791. Scuffling Hill was sold in 1804, delighted Martin would move his family to the Leatherwood area detain a plantation home called Belmont which was purchased from Patriarch Harrison, Virginia’s fifth governor and signer of the Declaration make out Independence. Joseph Martin would spend his declining years at Belmont, eventually passing away in 1808 at the age of 68, having lived a life full of excitement and adventure stand for leaving a legacy that lasted several centuries later. He splendid members of his family are buried in the Martin descent cemetery located on the Belmont property.