Fort Blackmore
|
Fort Blackmore (1774-1794) - First established in 1774 by brothers Capt. John Blackmore and Joseph Blackmore. Named after the brothers. Used until the end of the Indian hostilities in 1794. Also known as Blackmore's Fort HistoryOriginally seven militia forts were to be constructed in 1774 during Lord Dunmore's War against hostile Indian tribes. Capt. William Russell was to command four of the forts on the Lower Clinch River and Capt. Daniel Smith was to command three forts on the Upper Clinch River. These forts were to be erected by the local militia men supervised by Colonel William Christian who had been sent out to the frontier by Col. William Preston who was commanding officer of the Fincastle County Militia. The forts were generally named for the landowners where they were located and/or the military commanders. Many of them had multiple names as landowners and commanders changed. Even though Lord Dunmore's War ended in 1774, the Indian attacks continued until 1794 when the Indian renegade leader, Benge, was killed near Big Stone Gap.
Fort Blackmore was built on the property of Capt. John Blackmore, who came with his brother Joseph from Fauquier County, VA, in 1772. During the conflict, many settlers and militia were killed and captured around Fort Blackmore because it was on the north bank of the Clinch River and more exposed than the other posts. No description of the post exists but, given the large numbers of people who fled to its protection in 1776, it must have been substantial. In 1777 the militia garrison at Fort Blackmore numbered eighteen troops. Current StatusMonument only on the north side of the new Highway 72 bridge crossing the Clinch River.
Sources:
Links: Visited: No
| ||||||||
