294
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
commanded the corps called "the guards ard
pioneers." He was employed in matters of
importance on behalf of the Royalists. He
opened a correspondence with the Whi^j
leaders, relative to their return to their alleg-
iance, and was concerned in Arnold's
trei'son. His country mansion was Arnold'.s
hcatlquariers while the latter was arrang-
ing his plan. After the conviction of An-
dre, Col. Robinson, as a witness, accom-
panied Sir Henry Clinton's commission to
Washington' headquarters to plead for An-
dre's life. He had previously addressed
Washington on the subject, and in his letter
reminded him of their former friendship.
After the war. he went to New Brunswick,
and was a member of the first council of that
colony, but did not take his seat. He subse-
quently went to England with part of his
family, and resided near Bath, till his death.
His wife was included in the confiscation act
oi New York, and the estate derived from her
father pas.«ed from the family. As a com-
pensation for the loss, the British govern-
ment granted her husband £17,010 sterhng.
She died at Thornbury in 1822, aged nine-
- v-four years. He had five sons in the Brit-
t>h army, all of whom attained distinction, Beverley was a member of the council oi New Brunswick; Morris was a lieutenant- colonel ; John was a member of the council, deputy paymaster and treasurer; Frederick was a lieutenant-general and knighted, and William Henry was commissary-general and was also knighted.
Thomas, Isaac, born in Virginia, about 1735. He was an early Indian trader, and about 1755 located among the Cherokees, •^ear Fort Loudoun. His immense strength and courage commanded great respect from
the Indians. On one occasion he interfered
in a feud between two Cherokee braves who
had drawn tomahawks upon each other,
and tore the weapons from their hands,
when they both attacked him. He lifted
6ne after the other into the air, and threw
ilum into the Tellico river. One ty' the
Indians subsequently saved his life .'-.t the
J-ort Loudoun massacre, of which it is said
that he and two others were the .sole sur-
vivors. After peace was restored, he a.iL^ain
.<;eitled among the Cherokees, making his
home at their capital, Echota. where, in a
leg-cabin, he kept the trader's usual stc^ck.
Me was on very friendly terms with Nancy
Ward, the Cherokee prophetess, who early
in 1776 told him of the hostile design.s of
the Indians. He at once sent a trusty mes-
senger to John Sevier and James Rcbert-
.^on at Watauga, but remained behind till
the actual outbreak of hostilities. Ai mid-
night on July 7, 1776, Nancy Ward again
<?me to his cabin and urged him to leave
V\t settlements. At great risk he mide the
journey, and a few days later was with the
ittle garrison of forty that repelled the at-
tack of Oconostota on the fort at Watauga.
Sevier probably could not have held out if
he had not received the warning. >oon
afterward he piloted the expedition that laid
waste ihe Indian country, and, for iwenty
years afterwards he acted as guide to Gen.
Sevier in nearly all of his campaigns against
the Creeks and Cherokees. Soon after the
revolution he relinquished trade wi^.h the
IndiaiiS, and settled upon an extensive farm
in .Se\*ier county. He called his settlement
Sevi<?r\-rile, in honor of his general, and the
place is now one of the most beautiful locali-
ties in the state of Tennessee. He died in
Sevicrvrlle, Tennessee, in 1819.
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