The American Revolution was ended in 1783 when the Treaty of Paris was signed.
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a decisive battle of the American Revoluton. It took place on October 7, 1780, nine miles south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson.
Millicent (Milly) Head Bledsoe was born about 1756 in Virginia. Her parents were Anthony and Mary Head.
Loving and Millicent's children probably included:
Anthony Bledsoe (1774),
Granville Bledsoe (1775),
Isaac Bledsoe (1776, married Margaret Neely),
Valentine Bledsoe (married Elizabeth Grindstine),
Loving Bledsoe
Austin Bledsoe (1777, married Sarah),
Ambrose Bledsoe (1783, married Rhoda Ritchie),
Gaven Bledsoe (1786, married Susannah),
William Bledsoe (1791, married Nancy Lea Graves), and
Tabitha Bledsoe (married Jacob Honssinger, Sr.).
Loving served in the American Revolution with his half brother, William Stewart.
A short time before the battle of Kings Mountain, the applicants brother David Stewart and Half brother Loving Bledsoe were drafted to go in the army. Before the day of rendezvousing; orders came that all should go who were able; and the three of them volunteered-it being about the month of September of the year in which the Battle of Kings Mountain was fought.
They commenced their march from Holston up the Doe River and crossed the Yellow Mountain at the Ball place to Kings Mountain under Cols. Isaac Shelby and William Campbell, and Capt. George Maxfield and other officers;
and he recollects that at Broad River a council was held aming the officers and it was determined to steal a march upon Ferguson at Kings Mountain; accordingly the horse troops under Col. Shelby and Campbell went on leaving the foot company and did steal the march on Ferguson and the battle was fought before the foot company showed up.
This applicant being on the the foot company arrived after the battle was fought and the British and Tories were all taken prisoner and were delivered to the foot company to guard. The next day we marched to Salisbury and the next night a Courts Martial was held and it condemned 31 or 32 Tories prisoners to hang and the same night we did hang 9 of them but do not know the reason the others were not hanged.
They found Tarleton was near and as they had nearlly as many prisoners as men, they had to escape so they burned two wagons of plunder, taken at the battle, and marched towards Salisbury and hung another Tory that day. They went on and near Salisbury met another Company of Carolina Troops who took the prisoners and they were discharged from that tour. Tour of duty was from the month of September till about November.
In 1782, Loving was enumerated in the Washington County, Virginia tax list with 100 acres and one tithe.
During the American Revolution a Tory or Loyalist was used in for those who remained loyal to the British Crown.
The Holston River flows from Kingsport to Knoxville.
map by Kmusser
Washington County, Virginia was formed from Fincastle County in 1777. It originally contained Sullivan County, Tennessee.
