Major General John Ashe (March 24, 1725 – October 24, 1781) was a senior officer of the North Carolina Militia during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Prior to that, he served as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Burgesses from 1762 to 1765.

Early life and education

Ashe was born at Grovely in New Hanover County (present-day Brunswick County),

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, on March 24, 1725, to John Baptista and Elizabeth (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Swann) Ashe. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

but dropped out. Settling northeast of the Cape Fear River, he built a plantation called Green Hill. Ashe served as a colonel in the North Carolina Militia during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

(17541763). In 1752, Ashe was elected to the North Carolina House of Burgesses, serving as speaker of the House of Burgesses from 1762 to 1765. An outspoken opponent of the Stamp Act and eventually a supporter of independence from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, Ashe served in the North Carolina Provincial Congress and on both the committees of correspondence and safety as hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain began to rise.

American Revolutionary War

As a result of his opposition to the Stamp Act, Ashe resigned his royal commission as a colonel in the militia and was elected colonel in the patriot militia by the people of New Hanover County in 1775. In January 1776, he was commissioned as the commandant with a rank of colonel over the Volunteer Independent Rangers. Leading a force of 500 men, Ashe destroyed the British garrison of Fort Johnston, North Carolina, in 1775. Raising and equipping this unit at his own expense, Ashe led his regiment in the American victory at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776. The unit was disbanded after this battle. On May 4, 1776, Ashe was commissioned as brigadier general of militia to command the Wilmington Brigade. Under his leadership, he constructed defenses for an anticipated British assault on the Cape Fear region. However, the British bypassed Cape Fear and attacked

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, instead. On November 8, 1778, Ashe was commissioned as North Carolina's first major general and placed in command of the state militia. Ashe was dispatched to support

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

Major General

Benjamin Lincoln Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...

following the British capture of Savannah, Georgia in late 1778. Ashe's militia forces first marched to Purrysburg, South Carolina, where Lincoln had established his camp, but was then sent north to join forces threatening

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, which was being held by British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell. Ashe's advance in early February 1779 prompted Campbell to abandon Augusta, and Ashe followed him southward in Georgia. Ashe halted just above Briar Creek, where the British had burned out a bridge during their retreat, and established a camp while he traveled back to South Carolina for a war council with Lincoln. Ashe returned to the Brier Creek camp on March 2. Campbell had, however, been active. In a plan that was well executed by Colonel Mark Prevost, most of the British force embarked on a lengthy detour to flank Ashe's camp while a diversionary force demonstrated on the far side of the burned-out bridge. The British approached his camp from the rear on March 3, with Ashe's force having just 15 minutes notice to prepare for the onslaught. Ashe's poorly trained and supplied militia were routed, with an estimated 150 casualties compared to around 16 British casualties. Ashe was subjected to a court martial, which found that although he was not entirely to blame for the debacle, he was guilty of setting inadequate guards around his camp.

Death

Returning to Wilmington, he remained active there in suppressing Loyalist activity in the district. He was captured and held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

following the town's occupation in 1781 by the army of General

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

. Contracting

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

while imprisoned, Ashe was

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

d, but died on October 24 in Duplin County (present-day Sampson County), North Carolina shortly after his release from captivity.

Personal life

Ashe married Rebecca Moore, sister of Maurice Moore and James Moore. They had four sons: William, Samuel, John, and A'Court and three daughters: Harriet, Eliza, and Mary. One of his sons, John Ashe Jr., served as a captain in the 4th North Carolina Regiment. Governor Samuel Ashe, for whom

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, was named, was his younger brother, and other descendants have continued to play a role in North Carolina politics, including Margaret Ashe Pruette, arrested as part of Moral Monday during the 2013 North Carolina legislative protests.

References

External links