William Christian (Virginia)
Encyclopedia
William Christian was an "Indian fighter
", Continental soldier
, militia
man and politician from Virginia who served in the era of the American Revolution
. He was a signatory to the Fincastle Resolutions
and founder of Fort William
(now Louisville, Kentucky
). Christian helped to negotiate the Treaty of Long Island —making peace between the Overmountain Men
and the majority of the Cherokee
tribes in 1777.
, a descendant of a Manx
family which had previously migrated to Ireland
. His parents, Israel Christian
and Elizabeth Starke, had settled in Virginia in 1740, where they ran a general store
.
, and married Henry's sister, Anne. Christian resided in Botetourt County, Virginia
and then Fincastle County, Virginia
. He represented Fincastle County in the lower house of the Virginia Assembly for three sessions, from 1773 to 1775. He was a signatory to the Fincastle Resolutions, the earliest statement of armed resistance to the British Crown
in the American Colonies.
In 1775, with the approach of the American Revolutionary War
, Christian served on the Fincastle Committee of Safety
, and attended the March 20 and July 17 meetings of the Virginia Conventions
.
under Colonel William Byrd
. In 1774, he commanded a regiment of militia from Fincastle County in Dunmore's War
, but he and his troops arrived too late to participate in the decisive Battle of Point Pleasant
.
On 13 February 1776, he was appointed lieutenant colonel
of the 1st Virginia Regiment
of the Continental Army
, and was promoted to colonel
in March. When the British
-allied Cherokees under Dragging Canoe
and Oconostota
went to war with the colonies
in 1776, Christian resigned his commission in July of that year, accepting a commission as colonel in the militia from the Virginia Council of Defense.
Chrstian led an expedition against the Overhill Cherokee
s, which saw little action but compelled some of the chief
s to agree to peace. He served in the commission which negotiated the "Treaty of Long Island of the Holston" with the Cherokees, signed on 20 July 1777. He was also a commissioner in a second treaty with the Cherokees —in 1781.
William Christian and his wife helped established Fort William, Kentucky, where he directed the defense of what is now Louisville from Native American attacks.
(in the area which is now southern Indiana
) the next year during battle with the Wabash Indians. Christian is buried in Jefferson County, Kentucky
in the Bullitt cemetery in Oxmoor, near his residence, a log house still standing.
Christiansburg, Virginia
is named for his father.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
", Continental soldier
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
man and politician from Virginia who served in the era of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He was a signatory to the Fincastle Resolutions
Fincastle Resolutions
The Fincastle Resolutions was a statement adopted on January 20, 1775 by thirteen elected representatives of Fincastle County, Colony of Virginia...
and founder of Fort William
Fort William (Kentucky)
Fort William was a pioneer fort in Kentucky established in 1785 by Colonel William Christian and Anne Christian. William Christian directed the defense of what is now Louisville from attacks by the Indians. The fort was in the area of Jefferson County near St. Matthews and Lyndon...
(now Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
). Christian helped to negotiate the Treaty of Long Island —making peace between the Overmountain Men
Overmountain Men
The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains who took part in the American Revolutionary War. While they were present at multiple engagements in the war's southern campaign, they are best known for their role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings...
and the majority of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
tribes in 1777.
Early life
Christian was born in Staunton, VirginiaStaunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
, a descendant of a Manx
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
family which had previously migrated to Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. His parents, Israel Christian
Israel Christian
Israel Christian was an 18th century American pioneer, militia officer, politician and businessman. One of the earliest landowners in Kentucky, he founded the town of Fincastle, Kentucky. Christiansburg, Virginia, the county seat of Montgomery County, was also named in his honor...
and Elizabeth Starke, had settled in Virginia in 1740, where they ran a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
.
Personal and civic life
In the mid 1760s, Christian worked in the law office of Patrick HenryPatrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
, and married Henry's sister, Anne. Christian resided in Botetourt County, Virginia
Botetourt County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,496 people, 11,700 households, and 9,114 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 12,571 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
and then Fincastle County, Virginia
Fincastle County, Virginia
Fincastle County, Virginia, was created in 1772 from Botetourt County, the boundaries of which extended all the way to the Mississippi River. Fincastle County was abolished in 1776, and divided into three new counties—Montgomery County, Washington County, and Kentucky County .Although no county...
. He represented Fincastle County in the lower house of the Virginia Assembly for three sessions, from 1773 to 1775. He was a signatory to the Fincastle Resolutions, the earliest statement of armed resistance to the British Crown
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
in the American Colonies.
In 1775, with the approach of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Christian served on the Fincastle Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
, and attended the March 20 and July 17 meetings of the Virginia Conventions
Virginia Conventions
The Virginia Conventions were a series of five political meetings in the Colony of Virginia during the American Revolution. Because the House of Burgesses had been dissolved in 1774 by Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, the conventions served as a revolutionary provisional government until the...
.
Military duty
At about the age of 18, William served as a captain in the Anglo-Cherokee WarAnglo-Cherokee War
The Anglo-Cherokee War , also known as the Cherokee War, the Cherokee Uprising, the Cherokee Rebellion, was a conflict between British forces in North America and Cherokee Indians during the French and Indian War...
under Colonel William Byrd
William Byrd III
William Byrd III was the son of William Byrd II and the grandson of William Byrd I. He inherited his family's land in Virginia and continued their planter prestige as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.He chose to fight in the French and Indian War rather than spend much time in Richmond...
. In 1774, he commanded a regiment of militia from Fincastle County in Dunmore's War
Dunmore's War
Dunmore's War was a war in 1774 between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations....
, but he and his troops arrived too late to participate in the decisive Battle of Point Pleasant
Battle of Point Pleasant
The Battle of Point Pleasant, known as the Battle of Kanawha in some older accounts, was the only major battle of Dunmore's War. It was fought on October 10, 1774, primarily between Virginia militia and American Indians from the Shawnee and Mingo tribes...
.
On 13 February 1776, he was appointed lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of the 1st Virginia Regiment
1st Virginia Regiment
The 1st Virginia Regiment was raised, on July 17, 1775, at Williamsburg, Virginia as a state militia unit and later for service with the Continental Army. Its origins go back to the Charles City-Henrico County Regiment of Militia founded in 1652. During the French and Indian War it was the...
of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, and was promoted to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in March. When the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
-allied Cherokees under Dragging Canoe
Dragging Canoe
Tsiyu Gansini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was a Cherokee war chief who led a band of Cherokee against colonists and United States settlers...
and Oconostota
Oconostota
Oconostota was the Warrior of Chota and the First Beloved Man of the Cherokee from 1775 to 1781.-Meaning of the name:...
went to war with the colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
in 1776, Christian resigned his commission in July of that year, accepting a commission as colonel in the militia from the Virginia Council of Defense.
Chrstian led an expedition against the Overhill Cherokee
Overhill Cherokee
The term Overhill Cherokee refers to the former Cherokee settlements located in what is now Tennessee in the southeastern United States. The name was given by 18th century European traders and explorers who had to cross the Appalachian Mountains to reach these settlements when traveling from...
s, which saw little action but compelled some of the chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
s to agree to peace. He served in the commission which negotiated the "Treaty of Long Island of the Holston" with the Cherokees, signed on 20 July 1777. He was also a commissioner in a second treaty with the Cherokees —in 1781.
Fort William
Post-revolution
In 1785, Christian moved his family to the neighborhood of the Louisville settlement, where he executed claims to 9,000 acres (36 km²) of land. He was killed in the Illinois CountryIllinois Country
The Illinois Country , also known as Upper Louisiana, was a region in what is now the Midwestern United States that was explored and settled by the French during the 17th and 18th centuries. The terms referred to the entire Upper Mississippi River watershed, though settlement was concentrated in...
(in the area which is now southern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
) the next year during battle with the Wabash Indians. Christian is buried in Jefferson County, Kentucky
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
in the Bullitt cemetery in Oxmoor, near his residence, a log house still standing.
Legacy
Several places are named after him:- Christian County, IllinoisChristian County, IllinoisChristian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,800, which is a decrease of 1.6% from 35,372 in 2000...
- Christian County, KentuckyChristian County, KentuckyChristian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1797. As of 2000, its population was 72,265. Its county seat is Hopkinsville, Kentucky...
- Christian County, MissouriChristian County, MissouriChristian County is a county located in Southwest Missouri. The county had a population of 54,285 in 2000 census. According to the 2010 census, the county's population is 77,422 , making it the fastest growing county in Missouri and one of the fastest growing in the nation as the county becomes...
Christiansburg, Virginia
Christiansburg, Virginia
Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
is named for his father.
External links
- Historical marker in Jefferson County, KentuckyJefferson County, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
- Historical marker in Hopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
, noting that Christian County was named for him in 1797. - Find-A-Grave profile for William Christian,
