The FIfer Who
Stole the Show
H'hrn General Lafayette unexpect¬
edly encountered an old battlefield
friend.
By LOU ROGERS WEIILITZ
He was not yet sixteen, this boy
fifer, Isham Blake, when Cornwallis
surrendered to Washington at York-
town. but Isham Blake was right there
in the last battle of the Revolution.
What was more, in later months, he
was a bodyguard for the young French
General. Marquis de Lafayette, who
was in command of the Continental
Army in Virginia.
Isham Blake adored the rich young
nobleman who had come to America at
the age of 20 to fight for this country's
freedom. Lafayette had been promised
a command of his own but he was first
required to serve as a volunteer with¬
out pay. and without a command. He
was wounded in the battle of Brandy¬
wine. his first battle, but because of his
bravery was placed in charge of a divi¬
sion. Isham Blake, bom June 21. 1766,
was only eleven years old when that
battle was fought, but he had been on
that battlefield and knew the French
General well.
In 1779 Lafayette was sent back to
France on a mission for the Continen¬
tal Congress and on his return to
America was placed in command of the
Army of Virginia, and found his fifer to
be young Blake. Isham Blake was with
Lafayette when he joined Washing¬
ton's Army to confront the British
under Cornwallis at Yorktown; and he
witnessed the surrender of the British
troops on Oct. 19. 1781.
Isham had a curious habit that
amused General Lafayette during the
darkest days of the Revolution. His
habit of whistling under his breath
must have cheered the general many
times. However. Blake undoubtedly
felt pangs of sadness when the army
dispersed and he said goodbye forever,
he thought, to General Lafayette who
was returning to France.
To Fayetteville
After Yorktown. Isham Blake re¬
turned to South Hampton, Va.. and on
Dec. 14. 1783, married Mary Macy
Clifton, also of South Hampton. Isham
Blake's father. Samuel, and Samuel’s
five brothers who had survived active
duty in the Continental Army, decided
to seek new homes in North Carolina.
Isham and Mary Macy Blake accom¬
panied them. They first came to
Orange County, and from there spread
out into other counties. Isham and his
family choosing Cumberland County.
Before the Revolution. Campbell-
ton— a Scottish town on the Cape Fear
River, and Cross Creek— a small but
fast-growing village one mile east of
Campbcllton— had united into one
town. Being neither a Campbcllton
Tory, nor a Cross Creek Whig, the
great general Lafayette had become a
binding symbol for the town. The citi¬
zens united in a petition to the State
Assembly requesting that their town’s
name be changed to Fayetteville, in the
hero's honor. The petition was granted
on Dec. 14. 1783. and Fayetteville be¬
came the first of many towns in the
United States to be named for General
Lafayette. Perhaps this was the draw-
Ishom Bloke, of Foyeftcvillc, wo* ftfer ond body
guord for General Lofoyc»»c
ing card that brought Isham and Mary
Macy Clifton Blake and their growing
family to Fayetteville.
Many Descendants
Isham Blake prospered as his family
grew. There were eight children:
Martha (Patsy); Miles; Edmund;
Elizabeth (Liza); Thomas CJifton:
Sarah (Sally); Mary; and Isham Blake.
Jr., born July 24. 1804. in Fayetteville,
as were some of the others. This Blake
family were very prolific and today
there are more than 3(H) descendants in
Cumberland alone, but many of the de¬
scendants are now living in distant
states. One descendant who remained
nearer home, and whose face is famil¬
iar to TV audiences, is The Reverend
Malloy Owen of Raleigh.
The fifer entered into the life of the
city and soon became a mason, a
member of Fayetteville Independent
Light Infantry (the second oldest Co¬
lonial military organization still in exis¬
tence today) and a charter member of
Hay Street Methodist Church. Isham
Blake was an active member, serving
as a steward, secretary, and trustee.
Blake's adult children served with him
in this church, as have some of his
descendants, even unto this day.
The Nation’s Guest
In 1825. General Lafayette returned
to the United States as the "Nation’s
15
THE STATE.
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CTO D CR 1975
