General Willia
I I
Lenoir
Not only was ho an ou 1*1 uncling soldier in
Iho fighl \% liicli the C olonists made for free¬
dom, hut ho served his state In other ra¬
pacities
THERE was once great rivalry
between east and west in Caro¬
lina. culminating in the Con¬
stitutional Convention of 1835, but
both sections joined unreservedly
in paying tribute to William
Lenoir: Lenoir County in the
east, and the county seat of our
western county of Caldwell, both
being named in his honor.
He came from the western coun¬
ty of Wilkes, from which county
have come other distinguished men.
Colonel Cleveland from that coun¬
ty was not only its first representa¬
tive in the Commons but also in
the Senate. Wilkes had no Senator
that first year, but as soon as her
turn came Cleveland filled that
office. He was in command at
King’s Mountain, and when the
territory which contained that
mountain was erected into a coun¬
ty it was called Cleveland in his
honor From this county also came
Montford Stokes. Governor and
also United States Senator. When
the Siamese twins retired, their
retirement was to the good county
of Wilkes.
Was Born in Virginia
The most distinguished son of
Wilkes was William Lenoir, who
was born in Virginia, reared in
Edgecombe, but removed in early
manhood to Wilkes where he settled
in 1775, and that county was the
seat of his life’s work. It was but
a short time after his removal be¬
fore he was named as Clerk to the
Committee on Public Safety, at a
time when the Cherokee Indians
were both bold and troublesome.
In the campaigns against this tribe.
Lenoir took a prominent part until
the expedition under General Grif¬
fith Rutherford put an end to their
depredations. During this cam¬
paign Colonel Cleveland, above re¬
ferred to. was a Captain, and
Lenoir served as a Lieutenant
under his command.
No sooner had the Indian ene¬
mies been overcome than the Tories
became troublesome. Such was the
condition brought about by them
that no man felt that either his
life or property was secure: no man
ventured from home without a
THE STATE. April 3. 1948
as well.
By R. C. LAWRENCE
loaded rifle in his hands; no man
slept without a loaded rifle in easy
reach.
At the time of the expedition to
King’s Mountain. I^noir held the
rank of Captain, but as it was de¬
cided that foot soldiers could not
reach the field in time, only those
with horses moved forward. Lenoir
and other officers therefore volun¬
teered to serve as privates, and
under forced marching they
reached the scene of the ensuing
battle in the very nick of time.
He was in the thickest of the
fighting at King's Mountain, where
he was wounded in the arm. also
in the side, and a third bullet
FIRESIDE
PHILOSOPHY
By
С. И.
Dickson
A man should never apologize
for doing right.
• • •
A real scholar is one who goes
two ways — he digs downward and
yet climbs upward.
• • •
We need a good licking ourselves
occasionally in order to lick the
other fellow.
• • •
You hear a lot of talk about
people "falling from grace." The
trouble with most of them is that
they never had grace to begin
with.
• • •
Brilliancy has its place, but it
cannot be substituted for honesty,
industry or character.
• • •
Youth is measured by visions:
age by lack of them.
• • •
The biggest dunce in the world
— the man who attempts to con¬
vert the other fellow to either his
political or religious views by
argufying with him.
passed through his hair. Taking
the field again. Lenoir was also in
the action near Haw River where
the Tory Colonel Pyles was de¬
feated, and during this engage¬
ment his horse was shot and his
sword broken by bullets of the foe.
He raised a company and marched
to the assistance of General Greene
just prior to the battle of Guilford
Court House, but although making
a forced march he was unable to
reach the scene in time.
The foregoing services were all
in his capacity as an officer of the
Carolina line. But he also served
in the militia, rising in that branch
of the service from Orderly Ser¬
geant to Major General, retaining
that rank for eighteen years.
Service in Civil Life
In civil life his service was of
even a more varied nature. He is
said to have been the oldest magis¬
trate in the State. He also served
as Register of Deeds. Surveyor.
Chairman of the County Court,
and Clerk of the Superior Court
for Wilkes County. He was not only
one of the original trustees of the
University, but was the first Presi¬
dent of that Board.
He served for many years in the
legislature, both in the Commons
and in the Senate, and for five
terms he was Speaker of the upper
branch. He was for several years
a member of the Council of State
and was elected as its President.
When the question recurred upon
the ratification of the Federal Con¬
stitution, Lenoir was a member of
both the Hillsboro and the Fayette¬
ville conventions. In both he was
an ardent advocate of the extreme
State’s rights position, opposing
ratification of the Federal Consti¬
tution until radically amended.
He lived to the ripe age of eighty-
eight, and less than three weeks
before his death he attended court
in Ashe County, riding a distance
of more than fifty miles, across the
Blue Ridge, on horseback!
Historian Wheeler records that
our county of Lenoir is a "respect¬
able county.” It should be. for it
was named for a quite respectable
man! . ‘ • ••
