History of Augusta County Virginia United States of America

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John Breckinridge, statesman, was born in Augusta county, Va., Dec. 2, 1760; son of Robert Breckinridge, who died at Fincastle, Botetourt county, in 1771. He entered William and Mary college in 1778, where he continued for two years, and he was about to commence his third year when he was apprised of his election to represent his county in the Virginia house of delegates. He was but nineteen years of age; the people had selected him despite his youth, but the house of delegates set aside the election because he was not of legal age. The hardy frontiersmen promptly re-elected him, and the house of delegates again annulled the choice, but when the people a third time demanded his admission, the "selected wisdom of Virginia" gave him a seat despite his nonage. His constituents kept him in the house of delegates until 1785, when, having been admitted to the bar, he moved to Albemarle county, and began to practise in the courts of Charlottesville. He rose rapidly in his profession, was elected representative to the 3d U. S. Congress in 1792, and resigned his seat the same year, having decided to remove his residence to the newly admitted state of Kentucky. He located on a tract of about twenty-five hundred acres, some six miles north of Lexington, which, in honor of his wife, Mary Cabell, he called "Cabell's Dale," and opened there a law office and also one in Lexington, intending to devote himself to the practice of his profession. From 1797 to 1800 he was a member of the legislature, and during his last term speaker of the house. He was defeated as candidate for U.S. senator by the Federalist candidate, Humphrey Marshall, by a few votes; and Governor Shelby, in 1795, appointed him attorney-general of Kentucky. The criminal code of Kentucky at this time prescribed the death penalty to no less than one hundred and sixty crimes, extending it to some trivial offences, juries could not be found to convict an offender except in cases of aggravated criminality; and while in the legislature Mr. Breckinridge secured a revision of the code so as to abolish the death penalty for all crimes except murder in the first degree. He introduced in the Kentucky house of representatives on Nov. 8, 1798, certain resolutions strongly condemnatory of the obnoxious aHen and sedition laws, which, being passed by the house on the 10th of that month, concurred in by the senate, and approved of by the governor, were forwarded to the state and general governments as the protest of Kentucky against those enactments, and in the following year the Kentucky legislature passed another resolution?also introduced by Mr. Breckinridge?affirming that "any state might rightfully nullify any act of Congress which it regarded as unconstitutional." The authorship of the original resolutions is almost unanimously attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but President Ethelbert D. Warfield, in his volume, "Kentucky Resolutions of 1798" (1887), makes it clear that while the basis of the paper was from the hand of Mr. Jefferson, its more important portions were the work of Mr. Breckinridge. He was elected to the senate of the United States in 1800, and he took his seat March 4, 1801, upon the inauguration of President Jefferson, who made him his intermediary with that body, and be became the leader of his party in the senate. In December, 1805, President Jefferson appointed him as attorney-general in his cabinet. He died in Lexington, Ky., Dec. 14, 1806.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Campbell, soldier, was born in Augusta county, Va., in 1745. In 1767 he settled in the Holston valley, where he was justice of the peace and captain of militia. He participated in the campaign led by Colonel Christian against the Shawnees, and in 1775 joined Patrick Henry's regiment. He assisted in compelling Lord Dunmore's evacuation of Gwynne's Island, when, his home and property being endangered by threatened raids of the Cherokees, he resigned from the army, and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of state militia. He was one of the commissioners who fixed the boundary line between Virginia and the Cherokee country in 1778. In 1779 he was actively employed against the Tories of his neighborhood, and for his services was promoted colonel of his regiment. On Oct. 7, 1780, he was one of the six heroic frontier colonels who led the patriot troops at the battle of King's mountain. He commanded a corps of riflemen under General Greene in the battle of Guilford Court House, N. C., March 15, 1781. He married a sister of Patrick Henry. He died at Rocky Mills, Va., Aug. 22, 1781, and was eulogized by Washington, Lafayette, Greene and Jefferson.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Lewis, soldier, was born in Augusta county, Va., in 1764; son of Gen. Andrew and Elizabeth (Givens) Lewis, and grandson of John and Margaret (Lynn) Lewis, the immigrants, 1732. He was a captain in General St. Clair's army on the Miami in 1791; and was transferred to the 3d infantry, March 16, 1792, and to the 3d sub-legion in December, 1792. He resigned in July, 1797. On Aug. 14, 1812, he rejoined the army as lieutenant-colonel, commanding the Kentucky volunteers; served at Frenchtown, Jan. 18, 1813, and under Winchester in his defeat on the River Raisin, Jan. 22, 1813, where he was captured, sent to Quebec, and imprisoned for two years. He died near Little Rock, Ark., Jan. 17, 1825.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

George Mathews, statesman, was born in Augusta county, Va., in 1739, son of John Mathews, who emigrated from Ireland in 1737. George commanded a volunteer company against the Indians in 1757, and in the battle of Point Pleasant, Oct. 10, 1774. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he was commissioned colonel of the 9th Virginia regiment. He fought at the battle of Brandywine and at Germantown, where he was wounded; was confined on the prison ship New Jersey until December, 1771, when he was exchanged, and he joined General Greene's army as colonel of the 3d Virginia regiment. He removed to Goose Pond, Oglethorpe county, Ga., in 1785; was a representative from Georgia in the 1st congress, 1789-91, and governor of Georgia, 1793-96. During his term of office the famous Yazoo act was passed and approved by him, which resulted in his political downfall. He was nominated by President Adams for governor of Mississippi Territory, but the President withdrew his nomination on account of Mathews's part in the Yazoo act and retained his friendship by appointing his son, George Mathews, supervisor of public revenue in Georgia. In 1811 President Madison appointed him U.S. commissioner to negotiate for the annexation of Florida, but the President the next year disavowed the treaty, which so incensed Governor Mathews that it is said he started for Washington to chastise Mr, Madison, but on his way he was taken ill at Augusta, Ga., where he died Aug. 30, 1812.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Augusta County Virginia

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