Cumberland Gap Patriot

Joseph Cloyd
 

Joseph Cloyd was born on June 10, 1742 in Fincastle VA. On October 14, 1774, Cloyd participated in the battle of Point Pleasant WV. At this battle, the Virginia militia defeated Cornstalk and his Shawnee tribe.
 By 1776, Cloyd had moved to Stokes county NC. On February 27, 1776, Cloyd participated in the battle of Moores Creek NC.. After a three minute battle, probably the shortest battle of the Revolutionary  War,the patriots defeated the Scotch loyalists,and set NC on its destiny to support the Patriot cause. Until this battle, the citizens of Nc had mostly favored the British army.
     In July 1776, Cloyd participated in the battle of Long Island Tn, located on the Holston River. Here the defenders of Eaton Fort drove the Cherokee from the field..
     On October 7, 1780, Cloyd would participate at the battle of Kings mountain under the command of Benjamin Cleveland. After three bayonet charges, Cleveland reached the summit of the Mountain, and shouted, 'Yonder is the enemy,and the enemy of all mankind". When Cleveland's men became engaged in the battle, they hid behind trees, bushes, rocks, and logs for protection while firing their weapons. Captain Lewis's company under the command of Benjamin Cleveland, soon found themselves in an exposed position which led to several men in their company to become wounded. A  LT. Samuel Johnson was hit seven times in the abdomen, but this didnt stop him from  participating in the battle. Johnson crawled to nearby tree, and kept shouting encouragements to the patriots fighting the Tories under Ferguson until he died.. Midway during the battle, Cleveland had his horse Roebuck shot out from under him. Cleveland dismounted the wounded horse and started charging his men towards the enemy angrier than ever since they had shot his favorite horse. At the end of the battle, the Tories were driven into a huddle surrounded partly by Cleveland's men who fired a volley into the mass of Tories, killing many of them. Soon Ferguson was killed, and the battle was over. 
    One week later (Oct14), Cloyd led the Stokes county militia to victory over the Tories at Shallow Ford NC, killing fifteen Tories.
 On January 17,1781, Cloyd led the  Nc militia in the  initial attack at Cowpens Sc while Tarleton and his men marched down the road. The Patriots defeated Tarleton and the British army.
 On March 15, 1781, Cloyd participated in te battle of Guilford courthouse. Here over 1060 Nc militia fired their weapons at the British Highlander 71st foot regiment, killing half of them before they fled the battlefield. The Americans could have defeated the British at Guilford  if Greene had thrown both flanks simultaneously against the the two British Commanders, Leslie and Ohare during a period of confusion on the battlefield when the British attacked the third line of Continentals.
   After the battle of Guilford,Cloyd moved to Pulaski County Va. Cloyd became a surveyor and helped survey Sullivan and Hawkins county in a survey expedition in 1794. On march 12, 1828, Cloyd died in Pulaski county Va.

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