Capt. Ralph Stewart History
By Sylvia Bragg
Capt. Ralph Stewart was born June 17, 1746 in Stuarts Run, Augusta County, Virginia, and died November 17, 1835 in Logan (now Wyoming) County (West) Virginia.
This family was of "The Cow Pasture Stewarts" (present day Millboro Springs) located in the Shenandoah Valley. Ralph was an Indian fighter at 14 years of age .When Ralph was a teenage boy during an Indian raid, his father was captured and burned at the stake in the presence of his young son James Stewart, Jr., who was also captured and carried away by the Indians, but later escaped.
James Stewart, Sr. left behind his children 3 sons: James, John, and Ralph. Waddell locates the date of the event as February, 1757 (page 511, Vol.2)
"Military service VA No. 23949 No. W. 6168.
Ralph Stewart was commissioned Captain in 1773 by Lord Dunmore, as Governor of Virginia, and served as a Ranger. He was at Point Pleasant under General Andrew Lewis in the "Battle of Point Pleasant", fought against the Indians led by Chief Cornstalk, in 1774.
In 1778 his commission was renewed by Patrick Henry, then Governor of Virginia, was ordered with his company to South Carolina to join the Army under Gen. Green, and was attached to a regiment commanded by Colonel Robert McCleary and Major Smith.
He fought at Guilford Courthouse, Hot Water, Ground Squirrel, Charlottesville, and also at Yorktown. During one of these engagements, he received a saber wound in the right arm, inflicted by English General "Butcher Tarleton" himself.
When Cornwallis surrendered at the siege of Yorktown, General George Washington made Capt. Ralph Stewart one of the guards that kept the English commander prisoner of war.
Capt. Ralph Stewart was also the second settler of present day Wyoming County, West Virginia.
He is listed among the charter members of the Guyandotte Baptist Church at present day Jesse, Wyoming Co., West Virginia, where the monthly meetings for the WVSSAR Capt. Ralph Stewart Chapter meeting are held.