William Cannon (Oregon's Only Known Revolutionary War Veteran) - American Revolutionary War Veteran Graves on Waymarking.com

William Cannon was an amazing man. He is the only revolutionary war veteran known to be buried in the State of Oregon. His history begins in 1755 Near Pittsburg. Pittsburg was in dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia at the time and this set the stage for Williams’s life. He lived his entire life in disputed territory. He participated in the Revolutionary War in the battle of King's Mountain in 1780 and at Cowpens in 1781. In 1810 he was a soldier at a frontier outpost called Fort Mackinac located where lakes Huron and Michigan meet. He was selected as a member of John Jacob Astor’s overland party to trek to the mouth of the Columbia River. He gained brief mention in Washington Irving’s account called "Astoria".Irving Profile This party was the first white group to travel from American Falls in New York State to The Dalles, Oregon along the route that would later become part of the Oregon Trail. Cannon was first assigned to a place called Willamette Post near Salem Oregon and was one of the first Americans on the French Prairie near Champoeg (pronounced Shampooee), Oregon. Astor had intentions of cornering the fur market but failed. When Astor pulled out Cannon stayed. He was employed by the Northwest Company as a free-trapper and then in 1824 with the Hudson’s Bay Company building Fort Vancouver under the direction of John McLoughlan who is known today as “ The Father of Oregon”. William Cannon became the superintendent of mills and blacksmith shops and was a valuable part of the community. William retired to the Champoeg area in 1836 but was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1841. The area was full of an assortment of nationalities, French Canadians, Britons and Americans. The land he lived in was still in dispute. Government was discussed in a secret meeting. Would the area be Independent, British or American? After the issue was debated a vote was taken. The result was 52 to 50 for an American Provisional government. William Cannon was numbered with the 52. Sixty-three years after he had fought in the battles of the Revolutionary War he again took a stand that affected the course of American history.

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Location type: Single Grave Date of Birth: 1755 Date of Death: 1854 Cause of death: Died Later Grave Marker Text: William Cannon Pvt 4 PA Artillery Rev War 1755 1854 Ranks: Private

Visit Instructions:

PLEASE NOTE: This category is for American Revolutionary War Veterans only. Veterans of other revolutions are not part of this category.

I have allowed one entry for a grave of British solders, but it was an exception. Please only list graves for Colonial soldiers.

Simply visit the locations. Please provide as much information as possible. Pictures would be a great addition.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/10/2015 merlot visited it 03/14/2014 dkestrel visited it 06/05/2010 shadow101 visited it 09/02/2008 MIG2 visited it

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