Hugh Waddell - Fort Dobbs, North Carolina
Posted by: 
macleod1
N 35° 49.269 W 080° 53.805
17S E 509326 N 3964116
This marker is located in the Fort Dobbs area off Ft. Dobbs Road. This is a very rural area and very peaceful and serene.
Waymark Code: WM3Y2N
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 06/03/2008
Views: 63
Captain Hugh Waddell (1734-1773) was given the NC provincial frontier company to defend the North Carolina western frontier in 1755 by Governor Arthur Dobbs. Governor Dobbs found Waddell to be in "every way qualified for such a command, as he was young, active and resolute."
Earlier that year, Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia offered Waddell any service in his power. The Frontier Company, forty to fifty in number, were uniformed in "blue with turned up red collars." In 1756, Waddell served as a commissioner of peace, the only NC representative negotiating peace with the Catawbas and Cherokees.
Captain Hugh Waddell led forty-six soldiers in constructing Fort Dobbs so that colonists could be protected from possible French, Cherokee, and Catawba attacks. Following the construction of Fort Dobbs in 1756, the Frontier Company began construction of a fort for the Catawbas in present day Fort Mill, SC. However, the fort was never completed due to border disputes with South Carolina.
Dobbs continued Waddell as a captain and under General Forbes sent Waddell to the Ohio River Valley where he commanded three companies, including his own frontier company. At that time he was given commission of major to command those provincials.
During the Forbes expedition, Waddell excelled in leadership, military skills and tactics. His sergeant, John Rogers, took the only Indian prisoner who gave General Forbes intelligence concerning Fort Du Quesne. Using that intelligence, Forbes proceeded to the fort. Upon return, Waddell was given a colonel's commission and was ordered to command the militia from Rowan, Anson and Orange counties to act along with the provincials. At that time, Waddell' s company consisted of fifty-two provincial soldiers and thirty-four Catawba Indians.
Fort Dobbs was the only frontier provincial fort in the colony of North Carolina. It served as the military headquarters for the frontier company (approximately fifty men) as well as a safe-haven for settlers.
Above info:http://www.fortdobbs.org/history.htm
Marker Name: Hugh Waddell c. 1734 - April 9, 1773
Marker Type: Roadside
Related Web Link: [Web Link]
Local North Carolina markers without State Number Designation: Markers Without State Number Designation Options
Required Waymark Photo: yes
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Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!