Isaac Shelby (1750-1826), Bristol, Tn.
N 36° 35.628 W 082° 11.079
17S E 394034 N 4050465
This historical marker stands in tribute to Colonel Isaac Shelby, who fought at Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.
Waymark Code: WMX6N5
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 12/04/2017
Views: 6
Colonel Isaac Shelby was born on December 11, 1750 near present day Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1770 the family including Isaac moved the what is today Bristol, Tennessee. Isaac served in the militia at the Battle of Point Pleasant and later at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolutionary War. Following his military service he entered politics and served as the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky. Isaac Shelby died in Lincoln County, Kentucky on July 18, 1826 and is buried there on the family estate.
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This Historical Marker dedicated to Colonel Isaac Shelby stands adjacent to the Old Post Office and Customs House on Shelby Street in Bristol, Tennessee. This marker was erected on September 14, 2009 by the Fort Chiswell Chaptel of the Daughter of the American Revolution.
The text of the marker reads:
ISAAC SHELBY (1750-1826)
Frontiersman and Revolutionary War Leader
Colonel Isaac Shelby was a leader of frontier American forces resisting British Rule. British officer Patrick Ferguson was aware of Shelby’s presence in the area and sent out warnings. If the rebels did not desist in their opposition to British arms, he would march over the mountains, hang them and lay their country waste with fire and sword. Shelby immediately notified fellow militia leader John Sevier at the Watauga settlements and the two organized a volunteer force from North Carolina, present day Tennessee and Virginia to launch a surprise attack on Ferguson and his men. The used the rally cry “catch Ferguson.” Shelby played a crucial role in expediting their rapid Overmountain March across the Blue Ridge to rendezvous with additional militia from the Carolinas and Georgia. In the resulting Battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780, American rifleman killed Ferguson which resulted in the surrender of his men. The battle played an important role leading up to the later stages of the Revolution, setting in motion a chain of events that led to American Victory at Yorktown in 1781.