General Andrew Lewis Monument - Salem, Virginia - Obelisks on Waymarking.com

Andrew Lewis was born in County Donegal, Ireland to John Lewis and Margaret Lynn. In 1732 John brought his family to Virginia, to become the first settlers in the western Augusta County. Andrew gained a basic education, and learned the skills of a surveyor and in the 1740s Lewis married Elizabeth Givens, and they established their own home near present day Salem, Virginia; they called it Richfield.
Lewis spent fifteen years developing his farm and working as a surveyor in southwestern Virginia. He surveyed much of the Greenbrier and Cowpasture River Valleys in what was then Augusta County, Virginia and later Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

The French and Indian War brought serious conflict to the Virginia frontier. The frontier militia was more formally organized, and Lewis became a Captain in Colonel George Washington's regiment. He was at Fort Necessity when Washington was forced to surrender it in 1754.

When Washington's proposal for a series of frontier fortifications was approved, Lewis was promoted to Major to oversee the section along the Greenbrier River. He took part in a number of expeditions against both Indian settlements and French outposts. While a part of the Forbes Expedition, he took part in Major James Grant's attack on Fort Duquesne, and was captured in September of 1758. He was taken to Quebec and held as a prisoner until late in 1759.

In 1774, Lord Dunmore's War broke out. Governor Dunmore planned an attack, and led a force from Fort Pitt into the Ohio Country. Lewis, now a colonel, led a second force against the Shawnees by the southern route.

Colonel Lewis met resistance from Cornstalk at the Ohio River crossing at Point Pleasant. Lewis' victory in the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10 was the most significant of that conflict, and firmly secured his military reputation.

In March of 1776, Lewis accepted his appointment as a Brigadier General in the Continental Army. He oversaw the defense of Virginia, and raising of troops for the main army. That year, Governor Dunmore was still making attacks along the coast. The Committee of Safety called on Lewis to resolve this problem. On July 9, 1776 he led the state's forces against Dunmore's last foothold, a fortified position built on Gwyn's Island in Chesapeake Bay. Lewis succeeded and forced Dunmore's departure for the Caribbean.

On April 15, 1777 Lewis resigned his commission due to his failing health. He remained active in the House of Burgesses and the building of a new government for Virginia. In 1780, Governor Thomas Jefferson appointed him to the Council for the state. Lewis was struck down while returning home from a council meeting, and died of a fever in Bedford County on September 26, 1781. He was taken home to Richfield, and buried there in the family plot. In 1887 he was re-interred in the East Hill Cemetery at Salem, Virginia.

It should be noted that General Lewis's date of birth is in dispute as several historic resources list it a October 9, 1720, however the monument that stands at his grave sit shows the year of birth as 1716.

The inscription on the monument reads:

GENERAL ANDREW LEWIS
1716 - 1781
PIONER PATROIT
Hero of the battle of Point Pleasant, Which was the most closely contested of any battle ever fought with the Northwestern Indians. Was the opening act in the drama where of the closing scene was play at Yorktown.

Date Created/Placed: 1902 Address: East Hill Cemetery Main Street Salem, Virginia 24153 Height: 14-feet Illuminated: no Website: [Web Link]

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