George Key (1753 - 1836)

Born 1753 in Amherst County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah (Craighead) Key — married 22 Aug 1785 in Bedford Co VA

Descendants

Died 15 Jan 1836 at about age 83 in Callaway County, MIssouri

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George Key lived in Virginia.

Expert rifleman George Key served with Amherst County Militia, Virginia Militia during the American Revolution.

Biography

George was born in 1753. George Key ... He passed away in 1836. ^[1]

Revolutionary War

Amherst County’s First Rifle Company: In January 1776, the Virginia Convention passed an ordinance for the protection of the Colony. Amherst County was required to furnish one company of expert riflemen.

George Key (1753 - 1836) was born in Amherst County. He enlisted in the Amherst Militia (Amherst Rifle Company) in March 1776, under Capt. Samuel Cabel, 1st Lt. Alexander Rose, and 2nd Lt. Benjamin Taliaferro. The Amherst Rifles marched to Williamsburg, then to Gwynn’s Island to battle Lord Dunmore and his British Loyalist. Dunmore was the last British Governor of Virginia.

Gwynn's Island is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay off the Middle Peninsula in Mathews County, Virginia. The Battle of Gwynn's Island occurred on July 8–10, 1776. The Virginia Patriot soldiers were led by Col. Andrew Lewis. Lord Dunmore and his Loyalist forces were defeated and withdrew aboard their ships off Norfolk.

Key returned to Williamsburg. On approximately 10 October 1776, Key was ordered to join Gen. George Washington in The Jerseys.

On Christmas Eve 1776, Gen. Washington’s troops crossed the Delaware River and marched most of the night towards Trenton, suffering much. They reached Trenton between daylight and sunrise, and attacked the Hessians. The Hessians were German soldiers who served as auxiliaries to the British Army during the Revolutionary War. The Hessians surrendered.

After the Hessian surrender, the troops marched to the Delaware River and camped. The troops crossed the Delaware River the next morning when they discovered two of their soldiers had frozen to death the night before. Shortly after, the troops re-crossed the Delaware. Marching at night, they surprised a small body of the British Army at Princeton and defeated them.

After this, Key was ill for 3 months. When fit for duty, Key was attached to the newly formed Morgan's Rifle Regiment which comprised about 500 specially selected riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, chosen for their sharpshooting ability. Morgan’s Rifles marched beyond Albany, to oppose British General John Burgoyne's Army at Stillwater and Saratoga, New York. Stillwater and Saratoga were British Army encampments near the Canadian border.

At this point, Morgan's Rifle Regiment was involved in minor skirmishes with the British, where British soldiers spiked some of their cannons (plugging up the ignition hole, rendering the cannon useless), and throwing some cannons into the river. These British soldiers surrendered.

Col. Daniel Morgan and his legendary Morgan’s Rifles, including George Key, would forever cement their place in American history at the pivotal Battles of Saratoga.

The Battles of Saratoga occurred on September 19 and October 7, 1777. Burgoyne won the first battle. However, the second battle was a decisive victory for the Americans and a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Burgoyne surrendered his entire British army of 6,200 men on 17 October 1777.

After the British surrendered, Morgan’s Rifle Regiment marched to Pennsylvania, two miles above Philadelphia. Here, Key was later discharged and returned to Amherst.

In November 1779, again from Amherst, Key joined Capt. John Rogers‘ Light Infantry and subsequently marched to Pittsburgh. In the spring of 1780, Rogers' Infantry crossed the Mississippi River to Illinois and on to a place called Strawberry Patch.

Here George Key, serving with Capt. John Rogers, joined Col. George Rogers Clark in defending the American frontier.

In Key’s Revolutionary War Pension Application, he wrote “On returning home we were compelled to kill a horse for subsistence; about two pounds came to my share, which then I thought was pretty good eating.”

Key was discharged and his pension application was approved.

Note: George and Susannah passed away in Callaway County, Missouri. Callaway County, Missouri is named after Captain James Richard Callaway, grandson of Daniel Boone and grandson of Col. James Clinton Calloway Sr., of Bedford County, Virginia.

Pension Application

KEY, GEORGE - Callaway Co., Mo., June 5, 1833, aged 80: enlisted March, 1776 under Capt. Cabell, Alexander Rose, 1st Lt., Benjamin Taliaferro, 2nd Lt., marched to Williamsburg where we remained some time, thence to Gwynn Island against Lord Dunmore. After a month returned to Williamsburg, In the fall started to Cross Creek, N. C., having taken our baggage over the river at James Town, we were ordered to return to Williamsburg & about the 10th of Oct, ordered to join Gen. Washington in the Jerseys. Christmas eve we crossed the Delaware River & marched most of the night towards Trenton, suffering much, but were told we were going for new clothes. We reached Trenton between daylight & sunrise, attacked the Hessians, & after they surrendered we started for our camping ground & reached the Delaware River the same evening, which we crossed the next morning, when we discovered that two of our men had froze to death that night. Shortly after this affair, we recrossed [sic] the Delaware & by a stolen march in the night, surprised a small body of the British army at Princeton and

Amherst County, Virginia, in the Revolution 147

defeated them. After this, was ill for 3 mos. When fit for duty was attached to Morgan's Rifle Regt. & marched beyond Albany to oppose Burgoyne's Army at Stillwater. Here a party of Morgan's troops were scouting & were attacked by enemy. The British killed one man at the first fire, and the party retreated. Morgan rallied his men & was joined by Gen. Gates. An attack was brought on between the two armies about 10 0'clock & the action ended when night parted them. The British kept their ground & we retired to our old encampment, about two miles off, Here we lay for some days and Morgan's men went out of the encampment in the afternoon & were met by the British, A fight issued between the armies & we beat the enemy back to their temporary encampment or fort.

The British spiked a part of their cannons, threw some into the river & endeavored to retreat to Saratoga, to cross the river by night, but when they reached the river they found a part of our army on the other bank ready to oppose their crossing. After a slight skirmish, the British finding themselves enclosed, surrendered. We then returned to Penn. two miles above Philadelphia,

After 2 years discharged by Col. Butler. Returned to Amherst, joined Capt. John Rogers, Light Infty., Nov., 1779. From Bedford we marched to Pittsburgh, and in spring of 1780 crossed the Mississippi River to Illinois where the Indians, about 400 strong, had killed 50 persons at a place called Strawberry Patch. Here we were joined by Col. Geo. R. Clark On returning home we were compelled to kill a horse for subsistence ; about two pounds came to my share, which then I thought was pretty good eating. Discharged after 2 years by Lt.-Col. Montgomery. Placed on Pension Roll, Oct. 17, 1833. He d. Jan. 15, 1836, and his widow, Susannah Key (dau. of John Craighead) applied, April 16, 1840, aged 74; they were married in Bedford Co., Va., Oct. 12, 1785, by Rev. Salesberry. Her brother, Robert Craighead, also moved to Callaway Co., Mo. Claim allowed.^[2][3]

Note

This person was created through the import of Shortened files.ged on 30 December 2010. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.

Note: @N8928@

@N8928@ NOTE

Son of John and Agnes (Witt) Key. Missouri pioneer; see The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18 #1, Jan-Mar 1974. George's relationship to John's half-brother Robert Craighead's half-brother, William Key, has not been determined.

Died 15 JAN 1836. Calloway Co., Missouri. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Vicki Gann, Sep 2, 2011
2. ↑ Sweeny, Lenora Higginbotham, Amherst County, Virginia in the Revolution Including Extracts from the "Lost Order Book" 1773-1782 [Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie, Maryland, 2002] pg. 146, 147. This book, this text, and this image are not copyrighted.
3. ↑ Attached: 2022-04-22 George Key-64 and Daniel Morgan-2800 pages 146-147 EXCERPT.jpg
4. ↑ Source: #S47 Certainty: 0

• Vicki Gann, firsthand knowledge. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Vicki and others.
• Ancestry.com

• Genealogy material/ Dr. Gene Key
• Source: S47 Note: Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, 1974