Nathan McClure (1755 - 1788)

Born 1755 in Lincoln Co., Ky

Died May 1788 at about age 33 in Mt Victory, Lincoln, Ky

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Biography

Nathan was born in 1755. He was the son of Arthur McClure and Frances McNabb McNabb. He passed away in 1788.

Lieutenant, Revolutionary War,

Around the time the Revolutionary War was being fought and our Constitution was being written, pioneer settlers were moving westward from Virginia into the area which is now the state of Kentucky. At that time, this land was all part of Virginia. The primary wagon route through the mountains was through the Cumberland Gap. For safety, bands of pioneers would travel in wagon trains, driving herds of livestock before them. On one such journey, a patrol of soldiers from the Virginia Militia was assigned to accompany and escort the group. Having successfully passed through the gap and into Kentucky, the settlers had made camp for the evening. While they slept, a band of Cherokee Indians raided their camp, set their livestock loose, and stole most of their horses. Native Americans were not anxious for white men to settle this area, and they probably thought that taking the horses would leave the settlers with no way to pull their wagons and force them to turn back. The commander of the militia unit, a young Lieutenant Nathan McClure, had other ideas, however. He rousted his troops, rounded up the remaining horses, and chased after the indians while the settlers gathered the livestock. In the battle which followed, Lieutenant McClure's men were victorious and succeeded in recovering the stolen horses. Unfortunately, Lieutenant McClure was fatally wounded and died before they could get him back to camp. He was buried in what is now the Daniel Boone National Forest alongside a hiking trail which is named in his honor.

Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34076002