Person:Robert Edmiston (5)

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Overview

Robert Edmiston was the son of John Edmiston and Margaret Buchanan. He moved to Southwest Virginia with his family c1770-1773. In 1773 he was among the signatories of the Ebbing Springs Call. Robert identifies his wife as "Mary" in his will of 1779. Some believe that her maiden name was "Montgomery", but this remains unproven. ^[1] Some say that after Robert's death she married a David Lowry, but had no children by either husband, dying in 1808.

Robert was active in the defense of the frontier settlements serving in Christian's Cherokee Expedition of 1776, Shelby's Chickamauga Expedition of 1779, and served as a Lieutenant under his brotherinlaw, Captain William Edmiston, at the Battle of King's Mountain.^[2] Draper, 1881 discusses some of Robert's military career prior to King's Montain.

The two Robert Edmondsons—of whom the elder was killed, and the younger wounded, at King's Mountain— were of Irish descent, and near kinsmen. Both were in the battle of the Long Island Flats of Holston, July twentieth, 1776, when some of the men retreated—young Robert among them. The elder Robert Edmondson interposed, and brought some of them into line, his young kinsman of the number. The elder Edmondson chided the younger for having used profane language during the engagement, for which he was bound to report him to his father. The young man retorted—"You, too, did the very same thing when the men were on the flight." This accusation shocked the good man, who was a strong Presbyterian, and said this charge would be an additional matter to report to the young man's father; whereupon a by-stander mildly said, " It's too true—I heard you." The old soldier, who had unconsciously used rough language under high excitement, now held his peace. He was a good soldier, and killed two or three Indians at the Island Flat battle; he served on Christian's Cherokee expedition in the fall of 1776; was engaged in frontier defense as a Lieutenant in 1777-8, and on Evan Shelby's Chickamauga expedition in 1779.

Robert was killed during the early minutes of the Battle of King's Mountain. The events immediately surrounding his death are described by Draper Draper, 1881:

About the time the Virginians advanced to the conflict, Major Micajah Lewis, with his brother, Captain Joel Lewis, both of the Wilkes and Surry troops, with Captain Andrew Colvill, of the Virginia regiment, had been designated by Colonel Campbell to make a dash on horseback upon the British main guard, half way up the spur of the mountain; and having swept them out of the way, to fall back, dismount, and join the others in the general advance. Here the first heavy firing took place between the contending parties, the guard commencing it. The mountaineers raised the Indian war-whoop and rushed upon the foe, who soon retreated, leaving some of their men to crimson the earth with their blood.

Patriots Monument at King's Mountain National Battlefield Park

One of the mountaineers came within rifle shot of a British sentinel before the latter perceived him; on discovering the American, he discharged his musket, and ran with all his speed towards the camp on the hill. This adventurous Whig, who had pressed forward considerably in advance of his fellows, quickly dismounted, leveled his rifle, firing at the retreating Briton, the ball striking him in the back of the head, when he fell and expired. Among the slain of the Virginians was Lieutenant Robert Edmondson, and John Beatty [3], the ensign of Colvill's company, while Lieutenant Samuel Newell, also of Colvill's corps, was wounded. Retiring down the hill, Newell passed Colonel Campbell and Major Edmondson hurrying on the regiment into action.

The "person numbering" system in the above diagram is out dated, and will be corrected.

Personal Data

Personal Data
Vita	Datum	Source/Basis/Comment
DOB:	c1740	commonly said, but no supporting data.
POB:
DOD:	7 Oct 1780	fide:Source:Moss, 1990
POD:	Battle of King's Mountain	fide:Source:Moss, 1990
Father:
Mother:
Spouse:	Mary	See extract of will, which identifies her as "Mary". Alexander Montgomery is said to be Robert's brotherinlaw from which it is inferred that Mary's maiden name was Montgomery, though Alexander might be related to Robert through one of his brothers wives. A confusion, however, exists between different extracts of the will and the original needs to be examined to clarify this data.
DOM:	bef 1776	Two children identified in will, implying marriage was probably 4 years previous to writing of his will...ie, at least by 1776. See extract of will
POM:
Children See extract of will
Name	DOB	POB	DOD	POD	Spouse	DOM	POM	Dispersion and Notes

Footnotes

1. ↑ Extracts of the will differ as to details. (See Notebook:Robert Edmiston (5)#Will). One version identifies a brotherinlaw Alexander Montgomery, implying that Mary's maiden name was "Montgomery". According to this extract the couple had two children, John and Mary. Another version found in Source:Summers, 1929 does not identify Alexander Montgomery as a brotherinlaw, and identifies no children.
2. ↑ Fide: Source:Moss, 1990. See: Analysis:Edmiston's at King's Mountain
3. ↑ brother of Captain David Beatty, Robert's brotherinlaw