Lewis, Andrew

LEWIS, ANDREW. (1720–1781). Continental general. Ireland and Virginia. Born in County Donegal, Ireland, on 9 October 1720, Lewis and his family were among the first white settlers of Augusta County, Virginia, in 1732. He became a lieutenant of the Augusta County militia and a justice of the peace, and he built up a considerable fortune. In 1754 he was with General George Washington at the surrender of Fort Necessity. The next year he was part of Braddock's expedition against Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian Wars, but Lewis was not present at Braddock's defeat. He then commanded the Sandy Creek expedition against the Indians in 1756, during which most of his unit deserted. As part of Forbes's expedition to Fort Duquesne in 1758 he was captured on or about 21 September 1758 with Major (later Major General) James Grant. Upon his capture he was sent to Montreal. After his release, Lewis participated in important negotiations with the Indians, including the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, which was signed in 1768.

In 1774 Lewis commanded 1,000 men in Dunmore's War and won the decisive victory at Point Pleasant on 10 October of that year. His brother, Charles, was killed in this battle. Lewis was appointed a brigadier general of the Continental army on 1 March 1776. He took command of the forces at Williamsburg, Virginia, and at Gwynn Island on 8-10 July he commanded the action that drove Loyalist Governor John Dunmore out of Virginia. When the promotion list of 19 February 1777 was announced, Lewis thought he deserved an appointment as major general, and resigned on 15 April 1777 for being passed over. He continued to serve in the Virginia militia, however, and also served on Thomas Jefferson's executive council until 26 September 1781, when he died.

Andrew's brother, Thomas (1718–1790), was in the House of Burgesses and in the state conventions that ratified the federal Constitution. Another brother, William (1724–1811), served with him in the colonial wars, rose from lieutenant of the First Virginia Regiment (2 October 1775) to major of the Tenth Virginia Regiment (12 May 1779). William was captured on 12 May 1780 at Charleston, South Carolina, and was a prisoner when the war ended. Andrew's third brother, Charles, was killed under Andrew's command in 1774.

SEE ALSO Dunmore's (or Cresap's) War.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Johnson, Patricia Givens. General Andrew Lewis of Roanoke and Greenbrier. Christiansburg, Va.: Johnson, 1980.

                              revised by Michael Bellesiles