10/08/2024
On Sunday, we brought back a great old gun to the Greenbrier Valley that belonged to John Patterson, who was an “Indian Spy” during the Revolutionary War. His pension narrative mentions being at our actual fort (Byrnside’s Fort) in February of 1781, as well as extended periods of time garrisoned in Arbuckle’s Fort near present day Alderson, WV. It also documents at least one skirmish with a war party attacking local settlers.
It’s nothing fancy, just what you would expect to be owned by a relatively poor settler on the frontier. It was an early French “Fusil De Chasse” that was restocked in America - possibly after being captured or appropriated from the French or Indians during or after the French and Indian War. Great piece of local history…
