Major General Charles Scott (April 1739 – October 22, 1813) was an American military officer and politician who served as the governor of Kentucky from 1808 to 1812. Orphaned in his teens, Scott enlisted in the Virginia Regiment in 1755 and served in the French and Indian War, rising through the ranks to become a captain. After the war, he married and settled down to life as a farmer, but returned to active military service in 1775 as the Revolutionary War neared. In 1776, Scott was made the 5th Virginia Regiment's colonel, serving under George Washington in the Philadelphia campaign. Furloughed in 1779, Scott soon returned to active service and went to South Carolina to assist General Benjamin Lincoln. He arrived in Charleston just as British forces had begun besieging it. Captured when the city fell, Scott was exchanged in 1782, completing several recruiting assignments before the war's end in 1783.
Scott visited the western frontier in 1785 and resettled near present-day Versailles, Kentucky in 1787. He raised a volunteer company in 1790 and joined Josiah Harmar for an expedition against the Northwestern Confederacy. Following the expedition's failure, Scott was ordered to conduct a series of raids against the confederacy in preparation for a main campaign by Arthur St. Clair, which also defeated. Shortly after the separation of Kentucky from Virginia in 1792, the Kentucky General Assembly commissioned Scott as a major general and gave him command of the Kentucky militia's 2nd Division. Scott's division fought with Legion of the United States for the rest of the Northwest Indian War, including their decisive victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
Having previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates and as a presidential elector, Scott ran for governor 1808, winning over John Allen and Green Clay. An injury suffered early on in his term confined Scott to crutches and left him reliant on his step-son-in-law Jesse Bledsoe, whom he appointed Secretary of State. Although he frequently clashed with the state legislature over domestic matters, Scott's primary concern were the increasing Anglo-American tensions in the run-up to the War of 1812. Following the end of his tenure as governor in 1812, Scott returned to his estate, where his health declined rapidly before Scott died in 1813. Scottsville, Kentucky along with Scott County, Kentucky and Scott County, Indiana are named in his honor.
Early life and family
Charles Scott was born in 1739, probably in April, in then vast Goochland County, Virginia, which later became Cumberland County in 1748, and some of which in 1775 became Powhatan County.Harrison, p. 803"Charles Scott". Dictionary of American Biography His father, Samuel Scott, was a farmer and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.Ward (2004), p. 16 His mother, whose name is not known, died most likely around 1745.Ward (1988), p. 2 Scott had an older brother, John, and three younger siblings, Edward, Joseph, and Martha. He received only a basic education from his parents and in the rural Virginia schools near his home.
Shortly after his father died in 1755, Scott was apprenticed to a carpenter.Ward (1988), p. 3 In late July 1755, a local court was preparing to place him with a guardian, but in October, before the court acted, Scott enlisted in the Virginia Regiment. He was assigned to David Bell's company. During the early part of the French and Indian War, he won praise from his superiors as a frontier scout and woodsman. Most of his fellow soldiers were undisciplined and poorly trained, allowing Scott to stand out and quickly rise to the rank of corporal.Ward (1988), p. 4 By June 1756, he had been promoted to sergeant.
Many biographies state that Scott served under George Washington in the Braddock Expedition, a failed attempt to capture Fort Duquesne from the French. This, however, is unlikely. There is no record of his claiming participation and his enlistment in the Virginia Regiment occurred after the expedition ended. For most of 1756 and the early part of 1757, he divided his time between Fort Cumberland and Fort Washington, conducting scouting and escort missions.Ward (1988), p. 5 In April 1757, Bell was relieved of his command as part of a general downsizing of Washington's regiment, and Scott was assigned to Captain Robert McKenzie at Fort Pearsall. In August and September, Washington sent Scott and a small scouting party on two reconnaissance missions to Fort Duquesne in preparation for an assault on that fort, but the party learned little on either mission.Ward (1988), p. 6 In November, Scott was part of the Forbes Expedition that captured the fort. He spent the latter part of the year at Fort Loudoun, where Washington promoted him to ensign.
Scott spent most of 1759 conducting escort missions and constructing roads and forts.Ward (1988), p. 7 During this time, the colonelcy of the Virginia Regiment had passed from George Washington to William Byrd III. In July 1760, Scott was appointed as the captain of the regiment's fifth company and joined under Byrd in an expedition against the Cherokee in 1760. Scott's exact role in the campaign is not known. The expedition was a success, and Virginia Governor Francis Fauquier ordered the Virginia Regiment disbanded in February 1762; Scott had left the regiment at some unknown date prior to that.Ward (1988), p. 8
Sometime prior to 1762, Scott's older brother, John, died, leaving Scott to inherit his father's land near the James River and Muddy Creek. Having been discharged from his unit, he had settled on his inherited farm by late 1761. On February 25, 1762, he married Frances Sweeney from Cumberland County, Virginia. Using the forced labor of approximately 10 slaves he owned, Scott oversaw the production of tobacco and flour on his farm.Ward (1988), pp. 8–9 In July 1766, he was named one of two captains in the local militia unit.Ward (1988), p. 9 Over the next several years, Scott and his wife had four boys and four or five girls.
Revolutionary War
As the American Revolutionary War neared in 1775, Scott raised a company of volunteers in Cumberland County. It was the first company formed south of the James River to participate in the war. The company stood ready to aid Patrick Henry in an anticipated clash with Lord Dunmore at Williamsburg, Virginia, in May 1775, but Dunmore abandoned the city in June, and they joined units from the surrounding counties in Williamsburg later that month.Ward (1988), p. 10 In July, the Virginia Convention created two regiments of Virginia troops, one under Patrick Henry and the other under William Woodford.Ward (1988), p. 12 As those leaders departed for Williamsburg, the Conventions acknowledged Scott as temporary commander-in-chief of the volunteers already assembled there. On August 17, 1775, he was elected lieutenant colonel of Woodford's regiment, the 2nd Virginia. His younger brother, Joseph, served as a lieutenant in the regiment. In December, Woodford dispatched Scott and 150 men to Great Bridge, Virginia, to defend a crossing point on the Elizabeth River.Ward (1988), p. 14 Days later, this force played a significant role in the December 9, 1775, Battle of Great Bridge by repulsing a British force under Captain Charles Fordyce on the crossing; Fordyce and many of his soldiers were killed in action.Ward (1988), p. 15 Following the battle, American forces were able to occupy the city of Norfolk, Virginia, and Lord Dunmore eventually departed from Virginia.Ward (1988), p. 17
On February 13, 1776, the 2nd Virginia became a part of the Continental Army; Scott retained his rank of lieutenant colonel during the transition.Ward (1988), p. 19 After spending the winter with part of the 2nd Virginia in Suffolk, Scott was chosen by the Second Continental Congress as colonel of the 5th Virginia Regiment on August 12, 1776; he replaced Colonel William Peachy, who had resigned.Ward (1988), p. 20 The 5th Virginia was stationed in the cities of Hampton and Portsmouth through the end of September. They were then ordered to join George Washington in New Jersey, eventually repairing to the city of Trenton in November.
Serving as part of Adam Stephen's brigade, Scott's 5th Virginia Regiment fought in the American victory at the December 26 Battle of Trenton.Ward (2004), p. 17 During the subsequent Battle of the Assunpink Creek on January 2, 1777, the 5th Virginia helped slow the advance of a combined force of British light infantry and Hessian soldiers toward Trenton.Ward (1988), pp. 25–26 Major George Johnston, an officer of the 5th Virginia, opined that Scott had "acquired immortal honor" from his performance at Assunpink Creek.Ward (1988), p. 26 Following these battles, Washington's main force prepared to spend the winter at Morristown, New Jersey, while Scott's regiment was based at nearby Chatham.Ward (1988), p. 28 From this base, he led light infantry raids against British foraging parties. In his most notable engagement – the February 1 Battle of Drake's Farm – he performed well against a superior combination of British and Hessian soldiers.Fredriksen, p. 623 Scott led another notable raid against a large British force of about 2,000 troops at the February 8 Battle of Quibbletown.
Philadelphia campaign
In March 1777, Scott returned to his Virginia farm, taking his first furlough in more than a year.Ward (1988), p. 31 In recognition of his service with Washington, Congress commissioned him a brigadier general on April 2, 1777.Trowbridge, "Kentucky's Military Governors" At Washington's request, he returned to Trenton on May 10, 1777. His 4th Virginia Brigade and another brigade under William Woodford constituted the Virginia division, commanded by Adam Stephen, who had been promoted to major general. With Stephen and Brigadier General William Maxwell ill, Scott assumed temporary command of the division between May 19 and 24.Ward (1988), p. 32 Washington spent much of mid-1777 trying to anticipate and counter the moves of British General William Howe, and the lull in the fighting allowed Scott time to file a protest with Congress regarding how his seniority and rank had been calculated.Ward (1988), pp. 33–34 After eight months of deliberation, Congress concurred with Scott's protest, placing him ahead of fellow brigadier general George Weedon in seniority.Ward (1988), p. 34
At the September 11 Battle of Brandywine, the 4th Virginia Brigade stubbornly resisted the advance of General Charles Cornwallis, but was ultimately forced to retreat. Following the British victory, Howe marched toward Philadelphia, stopping briefly at Germantown.Ward (1988), p. 37 Scott persistently advocated for an attack on Howe's position at Germantown, and although he was initially in the minority among Washington's generals, he ultimately prevailed upon Washington to conduct the attack.Ward (1988), p. 39 On October 4, 1777, the 4th Virginia attacked the British in the Battle of Germantown.Fredriksen, p. 624 Due to their circuitous route to the battle, the field was already covered by heavy smoke from muskets and a fire set by the British in a dry buckwheat field when they arrived; the 4th Virginia and other American units became lost in the smoke and retreated.