Holston Valley Settlers Expand Defenses Amid Revolutionary War Violence

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As the Revolutionary War expanded westward in 1776, violence reached the Holston Valley in Tennessee. In response, settlers in the region made a collective decision to expand and strengthen their defenses, building Fort Patrick Henry and a network of smaller fortified homes known as "fort houses" to protect themselves from Cherokee attacks encouraged by British efforts to destabilize the frontier.

Why it matters

The transformation from the lightly defended Fort Robinson to the more fortified Fort Patrick Henry, which served as the largest node in a network of defensive refuges across the Holston Valley, reflects a broader change underway in 1776 as the frontier evolved from scattered homesteads improvising survival to communities asserting permanence and political identity in the face of the Revolutionary War.

The details

In September 1776, Patriots built Fort Patrick Henry on or near the existing Fort Robinson. The renaming was intentional, as Patrick Henry symbolized resistance to British authority. Smaller fortified homes known as "fort houses" offered local protection, with one of the most important being Looney's Fort. Together, these sites transformed scattered homesteads into a coordinated defensive system, allowing settlers to gather quickly, defend themselves, and survive until danger passed.

• By the summer of 1776, as the Revolutionary War expanded westward, violence reached the Holston Valley.
• In September 1776, Patriots built Fort Patrick Henry on or near Fort Robinson.
• The first meeting of the Sullivan County Court eventually took place in 1780 at Looney's Fort.