Helen: I'm reasonably certain that Alex Cavitt was never in the
Continental Army. He and his brother Moses definitely saw long and
arduous militia service, but so far as I know, always in the area
comprising the southwesternmost tip of Virginia, northwesternmost tip of
NC and what is now the northeasternmost corner of Tennessee. Also, I
have never come across any mention of the Alex' rank. To my knowledge,
there were no Continental involved in the Battle of Kings Mt. -
Ferguson's redcoat detachment and a smattering of Tories were cornered
and attacked there by militia volunteers led by Sevier, Shelby et al. A
Major Moses Cavitt was among the nine American officers and 19 enlisted
men killed.
On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:07:27 -0500 "Helen" <hgdonald(a)knology.net> writes:
Cavitt Station Massacre: Part I
Major Alexander Cavitt fought with the
Continental Army during the American
Revolution. One of the battles in which he
distinguished him was the Battle of Kings
Mountain near Charlotte, NC.
Like many Continental officers, Major
Cavitt was paid for his service to the New
United States of America with land grants,
both in Eastern Tennessee, near Ft. Knox,
and in Middle Tennessee.
Since he was almost certainly not a Continental officer, Cavitt almost
certainly got no military land warrants from the federal government. Amd
since he was a resident of Virginia at the time, he certainly got no land
warrants from NC - the only source of warrants for land in Tennessee. In
fact, Alexander purchased the 640-acre tract on which he built Cavitt's
Station near Knoxville from one Thomas Hutchins in 1790. After the
massacre, Alex' three brothers divvied up his estate. Moses - who got
the Cavitt's Station property - was sued by Hutchins' heirs who claimed
that Alexander had never paid for the land. The matter was settled in
1807 when a jury found in favor of Cavitt who noted that proof was
lacking because the deed was destroyed when the Indians burned the
station to the ground after the massacre. JKB
After the war, he settled on land near Ft.
Knox in Eastern Tennessee where he built
one of several Stations, or safe stopovers for travelers through the
area.
Helen Gant Donald
6th ggrandniece of Alexander Cavitt
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