REMEMBERING THE PATRIOTS

The Col. Alexander Erwin chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution recently partnered with two other SAR chapters to honor the memory of three Revolutionary War veterans buried in the cemetery at First Presbyterian Church of Morganton.

The idea came from Gen. Burwell Baxter Bell III, a member of the John Sevier SAR chapter in Chattanooga, Tenn. Bell asked Cliff Kent, chapter president, to help him place a commemorative marker on the grave of his patriot ancestor, William Walton Sr., who is buried in the cemetery at First Presbyterian.

Cliff contacted Robert Patton, president of the Morganton SAR chapter, last fall to discuss the possibility of holding a grave marking ceremony there. Local SAR members conducted research and found two more Revolutionary War patriots, William Wilson and John Duckworth, buried at FPC, so they included them in the plans for the dedication, which took place April 22.

Members of the Tennessee SAR group visited the church weeks before the event to install the grave markers in the cemetery. The stones, engraved with the patriot's name, birth and death dates and SAR logo, were placed at the foot of their respective headstones.

Bell had a family emergency the day of the event and was not able to attend, but his sister, Dr. Amelia Rector Bell Knight, gave a presentation at the dedication about William Walton, her fifth great-grandfather. She is a member of the Gen. William Lenoir chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Knight shared details of her ancestor's biography. The Walton family arrived in Virginia in the 17th century "and became substantial landowners." Descendants moved into North Carolina and Alabama. William Walton Sr. (1736-1806) eventually settled in Morganton. When he was drafted to fight in the Revolutionary War, he took his 12-year-old son, William Walton Jr., with him, making him one of the youngest soldiers in the Continental Army. Father and son fought together in the Battle of Kings Mountain on Oct. 7, 1780, a battle which is believed to have turned the tide of the war in America's favor.

"As a mother, I can only imagine the pride and trepidation William Walton's wife, Elizabeth Tilghman Walton, felt as she sent both her husband and young son to fight for our country," Knight said.

Both survived the war. William Sr. died in Morganton in 1806. William Jr. received a land grant in Greene County, Ala., as a reward for his military service and established a plantation there, Strawberry Hill, in 1821. He died in Greene County in 1844.

"William Walton Sr.'s descendants have strengthened and supported this country with distinction, and they continue to do so today," Knight said. "Our family, especially my brother and I, and our children and grandchildren, are immensely proud of our patriot and all patriots who fought and fight for this country."

Local resident Andrea Bennett Kiser spoke about her patriot ancestor, John Duckworth, who was born in Virginia in 1759 and was living in the area that eventually became Burke County at the time of the Revolutionary War. He enlisted for a nine-month tour of duty in 1776 with the North Carolina Continental Line. His service took him to Charleston, S.C.

"John stated in his pension that they arrived at Charleston the same day of the British attack on Sullivan's Island, June 28, 1776," his biography reads.

He served the remainder of his time in Charleston and then returned to Burke County. He completed another two tours in 1777 to fight with the McDowell's Regiment against Cherokee Indians and with the Burke Frontier Forts.

"In early 1780, John Duckworth again volunteered in Captain Kennedy's company under Col. William Sharpe of Rowan," his biography reads. "John fought in the Battle of Ramsour's Mill on June 20, 1780. He was wounded severely in the left shoulder. In his pension declaration in 1832, he stated that the bullet could still be felt. This was verified by a court magistrate who stated, 'I felt the ball myself.' During (British Maj. Patrick) Ferguson's invasion of western North Carolina, he volunteered again, even though his wounds had not completely healed."

Duckworth fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain with his arm in a sling. He survived the war and died in Burke County in 1843.

Kevin Hancock, a member of the North Carolina SAR organization, presented information about Capt. William Wilson. Wilson was born in 1720, and it is believed that he immigrated to Guilford, N.C., from Scotland, according to his biography. He served in the 1st Rowan County Regiment of Militia during the Cherokee Expedition, in which the soldiers responded to Cherokee raids on western frontier settlements in North Carolina.

"Captain Wilson also participated in the Siege of Charleston, S.C., from March 28 to May 12, 1780," the biography reads. "He was captured by the British and paroled."

Shortly after being released, he led one of nine companies of the Rowan County 2nd Regiment in the Battle of Ramsour's Mill June 20, 1780, where he was wounded. His company would later fight in the Battle of Camden, Aug. 16, 1780, and the Battle of Cowpens, Jan. 17, 1781.

"A few weeks later, on Feb. 1, 1781, Wilson's company would find themselves fighting at Cowan's Ford," his biography reads. "Wilson was most likely wounded at that battle."

Following the battle at Cowan's Ford, Wilson returned home. He died June 27, 1832 in Morganton. His biography states that US Sen. Sam Ervin Jr. was one of his descendants.

The ceremony included a color guard and the laying of ceremonial wreaths. In addition to the Morganton and Chattanooga chapters, members of the Catawba Valley SAR chapter participated.

Patton expressed appreciation to the members of the John Sevier SAR chapter who helped to make the grave marking a successful project.

"They gave so much dedication to doing this," Patton said.

Distinctive descendants

Gen. Burwell Baxter Bell III and Dr. Amelia Rector Bell Knight are descendants of the Revolutionary War patriots William Walton sr. and Jr. of Morganton. Both Bell and Knight have dedicated themselves to serving their country, just as their patriot ancestors did.

Bell enjoyed a 39-year us army career in which he retired as a four-star general, according to his biography. a native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Bell earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the university of Chattanooga (now the university of Tennessee at Chattanooga) and a Master of science in systems Management from the university of southern California. He also graduated from the ROTC program at the university of Chattanooga.

Bell was commissioned into the us army in 1969 as an armor/tank second lieutenant. He completed the armor officer basic and advanced courses, the national War College and Ranger school. He patrolled the Iron Curtain dividing Germany during the Cold War and held a variety of command positions. He served as a senior military fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations in 1994, and as Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.'s executive officer in operations desert shield and desert storm. He also was chief of staff for the us Army-Europe's forward headquarters in Hungary during Operation Joint endeavor in the Balkans. after serving as an assistant division commander for the First and Third Infantry divisions in Germany, Bell finished his career as chief of staff of V Corps and us Army-Europe. He retired in 1999.

Knight, also a native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, earned a PhD in anthropology from the university of Chicago and taught at the university of Rochester in New York, according to her biography.

"She and her husband, James, conducted field research with the Tuareg of Niger, (Africa)," her biography reads. "This initial African adventure began a lifetime passion for travel and experiencing different cultures throughout the world."

The couple moved to Washington DC to work for the us department of state's Foreign service Institute.

"Amelia has lived in eight African countries, as well as Paris and London," according to the biography. "Her work with the department of state took her to almost every country in Africa and numerous others worldwide. Amelia, who speaks French and Portuguese, has had the great honor of representing the united states as ambassador's wife when James was appointed us ambassador to Benin, and while he served as us ambassador to Chad."

The Knights retired from public service to Tennessee, where Amelia is a member of her local chapter of the national society of the daughters of the American Revolution and the national society of the Colonial dames of America.