William Richmond and the Fortification of Fort Randolph Point Pleasant, WV, a fresh look into the history of some of the early settlers in our region, guides an informative journey into regional history complete with new research mined from Revolutionary War pension applications, along with other contemporaneous documents, to weave an intriguing story of this region’s involvement in the nations War of Independence.
With local frontiersmen such as William Richmond as the thread of the storyline, Fred Long, editor emeritus of the Hinton News, outlines what happened, as told by people who were there.
“It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle searching for each piece and putting them together to create a picture,” Long said.
Long, a member of the Summers County Historic Landmark Commission, has been researching the history of this area for decades, particularly the frontier fort system of the Greenbrier and middle New River region. He is also an experienced genealogist, researcher, and writer.
When asked why he decided to delve into this treasure trove of puzzle pieces, Long said it was to dispel the myth and set the record straight with clear documentation and first-hand accounts from the people that lived it. “It was like interviewing someone that died 200 years ago,” he said.
By accessing and exploring the stories told by those Virginians who were recruited into the militia in 1775 to deal with Native American tribes that might join the British, Long was able to find evidence for the first time of the route the soldiers took to reach Point Pleasant where they built Fort Randolph.
“That was a major discovery and something that had never been explored before,” Long said.
Documents confirmed, over and over, that the mission surrounding Fort Randolph, which was just as much to keep the Virginians on their side of the Ohio as it was to keep the Indians on their side, became a muddled mess, and one of the worst is explored in detail. Going back nearly 245 years and meticulously comparing existing stories of tours of service, Long has presented a new look at this stage of our history, when some were unable to discern the difference between friend and foe.
Anyone living in and around Hinton, Summers County, Greenbrier, along rivers and streams from western Virginia to Pittsburg and down the Kanawha or along the Ohio may find the unearthed new details fascinating, broadening understanding of the roles many early settlers within this wild frontier, and the grave consequences of living in a world where communications between point A and B were deathly slow. Long’s latest book, detailing the role of forts, leaders, geographical landmarks, discipline and lack thereof, could literally chill the senses.
From cover to cover, the newly revealed insight into stories and circumstances puts local ancestors, like William Richmond and Mathew Arbuckle, at the heart of a story leading up to the atrocious death of Chief Cornstalk, at that time one of the major players in any chance for peace with the Shawnee Indians.
It was a hard book to put down, especially because it was short enough to enjoy in one sitting and — having gained insight into the historical significance of the names and places — it was worthy of reading a second time. The book would make an ideal gift for oneself or anyone with roots to this region of Appalachia. Copies can be purchased for $12.72 by contacting author Fred Long in Hinton at (304) 466-2784, or through the mail for $16.
