CALLAWAY

Callaway brothers:

1.       Col. Richard Callaway

2.       Thomas Callaway

Col. Richard Callaway

1.  Col. Richard Callaway , brother to Thomas Callaway , was one of the founders of Boonesboro in Kentucky [i].  

Thomas Callaway

2.  Thomas Callaway [ii], brother to Col. Richard Callaway , m. ca. 1735 to May Baker , daughter of Robert  & Miss (Blount) Baker , b. NC. 

Thomas  & May (Baker) Callaway  had:

Richard Callaway  was named for his uncle, Col. Richard Callaway [iii].  (The one who was left to die)

Joseph Callaway [iv].

William Callaway [v].

Richard Callaway  P

2.1.  Richard Callaway , son of Thomas  & May (Baker) Callaway , was named for his uncle, Col. Richard Callaway [vi]. 

Capture of Colonel Ben Cleveland

A certain Tory leader by the name of Capt. William Riddle  made a bold move. A party of six or eight men, led by Capt. Riddle , sneaked into the valley and captured the biggest prize of all, Col. Ben Cleveland  himself. [vii]

The Colonel was on a visit to his plantation up at "Old Fields". The creek that ran through his plantation still bares this name today. This was on Saturday, April 13, 17 81. The Tory had been following Col. Cleveland  and his whereabouts for quite sometime. They had finally located him at the house of Jesse Duncan , a tenant of the Colonel's plantation. Not known to the Tory, there were two men in the house at the time. Richard Callaway [viii] and John Shirley [ix], who had come over to visit the Colonel and decided to spend the night.  The Tory knew that the Colonel was not going to be taken without a fight, so they devised a plan. Under the cover of darkness, they came and stole the Colonel's horses, knowing he would think they had broken loose and would try to find them. Sure enough, the next morning the Colonel, after discovering his horses missing, set out to find them. His tenant, Duncan, came along accompanied by Richard Callaway and John Shirley. As the Tory had planned, they ran head on into their ambush. Col. Cleveland was taken prisoner. Richard Callaway was shot through the thigh and left to die. Jesse Duncan and John Shirley had managed to escape. [x]

The discovery of what had taken place was not made until later that morning. Joseph Callaway , who I guess became concerned in the whereabouts of his brother, set out to find him. After reaching Duncan 's house, he discovered no one there and the horses gone. It was about this time Callaway heard gunfire. He ran in the direction from where the sound came and there discovered Shirley and Duncan. After the story was related to Joseph Callaway, he mounted his horse and road off as fast as he could in the direction of his father's house, a short distance away. After telling his father, Thomas Callaway , the location of his wounded brother, he remounted his horse and set out again. This time to tell the Colonel's brother, Capt. Robert Cleveland , of the situation. There was no time to waste Capt. Robert Cleveland lived some 12 miles away. By the time Callaway reached his home and the return trip, the trail would be long cold. In a short time the whole neighborhood was alerted. [xi]

William Callaway , another brother of Richard, John Renta Baker  and Samuel McQueen  set out on the trail in pursuit of the Tory. After tracking most that day, shortly before dusk they discovered the Tory camp. Not wanting to alert the Tory of their presents, our little rescue party retreated back down the trail and bed down for the night. Just before sunrise the next morning Capt. Robert Cleveland  rode up with another twenty or so. After exchanging ideas of how to deal with the situation, the party moved in closer to take a look at the Tory camp. The Tories were going about their business preparing breakfast, totally unaware of what was about to take place. Old Ben Cleveland  was setting on a log, acting as if he didn't have a care in the world. He was among the first to discover the presence of his rescuers. The Colonel was a very large man, weighing upward to 300 pounds. When the first shots rang out he knew it would be of little use for him to try running. So he just set there on the log shouting; "Hurrah for Brother Bob! That's right, give 'em hell! " With this he fell backwards off the log and lay on the ground, in fear of being shot by one of his own men. [xii]

With the exception of one, the Tories made their escape, including their leader, Capt. Riddle . But Colonel Cleveland  was not to be denied his revenge. Capt. Riddle and two others by the names of Reeves and Goss were captured shortly after. It does not take much imagination to figure out their fate. That's right! The Old Oak Tree[xiii] in Wilkesboro. But, it could never be said that the old Colonel wasn't an understanding person. He did allow Capt. Riddle's wife to watch as he hung her husband. [xiv]