The General William Campbell Chapter of the SAR with Black’s Fort and Royal Oak Chapters of the DAR and the Overmountain Victory Trail Association was busy in the last 10 days in the main events of the year centered on the mustering of militias from Abingdon, Virginia, under Col William Campbell to the meeting with Overmountain militias commanded by Cols Isaac Shelby and John Sevier at Sycamore Shoals, near today’s town of Elizabethton, TN. This was a National event on September 16, for the march to the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina.

In the Washington County, VA, area, the Campbell SAR Chapter with the DAR observed the annual memorial with laying of wreaths to Col William Campbell and his loyal servant John Broddy at two cemeteries, Aspenvale and the John Broddy cemeteries (both in today’s Smyth County).  Campbell’s marking was a rededication with a newly set Patriot’s stone and Broddy’s was a grave marking with a Patriot’s stone. We did a flag retirement and a presentation of a flag.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday September 18-20 were devoted to the “Call to Arms,” an educational program for 36 fourth-grade classes of  631 students with 72 adults. Eleven stations were set up to educate them about  the many aspects of life in the back country of Virginia in 1780.

Wolf Creek Muster September 1780 Richard Luce

Saturday September 23 was a gathering around a campfire for stories and conversation, “The Night before the Muster.”

Sunday September 24, the final day, was devoted to several stations informing the public of  life on the frontier of Virginia that day in 1780 when Col William Campbell mustered militiamen for the crossing of the Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals to join the Overmountain militias of Cols Shelby and Sevier in present-day Tennessee. Special guests were Bruce Meyer, Past President of VASSAR and Walter Jenny, President of the Washington County VA Historical Society.