Fort Blackmore

Fort Blackmore (1774-1794) - First established in 1774 by brothers Capt. John Blackmore and Joseph Blackmore. Named after the brothers. Used until the end of the Indian hostilities in 1794. Also known as Blackmore's Fort History Originally seven militia forts were to be constructed in 1774 during Lord Dunmore's War against hostile Indian tribes. Capt. William Russell was to command four of the forts on the Lower Clinch River and Capt. Daniel Smith was to command three forts on the Upper Clinch River. These forts were to be erected by the local militia men supervised by Colonel William Christian who had been sent out to the frontier by Col. William Preston who was commanding officer of the Fincastle County Militia. The forts were generally named for the landowners where they were located and/or the military commanders. Many of them had multiple names as landowners and commanders changed. Even though Lord Dunmore's War ended in 1774, the Indian attacks continued until 1794 when the Indian renegade leader, Benge, was killed near Big Stone Gap. Capt. Russell Lower Clinch River Forts Capt. Smith Upper Clinch River Forts Fort Preston (2) Fort Christian Fort Byrd Fort Blackmore Russell's Fort, Cowan's Fort, Bickley's Fort Glade Hollow Fort, Daniel Smith's Fort Moore's Fort, Snoddy's Fort Blackmore's Fort Fort Elk Garden Fort Witten Maiden Springs Fort Fort Blackmore was built on the property of Capt. John Blackmore, who came with his brother Joseph from Fauquier County, VA, in 1772. During the conflict, many settlers and militia were killed and captured around Fort Blackmore because it was on the north bank of the Clinch River and more exposed than the other posts. No description of the post exists but, given the large numbers of people who fled to its protection in 1776, it must have been substantial. In 1777 the militia garrison at Fort Blackmore numbered eighteen troops. Current Status Monument only on the north side of the new Highway 72 bridge crossing the Clinch River. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Map point is monument location, Scott County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 36.767415 Long: -82.58227 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: ' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 803 Links: North American Forts - Fort Blackmore Roots Web - Fort Blackmore Visited: No