Captain Samuel Martin
Captain Samuel Martin, a native of Ireland, was born in 1732. As a young man, he emigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania. A short time later, he moved to the southern colonies. He first entered the service as a private in Captain Robert Alexander's company, in June 1776, Colonel Graham's Regiment, and marched to Fort McGaughey in Rutherford County and thence across the Blue Ridge Mountains against the Cherokee Indians, who were committing murders and depredations upon the frontier settlements. In January 1777, he attached himself to the command of Captain William Chronicle and marched to the relief of the post of Ninety-Six, in Abbeville county, S.C., and after this service he returned to North Carolina.About the 1st of November, 1779, his company went to Charlotte, a place of rendezvous of soldiers for the surrounding counties. While there, he received a special commission of captain conferred on him by General Rutherford. With his special command, he marched with other forces from Charlotte by way of Camden to the relief of Charleston and fell in with Colonel Hampton at the Governor's gate near that city. Finding that place completely invested by the British army, he remained but a short time and returned to North Carolina with Colonel Graham's regiment about the 1st of June, 1780.
Being informed on the night of his arrival at home that the Tories were embodied in strong force at Ramsours Mill, near the present town of Lincolnton, he immediately raised a small company. He joined General Davidson's battalion, General Rutherford commanding, encamped at Colonel Dickson's plantation, three miles northwest of Tuckaseege Ford. General Rutherford broke up his encampment at that place early on the morning of the 20th of June, 1780, then sixteen miles from Ramsours Mill, and marched with his forces, expecting to unite with Colonel Locke in making a joint attack upon the Tories, but failed to reach the scene of conflict until two hours after the battle. The Tories had been signally defeated and routed by Colonel Locke and his brave associates, and about fifty made prisoners, among the number a brother of Colonel Moore, the commander of the Tory forces.
Immediately after this battle, he received orders from Colonels Johnston and Dickson to proceed with his company to Colonel Moore's residence, six or seven miles west of the present town of Lincolnton, and arrest that Tory leader, but he had fled with about thirty of his followers to Camden, South Carolina, where Cornwallis was camped. Soon after this service, Captain Martin was ordered to proceed with his company to Rugeleys Mill in Kershaw County, S.C. Here, Colonel Rugeley, the Tory commander, had assembled a considerable force and fortified his log barn and dwelling house. Colonel Washington, by order of General Morgan, had pursued him with his cavalry, but having no artillery, he concocted an ingenious stratagem to capture the post without sacrificing his own men. Accordingly, he mounted a pine log, fashioned as a cannon, elevated on its own limbs, and placed it in position to command the houses in which the Tories were lodged. Colonel Washington then made a formal demand for immediate surrender. After a stipulation as to terms, Colonel Rugeley, fearing the destructive consequences of the formidable cannon bearing upon his command in the log barn and dwelling house, promptly surrendered his whole force, consisting of one hundred and twelve men, without firing a gun. Upon receiving the news of this surrender, Cornwallis wrote to Tarleton, " Rugeley will not be made a Brigadier!"
After this successful stratagem, seldom equaled during the war, Captain Martin marched with his company in pursuit of Colonel Cunningham (commonly called " Bloody " Bill Cunningham) a Tory leader, encamped on Fishing Creek, but he fled so rapidly he could not overtake him. During the latter part of August and the whole of September, Captain Martin was rarely at home and only remained for up to two days. He marched with his company about the last week of September by a circuitous route, under Colonel Graham, to the Cowpens. He united with Colonels Campbell, Shelby, Sevier, Cleaveland, and other officers and marched with them to King's Mountain. Captain Martin acted a conspicuous part in this battle, was in the thickest of the fight, and lost six of his company.
When Cornwallis marched through Lincoln County in pursuit of General Morgan, encumbered with upwards of five hundred prisoners, captured at the Cowpens, he was sent to harass his advance as much as possible. A short time after Cornwallis crossed the Catawba at Cowans Ford, he marched as far as Salisbury when Colonel Dickson ordered him to convey some prisoners to Charlotte. Having performed this service, he proceeded to Guilford Courthouse but reached that place after the battle. He then returned home and was soon after discharged.
In October 1833, when one hundred and one years old, Captain Martin was granted a pension by the general government. He was a worthy and consistent member of the Associate Reformed Church and died on the 26th of November, 1836, aged one hundred and four years! He married in Ireland, Margaret McCurdy, who also attained an extremely old age, and both were buried in Goshen graveyard in Gaston County, North Carolina.