Family Group Sheet

Death

Robert Kilgore
The Washington County, VA. Tax Record of 1782 shows that Robert Kilgore had one tithable, 9 horses and 20 head of cattle as taxable personal property.
Robert Kilgore, husband of Winney Clayton was killed in what is now Wise County, VA at The Pound at a place called Warrior's Camp. Robert and Winney lived along Clinch River in what is now Scott Co., VA, then Russell Co. His property directly bordered that of his brother, Charles and was also located near that of Patrick Porter also of Orange Co., NC. Several of the families who settled this section of Scott Co. were originally Orange Co. natives.
On December 31, 1782, James Green and Robert Kilgore left their hunting camp at the mouth of Indian Creek and Pound River and crossed a ridge heading toward Kentucky. They left a man by the name of McKinney in camp. Two gunshots were heard by McKinney, followed by unearthy yells of the Indians. Before McKinney could grab his gun, he saw Robert Kilgore running for his life toward the encampment, shouting, "Run McKinney, leave all, save yourself!"
McKinney didn't wait to be told a second time. As he reached the crest of the ridge, he looked back, to see James Green fall, closely pursued by Mingoes. Green sprang up, grabbed out his hunting knife, but before the Indians reached him he collapsed. As the sun was sinking, McKinney reached Fort Blackmore.
By first light of the following day, the militia was on its way far up Stony Creek, reaching the hunters encampment long before sunrise of January 1, 1783. No Indians could be found, but the camp had been pillaged. Next morning, they found the scalped remains of Robert Kilgore and a few hundred yards away, the body of James Green, with an Indian arrowhead in his right eye. The bodies were buried in a hollow chestnut tree on the north bank of Pound River, a short distance above the mouth of Indian Creek.