Background
Benjamin Cleveland was born on May 26, 1738 in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. He was the son of John and Martha (Coffee) Cleveland. His parents later moved to Orange County, Virginia.
(Excerpt from Memoirs of the War in the Southern Departmen...)
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Benjamin Cleveland was born on May 26, 1738 in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. He was the son of John and Martha (Coffee) Cleveland. His parents later moved to Orange County, Virginia.
Benjamin received the limited education.
About 1769 Cleveland, his brother Robert, and his father-in-law moved to North Carolina, settling on Roaring Creek, near the Blue Ridge, where Benjamin began farming, assisted by his fathcr-in-law’s servants. Much of his time was spent in hunting and about 1772 he and some equally adventurous friends went to Kentucky on a hunting expedition, but near the Cumberland Gap they were plundered by the Cherokees and ordered off the Indian hunting grounds.
With the outbreak of the Revolution he became ensign, and later lieutenant and captain, of the 2nd Regiment of North Carolina militia. Later serving with the county militia in the local warfare of western North Carolina, he commanded “Cleveland’s Bull Dogs, ” called by the Loyalists “Cleveland’s Devils. ” Administering stern justice, his harsh treatment of Loyalists earned for him a reputation for brutality in a partisan warfare characterized by inhumanity, summary hangings, and mutilation.
In the summer of 1776 he acted as a scout on the western frontier and served as a captain in General Rutherford’s campaign against the Cherokees. He also acted as chairman of the Surry County Committee of Safety and after the organization of Wilkes County he became justice of the county court and was elected to the House of Commons (1778). During the winter campaign of 1778-1779 in Georgia he served with General Rutherford but returned home after the defeat of General John Ashe, at Briar Creek, was promoted colonel, and was elected to the state Senate.
With the invasion of North Carolina by Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Highlanders in September 1780, Cleveland, with 350 militia, joined Colonel William Campbell, Colonel Isaac Shelby, Colonenl John Sevier, and other militia leaders at Quaker Meadows, near the Catawba River. As the officers were of equal rank it was agreed that the command should rest with the board of colonels, and Colonel Campbell was elected officer of the day to execute the board’s decisions. Ferguson evaded battle and began withdrawing toward Charlotte, hoping to rejoin Lord Cornwallis, but was pursued and defeated in the battle of King’s Mountain, October 7, 1780, Cleveland commanding the left flank of the Continental forces. After the battle the army encamped at Bickerstaff’s, where Cleveland was conspicuous in securing the execution of a number of captured Loyalists who were accused of being thieves, house-burners, parole-breakers, and assassins.
At the close of the Revolution, Cleveland, having lost his plantation, “Round About, ” on the Yadkin, “by a better title, ” moved to the Tugaloo region of western South Carolina, where he served for many years as a justice of the Pendleton (now Oconee) county court. As a judge he had great contempt for technicalities and the arguments of lawyers and often slept while on the bench, his colleagues prodding the enormously fat judge whenever his snoring interfered with litigation.
(Excerpt from Memoirs of the War in the Southern Departmen...)
Cleveland was married Mary Graves.
