Joseph Winston was an American soldier, legislator and congressman.
Background
Joseph Winston was born on June 17, 1746, in Louisa County, Virginia, the son of Samuel Winston and a descendant of William Winston, who emigrated to America about the middle of the seventeenth century. Joseph was a cousin of Patrick Henry, his grandfather, James Winston, being a brother of the Virginia orator's grandfather, Isaac Winston.
Career
At seventeen, young Winston volunteered under Captain Philips as a ranger to fight the Indians. Captain Philips and Capt. George Moffitt united forces, but on September 30, 1763, were ambushed and defeated between Fort Young and Fort Dinwiddie. Winston's horse was shot under him and he received two wounds. Concealing himself in the underbrush, while the Indians were off in pursuit of fugitives he escaped on a comrade's back and after three days, during which the two subsisted upon wild roseberries, managed to reach a place of safety. About 1769 he moved to Surry County, North Carolina, where his career was an uninterrupted success. A devoted patriot, he was a member of the Hillsboro Convention, August 20, 1775, which took steps to organize a provincial government. In February 1776 he went on an expedition against the Scotch Loyalists assembled at Cross Creek. Appointed major of militia, September 9, 1775, he served under Rutherford against the Cherokees, July - September 1776, and also as the ranger of Surry County. The year following, he was a member of the House of Commons and a commissioner to treat with the Cherokees. In 1780 he marched under Col. W. L. Davidson in pursuit of Bryan's Loyalists, and participated in the skirmish on New River and at Alamance. At the battle of King's Mountain, October 7, 1780, Winston commanded a portion of the right wing of the patriot army. The legislature of 1781 voted him "an elegant mounted sword" for defeating Major Ferguson. In 1800 he was a presidential elector, voting for Jefferson and Burr; twice he served in the North Carolina House and five times in the Senate; in 1793 - 1795 and 1803 - 1807 he was a member of Congress. From 1807 to 1813 he was a trustee of the University of North Carolina.
Joseph Winston died on April 21, 1815, near Germanton, North Carolina. He was first interred in the family cemetery near Germantown, but in 1906 was removed to the Guilford Court House Battleround.
Achievements
Connections
In 1769, Joseph Winston married Jane Dalton. Later he married Minerva Elizabeth Lanier. Joseph Winston had at least twelve children, including a set of triplets.