Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/296

 PROMINENT PERSONS

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pedition, and was killed in the battle of the Monongahela.

Russell, William, was iieuienant-colonel of the militia of Culpeper county in 1754, from which he removed and settled on the Clinch river, south of Castle's hoods, about 1770. Commanded a company of frontiers- men at the battle of Point Pleasant in the fall of 1774; member of the convention of May, 1776, from Fincastle county; commis- sioned captain in the Continental army, and in 1776 was in Col. William Christian's ex- pedition against the Cherokee Indians. He v/as a delegate to the house of delegates in 1786. and Russell county was created and named for him. Made brigadier-general of Virginia militia. He resided for many years at Saltville, Virginia, and died in 1794 at the home of his son, Robert S. Russell, in Shenandoah county. He was father of Wil- liam Russell (q. v.).

Brady, Samuel, called the *' Marion of the West/' was born at Shippensburg, Penn- sylvania, 1756, and was the son of John Brady, who was made a captain in the Colo- nial army for his services in the old French and Indian war. In 1776 Samuel joined the American army, was commissioned lieuten- ant and marched to Boston. He continued with the army, and was in all the principal battles until after that of Monmouth, when he was ordered to the west and joined Gen. Broadhead. Broadhead employed Brady as a spy to ascertain the streng^th, resources, ttc, of the savages. Disguised as savages, Brady, Williamson and Wetzel reached the Indian towns on the upper Sandusky. They entered the Indian village at night and made a thorough reconnoissance, and then re-

treated, traveling all night. In the morning they discovered the savages in pursuit, but finally escaped, having killed one of the enemy. Satisfied with the information brought by Brady and his companions, Broadhead's army moved onward. During all the Indian wars up to 1794, Brady took an active part and no braver or bolder man ever drew a sword or fired a rifle. He mar- ried a daughter of Capt. Van Swearingen, of Ohio county, and left descendants.

Clay, Green, born in Powhatan county, Virginia, August 14, 1757, was of an ambi- tious and enterprising nature. Before he had attained the age of twenty years, he had realized that better oportunities were to be found elsewhere than in his native region, and he removed to Kentucky, where he became a man of great wealth and promi- nence, having realized the value of land and followed the avocation of surveying. He represented Kentucky interests in the Vir- ginia legislature; was a leader in the Ken- tucky constitutional convention of 1799; and was a member of the convention which rati- fied the Federal constitution. For many years he was a member of either one or the other branch of the legislature, and served for a time as speaker of the senate. When Gen. Harrison was besieged by the British ill Fort Meigs in 1813, he went to his assist- ance with three thousand volunteers and completely routed the enemy. Having been left in command at this fort, he defended it with ability against the combined attacks of the British under Gen. Proctor, and the Indians under Tecumseh. He retired to his plantation at the conclusion of this war, and devoted his time and attention to its culti- vation, passing away to his last rest Octo-

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