Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/136

 ROBERTSON

ROBERTSON

of law in Transylvania university, 1834-57 ; rep- resentt'il Fayette cuiinty in tlie Kentucky legisla- ture in 1S4S and lSol-53. and served a second term as justice of the court of appeals for the second district of Kentucky, 1864-71, part of the time as acting chief justice. He received the degree of LL.D. from Centre college in 1835 and from Augusta college. Robertson county, Ky., was named in his honor. His published works include : Intntiinctory Lecture to the Law Class ( 18:]6) ; Biographical Shrtch of John Boyle (1838) ; Scrap-Book on Utir, Politics, Men and Times (lS5G).and speeches, lectures, legal arguments and addresses. His autobiography was published, l^:r.. He died ill L.-xiiigton. Ky., May IG, 1874.

ROBERTSON, Harrison, journalist andauthor, was boru in Murlreesboro, Tenn. ; son of Thomas and Elizjibeth (Elliott) Robertson. He attended Union university and the University of Virginia, and after leaving college removed to Louisville, Ky., where he engaged in journalism, becoming connected with the Courier-Journal, of which he was ass<x"iate editor in 1903. and in the conduct of which he made that paper's famous political camiuiign against its party's Presidential ticket and platform in 1896. He is the author of the novels : // / Were a Man (1899); Red Blood and Blue (iwio); The Inlander (l^iOl); The Opponents (r.»0*2), and of several short stories and poems, the be-it known of which are: Hoio the Derby 1^ as Willi, AjiriUe and Coquette.

ROBERTSON, James, pioneer, was born in Brunswick county, Va., June 28, 1742 ; of Scotch- Irish descent. In 1750 his parents removed to Wake county, N.C., where he worked on his father's farm, and was married in 1767 to Char- lotte Reeves (1751- ^ 1843) of Virginia.

Having joined Daniel Boone's third expedi- tion across the Alle- ghany mountains in 1769, he came upon a valley in the pres- ent Watauga county, N.C., which he con- jectured was a part of Virginia, and which .seemed to him a feasible location for a .settlement. Ac- cordingly he planted corn; returned liome, and in the spring of 1770 con- ducted sixteen families to the valley, where they contimied to prosper, although, as it subsequently appeared, they had taken possession of land be- longing to the Cherokees, from whom they were obliged to obtain a lease. In 1772 Capt. John Sevier (q.v.) of Virginia joined the settlement,

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and in 1776 the fort which he had built was at- tacked by the Indians under their chief, Oconos- tota, aided by the British. During the siege of twenty days tliat followed Robertson served as lieutenant under Sevier, and with a force of forty ■*inen they succeeded in driving off the assailants. For his conduct in this affair Lieutenant Robert- son was appointed by the governor of North Car- olina to defend Watauga county, against further assaults from Oconostota. On Dec. 25, 1779, he made a second settlement on the present site of Nashville, Tenn., which was soon augmented by the Watauga settlers under Sevier, Robertson acting as civil and military head of the combined forces, 2.56 in number. These, liowever. were soon greatly reduced by the attacks of the In- dians, desertion and starvation, and the 134 re- maining threatened to abandon the settlement. Robertson sought out Daniel Boone in Kentucky, from whom he obtained ammunition. On Apnl 2. 1781, he defended the fort of Nashville against 1,000 Indians, in which attack he would have been killed save for the heroic intervention of his wife. He subsequently succeeded in thwarting the British control of the Choctaws and Chicka- saws, and effected terms of peace with the Chero- kees. From 1784 until 1796 he was compelled to defend his settlement against Alexander McGilli- vray, chief of the Creek Indians, who was aided by the Spanish in Louisiana, and with his force of about 500 men Robertson performed many remarkable deeds of gallantry, stubborrdy refus- ing all terms offered by the Spanish government to aid in increasing the discontent of the settlers of Tennessee by holding out the advantages of a direct communication with the Mississippi through their territory. He was appointed brigadier- general, U.S. army by President Washington in 1790, and U.S. Indian commissioner. He died in the Cliic-kasaw region, Tenn., Sept. 1, 1814.

ROBERTSON, John, representative, was born at "Belfield," near Petersburg, Va., in 1787. He was a brother of Thomas Boiling Robertson (q.v.). He was graduated at William and Mary college, practised law in Richmond, and was attorney- general of the state. He was a Whig representa- tive from Virginia in the 23d congress, complet- ing the term of Anelrew Stevenson, and was re- elected to the 24th and 25th congresses, serving from Dec. 8, 1834, to March 3, 1839. He was a judge of the circuit court of Virginia for several years, and sent by Virginia to dissuade the south- ern states from extreme measures, at the same time John Tyler was despatched on a similar errand to President Buchanan. He was married to Anne Trent. lie is the author of: Jiierfo. or the Spanish Martyr, a tragedy (1872), and Ojms- cula. poems. He died at " Mount Athos," near Lynchburg, Va., July 5, 1873.