Fort Dobbs State Historic Site

Fort Dobbs State Historic Site

During the Cherokee War, a sub-conflict of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), settlers in the Carolina piedmont often “forted” for protection at Fort Dobbs. Daniel Boone’s family was among them.

Aside from the erroneous claims of Lyman C. Draper in the 19th century manuscript for his intended book on the life of Daniel Boone, Boone was not a soldier of the North Carolina Provincial Guard serving at Fort Dobbs. He did participate in the ill-fated campaign of Major General Edward Braddock in July 1755 to recapture Fort Duquesne in today’s Pittsburg, PA. In that campaign, some North Carolina Provincial Guard did participate to bring Braddock’s forces up to fighting strength. Daniel Boone went along as a civilian wagoner of a supply wagon in the rear. Daniel was then 20 years old. It was on that campaign when he met a fellow wagoner, John Finley (also Finlay and Findlay), an Indian trader who told enticing stories about the bountiful game in a region beyond the Appalachian Mountains he called Ken-tuk-e.

Following the conclusion of the French and Indian War, the fort no longer served a purpose as the frontier had moved westward by then. The fort was abandoned in 1764 and local settlers scavenged from it for building materials.

Randell Jones and North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail (www.NCDBHT.org)

Fort Dobbs State Historic Site
www.nchistoricsites.org/dobbs/dobbs.htm

Friends of Fort Dobbs
www.fortdobbs.org