Thomas
Coker was born in 1761 in Brunswick Virginia. By the start of the
Revolutionary war, his family had moved to Surry county NC. In 1779 at
the age of 18, Coker joined the local Surry county militia. For the
next 3 months, he fought and chased Tories in Surry, Guilford and
Rowan Counties NC.
In the
summer months of 1780, Coker reenlisted again. His first big battle
was the battle of Camden Sc.
The
battle of Camden was fought on August 16, 1780. Here LT. General
Cornwallis defeated American General Horatio Gates. The NC militia
which Coker was apart of suffered the most casualties of all the other
State militias that were there due to they were the only militia not
to retreat from the battle. Camden would be the worst defeat in the
Southern campaign. Over 1000 Americans were killed or wounded.
The most
amazing thing that Gates, the American Commander was able to
accomplish was that he rode 65 miles nonstop on his horse before his
aides were able to catch up with him. In 1781 there was an Inquiry
held to see if Gates was derelict in duty. It was determined that
Gates could not have won the battle had he not retreated due to the
sickening condition that most of his men were in due to food
poisoning. Most of the men at Camden developed a case of Food
poisoning after eating undercooked meat.
In the
fall of 1780, an American Civil war between the Tories and patriots
broke out in Cheraw Sc. Cheraw SC was the birthplace of South
Carolina’s Declaration of Independence that was signed in May 1776
almost two months before the Declaration of Independence was signed in
Philadelphia PA. Cheraw would also suffer more damage during the war
than any other town in the Up state region of South Carolina. No one
in the British high command from the palace of King George III down to
the British commander on the field understood the temperament of the
Southern colonist. Not only was the number of Loyalists greater in the
southern colonies, but the Tories in the South were more willing to
fight with guns and sword than their Tory brothers in the northern
campaign
In
September 1780 British Major James Wemyss led British troops and
Tories through chesterfield County Sc plundering and burning villages
in the county. Coker and his Surry county Militia were sent to stop
him, but the only thing that stopped the plundering and burning was
malaria. A malaria epidemic broke out in the region due to large
amount of mosquitoes in the British camp.
Coker’s
next battle was the Battle of Rugeley’s mill fought in Clermont Sc on
December 4, 1780. Here Col. William Washington, of the Continental
army defeated col. Henry Rugeley, a Tory commander. Over 110 Tories
were captured. This would be Coker’s last battle during the
revolutionary war.
In the
fall of 1781, Coker moved to Laurens County Sc. Lauren county had been
the site of the battle of Musgrove mill fought on August 18, 1780
where the patriots defeated the British for the first time in the
southern Campaign. Musgrove mill would also be the prelude to the
battle of Kings Mountain fought on October 7, 1780.
By 1790
Coker had moved to Franklin county Georgia. In 1815 Coker moved to
Sevier county TN where he met his wife Fannie. From this union they
would have 5 children. In 1817 Coker moved to Harlan County. In 1834
he applied for his Revolutionary war Pension. Coker lived in the
Yellow creek region of Harlan County until he died on January 5, 1835.
By 1850
Fannie Coker moved the family to Knox county TN. During the Civil war,
a grandson of Thomas Coker, Charles Coker was a Captain in the 3rd
Tennessee cavalry of the Union army.