Henry Enochs (1710-1784)

1710 ~Frederick, VA

14 Jun 1784 ~ Cacpon Stream, Hampshire, West Virginia,

6x Great Grandfather

Henry Enoch and his family, along with other families, were the early settlers in Hampshire County, Virginia, which now also encompasses West Virginia as well. The Enochs were early frontiersman who were also involved the French and Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War.

NOTE: Henry Enoch SR. was not a LT Colonel, that was his son, Henry Enoch Jr.

While Henry Enoch Sr. remained at home managing the plantation and supporting the nearby fort, his eldest son, Henry Enoch Jr., served in Virginia’s colonial militia during the frontier conflicts. He later rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel during the Revolutionary War.

History

In the aftermath of General Edward Braddock’s catastrophic defeat in July 1755, Virginia’s western frontier was left dangerously exposed to attacks by French-allied Native forces. Responding to the crisis and to repeated appeals from Colonel George Washington, the Virginia House of Burgesses authorized the construction of a defensive chain of forts to protect isolated settlements and secure the colony’s vital roads and supply lines.

Henry Enoch Sr.’s 388-acre plantation at the Forks of the Cacapon was an ideal location for one of these defenses. The property, which Washington himself had surveyed in 1750, stood along the important wagon road connecting Winchester with Fort Cumberland and the military posts along Patterson’s Creek. Braddock’s troops had camped on Enoch’s land during their westward march in 1755, and military couriers, supply wagons, and retreating soldiers continued to pass through the area following the defeat.

In early 1756, colonial troops erected a wooden stockade on the plantation. Known variously as Enoch’s Fort, Fort Enoch, and Fort Capon, it became a refuge for nearby families and an important military station along the frontier supply route. Although the fort bore Henry Enoch Sr.’s name and stood on his property, he was not its official commanding officer. Colonial officers appointed by Washington directed the garrison, while Enoch contributed as the landowner, host, local guide, and supporter of the soldiers stationed there. His willingness to place his property at the service of the colony made the Enoch plantation an important part of Virginia’s frontier defense during the French and Indian War.

Enoch Land Survey written by George Washington