Since its birth, America has been a country founded on the belief that a person can make his own destiny through hard work and perseverance. This mindset was embraced by its founders and the men and women who first lived in the American colonies. This heritage, I’m proud to say, was one that one of my great ancestors, Julius Caesar Dugger, had a part in creating.
Record showing that Julius Dugger became a Captain
In 1780, the son of a first-wave immigrant from Ireland living in Wilkes County, North Carolina enlisted in the Revolutionary War. A relatively young man of only 20, Julius Caesar Dugger was one of many men in the American colonies who signed up to help fight for their right to independence from Britain. In 1781, he served several months in the company of Captain William Smith, later fighting under Colonel Sevier in battles against the Cherokee, Creek, and Chickamauga Indians. 1788 found Julius Dugger serving under Captain Ford in Knoxville at Lookout Mountain, once more fighting against the Indians. Years later, he and his sons Able and John fought in the War of 1812. They fought under General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 and were with General Jackson again in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
Between services, Julius Dugger moved from his home in Wilkes County, North Carolina to settle in Carter County, Tennessee near Watuaga Lake, becoming one of the first people to settle in that area. In 1796, he was commissioned as a Captain of the Carter County Regiment, as well as a Justice of the Peace; he was also one of t
he first members to serve on the grand jury of Carter County. Aside from these honors, Julius Dugger was a farmer, cultivating the acres of land he had received from federal land grants. In addition, he also created and operated the first ferry boat on the Watauga River. Upon his death, he was buried in Pierce Cemetery, but he was later moved to a cemetery in Johnson County in 1974, which was named after him.
As a child in elementary school, I remember asking my mother and her parents about our ancestors and where they came from, and how we traced our ancestry back to Julius Caesar Dugger.
My fifth great grandfathe
r, Julius Caesar Dugger, exemplified two things that are very important to me and my family even now: history and fighting for what you believe in. Both of my grandfathers, my uncle, and my aunt were and are currently members of our country’s military. It’s amazing to see how the tradition has come full circle, from my great-great-great-great-great grandfather fighting in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 to my family members fighting in WWII and the more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The will to defend what we believe in and and fight for a cause we hold dear has been prevalent in my family through the generations, starting with Julius Caesar Dugger.