Anne Bailey

Who was Anne Bailey?

"Mad" Anne Bailey was a famous story teller and frontier scout who served in the fights of the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. Her single person ride in search of an urgently needed powder supply for the endangered Clendenin's Settlement was used as the template for Charles Robb's 1861 poem Anne Bailey's Ride. She is known as the Heroine of the Kanawha Valley.

"Mad Anne" was born in Liverpool, England. She first arrived in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia at about the age of 19. In 1765 she married a settler named Richard Trotter. He served in Lord Dunmore's War and was killed on October 10, 1774 in an encounter with the Shawnee tribe forces led by Cornstalk at the Battle of Point Pleasant. His death was a turning point in Anne's life. She left her son William with a close neighbor by the name of Mrs. Moses Mann, then joined the militia. Anne wore buckskins while carrying rifles and similar equipment for engaging in scout services, hunting, courier work and story telling.

In 1785, Anne married John Bailey, a frontiersman and ranger. The couple moved to Clendenin's Settlement in the Great Kanawha Valley. It was here in 1791 that the local fort, Fort Lee, was under heavy threat that Anne made her legendary 100 mile ride to Fort Savannah at Lewisburg for much needed ammunition. Her path was through wilderness, and she rode both directions successfully and is credited with saving Fort Lee. She remained on duty until 1795 where the Treaty of Greenville ended the Northwest Indian War.