author
Robert Henry
1765–1863
Best known for preserving a firsthand Revolutionary War account, this early North Carolina writer left behind a vivid narrative of the battles of Cowan’s Ford and Kings Mountain. His long life stretched from the colonial era into the Civil War, giving his memoir an unusual sense of historical reach.
1 Audiobook
Narrative of the Battle of Cowan's Ford, February 1st, 1781 and Narrative of the Battle of Kings Mountain
by Robert Henry, David Vance
About the author
Born in North Carolina in 1765, Robert Henry is remembered today for a memoir-style historical narrative tied to the American Revolution. Project Gutenberg lists him as the author of Narrative of the Battle of Cowan's Ford, February 1st, 1781 and Narrative of the Battle of Kings Mountain, the work most closely associated with his name.
That book preserves a firsthand account of the fighting at Cowan’s Ford and reflects a strong interest in correcting or supplementing earlier versions of Revolutionary War history. Because Henry lived until 1863, his life spanned an extraordinary stretch of American history, from the colonial period to the Civil War era.
For modern readers, Henry’s appeal lies in that direct connection to the past. Rather than writing polished literary fiction, he offers something rarer: a personal witness to events that later became part of the nation’s founding story.