- Joseph McDowell, Jr.
Joseph "Quaker Meadows" McDowell, Jr. (1756 –
5 February 1801 ) was an American planter, soldier, and statesman fromNorth Carolina . He was often known as "Quaker Meadows Joe" to distinguish him from his cousin Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, who was also a legislator andAmerican Revolutionary War soldier from North Carolina. The two men are not always clearly distinguished in historical records: both were in the 1780Battle of Kings Mountain , one as a major leading the Burke County militia, and the other in a subordinate role as a captain. Although "Quaker Meadows" Joe is usually hailed as the Major McDowell who was the hero of the battle, some descendants of "Pleasant Gardens Joe" maintained that it was their forebear who led the Burke County militia, a claim which, according to the "Dictionary of American Biography", is contradicted by contemporary evidence.McDowell was born on his family's estate, "Quaker Meadows", in
Burke County, North Carolina . He served in theNorth Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War. He probably commanded militiamen at the Battle of Kings Mountain. He also fought with the militia at theBattle of Cowpens in January 1781.McDowell served in the
5th United States Congress from 1797 to 1799. He is sometimes credited as also having served in the3rd United States Congress (1793–1795), but according to the "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress ", it was his cousin, Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, who served at that time.McDowell died in Burke County. His son
Joseph J. McDowell also served in Congress.References
*"Dictionary of American Biography"
*Purcell, L. Edward. "Who Was Who in the American Revolution". New York: Facts on File, 1993. ISBN 0-8160-2107-4.External links
* [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000423 McDowell's Congressional biography]
* [http://members.tripod.com/leomcdowell/id38.htm "The Great Joseph Controversy"] , about the confusion of the two Joseph McDowells
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