Revolutionary Soldier Honored
at a Recent Service
By Shauna S. M. Bauer
 

Revolutionary War Patriot Private

Zachariah Landrum was honored at a recent service with a grave marking by the PineyWoods Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution. The dedication service was conducted at the Landrum Springer Cemetery south of Montgomery. Representatives from numerous patriotic organizations, Landrum descendants, and others with old ties to the Landrum family were present at the service. Members of the Texas Society, Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard, dressed in period uniforms and attire, marched into place accompanied by fife and drum music to present the colors. With the colors in place, PineyWoods member Don Lemon led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.

Following the opening ceremony, PineyWoods member Kim Morton presented the biography of Zachariah Landrum -a true American hero. Zachariah was born in 1766 in Warren Co., GA. He felt duty-bound to fight for the expulsion of the British from Georgia, serving as a Private in the Revolutionary War. He was the third generation of Landrums fighting in the American Revolution. His father, Samuel, fought in South Carolina, while his grand-father, Thomas Sr, of Amherst, fought in the Virginia Continental State Line. Zachariah stayed in GA for a while and around 1795 married Letitia Tyne (b. 1776 in South Carolina; d. 1846). They had five children: Sarah (born 1798 in Georgia --married Jeremiah Worsham); Catherine; John (born 1801 in Georgia --married Martha Curry and Mary Wells); William (born 1804 in Tennessee --married Nancy Gilmore); and Elizabeth (born 1810 in Alabama --married John May Springer).

Zachariah had moved to MS by 1803 and by 1819 was found in AL. In 1829 he started for Texas with a caravan of settlers, his two sons, and a daughter along with their families. Zachariah literally drove the first full-blooded Durham cattle to Coahuila and Texas. The caravan initially stopped at the Nacogdoches Old Stone Fort for protection from the Indians. Texas was under Mexican rule at the time, and Zachariah and his two sons petitioned the Mexican government for land grants. In 1831 the three Landrum men were each granted in excess of 4,000 acres each. Zachariah's League was granted on "Bedie Creek" near Iron Mound League, and near the "Town Creek" trading post.

The Landrums prospered in Texas, becoming leading citizens of the new republic. Zachariah's sons and sons-in-laws fought against the Mexicans in Texas' fight for Independence from Mexico. 

At the age of 67, Zachariah became ill. He became so weak that he signed his will with an "x." He died on 19 Jul 1833 in what was then still Spanish America, and his earthly estate was disposed of by his will on 1 July, 1839. Zachariah was buried on his League, near his home two miles South of Town Creek Trading Post and one mile West on a scrub-treed hill called the "Landrum Springer Cemetery."

PineyWoods President Jim Jones read the dedication statement and TXSSAR Color guard Southern Commander, Colonel Tom Green, escorted PineyWoods member Bob McKenna and Mrs. Narcissa Boulware to the tombstone. Mrs. Boulware, the senior descendant of Zachariah present at the ceremony, placed a wreath at the grave.

Bob McKenna then unveiled a distinctive bronze marker which depicts the familiar Continental soldier with his musket, ready to defend his country. The marker consists of four arms and eight points, each point being decorated with a gold head. The source of the cross is the ancient chivalric Order of St. Louis. The cross is connected with a circular laurel wreath, a Napoleonic symbol recognizing faithful service and merit. The year 1775 is inscribed at the base -the year the "shot heard round the world" was fired at Lexington Green, Massachusetts.

PineyWoods President Jim Jones spoke briefly on the sacrifices made by men like Zachariah Landrum, the price of freedom, and the meaning of the elements of the ceremony.  President elect Dr. Jim Heath spoke briefly on the role of the SAR in remembering our patriots, the importance of remembering our history, and some of the other programs of the Society.

A three-round black powder gun salute was fired by TXSSAR Color Guardsmen Carl Hill, Tom Houston, and Jim Raines to honor Patriot Landrum whose voice has long been silent. Josey M. Johnson III, of Bugles Across America, then sounded Taps. The ceremony ended with the retirement of the colors by the TXSSAR Color Guard and a closing prayer by PineyWoods member Cannon Pritchard.

Some 228 years have passed since the Revolutionary War Patriots were successful in their fight for independence from Great Britain. The Sons of the American Revolution has an ongoing program to locate and mark the final resting place of those who participated in the struggle for freedom. Any information which will assist in this program or inquiries about membership in the Sons of the American Revolution should be directed to Bob McKenna at 281-361-5458 or email robertmc@sprynet.com.

Reprint from Montgomery County News