A Lee County resident and retired Auburn police officer recently marked the Fourth of July by reflecting on the military service and sacrifices of several generations of his family. Joe Stroud said his sixth great-grandfather, William Hampton Stroud, and three of his sixth great-uncles served in the South Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War. According to the family account, William Hampton Stroud survived a serious gunshot wound and later returned to the battlefield. Joe Stroud also remembered William Hampton Stroud Jr., who was captured and killed by British forces after gaining a reputation as an effective militia fighter. Other members of the family, including John, Thomas and Hampton Stroud, were wounded in combat. Two were taken prisoner and held aboard a British warship before being released in a prisoner exchange. The family’s military service continued into the next generation. Joe Stroud’s fifth great-grandfather, Yerby Stroud, fought in the War of 1812 as American forces again battled the British. For Joe Stroud, the Fourth of July served as an opportunity to honor those ancestors and reflect on the price they paid for American independence. As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, he said their courage and sacrifice remain a personal reminder of the responsibility to preserve and value the freedoms they helped secure. PHOTO BY ROBERT NOLES | THE OBSERVER
Retired Auburn officer honors family’s Revolutionary War legacy
