Dick Pointer

Dick Pointer (before 1778 – 1827) was an American frontier hero and an enslaved African. He is best known for his bravery in the defence of Fort Donnally, in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, from a Shawnee attack in 1778. During the attack, he used a rifle to secure the front door against attackers. Some years later, Pointer spoke before the Virginia General Assembly, requesting his freedom in consideration for his act of bravery; he was emancipated in 1801. He died in 1827.