Charles McDowell was born in Winchester, Virginia in about 1743. A resident of Rowan County, he became a captain in the Rowan County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia when the American Revolution broke out. In April 1776 he became a lieutenant colonel and led men on Griffith Rutherford's expedition against the Cherokee later that year. He later served as a colonel in the Burke County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia from 1777-1782, during which time he led men on a second expedition against the Cherokee. He died in Burke County, North Carolina on March 31, 1815.