Southern Campaign American Revolution Bension Statements
Pension application of Samuel Smith S7560 fn18NC
Transcribed by Will Graves 9/5/09
State of North Carolina Granville County
On this 8th day of August A.D. 1833 personally appeared in open court before the Justices of the Court of Pleas and quarter Sessions now sitting for said County and State Samuel Smith a citizen & resident of the same aged about seventy-three years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he was born in the County of Warren in the County of Bute, in North Carolina, but the date of his birth he is unable to state in as much as his memory does not enable him to state the month or year and he has no register of his age. He was born on the East side of the Musk Creek within 6 miles of his present place of Residence and where he has continued to live ever since his first removal.
That he entered the service of the United States during the Revolutionary War as a Private and a substitute in the Infantry. He cannot remember the month, nor is he positive as to the year, but he thinks it was in the year 1778 -- His memory is so treacherous to him, that he cannot remember the name of the man whose place he took as a substitute, but remembers he lived in Warren County and on a Creek called Raintree -- He lived in Warren when he joined his company, that was commanded by Captain Charles Allen, the other company officers he cannot recollect, and he has a recollection of the field officers under whom he served, except that the detachment was commanded by General Thomas Eaton who was a resident of the same County with this declarant. I think the company was organized at Warrenton & marched thence to Wilmington in North Carolina. Our duty was principally to guard that town and the Country round about from the incursions and ravages of the Enemy consisting principally of Tories. Our service was occasionally to march on expeditions in various parts of the country round about that town; but the most of the time we were on duty in the camp in the suburbs of it. The term of 3 months for which we entered the service, having expired we were regularly discharged. I received a discharge, but thinking it of no value I took no care of it, and it has been long since lost or destroyed -- My brother Reuben Smith who was older than myself served as a private with me in the same company, but he died about 9 or 10 years ago. His widow to whom he was then married, still lives and by her I shall be able to prove my service in this tour. If any person with whom I served in this tour the living I know him not and I have made much search & inquiry. There was a private named David Atkins who served with me in this tour, and I had hoped to obtain the benefit of his Testimony, but having sent to inquire of him, I heard a short time past, that he is dead.
The second tour in which this declarant entered was in the Infantry. He had at this time married and removed to his place of present residence in Granville County. The company was raised by Draft, and he took the place and as a substitute for William Dodson who had been drafted. The tour was for five months as he is informed, for in truth this declarant had little recollection of these matters that he was unable to remember the length of the Tour and had thought it was for three months the usual tour of Military Service in the Militia -- But the men had to march near or quite four hundred miles to the scene of duty and the ordinary length of service for which the militia who were called into service would have left but a very short time for them to be engage in active operations before they would have been sent home and discharged -- and he supposes this to have been the principal reason for increasing the tour took five months service. He however joined his company at Oxford and it was then marched to Hillsboro -- I have not The company to which this Declarant was attached was commanded by, he thinks, a Captain Hopkins, He thinks a Colonel Lytle & Colonel Greene also had command in the detachment But he distinctly recalls that General Thomas Eaton, who commanded him in the first tour, was also in command in the [Tour]. He was well acquainted with General Eaton. The other Company officers he cannot recollect. From Hillsboro we were marched to the South to join the American Army under General Lincoln. We were marched through Salisbury in North Carolina to South Carolina and through many little towns in that State the names of which he cannot recollect and joined the American Army then stationed there for Augusta on the Savannah River. He cannot distinctly recollect whether this was before Christmas 1778 or in January 1779 but rather thinks the latter. While before Augusta he does not recollect at this time of any remarkable occurrence in which he was engaged. He thinks it was not long after his arrival there before the British evacuated that town and marched down the Country towards Savannah. Our Army followed after it, and I was of the detachment that was commanded by Generals Ashe and Bryant who were sent to take post at Briar Creek. Here we arrived he thinks the last of February and were not there stationed but a few days (less than a week he thinks) before the fatal and ever to be regretted attack on us by the British, and our entire defeat and dispersion. This declarant with eight others after skulking about and under the banks of Brier Creek, effected our Escape to Savannah River, across which River we obtained a conveyance by paying three dollars a piece to a Boatman --We soon joined the American Army under Lincoln, but how long before, or at what place he cannot now remember. He has no recollection of any other occurrence of note that took place while he continued in service and this Tour. But he remained on duty until his full term of service had been fully completed and was then discharged in South Carolina. I think I had a discharge, and that, like the one for my first tour, has been lost or mislaid. He believes his Brother's widow before mentioned, will be able to prove that he marched to the southward and his return after the expiration of the term of service.
He has lately had a conversation with Shadrach Owens1
Upon reconsideration he states that he thinks the name of the man from whom he served as a substitute in his first tour was Foot and thinks his Christian name was William. He has in the previous part of this declaration stated that David Atkins served with him in his first tour. This is a mistake -- it was in the second tour that Atkins served with him said Atkins I think, and John Fain [could by John Fair] and Jack Long I remember were soldiers in the last Tour, were in the battle of Briar Creek, escaped with him & four others from the Battle, and these three & who tells this declarant that he was a soldier in the Battle of Briar Creek, but he has no recollection of seeing said Owens in service. He thinks Mr. Owens will be able to state facts that may be of service in establishing his claim.
State of North Carolina Granville County
On this 8th day of August A.D. 1833 personally appeared in open court before the Justices of the Court of Pleas and quarter Sessions now sitting for said County and State Samuel Smith a citizen & resident of the same aged about seventy-three years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he was born in the County of Warren in the County of Bute, in North Carolina, but the date of his birth he is unable to state in as much as his memory does not enable him to state the month or year and he has no register of his age. He was born on the East side of the Musk Creek within 6 miles of his present place of Residence and where he has continued to live ever since his first removal.
That he entered the service of the United States during the Revolutionary War as a Private and a substitute in the Infantry. He cannot remember the month, nor is he positive as to the year, but he thinks it was in the year 1778 -- His memory is so treacherous to him, that he cannot remember the name of the man whose place he took as a substitute, but remembers he lived in Warren County and on a Creek called Raintree -- He lived in Warren when he joined his company, that was commanded by Captain Charles Allen, the other company officers he cannot recollect, and he has a recollection of the field officers under whom he served, except that the detachment was commanded by General Thomas Eaton who was a resident of the same County with this declarant. I think the company was organized at Warrenton & marched thence to Wilmington in North Carolina. Our duty was principally to guard that town and the Country round about from the incursions and ravages of the Enemy consisting principally of Tories. Our service was occasionally to march on expeditions in various parts of the country round about that town; but the most of the time we were on duty in the camp in the suburbs of it. The term of 3 months for which we entered the service, having expired we were regularly discharged. I received a discharge, but thinking it of no value I took no care of it, and it has been long since lost or destroyed -- My brother Reuben Smith who was older than myself served as a private with me in the same company, but he died about 9 or 10 years ago. His widow to whom he was then married, still lives and by her I shall be able to prove my service in this tour. If any person with whom I served in this tour the living I know him not and I have made much search & inquiry. There was a private named David Atkins who served with me in this tour, and I had hoped to obtain the benefit of his Testimony, but having sent to inquire of him, I heard a short time past, that he is dead.
The second tour in which this declarant entered was in the Infantry. He had at this time married and removed to his place of present residence in Granville County. The company was raised by Draft, and he took the place and as a substitute for William Dodson who had been drafted. The tour was for five months as he is informed, for in truth this declarant had little recollection of these matters that he was unable to remember the length of the Tour and had thought it was for three months the usual tour of Military Service in the Militia -- But the men had to march near or quite four hundred miles to the scene of duty and the ordinary length of service for which the militia who were called into service would have left but a very short time for them to be engage in active operations before they would have been sent home and discharged -- and he supposes this to have been the principal reason for increasing the tour took five months service. He however joined his company at Oxford and it was then marched to Hillsboro -- I have not The company to which this Declarant was attached was commanded by, he thinks, a Captain Hopkins, He thinks a Colonel Lytle & Colonel Greene also had command in the detachment But he distinctly recalls that General Thomas Eaton, who commanded him in the first tour, was also in command in the [Tour]. He was well acquainted with General Eaton. The other Company officers he cannot recollect. From Hillsboro we were marched to the South to join the American Army under General Lincoln. We were marched through Salisbury in North Carolina to South Carolina and through many little towns in that State the names of which he cannot recollect and joined the American Army then stationed there for Augusta on the Savannah River. He cannot distinctly recollect whether this was before Christmas 1778 or in January 1779 but rather thinks the latter. While before Augusta he does not recollect at this time of any remarkable occurrence in which he was engaged. He thinks it was not long after his arrival there before the British evacuated that town and marched down the Country towards Savannah. Our Army followed after it, and I was of the detachment that was commanded by Generals Ashe and Bryant who were sent to take post at Briar Creek. Here we arrived he thinks the last of February and were not there stationed but a few days (less than a week he thinks) before the fatal and ever to be regretted attack on us by the British, and our entire defeat and dispersion. This declarant with eight others after skulking about and under the banks of Brier Creek, effected our Escape to Savannah River, across which River we obtained a conveyance by paying three dollars a piece to a Boatman --We soon joined the American Army under Lincoln, but how long before, or at what place he cannot now remember. He has no recollection of any other occurrence of note that took place while he continued in service and this Tour. But he remained on duty until his full term of service had been fully completed and was then discharged in South Carolina. I think I had a discharge, and that, like the one for my first tour, has been lost or mislaid. He believes his Brother's widow before mentioned, will be able to prove that he marched to the southward and his return after the expiration of the term of service.
He has lately had a conversation with Shadrach Owens1
Upon reconsideration he states that he thinks the name of the man from whom he served as a substitute in his first tour was Foot and thinks his Christian name was William. He has in the previous part of this declaration stated that David Atkins served with him in his first tour. This is a mistake -- it was in the second tour that Atkins served with him said Atkins I think, and John Fain [could by John Fair] and Jack Long I remember were soldiers in the last Tour, were in the battle of Briar Creek, escaped with him & four others from the Battle, and these three & who tells this declarant that he was a soldier in the Battle of Briar Creek, but he has no recollection of seeing said Owens in service. He thinks Mr. Owens will be able to state facts that may be of service in establishing his claim.

Transcribed by Will Graves 9/5/09
[Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Also, the handwriting of the original scribes often lends itself to varying interpretations. Users of this database are urged to view the original and to make their own decision as to how to decipher what the original scribe actually wrote. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. Folks are free to make non-commercial use this transcript in any manner they may see fit, but please extend the courtesy of acknowledging the transcriber—besides, if it turns out the transcript contains mistakes, the resulting embarrassment will fall on the transcriber.]