Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris [Punctuation partly corrected.]
State of Indianana Marion County Ss
On this 14 day of November A.D. 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the honorable John C Neuman, Judge of the Marion Pobate[?] Court now sitting, Edward Hall a resident of the said County of Marion and State of Indiana, aged seventy three years [sic: later said to have been born in May 1761], 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 7, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States, during the revolutionary war, and served as herein stated: That early in the spring of 1776 the said Hall being then about 15 or 16 years of age, and resident of Greenbriar County [sic: Greenbrier County, formed in 1778 from Botetourt and Montgomery counties] in the state of Virginia, was stationed with seven or eight families at fort Jarret [probably then in Botetourt County], that there were in said families about 40 or 50 persons in all, that this applicant was fifteen or sixteen years of age in the month of May of said year, and although he did not belong to any organized Company, he was that summer constantly engaged as a soldier in guarding the fort and fields while the families were employed in the vicinity of the fort in cultivating their farms. That so soon as winter broke in 1777 he volunteered into a company of rangers commanded by Capt John Vanbiber [probably John Vanbeaver of Augusta County] of the Virginia Militia, of which company one James Graham was Lieutenant and John Hall was Ensign, the names of the inferior officers of his Company are not now recollected, but his company belonged to a Regt. commanded by Col. Donally of which Samuel Brown was Lieut Col. and Andrew Hamilton was Major. That the company to which this applicant belonged, like minute men, held themselves in constant readiness to march to repell invasions whenever called upon, their duty to be performed depending more upon sudden and unexpected calls from different settlements in the vicinity of the fort and upon the danger in which the frontier inhabitants considered themselves from Indian tribes inhabiting the teritory North west of the Ohio River than upon any organized system of Military operations. That in the Neighbourhood of fort Jarret and within 12 miles of the same there were three or four other forts all on the waters of Greenbriar river, and the forces to guard these forts being few in number and not well armed, Capt. Campbell of Bedford County came out to their relief, and distributed his men being about 40 in number among the aforesaid forts, of whom 10 or 12 were left at fort Jarret under the command of Lieut Abraham Sharp, these men being unacquainted with the country did not perform ranging duty, but remained as a guard at the fort while this applicant and his companions were almost constantly engaged in active service from early in the spring untill late in the Fall. That during the summer of 1777 this applicant in compay with a party of 8 or or ten other men from Ft. Jarret party was called to assist in the defence of fort Graham which had been attacked in which attack 3 of the family of Capt Graham had been killed and one taken prisoner. During this season the many Indian signs, and alarms which were discovered, and took place, while this applicant was acting as a spy and ranger kept the frontier settlements in constant commotion, but by the unremitting vigilance of the rangers the enemy were held in check and prevented from doing any mischief otherwise than as above stated, during the aforesaid season.
This applicant states that he was actively employed in military service, either as a ranger or as a guard in the fort from early in spring until late in the fall, making at least 8 months, his duty was extremely laborious, and in consequence of the intense heat of the summer the men suffered much while on duty. During the ensuing winter the ranging service almost entirly ceased and the frontier settlements considered themselves safe, it being contrary to the mode of Indian warfare to venture far from their own quarters to carry on hostilities in time of winter, this being the case capt. Campbell returned with his men to Bedford County where they were disbanded. That in the spring of 1778 he again volunteered and entered the service as spy and ranger under the captain aforesaid, and allarms being frequent and assistance often called for at different points on the waters of Greenbriar river during the summer of this year, this applicant was kept in continued service, and was called, among other tours performed, to the relief of Donley’s fort, about 15 miles from Jarret’s fort, the former having been attacked by a party of Northern Indians [sic: Fort Donnally near present Frankford WV, attacked by Shawnees on 29 May 1778].
This Applicant in company with about 10 other men belonging to the Ft. Jarret party arived at Donley’s fort about 2 days after the attack, the Indians had killed but one man, that soon after his party arrived, there were assembled nearly 200 men from the Country and different forts, with whom he joined and pursued the Indians about 20 miles to Suell Mountain [sic: Sewell Mountain in present Fayette County], on the waters of New river, and on ariving at that place , not having discovered the Indians they were marched back to the forts; Who was the commander of this expedition he does not now recollect, but believes it was Colonel Brown. After the return from the aforesaid expedition the said Hall was kept in active service during the fall, and until winter set in and ended the probability of further invasion for that year. During this season there were no troops brought from the older settlements to the relief of the frontiers, & the time this year spent in the service was about Eight months. Alarms were this year frequent and the service laborious. Hostilities again ceased until the spring 1779 when he again volunteered under Captain James Graham who had been advanced from the rank of Lieut. to that of Capt. and was engaged as a ranger and spy and continued in such service during the two former years. In addition to the duties he performed in the fort in 1776 he was in actual service in 1777 – 78 & 79 at last 24 months.
In answer to the interogatories required to be propounded by the aforesaid Court, the said applicant says that he was born in May in the year 1761 that he has in his family a record of his age. For his place of residence when he entered the service and for the manner in which he entered the same he refers to the preceeding part of this declaration. That since the revolutionary war he has resided in the State of Kentucky until within a few years past, when he removed to this County where he now resides. He has no dockumentary evidence of his service, and he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to the same or who has knowledge thereof, except the brother whose affidavit is hereunto annexed; and another brother who now resides in Fayette County in the State of Kentuckey & who is extremly old and infirm, & perhaps through infirmity incapable of testifying to the facts; but he has been many years acquainted with Mr. John R Morland, a Clergyman & Harvey Gregg Esqr, both residents of the Town of Indianapolis in the said County of Marion who have during their acquaintance with this Applicant recognized him as a soldier of the revolution. He hereby relinquishes all claim to any pension or annuity except the present, & declars that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any state or teritory. [signed] Edward Hall
The Deposition of Aaron Hall aged sixty six years of the County of putnam and State of Indiana being Duly sworn Deposeth and saith that Edward Hall of the County of marian and state aforesaid was in parts of the years of 1777 – 1778 & 1779 (and how much Longer I do not at this late day recolect) was a private soldier and was stationed on the fruntier of Greenbriar County State of Virginia as a Guard and a Rainger of said fruntier at the forts and stations in that Quarter under the Command of John Vanbiber Captain of the milisha Company to which he belonged against the Hostile Indians for the space of two
years in which time the said Captain held his Company in Compleat Readiness to guard and Rainge on said fruntier and that the said Edward Hall was at that time young and active and was call’d on Every Emergincy During the abuve mentioned time – and further this deponant saith not
[signed 22 Aug 1834] Aaron Hall
