Pension application of James Sevier S45889 f13NC
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 8/16/09 &11/8/16
State of Tennessee, Washington County
On this 11th day of September 1832 personally appeared in open court before Samuel Powell one of the Judges of the Circuit Court now sitting, James Sevier, a resident of Washington County & State aforesaid aged Sixty eight 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 entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and
served as herein stated: that he served in the Regiment of his father, Colonel John Sevier; was a volunteer soldier in the company of my uncle, Robert Sevier, in that memorable campaign in the
year 1780 against Col Ferguson [Patrick Ferguson] who commanded a party of British and the
Tories at Kings Mountain [October 7, 1780].1
That the declarant fought at the battle of Kings Mountain; that his uncle, Captain Robert Sevier, was mortally wounded in that battle and died in a few days. Col William Campbell of Virginia was in the battle. Col Benjamin Cleveland was in the battle and Col Isaac Shelby who was appointed secretary of war during the last war with the British, was also in the battle of Kings Mountain. This declarant was personally and well
acquainted with Col Shelby. [Declarant] went into the Army in September 1780 and left the Army the last of October or first of November. The time not so well recollected but thinks he was in the service about six weeks.
This declarant states immediately after they returned of the men from Kings Mountain they were called out against the Cherokee Indians who were at open war with the United States at that time. We collected at a place called the Swan Ponds in Greene County. Col John Sevier
commanded, the Majors were Jesse Walton & Jonathan Tipton. This declarant was in the company of Captain Landon Carter; we left home as well as I now recollect in the last of November. We met the Indians in force on the south side of French Broad River on a Creek called Boyd's Creek2 and had a pretty severe engagement with them in which we were successful. As well as I can recollect, we must have been more than two months on the foregoing
tour.
This declarant states at shortly after the battle that General Greene [Nathanael Greene] had with the British at the Eutaw Springs [September 8, 1781] South Carolina there was a request made for men from this side of the mountain who were to serve for three months after they joined Genl Greene. My father, Colonel John Sevier, & Lieutenant Colonel Charles Robertson commanded the Washington troops. The Majors were Valentines Sevier and Jonathan Tipton. We commenced our march for the South in the month of September 1781, but the day of the month I do not recollect. On all march we passed through Morganton North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina through Genl Gates' battleground [Battle of Camden] & the town of Camden in South Carolina to the high hills of Santee [River] where Genl Greene was encamped recruiting his men after the battle of Eutaw Springs. We were sent on from the high hills to join Genl Marion [Francis Marion] in the Swamps of Santee which with Genl Marion this declarant states that he was one of a party that took a British out post below Moncks Corner South Carolina consisting of about 100 men. They had fortified round a large brick tenement belonging to a Mr. Colleton as well as he recollects.3
The officers commanding the party were Cols Sevier, Mayham [sic, Hezekiah Maham], Oree [sic, Horry] of Horse & Major Valentine Sevier. We made some attempt to take more of the out posts but found them all evacuated I suppose called in by the Commander in Chief. After staying the time we were called out for, the men were anxious to get home, although Genl Marion had a great desire that the men would remain a few weeks longer. My father and Capt Carter and most of his company with some others did stay for some considerable time longer and were then discharged. This declarant believes he was upwards of four months from home on that tour.
This declarant further states that shortly after his return from South Carolina, he thinks in
the month of February 1782, there was an alarm about Indians and a call for men. This declarant
states that himself and an older brother that had returned from Virginia that fall equipped
themselves as volunteers and went about fifty miles to the place of rendezvous on Holston River.
That shortly after they got there and before many men had collected, the weather became extremely cold and a deep snow fell so that it was thought the Indians would not disturb the
frontier inhabitants at that time and that it would be the most advisable to break up and return
home and we did so. Who was the officers that ordered out the man at that time, I do not
recollect unless it was Col Charles Robertson as my father and Capt Carter had not returned at
that time from South Carolina. My brother and myself joined no company at that time and I
think we were not more than two weeks from home.
This declarant states that through the summer of 1782 the lower Cherokees living near
the Lookout Mountain and on Coosa River were very troublesome. As soon as their crops were
matured, my father, Colonel Sevier, raised an army of men; set out the last of August or first of September and went and destroyed all the lower towns on the waters of Tennessee [River], two towns on Coosa River, one called esternola [?], the other was then called Spring Frogs town,[&]
two villages on the waters of Coosa. On this campaign we had no fighting. The body of the Indians kept out of our way. We took some seven or eight warring prisoners with a number of
women and children. After remaining some length of time in the Nation and having destroyed
everything that came within our grasp on which they could support [themselves], an Indian
countryman by the name of Rodgers came in with a flag for peace. The Indians were requested
if they wanted peace to go up to old Chota Town on Tennessee River and there a peace talk would be held with them. They did so, a peace was made and the prisoners restored to their friends. Major Valentines Sevier was all the Major that was out at that time as I believe. This declarant states that he served in Captain Alexander Moore's company. There was Capt Samuel Ware [?] and Capt Robert Beane who also had companies. The other Captain's names I have forgotten. I believe we must have been upwards of two months on that campaign.
This declarant further states that in the month of August 1780, a campaign was ordered
against the Middle Settlement Indians. The place of meeting was beyond the limits of the
settlement on a Creek called Indian Creek. That he was one of the men that met to go on said
tour. While at the place appointed to meet and waiting for others to collect, a man by the name of Hill went into the mountains to hunt and was shot at by an Indian before he discovered him but being missed and seeing the Indian, he fired at him and killed him. This circumstance occasioned a mutiny amongst the men. They were afraid their families would be killed in their absence and broke for home and the campaign fell through. I mention the foregoing circumstance to show that I was called out to go on campaign that fell through. My father was to command: there was no Major that I recollect. I was in Capt Thomas Price's [?] company as well as I now recollect. I believe we were not more than 10 days out -- or two weeks -- from home.
This declarant further states that early in the summer 1781, the frontier inhabitants became much alarmed about Indians. My father who was Col of the County ordered out a company of Rangers or what was then called a scouting party. This declarant states that he was one of the party that went out and that James Hubbard was there Captain as well as he recollects at this time. That they were out about two weeks.
This declarant states that he never was in the regular service but the militia when called
into service.
Interrogatories by the court:
1st: When and in what year were you born?
Answer: I was born in the year 1764 in the State of
Virginia.
2nd Have you any record of you age and if so, where is it? Answer: I have it in my own house
taken from my father's family register.
3rd Where were you living when called into service? Where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live? Answer: In the same County I now live in (to wit: Washington County, then North Carolina, now Tennessee).
4th How were you called into service; were you drafted; did you volunteer, or were you a
substitute and if so for whom did you substitute? Answer: four times out of six I was a
volunteer; twice I was a substitute, once for a man by the name of Chamberlain; the other by the
name of Coulter.
5th State the names of some of the Regular Officers who were with the troops where you served,
such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of
your service.
Answer: This declarant states that there never was any regular troops with the
militia where he was in service except when with General Marion, Colonel Mayham and Colonel
Oree [sic, Horry] commanded troops of horse uniformed, which I suppose were South Carolina
State Troops. I knew Colonel Richard Campbell of the regular line who was killed in the battle
of the Eutaw Springs—he was my uncle. As to the militia officers with whom I was acquainted
and served during the war of the revolution, I have given all their names with every other general circumstance of my service in the foregoing part of the declaration as well as I can now recollect (and my recollection is still very good).
6th Did you ever receive a discharge from the service; and if so by whom was it given; and what
has become of it?
Answer: I never had any written discharge. When the campaign was over, the
Captains with their company were discharged by the commanding officer by oral declaration.
This declarant states that he has no documentary evidence whereby to prove his services that he knows of. No person now living but one (if that one should be alive) that served all the
campaigns with myself, he has removed from this country to the west upwards of 25 years
passed, is old & infirmed and could not be got here without considerable inconvenience.
7th State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who
can testify to your character for veracity and good behavior and your services as a Soldier of the Revolution.
Answer: This declarant states that he is acquainted with Colonel Jacob Brown,
Major Samuel Hunt & John Kennedy Esq. Attorney at Law & I also refer you to the Honorable
Joseph Anderson, Controller of the Treasury, with whom I am personally acquainted. This
declarant states that the foregoing declaration is in detail true as best as he can recollect upwards of 50 years having gone by; he may have forgotten some things but in the general he thinks it contains all the material circumstances of his services. The declarant states that his whole term of actual service taken in the aggregate must have been about 12 months, it might have been a little more or some less, he cannot be positive. We were always mounted rifle men finding our
own horse and ammunition and provisions in many instances.
I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and
declare that my name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.
Sworn to & subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
S/Jas Sevier
[John C. Harris, a clergyman, and Jacob Brown gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
State of Tennessee Washington County: I Jacob Brown4 late a Colonel in said County and a
Soldier of the revolution, maketh oath that he is well acquainted with James Sevier who has
sworn to and subscribed the foregoing declaration, that my first acquaintance with him was at the battle of Kings Mountain, that I afterwards served two campaigns against the Indians with him one in 1780, 81 & the other in 1782 -- that I have no doubt of his being a soldier of the
revolution.
Sworn to and subscribed in Open Court the 11th of September 1832
Test: S/ Jas. V. Anderson, Clerk
S/ Jacob Brown
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $33.33 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for
service as a private for 10 months in the North Carolina militia.]
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1https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/revolution_battle_of_kings_mountain.html
2December 16, 1780 http://www.tngenweb.org/revwar/boydscreek.html
3Declarant appears to be describing the skirmish at Fair Lawn, South Carolina, which occurred on November 17,
1781. See, Patrick O'Kelley, Nothing but Blood and Slaughter: The Revolutionary War in the Carolinas, Volume
Three: 1781, (N. p.: Booklocker.com, Inc., 2005) 391-394
4Jacob Brown W333
http://revwarapps.org/s45889.pdf
