Pension Application of Benjamin Briggs S30889
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Kentucky Lincoln }
County Sct }
On this 22 Day of April 1833 personally appeared in open Court before nd the County Court of Lincoln County now sitting Benjamin Briggs 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 He states that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as hereinafter stated
That he enlisted as a volunteer in the Virginia Militia in the month of January 1778 under the command of Capt Benjamin Logan, he does not recollect the name of the Lieutenant, Azariah Doty was Orderly Sergeant, he was in the infantry, that he enlisted for the Term of Two years and performed duty during that time in and about Logans Fort, then situated upon the southern frontier of Virginia, now a part of the State of Kentucky in Lincoln County [about 1 mi W of present Stanford Courthouse], that he regularly drew his rations of powder & ammunition & provisions during that period as a soldier, that the Shawnee & other Indians were verry troublesome, frequently breaking in upon the the frontier settlers & massacreing the inhabitants, he states that he was in no regular Battle but that the fort was often beleagured by the indians and Garrisons confined to the Fort for weeks at a time. that he also performed the Duty of a scout or spy ranging upon the southern frontiers of the state of Virginia to give information of any sudden inroads of the Indians. there was no officer of a higher grade than Benjamin Logan who was Captain Daniel Trabue [pension application S14727] was assistant Commissary. all the above named officers was commissioned by the governor of Virginia. he served his above term or tour of two years & was verbally discharged by his Capt Benjamin Logan at Logans fort
That in the year 1781 in the month of April he again entered the service as a draft and served a tour of one month at Samuel Briggs Station in Lincoln County, under the command of Capt Robert Barnett William Casey was Lieutenant, Benjamin Logan was Col & John Logan was Lieutenant Colonel, and after guarding the said station for one month was verbally discharged there by Capt Robert Barnett –
That in the year 1782 in the month of May he was ordered by Benjamin Logan the Col of Lincoln County to Estills fort [Estill’s Station, 3 mi SE of present Richmond in Madison County KY] to which place he was marched and placed under the command of Capt John Woods he does not recollect the name of the other officers the Country had been thrown into great alarm by the defeat of Capt Estill [James Estill, killed March 1782], John Woods commanded commanded at Estills Fort after Estills Defeat That in the month of August 1782 he again enlisted as a volunteer under Col Benjamin Logan to repel an invasion of the Shawnee Indians, that the Militia of the Country was called out, en masse and there was no organization of the Militia into companies as the Indians had defeated Cols Tod & Trigg before they arrived at the scene of the action [John Todd and Stephen Trigg, Battle of Blue Licks, 19 Aug 1782] & left the country they went on & buried the Dead he served a tour of one month & was verbally discharged by Col Benjamin Logan
That in the month of September 1782 he again entered the service as a Draft under the command of Capt Robert Barnett. William Casey was Lieutenant, John Logan was Colonel & Benjamin Logan was the general & marched from Lincoln County to the mouth of Licking River where they were joined by Genl George R Clarke [sic: George Rogers Clark] with some regular troops & other Militia Genl Clarke assumed the command and they marched up the Miami River as far as the Pickaway Towns, which was taken after a Battle with the indians [Piqua, Standing Stone, and others, 10 Nov 1782] & he served a Tour of Two months, and was verbally discharged at the mouth of Licking River by Capt Robert Barnett
That in the month of November he thinks 1782 he again entered the service as a volunteer militiaman under Capt John Woods John Logan was the Col Benjamin Logan was Genl – he does not recollect the other officers. for the purpose of guarding the Emigrants to the western country through the wilderness into the interior of Kentucky which was very much infested by the Indians he served a Tour of one month & was verbally discharged by Capt John Woods
That he was born on the 3 Day of April 1765 in Augusta County State of Virginia, that on Christmas Eve 1777 he moved to Lincoln County in the then district of Kentucky, where he has resided ever since, his father had a record of his age in his family Bible. he does not know what has become of it.
That in the time of his services he performed his duties in and about the Forts in the district of Kentucky & scouting & spying from one Fort to another & up the Kentucky river, at the Blue Licks & Louisville & as far as the Pickaway Town on the Miami River. that he has served in the whole the period of Twenty nine months He states that he has no written or documentary evidence of his services but can prove the same by Daniel Trabue of Adair Count Kentucky & Abraham Estes [W7119] & James P Barnett [S12963]
of Lincoln County Ky
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the agency roll of the state
Sworn & subscribed to the Day & year aforesaid [signed] B Briggs
NOTE: Letters dated 19 May 1836 and 11 Jan 1837 indicate that a resolution had been introduced in the US House of Representatives for the purpose of restoring Briggs to the pension roll. A letter to the Pension Office dated 26 Apr 1850 requests the restoration of Briggs’s pension, which had been suspended for several years because the service was merely for neighborhood defense.
