Pension application of Daniel Bender W889 Ferriba fn36NC
Transcribed by Will Graves 8/25/10
[fn p. 9]
State of Tennessee Sumner County: On this 20th day of November A.D. 1832 personally
appeared before me William Cantrell an acting Justice of the peace duly commissioned and qualified as such of the County of Sumner aforesaid and State of Tennessee Daniel Bender a resident of the County and State aforesaid aged eighty-four the 12th day of December next having frequently seen a record of his age in the State of North Carolina not having any record of his age in his own possession, 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 7th of June last. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
Answer to 1st interrogatory – I was born in the State of North Carolina Onslow County upon the 12th of December 1748 –
2nd Interrogatory is answered above –
3rd Interrogatory. I lived in Onslow County North Carolina when called into service – and resided there till the year 1818 – & then moved to the County of Sumner Tennessee and have resided here ever since – 4th & 5th Interrogatories are answered as follows – I volunteered my services in a light infantry Company for the term of nine months – in the County of Onslow – under Captain John King either in the month of October or November 1778 my company was attached to Major General Ashs [sic, John Ashe's] Army Brigadier General Bryant likewise commanded in the Army – I knew all of them well – we marched immediately from Onslow to Elizabeth Town. This was the point of rendezvous & [indecipherable word, looks like "nailed"] till all the Companies of the adjacent Counties marched up from there and marched through South Carolina to Charleston our General in Chief Ash understanding that the enemy were leaving Savannah & marching on the Georgia side of the river for Augusta and we took up the line of march for Augusta – When General Ash arrived he found the enemy had taken possession of Augusta we lay there about one week the Armies on each side of the river – about 10 o'clock one day the enemy decamped & marched down the River we crossed the River and lay in their encampment. The day afterward we took up to march down the River in pursuit to the mouth of Bryer Creek [sic, Brier Creek]. The enemy crossed the Bridge upon the Creek and destroyed it – my Captain King was ordered to procure timber to rebuild the Bridge which we procured – we lay there about one week understanding the enemy lay about twenty miles below us. The enemy marched up on the South side of the Creek and crossed about fifteen miles above us and marched down on us and a firing ensued between the picket guards which brought on the action tho much to our disadvantage we having placed our ammunition in our wagons at Augusta, and it produced great confusion in the hurry of the battle to draw our cartridges – so soon as we procured our cartridges we came into line four deep and marched up to meet the enemy. General Ash commanded the line to be formed tho done badly in great confusion. We the light infantry rode 40 or 50 yards in front of the mainline and the enemy's line was extended from Bryer Creek to Savannah River swamp. The firing continued the Americans advancing slowly – till they halted and the enemies artillery was brought to bear upon the Americans & through us into confusion and our tine [sic, line] was broke. The regulars under General Elbert who commanded on the left – maintained their position with one field piece a nine pounder who kept up a fire upon the enemy till the militia fled except a small squad in that number Himself and Thomas Tompson was the only two horsemen that remained we retreated across the Savannah River and reached the Highlands on the other side where General Ash was collecting his Army together – we remained there for some time – I suppose that three or four hundred of the Americans were killed – We marched down the River till we came to Tiblyes ferry [sic, Tubley's ferry?] and went into Camp and lay there for some time not recollected precisely. The enemy marched down on the other side of the River and lay for some time. Then I received orders from General Ash to become the bearer of some dispatches – which I carried – to wit -- one [word obliterated] Alston South Carolina—one [to] his family in Wilmington, NC— one to Gov. Caswell, [in] Kingston [sic, Kinston] North Carolina all of which he bore – His term of nine months was near about expiring he inquired of the General if he should return to the Army, he [Ashe] sd [said] ["]not[" to return] as his time of service would [sic] about expired by the time he could discharge the duty assigned him. We were ordered to meet at Sands ferry New River to get our pay, we done so – and were paid by William Blount-- how much he does not recollect & he does not know whether [he] got a written discharge or not – he thinks it was only a verbal If he did he has lost it –
After this service he returned home & remained till the fall of the year 1779 – in October or November of that year in said County I volunteered for a Term of three months in the light Infantry – and we rendezvoused at Mrs. Simmons in County & from thence we moved to Mores Hill in said County – & there remained till the officers met Major General Lenington [sic, Lillington] and Brigadier General Kinion [sic, Kenan?] by whom he was presented with a captains commission in the light Infantry – Colonel Grant desired my acceptance of said commission which he did accept and on the same day returned home and raised by volunteers a company of Light Infantry for the Term of three months – I paraded my Company and came to headquarters ten miles from Wilmington on the North East fork of Cape Fear [River]. General Lenington was our commander in chief [several indecipherable words] officers. The enemy had taken Wilmington & were lying there commanded [by] Major Craig – we for some considerable time were engaged in reconnoitering round Wilmington with a view of keeping the enemy in that place. Colonel Brown with one hundred men marched the men crossed and brought on a skirmish there were several killed upon each side Colonel Brown was wounded by a ball through the arm a flesh wound – Charles Grisham shot one of the enemy from his horse and brought the horse to headquarters – we made our headquarters at the house of Rouse & from thence to McColoughs upon the back of Rouse's plantation after this [word obliterated] Love a dissipated man with ten others procured some rum – and got drunk at Rouse house and disobeyed orders – and slept at this place that night and the enemy destroyed the whole except one man – we employed the balance of our time in guarding the Bridge to prevent the enemy from passing to Newbourn [New Bern] – from our term of three months having expired – we were discharged – my Captain's Commission I have lost not having seen it for a great many years; and in answer to the 6th question He thinks he never did receive a written discharge. His commission was signed he thinks by General Lenington – he knows that he received the commission from either General Lenington or General Kinion – I served in the war twelve months as aforesaid – 7th Interrogatory Answer. Caleb Crann a Minister and William Hancock our neighbors of mine and can testify as to my character for veracity, and their belief of my services as a soldier of the revolution – That he has no documentary evidence or knows of no one by whom he can prove his services in the revolution –
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State whenever – He further states that he is now in a very low state of health is at this time unable to get out of doors and consequently is unable to appear in Court – to make this declaration.
Sworn and subscribed to the day and year aforesaid
S/ Daniel Bender
[Caleb Crain, a clergyman, and William Hancock gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
[fn p. 19: On June 24, 1841, Ferriba Bender, a resident of Sumner County Tennessee, aged 77 on the 16th day of October next filed for a widow's pension under the 1838 act stating that she is the widow of Daniel Bender; that she married him August 16, 1783 in Onslow County North Carolina; that her husband departed this life November 30, 1832; that she cannot give the ages of all of her children but that she finds the age of her 1st child, Brice, was born December 28, 1784.]
[facts in file: fn p. 23; statement made by John West that the widow's name was "Ferriba Farnold" prior to her marriage; fn p. 27, the widow states she was born in Onslow County North Carolina October 11, 1765;
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $40 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for one year service as a private in the North Carolina militia. Widow was pensioned at the rate of $26.67 per annum commencing March 4th, 1843 for the 8 months service as a private of her husband in the North Carolina line.]
