Pension application of James McCleskey S16475 f23NC
Transcribed by Nancy Lindroth (researching Battle of Long Cane/Reedy Branch;
and Dunlaps Defeat/Beattie’s Mill – both in Abbeville, Ninety Six District, SC – battle sites are currently in McCormick Co. SC)
State of Georgia, Hall County - September 1832
On this day the third day of September 1832, personally appeared in open Court before
us, Thomas S. Tate, Ezekiel Buffington, and Joseph Dunagan (?), Judges of the Superior Court
of said County of Hall in said State of Georgia now sitting James McCleskey Resident of Said
County of Hall in said State of Georgia aged Seventy seven years [77] who being first duly
Sworn according to Law doth upon 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 here in stated. That he Volunteered in the State of North Carolina under Captain
Armstrong under the command of General Rutherford [Griffith Rutherford] in the Militia of
North Carolina. That they marched into South Carolina in pursuit of the Tories to Reedy &
Saludy [sic, Saluda] Rivers [Reedy River and Reedy Branch mentioned elsewhere in this statement are not the same bodies of water] that they captured & took prisoners. Some of the Tories and the others that they were in pursuit of dispersed they then Returned to North Carolina—and was there discharged which discharge has been lost or destroyed which tour was about two [2] months Service this was in Seventy Six or Seventy Seven—he then went from there to Virginia where he had formerly Resided that he performed Several Scouting parties after the Indians the particulars of which he dose [does] not now Recollect that in the latter part of the year Seventy Seven in the State of Virginia, he attached himself to the Virginia Volunteers under the Command of Captain Bowen & Colonel Christia [sic, William Christian] in a tour after the Cherokee Indians the South Carolina Militia were then marching after the Indians and got in
before the Virginia Soldiers and fought the Battle with the Indians before we reached them we
then returned to Virginia and was discharged making a tour of about two [2] months—the
discharge is lost or destroyed.
He then came to the State of South Carolina in the year Seventy Eight and there Volunteered under Captain McCall [Capt. James McCall], Major Pickens [Maj. Joseph Pickens?] and Major Hambleton [?] and Col Pickens [Colonel Andrew Pickens of Abbeville, SC] and continued in the Militia Service of South Carolina until the fall of Charleston which was about eighteen [18] months or two [2] years during which time he served in diferent [different] companies but still belonged to Colonel Pickens' Regiment and was not in any important
engagements, only skirmishes and was on his march to Charleston and heard of the fall before he
reached there.[Charleston fell 12 May 1780 per Patrick O’Kelly, Nothing but Blood and Slaughter, Vol II, pg 56] He then refused to take protection [parole] under the British and fled to North Carolina under the Command of Captain McCall [Capt James McCall] & Captain Clark [Capt Elijah Clark/Clarke of Georgia] who each had a company of what was called Refugees and instead of taking protection went into North Carolina and joined the North Carolina Militia and continued in North Carolina Six [6] or twelve [12] months in various skirmishes after the Tories
and Scouting British parties. Captain McCall [Capt James McCall] and Captain Clark then returned to South Carolina with their companies and fell in with a party of British and Tories at Reedy Branch [Reedy Branch is within the watershed of the Long Cane Creek, Abbeville, SC.
Old Ninety Six District] under the command [of] Colonel Cruger of the British Army and was
there defeated and dispersed. [Cruger was in charge of British, Loyalist & Tory troops at the Star Fort at Ninety Six SC – currently Greenwood County, SC – records indicate that Lt Colonel
Isaac Allen commanded the detachment from Ninety Six which included both the 3rd Battalion
New Jersey Volunteers and 1st Battalion DeLancey’s Brigade both garrisoned at Ninety Six.
Allen won this encounter which was known as the Battle of Long Cane 12 Dec 1780 – Draper
wrote that it occurred 11 Dec 1780] Captains Clark [Capt Elijah Clark/Clarke of Georgia] and
McCall [Capt James McCall] both was wounded and Major Linsey was wounded these after we
were defeated [Additional historical accounts state that Major Linsey was severely attacked after he had fallen] there we dispersed and fled into North Carolina and there we met Colonel
Washington [Col. Wm Washington] and Joined his Regiment. We then continued with Col.
Washington [Col Wm Washington] until General Morgan came on with his main Army which we then joined and went on with General Morgan to the Battle of the Cowpens and was in that Battle under the Command of Captain McCall [Capt James McCall] & Colonel Pickens [Col Andrew Pickens of Abbeville, SC] during the Battle. We then went on and joined General Green [General Nathanael Greene – Commander of the Southern Army] at Ninety Six and he was attached to a Rifle Company commanded by Captain Corruthers [Caruthers] and served under Corruthers [Caruthers] during the Siege at Ninety Six [June 1781]. After the siege, Captain Corruthers [Caruthers] Raised a Home company to protect the frontiers of South Carolina and he was chosen a spy for that company which was ordered by General Pickens [General Andrew Pickens of Abbeville, SC] and that he served in that company until the close of the war making in the whole time he served near Seven years.
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.
Sworn to and Subscribed the day and year before written.
[Signature] Thomas S Tate, JIC
[Signature] Joseph Dunagan, JIC
[Signature] Ez Buffington, JIC
S/ Jas McCleskey
Georgia
Hall County
Interrogatives
Prepounded by the Judges of the Superior Court of Hall County to James McCleskey
1st Where and in what year was you Born?
James McCleskey answers he was Born in the State of Pennsylvania in the year
Seventeen Hundred and fifty five.
2nd Have you any Record of your age & if so where is it? A
He answers he has a Record of his age in the Bible he got from his father and which was
Registered there by his Father.
3rd Where were you living when when called into Service & where have you lived Since the
Revolutionary ware [war] & where do you now live?
Answer: He lived in the state of Virginia but commenced Service in North Carolina.
He lived in Georgia ever since the ware [war] and now lives in Hall County, Georgia.
4th How were you called into Service?
Answer: He was always a Volunteer.
5th State the names of some of the Regular officers who were with the Troops you where you
Served.
Answer: He Served under Colonel Washington, General Morgan, General Greene and
was at the Battle of the Cowpens and the Siege of Ninety Six.
6th Did you ever Receive a discharge from Service? If so by whom was it given and what has
become of it?
Answer: He Received a discharge for his Services in North Carolina from Captain
Young and also one other discharge from Captain Bowen of the Virginia Volunteers – both of
which is lost or destroyed.
7th State the sources of Persons in your Neighborhood to whom you are Known and who can
testify as to your Character for Veracity and their belief of your Services as a Soldier of the
Revolution.
Answers: The Reverend James Rylee & the Reverend Josiah Robert and John Moore
John Bates
Answered Sworn & Subscribed before us this 3rd Septr [September] 1832
[Signature] Thomas S Tate, JIC S/ Jas McCleskey
[Signature] Joseph Dunagan, JIC
[Signature] Ez Buffington, JIC
Amendment to the declaration of James McCleskey
Georgia, Hall County
Personally appeared before me a Justice of the peace in and for said County James McCleskey who being duly Sworn deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot Swear positively as to the precise length of his Service but according to the best of his recollection he Served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades – For the year 1776 I served two months as a private Soldier. In the year 1777 I Served one tour of two months in a Scouting party under Captain Stephens and was attached to Colonel Campbell's Regiment and in the same year I Served another tour of two months under Captain Bowen & belonged to Colonel Christas [sic, William Christian's] Regiment in both of which tours I served as a private Soldier. For the year 1778 I served twelve months as a public waggoner. For the year 1779 I served twelve months as a public waggoner I then received a discharge from James Ponder the Waggon Master, having been under the command of Captain McCall, Majors Hamilton, Joseph Pickens & Col. Andrew Pickens. For the year 1780 I joined Captain McCall's company and Served as a private Soldier twelve months.
For the year 1781 I Served as a private Soldier ten months. I Served said tours of duty with an
embodied corps called into Service by competent authority. I was not engaged in any civil
pursuit during the time of my Service and for Such Service I claim a pension.
Sworn to and Subscribed before me this 15th day of May 1833Absalom
S/ Francis Luck, JP
S/ Jas McCleskey
Georgia, Madison County
Personally appeared before me Robert Carothers1 and being duly sworn deposeth & Saith
that he was well acquainted with James McCleskey in the time of the Revolutionary war,
Enter[ed] the Service of the United States with him as a volunteer in the year, as well as I
Recollect, 1780 under the Command of Colonel Pickens and march[ed] to the Relief of Charlestown South Carolina on hearing of the fall of Charlestown Williamson [Andrew Williamson] then “capitulated” & Surrendered to the British this deponent saith James McCleskey and others would not Give up their Arms Marched off under McCall into North Carolina -- & I saw no more of him until the Siege of Ninety Six when he came back to South Carolina and Joined the Company I belonged to and Remained there, (I think in the year 1781-[illegible marking, looks like a “W” followed by a dash and some letters] Ordered to the frontiers against the Indians where this deponent was Captain of a Company of horse where the said McCleskey acted as Spy and continued faithfully to discharge this duty until the end of the war.
He was to the best of my Recollection in the battle of the Cowpens under Morgan, being now in
my Eighty ninth year of age and having no documents to Refer to I cannot be positive in the
dates and many of the Circumstances that took place at that time but well Recollect that the said James McCleskey was a Revolutionary soldier and was with me Principally from the year 1780
to the end of the war.
Sworn to and Subscribed or me this 22nd of August 1832.
S/ David Evans, JP
S/ Robert Caruthers, X his mark
Amendment to the declaration of James McCleskey
Georgia, Hall County
Personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace in & for said County James McCleskey who being duly Sworn Deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and the Consequent loss of memory he cannot Swear positively as to the precise length of his Service but according to the best of his recollection he Served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades: In the year 1776 I volunteered into Service under Captain Armstrong as a private militia man (Captain Armstrong being called out to Suppress the Tories) and was
attached to Colonel Davidson's [William Lee Davidson's] Regiment under the command of
General Rutherford and marched to a place called the Snow Camps (a distance of about 200
miles) on Reedy River in the State of South Carolina at this place We joined the troops from
Georgia and South Carolina I remained at this place about two months and was discharged I
returned to the State of Virginia.
In the year 1777 the Indians on the frontiers having become very troublesome Colonel
Campbell called on Captain Stephens to raise a Volunteer Company I volunteered into said
company as a private Militia man and marched to a place called the Royal Oak it being the
Residence of Colonel Campbell at which place we held our head quarters I was attached to
Colonel Campbell's Regiment we marched from this place to Black's Fort a distance of 50 miles
and from the Fort Started to March to the Long Island on Holston River but met a party of the
Indians before we reached the Island and had a skirmish with them in which we killed eighteen
of them and had two of our men wounded & one killed. We then returned to the Fort and a few
days after a party of Indians were discovered in the neighborhood we pursued and overtook some
of them and Killed two of them Shortly after this We returned to the Loyal Oak I having served
two months.
In a Short time the militia were again called for to March to the Cherokee nation Captain
Bowen raised a volunteer Company into which I volunteered as a private militia man and was
attached to Colonel Christy's [sic, William Christian's] A Regiment we marched to the Long
Island of Holston River and rendezvoused Colonels Campbell & Shelby were with the Army after remaining at this place some days We were marched to the Valley Towns in the Cherokee nation We were marched to this place to join the South Carolina troops but the Indians having learned that they were coming marched from their Towns to a Gap of the mountains and attempted to intercept their passage but were defeated. We burned three of their Towns and then returned to the Long Island at which I was dismissed with the remainder of the troops & returned home having Served two months.
I then removed into Abbeville District State of South Carolina where I was employed the
two first years as a Waggoner for which Service I claim nothing but merely State it to show
where I was.
Some time in the year 1780, the British besieged Charleston General Williamson gave orders to Colonel Pickens to turn out and March With two divisions of the militia to its relief the Colonel finding the militia backward in turning Out called on Captain James McCall to raise a Company of Volunteers into which company I volunteered as a private Soldier We were marched to and rendezvoused at a place called White All [sic “White Hall” – northeast of present day Bradley SC and west of Ninety Six SC - Andrew Williamson, originally commanded the Ninety Six Militia, later sided with the British and relocated to Charleston, SC.] the Residence of General Williamson about two hundred miles from Charleston and from there Started on to Charleston but were informed before we got there that the City had been Surrendered to the enemy. We then returned to White Hall this was a place where the Public Stores and arms were Kept We remained at this place to Guard the Stores until the enemy had taken possession of the surrounding Settlements General Williamson was called on to Capitulate which he did and the Militia all except Captain McCall's Company of Volunteers took protection. I had then Served a tour of three months. Captain McCall marched with his company into the frontier Settlements and met with General Clark [sic, Elijah Clarke] With one hundred men at the mouth of Generous Sea Creek [?In an online history of Ezekiel EVANS based on a letter written April 1850, the author describe a river in the Indian land as “on the banks of Genester River”] in the Indians Territory or land We remained in this neighborhood defending ourselves against the British and Tories until General Morgan came to our relief having remained in this Situation and not under any regular or Competent Authority five months to the best of my recollection.
About the first of February 1781 General Morgan Called on the militia to turn out and
join him Captain McCall with his company joined him at Packolet [sic, Pacolet] River in which
company I still remained as a private militiaman General Morgan learning that Corn Wallis [sic,
Cornwallis] Was coming on retreated up the River until they reached the Cowpens at which
place General Morgan made a Stand and Was attacked by Colonel Tarlton [sic, Banastre Tarleton] and defeated him after the engagement at the Cowpens We were placed under the Command of General Pickens and took charge of the prisoners and guarded them to the Island Ford on the Catawba River the prisoners being placed under the Virginia troops I Was here dismissed having Served three months and returned back to South Carolina and remained under arms but not under any Competent Authority Some time. Captain McCall died about this time with the Smallpox. [see pension of McConnell S2773 for more info on McCall’s death]
About the first of July I think General Green [sic, Nathanael Greene] came to Ninety Six
and called out all the Militia. I turned out and was attached to a Rifle Company under the
command of Captain Robert Caruthers [sic] and attached to Colonel Pickens Regiment as a private Soldier Remained at this place six weeks endeavoring to drive the enemy who had three Forts at this place the Town Fort, Holmes Fort [see McConnell S2773- Note 21] and the Big Red Out [could be Cut] Fort but we could not Succeed the Enemy being reinforced by Lord Rodden [sic, Lord Rawdon] We had to retreat.
General Pickens then ordered Captain Caruthers to raise a horse company for Six months
I volunteered into this company as a private Soldier and marched to the frontiers and built a
Station and remained there Skirmishing with the Indians and Tories in one of which We Killed
five Tories and took three prisoners I remained at this place until the end of my term of Service Six months and was discharged.
The foregoing tours as Set is all the Service that I claim as being under Competent
Authority and for Such Service I claim a Pension.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 26th of September 1833.
________
1Spelled Robert Carithers W23779
http://revwarapps.org/s16475.pdf
