Pension application of Zachariah Rexrode S5983 f19VA
Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 6/19/12
State of Virginia, Pendleton County
On this 8th day of August 1832 personally appeared in open court before the justices of
the County Court of the said County of Pendleton now sitting, Zachariah Rexrode Senr a resident of said County of Pendleton and State of Virginia aged 71 years who being just 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 names officers and service as is herein stated--
On or about the last day of December 1780 or the 1st day of January 1781, he the said
Rexrode was drafted to go a Tour of three months service as a private to Portsmouth in the
County of Norfolk and State of Virginia, That part of the county of Pendleton in which he then resided constituting a part of Rockingham the said County of Pendleton not having at that time been laid off. That on the 2nd day of January 1781 he marched from this part of then County of Rockingham, under the command of George Baxter, Lieut. John Hartman and Ensign Thomas Shanklin, who command the Company from Rockingham to which he was attached; that upon
their arrival at Portsmouth they were attached to the Troops from the County of Rockbridge,
Virginia and placed under the command of Colonel ___ Bowyer [John Bowyer] of the last named
County; Major Garvin Hamilton having been their superior officer, previously to their reaching Portsmouth. That during a part of the time that he was stationed at Portsmouth, the troops at that place were commanded by General Steuben, and that during the balance of the time they were commanded by General Muhlenberg, both officers as he believes belonging to the Regular Army, they being the only officers of the Regulars he can now recollect. That after having faithfully served out his time, he was discharged at or near Petersburg, Va. And got home on or about the 4th or 5th of May 1781; Having served during this tour at least four months, the time of their service only being completed from the date of their arrival at Portsmouth, no allowance being made for the time spent in going from and returning to his home. During this three months he was not engaged in any regular battles.
That during the same year, on or about the __ day of August he was again drafted into the
service to perform a second tour; that he was march from the same County under the command of Capt.___ Cowgar [probably Michael Coger] of Rockingham, they were march directly to
Williamsburg in Virginia, where on or about the 23rd of September they were joined by the
Regulars and French Troops and placed as he believes under the command of the Marquis
Lafayette; from Williamsburg the United forces were immediately marched to York Town, where
he the said Rexrode continued to serve during the whole of the siege of that place which
continued as well as he can remember for about eighteen days after his arrival there, and during all of which time he was almost constantly engaged under the fire of the British forces. On or about the 19th of October 1781, the British forces at York Town capitulated to the combined American and French forces and he the said Rexrode was set with other troops to guard the prisoners to the interior. At a place called Falmouth, near Fredericksburg in Virginia the prisoners were separated, the English & Irish were sent as he understood to Frederick Town in Maryland and the German prisoners to Winchester in Virginia, to which place he assisted in guarding them, and where he was discharged about the ___ day of November 1781 and got home the ___ day of the same month having faithfully served during the second tour at least three months, making in all at least seven months which he served during the year 1781.
That he has no documentary evidence of his service, never having received a written or
printed discharge from his officers.
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 aforesaid.
S/ Zachariah Rexrode, X his mark
State of Virginia Pendleton County: SS
On this 18th day of September 1832 personally appeared before me William McCoy Jr. a
Justice for the County aforesaid James Keister Sr. a resident of said County and made oath that he is well acquainted with Zachariah Rexrode who has sworn to and subscribed the foregoing declaration. That he believes him to be 71 years of age, and that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he lives to have been a soldier of the revolution and that the said Keister of his own knowledge is positively certain that he was drafted as he states on or about the 1st day of January 1781 to perform a three months Tour, and verily believes that he did so serve not only the three months, but four months as stated in his declaration. That he also knows that said Rexrode was drafted again in the month of August 1781 to go a second Tour of three months, that he (Keister) being on his return from a tour which he had served in the militia in the lower part of the Virginia, met the said Rexrode sometime in August 1781, not far from above Richmond, he being then on his way to join the Troops against Yorktown, and that he verily believes that said Rexrode then served out his time faithfully as stated in his declaration. Given under my hand and seal at the County aforesaid the day and year above mentioned.
S/ Wm McCoy, Jr.
[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $20 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private in the Virginia militia for six months from 1781.]
http://revwarapps.org/s5983.pdf
