St. Charles Co. Missouri, Revolutionary War Pension Application for Joseph Baugh From records on file at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. Bob Foster Williamsburg, Va ==================================================================== Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: © Bob Foster ==================================================================== Baugh, Joseph R.21837 21 Dec. 1843 St. Charles Co., Mo. Joseph Baugh of Callaway Twp. in said county, aged 84, declares he was born in Powhatan Co., Va., in 1758 (then a part of Cumberland County). There was a record of his age at Rocky Oak Church in Powhatan County and his father had a record of him and the rest of his family kept in a Bible, but he does not know what became of it when he died more than forty years ago. He had copied the record from his father's Bible into his own Bible. He recollects to have heard of the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill and of the Declaration of Independence and to have witnessed the excitement produced by the political and military events of that period but it was not until 1777 that they had much active service in Virginia. In Sept. 1777 he was called out in the militia. The men were numbered and called out by number. He went into a company of about fifty men commanded by Capt. Thomas Harris. The call was for three months. They marched to Little York, stayed a short time, then to Williamsburg and about the Chesapeake Bay. The British fleet was in the Bay and passed up toward Elk River. He saw one of the British ships and saw Gen. Nelson looking at it through a spy glass and heard him say he could see the men walking on deck and could distinguish the buttons on their uniforms. After the ships passed they marched back to Powhatan. He was in service a little more than two months. In the summer of 1778 he was called out under Capt. Mumford and served three months. They marched to Williamsburg and were joined by other militia. The were commanded by Gen. Lawson. They sometimes marched about the coast of the Bay but nothing very remarkable occurred. In the Fall he was discharged and marched back to Powhatan. In 1779 he was again called out by the numbers. They were commaned by Capt. Poag, crossed at Richmond and were stationed at Little York with other militia to watch the enemy in Chesapeake Bay. He served three months in the Fall of the year and again was discharged. About Christmas 1779 an alarm was created by the news the British forces under Arnold had burned the foundry at Westham and the public stores at Richmond. Almost the whole population of the county where he lived volunteered and marched to Petersburg. When they arrived most of the volunteers were sent home but he and about one hundred others volunteered to serve as infantry under Capt. Saunders. Arnold had dropped down James River to City Point and a company of about five hundred British soldiers had landed and they came marching through the pines near City Point. The came where his company was stationed in the Pines. The Americans waited until they approached very near and then gave them one well directed fire and retreated rapidly for safety. None of company was injured. The next day they rejoined the army of militia under Maj. Duvall and were stationed during the winter of 1780 near Portsmouth. They were generally encamped at the edge of the Dismal Swamp about fifteen miles from Portsmouth. Gen. Arnold had retired to Portsmouth and was forted at the place. They were engaged in reconnoitering and sometimes marched as far as the long bridge across Elizabeth River. At one time they made an attack on a band of British soldiers who had ventured a short distance from Portsmouth. Their sentinel was shot dead by Tom Turk of Augusta County and the rest retreated but they pursued them and took seven prisoners. In the latter part of that trip they were commanded by Col. Alexander Dick. He remained in service until 11 April 1780 and was discharged. While near Portsmouth he saw Marquis Lafayette and Baron Steuben. The British occasionally fired upon them with their cannon from the fort but with very little effect. He suffered much from the cold and from wading through wet and swampy lands. In the spring of 1781 he was called into service under Lieut. Thomas Moseley and with eight or ten others was detailed to go to Amelia County to guard and take care of some public horses for the use of the militia service. They remained until required to take sixty-two horses to Staunton. They crossed James River at Cabell's Ferry in Buckingham and the Blue Ridge at Rockfish Gap and delivered the horses at Staunton to Maj. Bellfield. The returned to Amerlia County and were again employed in keeping and guarding publuc horses. They had upwards of seventy horses. When informed that Gen. Tarlton was approaching with his troops, they hastily fled, crossed at Gates' Ferry in Powhatan and joined the American army at the falls of the James River where they delivered up the horses and were discharged. He served two months. In the latter part of the summer of 1781 he was again called into service by the numbers of the company to join the army which was operating around Lord Cornwallis. They marched to Williamsburg where he and seven or eight others were detailed as a guard to drive beef cattle for the use of the French army. They were placed under Capt. Reid who was engaged in supplying the French army withh provisions. They were thus engaged at Williamsburg until the surrender of Cornwallis. He saw part of Cornwallis' forces who were marched to Williamsburg and the next day was discharged and returned to Powhatan, having been in service upwards of two months. He lived seven or eight years in Powhatan County, then moved to Richmond City for four or five years and then across the river in the town of Manchester two or three years. He moved to Madison Co., Ky., and resided there until 1817 when he moved to St. Charles Co., Mo. He left his discharges with other old papers at the house of his brother Abraham in Powhatan County when he moved to Kentucky more than forty years ago. Sixty-six residents of St. Charles Co., Mo., sign a statement that they believe Joseph Baugh to be a man of honesty and veracity.