James Shipman - 1833 - Bladen County, NC - Pension Submitted for use in the USGenWeb Project Archives by Butch Butler State of North Carolina Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions Bladen County February Sessions A.D. 1833 On this the 4th day of February 1833, personally appeared in open Court before the Worshipful William H. Beatty, Alexander King and John I. McMillan, Justices of the Peace in and for the County of Bladen holding the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for said County now sitting, James Shipman, a resident of the County of Bladen and State of North Carolina, aged eighty one years, June 13th, 1832, 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. That he entered the service of the United States, under the following named Officers, and served as herein stated. He first served as a Sergeant in the winter of 1775-6, in two short expeditions--one to Rockfish, in a Company commanded by Capt. Maturin Colville, in order to attack a body of Tories, who had embodied in considerable force at Cross Creek (now Fayetteville) under General or Colonel McDonald, and who were subsequently defeated by General Caswell, at Moore's Creek Bridge; the other, in a Company of Bladen Militia commanded by Capt. Thomas Amis, to Drowning Creek and the South Carolina line, in order to disarm and disperse the Tories collected in that quarter: Then, about the 1st of February 1776, he again entered the service as a Sergeant, in Capt. Colville's Company. They rendezvoused at the Brown's Marsh Bridge in Bladen County; and thence marched to Wilmington, in obedience (as was said) to orders from the Council of Safety, who apprehended an attack on that place from the enemy. Not long after, the leading men of the Company being dissatisfied with Collville as Captain, who was suspected of being disaffected to the Cause - Colville leaving the Company, he (Shipman) was elected Captain - with the Company, he then joined the Bladen Militia, (of whom all the able bodied men were called into service) under Cols. Robeson and Brown, and was stationed three months at Wilmington and Jumping Run below that place; - during which time he acted and was recognized as Captain by all the Troops at that station; Then on the 11th of June 1776, he received a Commission as Captain from the Honourable Cornelius Harnet, President of the Council of Safety, the original of which Commission is hereunto annexed. With his company, he then joined General Ashe's Brigade, and was attached to a Regiment of Militia Commanded by Col. Brown, Lieut. Colonel Armstrong, and Major Moore, of Duplin, there was another Regiment of Militia called the Second Regiment, commanded by Colonel Dozier, Lieut. Colonel Gee and (as well as recollected) Major Hogan. He continued to act with the Brigade until he and a Captain Dozier of the 2nd Regiment received orders to proceed with their Companies against the Tories, who had killed Capt Nathaniel Richardson, a distinguished Whig in the upper part of the County. They joined at different places other protions of the Bladen Militia, who were called out on the emergency of the occasion, all under the command of Colonel Brown, he continued on this service until about the 20th August 1776, having been in service as a Captain six months. General Moore, a Continental Officer, and some other Continental Officers & recruits were at Wilmington, but their names he does not recollect, or the number of the recruits. He continued to act as a Captain under the Commission received from the Council of Safety, until the Government was re-organized when he received a Commission from the Governor and continued to serve as Captain, in numerous expeditions against the Tories, in various parts of the County; sometimes in South Carolina, and occasionally in service with Colonel Thomas Robeson, Col. Thomas Brown, Colonel Thomas Owen, Capt. Peter Robeson, Capt. Jared Irwin and Capt. (afterwards General) John Willis, South of the Cape Fear, as far as the Peedee River, the Tories were numerous and active. On the north side of the Cape Fear, they were but few in number; pressed on that side by the Whigs and on the south by General Marion and his men, they made the County of Bladen (then comprising within its limits the County of Robeson & a large portion of the County of Columbus) their battle ground, and the theatre of their numerous robberies and murders. So obnoxious had he become to the Tories that there was but a small portion of his time when permitted to retire from active service, that he could sleep in his own house, and was under the necessity of removing from it all his valuable effects. On one occasion the Tories believing that he was at home, came to his house, and cruelly murdered in the presence of his (Shipman's) wife, an unoffending young man by the name of Parrish; from his house, they went to his mother's, a short distance, ripped open all her beds, destroyed her furniture; and set fire to the house; but having been alarmed before they could complete their work of destruction, the flames were extinguished after their departure. On another occasion they succeeded in taking him prisoner, but he, fortunately, made his escape. In the whole extent of the County now called Robeson, he knew of no Whigs, except General John Willis, and his brother Daniel, and the Barnes family. He received numerous orders and other communications from Col. Thomas Robeson, and other officers in service, but they have all been lost or destroyed, except an order from Col. Robeson dated June 27th 1778 (herewith sent) then recognizing his rank as Captain, which together with his Commission (accompanying this) he accidently found a short time since in an old worn out pocket book; but for the loss of those documents he could satisfy the Department, beyond the shadow of a doubt of the length and fidelity of his services. He was commissioned in June 1776, and continued to serve as described until hostilities ceased, but owing to his age, and the consequent decay of his memos, while there are many isolated circumstances, which are vived in his recollection, except the services already detailed, he cannot particularise any other than the following, viz: 1. In the winter of 1776-7, he was engaged with his Company in obedience to orders from Col. Robeson, on a tour of one months service against the Tories on Drowning Creek or Lumber River, and the South Carolina line. 2. About three or four months afterwards, he served another tour of one month with his Company again under Colonel Robeson, against the Tories. 3. About six months afterwards, he served with his Company, one month, under Col. Thomas Owen, on an expedition against the Tories on the South Carolina line. 4. Shortly after he served two months on a similar expedition under Col. Thomas Brown. 5. In the year 1781, near the close of the War, he served two months under Col. Thomas Owen. The Bladen Militia joined General Butler, who commanded a Corps of mounted men from the back country of North Carolina, at Waddell's Ferry, on the Cape Fear River. General Butler after marching his force to Baldwin's Old Field, on the Brown Marsh, was there attacked at night, and defeated by the British and Tories under Major Manson. The back country men fled immediately. The Bladen Militia under Col. Owen & the Sampson Militia under Capt. Dodd, stood their ground until their ammunition was expended. A man by the name of Sigourres, a brave soldier belonging to the Bladen Militia was killed; a lad by the name of Stephen's belonging to his (Shipman's) company, was also killed, by his side. One or two of Capt. Dodd's men were killed & wounded. The Back Country Militia lost a great many of their horses After General Butler had succeeded in rallying a portion of his men, he called on him (Shipman) to furnish a guide from his Company, but as he was well acquainted with the Country, he tendered his services, which were accepted; and he continued to act in that capacity in General Butler's various excursions thru' the county. Generals Butler and Rutherford (who also commanded a Corps of back country militia) united their forces, a few miles from Fayetteville and shortly afterwards attacked and defeated the Tories at McPhaul's Mills, in the upper part of Bladen County (now Robeson); they shortly afterwards separated. Genl. Butler marching sown the Cape Fear, and Genl. Rutherford towards the White Marsh. His Company was discharged at Elizabethtown. A Continental officer, Col. Mebane was with General Butler. He has no recollection of the Regiments under Generals Butler & Rutherford. In the intervals of service above detailed, he was engaged in frequent short expeditions, but cannot as already stated describe them with any particularity. He does not hesitate to say, that during the time he held the Commission as Captain he was in active service more than two years. He resigned his commission as Captain after the termination of the war, and if he did not return it to Col. Thomas Owen, then, the Commanding Officer of the Bladen Militia, who has been dead long since, it has been lost or destroyed. If he ever received any written certificates of discharge for the various services in which he was engaged (of which he has now no recollection) they have also been lost or destroyed. He has no documentary evidence of his services, except that herewith forwarded, and no living witnesses, whose testamony he can procure, except those whose affidavits are hereunto annexed. 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. James Shipman Sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid Answers to the Interrogatories prescribed by the War Department as propounded to the Applicant by the Court. 1. I was born on the Brown Marsh, in Bladen County, No. Ca. , June 13th 1751 2. I have a record of my age in my Family Bible. 3. I have resided within five miles of where I now reside, on the Brown Marsh in Bladen County, ever since I was born. 4. I was called into service most generally by the Commanding Officers of the Bladen Militia, and sometimes I engaged with my Company on short expeditions without orders from any superior officers. 5. In answer to this question, I beg leave to refer to the body of my declaration. 6. For the answer to this question, I also beg leave to refer to the body of my declaration. 7. James Kelly, James Campbell, Aaron Lewis, Sr., Aaron Lewis, Jr., John McKeithan, Samuel Swendall, John Wingate, Jas. D. McKay, Daniel Shipman, Wm. J. Cowan & others were it necessary to name them . ====================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogy information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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