Franklin County NcArchives Military Records.....County, Franklin Revwar Various sources ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sam West sam.west.1@gmail.com March 3, 2013, 11:23 am THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, PART I. Revolutionary War Sites in Franklin Counties Franklin County, North Carolina was conceived and created amidst the years of the Revolutionary War. Before, and after it’s creation, there appears to have been much military activity going on within the present day bounds of Franklin County. This activity was mainly focused on the raising of troops, who for the most part were being sent to other parts of the country. Some followed their commanders into Virginia, and as far north as New York, while others were dispersed south throughout North Carolina, as well as in South Carolina and on to Georgia. Many took part in the major battles of the Revolutionary War in all of these states. The Franklin Court House in the town of Louisburg appears to have been the center of the enlistment for Franklin County. Troops were mustered there, and the Franklin Court House was apparently considered as the center of report. The Army stationed at Louisburg must have been of a considerable size, for we find that troops from other counties drove herds of hogs to Louisburg for the use of the Army stationed here. Other than Louisburg, another place of Revolutionary importance in Franklin County was what was then known as Hill’s Cross Roads. This cross roads was located some five miles east of the town of Louisburg. Records verify that the Army had apparently established their Military Stores at that cross roads. We learn that later there were Troops stationed at the cross roads to guard these Military Stores throughout the war. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, PART II. Wars and rumors of wars! During the first part of the year 1781 residents of Franklin, and surrounding counties sat quietly awaiting news of the whereabouts of the famous British commander, Lord Charles Cornwallis, and his British Forces. In early 1781 news and rumors spread throughout North Carolina that Cornwallis, who had entered the colony from South Carolina and was marching his mighty army northeast in pursuit of Gen. Nathanael Greene’s Army. As his army marched northeast, they went to Guilford Court House, and then he marched his army up to the Dan River on Virginia State line. Greene had purposely marched his troops beyond the Dan into Virginia to give then needed rest and to recruit additional troops. Apparently, having thought that he driven Gen. Greene completely out of North Carolina, Lord Cornwallis, then turned southeast and marched his army to the town of Hillsborough in Orange County. After a three weeks rest and recruitment period, Gen. Greene then marched his men back to Guilford Court House, where they took a strategic position and awaited. Evidently receiving intelligence of Lord Cornwallis whereabouts of Greene’s army, he turned his army to the west, and began the forty-mile march from Hillsborough to the Guilford Court House. On March 15th, 1781 he led his troops in battle against the Patriots in what is now known as the Battle of Guilford Court House. Guilford Court House was in present-day northwestern Greensboro, and is only some 90 miles due west of Louisburg. This battle was also made personal to Franklin County, as many of her young men were found to have been participants of the battle. The battle was severe with Greene’s losses being 1,255, and Cornwallis’ being 93 killed, 413 wounded, and 26 missing. This was a tactical defeat, as Lord Cornwallis remained in the control of the battlefield. After tending to their wounded and dead, on March 18th Lord Cornwallis gave order for his army to began marching to the east. Once, news began to spread of Cornwallis’ victory at Guilford, and then of his march to the east, all of the officials and inhabitants of counties in this direction apparently began to brace themselves against coming foe. As a result, the commanding officers of the area formed a company called the "The County Rangers". The responsibility of the County Rangers were to watch the movements of the British forces under Lord Cornwallis. The main theatre of the County Rangers was in Franklin, Wake, Halifax and adjacent counties here in North Carolina. As it so happened, after marching east from Guilford Court House, and upon his arrival at the Haw River, Lord Cornwallis then directed his troops then followed the river southeast to the seaport city of Wilmington. Thus Franklin and surrounding areas avoided a direct assault from Cornwallis’ army. After arriving in Wilmington, Cornwallis redirected his army north to Virginia where he suffered his final defeat at Yorktown. This march took his army by the Roanoke River on the eastern boarder of Halifax County, thus missing Franklin County of North Carolina altogether. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, PART III. No Tories in Bute, well what about in Franklin? While there was much hustle and bustle in Franklin County in raising troops, there was not but one known conflict with the Tories that took place here during the years of the Revolutionary War. According to the Historical Sketches of North Carolina, by Wheeler, he quoted “There were no Tories in Bute,” However, we learn through military records that in the late summer of 1781 that a band of Tories under the command of Captain Ricks, alias “Beard”, were ravishing the countryside and committing depredations against the Whig citizens who were living along the Big Fishing Creek in northeastern Franklin County, and over in northwestern Nash County. As a result of these depredations Col. Thomas Sherrard of Franklin County put out a proclamation “that all persons [eligible men]. …volunteer on an expedition to suppress the ravages of the band of Tories”… A company of Light Horse of the county was raised specifically with orders to suppress and subdue these Tories. Following their orders, these Light Horse men then went after these Tories, with an end result of capturing their commander, Captain Ricks. The Company hunted the Tories throughout the upper regions of the county, and after finding their trail, they pursued them in and around the Big Fishing Creek. This pursuit led them down the creek just across the line into Nash County, where they met up with the Tories at the Drake Plantation. At that place they had a brief skirmish, and then apprehended the Tories. The Tory Captain was then brought back to the Patriot camps in Franklin County to the two colonels, Colonel Thomas Sherrard and Colonel Benjamin Seawell. After an apparent military trial and deliberation, they sentenced him to be hung. The execution was immediate, and the Tory Captain was hung from a limb of a tree on the “low grounds” of the Tar River. The hanging of the Tory Captain in 1781, thus virtually ending the resistance of the Tories in Franklin County, North Carolina. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, PART IV. REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIERS OF FRANKLIN COUNTY Due to the lack of surviving records, it is virtually impossible to have a “complete list” of all of the Franklin County men who were actual participants in the Revolutionary War. The compiler of this sketch has successfully identified and documented three hundred Revolutionary War Soldiers who were either “born, resided, drafted, enlisted, volunteered, or served” in Franklin County, North Carolina. Although there have been previous list made of Revolutionary War Soldiers who were thought to have been from Franklin County in prior publications, this is the first which actually document(s): the soldier’s names, and their connection to Franklin County, North Carolina. This list was compiled from various sources, including, but not limited to: Federal, State, and County Affidavits, Census Records, Declarations, Final Accounts, Letters, Militia Returns, Newspapers, Pensions, Petitions as well as other records concerning the Revolutionary War Soldiers of North Carolina. The names of these soldier’s are as follows [the ranks of those serving as Captains, Colonels, Lieutenants, Ensigns are listed; all others were apparently Privates]: Bryant Adams, Jesse Adams, Julius Alford, Drewery Alfred, William Allen, William Allen, Joseph John Alston, John Amos, Evan Andress, Armstrong, Solomon Arnold, Charles Asque, William Askew, Christopher Babb, Charels Baker, Daniel Ball, Augustine Balthrop, John Bartholomew, Joseph Batchelor, Robert Bell, Solomon Bibbie, Benjamin Bledsoe, George Bledsoe, Lewis Bledsoe, Jesse Boon, Raiford Boon, Jesse Bowers, John Brantly, William Brickell, William Brown, R. Browning, Isaac Carpenter, Moses Carr, Benjamin Carter, James Carter, William Casey, Richard Christmas, William Christmas, Claimont, Richard Clapton, Thompson Clemmons, Joshua Coggin, Robert Coggin, John Cokely, Charles Cole, James Collins, William Collins, Ephraim Conyers, Sterling Cooper, Jesse Davis, Micajah Davis, Ransom Davis, Philip Dean, Elijah Denby, Baron De Glasbae, James Denton, Jenkins Devaney, Hezekiah Douglas, John Driver, James Duke, James Dupriest, Arthur Durley, Thomas Eaton, Benjamin Eaves, John Edwards, Reuben Edwards, John Ellis, Eli Ely, Josiah Ely, Ensign William Ely, Joel Etheridge, William Fawn, Ansell Ferrell, Joel Ferrell, William Ferrell, Howell Freeman, James Frowell, Arthur Fuller, Allen Gay, John Gay, Harod Gibbs, Richard Glasgow, Garrett Goodloe, Vivion Goodloe, Nicholas Goswick, Arthur Green, Richard Greshom, James Hall, John Hancock, Martin Hancock, Samuel Hancock, Brittain Harris, Daniel Harris, Robin Harris, John Harrison, William Harrison, William Harrison, Abram Hay, Miles Hicks, Micajah Hicks, Robert Hight, Hill, Richard Hill, William Hill, Charles Holt, Natha. Hood, Hopkins/Hawkins, Maj. Hogg, John Hubbard, Philip Huckaby, Thomas Huckaby, John Hudgins, Isaac Hudson, Edward Jackson, William Jackson, Nathan Jean, Sherod Jean, Isaac Johnson, Lewis Johnston, Joshua Jones, Matthew Jones, Samuel Jones, William Jones, Moses Joyner, James Kerr, John King, Abner Lasater, William Lasater, William Lawson, Bud Lee, John Lee, William Leonard, James Lett, David Lewis, Long, Daniel Mabry, David Mabry, John Mabry, Henry (Harry) Macon, John Macon, Harrison Mason, Charles Massey, Thomas May, William McKinney, Bradley Medlin, Shadrack Medlin, Robert Melton, Wells Milner, David Mims, Nazareth Mitchell, William Mitchell, Joel Moody, Benjamin Morgan, Reuben Morgan, William Morris, John Mosley, Samuel Mosely, Abram Moses, Clement Mullins, Malone Mullins, James Murphey, James Murphey, Arthur Murphy, Nicholas Murphy, James Murray, William New, Francis Newby, Julius Newson, George Norwood, John Norwood, Thomas Ownby, Cader Parker, Parrish, Joel Parrish, Wm. Pasmore, Thomas Paster, Ensign Tilman Patterson, Jeremiah Perry, John Perry, Willis Perry, Thomas Person, Benjamin Phillips, William Pipe, John Pipen, Richard Pippen, James Pitt, Harwood Pope, Henry Porch, Peter Porch, Daniel Potter, John Potter, William Potter, Elijah Powell, Lewis Powell, Abraham Prim, Christopher Prim, James Prim, Baxter Ragsdale, Richard Ransom, Macajah Racklift, Francis Ray, Thomas Ray, Richard Reeves, Charles Regan, James Richards, James Richards, James Richards, Joshua Richards, Stephen Richards, Edward Richardson, James Richardson, William P. Riggan, John Robertson, Willobey Robertson, William Robertson, Bailey Robinson, Charles Roe, Matthew Roe, Charles Rogers, James Ross, William Ross, Williamson Ross, John Rowan, John Rowan, William Rush, John Sanders, Robert Sanders, William Sanders, Benjamin Seawell, Joseph Seawell, John Sharp, James Shelton, Thomas Sherrard, John Simmonds, Amos Smart, John Smart, Laban Smart, Benjamin Smith, John Gray Smith, Richard Smith, Clayton Sowell, Moses Stallings, Robert Sterling, John Stone, Jonathan Stone, Sampson Strickland, Burrell Taburn, Tatum, Francis Taylor, Silas Teasley, Francis Tetts, Elthdred Thomas, Thomas, Thornton, Swan Trouton, Francis Timberlake, Edward Turner, Jacob Turner, Nathan Turner, William Turner, Howell Underwood, Hezekiah Vickry, William Vinson, John Waldon, Green Walker, Peter Walker, John Weaver, Jesse Webb, Piner Weldon, Daniel Westray, Robert L. Whitaker, William Whitehead, William Wilbanks, Benjamin Williams, John Williams, John Williams, Saml. Williams, George Winston, Isaac Winston, Nathaniel Winston, Lt. William Woollight/Wilhight, Jeptha Wright, Edward Yarborough and Henry Yarborough. Additional Comments: Source: Research by Sam West compiled from various sources, including, but not limited to: Affidavits, Census Records, Declarations, Final Accounts, Letters, Militia Returns, Newspapers, Pensions, Petitions, and various other records, etc….. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/franklin/military/revwar/other/county691gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 13.2 Kb