Greene County, NC - Joseph Thigpen Revolutionary War Oath ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JOSEPH THIGPEN REVOLUTIONARY WAR OATH NOTE: See the Bible Records on the Bible Page OATH OF JOSEPH JOSHUA THIGPEN, SR The State of Alabama Perry County On this sixth day of February AD 1833 personally appeared before the County Court of Perry County JOSEPH THIGPEN resident in the County of Perry and State of Alabama aged Seventy four years, who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provisions by the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the Service of the United States under the following named Officers in his word as here in stated. His first tour of service commenced the ninth of November 1778 as a Volunteer under the following named Officials Thomas Shoot, Captain, __ McS?wain, Major, William Caswell, Colonel, William Bryant, Brigadier General and Sam? Ash, Major General. He inducted at Kingston in Dobbs County North Carolina and marched to Elizabeth on Cape Fear River, from the latter place they were marched down to a place called the Ten Mile house, being ten miles from the City of Charleston in South Carolina where they stayed but a short time. From the Ten Mile house they marched to Purisburg near the Savannah River and then up the Savannah to a place opposite the town of Augusta, below where the town of Hamburg now stands. From this later place they crossed the Savannah and marched to Brier Creek where a battle took place between the North Carolina Militia just fifteen hundred strong and a few Continental troops, under the command of General Ash and the British troops commanded by General Prevost to which the Militia and Continental troops were surprised and noted inconceivable numbers being killed and a still larger number taken prisoners ­ the loss on the part of the British was inconceivable. In this battle General Elbert commanded the Continental troops. From Brian Creek the Army under General Ash re-crossed the Savanna and retreated to Purisburg where it remained a short time where the North Carolina Militia was in charge and returned home. He, the said JOSEPH THIGPEN served in this first tour of duty nearly five months. At the time he entered the Service he was living in Dobbs County North Carolina. After he returned home he was frequently engaged for short period of time in Scouting parties in the Vicinity of where he lived in North Carolina and lower down the County. At the time he served thirty-five days under Captain Samuel Caswell guarding the magazines in Kingston. At another time he served __ __ and 15 days under William Harper as Captain and Abram Shepherd as Major in an expedition to Treaties in Jones County undertakes in ­ landing of some British troops at Wilmington under Major Craig - Craig after visiting NewBern and burning some houses retreated back to Wilmington and embarked with the troops under his command. He, the said JOSEPH THIGPEN feel satisfied that is the service expeditions in which he was engaged after his return home from his first tour. He? Server? as __ three months ­ making the whole time for which he served during the Revolutionary War, nine months. All the service he performed was as a volunteer and he continued serving the whole time to reside where he did when he entered the Service the first time. The end of his first tour of Service her received a discharge, which he has long since lost. He was born in the year 1758 in Dobbs County North Carolina. He has a record of his age in his family Bible which is at his own house where he now resides. After the Revolutionary War he continued to reside in Dobbs County North Carolina where he was born and where he lived when he performed the Service here set out, until said County was divided where he fell into that part of it which after the division was called Greene, where he continued to reside until April 1832, when he removed to Perry County Alabama where he now resides. There were very few continental or regular troops in any of the expeditions or tours in which he served and he has no distinct recollection of the names of any of their Officers. There was a small body of Continental troops at the Battle of Briar Creek as before stated who on the day of the Battle was commanded by General Elliott, but he does not remember the name of any other officer who commanded them. Signed Joseph Thigpen Sworn to and _ _ _ open Court This sixth day of February AD 1833 J.B. Nave Clk. Copied from original Oath in 1970s By: Lorene F. Thigpen ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lorene Thigpen ___________________________________________________________________