Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Albright, William November 19, 1832 Revwar - Pension ************************************************ 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: Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com June 13, 2006, 3:15 am Pension Application Of William Albright, Nat’l Archives Series M804, Roll 24, Application #S6492: “…Guilford County…WILLIAM ALBRIGHT aged 81 years…That he served under the following named officers and as hereinafter stated, to wit: That he was born in the state of Pennsylvania, Berks County, October 6th AD, 1751, which he has written on a piece of paper drawn or copied from his father’s Bible. That he moved to North Carolina about the commencement of the Revolutionary War. That the inhabitants of the upper part of Orange, now the lower part of Guilford (in which he has always since coming into N.C. resided) rendered or was divided into Tory and Whig parties. That he joined the Whig party and was commanded, called out as the necessity of his country required, and done service in short and frequent tours after the Tories, driving and pursuing them when they would come from the eastern and southern counties until the summer of 1781.” “That from 1776 to 1781, he feels assured that he was out from home one half his time, but not very long at a time, sometimes a few days and sometimes a few weeks. That owing to his advanced age and defective memory, he cannot now give any correct account of them, but states that he served under Captain WHITESELL, Colonel GILLESPIE, and Colonel PAISLEY.” “That about the summer of 1777, he recollects of being called several times down the country into Randolph County among the Caraway Mountains after the Scotch Tories commanded by one Col. FANNING. That he was sometimes called out after said Tories down ?towards? the town of Fayetteville where the Tories were in the habit of taking refuge after depradations on the Whigs.” “That in the summer of 1780, he volunteered as before and was marched under the command of Captain FORBIS to Martinsville, thence to Salisbury and thence to New Providence in the County of Mecklenburg, and joined the troops under General DAVIDSON. That the troops were shortly driven from New Providence by British troops sent under the command of RAWDON and TARLETON. That he retreated with his officers back on this side of the Yadkin River. That after staying here a few days, he was marched south again to a creek called Waxhaw in North Carolina for the purpose of annoying the enemy on their march from South Carolina That on this retreat from the aforesaid New Providence, the cavalry stayed behind and attacked the advanced guards, not far from Charlotte. That as soon as this was known, Colonel PAISLEY and Colonel ARMSTRONG volunteered and requested others to join them and return to assist the cavalry then engaged. That they collected others (among whom was neighbor JOSEPH MCLEAN) joined them, but they met their friends on the retreat.” “That he was discharged in the County of Mecklenburg which discharge he still has and which is herewith transmitted. That no time was allowed him for service until he arrived at New Providence and joined the troops under General DAVIDSON. That his certificate certifies to three months services, but that he was longer from home in marching out and home from New Providence, in all near 200 miles. That during the tour he acted as Lieutenant. That before setting out his Lieutenant CLAPP was accidentally shot in the arm and rendered unable to march with us. That Col. PAISLEY offered him the commission of a Lieutenant which he refused to accept and told the Colonel that he was a German, could not read English, but agreed to assist Captain FORBIS in every way possible. That he did act and discharge the duty of Lieutenant.” “That after his return from Mecklenburg, he joined the troops (1781) under General GREENE in his own county and marched with him on towards the Virginia line; but his Captain (WHITESELL), hearing of ravages being committed at home among his neighbors, he was permitted and marched home to put them down; but found they had fled the country. That he went with Colonel PAISLEY to Orange and met Colonel LEE with some Tory prisoners that were given to his Captain (WHITESELL), and that he was assisting to guard these prisoners at the time of the Guilford Battle [per Heitman, March 15, 1781]. This affiant further states that previous to his tour to the south, he recollects of being sent by Colonel JAMES MARTIN to Hillsboro after ammunition and that he brought it to him encamped on Sandy Creek in the county of Randolph and knows from the distance which he traveled he must have been about it several weeks…That he is known to GEORGE NEESE, JOSEPH MCLEAN, and MATTIAS SWING…etc.” From the amended declaration of WILLIAM ALBRIGHT: “…Capt. WILLIAM ALBRIGHT…that his foregoing declaration has been forwarded to the Honorable Augustus H. Sheppard, his representative, who has sent it back requesting him to amend it so as to mention more distinctly the precise time which he served. That this he is unable to do. That the greater portion of his service was performed against the Tories of his own state. That he would be out on service sometimes days and then weeks, down towards Fayetteville, down into Randolph County, off in various sections. That from his perilous? situation, he might almost be said to have been a soldier of the Revolution from his arrival in North Carolina until the end of the war.” “That there lived, beginning a few miles below his place of residence, many Tories, and in fact he may say that the greater portion of the inhabitants living between him and the town of Wilmington took part with the enemy. That he and his Whig friends who were his neighbors, and who lived as it were, between a settlement of Whigs and Royalists, were constantly exposed to and actually suffered, in his opinion, more than the friends of freedom in any other quarter of his state. That he was attached to a company commanded mostly by Captain WHITESELL and Lieutenant CLAPP called the minute company.” “That from his old age and failure of memory, he will not attempt to give an account or history of the multiplicity of short tours which he made. That he recollects very distinctly that he had permission to stay very little at home, not always half his time, and towards the end of the war, when CORNWALLIS and the British were in this southern county and the Tories thereby emboldened, he was compelled to bear arms almost constantly, endeavoring by every stratagem and effort to protect the lives and property of the Whigs, neither of which could at all times be done. That from the best of his recollections he must have served, putting all tours of service together, two years at the least. That there was one Col. FANNING, a Tory, who would often raise bands of his friends and either in person, or cause them to be marched up into the Whig settlements. That many of these companies were taken, killed and dispersed, but that FANNING always escaped…” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/albright105gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 7.4 Kb