Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Armstrong, John 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 18, 2006, 12:12 am Constructed History Of Captain John Armstrong JOHN WALTER CRUNK, a resident of Madison County, Alabama in January 1819, aged 66 years: “That in the month of March 1776 in Guilford County, North Carolina, he was enlisted by Lieutenant ROBIN ROLSTON into the company commanded by Captain DAVIDSON of the second regiment of the North Carolina line on Continental establishment, commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN. That in about the month of May following, he was transferred to the company commanded by Captain ARMSTRONG in the same regiment, and was appointed a sergeant. That he continued to serve as such in said company until, in or about the month of September following when he was commissioned an ensign in the company commanded by Captain KNOX, in the same regiment. He received this commission at Charleston, South Carolina, and soon afterwards marched with same under the command of Major [JAMES] WHITE for Savannah, Georgia. On his arrival in the neighborhood of Savannah, he was taken ill of a fever and remained hereabouts, too sick and unfit for duty until the month of April following.” CURTIS, JOSHUA-Virgil White source did not show in which county he enlisted. Soldier served under Capt. ARMSTRONG, Capt. JOHN NELSON, Capt. MICAJAH BREWER, all of the Continental line. PETER CURTIS: Garrard Circuit Court, Kentucky, 1818: “This petitioner states on oath that he served as a regular soldier in the revolutionary war, under three several enlistments, for the period of about five years and six months. That he first enlisted together with three of his brothers, at Guilford County Courthouse in North Carolina, under Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG a short time before Christmas in the year 1775, for the term of one year, and was attached to the second North Carolina regiment on the Continental line, commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN, and marched to Wilmington, and from there to Charleston, and continued there until the term was out.” “That he (the said PETER CURTIS) enlisted for the term of twelve months on the __ day of February 1776 in the State of North Carolina, in the company commanded by Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG, in the regiment commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN in the line of the state of North Carolina on the North Carolina Continental establishment. That he continued to serve in the said corps until November of that year, when he was furloughed from said service in Wilmington in North Carolina and remained at home longer than was proper, as he has been since informed, he being entirely deranged during his absence, but before the expiration of his term was restored sufficiently to return to the service which he did, and served out his time in Captain WILLIAM’s company, Colonel DONOHO’s regiment, and General SUMTER’s brigade. He was deranged when furloughed, as he has been informed, and believes, for he has no recollection of it personally.” GIDEON JOHNSON, a resident of Williamson County, TN [in 1832] aged 78 years: “That I enlisted in the army of the United States in the last of the month of July 1776 for the term of twelve months under Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG from Surrey County, Lieutenant JOSEPH TATE from Guilford County, in North Carolina. I resided in Guilford County, NC at that time and joined the army in that county at a place called Spring Garden. Captain ARMSTRONG’s company joined the second regiment of the Continental line at Salisbury, shortly after my enlistment as well as I can recollect, which regiment was commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN. We lay at Salisbury about three months when we marched thence to a place near Hollingsworth Mills on Duncan’s Creek, which I think is a branch of the Catawba River. Receiving information that there were a body of Tories collected either on Duncan Creek about fifteen miles distant, we were marched thither in the night and surrounded them near daybreak, when we [were] fired on by their sentinels and our men closed in upon them and took, as was reported, one hundred prisoners, whom we marched to headquarters on Duncan’s Creek, where we guarded them two days when they were sent to Charleston, South Carolina.” “Shortly after this, we rendezvoused at Salisbury, I going by home by furlough…” “Deponent states that he first turned out as a volunteer under Lieutenant JOSEPH TATE, who was Lieutenant under his Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG, at Spring Garden, Guilford County, North Carolina for a term of (he thinks) of twelve months; rendezvoused in the latter end of said month at Salisbury, and (he thinks) left Salisbury in September following. While at Salisbury, a dissatisfaction arose amongst the troops and a second enlistment became necessary and was proposed by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN for a term of eighteen months, for which time said declarant volunteered, he thinks about the last of July or first of August 1775.” “The troops, when leaving Salisbury, were ordered south, kept headquarters at Hollingsworth Mills on Enoree River, about four weeks, after which the troops were ordered south on a meandering route, to the Hickory Camps, he thinks near the borders of South Carolina, from thence, he thinks, in the month of January following, they were informed, there was a company of Tories collected on Duncan’s Creek, to which place the troops were ordered and marched under the guidance of our informants. On our arrival at said Duncan’s Creek, we had a small skirmish with the Tories. They fled, save three hundred prisoners we took, and marched back to Hickory Camp. Guarded them there two days and nights. Thence we were sent to Charleston, South Carolina under a guard of militia. From Hickory Camp we marched south in the direction of Ninety- Six through the country watered by Tyger River, Congaree, Wateree Rivers, falling down below Ninety-Six. Thence we went towards Bell’s Mills on Deep River in the direction of Fayetteville in North Carolina. Thence we returned to Salisbury, where we stayed five or six weeks, and where many of the troops were furloughed for a small space of time.” “We were from thence marched to Charleston, through the Swamps of Santee River and arrived at Charleston some time in August, just in time to see the British embark, when they evacuated Charleston, or Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, where we continued until (I think) the latter end of October following, occupying the old British Barracks. From which place we were then ordered to march in consequence of the bad health of the troops, of whom many had died. On our first or second days march at night, going towards Camden, in Goose Creek, deponent for the first time was taken sick and put in a wagon, he thinks about twenty miles from Charleston, and hauled from thence to Camden, he thinks 130 or 140 miles. There, in consequence of sickness of the troops we lay about three weeks. Some two or three men died there, and from thence we marched to Seven-mile Creek at Widow Suttle’s. Deponent was given out for dead and left in the care of Sergeant REUBEN CURTIS for an attendant. Deponent thinks he lay here about three weeks, from whence deponent started about, leaving his gun and shot bag and belt? bit? not being able to carry them, has never heard of them since.” January 29th, 1840-“Personally appeared, RICHARD VERNON, aged eighty-one years: That he has been acquainted with GIDEON JOHNSON for upwards of seventy years, first in the state of North Carolina and then in this state. That he was present when said JOHNSON enlisted into the regular army in Continental service, with Lieutenant JOSEPH TATE of Captain ARMSTRONG’s company, Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN’s regiment. That the troops to which he belonged marched to the south as he then understood, that about the time his enlistment expired he returned to his father’s house, where deponent visited him and found him reduced almost to a skeleton by sickness. That said enlistment was for twelve or eighteen months.” “That he…WILLIAM SHROPSHIRE, enlisted for the term of twelve months in the month of September 1775 in the County of Guilford, state of North Carolina, in the company commanded by Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG in the regiment commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN in the line of the state of North Carolina in the continental establishment. That he continued to serve in the said corps until September 1776 when he was discharged in Guilford County, state of NC…” Rockingham County, NC, JOHN FIELDS-“That WILLIAM SHROPSHIRE was a soldier in the regular service of the United States under Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG in the 2nd regiment of North Carolina regulars. That this deponent states that he served with the said WILLIAM SHROPSHIRE in the year ‘76 and that ALEXANDER MARTIN was the Colonel Commandant. That this deponent further maketh oath that he was a sergeant in Captain ARMSTRONG’s company, and that said WILLIAM SHROPSHIRE served under him.” Lincoln County, Tennessee, JOHN W. CRUNK-“That he is well acquainted with WILLIAM SHROPSHIRE…that he enlisted in the service of the United States in February 1776. That he served in Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG’s company in the continental army, the 2nd regiment, commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN. That he remained in the service for nine months or more. That he was taken sick and furloughed to go home. That deponent further states that he also was a soldier and served with the said SHROPSHIRE.” Additional Comments: Constructed History is my term for a soldier who did not file for a pension himself, but about whom there is enough evidence from other soldiers to form an equivalent to a pension application. Most of the testimony comes from other men mentioning the officer or non-comm officer, but in some cases, the actual soldier himself testified on behalf of other men, thus revealing his own history. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/armstron298gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 10.4 Kb