Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Carnahan, Andrew September 6, 1832
Revwar - Pension 
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Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com June 14, 2006, 4:26 am

Pension Application Of Andrew Carnahan, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 473, Application #W8577
ANDREW CARNAHAN, a resident of Rutherford County, Tennessee, aged 72 years:
	“That he entered the service in the fall of the year 1781 as a 
substitute. The circumstances of his entering the service was as near as he can 
remember, the following. There was a call for a regiment of one thousand men to 
be raised by a draft in the militia in the state of North Carolina, where he 
then resided, which men were directed to be raised, he thinks, by an act passed 
by the General Assembly of the state for the defense of the state. Each company 
[the term he should have used here was ‘each class’] was required to furnish a 
certain number of men, or perhaps only one man.”
“The company commanded by SMITH MOORE of Guilford County, North Carolina, in 
which county and state declarant resided, agreed to hire a man to serve the 
term for which the troops were called out, which was for twelve months, in 
preference to standing a draft out of their company [class], and accordingly 
they made an engagement by the captain, the aforesaid SMITH MOORE, with 
declarant to serve the tour. And in pursuance of said engagement, he entered 
the service as aforesaid in the fall of the year 1781.”
“He entered in the company commanded by Captain CHARLES GORDON, in which 
company JAMES and HUGH MCCRORY were appointed first and second lieutenants by 
the Assembly of North Carolina, but they declined accepting said appointment, 
and he does not think __ there was any acting lieutenant in the company. The 
regiment was raised as aforesaid, and in which he served was called the “State 
Regiment”. It was commanded by Major JOEL LEWIS, and he also thinks there was a 
Major CROFTEN who had a command in said regiment, but his recollection about 
him is not as distinct as it is about Major LEWIS. He thinks there never was a 
Colonel belonging to said regiment, or if there was, he has no recollection of 
him.”
“Declarant states that he rendezvoused at Salisbury, North Carolina, where he 
joined his company and regiment as aforesaid. When he reached Salisbury, there 
was some militia troops then guarding the jail, in which a Tory Colonel by the 
name of BRYANT who had been taken prisoner by the Whigs, was confined. There 
was also at the same time confined there a Tory Colonel by the name of HAMPTON, 
and a Captain WHITE. By whom said militia troops were commanded, he does not 
remember. Their term of service being out, he was discharged a short time after 
he reached there.”
“Declarant states that his company remained at Salisbury until sometime the 
ensuing spring, guarding the jail in which aforesaid prisoners were confined. 
During the time he so remained there guarding them, they were tried, convicted 
and sentenced to be hung. But they were pardoned, rather respited for a short 
time, and therefore not executed on the day appointed. He remembers that a 
great crowd of country people had assembled, on the day on which the said 
prisoners were sentenced to be executed, to witness it, and on finding that the 
prisoners had been respited, they were greatly exasperated, and it required the 
utmost vigilance of the troops to which he belonged, to prevent their taking 
said prisoners out of the jail and hanging them forthwith. He thinks said 
prisoners were respited as often as twice, and finally were pardoned, and 
allowed to be exchanged with the British as prisoners of war, and he remembers 
they were sent to Augusta.”
“The company to which declarant belonged was ordered to march down the country 
to DOWD’s [his comrade, John MCCRORY called this mill, Brewer’s] Mill on Deep 
River, which he thinks was in Randolph or Sampson County, to join the balance 
of the regiment who had marched previously down there. Declarant was furloughed 
together with JOHN MCCRORY, to go by home, and meet the company at the place 
above stated. He states that he and said MCCRORY did go by home, and at the 
time appointed, repaired to Dowd’s [Brewer’s] Mill, and then united with the 
company to which they belonged, which as before stated was commanded by Captain 
CHARLES GORDON.”
“But when they reached there, the main body of the regiment had marched farther 
on down the country, and Captain GORDON’s company took up the line of march in 
pursuit of them and finally overtook them. But the place at which they overtook 
the regiment, or how long it was, he cannot remember. He thinks he marched 
through some swamps before he overtook the regiment, but his recollection is so 
indistinct about that, that is appears almost like a dream to him. He has been 
reminded by JOHN MCCRORY, his comrade, that they marched through the Raft 
Swamp, which he believes to be the fact.”
“At the time he joined with the main body of the regiment, it was sometime in 
the summer, he thinks about harvest. A short time before they overtook the 
regiment when in about four miles as he supposes, a detailment of horsemen of 
fifty in number, who belonged to General SUMTER’s troops, met with our 
regiment. Both parties when they met, mistook each other for Tories, and fired 
at each other. The only injury done by the fire was the killing of one of 
SUMTER’s men. This is the information declarant afterwards received from his 
regiment, of the affair. And he understood that not another man or horse was 
wounded. The horsemen, after being fired on, retreated a short distance, and in 
the retreat, one of them was thrown by his horse, and was taken up by 
declarant’s regiment, and from him they learned that his party was Whigs, and 
for the first time become apprised of the mistake they had made.”
	“After declarant’s company joined the balance of the regiment, but he 
cannot remember how long, the whole regiment except Captain GORDON’s company to 
which he belonged, or rather twenty five men of said company, of which number 
he was one, marched up the country. The twenty-five men as aforesaid were left 
behind as a guard to keep in awe, and prevent the rising of the Tories, who it 
was feared would rise if the whole of the Whig military forces left the 
country. He thinks he remained in that part of the country with said twenty-
five men, about three months. He remembers that during a part of that time, he 
was encamped on the creek called Drowning Creek, and a part of the time he was 
encamped at Cole’s Mill on Hitchcock or Hedgecock Creek. His memory does not 
serve him to state all the particulars of his service during this three months, 
but there was nothing of importance or particular interest occurred during the 
time, except the following:”
	“There were fifteen Tory soldiers who had been taken prisoners by 
General GREENE, who were returning home on a parole from General GREENE, and 
were interrupted and taken prisoners by the command of Captain GORDON. There 
was also a captain who belonged to this same company of fifteen soldiers who 
were taken prisoners, but he was permitted to escape after being abused and ill-
treated. These prisoners were treated with great cruelty by Captain GORDON and 
compelled to strip off and take switches to others, and whip each other, and he 
took their clothes and money from them, and it was reported that he had sold 
one of them into the regular service for one hundred dollars. About the truth 
of this report he has no knowledge, but he remembers that after that report, he 
never saw but fourteen of the fifteen prisoners. The fourteen prisoners were 
sent to Hillsborough and put in jail there, as he understood. Charges were 
pressed against Captain GORDON for this cruelly treating and taking prisoners 
those who had been paroled by General GREENE, and declarant remembers that he 
was summoned to Hillsboro as a witness on his trial. GORDON did not make his 
appearance to stand trial, and he believes was never tried.”
	“After this affair with Captain GORDON, declarant together with the 
other men that had been in Captain GORDON’s company, were attached to Captain 
TROUTON’s company, as he thinks, though his recollection does not serve him to 
enable him to state particularly about his officers after this time, but he 
thinks he performed but little service afterwards, his time being nearly out, 
and this he supposes is the reason why he does not remember distinctly about 
his company officers after he left GORDON.”
“Having returned to Hillsboro, and his time being about to expire, Major LEWIS 
directed him together with such others of the soldiers whose time was about to 
expire, to meet him in Wilkes County, North Carolina upon a certain day, at 
which time he would discharge them. Declarant accordingly met with him as 
directed, and received from him a written discharge, having served near about 
twelve months, the time for which he entered the service.”
	“Declarant has not now his discharge, having sold it sometime after he 
received it, to Captain SMITH MOORE, the person who engaged him to enter the 
army as a substitute. He did not know he would draw any pay for his services, 
and having an opportunity of selling his right to his wages for a certainty, he 
thought it most advisable for him to do it, and he never expected that it would 
be important for him to produce it at any subsequent time…”
	“Previous to the term of service as aforesaid, declarant served several 
short tours in pursuit of the Tories in North Carolina, but he cannot remember 
with sufficient accuracy to state anything positive about it. He remembers that 
he was once out about six weeks in Captain FORBIS’s company, in which he thinks 
the lieutenant’s name was GILMORE. The troops to which he belonged during this 
time were under the command of General DAVIDSON. After having been in service 
about six weeks as above stated, he agreed to join a company of light horse, 
and went home to get his horse, but his mother who was at that time alive, was 
so much opposed to his returning, that she prevailed on him to remain at home, 
she hiring a man to go as a substitute in his place. At this time, he was not 
much more than sixteen years of age…”
	“He has no documentary evidence of his service as a soldier of the 
Revolution, but he states that JOHN MCCRORY, whose certificate is hereto 
annexed, knew him in the service, and served with him on the tour as above 
stated, and was for a considerable portion of the time, a messmate with him…”
	“Personally appeared, JOHN MCCRORY, aged 69 years, doth certify that he 
was well acquainted with ANDREW CARNAHAN…at the time he states he served a tour 
of twelve months in Captain GORDON’s company in the regiment of North Carolina 
State Troops, in which Major JOEL LEWIS and Major CRAFTON commanded. He states 
that he himself served the same tour of duty, and was in Captain CHARLES 
GORDON’s company with the said ANDREW CARNAHAN, and was his messmate during the 
whole time, until the said CARNAHAN remained with Captain GORDON and twenty-
five men in the lower part of North Carolina in the neighborhood of the swamps, 
at which place he left him, and afterwards belonged to Captain JOHN MABEN’s 
company. He has recollection of seeing the said CARNAHAN in service after he 
had marched up to join the balance of the regiment at Brewer’s Mill on Haw 
River in Chatham County North Carolina, and he believes afterwards he saw him 
at Lindley’s Mill but a short time before his term of service expired, at which 
place, affiant was taken sick and was sent home.”


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