REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - JOSEPH CHAPMAN Guilford County NC Contributed by: Nancy Crayton (sloanc@mindspring.com) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/chapman.txt *********************************************************************** JOSEPH CHAPMAN was born in Halifax County, VA but he first enlisted in Guilford County, NC in 1776 to fight the Cherokee in response to attacks committed on frontier homes. He had been living in NC by 1769 based on records filed in Halifax County, VA when he gave his brother power of attorney to sell land willed to him by their father. At that time Joseph was living in Orange County, NC. After the war, he was granted bounty land on Little Troublesome Creek, in what is now Alamance County, NC. Since a lot of misinformation about Joseph Chapman has been printed I thought it might be helpful to put his own account from his Pension Application which is on file in the Probate Court of the Pickens County Courthouse, Pickens, SC. Alongwith his pension application, there are other documents naming his heirs, including some grandchildren. Here's the transcription of his pension application. The State of South Carolina Pickens District On the Twelfth day of March One thousand eight hundred and thirty three JOSEPH CHAPMAN in open Court of General Sessions and Common Pleas for Pickens District in the State aforesaid aged Eighty Seven years last Christmas a resident in Said District who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passes June 7th 1832. That he was born in Halifax County Virginia the 25th December 1745 and when he entered the service of his country he resided in Guilford County North Carolina when he enlisted or joined GENERAL RUTHERFORD in an expedition against the Cherokee Indians and was in several engagements or skirmishes with said Indians and in which said expeditions he acted as captain and served four months. On his return he enlisted or joined under CAPTAIN ANDREW VANOY and joined a body of men under the command of GENERAL LOCK at Wilmington North Carolina and was marched to a placed called Pine Tree in South Carolina which force was disposed to meet the British and served in this expedition four months. He returned home and immediately removed to South Carolina and settled in Turkey Creek then in Ninety Six District which removal place a short time previous to the fall of Charleston. A short time after the fall of Charleston he joined a company under the command of CAPTAIN ROBERT ANDERSON and marched against the fort at Ninety Six then in the hands of the British and Tories. COLONEL ANDREW PICKENS commanded the regiment to which his company was attached and the whole was under the command of MAJOR GENERAL GREENE and he was present when the first spade of dirt was thown up at the seige. Lord Rawdon coming to the relief of the fort the besieging army retreated. The company to which he was attached dispersed and met 15 or 20 miles below Ninety Six when he was allowed to return home to his family. He served at this time about four weeks. A few weeks after his return home he enlisted under CAPTAIN ROBERT MAXWELL in an expedition into the Cherokee Country and was engaged in many skirmishes and scouts. One engagement was at an Indian Town by the name of Tessenty when we destroyed the town and killed and took the inhabitants. The same day of the Battle of Tessenty he was out on a scout about four or five miles from the Town with Captain Maxwell and 25 men. The company was separated and he and Maxwell and two others came across four Indians at the camp. The Indians broke in different directions this deponent pursuing two Indians up Toney Mountain when he fired on them but misfiring the Indians turned on him. He was shot through the body with a rifle. Colonel Clark was in the above engagement with a detachment from Georgia. The deponent was never able to serve after receiving the wound above stated and returned home. I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declare that my name is not on the Pension Role of the agency of any State. I have no record of my age. I have lived in South Carolina Pendleton District ever since the war. I volunteered my services. William L. Keith, Clerk of Court, Pickens District, South Carolina Joseph (his mark) Chapman Personally came Joseph Chapman before me the subscribing Justice and makes the following affadafit (in order to amend his application for a Pension under the Act of 7th June 1832 which was made out at Pickens Court and certifyed for 12 March 1833 and forwarded to the War Department and returned as deficient) That he entered the services of the United States in the summer of 1776 under Colonel Paceley (Paisley?) General Rutherford's Brigade served four months as a Captain. That his Enlistment under Captain Maxwell was for a tour of Eighteen Months that he served to the best of his recollection three months of said tour when he received a wound which rendered him unable for service was put under the care of Doctor Russell where he remained all winter. That he is confident he served four weeks as specified under Captain Anderson that his Terms of Service under Captain Maxwell and Captain Anderson he served as a Private that he never received a regular discharge. Sworn to and Subscribed before me this 8th October 1833 Bailey Barton Joseph (his mark) Chapman I William L. Keith Esquire Clerk of the Court of Pickens District do hereby certify that Bailey Barton whose name appears to the above affadavid is an acting Justice of the Qu ? for the Said district duly appointed Qualified and acting as such as that due faith should be placed to his official character as such given under my hand and seal of office at Pickens Courthouse this 8th day of October 1833 William L. Keith Clerk of Court for Pickens District