Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Cook, Thomas 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, 1:48 pm Constructed History Of Captain Thomas Cook Although Thomas Cook filed a long pension application, it seems sometimes to be unclear. This construct brings together the stories of the men who served under him. JOHN COOK-“3rd tour-In a short time after I returned home from the last tour, I volunteered under Captain THOMAS COOK, a Mr. O’NEAL was major, John PAISLEY our colonel. We marched down upon Deep River and dispersed a large body of Tories, said to be under the command of Colonel FANNING. I volunteered for three months, but did not stay all the time in service. The whole company was sent home until called for, but held ourselves in readiness (as ordered), when called upon.” “4th tour-I volunteered again about one month after the said third tour was out under Captain THOMAS COOK. Started from Guilford, NC, marched down Dan River to a place called the Red House where the British had taken quarters. Our Colonel was JAMES MARTIN under the command of General GREENE. The British had dispersed from the Red House. General GREENE followed them, and I continued with the army under his command during this service (three months).” JOHN COOK’s supplemental statement-“That he volunteered into the service of the United States for three months as a private on ____the day of ____ in the year 1781, in Guilford County, state of North Carolina, then the place of his residence, under Captain THOMAS COOK in a regiment commanded by Major O’NEAL and Colonel JOHN PAISLEY, marched down upon Deep River in said state and dispersed a large body of Tories said to be under the command of Colonel FANNING. After remaining for some time in the service, the whole company was marched back to Guilford County, where he remained until after the expiration of three months, where he was discharged after having served three months as a private in the service of the United States in the year 1781, the day or month he does not recollect when he was discharged.” “That he volunteered into the service of the United States for three months as a private in the _____ day of ___ in the year 1781, in Guilford County, North Carolina, then the place of his residence, under Captain THOMAS COOK in a regiment commanded by Colonel JAMES MARTIN, marched from Guilford to Dan River to a place called the Red House, where the British were quartered. At that place joined the American army commanded by General GREENE, and that he continued with the army commanded by GREENE in all its various marching and counter marching through the states of North Carolina and Virginia, until the expiration of his three months service as a private in the United States, then was discharged in the year 1781, the day or month when he was discharged not precisely recollected. Making in all at the different time periods, twelve months which he served as a private in the United States service during the Revolutionary War.” THEODOSIUS COOK-“THOMAS COOK saith that he was well acquainted with THEODOSIUS COOK, the above named applicant and of his personal knowledge was knowing to his service as a soldier in the Revolution. That the said THEODOSIUS COOK volunteered his service in the month of September 1780 under the command of this deponent and then marched to headquarters, a place called New Providence, NC, there joined the regiment of cavalry under the command of Colonels BRISBANE & DAVIE and continued with the ____ until the British retreated to South Carolina, then said deponent states that the said applicant continued under his command of a reconnoitering company until peace was concluded and deponent further states that he has since been acquainted with said applicant in person, etc.” SAMUEL GANN, Sr-“That he was living in Guilford County, N. Carolina at the time of the Revolutionary War, and entered the service of the Unites States as a private soldier, the year not now recollected (but it was to go against the British who were in South and North Carolina (under LORD CORNWALLIS, LORD RAWDON and TARLETON) for a term of three or six months, he is not certain which, under the following named officers (viz.), Captain THOMAS COOK, Lieutenant JOHN COOK, and Ensign THOMAS CRAWLEY [another pension app, John Paisley’s, has called this officer THOMAS CLARK, and in Crawley’s own pension application he does not speak of being a captain, nor do his terms of service coincide with the service presented below.].” “Joined the regiment under the following field officers at Guilford Courthouse: DAVIE was Colonel, Cmt. DE BRISBOURN, Lieutenant Colonel, and WHITE was our Major. Were marched on to Salisbury in Rowan County, where we first under the command of Brigadier General DAVIDSON. This officer was killed in a short time after this by the British, not far from the Catawba River. From Rowan, we marched on, to the County of Mecklenburg, where we met with the British at Charlotte Courthouse and had a battle with them. The enemy were too strong for us and our troops were defeated [per Heitman, September 26, 1780], after which we had a great many skirmishes with the British and Tories.” “Sometime after this, we had an engagement with the Tories at Waxhaw Creek, S.C. DAVIE and BRISBURN conducted that expedition, which proved successful. We defeated them [per Heitman, May 29, 1780-occurred before the Battle of Charlotte] and took forty-seven horse, saddles and bridles. In a short time afterwards, our term of service having expired, were marched to Salisbury and discharged. I was drafted again in a short time after reaching home. But the _______ of my crops required that I should stay at home and take care of it, or lose it. I hired a substitute in my place.” “But in a very short time thereafter, another draft ed___, and I stood my tour, and went into service for a term of three months. Fortunately for me, I fell under the same officers [Capt. THOMAS COOK, Lt. JOHN COOK, Ens. THOMAS ‘CLARK’].” “I again joined the army as a volunteer, just before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in General GREENE’s army. On the day of the battle, myself and several others of the troops were detached to take care of some beef cattle for the army. We were ordered to drive the cattle from a place called the _____ wake to a field within a mile or two of Guilford Courthouse, once there to guard them closely all day. On the day after the battle we drove the cattle to General GREENE’s army and they were killed and slaughtered up for the use of the army. In a short time afterwards, I was discharged and returned home.” JOHN GIBSON-“In the early part of February 1781, he volunteered his services and joined a company of horsemen, commanded by Captain THOMAS COOK of Guilford County, NC. Was marched into Pittsylvania County on Dan River, Virginia in order to join the troops under the command of General GREENE. They were subsequently marched back to Guilford County and he with such other horsemen as were citizens of Guilford County, was attached to the commissary department. Was employed in collecting cattle for the use of the army on the day of the Battle of Guilford Court House, between the armies commanded by General GREENE/Americans, and the British, commanded by LORD CORNWALLIS. He served to the best of his recollection at this time a period of not less than seven weeks.” HENRY HARDIN-“And this deponent declares that he entered into the service of the United States in the year 1781, in the month of March of that year, by order of Colonel JAMES MARTIN and Colonel HUNTER, who about the time CORNWALLIS entered into Guilford County, North Carolina, gave orders for every man who was able to bear arms to join the army under General GREENE, by joining Captain THOMAS COOK’s company of Light Horse, of the militia under the command of Colonel JAMES MARTIN and Colonel JAMES HUNTER in which company this deponent served a few weeks, the company being disbanded after the Battle at Guilford Courthouse [March 15th, 1781], North Carolina, in which county this deponent then resided, having removed there in the month of February preceding; but was not engaged in said battle by reason of his being absent on forage duty.” “And this deponent further declares that in the fall of the said year last aforesaid [1781], he was again in the service of the United States as a volunteer in the Light Horse company of Captain THOMAS COOK commanded by Colonel WILLIAM O’NEAL in pursuit of the noted Tory FANNING, Colonel of the Tories. And this deponent further declares that he was at various other times and under various other officers engaged in suppressing and disarming the Tories which he does not herein detail as the terms of service tho’ numerous, were short and under partizan officers acting upon their own responsibility…” ANDREW MARTIN-“That after this he was again drafted. At the time he was drafted, he was sick and unable to march. That he remained at home until he was able to march, which was about four months. He was then placed under the command of Captain THOMAS COOK, and taken by him into South Carolina near a little town called Ninety-Six, when his term of service which was five months expired and he returned home, At this term of service he was with, and knew Colonel DOBBINS and Colonel LOCK.” GEORGE OLIVER-“He further states that about a year after he returned home from his first service, he volunteered again and entered the service of the United States in Guilford County and served two months under General GREENE and under Captain [THOMAS] COOK, and was in the Battle of Guilford [per Heitman, March 15, 1781].” JAMES SCALES-“Some time after this, I was called into service again under the command of Captain THOMAS COOK, were marched to what was called the Red House in Caswell County, NC. I continued in the service until after the Battle at Guilford Courthouse [per Heitman, March 15, 1781]. Was in that battle, under the command of Captain RICHARD VERNON, as a reconnoitering party, but I expressed a wish to the captain to join the infantry under Colonel JOSEPH WINSTON, which he permitted me to do, but the line of troops being thrown into a state of confusion, we did not render much signal service on that occasion.” ISHAM SHARP-“In the year 1780, he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer militiaman under Capt. COOK for six months. He states that he does not now recollect the name of the lieutenant and ensign. He was immediately marched to various places in the neighboring counties. Their principle duty was to guard certain dangerous places. They were in many skirmishes with the Tories during that tour, and in which he faithfully served full six months and was honorably discharged by his captain.” “Sometime after his return, he again volunteered under Capt. COOK/ TATE for nine months and was put under or in, Col. ROLSTON’s regiment and was previous to his joining said regiment and afterwards, marching to various places in search of the enemy, and was marched to Guilford and was there at the battle called the Battle of Guilford. This he thinks was in the year 1781 [per Heitman, March 15, 1781]…” Supplemental statement-“Soon after he returned home and was discharged, he turned out as a volunteer under Capt. COOK and was attached to the same battalion and regiment as stated in the preceding tour. That they marched to Surrey Courthouse where they quartered for awhile. He was then joined to Col. HENDERSON’s regiment and marched across the Yadkin River and turned down said river where they made a stand for some days near where there was a large body of Tories collected, and for some time a general engagement was expected, but the Tories finally abandoned their position and retreated down the country, and the regiment pursued them many miles, recrossed the river, and marched on to many other places, which he cannot now particularly recollect, in the course of a month or six weeks spent in this way.” “They then marched back to Guilford County and immediately marched on again to Randolph and Chatham Counties, where they had several skirmishes with the Tories. From thence, they again marched on to the Yadkin River, crossed the same, and continued in that region for a considerable time and again marched back to Guilford, a distance of about fifty miles. They remained in Guilford some time, and again marched to Randolph and Chatham, where they continued for a long time, scouting and guarding, and was finally marched back to Guilford…” 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/cook305gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 13.5 Kb