Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Craft Or Croft, Ezekiel 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 15, 2006, 3:03 am Pension Application Of Ezekiel Croft [Craft], Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 694, Application #S16739 EZEKIEL CRAFT, a resident of Madison County, Alabama, aged 71 years: “On the 10th November 1778 or about that day, he entered the service of his country in the North Carolina militia of the Continental troops. He engaged as a substitute for JOHN WHITE and commenced as a drummer. Was attached to Captain ENOCH DAVIS’ company of Colonel FRANK [FRANCIS] LOCKE regiment under General RUTHERFORD. He joined in Guilford County, North Carolina, was marched thro’ Rowan County, Salisbury, Mecklenburg County and Charlotte into South Carolina, thro Camden and down Santee to Monck’s Corner, thence to the Ten-Mile House, thence to the Savannah River at Purysburg, and up and down the left bank of the Savannah as the service required until the 9th of April 1779, when he received the written discharge of his captain herewith transmitted.” “About the 10 of May 1780, he enlisted as a substitute for JACOB MCDANIEL in Randolph County, North Carolina. Was mustered into Captain ROBERT MCLAIN’s company of drafted militia. He thinks Colonel COLLIER was the colonel and well knows his company was attached to General CASWELL’s brigade. He was marched to Ramsey’s Mill to Cross Creek, thence to the upper part of Randolph County, thence to Colston’s old field near the Pedee in South Carolina, thence to a point below on that river where a junction was formed with General [GRIFFITH] RUTHERFORD, thence to Lynch’s Creek where they joined the division under Major General HORATIO GATES and Count [BARON] DE KALB and thence with that division by Ramsour’s or Rugeley’s Mill and Clairmont to the old plain near Camden, whence they arrived on the 15th August.” “…About two o’clock a.m. of the 16th, the skirmishing commenced betwixt the pickets of GATES’ army and the British under the Earl of CORNWALLIS. The Battle commenced so soon after the dawn that affiant had but little opportunity of observing the ground or the positions of the different corps. He thinks the American artillery was placed near the center of General GATES forces and near to that affiant and his company. He well remembers that one of the causes of the retreat of the troops immediately next to him and of his own company was the circumstances of Colonel TARLETON, as was said, having carried the artillery and turned it upon the Americans. This was a three months tour, which had expired some three or four days prior to the Battle of Camden [per Heitman, August 16, 1780], but petitioner’s company were retained until after that battle and its disasters prevented the giving of discharges.” “About the 27th August 1780, affiant, in the same county of Randolph, volunteered for a tour of six months under Captain JOHN HINDS in Colonel LUTTRELL’s regiment of horse. They were stationed at Barracks in Chatham County, North Carolina until December following, when then marched into South Carolina and at Cheraw Hill, joined the army of Major General GREENE, proceeded up the Yadkin to the Trading Ford; and affiant remained under General GREENE until his term expired, when he received a discharge, which is annexed.” “About the 30th March 1781, in Randolph County, he volunteered for three months under Captain HINDS and joined what was called the Randolph regiment now commanded by Colonel THOMAS DOUGAN, Colonel LUTRELL having been slain by the Tories. Their numbers and butcheries had multiplied since GATES Defeat, and especially the monster DAVID FANNING, at this period a colonel in the British service, was a dreadful scourge upon this colony. The Randolph regiment was mostly stationed at Bell’s Mills on Deep River, whence it made various movements against the Tories.” “In one of these, in which Captain HINDS commanded in an attack upon the Tory Colonel some distance below the station on Deep River, affiant was desperately cut and mangled and left as dead on the ground, where some females of the Whigs found him and succeeded in preserving his life. He takes the liberty to mention that the hands of Lucretia Stroud and Margaret Bans were employed in that kind office, and have ever had his grateful recollection and blessings. He annexes the discharge of Captain HINDS in regard to the tour.” “In January or February 1782, he volunteered for six months in the same county of Randolph as a state ranger under Captain WILLIAM GRAY. Several such companies were raised to guard the civil authorities and their measures of military cooperation from the incessant assaults of the Tories. During this tour, he served under Colonel DOUGAN and was again badly wounded. The chief affair that occurred was the defeat of FANNING by Colonel DOUGAN at Mrs. Spink’s plantation, where affiant had the joy to see him overtaken and routed at a moment when he was engaged in hanging some Whigs he had captured. Colonel DOUGAN’s discharge to affiant for this tour is annexed.” “About the 1st of September 1782, affiant again volunteered for four months and served as a minute man or ranger for the state of North Carolina under Captains HINDS and YORK, and for this service has no discharge to produce.” “He continued to reside in North Carolina until 1799, when he removed to east Tennessee, and in 1808 settled in Madison County, then Mississippi Territory, now of Alabama, where he has ever since lived and now dwells. Having entered into the ministry of Christ, he on the 22nd September 1825, received from the county courthouse of that county and pursuant to the laws of Alabama, a testimonial of his ordination in the Baptist Church, and annexes that to this declaration…” “SOLOMON GERON of Rowan County, Tennessee, of the age of 71…declares that EZEKIEL CRAFT…is well-known to him. That said CRAFT was with affiant in the tour above named, beginning about May 1780 in ROBERT MCLAIN’s company and CASWELL’s brigade. That he knows said CRAFT was with affiant in the marching stated by him above stated in Battle of Camden, that affiant was with said CRAFT on the two next tours above stated in LUTTRELL’s and the Randolph regiment, and saw him about three days after he was badly and as was believed, mortally wounded in Captain HINDS’ rencontre with FANNING and the Tories. And from information given to affiant by others about the times and shortly after the other tours above described, the said CRAFT was actually engaged in them also.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/craftorc140gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 7.0 Kb