Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Curtis, Reuben 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, 1:49 pm Constructed History Of Sergeant Reuben Curtis PETER CURTIS-“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.” “In the spring of the year 1777, he and his brothers enlisted again at Camden, to go to the northward for three years, that they were furloughed to go home, that he was taken sick & was ordered on to the southward, when recovered, in the New Levy, serving for nine months, and was attached to the 1st regiment, commanded by Colonel JAMES CLANTON?, that he was with GATES at the Defeat at Rugeley Mills [per Heitman, August 16, 1780-although he said the battle was at Rugeley’s Mill, it was somewhat closer to Camden, and is commonly referred to by Camden.] “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.” GIDEON JOHNSON-“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 Hollisworth 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.” “On account of the sickness of the troops in Charleston, we left that place where I took sick and was hauled to Camden in a wagon, where we lay 10 days. From that place the army marched towards Salisbury, NC and I being too sick to travel further, was left at the Widow Sutton’s on Seven-Mile Creek under the care of Sergeant REUBEN CURTIS. At the end of ten days I went to Charlotte, NC where I met with Captain SAMUEL MARTIN, with whom I traveled to Salisbury.” “This day came JOHN W. CRUNK…that in the year of 1776 he was intimately acquainted with GIDEON JOHNSON in the Continental Army and further saith that he knew him to be a regular soldier in the Revolutionary War, in the second regiment of the North Carolina troops commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN and Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG’s company and her further saith that he (CRUNK) and the said JOHNSON both belonged to the same company at the same time, and he further saith that in consequence of sickness that he (CRUNK) was separated from the regiment and sent home and that he never returned to the regiment again, the time for which he enlisted having expired before he recovered from his sickness.” “Personally appeared, GIDEON JOHNSON…that he entered the service in the month of June 1775, he thinks in the second regiment of the Continental line of North Carolina as a regular soldier, under the command of Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN, in which there were four companies: First company commanded by Captain JOHN DAVIDSON of Rowan County, second company commanded by Captain JOHN ARMSTRONG of Surrey County, third company commanded by Captain ___ PICKET of Anson County, fourth company commanded by Captain JOHN BELL of Guilford County, which four companies composed said regiment.” “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.” “He pursued the army alone (having left Sergeant CURTIS sick) to Charlotte in North Carolina, where he stayed with SAMUEL MARTIN, about two weeks." 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/curtis306gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 9.1 Kb