Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Delay, James 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, 1:54 pm Constructed History Of Lt. James Delay SAMUEL RAYL-“At his company muster ground, at the house of CHARLES BRUCE in Guilford County near Guilford Courthouse, the declarant, together with many others, volunteered under Captain JOHN ?ALLUMS [?ELMS] in the month of July, day not recollected, in the year 1776, for the purpose of marching against the Cherokee Indians who had attacked the frontiers a short time before and had murdered some women and children and some men. Declarant had been elected ensign in Captain ELMS company of militiamen more than a year before, and still was the ensign of the company. Declarant received his commission as ensign from the hands of Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN, who commanded the regiment. HEZEKIAH RHODES was the lieutenant, as declarant believes, though he is not certain. JAMES DELAY was the orderly sergeant, as he believes, though he is not certain. The other sergeants and the corporals are not recollected.” “At the same place and time another company volunteered under Captain LEAK, so pronounced. The place of rendezvous was Guilford Courthouse and on the 13th day of July 1776, this declarant reported there and within sight of Guilford Courthouse, a large body of men, many companies, number not recollected, were collected. Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN commanded them. This declarant was ensign in Captain JOHN ELMS company. Captain FORBIS was one of the captains. Declarant does not now recollect any other captains’ names. There were no regular officers or soldiers.” “Many of the men being unprepared with guns and provisions and clothing, had to return to their homes to make ready. They were ordered to make ready and return immediately. This declarant returned home, prepared himself, and returned in three or four days to Guilford Courthouse. Thence we were marched under Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN towards the Cherokee towns. We marched a few miles only the first day, encamping the first night four or five miles from Guilford Courthouse. The third or second day, we reached Salisbury, within sight of it. Thence in four or five days, we marched to Cathey’s Fort, crossing on our way the Catawba River at the Root Bridge Branch. Here we remained several days (three or four) waiting for reinforcements.” “From Cathey’s Fort, in a few days (five or six), we marched to Cowee Town, a Cherokee town on the Hiwassee River, crossing on our way, the mountains between North Carolina and what is now east Tennessee. We crossed the French Broad and Little Pigeon Rivers, and the Little Tennessee River. When we reached Cowee Town, it was deserted by the Indians. We burned the town. Here we found corn, fresh meat, hogs and chicken, and sweet potatoes, and we remained here several days, number not recollected. A considerable body of men from Georgia joined us at Cowee Town.” “While we were at Cowee, the Over-Hill Cherokees we were informed, were coming upon us and 400 of our men were sent in two divisions and ordered to take different routes. This declarant was not in either division, though desirous of going, he was prevented by his captain on account of his having an attack of inflammatory rheumatism, brought on by wading French Broad. One of the divisions that took the right hand [position] met the Over-Hill Cherokees who were coming on. About two miles from Cowee, our men engaged with and routed them, killing nine of the Indians with a loss on our part of two or three men. From Cowee Town, we marched to a town, the name of which is not recollected, not far from Cowee, which we also burned. We also burned several towns not far from Cowee that were attached to Cowee Town, the names of which, if they had any, not recollected.” “We returned to Cowee Town on Hiwassee River after having destroyed the towns and provisions of the Indians near the Cowee Town, and thence returned home the same route we had gone on. We started in July, day not recollected, and returned the latter part of October, day not recollected, making a service of three months and twelve days. This declarant received no written discharge, and never applied afterwards for a written discharge, never thinking it would be of any service to him to get one.” “This declarant received pay for three months and twelve days service in this way. There was a sale at Cowee Town of property taken in the Indian towns. Declarant purchased a horse and his account was an offset against his pay.” JAMES STEWART-“He was also a volunteer under the command of JAMES FROST, Captain; JONAS FROST, lieutenant; and JAMES [DE?]LAY, ensign; and himself, 1st sergeant, and marched through Martinsville and Salisbury and from thence was sent by Captain FROST to General RUTHERFORD for orders how and when to proceed, who ordered us home, and to wait for further orders. “JOSEPH DENNY-“That he was present at Salisbury and saw JAMES STEWART, and states he personally knows of STEWART’s service rendered in a tour under Captain JAMES FROST, Lieutenant JONAS FROST, Ensign JAMES [DE]LAY.” CHESLEY BARNES-“He states that he was living in Guilford County NC. Was drafted about the first of June, just before Gates Defeat in South Carolina. Entered service under Captain PETER O’NEAL, Lieutenant JAS. DELAY and Ensign WM DONAHO. Was attached to the Light Infantry, North Carolina militia. Our captain marched us to Colonel PAISLEY’s, where we drew our guns, bayonets and other equipments. From thence we marched to Colonel ______ and thence to Salisbury where we joined the _____ ____ ____ men of General RUTHERFORD.” “From Salisbury we marched to the mouth of the Rocky River, where we attacked a body of Tories near that place, whom we defeated and drove off. After the engagement, RUTHERFORD with the army lay near that place three or four days, waiting further orders.” “We took up our line of march directly back across the Yadkin River, then turning down the same towards Cheraw Hills in order to attack a body of British under General Lord RAWDON who was said to be laying at that place. But when they heard of our approach they moved off in the direction for Camden. Our army crossed PeeDee at Cheraw and pursued the enemy as far as Lynch’s Creek to a bridge. The British, after passing the bridge, tore up all the planks and threw them into the creek to prevent our crossing. At this time our troops were put under the command of Colonel PORTERFIELD. The Colonel deemed it impracticable to continue the pursuit of the enemy any further.” “We then marched back and joined General GATES’s army, who was then on its march to attack Lord CORNWALLIS at Camden. We continued our march for Camden. A day or two before the battle took place, at the Gum Swamp, I was taken sick and left on the road at a house some few miles on this side of the Gum Swamp, where I remained sick for upwards of three weeks. After I got well enough to travel, I met my captain’s company at Guilford Courthouse. My term of service (a three months tour) having expired, we were then duly discharged and returned home.” BENJAMIN RHODES-“That he volunteered about the first of October in the year 1780 in a company of light horse raised in Guilford County, North Carolina by order of Colonel GILLESPIE and commanded by Captain ASA BRASHEARS, Lieutenant JAMES DELAY and Ensign HEZEKIAH RHODES, brother of this declarant.” “He states that this company was raised for the purpose of acting and did act as an auxiliary to the main army under General GREENE in suppressing the Tories and watching the movements of the British. It was considered a company of minutemen, and he states that he, with the rest of the company was frequently at home for some days at a time, but was most of the time in actual service and always with the company when in service, which service was employed in scouring the Counties of Guilford, Randolph and Chatham, and for a good part of the time in search of a certain Colonel FANNING, a Tory whom they never could catch, but quite a few of his men were taken. He states that he procured his own horse and arms while in service, which service was of the severest kind, as they had to ride us _____ both night and day while in service, for which he was to have got one dollar per day while in service, but never received anything. He states that he first volunteered for three months, but the company being needed, he continued in service about seven months when he was discharged by his Captain BRASHEARS.” 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/delay309gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 9.4 Kb