Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Dent, William 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, 1:55 pm Constructed History Of Lt./Capt. William Dent “WILLIAM SMITH-“That from the commencement of the Revolutionary War, the citizens of his section of North Carolina were divided into two parties-the Whigs and the Tory. That he joined the Whigs, the friends of freedom, liberty and independence, and served his country from 1775 to 1781, sometimes at home a few days, and again out on service sometimes days, sometimes weeks, and sometimes months at a time. But from the dangers to which his party was constantly exposed and from the circumstances of his joining at an early period of the war, many of his neighbors, who formed themselves into a company called minute men, he stood constantly on the defensive both when out in service under the immediate command of his officers and when at home. That from old age and a very great failure of his memory, he is unable to give any correct history of his services so as to point out all the tours he made, when they were made, or the time he spent in performing each.” “That in, or about the summer of 1775, it was rumored in his neighborhood that the Tories had arisen down in the County of Orange and had committed depradations on Whigs. When the people of the Alamance (his own) neighborhood met together to consult what it would be best for them to do. That it was resolved by the meeting to send some two to ascertain whether this report was true; and that he and one JESSE MACOMB volunteered and went and found that the Tories were in arms and had wounded in a skirmish one WILLIAM DENT, Esquire, a Whig. That they returned immediately and brought to their friends this intelligence when they formed themselves into a company and marched with this commanded by Lieut. WILEY, Captain FORBIS, Colonel PAISLEY and Colonel GILLESPIE, and brought away said DENT, who was severely wounded, and placed him under the care of Dr. AGNEW, and returned after the Tories, took some prisoners and dispersed the balance. That he marched with Captain FORBIS, guarding the prisoners, to Martinsville, Guilford Old Courthouse, where they were dismissed on a promise to be peaceable citizens in future. That he cannot tell the length of this tour.” WILLIAM KERR-“That he entered the regular army in the North Carolina state troops as a substitute for his brother DAVID KERR, the month and year he cannot recollect [very early, 1775 or 1776], that he entered the regiment commanded by Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN, Major ANTHONY SHARP, and commanded by Captain PATRICK MCGIBBONEY, Lieutenant WILLIAM DENT. That he was also acquainted with one Captain JOHN NELSON, who belonged to the same regiment. That he served in said company as a substitute aforesaid, the full period of eighteen months. That he entered in said service in said company at Guilford Courthouse, was marched from there into the state of Virginia and from there into South Carolina to Charleston and was discharged in South Carolina, as he thinks, on the Peedee. That he was in no battles or skirmishes during said period of 18 months, and had a regular discharge which he has lost. That at the time he entered the service as aforesaid, he resided in Guilford County, NC.” THOMAS ARMSTRONG-“He afterwards served some time as a volunteer in the state of North Carolina in guarding the magazine at Guilford Courthouse. But he does not recollect the year nor the length of time he served, he believes about two weeks in this last tour. Captains WHITESELL and DENT were at the magazine while he was guarding the same. He served at various times as a volunteer against the Tories in North Carolina through several years, attached to no particular regiments or companies, but to scouting parties, he believes in all, more than a month…” 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/dent310gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 4.7 Kb