Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Elms, John 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, 2:01 pm Constructed History Of Captain John Elms SAMUEL RAYL, a resident of Jefferson County, TN, aged 81 years in February 1834: “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.” “In the month of March 1777, day not recollected, declarant volunteered at his company muster grounds at CHARLES BRUCES’s house under his Captain JOHN ELMS, for the purpose of marching against the Tories on Cross Creek, who had been committing many outrages upon the Whig families in that and adjacent sections of country. THOMAS MCCRORY was lieutenant in this tour, declarant believes, though he is not certain from the impaired state of his memory. Declarant was ensign, sergeant or corporals not recollected.” “At Guilford Courthouse, we collected together and thence we were marched under Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN towards the Cross Creek settlement about seventy miles from Guilford Courthouse. Captain LEAK was one of the captains. There were several companies, number unknown to declarant, as they joined us on our way from different sections. We marched in a southerly direction towards Cross Creek, waiting for reinforcements. We got into a settlement of Tories eight or ten miles before we reached Cross Creek. About ten or twelve miles from Guilford Courthouse, we crossed Deep River. We delayed for some time in going to Cross Creek. The Tories were collecting in a body under CONNER DOWD. On our approach, they dispersed.” “All the Tories we could catch were compelled to take the oath of allegiance to the state of North Carolina, and to support and maintain the independence of the United States against George 3rd, or any other king or foreign power. After doing this and destroying the property of those Tories who had been committing outrages upon Whig families, and had been aiding and abetting the British power, we returned home. We took some prisoners and had them tried at the townhouse of the country, name of the town and county not recollected. These Tories were suffered to go unpunished after taking the oath as above, which they did. When we had finished the destruction of the property of such Tories as had been committing outrages, their trial and had compelled all that we could take to swear the oath of allegiance to the state, we returned to our respective homes, and this declarant was discharged verbally by his Captain JOHN ELMS at Guilford Courthouse after a tour of three months…Declarant volunteered in this expedition in the month of March 1777 and returned and was discharge in the month of June 1777, day not recollected.” “He…resigned his commission as ensign in Captain ELMS company in the intermediate time between his tour to Cross Creek and the tour that he was [next] drafted to perform.” NATHANIEL SCALES-“That he entered the service of the United States in June 1777 [probably 1776], he thinks about the 10th day, as a private soldier in the company commanded by Capt. JOHN LEAK and Lt. JOHN DAVIS, in the regiment commanded by Col. JAMES MARTIN. That they marched from Salisbury, North Carolina under the command of General RUTHERFORD against the Chickasaw [probably Cherokee] nation of Indians. That in that campaign the army under General RUTHERFORD destroyed thirteen Indian towns besides destroying their corn and carrying off their horses. This applicant thinks that this campaign lasted six months. This applicant will here state that he has always been under the impression that he enlisted for 12 months as a private soldier because he got ten dollars when he entered the service. He enlisted at the Rocky Springs, North Carolina.” State the names of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served. “In my first service, General RUTHERFORD commanded, and Colonel JAMES MARTIN, Colonel PAISLEY, Colonel GRIMES, Colonel ALEXANDER, Captain LEAK, Captain GILLESPIE, Captain ELMS, etc.” 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/elms314gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 9.2 Kb