Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Hamilton, Thomas 
Revwar - Pension 
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Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com June 18, 2006, 2:38 pm

Constructed History Of Captain Thomas Hamilton
“The claimant’s [Elizabeth Shaw’s] brothers, JAMES, THOMAS, and ROBERT 
HAMILTON, if alive, can give a better statement of the things in question than 
that above.”
THOMAS HAMILTON for ROBERT SHAW-Gallatin County, Illinois, aged 80 years in 
July 1840:
“That he was well acquainted with ROBERT SHAW and Elizabeth Shaw his wife and 
that said Elizabeth Shaw is a sister to this affiant…The first acquaintance 
that this affiant had with ROBERT SHAW was in the year 1778, and that said SHAW 
was a soldier in the War of the Revolution. That he served his first tour as a 
regular soldier for two years, which was in the early part of the war, as he 
was informed by said the ROBERT SHAW, and that the said ROBERT SHAW then lived 
in Guilford County, North Carolina and that in the latter part of the year 
1780, the said SHAW joined the service with this affiant as a volunteer in 
Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE’s light horse company and that he continued in service 
until after CORNWALLIS was taken, and that we was at the Battle of Guilford 
Courthouse together. This affiant further states that the said ROBERT SHAW was 
also at the Battle of Charlotte and at Wahabs Lane [per Heitman, September 21, 
1780]…”

	JOHN GIPSON-“He returned home to Guilford County and there stayed a few 
days, but such was the notoriety of his sentiments and feelings and attachment 
to the cause of liberty among the Tories that he did not feel safe to continue 
there but for a few days.”
	“And about the first of March, 1781, with one Captain THOMAS HAMILTON 
with about fourteen or fifteen others, volunteered to go and meet the main army 
under General GREENE, then retreating before the British. They met the main 
army at Charlotte, North Carolina. Their little squad kept along near the main 
army for several days, until they arrived at Salisbury, and continued on in the 
same manner until they arrived at the Moravian towns, and thence through 
Guilford County, crossed the Haw River at the High Rock Ford, thence to Halifax 
Old Town in the state of Virginia, where GREENE’s army was reinforced. And the 
British retreated, and the American army following, recrossed the Haw River at 
the same place where the British burned their wagons, but this applicant’s 
party arrived on the ground before they were entirely burned.”
“Next morning, Captain HAMILTON of this applicant’s party had a little 
engagement with the flanks of the British, and this applicant had his horse 
shot from under him, lost his pistols, sword and cap, and made his escape back 
to the main army. Captain HAMILTON procured a horse and equipment for this 
applicant, and he was again mounted; thence they proceeded to Guilford 
Courthouse and the British to Deep River Meeting House, and at these two places 
the two armies lay preparing for battle several days.”
	“The fourteenth of March, to the best of his recollection, Captain 
HAMILTON advised his party to join Colonel LYTLE’s company, and the party 
accordingly fell in upon the wing of LYTLE’s regiment. And on the fifteenth he 
was engaged in the Battle at Guilford Courthouse. With army, retreated to 
Troublesome Ironworks on the waters of [Troublesome] River, where they 
rendezvoused for one day with the main army, when, with Captain HAMILTON’s 
squad, they again returned to near Guilford Courthouse and there discovered the 
British to be upon the move.”
“They returned back to the main army but found them just ready to proceed after 
the British. His party continued to follow the main army, Camped with it (if 
not out at night) for several days, when GREENE turned again for South 
Carolina. HAMILTON, with his party, left the main army and went down into North 
Carolina, to one Colonel CRUMP’s, who commanded a regiment of militia, where 
this applicant with HAMILTON’s party stayed some days, perhaps a week.”
	“Then they crossed the Pee Dee in South Carolina, joined a party 
commanded by one MARION, with whom they stayed about two weeks, caught one 
Tory, who was left with MARION to deal with. Then HAMILTON’s party went again 
to General GREENE’s army, laying between the Wateree and Congaree. When they 
came to the army, they were preparing to march to the Eutaw Springs [Per 
Heitman, Battle of Eutaw Springs, September 8, 1781], where the British army 
then lay.”
“The day after they arrived, the army moved towards the Springs. HAMILTON’s 
party continued to flank the main army until the day before the engagement at 
the Springs, when they attached themselves to [Colonel] WASHINGTON’s corp of 
horse and entered the engagement with the corps. The horse broke through the 
brush breastworks enclosing the springs. WASHINGTON was taken prisoner, and 
they retreated back about five miles upon the same road upon which they had 
marched to the engagement.”
“There the party under HAMILTON again left the main army and went back towards 
the Springs to take observations of the enemy, whom they found retreating, and 
they returned again towards GREENE’s army, and found him advancing towards the 
Springs. They proceeded, with the Americans harassing the British until the 
latter took shelter in Charleston.”
“GREENE marched them up to what was called “the Four Holes” to winter, and a 
short time after this, going into winter quarters, the army had cause to 
celebrate and rejoice at the fall of LORD CORNWALLIS, and soon after this 
memorable event, this applicant took sick, went about four miles from the main 
army, and lay at a private house all winter sick, and in the meantime his party 
under HAMILTON returned to North Carolina.”
	“In March or April he went into camp, where he found that HAMILTON had 
left a discharge with one Colonel [blank] of the regular army and a 
recommendation or paper certifying the good conduct of this applicant, both of 
which this applicant lost or mislaid in a very few years. He returned home the 
summer of 1782 on foot, having the winter before, lost his horse.’


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.

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