Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Hughes, Charles 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, 2:41 pm Constructed History Of Lt. Charles Hughes SAMUEL CARUTHERS-“That he entered the service in the County of Guilford and state of North Carolina wherein he then resided, as a volunteer in the militia service under Captain JOHN NELSON, Lieutenant CHARLES HUGHES and Ensign LOVETT REED and attached to Colonel WILLIAM? [probably supposed to be John] PAISLEY’s regiment for five months. He cannot recollect the date but is very certain that it was the same year that the battle was fought at Stono [per Heitman, 1779], that from Guilford Courthouse he marched under the before mentioned officers to Salisbury, from thence to Charlotte Courthouse, where he joined General RUTHERFORD’s brigade, & Colonel ___ LOCK. From Charlotte, we marched on to Purysburg in South Carolina. We joined General LINCOLN on the Savannah River, that he was stationed at Purysburg for ___ weeks.” “That his lieutenant CHARLES HUGHES beat up for volunteers & that he turned out under the said lieutenant & crossed the Savannah River & went over in the state of Georgia & joined Colonel LYTLE and General ASHE & just got there in time & had a battle with the British & Tories at a place known by the name of Briar Creek, in Georgia [per Heitman, March 3, 1779]. And after the Battle at Briar Creek he returned under the said Lieutenant HUGHES and joined General RUTHERFORD’s army, & then was marched to a place called Sisters Ferry on the same river in South Carolina, & from there he marched under his said Captain NELSON back to North Carolina & County of Guilford. That he well knows that he was called out in the month of October & did not return until some time in April thereafter, making six months. That he was discharged by his officers, but did not take a written discharge owing to the fact that his officers lived in the same neighborhood with himself.” ABNER JOHNSON-“In the year 1777 (and as well as he can remember) in the month of October of that year, volunteered in Guilford County, North Carolina under Captain JOHN NELSON, who was a captain in his neighborhood, and when the men were called for, all who did not volunteer to make up the number wanted were to be drafted, this deponent volunteered, and so did all the rest, except one who was drafted. The name of the lieutenant was CHARLES HUGHES and the name of the ensign was GEORGE PARKS, and this deponent and one ALLEN WALKER were sergeants of the company. His company belonged to Colonel PAISLEY’s regiment, which together with Colonel SAUNDERS regiment from Granville County, NC were under the command of General RUTHERFORD.” “The place of rendezvous was Guilford Courthouse, and after Colonel SAUNDERS regiment got to that place, they all marched to South Carolina, and on the march they passed through the towns of Salisbury and Charlotte in NC (as he supposes) and Camden in SC to a place called Smokey Camp, near a little village called Purysburg (as deponent recalls), from which, after some time, they were marched to a place called the Black Swamp, and then to a place called the Two Sisters and several times changed this camp.” “Whilst he was out on this campaign, General LINCOLN commanded the regulars in that part of the country. During the same campaign General ASHE was defeated at Briar Creek [per Heitman, March 3, 1779]. During the time he was out, they were a part of the time in the country between Augusta and Savannah on the Savannah River and served occasionally on the Georgia side. He was in no battle, but there were some little skirmishes with the British and Tories. The length of this service, he cannot state with positive certainty. He knows it was more than five months and he thinks he was absent from home more than six months.” “He knows that after he volunteered in October, they were marched a few days after the 7th of November. He remembers a particular circumstance that took place on the 7th and he knows it was two or three days afterwards that the troops were under way, and that their time was out either on the 10th of April or the 10th of May following. He cannot after as great a lapse of time be positively certain which. When the time was out, the troops were discharged and he came home with his captain, who was Captain JOHN NELSON, and who lived in the same neighborhood with him, and whether he received a written discharge or not he cannot now remember. He knows he served out the time and was dismissed with the other troops…” LOVETT REED-““He was drafted for five months and entered the service in the militia in Guilford County, North Carolina in the company commanded by Captain ___ NELSON, Lieutenant CHARLES HUGHES and ensign ___ MCBRIDE (he thinks JAMES). He was marched from Guilford County to Salisbury where he thinks he fell in with General RUTHERFORD. He at all events, was under the command of General RUTHERFORD during all this time of service and was in the regiment commanded by Colonel PAISLEY. Colonel LOCKE was along but declarant thinks he was under Colonel PAISLEY’s command.” “From Salisbury he was marched to Camden, SC, from there across Santee River passing by a place called Bacon’s Bridge and to the Savannah River where the British had possession on the Georgia side. This was just above a little town called Purysburg and near a place called the Two Sisters. General ASHE was also on this expedition. He crossed the Savannah River with his forces and had a battle with the British at the mouth of Briar Creek [per Heitman, June 20, 1779] on the Georgia side of the Savannah in which he was defeated.” “Declarant served out his term, being some times at one place and sometime at another along the river, which was for five months, and was discharged by Captain NELSON at Camp Turkey Hill on the 16th of March. He cannot remember the year in which he performed in this term of service, but refers to Ashe’s Defeat at Briar Creek to fix the date, as his defeat then happened during this time of declarant’s service. Declarant was a sergeant in Captain NELSON’s company for part of the time during the foregoing tour but cannot remember how long. He claims nothing additional on account of it.” 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/hughes331gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb