Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Hunter, Alexander 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, 2:44 pm Constructed History Of Captain Alexander Hunter From The Roster of Patriots at Moore’s Creek Bridge, by Bobby Gilmer Moss, 1992: “Alexander Hunter of Guilford County, served as captain under Lieutenant Colonel James Martin. Martin’s force which was to the rear of the insurgents [at the campaign of the Moore’s Creek Bridge] captured many of them as they fled from the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge. In addition, he served as captain on the expedition to Cape Fear. However, sometime about 23 February (must be March) 1776, Alexander Hunter, contrary Hunter, contrary to orders, openly deserted from the army encamped at the Cross Roads in Guilford County and behaved himself in a tyrannical and lawless manner to the men under his command. The provincial Congress on 25 April 1776 suspended him from command until tried by a court martial. Hunter’s lieutenant, John Davis, was reported by one of the men who served under him, as having been “cashiered.”[NC Collection, X, pages 541-542; NC Revolutionary Army Accounts, Sec. Of State Treasurer’s and Comptrollers Papers, Journal “A”, pages 79, 83, 88; NC Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Records, Military Papers, Acct. Books, I-VI, XIX, XXVIII, XXX, Public Accounts of the State of NC, State Dept, of Cultural Resources, Div. Of Archives and History, Raleigh, NC].” Hunter may have been acquitted at his court-martial, as suggested by the testimony of Samuel Sharp in his pension application, in which he stated that he served under Captain Alexander Hunter on the Cherokee expedition.” [End of quote from Roster of Patriots] NATHANIEL SCALES-“This affiant further states that he again entered into the service of the United States as a private soldier in the company commanded by Capt. ALEXANDER HUNTER as a volunteer. We served in the state of North Carolina against the Tories a three months tour.” ISHAM SHARP-“He states that soon after he returned home, he was again drafted and put into Capt. ALEXANDER HUNTER’s company, Maj. JAMES HUNTER’s battalion, Col. PAISLEY’s regiment. They then marched to Randolph County, Chatham County and many other places, guarding and protecting the inhabitants, routing the Tories, driving and dispersing them. He was not attached to any other troops or brigade in this expedition. He has stated that he was drafted in this time for six months and he yet thinks so, if he was not so drafted, he served that length of time before he was discharged…” SAMUEL SHARP-“…That he served under the following named officers… Captain ALEXANDER HUNTER, Colonel JAMES HUNTER, General GREENE, Lieutenant JOHN DAVIS.” “He entered the service about the commencement of the Revolution, the year not recollected and served in the first tour about 4 months. He resided in the County of Guilford in the state of North Carolina, when he entered the service. He was in the Battle of Eutaw Springs [Per Heitman, September 8, 1781] where we were defeated. Marched down to Deep River, there joined some other companies, from thence we marched up to Salisbury, thence on towards Charleston, South Carolina to Pine Tree Camp. He volunteered for, and during the war, to serve whenever called on. We were discharged at Pine Tree Camp, subject to be called out at any moment.” “About eight months after his discharge, he was called out again by Captain HUNTER. We went to Salisbury and joined General RUTHERFORD’s division, from thence to the Indian towns in South Carolina, about 250 miles. At this town, we had a little battle against the British and Indians and defeated them [per the accounts of other men, this Cherokee expedition occurred in summer of 1776]. During this tour, we destroyed several Indian towns, the name of one of which was Sciota. After destroying these towns we were again discharged and he returned home after having served in this tour about 4 months, about the last of October. I still resided in Guilford County when I entered this service, served under Captain ALEXANDER HUNTER, Colonel JAMES HUNTER, and General RUTHERFORD.” “3rd Tour-Some short time afterwards I was again called out into the service of the United States under Captain HUNTER, Colonel JAMES HUNTER, Major PAISLEY, and General GREENE, and continued in the service three months this tour, making in all eleven months. Still resided in Guilford, NC when he entered the service. I was at the Battle at Guilford [per Heitman, March 15, 1781]. Joined the main army at Guilford Courthouse. Besides these, he was frequently out on short tours against the Tories…that he knows of no person but ISHAM SHARP, Sr, whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service…” EDWARD WRIGHT-“____, his lieutenant who raised a company of volunteers and they marched through Randolph and Montgomery Counties, and joined General RUTHERFORD on Drowning Creek which is in Robeson County in the state of North Carolina.” “That they marched through a swamp called the Raft Swamp in the same county and that they marched from place to place and were on their way to Wilmington where and in that neighborhood there was a Major CRAIG who commanded a number of the British and some of the Tories who had collected there. That when RUTHERFORD and his army were encamped at a place called the Long Bridge on the Northeast River, they had news of the capture of CORNWALLIS at York, which news together with the fact that RUTHERFORD was marching to Wilmington, induced Major CRAIG to abandon it. Shortly after which time, upon the expiration of the three months time for which the company under HUNTER from Guilford had volunteered, the affiant and the rest of the company from Guilford were discharged and sent home…” 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/hunter333gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.6 Kb