Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Hunter, James 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, 2:48 pm Constructed History Of Colonel James Hunter RICHARD VERNON-“I next volunteered about the first of August 1776 (being there in the first division in consequence of my first tour of service) in Captain LEAK’s company and served as lieutenant. This expedition was against the Cherokee Indians. We marched about the above date from Guilford under Colonel JAMES MARTIN to Salisbury, where we fell under the command of General RUTHERFORD. From thence we marched thro’ the wilderness to Indian nation and after having destroyed a number of their towns and villages, we returned.” “However, on twenty-first of October 1776, at Cathey’s Fort near 220 miles from home, I took the certificate marked B of JAMES HUNTER, Packmaster General, certifying that I had four horses as pack horses in the service of the expedition and a driver and the same day I took all of the sick of the company I was in and conducted them from Cathey’s Fort home, where I arrived sometime in November 1776, being out on this tour a little more than three months.” [Certificate B-“Thereby certify that RICHARD VERNON had four horses in the service of North Carolina as packhorses, and drove said horses in the late expedition against the Indians and that said horses was delivered to one at Guilford Courthouse who was Packmaster for said county for the service of said expedition. Certified by me this twenty-first day of October, 1776. JAMES HUNTER.”] ISHAM SHARP-“He states that in the early part of 1779 [more likely 1776] he was drafted for three months in Guilford County, state of NC. He then belonged to Capt. LEAK’s company. That he immediately entered the service of the United States as a private drafted militiaman under said Capt. LEAK, JOHN DAVIS, Lt. He was immediately attached to Col. MARTIN’s regiment, Maj. HUNTER’s battalion. Marched to Salisbury where they stayed a short time and joined Gen. RUTHERFORD’s brigade. They then marched up the Catawba River to its head where they remained for some short time, when they marched on the Cherokee nation where they burned several villages, killed two or three Indians and after remaining in that region some time, was marched on homewards and after reaching home he was honorably discharged by his captain.” “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…” JAMES P. BARNETT-“That he entered as a volunteer again in the first part of the month of March 1781 under the command of Captain JOHN MAY, MARTIN was the Colonel, he thinks a man by the name of HUNTER was the major. General NATHANAEL GREENE was the commander in chief. Colonels WASHINGTON and LEE commanded the cavalry. That he resided in Guilford County, NC when he volunteered. That they were marched backwards and forwards maneuvering through the county until the American Army under General GREENE encountered the British Army under Lord CORNWALLIS at Guilford Courthouse. “ “That he was in the battle under the officers of his company. That the battle was fought as near as he can recollect, about the middle of March 1781 [per Heitman, March 15, 1781]. That he served a tour of three months and was discharged by Captain JOHN MAY at Captain JOHN MAY’s own house on Dan River HENRY HARDIN-“And this deponent further declares that he again entered into the service of the United States in the year 1781, in the month of March of that year, by order of Colonel JAMES MARTIN and Colonel HUNTER, who about the time CORNWALLIS entered into Guilford County, North Carolina, gave orders for every man who was able to bear arms to join the army under General GREENE, by joining Captain THOMAS COOK’s company of Light Horse, of the militia under the command of Colonel JAMES MARTIN and Colonel JAMES HUNTER in which company this deponent served a few weeks, the company being disbanded after the Battle at Guilford Courthouse [March 15th, 1781], North Carolina, in which county this deponent then resided, having removed there in the month of February preceding; but was not engaged in said battle by reason of his being absent on forage duty.” COLONEL JAMES MARTIN-“At that instant General GREENE sent his Aid-de- Camp for me to go to him and I went and asked him his commands. He told me as the battle had begun and as I had not a complete regiment he wished me to go with Major HUNTER to the Courthouse in case of a defeat to rally the men which we did and collected about 500 and was marching them to the battle ground when I met General STEPHENS of Virginia Corps retreating.” “I asked if the retreat was by General GREENE’s orders and he told me it was. I then retreated with him and ordered the men to repair to Troublesome Ironworks to refit as General GREENE had ordered me, which we obeyed. The British then took possession of the Courthouse and after a few days they moved up towards Wilmington. General GREENE hearing of their movements started after them, but the militia of our County being so disheartened I could not bring any to join him again. This was in 1781. The time I spent then from the time I received orders was about two months.” 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…” JOHN WHITWORTH-“That he served for five or six weeks again under Colonel HUNTER and Colonel SAMUEL HENDERSON on an expedition against the Tories. Did not enter the service at this time for any definite period. That his tour was spent in the counties of Surrey and Rowan in the state of North Carolina…” 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/hunter334gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 9.1 Kb