Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....McAdow Or McAdoo, 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, 3:08 pm

Constructed History Of Captain John McAdow Or McAdoo
CONNER, JOHN-lived in Guilford County at enlistment. Served under Capt. JOHN 
MCADOW, Col. WILLIAM CALHOUN. No details.

WILLIAM WILEY [b]-“That the captain whom he served his first engagement was of 
the name of JOHN MCADOW in Colonel ARMSTRONG’s regiment, and that on 
reflection, he thinks his lieutenant’s name was JAMES COOTS. That in the month 
of April 1780, in Guilford County in the state of North Carolina where he had 
been raised and then resided, being in April previous to General GATES’ Defeat 
at Camden, he was drafted and put into the ranks of a militia company commanded 
by Captain JOHN MCADOW in a regiment from Orange County commanded by Colonel 
ARMSTRONG (names of the field and company officers disremembered). Was soon 
after being drafted marched from Guilford Courthouse to Salisbury where his 
regiment joined General GATES’ army (has a distinct recollection of BARON 
DEKALB). The army lay a short time at Salisbury when General GATES marched for 
the state of South Carolina, passing down on the south side of the Yadkin River 
to Colson’s Ferry, near which place a detachment of GATES’s army (probably 
militia) under the command of Colonel DAVIDSON came in contact with a 
considerable party of Tories who were engaged by Colonel DAVIDSON and defeated 
with great loss.”
	“At Colson’s Ferry General GATES crossed the Yadkin, marching down on 
the south side of that river to near the Cheraw Hills. Here crossing the Pedee 
River, he marched down the south side of the same until he came to Lynche’s 
Creek where he encamped for some days. At this place the sufferings of the army 
which had previously been considerable, greatly increased. The soldiers became 
extremely unhealthy in consequence of a scarcity and bad quality of the 
provisions which they drew. He recollects that on one occasion each soldier 
drew a small quantity of molasses, which he thinks, contributed no small degree 
to increase the disease then prevailing in the camp.”
	“From the encampment on Lynche’s Creek the army marched to Rugeley’s 
Mills, or a place called Claremont. After laying a few days at this place, 
General GATES, about the middle of August put his army in motion in order to 
take a more suitable position nearer Camden [per Heitman, August 16, 1780], but 
LORD CORNWALLIS having formed design of attacking the Americans in their camps 
on the same night, the two armies consequently met in the latter part of the 
night and the engagement was commenced, but did not become general until 
morning, the Americans being defeated. Their loss was great in killed, wounded 
and prisoners, the number of which he does not now recollect. DEKALB was 
mortally wounded. He was discharged shortly after the battle, and returned 
home, having been in the service 4 months at least.”

	WILLIAM SMITH-“That he recollects a tour of some months which he made 
in the summer and fall of 1780, towards South Carolina, after the British, 
commanded [by] his aforesaid Captain FORBIS and Colonel PAISLEY. That there 
were other companies marched from his own county other than the one in which he 
served, and recollects one commanded by Captain MCADOW. That he joined other 
troops from other sections of North Carolina at Salisbury, North Carolina. That 
he marched thence for the south, and encamped at a place called New Providence, 
not far from a creek called Waxhaws. That a [party of] Tories were taken 
prisoners by a party sent out, but that he was not sent. That the troops at New 
Providence were commanded by Colonel PAISLEY, Colonel ARMSTRONG, General 
DAVIDSON, General RUTHERFORD and others whose names he has now forgotten. That 
the Americans were forced on account of the approach of a superior force of 
British to retreat north. That after they had marched through Charlotte, there 
took place a slight skirmish between the Americans and British cavalry. That 
when the retreat commenced, his Captain (FORBIS) continued his march home, 
where he arrived late in fall.”

RICHARD POPE-“He was drafted in the County of Guilford in the state of North 
Carolina on the __ day of May, 1780 and joined the North Carolina militia 
commanded by Captain MCADOW and Lieutenant COOTS. He joined the company at 
Martinsville in Guilford. He marched with the company to Salisbury (Captain 
ABRAHAM PHILIPS had the command of another company raised in Guilford who 
marched with us). He remained at Salisbury for some time, guarding the 
prisoners who were taken at King’s Mountain. From thence he marched to Cheraw 
in South Carolina, near which he reached the army of General RUTHERFORD. From 
thence he was marched towards Camden and joined General GATES Army near 
Rugeley’s Mills and remained with him several days, when he became sick and 
received a furlough from Captain MCADOW and returned home. He was employed and 
served in the above tour three months.”
	“JOHN MCBRIDE…saith “That he knew RICHARD POPE, son of CHARLES POPE. 
That he knew that he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. That he went with 
Capt. MCADOW and myself as lieutenant, a three months term in the year 1781. I 
knew of his serving another three months term under Capt. MCADOW when I was not 
with said company, but saw him several times during said service in the same 
year as before stated, or the year before that.”

	JOHN FINDLEY for ISAIAH MCBRIDE-“That on their return home, in May 
1780, they volunteered again, under Captain MCADOW, and joined the troops under 
Colonel DAVIDSON, marched to Salisbury. That he was sent into the Forks of the 
Yadkin after Tories, and that said MCBRIDE was marched to the south, and he 
always understood and never heard it contradicted, that said MCBRIDE continued 
in the service until some time in the fall of 1780, and must have been out on 
this tour 6 months.”

JOHN FINDLEY-“That in May 1780 in the County of Guilford, he volunteered under 
Captain MCADOW (a volunteer) and joined the militia troops under General 
DAVIDSON. That a company of volunteers in which he was sent under the command 
of said DAVIDSON into the Forks of the Yadkin River after Colonel BRYAN of the 
Tories, and that in this company he went in the character of sergeant, but 
BRYAN and his band evaded us. That he, with others, were marched under the 
command of Major WHITE back to Salisbury in Rowan County, whence they set out.”
“That he marched in July 1780 from Salisbury, and joined the Continental Army 
under General GATES near the Cheraw Hills on PeeDee River in the state of South 
Carolina, and was marched from thence under the command of General RUTHERFORD, 
Colonel ALEXANDER, Major WHITE, and Captain MCADOW, his particular and 
immediate militia commanding officers, and under the general command of General 
GATES, to a place called Rugeley’s Mills, 13 miles from Camden. That he 
believes that General DEKALB, a French General, was there a commanding officer 
in the army. That on the 15th day of August 1780 in the evening, General GATES 
marched to attack the British, who it was said were entrenched at Camden [per 
Heitman, August15, 1780], the British at the same time stealing a march on us; 
the armies met about midnight, when the front guards had several skirmishes.”
“At day light the battle became general and cannon were used. That in this 
engagement he had the honor to command a platoon of 16 soldiers assigned to him 
by Major WHITE, two of whom were killed, and one wounded. That in this defeat 
his general to wit, RUTHERFORD, was wounded and taken prisoner, and General 
DEKALB and many other brave men were killed.”
“That he did not see his General, to wit, GATES, during the battle nor after, 
but on his retreat and return home about 30 miles from the battleground (which 
was seven miles from Camden) he saw the same beautiful sorrel horse on which 
General GATES rode the evening before the battle; which he was told General 
GATES left there about 10 o’clock in the morning of the battle. That after this 
defeat he returned home.”

JAMES COTTON-“In January 1781, when visiting relations in Henry County, 
Virginia, he substituted himself in place of one NANCE, (thinks JOHN NANCE), in 
Captain GEORGE HARSTON’s company of men, drafted from that county for a three 
months tour to North Carolina to assist in combating the British and Tories, 
who then infested that colony.”
“He and his company were marched directly into North Carolina, where at Dan 
River, as he thinks, they joined Major General GREENE’s army. He proceeded with 
that army in its movements until the enemy under CORNWALLIS was met near 
Guilford Courthouse. According to his best impressions, the General shortly 
after sunrise approached the large waste field of the battleground from the 
east, leaving that portion of the militia in which affiant was on the eastern 
skirt of the field as a reserve. The enemy about the same time advanced from 
the west under a cannonade. The battle lasted several hours, when affiant with 
the reserve were led before the enemy to cover the retreat of the regiments 
which had been engaged and only fired a round or so, and were ordered to 
retreat with the main body of the army. The whole retreat was in order and as 
affiant believes, without pursuit, except some horse who showed themselves in 
the rear as far as the bridge over Haw River, about two miles distant from the 
scene of action.”
	“General GREENE halted at Troublesome Ironworks about 10 miles distant 
and in a few days marched upon the enemy and again halted at Ramsey’s Mills on 
Deep River. When marching to the latter point, the army proceeded in files of 
four, and an order was passed along the line to open the files so as to leave a 
space in the center, when some field officers rode swiftly through the space 
and during this movement, the attention of affiant was pointed to a man hanging 
under a tree in the right of the line with a paper spread on his breast, which 
advertised, as was asserted? reported?, his name, vocation and deeds as a Tory. 
Over against adjacent him on an eminence sat some ten or dozen men, by whom, 
affiant supposes the Tory had been caught and elevated.”
“Whilst the army was encamped at Ramsey’s Mills, there was an alarm and the 
army put in motion toward the point as if to meet the enemy and a hollow square 
formed around a tree in an open space as if to repel a charge from cavalry, 
when to the surprise of all, two men were conducted into the center and hung to 
the same limb of the tree. They too were doubtless Tories.”
“Affiant and his company were then ordered to join Colonel LEE’s light horse at 
Cape Fear, where the colonel addressed the company and urged twelve of them to 
enlist in his regiment declaring that that number would complete it. Affiant 
and eleven of his comrades enlisted under Colonel LEE until the close of the 
war as regular dragoons or light horsemen. The rest of HARSTON’s company was 
then discharged.”
“The next morning Colonel LEE inquired for someone acquainted in Guilford 
County, and being informed by affiant that he was, he stated he wished to send 
an express to Colonel PAISLEY there, and affiant consented to bear it. On 
delivering it to Colonel PAISLEY, he directed affiant to go with him in his 
expedition against the Tories. In that expedition he was in Captain JOHN 
MCADOW’s company.”

	REUBEN LAND-“That in the summer of 1781, he volunteered for the term of 
six months and served in a company commanded by Captain JOHN MCADOW and was 
employed during this tour aforesaid against the Tories under Colonel FANNING in 
the Counties of Randolph, Chatham and Montgomery in North Carolina. That during 
this tour aforesaid, he marched in pursuit of the Tories to the Raft Swamp near 
the South Carolina line and was sometimes in pursuit of the Tories through 
Cumberland and Bladen Counties in North Carolina. That JOHN MCBRIDE was 
lieutenant for the company in which he served his six months under Captain 
MCADOW. His other officers are now all dead.

	JOHN MCBRIDE-“That he next served as a volunteer lieutenant for the 
term of six months in a company commanded by Captain JOHN MCADOW, JOHN PAISLEY 
colonel, in pursuit of the Tory, FANNING and his followers through the counties 
of Randolph, Montgomery, Cumberland and Bladen. This service was rendered in 
the summer and fall of 1781.”
“That he served for six months as a volunteer lieutenant in a company commanded 
by Captain JOHN MCADOW. That he was duly commissioned by the governor of North 
Carolina, THOMAS BURKE Senior, as he believes. The commission was handed to him 
by JOHN PAISLEY, then Colonel of the regiment to which he belonged.

	ROBERT RANKIN [b]-“I then remained at home but a short time, when I 
again entered the service of the United States as a volunteer soldier as a 
minute horseman under Captain MCADOW and Colonel PAISLEY. The month nor the day 
of the month which I entered the service at this time, I cannot now recollect, 
but I volunteered for the term of three months. So soon as we were organized, 
we marched to Randolph, Moore and Montgomery Counties to keep the Tories in 
check, and continued in service until my time of three months was out. I then 
received a discharge from Captain MCADOW, but it is now lost or destroyed.”

	PETER LESLEY-“I again entered the service in the same company as 
before, except Captain FORBIS, who was killed and Captain GEORGE STEWART 
commanded in his place. We then went down the country, crossed Deep River and 
crossed Cape Fear River below Fayetteville. Below Deep River, we joined Colonel 
JAMES MARTIN’s regiment under General RUTHERFORD which were some over 1000 
strong, all militia. While on this expedition on Raft Swamp in the Tory 
settlement we were scouring the swamps in search of Tories, the militia on 
foot, and Captain GILLESPIE of the horse.”
“About five of the horse came to a house in search of forage where the Tories 
fired on the horsemen and killed John MCADOW, a colonel [probably only captain] 
belonging to the horse. A short time after this, there appeared in sight of our 
camp a number of women and General RUTHERFORD sent a guard to conduct them into 
camp, and after they stayed under guard all night, General RUTHERFORD ordered 
that they be drummed out of camp with our camp kettles and two sticks. We 
stayed there about two months in this Tory settlement, and five of our company 
were discharged before the drafted militia by Captain STEWART, because we were 
volunteers, and the rest militia. I think I served a little over three months 
as a volunteer under the last engagement and was discharged below Fayetteville, 
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/mcadowor342gmt.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/

File size: 15.6 Kb