Guilford-Randolph County NcArchives Military Records.....Merrell, Daniel 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 17, 2006, 2:41 am Pension Application Of Daniel Merrell, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 1712, Application #S7222 DANIEL MERRELL, a resident of Randolph County, NC, aged 77 years: “He was drafted and entered the service of the United States July 22nd, 1776 under Captain THOMAS FLACK, Lieutenant Colonel PAISLEY, and Colonel JAMES MARTIN. Was marched to Salisbury, NC, where he was placed under the command of General RUTHERFORD, thence marched into the Cherokee territory on the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers to subdue the Indians and suppress their ravages and check their inroads upon the settlements. After marching in the vain pursuit of the enemy for some time, who fled from their pursuit and concealed themselves, they were marched back into North Carolina, and at Salisbury each captain took his company into their respective counties, and he, under Captain FLACK, was marched into Randolph County, (then Guilford) and discharged the latter part of October 1776, having served three months. He received no written discharge.” “He further states that on or about the 15th of September, 1780, he again entered the service of the United States as a volunteer under Captain JOHN JOHNSTON, Lieutenant Colonel JEDUTHAN HARPER, and Colonel COLLIER (volunteered for three months) under whom he was marched to Salisbury, being also under the command of General BUTLER whom the militia had joined on his way from Orange County to Salisbury. This he thinks was about five or six weeks after GATES’ Defeat at Camden, and General BUTLER had stationed himself at Salisbury to wait the approach of LORD CORNWALLIS. He did not however, get as far north as Salisbury before his (MERRELL’s) term of three months expired and he was discharged; but [LORD CORNWALLIS] was at Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, or the neighborhood of it. He was so discharged at Salisbury. His discharge is dated December 15th, 1780, signed by his captain, JOHN JOHNSTON, which he now has and herewith transmits.” “He further states that after the entry of LORD CORNWALLIS into North Carolina, there was a general insurrection of the Tories in the state, particularly in the counties of Guilford and Randolph and the adjacent counties, who spread consternation throughout the whole country by their barbarities, burnings and murders, and that after the Battle of Guilford, March 15th, 1781, he was repeatedly called out by Captain JOHN KNIGHT, by Colonel COLLIER and by other officers to defend the country against the outrages of these Tories. These services were generally of short duration, for he was called out upon the spur of the moment upon some inroad of the Tory party, some outrage and cruelty perpetrated by them, or upon some apprehension that they were organizing a force to do mischief. It was indeed a Tory warfare when the summons to arms might be, and was often, the light of a dwelling house on fire, or women and children flying for safety from Tory cruelties. In one of these short tours of service, he states that with a small party of Whigs he was surprised and fired upon by a Tory party under a Robert Campbell. His horse was shot under him, several bullets passed through his clothes and he was taken prisoner by them and treated with great cruelty; he received a dangerous wound on the head, inflicted with a broad sword…This occurred on the 15th of April, 1781…He expects to be able to prove his service by Joseph Johnston and John Graham.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/merrell225gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb