Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Reiney, Joseph 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, 2:09 pm Pension Application Of Joseph Reiney, Natl Archives Microseries M805, Roll __, Application #W11127 Daviess County, Indiana, August 12th, 1833, Joseph Reiney, aged 79 years: “In the year 1779 he resided in the County of Guilford, state of North Carolina, and in the month of October (day not recollected) of that year, he was drafted into service a 5 months tour in a company of North Carolina militia, raised in said county, commanded by Captain John Donald (or Dowell), Lieutenant William Wasthy? Worthy? (ensign’s name forgotten), and this company belonged to the regiment commanded by Colonel John Locke. The regiment rendezvoused at Guilford Courthouse, NC in October aforesaid, when and where it was joined by a regiment of what was called the New Levy (nine moths men) commanded by Colonel Lyttle, and the said two regiments under the command of General Rutherford was thence marched to Charlotte Courthouse, where we remained two or three weeks to be joined by additional troops.” “We thence marched southward, to the Charleston SC Road (object unknown to this declarant) until we reached the 10 Mile House (near Charleston) where we stopped about 3 weeks. From this point General Rutherford moved us to Purysburg on the Savannah River, a little village 50 or 60 miles below Augusta, Georgia, where we took up winter quarters. Immediately after we arrived at this place, I was attacked with the camp fever and was dangerously sick for a long time. In the last of January or first of February this declarant being an invalid, was permitted by his officers to return home in company with a man by the name of Sampson Prowell? Rowell? to recruit his health. He rejoined his regiment on its return home at Guilford when he was discharged with the same. This declarant did not receive a written discharge for this term of service.” “In July 1780, this declarant volunteered a three months tour in a company commanded by Captain Peter O’Neal, and raised by him in Guilford County, NC, where he, declarant, then resided. Our company was immediately joined by several companies (amongst which he well recalls Captain Bashier’s [Brashear]) the whole commanded by Colonel Paisley. We all volunteered at the call of Colonel Paisley who was then the colonel of our county. Colonel Paisley immediately moved us in the direction of South Carolina and in a few days march, we joined General Gates’ army on the south side of Peedee, about 50 or 60 miles from Camden, and then marched under General Gates to Rugeley’s Mills within 12 miles of Camden.” “Captain O’Neal’s company was stationed with some French troops 3 miles from the main army at an old farm on the road to Camden. They were stationed here to watch the movements of the enemy. He well recollects that the army was ordered to be in readiness to march by 10 o’clock at night the day before the battle, and also that in the evening the soldiers drew molasses and drank freely, and by 10 o’clock the ground was strewn? With men groaning, vomiting and purging. In the night, on the march, there was an engagement in front and to the left of the company to which declarant belonged. After this, the declarant thinks, they marched very slow and hardly appeared to get along at all, as they were sometimes _____ as far back as they had gone forward. The fighting was kept up off and on all night.” “About sunrise, 6 or 7 miles from Camden, the general battle began between the armies of General Gates and Lord Cornwallis. The battle was opened by the firing of a cannon twice on our side, before any other firing ?by either? of the armies. This was succeeded by a general discharge of small arms from the militia and they took to ?their ?scrapers? and this declarant knows but little more about it being ‘pretty bad scared.’ The North Carolina militia did not run until the Virginia militia on the left had thrown down their guns and ‘cut dirt.’ The declarant got home as others did, as well as he could. He received no written discharge for this tour of service.” “After the defeat of Gates, the Tories of North Carolina became very troublesome and it became necessary to raise volunteers to keep them under, and protect the neighborhood if possible, and about the last of October 1780, Colonel John Littrell [Luttrell] (declarant thinks of Chatham County) proposed raising by voluntary enrollment in the several neighboring counties a regiment of minutemen for said purpose. This regiment was raised in Guilford County, furnishing one company commanded by Captain James Robinson. In this company declarant volunteered for three months (the term of time the regiment volunteered to serve). This regiment was stationed at Colonel Luttrell’s in Chatham County eight or nine weeks, where they erected a barracks and made frequent excursions through the surrounding country, catching Tories, dispersing and driving them to the swamps near Cross Creek effectively protecting the country in that vicinity from their infernal robberies, burnings and murders.” “Colonel Luttrell then got orders to march to the Narrows of the Yadkin River, where we met an express. Colonel Luttrell picked out about 50 men from the different companies (amongst whom was this declarant) and left them under the command of Captain John ?Heinds with orders to march up on the east side of the Yadkin. Colonel Luttrell, with the balance of the regiment, crossed the Yadkin and united with some regular troops and marched up the west side of the Yadkin. We marched that day, encamped at a farm, and the next morning resumed the march according to orders, when in a short time, ______ came to Captain Heinds of the engagement and defeat of our men on the other side of the river by the British at the Old Trading Ford. Captain Hinds immediately gave orders and marched us home. For this term of service he got a discharge (written) signed by Captain James Robinson, which he gave to H. L. Livingston, esq, of Bedford, Indiana, about 2 years since, for the purpose of having him make out a declaration for a pension under the old pension law and which Livingston has lost or mislaid, so that this declarant can not get it.” “In the summer of 1781, month not recollected but it was in watermelon time, Captain Thomas Dougan of Randolph County, NC came into Guilford County for the purpose of raising a volunteer company to suppress the Tories in that county and the adjoining. Lieutenant Eli Newland immediately tendered his command. This declarant with 15 others volunteered for a two months tour as mounted men. The company was raised and stationed at Bell’s Mill on Deep River in said county of Randolph where they remained 3 or 4 weeks operating in the neighborhood successfully against the Tories and then marched in the direction of Cross Creek to the ‘Scotch settlement.’” “This company was ?headed? by the captain of Drowning Creek, and he with Ensign Clark and one or two men went out to make discoveries, and did not return. Lt. Newland marched the company on until he ascertained that the captain and ensign had been taken prisoners by the Tories and taken to Wilmington. Lt. Newland marched the company to Cape Fear River, crossed and encamped on a high bluff. In the morning the Tories had collected in large numbers opposite us and commenced firing, which was returned by us, without effect on either side. Lt. Newland then marched us up the river until we halted to feed when the Tories in larger numbers, fired again upon us, when we saddled up, p[smudges] ___ down and made a ‘straight shirttail’ for Hillsboro, when and where, our time being up, we returned home.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/reiney251gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 8.2 Kb