Guilford County NcArchives Military Records.....Ryan, William August 1832 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, 2:16 pm Pension Application Of William Ryan, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 2106, Application #S7436 WILLIAM RYAN, a resident of Guilford County, NC, aged 69 years in August 1832: “That he was first drafted for the term of three months and served in a company commanded by Captain PETER O’NEAL in the month of May 1780. That he first marched into Randolph and Chatham Counties, North Carolina. That he then returned to Martinsville, Guilford County and from there marched to General Rutherford’s camp in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. That he then marched to Cheraw Hill in the state of South Carolina, and from thence marched and joined the American army under General GATES and the BARON DEKALB a short time before the Defeat of General Gates. That he was in the battle when General GATES was defeated near Camden, South Carolina [per Heitman, August 16, 1780]. He retreated to Salisbury, North Carolina and after remaining there a short time was discharged by General CASWELL.” “In the month of October following, he volunteered during the war, or as long as troops were necessary for the defense of the country and joined a troop of cavalry commanded by Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE. He was first engaged in dispersing the Tories that were embodying to join LORD CORNWALLIS in his march through North Carolina. Then joined General GREENE as he marched through North Carolina and went with him to Halifax, Virginia. He then returned to North Carolina and joined General PICKENS and Colonel PRESTON and went into Orange County for the purpose of attacking the Tories under Colonel PYLE, and marched through ground on which Colonel PYLE was defeated on the same evening and before Colonel LEE had left the field [Heitman, February 25, 1781]. A few days after, he was in the Battle at Whitesell’s Mills [Heitman, March 6, 1781] in the eastern part of Guilford County. General PICKENS commanded the American forces at this battle. That he was taken sick and his Captain, DANIEL GILLESPIE, supposing he had the smallpox, sent him home.” “When he returned at the time of the Battle of Guilford [per Heitman, March 15, 1781] he joined his Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE and continued in service (with the exception of some short periods that he was permitted to go home) until the close of the war. That he was frequently called out against the Tories under Colonel FANNING and other Tory leaders and in the summer of 1781, he marched from Guilford County to the Raft Swamp near the South Carolina line [A] and was about two months engaged in this service. On his return home, he heard of the surrender of LORD CORNWALLIS in Fayetteville.” A-“That he marched to the lower end of Randolph County where he joined General BUTLER who commanded the troops sent against the Tories at the Raft Swamp. Col. ROBERT MEBANE was with General BUTLER. Col. SMITH commanded the cavalry which consisted of three companies commanded by Captain CHARLES POLK, Captain SIMMONS, and Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE. That he was in the battle at Raft Swamp with the Tories.” “The Tories under Colonel FANNING and other Tory leaders seemed to be driven to despair by the surrender of CORNWALLIS. They divided themselves into small parties and prowled about the country and sought every opportunity to commit the most cruel and unprovoked murders and so frequent were murders, robberies and arson committed by them that the Counties of Guilford, Randolph and Chatham were in a state of continual alarm throughout the fall and winter of 1781, and the spring and summer of 1782. The troops of cavalry under Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE to which he belonged being volunteers and always holding themselves in readiness for immediate service, they were always called upon in the slightest alarm, and they kept up this continual and harassing warfare until about the close of the year 1782.” “That he does not now recollect whether he had a discharge for his first tour of service but if he did, he delivered it to his Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE. After the close of the war he presented his claim for his services and had, through his Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE, specie certificates to the amount of sixty-two pounds, ten shillings, which certificates he afterwards sold for 8 or 9 dollars, being all that they would then bring in market, which is all the income had from his country for his services in the Revolutionary War…he does not now know of any person who can prove his services except JOHN MCBRIDE and JOSEPH LOVETT, all his officers now being dead.” “Amended declaration of WILLIAM RYAN: For three months under Captain O’NEAL in the year 1780 as stated…as a private. That he next volunteered in the month of October 1780 as a private under Captain DANIEL GILLESPIE and was almost constantly in the service of his country until the April following and he verily believes that he served at least four months between October 1780 and April 1781…that from April 1781 until August of the same year he served under Captain GILLESPIE and other officers against the Tories as a private in the cavalry and was almost constantly in the field and he verily believes he served at least three months during the last-mentioned period. That in the month of August 1781, he was called on and marched against the Tories embodied at the Raft Swamp…that he served as a private under Captain GILLESPIE in this expedition and was in service at least two months. That after his return from the Raft Swamp…he served under Captain GILLESPIE in a number of expeditions against the Tories in the counties of Randolph and Chatham during the winter of 1781 and the spring and summer of 1782, and he is positive that he served four months and more during the winter of 1781 and the spring and summer of 1782…” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/ryan256gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb