LINCOLN COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - Captain Phillip Null --------------¤¤¤¤¤¤-------------- Captain Philip Null A true Patriot A reminder of the cost of Citizenship By Charles Ray Harper Captain Philip Null spent most of his life near the mouth of Poca River. Being one of the first people to ( if not the first )settle our visit what is now Putnam County West Virginia. He was with the survey party that surveyed 1,644 ¾ acres for Aruthur Nichols & John Reynold's on Feb.13, 1796 in Kanawha ( now Putnam Co. ).( that's also when Capt. Null discovered Coal at Mouth of Poca River ) So he has known the waters of Poca River for 38 years of his life. Capt. Philip Null was also " The Foremost Revolutionary War Patriot to ever settle in the Kanawha Valley." At beginning of the Revolutionary War ( Null ) joined up with George Hudson's Heidelberg Company Lancaster Battalion. Capt. Null thought he would serve only 6 weks but carried his rifle all 7 years of that bloody war he fought from New York to South Carolinia. Many times he was foot sore and weary and hungry, but he continued on those long marches and his loyalty to the cause was severly tested. Capt. Philip Null joined the Penn. Militia ( June 10, 1777, which was made part of the Continental line.) about the time his friend Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army June 15, 1775. In March of 1776 General Washington pushed British General Sir. William Howe out of Boston. July of 1776 Pvt Philip Null marched by the Statue of King George the III, Which was torn down July 9, 1776 at Bowling Green New York City they smashed it into peaces, the peaces where carted off and made into Americian bullets .Capt. Null was at the battle of Flatbush ( Long Island ) Was with Col. Miles that morning when they attacked Gen. Howes baggage guard after very fierce fighting lots of his friend where killed or wounded and Col. Miles and 150 men where captured and put on prison ships where two of his friends escaped Andrew Ralson & Joesph Neely swam ashore and rejoined the unit later. Gen. Washington after a few more skrimishes like that, he saw the futility of future resistence on Long Island and with a stroke of good luck and great management Gen. Washington on a stormy night. Slipped past the British Army and crossed the Est River in small boats to Manhattan Island with his 10,000 men. And the next day Aug.28, 1776 heavy rains made fighting impossible. At battle of White Plains Oct.28, 1776 Philip Null served on the left flank, Nov. 16, 1776 Null lost a lot more of his friends as a bunch was taken prisoner at Fort Washington. Christmas Eve future Capt. Philip Null was in command of a small group of men, getting ready for the crossing the next day. When Gen. Washington walked up and got in the way Null yelled for him to get out of the way Gen. Washington smiled and moved on. Philip Null was embarrased when he relished who he had been ordering around. ( Gen. George Washington and Capt. Philip Null became good friends after that. ) Null was one of the 2,400 men picked for the famous crossing of the Delware that Christmas Day. They crossed at Coryell's Crossing ( now called New Hope ). Philip Null was at battle of Trenton Dec.26, 1776. he was on the left wing of the ( Quaker ) Major Gen. Nathanal Greene and defeated 1,600 Hessian troops under Colonel Johann G. Rall in a bold daylight attack. With their 18 cannons and hard fighting Penn. Line troops they subdued the Hessians within an hour. Philip Null' and the rest had killed 100 Hessians and taken 900 prioners and the rest escaped into the New Jersey woodlands. Then they marched back to McCastles Ferry where they stayed for 8 days. Not widely known they crossed the Delaware again Jan. 2, 1777 and marched into Trenton again. They made real big bond fires and when the real big British Army got with in sight they slipped by. On Jan.2 and 3 of 1776 washington appealed to his troops who's enlistments was up. Future Capt. Philip Null was one of the 200 volunteers who under the command of Colonel Hugh Mercer who attached a troop of British Dragoons under the command of Colonel Charles Mawhood and Col. Mercer was mortally wounded it was a fierce fight ( one of many Null had been in ) General Washington and Caldwalader drove the British off. ( Battle of Princeton ) Then Gen. Howe ordered Gen. Earl Cornwallis to leave New Jersey. Which means that Gen. Washington and Philip Null had drove the British out of New Jersey. Philip Null was at the excahage of fire at Chad's ford and was with Gen. Greene at main battle of Brandywine which was one of the largest land battles of the American Revolution. Philip Null was with Gen. John Armstrong of the Penn. Line. And was one of the brigades that helped Major Gen. Nathanal Greene have a splendid stand which saved the American Army from disaster. The army was battered by Lord (Earl ) Charles Cornwallias but was intact. Caualties where very high. The wounded was scattered all over town in small groups. Many of Future Capt. Null's unit was taken to Turk's Tavern. There was pale mangled corpses lying everywhere in the blood and dirt. It was an awful, gloomy seen. As the British left New Jersey on their way out some English tories and Troops burnt houses strangled almost to death 3 women and behaved in a most cruel and barbarous manner. Every town they came to they plundered and destroyed everything before them. And distressed the inhabitants in manners never heard of before. At Battle of Germantown Oct.4, 1777 was in Gen. Greene's Divison on the assult of the British right flank. Future Capt. Null saw Gen. Marquis de Lafayette go down earlier in the day with a wound ( the 19 year old Gen. Was tinted to by Gen. Washington's personal Doctor Craik. Gen. Washington's headquarters was at The Moland House Aug. 10, 1777, Capt. Null was there on his way to Valley Forge where The Marquis Lafayette & Count Casimir Pulaski joined the Army, and where the first American Flag ever flew "The Betsy Ross Flag." With the Victories at Trenton, Princeton, and Saratoga - France, Spain, and Holland declare War on England. Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army spent half the War in New Jersey. Future Capt. Philip Null spent the Winter with Gen. George Washington at Valley Forge Poor weather prevented supplies ( if there was any ) from reaching the soldiers in January, warmer weather brought mud which also hampered transportion ( Fever typhus ) killed hundreds of men. More men died of diseases then by the sword during the war. The American Army straves at Valley Forge and melts away. In that cold winter they and Null also didn't have a scrap of shoes or stocking. As was said by the men they dined on upon a leg of nothing and no turnups .Even water was scarce. They saw soldiers pay 3 cents for a drink from a canteen. Most of the Army was barefoot having ate their soles and leather shoes. They could be tracked by the blood on the frozen ground. A surgeon wrote in his dairy "I am sick and discontented and out of humor. Poor food hard lodging cold weather fatigue Nasty clothes, nasty cookery i vomit half the time smoaked out of my senses. What i have at home good wife pretty children, good food, beds, cookery all agreable. Here small pox, and other dieases. ,hunger and filthyness. " nobody knew how to get food to the soldiers never had an army before. Baron Von Steuben did drill them into an Army. Capt. Null by this time was a non commisoned officer. Future Capt. Null left Valley Forge about same time as Gen. Washington, leaving in early 1778. Gen. George Washington send's Capt. Philip Null down to North Carolinia to help put down Tory uprisings. On his way down he is waylayed by Tories in Virginia and they slit Capt. Null's throat leaving him for dead his future wife Margaret (Bushong ) Null 1755 - 1826 and family ( daughter of Jacob Bushong 1735 - 1812 of Augusta Co. Va. Finds him and nurses him to heath. ( also could be Rockingham Co. Va. ) 1779 Capt. Null marries Margaret Bushong. Sometime between now and the end of the War Margaret Null wife of Capt. Null is forced out of her house by Tory's and forced to beg for food for herself and her small children. Capt. Philip Null is leading a company of men at Battle of Camden S.C. Aug. 16, 1780 under Major Gen. Horatio Gates. Gen. Gates attacked Colonel Francis Rawdon at Camden S.C. But Lord (Earl ) (a Lt. Gen.) Cornwallis had returned to Camden and sent Rawdon on to 96. so Lord Cornwallis Attacked Gen. Gates at 2 A.M. Aug.16, 1780 . Gen. Gates men had been eating green corn and peaches and started suffering from diarrhea. That was a few days before. The green troops broke and run from a bayonet charge and Gen. Gates horse got caught up in it. And was also sweep away. Capt. Null' had seen Baron Johann de Kalb killed when his 600 Continentals almost broke through. But surrendered after Baron Kalb's death. Capt. Null was in that that two week memorable retreat. The Tory's went nuts, they commenced house burnings and plundering. Among the leaders was Bloody Bill Cunningham, a man lower then the lowest on earth. Women where insulted and stripped of every particle of decent clothing, they have on and every article of bedding clothing, furniturewas taken - knifes, forks, spoons, forks, dishes, anything that could be carryed off. Not a peace of meat or a pint of salt was left. They even entered houses where men lay sick of the small - pox, that they knew where opposed to them, dragged them out and killed them in cold blood in front of their wife's & children and friends. They where to weak to stop them. It seemed they came from the bottomless pit to execute infernal Vengeance on all those that disobeyed the British. It seemed like the Americans ttime to suffer in the flesh, was at hand. Capt. Null had many encounters with William Bloody Bill Cunningham I have always wanted to know what happened to Bloody Bill Cunningham i have always hoped he got what was coming to him. He made the evil British Soldier in the Patriot movie look like an American Lover. The British helped him on his way to Charlesto S.C. He kill a many American solider after the war was over. After he got to Charleston he made his escape to British Florida.. After Camden Captain Philip Null found and linked up with the likes of Gen. Francis Marion ( The Swamp Fox ) Gen. Thomas Sumter (The Gamecock ) He (Capt. Null ) was camped with Gen. Sumter at Fishing Meadows Aug.10, 1780 they where encamped, and they where jumped by a bunch of tory's Before the General could wake his men they where among them cutting them down. Gen. Sumter made it across the creek leaving the rest to the hands of the enemy. Capt. Null escaped but could not find the General. So. He made his way back toward home and most likely was at battle of Kings Mountain Dec. 7, 1780. He then reported to his old friend Major General Nathantal Greene who assigned him to General Daniel Morgan, who put him in Colonel ( The Elder ) Andrew Pickens outfit. And at the battle of Cowpens ( Colonel Pickens became Gen. Andrew Pickens because of the job Capt. Null's Militia done ) Capt. Null was still under the command of General ( The old Wagoner Daniel Morgan ) This battle turned the tide of war. And they defeated the much hated Colonel Banastre Tarleton's Green clad ( not red ) British Cavalry except for the 71st Scottish Highlanders who where dressed in red. Capt. Null was in the swamp's with "The Swamp Fox " Francis Marion. April 25 1781 was cutting supply lines of British Colonel (Lord ) Francis Rawdon at battle of Hobkirk's Hill .Which caused Lord Rawdon to return to his strong hold at Camden S.C. Or the ambush would have been worst at Hobkirk's Hill . Captain Philip Null was at Battle of Eutaw Sprjngs near Orangeburg S.C. Fought under The famous Francis (Swamp Fox ) Marion and Capt. Null's old friend Major General Nathanal Greene. The rum and the brandy found in the British tents was the downfall of the Patriots after they had the battle won. (they got drunk and British took the battle. Even tough Gen. Greene had lost the last 4 battles He and Capt. Null and the other Patroits had pushed Lord Cornwallis up to Yorktown. And his defeat. They had wore down the British Forces in South Carolinia and won the southern Campaigh. Being a personal friend of Gen. Washington (had it's perks ) he ( Captain Null ) was one of the few people below the rank of Colonel allowed at the Surrender. Oct. 19, 1781 . Captain Philip Null standing with Major General Benjamin Lincoln and Major General Marquis Lafayette. When Lord (Earl ) Charles Cornwallis army marched into Surrender field and layed down their arms. Captain Null noticed as the British captives passed they seemed to keep their eyes away from the rag tag American Army, instead toward the French troops as to say it was the French that captured us. Lord Charles Cornwallis who claimed he was indisposed. Instead had his deputy Gen. Charles Ohara attempt to give his sword to the French commander " The Count de Rochambeau ". Seeing this as a snub of Gen. Washington and the American forces the Count refused the sword. Then Gen. Ohara persisted in ingnoring the Americans. Gen. Ohara burted out an excuse for Lord Cornwallis so Gen. George Washington cooly instructed Ohara to give the sword to Major General Benjamin Lincoln. After the surrender Gen. Washington had a party for the Officers of all three Nations. Captain Philip Null was invitited to that also. So as you can see We had a future Putnam Countian at the surrender of Lt. General ( Lord ) ( Earl ) Charles Cornwallis. Captain Null didn't leave the service till the summer of 1782, because their was bad tory fighting till the summer of 1782. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Charles Ray Harper CharlesRay1@aol.com ___________________________________________________________________