York County PA Archives Military Records.....McKinley, David August 15, 1832
Revwar - Pension 
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Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com August 19, 2006, 12:54 am

Pension Application Of David McKinley, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll #__, Application #S2812
New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, August 15, 1832, David McKinley, aged 77 
years: “He entered the army of the United States as a volunteer in the summer 
(he thinks in June) the year he does not recollect, but says it was the year 
the Battle of Long Island occurred. He volunteered in York County, 
Pennsylvania, Chanceford Township. The captain’s name was William McCasky, 1st 
lieutenant named Kirklow, 2nd lieutenant William Young, Ensign John Smith in a 
regiment commanded by Colonel Kennedy, Major Clark. That he resided in the said 
Chanceford Township at the time of his entering the service.”

“That he was marched thence to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; thence they went in 
a vessel up the Delaware River to Burlington; from thence on foot to Trenton; 
from there through different small towns. We came to Hackensack River in New 
Jersey;  from thence to Bergen Town opposite New York; from thence to Paulus 
Hook, where we lay a long time. The foot was taken by the British while we were 
there. There were no small arms fired that he can recollect; thinks it was 
taken entirely by cannon; from thence we went back to a town, he thinks, called 
Amboy near a small river. There were some British on the other side. We crossed 
over after dark and had a skirmish with them. After crossing the river, we 
marched several miles to the where we had the skirmish. The skirmish was in the 
morning. We took some British and Hessian prisoners and marched back to where 
we crossed the river.”

“From thence we marched to Fort Lee, opposite to Fort Washington, where we 
built cabins to stay all winter. Twenty men out of our company was ordered to 
Fort Washington under Lieutenant Young. I was one of the 20. Fort Washington 
was taken. I had been sent out the evening before by Lieutenant Young the 
evening before, to Fort Lee, and was the only one of the 19 that escaped being 
taken. The British crossed the river above Fort Lee, and we left the fort and 
retreated. We marched through Trenton. On the retreat, the time of the company 
expired. General Washington was with us, and we volunteered for one month more 
and served out the time which expired a short time before the Battle of 
Trenton, when I had returned home.”

“He was then drafted for 2 months the next spring (the year he does not 
recollect) and marched to Philadelphia under Captain Ross, Colonel Smith, Lt. 
Col. Gibson, Major Finley. We were ___ part of that time employed in 
constructing a work in the Delaware River to prevent the British shipping from 
coming up. He served out the 2 months and returned home.”

“He was again drafted in the same year for two months and marched under Captain 
Laird. He thinks the name of the lieutenant was Morris. The names of the other 
officers he cannot recollect. He was marched, he thinks, towards Philadelphia, 
but does not remember any particular service performed.”

“He served out his time and returned home. He was drafted again for two months 
more at the time the British landed at the Head of Elk, and marched under 
Captain Reed, Lieutenant Collins. We were put into General Potter’s brigade. 
General Armstrong was with us often and I understood him to be general of ?
division. He marched from York County where he was drafted, to near Schoolkill 
where he was put in General Potter’s brigade, where we spent our time 
principally in marching and counter-marching until the two months expired, when 
he left the service and went to Reading, and from thence to the upper end of 
Lancaster County, where, shortly after he got there, he was drafted again for 
two months. He was in a company commanded by Captain ?Holdenbaum, Colonel 
Elder, General Erwin. He was marched to a place called Barnhill Church some 
miles from Philadelphia. He here served out his term and returned to Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania.”

“He was here drafted again and commanded by Captain John Slaymaker, 1st 
Lieutenant Holbert, Colonel John Boyd. Marched to a place called Chestnut Hill. 
He was in a skirmish on Chestnut Hill where General Erwin was taken prisoner 
and lieutenant Holbert was killed. His time expired while at, or in the 
neighborhood of Chestnut Hill.”

“He then went home to York County, stayed a few days, and then crossed the 
mountains to Pittsburg, and went from thence to the Forks of the ?Yoshegeheny, 
and was drafted for two months more,  and served under Captain Andrew Robe, 
Colonel’s name Bar. Marched to Bar’s Fort and served out the time there and at 
Wallace’s Fort four miles distant from Bar’s Fort. This was the year that 
General McIntosh crossed the mountains to build Fort McIntosh and a fort in the 
Tuscarawas.”

“When he got home from his service at Bar’s and Wallace’s Forts, he found a 
notice that he was drafted two months more. He served under Captain Carnahan, 
marched to Pittsburg, thence up the Allegheny to the mouth of ?Puchety to a 
station he thinks called Fort Crawford. He returned to Pittsburg as a guard to 
a company of pack horses that carried provisions to the station. Marched from 
thence to Beaver and helped to build a fort called Fort McIntosh. Marched from 
thence to Tuscarawas River and assisted in building a fort there until his two 
months expired, having served in all, 21 months.”

“That he cannot recollect that he ever received any discharge, and that he has 
no documentary evidence and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can 
procure who can testify to his service”…etc.

Interrogatories propounded by the court and the answers given by the said 
applicant:

Where were you born, and in what year?
“In York County, Pennsylvania in 1755, May 16.”

Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
	“It was set down in a Bible by my father, from which I transcribed it 
into a Bible of my own, from which I transcribed into a Bible which I have now.”
	
Where were you living when you went into service, where have you lived since 
the Revolutionary War, and where do you live now?

“I was living in York County, Pennsylvania when I entered the service. After my 
services were over, when I settled in Westmoreland County, PA where I lived 
about 15 years, then I moved to Mercer County, PA and lived there until 1814, 
and moved from thence to Columbiana County, Ohio where now lives and has lived 
ever since…”

State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops when 
you served, such continental and militia regiments as you can recollect and the 
general circumstances of your service.

“General Washington, General Putnam, General Mercer, General Lee, General 
Greene, Generals Irwin, Potter, Armstrong, McIntosh, Colonels Holden, Smith, 
Elder, Boyd, Brodhead, Captains Laird, Reed, McCasky.”

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