Davidson County TN Archives Military Records.....Lesley, Peter Revwar - Pension ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com June 24, 2006, 8:59 pm Pension Application Of Peter Lesley, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 1551, Application #S4540 PETER LESLEY, a resident of Davidson County, Tennessee, aged 71: “That he was born in the state of New Jersey the 13th day of January 1761, agreeable to my father’s record given me, and moved to Guilford County, North Carolina, where I was raised and in the month of March 1780, I was drafted in Guilford County, North Carolina and mustered into service at Guilford Courthouse for three months under the command of Captain WILLIAM BETHEL, RICHARD VERNON Lieutenant, and ROBERT NELSON, Ensign. We stayed in Guilford about eight days. We then set out for Charleston in South Carolina by the way of Salisbury, then to Camden, then to Monck’s Corner. There we stayed a few days when Colonel WASHINGTON and his horse were routed with PULASKI and [Major JAMES] WHITE, by the British under Colonel TARLETON [April 14th, 1780, see Heitman, page 682].” “Then Capt. BETHEL’s company marched the next day about thirty miles, crossing the Santee at Nelson’s Ferry. We there met Gen. CASWELL with one thousand militia where we joined him on the Santee River and guarded Nelson’s Ferry and Dupree’s Ferry until we heard that Charleston had surrendered to the British [May 12, 1780, see Heitman, page 682]. Then we marched to Camden and on our way we met General BUFORD with three hundred regulars and one field piece. We all marched to Camden, then BUFORD marched to Salisbury, and we with CASWELL, marched to Pedee River at the Cheraw Hills. Then we marched to Fayetteville in North Carolina, where we stayed a few days. Col. MCDOWELL and part of his regiment were sent to guard several wagons loaded with salt [ROBERT RANKIN (b) dated this June 3rd or 4th, 1780] for the army, to Mecklenburg and Rowan Counties and when Capt. BETHEL’s company reached Guilford County, Col. MCDOWELL discharged us, for we had served a little over three months.” “I was home about one month, and my stepfather, JOHN WILEY of Guilford County, North Carolina was drafted to serve three months tour, for which I went and served in his place, under the command of Captain FORBIS and WILLIAM GILMORE, Lieutenant, and ALEXANDER ALLISON, Ensign, and was mustered into service in Guilford County, North Carolina on the 25th day of August, 1780, and marched to Salisbury, then to Brushy Camp, where we joined General DAVIDSON. Then we marched to New Providence. There Colonel PAISLEY’s regiment joined us and we continued there in Rowan and Mecklenburg Counties until our time of service had expired, and a part of the time, Colonel MORGAN’s regiment were stationed there, also Colonel WASHINGTON’s, and his horse, a part of the time. I was discharged at New Providence by General DAVIDSON on, I think, about the last of November, 1780.” “I returned home, and I think in January 1781, Captain FORBIS called on his old company again to take the field with him, as the British were in our neighborhood, and I and several of his company joined him as volunteers with Lieutenant GILMORE and Ensign ELLISON. We then marched down to General GREENE’s army on Dan River, and were attached to Colonel PAISLEY’s regiment.” “We stayed about one month with the army and I was furloughed by Colonel PAISLEY to go home, and to join the army again when called. I stayed at home about one month and was notified to join the army again, and about two weeks before the Battle of Guilford, I entered the service under the command of Captain FORBIS in Guilford County, marched up to Guilford Courthouse and on the 15th day of March 1781, I was in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, in which our Captain FORBIS was mortally wounded, and went home and died, and WILLIAM PAISLEY of our company was slightly wounded. I was on the battleground in about three days after the battle was fought. The British had buried their dead and marched off. Our dead men was not all buried. I then went home and stayed some time.” “I again entered the service in the same company as before, except Captain FORBIS, who was killed and Captain GEORGE STEWART commanded in his place. We then went down the country, crossed Deep River and crossed Cape Fear River below Fayetteville. Below Deep River, we joined Colonel JAMES MARTIN’s regiment under General RUTHERFORD which were some over 1000 strong, all militia. While on this expedition on Raft Swamp in the Tory settlement we were scouring the swamps in search of Tories, the militia on foot, and Captain GILLESPIE of the horse.” “About five of the horse came to a house in search of forage where the Tories fired on the horsemen and killed John MCADOW, a colonel [probably only captain] belonging to the horse. A short time after this, there appeared in sight of our camp a number of women and General RUTHERFORD sent a guard to conduct them into camp, and after they stayed under guard all night, General RUTHERFORD ordered that they be drummed out of camp with our camp kettles and two sticks. We stayed there about two months in this Tory settlement, and five of our company were discharged before the drafted militia by Captain STEWART, because we were volunteers, and the rest militia. I think I served a little over three months as a volunteer under the last engagement and was discharged below Fayetteville, North Carolina.” “After that I served about ten days in Randolph County after the Tories and caught several at a wedding and held them under guard until they agreed to join our side and help us to fight. Again I was called on to help thrash of the Quakers wheat, so much as would pay their part of the expense of the war, as they would not fight, and they agreed, they would not say no. I was ten days on this trip, in all I think I served nearly ten months, but I have lost my discharges. I can prove by Lt. RICHARD VERNON a part of my service and by WILLIAM GAMBLE also a part. I know of no person by whom I can prove the last of my service. I moved from Guilford County, N.C. in the year of 1801 to Tennessee State and first lived in Williamson Co., and then in Davidson Co., where I now live.” “This day came WILLIAM GAMBLE…and made oath that PETER LESLEY did serve a tour of six months in the army. In the Revolution, was in the North Carolina militia under General DAVIDSON, Colonels JOHN PAISLEY and JAMES RUTHERFORD, Captain ARTHUR FORBIS, Lieutenant WILLIAM GILMORE, Ensign ALEXANDER ALLISON. Under these officers the said LESLEY served one three month tour, and also one three months tour under General GRIFFITH RUTHERFORD and Captain GEORGE STEWART, and I, WILLIAM GAMBLE have been acquainted with said PETER LESLEY ever since, and know him to be the very same man.” “Personally appeared, RICHARD VERNON…and made oath that he was acquainted with PETER LESLEY in two tours of duty in the Revolution War. That in March 1780 we rendezvoused at Guilford Courthouse, state of North Carolina. He the said LESLEY was a soldier under Captain WILLIAM BETHEL, and I was lieutenant in said company, and ROBERT NELSON, ensign. We then took up the line of march to South Carolina by way to Salisbury, where we met with General RUTHERFORD, who ordered us to march to Charleston, by way to Camden to Monck’s Corner, where we understood that the British had surrounded Charleston, so that we could not get in. There, where we lay a few days, and was routed by the enemy under Colonel TARLETON. From thence we retreated to the north side of the Santee River, where we lay until the arrival of Brigadier General WILLIAM CASWELL from North Carolina.” “We then formed a regiment called the third regiment of North Carolina militia, Col. JAMES BRANNON our field officer, where we continued as guard for the Ferries on said river, until we heard that Charleston had surrendered to the British. We then retreated to the Cheraw Hills on the Pedee River, from thence to Fayetteville in North Carolina where we were detached under the command of Col. MCDOWELL to guard some wagons loaded with public salt, to the County of Mecklenburg, North Carolina.” “Our time of service being out when we was disbanded and returned home where I remained until about the 25th day of August, 1780, and then was called on another tour of duty for three months, which tour I served as lieutenant in a regiment of militia commanded by Colonel JOHN PAISLEY of Guilford County North Carolina, and under General Brigadier DAVIDSON, and this tour we served in the Counties of Rowan and Mecklenburg, and says that he is satisfied that said PETER LESLEY was in service at that time from several events which took place, which we both recollect., the man JOHN BRAWLEY getting shot through and fell dead accidentally [probably at Shallow Ford], and said regiment was discharged about the 25th of November.” “Personally appeared before me, PETER LESLEY…who saith that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory…he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades: First I served three months as a drafted militiaman from the month of March 1780 as a private in Captain BETHEL’s company, and a second tour from the 25th of August 1780, I served three months as a private in Captain FORBIS’ militia company, and a third tour I served as a volunteer from January 1781, three months under Captain FORBIS and STEWART as an orderly sergeant, and the same year I served ten days in Randolph County after the Tories under the command of Captain GILLESPIE of about 75 men. We whipped several Tories and cut JOHN DICKEY very bad with a sword.” “Again I served ten days in Randolph County under the command of Captain WHITESELL, after the Tories. About 75 of us caught several Tories at a wedding as per declaration, and last of all, I served ten days thrashing the Quakers wheat as per declaration. In all, I think I served at least ten months, seven of them as a private soldier and three months as an orderly sergeant. The above is offered as a supplement to my declaration in which is not named the first ten days I served in Randolph County after Tories and for which I claim a pension.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/davidson/military/revwar/pensions/lesley161gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/tnfiles/ File size: 10.7 Kb