Mcminn County TN Archives Military Records.....McMahan Jr, John September 2, 1833 Revwar - Pension VA Militia and VA Line ************************************************ 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: Johanna Standish lacerta123@comcast.net December 22, 2014, 9:49 pm Pension Declaration CORRECTED DECLARATION OF JOHN MCMAHAN; VA Line, RWS #S2808 Original transcription by Mary Lu Johnson Corrections by JK Standish, December 21, 2014 Transcribed as written NOTE: The substantive changes are found in "answers to questions propounded by the War Department." DECLARATION IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE BENEFIT OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS PASSED JUNE 7, 1832. STATE OF TENNESSEE, County of McMinn On this 2d day of September personally appeared in open Court, before the Justices of the County Court of said county, John McMahan a resident of said county and state, aged about 78 years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated. – He entered the service in the year, 1777, in the month of September he thinks, as [a] volunteer Militia man, in the State of Virginia and County of Augusta. His officers were Col. Dickinson,-Christian name not recollected-,Major Samuel McDowel, Captain George Moffit, Lieutenants name not recollected. The object of raising the troops to which declarant was attached, under the command of Genl Hand, was to go on an expedition against the Shawnee Indians. Part of the men were Drafted and part, declarant one of them,- turned out as volunteers. We were rendezvoused on Carr’s creek, in what is now Botetort County, and were marched from thence to Big Savannah, in Green briar County, thence to the mouth of the Canaway River where we had a garrison under the command of Col. Arbuckle. Here the soldiers under Dickerson lay some time waiting for Genl Hand who was coming on another rout. Our provisions gave out and we sent two runners up the Ohio river to meet Genl Hand, whom they met at the mouth of the Hock hocking [sic] river at the place where Wheeling now Stands or near it. Here it was ascertained that Genl Hand had met some of the Indian Chiefs and had made a treaty. Genl Hand shortly after came down the river with about 40 men in a boat, and furnished us with provisions. Shortly afterward we were marched back to our homes, under our respective officers, and discharged from the Service being the month of December, 1777, having Served three months the term for which we entered. - The next Service he performed was as a volunteer. He entered the Service in the same County and State, and as he thinks in the month of January, 1781 for a three months tour, under the command of Col Sampson Mathews, [Part of a sentence is crossed out and is unreadable.] Major Alexander Robinson, Captain Joseph Patterson. We were rendezvoused at Fredericksburg Va. where we lay for a few days waiting for some men who had not yet joined us, and were then marched to Camp Carson, or it was generally called Camp near Carson’s, within about 9 or ten miles of Portsmouth where the British under Arnold the traitor were stationed, perhaps for wintering. At Camp Carson we were stationed, during the remainder of the Service. From this place we were frequently marched across what was called the Dismal Swamp, and had a great many Skirmishes with parties of the British, frequently firing on and driving in their pickets. On one occasion, we had what we called the hot Skirmish with them. Killed some of the enemy and took some prisoners. This happened on the same day, the battle at Guilford Court house in North Carolina was fought. Our tour of three months having expired, we were prevailed upon by our field officers, still to continue in service untill the troops who were levying could be brought into the field. We continued one month more at the same place and performing the same kind of service before we were discharged. At the end of four months other troops had got to Camp, & declarant, with his comrades, were discharged, declarant having served four months.- Declarant again entered the Service, as a volunteer, in the month of (August - smeared),- as the thinks,- 1781, under Captain Buchannan who commanded a company of drafted men & volunteers, raised for the purpose of joining the American force, under Genl Washington at the siege of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Declarant does not recollect the Colonels name nor the Regiment to which he belonged, as shortly after they joined the Army at Yorktown he was taken from the ranks by the commissary General, to take care of and drive a team the former driver having been bit by a spider, which rendered him unable to take care of his team. On the day of the Surrender Declarant was but a few paces from where Washington stood – Saw Cornwallis march out and Surrender his Sword to the American General. The British prisoners after the surrender were marched to Winchester Va.- declarant accompanied the Army as far as Fredericksburg, having charge of the wagon & team as above stated, where he was discharged in the month of November as well as he recollects, in the year 1781. having served three months in this term.- Declarant makes the following answers to the questions propounded by the War Department – 1. I was born in Augusta County Va. in the year 1755 as I had been informed by my parents. – 2. I have no record of my age now, I once had the family record kept by my father, but it is now lost in consequence of getting my books & papers wet. – 3. I lived in Augusta Co. Va. when I entered the Service. After the Revolution I continued in the same County & State for several years. I then moved to Sevier county Tennessee about 30 or 40 years ago - from Sevier I moved to Blount County this State – then to Jefferson county and from there from to McMinn County Tennessee where I have lived twelve or thirteen years & where I now reside. 4.-I volunteered for the three tours as stated before 5. I (remember) but few Regular officers with the troops when [served?] [smear] regulars were stationed near Camp Carson; and I recollect a Major Mills [?] – the general circumstances of my Service I have stated in my declaration. – 6. I never received written discharge – I have no documentary evidence – I know of no witness who can prove all the services I performed. Robert Douglass can prove the three month’s tours I served at the Siege of Cornwallis. – 7. Robert Stephenson, Samuel Blackburn & James Hand are some of [my]present neighbours who can testify to my character[ ]).- He hereby relinquishes any claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares his name is not on the Pension Roll of any state. Sworn to and subscribed the 2d day of September 1833 his A R. Turk Clerk John < McMahan Mark FOR COMPARISON ONLY, THE ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPTION READS: "Answer to the questions propounded by the War Department. I have no record of my age now. I once had the family record kept by my ___ in Augusta Co., VA when I entered the service. After the revolution I ____ from Sevier I moved to Blount county this state then to Jefferson __ or thirteen years & where I now reside. I volunteered for three tours as stated before. _____ but few regular officers with the troops when I served ____ regulars were stationed near Camp Carson; and I recollect a Major Wells - the general circumstances of my service I have stated in my Declaration. I never received a written discharge - I have no documentary evidence. I know of no witness who can prove all the services I performed. Robert Douglas can prove the three months tour I served at the seige of Cornwallis - Robert Stephenson, Samuel Blackburn & James Hand are some of my present neighbours who can testify to my character." Additional Comments: This re-transcription was done with the knowledge and permission of Mary Lu Johnson, the original transcriber. (See email below). The original failed to include portions of sentences in the "answers to questions propounded by the War Department" section. This failure was due to the fact that preservation scanning had cut in half the written responses in that section. John's answers had been written as continuous sentences ACROSS THE FOLD. As a result,the original transcription did not include significant residence information; particularly that John Jr. (s/o John and Deborah) had lived only in Augusta, Virginia, then in Sevier, Blount, Jefferson and McMinn Counties in Tennessee, but never in Kentucky. This same lack of complete residential information contributed to the mis-identification of the pensioner, John McMahan Jr. (s/o John and Deborah Stockton McMahon,) as the husband of Rosannah Hardin. John and Rosannah had lived in Northern Virginia and then in Nelson and Hardin, Kentucky. This pensioner was not Rosannah's husband. Email from Mary Johnson to Johanna Standish; Fri 12/19/2014 4:37PM: "I did send a corrected version to US GenWeb. The Pension Project seems to have pretty much fallen by the wayside, probably because digitized Rev War pensions can be viewed from home if your library has Heritage Quest membership...Bottom line, I just don't think I'm up to a retranscription. "I don't care whether or not I get credit, but am not up to dealing with US GenWeb. I hope a corrected version can eventually be posted. Once upon a time, I think they could be self-posted. Possibly the only way is to post one that says 'CORRECTED PENSION'...." File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/mcminn/military/revwar/pensions/mcmahanj41mt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/tnfiles/ File size: 10.0 Kb