Williamson County TN Archives Military Records.....Peay, George 
Revwar - Pension 
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Nancy Poquette npoq@hotmail.com June 25, 2006, 12:55 pm

Pension Application Of George Peay, Natl Archives Microseries M804, Roll 1899, Application #S3673
GEORGE PEAY, a resident of Williamson County, TN, aged 75 years:

	“That in January or February 1776, I joined the army of the United 

States as a volunteer in Guilford County, NC, under Captain JOHN LEAK and 

Colonel JAMES MARTIN. We rendezvoused at Guilford Courthouse and marched thence 

to Cross Creek where Fayetteville now stands. This expedition was against the 

Highland Scotch and Tories who had rebelled against the government. Governor 

CASWELL having defeated them before we arrived at Cross Creek [per Heitman, 

February 27, 1776], we in a day or two returned home and stayed there two 

weeks. Then we were called out again to go to Wilmington and when we had 

marched to Rocky River in Chatham County, an express met us stating the British 

had left Wilmington and hove out of sight. We then returned home, having been 

absent these two trips, three months. Colonel ALEXANDER MARTIN commanded a 

regiment of regular troops and we lay at the Cross-Roads in Randolph County 

with his regiment nearly four weeks during the first trip.”

	That about the 20th of June, 1776, I joined as a volunteer Captain JOHN 

LEAK and Colonel JAMES MARTIN, General GRIFFITH RUTHERFORD being our Brigadier 

General. In the county of Rowan in the town of Salisbury, we rendezvoused and 

marched thence to the head of the Catawba River near Cathey’s Fort, which is at 

a place called Pleasant Gardens, where we remained near four weeks until 

General RUTHERFORD and the balance of his army joined us. We marched thence 

against the Cherokee Indians across the Blue Ridge and stopped on the Tennessee 

River in the Cherokee nation where we remained four weeks, the Indians having 

been subdued by the Southern Army commanded by General WILLIAMSON. We returned 

home after an absence of about three months and a half, no battle having been 

fought this expedition.”

	That about the 20th of June 1778, I joined the company of Captain JOHN 

LEAK as a volunteer, which company belonged to the regiment called New Levees 

commanded by Colonels ARCHIBALD LYTLE and HENRY DIXON. We rendezvoused about 

that time at Guilford Courthouse in Guilford County, and our two companies from 

Guilford, one commanded by Captain LEAK, the other by Captain GEORGE HAMILTON, 

marched thence to David Logan’s, 4 miles from Guilford Courthouse, where we lay 

four weeks until the balance of said regiment commanded by said Colonels LYTLE 

and DIXON, joined us.”

	“We marched thence to Dixon’s Ferry on Dan River in Virginia, on our 

way towards the north, where we met an express which caused us to return into 

North Carolina, our services not being needed in the North. We marched thence 

to Moore’s Creek in Caswell County, NC, where we remained about a month.”

“At this place, I was attached out of Captain LEAK’s company and put into the 

company of Captain JOHN NELSON, who was a regular officer, after remaining in 

his company a week or ten days, I left the army and went to Henry County, 

Virginia, to attend to a lawsuit which I had there, my brother ELIAS PEAY 

filling my place in my absence. I returned to my father’s in Guilford County, 

NC. I met my brother, who brought me a furlough from Captain JOHN NELSON until 

the 14th of March 1779, at the end of which time I received a discharge from 

Colonel JAMES MARTIN for the whole nine months…I was in no battle during this 

campaign because there was none fought…”

	“In the last of May 1779, our company of men was called out from 

Guilford County to join the army of General LINCOLN in South Carolina. I 

entered that company as a substitute for one Mr. ?RUMBY under Captain JOHN 

DAVIS, and GEORGE PEARCE lieutenant, and ROBERT MOORE, ensign. We marched to 

about a mile above Guilford Courthouse, when I was sent back by Colonel MARTIN 

to bring up some men who had remained behind. Before I could collect those men, 

the other part of the army fought the Battle at Stono Ferry [per Heitman, June 

20, 1779] in South Carolina and were defeated and returned home. I did not 

again join them, but Captain DAVIS gave me a discharge signed by himself for a 

three months tour. I was in no battle and saw no regular officers this 

expedition.”

	“Some time in the summer of 1780, I joined the company of Captain PETER 

O’NEAL as substitute for WILLIAM STUBBLEFIELD at Guilford Courthouse. We 

marched thence 14 miles towards Salisbury when I was sent back by Major THOMAS 

OWENS to bring up some delinquents and being engaged in preparing them to march 

for a week or two, the battle at which General GATES was defeated was fought 

[at Camden, per Heitman, August 16, 1780] and the men discharged. I did not 

join the army again, and received a discharge for a three months tour from 

Major THOMAS OWENS, signed by himself, which I left in North Carolina.”

	“Some time in July 1781, I joined the company of Captain CHARLES 

WILLIAMS in Pittsylvania County in Virginia as a substitute for NED WARREN. 

Said company marched to Yorktown at General Washington’s headquarters where our 

company joined the regiment commanded by Colonel THOMAS MERRIWEATHERS and Major 

GIVENS and General EDMOND STEPHENS. I remained there till the last of the siege 

of York, where Cornwallis was taken…”

August 1833-RICHARD VERNON-“This is to certify at the request of GEORGE PEAY, 

to state on oath, that which I was witness to as it respects his service as a 

soldier in the Revolutionary War. It then shall be first stated that I am about 

75 years of age. I was acquainted with GEORGE PEAY in the state of North 

Carolina in the County of Guilford in the year 1776, at which time an 

insurrection was raised by a set of people called Scotch Tories, and about the 

first of February 1776, the militia was called to arms.”

“Mr. PEAY, along with myself and many others, turned out as volunteers and 

marched to Guilford Courthouse on the fifteenth of February 1776, and there 

formed a regiment under the command of Colonel JAMES MARTIN and Captain JOHN 

LEAK (I acted his subaltern) and at that period, Guilford County was in the 

western part of North Carolina in a district called Salisbury, which was 

commanded by Brigadier General RUTHERFORD, who at that time had all the militia 

of said district in arms.”

“Then marching down to the lower part of the state where these Tories were 

embodied, our regiment joined General RUTHERFORD and then marched and proceeded 

with him to a town on Cape Fear River, at that time was called Cross Creek, 

where we understood for certain that the Tories were defeated by Colonel 

CASWELL [Moore’s Creek Bridge, per Heitman, 27 February, 1776] near Wilmington 

in said state, we were then sent back home, excepting a regiment of regular 

troops that had marched down with us under the command of Colonel ALEXANDER 

MARTIN.”

“In about fifteen days after we returned home, a general alarm took place 

throughout the state, caused by the British vessels appearing in the Capes 

adjacent to said state, at which time we were all called to arms. Mr. GEORGE 

PEAY with myself and many others volunteered again, under our former officers 

and marching in military order to Wilmington, and the only transaction that 

took place was an express that came to Colonel MARTIN stating that a party of 

Tories were embodying in front of us to make an attack. We advanced near them. 

Myself and 13 others were sent to discover their situation. We proceeded to the 

place in the night and discovered a large encampment. Their sentinels fired at 

us and we returned to our regiment. All preparation was made by us to advance 

and attack them the next day. Accordingly, we met and prepared for action. We 

then discovered they were our friends who had drove the Tories the evening 

before.”

“We then proceeded on our march for Wilmington and were met by an express from 

the executive of the state, stating that the British vessels had left the Capes 

contiguous to North Carolina. We were all remarched back to our homes where we 

remained until the month of June in the same year 1776.”

“The Cherokee Indians broke out and was committing great depradations upon the 

frontier settlements of North and South Carolina. On which occasion a general 

call for the militia in the district of Salisbury took place about the month of 

June 1776. Then Mr. GEORGE PEAY and myself volunteered again under the command 

of said officers RUTHERFORD, MARTIN and LEAK. So we marched north, a determined 

resolution to destroy the Indian settlements on Tennessee and Hiwassee, which 

we affected by entering wilderness on the 9th day of September 1776. About the 

25th November following, we were discharged.”

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