Madison County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Military ..... Thomas and Lewis Graves
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Amanda Welborn Dicken adicken@cswnet.com May 26, 2010


Pension NO. S. 16839 application for Thomas Graves of Culpeper 
today, Lewis’s big brother.    

Apparently, Lewis is the brother who got sick and Thomas subbed 
for him toward the end of the war.   

He says that “In 1781, the last of war appeared to be in Virginia I was 
then called out early in the Summer at the time the British took 
possession of Richmond and sent a party up to Charlottesville.  I was 
orderly Sergeant under Capt. Ferguson in Col. Alcock & Greens Regiment.  
We joined the regular troops commanded by Gen. De La Fayette and Gen. 
Wayne.  We combined with these troops in all their various routs until we 
move the enemy into old Jamestown and there gave them battle.  The 
British then took shipping went round to York and fortified.  Our Troops 
then marched for York at which time I was discharged. At the same time, 
I had two younger brothers who came into camp; one of them was taken sick 
and wrote to me to hire a man to take his place.  I could not do so. I 
directly returned to camp and took my sick brothers place.  I then fell 
into a different Regiment.  After the British surrendered I reenlisted 
in guarding them....” 

Then on the page where he is asked the question by the Judge, how were you 
called into service?  He states that “I first volunteered as stated in my 
declaration - ?Wit? I was drafted - & then served as a substitute for my 
brother Lewis Graves.”  
 

Pension NO. S. 8311 - Martin Deer’s reference to Lewis is this: 

“...That his company marched from Bonnettsford in Culpeper County the 
fifteenth of January 1779 and went direct to Williamsburg and there took 
up head quarters and were stationed there with a great many other soldiers 
during all said town except a visit to Norfolk and over to Jamestown; that 
after his Company had been at Williamsburg upwards of a month they were 
marched to Norfolk and returned in ten or twelve days to Williamsburg and 
afterwards make a short trip to Jamestown where they remained only a few 
days and returned back to headquarters at Williamsburg and there remained 
until the tour expired; that he understood the soldiers was stationed there 
to guard the Seat of government from the enemy and that nothing of a 
remarkable character occurred during there stay at Williamsburg; men were 
frequently whipped for disorderly conduct but he saw no one that by command 
that at Williamsburg there must have been between Two and Three thousand 
militia men at various times during said town; that he remembers Captain 
Ward Company from Orange was with his own ?dicing? said town and one other 
Company from Culpeper under Captain Bohannon; that in going to Williamsburg 
his company marched through Orange, Louisa, Hanover, New Kent and Charles 
City Counties but they did not tarry long in either of them and marched 
direct to Williamsburg; that John Miller, John Deer, Ambrose Weaver, Lewis 
Graves, Henry Peters, Benjamin Hackell were Privates under Captain Smith 
and were from his neighborhood in the Said County of Culpeper all of whom 
he knew before this tour to Williamsburg; that his company was not associated 
with any portion of the regular army during his first or this his second tour 
that if the regulars were at Williamsburg he had no knowledge of the fact 
because it was said at the time the forces out were composed of militia from 
Virginia entirely; that his company were discharged at Williamsburg Verbally 
and he together with John Deer, Ambrose Weaver and Lewis Graves came on here 
Together reached home to the best of his recollection between the middle of 
April and first of May 1779, that of this tour his also very positive and 
cannot be mistaken in it the particulars of which he has given to the best of 
his memory; that he received no written discharge from  his first or his second 
tour; that verbal discharges were though sufficient and he knows of no one in 
service ever applying for a written discharge; that he remained at his home in 
Culpeper County Virginia till the Spring of 1781 where he was again drafted and 
served another tour in the militia of three months duration; that during the 
same his company was at the Battle of Petersburg between the British and the 
Americans that he was in that Battle and the fighting was very hard and was 
attached to Generalo Muehlenburg Brigade in rear of it; that said company was 
called out by Captain Mark Finks of Culpeper County whose descendents still 
reside in Madison Culpeper and Orange Counties that said Captain was considered 
very brave man and displayed his courage at the afore said Battle of Petersburg; 
that of said company one William Dickens was Lieutenant both before and after 
this tour; that said company marched from Culpeper County to Louisa Cott.about 
the middle of March 1781 he was there in his 24th year; at Louisa C. House his 
company remained a week or so for other companys then marched to Mobbins Hills 
at which place he was stationed at headquarters till a day or two before the 
Battle of Petersburg whither his company had been ordered that after the Battle 
of Petersburg his company retreated to Chesterfield C. House and then marched on 
home and passing through Henrico and some portion of Louisa County up to which 
his company had retreated to avoid the present of the enemy;  that he saw General 
Lafayette troops during said tour, his company was at Williamsburg and at 
Richmond and various places on James River whilst stationed at Mobbins Hills; 
that Major Welsh from Culpeper County was a officer in said company but has 
forgotten the name of the Ensign he distinctly recollects his neighbors Moses 
Hart, George Clarke, Larkin Clarke, John Deer, Nick Yager, Samuel Smith, John 
Rouger, Andrew Deer, George Lamard were privates with him and all of whom are 
now dead.  That in going to the lower country his company first came at a place 
called Broad Waters then went on to Cabirepoints then on to Mobbins Hills, that 
three or two other companys from Culpeper during said tours and were with his own 
nearly the whole of it.  There were under the command of Captains Fisher Rice and 
Captain Rucker that of said third tour is positive and reached home the 24th or 
25th of June 1781 and never afterwards entered the army during his stay in the 
lower country was associated with other militia companies the names of which he 
can not recollect. He was never a substitute for any one having served all three 
of his tours for himself and never hired or substitute to take his place because 
he had no family to leave behind him............” 

Transcriber's note: His third tour put his company in Williamsburg at the same 
time as Thomas Graves’ so I suspect that this is also the same group that Lewis 
served with which is why I transcribed it.