REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - HENRY ALESHITE Contributed by: Joe McKee (mckeer@pilot.msu.edu) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Aleshite, Henry Revolutionary War Pension Claim. S.29.579. Virginia 23.392 Henry Aleshite Sr. of Page in the State of Virginia who was a pr. in the __ commanded by Captain Steed of the Regt. Commanded by Col. Bowman in the Va line for 2 years ... Certificate of pension issued the 17th day of Jan 34 .... Harris, Luray Va. ...... State of Virginia Page County Court Be it remembered that on this 24th day of Septb. 1832, personally appeared in open court .... Henry Aleshite Senr. a resident in the said County of Page, and State of Virginia, aged 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 Sates and served as herein stated. He was born in the valley of Powell's Fort in the County of Shenandoah on the 19. February 1754, and was consequently 78 years old in Feb. last past. He enlisted for 18 months in the county of Shenandoah in Capt. John Steeds company of Regulars in the year 1778, and marched to Valley Forge Pennsylvania and joined the 8th Regiment commanded by Col Abraham Bowman. The 8th and the 4th Regiments were afterwards put together and then commanded by Col. John Nevill, in Gen Scott's Brigade Va. Line. From Valley Forge we marched in pursuit of the British into the Jerseys, and overtook them at Monmouth, in which battle I fought, on Sunday the 28th day of June 1778. From Monmouth we marched into the state of Connecticut, and finally laid at West Point. We reached West Point in July and remained until fall, when we returned into Jersey, and laid between Middlebrook and Boundbrook, where we remained through the winter and until late into the spring, when my term of service having expired, I was regularly discharged. Tho' that discharge has long since been lost, and I reached home just in the beginning of harvest. In the spring of 1781 he was drafted into the militia for a tour of 3 months, under Capt. Jacob Pennywit, and marched with some other companies to Petersburg Va. and was engaged in the skirmish or battle which was fought at that place in May 1781. His regiment was commanded by Col. John Slaughter, and the Brigade commanded by Brigadier Gen. Edmond Stevens. From Petersburg we marched to what was called Mebbin Hills 18 miles below Richmond, at this place he was discharged, and returned home, but only remained at home four days, when he was again drafted for 3 months more, under Capt. George Prince, and marched to Newcastle on the Pamunkey River, where for some cause Capt. Prince was discharged from the service and our company was then commanded by Captain Lynchfield Sharp during the remainder of the tour. We then marched to Ruffin's Ferry, and from thence to Williamsburg, and from thence to the siege of York, and he was engaged in that siege. After Cornwallis and his army were taken, he was detailed and marched in guarding the prisoners to Lahewtown in the County of Frederick, ( now Front Royal ) where his term of service expired and he was again regularly discharged. His Regiment, during this last tour was commanded by Col. Elias Edmonds, and the Brigade was still under the command of Genl. Stevens. Before he enlisted at all, he had served a tour against the Indians as a volunteer. There were two companies marched from the County of Shenandoah, one under Capt. Thos. Buck, who is believed to be yet living near Front Royal in the cty. of Fredk., and the other company, in which deponent was, was commanded by Capt. Michael Rader ( Rader ). We joined Capt. Lucas's company from Berkeley - Capt. Niesmanger's from Frederick - Capt. ____ from Rockingham - and Capt. Foreman's from Hampshire, and also some other companies, and marched to what was then called Fort Pitt. From thence we went down the Ohio by water, to Fort Wheeling, and from thence we marched by land to Point Pleasant. He was present at the Point, when the Indian King Cornstalk was killed, - and two other Indians and a white man who had married Cornstalk's daughter, were also killed. He was privy to all the particulars of that affair. He had volunteered for 6 months, but our service being no longer necessary, we were discharged at the end of four months, leaving only a guard at the Point. We were not commanded by a field officer, except for a short time, by Genl. Hand. His discharges are all lost or destroyed. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. In presence of. John Prince John Ruffner _(illegible)_ Freisner his Henry ( + ) Aleshite Mark We Christopher Keyser, a clergyman residing in Page County, and John Keyser (a revolutionary soldier ) residing in the same county, do hereby certify that we are acquainted with Henry Aleshite Senr. Who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be 78 years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a revolutionary soldier, and that we concur in that opinion. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. Christopher Keyser his John ( + ) Keyser mark " Selected records from Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land-warrant application files", microcopy no. M805, roll 9. National Archives and Records Service, Washington, 1969 . Transcribed by Joe McKee from microfilm held at the Library of Michigan, Lansing MI. 20 December 1998. Joe McKee note: The militia action Henry reports involving the Indian Chief Cornstalk at Point Pleasant, WV is not the famous Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774 during Lord Dunmore's War. Chief Cornstalk survived that battle by several years and was murdered in November 1777 in a separate incident altogether.