State of
Virginia
Pocahontas County |
§ |
towit |
On the Seventh day of May 1833 personally appeared in Open Court before
the County Court of Pocahontas County now sitting John Bradshaw a
resident of the said County of Pocahontas and state of Virginia aged
Seventy four years on the Second day of February last, who being duly
sworn according to Law doth on his Oath make the following declaration
in Order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congrefs pafsed June the
7th 1832.
That he entered the Service as an Indian Spy in the spring of the year
1776 that he was then just entering the 18th year of his age; that at
the time he entered the service as a Spy he was a private in a company
of militia Commanded by Captain John Henderson; that he the resided in
that part of Virginia which is now in the County of Monroe but whether
it was then Botetourt County or not he does not know that before
he entered the service as a spy he took the Oath of Fidelity and the
Oath to perform the duties of a spy - That he went into service as a spy
on the first day of May 1776 and was discharged On the first of November
following, having continued in service six months and until that season
of the Year arrived when the fear of Indian depredation no long existed,
they having as was their general custom retired to Winter quarters
That again in the Spring of the year 1777 he entered the service as an
Indian Spy On the 15th day of April and was discharged as before on the
first day of November following having that Summer performed a tour of
Six months and a half, he again went into service as an Indian Spy on
the 15th day of April 1778 and continued in said service until the first
of November following having again performed a tour of six months and a
half and that he again commenced his expedition as an Indian Spy On the
first day of May 1779 and continued in service until the first day of
November 1779 having performed a tour of Six months that Summer, making
in all Two years and One months services which he performed as an Indian
Spy.
That the nature of his services as an
Indian Spy was to leave Cooks Fort on Indian Creek now in the County of
Monroe and be out from three to four days each week and then return when
others would go, the same length of time; that their practice was for
two to go together when they returned an other two would start out, that
the companion who was mostly with him was a man by the name of James
Ellis that he does not know what has become of him but supposes he is
dead as he was considerably older than himself. He also sometimes
went in company with the late Colonel Samuel Estill of Kentucky; that
the place where he performed the aforesaid services as an Indian Spy was
in the Gaps and low places in the Chain of Mountains between William
Laffertys plantation on New River and Burnside Fort and the head
waters of Laurel Creek where they sent the Spies from Burnside Fort,
that they traversed the Country which included the head waters of big
and little Stony creeks the head waters of the Indian draft a branch of
Indian Creek and teh head waters of Wolf Creek; that the distance or
space of country over which he had to travel was supposed to be upwards
of thirty miles; that in performing the duties of a spy they had to
carry their provisions with them it being against the nature of their
Oath and instructions and also jeopardizing their own safety to make a
fire at Knight no matter how inclement the wether might be; and that
during the whole time that he was engaged in the Service as an Indian
Spy as aforesaid he was not engaged in any civil pursuit.
That he was afterwards drafted in
the month of January 1781 into service as a soldier of the Revolution
from the County of Augusta and marched in a Company commanded by Captain
Thomas Hicklin, Lieutenant Joseph Given and Ensign Thomas Wright and was
attached to a Regiment commanded by Colonel Sampson Mathews, that he
lived at the time he was drafted in the County of Augusta and State of
Virginia. That he was marched accrofs the Blue Ridge of Mountains
at Rockfish gap then directly to the City of Richmond thence down James
River to Sandy Point where he with the company to which he belonged
crofsed the River and thence to Camp Carson an encampment in what was
called the dismal Swamp near a place called Portsmouth in the State of
Virginia, where he was stationed the greater part of the Winter, and
from thence he was marched with the Army in the spring to Murdoughs
Mills still nearer to Portsmouth where he remained until the 9th of
April 1781 when he was discharged having served a tour of three months;
that in one engagement or skirmish under the command of the aforesaid
officers at or in sight of Portsmouth; that Captain Cunningham from
Rockbridge County, Virginia was wounded in the groin; that the Captain
received his wound a few paces in his front there was also one soldier
wounded in the light was placed on a carriage and bourn off the field or
ground of the engagement; he recollects of no other injury received by
the American Army in the aforesaid skirmish - That he was several times
engaged in routing the picket guard of the enemy during the aforesaid
tour - That he was a sergeant and acted as such during said three months
tour, that he received ?? warrant as such, but not supposing that it
would ever be of any service to him has long since lost or mislaid it
and does not now remember to have seen it for at least forty years.
That he was again drafted in the
latter part of the summer or in the early part of the Autumn of the same
year 1781 from the County of Augusta and state aforesaid & was again
Command by Captain Thomas Hicklin and was attached to a Regiment
commanded by Colonel Samuel Vance; that he was marched accrofs the Blue
Ridge at Rockfish gap, thence on by Pages Ware House and thence on to
Little York where Lord Corn Wallis with his army were then stationed;
the he was at the Seige of York and at the taking of Lord Cornwallis and
his army, that the British Army was marched out between two lines of the
American Army to the place where they laid down their arms and then they
returned through the James River to their encampment in York Town, and
on the next day they were Marched Out with their knapsacks on, and then
took up their line of March under a Strong escort & guard of the
American Soldiers to the Barracks at Winchester Virginia; that he was
one of the guard who escorted the prisoners to Winchester where he was
discharged on the next day after his arrival having again served a tour
of about three months as near as he now recollects; that for this last
tour of service he does not now remember whether he received a written
discharge or not but if he did it has long since been lost as he has no
recollection of it. That he has no documentary evidence and that
he knows of no person now living whose testimony he can procure who can
certify to his services as an Indian Spy, or to his Services in the
Revolutionary War unlefs it should be John Slavin who he supposes may
probably recollect to have seen him at Portsmouth during his first tour
at Portsmouth and his second tour at the Siege of York.
He hereby relinquishes every claim
to a pension or annuity of pension except the present and declares that
his name is not enrolled on the pension roll of the agency of any State. |
|
John Bradshaw |
| Sworn
to and Subscribed the day and Year aforesaid |
|
before
Signature add - "Service in Eastern Va omitted"
X |
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