Pension Application of Benjamin Robinson: S9090
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia
County of Bedford to wit:
On this 26th[?] day of December 1832 personally appeared before the County Court of the said county of Bedford then sitting, Benjamin Robinson, a resident of the said county upwards of seventy seven years of age, who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That in the month of January or February 1776 as he believes, he enlisted as a private soldier in the army of the United States in a company of Infantry commanded by Captain Samuel Hawes in the second Regiment of the Virginia line & served therein as such for a period of nearly two years as herein after stated. At the time of his said enlistment the company in which he enlisted was commanded by the following officers, namely. – the said Samuel Hawes (Captain). Thomas Jones Lieutenant and James Upshur Ensign – The Regiment to which said company belonged was commanded by Colo. Alexander Spotswood. That he, the declarant, was born in the County of Caroline in the state aforesaid & enlisted in the said county where he at that time resided. The company in which he enlisted assembled at the Court House of said county in the month of March 1776. – were marched from thence to the City of Williamsburg in said state, where it remained until the ensuing winter, & was then marched to the north through the states of Maryland, and Delaware to the state of New Jersey, where it joined the main army. The Regiment to which he belonged was attached to the Brigade commanded by General [George] Weedon – & General [Nathanael] Greene was, as he believes, the Major General. From New Jersey he was marched to the state of Pennsylvania where he was engaged in the battles of Brandywine [11 Sep 1777] and Germantown [4 Oct 1777]. that before and after those battles he was marched in various directions in the states of New Jersey & Pennsylvania, & at the [illegible word] time about the close of the year 1777. the army to which he was attached went into Winter Quarters at Valley Forge shortly after which he with the assent of his officers, the time for which he enlisted in the infantry [two words illegible] not having quite expired, quitted[?] the infantry service & enlisted in the cavalry [3rd Continental Dragoons] for the term of three years in a troop & company of which a man named Jones was captain – a man named Baylor was Lieutenant – a man named Thornton was Cornet – The said Troops was attached to the Regiment under the command of George Baylor of Caroline County state of Virginia. [approximately five words illegible] in the cavalry, he the declarant obtain a furlough and returned to the county of Bedford in the state of Virginia to visit his relations most of whom had removed to said county. After the expiration of his furlough, he believes about the month of March 1778 – he rendezvoused with the [illegible word] of [illegible word] at Fredericksburg in the state of Virginia, where the troops remained some time [illegible word] & recruiting & was then marched to Hackensack in the state of New Jersey where it joined the Regiment commanded by said Baylor. Some few weeks after which the said Regiment was attacked by the enemy by surprize at a place called Tappan [28 Sep 1778], on which occasion the said Baylor was wounded & taken prisoner, & Major Elon[?], the second in command was mortally wounded & died a few days afterwards. In consequence of the capture of Colo. Baylor, the command of the Regiment devolved on Colo. William Washington, after which the regiment was marched to the South, & after the declarant had served out his full term of three years in the cavalry, he received a written & honorable discharge from Colo. Washington on Catawba River as he believes in the month of December 1780. This discharge has been lost or mislaid so that it cannot now be produced. From the time of rendezvousing at Fredericksburg as before stated, the declarant served as a sergeant in the cavalry, until he was discharged as already related.
He the, declarant, hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present, & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year first aforesaid Benjamin Robinson