Pension Application of Charles and Patty Rives Lumsden: W8067
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia Franklin County Sct.
This 1st day of October 1832 appeared personally in Franklin County Court which is a court of record now seting Charles Lumsden a resident of the county of Franklin and State of Virginia born in Price William [sic: Prince William County VA] and aged Seventy one years but has no record of his 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 act of Congress – passed 7th June 1832 That he entered the service of the United States under the officers named herein and served as herein is afterwards set forth & related — That he served three tours of duty during the war of the revolution marching the two last tours from Henry County now Franklin where he resided during the revolutionary war – that the 1st tour in 1779 or 1780. being on the Frontier on a visit he volunteered in a company commanded by Capt Isaac Thomas – and marched to meet the Indians who had broke out against the american’s the company joined the main body of the americans – but not till after the battle that was fought at [blank space; see note below] beyond the French broad river – after the junction aforesaid the american marched into the Indian Country burned several towns killed some of the Indians took about 40 prisoners The americans were commanded by Colo John Sevier and Colo Arthur Campbell & in all amounted to about six or seven hundred after serving three months he was discharged and came home – He was soon after drafted into a company of militia commanded by Capt’n George Hairston of Henry afterwards Colo Hairston of Henry County, and marched into North Carolina & joined the army commanded by General Green [sic: Nathanael Greene] – the company he belonged to was joined to [Gen. Robert] Lawsons brigade as well as he remembers The regiment he was attached to commanded by Colo [Abraham] Penn – this applicants states that the company he belonged to joined Gen’l Greens army a few days after the battle of Guilford [sic: Guilford Courthouse, 15 March 1781] – and was in the pursuit of Cornwallis till he had retreated to deep river this applicant served out his time faithfully as he had the tour above spoken of and described and was discharged this second tour was also three months — On returning to Henry County his place of Residence – he volunteered and served in the commissary department as he believes it was called – for the term of 90 days collecting in Henry, cattle and driving them to the army. one drove he took to the army at Hallifax [sic: Halifax] and another to New Kent in Va at which large portions of the army of the United States then were — His neighbour Wm Stewart an honest man and a good whig served the second tour spoken of above – to North Carolina and to his testimony here exhibited he refers – During the pursuit of the enemy in North Carolina this company this applicant belonged to was attached to Col. [William] Washington’s legion – & also served as infantry — This applicant has no documentary evidence – if he ever got a written discharge or discharges they are lost or mislaid This applicant is known to Colo Thomas B Greer – Moses Greer Sen’r. senior justice of the peace for Franklin County Colo Samuel Hairston under whose Brother he served – To whom he refers for his character as an honest man a citizen and as a man of veracity – and he refers to his neighbours generally with a confident expectation that they who know him will say nothing to his prejudice — He relinquishes every claim 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 & subscribed the day & year afores’d [signed] Charles Lumsden
NOTES:
The first tour described by Lumsden was apparently part of the Cherokee Campaign of 1780. After the defeat of Loyalists at Kings Mountain SC on 7 Oct 1780, the British encouraged Indian attacks as a means of keeping the frontiersmen occupied at home. In the following December, Col. John Sevier led a retaliatory force against the Cherokees. After a skirmish on 8 Dec at Boyd’s Creek near French Broad River in present Tennessee, Sevier paused to await reinforcement by Col. Arthur Campbell of Washington County VA. Campbell then took command and led the attacks on the Cherokee towns from Dec. 22nd through the 26th,.
On 19 April 1843 Patty Lumsden, in her 80s, applied for a pension stating that she married Charles Lumsden on 20 March 1787, and that he died 14 Feb 1839. Her declaration includes a copy of a bond signed by Charles and Jeremiah Lumsden on 16 March 1787 in Franklin County for the marriage of Charles Lumsden to Patty Rives.