Pension Application of William Davenport: S8309
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia County of Bedford S.S.
On this 23d day of September 1833 personally appeared in open Court before the Court of Bedford County now sitting the same being a Court of Record William Davenport a resident of the said County and State of Virginia aged near seventy 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 7th 1832– That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. In the year of 1780 he was hired as a substitute to one William Buford to serve for one Kennaday of the County of Bedford and in the month of May or June of that year but the day he cannot tell when but about 14 or 15 years of age he marched from said County where he then resided under the command of Captain Thomas Leftwich as a militia man, the other officers he does not recollect. He marched to South Carolina to Camden by the way of Hillsborough in North Carolina where they remained awhile perhaps about six weeks – on their way they passed Dan & Pedee [sic: Pee Dee] Rivers and other places not now recollected. That near Camden a battle ensued in which General [Horatio] Gates was defeated [16 Aug 1780]. This declarant and the company to which he belonged were in the engagement. The regiment to which the Company was attached was commanded he believes by Colo. [George] Stubblefield or Colo. [Joseph] Spencer. That after this a short time he returned home for the purpose of providing some clothing having lost his and then again joined the army or a part of it at a place called Hogan’s creek where they remained awhile when he was after having served three months, and not less he was discharged. From whom he received his discharge he can’t now tell, but it was not written he thinks. the precise month or day when he left or when he entered the service he cannot tell by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory either in this tour or any of the rest of his service. During all his service he acted as a private soldier & was during no part of the time engaged in any civil employment That in the fall of 1780 but the date of the month he cannot recollect for the reasons above stated, he marched from the said County of Bedford as a volunteer under the command of Captain Jeremiah Early, the other officers names he has forgotten. He marched by various places of little note to the Town of Petersburg in Virginia where he remembers the name of Colo. [Charles] Lynch among other officers. He was in no engagement this tour, and his term of enlistment (which was six weeks all of which he served and not less) having expired he was discharged but by whom or in which manner or on what day he has now forgotten, for the reasons before stated. He was in no civil employment during this part of his service or any other as he has before stated– after returning home in the winter or spring he thinks of 1781 or in the latter part of the year 1780, he again entered the service as a substitute in a militia company of the County of Bedford for one Jesse Alston and marched from thence under the command of Capt. John Otey & Lieutenant George Dooley, the said company was a rifle company. They marched to the Dismal Swamp in Va. where he thinks they joined part of the army under the command of General Muhlenburg [sic: Peter Muhlenberg], he remembers being on guard in the Tower when part of the company to which he belonged captured a boat belonging to the British on Elizabeth River. The men were frequently marched to near Portsmouth and back again for the purpose of keeping a look out, he thinks the enemy were in possession of Portsmouth while the Troops he was with were in the adjacent County. He served out his tour of three months, and not less that three months when he was discharged but for the reasons above stated he cant tell who gave him his discharge, the time when he entered, or when he left the service, but he served the length of time stated; he was in no civil employment during this part of his services. He believes the battle of Guilford took place near this time be the date what it may [Battle of Guilford Courthouse, 15 March 1781] – In the Spring of the same year but the day or month he cannot remember as before stated he went again into the service as a substitute for one George Hughes, and remembers that Joel Leftwich now Major General Joel Leftwich employed him. This time he marched under the command of Captain Jeremiah Pate to the South and was in what usually called the siege of 96 [sic: Siege of Ninety-Six, South Carolina, 22 May - 19 June 1781] where he joined the main army under the command of General Green [sic: Nathanael Greene]. That from the heavy cannonading at this place he became quite deaf in one of his ears, which afterward became very sore and part of the bone of his head came out just behind the ear, and the scar is now to be plainly seen. After this when they had left the place he was taken severely ill so much so that his father went for him to North Carolina and carried him home to his residence in the County of Bedford. He served during this time three months and not less, he does not now remember that he received any discharge; he was in no civil employment during the time; the date of the month when he left the service he cannot tell for the reasons before stated He has no documentary evidence to prove his services except the affidavits of General Leftwich & John Hudnall by which he proves the same, except the Tour of six weeks the whole of his services will amount to not less than Ten Months and Two weeks for which he claims a pension. He was born in the County of Orange or Culpepper [sic: Culpeper] whence he removed to Bedford when small where he has resided ever since and where he now resides as well also as during the war. He has no record of his age but from various circumstances he is confident he is near 70 years old; he cant tell however the date of the year when he was born. He states the names of William Leftwich and David Saunders as persons in his present neighbourhood to whom he is known that can testify to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a Soldier of the Revolution. The answers to the interrogatories prescribed will be found in the declaration. 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 & subscribed the day & year aforesaid William Davenport
I hereby certify that William Davenport a resident of the County of Bedford was attached to a Company of militia in the service of the United States commanded by Capt. Thomas Leftwich in which company I myself acted as orderly sergeant and commenced our march from New London in said County [now in Campbell County] according to my best recollection about the last of May or first of June 1780 – marched to Hillsborough in North Carolina in that campaign where the Troops were organized into Regiments and Cap. Leftwich’s company was attached to a Regiment commanded by either Colo. Stubblefield or Colo. Spencer, where I think we were stationed five or six weeks and then marched to South Carolina and joined the southern army at Rudgeleys mills [sic: Rugeley’s Mill] about the 15th August and in about two [sic] days after we were at Gate’s defeat near Camden – and further I know no more of his services in that tour but recollect that I employed him as a substitute for George Hughes in the County of Bedford, but in what campaign I do not remember. Given under my hand this fourteenth day of August Anno Dommoni 1832– [signed] Joel Leftwich
NOTE: Additional details about William Davenport are in the pension application for William Robinson: R8909.