Pension Application of Benjamin Dillen: S8329
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of North Carolina} On this 14th day of —
Davidson County} August. A.D. 1833 —
Personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of the Court of pleas & quarter sessions (now sitting) Benjamin Dillen a resident in the County & state aforesaid aged seventy eight years, who being first duly sworn acording to law doth on his Oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th A.D. 1832 that he entered the service of the United States in the war of the revolution (viz) he states that in the begining of the year 1779 he then living in henry County in the state of Virginia he was Drafted for three months and was put into Capt John Salmons Company Col. Abraham Penns Rigement Genl Joseph Martin being Commander That the Regiment he belonged to went into actual service for the Defence of the State. That there was a publick Arsenal & Magazine at Henry Courthouse that Col Penn ordered Capt Salmons to take charge and guard said Magazine and Arsenal against the [word illegible] of the Enemy and Tories That he entered on this service the first Day of March 1779 That he remained on that Duty as a private untill two weeks before the expiration of his three months tour That he was then taken sick. That Capt Salmon gave him a permit to be removed home to his father’s That before he recovered his time of three months service was expiried. The permit he says is lost – and further this Deponent states that the next Spring 1780 he was Drafted again for six months and was again put into the same John Salmons Company Col Abraham Penn’s regiment Genl Joseph Martin being Commander of the Virginia Milisha That Capt Salmons and Company was again by order of Col Penn put to guard the aforesaid Arsenal & Magazine in Henry County that he entered again on this service the first of March 1780. he states the Tories were troublesome for the County and Neighbourhood but that the arsenal and magazine was not attacked That he Lay there and Did Soldiers Duty the whole time of the six months service That at the expiration of his six months tour he received a Discharge signed by Col Abraham Penn That it is lost many years ago. he states that Penns regiment was out on service at the same time under the Command of Genl Joseph Martin as some of his neighbours on their return stated and that they were in service with the Continental troops but that the nature of his service did not admit him to get acquainted with any of them and this Deponent further states that he knows of no person living that he can prove his above services by That his memory & mental abilities through age and infirmity are much impared but to the best of his recollection the above statement of his services in the war of the Revolution is correct and that he charges the government of the United States with eight months & fourteen days actual service and if the two weeks in which he was sick and under a permit be added to the three months service will make full nine months service as a private soldier under Capt John Salmons for which Term of service he claims a pension under the act of Congress passed the 7th of June AD 1832 and that he hereby relinquishes any claim to a pension or annuity under any other act than the above and that his name is not on the agency of the pension role of this nor any other state in the union —
Sworn to and subscribed in open Court the Day and year aforesaid Benjamin hisXmark Dillen
Interrogatories proposed by the Court —
question first Where and in what year were you born. answer by Deponent. I was born in the State of Virginia Pytsylvania [sic: Pittsylvania] County (now Henry) on the 18th January 1755 as my parents told me —
2. have you any record of your age and if so where is it answer} no I have no writen account of my age
3. where were you living when cald into service where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live} answer In the year 1796 I emigrated from my native state to the State of North Carolina Rockingham County In 1801 I removed to Guilford County NC In 1825 into Davidson County NC where I now reside
4 how were you called into service were you drafted did you volunteer or were you a substitute and if a substitute for whome} answer I was drafted twice first for 3 months in 1779 then for six months in 1780 —
5 State the names of the regular officers who were with the troops where you served such Continental and Milisha regiments as you can recollect and the general sircumstances of your service) answer I served as a private soldier in Capt John Salmons Company Col Abraham Penns regiment Joseph Martin was our Genl of the Milishia but the nature of my service being to guard the Magazine and arsenal at henry Courthouse State of Virginia prevented me from geting acquainted with the Continental officers and armies as I might otherwise hade done —
6 Did you ever receive a discharge from the service answer for the first three months service I received a permit to go home when taken sick signed by Capt John Salmons and for the six months service I received a discharge signed by Col Abraham Penn They have both been lost or mislaid many years ago as I never thought they would be of service —
7 State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighbourhood and who can testify as to you caracter for veracity and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution} answer Elder Ashley Swaim John Pain Charles Pain William Guier[?] Stephen Gifford Solomon Davis Isaac Odell &c —
NOTE: A document in the file states that Dillen died 14 April 1838 leaving a widow.