Pension Application of Elihu Ayers (or Ayres): R335
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia} Sct
County of Patrick}
On this 16th day of November 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of the County Court now sitting Elihu Ayres a resident of Patrick County aforesaid aged seventy two years the 6th of January last past 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 the 7th 1832
that he entered the service of the United States the 28th day of January 1778 as a Volunteer private soldier or minet man [sic: minute man] (as they were called) under Colonel Benjamin Cleavland [sic: Cleveland] of the County of Wilkes in the State of North Carolina was placed in a company of Malitia commanded by Captian Micajah Lewis that he served in this company and under this captain twelve months and thirteen days during this time he was not in any engagement with the foren enemy it being in that section of country entirely a war of Whig and Tory he was kept constantly in service such as hindering up the tories out lyres and disaffected defending the whigs and their property from the ravages of the tories he traversed the surrounding country from Allens Iron Works on the Yadkin river to Mitchels River fishers River Codies Creek Roaring River Lewis Fork Riddles River to the head of the yadkin thence around by the Table Mountain crossing the three creeks of the Catawber River thence to the main river down the same to Greenlee’s Ford thence to Burk [sic: Burke] court house from there crossing the south Yadkin to the Shallow Ford of the main Yadkin River from thence through the tory country to the Iron Works above mentioned [see note below] during this term of service this applicant was present and assisted in half hanging William Combs whom they let off on promise of better behaviour hanging William Koyle [sic: AKA Coyle] and Lemuel Jones who were condemned by the court Martial consisting of the following officers Colonel Benjamin Cleavland Captain Benjamin Brandon[?] Captain Gordin and Lieutenant Baker Ayres nothing of importance more occured during this tour of duty within the recollection of this applicant. this applicant obtained from Colonel Cleavland a discharge for this term of service which discharge was some years afterwards burnt in his Fathers House– at the time this applicant performed this tour of service his father lived in the county of Pittsylvania and state of Virginia from which he had sent this applicant to Surry County North Carolina to buy land which he did but did not return to [word illegible] his father untill he served the above tour of duty believing his father would not move on account of the tory was raging in that country so violently at lenth he received a letter from his father and returned home in the year 1780 and his father immediately moved to the above mentioned land
the next tour of duty this applicant performed was under Captain Sallathial [sic: Salathiel] Martin of Surry County North Carolina who gave him the appointment of orderly Seargeant he entered into to this tour of duty on the 5th day of April 1780 in a regiment commanded by Col Cleavland he was for some time employed in the surrounding country to keep down the tories and bringing in out lyres retaking and restoring property to the whigs taken by the tories during this tour this applicant states he was under various officers some times under one and then another he served a short time under Capt Underwood Capts Harding Hearndon Lewis and others and various short tours of duty untill August following when he marched toward Kings Mountain was stationed a while at Criders old fort during which time there was a false alarm or a sham fight brought on by our officers in order to try who of our men would fight– from there he was marched to Kings Mountain there a battle ensued between the americans commanded by Colonels Cleavland Williams and Cambbell [sic: Campbell]– and Faggerson [sic: Patrick Ferguson] which terminated in the defeat of Faggerson many killed and taken prisoners this applicant saw Faggerson lying wounded when Colonel Cambbell ordered him to surrender to which he replied that he was on King Hill and he meant to dye in the Kings cause Cambbell immediately hewed him to pieces with his sword and left Faggerson dead on the Hill
this applicant was ordered to assist in guarding the prisoners to Beththatra [sic: Bethabara in present Winston Salem, Forsyth County NC] know by the name of the old maravien [sic: Moravian] town in Surry county North Carolina now Stokes county they were there delivered to Colonel Lock [sic: probably Francis Lock from Rowan County NC] from Rowan or Mecklandburg [sic: Mecklenburg] this applicant here got a furlow to go home after clothing but was not permitted to be idle long he was shortly afterwards ordered out under Majer Hearndan [sic: probably Herndon] in a company commanded by Capt Richard Allen from Wilkes county under whom he served untill he was marched to the battle of Guilford they joined General Green [sic: Nathanael Greene] about fourteen days before this battle at Summer’s tavern he believes in Caswell county, with who they remained untill the battle of Guilford on the 15th of March 1781 and for some days afterwards at the battle of Guilford this applicant was of the North Carolina Malitia who got panick struck and and ran from the scene of action– on the 7th day of April he together with the rest of the North Carolina Malitia was discharged by General Green not far from Hillsborough North Carolina the North Carolina Malitia discharged by Green was discharged by word of command this applicant states that he acted as orderly seargent six months and two days which was from the commencement of the last mentioned term of service untill the battle at Kings mounty [sic] this applicant states that he forgot to mention that he was also in the battle of the Shallow ford of the Yadkin [14 Oct 1780] – he further states that he was in a whig and tory fight called the battle at comlies[?]. He has resided in Surry Cty N. Carolina till 1790 or 1792 since which he has resided in the County of Patrick where now resides.
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 of the United States
sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid Elihu hismark Ayres
NOTES:
Modern spellings and locations are as follows: Allen’s Iron Works, Mitchell River, Fisher River, Cody Creek, and Shallow Ford are all in Surry County NC. Roaring River, Lewis Fork, and Reddles River are in Wilkes County NC. Table Rock Mountain and Old Catawba River are in Burke County NC.
Other accounts of the Battle of Kings Mountain state that Ferguson died of bullet wounds immediately or after a short time.