Pension Application of Nathaniel Newman Hylton: R5467

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

State of Virginia}

County of Patrick} SS

            On this 15th day of July 1837 personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of the Court of the County of Patrick now sitting as a court Nathaniel N. Hylton a resident of Patrick County in the State of Virginia aged ninety three years who being first duly sworn according to the 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–That this declaimant volunteered in the company of Capt. William Calloway in the County of Bedford now Campbell in the State of Virginia in the year 1780 and marched immediately to the head of the Appomatox river at the house of one Brambos and was stationed there about three days and this Dclnt. marched again to Molly creek and remained there several weeks and finding Col. Tarleton was not coming up the County as it was anticipated, he was marched by his Lieut John Legg to Blufords gap [sic: Buford’s Gap] to repel the incursions of the Tories from Green Basin on the West of the mountains and so immediately head quartered at New London having been on this engagement at least three months. He this affiant was stationed at New London guarding the magazine as a minute man under Col. Charles Lynch and Capt Jerry Early in the company of Capt. John Callaway occasionally making little excursions against the Tories and to prevent the insurrections of the negroes in the surrounding county Time there 2 two years. He recollects guarding an Capt. Gutridge a notorious traytor who was captured down below Williamsburg in Virginia and brought up to New London in Bedford County Va. to prevent the British from rescuing him, about eight months during this time before mentioned. He saw and was acquainted with Genl Stueben at New London when he was there which was about three weeks.

            In those excursions from the garrison at New London this affiant marched through Pittsylvania and Halifax Countys Va. to [two words illegible] of the Horse Pasture now in the County of Henry Va. When this affiant made the excursion to the Horse Pasture he marched under one Capt. Thomas Henderson. This affiant saw Genl. Bluford [sic: Col. Abraham Buford] as he passed New London on his way to the South before his defeat. But owing to this particular line of duty which he had to perform he never was in any battles, but was principally confined to the garrison before named and its vicinity. His great age and consequent loss of memory combined with the fact that he is an illiterate man has not only prevented him from stating accurately the dates and events of his service as completely as he would wish to do, but he thinks he is unable to state the service itself precisely. One thing, however, he is satisfied is time that he was engaged in the service of the United States more than two years at the places and under the officers before stated. His discharges have all been lost, and in fact his illiteracy and helpless situation has placed it beyond his power to report his claim as soon as he wished, for a Pension. In fact he has been dependent on the aid of others, and has been anxious for the last four or five years to take steps to secure from the government what he thinks he is entitled to from the hand of his country. This affiant is poor helpless and very nearly blind and has been unable to travel any distance for several years. He omitted to mention that he was a private during the whole of his service. He has no documentary evidence nor does he know of any living witness by whom he could prove his service. He was born in Va. in County of King and Queen and was removed by his parents to Prince George County in Va. and from thence he came [one word illegible] to New Kent and from New Kent to Hanover Va., thence to Goochland, thence to Albemarle thence to Amherst and thence to Bedford and from there to Patrick, all counties in Va. –

He hereby relinquishes any claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not found on the Pension Roll of the agency of any state.

            Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

                        Nathaniel N. hisXmark Hylton

NOTES:

            The head of the Appomattox River is in Appomattox County east of the town of Appomattox. Molly’s Creek is in the southeastern part of present Campbell County. Buford’s Gap in Bedford County VA crosses the Blue Ridge between Roanoke and the city of Bedford. New London, now in Campbell County southwest of Lynchburg, was the first seat of Bedford County.

            William Calloway, one of the first white settlers in Bedford County, commanded a fort on Pigg River.during the French and Indian War. Charles Lynch is often said to be the source of the term “lynching,” because of his harsh treatment of Tories in an irregular court he ran.

            In April 1781, after recovering from the costly victory at Guilford Court House NC, Major General Lord Cornwallis began his attack on Virginia at Portsmouth. With him was Col. Banastre Tarleton, whose notorious Legion began lightening raids to the west in attempts to disrupt supplies and government and to engage the outnumbered troops under Lafayette. Apparently the Patriots had expected Tarleton to pass through Bedford County, but instead he sped past, covering 70 miles in a single day. On June 4 he captured several Assemblymen at the temporary capital in Charlottesville, and he just missed capturing Governor Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. In the meantime Baron von Steuben, credited with transforming the men at Valley Forge into soldiers, had been left to guard military supplies at Point of Forks at present Columbia on the James River. He retreated under attack from a British detachment.

            Tarleton’s reputation had been cemented the year previously by an incident referred to as Buford’s Massacre. Col. Abraham Buford, mentioned in Hylton’s application, with several hundred Virginia soldiers had been on their way to relieve the besieged city of Charleston SC, but on hearing that the city had surrendered on 12 May 1780, they retreated northward. Cornwallis sent Tarleton’s Legion in pursuit, and on 29 May they met at Waxhaws SC. After Buford surrendered, a gunshot spooked Tarleton’s horse, and thinking he had been shot, his troops bayoneted many of the surrendered Patriots. (Tarleton was the model for Tavington, the arch-villain in the fictional movie The Patriot.)

            Nathaniel Newman Hylton died sometime after 1840 without receiving his pension, apparently because his name had been spelled differently on other documents. On 15 June 1852, his son Edward Hylton, in behalf of all the children, applied for the amount due & appointed Nathan Hunt of Washington D.C. his attorney.