Pension Application of Benjamin Johnson: R5674
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia, Kanawha County to wit
On this 13th day of August 1833. personally appeared in open court, before the justices of the County Court of said County, now setting, Benjamin Johnson, a resident of said County in the state aforesaid, aged seventy seven years and two months 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 after stated – The first service which the applicant performed was in collecting cattle jointly with one George Richardson, for the use of the soldiers and guards then stationed at New London, in the County of Campbell [sic: formed from Bedford in 1782] Virginia, under the command he thinks of Captain Holt. He was at this time a resident of the adjoining county of Bedford, and was detached and appointed to this service by Capt. Christopher Ervine, who had charge of the provisions and supplies for the magazine & barracks at New London. the applicant served in this capacity for two summers, those of the years 1779. and 1780. during which time he was constantly employed from about the 1st of June untill late in the fall of each of those years, serving about four & half, or five months during each of said years, and using his own horse all that time
In February 1781 the said applicant entered the service as a volunteer in a rifle company commanded by Capt Boen [sic: Bowen] Price of New London, and was attatched to a regiment of Rifle men commanded by Col. Charles Lynch of Campbell County, and Major John Callaway of the same county. about the same time Colo. [William] Campbell marched a regiment of Riflemen from the counties of Bottentout [sic: Botetourt] and Rockbridge. Each regiment was intended for service in the south, and were marched immediately on their completion to join the southern army commanded by Gen’l. Green [sic: Nathanael Greene]. on their arrival near Guilford N. C. the regiment to which the applicant belonged was attached to Col. Wm. Washingtons troop of horse.
He was with his regiment in the battle of Guilford Courthouse on the 15th of March 1781. his regiment with Washington’s horse was stationed on the right wing and Colo. Campbell’s regiment, with [Col. Henry] Lee’s horse, occupied the left. The battle was brought on early in the morning by Washingtons troops who advanced upon the enemies line, supported by the regiment to which the applicant belonged, and by about two hundred regulars of the infantry During the action, the applicant and his regiment was in the brunt[?] of the engagement. The British returned the fire and the American forces were under the necessity of retiring[?] from the conflict, an event which this applicant attributes to the flight of about two thousand of the N. Carolina Militia, at the onset, who had been [illegible word] to occupy the center of the line. After losing the field, the American troops were marched about 18 miles to the “[Troublesome] Iron Works”, where they remained about two days, recruiting. They then pursued the British army to [Ramsey’s Mill in Chatham County on] “Deep River” the rear guard of their army being in sight on the opposite Bank when the American army arrived. The applicant and his Regiment remained at Deep River two days, where the same was disbanded, and the soldiers discharged. This applicant was in this service seven weeks and two days, during all which time he was a private, and for the most part engaged in some marches occupying much of the night as well as day. After his return from Deep River, this applicant remained at home in the County of Bedford, untill the latter part of the month of September of that year, when he was drafted into a company commanded by Capt. Edmund Tate, designed[?] to unite with the American forces to repel the invasion of Cornwallis. He was marched with his company forty miles to Falling River in the County of Campbell, where other companies had collected; and where it was intended to form a Regiment. He and his company remained at Falling River two days, when intelligence arrived of the surrender of Cornwallis and his Army at York Town [on 19 Oct 1781]. The companies were then discharged and returned home.
The applicant when discharged at Deep River, was furnished with a written discharge, which has been lost. upon the other two occassions he had no discharge in writing. He has not other documentary evidence of his services, and he knows of no one in this quarter by whom he could prove his said services.
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 and subscribed the day and year first aforesaid in open Court
[signed] Benj. Johnson