Pension Application of George and Lovia Lunsford Hight: W19769

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

State of Virginia

            Rockbridge County Sc.

            On this 3rd day of December 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before the Justices of the County Court of Rockbridge now sitting, George Hight a resident of said County of Rockbridge, aged seventy seven 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 was born in the County of King & Queen in the State of Virginia in the year 1755, and at the age of eight years removed with his father to the County of Albemarle where his father remained for four years, and then removed to the County of Amherst, in the month of January 1776 this affiant came to the County of Botetourt in search of employment, here he volunteered as a private in an expedition against the Cherokee Indians and marched under the command of Capt. Gilmore to Crowes ferry, now Pattonsurg, and from there to Long Island in the Holstein River [sic: Holston River, at Kingsport TN] where he remained until a force of about three thousand men assembled, which were placed under the command of Col. Christie or [William] Christian, and were marched into the Indian Country and after destroying five of their towns and remaining about four weeks returned to Long Island where they were discharged. This affiant, with others returned to Cedar Creek then in the County of Botetourt now the County of Rockbridge Va. and on the 14th day of August in the 1777 enlisted as a private in Col George Baylors regiment of Light Dragoons to serve during the War, and in the month of October following joined the Regiment at Fredericksburg in Va. where he remained for five or six weeks when the Regiment was removed to Reading in Pa. where he was Inoculated for the small Pox; In February 1778 they were marched to the Raritan River and from there in the month of March to Valley Forge, here the fourth troop to which he belonged, commanded by Capt. Cadwallader Jones, was employed under the direction of Genl. [Daniel] Morgan in preventing the people of Country from furnishing the enemy with supplies, and in watching their movements After the evacuation of Philadelphia, the American Army followed the British to Monmouth Ct. house [in New Jersey] where a Battle was fought [28 June 1778]. In this action this affiant was with that part of the Army which was commanded by Genl. [Henry] Lee, but was under the immediate command of Major Clough. After the Battle of Monmouth, the regiment commanded by Col. Baylor marched to a little town called Hackensack on the Hackerwack [Hackensack] River, where it remained for five or six weeks, and then marched up the river, and on the 28th of Sept’r. was surprised at Hencig[?] town by a detachment of the British Army commanded by Gen’l Gray in the barn in which they slept no quarter was shewn except to the fourth troop all of whom were made prisoners except this affiant and John Walker, who in the confusion of the night got in among the enemy and escaped, Col Baylor was wounded and Major Clough was killed. On the next day this affiant joined the remnant of his regiment, and after remaining a week or two in “the jerseys” they were marched to Frederick town in Maryland, where they wintered. In the spring, they were joined by the fourth troop, which had been exchanged and some new recruits, and the regiment was placed under the command of Col. Wm. Washington, and returned again to the “jerseys” where they were employed watching the enemy and preventing intercourse with them until the commencement of winter in the year 1779, 80 when they were marched to the vicinity of Charleston in South Carolina where they arrived in the month of March 1780. Not long after their arrival they were informed that Lieut. Col Tarlton [sic: Banastre Tarleton] was on his march from Savannah to Charleston, Washington went out to meet him [at Rantowles Bridge on 26 March 1780] whipped him and took sixteen prisoners including a Col. [Lt. Col. John Hamilton] & Doctor [Inspector General Ludwig Schmidt]. Soon after this Washington was surprised at Monk Corner [sic: Moncks Corner, 14 April 1780] and defeated, the attack was so sudden that although the horses were saddled & bridled the men had not time to mount, this affiant was made a prisoner and after being dragged about with Cornwallis’s army for eight or ten days was put on board a prison ship where he was confined until the surrender of Charleston [12 May 1780]; he was then removed to the barracks in that place, but the British finding it inconvenient to guard them again put him on board a prison ship where he was confined until July or August 1781. he was then exchanged and sent round to James Town in Virginia, from James Town he went to the Malvin [sic: Malvern] Hill below Richmond where he found his former Captain Cadwallader Jones, by whom he was sent on to Major Call of Washingtons Regiment who was recruiting in the Counties of Orange, Albemarle & Goochland; he remained in Virginia with Maj Call until after the surrender of Cornwallis [19 Oct 1781], when he was taken with others to South Carolina where the regiment was disbanded. This affiant received a discharge in writing which he sent about the year 1783 or 1784 by Col. Nicholas Cabell who then represented the County of Amherst to Richmond for the purpose of getting a certificate to enable him to draw acruages of his pay, he has since caused repeated enquiries to be made for the discharge, but has been informed that it is lost or mislaid. This affiant entered the Army as before stated on the 14th day of August 1777 and was discharged, in the fall of 1782, making his whole period of service including his Indian Campaign upwards of five years. He does not at this time recollect of any one who has knowledge of his services except Bartlet Fitzgerald of Nelson, and he is afraid he cannot procure attendance. He 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. He further states that he now resides in the County of Rockbridge & has resided there for the last 20 years. Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid —                     [signed] George Hight

NOTE: The file includes a pension application made in Rockbridge County VA on 17 Feb 1840 by Lovia Hight, age 79, widow of George Hight who died 21 Aug 1837. Included with her application are pages from a family record stating that George Hight was born 3 July 1755 and married Lovia Lunsford on 24 May 1782 and giving dates of births of their children. (HeritageQuest Online has the file under the name George High.)