Pension Application of William and Hannah Snead Smith: W2629
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
At a Court held for Augusta County on Monday the 25th day of February 1833.
On this 25th day of February 1833, personally appeared in open Court before the Justices of Augusta County Court now sitting William Smith a resident of the County of Augusta State of Virginia aged about 67 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 entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein after stated. In the first tour of duty he was drafted for one month to guard a large number of British and Hessians who were Captured at Saratoga [17 Oct 1777] and brought to Charlottesville [in Jan 1779] in the County of Albemarle, State of Virginia for safe keeping, he thinks this was in the latter part of the year 1777 or early in the year 1778. his Captain was David Shelton of the County of Amherst Virginia from which place he marched. At the expiration of one month declarant was discharged and returned home. some few months after the expiration of the first tour declarant was again drafted for one month and marched from the County of Amherst to Charlottesville to guard the same British and Hessian prisoners who were still detained there in Custody. declarant does not now recollect who his officers were upon this second tour; on this second tour declarant served one month and was discharged.
The manner in which troops were detailed to guard the prisoners at Charlottesville was as follows, two militia companies were drafted and marched at the same time from the County of Amherst to serve one month when they were relieved by two other companies, and declarant supposes and believes that the same rule was observed towards other Counties in furnishing their quotas of the guard. declarant was again drafted for three months and marched early in the year 1781 from the County of Amherst under the command of Capt James Barnett & Lieut John Woodruff Charles Dabney of the County of Hanover in Virginia was Colonel of the Regiment. The Company to which declarant belonged was in the first place stationed at Williamsburg but was at short intervals marched to several other places to keep watch upon the British whose foraging parties were continually roving about the country to the great alarm of the people and destruction of their property. whilst stationed at the halfway house about twelve miles from Yorktown, one of the American Soldiers who had been riding in the Country, came into Camp with information that he had seen a number of British a few miles from the Camp; the Company to which declarant belonged was with several other companies immediately marched out in pursuit of them and captured about seventy who surrendered without making any resistance. declarant was one of the guard detailed to escort these prisoners to Williamsburg where they were delivered to Gen’l Steuben.
At Williamsburg declarant was discharged and returned home, having served in this tour three months and two or three weeks. Declarant had not been at home more than a week or ten days to the best of his recollection when owing to the unsettled state of the time he was again called out for twenty days and marched from the County of Amherst that part of it now called Nelson County, Virginia, under the command of Capt. Richard Taliaferro and Lieut Charles Eides company officers; the name of Colo was Meriwether and Gen’l. [Edward] Stevens commanded the Brigade, in this tour declarant was present and engaged in the Battle of Hot water [26 June 1781]. he was with the troops that were stationed at a place called Malbams Hill [sic: Malvern Hill in Henrico County], and was marched to reinforce Gen’l [Anthony] Wayne at Hot water. the reinforcement arrived at the latter ground during the fight. this tour was for twenty days as before stated, but the Company to which declarant belonged was detained more than twice that length of time for he recollects that he marched from home late in the month of April and was not discharged until after harvest. Declarant has no written discharge having never received any but one at the end of the last tour, but this he took no care of, and it has been lost for many years. he has no record of his age, but has seen the record of his birth in his fathers family Bible from which it appeared that he was born on the 22nd day of July in the year 1763 at Staunton in the County of Augusta, State of Virginia.
He refers to the affidavit of Thomas Joplin of the County of Nelson State of Virginia now read to the Court and herewith transmitted for proof of the two last two tours of duty. Declarant lived in the County of Amherst that part of it now called Nelson County when ordered upon the tours above set forth, to which County his father removed from the County of Augusta when declarant was very young. in the year 1825 declarant returned to the County of Augusta and has resided there ever since.
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.
Virginia; Augusta County to wit.
This day personally appeared before me a Justice of the peace in and for the County aforesaid William Smith the within named declarant and made oath under form of Law, that in addition to the foregoing declaration to the best of his recollection in the first tour of duty declared for to wit the first month at the Albemarle Barracks, he believes that James Montgomery was the Lieut under Capt David Shelton. That the lapse of time is so great he does not recollect who were his company officers in his second tour at the same Barracks, but he well recollect that during his service in the second tour aforesaid Col Francis Taylor commanded the Post. That he served in the four tours declared for at least seven and one half months, that is 1 month the first tour, one month the second, three and one half the third & two months the last, and that if his second tour of one month be disallowed, his remaining service will have been six and an half months all of which services were performed as a private soldier.
[signed] William Smith this 25 day of April 1835
State of Virginia
Rockbridge County
On this second day of Febuary, Eighteen Hundred and forty four personally appeared before me the subscriber a Justice of the peace in and for the County of Rockbridge Mrs. Hannah Smith a resident of this County aged about 69 or 70 years who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 entitled, An act granting half pay and pensions to certain Widows” That she is the widow of William Smith dec’d of this county who was a private soldier in the Army of the Revolution, belonged to the militia of Va, served a tour under Captain Barnett under the command of Col Charles Dabney, that he went from the County of Amherst in Va., that she thinks he served three several tours, in one as a substitute, that he was in the close of the action between the forces under the Marquis De La Flayette [sic: Lafayette] and those under Lord Cornwallis near Greenspring in lower Virginia [Green Springs Plantation on Jamestown Island, 6 July 1781], that he served in a Guard, she also thinks, to the Hessian Captives at the Albemarle Barracks in Va. That he was a Pensioner of the United States under the law of the United States of the 7th June 1832 at the rate of 21.66 per annum, which will fully appear by reference to his Pension Certificate No 30115 and bearing date at the War office of the U States the 7th day of August 1835. She further declares that she was married to the said William Smith on the 22nd day of January Seventeen hundred and ninety two or ninety three and that her Husband, the aforesaid William Smith, died on the 26th day of January 1842. which fact, as well as her being his wife, will fully appear by authenticated documents, forwarded to the Pension Agent for Virginia in 1842, by which she drew the arrears of his Pension. That she was not married to the said William Smith prior to his leaving the Service, but the marriage took place previous to the first day of January Seventeen hundred and ninety four, at the time aforementioned, and in the County of Amherst Va, since included in Nelson Co Va. and that she still remains the widow of the said Wm unmarried Hannah herXmark Smith
NOTE: Hannah Smith’s declaration was supported by a copy of the consent of John Snead for the mariage of his daughter, “Haney Snead” to William Smith, as well as a copy of a bond signed by William Smith and Randolph Snead dated 6 Jan 1794 for the marriage of Smith to Haney Snead. Randall Snead of Nelson County stated that he was present at the marriage of his sister, Hannah, to William Smith on 22 Jan 1793, and that he remembered the date because it was precisely two weeks after his own marriage. Robert E. Smith, first-born son of William and Hannah Smith, stated that he was born 15 Oct 1794. On 10 Apr 1855 Hannah Smith gave her age as 77.