Revolutionary War Pension Application of Henry Barrett

HENRY BARRETT, S #8057

Wythe County, Virginia, Court Order Book 1829-1833, pp. 448-449; Book 1833-1837, p. 3.

Contributed by Edgar M. “Russ” Bralley

January 15, 1833, Henry Barrett, of Wythe County, Virginia, aged about 80 years of age, declared that he was drafted into Virginia Militia in the county of Prince William under Captain Britt and Lieutenant Farrow in the year previous to the surrender of Cornwallis at Little York. From Prince William his company marched to the Cheraw Hills in South Carolina where it remained about one month when the company was ordered to march to Guilford, in North Carolina. Previous to the arrival of the company at Guilford, the battle of that name had been fought there. After passing Guilford some distance the company had orders to return to Virginia and in its return it was nearly captured at the river Adkin [Yadkin], the last boat load of men having been fired on by the British. The company, on its way back to Prince William, passed through Richmond, Virginia, about the time the British were landing at the place about seven miles from Richmond. He, with some others of the company, volunteered under a certain Captain or Major Allison to go back to Richmond for the purpose of driving the British out as he thinks in the Widow Kemp's orchard. There, as he believed, about eight of the Americans were killed when they were compelled to retreat not being sufficient in number to effect the object. He was then with his former company marched to Prince William and were discharged, having served more than three months, the time for which he was originally drafted his term of service having expired previous to his volunteering. He thinks at Adkin [Yadkin] he was transferred from the Company of Captain Britt to that of Captain Valentine Peyton under whom he marched to Prince William as above stated and by whom he was discharged. He thinks he was discharged about April in the year succeeding that in which he was drafted.

He further stated that about the following July a man by the name of Bridwell, a Militia man from the county of Stafford, deserted the army then near Little York in Virginia, and he was prevailed on by the wife and family of said Bridwell to go and join the army in his place. He went on and joined the troops at the three springs near York, but on presenting himself was told that he could not be taken in place of a deserter, the officer observing at the same time he would rather have him than ten deserters, but that the place of a deserter could not be so supplied. He however determined, as he was on the ground, to abide the issue of the conflict which was then shortly expected to take place and accordingly took the place of a militia man from Stafford County, Virginia, by the name of Aaron Reed who thereupon went home. From this time he remained in the service until after the surrender of Cornwallis a term of three months as he thinks (but he is confident that in both tours he served more than six months) after which he guarded the prisoners to Fredericksburg and was there discharged. The greater part of this latter tour he was employed in the trenches and is now unable to say under what immediate officers he served.