Pension Application of John Holly: S9588
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia Bedford County SS.
On this 22nd day of April 1833 personally appeared in open Court before the County Court of Bedford now sitting John Holly a resident of the County of Bedford aforesaid in the State of Virginia aged seventy two 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 Seventh 1832.
That he enlisted under Captain Charles Gwatkin of Bedford County in the year 1777 he thinks in August who had procured a commission from the assembly of Virginia as was then said to go to Boonsborough [sic: Boonesborough in present Madison County] in Kentucky to guard the fort and fight the Indians. That he enlisted as a private for one year the time for which said company was raised. That said company marched to Boonsborough and was there under the command of old Colo. Boon [sic: Daniel Boone] called the founder of Kentucky, under whom he done duty until he was taken prison by the Indians with a part of our Captains company. We were then during Boons captivity [Feb - Sep 1778] under Colo. Richard Callaway. William May was our adjutant. That he does not recollect the species of force more than it was called the army to protect the frontiers settlers &c and fight the Indians That he was in no particular engagement, none their[?] were scouting spies or parties whenever they chanced to come across Indians or British. That he shot at an Indian one night while standing as a sentinal. That he served under said enlistment not less than eight months as a private in 1777 and 1778 that is from August 1777 until in May 1778 in which last month he was with the consent of his captain sent into Bedford and was there under Lieutenant James Davis who dismissed all, who returned with him, and Cap. Gwatkin after his return gave me a certificate of my said service and honourable discharge and paid my father for my services. In 1781 when Gen’l. Cornwallis was coming into Virginia and came to Dan River [14 Feb], all the men able to bear arms in Bedford and half those in Botetourt were ordered into service. That Cap John Mills of Botetourt County then commanded this deponant for he then resided in said County. That after all the Botetourt men rendesvoused at Fincastle one half of them received orders not to march or go into the service & Cap. Mills Company was so discharged. But Cap. Mills informed his company if any of them could go voluntarily he would go with and command them & this deponent & fifteen others so volunteered and was marched under said Cap. Mills to Gen’l. Green’s [sic: Nathanael Greene’s] tent or markee in North Carolina and was then attached to Colo. Lees [Henry Lee’s] Infantry as a rifleman & was marched about to several places and was at and saw the first gun fired at the battle of Guilford [Guilford Courthouse, 15 March 1781] and was in said Battle during the whole Battle, and marched off the ground by Colo. Lee after said Battle was over. That he was in a battle or skirmish previous to Guilfords battle at Ramsaurs mills on haw River in 1781 the precise month he does not recollect [see note below]. That shortly after Guilfords Battle he was honourably discharged at the old [Troublesome] Iron works in North Carolina where Greens army retreated to after the battle. That he does not recollect the precise time of said last service but he was not less than one month about march – and was called a militia [one or two illegible words] was not quite three months. That he took his discharge on his way home That the first discharge from Cap. Charles Gwatkin he sent to Kentucky to see if it would enable him to get some land for said services land was promised us when we went out on that duty; he sent it by a brother in law Gaddy and never got it afterwards as Gaddy never returned. That afterwards the precise date he cannot remember he was drafted to march to Norfolk; it was hot weather and understood to be very sickly at Norfolk and the British were said to be somewhere not far from Norfolk, he marched under the same Captain Charles Gwatkin and only went a short distance when we were ordered to be discharged and was so, and Colo. James Callaway promised it should entitle us to a credit for a Tour of duty &c. That he also served at least two weeks as one of the guard over the tories at New London in (now Campbell County Virginia) formerly Bedford under Cap. Cotterall. That he was born in Prince William County Virginia and has resided in Bedford County, Virginia from 1765 (except one year in Botetourt County) at which time he was five years old. That he is not nor never was a pensioner of any State or of the United States in any way, shape or manner, or for any amount on account of any said services – and 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. That he has no documentary evidence of his services & does not know that any such proof can be had except the roll of said Charles Gwatkin’s company which served in Kentucky which he understands is in possession of his son Colo. Edward Gwatkin. That he does not know of any living witness except William Tracy who knows of his said services [see pension application of William Tracey, S7751]
To the special Interrogatory prescribed by the rules & regulations of the War department & which is now propounded to him by the Court he says he was born in Prince William Virginia in the year 1760 on 17th November.
To the 2nd Interrogatory so propounded he says. He has a record of his age in his bible at home made by direction of my father with my own hand
To the third he says He was a resident of Bedford County Virginia when he volunteered to go and serve in Kentucky, and in Botetourt County Virginia when he volunteered to serve and did serve in North Carolina as stated in his foregoing declaration.
To the 4th. He says he was a volunteer always was not drafted or a substitute
To the 5th His memory does not enable him to answer more than is stated in the body of his declaration as there was no regular army or officers about when he served in Kentucky. In North Carolina he was under major Thomas Roland [sic: Rowland] of Botetourt and under Gen’l Green. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court John Holly
NOTE: Holly or the clerk apparently confused Ramsey’s Mill with “Ramsaurs mill.” Ramseur’s or Ramsours Mill on the Catawba River in present Lincoln County NC was the scene of a skirmish on 20 June 1780 between North Carolina militia and Loyalists. It is likely that Holly had in mind Ramsey’s Mill on Haw River in Chatham County NC, where Lee’s troops skirmished with Cornwallis’s troops four days after the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.