1830 Pension Application 4 Pages Handwritten Revolutionary War Soldier Battle of Trenton Served with George Washington Detailed

Item Details

An interesting 4 page handwritten pension application of a Revolutionary War soldier from 1830.  It details his service including serving at the Battle of Trenton and serving alongside George Washington.  It is guaranteed original and says in part:

He was born in Washington County in the State of Maryland in the year 1757. He has no record of his birth except in his father's family Bible which is still in the State of Maryland. He continued to reside in Washington County, Maryland until he entered into the service. That he entered into the service of the United States and served as herein stated.

In the fall of 1776 he entered into the service of the United States at Hagerstown as a private in the Maryland [line obscured] under the following officers: Colonel Stull, Major Peter Brewer, Captain Jacob Bonnet, Lieutenant Baltzer Mowry (his father).

He marched with the corps through York and Lancaster to Philadelphia, where they stayed two weeks. Then they crossed the River to New Jersey and crossed over the State to a place the name of which he does not recollect, but he could see the British parading their men on the heights beyond the river. Here he joined the main army under General Washington and retreated with it across the State and recrossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania.

After the battle of Trenton he was sent with the Hessian prisoners to a place about ten miles from Hagerstown on the Potomac River. He remained until he had completed one year's service, when he received a regular discharge and returned home.

He was placed as a guard over the prisoners and marched with them to the upper part and place on the Potomac River, or to Lancaster, and served out a tour of six months and was regularly discharged. He had a written discharge but has lost it. He recollects distinctly the length of time he served in each tour, but he cannot recollect perfectly when he commenced a tour or when it terminated.

He also recollects distinctly that he guarded prisoners on the first and last tour, but he does not recollect whether the prisoners taken at York Town were confined at the Potomac or at Lancaster—but he thinks it was the Hessians that were kept on the Potomac, and the prisoners taken at York were kept at Lancaster. He is quite old and infirm and his memory as to particulars is indistinct.

On his tour to the Jerseys he recollects seeing Lord Stirling and General Washington. He stood sentinel at their quarters during the winter.

In the year 1777, immediately after his discharge he entered the service of the United States as a private soldier, as a substitute of another militia man by the name of Philip Miller.

He was under the command of the same officers. They rendezvoused at Hagerstown and marched through York and Lancaster, and was at the Battle of Brandywine, the part of the army he was in [obscured] only a few [obscured].

After the battle he was first under other officers, but he does not recollect their names. After the Battle of Brandywine he marched towards Germantown, and the British Army went to Philadelphia. He was near Germantown at the time of the battle. He remained in that neighborhood until the winter, when he was regularly discharged and returned home, having served six months. He had a written discharge, but has lost it.

Again he entered the service of the United States as a private soldier at Hagerstown. He went as a substitute for Lorennoch [or Lorennock] Jones, who had been drafted. He was under the same officers as before. They marched through Frederick Town to York Town, and he was present at the taking of Commissaries. After the surrender...