Pension Application of James Tribble: S17156
Transcribed
and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Alabama} On this 29th day of October 1832 personally appeared in open
court
Madison County} before William J. Davis Judge of the Circuit Court of
Madison County & State aforesaid, now sitting, James Tribble
a resident of the County & State aforesaid aged seventy six 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
seventh June 1832. That he entered the service of the United States
& served as herein stated. That in the year of 1775 or 1776 [ see note
below for date of this and other tours] he joined a volunteer company commanded
by Capt Wm McClenahan to guard & protect the Lead
Mines in the State of Virginia [near Fort Chiswell now in Wythe County], that
he went from the County of Bedford in said State of Virginia where he then
resided passed through a little place called Bedford now called Campbell &
went on to the Lead Mines where with about fifty other soldiers he remained
guarding the place six months during which time they were scouting about the
Lead mines in pursuit of the Indians, at
the end of six months they were discharged & he returned home. – he states
he has no recollection of the names of any of his officers except the one above
mentioned.– The applicant states that about two years after he returned from
the Lead mines, perhaps in the year 1777 or 1778, he joined another volunteer
company under the command of Captain James Thompson, that at the time he
volunteered he lived in the County of Botetot [sic:
Botetourt] in said State of Virginia, he went up to New river where his captain
lived, & marched from there to join General McIntosh who was in the western
country beyond the Ohio, that the company consisted of about 60 or 70 men, –
that at New River, towards the Ohio, they met General [Daniel] Morgan with
about 60 or 70 men returning from General McIntosh, who informed them that it
was unnecessary for them to go on, that Genl.
McIntosh had no provisions – that the soldiers were eating raw hides – he
states that they returned back to Botetot county
having been gone about three months,– applicant states that on this march to
join Genl McIntosh they crossed Green River [sic:
probably Greenbrier River in present West Virginia], Medal [sic: Meadow], &
Gauley rivers — he recollects but two of his company officers except the
captain, towit Lieutenant John Henry & Ensign
William Bryant [sic: possibly Bryan]. The applicant states that about 18 months
after his return from this last tour, he volunteered to Long Island on Holston
river, his company was commanded by an Ensign whose name he can’t now
recollect, his highest officer in command, he thinks was Colonel Christy [sic:
William Christian], who was he thinks negotiating the treaty with the Indians, after remaining
there about three months the Treaty was concluded, peace made & they returned
home. The applicant states that in the month of January in the 1780 he again
entered the service of the United States, as a volunteer to remain in service
until the end of the war with Great Britain, that he joined a volunteer company
commanded by Captain William McClenahan– that he went
from the County of Botetot where he then resided in
Virginia & rendezvoused at the Iron Works in said State [sic: more likely
Speedwell Iron Works on Troublesome Creek in North Carolina], marched from
thence to Haw river [in North Carolina], from thence to Deep river in North
Carolina remained there about three
weeks & returned to Haw river, from thence to the Readyfork
[sic: probably Reedy Fork; see note below], remained there some time scouting
about then marched to Gilford [sic: Guilford] where he states they met the
British at the cross roads in about ½ mile of the courthouse where they had an
engagement. after the battle they retreated about fifteen miles to the Iron
works — next day the British left Gilford & their dead unburied — He states
that the American army was at this battle commanded by Genl
Green [sic: Nathanael Greene], that he knew [word illegible] in this campaign
Col Campbell, Majr Thomas Bowling Genl Green, Col
Stephenson Genl Greens aid– Col [Henry] Lee, Majr William Washington, afterwards Col. Washington & Genl Morgan,– his company officers that he now recollects
were Capt Wm. McClenahan, George Graham first
Sergeant.– He states that after this tour which lasted about three months they
were discharged & he returned home holding himself in readiness to be at
any time called out. – The applicant states that he has no documentary evidence
of any of his said services – that he knows of no person whose testimony he can
procure in support of his statement or who can testify to any of his services —
He hereby relinquishes all claim, or every claim whatever to a pension or
annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension
roll of the agency of any state.
Sworn to & subscribed the day &
year aforesaid in open court James
his X mark Tribble
NOTES:
Gen.
Lachlan McIntosh began his campaign on the Ohio River
in 1778, and he was replaced in the spring of 1779, so of the two years
mentioned by Tribble for his marching to join
McIntosh, 1778 is more likely. This would date his tour at the lead mines two
years before as 1776. Tribble’s tour to Long Island
on the Holston River is out of sequence, since William
Christian (often called Christy) signed the Treaty of Long Island on 20 July
1777. The Battle of Guilford Court House occurred on 15 March 1781, so Tribble must have enlisted for his last three-month tour in
January of 1781 rather than 1780.
According
to Patrick O’Kelley (Nothing but Blood and
Slaughter, Vol. 3, Booklocker.com, 2005, p. 300), Capt. McClenahan’s
company was in a skirmish at Wetzel’s Mill on Reedy Fork on 6 March 1781.
Tribble’s declaration regarding the Battle of Guilford
Court House is incorrect in two points: William Washington was already Lt. Col.
at the battle, and Gen. Daniel Morgan was not present,
having retired to recover from chronic rheumatism after the Battle of Cowpens
on 17 Jan 1781.