Pension Application of Jesse Hall: S8666

            Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

 

State of Virginia, Montgomery County S.S.

On this 30th day of September 1833 personally appeared before the Judge of the Circuit superior court of law and chancery for the county aforesaid The same being a court of record Jesse Hall a resident of said county and state, aged seventy three years last March, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832 – that he enlisted in the Army of the United States, in February 1776, for nine months, under Captain Nathan Pierce in Dutchess County, State of N. York and was attached to and served in the regiment commanded by Colonel Richmon which regiment belonged to the Brigade of Genl. [Alexander] McDougal. He was in the battle of the White Plains [28 Oct 1776], and was discharged near Fort Montgomery [in Orange County] in the State of New York some time in the month of December following his enlistment– Afterwards, in the said county of Dutchess and State of New York, on the first day of May 1777, being drafted, he again entered, as a militiaman into the service of the U. States under Colonel Morehouse in the company of Captain William Pierce. He was marched to a point about fifteen miles above the city of N. York, on the Hudson. At this time the British were in possession of the city of N. York. At this station he remained three months in the regiment commanded by the said Colo. Morehouse & company of Capt. Wm. Pierce.– Afterwards, early in August (there being no interruption of his service) he was connected with a division of the army under command of Genl. [Israel] Putnam, (Morehouse still being his Colonel & Pierce his captain) and marched near to Fort Montgomery with a view to its relief, but the forces to which he belonged was unable to give any assistance and the Fort was taken [6 Oct 1777]. He then fell back to the place from which he had started – the point fifteen miles above the city of N. York having been absent once month, according to his best recollection. He continued at this latter point after his said return, in the service, three months until the first of December or the early part of the month, when and where he was discharged. He was at the time of his Discharge, in the regiment of Colo. Morehouse & company of Capt. William Pierce. Afterwards, in the month of March 1778, in the same state & county, he enlisted under a Captain Johnston as a regular, for the term of nine months and joined the regiment commanded by Colonel Gonsay [sic: Peter Gansevoort] (the name is spelt to give the sound) This applicant was stationed for the greater part of this tour of service at Fort Plaink or Blain [sic: probably Fort Plain] on the Mohawk river. Colo. Gonsay during that tour had his station some twenty miles higher up the river at Fort Stannock [sic: Fort Stanwix at present Rome NY]. There was but a captains command at Fort Plank, and that command, as this applicant [illegible word], was part of Gonsay’s regiment. The soldiers all at Fort Plank, believed the name of the Colonel to whose regiment they belonged to be Gonsay or Ganzie. The applicant had no personal acquaintance with him. A part of the tour of service was spent in an expedition to a place called Cherry Valley [in Otsego County NY, site of a massacre 11 Nov 1778], for the purpose of suppressing some tories and indians who had done considerable mischief to that neighborhood. While on this expedition he and his company were attached to a militia regiment commanded by one Colonel Block. He returned again to fort Plank and his nine month tour being expired he was discharged in December 1778. – Afterwards in the month of August 1779, in the same county and State he went as a draft, in the service of the U. States under the command of Colo. Bencham in the company of Captain Izrael Vial and was stationed during the nine months for which he was drafted at West Point on the Hudson, when he was discharged in the month of November 1779, having served three months from some period in the preceding August. His discharges have long since been lost. This applicant was born in the State of Rhode Island on the 22nd of March 1760. He has a record of his age at his son house where he resides

He came, an infant from Rhode Island to Dutchess county in the State of New York, which latter place was near his residence where called into service. His residence for the last forty-four years has been in the county of Montgomery State of Virginia.

He received Discharges, but whether he received “one” at this and at each tour of service or not he cannot now recollect. He cannot now recollect whether his Discharges were signed by a Captain, Colonel or an officer of some other grade. He well remembers, however, to have received several of them, which he thought would be of no value in future & permitted them to be lost or even cast away. He has no other evidence of his said services, but that accompanying this declaration.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.

            Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid        Jesse his + mark Hall

 

On this 30th day of September 1833 personally appeared in said court Asa Hall & being first duly sworn saith that he was a soldier in the first tour of service described in the foregoing declaration of Jesse Hall & in the same company and regiment with his said Jesse & knows that his statement as to their service is correct. He states further that in the year 1779 he saw the applicant in the militia service on the Hudson river, in the state of New York.

Sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid.    Asa his + mark Hall

Marker for Jesse Hall