Pension Application of John Prewett: S30665
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of Virginia – Tazewell County, to wit,
On this 20th day of October 1832, personally
appeared in open Court before the Justices of the County Court of said County
of Tazewell now sitting, John Prewett resident of the said County and in the
State of Virginia, aged 72 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 the 7th June 1832. That he enlisted in
the service of the United States about the later part of May, in the year 1775
[see note below] under a recruiting officer by the name of Edmiston the first
name not recollected. he was then a resident of the County of Washington the regiment and line to which he belonged
he does not recollect, but well remembers that the campaign for which he was
[word illegible] was called the McIntosh Campaign. Gen’l. McIntosh was the Commander
of the regiment to which he was to be attached, and Gen’l Gray was another
field officer Capt Richard Dougherty
and Lieutenant Joseph Prior were officers of his company; That he resided in
the County of Washington and State of Virginia at the time he entered in the
service; that he was marched to Andersons Ferry on James River [sic: New River
more likely] where the army to which he belonged remained for about three
months, waiting for other companies which were expected to join them, from
thence he was marched to the big Levels [present Lewisburg WV] in the County of
Greenbrier, where his officers saw proper to detain about a month longer, with
the hope of being joined by the expected reinforcements. Agreeable to their
expectations they were joined by five other companies, and he was then marched
to the mouth of Elkhorn, where the army in consequence of the rigours of the
season (it being then in January or February) were compelled to encamp and
remain there til the end of March 1776 [sic] as this applicant thinks it was;
They were here joined by Gen’l. Broadhead, from the headquarters of McIntoshs
army as this applicant was informed, which was then camped some where in the
Ohio State, Gen’l. Broadhead took charge of the provisions &c of the army
at this place & dispensed with the forces of Gen’l. Gray, and permitted him
to march them back. on his return with his men Gen’l. Gray met with Capt James
Thompson with a company of men who were on their way to join McIntosh, at Col.
Donalson’s in the County of Greenbrier; that he and some others of his fellow
soldiers not having served out the time for which they enlisted, were forced to
join Capt. Thompsons company & retrace their steps under his command to the
mouth of Elkhorn, here he stopped to
procure a supply of provisions & was delayed til about the first of May
about which time Capt. Thompson received orders that his services would not be
demanded and that he might return home, that he was immediately marched back to
the home of William Thompson in the County of Montgomery, where he and
his fellow soldiers were dismissed, & told that they could then get their
regular discharge at any time that they would apply for it, but that he never
considered that it would be of any benefit to him therefore never afterwards
applied for it. That he had served out the full time for which he enlisted when
he was dismissed by Capt Thompson which was eighteen months & that he knows
of no person whose testimony he can procure that can testify to his service as
stated, and that again in the year 1778 [sic], he was called out with many
others of his countrymen under the command of Capt Henry Patton, &
Lieutenant James Mary the other officers not recollected to defend the frontier
settlements from the depredation of the Indians, who had lately killed and
carried off some persons in the settlement near the Clover bottoms; they
pursued them to Cole river but being unable to come up with them they were
marched back, and dismissed in the County of Montgomery, where they started from
having been in the service this time about three weeks. And that again in the
same year & about the month of May or first off April he was called out
under the command of the same officers – Col [Joseph] Cloyd, as field officer,
to pursue the indians, who had killed & taken prisoners several families on
new River, when they arrived at the place where the Indians had committed their
cruelty they were informed that Capt Wood with a company of men had pursued
them he was then marched back to
Montgomery the place where he lived when he started on this expedition, &
dismissed, having been in the service this tour about two weeks. Again in the
year 1779, that he was stationed under Capt Patton at the Lead Mines in the
County of Wythe for one month to guard the mines from the Tories Again in the year of 1779 and about two
weeks after he was discharged from service at the lead mines & while still
a resident of the County of Montgomery, he was called out in the malitia, under
the command of Col. Cloyd Capt Patton,
Lieutenant James Marrs, and ensign David Howe, to traverse the County about James
New River & part of North Carolina to rid it of the tories who had become
very troublesome about this time he was
marched from Montgomery to the Moravian Towns [near present Winston-Salem] in
North Carolina, by the Mulberry fields [now Wilkesboro] to near the head of New
river where our company was met by Gen’l. William Campbell, who had been in
pursuit of the same enemy. from this place he was marched down new River to Mongomery
& dismissed having been about four or five weeks in the service during this
expedition. And that again in the year of 1781, in the month of February he was
draughted & put under the command of Gen’l Wm. Preston Col Cloyd the field officers and Capt Patton
Lieutenant Daniel Howe & John Day ensign the officers of the company, these
forces were intended as a reinforcement for the southern army under the command
of Gen’l. Green [sic: Nathanael Greene]. he was marched to North Carolina and
on the night previous to the battle of Whitsels Mills [sic: Battle of Wetzel’s
Mill on 6 March 1781] they joined Gen’l Green & Pickens, he was in that
engagement, as well as another skirmish some days previous on the Alamance
[probably the skirmish at Clapp’s Mill, about 4 March]. That after the
engagement of Whitsels Mills & on about the first of February 1781 until
some time in March following as will appear by the affidavit of David Howe,
hereto annexed, he was marched about to different places in North Carolina, and
was discharged at Gilford [sic: Guilford] Courthouse a few days previous to the
battle at that place [on 15 March 1781] the time for which he was draughted
having expired. 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
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid John his X mark Prewett
State of Kentucky}
County of Morgan} S.S.
On this 14th day of December 1840 before me the Subscribed Justice of the peace for the said County of Morgan personally appeared John Prewett, who on his oath declares that he is the same person who formerly Belonged to the company commanded by Captain Joseph Pryer in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Joseph Gray in the service of the Untied States, that his name was placed on the pension roll of the State of Virginia from whence he has lately removed that he now resides in the State of Kentucky where he intends to remain and wishes his pension to be there payable in future. The following are his reasons for removing from Virginia to Kentucky —
Towit. To live with his Daughters he being very old and infirm – John his X mark Prewett
NOTES:
Prewett stated that he first enlisted in 1775, but the events of his first tour of duty appear to have occurred in 1778 and 1779. Gen. Lachlan McIntosh’s Ohio campaign began in the latter part of 1778, but was delayed through the winter for reasons such as those described by Prewett. In Feb 1779 McIntosh was replaced by Col. Daniel Brodhead.
A typed summary states that Prewett died 4 Jan 1841, leaving a widow.