Pension Application of Wallis Estill: S1759

                        Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

 

State of Tennessee}

Franklin County}          On this 5th day of September 1832 personally appeared in open court before the justices of the court of pleas & quarter sessions of Franklin County now sitting Wallis Estill Senr. resident of said county, aged seventy four years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath made the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

            That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers & served as herein stated: In the month of May 1776, the day of the month not recollected, this applicant was a soldier in Capt Henderson’s company, in Greenbriar County in the state of Virginia [sic: Greenbrier County now in WV] & as such volunteered his services to march to Point Pleasant at the mouth of the Kenhawa [sic: Kanawha River where it joins the Ohio River] for the purpose of guarding the fort or stockade at that place & to defend the western settlements of Va. The company or a part of them rendezvoused at Lewisburgh [sic: Lewisburg] in sd county & this applicant with others were marched under Lieutenant James Estill the 1st Lieutenant in Henderson’s company from Lewisburgh to Point Pleasant where he remained in the service of the United States until about the middle of Decr 1776 when he was discharged & returned home. Capt. Henderson came with the Colonel of the company to Point Pleasant shortly after Lieutenant James Estill arrived there. Captain Matthew Arbuckle was the senior officer in command of Point Pleasant during the time this applicant was in the above service. Capt Wm McKee was also an officer in sd service. It was understood at or about the time this applicant entered into sd service that Genl Hand would come down the Ohio & bring an additional number of troops with him & take command of the companies at Point pleasant & march into what is now the state of Ohio on a campaign against the Indians. In the fall of that year Col John Dickenson of Augusta County Va came to Point Pleasant with about 500 troops to join Hand. He remained there till November when Genl Hand arrived but without any additional reinforcements. It was understood he had disbanded his troops & came to the Point with an escort of a few soldiers – ordered Col Dickenson to return home & went off with them himself. This applicant was in no battle during the above period except one skirmish with the Indians, which this applicant believes was some time in August, in which there were two white men & five Indians killed. This skirmish was on the Ohio below the mouth of the Kenhawa. This applicant does not recollect whether he received a written discharge or not at the time he left the service–but if he did he has lost it–or it has been destroyed by time & accident. This applicant was about seven months in the above service.

            In the month of August in the year 1781 this affiant being then a first Lieutenant in Captain May’s company of Bottetourt [sic: Botetourt] County VA was again ordered into the service of the U.S. He was with the Marquis de LaFayette during first part of the campaign & was at the siege of York & the capture of Cornwallis & his army in October 1781. This affiant had the command of a company during the siege of York & for some time previous, David May the Captain of the company being absent. The officers of the company were David May Captain, Wallis Estill 1st Lieutenant, J. Williams 2d Lieutenant, & Moses Mann Ensign. Afft was not under the command of any particular Col during this siege. he recollects being awhile under the command of Major Muckleberry. He also recollect LaFayette & Genl Knox & of receiving orders from both of them. Col Samuel Lewis marched a large portion of the Bottetourt militia to this siege. Patrick Lockhart was his major–but afft was not placed under their immediate command at any time during the siege that he recollects of. After the siege of York afft marched under the command of Genl Lawson to Winchester in Virginia whither the British army that had been captured were taken. Afft & his company went with the army to guard the prisoners & was discharged about the 1st Decr 1781.

Affiant has no documentary evidence in his possession of the above service, nor does he know of any person whose testimony he can procure to testify to the above service. He hereby relinquishes 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 in open court 5th Sept 1832              [signed] Wallis Estill Sr

 

Whereupon the court propounded to sd Wallis Estill Senr the following questions

1 Where & in what year were you born?

He answers That he was born the 8th March 1758 in Augusta [County VA] agreeably to record of his age in his fathers family bible & the information received from his parents.

2. Have you any record of your age & if so where is it?

He answers– His fathers family bible containing sd record is now in Franklin County Tennessee in the possession of Abba Woods his sister.

3 Where were you living when called into service, where have you lived since the revolutionary war & where do you now live?

He answers–He was living in Greenbriar County VA when he went to Point Pleasant as stated in the foregoing declaration– & in Bottetourt in 1781 when he again entered the service as above stated– In 1794 he moved to Madison County Kentucky where he lived till the latter part of the year 1806 at which time he moved to the waters of Elk river Tennessee in what is now Franklin county & has lived there ever since.

4 How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute, and if a substitute for whom.

He answers– He volunteered as a soldier to go to Point Pleasant as stated in his previous declaration– & went out as an officer pursuant to orders in the campaign of York-Town as above stated

5 State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served – such continental & militia regiments as you can recollect & the general circumstances of your service?

He answers & refers to his previous declaration as an answer to this question?

6 Did you receive a discharge from the service & if so by whom was it given & what has become of it?

He answers– as stated in his previous declaration.

6. Did you ever receive a commission & if so by whom was it signed, & what has become of it.

He answers he did receive his commission as 1st Lieutenant in the year 1780 & it was signed as he believes by Thomas Jefferson Governor of Virginia– He has on this day made diligent search among all his papers & he cannot find & believes it is lost, mislaid or destroyed by time & accident.

7. State the names of the persons to whom you are known in our present neighborhood & who can testify as to your character for veracity & their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution

He answers & refers to Col James Lewis & the Reverend Robt. Dougan, James Givens.