On this the 29th day
of August 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Justices
of said Court now sitting, it being a Court of Record, John Wadkins
of the County aforesaid, aged 70 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 7th
June 1832, to wit-
That the of events of the period during which he served have
transpired so long sense that many of them are entirely forgotten
and others are but imperfectly remembered, and being but a private
soldier very little opportunity was afforded him becoming acquainted
with, or even knowing the names of officers except those under whose
immediate command he served. He however ventures to declare that
while he was quite young, perhaps about eight or nine years old, his
parents moved from the County of Hanover, State of Virginia, and
settled within a few miles of where he now resides, it being then
the County of Granville, North Carolina but since cut off from it,
and now constituting a part of the County of Warren aforesaid. That
sometime before Gates' defeat at Camden So
Carolina, while living in the capacity of an overseer
with one Benj. Thomas in the County of Granville aforesaid, this
affiant became a substitute in the place of one Freemen (whose
Christian name, he thanks was Harry) who had been drafted as a
militia man for three months. That Capt. Bartlett Searcy & Lt.
Sherwood Simms, both of said county, were ordered to command
his company. That they marched from Harrisburg in said county in
company with another company of militia under the command of Capt.
Banks with orders to join General Gates' army in the south. That
they passed by Cariaway mountains, crossed the river Yadkin and the
great Peedee in So. Carolina and got to a certain X roads
about 6 or 7 miles from Massey's ferry on the latter river, were
they were met by the Americans escaping from Gates' defeat, which we
understood was the day before.The troops continued to come in all
day. We were then all marched back to Massey's Ferry, at which
we crossed & found on this side some Virginia Militia. This affiant
recollects Majr Stubblefield & Captain Greene of Va
militia. (Captain Searcy's & Captain Banks' companies crossed Peedee
in their route southwardly above Massey's Ferry). From
this place the troops were marched to one Cotton's Tavern in the
western part of this state, N. C., which they reached in , he
thinks, two days. Here they remained two or three days, and during
this time took some Torries as prisoners and killed others, who were
engaged in plundering the American troops as they returned from the
defeat. After two or three days further march, the N. Carolina
militia under Capts Searcy and Banks, separated from the
other troops and were marched back to Granville Court House
where they received a furlough for a few days to see their families,
when they were called together again and marched thru Hillsboro N.
C. to a place called the Hawfields where they joined the troops
under one Genl Butler, whose aid was Majr Sharp. At this
place and about it they were employed against the Tories until this
affiant's three months service expired, when he was regularly
discharged. Very soon afterwards he was drafted again for three
months, and met at Harrisburg in Granville aforesaid. His
company was commanded by Capt. William Gilliam and attached to the
regiment of militia under the command of Col. William Moore and Majr
Dempsey Moore. We were marched to Hillsboro N. C. and remained there
about a week. Here he learned some regular troops came in from
the north but did not see them. We then marched southwardly & across
Haw River at Butler's Ford, thence to Island Ford on the Yadkin,
then to Salisbury and Charlotteville to Six Mile Creek where
we joined the light infantry under Genl Davidson, the
Regulars under Col. Dixon and the Calvary under Col.
Washington. During our stay at Six Mile Creek where we remained
sometime, Col. Washington with his Horse took an excursion to the
south and penetrated as far as Rugely's Mills, the seat of Col.
Rugely who commanded the Tories, and took him & his company & and
brought them in to Six Mile Creek. He understood then, and and it
was common talk of the soldiers, that Col. Washington finding
Colonel Rugely strongly fortified, got a pine tree & skinned it &
planted it before the fort as if was a cannon, upon which Rugely &
his men surrendered. The No Carolina Regiment under
Col. Morre to which he was attached carried two prisoners from Six
Mile Creek to Salisbury, N. C. and put them in goal, where he
remained to guard them until he was discharged. During this
service, he performed his three months tour for which was was
drafted, and one month in addition as the substitute of one Samuel
Moss of the militia. A short time before the Battle of Guilford, he
was drafted again and and put under the command of Capt. Richd
Harrison and Col. Taylor of the Regt of Militia, and marchrd to
Hillsboro, where we joined the militia under General Butler and
Major Sharp. We were marched from Hillsboro to High Rock Ford on Haw
River and there joined the forces under the command of Genl Green.
Here we made a good many excursions in pursuit of the Tories. We
were thence marched to Guilford Courthouse. After being here there a
few days (how many he does not recollect) the officers came round at
night with information that a general engagement was expected next
day and distributed ammunition among the soldiers.The next day there
was some skirmishing a small distance from the main army, early in
the morning.The North Carolina militia were stationed in the front
line in the rear of a skirmish. This affiant was in the left wing.
Orders were given us not to fire until the enemy passed two dead
trees standing in the field through which they was to approach us,
about one hundred yards from the fence. The morning was calm.
Cannonading commenced on both sides which lasted a short time only.
After it ceased, the enemy began to advance and fire and as soon as
they reached the trees, the N. C. Militia fired, and that part of
the line in which he was, exchanged three or four fires when they
became alarmed by report that the enemy was surrounding them and
fled. Col. Washington endeavored to rally the men but could not.
This Affiant stopped at the Court House, about one mile in the rear
and saw the engagement between the British and the Maryland line.
Washington's Horse were at the Court House at the commencement of
the engagement and formed and made over the branch to the opposite
hill where the battle was raging and charged the enemy. Some of the
Militia who had stopped at the Court House followed in the rear of
the Horse to the Battleground. After some time I started again &
went to a relations about fifteen miles distant where I remained
three or four days - when understanding that the American soldiers
had reassembled at certain iron works - called Troublesome Iron
Works - about ten or twelve miles from Guilford Court House, he went
back to that place and joined them. From there they marched in
close pursuit of the enemy who had gone off toward Wilmington, N. C.
until they reached Ramsey's Mill on Deep River, near the junction of
Deep & Haw River. When we got there found the mill had been set on
fire by the British, and extinguished it. Trees were cut down
across the road in many places to impede our march. The enemy
crossed the river back by a bridge constructed by themselves of
trees and fence rails taken from a neighboring place. At this
place (Ramsey's Mill) a strong force was left, this affiant being
one of them, remained until he was regularly discharged, it being
his last time of 3 months serving in the war and making ten months
service rendered by him in his three campaigns. This affiant
hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the
present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the
agency of any state. He has no register of his age, but always
understood he was born in the spring of the year 1762. He has
lived, ever since his parents moved to N. Carolina, at and
near the place he now occupies, with the exception of a few months
spent in Virginia. His discharges were lost or destroyed, he
never considered them of any use after the war. He does not
recollect by whom they were signed but thinks by his respective
Captains. He has no other proof of his service within his reach
except that set forth in the annexed affidavits of his neighbors and
old acquaintenances.
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