Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W. 3023, for John Kercheval, Virginia
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State of Kentucky County of Mason set
On this 25th day of February 1834 personally appeared in open Court before the Hon Judge of the Mason Circuit now sitting John Kercheval now a resident of Henning County but lately a resident of the aforesaid County of Mason and State aforesaid aged seventy one years and upwards who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath the make 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 in the month
of December 1776 in a Company of Volunteers raised by Capt. Charles M Thurston, Philip Bush 1st Lieutenant, Edward Smith 2d Lieutenant and John Gillison ensign and that he marched with said Company about the 21st of said month and that he distinctly recollects they arrived at Fredericktown
on Christmas day about 12 O'clock 1776 - that they crossed Potomac at Harper's Ferry - that they proceeded on the Road from Frederick Town by McAlister's Town, York Town & crossed the Susquehanna River on the ice by Anderson's Ferry -
stayed all night in Lancaster - passed the City of Philadelphia
and halted at a village called Frankford   few miles beyond the City - then on by Bristol crossed the Delaware River to Trenton Prince Town and arrived at Monk's Town about the10th January then the headquarters of General
Washington - and in three or four days marched to Baskin's
Ridge where we were stationed under the command of Gen Lord Sterling - there was also at that place a company of Light Horse commanded by Capt Saul[?] of Blands Regt of Virginia Cavalry and a company of Riflemen belonging to the Regiment commanded by Col Lean Cols. McCoy and Wilson called the Catanian Reg of Rifle Men and towards the latter part of February
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Capt Thurston's Company of Volunteers. Cap Cauls troop of Horse
and the Riflemen marched to a small village called Lisable Town on
the direction to Brunswick where a part of the British army was stationed and
the next morning our party was fined by a Regiment of Maryland - militia commanded by Col Beatty from or near Frederick Town -
we marched until above one o'clock when we met a detachment
of British Infantry and horse men - a sharp action ensued in which
Capt Thurston was wounded and six of his company, was killed and
wounded together with several of the Riflemen and Militia -
the Battle continued until Cap Caul discovered a much larger number
of the British approaching and having dismounted some of his horse
men and mounting the wounded we retreated and returned back to be
Town from whom we had marched that morning - the next day we returned
to Lord Sterling's Quarters and was discharged in May following having served
about six month - Cap. Thurston being appointed a Col. - he further states that he intended to join the Regiment under Thruston when ever he was able
to take the field - the Col. however did not return until the summer and
was not then entirely recovered of his wound - he states that he went to see him
and informed him that whenever he was able to take the field I would join as
Volunteer - he states further that the Regt [illegible] slowly and understanding
that General Burgoine as proceeding towards New York from Canada and it was 
the opinion of Gentleman in our country that he would endeavour to make his
way to New York to join the British Army there - and being willing join his
Countrymen he started above the first of August 1777 and entered a volunteer in the Company of Capt Thomas Berry of the 8th Virginia Reg - the field officers at
that time were Bowman & Clark and the Brigade General Scott -subaltern in
Berry Company Baldwin and East and the following named persons were some
of the soldiers whose name he thinks must be enrolled in Cap Berry's Company now in the War Office if they were returned and preserved there, Charles Love Vernon Dunn in the war office if they were returned and preserved there, Charles, Son, Vinson Dunn
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Isaac Dunn Thomas Redman, John Robinson, meat Redman, William Orr, Thomas
Hampton and Barnell Mitcham; and others I think I could name on Reflection, - the Reason of his joining Cap Berry's Company
in preference to any other was that Cap. Berry was a near neighbor to his father in Frederick County Virginia where he raised his company
He states that he continued to serve with the 8th Regt until the latter part of year 1778 in which year his Father sold his property [illegible] of twelve months and requested that he should return home for the purpose of going with him to the Kentucky Country in the fall of 1779 - but the Indians being so troublesome and the reduced value of the money he received for the property he sold compelled him to relinquish his previous determination of moving - he states further that early in the spring of the year 1780 he determined to go and join the southern army to which many of his old acquaintances in the
army had gone and proceeded as far as Albemarle Barracks in the spring 1780 and at the Barracks met with Col. Wood with whom he was acquainted - Wood requested to take charge of a number of British Prisoners, then to be sent to Winchester Virginia which were ordered to be delivered to Col Kennedy the
commanding officer at that place there with the prisoners until a guard could be collected to take charge of them - that he was relieved
of the charge he again intended to go to the south but with fall of Charleston and the deranged state of the army in consequence thereof [illegible] him to decline proceeding for some time and before he could make it convenient again, Virginia was likely to become the seat of the war - he there he remained at his father with Arnold landed in Virginia and he states that he went to
Richmond in Virginia and proceeded to Join Genl Barron Stuben not far from Petersburg -the next day after his defeat at that place and on Lafayette arrival in Virginia he states he went and entered a volunteer in Col.
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Howard's Regt of Regulars and was shortly afterwards appointed [illegible]in the Quarter Masters department by Maj. John Prior - in June was ordered to William Burg Virginia to make arrangements for the accommodation of the
American Prisoners then about to return from Charles Town South Carolina - then returned to the army and continued to execute such orders in the Quarter Master's depot as he received and marched with the army to the siege of York Town remained there until the surrender of Lord Cornwallis - above 12 or 14 days after the commencement of the siege an enterprise was undertaken the object of which was to take by storm two British Redoubts - one to be taken by a detachment of the American Line and the other by a detachment of the French - he states he applied to the officer appointed to command the Americans for permission to accompany them and was refused - he then applied to Maj Lamotte a French Gentleman and then an officer in the division of General Lafayette with whom he had become well acquainted
during the time he served with Col Starks Regt to procure permission for him to go with the French detachment and Maj. Lamotte went with him to the French officer introduced him and obtained his approbation for him to accompany the command which he did. - the parties marched in the night
with silence moved each to the place of attack and almost at the same moment [illegible] the place by storm,- the French officer and Maj. Lamotte both gave a certificate highly complementary and recommended him in strong terms as worthy of a commission in the regular service of the Virginia line 
He states further that he delivered the certificate to General
Thomas Nelson who was then with the army in command of the Virginia militia and he thinks was afterwards Elected Governor of Virginia to succeed Mr Jefferson and was promised by General Nelson the first vacancy that required to be filled in the Virginia line - he further states that he marched with the British prisoners to Winchester then returned to his Father in the neighborhood and it being the General opinion that the war would