Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 7186, for William Marsh, North Carolina
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State of North CarolinaSessions
Chatham County
Court of Pleas & Quarter November Term A.D. 1832
On this 14th day of November A.D. 1832 personally
appeared in open Court before the Justices of the
Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions now sitting William
Marsh, a resident of the County of Chatham and
State of North Carolina aged Seventy three years
the 25th of January last, 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 June 7th 1832 -
 That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, & served as herein stated
Viz:- He declares that in the summer of 1779 to the
best of his recollection he volunteered under Captain
Deberry Chapman for three months, as a trooper
or light horse man, for the purpose of warring against & suppressing the tories, who were numerous in
North Carolina, & had then become very dangerous
& lawless: he was in active service in this way
for the space of two months in the three for which
he volunteered: he was not in any engagement, & was
employed part of his time in apprehending deserters from the American service, who were skulking about & secreting themselves in the County of Chatham, & many of them supposed to be favoring the tory cause. Such as we caught he assisted in conducting to Hillsboro for safe keeping on this service he received no written discharge
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He further declares that about the first of September 1780 he then residing in the County of Chatham, North Carolina, he volunteered in the service of the United States under Captain William Douglas of the light Horse & at Pittsboro in said County, he joined Capt Douglas company, where there were also assembled five other light horse companies under the immediate command of Major William McCauley & Colonel Taylor, by whom they marched, in two or three days, southward, crossing Deep river at Waddell's ferry. thence to Haleys ferry on the Pee Dee River, thence by the order of Genl. Arrington
to Fayetteville, when they met with General Arrington who then took command of them: thence back to Haley's ferry (fifteen miles above Cheraw) remaining at each of the above named places about ten days; from this place Genl. Arrington dispatched the light horse consisting of about three hundred men in the direction of Camden, (South Carolina) which was then in the occupation of the British troops; he states that this was a short time after the disastrous defeat of Genl Gates army before Camden, & the consequent dispersion of the American troops under his command; upon which occurrence the hopes of the Americans were
greatly depressed, & those of the royalist party, or tories proportionably increased, & the effect was that the tories rose in great numbers throughout the Carolina perpetrating all kinds of outrages, robbing, burning & murdering, with unrestrained & merciless barbarity; being doubtless prompted to these lawless acts by the confident expectation, that the whole country would be forthwith overrun, subdued & prostrated by the
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British arms; the light horse therefore, to which he
belonged, consisting of the six companies above named were sent across the Pee Dee to overcome & suppress as far as possible all attempts at an organized force of tories, to prevent their depredations, & to secure the peace & safety & tranquility of the Country, & also to give confidence to the Whig party, & afford protection to their property & lives. In this service they were occasionally in the neighborhood of Camden, on the head water of Lynches Creek, Thompsons Creek &c. - When their time had nearly expended they returned to Cheraw & he was discharged by Captain Douglass some time in December 1780 having served three months which discharge is lost.
He further states, that he volunteered in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, in the same month, December 1780 as he believes, under Captain William Gholson of the light horse, & were marched into Cumberland County where he was put under the command of General Butler, near the Cape Fear river. While here, Captain Gholson, & Captain Dougan selected ten men each from their command, of which this affiant was one, for the purpose of reconnoitering it being suspected that there was a considerable tory force in the vicinity of Fayetteville. While on this excursion, they took six tories prisoners by whom they were informed that there was such a tory force & Captains Gholson & Dougan, were sent back to the American army with one of these prisoners, & were taken prisoners themselves. The rest of this reconnoitering party arrived safe with the other prisoners-
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When it was understood that Captain Gholson was taken
prisoner, his company refused to seve further, & secretly withdrew from the army, returned home. This affiant applied to Captain Douglass, who admitted him into his company in which he served the balance of his tour.
After this occurrence they marched to the vicinity
of Wilmington, at which place lay a British force
In the vicinity of this place -also a body of tories
had some Whig prisoners, among whom was Col.
John Mebam, & whom it was resolved to rescue - a skirmish consequently took place, which was ineffectual
in consequence of a misapprehension of Genl. Butler who
apprehending that the British troops had joined the tories
ordered his troops to retreat soon after the battle commenced. In this skirmish Col. Robert Mebam of
the Continental army commanded on the left wing,
& was unfortunately killed on his way home by a tory.
He belonged, as this affiant understood, to the continental service, & being on a visit to his family in Orange & hearing of his brother's captivity, joined the force under Butler to rescue him. From Wilmington, Captain Douglass was ordered into Orange County N.C. to operate against the tories, when this affiant was discharged, he thinks just before the battle of Guilford, he
thinks in the early part of March 1781 by Captain
Douglass - discharge lost. In this tour he served
three months.
In the same month, immediately after the above
discharge, he again volunteered in sd County, under
Capt. Edward Douglass, who was marching on to
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for Greene's army in Guilford County, & had arrived
with in a mile of the battle ground when the
battle occurred - Failing to join the army before the
battle of Guilford, Captain Douglass thought he
could under render efficient service by keeping
his company separate from the main army -- in scouring the country, in pursuit of tories, & by preventing
the assemblage of parties of tories who became
exceeding by confident, troublesome & numerous, while
Cornwallis was in North Carolina. In this
way this affiant was employed in Chatham &
the adjacent counties, until his term of three months
expired, & he was discharged by Capt Douglass
in Chatham County, date not recollected. This discharge
he has also lost with the others not having seen them for
the last twenty years. 
He states that he did not serve with any continental regiments & knew no continental officers. He has no record of his service, but expects to able to prove service by John Foosher of this County-
He was born near Pittsboro. Chatham County, State of
North Carolina, January 25th 1759, has resided
in said County ever since & now resides in it - had a
record of his age, until within a few years past
He declares that the answers to the interrogatories
prescribed by the War Department, so far
as his recollection enables him to answer them, are embodied in the above declaration. He expects to establish his character for veracity & reputation for military service by his neighbors. William Underwood & Stephen Petty -