Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 29,021, David Brown, Continental New York
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Page 1st – In my declaration of my services in the Revolutionary war between Great Brittain and America, I was told that if I could ascertain that I was a listed soldier for enduring the war it was sufficient to obtain my pension & I left many particular circumstances that in this declaration I will try to relate some very essential circumstances. I was enlisted enduring the war as I have testified in my other testaments. I was (unknown word) on the 10th of October 1780 carried to Canada- as I have declared suffered with hunger cold and wet till we arrived at Montreal. Came out of prison in March 1781 by petitioning several times to Governor Holderman at Quebec. My intention was to make my escape when the spring offered I get home. I joined a party to cut cord wood at a low price and this was our daily exercise and at night put into the blockhouse strongly guarded and in the morning to turn out at bell ringing add go to the bush. 
I began to feel by this tine the uncertainty of my escape understanding that there was a blockhouse about 40 miles S. East from St Johns kept by the Tories which kept a continual ransacking the woods and I felt that had an intercourse with other Tories at the Cahosa county now and then we that came out of prison communicated our minds to each other and what plan to adopt to get away however the winter soon past and I came out of jail with me understood it Gibson Ambler Wood & got safe through - some our of prisoners attempted and perished by the way - however summer came on & was more liberated and got in business with one Whitney or Whatman to drive horses for 9 qu a day to draw boards and plank from a sawmill to the river to raft down the Chambler – I premeditated every plan to make my escape but they all proved abortive – I call Heaven to witness my anxiety to get to my native country – winter the close of 1781 engaged to chop wood 4 or 5 miles below St. Johns on the East side of the river I was to have 9 per cord French measure  - when spring came on I (unknow word) with one Mr. Johns to go with a number of the others to Cumberland Bay to get square pine at the fort this is the spring of 1782 – now I thought I could certain get home from there for I was about 50 miles on my way but as we went to work on the west side of the lake it made it more difficult however one G Codner a prisoner taken at Fort Ann and me often contemplated on our plans to get away but providence obstructed – I was taken with a fever and lay very sick and was sent down to St. Johns to a hospital here I lay sick and weak through the summer 1782 when cold weather began and my fever abated I was seized with a white swelling on my right arm which lay me