Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 10975, for Beriah Lewis, Rhode Island
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SERVICE R.I.  Lewis, Beriah  NUMBER S 10975 Carded CONTENTS
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Declaration
in order to obtain the benefit of the act of
Congress, of the 7th of June, 1832-
State of New York
County of Chenango SS:
On this sixth day of March 1834, personally appeared before the Honorable Charles York a Judge of the County Courts of said County, Beriah Lewis of Norwich in said County and State, aged Eighty four years and upwards
who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress, passed June 7. 1832.
He says a company of Militia was organized in
the year 1775 at Charlestown in the State of Rhode Island of which Amos Green of Charlestown was captain, and this deponent Beriah Lewis was Lieutenant and Daniel Stafford Ensign. He received his commission as a Lieutenant (which commission is herewith sent to the Department) in May 1776, signed by the Governor of Rhode Island. This company was under the command of Colonel Joseph Noyes, and Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Maxson - The object and duty of this company was to be stationed at Charlestown, guarding and defending the coasts to prevent the British from landingand plundering and driving away the stock. He had a guard of 12 men, who were stationed at his House and over which he had the command- In September 1776, he had order from General Stanton to collect 17 Soldier blankets and engage 12 men to replace some who
had been there from April - He went and procured
the blankets and engaged the men as directed. In
December of this year the British took Rhode Island. Previous to Spencers expedition, he was stationed at Tivertown, Rhode Island, with his company under Col Moyes; when the expedition took place, they marched from Charlestown
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to Providence, crossed the River there, went through Swans by, Freetown, into Tiverton. They remained there until the siege was raised. When there he recollects hearing the news that General Burgoynes army was captured at Saratoga, which infused new life and spirits into all the
soldiers, who, before that news came, were drooping and dispirited. After the siege was raised they went home, from Howlands Ferry, (where they crossed) to North Kingstown, South Kingstown into Charlestown - He does not
recollect the time he was engaged in this expedition, but thinks it was more than a month.
On his return he again had charge of a guard, as usual, protecting and guarding the court and shore from invasion
He continued at Charlestown R.I. in the above business as a Lieutenant for about 2 years, under Captain Green, when Captain Green resigned, and he was elected Captain of the Company, by the Company, in his place and received a Captains Commission signed by Nicholas Cooke the governor of the State of Rhode Island -
A short time before the battle of Rhode Island he was called out and went with his company onto Rhode Island (marching from Charles town
through South Kingstown North Kingstown & taking water & crossing over at Bristol ferry onto the Island): They remained on the Island until after the battle when he marched his Company back to Charlestown - His company here was under Col. Noyes but was not engaged in the Battle
He continued at Charlestown, acting as Captain of the Militia until the British left Newport - He was engaged in guarding the coast along the Charlestown shore from Green Hill to the west end of Charlestown [illegible] A distance of about 8 miles
In the month of September (he thinks) after the British left Newport, he marched with his company (termed the 2nd Company in Charlestown ) to Newport to guard and defend it- He remained
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at Newport as near as he can remember 33 days -
He recollects he received for this service 53 silver dollars & had rations. This service was under Col. Baily One incident in his service he recollects, as follows: on the 13th day of December (the year not remembered) he was doing duty at 
 Charlestown, when a sloop with 4 men
on board sprung a leak and was run ashore to save the crew. It was quite foggy; they heard a noise and saw the sloop grounded: they took their guns went to the sloop, took the men prisoner and after about a fortnight sent them to
Greenwich which was Head Quarters -
This was while he was Lieutenant
Another way, that on the occasion
of an alarm at Point Judah the in the winter of 1777 they crossed over Point Judah Pond on the ice and remained there a month or more
He also remembers, that while he was captain, but don't recollect the year, he marched to Obdikes Newtown and was stationed there in the expectation of having the British up there at Providence. He was absent from Charlestown this time about a fortnight. 

The deponent further states, that his memory on account his advanced age and the length of time that has elapsed since the war, is much broken and impaired, and he can not state and does not in all cases pretend to give the exact dates in which events occurred; and he cannot name all his superior officers under whom he served. He  remember that he served at times under Col. Moyer - Col. Sands; Col. Bailey a Newport after the British left and Col. Bailey at Newport after the British left it
All of his service was in the Rhode Island Militia and his home or principal place of residence was Charlestown
He served from the year 1775 as a Lieutenant to the year 1778 some time previous the Battle of Rhode Island, in all at least 2 years & 6 months, and at 

when the expedition took place, they marched from Charlestown