Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R 1988, John Clark, New York
Page 2

State of Vermont, Grand Isle County ss
On the day of August 1837 personally appeared before me William Wait Judge of the County Court within and for the County of Grand Isle aforesaid, John Clark a resident of Isle La Mott in the County
of Grand Isle aforesaid, aged Seventy five 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 June 7th 1832. 
That he entered the service of the United States
under the following named officers, and served
as herein after stated, 
On the first of August AD 1777 the exact day cannot distinctly recollect I volunteered and entered into the service of the revolution in a
company of volunteers raised in the Town of Spencertown in the County of Columbia & State of New York  (the name of the Town has since I am informed been altered). The company was commanded by Captain Hawley and Lieutenant Spencer, and immediately viz, the first of August 1777, we marched to Albany where we spent one or four days & then marched to Schenectady & stayed in Schenectady about one week, and from then to Stillwater at which place our company quartered, until after the middle of October, when we had a battle with the British about one month before the surrender of Burgoyne - when General Burgoyne the British commander surrendered the army - During all our stay at Stillwater my Father the Rev. Jesse Clark was the Chaplin to the Brigade - I was at this time about 15 years and most of the time I was mustered in the company as a private soldier,- some of the time I was furnished a horse and acted as an express in taking Letters & the
like communications, to Troy & Albany and other places for the officers, - my Father who was among other things assisting & endeavouring to raise and get in the surrounding militia,- General Gates commanded the American Troops -
After the surrender of the British Army and about the
Page 3

first of November 1777 our company was disbanded
and in company with my Father, returned to our
home at Spencertown,- I was absent from my home
and in the revolutionary service at this time, as above
over three months,- I remained during the following
winter with my Family in Spencertown aforesaid, - in
the Spring of 1778 the Tories in the vicinity had formed large bodies & infested the Towns around us, as well as Spencertown,- they burned some buildings, and killed & destroyed some cattle, belonging to those in favor of the revolution. Colonel Peter Harness & some others raised a liberty Pole & Flag -the Tories made a sally & cut down & destroyed the pole & Flag. A committee of safety so called was organized, & a company of Troops was raised in Spencertown, to guard & protect against the Tories. - I volunteered for six months into the company raised in our town, & served the six months out under Capt Hawley in the following manner, - as a private Soldier we who required parade each day, and were arranged in
such a manner that each man patrolled and ranged the surrounding country every third night, in companies & Squads, as the [illegible] of the case required, & when we found Persons of doubtful character or appearance, or any suspected
of Toryism, we took them before the committee, for examination -I can recollect of taking many up for trial, cannot recollect the names of many.- I do not know how many Troops, were raised in this manner in the surrounding country, but I know that similar companies were raised in some of the neighboring Towns - our company consisted of about Forty men, and we sometimes called into neighboring Towns, - I did duty as asked[?] (except part of the time, when our third was required to range nights) & mustered daily for six months. During the winter, Spring & Summer of 1779
Page 4

remained in my Father's Family at Spencertown and
belonged to the Militia, untill the last of September
1779, when a draft of militia was made for three
months service (I think it was our third of the men)
our company was called out, & we were divided into
lots, of three in each lot, and one to be drafted out of each lot, - I recollect the lot I was in, put in our
dollars each for the benefit of the our drafted,- I was
drafted & received the money, - we immediately mustered under the same officers as above, and marched to the Fishkills so called, on the East side of Hudson River - our company was in Colonel Bannvruss's[?] Regiment in which McKinster was a Major,-  our camp was situated as far as I can recollect about Two miles & a half up from the River, and landing so called, - built our Barracks mostly of turfs about six feet high, and then placed our tents for a roof on the tops of them, - we suffered some for want of provisions and considerable with the cold, before the expiration of the time of our service, - for we were most of us destitute of comfortable clothings - I completed the three months service, and then returned to my family of aforesaid in Spencertown, after being disbanded much worn down, with light [illegible], and cold [illegible]
Early in the Spring of 1780, a draft was made of the
militia, - I do not recollect the proportion, but it was for nine months service, - I stood this draft, and was drafted for nine months,- the same Captain & Lieutenant commanded; - our service during the Spring & summer was most of the time in Spencertown & the vicinity guarding against Tories who had in the latter part of winter destroyed Cattle, burned Stacks of hay & grain - robbed plantations & burned some dwelling Houses & the like; we took some prisoners, I recollect at our time in
took a body of Tories and among the rest. Guy Sharp,
Page 5

John Savage & Richard Powers who were considered the
leaders among the Tories, we took three before the committee of safety at Spencertown for examination who ordered them to be taken to Simsbury Mines in New Gate (so called in Connecticut), and on the way with
the captives, the Tories rallied from the surrounding
Country, and rescued them, and set them at liberty
again; In the fall we were called to the North West to
check the Indians & Tories, who were making a descent
or invading the Villages & settlements on the Mohawk River, we marched to Albany, where we remained two
or three days, & then to Schenectady, here we remained about there weeks, and were billeted out among the  inhabitants to board, - the enemy made a sudden invasion upon the country - burned & destroyed a number of little Villages,-  we pursued them passed Warrensbush while it was still smoking, & followed the enemy as far a the village of Johnstown where we remained a short time and then returned to Schenectady,- this I think was in October - after the nine months had expired, we were disbanded & returned home. I think in the month of January 1781. I never received any discharges from the service in writing, nor have I any documentary evidence of any kind touching my service in the revolution nor do I know any person now living with whom I was a acquainted while in the service, - Plinney Moor, who died at Champlain about 10 miles from this place was the last person, and the only one that I have seen for Twenty years, with whom I was acquainted in the army, - he was an officer -
I was born in Spencertown aforesaid 14th of
September 1761 - my birth was recorded in my Father's
family Bible, which has been in existence until with in┃
 twenty years, when it was worn out & come to pieces. The Bible was brought by Father to the Town of Isle La Mott, where I now reside, and at my Father's death which happened in