Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 1171, Thomas Breech, Penn.
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SERVICE
Penn.

Breech, Thomas

NUMBER
R.1171
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[line through] Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873

1171
Thomas Breech

[stamped] REJECTED
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Thos Landon NY suspended Act 3 2
Thos Breech  PA       "             "     "

[illegible word and initials]

35682
Thomas Breech
Penn

Let: to Hon Jus Pollock 3 May 44

1171

June 7 1832
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[postmark] Danville Pa Nov 2[illegible number]

Nov 27, 1843,
Thos Breech
June 7, 1832

[illegible word, 'Free'?]
To The Commissioner of Pensions
Washington City
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Danville 23 November 1843

To The Commissioner of Pensions

Sir

Enclosed I provided Thomas Breech's Declaration for a Pension. As he is very aged + needy. I trust that his application will be acted on without delay.  I shall be thankful to receive an early reply.

Very Respectfully,
 James Pleasants

(address)

Catawissa Columbia Co Pa
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Declaration of
Thomas Breech
for a Pension

Pa

Act. 7. June '32
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State of Pennsylvania 
County of Columbia 

On this Twenty third day of November AD Eighteen hundred and forty three personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Columbia aforesaid Thomas Breech a resident of Catawissa Township in the said County aged Eighty five years and about five months who being first duly affirmed according to Law doth on his affirmation make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered into the army of the United States on the Twenty Sixth day of December in the year Seventeen hundred and Seventy six on the day after the attack by General Washington on the British Army at Trenton, that he does not now know have he entered into the service, but he sup poses it was by enlistment, if he ever did know, owing to the decay of his memory he has now forgotten, but he remembers that at the time he was engaged as a cabin boy on board of a small vessel belonging to Joseph Ashbridge of Chester in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, commanded by his son Aaron Ark bridge, that he resided in Chester aforesaid with said Joseph Ashbridge to whom he was bound, that being at Trenton on the said Twenty Sixth day of December Seventeen hundred and Seventy six, an officer of the American Army asked the declarant if he did not wish to join the Army and become a soldier and that he agreed to do so, that he then went with the officer and his name was entered in a Book or Roll and he immedi ately afterwards joined the American Army on their March from Trenton towards Princeton, and that he then entered the ranks as a private soldier and his name was afterwards regularly called with the others of his Company at roll call, from these circumstances he suppose, that he was enlisted, and the Declarant further states that he entered and served in the Company of which Frederick Varnin was the Captain, under Major Harpst a German, and Francis Johnson who was the Colonel of the Regiment, that he was with the army on their march from Kenton
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to Princeton and in a skirmish received a wound is his right arm from a sword cut of a light horseman, the events which followed immediately after the active operations of that period are very indistinctly remembered by the declarant, but he retired with the army to Morristown when they went into winter quarters, that he remained in the ranks of the army as a private until shortly before the army was marched further South and then he was employed to drive a Baggage Wagon to remove the sick and wounded soldiers to Philadelphia.  James Packer was Captain of the wagon Brigade to which he was attached consisting of fifteen wagons, that during the remainder of the time he was in service he continued in the wagon service, carting supplies for the army sometimes from Philadelphia, sometimes from Wilmington, George Town, the head of Elk from Baltimore + other places through the Country, that during the period when the army laid in winter quarters at Velley Forge he was engaged in carting supplies for them that in the following summer he accompanied the army with the wagons as they followed the British Army through New Jersey, that he was near them at the battle of Monmoth, that Shortly after that battle he was taken sick with the Camp fever and was sent to the hospital at Yellow Springs, that he did not enter into the services again after his recovery, he does not know that he received a regular discharge as he could not at that time read writing but he obtained from his captain a paper which he believes was a discharge, but which was long ago lost or destroyed, that his captain told him when he gave him the paper referred to, that he must hold himself in readiness to join the army again when called on, but that he was not called on and did not go out again.  And the deponent further saith that by reason of old age and the consequent lapse of memory he cannot affirm positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades, for six months he served as a private soldier in the Company of which Frederick Varnin was captain. And for twelve months he served as the driver of a baggage Wagon in the wagon Brigade of which James Packer was Captain making
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in all Eighteen months service for which he claims a pension.  And the said declarant further sates that he has no documentary evidence of his service and the knows of know other person living who has a personal knowledge of he services, and that he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present.  And he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.

Affirmed to and subscribed
this day and year aforesaid

[signed] Jacoby Eyerly, Prot
Thom Breech

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion that the above named applicant Thomas Breech was a revolutionary soldier and served as he states

[signed] Charles G. Donnel
Geo Mack
[additional words and signature added, 'Prot.' illegible with name underneath]

County of Columbia Pennsylvania
Court of Common Pleas
I Jacob Eyerly Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court of the matter of the application of Thomas Breech for a pension

[seal]

In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office of Prothonotary of the said Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Columbia this twenty third day of November in the Year Eighteen hundred and forty three.

[signed] Jacob Eyerly Prot