Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 22211, John Dickey, Penn.
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(3-1778)                                                   NUMBER
               SERVICE

Penn.                     Dickey, John                 S.22211
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Pennsylvania 18.624
John Dickey
of Bedford in the State of Pennsylvania
who was a Private in the Company command
by Captain J-McClelland of the Reg- command
by __________ in the 10th ---- 
line for pma. 

Provided on the Roll of Pennsylvania
at the rate of 23 Dollars 33 Cents for arrests
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension ifsued the 21 day of Sept
                    1833 and Name
       Last name  Jno. Burd  .  Bedford

Arrest to the 4th of Sept. 1833 $58.33
Semi-anl. allowance ending --    11.66
                                                  $70.00
{Revolutionary Claim Act June 7, 1832}
Recorded by W.L.Williams   Clerk,
Book - Vol. 5  Page 13
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State of Pennsylvania} f3
Bedford County}

                 On this 31st day of August AD 1833
personally appeared in open Court before Alexander Thomson, Esqr President & Peter Schell Esqr an affiliate, Judges of the
Courts of Common Pleas &c of Bedford County now sitting John
Dickey Esqr a resident of the Borough of McConnellsburg in this
Township Bedford County in the State of Pennsylvania, aged eighty one
years & four months 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 stated. viz. In the last of July or first of August in the year
1776 he turned out as a Volunteer and marched under the command
of Captain John McClelland of Cumberland County Pennsylvania
to Amboy, that being volunteers were not attached to any Battalion
but were sent up the Raritan about three quarters of a mile where
a small battery was erected having 16 or 18 pieces of cannon without
carriages. and that this applicant with two others of the company
was employed to make carriages at which he wrought until the
company was discharged when he returned home. He was out
this time two months. In December following he turned out again
as a Volunteer and marched under the same captain to Philadelphia;
at which time the Hessians had advanced to Mount
Holly and were robbing the County & pilfering every thing they
could get their hands on, that James Smith (known by the
name of Indian James Smith) who was in the convention then
sitting in Philadelphia, requested ^& obtained^ permission from the commanding
officer to raise a company of volunteer Riflemen to
go and annoy them & prevent them from harassing the country
That being acquainted said Smith applicant turned out
with others to the number of sixty six; that they crossed the
River the morning of the 26th of December, the day the Hessians
were taken at Trenton; that it began to snow as they got into
the boats & continued snowing most of the day, and that
before they reached Mount Holly the Hessians had gone; that
they followed them and when they came to Allentown applicant
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was made an orderly sergeant for the purpose of drawing provisions
That he went to a mill & got flour, and that they also got some pork
which the British had salted and left in their hurry not being
able to take it away; that they went from there to a place called
Penn's neck not far from Princeton and laid there in the woods or
swamp that night, and next morning went with a view to surprise
some of the enemies out posts, but they having had intelligence that they
were pursued had called in their out sentries the night before at
about eight oclock, (that they could then hear the armies beating) and
they returned again into the woods & cooked their breakfast. Immediately after
they started to go below Kingston, and just as they had started a
party of the British came out: applicant heard at the same time
a noise as of a number of horses crossing a bridge and the voice
of some one saying "they are gone another road (applicant could
not see them on account of the brush) The captain then turned
round & said the British were surrounding us & made up to the
clear woods.  As soon as they collected together again the concluded
to go to Trenton where they arrived in time to draw their provisions
before night.  Next day about thirty three or four of the company
left them and went to join the company at Bordentown. The rest
of them then started to go to a place called Rocky Hills between
Kingston & Brunswick and got as for as a place called Maidenhead
that night; next day (leaving Princeton & Kingston on the
left) they arrived by dark within a mile or two of the place to
which they were going,- the following morning by day light they
came to the foot of the hill, and took prisoner a waggon
master who had come out with a team of horses to take in a
waggon that had broken down the day before, and sent
them under a guard to where they had left their baggage.
The prisoner told them that Lord Cornwallis had marched
to take Genl Washington at Trenton. They then went to the
Hill and laid in ambuscade along the road for the purpose
& with the expectation of intercepting some Light Horse and
baggage waggons, and none appearing before 3 or 4 oClock
they sent out two men with orders to proceed as far as they
could get a view of the cleared county & make observations
The men came back after a short time and said they
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saw
five horses hitched at a house supposed to be eight horses.
They then divided and some went on one side of the
road & some on the other, in order if possible to take them
prisoners without firing on them.  as they remained longer
than had been expected, the two men were sent out again
and returned shortly with intelligence that there was a
regiment of the British coming on.  They were then ordered 
to retreat about fifty yards to the South side of the road
& fall flat on the ground.  Applicant was the out side
man on the left (they being in Indian file) and just as the
body of men was opposite to him, and the captain with
four others about 30 or 40 yards in the rear- a young man
of the name of Ezra Reese; said "now boys for an officer"
they immediately ran to the road and as soon as Reese
came up he said to the Officer, "surrender sir or you are
a dead man".  The Officer being on the other side of the
road, said "I submit sir, I am yours, and instantly turned 
his horse & rode across to Reese; as he was riding across he
had unperceived drawn his pistol, and when he came
close enough Reese reached out his hand to catch the 
bridle of the horse (the captain) gave the bridle a jerk
which caused the horse to throw up his head and prevented 
Reese from catching the bridle, and at the same moment
fired at him with his pistol but did not hit him.
The ball the struck a small sapling about three
feet from where applicant was standing. In less than
a minute the four men who were with the Captain and 
three of the horses were shot down. The captain as he turned
his horse was shot, but sat on him.- until he reached
his men who were about 80 yards distant. The British
immediately formed and fired &^the balls^ cut some of limbs of
the trees above their heads. They (this applicant & company) then
retreated into the woods and the men who had fired began
to load again. A part of the men who were on the right then
came forward to where the men & horses were lying, one of 
the
men and not dead but soon expired, after being lifted from
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under the horse which had been lying on his legs. They then proceeded 
to a point of woods within 70 or 80 yards of where the
British were paraded near a house and fired on them. and
it was afterwards told them by a man who had been lost in
the woods & taken prisoner, by the British, that they had by
the fire killed fifteen of them. After this they marched to where
the prisoners were, then went to the place where they had lodged
the night before, and next morning reached Cranberry, whilst
there & procuring something to eat the firing was heard
at Princeton. They sent off from there the prisoners & horses &
two or three of the men who were sick, and having found
a guide marched for Princeton.  as they came near and
when coming up towards ^the college^ through a meadow they met two
men who asked them where they were going, being answered
that they were going to join Genl Washington, they replied
"he is gone & the British are coming in like hail". They then
turned about & marched for their old ground.  They got
to a house near the foot of the hill as it began to grow dark
and were there but a short time until they heard the
sound of the British army as if in a great hurry;
They then marched thence to where they had lodged the previous
night, about a mile from the road. Next morning they
came to the road about day light & saw four soldiers entering
a house, they surrounded the house, took the men prisoners
sent them off under a guard, and marched after
the main body of the British. They pursued them
until they came in sight of them.  Discovering a baggage
waggon with three soldiers at some distance behind the
army where they road made a turn; they came on them
& took two of the men, the third being a Sergeant Major
& having a horse escaped.  Applicant went to the waggon
and ordered the driver up into the woods of the main
road when they had not been more than 10 or 15 minutes
until 13 or 14 Hessians came up & two British soldiers immediately
behind them who said they were part of their rear
guard and whom they made prisoners. They then had
Twenty one prisoners, nearly equal to their own number of men
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whom they took to Bordentown & delivered up, and at the same time sold off the plunder that was in the waggon.
They were then put on board a vessel & sent to Philadelphia
and discharge some time in February. This time applicant
was also out two months.
Applicant after he was discharged returned home and the
succeeding fall was drafted & sent to a place called water
Street in Huntingdon County Pennsylvania under the
command of Major Taylor. He was with some others sent as a guard on one occasion, with provisions to the lead mines
at another time the Company was ordered to cross the Canoe
mountain, the head of Sinking Valley & the Bald Eagle
Ridge to the foot of the Alleghany mountains and
range it to Fetters fort at Frankitown, which service they
performed, Major Taylor was with them. The day before
they reached their place of destination the following
circumstance recurred. A man & boy had been out to
hunt cows, an Indian shot the man & pursued the
by who having a gun turned toward the indian-
when he saw this he (the indian jumped behind a small
tree & began to reload his gun. Looking round the tree
he exposed a part of his body which the boy instantly shot
at & struck. The Indian dropped his gun & fled, and
the boy made his way to the fort - Applicant returned
from this expedition to the camp where he remained
until his term of service two ^months^ had expired, when he returned
home. This was in 1777 - In April 1779 applicant went
down the Ohio River, the party he went with intended
to go up the Kentucky river.  When they arrived at
the mouth of the Livestone, he with four others was
sent to see if there were any settlements made in that
quarter. They were to meet the canoes in 5 or 6 days. They
first to the Blue Lick, thence to Hincksons Fort, thence
to a place called McClellands spring, thence to Leestown
on the Kentucky River which they crossed & went down
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the south side, to the mouth of it where they arrived
about an hour before the canoes. When they got into the
mouth of the river, a party of indians that was
opposite fired on them & killed two & wounded
two in consequence of which they went down the
river to the falls. In the following August applicant
came up the river to Wheeling.
In April 1780 he went down again to the falls.
The Indians were killing the inhabitants almost
every week in some place or other.  In the month 
of May ten young men who had been prisoners made
their escape from the Miami of the lake and
gave information that the British & Indians
were coming with a large force to take the Falls.
In consequences of this information applicant,
with three others was employed to watch the
River. Ten of them went from the falls to the mouth
of Harrods Creek about twelve miles distant.  Applicant
& a young man by the name of Hill went
from Floyd's Station about seven miles from the
Falls at Beargrass - They struck ^the river^ above the mouth
of the Creek & continued to keep a look out
along the same to some distance above the 18 mile
island. They had to be out four days before
they came in unless they saw signs of Indians
They continued out twenty days- When the
British came to the month of the Miami, they turned
up to the mouth of the Licking, which they went
up and took two forts, and it was said they look
four hundred & fifty prisoners. Information was sent
to Col Clark who was down the river and he
came up, a company was then commenced and as
many militia & volunteers as could be obtained were
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called on to go against the Towns lying on the ^Little^ Miami
and Mad river; applicant went as a Volunteer and
had charge of a barge. The army started in July and
proceeded up the river to the mouth of Licking where
the people from the upper counties met them.  They
then crossed the river erected, a block house, and left 
their boats & baggage, & fifty men as a guard. When
the army started it was found necessary to guard against
surprise, to have spies in point.  Applicant was sent on 
said duty & was made Captain of the Spies.  He had to
leave the lines every morning at four OClock & proceed three
or four miles a head along the trail or path made
by the Indians when 'carrying off' the prisoners they had
taken and to keep one or two miles ahead until dark
then return to camp & make report. When they had
thus arrived near the first town applicant went
forward himself to view it, and saw in it two Indians
but not being acquainted with its form thought there
were more. He went back to the army which then sepe=
=rated to surround the town but before they could effect their object the two Indians mounted their horses &
escaped.  The Indians having had notice of their coming
had removed every thing from the town & burned some
of the houses. They then marched to the Pickaway town
in the Mad River where the Indians had collected all
their forces to give them battle.  When about a mile
from the town applicant went forward alone, passed
one of their sentries, and from a mining ground had a
full view of the Indians their town & fort. They
were at the time making great rejoicing, in consequence
of the arrival of seventy Miandt warriors who had
just come in. He then returned & the Col. met
him and together they placed the form of attack
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Being unacquainted with the men, they were
deprived of the advantage they would otherwise have had. they came on them sooner than they had expected. The latter commenced at three oClock and continued until near sundown before they
were completely routed. They then cut down their [come?] burned their houses and not having anything to live on but green corn they returned to the river & therein by land & water & after considerable suffering reached the falls after applicant came there, he received a certificate from the Colonel
of the service he had performed, the time he had served, & the wages he had promised which was ten shillings in Silver per day. He afterwards sent the certificate to Richmond & recd the money.
He was out in this service thirty days.
Applicant states that he was born in Cumberland County Pennsylvania in the year 1752, he has not any record of his age.
He was living in Cumberland County when called into service. in 1802 went to Hagerstown Maryland lived there then until the fall of 1803, then went down the Ohio River & came back in 1804 to Cumberland County & in 1805
he removed to Bedford County where
as resided ever since
He went into service as a volunteer & once by draft.
He never had a commission but the appointment he has mentioned, of Capt of the spies.
There is no clergyman in his neighborhood
but John Hunter & Jacob Fletcher Esqr
can testify as to his character for veracity and
their belief of his services as a soldier of
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the Revolution
He hereby relinquishes every claim what 
to a pension or annuity except the present &
declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.
For: Dickey
Sworn to & subscribed}
the day & year aforesaid}
Job Mann Prothy

Pennsylvania}
Bedford County}
We John Hunter & Jacob Fletcher Esqr
residing in Bedford County Pennsylvania do
certify that we are well acquainted with John
Dickey Esqr who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be eighty one years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution, and that we concur in that opinion
Jacob Fletcher
John Hunter
Sworn & Subscribed the}
day & year aforesaid}
Job Mann Prothy}
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State of Pennsylvania
Bedford County 
On the fourth day of September A D 1832 personally came before the subscriber a Justice of the peace in & for said County Robert
Alexander aged Seventy Eight years
who being duly sworn according to
law deposeth & said that is well acquainted with the within applicant John Dickey Esqr 
and that in the month
of January or first of February in the
year 1777 the said deponant, 
him the said John Dickey seen in Philadelphia on his return from serving a Tour of Militia duty in the Jerseys
Robert Alexander
Sworn and
Subscribed
before me 
H. H. Ford
-
And the said do hereby declare their opinion, after the
investigation of the matter, and after putting the Interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served
as he States
And the Court further certifies that it
appears to them that Jacob Fletcher and John Hunter who have signed the preceding certificate are resident in the said County of Bedford and are credible persons
and that their statement is entitled to credit
I Job Mann Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Bedford in the State of Pennsylvania, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the Original proceedings of the said Court in the matter
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of the application of John Dickey Esquire for a Pension. And I do hereby further certify that H.H. Fore Esq before whom the foregoing Deposition of Robert Alexander appears to have been taken, was at the time thereof and now is a Justice of the peace in and for said County of Bedford duly Commissioned & qualified by legal authority and acting as such.____and that the Signature H.H.
Fore thereto is genuine.
1833
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said Court at
Bedford the 10th day of September A.D. 1833
Johann Forthy,
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Rev. and 1812
Wars Section
[Illegible]
January 18, 1930.
Hon. John H. Morehead
House of Representatives
Washington, D. C.
-
My dear Mr. Morehead:
In response to your letter of January 13, 1930, I have the honor to advise you that this Bureau is unable to furnish the history of a soldier of the Revolution unless a claim for pension or bounty land has been made to the United States on account of his
services.
The records fail to show such claims on file on account of the services of Moses Dooley or
Noah Hart, or of a Joseph Hart or Seth Hart as described by you.
It is suggested that the land to which you refer as received by Moses Dooley might have been granted by the State of Virginia, and information relative thereto might be obtained from the Librarian, Virginia State Library at Richmond.
From the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S.22211, it appears that John Dickey was born in 1752 in Cumberland
County, Pennsylvania.
While residing in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, he listed and served with the Pennsylvania Troops as follows:
In July or August 1776 he volunteered and served two months in Captain John McClelland's Company; from in December 1776 two months as orderly sergeant under the same captain; from in the fall of 1777, two months under Major Taylor; from in April 1779 he served as a spy and scout on the Ohio river, length of service and names of officers are not shown; in April 1780 he was made a
"Captain of the spies", and while serving on the frontiers in the vicinity of the Ohio river, was in the battle with the Indians at the
Pickaway towns, which towns were burned, length of service thirty
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days.
In 1802 he went to Hagerstown, Maryland where he lived until the fall of 1803: in 1804
he came back to Cumberland County
and in 1805 he removed to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where he resided in the 
McConnellsburgh, when he was allowed pension on his application executed August 31, 1835.
There are no data concerning his family.
Very truly yours,
Earl D. Church
Commissioner

The letter requesting the information
furnished in this letter was addressed to
War Dept. Rev. War Rolls,-Pensions, but was not signed and was forwarded by Hon John H. Morehead so we returned it to him.
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War Depart
Hon Geo Bun
Bedford
Admit 7 Mar
$23.33
4666
1166
5832
Face
J. L. Edwards Esq
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington City DC

R F D R.D P
SEP 18
[Above is Round Stamp]
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JOHN H. MOREHEAD
1st Dist. [Illegible]
Falls City, [Illegible]

WASHINGTON [Illegible]
ROOM  [Illegible} H.G.?.

Congress of the United States
House of Representative
Washington, D.C.

January 13, 1930

Hon. Earl D. Church
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington, D.C.

My dear Commissioner:
I will appreciate it, if it is possible for
you to do so, if you will comply with
the requests made on the enclosure?
I will appreciate hearing from you at your
earliest convenience regarding this
request.
With best wishes, I am
Yours vey truly,
John H. Morshead
Enclosure

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER
U.S. BUREAU OF PENSIONS
JAN 14
[Above is Oval Stamp]
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Revolution
22211
File No,22211
John Dickey
Pri Rev War
Act: June 7" 32"
22
Index:--Vol. 2, Page 189
[Arrangement of 1870.}
1930, Jan18, Hist to
Hon John H. Morehead, M.E.