Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 9,196, Benjamin Coats, N.H.

SERVICE
N.H.
Coats, Benjamin
NUMBER
8,9196
CONTENTS
carded.

14223 New York
Benjamin Coats
of Onandago in the State of New York who was a private in the Com y commanded by Captain Foster Brooks of the Reg t commanded by Col. DeWitt in the New York line for 13 Months
★ N.Y. Line
Record corrected.
Inscribed on the Roll of New York at the rate of 43 Dollars 66 Cents per annum, to commence on the 14th day of March, 1834.
Certificate of Pension issued the 15. day of May 1839 - and sent to George Pettit. Fabius Onandago Co. N.Y.
Arrears to the 14th of March 1839. 87. 32
Semi-ant. allowance ending 4 th Sep r 1839. 21. 83
$109.15
{ Revolutionary Claim, } { Not June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by George Taylor Clerk, Book C. Vol. 4 3 Page 49.
Named reported - 43. 66 per annum 28. June '39 in letter to John J. Manning same date.

Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress, passed June 7 th 1832.
State of New York
County of Onondaga ss On this 15 th day of February 1833, personally appeared before George Pettit a Judge of the County Courts in and for the said County, Benjamin Coats, at his own house in the Town of Pompey in said County, being unable, on account of age and infirmity, to attend the Court, aged Eighty two years, the 11 th day of November last, who being first duly sworn, according to Law, doth, on his Oath, depose and says and make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7 th 1832 - That he entered the service of the United States under the following named Officers and served as hereinafter - That in the year 1776 on the 26 th day of January, being then a resident of the Town of Hartford in the State of Vermont on the West side of Connecticut river, he enlisted into the service of the United States, under Captain Easterbrooks sometimes called Eastbrook, and Eastbrooks, who commanded in the regular service a company belonging to Col Beadle's Regiment of Rangers, that he was mustered in Chesterston in the state of New Hampshire, that he does not recollect any Lieutenant or Ensign of said Company, & believes there were none at that time belonging to said company, that Daniel Campbell was the first Sergeant in the Company, at that time, that also at muster of the privates in said company were also mustered with him as aforesaid, and marched under said Captain Easterbrooks to Tienderoga in the said State of New York, where there were other troops & where we remained about a fortnight, & then marched to Crown point on the ice, and was there & at Stony point till the ice broke up, & boats could be used, that while at Tienderoga & Crown point & on the march as aforesaid, a great many soldiers came in & joined the troops, among whom were the Jersey Blues, that the company & troops then went in Boats to St Johns, & the next day marched over to La Prairie where after one or two days we crossed over to about a mile above Montreal, and remained a number of days, & then were marched to Fort St Johns, and there, for the first and only time he saw Col Beadle, where

the army collected in considerable force - that they all then crossed over and went up to the cedars at which place he remembers seeing, Capt Grew, Captain Wilkinson, & Major Buttsfield of the Rangers came there & took command of them, & Captain Easton Brooks who staid behind at St Johns joined the Company again at the cedars, that on the 19th of May the enemy surrendered the place, & the americans surrendered as prisoners of War, having one man killed & scalped by the Indians, and were all taken back to Fort Stur, & after one or two days, were all carried in the night, back over the Water to a little Village where there was a stone Church, in which the prisoners were disposed of - that in crossing the water from Fort Stur, we stopped in the night on a lit- tle island, & in the morning General Arnold with about a thousand men appeared marching down towards Fort Stur - this was Saturday morning, & that day & on Sunday, Flags pas- sed back & forth, from General Arnold and Capt Foster, who commanded the party of the enemy by whom we were taken & had charge of the prisoners at the Church, & conducted the capitulation & exchange of prisoners - in pursuance of which - Capt Foster counted off half of the prisoners among whom was the deponent, & sent them off in boats to Caughnawaga where we arrived on Monday morning and went that day to La Prairie, from thence to St Johns, Crown Point, to Ticonderoga, where Col Van Rensselaer was then in command - & waited there a few days for clothing & victuals & returned home from there, as fast as his health & strength would permit - that from the time he was exchanged as aforesaid, till he reached home, which was about the first of July, he suffered for food, & on one occasion he lost sixteen meals without any thing to eat - that he enlisted as a forester for the term of one year - that afterwards, in the month of August, John Dwell, who belonged to the same com- pany, & who was the person who enlisted the deponent as aforesaid & paid him the bounty for Capt Easton Brooks, return- ed to Ticonderoga, 18th in declarant with him, in pursuance of orders from the Local Committee of Hartford aforesaid, through the woods by a secret compass & we arrived at Ticonderoga in about four days - that he continued in the service of the United States, & did du-

ty as a boatman from Tienderoge to Shanesborough till Nov- ember, & then went home, with a discharge signed by one of the Surgeons and one of the Captains in the said Regiment of Rangers, Capt Eastbrooks having died at St Johns with the smallpox, & Lieutenant Campbell being absent & sick. & no officer belonging to said Company being present, higher than second Serjeant - that General Gates refused to sign any discharges when the enemy was so near - that Col Beadle was arrested at St Johns - that the Deponent arrived at home on the 17th day of November 1776, that after keeping said discharge a good while it was lost - That in March 1777 there was a draught for men, & the deponent was draughted & went under Capt Williams of Woodstock in Vermont, when the Company joined Col Joseph Marshes Regiment of Militia in Charleston aforesaid, sometimes called Newber force, & marched to Tienderoge, and was dismissed the day after he arrived there: & without waiting for pay or rations, the deponent started & reached home after being absent half a month - That in July there was a General call for men, & he went with Col Hartleton, of Hartford aforesaid, towards Otter Creek, was taken sick, & dismissed by Col Hartleton, & arrived at home after be- ing gone from home three days - that he recollects there was a man, whose name he verily believes was Willard, about forty or fifty years old, who had a bay with him & they both belonged to Beadles Regiment, that on the march from St Johns St Johns to Saratoga as aforesaid, they all three lodged at a French widows house, that said Willard & the French the -one had had a difficulty - She said She had a good heart for America, and a pretty good one for the French, but none at all for the British - that he has not seen neither of them till within a few days - when John Willard of Beth- any, called on the deponent, & from his age, and the in- dividual events he relates, the deponent has no doubt he is the the bay above alluded to - that he has no documentary evidence, & knows of no person whose testimony he can procure Who can testify to his service excepting the said John Willard whose deposition is annexed - that he claims a Pension for

the term of ten months and ten days - and he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State -
And the Deponent further says that he was born in Stonington in the State of Connecticut, and has had the place pointed out where he was told he was born, in the year 1750, and that he knows of no record of his age or birth, except there is one on the Town book of said Town - that he removed after the revolutionary War to St. Johnstown, lived there seven months & then removed to Hoosick in the State of New York, & from there, about seven years afterwards, he removed to Galway in New York & lived there nine years, & then removed to Pompey aforesaid where he now resides, & that John Smitner, Daniel Allen & Grafton Sweet three of his neighbors will testify as to his character for veracity, & their belief of his services as a revolutionary Soldier -
Sworn to and subscribed to his the day and year aforesaid Benjamin X Coats before - George Pettit mark Judge of Onondaga County Courts
We John Smitner, a Clergyman residing in the Town of Pompey and Grafton Sweet, residing in the same place, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Benjamin Coats, who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be eighty two years old, that he is respected & believed, in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion -
Sworn and subscribed the John Smitner day & year aforesaid before George Pettit Judge of Grafton Sweet Onondaga County Courts

And I the said Judge do hereby declare my 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, & served as he states. And do further certify, that it appears to me that John Smither, who has signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman resident in the Town of Pompey aforesaid, and that Grafton Sweet, who has also signed the same is a resident also of said Town of Pompey, and is a credible person, & that their statement is entitled to credit - that I have been and acquainted personally & intimately acquainted with said Sweet twenty six, & with said Smither about ten years, & they both are men of unquestionable veracity - and further that I have known the said applicant nearly thirty years as a man of truth & veracity, that he now is very deaf, & blind, but notwithstanding, is unusually intelligent, & particular in his recollections, and that I have no doubt of the truth of his statement - & that in my opinion he is unable on account of said bodily infirmities to attend the Court - Given under my hand and
Seal at Pompey in said County this 15th day of February in the year 1853.
George Pettet Judge of Onondaga County Courts -
de at the time - that the Defendant testified with a jury of his peers

State of New York Onondaga County ss } On the 15 th day of February 1833, personally appeared before George Pettit a Judge of the County Courts in and for said County, John Willard, aged twenty six years, of the Town of Bethany, County of Onondaga State aforesaid, who being duly sworn, according to Law, deposes and says, that he was a Soldier in the revolutionary War, and belonged to a company commanded by Capt Daniel Carlisle, which was attached to Col Beadle's Regiment of Rangers, Lieutenant Whitcomb was an officer in said com- pany - that he enlisted into said Company in December 1775 or January 1776 and was mustered at Charleston New Hampshire, and marched through Springfield, & Canaan in Vermont, over the Green mountains to Ticonderoga - from there to Crown Point on the ice, from there we took boats to St Johns, & then overland to Sackett's Harbor - thence to Coughnawaga from whence, we crossed over the St Lawrence, & went up to Fort Ogdens, where in a few days the Americans were surrounded by the enemy and all taken prisoners, and carried away in the night by water, and the next day were lodged in a Stone Church from whence General Arnold was seen across the river, with his troops; and an arrangement was made, by a flag, between him & Capt Foster who was the British Officer in command of the Stone Church, for an exchange of Prisoners, which was ef- fected, in a few days, & the prisoners were sent over to the Cough- nawaga side, & on their way homewards, Henry Willard the defendant's father, who was also a Soldier in Carlisle's com- pany, was taken sick with the small pox & died at St Johns that there was a man in Beadle's Regiment, by the name of Benjamin Gault, as he frequently heard the name called on guard - and served in the same campaign as stated above - that yesterday he saw Benjamin Gault of Pompey in the County of Onondaga, State of New York & has been in his company today - that the defendant has heard his declaration hereto- annexed read, & very distinctly remembers the incidents therein mentioned in relation to the French woman - the Drummer going over to the Enemy - the Drum major being whipped at Mount Independence & the defendant standing in the cir- cle at the time - that the Defendant talked with Sergeant Gibbs

at that place, who kept Beer to sell to the Soldiers - and the said Benjamin recollects & states the main events and events of the campaign with so much particularity, that deponent is satisfied beyond a doubt, that he was a Soldier in Beekman Regiment at the same time with this deponent, & is the same man whose name he heard called as aforesaid - that deponent was taken prisoner as aforesaid in the month of May 1776 that the Officers at Mount Independence alleged that Capt. Foster had broke his treaty, & therefore the latter men were not permitted afterwards to go home -  Sworn & subscribed the day and year aforesaid before George Pettit Judge of Onondaga County Courts -
John W. M c Ad
I hereby certify that I have had an occasional acquaintance with John Willard, who has subscribed and sworn to the above deposition before me, for about five years past, and that he is reputed to be a man of veracity & I believe his statement is entitled to credit
George Pettit Judge
State of New York County of Onondaga
I Reuben S. Hef Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of said County do certify that George Pettit esquire before whom the preceding affidavits purport to have been sworn was on the 15 th day of February last one of the Judges of said Court (which is a court of record) And that I am acquainted with his hand writing and verily believe his name subscribed to the jurat of said affidavits and also to the preceding declaration and certificate to be the proper hand writing and signatures of the said Judge. Witness my hand and Seal of Office this 2 d day of March 1833.  R. S. Hef Clerk
B. Coats B en Coats 233355

23355
Bryantoads New York
ML
Geo. Pettit Fabius Amundaga Co. N York

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office,
183
Sir:
The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has been examined, and the papers are herewith returned. The following is a statement of your case in a tabular form. On comparing these papers with the following rules, and the subjjoined notes, you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed, before a pension can be allowed. The notes and the regulations will shew what is necessary to be done. Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed, you will find marked in the margin with a brace, (thus: { ). You will, when you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them; and you will, by complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim.
A Statement, shewing the Service of Benjamin Coats Onandaga Co. New York
   Period when the service was rendered. Duration of the claimant's service Rank of the claimant. Names and Rank of the Company officers under whom he served. Names and Rank of the General and Field officers. Battles in which the applicant was engaged. Country through which he marched. Place of abode when he entered the service, and age at the present period. Evidence by which the declaration is supported.   Years. Months. Days.     Oct 1776 1 10 10 privt Capt. Easton William Col Brattle William Charlestown New York 82 years Traditionary   Aug 1777 ~ ~ 3 Seconders ga Stony Point St Johns La Prairie Fort Edward Ticonderoga Man of Stamford State of Vermont Evidence Witness for 1 hour credible witness Clergyman Citizen Certificate  
I am, respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
J. L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner of Pensions.

REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832.
The following regulations have been adopted:
This law has been construed to extend, as well to the line, as to every branch of the Staff of the Army, and to include under the terms "Continental Line," "State troops," "militia," and "volunteers," all persons enlisted, drafted, or who volunteered and who were bound to military service, but not those who were occasionally employed with the army upon civil contracts, such as Clerks to Commissaries and to Store Keepers, &c. Teamsters, Boatmen, &c. Persons who served on board of Private Armed Vessels are also excluded from the benefits of the law, as well as persons who turned out as patrols, or were engaged in guarding particular places at night, and were not recognized as being in actual military service.
Four general classes of cases are embraced in this law:
 1. The Regular Troops.  2. The State Troops, Militia, and Volunteers.  3. Persons employed in the Naval service.  4. Indian Spies. 
As rolls of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department, all persons claiming the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians or privates, will in the first instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of Record of the County where such applicant resides. And every Court having by law a seal and Clerk is considered a Court of Record.
DECLARATION,
In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June, 1832.
State, Territory, or District of } ss. County of }
On this _____ day of _____ personally appeared (a) before A. B. a resident (b) of _____ in the county of _____ and State, Territory or District of _____ aged (c) _____ 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 provision made by the act of Congress, passed June 7th, 1832. That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year (d) _____, with _____ and served in the _____ (e) regiment of the _____ line, under the following named officers:
[Here set forth the names and rank of the Field and Company Officers; the time he left the service; (and if he served under more than one term of enlistment, he must specify the particular period, and rank and names of his officers;) the town or county and State in which he resided when he entered the service; the battles, if any, in which he was engaged, and the country through which he marched. [This form is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons who belonged to the militia, volunteers, navy, &c.]
He hereby relinquishes every claim (f) whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State, or (if any) only on that of the Agency in the State of _____
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
A. B.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.
I _____ of the Court of _____ do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of _____ for a pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this _____ day of _____ &c.
If, on examination of the proper record the names of applicants, making such declaration, cannot be found, they will produce such proof as the rule given in note (j) points out.
Every applicant who claims a pension by virtue of service in the State Troops, Volunteers or Militia, except those who belonged to the New Hampshire Militia and State Troops of Virginia, will make and subscribe a declaration similar to the foregoing, with the following additions, viz:
(k) We, A. B., a Clergyman, residing in the _____ and C. D. residing in (the same) _____ hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with _____, who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be _____ 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.
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
And the said Court 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 A. B. who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the _____
and that C. D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the _____ and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I, _____ Clerk of the Court of _____ do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of _____ for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, this _____ day of _____ &c.
Every applicant will produce the best proof in his power. This is the original discharge or commission; but if neither of these can be obtained, the party will so state under oath, and will then procure, if possible, the testimony of at least one credible witness, stating in detail his personal knowledge of the services of the applicant, and such circumstances connected therewith, as may have a tendency to throw light upon the transaction.
If such surviving witness cannot be found, the applicant will so state in his declaration (l) and he will also, whether he produce such evidence or not, proceed to relate all the material facts, which can be useful in the investigation of his claim, and in the comparison of his narrative with the events of the period of his alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person

will be indispensable to a favorable action upon his case. The facts stated will afford one of the principal means of corroborating the declaration of the applicant, if true, or of detecting the imposition, if one be attempted; and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be expected. All applicants will appear before some Court of Record in the County, in which they reside, and there subscribe and be sworn to, one of the declarations above provided, according to the nature of his case.
The Court will propound the following ( m ) interrogatories to all applicants for a pension, on account of service in the Militia, State troops, or Volunteers, except the Militia of New Hampshire and the State troops of Virginia.
 1. Where and in what year were you born?  2. Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?  3. Where were you living when called into service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary war, and where do you now live?  4. How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute? And if a substitute, for whom?  5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served; such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services.  6. { To a Soldier. } Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given and what has become of it? { To an Officer. } Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what has become of it?  7. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution. 
The Court will see that he answers to these questions are embodied in the declaration, and they are requested to annex their opinions of the truth of the statement of the applicant.
The applicant will further produce in Court, if the same can be done, in the opinion of the Court, without too much expense and inconvenience to him, two respectable persons -one of whom should be the nearest clergyman, if one lives in the immediate vicinity of such applicant, who can testify, from their acquaintance with him, that they believe he is of the age he represents, and that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood to have been a Revolutionary soldier, and that they concur in that opinion. If one of these persons is a Clergyman, the Court will so certify, and they will also certify, to the character and standing of other persons, giving such certificates.
The traditional evidence of service is deemed very important, in the absence of any direct proof, except the declaration of the party. And the Courts are requested to be very particular in the enquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
Applicants unable to appear in Court by reason of bodily infirmity, may make the declaration before required, and submit to the examination, before a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duties, which the Court is herein requested to perform, and will also certify that the applicant cannot, from bodily infirmity, attend the Court.
Whenever any official act is required to be done by a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or by a Justice of the peace, the certificate of the Secretary of State or Territory, or of the proper Clerk of the Court or County, under his seal of office, will be annexed, stating that such person is a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or a Justice of the Peace, and that the signature annexed is his genuine signature.
No payments can be made on account of the services of any person, who may have died before the taking effect of the act of June 7, 1832; and in case of death subsequent thereto, and before the declaration herein required is made, the parties interested will transmit such evidence as they can procure, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period of his death, the opinion of the neighborhood respecting such services, the title of the claimant, and the opinion of the Court upon the whole matter.
[a] The declarant must appear in open Court, unless prevented from doing so by reason of bodily infirmity; in which case the declarant will follow the rule laid down for his guidance.
[b] The declarant must make his declaration in the county where he resides. If he should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not conforming to the rule.
[c] The age of the claimant must invariably be mentioned.
[d] The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
[e] Every continental officer or soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the claim cannot be had. Every claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear 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 _____ year _____ months, and _____ days, I served as a _____. For _____ months and _____ days, I served as a _____; and for such service I claim a pension."
It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months , in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is highly objectionable. It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement; the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil pursuit.
[f] The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
[g] The opinion of the Court is always required.
[h] The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
[i] The Clerk must affix his seal, and if it has no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no public seal of office, the certificate of a Member of Congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the papers.
Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticates the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.
Proof of Service.
[j] In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses, who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimant's entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
[k] The notes from [a] to [i] are all equally applicable to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule [j] applies to continental troops only.
[l] This traditional evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
[m] If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact.
[n] The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.

Rev War
9196
INVALID.
File No. 9196
Benjamin Coats Briv. Rev. War
Act: June 9 th /32
Index:—Vol. 102 , Page 78
[Arrangement of 1870.]