Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 16153, James Hignight, N.C. Va.

SERVICE
NUMBER
Alb. Va.
Hignight, James
S 16153
CONTENTS
buried

Virginia 23.H36
James Hignight a Lieut in the State of Va who was a for in the Regt commanded by Captain _____ of the Regt commanded by Col Morgan in the line line for 21 months — Va and N.C.
Inscribed on the Roll of Virginia at the rate of 70 — Dollars — Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1834.
Certificate of Pension issued the 20 th day of Jan: 34 and Lieut Col: M c D. Sharp. Lee C.H. — Va
Arrears to the 4th of Sept 1833 175 Semi-ant. allowance ending Jan 34 30 21.0 —
Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.
Recorded by Miss Clerk Book E Vol. 6 1/2 Page 17

James Hignight
29.050-
Camel as a pirate 21 months $70.00
Loc Lake - D. Sharp See C.H. Va
C.H.

Virginia,
At a court begun and held for Lee County at the courthouse thereof on Monday the 21 st day of October 1833.
Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7 th 1832.
State of Virginia Lee County to wit; On this 21 st day of October 1833 personally appeared in open court, before the county court of said county, now sitting, James Hignight a resident of said county aged Seventy nine years the 1 st day of June last, 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 7 th 1832.
That he was drafted into the service of the United States in the Militia of Virginia in April or May 1777 in Berkley county Virginia, and was marched to Wheeling in Virginia to guard the frontier from the North Western Indians. John Vanneter of the Virginia Militia was the applicants captain, and M c Intire and Hanto Vanneter the Lieut. & Ensign. The company remained three months at Wheeling, having several partial skirmishes with the Indians, in which our loss was one man killed, and it was not known of more than one Indian being killed by our company. On our march from Berkley to Wheeling, we went by the way of Fort Pitt, where we received our arms and ammunition, and went from thence to Wheeling, in Boats down the Ohio river. Col. Zachariah Morgan was in command at Fort Pitt when we received the guns and ammunition, and this declarants recollection at this time is, that Morgan had previously been an officer under the King of Great Britain. The declarant with his company, were discharged at wheeling after the term of their enlistment had expired, which was for three months. For this service, the declarant obtained a discharge signed by Capt. Vanneter, which he afterwards lost in a tour of service which he performed in the South, by having his pocket Book which contained it, stolen from him at his camp. In the fall of 1777 this applicant removed from Virginia to Wake county in North Carolina, where he was drafted in the summer of 1778 to serve a tour of five months in aid of the South Carolina line, in this enlistment. Jamieson was his capt. and was marched to Santee river near the east swamps

east of Charlestown in So. Carolina, and placed in the regt. commanded Col. Archy Lyttle, a Continental officer, as well as the declarant now deceased. In this enlistment the declarant and his company, and the regiment in which they were placed, were kept marching through the country in the neighbourhood of the Swamps, at short intervals, to watch the Scotch Tories and keep them in check, and returned home at the expiration of his term without receiving a discharge, until the year following. As soon as the applicant returned home from this enlistment, another draft took place in his company, and the applicant was again drafted and started immediately into service for Charlestown. This was in December 1778. On this expedi- -tion Woodson Daniel was his captain, William Hays the Lieuten- -ant, and William Mobley the Ensign. James Saunders the Serjt. In marching to Charlestown at Salisbury in North Carolina Col. Saunders regt. joined two other regts. one of which was composed of nine month men. These three regts. were all under the command of Genl. Griffith Rutherford under whom we marched to the neigh- -bourhood of Charlestown. At what was called the ten mile house from Charlestown, all the two Militia regiments mentioned, declared that they would not march any further on that direction, except this declarant and four others of his mess. and we were stopped at this place two or three days, before the men could be got to march. The Genl. having to send into Charlestown for the laws and regulations in relation to Militia Service. The men who rebelled were under the impression that they could not be taken to serve out of their own State, and many, or all of them were from North Carolina, and were now in South Carolina, and were here informed that they had to march into Georgia. On hearing the laws and regulations read to them however, they again took up their line of march towards Georgia. From the ten mile house we marched on the direction to Purysburg on the Savannah River, but after leaving the ten mile house some distance, at the forks of the road, near Bacon Bridge on the Edisto River, Col. Frank Lockes regt. of the Salisbury Militia took the right hand road to return home, and could not be pre- -vailed on by Genl. Rutherford to take the Georgia road, until he put them under guard and turned them by compulsion. For this Second Mutiny, several of the Mutineers, were whipped, which put an end to the spirit of insubordination which had been for

Several days disturbing the army. At Purysburgh Genl. Rutherford's command joined Genl. Lincoln of the continental army, with whom the declarant remained for a short time, when he, with a detachment of about three hundred, under the command of Colonel Lyttell of of the Regulars, as an entire corps, Marched from Purysburg up the Savannah River on the South Carolina Side to watch the British, who were on the Georgia Side of the River, and to endeavour to pre- -vent their crossing. The declarant was on this detached Service two or three months, when the detachment returned to the main army. on this detached Service we proceeded up the River to opposite Au- -gusta where the British were then Stationed, we, being previ- -ously joined, by Genl. Ash, and Col. Elbert, Col. Williamson and Col. Boswell with their respective commands, on our approach to Augusta, the British retreated from the place, and we crossed the River and entered the Town. From Augusta, we followed the British to Brier Creek, where the British attacked us, when Genl. Ash with his command, which was our principal force deserted us, by which the rest of the detachment were mostly killed, or taken. Ashes men in endeavouring to escape. came to a Bridge across the creek, which had been broken up. and not being able to cross the creek, & surrounded by the British on the rear, were also nearly all taken prisoners, with- -out having participated in the fight. Col. Lyttell with his detachment, of which this declarant was one, were the last on the ground, and fought until they were nearly surrounded, and found it extremely difficult to effect their escape, which they however did, after sustaining considerable loss. — From Brier Creek Col. Lyttell with his detachment crossed the River, where we met with Genl. Rutherford who was coming to our support. and then Col. Lyttell left us and went to Genl. Lincoln. Genl. Rutherford Stationed us at a place on the River called the two Sisters where we remained until the end of our enlistment from whence we returned home, Genl. Rutherford having previously left us, and also Col. Saunders of the Regiment to which the declarant belonged. after their departure the principal officer in command at the two Sisters, were Col. Spurlack of the North Carolina Militia. Capt. Daniel brought us home in a body and gave us dischar- -ges after we got home, my Discharge from Capt. Woodson

Daniel Marked (A) is herewith filed, in proof of this declaration. It was after my return home from this tour, that Col. Michael Rogers of the Wake Malitia, gave me a discharge for my previous tour of five months, dated on the 13 th day of May 1779 which, Marked (B) is also herewith filed, as proof of this declaration as to that Service. Each of these two tours of Service was for five Months. After my return home from my last Service, I removed into Surry County in North Carolina, when in a little time another requisition was made to go to Charlestown, as an attack was expected by the British on that place. In this requisition this declarant had a young brother who volunteered in the Service, which again determined this declarant to go also. He there- fore took the place of a poor man who was drafted, and who seemed very unwilling to go, without any thing for so doing, except the promise of the said poor man to make some little fixing to the cabin of this declarant's Mother, who was a Widow, and whose cabin had not been prepared to make her comfortable in the winter. The declarant's principal inducement to go on this tour, was to be enabled to take care of his young brother whilst in Service. The declarant started on this tour some time before Christmas in 1779 in the company commanded by Capt. Richard Allen under whom he marched till we joined the Regt. commanded by Col. Andrew Hampton, to which the declarant was attached, and another Regt. Commanded by Col. Harnight in the Brigade commanded by Genl. Littleton all of the Malitia. After we joined Col. Hampton, he wanted a company of Pioneers. and one was formed of about ten men and the declarant was appointed a Sergeant to command them. In this capacity the declarant performed the Balance of the march to Charlestown, and served his whole tour in the same, which was a period of five Months. At Charlestown we joined the Army of Genl. Greene, who then commanded there, and the only duty performed by the army during this term of Service, was in keeping guard and fortifying around the city of Charlestown. The British made no attack upon the place, until after this declarant was discharged, which was in the Spring of 1780. For this last Service, the declarant had a regular discharge, which he has some how lost, as he cannot find it among his papers. and in and it is altogether accidental that he has the two discharges which he now produces, as he never expected they would be of any Service to him, and took no

care of them on that account. He does not recollect that he has seen them in thirty years until the passage of the law under which he makes his application, after which, in hunting through his old papers, he found them, without knowing previously that they had been preserved. The discharge for the last mentioned Service, he cannot find. In the fall of 1781 the declarant turned out a Volunteer on the expedition to King's Mountain, and joined the Regiment of North Carolina Militia commanded by Col. Benjamin Cleveland and Marched with him to intersect Major or Col. Ferguson, in the company commanded by Capt. Benjamin Hearn. The declarant belonged to the foot troops, and was left behind by the Mounted men, under the care of Capt. Richard Allen, & Col. Isaac; the declarant's Capt. having a horse, went forward with the Mounted troops. The declarant was of course not in the battle, which was fought by the mounted men before the foot troops could get up, who did not arrive at the Battle ground until the morning after the Battle. Col. Cleveland was the oldest officer in command on the expedition, but relinquished his right to Col. W m Campbell of the Virginia troops, because he had the largest number of Men, and as they were fighting furthest from home, it would encourage them to place their Officer in chief command. The other officers commanding Regiments were Col. Shelby, Col. Sevier, and Col. Williams or Williamson, the last of whom was from South Carolina, and who was wounded in the battle and died the P. or T. day thereof with his wounds. A Capt. Bell from Georgia was also wounded, and died on the same night of the Col. at Pendleton's old fields on Broad River, and they were both buried in one grave. — The declarant with the other foot troops arrived at the Battle ground but a short time before the Mounted troops were ready to leave it with the prisoners, and the declarant continued with the army, and helped guard the prisoners to the Moravian Towns in North Carolina where the declarant remained a short time and then returned home. The declarant obtained no discharge for this Service, nor ever drew any pay for it, and now thinks he was absent upon the expedition about three months. The declarant performed several other short Services against the Tories in North Carolina, but being of but short duration, he thinks it scarcely worth while to name them.

They would not all probably exceed a Month in duration. For the performance of any of the foregoing Services, he, knows of no living witness who can prove them. He hereby Relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State. Sworn to and Subscribed the day & year James his Hignight mark aforesaid.
Testo J.W.S. Morrison DC
We Isaac Chrisman a Clergyman residing in the county of Lee, and Samuel Ewing residing in the same, hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with James Hignight who has Subscribed and Sworn to the above declaration. We have been thus acquainted with him from thirty to forty years. That we believe him to be near eighty years of age; that he is reputed and believed, in the neighbourhood where he resides, to have been a Soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn to and Subscribed the 21 st day of October 1833
Isaac Chrisman Sam t Ewing
Testo J.W.S. Morrison DC
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 Isaac Chrisman, who has signed the preceding certificate, is a clergyman, resident in the county of Lee, and that Samuel Ewing, who has also signed the same, is a resident in the county of Lee, and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
Virginia, Lee County towit:
I, Alexander W. Mills, clerk of the court
of said county, do hereby certify, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of the application of James Hignight for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and Seal of office, this 28 th day of October 1833 In the 58 th year of the Commonwealth.
Alexander W Mills Clerk of Lee County

Address To
Col. John D. Sharp
See C.H.V. 2

16.153 INVALID.
File No. 16.153
James Hignight Per Rev War
Act: June 7 th 32
Index:—Vol. 1 , Page 174
[Arrangement of 1870.]