Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1814-09-01
Shepherds Toacn, August 1914.
Dear Sir.

Dear Sir,
Although | do not see the necessity &c
adopting the measure you so earnestly 70.
commend in your letter Of the 2lst nlt 7
will, in Difference to your better judgment.
and also to the opinion of many of nv
friends who have repeatedly made similar
requests, commit to paper the statement.
which some time since | made TO YOU yer.
bally, and leave it to your discretion how
to use it. 1t will convince every candid
mind, that those anonymous publications
which have lately appeared in the Charles
Town paper, and Richmond Enquirer. q.
gainst me, are utterly false and malicious.
In some one of those publications, after
giving what is there called a " detail of NV
military e~areer,' it is insinuated that I
" swore allegiance to the king Of Great Bril-
tain, for the purpose of procuring my re-
lease from captivity, and that thereby I
obtained a British protection These
charges you think require attention and
should be refuted. This | should have
done long since, had | not considered the
source from which they probably origina-
ted, and the manner in which they were
made. ! will now give a correct /" detail
OF my military career" and manner of my
release from captivity.
in Dune, l775, Captain Hugh Stephen.
son, under a resolution of Congress, raised
a company of volunteers in Berkeley Coun.
ty, to serve one year in the Continental ar
my. TINS company was composed Of young
men, most of whom, in wealth and respec-
liability, ranked as first in society, William
tienshaw, George Scott and Thomas Hite.
were Lieutenants among the privates now
living, were, Judge White of Winchester,
Col. Joseph Swearingen, Gen. Samuel
tindley of Chilicothe, Maj Henry Beding-
er OF Berkeley, Mai Michael Bedineer OF
kentacky, and Nathaniel Pendleton, ESQ.
OF New-York. ! am thus particular in mem
tloning the names of my fellow soldiers.
because to them | appeal for the truth of
what | state Two or three DAYS previous
TO our departure from Shepherd's-T Town for
Boston, Lieut.. Hite declined marching
Capt. Stephenson Immediately gave the
company notice of this circumstance. and
requested them TO select. ON the ensuing
day, from among themselves, some one to
I'LL this vacancy-l was accordingly select
ed, almost by an unanimous vote. Tt was
thus obtained a Lieutenant's commission.
and not las stated in the Charles Town pa.
peri " by means Of the friendly patronage
OF Col Hugh Stephenson feel a pride
IN saying, that not only Col. Hugh Sic
phenson, but his brother john, and their
half brother Col. Crawford, who was mas
sacred by the indians, were 10y friends,
from my infancy until their deaths, and /
ever retained their confidence and esteem,
but neither ofthem was ever my patron.
The company marched to Boston, in July.
l775, and in March, l776, returned to
New York, in which neighbourhood they
closed their term of service. Before the
expiration OF our term, Gen. Washington
recommended to Congress the raising Of a
rifle regiment, from Maryland and Virginia,
and to appoint Col. Hugh Stephenson to
the command, Rawlings Lieut.. Col. Ohio
IL. Williams Major, and myself as senior
Captain-we were commissioned accord
ingly. | Immediately enlisted out of the
old company about twenty men to serve
three years; then came on to Virginia,
and in a short time enlisted seventy-ona
men IN all, and marched them off as soon
as | could by parties. On the 4th October
| arrived at Bergen Point, opposite to New
iork, where Col. Rawlings was with what
part OF the regiment had arrived at camp.
In a few days we were ordered up to Fort
Lee, and shortly after the main body of the
regiment was ordered over to Fort Wash.
ington. Our regiment was to hold the post
towards Kings Bridge, and to defend thai
passage We had not been there many
DAYS before the enemy concentrated his
whoie force in our neighbour GOD. On the
18th or 18th of November teo. m -.
shaati guard at Kings Bridge on that, and
ehe Inree succeeding days, we had severe
sklrmishing. On the mornino Of tho 4
| was ordered out with a strono picues Il
100 men, so of whom were militia. post-
ed my men in a strong position on the cliFs
OF the North River and within about t,ste
hundred yards of the enemy. being we'll
covered by trees, rocks and cedar bushes
Anout u o'clock Gen. Patterson. Of tie
brush army, came on. demaneinr 4 sr;r-