The Robertson Genealogy Exchange

State of Tennessee

Court of pleas and Quarter sessions October

Hardeman County

term 1832

Be it known On this the 3rd day of October in the year of our / lord 1832 personally appeared in Open Court before the judge justice / of the Court of Hardeman County now sitting William Robertson a / resident of Hardeman County aforesd. aged about 73 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 Act / of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

That he was born on Peedee river but he does not know / in what county he does not recollect what year he was born in / he has no register of his age but from what he has heard his / mother say of his age he must have been born in the year / 1759. When the revolutionary war commenced he resided in what / is now called Washington County Tennessee the Indians became / troublesome and my father Charles Robertson who was the first Colo. / of Robert Washington County was compelled to abandon his home / with his family and take shelter in the Watauga fort. he then / entered the service under the Captain James Robertson since / Gen. Robinson of Tennessee as a volunteer to fight the Indians / & tories. he does not recollect what time he volunteered under Capt. / Robertson but it was about the first of the breaking out of war. After serving in guarding the fort for some time / Col. Chester from Virginia came on with some troops and / relieved us. sometime afterward [—] he [—] enlisted under / Captain Thomas Price as a mounted dragoon to guard / the frontiers of Washington County for the term / of one year after he had served out his twelve months under / Price the Indians still continued hostile he was then / drafted under Capt W. Parker for three months during / which time he acted as Lieutenant and marched under / Genl Evan Shelby against the Cherokee indians. my father / Charles Robertson was Colonel we went to an Indian town / called Chickamauga the Indians fled before battle us / we burnt burned their town and returned home shortly after / he returned home he was again drafted to march against / the tories and British he was under Captain Robert Lieu / tenant Christopher Cunningham. My father & Col John / Sevier commanded the regiment. we were Patrolling the / Country near Musgroves Mill when we came in contact / with some of Fergusons dragoons they urged us to retreat / we then joined Col McDowell and marched against

Pat. Moores fort on the Thickety Creek in Spartinburgh / County S. Carolina the fort surrendered without firing a gun / their was about 90 tories in the fort then we returned home / was not home very long until McDowell sent for Col / Sevier to return to fight the tories and Maj Ferguson / he returned under Capt Robert Sevier and was in the battle / of Kings Mountain by Captain Robert Sevier was wound / =ed he desired to be carried home he this affsaid under / took to assist in getting him home but Sevier died at WS / Sam Brights on Tar river before he got home — / The next campaign he was in was under Captain James / Richardson commanded by Genl. Joseph Martin for the term / of three months we march [sic] against the Cherokee Indians / and was in the battle of lookout mountain — Maj. / Joseph Bullard was killed in that battle and he buri / =ed him in his blanket Capt Gibson was also killed / this was after the war He received no discharge in writing / Captain William Walker of Hardin County has known me / for sixty years and can testify as to my Services Major / Christopher Bullard has known me for 50 years and / can also testify as to my services

[—] I William Robert Walker hereby certify that I am / well acquainted with William Robertson who has subscribed / & sworn to the above declaration and have known him for / upwards of sixty years I have frequently seen him in the / army of the North Carolina Militia during the revolu / =tionary war I saw him in the battle of Kings Moun / tain and I believe that he has served as above & by him stated —

I Christopher Bullard a citizen of Hardeman County Tennessee / do hereby certify that I am well acquainted with William / Robertson who has subscribed & sworn to the above declara / tion, and have known him for fifty years I saw him / and was with him in the expedition to Kings lookout / mountain and was with him in that battle in the year / which was some years after the revolution but I do not recollect in

[f. 3 is missing from my copy of the document]

Source: National Archives of the United States, Revolutionary Pension File S4790. Also available at United States Veterans Administration, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files, Robertson, Joseph – Robertson, Zachariah, FHL microfilm 972062. Document images courtesy of Pollye Calvery.

All original material Copyright ©2003 Tom Robertson. All rights reserved including those of electronic transmission and reproduction of the material in any format.