The United States,----------------------------------------------------
To Margaret Robinson, one of the two children of David Blalock, dec’d, late a pensioner of the Jackson Tenn Agency, per Act of Congress of June 7, 1832.
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For ½ of his pension from March 4, 1841, to Feb’y 28, 1842, at $40 per annum $19.84/100

Stated Jan’y  26, 1858 by Ed. T. Marhews, Clerk

Treasury Department,
Second Comptroller’s Office
Examined Jan 27, 1858, by Jos T. Adams, Clerk
 

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State of Tennessee
County of Shelby

John W A Pettit
Margaret Robinson

She is one of the surviving children of David Blalock the identical person who was a Pensioner and is now dead and to whom a pension certificate was issued, but which after diligent search cannot be found for the purpose of being surrendered.  That the said David Blalock left no widow surviving him and two children only to wit: This deponent and her sister Mary Webb [Mary Rebecca Blalock Webb?] who has been absent for over fifteen years without having been heard from and this deponent has no knowledge of her present residence, or if she is living or dead.

That the deceased pensioner resided before his death in  Fayette County, said the state and has resided there for the space of 7 years and previous there to he had resided in Franklin County, same state, of the truth of which statement I am fully satisfied                                      Her
                                                                                 Margaret + Robinson
                                                                                              Mark

Witness              James T. Brown

Sworn to and subscribed before use, this 10th
Day of September  A.D. 1857
John W.A. Pettit           Justice of the Peace

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26643
Tennessee

David Blalock
Fayetteville          Tennessee

Private              ??
Captain Gholson             Regiment
Col. Cleveland                North Carolina
1 Year
 

David Blalock Record
                  West Virginia
40 Dollars

4th day of March 1831

14th day of April
1834     Hon. W C
Dunlap the Re(corder)
March 120.00
Sept. 20.00
---------------
140.00

Recorded by Dan Brigs

E  7
 

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DECLARATION

In order to attain the benefit of the Act of Congress on the 7th day of June 1832 state of Tennessee, Fayette County.

On this ___ Day of ____ 1832, David Blalock, a citizen of Fayette County, State of Tennessee, on oath, made the  following declaration –  I am eighty two years of age in March last past and served, in the Revolutionary War, three tours of defence of this liberty of my country.  At an early period several years before the war began my father was a Regulator in the sov’n(?) state of North Carolina and was killed in a skirmish with some enlisted troops [while] attempting to supply the Regulators.  My father’s house was burnt and my mother left helpless.  This infused into my mind an _____ feeling against that nation [England] which I shall carry with me to my grave.

At the breaking out of the war I was living with my mother at a place called Hickory Mountain ten miles from Pittsboro in Chatham County, state of North Carolina.

I enlisted and I joined the state troops at Pittsboro (year not recollected) from whence we moved to Ramsay’s Mills in the same county [Chatham] which was our place of rendezvous.  I served the first tour of three months marching backward and forward over the western part of South Carolina and some parts of

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North Carolina.  There were no English troops in this part of the state at that time and we were employed chiefly in repressing down the Tories who were numerous and very hostile.  I served my time out under one Captain Nash’s company.   Abner Nash I think, and with a Spencer Stuart as Lieutenant, and [I] was discharged by order from General Ramsay at Ramsay’s Mills in Chatham County.  I did not preserve my discharge.

The second service I engaged in was a tour of nine months. I think in the Regular Continental line.  At any event I was called a regular.  I enlisted under a Recruiting officer (his name not recollected) for the term of nine months at my usual place at Pittsboro, Chatham County, N.C. and was marched with about 150 others to the _____ at R[amsay’s] Mills where I was put under the command of a brave Captain Gholson, a small man with red hair and a Lieutenant Robinson.  I recollect Gholson better than any other officer in the whole service but General Ramsay because I served longer under him and like him better.  This company performed much detached service and mostly off on scouting excursions has had much smaller and irregular skirmishing with the Tories, has attacked British in a swamp above Georgetown

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and drove them out of their ambush.  We were most of the time in South Carolina.  I recollect we drove them out of a heavy swamp called Raft Swamp.  Shortly after this we marched to the northern part of the state and joined Colonel [Benjamin] Cleveland.  There we fought in the battle of King’s Mountain [on October 7, 1780].  There were only a company or so of Regulators in that battle speedly ____ Gholson this ____ _____ up militia.

This battle, as well as I recollect, started about mid-day and lasted ___ an hour.  The company I was in was bore hardest upon and was forced for a short time to retreat but we recruited(?) and _____ an  irregular line – we killed a [Col. Patrick] Ferguson and defeated his band [120 Tories killed, 123 wounded, 664 captured; 28 Whigs killed, 62 wounded.  The battle at King’s Mountain was the turning point of the Revolutionary War and prevented the British from consolidating their forces throughout the South, which they were almost ready to do].

As soon as we buried the dead we took towards the sea shore under Captain Gholson and Col. Cleveland, I think, went up towards the mountains and ours returned to the swamps.  We found no man or general bands of Tories setting up resistance to us.  From this quarter we were marched back to Chatham County and discharged at Ramsey Mills.  I did not preserve my discharge.  This was the last service performed under my brave Captain Gholson.

I knew him after we had triumphed over our enemies and gained our independence.  He settled in Chatham County just above the mouth of Rocky River where it empties

(there is a page missing here)

last soldier.  He soon retreated from the public eye.  As soon as he could he fled to the western county and died in Davidson County as I am informed.  I was being tormented by one of Page’s men.

I had been so ferocious on some of the Tories that I had become with some of them a dedicated victim of revenge.  I had once on an occasion caught a certain captain Walker of Drowning Creek without arms and off from his ____ crew and beat him most cruelly with stones – the long meditated revenge – I found it unsafe to stay out of the barracks so I went to them which were about five miles from my mother’s place[at] Hickory Mountain at a place called (Lion’s?) old fields in Chatham.  I got a passport for an
absence for a day or so and went  down to a neighbor of my mother’s by the name of Davison.  The news reached Walker through a slave that I was at Davison’s an old ____ and Whig.  They set off.  I was always on the watch.  I spied the approach at a distance and fled to a thicket and placed myself [at] a well known hiding place in the root of a hollow poplar [tree].  They surrounded the place – searched the house  (across?) they would ___ the old ____ head from his shoulders if he did not show where I was

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But the truth he did not know. They then searched the woods – they came all around me and I nearly believed (here?) they had got me.  My hair stood on end for I knew that I would not live two minutes after I was detected.  I was nearly scared to death in that hollow Poplar tree.  I was a___ed there some two days.  At length they concluded that I had made my escape to the barracks and quit the place.  I then went on safely to the barracks and I did not linger on the way.  I shall never forget the hollow tree whilst I recollect a (base?) Tory.

My last period of service was [a] 3 months tour.  I was drafted in the state troops at Pittsboro, marched to the general rendezvous [at] Ramsay’s Mills and from there to the ____ to be ready for a call.  The first excursion was to meet Col. [David] Fanning, a noted Tory.  News arrived at about midnight that the Colonel had plundered Hillsboro [on September 12, 1781] and was making his way for the east now.   That he would be at Cane Creek better known by the name of Lindly Creek.  Soon we started and met them.  We had a desperate encounter – for a few moments. [Almost two lines scratched out here. It includes the phrase “they broke our line…”]

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The Lieutenant took the Command.  We were put in battle array, and soon up came the enemy.  They were his neighbor whose lady with the red cloak on which were fashionable at that day.  Unnumbered (?) (canes?) (are?) ___ upon(?) __________ Captain Page.  We knew not what to do we wasted four days to see if hew would not return – But he came not – we did not know on what service we were ordered and started back for Chatham.  We traced the Captain. He lost his hat [in] the morning and was seen flying through the villages with a handkerchief on his head, on his (hair?) black.  He did not stay on the way until he go back to Chatham where he announced the sad news that we were surprised of a foggy morning in our tents by the British, over come and cut to pieces – that the whole troop was slaughtered and that he was the only living soul that escaped being cut to pieces.  When we got back all Chatham was in grief about our ill starred fate.  It was said and believed that on the morning of the fight the Captain him[self] was so much affected that he perceived it impossible to ____ his ex____. Since that ___ his pantaloons stood in need of [a] washer woman’s care.  He did not stop to have them cleaned until he reached the barracks.  He later was ___ on this ___.

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They were said to be six or eight hundred strong [1100 Tories actually], we were much less numerous than they – we were commanded by General Butler and Cols. Nalls and Lutrell [John Nalls was actually a Major] - my Captain was Maken Jones – and Lieutenant Rob Jones a brother.  We met them [the Tories] about an hour by sun on the morning. They were making their way towards the sea shore.  We attempted to stop their passage by the creek side.  They made a desperate charge upon us – Cols. Nall and Lutrell and my Captain in the first time of three months, Nash, fell.  I deeply regretted [the death of] Nash for he was a good man and brave soldier.  The death of our officers encased our total defeat, but the lone Colonel made no halt to bury the dead but passed right off.  In contrary [we buried] the dead we found.  We had lost fifty and had killed fifteen Tories.  [Fanning was also shot and his arm bone was shattered.  Both sides were badly hurt and Fanning was forced to pull back and abandon his plans of moving on Wilmington].

We buried the dead on the Creek side, putting all the Tories into one pit, and marched back to the barracks at Looz’(?) Old Fields.

There I remained until an order came from Washing[ton] to General Ramsay to send as many troops as could be found to assist on the taking of [General] Cornwallis [at Yorktown].  I was put into Captain Dilliard’s Company under the Regiment of Col. Roger Griffin(?).  We started on his(?) order(?) ____ marching(?) but by this time we got half way to Little York.  An express came informing

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us of the glorious capture of Lord Cornwallis.  We were drawn into a hollow, charged(?), and our colonel informed us of the long wished for news – the probable end of all our _____ and the happy possession of our liberty.  We fired a round of muskets – rejoiced over ____ upon our way.

We rested there a day and wheted(?) our ____ and I now felt what I had not felt for years before –  that myself and my country’s liberty  were safe.  I took my final leave of the war at Ramsay’s Mills by a general discharge from Ramsay.

This is the most perfect _____ that I can now give of the events that I knew in the war.  I am eighty years of age, very infirm, and have lost my memory.  I have forgot all about dates and don’t know the date of my entrance into service or my discharge at any time.  I cannot state much about my officers except those immediately over me.  As I was shifted about from one commanding officer to another.

I was under at times Gen. Butler, Ramsay, Brinkly(?), Col. Tailor(?), Hale(?), Luttrel, Cleveland at the battle [of King’s Mountain].

I dare say I have transposed some events, But have given those I only detached as they may be, as such have made an indelible impression on my mind.

I have served two tours of three

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months each and one of nine months is the most substantial fact that I can reiterate and with most certainty.

I ______ relinquished all claim to any other pension ____ what is now claim of my country and my name is not to my knowledge on the pension roll of any g___ or any state.

1st Question – When and where were you born?
Asn. – Brunswick County, NC. 1752

2nd Question – Where were you called into service?
Asn. – I volunteered the first three months – In the second lasting nine months, I volunteered.  And the last tour of three months I was drafted.

3rd Question – Where do you live and where have you lived since the war?
Asn. – I stated that I lived on Hickory Mountain in Chatham Co. during the war.  I now live in Tipton County on Muddy Creek.  I lived about 15 years on Ain River – I went from there to Montgomery County, N.C. From there I came to Tennessee – Rutherford’s County – From there to Franklin County – From there to Lincoln and from there to Fayette County District where I now reside.

4th Question – Have you any record of your age? If so
where is it?
Asn. – I have  not.  My __ look(?) at(?) with(?) him to ____ ___ _______.

5th Question – State some of the Regular Officers and such militia and Continental regulars

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 as you may recollect.
Asn. – I have  stated all I can recollect in my declaration.

6th Question – Where are your discharges?
Asn. – I have lost them – I have  stated all I recollect about them in my declaration.  I was engaged in no civil pursuit during the war but simply as a common volunteer in the ranks.

7th Question – State the names of the persons who are known to you ___ ___ present ___ ___ who can testify as to your character, veracity and the belief as to your services as soldier.
Ans. – Jonah Hatley, a member of the Legislature of Louisiana(?) whose affidavit is annexed.  Walter
Mysack, Jehu Smart, Edward Rives.

Sworn ___ ___ in open court         David Blalock
This 15th day of October 1832
    Thos C. Hudson, Clerk
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I certify that Thos C. Hudson whose name __ ___ __ to the above certificate is clerk of the Court of Pleas and _____ ___ for the ____ of _ay ___ State of Tenn. ____ ____ __ __ signature is in his own proper handwriting.
   - April 3rd 1834                      __________