John Davidson Revolution Soldier Pension

On this twenty-ninth day of April in the year Eighteen hundred and thirty-four, formally appeared before the Supreme Court of said County, John Davidson, a resident of said County and State, age seventy two years and being first duly sworn according to Law, doth in his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States in the year Seventeen hundred and seventy seven in the month of August, in Union District South Carolina, as a volunteer under the following named officers to wit. Col. Thomas Brannon, Maj. Benjamin Jolly and Capt. Robert Pharis [Farisj. That he marched first to Smiths Ford on Broad River and from there down to the place called the Wacsaws [Waxsaws] and from there to Forsies Ford on Broad River, all this time he was engaged as a volunteer and employed against the Tories. He returned home to Union District in the month of September having been gone about one month. (Transcribers note: These events probably occurred in 1779.) Shortly after this, he thinks in the month of October following, he was drafted as a militiaman in the company of Capt. Pharis & Col. Brannon's Regiment and thereupon he marched up to Sar_en, the residence of Col. (afterwards Gen'l) Pickens, and from that place in company with other troops, viz. the Regiments under command of Col. Roebuck and Col. Elijah dark. The whole with his own Regiment, commanded by GenT Pickens marched to Saluda River and was there in detached parties sent about in an uncertain sort of service in order to keep down the Tories between the Broad and Saluda Rivers and were kept engaged in this way until the arrival of General Green & his army in that part of the Country. And that his Regiment joined the forces under Gen'l Green then having his Head Quarters at the High Hills of Santee. That Gen'l Green ordered a detachment to be formed of Five men from each captains' company and all under the command of Col. Roebuck & Lieut. Col. Fan" to proceed to Orangeburgh C. H. for the purpose of guarding with greater security the jail at
that place in which was confined a number of prisoners. That he was one of the five men taken from the company of Capt. Pharis and was placed under the immediate command of Lieut. Latimer of Capt. Thompson's company and then marched to Orangeburgh C. H. where he remained in the aforementioned service for the span of two months. The prisoners having been sent by Order of Gen'l Green to his Head Quarters he was verbally discharged by Col. Roebuck at Orangeburgh and then returned home. (Note: General Nathaniel Greene did not arrive in the Carolinas until early December 1780.) In the fall of the year 1780 he was ordered out still a drafted militiaman to join Gen'l Morgan's Troops on Pacolet River, he serving in the Company of Capt. Pharis, Col. Brannon's Regiment, the first Leut of said Company being James Crawford and the second John Storey. That about this time he and fourteen others of Capt. Pharis' Company fell in with a detachment of Tories commanded by Cunningham, the celebrated Tory captain, about Thirty in number, and in their skirmish the following individuals of his company were killed, to wit. Thomas Ban-on, Edward Armstrong & Patrick Harbisin [Harbison]. That he marched in the Regiment & company above stated to Pacolet River where they joined the army of Gen'l Morgan and immediately the whole body marched to the place called the Cowpens where Gen'l Morgan halted and remained until the Battle at that place which occurred on the 17th day of January 1781. That in this battle he received two sabre cuts, one on the head and the other on the right hand. He remembers(?) to have seen at this fight Col. William Washington, Gen'l Pickens (& Col. Howard of the Regular Army). That on the day after the battle the army under command of Gen'l Morgan proceeded to cross Broad River and marched striven(?) to Salisbury N. C. Here the militia was discharged by Gen'l Morgan verbally. That he remained at this place after the departure northward of the force under command of Gen'l Morgan for about one month in which time the wounds on his head and hand were nearly cured and then returned to Union District, South Carolina having been about but five months. That in the month of September following under Capt., (formerly Lieut.) James Crawford of the company formerly commanded by Capt. Pharis, Col, Brannon's Regiment, he marched, Lieut. Col. Fair then commanding the Regiment - & Maj. T____, assistant commander, to Robos [Capt. Benjamin Roebuck] on Tyger River where they ___ ground two days and were joined by other Troops and all then marched to a fort on the Congaree River where was deposited some of Gen'l Green's ammunition, stores & provisions. That they remained at that place til the latter part October 1781 when intelligence arrived of the capture of Lord Comwallis' army at York Town three days after which they were verbally discharged by Lieut. Col. Fair and then returned home to Union District having been about on this occasion about two months. The whole of his time of service was two years at least. He hearby relinquishes any claim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present & he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

John Davidson
To the questions proposed by order of the Pension Office, Department of War, John Davidson answers.
1. Born in the year 1761 in the state of Pennsylvania on the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia.
2. He has a record of his age in a family Bible at his home.
3. Union District, So. Carolina. At the time he was called into service until the close of the