Flipside: Text of Purnell Houston's Statement of American Revolution Participation

TEXT OF PURNELL HOUSTON'S STATEMENT REGARDING HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

On this 22d day of October in the year 1832 personally appeared in open court before the County court of Monongalia, now sitting Purnell Houston a resident of said county, aged seventy eight years, who 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 7 1832.

That he served two months within the months of April, May and June 1776 in the militia of the state of Delaware--that either Congress or the state-authority he knows not which authorized companies of volunteers to be raised to guard the Delaware Bay--that he volunteered in one of those companies commanded by Capt. John Hazzard--that as soon as the 10 gallies (galleys) were brought in the Bay we were discharged at Hazzard's fathers about fifteen miles from the capes after having served two months as above stated--that this discharge he believes was lost in his house destroyed by fire in 1811.

That about the first of November, 1776 he volunteered in Philadelphia in a company of Pennsylvania militia commanded by Cap Chambers (who was a stone-cutter living in Arch or Race street in Philadelphia) and attached to Gen. Cadwalladers brigade--that these troops were raised against the enemy who was over running New Jersey--that in the latter part of November or just of December, we marched and encamped near Trenton, on the opposite side of the river, the enemy being in possession of Trenton--that on Christmas eve we crossed over to Trenton, where our troops took 900 Hessians--that next day we marched eight or ten miles further into Jersey and encamped at the place he believes called Blackbird, where we remained until the first week in January, 1777, when we marched back to Trenton where we had a severe commanding, the enemy on one side of a creek and we on the other--the enemy tried to get possession of a bridge, which we kept until dark--during the night we marched to Princeton leaving a number of our men at Trenton keeping up our fires to deceive the enemy. We reached Princeton about daylight, where we attacked the enemy, that had remained at Princeton and defeated them--from Princeton we marched the same night to Somerset courthouse, next day to Pluckamin, next day to Morristown into winter quarters--that about the last of March, Chambers' company marched back to Philadelphia where he was discharged in Market Street, which discharge he believes was lost as above stated.

That in April 1777 he went out in Col. Blands regiment of Virginia light horses to serve for two months--that he immediately went back to Morristown where he was employed in repairing the saddles of the troopers--that at the end of two months he was discharged by Bland with a pass written on the back of it, which he supposes was lost as above stated.

That in July 1777 he went across to Egg harbour from Philadelphia and went on board of a brig going round to Boston--that near Cape cod we were taken by a British vessel taken to Rhode Island and put on board of a prison ship where he was kept eight or nine weeks, when he was exchanged--from the prison ship he went to New London and entered on board of a Brig in the United States service (sometime he thinks in October 1777) for a cruise of six months, that before the vessel sailed which was about the last of November, he took the prison ship fever, and was left at New London, where he remained until the vessel returned in the spring of 1778--that in September 1778 he returned to Philadelphia--

That he knows of no person by whom he could prove his service--that he was born at Sussex County in the state of Delaware on the first of February AD, 1755, That after the Revolutionary War, he resided in Sussex and Kent counties in said state, until he removed to the county of Monongalia aforesaid forty five years ago that the record of his age in his fathers bible in the possession of his sister Carlile in the said Sussex county that Rev. Joseph A. Shackelford, Capt John Evans, Col Dudley Evans, Col Ralph Berkshire, Col Richard Walter and all the respectable persons who have been long resident of his neighborhood are personally acquainted with him and any one of them can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.

That he hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is notion of the pension roll of the agency of any state.

Sworn and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid

Signed by Purnell Houston

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