Revolutionary War Pension Application of Giles Hawkins State of Kentucky Jessamine County

On this Second day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and thirty-three, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace for the County aforesaid, Giles Hawkins, Resident of the county aforesaid, who says he was born in the State of Maryland in the County of Frederic, on the 15th day of March 1755, aged seventy-seven 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 the 7th of June 1832. First, that he was informed a short time after the Declaration of the American Independence, Government was apprised by some means of a preconcerted plan of the British, with the Indians, by their agents sent, amongst them to distress the Frontiers of the United States which was to be a combined chain of hostilities from the west side of Georgia on to the outer or Northwest Edges of the Carolinas, the Western part of Virginia, and Northwestern part of Pennsylvania, to the Lakes of Canada, and had actually commenced hostilities by the Cherokee Indians and others who were at that time distressing the inhabitants on Holston River in the State of Virginia. In consequence of which government ordered an army to be raised to go against the aforesaid Indians, by draft or volunteers to serve as malitia soldiers. Secondly, he moved from the State of Maryland to Bedford County in the State of Virginia, and on the first of September, 1776 he was called on by his captain to serve a Tour of duty in the malitia, for six months and, turned out a volunteer soldier in the malitia, and Served said Tour under Captain Christopher Irvine, Lieutenant Jas Rupert and Colonel Christian, commandant of the Regiment, I went in, and army too I believe, and we marched from Bedford County Virginia, against the aforesaid Cherokee Indians, and others, along through the Southwest part of Virginia on the Holston River. On our march at the distance of three or four miles before we came to the Long Island on Holston River, we passed the battleground where our men and the Indians had a Skirmish, and seen the remains of several dead Indians, lying on the ground. After passing the Long Islands we joined the North Carolina malitia or troops. From thence we marched to the Cherokee Indian Town, took them, burnt them entirely up, burnt and destroyed all their corn and crop of every description. The commanding officers offered the Indians Terms of Peace but there was only part that would accept of them and after waiting on them some length of time and nothing could be done relative to a peace, the army received orders to march homewards, and started. We proceeded on our march until we arrived at the Long Island on Holston River, and there was overtaken by an Express bearing a Flag from the Indians that had before refused the terms of peace offered them by our commanding officers, the army was then stationed there at the aforesaid Islands until peace was ratified with the aforesaid Cherokee Indians and the United States of America. He further states that on his return home to Bedford County Virginia he was discharged, which discharge he has either lost or mislaid, and cannot find it at this time. Thirdly, he further states he removed from Bedford County, Virginia to Botetourt County, Virginia, that he was again called on in the fall of the year, 1781 or 1782, to go against the British and turned out volunteer as a soldier in the malitia of the United States to defend the Lead Mines, on New River, in the State of Virginia. We marched from Botetourt County, Virginia, towards them and when we arrived near the mines we received intelligence that the British had withdrawn their forces from that neighborhood and we returned home and was discharged and from thence removed to Kentucky in 1789 and continued on his --- until the present time. Thereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present one and declare that my name is not on the pension roll, of any agency in this state or any other. Giles Hawkins We, Jacob Rohrer, a clergyman residing in the State of Kentucky and county of Jessamine, and James Noonan residing in the county and state aforesaid do certify that we are well acquainted with Giles Hawkins who has subscribed and sworn to the within declaration that we believe him to be seventy-seven years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. Jacob Rohrer James Noonan State of Kentucky, Jessamine County, March the 2 1883 I certify that this day Giles Hawkins the petitioner for a pension personally appeared before me the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace for Jessamine County, and made oath to the foregoing Declaration and I believe Giles Hawkins is unable from bodily infirmity to attend court and from my own knowledge and examination I am of the opinion that the foregoing Declaration is true given under my hand date above. Thos Butler I certify that Jacob Rohrer is a clergyman of Jessamine County and James Noonan is a respectable citizen of said county and were both sworn to their Certificate before me a Justice of the Peace for the county aforesaid. Thos Butler