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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Declaration by Francis Antrican concerning his military service in the Revolutionary War [Extract]
Antrican, Francis
February 04, 1839
Volume 22, Pages 104-106

FRANCIS ANTRICAN.
(Extract from the declaration for pension (dated Feb. 4, 1839), of Francis Antrican, a resident of Granger County, Tenn., aged seventy-five years.)

He states that he entered the service in the State Line of North Carolina, under Capt. Thomas Donahough, about the 25th of April, 1781, in the First Regiment of State Troops, commanded by Col. Henry Dickson, in Gen. Sumner’s Brigade, at Orange Court House, in North Carolina, and was marched to Oxford and from thence to the siege of Ninety-six in South Carolina, where we joined the Continental army under Gen. Green. This was the Spring after the battle of Guilford Court House, fought by Gen’ls Green and Morgan against Cornwallis. We were ordered on to Ninety-six to reinforce Gen. Green and at the siege of Ninety-six we lost over a hundred men and did not then take the place. This was in the month of May, a little after the middle of the month. After this Gen. Green marched his command, both Continental and State troops, to the high hills of Santee and the British retired to Eutaw Springs and in the early part of the Fall we fought the battle of the Eutaw Springs against Lord Rawdon. Gen. Green commanded in person, a hard battle, and we took upwards of a thousand prisoners there. This battle was a little past the middle of September the same year after I enlisted or volunteered. This place is about forty miles above Charlestown where the British returned and we returned to the high hills of Santee again. When we got there Capt. Donahough, who was made Major after the battle of the Eutaw Springs, commanded the detachment that carried the prisoners up to Salisbury, North Carolina, where the prisoners were put in charge of a detachment of militia who took them on, as I understood, to Virginia, and we were ordered back to join the main army again. We went on by Cheraw (?)

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and then to the high hills of Santee. We remained there until winter and then our detachment was ordered on to a place called the round O, and Horse Shoe. These two last places are close together. From this last place we were marched to a noted place called Bacons Bridge, in South Carolina, where I remained in the service until the latter part of May, 1782, when my time was out, being a twelve months tour, but I staid in service a month over my time of enlistment before I was discharged, being thirteen months.

About this time there were orders for a few companies of volunteer cavalry to be raised for North Carolina scouting service to keep under the Tories that were constantly doing mischief and plundering the country. When we were marched away about, or on, the first of June, and marched into North Carolina to a place called Cross Creek, where Fayetteville now stands, or about the place, we were under a Major Allen from North Carolina. This enrollment was for twelve months unless sooner discharged. I served about ten months in the service against the Tories for at this time there was no British in those quarters, and were all discharged by our commander Major Allen in both of these tours. I got a written discharge; the first was washed up in my jacket pocket and the other, in the lapse of years was lost, and I know not what become of it. The first tour my discharge was given by Col. Henry Dickson and the last by Maj. Allen as before stated. I then returned home to Orange County, North Carolina, about fifteen miles below the Court House, and moved into the upper part of the County fifteen or sixteen miles above the Court House and lived there five years, and then moved to a place in Tennessee, now Green County, Tennessee, near a place called Babb’s Mills, where in the month of September, 1793, on or about the first of the month, I joined a company under Captain John Casey ordered out by Gen. Sevier to go against the Cherokees down on the Holstein. We met and were enrolled and marched from the place not far from where Greenville town now stands to a place called Eastern station on the south side of Holstein river. We remained there to keep a lookout some time and were marched over the river to Campbell’s station, and occasionally on the scout, and at the end of three months, which was the term of time we were called out for, we were marched back to Green County and were discharged by Capt. Casey, having received a discharge and certificate for three months and seven days service. Again I was called out on a two months tour and met the first of March, 1794, and marched to Paint Rock near

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the Carolina line and then the edge of the Nation on the French Braod river, and discharged at the end of two months. Lieutenant Conway commanded the company. Again in November, the same year, I was called out again under Lieut. Nathan Veach and served two months at the Paint Rock and discharged about New Year, 1795 as well as my recollection. Again I was ordered out by Col. Hill. This last tour I headed the company of about forty men and marched them to Hoof’s station on the French Broad and remained there until the two months was out. At this time we were all frontier men and minute men as pioneers to save the scalps of our wives and little children, making in all nine months and seven days in the different tours against the Cherokee Indians, for all of which I had certificates for my services—when added to my former services against the British, makes thirty-two months and seven days. ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

FRANCIS ANTRICAN.