Closeup of a "Brown Bess" flintlock musket TheRealDug, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The Staunton River
splashed against its banks by Ward’s Ferry. Birds chirped in the
trees. Spring flowers peeped up from the ground here and there, with
the promise of more to come. Off in the distance a new sound broke
through the natural stillness: a sound of footsteps approaching.
Louder and clearer they became, and were joined by other footsteps,
and voices. Animals vanished into the underbrush. Soon the splashing
of the river was drowned out by the arrival of the numerous voices
and footsteps of men. There were about a hundred of these men, some,
perhaps, attended by their families who assembled there to wish them
a hearty or a tearful farewell. “Ragtag” is a term often applied
to these men and their peers, with their piecemeal attempts at a
uniform, their spotty training, and their diversity of arms. Most
provided their own weapons: fowling pieces or muskets, the latter
usually equipped with bayonets, and perhaps a flintlock “Brown
Bess” captured from the enemy in a previous engagement. Knives and
swords, and perhaps even tomahawks, were also represented among these
men’s accoutrements.
These men belonged
to the Bedford county militia; they were the latest company under the
command of Capt. Adam Clements. Many of these men were already
battle-hardened, having returned to their homes from their previous
tour of duty within the past month. Some had fought against General
Corwallis’ troops at the recent patriot defeat at the Guilford
Courthouse, only a month and a half before, where they saw what
appeared to be the British artillery firing on their own men in their
zeal to drive away the American rebels. And now these American rebels
were returning to action, once again leaving their homes, their
families, and their farms neglected.
It must have been
hard to do. Although the call to duty was in defense of their
liberty, if their crops were ruined, they may end up in an even worse
position than if they were forced to remain under British rule. A few
of those called up could ill afford the time away and sought
replacements. Some were fortunate enough to have a brother willing to
serve in their place. Sometimes a substitute could be hired, but
there is no evidence that any of the men meeting at Ward’s Ferry
that day were hired. Most men heeded their own call to duty.
One of these Bedford
county militiamen was Pierce Butler Pennel. Whether he was one of
those who had recently returned from action is unknown, but it is
certainly possible and even probable. Of his fellow militiamen in
this company who later applied for pensions, all but one (John
Lambert) declared prior service. The muster rolls for many of these
previous companies no longer exist, so the declarations of pensioners
must be relied upon as evidence.
In May of 1781, the
War of the American Revolution had already been dragging on for many
long years. A few of the older men, true patriots, had been serving
on and off for half a decade or so. Now this company was headed south
into the Carolinas to come to the aid of General Nathanael Greene and
his forces in their campaign to drive the British from the south.
Ward’s Ferry was
probably the most logical and convenient location for this rendezvous
of the militia. Not only could it provide for the necessary crossing
of the Staunton River in the men’s impending march south, but the
proprietor was Maj. John Ward, who was to be one of the commanders of
their regiment. He lived in “the Mansion” nearby, and could
easily join his men from there.
With the forces
assembled, and the leaders prepared, it was time to begin the long
march to the south.
Sources:
Pierce
B Pennell, muster rolls of Co. Capt. Adam Clement's Militia, 1 May
1781; U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783; digital images,
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., "Virginia: Western Battalion,
1781-1782 (Folder 341) - Various Organizations (Folder 364),"
Ancestry
(www.ancestry.com
: accessed 12 Jan 2017).
Will
Graves & C. Leon Harris, Southern
Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters
(http://revwarapps.org/
: accessed 14 Jan 2017), pdf numbered B57 "Militia
List –Capt. Adam Clements"; pdf numbered W5635 "Pension
Application of John Arthur W5635"; pdf numbered W5636
"Pension Application
of Thomas Arthur W5636"; pdf numbered W345 "Pension
Application of William Caldwell W345"; pdf numbered S30387
"Pension Application
of Thomas Dixon S30387"; pdf numbered S8567 "Pension
Application of Archelaus Gilliam S8567"; pdf numbered S16403
"Pension Application
of Robert Hall S16403"; pdf numbered W7648 "Pension
Application of Edward Hancock W7648"; pdf numbered X916
"Pension Application of
Samuel Hancock X916"; pdf numbered S16445 "Pension
Application of John Lambert S16445"; pdf numbered W8071
"Pension
Application of PatrickLynch
W8071";
pdf numbered S6299 "Pension
Application of Luke Valentine S6299"; pdf numbered S7802
"Pension Application
of Charles Walker S7802"; pdf numbered S16583 "Pension
Application of Joseph Wood S16583"; pdf numbered W2506
"Pension Application
of George Woodard W2506"; pdf numbered S17208 "Pension
Application of Jacob Woodard S17208."
Other Works Consulted:
Ivy Kenneth Blecher, Three Centuries of American Wars: History of American Wars (accessed 20 Feb 2017), "Revolutionary War Weapons."
Janice
Poole, "Rose
Dove Dalton and Albert Lee Dalton Homeplace," Genealogy:
Our Astounding Past,
16 Mar 2010 (accessed 20 Feb 2017).
J.
D. Lewis, Carolana
(www.carolana.com
: accessed 20 Feb 2017), "The
American Revolution in North Carolina: The Battle of Guilford Court
House."
J.
Lloyd Durham, "Outfitting
an American Revolutionary Soldier," Tar
Heel Junior Historian
(Fall 1992); reprinted online, North Carolina Government &
Heritage Library at the State Library of North Carolina, NCpedia
(accessed 20 Feb 2017).
North
Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, "North Carolina
Highway Historical Marker Program," database and images, North
Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program (accessed
20 Feb 2017); Marker
ID=J-3: Guilford Courthouse.
R.
H. Early, Campbell
Chronicles and Family Sketches: Embracing the History of Campbell
County, Virginia 1782-1926 (Lynchburg,
Virginia: J. P. Bell Company, 1927), "Ward
Family," transcribed and contributed for use in the USGenWeb
Archives by Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com .
Tracy
V. Wilson and Holly Frey (hosts). "The
Battle of Guilford Courthouse." Podcast audio.
Stuff
You Missed in History Class. HowStuffWorks.com,
31 Aug 2015. Web.
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