REVOLUTIONARY WAR
PENSION RECORD
OF
JOHN MICHAEL
SMITHPETER
Compiled by: Brenda Helen Keck Reed
State of Tennessee
Washington County
September Term 1832
On the th day of September 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Honorable Samuel Powell, Judge of the Court of Law & Equity - for the county of Washington and State of Tennessee - John Michael Smithpeter, a citizen resident of now (Carter, then Washington County, Tennessee) then North Carolina, aged seventy nine, 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. That he entered the service of the United States under the following officers and served as here in stated, to wit - That at that time being a resident citizen of the county of Washington, then North Carolina, and on the border of the Cherokee Nation of Indians (and that tribe in part) in league with the British he volunteered under Capt. James Robertson then of the same county, to defend the frontier and marched on the first of June 1776 to the Nolachuckey and there was engaged and persecuted to some extend, the building of a fort on Big Limestone, when the Indian Traders came in and informed them that the Indians haad embodied and were marching on upon the Settlements and the men under said Robertson retreated into the Settlements on Watauga and there fortified at or above the Sycamore Shoals (where the Indians came and made an attack upon the fort) and upon the reinforcement of men from Virginia marched on to the frontier under Shelby & Campbell (if he is not mistaken in the lapse of time) when the Indians beat back thart of the Nation and the Army marched as declarant says and entered the Hiwasee country and drove the Indians and burned their towns. That he obtained his discharge at said Fort from Capt. Robison, after serving seven months.After which on the first of the ensuing January he again volunteered in the same country under Captain Joseph Martin, then of the Virginia Militia, to go on a tour of duty against the samIndians (the line of Virginia being at that time the Holston River near where this declarant resided) and under said Captain Martin, he was marched to the Rie [sic, Rye] Cove on Clinch River and there fought to defend the (now Scott County, Virginia) and build a Fort called Rie [sic, Rye] Cove Station, and remained there for the term of three months and was discharged by his Captain Martin and returned home.Again in the following April, 1777, he volunteered at Big Creek (what is now Hawkins County) under Captain James Roberson (under whom he first served) to keep the fort on Big Creek, and scout the country and repress the Indian Invasions, and there kept in service under Roberson (There being no other Company there) for the summer and until the month of September when he returned home, having been discharged by Roberson.That in 1778 he again, in the month of February or March, he volunteered under Captain Charles Roberson to perform a tour of duty at the time that the Indians were in detached parties coming thru the Creasy Cove and Gap Creek and was under said Roberson stationed in the Fort at Gap Creek where ranged and kept fort and scouted during the term of said service, and served three months and was verbally discharged by said Captain Roberson. That he returned home and married and remained home until the news of the approach of Ferguson and his army [British forces], when all the Militia was called upon and he was drafted to go on said expedition to intercept said Ferguson and was enrolled under Captain Valentine Sevier, and was in the command of Colonel Sevier and joined the army under Colonel Campbell from Virginia, Shelby from (what is now Sullivan County) and Sevier's men at Gap Creek, and marched across the Yellow Mountain and passed through Burke & Rutherford and fell in with Cleveland's Militia and marched under Colonel Campbell (who had the head command at King's Mountain) and there engaged the Army under Colonel Ferguson drawn up on the top of the Mountain whch they surrounded the Mountain and killed and captured the whole Army (Ferguson himself having fallen) after which he was marched home and discharged (verbally) by said Captain Valentine Sevier, and was three months on this campaign. That in the next year in March, he volunteered under Captain Valentine Sevier to go on the expedition against the Overhill Indians in what is now Haywood County, North Carolina and marched to Creek thru the Greasy Cove and across the Bald Mountain to the Overhill Towns and there took seven prisioners and with twenty four others were left to take charge of them until the Army marched on further in the Nation, and whilst the Army was absent the Indians attacked them but few were repulsed and on the return of the Army marched back to the Settlement where he resided and was verbally discharged, being in service about one month. Which several terms of service amounted to on the whole about twenty three months, actual service, exclusive of the time he served in short irregular services, and the terms of time during the War when he employed substitutes.That he has lost his discharges, and has no documentary evidence and knows of no person by whom he can prove his said services except the evidence annexed - That the reason why he has applied to the Court of the County of Washington, is, that he resided in said county when he performed his services, and that that tract of the Territory there in which he now resides (and is Carter County) was partly a wilderness and the son of one of the Captains, towit - Charles Robison is residing in said county of Washington and has heard his father speak of the declarant, serving under him and which certificate he wished to procure, as also the witness James Sevier, that there is no resident mnister of the Gospel in his vicinity of Carter or in this county to his knowledge by whom he can establish the facts requested by the Instructions of the War Department.He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a Pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the roll of the Agency of the Pension List of any state.John Michael Smithpeter
Sworn in open court
September 7, 1832
Joseph V.Anderson, Clerk
Mr. Charles Robison and James Sevier of County of Washington, State of Tennessee, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Michael Smithpeter who has sworn to and subscribed the aforesaid declaration that we believe him to be seventy-nine years of age that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood in which we reside to have been a Soldier of the Revolution. Charles Roberson also states that he is the son of Captain Charles Roberson of whom the declarant speaks and he well recollects to have heard his father say that the said Smithpeter served under him and was a Soldier of the Revolution, and this affiant Roberson also states that tho as a boy at the time that he recollects to have seen said Smithpeter about his father about the time his father was performing the services stated by said declarant.Charles X Robison
Sworn and subscribed in open court
September 13, 1832
Joseh V. Anderson, Clerk
James Sevier, also a citizen of said county aforesaid appeared before me, Levi Barnes, one of the Acting Justice of the Peace for aforesaid's county and made oath that he was well acquainted with the aforesaid declarant, Michael Smithpeter before the time of his services in the King's Mountain Expedition and believes him to have served in the Army against the Cherokee Indians but has no personal knowledge of any services except those at Kings Mountain in which he knew said Michael Smithpeter served as stated in the above declaration.James Sevier
Sworn and subscribed today and year above
Levi Barnes, JP
I, Samuel Powell, Judge of the aforesaid court, do hereby certify that the aforesaid Michael Smithpeter, appeared in open court and was duly qualified to the foregoing declaration, and after proposing to him the interrogations prescribed by the War Department I am satisfied that he did serve as stated by him. I further certify that Charles Robison was sworn in open court and James Sevier, whose affadavit is annexed, are reputable and their statements entitled to credit, that James V. Anderson, whose attestates to the foregoing is acting Clerk of said court.Given under my hand this twenty-sixth day of December 1832.
S. Powell, Judge
1st Circuit Court
State of Tennessee
First Circuit, Washington County
State of Tennessee
I, James V. Anderson, Clerk of Circuit Court of Law & Equity in said county and state aforesiad, do certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings in the case of the application of Michael Smithpeter for a Pension (except the affidavit of James Servier, annexed).Given under my hand seal, January 17, 1833James V. Anderson, Clerk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~