Revolutionary War Pensioners

REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION

HOLMES, ROZEL OR ROSWELL

Service:  New York

Number:  S.13445

DECLARATION in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832

STATE OF NEW YORK }

COUNTY OF CORTLAND}

on this 2nd day of October 1832, personally appeared in open court before the judges of the court of common pleas in and for the county of Cortland now sitting at the Court House in the aforesaid county ROSWELL HOLMES a resident of Solon in the County of Cortland and State of New York, aged Sixty-Eight years, who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the follow Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832 - that he entered the Service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated - that in the year Seventeen hundred and Eighty and in the Month of June in said year, he enlisted for the term of nine months, in the New York Militia of the Army of the Revolution, under Captain Peter Van Rensselaer, and the Regiment was commanded by Colonel Marinus Willett of the Continental or three year Troops,  he enlisted at a place called New Brittain in what is now Columbia County & State of New York, from New Brittain aforesaid, he marched with said company to Fort Plain, and from there to Fort Herkimer on the Mohawk River in said State - and in the month of July after he enlisted, he thinks at Fort Herkimer he was enlisted by Serjeant Timothy Lord, and the company was commanded by Lieutenant Spencer / Captain Peter Van Rensselaer being absent and the Regiment was commanded by Col. Marinus Willett aforesaid, for the term of three years in the Continental line of the Army of the Revolution as he supposed - he was in the Johnstown Battle, in the said State, when we fought the British & Indians he was commanded by Lieutenant Spencer aforesaid it was in the summer or fall of Seventeen hundred and eighty one - he was in the Battle at West Canada Creek at the time, Butler, the Tory was killed, Butler commanded the Indians shortly after the Johnstown Battle aforesaid - Butler was killed by Harmanus a Schoharrie Indian & Scalped, which he saw at the time he was under Captain Skinner and Captain (Whelps?) some of the time while he was in the service - he continued in the service until the close of the War when he was honorably discharged at Fort Plain on the Mohawk in said State, by Col. Marinus Willet aforesaid in the Month of December Seventeen hundred and eighty three, having served as a private soldier in said Regiment and companies, and as a prisoner among the Indians in Canada for the full term of two years and six months at least - he was taken prisoner by the Indians, being out in a scouting party, not far from where Sackets Harbour now is, in said State, and was detained a prisoner among them in Canada at least three months, - when he got away from them, being out a Hunting in the Winter - by putting his snow shoes on hind side before, and traveling in that way a number of miles, when he took them off and came safe into the camp at Fort Herkimer aforesaid - his discharge he gave to one Esquire Murry a number of years ago to carry to New York to see if he could not get him some land from the State for his service - and said Murry told him, that he had lost it - at any rate he never has seen it since - he also was Colonel Willets (Waiter?) at least two months in the year Seventeen hundred and eighty two, he sometimes writes or spells his name Rozel Holmes & sometimes Roswell Holmes, he never learned to write only his name and that poorly - he was all of the above time stationed at Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer, Fort Stanwix, along the Valley of the Mohawk aforesaid, except while he was a prisoner among the Indians as above stated, and was frequently in skirmishes while out in scouting parties, fighting the Tories and Indians, some of the above time - he does not know of but three men living who ever served with him, any of the above time - one named Aaron Day, one Roswell Welch, and one named William Miles, he has been told is living, but does not know whether he, Miles, is living or not - he was acquainted some with General Herkimer, knew Colonel Samuel Brown, who was killed at Stone Arabia, near the Mohawk, Adjutant Fonda belonged to the same Regiment with him - he was born in the Little Nine Partners in the state of New York, in the year Seventeen hundred and sixty four - he has no Record of his age he lost his Record of his age moving from the town of Chatham while crossing on the ice, on the North River, in the State of New York, when his sleigh was turned over & the Box burst open & a number of his papers blew away which contained his record together with other papers - he thinks Martin Willcox and (?Decon?) John Maxon both of Homer can testify as to his character for veracity of belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution - he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the agency of any State - Subscribed & Sworn the day & year aforesaid before me Samuel Hotchkiss, Clerk

ROZEL HOLMES

Note:  a letter from R. W. Morgan, Acting Commissioner, was attached to this pension file in which the further information was given that Rozel/Roswell Holmes died February 28, 1854.

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