Pension application of Nathaniel Norfleet R7692 f36VA
Declaration of Nathaniel Norfleet in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June 1832
State of North Carolina Person County: to wit:
On this 17th day of September 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions in & for the County aforesaid the same being a Court of record, Nathaniel Norfleet a resident of said County of Person, aged about seventy-two 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 aforesaid act of Congress. That in the year 1776 he entered the service of the United States at Suffolk in Nansemond County State of Virginia under Captain Thomas Walker, Lemuel Reddick, being Lieutenant & this declarant a Cornet in the company commanded by Captain Walker that this declarant understood that said Company was raised by act of the Legislature of Virginia offering to exempt all enrolled therein from being drafted to march beyond the limits of the State of Virginia, provided they would hold themselves in readiness at all times to repel any invasion of the State by the enemy. That it so happened that this enlistment was more burdensome than perhaps any other made at that period; For the State of Virginia was scarcely ever free from invasion, until the latter part of the year 1781. This declarant was according to his engagement almost constantly in service from the time of his enrollment until after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis [October 19, 1781]. That the company aforesaid in which this declarant was, generally served as light horse but whenever this service could be more conveniently performed on foot, they left their horses & acted as infantry. That his services were principally on Nansemond & James rivers protecting the Country from the depredations of the enemy committed by sending boats ashore & plundering. That this declarants company frequently cooperated with Captain Coles company from Gates County North Carolina, with Captain Knott's company of Nansemond County, State of Virginia, who was wounded & died in this service. He had been active in annoying the enemy, & the commanding officer of the British offered a reward of five hundred Guineas for his head. When he was wounded by a scouting party of the enemy they took his body, but this declarant with five others rescued him from them. This declarant was occasionally under the command of General Muhlenberg [Peter Muhlenberg] Colonel Josiah Parker, Colonel Scaresbook Wells, Major Thomas Boykin, & once under all these officers together, who effected a junction with the design of storming the Fort at Portsmouth Virginia in the possession of the British under the notorious Colonel Benedict Arnold. They made frequent faints before the Fort but did not attack as a British fleet came in, with French colors and was near cutting off the retreat of the American forces, who retreated to Edmonds Hill in North Carolina. The British forces made pursuit & occupied a fortification at the long bridge or Great bridge on Elizabeth River in sight of Edmonds Hill. These positions were occupied by the respective forces for five or six weeks during which they daily annoyed each other, by scouts, cutting off detachments & firing on pickets & sentinels. The Americans moved next to Nixonton North Carolina from which place this declarant was sent with dispatches to General Lafayette at Richmond Virginia. This declarant was detained by General Lafayette until after the defeat of General Wayne at Jamestown he then returned to his Regiment under Colonel Parker which he met in the County of Isle of Wight. Here upon learning that Colonel Tarleton of the British, was advancing upon them with a large body of Calvary Colonel Parker retreated into Blackwater swamp, hit his field pieces & baggage & disbanded his troops. This declarant with most [of] his fellow soldiers from Nansemond returned to that County, concealed their horses and being intimately acquainted with the country harassed the enemy whenever they found an opportunity & took many prisoners. Lord Cornwallis having moved on from Nansemond to Portsmouth, Colonel Parker again assembled his forces & this declarant joined under his Captain the aforesaid Thomas Walker in pursuit of the enemy and distressed them as much as possible until they embarked from Portsmouth. Colonel Parker then marched his forces to Surry Court House Virginia where he learned that the French fleet was in the Chesapeake & had stopped the retreat of the English. This declarant was put under the command of Colonel Wells and, crossed James River from Swans point to Jamestown, marched thence to a place to miles below Williamsburg. Thence this declarant under Colonel Wells returned a short distance west of the town & joined General Lawson's [Robert Lawsons] Brigade. Thence this declarant was sent under Major Jones towards Yorktown to guard a pass near an old mill. Here he remained ten days & suffered excessively from hunger but was at last relieved by the besiegers. After the surrender of Cornwallis this declarant returned with Colonel Scarebook Wells to Isle of Wight County. There the troops were disbanded until further orders. It so happened that no orders ever issued to them again. And having enlisted upon the terms first stated during the War this declarant obtained no discharge. This declarant has frequently seen a record of his age in the hand writing of his father; from which it appears he was born 25th of June 1760 in Nansemond Virginia. After the war he engaged in the coasting trade & subsequently went to Europe & remained until 1797& soon thereafter removed to Person County North Carolina; this declarant is well acquainted with John Barnett & William McKissack & (blank) in the said County of Person. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present, & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.
Sworn & subscribed in open Court.
Test :
S/ Jesse Dickens, Clerk S/ Nathl Norfleet
[William McKissack and John Barnett gave the standard supporting affidavit.]
Sullavan [Sullivan] County T. [Tennessee] August 20th 1835
This to Certify that I know Nathaniel Norfleet intimately as we were School mates both born & raised in Nansemond County Virginia that he took up arms in the year 1775 Served under Captain Christopher Roberts Peter Green & Thomas Nelms Militia in 1776 he enlisted in the Horse under Captain Thomas Walker Lemuel Reddick Lieutenant and himself Cornet and Served both on Horse & foot as necessity required on Nansemond River I was in Hearing of him when he fired on a British Boat killed Allen Buckston
1 & took the Crew prisoners As he was sometimes Soldier & sometimes officer as necessity required and of his taking & killing many of the Enemy who were in the neighborhood plundering our houses he took for prisoners in his own House when they were about to put fire to it within two miles of Ld. Cn. Wallis' [Cornwallis] Head Quarters, & of his retaking Captain E. Not who was stabbed in his own House by the Enemy and carried him home before he Died & the last I heard of him he followed [followed] the Enemy to Williamsburg Joined the Regular Army and never returned until Lord Cornwallis surrendered at little York.
Sworn to & subscribed before us this 21 day of August 1835
S/ David Nelms
State of Tennessee Sullivan County
This day personally appeared David now comes before me Daniel Branstetter an acting Justice of the peace for said County and made oath in due form of law that Nathaniel Norfleet of the County of Person North Carolina he took up arms the year 1775 when Lord Dunmore sent the magazine on Board the British fleet from Williamsburg his officers on his outset was Captain Christopher Roberts Peter Green & Thomas Nelms then joined the Horse company under Captain Thomas Walker Lemuel Reddick Lieutenant & himself Cornet serving on Nansemond River on horse or Foot as Necessity required I remember of his taking four British prisoners in his own house when they were about to burn it they had a bundle of straw & a Chunk of fire in the floor & they standing over one of his Negroes making him blow it also of him & one of neighbors viz. Demsey Hedgpeth killing a British light man that fell2 within half a mile of my fathers House also of two British Soldiers that came to my fathers one Sunday morning inquiring for fire locksWent off and he took one prisoner & shot at the other the same day I also was within half a mile of him when he and his Company fired on a British Boat & killed the Captain & made his crew prisoners also of his retaking Captain Knott & bringing him home before he Died Then going on to the North & joining the Regular Army & not returning until Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Little York.
Sworn to and subscribed 18th May 1833
S/ David Nelms
[f p. 33]
State of North Carolina Person County: Superior Court of Law and Equity spring Term 1833
Personally appeared in open court before the Honorable Thomas Little one of the Judges of the Superior Court of Law and Equity (it being a court of record) Nathaniel Norfleet a resident citizen of the State and County aforesaid, who being first duly sworn according to law, in order to obtain a pension under the act of Congress of the 7th June 1832 doth upon his oath make the following amended declaration. That in the year 1775 the month and day not now recollected, upon the removal of the magazines of ammunition by Lord Dunmore, This declarant volunteered his service in the militia under the command of Captain Christopher Roberts, Lieutenant Green & Ensign Nelms, all of Nansemond County in the State of Virginia. That he entered the service for no specified term, but remained embodied with his company to watch the movements of the enemy, and was at the battle of the long Bridge [December 9, 1775], and also in the action which preceded & terminated with the burning of the Town of Norfolk [January 2, 1776]; that during his entire service in this company he served as a private, being then only 15 years old, this service continued until sometime in the year 1776 when this declarant enlisted in the state service of Virginia in the capacity and was appointed by commission a Cornet, that said commission has been long since lost but was signed by General Josiah Parker (then a Colonel) that he continued in the service as stated in his original declaration, Under the officers there mentioned until after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781 during the whole of which period say from his enlistment 1776 until October 1781 he held the commission of a Cornet, and served as there stated.
That he knows of no person surviving with whom he served having been very long absent from the scene of his service, nor of any one surviving who has a knowledge of his service except as advised by the annexed letter from David Nelms of Sullivan County in the State of Tennessee, who he knew both in Nansemond County Virginia and also in Person County North Carolina, and whose deposition he has taken steps to obtain.
Sworn to and subscribed in open court
S/ Nathl Norfleet
[Stephen Pleasants, a clergyman, gave a standard supporting affidavit.]
