Pension Application of Allen Jeffers: S1770: transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

Declaration of Allen Jeffers, in order to obtain benefits of the Act of Congress passed

June 7 1832.

South Carolina}

Richland District}

On this second day of October (1832 omitted) personally appeared in open court

before Jonah J. Evans one of the Judges of the Court of Special(?) & Common Pleas,

Presiding at the Court now sitting Allen Jeffers a resident of the district and State

aforesaid, aged seventy eight years on the twenty nineth day of December next, 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 June 7 1832

That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and

served as herein stated. He enlisted May the twelfth 1778 under Captain Brown in Col.

Thomson’s regiment third Regiment Continentals, Col. Thomson had commanded the

3rd Regiment of Rangers before that. That he enlisted for three years. They went down

to Charleston immediately upon being enlisted and joined the corps and lay in

Charleston nearly a year. They were stationed in the barracks out upon the green. The

Regiment then marched out of Charleston to Savannah, at ASavannah he was in a brush

before the first Battle, and afterward was in the first Battle of Savannah when the

French came in to assist there and often saw Pulaski, who was wounded at this battle

and his thigh cut off he died & was carried to Charleston afterward & was buried there.

Before this battle he was placed under the command of Capt. Geo. Little who

commanded the company for a while & there it was put under the command of Capt.

Felix Worley. They were then marched up Savannah River to Purisburgh (sic:

Purysburgh SC). Does not remember the date of the Battle of Savannah, but it was some

time before the Fall of Charleston. Gen. Isaac Huger commanded the attacking forces on

Savannah. Lay at Purisburgh awhile & marched on from there to Charleston & was

stationed there until the Fall of the city. He was there taken prisoner & parolled.

Charleston was taken in 1780, he believes it was in May, but it has been so long. It was

any how in the Spring of the year. He rec’d a discharge, but it has been worn out or lost

long ago. The applicant was born in North Carolina, but brought to South Carolina

when a child & does not recollect the place but from hearsay, on Pamplico River (sic:

Pamlico River), he has no record of his age. He was living in the district & state aforesaid

when he enlisted, on the Fork of Congaree & Wateree, where he has lived ever since the

war & where he now resides. He was drafted in ‘78 and served in the (illegible word)

Camps, (illegible word) but other service he enlisted as stated above, he was never a

substitute. In Charleston before Charleston was taken while deponent lay there, Col.

Henderson commanded there after Col. Thomson retired. At Savannah Col. Huger

commanded his regiment & was afterward made a general. His discharge was given to

him by Col. Henderson. Mr. Robert (surname illegible), Jr., Mr. John Scott, Col. W. (name

illegible) ones who lives in his neighbourhood know him & can testify as to his veracity.

He hereby relinquishes every claim....

James S. Guignard (signed) Allen Jeffers

Clerk

NOTES:

Allen Jeffers was apparently a free black who served with Berry Jeffers (see

pension application W10145), Gideon Griffin (W8877), Morgan Griffin (S18844), and

Edward Harris (R4649). If Allen Jeffer’s three-year enlistment expired while he was at

the siege of Charleston in 1780, then the correct year of his enlistment would have

been 1777 rather than 1778. His enlistment having expired, the British apparently

paroled him as a civilian.