"The following is text of the pension applicaton of Philip Rushing. His pension application number was S21458.
"Perry County, July Term 1834 -- On this 21st day of July 1834 personally appeared before the Court of Please and Quarter Sessions for the County of Perry PHILIP RUSHING a resident of Rushing's Creek in Perry County, State of Tennessee, aged 78 years, who being first sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of act of Congress passed June the 7th 1832 that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein after stated.
"This declarent entered the service of the United States under Captain John Jackson the declarlent being the Ensign of said company in Anson County in the State of North Carolina, from thence marched to Gilbert Town N. Carolina, from thence to Pleasant Garden at the head of the Catawber, from thence into the Indian Nation on the Hiwassee River, from thence to the Valley Towns where some of our men were out fowling and Indians came upon them and killed three of them, one of whose names was Turner he believes; from thence was marched home by way of Pleasant Garden, declared served his tour the term of three months as Ensign, the declarent thinks his tour was performed in the latter end of the year 1776, but owing to old age he cannot recollect precisily his Major's name was Davidson, Col. David Love (or Lane) his Col., and general Rutherford was his General.
"This declarent again volunteered under Captain Stephen Jackson in the year 1777, and was imployed on the frontiers guarding the proiperty of whigs and their lives from Ruthless hands of the Torys and British. He served this year seven months as a volunteer guarding the frontiers--again in the year 1778 he volunteered under the same Captain and was imployed on the same service that is ranging along the frontiers; in these several last tours he dose not recollect particularly owing to old age and the consequent loss of memor the events of this period of his services as he did not charge his memory with minor events but in fact he nearly always was out in the service of his country from the year 1776 to this time which was 1780.
"The declarent in the year 1781 entered the service under Capt. Bogan, Col. Wad [Wade] his Colonel; declalrent was marched from Anson County N.Carolina to Cape Fear where he was attached to Colo. Smith's Regiment and to capt. Smith's Company; his declarents own Capt. and Col. having left the army. This tour we had an engagement with the Tories on Capefear not far from Wilmington and defeated them after which we marched up and attached the British in a large Brick house some time not long after this we heard that Cornwallis was defeated at Little York & went home. This declarent states that on this Tour he served two months. He has no documentary evidence by which he can prove his service nor does he know of any person except Richard Rushing by whom he can prove the same, he hereby relinquishes any 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 sworn to and subscribed the day and year above written.
(Signed) PHILLIP (X) RUSHING."
Note: A statement by Richard Rushing is below:
"Statement of Richard Rushing: '...Richard Rushing who is a creditable person and made oath in due form of law that he served most of the Tours with Philip Rushing, that he has stated that he served in the Revolution, and that he served as he states, and further that he the said Philip Rushing was an Ensign as he states,, sworn to and subscribed in open court this 21st day of July 1834.
' Signed RICHARD (X) RUSHING."
"The Amended Declaration of Phillip Rushing - I was at the skirmishes with the Tories at Thompson Creek, at Lynches Creek, Hills Creek, Richardson Creek, and at Drowing Creek at Bettys Bridge where we had a battle with the Tories and we parted without any decision and afterwards the Tories defeated the whigs but I was not in that engagement. I was on Cape Fear River near Wilmington when we defeated the Tories who had defeated Col. Wade at Drowning Creek. I was also in an attack on the Brick House in the possession of the British and after several fire we retired being unable to take the House. I was in the company of Stephen Jackson a part of the time, and a part of the time I was in the company of Capt. John JOHNSON and at sometime transfered to some other company in Col. Smith's Regiment, but I am now unable to recollect the name of the officers except as stated in my original declaration. I am now old and infirm and my memory has failed me so much. I cannot recollect the dates of my service. I can only recollect the places we had a battle or expected to have one and the names of the officers, but that rout we pursued in each campaign I cannot now recollect or the particular time I served in each campaign. I have only a recollection of serving my country and being generally in service.
Signed: PHILLIP (X) RUSHING. 7 OCT 1834.
"STATEMENT OF JOHN l. HOUSTON, J.P.:
'I AM PERSONALLY ACQUAINTED WITH THE SAID PHILLIP RUSHING AND KNOWN HIM TO BE OLD AND INFIRM AND THAT HE IS RESPECTABLE AND HIS STATEMENT
ENTITLED TO CREDIT.' 7 OCT 1834
"I will take a pension for six months on this claim, knowing the old man and from his extreme age he cannot recollect any more than stated in this declaration.'
Signed: W.C. Dunlap, 13 Dec 1834.
"Paid at a rate of twenty dollars from 4 Sep 1835 to 4 March 1838. (Note from treasury Department, dated 14 Jan 1839.)"
(The transcription above appeared in Vol. 1 of "The River Counties.")
Submitted by: Tim Bell
Submission of old documents appreciated!
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