|
 State of Virginia } SS.
Lewis County
}
On this 19th day of November 1833 personally appeared
before me John S. Camden a justice of the Peace in and for Lewis
County in the State of Virginia, Aquilla Roby a resident of
Lewis County in the State of Virginia aged 73 on the 8th day of September 1833 who being first duly sworn according to
law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to
obtain the benefit of the provision of the act of congress of 7
June 1832,
that he entered the service of the United States under the
following named officers and served as herein stated. That in
the year 1777 he was drafted to serve a tour in the Maryland
Militia for 3 months he was placed under Captain Luckett,
Lieutenant James Wilkerson, was marched from Charles County in
Maryland to Blandinsburg there joined Colonel Campbells
regiment, was marched down the Severn River to a place called
Annopolis, was stationed there and sometime in June had a
skirmish with the British at that place, we had to retreat. He
served from March till June under his draft and then forthwith
volunteered for another 3 months under his same officers, was
marched up the Chesapeake Bay to the mouth of the Patapsco River
to a place called Bodkin Point from thence up to Baltimore.
There sometime then marched down to North Point on the North
side of Patapsco here he continued till in September the time
for which he had volunteered having expired and the enemy being
still in the bay he again forthwith volunteered for another term
of three months under his same officers. He was kept at North
Point and once up to Baltimore till his last time of engagement
had expired when late in December he was discharged having
served this year of 1777 full nine months as a private in the
Maryland Militia.
Again in March 1778 the enemy were again in
the Chepeake [sic] Bay he again volunteered under Captain Brown
for three months in a company of Maryland Militia. He marched
from Charles County to Port Tobacco there joined the regiment
under his former Col. Campbell was stationed there in March 1778
continued there one month. The enemy went out of the Potomac we
marched across the country to the Pautuxent river and over on
the southern side of that river to the Bay to the Point between
the Potomac and the Bay then called Point Lookout here we were
stationed until June when his time of engagement expired.
He
again forthwith volunteered under ins same officers for another
term of 3 months in the Maryland Militia. Here he was continued
till in September 1777 [1778] his other term of three months -
when he againe renewed his engagement as a volunteer in the
Maryland Militia under Captain Beckwith. The same Col. Campbell
still continued here at Point Look out he was continued without
any particular occurrence till late in December 1778 when he was
discharged having this year served full nine months in three
continuous engagements of 3 months each as a private, a
volunteer in the Maryland Militia.
Again in March 1779 the
enemy again appeared in the Chesepeake Bay in March he again
volunteered under Captain Nixon in a company of Maryland Militia
for three months he was again marched to Point Look out there
joined Col. Ridgely's regiment in May the enemy landed in
Virginia and burnt Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk in Va. Col
Ridgeley was ordered over into Virginia crossed the Potomac
marched down through Northumberland County into Lancaster County
in Virginia down to Windmill Point, here his term of 3 months
expired and he again volunteered for 3 months more in the Md.
Ma. under ins same officers.
The enemy passed up the Bay
sometime after and we followed them. They went into the Potomac
having failed in an attempt to land in Northumberland. We
followed up into Westmoreland County where the enemy returned to
the Bay we suspected them of designs on some point in Maryland
along the Bay. We crossed the Potomac in Westmoreland and
marched to the Patuxent. Here we crossed and continued up the
Bay till we met Col. Howard at Annapolis. Here his second term
of 3 months expired in Septr 1779 he again volunteered for
another term of three months under the same officers and was
continued watching the British along the Bay till in December
1779 when he was discharged by his captain having served this
year 1779, more than nine months as a private in the Md. Ma. a
volunteer.
Again in May 1780 he volunteered for three months in
a company of Maryland Ma. under Captain West as he now thinks in
Charles County he was again marched to Point Look out and there
joined Col. Luckett his former captain was stationed there till
in August his term expired he was sick and discharged having
served this year only three months as a private in the Md. Ma. a
volunteer. Again in May 1781 he volunteered in a company of
Charles County Md. Ma. to serve three months under his former
Captain Nixon was marched down to Point Look out stayed there
till Col. Campbell Joined them. Were then ordered across the
Potomac into Virginia marched up into Spotsylvania County Va.,
there joined Genl. Lafayette, retreated up to the Rappidan river
there joined General Wayne, marched agst Cornwallis he
retreated, followed him into New Kent had a skirmish here his
term expired he again volunteered for three months, passed on by
Williamsburgh to Yorktown in Va. where in October 1781 the
British surrendered.
We guarded some of the prisoners to
Winchester in Va. where in Nov. 1781 he was again discharged
after in all three years service as a private in the Md. Ma. He
has no documentary evidence he knows of no persons whose
testimony he can procure who can testify to his services. 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.
Subscibed and sworn to this day and year aforesaid, Aquilla Roby
The several interrogatories prescribed by the War Department
were propounded to the applicant which he answered as follows:
1st That he was born on the 8th of Septr
1760 in Charles County in Maryland State.
2nd That he has no record of his age.
3rd That he was living in Charles County in Maryland
from there 1790 he removed to Pendleton County Va. Thence to
Randolph and m 1819 to Lewis County Va. where he now lives 15
miles from Weston.
4th That he was first drafted for three months then
volunteered and the whole of his service which was full three
years was as a [word cancelled] volunteer in the Md. Ma. a
private in 1777, 78, 79, 80 & 81. |
