On this fifth day of September 1832, personally appeared in open Court, before the Court Shelby Circuit Court now sitting.  Matthew Brown a Resident of Union Township in the County of Shelby and State aforesaid aged Seventy Nine 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 act of Congress passed June 8, 1833. And says that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein Stated:  I enlisted on the 29th day of June 1776, under Captain Benjamine Kilgore, a captain of Rangers & Spyes, for three months, at the time of my Enlistment I lived in the State of South Carolina.  In what was then called the ninty sixth district, I served three months under Captain Kilgore.  I then immediately Enlisted for a term of Three months under Captain Thomas Mc Crary we were stationed at Ellisons Fort on Dearborn Creek,  I served the full time of three months under Captain Thomas Mc Crary {until the} Fourteenth day of March 1779.  I again Enlisted for the term of Three months under Captain Benjamine Kilgore (the same Capt that I first enlisted under) we were stationed at Killets Block house on Rayburns Creek the full term of three months under Captain Benjamin Kilgore and was dismissed on the fifth day of June 1779.

At the time of my first Enlistment, Captain Benj Kilgores Company was under the Command of Colonel James Williams a Militia Colo & Major Jonithan Downs, our Company officers were Captain Kilgore and Lieutenat David,.{Lt,}  David about the time or within ______ a few days of the time that General Lee Arrived at Charleston and took the Command of the troops, a British fleet Crossed the Bar at Sullivans Island. & the Indians and Tories made an attact on the frontiers of South Carolina and Killed and scalped thirty odd persons, in a few days after our Company repaired to the Plase and Bured the Dead  two or three weeks after we were about thirty miles in the Indian Country from Lindys Fort, we met a Tory he informed us that the Indians and Tories about six hundred strong, were then on their wau to take Lindleys Fort, we Repaired immediatly to the Fort as soon as possible to inform them of their danger and assist in the defense of the plase, we arrived at the Fort the Same Evening, we found many if the troops {int**p**ated}^{incapacitated?}, and not Expecting an attact, one {L***is  ***eaul}^{L*** personel?} attempeted to shoot Lieutenant {Mc} David for bringing them such words, the Commandant Major Jonithan Downs ordered the {Ruan} to be stoped {&} the Companies that were around the Fort to come in at this Eriliest moment Colonel Beard arrived with three hundred troops on their way from a plase called the Dutch Forks to join the Expedition against the Indians Commanded General Williamson, about midnight the Indians and Tories Surrounded the Fort the alarm wwas given by the Sentry and the men fired out of the Fort, and shot down two Tories at the Fort door

We found a plenty of blood but no Indians found we got about ten stands of Indians Colours our men made a sally from the fort the Indians & Tories retreated in great haste, in the morning we pursued the Enemy.  Our Lines were about half a mile wide we took Eight or ten of the Enemy prisoners they were painted like the Indians but were Tories, - we followed the trail about three miles to a small field and found about thirty Horses Saddles, Saddle bags, and Blankets, amongst them we found Colonel Lindlys Saddle and Saddle Bags and in his Saddle Bag we found his Commission (Colonel Lindly was soon after this taken Prisoner and Hung)  about an acre of ground all Scattered over with Bags of parched Corn meal, the Indians had taken a prisoner killed him and took from him {two} Scalps  the next day our Company of Scout{ies} took Eight of ten tories at their homes, still painted like Indians.  I continue a horseman or ranger until my first three months were out and then Enlisted for three months more as above stated under Capt Thomas Mc Crary, we were stationed on the frontiers at Ellisons Fort, and I continued there performing the duty of a Private Soldier for the full term of three months, nothing of consequence took place during this term of service, during my third and last three months service, our Company and Capt Kilgores Company, were stationed at Killets Block house some twelve miles from Ellisons Fort, about the first of June 1779 a day or two before my time was out the Indians Killed a man about two miles from the Block house, scalped him & left a war tomahawk sticking in his back and a war club laying at his head.  I can not recollect of any other circumstances of consequence

That took place during my last three months service excepting our Captain forged orders and drew the pay for the Company, and Cheated us out of it.  The Capt was imprisoned for near two years for Cheating his men.

1.  I was born in the year 1752 in Wexford County Ireland

2.  I have no Record of my age ----

3. I was living in Ninty sixth didtrict of South Carolina when called into service and lived there until 1803 when I emigrated to the State of Hio in Hamilton County, and lived there until April 1826 when I Came here to the County of Shelby where I now live.

4. Colo James Williams Major Downs & Col Beard,

5. I never received any discharge we were dismissed but not discharged

I do not know of any person in this County who has a personal knowledge of my service neither have I any documentary evidence to prove the {service}
He hereby relenquishes Every claim whatever to a pension or anuity except the present, and states that his name is not on the Register roll of the agency of any State.

 Sworn to and Subsribed, at day and year aforesaid

Where possible I have not changed the spelling, when the writing was such I knew the word but its spelling was unclear I spelled it correctly. { } are for words I was unsure of, where I could not make it out at all I put the guess above .  Anyone having a copy of these papers clearer than the copy I received feel free to give corrections.

Richard M. Leland III

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