B222 Enlistments, Muster Rolls, and Pay Rolls of Gen
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Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements and Rosters ENLISTMENTS, MUSTER ROLLS, AND PAY ROLLS OF GEN. PULASKI’S LEGION MARCH 1779 TO NOVEMBER 1780 Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris. Revised 17 Sep 2016. INTRODUCTION Kazimierz (or Casimir) Pulaski, born in Poland on 4 Mar 1747, is one of the most celebrated figures of the American Revolutionary War. After arriving at Boston in July 1777 and serving as Gen. Washington’s Aide-de-Camp at the Battle of Brandywine, he quickly won the attention of Congress, which commissioned him a Brigadier General and Commander of the Horse. (See time line below.) On 28 March 1778 Congress authorized Pulaski to raise an independent legion – a force comprising both cavalry and infantry. Pulaski recruited first in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York and then filled out the ranks in Baltimore with many Hessian prisoners and deserters. The present transcription lists many of the soldiers’ names as recorded in their enlistment oaths, muster rolls, and payrolls, as found at Fold3.com beginning with image https://www.fold3.com/image/9682620. These rolls encompass the crucial period from March 1779, when the Legion left Pennsylvania for South Carolina, until after the siege of Savannah in October 1779, where Pulaski was killed and the Legion depleted. The following table showing the date and place of each roster and the number of troops chronicle the depletion of the ranks by discharges, desertion and casualties. FIRST TROOP OF LIGHT DRAGOONS (LANCERS) Capt. Jan Zielinsky (Zielinski) 19 Mar 1779 York PA 48 (p8) 27 Jul 1779 Charleston SC 35 (p25) Capt. (Peter) Paul Bentalou 20 Dec 1779 Charleston SC 22 (p37) SECOND TROOP OF LIGHT DRAGOONS Capt. (Peter) Paul Bentalou 19 Mar 1779 York PA 52 (p13) Capt. Jerome Le Brun de Bellecour 17 Dec 1779 Sheldon SC 18 (p32) THIRD TROOP OF LIGHT DRAGOONS Capt. Henry Bedken (Bedkin) 19 Mar 1779 York PA 54 (p15) Capt. ONeill 17 Dec 1779 Sheldon SC 17 (p34) CAPT. HENRY BEDKEN’S TROOP OF LIGHT DRAGOONS Capt. Henry Bedken 13 Dec 1779 Morristown NJ 20 (p36) 15 Mar 1780 Westfield NJ 14 (p38) COMPANY OF GRENADIERS (HEAVY CAVALRY) Capt. James, Chevalier de Segond 19 Mar 1779 York PA 45 (p17) FIRST COMPANY OF INFANTRY Capt. Le Brun de Bellecour 27 Jul 1779 Charleston SC 18 (p27) SECOND COMPANY OF INFANTRY Capt. Le Brun de Bellecour 19 Mar 1779 York PA 42 (p19) Capt. James, Chevalier de Segond 27 Jul 1779 Charleston SC 28 (p29) THIRD COMPANY OF INFANTRY Capt. Frederick Paschke (Pamke) 19 Mar 1779 York PA 49 (p21) COMPANY OF LIGHT CHASSEURS (RIFLEMEN) Lt. William Roth 19 Mar 1779 York PA 53 (p10) SUPERNUMERARY COMPANY Capt. Joseph Baldesqui 19 Mar 1779 York PA 31 (p23) 1 In these records the spellings of names are particularly difficult. Some are German names written in English as they sounded to a Frenchman. Many names appear on more than one roster with different spellings, and some officers even signed their own names with two different spellings. In doubtful cases I have tried to give more likely spellings in brackets. I have also added the number of any pension or bounty-land applications, as well as the letter B to indicate soldiers recruited at Baltimore according to a list published by Spencer (1918). The pages I have transcribed are rearranged chronologically rather than in the sequence found at Fold3.com. Some pages in the file are not transcribed here because they are redundant. In addition I have elected not to transcribe the following pages that do not list soldiers’ names: “Account of Money paid Count Pulaskie’s Legion” 7 May 1778 - 4 March 1779 “Monies paid Gen’l Count Pulaski on Acc’t of his Legion by the Board of War” 9 May - 22 Oct 1778 “A General Account of the Expences Made by General Count Pulaski’s for his Legion” 1778 “Cash advanced by the payment of the Board of War & adv’d to Count Pulaski for the use of his Legion” The following two lists suggest that the transcribed rosters may not include all those in the Legion. Pension applicants who apparently served in Pulaski’s Legion but are not on the transcribed rolls: Joseph Bertoulin R802 James Blackburn S39197 James Busby W2995 Paul Louis Celoron X941: Aide-de-Camp of Gen. Pulaski John Fulmer (Volmer) R3845 James Holland W7800 Benjamin Johnson W4467 Uriah Odam (Odham) R7810 John E. Reinhart R8696 John Rock W985 John Schrader S41134 John William Shobe S38372 Jacob Wagner S6320 Henry Walker S40624 Charles Donnom Warrick W3481 Joseph Wood S16583 Not on the rolls but on a list of recruits at Baltimore (Spencer 1918): Philip Beatty, Bryan Dallam, John Hooper, Thomas Hoult, Peter Neguire, John Tedford. TIME LINE OF PULASKI’S LEGION 1777 July Boston Count Kazimierz Pulaski arrives in America 11 Sep Brandywine PA At the battle Pulaski serves as aide-de-camp to Gen Washington 15 Sep Philadelphia Congress appoints Pulaski Brigadier Gen and Commander of the Horse 4 Oct Germantown PA Pulaski present at the battle 1778 28 Mar Congress authorizes Pulaski to raise a legion after he resigns as Commander of the Horse April Baltimore Pulaski begins recruiting 29 Jul Baltimore Pulaski reviews completed Legion 2 15 Sep Pulaski informs Washington that the Legion is ready 5 Oct Little Egg Harbor NJ British under Capt. Patrick Ferguson attack Pulaski’s sleeping men. Col. Baron de Boze and about 50 others killed. Nov Minisink Valley NJ Pulaski’s Legion patrolling against Indians until Feb 1779 1779 2 Feb Congress attaches Pulaski’s Legion to Southern Department 19 Mar York PA Pulaski’s Legion present with 374 troops (pp 7-24) 11 May near Charleston SC Pulaski’s Legion defeated at Old Race Track by British at start of Prevost’s siege. Col. Michael Kowats and others killed. 13 May Charleston SC Prevost abandons siege 1 Jun near Rantowles SC Skirmish at 13-Mile House 20 Jun Stono Ferry SC Legion at the battle 22 Jun Wappoo Cut SC Legion supports attempted landing 27 Jul Charleston Legion present with only 81 troops (pp 25-30) 19 Sep Ogeechee Ferry GA Skirmish with Loyalist militia of Lt Col Daniel McGirth 24 Sep Savannah GA Start of siege by Americans and French 9 Oct Savannah Pulaski mortally wounded in assault on Spring Hill Redoubt 11 Oct aboard the Wasp Pulaski dies. Lt Col Charles Frederic Bedaulx succeeds to command 19 Oct Savannah Siege abandoned 30 Nov Sheldon SC Legion encamped with Gen. Benjamin Lincoln with 35 troops (pp 31- 35) 13 Dec Morristown NJ Capt Bedken with 20 light dragoons 20 Dec Charleston Remnant of 22 troops under Capt Bentalou (p37) 1780 Feb Charleston Gen Henry Clinton encircling the city; Legion at Bacon’s Bridge 23 Feb Congress formally attaches remnant of Legion to Armand’s Legion 26 Feb James Island SC Legion now under Maj Peter Vernier skirmishes at Oohey River 5 Mar Stono River SC Skirmish at Mathew’s Ferry 26 Mar Rantowles Bridge SC Legion with Lt Col William Washington skirmishes with Tarleton 14 Apr Moncks Corner SC Legion with Washington surprised by Tarleton at night. Vernier killed. 3 May Santee River SC Legion with Col Anthony Walton White at Leneud’s Ferry 12 May Charleston City surrenders while remnant of Legion is outside Jul Hillsborough NC Remnants of Pulaski’s Legion now under Col. Charles Armand 16 Aug near Camden SC Remnants of Legion under Armand in Battle of Camden REFERENCES Boatner, Mark M. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. 1994. Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole. Fredriksen, John C. Revolutionary War Almanac. 2006. New York: Facts of File. O’Kelley, Patrick. Nothing but Blood and Slaughter. Vols 1 and 2. 2004. Booklocker.com Parker, John C. Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina. 2013. West Conshohocken PA: Infinity. (Also http://screvwarguide.com/screvwarguide-2nd-ed.htm) Spencer, Richard Henry. 1918. Pulaski’s Legion. Maryland Hist. Mag. 214-226. https://archive.org/stream/pulaskislegion00spen#page/214/mode/2up 3 ENLISTMENTS We do hereby Voluntarily Inlist ourselves as Soldiers in the Independent Legion Commanded by Gen’l. Count Pulaski, to serve One year from the time the said Corps is Compleated, as Witness our hands this 8th Day of June 1778 Wm. Porter May 14 1778 deserter [William Porter] Alex’r M. Muller [Alexander M. Muller] Stephen Foster Mich’l Marten [Michael Marten] Joseph Dawson Alex’r Campbell [Alexander Campbell] Hugh McDaniel Thomas Horn Adam Crouse Sam’l Fowler [Samuel Fowler] Hezekiah Patterson Benj’n hisXmark Mud [Benjamin Mud] Randolph Horskins hisXmark Will’m hisXmark Higdon [William Higdon] John Williams hisXmark James Brown hisXMark absent Robt Johnson desrtee [Robert Johnson] This is to Certify that the above naimd men was Inlisted by me. E Welch [?] Lt We do hereby Voluntarily enlist ourselves in the Indepen[dent] Legion Commanded by Gen’l. Count Pulaski in the service of the United States, to serve for the Term of One Year after said Corps is Compleated as Witness Our Hands this 18th[?] Day of June 1778 John Mehawry hisXmark Jesse Chivrel Bennett McClelland I do Certify that I enlisted the above [William Palmer] Lt. 4 We do hereby Voluntarily enlist ourselves in the Independent Legion Commanded in Chief by Gen’l. Count Pulaski for one year from the time the said Corps shall be Compleated as Witness our hands this 27th Day of June 1778 Richard Calbort Benjamin Greenn hisXmark Robert Thralkill Sylvester Gatton hisXmark John Baptis Miles Luke Gooseten hisXmark James Murray hisXmark John Shaw hisXmark Josiah Johnston hisXmark I do Certify that I enlisted the above [William Palmer] Lt We do hereby Voluntarily enlist ourselves in the Independent Legion, commanded in Chief by Gen’l.