Barnard Elliott Recruiting Journal, 1775

Barnard Elliott Recruiting Journal, 1775

1775

Contains military records written by Captain Barnard Elliott of the Second Regiment of South Carolina troops

recruiting journal written in 1775

correspondence by Barnard Elliott to the Captains of Artillery

and note by Elliott to W. Smith.

04/06/2013

600 dpi, 24-bit depth, color, Epson Expression 10000XL, Archival masters are tiffs

ms50

n/a

Cox, Danielle

Silberberg, Jules (Metadata)

Copyright has not been assigned to the Charleston Library Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Special Collections Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Charleston Library Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

image/jpeg

StillImage

Ms. 50, Barnard Elliott Military Records, 1775

English

1775

Recruiting Journal By Bernard Elliott

Set out from Chas. Town 24th June and proceeded to the [illegible] on Horsavannah the same evening, halted all Sunday there, & early on Monday set out for Green Savannah where I found Lieut8. Shubrick & Dunbar, then made a quick march thro' Jack sonburgh to Andalusia & took up our quarters there till tuesday morning at which time we again set out with Our Servants, Musicians, and others in our Retinue making altogether thirteen Rid ers, and crossing the Saltcatchers arrived at Pocotaligo to dinner, where being in hopes of getting some men we put up till the next morning, treated several with Wine grog etc, but enlisted none. On Wednesday we called at the Forest and dined, bated our horses & refreshed ourselves without any expense, in the afternoon proceeded up to Mr. Palmers at Laurel Hill?lodged there, and on Thursday went on a recruiting party and enlisted two men, then returned and dined at Laurel Hill, where we spent the evening, en listed two females for the service and on the morning following set out for Barochocola, not finding any men there we proceeded


to Sevannah River and arriving at the two Sisters Bluff crossed it about eleven o'Clock the same morning, halted at a Tavern kept by One Pace and dined there upon bacon, greens and tough bread, and some cold victuals carried from Laurel hill, from thence we continued our rout to Mr. Dills?but some of our party who had stopped at the houses to try and enlist men not coming up with us this Night, we halted here till late next morning, at which time the Sergt. arrived with one Recruit. Our phaeton hounds being broke on the journey of the Night before we halted at a black Smiths about a mile further up the road near the Saw Mill to get it mended, and here read over to Capt. Green of the Militia several Political Papers which animated him and served to promote the business he was then upon of collecting the people together to chuse Delegates to represent them in a Congress to be held at Sevannah, the beginning of July, from this Smiths we proceeded on to Herberts Tavern in St. Georges Parish about 20 miles higher up the Country, and being
informed of several men in and about that Neighbourhood willing to enlist we halted here three days, during which time we enlisted twenty men, all of them young and twelve of this number of the Grenadier size, on the Monday following I gave a Barbacue to the Recruits with leave to invite their friends, and their Lasses of the Vicinage to a Virginia hop, about forty attending, the barbacue was served up, and as soon as dinner was over the real Virginia dances began, & continued till the evening when the Lasses returned to their homes, and some of the men with them, having orders to meet me at Col: Burtons the morning after, from which place Lieut. Shubrick crossed Sevannah river with the Recruits and one Sergt. and marched for the head Quarters at Chas.Town on the fifth day of July 1775. The Phaeton being thoroughly repaired by Mr. Burton who keeps the yard here for building large boats, schooners, and I engaging two pretty boats from him, set out with the rest of my party for the upper Country, about eleven O'Clock
and arrived at Mr. Stephen Smiths in Halifax County about 4 in the after noon of the same day, here we halted and received an invitation to spend two or three days, as Mr. Smith informed us there were to be two large musters within that time. One on the Carolina Side and the other on the Georgia Side, the One on the latter side was a company of Militia commanded by Capt. Walker

one of the Old Protestors against ye Gen1. Proceedings of Savannaenses, when they formerly attempted to chuse a committee & elect Delegates to send to the Continental Congress in Phyladelphia, and Col: Thomas of the Halifax district, who was the leading man on this unhappy occasion, having accidentally fallen in company with those (Gentlemen) militia officers, a day or two before at a County Court where they presided as Magistrates, and retiring to dinner after the business of their Court was over I had an Opportunity of laying before those Gentle-

-men some Political pieces, which I imagine greatly contributed to their reformation, as they discovered the secrets of Our Arbitrary Ministers, and explained all the Cruelties & injustice of the proceedings of Parliment against the Americian Colonies. The following day we went with Mr. Smith and Lieut. Dunbar being ill with a fever was left with Mrs. Smith whose care and attendance showd' her hospitality on this occasion to our sick Lieut, and the Recruiting Party under my direction to the Halifax muster where we saw about 200 men drawn up in Rank and file, their Col Thomas told them that he had called them to this muster to let them know the Georgians were again endeavouring to enter into an Association and to chuse Delegates to represent them in a General Committee to be holden at Sevannah early in July, that he had formerly been averse to the American Measures and opposed them, but that he had
now altered his mind and should do all that he could in the favour of America, he did not expect matters wd. ever have come to such a height, but since the Battle of Lexington he was convinced America was to be hard rode, & drove like slaves if the Americans were inactive or inattentive etc. etc. that for his Part he could not sign the Association which he then held in his hand because he held two Commissions from the Kings representative, the Governor, that he intended resigning them within three days, & should then put his name at the head of the Association, this he declared at the head of the battallion, recommending such as chose to sign it, many thereupon did sign it an Ensign gave his commission to the Col: & put his name also to it, others promised to put their names whenever they saw their Colonels & Captains names down tho' they did not think otherwise than that

[illegible] Account

29 June James St. John enlisted & paid £ 10
9 June John Brown - ditto - ditto - 10
[illegible] July Benjamin Hamesworth ditto do - 10
1 July Robert Gamble [illegible] Lt. Dunbar - 15
1 July William Ashford
2 July Francis Penrice
2 July Edmund Penrice
[illegible] Benjamin Staley
[illegible] Elias Dean - 10
[illegible] John Wheeler - 10
2 July John Keaton - 16
2 July William Jones - 10
2 July Jacob Dunbar
[illegible] William Haffernon - 10
[illegible] William Rogers
[illegible] Thomas Trapp
[illegible] [Wi]lliam Lewis
3 July Stephen Miller
3 July John Ansted
3 July Thomas Mobley

[illegible] July - £ [illegible]
[illegible] Murphy - 7 July
[illegible] - 7 July - 10:0:0
[illegible] Crawford- 7 July - 10:0:0
[Ga]briel Martyn - 8 July - 7:7:0
[illegible] - 8 July - 10:10:0
[illegible] Whitemere - July - [illegible]
[illegible] Stuart 7 July
[illegible] Pennel 5 July
Robert Richey 8 July
William Jasper 7 July
Daniel Spiller 10 July
John Drummond 9 July
Williams Jones 7 July
[illegible] Thomas 11 July
[illegible] Gammel 18 July
[illegible] Creys 18 July
[illegible] Roberts 7 July
Benjamin Ravan 30 July
[illegible] Griffen 31 July
[illegible] 31 July
[illegible] Husband 2 August

Alexander McKelvie
5 August James McClain
4 ditto Alexander Mills - 2
4 August William Boyd - 3
4 August Caleb Baker - 2
5 August Hugh Holland
7 August William Smiley - 6:10:0
7 ditto James Quin - 3:5:0
12 ditto Edward Fry - 5 [illegible] 3
10 July John McGuire - 15:0:0
19 July John Williams - 15:0:0
20 July James Beams - 15:0:0
9 July Joseph Pain - 15:0:0
10 July George Horn
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]
[Blank]


[inverted]

in part by the Shawanese themselves sometime after. We crossed the river here and landing on a large gravel bank on the Georgia side proceeded on our journey for Augusta.
[inverted]

about three miles distant from Galphin Town. We proceeded from this place on a rough road, & arrived at Fort More just in the close of the day. Fort More is built with stock aids on a bluff about 200 feet above the bed of the River but is now so out of repair that neither the stockaids or the barracks are terrible. On this bluff One of the Creek Indians being brot to be sacrificed by the Schawanese Indians who had taken him in War, looking & laughing at a companion of his then torturing at the stake with the greatest contempt at his enemy, they asked him why he laughed? he said to see them know nothing of the true Art of Torturing and that if they wd loose his legs and arms and give him the barrel of a gun and a leather string he wd show them the way of his Country. The Schawanese fond of learning the Art of Cruelty, with eagerness loos'd him, he put the gun barrel into the

fire then tying it with a Wet leather string gave it several whirls round him the crowd giving way, for fear of being burnt with the red hot barrel, he at length threw down the barrel & Jumpt into the river, from this high place and swam across, several shot at him as he swam, but fortune favouring the Courageous he arrived unhurt at the hospitable shore making a gesture of contempt disdaining them they ran some one way & some another some taking boats crossed the river in pursuit of the fugitive, and tracked him for a while but in vain, he intent upon his escape, again took the river and swiming down the current with only his nose above water could not be discovered by his enemy and these keeping the river one whole night & the best part of the whole day after made his entire escape and returned very expeditiously to his nation where he related the above, which was confirmed
[inverted]

they were then told by the Capt. that the Congress had Resolved to Raise two Regemts. of five hundred men in each, that we were then come there to inlist any that were willing. I then told them the terms & conditions of their entering into the service, they in general declared their willingness to go forth when called upon by the Congress, but wd. not inlist nor were we able out of this Company of remarkably large size men to get more than Four, two of which Capt. Cattell inlisted, the cause of which I attributed to the Capt. who tho' he would show a seeming willingness, often said that if he wanted to go they wd. go, but would not quit their Captain. Many of these men are young men & would be very proper for the Service as they have little, and some no property, but live on the cattle of the Neighbouring stocks, and the Deer they kill by fire hunting at Night, as I was well

informed

we had a little humerous hop here & returned, into Halifax County again the same Night to our hospitable friend Mr. Smith, where we rested one day being the Sabbath, and On Monday Lieut. Dunbar being able to ride, & being desirous of going to Town was sent off with Serg. Hane. & fourteen Recruits and One Volunteer. The same day I crossed Sevannah River at Perry Ferry, & proceeded up to Mr. Galphins at Silver Bluff, where I met wth. Capt. Cattle again, who had just got about 14 men ready to go for head Quarters. I halted here one day & inlisted two men Mr. Galphins hospitality was so great, it was with difficulty I would get away however after seeing his Indigo fields and Spiral Pumps, and break fasting with his mixed breed3 daughters, Politely enough educated with music etc. etc., we set out for Augusta, & he with us as far as his Saw Mill




[inverted]

he wd. do as he had publicly declared to them. The battallion being discharged Col: Thomas assisted in persuading some young men to inlist and before dinner w? got eight here, returning to Mr. Smiths that Night we set out early on the next morning for the Muster field at Williamsons Cow Pen, to meet the Militia company there commanded by Capt. Wilson, one of the Provincial Delegates, on our way, soon after we had crossed Sevannah river, we overtook Capt. Ben: Cattell of the first Regmt. Also going to the same place, as we & imagined our business wd. clash, I agreed to inlist none but those of the Grenadier Size, and he promised to take none but those that were under that height, when we arrived the Company was drawn up, and consisted of about 180 men in rank and file. The Capt. read the Carolina Association to them then called out for them to sign it, and it was in general signed,