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Michael
Ripple’s Revolutionary War Pension Application
(Transcribed from
original online images)
(4th
Great-Grandfather of Jane Lowther Strasma)
On the fourth day of June 1833 personally appeared in open court being a
court of record to wit the county commissioner’s court for Edgar County
and State aforesaid Michael Ripple a resident of said county and state
aged 81 years the 15th October 1832 who being first duly sworn according
to law and on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain
the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed June 7,
1832.
He states that he was born in Northampton County in the State of
Pennsylvania on the 15th day of October 1751. He gives this his age of 81
years from the register in his father’s family Bible. He states that
in the first of March or last of February 1776 he volunteered as a private
for six months under Captain John Orsett (Ornett?) in Major John Nelson’s
battalion in Col. Peter Kirkland’s (Keithland’s?) Regiment in the
Pennsylvania line on continental establishment called into service by
competent authority.
It was attached to General Benedict Arnold’s Brigade and was marched into
the State of New York and continued in said State and about New York City,
Long Island, Brooklyn, Gravesend, &c and until the Battle of Long
Island [27 Aug 1776] that he was in the engagement under the officers
above stated as well as he recollects. He thinks General [John] Sullivan
commanded a brigade in said battle. That just about the time of said
battle or in two or three days after his six month’s tour expired.
The said battle he thinks was in the last of August 1776 that his served
out the full term of 6 months aforesaid in the field (formerly thought
three months) during which time he was not engaged in any civil pursuit
for which service he received a written discharge which he lost.
That in about 10 days after being discharged as aforesaid he enlisted as a
private soldier as a light horseman for two years on continental
establishment under a certain recruiting Captain whose name is now
forgotten and entered into the service as one as among General George
Washington’s life guard and was placed occasionally under the command of
an orderly sergeant by the name of John Cary. The names of the other
officers are all forgotten. General Washington frequently commanded
his life guard himself. That in the capacity of a private soldier and
light horsemen as aforesaid in the field he served out his full term of
two years enlistment as aforesaid and was not during said term engaged in
any civil pursuit for which service he received a written discharge which
is lost. He states that he was with General George Washington as one
of his life guard aforesaid at the battle of Brandywine [11 Sep 1777],
Germantown [4 Oct 1777] at the former he believes LaFayette and Count
Pulasky [Kazimierz Pulaski] commanded and was engaged in the battle
with the latter he believes generals Sullivan and Stephens [Adam Stephen]
commanded and was in the battle but other general or particular
transactions and circumstances relative to to said two years service has
now escaped his memory.
He states that he then started home to Pennsylvania and having arrived at
East Town [Easton] in said State he enlisted again for two years as a
light horsemen and private under Captain Schultz, a recruiting offier and
entered the service on Continental establishment and joined a corps called
into service by competent authority and was put and placed in Captain
Thelaskeys [sic: Jan Zielinski] company in Major Hind’s Battalion in
Colonel Cowatch [sic: Michael de Kowatch] regiment in Count Pulasky’s
Brigade and marched up the Delaware River and had a battle with the
Delaware Indians at Mennising [sic: Minisink Valley], killed a number of
them and took some prisoners. Marched to Egg Harbour in Maryland and
there had a skirmish with some British [Little Egg Harbor NY, 15 Oct 1778]
who fled (leaving the guns, knapsacks &c) into a swamp impassable for
our horses. We endeavored to prevent their escape to the British
fleet lying in the bay but they got to the bridge first and having passed
over took up the plank and prevent our pursuit. We took 30 or 40
prisoners among whom was two tories who were sent to Trentown [Trenton]
and hung.
We then marched into Virginia and took up winter quarters at a place
called Hossnitown, he thinks. In March following marched through the
Carolinas and into the State of Georgia. Count D’Estang, General
Lincoln, and Count Pulasky commanded and we had to retreat with much loss.
Count Pulasky commanded and Col. Cowatch and many more were killed.
This applicant had his horse shot down under him and several bullet holes
made in his own cloths. He then received a written discharge (among
the few that escaped) which is lost. (indecipherable sentence…._.
He then returned home to East Town in Pennsylvania. He states that
to the best of his recollection that Daniel Morgan, Henry Lee, Joseph
Reid, James Clinton and Israel Putnam all commanders as generals in
Washington’s army and Peter Harry and Isaac Hayes as Colonels in said army
during the revolution. He states that after the revolution he lived
with his brother Henry Ripple for 7 years then married and settled near
his said brother, resided there 12 or 15 years He moved to
Muhlenburg County in the State of Kentucky and after about 7 years moved
to Edgar County in the State of Illinois where he still resides.
He states that he has no documentary evidence and that he knows of no
person whose testimony he can procure to can testify to his service.
He states that William J Mays Clergyman and Thomas Rader laborer of said
county of Edgar and State of Illinois are persons to whom he is know in
his neighborhood who can testify to his veracity and their belief of his
service as a soldier in the revolution
Note: he received a pension through March 1837
[Bracketed details supplied by transcriber]