Pension Application of William Begeant S9098
Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris
State of }
Virginia, Loudoun }
County } SS
On this 11th day of March 1833 personally appeared before the Justices of the County Court of Loudoun County Virg’a William Begeant a Resident of Loudoun County Virg’a aged seventy eight 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 provision made by the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832. that he enlisted in the State Troops of Virginia in the Summer of 1781 (in June to the best of his recollection) in a Troop of Horse commanded by Capt. Armond (a Frenchman) [Martin Armand Vogluson] in the first Virg’a. Reg’t. under Col. Nelson [Major-Commandant John Nelson]. That he enlisted at Hanover County for & during the war & was first marched to YorkTown thro’ Kent [sic: New Kent] County & Williamsburg. He continued doing duty as commanded during the Siege of York & Gloucester [28 Sep – 19 Oct] until after the capture of Lord Cornwallis in Oct. 1781. He was then some few weeks after march’d to Winchester and went into winter Quarters at Browns Mill on the Opekon [sic: Opequon Creek]. In the Spring of 1782 he was ord’d. with his Company to Petersburg Va and remained there 9 months when he was ord’d. with his Company and two other companies of Horse (one of which was commanded by a Capt. Reed or Reid [probably Edmund Read]) to march as he thought, and then understood, to the Southern army, but the Companies halted at New London in Campbell [then Bedford] County – after a few days rest he was march’d to Portsmouth Va where he wintered in the winter of 1782. In the Spring of 1783 he was order’d to Hampton on Hampton Roads, where in the summer of 1783 the troop of Horse to which he was attached was dissolved & he enlisted a 2d time for three Years in the 1st Reg’t of Infantry in The Brigade commanded by Gen’l. [Peter] Muhlenberg. Capt. Kirk commanded the company. He rec’d. his bounty and was furloughed for a few weeks – then join’d the army at or near Winchester Va – our troops were march’d to a place on the James River [at the junction with Rivanna River] above Richmond calld Point of Fork where the British burnt the Barracks – then in the early part of the fall I was furloughed on that date. My discharge from the Infantry was sent to Philadelphia in order to get my pay but never heard any thing of my pay or discharge afterwards. I served in the Horse and foot full 2 years & 3 mo’s.
I was born at Winchester Va. in 1755. Have no record of my Age. My Parents were English persons – my father came over with Gen’l. Braddock & was one of his soldiers in his artillery.
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 any agency in any state.
Sworn & subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court William hisXmark Begeant