State of Virginia, County of Russell, sc.

On this 9th day of January in the year 1833 personally appeared in open Court, before the County Court of Russell now sitting, William Cooper, a resident of Russell County and State of Virginia, aged about eighty four years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declarations in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States in the year of 1776, he thinks, under the following named officers, and served as hereinstated. That at the time he first entered the war of the Revolution he resided in York County in the State of Pennsylvania, and that he then belonged to a company commanded by Captain Michael Dowdell, but he cannot now remember the names of the Subaltern officers belonging to the said Company - that he is now very old and infirm, and that his recollection is so imperfect that at the present time he cannot do more than mention the names of the officers by whom he was commanded during the various tours which he performed during the War of the Revolution - that his mind is very much impaired, and continues to become more so as his infirmaties increased upon him, aided as it has been not alone by ravages of old age, but by the palsy which has been preying upon him for many years, so as now to inhibit in a great degree his utterance and articulation; he is compelled to resent himself at this late hour of his life, under all disadvantages consequent upon such an accumulation of disasters and misfortunes, an old and humble suppliant for aid, at the hands of that Government to secure whose liberties he has spent the best days of his life contributing to the great triumph of justice over injustice, liberty over tyrany, and to the establishment of the independence and liberty of his fellow citizens; relying however on the justice of his claim, and his own consciousness of having deserved well of his country, he will state such facts as occur to his worse than imperfect recollection. That he remembers as before stated that he first entered the service in the war of the Revolution under Captain Michael Dowdell in York County Pennsylvania, but for what length of time he does not remember, but thinks it was one year or longer; that some time after the said Company of which the said Cooper was a member went into the service, Captain Dowdell was charged with cowardice or unofficer like conduct in a skirmish in which the said company was engaged, and so much dissatisfaction was enacted in the company against Captain Dowdell that it was finally agreed that Dowdell's conduct should be reported to his Excellency General Washington and the said Cooper was deputed for that purpose - That he carried it, and thinks he handed it to General Washington in person, and then returned to his company - in consequence of which a Court Martial was held for the trial of Dowdell, and the said Cooper was the principal witness against him, and upon hearing the charge and specification exhibited against Dowdell he thinks the Court martial determined to submit the matter to the company which was done, and Dowdell was thereupon removed from the command of the said Company and one Henry Miller chosen by the Company in the place of Dowdell - that he served out the remainder of that tour under Captain Miller and that during that time he was commanded by Col. Edward Hann who had the command of the Regiment to which the said company belonged O that he returned home, but cannot now say how long he remained, there and then substituted for one Alexander Ross for a tour of three months under he thinks one Captain Powers and that under him he served out the said time, and as he now thinks was discharged at the place upon the expiration of one of the tours which he served - That during a part of the time he was in the service aforesaid he belonged to the army commanded by one General Potts and upon being discharged at Princeton, New Jersey, he again volunteered and marched back with the forces to which he then belonged, he thinks toward Pennsylvania, and was in an engagement at a place called Black Ironsides, in which the Americans were defeated and compelled to retreat as well as he remembers - He thinks that they were then commanded by Gen'l Potts, but cannot now be certain - That during the time he was in the War of the Revolution he was in many skirmishes; in the battle of Brandywine where Lieutenant Archibald Campbell he thinks was one of the officers - he was also in the battle of the "White Horse" where Col. James Thompson was wounded by a shot in the shoulders, and was then sent off from the field of battle on the horse of the said Cooper. That shortly after he the said Cooper entered the services as aforesaid he was appointed a Corporal and served as such a while, and was appointed an orderly Sergeant and served as such a while, and before he quit the service he was appointed Adjutant and served as such some time, but cannot remember how long. That in one fact he feels perfectly certain, that in the whole he served in the War of the Revolution three or four years and thinks that he might safely say four. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and declares that his name in not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

              his
William X Cooper
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Witnessed by: George W. Hopkins
Jeremiah Boys, a Clegyman
Jacob Lambert