Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Asahel Foote
S13044
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
County of Berkshire
On this
twenty-eighth day of August A.D. 1836, personally appeared in open court, before
the Honorable William P. Walker, Judge of the Court of Probate, within and
for said County of Berkshire, no sitting, Asahel Foote, a resident of the town
of Lee in the County of Berkshire and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged sixty-nine
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 act of Congress,
passed June 7, 1832.
That he
entered the service of the United States under the following named officers,
and served as herein stated. On the third day of July in the year A.D.
1777, enlisted in the company commanded by Captain Ford in the regiment commanded
by Col. William Brown (1) of Pittsfield in the Line of the State of Massachusetts,
I enlisted in The Town of Lee.
We went
immediately to Albany where we stayed over a week and we were put into companies. From
Albany we marched to Schoharie for the purpose of guarding the town from the
British and Indians, and where we acted as scouts. In the town there
were three forts, designated by the terms, upper, middle and lower forts. I
was placed part of the time in one of them and part of the time in another.
The Indians
made no attacks upon the forts, but our scouting parties had frequent skirmishes
with them. We was dismissed and commenced our return home on the 20th
of November of that year having served during that enlistment. I served
four months, I remained at home until July of the next summer when I was drafted
in Capt. Marsh’s (2) company in Stockbridge in Col. Brown’s Regiment.
We marched
to Albany from thence to Schoharie after we had been at Schoharie some time
the Indians came down upon it I was then on guard and was the first to
give the alarm about break of day. They had with them a howitzer and
four-pounder for the purpose of throwing in upon our fort. Shells and
balls we had then but seventy men in the fort. They commenced their firing
upon us for the purpose of burning our magazine. They Threw into the
fort with a dozen shells which set our magazine on fire three times. Some
of our men were not in mortally wounded. We had in the fort some rifle
men from Virginia (3) rangers who were not subject to the command of our officers
one of them shot down three different men who had been sent by the enemy with
a flag of truce and we supposed to demand our surrender.
The enemy
remained till near night fall when they drew off and commenced their firing
upon one of the other forts from thence they went to Stonerarbias then called
Stone Robby to which place we followed them. They had arrived a short
time before on our way many cattle lay slaughtered until hardly an animal to
be seen living, houses smoking in ruins & when we arrived at Stone Robby,
many of the inhabitants was laying in their gore yet unburied. We were
informed that the Indians had placed ten of the number in sight a short distance
from that fort and that Colo. Brown had ordered his men to pursue them. They
retired and led Col. Brown into an ambuscade (4) in a notch where they
were arose upon them and slaughtered almost all of them. Col. Brown fell
the first fire and was deposited in his grave the day before we arrived.
I remained
in the service until the last of Nov. And served a few days over four months. I
remained at home until the first of August 1781 when a call was made upon the
Town of Lee to furnish a certain number of men three years men. I was
drafted and entered the company commanded by Captain Kellum in the regiment
in which Maj. Ashley of Stockbridge was Major. The Colo. I do not recollect. I
went to Stockbridge to Shuron White Plains and then directly to West Point
where I remained until the last of the next March when I was relieved by another
person and returned home. While I was there Gen. Washington was there
and at West Point many times. General Gates was also there. I was
under the Continental officers this campaign, but at the time I served, I was
in the Line of the State of Mass.
In this
service I remained Eight months.
I served
in my first campaign 4 months
Do Second Do
Do Third 8
Total
16 months
I was born
in Colchester Ct. in the year 1763, 22 April. I have a record of my age
in my family. I entered the service always in the town of Lee where I
then lived and where I have lived ever since.
I never had a discharge. I know of no person living who can testify
to my services during the Revolution.
I am acquainted
with the Rev. Alva Hyde of Lee and Stephen Couch, the former of whom I have
known more than forty years.
(Here the
record ends.)
Asahel Foote, End Notes
- Ashel is mistaken in several parts for this service. The year was in 1780. He was born in 1763 and he couldn’t have been 16 until 1779 when he was of legal age to enlist. He gives the correct information as to where he was serving which also helps date the correct year of service. He served under Captain William Foord in Colonel John [not William] Brown’s Regiment of Massachusetts State Levies. They were at the Middle Fort in Schoharie.
- Asahel is again mistaken. This service was all under Colonel Brown in 1780. There was no Captain Marsh in this regiment.
- The men were partly from Captain Isaac Bogart’s Company in Lieutenant-Colonel John Harper’s Regiment of New York State Levies. Timothy Murphy and the other riflemen had been part of Colonel Daniel Morgan’s Rifle Corp but when their enlistments ended after the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign they returned to the Schoharie Valley where they had been stationed until they went on the Iroquois Campaign. They made their homes in theSchoharie and served locally in the militia and the levies.
- Asahel is referring to the raid led by Sir John Johnson in both cases. Sir John and his crown troops and Indian allies attacked the forts and settlements in the Schoharie Valley on the 17th of October 1780. Sir John then proceeded north and burned the settlement across the Schoharie Creek from Fort Hunter on the 18th. On the 19th he reached Stone Arabia and met the American forces under Colonel Brown. Colonel was killed on his 36th birthday along with about 40 of his men.