Pension Application

R.9337
            Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress of the seventh of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two.
State of New Jersey
County of Waren SS.
            On the fourteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three personally appeared in open court, before the Judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas of the County of Warren aforesaid, Micah Seamen a resident of the Township of Greenwich in said County aged eighty four years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath made the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June the seventh in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two.
            That he entered the service of the United States in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy five, the day and month not recollected at Orange County in the State of New York as a private volunteer in the company of New York troops commanded by Captain Daniel Denton and Lieutenant ____DeHart—attached to the third Regiment commanded by Colonel James Clinton—that he volunteered for the term of six months and marched with his company to Albany encamped there about two weeks and from thence marched to St. John’s in Canada where the United States army commanded by General Montgomery were encamped—he was engaged in the attack upon the fort at St. John’s and he was engaged in the attack upon the fort at St. John’s and succeeded in taking it from the British—His arm was broken by a cannon ball from the Fort which killed two privates who were with him in the tent—He lay with the army some time at St. John’s and was drafted as a private in a company of Artillery which was raised by draft from his regiment and was appointed Orderly Sergeant, in said company commanded by Captain Godfrey Cheeseman and Lieutenant Moody, he marched from there with the army and after some skirmishes with the British, attacked Montreal day and month not recollected—after the surrender of Montreal he marched with the army to Quebec and was engaged in storming the Town on New Year’s Eve. After the term for which he volunteered having expired on that night, having been six months in the service, he marched with the army to the attack of the gates of the lower town and after that in forcing the works when General Montgomery and the commandant of the company in which applicant served were [?] by a shot from the enemy—The town was attacked by two divisions, the first division attacked the lower Town and was commanded by General Montgomery, the second division attacked the upper town and was commanded by Benedict Arnold.
            Applicant retreated with the army from the attack on Quebeck to St. John
S where he was confined to the sick Hospital for about one month, from thence he proceeded on his return home as far as Ticonderoga where he was again confined by sickness to the hospital for four or five weeks, from thence he returned to his home at Orange County aforesaid, but does not recollect the day and month, having been absent in the service on actual duty six months and upon the sick list about two months. Applicant does not recollect the names of regular and Continental officers other than those he has enumerated, and received no discharge from the service.
            About six months after his return as aforesaid, Applicant was drafted as a private in the company of New York Militia commanded by Captain Francis Smith attached to the Regiment commanded by Colonel Jesse Woodhull and was appointed Orderly Sergeant of said company, Applicant then resided at Orange aforesaid, the day and months not recollected he marched with his company along the North River for about two weeks for the purpose of protecting the property of the Whigs from the foregoing parties of the British who frequently landed from the British shipping in the North River and plundered the property of the Whigs—from thence he returned home having been on duty two weeks.
            Some time afterwards in the same year day and month not recollected, he volunteered from his class from his residence at Orange aforesaid with about two hundred privates and marched as a private to the Delaware above the [Minnsant?] and lay there about one month for the purpose of protecting the persons & property of the inhabitants from the incursions of the Indians, he returned home from thence having been on duty about one month, he does not recollect the month or day, nor the names of field or company o0fficers, there were no other regiments or companies served with him on this tour.
            Some time afterwards in the same year, day or month not recollected, he was drafted as a private from his residence at Orange aforesaid and marched to [?] on the North River and joined a Regiment of two or three hundred Militia, who were drafted to protect the property of the Whigs, as aforesaid, he remained in service on that tour one month, and returned home, he does not recollect the names of field or company officers he thinks that the regiment was commanded by Colonel McCroskey, there were no other regiments served on that station with them during that tour.
            Afterwards in the same year day or month not recollected he was appointed to the command of a company of volunteers from his regiment at his residence in Orange aforesaid who had volunteered to go in pursuit of the noted Tory Claudius Smith in a service of three months, he marched at the head of his company in pursuit of Smith who with a small party was plundering the property of the Whigs, this the mountainous district of the County of Orange and in a night attack killed one of his sons who was in the engagement with Smith and his men—he then returned home having been on duty three months, the day and month not recollected, there were no other companies served with him on this tour.
            Some time after, day, month, and year not recollected he was drafted from his residence at Orange aforesaid as a private in the company of New York Militia commanded by Captain Francis Smith of the regiment commanded by Colonel Jesse Woodhull. He marched with the company along the North River to protect the property of the Whigs as aforesaid, from thence to the defence of Fort Montgomery which was defended by General James Clinton & General George Clinton with a body of regulars Militia and State troops. The British attacked the fort and took it. Applicant was in the engagement and received a flesh wound with a bayonet in the left side, he does not recollect the day, month or year of when this engagement took place, he escaped from the fort and returned home having been in the service on duty two months.
            Some time after applicant removed to West Point where day, month, and year, not recollected, he entered the service of the United States as a substitute for one Benjamin Fish of Boston, and artificer in the company of Continentals commanded by Captain Samuel Sizer, he does not recollect the names of field or general officers other than General LaFayette who commanded on that station, he entered for eight months. And Fish having enlisted for two years and eight months of his term having been served in person—he does not recollect whether there were other regiments in that station, he remained on that station eight months engaged in building barracks and fortifications, when he returned home day month and year not recollected and quit the service having been in the service of the United States from the commencement twenty three or four months.
            Applicant received no written discharges from the service, and has no documentary evidence whatever of his services aforesaid, and he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to the same—he was born in Queen’s County in the State of New York, on the first of December in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and forty eight—that he lived in the County of Orange when he entered the Revolutionary service, that since the Revolution he resided at Amboy [?] six months from there he removed to Bridgeton in said County—thence to the Township of Andover in the County of Sussex & state of New Jersey AD 1814 & remained for about fourteen years from thence he removed to Richmond in the Township of Lower Mont Bethel and State of Pennsylvania in the years of our Lord 1878, remained there about two years and removed to the Township of Greenwich aforesaid where he now lives.
            Applicant states that his short residence in Greenwich prevents him from getting the necessary certificates from Judges of that Township, that he is well known to the Revd James G. Force of Sanderson aforesaid, to Joseph Bowman Esq. or [?] Mount Bethel aforesaid and to Daniel Seaman Jr. of the same place who can testify to his character for truth and veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.
            Applicant states that his age is recorded in his family bible now in the possession of his son, Daniel Seaman of the Township of Greenwich aforesaid.
            He hereby relinquishes very claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension roll of the agency of any state. (Signed) Micah Seaman
            Sworn to the date & year aforesaid, Wm. Kennedy.

Letter dated July 28, 1924 written in reply to a request for information.
            I have to advise you that from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim R.9337, it appears that Micah Seaman was born December 1, 1748 in Queens County, New York.
            It is stated that while living in Orange County, New York he enlisted in 1775 as a private in Captain Daniel Denton’s Company, Colonel James Clinton’s Third New York Regiment, was at the Siege of Saint Johns, Canada where he had his arm broken by a Cannon ball; some time after he was transferred and appointed orderly Sergeant in Captain Godfrey Cheeseman’s Company of Artillery and was at the battles of Montreal and Quebec, service eight months.
            He enlisted about six months later and served two weeks as Orderly Sergeant in Captain Francis Smith’s Company, Colonel Jesse Woodhull’s New York Regiment.
            He enlisted the same year and served one month as private protecting the inhabitants on the Delaware River, also served one month as private under Colonel McCroskey.
            He again enlisted that year and served for three months as Orderly Sergeant in command of a party in pursuit of the Tory, Claudius Smith and was in a skirmish with him.
            He enlisted and served two months as private in Captain Francis Smith’s Company, Colonel Jesse Woodhull’s New York Regiment, was at the Siege of Fort Montgomery where he was wounded in the left side by a bayonet.
            Some time after, he moved to West Point, enlisted and served eight months in Captain Sizer’s Company of Continental Artificers.
            He applied for pension February 14, 1833 while living in Greenwich Township, Warren County, New Jersey, but his claim was not allowed as he died in bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1834 before furnishing specific proof of his services as required by the pension laws.
            His son Daniel was a resident of Sandusky County, Ohio in 1851. He name of soldier’s wife is not given.

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