Pension Application

S.11,471
State of New York
Montgomery County SS
            On this twentieth day of September in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two personally appeared in open court before the Judge of the court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Montgomery now sitting, George Stine a resident of Florida in the County of Montgomery and State of New York aged Eighty One 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 7th 1832.
            That he the said George Stine was born on the 2nd day of March in the year 1751 in Hessen Castle Germany, that he was brought to America when an infant by his parents who landed in the City of New York, and that they removed to Florida Montgomery County (then Tryon) in the year 1752 where he resided until the Revolutionary War, that he has a record of his age which was kept by his father in a Book of Catechism which Compounds with the dates above given, his birth & immigration above mentioned in information receiving from his parents which he believes correct.
            That he entered the service of the United States in the Revolutionary War at Florida in the County aforesaid in the year 1776 as an Ensign in a company of Militia Commanded by Captain Joseph Yeomans, Nathan Keese and Charles Hobbs Lieutenants and that he served as such Ensign from the time had entered until the close of the war in the year 1783. That this company was attached to a Regiment commanded by Col. Frederick Fisher that he cannot recollect the day or month of the year when he entered the service or when he quit the same that this company were generally stationed along the Mohawk river from Fort Hunter to Rome as directed from time to time by the alarms and to guard the country from defection by Tories, Indians, Scouts, and small detachments of British who were continually infesting that frontier. That he was in the Battle of Oriskany on the 6th of August 1777, in which General Herkimer was wounded & died of his wounds that Col. Cox, Major Blevin & Captain Pettingal were killed in that battle with about 400 of the Militia on the side of the Americans, and that the slaughter would have been much greater but for the gallant conduct of Colonels Gansevoort and Willett. That he was also at Saratoga previous to the Capture taken of General Burgoyne which he thinks was in the month of October in the same year of the battle of Oriskany. That that branch of the American Army was under the command of General Gates & general Arnold, there he also recollects, that he was in another battle above Canajoharie at a place called Fox’s or at Nellis Halls, [Battle of Klock’s Field or as the British called it, the Battle of Fox’s Mills] on the Mohawk River a large number of British, Tories, & Indians under the command of Sir John Johnson has come across the country from Schoharrie which they had burnt and were met at Fox’s by the Tryon Militia under the Command of General VanRensselaer, the battle was severe & the loss considerable on both sides but the members he cannot recollect thinks this was in the year 1780 or 1781, but is not certain which. That he was during the war though he cannot now recollect in what year engaged with 75 others on an expedition to retake a number of boats which a party of tories had taken from Albany to New York, when they had proceeded as far as Esopus they met the British fleet at that place. The village had been burnet & they were compelled to return, that he was in come other slight skirmish but cannot now recollect the order of events or all the places at which they were at different periods stationed. That Fort Plain, Fort Stanwix, German Flatts, Johnstown & Canajoharie are among the number that he entered the service as a volunteer & acted as an Ensign in the company though he did not receive his commission as such until the year 1781. That he has no other documentary evidence of his service except his commission the best history of his tours of duty he is able to give while actually under arms is as follows, after first entering the service he went with a portion of the Militia in Col. Fishers Regiment to Johnstown to stand garrison at the Picquet Fort, where he with about forty others remained three weeks and then returned home, remained a few days from thence a part of three companies, with the same regiment including himself were ordered to Fort Dayton about sixty miles from Florida up the Mohawk river to guard the boats which carried provisions to Fort Stanwix here they remained about four weeks, then were relieved, then returned home stayed about one week then were ordered with about sixty men to Fort Windecker on the south side of the Mohawk river rising forty miles up the river while then about one half remained in turn to guard the Fort then others to go out in scouts in morning & return to bring reports in the evening, remained there two weeks were then relieved returned home remained but two days when he with about forty others were again ordered to guard Picquet [Picket] Fort at Johnstown where they remained about two weeks, he is unable to give dates on time to each of these tours of service, except that it was the first year he served& that they occurred in the order above stated, he was next ordered to Fort Plank to guard that place where he remained on duty three weeks with about forty of the same regiment. This fort is on the south side of the Mohawk river, here the [?] also took regular turns in keeping garrison & scouting, here they remained about three weeks then returned home remained a few days then were again ordered with about the same number to relieve the guard at Picquet Fort Johnstown remained there about two weeks. They were then sent to the Block house on the Sacandaga river remained there as he thinks about ten days & returned home after this was frequently out a few days at a time sometimes in companies of from three to twenty at night & day scouting & guarding the dangerous forts. All this was previous to the Oriskany Battle that previous to the Battle also, three companies to wit Captain Yeomans, Capt. Snooks & Capt. McMasters where regularly on march twenty three nights in succession, lying still through the day, through different parts of the county, immediately after the Battle of Oriskany he together with about 130 of the Militia belonging to different companies went to Albany & entered into what was called the Batteaux service on the North river, that the boats belonging to this service were under the command of Captain Mager Peterson of Schenectady and manner that these boats were employed in carrying provisions from Albany 30 or 40 miles up the river for the American Army at Saratoga & in their return he recollects they brought back the arms &c taken by the Americans from the British at Bennington Vermont that he was in this service about two Months or until October just before the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga it was during the service that he went to Esopus where the British fleet lay, that he was at Saratoga with the Militia who were with him in the Batteaux service but were not then under arms, that from there he returned to Florida that he remained at home from that time until sometime in the month of February in the succeeding winter when the whole of Col. Fisher Regimen were ordered out to Johnstown they arrived there in the evening some time that night there was an alarm arrived that a party of Indians had attempted to burn the Block House at Sacandaga the whole regiment were ordered to that place a party of seven Indians had come down from the north & had been committing depredations, these Indians were hindered by a small party under the command of our Solomon Woodworth & six of the Indians were killed on the mountain back of Sacandaga, in the succeeding year this Solomon Woodworth as ti was understood from his character for bravery in killing the Indians received a Captain Commission & was with his company which was attacked to Col. Fishers regiment was in the Battle of Palatine when Sir John Johnson came across the country from Schoharie & burnt every house on his route except those of the tories in this battle Capt. Woodworth and every one of his company was killed except thirteen and these thirteen were saved by the exertions of this deponent, one George Keats & one other man whose name he has forgotten, who got a boat on the south side of the river crossed over to the north side & took in these thirteen men in the boat who had retreated to the edge of the river that they were fired upon warmly & narrowly escaped [?] being killed, he cannot keep in mind a regular history of his further duty except to say he recollects of being stationed twice after that time at Fort Plain once four weeks the other time cannot say thinks 2 or 3 weeks & was frequently & repeatedly at various other places besides these above mentioned for time varying from one day to a fortnight & was on duty in such a manner as to make it impossible to make any computation of time in active service under arms but believes it would be a low calculation to say three years during the war. Thinks he shall be able to prove a part of his services by John Servoss, John McGraw and Albert Frank that since the war he was resided in Florida where he now lives most of the time, he never received any written discharge from the service. He can prove his character for veracity by the Revd Nicholas Hill of Florida and John McGraw of Florida in said County. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever for 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 with his mark) George Stine
            Subscribed & sworn the day & year aforesaid. Geo. D. Ferguson, Clerk

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