Pension Application

S.14423
State of New York
Herkimer County SS.
            On the eleventh day of October 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the said County of Herkimer now sitting David A. Schuyler a resident of the Town of Danube in the said county of Herkimer and State of New York aged seventy one or seventy two years and whether seventy one or seventy two years, of age, there being no record thereof, he the said David does not know nor can he ascertain, who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits 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.
            That on the first day of February 1779 as he now believes at the Indian Castle in the Town of Canajoharie County of Tryon in the State of New York where he then resided he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer and served as such volunteer for the term of five months then next following—that he volunteered and served under Captain Gottlieb Snyder, who commanded the company to which he belonged—that Colonel Christopher Yates commanded the Regiment to which the company commanded by Capt. Snyder and in which he served was attached—that from the Indian Castle the place where he volunteered he was marched to Lake George where he and the rest of the troops stationed there were employed in rebuilding Fort George which as he then understood and now believes had been demolished by the British Army under General Burgoyne in the year 1777—that whilst stationed at Fort George he became acquainted with Colonel Harmanus Schuyler who was also stationed at said Fort during some part of the time—that there was stationed also at said Fort and employed in rebuilding the same one company of Continental troops who were under the command of a Lieutenant Dunnan and an Ensign named Sherod or Sherwood with whom he was also acquainted—that the company commanded by said Lieutenant Dunnan belonged to the Regiment commanded by Colonel Warner as he then understood but with whom he had no acquaintance—that at the termination of his said term of service he went to Albany & was then discharged and returned home to the Indian Castle where he arrived in July following as he now believes—that he is not certain that said five month service was rendered in the year 1779 but believes it was, and he is certain that his return home from said service was about the time of the departure of General Sullivan’s Expedition.
            And the said David A. Schuyler further stated under oath that about one year after the termination of his said term of five months service as such volunteer as aforesaid he enlisted into the service of the United States at Fort Plain for the term and he then Indian Castle [sic] aforesaid where he still resided for the term of nine months—that he enlisted into a company under the command of Captain Lorence Gross—that Simmons [Sammons] whose given name he thinks was Jacob was their Lieutenant—that the company commanded by Capt. Gross and in which he served was attached to the Regiment under the command of Colonel Marinus Willett with whom he was well acquainted—that he does not remember who was their Lieutenant Colonel but that a Mr. Benscoten or VanBenscoten was their Major—that under his enlistment for nine months he served about the period of two months when he was taken prisoner and carried to Canada as hereinafter mentioned—that immediately after his enlistment he was ordered to Fort Plain in the Town of Canajoharrie aforesaid where he was stationed for a short time.—That from thence he was marched to Fort Windecker so called situated a short distance below the Indian Castle and above Fort Plain on the Mohawk River where he was also stationed for a short period of time, but how long he cannot say—from Fort Windecker he was marched to Fort to Fort on the Mohawk River not remaining stationed long at any of said Forts until he had served under such enlistment for the town of about two months when he was taken prisoner by the Indians and carried to Canada—that the time of his capture he in company with a man named George House who was also at the time in the service of the same corps and who was also at the time captured with him, was dispatched from Fort Windecker to Fort Timmerman some miles below on the Mohawk River for provisions for the troops and Inhabitants then stationed and collected at Fort Windecker—that he and said House were taken prisoners by the hostile Indians when on their way to Fort Timmerman as aforesaid and carried to Oswegatchie now Ogdensburgh on the River St. Lawrence and from thence to Montreal in Canada where he was confined and detained a prisoner for about eighteen months, the precise time not being now recollected by him—that after his imprisonment at Montreal as aforesaid, he was sent to Quebec and from thence shipped by way of Halifax to Boston where he was exchanged and sent home—that the whole time of his absence and imprisonment from the time of his capture by the Indians on the Mohawk River until his return home again the year following was eighteen months, breaking his said service of two months under his said enlistment for nine months previous to his capture and his said period of imprisonment altogether twenty months—That for his said term of service under his enlistment for nine months he after his return home from his imprisonment obtained a written discharge for nine months service from Captain Lorence Gross—that he kept his discharge until five or six years ago he handed it to Colonel Peter Sternberg of Danube in the County of Herkimer for the purpose of obtaining for him military lands—that he has since called on said Sternberg for said discharge and was told by said Sternberg that said discharge had been sent by him to some public office at Albany as he now thinks or to some other place not now recollected by him—that he has not been able to get said discharge nor has he seen it since he delivered it to said Sternberg nor does he now know where the same is or what has become of it except as he is told by said Sternberg—that for his first term of service of five months he never had any written discharge.
            And the said David further stated under oath that previous to the aforesaid service rendered by him under his said several terms of Enlistment, he was enrolled in the Militia of the State of New York and performed occasional actual service as a militiaman in defence of his country—that at the age of sixteen years he was enrolled in the Militia of the County in a company commanded by Honyost Digert in Colonel Klock’s Regiment, and in obedience to the general orders then issued to the militia of the State of New York provided himself with a gun, bayonet & belt, cartridges Box and cartridges & kept himself in readiness at all times, except his aforesaid term of enlistment, at a minutes warning. That whilst so enrolled and acting with the Militia of the said state he was repeatedly called out into the service of the United States and discharged. The several duties of soldiers in the regular service—that he was at different times stationed at different forts in Tryon County on the Mohawk River, sometimes at one and sometimes at another. That the duties performed at said forts were the usual garrison duties that whenever the enemy made his appearance in the vicinity of any of the settlements on said river the inhabitants fled to and assembled themselves at the nearest fort where the Militia would be placed on duty to guard and defend such forts against the enemy—that the occasions of this kind of duty and Military service were very frequently but generally of short duration lasting sometime a week that occasionally he was ordered out also in pursuit of the enemy—that he cannot remember nor is he able in any wise to ascertain how long or period of service the whole of the said last mentioned service taken collectively would amount to, but has no doubt & verily believes that his said last mentioned service taken all together would amount to at least three months actual service—that the whole of the said last mentioned service was rendered on the Mohawk River in Tryon County aforesaid—that he has never been in any battle.—That he has no record of his age nor does he know of any—that 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 the Agency of any state—that he knows of no person living at this time by whom he can prove his said terms of five months or nine months service aforesaid except George House who was with him and served with him the said first period of five months under Capt. Snyder and who was also enlisted with him under Capt. Gross and enlisted for nine months—that he expects to prove his imprisonment also by Thomas T. Shoemaker and Andrew Piper who were taken prisoners after him but who returned home with him from Canada.
            That he was born in 1761 – 1762, 1763, but he can’t tell thinks he is 71 or 72 years old. That he has no record of his age.
            That he lived at Indian Castle at that time in the Town of Canajoharrie County of Tryon now Danube in the County of Herkimer where he enlisted into the service of the United States as aforesaid—that he has lived there ever since the revolutionary war.
            That he volunteered into the service at one time for five months and at another time he enlisted for nine months.
            That colonel Harmannus Schuyler Lieutenant Dunnan & Ensign Sherod were at Fort George where he when he was at that place as a volunteer and who were in the regular serivce as he understood.
            That he had a written discharge given him for his nine months service by Capt. Lorence Gross—he does not know where it now is. That he handed his discharge to Colonel Peter Sternberg to get military lands for him and has not even been able to get it of and although he has called on Sternberg for it.
            That he is known to several persons residing in [the town] of Danube who resides in his present neighborhood and who can testify as to their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.
            And 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 the agency of any state. (Signed with his mark) David A. Schuyler
            Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court. Julius C. Nelson, Clerk

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