William Haddox

Haddox, Pvt. William


State of Virginia


Harrison County


 


On the 17th day of Sept 1832, personally appeared in open court before Jacob Colbin, Joseph Johnson, William Martin, Benjamin Basel in the court of Harrison County now setting.  William Haddox aged 74 years who being first sworn doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June the 4th 1832 that he was born in Fauquier County in the state of Virginia the 15th day of March 1758 but has no record of his age but so informed by his parents that he was drafted into the service of the Unites States as a militia man under Captain Robert Cunningham in the county of Hampshire State of Virginia and marched to Beeson town in Pennsylvania now, Uniontown from there to Fort Pitt joined Gen’l McIntosh in his campaign against the Indians as  believes in the spring of the year 1778 thence descended the Ohio River to the mouth of Big Beaver built a fort called McIntosh thence to go the Sandusky towns but the winter setting in too severe they stopped and built a fort on the Tuscara [Tuscarawas] called Fort Lawrence [Laurens] and there continued all winter skirmishing with the Indians.  Some time in the spring following they was relieved by new levies and was discharged by Col Gibson who had command of the Fort and returned to the Horseshoe Bottom on Cheat River now in the county of Randolph and immediately after his return he was appointed an Indian Spy by Capt. John Hadden in company with Zenis Wells and Daniel Kittle to spy the region of county from Cheat River passing through the Tygart Valley and Buchannon Rivers for 3 years during the Revolutionary War for both tours he had a regular written discharge but his house getting burnt his papers all got burnt and his discharges with them.  That he has no documentary evidence to establish his claim.  But returns to the neighborhood where he now lives on the waters of the Tygart Valley River.  He would refer to John H. Woodford Esq, Uriah Modesett, John Huff, Vincent L Huff Postmaster at Huffsville in Harrison County where he now lives.


 


He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and that he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State.


 


Sworn to before me                                  his


                                                    William X  Haddox


                                                                 mark


 


We, Thornsberry Baily and John Huff are well acquainted with William Haddox and we believe he was a soldier and served as stated in the Revolutionary War and he is 74 years of age as stated by himself and that he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier in the Revolutionary War and we concur in that opinion.


                        Sworn to the day and year above stated.


                                                        T. Baily    J. Huff


 


And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary War Soldier, and served as he states and the Court further certifies that it appears to them that Thornsberry Baily and John Huff who has signed the preceding certificate is residents in the county of Harrison and state of Virginia and is credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.


 


I, David Davisson (Clerk of Harrison county court) do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of the application of William Haddox for a pension.


 


                                                            In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this 2nd day of November 1832


                                                                        D. Davisson


                                                                


 


Private William Haddox was born on 15 March 1758 in Fauquier County, Virginia. He enlisted in Hampshire County, VA., in the spring of 1778 and served twenty months in the Virginia service during the Revolution under Capt. Robert Cunningham, Col. John Gibson, and General McIntosh.  He also served as an Indian spy, under Capt. John Hadder, in 1779 on the Cheat River and Tygart River Valley area of what now is West Virginia.  William was married to Mary Catherine MINEAR Haddox.  He died in 1835 in Barbour Co., VA (now WV).


 


Haddock was inscribed on the Roll of Virginia, N° 6810, at the rate of $66.66 per annum which commenced on the 4th day of March 1831.  He applied for a federal pension on 17 September 1832, while residing at Huffville, Harrison County, VA (now WV).  The certificate, N° S, 8694, was issued on 5 March 1833.  However, a reexamination of his claim by the U.S. District Attorney in 1834 decided that, according to the law under which he applied, he was not entitled to the pension and his name was dropped from the Pension rolls March 10, 1835.  The pension office claimed the Haddock pension was obtained by fraud.


 


The battle to get Haddox’s pension reinstated went on for nearly 27years and just four months before the start of the American Civil War.  In a letter to the Pension Office from Virginia’s U. S. Senator, John S. Carlisle, the Senator wrote the following:


 


                                                                                                Pension Office


January 15 1862


 


Sir:


 


I have the honor to return herewith the letter of Oliver R. Bennett, Esq. And in answer to, to state that the name of William Haddox of Harrison Co. Va, was, on the 10th March 1835 stricken from the roll of pensioners, on the grounds that the pension was obtained by fraud.  No effort was made during the life time of the Haddox to be restored, and the inference from his silence is that he acquiesced in the justice of the decision of the office.


 


John S. Carlisle


U.S. Senate


 


 


 


William Haddox applied for a Virginia pension, 6810, on 17 September 1832.  The Certificate of Pension, S. 8694, was issued on 5 March 1833.  For what ever reason, his pension was re-examined by the U.S. District Attorney in 1834.  The U.S Attorney for the Western District of Virginia was Washington C. Singleton.  He was appointed by President Andrew Jackson in 1834.


 


William Haddox was once again required to provide another narrative of his activities during the Revolutionary War.  He provides his story to Nathan Goss and Gustavus Harrison, both of whom work for W. G. Singleton.  Haddox is now 76 years old.


 


At the end of the written narrative, Singleton writes the following note,


 


“Note. The narrative given by Haddox is manifestly false.—Fort Laurens on the Ohio river was not built until 1778 & 1779.  And yet he claims to have done service at that fort in 1776---there was no such officer as Capt. Cunningham at that station.  And more especially there was no men sent to that station from Fauquier County—Haddox is clearly an imposter.


 


                                                                           W.G. Singleton


                                                                            Nov. 17. 1834


           


Haddox did change his pension narrative from his original on 17 September 1832.  He did not mention anything about his participation in the Battle of Point Pleasant, which occurred in October 1774.  Haddox also states that in 1775 he enlisted in Fauquier County, Va, under Capt. Robert Cravens for eight months.


 


Haddox further states in his 1834 narrative that “in the ____   ____ 1776 he volunteered in Fauquier County for six months under Capt. ____ and was sent to a place called Fort Laurens on the Ohio river.  Robert Cunningham was his captain in part of this time.”


 


Attorney Singleton claims it was impossible for Haddox to be at Fort Laurens since it was built in 1778 and not 1776.  Singleton is correct.  It is most likely, however, that Pvt. Haddox confused Ft. McIntosh with Ft. Laurens, the fort from which the troops departed to head to the Tuscarawas Valley.  Ft. McIntosh was built on the Ohio River, not Ft. Laurens.


 


Haddock may also have gotten his Fauquier County militia captains confused as well.  In his first pension application, he speaks of Capt. Cunningham.  In the 1834 narrative, he speaks of both Capt. Robert Cravens and Capt. Robert Cunningham.  Cunningham most likely was the Fauquier County militia captain.  He may or may not have gone all the way to assist in the building of Ft. Laurens.  He also may have returned to Fauquier County after he had marched his militia men to Ft. McIntosh.


 


William Haddox’s pension was sent to the Friends of Ft. Laurens Foundation by Linda Santamaria of North Olmstead, OH, on 29 June 2007.


 


Additional information to the pension was added by Fisher, Scott, Friends of Ft. Laurens Foundation.  The additional material was obtained from Footnote.com and printed on 11-12 August 2009.


 


 


 


Kellogg, Louise P., ed. Frontier Advance On The Upper Ohio. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1916. 466.


 


"John S. Carlile." Wikipedia. 13 Aug. 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org>.


 


Johnston, Ross B., comp. West Virginians in the American Revolution. Baltimore: Clearfield Co., 1977.  114.


 


"Pension File of Haddox, William S.8694." Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files. NARA. 11 Aug. 2009 <http://www.footnote.com/image/21679354>.


 


Washington G. Singleton Papers, 171 WFCHS, Stewart Bell Jr. Archives, Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA, USA. 13 Aug 2009


<http: //www.hrl.lib.state.va.us>.


 



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