Scott County the Beginning
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
John Reed, Southern Campaign
Entered the service of the United States under the following named officers as a volunteer and served as herein states first engagement a volunteer to guard the bank of the Savannah River under General Andrew Pickens’ Regiment, Robert Anderson, Col. Benjamin Tutt, Major, Capt. David Maxwell, John Cain, First Lt. Gabriel Tutt ensign. On horse back that after he quit the banks of the Savannah River he marched to reinforce General Nathanael Greene at the siege of Ninety Six [May 22-June 19, 1781] on his march to that place the news reached the Army that Greene had raised the siege and himself with about sixty other soldiers under Col. John Purvis fled to North Carolina in Rutherford County. The balance of the Army fled for refuge to different places unknown to him he states that he remained about two weeks under the command of Colonel Purvis when under the command of Lieutenant Cain he was marched through the Indian Country and to the Savannah River at the mouth of Little River marched down the River into Abbeville County there they got notice that Colonel John Harris Cruger had evacuated 96 and had marched to Charleston the whole Country was then in confusion and they were kept in active service until the next April as before stated watching the Tories and Indians and dispersing them whenever they assembled until he had completed 12 months service the whole time as a private.
May 1781 and continued doing service until 1782 in April when he was drafted for three months for which service he got a discharge but has lost it. On foot and as a private and being performed on foot was the reason why he stood a draft and did not volunteer as he preferred riding that trip was for three months that he then as well as in the first trip resided in Edgefield County South Carolina and that he served the three months and got a discharge as before stated he served that trip under Gabriel Tutt Ensign, Colonel Purvis had command we marched to head quarters near Charleston on Ashley River was in no engagement.
September 1782 volunteered for nine months as a ranger under Capt. Michael Watson, James Tutt, First Lt., Willis Watson Ensign and served the time and got a discharge but has lost it. Resided when he went into the service in the County of Edgefield, State of South Carolina. 1st trip to the bank of the Savannah opposite Augusta, 2nd Marched through the lower counties of South Carolina was stationed near Dorchester on the Ashley River near Bacon’s Bridge. 3rd trip ranged from Edgefield as low as Orangeburg as a private from the same County before spoken of he went in to service under Major Benjamin Tutt who raised a company of volunteers and acted as a Captain we marched through the upper counties of South Carolina crossed the Savannah River above the mouth of Broad River into the State of Georgia before we crossed the River in Abbeville County South Carolina we joined Colonel Robert Anderson who also acted as Captain and commanded fifty volunteers on the Georgia side we fell in with Major Lastly who also commanded fifty volunteers who also acted as a Captain the whole three companies were then marched up the River between Broad River or Tugaloo River a water of the Savannah we crossed the dividing ridges to the waters of the Tennessee or Coosa to a town called Chota there we killed thirty or upwards of the Indians one white man & one Mulatto and took upwards of seventy prisoners men women and children we remained there and guarded the prisoners five days waiting for Colonel Sevier [John Sevier] & his troops they did not arrive we then marched the prisoners back to the fork of Broad & Savannah River – there Major Lastly and his men separated from us we crossed the Savannah and Marched the prisoners to Major Tutts to a place called Coffee Creek Edgefield County there the prisoners were guarded for some time they were moved from there near Augusta to Colonel Hammons and there my three months expired and I went home
2nd trip stationed near the lines of Gen. Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter and Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee.