- A series of posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -
250 Years; 1776 - 2026
Our Family was there, from the Beginning
John and his brothers, Charles & Reuben, served to support the Revolution.
John Brumfield
27 June 1750 VA - 6 May 1845 LA
Son of John Watson Brumfield & Elizabeth
My 6th great uncle
Sergeant, US Dept. of Calvary & Horseman in South Carolina Militia
John Brumfield was born 27 June 1750 in Virginia and died 6 May 1845 in South Carolina. John was a Revolutionary War soldier who served through several years of the war, participated in numerous battles and acted as a spy. Details of his time in the service of our country are available to us because of the pension request he filed. That pension file contains over fifty pages of information.
He enlisted in 1775 in the light horse Regiment under Captain Edward Richardson, Colonel Thompson and General Richardson in which he served as a private for six months.
The Regiment mustered first on Mealy Township forty miles from Charles Town, our muster ground was in the woods in a suitable place for water ... The Regt. was about Six hundred men strong. Frank Boylan was a captain… Regt. Assembled and served Six months before any attack made by the British… after the Regt. had been mustered we were ordered to Reedy River high up in South Carolina. Richard Richardson Colonel commanded a Regiment of the militia infantry and that Regt. marched with us his father the general commanded the whole expedition. We had a long march to reach Reedy River and had very cold weather. The day before the attack we marched the whole night for fear of being discovered and kept on so near that we could see them near their fires and then stopped and had to wait for day to begin the attack. That night was very cold. The Torys were -?- in the woods near about one thousand strong. They were commanded by Cunningham. The action began at sun up or before. We surprised them so well that they had to surrender before they had lives to prepare for fighting. We took 3 or 4 hundred as prisoners… The place of that action went by the name of Snowy Camp on Reedy River.[i]
It is not surprising that John remembered the cold weather that he experienced during ‘The Snow Campaign’ which was fought in December 1775 because the soldiers marched through several feet of snow. On December 22nd, Colonel Richardson used 1,300 troops to attack the camp of Captain Cunningham that had stopped to rest on Cherokee lands. The British were surprised and scattered into the woods. Colonel Richardson didn’t stay because winter was coming and his army had no tents, their shoes were worn out, and they were badly clothed. Along the way home, it snowed for thirty hours, dumping nearly two feet on the soldiers.[i]
Despite those harsh winter conditions, the six months serving under Captain Richardson were just the beginning of John Brumfield’s service. On the way back to Santee John stopped at General Marion’s house because it was on his way home. The soldiers were dismissed in Santee. When additional soldiers were being drafted John volunteered to join Nathaniel Moor’s Company as a Sergeant.
The company marched to Sullivan’s Island where John was a part of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island that was fought on 28 June 1776. The large island commanded the entrance to Charleston Harbor with an American fort made of 16-foot wide palmetto logs filled with sand. The British land assault was frustrated when the channel between the islands was found to be too deep to wade, and the American defenses prevented an amphibious landing. The naval bombardment had little effect due to the sandy soil and the spongy nature of the fort's palmetto log construction. The Americans were able to inflict significant damage on the British fleet, which withdrew after an entire day's bombardment.[i] John Brumfield wrote that there was a great deal of confusion following the battle. “The Whigs had then to hide and dodge about and I did so among others until I heard that Col. Marion was gathering men and I met up with him and found him near Scots Lake on Santee.”[ii]
Colonel Francis Marion was a famous figure during the Revolutionary War, usually known by the name the ‘Swamp Fox’. He used guerilla warfare techniques to cripple the British campaigns in the south. “He collected a ragged band of followers and slipped into hiding in the swampy lowlands of British-occupied SC.”[iii] John Brumfield wrote, “His envoy was small, not more than thirty or forty men. I joined him as a volunteer and served with him as a Sergeant.”
I was always with General Marion from a short time after the Surrender of Charleston to Sir Clinton until was concluded on 30th of November 1782 and to the best of my recollection it was not less than three years and in all that time I was not employed in no civil pursuit, we were always in the field and the camp was my home; when I went to see my family I hide it so never slept in my home. Times were very dangerous, never had but short time at home...I have served about all the time from 1775 to 1782. All during the war I was all the time within the boundaries of the State of South Carolina. I went all about it after the British and after the Tories. I was in a great number of engagements for Marion was always at it.[iv]
Another important leader joined the group. “After I had joined him General Sumter came also with a Regiment to attack Scots Lake Fort and great many came and joined them.”[v] General Thomas Sumter had a long history of service to our country, eventually serving under four presidents. He became the last surviving General of the American Revolution.[vi] Fort Sumter near Charleston, SC, was named in his honor.[vii]
Under the leadership of Marion and Sumter the troops took Scots Lake Fort, paroled the British and took about forty Tory prisoners. They were in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, in the northeastern corner of the state. The patriots in that area were having difficulties with a group of mullatoes. At that time persons born of one white parent and one black parent or to persons born of a mulatto parent or parents were called mullatoes. This group was causing trouble for Whigs [Patriots were also known as Revolutionaries, Continentals, Rebels, or American Whigs]. John Brumfield was asked to infiltrate the group to judge their strength.
When we got there we were informed that about 25 miles from there on Drowning (?) Creek on Little Pee Dee the -?- Mulattoes had gathered and were making war against the Whigs … Col. Culp burnt his house and committed great waste. Captain Sparks belonging to Col. Culp’s Regt. went to Capt. Hynson who commanded the company that had escorted the prisoners to Pee Dee to inquire if he could not get some Body that could be trusted to go over to the mulattoes and see what was their -?- and strengths to be best able to make an attack on them. Capt. Hynson told him that he had nobody with him fit for such business but me but did not know -?- I would -?- on such an expedition. Death was certain if the mulattoes had discovered the plan. I would not like much such undertaking but on the other hand -?- free mulattoes -?- doing great deal of mischief and it was time to put a stop to it. I told Cap. Hynson that I would go provided another -?- would go with me, having found out that was -?- I went to the mulatto camp Capt. Swet was their main chief. We introduced ourselves under false names. I took the name of John Brown. We found them to be about Six hundred strong, well organized, well armed, well mounted, disposed to fight until death. They prepared and -?- every Day and in my opinion it would have taken a very strong force to subdue them. In several conversations I had with them I suggested to them it would not be as well to be friendly with the Whigs. They said they would rather do so and provided they would be let alone they would remain neutral. After remaining Eight days with the mulattoes on Little Pee Dee I hired one of their men and give him two gold guineas to pilot me back to Pee Dee. I returned from there to our camp and went and reported my -?- to Col. Dick Richardson. I saw him afterwards I learned that a -?- has been cancelled with the Mulattoes.[viii]
John Brumfield continued to serve with this group in South Carolina. “I served with Marion about two years with him in most of all his engagements, furnished my self with arms and horses, of which I lost two in the Campaign, never received no pay whatever.” Fortunately we have his detailed account of his service.
From Scots Lake Marion and Sumpter went and took a fort from the British at Col. Thompson on the Cong (?) Rees from there I went with Marion to Orangeburg to attack the British but Marion and Sumter thought they were Strong. We turned round and went to Col. Lee with his regular light horse men was along also and had been Begings Church thirty miles from Charleston and were also with us at the taking of Scots Lake fort. Was a party of the British they attacked us but we beat them, killed -?- and made some prisoners, it was -?- close in the evening, the British had still -?- the place and had -?- the church we camped by all night and prepared to storm the church next day but at day light we perceived that the British had evacuated. We followed them and overtook them twelve miles from Charleston. There was a heavy engagement. Several of our men were killed, upwards of forty were wounded. The British kept up their guard. That night we camped there also. Marion and Sumpter had about 1,000 men. The British were about five hundred and had some artillery. We expected a battle the nest day but the British retreated during the night. From there we returned to Santee and in going back -?- all night at General Marion’s house as it was in my way home. We were dismissed at Santee. Those that wished to go home went and I went among the rest. I then lived in the County now called Sumpter County from that -?- the British were very near gone, none remained but some Tories in Camden…[ix]
At that time John headed home. “After that campaign was over we were drafted again and I did send a substitute in my place but he soon came back, the war was over…”[x] John lived in the ‘High Hills of Santee, South Carolina’ before and after the war. Then he moved to North Carolina and back to South Carolina. In 1808 he moved to Washington Parish, Louisiana where he spent the rest of his life. In 1833 he petitioned the courts for a pension for his military service and he was awarded $20 a year. In 1857 Mrs. Malinda Penny petitioned the government for pension benefits related to her father, John Brumfield.
She says that her mother died long before her father the pensioner under consideration. She also says that she and her sister is [sic] the only surviving heirs of said pensioner and she has a Lawful power of attorney from her sister to act for her in this case… only wants the money Due her father from the March 4, 1843 up to May 6, 1845 which was the day her father died which makes 2 year 3 month at $20 per anum.[xi]
Unfortunately, the pension record does not give the name of the wife of John Brumfield. John died 6 May 1845. His gravesite is unknown at this time.
#2 Captain John Kennington, Camden District Regiment, South Carolina Militia
Read more about our family's pioneers & patriots.
[i] Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org: accessed 2017) Battle of Sullivan’s Island (28 June 1776).
[ii] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 3 – 9; John Brumfield.
[iii] American Heroes: Francis Marion, South Carolina’s Swamp Fox; A Patriot’s History of the United States (patriothistoryusa.com: accessed June 2017).
[iv] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 25; John Brumfield.
[v] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 3 – 9; John Brumfield.
[vi] General Thomas Sumter; City of Sumter, Uncommon Patriotism (sumtersc.gov: accessed June 2017).
[vii] Fort Sumter; Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org: accessed June 2017).
[viii] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 3 – 9; John Brumfield.
[ix] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 3 – 9; John Brumfield.
[x] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 3 – 9; John Brumfield.
[xi] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 16; John Brumfield.
[i] ‘The Snow Campaign’; The American Revolution in South Carolina (Carolina.com: accessed June 2017).
[i] NARA, The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Fold 3 (fold3.com: accessed June 2017) 3 – 9; John Brumfield.
