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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Declaration by James McBride concerning his military service in the Revolutionary War
McBride, James
Volume 22, Pages 143-145

JAMES McBRIDE.

He was residing in October 1832 in Lincoln County, Tennessee, and states that he was born in August 1750 in the County of Down, Ireland, from thence emigrated to Lancaster County, Penn., and in

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1771 or 2 removed to Guilford County, North Carolina. After the war he lived in Guilford County until 1800, when he went to Tennessee and resided principally in Williamson County, then, in 1806, returned to Guilford County, N. C., where he remained until the Spring of 1812, when he finally settled in Lincoln County, Tenn. While living in Guilford County, N. C., he enlisted for six months about the close of 1775, with Capt. George Davidson in the first N. C. Regiment, Colonel Francis Nash. Although he was commander of the Regiment he did not see him until he (McBride) reached Charleston, S. C. He was placed with his Company under the command of Colonel Alexander Martin, who marched first to Fayetteville, then by water to Wilmington, from thence to Brunswick, and Long Bay, to Wochama River, where going on board of vessels sailed to Georgetown then by land to Charleston, where remaining until the attack on Sullivan’s Island, he was transported across the Bay to Hadrill’s Point and was there during the firing of the ship Acteon. Afterwards he was stationed on the Island until his term expired. On his return home he joined the Company of Capt. Arthur Forbis and his Company with those of Captains Moore, Whitsell and Gillespie, in the regiment of Col. John Paisley, were employed principally against the Tories under Fields and Willesby, in several tours, the duration and number of each not recollected, with an exception which was three months. He ranged through Randolph, Chatham, Moore, Anson, Montgomery and Rowan Counties. In the Fall of 1778 three regiments were raised by draft to go to S. C., commanded by Colonels Paisley, Locke and Sanders, and the brigade by General Rutherford. McBride served with Capt. John Donnell, in Col. Paisley’s regiment, going to Purysburg, on the Savannah River, where they lay until Spring, when he was detached to the command of Colonel Archibald Lyttle and Major John Nelson, who first marched him to the Black Swamp, then to Augusta. In a few days he crossed the Savannah River, going about sixty miles to Brier Creek, near which place they were joined by General Ashe, with about 700 men, and on March 3rd, 1779, they were suprised by the British under General Provost and Colonel Campbell. McBride and 170 others were made prisoners including General Elbert of Georgia. Late in August McBride with two others, made their escape, and he returned home after an absence of ten months. He was again engaged in “Tory hunting” under Capt. Forbis, but the periods of the different
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tours he could not recollect. He served three months with Capt. Robert Paisley in Colonel Isaac’s regiment, but whether this was before or after 1780 he was unable to determine. The service was ranging for Tories through the same country as that previously mentioned under Col. Paisley. Shortly before the defeat of Gates at Camden (August 16th, 1780) he volunteered with Capt. Whitsell to go to Suffolk, Virginia, for arms and ammunition, and lay some weeks at Halifax, N. C., by order of Col. Long, who he thinks was Quarter Master General, but finally proceeded by way of Winton, on Chowan River, to Suffolk, where they received two wagon loads of arms and lead and returned by the same route to Halifax, there stopping to brand the arms, as he believed. Absent about two or three months.

It was at this period that the Tories under Colonel Fanning put on a “bold appearance” and McBride was employed under Capt. Paisley, in Capt. Paisley’s regiment, for three months, against them, by ranging the country as far south as the Pee Dee River. From this period he served, as the occasion required, a number of short tours of duty against the Tories, until peace.