Documenting the American South Logo
Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Memorandum concerning testimony by Mary Martin, Providence Critchfield, and Daniel Martin concerning Salathiel Martin's military service in the Revolutionary War
No Author
Volume 22, Pages 150-151

SALATHIEL MARTIN.

He having deceased May 6th, 1827, a date prior to the passage of a pension law under which he would have been entitled, there is no other statement on file of his military service than that of his widow furnished with her application for a pension. His widow Mary was residing in February 1845 in Claiborne County, Tenn., aged 81 years and stated that her husband was a Captain in the N. C. Militia in Col. Armstrong’s Regiment and served 18 months. He was in the battle of King’s Mountain (October 7th, 1780) and Guilford (March 15th, 1781) but could not state whether he was in the service prior to 1780, nor does she recollect the name of the Colonel he was under at King’s Mountain or if in other battles than the two she has specified. He marched from Surry C. H. to join Gen. Greene a few days prior to the battle of Guilford and he did not return home for better than a year afterwards, having accompanied General Greene in his march to the south. She was married to Salathiel Martin April 23rd, 1782, in Surry County.

Miss Providence Critchfield of Claiborne County, Tenn., aged 76 years, testified in February 1845 that she had known Salathiel and Mary Martin for 70 years and became acquainted with both in Surry County, N. C., and that he was a Captain in the Militia in the Revolutionary War. He served two tours. One she thinks was for six months (over the six is written nine)) and the other twelve months. The last campaign happened when Cornwallis came into N. C. He was at the battle of Guilford and went South with General Greene, but what other battles he was in she did not know. He was gone about a year.

Daniel Martin of White County, Tenn., aged 81 years, testified

-------------------- page 151 --------------------
that he was well acquainted with Capt. Salathiel Martin who served as Captain in the Revolutionary War, but was not in the immediate neighborhood when he entered the service, although he was in the neighborhood a very short time after the close of the war, and after the close of his tours of service, and lived with the said Capt. Martin for some time thereafter, and often heard him speak of his serving as Captain. He has heard many of the men who served under Capt. Martin, and while staying with him just after the close of the war, say that they were in the service with him, and always saluted him as their Captain. Such was the case with all the people in the neighborhood and that he was a good partizan officer, being a man of great personal strength, very tall, being considered a head and shoulders taller than any other officer, at the time. After the war, all persons conceded to him the honor of being one of the best officers that served in North Carolina. The witness was confident of his active service, from the testimony of persons living in the vicinity where Captain Martin resided, but could not state the precise periods of it. He thinks he must have served during a greater portion of the Revolutionary War. He was well acquainted with his wife Mary before her marriage to Salathiel Martin, which took place before his own marriage which was in 1784.

The Secretary of North Carolina certified that Salathiel Martin was a Captain of Dragoons.