List of Patriot Participants ~ “A” through “H”
The Greensboro Library has compiled a list of soldiers in the battle.
You may submit a known participant’s name, but please give the following information: (1) name, (2) dates & places of birth & death, (3) county & state of residence at the time of the battle, and (4) references to documentation. Submissions should be less than 50 words in length. The text of a pension application or other lengthy document can be submitted to the NCGW Archives, and the name can be linked to that item. Thank you!
Those who died in the battle, or soon afterwards as a result of their wounds, will be shown with their names in red.
SAMUEL ALLEN ~ see pension application: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/orange/military/revwar/pensions/allen362gmt.txt
JOHN ALLISON ~ born 28 August 1770, Orange (later Guilford) Co.; married Mary Shaw; d. 1852 Warren Co., TN. He was led by Capt. John Forbis who lived on the Alamance with neighbors Allisons, Kerrs, Paisleys, Wileys and others. Presbyterian minister David Caldwell said, “I have frequently heard the bravery of two very young men on that day spoken of. The men were John Rankin and John Allison. A number were assembled in the morning at the house of Allison’s father, mostly females and old men. Allison’s house was about two miles to the left of Greene’s army and when the big guns began to fire, these young men sprang to their rifles. The females, divining their intention, laid hold on them, and, crying and shrieking begged them not to go; but they freed themselves from the hold of their friends, and ran to join their companions. They fell in with Col. Campbell’s mountaineers and fought with them until they retreated, after which they were fired at by a company of British regulars, but escaped unhurt.” [“The Old North State in 1776,” Vol. 1 & 2, by Caruthers, pp. 141 & 146; & “Life of David Caldwell,” by Caruthers, pp. 230-34]
ABSALOM BAKER ~ see information
THOMAS BANDY ~ from Cumberland County VA. Served as a private in Capt. Jothan Richardson’s Co., Col. Lynch’s VA Regiment, in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Also served under Captain Leftwich’s VA company in Siege of Yorktown. Pension #W5782.
JAMES P. BARNETT ~ see pension application
PLEASANT CHILDERS ~ [Rev. War Pension Records of Pleasant Childers, Pension Claim # R-1924. “Early Families of Eastern & Southeastern KY”, William C. Kozee, GPC, Inc., copyright 1973, p. 137. “Roster of soldiers from NC in the American Rev.”, D.A.R. of NC. Durham, NC. 1932 :332, 514. “A Roster of Rev. Ancestors of the Indiana D. A. R.: Commemoration of the U.S.A. Bicentennial”, July 4, 1976, Evansville, Ind.: Unigraphic, 1976, Vol. 1, p. 116. Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. III, KY, p. 218. “Statement of Floyd County KY.” Rev. Soldiers in KY, Roll of Citizens of KY, p. 72. “Floyd County KY Pensioners Under the Act of March 18, 1818.”]
JACOB CLAPP ~ born 1747-1749, died 1832. Jacob was a private, then lieutenant, & finished as a captain. He was a lieutenant in the NC Line (DAR#1549507). Revolutionary War Pension Claim File # W.17624. He fought in the Battle of Guilford Court House, & served tours of duty from 1775 to 1781. He married Barbara Foust about 1772, and they had a long list of children.
LUTHER W. CLARK ~ Illustration above is a restored snare drum. The drum and drumsticks were reportedly carried by Luther W. Clark at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
THEODOSIUS COOK ~ see information
THOMAS COOK ~ see information
GIDEON CREWS ~ born c. 1730 in Virginia, d. 1824, was evidently a private in the 6th Virginia Battalion of Continental Forces commanded by Lt. Col. James Hendrick. He signed the Oath of Allegiance to NC against King George III. One record says he received a pension for his war service — and it is also said his musket is on display at the Guilford Courthouse Battleground Park. NC Archives Revolutionary Army Accounts, Volume I, page 88, folio 4: Crews received 9 pounds, 10 shillings, 3 pence on 13 March, 1784 for his war service. References: http://www.tngenweb.org/revwar/counties/knox.htm & military records: Vol. War 4, page 140 Vol. (6VR) W.D. page 124, 8, 1352.
GEN. WILLIAM RICHARDSON DAVIE ~ General Greene’s quartermaster. [“Guilford Courthouse: Nathanael Greene’s Victory in Defeat, March 15, 1781,” by John Hairr; p. 75]
PHILIP DEATHERAGE ~ of Culpeper Co., Virginia, “was killed in the War of the Revolution, at the Battle of Guilford C.H.” [Nicklin, John B.C. “The Strother Family,” Tyler’s Quarterly Magazine, April 1930, v. XI, p. 251, also in “The Deatherage Family,” Lookout Magazine, Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 6, 1916.] Philip Deathridge (sic) was a private in the infantry of the “Virginia Line on Continental Establishment.” Jos. Strother picked up a certificate due him for service on 16 Jul 1787 for £15-15-8. [Deathridge, Philip, Virginia, Revolutionary War, National Archives]
JAMES DICK ~ born c. 1760, d. 1826; resident of Guilford County; three different family members heard him tell his stories about the battle, which occurred partly on his father’s land (the Liberty Oak stood on William Dick’s land), but there is no pension application or any other documentation that has been found yet.
INSPECTOR GEN. HENRY “HAL” DIXON ~ of Caswell County; born c. 1750 in Granville County; present at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in the capacity of Inspector General over the Militia. He was seriously wounded at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, 1782, and he died from his injuries in July 1782. [pp. 42-43, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker]
PVT. WILLIAM DREW ~ from Delaware, he enlisted on May 24, 1778, and belonged to Capt. Kirkwood’s company of light infantry in the Continental Army. [pp. 60-62, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker]
SHADRACH DUFF ~ born 1746 in Ireland; died 15 March 1781; family oral tradition says that he died on the courthouse steps, but there is no known proof of that story. [http://kentuckyexplorer.com/nonmembers/00-06030.html]
BRIG. GEN. THOMAS EATON ~ one of the leaders of the 1500 North Carolina militia.
CAPT. GRIFFIN FAUNTLEROY ~ born 1754 in Northumberland County VA, he began his service in 1776 as a lieutenant in the Seventh VA Continental Infantry. In 1777 he resigned that commission and “took up a similar post in the First Continental Light Dragoons in November 1777. He remained with this regiment, rising to the rank of captain before he was mortally wounded and left on the battlefield at Guilford Courthouse. The British captured him but paroled him prior to their withdrawal on March 18, 1781. He died a few days later.” pp. 70-71, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker) [This source gives a middle name of Murdock, but researchers believe that is not the same individual.] More information on this man can be found in “The Fauntleroy Family,” by Robert H. Fauntleroy, published 1952. VA Historical Magazine published an article on him, also [no volume number or date available]. Capt. Fauntleroy was the son of Bushrod Fauntleroy & wife Elizabeth Fouchee. Katherine Griffin was a great-grandmother of Griffin Fauntleroy, and a number of descendants carried the “Griffin” name — hence the confusion.
JAMES FIELDLING ~ perhaps of Greensville County VA. John Davis of Greene County OH, returned to Greensville County in 1835 to visit relatives and gave depositions mentioning James Fielding.
ANSEL FIELD/ FIELDS ~ born 5 January 1749 (or 1750) in Hanover VA. Moved to Guilford (later Rockingham) Co. at age 12. While a resident of Guilford Co., enlisted in Capt. John Leak’s Company — Col. James Martin’s NC Regiment, Major Robin Ralston, General Rutherford. Stated that he was elected Sergeant, but did not have documentation. Fought at Guilford Courthouse. Resided in Rockingham Co, until 1831. Died in Sugar Creek Township, Shelby Co. IN, October 13, 1835 (alternate date: Oct. 1, 1834; several dates in Oct 1834 or 1835 were given). See pension application: http://files.usgwarchives.org/nc/guilford/military/revwar/pensions/fields162gmt.txt
ARTHUR FORBIS ~ “(called Col. Forbis because he commanded a regiment that day) and a company from his neighborhood, including Allisons, Kerrs, Paisleys and Wileys, were placed in the front rank. While other militia companies ignominiously broke and fled, these men bravely held their position, fired two volleys according to commands, and retired in good order, leaving a great many British dead on the field. Capt. Forbis fell mortally wounded, and a tall marble monument was erected to his honor in Alamance cemetery in 1860. During this battle many women of this church were praying …. After the fight the women visited the field seeking missing relatives and ministering to the wounded. One of them found the gallant Forbis dying and brought him away on her horse.” [“A History of Alamance Presbyterian Church”]
COL. BENJAMIN FORD ~ “The First and Second Maryland regiments, commanded respectively by Col. John Gunby and Col. Benjamin Ford, formed the left wing of the American third line…. The First was comprised of veterans of various Maryland regiments shattered at the battle of Camden; while the Second consisted largely of untried recruits. The performance of the two regiments reflected the disparity of their experience. Gunby’s First Maryland [Regiment] fought like demons, crushing an attack by elements of the British Thirty-Third Regiment, then turning about to savage the Second Battalion of Guards as they worked their way into the rear of the Marylanders position. This critical threat to the third line developed when Ford’s Second Maryland fled after offering only feeble resistance to the advancing Guards. It was the flight of the Second Maryland and the consequent threat of encirclement of his Continentals that led Gen. Greene to order the retreat that ended the battle of Guilford Courthouse. [pp. 63-64, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker]
GATTUS (GAITUS) FOX ~ see pension application
PVT. PETER FRANCISCO ~ probably born in 1760 in the Portuguese Azores; taken from his family and abandoned on a dock at City Point VA in June 1965; indentured to Judge Anthony Winston; grew to be 6 feet 6 inches tall and 260 pounds. In 1776 he joined the 10th Virginia Regiment. “In May 1780 he joined Col. William Mayo’s militia regiment and marched south with the army of Horatio Gates. Gates met disaster at Camden, South Carolina, and one of the most enduring Peter Francisco legends was born. It was in this battle that Francisco was said to have saved an American cannon from capture by carrying it from the battlefield. Following Camden, Francisco joined a mounted unit recruited in Prince Edward County VA by Capt. Thomas Watkins. Watkins’s company rode in Washington’s cavalry charge at Guilford Courthouse. Armed with a huge saber, Francisco was conspicuous in this action, later writing that he ‘killed four of the enemy in the presence of Colo. Washington who was near him.’ Seriously wounded by a British bayonet thrust that pinned his leg to his saddle, Francisco collapsed and was left for dead on the battlefield. Found alive by a Quaker farmer, he recovered and joined Washington’s army for the Yorktown campaign. Francisco’s most notable post war service was a Sergeant at Arms of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1825 until his death in 1831.” [pp. 72-76, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker] This man’s life story and the legends about him led to a book, Peter Francisco – Virginia Giant, by Janet Shaffer; Moore Publishing Company, Durham, NC, 1976.
JESSE FRANKLIN ~ “Among Winston’s ‘Surry County Boys’ were Richard Taliaferro and Jesse Franklin. Both had ridden horses to Guilford Courthouse and had tied them nearby. When the final retreat began, both men ran for their mounts. Franklin made good his escape, but Taliaferro was killed….” (p. 78, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker)
CAPT. JAMES GAINES ~ a Culpeper County [Virginia] native, served as a Captain of the Virginia militia during the Revolution. He fought in the battle of Eutau Springs and other engagements; was wounded at Guilford Courthouse in 1781…. A nephew of Edmund Pendleton, who was for many years presiding judge of the Virginia Court of Appeals, James Gaines married Elizabeth Strother in 1761. General Edmund Pendleton Gaines was their son.” Sources: Journal of Congress, Vol. VII, Tessing’s Field Book of the Revolution; Elliott’s Debates; Gaines Indexed Edition by Sutherd. [Barrett, Helen Strother Gaines. “Captain James Gaines,” An 18th Century Perspective: Culpeper County, Culpeper, Virginia, 1979, p. 56] “Served as a captain of Virginia militia in the Revolutionary War, and was wounded in the battle of Guilford Courthouse.” [Kelly, J.A. “Notes on the Gaines Family,” Genealogies of Virginia Families from Tyler’s Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, 1981, p. 464] “In command (Captain) of a company of North Carolina Volunteers, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, March 15, 1781, leading his company to the satisfaction of his superior officers throughout the engagement.” http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mysouthernfamily/myff/d0017/g0000040.html with no citation as to documentation.
SAMUEL GANN SR. ~ see information
WILLIAM GANNON ~ see pension application
CAPT. JOSIAH GATES ~ see information
JOHN GIBSON ~ see information
CAPT. DANIEL GILLESPIE
MAJOR GENERAL NATHANAEL GREENE ~ 1742 – 1786. Southern Commander of the Continental Army, who led the Continental and other militia forces in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The city of Greensboro is named in his honor. See: http://members.aol.com/JonMaltbie/Biography.html
GULLET family members ~ According to a submission to this list, testimony in military records concerning the Battle of Guilford Courthouse stated the family Gullett lived approximately 30 miles from the courthouse, and several of the men were in the battle as minutemen.
COL. JOHN GUNBY ~ “The First and Second Maryland regiments, commanded respectively by Col. John Gunby and Col. Benjamin Ford, formed the left wing of the American third line…. The First was comprised of veterans of various Maryland regiments shattered at the battle of Camden; while the Second consisted largely of untried recruits. The performance of the two regiments reflected the disparity of their experience. Gunby’s First Maryland [Regiment] fought like demons, crushing an attack by elements of the British Thirty-Third Regiment, then turning about to savage the Second Battalion of Guards as they worked their way into the rear of the Marylanders position. This critical threat to the third line developed when Ford’s Second Maryland fled after offering only feeble resistance to the advancing Guards. It was the flight of the Second Maryland and the consequent threat of encirclement of his Continentals that led Gen. Greene to order the retreat that ended the battle of Guilford Courthouse. [pp. 63-64, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker]
PVT. CORNELIUS HAGNEY ~ born in Danfanagh, Ireland, in 1734, was living in New Castle County, Delaware, when he enlisted. He was a member of Capt. Kirkwood’s company of light infantry in the Continental Army. His wife was Katherine. [pp. 60-62, “The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park,” by Thomas E. Baker]
WILLIAM HALL ~ see information
HENRY HARDIN ~ see information
CAPT. RICHARD HARRISON ~ of Granville County, NC. [“Guilford Courthouse: Nathanael Greene’s Victory in Defeat, March 15, 1781,” by John Hairr; pp. 86-87]
LT. JAMES HEARD ~ with the dragoons under Lt. Col. Lee’s command. [“Guilford Courthouse: Nathanael Greene’s Victory in Defeat, March 15, 1781,” by John Hairr; pp. 79-80]
CPT. THOMAS HELM ~ born 22 July 1748; from Bedford Co., VA. Served under command of Colonel Charles Lynch, Lynch’s Riflemen. Killed at Battle of Guilford Courthouse 15 March 1781. Commissioned as Lt. 1779. Thomas Helm is the son of Moses Helm, Bedford County, VA. Married Nancy Ann Gilbert 31 Jan 1774, in Bedford Co., VA; they had 4 children: William (1775), James (1776), Samuel (1778), Elizabeth (1780). References: #1,#2, #3, #4.
GEORGE HILL ~ age 61 in 1818; pension application S41642 states that he enlisted in Capt. Ralph Groom’s company, 2nd Regiment of VA line, and fought at Guilford Courthouse. [pension statement submitted to Rootsweb county archives]
SIMON HILL ~ age 57 in 1819; pension application S41644 states he enlisted in Capt. Armstrong’s company, 2nd Regiment of VA line, and fought at Guilford Courthouse. [pension statement submitted to Rootsweb county archives]
JAMES HILTON ~ moved to KY after the war; states in his pension application that “in the year 1778, in the County of Guilford, North Carolina, he joined Captain MCADOW’s Light Horse company in the minute service in which service he continued for upwards of four years, during which time he was in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and six different skirmishes with the Tories and British…” [pension application in USGenWeb Archives]
JOHN HOLCOMBE ~ commanded a regiment of Lawson’s Virginians. [“Guilford Courthouse: Nathanael Greene’s Victory in Defeat, March 15, 1781,” by John Hairr; pp. 107-108]
CAPT. JOSEPH HOSKINS ~ born about 1751 in Pennsylvania; died in Guilford County in 1799, between 24 July and 31 August. [Joseph Hoskins will, Guilford County, NC original wills, North Carolina State Archives, FHL microfilm 1,571,683]. He resided in Guilford County at the time of the battle, his house being seized by Cornwallis and used as his headquarters for staging the battle. The house was also used as a hospital for both sides after the battle. [City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department, *Tannenbaum Park Site of the Historic Hoskins House,* (Greensboro, NC: author, no date]. See the Revolutionary War pension file of Samuel Rayl who was living in 1834 in Jefferson Co., TN, and stated that in March 1781 he was drafted at Guilford Court House by Captain Joseph Haskins [sic] for a term of three months as a private soldier.
ALEXANDER HOWARD ~ perhaps of Greensville County, Virginia. John Davis of Greene County, Ohio, returned to Greensville County in 1835 to visit relatives and gave depositions mentioning Alexander Howard.
LT. COL. JOHN HOWARD ~ an officer with Col. Gunby and the Marylanders. [“Guilford Courthouse: Nathanael Greene’s Victory in Defeat, March 15, 1781,” by John Hairr; pp. 116-117]
ISAAC HUGER ~ leader of the Virginia Brigade of two regiments, which held the right wing of the third line. [“Guilford Courthouse: Nathanael Greene’s Victory in Defeat, March 15, 1781,” by John Hairr; p. 78]