Department of The Interior
Bureau of Pensions
Washington D.C.

Dates of Enlistment or appointment -

October 1780 - Length of service - 3 months - Rank - Private. Under Captain Samuel McCutcheon
Feb 15, 1783 - under Captain James Tate

Battles engaged in: Guilford

Residence at time of appointment - Augusta County, Virginia

Age at date of Appointment - born November 18, 1760 in Augusta County, Virginia

State of Virginia
Augusta County

On this 28th day of October 1833 personally appeared in open court before Jacob Lear, Samuel Blackwood, Robert Garwood, John A. Allison

Gentlemen, Justices of the county court of Augusta, Robert Fulton, Sen., a resident of the County of Augusta, State of Virginia, aged about 73 years, who being first sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declarations to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress; passed June 7th 1832.

That he was born in the said county of Augusta on the 18th day of November in the year 1760, as he has always understood and believes that there is a record of his birth in an old family bible of his father's which is still in the county of Augusta that he was raised in the said County of Augusta and has continued to reside therein from his birth, that he was a resident of said county when he was called into the service and that he served as a soldier in the War of the Revolution as follows: viz-

That as one of the militia of Augusta County, he was drafted in the month of October 1780 for a three month tour of duty and rendevouzed at Waynesborough in the said County of Augusta in the month of October 1780, he is unable from old age and the consequent loss of memory to swear positively as to the day he rendevouzed at Waynesborough, that from therein he marched as a private to the city of Richmond where he served until the full term of his draft of three months expired, when he was discharged but received no written discharge,that Capt. Sam'l McCutcheon and Lieut John McKinny, and Ensign David Gibson were officers of the company in which he marched and served during the tour. Capt. Francis Long acted as Commander of hte detachment of the troops until they reached Richmond, when his command of the troops was taken by an officer from the Cow Pasture of Virginia, whose name he has forgotten, that he remained stationed at Richmond during his said tour of duty and was in no engagement. He is unable from old age and the consequent loss of memory to swear positively as to the day on which he marched or the day of the month in which he was discharged, but to the best of his recollection , he served as a private in Capt. McCutcheon's company for a period not less than three months., he expects to be able to verify this tour of duty by Major Sam'l Bell and Wm. McCutcheon of said county of Augusta.

His next service was as one of the drafted militia of Augusta. He was drafted in the month of Feby 1781, he thinks about the 15th of the month, he rendevouzed at Waynesboro in said county and marched from thence with the other troops under the command of Col. Geo. Moffett of the Augusta militia to Guilford in the State of North Carolina,when they joined the troops under the command of Gen'l Greene, that he was attached to the company under the command of Capt. James Tate of the Augusta militia. James Mitchell was the Lieut. of said company and John Young the ensign. He was in the battle of Guilford with the troops under the command of Col. William Campbell, Capt. Tate, as well as many of his company was killed, and the declarant was taken a prisoner.  This battle was fought on the 15th day of March 1781 immediately after which this declarant was marched with the other prisoners taken by the British to Wilmington in the state of North Carolina and there placed on board of a prison ship lying in Cape Fear River where he was kept a prisoner until about the 15th day of July 1781 when he was exchanged and then returned to his residence in the said County of Augusta which he reached about the 10th of August 1781 being unable to travel earlier to his residence , in consequence of his feebleness produced by his confinement and treatment during the time he was a prisoner, he received no written discharge, he is unable from his old age and the consequent loss of memory to swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection, he served in this tour of duty not less than five months from the time he rendevouzed at Waynesborough untill he was exchanged as a prisoner of war, and five months and twenty five days from the time he left home until he returned to it-that he expects to be able to prove this tour of duty and service by Maj. Sam'l Bell and John Thompson, Sen. of Augusta County.

He would refer to Wm. Davis esq. and Ballard Smith, esq as persons of his neighborhood, who can testify as to his character for veracity and their opinion of his having served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.

He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state sworn in open court this day...aforesaid. Signed Robert Fulton

We Ballard Smith and Wm. Davis ............residing in the County of Augusta, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Robert Fulton, who has aforescribed of his own...to the above declaration, that have known him to be about 73 years of age; that he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and are of that opinion, known subscribed by us this 28th day of Oct. 1833, Ballard Smith and William Davis

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after investigation of this matter and after putting the questions prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as he states. and the court further confirms that it appears to them that Ballard Smith and Wm. Davis.. who have signed the above statement are credible persons and residents of Augusta. They further certify that Sam'l Bell, Wm McCutcheon and John Thompson whose affidavicts taken before Joseph Brown, Lieut Blackwood and John B. Christion, gentlemen justices fo this county are hereby assessed as highly respectable men and that any statements of the said Bell, McCutcheon and John Thompson are entitled to full credit.