On this 18th day of September, 1832 personally appeared in open court, before the Hon. Thadeus G. Brown, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, and presiding judge of the Hamilton Circuit Court now sitting.  William Allen, a resident of the said county of Hamilton and State of Illinois, aged seventy three years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress, passed June 7th, 1832.

That he voluntarily entered the service of the United States, under the following named officers and served as herein stated.

He volunteered in the Militia of North Carolina about the first of September, 1781, and rendezvoused at Hillsborough North Carolina.  The capitan who commanded his company, he has no recollection of, only his appearance, which was that of a keen active man, the lieutenant of his company was by the name of John Campbell, and the ensign was Robert Scoby.  He states that he was under the command of his officers but a short time as the sequel will show, but that he colonel of his regiment was Col. Archibald Lytte, who was a regular officer.  Much else of the organization of the troop and the officers he does not now recollect, at the time of entering the service he resided in Orange County, North Carolina, he was born in the State of Pennsylvania and went to Orange at an early age.  He volunteered for a six months tour, and the troop to which he belonged was raised for the purpose, as he understood, of marching to join Genl. Green in the high hills at Santee River thence to march into South Carolina to place then call Ninety Six, now Cambridge, but while at Hillsborough preparing to go on this expedition, the Torries under the command of Tony Fannon, and the British under Col. McDougan came upon us and took three hundred of us prisoner among whom was Governor Burk.  He saw Col. Lytte wounded by a sword in the head by Tony Fannon, this transaction took place at Hillsborough as above stated on the 4th of September 1781.  That night we remained near Hillsborough and were carried next morning by the British and Tories on to a place called Lindley's Mill, when a pretty severe and well fought battle took place between a force of the Republicans and the British and Torries, during which engagement the prisoners were kept in a close place with a strong guard around them.  He recollects well of seeing there killed celebrated Tory Col. McNeil that night after the battle at Lindley's Mill we were forced off by our captors and taken by Wilson's Iron works to Wilmington, where we were put on board of British ships which steered toward the West India Islands and then taken and disembarked us at Charleston, where the greater part remained until peace but the applicant states he was exchanged on the 11th of August 1782, and came on back home in Orange.  He further states that about five years after this period he moved out to Virginia above Arlington, from thence he moved to Tennessee, where he lived 12 or 13 years and thence to the neighborhood of where he now lives in Hamilton county about 12 or 13 years ago.  He further states that he has no documentary evidence having never received a written discharge nor any money of any kind or description for his services, and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure to prove his services, he knows James Hall, a representative in the Legislature from Hamilton county and Capt. Samuel Sexton.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annunity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the aging of any other State or Territory.

Signed:  William (his mark) Allen

Sworn to and submitted the day and year aforesaid.