Dempsey Tyner

1755 - 1842  (87 years)

• Name	Dempsey Tyner
  Birth	04 Aug 1755	Chowan Co, NC
  Gender	Male
  Death	13 October, 1842	Meriwether Co, GA
  Burial	Unknown
  Person ID	I231	Georgia Revolutionary War Graves
  Last Modified	3 Apr 2015

  
  

• Headstones

  Tyner, Dempsey 33.1837N -84.42611W

  
  

• Notes

  According to information provided by descendants the following information was obtained through research in DAR Library; "Dempsey Tyner was born on 4 August 1755 in Chowan County, NC." Tyner Married Obedience Hillard Sevier about 1775 in South Carolina. The couple were parents to fourteen children. "He served in numerous engagements and actions the Revolution with the South Carolina Militia as a Private and was also reported to have been involved in spying for the Patriots as member of British/Tory units engaged in actions against the Colonial forces. Tyner?s service included in the second attempt by Colonials to capture East Florida, the siege of Savannah and the Battle of Kettle Creek in his Georgia service." Pension Application: "Entered service in Abbeville, SC, in 1776. Served about 42 days with Capt. Smith & Capt. Anderson. "Next served three months as a spy with Capt. Miller and two months as a private with Capt. Miller. 'Volunteered under Captain Thomas Kaelin Smith in Abbeville Co., SC, attached to command of Gen. Andrew Williamson and Col. Robert Anderson ; this applicant was marched by the above named officers against the Cherokee Indians to Brasstown on Tugalo River, now in SC but then in possession of the Cherokees - where we had some skirmishing from there we were marched to Tomassa another Indian Town where we had an engagement with the Indians in which several of our party were killed and wounded among which was Capt. Hargrove killed and wounded . This applicant returned with the wounded from the last mentioned place to Seneca where some of our troops were forted, at what was called Seneca Fort." "At Seneca Fort - this applicant was sent for by Capt. Andrew Miller who commanded a Company of rangers on the frontiers of South Carolina under whom this applicant served as a spy-three months-being about six weeks under Capt. Smith as before stated, making this tour about four months and a half. This tour was served in the year 1776 in the latter part of the summer and fall as well as he recollects." Aug 1776 At Senecca, SC, ambushed by Cherokees, Patriot forces saved by a mounted charge. 10 Aug 1776 Tugeloo River, SC. Cherokees defeated by Andrew Pickens. 12 Aug 1776 Tamassy, SC. Col. Williamson and Andrew Pickens defeated large Cherokee war party and burned the Indian town, Tamassy. Aug 1776 Ring Fight, SC?. This is not mentioned by Demsey; however it happened in August when he was serving with Andrew Pickens. Two hundred Cherokees attacked Andrew Pickens and 25 militia. From a circle, firing in turn, the patriots held off attackers until a rescue force arrived. "This applicant immediately after serving as a spy was called on to the Snow Camp under Capt. Miller against the Tories and served better than two months against them and returned home without affecting anything except taking a number of Tories as prisoners." 23-30 Dec 1775 Snow Campaign, SC. During campaign against Loyalists in the Upcountry Patriot militia impeded by 15" of snow. Notice that Demsey has his experience at the Snow Camp happening during the fall/winter of 1776. Perhaps this is not the same battle." "This applicant in the spring of 1777 volunteered under Capt. Miller, Col. Anderson ,1777 General Williamson in the County of Abbeville and State of SC and left home the 7th day of April and was marched by the before named officers on what was called the Florida expedition to St. Mary's river to a place called Fort Tanen where the army remained two or three weeks and was marched by the same officers to South Carolina and was dismissed at Cherokee Hills in Georgia and was five days getting from there home, got home the 15th day of August-having served about four months this tour." The Georgia militia had built Fort Mcintosh during the First Florida Expedition along the Satilla as a staging area to reach the Florida border. Captain Robert Winn had to surrender this post on Feb. 18, 1777. The Florida issue became the driving force in Georgia politics. A string of Tories from Georgia, SC., NC and Virginia made their way to the only British outpost in the South, East Florida. They brought weapons, food and people which all of Georgia did not want the British to have to the South of them. The Creek and Cherokee were also siding with the British, providing them intelligence about the southern coastal Georgia and the lightly populated backcountry. By the time the Second Florida Expedition, composed of 600-800 men, was ready to leave in early April, the East Florida governor Patrick Tonyn was getting ready. He had the Creek and Cherokee Indians raiding the coastal settlers. By destroying their food and burning the crops, Tonyn would increase the Expedition's time to get to Florida and hopefully cause the mission to fail. An officer Elbert divided his men into two groups: (1) advancing by land and (2) boarding seven vessels to plow the coastal waters to the St. Mary River. "Sometime in the fall after this applicant returned home, he again volunteered and was marched by Lt. Storrid (Norrid?) a Lt. of Cap. Millers Company under Gen. Williamson and Major Middleton (Who was also an acting Major in the Florida campaign) to the siege of Savanna-and was at the siege about two weeks- "The company to which this applicant belonged was marched from there to Parker's Ferry on Stone River to oppose the Tories who were collecting there-General Marlon had dispersed them before our company reached there. Our company was dismissed at said Ferry to return home and did return-having served this tour ten weeks or more." Stone River, SC. Major Gen. Lincoln engaged a British rear guard. Although the battle was decisive, there were many casualties. Was Demsey at Stone River or Steno River? There is a two-year gap here whereas Demsey relates it occurring that fall of 1777. This time is also off according to Demsey's sequence of events for the Battle of Kettle Creek. "Soon after this applicant returned from the siege of Savannah he was again called on by his Captain (Miller) and marched to McGowns block house against the Tories where Capt. Miller's and Capt. Baskin's companies had an engagement with the Tories, and Capt. Miller was shot through the knee and he and Capt. Baskins taken prisoners by the Tories-this applicant and several others who were in this engagement made their escape without being taken." At Gowen's Old Fort, South Carolina, the Patriot's attacked the Loyalist camp and defeated them. I don't know if Gawen's was remembered as McGowns by Demsey, or not. Year would also be off. "And joined Maj. Pickens at the Cherokee Ford & marched against the Tories to Kettle Creek under him, where we had another engagement with them and defeated them and took 300 prisoners-this applicant was ordered on the guard to guard the prisoners to Ninety-six after guarding them to Ninety-six this applicant returned home. Battle of Kettle Creek was fought in February of 1779. Andrew Pickens and Elijah Clarke and their Georgia and Carolina militia defeated North Carolina Loyalist militia who were traveling to Augusta to joint the British forces. After General Archibald Campbell captured Savannah, Georgia, Colonel Boyd raised a Tory force in Anson County, North Carolina. He then marched to join Lt. Colonel Hamilton in Georgia. Boyd's numbers grew to nearly 700 as he crossed South Carolina. Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel Hamilton had driven Patriot Colonel McGirth back into South Carolina. McGirth was then joined by Andrew Pickens, who now took command of the 350-man force. On February 10, 1779, Pickens crossed the Savannah River at Gawen's Ferry and then besieged Hamilton's force at Fort Carr. On the morning of February 14, 1779, Colonel Boyd was surprised by the rebel force. Pickens commanded the center, Colonel John Dooley the right and Elijah Clarke the left. The Tory pickets fired and then retreated into camp. Boyd rallied his men who fought on for over an hour before finally being defeated. Boyd would die that evening from wounds. All the captured Tories were convicted of treason and five were hanged. Pickens' victory destroyed Tory morale in South Carolina, while bolstering the numbers of Patriot militia. "This applicant was frequently engaged in scouts against the Tories, for a considerable length of time and was much ? by them until Gen. Greene sent word to SC that he would relieve the country and Gen. Clark. "Then Col. Clark from the State of Ga came into SC and took command of about 300 troops-among the number this applicant entered the service again as a volunteer and was marched to Reedy/Rudy Branch of Long Cane Creek and had a service engagement with the British and Tories under Kruger and Allen in which engagement this applicant was wounded in the arm and taken prisoner-the ball passed through the fleshy part of the arm below the elbow, and was retained a prisoner until after the Eutaw battle when this applicant was exchanged at Orangeburg-on Sullivan's Island, and returned home, having been in service and a prisoner upwards of nine months this tour." "This applicant then removed to Edgefield Co., South Carolina, and volunteered under Captain Thomas Jones, who was commanded by Col. Le Ray Hammond and was marched to Dorchester twenty-five miles from Charleston, but was in no engagement this expedition. After lying there sometime this applicant was discharged-which discharge has long been lost." SOURCES: Tyner, Demsey. Revolutionary War Experiences from his United States Pension Application No. 51599. Revolutionary War Timeline at http://www. revolutionary-war.info/timeline/ Swager, Christine, Dr. Revolutionary War Timeline. This is Google's cache of http://www. nps.gov/cowp/Timeline.htm<http://www. nps.gav/cawp/Timeline. htm> as retrieved on Nov 6, 2004. The timeline in #2 above seems to be the same of this one-but a different format to view. Dr. Swager researched this timeline and based it on Lumpkin, Henry. From Savannah to Yorktown: The American Revolution in the South. New York, NY : Paragon Hause 1981. Golden, Randy, Our Georgia History. "The Second Florida Expedition." <http://www.ourgeorgiahistory .com/wars/Revolution/revolution The Patriot Resource: Andrew Pickens American Revolution: Revolutionary War Battles. www.patriotresource.com/people/pickens <http://www .patriotresource.com/people/pickens> Grave marked by Marquis de Lafayette Chapter GASSAR April 26, 2014.