Reckoning Dates 
Library of Congress, Special Collections.
Of all of Haun's North Carolina Army Accounts transcriptions discussed in Part 6 of this series, those from Volume II, Book 1 were the most helpful in establishing service dates. The other account ledgers prove that these men served, but not when because payment dates could be anytime after service--sometimes months or years later. So let's take a look at the language of these entries.
- In Vol. II, Book 1, Page 120 [545]: Allow'd William DOVE Soldier for pay and defy. of Cloathing [sic] of October 1780 Including Interest to August 1, 1783....127 pounds, 2 shillings, 0 pence.
- In Vol. II, Book 1, Page 124 [549]: Allowed Martin BLACK Soldier for pay and Defy. of Cloathing [sic] to 1st. June 1780 Including Interest to August 1st, 1783....119 pounds, 9 shillings, 5 pence.
- In Vol. II, Book 1, Page 124 [549]: Allowed Isaack PURKINS Soldier for pay & defy. of Cloathing [sic] to June 1780 Includg. Interest to August 1, 1783....119 pounds, 9 shillings, 5 pence.
- In Vol II, Book 1, Page 168 [593]: Allowed Isaac CARTER for pay to 1st. January 1782 including Interest to 1st. August 1783 (4 Months 4 Days unsettled)....22 pounds, 19 shillings, 10 pence.
Each of these entries follows this pattern:
[Soldier's Name]_"for pay to [date]"_"including Interest to [date]"_ [payment amount].
By looking at the "for pay to [date]" clause we can determine a time frame for service. Let's take a look at an example:
"Isaac Perkins...for pay...to June 1780...."
From Isaac Perkins' Pension File (S41953), I know that he enlisted in May 1778 for a 3-year term, and following the Siege of Charleston (March 29-May 12, 1780) he returned to North Carolina and was drafted into the Militia.
Therefore, the above payment was for service on the Continental Line.
When we find a payment for Isaac Carter, "...to 1st January 1782...," I can't cross-check dates with a Pension File. He never applied for a pension. But I can see how that fits into other dates I've found for him and the places where he was said to have served.
Fort Hancock at Cape Lookout: April 1778-May 1780
Little is known of this fort, the only one built in North Carolina during the American Revolution, and no ruins or artifacts remain. I started by rereading a blog post by Mary Warshaw on More Beaufort, North Carolina History that I found a while ago, entitled, "Carteret County during the Revolutionary Period." It's a transcription from Jean Bruyere Kell's book, North Carolina's Coastal Carteret County During the American Revolution: 1765-1785 (1976).
While I don't have access to the original source, this transcription doesn't have source citations. But that should never prevent a researcher from finding the sources! The best place to find them is in Clark's State Records of North Carolina. By finding the dates and keywords, I tracked down the following.
On January 31, 1778, Cornelius Harnett wrote Richard Caswell:
"I fear our State have neglected Cape Look Out Bay and Cape Fear River. The latter is such a harbor as may at all times be safe for the enemy to enter, and ravage the country at will, more especially at this time when all our Continental Troops are at the distance of 600 miles from that place. Cape Look Out is one of the finest harbors on the American coast, and would be a noble Asylum for the Continental and private ships of war, to wood and water, as also a place of security for trading vessels chased by the enemy. I am distressed beyond measure to find our sea coast so much neglected to please (I fear) a few individuals who may be interested in the matter, I am as before your Excellency's most &c. &c." (Vol. 13, p. 22).
A petition from Denis Nicholas de Cottineau entitled, "Defending the Landing at Capt Lookout Bay," dated April 1778:
"About fifteen days ago Captain Cottineau came to this Town, on this Town, on purpose to represent to the Governor of this State that his frigate, now lying in Capt Look-Out Bay, was not in Security, and that she run'd the greatest risk of being insulted by the enemies of America....
"Cape Look-Out fortifications could assure...that one...might find a good shelter against the Winds and the Enemies, this Bay been fortified should prove of a great advantage to this State, being the only safe harbour from Capt Henry to Cape Fear, where strangers may go in without danger and almost without Pilots.
"Captain de Cottineau has proposed to furnish 80 men and his boats to build a fort at his own expenses...even to put some of the frigate guns upon it until the Assembly should sent some, and Monsieur Le Chevalier De Cambray, officer of artillery, who came in this country on purpose to serve under George Washington, has talked the trouble of building the said fort, and showed to his Excellency the Governor two different plans of the necessary fortification....
"I expect that you'll be so kind as to allow a strong guard to the fort....that a guard should be sent to the present fort with an American flag....I think that 50 or 60 men will be sufficient, together with 25 I could send, in case of a near attack, to stand against 250, if the Enemies was to land them there. I intend to build a watch house or a Corps de guard to give necessary notice to the Country Militia....
"In case you should meet with some Difficulties in regard of sending proper guns to the fort, I can afford to offer 6 to this state, of 4 pounders each, which I shall Leave here....
"...this fort...requires fifteen days' work with about 60 men to be perfectioned in its capacity... (Vol. 15, pp. 215-218)."
On April 30, 1778
"Conocurred with, Mr. Coor...reported as follows, to which that: That John Tillman, Esq., was appointed Captain of Fort Hancock, Zephaniah Pinkham, First Lieutenant, and that no person had a majority of votes as second Lieutenant (Vol. 12, p. 638)."
On May 1, 1778
"Resolved, that the men to be raised to garrison Fort Hancock and Fort Johnston be enlisted for the time of one year, which being read was concurred with....that all such persons as shall enlist in either of the garrisons aforesaid previous to the first day of June shall be exempted from the vote for persons to be raised to complete the North Carolina Continental Battalions (Vol. 12, pp. 643, 650)."
On June 6, 1778, William Bryan wrote to Richard Caswell, saying:
"Mr. Green from New Bern this day says an account is come to Town, of the arrival of a large ship from France in Cape Lookout, with dry Goods (Vol. 13, p. 149)."
On June 26, 1778, Willis Wilson wrote to Richard Caswell from Ocracoke:
"The enemy (one ship, two sloops and a brig) take a peep at us every now and then, but are not disposed to venture in....The Pilots of Ocracock [sic] have finally stopped bringing in or carrying out vessels... (Vol. 13, p. 171)."
June 29, 1778, John Easton to Richard Caswell from Beaufort:
"...money is likewise wanting for the Fort at Lookout. The cruisers are constantly hovering about our coasts. Futteridge with a brig. in company drove 2 vessels into a small inlet against Hunting Quarters last week (Vol. 13, p. 176)."
Captain John Tillman wrote to Richard Caswell on December 12, 1778:
"We have purchased a Boat for the use of Fort Hancock, as our necessity was so great and we could not possibly do without Col. Thompson was kind enough to advance the money for him. My soldiers have received their money which gives them new spirits, but are suffering much for want of their cloaks, as I have never heard from Mr. Craid since at Beaufort (Vol. 13, p. 327)."
On April 1, 1780, Le Chevalier D'Anmours wrote Governor Caswell :
"...for the encouragement of the French trade in this state, the want of which, I perceive, has been ruinous to that carried by France at the beginning of the present War; and of course disgusted the foreign merchants from sending any more ships into the ports of North Carolina (Vol. 15, p. 366)."
A resolution by the North Carolina General Assembly dated May 4, 1780 states:
"Resolved, That on the first day of June next the Garrison of Fort Hancock be disbanded & discharged...(Vol. 15, p. 389)."
Next steps in the analysis
So there it is. The lifespan of the fort was only two years. While several sources say that the fort never saw any engagements with the British, this minimalizes the effect of the fort, because its proposed purposes were to have a safe haven and to deter the enemy from getting too close to their shores.
Now we know that Fort Hancock on Cape Lookout, North Carolina was garrisoned with 50-60 men, to be raised before June 1, 1778, for one year, served between that time and May 4, 1780.
I am now ready to make some educated assumptions and start putting the timeline for the militiamen's combined service record, but I'll leave that for next time.
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