Captain Matthew McCauley
Matthew McCauley emigrated from
the
County
of
Antrim
in Ireland
before the Revolution and settled along
Morgan
Creek
at “
New Hope
” in what is now
Chapel Hill
,
North Carolina
, where he owned a mill and blacksmith shop.
He entered the Continental Service in the spring of 1776 and served as a
Lieutenant in the 10th NC Regiment and 6th
Regiment for two years and one month. He
served under Colonel Archibald Lytle, General Ashe, and Lincoln.
Matthew McCauley was at
Valley Forge
with
Washington
’s army the winter of 1777/1778. In the summer of 1778 his
Lieutenancy expired and he returned to
New Hope
.
It was sometime later in the summer that Matthew McCauley received his
Commission of Captain in the Continental Service.
He was appointed Captain of a Company of militia
in July 1781.
On
September 15 1781
, he was taken prisoner when Tory forces under the
command of Colonel Fanning captured the town of
Hillsboro
,
North Carolina
. He was taken
along with other prisoners to
Wilmington
,
NC
where he was put aboard the Prison Ship, “Eske”
to be taken by sea to
Charleston
,
South Carolina
. Six months later, at either
the end of March or beginning of April, he was exchanged and returned home “in
bad health and much sickness, and complained much of the bad usage he received
from the British while on board the prison ship.”
On September 1, 1782
, he was drafted to raise troops for the Militia for a three month term in
Hillsboro
, and arrived back home around the first of December
of that year. In 1783
Matthew McCauley served as a Captain of State troops. He served in Colonel A.
Neal’s Regiment and under Brig. General John Butler’s command.
Captain Matthew McCauley fought
at both Brier Creek, and in the engagement at Stono.
.
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