Captain James Liberty Purviance, Sr.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201252061/james-liberty-purviance

James Liberty Purviance came to America with his parents {David Purviance (1708-1743)} in the early 1740s, and settled in Lancaster Co, Pensylvania. After his father's death {killed by Indians} and his mother's subsequent death in childbirth, he and three siblings were "adopted" by his uncle John's family. The infant, also named James, was "adopted" by the family of the Quaker midwife who had delivered him.
James Liberty Purviance moved to Iredell Co, North Carolina, in the early 1760s. He commanded a company in the North Carolina Line during the Revolution, and many of the contests occurred near his home, which was often turned into a hospital, and there his {adoptive} brother John was taken when wounded.

In 1795/6 James Liberty Purviance and his family emigrated to Bourbon County, Ky. His will was dated 6 May 1800 and was proved in Bourbon Co., KY 5 Apr 1819.

The exact location of his grave is unknown.

“James Purviance, the father of these twelve children, was the Captain of a company during the Revolutionary war. He lived in the invaded country and a battle which occurred near his home is described in the following manner by his son John: ‘We heard the cannonading at my father's, it being heard from seven or eight miles farther north. My brothers, my sisters and myself were sitting on the porch during the cannonading, but my mother could not remain in the house. She walked across the yard, back and forth, with her arms folded across her breast, with a solemn countenance. She spoke not a word more than to let her children know that their father was probably in the battle.’ The same writer speaks of another battle or skirmish occurring two miles south of his father's house. As it proved later the father was not in the first battle mentioned, but was engaged at some other point. Owing to the conditions of the warfare of that day the cowardly man had a splendid opportunity to retreat at an early stage of the fight and seek a place of safety when he ought to have been at the front. Mr. Purviance speaks of the ‘making of songs’ to meet this peculiar condition of affairs. He says ‘there were songsters and songmakers in that day, and in a short time the songs were made and sung by many with an air to the satisfaction of the good soldiers and mortification of those who retreated.’

“Mr. John Purviance also speaks of having two uncles and several cousins under the command of General Lock in the patriot army; one of the cousins was killed and an uncle was ‘shot in four places,’ at last being ‘brought to the ground by a ball which struck him in the hip.’ This last wound proved very serious. It was inflicted at the battle of Ramsour, about twenty miles from the home of James Purviance, and many of the wounded were brought there for treatment, including the uncle spoken of above, for in those days all the homes near the battle-fields were temporarily turned into hospitals. The boy, John Purviance, in writing of these events, says: ‘Many of the wounded were carried on biers, one on each bier, and took boarding; in the neighborhood. My uncle and others were brought to my father's home. I remember it as though it was yesterday. The sufferings of my worthy and respected uncle were great and cannot be described. Surgical operations could not extract the ball in the hip. About forty years later my aunt, who was dressing the wound, felt the probe cut something hard and by probing the ball was extracted. I heard of it, went to visit them and saw the ball.’ The gentleman who gives the account of these incidents of the Revolution, after arriving at mature years, often rode over the battle of Ramsour and saw other points of historic interest.

“At first it seems that James Purviance, with other relatives, served under General Rutherford and later was with General Gates and General Sumter. ‘Being entitled to so much weight in the baggage wagon,’ wrote his son, ‘father provided a suitable chest for his clothing and papers. The baggage wagon, belonging to one of the neighbors, passed by and took in the chest, which was taken to Gates' army in the South. For some reason father, with a part of his company, was sent to join Sumter, leaving part of his company and baggage with Gates, and an engagement was expected. I think the reason why father was sent to join Sumter was to escort him to Gates. What I will say about Sumter's defeat I received from father orally. Sumter knew that the British were in pursuit of him, but nevertheless the army came to a halt on the side of the hill, near a large watercourse; by some it was called a half-mile wide; I think it was the Catawba river. Arms were stacked and sentinels stationed. Sumter's tent was struck while he was in it writing. The army was mostly scattered down by a spring by the riverside. Father and Colonel John Isaacs, in walking up from the spring, stopped by the way and were talking about the bad generalship and critical situation they were in when the sentinel's guns reported and the dragoons came on in a rush. Colonel Isaacs was taken prisoner, but father slipped down a bank out of view and kept up the river. At some distance he met with William McKinney, one of his company, and they took the river. Sometimes they had to swim, sometimes they could wade, the bullets striking the water before and behind them until they were out of reach. McKinney was a stout young man, good in water, and kept foremost; but after they got out of reach of the bullets, poor McKinney's fortitude failed. He proposed to turn back and surrender and wished counsel. Father told him that his counsel would be known by his conduct, and he was determined not to surrender while he could help it. Poor McKinney turned back, surrendered and afterward took the South fever and died in the hospital. Father fortunately had a knife; he ripped open his coat-sleeves and by that means got his coat off and let it go to the waves; next was his hat, which was large: he let it go also; next came his sword, with which he was loath to part, but to save himself he let it go too. He made to land, and looking around could see the British dragoons ranging about on the same side of the river. He took to the woods and rounded the field, bending his course from the river till finally he saw some men who had also made their escape across the river. He recognized Philip Drumm, a young Dutchman, one of his own company. They got together and traveled home together, not less than 100 miles. Father had saved his handkerchief and had it tied on his head. Young Drumm took it off and insisted upon putting his own hat in its place.

“‘In passing through the Indian land about seventy miles from home two horses were presented to father with the request that he take them home and deliver them to friends of the owner for safe-keeping, who lived in father's neighborhood. Each had a horse. They traveled together to Morrison's mill, three miles from home; the roads parted; the hat father was wearing being given to young Drumm, its owner, Archibald Bradley, the miller, presented father with a decent hat to wear home. When he came in view he was not at first recognized by his family, no coat, a strange hat and no sword and a little dirty. When he embraced the family his countenance was pensive. Clean clothes put on, the word ran through the neighborhood and the neighbors gathered in. He had but little to say that afternoon and was much cast down over the outlook, with two armies defeated and the British marching where they pleased. But the next morning he put on his cheerful countenance again, took courage and started for the field.’ The above facts are especially interesting, coming as they do from one who lived through the scenes. The writer, John Purviance, was born April 23, 1770, and must have been some eight or nine years old when these events were occurring. He was a well educated man and took great interest in preserving this historical record. It is largely due to his care and foresight in this respect that the facts in the present sketch have been preserved and handed down. There is a tradition in the Purviance family that one of the ancestors lost his hat while running from the British. If the tradition is based on the incident related above (and it no doubt is) there is every reason to feel proud of such ancestor, although he lost his sword as well as his hat. In exchange for these articles he preserved the life that was still able to battle for his country's rights.”

Memorial Record of Northeastern Indiana (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1896) pp. 455-7.