Saturday, November 8, 2014

Did William Washington Really Cut Out Uncle John Pyle's Eye?

My enthrallment with the SOUTHERN CAMPAIGNS Revolutionary War pension applications continues. Thomas Boyd S17286 ("S" meaning a survivor applying himself, in this case in 1833) is in Calloway County Missouri. In his account of Pyle's Massacre or Pyle's Hacking Party (better, Light Horse Harry Lee's Hacking Party) he shows he has been around the West and had seen Dr. John Pyle Jr in Illinois, the last home of the shamed one-eyed maimed former Tory, husband of my Aunt Sarah Brazier. Young Dr. Pyle had gone to Greenville, SC, a Tory-friendly settlement, after the War, along with Brazier heads of household and my GGGG Grandfather Henderson, a Patriot married to a younger Brazier daughter. I cannot imagine the dinner conversations. From there Young Dr. Pyle had gone to KY then on to Illinois, but apparently went back to KY and died before he could return to Illinois. He did not have a happy life after the Revolution. Now, Thomas Boyd gets things wrong. Dr. Pyle Sr. did not die in the Hacking Party. One story is that he made his way into a stream and submerged himself, breathing through a straw for hours. In any case, Dr. Pyle Sr was up and around fine a few months later, for after the Battle at Lindsey's Mill on 13 September 1781 he was up and around, nursing both Tories and Whigs. How did he get there so soon? His house was at the southern edge of the battlefield. Dr. Pyle Jr. was not up and around enough to help with the nursing then.

So here is Thomas Boyd, for what it's worth:

"Washington, himself cut out the eye of Pyles--a great slaughter was made of the Tories whilst they were crying out that they were friends of King George--Col Pyles was killed on the spot--a son of his who lost his eye in that surprise is now living in Illinois where I saw him a few years since-----" . . . .


 Fold3 says criing but let's go with crying. I changed Colonel to Col

So as near I will ever get to George Washington is having William Washington cut Uncle John's eye out? What a world.

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