Pension Application

S.31510
State of New York
Rensselaer County SS.
            On the 19th day of July 1833 before me the undersigned first Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for said County personally appeared Peter Acker yet a resident of Schaghticoke in said County, who being duly sworn deposeth & saith that by reason of the age and consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively to the precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades.
            That he first entered the service of the United States as a corporal in the month of March 1776 at Schaghticoke then Albany now Rensselaer County in a company of militia commanded by Capt. Walter Grosbeck in the regiment commanded by Col. John Knickerbacker as stated in this deponent’s declaration hereunto annexed & about the 1st of April 1776 was detached from said company with others and marched with a company commanded by Captain Hodge to Fort George and was then in actual service cutting timber, building a hospital for the sick & keeping guard for the term of three months at the expiration of which time deponent & the said company commanded by said Hodge marched to Fort Ann & was then engaged in building a picket fort and repairing roads for the further term of three months at the expiration of which time and about the middle of October this deponent was discharged & returned home—that during the time he was at Fort Ann Col. Christopher Yates had the command of the militia there employed & Col. Gansevoort had the command of the militia at Fort George & this deponent was in actual service at the two last mentioned places in the year 1776 for the full term of six months as a corporal.
            That in the year 1777 this deponent again entered the service about the latter part of the month of June in a company of militia commanded by Capt. Walter Grosbeck in a regiment commanded by Col. John Knickerbacker, marched from Schaghticoke to Lake George & was in actual service until Gen. Burgoyne’s surrender on the 17th Oct 1777—Deponent & the company to which he belonged was ordered to retreat from Lake George by Major VanRensselaer & did retreat to Fort Edward from thence to Stillwater & was in actual service in the battle of the 7th of October & the 17th of October when Burgoyne surrendered—that after the surrender of Burgoyne this deponent was dismissed & returned home & this deponent further says that during the said year 1777 this deponent was in actual service three months and twenty days.
            That in 1778 the said company to which this deponent belonged was employed in garrisoning and guarding the different posts & Forts on the Northern frontiers and this deponent was appointed a Sergeant in said company & marched about the 1st of May 1778 to Palmertown from thence to Fort Edward back to Palmertown where deponent & others were engaged in building a block house & from thence to a place called Jessep’s Patent & was in actual service as a Sergeant in the year 1778 for the term of three months & thirteen days during a part of which time Matthew DeGarmo commanded said company as Captain in the absence of said Grossbeck.
            That in the year 1779 this deponent was twice or three times called out in an alarm & was in actual service as a sergeant of said company to the best of this deponent’s recollection thirty days one time marched to Palmertown about 18 miles from home under Capt. Jacob Yates & once to Saratoga & from thence to Fort Edward under the same Captain, the said Jacob Yates then having been appointed Captain & Peter Yates Col. of the said regiment.
            That in the year 1780 this deponent in the month of March again entered the service as a sergeant marched to Ticonderoga under said Captain Yates, Peter Yates Col. was three months in actual service at this time watching the movements of the British shipping, guarding the Fort.
            That in 1781 this deponent at different times was called out & from thence to the last of the war but after the year 1781 commenced the deponent was only occasionally in service for short periods of time and this deponent cannot recollect the precise periods of service but verily believes that from the commencement of the year 1781 until the close of the war this deponent was in the actual service of the United States for a term not less than three months and a half during which time this deponent acted all the time as sergeant under the command of Captain Jacob Yates, Peter Yates, Col., and during which time this deponent marched two or three times to Palmertown – a number of times to Saratoga, once to Ticonderoga and once to Crown Point and this deponent further says that he has no documentary evidence of his services—that he verily believes that in this foregoing affidavit he has stated & set forth the periods of his service less or not more than they actually were & further saith not. (Signed with his mark) Peter Acker
            Sworn and subscribed this 19th day of July 1833 before me H. Knickerbocker Judge as above stated.

Letter responding for a request for information, dated October 11, 1929.
            I advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S.31510, it appears that Peter Acker or Ackert was born in Esopus, Ulster County, New York, date not given.
            While a resident of Schaghticoke, Albany County, New York, he enlisted and served with the New York Troops as follows:
            From March, 1776, for six months as a corporal in Captains Walter Groesbeck’s and Hodge’s Companies in Colonels John Knickerboacker’s, Christopher Yates’ and Gansevoort’s Regiments.
            From sometime in June, 1777, three months and twenty days as a corporal in Captain Walter Groesbeck’s Company in Colonel John Knickerboacker’s Regiment; he was in both battles of Stillwater.
            In 1778, for three months and thirteen days as a sergeant in Captain Matthew DeGarmo’s Company in Colonel John Knickerbocker’s Regiment.
            In 1779, he served two or three short tours, amounting to one month in all, as a sergeant in Captain Jacob Yates’ Company in Colonel Peter Yates’ Regiment.
            From March 180, served three months as a sergeant in Captain Jacob Yates’ Company in Colonel Peter Yates’ Regiment.
            From sometime in 1781 until the close of the Revolution he served at various times, amounting to three and one half months in all, as a sergeant in Captain Jacob Yates’ Company in Colonel Peter Yates’ Regiment.
            He was allowed pension on his application executed August 6, 1832, at which time he was seventy-eight years of age and was a resident of Schaghticoke, New York.
            He died March 17, 1845, leaving one child but his name is not given.
            There are no further data on file relative to his family.
            This is the only soldier by the name of Peter Acker (searched under all spellings of the name) that is found on the Revolutionary War records of this bureau.

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