In This Article
His Story
In September 1832, an elderly resident of Hagerstown, Maryland, appeared before the county’s Orphans’ Court to explain what he had done more than half a century earlier. Peter Humrickhouse, then approximately seventy-nine years old, described marching across New Jersey, retreating before British forces, crossing the Delaware River, and returning to Pennsylvania to fight again.
His declaration offers something especially valuable to historians: a veteran’s own account of two very different periods of Revolutionary War service. In 1776, he served amid the Continental Army’s retreat through New Jersey and the counterattack at Trenton. In 1777, he returned to military duty with the Philadelphia County militia during the campaign that culminated in the Battle of Germantown.
Humrickhouse’s testimony also reveals the practical difficulties of proving Revolutionary War service decades afterward. He reported that his original ensign’s commission had been lost and that surviving comrades were no longer readily available to corroborate his story. His application therefore depended heavily upon his recollections and supporting testimony concerning his reputation as a veteran.
His life was not preserved through a celebrated general’s memoir or a famous battlefield monument. Instead, its military history survives largely because an aging former soldier sought a federal pension.
Early Life
Humrickhouse reported being seventy-nine years old when he made his pension declaration on September 18, 1832. That places his approximate birth around 1753, although the surviving testimony reviewed here does not establish an exact birth date.
He identified Germantown, Pennsylvania, as his home during the Revolutionary War. Germantown was then a community outside Philadelphia, closely connected to the economic and political life of the colonial capital.
His parents and early upbringing have not been reliably established from the pension passages examined for this biography. His surname appears in several forms, including Humrickhouse, Hamrickhouse, and Humrichouse, a variation that must be considered when searching contemporary records.
Revolutionary War Service
Entering the Army in May 1776
Humrickhouse stated that he volunteered in May 1776 under Captain Thomas Dunging. He named John Bethell as first lieutenant, James Hasslett as second lieutenant, and George Bringhurst as ensign.
His company traveled through Philadelphia and Trenton toward the New Jersey coast. He recalled service near Perth Amboy while British forces occupied Staten Island.
During this period, he sought and reportedly received an ensign’s commission in the Flying Camp, a military organization assembled to reinforce American forces during the 1776 campaign.
The Retreat Through New Jersey
His declaration follows a succession of movements through Newark, Elizabeth Town, New Brunswick, Princeton, and Trenton. He described the hardships of the retreat and skirmishing as American forces withdrew before the British advance.
According to his recollection, his service continued through the Delaware River campaign in December 1776.
Returning to Service in 1777
After completing his initial period of service, Humrickhouse returned to Germantown. In September 1777, he entered service again, this time with the Second Battalion of Philadelphia County militia.
He described encamping near Skippack before marching toward Germantown, where American forces attempted to strike the British army occupying the Philadelphia region.
Battles and Campaigns
The New Jersey Campaign and Retreat
During the second half of 1776, British forces under General William Howe pursued George Washington’s army across New Jersey. American military positions became increasingly difficult to defend after British victories around New York.
Washington’s forces withdrew through New Jersey and eventually crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. The retreat preserved the Continental Army but left the revolutionary cause facing a severe crisis.
Humrickhouse personally described movements through several communities associated with this campaign. His recollection places him within the broader retreat, although the exact assignments of his company require comparison with contemporary military records.
Participation classification: Personally reported in pension testimony.
Battle of Trenton
Washington’s surprise attack at Trenton followed the Continental Army’s difficult crossing of the Delaware River during the night of December 25–26. American forces attacked Hessian troops stationed in the town and secured a badly needed victory.
The victory restored confidence in the revolutionary cause and demonstrated that the Continental Army remained capable of offensive action despite its earlier defeats.
Humrickhouse’s 1832 declaration describes crossing the Delaware and participating in the movement against the Hessian garrison. He further recalled being appointed to duties connected with burying the dead after the engagement.
This is an unusually specific recollection of a military responsibility following battle. Nevertheless, it remains a statement made decades after the event and should not be represented as independently confirmed by a contemporary order.
Participation classification: Personally reported in pension testimony.
Battle of Germantown
After British forces occupied Philadelphia in September 1777, Washington planned a coordinated attack on British positions around Germantown.
American columns advanced in the early morning, but difficult terrain, fog, delays, and confusion complicated the operation. Although the attack initially achieved some success, British resistance eventually forced an American withdrawal.
Humrickhouse stated that his militia brigade marched from the Skippack area toward Germantown and engaged the enemy. He placed the brigade on the American right along Ridge Road.
Following the battle, he recalled being ordered across the Schuylkill River to interfere with British foraging. This detail connects his service not only to the engagement itself but also to the continuing struggle over food and supplies in the Philadelphia countryside.
Participation classification: Personally reported in pension testimony.
Revolutionary War Pension
On September 18, 1832, Humrickhouse appeared before the Orphans’ Court at Hagerstown to seek benefits under the federal pension law enacted June 7, 1832.
That law broadened pension eligibility for surviving Revolutionary War veterans by recognizing qualifying service without requiring the same demonstration of financial need associated with earlier pension legislation.
Humrickhouse described approximately ten months of service. His pension records distinguish periods of service as a private, ensign, and lieutenant and record an annual allowance of $93.32.
His application also reveals an evidentiary problem: he could no longer produce his original commission and reported difficulty finding surviving comrades who could confirm his military service.
Two Hagerstown residents, Eli Beally and Christian Fechtig, supplied supporting statements concerning his age and reputation as a Revolutionary War soldier.
From His Account
The Veteran’s 1832 Declaration
Humrickhouse’s pension declaration describes his movements during the 1776 campaign and his return to militia duty in 1777.
He reported crossing the Delaware, taking part in the operation against the Hessians at Trenton, and subsequently returning to Germantown after his initial service expired.
He also described his brigade’s position during the Battle of Germantown and its later assignment to prevent British foraging.
These are paraphrases of the supplied archival transcription, not quotations checked against the original handwritten images.
Military Service Record
| Name | Peter Humrickhouse |
|---|---|
| 1776 enlistment | May 1776, according to his declaration |
| Initial commander | Captain Thomas Dunging |
| 1776 organization | Volunteer company; reported Flying Camp commission |
| 1777 service | Second Battalion, Philadelphia County militia |
| Reported campaigns | New Jersey retreat, Trenton, Germantown |
| Length of service | Approximately ten months, as reported |
| Pension declaration | September 18, 1832 |
| Pension number | W27514 |
| Annual pension | $93.32, according to pension records |
Later Life and Burial
By 1832, Humrickhouse was living in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland. His pension declaration establishes that he had survived the Revolution by more than five decades.
Later pension proceedings identify his widow as Mary Hamrickhouse. The surviving transcriptions disagree on his death year. One pension entry records February 13, 1839, while a statement associated with his son Frederick and another later summary indicate February 13, 1837.
Until the relevant original records are compared, neither year should be presented as conclusively established.
Burial: Not established from the records reviewed for this article.
Family History
Mary Humrickhouse
Family and pension documents identify Peter’s wife as Mary, with variations in the spelling of the family surname. A family record gives their marriage date as February 20, 1777.
Later widow’s pension proceedings preserve evidence concerning Mary’s identity and her marriage to Peter. The original marriage documentation should be checked before settling on a definitive spelling of her maiden surname.
Children and Descendants
The pension file includes a family register naming several children, including George, John, Margaret, Peter, Maria B., Albert, Jacob, and Christian Frederick. It also contains entries that require closer examination because some writing is faded or difficult to interpret.
Frederick Hamrickhouse appears in later probate-related testimony. His precise identification within the family register should be verified against the original pages.
The family documents provide promising genealogical leads, but a complete family tree would require corroboration from church, probate, and civil records.
Original Sources
- National Archives, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application File W27514, Peter Humrickhouse. Catalog record 54961325.
- Peter Humrickhouse pension declaration, September 18, 1832. Transcribed document images 4159615_00299.jpg through 4159615_00302.jpg, within the pension file.
- Family register and widow’s pension proceedings. Additional documents within pension file W27514, including marriage, family, and death-related evidence.
- The Yost Post research transcription collection. National Archives Revolutionary War pension transcription dataset, corresponding to catalog record 54961325.
Historical Research Note
This biography is based principally on surviving pension-file transcriptions. The most detailed military chronology comes from Peter Humrickhouse’s declaration made in 1832, more than fifty years after the events described.
His reported participation at Trenton and Germantown is therefore identified as personal pension testimony rather than independently confirmed contemporary battlefield documentation.
The death year remains disputed between 1837 and 1839. His original commissions, exact burial, and some family relationships require further investigation.
The portrait accompanying this article is a modern artistic interpretation of Peter Humrickhouse in Revolutionary War-era clothing. It is not a verified historical likeness.