Daniel Gillespie was born on June 16, 1763. His headstone states that he was born in Virginia

but an article in the Abbeville Banner of Abbeville, South Carolina from February 16 th , 1848

states that he was born in Ireland and migrated to America. (Daniel Gillespie, 2026) 1 He died on

January 27, 1847, in Chambers County, Alabama. (Alabama Patriots Searchable Database,

2026) 2 He was a member of the North Carolina militia and served multiple short tours under

regional commanders, most notably under General Andrew Pickens. His early service in 1780

included operations along the Congaree River, where his unit lost supplies to advancing British

forces and withdrew to a defensive position known as Pickens’ Blockhouse. In 1781, he took

part in one of the most significant campaigns in the southern theater, the Siege of Ninety-Six

where he joined General Nathanael Greene’s army after the siege had begun and remained for

the duration of the operation. Following the siege, Gillespie continued active field service,

marching through key South Carolina locations such as Orangeburg, Ashepoo, and Bacon’s

Bridge in pursuit of British forces, and later served briefly under the partisan leader Francis

Marion in the High Hills of Santee. His duties also included pursuing Loyalist fighters, notably

the notorious William “Bloody Bill” Cunningham, reflecting the irregular and often brutal nature

of southern militia warfare. (S31692) 3 After the war, Gillespie returned to civilian life in North

Carolina, where he established a family. In 1831 he and his family moved to Troup County,

Georgia. In about 1842 the family relocated to a community known as New Harmony in

Chambers County, Alabama. (Daniel Gillespie, 2026) 4 In his later years, he applied for and

received a federal pension for his years of service during the revolution. Gillespie lived to the

age of 84, dying in 1848. Daniel’s grave has been located. He is buried in the New Harmony

Presbyterian Church Cemetery which is located on Chambers County 22 about five miles west of

Oak Bowery. The epitaph on his gravestone reads:

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY OF

DANIEL GILLESPIE

WHO WAS BORN IN VIRGINIA

AND DIED JANUARY THE 27TH 1847

IN THE 83RD YEAR OF HIS AGE.

HE WAS A SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTION

AND WAS 50 YEARS A MEMBER OF

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN

LAMENT HIS LOSS. (Daniel Gillespie, 2026) 5

A recognition service and marking ceremony is being planned by the Richard Henry Lee

Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

The Sons of the American Revolution is a non-profit, non-partisan, organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American History, and teaching our History to future generations.