Editor’s Note: The Enterprise is pleased to partner with the Colonel Abram Penn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to present My Patriot Ancestor, an ongoing series.
Written by Janice Mills Stanley and Ann Robertson McConnell
The British Northern Campaign in the American Revolution was aimed to cut off New England from the other colonies. Thick forests and supply lines slowed the British troops down. The Revolution started in the northern colonies and the patriots fought hard. The resistance was more than the British anticipated. George Washington kept the main British army pinned near New York. After the American forces won the crucial Battle of Saratoga in 1777 the British focus was shifted to the southern colonies since many leaders believed many loyal colonists lived in the South. The Southern Campaign began in 1778 when British forces captured Savannah, Georgia. Sergeant Mannon Hill served under Captain Jonathan Hanby in the Virginia Militia during the Southern Campaign. Sergeant Hill is the Patriot Ancestor of DAR member Janice Mills Stanley.
Mannon Hill was born in 1760 to Matthew and Lucy Hill, probably in Stokes County, North Carolina. Hill joined the Revolutionary War around 1781 in Henry County, now Patrick and served as a sergeant in Captain Hanby’s Virginia Militia Company. This company participated primarily in the Ninety Six Campaign in the Southern Theater between May and July 1781 supporting General Nathanael Greene’s drive against British-held Ninety Six in South Carolina.
This was the longest field siege of the American Revolutionary War. From May 22 to June 18, 1781, the Patriots fought to capture a fort held by the British. The American forces failed in a final all-out assault and retreated when British relief troops approached. Greene retreated north and although the British won the tactical battle, the outpost was too isolated to hold and the British soon abandoned and burned the town surrendering control of the South Carolina backcountry to the Patriots.
After the war Mannon Hill served as a minister at Snow Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Mannon married Mary Fulkerson in October 1784, in Henry, Virginia. They were the parents of at least five sons and four daughters. He died in December 1838.
Information for this article is from Hill Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, Part 2, American Ancestors (Researching American Revolutionary War Patriots), Wikipedia and the authors’ notes.
Everyone has a story. Let us help you tell yours. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. NSDAR is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization. Help researching and proving your lineage can be provided by the Colonel Abram Penn Chapter by contacting Ann Robertson McConnell at [email protected].
Members of the Colonel Abram Penn Chapter will be at the Patrick County Library each Thursday in August from 4 to 5 p.m. to help with genealogy searches.
