2025 - 12 Valley Forge Was the Myth – The Pension Act Was the Real Historic Event

Paternal 5th Great Grandfather Peter DeMoss

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 

Week 12 March 17, 2025

Prompt: A Historical Event

Family legend placed Peter DeMoss at Valley Forge—but the truth revealed a quieter legacy. His real historic moment came decades later, as he fought for the pension he earned through service.

I thought the historic event in my ancestor’s life would be the winter of 1777–78, encamped at Valley Forge with General George Washington. That’s the family story that’s been passed down—but his pension file doesn’t prove it. In fact, my ancestor, Peter DeMoss, stated that he only participated in one battle: Monmouth. He missed the pivotal surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, too—on furlough and tending to his injuries. As it turns out, the most historic chapter in Peter’s life wasn’t the battlefield. It was what happened decades later, when he sought the recognition and support promised to veterans of the American Revolution. His story offers a deeply human window into a different kind of struggle: the long road to securing veterans’ rights in the early republic.

Service in the Revolutionary War

Peter DeMoss first enlisted in the Continental Army on August 14, 1775. He was around sixteen years old. According to his own statement given decades later, he served for one year under Captain John Writt in a company raised at Winchester, Virginia. That company was part of Colonel James Wood’s regiment in the Continental Line. After marching to Pittsburgh, Peter reenlisted and continued his service during the war, including fighting at the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. He described missing the Yorktown campaign due to being on furlough—he returned home to recover from wounds, and by the time he was fit for service again, the war was essentially over. Peter’s time in uniform, though relatively brief compared to some, was nevertheless real, dangerous, and part of the young nation’s fight for independence.

The 1828 Rejection: Too Much Property

In the early 1800s, Congress passed laws to grant pensions to surviving veterans of the Revolution. One such act in 1828 aimed to provide relief for those who had served on the Continental Line. Peter applied, but his application was denied—not because he hadn’t served, but because he owned too much property. At that time, pension eligibility was often tied to indigence, and Peter didn’t yet meet that threshold. It’s a striking moment that shows how limited early federal support could be, and how assistance was not just based on merit or sacrifice, but also on one’s perceived need.

Peter DeMoss, like many Revolutionary War veterans, lived into old age without the support promised by a grateful nation. His dignity endured, even as his body weakened.

The 1830s: Age, Need, and Renewed Efforts

By the 1830s, Peter DeMoss’s circumstances had changed. He was growing older—around 60 or 70—and facing increasing hardship. A wound to the foot left him unable to travel to court to give testimony. Letters from neighbors and supporters began to pour in, attesting to his honorable service and present poverty. One correspondent wrote that he was “wholly unable to ride” and was “an honest and worthy old soldier.” Another petitioned Congress directly, urging support for “the few remaining survivors of the Revolution,” noting there were likely fewer than six still alive in Kentucky at the time.

By the 1830s, Peter’s foot injury left him unable to appear in court. Friends and neighbors rallied to help him apply for a pension, writing letters to Congress on his behalf.

Hope finally arrived in the spring of 1832. A letter dated May 5th, 1832 from W. C. Kennett reported that the Senate had passed a new pension bill “for the relief of the surviving officers & soldiers of the Revolution” and expressed confidence that it would soon become law. This legislation—known as the Pension Act of 1832—broadened eligibility by removing the property requirement and recognizing more forms of military service.

In 1833, Peter DeMoss finally received his pension under the Act of 1832. Though he waited decades for recognition, justice—at last—arrived.

Peter’s pension was finally approved in 1833, with payments backdated to March 4, 1831, as outlined in the act. He was awarded $80 per year and received that support until his death in 1841. Though he had missed out on the earlier opportunities, Peter’s claim was at last recognized, and in the final chapter of his life, the government he had served during the Revolution acknowledged his sacrifice.

A Broader Battle: Veterans’ Rights in Early America

Peter DeMoss’s story reveals more than just one man’s persistence—it captures a turning point in American history. The Pension Act of 1832 was a landmark moment in how the United States cared for its aging veterans. It marked a shift from viewing pensions as charity to seeing them as a right earned through service. The process was still imperfect, but it laid the groundwork for a more expansive and inclusive system of veterans’ benefits in the years to come. Peter’s quiet endurance and eventual recognition reflect a broader movement in early America to honor those who had fought for its independence—not just in memory, but in policy.

Closing Reflections

While the winter encampment at Valley Forge has long captured the American imagination—and shows up in many family legends, including mine—the evidence in Peter DeMoss’s pension file tells a different story. He doesn’t mention Valley Forge at all, and he explicitly states that he was in only one battle: Monmouth. Though his service was honorable, it was quieter, less dramatic, and perhaps more typical than the sweeping narratives that often find their way into family lore.

And yet, Peter’s story is connected to a truly historic event—just not the one I expected. The Pension Act of 1832 was a turning point in how the United States honored and cared for its veterans. In the twilight of his life, Peter DeMoss became part of that national moment—one that acknowledged the long arc of service and the evolving understanding of what a grateful country owes to those who helped secure its independence.

Though he never camped at Valley Forge or stood at Yorktown, Peter DeMoss’s story stands firmly in the current of American history—his final battle was for recognition, and in the end, he won.

Summary of Peter DeMoss’s Will (1835)

In his will dated March 25, 1835, Peter DeMoss of Pendleton County, Kentucky, made provisions for each of his children and two grandchildren. He left small cash legacies ranging from $25 to $60 to his children John, Mary Grigg, Charles, Catherine Herndon (formerly Barker), Sally Barker, Lewis, and to the two children of his deceased son David—Leander and Mary DeMoss. These monetary gifts were to be paid by his son Samuel DeMoss, to whom Peter bequeathed the family plantation of approximately 170 acres on the Ohio River. Samuel was also expected to care for Peter’s wife, Catherine, during her lifetime. The will specified that Peter’s personal property be sold after his death, with the proceeds divided equally among his surviving children (excluding Samuel), and per stirpes to the heirs of any deceased child. Should Catherine survive him, she was entitled to select items for her use, which were exempt from the estate sale. Peter named Samuel DeMoss and his son-in-law Elijah Herndon as executors.

Peter DeMoss and his wife, Catherine Houseman DeMoss, were originally buried on the family homeplace in Pendleton County. In 1965, their remains were reinterred in Grandview Cemetery in Mentor, Campbell County, Kentucky. Peter was the son of Charles and Fannie DeMoss and the father of ten children. I descend from his daughter, Mary DeMoss Grigg/Gregg.