Historic River Valley Counties of Georgia: Captain Philemon Hodges

Revolutionary War Soldiers

Captain Philemon Hodges

Captain Philemon Hodges was born in Cumberland County, North Carolina on October 25, 1757. His parents were William and Patrice Hawkins Hodges.

In 1776 he joined the North Carolina line and served in Colonel William Thompson’s Regiment. He participated in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, SC. He served in various regiments throughout 1777-1780. In August 1780 he participated in the Battle of Camden also near Charleston. In the fall of 1781, he joined Troop of Horse (beginning of the Calvary) and was appointed Captain of Light Horse. He served as captain for almost two years.

He married Winifred Kittrell in Granville, North Carolina on September 18, 1783. They had three children: John (1787), Samuel (1793), and Penelope (1796). In 1784 he was granted 100 acres in Cumberland County. In 1809 he was granted 1,000 acres in Bedford County, Tennessee. Winifred died in 1825 in Granville.

By 1830, Captain Hodges had moved into Muscogee County in the Double Churches area. In 1832 he applied for a Rev. war pension. In his application he stated that the record of his age couldn’t be established because his home had burned. A number of prominent Columbusites including Seaborn Jones, James Bethune, John Bethune and James Watson testified on his behalf. Hodges was awarded a pension of $380 a year (about $15,000 today). He also won land in the 1832 Land Lottery (about 40 acres). He died in Muscogee County in 1848 and was buried in the Shiloh Methodist Church Cemetery. (Today the cemetery is known as the Shiloh Cemetery and is located on Double Churches Road.)