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Shepherd, Abraham (d. 1822)
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Aler's History of Martinsburg and Berkeley County, West Virginia
by F. Vernon Aler, 1888
Printed for the Author by 
The Mail Publishing Company, Hagerstown, MD.

CHAPTER VIII.
Historical Pen Sketches of the Early Residents of Berkeley County
by the late Hon. Chas. James Faulkner.

Pages 92-94, ABRAHAM SHEPHERD

A captain in the revolutionary war. He volunteered as a private in
June, 1775, in the Berkeley County company, commanded by Hugh
Stephenson. He was elected a lieutenant of that company in the
place of Lieut. Thomas Hite, who declined the commission, and
marched with the company to Boston in July, 1775. At the expiration
of its term of service, which was one year, he was commissioned the
senior captain in a rifle regiment commanded by Col. Hugh
Stephenson. He was very energetic in filling his company, having
enlisted out of the old company twenty men to serve for three
years, and returning to Berkeley in a short time enlisted seventy-
one and marched them to the field of operations in the north. On
the 4th of October, 1776, he arrived with his company at Bergen
Point, opposite New York, where he found Col. Rawlings in command
of the regiment, Stephenson having in the meantime died. On the
12th of November he was engaged for three successive days in severe
skirmishing at King's bridge. On the 16th he was engaged in a
severe action with the enemy, in which Col. Rawlings and Maj.
Williams were severely wounded and taken from the field, and the
command of the regiment devolved upon him. Finding himself
overpowered by superior numbers he returned slowly to Fort
Washington, about half a mile distant from the scene of action. The
fort was captured and all in it made prisoners of war. Cap.
Shepherd remained a prisoner until May, 1778. He then returned to
Berkeley County and remained there until 1779. In the meantime the
fifteen Virginia regiments were, by a resolve of Congress, reduced
to eleven, and many of the/officers became supernumerary. Capt.
Shepherd called upon Gen. Washington and claimed his right to be in
active service as a senior captain in the Virginia line. Gen.
Washington regretted the necessity that compelled so many valuable
officers to retire as supernumeraries, and added that if the
country should hereafter want their services they would be notified
to join the army. Capt. Shepherd consequently retired from active
service as a supernumerary for the remainder of the war. He
received a letter from Gen. Washington but two months before the
General's death, speaking of him as a "valuable officer in the
revolutionary war." He never filled any public civil employment,
but was an active supporter and liberal contributor to local
improvements. He died on the 7th of September, 1822, in the 69th
year of his age.

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