Few details are known of the Revolutionary War service for William Cornelius. We know he was a Matross in the NC Artillery Co. Records show he enlisted 14 Jul 1776 under Capt. John Vance in the NC Provincial Troops. 10 Jul 1777 he was listed in the Continental Line. 16 Nov 1777 he is listed under Capt. John Kingsbury in Col. John Lamb’s Regiment of Artillery. In May 1778 he was listed at Camp New York, PA. In Jun 1778 he was supposedly dropped from the rolls, but supposedly was at Yorktown. After the war William Cornelius settled in Greenville Co, SC where he lived until about 1816 when he moved to AL, settling in Blount Co south of present day Oneonta.