John Hollis was born in Fairfax County, Virginia on December 5, 1751. A resident of Craven County, later Fairfield District, South Carolina, he joined the militia service in late 1774 or early 1775 and served throughout the war. First a private in the South Carolina Third Regiment of Rangers, he was promoted to sergeant and ensign by June 1777 and saw action at Fort Moultrie. He then served as a captain in the Fairfield District Regiment of the South Carolina Militia through the close of the war, and was wounded during a skirmish in June 1781. He later made an affidavit in support of John Jenkins' pension application attesting that Jenkins served with him during the war. He died in Kershaw County, South Carolina on November 4, 1836.