CHARLES WELLS - Old War Invalid File Rej. #23.884

Montgomery County, Missouri - Ensign and I ,Lt. in N.W. Indian Wars from 1790-1795

State of Missouri, County of Montgomery - May term of Montgomery Circuit Court 1833 - CHARLES WELLS of the county of Montgomery & State of Missouri, do hereby state that I was born in the state of Pennsylvania on Jacobs Creek about twenty five miles from Pittsburgh on the 16th day of March seventeen hundred and seventy three (1773 as I was informed by my parents and as I believe. In my infancy my parents moved to Beargrass in the state of Kentucky where I resided until I was nineteen years of age. About the spring of 1796 I went to the State of Georgia and resided in what was then called Franklin County but now called Haversham until October 1805 when I removed to Rutherford county in he state of Tennessee where I resided until 1816 when I came to St. Charles Count in the state of Missouri shortly after which time I have made the county of Montgomery, Missouri my home. In the summer of 1789 or 1790 I entered the service of the United States as a part of the Militia of Kentucky. General Harmer was the commander of the detachment. Col. John Harden commanded the militia Regiment of which my company was a part. The company was under the immediate command of Capt. Isham Floyd and myself as Lieutenant. In the latter part of July we took up our march from the town of Louisville, crossed the Ohio river below the falls and encamped the first night on blue waters of the Wabash where General Harmer encamped and sent out Col. Hardin with between 240-260 men with orders to proceed a days march in a northeast course then to turn a west course until we struck the river then come down the river to Harmers encampment and to reconnoiter and examine the rout for any hostile indians or their signs. We proceeded about 8 or 7 miles & fell in with a smart indian trail which we followed about 4 miles to a broken brushy piece of prairie where we came up with the indians concealed in the bruch when a fight commenced. The fight continued something like an hour when we found ourselves overpowered and was ordered to retreat leaving between 40 & 60 killed &- wounded on the ground of our men. The indians pursued us but a small distance L we reached Harmers encampment. When Col. Hardin made his report, General Harmer instead of pursueing the indians determined to retreat and on the next day took up his line of march and Hardin returned by the same rout to Louisville we had come out. In this expedition I was in service the sixty days and I think more but put it at that time.

I again entered the service about the 1st of October I think in the year 1791 on Beargrass near Louisville as a volunteer in the militia in a company commanded by Captain SAMUEL WELLS who died about 2 years ago in the adjoining county of St. Charles. Hammond Nash was Lt. and myself Ensign. We rendesvoused at Cincinnati where we were joined by General St. Clair with as I understood from 1500-,to 2000 regulars. We had about 250 militia under the command of captains without field officers until we joined the regulars. Sometime I think about the middle of October we left Cincinnati and marched a northwestern direction crossing the headwaters of the Wabash and on to the waters of the Maumee river. We reached a small creek one of the waters of the Maumee in the evening, the Militia as the advance guard crossed the stream and our encampment was taken up with the militia on one side and the regulars on the other. After the

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