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In the following pension declaration, George Hice describes (in blue his service in the Revolutionary War and Lochry's ill-fated expedition to Ohio in 1781. His account is interesting in that it is one of the few pension declarations to name the leaders of the Indian attack and what was happening at the precise time of the attack. On page 3, Hice states the Expedition "was attacked by a large number of Indians under command of Simon Girty, George Girty, James Girty and an Indian named Captain Brant the attack was made by the Indians from the shore just as the boats touched for the purpose of landing thirty eight of the men under command of the said Colonel Laughry were killed and the said Colonel Laughry was also killed." The number killed is the most specific number in any account of the attack. Following the attack Hice was "taken by the Indians to the Shawnee towns on Big Miami where he arrived about four days after he was taken prisoner here he had to run what is called the gauntlet with many others." He spent a year in the Indian towns of the Maumee before being traded to the British and imprisoned at Detroit. He was later transported through the Great Lakes to New Jersey and released in 1783, returning home to Westmoreland County, PA in the Fall of the year.
On page 7, Mathias Fisher confirms Hice's service, capture, and running the gauntlet with him before they were separated in the Indian villages. The text of the deposition is so similar that it's likely that Hice's deposition was read to Fisher for corroboration, then copied with comment by Fisher added. After residing the the Indian villages for months post capture, Fisher was also sold to the British at Detroit. He was imprisoned near Montreal, escaped in July 1782, and returned home to Westmoreland in September, over a year earlier than Hice.
The remainder of Hice's pension file (not transcribed or shown) contains routine correspondence concerning his pension application, records of payments and requests for information from Hice's file. All transcriptions are as faithful to the source material as possible including spelling oddities and punctuation which is often lacking. A complete account of Lochry's Expedition including the testimony of other participants is available here.
(page 3) —————
State of Pennsylvania
Indiana County ss
On this twenty seventh day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty tree Personally appeared in open court before the Honorable John Young Esq President and his associate judges of the court of common Pleas of Indiana County aforesaid George Hice a resident of Wheatfield township in said county aged sixty eight years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his solemn oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed 7th June 1832 —
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated viz. That whilst he resided at Fort Ligonier InWestmoreland County State of Pennsylvania he joined as a volunteer a company of volunteer Riflemen commanded by captain Samuel Shannon, that he rendezvoused with said company on the tenth day of August 1781 at Sheriff Carnahans in said county of Westmoreland where he came under the command of Colonel Archibald Laughry, thence he marched by way of Washington Penna to Wheeling Virginia after a stay there of about two days went down the Ohio River in Boats as far as a creek now called Laughrys creek a few miles below the mouth of the Big Miami River - at this place the party of which said declarent was on commanded by said Colonel Laughry amounting at this time, to wit about the 24th August 1781, to one hundred and ten (many having deserted between Wheeling and this place) was attacked by a large number of Indians under command of Simon Girty, George Girty, James Girty and an Indian named Captain Brant the attack was made by the Indians from the shore just as the boats touched for the purpose of landing thirty eight of the men under command of the said Colonel Laughry were killed and the said Colonel Laughry was also killed by the Indians on the same day after he had been taken prisoner, the residue of the party not killed were all taken prisoner and among them said declarent, from thence said declarent was taken by he Indians to the Shawnee towns on Big Miami where he arrived about four days after he was taken prisoner here he had to run what is called the gauntlet with many others - from thence he was taken to the Mawmee towns where he was detained as a prisoner by the Indians for about one year - thence he was taken down the Mawmee River to Detroit which was commanded by a British Major Deposter here he was given up by the Indians to the British with whom he remained as a prisoner about fourteen months at this place - from thence with other prisoners he was taken in an English Vessel to Fort Erie thence after passing round Niagara falls he was taken by water to Montreal where he stayed about one week, thence to St. Johns, thence across Lake Champlain to Ticonderoga, thence by Albany to New York, thence across the state of New Jersey by New Brunswick to Reading Penna thence by Harrisburg Carlisle & to Fort Ligonier in Westmoreland county aforesaid in the month of October 1783 his place of residence. said declarent claims a pension for the term of two years & two months being the time elapsed from he left home until his returning - he further states that he never received any written discharge nor has any documentary evidence to establish the facts and services mentioned in this declaration
(page 4) —————
Questions put to said declarent by said court -
Where and in what year were you born
answer — I was born in the State of New Jersey about one mile from Flemingstown in the year 1765
Have you any record of your age if so where is it
ans. I have a record of my age at my house where I now reside
Where were you living when called to service where have you lived since the Revolutionary war and where do you now live —
ans. I was living when I entered the service at Fort Ligonier in Westmoreland County Penna where I had my residence until the year 1785 when I removed to Wheatfield as township Indiana County Penna where I have ever since resided
How were you called into service were you drafted did you volunteer or were you a substitute - I volunteered
State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served, such Continental and Militia regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service
answer. I knew Colonel Archibald Laughry - Adjutant John Guthrie Captain Samuel Shannon and Captain Robert Orr The circumstances of my service are as related in the foregoing declaration
State the names of persons in your (insert present) neighborhood to whom you are known and who can testify as to your character for veracity and their belief of your services as a soldier of the revolution
Answer I am known to John Ligat and Thomas Clarke and many others who can testify as to my character for veracity and their belief of my services as a soldier of the revolution
Said declarant hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension role of the agency of any state
George Hice his mark x
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year first aforesaid in open court
R. B. Mc Cabe Prothy
We John Ligat and Thomas Clarks residing in the township of Wheatfield county of Indiana and state of Pennsylvania do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with George Hice who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be sixty eight years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion
John Ligat
This Clarke
Sworn and subscribed the day and year first aforesaid in open court
R. B. McCabe Prothy
(page 6) —————
And the said the court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the war department that the above named applicant was a volunteer soldier and served as he states. And the court further certifies that it appears to them that Thomas Clarke and John Ligat who have signed the preceding certificate our resident in Wheatfield township Indiana County and State of Pennsylvania and are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.
Indiana County ss I Richard B McCabe clerk of the court of common Pleas in and for the said County of Indiana in the state of Pennsylvania do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of George Hice for a pension. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office at Indiana this twenty seventh day of March A. D. one thousand eight hundred and thirty three.
Richard B. Mc Cabe Clerk
(page 7) —————
State of Pennsylvania
Indiana County ss
On this twenty seventh day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty tree Personally appeared in open court before the Honorable John Young Esq President and his associate judges of the court of common Pleas in and for the County of Indiana County in the State of Pennsylvania (inserted now sitting) Mathias Fisher a resident of Ligonier Township in the County of Westmoreland and State aforesaid aged seventy five years who being first duly sworn (inserted affirmed) according to law doth on his solemn (inserted affirmation) oath deposeth and saith that he is seventy five years of age – that he is well acquainted with George Hice who has made and subscribed the foregoing application in order to obtain a pension – that he served as a volunteer in a company of volunteer Rifleman commanded by Captain Samuel Shannon of which company the said George Hice was a member, that said George Hice rendezvoused with said company on the tenth day of August A. D. 1781 at the house of Sheriff Carnahan in said County of Westmoreland when said company came under the command of Colonel Archibald Laughry – from thence said George Hice and this deponent marched by the way of Washington Penna to Wheeling in the state of Virginia from thence after a stay of a day or two said George Hice and this deponent went down the Ohio River in a boat still under the command of the said Colonel Archibald Laughry as far as a creek now known by the name of Laughrys Creek a few miles below the mouth of Big Miami River – at this place the troops under command of the said Colonel Archibald Laughry now amounting to about one hundred and ten men (many having deserted between Wheeling and this place) on the 24th day of August 1781 were attacked by a party of Indians headed by Simon Girty, George Girty James Girty and an Indian known by the name of Captain Brant, the attack was made by the Indians by firing on said troops from the shore just as some of the boats had touched the shore for the purposes of landing in order to procure grass for some horses on board the boats - thirty eight men of said troops were killed and the residue all taken prisoners among who was the said George Hice and this is the deponent the said Colonel Laughry was killed on the same day by the Indians after he was taken prisoner, from thence said George Hice and this deponent were taken in company by the Indians to the Shawnee town's on big Miami River where they arrived about four days after they were taken prisoner, here the said George Hice as well as this deponent in company had to run what is commonly called the gauntlet at this place this deponent was separated from the said George Hice and knew nothing further of said Hice until he said Hice returned to Ligonier in Westmoreland county aforesaid which was in the fall season of the year 1783 Where this deponent had arrived better than a year previous.
Mathias Fisher
Affirmed and subscribed in open court the day and year first aforesaid
R. B. Mc Cabe Prothy |
Fisher Family Genealogy
