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The following images link to the documents from Mathias Fisher's Revolutionary War pension file. These include the transcript of a declaration given by Mathias Fisher to establish proof of military service, a record of payments made to Mathias prior to his death, and letters from and to D. F. Foster regarding a dispute between Mathias' children concerning distribution of his pension following his death.
Mathias' military service declaration is particularly noteworthy. It is one of the few accounts of Lochry's Expedition by an actual participant. The purpose of Lochry's Expedition was to attack the Shawnee, Delaware and Sandusky Indians in Ohio to stop their raids into Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. In August 1781, Lochry led a force of roughly one hundred Pennsylvania militiamen down the Ohio River. On August 24, Lochry's force was attacked and defeated near present day Aurora, Indiana. Roughly forty members of Lochry's company including Lochry himself died in the battle or were executed shortly afterward. Those not killed were taken prisoner. Some became Indian slaves. Others were sold to the British and imprisoned near Montreal, Canada. Only Mathias Fisher and perhaps ten others survived the expedition.
For additional information on Lochry's Expedition, see:
- Edgar J. Pershing, "Lost Battalion of the Revolutionary War, PA.," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol XVI, No. 3, (Washington D.C.: National Genealogical Society, Sept., 1928), p 44-51. Includes a history of the expedition, transcripts of communiques between Colonel Archibald Lochry and General George Rogers Clark, some of which were intercepted by the British, and a list of those killed and captured. Also details Mathias Fisher's role in the expedition and credits him with bringing the fate of the expedition back to Pennsylvania.
- Chris McHenry, The Best Men of Westmoreland, An Historical Account of the Lochry Expedition, (Lawrenceburg, Indiana: self-published, 1981). Includes a lengthy narrative of Westmoreland history leading to Lochry's Expedition. Also contains records known as the Haldimand Papers from the Canadian National Archives which list men captured from Lochry's Expedition and later imprisoned by the British at Prisoners Island, Coteau du Lac, Quebec, Canada. Also contains photographs of a list of Lochry's men from the diary Lt. Isaac Anderson. The original diary is held by the Cincinnati Historical Society.
- "Lochry's Expedition," Pennsylvania Archives, Sixth Series, Vol. II, Thomas Lynch Montgomery, editor, (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Publishing Company, 1906), 403-410. A further transcript of Lt. Anderson's diary.
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