Wilson Adams

  Medical Notes:

According to the U.S. Epidemic Timeline in 1820 until 1823 a "fever" started on the Schuylkill river in Pennsylvania and spread across the nation

  Noted events in his life were:

• Witness, 11 Sep 1797. Cty. Lou, Book: 4, Page: 31, David Shelton, Type: Will, Date: 11-Sep-1797
Wilson Adams one of the witnesses to will of David Shelton 11 Sep 1797.

• Witness, 28 May 1800. Cty. Lou, Book: 4, Page: 134, William Rigsby, Type: Will, Date: 28-May-1800
Wilson Adams one of the exors of William Rigsby's will dated 28 May 1800.

• Garrard History. Garrard County was formed on December 17, 1796 from portions of Madison, Lincoln, and Mercer Counties. It was Kentucky's 25th county and named for Governor James Garrard. It is located in the bluegrass region of the state. In 1990, the county population was 11,579 in a land area of 231 square miles, an average of 50.1 people per square mile. The county seat is Lancaster.

Lancaster, the seat of Garrard county, was founded in 1797 and named for Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Lancaster Court House post office opened in 1801 (the name was later shortened). The population in 1990 was 3,421.

This area was settled because of its closeness to the Wilderness Road. The first station was that of William Miller. James Smith's station followed in 1779 near Bryantsville. James and John Downing's station on Sugar Creek was opened in 1779. Humphrey's Best Canebreak station was here in 1779-1790, and Zophar Carpenter's station near Suck Fork (not confirmed). Will Grant established a station in 1784 on Hickman's Creek. Lewis Craig from Upper Spotsylvania, Virginia, The Traveling Church, relocated here 1780-1781.

• War of 1812, 1812. Wilson ADAMS, was a soldier of the war of 1812

• War of 1812, 1812. The Massacre at Raisin River

To the fury of his countrymen, General Hull surrenders the Northwestern Army to British Colonel Henry Proctor on August 16, 1812. The surrender was an exercise in timidity if not downright cowardice as it was not by the force of arms. Among the reasons given was the lack of supplies and Hull's concern that he could not get reinforcements but trumping those was his overwhelming fear of the Indians, how else to account for surrendering Detroit without a fight. The surrender gives Tecumseh all the reason he needs to take control of the Maumee Valley as far west as Ft. Wayne.

Fortunately, we still have a man in the field that will fight - General William H. Harrison of Indiana. He calls for more militia and Kentucky along with other states respond. On January 10, 1813, the Kentuckians under General James Winchester reach the Maumee. On January 22, 1818, Proctor surprises them in their camp at French town (Monroe, Michigan) catching them totally unprepared. The majority of the troops were killed or captured at the Raisin River with only about 50 escaping without injury.

Major General William H. Harrison then appeals to Governor Shelby to raise 1500 men to go against the enemy. The Kentucky Legislature wasted no time in passing an act calling 3000 of the militia into the field.

Four regiments were formed under Colonels Dudley, Boswell, Cox and Caldwell, all forming a brigade under Brigadier General Green Clay of Madison County. The regiments of Dudley and Boswell, 1500 men, were ordered to Newport, Kentucky on April 1, 1813 and then to march to Ft. Meigs, Ohio (now on the outskirts of Toledo). Three companies of Dudley's regiment were sent forward in March to the fort which they reached on April 12.

Among the two regiments of Kentucky militia that marched out of Cincinnati for Ft. Meigs on April 7, 1813 were eleven companies (including three that had gone in advance) of Colonel Dudley's under Captains John D. Thomas, Armstrong Kier, James Dyametto, Joseph Clark, John Yantis, Archibald Morrison, Dudley Farris, Ambrose Arthur, Joel Henry, Thomas Lewis and John L. Morrison.

Ft. Meigs and Dudley's Defeat

Ft. Meigs was build on the south side of the Maumee River with the British facing them across the river. The British side was heavily fortified with 12 guns that shot twenty-four pound balls. The British then set artillery on the same side of the river overlooking Ft. Meigs. The fort was becoming surrounded.

On May 5, Brig. General Green Clay and part of the 3000 Kentuckians fight their way into the fort reinforcing Harrison. A detachment of 800 of Dudley's men were sent to spike the guns of the British, which they did successively, but with their fighting blood up they pursued the Indians into the forest and right into an ambush. Although fighting bravely against an overwhelming force of Indians and British, 220 were killed, 350 captured and about 118 escaped to the fort. One of the unlucky captives was Colonel Dudley who was killed and scalped while Proctor stood by. The massacre of unarmed captives, termed later as the slaughter pen, continued until Tecumseh intervened virtually calling Proctor a woman and a coward. These men were later ransomed and returned to Kentucky by their own means.

The words of General Harrison illustrate the vigor in which the Kentuckians pursue the fight, in this case, to their detriment. In his report, the Generals says, "It rarely occurs that a General has to complain of the excessive ardor of his men yet such appears always to be the case whenever the Kentucky Militia are engaged. It is indeed a sorce (sic) of all their misfortunes. They appear to think valor alone can accomplish anything." In other words, excessive bravery sometimes has the same result as cowardice.

Captain John Yantis formed a company of Infantry in Garrard County. Company mustered in on February 27, 1813 and mustered out September 27, 1813.

Roll

Captain John Yantis

Lt. William Anderson

Ensign James Henderson

1st Sgt. William Sampson

2nd Sgt. Michael Woods

3rd Sgt. Jeremiah Gibbs

4th Sgt. Thomas Wheeler

1st Cpl. William Henderson

2nd Cpl. Oliver Terril

3rd Cpl. William Alford

4th Cpl. Samuel Swope

Privates:

John Adams, Edwin Alexander, James Alexander, Jesse Alford, Robert Anderson, Enoch Back, John Baker, Moses Baker, William Ball, Reuben Banks, James Beasley, John Blackburn, Absalom Brown, Bazelle Brown, George Brown, Robert Brown, John Burton, Charles Butcher, Levi Caxy, George Clemmons, James Colyar (Collier), Moses Colyar (Collier), Peter Dumarea, William Dudleston, Thomas Duncan, Luke Dye, William Edster, Dory Erwin, Bartholomew Fenton, John Finnel, John Forde, Henry Fraks, David Garvin, William Gordon, John Graham, John Green, Robert Henry, Christopher Hopwood, Wright Hubbart, John Huffman, William Huffman, Henry Hurt, Smith Hurt, John Ison, Joshua Jacobs, John Johns, Andrew Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Henry Kerby, William Kiler, Rufus King, William Layne, John Lytle, John Malone, John Maneyfield, Samuel Maxey, David L. McKee, John McMurtry, Thomas Merrit, Isaac Middleton, James Murry, Bennett Newcomb, Abraham Nickum, Ambrose Nipscomb, Thomas Nobe, John Perkins, Michael Ray, William Renfro, John Ronton, James Saddler, John Smith, Liberty Smith, William Stanton, John Staton, James Stevens, Smith Stone, Henry Taylor, Seaton Taylor, George Turpin, Michael Warren, William Wheler, William Wilson, Peter Wollege, Jacob Woner, Nathaniel Wright.

Listed as Killed:

George Clark, Nicholas Moran, Daniel Sloan, Ewell Wallace, Edward Dyehouse, Joseph Staten.

Taken Prisoner and Paroled:

Lewis Davis, Abraham Greenstat, Wheeden Hawkins, William Martin, John Singleton, Caton Taylor, Meredith Tungate, David Warner, Henry Denton, Thomas Jones, David Lawson, Ambrose Liscomb, Clement Man, Littleberry Newel, Joseph Warren.

Missing:

John Ward

Also served full enlistment: William Capaterant, Elbert L. Hascomb, Charles Wilson, Henry Greenstat.

Captain Dudley Farris' Company of Infantry was formed in Madison County. Company mustered in March 20, 1813 until September 30, 1813.

Roll

Captain Dudley Farris

Lt. John Evans

Ensign Alexander Barnett

1st Sgt. William Wilkerson

2nd Sgt. Joel King

3rd Sgt. John L. Poore

4th Sgt. James McMahan

1st Corporal Nicholas Merril

2nd Corporal Lonsfield Blackwell

Pvts:

Basil Abrams, Elias Abrams, Pleasant Adherson, Joseph Barker, Jeremiah Barnett, Walker Boler, Joseph Brandenburg, Elijah Broadus, Bond Burrett, Jesse Burton, John Carter, Amos Coats, Robert Cochran, William Collect, Thomas Collins, Eleazer Corthram, William Cunis, Samuel Davis, Daniel Dougherty, James Dougherty, David Elder, Evan, Evans, John O. Evans, Edward Fluck, James Flack, James Gillespie, Williamson Gire, Aaron Goff, Gideon Gooch, Jesse Goodman, George Ham, Sherwood Harris, William Harvey, Ambrose Huland, Israh P. Hutson, Godfrey Isaacs, Jonathan James, Francis Johnson, William Kindred, Nelson King, James Land, Joseph Logsdon, Samuel P. Magil, Isaac Marner, Moses Masters, Jonathan McClain, Richard McKinney, Samuel McMahan, Nash Merriman, James Moody, Nathan Moody, James Muley, Jesse Nesse, Ledstone Noland, Caleb Oldham, Timothy Park, Lewis Parker, John Parton, Samuel Perrin, Simon Powell, Benjamin Purcell, Daniel Roberts, Jesse Roberts, James Runcle, James Scribner, Willice Sebastian, George See, William Sims, Clark Skinner, Richard Smith, Charles Stephens, Jonathan Stephens, Talton Tayler, Ebeneser Titus, Pleasant Turner, James Turpin, William Warren, Abbott White, James White, Henry Wilkerson, Philip Williams, William Willis, Sampson Wilson, Elisha Witt, John Woods, Richard Wood.

Names later released by War Department:

Pvts:

John Beach, Nicholas Carender, John Carpenter (Died at Vermillion River), Eleazer Cochran (Never heard of after the battle), John Evans, Isaac Faris, Dudley Farthing (Badly wounded in battle), James Fluty, Jephthah Harderler, Shelton Ham, James Harden, Benjamin Hellerson (Killed in the slaughter pen), Robert Hellerson (Killed in the slaughter pen), John Hinds, Joel Horn, Nathaniel Jackson, James Long, Edward Long, James Malky, James McClain, Samuel Moody, James Profit, Johnston Pullam, John Reed, Tucony Searcy, Samuel Searcy, Alexander Sebastian, Elias Sims, Samuel Tarham, Joseph Taylor, Henderson Thurman, Elisha White, John Dougherty.

Corporal Michael Faris and Sgt. Noah Lee

Extracted from the KY Adjutant General Report - 1812

"The History of Kentucky" by Z. F. Smith, published by Courier-Journal Job Print Company, Louisville, Kentucky in 1886.

Submitted by Sandra Hurt Norris.

Garrard County Men Part of War of 1812 Mutiny
Submitted by Sandra Hurt Norris.
Volunteers streamed from Garrard, Madison and Lincoln to respond to Governor Shelby's September 8th, 1812 proclamation calling for men to protect the settlements of Illinois and Indiana territories. They formed at Louisville and then repaired to Vincennes, Indiana, under the command of Brig. General Samuel Hopkins, who had served in the Revolutionary War as a Colonel in the Virginia Line. So many Kentuckians responded from all parts of the state that hundreds were turned away.

There were approximately 2500 men in five regiments of mounted militia, under Colonels Samuel South, James Allen, Young Ewing, Samuel Caldwell and John Thomas. Along with these regiments were a battlion under Major Henry Renick and a battlion of spies under Major Toussaint Dubois. On October 10, they set out for Indian country by way of Ft. Harrison, crossed the Wabash on the 14th and then when the food became scarce and lurking Indians set the grass on fire, the troops mutinied and on October 20, they refused to march any further. The men had lost their faith in the leadership and the caliber of the spies. General Hopkins called for 500 volunteers to follow him to the Indian towns but not a man stepped up. General Hopkins followed his troops back to Vincennes where they disbanded on October 25.

Roll of Captain Thomas Kennedy's Company, Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia - Commanded by Colonel Samuel South. Terms of enlistment September 18 to October 18.
Officers:

Captain Thomas Kennedy
Lt. Moses O. Bledsoe
Ensign John Mershon
Sgt. Jonathan Finnell
Sgt. John Floyd
Sgt. David Kennedy
Sgt. James Scott

Corporals:

Bob P. Letcher
Andrew Nelson
Elisha H. Brown

Privates:

William Bledsoe
Thomas Bland
Francis Bourne
John Brown
James Burnsides
Wesley Burditt
James Cloyd
Absalom Connoly
William Drinkard
William Rice Downy
William Duff
Benjamin Edgerton
Archilles Finnell
William Gill
Joseph Gill
John Graves
Luke Graham
Thomas Graham
Peter Hedrick
Elijah Hiatt
Richard Jones
Henry Kemper
Joshua Kemper
Stephen G. Letcher
Benjamin Letcher
John Lusk
Edward Lovell
Hugh McKoe
Horatio Marksberry
Samuel Mullins
William Nicholson
John Nicholson
Ebsworth Owsley
Joseph Purley
George Parks
John Preston
William Pope
Alimanser Pope
James Reid
Andrew Reid
John Ray
Joseph Ray
John Robinson
John Snoddy
Robert Stewart
William Steene
James Shackleford
George Simpson
Weir Tilford
John Terrell
James Taylor
Thomas Tracy
Sebert Tracy
Elzy Tracy
Larkin Tarrence
Henry Terrell
Thomas Terrell
Samuel Williams
Abijah Williams
John Yantis
NOTE: John Yantis went on to form a company that followed Green Clay to Ft. Meigs and Dudley's Defeat.

Wilson married Mary Parrish on 26 Dec 1771 in Goochland County, Virginia. (Mary Parrish was born about 1755.)

Wilson next married Elizabeth B. Lawton, daughter of John Lawton Sr. and Nancy Blakely, on 9 Apr 1808 in Gerrard County, Kentucky. (Elizabeth B. Lawton was born in 1774 in Chesterfield County, Virginia and died in 1843 in Garrard County, Kentucky.)