Re: Lookup for George Lee-VA Artillery-War of 1812, Please!
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In reply to:
Lookup for George Lee-VA Artillery-War of 1812, Please!
Dee Naughton 10/19/08
Dee,
Your 5th great grandfather, George Lee, did not serve in the Virginia militia. He served in the U.S. Army, first in the 2nd Regiment of U.S. Artillery and then in the U.S. Corps of Artillery. He served in Captain John Smith Peyton’s artillery company from Virginia.
The benefits package offered to army soldiers during the War of 1812 varied with the type of enlistment, the date of enlistment and the regiment in which the soldier was serving. This package consisted of a pension (if wounded or injured, or if the soldier had been killed or died in the service), bonuses, land bounties and extra pay.
Widows received a pension, which only lasted for five years. This ensured that the widow was financial taken care of until she remarried. Once a widow remarried she was not longer entitled to receive her first husband’s pension. Widows also had to prove that they had been married to a deceased veteran and if they couldn’t prove their marriage then their applications were rejected.
Children on the other hand could receive a pension up until their 16th birthday, which would be a maximum of 16 years depending on the age of the child at the time that their father had died during the war. Children under 16 where required to have a legal guardian so there should be guardianship papers recorded at the courthouse in the county where the family lived. These documents may also contain information on the death of the father and pension/land bounty information.
On NAFT Form 85 (Military Service Records) mark “regular” for army service in Box 9 (Kind of Service).
The National Archives has the consolidated enlistment rosters for all of the U.S. Army regiments that served during the war in book form. This book is called the Records of the Men Enlisted in the U.S. Army Prior to the Peace Establishment, May 17, 1815. This book contains the name and rank of each enlisted personnel, his regiment, his company commander’s name, his regimental commander’s name, a physical description of your ancestor plus his peacetime occupation, where he was born (county and state, or country), where he enlisted and the period of enlistment, and any additional remarks. All of the columns may not be filled in. A page from this book will be sent to you as your ancestor’s service record.
Since your ancestor died (or was killed) during the war, the comments section of the Records of the Men Enlisted in the U.S. Army Prior to the Peace Establishment, May 17, 1815 should have the details of his death.
On NAFT Form 86 (Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications) mark “regular” for army service in Box 8 (Kind of Service).
I hope this helps you!
Eric Johnson
General Society of the War of 1812
More Replies:
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Re: Lookup for George Lee-VA Artillery-War of 1812, Please!
Dee Naughton 10/20/08