Josiah Montgomery: 1766-1850 Tennessee Frontiersman and Soldier

By Dennis Aslinger

Josiah Montgomery left his native County Tyrone in 1789 at the age of 23. Nothing is known of his family or early life in Northern Ireland before embarking on his great adventure. Wasting little time in the densely settled eastern seaboard, he made his way quickly to East Tennessee, the wild west of his day. Two years later the U. S. Army came calling to raise a new regiment to fight the Northwest Indian Confederacy. In a matter of days, he made the long march from Jonesborough, Tennessee to Fort Washington in today's Cincinnati, Ohio. When the army was assembled the fateful march began to a camp on the headwaters of the Wabash River. The next morning, November 4, 1791, the Native American army surrounded the Americans and proceeded to annihilate them in the worst defeat ever suffered by the U.S. Army. Retreat was ordered after a desperate three-hour battle and the seriously wounded Josiah joined the initial flight but could not keep up and resorted to hiding and travelling alone to the nearest fort 29 miles away. After a long recovery from his wound Josiah made his way home, married and moved several times before settling in Roane County, Tennessee to raise a family. He joined the army again in 1813 and fought in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Josiah made multiple applications for a military pension but only Revolutionary service was acceptable and he was denied each time. A deposition made supporting his heirs' application for a pension based on Josiah's service was the starting point for the included genealogy. Josiah moved to Hardin County, Tennessee in 1847 at the age of 81 and died there in 1850. His second wife applied for a bounty land warrant, which she was entitled to as a widow by recently passed legislation. Her application was approved but not received until after her death. Her only child with Josiah had disappeared without a trace and the warrant passed to her relatives. Historical background is provided for Josiah's lifetime, including the causes and repercussions of the battle that marked him for the rest of his life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CQDS5XH9
• ISBN13: 9798871776162
• Release Date: December 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 90 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"