1st Battalion 22nd Infantry James Brannan

One of the soldiers who served with the 22nd Infantry during the War of 1812 was James Brannan.

His enlistment record spells his last name as Brannon and gives an alternate spelling of his
last name as Brennon. His Pension record spells his last name as Brannan. In one of the
documents presented below his last name is spelled Brandon.

He was enlisted in the 22nd Infantry by Captain Jacob Carmack for a period of five years on
January 2, 1813. His rank upon enlistment is given as Corporal.

His enlistment record indicates he stood 5 feet 10 inches tall, had dark eyes, fair hair and a
fair complexion. His age at the time of enlistment was 30 and his previous occupation
is listed as Carpenter.

Brannan is recorded as being sick at Ogdensburg, New York on December 31, 1813. This may well
coincide with the first time he was wounded in November 1813.

He is listed as being present on Morning Reports from 1814 dated January 29, February 12, February 28 and April 30.

He entered an unspecified hospital on May 4, 1814 and was released from the hospital and
joined his Regiment on June 10, 1814. He is listed as being present on a Morning Report dated
June 24, 1814.

He is marked in his enlistment record as being absent sick at Williamsville, New York from July
25 or 26, 1814 to October 25, 1814. This coincides with his being wounded at the Battle of
Lundy's Lane, Canada on July 25, 1814.

He is listed as being present on a Morning Report dated December 31, 1814 and also being present on
Morning Reports dated January 31, February 16, February 28, March 31 and April 30, 1815. He had
been on furlough from March 31 to April 30, 1815.

The General Order of May 17, 1815 from the Adjutant and Inspector General's office created the 2nd Infantry Regiment
from a consolidation of the 6th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd and 32nd Infantry Regiments. Brannan is recorded in his enlistment record
as having joined the 2nd Infantry from the 22nd Infantry.

He is listed as being present in Captain John Sproull's Company of the 2nd Infantry at Greenbush, New York on a
Morning Report dated October 1, 1815. He is listed as being present on Morning Reports dated February 29 and
April 30, 1816. His enlistment record indicates that on May 22, 1816 he was reduced to the rank of Private.

Brannan is listed as being "On command" at Brownsville, New York on June 30, 1816. He is listed as being present
on Morning Reports dated August 31, October 31 and December 31, 1816. He is also listed as being present on
Morning Reports dated February 28, April 30, June 30, August 31 and December 31, 1817.

He was carried on the Morning Reports into 1818 at Sackett's Harbor, New York and was noted as being discharged
upon Expiration of Term of Service on January 2, 1818.

In November 1830 James Brannan applied for a pension from the government for his service related injuries.
Along with his statement describing his service he inlcuded affidavits from a fellow soldier, Barney McCue
and from his former Commanding Officer of the 22nd Infantry, Hugh Brady.

His rank is given in the pension file as Corporal. His enlistment record indicates he was reduced to Private after the War
but does not indicate he was later reinstated to Corporal. It is possible that for pension purposes his wartime rank of
Corporal was used to calculate his pension amount as that is the rank he held when receiving his wounds and injuries
for which he is awarded the pension.

Below are documents from the pension file for Brannan along with transcriptions of the documents,
reproduced with the original spellings and punctuation.

The documents give a vivid account of Brannan being wounded and are testimony to the service
of a brave soldier of the 22nd Infantry.

Above: The cover sheet of the pension file for James Brannan showing his service as occurring in
Captain Thomas Lawrence's Company of the 22nd Infantry of the United States Army.

Left:

The personal statement
written by James Brannan
included with his application
for a pension from the
government.

Sworn to and subscribed
to his lawyer (in the bottom
left hand corner) on
November 4, 1830.

A transcription of this
statement is immediately
below.

I James Brannan do solemnly swear that I enlisted into the service of the United States in Capt Carmack's Company of Infantry
in the 22d Regt on or about the first day of January of 1813 - that I was immediately after made a Corporal that I continued
attached to said Company till I was transferred to Capt Lawrens Company in the same regiment on Grenadier Island in 1813.
and I was afterward in the Battle of Bridgewater said Company, & that in the evening of the 25th of July 1814 during the Battle
in actual service of the United States in the line of My duty, while loading My gun, I was shot through the body by a Musket Ball,
fired from the ranks of Enemy. I finished loading, fired at the Enemy & was soon after carried off from the field & remained
several months in the hospital, and afterwards having sufficiently recovered joined the Regiment & was subsequently Honorably
discharged from Capt Sproull's Company to which I had been transferred. I rec 'd My discharge on the 2d day of January 1818
at Sackets Harbour.

Capt Lawrens to whose Company I belonged when I was wounded left the Army at the end of the War, as did also the Lieutenant
& I have never heard of them since & consequently cannot apply to them for their testimony------

I was paid the last time while in the service, by a Mr. Butterfield Lubtten at the Post at Sackets Harbour who I understood was
the agent of Mr. Allbright the Paymaster ------

Above: The affidavit sworn to by Barney McCue who served alongside of James Brannan in Captain Lawrence's Company
of the 22nd Infantry. McCue testifies that he saw Brannan fall wounded at the Battle of Lundy's Lane and that he later
saw Brannan in the Hospital being attended to by physicians. Though not mentioned in Brannan's statement McCue also testifies
to Brannan being wounded previously at Williamsburg, Canada (which was near Crysler's Farm.) At the bottom of the affidavit
Brannan's lawyer notes that McCue's testimony has been subscribed and sworn to him on November 9, 1830.

The above affidavit is not actually signed by McCue. His name is written at the bottom and above and below it is written "his mark"
and an "x" is marked there to denote that he "signed" the document.

Barnabas "Barney" McCue enlisted as a Private in the 22nd Infantry on January 2, 1813, the same day as James Brannan.
They were both enlisted by Captain Jacob Carmack and served together in Captain Thomas Lawrence's Company.
Though a date is not given McCue's enlistment record notes that he was discharged upon expiration of his term of
service, which would make that the same day that Brannan was discharged.

I, Barney McCue, of Erie, in the State of Pennsylvania, now in Cleaveland in the County of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio,
being duly sworn and of lawful age, do, on my said oath, depose & say, that I was present at the Battle of Bridgewater,
sometimes called the Battle at Lundy's Lane, in the Province of Upper Canada, on the twenty fifth day of July A.D. 1814,
engaged in said Battle, in the Company commanded by Capt Lawrence, of the Twenty Second Regiment of Infantry, and then
& there, saw James Brannan, a corporal in said Company, fall in the ranks by my side in consequence of a wound then received
in his side by a shot from the enemy, and then heard said Brannan say, that he had received a mortal wound & on the
Twenty Sixth day of said July I saw said Brannan taken into a Boat & conveyed across the Niagara to the Hospital on the
American Shore - and there, in the said Hospital, I saw said Brannan's wound, received as aforsaid, several times
dressed and examined by physicians and the wound appeared to be deep and dangerous, the shot having passed through
his body ---- and I also know that said Brannan, on the tenth day of November A.D. 1813 received another wound in his thigh,
from a musket shot in the Battle of Williamsburgh, in said Province of Upper Canada - and further that said Brannan now
resides in Boston township in the County of Portage and State of Ohio, and that I have been, hitherto, well acquainted with
said Brannan since the year A.D. 1812.

Above: An affidavit written by Hugh Brady, who as a Colonel commanded the 22nd Infantry
during the time James Brannan served in the Regiment and was wounded. Brady also later
commanded the 2nd Infantry when the 22nd was consolidated into that unit so he was
Brannan's Commanding Officer in both Regiments. Brady was promoted to Brigadier
General in 1827.

James Brannen was a Corporal in Capt Thomas Lawrens's Company 22nd Regt. of Infy, under my command
in the battle of Bridgewater, Upper Canada, against the British forces, on the 25th July 1814. The impression
is strong on my mind that he was wounded in that Battle, but I can not swear positively. He shows marks of a gun shot
wound on his left side, which he says he rec'd in that action. I remember Brannan sustained the character of a good soldier
and a man of veracity.

Above: An affidavit signed by two surgeons that James Brannan was incapacitated by the wounds he received while in the service
and was now unable to perform manual labor to make his living. At the bottom of the letter is a statement by a Justice of the Peace
that the two surgeons are known to him as respectable in their professions.

It is hereby certified, that James Brannan a Corporal in the Company of Capt Thomas Lawrence in
the Twenty Second Regt. of the United States is rendered incapable of performing the duty of a
Soldier, by reason of wounds or other injuries inflicted while he was actually in the Service
aforesaid and in the line of his duty (viz.) By satisfactory evidence and accurate examination
it apears that the 25th day of July A.D. 1814, being engaged in a battle against the English
forces, at Bridgewater - sometimes called the battle of lundy's Lane in the Province of Upper
Canada, he received a gunshot wound in his body - the same having been made by a musket ball
entering his body about one & a half inch left of the navel, and coming out about the same
distance left of his backbone thereby rendering him f_____ incapable of f______ and producing
painful and quickened respiration. It also appears from like evidence and information that on
the 10th day of November A.D. 1813, he received another gunshot wound in his thigh from the
enemy while engaged in the line of his duty in the Battle of Williamsburgh, in said Province of
Upper Canada, which said last mentioned wound effects his gait by producing lameness - and he is
by the wound aforesaid not only incapacitated for military duty, but in the opinion of the
undersigned is three fourths disabled from obtaining his subsistence from manual labour.

I. Town Surgeon
Jonathan Metcalf Surgeon

The State of Ohio } Hudson 18th April 1831
Portage County -----------------------------

Then personally appeared the above named Israel Town and Jonathan Metcalf ------ surgeons,
both of whom are known to me to be respectable in their professions as such, and being duly
sworn made solemn oath that the facts contained in the foregoing affidavit by them _____
_____were true.
Before me Geo. Kirkum
Just. Peace

Above: A statement from the Auditor's Office of the Treasury Department verifying that James Brannan
( last name spelled in this document both as Brandon and Brannon) was a member of the 22nd Infantry and that
he was hospitalized at least once. Ironically though Brannan was hospitalized for being shot completely through his body
by a musket ball, the reason for his hospital stay appears to have been recorded as "Rheumatism."

It appears from a Muster Roll of Capt Amberson's Company of 22d Infantry from 1st September to
30th November 1813 that James Brandon, a Corporal in borne thereon having enlisted on the 2d
January 1813 for 5 years, and is remarked, "absent since 6th Nov. instant," he is also found on
the Rolls of Capt Lawrence's Company of the same Regiment, from 30th April to the 4th October
1814; remarked "sick at Williamsville" Upon examination of the Williamsville Hospital Records,
James Brannon is found to have entered 3d August 1814 ---"Rheumatism" noted as his disease

Left:

The document identifying the final disposition
of the Pension application for James Brannan.

The document states that Corporal James Brannan
of Captain Lawrence's Company of the 22nd Infantry
was rated as totally disabled and granted a pension
of eight dollars per month starting on May 26, 1831.

Apparently a sum of $26.60 was to be paid
in arrears.

War of 1812 Pension Applications. Washington D.C.: National Archives. NARA Microfilm Publication M313, 102 rolls.
Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group Number 15.