Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 22,232, Leonard Engler, Penn.
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Service
Penn.
Engler, Leonard
Number S.22232
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Pennsylvania
Leonard Engler
Northampton in the State of Penna, who was a  (illegible) in the Company commanded by Captain Lawall of the Reg't commanded by Gen'l Washington in the Pennsylvania (illegible) Militia
8 Mo (ILLEGIBLE) $26.66
Inscribed on the Roll of Pennsylvania at the rate of 26 Dollars 66 Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 12th day of Mar and Sent to 33 A.H. Reeder, Easton, Pa
Arrears to the 4th of Sept 1833. - 66.65
Semianl. allowance ending 4 March '34 - 13.33
$79.98
Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.
D. Brown
Recorded by (illegible) Clerk,
Book E Vol. 5 Page 17
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State of Pennsylvania
County of Northampton

On this nineteenth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three personally appeared before the court of common pleas of Northampton County in open court, Leonard Engler, a resident of the Township of Plainfield in the county of Northampton and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, aged seventy-six years and upwards, who being first duly sworn according to law doth upon his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed the seventh day of June A.D. one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two.  

That he entered the service of the United States in the end of September A.D. 1777 being drafted at his then place of residence in the Township of Plainfield in the county of Northampton and state of Pennsylvania to serve in a company of militia commanded by Capt. William Henry Lawall; that as near as he can tell he was then about twenty-one years of age;

That he proceeded from home immediately to the house of Captain Lawall in Bethlehem Township where the company mustered.  They were then marched to Easton where they were joined by a company of militia commanded by Capt. Jacob Weygandt.  There were at this time lying in the Easton Jail about 160 prisoners composed of British, Hessians and a good many Tories, as deponent was told brought from Long Island and thereabouts.  Of these prisoners the two companies of Capt. Lawall and Capt. Weygandt took charge and (deponent still being with his company) immediately proceeded to Lancaster with them where they safely arrived and lodged them in jail. 

They then ventured as far as Allentown, Lehigh County, where they remained for eight days at which place a large body of militia and regulars lay at the time.  At this place a fracas occurred by moonlight between the regulars and the militia, which but for the timely interference of the officers would have led to serious consequences, and in the course of which Capt. Foarseman of the militia was shot by one of the regulars along the cheek and nose with buckshot and at the moment he fell, this deponent was not three rods(?) from him.  

He afterwards however recovered when deponent left Allentown with his company.  He thinks the whole body of troops went along.  They proceeded to White Marsh about 12 or 15 miles from Philadelphia (the city at that time being in the possession of the enemy).  At this place White Marsh deponent frequently saw Col. Washington passing through the camp and
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mounted upon a sorel horse, the largest that deponent every saw.  He frequently saw him ride around directly after sunset attended by his officers and eight men mounted on black horses, four before them and four behind.  

After lying there for a few weeks, it was said that five hundred militia were wanted to go to Red Bank Fort.  Col. Siegfried who commanded deponent's regiment insisted that his whole regiment should go, and there was some little misunderstanding and difference among the officers in relation to this.

But about 10 o'clock upon the same morning it commenced raining very hard and rained for three days so that the troops could keep no fire to bake or cook, and during the whole of that time deponent had nothing to eat, his flour being soaked with water and his meat raw.  For two nights deponent slept under a wagon in a hole which he had dug with the dirt banked up around it to turn off as much of the water which was running in torrents.  At this time too he had the additional privation of being with a coat, some of the soldiers having stolen it from him

On the third day of this storm of rain they heard a great explosion which the men at the time allowed was Red Bank Fort, but, deponent does now know what it was.  No long after this the whole body of troops moved down nearer to Philadelphia to Farmer's Mill, where they encamped on a stony hill which the men called Bunker's Hill. 

Soon after Washington moved the regulars across the Schuylkill, leaving the militia behind.  The militia about this time increased very fast.  A report reached the camp that the enemy were marking out of Philadelphia and making preparations for an attack.  The militia were numerous and in high spirits and every preparation was made with the utmost alacrity to receive the enemy.  

Deponent's company staid(sic) several days over their time in expectation of sharing in the battle but finding there was little or no probability of it, they returned home in the month of December after an absence on duty of two months and three or four days.

 Deponent further states that so far as his knowledge extends there is but one surviving witness to the above described service to wit: Henry Lausc(?) of Forks Township in this county and whose deposition is hereto annexed.  

And the deponent further says that he was again drafted in the militia and left home in the month of April A.D. one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one in a militia company commanded by Capt. Abraham Horn of Easton
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upon an expedition against the Indians who had been committing depredations upon the inhabitants in the neighborhood of the Wind Gap and Water Gap and at that time in this county.  They had attacked a family of the Deckers and several other families massacring all whom they got into their power. 

The militia proceeded to the neighborhoods and were stationed in scattered bodies of men, from the Wind Gap along to the river and reaching above (illegible), a distance of forty-five or fifty miles.  How many men were there deponent cannot say or who was first in command.  The highest officer he saw was Col. Jacob Stroud.

Deponent having been only drafted for two months, at the end of that time he agreed to serve and did serve another tour of two months as a substitute in the place of one John Schaeffer of Nazareth in this county, the company still being under the command of Capt. Horn.

At the end of his second tour the company being under the command of Capt. Jacob Balliet, deponent remained again as a substitute for some person whose name he has forgotten.  The way in which it happened that Capt. Horn commanded our company the second tour was that he was a substitute for   some other captain and his company was made up of some new drafts and a number of the men who had come out for the first tour and remained as substitute. 

The company in which deponent served the third tour was Capt. Balliet, was composed in the same way.  At the end of deponent's third tour another draft of militia came up but the inhabitants thinking it unnecessary for them to remain they returned almost immediately.  

Deponent returned at the same time after an absence in the service of the United States as above detailed of not less than six months.  During the first two-month tour deponent with a few others saw five Indians standing on the hill above (illegible).  Deponent, five of Decker family and a man from below Nazareth started after them with four dogs and followed them till dusk but were not able to overtake them.  

Deponent never received a discharge from the service and believes that none were given to anybody
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as to witnesses deponent says that Jno Richner of Mone
Township is alive and able to testify to four months of
the last mentioned service - All the other persons in
deponent's neighborhood who accompanied him at
that time are dead and deponent has not yet been
able to procure other testimony than such as accompanies this declaration. Deponent further says that he has no record of his age but from what his parents
told him and his own computation since he is over
Seventy six years of age having been born in the month
of October A.D. 1756. That ever since the war he has
lived in Northampton County except occasional at
since trading and collecting money for his neighbors - That he never received a discharge either after
his first service or his second, and cannot recollect
the names of any officers other than those he has mentioned. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a
pension except the present and on his oath aforesaid
declares that his name is not on the pension roll of
the agency of any State
Sworn and Subscribed
the day & year aforesaid
Leonard (X his mark) Engler
W.L. Sebring Prost
John Reichner being duly sworn according to law
deposes and says that at the age of about 20 years he
went in an expedition against the Indians up
the Delaware he thinks in the year 1780 or 1781 - that
he went as a substitute in the place of Anthony
Smith of Bethlehem, in the company commanded
by Capt. Abraham Horn of Easton - That he first became acquainted with Leonard Engler (who has
signed the above declaration and who was in the same
company with him) at Deckertown where part of
the company was stationed. The company were scattered
in parties of six, seven, and eight at intervals
along the river and entrenched in small rough
Block Houses, Leonard Engler was stationed about a
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mile from deponent, and they saw each other about
once a week for four months. At the end of that time
deponent came home and left Leonard Engler still
there, and my brother Danl Riechner and one Thomas
Johnson who went the third tour, both told me that
Engler had served out the third tour - Deponent has
known Engler ever since and has lived the greater
part of the time not more than eight miles from him.
Deponent further knows that all the general features
and some of the details of that part of the declaration which relates to the service of the said Engler up the Delaware are true and correct.
Sworn and subscribed
In Open Court Ap. 19. 1833
John Ricknar
Wm L Sebring
Prosly
John Santee being duly sworn according to law deposes
and says that at the age of nineteen years he was
drafted as a militia man to serve the United States
in a Militia Company commanded by Capt. Jacob Weygandt. That the company mustered in Easton in
the month of September or October in the year 1777 and
together with the Militia Company of Capt. William
Henry Lawall took into their custody a party of prisoners who were then confined in the Easton Jail principally British and Tories who were taken at the time
of Burgoyne's surrender (deponent thinks there were
about 80 or 100) whom they escorted to Lancaster Jail -
that they left Lancaster - went to Allentown and
laid there a while, where some regular troops (deponent thinks artillery), were stationed - then left
Allentown and went to White Marsh at which
place and Farmer Mills, deponent remained with
his company till his two months tour was out, when he returned home. That he has known Leonard
Engler who has signed the above deposition as
long as he can recollect - that he knows that the
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said Engler was in the U. States service in Capt
Lawall's Company during the same tour that deponent
was out - that he frequently was in company with
Engler during the expedition to Lancaster and
White Marsh and knows that he was along - and
that they both came home about the same time
- that at the time of their being drafted, deponent
and Engler lived not more than three miles apart
- and that since the war deponent has known
Engler will never living more than eleven miles from
him, - and deponent knows that nearly all
the particulars detailed in Engler's deposition
in relation to his White Marsh expedition are true
especially the affray and accident at Allentown
and the three days storm, with the consequent
ruin of their provisions and most of their ammunition. Deponent further says that he served in
Capt. Abraham Horn's Company in the expedition
to the frontiers (as it was then called) against the
Indians as related by Engler in the above deposition
- that he believes Engler to have been there, but owing to
the men being placed in small bodies in separate
Block houses, and to the fact that there such great
numbers of his neighbors and acquaintances there
he cannot speak with certainty, the particulars of the expedition however as detailed by Engler in his deposition above
deponent knows to be correct: in addition to which deponent is well acquainted with John Reichner who has
signed the preceding deposition and knows that he was
along upon that expedition. Deponent is seventy five
years of age and resides in Lower Nazareth Township
Northampton County and State of Pennsylvania
Sworn & Subscribed in
Open Court August 30. 1833
John Santee
Jno Cooper Judge
C.C. Nathampton County
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Revolution 22232
Invalid
File No. 22232
Leonard Engler
Private Revolutionary War
Act: June 7, 1832
Index: - Vol. 2, Page 125
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and the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the
matter and after pulling the interrogatories
prescribed by the War Department that the
above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states. And
the Court further certifies that it appears to
them that John Reichner and John Santee
who have subscribed and sworn to the two
foregoing affidavits are men of credibility
integrity and good standing and character
and that their statements are entitled to credit.
In open Court at Easton
October 19. 1833
Gann Malbry
Ored Judge
Jno Cooper a Judge
Daniel Wagener Judge
I William L Sebring Clerk of the Court of
Common Pleas of the County of Northampton
do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the
original proceedings of the said Court in the
matter of the application of Leonard Engler
for a pension. In testimony whereof I have
hereunto set my hand and seal of office
this nineteenth day of October A.D. one thousand Eight hundred and thirty three
Wm Sebring
Prothr
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James L. Edwards Esq.
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington City D.C.
Pa Nov 4
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Easton Pa. Oct. 26. 1833
Sir
If consistent with your convenience
please return a speedy
answer to the enclosed application, as it is by no means
probable the applicant will survive much longer.
Respectfully Yours
A. H. Reeder