Capt Joseph H. Kelly

Captain Joseph H. Kelly born 29 Jan 1767 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia; died 16 Oct 1853 in Henry County, Kentucky. He was the son of Major William Kelly and Redsy Smith. He married Elizabeth Mallory Abt. 1787 in Kentucky. Elizabeth Mallory born 24 March 1771 in Virginia; died 30 Mar 1830 in Henry County, Kentucky.

Joseph Kelly married Elizabeth Mallory who is believed to be the daughter of Rodger Mallory of Fayette Kentucky. They were married in 1787. Joseph paid taxes on land in Montgomery County, Kentucky that had belonged to Rodger Mallory.

In 1786, the year before he married, Joseph enlisted in the Militia and went to fight the Indians under General George Rodgers Clark. He also went to fight the Indians in 1791. In a statement he made when he applied for bounty land, he mentioned that he had served under Sergeant Grant, Captain William Dudley, and General Wilkerson. In 1806 he took his church letter from the David's Fork Baptist Church east of Lexington and moved his family to Southern Henry County, Kentucky, two miles West of Pleasureville, Kentucky. On August 11, 1812 he enlisted in Captain Wiley Brasfield's Company which marched to Fort Wayne, Indiana, then on to the River Raisin where Captain Brasfield was taken sick. At this time Joseph Kelly was commissioned a Captain. He had been commission as a 1st Lieutenant. August 14, 1812. His Captain certificate was signed by Govenor Isaac Shelby and dated November 27, 1812. He states that he was the Captain of the fifth Regiment of the Infantry. He was in the Battle of Raisin River January 12, 1813 and also on January 22nd 1813 when he was taken as prisoner by the British. At one time with three hundred soldiers, he held at bay eighteen hundred English soldiers and Indians, accomplishing this by strategy. When the enemy advanced he commanded his men to fall on their faces and reserve their fire until they could see the white's of their eyes. By this means they held the British at bay until their ammunition gave out and they were captured. He was fortunate since he was an Officer and thereby guarded by the British. The enlisted men who were captured were guarded by the Indians and many were slaughtered. The massacre led to the battle cry "Remember the Raisin" used by the Kentuckians in the Battle of New Orleans. It was Joel Hume, one of Captain Kelly's men, who killed the Indian Chief Tecumseh, instead of Johnson, as history claims. Hume was in line of battle with Captain Kelly's Company. He found he had three loads in his gun. He discharged them all at once at a tall Indian chief. After the battle Tecumseh was found with three bullets in his body.

Joseph Kelly marched to Fort George where he was later Paroled. He then marched to Buffalo then to Fort Pitt where he purchased a boat. He used it to bring 15 soldiers back to Kentucky, floating down the Ohio River. They stopped in Limestone or Maysfield, Kentucky where he left the river and marched overland to his home and family. He arrived March 15, 1837.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 24 2016, 6:06:03 UTC