Mexican War Volunteers, 1846-1848, Allen Co., Indiana

Indiana in the Mexican War, 973.6241 In2ina, pp. 176, 177, 237, and list of names on 352-355

Allen County Volunteers, Companies E and F, First Regiment. (pp. 176-177)
From History of Allen County.
They remained at that place (Walnut Springs, Mexico) until the period of services for which the regiment had been mustered in had nearly expired, when it was ordered to Camargo, where it embarked on a steam boat and went to the mouth of the Rio Grande and marched thence to Brazos Santiago, and there took passage in the Desdemona, a sailing vessel, for New Orleans, arriving at that place June 15, 1847. It there re-embarked on the steam boat Cincinnati, the same boat that had taken it down the river about a year before, and the two companies from Allen County were landed at Cincinnati a few days after. They at once took passage for home on canal boats, and were greeted with warm manifestations of joy and welcome.

Allen County Volunteers, Company K, Fifth Regiment. (p. 237)
From History of Allen County.
In October, 1847, after the muster-out and discharge of the First Regiment, another call for volunteers having been made by the President, Captain Lewis commenced the organization of another company which was soon completed and it was mustered into the service of the United States at Madison, Ind., January 6, 1848, and assigned to the Fifth Regiment, commanded by Colonel Jas. H. Lane. A few days afterward the regiment departed for the seat of the war, and passing down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and crossing the Gulf of Mexico, disembarked at Vera Cruz. The war being practically ended, the only duty the regiment ever performed was that of garrison duty at different points, while the questions involved in making the treaty of peace being settled by the two governments. The questions in dispute having been satisfactorily disposed of, the troops of our government were withdrawn, and they returned home, the Fifth Regiment being mustered out at Madison on the 28th of July, 1848, and the members of Captain Lewis' company dispersed at that place to reach their homes as each saw fit.

Valley of the Upper Maumee River, 977.201 AL5r, vol. 2, p. 391.
Less than thirty years after the soldiers had been withdrawn from the old fort, the declaration of war with Mexico occurred and at the first call for troops, two full companies were organized at Fort Wayne, composed of citizens of Allen County. The companies started on the canal to the east, June 1, 1846, followed to the lower lock, five miles from town, by a long procession of parents and friends and went by way of the Miami canal to Cincinnati, thence to New Albany. There they mustered in June 20, 1846, as companies of the First Indiana Mexican volunteers under Col. James P. Drake, and served on guard duty near the mouth of the Rio Grande but though doing much tiresome marching in a mountainous country, saw no fighting. The commissioned officers of these companies were: Company F, Captain David W. Lewis; first lieutenant Brad B. Stevens; second lieutenants Samuel H. Chapman and William Hunter; Company E, or "Mad Anthony Guards", Captain John McLain; first lieutenant Thomas Lewis; second lieutenants Charles Colerick and George Humphrey. These companies returned home in 1847 and on second call another company was recruited by Captain Lewis whose lieutenants were Thomas K. Lewis, John B. Sawtell and Ira G. Williamson. This became Company K, Fifth regiment under Col. Lane and was mustered out July 28, 1848 after doing guard duty on the frontier.

See also, History of Allen County, Indiana, T. P. Helm, 1880, 977.201 Al5h, p. 61.