1804 Enlistment Papers

Another interesting find at the National Archives. John Grant enlisted in the US Army in 1804. His enlistment papers show his birth place, his age, a physical description, his oath to serve the United States of America, and his signature.  He was 28 years old, meaning that he was born about 1776.

Fires in 1800 and 1814 destroyed many of the military records from the War Department. Many of the Revolutionary era documents are gone, as well as the enlistment papers from before 1814. John Grant’s is one of the few that survived.