While in the war, he was injured at Fort Ethan Allen in Alexandria, Virginia. He slipped while carrying a load of wood across a gully, which caused some spinal injury, breat pain and spitting of of blood.
Also, one night while on picet duty, he stated something hit him in the mouth, thus knocking out his front teeth. He could not tell if it was from a mni-ball or part of a cannon shell that hit him.
He came from a family of 11 borthers and sisters. He was a farmer and married Deborah Morrison at the age of 30. They had 11 children of their own.