Veteran Bio

Mr. McLean arrived in Texas December 20, 1835 as a member of Captain William A.O. Wadsworth's Company of the Georgia Battalion. He was a member of Captain Jesse Billingsley's company of "MINA (Bastrop) VOLUNTEERS" at San Jacinto. On January 1, 1840 he was issued Donation Certificate No. 998 for 640 acres of land for having participated in the battle. He was issued a Headright Certificate for one-third of a league of land by the Milam County Board of Land Commissioners. He lost the certificate and on May 4, 1857 he applied to the Commissioners of Claims for a duplicate. In his application, to be found in the files of the Court of Claims, General Land Office, Austin, he stated that he enlisted in Georgia in Captain W.A.O. Wadsworth's company of Georgia Volunteers. He arrived, he said, in Texas as a member of said company in December, 1835. He said that he served as Assistant Commissary under Colonel Fannin until the latter part of February, 1836. He stated that when Colonel Fannin started his march to Copano, he, McLean, left his company and joined Captain Jesse Billingsley's Company.

The following account of Mr. McLean's death appeared in The Spirit of the South, Eufaula, Alabama and was reprinted in THE TRUE ISSUE of June 25, 1859.

"OLD SAN JACINT0 SOLDIER GONE-- The Eufaula (Ala.) Spirit of the South, records the death of Mr. McDougald McLean, who served as a volunteer in the Texas War of Independence. The SPIRIT says he was present at the battle of San Jacinto, and for many years past on each 21st of April, the anniversary of that action, he was in the habit of firing the cannon in honor of the day. On its last return, he was confined to his bed, but some thoughtful friends performed the usual ceremony, and the ears of the old soldier were greeted with the accustomed sound. He was buried by the Masonic Fraternity and the Eufaula Rifles on Saturday.

(Source:) THE TRUE ISSUE, June 25, 1859, p. 1, c. 2.

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