From “History of John and Rachael Tannehill and their Descendants” by Letitia Tannehill Coe 1903

Josiah Tannehill, your grandfather, was probably next in birth of the family and was probably born in 1752 or 3. (Do you know the exact date of his birth or marriage?) I know little of nothing of his life after the Revolutionary War except what I have learned through myself. My grandfather told me some things about him that I remember very well; others that are too indistinct to attempt to repeat. He told me of their boyish pranks while they lived in Maryland, before the war, from which I judge he was a real boy—full of activity and fun and humor.
My grandfather also told me that he (Josiah) was taken prisoner during the war, but I do not know at what time, nor at what engagement. I always had an impression that he was confined on the Old Jersey Prison Ship, which I think was anchored on the Long Island Coast; neither do I remember whether he was exchanged or made his escape.
A circumstance that occurred during his imprisonment may not be without interest to you: As you are aware, the American Army officers, as well as soldiers, were ill fed and miserably clad. One day the prisoners were drawn up in line and a British officer walked to and fro in front of them. Your grandfather was a large, fine looking man of commanding appearance, and was as ragged as any
of them, his shoes especially were only the remains of shoes. This officer made this the special subject of insult by directing expectoration toward and on his barely covered feet. He bore the repeated insult until “forbearance ceased to be a virtue” when with one blow of his powerful fist he laid the officer sprawling at his feet. He expected severe punishment for the act, but, if it was reported to the superior officers, they must have decided that the officer received only his just dues, for he (your grandfather) was never called to account for the offence.
About a year ago I wrote to the war department to try to get some information concerning him and received the following from the record and pension office:

It appears from the records that one Josiah Tannehill served as a lieutenant in the 7th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colonel John Gibson, Revolutionary War. He was commissioned January 1st 1783 and his name appears on the records of that organization with remarks, showing that he was continued in service until April 8, 1783.
Nothing has been found of record to show the engagements in which this officer participated.
By Authority of the secretary of war.

It was suggested as a possibility that additional information might be obtained from the adjutant general of Maryland, to whom I wrote, but gained me further information; it was also suggested to write to the secretary of the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Va., but owing to the state of my health I made no effort in that direction.
The following I clipped from a daily Pittsburgh Gazette several years age, entitled “Pittsburgh’s beginnings.”

The first public house was opened on October 15th 1786 by A. and A.J. Tannehill, who promised excellent accommodations for travelers, the best liquors and good water from a well in the yard. It was located on Water Street, two doors from Market Street.”
The first Fourth of July celebration in Pittsburgh was held in the house of the Mesers Tannehill’s in 1787. The number of celebrators must have been small, but the enthusiasm unbounded, as twelve toasts were drunk, accompanied with a salute of ????? to each. It is gratifying to learn that notwithstanding the excessive toasting, the day passed with the utmost harmony and decorum.

This A. Tannehill was doubtless great-uncle Adamson, but the A.J.. must be a misprint, as there were none with those initials. I had supposed that it was intended for Z.A. which were great-uncle Zechariah’s initials; although it may have been intended for J. alone, as you say that he, Josiah, had kept the Green Tree Tavern. There is, however, a village across the river (Ohio) a few miles from Pittsburgh that is called Green Tree, and he may have kept a tavern at that point. This,, of course, is just conjecture. A year or two before my fathers death I asked him if he remembered where your grandfather had lived. His memory was indistinct, but he said that possibly it was at Harmony, a village in Butler County.
The town of Wilkinsburg, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh and under the same government, lies East of Pittsburgh, and quite likely receives its name from your grandmother’s family.
As the records of the Revolutionary war, so far as you or I have received them make no mention of Josiah Tannehill previous to July 1779, we may conclude that his imprisonment was previous to that date.
I cannot reconcile the statement of Carliton Jack Tannehill that his ancestor, William Tannehill, was a brother of Adamson and Josiah Tannehill, as my information regarding the names of the family is absolutely authentic and there was no William among them, neither was there a Nieman; it is certainly an error. I cannot account for it as a name Adamson is a distinct family name and belongs only to the “John” branch, unless—what is barely possible – one of his brothers also married an Adamson. I regret that I do not know more of this collateral ancestry, but that is the only way that I can conjecture that “Carleton Jack” got an Adamson among the ancestry. If he is, or was, descended in that way we might possibly learn something from him. I would so like to get hold of something tangible concerning the old Scotch Home.

Adjutant Josiah Tannehill98
1751-1811
According to the statement of Mrs. Irene Harbert, Josiah Tannehill was the son of John Tannehill and was born in the year 1751, served in a Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary war and at the close of which he found himself in Pittsburgh.
The Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, by John H. Gathmey, an authoritative source, states that Josiah Tannehill was commissioned on August 6 1779, an Ensign and Paymaster, was transferred to the 7th Virginia Regiment, Continental Establishment, on February 12, 1781, and retired on January 1, 1783. He was awarded bounty land by the State of Virginia amounting to 2,666 acres, and died in 1811.
It is known that the 7th Virginia Regiment was recruited in the western portion of Maryland and the Northwestern portion of Virginia and included a number of Maryland men with both Maryland and Virginia Officers under the command of Colonel Moses Rawlings, a Marylander. It was sometimes known as Colonel Rawlings’ rifle Regiment as well as the 7th Maryland Regiment.
Josiah Tannehill, of Frederick county, Maryland, enlisted in one of the companies recruited in Maryland during 1775 to march to the relief of Boston which had been placed under martial law by the mother country. His name is on a muster roll of Captain Thomas Price’s company of Riflemen dated July 10, 1775.
Presumably upon his return from Boston, he was commissioned the adjutant of Colonel Rawlings’ Regiment as records show that he was a commissioned officer of that regiment as early as 1776.
He saw service in the same regiment as his brother, first lieutenant and later Captain, Adamson Tannehill, as the following excerpt will prove:
On August 16, 1779, the western shore treasurer was ordered to "pay Capt. Thomas Beall six thousand Dollars for the use of himself Capt. Adamson Tannehill & Adjut. Josiah Tannehill Officers of that part of the Rawlings Regmt raised and recruited in this State in lieu of the Articles allowed to them for the present war according to the late Act of Assembly".
In 1780 Josiah Tannehill was still the Adjutant of the Four Maryland Rifle companies belonging to the late Rawlings’ Regiment.
According to Mrs. Irene Harbert’s manuscript, Josiah Tannehill married Margaret Wilkins, the daughter of John and Catherine Rowan Wilkins, and had the following children:
1. Wilkins Tannehill, born March 2, 1787, at Pittsburgh, died June 2, 1858, at Nashville, Tenn.
2. Catherine Tannehill married Samuel Van dyke Stout.
3. Rachel Tannehill married Francis Wheatley.
4. Nancy Tannehill married Dr. Augustine Webber.
5. Jane Wilkins Tannehill.
6. Zachariah Hollingsworth Tannehill.
7. Charles Tannehill.
1. Original roll, Hall of records, Annapolis; reprint in Md. Hist. Magazine, vol22
2. Calendar of Maryland State Papers – The Red Books, Pub. 1955 by Hall of Records Annapolis item 374
3. Archives of Maryland, vol 21 p494
4. Calendar of Maryland State Paper item 771