He served as an officer in the French and Indian War, and following the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, was commissioned as captain of Company 8 of Colonel Joseph Spencer's 2nd Connecticut Regiment.
[1] On January 1, 1776, the 2nd Connecticut became the 22nd Continental, with Levi Wells appointed major under Colonel Samuel Wyllys.
He was imprisoned in the Provost jail in New York for about five months, and was a roommate of Colonel Ethan Allen.
In his writings, Allen remarked that Major Wells' "fidelity and zealous attachment to [his] country's cause" was the reason for his confinement.
[3] Following his service in the American Revolution, Colonel Wells represented Ellington in the Connecticut General Assembly in 1789 and 1790.