A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 61

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels
Publication date: 1904
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1273

USA > Indiana > LaPorte County > A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana > Part 61

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HISTORY OF LAPORTE COUNTY.

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The Germans are very sensitive concerning any- thing that threatens to deprive them of their beer. They were sensitive over the temperance crusade and the Republican party's espousal of it. And this drove them to the Democratic party, although they are naturally Republicans, as may

be seen from the politics of Milwaukee and other places. Here we express no personal approval or condemnation, for these pages are not the place for such things; we only seek to state the plain facts of history.

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CHAPTER XXXIV.

PATRIOTISM.

"Our country, 'tis a glorious land, With broad arms stretched from shore to shore; The proud Pacific chafes her strand, She hears the dark Atlantic's roar ; And, nurtured on her ample breast, How many a goodly prospect lies,

In nature's wildest grandeur drest,

Enamell'd with the loveliest dyes !"

WILLIAM JEWETT PABODIE.

From a very early time LaPorte county has resounded with the tramp of armed men. It is a curious and romantic circumstance that during the uncertainties of the Revolution, when Spain fell upon Great Britain, a Spanish army of sixty- five men commanded by Don Eugenio Pouree marched from St. Louis up through Illinois and over the old Sac trail to Niles, where the little British garrison was surprised, captured with- out bloodshed, and carried back to St. Louis. Both going and returning this expedition proba- bly camped at LaPorte. On this incident Spain laid claim to the entire Illinois region, including LaPorte county, but the pretension was inef- fectual.

The close of the Revolution left to the United States the task, then regarded as almost hope- less, of reducing the great western empire to possession, with the Indiana tribes resisting every advance. As early as 1791 some of Gen- eral James Wilkinson's scouts followed an In- dian trail from LaFayette north to the old Sac trail land thence eastward to the post at Niles, these being perhaps the first Americans who ever visited LaPorte. Twelve years later Fort Dear- born was established at the mouth of the Chi- cago river, and travel through LaPorte slowly increased from that period, though the Indians

were very dangerous at times. In May, 1810, Governor Harrison sent a messenger from Vin- cennes to Niles by the same route, to attempt negotiations of friendship with the Pottawotto- mies, who occupied the district in north- western Indiana and southwestern Michigan, and in November of the following year hordes of undeceived and discomfited In- dians fled from the defeat at Tippecanoe and carried messages of peace along the old trail through LaPorte. In the next summer, how- ever, the savages being disquieted by the war of 1812, occurred the massacre of the garrison at Fort Dearborn. The survivors, headed by Cap- tain Nathan Heald and conducted by friendly Indians, hastened to Fort Wayne, going as far as Niles on the Sac trail and probably stopping at the old LaPorte camping ground. Captain Wells, who had gone by the same route from Fort Wayne to the relief of Fort Dearborn, was killed in the massacre, and Captain Heald and wife were saved only by the exertions of John B. Chaudonia, a Pottawottomie half-breed who lived in this county and was a familiar figure in LaPorte at the time it was founded.

Of course LaPorte county can not claim any patriotism with reference to having soldiers in the Revolutionary war, but the sacred dust of

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those soldiers lies in her cemeteries. In the burying ground at Door Village lies the dust of Clark Burlingame. His remains were deposited there sometime in the winter of 1842 or '43; the precise date is not known. He was then eighty- five years old. He was born in Rhode Island and both as a boy and as a man was an associate of the renowned Ethan Allen. He enlisted in the same regiment with General Allen and was with him at the taking of Ticonderoga.

Mr. Burlingame died at the residence of his son, Abel Burlingame, on the Summit, a few miles north of LaPorte. Rev. Mr. Tucker, one of the pioneer Baptist ministers of northern Indi- ana, preached his funeral sermon. No stone marks his grave. He was the great-grandfather of the present generation of Burlingames of this vicinity. His grave is lost, and if possible should be identified and restored.

Hezekiah Smith, grandfather of Fred Earl of Scipio township, and of Mrs. Rhoda M. Woods of Westville, went into the Revolutionary army at the age of sixteen, going from Orange county, New York, where he was born and had lived up to that time. He was at the battle of Bunker Hill. For a time he was servant boy to General Washington. Afterwards he was engaged as a blacksmith. He was married to Rhoda Wiatt. To this union eight children were born; five girls and three boys. He died September 27, 1838, the "sickly season," and his body was entombed in the cemetery of Door Village. Mrs. Woods herself has now passed away, but she had in her possession a bayonet used by Mr. Smith in the Revolutionary war, besides a number of books owned by him, all of which treasures she prized very highly. He car- ried a remarkable rifle, widely known as "the long gun," which at last accounts was still in the possession of relatives in Iowa. Mrs. Woods lived with her grandfather until she was twelve years of age. There are but few other Revolu- tionary soldiers whose remains are buried in the county. Among them are Abijah Bigelow, Sr., of Michigan City, and Simon Wheeler, in Low's burying ground on the Michigan City road be- tween the Summit and Waterford. The Grand Army men or some one should look to it, and for the sake of historic associations should see that these sacred resting places are cared for and

marked with proper tombstones to designate them. For the information of these cases the writer is indebted to the Rev. William Davis, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Door Village, who went to no little trouble and rode many miles to obtain it.

LaPorte county sustained about the same re- lation to the war of 1812 that she did to the Revolutionary war-it was long past before the county was organized. But there were several soldiers of the war of 1812 among her earlier and later settlers, and their presence among the people of the county served to stimulate feelings of patriotism, thus arousing men to action when the country needed and called for their services. These honored old heroes were constant incen- tives to honorable deeds. They kept alive the military spirit, and kept alive in the hearts of the young those feelings which would lead them to shoulder the musket and follow the flag into battle in the defense of their country. Though their own services were past, yet the in- fluence of their example served to give the country a grander military history than it would otherwise have had. Among the old guard of veterans have been the following: E. Farwell and Amos G. Webster, both of Westville; Ste- phen Bunnel, of Indian Point; Mr. Napier, of Cass township; Joseph Merrit, of LaPorte; and Daniel Mack Leaming, of Center township. On every memorial day these graves, so far as known, receive a floral tribute with the graves of those who participated in the later wars of their country.

With the Black Hawk war the case was dif- ferent. In May, 1832, Mr. Owen, the Indian agent at Chicago, sent word to Arba Heald in New Durham township, that the Indians had commenced hostilities on Hickory creek, a short distance from Chicago, and advised the settlers to prepare to repel any invasion they might make. This gave rise to the Indian scares re- lated in a previous chapter, especially to the building of the fort at Door Village. General Orr was present when the fort was building, and, having been commissioned a brigadier general by Governor Ray in 1827, he wrote to the govern- or giving him an account of what had hap- pened, and then repaired to Chicago to ascertain if possible whether any real danger threatened

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the inhabitants of this vicinity. There he had an interview with Major Whistler who com- manded Fort Dearborn, after which he made cer- tain recommendations and forwarded them to the governor of Indiana, and then started for the headquarters of General Atkinson, who was in command of a force sent against the Indians. After returning to Chicago General Orr received a communication from Governor Noble of In- diana commanding him to raise a company of mounted volunteer rangers to be employed along the western line of our frontier for the term of three months, keeping up an intercourse between the Wabash settlements and Chicago by selecting suitable stations near immediate settlements and sending out parties of observation with daily communication. General Orr raised a company of eighty-eight men and reported first to the com- mandant at Fort Dearborn and then to General Winfield Scott. Much correspondence passed between General Orr and General Scott. At one time it was planned that General Orr with his company of rangers accompany General Scott in an expedition against Black Hawk; but that chief fled beyond the Mississippi, an army under a skillful general was in possession of the country, and therefore, by order of Governor Noble, General Orr disbanded his company ..

While the fort was building at Door Village General Orr sent for an Indian named Shadney or Chaudonia. He was of mixed Pottawottomie and French blood and came to LaPorte county from Detroit. He understood the Indians thor- oughly and had great influence with them. General Orr asked him whether the Indians would follow their old trail and come through LaPorte county to Detroit, and he gave it as his opinion that they would not, which opinion was justified by future events.

This Indian was known among the red men as Shaderny but his true name was John B. Chaudonia. He was of great service to the government. When the Michigan road was pro- posed from Madison on the Ohio river to Michi- gan City-two hundred and seventy miles-the Indians had agreed to relinquish their title to one section of land for each mile that was built through their country. The state construed the agreement to mean one section per mile for the entire length of the road. The Indians hearing

that such would be the . interpretation, became very indignant and were about preventing the surveyors from running out any more land. Then Chaudonia's services were brought into requisition. He procured an ox, a quantity of whiskey was furnished, a barbecue and a drunken spree were the consequence, in which a large number of the Indians participated, and the affair passed by without any further trouble. For this service the United States government gave him a patent of section twenty-eight, which was allotted him by the treaty with the Pot- tawottomie Indians, held on the Tippecanoe river, October 26, 1832. This section he after- wards sold to George W. Allen and Reuben Allen, to whom the deed was approved by the president June 15, 1844. After the sale of the land, which was made soon after the treaty, Chaudonia settled near South Bend, where he remained until his death, which occurred in 1837. . Many reports derogatory to his character were circulated, but General Lewis Cass and others who knew him well gave him a good character, and Congress, after the committee on public lands had searched into the matter and had reported favorably, gave his widow a half section of land for his great services to the United States in the difficulty with Great Britain and at the Fort Dearborn massacre. He was true to the United States government and at one time was in a British prison on account of his fidelity. His uncle Topenebee was the chief of the Pottawottomie tribe and a man of great in- fluence.

It is stated that the remains of Black Hawk were stolen, and Governor Lucas of Iowa made a requisition for them on behalf of the chieftain's family, and found them in the hands of an anat- omist at Quincy, well cleaned and ready to be wired.

Coming to the Mexican war, we are in con- tact with something which seems definitely more like patriotism. In 1846-47 the news passed over the country that a state of war existed between the United States and Mexico, that our little army had crossed the Rio Grande, and that the nation needed volunteers to fight the battles upon which the government had entered. The response of Lake county was in advance of LaPorte, for that county sent about twenty-five men who

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joined a company formed by Captain Smith of New York, and crossed the Tippecanoe on the way to the Ohio river before the last of April, 1847. But in regard to numbers if not time LaPorte county took the lead, for she raised and sent a company of ninety-two young men with W. W. McCoy as captain, Robert Fravel as first lieutenant, C. W. Lewis second lieutenant, and Samuel Mecum ensign and colorbearer. The company was organized in May, 1847, and left the latter part of June for the war. Some of them did not return.

Before the company left, the ladies presented them a beautiful silk flag, with the request that if any of the company came back they should return the flag to the donors. The banner was made by Miss Minor, Miss Steenberger, Miss Marinda Fravel, and several other young ladies. It was presented to the company from the porch of the house since occupied by Henry B. Weir. Miss Marinda Fravel presented it to Myron H. Orton, and he to Robert Fravel, who received it on behalf of the company, with the promise that it should be returned if there was left one man to bring it.

That flag waved on the following Fourth of July over the once bloody battlefield of New Or- leans. it fluttered over the turbid waters of the Rio Grande where the company crossed into the enemy's country at Renoso, it waved in triumph at the hard-fought battle of Huamantha, it sought the heights of Cerro Gordo not far behind Gen- eral Scott himself, and it went with the company until it was planted in La Puebla, where for sev- eral months they were garrisoned. Captain McCoy was promoted to major and Lieutenant R. Fravel succeeded him in command of the company. When the company was on the Rio Grande, Lieutenant Fravel was left on an island to die and Samuel Mecum left the company and went to take charge of him. The company that day waded through a marsh for about four miles and encamped. In the dusk they saw something coming across the marsh and to their surprise they found it to be Mecum with Fravel on his back. Mecum proved himself to be a noble fellow. Peace was declared July 4, 1848, and the latter part of that month the members of the company began to arrive home. The officers ar- rived on the evening of the 28th. After a suffi-

cient number had returned, the ladies of the vil- lage of LaPorte assembled at the residence of Abram Fravel, Esq., and the military and the people generally, at the sound of martial music, under the direction of Major Cochrane, having also assembled, Captain Fravel unrolled the old flag from its staff. It was soiled, tattered and stained by march and battle, but in a descriptive and patriotic speech he presented the flag to Myron H. Orton, who in a neat little speech re- ceived it on behalf of the ladies and returned it to the fair donors. Then Major McCoy was called out and addressed the crowd. In the sev- enties the flag was in the possession of J. B. Fravel; the writer has not traced it further. Several Mexican war veterans have lived in this county, and some are living here yet. Theodore Armitage, of Westville, is one of them. He en- listed from Athens, Ohio, but has been in this county since the close of the Mexican war. In connection with one of these veterans at least there is something pathetic. Mr. T. H. Ball in his "History of Northwestern Indiana" mentions Reuben Tozier, a member of Company B of the Ninth Indiana Regiment in the Civil war, and then he says,

"As early as 1844 I became acquainted with this Reuben Tozier. He was living on a farm one half mile from my father's home. He went to the Mexican war in Captain Joseph P. Smith's company. He went into the Union army as the line above indicates. A few years ago I was in the LaPorte poor house, or county asylum. I found him there. I knew him well. He must have made a good soldier. He deserved a better home in his old age. In his youth he had enjoyed cultivation somewhere. I was a member with him before the Mexican war of a Cedar Lake literary society. He was an interesting member. He could give one recitation I might say to per- fection. He had been trained somewhere. Why he should have had only a pauper's fare I know not

And then, as Mr. Tozier has no other monu- ment Mr. Ball sets apart a page of his history to his old friend. and on it he places a tablet which says, "Sacred to the Memory of Reuben Tozier." It is sad that the veterans of even one not to say two wars should be left to live and die in poor houses, but there have been many cases. There

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are various opinions as to the justice of the Mexi- can war; some think that the United States can claim little glory on account of it, but, be that as it may, there is no doubt of the patriotism and valor of the men who volunteered their services when they thought their country had need; and the presence of these men in a community is an incentive to patriotism.

There was a magnificent uprising of the people of LaPorte county on the thirteenth of April, 1861. On the preceding day the first gun had been fired against Fort Sumter; LaPorte county was aroused. The tide of patriotic feeling swept through the hearts of men and bent them to a stern and determined purpose. The bom- bardment of Fort Sumter began on Friday morn- ing-a significant day of the week. Arrange- ments were made with the telegraph office to re- ceive Saturday's news. At two o'clock a large crowd of citizens repaired to Huntsman's hall to listen to the intelligence from Fort Sumter, which was exceedingly unfavorable. Many doubted, but the evening news confirmed the sad story, and contained the further information that Major Anderson had been compelled to surrender the fortress. And so it was in Michigan City, and in all the centers where a telegraph office was ac- cessible. On Sunday the churches were crowded, and the storm of war that had broken was the theme of conversation, sermons and prayers. Men gathered in knots in the church porches and discussed the situation. On Sunday evening the people gathered in their public halls, and as the dispatches were brought in and read by prom- inent citizens, they confirmed the worst fears. Thus closed the dark Sabbath night of the new American revolution. All day Monday the ex- citement continued. A war spirit grew rapidly. Political questions were lost sight of. One sen- timent was in the ascendant, "The Union must and shall be preserved." On Monday evening the rush to the public halls in different parts of the county was greater than ever. The halls were crowded. Bands played patriotic airs. National odes were sung. Union speeches were made. Prominent Democrats declared that they would be the first to enlist in the service of their coun- try, and the sequel showed that they were in earnest. They were cheered to the echo. The applause was deafening. Patriotism thrilled

every heart. Names might be given and minute word pictures painted, but there is not space to do the matter justice ; the enthusiasm took on the same general form in all places in the county.

On Tuesday. the enthusiasm and excitement still increased. At one o'clock the court house bell was rung, and in accordance with the pre- vious notice of the mayor of La Porte, opportunity was given for volunteers to enlist. Owing to the pressure of the crowd the meeting adjourned to Huntsman's hall, headed by a band, playing national airs. General Orr by request carried the American flag. There were about fifty recruits headed by D. J. Woodward. Subscriptions were immediately called for, and during the day and evening about $4,000 was raised, prominent citi- zens contributing from $50 to $150 each to sus- tain the families of volunteers. Many others subscribed less amounts, mostly $25 each. Their number was so large that their names can not be given here. Strong resolutions were passed condemning the action of the south and pledging support to President Lincoln in his efforts to crush the rebellion.

Volunteering went on; the companies at LaPorte and Michigan City soon had a sufficient number of men to leave for camp. The first company to leave LaPorte was Company F, under the command of D. J. Woodward, who before taking the field was promoted to major. Lieutenant Patton was made captain, Second Lieutenant Carter was made first lieutenant, and Joseph Richards second lieutenant. The com- pany left town on a Monday morning. At an early hour LaPorte citizens and those from the country thronged the streets to witness the stirring scene. The various fire companies and the German Rifle company were out, accompa- nied by Frisbee's silver band, and added much to the occasion. The company were drawn up in front of the court house and answered to the call of the roll and received the warm congratulations of many sincere friends, after which they marched to the depot and boarded the special train provided to take them to the "Crossing," now Otis. The crowd at the station was im- mense, and there were sad partings and bitter weepings as fathers, mothers, sisters, sweethearts and friends pressed the hands and gave the fare- well kiss and embrace to loved ones whom they

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might never see again on earth. The officers and men were visibly affected. At half past nine o'clock the train started, amid the cheering of the vast multitude which was like the noise of many waters. The fire companies and many citi- zens went aboard the cars and accompanied the volunteers as far as the Crossing, and Frisbee's band accompanied them to Indianapolis, where they intended to offer their services to the gov- ernment.

Similar scenes were transpiring at Michigan City. The first company to leave that place was the Michigan City Rifles, Company B, William H. Blake captain, Asahel K. Bush first lieuten- ant, and Alson Bailey second lieutenant. They were presented with a United States flag by the citizens. The company was drawn up and an- swered to the roll call, and the presentation speech was made by Miss Ann Hartwell. This flag was the first to float over Laurel Hill, a local paper saying of the company, "Our brave soldiers plucked their laurels from the very hill where they grew." The company left Michigan City amid scenes similar to those just described as taking place in LaPorte.

These two companies reached Camp Morton at Indianapolis in time to join the Ninth Regi- ment. They went south and participated in the first campaign of West Virginia, under the com- mand of Colonel R. H. Milroy. At the close of the three months' service they returned and were reorganized for the three years' service. The Ninth Regiment went into rendezvous at Camp Colfax, still under the command of Colonel Milroy. There also were Camp Jackson situated about a mile northwest of LaPorte, where the Twenty-Eighth Regiment was encamped under the command of Colonel John F. Miller, Camp Anderson, at Michigan City, about a mile and a half from town, just below what is now known as the Boyer farm, and the camps at Goshen and South Bend, where many soldiers from LaPorte were encamped. In the camp at South Bend was the Seventy-third Indiana Regiment, com- manded by Gilbert Hathaway which did such valiant service, and the Twenty-first Indiana battery commanded by William W. Andrew, brother of Dr. George L. Andrew, now of Chicago. This battery was essentially a LaPorte organization. By authority of Governor Mor-

ton, W. W. Andrew was empowered to organize this body of men. The necessary funds were furnished by Captain A. P. Andrew, Jr., one of the founders of LaPorte. Captain W. W. An- drew had already acquired much experience in the war. He succeeded in raising the required number of men, and soon after it was recruited the battery was sent to Covington, Kentucky, to protect the place from the invasion which Kirby Smith was expected to make. From Cov- ington the battery was transferred to Lexington and later to Richmond and Louisville, remaining in the latter city until 1863, when orders took the troops to Nashville, Tennessee. The first skir- mish with the enemy occurred on March 19 and 20 at Rome, Georgia, and the result was the capture of a number of prisoners. On April 5th a skirmish took place at Gainsboro, Georgia, and on May 4th at Carthage. One month after the last engagement the battery went to Murfreesboro and, after joining General Reynold's division of Rosecrans' army, advanced towards Manchester, Georgia, participating in the engagement of Hoover's Gap. The battery also took part in the march against Chattanooga and later took an important part in the battle of Chickamauga. Until December 5th the battery remained at Chat- tanooga and in the meantime stormed Mission Hill. On October 1, 1864, an engagement took place in which the battery fought against For- rest. On December 15th and 16th during the advance of Hood and the rebel army, the battery, which was stationed at Nashville, was under fire. The battery was mustered out of service June 21, 1865, at Indianapolis. By exposure at Chicka- mauga, Captain W. W. Andrew contracted par- tial paralysis, and was honorably discharged from the service September 16, 1864, and Captain Abram P. Andrew, now of LaPorte, who went out as second lieutenant and had been promoted to first lieutenant, was now promoted to captain and took command of the battery.

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A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 61

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1273

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels
Publication date: 1904
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1273