USA > Indiana > Dearborn County > History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 27
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ROSTER OF HOME DEFENDERS.
A partial list of those citizens of Dearborn county who took part in the frontier defense is herewith appended. Some of these, however, served else-
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where. than along the frontier of Dearborn county, having emigrated here after the close of the struggle; Major Jeremiah Johnson, Jr., Major Thomas Brackenridge, Col. Henry Miller, Capt. Stephen Wood, Capt. Robert Brack- enridge, Capt. Charles Stevens, Major John Lewis, Samuel C. Vance, James Dill, John Weaver, James W. Weaver, Justice Sortwell, Decker Crozier. James McGuire, Capt. Samuel Ewan, George Greer, Joseph Morgan, Samuel Frazer, William Randall, Samuel Martin, Obediah Priest, Thomas Annis, Ephraim Hollister, Jesse Sacket, John Greenfield, Warren Tebbs, Johnson Watts, Aaron Bonham, Joshua Yerkes, James Salmon, Casper Johnson, George Lewis, Maston Isgrigg, Willoughby Tebbs, Enoch Blasdell, Abijah Decker, William Majors, Stephen Thorn, William King, Jonathan Lewis, Timothy Kimble, James Bruce, Elial Chaffin, Thomas Kyle, Jonathan Allee, Isaac Randall, Garret Swallow, T. N. Burroughs, Joseph Daniels, Samuel Perry, Thomas Porter, Ellis Williamson, Israel Bonham, Nathan Lewis, Obe- diah Voshell, Thomas Johnson, James Dart, Isaac Taylor, William Webb, James Cloud, Thomas Ehler, William Maserve, James King, Joshua Staples, Ferdinand Turner, George Rudisil, Thomas Covington, John Durham, George Mason, Levi Garrison, Jesse Calloway, Job Judd, Jr., Joseph Judd, Jacob Rudisil, James C. Cornelius, Ira Cloud, Thomas Dart, Michael Farran, Rich- ard Pippin, John Lilly, Caleb Johnson, Spencer Wyley, Job Hayes, William Ashby, John White, J. Brackenridge, Nicholas Mason, John Majors, James Eads, Samuel Johnson, Robert Gullett, John Durham, William Green, Ste- phen Green, Philip Mason, Valentine Lawrence, Finley Judd, Michael Rudi- sil, Jerry Johnson, Jr., John Hall, Alex Roseberry, Nathaniel Tucker, Calch Roseberry, John Burk, Daniel Mason, Aquilla Cross, John Mason, Matthew Landon, Samuel Thornton, John Tanner, Bayless Ashby, William Lake, James Oldfield, Robert Majors, Elijah Eads, Thomas Hackleman, Noyes Canfield, James Withrow, James Boyd, James Powell, Joseph Plummer, Dan- iel Salmon, Samuel Roberts, Charles Clements, Enoch Pugh, James Holmes, Sr., Joseph Huston, William Caldwell, Jacob Fielding, Edward Clements, Luther Plummer.
The writer has been unable to secure any roster of the men living in this county at the time of the war and who took part in the struggle.
A FALSE ALARM.
During the War of 1812, the thin fringe of people residing along the Ohio river, which comprised all the population of the young county, were in
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constant fear of Indian depredations. Yet throughout that struggle they had only one genuine scare, which proved to be only a false alarm. The late John Callahan repeated to the writer of this history his version of the story. It was only a short time after the massacre at Pigeon Roost and everyone was nervous, fearing lest the savages would strike the outlying cabins in this part of the country. There was a small stockade at Georgetown, where the Jack- son, Crozier and several other families would gather at night for safety. An- other stockade, more pretentious, was at Cambridge, where Jacob Blasdel, the Dawsons and others were gathered. The rangers and scouts were con- stantly passing from one of these outposts to another, keeping vigilant watch for any signs of the dreaded foe. One morning a man came riding swiftly into the little town, crying that the Indians had been seen lurking near the station at Georgetown and urging that the authorities here send out a force to protect the little station. All the able-bodied male inhabitants were, during the war, organized into companies, drilled and armed, and each man kept a gun at his home, ready for any emergency. It was the work of only a few minutes for these ready and willing men to start. But the military men in charge thought it best not to send all their force to the rescue of the place, believing that it would be an act of wisdom and discretion to detail a scout- ing party to hurry there and send a messenger back with a report. Towards evening the messenger returned, reporting that some of the men at the station had seen what they took to be Indians lurking near and that word had also been sent to Blasdel's station, where it happened that at the time a detachment of the rangers had spent the night previous and had not yet departed. These men at once went out to scout the country and determine the truth of the story.
The people were much excited over the alarming reports, and not much sleep was indulged in the following night. The next day, towards the after- noon, those who had been detailed to go to Georgetown returned, with the story that the rangers had scouted the country thoroughly, well out to the flats, without discovering any signs of Indians and that the Georgetown peo- ple were either mistaken or the Indians had eluded pursuit and got away. Everyone breathed easier and the alarm passed. never more to return, so far as the natives of the forest were concerned.
THE WAR WITH MEXICO.
When the Mexican War commenced Indiana was in worse condition from a military point of view than it has ever been, before or since. The old militia system had become unpopular. Thirty years had passed since the
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last war, that with Great Britain-1812 to 1815. The "cornstalk" militia system, which for several years was carefully kept up and prepared for Indian outbreaks or foreign complications, had been lulled to sleep with the tre- mendous growth of the country and the continued peace with the Indian tribes, which were now beyond the Mississippi, so that only a few com- panies of the old militia had kept up an organization. The adjutant-general of the United States in a letter to David Reynolds, adjutant-general of Indi- ana, calling attention to the apparent neglect of military precautions, was an- swered by General Reynolds as follows :
"Adjutant-General's Office.
"Indianapolis, Ind., January 25, 1845.
"Sir :- Your circular of the 8th inst. and blank forms have been duly re- ceived. The reason the strength and arms of this state have not been re- ported, as required by Act of Congress of 1803, is that our system has so far gone down that but few officers hold commissions and scarcely any of those few make returns to this office, as will be perceived by reference to my report to the Governor for 1845, which is herewith enclosed.
"I also enclose to you the report of the Quartermaster General to the Governor for the year 1845, which will give you an idea of the condition of our arms on hand. There are other arms, let out on bonds, not included in said report, but to what amount I can not tell.
"The dilapidated state of our military. system is a matter of much re- gret. I trust it is perceived that my failure to return our strength, etc., is from necessity and not from neglect. Your obedient servant,
"D. REYNOLDS, "Adjutant-General, Indiana Militia."
SERVICE REGARDLESS OF PAY.
Military matters had fallen so low that the position of adjutant-general was considered simply an honorary affair by which a title could be secured, the office only paying, when the Mexican war commenced, the nominal salary of one hundred dollars. General Reynolds, however, was full of patriotism, and performed his duty regardless of pay. While lacking experience, he made up for deficiencies by possessing plenty of sound, common sense, executive abil- ity and much ability for hard work. After his work had been completed and the war was over, no allowance was made for compiling and preserving the rec-
(19)
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ord of the volunteers, and it remained for the Legislature of 1907 to authorize Oran Perry, a veteran of the Civil War, and at that time adjutant-general of the state, to compile and record the great services of the volunteers of 1846 and 1847.
In General Perry's introduction, he gives this eulogy to General Rey- nolds, which ought to be appreciated: "His success in rapidly organizing the state's quota for the war had no parallel at that time, and in 1847 a grateful Legislature recognized the fact by adding $150 to his salary for the year. In 1849 the Legislature again made him an allowance of $183 per month for four months and twenty-three days and ten cents a mile for 664 miles ‘travel.' "
DEARBORN COUNTY VOLUNTEERS.
Dearborn county acquitted itself in the struggle with more than ordinary credit. It furnished to the governor the first company under the call for troops, James H. Lane having offered a company, which was accepted and assigned to the Third Regiment as Company K.
President Polk issued the call for volunteers on May 13, 1846. Gov. James Whitcomb issued his call for Indiana's quota on the 22nd day of May, and by the 10th of June thirty companies had assembled at Ft. Clark, between Jeffersonville and. New Albany, the place designated as the rendezvous.
Quoting from General Perry's report: "At that time there was but one railroad in the state, running between Madison and Edinburg. There were but few improved highways and no telegraphs. All communication was by mail, mostly carried by men on horseback and over bad roads. There were no daily papers, the press services being rendered by small weekly sheets, one or two to the county. In spite of these handicaps, the war news traveled fast. The governor issued his proclamation on the 22nd of May and the adjutant-general his general order No. I, on the 4th of June, directing the companies to assemble at the rendezvous as soon as possible, by the shortest route and at their own expense, for transportation and subsistence.
"As if by magic, the roads were filled with marching men, helped on by patriotic farmers, who furnished teams for transportation and whose kind- hearted wives fed the hungry volunteers. Notwithstanding these drawbacks the concentration was quickly made, and by the 10th of June, nineteen days after the call, thirty companies had reported at camp and had been mustered into service, while an overflow of twenty-two companies reported from their home stations clamoring for acceptance."
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BANKS COME TO RESCUE.
The state at that time had but little money in its coffers and the banks of the state came to the rescue, offering funds for the expense of equipping the men. The following letter to Governor Whitcomb from the cashier of the Lawrenceburg bank shows that Dearborn county was not behind any other county in its patriotism :
"Branch of the State Bank of Indiana.
"Lawrenceburg, Indiana, June 8. 1846.
"At a meeting of the board of directors of this branch, held this day, the following resolutions were unanimously passed: Resolved, that the cashier honor the draft of James Whitcomb, governor of this state, to the amount of ten thousand dollars, for the purpose of equipping and supplying the volun- teers called for from this state through the war department.
"Resolved, that such advance shall be considered a loan to the state of Indiana, to be repaid at such time and in such manner as may hereafter be provided for by the Legislature, or by the general government.
"Resolved, that the captain of the Dearborn volunteers be authorized to draw the sum necessary to equip and remove his company to the place of rendezvous in this state; this advance to be considered a part of the above ten thousand dollars. "Attest : HENRY K. HOBBS, Cashier."
SOLDIERS INADEQUATELY DRILLED.
James H. Lane took the first company to Ft. Clark as its captain, but on the organization of the Third Regiment was made its colonel. The county during this conflict organized and sent to the field one company for the Third Indiana Regiment, two companies for the Fourth Regiment, and one com- pany for the Fifth Regiment. James H. Lane, who raised the first company and was made colonel of the regiment, the Third, when it was returned home at the expiration of its term of service, recruited another regiment, called the Fifth, to which Dearborn county furnished one company.
The men were enlisted for only one year and their term of service, while arduous, yet hardly accustomed them to the life of a soldier before it was ended. In calling for recruits the same mistake was made in the Mexican War as in the War of 1812 and the War of the Revolution. Short-term ser-
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vice prevented the men from acquiring the discipline necessary for a good sol- dier and also made it impossible for the men to become inured to the hard- ships of campaigning.
ROSTER OF DEARBORN COUNTY SOLDIERS.
The company recruited in this county for the Third Regiment was num- bered as Company K. and was composed of the following officers and pri- vates : Captain, George Dunn; first lieutenant, William L. Guard; second lieutenant, Benjamin Spooner ; second lieutenant, Aaron C. Gibbs; Joseph W. Cheeseman, first sergeant; William H. Reed, sergeant; Solomon P. Tuney, sergeant ; Robert McGarve, sergeant; John Goddard, corporal; John Christy, corporal; Charles D. Seeds, corporal; Thomas W. McRight, corporal; David V. Johnson, musician; privates, Thomas Bell, Strawder J. Byron, Benjamin Bodine, Anthony Bloster, Peter Browne, Simeon Bradley, John S. Conger. William Croak, Franklin B. Darling, James Foster, James Gilmore, David Gilliland, Alexander Gamble, John Gras, Francis M. Gray, Jabez Heeley, Samuel Hines, Judson Holden, Nelson Hammel, George Hudson, Joseph Irvey, Louis Kissley, Joseph Kussins, John Kelly, Solomon Lafollet, Austin McCright, Gerothwell Maxwell, John Medd, Thomas Medd, Thomas B. Moth- erell, William North, Nathaniel Olmstead, William M. Perks, Joseph C. Pike, John Ross, Joseph Ross, Elisha Scoggins, Josh Soppiger, Joshua Senit, Will- iam Todd, William C. Truitt, William Wilson, John J. Wilson, John Wyers and Barnhart Werle; discharged by surgeon's certificate before their term of service expired, Moses Bennett, Victor McGarvey, Charles Lauber, C. Law. Wallace, Andrew Moss, George Kempp, John Naylor, George W. Knapp, William O. Walker, George W. Hamblin, Samuel Crist, George W. Dawson, John Godfrey, George Norris, Moses Pryor, James Russell and Jesse White; died in the service, David G. Conger, Richard H. Inman and Jonathan Wal- ton. In addition John G. Dunn was assistant surgeon of the regiment.
THE FOURTH REGIMENT.
The Fourth Regiment was mustered in a year later, with Willis A. Gor- man, former major of the Third Regiment, as its colonel and Ebenezer Du- mont, of Dearborn county, as its lieutenant-colonel; Mac Crookshank, quar- termaster-sergeant.
Company C was raised in Dearborn county, with the following officers
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and privates: Captain, Morgan L. Payne; first lieutenant, Martin M. Van Duesen; second lieutenant, Thomas J. Lucas; second lieutenant, James H. Thompson; first sergeant, Joseph V. Bemnsdoffer ; second sergeant, Jasper S. Briggs; third sergeant, George W. Baldridge; fourth sergeant, Abner Prather ; first corporal, Henry S. Griffin; second corporal, Thomas M. Griffin; third corporal, John B. Pike; fourth corporal, Israel Fowler; drummer, Thomas L. Lockhart; fifer, Samuel Steel; privates, Josiah T. Bailey, William H. Bald- ridge, Thomas Barnes, Cornelius Beck, William Binegar, George Brownlake, William Britton, William H. Cavil, John Church, Rufus S. Craft, Jesse Cross, Andrew J. Dolph, John Fell, Calvin A. Gibson, Eli Goodwin, George Gordon, Samuel P. Goucher, John Grapp, Richard Grapp, William P. Gosnell, John Hoffman, William M. Hoffman, Valentine M. Hudson, John James, John Koontz, James Leeper, William W. Lowe, Jacob C. Larne, Francis McCabe, Isaiah McCleaster, William Victor McGarvey, Peter E. Mitchell, John M. Moger, James North, John F. Orill, Samuel Protzman, Lycurgus Richard- son, William Robertson, John H. Seeley, William Sinick, James W. Smith, Mahlon Smith, John Stone, Van V. Tousey, William T. Wade, William B. Welsh, and Levin Ward.
Before their terms of service expired the following were mustered out for disability or on a surgeon's certificate: James Hudson, William M. Bennett, Hiram J. Davis, Johnson McLain, Hiram P. Stage, Reuben Brown, Jacob W. Gibson, John J. DeHart, Isaac P. Lewis, George W. Newby, Jacob Wizard and Van V. Tousey; transferred to Company K, David G. Cromlow; de- serted, Mortico Cross, William Douglas, Theodore Gliff, William D. Haw- kins and John King; absent, George W. Baldridge; died, David Finley, John Handen, Christian Schmeidmiller, James W. White, Benjamin Nalliner, Rob- ert Owen. Joseph F. Law and Henry T. Bunner; resigned, William T. Bald- ridge and Milton H. Catlett.
ROSTER OF COMPANY K.
Company K of the Fourth Regiment was also organized in this county, with the following officers and privates: Captain, A. L. Mason ; first lieu- tenant, James C. Littell; second lieutenant, L. Noble Hamilton : second lieu- tenant. James R. Mills: first sergeant, John Watts; second sergeant. James P. Hart; third sergeant. Davis W. Cheek: fourth sergeant, Washington L. O'Neal; first corporal, James E. Goble ; second corporal. David G. Cromlow : third corporal. Newton P. Norris; fourth corporal, Henry Kohoy; drummer.
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Vandyke Barricklow; fifer, Joseph Stevens; privates, Bale Ashby, Thomas Bassett, Adam Baringer, Lemuel Bigney, Ira Brown, John A. Buchanan, Mark Collins, Charles Campbell, John R. Churchill, Aquilla Cochrane, Daniel Connelly, James L. Consley, Alphonso Doolittle, John A. Forester, Job Erwin, Edward Gray, Merit C. Grimes, Levi Hamlin, Jeremiah Hallenbeck, Robert F. Hume, Isaac Horton, Josephus Jones, James Kitts, Henry Lake, Samuel Land, Lorenzo D. Lowe, William Lucas, John Manley, William Miller, Ed- ward H. McPike, Litle W. Parks, Thomas P. Paugh, Robert Raney, Hart Reno, Eli S. Richmond, Jonathan Roach, Samuel Roach, Robert W. Roberts, John Scott, Thomas Shoat, Joseph Smith, Franklin Stateler, William H. C. Steele, Aaron Stilwell, Joseph Teany, Joseph Todd, George W. Walker, No- ble G. Walters, Jesse White, John Whitaker and Isaac M. Brower; discharged for disability, Daniel Cole, Curtis Bird, James Harper, William K. French, Amos K. Butterfield, Thomas Lake, Charles Dean, John Duncan, Edward Woyciehoskie and Henry Bowers; died, George B. Jones, George N. Lowe, James H. Best, Frederick Seifert, Pleasant Chew, Thomas Watts and William C. Crookshank; deserted, Jonas Dodson, John Hum, Harrison Osborne, George B. Griffith and Thomas Shoat.
THE FIFTH REGIMENT.
The Fifth and last regiment raised from Indiana for the Mexican War was commanded by Col. James H. Lane. It rendezvoused at Madison, and after a short time spent in camp there, was rushed to Vera Cruz to take an active part in Gen. Winfield Scott's campaign against the City of Mexico. Company G of the Fifth Regiment was organized in Dearborn county and was officered as follow: Aaron C. Gibbs, captain; Lewis S. Moffatt, first lieutenant ; Henry W. Jones, second lieutenant; Gerothwell Maxwell, second lieutenant ; Frederick White, first sergeant; George W. Claypool, second sergeant; James Harris, third sergeant; Christian Lenberger, fourth sergeant; William H. Bisbee. first corporal : Thomas B. F. Hewitt, second corporal; Henry O'Brien, third corporal; James Ewing, fourth corporal; Andrew Herzogg, musician ; privates, John Cavanaugh, Joseph W. Cheeseman, George P. Christopher, Ephraim Darnby. William Duncan, Abram Ferrell, Jackson Foland, Robert Green, Samuel Hines, Pacter T. Harden, James Headrick, Samuel Hende ;- son, George Hamblin, Joseph Irvy, George W. Johnson. David James, Jo- seph Kussins, George W. Lawrence. Allen Major, Michael McGary. Nich- olas Mitchell, Asa McManaman. James R. McClure, John S. Merrill. Enoch
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McCarty, Nathaniel Olmstead, Samuel Plomteaux, John P. Pepper, Jacob Phillips. Joshua Rounds, Samuel Rayson, Joseph Rounds, John A. Stephen- son, Frederick Swatfager. Isaac Strimback, Gilbert Tumer, John H. Touner, Abram Teney, Stephen Wood and Thomas Wymond; transferred to other companies, Jacob Murray, Elijah Earley, David W. Cable, Joseph Jenkins, An- drew Robbnett, James Curtis, Joel Wilson, Thomas J. Webster, James D. Ayers, Samuel Chapman, John C. Campbell, Zachariah Lacy, Charles Palmer, Robert Sunman, William Frost and John M. Myers; deserted, James Patter- son, Michael Church and Abram Peters; discharged for disability, Samuel Cowden, Andrew I. Gray, David C. Lord and William G. Lyon; missing and supposed to have been murdered by the Mexicans, William Crook and Samuel Dougherty ; died, Joshua Shaffer, Giles Hoft, Jonathan Budd, James Griffith, William Byram, Patrick Ryan and William Wilson; left sick, Ben- jamin E. Noster, John Diehammer, Elzy Spurgeon, Benjamin Swan, William Teney and William Truitt.
SCHOOLING FOR CIVIL WAR.
The Mexican War proved to be a good school for the Civil War. Out of the officers that were in the Mexican War from this country, there were furnished for the Civil War three brigadier generals and one colonel, as fol- low: Brigadiers, James H. Lane, Ebenezer Dumont and Thomas J. Lucas; colonel, Benjamin Spooner. Besides these many of the rank and file were commissioned officers and valuable men in the service of drilling and recruit- ing troops for the greater crisis of the War of the Rebellion.
It was only thirteen years from the close of the Mexican War until the call to arms came in 1861, and many of those who had responded to the call for volunteers in the former war were ready at once to shoulder a musket in the latter war to perpetuate the government they had made sacrifices for in earlier life. The part taken by Indiana in the Mexican War was creditable to the state's patriotism and to the bravery of her sons. It was a tradition for some years that her troops had not acquitted themselves creditably in the campaign under General Taylor at Buena Vista, but the facts are that there was nothing to be ashamed of and much of which every Hoosier should be proud. Investigation showed that the responsibility for misconduct was all to be charged to the colonel of one regiment. a man who. in after years. when the life of his country was at stake, proved to be a traitor to his country.
The Mexican War broadened the view point of the people and gave them
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a better idea of the extent of the country and its extraordinary resources. It aroused the restless spirit of the pioneer that had been latent for a decade and emigration to the westward was again increased. Shortly afterwards the discovery of gold in California gave to all those restless spirits an opening for their adventurous blood and the country was for a decade destined to grow more rapidly than at any time in its past.
THE GREAT CIVIL WAR.
The War of the Rebellion, from 1861 to 1865, tried the patriotism and endurance of the people of Dearborn county more than any former sacrifice they had been called on to make. Its mutterings had been heard for several years, but had been little heeded. No preparation whatever had been made. Aside from these few who had seen service in the war with Mexico, not a man in the county knew the manual of arms or any of the duties of a soldier's life. The indignation on account of the insistence of the erring and misled friends in the South, grew until when Ft. Sumter fell and Abraham Lincoln gave the call to arms, they came from every farm, hamlet, crossroads and town, in such numbers that it was impossible either to equip, feed or drill them. The first seventy-five thousand, called for the three-months service, was filled al- most as soon as it was asked for and thousands more offered.
No one realized that it was to be more than four years ere the last man to resist the authority of the United States was to lay down his gun. None of the many offering their services thought that many of the sons of Dear- born county would go to the front, there to be laid low by disease or the bullet of the foe. The government, throughout the long struggle, again and again called for more troops, but every time the county responded promptly and heartily. Company after company was recruited as the war progressed, until it some localities there were scarcely enough able-bodied persons to carry on the affairs of life. Farm help was in demand. Those who stayed at home could get easily three dollars per day for their services in the harvest field. The days of the self-binder had not yet come and the work of harvesting the grain required more help than now. Even the "dropper" had not been intro- duced. The machines for cutting wheat were the old-fashioned cradle or, in few places, a machine on which were a driver and a man behind to rake off the grain, the latter to be bound by the men following. Yet, Providence seemed to be with the Union. The crops were abundant; the harvest was cared for and at no time were provisions or supplies for the army scarce.
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