USA > Ohio > Contributions to the early history of the North-west, including the Moravian missions in Ohio > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
221
THE ESCAPE OF R. J. MEIGS, ESQ.
their funds in the journey to Ohio, and for the purchase of lands; so that necessity, the mother of many good and many bad things, compelled them to plant their fields. The war having commenced so soon after their arrival, and at a period entirely unexpected-as a formal treaty had been made with the Indian tribes at Mari- etta in 1789-and no stores being laid up for future use, it fell upon them quite unprepared. So desperate were their circumstances at one period that serious thoughts were entertained of evacuating the country by many of the leading men of the colony.
In this state of affairs Mr. Meigs, then a young lawyer, and but recently married, was forced to lay aside the gown, and take up, like Cincinnatus, the sword and . the plow; although at that time but little plowing was. done, as much of the corn was raised by plant- ing the rich loose soil among the stumps, after burning off the logs and brush. Even by this simple process large crops were invariably pro-
L
-
222
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
duced; so that nearly all the implements needed by the farmer were the ax and the hoe.
Early in June, 1792, it so happened that Mr. Meigs, whose residence was in "Campus Martius," had been at work in a field of corn which he had planted on the west side of the Muskingum, in the vicinity of Fort Harmar. Having finished the labor of the day, just be- fore night, he with his companion, Joseph Sý- monds, and a black boy, an apprentice, whom he had brought with him from Connecticut, set out on their return to the garrison. After leaving the field there was a considerable piece of forest to pass through between the "clear- ing" and the spot where their canoe was fast- ened to the shore, opposite the fort where they dwelt. Symonds and the boy were unarmed; Mr. Meigs carried a small fowling-piece, which he had taken to the field for the purpose of shooting a wild turkey, which bird at that day abounded in such immense numbers as would . hardly be credited at this day. Flocks of sev-
223
THE ESCAPE OF R. J. MEIGS, ESQ.
1.
eral hundred individuals were not uncommon in the Autumn, and of a size and fatness that would have excited the admiration of an epi- cure of any period of the world-even of Apicus himself. Meeting, however, with no turkeys, he had I discharged his gun at a . squirrel.
Just at this juncture two Indians, who had been for some time watching their movements, sprung into the path behind them, and unper- ceived fired and shot Symonds through the shoulder. He, being a superior swimmer, rushed down the bank and into the Mus- kingum River, when, turning on his back, he was enabled to keep himself on the surface till he had floated down near to Fort Harmar, where he was taken up by the soldiers in a canoe. His wound, although a dangerous one, was healed, and I knew him twenty years after. The black boy followed Symonds into the water as far as he could wade; being, how- ever, no swimmer, he was unable to get out
224
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
of the reach of the Indian who shot at them, but was seized and dragged on shore. The Indians were very desirous of making him a prisoner, and taking him along with them, while he as obstinately refused, and made so much resistance, as they tried to drag him along, that finding they should by longer delay be in danger themselves from the rangers at the garrison, who were firing at them from the opposite shore, they reluctantly tomahawked and scalped him. .
From some accident it seems that only one .of the Indian warriors was armed with a rifle; the other had only a tomahawk and knife. After Symonds was shot Mr. Meigs imme- diately faced about in order to escape to the fort. The warrior armed with his hatchet had placed himself between him and this refuge, and cut off his retreat. Clubbing bis gun, he rushed upon the Indian, aiming a blow at his head, which the Indian returned with his hatchet. From the rapidity of the movement
225
THE ESCAPE OF R. J. MEIGS, ESQ.
neither of them were much injured, although it staggered them considerably, but not so much as to bring either to the ground. Instantly recovering from the shock, Mr. Meigs pursued his course to the fort, with the Indian close at his heels. He was in the vigor of his life, and had by previous practice become a very swift runner. His foe was also very fleet, and among the most active of their warriors, as such only were sent into the settlements on marauding excursions. The race continued for the distance of sixty or eighty rods with little advantage on either side, when Mr. Meigs gradually increased his distance ahead, and leaping across a small run which intersected the path, the Indian stopped, threw his hatchet, which narrowly missed its object, and gave up the chase with one of those fierce yells which rage and dis- appointment both served to sharpen. So shrill and loud was the cry that it was distinctly heard at both the forts.
About eight years since an Indian tomahawk
15
226
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
was plowed up near this very spot, and was most probably the one thrown at Mr. Meigs, as the pursuit from Fort Harmar was so imme- diate on hearing the shots and the Indian war- cry that he had no time to search for it. With the scalp of the poor black boy the Indians ascended the abrupt side of the hill which overlooked the garrison, and, shouting defiance to their foes, escaped into the thick forest, where pursuit would have been hopeless. The excitement was very great in the garrisons, and taught the inmates a useful lesson-that of being better armed and more on their guard , when they ventured out on their agricultural avocations.
Had Mr. Meigs tried any other expedient than that of facing and rushing instantly upon his enemy, he must inevitably have lost his life. On his right was the river; on his left a very steep and high hill; beyond him the pathless forest; and between him and the fort his In- dian foes. To his sudden and unexpected 1
227
DESCRIPTION OF CAMPUS MARTIUS.
assault, to his dauntless and intrepid manner, and above all his activity in the race, he un- doubtedly owed his life. He, however, lived to see this infant colony grow into a great State, and to share largely and deservedly in his country's confidence by holding some of the most honorable posts in her power to bestow.
DESCRIPTION OF CAMPUS MARTIUS.
This fort or stockaded garrison was built at Marietta by the Ohio Company, under the direction of General Rufus Putnam. At the period of the landing of the first settlers, on the 7th of April, 1788, the ground on which it stood, and the whole adjacent region, was covered with a thick growth of forest trees. The plan of the garrison was made, and the preparation of materials commenced, soon after ; but it was not finally completed till near the time of the Indian war in 1790. The walls formed a regular parallelogram, the sides of which were equal, and one hundred and eighty
228
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
feet in length. At each corner was erected a strong bastion or block-house, surmounted by & tower. The bastions were twenty feet square, and projected ten feet beyond the curtains or main walls of the fort; the upper stories of which projected several feet over the lower, so as to give the occupants the command of a raking fire on their assailants. The interme- diate curtains were built up with dwelling- houses made of hewn logs. The whole was two stories high, and covered with good shingle roofs. Convenient chimneys were built of bricks for cooking and warming the rooms. In the
west and south fronts were strong gateways, and over the one looking to the river was a .
belfry. Running from corner to corner of the block-houses was a row of palisades sloping outward, and twenty feet in advance of these . a row of very strong and stout palisades set up- right in the earth. Gateways also led through these. Each bastion was mounted with a small piece of ordnance, so much elevated as to
-
229
DESCRIPTION OF CAMPUS MARTIUS.
command the adjacent plain; loop-holes were made at convenient distances for musketry.
The dwelling-houses‹ occupied about thirty feet each, and were of the same width as the bastions, and afforded sufficient room for the accommodation of forty or fifty families, and did actually contain from three to four hundred men, women, and children during the Indian war. At the commencement of the war the block-houses or bastions were occupied as fol- lows: one by the family of General St. Clair; one for the holding of courts and for religious worship. The office of pastor was filled by the Rev. Daniel Story during the war, and for several years after that period. The first civil courts ever assembled in Ohio were held at Marietta.
A third bastion was occupied for offices by the directors of the Ohio Company, and a fourth for private families. During the war a regular military corps was organized, and sentries continually posted in the towers over
230 EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
the bastions. The area within the walls formed a fine parade-ground, in the center of which was a well, eighty feet in depth, for the supply of water to the inhabitants in case of a siege. A large sun-dial stood for many years in the square, and gave note of the march of time; it is yet preserved as a relic of the old fort. The whole formed a very strong work, and reflected great credit on the head that planned it. The fort was in a manner impregnable to the attack of Indians, and none but a regular army with cannon could have subdued it. The hights across the Muskingum, it is true, com- manded and looked down upon the defenses of Campus Martius, but there was no enemy to fear in a condition to take possession of this advantage.
The fort stood on the verge of that beautiful plain overlooking the Muskingum River, and on which those celebrated remains of antiquity were erected, probably for a similar purpose, by that ancient and wonderful people, whose fate yet
231
DESCRIPTION OF CAMPUS MARTIUS.
remains involved in obscurity. From a com- parison of the crania, or skulls, they have re- cently been ascertained to be of the same race with the ancient Peruvians. The heads of this ingenious people, the remains of whose industry and skill are scattered all over the valley of the Ohio, are entirely different from those of the Indian races of the West; having much narrower palatal bones, and the organ of con- structiveness well developed, while those of combativeness and destructiveness are small. Thus much to the credit of phrenology. The ground descended into ravines on the north and south sides of the fort. On the west was an abrupt descent to the river bottom; while the east passed out on to the level plain. On this the ground was entirely cleared of timber, to the distance of a rifle shot, so as 'to afford no shelter to a hidden foe. Extensive fields of corn were planted in the midst of the girdled and deadened trees beyond. The appearance of the garrison from without was grand and
232
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
imposing; at a little distance bearing a striking resemblance to one of the armed palaces, or castles of the feudal ages.
Between the fort and the river, on the rich alluvions, were laid out convenient vegetable gardens for the use of the inhabitants and the officers of the Ohio Company. On the shore of the Muskingum was built a substantial tim- ber wharf, at which lay moored a fine cedar- built barge for twelve oars, constructed by Cap- tain I. Devol, with a number of perogues and light canoes of the country. In these boats, during the war, most of the intercourse was carried on between the settlements of the com- pany, and the more remote towns above on the Ohio River. Travel by land was very hazard- ous, and besides there were no roads or bridges across the creeks.
CHARACTER OF TIIE PIONEERS.
"While many of the early settlements in the West were made up from the illiterate and the
233
THE FIRST PREACHER IN OHIO.
rude, the colony at Marietta, like those of some of the ancient Greeks, carried with it the sciences and the arts ; and although placed on the front- iers, amidst the howling and the savage wilder- ness, exposed to many dangers and privations, there flowed in the veins of its little community some of the best blood of the country; and it enrolled many men of highly-cultivated minds and exalted intellects." The directors of the Ohio .Company were men of sound sense, and took extensive and liberal views of public good, as may be seen in the ample provision made for the support of schools and the Gospel. One of the first official seals engraved in Marietta had for its legend, "Support religion and learning."
:
THE FIRST PREACHER IN OHIO.
Soon after the organization of the Ohio Com- pany, at Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1787, it seems that the enlightened men who directed its concerns began to think of making arrangements for the support of the Gospel and
234
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
1
the instruction of youth in their new colony about to be established in the western wilder- ness. Accordingly a resolution was passed at a meeting of the directors and agents, on the 7th of March, in the year 1788, at Provi- dence, in Rhode Island, for the support of the Gospel and a teacher of youth; in consequence of which the Rev. Manasseh Cutler, one of the company directors, in the course of that year engaged the Rev. Daniel Story, then preaching at Worcester, Massachusetts, to go to the West as chaplain to the new settlements commenced at Marietta. After a tedious and laborious journey across the Alleghany Mountains, Mr. Story arrived at Marietta in the Spring of the year 1789, and commenced his ministerial la- bors as an evangelist. The settlements were new and situated at various points, some of . them a considerable distance from Marietta; nevertheless, he visited them in rotation, in con- formity with the arrangement of the directors, by which he was to preach about one-third of
235
THE FIRST PREACHER IN OHIO.
the time at the settlements of Wolf Creek and Belpre.
During the Indian war, from 1791 to 1795, he preached the larger portion of the time in the north-west block-house of Campus Martius. The upper room in that house was fitted up with benches and a rude, simple desk, so as to accommodate an audience of a hundred or more. The room was also used for a school, which was first taught by Major Anselm Tupper, a son of General Benjamin Tupper, a highly-gifted and well-educated man, who had served with much credit in the army of the Revolution. During this period, a committee appointed by the di- rectors to report on the religious and literary instruction of the youth, resolved that one hundred and eighty dollars be paid from the funds of the company to aid the new settlement in paying a teacher, with the condition that Marietta support a teacher one year, Belpre seven months, and Waterford three months. If they complied with that, this sum was to be
236
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
divided among them in proportion to the time. Near the same period, twenty dollars were ap- propriated to pay Col. E. Battelle for religious instructions at Belpre. Colonel Battelle was a graduate of Cambridge University, and acted as chaplain to the settlement during the Indian war, reading the Church service regularly each Sabbath to the inmates of Farmer's Castle. The meetings were held in the south-east block- house, where he resided. These testimonials sufficiently prove the interest the Ohio Company felt for the spiritual welfare, as well as the temporal comfort of the colonists. Mr. Story also preached occasionally at a large room in the upper story of a frame house in the stock- ade or garrison at "the Point," being at the junction of the Muskingum with the Ohio, on the left bank; Fort Harmar being on the oppo- site shore. At periods when the Indians were quiet, he visited and preached at the settlements of Belpre and Wolf Creek, fifteen and twenty miles from Marietta. These pastoral visits were
الله الد الـ
237
THE FIRST PREACHER IN OHIO.
made by water in a log canoe, propelled by the stout arms and willing hearts of the early pioneers.
In the year 1796 he united and established a Congregational Church, composed of persons residing in Marietta, Belpre, Waterford and Vienna in Virginia. In 1797 he visited his native State, and remained there till he was called to the pastoral charge of the Church he had thus collected in the wilderness. He was ordained the 15th of August, 1797, in Danvers, Massachusetts, there being no ministers to per- form that office west of the mountains, to the care of the Church in Marietta and vicinity. This relation continued between Mr. Story and his Church till the 15th of March, 1804, when he was dismissed at his own request, his health having become too much impaired for him to perform the labors of pastor any longer. ,
Mr. Story was a native of the town of Boston, State of Massachusetts, and graduated at Dartmouth College in 1780. IIe was in the
238
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
ministry some years before he came to Ma- rietta, and when he was selected by Dr. Cutler to come to the West the choice was much approved by those who knew him. In coming to Marietta, however, Mr. Story certainly sac- rificed his interest and his comfort. What money he possessed at that time was invested in Ohio lands, previous to coming out, with the expectation of reasonable support from the Ohio Company, till the rents of the ministerial lands, set apart for the support of the Gospel, should come into use or be available; but this was prevented by the Indian war, and no funds were derived from this source till about the year 1800. The support from the funds of the Ohio Company was continued for only two years, their affairs being somewhat deranged by the Indian war; the expense of which to their treasury being upward of eleven thousand dol- lars. The inhabitants were generally much im- poverished from the same cause, and probably his receipts for preaching, from the year 1789
239
THE FIRST PREACHER IN OHIO.
to the time of his ordination in 1797, could not have paid his expenses for board and clothing. He was obliged to draw upon his former earn- ings by the sale of some of his lands. However, the hospitality of one or two kind Christian friends, who gave him a welcome seat at their tables during a part of this period, relieved him from some of his difficulties. At his death the proceeds from the sale of his remaining lands were insufficient to discharge all the debts incurred while laboring in the new set- tlements.
In person Mr. Story was rather tall and slender, and quite brisk and active in his move- ments; his manners easy, with a pleasant ad- dress; cheerful and animated in conversation ; and always a welcome guest in the families he visited. His sermons were practical; logically and methodically written, after the manner of that day; and were said to be fully equal in matter and manner to those of the first preach- ers in New England. In prayer he greatly
240
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH-WEST.
excelled, both in propriety and diversity of sub- ject, as well as in beauty of language. He was never married, but lived a single life, after the - manner and advice of St. Paul.
Placed in the midst of a people continually trembling for the safety of their lives, filled with anxiety for the support of their families, and surrounded by the careless manners of the soldiery, it is not to be expected that much could be done under such circumstances by a humble minister of the Gospel in advancing the spiritual condition of the people; nevertheless, he did what he could for the support of the cause in which he was engaged, and his name is still held in respectful remembrance by the few living remnants of the early settlers of Marietta. He died the 30th day of December, 1804, aged forty-nine years.
-
Presented by Mars Preston , Detroit Mich 70. GrowRobinson
July 1866
1
3733
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.