USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of Dayton, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of some of its pioneer and prominent citizens Vol. 1 > Part 30
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January 16, 1846, the intelligence was published in the Dayton papers, that the position and movements of the United States troops at Corpus Christi, ever since General Taylor had been there, had caused much alarm, fear, and jealousy in the minds of the Mexicans. They seemed to be hourly expecting that the United States troops would march upon Matamoras, seize upon that place, and march thence upon other cities. On April 17th the Dayton Journal said that General Taylor, in his advance, met two parties of Mexicans on the Rio Grande; that these Mexicans had orders to fire upon the Americans, but that they did not fire, and that no blood was shed. Immediately upon the receipt of the news that General Taylor's refusal to withdraw beyond the Nueces, in accordance with the demand of General Ampudia, was the cause of the declaration of war by the Mexican general, and that as a consequence, men were needed for the defense of the country, the governor of Texas called out two thousand and four hundred troops, and the governor of
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Louisiana called ont two thousand and five hundred troops. On May 11, 1846, President Polk called for fifty thousand men and ten million dollars for the war. On May 13th war was officially declared.
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By May 19th there was considerable war spirit manifested in Dayton. Not only among the militia companies, but among the citizens generally, there were indications of a prevailing desire to take part in the contest. The militia of the county, organized as the First Brigade, which was commanded by Brigadier-General Adam Speice, was attached to the Tenth Division of Ohio Militia, all under the command of Major-General Hiram Bell, of Greenville. In order to give such of the militia as desired to enlist, an opportunity to do so, an office was opened for recruiting at the office of T. B. Tilton, and by the 20th of May about twenty-five names had been enrolled. On the 21st, a public meeting was held at the City Hall, which was " literally jammed full of people." General Adam Speice was called to the chair, and Major Thomas B. Tilton appointed secretary. The chairman stated that the object of the meeting was to give an expression of the sentiment of the people with reference to the war, and to adopt such measures as were calculated to encourage the enrollment of volunteers. Captain Luther Giddings, of the Dayton Cavalry, in response to a call, made some patriotic remarks, as did also Captain M. B. Walker, of the Germantown Cavalry; Major Tilton; Captain Lewis Hormell, of the Dayton National Guards; Lieutenant Atlas Stout, of the Dayton Gun Squad; Lieutenant John Love, of the United States Army, and others.
At the close of the speaking, the following resolutions were offered and adopted :
" WHEREAS, The military despot who has recently usurped the gov- ernment of Mexico, has refused to receive the olive branch borne to the gates of his capital by a minister of the United States; has concentrated his forces upon our southern frontier, and commenced with murder an offensive war; therefore,
"Resolved, That we view with satisfaction the promptness with which our congress has drawn the sword and appealed to the God of battles to establish-what has been as carnestly sought as it has been insolently refused-peace with Mexico and peace with Texas.
"Resolved, That it becomes us as American citizens, desiring the success of our arms, to cast off the shackles of party and unite in carry- ing our country speedily and triumphantly through the war.
"Resolved, That, as it is our duty as soldiers to be always ready, we will exert ourselves to fill up the ranks of our companies, and whenever the requisite number of good and true men shall have been obtained, we
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will march to the seat of war, rejoicing in the opportunity afforded of defending our country."
At that time Honorable Mordecai Bartley was governor of Ohio. On the 20th of the month, the governor, in compliance with the presi- dent's requisition, issued General Order Number 1, calling upon division generals to muster their commands at once, and thus ascertain how many men would enlist as infantry or riflemen for twelve months' service, unless sooner discharged. Major-General Bell, who was at Greenville,~ received the order on the 23d, and immediately ordered the Tenth Division to assemble by brigades at the following places: The First Brigade at Dayton, May 26th; the Second at Troy, May 27th; the Third at Sidney, May 28th; and the Fourth at Greenville, May 29th. Ohio was called on for three regiments, an aggregate number of two thousand, three hundred and thirty-one men. Upon the receipt of this order of General Bell's, General Adam Speice, on the 25th of the month, issued his General Order Number 1, ordering the commandants of companies to parade at Dayton on the 26th, with their full strength, "armed and equipped according to law." At eleven o'clock on that morning, nine companies reported and paraded the streets, with the view of immediate organization for the service of the United States. They marched to the southern part of the city, where they were addressed by Major-General Bell. As the numbers of the companies were not full, the general gave the several commandants another day to see their men. The National Guard began recruiting at their armory, on the north side of Second Street; the Dayton Dragoons at McCann's store, northeast corner of Third and Jefferson streets, but receiving the information that the gov- ernment would not receive cavalry, they the next day organized as the Dayton Riflemen.
On May 28th a meeting was held at the City Hall. Enthusiastic men of all parties participated in the proceedings. A series of resolutions was adopted to the effect that whatever differences of opinion may have existed, or might still exist with reference to the causes or the necessity of the war with Mexico, now that it had actually begun, it was the duty of every citizen, as well as the dictate of enlightened patriotism, to forego those differences of opinion, and to forget all other and meaner considerations for that of the glory of our cherished country, and ap- proving the call for fifty thousand men to carry on the war. Other resolutions were adopted, among them one moved by John G. Lowe, providing for the appointment of a committee of five to procure a loan of money to be disbursed on the order of General Speice, to defray the expenses of the volunteers from Montgomery County until they should
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be mustered into the service of the United States. The committee con- sisted of Thomas Brown, Peter Odlin, William Eaker, T. J. S. Smith, and F. Gebhart. An executive committee of twenty was then appointed to raise funds for the support of the families of the volunteers during their absence in the war, the committee being as follows: Alexander Swaynie, Robert W. Steelc, H. G. Phillips, P. P. Lowe, Henry L. Brown, and Samuel Marshall, of Dayton; Joseph Barnett, of Harrison Township; Jefferson Patterson, of Van Buren Township; Henry S. Gunckel, of German Township; Jonathan Harshman, of Mad River Township; John Conley, of Miami Township; John Burnett, of Jefferson Township; John Sherer, of Randolph Township; James Patterson, of Madison Township; Henry Shidler, of Jackson Township; William Baggott, of Butler Township; Amos Irwin, of Washington Township; Moses Sherer, of Wayne Township; Isaac Voorhees, of Clay Township, and Dr. Linds- ley, of Perry Township. The committee was organized by the selection of H. G. Phillips, chairman; Robert W. Steele, secretary, and Henry L. Brown, treasurer. General Speice established his depot and headquarters at the corner of Jefferson and Third streets, and detailed Major Tilton as mustering officer in command of the volunteers. By June Ist one hundred and seventeen men were enrolled, fifty-two belonging to Captain Gid- dings' rifle company, and the remainder to the German National Guard. The Dayton Riflemen were organized on the 30th of May, with the following officers: Captain, Luther Giddings; first lieutenant, D. Long; second lieutenant, D. Brecount; first sergeant, J. P. Speice; second sergeant, N. Allen; third sergeant, G. Coon; fourth sergeant, C. L. Helrigle; first corporal, W. G. Davis; second corporal, V. B. Howard; third corporal, John Smith; fourth corporal, James Craig. Camp Washington was established in Mill Creek Valley, near Cincinnati, as a rendezvous for the Ohio volunteers, and Samuel R. Curtis, adjutant- general of the State, placed in command. The two companies from Dayton started for Camp Washington on the 4th of June, 1846. The Riffemen were under command of Captain Giddings and the National Guard under Captain Hormell. They went to Cincinnati by the canal, leaving Dayton at sunset. A beautiful flag was presented to the Riflemen by the citizens, before they left the city, which bore on one side an em- broidered cagle and the motto, "Our Country," and on the other side the State arms with the name, " Dayton Riflemen." The two companies were escorted to the canal by the Dragoons and a large concourse of people, and the banks of the canal were covered with spectators.
The National Guard was officered as follows: Captain, Lewis Hor- mell; first lieutenant, William Egry; second lieutenant, Christ Knecht;
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first sergeant, William Spangler; second sergeant, Peter Weist; third sergeant, Adam Ziller; fourth sergeant, Frederick Ploch.
When these two companies left Dayton, there was being enrolled another company, which for a time was known as the "Tall Company." The aggregate height of the first twenty-one men enrolled was one hundred and twenty-three feet, an average of very nearly six feet. By the 8th of June this company had sixty-two men enrolled. It was officered as follows: Captain, A. L. Stout; first lieutenant, Daniel Tucker; second lieutenant, J. M. D. Foreman; first sergeant, M. Umbaugh; second ser- geant, Owen Smith; third sergeant, Joshua Bowersock; fourth sergeant, William Anderson; corporals, Lewis Motter, Russel George, Boyer Decker, and Andrew Curtner. This company left Dayton for Camp Washington, June 9, 1846, at ten A. M., amid the cheers of the men and the waving of handkerchiefs by the women. The first two companies that left Dayton, as above narrated, had in their ranks when they left the city, ninety-six and ninety-two men respectively, and in order to reduce the size of the companies, any who desired to do so had the privilege granted them of returning home, and though it was not a very popular step to take, yet several availed themselves of the privilege, and by this means the number in each company was reduced to seventy-seven men. These two companies were incorporated into the First Regiment, while the third company was excluded from all organizations for the reason that too many men volunteered for the necessities of the service. But this company of Captain Stout's had in it two Germans, while the Dayton National Guard had in it two Americans, and at Camp Wash- ington the two captains made an even trade, two Americans for two Germans, in order that the German company, the National Guard, might be all Germans. On June 24th, the returned company, sadly disappointed because they were not accepted, passed a series of resolutions strongly denouncing the State authorities for having rejected them, the company being under the impression at the time that their rejection was on account of political reasons.
The three regiments which Ohio was asked to furnish were all organ- ized at Camp Washington on the 23d of June. The officers of the First Regiment were as follows: Colonel, Alexander M. Mitchell, of Cincin- nati; lieutenant-colonel, John B. Weller, of Butler County; Major, Thomas L. Hamer, of Brown County; and the two Dayton companies (the Rifles and the Guard) became Company B and Company C respect- ively of this regiment.
On the 2d of July, the three Ohio regiments marched from Camp Washington into Cincinnati, and embarked on the steamers New World
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and North Carolina, at the foot of Broadway. These three regiments arrived at Point Isabel about July 15th, and according to a letter from the German company, they all enjoyed good health, the climate was fine, and the water good. In August they were at Fort Belknap, on the Texas side of the Rio Grande. Captain Giddings, of Company B, was pro- moted to major; Lieutenant Brecount was elected captain; Sergeant J. P. Speice, second lieutenant, and Nathan Allen orderly sergeant. At Camargo, Captain Brecount resigned, and Lieutenant Speice died, his death occurring on the 27th of August, 1846. August Rex, first sergeant of Captain Hormell's company, died the day before. Lieutenant David Long was promoted to captain, and Sergeant Nathan Allen was promoted to second lieutenant. At the battle of Monterey, Colonel Mitchell was severely wounded, as was also Lieutenant-Colonel Weller, and thus the command of the regiment devolved upon Major Giddings. In this battle the Ohio soldiers bore themselves with conspicuous bravery, most of the companies remaining compactly together throughout the day. The battle was described in a letter published in the Cincinnati Allas as the greatest achievement of modern times, and the loss in the battle was only thirty men in General Worth's command, eight of these being from Dayton. One of the killed was Corporal William G. Davis, and one of the wounded Lieutenant L. Motter.
During the winter of 1846-1847 it was decided to raise a regiment for the regular army, the Fifteenth, to serve during the Mexican war. This . regiment was to be recruited in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin. E. A. King, of Dayton, was appointed a captain in this regiment, and Thomas B. Tilton lieutenant. Of this company, twenty-two men were from Montgomery County, and thirty-eight from Logan County. It left Dayton for Cincinnati, April 24, 1847, a large concourse being in the neighborhood of the packet depot to witness its departure. Mayor Mckinney, on behalf of the citizens, bade the boys farewell, and Captain King responded on behalf of the soldiers. There were five Ohio com- panies in the regiment, three from Michigan and two from Wisconsin. The colonel was George W. Morgan; lieutenant-colonel, John Howard, of Michigan, and the major, Samuel Woods. The Michigan and Wis- consin companies passed through Dayton on their way to the war, May 12, 1847.
The same day on which these companies passed through the city, news was received that the two companies that first went out to the war, Companies B and C of the First Ohio Regiment, were on their way home from Mexico, and it was immediately determined to give them an appropriate reception. A committee was appointed to arrange the recep-
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tion ceremonies. A meeting of this committee was held on the 17th to complete the arrangements. The Dayton Rifles, Company B, was mus- tered out at New Orleans on the 11th of June, and Captain Hormell's Company C on the 12th. Company B reached Dayton on the 26th of the month with but forty men. The regiment, when it left Cincinnati the year before, numbered about eight hundred men. Of this number thirty-three had died of disease, one had been accidentally killed by a comrade, six had been murdered by the Mexicans, sixteen had been killed at the battle of Monterey, and two at the battle of Ceralvo. The average strength of the regiment had been five hundred and thirty-three. Upon . the arrival of the forty men in Dayton, the people turned out en masse to receive them. Citizens from the town and country, with the militia, with the brass band and the gun squad, assembled at the foot of Main Street, upon the canal, to the number of about five thousand. The volunteers were escorted to the National House, where a speech of welcome was made to them by Mayor Mckinney. 'Major Giddings made a speech in reply, in which he alluded to the trials through which they had passed while away from home, to the small number of those that returned, to the twenty-one who had been buried in Mexico, and to the flag which had been presented to them by the ladies of Dayton before they went away, and which they had brought back with them, tattered and torn, but with untarnished honor. Cheer upon cheer was given to the brave volunteers, and crowds waited upon each man to his home.
Captain Hormell's company, the National Guard, reached home on Tuesday, the 29th of the same month. They were welcomed at the National House by J. W. McCorkle in a brief but cloquent address.
The volunteers under the first call having served their term and been discharged, another call was made upon Ohio for & regiment of soldiers. The Dayton German Grenadiers was raised under this call, and was officered as follows: Captain, John Werner; first lieutenant, John Fries; second lieutenant, Henry Toepfer. There were one hundred enlisted men in this company-thirty-five from Montgomery County, twenty-five from Columbus, and the rest from the vicinity of Bremen. On May 31st they were escorted to the public landing, where they boarded the packet for Cincinnati, and were there assigned to the Fourth Ohio Regiment. Of this regiment Captain Werner was made lieutenant-colonel, Lieutenant Fries was promoted captain, Henry Toepfer became first lieutenant, and Will- iam Graebe second lieutenant. . C. H. Brough was made colonel of the regiment. The regiment was with General Scott at Contreras, Cheru- busco, Chapultepec, and the city of Mexico. At the storming of the city of Mexico the Dayton company suffered severely, Lieutenant
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Toepfer and a number of his men being killed. Captain John Fries was wounded. In February, 1848, the regiment was on garrison duty at Puebla, and in July, 1848, the Dayton company returned home with only thirty-six men. Upon their arrival they were escorted by the National Guard and artillery to the common just east of Bainbridge Street, near Third, where a grand dinner was served.
An incident occurred in September, 1847, to which considerable interest attached at the time. It is well known by all who have given attention to the history of the Mexican war, that there was a large party in the country at the time who disapproved of the war from its com- mencement, and that there were some who condemned, if they did not oppose it, all the way through. This was the case very generally with the Whigs. The sentiment of those opposed to the war is perhaps as well expressed in the following resolution introduced into congress by the Hon. Thomas HI. Benton, as in any language that was used by anyone in connection with the subject:
"Resolved, That the incorporation of the left bank of the Rio del Norte, in the American Union, by virtue of a treaty with Texas, com- prehending in the said incorporation certain portions of the Mexican departments of New Mexico, Coahuila, and Taumalipas, would be a direct aggression on Mexico, for all the consequences of which the United States would stand responsible."
The Hon. Thomas Corwin, then United States senator from Ohio, and ' the IIon. Robert C. Schenck, then representative in congress from this dis- trict, were conspicuous in their condemnation of the war and its objects. This course was very distasteful to many if not to most of the soldiers who went into the army from Dayton. In order to give expression to their views, a meeting was held by the returned volunteers September 18, 1847, at which they adopted a long series of resolutions. The meeting was held at the Farmers and Mechanics' Hotel. Captain Hormell was made chairman of the meeting, and M. H. Umbaugh secretary. The object of the meeting, as stated by the presiding officer, was to make arrangements for the celebration of the battle of Monterey. The committee on resolu- tions consisted of Lieutenant McCarter, Lieutenant Kline, Lieutenant Knecht, and Sergeants Coon and George. There were thirteen resolutions in the series, two of which, together with the preamble, were as follows:
" WHEREAS, We have in contemplation the celebration of one of the most glorious achievements of American arms, the storming and capture of the Mexican city of Monterey, and deeming it necessary to vindicate ourselves from the stigma which a portion of the American people seem desirous of casting upon us, by denouncing the war in which we fought
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as unrighteous, unholy, damnable, and unjust, we give expression to our views in the following resolutions:
"Resolved, That we consider the present war between the United States and Mexico as first brought on by the act of Mexico by refusing to amicably adjust the difficulties existing between us, with having ordered her troops to cross the Rio Grande and attack the American arms.
"Resolved, That hostilities having thus commenced, and war having been thus declared actually to exist by the act of Mexico, it became the duty of every patriotic citizen to give it his entire and cordial support until Mexico should be forced to terms of peace."
Other resolutions were very severe in their criticisms upon Senator Corwin and Hon. R. C. Schenck for the course they had pursued in congress, and the twelfth resolution extended a cordial invitation to the military of the city to unite in the celebration of the anniversary of the battle of Monterey.
This war was brought to a close early in 1848, by a treaty of peace which was made February 2d, of that year, and which was ratified by the senate of the United States, March, 10th, following. By this treaty the boundary line was defined as follows: The Rio Grande, from its mouth to the southern limits of New Mexico; thence westward along the southern, and northward along the western boundary of that territory to the River Gila; thence down that river to the Colorado, and thence westward to the Pacific Ocean. The United States agreed to pay to Mexico fifteen million dollars, and to assume all debts due from the Mexican government to American citizens, to any amount not to exceed three million five hundred thousand dollars. Peace was proclaimed by President Polk, July 4, 1848.
Although the war of the rebellion did not actually commence until the firing upon Fort Sumter took place, yet the events of the political arena occurring during the latter part of 1860 and the early part of 1861, were so intimately related to that great struggle that it is deemed proper to introduce the history of this conflict with a brief reference to the leading movements of both the great political parties immediately precedent to the initiation of the strife. The Republican National Conven- tion assembled in Chicago on the 16th of May, 1860. After the usual contest among the several candidates for the nomination for the presidency, the convention nominated Abraham Lincoln on the 17th of May.
It is a remarkable fact, and one that may not be remembered by all who were cognizant of it at the time, that in October, 1859, eight months before the nomination was actually made by the Republican convention at Chicago, Abraham Lincoln had been named for the presidency at
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Dayton by the Hon. Robert C. Schenck, in a speech made from the same platform from which Mr. Lincoln had himself addressed the people but a few hours before.
The Wide Awakes, which played such an important part during the campaign which followed, held a meeting on Saturday night, June 9th, at which J. C. Healy was chairman and S. B. Jackson secretary. At this meeting the draft of a constitution was read, and on the 11th an organiza- tion was effected and the constitution adopted. G. G. Prugh was chosen president of the organization, and the vice-presidents, one for each ward of the city, were as follows: S. B. Leach, C. Snevely, A. W. Tenny, W. H. Rouzer, George Lehman, P. Lutzs; corresponding secretary, J. C. IIealy; recording secretary, Jolm McMasters; treasurer, John Procunier; executive committee, H. W. Orvis, chairman, Moses Crowell, John Winder, W. J. Comstock, George Gohen, S. A. Hendricks, and Noah Shaffer.
On the same day upon which the Wide Awakes held their first meet- ing as mentioned above, there was held a meeting of the Democrats which was addressed by George W. Houk, who had been a delegate to the Charleston convention, which failed to; nominate a candidate for the presidency. Mr. Houk dwelt at some length on the causes which led to the disruption of the convention, and was very severe upon the South- ern members thereof, by whose secession therefrom a nomination was prevented. J. Durbin Ward followed Mr. Houk, and after his address Mr. Hofer read a series of resolutions endorsing Mr. Houk's course at Charleston, and instructing him to vote for Stephen A. Douglas at Baltimore ..
At the presidential election, which occurred on the 6th of November, 1860, the following was the vote cast in the several wards for the several candidates, together with the total vote at the preceding October election :
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