USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume I > Part 68
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Lewis Post No. 347 was organized on February 22, 1884, and has had a continuous history since the day of its organization. It appears that there was another post or probably two, organized in Xenia prior to the Lewis post, but neither organization was permanent. Scott Post No. 45 was organized on September 14, 1869, with twenty-two charter members, but for various reasons it surrendered its charter and was disbanded before 1884. Some of the old soldiers also recall a post known as the Steele post, but no definite data seems to have been preserved concerning it. However, it may be said that practically all of the members of these two first organizations later became identified with Lewis post.
The charter members of Lewis post were as follows: H. McQuiston, L. H. Whiteman, W. R. Baker, Joseph C. Stewart, S. N. Adams, John A. Hivling, S. M. Stark, A. H. Brundage, R. M. Stewart, Robert Lytle, W. P. Holtzapple, F. D. Torrence, John G. McPherson, John B. Gowdy, Martin V. Lucas, J. H. Kyle, R. C. Strong, W. H. Harry, H. H. Eavey, John P. Kellogg, William H. Glotfelter, J. H. Matthews, T. E. Scroggy, J. H. McPherson, William Harner and W. W. Brock. These twenty-six charter members formed the nucleus of one of the strongest organizations of the Grand Army of the Republic in the
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
state for a city the size of Xenia. Members have been added year by year, and about three hundred and forty have been on the roster of the post at one time or another. Deaths, removals and non-payment of dues have decreased the former large membership until on April 20, 1918, there were only fifty-seven members remaining. During the year closing April 1, 1918, there were ten deaths. H. H. Eavey, one of the charter members, died on April 19, 1918.
The post was named in honor of John Lewis, captain of two different companies in two different regiments. He was commissioned captain of Company E, Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on June 20, 1862, and resigned his command on December 2, 1862. His second commission as captain was dated December 23, 1863, at which time he took command of Company K, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served as captain of this company until he was mustered out on July 13, 1865.
Two important dates stand out in the history of the local post. One was the year of the centennial celebration, 1908, the other being in 1910, the year the local post entertained the state encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. During the centennial week of 1908 one day was set aside as military day, and on that day Lewis Post had a grand parade which included practically all of the old soldiers of the county. While this occa- sion was a memorable one, it was left for the state encampment to give the veterans an opportunity to make the grandest showing of any year since the Civil War.
The encampment was held in June, 1910, and the celebration extended over five days. One of the biggest problems connected with the celebration was the matter of raising the money to defray the expenses. When it is stated that it took five thousand dollars to finance the celebration, and that this was raised without a cent of expense to the post or the citizens of the city it will be seen that the affair was well managed. The citizens at the outset pledged nineteen hundred dollars, while the post itself guar- anteed one hundred and seventy-five dollars, but this was estimated to be not more than half the sum required. It was at this juncture that Earl Eavey, as chairman of the finance committee, prepared a letter which he proposed that each merchant and business man of the city should send out to all the firms with which they did business, the letter to be signed by the local merchant or business man, setting forth the fact that the local post was going to entertain the state encampment. These hundreds of letters went to all corners of the United States, and although no one firm was asked to contribute more than five dollars, the response was so generous that more than five thousand dollars was raised in this manner. When all the expenses were met at the close of the encampment there was sufficient money on hands to redeem every pledge made by the business men of the
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
town and also the guarantee of the local post. It was estimated that more than three thousand Civil . War and Mexican War veterans were present during the week.
In the spring of 1910 the Sons of Veterans secured the large cannon which now adorns the corner of the court house yard, the coming state encampment being responsible for the cannon being secured in that year. The post met in various places prior to the completion of the present court house, but since it has been opened the post has had commodious quarters in a room in the basement. Here the regular meetings are held on the sec- ond and fourth Thursdays of each month in the year.
The present membership (April 20, 1918) includes the following : Harmon Anderson, Henry Anderson, David F. Baker, John I. Barrows, Albert Burrell, Edward S. Barnett, J. C. Bratton, D. R. Brewer, George H. Burch, C. C. Buckles, D. Calhoun, D. F. Conklin, H. H. Conklin, J. M. Cooper, I. T. Cummins, James M. Collins, D. M. Doggett, Dr. J. P. Dice, William Ellsberry, Henry Eichman, Samuel N. Ellis, Josiah Espey, Joseph Gerard, Jacob Gnaga, John W. Hedges, J. A. Humston, John N. Haynes, George Harner, William B. Holtzapple, George Jenkins, William H. King, Charles Ledbetter, N. C. Litler, J. H. McPherson, William A. Manor, George M. Moore, Thomas M. Moore, James H. Matthews, Samuel New- ton, Stephen Pennington, Jacob Persinger, John W. Peterson, Samuel R. Poland, Levi Rader, John W. Rhoades, Joseph Robinett, Robert S. Spahr, William I. Smith, Daniel M. Stewart, Joshua Simmons (Mexican and Civil Wars), Charles Thompson, S. K. Williamson, E. J. Williamson, William Wheeler, Oliver Whitson, C. W. Wilson and H. B. Williams-total, fifty- seven.
The officers for the year 1918 are the following: W. I. Smith, com- mander; H. H. Conklin, senior vice-commander; S. P. Pennington, junior vice-commander; D. M. Doggett, chaplain; J. H. McPherson, adjutant ; T. M. Moore, sergeant major; J. W. Hedges, quartermaster sergeant ; C. W. Wilson, surgeon; C. C. Buckles, officer of the day; N. C. Litler, officer of the guard.
There is no record of the colored soldiers which Greene county fur- nished during the Civil War, the records of the state adjutant general not indicating the color of the volunteers. The same year that the white sol- diers of the county organized Lewis Post, the colored soldiers of the county applied for a charter for a post and it was granted in the fall of 1884.
Daniels Post No. 500 was organized on September 18, 1884, with the following charter members: John Jackson, Levi Moore, Charles E. Nichols, Thomas A. Conrad, John A. Kirk, John W. Clifton, Charles Page, Richard Hubanks, John A. Evans, Moses Swisher, Abner Bizzell, Greenville Hern,
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
Buel Murphy, Jethro Hurst, Robert Leach, George Porter, George Hunter, Oscar Fairfax, Robert Cameron, William Steele, John Cosby, Willis Moxty, James N. Dotch, George Washington, William Jamison, Sterling Evans, Weston Lewis, Douglass Gilbert, Henry Haley, Buford Beatty, James Glass, Nathaniel Holton, Samuel Jackson, James Collins, Richard Lamb, John Bass, John Payne, Joseph Craig and Thomas Robinson.
The post added new members from year to year until it had about one hundred and fifty on its roll, but deaths, removals and suspension for non-payment of dues have so reduced the membership that it has not had regular meetings for some time. Enough of the members still pay their dues to give the post a legal existence.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
MILITARY HISTORY.
Greene county has had participants in every war which the United States has waged from the Revolutionary War down to the present great world struggle. It will never be known how many soldiers of the Revolu- tionary War settled in Greene county, but the number is considerable. The fact that two-thirds of the county falls within the Virginia Military Survey is responsible for several of them, but there were a number who located on congress land. The various expeditions against the Indians between the close of the Revolution and the War of 1812 also included men who became residents of Greene county, while the War of 1812 enrolled at one time or another practically every available man of military age within the county. Not all of these saw service at the front, but they were mobilized for service and most of them were called out for duty at some time during the progress of the war. The Mexican War found Greene county again furnishing men for various Ohio regiments, but the state kept no record of enlistments by counties at that time, and hence it is impossible to tell how many actually went from the county. Two Mexican War veterans are still living in the county, William Huston and Joshua Simmons.
The Civil War witnessed hundreds of Greene county boys going to the front-in fact, Greene county is credited with furnishing more soldiers for the Civil War in proportion to its population than any other county in the state. To this day there is a dispute between some of the townships of the county as to which furnished the most troops in proportion to its population. The Spanish-American War found Greene county again at the front, and doing its duty as nobly as it had always done in the past. As this volume is being written the county is furnishing men day by day and week by week for the greatest war the world has ever known. Already hundreds of men have enlisted and the end is not yet in sight, but it can be said that Greene county is fully doing its share to make the world safe for democracy. The next history of the county will have to tell of the part it took in this fearful struggle, but when it is written the names of hundreds of Greene county boys will be found to have been enrolled for service under the Stars and Stripes.
Little definite information has been preserved concerning the part the early settlers of the county played in the Indian struggles prior to the open-
.
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
ing of the War of 1812. It must be remembered that there was no Greene county before the spring of 1803, although scores of the first settlers of the county saw some kind of military service prior to 1812. The expeditions which were waged by St. Clair, Harmar, Wayne, Wilkinson, Clark and other leaders against the Indians included men who later located in Greene county, many of whom saw service in the War of 1812.
In the history of Greene county published in 1902, George F. Robinson enumerated all of the soldiers of the War of 1812 which he had been able to identify as belonging to the county. ' He arranges them alphabetically and as nearly as possible identifies them with the township where they set- tled. His list includes eight hundred and sixty men, who, according to his investigations, took part in the War of 1812 and were then or later settlers in Greene county. When he could locate the company to which they were attached, along with the captain of the company, he includes this fact with their name. He also gives the date of death wherever known, as well as the place of burial. The county certainly is indebted to Robinson for his indefatigable labor in collecting all this invaluable data. In view of the fact that his record has been published it seems unnecessary to repeat it in this connection, and the historian of this volume wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to him for some of the facts here presented concerning Greene county's part in that war.
THE WAR OF 1812.
Congress declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812, and since the early events of the war took place around Lake Erie the state of Ohio furnished more troops at the outset than any other state in the Union. Dur- ing the fall and winter of that year the local militia companies of all the counties in Ohio were getting ready for service and many of them were sent north to the lake, the settlers of Greene county frequently being called on for companies for short expeditions. Among the captains of local com- panies during the progress of the war were Robert Gowdy, James Steele, J. Shingledecker, Robert McClellan, Joseph Lucas, Samuel Stewart, Thomas Constant, Rees Baldwin, John Clarke, Peter Price, William Stevenson, George Logan, William Harpole, Samuel Herod, John Watson, Zachariah Ferguson, George Jenkins, Robert Buckles, Thomas Gillespie and John Smith. Benjamin Whiteman was a lieutenant colonel; William Maxwell, William Buckles and William Beatty were majors.
General Hull, former governor of Michigan Territory, was appointed commander of the Army of the West and arrived at Dayton to take charge of the three regiments of Ohio troops on May 25, 1812, about three weeks before war was actually declared. General Hull was seventy years of age at this time, an old man in his dotage, and although he made a fine record
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in the Revolutionary War, yet it was a fearful mistake to put him in com- mand of such a body of troops as he faced on May 25, 1812. He left Dayton on June 1, 1812, for Detroit, passing through the northwestern corner of Greene county on his way through to Urbana where he was to await further orders. He arrived at Urbana on June 8 and left there one week later, arriving in Detroit about the middle of July. He went into camp and remained on the defensive until August 16, 1812, when he sur- rendered to the British forces without firing a shot.
The news of the surrender did not reach Xenia until more than a month later, all of the authorities uniting in declaring that it was not until September 22 that it was known in the town. It threw the entire state into consternation; no one knew what to expect from the Indians; many imagined that they would descend on the frontier counties and massacre the settlers by the thousands. Another cause for apprehension was the fact that the government had collected stores of war material at Piqua and there seemed imminent danger that the savages would seize them. The news, therefore, that Detroit had fallen, that the American army, the only one in the West, were prisoners, was certainly enough to excite the settlers to a frenzy of excitement.
September 22, 1812, fell on Saturday and it is probable that Xenia has never experienced a more exciting night in its whole career than that night. Riders were sent out all over the county, informing the captains of the militia companies in the various townships of the county that they should immediately get their men together and be ready to move to Piqua on Sunday morning. Seven o'clock, Sunday morning, September 23, 1812, saw seventy sturdy pioneers drawn up before the little court house in Xenia ready to depart for Piqua. The captain was James Steele, then a resident of Sugarcreek township. The company was hurried overland by forced march to Piqua where there were stored stores of war material to the value of forty thousand dollars. There were hundreds of Indians in the imme- diate neighborhood and there was no way of telling when they might attack the town and seize the goods. All day Sunday Greene county was in a state of excitement; horsemen were to be seen up and down all the roads order- ing out every citizen of military age; a rendezvous was appointed and the men were told to be there on Monday morning. And they were there -- seven more companies of pioneers. On this eventful Monday of Septem- ber 24, 1812, they marched across the country to Piqua, being joined by other companies from other counties. The net result of this sudden display of armed men was sufficient to convince the Indians that they had no chance of taking the stores at Piqua, even had they entertained such an idea. The supplies were removed to Dayton at once and placed under a strong guard.
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and the local companies returned to their several homes to await further call.
During the progress of the war the local companies were called out on a number of occasions. When Ft. Meigs was being besieged in May, 1813, Greene county was called upon for troops and furnished all that were called for-about seven hundred. Most of the men were mounted. They were out only a short time. In August, 1813, another call was made on the county and this time a company was furnished to guard a train of provisions which was to be taken from Ft. McArthur to Ft. Finley. The fifty-two men from the county on this third call performed the duty assigned them and later voted to join a detachment at Upper Sandusky. This is the last call on record for troops from Greene county in the war.
One feature of the War of 1812 which deserves notice is the fact that it undoubtedly was the means of bringing hundreds of settlers to the county. Thousands of men from Kentucky and Tennessee passed up and down the valley of the Little Miami from 1812 to 1815, and it is known that large numbers of them afterward settled in this section. Of this number, Greene county received a goodly share. Again, it should be stated that the war brought to an end any fear of an Indian uprising, a fear which had no doubt kept many settlers from venturing into this section of the state prior to that time. On the whole, it may be said that the war was a good thing for Greene county. The descendants of the old soldiers of the War of 1812 are living in the county today by the hundreds and they should be proud of the service which their forefathers rendered their country.
THE CIVIL WAR.
It will never be possible to write the complete history of the Civil War. The enumeration of all the men who went to the front, a list of all those who died in the service and the number of those who returned may be compiled with a fair degree of accuracy. It is possible to ascertain how much money the county commissioners appropriated for relief, or for bounties, and how much the various townships raised for war purposes. In other words, it is possible to set down the number of men and the amount of money expended on account of the war-these things are tangible.
But who can measure the heartaches, the sleepless nights, the days of longing and nights of waiting? Who can describe the anguish suffered by the women who waited for husbands who never returned, or measure the grief of the children who waited in vain for the father who was left on a Southern battlefield? There are some things which cannot be measured by a foot-rule or weighed by a scale-and these are some of them. Three thousand five hundred and fifty-four men from Greene county-and most of these were. under twenty-five-went to the front, and they left at least that many hearts
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
behind to await their return. Day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year, they waited; the toll of the dead, wounded and captured appeared in the Xenia papers week-by week as the war progressed. Who can describe the fear and trembling with which hundreds of fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts picked up the weekly paper and looked to see whether the name of one dear to them was among the dead, or the wounded, or the captured? These are some of the things which baffle the pen of the historian. Therefore, may it again be said-the complete history of the Civil War in Greene county can never be written.
GREENE COUNTY ENLISTMENTS IN THE CIVIL WAR.
A careful summary of the number of soldiers Greene county furnished for the Civil War was published by the county commissioners in 1895. The compilation was in charge of George F. Robinson, who had access to all the available records and spent more than a year in the work of collecting the data. The county appropriated one hundred and fifty dollars to defray the expense of publication. Mr. Robinson gives the name, rank, company, regiment and branch of service of each enlisted man, arranging them by townships. He also indicates re-enlistments where ascertained. The volume of one hundred and ten pages was issued under the title of "After Thirty Years." The following summary of this interesting volume has been made by the present historian :
Townships.
Single Enlistments.
1860 Population.
Percentage.
Bath
356
2,713
13.9
Beavercreek
329
2,230
14.7
Caesarscreek
I2I
1,183
IO.2
Cedarville
308
2,257
13.5
Jefferson
140
1,280
10.9
Miami
87
893
9.7
New Jasper
487
893
9.7
Ross
83
1,212
6.0
Silvercreek
1
215
1,676
13.3
Spring Valley
1
I
1
215
1,403
15.3
Sugarcreek
204
1,635
12.4
Xenia
1,082
6,977
15.5
Totals
3,554
26,290
13.5
I
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
İ
1
!
1
1
1
1
1 1
1
1
This total of 3,554 enlistments does not include those who enlisted more than once, but represents that number of men who went to the front. The federal census of 1860 gave the county a population of 26,290, and this means
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
that the county sent 13.5 per cent. of its total population to the front. Basing the percentage of enlistments on the population of the various townships in 1860, it will be seen that Miami township furnished more soldiers for the war than any other. Its percentage of 16 per cent. is slightly more than that of Xenia. Upon this basis the townships rank as follows: Miami, Xenia, Spring Valley, Beavercreek, Bath, Cedarville, Silvercreek, Sugarcreek, Jefferson, Caesarscreek, New Jasper and Ross. The grand average for the county is exceeded by four of the townships.
There seems to have been a dispute in the county for a number of years in regard to which township in the county is entitled to the credit for furnishing the most volunteers. As a matter of fact it is practically impossible to deter- mine such a question, for the reason that many volunteers enlisted from a township and were not credited to it. Spring Valley claims to this day that some of its men enlisted at Xenia and were credited to that township, when as a matter of justice they should have been credited to Spring Valley township.
This brings up the long-standing question as to the history of the famous flag, which might very properly be called a service flag, that was given to the county years ago. The history of this flag is shrouded in mystery, and the most searching investigation has failed to reveal its origin. There are certain undisputed facts connected with it, facts which may briefly be stated. It was given by someone, and not the war department or the United States govern- ment in any capacity, to the state which furnished the largest number of troops in the Civil War, and then the state in turn gave the flag to the county which had furnished the most troops in proportion to its military population. The flag came to Ohio and someone in authority at Columbus turned it over to Greene county. For years it has been in the home of the late H. H. Eavey, who, as a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, acted as custodian of the flag. This much is undisputed. But who originated the idea of giving the flag, when it was given, or the motive back of the gift are some things concerning which there seems to be no definite information. Sum- ming up the vest evidence obtainable, it appears that the flag was the idea of the Republican party, or some group of Republicans; that this group of men conceived the idea of giving such a flag in the campaign of 1868 in order to arouse enthusiasm in behalf of the candidacy of Grant for the presidency. If it was not in 1868, it was certainly not later than the 1872 campaign. Upon coming to Greene county the flag was kept in the court house for a number of years, and then the Lewis Post of Xenia passed a resolution which made it the property of that post, a resolution which has never been changed. It might be said that the flag disappeared for a number of years, but finally turned up again in Xenia.
The flag is made of silk, long since faced with cloth to keep it intact, and
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
is about fifteen feet in length. It consists of bars of red, white and blue, with- out the blue field and stars. It has a gilt inscription on it to the effect that it is given to the state and county furnishing the most troops in the Civil War.
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR.
The first official notice that the people of Greene county had of the opening of hostilities in the Civil War was given in the issue of the Xenia Torchlight, April 17, 1861. When the people of the county picked up this particular issue . they were confronted with these ominous words :
THE CRISIS IS UPON US! TO THE RESCUE! Let Loyal Men and True Patriots Rally to the Call of Their Country.
Following this startling heading the editor of the paper enters into a patriotic discussion of the causes leading up to the war and sets forth in burning language the duty of every able-bodied citizen. Let some of his words be quoted in this connection that the present generation, now in the midst of the greatest war the world has ever seen, may see the spirit which prevailed in the '60s.
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