History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 11

Author: Andrews, Martin Register, 1842-; Hathaway, Seymour J
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1490

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now rescued a second time from the British, Moses Cleaveland settled in 1796, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga.

The State of Virginia had also reserved the tract between the Scioto and Little Miami. To this region Col. Nathaniel Massie led a large party in 1796 and in the fertile plain on the Scioto founded the town of Chillicothe. The settlements grew rapidly and from them came the men who were destined in a great measure to manage the affairs of the new State for the first half century of its existence. Thus, with courage and fidelity the group of pioneers at the mouth of the Muskingum had laid a foundation cemented by religion and morality. It remained for another group of soldiers and statesmen, those on the Scioto and Miami, to erect the superstructure ; but in every line from floor to pinnacle of the fair edifice we can see evidence of the wisdom and strength of the first builders.

CAPTURE AND ESCAPE.

(Extract from the autobiography of Benjamin F. Stonc.)

In 1792. Moses Hewitt, a young man of Neal's Station, one mile up the Little Kanawha, was taken prisoner by the Indians. They kept him closely tied or closely watched; but one day, on the way, when they were letting him walk untied, they discovered a bee-tree and stopped to take the honey. There were three Indians. One started off some distance to fetch some water, leaving his gun at the bee- tree : one climbed the tree with his tomahawk to cut away an opening to the honey ; the third stood by the guns.

Hewitt pretended to be very anxious about getting the honey, but he had high hopes that the time of his escape was drawing near. Ile thought that the Indian would have to climb up to hand the tin pail to the other to put the honey in. In that case he thought he could easily shoot both, and have a loaded gun left with which he could kill the other as he should return with the water. But as soon as the Iu- dian on the tree wanted the bucket, he took

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from his pouch a long string and, holding one end, let the other down to be fastened to the pail. So all Hewitt's hopes were crossed.

Continuing their march, the party met some Indians and stopped and talked awhile. Hewitt lay down and pretended to be asleep. Drawing one hand over his face he could hear some words and see their gestures, as they pointed to him. He was convinced they meant to burn him when they should arrive at their towns.

They left him at their camp, safely tied, as they thought. As soon as they were out of sight he commenced struggling to get his hands loose. After several hours he succeeded. They had left a small piece of jerked meat in the camp. He took that and started, shaping his course as well as he could for the left branch of the Muskingum.

He traveled all that day and night and till dark next night. He then lay down, fell asleep and when he awoke the sun was an hour high. When he had reached the left branch of the Muskingum, he made a little raft of dry sticks on which he hastened down stream till within sight of Fort Frye at Waterford. He went ashore, and carefully advanced till he was wiithin speaking distance of the sentry. He was supplied with clothing and food and as soon as he was sufficiently recruited he re- turned to his friends at Little Kanawha. I re- member seeing him soon after at our garrison ( in Belpre) and hearing him relate the whole story.

REMINISCENCES OF WAR TIMES AND OF LATER YEARS.

By Col. Joseph Barker, a native of New Market. Now Hampshire.

In January, 1790, a new arrangement was made in the militia. A company of artillery was formed, commanded by Capt. William Mills, of Marietta, Lieut. George Ingersoll, of Belpre, and the late Gen. Joseph Buck, orderly sergeant. The infantry company was com- manded by Maj. Nathan Goodale, of Belpre. and Lieut. Anselm Tupper, of Marietta.

Early in the spring I was transferred from the artillery and made orderly sergeant of the company of infantry, and it became my duty to keep a roll of every person amenable to mili- tary service; to attend at the place of public worship with my roll ; call every man's name; examine his arms and ammunition, and see that he was equipped according to law. I had also to note down and report all delinquencies.

The territorial militia law made it the duty of the troops to assemble on Sunday morning at 10 o'clock for inspection. Those who at- tended public worship, and there were few who did not, after inspection marched from the pa- rade ground to the room where service was held, preceded by the clergyman and Colonel Sproat, the commandant at the Point garrison, with his Revolutionary sword drawn, and by General Putnam and General Tupper at the Campus Martius. The citizens generally fell into the ranks. and the procession moved in military array, to wait on divine service: the fife and drum supplying the place of the church- going bell in the Eastern States.

In case of an alarm on the Sabbath that por- tion of the congregation who were armed rushed out of the meeting to face the danger, or pursue the Indians, which several times happened.

Before the arrival of Rev. Daniel Story, who was the stated pastor, Thomas Lord, Esq., of Connecticut, who had been educated at Yale College, and studied theology preparatory to the ministry, officiated as clergyman for the settlement, but Dr. Story arrived in 1789 and was the regular clergyman after that time. Col. Ebenezer Battelle officiated and held read- ing meetings at Belpre and at Waterford.

Previous to the commencement of hostili- ties, by this weekly inspection ( when most of the citizens were at home on Sunday, who were away during the week ) the commandant was informed what proportion were armed and equipped to defend the settlement : emigrants frequently arrived without arms, so that the number of guns fell short of the number of men and the deficiency could not be made up in the settlement, and those persons only, who

HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,

were known to have arms, were proceeded against as delinquents. A short time previous to the war, Colonel Sproat had been authorized by the Secretary of War to enlist a company of men into the United States service, out of the settlers, to be employed in guarding and de- fending the settlements, and to superintend and distribute them to those points, which most needed their assistance, and to appoint a com- mittee to furnish subsistence for these troops. William Fearing was appointed such a commit- tee. Colonel Sproat was considered comman- der-in-chief of the military and his aid was solicited to procure arms for the citizens, who were deficient : he sent immediately to Pitts- burg to the commander of the old United States fort, who sent down about 30 old sol- dier's muskets, which had been thrown by as unfit for use, and very rusty and more or less damaged. The blacksmith was set to repair them, which were then distributed where the service most required ; powder and lead were furnished and cartridges fixed to suit each caliber. and deposited in the block-house, ready to be distributed in the first emergency.

It was not until June, 1792, that Colonel Sproat received two boxes, containing 25 stand each, of United States muskets, with bayonets, new from the factory, which were dealt out to the soldiers and inhabitants, on their sign- ing a receipt to return them, when called for, to Colonel Sproat. These arms were never called for and are now extant in the county.

The county was now considered well armed, nrany rifles were procured and brought into the county. Most of the Northern men previ- ous to coming here were unacquainted with the rifles and the woods ; but by practicing upon the example of those who had been educated among the woods and the Indians, they soon became good hunters and expert woodmen ; those who were well armed and were good marksmen were commonly selected as sentinels for the working parties, and were always ready to start upon any discovery or pursue an Indian trail. Thus by being familiar with danger and inured to the hazard of a re-encounter with their enemy, they had gained that confidence in

themselves which promised, in case of meeting an Indian, the odds of battle in their own favor. Many followed hunting continually, others were out with the spies, or in small parties, so that it was difficult for an Indian to make a track within five miles of a garrison without being detected. Now a large portion of the inhabitants become fearless of danger from the Indians, and preferred some employment or some enterprise outside of to being confined in and about the garrisons. Which is evident from the fact that nearly the whole of the 100,- 000 acres of donation land had been surveyed and deeded away, and improvements made- cabins, girdling and clearings-previous to Wayne's treaty, and of those whose lands bor- dered on large streams, many had moved and many more had been ready to move on to their farms ere the news of peace. Esquire Putnam had built a block-house opposite me. the fall be- fore the treaty, and kept hands at work there. I cleared and fenced two and a half acres of land and set out 50 apple trees. Six months previous to the peace, a block-house was built at Cat's Creek, and another at the south branch of Wolf Creek, where Sherman Waterman was killed. The word that land was to be given for settlement on the Muskingum had spread through the upper country and had induced many persons to come into the settlement, and to gain a residence, which would entitle them to a 100-acre lot. After old residents were sup- plied, those who had families, and those who could furnish some evidence of becoming per- manent settlers, had the first choice, then a month's residence would entitle one to a lot. Finally, anyone who would pay $5, the price of surveying, got a deed for 100 acres. Any ac- tual settler by paying the expense, could obtain any lot not given away, by getting any person who had not taken a lot in his own name, to take a lot and convey it to the settler. . All the lots along the Ohio River below the Mus- kingum belonged to the Ohio Company's pur- chase.

It is an axiom with military men, that spies are the eyes of an army. It proved true with respect to our settlements. The measure

Block House.

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OLD BLOCK-HOUSE AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE CAMPUS MARTIUS.

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of employing spies was adopted previous to the commencement of hostilities. Spies were sta- tioned at Marietta and Waterford, three months before the massacre at Big Bottom.

The necessary number of spies for the different settlements were taken into the serv- ice and paid by the United States-ȘI per day ; and as not only the safety of the property, but the lives of the inhabitants, depended on the faithfulness and vigilance of the spies, none were selected whose characters were not filled out with these qualifications :

Hamilton Kerr, afterward Major Kerr of Meigs County, was about 25 years of age, a native of Pennsylvania. His person a little above the average size (his physical and men- tal powers far above his contour ), was strong, athletic and beautiful, and his countenance, the index of candor, penetration and manly dig- nity. His faithfulness and vigilance in guard- ing the settlements commanded the esteem and confidence of all who knew him.

Edward Henderson, a native of Rutland, Massachusetts, about 30 years of age, almost six feet in height, strong, athletic and brave. He also was a vigilant and faithful spy.

Capt. Joseph Rogers, a native of Pennsyl- vania, age about fifty, above the middle size. He was a gentlemanly, brave and humane old soldier. He was an officer in General Mor- gan'e rifle company, at the taking of Bur- goyne, having served honorably through the Revolution. He resided some time with his friends, but having cast his bread upon the waters of the Revolution, he with many an old soldier marched toward the, setting sun in hopes to find it in the West. Temperate and brave, his heart was the fountain of human kindness.

Neil McGuffey, a native of New Hamp- shire, about 50 years old, large and robust. He had been a subaltern in the Revolution, an ar- dent and reputable soldier, and left the land of granite for the alluvial plains of the West to find a home, better suited to the wants of a growing family. A faithful and vigilant spy. Peter Neiswanger, a strong athlete, six feet tall. A Pennsylvania Dutchman, formid-

able not only to his enemies but sometimes to his friends, but a pretty good spy.

Capt. William McCulloch, of Wheeling, was for some time a spy at Marietta, but left the service before the conclusion of the war. A most excellent spy and an amiable man.

Andrew McClure, from Rhode Island, 25 years of age. A fine, straight, six-foot, enter- prising, faithful, persevering spy-at Water- ford.

The spies were not always stationary. They were frequently shifted from one garrison to another by their own request. Sometimes, one retired and another was employed.

William Halbert, from Pennsylvania, landed with his family, who afterward removed to Belpre, and was killed by the Indians at the mouth of the Little Hocking, early in the set- tlement. He was an elderly man and em- ployed as a spy, when killed.

Two men, Benjamin Patterson and John Shepherd, from the State of New York, were employed as spies, three of the first years in Belpre and then moved down the river.

At the time of the controversy between Pennsylvania and Connecticut, relative to their conflicting land claims, on the Susquehanna, the State of Pennsylvania appointed Timothy Pickering, at Salem, Massachusetts, the old honest Federalist, to go upon the ground and meet others and try to adjust the difference. While there, this same Ben Patterson was one of two or three who took Pickering from his bed in the night, and conveyed him three miles into the woods and bound him fast to a white oak sapling and left him there to starve to death. But after two or three days, Patterson relented and went and unbound him and set him at liberty, from which place he fled to the State of New York, and from there to Marietta. It was not infrequent that similar characters called upon our settlements, but finding neither plunder nor speculation, and finding their vic- tims pursuing, they floated down the river. Likewise Cornelius Delano, Joel Oaks were early employed as spies at Belpre and continued to do service during the war. They were in- dustrions and faithful Yankees and gave se-

HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,

curity and satisfaction to the settlements. Their route was from the mouth of the Little Kana- wha to the Little Hocking.

When the Ohio Company first came out. every person found in this region was a woods- man. a hunter of game and Indians, knew their customs and habits of warfare, and was always ready and proud of imparting his information to whoever would listen to his teaching. The Yankees placed in the school for hunting and fighting Indians were apt scholars and soon be- came able to practice, with skill acquired, upon the precepts and examples, and compete with their monitors, and before the close of the war we had rarely any other rangers or hunters for the surveying parties but Yankees.

To the plan early adopted of employing rangers, may be attributed the general safety and success of the first settlement of this coun- ty. It was first adopted by General Putnam and the Ohio Company and afterward pursued by the United States. The Indians finding themselves so closely watched by men who were their compeers in their own arts of war- ! fare, and more vigilant and untiring soldiers, become indifferent to enterprises where they were likely to meet with more kicks than cop- pers, and which probably might result in dis- asters far exceeding any benefits likely to be obtained.

The hope of reward is the great spring of human action. Men who are not paid and fed and clothed may make good citizens for a short emergency, but never make good soldiers. Their patriotism soon cools and their "courage nozes out of the ends of their fingers." The hope of plunder is the main stimulus with the Indians, therefore they crossed the Ohio below and above and passed by us, and went a hun- dred miles onto the waters of the Monongahela. where there was more plunder and less watch- fulness. Revenge is sweet, but must not be sought too dear; small parties of from 50 to 100 braves, who came in to attack us, seldom hung about more than a week. And the large parties of a thousand or more, such as defeated General St. Clair and attacked Fort Recovery, could not keep together but four or five days.

The Turks could not repulse the Russians, nor the Arabs the French, because they had no financial system to provide for the family of the soldier while he fights the battles of his country.

It is estimated that in seven years previ- ous to our war in 1791, the Indians on the frontier south of the Ohio River killed and took prisoners 1,500 persons, stole 2.000 horses and other property to the amount of $50,000. This was the declared object of the party that killed Colonel Carpenter and, subsequently, the family of Armstrong.

The first physician who came to settle in Marietta was Dr. Thomas Farley, a son of General Farley, of old Ipswich, Massachu- setts. He had been educated for a physician and studied with old Dr. Holyoke, and walked with him ( as his friends said ) three years in the streets of Salem! He was a modest, ami- able young man, always ready to obey the calls of humanity and had the good will and confi- cence of all who knew him. But as there were few people, and those young and healthy ( ex- cept the disease of an empty purse), his prac- tice must have been very limited, and he was not prepared for any other business; his me- dium exhausted, he tarried until the fall of 1790, when he returned home and did not re- turn. I have been particular because he was from old Ipswich, where I had some acquaint- ances, and being acquainted with the Manning family, of which my mother was one, born in Needham, 15 miles from Boston.

Dr. True was here in 1789 and Dr. McIn- tosh in 1791. They were both appointed as- sistant surgeons in the spring of 1791; Dr. True at Marietta, Dr. McIntosh at Waterford, at $22 per month, for three months, as new appointments took place every three months. These appointments were made in contempla- tion that an attack might be made upon some of the garrisons and to provide timely aid for such an event.

To get the appointment of a subaltern and surgeon's mate at $22 per month were berths to be sought after in those dry times for , cash, when Ohio Company paper was worth

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about a tithe as much as shin plasters, and the precious metal as scarce as snow in harvest.

ton House." It was built by some half dozen young men from Boston. Some were gentle- Even a sergeant at $8 and a soldier at $2 per , men and some artisans; but as there were no month were sought for and in fact, as they created credit to that amount, constituted for the greater part the floating capital in the set- tlement. arts absolutely necessary, but the art of han- dling an arrow. ax, and no employment but clearing land, the contrast was too great be- tween those employments which are necessary Dr. Sumner, from Connecticut, and Dr. Scott, from Pennsylvania, who were surgeons with General Harmar, were said to be men of ability in their profession; and were amiable, kind and diligent men. They were always ready and cheerful to render their aid and pro- fessional services to any of the citizens, who required their assistance, without pay, saying they felt it their duty to be always ready to al- leviate and relieve all those cases of sickness and distress incident to a new country, isolated as we were. I have known them to jump into a canoe and go to Belpre to administer to sick persons they had not known before. and lucrative in the commercial and manufac- turing city of Boston, and the wild, wilderness city of Marietta. The purse got empty, and they returned and left their house, which was a long, narrow cabin, and stood on that corner where the bank now stands (I then lived on the opposite corner of Market Square, where the Post Office now stands) : it was occupied by a family brought on by General Harmar (and I think where he died) by the name of Owen. Mr. Welch's disorder proved to be the smallpox. As the smallpox had not been in Marietta, a town meeting was called; a small house was built not far from where Marietta College now stands, to which he was removed with necessary attendants, but he lived only a few days.

Dr. Samuel Barnes, of Massachusetts. came in 1792 and was employed as a surgeon at Belpre and Marietta several times. He was surgeon for the United States troops in the winter of 1792. In 1793 he married Cynthia Goodale, daughter of Major Goodale, and re- i sided in Marietta until the close of the war. h the winter of 1792-93, a general inoculation took place in consequence of the smallpox be- ing brought into some of the settlements, but the infection did not take in any instance. A second inoculation succeeded ; but many per- sons continued a severe dieting for two weeks. reduced the system too far, and had the disease very severely ; while others who made little al- teration in their diet had it light and moderate.

After the war Dr. Barnes moved to Athens, where he died leaving a wife and three daugh- ters. The family moved to Franklinton. Mrs. Barnes later married Col. James Kilbourn. One daughter is the wife of William Joel But- ler, and one the wife of Mr. Demus Adonis, of Columbus-all reputable and wealthy.

In January, 1790, a boat on the way to Kentucky put on shore a very sick man and his family by the name of Welch. He was taken to the house of James Owen, called the "Bos 5

A town meeting was called, and held in the northwest block-house at the Campus Mar- tius, at which it was decided that all persons who had not had the smallpox should accom- modate themselves with houses back on the plain and there be inoculated. Dr. Farley pro- cured matter and inoculated and tended the whole. One house at the upper end of the big cornfield had 23 cases. Other houses were strung along down the plain. Colonel Stacy had a house near the creek below Mr. Printers, occupied by his two sons and son-in-law and families-nearly 20 persons. Old Mrs. Stacy, aged about 70, and an elderly lady, Mrs. Win- sor from the Campus Martius, were the only two lost by inoculation.

A number of families had not left Marietta, who soon after moved out to Belpre and Wat- erford.

The intermittent, or the fever ague, was the fashionable disorder among all classes along the streams the first, second or third year after their arrival. It commenced about the first of August and continued with variations until the

HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,

sap run in the spring. Maple sugar in the first settlement formed a valuable constituent in many families, where solid food was scarce and dear, and in fact not to be had ( in particu- lar where there was no money ), and sugar was a substitute for many things. It was used freely and sometimes profusely, and when the humid sultry season arrived the sugar was gone ; and the fever and ague set in. Remitting fevers were occasional but by no means pre- valent ; they were not prevalent until a long time after the war. Until the close of the war, the emigrants who came into the settlements were mostly young or middle aged. Industry and temperance were the precaution of most disorders, and a remedy for many more.

Dr. Jewett, who resided at Belpre about the beginning of the 19th century, became fa- mous for curing the fever and ague. He first cleansed the stomach, and succeeded this with a diet of light food: on the approach of the chill, he gave large doses of laudanum : when the fever wore off he gave the most stimulating and nourishing food the stomach would bear. and so repeated until the fits subsided, which commonly occurred in about four or five days.

General Putnam was in the habit of relat- ing an anecdote of his own experience in the fever and ague. After concluding a treaty of peace with the Wabash and Illinois Indians in September, 1792, he was attacked with the fever and ague, in his superb barge, rowed by United States, soldiers. Ile had a surgeon on board, who undertook to prescribe for his dis- order. The latter debarred the General from all kinds of stimulating food and drink. When they got this side of Gallipolis, they landed at night-fall at a camp of hunters on the banks of the Ohio. They had a profusion of bear meat. venison and turkey, and feasted them- selves and made every person welcome. but General Putnam was interdicted from the camp kettle ( the many fumes of which were a feast by his physician, but he lay down as peaceably as the craving of hunger would admit and when the party were all asleep he crept to the camp kettle and feasted his appetite on the fat bear meat and venison as long as he dared

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History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 11

Author: Andrews, Martin Register, 1842-; Hathaway, Seymour J Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1490

Author: Andrews, Martin Register, 1842-; Hathaway, Seymour J
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1490