History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 79

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

USA > Ohio > Washington County > Marietta > History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 79

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the captain, and paid the costs in Goodno vs. Bial Sted- man, on appeal from William Browning's docket; whether he cursed the war I don't know, but have no doubt he cursed his luck and the captain, too.

Omitting all dates, Quartermaster or Contractor Craig purchased a large number of ox teams in Belpre and vicinity, and forwarded them to headquarters under his nephew. W. P. Putnam, wagonmaster. Absalom Misner. Major Reed. and Cummings Porter, teamsters, which duties they performed in a satisfactory manner and were honorably discharged.

The drafted men who served were Elam Frost. Nehemiah Morse, Lemuel Cooper, Samuel Barkley. The men who hired substitutes were Jervis Burroughs. William Burroughs, and I think George Dana and Joseph Dilley. The substitutes were Joel Bennett, Cur- tis and Himinan. Pardon Cook served in the company commanded by Capt. Charles Devol ; Barkley and others from Belpre were in Capt. John Thorniley's company ; Captain Dana's company extended into Warren and Cooper may have been a citizen of that township at the time.

To confirm the statement that Belpre folks were callel Tories a drafted man says, "When spoken to I was always called Tory except at roll call."

James Lawton, of Barlow, responded as follows :

In regard to the War of 1812, a large class of th" then voters thought it unnecessary and impolitic. My father and most of his neighbors took that view of it. Of course, we rejoiced at our victories, but farther than that took but little interest in it. Doubtless the case was very different in some quarters, and many promi- nent citizens participated in it, but with comparatively few exceptions it was not the case here.

Joel Deming's letter was in substance as follows :

I can recollect many events of the War of 1812. There were a number of young men went from Water- ford into the service. Elias Wolcott. Lorey Ford, Elisha Mallory. Norman Hart, Benedict Hutchins. Duty Green. David Deming. Wilham Henry, Alexander Walker. Neal Walker, who all lived to return except Norman Hart.

WHY THE DRAFT WAS RESORTED TO.

that the volunteers would be from the ranks of the Democratic party, which was strongly in favor of the war, and thus the chances of success at the approaching October election would be endangered, whereas, if the draft was resorted to, men of both parties would be taken. The result was that the young men, and others without families, who could con- veniently go, were not afforded a chance to volunteer, but men with families to support. and others who were not well suited for sol- diers, were forced into the service. General Tupper left without any recruits.

From the military papers of Capt. Rotheus Hayward, late of Waterford township. fur- nished by Rotheus Hayward, it appears that on February 15, 1814, he was ordered to furnish men for the service. Thereupon Corporal John Craft was given a list of 13 members of Cap- tain Hayward's company, with orders to "be- gin it the first and proceed down the list un- til he found two men who were willing to serve, and warn them to appear at Anthony MeCandish's in Waterford, on Wednesday, February 23, 1814, armed and equipped as the law directs, to march on a tour of duty, to ren- dezvous at Franklinton, in this State." The men who were willing to go were Edward Miller and William Prewit.

The attempt, however, to class the Feder- alists with the Tories was a failure, for many of them were Revolutionary soldiers, and the whole tenor of their lives amply disproved the charge. We are inclined to believe that it was merely a campaign epithet used to help James Madison to his second term in the White House. The War of 1812 really began the year previous, although no formal declaration was made; it was the same conflict, and many Indians that fought at Tippecanoe in 1811 doubtless fought with Tecumseh and General Brock the year following.

In the summer or early fall of 1812 Gen. Edward W. Tupper came to Marietta to recruit a force of volunteers for the war. A consulta- tion was held between leading men as to the BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE. propriety of raising men in this manner, and it was decided to resort to the draft. Caleb Em- An early intimation of the pending war was afforded the citizens of Washington erson, in the Western Spectator, of which he was the editor in 1812, says that it was feared . County by the landing, at Marietta, of the old

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Fourth Regiment United States Infantry, com- manded by Colonel Boyd, during the summer of 1811. They were mostly from New Hamp- shire and Massachusetts, a fine looking and intelligent body of men, who were destined to see hard service. They passed on their way to join Gen. William Henry Harrison at Vin- cennes, where they were met by several regi- ments of mounted volunteers from Kentucky. General Harrison, with this force, moved on up the line of the Wabash, and on November 7, 1811, at Tippecanoe Creek, Indiana, met and defeated the Indians under the Prophet, broth- er of Tecumseh. The Indians lost 170 killed and 100 wounded; the Americans 62 killed, and 126 wounded. The Fourth United States Infantry lost heavily in this battle. Capt. Rob- ert C. Barton, a Washington County man. commanded a company, and General Harrison, in his report of the battle, mentioned Captain Barton for his gallant conduct. The Fourth United States Infantry were stationed at Fort Harrison and Vincennes during the winter, and in May, 1812, marched to Urbana. Ohio, and joined the Northwestern army.

The certainty of war with Great Britain prompted the government, in the winter of 1811-12, to call for three regiments from Ohio to serve in the Northwest; the plan being to move this force early in the spring and occu- py Detroit, which, in event of a war, would be an important strategic point in movements against Canada.

EXPEDITION OF GENERAL IIULL.

Brig. Gen. William Hull was at that time Governor of the Territory of Michigan, and early in May he arrived with his staff from Washington City, and assumed command of the Northwestern Army. General Hull had seen service in the Revolutionary War, and under Gen. Anthony Wayne, at the storming of Stony Point, had distinguished himself, but he had lost his youthful vigor, and lacked the inspiring presence of "Mad Anthony" to urge him on to deeds of valor, as the sequel will show. The three regiments asked from

Ohio were promptly furnished. They were the First, Second and Third Regiments of Ohio Volunteers, commanded respectively by Col. Duncan MeArthur, of Ross County; Col. James Findlay, from the western part of the State, and Col. Lewis Cass, from, Muskingum County. Colonel Cass gathered a few com- panies at Zanesville in May, 1812, and pro- ceeded thence down the Muskingum to Mari- etta, where he was joined by Capt. John Sharp, with the Washington County company. Colonel Cass arrived at Marietta May 25th, and was received amid the firing of cannon and other public demonstrations. On the next clay he departed for Cincinnati, his men num- bering 250 in all, traveling in keel boats. On their arrival at Cincinnati they were joined by 200 more men. From there they marched to Dayton.

After obtaining the consent of the Indian tribes through whose country the expedition was to march, General Hull moved forward through the pathless forests, the unbroken wilds of Ohio to the foot of the Maumee rapids, where he arrived June 30, 1812, and by July 4th the Fourth United States Infantry took possession of Fort Detroit. The other regi- ments, coming up, encamped around the fort.

A sufficient number of bateaux (a boat somewhat larger than a skiff) having been procured, the expedition by July 9th, was ready to cross the Detroit River and invade Canada. They accordingly moved up the river on that day in the following order: first, the Fourth United States Infantry, Lieut. Col. James Miller ; second, the First Regiment Olio Vol- unteers, Col. Duncan McArthur; third, the Second Regiment Ohio Volunteers, Col. James Findlay: fourth, the Third Ohio Regiment Volunteers, Col. Lewis Cass. Thus the Third Regiment became the right wing of the army. Arriving at the point selected for the crossing they entered the ba- teaux at daylight, and launched out upon the broad river in perfect alignment, the right a little in advance. They reached the other shore in due time, formed on the bank, but were not attacked as they expected. Marching down

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to Sandwich, opposite the fort, they encamped. A reconnoisance in force was soon made, in the direction of Malden, by Colonels Me Arthur and Cass, capturing a battery over the Canada River, four miles above Malden. Several oth- er reconnoisances were undertaken which de- veloped the fact that the enemy were weak and disposed to avoid an engagement.

SURRENDER OF HULL.

General Hull, for some reason best known to himself, on the 7th of August ordered the whole force to recross the river and occupy their old position, which movement was ef- fected without molestation and the invasion of Canada ended. The enemy now crossed opposite Malden and interrupted communica- tions with Ohio. On the 9th of August a strong detachment was sent down to drive them back. Here was fought the battle of Brownston, in which the national army lost 68 men. The enemy was defeated, driven back to Canada and communications with Ohio restored.

The officers commanding the troops under General Hull now discovered that something was wrong at headquarters; that the old gen- cral was either a coward or a traitor, and giv- ing matters their most charitable construction, it was thought he ought to be deposed from command.

An effort to accomplish this change was started, all the officers signing a petition, their names being arranged in a circle so that no one came first. The design was to place one of the Ohio colonels in command, but nothing came of it.

On August 15th the British opened on Fort Detroit, from a battery located on the opposite shore, which could not possibly have dislodged the garrison at Fort Detroit without a heavy supporting force which the British did not have. This fort had been designed and laid out by army engineers, and was what it was intended to be-a very formida- ble work : heavily armed, and surrounded is commen stretching back a male or more to fat fort; one mortar; total, thirty eight pieces. 32

the forests, across which an enemy would have to approach without cover, a circumstance which, in event of attack, would have deprived General Brock of the aid of 600 Indians inder Tecumseh, who would never have approached the fort across the open plain in the face of the artillery on the bastions and curtain walls of this formidable fortress. The total effective force of General Hull was 2,300 officers and men, well supplied with artillery, independent of the guns in advanced batteries."

The force of Brock consisted of 230 British regulars, 400 Canadian militia, and the 600 Indians above mentioned, to which was at- tached a battery of three six-pound and two. three-pound guns. Besides this there were in Fort Detroit ammunition, arms and equip- ments in abundance.

General Brock, with his forces, crossed Below Detroit on the morning of August 16, 1812, before dawn and marched up to within a mile of the fort and sent Tecumseh with his Indians by a detour around to the west side, keeping them concealed in the woods. Brock promptly sent in his demand for a surrender, which General Hull accepted, and the North- western Army was no more.

This army was composed of brave men who were anxious for a fight, yet their repu- tation and opportunity for distinction were thus basely compromised and surrendered by General Hull without cause or justification.

General Hull was afterward fried by court- martial and sentenced to be shot, but was spared on account of former services.

CALI FOR TROOPS.

The government, during General Hull's op- erations at Detroit, had called for additional

«The guns surrendered by Hull were as follows : Iron seven twenty-four-pounder, in water battery ; two twenty four pounders, on new field carriages ; eight twelve-pounders, in and around fort ; five nine-pound- ers, in and around fort: three six-pounders, in and around fort: four twelve-pounder. not mounted. Brass-three six-pounders, at fort: two four-pounders, at fort: one three-pounder. at fort: one eight-inch howitzer, at fort ; one five a d one-half inch howitzer,

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HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,

troops from Ohio to support him. These were collected at Urbana by Governor Meigs, and among them was the Second Brigade of Ohio militia. commanded by Gen. Edward W. Tup- per, with Horace Nye as brigade major, both citizens of Washington County. The brigade consisted of one regiment from the eastern part of the State, commanded by Col. Charles Miller, of Coshocton ; one regiment from Gal- lia and Athens, the county below, commanded by Col. Robert Safford, of Gallia ; and a battal- ion under command of Major James Gallo- way, of Nenia, with two companies of scouts of about 25 men each-one commanded by Capt. Thomas Hinckson, the other by Captain Wood. The whole effective force was about 1,000 until subsequently reduced by sickness.

EXPEDITION OF GENERAL TUPPER.

At the rapids of the Maumee there had been planted some 300 aeres of corn, in clear- ings made at that point. About October 30, 1812, General Tupper, being informed of the above fact, through his scouts sent out from Fort MeArthur, and having also learned through an Indian interpreter captured by the same scouts, that there was an expedition of somje 30 British and 500 Indians on the way to secure this corn for the Indians to live on during the winter, he at onee resolved to de- feat then in their undertaking. A courier was sent to General Winchester, who was lying within 40 miles of the cornfields with 3,000 nten, in order that the general might be on the alert to either drive the enemy back or cut off his retreat Meanwhile General Tupper de- termined to proceed at once to the rapids with what force he had-some 600 effective com- batants, with a six-pound gun drawn by six horses. The field-piece was, however, aban- doned the second day out from camp, and the carriage broken up; this was about the 8th of November. General Winchester had been no- tified of the departure of the expedition, its object, and the length of time the subsistence taken would enable them to stay away from the base of supplies.

When General Tupper arrived at the rap- ids, he found the Maumee so swollen that it was impossible to cross. The scouts reported the enemy on the opposite side, some distance from the rapids, and as yet unaware of the approach of Tupper and his command. After an unsuccessful attempt to cross with his force, he marched down the river until opposite the Indian camp, still undiscovered. Captain Hinckson, however, with nine of his scouts, came onto three Indians, who had crossed to the corn-fields. Shots were exchanged, killing one Indian and wounding another. The whole Indian encampment was aroused and agitated at once, like a hive of bees that had been dis- turbed. They dashed up the river to the ford, but upon their arrival there found Tupper and his men ready for them. This was not what they expected, and they immediately resorted to their usual Indian strategy of picking off the stragglers. After several hours of desul- tory firing, the Indians were driven back at every approach and many of them killed in the water while attempting to reeross. They seemed to have quite a number of horses and used them to ferry the warriors over. These horses were afterward ascertained to be the same captured from General Hull at Detroit. The rations of the command being exhausted, they fell back slowly to Fort Findlay, on the river Auglaize. The Indians did not attempt to follow.

Had General Winchester co-operated with General Tupper there is no doubt that the whole detachment of British and Indians would have been either captured or so punished that the subsequent disaster at the river Raisin would not have occurred .* The motive of General Winchester in not seconding this movement was a desire to thwart the plans of General Harrison; at least this is the con- struction given to his actions by cotemporary writers.

*General Harrison's order to General Tupper is dated October 1, 1812, and the report of the expedition October 12th, showing that they were out some seven or eight days, The object was partly a reconnoisance in force and partly to surprise any force of the enemy that might have been in the vicinity of the rapids.

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The winter of 1812-13 was a very severe one, and the troops on the frontier suffered greatly, especially from lack of sufficient clothing. The time of most of the brigade was out by the last of February, 1813, and General Tupper and his staff, with the men whose time had expired, were discharged and returned home.

COMPANIES FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY.

During the War of 1812 Washington County furnished seven companies, some vol- unteers, some militia, some regulars, to-wit: Captain Sharp, already mentioned as being in the Third Regiment, Ohio Volunteers, so basely surrendered by llull at Detroit. Capt. Timothy Buell, who went out in May and also in August, 1813. The latter were mounted volunteers. They went to Zanesville; from there to Franklinton, a post situated opposite what has since become Columbus. They went from there to Mansfield. when the emergency at Fort Meigs being over, they returned home.

Captain John Thorniley's company was made up by draft. They were in the infan- try, and formed part of the First Regiment of Ohio militia, and were called ont in the fall of 1813, and their term of service expired March 13, 1814, which term included seven days for returning home, 140 miles. The company was stationed at Fort Stephenson most of the time of their term of service.

Capt. Charles Devol's company of dra- goons was called out October 20, 1812. They reported for duty, but not being needed were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to march on short notice, which they did until the emergency was over.

Capt. James Flagg's company were drafted men called out on the same day as Captain Devol's.

The outfit of the company receipts for Oc- tober 20, 1812, was as follows:

Fifty arms and bayonets, fifty cartridge boxes, one wagon, four set of horse gear, four horses, two tents, two bags, six axes; and at Zanesville they received two more tents, eight pots, two kettles and powder and ball.

In this connection it is curious to note what one ration for a soldier was, to-wit: "One and one-fourth pounds beef, or four and three- fourth pounds salted pork, eighteen ounces of bread or flour, one gill of rum, whiskey or brandy, and at the rate of two quarts of salt, four quarts vinegar, four pounds soap and one pound and a half of candles to every hun- dred raitions;" also what the uniform of a soldier of 1812 was, to-wit: The regulation coat was a "swallow tail," made of dark blue cloth, faced and trimmed with buff, buttons of white metal, with "U. S. A." on them. The hat was a tall bell-crowned affair, with no brim except a small visor in front. To this costume was added the "stock" for the neck, of polished leather, wide enough to fit up snug under the chin.

Capt. Alexander Hill's company was re- cruited principally in Washington County for the regular army in the summer of 1813, and was part of the Nineteenth United States In- fantry. Captain Hill was, in the fall of 1813, ordered by Col. George Paul, commanding the regiment and having charge of the re- cruiting station of Zanesville, to report at that place. Captain Ilill after his arrival at Zanes- ville was ordered to Detroit, arriving there af- ter the battle of the Thames. The company was next ordered back to Zanesville by Colonel Paul, soon after arriving there. Captain Ilill was placed in command of a battalion of the Ninth Infantry and ordered to report at Fort Erie, in Canada, near the head of the Niagara River, where he arrived before the battle at that place in 1814.

SIEGE AT FORT ERIE.

On July 31st the British, under General Drummond, appeared before Fort Erie with about 4,500 men and laid siege. The garrison now began a vigorous use of spades, perfect- ing the works which were quadrangular in shape. They also constructed some advanced works, in which were placed guns with proper infantry supports. On August 2d the firing from the opposing batteries began, which con-

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tinued until August 15th. General Gaines, having arrived a few days before, was in com- mand at the fort at this time, and on the 14th had discovered signs of a new movement in the enemy's camp. He accordingly put his forces in best shape possible for an attack and awaited developments. About two o'clock in the morning. August 14th, the enemy, under Lieutenant-colonel Fisher, 1.300 strong, at- tacked the left, when the Twenty-first Reg- iment, under command of Major Wood, and Towson's battery, repulsed them and fell back. The firing had scarcely subsided on the left when Lieutenant-colonel Drummond and Col- onel Scott, with 1.500 picked men, moved up to the assault on the right. The night was exceedingly dark, but by the commands of the enemy's officers two columns were discov- ered approaching. Boughton and Harding's volunteers and the Ninth United States In- fantry were manning the works on the right, but owing to the unfinished condition of an ad- vaneed bastion the enemy carried it and turned the guns on the defenders of the fort. The battle now raged furiously, but by renewed exertion the enemy was driven back and Col- onel Scott and Lieutenant-colonel Drum- mond, the leaders of the assault, killed, but the British still held the captured bastion. The passage from this bastion to the body of the fort was in a great measure closed by the po- sition of the block-house there located. This. though in a ruinous condition at the time, had been occupied the evening before by Lieuten- ant-colonel Trimble with a detachment of the Nineteenth Infantry, including Captain Alex- ander Hill's company, whose well-directed fire, at the same time that it galled the enemy severely in the bastion, had completely defeat- ed every attempt he made to penetrate farther.

The column of Colonel Scott being now routed, the guns of the Douglass battery were so directed as to cut off all communication be- tween the contested bastion and the enemy's reserve-and a party of desperate fellows were about to rush in and finish the work, when a spark being communicated by some means to an ammunition chest under the platform, the

bastion with those who occupied it were blown into the air together."

The enemy's loss and that of the National forces in this engagement were estimated at the time as follows: British, 200 killed and wounded and 200 prisoners: United States troops, three officers and eight to 10 killed and 15 to 20 wounded.

The British now waited re-enforcements. and soon received two full regiments, estab- lished a new battery, and recommenced the cannonade. This state of things continued until September 17th, when a counter assault was undertaken in two columns, commanded respectively by Generals Porter and Miller. This sortie was well conducted and successful in driving the enemy from his entrenchments. The victorious columns, satisfied with having beaten the enemy in his chosen position, re- turned within the works of Fort Erie, and four days afterward the British broke camp. and retired rapidly down the river, thus end- ing a siege of 51 days.

PERRY'S VICTORY.

The vietory of Commodore Perry near- Put-in-Bay Island, Lake Erie, September 10. 1813, relieved the whole Northwest Territory. of the presence of hostile forces. The British and Indians retired to Canada, abandoned De- troit, and but for the urgent demands of Te- cumseh would have abandoned the whole of Lower Canada. Tecumseh, however, insisted. upon a vigorous resistance to the advance of General Harrison, who pressed close on the re- tiring enemy.

PROCTOR AND TECUMSEHI DEFEATED BY HAR-

RISON.

On October 5. 1813. with what forces the combined efforts of Tecumseh and General Proctor could muster, battle was offered at the Moravian town on the River Thames. Gen- eral Harrison engaged the enemy with a fine body of Kentucky mounted riflemen who car -. ried confusion and destruction into the ranks,

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of the British, but met with a vigorous resis- tance from the Indian. The Kentuckians, however, attacked them vigorously, and after a desperate resistance defeated and routed them, killing their celebrated chief. Tecumseh. The theatre of war was from this time on transferred to Niagara frontier and the East. and continued with uniform success to the American arms both on land and sea. The sharpest fighting, however, of the War of 1812, was done on the ocean, and the people of the United States can always refer with pride to that series of brilliant victories won by American seamen, who seemed sent by an avenging Nemesis to redress the long standing grievances and punish Great Britain for her wrong and oppression.

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History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 79

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