History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the original boundaries) ; its past and present, containing a condensed comprehensive history of Ohio, including an outline history of the Northwest, a complete history of Richland county miscellaneous matter, map of the county, biographies and histories of the most prominent families, &c., &c., Part 45

Author: Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Mansfield, O. : A. A. Graham & co.
Number of Pages: 968

USA > Ohio > Richland County > History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the original boundaries) ; its past and present, containing a condensed comprehensive history of Ohio, including an outline history of the Northwest, a complete history of Richland county miscellaneous matter, map of the county, biographies and histories of the most prominent families, &c., &c. > Part 45

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Johnson, and there never ought to have been any doubt about it."

Mr. Rice spoke often of these scenes with enthusiasm, as if they were passing before his mind, and were fresh in his memory. His mind was very good until within a year or so, when he was stricken down with paralysis, from which he never recovered.

He was always of a retiring disposition, so that, until a few years since. his narrative was never put into print.

Mr. Rice was a member of the Lutheran

supporters of the Sheriff congregation. llis funeral was attended by the elergy of the town, the band, Light Guards, Artillery, ex-soldiers. public schools and a large concourse of citizens. The procession was formed under the direction of Col. Dempsey, and moved to the M. E. Church, where appropriate services were con- ducted by the several clergy and choir of the M. E. Church. Rev. D. Summers read the above history, and preached the sermon from Lev .. xix., 32.

The last hymn. " My Country, 'tis of thee." was sung by about one hundred school children.

After the services at the church, the proces- sion was again formed, and proceded to Oakland Cemetery, where the mortal remains of the old hero were buried with the honors of war. Mili- tary organizations, band and citizens honored themselves by the respect they paid to the memory of the departed.

During Tuesday, the flags were placed at half-mast. both in Cleveland and Sandusky City.

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

295

CHAPTER XXX.

THE MEXICAN WAR.

FIRST TROOPS RAISED IN THIS COUNTY-MCLAUGHLIN'S AND FORD'S COMPANIES-LETTER OF DR. WILLIAM SMITHI -SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR-GEORGE WEAVER'S COMPANY-ITS PART IN THE CONFLICT.

P RECEDING pages give the history of this confliet as far as it was connected with the State of Ohio. It is proposed here simply to tell its history as far as it relates to the history of Richland County. When the call for troops was made, more than twice as many were offered as could be used. Ohio sent more than was required, and hence not a few of those who expected to achieve glory on the field of war were disappointed at the outset, and sent home.

When the call for troops reached this county, Maj. William MeLaughlin, the " old war horse." was among the first to act. Thomas H. Ford, then a rising attorney of the county, was also ! among the first to respond. An enthusiastic war meeting was called in the latter part of May, 1846, in Mansfield. The old Mansfield and New Haven Railroad was approaching com- pletion. and, on the day set for the meeting, the citizens of Plymouth and Shelby chartered the train of small, square-box cars, on one of its early trips to the county seat, to convey them to that city, that they might appear at this meeting, and enjoy the excitement. The meet- ing was called in a large sugar grove near the east end of East Market street. A stand had been prepared, and, when the 'people gathered. rousing patriotic speeches were made by Maj. Mclaughlin, Capt. Ford, and others. As the excitement increased. Maj. MeLaughlin sprang down from the stand, mounted his old horse, and rode about, as he had done earlier in the day, and urged men to come forward. Finally, springing from his saddle, he let his

horse go its own way, and called upon all those who desired to enlist to form themselves into a group and join him in the march to Mexico. The same feeling prevailed later in the day, and the actions were repeated on the public square.

Two companies. one under Mclaughlin and one under Ford, were raised with little difficulty. and prepared for the campaign. They were only enlisted for one year, as all thought the war would be of short duration.

Dr. William Smith, now a citizen of Van Wert. Ohio. in a letter of a recent date. gives an accu- rate description of the life of his company (Capt. MeLaughlin's) during its campaigns in Mexico. The letter is so full and accurate in its details, and shows so well the common experience of all in the war, that it is well worth a place in this his- tory, and that part relating to the company is given entire. The Doctor says :

" My brother James and myself enlisted in the month of May. at the first call of the Government for troops, made right after the army under Gen. Taylor was attacked at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, which places were on the Texas side of the Rio Grande River. opposite Matamoras, in Mexico. Our company left Mansfield June 9. 1846. At its organization I was elected Second Lieutenant. in which capacity I acted during our term of service. one year. As there were no railroads at that time, we marched via Bellville and Mount Vernon to Columbus. Ohio. then took canal-boat to Portsmouth. on the Ohio River. thence by steamboat to Cincinnati, and went

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

into camp at what was then called (and I believe is yet) Camp Washington, where we were organ- ized into regiments. We were put into the third regiment, under Samuel R. Curtis, who was our Colonel, and who was Gen. S. R. Curtis of the war of the rebellion. We left Cincin- nati on or about the 1st of July, by steamer, for New Orleans, and were abont seven days on the passage. We landed at Camp Jackson. at that time about four miles below the city of New Orleans, between the river and Lake Pontchartrain, on Friday evening. I slept that night under the shade of four live oaks, where Gen. Packingham died, at the time of the great battle of New Orleans. I sat under the shade of those trees the next day (Saturday), and wrote a letter home to Mans- field, and put some of the leaves and long Spanish moss from those four oaks in the letter. The next morning (Sunday) we took ship to cross the Gulf of Mexico. We sailed down the river and got into the gulf in the dusk of the evening. We had a very rough time in crossing ; the men were all more or less sea- sick. I was very sick myself, having a very severe spell of fever, besides the sea-sickness. We were some ten days in crossing over to the Brazos Santiago Island. and on account of the rough sea we had to lie at anchor four days before we could land. Brother James was on another vessel, acting in the commissary department. After lying off the Brazos (which is nothing but a large sand bar), as above stated, four days, we landed and remained there a few days (I remember the exact time), and then marched on to the month of the Rio Grande River. Arriving there, we moved up the river (a very crooked stream), some- times on board steamers and again march- ing on foot along the banks, until we arrived at what was called Camp Belknap, on the Texas side, opposite a small Mexican town called Burita. We remained there a few days, the river was so high, there having been so

much rain that the banks were overflowed, and in order to keep ont of the water we were com- pelled to ent brush and pile it up, on which to make our beds. After remaining there a few days we moved up the river to Camp Curtis, a little above Fort Brown, on the Texas side, and opposite the city of Matamoras, and where Brownsville is now located. We remained there a few days, when my company and one other of our regiment marched into Fort Brown, two companies into Fort Parades and the other six across the river into Matamoras. When we moved into Fort Brown it was sur- rounded with water, the river was so high that we had to use flat-boats to get in. We had" charge of a lot of Mexican prisoners, who were in the fort. We remained in charge of the fort and city until the latter part of the winter of 1846 and 1847, when we were ordered on up to Camargo, Monterey, Saltillo and Buena Vista.

"On the march from Matamoras to Camargo, a distance of abont one hundred and twenty- five miles, we had to depend principally on getting water to drink, cook, etc., from the lagoons or ponds ; and, as there had been no rain for several months, and the river was low, a good many of the lagoons were dry, and those that had water in them had become stagnant, the water was thick with a green scum over it, and full of dead fish, and cattle that had come in there from the surrounding country to get drink, stuck fast, lay down and died. We would sometimes have to get in on the carcass of a dead cow to keep out of the mud while getting water to drink. The water was so thick that, as the boys said. " you had to bite it off when you wanted to stop drinking." We struck the river two or three times on the march, and some of our men came very near losing their lives by drinking too freely of the cold river water. We finally arrived at Camargo, where the famous Fort Pillow was located. Gen. Pillow, who was in the late rebel army, was stationed

ENGOD. N. Y.

955

f.9. Henderson,

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

at Camargo, and undertook to build a fort, and, what gave it such notoriety, we had the trench or ditch dug on the inside of the fort. I have been in it and seen it often when there. We had charge of that point (Camargo), which at that time was a very important post, as it was near the month of the San Juan River, and at the head of steamboat navigation, and where our supplies of provisions, ammunition, ord- nance, etc., were stored, and right in the heart of the enemy's country-so that it kept us on the alert day and night. We remained at Camargo until near the time of the battle of Buena Vista, when we received marching orders on Sunday afternoon; and, expecting rough times and a good deal of hard fighting, I went to the ordnance department and bought a large Prussian saber, had it ground up sharp, then left my light-infantry sword with my trunk and extra clothing and camp equipage under a large commissary tent, and we started that same night (Sunday) for Monterey and Buena Vista. All the important moves or marches we made, beginning from the time we left Camp Wash- ington at Cincinnati to New Orleans, then across the Gulf to Brazos, thence to Rio Grande and so on from one point to another until we reached Buena Vista, and thence from there, when we left for home at expiration of our term of service, were made on Sunday. The enemy under Gens. Urea and Connallis were between us and Monterey, and we had to fight and drive them before us until we got up to Seraloo and Marino when they found themselves between two fires, and turned off through the mountain passes to their headquarters at Catanta. We followed them to that place, and they retreated into the mountains. We made a requisition on the Alcalde of that city of corn and mules to the amount of the trains that Urea and Connallis' forces had destroyed, and informed them that if they did not comply we would blow up the city. They agreed to furnish them. We then marched through the city,

across the San Juan River and on to Monterey. Gen. Zach Taylor on "old whitey " was with us on this expedition.

" Let me say here that Catanta, the last-named city or town, was one of the most beautiful places I saw in Mexico. It was located on the banks of the San Juan River, in a beautiful valley, surrounded by mountains, and well sup- plied with clear spring water from the mount- ains, running through every street and garden in the city. The streets were all paved with pebble-stones taken from the river bed and laid in waves. The gardens were full of orange, lemon. citron pomegranate and other tropical fruit trees, which were laden with green and ripe fruit and blossoms. This was in the month of March, 1847. When we entered the valley through a narrow mountain pass, and came in view, or, rather, where the city was located, it appeared to be a large grove of orange, lemon and citron trees. We could not see the houses for the trees, as they were so thick and grew up above the tops of the buildings. We marched on from there to Monterey, and camped at what was called Walnut Springs, about four miles from the city. These were large springs of cool, clear water, and surrounded by black and English walnut trees. We remained but a short time at the Springs and Monterey (which is quite an important place, located in a valley surrounded by mountains. Gen. Arista's pri- vate residence was located here and was a beau- tiful place, and had one of the most beautiful gardens attached to it I ever saw), and then marched on up through the narrow valley and mountain passes via Molino del Rey (dead man's pass), Saltillo and Buena Vista (pleasant view), where we remained in camp on the battle ground, after the battle was fought, until the expiration of our term of service, in the month of June. 1847. We then returned by the same route by which we came. William Johnston, the son of Preacher Johnston, died at Buena Vista, and we brought his remains back with

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

us to New Orleans .. Allen Lewis was killed by guerrillas near Molino del Rey. Poor George Hooker was so emaciated and run down with chronic diarrhea that he was a mere skeleton. We tried to bring him home alive, but he died on board the ship a day or two after we left the Brazos, and we had to wrap him in his blanket and bury him in the deep gulf. We arrived at New Orleans the latter part of June, and were discharged from the service, and I arrived at home in Mansfield about the 3d or 4th of July, 1847."

The war was not completed in one year. Mexico developed into a more formidable an- tagonist than was at first supposed. The dis- turbances at home, occasioned by the opposition of the Whig party, who contended that the war would only extend slave territory, and the friends of Mexico in general by their aid, lengthened the contest, and called for more men and more supplies. A call for troops was made early in 1847, and, before the first two companies returned, a third company was begun by Mr. George Weaver, then a resident of Gan- ges, in Blooming Grove Township. At that time he was running a flouring-mill. and occa- sionally working at his trade as a stonemason. He issued an appeal for troops. and offered ambitious spirits a chance to serve their coun- try. The spirit of romance was, however, somewhat worn off by this time. Many of the first year's troops were returning, who gave rather discouraging accounts of the climate and the life one would be compelled to lead, and Mr. Weaver found recruiting a rather tedious task. His call was issued early in May, 1847, and, by the last of the month, the mnen gathered at Mansfield and prepared to go. The men comprising the company were from all parts of the county ; the major part from the neighborhood of Mr. Weaver's home in Bloom- ing Grove Township. As the entire number could not be raised here, Simpson P. Moses was sent on to Cincinnati to recruit the remainder

necessary to complete the company. Those recruited in this county started for the war late in May, going by stages to Columbus and Xenia. At this latter place they took the cars on the new Miami Railroad and went to Cincin- nati. where they went in quarters in Camp Ohio. Here they were joined by the men recruited in Cincinnati, and completed their com- pany organization. They elected Mr. Weaver Captain : Simpson P. Moses, Obadiah Ilohmes and - Beard, First. Second and Third Lieu- tenants, and William Bigams. Orderly. The company was assigned to the Fourth Regiment and designated as Company D. The regiment was under command of Charles H. Brough, brother of the war Governor Brough. This regiment went from Camp Ohio by boat to Camp Carleton, near New Orleans, where it remained one week. Then it was taken, with other troops, across the Gulf of Mexico to Point Isabella, on the Texas coast. It was now a part of Gen. Taylor's army. From Point Isabella it went to Matamoras, on the Rio Grande, and from there. in Gen. Scott's army, to Vera Cruz, near which place it was stationed on the beach several days. From this place, the Fourth Regiment went with its division on a forced march to Pueblo to assist in the recap- ture of that city. That done, it marched to Atlixo, about twenty-five miles distant, where it engaged in the battle at that place. After- ward it was engaged in several battles and skirmishes. finally returning to Pueblo, where it remained about eight months. It was there when peace was declared, and left for home soon after, having been gone over one year. It lost but one man in battle-Andy Andrekan, at Pueblo, but a great number by disease and exposure.

When Company D arrived in this county. it was welcomed by a large crowd of citizens at Ganges, where a public reception was held, and a great banquet provided. Though about four- score men went out in Capt. Weaver's company,

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but little more than one-half returned, the remainder being left on the fields of Mexico. or on the way.

Capt. Weaver entered the late war, where he evinced the same courage that had led him in the war against Mexico, being the first man to raise a company in Hardin County, to which place he had removed the year before it broke out.

The three companies, MeLaughlin's, Ford's and Weaver's, were the only organized bodies that went from this county. Other companies contained soldiers whose place of residence was in Richland's limits, but who went elsewhere to enlist. The experience of each company was, in the main, the same, that narrated showing the general outlines of their marches in that war.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXXI.

RAILROADS.

THE MANSFIELD & NEW HAVEN AND MONROEVILLE & SANDUSKY ROADS-FIRST TRAIN IN MAY, 1846-ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST TRAIN AT MANSFIELD AND ITS APPEARANCE-THE ROAD-BED- BREAKING GROUND AT MANSFIELD-THE DEPOT-GRAIN TRADE-OXFORD & HURON ROAD-THIE MANSFIELD & SANDUSKY ROAD -THE COLUMBUS & LAKE ERIE ROAD -SANDUSKY, MANSFIELD & NEWARK ROAD- BALTIMORE & OHIO ROAD-THE CLEVELAND, COLUMBUS & CINCINNATI ROAD-SPRINGFIELD & MANSFIELD ROAD-THE BELLE- FONTAINE ROAD-PITTSBURGH, FORT WAYNE & CHICAGO, OR, THE PENNSYLVANIA ROAD-THE ATLANTIC & GREAT WESTERN ( NAME CHANGED)-THE MANSFIELD, COLDWATER & LAKE MICHIGAN ROAD -THE TELEGRAPH-THE TELEPHONE.

" The coach stands rusting in the yard, The horse has sought the plow ; We have spanned the world with iron rails, The steam-king rules us now."

RICHLAND COUNTY contains a portion of one of the oldest railroads in Ohio. The history of the State, in preceding pages, gives an account of the growth of early railways. men- tioning the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark (now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio) Railroad. That portion of this road lying in this county was chartered March 12, 1836, as the Mansfield & New Haven Railroad, and extended from Mansfield to a point a short distance west of the village of New Haven, in the southern part of Huron County. Work began on both ends of the line about the same time, working toward the high ground near Plymouth. Prior to the building of this railroad, a charter, dated March 9, 1835, had been granted to the Sandusky & Monroeville Railroad, running from one city to the other .* This road was in running order a short time before the Mansfield & New Haven road. When the latter was built, a gap between Monroeville and New Haven, about fifteen miles

in length, was left, which was subsequently filled, before the road to Mansfield was com- plete. by the connection of the two roads, and the city had a direct line to the lake. As has been noticed, the Sandusky & Monroeville road, thirteen miles long, was completed prior to the Mansfield & New Haven. The part from New Haven south to Plymouth was also finished before the deep cut near the village was made, and, in fact, the gap between New Haven and Monroeville filled before the cut was done. Mr. W. W. Drennan, in speaking of this road, says :

"The track was laid from the north to the south, within thirty rods or so from the county line, in the fall of 1845. In the month of Sep- tember, the construction train brought salt and other merchandise to Plymouth. This train continued to run during that fall and winter, carrying back to Sandusky wheat in bags, and produce in barrels, upon the little open cars then in use."

This assertion of Mr. Drennan, who has an accurate memory, gives credence to the state- ment that the "gap " between Monroeville and New Haven was completed before the train could come on down to Mansfield. Below the " deep cut," as it is often termed, near Plymouth. the road was ready for the cars very probably the same autumn, but none but construction

* When this road was first built, it was laid simply with wooden rails, and the cars were drawn by horses. Mr. Henry Newman says he has often hauled his wheat to Milan, where a water communica- tion with the lake was maintained. After this wooden railway was built from Sandusky to Monroeville, he and his neighbors hauled their produce there. They could unload into the small cars, which were drawn to the lake by The horses. This road, when first built, made Monroeville a great point for the grain trade.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

cars, drawn by horses, were used, as the loco- motive could not be brought over the space occupied by the " deep cut."

Speaking of the grain and produce trade of that date, Mr. Drennan says :

" I shipped the first wheat in September, and enjoyed for that day a good trade. The deep cut was not finished so that cars passed through until spring ; but south of the deep cut, from Plymouth to Mansfield, on the McConnell & Leyman contract "-the part wholly in this county-" the road was in a forward condition, and nearly ready for the cars, could they have been put on the track. The deep cut was com- pleted, and a train passed over the road in May of the next spring [1846]. This," says Mr- Drennan, " was the first train over the road. It came on down to Mansfield in accordance with a previous arrangement with the Shelby and Plymouth people, to be taken to Mansfield to a war convention called to raise troops for the Mexican war." By some curious arrange- ment, these two events, both of importance to the city and county, happened at the same time ; but. what is stranger still, no one can be found who can tell what day in May they occurred. As near as can now be ascertained, they happened about the middle of the month."*

Considerable difficulty was experienced in the endeavor to solve this question. Judge Dirlam, when at one time engaged in a law-suit in which the question arose. found in the diary of E. P. Sturges, Sr., under date of May 16 he thinks, a reference to the advent of the first train of cars. They came, however. no nearer the eity than the site of the present water-works build- ings. This is doubtless correct, and coincides

$ Mr. J. H. Cook states that he was conductor on one of the first trains that came to Mansfield, when the stopping-place was out by the water works. He says: " As we came around the hill, the en- gineer allowed the train to come slowly down. An immense assem- blage of citizens stood on the hillside next the tract, to view its approach. There must have been a thousand persons anxiously watching the train. Just as the engine came near the crowd, the engineer blew a shrilling blast upon the whistle-a loud and sharp one. The effect on the crowd was electric and anmising. They scampered up the hill like frightened sheep, greatly to the amuse- ment of the train-men." This may have been the first train to come to town.

with Mr. Drennan's and others' recollections. This was not, however, into the town. Mr. John Ricketts, in a communication to the writer of the history on this subject, states that the train came into the town the 19th day of June. 1846. His son George, now a policeman in the city. was born about 4 o'clock on the afternoon of that day, and Mr. Ricketts states he well remem- bers the coincidence of these two events. Dr. Teegarden was his family physician at the time, and was so excited over the arrival of the train, hourly expected, as to forget his patient for a time, and rush to the window to get a glimpse of the cars as they came up to the foot of Wal- nut street. An immense crowd was there to meet them, and a second hour of rejoicing passed, as one more step in the extension of the road had now been made.

Mr. Ricketts says that the construction en- gine was called the "Vigilant," and that, while used. it was run by Samuel Idler, who, he thinks, also ran the engine "Empire," used to draw the first regular trains. He says he and many others often walked up the traek as far as Spring Mills, where they would willingly assist to load and unload railroad supplies for a ride on the flat-cars. His first ride on a train, as well as that of many other citizens, was obtained in this manner.

The advent of the cars was the greatest event of the day to most people. War and its attend- ant parades were more common affairs. Militia musters had familiarized the people with such scenes ; but few of them had ever seen an engine and cars. A great crowd assembled at both places where the train stopped to see the novel sight. . The train would. indeed. be a novel sight now. The locomotive. the - Empire." was of the prevalent pattern of the day : small, doubt- less devoid of a cow-catcher. and, mayhap, with only one drive-wheel on each side. The cars were small, square, open box cars, on which the first merchandise was brought that was un- loaded at the depot in Plymouth, in this county.

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Author: Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Mansfield, O. : A. A. Graham & co. Number of Pages: 968

Author: Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Mansfield, O. : A. A. Graham & co.
Number of Pages: 968