History of Sandusky County, Ohio : with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens and pioneers, Part 16

Author: Everett, Homer, 1813-1887
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : H.Z. Williams
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > History of Sandusky County, Ohio : with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens and pioneers > Part 16

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In July, 18Io, he graduated at William and Mary college, and soon afterwards commenced the study of law. With this view, he continued to visit that university until the fall of 1811, when he volunteered his services as a private in the campaign up the Wabash. A short time before the action of Tippe- canoe, he was appointed aid-de-camp to General Boyd, the second in command : and, although from his situation, he was not enabled to evince that ac- tivity which has since so much distinguished him, he exhibited a soul undaunted in one of the most san- guinary conflicts of the present day, and accordingly received the thanks of the commanding general.

In consequence of his services on the Wabash ex- pedition, he was appointed a captain in the provi- sional arniv directed to be raised and organized in the spring of 1812. In August he marched with the detachment from Kentucky, under General Winches- ter, destined to relieve General Hull in Canada; and to those acquainted with the movements of that gallant but unfortunate little army, the caution, zeal, and military capacity of Captain Croghan was con- spicuous. Upon visiting the various encampments of the army on its march along the Miami of the Lake, both before and after the attack on Fort Wayne, the ground occupied by Captain Croghan

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

was easily designated by the judicious fortifications erected for the night. On the movement of the army towards the Rapids, he was entrusted with the com- mand of Fort Winchester, at the junction of the Auglaize and Miami Rivers, where he manifested his usual military arrangement. After the defeat at the River Raisin he joined General Harrison at the Rapids, previous to the erection of Fort Meigs.

It is creditable to the discernment of General Harrison, that he relied with the utmost confidence on the judicious arrangements of Captain Croghan, in the trying, brilliant, and ever memorable siege of Fort Meigs. In the sortie under that gallant soldier, Colonel Miller, on the 5th of May, to the companies led by Captains Croghan, Langhan, and Bradford was confided the storming of the British batteries, defended by a regular force and a body of Indians, either of them superior in number to the assailants. Here Captain Croghan's gallantry was again noticed in general orders.

At a very critical period of the last campaign (that of 1813,) young Croghan, now promoted to a ma- jority, was appointed to the command of Fort San- dusky, at Lower Sandusky. On his conduct in the defence of that post, the official documents of the time, and the applause of a grateful country, are the most honorable commentary. The character of the campaign was changed from defensive to offensive operations, and its issue very materially influenced by the achievement. For his valor and good conduct on this occasion, Major Crogan was made, by brevet, a Lieutenant-Colonel.

Colonel Croghan was made Inspector General of the army, with the rank of Colonel, December 21, 1825, and in that capacity served with General Taylor in Mexico.

Congress presented him with a gold medal February 13, 1835, as a recognition of his gallant services in the defence of Fort Stephenson.

I close this sketch with an incident which pithily illustrates the character of President Jackson and the esteem in which Colonel Croghan was held.

Colonel Miller, the gallant "I'll try, sir," of the War of 1812, was the first to make known to President Jackson that George Croghan, the splendid hero of the Fort Stephenson fight in 1813, who, with a handful of men, maintained against a thousand British and Indians a position that involved all the communication and

defences of the Northwest, that George Croghan, with this gallant record, was to be court-martialed on a charge of "intem- perance in alcholic drinks." The old General listened impatiently to the infor- mation, but heard it through, and then he laid down his paper, rose from his chair, smote the table with his clenched fist, and, with his proverbial energy, declared: "Those proceedings of the court-martial shall be stopped, sir! George Croghan shall get drunk every day of his life if he wants to, and by the Eternal, the United States shall pay for the whiskey."

PURCHASE OF THE GROUND BY THE CITY.

At an early day after the village of Lower Sandusky was chartered-a few men suggested and desired that the village should purchase and preserve the fort. The purchase was talked of from time to time. While it was owned by Chester Edgerton, esq., he verbally agreed to sell it to the city for four thousand dollars. General R. P. Buckland, then represent- ing this district in the Ohio Senate, about the year 1856 procured the passage of an act empowering the village to purchase at that price, on the majority vote of the inhabitants. The vote was taken and car- ried in favor of the purchase. But by this time Mr. Edgerton had changed his mind, and declined, for some reason, to sell to the city, but afterwards sold to Mr. Lewis Leppelman.

Among those who were always desirous the city should purchase, was Mr. Sardis Birchard, uncle of President Hayes. Fre- mont in the meantime became a city of the second class. Mr. Birchard, while alive, determined to found a public library in the city, where he had resided and ac- cumulated considerable wealth. He ac- cordingly donated property valued at fifty thousand dollars for the purpose, and ap- pointed as trustees of the library and the fund : The Mayor of the city of Fre-

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

mont, the Superintendent of the city schools, R. B. Hayes, R. P. Buckland, Rev. Ebenezer Bushnell, James W. Wil- son, Thomas Stilwell, William E. Haynes, and L. Q. Rawson. On meeting, the Board of Trustees chose the following of- ficers, who still hold their respective posi- . tions : President, R. B. Hayes; Vice- President, R. P. Buckland ; Secretary, W. W. Ross; Treasurer, James W. Wilson.

It was the earnest wish of Mr. Birchard that the library should be located on the site of the fort, and that the city should own that ground for a park. Hence, when the owner, Lewis Leppleman, esq., offered four lots embracing the fort ground prop- erty for eighteen thousand dollars, and Mr. Claghan and Dr. W. V. B. Ames, each a lot on the south, which connect the ground from Croghan to Garrison streets, consented to sell for nine thous- and, Mr. Birchard authorized the trus- tees of the library to divert six thousand dollars of the library fund to the purchase. This not being sufficient with the funds appropriated by the city, General Hayes, to complete its purchase of the whole block, guaranteed three thousand dollars more out of the library fund, and the whole was purchased, and deeded to the city with condition that the library build- ing should be erected therein.

THE GUN CALLED BETSEY CROGHAN.

The gun used by Colonel Croghan with such good effect, in defence of the fort, naturally became an object of inquiry with a view to having it placed in the fort as a relic of the past.

Brice J. Bartlett, a citizen and promi- nent lawyer of the place, father of Colonel J. R. Bartlett, and then mayor of the vil- lage, was untiring in his efforts to find and preserve the gun. By correspondence with the War Department and inquiry through members of Congress, he ascer-

tained that the identical gun was stored at Pittsburgh.

Aided by other citizens, he procured the passage of a resolution by Congress, directing that the gun be forwarded to this place and given to the village authorities.

It was forwarded, but by some misdi- rection was carried to Sandusky City. The authorities of that place desired to keep it, and when it was traced there and claimed by Mayor Bartlett, it was con- cealed by being buried.

He set a detective on the search, who, after several days, succeeded in finding where it was buried and informed Mayor Bartlett.

The Mayor sent a force of several men with a team, who found the gun and brought it away. There was much re- joicing over the arrival of the gun, and the people still hold it as a sacred relic of the past and a witness of the bravery of Colonel Croghan and his one hundred and sixty brave Kentuckians.

This gun is now placed on the site of Fort Stephenson, to be there kept as a memento and a reminder to future genera- tions, of the heroism and bravery of the fort's defenders.

The following communication was writ- ten by Clark Waggoner, who formerly edited the Lower Sandusky Whig, and was published in the Fremont Journal of Au- gust, 1879. It seems so pertinent to the history of the fort and the people of Lower Sandusky, that we give it entire:

FORTY YEARS AGO-FORT STEPHENSON CELEBRA- TION OF 1839.

The history of Fremont and vicinity is especially rich in events and associations, some of which have been gathered for record, while many others remain unwritten and liable to the oblivion which sooner or later overtakes tradition. Most prominent of all now stands, and must stand, the thrilling story of the heroic and successful defence of Fort Stephenson by Major George Croghan and his gallant little band of- one hundred and sixty-nine men, August 2, 1813,

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

from the combined attack of five hundred British regulars and eight hundred Indians, under command of General Proctor. After a furious cannonading of twenty-four hours, the assault was made, which re- sulted in complete repulse, with a loss to the assail- ants of two hundred men in killed and wounded, and to the brave defenders of one man killed and seven slightly wounded. We need not stop here to repeat the many features and incidents of that notable event, so highly important in staying the advance into Ohio of the confident leader of that mongrel command' our present object being rather to refer to the notable commemoration of that great victory, which took place here on the twenty-sixth anniversary of the sanie, August 2, 1839. This is made the more fitting at this time by the occurrence to-morrow of the sixty- sixth anniversary of that event.

Since the celebration of 1839, forty years have passed. Forty years! Two score of the earth's cycles! How few, of the hundreds who participated in the exercises of that occasion, remain to have its pleasant memories revived by this reference thereto. Not one in a hundred of the present population of Fremont and vicinity have any information of that event, except as received from others. And yet there are some who have all thesc long years of intervening time kept the matter in mind, and these will take special pleasure in a brief review of some of the inci- dents of the occasion. It is proper here to state that in 1839 there still remained some who were either here or in the immediate vicinity at the time of the tragic scenes of 1813.

The celebration of 1839 was the first formal recog- nition made of the anniversary of the battle, and was entered into by all classes of citizens with a spirit and an energy which indicated the deepest in- terest in the chief local event of the town. Action looking thereto was inaugurated by a preliminary meeting of citizens, held at the court house on the evening of July 6, when Thomas L. Hawkins was called to the chair and Ralph E. Buckland appointed secretary. On the motion of Dr. Frank Williams, it was resolved to take measures for the celebration of the then approaching anniversary, when a com- mittee of arrangements therefor was appointed, to consist of the following named citizens, to-wit: Gen- eral John Bell, James Justice, N. B. Eddy, John R. Pease, Ralph P. Buckland, Dr. Frank Williams, Isaac Knapp, Andrew Morehouse, James Vallette, Dr. L. Q. Rawson, William Fields, Dr. Daniel Brainard, Rodolphus Dickinson, General Samuel Treat, General John Patterson, Captain Samuel Thompson, Major James A. Scranton, Jesse S. Olm- sted, General Robert S. Rice, Thomas L. Hawkins, and Jeremiah Everett. This list will call up many memories among the readers of the Journal. It em- braces the names of most of the prominent citizens of old Lower Sandusky then living, nearly all of whom, one by one, have passed from earth. Of the

twenty-one named, but three remain-General Buck- land, Dr. Rawson, and William Fields.

The committee at once entered upon its duties, the discharge of which must be judged from results. Suf- fice it here to say that the undertaking committed to their hands was not then what it would be now. At that time nearly everything of ways and means had to be improvised for the occasion, while the popula- tion was small, with resources limited. The design of the committee was of the most liberal kind, and included, besides the usual procession, music, ora- tions, etc., a grand barbecue dinner, something en- tirely new in this section. The people co-operated zealously and liberally with the committees' plans in the supply of money and other assistance, while business was wholly given up to the festivities of the day. Special invitations were sent to a large number of distinguished men throughout the country, from many of whom letters were received. A splendid ox was neatly and adniirably roasted whole, after the best Kentucky style, and was supported by several smaller animals cooked in the same manner. The dinner was served under a capacious arbor especially pre- pared on the hill, in full sight and within a few rods of the old fort.

A SUGGESTIVE INCIDENT.

In his letter to the committee, Hon. Elisha Whittlesey gives, upon the authority of the person named, for whom he vouches as "a gentleman of respectability and of strict veracity," the following statement, which has not otherwise been made public. Mr. Whittlesey wrote:

Aaron Norton, then a resident of Tallmadge, Portage county, on the 2d of August, 1813, left Huron county to visit Fort Stephenson on business. He had furnished supplies for the Northwestern Army at different times after Huil's surrender, and was very well acquainted with the country east of the Maumee River. He arrived in the vicinity of Fort Stephenson in the afternoon, and without knowing that the British and Indians had effected a landing, he rode about half-way from the high bank to the place for fording the Sandusky River, when he discovered the British on the left bank, and that the Indians were on each side of him and in his front. The road descended from the high bank south of the present turnpike, and followed the river bank to the ford, which, according to my recol- lection, was south of the present bridge. To gain the fort was impossible, while a safe retreat was doubtful. The parties discovered each other at the same instant, and each were alike astonished. Mr. Norton wheeled his horse and pressed him to the top of his speed. As soon as the Indians recovercd from their surprise and regained their rifles, they

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

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shot at the fugitive, who reached the hill and the woods without injury.

Immediately after this active preparations were. made to attack the fort. Mr. Norton supposed the enemy, apprehending that reinforcements were marching to the fort, made the attack sooner and with less caution than they otherwise would. With- out detracting in the least from the brilliant merits of Major Croghan and his brave companions-in- arms, he looked upon the incident as having, under the guidance of Providence, contributed to the signal defeat of the enemy. He claimed no merit, and was thankful that he possessed the presence of mind that enabled him to make his escape.

On reading this statement the mind cannot wholly resist the view taken by Mr. Norton, that his timely appearance may have operated to precipitate the at- tack on the fort, which proved so disas- trous to the assailants.

With some readers the memories re- vived by this reference will be of mingled pleasure and sadness. It is always grati- fying to review the past in its pleasant as- pects; but in proportion to the lapse of time involved, we associate thoughts of those who contributed to such memories, but who no longer remain to share there- in. But it is profitable at times to stop in life's activities, to give special thought to departed sharers in our joys and sor- rows, for thereby we are lifted out of, if not above, the engrossing cares of every- day life, which too often shut out thoughts which ennoble and elevate.

After dinner the company adjourned to the old fort, a few relics of which still re- main, where Hon. Eleutheros Cooke, of Sandusky, from the steps of the residence of General John Patterson (which was the wooden building lately removed from the centre of Fort Stephenson), delivered an able, eloquent, and appropriate address, which was published at the time. Letters were received from a large number of persons invited, including Colonel Crogh- an, General W. H. Harrison, Henry Clay, Colonel R. M. Johnson ( then Vice- President), Governor Shannon, Hon.

Thomas Ewing, Hon. Elisha Whittlesey, John A. Bryan (Auditor of State), Hon. John W. Allen, General James Allen, and Dr. John G. Miller, of Columbus. Be- sides the regular, volunteer toasts were of- fered by General John Patterson, B. J. Bartlett, William B. Craighill, Josiah Roop, Dr. Niles, Henry Spohn, Sidney Smith (subsequently by special legislative act, Sidney Sea), Colonel E. D. Bradley, Dr. A. H. Brown, Clark Waggoner, Cap- tain Samuel Thompson, Pitt Cooke, and John N. Sloan, of Sandusky. One of the volunteer toasts was this :

By a citizen : Colonel Bradley, Assistant Marshal of the Day, the dauntless hero and friend of liberty. When another victory like the one we celebrate is to be won, his country will know on whom to call to achieve it.

"Another victory," and many of them, have since been "won" for "liberty, " and the sentiment of the "citizen's " toast has been met in the heroic part taken therein by Colonel Bradley, the brave commander of the Sixty-eighth Ohio Volunteers in the Union army. That gentleman, still at Stryker, Williams county, Ohio, survives the battles of Point au Pelee and of the Rebellion.

Of those from whom letters were re- ceived, only Hon. John W. Allen, of Cleveland, and ex-Governor Shannon (now of Kansas), are living; while, of the volunteer toasters named, only Colonel Bradley, Pitt Cooke, and Clark Waggoner are known now to survive.

COLONEL CROGHAN'S LETTER.

The letter of Colonel Croghan was as follows :

ST. LOUIS, MO., 26th July, 1839.

GENTLEMEN : I have had the honor to receive your letter of the 8th inst., inviting me, on the part of the citizens of Lower Sandusky, to be present with them in the coming anniversary of the defence of Fort Stephenson.

It is with regret that I am, on account of official duties, unable to comply with your flattering invita- tion. In communicating this, my reply, I cannot

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

forbear to acknowledge with deep gratitude, the honor you confer. To have been with those gallant men who served with me on the occasion alluded to, permitted by a kind Providence to perform a public duty which has been deemed worthy of a special no- tice by my fellow-citizens, is a source of high gratifi- cation, brightened, too, by the reflection that the scene of conflict is now, by the enterprise and in- dustry of your people, the home of a thriving and intelligent community.

I beg to offer to you, gentlemen, and through you to the citizens of Lower Sandusky, my warmest thanks for the remembrance which you have so flat- teringly expressed.

With every feeling of respect and gratitude,

I am yours, G. CROGHAN.

Dr. Frank Williams and others, Committee.

NAMES OF THE DEFENDERS OF FORT STEPHENSON.

Mr. Webb C. Hayes has expended much time and great care in his endeavors to obtain the names of the men who so bravely defended Fort Stephenson. The results of his labors have been a partial, but not a complete success. By his cor- respondence and inquiry at different de- partments at Washington and elsewhere, it appears that the American force at Fort Stephenson, August 2, 1813, consisted of detachments from Captain James Hunter's company of the Seventeenth regiment of United States Infantry; from Captain James Duncan's company of same regi- ment ; also a detachment from the Twen- ty-fourth United States Infantry, and from the Pittsburgh Blues, Petersburgh Volun- teers, and Greensburg Riflemen, in all amounting to one hundred and fifty men.

Mr. Hayes' correspondence reveals the fact that there was not found in the Adju- tant-General's office in Washington, any rolls of volunteers in the War of 1812, all of them having been sent to the Third Auditor's office many years before he made the inquiry. The Auditor's office failed to show the names of these detached volunteers. But there were records of the regulars, and from these Mr. Hayes obtained the following lists, which he has

very kindly furnished the writer, to be used in this history, and which are as follows:

DEFENDERS OF FORT STEPHENSON.

Major George Croghan, Seventeenth United States Infantry, commanding.

Captain James Hunter, Seventeenth United States Infantry.

First Lieutenant Benjamin Johnson, Seventeenth United States Infantry.

Second Lieutenant Cyrus A. Baylor, Seventeenth United States Infantry.

Ensign Edmund Shipp, Seventeenth United States Infantry.

Ensign Joseph.Duncan, Seventeenth United States Infantry.

First Lieutenant Joseph Anthony, Twenty-fourth United States Infantry.

Second Lieutenant John Meek, Seventh United States Infantry.

Petersburg Volunteers.

Pittsburg Blues.

Greensburg Riflemen.

CAPTAIN JAMES HUNTER'S COMPANY, SEVENTEENTH UNITED STATES INFANTRY.

Captain James Hunter, commanding.

Sergeant Wayne Case.

Sergeant James Huston.

Sergeant Obadiah Norton.

Corporal Matthew Burns.

Corporal William Ewing.

Corporal John Maxwell.

PRIVATES.

Pleasant Bailey, Samuel Brown, Elisha Condiff, Thomas Crickman, Ambrose Dean, Leonard George, Nathaniel Gill, John Harley, Jonathan Hartley, William McDonald, Joseph McKey, Frederick Metts, Rice Millender, John Mumman, Samuel Pearsall, Daniel Perry, David Perry, William Ralph, John Rankin, Elisha Rathburn, Aaron Ray, Robert Row, John Salley, John Savage, John Smith, Thomas Striplin, William Sutherland, Martin Tan- ner, John Zett.

CAPTAIN JAMES DUNCAN'S COMPANY, SEVENTEENTH UNITED STATES INFANTRY.

First Lieutenant Benjamin Johnson, commanding. Second Lieutenant Cyrus A. Baylor.

Sergeant Henry Lawell.

Sergeant Thomas McCaul.

Sergeant John M. Stotts.

Sergeant Notley Williams.

PRIVATES.

Henry L. Bethers, Cornelius S. Bevins, Joseph Blamer, Jonathan C. Bowling, Nicholas Bryant, Robert Campbell, Samuel Campbell, Joseph Klink- enbeard, Joseph Childers, Ambrose Dine, Jacob Downs, James Harris, James Heartley, William

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

Johnson, Elisha Jones, Thomas Linchard, William McClelland, Joseph McKee, John Martin, Ezekiel Mitchell, William Rogers, David Sudderfield, Thomas Taylor, John Williams.

DETACHMENT TWENTY-FOURTH UNITED STATES INFANTRY.

First Lieutenant Joseph Anthony, commanding.

PRIVATES.

William Gaines, John Foster, - Jones, Samuel Riggs, Samuel Thurman.

GREENSBURG RIFLEMEN.

Sergeant Abraham Weaver.

PETERSBURG VOLUNTEERS.

Private Edmund Brown.

PITTSBURG BLUES.

Mr. Hayes has also furnished us, for use, the following correspondence rel- ative to the battle and the proceedings of Congress on the subject, which we place before our readers, with thanks to Mr. Hayes :

LOWER SANDUSKY, 25th July, 1813. GENERAL HARRISON:

DEAR SIR :- Mr. Connor has just arrived with the Indians which were sent by you to Fort Meigs a few days since. To him I refer you for information from that quarter.

I have unloaded the boats which were brought from Cleveland, and shall sink them in the middle of the river (where it is ten feet deep) about one-half mile above the present landing. My men are en- gaged in making cartridges, and will have, in a short time, more than sufficient to answer any ordinary call. I have collected all the most valuable stores in one house. Should I be forced to evacuate the place, they will be blown up.

Yours with respect, G. CROGHAN,

Major Commanding at Lower Sandusky. Major-General Harrison.

GENERAL HARRISON TO MAJOR CROGHAN.

July 29, 1813.

SIR :- Immediately on receiving this letter, you will abandon Fort Stephenson, set fire to it, and re- pair with your command this night to headquarters. Cross the river and come up on the opposite side. If you should deem and find it impracticable to make good your march to this place, take the road to Huron, and pursue it with the utmost circumspec- tion and dispatch.

MAJOR CROGHAN TO GENERAL HARRISON.

July 30, 1813.

SIR :- I have just received yours of yesterday, 10 o'clock P. M., ordering me to destroy this place and

make good my retreat, which was received too late to be carried into execution. We have determined to maintain this place, and by heavens we can.

July 30, 1813.

SIR ;- The General has just received your letter of this date, informing him that you had thought proper to disobey the order issued from this office, and delivered to you this morning. It appears that the information which dictated this order was incor- rect; and as you did not receive it in the night, as was expected, it might have been proper that you should have reported the circumstances, and your situation, before you proceeded to its execution. This might have been passed over; but I am directed to say to you, that an officer who presumes to aver that he has made his resolution, and that he will act in direct opposition to the orders of his General, can no longer be entrusted with a separate command. Colonel Wells is sent to relieve you. You will de- liver the command to him, and repair with Colonel Ball's squadron to this place.

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History of Sandusky County, Ohio : with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens and pioneers, Part 16

Author: Everett, Homer, 1813-1887 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : H.Z. Williams Number of Pages: 1040

Author: Everett, Homer, 1813-1887
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : H.Z. Williams
Number of Pages: 1040