USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Annals of Luzerne County; a record of interesting events, traditions, and anecdotes > Part 23
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Ay-behold him ! there with Perry ; In the self-same ship they fight; Though his messmates fall around him ; Nothing ean his soul affright.
But behold, a ball has struck him ! See the crimson current flow !
" Leave the deek ;" exclaimed brave Perry ; " No," cried Bird, " I will not go.
" Here on deck I took my station ; Ne'er will Bird his colors fly ;
I'll stand by you, gallant captain, Till we conquer, or we die !"
Still he fought, though faint and bleeding, Till our stars and stripes arose ; Vietory having crowned our efforts, All triumphant o'er our foes !
And did Bird receive a pension ? Was he to his friends restored ? No, nor ever to his bosom Clasped the maid his heart adored !
But there came most dismal tidings, From Lake Erie's distant shore ; Better if poor Bird had perished 'Midst the cannon's awful roar.
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" Dearest parents," said the letter ; " This will bring sad news to you ; Do not mourn your first beloved, Though it brings his last adieu !
" I must suffer for deserting From the brig Niagara ; Read this letter, brothers, sisters- "Tis the last you'll have from me."
Sad and gloomy was the morning Bird was ordered out to die ; Where's the breast not dead to pity, But for him will heave a sigh ?
Lo ! he fought so brave at Erie, Freely bled and nobly dared ; Let his courage plead for mercy ; Let his precious life be spared.
See him march, and bear his fetters, Harsh they clank upon the ear ; But his step is firm and manly, For his breast ne'er harbored fear.
See ! he kneels upon his coffin ! Sure his death can do no good ; Spare him, hark ! oh God, they've shot him ! Oh ! his bosom streams with blood !
Farewell, Bird ! farewell, for ever ; Friends and home he'll see no more, But his mangled corpse lies buried On Lake Erie's distant shore !
After the battle of Lake Erie, Colonel Hill's regiment, by order of General Harrison, advanced from Erie to Cleveland, and, on the 27th of September, with the main army, and with the naval forces under Commodore Perry. crossed the line into Canada. They now marched against
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Malden, which the enemy deserted, after burning the public buildings. Advancing towards Sandwich, the Americans found that place also deserted. Thence they crossed the Detroit river to attack General Proctor, who, with several hundred British troops and a large body of Indians under the celebrated chief Tecumseh, was in pos- session of Detroit. Captain Thomas's company was in the forward gun-boats in the passage across the river, and, landing, planted the stars and stripes on the opposite bank. Proctor and his forces retreated, whom General Harrison immediately pursued with the main body of his army, including the whole of the " Matross," except fourteen men, who were left with Captain Thomas at Detroit. In the battle of the Thames the company was commanded by Lieutenant Ziba Hoyt, and acquitted itself with credit, sustaining the reputation of Luzerne for good and true soldiers.
In addition to the company of Captain Thomas, Luzerne furnished a number of volunteers for the companies of Captain John Baldy, of Columbia, and Captain Robert Gray, of Northumberland counties. Among these were Job Barton, William Hart, William Brown, Henry Hard- ing, Luther Scott, W. C. Johnson, and about thirty others, whose names we have been unable to procure. These companies were attached to the 16th regiment of infantry, known as the "Bloody 16th." This regiment was com- manded by Colonel Cromwell Pearce. It was present at the engagements of Sackett's Harbor, Stony Creek, and of other places. At the battle of York, in Canada, when General Pike was killed by the blowing up of the maga- zine, Colonel Pearce, of this regiment, assumed the com- mand of the army, and received the capitulation of the enemy. During the war there was a recruiting station established at Wilkesbarre, and the names of Captains
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Baldy, Gray, and McChesney of the infantry, and Helme of the cavalry, are remembered, and frequently mentioned with respect by our old citizens. The infantry barracks were located on the bank of the river, opposite the present residence of Colonel H. B. Wright, and the cavalry bar- racks were located on Franklin street, on the site of the present residence of the late Joshua Miner, Esq. At 4 o'clock, A. M., the drums beat the reveille, and drill officers with new recruits daily paraded in the streets. At short intervals one or more detachments were sent away to the regular army.
In 1814, when the British threatened an attack on Baltimore, five companies of militia from Luzerne and adjoining counties marched under the command of Captains Joseph Camp, Peter Hallock, Frederick Bailey, George Hidley, and Jacob Bittenbender .* The Wyoming Blues, a volunteer company, assembled at Wilkesbarre, with the intention of accompanying the militia, but, some difficulty occurring, the company broke up in a row. Several of its officers and privates entered the ranks of the militia, while eight or ten men, with drums beating, marched towards the seat of war, under the colors of the Wyoming Blues. On the arrival of these companies at Danville, they received intelligence of the gallant defence of Fort Henry, and the repulsion of the British forces. They consequently received orders to return to their homes-an order welcome, doubtless, to men of families, but bringing disappointment to others who were antici- pating the excitements of an active campaign.
·
After peace had been proclaimed, many of the soldiers returned to be greeted by friends-many never returned. Some fell in battle, some died of camp diseases, and one man, upwards of fifty years of age, Robert Dixon, who
* See muster rolls in the Appendix, I.
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enlisted at Wilkesbarre, was inhumanly beaten by his orderly sergeant, Brack, so that he died on the march from Wilkesbarre to Easton, and was buried near Bear Creek. Brack was surrendered by Captain McChesney to the civil authorities, tried at Wilkesbarre, and convicted of murder. Through the exertions of counsel, a new trial was granted, when the criminal was found guilty of man- slaughter, and died in the penitentiary.
To the volunteers who survived the hardships of war, its diseases and battles, and returned to their homes, public dinners and splendid balls were given by their fellow-citizens in Wilkesbarre, Plymouth, Kingston, and other parts of the county ; and on the proclamation of peace there were bonfires, illuminations, and a general rejoicing throughout the land.
THE MEXICAN WAR.
On the morning of December 7th, 1846, the Wyoming Artillerists, under the command of Captain E. L. Dana, left Wilkesbarre for the seat of war in Mexico .* The company was transported to Pittsburgh by canal, where it remained long enough to complete its equipment, and be mustered into the service of the United States as a part of the 1st Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, to serve during the war. At this place, Francis L. Bowman, a popular and accomplished officer, the 1st lieutenant of the company, was elected major of the regiment. This company was designated "I" in the regiment; and after filling the vacancy occasioned by the election of Major Bowman, started for New Orleans on the 22d of December, 1846, on board the steamer St. Anthony. After their arrival, they encamped on the old Battle Ground, about 7 miles below the city, where they remained until the
* For names of officers and men, see Appendix, J.
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16th of January, 1847. On that day they sailed in the ship Russell Glover, with three other companies, and were conveyed to the Island of Lobos (Wolf Island), which they reached February Ist. The passage to this point was stormy and tedious. The ship is represented to have been a miserable transport; and 400 men were compelled to live below hatches in a crowded, suffocating space, for a period of two weeks, with little light, fresh air, or comfort of any kind. The island where they landed is about 12 miles from the Mexican coast, and 120 miles north of Vera Cruz. It is about one mile in circumference, and was covered with a thick growth of chaparral ; and the water used by the troops for cooking was of a brackish character, being sea-water filtered through the sand. The United States forces had not been a week on this island before they were attacked by disease. The Mississippi Regiment became infected by mumps, and, it is said, they lost six men per day during their stay on Lobos. Small-pox next made its appear- ance in the 2d Pennsylvania Regiment.
March 3d, the company left Lobos and sailed for Anton Lizardo, 9 miles below Vera Cruz, where they arrived two days after. On the 9th of March, a landing was effected on the Mexican coast, at a point 3 miles south of Vera Cruz. The fleet had hardly swung to its cables, when General Worth's division, with wonderful celerity, filled the surf-boats, and, at a signal from the ship of the commander-in-chief, darted for the shore amid the enthu- siastic cheers of the army and of our gallant tars. By nine o'clock of the night of that day, 12,000 men had landed without firing a gun, and were marshalled within 2 miles of the city.
After resting that night on the beach, the army com- menced the next morning its march through the thick
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chaparral and sand-hills, for the investment of Vera Cruz. The day was intensely hot, and many men were stricken down by coup de soleil. To add to their suffer- ings, they dare not drink of the water of the springs of the country; for a report was abroad that they were poisoned by the enemy. It was the fortune of the Wyo- ming Artillerists to receive the first fire of the Mexicans. Passing through the chaparral by a narrow path, along the base of a gentle declivity, the enemy poured their fire upon them, when the company was halted, and delivered their own with admirable coolness. The "Greasers" fled to the city. The company participated actively in the investment of the place, and were engaged throughout the siege. The trenches were opened on the 22d, and after a terrible storm of iron had been blown on the city for a few days and nights, it surrendered to the American army on the 29th of March, 1847.
In April, the volunteer division left the city for the interior, under the command of Major-General Patterson. Having arrived at Plan del Rio, 50 miles from Vera Cruz, they found General Twiggs with his division of regulars already there. The Mexicans, under General Santa Anna, were strongly posted in the pass of Cerro Gordo. On the morning of the 18th of April, the American army attacked the Mexican lines. The volun- teer brigade formed the left wing, under the command of General Pillow, to which the Wyoming Artillerists were attached. The brigade took a position within 200 yards of the Mexican batteries, which opened upon them a tre- mendous fire of grape. The Wyoming boys suffered but slightly ; but the 2d Tennesseean Regiment, occupying more elevated ground, suffered severely, and General Pil- low himself was wounded. In twenty minutes the line of attack was completed, and the brigade moved forward
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towards the batteries. The Mexicans now displayed the white flag from their defences, for their left wing had been completely routed by the forces under Generals Twiggs, Shields, Worth, and Quitman. The fruits of this victory were 3000 prisoners, 5000 stand of arms, 43 cannon, the money-chest of the Mexican army, containing $20,000, and a free passage for the army into the interior. of the enemy's country. In this action, David R. Morri- son, of thé Wyoming company, was killed, and Corporal Kitchen wounded. Poor Morrison was mourned by all, for not a kinder companion, or braver soldier than he, was to be found in the brigade.
After the battle, the volunteer force encamped 3 miles west of Jalapa, where they remained about three weeks. They were then ordered to Perote, a place about 35 miles west of Jalapa, on the main road to the capital. Here they took up their quarters in the celebrated castle of Perote, and formed its garrison. The period of their stay here was the most melancholy of the whole campaign, for the burial of the dead was the principal feature of their soldier life.
Here those ravages of the army, diarrhoea and typhus fever, broke out and made fearful havoc in their ranks. For many weeks was heard, almost constantly, the melan- choly strains of the dead march accompanying their mess- mates to lonely and forgotten graves. It was a joyful day when they received orders to leave the gloomy castle and dreary plains of Perote. About the 2d of July they marched for the city of Puebla. On the night of the 4th, when the soldiers had taken to their blankets, the camp
was alarmed by an attack on the pickets, which were driven in. Satisfied with this the enemy retired.
Having reached El Pinal, or the Black Pass, General Pillow anticipated a fight, for the enemy were posted there,
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prepared to dispute the passage. The Wyoming boys formed part of the storming party, and behaved gallantly ; but when the light troops had scaled the heights com- manding the gorge, the Mexicans abandoned their posi- tion, and fled.
On the 7th of July, they approached the fine old city of Puebla. Here General Scott, by the 1st of August, had concentrated about 11,000 men of all arms. On the 7th of that month, the army left Puebla for the city of Mexico. The Wyoming company, with five others of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, remained behind, constitut- ing, with a company of United States artillery, and one of cavalry, the garrison of Puebla. They were about 600 men, under the command of Colonel Childs, a brave and skilful officer. To this small force was intrusted the charge of 2000 sick men, and an immense amount of government property. The population of the city was turbulent and warlike, and evinced an uncompromising hostility towards the Americans. The place now was besieged by the Mexicans, who harassed the garrison, day and night, with alarms and attacks. This continued for forty days; but our men, occupying strong and favorable positions, maintained their ground, and the enemy failed so far as not to succeed in driving in'a single sentinel.
In this siege John Priest was killed in an engagement with guerillas, outside the city walls. Luke Floyd, a brave old soldier, who, with Priest, was a member of the Wyoming company, was severely wounded.
The arrival of General Lane, with 3000 men, on the 12th of October, put an end to the siege. In this arrival there were four companies of the 1st Pennsylvania Regi- ment, which had been left in garrison at Perote. They had participated in the fight at Huamantla, under the
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command of Major F. L. Bowman, of Wilkesbarre, who led them up in gallant style. His conduct on this occa- sion was highly spoken of by all who witnessed it. Not long after the raising of the siege the regiment, now united, left Puebla, and, on the 7th of December, 1847, arrived in the city of Mexico, where they remained about two weeks. They were then quartered at San Angel, 7 miles from the city, until the treaty of peace, in June, 1848.
They now returned to their country at New Orleans, and passing up the Mississippi and Ohio to Pittsburgh, they were honorably discharged at that place, and mus- tered out of service by reason of the expiration of the term of enlistment, July 24, 1848.
The Columbia Guards, of Danville, Pennsylvania, con- stituting a portion of the 2d Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, was composed in part of volunteers from Luzerne county, under Edward E. Leclerc, of Wilkes- barre, who was elected 2d lieutenant of the company. Among the names of privates who united with the Guards under Lieutenant Leclerc, we are able to give those of Norman B. Mack, Peter Brobst, Abram B. Carley, Ran- dolph Ball, George Garner, Oliver Helme, Joseph H. Stratton, William Kutz, and William White.
Edward E. Leclerc was appointed regiment quarter- master, November 8th, 1847, and, a few days after, be- came 1st lieutenant of his company. He was a brave officer, and conducted himself gallantly throughout the war.
On the return of the volunteers to their homes, they were greeted at every point by the enthusiastic demon- strations of the people, who welcomed them with shouts and the roar of artillery. When the Wyoming troops reached the valley, they found Wilkesbarre crowded with
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citizens from the country round about, and extensive pre- parations made to receive them in a becoming manner. While the body of the people manifested their rejoicings in tumultuous shouts and with the thunder of guns, the relatives and friends of the returned soldiers met them with tears of joy, and the demonstrations of deep and quiet affection.
From what we have recorded in this chapter, it will be observed that a considerable portion of the soldiers entering the service of their country from this county were volunteers, and the events of the Mexican war demonstrate that volunteers in conjunction with the regular army are sufficient for almost every emergency. The Legislature of our state has abolished the militia system, and extended encouragement for the formation of volunteer companies. Under the laws framed for their organization, Luzerne county has 21 companies, of which 2 are cavalry, amounting in all to 987 officers and men. The Great Rebellion. (See Appendix Z.)
CHAPTER XI.
AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURES.
" Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade, A breath can make them as a breath hath made ; But a bold peasantry, their country's pride, When once destroyed can never be supplied."
AGRICULTURE is the true source of our country's pros- perity, and from it we derive most of the elements of our strength and defence. It is, perhaps, more immediately connected with virtue, prudence, and economy, than any other sublunary pursuit. It was so considered by our fathers, and has been thus esteemed by all good govern- ments through all the ages of the historic period. was one of the earliest employments of mankind, and has
It been ever regarded as the nourisher of healthy and inde- pendent citizens. When agriculture declines, the glory and power of the nation are on the wane. This asser- tion is sustained by the history of many ancient nations. At one time the Egyptians worshiped the ox on account of his labor, and the Romans, in the early days of their history, venerated the plow, and viewed the industrious farmer who used it well, as the model or embodiment of all the virtues which should adorn a good and free citizen. The fathers of our great Republic, the leaders and soldiers of the Revolutionary army, and most of our greatest orators and statesmen, were farmers. Washington, Jef- ferson, Jackson, Harrison, Webster, Clay, and many others of our most eminent men, have not only recommended
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agriculture as a pursuit best suited for a republican peo- ple, but have themselves been the owners of farms, and experienced a sense of pride and delight in tilling the soil according to the most improved methods.
Nearly all the first settlers in Luzerne county were farmers, who handled the axe and the plow, who sowed the grain and gathered the harvest. Their wives and daughters did not scorn the labor of the kitchen; they prepared the rich milk, the delicious butter and cheese, and, when occasion required, assisted their husbands and fathers in the field. Their hands were familiar with the wash-tub and the dough-tray, they spun flax, and wove cloth for the backs of the men, and carpets for the floors of their houses. Almost every house contained a loom, one or two spinning-wheels, and a dye pot. The men were agriculturists, and the women were manufacturers. The young ladies of one neighborhood or township fre- quently vied with those of another in spinning, weaving, and coloring cloth. It was not uncommon for young ladies to spin 100 knots per day. Miss Mary Smith of Pittston frequently spun 120 knots in a day. In 1828, Miss Rachel Jenkins spun and reeled 135 knots in twelve hours, and Miss Selinda Jenkins spun 136 knots of filling in the same time. The farmers on the east side of the river contended with those on the west side, in raising wheat, rye, corn, and vegetables, the most and best on a given lot of ground. It was the high ambition of the young men to become good farmers, and wed industrious and accomplished girls, such as Rachel and Selinda Jen- kins. But this state of things has been materially changed within our own day. Our farmers' sons now aspire to be lawyers, physicians, or merchants, and their daughters seek to become the wives of professional gentlemen. The rural districts annually send large numbers of young men
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and women to our cities and chief towns, where they hope to reside in ease, or make fortunes by some sudden turn of luck. A false and pernicious idea of what is respectable seems to pervade the great body of the people. Manual labor is viewed as mean and degrading, while white hands and idleness are considered the test of re- spectability. The consequence is, there are multitudes of idlers in all portions of the country, who relieve the tedium of their lives by ridiculous day-dreams, and the perusal of immoral literature. As their bodies grow effeminate and weak, their minds also lose their natural healthy tone. Dissipation and debauchery ensue, want stares them in the face, life becomes a burden, and poison or the pistol often closes the scene.
Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue .- Jefferson.
" Drive on, thou sturdy farmer, Drive cheerily o'er the field; The pleasures of a farmer's life No other life can yield.
Thou risest with the morning sun, To till the fruitful earth ; And when thy daily task is done, Thou seek'st thy peaceful hearth.
Thou lovest not the gaudy town, With its tumultuous roar ; Plenty and peace thy fireside crown, And thou dost ask no more.
Monarchs with robes in crimson dyed, Are low compared with thee ; They are the pampered souls of pride, Thou'rt God's nobility.
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Go on, thou sturdy farmer, Tread proudly on the sod, Thy proud and goodly heritage, Thou chosen man of God."
Business men, and men of all professions, whose opinion is worth our regard, concur in expressing their high appreciation of practical farmers and mechanics. Use- fulness is the proper test of what is respectable, and who, on the broad face of the earth, is more useful than the honest, intelligent tiller of the soil, or the industrious, practical mechanic ? The evil in question proceeds mainly from a system of education in our colleges and higher schools, which does not have sufficient of the useful in combination with the ornamental. There is too great a veneration for ancient lore to the exclusion of modern science, too much attention given to that which strikes the senses in preference to those studies which give knowledge to the mind, while they enlarge and strengthen its powers. The evil will be corrected when we cultivate the body together with the moral and intellectual powers, that is, when we combine in our system of education manual labor in connection with studies of a practical character.
The spirit of the coal speculation, aided and invigorated by this false idea with respect to labor, has had a most destructive effect on the agricultural interests of our county. In 1828, Luzerne produced a surplus of 190,000 bushels of wheat, 1000 barrels of pork, 500 barrels of whiskey, 100,000 bushels of corn, besides large quantities of other grains, valued in all at $600,000. The case is very different now.
In England agriculture has been ever highly esteemed, but particularly so since its conquest by the Normans in 1066. However, the first work on husbandry did not
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make its appearance until the reign of Henry VIII. It was written by Sir A. Fitzherbert, and contained direc- tions for clearing, draining, and enriching the soil. During the reign of Elizabeth, a number of agricultural works issued from the press, and much attention was given to the breeding of horses, sheep, swine, and horned cattle. In after years, the National Board of Agriculture was formed, bringing the farmers of the realm together at a National Fair, where the best productions were exhibited and a laudable rivalry excited. By this and other means, agriculture has been carried to a very high degree of im- provement in the mother country.
In 1761, there were 13 grand and 19 auxiliary agri- cultural societies in France, and under the great Napoleon, who well knew how to appreciate a bold and industrious peasantry, their number was greatly increased. New breeds of horses, horned cattle, sheep, and swine, were introduced into the kingdom, and liberal premiums were offered for the best productions of agriculture.
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