Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 40

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > Butler > Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th > Part 40

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

WAR OF THE REVOLUTION

BUTLER COUNTY'S LINE OF DESCENT.

It may be of interest to the student of local history to study the line of descent of Butler County in order to fully under- stand the part that the early settlers took in the War of the Revolution. As has been stated in previous chapters, the first set- tlers of the county came from Westmore- land, Washington, Allegheny, Fayette and Lycoming Counties. Many of them had been soldiers in the frontier wars and in the War of the Revolution, and their fam- ily names are found among the military records of these counties. Originally there were only three counties in the Province of Pennsylvania. They were Bucks, Phil- adelphia and Chester, and were created in 1682. Lancaster County was created in 1729 from part of Chester; Cumberland County was created January 27, 1750, from Lancaster; Bedford was formed from part of Cumberland County March 9th, 1771; Westmoreland . County from Bedford February 26, 1773; Allegheny County from Westmoreland and part of Washington September 24, 1788, and But- ler County from Allegheny March 12, 1800. Chester County originally included all of the territory southwest of the Schuylkill River to the extreme limits of the province. As the settlements grew and the exigencies of local government de- manded, new counties were formed on the west in the order named.

REVOLT OF THE PENNSYLVANIA LINES.

When the Colonies declared their inde- pendence in 1776, Westmoreland County comprised all western Pennsylvania from Bedford County on the east to the Ohio line on the west. The territory north of the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny River was Indian lands and unsettled. Hence it is that Butler County has no mili- tary organization to the credit of the War of the Revolution, but the names of the

first settlers are identified with the First, the Second, the Sixth, the Seventh, the Eighth, the Ninth Pennsylvania Regi- ments, the Light Horse Troop, the Mary- land, New Jersey and Delaware Regi- ments and the Bedford Rangers. Most of the Pennsylvania regiments belong to the Division of the Colonial Army known as the "Pennsylvania Line," and were com- manded by Gen. Anthony Wayne. These soldiers are described by Thatcher as "hardy yeomen, frontiersmen, remark- able for the accuracy of their aim." That they were remarkable for their patriotism and loyalty to the cause of liberty is em- phasized by the conclusion of the incident mentioned in history as the Revolt of the Pennsylvania Line. The condition of Gen- eral Wayne's troops in camp at Morris- town at the close of the year 1780 was most deplorable. The soldiers were wearied out with the year's campaigns and privations and indignant at their of- ficers for not properly representing their situation to Congress. The fault, how- ever, was with Congress and not the officers. To make matters worse the treason of Arnold and the execution of Major Andre had a depressing effect on the colonies. The Pennsylvania Line had enlisted under the ambiguous terms of "three years or during the war," and con- siderable discontent had taken place on account of deficiencies of clothing, arrear- ages of pay, and depreciation of the cur- rency, which as yet extended no further than private complaints and murmurs. New Year's day, 1781, the soldiers, in- flamed by rum, and their real and imag- inary grievances, broke forth into outrage and disorder. All attempts to quell the mutiny failed and at length the "Line" left their camp and marched to Princeton, where they fixed their quarters.

Relying on the repeated statements of the mutineers that there was not the least tincture of disaffection or that they had any intention of deserting to the enemy,

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General Wayne set about to discover the truth of the situation so that redress might be had if the complaints were well founded. A committee of sergeants-one from each regiment-was appointed, who met with General Wayne and represented the grievances of the mutineers. So fair were the proposals made by the committee of sergeants that General Wayne reported the whole matter to the Committee of Con- gress in Philadelphia and urged that im- mediate steps be taken to settle the un- happy affair. President Reed of the State and a Committee of Congress arrived at Princeton on the 6th of January.

TREATMENT OF SPIES.

In the meantime information of the mutiny had reached the British at New York, and there was great elation among the enemy. Four or five thousand troops were dispatched to New Jersey under the impression that the Line was only waiting the opportunity to join them. A spy from New York, attended by a guide, appeared before the board of sergeants with a letter intimating that if the Line would march toward North River, the British troops would be ready to receive them and prom- ising large emoluments to every soldier who would desert his country's cause. No sooner did the emissary make his errand known but the board of sergeants rejected the proposal and sent the spy and his com- panion under arrest to General Wayne, with a reserve, however, that they should be re-delivered to the board, if demanded.

The correspondence between the Board of Sergeants and the Committee of Con- gress lasted several days. The substance of the final agreement being: That no sol- dier should be detained longer than the time for which he had voluntarily enlisted.

That auditors would attend as soon as possible to settle the depreciations of pay with the soldiers and give them certifi- cates. Arrearages of pay to be made up as soon as the circumstances would admit.

A pair of shoes, overalls, and shirt should be delivered to each soldier in a few days. Those who were discharged would receive the above articles at Tren- ton.

Pursuant to the order of General Wayne of January 2nd, "no man was to be brought to trial or censured for what had happened on New Year's day, but all matters were to be buried in oblivion."

Upon the conclusion of the articles of agreement General Wayne informed his Excellency, President Reed, that he had promised the two soldiers who conducted the British spies a reward of fifty guineas each for their fidelity. He accordingly sent for the men and offered them the gratuity. This, the two soldiers refused to accept, saying that they had only obeyed the orders of their superiors, the Board of Sergeants. The hundred guin- eas were then offered to the Board of Ser- geants, who returned this remarkable an- swer: Agreeably to the information of two sergeants of our board who waited on your Excellency, that in consideration of the two spies, they informed the re- mainder of the board that your Excellency had been pleased to offer a sum of gold as a compensation for our fidelity ; but as it has not been for the sake of or through any expectation of receiving a reward, but for the zeal and love of our country, that we sent them to General Wayne, we, there- fore, do not consider ourselves entitled to any other reward, but the love of our country, and do jointly agree that we shall accept no other."

The two 'spies were tried on the 10th of January and, being duly convicted, were executed on the 11th, agreeable to their sentence.

Following the above incidents, the com- missioners appointed by Congress settled with the discontented troops, man by man, and carefully inquired into their enlist- ments. Those whose time had not expired remained with their regiments, while the

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

remainder almost to a man re-enlisted and served with General Wayne's army in the battles of the South up to the surren- der of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS WHO SETTLED IN BUTLER.

Many of the sturdy men who fought in the Pennsylvania Line and in other regi- ments during the Revolution became set- tlers in Butler County and they proved no less true to the duties of manhood in the' pursuits of peace than in battling for lib- erty and independence. Among these men and their descendants have been found citizens that have reflected honor upon Butler County, and have contributed to her upbuilding in every department of human effort, and have given her a high place among the counties of the Common- wealth ..

Among the names that are familiar to the student of local history are the follow- ing :

William Spear, the ancestor of a not- able family of that name in western Penn- sylvania and in Ohio; enlisted five times during the War of the Revolution and was with the army at Valley Forge.

John Harbison, whose wife, Massy Har- . pers bear the signatures of General Butler bison, was captured by the Indians in 1792, and after terrible suffering escaped from the savages. He was a noted scout and spy and served under St. Clair against the Indians in 1791.

William Harbison served in Colonel Hand's regiment, later Broadhead's, and in 1779 served in Captain Jack's company, Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment.

John Galbreath, a native of Ireland, served in the Pennsylvania Line. He set- tled in Center Township in 1796 or 1797.

John Rankin served in William Hus- ton's company of Colonel Watts' Rifle- men, from Cumberland County.

John Slator was a pioneer of Donegal Township. He was a soldier in the army of Count de Rochambeau; arrived with

the fleet off Rhode Island in 1780; was in the battle of White Plains; was present at the surrender of Cornwallis and honor- ably discharged at Wilmington, Delaware, May 19, 1783.

John Johnston enlisted in Boston in Colonel Craine's Artillery and served un- til the surrender of Cornwallis.

John Ransom enlisted in 1776 in Cap- tain Talbot's company of the Sixth Penn- sylvania Regiment and served three years: In 1779 he was ensign in the Seventh Pennsylvania Regiment.

Samuel Porterfield served eighteen months in the troop of Light Horse of the Second Pennsylvania Regiment.

Andrew Dunn enlisted in Captain Mor- gan's Company of Virginia troops under Col. John Gibson in 1777 and was dis- charged at Pittsburg in 1783.

James Burnsides served in the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment in Captain Lloyd's company, under Colonel Bayard.

Hugh Murrin of Venango Township served in a New Jersey regiment.

Daniel Graham Sr. enlisted in the Cum- berland Valley in Capt. Francis Negley's company, Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, Col. Richard Butler. His discharge pa- and General Wayne.

Jacob Rudolph served as a ranger un- der Capt. Matthew Jack in 1779, and aided in destroying the Indian towns at Muncie in 1780. He was stationed for nine months at Kittanning and subsequently enlisted in the Eighth Pennsylvania Regi- ment.

John Bell enlisted in 1777 in the Sixth Maryland Regiment in Captain Giesland's company and was discharged at the close of the war.

George Dobson of Slippery Rock Town- ship, enlisted in the Continental Army in 1777 in Virginia under Captain Yates. In 1781 he joined the Bedford County (Penna.) Rangers under Captain Walker and Colonel Davis and served until Sep-

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tember, 1781. The command was em- ployed against the Indians.

James Glover, one of the first settlers in Adams Township, served in a New Jersey regiment during the entire war.

Thomas McKee, who settled in Butler Township in 1797, served in Captain Clug- gage's company, First Regiment, Penn- sylvania Line.

Peter Peterson settled in Butler Town- ship in 1800. He was one of the six sur- vivors of a company of eighty men who were in the hottest of the fight at Brad- dock's defeat in 1753. He served in the Revolution in one of the western regi- ments. His daughter, Jane, married Da- vid Pierce and became the founder of one branch of the Pierce family in the county.

William Gill, of Mercer Township, served under Gen. Anthony Wayne and was wounded at Paoli.

Andrew Cruikshank, a native of Ire- land, came to America prior to the Revo- lution and served in an eastern regiment. He died in Butler County in 1824.

John Kennedy, a native of Ireland, served in the Colonial Army and after- wards settled in Winfield Township.

Thomas Watson, a native of Ireland, was taken prisoner at Brandywine while fighting in the ranks of the Colonial Army. He settled in Clinton Township.

John Green, a native of Ireland, enlist- ed in Colonel Hartley's regiment, Penn- sylvania Line, in 1776 and was discharged at Sunbury, Penna., in 1781.

Nathaniel Stevenson, who was a resi- dent of Center Township in 1827, served in Captain Rippey's company of Colonel Irwin's Pennsylvania regiment.

John Jameson, of Parker Township, served in Colonel McCoy's Eighth Penn- sylvania Regiment. He enlisted at Han- nahstown, Westmoreland County, and was discharged at Pittsburg in 1779.

Peter Mckinney, for whom the town of Petersville was named, was a fifer in Cap- tain Black's company, Eighth Pennsyl-

vania Regiment. He entered the army as a mere boy and served six years and six months. He settled in Forward Town- ship in 1792 and was probably the first settler in the Connoquenessing Valley.

Charles Sullivan, the ancestor of the Sullivan family in Butler County, served under Washington in the Continental Line and was with the army at Valley Forge.

Alexander Bryson, a native of Ireland, and a soldier in the Revolution, settled in Butler Township.

George Byers served in Colonel Cook's Pennsylvania regiment.

Philip Hartman, of Donegal Township, served in Colonel Ogle's regiment.

John Pierce, who settled in Butler Township in 1796, served in the New Jer- sey Line.

Among the other soldiers of the Revolu- tion who became residents of the county may be mentioned :

Michael O'Hara, who served under Gen- eral Anthony Wayne.

Andrew Orr, John Vanderlin, Patrick McDowell, James Shields, Luke Covert of Brady Township, and William Carson of Marion Township saw service in the Con- tinental Army. James Critchlow, James Byrne, who came to Butler County in 1800; Abram Leasure, who settled in Win- field Township; John Allen, who settled in Allegheny Township; Enoch Varnum, who was in St. Clair's army, settled in Wash- ington Township; John Moser, who set- tled in Oakland Township; William El- liott, who served two years in the militia and five years in the Continental Army; David Russell, a pioneer settler of Butler County; William Spear, who settled in Franklin Township; and Jacob Hilliard, who settled in Washington Township. General Campbell, who settled in Marion Township.

Joseph Snyder, of Worth Township, . served in the Pennsylvania Line.

Thomas Martin, a native of Ireland,

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served from 1776 to 1781; settled in Mid- dlesex Township.

Abdiel MeClure, served in the Colonial Army from Westmoreland County. He came to Connoquenessing Township in 1796. He served as a wagonmaster in the War of 1812.

Enos Graham, who settled in Conno- quenessing Township about 1800, served in the Continental Army in a Delaware regiment.

John Welsh, a pioneer of Connoquenes- sing Township, served in the Seventh Pennsylvania Regiment under Colonel Greer. At the battle of Brandywine he was shot through the abdomen by a mus- ket ball and thought to be fatally wound- ed. The surgeons drew a white silk hand- kerchief through the wound as a test for perforation of the intestines. The test was satisfactory and Welsh was given a chance to get well. Students of antiseptic surgery would stand aghast at such a pro- ceeding today.

CAPTURE OF STONY POINT.

John McCleod, another pioneer of Con- noquenessing Township, enlisted in Cap- tain Patterson's company, Second Regi- ment of the Pennsylvania Line. He was an aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. An- thony Wayne at the battle of Stony Point and was with General Wayne at the bat- tle of Fallen Timbers. The assault at Stony Point was made a little after mid- night. Muskets were unloaded, flints taken off, and bayonets fixed; not a shot was fired. The conflict was short, sharp and decisive. General Wayne was wound- ed on the head and was carried to a place of safety by McCleod. Happily for the cause of liberty, General Wayne's injury consisted of a scalp wound that bled pro- fusely, but was not dangerous.

One of the frontier commands that were noted for their daring, bravery and the deadly accuracy of their aim, was Col. Daniel Morgan's Sharpshooters. At the

battle of Saratoga, General Gates' men were much annoyed by the skillful man- oeuvering of one wing of the British troops under the direction of an officer, who could be seen stationed on a knoll that gave a commanding view of the firing lines. General Gates requested Colonel Morgan to pick this officer off with his Sharpshooters. General Morgan detailed six men for this duty, among whom were James Critchlow, William Critchlow and Thomas Scott. These men chose a posi- tion in an abandoned house, but were still out of effective firing range. The ground lying between the knoll and the Sharp- shooters was covered with a rank growth of weeds almost as high as a man's head. Resolving on a desperate move, William Critchlow crawled on his hands and knees until he was within easy range of the Brit- ish officer and his staff. Waiting his op- portunity Critchlow arose and fired. There was a commotion on the knoll and a regi- ment of infantry fired into the patch of weeds, but Critchlow made his escape back to his command without injury. After the battle it was learned that the officer shot by Critchlow was General Frazier, who was second in command to General Bur- goyne.

James and William Critchlow and Thomas Scott, above mentioned, were among the first settlers of Connoquenes- sing Township, and many of their de- scendants still reside in the county.

Henry Kuhn, of Center Township, was with the Continental Army at the battle of Bunker Hill.

James Maxwell, of Jefferson Township, one of the early sheriffs of the county, was a soldier of the Revolution.

David Studebaker, who came into Worth Township as early as 1890, had been an Indian captive for years, when a boy. He served under General Washing- ton in the Revolution and died in Butler County in 1815.

Thomas Cross, another pioneer of

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Worth Township, was at the battle of Lex- ington.

Thomas Clark Sr., a pioneer of Worth Township, served from 1777 to the close of the war. He died in Butler County at the age of ninety-five.

Christopher McMichael, a Scotch-Irish man, was taken prisoner at the battle of Brandywine, while in the Continental Army. After his release he served as a scout in the Indian wars.

Thomas Martin, who first came to Mid- dlesex Township in 1793, and was driven off by the Indians, was a native of Ireland. He saw service in the Revolution and be- came a settler of Middlesex Township in 1797.

Silas Miller, who was a pioneer of Mid- dlesex Township, came originally from New Jersey. He served in a Westmore- land County regiment in the Revolution and in a Butler County command in the War of 1812.

John Shira came to Washington Town- ship from Berks County in 1798. He served three terms of enlistment in the Continental Army.

Thomas Means, a Revolutionary soldier from Westmoreland County, settled in Franklin Township at an early date.

Samuel Robb and John Lowe, early pioneers of Oakland Township, were sol- diers of the Revolution.

Robert Stewart was a corporal in Cap- tain Evans' company, Third Pennsylvania Regiment, in Westmoreland County. He came to Butler County in 1796 and took up a large tract of land near the present town of Portersville.

Stephen Brewer, who was an early set- tler in Clinton Township, served in the In- dian wars under General Wayne, and was a scout and frontiersman.

William Kiskaddon, an Irishman by birth, served seven years and six months in the Colonial Army. He settled in Buf- falo Township near Monroeville, about 1797.

Philip Hartman, the progenitor of the Hartman family in Donegal Township, en- listed in Captain Ogle's company from Westmoreland County. His brother, Michael, served in the Continental Army and settled in Armstrong County.

In 1830 the Pennsylvania legislature re- fused a contribution to James Elliott, above mentioned, although his claims to recognition were strongly urged by Will- iam Purviance, of Butler, who was then a member of the House. In 1852 the legis- lature granted a pension of $40 a year to James McElvain, a soldier of the Indian War, and to Catherine Monks, widow of another soldier of the war. In 1840 there were twenty-six revolutionary pensioners residing in Butler County.

THE WAR OF 1812.

Smarting for thirty years over the loss of her North American colonies, England precipitated a second war by sending a fleet to our Atlantic coast and Great Lakes and threatening to invade the northern frontier with her army. The pioneers of Butler County were yet engaged in sub- duing the wilderness to the uses of civiliz- ation, but the call to arms aroused the patriotic sires of 1776 and their no less patriotic sons and they forsook the paths of peace to take up arms against the in- vader. In the ranks of the Butler County companies were found the survivors of many a hard fought field in the Revolu- tion under General Wayne and in the In- dian wars under St. Clair, and their sons proved their value on many a bloody field in the war that followed. It is not an un- common thing to find on the muster rolls of the county in the War of 1812 the name of a father, followed by two, three, four and five sons. The struggle that followed was brief and forever settled the suprem- acy of the United States on this continent.

In July, 1812, the appearance of British and Indian forces off the harbor at Presque Isle, now Erie, caused alarm

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

along the border, and under an order of the governor of the state dated July 15th, the Sixteenth Division of the State Militia was organized by General Kelso. This Division included Butler County. In his message to the legislature, December 3rd. of the same year Governor Snyder made use of the following language: "In the War of the Revolution our fathers went forth, as it were, with a sling and with a stone, and smote the enemy. Since that period millions of her sons have grown to manhood, and, inheriting the principles of their fathers, are determined to preserve the precious heritage which was pur- chased by their blood and won by their valor."

Acting on the suggestion of Governor Snyder, the legislature passed an act for an additional monthly allowance to the Pennsylvania militia, and energetic ef- forts were made to place Lake Erie in a state of defense.

In the spring of 1813 Commodore Perry was building his fleet at Erie harbor and the third detachment of 1,000 Pennsyl- vania militia was ordered to the defense of the Union, to protect the vessels of war building at Erie. At this time the British evinced a determination not only to de- stroy Commodore Perry's unfinished fleet but to invade Pennsylvania. Appreciat- ing the gravity of the situation, Commo- dore Perry sent a courier to Meadville for reinforcements, and Gen. David Mead, commander of the Sixteenth Division of the State Militia, ordered his command to report at Erie with all possible haste. Butler County furnished her full quota of men for this expedition and they assisted in protecting public property and in get- ting the squadron over the bar at the mouth of the harbor and in the events that preceded the famous engagement of Sep- tember 10th of that year.

Shortly after war was declared Col. John Purviance of Butler raised a regi- ment which was known as the "Second

Regiment of Infantry," and formed part of the brigade commanded by Gen. Adam- son Tannehill. Five companies of this regiment were recruited in Butler County. Under the call of 1813 the men of Colonel Purviance's regiment re-enlisted and served at Erie and northern posts. In 1851 Gen. John N. Purviance, a son of Col. John Purviance, secured from the War Department at Washington, D. C., copies of the roster of this regiment, which were published in the Democratic Herald of that year.

During the struggle Pennsylvania soi! was never invaded by hostile foot, yet at one time, the state had more militia and more volunteers in the service than were at any time from any other state in the Union. A noteworthy fact that Pennsyl- vania's sons may remember with pride is that when General Van Rensellaer's bri- gade of 4,000 New York militia arrived at Buffalo in 1814 they refused to cross the line into Canada on the pretext that they were not obliged to, even to fight their enemies. Two days later General Tanne- hill's brigade of 2,000 Pennsylvania mili- tia arrived at Niagara, promptly crossed the line and gallantly met the foe.

Pennsylvania militia also helped man Commodore Perry's fleet, and for this service were awarded silver medals by the legislature of the state. Among those who served in Commodore Perry's command was John Waldron, a pioneer of Forward Township.

It is a matter of history that the war of 1812 met with a lukewarm support for a time in some of the New England states. especially those bordering on Canada, but such lukewarmness cannot be attributed to Western Pennsylvania. The pioneers were ardent patriots and had no time nor use for Toryism. An illustration of this is given in the treatment of Andrew Mc- Clure, at Zelienople, in 1812. McClure was accused, unjustly, however. of having Tory affiliations, and was taken out one

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 40

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1526

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526