History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including, Part 28

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868-
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Brown, Runk & Co.
Number of Pages: 1323

USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including > Part 28

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EARLY MILITARY HISTORY.

into the war of 1812 from Venango county. Not knowing in what com- mand they served we append their names as a tribute to their memory:

James McCalmont, Robert McCalmont, James Major, John McMillin, William Hovis, John Dewoody, Shadrach Simcox, William Brandon, Robert Curry, John Strawbridge, Samuel Bean, Daniel Keely, Thomas W. Mays, Enoch Battin, James Brown, Samuel Mason, James Mason, William Whit- man, Hugh Clifford, Robert Riddle, Daniel Proper, William McIntosh, Christian Sutley, and Daniel Reynolds.

The following served a "tour of duty " under General Harrison: Will- iam Martin, John Martin, Jacob Runninger, Robert Dewoody, Samuel Simmons, Marcus Hulings, Thomas Martin, Alexander Siggins, Gustavus Shaw, John Foster, Jared Lee, Jr., John McQuaid, John McQuaid, John Clyde.

The following served a "tour of duty " at Erie in the autumn of 1812: Joseph Layton, William Russell.

The following volunteered on board Perry's fleet: Abraham Witherup, John Ramsey, Samuel Atkinson, Samuel Graham, Jacob Wise, John Stover, Thomas H. Prather, Ezekiel Fleming.

The principal officers in the One Hundred and Thirty-Second regiment are worthy of more than incidental mention in this connection. Colonel Sam- uel Dale was born in West Fallowfield township, Chester county, Pennsyl- vania, July 15, 1773. His parents removed to White Deer township, Northumberland (now Union) county, in the following spring, but were obliged to return in 1777 on account of Indian troubles. In 1781 they took up their residence in Dauphin county, and in 1784 returned to White Deer township. In 1797 the future colonel, then a young man of twenty- three, went to Philadelphia to learn the mercantile business, but finding yellow fever very prevalent he returned home and two years later made a journey to the state of Ohio. He was on the point of returning thither when Samuel Cochran, surveyor general of the state, appointed him deputy surveyor for Venango county. He proceeded thither the same year, although it was not until 1801 that he came to reside at Franklin. In 1802 he was elected colonel of the One Hundred and Thirty-Second regi- ment of the First brigade and Fourteenth division (subsequently the Six- teenth). He was elected as the representative of Venango and Mercer counties in the legislature in 1807 and successively re-elected until 1813. The commission under which he led his regiment in the war of 1812 was given by Governor Simon Snyder under date of August 3, 1811. After the close of the war he resided at Lancaster the remainder of his life. He served as alderman, notary public, president of the school board, and judge of the court of common pleas, and filled various other positions of trust with credit and fidelity. He died in that city at the age of sixty-nine.

Major James Foster was a prominent citizen of Canal township and an

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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

active member of the Sugar Creek Presbyterian church. A sketch of An- drew Bowman, the quartermaster, appears in the chapter on the early history of Franklin. Elial Farr, sergeant major, resided in Cherry Tree. Cap- tain Henry Neely, of the First company, probably resided in that part of Venango county now included in Clarion; Andrew Porter, of the Second, in Richland; John Fetterman, of the Fourth, in Plum; Hugh McManigal, of the Fifth, in Irwin; John Martin, of the Sixth, was a pioneer of French Creek, and Isaac Connely, of the Eighth, of Allegheny.

Captain Abraham Witherup was the son of John Witherup, the first sheriff of the county, who settled at the mouth of Scrubgrass creek, in Clin- ton township, in 1800. He was a native of Pennsylvania. For some reason his company was delayed and did not reach Erie on time, which sug- gested a hint from some one that cowardice was the cause. Stung to the quick he went into the fight with reckless spirit, won the admiration of Com- modore Perry, and after the conflict was over, an invitation to dine with him, an honor as surprising to the captain as to his comrades. He is described as a man of dignified appearance, tall, erect, finely proportioned, and hand- some. He was a life-long Democrat, and esteemed it a proud day, when, accompanied to the polls by his eight sons, they all cast their votes for James Buchanan for the presidency.

THE OLD MILITIA.

The military spirit received its first impetus in the exposed condition of the frontier during the period immediately preceding the early settlement of the county, while the experiences of the war of 1812 demonstrated most forcibly the advantage of a well organized and thoroughly equipped militia. The different counties were organized under the auspices of the state and the respective officers received their commissions from the governor. Com- panies met for drill at the call of their officers once or twice a year, and these occasions, known as battalion days, were usually attended by the pop- ulace en masse. Thus encouraged by the state and sustained by public sen- timent the militia organization attained a fair degree of efficiency. The roster of the Venango Guards for the year 1823, the earliest extant, and therefore invested with a degree of historic interest, is as follows:

Captain, John Lupher.

First lieutenant, James Bennett; second lieutenant, John Ingram.

Sergeants: Abram Clark, Aaron McKissick, George Dewoody, Nathan-

iel Cary.

Corporals: John Ridgway, Solomon Martin, Hugh McClelland, John Hamilton.

Drummer, Jacob Cline.

Fifer, James Brown.

Privates: (The age is indicated by the number after each name.) David Adams, 20; James Adams, 20; James Adams, 25; Samuel Bailey, 27; Will-

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EARLY MILITARY HISTORY.

iam Black, 22; James Bowman, 23; Elliott Brandon, 38; James Brandon, 22; John Broadfoot, 34; George Brigham, 33; Daniel Brown, 23; Stephen Bucklin, 22; Isaac Bunnell, 20; Samuel Bunnell, 42; James Cary, 29; Alexander Carroll, 30; Ebenezer Campbell, 34; Charles L. Cochran, 23; Jeremiah Clancy, 25; John Cooper, 39; Frederick G. Crary, 20; John Crary, 20; William Crary, 22; George Cummings, 26; Moses Davidson, 31; William Davidson, 25; Everton Davis; George Dewoody, 21; George De- woody (hill), 18; Thomas Dinsmore, 27; Levi Dodd, 24; Armstrong Duf- field, 37; Thomas Folwell, 18; Benjamin Ford, 27; John Ford, 30; Solomon Ford, 26; John Foster; Jacob Frick; John Galbraith; Walter Gibson, 23; William Gibson, 36; David Gilmore, 25; John Gilmore, 27; Samuel Gordon, 31; Nimrod Grace, 23; Robert Graham, 25; Samuel Graham, 29; Samuel Grant, 32; William Greenlee, 27; John Gurney, 36; Edward Hall, 25; George Hammond, 30; John Hanna, 19; James Hanna, 30; Stewart Hanna, 23; Avis Harris, 30; John Hasson, 31; Alexander S. Hays; John Hays, 25; Archibald Henderson, 30; Charles Henderson, 38; Derrick Hodge; Charles Holeman; Thomas Hood, 24; Robert Huey, 26; Thomas Hulings, 39; George Hill, 23; William Hill, 25; James Hollis, 32; Peter Houser, 23; Andrew Howe, 22; Eliakim Jewel, 32; Israel Jewel, 32; Jonathan Jewel, 25; Anthony Johnston, 25; William Johnson, 22; David King, 29; David Kin- near, 22; James Kinnear, 18; Henry Kinnear, 28; William Kinnear, 40; James Leonard, 24; John Lindsay, 22; Stephen Lindsay, 21; Jacob Lyons, 32; John Lewis, 26; Samuel Lyons, 24; William Lyons, 18; John Lindsay, 22; Stephen Lindsay, 21; Robert Manson; James Mason, 23; William Major, 18; James Martin; Hugh Marshall, 20; Dennis Mead, 33; John Morrison, 27; Joseph Morrison, 19; Alexander McCalmont, 37; Joseph McCalmont; Robert McCalmont, 40; William McClaran, 22; George McClelland, 45; James McClintock, 22; Hugh Mcclintock, 25; Thomas McDowell, 19; John McKallip, 43; John McKee, 23; Franklin McClain, 19; John Noacre, 23; James Nicholson, 24; Samuel Nickerson, 31; John McElhaney; James Paden; Jonathan Paden; John J. Pearson, 21; Thomas Power, 20; Moses Pratt, 20; William Ray, 24; Hiram Reynolds, 19; Joel Reynolds, 19; John Roberts, 28; Arthur Robison, 18; Joseph Ridgway, 30; Samuel Ridgway, 35; Conrad Rice, 27; David Runninger, 27; Jacob Runninger, 30; David Russell, 35; John Russell, 21; Samuel Russell, 21; Thomas Russell, 28; William Russell, 18; E. Sage; Jonathan Sage, 21; Noah Sage, 19; John Scott, 23; Thomas Seaton, 35; George Selders, 25; John Simcox, 22; Will- iam Simcox, 27; Henry Small, 19; Thomas Smiley, 38; G. W. Smith, 32; John Smith, 19; Isaac Smith; James Spencer, 23; John Singleton, 33; James Steward, 20; Henry Stricklin, 23; Stephen Sutton; Robert Temple, 28; Howell Thomas; John Trimmer, 24; Abraham Vantine, 18; Thomas Vantine; John Vincent, 21; Wilkes Walter, 24; Francis Whann, 33; Robert Whann, 44; James Wheeler; William Whitman, 21; Job Wilcox, 22; John Wood; Peter Yelver, 38.

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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

Among the volunteer companies at a later date were the Venango Troop, Franklin Guards, Sugar Creek Blues, Washington Guards, Scrubgrass Riflemen, and, within recent years, the Cooperstown Guards and Franklin Grays. Some idea of the personnel of the old militia nearly fifty years ago, and of the manner in which the commanding officer communicated with the rank and file may be gained from the following:

REGIMENTAL ORDERS.

The enrolled militia composing the Seventy-Eighth regiment, Pennsylvania militia, will meet for inspection and drill as follows, to .wit:

The Ninth company, commanded by Captain S. P. McFadden; the Tenth, com- manded by Captain John Boughner; the Eleventh, commanded hy Captain John Richie, and the Twelfth, commanded by Captain J. R. McClintock, all will meet at Coopers- town on Monday, the 8th of May next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

The First company, commanded by Captain Jacob Hoffman; the Second, com- manded by Captain David Hovis; the Third, commanded by James P. Riddle; the Fifth, commanded by Captain John M. Mckinney; the Sixth, commanded by Captain William McElhaney, and the Seventh, commanded by Captain H. Gould, and the Scrubgrass Blues will meet at the house of John Bonner, in Irwin township, on Tues- day, the 9th day of May next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

The Nineteenth company, commanded by Captain William Davis; the Twentieth, by Captain Jacob Truby, and the Twenty-First, by Captain Henry Miller, will meet at the house of Benjamin Junkin, in Richland township, on Wednesday, the 10th day of May next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

The Twenty-Second company, commanded by Captain John Ohler; the Twenty- Third, by Captain W. Whitehill; the Twenty-Fourth, by Captain John Walter, and the Twenty-Fifth, by Captain John B. McCalmont, will meet at the house of David Wal- ter in Farmington township on Friday, the 12th day of May next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

The Seventeenth company, commanded by Captain John Shannon, and the Twelfth, commanded by Captain James Hughes, will meet at the house of James Brandon in Cranberry township on Saturday, the 13th day of May next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

The Thirteenth company, commanded by Captain Richard S. Irwin; the Fourteenth, by Captain Robert P. Elliott; the Fifteenth, by Captain Daniel McCasland, and the Sixteenth, by Captain James Sauley, will meet at the house of John Lamb in Alle- gheny township on Friday, the 26th day of May next, at ten o'clock, A. M.

April 27, 1843. WILLIAM SHORTS, Colonel Comamnding.

THE MEXICAN WAR.

Owing to the great distance of the scene of hostilities and the uni- form success of the American arms no great excitement was occasioned in this state by the Mexican war. The Democratic party had an overwhelming predominance throughout the county, and the action of the national ad- ministration in declaring war was heartily indorsed. Although no distinct organization from Venango county participated in the various campaigns that finally culminated in Scott's victorious entry into Mexico, and only a very small number of her citizens are known to have been members of the regiment formed in the western part of the state, the county was represented by military leaders who afterward achieved national distinction-Alexan- der Hays and Jesse L. Reno.

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EARLY MILITARY HISTORY.

Alexander Hays was born at Franklin July 8, 1819, son of General Samuel Hays, of whom an account appears in a subsequent chapter of this work. His literary education was obtained at Allegheny College, Mead- ville. In 1840 he entered the military academy at West Point, where he was a fellow student of General Grant for a time, and graduated in 1844. He was assigned to the Fourth infantry, with the rank of brevet second lieutenant. His regiment constituted part of the Army of Observation in Louisiana and was among the first to advance into Mexican territory after the declaration of war. His first active service was in the battles of Palo Alto and Reseca de la Palma; at the latter engagement he sustained a severe wound and was detailed for recruiting service. Upon his return he was appointed assistant adjutant general to General Lane's command and con- tributed materially to the success of the campaign. At the close of the war he engaged in the iron business at Pittsburgh, and was subsequently occupied as civil engineer in various states. At the outbreak of the re- bellion he enlisted in a regiment formed at Pittsburgh, in which he was suc- cessively captain and major. He then recruited the Sixty-Third regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers, which was attached to Kearney's corps and was highly complimented by that general for gallant service at Fair Oaks and Charles City Cross Roads. Colonel Hays rendered valuable service at the second battle of Bull Run, and in recognition of his ability was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers. In 1863 he was transferred to Heintzel- man's corps, and placed in command of the Third brigade, Casey's division, which sustained severe loss at the battle of Gettysburg, but came out of that engagement with a record of daring and successful execution rarely equaled. General Hays was killed at the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864. He was buried at Pittsburgh with ceremonies appropriate to his rank as an officer and character as a man.

Jesse L. Reno, who rose to a higher rank than any other of the thousands of brave men from Venango county who have been engaged at various times in the military service of their country, also obtained his first experience of actual military operations in the war with Mexico. Born in Virginia in 1823, his father, Lewis T. Reno, came to Franklin in 1832, and there his son passed the following ten years of his life, obtaining such education as the academy and select schools of the place afforded. In June, 1842, he was appointed a cadet at West Point, and graduated at that institution in 1846, in the same class with Generals George B. Mcclellan and Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. In a class of fifty-nine he stood eighth in general merit. He was appointed brevet second lieutenant of ordnance July 1, 1846, and second lieutenant March 3, 1847, and served throughout Scott's campaigns, from the siege of Vera Cruz to the entrance into Mexico. After the close of the war he was successively assistant professor of mathematics at West Point, secretary of the board for preparing a system of instruction

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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

for heavy artillery, and engaged in engineering work in various departments of the government service. At the breaking out of the rebellion he was in command of Mount Union arsenal, Alabama. He was appointed brigadier general of volunteers November 12, 1861, and commanded a brigade of Burnside's army in the expedition into North Carolina. He was promoted to the rank of major general of volunteers July 18, 1862, and participated in the battles that occurred during Pope's retreat to Washington in the fol- lowing month. He commanded the Ninth corps of the Army of the Potomac at the battle of South Mountain, and was killed in that engagement Septem- ber 14, 1862. A monument has been erected to his memory on that battle- field, and his name is honored by every patriotic heart in western Pennsyl- vania.

CHAPTER XIX.

VENANGO COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR.

STATE OF PUBLIC SENTIMENT AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR-PUBLIC MEET- INGS -REGIMENTAL SKETCHES - THIRTY-NINTH - FIFTY-SEVENTH - SIXTY-THIRD-SIXTY-FOURTH-SIXTY-FIFTH-ONE HUNDRED AND THIRD-ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH-ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIRST-ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY- SECOND-ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST- LAMBERTON GUARDS-RELIEF ASSOCI- ATION-SOLDIERS' MONUMENT.

T THE interval that elapsed between the national election in the autumn of 1860 and President Lincoln's inauguration was a period of the most in- tense suspense throughout the North. The cotton states had successively se- ceded, a Southern Confederacy was formed, and its leaders displayed an energy of purpose in marked contrast with the pusillanimous inactivity of the retiring national administration. A momentous transference of power had occurred in national politics; for the first time in its history the Republican party had elected a president, while a similar result in the gubernatorial election of Pennsylvania gave to the people of that state an added interest in the final issue of the rapidly changing current of events. The sense of an impending national crisis pervaded every community. The bombardment of Fort Sumter, although it indicated conclusively that a protracted and san- guinary war was about to begin, relieved the tension of the public mind and startled the North into immediate preparation for the "irrepressible con-

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THE CIVIL WAR.

flict." Every latent instinct of patriotism was stirred to action and public sentiment crystalized into a united determination to maintain the honor of the flag and the integrity of the government.

The first public meeting in Venango county to consider the situation was held at Franklin on the 29th of January, 1861. James P. Hoover presided; D. D. Goodwin, Levi Dodd, and John McCrea were elected vice- presidents, W. T. Neill and D. W. S. Cook, secretaries. Able addresses were delivered by John S. McCalmont, James K. Kerr, and C. Heydrick. The following resolutions, temperate in tone, but unequivocal in meaning, may be regarded as a fairly accurate expression of public sentiment in the county at that date:

Resolved, That if compromise be available to save any of the southern states of this Union from seceding therefrom, that we are willing so to compromise if thereby we do not yield any of the sacred rights of freedom for which this government was established.

Resolved, That we believe that no great party in the North wishes to see the im- mediate emancipation of the slaves of the South; nor is Pennsylvania at present will- ing to assume, either her share of the purchase of Southern slaves, or to provide for them if emancipated without cost.

It was impossible as yet to believe that war was imminent. The horrors of civil strife lent probability to the many possible ways by which an appeal to arms might have been averted, and in this respect the fluctuating uncertainty of national affairs affected the people of Venango county no less than the country at large. But the events of the next few months demonstrated conclusively that all hopes for an honorable compromise. were chimerical. Hostilities were precipitated by the bombardment of Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861, and three days later the president issued his proclamation calling out the militia of the loyal states to the number of seventy-five thousand men. The period of suspense had terminated, and the citizens of the county were prompt in giving expression to their unwavering adherence to the national executive in the policy thus inaugurated.

A second mass meeting was held at Franklin on the evening of Monday, April 22, 1861. It was the largest concourse of people that had ever as- sembled in the history of the county. It was intended to have been held in the court house, but as that building would have accommodated only a small portion of the crowds in attendance, the park was occupied. Robert Lamberton was chosen chairman, and James Bleakley and Doctor W. C. Evans, vice-presidents. C. W. Gilfillan and G. W. Brigham were appointed secretaries. Adresses were made by James K. Kerr, C. H. Heydrick, James S. Myers, S. P. McCalmont, H. C. Hickok, and others. A series of resolu- tions was adopted, the preamble of which embodied the language of Jeffer- son in his first inaugural: "The preservation of the general government in its full constitutional vigor as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad, and absolute submission to the will of the majority, are car-

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HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

dinal principles upon which this Union was established by the patriots of the Revolution," both of which, it was declared, had been set at defiance by the seceding states. The efforts of the border states to preserve an armed neutrality was pronounced to be effectual only in strengthening the states in rebellion; the secession of Virginia was deprecated; the government was urged to defend the national capital to the last extremity; the states that had remained true to the Union were counseled never to falter until the outrage upon the flag had been atoned, and submission or destruc- tion was declared to be the only alternative that ought to be offered the traitors who had assailed it. The following action was taken regarding the immediate duty of the people:

Resolved, Thatit is incumbent on the people of this county at once to arise in their might and to be prepared by steady and active exercise in military duty for the sup- port of the national government, as well as for the defense of our homes, and that it be recommended to the people at once to prepare with judgment, coolness, and delibera- tion, to form military companies, and to drill thein daily so as to be ready when called into active service; and that it be recommended to form companies full to the war com- plement of seventy-seven, one at each of the following places; Franklin, Coopers- town, Utica, Pleasantville, Oil City, Tionesta, Salina, Rockland, Emlenton, Clinton- ville, Mechanicsville, and Waterloo, to be formed into a Venango regiment when required; that the president of this meeting appoint a committee of safety, consisting of twenty persons, who shall have the power to organize a home guard to preserve order as the general guidance of affairs in the present crisis may direct.

The recommendation regarding the formation of a distinctively Venango regiment was found impracticable, and no emergency occurred to require the organization of a " home guard, " but the action of the meeting shows that the citizens were thoroughly aroused to the importance of taking prompt and decisive measures. Party distinctions were for the time obliterated in the consciousness of a common danger. The meeting had an influence in stimulating loyalty and concentrating public attention to the one issue at stake which could scarcely have been accomplished through any other agency.

THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT-TENTH RESERVE.

The Tenth regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps was organized in the western part of the state, and rendezvoused at Camp Wilkins, near Pittsburgh, where an organization was effected in June, 1861, by the election of John S. McCalmont, of Venango county, a West Point graduate and regular army officer, as colonel; James T. Kirk, lieutenant colonel, and Harrison Allen, major. The regiment was mustered into the United States service July 21, 1861, and for a brief period encamped near Washington, after which it was assigned to the Third brigade, at first commanded by Colonel McCalmont, but afterward by General E. O. C. Ord. Its first actual fighting was at the battle of Drainesville, in December, 1861. In June, 1862, it was transferred to McClellan's army operating against Richmond, and

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THE CIVIL WAR.

participated at Mechanicsville June 26th, Gaines' Mills on the 27th and 30th, capturing on the latter date sixty prisoners. The loss in the series of battles which commenced at Mechanicsville was over two hundred. From the Pen- insula the regiment passed to the army of General Pope, and participated at the second battle of Bull Run, at South Mountain and Antietam, and Fredericksburg. It shared in the memorable campaign that culminated at Gettysburg in July, 1863, and in the campaign against Richmond in 1864. On the 11th of June, 1864, the remnant of this brave and once strong body of men, which had fought in nearly every battle in which the Army of the Potomac was engaged, was mustered out of service at Pittsburgh.

Company C was recruited at Franklin. Nearly a thousand dollars were contributed for its equipment; the uniforms were of local manufacture, made by the ladies of the town from cloth obtained at the Kennerdell mills in Clinton township. The company was known as the "Venango Grays."

They left by keel-boat for Pittsburgh, June 6, 1861, arriving at Camp Wilkins Saturday, the 8th of that month. The following is a roster of the company :

Captains: C. Miller Over, Charles C. Cochran.

First Lieutenants: Charles W. Mackey, William M. Patton.

Sergeants: Samuel McKinzie, Jesse L. Pryor, Milton S. Singleton, John C. Kirkpatrick, Preston M. Hill, Lewis W. McQuaid, James L. Mc Cullough, Walter B. Fogus, Noble F. Leslie, Gillis C. Keener, William C. McElwain, Elihu G. Neighbor, William Dougherty, George G. McLain, Thomas W. Agnew, George W. Peters, Samuel Moyer, James M. Covert.

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History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including, Part 28

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868- Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Brown, Runk & Co. Number of Pages: 1323

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868-
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Brown, Runk & Co.
Number of Pages: 1323