USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania, from its first settlement > Part 30
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The One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment. - This third regiment was commanded by Col. Mathias Schlaudecker for three years' service. It reached the State capital January 27, 1862., In its first serious engagement at Cedar Mountain, August 9, it lost nineteen killed, sixty-one wounded, and thirteen missing. Until the regiment was transferred to Tennessee, September 24, 1863, it participated in the battles of
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Virginia and Maryland, including Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. While stationed at Acquia Creek it was one of fifteen regiments specially commanded by Gen. Hooker in his general order of March 3. Col. Schlaudecker was honor- ably discharged in November, 1862, and the other field offi- cers were promoted. The regiment joined Rosecrans' army and took part in the movement upon Lookout Mountain. After most of its members enlisting for a second term, they were given a furlough to come home, reaching Erie January 14, 1864. On returning to the southwest they took part in the march upon Atlanta, being one of the first to enter the city. Before reaching Atlanta Col. Cobham was shot, and died on the field of battle. Afterwards it joined the main body of the army in Sherman's famous "march to the sea." At Goldsboro, N. C., the One Hundred and Ninth and One Hundred and Eleventh were consolidated, with 885 members, retaining the name of One Hundred and Eleventh. It was mustered out July 19, 1865, and the northwestern portion reached Erie the 27th, the gallant veterans meeting a grand reception.
The One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment .- Its rendezvous was the same as that of the Eighty-third and the One Hun- dred and Eleventh, having been organized September 5, 1862. There was time for little training in military duty. After being furnished with arms they were in two days within sound of the enemy's guns at Antietam. About noon on the 17th they joined the extreme right of the Union line, and aided in preventing a flank movement of the enemy. After the battle the duty of aiding to bury the dead, some having lain four days on the field of battle, told seriously on the health of the regiment, two or three hundred being laid aside from duty, and many died. The One Hundred and Forty- fifth was assigned to the First Brigade, First Division, of the Second Corps. On December 13 it took part in the charge at Fredericksburg, under Gen. Hancock. Of the 5,000 of that division, 2,000 fell in that single charge. Of the 556 in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth, 226 were either killed or wounded. At Chancellorsville, a detail of 150 men failing to receive an order to retire were mostly captured. At Gettys-
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burg the regiment entering 200 strong, lost in killed and wounded upwards of 80. Returning to Virginia it partici- pated in most of the engagements until the close of the campaign in 1863. May, 1864, found the regiment recruited almost to its original strength. From this date the history of the army of Virginia, with its constant marches, was also the history of this. There were no braver men or better officers. In the charge in front of Petersburg about fifty were killed and wounded and ninety were captured. The remainder of the regiment was almost constantly under fire the rest of the season. In the spring campaign of 1865 it did good service with Sheridan, and was mustered out May 31, and returned to Erie on June 5, where they received a well merited and enthusiastic welcome. The colonel of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth was H. L. Brown. Of other officers we may say a few are at the present time in honorable and useful positions, as D. P. McCreary, J. W. Reynolds, and the Chaplain, Rev. J. H. W. Stuckenberg.
THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS' HOME.
June 3, 1885, a bill was introduced into the Legislature by Hon. Isaac B. Brown, member from Erie County, and was approved by the Governor. The location of the Home was left to a commission composed of the Governor, State Treas- urer, the Auditor-General, one Senator, and two members of the House of Representatives, and five honorably discharged soldiers appointed by the Grand Army of the Republic. After considering various sites the building known as the Marine Hospital at Erie was selected. Being nearly ready for occupancy and owned by the State, it was a matter of economy to use it. No more appropriate place could be chosen, for " it has echoed to the tramp of armed men for more than two centuries. Its location on the bluffs above the lake commanded the entrance to the harbor, and the fighting men, both among the original red men and more recent occupants, looked upon it as the point of advantage, and no other por- tion of the State has been the scene of so many battles and sieges as the garrison grounds on which the Home is built."
On February 26, 1886, the institution, having been repaired
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and furnished, was open for inmates. Eight veterans pre- sented themselves and were admitted. The commission appointed under the act were : Gov. Robert E. Pattison, Hon. William Livsey, Hon. J. B. Niles, Hon. W. F. Aull, Col. T. I. Stewart, Hon. C. R. Geutner, Gen. J. A. Beaver, Col. R. B. Beath, Hon. I. B. Brown, Col. J. M. Vanderslice, and Gen. L. Wagner.
The citizens of Erie being anxious to secure the Home, pur- chased a piece of land and promised in the matter of streets and sidewalks to render aid. The building originally was three stories high, with basements, the main building 56 x 153 feet, with a wing westward 40 x 130, and a shorter building two stories high to be used as a chapel. Extensions have been made in different directions and the capacity will be for 650 inmates when completed. There are 141 rooms now under the roof and a dining-room 44 x 100 feet, seating 500 people at table.
The infirmary is a two-story building, with all the latest appliances for the care of twenty-eight patients at one time. A corridor 180 feet long connects this with the main building, and serves for a conservatory in winter, being filled with rare plants, and is an agreeable resort for invalids at all times. Maj. William Webster Tyson is the commander of the Sol- diers and Sailors' Home. He was born at Baltimore, Md., August 1, 1834, and by his judicious management it is an honor to the city and the State. It is not in any way con- nected with politics, but its tone is "clean, morally, bodily, and financially." Religious services are held in the chapel on Sundays ; Thursday evening a prayer meeting and lecture is conducted by the chaplain. " Contemplating all these com- forts of our brave defenders, one cannot help but say : God bless the Commonwealth."
Soldiers' Home Trustees 1893. Gov. Pattison, President ; Gen. Robert B. Heath, Vice-President ; Gen. Louis Wagner, Treasurer ; Thomas J. Stewart, Secretary ; Building Com- mittee, Wagner, Brown, Morrison, and Nesbitt; Pension Committee, Gobin, Wagner and Lull ; Legislation, Gobin, Nesbitt and Lull.
The amount now paid by the State has been reduced to $40,000 per annum, owing to the fact that a very liberal contri-
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bution is made each year by the national government. There are at the present time 330 inmates at the Home, 116 of whom are hospital cases. The population of the institution has been reduced 150 on account of the receipt of pensions from the national government.
SECTION III.
The Johnson Island Plot-U. S. Steamer Michigan-Revenue Cut- ters-Railroads-Rapid Transit-Liberty Bells-Erie, some Towns and Townships-Grapes-Postoffices-Census-City Hall-Govern- ment Building-Petroleum-Gas-The Weather-Parks-Massas- sauga-Height of Lakes.
THE JOHNSON ISLAND PLOT.
DURING the war for the Union an attempt was made at Sandusky to capture the United States Steamer Michigan by the Confederates, and release the prisoners at Johnson's Island. The Philadelphia Press of February, 1882, published a breezy story continued in three numbers, entitled "Pirate Cole's Conspiracy," which was founded on facts. A Confed- erate officer in the guise of a wealthy oil man from Philadel- phia, with his lady, made a six weeks' stay at the hotel in Sandusky ; he was apparently loyal to the government, and there was nothing tangible to justify suspicion. He dined and wined the junior officers, probably when off duty, for Capt. Carter never had met him personally until he made him his prisoner. Cole gave a supper as a decoy at the hotel and the same day at 12 o'clock Capt. Carter received a telegram from Detroit saying, "Thirty suspicious looking men have em- barked on the steamer Philo Parsons to engage on a certain railroad in Ohio; look out for them." At the same time a dispatch was received from the Secretary of the Navy, re- peating the same received from Detroit and saying: "We have reason to think your crew have been tampered with." Capt. Carter's prompt answer was, "Let them come; I am ready." Those dispatches and certain suspicious circum- stances connected with a champagne supper to be given by Cole that night at the hotel, caused Capt. Carter to order En-
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sign Hunter to fully man and equip his boat, go to Sandusky, arrest Mr. Cole and bring him on board ship. On meeting Mr. Cole at the hotel the first salutation was, " You have come to the supper " (for it was then 4 o'clock p. m.). Mr. Hunter answered : "No, I cannot come, unless you go off to the ship and ask the captain, for I am an officer of the day, and we shall just have time before dark." Mr. Cole instantly caught at the bait, going with the officer to his room to get some money, where some of the drugged wine was politely refused by him under the protest of having a headache. An affection- ate leave was taken of his wife, they embarked on the return trip, and a three mile row was probably never more vigorously accomplished. When Mr. Cole was landed on the quarter deck he turned to the officer and said: "You must intro- duce me; I do not know the captain." When the orderly opened the cabin door and Capt. Carter met the Confederate Cole with, " I arrest you in the name of the government," he dropped into a chair and then divulged the plot. At 9 o'clock he was to fire a photograph building as a signal for the Philo Parsons and her Confederate crew to take the Michigan, re- lease the prisoners on Johnson's Island and make good their escape with all on board the Michigan.
In a letter written by Cole after his capture he says : "But for the vigilance and timely arrival of Capt. Carter, who had been ordered to Washington on official business, our plot would doubtless have succeeded."
In this connection I would add that letters were received by Com. Carter from ex-Governor Cox, of Ohio, and Gen. Dix commending the late Commodore for his loyalty on all oc- casions, his remark being, "In early manhood my allegiance was given to my country, not my State, and to it I earnestly adhere." Mr. Whitman's history of Erie (1884) in substance says : During a portion of the season the United States Steamer Michigan, which had been fully manned again, was guarding Johnson's Island, in the upper part of the lake, where about 2,000 rebel prisoners were confined, when rumor accused of a design to escape. In November there were re- ports of a proposed rebel invasion from Canada, Erie being named as the landing place. This was the most startling news,
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in a local sense, that had arisen out of the war, and citizens were greatly agitated. While the excitement was at its height, 600 troops arrived from Pittsburg with a battery, under the command of Maj .- Gen. Brooks. The latter directed in- trenchments to be thrown up on the Block House Bluff, and called upon the citizens to lend him their assistance. Some- thing like one thousand obeyed his summons, with picks and shovels, on the first day, but the workers dwindled woefully in number on the second day. The rumor, which was absurd from the start, unless explained by the above story, soon proved to be false, the work was abandoned, and the troops left for the South in a few days, with the exception of the battery.
The successive commanders of the United States Steamer Michigan were William Inman, Stephen Champlin, Oscar Bullus, - Biglow, - McBlair, - Nicholas, Joseph Lanman, John C. Carter, Francis A. Roe, A. Breyson, James E. Jouett, George Brown, James Gillis, - Wright, Charles Cushman, G. W. Hayward, Albert Kautz. The officers in 1892 are : Captain, Geo. E. Wingate ; Lieutenant Commander, F. M. Symonds ; Lieutenants, G. R. Clark, G. H. Stafford ; Ensign, V. O. Chase ; Past Assistant Engineer, C. F. Nagle ; Surgeon, L. B. Baldwin ; Past Assistant Paymaster, J. H. Chapman.
THE UNITED STATES STEAMER MICHIGAN.
Some newspaper extracts will describe the experiences of the Michigan the last two years.
Boilers Condemned-(March 21, 1892.) That the United States Steamer Michigan may never be allowed to take another cruise from this port is somewhat surprising, even as a possibility. It is learned that an inspection by line officers some time ago resulted in a report that the vessel was O. K. but that a recent commission has condemned the boilers in a report to the de- partment and that as a result of their inspection, action by the authorities at Washington will utimately be an order to put the vessel permanently out of commission.
There is added color of probability given to unofficial state- ments by reason of a public desire that the great lakes should have a more modern vessel of war to display in the naval
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demonstration at the dedicatory exercises inaugurating the World's Fair. Under existing treaty arrangements the Michi- gan is the only war vessel allowed in these waters. If she were out of the way it is thought that a substitute or substi- tutes might be available in time for exhibition, as well as usefulness thereafter. Of course a report from the department alone will determine the reliability of rumors.
On the other hand it may be stated that the last outside scraping of the Michigan in dry dock revealed no weakness, and the Swedish wrought iron of which the hull is made ap- peared to be good for years to come in fresh water, and her last cruise down the lakes, although a rough one, did not bring out any visible rottenness of material.
The Michigan in Port .- (April, 1893.) The United States Steamer Michigan, which had wintered in Buffalo for the pur- pose of undergoing necessary repairs, and which has been expected here for several days, steamed into the harbor yester- day afternoon, resplendent in a covering of dazzling white with gold trimmings, to be in conformity with the rest of the "white squadron." The news of the old "man-of-war's" arrival soon spread about the city, and quite a number of peo- ple visited the docks despite the disagreeable weather, to gaze upon the "iron steamship," as she was formerly called here.
The Michigan is under orders from the Secretary of the Navy to proceed to Chicago, where she will remain during the World's Fair, and will probably stay but a day or two in Erie harbor. The vessel is at present officered as follows :
Lieutenant Commander R. M. Berry, commanding ; Lieu- tenant C. P. Rees, Executive Officer and Navigator ; Lieuten- ant J. M. Helm ; Ensign, V. O. Chase ; Chief Engineer, J. L. D. Borthwick ; Surgeon, L. D. Baldwin ; Past Assistant Pay- master, James H. Chapman.
The press and people of Erie extend a hearty welcome to the Michigan and her gallant officers and crew, and look forward with pleasure to the time when the steamer will return here "for good."
Return of the Michigan .- Wednesday morning, November 22, 1893, dawned dark, drizzly, and dreary. Storm signals were fluttering in a northwest breeze from the top of the gov-
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ernment building and pedestrians hurried along the streets with their great coats buttoned to the chin and collars up- turned to their ears. Up to 11 o'clock the rain continued to come down, not in the stereotyped buckets full, but in a sort of fine Italian hand manner that had a tendency every once in a while to become congealed and take the form of snow. It was a hard outlook for enthusiasm and no mistake. To make matters worse a rumor was in circulation that Mayor Scott was confined to his residence on account of illness and would not be able to participate in the proposed reception to the Steamer Michigan.
It had been authoritatively announced that the celebrated boat would arrive outside the harbor and be ready to receive its escort at precisely 2 o'clock at the harbor entrance. The escort was to consist of all the available flotilla in the harbor, preceded by the tugs Scott and Erie, which boats were to con- tain all the city officials and committee on reception. Then the batteries, one located at the Soldiers' Home and the other at Lake View Park, were to boom out a 21-gun salute each, and a whole lot of other pleasing episodes were to take place.
Old man Neptune, however, disarranged all this, for at 11:30 the good ship steamed into the harbor and cast anchor a little way out from the public dock. Her arrival was announced to the astonished citizens by the wild tooting of whistles. As soon as it was known that the Michigan had surely arrived and cast anchor, a large crowd rushed for the docks to see her,
It was the intention of the commander of the man-of-war to remain outside the peninsula until 2 o'clock to await the re- ception committee, but the wind was so high that it was necessary to enter the harbor and cast anchor.
From the time the vessel arrived until 2 o'clock a steady stream of people had been marching down State Street, so that when the band and reception committee reached the dock they found several thousand there to assist in extending greeting to the Michigan's crew.
Arriving at the dock the committee, accompanied by Koh- ler's Band, boarded the tug W. L. Scott and were conveyed to the Michigan. The water was very rough and the passengers were nicely sprinkled by large waves that dashed over the
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craft. The committee was taken aboard the Michigan from the tug by one of the small launches belonging to the old war vessel. They were cordially received by Capt. Berry and other officers of the ship. The band played a couple of selections and was returned to the dock by the Scott. It was altogether too rough for all on board the tug to reach the Michigan.
After the committee, consisting of Mr. Benjamin Whitman, Capt. John Fleeharty, City Treasurer Hanley, Mr. N. Leus- chen and J. J. O'Brien, had been received, Mr. Whitman addressed Capt. Berry and his men as follows :
Mr. Whitman's Address .- " Capt. Berry: In the absence of the Mayor, whom illness has prevented from being here, I extend to you, and through you to your officers and crew, on behalf of our citizens and public authorities, a heartfelt welcome to our home. I use the word "home" because, although this may not be the actual place of residence of some of you, it is the home of your ship-the place of its birth, its station for more than half a century, and, we sin- cerely hope, its home port during the remaining years of its life. None of you may know or can fully appreciate the in- terest with which our people have followed the Michigan dur- ing the many months in which she has been gone from Erie Harbor. To the people of Erie she is more than a ship-more than a mere structure of wood and iron. She is very much like a member of our family, whose return we hail as we would that of a long-lost son or daughter. Welcome, then, sir-a thrice hearty welcome. Welcome to your gallant offi- cers and crew, and a special welcome to the staunch old craft that has weathered the wind and waves of fifty years of difficult lake navigation. We trust that your return will be as agreeable to all of you as it is to our citizens, and that every one of you may be with us as long as the rules of the Navy Department will permit. May your stay with us be one round of pleasure, and may the Erie girls continue to find as warm a place in the hearts of your bachelor officers as they have done in the past." 1
To this address of welcome Capt. Berry responded very 1 It is said of the officers of the Michigan nearly twenty have married in Erie.
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happily, expressing the appreciation of the commander and officers and men of the vessel of the kind feeling shown by the citizens of Erie upon their arrival. His response was brief and to the point.
Remarks were also made by City Treasurer Hanley and Mr. O'Brien. These gentlemen coincided with all that Mr. Whit- man had said. They joined in the welcome to the officers and crew and said that it afforded the people of Erie great pleasure to have the boat return to Erie.
Lieut. Reese, of the Michigan, made a few remarks. He said that Capt. Berry voiced the sentiments of the naval offi- cers in his kind reference to Erie and its people.
Had the weather been favorable the demonstration would have been a grand success. Much credit is due Capt. Fleeharty for his ceaseless effort in arranging the details for the reception.
The first revenue cutter was the Benjamin Rush, of thirty tons, built at Erie by Capt. John Richards about 1827, and first commanded by Capt. Gilbert Knapp, who was succeeded by Capt. Daniel Dobbins. The second was the Erie, of sixty- two tons, built at Erie in 1832-33. The Erie was succeeded in 1846 by the iron steamer Dallas. This vessel was removed to the Atlantic coast by way of the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence River in 1848. In 1857 the Treasury Department built six small revenue cutters, being one for each lake. At the outbreak of the Civil War these vessels were removed to the Atlantic coast under the direction of Capt. Douglass Ottinger of the revenue service, by way of Welland Canal and River St. Lawrence. In 1864 the Perry was built on Niagara River and was equipped with Capt. Whittaker's sidewheel propellers, which with the steamer Baltic are the only pro- pellers of the class ever used. She was remarkably fast, having developed on her trial trip a speed of over nineteen knots an hour for more than two hours. This vessel was sold, the present cutter Perry succeeding her.
In the spring of 1893 the revenue cutters Grant and Perry were ordered to Puget Sound to suppress opium smuggling. The Perry is esteemed one of the handsomest and staunchest of the vessels in the revenue marine service. Capt. A. A. Fenger is in command.
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The Perry is a topsail-schooner-rigged steamer of 282 gross ' tons. Her principal dimensions are: Length, 165 feet ; beam, 25 feet ; depth, 11 feet 2 inches ; draught 9 feet 10 inches. She is a single-screw steamer mounting two three-inch breechloading rifles. The complement of the Perry is seven officers and thirty-one men. Her speed is about twelve knots an hour.
Speaking of the removal Revenue Collector Glazier said that in his opinion a mistake was being made. Instead of moving the Perry from the great lakes, said Mr. Glazier, there is greater need of an additional boat here. The Perry has been cruising Lake Erie and Ontario as well and her services have been constantly in demand. The object of the boat on the lake is not merely that of revenue service, but it is sup- posed to render assistance to vessels in distress, and as is well known there has been much need of this.
RAILROADS.
The announcement of the contemplated change of gauge of the Erie & Northeast Railroad created the utmost indignation with a large majority of the citizens, as they had hoped that Erie might become the terminus of the New York & Erie Railway, and not a mere railway station. The facts stated in Warner's edition of "History of Erie," 1884 (Chicago), are in substance as follows: December 7, 1853, a large number gathered at the depot and tore down the bridges over State and French streets and removed the track across each street east of Sassafras. At Harbor Creek the same day the track was torn up in three places, and on December 28, while the railroad men were relaying the track, a fracus took place in which a pistol was fired by a train conductor and two citizens were slightly wounded. The excitement that ensued was the most intense ever known in the county. (The railroad ques- tion obliterated party lines to a great extent, and in each of the years 1854, 1855, and 1858, for the first time in a long period, one of the two legislative representatives elected from the county was a Democrat.) An appeal was made to the courts and the State and United States officials interposed. This state of affairs continued for two years, and the two months in which passengers were transferred by stages and
1
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wagons between Harbor Creek and Erie, at an inclement season, and unprepared, were trying indeed. April 16, 1856, the anti-railroad party, being embittered by the court legaliz- ing the new gauge, and the newspaper Constitution expressing sympathy, or perhaps it was through some private grievance, a tumultuous crowd burned the office. The court afterwards awarded $3,000 damage for the loss, and the closing scene of the railroad war ended. An officer who had been through the war for the Union pronounced the railroad war, which he had also experienced, the more exciting of the two. A para- graph in the Erie Gazette of January 12, 1854, indicates the state of feeling at that date: "Never in the history of our city have we witnessed popular excitement equal to that which now prevails. God grant that it may speedily sub- side."
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