Ashland County, Ohio - Chapter 24: Military Expeditions, 1880

Chapter 24: Military Expeditions

The Expeditions t>f Generals Beall and Crooks. - Their Trails Across Ashland County. - The Artillery Train of Colonel Anderson. - The Aid Extended to the Inhabitants of the Block-houses on the Branches of tlie Mohican.

The battle at the cabin of James Copus having taken place Tuesday morning, September.! 5, 1S12, after which the pioneers fled to the block-houses, the military expeditions forming in the eastern part of the State hastened the time of their departure to aid Genera! Harrison, who was then at Upper Sandusky awaiting the arrival of reinforcements and army stores. .About the twenty-fifth of September, General Rezin Beall commenced to raise a brigade of soldiers in the vicinity of New Lisbon, Canton, and the village of Wooster, with a view of furnishing protection to the border settlers of Wayne and Richland counties, as well as to aid General Harrison in repelling British invasion. The entire brigade was composed cf about two thousand men. A portion of the brigade, in detached companies, and parts of companies, preceded, by some weeks, the advance of the main army, to guard the block-houses of the border settlers. Early in October, General Beall, with two regiments, commenced to advance. The brigade had been a short time at Canton in organizing. -The route from Canton to the village of Wooster, led through the forest, and was very rough. When the army reached Wooster, where the advance had put up a block-house, it was joined by two or three new companies. From that point the army proceeded to the west, bank of the Kilibuck and encamped over night, cutting a path wide enough to permit the baggagewagons to pass. From thence, by the most c irect route, a trail was cut to Jerome's place, and the army passed over it. After remaining in the vicinity of lire blockhouse one or two days, General Beal), crossed the Jerome fork, and his pioneers opened a path along the old Wyandot trail, in a northwesterly direction, to the banks of a small stream, where they formed a camp. This location wa.> subsequently known as the Griffin farm. The camp received the name of ''Mercer," in honoi of Major iMusser, who commanded one of the regiments. The distance of this cam]) from the present site of Jerome wile, was about three miles. Here the army remained about two weeks.

one night, from a false alarm. One of the guards, larob Ostler, saw some object cautiously approaching in the Darkness, apd immediately suspecting "injuns," cried "halt." The invader ceased not to advance slowly upon the guard. Suspecting the insidious enemy, Mr. Ostler leveled Iris musket and blazed away, and down tumbled the enemy! The whole camp was aroused at the report, and the cry "to arms, to arms!" rang through the darkness. Agitated and frightened soldiers expected momentarily to hear the hideous yells of the red fiends of the forest, and to feel their scalps disappearing in the hands of the savages. While the soldiers were uttering brief reflections of - "Now I lay me down to sleep" - the sentinels rushed in and reported the enemy upon them ! The drums beat to arms, horses neighed, bugles sounded. The ground trembled with the dull tread of squadrons. The order was given to "fire," and never before or since was such a noise and din heard in Vermillion, as there was that eventful night. The cavalry (old wagon horses) charged in the direction of the supposed enemy, but finding no person or thing, returned from the charge, and reported that the foe had retreated; but when the first gray of morning appeared, the outposts discovered that they had been firing upon a herd of cattle belonging to fhe settlers, which had been roaming through the woods, and had slaughtered seventeen. This was afterward known among the settlers as "The battle of the Cowpens."* It was while General Beall tarried at- this camp, thaf.he ordered the removal of the wife and daughter of Baptiste Jerome to Urbana, where they soon died from exposure.! This act was deemed, at the time, extremely cruel, and not demanded by trie exigencies of the occasion. The wife of Jerome was a full Indian; but had learned the customs of the whites. The daughter was an interesting girl of -fourteen or fifteen.

From Camp Mercer, General Beall sent forward twenty pioneers, well guarded, to cut a road along the old Huron or Wyandot trail, through the north part of Vermillion, the south part of Montgomery, and across Milton, in a northwesterly direction, into Richland county, which, afterwards, was known as "Beall's trail," and was used for many years as a common highway by the settlers. In about one month, the road was completed through the present site of Olivesburgh to Shenandoah, in Richland countv.

In the meantime, General Beall moved forward, and erected a camp on a small stream, a shoit distance from the present site of Olivesburgh, which he called Camp Whetstone, owing to the quality of the stone found there, which made excellent whetstones. There he remained about one week, and then moved forward to the present site of Shenandoah. From thence, he turned southwest about one and a half miles, and erected a camp on a small stream. This he called Camp Council. Here he awaited further orders from General Wadsworth, who had rendezvoused at Cleveland. The army had remained at Camp Council about six weeks, when one evening a strange officer and his guard rode into the camp. One of the guard, a Mr. Hackathorn, at first refused to let him pass; but, on further examination, the stronger turning out to be General Harrison, let him and his guard pass in. His arrival was timely, for the soldiers of General Beall were in open revolt. Their rations were about exhausted, and the means of obtaining more, precarious ; besides, the time of heir enlistment was about to expire. Many of them were makingarrangements to return home. Some of them had already packed their knapsacks with clothing and a few rations, and were ready to march away! General Harrison, the next morning, ordered a parade of the army.

A hollow square was formed, around a huge stump, upon which the general mounted, and addressed the disaffected troops. He told them the dangers that environed the border settlers and their helpless families, painted iii vivid colors the horrors of invasion by the savages, and deprecated the conduct of the soldiers who would abandon the settlements to the tomahawks of the ruthless foe. One by one. the knapsacks disappeared from the backs of the discontented soldiers; and, by the time he had concluded his address, the army of General IJeall was ready to move forward, and endure all manner of hardships, to shield the border settlements from impending ruin.

From Camp Council General Beall proceeded with his army to Camp Avery, which was located about six miles above the mouth of the Huron river. Here he was tried by court-martial for disobeying the orders of General Wadsworth. This was about the first of January, 1813. It seems that General Wadsworth outranked General Beal!, and had ordered him to rendezvous at Cleveland instead of going the route he did. General Beall believed he could render the settlements on the branches of the Mohican more secure by cutting ' his trail. Hence he refused to obey the order of General Wadsworth, and for this he was court-martialed. Upon a full hearing of the charges, General Beall was acquitted. He was then ordered to reinforce General Winchester who was then in the neighborhood of the river Raisin, but only succeeded in reaching Lower Sandusky,.where he was ordered to return to Camp Avery and disband his army. The soldiers made their way along the route of his advance to their homes about Wooster, Canton, New Lisbon, and along the Sandy and Tuscarawas rivers.*

Expedition Op General Roper' Crooks

While Governor Meigs was exerting himself to obtain troops to reinfoicc General Harrison m the northwest, the war department at Washington city ordered the governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia, each to dispatch two thousand men to aid General Harrison. The order was promptly obeyed, and the Pennsylvanians were placed under the command of Brigadier General Robert Crooks, and ordered to rendezvous at Pittsburgh, and, as soon as equipped, to hasten to the relief of General Harrison. The artillery and army stores not being ready, General Crooks was ordered to move as rapid!', ns pov.i

- are indebted for these ilmils 'to I'iitrick Murray, J0I11 - , , , Henry GiiinLlo. Tliomns llevvoy ami Samuel \Vliiu?, lull <! who were soldiers under General Heal!; and an mteresVini; V-iur* of Richland county now being |nib!idied by General R. IJrinkoriiort"

! ble by way of New Lisbon, Canton, and Wooster, to Mansfield, and there remain until the artillery and army stores should arrive, under the direction of the quarterj master. The brigade under the command of General * Crooks numbered about two thousand men - western 1 Pennsylvanians. The brigade moved slowly down the west bank of the Ohio, from Allegheny City, some forty miles, thence, turning westward, moved on through New. Lisbon, Canton, and Wooster. In the meantime its movements were much impeded by the rough roads, then mere 'paths cut through the forest. The arm\ was put i-n motion about the middle of October, 1S12, and arrived in Wooster about three weeks after the departure of General Beall to Jerome's place. The train of wagons connected with General Crooks' brigade numbered, as near as can be remembered, some twenty-five or thirty j six-horse teams, the wagons being covered by canvas,

After halting a day or two at Wooster to repair broken j wagons and allow the jaded teams to resf, the brigade was again put in motion. It reached the block-house ! and log cabin, afterwards known as Jerometown, in one day. Here the army of General Crooks passed the 1 Jerome fork and turned to the southwest. The brigade*' ! passed up a small stream, by what was afterwards known ! as the site of Goudy's mill, and commenced to cut a path, now known as the "old Portage road." The pioneers cut the road along an old Indian trail, as far as the Quaker springs, the first day, where General Crooks and his brigade encamped for the night. The next day the pioneers continued along the old trail, in a southwest direction, cutting a path huge enough for the teams to pass, reaching the deserted village of Greentown in the evening, and the brigade coming up, encamped there for the night. Nearly aP the Indian huts had been burned prior to this time, by order of another command. At Greentown the brigade crossed the Black fork, and proceeding southwest a short distance, struck a new ! blazed road leading to the west. The pioneers again kept in advance of the brigade, cutting the road, filling up gulches, and preparing the crossings over small streams until they reached the cabin of David Hill, on i the present site of Lucas, where the brigade again en- ; camped for the night. The next morning the pioneers continued to penetrate the forest, and in the afternoon I reached the present site of Mansfield, where they found ] two block-houses, and a few cabins and dwelling houses, j In the evening General Crooks and his men encamped 1 on what is now the public square of Mansfield, where he remained some weeks awaiting the arrival of the quartermaster's train. About the fifteenth of December General Crooks was ordered to proceed to Upper Sandusky to assist in fortifying that point. The quartermaster had as yet failed to reach Mansfield. General Crooks moved forward under the guidance of Jacob Newman, an old hunter and a citizen of the village, to Upper Sandusky.

About three weeks after the departure of General Crooks and his brigade from Allegheny City, Colonel James Anderson, acting quartermaster, was ready to inarch cn route to Mansfield and Upper Sandusky. His \ command was composed of the following officers: Caplain Gratiot, engineer of equipments; Captain Paul Anderson, forage-master; Captain Wheaton, pay-master; Captain Johnston and ninety men, and Lieutenant Walker,* with forty men, as a guard.

Colonel Anderson had, for conveyance to Upper Sandusky, twenty -five iron cannon, mostly four and six pounders. They, and the balls fitting them, were placed in covered road wagons, and drawn by six horses to each. The cannon carriages, twenty-five in number, empty, were each drawn by four horses. '1 he cartridges, canister, and other necessary ammunition, were put in large covered wagons. There were fifty covered road wagons, drawn by six horses each. They were loaded with such aimy stores as would be serviceable in the expedition.

Equipped in this manner, Colonel Anderson left Alle- : gheny City about the first day of November, 1S12, and camped nine miles down the west side of the Ohio, the first night. The second night, be reached General Wayne's Legipnville. The third night, encamped thirty miles down the river from Allegheny. The fourth night at Greersburgh, forty-two miles from Pittsburgh. The fifth night, fifteen miles further on their journey. The sixth night, at New Lisbon, seventy-five miles from Pittsburgh, where he stayed three days to repair broken wheels and wagons. The tenth night, the command , had advanced fifteen miles further. The eleventh night, Colonel Anderson reached the village of Canton. .Here j he tarried ten days, repairing wagons, shoeing horses, and obtaining provisions. On the twenty-first night lie reached Hahn's swamps, and was three or four days in ! passing over tire same, to Wooster, owing to the fact j that Beall and Crooks' road was badly cut up with their \ wagons. Part of the route from the swamps to AVooster, 1 Colonel Anderson had a new road cut. At Wooster, Col- ! onel Anderson's men beheld an object of curiosity in the j new block-house, the first they had seen. About the j tenth of December, Colonel Anderson left the village of Wooster, pursuing the route of Beall and Crooks, and ; the first evening leached a block-house and cabin on the east side of the Jerome fork of the Mohican, where he \ encamped for the night. On the eleventh he crossed the i Jerome fork, taking the trail of General Crooks, which he followed through the forest, crossed the Black fork, ; and encamped for the night on the present site of Lucas. ] On the twelfth he reached the village of Mansfield, where they found two block-houses, a tavern, and one store.

General Crooks and his brigade had left before the arrival of Colonel Anderson. The teamsters being volunteers, at twenty dollars per month, and their time having expired, desired to return home. Colonel Anderson being ordered to follow General Crooks to Upper Sandusky, offered to pay the teamsters one dollar per day, if they would continue in the expedition until he arrived at Upper Sandusky. These terms were accepted, and each teamster was furnished a gun to be kept in the feed trough, to defend himself against an apprehended attack of the Indians. The command had scarcely got out of sight of the village of Mansfield when it commenced to snow, and continued to do so until it was two feet deep. The ground being unfrozen, the situation became veiy embarrassing. The heavy wagons cut into the soft earth, and the horses were unable to draw them. A council was held, and fifteen gun carriages were sent ahead to, break the path, and let it freeze, so that the heavy teams could pass without crushing through. By this means they made a few miles a day; and when one team gave out, it turned aside and another took its place. At night the soldiers were compelled to work two or three hours shoveling off a suitable [dace to pitch their tents, build fires to cook their food and keep them from freezing. The soldiers cut brush and threw their blankets over it, and by that means, while sleeping, were raised above the mud, water and snow. After some two weeks of such travel and hardships, the command reached Upper Sandusky (New' Year's Day), January 1, 1813. After a brief rest the teamsters, under a guard, took the horses of the expedition to Franklinton, one mile west of the present city of Columbus, to be fed and kept until spring.*

* W'e are indebted for the items of this sketch to die excellent memory of Captain Robert Beer, tio.v eighty-three years of age (1876), a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who accompanied Colonel James Anderson as teamster, and took charge of one of the cannon carriages. This sketch never having appeared before in ppnt, 'S very valuable as a personal and historic reminiscence, and we know the reader will thank Captain- Beer fork, although it is somewhat foreign to an exact home history of Ashland county. Mr. Beer died in Alleghany City, Penn: sylvania. May 4, 1880, aged about eighty-seven years.