Richland County, Ohio - The whole text, 1908 (part 4 of 16)

The scene within the cabin wax pathetically dramatic. He who an hour before stood as the protector of his family now lay in the throes of death. his grief-stricken wife and seven children grouped about his bedside: and as the spirit of this just man took its flight, the mother. as the center of that little band of mourners, was seen to gaze upward - heavenward - as if in 'prayer, commending her fatherless children to Him who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb and who alone can bind up the broken heart.

But they had soon to turn from the dead and assist the soldiers in their defense of the cabin. Early in the contest Nancy Copus, aged fifteen. was shot above the knee, inflicting a painful wound. The children were then placed upstairs for greater safety, and that was but poor, for a number of the Indians were upon the hillside in front of the house and kept up an incessant firing upon the roof of the house, until the clapboards. it was said. afterward presented almost a sieve-like appearance. And nearly all that forenoon the battle raged and the deadly lead was fired not only upon the roof. but also upon the walls, windows and door of that home, and the vells of the murderous savages were enough to daunt the bravest heart.

Sept 616, 61812

The few soldiers within made a heroic defense. They fired through portholes and their aim was often unerring, as a number of the redskins were seen to fall to rise no more. - After five long hours of murderous assault from outside and of valiant defense within, the awful contest ended by the Indians retreating, taking their dead with them and firing a parting volley into a flock of sheep which had huddled together in terror near the barn.

After the Indians had disappeared, one of the soldiers got out upon the roof of the cabin, and, cautiously glancing around and seeing no foe, climbed down and went to the Beam blockhouse for assistance. About 1 o'clock Captain Martin and his squad of soldiers who had been expected to arrive the night before, came upon the scene two hours after the battle had ended, but before assistance had time to come from the blockhouse. Captain Martin, not seeing any Indians in his reconnoiter the day previous and not expecting any trouble at the Copus home, had bivouacked for the night at the Ruffner eabin, near where Mifflin now stands, three and a half miles north of the Copus settlement.

During the forenoon Captain Martin thought he heard firing, but supposed the troops below were at target practice. When Martin and his troops. arrived at the scene of the tragedy they were appalled at the horrible spectacle that met their view. Attention was given to the wounded and the dead were buried. An attempt was made to track the Indians and it was thought they went east: but, as they had three hours start, they were not pursued. The bodies of Copus, Tedrick and Shipley were buried in one grave a few rods from the cabin and a monument now marks their grave. Stretchers were made upon which to carry the wounded and the march of the whole party to Beam's blockhouse was commenced. As it was late in the day when the start was made, they went only a short distance until they stopped for the night. By that time the number of the party had increased to about one hundred, and pickets were thrown out to guard against surprise. The march was resumed the next morning, the route being up the valley to Mifflin, thence west along a trail now known as the Mansfield-Wooster road, and then down to the Beam blockhouse, the distance being about thirteen miles, where they arrived safely in the evening.

Several weeks afterward a squad of soldiers accompanied Henry Copus, a son of James Copus, to the cabin, and on the way, some distance from the Copus cabin. they discovered the missing soldier (Warnock) sitting against a tree dead. They buried him near where he was found. They also found the bodies of two Indians, which were left to their fate.

Mrs. Copus and children remained in the blockhouse about two months and were then taken to Guernsey county, where they lived until the close of the war, when thev returned to their home on the Black Fork and where Mrs. Copus reared the family and lived to a good old age, beloved and respected by her neighbors and friends. Sarah Copus, the daughter, became Mrs. Vail, and lived to be present at the unveiling of the monument, September 15, 1882, erected to the memory of her father and the soldiers who were killed in that awful tragedy at that humble cabin in the wilderness September 15, 1812.

Among the incidents of the fight it is stated that Copus and an Indian fired at each other simultaneously, the former receiving a mortal wound and the latter being killed instantly. Copus did not fall when he was shot, but staggered back across the room to a table, from which he was assisted to the bed. He told his wife that he could not live and that she would have to rear the children as best she could.

A number of times while the battle lasted the savages tried to take the cabin by storm, but the soldiers had taken the precaution to barricade the door and windows with puncheons removed from the floor.

George Launtz. the soldier who had an arm broken by a bullet, caught sight of an Indian peeping around a tree and. taking deliberate aim, fired, and had the satisfaction of seeing the savage bound into the air and then roll down the hill, dead. Another redskin. who had been shot. fell in the vard. His groans were heard as he attenipted to crawl away. but a well directed bullet from the cabin put an end to his -uffering. Forty-five scoop-outs where fires had been. were afterward found in the cornfield. where the Indians had roasted corn, and from that it was taken that there had been forty-five savages in the assault. Of that number. nine were carried away by the Indians when they retreated. which. with the two bodiex found later. made their loss eleven. killed and wounded.

During the greater part of the battle the Indians fought from ambush. taking refuge behind the trees on the hillside in front of the house. On the same day that the Copus battle took place. the cabins of Newell. Cuppy and Fry. farther east. were burned. and the Indians who attacked the Copus family were supposed to have been the incendiaries. as they went in that direction. Those families were at the Jerometown Dblockhouse.

After the close of the war. a number of the Indians returned to this county. Sarah Copus. the girl who had seen the redskins lurking around the dav before the attack was made on their home. did not seem to be in favor with the savages. Going on the hill beyond the spring one dav. after the family had returned from Guernvey county. she saw one hiding behind a tree. She ran toward the house. the Indian pursuing her almost to the door. Thev said the girl "knew too much' - was too observant of them and their actions.

Tom Lyons. an ugly redskin of the Delaware tribe. in a conversation with Mrs. Copus in 1816. admitted he knew all about the attack on their cabin. but denied that he took part in it.

After the times became more secure. the settlers returned to their homes. but affairs were more or less troubled until the close of the war.

Elsewhere in this work is a chapter on fhe public monuments of this county. Upon the same lines the monuments erected to the memory of the pioneers and soldiers who lost their lives in the Zeimer massacre and the Copus battle will now be considered, as those bloody deeds were enacted within the original boundaries of Richland county. and. therefore. belong to and are a part of our early history. Space will not admit of giving the antecedent history of those awful tragedies, except to state that they occurred in the early part of the war of 1812, and that the Indians were acting as the allies of the British, which. added to their inherent hostilities to the whites, made them dangerous foes, even when treacherously professing friendship for the settlers.

The Zeiners were early settlers in the Blackfork valley, about two miles south of the village of Mifflin, and southeast of the Petersburg lakes. The family consisted of Frederick Zeimer and wife and their son Philip and daughter Kate. They located there in 1810, and during their two years re-idence. had tried to live upon friendly terms with the Indians. On September 10. a short time after the removal of the Indians from Greentown. a party of five redskins was seen one afternoon going toward the Zeimer cabin. Martin Ruffner. a stalwart German. who lived about a mile northwest of where the village of Miftfin now stands. heard of the presence of the Indians. and that they were going toward the Zeimer's. Mar. Ruffner, suspecting treachery on the part of the Indians. shouldered his rifle. and as the ~aveges had made a halt. Ruffner reached the cabin first and apprised the Zetmers of the situation. .\ conference was held. and it was decided that Philip should go and notify James Copus and other settlers further down the valley. of the presence of the Indians near his home, and request them to come to their protection. Soon after the Indians arrived they demanded supper. which was served to them by Mrs. Zeimer and Miss Kate. The Indians seemed sullen, and not long after eating supper made a murderous assault upon the family. Thewv first assaulted the brave Ruffner, who shot his foremo-t assailant dead. then clubbing his rifle, felled another prostrate to the floor. As he struck at the third. he accidentally hit the stock of Ins rifle against a joist. and the Indians. taking advantage of the mishap, fired upon him. two shots taking effect. either of which would have proven fatal. They dragged the body of the dying man into the yard, and inhumanly removed his scalp ere he expired.

At the beginning of the assault, Kate fainted. When she regained consclousnesx= she realized that Ruffner had been killed, and, seeing them asza:! her parents. again -wooued, unconsciousness kindly veiling from her sight the horrible ~pectacle of seeing her father and mother murdered. When Kate again recovered. she was ordered to give the Indians her father's money and the valuablex of the family, and as she complied with their demand, they rudely tore her engagement ring from her finger. Then Kanotche, one of the most bloodthirsty and treacherous of his kind, buried his tomahawk in poor Kate's head, and she fell dead upon the hearth and her blood was mingled with that of her parents. This squad of Indians was captured on Fern Island, in Tuscarawas county. and the narrative of the massacre was obtained from Kanotche himself. while he was confined as a prisoner in the jail at New Philadelphia.

As it was late in the afternoon when Philip went after assistance. the sable mantle of night covered the valley ere his return, and this narrative

"Zeimer" is a German name of Swiss origin. It was Americanized by the pioneers into "Zimmer," and finally into "Seymour," but the name as it Is still retained by the family in Pickaway county. in their legal papers and upon their gravestones is "'Zeimer."

The news of the murder of the Zeimers caused the settlers to go to the blockhouses for safety. The country was filled with alarm, and other deeds of blood soon followed. James Copus lived on the east side of the Blackfork valley, about midway between Mifflin and Greentown. With other settlers, he had taken the family to the Beam blockhouse, but after a few days he became restless and wanted to return to his cabin home. He believed the Indians were all gone, and that if any were lurking around he felt confident they would do him no harm, as he was their friend. That confidence cost him his life. The Indian character is one of treachery. Against the facts of history, writers speak of the "Noble Red Man" and of the gratefulness of his character. Facts show that his deceit and treachery have left trails of blood through American history.

When Mr. Copus stated that he intended to return to his cabin, Captain Martin, the commandant of the blockhouse, protested against him taking such a step, and told him he would endanger the lives of himself and family by doing so. But Mr. Copus had made his decision, and on the morning of the fourth day after the Zeimer murder, started with his wife and seven children, to return home, a detail of nine soldiers going with them. Captain Martin, who took out a scouting party, promised to call and spend the night with the Copus family. But, finding no trace of the Indians, and reconnoitering further than they had intended to go, they did not get to the Copus home until noon the next day - too late to avert the fate that had fallen upon that household. When night came, the soldiers who had accompanied Mr. Copus and family home. went to the barn to sleep. the weather being very warm. At daybreak on Tuesday morning, September 15. 1812. the soldiers reurned to the house. and after conversing a little while with the family, went to the spring on the hillside, to wash. They left their arms stacked against the side of the cabin.: When in the act of washing. an Indian vell rent the air and in a moment the soldiers were surrounded by forty-five armed and painted savages. Upon being attacked the soldiers. being unarmed, fled in different directions; two attempted to reach the forest upon the hillside for protection, but were pursued by the Indians. were overtaken, killed and scalped. Their names were John Tedrick and George Shipley. A third, named Warnock, was shot through the bowels. went some distance and sat down by a tree and died. His body was found <everal weeks afterwards in a sitting posture. Five soldiers: got inside safely. but the sixth. named George Dye, was not so fortunate, and was shot through the thigh as he entered the door. and George Launtz was shot through the arm later. while removing a chink to make a port-hole in the wall. These soldiers were from Guernsey county and have many relatives living in that part of

Hiseory Of -Richeand County 135

When the attack was made upon the soldiers at the spring, Mr. Copus seized his rifle and went to the door, and, as he opened it a ball fired by an Indian, passed through the leather strap that supported his powder horn, and entered his breast, inflicting a wound which caused his death within an hour. Early in the contest Naney Copus, aged fifteen, was shot above the knee, inflicting a painful wound. The children were then placed upstairs for greater safety, but even the loft was insecure, for a number of the Indians upon the hillside kept firing upon the clapboard roof. For five long hours the battle raged, the Indians often trying to take the cabin by assault. The soldiers made a heroic defense. They fired through portholes, and their aim was often unerring, as a number of Indians were seen to fall to rise no more. Finally the awful contest ended by the Indians retreating, taking their dead with them, and firing a parting salute into a flock of sheep, which had huddled together in terror, near the barn.

When Captain Martin and his scouts arrived, they were appalled at the horrible =pectacle that mit their view. .\ttention wax given to the wounded, and the dead were luried. Eleven Indians were killed. The bodies of nine were taken away, and two were left upon the ground.

The same day of the Copus battle. the cabins of Newell, Cuppy and Fry, further east. were burned by the Indians. 'The families were at the Jeromeville Llockhouse.

In 1881, the Ashland county pioneer society took steps for the erection of "montmuents to the memory of those pioneers and soldiers who were killed by the Indians in the fall of 1812' - refering to the Zeimer massacre and the Copus battle. Funds for the same were raised by subscription, lirgely through the work of the late Dr. Riddle. Two monuments, costing a hundred and fifty dollars each, were erected the following vear, one where the Zeimers and Ruffner are buried, the other where Copus and the soldier are interred. The monuments were unveiled with appropriate ceremonies on September 15, 1882 - ~eventy years after the Copus battle. The attendance was very large, fully ten thousand people being present. Judge R. M. Campbell was the orator of the day. Short addresses were made by Ilenry C. Iledgesx. the late Dr. William Bushnell and Colonel B. Burns. Two aged ladies. who ax voung girlx had heen pioneers in the county, were introduced to the audience and given seats upon the stand. They were Mrs. Sarah Vail, daughter of James Copus, and Mrs. Elizabeth Baughman, daughter of Captain James Cunningham. ;

Twenty-two years have come and gone since these monuments were unveiled. Many who were present upon that occasion, including a number who took part in the exercises, are with us no more. A. J. BAUGHMAN.

Camp Council

maintained. It cost seven long years of war to have America acknowledged as one of the nations of the earth; then came the struggle of 1812-15, for sailors' rights and for the protection of American commerce upon the high seas, against unreasonable search and seizure. Then our war with Mexico, where many brave boys found graves in a foreign land; and then followed the war of the Rebellion, in which the boys in blue went forth to meet those in grey in the conflict of war, to maintain and uphold the union of the states, to give us in the future, as in the past, one country, one constitution, one destiny, under one flag.

The arm which guides the hand which writes these lines touched elbows with the boys in blue, and would like here to pay a tribute to the men who carried the flag and kept step to the music of the Union - soldiers whose valor will continue to live in story and in song so long as the peaks of the Rocky Mountains shall hold their snow-capped summits in the clouds of the sky, and the rivers that traverse our land flow onward to the sea.

But it is the purpose of this chapter to deal with a few -of the incident= and events of the war of 1812. Limit here will not permit of following the army of that period in its marches and triumphs from Chippewa _ to Lundy's Lane and down through the successes and reverses of the vears of that conflict. which ended in a blaze of glorious victory at New Orleans, January 8, 1815, when General Jackson whipped the Red Coats to a finish. but can only for a short distance follow Beall': trail to take a look at Cam) Council, in the northern part of Richland county.

At the time of which this deals Mansfield was only a small village and there were but few settlers north or west of this. The Indians who had been peaceful in their way, before, were then acting as the allies of the British, and the settlers found it necessary to build blockhouses for protection from their savage foes. The settlers had looked to the army in the northwest for protection. but after Hull's surrender in -\ugust. 1812. this locality was in danger, alike. from the army of Great Britain and from marauding bands of Indians.

To protect the settlers. Return Jonathan Meigs. then governor of Ohio. Was organizing an army of volunteers and Colonel Kratzer. who had been stationed at Mt. Vernon, was ordered to Mansfield and his command was here joined by Captain James Cunningham's. and to this army was assigned the duty of guarding the western border. To protect the frontier on the north, General Reason Beall raised an army of two thousand men, recruited principally in Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Stark and Wayne counties. and came to the relief of the settlers on the northern border. While encamped for a few days at Wooster they heard of the Zeimer and Copus tragedies and hastened on to this county, cutting their way through an almost unbroken wilderness, and their route is caled Beall's Trail, in history.

Upon entering Richland county the army first went into camp on the Whetstone, where Olivesburg now stands. From the Whetstone they marched to the present site of Shenandoah. where a short stop was made until a more desirable location was found a mile to the southwest. on land which is a part of the southeast quarter of section number 33, in Blooming Grove township, a short distance north of the south line of the township. General Beall went into camp there for the purpose of drilling his troops and to hold consultation with the civil and military authorities as to the best means of protecting the settlers. and the camp was, therefore, called "Camp Council."

A brook, called Beall's Run, courses down a ravine that runs from the northeast to the southwest, and upon an upland to the west and north the camp proper was located, the soldiers clearing the land and using the wood for fuel. From the bank on the east side of the brook, a spring of clear, cold water rushes forth now, as it did then, sufficient in volume to supply several thousand troops.

The encampment was made about the middle of October and the army remained there for two months. As the camp was in an unsettled part of the country, with poor transportation facilities, it was difficult to obtain quartermaster and commissary supplies, and the troops had to do without proper clothing for the cold weather, which set in early that autumn, and were also put on short rations, which caused a spirit of mutiny to develop among the men, a number of whom quietly made preparations to return to their homes. But ere such plans could be carried out, the commander-inchief. General William Henry Harrison, who, learning of the threatened desertion, came and adressed the troops while on parade, appealing to their patriotism, to their manhood and to their honor, to stand by the old flag and to defend American homes against the murderous incursions of the Red Skins. and the threatened invasion of the Red Coats. He assured the soldiers that the camp would be provisioned as soon as possible and stated that, although they had been insufficiently provided for, their privations were light compared with those suffered by our forefathers in the war of the Revolution, who often left bloody footprints upon the frozen earth. The speech had the desired effect and not a man deserted.

\t that time the troops under General Beall had not been mustered into the service of the Federal government. General Wadsworth, to whose divixion General Beall's brigade belonged, ordered General Beall's command to Cleveland, which order General Beall refused to comply with, claiming that the exigencies of the situation justified him in remaining at Camp Council to protect the frontier, and that his duty to his country would not permit him to leave the settlers in an exposed condition to the enemy, even to gratify the whim of a militia general. The result was that Beall was placed under arrest, his command taken from him, the camp evacuated, and the troops marched to Cleveland.

A court martial followed, resulting in General Beall's acquittal and his restoration to his command, with orders to reinforce General Winchester in the northwest. After marching his army as far as Freemont, received orders to return to Camp Avery, at Cleveland, where his men were mustered out of the service, their term of enlistment having expired.

Hardin, when that officer engaged "Little Turtle." And later he served as ensign under "Mad Anthony'? Wayne, where he became acquainted with General Harrison, who was then on Wavne's staff, and the friendship then formed lasted for life.

At the close of the war, General Beall returned to his home at New Lisbon ; was elected to Congress, where he served four vears, and in 1840 was a presidential elector and had the pleasure of casting his vote for his old friend and comrade, General William Henry Harrison, for president of the United States. General Beall was afterward appointed register of the land office at Wooster, and died in that citv, February 20, 1843.

While General Beall's army was at Camp Council, ten miles north of Mansfield, in the autumn of 1812, the governor of Pennsylvania sent : brigade of two thousand troops, under command of General Robert Crooks. to the assistance of General William Henry Harrison. in Ohio. From New J.isbon, General Crooks followed the Beall trail through Canton and Wooster to Jeromeville, where there was a block-house at that time. JTrom Jeromeville the army crossed over from the Jeromefork to the Blackfork of the Mohican at Greentown, where it encamped for the night. Nearly all the Indian huts had been burned prior to this and the village was deserted. From Greentown the brigade came over the route Colonel Crawford had taken thirty years before, up the Rockyfork to Mansfield, where it went into camp on the east side of the village near the Big Spring. The date of General Crooks' arrival in Mansfield is not definitely known, but it was perhaps about the 18th or 20th of October, 1812.

The army remained in Mansfield about six weeks awaiting the arrival of quartermaster and commissary stores, under Colonel Anderson. During the encampment here of General Crooks' army the troops assisted the settlers in clearing off about fifty acres of land. On account of the ground getting wet and muddy, the camp was changed from the east to the west part of the village. About the 10th of December, General Crooks was ordered to proceed to Upper Sandusky to assist in fortifying that place. Two days later Colonel Anderson reached Mansfield with his quartermaster. commissary and ordnance trains. Upon his arrival here, Colonel Anderson reported that, "On the 12th (December) we reached the village of Mansfield, where we found two block-houses, a tavern and two stores."

Colonel Anderson's outfit consisted of twenty-five cannon. mostly four and six-pounders. These were drawn by six horses, each. The cannon carriages, twenty-five in number, were drawn by four-horse teams. The ammunition was in large covered wagons. There were fifty covered road wagons in the train, drawn by six horses each, and loaded with army stores. One of them carried money for paying the troops; the money was in coin and put up in small iron-hooped kegs. The teamsters were each furnished with a gun. for use in case of an attack by the Indians. This army train was an imposing spectacle as it came up the Rockyfork valley to Mansfield. After remaining here a few days for the horses to rest, the march to Upper Sandusky was resumed. The train was hardly out of sight of Mansfield, when it encountered a snowstorm, and the storm continued until the snow was two feet in depth. The ground was unfrozen and the heavy wagons cut into the soft earth, making the journey a difficult one. At night the soldiers had to work several hours shoveling snow to get a suitable place to pitch their tents and build fires to cook their food and to keep them from freezing. After being two weeks on the road, the brigade reached Upper Sandusky on New Years day, 1813.

Previous to the war of 1812 the Indians, instigated by British emissaries. frequently attacked the frontier settlements of the Northwest, under the leadership of Tecumseh. These attacks caused General Harrison to organize a force of militia to defend the frontier. A battle occurred between General Harrison's army and the Indians, on the 7th of November, 1811, and resulted in great loss to the Indians. It occurred on the banks of the Wabash river, and was called the battle of Tippecanoe. Though the Indians were defeated in this battle Tecumseh was not conquered, but continued hostilities against the <ettlers. Tecumseh's brother, called the "Prophet," was an orator who could sway the feelings of the Indians. it has been stated. ''as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which they dwelt."

On the 18th of June, 1812. war was declared against Great Britain by the United Statex. During that vear (General Harrison successfully met the British and the Indians in a number of battles. On the 5th of October, 1813. General Harrison attacked the British under Proctor and the Indians under Tecumseh and defeated them in the battle of the Thames. Tecumseh was killed and Proctor xaved himself only by the speed of his horse.

The triumph of American arms over those of Great Britain and her savage allies has been of far-reaching results. Had victory been on the other <ide, the destiny of the great West would have been marred forever.

Jacob Newman. one of the first settlers in Richland county, acted as guide for General Crooks from Mansfield to Upper Sandusky. Mr. Newman contracted a severe cold on this trip, from the effects of which he died the June following. During General Crooks' encampment in Mansfield, there was a severe wind storm which blew down several trees in the public square. killing two soldiers. General Crooks' campaign materially aided General Harrison in his warfare against the red skins, thus fulfilling the mission for which it was sent.

Richland county has had many bloody tragedies within its borders, making its history one of much importance not only to this generation, but exact spot where stood the stake at which Colonel William Crawford was burned by the Indians in 1782. I can throw no new light on the subject. and only know it was by the Big Tymochtee, near a grove. I have never visited the place, but presume the grove has long since disappeared, and every other mark save the lay of the land and the stream. It is reasonable, however, that those who from long residence nearby have kept a tab on the spot should make a much better guess than those unfamiliar with it. I am not a descendant of Colonel Crawford, but belong to his kindred, the family lines coming together in his grandfather five generations back'of myself. His tragic death has been much talked of in the numerous Crawford circles. There are a few legendary tales of the battle which are somewhat different from written history, especially from 'Dodridge's Notes' as transcribed in Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio. There were several members of the Dye and Leet families among the troops who intermarried with the McIntires and Bradens, ancestors of my mother, and some of whose descendants vet live southeast of Galion; and also with the Hiskeys, who once resided south of Lexington, in Richland county. It is said that Major Leet differed with the other officers of the council of war held the night the retreat commenced. He proposed that instead of returning over the same route they had come they should cut through the enemy's lines. go southward to a point somewhere in the present Marion county, then turn eastward and strike the Owl Creek trail, and take that to the forks of the Muskingum, now Coshocton, and thence over the route of Bouquet' army to Mingo Bottom. The council decided against him. Leet was self-willed unto stubbornness, and when the retreat was ordered, his command being a part of the rear, he with ninety men broke away from the main body, carried out his project and reached the place of rendezvous before the others. Young John Crawford the son for whom the colonel went back to search. was with this ninety and got home safely.

"If this be true it solves the mystery of how Crawford and Knight were so soon lost from the army, for he kept on expecting to meet other troops and thus went too far. It is not known where Crawford was captured but, it was not, as some conjecture, near the place where the battle of the Olentangy was fought. It would have been sure death for them to have followed in the wake of the army, hence after proceeding northward for a few hours they turned, going eastward in a straight line as nearly as possible. They may have been captured somewhere in Vernon township, Crawford county. It is probable one more day of travel would have brought them to the track of the returning troops. They would have struck the old trail leading from Mohican Johnstown to Mohican Johns Lake (Lake Odell), near which the main body encamped on the night of the 7th of June.

"For many years public opinion has done Crawford and his army great injustice, seeming to regard the expedition as a wild and reckless raid without other motive than revenge and bloodshedding. To say that these brave men 'hoped to murder the Moravian Indians before their belligerent friends could take up arms in their defense,' is false. To say that 'it was rash and undertaken and conducted without sufficient force to encounter with anv

"It never should be forgotten by true Americans that British officers who had the management of the war against our Revolutionary Fathers saw fit to hire savages to annoy our frontier and even condescended to pay a stipulated price for American scalps. They made Detroit a center to supply the Indians with arms and all other munitions of war, and kept there a body of troops under Major De Peyster whose only purpose was to aid their savage allies. Under this inhuman stimulus the Indians made the whole frontier from Oswego, N. Y., to the mouth of the great Kanawha of Virginia red with the blaze of burning cabins and the blood of innocent and peaceable settlers. There was scarcely a mile in that long stretch that had not witnessed some horrid deed of massacre. The fagot and scalping knife were spreading terror everywhere. Something had to be done to relieve this dreadful situation. An unauthorized foray had gone to Gnadenhutten and wreaked a bloody revenge on those Christian Indians. It wax wrong, and I blush at the shameful cruelty of the affair. and yet I assert that these Indians were not half as innocent and lamblike ax some prejudiced writers try to make them appear. The village was full of treacherous spies and even bloodstained garments of massacred people were hidden there, and some of them died defiantly singing war songs instead of Christian hymns. The stronghold of Indians (paid allies of Great Britain) was the region of Upper Sandusky. It was a strategetical point, because it was at the head of canoe navigation of both the Ohio river and the Great Lake regions. Supplies could be transported from Detroit through the lakes and up the Sandusky to a point when the portage was only two miles from thence over the Sciota to all the waters of the Ohio. The Crawford campaign was planned by General Irvine and submitted to General George Washington and received his approval. The design was to surprise and destroy or force a treaty from the Indians of this region before English help could reach them and thus put a check upon their cruel forays. That Gnadenhutten might not be repeated Colonel Crawford was chosen leader, with the understanding that the troops be permitted to vote for a leader, but if their vote had given it to Williamson the militia would have been sent home and the expedition temporarily abandoned. It was planned in secret, and here was the fatal mistake. There were Tory sympathizers on the frontier, and even before the troops gathered at Mingo Bottom British spies had carried the news to Indian runners posted along the border who hurried to every Indian village of the Northwest and to Detroit. General Irvine had not calculated on the swiftness of these Indian runners nor the promptness of England to send aid to her savage allies.

"When Crawford reached the Upper Sandusky country there were not less than 500 Indians and 150 British troops ready to meet him and others pouring in every hour. Simon Girty, an ingrate white man, but an Indian commander of no mean ability, and Captain Caldwell of the British army were on hand to plan the battle. A wooded knoll, since called Battle Island, was the key to the situation, which was captured by Crawford's

"T shall not describe the battle, for vour readers are familiar with the details. It's Crawford's legends of which I wish to write. There are many tale: of the losses on each side. Captain Caldwell, reporting to Major De Peyster, savs: 'My losses were very inconsiderable, one ranger killed and myself and two others wounded, and four Indians killed and eight wounded.' He estimated the American losses in killed and wounded at two hundred and fifty. Let me say right here that Crawford's army consisted of 480 men. the finest marksmen in America. Being militiamen, they may have lacked in military consistency, but they were not wanting in cool-headed bravery. knowledge of Indian warfare and perfect marksmanship. They were not defeated nor demoralized. The only time of confusion was during the first few hours after the retreat commenced, when Indians and British opened a rapid fire in both front and rear. The fact that they fell back in two bodies. one of ninety and the other of three hundred men, ix evidence that they were not panic stricken, and the enemy did not capture any except isolated partie~. and these isolations were probably due to Leet'x disobedience of orders. The total loss of the Americans did not exceed xeventy men. and members of the troops even contended that they inflicted a heavier loss on the enemy than their own.

"Leet, a scout (not the major). who afterward married a Dye. told hix children many times that when Battle Island was first taken fifteen dead Indians were found; and he further said the next day he saw Girty riding back and forth among the Indians greatly excited while they were carrying away the dead and wounded. He also said that during the retreat when Butler's rangers and some mounted Indians were making dashes to cut out stragglers he saw three white men fall from their saddles who did not rie again. When the last dash was made near the Olentangy when Lieutenants Rose and Gunsaulus had placed a body of Americans in ambush and had sent out a few men to act as stragglers and decoy the foe. when the enemy came dashing up. he said. in all Ins war experience he had never seen =) many saddles emptied in so short a time. This last little fight so severely punished the enemy that they did not fire another shot at the main body. but contented themselves with picking up stray parties.

"T do not know what per cent of the Dye, Leet and Braden tales are exaggeration, but 1 am sure that when the British and Indians undertook to retake the position they had lost that the unerring marksmen of the frontier did not send them back unpunished. Neither would they allow themselves to be hectored from daylight until 2 or 3 p. m. by an exulting foe and not ocasionally empty a saddle. Crawford's men never admitted that they were defeated in battle and boasted that they would have made short work of the thousand Indians, but it was the certainty of 400 English bayonets and the boom of coming artillery that convinced them of the necessity of retreat.

"Another story I have heard is that in 1806 when the survevors were busv laying off the lands of Wayne and Richland counties. Mrs. Hannah Crawford, widow of the colonel, visited the spot where her husband was burned and at that time there was no grass growing upon it. Her guide was Billy Crawford, said to be a nephew of her husband. My informant says she stayed over night with his grandmother, Mrs. Allison in Harrison county, and a man by the name of McBride was her escort from there home.

"Another legend claims that relatives and friends of Colonel Crawford swore uncompromising revenge against every Indian who helped handle the fagots that tortured him, and that they carried out this oath to the letter. That they were with Harmer, St. Clair and Wayne marking these Indians and shooting them at every opportunity, and even made a hunt on the banks of the Sandusky for this bloody purpose. It is said the last one was shot in Holmes county in time of peace. Here is the story:

"An Indian once came to a tavern in Killbuck where under the influence of liquor he boasted that he was present at the burning of Colonel Crawford and said after the Big White Chief had fallen that he and several other Indians jumped on him and cut his heart out and he had eaten a piece of the raw heart and smacking his lips. said it tasted good. Billy Crawford heard this boast and when the Indian left he followed him. Billy afterward admitted that he killed him near Holmesville and buried the body and gun in a pile of stone. Years afterward the body was found. but such was the svmpathy of the people for those who suffered from Indian outrages that nothing was ever done about it.

"Society in those davs had been worked up to a fearful spirit of revenge. Men had suffered under Indian outrages until their natures became fierce and drove out that high sense of human love taught by the Savior and

Capture Of The Indian Assassins

To understand the condition of affairs prior to the Copus battle. we must consider the state of affairs and the menacing attitude of Great Britain which led up to and culminated in the war of 1812. For vears previous to this, Great Britain had heen impressing our seamen and trving to deprive .\merican vessels of the rights of commerce upon the high seas, and British ships of war had even been stationed before the principal harbors of the American coast, to board and search our merchant ships departing from or returning to the United States, and a number of American vessels had been captured and sent as prizes to the British ports. From 1805 to 1811 over nine hundred American vessels ladened with rich and valuable cargoes, had been captured by British cruisers and hundreds of American citizens had been impressed into their service.

The contempt in which the British officers held the American navy led to an action prior to the war of 1812. The frigate ''President,'' commanded by Commodore Rogers. met a vessel one evening off the Virginia coast, which he hailed, but for an answer a shot was fired, which struck the main mast of the ''President." The fire was instantly returned and was continued until Commodore Rogers ascertained his antagonist was disabled, where- upon he desisted. The vessel proved to be the British sloop-of-war "Littlebelt," carrying eighteen guns. There was no loss on the American side, but thirtythree were killed or wounded on the British sloop.

Early in November, 1811, President Madison convened Congres: and his message to that body indicated apprehension of hostilities with Great Britain, and Congress passed acts to increase the efficiency of both the army and navy.

Although continuing to prepare for war, the administration still cherished the hope that a change of policy on the part of Great Britain would make an appeal to arms unnecessary, but in May, 1812, the "Hornet" brought still more unfavorable news from across the waters, and on the lst of June the President sent a message to Congress, recounting the wrongs received from Great Britain and submitting the question whether the United States should continue to endure them, or resort to war. The message was considered by Congress with closed doors, and on the 4th of June a bill declaring war to exist between the United States and Great Britain, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of seventy-nine to forty-nine, and on the 7th it passed the Senate by a vote of nineteen to thirteen, and on the same day it received the signature of the president, who two davs later issued his war manifesto.

For a while the American army met with reverses, defeat being added to defeat and surrender following surrender. General Hull, the governor of the territory of Michigan, commanded the American troops at Detroit. then considered the most important point on the lakes. With a flourish of trumpets he crossed the river on the 12th of July to attack Malden, with Montreal as an ulterior point. But receiving information that Fort Mackinaw had surrendered to the British and that a large force of Red Coats and Red Skins were coming down to overwhelm the American troops. General T{ull hastened to leave the Canadian shore, re-crossed the river and returned to Detroit.

General Brock. the commandant at, Malden. pursued General Hull and placed batteries opposite Detroit bearing on the town. The next day, meeting with no opposition, General Brock marched directly forward az if to assault the fort. The American troops being confident of victory looked with complacency upon the approach of the enemy and calmly awaited the order to "fire." But to the dismay of the scldiers, Hull ran up the white flag and surrendered, the most disgraceful act in American history. Hull's surrender was made on the 16th of August (1812). By that cowardly and treasonable act the whole Michigan frontier was placed in the hands of the British. Hull, who was then governor of Michigan. had been an officer in the War of the Revolution. in which service he had acquitted himself with credit. William Hull was born in Derby, Conn., June 24, 1753. He died at Newton. Mass., in disgrace and dishonor, November 29. 1825.

Sometime after the surrender of Hull, General Van Rensselaer. with headquarters at Lewistown, led his troops across the Niagara river to attack a fort at Queenstown, but after a long and hard fought engagement, was forced to surrender. In that action General Brock was killed. While these reverses prolonged the war and emboldened the Indians to commit greater atrocities, the Americans never lost confidence in the final result. Although the armies suffered defeat for a time, the navy gained victory after victory, which were particularly gratifving to American pride, for the victories were won by that class whose rights had been violated. Those victories were gained. too, over a nation whose navy was the mistress of the seas. Our naval victories were extended from the ocean to the great lakes, where Commodore | Perry, on the 10th of September (1813), on Lake Erie. won imperishable fame. Perry's dispatch at the close of the engagement, "'We have met the enemy and they are ours," is still resounding down the aisles of time.

The army finally achieved successes, as the navy had previously done, and these led up to the final defeat of the British by General Jackson at New Orleans. January 8, 1815. In this battle. General Jackson in command of about 6.000 militia, concentrated his forces four miles below the city within a line of entrenchments a mile long, extending from the river far into the swamp. He was attacked in thix position by 12.000 British troops. under command of General Packenham. As the British approached. a terrible cannonade was opened from the American batteries, vet the British continued to advance to within rifle range. when volley after volley of bullets poured into their ranks. The British colunm soon wavered. General Packenham fell! and the entire British army Hed in dismay. leaving seven hundred dead and more than one thousand wounded on the field. The .\merican loss was but -mall - seven killed and six wounded. This victory led to peace. which was ; roclaimed February 18, 1515. just two vears and eight months from the day that war had been declared.

In this war the Indians acted ax the allies of the British. History states that Lord Dorchester. then Gvovernor-General of Canada. industriously instisated the Tndians to hostilities against the American settlers and that he had agents throughout Ohio and elsewhere. distributing blankets, food. ammunition and arms among the Indians and that at Malden a reward was paid for every white man's scalp brought in by the Indians.

And not only elsewhere. but in our own county the British got in their work suecessfully with the Indians. especially at Greentown and Jeromeville. where the ~avages had received supplies and munitions of war from the British. This fact coupled with their suspicious actions. and at times war-like detonstrations, gave the white settlers reasonable cause to believe that the suYages contemplated a murderous assault upon them.

At the time of which I write, Colonel Kratzer, who was in command of the few troops stationed at Mansfield, received orders to remove the Indians frou: both Greentown and Jeromeville, as a precautionary measure against an catbreak. and for that purpose. Colonel Kratzer sent Captain Douglas of his command to enforce the order. There were about eighty Indians at Greentown and more at Jeromeville. and it has been doubted whether Captain Douglas could have successfully coped with them. But such questions are only discussed in "piping times of peace," for in times of war, American soldiers whip the enemy first and discuss the situation afterwards.

Captain Armstrong, who was the Greentown chief at that time. at first refused to consent to be removed. Captain Douglas then sought the aid of the Rev. James Copus, who lived a few miles further up the valley. and requested him to persuade the Indians to peacefully comply with the order. Copus was a local preacher in whom the Indians had confidence. Copus has been described as a stern, irou-willed man of arbitrary views. \At first Copus' refused to take any part in the matter. After entreaty had failed with him. Captain Douglas said: 'Mr. Copus, my business is to carry out the instructions of my superior officers. This is a military matter, and if I can't persuade you to comply with my request, I shall arrest vou as a traitor to the Government of the United States." Mr. Copus, seeing that he was up against the inevitable, consented to accompany the troops, Captain Douglas assuring him thet the Indians would be protected.

When the officers returned to the Indian village, accompanied by Mr. - Copus, another conference was held with Chief Armstrong in which Mr. Copus explained the order under which the troops were acting, and the Indians had to obey the order or take the alternative. The Indians then reluctantly announced that they would go. and Judge Peter Kinney and Captain James Cunningham took an inventory of their effects. The Indians were then formed into line and marched away under guard, but they had not proceeded far. when looking back they saw a cloud of smoke ascending from their burning village.

The burning of Greentown hax been criticised and censured by s<entimentalists who regarded the act as a breach of faith with the "noble red man." who was cruelly taken from his "happy hunting ground" into a forced exile.

But the burning of that Indian village was not a breach of faith. for the officers were not responsible for the act. It was done without warraut by five or s1x stragglers who had dropped out of the ranks for that purpose. They were militiamen who had suffered wrong= too grievous to be borne from the bloody hands of the savages. and it was but human nature for them to want to retaliate in some way. It is a maudlin sentimentality to dilate upon the wrongs which the white settlers committed against the Indians. for the few misdeeds that may have been done by the pioneer- were too insignificant to be given prominence in history, or to attempt to excuse or offset the bloody outrages committed by the Indians with the few incidental retaliation of the whites. In the early history of France we read of the dark and bloody acts of the Druids and how they immolated human life in their forest temples. but it was as a religious rite, ax an atoning or propitiating sacrifice. and while we stand appalled at the bloody spectacle. our condemnation ix somewhat modified when we consider the motive that prompted the act. But with the Indians it was cruelty for cruelty's sake. They were savages and through all the eivilizing influences of a century they are savages still. Even those who have been educated at the Governinent's expense at Carlisle. Pa.. drift back into barbarism, as a rule, after they return to the West. Let those who have tears to shed over the burning of Greentown read acount< of the massacre in the Wyoming valley aud its aftermath of butcheries. and then consider the Indians * bloody deeds in our own state and county - of cruelty. torture and death. and then tell us where ix the Indian claim for merey and charity.

Settlers have returned from the hunt and chase and found their cabins burnt and their families murdered. The bloody tomahawk and gory scalping knife have done their work, and mutilation has been added to murder. Notwithstanding the beautifully drawn and charmingly colored word pictures given us by novelists, history teaches us that the Indian is cruel and bloodthirsty by nature and is devoid of the redeeming traits of humanity.

It is not the purpose to here narrate the dangers and hardships through which the pioneer passed. nor to speak of the character traits of the Indian further than to state that he generally repaid hospitality with treachery and forbearance with murder. But as a race he was doomed, and the hills and valleys of old Richland county will know him no more forever.

Writers who have made tribal races a study, state as a corollary that if the Indian= had been left to themselves their internecine strife of tribe against tribe would in time have resulted in the extermination of the race.

The pioneer seemed to have been inspired, and whatever place in the ranks of the grand army of progress he was called to fill, he performed his duty with confidence and zeal. Whether in fighting the savages, in clearing the forests. in tilling the soil or in carrying the banner of the Cross. he filled his mission and aided m his way to attain the grand results of which we enjoy the benefit to-day.

And in thix connection I want to speak of the priests and preachers who kept abreast of the march of civilization and shared with the other pioneers the hardships and privations of that period. With them no sacrifice was too great - no enterprise too hazardous to deter them from doing the Master's work. They could not ride bicycles over paved streets to make pastoral calls, but went through forest= infested with wild beast: to say pravers for the sick and to give absolution to the dying. From a secular standpoint the reward of these missionaries was but meager, but in a spiritual view how different! A gentleman of that period ouce spoke to a priest about the small returns that had accrued from such missionary work, to which the aged priest replied: "T this day rescued from the burning a dying child. to whom the mother allowed me to minister the sacred rites of baptism; and that alone amply rewards me for all my vears of toil." To bring one soul within the pale of the Church was to him a better reward and more of a solace than would be all the earthly comforts that a munificent salary could buy.

Mexican War Survivors

At a soldiers' reunion held in the early part of the winter of 1903, the question arose as to the number of survivors of the Mexican war living in Richland county, and as there seemed to be no definite knowledge on the subject, A. J. Baughman was appointed a committee to look up the survivors and give sketches of their lives. He received a commission from W. S. Cappeller, to perform the work and after completing the same his report was published in the Mansfield Daily News of January 16, 1903, as follows:

"In 1819 the Wnited States voluntarily gave Texas to Spain as a bonus for the cession of Florida, for which adequate compensation had already been given. This act in the end led to the war with Mexico a quarter of a century later. That war was begun for the re-acquisition of Texas and for enforcing the claim of that state to the territory east of the Rio Grande and for obtaining damages claimed by the citizens of the United States.

"That war brought about unforeseen results which changed the history of the continent and added to the United State: a territory larger than that of the thirteen American colonies at the time of the War of the Revolution.

"For that war with Mexico, Ohio furnished four regiments - forty companies - of troops. There are eighty-cight countiex in the state and pro rata there would not have been a half company ax the quota of each. But Richland county furnished three companies. for her sons are ever ready to respond to their country's call. Theze companies were commanded. respectively. by Captain William McLaughlin. Captain Thomas HW. Ford and Captain George Weaver.

"There are, however, two other survivors of the Mexican war who are residents of Richland county. but they did not enlist from here, and did not become residents of the county until after the close of the war. Their names are Samuel Frey, of Shelby. and James W. Downing. of Butler. They xerved in different companies of the same regiment - the Seventh regulars - the First United States mounted riflemen. Mr. Frev enlisted at Mt. Vernon in March, 1847, Mr. Downing enlisted at Charlestown. Jefferson county. Virginia, July 29, 1846.

"Samuel Frey was born in Washington county. Pennsvivania. in 1821. and came to Ohio with his parents when he was an infant. They first located in Muskingum. then in Knox county. After enlisting at Mt. Vernon. Samue! Frey was sent to the United States barracks at Newport. Kentucky. Then to New Orleans and from there to Vera Cruz. and joined General Scott at Pueblo. He was made a non-commissioned officer and before the cloze of the war became orderly sergeant of his company. Sergeant Frev was first under fire at Contreas, August 19 and 20. 1847. Then followed the battle of Churubuseo and he was in the command that crossed the Rio Churubusco and held the causeway which led to the city. Then came the battle of El Molino del Rey. September 8.

"On September 13 the American troops carried the fortres: of Chapultepec by storm. The division of which Sergeant Frey's company was a part. supported the attacking party. then took the lead to the City of Mexico, by the way of the gates of Belen and San Cosme. Over the Belen gate. General Quitman, after a sharp contest. waved the American flag as a token of victory. General Worth led the column against the gate of San Cosme and in the fierce fight which ensued carried the last barrier to the Mexican capital. On the night of September 13, 1847, Santa Anna evacuated the City of Mexico and

"Samuel Frey has been a resident of Shelby for forty-seven years, twenty-nine of which were passed in railroad employment at the Junction, where for seventeen years, he was bill clerk. Although 82 years uld Mr. Frey's appearance to-day is that of a prosperous business man of sixty. He resides on Second street, Shelby, has a comfortable home and a lovely wife and two daughters.

"Janres W. Downing was born in Virginia, November 23, 1823. He came to Ohio in 1851 and has been engaged in the mercantile business in Butler for nearly forty years. He is in comfortable circumstances, financially, but is out of health and feeble.

*Hostilitres began on the Rio Grande under General Taylor in April, 1846, and Sergeant Downing enlisted on the 29th of July following, and his first engagement was under General Scott at Vera Cruz, where, after seven davs' hard fighting, the Mexicans vielded to the inevitable and on the morning of the 29th of March the garrison marched out through the Gate of Merev and stacked arms on the Plain of Cocos.

"General Scott then started on that historical march of two hundred miles to the City of Mexico. Sergeant Downing participated in all the battles along that line of march and was one of the assaulting party at Chapultepec. For this attack a call was made for two men from each company and Mr. Downing volunteered for the hazardous duty and was in the hottest of the fight. He saw General George E. Pickett tear down the Mexican colors and then plant the \merican flag in triumph on the summit of the castle. For distinguished service in this as<ault. Sergeant Downing received a "'Certificate of Merit." engrossed on parcitment, signed by James K. Polk, president, and William L. Marey, secretary of war.

"Jacob Ovster was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, November 7, 1828, and wax 77 years old on his last birthday anniversary. He came to Richland county when he was 10 years old. Enlisted in Co. D, Fourth Ohio infantry under Captain George Weaver May 16, 1847, and served until July 15, 1848, and was in nearly all the battles of the Mexican war. He also served in the Civil war and is now leading a peaceful, quiet life amid the hills of the gold region north of Bellville, where he owns a farm of eighteen acres. He has been twice married. His first wife bore him seven children, his second wife five - twelve children in all. Although in humble circumstances and surroundings, Mr. Ovster is happy in the love and:care given him by his wife and children.

"These soldiers of the Mexican war receive the small pittance of $10 a month as a pension from the government, although their services helped to acquire a territory vast in extent, whose treasures surpass the fabled wealth of Ormus and of Ind.

"When a call was made for troops for the war with Mexico. Mr. Furgeson volunteered May 23, 1846, in Captain William McLaughlin's company A. Third Ohio infantry, and was mustered out of service with the regiment June 24,1847. In 1849 Mr. Furgeson was married to Elizabeth Stambaugh. ~=ister _ of David Stambaugh, of 272 Spring Mills street, this city. Mr. and Mrs Furgeson have a handsome home on the northeast corner of Wayne and Orange streets, near the Eclipse stove works. They have two children living: Ex-Policeman Furgeson and Mrs. Paisley. Mr. Furgezon is a blacksmith by trade, and he is quite infirm.

"Michael Knofflock enlisted in company E, Second Pennsylvania volunteer infantry, November 17, 1846, at Philadelphia. After serving a month in a camp of instruction, the regiment left for Mexico on the 17th of December, came west to Pittsburg, thence by boat down the river to New Orleans, thence across the Gulf of Mexico and joined General Scott's amny. with which he served until the end of the war. Comrade Knofflock was in the seven days' fight at Vera Cruz, and in all the other engagements and long marches between that and the City of Mexico. Mr. Knofflock also served in the Civil war in the Twenty-seventh Ohio infantry.

"Michael Knofflock came to Mansfield in 1861. and resides at the corner of Altamont avenue and Chestnut street. He can give vivid descriptions of the engagements in which he took part - particularly that of the storming of Chapultepec, ''the hill of the grasshopper," on the 12th of September, after fourteen hours of steady fire. Veteran Knofflock is the father of Fire Chief George Knofflock.

"Samuel Wirts enlisted May 22, 1847, in company D. Fourth Ohio infantry. George Weaver, afterward sheriff of Richland county, was hicaptain, and Charles H. Brough, brother of War Governor John Brough, was colonel of the regiment.

"Captain Weaver's company marched to Columbus and went by stages from there to Xenia, then by rail to Cincinnati. the "Little Miami" railroad having been completed a short time before. From Cincinnati the troops went by boats to New Orleans, then over the gulf to Point Isabelle on the Texas coast. Then to Matamoras, in General Tavlor's army. September 4. 1847. it was transferred to General Scott's command, which it joined at Vera Cruz. While this regiment took part in a number of engagements. its principal! battle was that of Atlexco, October 19, 1847, in which it bore an honorable part. The regiment was mustered out July 15, 1848. at Cincinnati. Upon the return of Captain Weaver's company, the soldiers were welcomed home by a large crowd of citizens and were given a banquet at Ganges. But. amid the festivities of the occasion, many a tear was shed for those whose lives went out and whose remains were left in a foreign land. Only about one-half of the company lived to return.

"John Rohme, of Lucas, was a member of Captain Thomas H. Ford's company C, of the Third Ohio infantry. Enlisted May 28, 1846, and was mustered out with the regiment, June 18. 1847. Mr. Rohme also served two enlistments during the Civil war. He was in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad company for many years and is now on its retired pension list.

"The companies commanded by Captain McLaughlin and Captain Ford were in the Third Ohio infantry, and served under General Taylor. Captain Weaver's company was in the Fourth regiment, and for the first few months was with General Taylor and then transferred to General Scott's army.

"The Third regiment was commanded by the late Colonel Samuel R. Curtis, of Mt. Vernon. From Cincinnati the regiment went by boat to New Orleans, then to Brazos Island, Texas, then took up a line of march to Matamoras on the Rio Grande. It later marched up the river one hundred and sixty miles to Camargo. arriving at that place February 13, 1847. It was at Monterey and Buena Vista. During its vear's service the regiment lost sixtyfour men.

"William Johnson, of Captain McLaughlin's company, died at Saltillo. and his remains were brought home to Mansfield - the first interment in the (then) new cemetery.

"Richland county has a patriotic pride in her soldiers of the several wars in which our country has been engaged. But few of the soldiers of the war with Mexico are left to answer the roll-call here. There is no distinction in rank here now and back from the unknown land no voice has come to tell of rank there. where they are waiting in silence for the resurrection day.

"Even a republic may be ungrateful. Reward may be late in coming. The bivouacs of some mav be cold and cheerless, but after the night comes the morning and after the judgment the New Jerusalem.

"Plymouth has the honor and distinction of being the home of three men who were soldiers in the Mexican war - George J. Heitzman, aged eighty-two: Elias C. Gregg, seventy-eight. and Robert White, seventy-five, their joint ages being two hundred and thirty-five vears.

"George John Heitzman has served in three wars - the Seminole war in Florida, the Mexican war and the War of the Rebellion. He was born in France February 28, 1821; came to .\merica in 1833. Before attaining his majority he enlisted in the regular army (Seventh regiment) and served under General Taylor in the Seminole war in Florida.

'Seminole means 'Separatists.' or renegade and the Indians known as 'Seminoles' had separated from the Creek confederacy and settled in Florida, and later were engaged in two wars with the United States - one in 1817-18. the other in 1835-'42. The first was caused by the Seminoles making depredations upon the Georgia and Alabama frontiers. In 1835 the Seminoles resisted the efforts of the government to remove them to reservations west of the Mississippi, and a war ensued which lasted seven vears and was the most bloody and stubborn of all our Indian wars, and in this war Mr. Heitzman took an active and honorable part. In 1846 - four years after the close of the Seminole war - the United States declared war against Mexico, and Mr. Heitzman again enlisted in the regular army - Company E, First Dragoons - and served under General Taylor from Matamoras to Buena Vista, and at the latter was promoted for efficient services, from an orderly to an aide on the staff of General John E. Wood. During the Civil war, Mr. Heitzman, then a resident of Kansas, served in the militia of that state under Colonel Low, was engaged in several battles and assisted in driving the rebel General Price out of Kansas. Mr. Heitzman has been a resident of Plymouth five years, making his home with his sister, Mrs. Mittenbuhler, the mother of County Infirmary Director Mittenbuhler. Although Mr. Heitzman is a veteran of three wars, the government allows him only the small pension of $12 a month. Action should be taken by the congress of the United States to at least double the pensions of the Mexican war veterans.

"Captain Elias C. Gregg is seventy-eight vears old and has been a resident of Richland county ever since he was a boy. He is a veteran of both the Mexican and the Civil war. He was a member of Captain William McLaughlin's Company A. Third Ohio infantry. and served under General Taylor. He was in the battles of Palo Alto. Monterey and Buena Vista. Of the service of these troops in Mexico. President Polk. in a testimonial letter to General Taylor. wrote: 'Our army have fully sustained their deservedly high reputation, and added another bright page to the history of American valor and patriotism. They have won new laurels for themselves and their country.'

"In the early part of the Civil war, Mr. Gregg enlisted in the Eightyfirst Ohio infantry and was in the battle of Shiloh. Was later detailed on recruiting duty..and was then assigned to the Tenth Ohio cavalry, with the rank of second lieutenant: was promoted to first lieutenant. then to captain. Captain Gregg was through the hard cavalry service of the war. and was wounded in the fight at Bear Creek Station. while en route with General Sherman from Atlanta to the sea. Mr. Gregg has followed school teaching the greater part of his life. He has been honored by his party with nominations for county office. He is now leading a retired life. has a comfortable home and pleasant surroundings.

"Robert White was born in York county. Pennsylvania, August 17, 1828. He enlisted under the Hon. Simon Cameron in May, 1846; was assigned to General Patterson's brigade, and went through the long, hard service of our war with Mexico. Comrade White wax a member of the Seventeenth Indiana in the Civil war, and lost a limb in the fight with the rebels at Selma. Alabama. He can give interesting accounts of the scenes and services through which he has passed. Plymouth has a patriotic pride in these war veterans which is commendable, for no other town of its size is so honored."

Defenders Of The. Flag

Richland county furnished two thousand seven hundred and twentyline troops during the War of the Rebellion. History deals more fully with the three-year troops, on acount of their longer service, than it does with the ren who responded to the president's first call, at the outbreak of the war.

Ohio's quota under President Linecoln's call for 75,000 men was 10,183, and within the week over thirty regiments were offered - six companies of which were from Richland county. The number of men accepted by the state under that call was 12.357.

The six companies were: (General McLaughlin's, Colonel' Dickey's, Captain Cummins', Captain Moody's, Colonel Beekman's, and Captain Weaver's The latter two did not get into the three-months' service, but Weaver's reorganized and enlisted for three vears.

Captain William MeLaughlin's was the first company organized and the first to leave the county for the war. It was raised in Mansfield. This company was assigned to the First Ohio Infantry, and served in the army of the Potomac.

McLaughlin' company was first under fire at Vienna. Virginia, and later took part in the memorable battle of Bull Run. General McLaughlin afterwards entered the three years' service as major of a squadron of cavalry, and died in the field. July 23, 1862.

Captain M. R. Dickey's company was also raised in Mansfield, and was assigned to the Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, and Captain Dickey was chosen as lieutenant colonel and Hiram Miller became captain of the company. The Fifteenth saw service in West Virginia. Captain Miller is dead.

Captain A. C. Cummins' company was from Shelby, and was also assigned to the Fifteenth. Captain Cummins was then a young attorney, the law partner of Judge Bartley.

John W. Beekman raised a company at Plymouth. Captain Beekman was a lawyer, and was a large, fine specimen of manhood. His company had a grand send-off upon its departure. On Sunday the company attended service at the Presbyterian church and listened to a sermon from the text: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." The following morning the company left for Cleveland, marching across the country to Norwalk. About 3.000 people assembled at Plymouth to bid the boys goodbye. A flag was presented to the company by the ladies of the town, a Miss Seymour making the presentation. Arriving at Cleveland the company went into camp, but as twice the number of men were offered than the state could accept, Captain Beekman's company did not get in under that call, and the company was disbanded and the boys sent home.

Captain Beekman entered the three years' service as major of the One Hundred and Twentieth regiment; was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and died September 8, 1863.

Captain George Weaver. like General McLaughlin, had been an army officer in our war with Mexico. He was sheriff of Richland county in 1859- 60. Captain Weaver had been a mill-owner, had built and operated a grist-

Captain Miller Moody's company was organized at Bellville. and wa~ raised with a spontaneity unexcelled in the history of the war. Moody's men became Company I, Sixteenth Regiment. They rendezyoused at Camp Jackson, Columbus.

The Sixteenth wus the first regiment that crossed the Ohio river and entered the so-called Southern Confederacy. The Sixteenth did guard duty aiong the B. & O. railroad for two hundred miles, repaired and rebuilt the bridges wrecked and burned by the relels; it did a great deal of hard marching, and was in the fight at Philippi - the first battle of the war. It wa in that trying march from Thornton to Philippi, through the terrible ~torm. the night before the battle. General Lew Wallace, then colonel of an Indiana regiment, who has since attained world-wide fame ax the author of "Ben Hur," was with us on that inemorable march, when the lightning flaxhed along and athwart the mountain tops, and the thunder roared through the valleyand reverberated among the Jills, and the rain poured in incessant torrents upon the boys in blue ax we marched along unknown roads to - we knew not what.

After that the Sixteenth was encamped at Rowlesburg. one of the most romantic places along the picturesque B. & O. Later the regiment. under General Hiil, marched to the summit of Cheat Mountain to intercept Garnett's retreating forces from Laurel Hill. At Carrick' Ford the rebel general, Garnett, was killed while endeavoring to rally his men.

The Sixteenth pursued the retreating rebel army to the Red House and bevond; they later went into camp at Oakland. Maryland. from which place they returned to Ohio and were discharged. having more than completed their term of enhstment.

The men recruited at Bellville by Captain Moody in the fall of 1861 and taken to New York and enlisted in Colonel Tidball'= regiment. are not included in the figures given as the number of men Richland county furnished for the war.

It would be an honor to write the name of each private soldier. for their deeds are recorded in the blood of battle and are emblazoned in glory. Bur they need no encomium, for their patriotism will be remembered and cherished after official titles are forgotten.

Many Richland county bovs who then went forth to war never returned. Some were killed on southern battlefields and were buried where they fell: some died in hospitals, others in rebel prisons. The bodies of a few were brought home and interred in our local cemeteries. and their graves are annually decorated in the May time.

The Duke of Wellington said: "Take my word for it, if von had seen but one day of war, vou would pray that vou might never see another." Those who have seen the carnage of war on the battlefield. will concur in that saying.

What events have transpired, what characters have passed off the stage of action since the war! The majority of our Richland county boys who so patriotically went forth in defense of liberty and union - one and inseparable - have since answered the final roll call.

President Lincoln was barely permitted to see the end of the struggle. General Grant, who was wont to move upon the enemy's works immediately, with intent to fight it out on that line if it took all summer, now sleeps at Riverside. Sheridan, who made that wonderful ride to victory, has since taken another ride on a pale horse through the valley of shadows. Sherman, who marched his valiant army from Atlanta to the sea, has gone up the hills of immortality. But none of these could have achieved such greatness and fame but for the valor and heroism of the private soldiers.

Of The Rebellion

Richland county furnished more than her full quota of soldiers for the war of the Rebellion. History deal= more fully with the three-vear troops on account of their longer service, than it does with the men who responded to the president's first call at the outbreak of the war. _

Ohio's quota under President Lincoln's call for 75,000 men was 10,153, and within the week over thirty regiments were offered, six companies of which were from Richland county. The number of men selected by the state under that call was 12,357.

The six companies were: (General McLaughlin's, Colonel Dickey's, Captain Cunnnins', Captain Moody's. Captain Beekman'sx and Captain Weavers. The latter two did not get into the three-mouths' service, but Weaver's reorganized and enlisted for three yeurs.

Captain William McLaughlin's was the first company organized, and the first to leave the county for the war. It was raised in Mansfield. This company was assigned to the First Ohio infantry and served in the army of the Potomac.

MeLaughlin's company was first under fire at Vienna, Virginia, and later took part in the memorable battle of Bull Run. General McLaughlin afterwards entered the three years' service as major of a squadron of cavalry, and died in the field July 23, 1862.

Captain M. R. Dickey's company was also raised in Mansfield, and was assigned to the Fifteenth Ohio infantry, and Captain Dickey was chosen as lieutenant colonel, and Hiram Miller became captain of the company. The Fifteenth saw service in West Virginia. Captain Miller is dead.

Captain A. C. Cummins' company was from Shelby, and was also assigned to the Fifteenth. Captain Cummins was then a young attorney, the law partner of Judge Bartley.

had a grand send-off upon its departure. On Sunday the company attended service at the Presbyterian church and listened to a sermon from the text: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." The following morning the company left for Cleveland, marching across the country to Norwalk. About 3,000 people assembled at Plymouth to bid the boys good-bye. A flag was presented to the company by the ladies of the town.

Arriving at Cleveland the company went into camp, but as twice the number of men were offered that the state could accept, Captain Beekman's company did not get in under that call. and the company was disbanded and the boys sent home.

Captain Beekman entered the three year=' service as major of the One Hundred and Twentieth regiment; was promoted to lieutenant colonel and died September 8, 1863.

Captain George Weaver. like General McLaughlin. had been an army officer in our war with Mexico. He was sheriff of Richland county in 1859-60. Captain Weaver had been a iill owner, had built and operated a grist mill at Ganges, and later bought the Zerby mills at old Octororo. below Lucas.

Captain Miller Moody's company was organized at Bellville and was raised with a spontaneity unexcelled in the history of the war. Moody's men became Company J, Sixteenth regiment. They rendezvoused at Camp Jackson, Columbus.

The Sixteenth was the first regiment that crossed the Ohio river and entered the so-called Southern Confederacy. The Sixteenth did guard duty along the B. & O. railroad for 200 milex, repaired and rebuilt bridges, wrecked and Lurned by the rebels; it did a great deal of hard marching, and was in the fight at Philippi - the first battle of the war. It was in that trving march from Thornton to Philippi. through the terrible storm. the night before the battle. General Lew Wallace. then colonel of an Indian regiment, who has since attained world-wide fame as the author of "Ben Hur." was with us on that memorable march, when the lightning flashed along and athwart the mountain tops and the thunder roared through the valleys and reverberated among the hills. and the rain poured down in incessant torrents upon the bovs in blue as we marched along the unknown roads to - we knew not what.

After that the Sixteenth was encamped at Rowlesburg. one of the most romantic places along the picturesque B. & O. Later the regiment. under Genera] Hill. marched to the summit of Cheat Mountain to intercept Garnett's retreating forces from Laurel Hil] At Carrick's Ford the rebel general, Garnett. was killed while endeavoring to rally his men. .

The Sixteenth pursued the retreating rebel army to the Red House and beyond; they later went into camp at Oakland, Maryland, from which place they returned to Ohio and were discharged. having more than completed their term of enlistment.

Captain Moody was a college graduate. a scholar of fine attainments. of polished manners and was faultless in his dress and appearance. Upon his return from the West Virginia campaign Moody raised a company for

Colonel Tidball's Forty-ninth New York regiment for the three years' service. He was with the army of the Potomac, served in the campaign of the peninsula; fought at Antietam, in which bloody battle he received wounds from which he died a few weeks later, after undergoing five amputations.

The men recruited at Bellville by Captain Moody in the fall of 1861 and taken to New York and enlisted in Colonel Tidball's regiment, are not included in the figures given as the number of men Richland county furnished for the war.

Limit will not permit of details, or even of naming other companies organized later and for longer terms of service, except to state that Richland county. throughout the above conflict, did her duty nobly and that many of her sons won distinction in the field, as others had, and have since, on the forum and in legislative halls.

It would be an honor to write the name of each private soldier, for their deeds are recorded in the blood of battle and are emblazoned in glory. But they need no encomium, for their patriotism will be remembered and cherished after official titles are forgotten.

Many Richland county boys who then went forth to war have never returned. Some were killed on southern battlefields and were buried where they fell; some died in hospitals, others in rebel prisons. The bodies of a few were brought home and interred in our local cemeteries and their graves are annually decorated in the May time.

The Duke of Wellington said: "Take my word for it, if you had seen but one day of war. you would pray that vou might never see another." Those who have <~een the carnage of war on the battlefield, will coneur in that saying.

What event= have transpired, what characters have passed off the stage of action since the war! The majority of our Richland county boys who xo patriotically went forth in defense of liberty and union - one and inseparable - have since answered the final roll call.

President Lincoln was barely permitted to see the end of the struggle. General Grant, who was wont to move upon the enemy's works immediately, with intent to fight it out on that line if it took all summer, now sleeps at Riverside. Sheridan. who made that wonderful ride to victory, has since taken another ride on a pale horse through the valley of shadows. Sheridan who marched his valiant army from Atlanta to the sea, has gone up the hills of immortality. But none of these could have achieved such greatness and fame Lut for the valor and heroism of the private soldiers.

The First Volunteer

The question is often asked, "Who was the first volunteer from Richland county in the Civil War?" In answer to this. with my knowledge of the sit- uation existing at that time, I can state without the fear of successful contradiction that no one today can answer that question, reunion and campfire stories to the contrary nothwithstanding, that is if the situation in other parts of the county was similar to that at Bellville. And to explain conditions there at that time, I give the following brief history of the raising of a company there of which the Hon. Miller Moody became captain, and which after it entered the service was known as Company I, Sixteenth O. V. I. To get terms right it was not called enlisting then, it was called volunteering.

Without attempting any prefatory statement of the antecedent history of the War of the Rebellion further than to state that the long-expected crisis came at last, when seven thousand armed Confederates attacked the seventy Union soldiers who garrisoned Fort Sumter, and forced Major Anderson to evacuate the fort on the 13th of April, 1861, after withstanding the incessant fire of the rebels for thirty-four hours. Two days afterwards President Lincoln issued his proclamation, calling for seventy-five thousand volunteers, "To maintain the honor, the integrity and the existence of our national government, and to redress wrongs long enough endured." This proclamation was flashed over the wires throughout the Northern states, and was everywhere received with patriotic fervor and was responded to by thousands of men offering their services to the government under that "'firsteall." The North proved itself ready for the emergency. The arguments of Daniel Webster and others against the right of secession had educated the public mind of the North upon lines of loyalty to the government and for the preservation of the Union, and the call for troops met with a prompt and hearty response. The raising of troops went forward with a bound, and the wildest excitement and enthusiasm attended the departure of companies for the seat of war. The seriousness of the ~ituation was not overlooked. but high above that consideration rose the tide of patriotic feeling. and swept all obstacles before it.

Following the first call for troops. the president on May 1. issued his second call, this time for forty-two thousand volunteer: for three years: for twenty-two thousand recruits for the regular army, and for eighteen thousand seamen. A number of regiments which organized, or partially organized, under the first call. reorganized under the president' second call. The infantry regiments were numbered from one to twenty-two inclusive. and inasmuch as the Twenty-second got into the first-eall service. some people imagine there were over twenty-thousand troops in the service under the president's call of April 15. But such assumption is not sustained by facts. for the number accepted and mustered into the service in Ohio. under the first-call, and as before stated the number mustered into the first-call service waz twelve thousand three hundred and fifty-seven, which was two thousand two hundred and four over the quota. Ten regiments were offered for the first-call service that were not accepted on account that more troops were offered than couid be accepted under the call. A great many of the men

Ohio heing a border =tate and liable to invasion, additional troops were mustered into the state service in accordance with an act of the General Assembly to provide more effectively for the defeuse of the state against invasion, passed April 26, 1861.

-\t the outbreak of the Civil War there was no telegraph office at Bellville. Learning from the daily papers that Fort Sumter had been fired upon, and anticipating a declaration of war and a call for troops, the Hon. Miller Moody, one of the leading citizens of Bellville came to Mansfield, to be in telegraphic communication with (overnor Dennison, who had been his classmate in Kenyon College. On the morning of April 18th, a large crowd gathered at the Bellville depot to await the arrival of the train from the North. anxious to get news. feeling assured that action had been taken by the government to avenge the fring upon the American flag at Fort Sumter. As the train came down the valley. the engineer opened wide the whistle-valve and the engine came into town shrieking weirdly, which told ax plainly a+ words could have exprexsed that war had been declared. And soon the charch bells rang with direful refrains. and the occasion was one of awful portent.

As Captain Moody stepped from the train. he tated that a call for troops had been made and that he wax authorized to raise a company of men for the service. .\fter the train left. men fell into line and followed Captain Moody up town, marching in the middle of the street, and although no roll Was prescnted for <lgnatures it was understood that the majority of those who marched up and down the street to the music of the fife and drum intended to enlist. and later. when an opportunity was given, ninety-two men volunteered a+ fast as their names could be enrolled. Others were added later.

After a few days preliminary drill while awaiting marching orders, the volunteers went to Camp Jackson. Columbus. The company was then known as the Jefferson Guards. with the following officers: Captain, Miller Moody: First Lieutenant, .\. W. Loback; Second Lieutenant, James Riddle. Later, the Jefferson Guards became Company I, of the Sixteenth Ohio Infantry Volunteers. and after drill and equipment, was ordered to the front, and on Monday morning, May 27th the Sixteenth crossed the Ohio river from Bellaire to Benwood, and were the first troops to enter the so-called Southern Confederacy. From Benwood the regiment went east along the line of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, did a large amount of marching and euard duty. and rendered valuable service to the government in assisting to stay the progress of the rebels. who were endeavoring to carry the war into the North. The official list of battles in which the regiment or companies of it bore an honorable part is as follows: Philippi, June 3. Laurel Hill, July 8. Carrick's Ford, July 14. To this list should be added the skirmish at Bowman's June 29, in which N. O. Smith, of West Windsor was killed. Mr. Smith was the first Richland county soldier who lost his life in the war of the Rebellion. His remains were brought home and buried in the Bostock

The Sixteenth got as far east as the Red House, West Virginia, and Cumberland, Maryland. The regiment entered the service April the 27th and was mustered out August the 18th.

The Sixteenth was the first regiment to cross the Ohio river into the so-called Southern Confederacy, and it was in the fight at Philippi, the first battle of the Civil War. There is a distinctiveness in the first-call service conducive to patriotic retrospection that will be more appreciated in the future than it has been in the past.

Nearly all the members of the Company I re-enlisted later for three vears' service. Captain Moody raised a company and went into the Fiftyninth New York, Colonel Tiball's regiment. The captain was wounded in the battle of Antietam, and died two weeks later after having suffered five alputations.

The Sherman Brigade

The Sherman Brigade was organized in Mansfield by the late Hon. John Sherman and General R. Brinkerhoff. The camp was situated in the rorthern part of Mansfield, in what iz commonly called Johns Addition.

The Hon. John Sherman then a United States senator from: Ohio. was commissioned by the governor of the state to raise a brigade to consist of two regiments of infantry, one squadron of cavalry and one battery of artillery. Mr. Sherman came to Mansfield on Saturday, the 21st of September (1861) and at once set about to raise the brigade. At that time Mr. Sherman resided in the house now owned by Captain J. P. Rummel on Park avenue west. A few doors west of Mr. Sherman's lived General R. Brinkerhoff, then a young Mansfield lawyer. Mr. Brinkerhoff joined with Mr. Sherman in raising the brigade and became its quartermaster.

Senator Sherman was given a colonel's commission and the Hon. Roelift Brinkerhoff that of leutenant. A site was chosen for a camp. which was called Camp Buckingham. The brigade when organized consisted of ihe Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth regiments of infantry. McLaughlin's squadron of cavalry and the Sixth Ohio independent battery. James W. Forsythe was colonel of the Sixtv-fourth; C. G. Harker colonel of the Sixtv-fifth: William McLaughlin major of the cavalry squadron and Culler Bradley captain of the artillery.

Major R. S. Granger of the Eighth United States Infantry. came and took charge of the camp and gave military instructions. He was a distinguished officer of thorough military attainments and tried courage. He was a dignified gentleman, a graduate of West Point, and had seen about twenty-five years of military life. He had been released by the rebels on parole, when captured at his post in San Antonio. Texas, and was in consequence disqualified from active service. He put the camp in fine order and gave a thorough drilling to the men as they were recruited. He was greatly admired by the boys and remained with them until the brigade left for the

Under Major Granger's instructions the troops soon became well drilled. and the camp was the center of attraction for the town and the adjacent country, and was visited by a great many people, and many compliments were paid the soldiers for their fine military appearance.

The saddest feature of the encampment was its close - the leaving of the troops for the front. They were leaving home, many of them forever. Many fell in battle or died during the service, but others returned to recount in story or in song the life in camp, on the march and in the field.