Ashland City (part 38 of 57)

Jeromeville has a population of over four hundred, and being eligibly located in the northwest part of the township, it is a good business town for its size. It was the third town platted within the present limits of Ashland county

A branch of the Ramsey railway system runs from Custaloga, on the Pennsylvania road, northwest to Ashland, a distance of twenty-five miles, passes through Jeromeville and has added much to the business of both Jeromeville and Ashland. The road is called the Ashland & Western, and it is expected that the line will be extended to Lorain on the lake. There is also talk of extending the line south to the Ohio river.

Jeromeville at present contains three churches - the Christian, the Methodist and the Lutheran. A Presbyterian church was organized there in 1817, and was the first church in the place. They erected a church edifice in 1820, and the denomination prospered there for many years, but the organization finally ceased to exist and the church building has been remodeled and is now used as a store room.

The oldest building yet standing in Jeromeville was built for a hotel and was occupied as such for three-fourths of a century, but is now used for a furniture store and a dwelling. The building is in fair condition and seems good for another century. It is two stories in height, over fifty feet in length by about forty in width, and was considered a massive structure at the time it was erected. Additions were added in the rear for dining room and kitchen. This hotel structure was built of brick and sided with heavy, hard wood lumber, perfectly matched and accurately fitted. A two-story porch with massive pillars and with railings nearly surrounds the building. There are great, old-fashioned fire places in both the first and second stories, of sufficient capacity to thoroughly heat the building and to admit of wood without much cutting. The first floor contains four large rooms with a wide hall running crosswise of the building in the center. The second story was formerly one large room, which was used as a bed room and upon festive occasions as a ball room. A large attic furnished further accommodations when needed.

All the material that composed the building inside and out was of hardwood, such as black and white walnut, cherry, oak, ash, maple, etc., all worked out by hand, floors, doors, siding, and all. The pillars are of black walnut and were cut from the stump here and all hauled by teams of oxen to Wooster, Ohio, and were turned out by William Spear; the range work, pillar bases etc., were cut out by Samuel Jackson, a stonecutter of great skill.

In the old stage-coach days this town was a relay station, and is about midway between Wooster and Mansfield, and this stage route was the most prominent and important between the Alleghenies and the northwest. Hence the Hargrave tavern was none too large for the accommodations needed. There are three other buildings yet standing in the town which were built for hotels back in the stage days, but are less pretentious. In one of these, the one in which the postoffice is now located, the first session of court in the county was held, before a county seat had been located.

Another house is yet standing, supposed to be quite or nearly a century ol. In the early settlement of the place it was the home of a Mr. MeKahan, a whee. wright, who had a little shop adjoining, where he manufactured spinning wheels, which were used by the pioneer women to spin wool and flax. Spinning wheels are known to the people of today only as relics and curiosities.

A road from Wooster through Jeromeville to the west was cut through the forest in the fall of 1812 by General Beall's army. This road became a great thoroughfare, and is still used and called ''Beall's Trail.'' A blockhouse was built in the autumn of 1812 at Jeromeville by the troops for the protection of the settlers and was placed under the charge of Captain Murray, who remained there for some time. This blockhouse stood upon a slight knoll at the north part of the village, back of the railroad station, near the flouring mills. .

After remaining in the vicinity of the blockhouse one or two days, General Beall crossed the Jeromefork, and his pioneers opened a path along the old Wyandot trail, in a northwesterly direction, to the banks of a small stream, where they formed a camp. This location was subsequently known as the Griffin farm. The camp received the name of ''Mercer,'' in honor of Major Musser, who commanded one of the regiments. The distance of this camp from the present site of Jeromeville, was about three miles. Here the army remained about two weeks. It was during their stay in this camp that the battle of the ''Cow Pens'' occurred.

About the year 1762, Mohican John, a noted chief of the Mohegans, came to the vicinity of Jeromeville with a band of his tribe numbering about two hundred, and established a village upon the west side of the Jeromefork, upon a knoll or eminence, about a half mile west of the present town of Jeromeville. The village was called Mohican Johnstown, in honor of their noted leader.

The names of some of the heads of the families were Aweepsah, Opetete, Catotawa, Nesohawa, Buckandohee, Shias, Ground Squirrel Buckwheat, Philip Canonicut, Billy Montour, and Thomas Jelloway.

The Delaware Indians had a settlement near Jeromeville, which they left at the beginning of the war of 1812. Their chief was old Captain Pipe. When young he was a great warrior, and the implacable foe of the whites. He was in St. Clair's defeat, where, according to his own account, he distinguished himself, and slaughtered white men until his arm was weary with the work.

The village contained a council house and about sixty or eighty pole lodges or wigwams, and was located near the old Wyandot trail. The village was a common resort of hostile Indians on their warlike excursions to western Pennsy]- vania and Virginia, in the days of the border wars. Many white captives had been led up the old trail, by the village, from 1780 to 1795. The Indians had cleared some fifteen or twenty acres of bottom land, which the squaws cultivated in corn, after the Indian manner. About one mile northeast of the Indian village, a Frenchman by the name of John Baptiste Jerome, resided in a comfortable cabin, having an Indian wife and a daughter, the latter aged about fifteen years. He also had horses, cattle and swine, and had cleared about thirty or forty acres of bottom land along the stream at the west side of what is now Jeromeville, on which he raised corn, and supplied many of the early pioneers with seed corn. .

When the old Portage road was surveyed in 1810, Jerome lived in a cabin near the foot of Main street in Jeromeville. When Captain Douglas removed the Indians, the wife and daughter of Jerome accompanied them. It has been "stated that Jerome gave them the choice of going with their people or remaining with him, and they chose to go with the Indians. The following concerning Jerome is from Hill's history of Ashland county:

'"John Baptiste Jerome was born near Montreal, Canada, of French parents, in the year 1776 or 1777. When seventeen or eighteen years of age he crossed the lake with some French emigrants, and settled among the Indians at the mouth of the Huron river. He married an Indian girl, supposed to have been the sister of a noted Indian known as George Hamilton. After remaining on the Huron a few years, he removed to Upper Sandusky, and resided among the Indians until the campaign of General Anthony Wayne. In company with Captain Pipe, of the Delawares, he was engaged in a number of battles against the American forces, and was at the famous battle of 'Fallen Timbers.' At the time of his residence in this county, he often related anecdotes concerning that battle, describing the amazement of the Indians at the rapidity and violence of the movements of Wayne's army - the Indians comparing him to a huge 'black snake,' and ascribing almost supernatural powers to him. He asserted, that for a long time, the very name of 'Mad Anthony' sent a chill of horror through the body of an Indian. They had, prior to the appearance of General Wayne, baffled the armies of the American generals, and committed many barbarities upon the wounded and dead soldiers left upon the battle field; but, when he came, like a huge anaconda, he enclosed and crushed the warriors in such a frightful manner that they had abandoned all hope of resisting his victorious march, and were glad to stop his ravages by making peace.''

After the treaty at Greenville in 1795, John Baptiste Jerome, Captain Pipe, and a number of the Delawares left the northwest and settled in what was formerly Mohican Johnstown, on the south side of the stream, about a half mile from the present site of Jeromeville. The stream was thenceforth known as the Jeromefork, which name it doubtless received from Jerome. The precise period of this migration cannot be accurately fixed, but was doubtless as early ag 1796 or 1797. Jerome crossed the stream and built a cabin a little southeast of the present site of the mill, where Joseph H. Larwill found him, his wife and daughter, while surveying, in 1806-7. Captain Pipe built a wigwam and located about one mile from Jerome, near what is now the Hayesville road. When the first settlers came into Mohican township, Jerome resided in the aforesaid cabin.

Prior to his being separated from his wife, Jerome was noted for his hospitality, his wife being an excellent cook and housekeeper, considering her opportunities, Jerome being her only instructor as to domestic duties. During the

About the year 1817 Jerome and his German wife removed to his old residence at the mouth of Huron river, where he died a few years afterwards, in indigent circumstances. After Jerome's Indian wife left him, he married a German woman from the Clearfork settlement.

In the fall or early part of the winter of 1812 the family of William Bryan, residing on the Jeromefork, about a mile and a half below J eromeville, were one afternoon surprised by the appearance of a couple of Indians. As the Indians of the neighborhood had all been removed, their presence occasioned suspicion. They asked for food, and while it was being prepared a girl was dispatched to the fort to give the alarm. Thomas Carr and the Frenchman, Jerome, immediately armed themselves and started in pursuit, but before they reached Mr. Bryan's house the Indians had taken their leave and pursuit was abandoned.

The days following our visit to Jeromeville, the old dam, which for nearly a century had spanned the river there and furnished power for the grist mill, was blown out by dynamite, by order of the court, on account of the dam backing the water and overflowing the land. The court awarded Mr. Plank, the proprietor of the mill, ten thousand dollars damages for being deprived of this water power, and the money was paid to Mr. Plank a short time previous to the dam being destroyed.

Mr. C. T. Alleman, aged sixty-three, a life-long resident of Jeromeville, takes a commendable interest in the history of his town. The author of this work is indebted to him for favors.

Loudonville is in Hanover township, situated on the line of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, midway between Mansfield and Wooster. The town is twenty miles from Ashland, twenty from Mansfield, twenty from Wooster, twenty from Millersburg and twenty from Mt. Vernon - an equal distance from five county seat towns.

Loudonville was laid out August 6, 1814, by Stephen Butler and James Loudon Priest, and was named for the latter. The first sale of lots was made September 14, 1814. There was one cabin on the site of Loudonville before the town was platted and was the home of Stephen Butler. It had but one room, but was used as a tavern, and was therefore the first hotel in the place, Chappel, who settled near the town site in 1814, was Mr. Butler's nearest neighbor. fs place are similar to those already given of other communities, and the struggles and triumphs of. its early settlers who came to the wilderness and who after

During the trouble with the Indians, Mr. Priest erected a fort upon his premises for the safety of his family and the members, and it was ealled ''The Priest Stockade."'

Mr. Haskell early laid out an addition to Loudonville. He erected a brick building at his own expense known as the ''Haskell Academy,"' employed teachers and kept the school going for several years. He started the first bank in Loudonville in 1868, which was continued after his death by his nephew, George C. Haskell. One of the earliest mills in the vicinity was erected by Thomas McMacken in 1834. The A. A. Taylor mill on the Blackfork just above

Thomas H. Stewart, of Loudonville, was one of the first associate judges of Richland county, Loudonville being then in Richland county. The residence of Dr. Scott is the largest and most imposing in the town, although there are many other handsome residences there.

Of the newspapers published in Loudonville past and present, the writer recalls the Independent, published by the Rev. Lockhart, but the editor's views were too strenuous to be popular, and in 1873 it suspended publication and the Advocate took its place, with the veteran, J . H. Ruth, as editor and publisher. In 1877, the Advocate passed into the hands of Stauffer and Miller. After a year or two Mr. Miller retired and Peter High Stauffer became the sole proprietor and conducted the paper successfully until his death a few years since. The Advocate is now published by H. E. Zimmerman. The Loudonville Demoerat was founded by John Herzog in 1879, and is now owned and successfully published by John C. Bowman.

From a write-up of Loudonville, entitled ''Looking Back Sixteen Years,"' which appeared in the Advocate in October, 1908, we take the following:

Looking back over a period of sixteen years, Loudonville has made a wonderful change to a former citizen who had not been here in that length of time, as there are but few of the old landmarks left by which he could recognize the place.

In the year of 1892, the T. W. V. & O. railroad was constructed by General A. Warner, which has proven to be one of the greatest coal-carrying roads in the state of Ohio.

During the same year the old West Main street bridge was replaced with a modern structure, of which any town and the county commissioners who erected it, can justly feel proud. The new bridge came none too soon, however, as the old one had become dangerous and entirely inadequate for the traffic. Thanks are due to Jacob Kettering, who was then a member of the board of county commissioners and through whose untiring efforts this commodious structure was finally secured.

During the same year the municipal light plant was installed and no town can boast of being better or more brilliantly lighted than Loudonville.

And, while you are looking for and sizing up the improvements of the town, Just allow your eyes to take a ''snapshot'' of the beautiful and costly dwellings which have sprung up on Mt. Vernon avenue, Maple Heights, Campbell, Union, Adams, East Main, South Water, Spring, Wood streets and Cherry avenue. Have you thought of the improvements made on these streets or must they be pointed out to make you fully realize the change that has been going on in the last few years? In the interval don't overlook the improvement the P. F. company has made on its grounds - a good, substantial depot, train sheds and a park well kept which adds to the beauty of our village.

What was at first thought to be a disastrous blow to the town, was the fire of May, 1901, but which afterwards proved to be the beginning of a new era in the upbuilding and betterment of the town.

The erection of new business structures by A. B. Leopold, S. H. Evans, F. P. Young, A. Tenschert and F. M. Petot were the first Main street improvements to follow the fire. These rooms are as complete and up-to-date as one could find in many days' travel. Following these improvements came the erection of the Hotel Ullman by the Ullman family, a commodious hostelry, second to none in all its appointments and one which would be a credit to any town many times the size of Loudonville. ,

The year following the fire came the water works system. This was one of the best investments the town ever made. The water supply has never diminished and the quality is the best to be found in the land. Following the water works came the sewerage system, which every citizen knows is a great benefit to public health.

Street paving was agitated by the property holders along Main street in 1906, but did not come to a focus until the year following. What street paving has added to the town in appearance and convenience is not necessary to mention as every loyal citizen feels proud even when he gazes upon it.

Going back to 1902, C. B. Scott and E. F. Shelley became associates in real estate, and, desiring to see the town kept on the move, they purchased the old American House corner. These grounds were then sold to individuals desiring locations to build; and, we might add, that they refused to sell to any one only prospective builders. As a result of their efforts in this direction, the first structure to become conspicuous, was the Beard & Harvey livery barn, a spacious tile building, erected by Orra Beard for a livery and feed barn. This was followed by the erection of three elegant business rooms on the American House site by M. Derrenberger, Earl Wolf and W. P. Ullman. The vacant lots on North Water street have also been occupied within the last few years, which practically covers that portion of the town left in ruins and ashes by the big fire.

While Loudonville has not grown as rapidly as some other towns in the state, yet it has always been recognized as a place of wealth and a hustling little business center. Located as it is, in the great Mohican valley, surrounded by picturesque hills and landscape scenery of bewildering beauty which impress visitors with a memory that will never be effaced, it forms an attractive center for trading.

No town in the state has a more intelligent, self-helping, self-respecting population than this little berg on the Blackfork. Honesty, fidelity and economy have been characteristic traits of its citizens from generation to generation. No other town of its size enjoys a more liberal patronage from the surrounding community, and also can it be said that few towns this size, and even larger, can boast of as good stores in all lines of business, as well managed and all carrying splendid lines to sélect from.

The banking interests of the town are in capital condition and each of the three banks are in competent hands, such as would be creditable to any locality. Realizing that the wealth and business interests of the town were sufficient to support a third bank, the Citizens Savings Bank company was instituted in 1905, with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars and representing an actual wealth of one million five hundred and thirty thousand dollars. This bank first began doing business in the Derrenberger room, but was later located in a new building erected expressly for its use.

~Shelley came in possession of the Larwell corner, including the site formerly occupied by the old Taylor warehouse, located in the rear of the Strauss & Arnholt clothing store, which was destroyed by fire in 1885. A little later the Merklinger building and ground was purchased of Mrs. Hattie Ullman. A handsome structure, which is a consummation of art and convenience in its interior arrangement and with its white terra cotta front in imitation of white marble, with fluted pillars, in colonial style of architecture, has replaced the wooden building as well as the little shack formerly used as a fish-stand. This modern structure, which is not only an ide&l banking building, but an ornament to the town, was the out-growth of the Citizens Savings Bank. Its construction was under the supervision of E. F. Shelley, who is president of the institution.

E. F. Shelley became interested in the bank shortly after its organization and has been one of the principal promoters of the many improvements which have taken place in the last few years. He is a man of exceptionally fine executive ability and always stands ready to push any enterprise, which in 'his judgment, will benefit the town.

A. J. Solomon, of Mt. Vernon, was also instrumental in bringing about the present activity in the improvement that has taken place on the Larwell corner. Sentiment was one of the incentives of Mr. Solomon for assisting in founding this bank in Loudonville. In forming his system of banks throughout the state, he remembered where his boyhood days were spent, and was one of the prime movers in organizing and promoting this institution.

Dr. C. B. Scott, who is one of the directors of the bank, has been closely associated with Mr. Shelley in all his business relations. As a mover and promoter of public enterprise, Mr. Scott possesses many of the characteristic traits of his father, the late Andrew J. Scott to whom thanks are due for the active part he performed in securing the passage of the necessary bill by the legislature at Columbus, for our electric light plant. Dr. Seott has been a resident of Loudonville all his life and enjoys a professional reputation of which any practitioner might well be proud.

More than a year ago the Loudonville Realty and Improvement Company was formed with the following roster of members: E. F. Shelley, Dr. C. B. Scott, M. J. Wolf, H. R. Priest and A. J. Solomon. The purpose of this company was to promote public improvement and continue in the same progressive attitude as long as opportunity afforded. A contract was soon closed with the postoffice department with plans and specifications for a new postoffice building. A modern two story brick building now occupies a portion of the Larwell ''melon patch.'' The building was designed and erected especially for postoffice purposes and is complete in every detail. The interior arrangement with its costly and up-to-date furnishings makes it a prominent feature of interest to strangers. S. B. Rathbone, assistant to the first postmaster general, with whom the company made the contract and who was sent here to inspect the building after its completion, said that the building as well as the postoffice fixtures were far in excess of what the department expected to see. He also paid a glowing tribute to Messrs. Scott and Shelley for the manner in which they fulfilled their part of the contract and for the elegant furnishings with which the office was equipped.

Messrs. Scott and Shelley have informed the Advocate that they are not only ready and willing to erect more business blocks such as they have already built, but would be very glad to do so for any one who is looking for a business room in which to locate.

If the property owners on the opposite side of the street, from Oswalt's corner east, would follow the example set by these two enterprising citizens, what a beautiful little business thoroughfare Loudonville would have.

If Loudon Priest, who laid out the town plat in:1814 and after whom Loudonville was named, could return what a wonderful change it would represent to him, and we wonder how many of the old land marks here at that time he could point out.

Some Points Of Interest Around Loudonville

The following is from the pen of the late Peter High Stauffer and appeared in a supplement to his '' Loudonville Advocate'' newspaper in June, 1903:

No drive out of Loudonville abounds in as much beautiful scenery as the one south of Mt. Vernon avenue over the old State road. You pass the site of the once flourishing tannery of the Schauweker Brothers, who amassed a fortune here in their business. The grounds in part are now owned by the Queen Manufacturing Gompany, one of Loudonville's flourishing manufacturing concerns. As you ascend Brewery or ''Ghost'' Hill a panoramic view of Loudonville is presented that is simply charming. To the right of the winding roadway rises the City Waterworks Park until it reaches an altitude several hundred feet above the valley below. On its lofty summit lies sleeping like a monstrous leviathan the City Reservoir, whose throbbing arteries ramify every street of the town, even to the remotest ends of it, slaking the thirst of all animate beings of the city, cleansing it of all manner of microbes that might endanger life or health, or laying combat to the fire demon that would at the midnight hour seek to destroy the homes or other treasures of its peaceful citizens. If the plans of the city fathers are carried out in years to come Waterworks Park will be a beautyspot and the pride of the town. From its lofty heights an enchanting landscape unfolds before the vision. The smoke from the hundreds of peaceful homes and the few busy factories settles over the valley below like a cloud of incense and the many lofty church spires pointing heavenward give evidence of a devout and God-fearing people. Beyond the confines of the town stretches out a landscape of vernal green that serves as a background to a charming birds-eye picture of our lovely city. Across it, all like threads of steel, passes the roadway of one of the century's greatest wonders in the realms of commericial exchange - a modern railway, with its giant engines and monstrous trains like phantoms flitting to and fro. 3

What a contrast between the present and the conditions that existed a generation ago! We say a generation ago - we can almost draw the limit a little closer, As we are ascending the roadway over the hill we imagine we can hear the rumblings of the old-fashioned stage coach approaching us, the same drawn by four foaming steeds and our old and good friend Sylvester Danner handling the ribbons and cracking the whip over the heads of the dashing horses, as he was wont to do for eight years before the advent of railroads in this country.

In those, pioneer days one of the great thoroughfares of this country was the road we are now traveling and the stage coach was the most commodious and expeditious mode of travel. Although we are removed only a generation from this primitive state of our country's history we can hardly realize that the steam engine, electric car, telegraph and telephone service are creations of the past decade or two.

As we are passing down the road we greet our good friends, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Bell and the dear ones at home, who are enjoying life's comforts on the old Barron farm, now owned by our townsman, W. S. Fisher.

As we journey on we cast our eyes over the broad and fertile acres of our good friend Frederick Feichter, than whom no thriftier and more successful yeoman lives in Hanover township. He has made farming a life study and his success is due to applying his knowledge to all his farming operations.

As we pass along we are charmed by the beauties of nature as displayed in the fertile valley that stretches out before us. On either side are silhouetted against the horizon the everlasting hills which seem like giant sentinels guarding the valley below, which is glistening under the effulgence of the morning sun. Through the erosions by the elements during ages and centuries the hills have receded, thus broadening the valley and adding many fertile acres to the farm land. Upon the hillsides are lazily roaming herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, reminding us of the ''cattle upon a thousand hills'' mentioned in the Sacred Word. The edges of the roadside are fringed with blossoming elders and a great profusion of wild flowers of all descriptions. The wheat fields are waving in the gentle breeze, reminding us that harvest-time will soon be here. The pasture fields are carpeted over with a deep green and all nature never looked lovlier than it does now.

The slow and sluggish Blackfork draws its serpentine length through the beautiful valley and on either side is hemmed in by strips of a luxuriant growth of willows and underbrush. Close beside this stream the Walhonding Valley railroad seeks to parallel it, but on account of many crooks and turns has to leap from one side to the other.

While we are drinking in the beauties of the valley and its environments we notice over the farthest hill tops, where the valley swings to the east, the smoke curling up and then, a shrill whistle of an approaching train. Where a few: generations ago was curling the smoke from the red man's wigwam and where was heard his dread war whoop are now the quiet homes of a peaceful and prosperous people, who enjoy all the luxuries that are the inheritance of civilization and Christianization.

But we have reached the ''Old Stone House,'' about which cluster many happy and also sad memories. In years past this ancient landmark was owned in succession by two of Loudonville's eminent physicians, Drs. J. ©. Pell and A. B. Fuller. Both have passed from life's busy stage of action, but we never pass along the road but that memory reverts to them and our heart saddens at the thought that their lives were not spared for many more years of usefulness and affectionate association with those near and dear to them. The present tenants of the old house are Mr. and Mrs. Frank Whisler. We have a tender spot in our hearts for the good housewife that presides over the destinies of the household in the old mansion. Several years ago while returning with a friend from a fishing expedition, we halted at the stone spring in front of the house for a drink, but the kind lady, who was boiling applebutter, offered us big draughts of sweet cider, which was most delicious. We shall never forget the kindness.

We now reach the Garrett bottoms, lands that are fertile as any in the country. When William Garrett and his young wife came to this section from their New Jersey home they settled on this tract of land and spent the remainder of their days upon it. They here amassed a fortune through frugality, industry and honorable dealings with their neighbors. Although living on the farm Mr. Garrett served for years as vice president of the Loudonville Banking Company. The farm of about four hundred acres is now owned and occupied.by their daughter, Mrs. John Nyhart. Mr. and Mrs. Nyhart live in a palatial farm house just across the Clearfork. As one views the contentment of these tillers of the soil and the bounty with which they are provided you are reminded of the condition of the farmers of the storied Arcadian land before the invasion of the enemy.

On the north bank of the Clearfork, opposite the wooden bridge, stands one of the oldest landmarks of Hanover township. The house is occupied by Alfred Maxwell and family, who do the farming for Mr. Nyhart. The house was erected over ninety years ago and during stage coach days was a country tavern. Ed. Hibbard was then the landlord and, as a tavern in those days always included a bar where all kinds of intoxicating liquors were dispensed, the old citizens of that country relate many exciting doings when the warring elements of the backwoods localities met and while under the influence of liquor settled their difficulties. Our old friend, Joshua Mapes, who lives near the old hotel site, is now in his eightieth year, is the first male child born on Pine Run and never was farther away from his old home than Mt.Vernon. He remembers many of the fights at the old tavern and when a boy saw Indians, wolves, bears, deer, wild cats and even panthers and elks roaming the bottoms.

At the Nyhart home an old wooden bridge spans the Clearfork, one of those relies of stage coach days, which are now fast passing away. In a few more years this may have to give way to a modern stone and iron structure in order to accommodate the interurban electric line from Loudonville to Mt. Vernon.

South of the bridge, with a beautiful hillside for a background, stands the old stone election house which was built about forty years ago, replacing a structure which Mart Ernst afterwards used as a barn until the great flood of June, 1899, carried it down the stream.

We wish to digress a little here to relate an incident that an old newspaper man told us at the hotel in Mansfield, several years ago. He was born and raised in the state of New York and learned the art preservative. He got the western fever and started for Cincinnati to seek employment. He passed through Loudonville on a stage coach. After working in Cincinnati for a few months he became homesick and: started for home again over the same tedious stage coach line. He said he remembered Loudonville from the fact that one night he stayed in a country tavern in a little village between Loudonville and Mt. Vernon. He dreamed of home and the dear ones there and then a beautiful picture came up before his vision. He thought he was standing on a high elevation and before him lay a valley that was resplendent in beauty. In the meadows of the low lands herds of cattle were grazing, a stream of crystal water was winding its serpentine length through the valley and a country road was passing through it. To the left of the valley was a high bluff surmounted by a heavy primeval forest and down along the hillside near the road was projecting the snag of a dead tree and underneath it was gushing forth from the caverns of the hillside a stream of clear water. Every outline seemed as real as life in his dream and it made an impression on him that he never forgot. In the morning the tedious journey was again resumed and the dream of the night was haunting the homesick young man all along the route. As the stage coach reached a point, as he described it, about four miles south of Loudonville, as they were descending a steep hill, he beheld the exact landscape as pictured in the vision the night before. There was not a single detail omitted. In relating this incident he said he could not account for it, but he would give five dollars now if he could be once more at the same spot and view the same landscape.

To the west from the covered bridge the Clearfork is paralleled on both sides by a country road. We take what is called the ''Narrows'' road. At times this is a dangerous thoroughfare, as the hillsides give way and go thundering down into the river below. When the foliage is all out a vista to extreme beauty presents itself. The music of the birds from the deep, umbrageous recesses of the wooded hillside is charming and the air is redolent with the perfume of many flowers. At this time of the year and possibly a little earlier the hillsides are festooned with large patches of wild flowers of the brightest hues, which gleam through the dark foliage and present a charming scene. To the right the roadside is lined by bushes which are growing at the edge of the beautiful Clearfork and through them as you pass along you get glimpses of the clear and placid stream. Many are the woodland voices calling us and the admirer of the beautiful in nature can go adrift in these woodpaths and will be charmed by the exquisite chorus of bird music. The full chorus of bird song is really almost over by the middle of June, but there is enough song and activity left to enchant you. Even upon the crest of the hillside the sable crows are holding an animated convention on the contiguous tree tops and discussing the prospects of the farmer's corn crop in yonder field.

As you emerge from the charming vista along the ''Narrows'' your memory will revert to a sad scene enacted on the night of June 19, 1899, when Isaac Hunter lost his life in the great flood. The writer with a friend passed along this road on the morning of that memorable day. The sun shone brightly and when we reached the Hunter cabin a beautiful view presented itself. We both remarked: ''What a beautiful scene for a picture!'' The modest little cabin was in the center of the scene, around it were strewn promiscuously farming utensils, threshing and sawing machinery and the general indications were that there was no woman connected with the household. The background consisted of hills covered with the most beautiful foliage. It was just such a setting to a picture that an artist would admire. On our return home that evening we engaged a photographer to drive down the following morning to take the picture for ''Loudonville Ilustrated.'' Scarcely an hour afterwards the most destructive storm for years commenced to rage. Our townsman, E. F. Shelley, passed the Hunter cabin after the storm had commenced and by the flashes of lightning recognized the old man as he was standing in the cabin door with a pan in his hand. No one saw him alive afterwards. The floodgates of heaven seemed to have been turned wide open and the reverberations of thunder from hillside to hillside and fiashes of vivid lightning struck terror to the stoutest hearts. Horsetail Run, a little rivulet, soon became a roaring river, extending its borders to both hillsides and carrying death and destruction before it. The county bridge and the Hunter cabin were mere toys in the embrace of this infuriated water demon. The horror felt and experienced by the only occupant of the little cabin can only be imagined. His fate was not known until the next morning when the ruins plainly indicated it. His remains were found ten days later along the banks of the stream near Greersville.

Our good friend Mart. Ernst and his wife, who live only a few rods up the run from the site of the Hunter cabin,were saved as by a miracle. Their home was surrounded by water and all out-buildings were carried away by the flood. Mr. Ernst, by the way, is a veritable walking encyclopedia on matters pertaining to hunting and fishing and is conversant with the entire legendary lore of the Clearfork country. His friends call him as a special distinction ''The Old Coon Hunter of the Clearfork."'

Beyond his home where the road makes another turn Horsetail run reveals hundreds and thousands of round stones of all sizes. This has been the Mecca of relic hunters for many years. Many a pleasant hour was spent in years past in the bed of this almost dried-up run by our departed friends, H. B. Case and John Freshwater and the Dominie that presides over the spiritual destinies of Zion lutheran church, the Rev. M. R. Walter, hammers in hand and cracking open the ''dornicks'' to find some rare geological specimens. The following are some of the fossils with which this special locality abpunds: spirifers, erinoids, conularias, micronemas, newberris, lingulars, trilobite Lodienzis, ete. It may be cf interest to some of our readers that according to the geological reports of Ohio that the only sections in the world where the Trilobite Lodienzi is found is in this special locality and at Lodi, in Medina county. It takes its

Military

It is a matter little known to the world in general that Ashland county was the scene of a conflict between the British and Americans during the war of 1812. Such, however, is the ease and the following account thereof has been written under the title of

Two Battles Of Cowpens

There are two battles of Cowpens recorded in history - one fought in South Carolina during the war of the revolution, the other in old Richland county - in our own Buckeye state - in the war of 1812. The former was a terrible reality ; the latter a bloodless incident.

At Cowpens, a village in Spartanburg county, South Carolina, on January 17, 1781, the American army under General Morgan defeated the British under General Tarleton. The American loss in this battle was but seventy-two while that of the British was over eight hundred, making the result a signal victory for the patriots.

The Richland ineident occurred in what is now Vermillion township, Ashland county, then a part of Richland ere the legislature cut up its original boundaries to create new counties.

When General Beall made his memorable march in the fall of 1812 to protect the settlements in this part of the state from attacks of the savages and incursions of the British he cut a road called ''Beall's trail'' through the wilderness from Wooster to the state road at Planktown.

While enroute the army camped for two weeks in the vicinity of Hay's Cross Roads. now called Havesville. The camp was ealled Camp Musser, after Major Musser, an officer in General Beall's army.

It was on a dark rainy night that the soldiers were awakened from their slumbers by the firing of pickets at one of the outposts and the command to '*fall in."' soon formed the men into lne to meet the foe, as it was supposed the Indians were coming to attack the camp in

The pickets reported that the enemy was advancing upon the camp in solid phalanx and the ground trembled with the tread of forming battallions and of approaching ''foes."'

It was the army's first experience in war's alarms and the soldiers acted as calmly as veterans of old and with steady hands opened fire upon the advancing foe(?), lighting up with Inrid glare and quickening flash the inky blackness of the night. The cracking of musketry, the charging of cavalry over logs and stumps, combined to make night grand and awful with the pomp and reality of war.

Soon however, the tramp and bellowing of stamping cattle explained the ""attack'' - that the stock had broken out of the corral and advancing towards the picket post had been mistaken by the guards for hostile Indians. The incident, however, showed the vigilance of the troops, as well as their coolness and bravery in the face of danger.

Napoleon won at least three of his most striking victories - Marenzo, Austerlitz and Dresden - by passing at the right moment suddenly from an apparently passing attitude of defence to a vigorous offensive. Wellington, after the world had come to regard him as great only on the defensive, used strictly the opposite tactics with victorious results at Victoria, Orthez and Toulouse, the last of these three actions being one of such apparent temerity as can hardly be paralleled in modern history.

General Beall had' many of the essential characteristics of a commander, and led his troops successfully through the wilderness in his campaign against both a savage and an invading foe, and defended himself against the jealous machinations of West Pointers.

General Beall had previously served in the army, having been an officer in General Harmar's campaign against the Indians in 1790. He was a congressman from Ohio in 1813-15 and died at Wooster February 20, 1843.

General Beall's campaign was made when Return Jonathan Meigs was governor of Ohio. And the story of Governor Meigs' life reads like a romance. In 1789, he was an attorney at law at Marietta and delivered a Fourth of July address, concluding with a poem - the first ever printed in Ohio:

In 1802, Meigs was chief justice of the supreme court of Ohio; in 1804 he was commander of the United States troops in the upper district of Louisiana; in 1805, one of the judges of the territory of Louisiana; in 1807 one of the judges of the territory of Michigan; in 1808 elected supreme judge for Ohio; in 1809 chosen United States senator from Ohio; in 1810 elected governor of Ohio and re-elected in 1812; in 1814 appointed postmaster general of the United States. He died at Marietta, March 29, 1825, aged sixty years..

{n January, 1778, the American army floated kegs, filled with combustibles, down the river to destroy the British shipping at Philadelphia. This was a Yankee trick the British did not understand and supposed that each keg contained a ''rebel'' and when the kegs were discovered the British opened fire upon them and ''fought with valor and pride.''

'The soldier flew, the sailor, too, and spread the news that mischief was brewing, that the 'rebels' packed up like pickled herring were coming down to attack the town, and the most frantic scenes were enacted.

The Soldiers Of The War Of 1812

The followng list has been furnished of the soldiers of 1812 who located in Ashland at the close of that war. While the list is doubtless -correct, it may not be complete. The list is given as follows:

The Underground Railroad

It was during the administration of Martin Van Buren that the doctrine of the abolition of slavery began to be propagated. At first there was a distinction in the anti-slavery forces between those who were opposed to the extension of slavery and those who were in favor of its abolition; as revolutions seldom go backward, the abolition doctrine was the one that finally prevailed, but before its accomplishment, a fugitive slave law was enacted, which required people in the North as well as in the South to assist in returning runaway slaves to their masters. The law made it a penal offense to refuse to do so, which rendered the law so repugnant to the people of the North that they prided themselves more upon its breach than upon its observance.

Politics in those days was a matter of principle and of sentiment and the sentiment was an anti-slavery one. There is but little if any sentiment in the politics of today. Now it is a question of finance, of the tariff, with a picturesque tinge of imperialism.

Numerous 'incidents might be given of attempts to re-take fugitives, but in the majority of cases the pursuers were out-witted by the pursued and their abolition friends. The condition of affairs which then existed creating this ''ynderground mode of travel,'' as it was called, is known to the generation of today only as a matter of history.

One of the most noted stations on the ''underground railroad"' in its day was the home of John Finney, in Springfield township, Richland county, near the Stewart crossing on the trolley line, three miles west of Mansfield. ''Uncle'' John Finney was a man of strong convictions and as bitter as Cato was in ancient Utica, when he denounced the fugitive slave law under the operations of which, runaway slaves were returned to bondage. Finney did not want to simply drift with the tide - he was too strong willed for that - he wanted to take an active part in forming public opinion and in shaping public events.

During the many years that ''Uncle'' John Finney assisted fugitive slaves on their way to Canada and to freedom, several thousands were entertained at his home over night or for several days and were then taken by him to Savannah or Oberlin, from which points they were assisted on to freedom. At one time tle late Benjamin Gass brought five colored men with five or six women and children to Mr. Finney's. The latter he secreted in the loft and the men he put in a granary at the barn. Their pursuers arrived the next morning and demanded a search of the premises, which was denied without warrant. <A detachment was sent to Mansfield for the necessary papers of search and seizure and the remainder of the party were invited into Finney's home, where ''Uncle"' ' John exerted his great fascinating manners to entertain them. Breakfast was announced and ''Uncle'' John, being a Presbyterian, and a U. P. at that, proceeded to have family worship.' As a-matter of courtesy his guests kneeled with him. The back of the chair at which Mr. Finney knelt was to the window looking toward the barn. A member of the family had given the negroes the tip to leave. ''Uncle'' John literally obeyed the command to ''watch and pray.'' He prayed long and earnestly and watched anxiously and did not say ''amen"' until he saw the last fugitive leave the barn. He then requested his guests to join him in singing the 119th psalm, which was sung to slow music. Breakfast was then served and as much time as possible consumed in the different homely courses. After the close of the meal the party returned from Mansfield with the warrants, but it was discovered the fugitives had fled. As the house was not suspected, it was not searched, and the women and children in the garret were not molested.

An instance is given of Mr. Finney driving to Mansfield one winter morning with a sled load of ''wheat,'' but a sudden lurch of the sled in a gutter revealed the true nature of the load, which was a load of fugitive niggers instead of bags of wheat. The darkies were reloaded into the sled and taken on to Savannah, Ashland county, the next station on the underground road. And in writing of Savannah, I am reminded of a hoax that was played on Neverson Sherman, an alleged abolitionist of that place, in the year 1842. Mr. Sherman was the keeper of a hotel in that village, professed to be an ardent abolitionist and frequently expatiated upon the sad condition of the poor down-trodden slaves. But the people of Savannah, notwithstanding Mr. Sherman's professions of piety and his devotion to negro freedom and race equality, were led to doubt his sincerity, and a number of them concluded to put the matter to a test, which they did in the following manner: They circulated a story that several fugitive slaves had been seen lurking around in the community, and that handbills had been posted at Orange and other towns offering a reward of five hundred dollars for their apprehension. When this news reached Mr. Sherman he at once began to lay plans to capture the fugitives and obtain the reward. Fearing that abolitionists might prevent the capture of the fugitives, he raised a posse of men to assist in their capture. The members of the posse, or at least a number of them, knew of the hoax, but entered into the plan for fun. After standing guard all night in the vicinity of a house where it was thought the fugitives were concealed, in the morning word was passed around that they had escaped, and Sherman, thinking he knew the trail they had taken, started after them, it being said that he leaped off like an antelope, but not being acquainted with the route, he took across a piece of low, marshy ground, and in attempting to jump across a wide ditch, landed in mud and water up to his knees, but this did not deter him from the pursuit.

After ''chasing'' the fugitives all day the party returned to Mr. Sherman's hotel in the evening. Sherman was confident of finally making the capture, and in the ecstasy of the thought that he would eventually have the five hundred dollars reward, he treated the whole company, and the crowd accepted the invitation and soon the fora commenced upon the landlord's apple pie and brandy. While the refreshments were circulating among his guests, the elated host did not forget to partake of the viands himself. The firewater soon got possession of both stomach and brain, and his feelings soon rose accordingly. He frisked about like a dancing master, and insisted that the boys should eat and drink their fill, as it was not every day that a man made five hundred dollars.

Militia

Prior to the erection of Ashland, Richland county had two regiments of militia, one of which was a rifle regiment. They were organized in 1824. The rolls of the companies having been destroyed, only traditionary history of the same can be given. The organization of which the Richland county militia was a part, was known as the "'First Regiment of the First Brigade, of the Eleventh Division of the Ohio Militia.''

Field And Staff Commissioned Officers

During the existence of the first organization, many changes took place in the regimental and company officers. John Latta, Zachariah Newell, Christian Bush, Burr Kellogg, and Jacob Heckard acted part of the time as captains.

Reorganization

In 1834 the regiment was reorganized, but retained its original place in the Qhio militia. Colonel John Oldshue resigned, and was succeeded by Alexander Miller ; Major William Roller resigned, and was succeeded by Richard P. Fulkerson. The regimental officers then were:

Commissioned Officers

In a short time, Samuel W. Russell succeeded William Scott as Lieutenant Colonel; and Colonel Alexander Miller having resigned, Lieutenant Colonel Russell became Colonel, and John Madden Lieutenant Colonel.

In the meantime, Adjutant Ephraim R. Eckley resigned, and Paschel Whiting was appointed to fill the vacancy. When Captain Richard P. Fulkerson became major, William Sheets was elected to fill the vacancy. There were other changes not now remembered. ;

Colonels Oldshue and Russell, and Major Madden removed west. Colonel Alexander Miller died in 1860. Adjutants Kellogg and Whiting, Dr. Luther and Colonel Scott, and a majority of the captains, have responded to the last roll call, and gone to a grand encampment across the great river. Captain Alanson Walker served honorably in the war of 1861-5; and Major Richard P. Fulkerson accompanied the ''Squirrel Hunters'' to Cincinnati, during the apprehended invasion of General Kirby Smith, of Kentucky.

The regimental musters, for many years, took place on a small prairie below the village of Mifflin, on the banks of the Blackfork. This field gave ample room for maneuvering and regimental display. The privates were destitute of firearms on train day, and the performance was a mere pastime, and regarded as a dry affair. For many years the companies were conditionally kept in existence. The privates, under the law, could either train or work two days on the public highway. Many preferred to repair the roads and this sapped the vitality of the organization.

Train days, however, were not wholly destitute of excitement. Such assemblages gave an opportunity for the ''roughs'' to concentrate their forces to settle old griefs and grudges. In the earlier years of the militia system, there seems to have been a bitter feud between the pugilistic chiefs of the Clearfork and the Whetstone. The Clearcreek chiefs consisted of the Slaters and Brawdys and their backers, while those of the Whetstone were led by the Montgomerys Burgetts, Bradens and others. There were also many game men on the military quarters in Montgomery and Orange townships, known as members of the ''sixteen nations,'' who were ready, on all occasions, to see a fight well regulated, and generally took a hand in such contests. When the great chiefs of the Whetstone and the Clearfork' met, their friends accompanied them. They were, generally, men of large size and famous for their muscle and courage.

At the dismissal of the companies in the evening, the respective chiefs, fired by bad whiskey, and eager for the fray, assembled their hosts. In a few moments the champions opened the contest, when large numbers of sympathizers would be drawn into the struggle to see fair play. A hand to hand contest followed. Parties were knocked right and left, and the victims of the "'manly art of self-defense'' were found in every quarter, with bruised faces, and gouged eyes and bitten fingers, stained with blood. It was no child's play. The heavy blows made fearful havoc. The war ended. The braves and their friends marched to a brook, washed their faces, and then proceeding to a neighboring stillhouse, drank friends and buried the hatchet. These sturdy warriors are all gone. Their places are now filled by men of peace. Reason, instead of blows, sways public gatherings, and intelligence, instead of brute force, rules along those beautiful streams.

About the year 1852 an effort was made to revive the militia organization of the county, and create a brigade. To this end Captain John S. Fulton and Colonel George W. Urie visited the officers of the old regiment, who voted for Captain Fulton as their choice for brigadier general. He was accordingly commissioned by the governor as brigadier general, and appointed his staff officers. The brigade officers were:

The Rifle Regiment

About the year 1826, a rifle regiment was formed within the territory now composing Ashland, Morrow and Richland counties. It was known as the First regiment, of the First brigade, of the Eleventh division of Ohio militia. The regimental and company officers were:

It will be seen that the regiment was composed of eight companies, which were elegantly uniformed and armed, and the glitter of their burnished rifles, and their gay dresses, made a fine display in the field. The regimental and company officers attracted much attention in consequence of their size and soldierlike bearing. The regimental officers were superbly mounted, and their regalia was quite expensive.

The first company was composed of volunteers from Clear Creek, Orange and Montgomery. 'The first captain was John Murray. He was succeeded by John Sprott, and he by George W. Urie. The company then disbanded, Captain Urie having been promoted to major. A new company was then formed. Jacob Oldshue was elected captain, and sometime afterward resigned. George McConnell succeeded him, and upon his resignation George Murray was elected captain, and remained in command until the regiment disbanded.

Upon the resignation of Colonel Samuel G. Wolf, Lieutenant Colonel John Murray became colonel, and upon the resignation of Colonel Murray in 1840, Major Urie was elected colonel of the regiment. Colonel Urie appointed John posed of boys from fifteen to eighteen years of age, of which the late Bolivar W. Kellogg was captain. The members of the company possessed all the enthusiasm of regular soldiers, were handsomely uniformed and made a fine display. It survived some three or four years.

About the same time a light infantry company was formed, and the late William Johnston, of Mansfield, was elected captain. This company survived until about 1846, when it was merged into a new organization, sometimes called the Ashland guards. Captain Scott, Richard Emerson, John S. Fulton- and Anthony Jacobs successively became its captains. It expired in 1852.

Ashland county can point with pride to her Union troops in the war of the rebellion. She furnished her full quota and more, and the many deaths, the scars and missing limbs of a number of the survivors show that her sons did their full duty in fighting the battles of the Union.

During that war the state of Ohio furnished three hundred and ten thousand six hundred and fifty-four soldiers, who were enlisted in the various counties in proportion to the number of inhabitants thereof. Of the seventy-five thousand soldiers enlisted under the President's first call for troops, April 15, 1861, Ohio furnished twelve thousand, three hundred and fifty-seven. Of that number Ashland county furnished one company, which company became Company B, Sixteenth Ohio, the officers of which were:

The company rendezvoused at Camp Jackson, near the city of Columbus, Ohio, April 23, 1861, where it was enrolled to the 18th day of August, 1861. On the 3d day of May, 1861, Captain John S. Fulton was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and Thomas J. Kenny to be captain of Company B. On the 7th of May William B. McCarty was commissioned first lieutenant, Samuel L. Wilson, second lieutenant, William P. Wright, ensign.

The company became a part of Sixteenth Regiment, at Camp Jackson, Columbus, in May, 1861, under the command of Colonel James Irvine; John S. Fulton, of Ashland, being lieutenant colonel by promotion. The regiment was immediately ordered to Bellaire, and thence to Grafton, West Virginia, where it met the Fourteenth, under Colonel James B. Steedman, and the Fifteenth, under Colonel Lorin Andrews, and a regiment of West Virginians under Colonel Kelley. The Confederate forces, on the approach of these regiments, retired from Grafton in the direction of Phillipi, and were pursued to that point, where a sharp skirmish ensued with Colonel Porterfield, who again retreated, and West Virginia was practically liberated. From Bellaire to Grafton the railroad track had been greatly damaged by the Southern forces, and the Ohio regiments immediately commenced repairs, and put the road in proper condition, placing guards to prevent further injury. To accomplish the task of restoring the road, the Sixteenth Ohio performed arduous duty. A short time after the affair at Philippi, General McClellan made a demonstration in the direction of Laurel

Hill, but, from delays, and want of concert in movement, nothing was accomplished beyond marches and countermarches. The Fourteenth regiment, under Colonel Steedman, was the first to cross at Parkersburg, and the Sixteenth, under Colonel Irvine, at Bellaire.

The Twenty-Third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry

The Twenty-third was commanded by Colonel E. P. Scammon. Under the call of July 22, 1861, for five hundred thousand men, Ohio furnished eighty-four thousand one hundred and sixteen men. These volunteers were divided among the various counties in the ratio of men. Ashland county raised two full companies, which were incorporated in the Twenty-third regiment. The roster - shows the following officers, promotions and men:

Captain, Willard Slocum, resigned July 17, 1861; captain, James B. Drake, resigned September 24, 1862; captain, Henry G. Hood, mustered out; first lieutenant, Henry G. Hood, promoted captain; first heutenant, C. E. Reichenbach, promoted captain; first lieutenant, B. F. Cooper, mustered out; first lieutenant, George W. Stevens, promoted captain; first lieutenant, D. K. Smith, promoted captain; first lieutenant, M. B. Deshong, promoted captain; second lieutenant, Addison Snively, mustered out; second lieutenant, George W. Stevens, promoted first lieutenant ; second lieutenant, D. K. Smith, promoted first lieutenant ; second lieutenant, B. F. Cooper, promoted first lieutenant; second leutenant, W. A. Stoner, mustered out; second lieutenant, C. A. Towslee, mustered out; second lieutenant, M. B. Deshong, promoted first lieutenant; second lieutenant, L. R. Gray, killed at Winchester; second lieutenant, Henry M. Beer, mustered out; second lieutenant, James M. Craig, mustered out.

The company was organized in Ashland, by Captain Willard Slocum, and went to Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, June 7, 1861; and on the 11th, was mustered into service. July 25, it was ordered to West Virginia. It participated in nearly all the engagements against Generals Lee, Jackson and Floyd. In 1862, it was at the engagement at Jumping Branch. In May, it was at the battle of Pearisburg. It was next in Pope's campaign. In September, it helped expel the enemy from Frederick City, and participated in the great battles at South Mountain and Antietam. In October, it returned to the Kanawha valley, and aided in expelling the Confederate forces. In February, 1863, it was engaged in watching the approach of the noted Confederate raider, General

This company was organized by Captain J ames L. Drake and recruited in Hanover, Lake and Green townships, and was mustered in at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, June 12, 1861. The officers and privates were:

The Twenty-third was organized at Camp Chase, Ohio. Colonel William S. Roseecranz commanded. During the campaign in West Virginia he was promoted to the position of brigadier general, and Lieutenant Colonel Scammon promoted to the vacancy.

On the 25th of July, 1861, the regiment was ordered to Clarksburg, West Virginia. On the 27th of July, it was ordered to Weston. Here it performed arduous duty in fighting guerillas. The regiment next marched to Carnifax Ferry, where General Rosecranz found the Confederates under General Floyd.

The Forty-second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in September, October and November, 1861, with James A. Garfield as tolonel. Ashland county furnished two full companies for this regiment.

Captain, Tully C. Bushnell; first lieutenant, J. D. Stubbs, promoted assistant quartermaster, November 13, 1862; first heutenant, William N. Starr, promoted captain, October 22, 1862; second lieutenant, John R. Helman, promoted first lieutenant, June 11, 1862; James S. Bowlby, promoted second lieutenant, October 22, 1862, and resigned January 9, 1864.

Captain, Seth M. Barber, resigned June 11, 1862, transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps; John R. Helman, transferred from Company C and promoted captain, June 3, 1864; first lieutenant, William S. Spencer, resigned June 5, 1862; first lieutenant, Peter Miller, transferred to Company H and promoted first lieutenant January 22, 1864; first lieutenant, Charles B. Howk, promoted November 26, 1862, resigned October 23, 1863; second lieutenant, Edwin C. Leach, resigned June 5, 1862; second lieutenant, John F. Robinson, assigned to Company H, later transferred and promoted major Third Infantry.

In an engagement near Memphis, Captain Seth M. Barber was wounded in the foot, which subsequently required amputation, and the occasion of his resignation and assignment to the Veteran Reserve Corps.

Peter B. Johnson, of Ashland, then over sixty years of age, was appointed train master of the Forty-second regiment by General Garfield. Mr. Johnson was over three years in the service and lived to be honorably discharged.

In December 1861, the Forty-second was ordered to Kentucky. In January 1862, it arrived near Paintville, and on the 8th marched under Lieutenant Colonel Sheldon to the fortified position of General Humphrey Marshall, and found the works evacuated and provisions carried away or destroyed. Colonel Garfield followed Marshall, and on the 9th the battle of Middle Creek took place, and Marshall again retreated and burned his stores. The Forty-second returned and passed up the Big Sandy and took possession of Pound Gap. The campaign was disastrous to the volunteers of the Forty-second, eighty-five of whom died through exposure and disease. In March the Forty-second was ordered to Louisville, where it was attached to the brigade of General George W. Morgan, and moved by rail to Lexington, and from thence marched to Cumberland Ford, with only three hundred and fourteen men fit for duty. In June it marched to the rear of Cumberland Gap, amid continued skirmishing. On the 5th of August, the Forty-second engaged and held back the advance of General Kirby Smith. General Morgan, after consultation, finally evacuated the Gap and fell back to, and crossed, the Ohio river at Greensburgh. The retreat was very rapid, and the men suffered severely for the want of clothing, proper food and rest. In the month of November, Morgan's brigade passed down to Memphis, Tennessee.

In December the Forty-second was ordered to the Yazoo, and led the advance against Vicksburgh. For three days the regiment held its position in line, when the army was compelled to retire. In January, 1863, the forces proceeded to White River, and thence to Arkansas Post, and captured Fort Hindman with seven thousand prisoners, all the guns, small arms and stores. The Forty-second then returned to the rear of Vicksburgh. In the engagements which followed, the regiment sustained heavy loss. After the surrender of Vicksburgh the Forty-second marched to Jackson, and participated in its capture, and then entered the department of the Gulf. It remained at Thebodeaux during the winter of 1864 and in the spring went on an expedition to Clinton, Louisiana, where it participated in a severe engagement. It was also in several other small expeditions, and returned to Camp Chase where it was mustered out September 30, 1864. The Forty-second was engaged in eleven battles, in which it lost one officer and twenty men killed, and eighteen officers and three hundred and twenty-five men wounded. Its tattered banners show hard service.

The rebels opened fire on Fort Sumter at an early hour on Friday morning, April 12, 1861, and continued the bombardment for thirty-four hours. It was an unequal contest - -seven. thousand rebels against seventy Union soldiers within the beleagured fort. There could be but one result, and on Saturday afternoon Major Anderson yielded to the inevitable and surrendered, stipulating however, that he should salute and retain Sumter's flag.

On Sunday, April 14, Major Anderson and his men were conveyed from the fort to the Baltic, a vessel lying outside the bar. They were taken on board and

The fall of. Fort Sumter aroused the North. ''Sumter has fallen,'' was the tocsin of war. President Lincoln, with that prompitude for which he was noted, seized the tide of patriotism at the flow and issued his call for seventy-five thousand troops, to ''aid in suppressing the rebellion against the laws of the United States, and to maintain the honor, the integrity and the existence of our National Republic, and to redress wrongs already long enough endured."' -

The call was promptly answered and amid flying flags, waving handkerchiefs and beating drums, the whole North seemed to be marching to war. Men left their homes with tears and prayers to fight for their country and its flag.

Ashland county furnished a company for this first-call service, which became Company B, of the Sixteenth Ohio Infantry. John S. Fulton was captain of the company. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and was succeeded as eaptain by Thomas J. Kenney, then a young and promising lawyer of Ashland.

The first troops to arrive at Washington were four companies of ununiformed and unarmed Pennsylvanians, who expected to find uniforms, arms and equipments at the capitol. Stones were thrown at them as they passed through Baltimore. Upon their arrival at Washington they were given quarters in the hall of the house of representatives. With one of the companies was a colored attendant. called Nick Biddle, named, perchance, for the once-famous financier - Nicholas Biddle. This colored attendant had been struck on the head at Baltimore; had tied a handkerchief over the wound, and then drew his cap down tightly over that. At Washington he removed cap and bandage and the blood ran down from the wound and dripped upon the marble floor of the rotunda of the capitol. The first blood of the civil war.

On Saturday morning, May 25, they left Columbus for Bellaire where they arrived in the evening. On Sunday an incident occurred worthy of note. Dan Rice's show boat came along the river with band playing and some of the boys thought the boat was the advance of the rebel.

Early on Monday morning, May 27, the Sixteenth crossed the Ohio river on the Brown Dick, and has the distinction of being the first regiment that crossed the river into Dixie.

The Sixteenth advanced along the Baltimore and Ohio railroad to the Burnt Bridges, near Mannington, where the first halt was made. The next advance was to Grafton, then to Phillipi, where it participated in the first battle of the war.

The batallion of the Sixteenth of which Captain Kenney's company .was a part, returned to Grafton, then advanced to Rowlesburg, to Cheat Mountain, to the Red House, and to Oakland. At the expiration of their term of service the boys returned home after having participated in all the stirring service and hard marches of that West Virginia campaign and were mustered out -of service August 18.

Picture the event of the ''boys'' leaving Bellville for the war. Roll back the forty-one years which have intervened between then and now and look at the scene as though it was present before you today. Main street is lined on either side with people, tearful and silent. Men, women and children have come out to see their sons and brothers leave. The hurrahs are hushed. The martial music and the tramp of the marching troops smite the silence with strokes of pain. The company boards the cars, the bell rings, the steam shrieks and the train moves on. The ''boys'' have gone to war.

Three months and more go by and the scene changes. People are again on the street, but now it is to welcome the ''boys'' home. But it is difficult to write of soldiers returning to their homes. The pen, rarely failing when it depicts sorrow, often falters at the threshold of joy. Sorrow is so real, there is relief in its ery. But joy is so subtle and spiritual, its finest essence is but seldom imprisoned in words.

The war continues and another scene is witnessed at Bellville. A squad of soldiers is seen marching with reversed arms. There is a hearse with nodding plumes and there is a coffin wrapped in the American flag. There are carriages filled with sorrowing friends. And there are many citizens in line following the mortal remains of an old friend to the cemetery.

There have been thousands of similar scenes for Ohio alone had eleven thousand two hundred and twenty-seven soldiers killed in battle during the Civil war. The bodies of many were brought home for burial, while six thousand five hundred and sixty-three were left dead on the field of battle.

There were also thirteen thousand three hundred and fifty-four Ohio soldiers who died of disease and wounds during their service, making the list of Ohio's dead, twenty-four thousand eight hundred and one. This does not include any who died after having been discharged from the service.

Ohio's quota under President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand men was ten thousand one hundred and fifty-three, 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 twelve thousand three hundred and fifty-seven.

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 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for two hundred miles, repaired and rebuilt the bridges wrecked and burned by the rebels; it did a great deal of hard marching, and was in the fight at Phillipi - -the first battle of the war. It was in that trying march from Thornton to Phillipi, through the terrible storm, the night before the battle. General Lew Wallace, then colonel of an Indiana 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 in incessant torrents upon the boys in blue as 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 Baltimore and Ohio. Later the regiment under General Hill marched to the summit of Cheat Mountain to intercept Garnett's retreating forces from Laurel Hill. 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 bevond; they later went into camp at Oakland, Maryland, from which place they

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

Many Richland county boys 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 you had seen but one day of war, you would pray that you 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 Ashland county boys who so patriotieally 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.

General George B. McClellan, on May 14, was commissioned major general of volunteers, and assigned to the command of the department of Ohio, comprising Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia. His first move was against Colonel Potterfield, who, with a force of confederates, was stationed at Grafton, West Virginia, under orders from General Lee to muster volunteers at that place.

On May 27, Union troops, led by the Sixteenth Ohio Infantry, crossed the Ohio river at Bellaire, and proceeded along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and upon their advance, the rebel force abandoned Grafton and retreated to Phillipi, the county seat of Barbour county, twenty-two miles south of Grafton.

On June 2, General Morris and Colonel Kelley held a conference at Grafton and arranged for a movement on Phillipi. The plan was for simultaneous movement of two columns by different routes, one from Grafton, via Thornton, under Colonel Kelley ; the other from Webster, under Colonel Dumont.

Sixteenth Ohio, under Colonel Irvine, and the Ninth Indiana under Colonel Milroy. Colonel Kelley's column went by rail to Thornton, then marched south twenty-two miles to Phillipi. The latter part of the march was made in the night, through a furious storm and drenching rain.

Colonel Dumont's column left the railroad at Webster, and had twelve miles to march to Phillipi. This division consisted of the eight companies of the Seventh Indiana, four companies of the Sixth Indiana under Colonel Crittenden, four companies of the Fourteenth Ohio under Colonel Steedman, and a battery of Barnett's artillery, under command of Lieutenant Colonel S. B. Sturges. Colonel F. W. Lander, of General McClellan's staff, was with Colonel Dumont's division.

At early dawn on the morning of June 3, the artillery fired on the town. The first two rounds were of canister. The third was a six pound solid shot, and was aimed at a stable in the cavalry camp. In the stable, Mr. Hanger and a number of other confederate cavalrymen were sleeping, and on coming out at the alarm, Mr. Hanger was struck by this ball, nearly tearing off his left leg below the knee. The ball had struck the ground, ricocheted, and then hit the side of the door, and then struck Mr. Hanger, as stated above. The ball is now in his possession.

After being wounded, Mr. Hanger managed to climb the ladder and take refuge in the hay loft, where he was found after the fight was over by H. A. Thomas, then a member of Company B, Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, now a resident of Mansfield. Mr. Thomas saw a trail of blood, and following it up the ladder, found Mr. Hanger lying in the mow, seemingly nearly dead from the loss of blood.

The late Dr. J. D. Robison, of Wooster, the surgeon of the Sixteenth Ohio Infantry, was called, who, upon examination, found it necessary to amputate the limb above the knee. Dr. Robison was assisted in performing the operation by Dr. Thorborne, and the amputation was so well done that Mr. Hanger - then only eighteen years old - was able to get around on crutches in about a month. In August he was sent to Columbus as a prisoner of war; was afterwards exchanged and returned to his home in Virginia. He soon tired of using crutches and made for himself an artificial limb - the first wooden leg worn by a confederate soldier. He soon had similar work to do for others, and at the close of the war, he got an order from the state of Virginia to make artificial limbs for all her maimed soldiers. In time he removed his plant from Richmond to Washington, where he now resides.

The battle of Phillipi resulted in the rout of Colonel Potterfield and his men, who retreated towards Beverly. They were pursued for some distance, and in a running fight, several were killed and wounded.

While leading his men, Colonel Kelley was shot in the breast, producing an almost fatal wound. He was shot by Assistant Quartermaster Limms, of Potterfield's staff. Among the prisoners taken was Colonel W. J. Willey, upon whose person were found important military papers, one of which was an order

Indiana, and in its stead was flung to the breeze the flag presented by the ladies of Aurora, Indiana, to that regiment upon its departure to the front. And the Star Spangled Banner waved in triumph over the captured town.

Sixty-Fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry

The Sixty-fifth was a part of the brigade raised at Mansfield by Hon. John Sherman, and organized at Camp Buckingham, and mustered into service 'December 1, 1861. Its term of service was three years. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Charles G. Harker. Part of a company from Ashland county entered:the Sixty-fifth under the following officers:

Company G was mustered into the United States service at Camp Buckingham, Mansfield, Ohio, November 25, 1865, and discharged at Victoria, Texas, November 30, 1865.

The mortality list was not included in the roll, and, hence, cannot appear here. It is certain, however, that the company performed arduous duty in the far South, and was considerably diminished by disease and death before its discharge.

The Sixty-fifth was employed some months, in 1862, in Kentucky, repairing and guarding roads, then marched into Tennessee to Columbia, and thence to Savannah, Georgia, and from thence to Pittsburg Landing, and participated in that battle. It next moved to Corinth, and was at the seige, and returned to Louisville, Kentucky. It was ordered to march toward Stone River, and was in the battle of December 29, 1862:/. In June, 1863, it was ordered to Chattanooga, and participated in that battle. The Sixty-fifth passed on to Mission Ridge, and took part in that engagement. Then came the Atlanta campaign - the affair at Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Dallas, Marietta, Kenesaw, Peachtree Creek, and Jonesborough, in which the Sixty-fifth took a part. On the 29th of November, it was in the battle of Springfield; on the 30th, in the battle of Franklin, and afterwards, in the battle of Nashville. In June, 1865, the regiment was ordered to Texas, and remained at San Antonio until December, and was ordered to Camp Chase, Ohio, where it was mustered out January 2, 1866. The Sixty-fifth came out of service scarred veterans.

The Eighty-Second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry

The EHighty-second was recruited in Ashland, Logan, Marion, Union and Richland counties, for three years. It was commanded by Colonel James Cant- well, who was killed in the second battle of Manassas. The regiment was mustered into service December 31, 1861, and contained nine hundred and sixtyeight men. Ashland county had one company, K. Its officers were:

Captain, David S. Sampsell, resigned July 30, 1862; captain, Francis S. Jacobs, resigned; first lieutenant, John S. Fulton, died April 30, 1862; first lieutenant, Francis 8. Jacobs, promoted to captain; first lieutenant, John A. McClusky, resigned; first lieutenant, James J. Beer, killed May 3, 1863; first lieutenant, Warren Wasson, resigned; first lieutenant, George W. Youngblood, mustered out; second lieutenant, Francis S. Jacobs, promoted first lieutenant; second lieutenant, James J. Beer, promoted first lieutenant; second lieutenant, Warren Wasson, promoted first lieutenant; second lieutenant, George W. Youngblod, promoted first lieutenant.

Company K. was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, July 24, 1865. We are unable to make out the mortality list from the roll; but by reference to the regimental service, which follows, it will be seen that company K performed arduous duty, and that its ranks were greatly thinned by disease and the casualties of war.

The Eighty-Second Regiment

In January, 1862, the Eighty-second was ordered from Kenton, Ohio, its place of rendezvous, to West Virginia, and went into camp near the village of Fetterman, for instruction and drill. In the spring the regiment, in the brigade of General Robert Schenck, was sent to various points in pursuit of guerillas, after which it was ordered to go to the aid of General Milroy, near McDowell. The Confederate forces were attacked by Generals Schenck and Milroy near Bull Pasture mountain, and compelled them to retreat. The Highty-second then joined General John C. Fremont, and passed by rapid marches through Petersburg, when the battle of Strasburgh occurred, and the enemy again retreated under Stonewall Jackson. The column passed on to Cross Keys, where a running fight ensued, Jackson crossed the Shenandoah, destroying the bridge and marched leisurely away, having scattered the forces of General Shields. The tardiness of Fremont in the pursuit of Jackson, practically ended his military career. Severe campaigning followed. The troops returned to Middletown, and General Siegel took command of the division. The Hightysecond was transferred to an independent brigade, commanded by General Milroy. On the 7th of August Siegel's corps moved to Culpeper; and on the 9th toward Cedar Mountain, where a battle was going on. Milroy moved to the front to relieve exhausted troops; and on the night of the 10th, the enemy retreated. The Highty-second destroyed Waterloo bridge, and skirmished continually for ten days. The second battle of Manassas took place, and Colonel Jantwell, in leading a charge, was killed. The Highty-second was much exposed and suffered severely in the battle. The National forces were finally compelled to withdraw to Centerville. In September the Eighty-second moved to Fort de Kalb, Siegel's headquarters. On the 25th it advanced to Fairfax Court House and the campaign closed with the attempt to capture the heights of Fredericksburgh. The Eighty-second was transported to the division of General Schurz, and by him designated as a batallion of sharpshooters. In April, 1863, the Eleventh corps moved on the Chancellorsville campaign, crossing the Rappahannock, at Kelley's Ford, and the Rapidan, at Ely's Mills; and on the 30th arrived within three miles of the battle ground. The battle seehed May 2, and the Eighty-second and others deployed with fixed bayonets, and fell back to the rifle-pits. The Eighty-second held its position; but regiment after regiment was pressed back under the terrible charge of the forces of Stonewall Jackson, and it finally fell back. It took a new position, having but one hundred and thirty-four men with the colors. Here Captain James J. Beer, a gallant young officer from Ashland county, fell. After the battle, the remaining members of the Eighty-second returned to its old camp near Stafford. In June, the Gettysburgh campaign commenced. The Eighty-second participated in that arduous campaign. It was ordered to move over the plain to assail, with its brigade, the Confederate works. In the attempt it lost twenty of its remaining men. The gaps were promptly filled, and the Eighty-second advanced within seventy-five yards of the Confederate lines. It went into the battle with twentytwo commissioned officers, and two hundred and thirty-six privates, and of these, nineteen officers and one hundred and forty-seven men were killed, wounded or captured. The balance of the regiment brought the colors, tattered and torn by shot and shell, safely from the field. The ranks of the Eighty-second were so thinned by disease and battle that when General Sherman reached Goldsboro it was consolidated with the. Sixty-first Ohio.

Eighty-Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry

The Highty-seventh rendezvoused at Camp Chase in June, 1862, and was a three months organization. It was commanded by Colonel Henry B. Banning. A short time after its organization, it was ordered to Baltimore and placed under the command of Major General Wool, commander of the post. Upon the arrival of the regiment in Baltimore it was assigned to a camp north of the city.

The One Hundred And Second Regiment

The One Hundred and Second enlisted under the call of July 1, 1862, for three hundred thousand men. It was recruited from Ashland, Hoimes, Richland and Wayne counties, and was commanded by Colonel William Given. It was organized at Camp Mansfield, on the 18th of August, 1862. Ashland county furnished two full companies. The officers were:

Company

Captain, John MecNaull, resigned December 20, 1862; first lieutenant, Joseph R. Folwell, promoted captain December 20, 1862, and discharged; first lieutenant, William A. Beer, of Company K, promoted captain in 1864; second lieutenant, Holiday Ames, promoted first lieutenant December 20, 1862; second lieutenant, John T. Robert, promoted second lieutenant December 20, 1862.

The One Hundred and Second was ordered to Kentucky, and mustered into service at Covington, September 6, 1862. It was ordered to Louisville, and went into the trenches to defend that city. In October, it marched to Shelbyville, Franklin, and Perryville, and thence to Crab Orchard; thence to Bowling Green. From thence it was ordered to Clarksville, Tennessee, for drill and camp duty. In September, 1863, it returned to Shelbyville, to aid in repelling the invasion of General Wheeler, of the Confederate army. It returned to Nashville, and went into winter quarters. In April, 1864, the One Hundred and Second marched to Tullahoma, and thence to Bellefonte, Alabama. Here it was ordered to patrol the Tennessee river, from Stevenson to Seven Mile island, a distance of fifty miles. On this line it erected twelve blockhouses and one fort. The regiment was frequently assailed by guerillas, and suffered considerably from exposure and sickness. Shortly after the completion of its fort and other works, General Forrest, of the Confederate army, made a dash upon the One Hundred and Second with his cavalry, and captured a portion of its men under Colonel Elliott, near Athens, after a severe fight. Six months afterward the prisoners were paroled and placed on board the ill-fated Sultana, at Vicksburgh, and eighty-one men of the One Hundred and Second were lost. On the twenty-fourth of October, General Hood, of the Confederate forces, attacked the garrison at Decatur, Alabama, in which the remaining companies of the One Hundred and Second were on duty, and were conspicuous in the fight. After the evacuation of Decatur, the One Hundred and Second continued in active duty in Tennessee until June 30, 1865, when it was mustered out at Nashville; returned to Camp Chase, Ohio, and was paid and discharged July 8, 1865. The regiment was noted for its prompt obedience of orders, and

This regiment was organized at Camp Mansfield, under the call for three hundred thousand men, in August, 1862. The regiment was recruited from

Ashland, Holmes, Richland, and Wayne counties, and contained nine hundred and forty-nine men. It was commanded by Colonel Daniel French. Ashland county furnished two full companies.

Captain, Henry Buck, resigned February 15, 1863; first lieutenant, Robert M. Zuver, resigned June 14, 1863; second lieutenant, John Sloan, promoted captain, February 20, 1863.

Company F was mustered into the United States service at Camp Mansfield, October 14, 1862, and on the 25th departed by rail for Covington, Kentucky, where it arrived on the 26th. The meanderings of the Twelfth will exhibit the history of its companies.

On the 27th of April, 1865, just as the awful strife between the north and the south had come to a close, there occurred a most disastrous accident, a marine calamity, the like of which this world has never known.

It occurred in the shadow of another great calamity - the assassination of President Lincoln - and for this reason was in a certain measure overlooked by the people at large. This is the only reason that can be given for the fact that the loss of the steamer Sultana and the perishing of nearly two thousand Union soldiers has never been given a due place in the history of the nation.

It was a disaster of the most appalling nature. Twenty-three hundred men, twelve women, over two thousand of the former being paroled soldiers who had just been released from rebel prisons, half starved and ill, were asleep on the decks of the Sultana, a Mississippi steamer, all bound homeward, with dreams of getting back again beneath the stars and stripes, under which flag they had been serving their country, for three years in the rebellious south.

The over-laden Sultana with its precious burden of human freight, was slowly steaming up the broad Mississippi, when between the hours of two and three o'clock a. m., with a rain slowly falling and darkness everywhere, one of the boilers exploded. Imagine the scene, for it cannot be pictured, neither will pen ever be able to describe it in the awfulness of the horrors that attended the scene. Many were maimed, others were scalded to death. The whole steamer took fire and in the light there were pictured scenes that tongue can never tell.

Brave men, men who had faced rebel guns, men who had met the deadly fire of the enemy, were now helpless. They had to fight for their lives, but think of the odds against them. The broad Mississippi had overflown its banks until it was nearly ten miles wide. Into this vast expanse of water leaped hundreds of men who were not killed nor pinioned down nor burnt to death. They were drowned in squads, sinking beneath others who had jumped on top of them. In one spot about three hundred were sunk to death by the huge iron-bound gang plank falling upon them.

Cries, prayers, pleadings and curses from frenzied men filled the air. Every board or piece of wood was fought for by the men crazed by excitement and anxious to sieze upon something to keep them from sinking into the cold, deep waters of the Mississippi. Hundreds floated down the broad river for miles, many of them giving up the struggle by the way. Others were picked up from floating planks or logs or bales of hay. When daylight dawned it witnessed strange sad scenes. Perched in the limbs of the trees in the water were half naked, half frozen men, while floating or lodged here or there were found the bodies of others whose lives had gone out.

Brave and heroic rescuers worked faithfully gathering up the living and taking them to the Memphis hospital, where the good women of the Christian Mission cared for them. But in spite of all, many died from the exposure of that awful night.