Hanover Township (part 17 of 29)

On the 28th of July, Wayne having been joined by General Scott, with sixteen hundred mounted Kentuckians, moved forward to the Maumee. By the 8th of August the army had arrived near the junction of the Auglaize with that stream, and commenced the erection of Fort Defiance at that pomt. The Indians, having learned from a deserter of the approach of Wayne's army, hastily abandoned their head-quarters at Auglaize, and thus defeated the plan of Wayne to surprise them, for which object he had cut two roads, intending to march by neither. At Fort Defiance, Wayne received full information of the Indians, and the assistance they were to derive from the volunteers at Detroit and vicinity. On the 13th of August, true to the spirit of peace advised by Washington, he sent Christian Miller, who had been naturalized among the Shawnees, as a special messenger to offer terms of friendship. Impatient of delay, he moved forward, and on the 16th met Miller on his return with the message that if the Americans would wait ten days at Grand Glaize [Fort Defiance], they (the Indians) would decide for peace or war. On the 18th the army arrived at Roche de Boeuf, just south of the site of Waterville, where they erected some light works as a place of deposit for their heavy baggage, which was named Fort Deposit. During the 19th the army labored at their works, and about eight o'clock on the morning of the 20th moved forward to attack the Indians, who were encamped on the bank of the Maumee, at and around a hill called Presque Isle, about two miles south of the site of Maumee City, and four south of the British Fort Miami. From Wayne's report of the battle, we make the following extract:

'The legion was on the right, its flank covered by the Maumee; one brigade of mounted volunteers on the left, under Brigadier-general Todd, and the other in the rear, under Brigadier-general Barbee. A select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front of the legion, commanded by Major Price, who was directed to keep suf- ficiently advanced, so as to give timely notice for the troops to form in case of action, it being yet undetermined whether the Indians would decide for peace or war.

«< After advancing about five miles, Major Price's corps received so severe a fire from the enemy, who were secreted in the woods and high grass, as to compel them to retreat. The legion was immediately formed in two lines, principally in a close thick wood, which extended for miles on our left, and for a very considerable distance in front; the ground being covered with old fallen timber (probably occasioned by a tornado), which rendered it impracticable for the cavalry to act with effect, and afforded the enemy the most favorable covert for their mode of warfare. The savages were formed in three lines, within supporting distance of each other, and extending for near two miles at right angles with the river. I soon discovered, from the weight of the fire and extent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force in front, in possession of their favorite ground, and endeavoring to turn our left flank. I therefore gave orders for the second line to advance and support the first; and directed Majorgeneral Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the savages, with the whole force of the mounted volunteers, by a circuitous route; at the same time I ordered the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, and rouse the Indians from their coverts at the point of the bayonet, and when up, to deliver a close and well-directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them time to load again.

"T also ordered Captain Mis Campbell, who commanded the legionary cavalry, to turn the left flank of the enemy next the river, and which afforded a favorable field for that corps to act in. All these orders were obeyed with spirit and promptitude; but such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry, that the Indians and Canadian militia and volunteers were drove from all their coverts in so short a time that, although every possible exertion was used by the officers of the second line of the legion, and by Generals Scott, Todd, and Barbee, of the mounted volunteers, to gain their proper positions, but part of each could get up in season to participate in the action ; the enemy being drove, in the course of one hour, more than two miles through the thick woods already mentioned, by less than one-half their numbers. From every account the enemy amounted to two thousand combatants. The troops actually engaged against them were short of nine hundred. This horde of savages, with their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet possession of the field of battle, which terminated under the influence of the guns of the British garrison. ;

"The bravery and conduct of every officer belonging to the army, from the generals down to the ensigns, merit my highest approbation. There were, however, some whose rank and situation placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point of view, and which I observed with pleasure and the most lively gratitude. Among whom, I must beg leave to mention Brigadier-general Wilkinson and Colonel Hamtramck, the commandants of the right and left wings of the legion, whose brave example inspired the troops. To those I must add the names of my faithful and gallant aides-de-camp, Captains De Butt and T. Lewis, and Lieutenant Harrison, who, with the adjutant-general, Major Mills, rendered the most essential service by communicating my orders in every direction, and by their conduct and bravery exciting the troops to press for victory. :

'The loss of the enemy was more than that of the Federal army. The woods were strewed for a considerable distance with the dead bodies of Indians and 'their white

''We remained three days and nights on the banks of the Maumee, in front of the field of battle, during which time all the houses and corn-fields were consumed and destroyed for a considerable distance, both above and below Fort Miami, as well as within pistol-shot of the garrison, who were compelled to remain tacit spectators to this general devastation and conflagration, among which were the houses, stores, and property of Colonel McKee, the British Indian agent and principal stimulator of the war now existing between the United States and the savages."

The loss of the Americans in this battle was thirtythree killed and one hundred wounded, including five officers among the killed, and nineteen wounded.

One of the Canadians taken in the action estimated the force of the Indians at about fourteen hundred. He also stated that about seventy Canadians were with them, and that Colonel McKee, Captain Elliott, and Simon Girty were in the field, but at a respectful distance, and near the river. When the broken remains of the Indian army were pursued under the British fort, the soldiers could scarce be restrained from storming it, This, independent of its results in bringing on a war with Great Britain, would have been a desperate measure, as the fort mounted ten pieces of artillery, and was garrisoned by four hundred and fifty men, while Wayne had no armament proper to attack such a strongly fortified place. While the troops remained in the vicinity, there did not appear to be any communication between the garrison and the savages. The gates were shut against them, and their rout and slaughter witnessed with apparent unconcern by the British. The Indians were astonished at the lukewarmness of their allies, and regarded the fort, in case of defeat, as a place of refuge.

On the 27th Wayne's army returned to Fort Defiance, by easy marches, laying waste the villages and corn-fields of the Indians for about fifty miles on each side of the Maumee.

Pioneers And Soldiers

and was followed, the next year, by the treaty of Greenville. This was a substantial and well-observed compact, and the people of Ohio and Eastern Indiana had no cause to complain of the Indian tribes, until just before the war of 1812. It covered the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Miamis, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottowattomies, Kickapoos, Kaskaskias, Weas, the Eel River tribe, and the Piankeshaws.

General Wayne died at Presque Isle (now Erie), Pennsylvania, of gout, while on his way from Detroit to Philadelphia, December 14, 1796, a few days before he was fifty-one years of age. His remains were interred, at his own request, under the flag-staff of the fort on the shore of Lake Erie, but were removed by his son, Colonel Isaac Wayne, in 1809, to Radnor churchyard, near the place of his birth, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where an elegant monument was erected in his honor by the Cincinnati Society of Pennsylvania. ''Mad Anthony" was one of the best generals of the Revolution. He was a man apparently of great rashness, and yet no one acted, in a time of emergency, with greater coolness and foresight. His name is inseparably connected with this State.

John Reily

Joun Retiy, a member of the constitutional convention which formed the organic law of Ohio, a brave soldier, and a devoted patriot, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the tenth day of April, 1763. His career is interwoven with the whole history of Butler County and Ohio. Mr. Reily's parents were farmers, and removed with him to Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, when he was about five or six years of age. Just before the outbreak-of the Revolutionary war, this was on the frontier line of settlements, and the pioneers were much exposed to attacks from Indians, who were bloodthirsty and revengeful. Their lands had been taken from them by the whites, and a continual warfare existed between them and the strangers, as far west as Kentucky, which was then just receiving its first emigrants. In each neighborhood a block-house, answering the purpose of a fort, was erectéd, to which all the families fled when danger seemed near. In October, 1774, a battle was fought at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River, between the Indian chief Cornstalk and his warriors, and the Virginia troops under the command of General Andrew Lewis. Mr. Reily distinetly remembered this, although he was at the time only eleven years old, as well as the circumstance that the family retreated for protection to a small fort near Staunton.

The youth matured early in those days. It was necessary to cultivate a habit of self-reliance, as each man needed all his faculties about him. At seventeen, John Reily felt the duty of taking his part in the great struggle Which was going on between his countrymen and the armies of Great Britain. He joined the Southern Department, then under the command of Nathaniel Greene, the Quaker general, who had been appointed to the command on the 22d of October, 1780. The movements of that army were numerous.- It made long marches, it fought many battles, it contested every inch of ground, and finally compelled Cornwallis to retreat for re-enforcements to Yorktown, where later on he was captured by the united American and French forces.

The first battle in which Mr. Reily took an active part was that of Guilford Court-house, which was fought on the 15th of March, 1781. There were about fortyfour hundred on the American side, thirty-one hundred of whom were raw militia or half-equipped regulars, and on the enemy's side there were two thousand four hundred regular troops. They lost six hundred killed and wounded, while the Americans had four hundred and fifty killed and wounded, with eight hundred missing. The British also captured several cannon. 'They claimed the victory, but had no such decided preponderance that they could afford to wait and gather the fruits, and a few days later began to retreat, closely pursued by General Greene.

Camden was the next battle. It was a severe and hard-fought contest, in which Greene received the worst of it. He consequently withdrew, but Cornwallis was not in sufficient spirits to follow. Shortly after, he burned his 'works at Camden, and retreated to the North.

Soon after this, the American army invested the town of Ninety-six, which had been strongly fortified. Learning that Lord Rawdon was approaching, Greene determined to carry the works by assault, and made the attempt; but it failed, after much slaughter. The last affair of consequence in which Mr. Reily was engaged was the battle of Eutaw Springs, in South Carolina, on the 8th of September. The Americans attacked the British with great spirit, early in the morning, which was met with courage and determination. After a long hand-to-hand conflict, Lee, who had turned the British left flank, charged them in the rear. They yielded, and their line was completely broken. The company to which Mr. Reily belonged, heated with patriotic fire, pursued them so vigorously that they were divided from their own troops, so that they had to make a wide circuit. The day was so distressingly hot that when the company came to a brook on their way back, they rushed into the stream up to their knees, and dipped the water with their hands, to assuage their thirst. There was a large number engaged on each side, about two thousand. This engagement terminated the active efforts of the British in that portion of the country, and practically was the end of the Southern campaign. The army soon after was dissolved, and Mr. Reily, after eighteen months of service, was discharged, with a certificate of honorable service, signed by George Washington himself.

He returned to his home in Virginia, where he remained about two years. Then, becoming excited by the favorable accounts of the West, which was just then getting settled, he left his father's home in Virginia, and one years of age. His sister lived at that time in Danville, Lincoln County, and at her house he remained for five or six years, making it his home. He labored on the farm each Summer and Winter, excepting when he was employed as a carpenter, although he had never regularly learned that trade. He also made plows, harrows, and other agricultural implements for the use of the settlers, and during the last year of his residence in Kentucky he taught an English school. The settlement of Ohio was then just commencing, and Mr. Reily concluded to cast in his lot with those who were beginning the new commonwealth. He came to Columbia, now the eastern part of Cincinnati, on the 18th of December, 1789.

That place was begun by Major Benjamin Stites. There was little provision in the neighborhood, and the eolonists were obliged to gather roots and bear grass for food. The roots of the latter were pounded up into a kind of flour, which served as a substitute in making bread. Several settlers who were in Columbia subsequently became residents of Butler County, among others Mr. Benjamin Randolph and Mr. James Seward. An attack being made on Dunlap's Station, now Colerain, on the 10th of January, 1791, the patriotic citizens of Columbia turned out in their defense, and among them was Mr. Reily. They armed themselves with rifles, and, mounted on the best horses that could be procured, set out for the relief of the settlement. Mr. Reily and Thomas Moore, who was afterward of Butler County, were directed to proceed a short distance in advance, as pickets, to give notice if the enemy should appear. On reaching the fort, they found that the siege had been abandoned, and that the garrison had sustained but little injury. There had been a vigorous effort to take the place by assault, but the attack had been frustrated.

On the 21st of June, 1790, Mr. Reily opened an English school at Columbia, which was the first one taught in the place (or, indeed, in the whole Miami country), which he continued as long as he resided there. - In 1791, Francis Dunlevy, who was afterward the first judge of the Court of Common Pleas in this county, joined Mr. Reily at Columbia, and took part in the conduct of his school. Mr. Dunlevy taught the classical department, and Mr. Reily the English. This they continued for some time, but it was finally abandoned when Mr. Reily found other and more active occupations. Judge Dunlevy afterward removed to Warren County, where he lived until 1839.

After St. Clair's defeat, General Wilkinson issued a call for volunteers to accompany an expedition he was about to send out for the purpose of burying the dead. A company was formed at Columbia, under command of Captain John 8. Gano, of which Mr. Reily was a member. They were joined by two other companies at Fort Washington, and by two hundred regular soldiers. In one of these companies William Henry Harrison, afterward President, was an ensign. They started on the 25th of January, General James Wilkinson commanding.

There was a very heavy snow on the ground, which obliged them to take sleds along, to carry their provisions and baggage. The first night they encamped near the present site of the college, at College Hill, seven miles from the city; the next morning they arrived at Fort Hamilton, where they stayed a couple of days. John S. Gano acted as major. On the 28th they crossed the river, with their horses and baggage, on the ice, about where the Junction railroad now bridges the river. They took the old trace opened up by General St. Clair, and that night encamped at Seven-mile Creek. The next day they reached Fort Jefferson, which was under the charge of Captain Shaylor.

At this place General Wilkinson issued an order announcing that, in consequence of the depth of the snow and the severity of the weather, he would abandon one object of the expedition, which was to destroy an Indian town, on a branch of the Wabash, fifteen miles below St. Clair's battle-ground, directing the return of the regular soldiers, who were on foot, to Fort Washington, as they would not be needed, and stating that he would proceed with the mounted volunteers and the public sleds to the battle-ground, for the purpose of bringing away such artillery and other property as might be recovered.

The next day they continued their march, and encamped within eight miles of their destination. On the ensuing day, at eleven o'clock, they arrived at the field of the disastrous defeat, and encamped where St. Clair's artillery had stood, with a view of beating down the snow to facilitate their finding the object of their search - cannon and corpses. On their last.day's march, when within four miles of the field of battle, where the pursuit had ceased, the scene, even though covered with snow, was most melancholy. The bodies of the slain laid strewed along the road and in the woods on each side. Many of them had been dragged from under the snow and mutilated by wild beasts. One of the party counted seventy-eight bodies between the point where the pursuit terminated and the battle-field. No doubt there were many more who, finding themselves disabled, crawled to a distance, out of sight of the road, and there perished. The great body of the slain were within an area of forty acres. The snow being deep, the bodies could be discovered only by the elevation of the snow where they lay. They had been scalped and stripped of all their clothing that was of any value. Scarcely any could be identified, as their bodies were blackened by frost and exposure, although there were few signs of decay, the Winter having been unusually early and severe. Major Gano and others supposed one corpse to be that of General Richard Butler, and had little doubt as to its identity. It lay in a group of the slain, where evidently had been the thickest of the carnage.

Having dug a large pit - a work of much labor, as they were poorly supplied with spades and other implements - they proceeded to collect and bury the frozen bodies. Probably not more than one-half, however, were interred, as they worked at it only on the day of their arrival. They were so numerous, however, that when all were piled together and covered with earth, it raised a considerable mound. Here, in the silent gloom of the beech woods, reposes many a heart which once beat warm to every impulse of honor and noble feeling which elevates our race.

They found that the artillery, with the exception of one six-pounder, had been dismounted and carried off or secreted, and some of the carriages had been burned. After encamping on the ground nearly two days and two nights, the party returned to Cincinnati, taking with them the field-piece above mentioned, two uninjured guncarriages, the irons of the carriages that were burnt, and a few muskets. Many of the volunteers were badly frostbitten on the march. Mr. Reily said the snow was so deep that in moving about it gave them great annoyance by getting in at the top of their leggings.

In 1791 Mr. Reily had purchased a tract of land, about seven miles from Cincinnati, in the same quartersection on a part of which the town of Carthage has since been laid out. In 1793 he gave up his interest in the school at Columbia to his friend Mr. Dunlevy, and associated with himself Mr. Prior, the two owning land near each other, and prosecuting their improvements jointly. All did not go well with them, however. Their horses were soon stolen, and they suffered other injuries from the Indians. They had not been long at this new business when Mr. Prior undertook to make a trip from Fort Washington to Fort Hamilton, in company with others. On their way, the men were attacked by the Indians, and Mr. Prior was killed.

Mr. Reily was left alone, and concluded to abandon farming. He-returned to Columbia, and resumed teaching, which he continued until April, 1794, when he went to Cincinnati, and was employed in the office of General John S. Gano, then clerk of the Court of Hamilton County. Here he remained until 1799, acting as deputy, and conducting a large portion of the business of the office. In this situation he received high encomiums from the attorneys and others who had business with the court, for the neatness and accuracy with which his books were kept. ;

The people of the Territory held their first election for representatives to the General Assembly in 1799, and those elected began their sessions at Cincinnati on the 16th of September. John Reily was elected clerk, and served as such until their adjournment on the 19th of December following. He acted in the like capacity for the next two sessions, and was heartily esteemed by those with whom he was associated. He devoted his entire time to the duties of his office, filling them with ability and discretion.

When Cincinnati had a charter granted to it, John Reily was made one of the town trustees, and at the first meeting he was elected the clerk and collector. He became one of the stockholders of the first public library in the Northwest, and, sixty years after, was the next to the last survivor. He was made one of the receivers of money for the United States arising out of the claims of persons residing on Symmes's purchase for relief, and with William Goforth was appointed a board to hear and determine such claims. Mr. Reily acted as clerk of this board, made a map of the country where the claims

In 1802 the Congress of the United States passed 'an act to enable the people of the eastern division of the territory northwest of the river Ohio to form a constitution and State government, and for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, and for other purposes," which was approved the 30th of April. The law fixed the boundaries of the State, and authorized the citizens within its limits to elect representatives to a convention to form a constitution. The election was held on the second Tuesday of October following, and the convention met in Chillicothe on the first Monday of November. Mr. Reily was elected one of the representatives of Hamilton County, which then embraced Butler; and, though he did not take much part in the debates, his industry and strict attention to business, and the confidence placed by his fellow-members in his judgment and experience, gave him a very perceptible influence in the convention. That body conitinued in session twenty-nine days, and formed the first constitution of the State. It met with the approbation of the people, and they lived under it many years.

Mr. Reily moved to Hamilton in' 1803, being the agent of the proprietors of Rossville, and resided here until the time of his death. Some of the buildings of the old fort were yet standing, and many of the pickets which had made the inclosure were still to be seen. The inhabitants of the town were few in number, and had been chiefly soldiers of the various armies. After the erection of the county of Butler Mr. Reily acted as the clerk of the court. He held the office under successive reappointments until the fourteenth day of March, 1840, a period of nearly thirty-seven years, when he declined further service. He was also clerk of the Supreme Court of Butler County from the 11th of October, 1803, until the 3d of May, 1842, when he resigned. Judge Burnet states that this was a longer term than any other person had held such an office, with the exception of Mr. Hugh Boyle, of Fairfield County.

The only lawyer residing in Hamilton at that time was William Corry, whose office was in the same room in' which Mr. Reily kept his. Mr. Reily was appointed the first recorder of Butler County in 1803, and held the position until May, 1811, when he was succeeded by James Heaton, who had been the first county surveyor.

Mr. Reily was also clerk of the board of county commissioners from 1803 to 1819, when he resigned. His sterling qualities and thorough practical knowledge of the routine of the office gave him a great influence with the successive boards. In fact, during the time he held the position he had the chief management and control of the finances, of the county, and conducted them with great prudence.

In 1804, under the administration of Thomas Jefferson, a post-office was established in Hamilton, of which Mr. Reily was appointed postmaster. His commission was signed by Gideon Granger, postmaster-general, and bears date August 2, 1804. This was then the westernmost post-office north of the Ohio. He held this place until July, 1832, when he resigned, being succeeded by James B. Thomas.

In 1809, when Oxford University was founded, Mr. Reily was made a trustee, and served in that capacity for many years. He was its president until the organization of the college in 1824, when by law the president of the college, by virtue of his office, became president of the board of trustees. He was always a warm friend of this institution, attending the meetings of the board with regularity. For years his name appears in the newspapers as secretary. He'resigned his trusteeship in 1840, on account of advanced age and the inconvenience of being so often absent from home.

Mr. Reily was a man of the utmost regularity of habits. He came to his room at a certain hour, and departed from it at a certain hour. His papers were all methodically filed away, and he could at any time refer to any paper with which he had any thing to do, although it might have been a quarter of a century before. He trusted nothing to another person which it was possible himself to do. He held office many years, and during the whole course of his life his integrity and veracity were never questioned, nor does the writer' recollect in any of the old newspapers whose files he has examined an attack upon his character - an exemption which no one else enjoyed. His judgment was excellent, his memory good, his patriotism of the highest. He took part in the Revolution while still a mere boy; he was an actor in the scenes of pioneer life when in early manhood, and he discharged important trusts to his fellow-men when he had reached the maturity of his powers. He was frequently a trustee of estates or guardian of children, and occupied other fiduciary positions. He was educated in the Presbyterian faith, and liberally contributed to the support of that denomination. other Churches.

His death occurred in Hamilton on the 7th of June, 1850. He was then eighty-seven years of age. He had enjoyed good health nearly all his life, and his death was not preceded by any long sickness. The decease was announced to the Court of Common Pleas, which was then in session, by Governor Bebb, who paid a feel- ing tribute to his memory. Resolutions were adopted by the bar, which were ordered to be entered upon the journal of the court, and adjournment then took place.

Presbyterian Church, and the body was conveyed to its last resting-place in Greenwood Cemetery, which had been opened only a short time before. The attendance at the funeral was vast. People came from every township in the county, as well as from over the border and from Indiana. 'The solemnities were rendered more im-

The constitutional convention was at that time in session at Columbus. On Tuesday, June 11th, Judge Elijah Vance, a member of the convention from Butler County, arose and said :

''Mr. Speaker, - I have been induced, sir, by a letter which has been placed in my hands by an honorable member of this convention, to announce to this body the decease of Mr. John Reily, late of Butler County. It is known, perhaps, to every member upon this floor that the deceased was one of the members of the convention which framed the present constitution of Ohio, and that he had been for many years a citizen of the Northwest Territory or the State of Ohio."

'' He was a man of many peculiarities, but of the most strict and uncompromising integrity. In every department of life he was faithful and scrupulously honest. It is an incident worthy of profound contemplation that, at the very period of time in which our people are seeking to enlarge the sphere of constitutional liberty - while they are about to bid farewell to the constitution under which they have lived and prospered for near fifty years, and to seek enlarged blessings under a new form - the mind that so largely aided in diffusing these blessings under the guarantee afforded by organic law, has been remodeled, regenerated, and prepared for usefulness in a wider and better sphere of existence.

'* Resolved, That this convention has heard with deep sensibility the annunciation of the death of John Reily, Esquire, late of the county of Butler, a, soldier of the Revolution, one of the early pioneers of the West, one who filled important trusts under the territorial government, and one of the framers of the present constitution of Ohio. X

'Mr. President, - I hope I may be pardoned for rising to make a few remarks by way of seconding the resolutions offered by the honorable member from Butler. I live in an adjoining county to that in which the deceased resided, and have been intimately acquainted with him for a period of some thirty years. I first became acquainted with Mr. Reily about the year 1821, just after I had commenced the practice of law, and was uniformly in the habit of attending the courts of Butler County, in the practice of my profession, whilst he was clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and of the Supreme Court of that county. I know that I speak the sentiments of every member of the profession who had the good fortune and the pleasure of practicing in the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County during the time he was clerk of the the court, when I bear witness to the urbanity of his demeanor and the politeness and courtesy which he always bestowed upon every member, and especially upon the younger members of the profession. Toward the latter his deportment was peculiarly kind and paternal.

''In some respects Mr. Reily was a most extraordinary man; and, as the gentleman from Butler has well remarked, in the qualities of punctuality and honesty and the most strict and marked integrity I do not think he had his superior anywhere. During the whole period of my service on the bench of the Court of Common Pleas he was clerk of the court, which brought us into official relation. During more than thirty years that he served as_clerk of the court, he discharged his duties with the strictest- fidelity and utmost punctuality. Indeed, as a clerk he was a model. As an instance of his rigid punctuality, he never knowingly permitted any large amount of fees to accumulate in his office without paying them over to those who were entitled to receive them. This was a rule with Mr. Reily which, in my opinion, made him an exception to any other gentleman I have known who filled that office. He did not usually wait until the witnesses or other persons having money collected in his office would call for it, but would seek opportunities of searching for the claimant, and sending it to him as soon as collected. I mention this as an instance of his scrupulous honesty.

"I have heard it remarked by some of the older citizens of Butler, who from an early day have been familiar with the fiscal concerns of that county, that to Mr. Reily, more than to any other man, was to be attributed the correct and prudent manner in which the fiscal concerns of that county were always managed during the period in which Mr. Reily, to a ver y considerable extent, had their oversight and management. Such was the care and attention which he bestowed in' the discharge of the duties of every office he was called to fill that no

''T had the pleasure of an interview with Mr. Reily in the month of March last, at his own residence. I have been uniformly in the habit, since, from the infirmities of age, he has been almost wholly confined to his house, of calling on him on all proper occasions when visiting the town in which he resided. The interview to which I refer was after the passage of the law of the last session of the General Assembly which has called this assembly together. {Mr. Reily was emphatically a gentleman of the old school. He had his principles and Opinions, and was firm in the maintenance of them; at the same time paying due respect and regard to the opinions of others. On the occasion referred to he spoke of his Revolutionary services, and of the proceedings of the convention of 1802. He looked forward with deep interest to the proceedings of this convention, and remarked to me that, although he felt the inconveniences and defects of the present constitution, still he looked forward with some forebodings as to what might be the result of the deliberations of this convention. At the same time that he acknowledged the defects in the existing constitution, he was apprehensive that, amidst. the turmoil and excitement of contending parties, the public good might be sacrificed to party feeling, and the organic law of the State despoiled of some of its essential provisions. Mr. Reily, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, was not a partisan. He never obtruded his opinions upon any one. When he formed opinions he maintained them upon all proper occasions with becoming firmness and commendable modesty.

'If I am not mistaken, he was originally attached to the Federal party. My impression is. (though in this I may be in ,error) that at one period he supported the claims of General Jackson for the presidency. It is proper, also, to remark that in his latter years he was attached to the Whig party. But no one ever heard him condemn any man, or set of men, for entertaining and expressing political opinions different from his own. He was perfectly tolerant and gentlemanly in his deportment toward every person with whom he came in contact, amiable and courteous in his manners and in all his social relations. Full of years, honored and respected by all who knew him, he has gone from among us. But his memory will live after him, highly esteemed as he was when living, and revered when dead. Respectable for his intelligence and official qualifications - permit me, Mr. President, to say that, in my estimation, the crowning glory of his life was his spotless purity, his scrupulous honesty, and his unsullied integrity. He lived and died a humble, pious Christian."

Mr. Edward Archbold, a member of the convention from Monroe County, rose and said that, though an entire stranger to the deceased, he joined heartily in the honorable testimonials which had been offered by the gentlemen from Butler and Warren. He had learned that there were but four or five members of the convention which framed the present constitution of Ohio now living, and that from the time he was returned a delegate to this convention till he came up to this place he had indulged the idea of obtaining the services of some one of these time-honored survivors to preside during the preliminary organization, and perform those duties which were so ably discharged by his friend, the senior member from the county of Wayne (Mr. Larwell). He had thought that while such a thing would constitute an appropriate expression of respect for those honored and honorable representatives of the past, it might also reflect a very wholesome influence upon the convention itself.

Mr. John Larwell then moved that, as a further testimonial of respect for the memory of the deceased, the convention now adjourn, which was carried.

Mr. Reily was married on the sixth day of February, 1808, to Miss Nancy Hunter, a daughter of Joseph Hunter, who was living in the neighborhood of Hamilton. Mrs. Reily died July 18, 1881. They had three sons and two daughters. Joseph H. Reily, who was born November 8, 1809, was educated at the Miami University. He possessed a natural taste for art, and painted many portraits and landscapes, which are still in the possession of our older families. He died at Hamilton, on the twentieth day of March, 1849, in the same room in which he was born.

James Reily was born July 3, 1811, and was graduated at the Miami University in 1829. He studied law with John Woods, of Hamilton, and practiced for a while in Mississippi, but went from there to Texas. During the short life of that republic as a separate government, he was sent to Washington as its minister-plenipotentiary. He became a large landholder, and at the beginning of the Rebellion entered the Confederate service. He was killed at the head of his regiment, when leading them at the battle of Bayou Teche, in 1863. He married a niece of Henry Clay, a Miss Ross, who is now also dead.

Robert Reily was born June 1, 1820, and was in mercantile business in Cincinnati. In the war of the Rebellion he was a field officer in the Seventy-fifth Ohio Infantry, doing much fighting, and receiving deserved encomiums. On the 30th of April, 1362, at the battle of Chancellorsville, Reily, who was then the colonel.of the regiment, received a severe wound at the close of the day, of which he died on the 5th of May, 1863. His troops had been handled admirably, and there was a universal manifestation of regret at his loss.

Caroline Reily, the oldest daughter, died in infancy. The younger, Jane H. Reily, who was born October 9, 1815, is still living. She is the wife of Lewis D. Campbell, formerly Member of Congress, and one of the most influential men in the nation. <A full sketch of him will be found elsewhere. Mrs. Reily made her home with him and her daughter until her decease.

General Richard Butler

RicHarp But ier, after whom this county was named, was born in Ireland. With his brothers, he came to America before 1760, and was for a long time in the Indian trade. Just before the outbreak of the American War he was settled in Pennsylvania, where his courage and knowledge of character made him a man of influence. It was a matter of great importance to persuade the In- © dians not to take up arms against us, and as agent and interpreter he went to Fort Pitt, in April, 1776, hoping to dissuade the Six Nations from entering the field as our antagonists. They were the most powerful of all the Indian tribes, and had been able to maintain their independence against both the French and English. With the latter, however, they had formed an alliance at the close of the war that added Canada to the British dominions, and, while not unfriendly to the Americans, it was feared that the solicitations of English agents would finally turn them from neutrals into enemies. Mr. Butler met the Indians in formal conference, and during their meetings delivered three speeches, two to Kiosola, the leading Indian chief, and one to the Delawares, who were in a sense subsidiary to the Iroquois. His efforts were for the time successful; Kiosola declared himself in favor of the Americans, and every thing promised prosperously, but the current of feeling was too strong for the chief, and he and the Six Nations finally drifted into an alliance with the English, a movement which proved in the end fatal to the confederated tribes.

Butler was made a lieutenant-colonel of the Pennsylyania line at the beginning of the war, and in the Spring of 1777 was lieutenant-colonel of Morgan's rifle corps, which was present at the battle of Saratoga, and distinguished himself by his conduct on several occasions. He was in the battle of Monmouth. While with a de- - tachment commanded by General Lafayette, near Williamsburg, Virginia, on the 26th of January, 1781, he attacked Colonel Simcoe's rangers, gaining the advantage. He held the rank of colonel of the Ninth Pennsylvania regiment at the close of the war, and acted as a commissioner in settling affairs with the Indians at about that time. He took up his residence in Carlisle, where with General Irvine and General Armstrong, and a few others, an agreeable society was formed. In conjunction with these officers, he quelled a mutiny at Fort Pitt.

In 1784 he was one of the United States commissioners at a treaty held at Fort Stanwix, New York. His fellow commissioners were Oliver Wolcott, of Connecticut, and Arthur Lee, of Virginia. It does not appear that they had any particular knowledge of the Indian character, and the bulk of the business fell upon General Butler. New York State sent a commissioner, Peter Schuyler, to thes. "he aAskvives tinmptiatie-OTaweal Swrsou:, | Geserss oiler, and Generel (ierk- - and several tribes of Indians. The honors were with General Butler, who de the principal address to the Indians. Tradition | 'hice imparted to this scene some waiting: particulars: not tobe found coroborated in history, studied medicine. He became a- surgeon in the British. srmy, and in that capacity crossed the evead, Ife served uader Wolfe, at Quebec, actively participating 'in the fighting whén that 'city was taken, and prosinesly being sa General Amherst's army, as a merher of the Sixtieth Britieh Reginent, at the teking of tT» 'nisboung, in 1758. Atte: the peace with France, in 17§3, he was assigned te the caeemmand of Fort Ligonier, 2 Westen Pennst.- vaniny Peeclting there a etant of 2 thous acne alle lend. Ge TTTL te os eunmissioned 23 o justloy of vhe ) pears pte weney. and by views of tt = ig ergebe ef Lise jraclggess. "Ee 1773, aper Six « oe gapncapesretlit protect her interests, as the chief portion of the lands which were indisputably in the possession of the Six Nations were within her limits, and for all west of New York a treaty some twenty years old was in existence. The United States commissioners adopted a very high and lofty tone to the Indians, and but for the conciliatory policy adopted by New York in her treatment it is probable an Indian warfare would have broken out, retarding the settlement of Western New York, as, at the same time, Indian troubles did the territory northwest of the Ohio. The Indians advocated their side at this meeting with much ability.

General Butler subsequently attended at Fort McIntosh, and in September, 1785, left his home in Carlisle to proceed to the Miami, where it was thought desirable a treaty should be made. He kept a journal; which is full of interesting matter. From it we learn that the journey was down the river, and occupied considerable time. James Monroe, afterward President, and then a Member of Congress, accompanied him a considerable part of the way. Three months after starting, at the mouth of the Great Miami, a treaty was concluded between the American commissioners - General Parsons, General Butler, and General Clark - and several tribes of Indians. The honors were with General Butler, who delivered the principal address to the Indians. 'Tradition has imparted to this scene some startling particulars not to be found corroborated in history.

In 1791 he joined the expedition of St. Clair, together with a brother, Colonel Butler. He was appointed second in command, and was charged with the arrangements necessary for the recruiting service. He established a rendezvous at Baltimore, and several points in Pennsy]. vania. Those enlisted east of the mountains assembled at Carlisle, where they were disciplined and. prepared to march for the West. He joined the army at Fort Hamilton, on the 27th of September, and the army was set in motion on the 4th of October, being led by General Butler. They crossed the river by wading. At Fort Hamilton, General St. Clair issued an order prohibiting more than two or three women for each company from proceeding with the army. This, however, was disregarded, and when the men commenced crossing the river they also plunged into the stream, but the water being deep, their progress was considerably obstructed by their clothes. Many of them got out of the water on the artillery carriages, and rode over astride of the cannon.

We have elsewhere given an account of the march to the fatal field where St. Clair's army was destroyed. General Butler had been active and vigilant, and when the attack came, on the 4th of November, fought bravely. He and Gendeal St. Clair were continually going up and down the lines. As one of them went up one line, the other was going down the other line. About an hour after the charge made by Major Thomas Butler's troops, General Richard Butler was mortally wounded, when passing on the left of that battalion. Four soldiers put him ina blanket, and carried him back to have his wounds dressed by a surgeon. They placed him in a sitting posture on the blanket, leaning against a tree. He was vomiting blood at the time. Almost immediately afterward, while the surgeon was examining General Butler's wounds, a single Indian, who had penetrated the ranks of the regiment, darted forward, and tomahawked and scalped the general before his attendants were aware and could interfere. _

Such was the end of life to this brave soldier. He came of a patriotic family, three of his brothers having been in the service of the United States, fighting nobly for us. His son has caused his journal to be published ; and the other descendants of the family have filled high stations in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

General St. Clair

ArtuHur St. Crate, once governor of the Northwest Territory, and a soldier of the Revolution, was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was born in the year 1735. He received a classical education, and afterward studied medicine. He became a surgeon in the British army, and in that capacity crossed the ocean. He served under Wolfe, at Quebec, actively participating in the fighting when that city was taken, and previously being in General Amherst's army, as a member of the Sixtieth British Regiment, at the taking of Louisbourg, in 1758. After the peace with France, in 1768, he was assigned to the command of Fort Ligonier, in Western Pennsylvania, receiving there a grant of a thousand acres of land. In 1771 he was commissioned as a justice of the peace of Bedford County, and by virtue of his 6ffice sat as one of the judges. In 1773, upon the organization of Western Pennsylvania into the county of Westmoreland, Arthur St. Clair was appointed prothonotary, or clerk of the court. St. Clair also represented the Penn family in the western portion of the colony, a highly honorable position. When the war broke out, he espoused the cause of the colonists, and was appointed a colonel of Continentals. In six weeks he was ready for the field. A month after the Declaration of Independence he was appointed a brigadier-general, and served as such in the battles of Princeton and Trenton. The next year he was made a major-general, and placed in command of Fort Ticonderoga, which, though garrisoned by two thousand men, he abandoned at the approach of Burgoyne. For this action he was charged with incapacity and cowardice, but after a thorough investigation of the circumstances by a court-martial, he was honorably acquitted, and Congress, by a unanimous vote, indorsed the decision - his action, however unpopular, being justified as a wise one, since an attempt to hold the works must have resulted in defeat, with a useless sacrifice of men whose were needed elsewhere.

Yorktown in 1781, at the surrender of Cornwallis. Subsequently, he joined the army of General Greene, in the South, and when the war closed, returned to his home in Ligonier, and engaged in the labors of his farm. In 1786 he was appointed a delegate to the Continental Congress, and was soon after chosen president of that august body. After the passage of an act for the government of the Northwest Territory, he was appointed the governor, coming to Cincinnati, then Fort Washington, and organizing the county of Hamilton, in 1790. In 1791 he commanded the expedition known by his name, which had for its object the punishment of the Indians who lived on the table-land between the Lake and the Ohio River. -

'General St. Clair," says Mr. Smucker, 'received elaborate instructions from General Knox, the Secretary of War, and in April proceeded to Pittsburg to complete arrangements for raising his army and organizing it. General Richard Butler, of Pennsylvania, a gallant officer in the Revolution, who served with honor in Morgan's rifle corps, and was the ranking officer of the Pennsylvania levies, was appointed the second officer in St. Clair's army. He was actively engaged, in the Spring and early Summer, in recruiting. Slowly the troops gathered at Fort Washington and Ludlow Station, 'six miles distant, when, on the 17th of September, being then 2,300 strong, they marched forward and built Fort Hamilton, the first in the chain of forts to the Maumee, being distant twenty-two miles from Fort Washington. On the 12th of October they commenced the erection of Fort Jefferson, forty-four miles from Fort Hamilton, within the present county of Darke, six miles from Greenville, the county seat. On the 24th of October the march was resumed, the fort having been completed. The commander-in-chief was suffering from sickness, provisions were not abundant, the roads were wet and heavy, the militia were daily deserting, and circumstances generally were unfavorable for a successful campaign, the effective men now numbering only 1,500, not including those that were garrisoning Forts Hamilton and Jefferson and those looking after the deserters and guarding the supply-trains. Such being the condition of things on the evening of November 3d, when the army was encamped on a branch of the Wabash, now in Mercer County, Ohio, within a mile or two of the Indiana State line and in the south-western part of the county, five miles distant from the Darke County line. Here, on the morning of November 4, 1791, was defeated and fearfully cut up the* army of General St. Clair by probably about 2,000 Indians, the militia being first attacked, who gave way. The right wing or first line was commanded by General Butler, and the second line by Colonel Darke. The militia under the command of Colonel Oldham had been marched across the small, fordable stream, a tributary of the Wabash, and encamped on high ground, about fee hundred yards distant from the first line, or right wing,

'"The battle commenced early in the morning, and continued three or four hours. General St. Clair was evidently surprised, both as to the time of the attack and as to the strength of the enemy. He had no idea that the wily savages were present in such overwhelming numbers. In the last personal interview had with President Washington, St. Clair was reminded by him of the character of the enemy he was to encounter, and was, moreover, earnestly and repeatedly admonished against being surprised. No marvel, therefore, at the strong and emphatic expressions and very unusual manifestations of grief and disappointment by the President when hearing of the disastrous defeat of his former gallant and esteemed companion in arms, and of the almost total destruction of his army !

'"'Tt may be urged in extenuation that General St. Clair failed, from some cause, to obtain a knowledge of certain facts that were reported to Colonel Oldham and General Butler by Captain Sloo, as the result of reconnoitering outside of the camp until midnight, and which facts were well calculated to raise the presumption of the presence of the enemy in considerable strength. Had the information obtained by Captain Sloo been communicated promptly to the commander-in-chief he would probably have been more vigilant.

'At about half an hour before sunrise (but after the morning parade), the militia, posted as above indicated and while engaged in preparing their morning meal, were unexpectedly attacked by a large body of Indians, supposed to have been commanded by the infamous renegade, Simon Girty. The distinguished ' Little Turtle,' however, was chief commander of the Indians. An attack upon raw militia under circumstances so well calculated to throw them into confusion was, of course, successful. They made a small show of fight upon the first onslaught, but soon fled (many of them throwing away their arms), ran over the creek and through the first line of the main army, producing there some consternation and disorder. The Indians closely pursued, and in a short time the battle became general, the enemy being in force sufficient to make simultaneous assaults almost around the entire encampment of St. Clair's army. In General St. Clair's official account of the battle it is stated that the great weight of the enemy's fire was directed chiefly against the center of the first and second lines, where he had placed his artillery, and that his artillerists were repeatedly driven from their positions by the enemy, with great slaughter. Great confusion thereupon ensued, and Colonel Darke was ordered to make a bayonet charge upon the enemy, with a view of turning their left flank. This order was executed with great spirit, and the Indians gave way and were driven back three or four hundred yards; but, for want of a sufficient number of riflemen to pursue this advantage, the Indians soon renewed the attack with much vigor, being probably re-enforced, and Colonel Darke and his troops were in turn obliged to | give way and retreat. A similar order, and with the same results, was executed in gallant style by the second regiment, composed of the battalions of Majors Butler and Clark. For several hours these successes and reverses rapidly followed each other, continually resulting, however, in great loss of life, especially among the officers. All the officers of the second regiment were killed or seriously wounded, except three; and when the artillery was all silenced every artillery officer had been killed except Captain Ford, and he was badly wounded.

'* For three hours the battle thus raged, and the conduct of the troops (after the flight of the militia at the commencement) was worthy of all praise. By this time more than half of the army had fallen, and an immediate retreat was decided upon. The remnant of the army was accordingly placed in position to march toward Fort Jefferson; but to get possession of the road leading to that point another bayonet charge had to be made upon the enemy, which was attended with further loss of life. The artillery was all abandoned, of necessity, as not a single artillery horse was left alive. During the entire engagement General St. Clair was in the thickest of the fight, and narrowly escaped with his life, a number of balls having passed through his clothes, and three horses being killed under him or as he was endeavoring to mount them. He left the field at last on a pack-horse, which he had hurriedly mounted after his third horse was shot, just before the retreat was ordered.

"The retreat, of course, was precipitate, a flight rather, the Indians pursuing the routed army for four miles, killing many that were unable, from various causes, to keep up with the main body, which reached Fort Jefferson late in the day..

'"'Six hundred and thirty men were killed, and two hundred and forty were wounded, not counting civilians, such as wagoners, drivers of cattle, pack-horsemen, and others. Quite a number of women - the wives of soldiers - were also killed or wounded. The proportion of officers lost in this disastrous campaign was unusually large. Among the conspicuous officers killed were General Richard Butler, Colonel Oldham, and Majors Ferguson, Hart, and Clark. Adjutant-general Winthrop Sargent, Colonel William Darke, Lieutenant-colonel Gibson, Major Butler, and the Viscount Malartie (the gen eral's aid-de-camp) were of the wounded. Many captains, lieutenants, and other subaltern officers were also killed or wounded.

"At a council of war held at Fort Jefferson on the night of the 4th of November it was decided. to return with all due speed to Fort Washington, which point was reached on the evening of. the 8th of November, the army leaving Fort Jefferson at ten o'clock at night, soon

''The principal tribes which General St. Clair's army encountered were the Delawares, M iamis, Shawnees, Wyandots, and Ottawas, with some Chippewas, and Pottawattomies. The number of warriors in the battle has never been ascertained; their estimated strength generally ranges, however, between one thousand and three thousand. General St. Clair in his special report stated that 'he was overpowered by numbers; that in a few minutes after the attack his whole camp, which extended above three hundred and fifty yards in length, was entirely surrounded and attacked on all quarters.'

'*General St. Clair made an official report of his engagement with the Indians to the Secretary of War, General Knox, under date of November 9th, and on the 12th of December that officer communicated its substance to Congress.

'General St. Clair, aware of the public odium that rested upon him, asked of the President the appointment of a court of inquiry to investigate his conduct. This was not deemed expedient; but a committee of Congress was appointed, on motion of Mr. Giles, of Virginia, to consider the subject, who, after maturely deliberating upon the matter referred to them, reported ' that the causes of the failure of the expedition were the delay in the late passage of the act for that purpose; the delay caused by neglect in the quartermaster's department; the lateness of the season when the expedition was commenced ; and the want of discipline and experience in the troops.' The report concluded with a full and complete exoneration of General St. Clair 'from all blame in relation to every thing before and during the action.' In commenting upon his honorable acquittal of all blame by the committee of Congress appointed to inquire into the causes of the failure of the expedition, and of the concurrence therein by the Secretary of War, as given in a report to Congress, Judge Marshall, in his Life of Washington, remarks with his usual felicity of manner, 'that more satisfactory testimony in favor of St. Clair is furnished by the circumstance that he still retained the undiminished esteem and good opinion of President Washington.'

'"' Notwithstanding the foregoing facts, which were highly favorable to him, General St. Clair became very unpopular with the unthinking, inconsiderate masses, and continued to be a greatly maligned patriot. He had been defeated, and that was sufficient with the ignorant, the thoughtless, and with superficial thinkers and those of limited knowledge of the facts of the case, to bring down upon him, all over the country, 'one loud and merciless outcry of abuse, and even detestation.' The undoubted patriotism, unflinching courage, and eminent services to his country of General St. Clair were worse requited by his countrymen, and his reputation held further below his real merits by them, than was the case with any other of the many gallant chieftains who apeared upon the fiery theater of Western Indian warfare. If our Western history furnishes a parallel to it, it is presented in the case of Captain Michael Cresap, with whose reputation his countrymen have also dealt with exceeding harshness ; and I might place General William Hull in the same category."

General St. Clair held the office of territorial governor until 1802, the year after the transference of the capital from Cincinnati to Chillicothe, when he was removed by President Jefferson. The reason of his removal is stated by Judge Burnet to have been dissatisfaction caused by his seeming disposition to enlarge his own powers and restrict those of the territorial legislature, which was manifested in his veto of nineteen out of thirty bills passed at its first session. Judge Burnet, in his favor, adds: "'He not only believed that the power he claimed belonged legitimately to the executive, but was convinced that the manner in which he exercised it was imposed on him as a duty by the ordinance, and was calculated to advance the best interests of the Territory." While in the public service General St. Clair had neglected his private interests, and at the close of his official career he returned to Ligonier, in Pennsylvania, poor, aged, and infirm. The State of Pennsylvania granted him an annuity, however, a few years afterward, which comfortably supported him during the remainder of his life. He was a man of superior ability, fair scholarship, and of unquestionable patriotism and integrity. He is described as having been, while in public life, plain and simple in his dress and equipage, open and frank in his manners, and accessible to persons of every rank. His family consisted of one. son and three daughters. Arthur St. Clair, the son, was many years ago a prominent lawyer in Cincinnati, and was the first prosecuting attorney of Butler County. One of the daughters also lived here for many years. Robert Clarke & Co., of Cincinnati, are about to publish the papers of General St. Clair, which have been in possession of the State of Ohio for years, and justice will then be done to his memory. The volume will be edited by William Henry Smith, of Chicago, and will contain a copious biography.

Israel Ludlow

IsrAEL LupLow, an early surveyor of the Northwest Territory and the founder of the town of Hamilton, was born at Long Hill Farm, near Morristown, New J ersey, in 1765. His ancestors were English, and emigrated to

New Jersey from Shropshire, England, to escape persecution on the restoration of Charles the Second, the Ludlows having been actively identified with the cause of the parliament and prominent in the affairs of the commonwealth. The head of the family at that period, Sir ry , ~ : {

Edmund Ludlow, was one of the judges who passed sentence of death on Charles I, became lieutenant-general of Treland under Cromwell, and, banished after the restoration, died an exile in Vevay, Switzerland. Israel Ludlow was appointed, in 1787, by Thomas Hutchins, surveyorgeneral of the United States, who was '' assured" of his 'ability, diligence, and integrity," to survey for the government the boundary of the large tract of land purchased in this neighborhood by the New Jersey association, of which Judge John Cleves Symmes was principal director. He accepted the appointment, and received his instructions, with an order for a military escort to protect himself and assistants during their performance of the work. But the military posts on the western frontier had no soldiers to spare, and General Joseph Harmar, then in command of the forces in the Northwest Territory, advised Mr. Ludlow of the impossibility of giving his expedition an escort, at the same time warning him as to the danger of attempting the survey, without such protection, among the hostile tribes of the Ohio wilderness. But, being a man of great energy, Mr. Ludlow undertook the task, and, keeping up friendly intercourse with the Indians, they did not molest him or hinder his operations. In 1789 he became one-third partner, with Matthias Denman and Robert Patterson, in the proprietorship of the lands about Fort Washington, and is claimed to have given the present city of Cincinnati its name, in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, composed of officers who had served in the Revolutionary war, of which his father, Cornelius Ludlow, was a member. He began, in the year just mentioned, the survey of the town - a plat of which he placed on record. There was a controversy about its correctness, one having been previously made and recorded by another person; but the community soon became satisfied that the plat prepared and certified by Mr. Ludlow was the correct one. Ludlow Station was established in 1790 near the north line of the original town, a block-house having first been built for protection, the Indians at that date being exceedingly hostile and dangerous. In the Summer of 1791 General Arthur St. Clair's army encamped at and about the above-named station, previous to its march into the Indian territory. It was not until 1792 that Mr. Ludlow, then known as Colonel Ludlow, completed his survey of the Miami Purchase; but, having done so, in May of that year he made a full report of the survey, together with a report of all the expenses incidental thereto, which was accepted by Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury. Colonel Ludlow was subsequently the founder and sole proprietor of Hamilton, having surveyed its town plat in 1794.

There had been considerable competition for the location of the county seat, and Colonel Ludlow made several stipulations, which were not entirely filled, however, at the time of his death.

ton. After General Wayne's treaty with the Indians at Greenville, in the same year, Colonel Ludlow was appointed to survey the boundary line between the United States and the Indian Territory. This was a work of great danger; but it was of the highest importance that the boundary should be established; and, as no military escort could be furnished, he undertook the task, and, with only three backwoodsmen as spies to give warning of danger, he accomplished it. Colonel Ludlow married Charlotte, daughter of General James Chambers, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, November 10, 1786. He left four children, - James C., Sarah B., Israel L., and Martha C. Ludlow.

Thomas Irwin

Tus name should be preserved as that of one of the earliest pioneers. Thomas Irwin was born in the county of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the year 1768. His father was in humble circumstances, and in 1782 set out for the western frontier of Pennsylvania. Land was held so cheaply there that any one could get it, and Mr. Irwin took up a tract near Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The boy aided his father, in clearing up the farm there purchased, and remained with him until he was twenty-one years of age, when he set out for the West.

In company with James Burns and another neighbor, he journeyed to Pittsburg, where a small flat-boat was bought, in which the party intended floating down the Ohio River. They set out on their voyage on the last week in March, 1789, and at Wheeling were joined by a family which had intended going on to Kentucky with them. Becoming frightened, however, they refused to proceed, and Mr. Irwin and his companions went on without them. They had reason for apprehension. The Indians were in the habit of shooting at the travelers, which they could do with impunity, as the boats offered a very distinct mark, and those who fired at them did so under the shelter of the trees and bushes on the shore.

Two of those who had started with Irwin left him at Limestone, and he and Burns proceeded on their voyage down the stream. Arrived at Columbia, they spent some time in examining the place, which had just then begun. There were a number of families living there, in a very exposed situation, scattered over a wide extent. Eight miles further down there was another small settlement, opposite the mouth of the Licking River, but offering no superior advantages. As they wished to see it, they took their guns and went overland, through bushes and thickets, till they reached a double shanty, occupied by seven men, most of whom had been employed. the. previous Winter in surveying Symmes's purchase. This was the first improvement made in Cincinnati, and these persons were the first settlers of Cincinnati. Joel Williams, an agent of the owners, was also there, and he encouraged

The first hewed log-house was erected by Robert Benham, and Irwin and all the men in the settlement helped to put it up. It was situated near Front and Main. The settlers at that time had to depend chiefly upon the hunters for their meat. Irwin went frequently on these excursions, and much improved his knowledge of hunting thereby. No Indians were visible at this time. Mr. Irwin, three months after arrival, accompanied one of the settlers, Mr. Kitchell, up stream, in a boat which had been built at the infant settlement, after a tedious time arriving at Wheeling, and then going to his father's house in Pennsylvania, where he remained until the following year. In the Summer of 1789 Major Doughty descended the Ohio River from Fort Harmar, at the mouth of the Muskingum, with one hundred and forty men, and began the construction of a fort at the settlement opposite the mouth of the Licking. This structure, known as Fort Washington, was one of the best forts of wood ever built in the West. Josiah Harmar, who had borne arms with credit as a colonel during the Revolutionary War, was commissioned as brigadier-general, and assigned to the command of the Western army, in 1789. He arrived at Fort Washington with three hundred men, on the twenty-

"ninth day of December in that year. The continuance of Indian hostilities and depredations on the infant settlements of the West determined the general government to make an effort to terminate the war by marching an army into the Indian country, and attacking the enemy on their own ground. A call for volunteers and a requisition or draft of militia from the States of Pennsylvania and Kentucky were made for the contemplated expedition, under the command of General Harmar, against the Indians. Major. James Paul, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, raised a battalion of volunteers, which was joined by Thomas Irwin. He belonged to the company under the command of Captain Faulkner, who had been an officer in the War of the Revolution. Mr. Irwin was elected ensign, and Mr. Hueston lieutenant. They descended the Ohio River in boats, in December, 1790, landing at Fort Washington on the 19th. The principal object of the expedition was to destroy the Indian villages at and near the confluence of the St. Joseph River and St. Mary's River, where they unite and form the Maumee, near where Fort Wayne was afterward built. Colonel Hardin took the advance, and marched to Turtle Creek, a short distance west of where the town of Lebanon now is, and there encamped, General Harmar following with the main body, four days later. His force consisted of three hundred and twenty soldiers of the regular army, forming two battalions, commanded respectively by Majors Wyllysand Doughty, and a company of artillery under the command of Captain Ferguson, with three brass pieces, and eight hundred and thirty-three volunteers and militia from Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

The army followed the trace made by General George Rogers Clark with his army in his expedition against the Indian towns in October, 1782, as far as the Piqua towns. The route pursued was through what is now the northeast part of Hamilton County, then by Lebanon, Xenia, and Mad River. The expedition was successful in one of its objects, that of burning the Indian town at the forks of the Maumee, and after this began sending out small parties to harass the Indians.

But a different fate awaited some of them. On the 18th of October a detachment of three hundred men was sent out with a view of seeing what discoveries they could make. Ensign Irwin was with this body, as was also Captain John Armstrong, afterward commandant at Fort Hamilton. They returned at sunset. The next morning the same troops were ordered out, and were placed under the command of Colonel Hardin. During the day they found numerous fresh tracks of Indians, who appeared to have been making a hasty retreat. Colonel Hardin was so eager for pursuit that he immediately started out with the principal portion of his troops, in such a hurry that he neglected to communicate his movements to Captain Faulkner, who was stationed at one side, and out of sight of the others.

The captain, however, discovered it soon, and followed. They had not gone far before they met Major Fontaine, who had returned to inform them of Colonel Hardin's movements. They were moved on at a quick pace, but in a short time met two of the mounted men, riding at full speed, having each a wounded man behind him. They called out '' Retreat! retreat! The main body in front is entirely defeated, and there are Indians enough to eat us all up." Captain Faulkner and his men, however, moved on until they gained an elevated piece of ground, when they discovered our troops in rapid retreat, the Indians in close pursuit, shouting and yelling like demons. The party to which Ensign Irwin belonged halted and formed a line on each side of the trace, and secreted themselves behind trees, intending to give the Indians a fire when they came up. The officers of the defeated party stopped when they reached where Captain Faulkner was, and remained in that position until all the retreating troops had passed by. When the Indians came up, the small party on either side of the trace gave them a fire, -which checked them for a moment, and thé detachment then slowly retreated, covering the fugitives. The latter continued coming into camp until twelve or one o'clock at night. It seemed that the Indians had set a trap for our troops, and we were caught in it.

After destroying every thing practicable, the army set out on its return march on the 21st of October. A few "i were left _ des! the proceedings of the Indians.

ney reported to Colonel Hardin the same night, and said that the Indians had returned to their camp, and were engaged in hunting for buried provisions. Colonel Hardin, inflamed with a desire to allow his troops to dis- tinguish themselves, and wipe off the stigma they had incurred a few days before, determined to attack the In- Ensign Irwin and seven men volunteered from Captain Faulkner's company. The troops were divided into two parties. Major Fontaine, who was in advance, stumbled upon a small number of men, who shot him as he sat upon his horse. This gave the alarm. The fight soon became general; the Indians fought with the greatest bravery and resolution, and stubbornly maintained their ground. At length, however, they yielded, and retreated. Our loss was great, but if the forces had been larger, it was the general opinion we-should have inflicted upon them a lasting chastisement. In this engagement there were killed, on the American side, one hundred and seventy-eight, and twenty-one were wounded. The number of Indians killed could never be ascertained, but Mr. Irwin was of opinion that their loss was very heavy.

An affecting incident occurred at the place of crossing the river. A young Indian, with his father and brother, was crossing the river, when a ball from the rifle of a white man passed through the body of the young Indian. The old man, seeing his boy fall, dropped his gun, and attempted to raise his son, in order to carry him beyond reach. At this moment his other son was also shot at his side. The old man drew them both to the shore, and then sat down between them, and with fearless composure awaited the approach of the pursuing foe, who soon came up, and killed him also.

Duncan McArthur, formerly governor of the State of Ohio, who was in this battle, relates the following circumstance, which tends to show the cool, undaunted courage of Mr. Irwin. While his company was covering the retreat of the troops, and slowly retiring before the fire of the enemy, the strap which held his powder-horm was cut from his shoulder by a ball. As soon as he missed it, he turned about, ran back several paces in the full face of a considerable body of the enemy, secured his powderhorn, and then again joined his companions in their retreat. He was soon again observed to halt and commence picking the flint of his gun. McArthur, who was close by him at the time, addressing him, said: '' Damn it, come along; the Indians are upon us." Irwin coolly replied: '"'I want to get one more shot before I leave them."

The army took up its line of march for Fort Washington the day after the battle, arriving on the third day of November. The Indians pursued them, in sight of the army, almost the whole distance, without, however, committing any serious depredations. As soon' as the army arrived at the fort, the militia were disbanded and dismissed, and General Harmar left soon afterward for Philadelphia, the seat of government. After the disbandment, Mr. Irwin remained in Cincinnati during the ensuing Winter and Summer.

surrounded the fort, and began firing at those within. Cox, afterward one of the first to take up lands in Union Township, happened to be out hunting in that neighborhood, and being satisfied in his own mind as to the cause, went to Cincinnati, and informed Governor St. Clair. A volunteer force of twenty-five or thirty men, of whom Irwin was one (being in Cincinnati at the time), turned out immediately. The same number of men were taken from the regulars, the whole being placed under the command of Captain Truman; and about twenty volunteered to go from Columbia the next morning. The Indians had, however, left before the troops reached the station. Two of the savages were found lying dead, as well as a white man, named Hunt, whom they had captured the day before.

About the 1st of September, 1791, Thomas Irwin joined St. Clair's army. He was engaged as one of the wagoners who had charge of the gun-carriages for transporting the cannon. The army moved from Ludlow's Station on the 17th of September, and marched, under the command of Colonel William Darke, to the Great Miami River, striking it about half a mile below where the court-house now is, in the city of Hamilton. There were two companies that had charge of the artillery wagons, Mr. Irwin belonging to one of these companies. They lay at this camp until the fort was built, or at least so far completed as to be in a Condition to receive a garrison.

We have sufficiently described the events of the campaign elsewhere, and shall only mention those matters which particularly concerned Mr. Irwin. At the disastrous defeat he was posted near the artillery, which was in the center of each wing, and against which the great weight of the attack was directed. The enemy, impelled to vigorous exertions by all the motives which operate on the savage mind, rushed up boldly, tomahawks in hand, to the very mouths of the cannon, and fought with the daring courage of men whose trade is war. The-artillerymen were driven from their posts with great slaughter, and two pieces were captured by the enemy. Shortly after, Colonel Darke charged the Indians with bayonets, and drove them out of their coverts with consternation. The artillery was retaken, and the Indians driven across the creek out of sight, when the colonel gave the order to march back. This they did through the mass of Indians, those they had driven back following and keeping up a deadly fire in their rear. When they arrived where the artillery and baggagewagons stood, they found them in the possession of the Indians, and surrounded by them in great numbers. By this time there were not more than thirty or forty of Colonel Darke's command left standing: the rest had been shot down, and were either killed or wounded. 'To avoid this fate for the remainder of the men, the little band charged again, and at the same time a charge was made on the other side by the battalions commanded by

Majors Butler and Clark. It was successful, and the artillery was again retaken. General St. Clair ordered up the whole train of artillery in order to sweep the bushes with grapeshot; but the horses and artillerymen were soon destroyed by the terrible fire of the enemy before any -effect could be produced. As fast as the artillerymen were shot down they were replaced by men from the infantry, but with no avail.

The men fell in-every portion of the camp. No more hotly contested action was ever fought. The ground was covered ,with the bodies of the dead and dying; the - freshly scalped heads were reeking with smoke, and in the heavy morning frost (as one who was present expressed himself) looked like so many pumpkins in a cornfield in December. The little ravine that led to the creek was literally running with blood. The men were evidently disheartened.

Under these circumstances, General St. Clair determined to save the lives of the survivors, if possible. The troops were massed, and by a charge regained the road from which they had previously been cut off. Thomas Irwin was near the front when the retreat began, but for some reason was delayed, and fell nearly in the rear. The savages were in full chase, and scarcely twenty yards behind him. He exerted himself to place a more respectable distance between himself and the pursuing foe, although it required considerable caution to avoid the bayonets of the guns which the men had thrown off in their retreat, with the sharp points toward the pursuers, great numbers of men haying thrown away their arms, running with all their might. The Indians pursued them about four miles.

The battle began half an hour before sunrise, and the retreat commenced about ten o'clock. They reached Fort Jefferson a little before dark.

In the month of December following, Mr. Irwin hay-' ing received his discharge, left Cincinnati, and returned to his father's residence in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The next April Mr. Irwin again descended the Ohio River to Cincinnati, and in January, 1793, was married in Cincinnati, by Justice William McMillan, to Miss Ann Larimore. He remained there a few years, when he removed to this county, buying land in the neighborhood of Blue Ball, Lemon Township, where he resided until the time of his death. As the country was entirely new, he had much work in clearing up the trees, and erecting the necessary buildings.

In the war of 1812 he served a tour of duty of six months as a major in the Ohio militia, under the command of General John 8. Gano. The regiment in which Major Irwin served was commanded by Colonel Henry Tumalt. After the expiration of his term of service he returned to his home, in March, 1814. This closed his active military career, but shortly after he was elected a colonel, and commanded a regiment of militia, which gave him the title of colonel, by which he was uniformly called.

In October, 1808, Mr. Irwin was elected a member of the State Senate of Ohio, to which he was successively reelected until his whole term of service was twelve years, or until the year 1820. In the Fall of 1824 he was chosen to the Lower House of the Legislature from Butler County, and served in that body one 'session. In 1823 he was eleeted a justice of the peace for Lemon Township, holding the position for nineteen years. He always discouraged strife, and invariably counseled a peaceful settlement of any matter brought before him.

Colonel Thomas Irwin died on Sunday evening, October 3, 1847, aged eighty-one years. On the succeeding Tuesday his remains were interred with military honors by the Monroe Guards, in the burying-ground of Mount Pleasant, a little north of Monroe. He died a consistent Christian, having been an elder in the Associate Reformed Church from 1805. He was a man of exemplary habits,

Samuel Dick

Our country owed much of its rapid development to those who came here from foreign lands to seek their fortunes. Among these, in proportion to its size, Ireland has been the most prolific. Fully one quarter of our population have some Irish blood in their veins. Among these hardy immigrants was Samuel Dick, a native of the

.county of Antrim, where he was born on the 21st of April, 1764. His parents, who were in a respectable position of life, died when he was quite young, and left him to the care of some relatives. In the Spring of the year 1783, being then nineteen years of age, he sailed from Belfast for America. Two of his brothers were settled in Baltimore, where they had been selling goods, but on his arrival they proposed to take him into partnership, and establish themselves in business in Gettysburg. He refused this offer, although they were well-to-do and he was poor, for he had resolved to carve out his own fortunes. He went, however, with his brothers to Gettysburg, with the intention of going to school that Winter; but only.a few days after his arrival he met some one who wished to have brandy distilled from apples. Mr. Dick was somewhat acquainted with the process, and offered his aid. It was accepted, and in this same employment he remained all Winter, being well compensated.

The next Spring the young man crossed the Alleghanies, and among other things he engaged to teach the son of Mr. George Gillespie the art of distilling. This necessarily brought him much about the house, and in frequent intercourse with the family, which resulted in an intimate and lasting friendship. Mr. Gillespie had a daughter, Martha, of comely figure and good disposition, whom Mr. Dick admired very much. One day her father treated her rather harshly, and in a fit of exasperation she said she would accept the first respectable man that offered. Mr. Dick was close by, and said to her, said in a joke was taken in earnest, and he married her in 1785. They lived in great harmony together until her death, at the homestead on Indian Creek, in 1833.

The place where he was residing at the time of his marriage was Washington County, Pennsylvania; but in 1790 he concluded to go farther West, taking his wife and two children with him. He purchased a lot in the new settlement of Cincinnati, on which he erected a house. He opened a grocery, and occasionally was_engaged in forwarding provisions and supplies for the troops at Fort Hamilton and other forts in the interior. He afterward kept a tavern in the house where he resided. He was one of those who went forth to the relief of Dunlap's Station, when it was attacked, and also saw Harmar, St. Clair, and Wayne each march out on their respective expeditions.

At an early period he became the purchaser of a section of land containing six hundred and forty acres, lying on the head-waters of what is now known as Dick's Creek, adjoining the Butler County line, in Warren County. The United States lands west of the Great Miami River were first brought into market in the year 1801. At the first sale Mr. Dick bought six hundred and forty acres in the rich bottom of Indian Creek, in the present town of Ross, where he removed the next year. On this land he spent the remainder of his days, bringing up his family in great respectability.

Mr. Dick was one of the grand jurors in July, 1803, at the first session of the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County. At the general election in October, 1803, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the State of Ohio that met at Chillicothe, on the first Monday of December in that year. He served in the Legislature during that session, but ever afterward refused to permit his name to be used for office.

He died at the house of his son-in-law, Judge Fergus Anderson, in Ross Township, on the 4th of August, 1846, aged eighty-two years; and was buried beside his wife, in the burying-ground at Bethel Chapel. He was a man of high moral principle, thorough and painstaking, prompt in his engagements, and full of sagacity. His business undertakings were successful, and he amassed a considerable fortune. During a great portion of his life he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in his will bequeathed a legacy to the one in Venice, which he attended.

He left five sons and four daughters. George, who married Jane Anderson; David, who married Judith Bigham; Samuel; James; Elizabeth, who married Joseph Wilson; Jane, who married John Wilson; Mary, who married Fergus Anderson; Martha, who married James Bigham; and Susan, who married Thomas J. Shields.

James Shields The War Of 1812

born in the year 1763. He received the rudiments of the Latin and Greek languages'at a classical school in his native land, and completed his education at the University of Glasgow. He had a quick and retentive memory, a sound, discriminating judgment, and a heart formed for friendship and benevolence. Possessing a mind so capable of receiving and retaining instruction, and enjoying the advantage of well-qualified tutors, it need not be wondered at that he laid a deep and solid foundation for future improvement. He had an extensive acquaintance with every branch of useful knowledge. With natural, civil, and ecclesiastical history, and with law, physic, and divinity, he obtained a very general acquaintance. Few men possessing knowledge so various and extensive made so little display of their attainments or so reluctantly acknowledged the extent of their acquisitions.

Having early imbibed an ardent love of liberty, with an unconquerable aversion to priestly and royal domination, he resolved to leave the land of his birth, and to cast in his lot with the sons of freedom in the United States. He landed in this country in 1791. He spent a short time in the State of Pennsylvania, after which he removed to Virginia. In this State he spent thirteen years in cultivating his own mind, and in the useful and honorable employment of instructing youth. In 1804 he married Miss Jane Wright, daughter of Mr. James Wright, of Berkeley County, Virginia. In 1805 he removed to Morgan Township, in this county, where he had previously purchased land. - He began farming in the midst of a dense forest, surrounded by few settlers, and these entire strangers. It must be confessed that from the natural disposition and former habits of Mr. Shields, he was little qualified for this course of life. But while he was reasonably successful in his undertaking, he ' speedily rose to a commanding influence among his fellowcitizens, that must have recompensed him for the failure to reap great pecuniary success. His immediate neighbors soon discovered that they were blessed with a friend of superior acquirements, and they uniformly looked up to him for counsel, but never in vain.

He was successful in political life. He never took a step, wrote a line, or dropped an expression to obtain preferment, yet the public demonstrated their conviction of his superior worth by sending him to the State Legislature for a period of nineteen years. He was chosen a presidential elector, and for the last two years of his life was a member of Congress. Each and all of the duties incumbent upon these stations were discharged with the utmost punctuality and regularity, and although, when Congress assembled for its second term, the disease had begun which finally carried him off, he would not allow himself to be absent from any session. His duty was to be there, and he was there.

Mr. Shields was a man of the highest moral character. During his long residence in Morgan Township all with whom he had any intercourse knew that he would never

He was In pecunapproach a dishonorable cases, his bond, and his which he had witnessed was never disputed. uniformly abstemious in eating and drinking. iary transactions he would rather suffer loss than contend with a neighbor. His conduct was uniform. He was never seen at any convivial party, without a special call on important business; and wherever he was, in his family, on his farm, in a party of friends, or in public company, his conduct strictly conformed to the rules of moral | rectitude.

He was an enlightened and firm believer in revealed religion. Few men have studied the subject more diligently. He had read, not only those brief and ephemeral attacks on Christianity which are at all times to be found, but also those more learned and elaborate works of Herbert, Hobbes, Bolingbroke, Hume, Gibbon, Voltaire, Volney, and Rousseau. He was a man who made up his opinion on evidence, and consequently read the answers to infidel publications written by Leland, Halyburton, Les-