Hanover Township (part 4 of 29)

The first hewed log-house was erected by Robert Benham, and Irwin and all the men in the settlement h oped 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 ex- - cursions, and much improved his knowledge of hunting I j thereby. No Indians were visible at this time. Mr.' j Irwin, three months after arrival, accompanied one of the j settlers, Mr. Kitchell, up stream, in a boat which had j been built at the infant settlement, after a tedious time j arriving at Wheeling, and then going -to his father's house - j in- Pennsylvania,* where' he remained until the following- i year. In the Summer of 1789 Major Doughty descended the Ohio River from Fort Hanna r, 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. Josinh 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- i ninth day of December in that year. The con H nuance ; 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 i 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 j and Kentucky were made for the contemplated expedition, under the command of General Harmar, against i the Indians. Major James Paul, of Uniontown, Penn- i

I scended the Ohio River in boats, in December, 1790, land- I ; ing at Fort Washington ou the lffth^. The principal ol>- j jeet of the expedition was to destroy the Indian villages 1 at and near the confluence of the St. Joseph River and i St. Maw'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 nosv is, and there encamped. General Harmar following with the main hotly, four davs later. II is force consisted of three hundred and twenty soldiers of the regular army, firming two battal'ons, eommauded respectively by Majors Wylly.-and Doughty, and a comoan - of artillery uuii-r fit*' command of 1 aptain Ferguson, with three brass pieces, and eight hundred and thirty-three volunteers and militia from Pennsylvania aud Kentucky.

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

But a different fate awaited some of them. On the ' 18th of October a detachment of three hundred men was I sent out with a view of seeing what discoveries they could j 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 th.e 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 lie neglected to communfoate 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 j in a short time met two of the mounted men, riding at j full speed, having each a wounded man behind him. j They called out "Retreat! retreat! The main body in i 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 hi 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 I ecreted themselves behind trees, intending to give the j Indians a fire when they came up. The officers of the j 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 tire, which checked them for a moment, and the 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 .-oc out on its return march on the 21st of October. A few men wore left to watch the proceedings of the Indians. The}' icported to Colonel Harbin the same night, ami said that the Indians hah r turned to their camp, and were engaged in hunting for buried provisions. Colonel Hardin, inflamed with a desire to allow hi> troops to distinguish themselves, and wine off the stigma they had t incurred a few days before, determined to attack the In- ? dians. Ensign Irwin and seven men volunteered from j Captain Faulkner's company. The troops were divided | into two parties. Major Fontaine, who was in advance, j stumbled upon a small number of nan, 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 j their ground. At length, however, they yielded, and re- | treated. Our loss was great, but it the forces had been j 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 ] Air. Irwin was of opinion that their loss was very heavy, j

| brother, was crossing the river, when a ball from the rifle j of a white man passed through the body of the young j Indian. The old man, seeing his hoy fall, dropped his j gun, and attempted to raise his sou, in order to carry j 1dm beyond reach. At this moment his other son was -

Duncan McArthur, formerly governor of the State of Ohio, who was in this battle, relates the following cireuin- j stance, which tends to show the cool, undaunted courage of Air. Irwin. While his company was covering the re- ! treat of the troops, and slowly retiring before the lire of j the enemy, the strap which held his powder-horn was cut j from his shoulder by a ball. As soon as he missed it, he j turned about, ran back several paces in the full face of j a considerable bodv of the enemy, secured his powder-* horn, and then again joined ids companions in their re- j treat. He was soon again observed to halt and com- j menee picking the flint of Ids gun. AIcArthur, w ho was j 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 j them."

The army took up its line of march for Fort Washington the day after the battle, arriving on the third 1 day of-Xovember. 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 Iiarnmr left soou afterward for Philadelphia, t lie seat of government. After the disbandment, Air. Irwin remained in C.uoiuaati do mg the ensuing Winter and Summer.

surrounded die fort, and began firing at those within. ! ('ox, afterward one of the first to take up lands in Union j Township, happened to be out hunting in that neighborhood, and being satisfied in bis own mind as to the cause, j went to Cincinnati, and informed Governor St. Clair, j A volunteer force of twenty-five or thirty men, of whom Irwin was one (being m Cincinnati at the time); turned j out immediately. The same number of men were taken ; from the regulars, the whole being placed under the j command of Captain Truman : and about twenty volun- ; teered to go from Columbia the next morning. The Indiaus had, however, lei't before the troops reached the i station. Two of the savages were found lying dead, as well as a white man, named Hunt, whom they had cap- 1 t a red the day before.

About the 1st of September, 1791, Thomas Irwin joined St. Clair's army. He was engaged as one ot 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 1 the command of Colonel A illiam Darke, to the Great j Miami 'River, striking it about half a mile below where j the court-house now is, -in the city of Hamilton. There ! were two companies that had charge ot the artillery \ wagons, Mr. Irwin belonging to one of these companies. | They lay at this camp until the fort was built, or at J 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 i 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 I operate on the savage mind, rushed up -boldly, toma- i hawks in hand, to the very mouths of the cannon, and j fought with the daring courage of men whose trade is j war. The artillerymen were driven from thei - posts with | great slaughter, and two pieces were captured by the j enemy. Shortly after, Colonel Darke charged the In- j diaus with bayonets, and drove them out of their coverts S with consternation. The artillery .was retaken, and the ! Indians driven across the creek out of sight, when the j colonel gave the order to march bark. This they did through the mass of Indians, those they had driven back i following aud keeping up a deadly tire in their rear, j A hen they arrived where the artillery and baggage- j wagons stood, they found them in the possession of the j Indians, aud surrounded by them in great numbers. By j -his time there were nor more than thirty or forty of , * louel Darke's command left -handing r the rest lt*J -hot down, and were either killed or wounded. To ; :iv"id this fate for the remainder of the men, the litll 1 band charged again, and at the same time a charge was j made on (ho other side bv l he battalions commanded by I

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 tire 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 Jed 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. Tire 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 having thrown away their arms, running with all their might. The Indians pursued them about four miles.

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

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

In the war of P'S 1 2 he served a tour of duty of mk months as a major in the Ohio militia, under the command of General John S. Gano. The regiment in whieh Major Irwin served was commanded by Colonel Houry Tumult. After the expiratioi of his term of service he returned to |ps hmne, in March, 1811. This - L.-ed hi- active miiitarycaroer, but shortly after !u was i touted a colonel, and commanded a regiim nf of militia, winch gave him the title of colonel, bv which he was uniformly called.

In October, 1808, Mr. Inviu 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 Fail 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 elected a justice of the peace for Lemon Township, holding the position for nineteen rears. 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-oiie years. On the succeeding Tuesday bis 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, haying been an elder in the Associate Reformed Church from 1805. He was a. man of exemplary habits, au affectionate father, and an irreproachable citizen.

Samuel Dicic

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 bis 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 White -; but only a few days after his arrival he met some our- 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, living well compensated.

The next Spring the young man crossed the AUeghauies, 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 friend>hip. Mr. Gillespie had a daughter, Martha, of comely figure and good disposition, whom Air. Dick admired very much. One day her father treated her rather harshls, and in a lit of exasperation she said she would accept the first respectable man that offered. Mr. Dick was close hv, and said to her, laughingly, " Here i.> your man." In the cud what was 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 Indiau Creek, in 1833.

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

1 At an early period he became the purchaser of a sec- I tion of land containing six hundred and forty acres, lying I on the head-waters of what is now known as Dick's Creek,

! The United States kinds west of the Great Miami River j were first brought into market in the year 1801. At the i first sale Mr. Dick bought six hundred and forty acres in the rich bottom of Indian Creek, in the present town j of Ross, where he removed the next year. On this land j lie spent the remainder of his days, bringing up his fnm- I ily in great respectability.

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

| aged eighty-two years: and was buried beside his wife, in j the burviug-ground at Bethel Chapel, lie was a man of high moral principle, thorough and painstaking, prompt in- his engagements, and full of sagacity. His business j undertakings were successful, and lie auia.-.-ed a eomider- I able fortune. During a great porti 'U of his life he was | a member of the Presbyterian Chur. h. and in Us will bequeathed a legacy to the one in Venice, which he atj ten* led.

He left five sons and four daughters. George, who | married Jane Anderson; David, who married Judith Big- 1 ham; Samuel; James; Elizabeth, who married Joseph, j Wilson; Jane, who married John Wiisou; Mary, who married Fergus Anderson; Martha, who married .Tames Bighani : and Susau, who married TLunas J. Shields.

James Shields The War Of 1312

iiorn 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 fur friendship and benevolence. Possessing a mind so capable of receiving and retaining instruction, and enjoving the advantage of well-qualified tutors, it need not Ik* 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 i imbibed an ardent love of liberty, with an unconquerable aversion to priestly and royal dominatieu, 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 lauded 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 W right, 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 tor 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 far 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 bv sending him to the State Legislali ire 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 ( on gross assembled for its second term, the disease had '"-gun which finally carried him of, lie would not allow himself to he absent from any session. If is duty was to G: there, and he was there.

Mr. Shields was a man of the highest moral character. Luring Lis long residence in Morgan Township all with "bom lie had any intercourse knew that he would never

.approach a dishonorable action. His word was, in all cases, his bond, and his declaration in regard to facts which he had- witnessed was never disputed. He was uniformly abstemious in eating and drinking. In pecuniary 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 bis opinion on evidence, and consequently read the answer's to infidel publications written by Belaud, Halyburton, Leslie, Watson, Paley, Beattie, Campbell, Chalmers, Dick, and others. His religious opinions were strictly evangelical and orthodox.

He was warmly attached to the Bible Society, Sabbathschools, missionary societies, the American Colonization Society, and every other institution which had for its object the illumination, liberty, and happiness of men. To establish a Sunday-school in his immediate neighborhood he exerted all his influence; and while he refused the superintendence of the school he most cheerfully became a teacher, and the diligent, profitable, and agreeable manner in which he taught was not soon forgotten by those who had the privilege of being his scholars. He was never absent, never late in. attendance. He attended public worship regularly.

James Shields died on the* 13th of August. 1831, after a lingering sickness. He had returned home from 'Washington, with extreme difficulty, and from the day of his arrival was generally confined in bed. He did not lose his cheerfulness, although his sufferings were great. lie left an affectionate wife and twelve children to lament their loss.

The War Of 1812

The second war with Great Britain was a very im-' povtant one to us. Yv ithout saying, as do some historians, that England had never given up her hopes of forcing us to conic back until after 1815, it is (dear that there were many questions upon which, it successful, she could have ordered matter- to suit herself. Her fleets could have filled rue Northern lakes; Oregon would have been hors, as well as a strip of more than one hundred miles wide running out to the Rock\ Mountains;

Maine wouiil have lost her northern frontier, and the Indians would have threatened us for the next quarter of ;i century. Here, in Butler County, a success to Great Britain meant an army marching down to Cincinnati, and devastation by the Indians all through the western part j of Ohio. Happily, we were victorious.

The declaration of war was immediately followed by | the raising of troops in Cincinnati, Dayton, Franklin, j Middletown, and Hamilton. There were at least eight j companies from this county, or chiefly from this county, but it is impossible to give a list of them. Their musterrolls are decaying in some garret, or have before this been ; used as kindling. The customary term of enlistment was 1 for six months, and several of the later companies embraced men who had been out before. The disastrous ex- [ pericnce of the American army at the beginning of the | Revolutionary War had not taught our authorities it's : rightful lesson, and we had again, at the opening of the Rebellion, to be shown that troops enlisted for short periods are of very little value. "When s'otne slight experience is gained, their terra is up, and it is time to go home again. I appointment. Thus a kind providence (though much against his own will) permitted Captain Collins and his men to escape the disaster by which the first army of the North was overtaken. They, however, held themselves in readiness for tiie next call. It was determined, in the course of the Summer, to furnish the army on the' northern frontier with an additional number of troops from Ohio. The counties of Hamilton, Clermont, Warren, and Butler were to make up one battalion, the counties farther north to make up another, the two to compose one regiment. Early in August he received ordeis to march with his company to the town of Lebanon, in the eountv of Warren, the place appointed for the rendezvous of the troops from the counties first named. Accordingly he ga re notice to the men composing the rifle company to parade in Hamilton on the tenth day of August, 1812, and a company ninety-two strong, including' officers, was on thcgrountl that day, a muster-roll of which was then made out, and was in his possession for many years. It A as follows :

Company Of Riflemen

In organizing the militia of the county, previous to the commencement of hostilities with England, two title companies were order, d to be made up by voluntary enrollment, one out of the militia residing on the east, the other but of the militia residing on the west side of the Miami River. Collins himself enrolled as a private soldier under Captain William Robeson, who had been elected to command the company on the west side of the river. Captain Robeson was, however, shortly after promoted to a brigade-major, and the company then chose his lieutenant. John Taylor, to be their commander. He died in 1811, arid Joel Collins was elected his successor. His commission bore date the 16th of May, 1812, giving him the -ank of captain of a rifle regiment; ho was attached to the first battalion, second regiment, third brigade, and first division of Ohio militia. In the Spring of the year 1812, General dames Findlay, who had command of the third brigade, in preparing to join Hull's army sent an order for the two rifle companies in Butter County to parade in the town of Hamilton on a given day. and the company which should have the largest number of volunteers on the grouud would have the honor of being taken into the service and attached to Findlay! regiment. General Findlay acted iu the capacity of a colonel in the expedition, under Genera! Hull. I ufortunateh for Captain Collins, as he thought at the time, many of Ids men were prevented from appearing, Kang unable to or< ~s the streams of water, that day hooded by the torrents or rain which had fallen tin night previous, and < Iptuiu John Robinson, who resided on Dick s Crock, Lemon Town-hip, who commanded the other iit!c company, received the

"Rrn: - Captain Collins la? agreed to meet the do- 1 tarh ment at Lebanon, as you wished. I promised to ! tlKin payment of his company about ten o'clock. He i has really one of the finest companies i ever saw; somewhere about one hundred strong. They are as fine, eheerful a set of fellows as can be well placed in exercise. Whatever is offered to them, they are ready and willing to march when and where they are wanted. 1 expect to be in Cincinnati to-morrow. They have some tents, and are preparing more. They expect orders from you for marching. I am, sir, respectfully,

They then marched to Lebanon, where they were J joined by three other rifle companies, under Captains \ McMeans, Leonard, and Hinkle, a company of artillery, under Captain Joseph Jenkinson, and a company of light infantry, under Captain Matthias Corwin. The commissioned officers met in the eArcning, and elected Captain Joseph Jenkinson major. The command of his company devolved on Lieutenant Gibson. Thus organized, they \ next day took up their line of march for Urbana, making j quite a formidable appearance. Bat before reaching the town of Dayton, they received the news that Hull and the whole of his army were made prisoners by the enemy, and that the British, with their Indian allies, were rapidly advancing upon the frontier settlement of the State.

At Urbana they were joined by the second battalion, under the command of Major James Galloway, of Xenia. The commissioned officers of these battalions elected David Sutton, of Warren Comity, to command the regiment. Colonel Sutton had raised a companv, and gone out with i the first array as a captain, had been sent into the interior j by General Hull, for the purpose of transacting some ! business connected with the army, and was with Jer.kin- j kiuson's battalion on his return, when they received the j ii telligencc of Hull's surrender.

General Hull, who was an old and esteemed officer of - the Revolutionary army, was iu command of the forces j oa our frontier. Being without proper support, and with- j out provisions, he surrendered his troops to the British, j ou the lGth of August, 1812. A storm was immediately j raised about his head, he was court-martialed, and his I countrymen mentioned his name, for years, with only less j ilc testation than that of Benedict Arnold. So strong was j the feeling of patriotism which pervaded the country at that time, that it appeared as if every able-bodied man, 1 whether old or young, who could possibly raise a horse | and gun, was on the move for the frontier, and in a few j days a large and nromi.-cuoU' multitude were colli cted in and about Urbana. But tiny wore without leaders, and knew not what to do. At length * iowrnor Meigs anil General Tapper, with other leading characters, appeared on the ground, with the agreeable news- that General !

Harrison was coming on to take command. Harrison was then governor of Indiana Territory, and had been invited to Frankfort, Kentucky, by Charles Scott, governor of Kentucky, to consult on the subject of defending the northwestern frontier. Governor Scott, on the 2-jih of August, 1812, appointed William Henry Harrison majorgeneral of the Kentucky militia, which appointment he accepted. This measure, although complained of by some at the time, appears to have answered a good purpose. The supposed defection of General Hall hud implanted a spirit of suspicion and distrust in the minds of both officers and men. and some of them, were not slow to express themselves unwilling to enter the service under the command of any but a man of acknowledged patriotism, and who possessed at least some experience in the art of war. The year before he had gained a brilliant victory over the Indians at the battle of Tippecanoe. The appointment of General Harrison, therefore, seemed to be a measure called for by the public feeling at the time. On the seventeenth day of September following the President of the United States appointed General Harrison commander-in-chief of all the troops in the Northwestern Territory.

Governor Meigs ga\re orders for the troops to spread out for the protection of the frontier. It was deemed proper, in making arrangements, to divide Colonel button's regiment; and Major Jenkinson, with his battalion, was ordered to file to the left, by way of Troy and Piqun, in the direction of Fort Wayne, while the colonel, with Galloway's battalion, joined the troops destined to form the center line, and took up his line of march in the direction of Fort McArthur. Soou after Jenkinsou's arrival at Piqun, General Harrison, with two or three regiments from Kentucky, appeared on the left wing, and assumed the command.

Major Jenkinson called a meeting --of his captains. «%'u after, and informed them that he had orders to send one company as au escort of a train of wagons on their way to Fort Wayne ; one company to act as road-cutters, to. open a wagon-way along Wayne's old trace from Fort Loramies to St. Mary's; and another company to relieve a company of militia from Ohio, stationed at Loramies; the remainder of the battalion to remain at Pinna for further orders. Major Jenkinson permitted the captains to decide the matter by lot, as to what compauy should he assigned to each particular duty. Tickets were accordingly prepared, and placed in a hat. On drawing them out, it. fell to the lot of Captain Collius and his compauy to open the road. They performed that duty in about eight days, and were directed to remain in their last encampment. One night, about ten o'clock, while thev were lying at that place. Lieutenant Nathaniel McClain came to them, as an expres-, r > inform them that Captain Corwin's company, which was acting as an escort to twenty wagons loaded with valuable supplies for the army, was encamped about three miles in their rear; that there was good reason to apprehend that a party of Indians intended to make an attack on the escort before morning; and that Captain Corwin wished Captain Collins to re-enforce him with as many men as lie could spare. Captain Collins soon had his company on parade, and was obliged to make a detail of j men to remain and keep their own camp, for every man i wanted to go to the relief of his comrades. Captain j Collins, with more than half his company, moved off iu quick time. Lieutenant McClain led the way, he being mounted on a horse furnished him by the wagoners. When Captain Collins arrived at the camp, Captain Corwin was himself 'going the rounds, relieving his guards, at that part of the line of sentinels which they first reached. He informed Captain Collins that a considerable number of the Wabash Indians (vbo pretended friendship for the w hites) had visited the settlements in the neighborhood of Piqua, with the expectation that the inhabitants would afford them maintenance through the Winter. But our army needed all the spare provisions, ! and the people, after these Indians had been among them a few weeks, became tired of them, and insisted on their returning to their own homes. They had left in rather an angry mood, two or three days before the departure of the wagons for Fort Wayne. It was also reported to him, by some of his men, that Indians had been seen in the dusk of the evening near his encampment, apparently j in the act of spying out his position. Besides, it seemed I reasonable to suppose that the contents of the wagons j afforded a strong temptation to a hand of starving sav- 1 ages, who, they had every reason to believe, were within 1 striking distance, and who knew that they were loaded j with the provisions they so much needed. He had thrown ! out a guard sufficiently strong to form a close chain of i sentinels entirely around his encampment, at least one j hundred and fifty paces in advance of the wagons. It I was decided that out of the re-enforcements now arrived, \ a second chain of sentinels should be made fifty paces in advance of the first line. Accordingly, Cap mu Collins proceeded to place at that distance one of his men opposite to each space between the sentinels of the first chain. While in the performance of that duty, Collins heard the snap of a musket, nearly in the direction he was going.

Here was an error committed for want of 1 bought. A notice of the plan adopied should, have been given to the sentinels before its execution commeuml. Mr. Collins, however, said he could not well censure Captain Corwin for nut performing that duty or making the sugj gestion, as he claimed to outrank him because of his age and experience, though it was a military blunder that had nearly cost him his life.

The encampment was not disturbed by the Indians during the night, but in the opinion of those experienced in Indian warfare, it was believed that .the care and vigilance of the escort in guarding against a surprise prevented them from making the attempt. It will be recollected that these same Indians shortly afterward became so hostile and took such a decided part against the whites that a regiment of six hundred men, composed of a few regulars, a volunteer company from Pennsylvania, and some militia from Kentucky and Ohio, were sent out under the command of Colonel Campbell of the regular army, to drive them from their towns and destroy their habitations. But before the colonel could finish, the In- I dians collected in great numbers, and gave him battle.

; Colonel Campbell and bis men, however, being on their guard and well prepared, succeeded in repulsing the enemy, with the loss, on his part, of some fifty men in killed and wounded.

There are man}' well known instances where the Tudians have abandoned a meditated attack because they could not find. the white people off their guard, and therefore could net take them by surprise. Kow, if Colonel Campbell of the standing army has justly received the applause of his countrymen for saving himself with the loss of fifty men Killed and wounded, there can be no impropriety in thinking well of a young militia captain who, by his own care aud the vigilance of his men, saved all without losing any thing.

The hostile Indians on the Wabash and Illinois having thrown themselves under the protection of the British, General Winchester left a small garrison for the protection of Fort Wayne, ami moved with his army down the Maumee. In the mean time, General Harrison had received his commission of major-general in the regular army of the United States. He had ordered Colonel William Jennings to join General Winchester at old Fort Defiance, at tiie mouth of the Auglaize River, with a large drove of beef cattle and other army supplies. Colonel Jennings was advised of the probable time at which General Winchester would, arrive at Defiance, and was ordered not to advance nearer than ten or fifteen miles without having certain intelligence that the army had arrived there. Our spies, however, discovered that old I Fort Defiance, at which they were to form this junction,

! was occupied by the British and Indians, at hast three I days after the time set for Geucral Winchester's arrival i there. This intelligence was immediately communicated by express to the commanding general at St. Mary's, w ho j ordered that the tro .ps at that place should iorthwiih he supplied with three days' rations, and au additional supply of gun-flints and ammunition : and by three o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, Colonels Poagos and I Barbees regiments of Kentucky volunteers. Colonel S:m- rail's regiment of dragoons, Garrard's troop of horse (also j front Kentucky), and Captain Collins's company of rifle- ! men, from Butler County, Ohio, amounting in all to up- | ward of two thousand men, were put in motion on a forced inarch, to ascertain what had become of General Winchester ; the light horse in front. Captain Collins's company of riflemen forming the rear-guard. The troops marched on at a quick step in this order until it became dark, when a halt was called. General Harrison, in riding round to form the hollow square, ordered Captain Collins to fill up with his company the space in the rear line, between the two Kentucky regiments of infantry-,

Colonel Jennings appeared to be much disappointed, and expressed his fears that the general would not receive the needful information in time. Captain Collins told him -that rather than that should be the case, if the general had left no orders for the disposition of his company, he would, if furnished . with a good horse, go with the Indians, make the examination, aud report to the general that night. This offer was readily accepted.

A horse and saddle were soon provided for Captain Collins. As soon as he was mounted Colonel Jennings brought to him the two Indians and James Conner, an interpreter. The Indian guides were young men, said to and to throw out a guard sufficiently strong to protect 1 his own front. At the break of day next morning, the bugles sounded, and they were again in motion. Shortly after sunrise it; commenced raining, and continued to rain hard all day. ! But they pushed on, without making a single halt, until four o'clock in the afternoon, when they arrived at Jennings' encampment, at the mouth of the Little Auglaize. The men, being burdened with heavy i packs and drenched in the rain, had a most fatiguing j and disagreeable day's travel. Toward evening it was i observed that numbers of the Kentuckians were lying by the way-side, entirely exhausted and unable to pro- j 'coed. Many of them were young gentlemen who had j been delicately raised, aud were unaccustomed. 10 hard- j ships of this kind. Captain Collins, and Ensign John j Hall of his company (being originally from Kentucky), j were rather disposed to sympathize wii.h them ; Lieutenant j Ephraim Gard, of the company, when lie came to where j any number of them had given out, would sing out at j the top of his voice, "Hook up, my rugged sons of Ohio, j these brave Kentuckians will soon be able to relieve the J rear guard." As further provocation, some of the rifle- j men would spring up and strike their heels together, as j they parsed. General Harrison was informed by an express, which met him at Fort Jennings, that the enemy j had retreated, and that General Winchester, with, his j army, now occupied the ground at Fort Defiance. He | thereupon gave orders that the regiments of Colonels ! Barbee and Poage, and Captain Collins's company of riflemen, should remain at Fort Jennings until further ! orders, and he continued his march, for Defiance. On the j next morning, Colonel Jennings ( with whom Captain Col- j bus had been acquainted in Kentucky, and to whom he had reported himself on the previous evening) came to where j Captain Collins's company were encamped, and inquired ! tor some men called mounted rangers pi small company "t whom had been for some time in the employ of the army as spies), stating that General Harrison had in- | termed him that some of those men were in the rear, ; ami would be up that night ; an 1 I ft orders that one or I two , if them should be sent with two friendly Indians to i ascertain whether the enemy in retreating had not taken the direction of Fort Wayne. Captain Collins was unable to give him any account of the men iuquind for. j be brothers, belonging to a: tribe residing on the Auglaize RiVer. They were directed to pilot Captain Collins to a point on the Maumee River, six miles above old Fort Defiance. One of the guides, through the interpreter, requested Captain Collins to remove a handkerchief which he had tied on his head, and by all means to keep his hat on ; for there was danger of their being taken as 1 tolonging to the enemy and fired on by the Kentuckians. Captain Collins -took the hint, and complied with the request. The Colonel ordered him to satisfy himself by a careful examination whether the enemy had or had not evaded the army of General Winchester, and were still on their march for Fort Wayne. They then started on their journey, and after they were clear of the encampment the elder of the two guides gave Captain Col lins to understand that, while they' would be careful to keep the proper course, the other man and Collins were to keep a good lookout in every direction, intimating that there -was danger of their falling in with the enemy. By pushing their horses as fast as they were able to go, they arrived at, Maumee River, above Defiance, a short time before night, and by the time they had made an examination sufficient to satisfy themselves that the enemy had not taken that- direction, it commenced getting dark. Captain Collins being much fatigued, and observing that the horses needed rest and time to feed, proposed that they should encamp for tie night; but the guides insisted that they could find the main army that night, and by signs gave him to understand that it was not more than four miles distant. Accordingly, they hurried ou, and about nine o'clock came in hearing of horse-bells, upon which the guides halted ; and when Captain Collins came up, one of them, ] lacing his mouth close to Collins's ear, said, in a low voice:

"Yes, yes," Collins replied, "General Harrison is here; come on;" and took his position in front of the guides. It was so dark that they were unable to see ouch other. They, however, soon came to a piece of rising ground which brought, them in full view of the fires ,.f the encampment, which extended dewa the river as Jar as they could see. When they came to where thov -upposed they were near the chain of sentinels, the Indians commenced hurrying their horses by a peculiar kind of language, mixed with eoughmg and whistling, sufficiently loud to apprise tiie guards of their approach. In a shorttime they were hailed by a sentinel, net more than twenty pares in advance of them.

In the same manner they hailed at the guard-fire, and were permitted to pass into the encampment. This want of vigilance grew out of the necessity there was for permitting the horsemen to pass out and return through the chain of sentinels, for the purpose of procuring grass for their horses. At length they came to where they heard quite an animated and apparently warm conversation, which seemed to be going on in a marquee near the center of the encampment. Among the voices engaged Captain Collins readily recognized that of the commanding general ; upon which he dismounted, leaving his horse in the care of the guides.

On General Harrison coming out, Captain Collins made himself and his business known to him. General Harrison expressed some surprise at seeing 'him there, and inquired what he had done with his company. To which Captain Collins gave an explanation, and was about to report the discoveries made by him as a spy, when General Harrison interrupted him by saving that the enemy had left the neighborhood and k treated down the river some five or six days before. At the request of General Harrison, Captain Coilins went with him to his marquee.

The next morning Captain Collins was ordered by General Harrison to retrace bis steps to Fort Jennings, take command of his company, and return to St. Mary's, where_they went into Winter quarters and remained until their term of service expired, in March, 1813, when the}' were discharged and returned to their homes. While Captain Collins and his company remained at St. Mary's, some of the officers in command of the Kentucky troops, who were continually passing and repaying, stated to a part of his company, who were on detached duty, that they knew Captain Coilins from a hoy, and that if ever he came in contact with the enemy they would find him to be "a fighting man."

Some of the Kentuckians at times felt themselves at liberty to charge the; Ohioaus with cowardice in not rushing to the relief of .Fort \\ ayue when it was besieged by the enemy. This produced r high feeling, and often occasioned words. But as it wa.s known that Captain Collins was on the line, ami had the command of a rifle company from Ohio, there were a few old e dicers aiming the Kentuckian who w re not .-low to make an - xc ptmn in his favor, livery mem her of the rifle company from Butler County, at the exniradou of their term of service, returned home in safety, without a scar. They had not the fortune to be ordered into battle; consequently, they returned unincumbered with those laurels and high honors which some imagine can only be obtained on the battle-field. Still it is justly claimed for them that the'- did good service in opening roads, making water-craft t>.< transport supplies down- the St. Mary's River, and push, mg on provisions and other needful supplies for the me of the army. They did their duty by promptly performing any service that was required of them by those in command.

Immediately after Mr. Collins returned home, in 1813, he received the appointment of captain in the standing army of the United States, and was ordered to proceed to Cincinnati and enlist men for the service. He soon hud twenty-three men eulisted, when he was ordered to rendezvous at Franldinton. He left Hamilton in company with Lieutenant Alexander Deloiac early in the month of October, and proceeded to Franldinton, where they remained about a. month, when they were . ordered to Sandusky, and from thence to Detroit, where- he was stationed Cor some time. Or- the 4th of March, 1814, he was appointed to the command of the force at Sandw ich, in Canada, and proceeded to build the fort at that place. He was also, for- a short time, commander of Fort Malden, in Canada. He was afterward ordered back to Detroit, where he took j tne close of the war in 1815, when he retired from the I arms with credit and honor to himself. He tlieivretumM ! to his farm in Oxford Township. During the time : Vq>- 1 tain Collins was in the army he disbursed considerable j sums of money on account of the government, and when j he retired from the service his accounts were promptly | closed, and a small balance found due to him from the j government by the accounting officers.

I William Robeson, served tour of six months' dwLr in the army of the north. western frontier. Colonel Janus Mills, with his regiment, assisted in defending Fort Mcigduring both the times it was besieged by the ouon\. Captain John Hamilton was wounded and Lieutenant Harper was killed in Dudley's defeat at the river Raisin. I saw Colonel Iheniiu Irwin at Detroit in the Winter of 1814. He hud with him at lamt two companies from Butler County. 1 regret I cing unable t'> veeoliect tin' names of his captains ami other officers. I saw passing through Detroit, in the Hummer of 1814, a company of mounted riflemen from Butler County, under the command of Captain Zachary I'. Dewitt, of Oxford! Township, g rimy had volunteered to an-ompanv General McArthur, who that Summer made an incursion into the em in' - country with about five hundred mounted volunteer*. I hoy met and di-pemed some of the advanced mirths "t the enemy engaged in collecting supplies near the center

The War

"In making up the officers of the Twenty-sixth Reg- j imeut of United States Infantry, four lieutenants were ; selected from Butler County, to wit: Robert Anderson, j Alexander Delorac, John Hall, and Anderson Spencer. Lieutenant Anderson was early sent on with the, first recruits. He volunteered at Lower Sandusky, and served i with distinction as an officer of marines in the naval i force on Lake Erie. Lieutenant Delorac marched with j me to Fort Malden in Upper Canada, and did faithful | service in that region. He was my messmate, and a. i most agreeable companion. I understood that the other gentlemen were ordered to the A iagara frontier, and re- j muined in the service during the war."

Captain John Robinson commanded a company from j the neighborhood of Hamilton. He was a large, jovial, j good-natured man, who lived after the war about four i miles north of Hamilton. The colonel of the regiment i was James Mills. The lieutenant of Robinson's company, i which was in the First Regiment, Third Brigade, and i First Division of Ohio militia, was William Sbafor, who | survived the war for sixty-five years, at the time of his j death being the oldest man in Butler County. He pre- | served his muster-rolls, commission, and order-book, and j kept a diary for most of the time. It seems to be on- j finished. Each of the- soldiers received an advance of j ten dollars, the ensign of twenty, the lieutenant of thirty, i

"February 6, 1813, rendezvoused at Fort Hamilton, j Engaged in the United States service for the term of six f months in a company of Ohio militia commanded by j Captain John Hamilton, First Regiment, Third Detach- j ment, and started the 17th instant for St. Mary's, av- ! riving there the 27th. We were then ordered to hurt j Logan.

"On the 27th the enemy made their appcaniuce on I I he other side of the river, and saluted us with small ! -wms. 'I'tie compliment wns returned with one or two i 'anuon.

"Sunday. May 2d, the British played on us more warmly than, the day before. 2vo great damage, was ! done. Three were killed and a few wounded.

" On the 3d they began early, and kept it up all day very warmly, and killed and wounded more than any day before. A memorandum of the balls and bombs shot by the British on the 3d is said to be five hundred j in tire day and thirty-three in the night, besides the Indians shooting all the time all around us, and yelling like wolves night and day.

When the. rain stopped, the firing began, and was kept up all day. Rot much damage was done. Some were wounded, but it is not known to me how many.

"May 5th, a severe engagement took place on both sides of the rivc-r. Colonel Dudley's regiment from Ken- ; tueky landed on the north side of the river, and advanced down to the British batteries, driving them away and j spiking their caution, bur was by a superior force obliged i to retreat. They suffered greatly. Out of the whole regiment there were only one hundred and. fifty or sixty I who came in. The number of prisoners is not vet ascertained. j

"On the 6th there was a cessation of arms. Harrison sent a flag of truce to get liberty to bury the dead. The ! British refused to give the privilege unless General Harrison would give an the fort.

" On the 7th they came oxer with a flag, and brought i a list of names and number of prisoners, which was | three hundred and fifty. The number of British prison- j ers was fortv-two. They were scut home on parole for thirty days. j

"On the 10th myself and a part of the company \.>1- untoered to go out to assist in hunting the dead ami burring thorn on the south side of t!-<- river. T!u number I do uoi know.

"On the 11th myself and a part of tnc company volunteered, with a number of Ohio and Kentucky iroops, to cross the- river to gather the dead. The munix-v found was about fortv-seven.

Juno 7th, an express came to Camp M-i.-s that '.pifipiistown was taken, upon w hich our buuevies op. m ! four rounds of cannon as a rejoicing.

"July 2d, a party of men left Camp Meigs to go to Defiance, but were attacked by a party of Indians. Two were found dead; the rest were all missing, except one, who got back to the fort. He said they were all killed and taken prisoners.

"The 23d, there were one hundred regulars, one hundred and twenty Ohio militia, and some spies sent out to search the woods for batteries, but found none. There appears to be a great stir among the enemy; but what their intentions are we can't tell.

" On the 26th the enemy began firing about four hundred yards from the garrison, and kept it up twenty minutes or more, which alarmed the garrison very much. .Thinking that General Harrison was coming with a reenforcement and was attacked, officers and men were very anxious to go to their assistance. General Clay assured us that it was a sham to get men out; there were

Several of the soldiers died on the march or in encounter with the foe. Among them were dames Harper, May 5, 1813; Samuel Colby; May 21st; Samuel Co'tley, May 21st; John Byram, May 27th ; Robert Van Vickie, July 2d; Abraham Huffman, July 15th; John Cain, corporal, July 17th. Others deserted. Among these were James Carlisle and John Morton. The property of these men was sold and the proceeds turned over to the relatives, who gave Mr. Shafor receipts. Here are some of the prices that the articles brought:

Mr. Shafor records in his book the order- received, ami other official papers. On the 17th of June J. II. Hawkins, actiiur adjutant, issued an order to the troops by authority of General Green Clay. Colonel Miller was thanked for, the ability and thoroughness with winch he laid discharged his duties. The commandants of the Ohio and Kentucky regiments of militia were instructed to cause their respective commands to he exercised cacti

"The President lias been pleased that I should com- 1 1 munieate to you, and through you to the troops compos- ! i iug the garrison of Fort Meigs, ills thanks for the valor j i and patriotism they displayed in the defense of ilrat post, I | and particularly to the difforenr corps employed in the ] i sorties made on the 5th instant 'Olay ,'."

"The general announces to the troops under hi- com- J maud the return of the day which gave liberty and in- j ! dependence to the United States of America, arid orders ! that a national salute be fired under the superintendence J I of Captains Gratiot and Cushing. All the troops re- j I ported fit for duty shall receive an extra gill of whisky, j i and those in confinement and those unde r sentence, at- j i tadied to this corps, hi forthwith released, and ordered j to join their respective corps. The general is induced to : use this lenity alone from the consideration of this ever- i memorable day, and flatters himself that iu future the soldiers under his command will b-.-tur appreciate their : liberty by a steady adherence to their duty and prompt | compliance to the orders of their officers, In which alone | they are worthy to enjoy the blessing of that liberty and independence, the* only real legacy left us by our fathers.

! - It is mic nt' tin most ddfh-idt .tilings in war to k*-i p up tin* standard of health. Officers, as well as m n, m-givi ; an attention to details w hi. h i> nen-sary for that pur ^ pose. This difficulty was met at Fort Meigs Genera!

The War Of Is 12

Harrison declared that he was mortified that the police of most of the corps was still very deficient-. He adds: "Will the officers never learn that attention to the health and comfort of the men is, perhaps, the most important and most honorable of their duties, and that the neglect of this is certain tp bring along with it contagion and disease infinitely more destructive than the sword of the enemy? The general assures the officers that future neglects of this kind will not be passed ever. The lives of the soldiers are too precious to be trifled with. The commandants of corps are directed to make an extra separate weekly report to the general, personally, of the state of their commands as regards police, particularly noting those officers wlio are attentive to and who neglect this sacred duty. The former will be applauded, whilst the latter will be taken from his commands and made to exchange situations with such of the recruiting officers as

A reward -of eight gills of whisky was shortly after given to the best shot, and four gills to the next best.- This was to encourage marksmanship.

Muster-Roll

Of a Company of Infantry Militia under command of Captain John Hamilton, of the Third Detachment cf Militia from the State of Ohio, now in thee service of the United States, commanded by Licut-enant-colonel dames Mills, from the sixth day of February, 1813, when first- mastered to continue in service, 'until the sixth day of August, 1813.

The next muster-roll, formerly in possession of Lieu- ! tenant Shafer, is dated May 31st. Upon it appear the | names of James Carlisle, Winthrop Emerson. Thomas j Spencer, Benjamin Stone, John Well-, and Warner j

Wynn. Eli Davis was fourth sergeant. Nicholas Bailey > first corpora], John Cain third corporal, and John Porter fourth corporal. Christopher Kiger was left sick at j Amanda ; John Martin had deserted at Hamilton, Feb- > ruarv 17th; Robert Jordan was appointed brigade quar- I termaster at St. Mary's, April 7th ; James Heaton was ! appointed brigade quartermaster at St. Mery's, April 7 tit; , Samuel Bavles was appointed adjutant, February lit!.; ! Benjamin Stone was appointed sergeant-major, Fobnunv 1 16th; John Wells was appointed quartermaster's sergt ant. February Ifltli; John Bailey deserted from Fori Logan, ; April 8th; and James Carlisle died. Muv 2lst, at Camp Meigs. At the time of making out the roll four non -com missioned officers and nineteen private-* >v- r. pro.-ent lit fi-r duty; the lieutenant, four nun-commissioneil officers. and seventeen privates were sick, present; two pri rat- s were sick, absent; eight were on detached duty and on extra service ; four men bad been promoted ; the captain was a prisoner; the ensign was missing ; two had do.- rted. and two were dead. This made a total of hftv-t hr*- . f';--

The charge was sleeping on his post, while officer of guard No. 3, about three o'clock of the night of the 6th of July, 1613, and suffering his men to sleep on their posts also. The court was composed of Captains Shaw, Hatfield, Mclvune, and Engle, Lieutenant Hopkins, and Ensigns Spence and Culp; judge advocate, Samuel Bayles.

Colonel Anderson, the complainant, was sworn. He testified that on the night of the 6th, after going the grand rounds, between eleven and twelve P. M., going a second time at two o'clock, or thereabout., in passing the blockhouse where Lieutenant Shafor had charge of the guard, the sentinel hailed faintly. He then asked the sentinel where the officer of the guard was ; receiving answer that he was asleep or sleeping. The sentinel then asked: "Shall I wake him?" and made some attempts to do so. Colonel Anderson told him he need not, but to tell him, after waking, that the officer of the day. had been there, and had found him asleep. He saw no one about the guard but what was asleep, excepting the sentinel. He did not see the officer of the guard himself, or if he did

Beniamin Stone, the sentinel, said that between two and three o'clock the night of the 6th lie hailed the officer of the day, who gave the countersign. Stone then | called to the sergeant to parade the guard. The officer of the day said it was not worth while to parade the guard, but tell the officer of the guard that the officer of j the day had been there. He called his officer twice, but j received no answer.

Question by the Court. " Do you know whether the | lieutenant was asleep or not?" Aneiver. "Ido not. He i arose immediately after the officer of the day was gone, j There was no noise that could have awakened any person after the' colonel went away before the lieutenant rose."

Q. "Did, or did not, you hail loud enough for a man to hear, that was not asleep?" .4. " I eau not tell." O. " Was your hailing Colonel Anderson louder than his answer?" A. " i think the answer was the loudest." j John Johnson, the sergeant of the guard, heard Colonel Anderson tell the sentinel that he need, not parade the guard, hut tell the officer of the guard that the officer of the day had been there. Sergeant Johnson did not know whether Lieutenant Shafor was asleep or awake at tin- time in i|Uc.'tion.

John Collins testified that he was on guard that night with Lieutenant Shafor, sitting up nearly all night. He lid not find him asleep at any time He had heard the j < 1 1 1* - 1 ii m- of the other r <»f the day, and the hail of the sentinel. ,

Commission

"Thomas Kirker, Speaker of the Senate, now acting as Governor and Commander-in-chief of the State of Ohio, to William Shafor, Esq., greeting:

" glnofo nou, That from the special trust and confidence which is reposed in your fidelity, courage, activity, and good conduct, I have, by virtue of the power vested in me, appointed you, the said William Shafor, lieutenant to a company of militia in the second battalion, first regiment, second brigade, first division, Ohio militia, and do, by these presents, commission you accordingly, with all the privileges thereunto appertaining. You are, therefore. carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of lieutenant as aforesaid, agreeably to law, and such instructions as you shall from time to time receive from your superior officers and the commander -in-chief.

" State of Ohio, Butler County. - Before me, Daniel Strickland, justice of the peace, came William Shafor, and took the oath of a lieutenant in a company in the second battalion, second brigade, first regiment, and first division of Ohio militia, and took the oath to support the Constitution of lids State ami ot the United States. "Given under my hand, this f 6th day of February , 1813.

" Butler County, «?. - I do hereby certify that I have this day accepted the resignation of William Shafor. " Given under my hand, this eighth day of April, 1816.

" Agreeable t< > general orders, tic company who volu n tee o-d from the third brigade of the Hist division of Ohio militia, commanded by Captain John Robinson, who have manifested their zeal and attachment to our gov-rni

by making a tender of" their services in the cause ,,f uiir country and its rights and privileges, met at Middletown, in the county of Butler, on Monday, the 27th instant, for the purpose of marching to the general rendezvous at Dayton. On that occasion, and to manifest an approbation of the courage and integrity of those 1 1 rave volunteers, the citizens cf Middletown and its vicinity, animated with that spirit which the government, freedom, and privileges of the American people ought always to inspire, came forward and gave a liberal and elegant breakfast to tbe corps on the morning of the 28th instant, before they proceeded to march. The subscribers, the Rev. Matthew G. 'Wallace and Mr. William Bigbam being present, were invited to partake with tbe corps. The repast being ended, an appropriate address was delivered by Mr. Wallace to tbe corps before they left the table, and concluded with a prayer well adapted to the occasion. The greatest attention and good order prevailed amongst the soldiers and numerous 'crowds of citizens who attended the scene; after which the volunteers took their station to march, with the greatest spirit and composure; and. being impressed with a just sense of the zeal and patriotic spirit manifested by the people, and as an acknowledgment to those worthy citizens, and the ladies in particular, who contributed such attention and tbe most extreme exertion to accommodate and accomplish such a noble and generous act, the subscribers thought it their duty to communicate the same to the public prints, as a testimonial of the gratitude we feel toward such generous and noble actions. -

At a respectable meeting of citizens of Fairfield Township, at the house of Air. Joseph Colby, in Hamilton, on the 4th of July, the following toasts were drunk:

1. " The United States - May her sons possess the fire of patriotism which animated the bosoms of their ancestors, and drive the proud Britons by the sword, and with the tune 1 Yankee Doodle,' from her shores into Pandemonium."

3. " The Canadas - May they see the perfidy and oppression of their old mother, and with disdain flee from her ranks to the standard of the American arms, and h arn to feel the glow and animating spirit of patriotism.

Encouragement To Enlist

To every able-bodied man, l'rom the age of eighteen to forty-five years, who wishes to enlist in defense of the honor and independence of their country for the term of live wars, will be paid; and whenever be shall have served the -aid term, or obtained an honorable discharge stating the faithful performance of Ids duty while in service, he shall be paid three months' extra pay, and and in case he should be killed in action, or die in the service. bis heirs and representatives will he entitled to the -aid three months' pay and one hundred and sixty acre- of ' - d, to be designated, surv'vid. and laid at the e\n m-e.

an officer of marines during Commodore Perry's active ' service on the lake. He received a silver medal, by order | of Congress, as a testimonial of his bravery and good conduct during the action He then joined the northern ; army, in which he served until the conclusion of the I Avar. General Brown was his commander.

I)r. Daniel Millikin marched at the head of a com- j pany of his neighbors up to the frontier, and narrowly | escaped being shot by an Indian John Woods, after- j wards the leader of the bar here, but who therf lived in j A 'far re n County, did his duty as a soldier. He was included in the last draft of the Ohio militia, which was ' j made in 1814, and was in the garrison at Fort Meigs.! when peace with Great Britain was proclaimed. The I Rev. Matthew G. AVailr.cc, to prove that the clergy were 1 not behind the laity, also went out as a captain.

Colonel Matthew Hueston, who had served valiantly j in AYayne's army, saw sendee in the war of 1812. | General Hull surrendered on the Ifith of August of that | yea'-, arid the whole country immediately armed to pre- j vent a rccurrence-of the disaster. Huestoi volunteered j his services, and marched, with a number of others, to j Fort AVavne, for the relief of that place, which amis then \ besieged. After being out two or three months, he Avas \ appointed purchasing agent fin- the contractor of the j Northwestern array. He bought a vast number of horses : and a large quantity of provisions in Butler County for ; the supply of the army. He continued to act in that ! capacity until die close of the war.

Hundreds of others might he mentioned did avc possess perfect records, and the reader will find accounts of many of tia ra scattered through the township histories. The war of 1.812 marks an epoch in the annals of thi.~ eounty. Settlements had then been begun in every quarter, and. although the forests covered a much larger extent of the country than the cultivated land, yet there Avere farms and cleared patches everywhere. Schools Avere beginning; there Avere a dozen Church organizations, although but three or four meeting-houses ; and the main roads Avere laid out. It would seem to us now verv saA'age ; but it avus in reality a great advance upon the wilderness. The population avus 11,150, just about a quarter of what it is at present.

Tammany Society

In the year 1812 a secret political society was formed at Hamilton as a branch of the Tammany Society of New York. Their place of meeting, Avhieh they called " AVigwam No. 9," avus fir-t established at the house of WilUamJNIurray, Avho then kept a tavern on the corner of Dayton and AY ate r Streets. It avus afterwards removed to the house of Michael Delorac, who also kept a house of entertainment in the upper part of Rossville. James Heaton avhs their first grand sachem, and Benjamin D. Pardee, a printer, was secretary. Their number, in the most flourishing condition, amounted to about one hundred. Main* of the most respectable citizens of Butler County Avere initiated members of the society From the time of their organization they continued to meet regularly at stated periods, until some time in the year 1816. They had their celebrations and long talks, as they called their orations, and on certain anniversary occasions paraded the streets in procession with their flags and banners " waving in the breeze" and buck-tails stuck in their hats by Avay of plume. At the head of the procession was borne the flag of the United States, and at intervals in the procession were carried small white flags, corresponding in number with the number of the States in the Union, Avith the name of a State painted on each. They had a seal or emblem, having in the center the Avord " lilumino," a rising sun above, Avith a heart below, and the Aving of an eagle on each side. A celebration and procession avus held at Hamilton on the twelfth day of May, 1815, at which a "long talk" avus delivered by Thomas Henderson, of Cincinnati. A celebration Avas also held at Middletown on the twelfth day of October, 1815, and a " long talk" delivered by Benjamin D. Pardee.

In their notices and transactions they gave their own peculiar names to the months. January they vailed the mouth of beavers, February the month of snows. May the month of flowers, Juno the month of heats, October the mouth of travels, etc. and dated from the year of discovery (A. D. 1J09).

This society was a tbateruin bound together by a written ''om-tbuiion, tie members of which pledged themselves, under the sokmmitie^ of an oath, to keep the proceedings of the society a profound secret. At their business meetings, which were usually held at night iu | their wigwam, illuminated by a council fire, they deliberated on the weighty affairs of the country, and decided what was to be done, dictated politics, interfered with elections, and decided who should be elected to office; which decision every member of the fraternity was bound to support, denouncing every other person who did not belong to their society as federalists and enemies to their country. They kept a regular system of espionage, issued circulars, and employed runners to carry them and learn what was doing in every part of the country, thus enabling them to spring; upon their opponents like savages from an ambuscade. "

During - the short time- they flourished at -Hamilton | they furnished abundant evidence that self-interest was their ruling, if not their only, motive. They exerted an influence which was extensively felt, and in the short period of their existence did considerable mischief. Through the efforts of the Tammany Society the civil institutions of our State were nearly reduced to a state of anarchy, from which a recovery was effected with difficulty. The society created considerable excitement and opposition in the community at large during its existence ; but about the year 1816, four years after its organization, it dwindled away, and was no longer publicly known.

" Notice. - The members of the Tammany Society No. 9 will meet at their wigwam at the house of brother William Murray, it). Hamilton, on Thursday, the first of the month of heats, precisely at the going down of the sun. Punctual attendance is requested.

Tammany was an Indian chief of the Delaware nation. Mr. Heckewelder, in his historical account of the Indian nations, devoted part of a chapter to this chief. He spells the name Tamaned. Ail we know of him is that lie was an ancient Delaware chief who never had his equal. We infer from Gabriel Thomas, who pul>- lished "An Historical and Geographical Account of Pennsylvania and West Jersey," at London, in 1698, that Tammany might have been alive as late as 1680 or 1(9)0.

"The fame of this great chief extended even amongst the whites, who fabricated numerous legends respecting j him, which, however, Heckewelder says he never heard i Pom the mouth of au Indian, and therefore believes ! them ali {aluiloiis. In the Revolutionary War, Tam- j many's enthusiastic admirers dubbed him a saint, and he J " is established under the name of 'St. Tammany,' the patron saint of America. His name was inserted in some calendar, and his festival celebrated on the first day of May in every year. On that, day a numerous society of his votaries walked together in procession, through the streets of Philadelphia, their hats decorated with bucks' tails, and proceeded to a handsome rural place, out of town, which they called the 1 Wigwam ;' where, after a long talk or Indian speech had been delivered and the calumet of peace and friendship had been duly smoked, they spent the day in activity and mirth. After dinner, Indian dances were performed on the green in front of the wigwam, the calumet was again smoked, and the company separated."

It was not until some years after the peace that these yearly meetings were discontinued. In New York, however, they worshiped Tammany as an Indian saint, and a benevolent society was named after him. In a few years it became a political society, but until the diffusion of universal suffrage, in 1846, had not acquired the unsavory odor it now has. Since the close of the Revolutionary struggle, Philadelphia, and perhaps other places, have had their Tammany societies, Tammany balls, etc. Among the multitude of poems and odes to Tammany, the following is selected to give the reader an idea of the acts said to have been achieved by him.

He climbed the mountain, and he swept the vale, Rushed through the torrent with unequaled might; Your ancient saints would tremble at the sight; Caught the swift boar, and swifter deer with ease, And worked a thousand miracles like these.

County Officers

We have been at the pains to compile a list of county officers from the beginning. Iu some case- there has been great difficulty in procuring the names. The county was organized in 1808, and a special election was then held.

The first sheriff was chosen only to fill the place y-o tern., and the same year another person was dried to occupy the office, lie is chosen every two years, and is

Clerics Of The Court

The constitution of 1802 required each court to appoint its own clerk, to serve for the term of seven years. The following are the names of persons who have served as clerk of the Supreme Court and of the Court of Common Picas.:

By the constitution of 1851, the office of the clerks of the courts was made elective by the voters of the county, to hold their office for the term of three years. The following are the names of the persons elected to that office since that time :

County Treasurers

The office of county treasurer was first filled by appointment, made by the associate judges. Afterward the ap- j point neut was made by the commissioners of the county, | until the war 1827, when it was made elective bv the i people, the term of office to he two years.

Richard Easton committed suicide on the morning of the 4th of June, IS is, by shootiuc himself iu I lie head with a pistoi ball , in his hod at the United States Hotel, j in Giu< innati. When the door of his room was opened he was found dead, and the pistol lying beside him. A committee appointed by the Court "f Common Plea-- to I examine the condition of the treasury reported. a. defalcation of about eight thousand dollars. However, on the prosecution of a suit against his securities, various credits and offsets were allowed, which reduced the judgment which was rendered at July term, 1855, to 8552.44.

month he resigned. Suit was commenced against his sc- ij c unties, and at the September term of the Court of Com- | mon Pleas, 1855, judgment was obtained against them fov ' 1 8 6,991 .84. which was promptly paid.

The board of commission -r? first met on the eleventh | day of June, 1804, and appointed John Rc-iiy their clerk, ! who continued to serve in that capacity until the first day j of March, 1819, when he resigned, and John McClure, j Jr., was appointed in his stead. John McClure con- j tinned to serve as clerk until he was appointed auditor 1 of the county, in 1821. j

On the eighth day of February, 1820, a law was passed j directing the appointment of county auditors, and iu pur- | suance of that, act the Legislature, on the second dav of j February, 1821, by resolution, appointed Holm McClure, Jr., auditor of Butler County; and by a iaw passed on ! the same day, the, auditor was, by virtue of his office, j required to he clerk of the commissioners. The Logis- j hit ure passed a law, dated February 23, 1824, making | the office of auditor elective hv the people. The auditor holds bis office for the term of two years.

Co Uxt Y Officers Associate Judges

According to tlie constitution of 1802, there was appointed by a joint ballot of both houses of' the General Assembly, in each county, not more than three nor less than two associate judges of the Court of Common Pleas, to hold their offices for the term of seven years.

By the constitution of 1851, the offices of associate judges were terminated, and the office discontinued, after j the second Tuesday in February (February 9th;. 1852.

County Commissioners

The Legislature passed "an act establishing boards of commissioners," which bears date 13th of February, 1804, according to which three commissioners were to be elected in each county, to hold their office for the term of three years, in pursuance of which an election was held on the first Monday of April, 1804, at which Ezekiel Ball, Matthew Richardson, and Solomon Line were elected, i meeting at Hamilton on the eleventh day of June, 1804. After having taken the oath of office, they determined, by lot, that Ezekiel Ball should serve until the second I Tuesday of October, 1804 ; Matthew Richardson, until the second Tuesday of October, 1805; and Solomon Line, j until the second Tuesday of October, 1806." After the j first board, the following persons were elected in the years i hereinafter stated:

County Surveyors

On the 15th of April, 1803, the Legislature passed a law creating the office of county surveyor, by which law it was made the duty of the Court of Common Pleas to make the appointment. James Heaton was the first surveyor. He was followed by George R. Bighnm, in 1822. On the 3d of March, 1831, the Legislature parsed a law making the office elective, by the people, and fixing the term of office at three years. George R. Bighorn, 1833 to 1836; Ludwick Betz, 1836 to 18i2 ; Benjamin F. Raleigh, 1842 to 1849 ; Matthew R. Shields, 1849 to 1856: Alexander King, 1856 to 1863; A. Marts, 1863 to 1871; Mason Hamilton, 1871 to 1874; J. C. AY cover, 1874 to 1882.

Probate Judges

The office of prosecuting attorney wa? n lieu by aj'- iiointmcnt of the Court of l ouiinon Pleas a. mi ;!n yuir 1*88, when the Legislature changed the law. and made it elcetivi In the pc>*ple. Daniel Symmes, 180 1; Arthur

According to the constitution, there is elected in each county one coroner, who shall hold his office for the term of two vears. The persons hereafter named have successively filled this position :

The Miami River

At the present time, when bridge building has been reduced to a science, and bridges are made in sections, transported a thousand miles, and then set up, it must be a very large structure, such as those in St. Louis, Cincinnati, or Brooklvu, which exrites more than the most moderate measure of curiosity. But sixty-five years ago we had not accomplished so many marvels as we since have, and the erection of a roadway across the Great Miami at this point was an < vi nt in the history of the country. Travelers went a long distance out of their way to view it, mauy grown men having never liefore seen a bridge of an) kind more elaborate than a log

The Miami, it is well known, is subject to great fluctuations in its quantity of water. Some seasons it is very low. Boys can wade across it at these times almost anywhere. A.t other times it is full, up even to its banks, and, where those banks are low, overflows the country. It has wrought, at different times, great devastation in this way, and frequently, in these rises, changes its course more or less. "Where it meandered pioviously, it makes a direct cut across, and where it once went in a straight channel, it is deserted for a more torcuous one. The soil on' either side is entirely alluvial, and affords no permanent obstacle. Indeed, the whole valley, for a mile or two back, displays evidences of having been the bed of the river at some remote period.

The earliest of the great freshets or inundations which have been recorded was in the year 1805. At this time the whole of the Miami River rolled in the bed now called- Old River, and ran in a deep channel along the eastern hank, on the side next Hamilton, and where the preseut sand-bar appears below the bridge. Four-mile Creek then emptied into the river on the west, a short distance above the upper part of. the town, where the mouth of Lew River now is. The occasion of the change in the channel of the river was owing to the erection of certain water-works on Four-mile Greek.

. Iu the years 1803 and 1804 Messis. James Smith and Arthur St, Clair (son of General St. Clair) erected a mill at the bend of Four-mile Creek, about a mile and a half above its mouth, and dug a race from the Miami River to bring the water from the river to their mills, in order to supply an additional quantity of water when the creek should be low. Iu the month of March, 1805, an extraordinary flood occurred in the Miami River, which tore away the head gates of thoirWaee. and let the water of the river have a free passage to their mills, and thence down the channel of Four-milt Creek. This flood wholly destroyed their mills, and carried their works down the current, after which time the channel continued to widen and deepen, until, iu a few tears, at ordinary stages of the river, the whole of the water passed by that channel, which acquired the name of Mew River. The river was at its highest on the 10th of March. The island ffinned between this channel and that of Old River contains about three hundred and fifty acres, and was ibnuerly owned by I)r. Daniel Miliikin, but now by L. I). Campbell. The Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company have constructed two dams across the old channel of the river, and formed a grand reservoir, about a mile h ug. j to retain water for the supply of their mills and. ;.

This Hood in the Miami River was the great 't «\er [ known since the first settlement of the country, and was ! long remembered by the inhabitants resident there at tl.<

In speaking of events,' it was long afterward customary to designate the time by stating that it was so many years before or after the "great flood."

The whole of what is , now called the island and all the low bottoms along the Miami River were entirely inundated, and much damage done to persons residing in the river bottoms. The water of the river backed up on the low ground above Hamilton, inundating Bigliam's bottom, and flowing out, passed over the out-lots (where the east branch of the Hydraulic Canal has been constructed), inundated the lower part of the town, to the depth of several .feet, and discharged into the river above where the bridge now is. The water in Front Street, between Stable, and Dayton Streets, was deep enough to come midside on a horse, and in some places would swim a horse.

Previous to this flood, a grove of sycamore and cottonwood trees lined the bank of the river, on the eastern side, from where the bridge now stands to the upper part of the town. They were all washed up, destroyed, and carried away by the force of the current. Cedar bushes then grew indigenous along the river bank from Buckeye Street to the upper part of the town, and a few straggling hushes remained growing in 1809.

The ground where the sycamore grove was, near the Columbia Bridge, extending up some distance on the present sand-bar, was then a fertile field, which had been for many years cultivated in corn, having a house standing upon it. The flood swept over the whole, canning away the house and the alluvia) soil, and when the water subsided nothing appeared hut a naked beach of gravel.

The bridge between Hamilton and Eossville had long been felt to be a necessity. At the times when the river was 'very full, no communication existed between the east and west banks of the river, and iu ordinary stages the charges for ferriage were high. The Legislature passed ai act, in the year 1810, incorporating Joseph Hough, John Sutherland, Joseph Wilson, John Hall, Samuel Dick, Isaac Falconer, Samuel Millikin, Thomas C. Kelsey, William Murray, Pierson Sayre, Robert Taylor, William Riddle, Thomas Blair, A\ ill him Blair, and Michael Delorac into a company to erect and build a bridge across the Great Miami River, between the towns of Hamilton and Eossville, in the county of Butler. The style of the corporation was to be the "Miami Bridge superstructure was composed of two arches resting on two abutments, one on each side, and one pier in the middle of flie river, the chord-line of each arc being one hundred and sixty-five feet and six inches, and the rise from the chord to the apex being twenty-two feet. It cost 825,194.84. Tire venture proved a highly profitable one, and although there was, from time to time, grumbling in the public journals respecting its charges or its management, yet no other bridge was for many years erected, either in Hamilton or elsewhere in this county.