Ohio History Journal

  • 1
  •  
  • 2
  •  
  • 3
  •  
  • 4
  •  
  • 5
  •  
  • 6
  •  
  • 7
  •  

FORT McARTHUR

FORT McARTHUR.

 

[The following address delivered by the late Dr. A. W. Munson on

Memorial day of 1895, at Shingle Grove, near Ft. McArthur burying

ground was read at a recent D. A. R. meeting in Kenton, and will be

especially interesting to our readers now, as this year (1912) marks the

centennial of the founding of the old fort.]

Comrades and Friends:- We have met here on this pleas-

ant afternoon of May 30, 1895, in this beautiful grove, beneath

these grand forest trees, around these graves to do honor to the

memory of those who were buried here more than 80 years ago.

I know that there are those who are disposed to doubt the cor-

rectness of the position assumed by most, if not all the members

of "Pap Thomas' Command" of Union Veteran Union of our

city, viz.: That these graves contain the remains of soldiers who

died here at the post of duty as defenders of our country in the

war of 1812. Now if this assumption be true then it is highly

proper that the memory of these heroes should receive the same

consideration that the other defenders of our country are

receiving.

To establish the correctness of this proposition I will ask

you to bear with me for a short time while I refer to some of

the more important historical events, which will, no doubt,

sustain the foregoing assumption to the satisfaction of all

present.

At the commencement of the war of 1812 this whole region

was a vast and dense forest, not a single white inhabitant was

found in all the territory now embraced within the limits of this

county. Numerous tribes of Indians were scattered over the

great northwest many of whom were hostile and engaged in

committing depredations upon the defenseless frontier settlers.

So alarming had become the attitude of both Indian and British

emissaries towards the frontier inhabitants that Gov. Meigs, of

Ohio, called out the Militia early as May 1812, and the 1st

Regiment under Col. McArthur was stationed at Urbana while

other troops were quartered at Dayton.

Vol. xxi.-21.           (321)