Ohio History Journal

EDITORIALANA.

VOL. XXVI. No. 2.

APRIL, 1917.

FORT LAURENS PURCHASED. It will be recalled that the autumn, winter and spring of 1777-8 was the period of the low ebb of the cause of the Colonial Revolutionists. In the late spring of 1778, while Washington was just emerging from Valley Forge, George Rogers Clark entered upon the daring expedition to save the Northwest to the Colonies. The British-Canadian authorities were planning not only to circumvent Clark but to "carry the war into Africa" by sending from Detroit a great Indian expedition through the Ohio country to Fort Pitt. Fort Randolph, at the mouth of the Ka- nawha was also designated by the British as a point for capture. The field of the Revolution bid fair to be shifted west of the Alleghenies into the heart of the Ohio territory. It must be wrested from the British and their Indian allies. Washington, while still at Valley Forge, planned a western expeditionary offensive movement. From the Virginia moun- tains an army of three thousand men was to be raised; it was to be in two divisions of fifteen hundred each; one division was to assemble in the back counties of Virginia and march through Greenbrier down the Big Kanawha to Fort Randolph; the other division was to assemble at Fort Pitt, descend the Ohio in boats to Fort Randolph, whence the united force was to invade Ohio and subduing the hostile Indian tribes proceed to and capture Detroit. The Continental Congress, then a fugitive at York, Pa., in May (1778), endorsed this pretentious plan, voting to raise the men and to appropriate $900,000, in silver dollars or its equivalent, for the necessary expense. Washington named General Lachlan McIntosh as commander of this western military project. It was one thing for Congress to vote men and currency; it was another to carry out the proposition. Moreover, shifting conditions among the Indians interfered with the plans proposed. However General McIntosh with five hundred men proceeded from Fort Pitt to Beaver Creek where he built on the banks of the Ohio a stockade fort, named after the General, Fort McIntosh. Meanwhile the Virginia army was not raised; the great western war scheme was abandoned, but early in November McIntosh set forth with a force of twelve hundred, the ultimate destina- tion being Detroit; but he found it necessary to abandon the proposal to immediately proceed to Detroit; with a portion of his force he reached a site on the west bank of the Tuscarawas, below the mouth of Sandy creek, about a mile south of the present village of Bolivar. It was the identi- cal site where Colonel Henry Bouquet, in 1766, had, on his western (293)

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expedition, erected a temporary fort. The stockade erected by McIntosh

was a regular rectangular fortification, enclosing less than an acre of land.

This, the first and only fort built by the Colonists in the confines of Ohio

during the American Revolution was named in honor of the President of

the Continental Congress, Fort Laurens. The erection of the fort was

completed in December, by Colonel John Gibson, who was left in

charge with a garrison of one hundred and fifty men.

The building of Fort Laurens in the trans-Allegheny country

awakened the British commander, Hamilton, to the courage and au-

dacity of the Colonists.  The fearless renegade, Simon Girty, was

directed by Hamilton to raise an Indian force and proceed against Fort

Laurens. On January 6, Girty set out from the Sandusky country, with

a force of hostile Indians, all equipped and provisioned by the British.

The fort was soon surrounded and the provisions soon ran low. Des-

perate efforts were made by small detachments from Fort Pitt to carry

aid to the besieged soldiers in the fort. Captain Henry Bird, of the

8th King's Regiment, with ten British soldiers, with additional bands of

Indians, were hurried to the aid of Girty in his siege of Gibson's brave

contingent. It was a dreadfully cold winter, and the story of this siege

is one of bloody deeds and brave suffering. It has been related at length

in "Randall and Ryan's History of Ohio," and "Stone's Life of Joseph

Brant."

The siege was a remarkable one and continued until the garrison

was reduced to the verge of starvation; a quarter of a pound of sour

flour and an equal weight of spoiled meat constituting a daily ration

for each; the cold was intense and exit from the stockade could not

be made for fuel or food; the plucky soldiers suffered to the verge of

life; it was a veritable Valley Forge on the banks of the Tuscarawas.

But the assailants themselves were being worn out from exposure and

privations.

It was the end of March (1779) that General McIntosh with a

force of five hundred men including Pennsylvania militia and Con-

tinental troops set out from Fort Pitt for the relief of Gibson. Arriv-

ing at the fort, he found the siege abandoned and the savages gone.

The assailing tribesmen had been outstarved and outwitted by the sol-

diers of the invincible garrison. But the latter were in a most deplorable

condition. For nearly a week their only subsistence had been raw hides

and such roots as they could find in the vicinity after the Indians had

departed.

In April (1779) McIntosh retired from the command of the western

country. He was succeeded by Colonel Daniel Brodhead. The condi-

tion of the stockade of Fort Laurens at once engaged the attention of

Brodhead. Colonel Gibson was relieved as commandant of the fort by

Major Vernon, who had scarcely succeeded in reaching and occupying

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his fort when parties of hostile Indians made their appearance and

renewed the blockade of the impregnable little fort that stood like a

Gibraltar in the very midst of the enemy's country.

The hardships and privations of the garrison were unabated, and

well-nigh unparalleled. They could not make foraging expeditions and

the portage of supplies into the stockade was attended with difficulties

and dangers that made it nearly impossible.  But Washington, who

amid all his other cares and responsibilities never let the Tuscarawas

outpost escape his attention, wrote General Brodhead: "the Tuscarawas

post is to be preserved, if under a full consideration of circumstances,

it is judged a post of importance and can be maintained without run-

ning too great a risk, and if the troops in general under your command

are disposed in the manner best calculated to cover and protect the

country on a defensive plan." He feared its abandonment would give

hope and courage to the British at Detroit and their Indian allies.

But Major Vernon could not remain without relief, and he wrote

Brodhead, the last of April: "Should you not send us provisions in a

very short time, necessity will oblige us to begin on some cowhides the

Indians left." Such soldiers as could with safety be exported to Fort

Pitt were there sent until in May, Vernon's force was reduced to

twenty-five. The last of this month their handful of men had reached

the limit of endurance; they were living on herbs, salt and cowhides,

when a relief expedition rescued them from approaching death.

This relief came through a company of regulars, commanded by

Captain Robert Beall. To avoid an ambuscade by the besieging savages,

Beall conducted his party by boat from Fort McIntosh down the Ohio

to the deserted Mingo town, at the mouth of Cross Creek; thence

across country to Fort Laurens. The relief party found the post in-

mates in the last stages of starvation, many of them being unable,

through exhaustion and weakness, to stand on their feet. As soon as

possible the revived men were removed to Fort Pitt, and in June the

post was relieved by seventy-five fresh troops well supplied with pro-

visions, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Campbell.   The

siege gradually subsided until, after being once more seriously threatened

by the Indian assailants, Fort Laurens, early in August (1779) was

evacuated; orders to that effect having been sent by Colonel Brodhead.

Such in brief is the tragic and romantic story of Fort Laurens and

its siege.

For many years it has been the desire of the Ohio State Archaeo-

logical and Historical Society to secure the site of the Fort and erect

thereon a monument suitable to the historic record of the stockade.

The editor of the Quarterly and other officers of the Society have at

times in the past visited the locality and conferred with the owners as

to its purchase. The members of the Ohio Society, Sons of the Amer-

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ican Revolution, and also Society of the Daughters of the American

Revolution, have taken active part in arousing interest in the preserva-

tion of the site. Finally various interests united and in the session of

the 81st General Assembly a bill was introduced, providing for its pur-

chase by the State and preservation by the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society. The bill met with favor and was passed. In

accordance with its provisions Speaker Conover of the House appointed

on the committee of purchase Messrs. Oscar M. Hines, of Dennison,

and D. F. Lash, of Bolivar; Messrs. Maurice Moody, of Uhrichsville,

and E. E. Vorhies, of Cambridge, were appointed by Lieutenant Gov-

ernor Arnold, and Mr. Wilson A. Korns, of New Philadelphia, was

appointed by Governor Willis.

This committee elected Mr. Hines president, Mr. Moody, Secretary;

and Mr. W. B. Stevens, of Uhrichsville, attorney. The committee pro-

ceeded to negotiate for the site, as provided in the bill, but great dif-

ficulties were encountered in securing the title, owing to the number of

heirs interested in the estate possessing the property. Not until the

latter part of April (1917) was the title perfected and deed secured

from Mr. David Gibler, which met the approval of the Attorney General.

The deed however is now in the custody of the Auditor of State, and

property in the custody of the Society. The deed secures to the state

"the lands upon which Fort Laurens is located and such additional land

adjacent thereto as is necessary to properly restore said fort and works."

The area secured comprises twenty-eight and twenty hundredth acres.

In due time, no doubt, arrangements will be made to enfence the site

and mark it with fitting historical monument. Following is a copy of

the bill as passed by the legislature.

AN ACT.

To provide for the preservation of Fort Laurens by the state of

Ohio.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:

Section 1. That for the purpose of preserving the revolutionary

earthworks known as Fort Laurens, situated in Laurens township, Tus-

carawas county, Ohio, a committee of five shall be appointed, two by

the president of the senate, two by the speaker of the house of repre-

sentatives, and one by the governor. Said committee when appointed

is authorized in behalf of the state, to purchase for the state the lands

upon which Fort Laurens is located, and such additional land adjacent

thereto as may be necessary to properly restore said fort and works, to

include not to exceed thirty acres of land.

Such purchase and title to such land shall be approved by the gov-

ernor and the attorney general of the state, before the same is accepted,

and when accepted shall be conveyed to the state of Ohio, and the deed

thereof shall be duly recorded and deposited with the auditor of state.

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Section 2. That the care and control of the site of Fort Laurens,

located in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and being the first fort established

west of the Ohio river, shall be vested in the board of trustees of the

Ohio archaeological and historical society, who shall hold the lands and

property thereon subject to such use as the general assembly may by law

direct.

Section 3. That for the purpose of carrying out the provisions

of this act, and defraying the expenses of the committee, there is hereby

appropriated out of any moneys in the state treasury, to the credit of

the general revenue fund and not otherwise appropriated, a sum not to

exceed five thousand five hundred dollars.

Passed April 27, 1915.

 

 

 

CAMPUS MARTIUS SECURED.

It was on April 7, 1788, that the immortal forty-eight New Eng-

land pilgrims led by Rufus Putnam, disembarked from the "Adventure

Galley," afterwards named and better known as the "Mayflower," at the

mouth of the Muskingum, opposite Fort Harmer, and laid out and in-

augurated the first settlement in the newly created North West Terri-

tory. It was to be called Marietta, and was the first official capital of

the trans-Allegheny empire. The first clearing was at the "point," on

the east side of the Muskingum, and there the first houses were erected.

As Mr. Summers states in his "History of Marietta," there was need

of some protection against possible attacks of the neighboring hostile

Indians. A fortification known as "Campus Martius," field of Mars, was

erected for the defensive purpose. "The location of Campus Martius is

best described by stating that it was built upon the ground with 'Wash-

ington street as the southern boundary, and Second street the eastern

boundary, and fronting the Muskingum river.' The defense was three-

fourths of a mile from the 'point' and connected with it by the narrow

path which had been cleared. Here was built the stockade which was

for five years to be the dwelling place and refuge of a large part of the

colony. The sides were formed by a continuous line of dwelling houses

two stories in height. They were made of timber four inches thick

sawed by hand, and fitted at the corners in the same manner as those

of a log house. At the corners were block-houses, a trifle higher than

the houses, and projected out six feet beyond the sides of the stockades."

This Campus Martius was not only the "fortification" of the new settle-

ment, but the official building of the new western government. Besides

being the residence of many families including the offices of the ter-

ritorial governor and commissioners. Governor Arthur St. Clair and

his secretary, Winthrop Sargent, here resided. The site of these build-

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ings, is, therefore, in some sense, the most interesting spot in the North-

west territory. Nothing, of course, remains of the original buildings.

The only relic of those ancient days is an antique two story frame-

house, the beams and timbers of which are those taken from portions of

the original fortifications. It has long been desired by not only the

citizens of Marietta but by historical devotees throughout the state that

this "site" embracing the location of the original Campus Martius be pur-

chased by the state, and be forever preserved with proper memorial

markings. In this purpose the Society for Ohio of the Daughters of the

American Revolution became actively engaged and through the efforts of

the members of this patriotic organization and the especial efforts of the

D. A. R. committee on legislation, Mrs. L. C. Laylin chairman, in the

past session of the 82nd General Assembly a bill was introduced and

energetically championed by Hon. G. F. Reed, representative from Wash-

ington county, providing for the purchase of this property by the state

and its retention under the custodianship of the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society. This bill passed the House and Senate without

opposition. It was duly approved by the Governor. The citizens of Ohio,

the members of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society

and particularly the Daughters of the American Revolution, are to be

congratulated upon the consummation of this long desired attainment.

Following is the Bill in question:

To provide for the purchase and preservation of the site of Cam-

pus Martius.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:

Section 1. For the purpose of purchasing and preserving the his-

toric site of Campus Martius in the city of Marietta, Ohio, the mem-

bers of the committee under House Joint Resolution No. 24, Senators

George S. Crawford and W. B. Tremper and Representatives L. F.

Cain and Charles M. Gordon, are hereby authorized in behalf of the

state to purchase for the state a plot of land one hundred and sixty

feet square, at the corner of Second and Washington streets, known as

the site of Campus Martius in the city of Marietta, Ohio. Such pur-

chase and deeds therefor shall be approved by the governor and the

attorney general. When so approved and presented, the auditor of

state shall issue his warrants on the treasurer of state in payment of

the purchase price herein authorized. Such deeds shall be duly recorded

and deposited with the auditor of state.

Section 2. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this

act there is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the treasury not

otherwise appropriated, to the credit of the general revenue fund, the

sum of sixteen thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary

to purchase the interests of the owners.

Section 3. The board of trustees of the Ohio Archaelogical and

Historical society shall have the care and control of said plot of land

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known as Campus Martius and shall hold the same and the property

thereon subject to such use as the General Assembly may direct.

E. J. HOPPLE,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

EARL D. BLOOM,

President of the Senate.

Passed March 21, 1917.

Approved March 29, 1917.

JAMES M. Cox, Governor.

Filed in office of Secretary of State, April 2, 1917.

 

 

STEPHEN D. PEET.

 

IN MEMORIAM.

It was in one of the early months of the year 1875 that Isaac

Smucker, of Newark, and Stephen D. Peet, then resident of Ashtabula,

met at the home of Roeliff Brinkerhoff in Mansfield, for the purpose

of organizing the Ohio Archaeological Association. This triumvirate of

kindred scholarly spirits recognized the great field and opportunity in

Ohio for an organization, the object of which should be the study and

preservation of the remains of the pre-historic race, commonly called

the Mound Builders; a race shrouded in mystery, that populously occu-

pied Ohio before the invasion of the European people; yes, before the

historic Indian, possibly before the red man had existed in the Ohio or

Mississippi Valley. It was the opportune moment for the institution of

such a society, and its immediate intention was the gathering of a

suitable collection of the relics of this vanished empire, and its display

as an "Ohio exhibit" in the National Centennial Exhibit to be held at

Philadelphia in the year 1876. To the purpose of the illustrious trio,

Brinkerhoff, Peet and Smucker, there rallied with sympathy and en-

thusiasm Rutherford B. Hayes, Governor of the state; John H. Klip-

pert, the distinguished state geologist; C. C. Baldwin and Charles Whit-

tlesey, respectively president and secretary of the Western Reserve His-

torical Society, and Professor M. C. Read, a distinguished writer on

Ohio archaeology. General Brinkerhoff was made president of the "Ohio

Archaeological Association," and Professor John T. Short of the Agri-

cultural and Mechanical College, now the Ohio State University, a most

noted scholar and author of "Prehistoric Man in America," was made

secretary. The legislature made an appropriation of $2,500.00 to the

association for the promotion of its exhibit at Philadelphia, which ex-

hibit remarkably fulfilled its mission, ranking only second in extent and

scholarly value to the archaeological display of the Smithsonian Insti-

tute. The Ohio Archaeological Association under the guidance of its

protagonists, continued its work, under adverse circumstances, until

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1883, when upon the untimely death of Professor Short, the secretary

and master spirit, the organization became inactive and so remained for

two years, when in 1885, at instigation of Mr. A. A. Graham, an en-

ergetic and enthusiastic student of archaeology and history, supported

by Governor George Hoadly, the organization was revived and its scope

enlarged under the name of The Ohio State Archaeological and His-

torical Society. The field of history, of Ohio, its study, collection of

data and publication of the same being added to meet the demand of

innumerable students and scholars throughout the state. The relation of

and subsequent career of the Society, to its present and pretentious con-

dition is not the intent of this recital. That will all be found in previous

recent publications of the Quarterly. In all this revival and much of

the progress of the Society, Stephen D. Peet, though no longer a resi-

dent of Ohio, took active and interested part. It is of him and his

almost prodigious achievements in the field of archaeology in Ohio and

other states of the Northwest that we speak.

Dr. Peet passed to the great beyond at Northampton, Massachusetts,

May 24, 1914. He was buried in Beloit, Wisconsin. His demise should

have been suitably noted in the columns of the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Quarterly, but for two or three years previous to his

death he had retired from active life and illness compelled him to seek

health amid the scenes of his ancestral New England home.

Stephen Denison Peet was educated for the ministry. His father,

Stephen Peet, was a distinguished clergyman who enjoyed a long and

useful career. This energetic father was the originator and builder of

over thirty churches and the prime promoter of Beloit College, Wis-

consin, and the Chicago Theological Seminary.

Stephen, the son, was born in Euclid, Ohio, December 2, 1831, in

which place his father, at the time, was the pioneer pastor of the Pres-

byterian church. The boy Stephen was given every educational ad-

vantage. He graduated from Beloit College, Wisconsin, 1851, and later

(1890) received the degree of Ph. D. from the same college. In his

college course Stephen gave almost exclusive attention to the classics

and became an enthusiastic adept in Greek, Latin and ancient history.

For two years (1851-3) he was a student at the Yale Divinity School,

New Haven, Conn., completing his theological course at the Andover

(Mass.) Theological Seminary, 1854. It was during the years of his

theological studies that he became interested in the archaeology of the

oriental countries, especially Egypt, Greece, Rome and Babylonia. "In

my mind," he wrote, "these ancient dynasties were ever on the horizon

and loomed up amid the clouds of antiquity." Later this archaeological

bent of mind expended its energies on the American antiquities, es-

pecially of the Northwest Territory. Following his Andover graduation

he spent two or three years as a church missionary, establishing churches

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Editorialana.                        301

 

in rural or village localities in Ohio and the west. In 1854 he married

Katherine Moseley, who shortly thereafter died, and Stephen then mar-

ried Olive Wentworth Cutler of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. One year after

his second marriage he was ordained in the Congregational ministry,

and for near forty years thereafter held pastorates at various localities,

some fifteen in number, mainly in Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio. Several

of these pastorates were respectively in the neighborhood of sites noted

for the earthen works of the prehistoric Mound Builders, and Dr. Peet

had opportunity of studying at first hand the relics of this mysterious

race. In 1878 he founded the American Antiquarian and Oriental Jour-

nal, which was continued under his fostering care as a magazine until

within two or three years of his decease. During most of the period of

its publication it was issued at Chicago, and it became a standard source

of authority and information to a large clientele in the field of oriental

and American archaeology. After serving as editor and manager of the

Antiquarian for thirty-two years Doctor Peet, in 1911, relinquished his

management and editorship to Prof. J. O. Kinnsman. Dr. Peet was a

prolific writer and an indefatigable student. He wrote in a clear style,

and endeavored in a popular manner to develop the relationship of the

later American archaeology to that of the older countries. His writings

in this field besides his magazine articles, not produced in book form,

were issued in eight volumes: "The Mound Builders," "Emblematic

Mounds," "Cliff Ddwellers," "Ruined Cities," "Myths and Symbols,"

"Primitive Art," "Indian Tribes," and "Comparative Mythology."

Many of the theories and opinions set forth in these readable books

are now, in the light of later investigations, set aside or modified. But

Dr. Peet did a great work in spreading the popular knowledge of these

subjects, in bringing them to the notice of thousands of eager students

and in creating an interest in the realms of "forgotten lore." Dr. Peet,

of course, became corresponding or honorary member of many of the

leading scientific and historical societies of America, Great Britain and

even the Orient.

The editor, who pens this sketch, all too brief and inadequate, for

the merits of the subject, never met Dr. Peet personally, but for a score

of years had a delightful corresponding acquaintance with the distin-

guished savant. He took a deep and abiding interest in the welfare and

progress of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, of

which he proudly and deservedly claimed the honor of being one of the

three original founders. His two associates in that memorable work,

and all of the co-laborers mentioned in connection with his efforts,

preceded him many years ago to the other world, and now he too has

entered that mysterioues realm after a long life of fruitful and eventful

usefulness.

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THE FIRST COURT IN OHIO.

(From the American Pioneer.)

"The first court held northwest of the river Ohio, under the forms

of civil jurisprudence, was opened at Campus Martius, (Marietta,) Sep-

tember 2d, 1788.

"It will be remembered, that on the preceding 7th of April, General

Rufus Putnam, with forty-seven men, had landed and commenced the

first permanent settlement in what is now the state of Ohio. General

Harmar, with his regulars, occupied Fort Harmar. Governor St. Clair,

and also General Samuel Holden Parsons and General James Mitchell

Varnum, judges of the supreme court, arrived in July. The governor

and judges had been employed from their arrival in examining and

adopting such of the statutes of the states, as, in their opinion, would be

appropriate to the situation of this new colony. The governor had made

appointments of civil officers for the administration of justice, and to

carry into effect the laws adopted. Some idea may be obtained of the

character of the early settlers of Ohio, by describing the order with which

this important event, the establishment of civil authority and the laws,

was conducted. From a manuscript written by an eye-witness, now in

my possession, I have obtained the substance of the following: The pro-

cession was formed at the Point, (where most of the settlers resided,)

in the following order: 1st, the high sheriff, with his drawn sword; 2d,

the citizens; 3d, the officers of the garrison at Fort Harmar; 4th, the

members of the bar; 5th, the supreme judges; 6th, the governor and

clergyman; 7th, the newly appointed judges of the court of common

pleas, Generals Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper.

"They marched up a path that had been cut and cleared through the

forest to Campus Martius Hall (stockade,) where the whole counter-

marched, and the judges (Putnam and Tupper) took their seats. The

clergyman, Rev. Dr. Cutler, then invoked the divine blessing. The sheriff,

Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, (one of nature's nobles) proclaimed with his

solemn 'O Yes,' that 'a court is opened for the administration of even-

handed justice, to the poor and the rich, to the guilty and the innocent,

without respect of persons; none to be punished without a trial by their

peers, and then in pursuance of the laws and evidence in the case.' Al-

though this scene was exhibited thus early in the settlement of the state,

few ever equalled it in the dignity and exalted character of its principal

participators. Many of them belong to the history of our country, in the

darkest as well as the most splendid periods of the revolutionary war.

To witness this spectacle, a large body of Indians was collected, from the

most powerful tribes then occupying the almost entire West. They had

assembled for the purpose of making a treaty. Whether any of them

entered the hall of justice, or what were their impressions, we are not

told."

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