Ohio History Journal

OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL

SOCIETY

REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS

BY THE EDITOR

"THE CAPTURE OF OLD VINCENNES"

This is the title of a timely and most interesting

volume edited by Dr. Milo M. Quaife, Managing

Editor of the Mississippi Valley Historical Review. It

includes the original narratives of George Rogers Clark,

the leader of the American expedition, and Sir Henry

Hamilton, Lieutenant Governor of Detroit.

The special occasion for the appearance of this vol-

ume is set forth by Dr. Quaife in his introduction:

As I pen these lines, the near approach of the Sesqui-Cen-

tennial Anniversary of Clark's Conquest has evoked a renewal of

public interest in his exploit, and therewith a wide-spread desire

to memorialize it in fitting and permanent fashion. From the

region which, with pitifully inadequate resources of men and sup-

plies, he labored to conquer, a century and a half ago, five great

commonwealths have been carved. Of the nation's five chief

cities, three are located within it. Of the twelve men who, since

1860, have been elected to the presidential office, eight have been

supplied by it.

Americans who dwell within the limits of the orig-

inal Northwest Territory that is now embraced in five

states -- Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon-

sin, and a part of Minnesota, in the opinion of Dr.

Quaife, have not had ample, opportunity to acquaint

themselves with important events that happened in the

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Reviews, Notes and Comments              579

early history of their own section of the United States.

He makes reference to this in another paragraph:

The fact that most intelligent Americans are still strangers

to Clark's narrative, is due, in large part, to circumstances for

which he was in nowise responsible. Mainly, historical scholar-

ship in America has been dominated, until almost the present day,

by men of the Atlantic seaboard, and chiefly of New England.

They have presented it, as might be expected, from the local point

of view, and thus it has come to pass that school children of the

Mississippi Valley have been made to learn the story of Boston

street riots and seventeenth-century Indian Wars in New Eng-

land to the exclusion of a knowledge of their own local historical

heritage of commonwealth and regional development.

The occasion for a lack of interest in Clark's narra-

tive is further explained as follows:

The young Virginian who plunged into the western wilder-

ness while still but a youth, and who at twenty-five was toying

with the destinies of a continent, necessarily knew little of schools

or of formal literary discipline. Although his "Memoir," as it came

from his pen, has all the essential elements of literary greatness,

it is cast in a mold which can scarcely fail to discourage the or-

dinary reader. Clark's spelling and syntax were as original as

was his military genius; even the trained scholar finds difficulty

at times in determining his meaning; and it is entirely safe to say

that but few persons, aside from professional scholars, have ever

possessed the determination and interest to read the Memoir

through. The pity of this is evident, for not often has so much

of stirring adventures and dauntless endeavor been compressed

within the limits of so few pages.

Dr. Quaife has conscientiously and carefully ren-

dered Clark's narrative in grammatical English. He

has preserved the sense of the original and, in most in-

stances, the wording as well. As presented in this vol-

ume, Clark's account of the expedition is a most inter-

esting and thrilling literary narrative.

The official report of Lieutenant Governor Henry

Hamilton is added. The reader, therefore, has the op-

580      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

portunity to know both sides of the story of the conquest

of the Northwest Territory. Clark's achievement gave

the infant Republic of the United States its claim to the

vast region northwest of the River Ohio and east of the

Mississippi. Assuredly, he and his followers are en-

titled to the memorial that is to be erected on the site

of "Old Vincennes," February 25, 1929, commemorative

of the capture of that Post, February 25, 1779.

OFFICIAL ROSTER OF OHIO SOLDIERS, SAILORS

AND MARINES IN THE WORLD WAR

This is the title of a work now issuing from the press

of the F. J. Heer Printing Company. It is compiled

under the direction of the Governor, the Secretary of

State and the Adjutant General, in accord with an act

of the General Assembly of Ohio and approved May 8,

1919.

Ten volumes of this work have already been printed.

In arrangement for convenient reference they far sur-

pass any rosters of other wars published by the State.

The names of the soldiers, sailors and marines are ar-

ranged alphabetically, with the record of service oppo-

site each. This facilitates, for all time, a reference to

the service of any veteran of the World War.

This is a distinct improvement over the arrangement

by regiments and companies in rosters, previously pub-

lished by the State, of soldiers of the War of 1812, the

War with Mexico and the Civil War. To find the record

of service of a soldier in any of these, one must know his

regiment and company. If the name of the regiment

only is known, it may be necessary to read over almost

Reviews, Notes and Comments      581

the entire list of the regiment before finding the name

of the soldier whose record is sought. If the name of

his regiment is not given, the quest is almost hopeless.

In such cases, it is a great saving of time to write at once

to the War Department, at Washington, for the record.

This will not be necessary in searching for the rec-

ord of a World War veteran. Any person having ac-

cess to this World War Roster can readily, without as-

sistance, refer to the record sought. Librarians, espe-

cially, will be thankful to the editors for the good judg-

ment exercised in arranging and publishing this work.

The ten volumes already issued run alphabetically from

Abb to Lucas, inclusive.

HISTORICAL BOUNDARY LINE COMMEMORATED BY

MONUMENT.*

ADDRESS BY CAPTAIN C. L. BAATZ.

Several hundred Massillon citizens and friends at-

tended the unveiling of a boulder, Wednesday after-

noon, on the Massillon-Canal Fulton Road, marking the

boundary line created by a treaty concluded between the

Indians and the United States in 1785.

The line formed a boundary dividing the territory

of the United States and the Indians. It extended

through this city along the Tuscarawas River.

The local council of Boy Scouts selected the site for

the location of the boulder on a curve of the Massillon-

Canal Fulton Road near Crystal Springs. The Boy

Scouts also found the boulder upon which has been

placed a bronze tablet.

* Massillon Evening Independent, September 9, 1926.

582       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

The monument was erected through contributions

of Massillon school children to a fund created by the

Daughters of the American Revolution to mark historic

spots in and near Massillon.

The inscription on the bronze tablet reads:

This boulder overlooks the Tuscarawas River and commem-

orates the treaty concluded in 1785 with the Wyandot, Delaware,

Chippewa, and Ottawa Indians, whereby the River became part

of the boundary line between the United States and the territory

of the Indians.

Erected through the contributions of the children of the City

of Massillon, Ohio.  Stone and site located by the local Boy

Scouts of America, September 8, 1926.

Previous to the unveiling of the monument by two

Boy Scouts, the Massillon Band gave a short concert.

Paul R. Stewart, scout commissioner, introduced the

speaker, C. L. Baatz.

Captain Baatz said:

Primitive people in all lands always have definite trails or

paths leading from one favorite hunting ground to another.

Our Indian trails in Ohio were first made by great hordes

of buffaloes that were obliged to seek other grazing grounds --

like here on this trail, going north in early summer, then south

again before the cold winters came.

These trails always followed the highlands along streams

whose waters were deep enough to carry the Indians in their

light canoes, when large numbers of Indians made these north

and south trips, and when the rivers were frozen. Thus the trails

made by the buffalo became fine roads for our primitive Ameri-

cans.

When at war with the Indians, our military leaders, in going

into the wilderness, always led their soldiers over these well-

defined trails.

The trail we dedicate today is known as the "Portage Trail,"

and a brief description of its acquirement from the Indians is here

given. The first treaty concluded with the Indians of Ohio was

made at Ft. McIntosh, January 21, 1785, and was signed by the

Wyandots, Delawares, Chippewas and the Ottawa Nations. This