86 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
one officer and myself went to New York
on recruiting service. That
was in 1814. I remained in New York
about two years. When we left
New York we marched with recruits to
fill up the companies stationed
on the northern frontier. I had
re-enlisted on the 23d of November,
1816, for five years. We marched to
Sackett's Harbor, and I was there
assigned to Company D, Second Infantry.
The other recruits were dis-
tributed at the different stations. I
was stationed at Sackett's Harbor
something like seventeen years. We
remained quietly at barracks all
this time, until the Black Hawk War
broke out beyond Chicago. We
started in the month of July, 1832, and
got back October 6, of the same
year. We had no battles in that
campaign. There was nothing but hard
marching, etc. I was appointed an
ordinance sergeant of the U. S. army
October 18, 1833, and was ordered to
Boston, but finally exchanged with
the ordnance sergeant at Madison
barracks. Colonel Kirby, paymaster,
and others arranged the matter for me.
During the Florida War I was
in Sackett's Harbor in charge of all the
property at that post. I was
there too during the Mexican War and got
an order from General
Augur to enlist all the men that I could
and send them to Syracuse. I
got from four to six every day, and sent
them to Syracuse for Mexico.
I was a recruiting officer for General
Augur. During the war of the Re-
bellion I was left alone in charge of
the quartermaster's stores, medical
and other property at Madison Barracks,
New York. I was discharged
December 31, 1866, by Secretary Stanton
and came to this home. I have
had charge of a great many improvements
in the home and was lodge
keeper at the Whitney Avenue gate for a
number of years."
Sergeant Gaines was at the time of this
interview an active
old man about five feet seven inches in
height, of dark complex-
ion. He had bright grey eyes, white hair
and strongly marked
features. He stood perfectly erect, and
had a very soldierly bear-
ing. His mind was clear and his memory
quite remarkable. He
described with great detail the incident
of his early service. He
was the last survivor of the gallant
defenders of Fort Stephenson.
He enlisted when in his thirtieth year
and probably no man served
longer in the United States Army than
he.
REUBEN CLEMENT.
In 1880 there still lived in Petersburg,
Va., a survivor of the
War of 1812, one of the Petersburg
Volunteers, one member of
which, Brown, fought at Fort Stephenson.
A letter from this
aged man, Mr. Reuben Clements, reads:
The Croghan Celebration. 87
"PETERSBURG,
VA., 4th March, 1880.
Colonel:
According to promise I will now attempt
to tell you what little I
know about Croghan and Sandusky. The
opening of the spring cam-
paign in 1813 found the garrison of Fort
Meigs exceedingly weak.
General Harrison having gone in the
states to hasten forward rein-
forcements, leaving General Clay in
command. The British and In-
dians in considerable numbers, knowing
perhaps of the absence of the
General-in-Chief, and our weakness, as
also our expecting succor from
Kentucky, surrounded the fort and
engaged in a sham battle, hoping
by this ruse to draw us out. Failing in
this they left us, taking the
Military Road in the direction of Fort Stephenson,
which was said to
have been forty miles in length, and
fell upon Major Croghan and
his little band at Sandusky. The fort at
this place was quite small,
covering I should say not more than one
English acre of ground. In
form it was quadrilateral, without
traverses, but having in front of
curtain on its four sides a broad and
deep fosse. At the north-east
angle of the fort was a blockhouse, and
just here was mounted the
only cannon (a six pounder) which made
such havoc with the red coats
occupying the ditch. My impression is
that my old comrade Brown
was the only member of my company
present on that occasion; and
that he did not (as has been asserted)
command the piece but only
assisted in working it. The captain of
the gun was a sergeant either
of the Pittsburg Blues, or Greensburg
Blues. However Brown was ter-
ribly burned about the face which
disfigured him for life. I forgot to
state that the Fort was short of
ammunition of all sorts, having only three
rounds in all for the cannon. You ask if
I knew Major Croghan. I an-
swer, Yes, I have seen him oftentimes
before and after the glorious fight
at Sandusky. He was a beardless
stripling; I should say rather below
the medium size, and did not look more
than eighteen years of age.
This is about all I know of Croghan and
Sandusky. I might add, though
not exactly pertinent, that our Company
was quite largely represented
on the decks of Commodore Perry's ships,
when he so gloriously fought
and overcame the British Fleet on Lake
Erie.
With great respect,
Your obedient servant,
REUBEN CLEMENTS.
THE FIRST PERMANENT WHITE SETTLERS IN
OHIO, JAMES WHIT-
AKER AND ELIZABETH FOULKE.
The first permanent white settlers in
Ohio were James
Whitaker and Elizabeth Foulks, who were
captured in western
Pennsylvania in 1774 and 1776
respectively, by the Wyandot
Indians, by whom they were adopted and
taken to Lower San-