HISTORY OF FORT
HAMILTON.
W. C. MILLER.
Butler County, Ohio, the eighteenth
county established in
the seventeenth state of the Union, can
present many points of
interest, archaeological and historical.
Chief among these is
Fort Hamilton, the first of a chain of
forts established by
the Government, in the Miami valley, for
the protection of the
pioneers.
In compiling this sketch of Fort
Hamilton the writer, a
resident of Hamilton for fifty years,
has had access to the offi-
cial records, the manuscript of that
early historian, James Mc-
Bride, and this, together with his
personal information gathered
from the lips of the leaders in this
community in the first half
of the nineteenth century, still living,
in the young manhood days
of the writer, such men as Judge Chas.
K. Smith, Elijah
Vance, Jesse Corwin, Nehemiah Wade, John
Knox, Fergus An-
derson and Wm. N. Hunter, and in later
days the personal rem-
iniscences of Hon. Wm. R. Cochran, John
M. Millikin, Thomas
Millikin, Jacob Stillwaugh, Samuel
Shafer, Joshua Delaplane,
Augustus Breitenbach, Thomas Moor, Henry
S. Ehrhart, George
W. Tapscott and Stephen D. Cone. The
writer has spared no
pains, and here furnishes as complete
and exhaustive a history as
is possible to compile at this day.
That an ancient race once inhabited the
site of old Fort
Hamilton, and the Miami valley, and in
fact the central portion
of what is now the United States, there
is no doubt. They left
no written history. All that we can
gather is from their monu-
ments, consisting of earth-works,
mounds, and implements, evi-
dences that they possessed certain
degrees of civilization, and
were a peaceable people. According to
the book Oahape pub-
Vol. XIII-7. (97)
98 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
lished in Mexico whence they migrated,
they were short in
stature, white, and were religious, had
a profound respect for
woman, almost looked upon her as a
goddess. They permitted
no towns of over 3,000 population,
presided over by a father, in
order that all might know each other,
considering large cities
a curse to mankind. They were called
Ihuans, and the country
Guatama. Following this people came the
Tollects, and they
were driven from their homes by warlike
tribes from the north,
and took refuge in Mexico in 596. When
the white man first cast
his eye on this locality, it was covered
with dense forests, and
inhabited by the Shawnee and Miami
tribes of the Red man.
LaSalle in 1660 first explored this
region. In 1750 Christopher
Gist and George Croghan, explorers, left
Fort Duquesne, now
Pittsburg, crossed the country to the
Maumee, to the village of
the Ottawas, held a counsel with the
chiefs and secured their
friendship, and proceeded south to the
village of the Piquas, se-
cured their friendship and separated,
Croghan going to the Scioto
and Gist passed down the Miami, then up
the broad waters of the
Ohio to Pittsburg.
In 1780 during the revolutionary war
Col. Bird with a de-
tachment of 600 Indians and Canadians,
with four pieces of ar-
tillery, left Canada, passed up the
Maumee over to Laramie
creek, thence to the Miami, down the
same, passed the site of
what eleven years later was Fort
Hamilton, all a wilderness, to
the Ohio, up the Ohio to the Licking,
reduced several American
frontier stations and returned by the
same route with prisoners
and plunder.
Peace being declared in 1783 and
congress having provided
land bounties to every soldier or his
family if slain by the enemy,
Cen. Putnam at once sent a memorial to
Gen. Washington for
numbers of such claims. He approved
them, but owing to con-
flicting claims of the various original
states to Ohio territory
nothing was done until 1784 when
congress acquired the title to
all lands northwest of the Ohio river.
Thomas Hutchins, a
noted geographer, was appointed surveyor
general, to proceed at
once. The Indians, although ceding the
territory, were bitterly
opposed to its survey and settlement,
and became so hostile that
nothing could be done until the spring
of 1786, when military aid
History of Fort Hamilton. 99
was secured from Gen. Harmar, and
hostilities on the part of
the savages were somewhat abated, and
work again began in
1787. John Cleves Symmes in the meantime
contracted with the
government for one million acres of land
lying between the two
Miamis. On the 15th of May, 1788, the
contract was closed,
and Judge Symmes at once appointed
Israel Ludlow to survey
the land thus bought. Harrassed by the
Indians the occupation
of Ludlow was all but pleasant.
From this time on a continuous flow of
adventurous immi-
grants, coming down the Ohio in flat
bottomed boats, settled in
these wilds. But so hazardous did this
become, owing, to the
continued hostility of the Indians,
often successful and inflicting
terrible barbarities against the early
settlers, that on April 18,
1790, General Harmar with 301
Kentucky volunteers marched
to the Ohio and again for the time
secured safe navigation.
Fort Washington, in the meantime, being
established, an army of
1400 men
was organized in the fall and marched against the
Indians. They however, were defeated in
two successive en-
counters and lost over 300 men. The
frontiers men became
alarmed and panic-stricken. In 1791
congress ordered an army
of 3,000 men, General St. Clair
commander, for the protection of
the pioneers. On September 8th he left
Fort Washington with
2,300-men with General Richard Butler
second in command,
Col. Darke leading the advance. On the
17th they reached a
point twenty-five miles from Fort
Washington, latitude 39 de-
grees, 26 minutes and longitude 7
degrees, 29 minutes. Here
they halted and erected the first chain
of forts and named it Fort
Hamilton. The circuit of the fort was
about one thousand feet,
through the whole extent of which a
trench was dug three feet
deep to set the pickets in, of which it
required about two thou-
sand to enclose it. The trees were tall
and straight and from
nine to twelve inches in diameter. To
secure this particular size
they were compelled to go over
considerable space of woodland.
When found they were felled, cleared of
their branches, and
cut into lengths of about 20 feet. They
were then carried or
dragged by oxen to the ground - but the
woods being so thick
and encumbered by underbrush they found
the former to be the
most expeditious method. Thus, the labor
of building the fort
History of Fort Hamilton. 101
was most entirely done by the men. These
logs were then but-
ted, that they might be placed firm and
upright in the trench,
with the ax or saw. Some hewing was
necessary, for some
trees were not perfectly straight, and
when stood upright their
sides had to be made to come together. A
thin piece of timber
called a ribbon, was run around it all,
near the top of the pickets,
to which every one was pinned with a
strong pin. The earth
was returned to the trenches and well
packed, to keep the pickets
firm. On the outside about three feet
distant, a trench was dug
to carry off the water and prevent the
removal of the pickets by
rain. About two thousand pickets were
set up, on the inside,
one between every two of the others. The
work was then en-
closed. The fort was built on the first
bank east of the Miami
river.
But there was another bank where the
court house now
stands, and used by the garrison for a
graveyard, that was much
higher, within point blank shot, which
rendered it necessary to
make the pickets on the land side
higher, sufficient to prevent the
enemy from seeing into the area of the
fort. There were four
bastions or block houses erected, one on
the river front and three
on the land side. In the one at the
southeast corner, and the
one at the southwest corner a platform
was set made of trunks of
trees, and a cannon placed in each. They
were thus enabled to
cover the land on the east and command
the ford on the west.
Planks were sawed for the platforms and
the gate which opened
to the ford. The ford was at what is now
the foot of Ross and
Court street. A barracks was built in
like manner for one hun-
dred men, a guard room, two storehouses
for provisions and a
magazine, and all this was done in two
weeks.
September 30th it was named Fort
Hamilton in honor of
Alexander Hamilton, who was then
secretary of the treasury in
Washington's cabinet.
General St. Clair's army being defeated
on November 4th
near Greenville, Darke county, they
retreated to Fort Hamilton,
with a loss of over 600 men, including
Gen. Butler and Col.
Darke, and a number of women, wives of
officers, who accom-
panied the army and dared to suffer the
hardships of this perilous
campaign. Capt. Armstrong had been left
in command at Fort
102 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Hamilton, and most of the fortifications
and interior buildings
were erected under his superintendency,
and the wounded were
here provided for until they could reach
their homes. A portion
of the Garrison, was sent out at once to
hunt and assist the
wounded who were unable to reach the
fort. Gen. St. Clair
feeling the odium resting upon him,
resigned, January 8th, 1792,
although congress upon investigation had
relieved him of any
blame. Gen. Wilkinson was appointed to
succeed him.
On the 28th of January General Wilkinson
with 200 regu-
lars, and two companies of militia, left
Fort Washington for the
battlefield to bury the dead and recover
what he could of ar-
tillery, tenting and supplies. John
Reily, was one of these, so,
also, Wm. H. Harrison, then an ensign in
the regular army, and
later President of the United States.
They arrived at Fort Hamilton next day,
crossed the river at
this point and followed the trace road
cut through the forest by
Gen. St. Clair's army, evidences of
which can yet be seen. They
returned on February 5th, having
recovered 78 bodies and one
piece of artillery. General Wilkinson ordered Captain Arm-
strong to have another flatboat built
with utmost dispatch to
facilitate transportation of men and
horses across the river. On
the 15th of March he was here again, but
left next day to es-
tablish an intermediate fort between
Forts Hamilton and Jefferson.
This became a matter of extreme
necessity in order to shorten
the distance for the men, who, upon
swift horses, carried dis-
patches from one fort to another and
known as the "express."
The express was always considered a
matter of great peril, and
many a gallant soldier lost his life
serving in that way.
Fort Hamilton at this time was in a
perfect state of defence.
On the 17th of March they began the
digging of a well, which is
still in existence situated on Water
street about fifty feet south
of High and for years known as Sohn's
well. At this well often
appeared Gen. St. Clair, Gen. Wayne,
Gen. Wilkinson and Lieut.
Wm. H. Harrison later Gen. Harrison. On
the 19th of March
Gen. Wilkinson sent word to Capt.
Armstrong that he had suc-
ceeded in establishing a fort 25 miles
north of Fort Hamilton and
named it Fort St. Clair. He furthermore
ordered Capt. Arm-
strong that when Col. Elliott came up
the river with supplies of
History of Fort Hamilton. 103
provision for Fort St. Clair to detail a
sergeant and twelve men
to meet him at Dunlap station and act as
an escort. He was
also instructed to build houses for one
thousand barrels of pro-
vision for the fort.
On the 26th of April Capt. Armstrong
informed Gen. Wil-
kinson that the enemy were lurking in
the neighborhood and again
on May 7th that James
McDonald whom he had sent to Fort
Washington with dispatches, a week ago,
had not returned, and
he feared that he had been captured or
killed by the Indians.
On the 6th an escort from Fort
Washington with provisions
consisting of a drove of bullocks
arrived at the fort destined for
St. Clair. Indians were again seen on
the west side of the river
for several days. Capt. Armstrong
detached Lieut. Gaines with
20 men
five miles on the road to Fort St. Clair with directions to
re-cross Four mile, then Joseph creek
and form an ambuscade
until the party with provisions had
passed. Express (Serg.
Brooks) arrived on the 9th from Fort St.
Clair. He reported
seeing an Indian half mile north and
upon the Indian discovering
him, he gave a yell and four others
appeared. A raft on which
three or four might have crossed the
river, floated by the fort in
the afternoon and the horse on which
McDonald was sent, on the
23rd of April returned without its rider
to the post, the rider
therefore must have been slain by the
Indians. On May 11th
two experienced woodmen, Reason Baily
and Joseph Shepherd
were added to the post and two to each
of the others, for the
purpose of reconnoitering and scouting.
An order was also is-
sued by Gen. Wilkinson, awarding $20 for the
apprehension of a
deserter, and if found making for the
enemy, he was to be shot,
and his head brought in and set on a
post on parade day. June
28th, General Wilkinson visited the fort
again. The garrison
were fearing an attack any day by the
Indians. On the 27th of
July, Captain Peters with his company
and six wagons arrived
as reinforcement. The savages were becoming bolder and
bolder as the days passed, and the hardy
frontiersman fled in
terror to the fort.
On the 15th of November a soldier was fired upon at his post
and an attempt made to steal the cattle,
by removing some pickets.
In December Captain Armstrong resigned
his command of Fort
104 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
Hamilton and Major Michael Rudolph
succeeded him. He ar-
rived on the 10th with three companies
of light dragoons, one of
riflemen and one of infantry,
re-inforcement to the post. The
depredations of the Indians were
becoming more and more fre-
quent. A general alarm seized the
pioneers, whose exposed sit-
uation was inviting conflagration,
massacre, and untold cruelties
at the hands of the revengeful savages.
Scarcely a week passed
but what the incendary blazing fagot,
the deadly rifle the mur-
derous tomahawk and dreaded scalping
knife had been wielded
by the stealthy, unpitying, vindictive
savage. The government,
however, took prompt action and
proceeded to inaugurate vigor-
ous and effective measures, looking to
the early, adequate and
permanent support and security of the
frontier. President
Washington appointed General Wayne as
commander-in-chief
and ordered him to raise an army of five
thousand men, to the
end that an everlasting tranquility
might be established in the
Miami country. Gen Wayne began
recruiting at once, Decem-
ber, 1792. April 20, 1793, he moved
his legion from winter
quarters to Fort Washington and in a few
days visited Fort Ham-
ilton, having heard of the cruel
treatment of seven deserters of
Rudolph's command and although General
Wayne was consid-
ered a most stern and arbitrary officer,
he was so displeased with
Major Rudolph's cruelty, that he gave
him the choice of resign-
ing or being cashiered. He resigned and
left for his home in
Virginia. The circumstances connected
with the desertion of
seven of Rudolph's soldiers were most
distressing. Smarting
under Rudolph's cruelty, they deserted
early in March of this
year. They were captured near the falls
of the Ohio, where they
had gone in a canoe and returned to Fort
Hamilton. Major Ru-
dolph sentenced two to be put in irons,
two to run the gauntlet
and three to be hung, namely Bliss,
Brown and Galager. They
lie buried in the southwest side of the
fort, where the gallows
stood, and where the United Presbyterian
church now stands.
The depredations of the Indians
continued unabated. In June
of this year A. W. Prior, business
partner of John Riley, in com-
pany of two others, set out on a trip to
convey provisions from
Fort Washington to Fort Hamilton. They
encamped for the
night at Pleasant Run, six miles below
the fort. The Indians fired
History of Fort Hamilton. 105
on them, killed Prior, the other two
making their escape to Fort
Hamilton. A few weeks later a brigade of
wagons transporting
provisions from Fort Washington to Fort
Hamilton, guarded by a
detachment of forty men, was attacked by
the Indians with a
galling fire about where Prior was
killed. They charged upon
the Indians and made them retreat, but
lost eight men. October
15th Lieutenant Lowry with ninety men,
was attacked by a party
of Indians and defeated with a loss of
fifteen men and seventy
horses carried away. Late in December an
express on his way to
Fort Hamilton from Fort Washington was
waylaid near Symmes
Corner. The Indian was concealed behind
a forked oak near the
ministerial corner. In the spring of
1794, Col. Robert Elliott,
contractor for supplies to the U. S.
army, on his way to Fort
Hamilton, was waylaid and killed near
the county line at the big
hill. The servant made his escape riding
at full speed, Elliott's
horse following, arriving at Fort
Hamilton safe. The Colonel
wore a wig and the Indian in his haste
to scalp him tore it off to
his utter astonishment. The next day a
party left Fort Hamilton
with a coffin, and the servant with them
to the scene, and se-
cured Elliott's body. After traveling a
mile or so, they were
again attacked, the servant killed and
the others fled. The In-
dians broke open the coffin, thereupon
the soldiers rallied, re-
took the body and proceeded on their
journey. Early in July of
this year, 1794, a soldier was
despatched to Fort Jefferson as an
express from this post. He was
tomahawked and scalped near
Two Mile, not far from Deloraca's house
where Blum's shop is
now located, although within sight of
the fort. They knew
nothing of it until informed by Col.
Mathew Huston, who the
previous night lodged in a camp, nine
miles above and came to
the fort next morning. He said the
Indians were concealed on
the side of the road in a bush and
sprang upon their victim as
he passed. Early in November following,
an escort of dragoons
who were guarding a party taking
provisions from Fort Wash-
ington to Fort Hamilton were attacked at
the big hill at Pleasant
Run. Eight men were killed and a number
wounded; the In-
dians burned the corn and carried away
the horses.
Several days later the Indians killed
and scalped two pack
horsemen near Bloody run on their way to
Fort Hamilton-two
106 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
of the wagoners escaped. In December eight pack horse men on their way from Fort Hamilton to Fort St. Clair encamped for the night near Seven mile on the west side of the creek. Early next morning they were fired on by the Indians. Seven were killed |
|
and one escaped to Fort Hamilton. A party of soldiers went next day to bury the dead. General Wayne in July, 1793, visited Fort Hamilton and had an addition built to the fort on the north side. Artificers' shops |
History of Fort Hamilton. 107
and stalls for horses of the dragoons
were erected on the west
side of the addition and barracks for
the men.
On the 8th of September General Wayne
with his army left
Fort Washington and marched to Fort
Hamilton. October 7th
General Wayne took up his line of march
to the north, leaving
Major John Cass in charge of Fort
Hamilton. He took a differ-
ent route from what General St. Clair
did in order to take the
Indians off their guard, and crossed the
Miami at what is known
as old river, the river having changed
its course during the flood
of 1805. He arrived at the St. Clair
battlefield December 25th,
erected a fort and named it Fort
Recovery. General Wayne dur-
ing the winter tried to treat for peace
with the Indians, but they
having been promised Brittish aid, were
defiant. He sent Chris-
tian Miller, who had been naturalized by
the Shawnees, as a
messenger of peace, but the olive branch
was rejected. He
therefore made arrangements for the
final blow. On the 20th
of August, 1794, the decisive blow was
struck, known as the
"Battle of Fallen Timbers."
The Indians were commanded by
Blue Jacket, the Shawnee chief. The
charge of Mad Anthony's
troops with their glistening bayonets
was complete. The In-
dians fled in dismay.
The Canadians and English were their
allies and the woods
were full of them, dead and wounded.
Gen. Wayne's loss was thirty-three
killed and one hundred
wounded. General conflagration and devastation
of Indian vil-
lages marked the track of the return of
the victorious army.
They arrived at Fort Hamilton October
28th. The Kentucky
volunteers preceded them several days.
The major part entered
winter quarters at Fort Greenville. The
year 1795 came with
the fair prospects that the white winged
messenger of peace
would hereafter hover over the Miami
valley. Major Jonathan
Cass was still commander of Fort
Hamilton.
Judge Symmes and his associate, Jonathan
Dayton, had re-
ceived his patent for 248,540 acres of
land and Israel Ludlow had
surveyed it. Darius C. Orcutt, a soldier
of St. Clair and
Wayne's army, who shortly before married
Sallie McHenry, the
second marriage at this post, erected
the first log cabin beyond
the confines of the fort at the north
end. It stood there and was
108
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
inhabited as late as 1865. Jonathan
Dayton sold to Israel Lud-
low the site and surroundings of Fort
Hamilton, who thereupon,
appointed D. C. Orcutt to lay out and
contract, with purchasers.
Among these were John Greer, Isaac
Wiles, Benj. Randolph and
John Torrence. In June Wayne's volunteer
army was disbanded,
and quite a number of officers and men
came to Fort Hamilton for
their permanent abode. Numbers purchased
lots and began to
build. John Torrence built a house near
the northwest corner of
the fort, which still stands, and opened
a tavern, the hotel of that
day.
August 3d the treaty of peace was signed
between the
United States represented by General
Wayne and the twelve
tribes of Indians, represented by their
respective chiefs. John
Southerland, who had been a packhorse
man in St. Clair and
Wayne's campaign, settled here in the
spring and opened a store
just beyond the north end of the fort,
in the house where Mrs.
Dr. McNealy now lives. General Wayne
ordered Fort Hamil-
ton to be vacated in the fall of this
year. The public property,
and stores were sold at public auction,
and the fort abandoned.
Archibald Talbert built the first log
cabin on the west side
of the Miami near the corner of Park
avenue and B streets and
established a ferry, and a few years
later Isaac Falconer, father
of Dr. Cyrus Falconer, erected a
building and opened the first
public house now occupied by Dr. Wm. C.
Miller as a drug store.
The two store houses built by Gen.
Wilkinson for the ac-
commodation of the officers together
with the stables just north
were sold to Wm. McClellan, who opened a
tavern in it, and at
the organization of the county it was
used as a clerk's office, of-
fice of the common pleas and supreme
judges, treasurer, coroner,
surveyor and postoffice. The clerk's
desk used in this building
was later purchased by Jesse Corwin and
is now in possession of
Dr. Miller. John Reily was the first
postmaster.
It was the general rendezvous of the
picked men of the
town, the headquarters where the best
society spent their even-
ings and leisure hours.
The court was held in one of the
buildings of the fort for-
merly used as a mess room and occupied
as such until 1810.
History of Fort Hamilton. 109
The following year the Rev. W. G. Wallace opened a school in the building, also organized a Presbyterian church. All the buildings of the fort had been constructed of sound hickory logs with the bark peeled off except the magazine, a building about fifteen feet square constructed of heavy logs, hewed square and laid close together, having a hipped roof, and a blue ball on top. In 1803 the magazine was converted into a |
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jail. The door was of heavy two-inch oak plank and driven full of spikes and nails with a hole in the center in the shape of a half- moon for the admission of light, air and food for the occupants. it was fastened with an iron hasp and padlock on the outside. The old soldiers of St. Clair and Wayne, residents of Ham- ilton and vicinity, formed themselves into military companies. Whenever there were any prisoners in the jail a detachment of ten or twelve of one of these companies would be employed by |
110 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
the county commissioners to guard the
prison. John Wingate
was captain of one of these companies,
James Blackburn another,
and John Gray another. April 8th,
Captain Gray was paid $14
for himself and ten privates of his
company for guarding the jail
in January. June 10th, Captain Wingate
received $27.75 for
himself and company, and Captain
Blackburn received $6.75 for
the same for his company. The building
stood opposite to where
the United Presbyterian church now
stands.
After its abandonment as a jail in 1810,
it was used as a
house of worship for some two
years. Here Loronzo Dow
preached a sermon in 1824. It was there
after 1828 until 1840
used as a school house, and then again
as a magazine for the two
political parties, Whigs and Democrats,
where they kept their
cannons to celebrate their victories.
Amongst these was a
mounted, six-pounder brass, the property
of Capt. Nathaniel
Reeder, given to him as a prize for
valiant service in the United
States Navy. It was turned over to the
government in 1861.
In 1849 this last relic of Fort Hamilton
was removed from
its original location and turned into a
dwelling house. As such
it continued to be until 1902, when it was
about to be torn
down. The Daughters of the American
Revolution secured it;
the city authorities granted them within
the confines of the old
fort a location in the heart of the
city. The patriotic citizens
contributed liberally to its
restoration, and to-day situate upon
the banks of the Blue Miami, in the city
of Hamilton, Ohio may
be seen the only relic of Fort Hamilton.
The Fort that had to
contend with the Miami Indians, who as
LaSalle two hundred
years ago said "were the most
civilized of all Indian nations, neat
of dress, splendid of bearing, haughty
of manner, holding all
other tribes as inferiors." Of all
the Indians of America, the
Miamis approached nearest to the ideal
of an American aborigine
than all others.
Little Turtle was their greatest chief
in the days of Fort
Hamilton. It was he who formed that
powerful confederation of
six nations to resist the pale face, and
inflicted the crushing de-
feat to General Harmar, October 19,
1790, and to General St.
Clair, November 4, 1791. As a warrior,
statesman and orator,
he was only second to Tecumseh the
Napoleon of the Red man
History of Fort Hamilton. 111
one hundred years ago. After the treaty
of peace at Greenville
a young chief of the Miamis went east to
see the great father.
He was a young man, noble in bearing,
brave, just, generous and
scrupulously honest. His intention was
to adopt the ways of the
white man. Alexander Hamilton took an
interest in him and
presented him with his seal, a mark of
great honor in the early
days. He had adopted the name of James
McDonald. Had
become a classical scholar, and about 1825 returned to
the home
of his childhood, the Miami valley. Here
he entered the law
office of Jesse Corwin at Hamilton, then
Prosecuting Attorney
of Butler county, and brother of Tom
Corwin, one of Ohio's
illustrious sons. McDonald lived with
Mr. Corwin until 1833,
when one day, filled with fire water,
his savage nature all came
up, and with one great war whoop he
jumped into the Miami
river and was drowned. The writer, a
son-in-law, of Jesse Cor-
win, now has in his possession at the
old Corwin homestead, an
oil painting 1Ox20, of one of this
last chief of the Miamis, to-
gether with all his books, nearly all of
a classical nature, Greek
and Latin.
Francis Godfrey, another of Miami's
chiefs, next to Little
Turtle as a warrior, was known and
honored by all the dis-
tinguished men of his day, but never as
a scholar, as James Mc-
Donald. To Mrs. W. C. Miller, Regent of
the John Reily Chap-
ter D. A. R, and her associates, the
Mrs. C. W. Gath, Lou
Beauchamp and Charles Huntington must be
given the credit of
the preservation and restoration of the
last relic of Fort Hamil-
ton. To O. M. Bake, all honor is due. It
was he who gave
these patriotic women a clear title to
the property. It will be
used by these noble and patriotic women
as a place of meeting,
and the second floor as a repository for
all revolutionary relics.
All honor to the Daughters of the
American Revolution.