Ohio History Journal
Monument at Fort Jefferson. 113
5. PRESENTATION
................................. Geo. A. Katzenberger
6. UNVEILING
.................................. Elizabeth D. Robeson
7. MILITARY SALUTE
....................Gun Squad, Co. M., 3rd Regt.
8. STAR SPANGLED BANNER . .............................Drum Corps
9. ACCEPTANCE ON BEHALF OF THE
PUBLIC..........Prof. J. T. Martz
10. HISTORIC ADDRESS
............................Judge J. I. Allread
11. YANKEE DOODLE
......................................Drum
Corps
12. A WORD FROM THE RED MEN
......................L. E. Wills
13. BENEDICTION
............................Rev. G. W. Berry
ADDRESS OF FRAZER E. WILSON.
SECRETARY GREENVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
One hundred and sixteen years ago to-day
a military post which
was being erected on this very spot by
the army of Maj. Gen. Arthur
St. Clair was named Fort Jefferson in
honor of that great statesman
and author of the Declaration of
Independence, Thomas Jefferson. We
are assembled to commemorate that event
and to do honor to the mem-
ory of the heroes and patriots who
sacrificed so much that we might
enjoy the benefits of a free nation.
Father Time has been very good
to us, indeed, and it is hard to
appreciate all the benefits conferred by
those who have gone before. Other men
labored and we have entered
into the rewards of their labors. Under
the inspiring influences of the
past I feel that it is good for us to be
here. Let us unveil this tablet and
dedicate this monument with due
reverence for the patriots who once
stood where we stand not knowing what
another day might bring forth.
With these thoughts in mind I want to
express a few words of appreciation
for the character and public services of
one whose name has gone down un-
der a cloud because of defeat at a very
critical moment in Western history.
Whenever the name of Arthur St. Clair is
mentioned in this vicinity
our minds go back to that cold November
morning in 1791 when his ex-
posed and decrepit army was surprised
and suddenly attacked by a fierce
horde of howling savages on a branch of
the upper Wabash. In face
of the terrible defeat that followed we
are prone to forget or overlook
the previous and later record of this
stalwart patriot. St. Clair was of
Scottish birth. He emigrated to America
in 1755 and served with the
British in the French and Indian War,
being in the important engage-
ments of Louisburg and Quebec. Like many
of his hardy countrymen he
then settled in western Pennsylvania and
engaged in farming until the
outbreak of the Revolution. The call of
the Colonies appealed to him
and he espoused the cause of freedom,
serving with distinction at Three-
Rivers, Trenton, Princeton and
Hubbardstown and attaining the rank
of Major-General. In 1786 he was elected
President of Congress and in
1788 was appointed Governor of the
Territory Northwest of the Ohio
river. With such a record of faithful
service on the credit side of
Vol. XVII.- 8.
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114 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
life's ledger the new Government naturally turned to him with con- fidence when its western borders were assailed by savage foes. The new settlements of the Americans on the north side of the Ohio river were regarded by the Indians of the North as an invasion of their ancient domains. The British, who still retained the military posts at Detroit and along the lakes, took advantage of the situation and goaded on the |
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savages to attack the scattered settlements, furnishing them with arms, ammunition, food, clothing, etc. To meet this alarming situation three expeditions were sent against the Indian villages of the Maumee and Wabash with indifferent success. These raids so greatly exasperated the Indians against whom they were sent that they formed a confederacy and entered into a conspiracy to drive the white settlers beyond the Ohio. At this juncture St. Clair appeared on the scene. With a poorly |
Monument at Fort Jefferson. 115
equipped and inadequately disciplined
army of mixed and insubordinate
troops, which had been collected with
great pains and labor, he left camp
at Ludlow's Station, near Fort
Washington, September 17th, 1791, and
marched northward to the crossing of the
Great Miami where he built
and garrisoned Fort Hamilton. Cutting a
road through the wilderness the
army arrived on this ground October
12th, and proceeded to build another
post as one of a chain of forts
connecting Fort Washington with the Maumee
at the present site of Fort Wayne,
Indiana. On the 24th of October
this post, which was nearing completion,
was named Fort Jefferson by
St. Clair, and a detachment with two
pieces of artillery left to defend
it. Proceeding northward along an old
Indian trail through the beautiful
open forest the army arrived on the
present site of Greenville, Ohio, and
encamped until the 31st, awaiting
supplies. Again taking up the line of
march the army veered a little west of
north. About this time sixty of
the Kentucky militia deserted and the
entire First Regiment of Regulars
was detached and sent in pursuit to
protect the provision train and bring
back the deserters. In this weakened and
disorganized condition the army
encamped on a branch of the upper Wabash
on the evening of November
3rd, 1791. St. Clair intended to cast up
a light earthwork on the follow-
ing day and make a forced march for the
Maumee, which he thought
to be about fifteen miles distant but
which was, in fact, about fifty miles
away. This he was not permitted to do
but was surprised, surrounded and
terribly defeated early the following
day. In this engagement St. Clair
had two horses shot from under him and
several bullet holes shot through
his clothes. Altho suffering with the
gout he rode up and down the lines
encouraging the troops but failed to
save the day. After nearly three
hours of hard fighting the army
retreated pell-mell and kept on with un-
told hardship and suffering until this
place (Fort Jefferson) was reached
near night-fall-a distance of nearly
thirty miles. The story of this de-
feat cast a gloom over the whole
frontier and encouraged the Indians
to renew their attacks on the scattered
settlers. This condition prevailed
until "Mad Anthony" Wayne
defeated the allied tribes on the Maumee in
1794 and caused them to sign the Treaty
of Greenville in 1795. St. Clair
was court-martialed and exonerated, and
continued to serve as Governor
of the Territory Northwest of the Ohio
until 1802, when he was removed
for stubborn persistence in ideas which
he thought to be right but which
were at variance with the growing
principles of equal rights and popular
representation. Broken in health and
greatly reduced in fortune he died
in a log house near Ligonier, Pa., in
1818. He had sacrificed the comforts
of home and the social advantages of a
brilliant political career besides
a considerable fortune in attempting to
direct the destinies of a vast and
newly organized territory in the western
wilderness. Measuring success
by conventional standards we might be
tempted to call his later public
life a failure. Shakespeare makes Mark Antony
say over the dead body
of Caesar-
116 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
"The evil that men do lives after
them;
The good is oft interred with their
bones."
May it not be thus with Arthur St. Clair
but rather may this
monument long stand as a fitting tribute
of respect to his memory. May
the broken granite boulders typify the
strength and rugged virtues of that
stalwart patriot and his faithful
followers and may this bronze tablet fit-
tingly recall the advancement of the
western frontier to this place.
Mr. President, on behalf of the
Committee on Construction, I now
tender this beautiful and appropriate
memorial to the Greenville Historical
Society to be disposed of at its
pleasure.
REMARKS OF GEORGE A. KATZENBERGER.
PRESIDENT GREENVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
We have met to-day in the golden month
of October to unveil a
monument erected to the memory of the
brave pioneers who built here
a fort in the wilderness, one hundred
and sixteen years ago. As in this
month the latest crops are gathered, so
ought we to realize that we are
reaping the fruits of the labors of the
pioneers.
Monuments not only contribute to our
civilization, they mark its
progress and degree. They keep green the
memory of patriotic services.
The members of the Greenville Historical
Society after placing a me-
morial boulder in Greenville, were of
the opinion that the most important
work to be done was the erection of a
memorial at this place. Fort Jef-
ferson is the oldest historic spot in
this county and we are glad to state
that we have had no difficulty in
securing the co-operation of the citizens
of this village.
We all realize that great credit is due
to Messrs. Patty and Coppock
for their unselfish action in deeding
these two lots to the Trustees of
Neave Township for park purposes.
This is also an appropriate time to
acknowledge the aid and co-
operation on the part of the residents
of this place.
In presenting this monument to the
public in behalf of the donors
we express the hope that it will be a
reminder to us and to those who
come after us, of our indebtedness to
the brave soldiers and pioneers who
opened this country to civilization !
May it increase our love for this, our
country, which extends its protection
over all of us.
ADDRESS OF ACCEPTANCE.
PROF. J. T. MARTZ.
This fort was built, not for the
protection of the white settlers in
its immediate vicinity, for there were
none there at that time. Then
the howl of the wolf, the scream of the
panther or the whoop of the