ROBERT YOST HIS
BOOK.
Rob't Yost his Book made for the
purpose of noting down our
Marching and what we seen and
expericet while in the
united States service beginning at St
Clearsville Ohio Sept.
the third Eighteen hundred and
thirteen and continued to
note down as we march.
AN ORIGINAL JOURNAL, REPRODUCED AS
WRITTEN.
[The original of this Journal is now in
the possession of J. W.
Yost, a direct descendant of Robert, the
author. Mr. J. W.
Yost had the Journal reproduced in exact
expression, spell-
ing and punctuation for the QUARTERLY.- Editor.]
Deem the 3 1813 By the authourity of his
excelency G. Meggs
[Meigs] we were Called upon to Repair to
the frontiers as a de-
fence for them and on the third day of
Sept. in the yeat of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and
thirteen we Rendevoused
in St. Clearsvill where we remaind until
Sunday the 5 and then
we formd the line of march in much
confution and under the
vew of many of our beloved friends and
fellow Citizens who
escorted us for some distance our
Companys under the Command
of Stephenson and Howel on that days
march was from St
Clearsville to Morristown which was ten
miles and there en-
camped and there was joined by the
Riphel Company under the
command of D. Conner and the morning of
the sixth we formed
the line of march in morristown streets
where the Rev Mr Clark
gave us a very solem adress on the words
Righteousness exalteth
a nation and after solem prayer we were
dismissed and then
marched for Barnesville and encamped
there that night and
was joined by another Company under the
Command of T Shan-
non the next morning the 7 we took up
the line of march for
head quarters and come to bemerstown
that day and encamped
there til next morning the 8 we took up
the line of march About
one o'clock we came to Cambridg and
encamped until thursday
morning which day it rained on us which
made it disagreeable
150
Robert Yost His Book. 151
marching and this days march was 12 miles and we
encamped at
Sault Creek where we lost our beef
forwarded Care of the Com-
missary which caused much confution
amongst the men but they
the men generally had some money they
suplied themselves and
on Friday morning we proceeded on our
march to Zanesvill
where we arrived that evening in great
spirrits where we re-
maind until sunday evening at this place
we were much dissatis-
fied with the gentry of Zanesvill as
they apeard disoblidging to
our troops and and we being illy
provided for with Camp
aquipage was much depending on the
goodness of our fellow
Citizens for Cooking utensals. at this
place Capt. Stephenson
drew many things for his men such as
blankets shoes flanel and
broad cloath for Coats Sunday the 12 in the afternoon we
formed the line of march being joined by
Capts Wiliams Thorn-
ley & Richeson and then pasd the
muskingdom river into spring-
field where we drew six bake ovens and
then Continued our
march for two miles and then for the
first time encamped in the
woods without tents which Caused much
Confution amongst the
men and dissattisfaction for we Had
nothing betr then brush to
shelter us from the rain and storm and
then proceeded on our
march 14 miles and then encampd for the
night which was mon-
day this days march was through a good
settlement the water
was good and plenty of fruit which Causd
much Disorder
amongst the troops as they seemd like
men who had forgot there
was Boundary lines which all men ought
to observe and all men
ought to enjoy the fruits of his honest
labours undisturbed with-
out his Consent tuesday the 14 we marcht
20 miles and encampd
within two miles and a half of lancaster
that night on the morn-
ing of the 15 we arived in new LanCaster
and within one half
mile on the norwest side we encampt
where we remained until
the 18 new lancaster is a beautiful
situation generally inhabeted
by the dutch this town is built on on
the waters hocking a flor-
ishing place on the morning of the 18 we
again formed the line
of march and Came 14 miles and encampt
on walnut Creek this
days march was through a beautiful track
of land but thinly in-
habited 19 from thence we took up the line
of march and that
evening we Came to frankelton and pased
through the town in
good order under the vew of many of the
Citizens and encampt
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
about one half mile on the west side of
the town franklinton is a
very beautiful situation lies in the
forks of the Sioto it is a very
florishing place at present at this
place we was met by Governor
Meigs Here we drew our arms at this
place we saw 21 of the
british prisoners that was taken by
Major Croughen [Croghan] at
lower sandusky here we Remained until
sunday the 20 in the
afternoon when we took up the line of
march and Proceeded
four miles up the whetstone and then
encampt for that night
tuesday the 22 early on this
morning we took up the line of
march and about 11 oClock we arrived at
Delliware and passed
through said place and encampt within a
half mile on the nor
west side of said town which is built on
the waters of whetstone
the land which--at this place I wrote a
letter to Zane-we
marchd over up whetstone is most
beautiful and the water is
good with but few inhabitents at this
place we Remaind until
the afternoon of the 24 when we took up
the line of march for
six miles and then encampt for that
night the 25 on this morn-
ing we took up the line of march pased
by norton and encampt
near the old boundry line on the 26 this
days we marcht 20
miles and encampt on the east fork of
Sandusky on the 27 this
day we marched 20 miles and
encampt that night these two days
march was over a very level track of
land with considerable
planes with here and there groves of
timber standing on the 28
we took up the line of march and come to
uper Sandusky which
was 7 miles and Capt Thornley took
command at this place and
on this day we met about three hundred
British prisoners taken by
Commedore Perry on Lake Eary uper
sandusky is a most beauti-
ful place with few inhabitance but near
this place there many in-
dians who prfes to be friends to the
States we lay at this place un-
til the 30 without tents exposed to the
Rain and storm with noth-
ing but bushes and brush to cover us
from the storm on the morn-
ing of the 30 we again took up the line
of march and Came 15
miles and encampt on the waters of the
tiamothti [Temochtee] on
the morning of the first of oCt we again
took up the line of march
and Came past fort Ball and then to
senneca [Fort Seneca] and
there encampt until the 7 where we saw
many of our fellow citi-
zens a languishing in distress for the
want of Care and a number
died of the regulars and some of the
Caintucky militia while we
Robert Yost His Book. 153
lay at this place we had an alarm that
the indians was doing mis-
chief on the roade to uper Sandusky and
there was two Companys
turned out in persuit of them but the
alarm was falce while we
lay at this place General Geno came with
the second ridgment
from the second brigade of ohio militia
Senica is a handsome
place lying on the bank of the sandusky
River and has formerly
been selected by the indians. While we
lay at this place there was
another Company detached from our
Ridgment and two more
from the Second Ridgment and Major Wm
Henderson and sent as
as escort for a Drove of Cattle which
was ordered on to Detroit
for the use of the army of the United
States which is now in pos-
session of the sons of Liberty and
general Harrison is now in pos-
session of maldon [Malden] and sandwitch
and has taken about
four hundred of the British soldiers up
the river Detrench and Te-
cumsey is slain and gone to the world of
spirrits and is here no
more but on oct the 7 we left Senica and
marcht for Lower San-
dusky and got there that day which is
nine miles and lower San-
dusky is a very handsome situation it
lays on high ground the
place that Mager Craughen [Croghan] so
nobly defended with a
handful of men there is but few men in
the fort at this time
but Capt Thornley is to take Command of
the fort who is a very
worthy man while we lay at this place
Capt Howel and his
Company vollenteerd for the purpose of
boating from Sandusky
to portage such as provisions and
Clothing while we lay at this
place Major lewis Came up with us he
took the greatest paines
to instruct the troops and it is a
pleasing thing to see such a
good officer as Major Lewis at the head
of so many fine troops
on the 22 the British prisoners that was
taken up the river trench
pased this place under the care of the
Cantucky milicia about
four hundred in number two companys was
ordered out of our
Brigade Commanded by Richeson and Smith
to gard the British
prisoners to Chilecothe at this place I
wrote to Samuel Zane
But on the morning of the 26 we again
took up the line of march
and then we was inspected by Major Lewis
and then marcht
for fort Megs with two days provisions
in our nabsacks our
rout was down the Sandusky River about
four miles and one
half and then Crost a large Creek and
then took the old indian
trale Which was through a low marchy
ground but had it not a
154
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Rained so on us the Roads would have
been good we marcht
fourteen and then encampt for that night
early next morning
we gain took up the line of march and
Crost Carren River it
was not more then 20 inches deep we
then proceeded on our
march this day it rained on us extremely
hard and out noble
Commander hurried us on in a vey
extravigant maner and many
of the men Became very sick and unable
to march and our en-
campment on that nights was somewhat Curious
as it was about
six miles Long it would have been some
What dificult for us to
have placd out our gards therefore our
Commander was oblidg
to Dispence with this part of his Duty
this Days march was
about 25 miles through the black swamp
on the morning of the
28 we
formed the line of march for fort megs and Came there
early in the morning and about 12 oClock we drew
out pro-
visions three days rations and Cooking
utetials and six tents for
the use of our Company it still
Continued to rain on us exceed-
ing hard and expected to stay there that
night but about three
oClock was ordered to Cross the maume
river when we had our
bread a baking and our meet a cooking
and ablidged to put it in
our nabsacks as it was and formd the
line of march in order to
Cros the river At which time I was taken
the day before with
the ague and was unable march I went on
board of a boat that
was going to Detroit we set of about
Dark down the river about
fourteen miles and then landed and I was
sick and unable to
get out of the boat and no one with me
to help me out of the
boat and it Raind and snowd on us
severely next morning the
29 we pusht of our boat and about ten
oclock they histed sail for
detroit the boat was ladend with Dride
beef and about thirty
soldiers belonging to the twenty forth
Ridgment we saild that
day about forty miles and then put to
shore at a place caled stoney
point and encampt there til next morning
the 30 it snoed and
the wind blew hard so that we was
oblidged to lay by til the
morning of the 31 when we again started
for Detroit but the
wind was against us the was oblidged to
roe we got to browns-
town and encampt there that night that
day we came 20 miles
Early next morning it being the first of
November we again pusht
of and histed sail with a fair wind up
the River and came to De-
troit about two oClock in the afternoon
I stil continued to have
Robert Yost His Book. 155
the Ague I enquired for James Nixon and
found him in the eve-
ning and Lodged with him that night and
was very sick next
morning our troops marcht into Detroit I
now shall undertake to
give some account oft he marching of our
troops from fort Megs
to this place we was ordered on the
evening of the 28 to Cros the
maume [Maumee] river but the Conveyance
was so bad that
only part of our troops got over that
night the rest of our troops
was oblidged to seek lodging where they
Could find it and it
was here that many of the men Complained
much of the good
policy of our Commander they exClaimed
hard things against
him
on the morning of the 29 all crosst the maume river and
then set forwards for Detroit and marcht
about five miles down
the river which was very Pleasent to the
eye about five miles
from fort Megs we pasd the old British
garrison which was de-
molisht away only the Ruins was to be
seen there our march
this day was over level land some wet
places which made it
very Disagreeable for often they had to
wad in the water ancle
deep about one oclock they Came to a
Large Creek where they
had to wade to their hips which was the
cause of many being
sick and out done and they had no way to
help themselves but
to assist the sick soldier By carriing
their nabsacks and muskets
and was ordered to march on and leave
the sick behind they
would not do it that night they encampt
that night on the
morning of the 30 we again set forwards
on our march and this
morning we experiened serious hardships
of wet and Cold and
we had many small streams of water to
wade some to the knees
and some Deeper some men were sick which
the rest had to carry
over on their backs this day was very
cold about one oClock
they came to the River reason [Raisin]
the men suffered very
much that stood on the bank while the
rest went over for they
had all to Cros over in one small Boat
when they got over they
got into Comfortable houses but they was
much Dissatisfied for
the boat was to meet them at the River
Reason with provisions
to last them to Detroit but by the
misConduct of of our noble
Commander there was nothing but whisky
and drid beef and it
spoilt so that a number of the men could
not make any use of it
here they saw the place where General
Winchester was defeeted
and likewise their bones that lay on the
ground at this place
156
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
the a few Canadaan french who is almost
on the point of starva-
tion
Where they left three men out of our
Company and a num-
ber of the men out of other Companys and
provisitions immedi-
ately sent to them where they stayd
about ten days and then fol-
lowed us on the morning of the 31 they
again set forward this
morning was very cold for it snowd and
blowd very severe that
night this Days march was about 18
miles, and encampt at the
river huren [Huron] two companys got
over that night and the
rest got over in the morning the 1 of
Nov and set forwards on their
march in about three miles they came to
brownstown which is a
desalate looking place not inhabited by
french nor indians some
part of it was burnt here they had a
large Creek to Cros at this
place and marcht on and encampt that
night at the river Rush
this days march was about 14 miles at
this place there is a few
familys of the french lives in poverty
and distress for the in-
dians had plundered all they had the
next morning they set
forward on their march and Came about
four miles and Came
to Detroit and encampt on the east side
of the fort the men
being fateaught and hungry on the
account of their being three
Days and nights almost without any
provisions her e they soon
drew two days Rashions and had nothing
to Cook our met in
was forst broil it on the Coals our
bread being very bad the men
being very hungry and eat very hearty
which supposd to be the
Cause of a great deal of sickness in our
troops here we stayd
until the evening of the third and found
an emty house about
one mile and half up the river and
marcht up to it and our Com-
pany staid that night next Day we found
annother emty house
within a few rods of the other and a
part of us moved into it
and Continued there til the twenty third
of Decem and then
moved in our huts which we bilt on the
East side of the fort
Detroit is a large but unregular bilt
town is bilt on the bank of
the Detroit and the streets when we Came
here was very dis-
agreeable on the account of the mud
Detroit at this time is a
very unhealthy place and many of the
soldiers have Died since
We Came to this place likewise many of
the french inhabittance
of Detroit is daily laid in the ground
the greatest part of the
inhabitance of the Michegan territory
are either french Can-
Robert Yost His Book. 157
adians and indians and their Profess the
Roman Catholic Re-
ligion and many of their sinegogs is to
be seen in almost every
Part of this town with the signature of
the Cross on the Roofs
of their houses and many of them have
the image of our savour
hung up over their bed heads which they
adore with great
solemnity they attend on Mass every
sunday morning and the
after part of the day they spend in
Drinking shooting playing the
fiddle Danceing Cuting and hailing wood
and hay and all such
like practises and it would be
impossible for any person for to
kow when the Lords day Comes by the
inhabeance for you may
here them at almost all kinds of
employment on this Day as well
as on any other day!! the Canadeans and
indians and negroes
are Completely mixt in Blood akin and
alike in their ways
actions Conduct and principles Shortly
after we Came to this
place two of our men Died by the names
of Mpherson and Irwin
who livd near Morristown Shortly after
we came here I got
well and was immediate Detaild for to
take Care of the sick
and Continued to wait on them about
twenty Days in which time
they got able to Cook for them selves on
the-of Novm Maring
and Parks hired Substitutes and they got
passage in a boat by
the wey of Cleaveland and by them I sent
two letters to my
father and another to my Wife on the 24
our Lieutennant on
furlow and another man with him at this
time I wrote to Zane
I was then Detaild to boat wood from hog
island which is about
three miles up the river before this
time a number of our men
had been boating ever since we Came here
a boating Logs for
our huts and firewood for the use of the
Ridgment The troops
at this place still Continues to be very
much sick and many have
Died since we Came to this place about
the fifth of Decm I
wrote another letter home, about the
tenth I vollenteerd to go
down to grozeal island which lies oposit
maldon to fetch up a
boat load of bark to Cover our huts I
saw the ruins of maldon a
desolate looking place for the British
had burnt the fort and all
the publick store houses at that place
and some of our troops
are stationed at that place and likewise
some at sandwitch about
this time I Rd a letter from Samuel Zane
which gave me great
satisfaction to hear from my family and
the neibors that they
were all well I immediately wrote him an
answer that I was
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
well and in great spirrits and hopd to
return home to my family
and in a short time I wrote another to
my family to inform them
that I was well and to let them know
that I had no forgot them
About this time there was about forty
went up the river De-
trench and there was taken by a scouting
of the British there
was about eight or ten of them made
their and brought in
the news that the rest were taken there
was three hundred
ordered out immediately in order to
Resscue them but when they
got there they followed on but they had
got so far that it was
impossible to overtake them and they
returned back to this place
some of those were milicia an some were
Regulars on the twenty
third we moved to our huts on Chrismas
Day I went up the river
about seven or eight miles at which time
I saw lake Cin Clere [St.
Clair]which is the head of Detroit River
there I gave one dol-
lar for one hundred apples and returned
to my quarters that day
at this place all nessasory norishments
Came very high such as
milk 25c per quart butter 75c per pound
Cheese 371/2 c flower
$10 per hundred pork eight dollars per
hundred and other things
in perporion January 1814 The men are
generally geting
well and our provition that we get now
is much beter then that
we got when we first Came to this place
We have Servd unkel
Sam four moats and have Receivd no pay
as yet the fall and
winter has been very favourable so far
on us for we hant had
any snow to speak of this winter none
more then two inches
Deep on the forth there about two
hundred to go up the river
Detrench there went out of our Company
one Ensign one ser-
jent seven privates on the seventh I
Receivd a letter from my
family bearing Date of the 14 of Deem
which gave me great
pleasure and satisfaction to hear from
them and their welfare
for my anxiety is to be with them though
well Contented with
my lot and station on the tenth I
Receivd a letter from my
Brother Peter Yost which stated they
were all well and the
neibors likewise on sixteenth those men
returnd that went up
the river Detrench and they had prest
one thousand Bushels of
wheet and two hundred stand of arms and
they prest teams and
fecht the wheet and the armes to this
place and they all Returnd
safe to this place on the seventeenth I
sent two letters one to
my brother and the other to my family on
the thirty first of
Robert Yost His Book. 159
Deem our Ridgment was inspected by Major
Butler on the
twenty first of January our pay Master
Came on and immedi-
ately went to making out pay Roles and
Receit Roles on the
twenty seventh orders was ishued Copied
and Read that all
soldiers should keep Cloce to their
quarters and if they were
found treating or drinking with the
indians they would be se-
verely punisht for the same and likewise
if the tavern keepers
was ordered not to let them have any
spirituous liquors for if
they Did they would be severily punisht
for the same on the
second of february we Drew our mony our
pay up to the thirty
first of Deem January the twenty fifth
there was about thirty
light horsmen started up the river
Detrench as a scouting party
where they took eight prisoners one of
which was a british spy
these prisoners was immediately sent on
to Sandusky on the
ninth of february Colonel Croughen
[Croghan] Came to this place
in five days from Cincinatty the word
there that we had an en-
gagement with the British and indians
and and only held our
ground and was heavily besieged and
General Harrison sent on
Craughen to take Command at this place
because he was a fight-
ing Carracter General Harrison Heard
that Colonel Butler was
sick was the Cause of Colonel Croughen
Coming on to take Com-
mand at this place he brought on word
that there was a number
of troops Coming on to this place on the
fourteenth there Came
one hundred mounted Rangers for twelve
monts that was Raised
at Daten [Dayton] on the fifteenth there
was a Ridgmentel Cort
marshel for the purpose of trying a man
in Capt Rosses Com-
pany who had stolen money from one of
his mes mates on the
evening of the sixteenth at Retreat
Beating he was fecht from the
guard house and his sentence was Read he
was to be padelel which
was immedeatily done five strokes and
then put in the guard
house til next morning til troop beating
to reciev the balance
of his punishment which was to Ride the
wooden horse for fif-
teen minuets and to have a peace pasted
on the front of his hat
with the letters thief on it and then be
Drumbd up and dow the
lines in front of the Ridgment the Roges
march beat after him
and one months pay to go to the man whom
he stole the mony
from and then guarded to his quarters he
was by the name of
Phelps and likewise an alarm that the
Enemy was Cloce at hand
160
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
A number of the oficers and and men was
much alarmd and
believd the Report was true and A
General feteague was ordered
out for the purpose of making breast
works Round the fort wall
by diging a trench all Round the Fort
Just outside of the Dich
and those trenches were filled with
white thorn Brush with all
the tops and small brush trimd of the
limbs slopt and set in the
ground about tw feet and well fild in
about the buts and Round
the tops about five feet above the
ground slopeing out sprangel-
ing Every Corce Setting Cloce together
so that it is impossible
for a man to get throug or over in any
short time two rows Rows
of pickets Round the wall the outside
row of them is about
nine feet high standing upright in the
Dich the other is planted
about half way up the outside of the
fort wall they are slanting
out they are about six feet in lenth the
fort wall is about
twelve feet high and about the same
acros the top of the wall
and a handsome Sord of blue gras all
over the walls and a large
Comons Round the fort well set with same
on the Evening
of the seventeenth the Milicia was
ordered to march into the
fort that they mite be acquainted with
the west side of the fort
witch we was to Defend if we were
atacted and likewise March
in at four oClock in the morning and
Stand under arms til Role
Call on the Eighteenth the Cannon Eighty
od times the nine-
teenth Do on this day Col Croughen
ishued orders that every
man should lay with his close on and his
Cateridge box on and
his gun in his arms and if two guns was
fired in succession it
was an alarm and every man was to be on
perrade and form in
the mane street Right against the public
store house and how to
form in different ways and on Different
ground in Case of an
attact at fore oClock in the morning the
alarm guns was fird
and we perraded acording to orders and
Stood there under arms
for some time Col Croughen Riding in
front of the line the
Colonel ordered the officers to march
their men of the ground
and dismiss the men and let them go to
their quarters but not to
lay Down and be in Readiness in Case of
an atact after twelve
oClock they Continued firing the Cannon
fifty od times Colonel
Croughens orders are still in force on
the twenty first they still
Continued firing the Cannon for six days
principly with Blank
Caterages Some with Balls to shoot at
the mark on the twenty
Robert Yost His Book. 161
second they put up two Barrels one on
the top of the other with
a white shirt on the top one the second
shoot the ball went
throug the barrel they fird the Cannon
four times the other
three nearly totching the barrel the
Distance is one mild and
one half
NOTE-Here a piece is torn off, probably
containing about
sixty-five words.
one of his arms they still Continue to
fortify fort Shelby on
the first of March there was a General
Revew of all troops that
was stationed at Detroit on the second
we was Mustered and
inspected on the morning of the third
there their was great
preparation made for Marching we gave up
our guns
NOTE-Here the final words and signature
(probably) are
torn off. The missing piece might, if
filled, have contained about
sixty-five words.
NOTE-After one blank page-upon which is
an affidavit
by Joel Yost, made on Apr. 21st, 1855,
that the foregoing is in
the handwriting of his father, Robert
Yost-there occurs a map
of Fort Shelvy-with title thereon in the
same handwriting afore-
said-of which there is tracing attached
hereto.
On the back of the document there are
the remains of the
words, "Robert Yost his book".
Also on the back and also on
the map page occur the figures, 107,271,
in an ink apparently
different and a different handwriting
from the document.
Vol. XXIII-11