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CHAPTER XXX.

THE MEXICAN WAR.

FIRST TROOPS RAISED IN THIS COUNTY-MCLAUGHLIN'S AND FORDS COMPANIES-LETTER OF DR. WILLIAM SMITH -SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR-GEORGE WEAVER'S COMPANY-ITS PART IN THE CONFLICT.

PRECEDING PAGES give the history of this conflict as far as it was connected with the State of Ohio. It is proposed here simply to tell its history as far as it relates to the history of Richland County. When the call for troops was made, more than twice as many were offered as could be used. Ohio sent more than was required, and hence not a few of those who expected to achieve glory on the field of war were disappointed at the outset, and sent home.

When the call for troops reached this county. Maj. William McLaughlin, the "old war horse," was among the first to act. Thomas H. Ford. then a rising attorney of the county was also among the first to respond. An enthusiastic war meeting was caller in the latter part of May, 1846, in Mansfield. The old Mansfield and New Haven Railroad was approaching completion and, on the day set for the meeting. the citizens of Plymouth and Shelby chartered the train of small. square-box cars, on one of its early trips to the county seat, to convey them to that city that they might appear at this meeting and enjoy the excitement. The meeting was called in a large sugar grove near the cast end of East Market street. A stand had been prepared and, when the people gathered rousing patriotic speeches were made by Maj. McLaughlin, Capt. Ford and others. As the excitement increased. Maj. McLaughlin sprang down from the stand, mounted his old horse. and rode about as he had done earlier in the day and urged men to come forward Finally, springing from his saddle he let his horse go its own way, and called upon all those who desired to enlist to form themselves into a group and join him in the march to Mexico. The same feeling prevailed later in the day, and the actions were repeated on the public square.

Two companies one, under McLaughlin and one under Ford were raised with little difficulty, and prepared for the campaign. They were only enlisted for one year, as all thought the war would he of short duration.

Dr. William Smith, now a citizen of Van Wert, Ohio, in a letter of a recent date, gives an accurate description of the life of his company (Capt. McLaughlins) during its campaigns in Mexico. The letter is so full and accurate in its details and shows so well the common experience of all in the war, that it is well worth a place in thus history, and that part relating to the company is given entire. The Doctor says:

"My brother James and myself enlisted in the month of May, at the first call of the Government for troops, made right after the army under Gen. Taylor was attacked at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, which places were on the Texas sills of the Rio Grande River, opposite Matamoras, in Mexico. Our company left Mansfield June 6, 1846. At its organization I was elected Second Lieutenant in which capacity I acted during our term of service, one year. As there were no railroads at that time, we marched via Bellville and Mount Vernon to Columbus, Ohio, then took canal-boat to Portsmouth, on the Ohio River, thence by steamboat to Cincinnati, and went

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into camp at what was then called (and I believe is yet) Camp Washington. where we were organized into regiments. We were put into the third regiment, under Samuel R. Curtis, who was our Colonel, and who was Gen. S. R. Curtis of the war of the rebellion. We left Cincinnati on or about the 1st of July, by steamer, for New Orleans, and were about seven days on the passage. We landed at Camp Jackson, at that time about four miles below the city of New Orleans, between the river and Lake Pontchartrain. on Friday evening. I slept that night under the shade of four live oaks, where Gen. Packingham died, at the time of the great battle of New Orleans. I sat under the shade of those trees the next day (Saturday). and wrote a letter home to Mansfield. and put some of the leaves and long Spanish moss from those four oaks in the letter. The next morning (Sunday) we took ship to cross the Gulf of Mexico. We sailed down the river and got into the gulf in the dusk of the evening. We had a very rough time in crossing; the men were all more or less seasick. I was very sick myself, having a very severe spell of fever, besides the sea-sickness. We were some ten days in crossing over to the Brazos Santiago Island, and on account of the rough sea we had to lie at anchor four days before we could land. Brother James was on another vessel, acting in the commissary department. After lying off the Brazos (which is nothing but a large sand bar), as above stated, four days, we landed and remained there a few days (I remember the exact time), and then marched on to the mouth of the Rio Grande River. Arriving there, we moved up the river (a very crooked stream), sometimes on board steamers and again marching on foot along the banks until we arrived at what was called Camp Belknap, on the Texas side opposite a small Mexican town called Burita. We remained there a few days, the river was so high there having been so much rain that the banks were overflowed, and in order to keep out of the water we were compelled to cut brush and pile it up, on which to make our beds. After remaining there a few days we moved up the river to Camp Curtis, a little above Fort Brown, on the Texas side, and opposite the city of Matamoras, and where Brownsville is now located. We remained there a few days, when my company and., one other of our regiment marched into Fort Brown, two companies into Fort Parades and the other six across the river into Matamoras. When we moved into Fort Brown it was surrounded with water, the river was so high that we had to use flat-boats to get in. We had charge of a lot of Mexican prisoners, who were in the fort. We remained in charge of the fort and city until the latter part of the winter of 1846 and 1847, when we were ordered on up to Camargo, Monterey, Saltillo and Buena Vista.

"On the march from Matamoras to Camargo, a distance of about one hundred and twenty-five miles, we had to depend principally on getting water to drink, cook, etc., from the lagoons or ponds; and, as there had been no rain for several months, and the river was low, a good many of the lagoons were dry, and those that had water in them had become stagnant, the water was thick with a green scum over it, and full of dead fish, and cattle that had come in there from the surrounding country to get drink, stuck fast, lay down and died. We would sometimes have to get in on the carcass of a dead cow to keep out of the mud while getting water to drink. The water was so thick that, as the boys said, "you had to bite it off when you wanted to stop drinking." We struck the river two or three times on the march, and some of our men came very near losing their lives by drinking too freely of the cold river water. We finally arrived at Camargo, where the famous Fort Pillow was located. Gen. Pillow, who was in the late rebel army, was stationed

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at Camargo. and undertook to build a fort and what gave it such notoriety, we had the trench or ditch dug on the inside of the fort. I have been in it and seen it often when there. He had charge of that point (Camargo), which at that time was a very important post as it was near the mouth of the San Juan River. and at the head of steamboat navigation, and where on supplies of provisions, ammunition, ordnance etc., were stored and right in the heart of the enemy's country so that it kept its on the alert day- and might. He remained at Camargo until near the time of the battle of Buena Vista, when we received marching orders on Sunday afternoon ; and, expecting rough, times and a good deal of hard fighting, I went to the ordnance department and bought a large Prussian saber, had it ground up sharp, then left my light-infantry- sword with my trunk and extra clothing and camp equipage under a large commissary tent, and we started that same night (Sunday) for Monterey and Buena Vista. All the important moves or marches we made, beginning from the time we left Camp Washington at Cincinnati to New Orleans, then across the Gulf to Brazes, thence to Rio Grande and so on from one point to another until we reached Buena Vista, and thence from there, when we left for home at expiration of our term of service. were made on Sunday. The enemy under Gens. Urea and Connallis were between us and Monterey, and we had to fight and drive them before us until we got up to Seraloo and Marino when they found themselves between two fires, and turned off through the mountain passes to their headquarters at Catanta. We followed them to that place, and they retreated into the mountains. We made a requisition on the Alcalde of that city of corn and mules to the amount of the trains that Urea and Connallis' forces had destroyed, and informed them that if they did not comply we would blowup the city. They agreed to furnish them. We then marched through the city, across the San Juan River and on to Monterey. Gen. Zach Taylor on "old whitey" was with no on this expedition.

"Let me say here that Catanta, the last-named city or town was one of the most beautiful places I saw in Mexico. It was located on the hanks of the San Juan River in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, and well supplied with clear spring water from the mountains, running through every street and garden in the city. The streets were all paved with pebble stones taken from the river bed and laid in n waves. The gardens were full of orange, lemon, citron pomegranate and other tropical fruit trees, which were laden with green and ripe fruit and blossoms. This was in the month of March, 1847. When we entered the valley through a narrow mountain pass, and came in view, or, rather, where the city was located, it appeared to be a large grove of orange, lemon and citron trees. He could not see the houses for the trees, as they were so thick and grew up above the tops of the buildings. We marched on from there to Monterey, and camped at what was called Walnut Springs, about four miles from the city. These were large springs of cool, clear water, and surrounded by black and English walnut trees. He remained but a short time at the Springs and Monterey (which is quite an important place, located in a valley surrounded by mountains. Gen. Arista's private residence was located here and was a beautiful place, and had one of the most beautiful gardens attached to it I ever saw), and then marched on up through the narrow valley and mountain passes via Molino del Rey (dead man's s pass), Saltillo and Buena Vista (pleasant view), where we remained in camp on the battle ground, after the battle was fought, until the expiration of our term of service, in the month of June, 1847. We then returned by the same route by which we came. William Johnston, the son of Preacher Johnston, died at Buena Vista, and we brought his remains back with

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us to New Orleans. Allen Lewis was killed by guerrillas near Molino deb Rey. Poor George Hooker was so emaciated and run clown with chronic diarrhea that he was a mere skeleton. We tried to bring him home alive, but he died on board the ship a day or two after we left the Brazos, and we had to wrap him in his blanket and bury him in the deep gulf. We arrived at New Orleans the latter part of June and were discharged from the service and I arrived at home in Mansfield about the 3d or 4th of July, 1847."

The war was not completed in one year. Mexico developed into a more formidable antagonist than was at. first supposed. The disturbances at home, occasioned by the opposition of the Whig party, who contended that the war would only extend slave territory, and the friends of Mexico in general by their aid, lengthened the contest, and called for more men and more supplies. A call for troops was made early in 1847, and, before the first two companies returned, a third company was begun by Mr. George Weaver, then a resident of Ganges, in Blooming Grove Township. At that time he was running a flouring-mill, and occasionally working at his trade as a stonemason. He issued an appeal for troops, and offered ambitious spirits a chance to serve their, country. The spirit of romance was, however, somewhat worn off by this time. Many of the first years troops were returning, who gave rather discouraging accounts of the climate and the life one would be compelled to lead, and Mr. Weaver found recruiting a rather tedious task. His call was issued early in May, 1847, and, by the last of the month, the men gathered at Mansfield and prepared to go. The men comprising the company were from all parts of the county; the major part from the neighborhood of Mr. Weavers home in Blooming Grove Township. As the entire number could not be raised here, Simpson P. Moses was sent on to Cincinnati to recruit the remainder necessary to complete the company. Those recruited in this county started for the war late in May, going by stages to Columbus and Xenia. At this latter place they took the cars on the new Miami Railroad and went to Cincinnati, where they went in quarters in Camp Ohio. Here they were joined by the men recruited in Cincinnati, and completed their company organization. They elected Mr. Weaver Captain; Simpson P. Moses, Obadiah Holmes and --- Beard, First, Second and Third Lieutenants, and William Bigams. Orderly. The company was assigned to the Fourth Regiment and designated as Company D. The regiment was under command of Charles H. Brough, brother of the war Governor Brough. This regiment went from Camp Ohio by boat to Camp Carleton, near New Orleans, where it remained one week. Then it was taken, with other troops, across the Gulf of Mexico to Point Isabella, on the Texas coast. It was now a part of Gen. Taylor's army. From Point Isabella it went to Matamoras, on the Rio Grande, and from there, in Gen. Scott's army, to Vera Cruz, near which place it was stationed on the beach several days. From this place, the Fourth Regiment went with its division on a forced march to Pueblo to assist in the recapture of that city. That done, it marched to Atlixo, about twenty-five miles distant, where it engaged in the battle at that place. Afterward it was engaged in several battles and skirmishes, finally returning to Pueblo, where it remained about eight months. It was there when peace was declared; and left for home soon after, having been gone over one year. It lost but one man in battle-Andy Andrekan, at Pueblo, but a great number by disease and exposure.

When Company D arrived in this county, it was welcomed by a large crowd of citizens at Ganges, where a public reception was held, and a great banquet provided. Though about four score men went out in Capt. Weaver's company,

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but little more than one-half returned, the remainder being left on the fields of Mexico, or on the way.

Capt. Weaver entered the late war, where he evinced the same courage that had led him in the war against Mexico, being the first man to raise a company in Hardin County, to which place he had removed the year before it broke out.

The three companies, McLaughlin's, Ford's and Weaver's, were the only organized bodies that went from this county. Other companies contained soldiers whose place of residence was in Richland's limits, but who went elsewhere to enlist. The experience of each company was, in the main, the same, that narrated showing the general outlines of their marches in that war.