200 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY disembarkation of the soldiers, which was done quickly, the regiments, headed by Orland Smith (colonel commanding the Second Brigade, Second Division, Eleventh Corps), with his detached staff; Lieut.-Col. Charles E. Brown, of the Sixty-third Regiment; Lieut.-Col. Richard Long (in command), Maj. Samuel H. Hurst and other field officers, all mounted, followed by the celebrated band of the regiment, met the reception procession, the whole column leaving the depot at 3.30 P. M., marching through some of the principal streets to the front of the courthouse, where the 'soldiers were greeted by great cheering from the ladies and gentlemen, who had massed themselves there. As soon as Lieutenant Colonel Long had massed the troops in close column, the members of the choirs of the respective churches greeted the veterans with "Home, Home, Sweet Home," after which the Hon. C. A. Trimble, in behalf of the citizens, delivered the welcoming address. The Cincinnati Gazette, July 25, 1865: " The Seventy-third regiment was mustered out at Camp Dennison today. The history of this noble veteran organization is a record of heroism and endur- ance, of which every Ohioan should be proud. Its flag bears the names of twenty bloody fields where the regiment fought and suffered. Its roll of honor shows 750 men killed and wounded in battle. The graves of its three hundred dead mark its victorious pathway through six states of the Union. In the midnight charge at Lookout it performed a feat unsurpassed in the annals of the war. Its skirmishers were the first to enter Atlanta. It has been in the front of many battles and its old flag has never known repulse." THE SEVENTY-THIRD IN THE FIELD For over three years the Seventy-third Regiment was commanded by Orland Smith, former lieutenant of the Chillicothe Greys, and for the remainder of the war by Brevet Brig.-Gen. Samuel H. Hurst. Jacob Hyer, of Greenfield, Highland County, was its first lieutenant colonel, but resigned in 1862 and was succeeded by Richard Long. Company A was organized on November 12, 1861, and four days later rendezvoused at Camp Logan, with its full complement of men. Companies E, F and G were next organized, and on December 30th the ten companies composing the regiment were completed and it was mustered into the service of the United States. On January 24, 1862, the regiment started for the front under orders to report to General Rosecrans, commanding the depart- HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 201 ment of West Virginia. February 3d the regiment encamped at New Creek, on the north branch of the Potomac, and was soon engaged in forced marches into the surrounding country ; and it was during an expedition to Moorfield, on the night of February 13th, that the first gun was fired by the regiment, and the first soldier wounded. Returning to its former camping ground, the regiment remained until March 20th, when it moved to Weston, and thence it moved across the mountains and joined General Milroy. At McDowell, on May 8th, occurred quite a lively battle. General Jackson (Stonewall) having made a stand at Cross Keys, our forces engaged him. The Seventy-third was detailed to support a battery, and skirmished heavily with the enemy, losing eight men, killed and wounded. The command then fell back to Strasburgh, and finally to Middletown, where it went into camp. The Seventy-third was now brigaded with the Fifty-fifth, Twenty-fifth and Seventy-fifth Ohio, and Col. N. C. McLean placed in command. At Cedar Mountain the Seventy-third with its command was in line, but was not engaged. Here General Banks gave an illustration of his want of military genius, which became the rule in his future campaigns. At the second battle of Bull Run the Seventy-third did 'gallant work, but suffered terribly, losing 144 men, killed and wounded, and twenty prisoners. An interval now occurred when naught was accomplished, except weary marching and waiting. About December 1st the regiment went into winter quarters at Fairfax Station. This was, however, of short duration, for on the 21st it joined Sigel's Corps and marched for Fredericksburg. It did not, however, reach that place in time to engage in the disastrous engagement. Again the Seventy-third went into camp, a short distance from Falmouth. Nothing of import occurred until April 30th, when the regiment came up to do its full duty at the battle of Chancellorsville. Here Gen. Stonewall Jackson was disposed of, and after a few days occurred that unaccountable retreat. On June 12th the march into Maryland and Pennsylvania was begun. Its first event of importance was the battle of Gettysburg. During the three days of this memorable battle, the Seventy-third was heavily and hotly engaged. It went into the engagement with scarce 300 men, of whom 144 were either killed or wounded. Following the retreating Confederates as far as Hagarstown, the chase was abandoned, and the Seventy-third, with its division, returned to Virginia. September 24th it left for Manassas Junction, where it embarked on the cars, destined to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland on the banks of the Tennessee. October 23d tents were struck and the army began to move for Lookout. The Seventy-third arrived 202 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY in time to participate in the midnight charge at Lookout Valley, which it did with heavy loss, the killed and wounded alone aggregating five officers and sixty men. Among these was Capt. Luther M. Bookwalter, who fell while gallantly leading his men. This engagement was one of the most bravely contested of any in which the regiment participated. General Grant, in his official report, pronounced the charge of the Seventy-third Ohio and Thirty-third Massachusetts, "one of the most daring feats of arms in the war." On November 20th, the Seventy-third with its corps moved towards Mission Ridge. Having arrived there, an order was promulgated at noon, Monday, the 23d, to "stack knapsacks and prepare for work," and from this time forward until this great victory was won, the Seventy-third was, the greater portion of the time, under the fire of the enemy. At the conclusion of this action General Hurst says : "That night we slept sweetly by our blazing piles of rails, our earthy bed a couch for kings, our hardtack and coffee better than a prince's feast." Following this came the campaign of East Tennessee, where, after much weary and apparently fruitless marching, the command returned to Lookout Valley. Here the regiment re-enlisted, almost to a man. January 1, 1864, it was remustered, and three days later the boys started home on a veteran furlough. February 15th the regiment assembled at Chillicothe, and on March 2d reached its former camp, at Lookout, where it was occupied in drill, etc., until May 2d, when it marched for Rocky Face Ridge, with 318 men ; and on Sunday, May 8th, orders were given to prepare for work. Brisk skirmishing was indulged in by the Seventy-third and its brigade the greater part of the day, with the loss of but one man wounded in the regiment. At Resaca the regiment had hot work—its loss was ten men killed and forty-two wounded. The march thence was to Cassville, and on, until it reached the battle ground at New Hope Church and took part in this engagement—suffering heavy loss. In front of Kenesaw the regiment did effective work ; thence across the Chattahoochie to the battle of Peach Tree Creek. Here the Seventy-third was in the front line, and lost eighteen men, killed and wounded. The army then rested until November 16th, when it began with Sherman his memorable march to the sea. Of this General Hurst says : "Our march was like a grand picnic excursion ; feasting upon the fat of the land by day, and sleeping without fear of molestation at night." We find the Seventy-third in front of Savannah until its surrender. Then through the Carolinas, at the battles of Averysborough and Bentonville, at Golds-borough and in the advance on Raleigh. Finally reaching Washington, it participated in the grand review and was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, where the rolls were made, and on July 20, HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 203 1865, it was mustered out, going at once to Camp Dennison, Ohio. The regiment was paid off and discharged on July 24th. During its service the Seventy-third Regiment had upon its rolls 80 commissioned officers and 1,310 enlisted men. Of this number, 95 were killed in battle, 61 died of wounds, and 129 died of disease. SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY The following is compiled from the history of the regiment, written by Brevet Brig.-Gen. Samuel H. Hurst, ex-commander of the regiment : Field and Staff : Brevet Brig.-Gen. Samuel H. Hurst, served full term ; Col. Orland Smith, resigned February 27, 1864; Lieut.Col. Jacob Hyer, resigned June 21, 1862 ; Lieut.-Col. Richard Long, resigned June 27, 1864; Brevet Lieut.-Col. Thomas W. Higgins, served full term ; Surgeon Jonas P. Safford, discharged December 29, 1862 ; Surgeon Isaac N. Himes, mustered out December 29, 1864; Surgeon John C. Preston, mustered out with regiment ; Chaplain Joseph H. Hill, resigned December, 1862; Adjt. Frederick C. Smith, died April 15, 1862; Adjt. John Spence, resigned March 16, 1864; Adjt. John B. Smith, mustered out with regiment; Quartermaster William D. Wesson, mustered out with regiment ; Quartermaster Robert M. Rogers, resigned November 5, 1863 ; Quartermaster William H. Eckman, resigned March 30, 1865 ; Quartermaster James Earl, served full term ; Assistant Surgeon James Sigafoos, resigned November, 1862; Assistant Surgeon William Richeson, resigned June 27, 1864 ; Assistant Surgeon Smith D. Steer, mustered out with regiment. Line Officers: Capt. Thomas Lucas, resigned September 11, 1864; Capt. Silas Iron, resigned July 18, 1863; Capt. Edward H. Allen, resigned March 1, 1863 ; Capt. Lewis H. Burkett, died of wounds, September 12, 1862; Capt. Thomas Beach, discharged December 24, 1862; Capt. John V. Patton, resigned March 9, 1864; Capt. Justus G. McShooler, discharged December 24, 1862 ; Capt. John Earhart, resigned April 17, 1862 ; Capt. Luther M. Bookwaiter, died of wounds, October 29, 1863 ; Capt. John D. Madeira, served original term ; Capt. James Q. Barnes, served original term ; Capt. George M. Doherty, died of wounds, July 13, 1863 ; Capt. Archibald Lybrand, resigned October 8, 1864; Capt. Benjamin F. Stone, served original term ; Capt. Henry Hinson, resigned October 20, 1864; Capt. James S. McCommon, discharged for wounds. Capt. Abishai D. Dowing, served full term ; Capt. Presley T. Talbott, resigned June 25, 1865 ; Capt. James C. McKell, resigned January 1, 1865 ; Capt. David P. Rennie, served full term ; Capt. Samuel R. Peters, resigned May 25, 1865; Capt. William A. Pon- 204 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY tius, discharged for wounds ; Capt. Samuel Ambrose, served full term ; Capt. David A. Lamb, resigned June 30, 1865 ; Capt. William B. Davis, served full term ; Capt. John W. Adams, resigned May 30, 1865 ; Capt. Martin L. Buckwalter, served full term ; Capt. Albert H. Sanders, served full term ; Capt. John H. Martin, served full term, and Capt. Asa F. Couch, served full term. GEN. SAMUEL H. HURST Samuel H. Hurst was born September 22, 1831, the son of Hooper and Elizabeth James Hurst, both parents being of old pioneer families. After receiving his education he practiced law in this city and was elected probate judge of Ross County. This office he resigned at the outbreak of the Civil war to become recruiting lieutenant. He became the senior captain of the Seventy-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry and with that regiment went through the war, coming out as its colonel and then being promoted brigadier general of volunteers. From 1869 to 1875 he was collector of internal revenue for this district. In the spring of 1886 he was made state dairy and food commissioner, but resigned this office, after eighteen months, to become director general of the Ohio Centennial. After that he served on the State Board of Equalization, and was for six years a member of the State Board of Agriculture. In 1899-1900 he was commander of the Department of Ohio, Grand Army of the Republic. In February, 1900, he became postmaster of Chillicothe. THE SIXTY-THIRD OHIO INFANTRY The Sixty-third Regiment of Volunteer infantry was formed by the consolidation of two battalions of recruits, the Twenty-second and Sixty-third. The former was recruited at Chillicothe and consisted of Companies F, G, H, I and K. The organization was completed on January 23, 1862, and on February 18th the regiment moved to Paducah, Kentucky, and thence it joined the Army of the Mississippi, at Commerce, Missouri, under Maj.-Gen. John Pope. There it became a part of the Ohio Brigade and was engaged with that command in all its marches and engagements. The Sixty-third was discharged from the service at Camp Dennison, Ohio, July 17 and 18, 1865. During its term of service it had enrolled ninety commissioned officers and over 1,500 men, and at its discharge mustered twenty-two commissioned officers and 537 men. By authority of general orders it inscribed upon its banners the names of the following HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 205 battles: New Madrid, Island No. 10, Iuka, Corinth (October 4th), Atlanta and Savannah. During the earlier portion of the war, William E. Gilmore, a Chillicothe lawyer, was lieutenant colonel of the Sixty-third for about a year, but resigned in July, 1862, and returned to his home city. After the war he spent some years in Missouri, where he achieved some prominence in connection with the penal institutions of that state, but returned to Chillicothe and resumed his interrupted practice. COMPANY B, TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY Company B, of the Twenty-sixth Infantry, was recruited in Ross County, its successive captains being Raymond Allston, Samuel H. Ewing and Erastus Guy. Its heaviest loss was at Stone River, in December, 1862, when it lost one-third of its strength in killed and wounded. At Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Mission Ridge it was in the front ranks, and at the last named engagement was again sadly decimated. In January, 1864, the regiment reenlisted almost to a man, participated in the Atlanta campaign, the battle of Franklin and various movements in Texas, and was not mustered out of the service until October, 1865. Its commissioned officers were as follows : Capt. Raymond Allston, resigned October 10, 1861; Capt. Samuel H. Ewing, mustered out July 25, 1864; Capt. Erastus Guy, resigned March 1, 1865 ; First Lieut. John L. Watson, resigned June 16, 1862 ; First Lieut. Asahel R. Franklin, promoted captain Company C ; First Lieut. Samuel Chestnut, promoted February 18, 1865 ; Second Lieut. Morris Renick, promoted first lieutenant March 14, 1863, and assigned to Company F ; Second Lieut. John W. Ruley, killed at Chickamauga, September 19,. 1863. COMPANY H, THIRTY-THIRD Company H, Thirty-third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was recruited at Chillicothe. It was with Buell in the Southwest, and in October, 1862, joined in pursuit of Bragg's army. At Perryville the regiment went into the fight with 400 muskets and lost 129 men, killed and wounded. This was its first set battle, and, after pursuing Bragg to Crab Orchard, it moved, by long marches, to Nashville, Tennessee, where it was assigned to Gen. George H. Thomas' command. At the battle of Stone River, where Gen. Joshua W. Sill was killed, the regiment lost several men in killed and wounded. It remained at Murfreesboro until June 24, 1863, when it moved to Tullahoma. About the first 206 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY of September, 1863, the Chickamauga campaign opened. The Thirty-third marched over the mountains, and, on the 19th and 20th of September, was engaged at Chickamauga. Of the 343 men with which the regiment entered the fight, 168 were killed, wounded or missing. Falling back to Chattanooga, it remained until November 24th, when it fought with Hooker at Lookout. Here it lost heavily, and at Mission Ridge, the day following, it lost thirty-one men. At Taylor's Ridge, two days later, the regiment was again engaged, with considerable loss. Returning to Chattanooga, it reenlisted and was given veteran furlough home, after the expiration of which it joined General Sherman in the Atlanta campaign, and was engaged in the battle of Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Pumpkin Vine Creek, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochie Crossing, Peach Tree Creek, and around Atlanta and Jonesborough. During the campaign the regiment lost, in killed and wounded, 170 men. Among the killed were : Lieuts. Edgar Higbee and John S. Sykes, of Ross County. It accompanied Sherman in his march to the sea, through the Carolinas and the rebel capital, to Washington, where they participated in the grand review. It was forwarded to Louisville, Kentucky, and on July 12, 1865, mustered out of the service. Following were the commissioned officers of Company H : Capt. Thaddeus A. Minshall, promoted from private October 14, 1861; First Lieut. Angus L. Waddle, transferred to staff ; Second Lieut. Daniel Dorsey, discharged August 24, 1864. GEN. JOSHUA W. SILL Although assigned to the command of the Thirty-third at its organization in the summer of 1861, Gen. Joshua W. Sill was placed in positions of greater responsibility from the first ; his thorough military education and experience marked him for such important commands and his personal bravery further advanced his leadership. His death at Stone River removed one of the ablest and most gallant of the Union generals from the field. He was also the youngest officer of his rank in the Union army. General Sill was born at Chillicothe, on the 6th of December, 1831. His father, a lawyer of distinction, was an early settler of that place, and died there some years after the war. His mother died while he was very young, and he was reared and educated at home under the eye of his father. He had a taste for literature and science, which was fostered and developed. In 1850 he was appointed a cadet at West Point, graduating third in his class in 1853, and being at once appointed second lieutenant of ordnance at Watervliet arsenal. Ordered back to the academy as instructor, HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 207 he remained there until the next year, when he was sent to Oregon to superintend the construction of magazines and fortifications. During the Indian war in Oregon he was chief of ordnance to General Harney, and performed his duties with energy and efficiency. Obtaining an exchange in the fall of 1859, he was again at Watervliet. Ordered from there to Fort Leavenworth, he remained at that point until the spring of 1860, when he resigned his commission to accept the professorship of mathematics and engineering in the Polytechnic College at Brooklyn, New York. At the opening of the war he was offered the colonelcy of several New York regiments, but chose to return to his native state, where he entered the adjutant general's office, and assisted in organizing and equipping Ohio regiments until the summer of 1861, when he took command of the Thirty-third Ohio Infantry, and accompanied McClellan to the Kanawha Valley, in West Virginia. From this time until his death in the field, he was constantly in active service ; under Nelson and Thomas, in Eastern Kentucky ; Mitchell, in Alabama; and Buell and Rosecrans, in Tennessee and Kentucky. In every sphere of military duty he proved himself a skilful soldier and an honorable gentleman. Although but a colonel in rank, at the outset he commanded a brigade, and he was made a brigadier general in the winter of 1861. This promotion was for "gallant and meritorious conduct in the field." On the organization of Buell's army at Bardstown, he was placed in command of a division in McCook's corps, which he held until death relieved him. He fell at the battle of Stone River, December 31, 1862, while leading a brilliant charge upon the enemy, under an order from General Sheridan. In appearance General Sill was of light build, with a mild and pleasing address. He was a man of scholarship and refinement, and of great simplicity and kindness of manner. Such was the charm and magnetism of his pure and spotless life, that he was loved by all who knew him, and especially was he idolized by his soldiers. The State of Ohio has been honored by men more known to fame, but she never sent forth a braver man to battle for his country. But his memory and his fame rest not alone in the hearts of those whose privilege it was to know and to love him, nor with the great state, to whose galaxy of heroes his name has added a new luster ; but, in a peculiar sense, does all that is pure and lofty in the character of those she delights to call her sons, belong to the city of their birth. Chillicothe claims as a sacred heritage the name and fame of Joshua W. Sill ; cut off, as he was, in his early manhood, that he might with the greater power teach the lesson which the young men of our times need so much to learn. 208 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY The foregoing was taken mainly from an article in the "Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio, of the Nineteenth Century." THE GERMAN COMPANY E, THIRTY-SEVENTH The Thirty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry was the third German regiment raised in Ohio, and Company E came from Chillicothe. It was under Rosecrans in the West Virginia campaigns, during the first part of the war; then was transferred to the southwestern field where it participated in various engagements at Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, Resaca and Kenesaw Mountain. The Atlanta campaign next enlisted its services; it participated in the marches and movements through the Carolinas, was at the Grand Review at Washington and was mustered out at Cleveland in August, 1865. The commissioned officers of Company E were : Capt. Frederick H. Rehwinkel, resigned October 10, 1862; Capt. Paul Wittich, killed in action, July 22, 1864 ; Capt. Jacob Litter, mustered out with company; First Lieut. Adolph Von Kissinger, appointed adjutant February 17, 1862 ; First Lieut. William Weste, promoted captain Company E ; Second Lieut. Julius Sheldt, resigned November 9, 1862. MANY WERE PRISONERS OF WAR Six companies in the Eighty-ninth Infantry were recruited, in whole or in part, from Ross and Highland counties ; these commands were A, G, F, H, I and K. The regiment was mustered into the service at Camp Dennison, Ohio, August 26, 1862, and on September 3rd it went into camp near Covington, Kentucky ; thence it moved into Western Virginia, and in November it went into winter quarters five miles above Fayetteville Court House. Shortly after the battle of Stone River, this and the Ninety-second Ohio were ordered to reinforce General Rosecrans at Nashville, Tennessee, and, embarking on steamers, moved down the river, arriving at Nashville on the 7th of February, 1863. It then moved to Carthage, Tennessee, and on June 8th joined Rosecrans' main army at Murfreesboro. It next joined in the movement against Bragg at Tullahoma. It was actively engaged at Hoover's Gap. After the enemy had been driven from Chattanooga and beyond, the Eighty-ninth encamped at Dechard. During this campaign the regiment was commanded by Lieut. Col. William H. Glenn, late captain of Company A. On the morning of September 19th the regiment moved into line and engaged in the bloody battle of Chickamauga. During the afternoon of the 20th the Eighty- HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 209 ninth went into the hottest of the fight ; and, with the Twenty-first Ohio and Twenty-second Michigan, held its position against fearful odds, until dark, when they were surrounded and all captured. Most of the prisoners were sent to Andersonville military prison. The regiment was afterward recruited to 200 men and was successively engaged at Mission Ridge, Resaca and during the Atlanta campaign. While at Atlanta Lieutenant Colonel Glenn returned from captivity and resumed command of the regiment, with which he remained until the close of the war. The regiment went with Sherman to the sea, and thence through the Carolinas, participating in almost every engagement. On May 24, 1865, it participated in the grand review at Washington, District of Columbia, where it was mustered out of service on June 7th, subsequent. It was carried by rail to Camp Dennison, Ohio, where it was discharged June 13, 1865. The commissioned officers of Company A were as follows : Capt. William H. Glenn, promoted to lieutenant colonel ; Capt. Joseph H. Mulnix, resigned January 24, 1863 ; Capt. Samuel A. Glenn, mustered out May 17, 1865 ; First Lieut. John B. Gamble, resigned December 19, 1863 ; First Lieut. George H. Debolt, promoted captain Company E ; Second Lieut. Joseph B. Foraker, promoted first lieutenant. Commissioned officers of Company H : Capt. Elam Day, Jr., mustered out May 15, 1865 ; First Lieut. Stewart Edmiston, paroled prisoner ; Second Lieut. Milton May, mustered out with regiment. Commissioned officers of Company I : Capt. David M. Barrett, mustered out with company ; First Lieut. Thomas H. Burridge, resigned October 18, 1862 ; Second Lieut. James R. Vickers, promoted first lieutenant and mustered out with company. ONE HUNDRED FORTY-NINTH REGIMENT, OHIO NATIONAL GUARD A number of regiments of 100-day men were organized in Ross and Highland counties in 1864. In that short period the One Hundred Forty-ninth particularly distinguished itself. It was organized at Camp Dennison, Ohio, on May 8, 1864, and was composed in part of the Twenty-seventh Regiment Ohio National Guard. On May 11th it was ordered to Baltimore, and on its arrival it was assigned to duty at different points. July 4th the regiment was ordered to Monocacy Junction, and on the 9th was actively engaged in the battle at that point. In the retreat which followed the regiment was directed to hold the bridge to the last extremity. Of the execution of this order General Tyler, commanding, says : "No officer did his duty better than did Colonel Brown, and no Vol. I-14 210 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY troops could have done more than did the men under his command in that unequal combat. It seldom falls to the lot of veterans to be more severely tried than were the Ohio National Guard at the stone bridge, and none ever carried out trying and hazardous orders better or with a more determined spirit than did the One Hundred and Forty-ninth." The regiment's loss in killed and wounded was about 130. It next took part in the marches into Maryland and Virginia. August 20, 1864, the regiment returned to Ohio and was mustered out. None of the officers were killed or died while in service. The field and staff officers were : Col. Allison L. Brown, Maj. Ebenezer Rozelle, Quartermaster David C. Anderson, Assistant Surgeon Benjamin F. Miesse, Chap. William Morris. Commissioned officers of Company A : Capt. William W. Peabody, First Lieut. Edward R. McKee, Second Lieut. John W. Purdum. Commissioned officers of Company C: Capt. Charles W. McGinnis, First Lieut. Adam G. Mallow, Second Lieut. William P. Gossard. Commissioned officers of Company E : Capt. Thomas B. Jenkins, First Lieut. Henry Grubb, Second Lieut. Daniel M. Beard. Commissioned officers of Company F : Capt. John Ross, First Lieut. Louis C. Ambery, Second Lieut. Howard A. Haynes. Commissioned officers of Company I: Capt. Philip A. Roads, First Lieut. Henry C. Roby, Second Lieut. James Q. Clark. The gallant commander of the One Hundred Forty-ninth was a great favorite, as is evident by one fact among the many which might be adduced—that A. L. Brown Post No. 162, Grand Army of the Republic, of Chillicothe, commemorates his name and fame. THE COLORED TROOPS The colored soldiers also responded with patriotic ardor. The first complete negro regiment recruited in Ohio was the Fifth Colored United States Infantry, which rendezvoused at Camp Delaware, Ohio, and took the field in November, 1863. The regiment participated in the later campaigns conducted in the East—Atlantic states of the South. It did gallant work as a part of the storming column against Petersburgh in June, 1864, and sustained its good reputation at Chapin's Farm, Fort Fisher, Sugar Loaf and Fort Anderson. The regiment was discharged in the fall of 1865. The Twenty-seventh Colored United States Infantry was in the service from January, 1864, until September, 1865, and the rolls show that over 100 men in it were recruited from the counties HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 211 of Ross and Highland. The colored troops of the Twenty-seventh were brave, faithful and dependable, and upheld the soldierly reputation of their race. OTHER COMMANDS FROM ROSS COUNTY Other regiments were organized, especially during the last two years of the war, in which were enlisted men from Ross County—infantry, heavy and light artillery and cavalry, although numerous commands in the last-named branch of the service were raised in Southern Ohio in the early and middle period of the Civil war, and not a few enlistments were from Ross County. PART IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR Although Chillicothe raised a company for the war with Spain and was ready to furnish many more, it was not called into active service; but at the conclusion of the Spanish-American war many residents of Ross County enlisted either in the United States army or in the United States volunteers, for service in Cuba, Porto Rico or the Philippines. The record which follows tells the story without comment. On the morning of February 16, 1898, the news of the sinking of the Maine in Havana Harbor was received in Chillicothe, and Company H, Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio National Guard, at once made preparations for any possible call to go to the front. During the last week in April the regiment mobilized at Chillicothe under Col. A. L. Hamilton. On April 30th it was dispatched to Camp Bushnell, Columbus, where its regimental number was changed to the Seventh. The officers of Company H were George W. Brandle, captain ; Luther Hurst, first lieutenant; Robert Franklin, second lieutenant. With the regiment was the signal corps, under Lieut. James Purdum. This corps was afterward drafted into various companies of the Seventh, as no regimental signal corps were enlisted as a body by the Government. Lieutenant Purdum was made battalion adjutant after the disbandment of the corps. After the boys of the signal corps had been in the service a short time, a call was made for skilled signal corps men, and most of them were transferred to the Army Signal Corps. The majority of them were at once put into the first grade, and a number were made sergeants, which speaks well for their previous training. WATCHFUL WAITING IN CAMP After remaining a short time at Camp Bushnell the Seventh Ohio was sent to Camp Alger, at Falls Church, Virginia. There it 212 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY remained all summer, in the dust and heat, with inadequate water supply and the usual discomforts of an army camp. The men were anxious for active service, and, it was said at the time, would have been sent to the front had it not been for certain adverse influences not wholly without the regiment. After the summer at Camp Alger, the regiment was sent to Camp Meade, Pennsylvania, where it remained only a short time before being sent back to Columbus to be mustered out, the war being over. DEATH OF MAJOR WIEDLER Among the officers of the regiment and one of the most popular in it, was Maj. Edward U. Wiedler. He had been first lieutenant and captain of Company H, and had a good record as a soldier of the National Guard. At Camp Alger he contracted typhoid fever from the impure water, and, coming home, died on July 14, 1898, universally regretted in his regiment and in Chillicothe, his birthplace. Other officers of the Seventh from that city, aside from those mentioned, were Maj. Jacob Houk, quartermaster; Dr. E. F. Waddle, assistant surgeon ; Lieut. J. M. Woltz, battalion adjutant ; Lieut. Tiffin Gilmore, regimental adjutant. W. W. Brown, of the Scioto Gazette staff, was regimental sergeant-major. OTHER CITIZEN SOLDIERS J. D. Wood, who had organized the Seventeenth Ohio National Guard Signal Corps, had enlisted in the regiment at the outbreak of the war. Mention of this fact coming to the ears of General Greely, chief signal officer, United States army, he secured for Mr. Wood a commission as lieutenant in the signal corps. Lieut. Wood saw service in Puerto Rico, and, afterward, in Cuba, where he was, for a time, acting quartermaster Seventh Army Corps. Among other Chillicotheans who participated in the war were Gen. Thomas Anderson, Cuba and Luzon ; Maj. S. A. Day, Fifth Artillery ; Capt. R. H. Anderson, Fourth Artillery ; Lieut. M. E. Hanna, Second Cavalry ; Lieut. Edwin Safford, United States Navy, former lieutenant-governor of Guam ; Ensign J. W. Timmons, cruiser Minneapolis ; Capt. and Quartermaster W. S. Ball ; Second Lieut. Horace Lansing, United States Signal Corps. IN THE PHILIPPINES At the conclusion of the Spanish-American war Capt. G. W. Brandle, commander of Company H, had to his credit the fact that out of all the thousands of men at Camp Alger, his company had HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 213 the smallest per cent of illness and the highest per cent of efficiency. His record, both as an officer of the Ohio National Guard and in the Spanish war, procured him a commission as captain in the Twenty-seventh United States Volunteer Infantry without an examination. He was in command of Company B, Twenty-seventh, in Luzon; With Captain Brandle went a number of Chillicothe boys. One of these was Lee McCoy, who became first sergeant Company B, and was promoted to a second lieutenancy before the regiment sailed from San Francisco. KILLED IN THE SERVICE Among those Chillicotheans who were killed or died in the service were Walter Brown, formerly a member of the Seventeenth Infantry, Ohio National Guard, afterward in Company H, Seventeenth United States Army, killed at El Caney while in advance of his regiment, cutting a barbed wire obstruction ; Hugh Parrett, Eighth Infantry, died at Montauk Point, from lack of care and medical attendance; Richard Carroll, Company B, Third Infantry, killed in Luzon ; Edward Cox, Fruitdale, killed in Luzon. THE HOME RELIEF At the outbreak of the war the citizens of Chillicothe formed a committee to take care of the families of those who went to the front, as was done in the Civil war. This committee consisted of J. C. Entrekin, chairman ; James A. Wood, secretary; William Poland, treasurer ; Messrs. P. W. Brown, Joseph Gerber, C. T. Mason, D. M. Massie, L. T. Neal, J. M. Thomas, Richard Enderlin and Albert Douglas. Committees were formed among the ladies and by the Woman's Relief Corps, to provide food for passing troops. How well they did it was attested by the many grateful letters they received from soldiers and from the parents of soldiers. COMPANY H, OHIO NATIONAL GUARD The military unit in Ross County which represents the Ohio National Guard is still H, but of the Fourth Regiment. It is an outgrowth of the famous Sill Guards, organized in 1870 in honor of Gen. Joshua W. Sill, the hero of Stone River. The first commander of what was known as Squad A was John C. Entrekin. In June, 1873, it was mustered into the National Guard as Company A of the Sixth Regiment, Captain Entrekin in command. He afterward became colonel of the regiment, being succeeded in the captaincy of Company A by Horace G. Lansing. Colonel 214 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Entrekin served in the Spanish-American war as adjutant (brigadier) general. Succeeding Captain Lansing, until the reorganization of the Guard in April, 1892, were the following in command of Company A : Samuel L. Leffingwell and William E. Evans, 1877; Charles H. Howard, 1878 ; Arthur L. Hamilton, 1879-84; and John W. Ogden, 1884-92. On April 6, 1892, the command was reorganized as Company H, Seventeenth Ohio National Guard, and shortly afterward Capt. Arthur L. Hamilton became regimental commander, and Lieut. Edward U. Wiedler was promoted to the captaincy, which he retained from October, 1892, to March, 1898. He then became major of the regiment and, as noted, died while in the service, during the Spanish-American war. Lieut. George W. Brandle was promoted to the captaincy of Company H, which he held from April, 1898, to July, 1899, or during the Spanish-American war and a portion of the Philippine campaigns. He then joined the regular army. Robert S. Franklin was the next captain, serving from 1899 to 1901; William Wolcott, until 1903 ; Albert Wilson, until 1906, and Lewis S. Houser, from October of that year, until the present. Company H has done good service at home—that is, within the confines of Ohio—especially within the past decade. Among other occasions in which it was called out and acquitted itself creditably as it always has, were the miners' riot at Steubenville, in 1906; the Bridgeport steel workers' riot of December, 1909, and the floods of 1907 and 1913. The company is sixty strong and commanded by the usual three officers. A handsome armory is in contemplation to be erected in the City Park, at the head of North Paint Street. The city donates the site and the building fund is to be divided between the state and the county. It is also to be a memorial to the Ross County soldiers. MISCELLANEOUS CHILLICOTHE COMPANIES The Sill Guards were so intimately connected with the Campbell Light Guards in all their entertainments that the history of one is the history of both. The Campbell Light Guards disbanded as an active military company in 1879, and was succeeded by the Campbell Light Guard Association, of which permanent organization, Capt. E. R. McKee was president, George Perkins, secretary, and William C. Dunlap, treasurer. Its object was to keep alive the friendship of other days and to observe each recurring anniversary of the date of organization of Squad A, April 8th. The Sill Guards' uniform was gray, trimmed with black, with white and black epaulets and a white plume. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 215 The Sumner Guards and the Madeira Guards were colored companies, Capt. George Richardson being the commanding officer of the Madeiras. Their military life was short and uneventful. The Buckeye Bloods, the High Street Rockers, and the Texas Rangers were all in organization at the same time in 1856-57. They were companies of boys living in the different parts of town. As their name indicates, the High Street Rockers flourished in the West End. A. L. BROWN POST, No. 162, GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC George Perkins, who is serving his second term as commander of the Chillicothe G. A. R. Post, wrote an interesting sketch of the organization in which centers so much affection and pride, on the occasion of its thirtieth birthday, in 1911. From his paper is taken the following extract : " The A. L. Brown Post is thirty years old today. What a record is embraced in this period ! Four hundred and eight comrades have been on its rolls ; 44 now remain in good standing. We have had sixteen post commanders serving more than one term. Of this number but six are living and five of them are present this evening ; the sixth is basking in the sunshine and the flowers of California. Nine are sleeping in Grandview, one in St. Margaret's and one at the National Cemetery, Dayton Soldiers' Home. In the ranks of our post have been many notable men. We have furnished one department commander, one assistant adjutant general, one quartermaster general; one chief mustering officer of the department, and numerous aides-de-camp on both the department and national commanders' staffs. We have had orators of national fame—a judge of the Supreme Court, a speaker of the House of Representatives, a medal-ofhonor man, a poet, a novelist and a historian. One of our numbers was in the squad that captured Jeff Davis. Many suffered the torments of Andersonville and other prison pens. The post has been active in teaching patriotism, love of country and respect for the flag, both by precept and example. Each Memorial Day since the establishment of that sacred anniversary has been fittingly observed, and will be, as long as there is a comrade of this post to totter to the cemetery. "But what did the rank and file do? Everything. Marching thousands of miles through summer's heat and wintry storms, fighting the enemy in hundreds of battles, carrying Old Glory on to victory ! All hail to the private soldier who did not falter in the hour of his country's direct need, but by his valor established a nation respected and feared by the whole world. Com- 216 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY rades, we did not realize what we were doing. We started the movement that will civilize the world and bring the happy day when war shall be no more, when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them. Hail to a world of peace! The Union soldier did not suffer or die in vain. He may be poor today, his few remaining days may be embittered by a struggle for existence, but future generations will call him blessed and strew his grave with flowers. "Statistics are dry and figures appalling, but I cannot refrain from telling some of the things that A. L. Brown Post has accomplished. One of the first and perhaps the largest incident of charity was its fight with the Pension Department in the case of Joseph England. The pension commissioner refused absolutely to reopen the case, but by the persistent efforts of Comrades Lawrence and J. B. Smith the claim was finally allowed. " The Post was organized November 18, 1881, with Captain Frederick H. Rehwinkel as post commander. The charter members were mustered in by Colonel H. A. Brown, of Toledo, at this meeting. The first applicant for admission was Leonard Berg, on November 23rd, and the second Brandon Lewis. The most notable events of this administration, during 1881-82, was the uniforming and equipping of the post ; the disbanding of the Memorial Association, with the turning over of its records, flag and moneys to the post; the large turn-out of comrades on the first Memorial Day, escorted by the Sill Guards and accompanied by large delegations from Maxwell Post of Kingston, about four hundred men in line; and the reception of National Commander Vandervort and Department Commander Clark. "The second commander was Richard Enderlin. At every meeting several comrades were mustered in, and the post continued to grow. General Durbin Ward delivered the memorial address this year. The post also attended the first funeral, that of Colonel James A. Farden, who died in New Orleans and was brought to Chillicothe for burial. This was in October, 1883. On Christmas of this year the great Camp Fire and Fair was held in Memorial Hall. "Commander Enderlin was succeeded by John B. Smith, who served during 1884. The post was very charitable at this time, large amounts being voted at every meeting and sub-relief committees being appointed in the different townships. The Soldiers' Monument having been completed, was dedicated with impressive ceremonies on May 30, 1884. A concert of army songs was given by Mrs. Lina R. Lewis, assisted by all the musical talent in the city during the fall of 1884. "Warren Chapman was elected commander in 1885. In July HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 217 of this year memorial exercises were held by the post and citizens at the fair grounds, on the death of General U. S. Grant. "In August the reunion of ex-prisoners of war and the Twenty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry was held, lasting the 5th and 6th of that month. " George Perkins was commander in 1886. The principal event in this administration was the donation to the post by the township trustees of a burial place in Greenlawn Cemetery, known as the Soldiers' Circle. The Drum Corps was organized, uniformed and equipped on September 7th, 8th and 9th. The post attended in a body the reunion of the Army of West Virginia at Portsmouth. "Mathias Bonner was the commander for 1887. In January, resolutions on the death of General John A. Logan were passed. Chaplain Sheppard gave his lecture on Andersonville prison. In this year occurred the first deaths in our ranks—Joseph Merkle, April 1st, and W. S. Rogers, April 6th. It was remarkable that in a membership of four hundred no death occurred for six years, but after this our ranks were rapidly thinned by death. On Memorial Day of this year Soldiers' Circle was dedicated according to the ritual, all soldiers' bodies in Paupers' Row having been removed to the Circle. "William V. Lawrence was the commander for 1888. The Drum Corps was reorganized. In August the post passed resolutions on the death of General P. H. Sheridan. In September it attended the national encampment at Columbus, Past Post Commander Perkins being, by detail, placed in command of the post. A fine flag was purchased at this time. "John T. Roper was elected commander for 1889. Past Post Commander F. H. Rehwinkel, first commander of the post, died in June of this year. "John H. Nugent was commander for 1890, and his administration witnessed the formation of the Woman's Relief Corps. "John C. Entrekin was the commander for 1891. Early in the year occurred the death of General W. T. Sherman and suitable resolutions were passed by the post. The post vacated its quarters in Odd Fellow Hall in July and moved to the Schilder Building on South Paint Street. "Valentine Rice was commander in 1892. It was during his term that the wholesale slaughter of the post occurred, ninety-one members being dropped at a meeting held April 6th. Ransom Post of St. Louis was handsomely entertained by the Post and W. R. C. while en route to the National Encampment. "Rufus Putnam was elected commander for 1893. Past Com- 218 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY mander M. Bonner died November 6th and was buried by the post ritual. "Commander Putnam was reelected in 1894. During this year the Rink property was purchased, and the post moved to the new hall. Putnam was elected for a third term in 1895. In this year fifty-five comrades were dropped, and both by death and suspension the post was much diminished. "John E. Mick was commander in 1896 and Rufus Putnam was again elected for 1897. During the latter year the department encampment was held at Chillicothe and the celebrated Prante organ was purchased. "Charles M. Sears was the commander for 1898. In April of this year the whole post volunteered to serve in the Spanish-American war, but their services were declined with thanks by Governor Bushnell. The post escorted the Seventeenth Regiment to the depot when it left for the front. "John E. Mick was elected commander for 1899 and again for 1900. On May 12th of the latter year the post was called upon to mourn the death of Adjutant George L. Wolfe, who had held that office for fifteen years. During this year the Drum Corps disbanded and the organ was sold. Post Commander Sears died October 22, 1900. "Since that time the commanders have been as follows : F. J. Esker, 1901-03 (died October 14, 1911) ; James A. Gatwood, 1904-05 ; F. J. Esker, 1906-07 ; George Perkins, 1908-09 ; James A. Gatwood, 1910-11; Nelson Purdum, 1912-14 ; George Perkins, 1915—." CHAPTER IX PIONEER HISTORY OF CHILLICOTHE THE FOUNDERS OF CHILLICOTHE-MASSIE LAYS OUT CHILLICOTHE - THE FORTUNATE HUNDRED - GEN. NATHANIEL MASSIE -FIRST SETTLEMENT IN VIRGINIA MILITARY DISTRICT-SURVEYS ALONG THE SCIOTO-REV. J. B. FINLEY-DR. AND GOVERNOR EDWARD TIFFIN-GOVERNOR WORTHINGTON AND ADENA -DUNCAN MCARTHUR AND FRUIT FARM-COL. JOHN MCDONALD -FELIX RENICK AND EARLY, STOCK RAISING-BARRING OUT SLAVERY FROM OHIO-TIFFIN AND BALDWIN ON SLAVERY-GENERAL MASSIE 'S LETTER-OHIO THE FIRST FREE SOIL ST ATE -NOTED CENTERS OF GOVERNMENT—ABRAMS' BIG HOUSE- SAVAGE SURGICAL TREATMENT-WHITES GATHER AT ABRA MSRELIGIO US AND MILITARY CENTER-NEW HOPE CHURCH ORGANIZED - PIONEER HISTORICAL EVENTS - WALNUT STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH - ST. MARY 'S CATHOLIC CHURCH-COMPETITOR FOR THE WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY-PIONEER SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS-CHILLICOTHE IN 1807— TECUMSEH AND THE CHILLICOTHE COUNCIL-POLITICS AND EARTHQUAKE SHOCK-DR. SAMUEL MCADOW-DR. JOSEPH SCOTT-OTHER EARLY PHYSICIANS- THE FAMOUS MADEIRA HOTEL-THE EARLIER CHILLICOTHE INNS-FIRST BRIDGE OVER THE SCIOTO-INDUSTRIAL UPRISING-THE HYDRAULIC ASSOCIATION - FIRST. TOWN CORPORATION - THE SECOND TOWN CORPORATION. Chillicothe was incorporated as a city in 1838. In August, 1796, Gen. Nathaniel Massie laid out the original town on the western banks of the Scioto River, about three miles above the mouth of Paint Creek, and the period between these years has been designated as the pioneer era of Chillicothe. It is doubtful whether any town in Ohio brought together so many strong and unusual characters as did Chillicothe, especially during the first score years of its life. THE FOUNDERS OF CHILLICOTHE General Massie, the founder of Chillicothe, was the greatest "promoter" of his times. Although a Virginian by birth, his - 219 - 220 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY training as a surveyor, backwoodsman, frontiersman and advance agent of civilization in the Northwest Territory, had been obtained in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His explorations of the Scioto Valley in 1792-93, during which he surveyed and entered large tracts of land near the junction of the Scioto River and Paint Creek, have been noted; also the founding of Manchester and his temporary failure to establish a settlement in the Scioto Valley. But his advertisements of the beauties and fertility of the region had been scattered broadcast through Northern Kentucky and Western Virginia, and attracted the attention of such men as Rev. Robert W. Finley, a Presbyterian clergyman of Bourbon County, Kentucky, who was prompted to lead a colony of his fellow-religionists thither, among whom were Edward Tiffin and Thomas Worthington, of Virginia, brothers-in-law, who afterward became governors of the state, and Dr. Samuel McAdow, the first active practitioner of medicine in Ross County. Doctor Tiffin, although a member of the profession, soon found himself too much in demand as a public man to give much of his time to the practice. Duncan McArthur and John McDonald had already identified themselves with the fortunes of General Massie before he succeeded in platting his Scioto Valley town. In this remarkable collection of men who gathered before the commencement of the nineteenth century to found the Town of Chillicothe were three who were to serve as governors of the state, and one (Massie) whom the Legislature pronounced eligible to the office but who did not assume it. The pioneer group was also composed of several—notably Tiffin, Huntington and Finley—who had settled in the Northwest Territory after liberating their slaves, with the expressed determination to oppose slavery in the new country beyond the Alleghenies and the Ohio River. About the 1st of March, 1796, a party of emigrants under Massie was again collected at Manchester, on the north bank of the Ohio. Some of them went by water up that river and the Scioto, and others by land—both companies meeting near the mouth of Paint Creek, at a place known afterwards as the "station prairie." The members of the company who came by water brought in their boats, besides a few of the necessaries of life, farming utensils and other articles suitable for making a permanent settlement. On the first day of April they landed their goods, commenced building cabins and making ready for planting corn. Thirty ploughs were set in motion, each of which had soon turned up the furrows on ten acres of as rich prairie as the sun ever smiled upon. The season proved to be propitious, and an abundant crop rewarded the labor of the pioneers. The Indians, many of whom HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 221 remained in the vicinity, had become perfectly friendly, and were evidently disposed to carry out in good faith the terms of the Greenville treaty, which had been made the year before. MASSIE LAYS OUT CHILLICOTHE While the settlers were thus employed in cultivating their corn, Massie and his men were engaged in selecting a site for the proposed town. They finally agreed upon a point on the Scioto River, about three miles above the mouth of Paint Creek. Massie here owned a tract of 1,900 acres of excellent land. His formal survey, however, was not made until December 24, 1796, and the town was laid out in the previous August. The town contained 287 inlots; and adjoining were 169 out-lots. The former were six rods in width and extended back twelve rods to the alleys—except those on Market Street and a portion on Water Street, which ran back to the river and were consequently of irregular length. The outlots contained four acres, almost in the form of a square. The streets were of usual width, two of them (Paint and Main) being six rods wide ; two (Water and Second), five ; and the rest four. The lots, streets and alleys were first designated by blazing the trees, which at that time formed a thick forest over all this portion of the valley. THE FORTUNATE HUNDRED One hundred inlots and as many outlots, according to Massie's original offer, were selected by lot as a donation to the first 100 settlers. Among the first to avail themselves of this offer were Duncan McArthur and his friend, Michael Thomas, whose chosen inlots were situated contiguously on the south side of Water Street. As this was the first real estate ever owned by either of them, they erected a tent across the dividing line between their lots, so that each might sleep on his own soil. Besides the lots disposed of as above stated, a good many were purchased, soon after the town was laid out, by those who wished to become settlers but who were too late to be reckoned among the fortunate hundred. The inlots first disposed of in this way brought the very moderate sum of $10 apiece. The growth of the new town was something quite unprecedented, if we may accept as true the picture drawn of it by McDonald, who uses this language : "The town increased rapidly, and before the winter of 1796 it had in it several stores, taverns, and shops for mechanics." 222 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY GEN. NATHANIEL MASSIE Gen. Nathaniel Massie, the founder of Chillicothe, was born in Goochland County, Virginia, December 28, 1763. His father, who bore the same name, with the title of major, was a plain, industrious farmer, of good practical sense, who, acting rather contrary to the old Virginia system, thought it best for his sons that, at an early age, they should be placed in a situation to gain their own livelihood. So soon, therefore, as they had completed their education he required them to select whatever employment they preferred. Nathaniel, the eldest son, chose surveying for his occupation, which held out great inducements to enterprising young men. Previous to this, however, at the early age of seventeen, in the year 1780, he was permitted by his father to take the place, either of himself or of some relative of the family, as a substitute in the draft ordered about that time to recruit the Revolutionary army. How long he continued in the service, or at what posts he was stationed, we are not informed. But the fact above stated shows him to have been a young man of ardent patriotism, of unusual energy and of a praiseworthy ambition. Returning from the army, Massie completed his study of surveying, becoming a thorough master of that intricate science. In the fall of 1783, being in his nineteenth year, he was prepared to set out in the world on his own account. One who knew him well and saw him but a short time previous to his departure for the West, says of him, that he was an uncommon looking young man ; that his form was slender, but well made and muscular, and calculated, from his good constitution and uncommon activity, to endure fatigue, exposure and privations in an eminent degree ; that his countenance was open and expressive of great energy and good sense, and well suited to gain favor from men of enterprise." His father furnished him with a horse, well equipped, and with all the necessary surveying instruments. A small amount of treasury warrants were also placed in his care, together with a letter of recommendation to Gen. James Wilkinson, who was at that time a citizen of the Kentucky country, and a man of distinction. Young Massie continued in Kentucky five or six years, being a part of the time associated in business with General Wilkinson. He first devoted himself to surveying and locating land, and became in a short time very expert in this art. It was a matter of astonishment how soon he acquired the science and habits of the backwoodsmen. He could steer his course with great exactness in clear and cloudy weather, and compute distances more correctly than most of the old hunters. He could endure fatigue and hunger with more composure than many who were inured to want on HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 223 the frontier. In all the perilous situations in which he was placed he was conspicuous for his good feeling and the happy temperament of his mind. His courage was of a cool and dispassionate character, which, added to great circumspection in times of danger, gave him a complete ascendency over his companions, who were always willing to follow when Massie led the way. But the field of his labor during this period was not confined to the business of locating and surveying lands. In the fall of 1786 he became interested with General Wilkinson in speculations in salt, which, on account of its scarcity and the absolute necessity of the article, became very valuable. The principal manufactories in Kentucky were at Bullit's and Mann's licks, near Louisville, from which the inhabitants of the West were scantily supplied at a very high price, sometimes reaching $5 per bushel. General Wilkinson, as the senior partner, had the principal direction of the affairs of the firm. But his letters to Massie, which had been preserved, show the high esteem in which the latter was held and the implicit confidence which the former reposed in his judgment. FIRST SETTLEMENT IN VIRGINIA MILITARY DISTRICT The first excursion made by General Massie into the interior of the region northwest of the Ohio was in the year 1788. But no account of the particulars of this expedition or of his companions has been preserved. He was probably with Arthur Fox, who was at that time engaged in surveying lands in the Virginia miiltary district, and was a particular friend and companion of Massie. The location of land warrants in this district prior to 1790 required great coolness and courage. Every creek explored, every line run, was at the risk of an attack from the savages, whose boldness, cunning and endurance had to be met by the same qualities in the hardy pioneers. To form a base for his surveying operations and thus secure himself and his party as much as possible from exposure and danger, Massie determined, in the winter of 1790, to make a settlement within the district. To accomplish this, he gave general notice of his intention in Kentucky, and offered as a donation to each of the first twenty-five families that would join him, one inlot, one outlot and 100 acres of land besides, provided they would settle in the town he intended to lay off at his settlement. After various consultations with his friends the bottom land on the Ohio River, opposite the lower of the three islands, was selected as the most eligible spot. Some thirty families accepting his terms and holding themselves in readiness to join him, he fixed his station and laid off into lots a town now called Manchester, about twelve miles above Maysville, formerly known as Limestone, 224 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Kentucky. Cabins were raised and, by the middle of March, 1791, the whole town was. enclosed with strong pickets firmly fixed in the ground, with blockhouses at each angle for defense. Thus was effected the first settlement in the Virginia military district, and the fourth within the bounds of the State of Ohio. SURVEYS ALONG THE SCIOTO Massie, having permanently established his new station, continued to make locations and surveys of land in every direction. In the fall of 1793 he determined to attempt a surveying tour on the Scioto River. The enterprise being considered very hazardous, he took with him about thirty chosen men, three of whom (John and Nathaniel Beasley and Peter Lee) acted as assistant surveyors. It was in this expedition, also, that he employed for the first time, as chain bearer or marker, young Duncan McArthur. In the month of October, some canoes were procured, and Massie and his party set off by water. They proceeded up the Ohio to the mouth of the Scioto, thence up the Scioto to the mouth of Paint Creek. Here the surveyors set themselves to work. Many surveys were made on the Scioto, as far as Westfall. Some were made on the main and others on the north fork of Paint Creek ; and the most of that portion of the district contained in Ross and Pickaway counties, was well explored and partly surveyed. The party finished the work they intended without any disturbance from the Indians and returned to Manchester, delighted with the rich country they had explored in this part of the Scioto Valley. It was doubtless the impressions received during this expedition that induced Massie and McArthur, and perhaps others of the party, to make for themselves permanent settlements in this region not long after. The following winter (1793-94) General Massie spent in making surveys to the west and north of the region just mentioned, chiefly along the tributaries of the Little Miami. The explorations and surveys of this winter are said to have been made "in the midst of the most appalling dangers." The winter following, although he and his party suffered no disturbances from the Indians, yet they were reduced to great extremities, at one time by the cold, the depth of the snow, and the consequent difficulty of procuring game, upon which they depended almost exclusively for food. The unsuccessful attempt made by General Massie, in 1795, to establish a town in the Scioto Valley, and also the successful attempt of the year following, have been described. For several years after laying out and establishing the future capital, he was