Anshu Mishra

to as ist in serving llir m occss, s, iloting ilia, to tlir lionios of his vi. tini, as tliry s. iid. a this arcouiit tlic fa ling agaiii t liiiii became very intense and bitter. on the day next following tlie attack on the marshal and inspector july kith i, at daylircak, in eonsome time entertained, and wbicli was prob j. y only accelerated by the coming of tlic mai. hal in to the survey, an attack liy aliout one liundr. d pitons armed of the inspector nevillei, in tievicinity of pittsburgh. the inspector, though alono, vigoiou ly drfended himself. against the a ailants, and ol. ligrd them to retreat without acruinplisliing their.urpose.they had only, ost, oned, and not alandoned, the execution of liieir dan.l n the following.lav lliev rcassenil.led in augmented nnml.ers,anionntii, a s it wa. aid. to folly tlve hundred, and on the tl, of july renew, d their attack on ien. xeviile leai e, whicli was tluai del endcd by, a detachnnait of eleven thataterall jhtofaboutan hours. inration. in wlii, di, ne of the iii ui, htakilled and several pally snrreii .lcrcd,and the insurgents then burned the imuim to the ground, t. iether witli all theonihnihlinu. oeeasioning a lo. f more than twelve thousanil dollars.ien. neville had left the house before the commencement of the firing, and had sought a place of concealment at a distance, wisely concluding that this nas the only way to save his life. on the night of the of july he with the marshal who had come to. serve the processes having been repeately threatened with death at the hands of the insurgents, and finding that no protection wa s to be expected form the magistrates or inhabitants of pittsburgh made their escape form tlie place, fled down the ohio, and proceeded to the east by a circuitous way, the usual routes over the mountains being known to be beset by their enemies. on the of july the united states mail, near greensburg, on the road from pittsburgh to philadelphia, was stopped by, two armed men, wdio cut open the pouch and abstracted all the letters except those contained in one package. in connection with this circumstance, it is proper to notice a circular addressed by, ol. john canon, david bradford, beiijamin parkiiisim, and others to the militia officers of the counties, dated july, as follows sir, having had suspicions that the pittsburgh post would carry with him the sentimets of some of tlie cople in the country respecting our present situation, ami the letters by the post being now in our posx asiiin. by, which certain secrets are discovered hostile to our interest, it is therefore now come to that crisis that every citizen ninst express his sentiments, not by his words, hut by, his actions. you are then called upon as a citizen of the western country to render your personal service, with as many volunteers as you can raise, to rendezvous at your usual place of meeting ou wednesday next, and thence you will march to the usual placeof rendezvous at braddock s field, on the monongahela, on friday, the first day of august next, to be there at two o clock in the afternoon, with arms and aeeoutrenients in good order. if any voluuteci s shall want arms and amnunition, bring them forward, and they shall be supplied as well as possible. here, sir, is an expedition proposed in wdiich you will have an oportunity of displaying your military talents, and of rendering service to your country. four days provisions will be wanted let the man be thus supplied? dany id the militia officers o beyed the directions contained in the circular, and marched their men to the appointi d rendezvous. witli reference to the raediness ills. hived by officers and soldiers to obey these orders, emanating as they did from no responsible authority. judge addison said that in consequence of the danger of indian incursions having often rendered it necessary in this region to assemble the military force without waiting for orders from the government, it had become habitual with the militia of these counties to assemble at the call of their officers, without inquiring into the authority or object of the call. this habit, well known to the contrivers of the rendezvous at braddock s field, rendered the execution of their plan an easy matter. they issued their orders to the officers of the militia, wjio assembled their men , accustomed to obey orders of this kind given on the sudden and without authority. the militia came together without knowing from whom tlie orders originated, or for what purpose they met. and when met it was easy to communicate from breast to breast more or less of the popular frenzy, till all felt it or found it prudent to dissemble and feign that they felt it. at braddock s field, on the appointed day, there gathered a. vast and wildly e. xcited assemblage, of which a good proportion was composed of militiamen and volunteers under arms. fayette county was sulli iently represented on the field, though the number from this was less than from either washington, aliegheny, or westmoreland. among the great throng of persons assembled there, very few were fatorable to the government and to the execution of the law. such as were there of this class had come to the rendezvous lest their absence might be made a cause for proscription. but they were compelled, out of regard for their personal safety, to conceal their real sentiments and some of them had even assumed the rule of leaders, for the purpose as they said afterwards when the insurrection had been crushed of gaining the confidence of the disaffected multitude, and then by organization and judicious management to restrain them form proceeding to outrage and rebellion. the hon. hugh h. brackenridge was one of these, and there were some among the fayette county leaders, whose course with regard to the insurrection has been similarly explained. tiierc were also present at braddock s field on the occasion referred to some who went there merely as spectators, without any strong feeling on cither side but by far the greater part were in full syniiiathy wiih tlio insurgent cause, though probably tcv of tlnin iimi any very definite idea of the object of the meeting othrv than to denounce excise officers and the government, and to shout in wild acclaim, huzzahs for to u the tinker. as the rendezvous was but a few miles from pittsburgh, the people of that place were greatly alarmed lest the company assembled at braddock s field should, at the instigation of their leaders, march on the town and destroy if, in a spirit of revenge against a number of officers and friends of the gcvernmcnt who lived there. a meeting of the inhabitants of the town had been held on the evening before the day of the rendezvous, at which a great majority almost the wh ie of the inhabitants of the town assembled. it was announced to his meeting that a committee from washington was present, bearing a message to the meeting. a committee of three was appointed to confer with the committee from washington, and after their conference they reported that in consequence of certain letters sent by, the last mail, certain persons were discovered as advocates of the excise law and enemies to the interest of the country, and that edward day, james brison, and abraham kirkpatrick are particularly obnoxious, and that it is expected by the country that they should be dismissed without delay avhereupon it was resolved it should be so done, and a committee of twenty one was appointed to see this resolution carried in to effect. also that, whereas it is a part of the message from the gentleman from washington that a great body of the people of the county will meet to morrow at braddock s field, in ciidir o cnny into eli cct measures that may seem ui them i h i alile uitli respect to the excise law and lie advocates of if, resolved, tiiat the above cuinniittcr shall at an early hour wait upon the people un the ground, and assure the people that the above resolution, with respect to the proscribed persons, has been carried into effect. resolved also, that the inhabitants of the town shall march out and join the people on braddock s field, as brethren, to carry into effect witli them any measures that ma socm advisable for the common cause. the pittsburgh committee appointed at the meeting above mentioned reported to the leaders at braddock s field the resolutions which had been adopted, and that in pursuance of those resolutions some of the men most objectionable to the insurgents, viz. edward day, james brison, abraham kirkpatrick, and col. presley neville, had been driven from the town and had fled down the ohio. this liad been done in deference to the demands of tom the tinker, and the committee s announcement w. as made to the assenililal c in the hope of dissuading the leaders from u. ovinir thr lorees into the town but if failed to have tlie desired effect, though it probably eurlied their excesses to a great extent. one of the most prominent of the leaders of the insurgents was col. david bradford, of washington, who at the meeting or more properly muster at braddock s field made the proiiosition to march to pittshnri h and attack tlic garris. m stationed there. this ini iosition was warmly entcitained by, the more hot iead, l, but was finmly abandoned. bradford, hou ev. t. iii i t. ml tliai the militia and vohmteers should ih iiimivlird to t. ie town, and iti this hr was in opposition to tlie proji ct, fniinivril the idea of guiding and controlling the lawlrmovcnent by, apparent ar uiescence c.aid he, hy all means let us i i, it fir no other rea on than to l ive a proof tlie strictest order, an.of reli aiiiiiil irom all excesses. let us march thrni li the town, nui teion the banks people, and then move the troops across the river. the jilan wa adopteil. officers were appointed, david r. radlord and edward cook generals, and col. gabriel lihikency, officer of the day, and under their command the entire lio. iy niuved over tinmonogahela road topittsburgh. in their arrival tlicre, tliey we f the principal eiti en, who by, a little i sv, alter treating them ireelv tn li, u ir, succeeded inindneintli. main l. odv t, en.the mn, i, n ahela without d. in a iv hmv. vi. u i reachinthe. till, maj. kirkpalrielcn, the i. liifr. pi. o. ite pitt burgh, and succeeded ill d r ivinhis barn at that place, though the dwellinwas savetl. meanwhile a part of the men not included in the. ilv whii li had been enticed across the m m oniraliida lia. l heeime somewhat riotous in pitt linr di, and set tire to the town residence of maj. kiilq. atriek. it had been their intention to destroy hih. n e, awell as those nf neville, gibson, i and others, but the consummation if this design had been prevented largely by, the interference of col. edward cook, of fayette county, and bradford, of washington, two of the principal leaders. if they had succoeded in doing this, there is little duubt that the principal part of the town would have been burned. an account of the turbulent proceedings at braddock s field and pittsburgh was forwarded without delay to the state and natiooal authorities, and on the th of august the presideut of the united states issued a proclamation, reciting in its preamble that combinations to defeat the execution of the laws layim duties upon spirits distilled within the united state, and upon stills, have from the time of the commencement of those laws existed in some of the western parts of pennsylvania, that many persons in the said western parts of pennsylvania have at length been hardy enough to perpetrate acts wdiich i am advised amount to tre. ason, being overt acts of levyiiil war against the united states and commanding all persons being insurgents, as aforesaid, and all other, wdiom it may concern, to disperse and retire peaceably to their re.spective abodes on or before the st ot september following moreover, warning all persons against aiding, abetting, or comforting the perpetrators of the aforesaid treasonable acts, and requiring all officers and others citizens, according to their respective duties and the laws of the land, to exert their utmost endeavors to prevent and suppress such dangerous proceedings. at the same time the president called for troops to be raised and eqipped in the states of pennsylvania, maryland, virginia,and new jersey, and to be held in readiness to march at shortest notice, for tlie purpose of suppresing thf insurrection and enforcing the law. the quotas ov the states were assigned as follows j on the same day governor mifflin, of pennsylvania issued his proclamation directing that the state s quot of men be armed and equipped as speedily as pos sible, and to be held in readiness to march at a mo ment. s warning, and a second proclamation wa lie no authority for carrying tliein into effect. wo consider it as blemish on tlie good order of the marcli uf the colnnin tlirongli tliotnw of pittdbnrgli aiu their cantonment in the neighborhood of it. it h been endeavored to be removed as much as posditdo b. v repaying. tii tenant of kirkpatrick s his damages. the signatnres to this card t e. xpl. inntion und disclaimer were headed by, that of ed v, rd cook, fayette county, wtilch was followed by, lho.se of fourteen otliers, a prominent leaders in tlic insurrectionary movement. issued, calling together the assembly of the state in special session. previously on the of august the governor had appointed chief justice mckean and gen. william irvine to proceed immediately to the disaffected counties, to ascertain the facts in reference to the recent acts of violence and lawless gatherings, and, if practicable, to induce tlie people to submit to the law. the president, on the day next following the isuance of his proclamation, appointed james ross, tiiilcil states senator, jasper yeates, associate jiiiliir supreme court of pennsylvania, and william lliaaiord, attorney general of the united states, r. iiiiiiiissionecrs on the part of the united states, with full instructions and ample powers, to repair forthwith to the western counties, for the purpose of conferring, at their discretion, with individuals or bodies of men , in order to quiet and extinguish the insurrection. before the great demonstration at braddock s field, the anti excise leaders issued a call in the latter part of july for a meeting of delegates from the western counties, to meet at parkinson s ferry, on the monongahela now monongahela city, to take into consideration the situation of the western country. and from the muster place at braddock s field, col. maj. gen. david bradford issued the following circular to the inhabitants of monnfjahda, virginia gextlemex, i presume you have heard of the spirited opposition given to the excise law in this state.matters have been so brought to pass here that all are under the necessity of bringing their minds to a final conclusion. this has been the question amongst us some days, shall wf disapprove of the conduct of those engaged aiiniiist nc. illc, the excise officer, or approve? or, in ulliciwiuds, shall we suffer them to fall asacrifice to ft ileial priscutiun, or shall we support them? on the result of this business we have fully deliberated, and have determined, with head, heart, hand, and voice, that we will support the opposition to the excise law. the crisis is now come, submission or opposition we are determined in the opposition. we are determined i in future to act agreeably to sj stem to form ar rangements guided by reason, prudence, fortitude, land spirited conduct. we have piii i psr i a ircnural meeting of the four counties df rcnn ylvania, and have invited our brethren in the lu iuhlmiiinii rouiitios in virginia to come forward and join us in council and deliberation in this important crisis, and conclude upon measures interesting to the western counties of pennsylvania and virginia. a notification of this kind may be seen in the pittsburgh paper. parkinson s ferry is the place proposed as the most central, and the of august the time. we solicit you by, all the tics that an union of interests can suggest to come forward and join us in our deliberations. the cause is common to us all. we invite you to come, even should you differ with us in opinion. we wish you to hear our reasons influencing our conduct. the events of the first two days of august at braddock s field and pittsburgh and of the two or three succeeding weeks, seemed to mark the culmination of the popular frenzy on the subject of the excise law, and from the loth of july to the last of august was the period of the greatest excitement that exhibited itself during the insurrection. during the interval of time between the great muster at braddock s and the day appointed for the meeting at parkinson s ferry, great numbers of liberty poles were erected by, the insurgents in various parts of the four counties, and upon these were hoisted flags, bcarinu such inscriptions as death to teaifoks. i.ii i i ty and no excise. few persons were foiinil lianly enough to refuse assisiance in the erection of these i olcs, for to do so was til lie liraiiilcd as an enemy to the cause, i fayette county. one was at new salem, one at xew geneva, one at iasiintown, on which a very beautiful silk flag was raised. one was at the old i ninn furnace, in dunbar township, and one at the i market hiinse, in uniontown. at the raising of this pole, about one hundred men under command of capt. kobert ross came in from german now nicholson tiiwnsliip to assist. another pole was raised on the mdil antiiw road south of uniontown, on the farm of thonias iaddis, who was of the principal leaders of the whijkey boys in this county. the pole at this place and the one in uniontown were cut down by gen. ephraim douglass in defiance of all threats and intimidation that which had been erected at new geneva met the same fixte at the hands of mrs. elizabeth everhart wife of adolph everhart and two or three other women of equal determination. the others named stood bearing their threatening flags and inscriptions until the tide of insurrection began to turn before the menace of military force, and then thnsc who had raised them were glad cnougli to see them fall, and to deny all agency in their erection. on the of august, according to appointment, the meeting of the delegates was opened at parkinson s ferry. the proclamations of the president and of governor mifflin had not been received. neither the commissioners for the state nor those for the united states had made their appearance, but intelligence came during the progress of the meeting, that two delegations were on their way from philadel iliia, anil that two of the united states commissioners had just arrived at greeusburg. the first ccromony performed at parkinson s was the erecting of a tall liberty pole, and the hoisting of a flag bearing tlie inseriptimi, eipial taxation and both of favctt. untv. rrspectivrlv as rhainnan and with a numberof the leaders, begun tn it a ain t the adoption of violent measures. it wailainai tbr some of those who at tlils meeting, i lmi. t il a. trung oppositinii to tlie jilans of bradfunl mil. itlur extremists, that their course was prompt. l,y thi same desire which had at first induced tlnii to range themselves r. m ing the disaffejted, that of a praring to assume leadership for the inirposo ol rurmai the hiwless element and diverting its energi. s from the track leading to opm v. olrnco and rebeilion. ikit there is little lii. um tliat their action at thi time was in no and that a again t that pow crthe cause of the insura series of strong re inons was ititrolm ed by, cul, jamemarshal, of waslij. an u. rted in an inte. np. n ate ik re i liy ih adtord, who w. is replied to in opposition by, all. erl calla. in, luluv brackenridiic, jml v edirar, of wa l. in lo, and tlie excise law. tliey were also to have power to call together a meeting, either of a new representation of the ieople or of the dseputies here convened, for the purjiose of taking such further measures as the future situation of affairs may repiir. uid in case of any sudden emergency, to take such tem iorary measures as they may think necessary.the closing resolution was to this effect, that a committee, to consist of three members from each county, be appointed to meet any commissioners that been or may be appointed by, the government, and report the result of this conference to the standing committee. the standing committee consisting of sixty persons met, and appointed the committee to meet the commissioners of the united states and those of pennsylvania, as provided by, the final resolution. this committee of conference was comp as follows for fayette county albert gallatin, edward cook, and james lang. for westmoreland county john kirkiiatrick, george smith, and john powers. the committee of sixty, after having appointed and instructed the committee of conference, adj iurned to meet at redstone old fort brownsville on the tlie commissioners for the state arrived at pittsburgh on the tli of august, and those appointed by, the i re ideiit came immediately afterwards. on the imth the two bodies met the committee of conference whirh was appointed at parkinson s ferry. at this meeting preliminary proceedings were taken, wdiich resulted in pr. positious by, both bodies of commision rs, who declared explicitly that the exercise the iiowers vested in them to suspend prosecutions. and to promise a general amnesty and pardon for past o leii es, most he preceded by, full and satislactotji k. suranaes of a sincere determination in the peopu to obey the laws of the united states. the memben of the committee vho took the most prominent pan in the proceedings were gallatin and cook, of fayo, r. radlord and marshal, of washington and nraekeiiridge, of allegheny county. all these, with the excei tion of bradford, were in favor of accedit to the propositions of the commissioners, and tliil was found to be the sense of the committee but thej had no lower to act, further than to report the resul of theeonlerence to the standing committee ofsixtyi that committee had adjourned to meet at redstone i fort on the d of september, as before mentioned, bu upon the conclusion of the conference with thecommfe sioncrs at pittsburgh the time of their meeting changed and made five days earl ier, though this char of time gave great offense to bradford and others extremists. the change of time was made in deference to one of the conditions imposed by, the commissioners, viz. it is expected and required by, the said commissioners that the citizens compo.sing the said standing committee do, on or be ore he first daij of september next, explicitly declare their determination to submit to the laws of the united states, and that they will not, directly or indirectly, oppose the execution of the acts for raising a revenue on distilled spirits and stills. accordingly, on the sth of august, the standing committee the committee of sixty met at brownsville, to receive and act upon tiie report of the comlittee of conference. of the sixty members of the committee, fifty seven were in attendance, of whom twenty three were from va. shington county. Judge alexander addison said that the minds of all men appeared to be strongly impressed with a sense of the critical situation of the country, and the minds of almost all with a fear of opposing the current of the popular opinion, and that these impressions were greatly increased by, the appearance of a body of armed men a.sembled there irom muddy creek, in i ike tlli rep jit to tho coinniitteo to whom wo are to report, lo them the reasons of our opinion, th. it so fur as they linve y uny he regurdeil by, them. It will lie outendaevor to con. lily them, hut the public niiuil in general to our views on t. ave hope to bo assisted by, you in giving all that e.tent washington county, to punish samuel jacksonas an enemy to what they called their cause. the business of the meeting was opened by, the submission of the conference committee s report and a speech upon it by mr. gallatin, who urged the adoption of a resolution in acceptance of the terms offered by, the commissioners, and set forth the danger of using force in resistance to the law, the imposibilityof these western counties contending successfully against the force of the united states, and the evident necessity of submission. mr. gallatin, although a foreigner who could with difliculty make himself understood in english, yet presented with great force the folly of past resistance, and the ruinous consequences to the country of the continuance of the insurrection. he urged that the government was bound to vindicate the laws, and that it would surely send an overwhelming force against them. he placed the subject in a new light, and. showed the insurrection to be a such more serious affair than it had before appeared. mr. brackenridge followed gallatin in an argument to the same end, though urged in a different manner. then col. bradford delivered a speech in opposition to the various arguments of gallatin and brackenridge, alluding to the revolutions in america and in france as models for imitation, and as inducements to hope for the success of these counties against the government, which he said was rendered reasonably certain on account of their peculiar situation, as separated from the eastern country by almost insurmountable natural barriers. his whole speech was manifestly intended to keep up the opposition to goveninicnt, and to prevent the adoption of the re dlatin propdsed by mr.gallatin. opposition as ever, and so strong an influence did this exert, even on the leaders who knew that the cause was hopeless, that they dared not openly and fully avow their sentiments and place themselves on record. such was tlie fear of the popular frenzy that it was with difficulty that a vote could be had at this meeting. no one should vote by, standing up. none should write a yea or nay, lest his handwriting should be recogni. ud. at last it was determined that ijca and lunj should be written by, the secretary on the i same pieces of paper, and be distributed, leaving each member to clieuu or destroy one of the words while j he put the. tlirr ill the liox, thus giving each mem ber an opportunity cf conrraliug liis opinion, and of sheltering liinielf from tlie re entnii nt jf those from it was by, the meeting resolved, that in the opinion of this committee it is the interest of the people of this country to a. re. le to tlie proposals made by, the coniiiii, ion, ion the part ot l, e united states. resolved, that a copy uf tlu lutiou be transmitted to the said com but instead of giving the assuran the commissiiuiers, the committee of disposition to temporize, and in tl, li better terms they further re olvri mittee be aiiiiointed to loni the persons appointed to form the committee under these resolutions were john probst, robert dickey, john nesbitt, herman husband, john corbly, john marshal, david phillips, john hoaton, john mccelland, william ewing, george wallace, samuel wilson, and richard brown. the meeting continued in session at brownsville for two days, and adjourned on the of august. it was the last meeting of the kind held during the insurrection, and virtually marked its clo. se, as the meeting held at the same place three years before july, had marked its opening, that being j the first public meeting held in opposition to the exj cise law. thus it may be said that the famous insurrection was born and died at redstone old fort, in fayette county. the committee appointed at the brownsville meeting met the commissioners of the united states and those of pennsylvania in conference at pittsburgh on the st of september, at which meeting it was agreed that the assurances required from the citizens of the fourth survey of pennsylvania the four western counties. should be given in writing, and their sense ascertained in the following manner that the citizens of the said survey allegheny county excepted of the age of eighteen years and upwards, be required to assemble on thursday, the .th in tant, in tlieir respective townships, at the usual place for holding township meetings, and that between the hours of twelve and seven, in the afternoon of the same day, any two or more of the members of the meeting who assembled at parkinson s ferry on the ultimo, resident in the township, or a justice of the peace of said township, do openly jiropose to the people assembled the following questions do you now engage to submit to the laws of the united states, and that you will not hereafter, directly or indirectly, oppose the execution of the acts for raising the revenue upon distilled spirits and stills? and do you also tindertake to support, as far as the laws require, the civil authority in affording the protection due to all officers and others citizens? yea or nay? that a minute of the number of ye. as and nays be made immediately after ascertaining the same. that a written or printed declaration of such eugagement be signed by, all those who vote iu the affirmative, of the following tenor, to wit i do solemnly promise henceforth to submit to the laws of the united states that i will not, directly or indirectly, oppose the execution of the acts for raising a revenue on distilled spirits and stills and that i will support, so far as the law requires, the civil authority in affi rding the protection due to all officers and others tlie citizens of allegheny county were required to mei t in their respective elcli. n districts on tlie said dav, in the same manner as if citizens. this shall be signed in the presence of the said members or justices of the peace, attested by him or them, and lodged in his or their hands. that the said persons so proposing the questions stated as aforesaid do assemble at the respective county court houses on the inst. and do ascertain and make report of the numbers of those who voted in the affirmative in the respective townships or districts, and of the number of those who voted in the negative, together with their opinion whether there be such a general submission of the people in their respective counties that an office of inspection may be immediately and safely established therein that the said report, opinion, and written or printed declarations be transmitted to the commissioners or any one of them at uniontown on or before the instant. on the part of the united states, the commissioners agreed that if the assurances should be given in good faith, as prescribed, no prosecution or treason or any others indictable offense against the united states committed in his survey before the d of august, should be commenced before the of july, against any person who should, within the time limited, subscribe such assurance and engagement, and perform the same, and that on the of july, there should be granted a general pardon and oblivion of all the said offenses but excluding therefore every person refusing or neglecting to subscribe the assurances and engagement, or who having so subscribed, should violate the same, or wilfully obstruct the execution of the excise laws. on behalf of the state of pennsylvania, the commissioners, mckean and irvine, promised that if the proposed assurances should be given and performed until july, there should then be granted so far as the state was concerned an act of free and general pardon and oblivion of all treasons, insurrections, areons, riots, and others offenses inferior to riots committed, counseled, or suffered by, any person or pei sons within the four western counties of pennsylvania subsequent to the th of july, but excluding from its operation every person refusing or neglecting to subscribe to such agreement, or violating it after subscribing. the pennsylvania commissioners left pittsburgh on the d of september, and messrs. yeates and bradford, united states commissioners, proceeded east soon afterwards. both bodies were requested by, the governor and the president respectively to remain until after the announcement of the result of the popular vote but for some reason they did not comply, and only james ross remained to carry the signatures to philadelphia. on the day appointed, september th, elections were held in nearly alt the townships or election districts of the four counties. the result in fayette was announced as follows we, the subscribers, having, according to resolutions of the committee of townships for the county of fayette, acted as. judges on the llth instant at the meetings of the people of said county, respectively convened at the places in the first, second, and third election districts where the general elections are usually held no judge or member of the committee attending from the fourth and last district, which consists of the townships of tyrone and buuskin, do hereby, certify that five hundred and sixty of the people thus convened on the day aforesaid did then and there declare their determination to submit to the laws of the united states in the manner expressed by, the commissioners on the part of the union in their letter dated the d day of august last the total number of those who attended on that occasion being only seven hundred and twenty one, that is to say, something less than one third of the number of citizens of the said three districts. and we do further certify that from our previous knowledge of the disposition of the general body of the people, and from the anxiety since discovered by, many who either from not having had notice, or from not hiving understood the importance of the question, did not attend to give similar assurances of submission, we are of opinion that the great majority of ttend those citizens who did not have peaceably and with albert g. vllatin william robeiits james white. george dieuth dearth? but notwithstanding the ftivorable report of the judges of election, it appears that the united states comniisiimrrs cl ir uml the liruccedings in favette posed to ber ubiiii sion to the laws. john jacicjox. andrew rabb.thomas pattersox.lu i iliarlv u i iti liictory. in their report t. tlir i n idmtthc. v said, the county of fayi tir njcted tinmode of ascertaining the sense f uiv h. lr wliirh had been settled between the undrr i ni l niid llir hi t committee of conference at pittsburgh seiilciul. cr l ti. i hr ianding committee of that county dinctid laics of thr stnte foivoting to assemble in their election districts and vote by, ballot whether they would accede to the proposals made by, the commissioners of the united states on the d of august or not. the superintendents of these election districts report that five hundred and sixty of the people thus convened had voted for submission, and that one hundred and sixty one had voted against it that no judge or member of their committee liad attended from the fourth district of the couuty to report the state of the votes there, and that they are of opinion that a great majority of the citizens who did not attend are disposed to live peac iably and witli due submission to the laws. but it is proper to mention that credible and certain information has been received that in the fourth district of that county composed of the townships of tyrone and buuskin, of which the standing commitlrc have i iven no account, si. x sevenths of those whn vntimj ucie for re. istance. the written assnranernc uliiiii siua avliich have been received by, the cnniiiiisinis ure not liiinicious,nor were they given liyull thn ewli. rx in. l a willingness to obey the laws. In favittc. uuiity. a ilifereut plan being pursued, no wrilfen ansuntnce i were ijicen in the manner reipiired. in regard to the non compliance with the methods prescrilicd by, tlic ci. niiiiisioer, the failure in fayette county t i igiiiiy the suliniis ii n of the people by, individual sub ci ipti. n to the terms, and the very light vote cast here, mr. oallutiii. in a letter t. vernor mifflin, dated uni. iitowii, se ileiiil. eil th, ai l, it was an eftwrt tno reat, erliap. t. i he ixpe ted a test ot al souite mil. giving active support i. t be operatetl only by, ileg vineed the unilei tamlini was not so easy a ta k to dices were more ilieply lo. e l and n tion less extensive.the great ihh which consists of moderate men , we from a want of knowledge of their ow to discover tlieir sentiments, and wi awe by, a tew violent men . tiiis wa cipal reasons which prevented sii ii ing the general meeting on the day of the jjeople was taken, to whieh all the wannest per nns attended, we had a very large and decided majority anioiig t tlie voter, and a great many of those w ho had eonje with an intention of testilving their intention to resist, were convinced by, the aigunients niaile use of, though their pride w juhl not suller them to make a public retraction on tlie moment, and they went off without giving any vote. a very favorable and decisive change h. as taken place since, and has indeed been the re. sult of the event of that day. the general disposition now seems to be to submit, and a great many are now signing the proposals of the commissioners, not only in the neighboring counties, but even in this, where we had not thought it necessary. we have therefore thought the moment was come for the people to act with more vigor, and to show something more than mere passive obedience to the laws, and we have in consequence by, the resolutions of this day herein inclosed, and which, we hope, will be attended with salutary eft ects recommended associations for the purpose of preserving order, and of supporting the civil authority, as whatever heat existed in this county was chiefly owing to what had passed in the neighboring counties. the resolutions referred to in the letter were those passed at a meeting of the township committees of fayette county, held on the of septendier, at uniontown, and of which edward cook was cliairman. as stated by, mr. gallatin, they recommended township associations in this and adjoining counties to promote submission to the law, and in their preanihle recited that it is necessary to shew our fellow eitizens throughout the united states that the eliaraeter of the inhabitants of the western country is not such as may have been represented to them, hut that on the contrary they are disposed to live in a peaceable manner, and can preserve good order among themselves without the a. ssistance of a military force. evidently the oponents of the law had at last begun to realize that successful resistance to the government was hopeless, and that voluntary submission was better than that enforced by, infantry, cavalry, and artillery. but the knowledge came too late to prevent the exercise, or at least the menace, of the military power. upon a full knowledge of the result of the meetings held on the of september in the townships and election districts of the disaffected counties, the united states commissioners reported to the president, narrating the events connected with their mission, and concluded by, saying that although they firmly believed that a considerable majority of the inhabitants of the four counties were disposed to uhiuittothc execution of the laws, at the same time they the commissioners conceive it their duty explicitly to declare their opinion that such is the state ol things in that survey that there is no probability that the act for raising a revenue on distilled spirits and ills eau at present be enforced by the usual eour e ot eivil authority, and that some more competent tbrce is necessary to cause the laws to be duly executed, and to insure to the officers and well disposed citizens that protection which it is the duty of government to afford. this opinion is founded on the tiicts already stated the accounts of the unsatisfactory result of the township and district nieetingsj, and it is confirmed by, that which is entertained by, many intelligent and influential persons, officers of justice and others, resident in the western counties, who have latclv informed one of the commissioners that whatever assurances might be given, it was in tlieir judgment absolutely necessary that the civil authority i should be aided by a military force in order to secure a duo execution of the laws. i the commissioners report caused the president to decide, unhesitatingly, to use the military power and to extinguish the last vestige of insurrection at whatever cost. in taking this course he had as he afterwards said to a committee from these counties two great objects in view first, to show, not only to the inhabitants of the western country, but to the entire union and to foreign nations, that. a republican government could and would exert its physical power to enforce the execution of the laws where opposed, and also that american citizens were ready to make every sacrifice and encounter every difficulty and danger for the sake of supporting that fundamental principle of government and, second, to effect a full and complete restoration of order and submission to the laws in the insurrectionary district. in pursuance of this determination the forces were promptly put in motion, and on the of september the president issued a proclamation, which, after a preamble, setting forth that the measures taken by government to suppress the lawless combinations in the western counties had foiled to have full effect that the moment is now come where the overtures of forgiveness, with no others condition than a submission to law, have been only partially accepted when every form of conciliation not inconsistent with the well being of government has been adopted without effect, proceeds, now, therefore, i, george washington, president of the united states, in obedience to that high and irresistible duty consigned to me by, the constitution, to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, deploring that the american name should be sullied by, the outrages of citizens on their own government, commiserating such as remain obstinate from delusion, but resolved, in perfect reliance on that gracious providence which so signally displays its goodness towards this country, to reduce the refractory to a due subordination to the law do hereby, declare and make known that, with a satisfaction which can be equaled only by, the merits of the militia summoned into service from the states of new jersey, pennsylvania, maryland, and virginia, i have received intelligence of their patriotic alacrity in obeying the call of the present though painful yet commanding necessity that a force which, according to every reasonable expectation, is adequate to the exigency is already in motion to the scene of disaffection that those who have confided or shall confide in the protection of government shall meet full succor under the standard and from the arms of the united states that these who, having oft ended against the laws, have since entitled themselves to indemnity, will be treated with the most liberal good fiiith, if they shall not have forfeited their claim by, any subsequent conduct, and that instructions are given accordingly. the forces called out for the exigency amounted to about fifteen thousand men , in four divisions, one division from each of the states of virginia, maryland, penu. sylvania, and new jersey, as before man tioned. the. virginia and maryland troops commanded respectively by, gen. daniel morgan, of the former state, and brig. gen. samuel smith, of baltimore formed the left wing, which rendezvoused at cumberland, md. the right wing which was rendezvoused at carlisle, pa. was composed of the pennsylvania troops, commanded by, governor mifflin, and those of new jersey, under governor richard howell, of that state. the commander in chief of the whole army was gen. henry lee, governor of virginia, the light horse harry of revolutionary fame, and father of gen. robert e. lee, the confederate commander in the war of. in his instructions from the president, the commander in chief was directed to proceed as speedily as may be with the army under your command into the insurgent counties, to attack and as far as shall be in your power to subdue all persons whom you may find in arms in opposition to the laws. you will march your army in two columns from the places where they are now assembled, by the most convenient routes, having regard to the nature of the roads, the convenience of supply, and the facility of co operation and union, and bearing in mind that you ought to act, until the contrary shall be fully developed, on the general principle of having to contend with the whole forceof the countius if fayt ttu, westmoreland, washington, and all. hrny, ni l, if that part of bedford which lies westward of tlie town of bedford, and that you are to put as little as possible to hazard. j the approximation, therefore, of your columns is to j be sought, and the subdivisiim of them o as to place the parts out of mutual siippurtin distance to be avoided as far as local circumstaiuces will permit. parkinson s ferry appears to be a proper point towards which to direct the march of the columns for the purpose of ulterior measures. when arrived within the insurgent country, if an armed oppdsitinn a pear, it may be proper to publish a prochunatiiin inviting all good citizens, friends to the constitution and laws, to join the standard of the united states. if no armed opposition exist it may still be proper to publish a proclamation exhorting to a peaceful and dutiful demeanor, and giving assurances of performing with good faith and liberality whatsoever may have been promised by, the commissioners to those who have complied with the conditions prescribed by, them, and who have not forfeited their title by, subsequent misdemeanor. of those persons in arms, if any, whom you may make prisoners, leaders, including all persons in command, are to be delivered to the civil magistrates, the rest to be disarmed, admonished, and sent home except such as may have been particularly violent and also influential, causing their own recognizances for their good behaviour to be taken in the cases which it may be deemed expedient. when the insurrection is subdued, and the requisite means have been put in execution to secure obedience to the laws, so as to render if proper for the army to retire an event which you will accelerate as much as shall be consistent with the object, you will endeavor to make an arrangement for attaching such a force as you may deem adequate, to be stationed within the disafl ected counties in such a manner as best to afford protection to well disposed riii cns and tlie officers of the revenue, and to suppress, by their presence, the spirit of riot and opposition to the laws. but before you withdraw the army you shall promise, on behalf of the president, a general pardon to all such as shall not have been arrested, with such exceptions as you shall deem proper. you are to exert yourself by all possible means to preserve discipline among the troops, particularly a scrupulous regard to the riglits of persons and property, and a respect for the authority of the civil magistrates, taking especial care to inculcate and cause to be observed this principle, that the duties of the armyare confined to attacl in, u and suliduing of armed opponents of the laws, and to the supporting and aiding of the civil officers in tlie execution of their functions. it has been settled that the governor of pennsylvania will be second, and the governor of new jersey third in command, and that the troops of the several states in line on the man h and upon ilctachmeut are to be posted according tn the rule whieh inevailed in the army during the late war. namely, in moving towards the seaboard the nujst southern troops will take the right, in moving towards the north the most northern troojis will take the right. in addition to his military duties as commanding officer of the expeditionary forces, gen. lee was also charged to give countenance and support to the civil officers in the execution of the law, in bringing offenders to justice, and enforcing penalties on delinquent distillers, and the better to effect these purposes the judge of the united states district court, kichard peters, ks i. and the attorney of the district, william eawle, kscj.acompanying the army. president washington, with gen. henry knox, secretary of war, and gen. alexander hamilton, secretary of the treasury, left pliiladelpliia on the st of october, and proceeded l. y way of harrishurg to the headquarters of the right wing of the army at carlisle. from that. laee, on the lltli he went to chambersburg, and thenee by, way of williamsport to fort cumberland, where hearrive. l on the utli, and where he reviewed the maryland and virginia troops, composing the lelt wing alter whieh he jiroaeeded to bedford, pa. which was then gen. lee s headquarters, reaching it on the th, and remaining there two or three days, then returning east, and arriving at philadelphia on the th. in the mean time, after the departure of the hon. james ross, united states commissioner, from pittsburgh and uniontown, carrying with him to philadelphia the reports of the elections of the of september, the people of the four counties began to realize that the results of those elections might very probably be regarded as unsatisfactory by, the government, and that very unpleasant consequences might ensue by, the ordering of the military forces into this region. upon this a general feeling of alarm became apparent, and spread rapidly. a meeting of the committee of sixty otherwise termed the committee of safety was called and held at parkinson s ferry on the d of october, judge alexander addison being their secretary. at this meeting william findley, of westmoreland, and david redick, of washington county, were apointed a committee to wait on the president of the united states and to assure him that submission and order could be restored wdthout the aid of military force they found the president on the of october at carlisle, where he had come to review the troops of the right wing of the army, as before mentioned. tliey there had several interviews with him, in which they informed him of the great change that had taken place that the great body of the people who had no concern in the di sorders but remained quietly at home and attended to their business had become convinced that the violence used would ruin the country that they had formed themselves into associations to suppress disorder, and to promote submission to the laws. in reply to this, the president said that as the army was already on its way to the western counties, the orders could not be countermanded, yet he assured the delegates that no violence would be used, and that all that was desired was to have the inhabitants of the disaffected region come back to their allegiance. this reply was final and ended the mission of the committee. they returned and made their report at another meeting of the committees of safety, which was held at parkinson s on the of october, and of which judge james edgar was chairman. at this meeting of the committees of townships of the four western counties of pennsylvania and of sundry others citizens it was resolved, first, tliat in our opinion the civil authority is now fully competent to enforce the laws and punish both past and future offenses, inasmuch as the people at large are determined to support every description of civil officers in the legal discharge of their duty. second, that in our opinion all persons who may be charged or suspected of having committed any offense against the united states or the state during the late disturbances, and who gave not entitled themselves to the benefits of the act of oblivion, ought immediately to surrender themselves to the civil authority, in order to stand their trial that if there be any such persons among us they are ready to surrender themselves to the civil authoritv accordingly, and that we will unite in giving our assistance i to bring to justice such offenders as shall not surrender. third, that in our opinion offices of inspection may he immediately opened in the respective couni ties of this survey, without any danger of violence being offered to any of the officers, and that the disj tillers are willing and ready to enter their stills. fourth, that william findley, david rediclc, ephraim douglass, and thomas morton do wait on i the president with the foregoing resolutions. the four committee men appointed by, the meeting to carry the renewed assurances to the president met at greensburg pieparatory to setting out on tlieir mission, but at that place they received intelligence that the president had already left bedford for philadelphia, and that the army was moving towards the monongahela, and thereupon they decided to await the arrival of the forces, and to report the action of the meeting to the commander in chief, as the president s representative. there was no delay in the movement of the army. the new jersey and pennsylvania troops, composing the right wing, marched from carlisle on the d of october, and proceeded by, way of bedford, across that county and somerset, and along the road skirting the northeastern part of fayette, to what is now mount pleasant, in westmoreland, at which place the advance brigade arrived and encamped on the th. the centre corps of this wing encamped on the farm of col. bonnett, in westmoreland, near the line of fayette county, and the rear went into camp at lobengier s mills on the th. at these places they reined encamped about one week. following is an extract from a letter written from the rear brigade, dated joncs mill in westmoreland, near the northeast line of fayette county, oct. i am distresed at the ridiculous accounts sometimes published in our papers. i assure you that there has not been a single shot fired at our troops to my knowledge. the whole country trembles. the most turbulent characters, as we advance, turn out to assist us, supply forage, cattle, etc. from washington we hear of little but fear and flight a contrary account as to one neighborhood pidgeon creek has been sent down, but no appearance of an armed opposition, and this the only part of the country where the friends of government are not triumphant. our army is healthy and happy the men exhibit unexpected fortitude in supporting the continued fatigues of bad roads and bad weather. the left wing of the army moved from fort cumberland on the d of october, and took the route marched over by, gen. braddock thirty nine years before, to the great meadows, and from there to uniontown, at which place gen. lee arrived on the last day of october, and the main body of the left wing came up and encamped there the same evening. the committee men findley, redick, douglass, and morton, who, as before mentioned, had been met at greensburg with the intelligence of the departure of the president from bedford, which decided them to wait the arrival of the army, went to the headquarters of the right wing at bonnett s farm on the th of october, and presented the resolutions of assurance to secretary hamilton, who accompanied the division of governor miffiin. the secretary examined them and returned them to the committee, with the remark that, for the sake of decorum, it would be best to present them to the commander in chief. this was what the committee had intended to do, and learning that gen. lee was then at or near uniontown they immediately left for that place, and arriving there on the st of october, laid the business of their mission before him, he having full power to act in the name of the president. secretary hamilton also came over from the right wing, and arrived at uniontown on the same evening. gen. lee received the committee with great politeness, and requested them to call on him on the following morning. at the appointed time he gave them his reply, which they embodied in their report, dated uniontown, nov. it was as follows gentlemen, the resolutions entered into at the late meeting of the people at parkinson s ferry, with the various papers declaratory of the determination of the numerous subscribers to maintain the civil authority, manifest strongly a change of sentiment in the inhabitants of this district. to what cause may truly be ascribed this favorable turn in the public mind it is of my province to determine. yourselves, in the conversation last evening, imputed it to the universal panic which the approach of the army of the united states had excited in the lower orders of the people. if this be the ground of the late change, and my respect for your opinions will not permit me to doubt it, the moment the cause is removed the reign of violence and anarchy will return. whatever, therefore, may be the sentiments of the people respecting the present competency of the civil authority to enforce the laws, i feel myself obligated by, the trust reposed in me by, the president of the united states to hold the army in this country until daily practice shall convince all that the sovereignty of the constitution and laws is unalterably established. in executing this resolution i do not only consult the dignity and interest of the united states, which will always command my decided respect and preferential attention, but i also promote the good of this particular district. i shall, therefore, as soon as the troops are refreshed, proceed to some central and convenient station, where i shall patiently wait until the competency of the civil authority is experimentally and unequivocally proved. no individual can be more solicitous than i am for this happy event, and you may assure the good people whom you represent that every aid will be cheerfully contributed by, me to hasten the delightful epoch. on the part of all good citizens i confidently expect the most active and faithful co operation, which in my judgment cannot be more effectually given than by, circulating in the most public manner the truth among the people, and by, inducing the various clubs which have so successfully poisoned the minds of the inhabitants to continue their usual meetings for the pious purpose of contradicting, with their customary formalities, their past pernicious doctrines. a conduct so candid should partially atone for the injuries which in a geat degree may be attributed to their instrumentality, and must have a propitious influence in administering a radical cure to the existing disorders. on my part, and on the part of the patriotic army i have the honor to command, assure your fellow citizens that we come to protect and not to destroy, and that our respect for our common government, and respect to our own honor, are ample pledges for the propriety of our demeanor. quiet, therefore, the apprehensions of all on this score, and recommend universally to the people to prepare for the use of the array whatever they can spare from their fiirnis necessary to its subsistence, for which they shall be paid in cash at the present market price discourage exaction of every sort, not only because it should testify a disposition very unfriendly, but because it would probably produce very disagreeable scenes. It is my duty to take care that the troops are comfortably subsisted, and i cannot but obey it with the highest pleasure, because i intimately know their worth and excellence. i have the honor to be, gentleman , the nrmy will resume its march on the morning of the th, t the hour of eight, when a signal gun will be ored. they will advance in two columns, composed of the respective wings. the right column will take the route by, lodge s to budd s ferry, under the command of his e. xcellency governor jlifflin, who will please to take the most convenient situation in the vicinity of that place for the accommodation of the troops and wait further orders. the left co umn will proceed on the route to peterson s, on the east side of parkinson s ferry, under the orders of major general morgan they will marcli by, the left in the following manner light corps, cavalry, artillery, virginia brigade, maryland brigade, the baggage to follow each corps, and the public stores of every kind in the rear of the virginia brigade. On the first day the light corps and artillery will march to washington bottom, fourteen miles the virginia brigade to peterson s farm, twelve miles the cavalry under major lewis will move with the comm. inder in chief the bullocks to precede the army at daylight. on the second day the column will proceed to the camp directed to be marked out between parkinson s. and budd s ferries. should brigadier general smith find the second day s march rather too much , he will be pleased to divide the same into two days. the quartermaster general will immediately take measures for the full supply of forage and straw at the different stages. the commissary will pkace the necessary supply of provisions at particular intermediate stages where issues will be necessary j guards over the straw as soon as the van reaches the ground, and to sec the same fairly divided amongst the troops. here follows the assignment of straw to each brigade, to the cavalry and artillery, and directions for making out the pay rolls for one month s pay from the commencement of service. the inspector and muster master genei als of the respective line will also make pay rolls for the general staff, to be countersigned by, the commander in chief previous to payment. henuv lee. under these orders the left wing marched form uniontown, and the right wing from its camps at mount pleasant, bonnett s, and lobengier s, at the appointed time, and moving to the vicinity of the monongahela and youghiogh eny rivers, in westmoreland county, went into camp at the place designated, between parkinson s and budd s ferries. from his headquarters, near parkinson s ferry, on the of november, the commander in chief issued an address or proclamation to the inhabitants of certain counties lying west of the laurel hill, in the state of pennsylvania, the tone of which was a little after the manner of a conquering chieftain addressing the people of a subjugated province. you see, he said, encamped in the bosom of your district a numerous and well appointed army, formed of citizens of every description from his and the neighboring states of new jersey, maryland, and virginia, whom the violated laws of our common country have called from their homes to vindicate and restore their authority. the scene before your eyes ought to be an instructive one it ought to teach many useful truths, which should, for your own happiness, make a deep and lasting impression on your minds. those who have been perverted from their duty may now perceive the dangerous tendency of the doctrines by, which they have been misled, and how unworthy of their confidence are the men by, whom, for personal and sinister purposes, they have been brought step by, step to the precipice from which they have no escape but in the moderation and benignity of that very government which they gave vilified, insulted, and opposed. the friends of order may also perceive in the perils and evils that have for some time surrounded them how unwise and even culpable is that carelessness and apathy with which they have permitted the gradual approaches of disorder and anarchy. the general then proceeded to recommend to the people to manifest their good intentions by, taking and subscribing an oath the form of which he prescribed to support the constitution and obey the laws, and by, entering in to associations to protect and aid all government officers in the execution of their duties. he further recommended to all men able and willing to do military duty, and truly attacked to their government and country, to array themselves into regiments, one for each county, and to place themselves under such ofiicers as may. be selected by, the governor of the state, known to be firm friends to order and right, upon the express conditions of holding themselves in constant readiness to act in defense of the civil authority whenever called upon, receiving for their services the same pay and subsistence as is allowed to the militia of the united states when in actual service. he then concluded his proclamation as follows in pursuance of the authority vested in me by, the president of the united states, and in obedience to his instructions, i do moreover assure all whom may have entitled themselves to the benefit of the amnesty proffered by, the commissioners heretofore sent by, him to this district, and who may not have forfeited their title by, subsequent misconduct, that the promise will be faithfully and liberally observed, and that all possible endeavors will be used to prevent injury to the persons or property of peaceable citizens by, the troops, whose sole province it is to subdue those, if any there should be, hardy enough to attempt an armed resistance, and to support and aid the civil authority as far as may be required. to the promulgation of these, my orders, i with pleasure add my assurances that every exertion will be made by, me and, from my knowledge of the officers and soldiers of the army, i am persuaded with full success to carry these wise and benevolent views of the president into complete eftect. the entire army remained in the neighborhood of parkinson s ferry for several day, after which the main part of the troops moved down the monongahela river, and on the loth of november a detachment was marched from the vicinity of parkinson s to the town of washington, accompanied by, secretary hamilton and judge peters, and taking with them a large number of prisoners which had been taken in the eastern part of washington county. all the prisoners taken by, the army excepting three were taken in that county and allegheny, under gen. lee s special orders, issued for that purpose to gen. irvine and others officers in command of cavalry. the time indicated in this order thursday morning, november th was the time when most of the arrests were made by, the military. the commander in chief, at uniontown, on the st of november, had announced his intention to hold the army in this country until daily practice shall convince all that the sovereignty of the constitution. and laws is unalterably established. in a few days after his forces marched northward from uniondown he became so convinced, and at once began to make arrangements for the return of the army. the notification of the reopening of the inspection offices was made on the th, and they were accordingly reopened ten days put tlie diimntd rascals in tlie cehar, to ie them back to buck, to makn n fire fur the guaril, but to put the piiso lers back to the farther end of the celhir, and to give tliem ueillicr vie nils nor drink. the cellar was wet and muil. ly, and the night com he cellar extended the whole length under a hirge new log hon e, vvl ich was neither floored lor the openings between the logs daubed. tl ey were kept there unti satnrday morning, and then marched to the town of washington. on the march one of the prisoners, who wius su ject to convulsions, fell in to a fit, but when some of the trooj. s tub u n. white of bis situatio. he ordcred them to tie the damned r. isi al to borsi slailanddraghi along with them, for ho had only fci t i i li iv f november, says findley, in his history tion, there were about forty persons brought to parky order of gen. white of new jersey. he directed to the announcement by, inspector neville was as follows notice is herebuy, given that on thui sday, the instant, an otfice of inspection will be opened at pittsburgh for the county of allegheny, at later without opposition at tlie principal towns of the four counties. the withdrawal of the army was announced, and the order of its return march directed, in orders by, gen. lee, dated headquarters, pittsburgh, xov. viz. the complete fulfillment of every object jcpenjent on the oltoits of the army makes it the duty of the comuiander inchicf to take measures for the immediate return of his faithful fellow soldiers to their respeclive homes, in execution of which no delay will be permitted but that which results from the consultation of their comfort. on tuesday morning, at the hour of eight, the pennsylvania cavalry will be ready to accompany his excellency governor mifflin, whose official duties renders his presence necessary at the seat of government. on the nest day the first division of the right column, consisting of the artillery and proctor s brigade, under the orders of jinj. gen. irvine, will commence their march to bedford, on the route commonly called the old pennsylvania road. the following day at the same hour the xew jersey line will move under the command of his excellency governor howell, who will be pleased to pursue from bedford such routes as ho may find convenient. on the subsequent day at the same hour the residue of the pennsylvania line now on this ground will march under the commanil of brig. geu. chambers, taking the route heretofore mentioned, and making the same stages as shall have been made by, the leading division. maj. gen. frclinghuysen, with the elite corps of the right column, will follow the next day and pursue the same route. brig. gen. smith, with the m. aryland line, will move to uniontown, agreeably to orders heretofore communicated to liim, and form thence to proceed on braddock s road to fort cumberland, where he will adopt the most convenient measures iii his power for the return of his troops to their respective brig. gen. matthews will move on wednesday next to morgan town, from thenco to winchester by, way of frankfort. from winchester the troops will be marched to their respective brigades under the commanding officers from each. s soon as the public service will permit afterwards, the elite corps of the left culunm, under gen. darke, will follow on the route prescribed for i ig. matthews, and be disbanded as they reach their respective brigades. the corps destined for the winter defense will move without delay to benlu y s farm, on the west side of the monongahela, near perry s ferry, where they will receive orders from maj. gen. morgan. the virginia cavalry will take the route by, morgan town, from thence to winchester by, roraney s the commandant will receive particular instructions as to their time and manner of the army moved on its return in accordance with these orders. the right column marched from pittsburgh, by, way of greensburg, ligonier, and stony creek, to bedford, and thence by, way of fort lyttleton, strasburg, and shippensburg to carlisle. the troops of the left column returned by, difterent routes, the virginians marching up the monongahela valley into their own state, and passing on by, way of morgantown to winchester and the maryland brigade starting from its camp at pierce s ferry, thence moving southeastwardly through fayette county and its county town, to the great crossings of the youghiogheny, and from there to fort cumberland by the same route over which it had advanced. the corps left, under command of gen. morgan, to remain in this region through the winter for the preservation of order, and to assist, if nece.ssary, in the execution of the laws, was placed in camp at bentley s, on the southwest side of the monongahela. this force was composed in part of troops who had come from the east under gen. lee, and partly of men enlisted in the western counties, as advised in the proclamation of the commander in chief of november th, and authorized to the number of two thousand five hundred men by an act of assembly of the of the same month. of those who were thus enlisted, findley, in his history of the insurrection, says that many of them were reported to have been among the most troublesome of the insurgents that the people in the neighborhood complained that many of them, for some time at first, demanded free quarters and such things as they stood in need of without pay, and that some of the oflicers committed indictable oflenses but when the persons against whom the offenses were committed commenced prosecutions they settled the disputes amicably and behaved well for the future. and when the people took courage to refuse to submit to impositions, the soldiers ceased to demand free quarters, or to be otherswise troublesome. but the tenor of the orders issued by gen. morgan to the and friends of good order and verument in the four western counties of pennsylvania. the willpness with which the citizens have enrolled iheniselves to co operate th the army in the restoration of obedience to the laws are pleasing ideuces that the unhappy delusion which lately pervaded this country, i under the auspices of the friends to anarchy, are at an end. the general hopes that the army now hutting for winter quarters will consider theni. elves as in the liosom of their friends, & that they will vie with each other in promoting the love and esteem of their feltroops under his command, and the well known character of that general in the matter of the enforcement of discipline, render it probable that the above statements of mr. findley, like many others made by him in disparagement of the army and its officers, ought to be received with some degree of incredulity. gen. morgan s forces continued in their cantonments at bentley s farm with small detachments at pittsburgh and washington until the followingspring, when, order being fully restored and established, the last of the troops marched eastward across the alleghenies, and the western counties were left in full possession and exercise of their former rights and powers. gen. lee remained in the west for a considerable time after the departure of the main body of the army, and on the of november, in pursuance of authority delegated to him by the president, he issued a proclamation of pardon as follows by hexry lee, governor of the commonwealth of virginia, major general therein, and commanderin chief of the militia army in the service of the united states. a pkoclamatiox. by virtue of the powers and authority in me vested by the president of the united states, and in obedience to his benign intentions, therewith communicated, i do by this, my proclamation, declare and make known to all concerned that a full, free, and entire pardon e. xcepting and providing as hereafter mentioned is hereby granted to all persons residing within the counties of washington, allegheny, westmoreland, and fayette, in the slate of pennsylvania, and in the county of ohio, in the state of virginia, guilty of treason or misprision of treason against the united states, or otherwise directly or indirectly engaged in the wicked and unhappy tumults and disturbances lately existing in those counties, excepting nevertheless from the benefit and effect of this pardon all persons charged with the commission of offenses against the united states, and now actually in custody or held by recognizance to appear and answer for all such offenses at any judicial court or courts, excepting also all persons avoiding fair trial by abandonment of their homes, and excepting, moreover, the following persons, the atrocity of whose conduct renders it proper to mark them by name, for the purpose of subjecting them with all possible certainty to the regular course of judicial proceedings, and whom all, civil and military, are required to endeavor to low citizens, nnd pointedly avoid every species of spoliation on the property of the inhabitants. the officers commanding fatigue parties are partirularly directed not to sutfer tlie sngar or otlier trees producing fruit or conitbrt to tlie farmer to be cut down for building, or any other purpose wliatever. tlie burning of fencing, where there is sucli an abundance of fuel so e. asily procured, is strictly forbid, and a violence offered to tlie person or depredation on the property of any individual by tlie soldiery will be punished in the most exemplary and summ. try manner. apprehend and bring tojustice, to wit here follows the list of excepted persons, given below. provided, that no person who shall hereafter wilfully obstruct the execution of any of the laws of the united states, or be in anywise aiding or abetting therein, shall be entitled to any benefit or advantage of the pardon hereinbefore granted and provided, also, that nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend to the remission or mitigation of any forfeiture of any penalty incurred by reason of infractions of, or obstructions to, the laws of the united states for collecting a revenue upon distilled spirits and stills. with reference to the cases of those who were made prisoners by the cavalry, as well as of many proscribed but not captured, formal investigations were made under the direction of judge peters, in the course of which if was made appai ent that information had been made against many who had really been guilty of no offense against the government. many of those arrested were taken to pittsburgh. some were released through the interposition of influential friends, while others less fortunate were sent to philadelphia, where they were imprisoned for some months. of those who were arrested while the army was in this region, one, and only one, was of fayette county. this was caleb mounts. he was taken east with the forces of the right wing, but it was afterwards found that he was innocent, having been in kentucky at the time when the riotous proceedings occurred. in regard to the taking of this person, findley says, isaac meason, a judge of fayette county, followed judge peters near forty miles into bedford county, and ofiered liiniself and judge wells, of bedford, both of them acknowledged friends of the government, as liail lor the iris iiier, hut was absolutely refused. as mr. m. as, n knew that tlie j. risoner was guilty of no crime, which cvidcritly apiicarcd o be the case by, no bill being found against him on his trial, he and mr. wells complain of the judge for not admitting him to bail on their application. judge peters being well known to be a man of feeling and humanity, his conduct in this and several other instances can only be accounted for from his apprehension that it was necessary that a considerable number of prisoners should be brought down in order to prevent the inflammatory part of the army from committing outrages at leaving the country. this last remark of findley seems too clearly absurd to require contradiction. iily two prisoners were taken by the army in westmoreland county. one of these was afterwar. ls discharged for the reason that no bill was ibund against hiju. the others, a very ignorant man of most violent tem er, and said to be subject to fits of temporary insanity, was found guilty of setting fire to the house of the fayette county collector, benjamin wells, and was sentenced to death, but was rejirieved, and linally pardoned by the president of the united states. the principal witness against this man on ills trial was said to have been a chief leader of the rioters who attacked wells house, but one of those included in the ardon of the commander in chief in august, llo t, general pardons to those who had been implicated in tlie insurrection and who had not subsequently been indicted or convicted were proclaimed by president washington and governor mifflin, in pursuance of the agreement made in the previous year at pittsburgh by the united states and pennsylvania commissioners. immediatei. y after the declaration of war by the united states against england, in, recruiting was commenced in fayette county for the formation of companies to take the field in the government service. the first company completed was that of thomas collins, of uniontown, which marched from the county seat in august of that year. the service of this company was performed at oswego, sackett s harbor, and others points along the lake frontier iu northern new york, under maj. john herkimer. a company raised and commanded by capt. john phillips was completed, and left the county at about the same time as ca it. collins, and served in the same command under mnj, herkimer. capt. james whaley, of connellsville, raised and commanded a company which left the county in september of the same year. on the day of their departure from connellsville they were entertained at the public house of david barnes afterwards the page house, where they were addres. sed in a patriotic strain by fatlier connelly, and after the conclusion of these ceremonies moved across the river to a camp in the limits of the present borough of new haven. thence they marched to pittsburgh, where they were mustered into the service oct. the company being assigned to duty under col. robert patterson, moved from pittsburgh to fort meigs, and was incorporated with the forces that fought in the campaign under gen. william h. harrison, afterwards president of the united states. the companies of capt. william craig and isaac linn went from fayette county in the early part of. these companies, with that of capt. mcclean, were in the force of one thousand militia commanded by col. kre i hill, and stationed at erie, pa. volunteers frimi this command were engaged on commodore perry s scjuadron at the time of the battle of lake erie and capture of the british fleet, in consideration of which service the legislature passed a resolution directing the governor to present a silver medal, engraved with such emblematic devices as he might think proper, to each man if a cifizen of pennsylvania who so volunteered. capt. james piper, of uniontown, raised and commanded a company of fayette county volunteers, who served with the filth detachment pennsylvania milifia, under col. james fenton, at buffalo, n. y. in. capt. valentine giesey, of brownsville who had been first a sergeant, and afterwards a second lieutenant in capt. joseph wadsworth s company, raised a company numbering one hundred and eighteen men and officers, who left this county in november, jiist before their departure the rev. william johnson, pastorof the presbyterian church at brownsville, preached a patriotic sermon from the text, cursed be he that doeth the work of the lord deceitfully and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. the company m. irched hence to baltimore, md. but while on their way there they were met by a messenger bearing orders for their return. the eagerness of officers and men for active service was so great, however, that while the company halted and remained at hagerstown, capt. giesey pushed on to washington city, where by, his importunity he prevailed on the secretary of war to accept the services of the company, and order them forward to report to gen. scott, at baltimore. on arriving there, capt. giesey, accompanied by his second lieutenant, shuman, repaired to the headquarters, where he reported to scott in person. the general examined the captain s order, and remarked, in some surprise, what from western pennsylvania? yes, sir, from western pennsylvania, answered giesey. well, capt. giesey, said the general, you must have a very patriotic company of men. i hope i have, sir, replied the captain. gen. scott continued the conversation for a short time, expressing the hope that the men of the com any might have an opportunity to show their soldierly qualities, and finished by, ordering them to duty with the second regiment of maryland militia. three days later the company left baltimore for annapolis, where they remained until after the declaration of peace, when they were mustered out of service and returned to their homes. the rolls of the above mentioned companies except capt. giesey s are here given as copied from tlic muster roils of the war of, published under authority of the slate. pay roll of capt. thomas collins company of united states volunteers, lately under the command of maj. John herkimer, in the service of the united states, discharged at oswego. commencement of service, august, expiration of service, august th, this incident, as also the ftccount of tlio compfiny which fullows if is fimiifl in tlie zfroicntoi c rimw iif ans. g, lis rehlted hy cu t gooj ge shiiniiin, wlio wjis second licntennlit uf the cunipan y, juhi list of members of capt. james whaley s company, which marched from connellsville, fayette co. pa. to pittsburgh, where it was mustered into the united states service under col. robert patterson oct. afterwards moved to fort meigs, and served with the forces under gen. williani pay roll of capt. john mcclean s company, belonging to a regiment of pennsylvania militia in the service of the united states, commanded by col. eees hill, from the date of entering into service to nov. inclusive. pay roll of a company of infimtry, commanded by cai t. william craig, in the regiment of pennsylvania militia commanded by col. rees hill, in the service of the united states, commencing on the d day of april, until nov. both days inclusive. the county of fayette furnished to the united states service in the mexican war one full company of volunteers, raised and commanded by capt. afterwards colonel william b. roberts, and a large number of men who enlisted in the company of capt. p. n. guthrie, both of which commands performed good service on several of the battle fiekls of that war. the company first mentioned was formed and organized in the fall of, and named the fayette county volunteers. it left the county on the d of january, for pittsburgh, where it was mustered into service on the of the same month, and designated as company h of the second regiment of pennsylvania volunteers. the first commander of the company was, as has been stated, capt. roberts, with william quail as first lieutenant but capt. roberts was soon after promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment, and lieut. quail became captain of h company. the roll of the company as mustered is given below, viz. the second regiment, of which the fayette volunteers formed a part, proceeded by way of new orleans to mexico, and landed at lobos island, near vera cruz, which was invested by the american forces and fleet. the regiment entered the city after its surrender, and moved thence to the interior by way of puebla and perote, being assigned to quitman s division. during its term of service it took part in the engagements at tobasco, cerro gordo, contreras, cherubusco, san pascual, and at the storming of the belen gate, and it was the first regiment to enter within the walls of the capital. afterwards it was moved to san angel. col. koberts died of disease in the city of mexico, on the d of october, s, and the command of the regiment was assumed by lieut. col. john w. geary, afterwards governor of pennsylvania. the body of the dead colonel was embalmed, and with that of lieut. john sturgeon, of the fayette county company, was sent back to uniontown, where tlie remains were received with every demonstration of sorrow and respect. the funeral procession was escorted by the union volunteers and the fayette cavalry, apt. lames gilniore. the committee of arraiii iiiiiiils rh. im ii at a jiublic meeting held for that purp. at uiiidntinvn on the sth of december was composed of gen. h. w. beeson chairman, john irons, john m. austin, dr. j. fatrick, armstrong hadden, e. p. oli phant, dr. smith fuller, daniel kaine, and william wells. the gentlemen the borough if tniontuwii, and a neat marble monument has since lieen erected over his grave. the fayette county volunteers having served with the second reuinient in mexico until the close of the war, letuni. d witli that cuhimaud, and on the th of. inly, arrived at riii ntown. ndere they received an enthusiastic welconufrom the people of the town and surrounding cfiuntrv. thomas neil, and privates asbury harvey of uniontown and a. cook. he penetrated the fort, and followed the enemy right up to one of their batteries, situated immediately under the guns of chapultepec, and in the very midst of the mexican army took prisoners three officers and fifty three men, bringing them back along the very front of the mexican line, deceiving them by his boldness into the belief that the situation of affairs was fice i ersa. he reported himself and prisoners safely to a lieutenant of the fifth infantry, and in a few minutes afterwards had his leg completely torn to atoms by a shell. he is now doing well, and will in all probability be sent home by the first train. the other men who were wounded are all doing well. no roll of the members of this company has been found, nor any further particulars ascertained in reference to their engagements, the duration of their term of service, or their return to pennsvlvania. ix the great conflict of, known as the war of the rebellion, the people of fayette county exhibited the greatest patriotism and promptness in furnishing and forwarding men for service in the union armies. on receipt of the proclamation of the president of the united states announcing the opening of war by the a. ssault and capture of fort sumter, and calling for seventy five thousand men to suppress the rebellion, preparations were at once commenced to form companies to enter the service, and so ready and enthusi. astic was the response that on the st of april, only six days from the date of the president s call, the first company, then known as the fayette guards, ninety eight strong, including oflscers, left uniontown for pittsburgh, where they were soon after mustered into the service for three months, a term which at that time was considered ample for the the commissioned and non commissioned officers of the fayette guards were capt. s. duncan oliphant, first lieut. jesse b. gardner, second lieut. j. b. ramsey, third lieut. henry w. patterson sergeants first, john bierer second, henry c. dawson third, james h. springer fourth, peter heck corporals first, b. l. hunt second, o. p, wells tliinl, j. stewart fourth, joseph white, the company was afterwards reorganized, and mustered in for three years as g company of the j eighth reserve regiment, as will be noticed in another part of this chapter. when the president s call was made there were in existence in fayette county several militia organizations, armed and equipped, viz. the union volunteers, dunlap s creek cavalry, georges creek cavalry, springfield blues, youghiogheny blues, and falls city guards. a meeting of the officers of these companies was held at the court house in uniontown, avhere it was voted unanimously to tender their serj vices to the governor. this was done, but the offer was declined, for the reason that the quota of the state had already been filled. during the six or seven weeks next following the president s call a company of cavalry was raised by capt. william a. west,of this county, a vesteran of the Mexican war. of the mexican war. of this company sixty seven were fayette county men, and the remainder were raised principally in morgantown and clarksburg, w. va. as the pennsylvania quota was filled, the company could not secure acceptance in this state, and was therefore joined to the first cavalry regiment of, west virginia, col. sansel, afterwards commanded by col. richmond. the officers of this company were capt. west, first lieut. h. n. mackey, second lieut. isaac brownfield, ord. sergt. dennis delaney. in may and june a company of infimtry was recruited in fayette county, principally in Wharton, henry clay, and stewart townships, and was for the same reason as mentioned above, incorporated with the third regiment of west virginia. the officers of this company were capt. c. e. swearingen, first lieut. h. c. hagan, second lieut. c. b. hadden. on the organization of the regiment at clarksburg, w. va. july, capt. swearingen was elected major, and lieut. hagan promoted to the captaincy, gibson, of west virginia, being elected first lieutenant. this company served creditably during the war, but no roll of its members has been obtained. fayette county furnished during the war large numbers of troops for the armies of the united states. they served in various commands, but were most numerous in the eighth and eleventh reserves, the eighty fifth, one hundred and sixteenth, and one hundred and forty second infantry regiments, the fourteenth and sixteenth cavalry, and the second heavy artillery of pennsylvania. of the movements and services of these regiments separate historical sketches will be given, with lists of their fayette county members. besides the soldiers serving in the organizations above mentioned, there was also raised principally in fayette county a company of men who joined the sixth artillery two hundred and twelfth pennsylvania regiment. of this company the captain was joseph keeper, and the first lieutenant thomas m. fee, of connellsville, at which place thirty four men of the company were enlisted. the fact that pennsylvania, by reason of her extended southern frontier borderingon mason and dixon s line, was peculiarly exposed to the danger of invasion by tlie forces of the confederacy was at once recognized by governor curtin, who on the tli of april, just one week after the fall of fort sumter, called an extra session of the legislature, which convened on the th. in his message to that body he said, to furnish ready support to those who have gone out and to protect our borders we should have a wellregulated military force. i therefore recommend the immediate organization, disciplining, and arming of at least filtcen regiments of cavalry and infantry, exelusive of those called into the service of the united states. as we have already ample warning of the necessify of being prepared for any sudden exigency that may arise, i cannot too much impress this upon you. in pursuance of this recommendation of the governor a bill was introduced on the d of may, and became a law on the th, having among its provisions one authorizing and directing the conimanderin cliief to raise and organize a military force, to be called the reserve volunteer corps of the commonwealth, to be composed of thirteen regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, and one of light artillery, to be enlisted in the service of the state for the term of three years, or during the continuance of the war unless sooner discharged, and to be liable to be called into service at the discretion of the commander inchief for the purpose of supressing insurrection or repelling invasion, and, further, to be liable to be mustered into the service of the united states under requisition made by the president on the state of pennsylvania. the regiments and companies composing the cor js si aiithniizeil were entitled to elect, and the iovriiiiir v i iliie. hml to commission, officers similar in rank ami equal in number to those allowed to troops in the united states army. the corps formed under the provisions of this act was quickly and easily recruited, for the enthusiasm and desire to enlist in its ranks was general in every part of the state the camps of instruction were four in number, one at easton, one at west chester, one at pittsburgh, and one at harrisburg. the exigency foreseen by governor curtin having arisen, orders were received july th from the secretary of war directing all the regiments, excepting the fifth and thirteenth, of the reserves to be assembled at harrisburg, and there, immediately after the disastrous battle of bull run, they were mustered into the united states service. from harrisburg, moving rapidly to the points designated by the commander of three two regiments were already in the field in tbe vicinity of the national army, the several regiments remained on duty until all danger from a sudden incursion of the enemy was passed, when all of them were rendezvoused at tenalliytown, md. in the imnediate vicinity of the district of columbia. there they were formed into three brigades, composing one division, under command of maj. gen. george a. mccall. this was the far famed division of the pennsylvania reserves, which, after tlie requisite tour of drill and discipline at teiiullytnwn, lucived in to virginia with the foriu nf mil. mr lillaii, and afterwards won imperishalilr rciiuwn ui nearly all the principal battlefields of the army of the potomac. the eighth reserve, or thirty seventh regiment of pennsylvania enlisted for three years service, was raised in the counties of fayette, washington, allegheny, greene, armstrong, butler, and clarion, all or nearly all of which had been raised for the three months service, but had failed to secure acceptance by the government for that term. two of its companies d, capt. c. l. conner, and g, capt. s. d. oliphant were recruited in fayette county, the former at brownsville and the latter at uniontown, being previously known as the fayette juards. the rendezvous of the eighth was at camp wilkins, pittsburgh, to which camp the companies were ordered early in june, s, and on the of the same month the regiment w. as formally organized, under the following named field officers, viz. colonel, george s. hays, d. of allegheny county lieutenant colonel, s. duncan oliphant original captain of g company, of fayette major, john w. duncan adjutant, henry w. patterson, promoted from second lieutenant of g company. on the of july the regiment left for washington, d. c, by way of harrisburg and baltimore. receiving ei iiipmeiits at llii turnier place, and tents at the latter, it aniveil at washington on the l. and encamped at meridian hill. on the d of august it moved thence to tenallytown, md. where it encamped with other regiments of the reserve division under maj. gen. george a. mccall. the eighth, together with the first reserve, col. r. biddle roberts the second, col. william b. mann and the fifth, col. seneca g. simmons, formed the first brigade, under command of r. iig. jen, john f. reynolds. the regiment remained at tenallydown about two months, a period which was passed in camp routine, picket duty, and frequent alarms along the line of the potomac, and on the of october moved with its brigade and division across that historic stream, and took position in the line of the army of the potomac at langley, va, at which place the reserve corps made its winter ciuarters. in the battle of dranesviue, which was fnught on the of december by the third brigade gen. ord s of the reserves, neither the eighth regiment nor any part of rey nolds brigade took part, being absent on a reconnoissance to difficult creek. on the of december, while the division lay at langley, capt. jesse b. gardner, of g company, was promoted to major of the regiment, in place of duncan, resigned. on the of march, the eighth, with the entire division, moved from the winter quarters at camp pierpont langley to hunter s mills, va. with the expectation of joining in a general advance of the army on the confederate position at manassas. but if was found that the enemy had evacuated his line of defenses and retired towards gordonsville, and thereupon the plan of the campaign was changed by the commanding general, mcclellan, and the rej serve regiments were ordered back to the potomac. on the th, the retrograde march was commanced, and continued through mud, darkness, and a deluge of rain to alexandria, where it was expected that the division would embark with the rest of the army of the potomac for the peninsula but this was not the i case. the division of mccall was assigned to duty with the first corps, under gen. mcdowell, which, with the exception of franklin s division, was held between the potomac and rappahannock rivers for the protection of the cify of washington. from alexandria the eighth with its brigade marched back to manassas, thence to avarrenton junction, to falmouth, and may th across the rappahannock to fredericksburg, of which place gen. reynolds was appointed military governor. an advance from fredericksburg along the line of the railroad towards richmond was intended, but this was found to be inexpedient, and as gen. Mcclellan was calling urgently for reinforcements in the peninsula, reynolds brigade was recalled from its advanced position on the railroad the entire division was marched to gray s landing, and there embarked for white house, on the pamnnkey river, where it arrived on the of june. there had been a vast quantity of stores collected at white house for the use of the army on the chickahominy, and the timely arrival of the reserves prevented the destruction of these stores i by a strong detachment of confederate cavalry under i fifzhugh lee, who was then oti his way towards the pamunkey for that purpose. from white house, the eighth marched with the division by way of baltimore cross roads to join the army of the potomac in the vicinity of gaines mill. j thence the division was moved to the e. xtreme right, where it took position at mechanicsville and along the line of beaver dam creek. on thursday, the gth of june, was fought the battle of mechanicsville, the first of that series of bloody engagements known collectively as the seven days fight, and also with the exception of the severe skirmish at dranesville in the previous december the tirst engagement in which the penn. sylvania reserves took part. in this battle the eighth having in the morning of that dav relieved the second occupied the left of its brigade hue, and about the centre of the line holding the bank of beaver dam creek. the first reserve regiment was on its right. on a crest of ground nortlieast of the creek was posted easton s battery. at the margin of the swamp which skirts the creek the eighth was deployed, companies a, d, f, and i being thrown forward as skirmishers under command of lieut. col. oliphant. the battle commenced at about three o clock in the afternoon, the georgia and louisiana troops of the enemy wading the stream and rushing forward to the attack. a brief artillery contest, in which the shells burst in rapid succesion in the very midst of the infantry, was followed by the advance of the rebel columns, and the battle became general. a charge of the enemy below the swamp, wifh the design of capturing easton s battery, caused the skirmishers to be recalled, and the regiment moved to itg support. but the enemy being repulsed by others troops it returned to its former position. three times the close columns of the enemy charged down the opposite slope witii determined valor, but were as often repulsed and driven back. at night tlic men rested upon the ground where they had fought. the dead were collected, wrapped in their blankets, and consigned to the earth, and the wounded were sent to the rear. the loss of the regiment in killed, wounded, and missing was nearly one hundred. company f being upon the skirmish line, andnot comprehending the order to withdraw, remained at its post, and fell into the hands of the enemy. at daylight in the morning of the of june the eighth, with its companion regiments of the reserve corp. s, was withdrawn from the battle ground of the previous day, and moved down, parallel with the chickahominy, some two or three miles, to gaines mill, where gen. fifz john porter s corps of which the reserves formed a part was placed in line of battle for the renewed conflict which was inevifable. butterfield s brigade occupied the extreme left, sykes division of regulars the right, and mccall s pennsylvanians were placed in the second line. approaching them were the confederate commands of gens. a. p. hill, longstreet, d. h. hill, and t he redoubtable stonewall jackson, in all more than fifty thonsand men , against half that number on the union side. the battle opened by a furious attack on the regulars composing porter s right. these, after having repulsed the enemy in his first attack, finally gave way before a renewed assault. the eighth reserve, in the second line, was posted where a road was cut through rising ground, and the excavation afforded some shelter, but the regiment suffered quite severely from the shells of the enemy, which were directed at a battery which it was posted to support. the battle raged furiously during all the afternoon. at about five o clock the enemy advanced in heavy masses from the woods, and the eighth reserve, with the second regulars, were advanced to meet the assault in their front. the hostile line recoiled before them, and was swept back to the woods, but they rallied in superior numbers, and the two regiments were in turn driven back,with a loss to the eighth of twenty four in killed and wounded. during the battle the heroic reynolds, the brigade commander, was taken prisoner by the ena ny. the day of gaines mill closed iu blood and defeat to the union forces, and during the night the shattered pennsylvania reserves, with the other troops, succeeded in crossing the chickahominy and destroying the bridges behitid them, though two bridges farther down the stream bottom s and long bridges still remained, and it was not long after sunrise on saturday morning when the confederate force under the indomitable jackson was massed at the upper one of these and making preparations to cross to the south side. other hostile forces were also advancing directly on mcclellan s left wing, and in view of this rather alarming situation of affairs, the general had, as early as friday evening, decided on a retreat by the whole army to james river, where a base of supplies could be held, and communication on the river kept open by the co operation of the union gunboats. the troops were informed of the proposed change by an apparently triumphant announcement intended merely to encourage tlie soldiers and lighten in some degree the gloom of the great disaster that a new and mysterious flank movement was about to be executed which would surely and swiftly result in the capture of richmond. no such assurance, however, could conceal from the intelligent men who formed tl e army of the potomac that their backs and not their faces were now turned towards the rebel capital, and that the muchvaunted change of base was made from necessity rather than choice. duriii all the day succeeding the battle atunlay, june i stlii thr li htli lay at sav. age itatiiui, on the york kiver kailmad. on sunday it moved with the other regiments to and across wliite oak swamp, and at about sunset came to the vicinity of charles city cross roads, where on the following day a fierce battle was fought, in which the eighth took gallant part. the first assault of the enemy was received at about one o clock in the afternoon. in the formation of the line the first brigade was held in reserve, but as the struggle became desperate the eighth was ordered in. its position fell opposite the sixth georgia, which was upon the point of charging, when gen. mccall gave the order for the eighth to charge upon it, and col. hays leading the way with a shout that rang out above the deafening roar of the conflict, it dashed forward, scattering the georgians and driving them beyond the marsh in front. a few prisoners were taken. later the enemy pressed heavily upon that part of the field, and the line was forced back, the eighth gradually retiring until it reached a new line which had been established, where it remained till darkness put an end to the conflict. the loss to the regiment at charles city cross roads was sixteen killed and fourteen severely and many others slightly wounded. in the terrific battle of malvern hill, which was fought in the afternoon of the following day, the j eighth, being held witli the division in reserve, did not become engaged. the battle was opened at about four o clock p. m. and from that time until darkness closed in, the roar of musketry, the crash of artillery, and the howling of canister was unintermit, ting. finally the carnage ceased, and the men of j the north lay down on the field as they supposed of victory. bat at about midnight orders were rei ceived to fall in for a march, and the pennsylvania reserves, with other commands of the army of the potomac, moved silently down the hill and away on the road to berkeley or harrison s landing, where they arrived and encamped on july d. the loss of the eighth reserve regiment in killed, wounded, and missing during the seven days battles was two hundred and thirty. after a dreary stay of more than a month at harrison s landing, the eighth was embarked on the th of august, and with the other reserve regiments proceeled to acquia creek, on the potomac, under orders to reinforce gen. pope. the division except the second regiment was moved to the vicinity of kelly s ford, and there joined to the third corps, under gen. mcdowell. in the engagements of the th and. th of august the regiment took gallant part, liisliig five killed, seventeen wounded, and about thirty missing, out of a total strength of about one hundrc i etlcclive men with which it entered the campaign. at this time the command of the regiment was hold by capt. c. l. conner, of d company, from fayette county. immediately after the close of pope s disastrous campaign the reserve division moved with the army into maryland and fought at south mountain and antietani. in the former battle the eighth lost seventeen killed and thirty seven wounded, and in the latter twelve killed and forty three wounded. in this battle antietani the reserve, l cini in the corps of hooker, moved across the creek with hat fighting general in the afternoon of septeiiiber kjtli and opened the fight, the puition i l that corps being on the right of the army. on the fullowing morning the battle opened early, and the first brigade moved forward, passed through a small wood, and formed line in a large cornfield be yond. the eighth was ordereil into a grove tn t ie left to dislodge a body of the enemy whii had shrltrrcd themselves there and were engaged in pickinii nil the i nion artillerymen. this duty was well ami gallantly performed. the grove was soon cleared, and li nni it a steady and effective fire at close range was delivered upon the rebel line concealed in tlie eninlield. vnr four hours the battle raged with un il ate. l fm y and with varying success when the ijeserves were relieved by fresh troops. on the following day the enemy commenced his retreat to the potomac, covering his design by the feint of bringing in fresh troops from the direction of harper s ferry. at the battle of fredericksburg, va. on the of december, the eighth again fought with the greatest gallantry, and experienced a heavier loss than on any previous field. in the crossing of the rappahannock the reserves covered the laying of the pontoons for the passage of gen. franklin s grand division, and after the crossing they were selected to make the first attack on that part of the field. in the heroic advance of this small division in the face of the concentrated fire of the enemy s intrenched line, in scaling the heights, and in breaking and scattering his well posted force the eighth bore a conspicuous and most gallant part. never before had it been subjected to so terrible an ordeal, and when after being repulsed and driven back by overwhelming numbers it again stood in rank beyond the reach of the enemy s guns scarcely half its numbers were there. twenty eight lay dead upon that devoted field, eighty six were wounded, and twentytwo were captured. early in february, the reserve regiments were ordered to the defense of washington to rest and to receive recruits, which were being sent forward from pennsylvania to fill their decimated ranks. there the eighth remained until the opening of the spring campaign of, when it was again ordered to the front, and rejoining the army of the potomac moved forward with gen. grant into the wilderness. it left alexandria on the of april, proceeded to bristow station, and thence on the marched to culpeper court house. on the of may it crossed the rapidan, and on the oth was once more engaged with the enemy, losing six killed and twenty seven wounded. on the it moved to spottsylvania, and in the series of conflicts which continued until the. th it was almost constantly under fire, and behaved with its accustomed steadiness, though its loss during that time was but three killed and sixteen wounded. Its three years term of service having now expired, an order of the war departmentt was received on the of may relieving it from duty at the front, directing the transfer of its recruits and re enlisted veterans to the one hundred and ninety first regiment, and the mustering out of its other men and ofliccrs. under this order those wdiose terms had expired proceeded to washington, and thence to pittsburgh, wdiere the remnant of the regiment was mustered out of service. gen. s. duncan oliphant, the subject of this sketch, is the second son of a family of eleven children six sons and five daughters of f. h. and. lane c. oliphrnt was born at franklin forge, at the little falls of the youghiogheny river, franklin township, fayette co. pa. aug. his experience of school commenced when quite a child, while his father lived in pittsburgh, the instruction of a private tutor in the family at franklin forge, and subsequently at different schools from time to time in uniontown, mostly in the old madison college building and his preparation for college at bethel academy, near pittsburgh, and the grove academy, at steubenville, ohio. in the fall of he entered the freshman class of jefferson college, cannonsburg, washington co. pa. where his older brother john, gen. j. b. sweitzcr. rev. johnson elliot, john sturgeon, daniel downer, william parshal, and tliomas lyons, of fayette county, were among his college mates. he was one of the four orators representing the philo literary society, along with gen. joshua t. owen, of philadelphia, gen. james s. jackson, of kentucky, and col. rodney mason, of ohio, on the annual exhibition in the spring of, graduating in september following. in october of the same year he entered harvard law school graduated from it in june of fi entered the law office of gen. j. b. howell and hon. e. p. oliphant, his uncle, and was admitted to practice in the several courts of fayette county in september, having some passion and taste for the military life he joined the old union volunteers in the fall of, and in january, he was elected and commissioned captain appointed aide de camp on the staff of maj. gen. cyrus p. markle. in he was elected and commissioned lieutenant colonel, commanding the battalion of uniformed militia of fayette county. taking an active part in anything useful to the town and county, he commanded the union fire engine company for many years, and was for three terms president of the fayette county agricultural society, holding its annual fairs at brownsville. he was fond of horses, the chase, the rifle, and the shot gun, and was something of an expert in all manly exercises. acquiring some experience at the bar of fayette county, he moved to pittsburgh in the fall of, and entered into partnership with hon. thomas williams but the atmosphereof the smoky city proving uncongenial to his wife s taste and health, he returned to uniontown in the fall of, and resumed the practice of law there. about this time the building of a branch railroad from uniontown to connellsville began to be seriously agitated. col. oliphant took an active interest in the enterprise, calling meetings and soliciting subscriptions for stock, working on when others had abandoned hope. the fayette county railroad was due ehiefly to his in conjunction with the hon. nathaniel ewing s constant and persevering energy. he was secretary and treasurer of the company from the commencement of the enterprise until after the road was finished. on the of april, fort sumter was fired upon. col. oliphant at once commenced to raise a company of volunteers for the defense of the union. in this he h. ad the active co operation of capt. j. c ramsey, maj. j. b. gardner, henry w. pattcreon, henry c. danson, william h. mcquilkin, martin hazen, and others. on the tli the company was full and oft to the rendezvous in pittsburgh, where the company was organized, electing s. d. oliphant captain j. b. gardner, first j. b. ramsey, second and henry v. patterson, third lieutenant. the company then went into camp wilkins with the name of fayette guard, and was cast in the organization of the eighth regiment, company g, pennsylvania reserve corids, at camp wright, on the allegheny valley railroad, of which capt. oliphant was elected lieutenant colonel. on the of june, he was presented with a beautiful sword by his friends in pittsburgh, of which the daily post of the says, bers of the legal profession, and the friendship of their early days has been refreshed and strengthened by the growing escalled firth feeling allusions to bygone days and classic remembrances. the generous impulses of both hearts poured out in simple, touching words. there was no effort at display, no high flown effort at big. round words, but the men spoke to each o her as brother might speak to brother. we never recollect to have witnessed a similar ceremony more happily consummated. the audience symiiatlii? cd heartily with the sejitiments expressed by the speaker, and at the close of the ceremony gave their hearty congratulations to the officer whom they had assembled to honor. on the of july, the regiment received marching orders for harrisburg took cars at pittsburgh on sunday morning, the st, arriving at harrisburg on monday morning. bull bun had been heard from, and the regiment was hurried on through baltimore to the defense of washington went into camp at meridian hill, moved thence to tenallytown, where the pennsylvania reserves were assembled and organized into brigades under gen. george a. mccall. the eighth regiment was brigaded with the first, second, and fifth regiments, under command of brig. gen. john f. reynolds. late in october, the pennsylvania reserves were ordered to the south side of the potomac, to the extreme right of mcclelhm s line, camp pierpont, witli division lieadqiiarters at langley, on the dranesville turnpike. tlie monotony of tlie winter of was only broken by tlie little bratje of dranesville, eight or ten miles south of camp pit rpoiit, the first success of the union arms on the soil of virginia, fought principally by the third brigade of the reserves, uuder gen. ord the first brigade, in which was the eighth regiment, under gen. reynolds, being in reserve, and coming up near the close of the battle. about the st of april the reserves took up the line of march ibr frcdericksliurg, en the rappahannock river, halting snuie diyat al. xandria, manassas junction, and catletfs statu. n, iriiving at falmouth, and slielling a detachment uf n brls out of the town, but not in time to rcvent thein fnim firing and liur iing a upon you, and lafayette is watching you from the dome of the courl liou e y ju will not go back on me to day? the fiit of the seven day battles was fought, and the old iuard did not go back upon him. next morning the reserves fell back to gaines mill, wdiere thesecond of the seven day battles was fought. cul. hayes having lost hi v, ie e, not strong at best, and although he participate in the liattle. he turned the command over to licit. col, miiihant. the regiment was sent forward some distance in alvame of the line to develop the position ami fner of the enemy it suffered severely. every commissioned officer in the left wing excepting cajit. danson was killed or wounded among the wounded were capt. baily and lieut. mcquilkin, of fayette county. having spent all its ammunition, the regiment retired by the rear rank in good order, mangled and bloody, but not broken. on the crest of the hill, where the line of battle was formed, col. simmons, of the fifth reserve, opened his ranks to let the eighth pass through. the whole line cheered the eighth, and col. simmons, grasping col. oliphant s hand, said, i never expected to. see you alive again, or to bring a corporal s guard up out of that rebel hell. at the white oak swamp col. oliphant received a severe contusion from a spent round shot, which involved the right knee joint. stunned by theblow he fell unconscious to the ground, when surgeon aueman bandaged his knee whilst under fire, and having administered some restoratives, in a few minutes he remounted, and by leave of gen.seymour continued on duty on horseback. officers below the rank of brigadier general are required to go into battle on foot, he continued on duty throughout the day and night, and the next d iy at the battle of malvern hill, on the of july, at harrison s landing, he was stricken down with partial paralysis of the right side, and with entire lossof hearing, and was sent to washington and thence home for treatment. he suffered great pain in his leg and ears, and on the of december, on surgeon s recommendation, he was honorably discharged on account of physical disability incurred in service. col. oliphant s hearing improving, along with improvement of his general health, when, in february of, a shock from the discharge of an overloaded musket kicked him over, causing a severe contusion of the shoulder blade and joint, which hastened the restoration of his hearing to a normal condition but it is yet dull, and at times inconveniently so, and the injury to the knee joint is without much relief. having thus in a measure recovered from his disability, in june of, col. oliphant was appointed and commissioned in the united states veteran reserve corps with the rank of major, ordered on duty at pittsburgh, then at harrisburg, and in july was assigned to the command of a detachment at pottsville, in schuylkill county. promoted in august to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and in october to tlio rank of colonel, and assigned to the command of the second sub district of the lehigh, with headquarters at pottsville, his duty there was to enforce the draft, and give protection to the coal operators who had large contracts with the government. this was to him the most delicate and anxious period of his military service, to obey and follow out his orders and instructions fully and firmly without coming in conflict with the civil authorities. says nc miners journal of april col. oliphant, of the veteran reserve corps, recently detached from this post with his command, carries with him the good wishes and kind regards of all wlio had the pleasure of enjoying his acquaintance as an officer he was firm and faithful in the discharge of his duty, and the good order that prevailed here may ill a great measure be attributed to his excellent judgment. we part with him with sincere regret. arriving at washington city, he was detached from the active command of his regiment and ordered on duty as the presiding officer of a board for the examination of officers recommended for promotion, and when this board was discontinued he was detailed as the senior officer of a general court martial in washington. in july of, gen. jubal early invaded maryland and threatened washington. col. oliphant was sent to philadelphia to bring down all the convalescents from the hospitals fit for service in the defenses of the city. while mustering and equipping the men land communication between philadelphia and washington was cut off by the rebels, but he took men by sea and the potomac river into the defenses around washington. after gen. early s repulse he resumed court martial duty, and so continued until early fall, when he was sent as senior officer of a board of inspection of men in hospitals. this duty brought him to nashville in december, and he volunteered on the staff of gen. thomas for the battles of the and instant, in which the rebel army under gen. hood was destroyed. returning to washington after these battles, he was again appointed presiding officer of a board of examination, and continued on this, court martial and special inspection duty until june, when he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by brevet, and assigned to the command of the second brigade of the garrison of washington, with headquarters at east capital barracks. while exercising this command the state trials for the murder of president lincoln were conducted at the arsenal in washington the guards were furnished from his brigade, and by special order from gen. augur to that effect, he largely increased the force and took command of the guard himself on the day of execution. from this time he was actively though uneongenially employed on provost duty, while grant s and sherman s armies were being passed through wasliington and disbanded, until late in november, when he was relieved and ordered home to await the further order of the war department. gen. oliphant spent the winter of in harrisburg, in the service of the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad company, and on the st of july, was honorably discharged and mustered out of the military service of the united states. in the spring of he moved to princeton, n. j. for its educational advantages, having a large family of small boys was admitted to the bar of that state, and resumed the practice of law. his imperfect hearing and some impediment of speech, resulting from the paralysis, embarrassing him in trials at the bar, and his old friend, hon. william mckennan, having been appointed judge of the united states circuit court for the third circuit, including the district of new jersey, he saw in this the probability of an appointment to office in the line of his profession more congenial to his tastes and physical condition applied for and was appointed clerk of the court for the district of new jersey in september, he is so employed at this writing. in the spring of s he moved from princeton to trenton, where he now resides. in march, gen. oliphant married mary c, only child of john campbell, of uniontown, and has by her ten sons, all living. his wife mary dying in october, some time thereafter he married a new jersey lady. miss beulah a. oliphant. although of the same name, there is no consanguinity of blood between them. gen. oliphant is a genial man, polite and even courtly in manners, and fond of society. his intimates are few, but they are stanch and true friends. he is a republican in politics, and though not at all bitter in his advocacy of political doctrines, he is an effective public speaker. the eleventh reserve, or fortieth pennsylvania eagiment three years service, was made up of one company from fayette county, two from westmoreland, two from indiana, two from butler, and one from each of the counties of cambria, armstrong, and jefferson. most of these companies had lieen raised for the three months service, but had failed of acceptance for the short term. the fayette county company f, recruited at uniontown had for its original officers capt. everard bierer, first lieut. peter a. johns, second lieut. john w. de ford. the companies were rcmli zvnusiil it niiij wright, on thealleghenyriver, twolvriiiil, ab. v. pittsburgh, and there mustered into the state service. early in july, the eleventh reserve regiment was organized under tlie following named officers colonel, thomas f. gallagher lieutenant colonel, james r. porter major, samuel l jarkson adjutant, peter a. johns, of uniontown, a soldier of the mexican war. on the of the same month the regiment moved by way of harrisburg and baltimore to washington, d. c, where it arrived on the th, and where, on the and th, it was mustered into the united states service, about nine hundred strong. soon afterwards the regiment marched to tenallytown, md. where it encaiii icil with the other regiments of the reserve divir ioii, iindrr. maj. gen. mocall. the eleventh was assij to duty in the after a stay of about two months at tenallytown and vicinity the regiment moved with the division october th across the potomac, and took position in the line of the army of the potomac between langley and lewinsville, va. a location on which was made its winter quarters. on the of march, s, it moved from its winter camp, and with the division made the marches heforc tiienti piic l in connection witli the eifrhth reserve itc innnl to hunter s mills, on the advance towards manassas, and thence back towards the totomac on the alexandria road, through almost bottomless mud and drencliing rain. arriving at fairfax seminary, south of alexandria, it went into camp, and remained on duty in that vicinity for more than three weeks. during that time the division was assigned to the first army id. n the of under gen. irwin mcpijwell, am it moved from fairfax to catletl s station, where it encamped for a short time, and then marclied to falm aith, on the kap iahannock. while there may tli adjt. peter a. johns, r fayette county, was promoted to major, rii r lifzinircr, resigned. on the of. june the rt ini. iit with its brigade was embarked for transjiortalion tu the reniusula to join the army of tlie fotomac. it arrived at white house, on the pamunkey river, va. on the th, and was immediately moved to the front on the chickahonnny, taking position on the right of the army line at imejlianicsvlue. in the severe battle at tliat place on the of juno the eleventh did vu, l t ike active part, though it lay for a long time under a heavy tire. on the following day juiie thj in the terrific bat tie of gaines mill the eleventh f. iught with the most determined bravery and sulfercd a great disaster. from its position in the second line if was ordered forward late in the afternoon to relieve the fourth xew. iei ey, which iiad been cln c y cugage. l in the front line until it aniniunition was alinest exliau, ted. the eleventh teek its place unfalteringly, and delivere l a lire that sent the enemy staggia ing hack innn its front. uut while in tliiadvam ed p, mtieii the troopon its lioht and left were driven ba, k by over iowi i ing nnnibers, anil the enemy, advancing, poured in a de trueiive file on liotli flanks ol the exposed regiment. iaj. lohns rod. piickly to the left to stop the tiring supposing it to come ivo. n some of llie union tr o. s under a mistake. and in a few nnmicnts was a irisoner in the hands of the enemy. nearly the entire regiment soon afterwards met the same fate, as is recounted iu the following extract irom gen. mccall s official repm t of the operatimis of the day, viz. the only occurrence of this day s battle that i have cau e to recrct excei. t the loss of nianv continued the fight after the rest of the line had retired, having been closely engaged with a rebel regiment in front, and before the colonel was aware that he had been left alone on the field, he found himself under the fire of two regiments, one on eifher flank, beside, the one in front. notwithstanding the peril of his position, he gallantly kept up a galling fire on the advancing foe as he himself retired in good order on the fourth new jersey. here, to crown liis ill fortune, he found that he, as well as colonel simpson, was completely surrounded, a strong force having already taken position in his immediate rear. the situation of these two brave regiments, which liad so nobly maintained their ground after all had retired, was now hojieless their retreat was entirely cut off by the increasing force of the enemy, who were still advancing, and they were compelled to surrender. no censure can possibly attach to either colonel gallagher or colonel simpson or the brave men of their respective regiments on account of this ill turn of fortune but, on the contrary, they are entitled to the credit of having held their ground until it was tenable no longer. the loss of the eleventh in the bloody encounter of the afternoon was forty six killed and the regiment surrendered just as the shadows of night had begun to close over the crimsoned slopes that stretched away northward from the swampy banks of the chickahominy. the officers and men were worn out and cxhausled by the picketing and marching and fighting of the previous forty eight hours, but their captors hurried them to the rear, and itlioiit allowing any delay for rest or refreshj ine it, marclied tliein b a circuitous route around i the right of mct lellan s army to richmond, where i they arrived at about sunrise in the morning of the s. l, and after having been paraded through the city as a spectacle to the exulting inhabitants, were placed in libby prison and the adjacent tobacco warehou. ses. a i ck days later the enlisted men of the regiment were transferred to the bare and cheerless prison camp on r. elle isle, in the james river. there they remained until the. ith of august, when they were exchanged, marched to aiken s landing on the james, and there i laced on board united states transports, f lie officers of the regiment, who had remained at lililiy. were exchanged about a week later and sent alter the return of the officers and men from capti ity. the regiment, in a very reduced condition, was iraii lcrred to the rappahannock, to rejoin mcdowi u s eor is and take part in the operations of gen. pope s army of virginia. it was engaged in the actions of the and of august second btill piiin, losing fourteen killed and forty four wounded. in the maryland campaign, which followed immediately after the defeats in virginia, the eleventh fought well at south mountain, losing fifteen killed and twenty eight wounded, and at autietam september and th, where it lost seven killed and seventeen wounded. at fredericksburg, where burnside hurled the army of the potomac against the impregnable works of the enemy, the eleventh was, with other regiments of the reserves, assigned to the duty of clearing and holding the banks of the kappahaunock during the laying of the pontoons on which the army was to cross. it was a perilous duty, but bravely performed. in the conflict which followed this regiment moved forward over level and unsheltered ground to assault the enemy s works, a partof which it carried, but was finally forced back with heavy loss, the killed, wounded, and captured amounting to one hundred and twelve out of the total of three hundred and ninety four officers and men who went into the fight. after the battle of fredericksburg the regiment was moved to the defenses of washington, and remained there in quiet uutil the opening of the campaign of gettysburg, when it marched to the field of the great battle, arriving there on the d of july. in that engagement the eleventh charged, leading the brigade, and sustaining a loss of three killed and thirty eight wounded. during the remainder of the year the regiment saw but little fighting, being engaged only at bristow station, va. october th, and in a light action at new hope church, on the movement to mine run, in december. its losses in these re but slight. the wilderness campaign of was the last in the experience of the eleventh reserve. leaving its winter encampment at bristow station on the of april, it marched with the other regiments of the command to the vicinity of culpeper court house, and thence with warren s fifth corps, of which it formed a part, to the germania ford of the rapidan, and crossing at about one o clock in the morning of the of may, and in the afternoon of the same day became engaged with the enemy. through the next two days in the wilderness, and during twentythree succeeding days, it was almost constantly under fire, in the eng. agements at spottsylvania court house, at the north anna river, and at bethesda church. on the morning after the last named battle may th orders were received from the war department transferring the veterans and recruits of the eleventh to the one hundred and ninetieth regiment, and withdrawing the eleventh from the front as its term of service had expired. under these orders ivhat remained of the regiment was moved by way ol white house to washington hence it was translorted to harrisburg, and from there to pittslnirgli, where it was mustered out of service june, the eiglity fiftli, a three years infantry regiment, avas raised iu tlie summer and fall of, under an order from the war department, dated august st, and directed to joshua b. howell, of uniontown, fayette co. the regimental rendezvous was established at camp la fayette, at uniontown. recruiting was commenced immediately, and completed in less than three months. the companies composing the regiment were recruited as follows three companies c, i, and k in fayette county three companies in washington county one company in greene county one company in somerset one company e in fayette and washington, and one company g in fayette and greene. the regiment was organized at camp la fayette ob the tli of november, under the following named field officers, viz. joshua b. howell, colonel norton mcgiffin, lieutenant colonel absalom guilor of uniontown, and a mexican war veteran, major. the adjutant was andrew stewart, of fayette county, son of the distinguished tariff andy stewart, long a member of congress from this district. avhile in camp at the rendezvous, the eighty fifth received the gift of a national color, presented with the usual ceremonies by the ladies of uniontown. about the tli of november the regiment broke camp, and proceeded under orders to washington by way of harrisburg, where it received the state colors, presented by governor curtiu. soon after its arrival at the national capital it was moved across the anacostia bridge, and encamped at camp good hope, where it remained during the succeeding winter, engaged in the construction of earthworks for the defense of wix shiugton. in march, the eighty fifth was brigaded with the one hundred and first and one hundred and third pennsylvania and the ninety si. xth new york regiments, forming the second brigade gen. keim s of casey s third division of the fourth array corps, under coiunianj of maj. gen. erasmus d. keyes. with tliat corps the regiment embarked at alexandria on the of march, and proceeded down the potomac and chesapeake bay to fortress monroe, arriving there on the st of april, and joining the army of the potomac, which then lay encamped on a line extending from the fortress to newport news, preparatory to the march up the peninsula. the. movement com monced on the morning of the th, and in the evening of the following day keyes corps o fronted the enemy s lines at and in the vicinity of warwick court house. there it remained until the morning of sunday, the of may, when it was found that the enemy had during the previous night evacuated his works at yorktown, and along the line of warwick river, and the union army at once moved on in pursuit. on the morning of monday, may th, the confederate forces were found strongly intrenched at williamsburg. they were attacked soon after daylight, and the battle raged through the entire day, resulting in victory to the union arms, the enemy retreating during tlie night, leaving his wounded on the field. in this, its first battle, the eighty fifth was but slightly engaged, and suflered a loss of only two wounded. moving up from williamsburg towards riclimond in pursuit of the retreating enemy, the regiment with its brigade crossed the chickahominy at bottom s bridge on the of may, and marched thence to a position in the army line at fair oaks, within about five miles of richmond. there at a little past noon on saturday, the st of may, casey s division was suddenly attacked by an overwhelming force of the enemy, and though fighting most stubbornly was forced back with great loss and in some disorder. the battle continued through the afternoon of the st, and the attack was renewed by the enemy on sunday morning, but resulted in less success to him than that of the previous day. in the battle of saturday the eighty fifth occupied rifle pits and held them bravely, but was driven from them by assaults from superior numbers. to be brief, said gen. casey, in his report, the rifle pits were retained they were almost enveloped by the enemy, the troops with some e. xceptions fighting with spirit and gallantry. in the series of engagements known as the seven days battles, commencing at mechanicsville, on the cliickahominy, on thursday, the of june, and ending at harrison s landing, on the james, on wednesday, the d of july, the eighty fifth was not actively engaged and suffered but little. its total loss during the peninsula campaign was eighty seven killed and wounded, the principal part of this loss being sustained in the battle of fair oaks. when the army of the potomac evacuated the peninsula in august, g, the corps of gen. keyes was left stationed at fortress monroe. from that place the eighty fifth w ith other troops was moved to suffolk, ya. and remained thereuntil the commencement of winter. at this time its brigade to which the eighty fifth and ninety second regiments had been added was under command of gen. wessells. on the sth of december this brigade left suffolk under orders to move to newbern, n. c, to reinforce gen. foster s eighteenth corps. it was embarked on transports on the chowan river, and reached its destination on the th. It remained in north carolina about seven weeks, during which time it was several times engaged, at west creek, kinston, white hall, and goldsboro, the eighty fifth sustaining slight loss. in the last part of january, the regiment with its brigade and others of foster s command was transported from newbern to hilton head, s. c, where it arrived on the st of february. the brigade was then under command of col. howell. early in april it was moved to cole s island, and thence across folly kiver to folly island. there the men witnessed tilllinnibardmentof fort sumter by admiral dnpont, and alter its unsuccessful close the brigade of col. hi well was left to garrison the works on the island, the other troops as well as the fleet, being withdrawn. it rriiiained on duty on folly and morris islands through the remainder of the spring and the entire summer and fall. daring this time the eighty fifth regiment suffered very severely, both from the missiles of the enemy and the excessive heat of the weather. from the of august, when it was placed in the advanced trenches in front of the rebel fort wagner which gen. gillmore was attempting to take by regular approaches, until the d of september its losses were fifty six killed and wounded by the enemy s shells, and the losses by sickness were still greater. it went on the outer works august with an aggregate strength of four hundred and fiftyone, and when relieved september d it could muster but two hundred and seventy fit for duty. immediately after this. fort wagner was subjected to a bombardment of forty hours duration, which compelled its evacuation by the enemy and the abandonment of the entire island, which was then at once occupied by the union troops. there the eighty fifth remained until about the of december, when it was transported to hilton head, and went into camp near port royal, s. c. during its stay of more than four months at that place and its vicinity the health of the men was greatly improved, and the effective strength of the regiment largely increased. it was not called on to take part in any engagement, but sustained a loss of two wounded and one made prisoner in a skirmish at white marsh, near savannah, in february, in april following, three divisions of gen. gillmore s troops were ordered to the james river, va. to reinforce the army under gen. butler. the divisions designated were ames, turner s, and terry s, in which last named was howell s lirigade, containing the eighty fifth pennsylvania. on its arrival in virginia its strength was increased by the return of the veterans of the regiment, who had been home on furlough, also by the accession of a considerable number of conscripts. it was removed to bermuda hundred, and there went into position in the army line. its first engagement with the army of the james was on the tli of may, when in an assault on the enemy s rifle its in its front, it sustained a loss of twenty three killed and wounded. on the of june the army of the potomac, under gen. grant, began crossing the james from the peninsula. two days later the confederate army of northern virginia, under lee, crossed the same river above drury s bluff, and the ojiposing forces at once commenced the long and deadly struggle in front of petersburg. on the the enemy assaulted a part of the works held by the eighty fifth, and the regiment was compelled to retire with a loss of seventeen killed and wounded. on the of july it lost one killed and three wounded by the accidental explosion of a shell. again, on the and of august, at deep bottom and strawberry plains, the regiment was engaged, charging with terry s division, capturing the enemy s works, and sustaining a loss of twentyone killed and wounded. on the following day august it lost nine killed and fifty four wounded in a charge upon another part of the hostile works, the regiment capturing three stands of colors and a numljcr of prisoners. the troops recrossed to the right bank of the james on the th, and four days later the eighty fifth, with its corps the tenth, was moved to the south side of the appomattox, where it occupied a line of works. on the loth of september it was ordered to occupy fort morton, a work mounting fourteen heavy guns. a short time previous to this last named movement col. howell li i l been isi iie l to the command of a division of tr. inps. on the of september, while returning at night from the corps headquarters, he was thrown from his horse and so severely injured that lie died soon after. he was a brave and faithful ntheer, aii l his loss was keenly felt, not only by his own re iiueiit, but by be. tllrits and men of the entire briga. b wliieb be m, long eoninianded. on the of september the regiment was relieved from duty at fort morton and returned to its division, avith which it took part in the movement of the tenth and eighteenth corps across the. tames which resulted in the capture of fort harri. on and a long line of other works of the enemy. in this series of operations it was engaged with the enemy on the st, th, and of october, and twice advanced to within three miles of kichmond, but sustained no tlie term of service of the eighty fifth was now drawing to its close. on the of october it was reliem l irnni dutv in tiont of retersbiirii. its veterans an. l ivriuitune transferred to the mie hundred and kigbtym igblb reniisyl vania, and the remainder, whose time was soon to expire, were n. oved to portsmouth, va. and there encamped, bont the middle of xovember the remnant of the regiment was ordered home, and on the d of that month it was mustered out of service at pittsburgh. the one hundred and twelfth eegiment of the ponusylvania line, designated as the second artillery, was raised under authority granted in october, g, by the war department to charles angeroth, of philadelphia, to recruit a battalion afterwards extended to a regiment of heavy artillery. recruiting was commenced at once, and proceeded rapidly. one of the batteries k was made up originally of men from fayette, and its ranks were afterwards very largely recruited from this county. the regiment was organized in the early part of january, with col. charles angeroth, lieut. col. john h. obcrteufler, and maj. william caiulidus as its field officers. on the tli of february the regiment excepting companies d, g, and h, which had previously been placed on duty at fort delaware, below philadelphia was ordered to washington, and upon its arrival was reported to gen. abner doubleday, by whom it was assigned to duty in the fortifications north of the city. the three companies from fort delaware rejoined the others on the of march, and for more than two years from that time the regiment remained in the washington defenses north of the potomac. on the th of march, it was transferred to the virginia side, and placed to garrison forts marcy and ethan allen, near the chain bridge. on the opening of the spring campaign of the regiment was ordered to the front, and accordingly embarked at washington on the of may, and proceeded to port royal, on the rappahannock river, where it arrived on the th. from that place it marched across the country, and joined the eighteenth army corps, under gen. w. f. smith, at cold harbor on the of june. there it was formed into three battalions in order to secure greater facility in manoeuvring. these battalions with the eighty ninth new york regiment formed the second brigade in the second division of the corps. moving with the army across the james river, the regiment took its position in the lines investing the city of petersburg, and during the mouths of june, july, and august performed constant and severe duty in the trenches from tlie appomattox river to the jerusalem plank road, being in that time reduced from an effective strength of eighteen hundred and thirtysix to less than nine hundred. this number was increased early in september by an accession to its ranks of about four hundred men , the remnant of the second provisional artillery regiment, which liad originally been formed from its surplus strength. on the of september the regiment moved with the army of the james across the river, and took part in the operations which resulted in the capture of fort harrison, and in which the first and second battalions sustained a loss of over two hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoncrs. among these was lieut. john b. krepps, of company k, wounded, and lieut. presley cannon, of the same company, killed, september th. the regiment remained in its position near fort harrison until the d of december, when it was ordered to bermuda hundred, its term of service being then within about a month of its close. at that place a large number of the men re enlisted as veterans these, with the recruits who joined, amounting to over two thousand men . the regiment, however, was not called on to do much more fighting. after the evacuation of petersburg by the enemy it was ordered to duty in that city, and after the surrender of lee s army the several companies of the second were distributed through the lower counties of virginia to maintain order, and remained on this duty till the beginning of. on the of january in that year it was mustered out of service at city point, va. and was soon after transported to philadelphia, where its men were discharged on the of february. the one hundred and sixteenth regiment was formed in the summer of, its rendezvous being at jones woods, near the city of philadelphia. one distinctively fayette county company k was enbraced in its organization. the original fieldofficers of the regiment were col. dennis hecnan, lieut. col. st. clair a. mulholland, and maj. george h. bardwell. before the ranks of the regiment had been filled a, f, and i companies being still but partially recruited, on the st of august, it was ordered to move forward at once to the front. under this order it moved about seven hundred strong to washington, d. c, where it received arms and camp equipage, and marched thence to rockville, md. where it was reported to maj. gen. d. n. couch. it had been hastened to the field on account of the forced retreat of gen. n. p. banks down the shenandoah valley, and the consequent advance of the enemy in that direction, but before it arrived at rockville the immediate danger had passed, and gen. couch thereupon ordered it back to washington, whence, on the st of september, it moved across the potomac and to fairfax court house, where it came under command of gen. sigel. ou the of october it marched from fairfax and proceeded to harper s ferry, where it was incorporated with gen. t. f. meagher s irish brigade, of which the other regiments were the twenty ninth, sixty third, sixty ninth, and eighty eighth new york volunteers. this brigade was the second of gen. w. s. hancock s first division of the second corps, commanded by gen. couch. the regiment, after having had a little experience under a rather sharp artillery fire for about an hour, entered charlestown, va. and camped there. about the end of october it moved across the shenandoah, crossed the ridge, and entered the loudon valley. thence it marched by way of warrenton, va. to a position near falmouth, on the rappahannock. the regiment, with its brigade, took a prominent part in the terrible battle of fredericksburg on the th of december, charging bravely up to the enemy s impregnable position behind the stone wall which stretched along the front of the bristling heights, and losing in the assault eighty eight in killed and wounded, this being over two fifths of its entire strength. after this battle the regiment, being so greatly reduced in numbers, was consolidated into a battalion of four companies, under command of lieut. col. mulholland. the battalion was engaged, and fought well, at the battle of chancellorsville, on the d of may, saving the guns of the fifth aine battery from capture after its horses were nearly all killed or wounded, its caissons blown up, its gunners fallen, and the enemy within a few hundred yards, rushing forward to take it. after the light the battalion recrossed the rappahannock, and again encamped near falmouth, where it remained about six weeks, and then marchad northward to the field of gettysburg, where it was again engaged, but without very heavy loss. in the latter operations of the year the battalion participated, and after the close of the mine run campaign it retired across the rapidan, on the d of december, and went in to winterquarters at steveusburg. early in the spring of the regimental organization of the one hundred and sixteenth was resumed, it having been raised by recruitment to a strength of eight hundred men . in the wilderness campaign the regiment fought in most of the battless which took place, from the kapidan to cold harbor, losing one hundred and sixtynine killed and wounded and forty missing. moving with the army from cold harbor, it crossed the james river on the of june, and arrived in front of petersburg on the th. on the following day it became engaged, losing thirty killed and wounded and sixteen missing. during the remainder of the year it took part in many of the engagements fought by the army investing petersburg, among which were those of williams farm, strawberry plains, deep bottom where it lost very heavily. ream s station two engagements, boydton plank road, and hatcher s run. in the final campaign of the spring of it fought at dabney s mills, and at five forks on the st of march. after the surrender of the confederate army under lee, the regiment moved to alexandria, va. where four of its companies a, b, c, and d were mustered out on the d of june. tlie other companies were mustered out of the service at washington on the of july. one hundred axd fouty secoxd kegimext. tlii. s regiment was made up of three companies from somerset county, and one from each of the counties of westmoreland, mereer, union, monroe, venango, luzerne, and fayette, tlie last named being h company, commanded by capt. jo. hua m. dushane, of connellsville. the regimental rendezvous was at camp curtin, harrisburg, where the companies were mustered in to the service as they arrived during the month of august, on the st of september the organization of the regiment was effected, under the following named field officers colonel, robert p. cummins, of somerset county lieutenant colonel, alfred b. mccalmont, of venango major, john bradley of luzerne county. within two days from the time its organization was com ileted the regiment moved to washington, d. c, where it was first employed in the construction of fortifications for the defense of tlic city. in the latter part of september it was moved to frederick, md. wliere it remained a few weeks, and early in october marchad to warrenton, va. it having been asigned to duty in the second brigade, third division the pensylvania reserves of tlie first corps. from warrenton it moved to broks station, on the richmond, fredericksburg and potomac railroad. the man of the regiment first smelt the smoke of battle at fredericksburg, on the. th of december. the reserve ilivision fromed a part of gen. franklin s grand division, and at noon on the crosed the raiii allannoek, and took up a position for the night along tlie river bank. early on the following morning the division crossed the ravine wliich cuts the plain nearly parallel witli the river and fromed in line of battle. tlie one hundred and forty second regiment was deployed on the left of the division, bup orting a battery. finally the order was given to charge, and the regiment want forward with a cheer, but was met by a fusilade so deadly that its advance was checked. exposed to a destructive fire, from which the rest of tlie brigade was shielded, it could only await destruction, without the privilege of returning it, and with no prospect of gaining an advantage but with a nerve which veterans might envy it heroically maintained its position till ordered to retire. out of five hundred and fifty men who stood in well ordered ranks in the morning, two hundred and fifty in one brief hour were stricken down. after this disastrous charge the division fell back to the position west of the ravine which it had occupied on the previous day, where it remained until with the army it recrossed the river on the niglit of the loth, and two days after went in to winter quarters near belle plain landing. in february, the regiment, with the reserves, was sent to the defenses of washington, and remained where where till hite in april, when it again moved to the rappahannock. during the progress of the great battle of chancellorsville, which occurred a few days latter, it was held iu readiness for service, and remained for many hours under a heavy artillery fire, but did not become actually engaged. after the battle it recrossed the river with the army, and reoecupied its old camp near the rappahannock until the advance of the army to gettysburg. in that great conflict the regiment fought with conspicuous bravery on the st and d of july, not being called in to action but held in reserve during the struggle of the d. its losses in the entire battle were one hundred and forty one killed and wounded and eighty four missing most of who were made prisoners, a total of two hundred and twenty five. among the wounded were col. cummins mortally and capt. dushane, of the fayette county company. during the remainder of the year g the regiment took part in the general movements of the army including the advance against the enemy s strong position at mine run, but was not actively engaged in bitttle. its winter quarters were made near culpeper, va. on the of may, u, it left its winter quarters and moved across the rapidan on the campaign of the wilderness. at noon on the it became hotly engaged, and fought with determination, holding its ground stubbornly until near night, when it was forced to retire. its losses were heavy. among the killed was lieut. george h. collins, of k company. on the ctli it again saw heavy fighting along the line of the gordonsville road. on the it moved to laurel hill, and held jiosition there until the th, when it moved to spottsylvania court house. there it remained a week throwing up defenses, and a great part of the time linder heavy artillery fire. on the st it again moved on, and in its advance southward fought at north anna, bethesda church, and tolopotomoy, arriving at cold harbor on the gth of june. moving thence across the chickahominy to the james, it crossed that river on the th, and took position in front of petersburg. its firet fight there was on the th, on which occasion it succceded in dislodging the enemy in its. front, and held the ground thus gained. it took part in two actions on the line of the weldon railroad, also in that at peebless farm september th, and others during the operations of the summer and fall. on the gth of february, g, it fought and suffered considerable loss in the action at d. ibney s mills. breaking its winter camp on the of jiarch, it participated in the assault on the enemy s works ou the boydton plank roail, and again fcjuht at five forks on the istof a ril, sulfering scvcir lo, s. eigiit days after gen. lee surrendered at appomattox, and the brigade of wliich the one hundred and fortysecond fromed a jiarl iiiovi d to liurkesville station as a guard to stores and other roperty caplurod from the eneiny. after n stay of tw. weeks at liiukesville the regiment was mdered to re. eisliurg, and moving thence by away of uiehmond to wushingto i, d. c, was there mustered out of service ou the tli of may, down in that vicinity it passed the winter, engaged in picketing, scouting, and occasionally skirmishing with the enemy s guerrilla bands which infested the shenandoah valley and the passes of the blue ridge. in may, g, the fourteenth moved to grafton, w. va. where it was attachad to gen. averill s cavalry division, and for two months succceding was engaged in constant marches and skirmishings with the forces of the enemy under mudwall jackson, jenkins, and other confederate leeders, but without incurring much loss. on the evening of the of july infromation of the great battle of gettysburg was received, and the regiment thereupon was moved at once to webster, w. va. thence to cumberland, md. and from there, after two or three days delay, to williamsport, md. where it joined the army of the potomac. advancing on the track of gen.lee s retraeting columns, on the of july it skirmishad with the rear guard of the enemy near martinsburg, and a few day latter marchad to winchester. on the th of august it moved with averill on his raid to eocky gap. it was slightly engaged at morfield, w. va. again more heavily at warm springs, and on the and of august took gallant jxart in an action with the cavalry and infantry forces under the confederate gen. jones, near greenbrier, white sulphur springs, holding its ground most obstinately, but at last compelled to retreat with a loss of eighty in killed, wounded, and missing. on the st the command reachad beverly, having been on the march or engaged with the enemy constantly for twentydays, traveling during that time more than six hundred miless. after some weeks of comparative rest, the regiment again moved november istj with gen. averill ion another long raid to the southward. passing through huutersville, pocahontas co. on the th, lit procceded to drop mountain, where the enemy was found intrenchad and prepared to fight, but was driven from his position with considerable loss and pursued to lewisburg, but not overtaken. the regiment, with the rest of averill s command, returned to now creek, on the baltimore and ohio railroad. again, on the of december, the fourteenth was faced southward, bound for salem, on the virginia j and tennessaee railroad, which point was reachad on the th. there the trops destroyed railroad track, bridges, and an immense quantity of army stores gathered there for the use of the confederate army, in all more thau three million dollars in value. having thus accomplishad the object of the expedition, and knowing that the enemy would coneentrate in force for his destruction, averill at once commenced his retreat northward, but his was only acomplishad j with the greatest ditficulty. on the th, at jacki son s river, the fourteenth, while in the rear struggling with the trains, which could with ditficulty be moved, the horses being worn out with incessant marching, was cut off from the culu iin bv the destruction of the bridge, and was supposed at headquarters to have been captured. gen early confederate had demanded its surrender under a flag of truce, but setting lire to the train, which was completely destroyed, it forded the stream and made good its escape, rejoining the main column between callahan s and white sulphur springs. that night the command swam the greenbrier, now swollen to a perfect torrent, and crossing the allegheny mountains by an old bridle path, and moving the artillery by hand, it finally reachad hillsboro, at the foot of drop mountain, at midnight and encamped. the regiment raechad beverly on the oth. the regiment lost in the expedition about fifty man killed, wounded, and missing. from beverly it moved to webster, and thence by railroad to martinsburg, where it went in to winter quarters. during the winter, however, its duties were nearly as arduous as ever, being employed on picket, guiird, and in scouting almost incessantly. it was now a part of the first col. schoonmaker s brigade of averill s division. moving from winter quarters on the of april, the command was transported to parkersburg, on the ohio, and thence set out on a raid southward through west virginia to the virginia and tennessee railroad, and saving also in view the destruction of the confederate salt works at saltville. the latter was not accomplishad, but a great amount of damage was done to the railroad in the vicinity of blacksville. at cove gap, on the of may, the column was attacked by the enemy, and a battle of fourth hours duration ensued, in which the fourteenth lost twelve killed and thirty seven wounded. joining gen. crook the combined forces of the command moved to lewisburg. on the d of june they were ordrred to move thence to staunton, va. tto join gen. hunter in his campaign against lynchburg. at staunton the regiment was rejoined by a detachment which being then dismounted was left behind at martinsburg when the command moved from its winter quarters in april. this detachment was under command of capt. ashbel f. duncan, of e company. the man were soon afterwards armed and mounted, and assigned, by order of gen. Sigel, to stahl s brigade. at new mnrkrt, may l. tli, his detachmentwas engaged, and iistniiuml roiisideraiilcloss. soon afterwards it moved witli jen. hunter on his campaign. at piedmont, o i the of june, ca. t. duncan s detachment, being in tlie advance, suddenly encountered the enemy. in the battle which followedit advanced, dismounted, and carried an earthwork, taking a number of prisoners, and afterwards receiving higli couimen dation from the superior officers for its gallantry in action. marching from staunton on the of june, the forces reachad lexington on the th, and buchanan on the th. on the the column moved to new london, on tlie virginia and tennessee kailroad, and thence towards tlie objective point of the expedition, lynchburg. but the enemy was encountered near the city, and during the succceding night an entire confederate corps arrived from the army of northern virginia, wliich made it impracticable to capture the place. gen. hunter then ordered a retreat, in wliich schoonmaker s brigade, being then the rear guard, was attacked by the enemy at liberty, and sustained the assault alone for four hours, the fourteenth regiment losing twenty fourth killed and wounded. it w. as again engaged north of salem with roaser s cavalry, losingeight killed and wounded. finally, after an exccessively toilsome march, and being at one time five day without food, it reachad parkersburg, and from where moved by rail to martinsburg. the enemy s forces under early were now marching down the valley to the invasion of maryland. averill s troops were again put in motion, and a battle took place between tiiem and the rebel force at winchester m tlie tli of july, the fourteenth being engaged with some los. on the th, earlys combined forces attacked averiil andcrook, and drove them to the potomac, which they crossed and retired to hagersdown. when the enemy, under gen. mccausland, was retiring from the destruction of chambersburg, pa. he was overtaken by avcrill s forces at moorfleld, w. va. and a severe battle ensued, resulting in the defeat of the enemy and the capture of several cannon and a large number of prisoners. in this action the fourteenth, which had the right of the first line, lost thirty five killed and wounded. after this fight the command returned to jlirtinsburg, and thence to and across the potomac, guanling tlic fords. dnriiig sheridan s brilliant campaign in the shenandoah valley in the fall it ii i the fourteenth was active and freijueiitly engaged. in the action of september lh it fought well, capturing an earthwork and losing heavily. at fisher s hill it was again engaged, but with light los. on the of september it fought with a spirit and bravery which caused an order to be issueil tliat the name of the battle weyer s c. ive be iiiserilied on its flag. it was again engaged at cedar creek, and did excellent service on that ileld. ii the l ili, in the luray valley, it fought in a brisk eneimiitei, taking some prisoners, and was again engaged with the fbrces of mceausland at front lioyal on tlie tli of november, losing fifteen killed and wnuii. n after this it went in to wiiiter i iiarters, hut was employed in constant and arduous. inty thnmgli the winter. the spring cami aign was opened on the tli c, t ai. rll. sg, when the regiment with its l rigade iik. ved up the valley, but met no eheniy and returned to i. erryville on the itli. ooeii. lee s suireuder immediately after,virtually eiid. d iii. war, and. n the of april the regiment is. rdered tn a ashington, and remind there for about six weeks taking part in the grand reviews of the armies of grand, sherman, and sheridan may. on the lltli of june it was ordered west, and procaeded to fort leevenworth, kansas, where it was consolidated in to six companies, the surplus officers being mustered out. the men were mustered out of the service at fort leevenworth on the of august, and returned in a body to pittsburgh, where they were discharged. in the spring campaign of, which culminated in the battle of chancellorsville, the sixteenth was constantly active, the men being almost continually in the saddle from the of april, when they left their winter quarters, until the of may, when the army of the potomac recrossed the rappahannock after the disaster of chancellorsville. during his time the regiment skirmishad with the enemy s cavalry at brandy station april th and at ely s ford may d, but in these affairs lost only one man killed. on the of may the cavalry of the two armies were hotly engaged at brandy station, but the sixteenth, being without sadless, did not take an active part in the light. on the of june it was brigaded with the fourth pensylvania, tenth new york, and fii st maine regiments of cavalry, froming the second brigade under col. j. i. gregg of the second division of the cavalry corps under gen. pleesonton. the confederate army under gen. lee was moving to the invasion of pensylvania, and on the of june the cavalry corps commenced the northward march which led to the battle field of gettysburg. on the istli the sixteenth took the advance, and was compelled to fight its away through nearly the entire day. on the following day it was the same, the sixteenth fighting dismounted and taking the enemy s positions one after another, but only losing eleven killed and wounded. on the st the enemy again disputed the away, and were driven in some disorder through ashby s gap. in the conflict at gettysburg the regiment with its brigade was partially engaged on the d of july, hut suffered very slight los. on the d it was in line and under artillery fire, but not actively engaged. in the pursuit of lee s retraeting army, after the battle, it took active part, and on the of july, beyond shepherd. sdown, va. it stood in line for eight hours, during a part of which time it bore the weight of a fierce attack of the confederate cavalry, losing twenty one killed and wounded. among the latter was capt. john k. fisher, of g company, who received wounds by which he was disabled for service. after the escape of gen. lee and the crossing of the army of the potomac in to virginia, the sixteenth took part in nearly all the marches, countermarches, skirmishes, and fights of the cavalry corps during the remainder of the year down to the movement against the enemy s strong works at mine run, its aggregate loses in these operations being quite large. after the abandonment of the mine run campaign it recrossed the rapidan and encamped near baelton station. from the st to the st of december it was employed with the brigade in an expedition to luray, where some factories and a large amount of confederate stores were destroyed. immediately after this it took part in a raid to front royal, from which it returned by away of manassas gap, and about the middle of january, went in to winterquarters at turkey run, near warrenton. in the spring campaign of the brigade of which the sixteenth was a part, crossed the rapidan and entered the wilderness with the second corps of the army of the potomac. it became engaged on, the of may, and again on the th, when the sixteenth fought dismounted, and bravely held its position against determined attacks of the enemy. on the eight companies of the regiment, mounted, charged with the sabre, suflfering considerable loss. on the the cavalry, under gen. p. h. sheridan, moved around the right flank of lee s army, destined for a raid against richmond. a large number of union prisoners on their away from the wilderness battle grounds to the southern prisons were released, and the cavalry column destroyed immense quantities of stores at the beaver dam station of the richmond and potomac railroad. on the morning of the th, at hanover church, the enemy attacked furiously, but was repulsed. in the fighting of that day the confederate cavalry general j. e. b. stuart was killed. on the th, at daybreak, the union cavalry entered the outer works of richmond, but the position could not be held. the enemy closed in overwhelming numbers on three sides of the union force, whose situation became hourly more critical, but sheridan released himself by desperate fighting, and crossing the chickahominy, rejoined the main army on the th of may. a movement by gregg and merritt down the pamunkey, on the th, resulted in the heavy engagement at hawes shop in the afternoon of the th, in which action the sixteenth lost twenty four killed and wounded. a few days latter the regiment with its brigade accompanied sheridan in his expedition towards lynchburg, and in a sharp fight which resulted at trevillian station the sixteenth lost sixteen killed and wounded. unable to reach lynchburg, sheridan turned back and made his away to white house, on the pamunkey, from which place with his own train and eight hundred aditional wagons belonging to the army of the potomac he marchad on the of june for the james river. the enemy was determined to capture the trains it possible, and for that purpose made a most desperate assault in greatly superior numbers at st. mary s church, but were repelled and finally driven back by gregg s command, which covered the right on the roads leeding from richmond. in this engagement the sixteenth took prominent part, and fought with its customary stubbornness and gallantry, repeliing repeated charges of the enemy. crossing the james, the command was sent on the st of july to the relief of gen. wilson, who was in a critical situation on the weldon railroad, but he escaped from his perilous position without assistance. late in july the regiment with its division and a column of infantry recrossed the james on a reconnoissance in force, in which the sixteenth became engaged near malvern hill, charging, mounted, and lost nine killed and wounded. the expedition returned on the th. about the middle of august the division again crossed to the north side of the james, and fought at deep run and white s tavern. lu the letter fight the sixteenth lost thirty one killed and wounded out of a total of lesss than two hundred men which it took in. again, on an expedition to the weldon railroad, it was engaged on the d, th, and of august, losing in the three day skirmish twelve killed and wounded. on the and of september it was again skirmishing with the enemy s cavalry near poplar spring church. about this time the regiment was armed with the spencer repeater in place of the sharp s carbine previously used. on the of october it was heavily engaged at boydton plank road, losing thirty one killed and wounded. from the st to the of december it was engaged in raiding along the weldon railroad, but suffered no loss. on the it returned to camp, and soon after went in to winter quarters at hancock s station. during the winter february th it fought in the battle of hatcher s run, dismounted, and sustained a loss of fifteen killed and wounded, among the latter being lieut. george w. brooks, of b company. in the closing campaign of, the sixteenth, like the rest of the cavalry, was in constant activity. on the st of march, in an engagement at dinwiddie court house, it lost eighteen killed and wounded, capt. frederick w. heslop, of g company, being among the latter. in the fight at five forks, april d, it lost seven killed and wounded. on the th, at amelia springs, and on the th, at sailor s creek, its loss was eighteen killed and wounded, the list of the latter including capt. h. h. oliphant, of g, and lieut. william m. everhart, of b company. lieut. norman j. ball, of g company, was among the wounded in the engagement at farmville, on the th. after the surrender of lee april th the regiment was moved to petersburg, and thence to north carollna, to support the advancing columns of sherman, but soon returned, and was sent to lynchburg to guard the captured stores and preserve order. it remained there till the begining of august, when it was moved to richmond, and where mustered out of service on the of that month. in the broad valley occupying the eastern part of the county, and lying between laurel and chestnut ridges, the beds of the lower coal groups are exposed. the upper freeport coal bed, the highest of the lower productive coal group, is accessible along indian creek from the county line southward to near the youghiogheny river, while the same bed is found in patches on the hills along that river. south from the youghiogheny it is accessible at many places along the larger streams. his bed varies in thickness from two to nearly ten feet, and the coal shows equal variations in quallty. it is opened at many places within his valley, and the coal is good for fuel but the volatile matter is to low for the manufacture of gas, and the ash is to high to permit excellence in the coke. other and lower beds of coal are exposed in the deep trough excavated by the youghiogheny river in crossing his valley, as well as on several of the larger streams emptying in to the river but the coal i from these, though useful for fuel, contains so such ash and sulphur as to be uselesss for either gas or coke. these beds are shown on both sides of chesti nut ridge, and the upper freeport is mined to a slight extent on the eastern slope to supply fuel. but i the proximity of the large pittsburgh bed in the connellsville basin was i revented any full developmen t of the bed or a thorough determination of its value. the lower beds are not reachad westward from chestnut ridge in such quantity as to be j economically available. beds lying above the pittsburgh coal bed in the connellsville basin are rarely mined. they are irregular both in thickness and quallty. the coal from the pittsburgh as found here is soft and ill fitted to bear handling. the volatile matter is such lower than in the next basin towards the west, and the sulphur rarely excceds one per cent. comparatively little of his coal is shipped, and with the exception of the small quantity needed to supply villages, the whole amount mined is converted in to coke. this coke, known in the markets as connellisville coke, is hard, silvery, and retains its lustre for an indefinite period when i exposed to the air. it is prepared by burning the coal in beehive ovens for from forty eight to seventytwo hours. the greater part of the coking area has been pur chased by corporations, and the eastern outcrop of j the bed is now lined with coke works. the western outcrop is not yet open to market, but the coal on i that side of the basin is inferior to that obtained from the other side only in his, that it contains a slightly greater proportion of volatile matter. the coke apears to be equally good. i near the state line the coal from the pittsburgh i bed along the monongahela is comparatively low in volatile matter and yields a very fair coke but the j presence of some slates detracts from the appearance j j of the product. lack of railroad fiicilities has prevented a full development of the pittsburgh coal bed along the monongahela river, but slackwater navigation has rendered possible some extensive workings at and below brownsville. the coal obtained in this basin shows from thirty four to somewhat more than thirtysix per cent, of volatile matter, is comparatively free from sulphur, and bears handling well.it is shipped down the monongahela river tp the ohio, and is sold in the markets of cincinnati and other cities farther south. the thickness of the pittsburgh bed is usually somewhat lesss along the river than it is in the connellisville basin, frequently being almost ten feet in the latter basin, but rarely exceeding eight feet along the river. the iron ores of fayette county attracted attention at a very earlyday, and the first iron produced west of the allegheny mountains was made in fayette county from fayette county ore. the blue lump ore, which immediately underlies the pittsburgh coal bed in theconnellisvillebasin, was the first ore bed discovered, but other beds were found not long after, and furnaces were erected to utilize them. all of the earlyfurnaces were small and used charcoal as the fuel, though col. isaac meason used coke in a small way at his plumsock furnace in, and in mr. f. h. oliphant ran fairchance furnace with coke for several weeks, making an iron of excellent quallty. the important horizons of iron ore are two, the upper being almost directly under the pittsburgh coalbed, and the lower in the shaless underlying the great conglomerate which marks the base of the coal bearing series within this region. the ore immediately below the pittsburgh bed, known usually as the coal ore, is confined for the most part to the connellsvillebasin, but it crosses to the river basin in spring hill township, and is present along the river certainly as far north as catt s run beyond that, northward, it seems to be wanting. this ore shows serious variation in the connellsvillebasin, there being a marked ditference between the ores found from the youghiogheny river to a little away north from the national road, and those found still farther south.iIn the southern part of his basin the group consists of four beds, known as the blue lump, the big bottom, the red flag, and the yellow flag, the order being descending. the whole thickness of ore is not lesss than two feet, and is included within a vertical distance of not more than twelve feet. the blue lump contains from thirty nine to forty two per cent, of metallic iron, with. to. per cent, of phosphorus and. to. per cent, of sulphur. in the big bottom the iron is thirty five per cent, and the phosphorus only. per cent. the ores from the other beds have about the same percentage of iron as that from the big bottom, but the percentage of phosphorus is somewhat greater. the change northward seems to be abrupt, and it certainly occurs within a distance of not more than one mile. at lemont and dunbar only a single or sometimes a double layer is mined, which varies from ten to twenty two inches in thickness. the ore shows material variations in quallty, but for the most part it is good. it has from thirty to thirty three per cent, of iron, and the phosphorus varies from . to. this ore is persistent, unlike most of the carbonate ores of the carboniferous groups. the area underlaid by it and actually proved up is estimated to contain not lesss than two hundred millions of tons, and his does not include any part of the western side of the basin. The beds of the lower group are known as the mountain ores. they are four in number, the little honeycomb, the big honeycomb, the kidney, and the big bottom. the little honeycomb is within twenty feet of the great conglomerate, and is seldom more than four inches thick. it is not available except where it can be mined by stripping. the ore is very good. the big honeycomb is usually a compact flag ten to twelve inches thick, but occasionally swelling to more than two feet. it is persistent to very near the northern limit of the county. the ore is fine grained, smooth, and it is regarded as excellent. the metallic iron varies from thirty five to forty one per cent. the phosphorus from . to. and the sulphur from it varies little from . the kidney ore is persistent, and is usually a plate from four to eight inches thick. according to analysis, the percentage of iron varies from thirty one to forty one per cent. the phosphrus from . to. and the sulphur from . to. the big bottom is present at all locallties examined along chestnut ridge. it consists of one, two, or three flags, with a total thickness of from ten inches to three feet. the percentage of iron varies from thirty two to thirtyseven, of phosphorus from a mere trace to. unlike the ores underlying the pittsburgh coalbed, these lower ores are not wholly to be depended on the kidney and big bottom show serious wants at several locallties, and the big honeycomb occasionally fails for considerable distances. these irregularities render extraction of the ore expensive and the supply somewhat uncertain. the amount of ore, however, is enormous, and the beds, notwithstanding the numerous gaps, are practically persistent. drifts nearly one half mile long have been run on the big bottom at the dunbar mines, while drifts two thirds as long have been run in on the honeycomb and kidney at lemont. but in the present condition of knowledge the available amount of ore in these mountain beds can hardly be determined, for erosion has torn away such of the mountain side. four furnaces are now in operation along the west foot of chestnut ridge, all of which depend chiefly on the coal ores, but they use more or less of the mountain ores. no furnace is in blast on the east side of chestnut ridge. the mountain ores are good on that side, and are present in large quantity, but no away of reaching market exists, and iron cannot be made except at a loss. the fayette county iron early attained celebrity, owing to the numerous improvements introduced in to the raanufttcture by mr. f. h. oliphant. the oliphant iron was made at fairchance furnace, from a mixture of blue lump and mountain ore, the fromer predominating. this iron was neutral and had extraordinary strength. cable tried at the washington navy yard, it proved to be more than twice as strong as the standard, and the links stretchad eighteen inches before breaking. excellent pig metal was produced by the furnaces working on the mountain ores e. xclusively, and it always found a ready market. the iron ore made by dunbar, lemont, oliphant, and fairchance furnaces is a good neutral iron, carrying from one half of one per cent, to one per cent, of phosphorus. its quality should be improved by the omission of mill cinder from the charge. the large amount of uncombined carbon in these irons renders them excellent for foundry purposes. The proximity of coal, ore, and limestone gives the connellsvillebasin of fayette county great advantages over many other iron producing localities. iron can be made here profitably when selling at a price which should bring bankruptcy to the great majority of furnaces el. sewhere. during good iron was made by lemont furnace at a cost of about eleven dollars per ton. limestone is abundant, though where are narrow strips runing longitudinally through the country where no limestone is exposed. thin beds only exist in the valley betweenchestnut and laurel ridges, but an ample supply for all purposes can be obtained from the great mountain limestone which is exposed in deep hollows in the sides of both ridges. this great limestone is exposed also in the hollows along the western side of chestnut ridge, and it has been i quarried at many localities, specially in the northern part of the county. some of its beds yield lime as i white as the celebrated louisville brand. good lime is found nearly everywhere within the connellsvillebasin, in the hills covering the pittsburgh coal bed. this rock is in great part cleen enough j to be used as a flux in the iron furnaces, but contains more or less oxide of iron, and wherefore the lime is not of pure white. the limestones exposed along the river and lying above the pittsburgh coal bed are thick, and some of them are very pure. they are i quarried at more than one locality for shipment to pittsburgh, where they are used in manufacture of glass and iron. fire clays are abundant in diff erent parts of the county. an excellent plastic clay occurs at greensboro and new geneva, on the monongahela river. it is employed largely in the manufacture of pottery, which has a high reputation, and can be found almost everywhere in the southeastern states. good brick clay is abundant everywhere in the subsoil. an excellent non plastic clay exists along the east slope of chestnut ridge, and lies not far above the great conglomerate. it is manufactured in to brick at lemont, mount braddock, dunbar, and on the youghiogheny river above connellisville. the bricks are decidedly good, and but little, if at all, inferior to the bricks made at mount savage. another nonplastic clay occurs in henry clay and stewart townships, and is the same with the celebrated bolivar fire clay of westmoreland county. no attempts have been made to utilizet his clay here, but in chemical composition it approaches closely to the mount savage clay. iron and iron avorks. there is a tradition that the first discovery of iron ore west of the allegheny mountains was made by john hayden in the winter of. this statement has been so often made in the writings of judge veech and other without contradiction that it has come to be almost universally regarded as entirely authentic. that such is not the case, however, and that iron ore was known to exist in the valley of the youghiogheny at leest nine years before the alleged first discovery by hayden, is proved by an entry found in the first survey book of yohogania county, va. and made a century ago by col. william crawford, then surve yor of the said county. the following is a copy of the entry no. state warrant. benjamin johnston produced a state warrant from the land office for five hundred acres of land, dated the day of may, no. sixty acres thereof he locates on a big spring in the allegany and laurel hills, on the waters of the monongalia and one hundred and fifty acres of s warrant he locates on lands of s hills, where an old deadening and sugar camp was made by mr. chr. harrison, situate on the waters of yohogania, to include a bank of iron ore.the precise location of the tract referred to as including the ore bank is not known, nor is it material. the quotation is giveu above merely to disprove the long accepted statement that the existence of iron ore west of the aueghenies was unknown prior to. the earliest reference to the existence of an iron furnace in fayette county which has been found in any deed, record, or other docuineot is in the minthe above article on the miuenil resources of fajette county is furnishad by prof. j. j. stevenson. yohogania county, as establishad by the virginia legislature in, included all the northern and northeastern part of the present county of fayette, as has been before explaineil. the survey book referred to is still in existence i i a giiod state of preservation, and in possession of boyd crumrine, esq. of washingtou, pa. utes of the june term, of the court of quarter sesions of the county, as follows a view of a road, from the furnace on jacob s creek, to thomas kyle s mill. and the minutes of the march session of mention the petition for a road from jacob s creek iron works, to intersect the road leeding to mr. thomas kyle s mill granted. the furnace referred to in these minutes was the alliance iron works of turnbull, marmie & co. the tract on which the furnace was erected was one of three hundred and one acres, named rocksbury. it is described as situate on jacob s creek, in the county of fayette, and was patented to william turnbull, of ipittsburgh, july, two other tracts, adjoining this, but situated on both sides of jacob screek, in fayette and westmoreland counties, were patented to turnbull at the same time. these tracts were named frankford and springsbury, and contained respectively threehundred and one and two hundred and nineteen acres. a tract of two hundred and twenty three acres called luton, situated in tyrone township, which had been patented to jacob laurie, jan. was sold by the said laurie to william turnbull and peter marmie, oct. turnbull had been a purchasing agent and commissary for the pennsylvania trops during the revolution. after the war he became associated in partnership with col. john holker and peter marmie. they claimed to have purchased the site of fort pitt, and started a mercantile establishment on the point at pittsburgh. marmie managed the business in the west, and turnbull remained most of the time in philadelphia. the extract from the court records, as given above, shows that the furnace on jacob screek was built or in process of erection before turnbull received the patent for the land on which it stood. the alliance furnace was blown in in november, but nothing is known of the business done at that time. on the of january, gen. knox, secretary of war, wrote to maj. isaac craig, commandant of the post at pittsburgh, making his inquiry is it not possible that you could obtain shot for the six pounders from turnbull& marmie s furnace? in another letter, addressed to the same officer fifteendays later, he says, although i have forwarded the shot for the six pounders from carlisle, i am not sorry that you ordered those from turnbull& marmie. let them send their proposals at what rates they will cast shot, shell, cannon, and howitzers, etc. and it is stated on good authority that shot and shell for gen. anthony awayne s expedition against the indians were furnishad by turnbull, marmie & co. from their works on jacob screek. the court reported on a road from turnbulls ironworks by the little falls. in march, a report was made to the court by viewers as follows pursuant to an order of the quarter sessions for september, for fayette county, we, the subscribers therein named, met and viewed the ground it will be noticed that the establishment was variously designated as jacob screek furnace, alliance furnace, alliance ironworks, turnbulls iron works, and col. holker s ironworks. the last name was used when the works were carried on by holker as principal partner with marmie, after between jacob screek furnace and the road leeding the retirement of turnbull. to feterstown and we do agree to return a public i the title to the real estate was in turnbull, who road two perches wide, begining at the county line, on the of february, conveyed to john on the bridge across jacob. screek at alliance furj holker, in consideration of, all that mesnace, etc. in september, there was presented suage, forge, furnace, and tract of land called roxto the court a petition for vacating a road from col. bury, and also the other tracts designated as holker s ironworks to near laurel hill meetingj frankford and sprini sbury. thieir operations ceased, and the fires of the old furnace were finally extinguishad. the alliance iron works with contiguous lands were offered for sale by samuel hughes in an advertisement dated march, but it does not appear that any purchaser was found, and the property was afterwards asigned by col. holker in trust to paca smith, who conveyed it to henry sweitzer, in pursuance of an agreement made jan. the cut correctly represents the apearance of the ruins of the old jacob screek furnace stack at the present time. parts of the ancient walls of the furnace are still standing, though greatly dilapidated, and the walls of the charcoal house in the rear of the furnace remain nearly entire, but gray and mosscovered. the site of the old iron works is on low ground, on the south side of jacob screek, in the present township of perry. the land is now owned by the jacob screek oil company. the old union furnace in dunbar township was built by isaac meason at about the same time that turnbull& marmie erected their furnace on jacob s icreek, but it is conceded by all who have any knowli edge of the facts that the last named was first blown in. mr. edmund c. pechin, who was carefully gathered all obtainable infromation in reference to i the old union furnace, says it was first blown in in march, which gives a precedence of about sixteen months to the furnace of turnbull& marmie. the first mention which has been found of the union furnace is in the records of the court of fayette county for the june term of, when there was presented a petition for a road from union furnace to dickinson s mill. the original furnace was a small establishment, but in mr. meason associated with him john gibson and moses dillon, and this firm styled meason, dillon & co. erected a much larger furnace and foundry on the site of the first one. on the fromation of the partnership, july, meason transferred to dillon and gibson one sixth of six hundred acres of land on both sides of dunbarcreek, which includes the furnace which is now erecting, with the houses and appurtenances, and also one half of two thousand seven hundred acres adjoining, and between it and the youghiogheny river. the establishment of meason, dillon & co. produced large quantities of castings, stoves, pots, dogirons, sugar kettles, salt kettles, and other articles. the following advertisement of their business appears in the pittsburgh gazette of have for sale at their furnace on dunbar s run, fayette county, threemiles from stewart s crossings, an interesting account of some of the operations at the old furnace on. jacob screek will he found embodied in a letter written by peter marmie, which is given in the history of perry township. castings, which they will sell for cash at the reduced price of per ton. union furnace, april, in an extensive order was filled at the union furnace for large sugar ketless, to be used on the plantations of louisiana. after that time the works were continued by different parties for more than fifty years, and finally suspended operations. about the year the property passed in to possesion of i the youghiogheny iron and coal company, of which edmund c. pechin was. president. under his management extensive improvements were made, and the subsequent success of the works has been largely due to his energy. in the company was reorganized as the dunbar iron company, and later as th dunbar furnace company, which now owns and operates the works. this old furnace, situated in spring hill township, j was built by robert and benjamin jones, who were welshmen by birth, and had been interested in the development of mineral lands in their native country. emigrating to america, they became owners of the lands on which they built his furnace, as stated. the precise date of its erection is not known, but its commencement is placed in with a good deal of certainty, for the reason that the assement roll of spring hill township for shows that robert jones was then assesed on four hundred acres of unseated lands, and that the roll of the same township for shows, under the head of fulling mills and furnaces, the name of robert jones asse. ssed on one furnace, valued at. that the works were in operation at least as early as the autumn of the latter year is proved by the following advertisej ment, found in the western t epyrryjac then publishad i at washington, pa. bearing date oct. viz. i springhill furnace, ruble s run, fayette county, pennsylvania, within three miles of the river cheat, i near its confluence with the monongahela. for sale, at said furnace, a good assortment of beautiful castings, allowed by real judges to be some j of the very best ever cast in america, amongst which are stoves and salt kettless of the finest quality. by r. & b. Jones, wells & co. James tucker, of washington county, had a oneeighth interest in the firm, and assumed the management of the works, being a practical iron worker. on the of november, the firm leased the property to jesse evans a son in law of robert jones for three years, for the consideration of twenty tons of assorted iron castings. in march th, robert and benjamin jones, of whitely creek, greene co. entered in to an agreement with jesse evans to convey to him, for the consideration of, the seven eighths part of springhill furnace and everything thereunto belonging, flasks, teams, patterns, and land, containing eight hundred acres also a piece of land joining, formerly part of isaac deal s plantation, containing seven acres, with the remainder of the pigs and stock now on the premises also three hundred acres formerly belonging to william wells. on the of august of the following year evans purchased the one eighth interest owned by james tucker, of washington county, for six tons of assorted castings and two hundred dollars worth of bar iron, at sis cents per pound. Jesse evans operated the iron works until april, when he removed to spring grove farm, where his son, col. hamuel evans, now resides. he died in uniondown, aug. when mr. evans retired from the business of the furnace, in, it was sold to j. kennedy duncan, j and two years later, after several changes, it was purchased by f. h. oliphant, who kept it in successful operation till, when it was sold to the fairchance company, the present owners. during mr. oliphant s occupancy he carried in to effect the idea which had been conceived by him in of utilizing the furnace gases. he had imparted his discovery to an alabama company, who used the hint received from him to some advantage in the construction of their furnace. wlien he reconstructed the spring hill furnace, he made practical his idea by placing the boiler house up on the top of the stack this in a crude manner carried out his idea with considerable advantage. on the of march, robert peoples, of georges township, a miller by trade, conveyed to john hayden, iron master, in partnership with john nicholson, of philadelphia, a tract of land in the said township of georges, containing fifty one acres and twenty four perches, with all buildings, iron works, houses, cabins, etc. the consideration being . the tract was the. same which peoples had purchased a few day before from jonathan reese, who had purchased it feb. from philip jenkins, who patented it from the state may, as to tlie iron works which were mentioned as being then located on the land conveyed by reese to haydeu, it cannot be stated with any certainly by i whom they were built. it is not probable they were built by reese, for he had owned the jimperty only a few days. the previous owner of the land, philip jenkins, might have erected them, but the probability is that they were commenced by john hayden before the property came in to possession of himself and nicholson, and that reese had been employed to purchase the land from jenkins, and then convey it to them, as he did. in the assessment rolls of georges township for that year john hayden was assessed on fiftyone acres of land evidently the same purchased from reese and a bloomery or forge. no assessment on any such establishment is found in the rolls of that township in any preceding year. on the lst of march, john nicholson, of philadelphia state comptroller, and john hayden, of fayette county, entered in to articles of agreement, from which the following is an extract whereas the said hayden represents that there is on the headwaters of georges creek, within said county, a valuable iron mine of sufficient quantity, that there are also streams and seats suitable for u forge and furnace, and whereas it is agreed to have erected for their joint benefit, a forge and furnace on a tract of land which contains four hundred and thirty six acres, having from seventy to eighty acres cleared, and about four hundred fruit trees, etc. it appears that his tract had already been bargained for with its owner, joseph huston then sheriff of fayette county, at three hundred pounds, and by the terms of the agreement between hayden and nicholson the latter was to send that amount of money by hand of albert gallatin to huston to pay for the land. on the same day hayden and nicholson entered in to a further agreement, by the terms of which hayden was to finish the forge or bloomery which, as it hus appears, was not then completed on the reese land, and to build a furnace at such place as might be thought best for the purpose on the larger huston tract, and to complete the same on or before sept. and nicholson, on his part, agreed to lease and did lease to hayden his interest in the forge and furnace at eight hundred pounds per year for the term of seven years, commencing april, the payments to be made semi anually, and not to begin until sept. and if the furnace and forge were completed sooner than that time, then john hayden was to have the use thereof until sept. gratuitously, as well as all the timber and ore he could use up to that date. on the day of jiarch, they entered in to another agreement, in which it is stated that owing to a want of funds the work was lagging, and in order that the work might be prosecuted with newness of vigor, and that a forge might be built, nicholson agreed to advance to hayden twelve hundred pounds, pennsylvania money, in addition to what had already been advanced and expended, and nicholson s agent, jesse evans, was to take this sum of money to hayden. but their financial difficulties still continued, the work was not prosecuted, nicholson became a defaulter, and the partnership between him and hayden failed. on the of may, john hayden, iron master, conveyed to jonathan hayden, of georges township, the fifty one acre tract purchased from robert peoples in the spring of, including the bloomery, cabins, and other buildings. the agreement between nicholson and hayden, made march, was not carried out as to the building of the furnace at the time specified, and indeed none was built at any time under his partnerance april, soon after the purchase pears. ship. in, hayden was still assessed on the erected upon it the furnace known as old redstone, blooniery. on the of march, william i which was operated by him for a year or two after its nixon and wife conveyed to john hayden for the starting, and then rented by mayberry & stevens. consideration of s. d. thirty eight and one on the of december, pears sold the land fourthth acres of land in georges township, for the purand furnace for to joseph huston, who operated pose and convenience of erecting a furnace whereon, it for some years, but he was finally overtaken by finanthis land being a part of a tract named fairfield, cial difficulties, and then the furnace passed to the which was patented to nixon sept. possession of his nephew and clerk, john huston, who on the land which he purchased of nixon, hayden continued to operate it for many years. afterlssgitwas built the fairfield furnace. the date of its erection i carried on by john snyder and john worthington for is placed at, because in that year he was assessed a period of about fifteenyears, since which time it has for ready place forge, old place, mountain been out of blast. the stack remains standing, but land, and furnace land, but no furnace but in i ranch dilapidated, the following year fairfield furnace was included i fairciiance. in his assesment at. at the same time the old in, thomas wynn disposed of his property, ibrge was assessed to him at. near where fairchance furnace now stands, to john hayden conveyed an undivided one fourthth part of j hayden for, payable in three years, anthe furnace tract, with an equal part of the furnace i nually. this tract consisted of two hundred and and all other buildings thereon erected, to stephen eighty acres of mineral lands, and on his tract there hayden, jr. by deed dated dec. and on the was then a flax seed oil mill. the payments as they th of january following he conveyed another un became due were payable in castings at per ton, divided one fourthth part of the same property to john delivered either at fairfield furnace or at richard oliphant, andrew oliphant, and nathaniel breading lewis, mary ann furnace, near haydentown. for. these three gentleman , on the of i on the property sold by wynn to hayden was erected march, purchased another one fourthth interest the fairchance furnace. in the property from neil gillespie, and at the same i on the st of january, john hayden, sr. time purchased still another one fourthth from john gillespie, who had bought it at sherift s sale in, at which time it was sold by sheriff allen on a judgment against john hayden. finally, john and andrew oliphant came in to possession of the entire property, and the furnace was operated by them until sold to james gillespie one half of his real and personal estate, consisting in furnaces, forges, bloomery, mills, lands, and tenements, with nil their january, when their partnership was dissolved chance was purchased by john and andrew oliby mutual consent, john oliphant purchasing the in phant, who carried on the furnace in conection with terest of andrew in the fairfield and fairchance furnaces and sylvan forge at. the fairfield furnace was rented by him to john st. clair and isaiah marshall, who were succceded by william paull, sr. and he in turn by john martin, whose occupancy continued until the furnace was finally blown out and abandoned. it is said by old people that during the oliphants bottomores in place of operation of fairfield furnace they furnished from it tlie blue lump, wliicli had been previously used. a quantity of solid shot, which were shipped on small in he used coke as fuel in the fairchance furcraft down the monongahela, ohio, and mississippi i nace. and a sample of the iron so produced is on rivers, and were used by gen. jackson s artillery in exhibition at the franklin institute, philadelphia. the builder and first proprietor of his old ironworks was jeremiah pears, who purchased the parcel of land including its site from moses hopwood. it was a tract containing twenty acres and thirteen perches, situated on the waters of redstone creek, in union now south union township, and a part of the original survey named suttonia. the consideration paid was los. and the date of the conveyin during the same year he introduced the warm blast, which had previously been used in europe, but mr. oliphant knew nothing of its having been used anywhere previous to his introducing it. it requires from to of heat for the blast, and his furnace was not arranged so as to generate such a great heat, consequently his efforts were not entirely satisfactory. the hot air for his blast was driven through about one hundred and fifty feet of pipe, leeding from the rolling mill to the stack. in, f. h. oliphant bought fairchance furn. ace from his father, who was comiielled to sell it on acount of his indebtedness. about, f. h. oliphant liad erected a rolling mill at fairchance. this mill had threepuddling furnaces and complete machinery for making bar and boiler iron. it remained in operation until about, at which time mr. oliphant sold out to a kew york company, under the style and title of fairchance iron company, who own it at the present time. the capacity of the furnace had been increased to ten tons per day by oliphant, and that capacity has been doubled by the fairchance company. the land emlir. acing the site of his furnace, located on shute s run, in north union township, was patented to thompson mckean, john smart, and william paull, jan. the furnace was built son afterwards by mr. mckean, and by him kept in operation for many years. about it passed in to possession of joseph wiley. some three years later, eleazer robin. son became a partner in the business. in, mr. wiley removed to the west, and the business of the iron works was continued by robinson for a year or two and then closed. the property afterwards passed to the possession of levi springer, and is now owned by his heirs. the furnace was a small one, with a blast driven by water power. the ores used were of the umbral group, and obtained by benching. excavations from which the ore was obtained are found, extending along the outcrop for miles from the furnace. the procuring of ore in his manner was necessarily e. xpensive, and the cost of its reduction must have been correspondingly light to justifjit. the location of his old furnace was on laurel run, in dunbar township, nearly opposite the eastern base of the chestnut ridge. it was built by joshua gibson and samuel paxson, about, and two or three years later before it passed to the possession of reuben mochabee and samuel wurtz. in, john ferrel, the manager of the furnace under these proprietors, advertised for sale assorted castings, neat, light, and tough, at per ton, also bar iron. the hampton forge was built by mochabee & wurtz, for the purpose of working the product of the furnace. col. james paull and his sons erected the new laurel furnace, a short distance below the site of the old laurel, on the same run. it was kept in blast by them until, when it passed to kaine, vance & miller, under whom it was operated till, when it was finally blown out. in the records of the court of quarter sessions for june term, mention is made of a petition for a road in wharton township, to pass where a. stewart is building a furnace. the person referred to was the hon. andrew stewart, who built his furnace in the year named. its site was a short distance from the national, road. the furnace was managed by alfred stewart for a number of years from its completion. afterwards it was successively operated by edward hughes and j. kennedy duncan. in. d. s. stewart assumed the management, and ran it about four years. it was blown out in, and remained in disuse until, when it was leased by worthington & snyder, who were succceded by d. w. woods & lukens, of mckeesport. after a few years it was blown out, and remained idle till, when it was leased by e. c. pechin, c. e. swearingen, maurice healey, and other. after being in blast for about one year under his proprietorship it was leasedto george w. Paull. two years later it was blown out and dismantled. this furnace, located near haydentown, was built about the year, by martin & lewis. in the property was owned by capt. james robinson. in it was purchased by joseph victor, who rebuilt it and changed its name to fairview. it was blown out and abandoned about. the mount vernon furnace, situated on the headwaters of mountscreek, in bullskin township, on the road to lobengier s mills, was built by isaac meason. the date of its erection is not ascertained, but an advertisement in one of the papers of that time shows that it was in operation in july, an inscription on a stone in the furnace stack shows that it was rebuilt in. it was sold by meason to david barnes and d. b. long, by whom it was operated for about two years. its final blowing out was in. the property now belongs to george e. hogg. on arnold s run later called furnace run, near its mouth, in franklin township, was the site of his old iron works. a forge was built at his place as early as, by nathaniel gibson, who not long afterwards built the furnace. it was a small affair, and did not prove financially successful. the property passed to f. h. oliphant, who repaired and somewhat enlarged it, and named it the franklin ironworks, which were operated by him for a few vears and then abandoned. this furnace was located on salt lickcreek now indiancreek, in the present township of springfield. it was built in by jackson & gibson, the masonry work being done by james taylor. in it was owned and operated by trevor & slater. afterwards it became the property of col. james paull, and still later was in the possession of steele and doughty, who were the last to operate it. it was blown out and discontinued in. thomas and joseph gibson erected the etna furnace in, on trump s run, about one mile above the borough of connellsville, and one third of a mile from the youghiogheny river. it remained in blast for a quarter of a century, and was finally blown out in. near the western base of the laurel ridge, in the present township of springfield, on the north fork of indiancreek, was the site on which james rogers, linton, and miller built the fayette furnace in. joseph and george rogers were its latter owners, and it was kept in blast till or, when it was abandoned. the last furnace that fidelio h.oliphant was ever connected with was the one that is know as the oliphant furnace, situated about four miles south of uniontown, on the southwest pennsyhiania railroad. this was built by him after he had disposed of his fairchance and spring hill furnaces to eastern puri chasers. he operated the new furnace for a number of years, but the enterprise proved disastrous, and his son, duncan oliphant, together with his sons, took the furnace and managed it until recently, when it was sold to james husted, a. b. de saulles, robert hogsett, william beeson, a. w. bliss, and george c. marshall, who are at present carrying on the business. the old forge to which this name was given, was built prior to by thomas lewis, on land purchased or contracted from philip jenkins, located in i a mountain gorge on pine grove run, about four miles from sraithfield and two miles from woodbridge town, in georges township. on the of april, lewis mortgaged to meshack davis that part of his property on which a forge had been erected. the various business operations of thomas lewis led him in to serious financial embarrassments, which resulted in his failure in, and on the of november, the forge property, with six hundred acres of land, was sold by the sheriff to isaac sutton. the forge was at that time regarded as of very little value, and its fires were not rekindled. mr.joseph hickle, of georges township, was told by old mr. jacob searing many years ago that he searing had been employed in diging ore for lewis forge during the time of its operation, and that the ore was carried in sacks on the backs of horses from the places where it was dug to the forge. it was, he said, of the kind known as red short, and especially well adapted to the making of bar iron. a white sandstone was used for lining the furnace. he also related that when lewis failed, there was on hand at the forge about twenty tons of bar? Iron, worth at that time fully per ton, and that during the night before the day on which the sheriff came to levy on the property his iron was carried away from the forge and secretly buried in the sand at the head of a little hollow not far distant to save it from seizure. the story, whether true or not, began to be circulated a few years later, and was so such credited by many that search has frequently been made to find the hidden iron, but without success. at the site of the old forge there are still standing the ruins of threestacks, but it is not probable that all of them were ever in use. mr. lewis at the time of his failure had commenced the erection of a furnace near the forge, and there is little doubt that one or more of the three stacks belonged to the projected furnace. this furnace, which commenced operations in, is located in north union, and is more fully mentioned in the history of that township. john gibson, of fayette county, and thomas astley, of philadelphia, were the original proprietors of his forge. the year in which they erected it canot be given with certainty, but there appears in the pittsburgh oazette of an advertisement, dated june in that year, of the yough forge, situate near connellsville, fayette co. it v. as run for many years by the original owners, and afterwards by thomas, joseph, joshua, and james gibson sons of john, who operated it until, when they ceased work, and the forge was dismantled. its site is occupied by a mill built by boyd & davidson in. there is little it any doubt that the first rollingmill in fayette county was the one erected and put in operation by jeremiah pears at plumsock, in man allen township. its location was on a tract of laud surveyed to him by levi stephens an assistant of the surve yor, alexander mcleen, may, the name given to the tract by pears was maiden s fishery, but this was changed at the land office to the name prophetic, and the patent was issued under that name to pears on the of november, on this tract mr. pears had erected a forge prior to, as is shown by the fact that the court record of june in tliat year mentions the presentation of a petition for the hiving out of a road by away of pears forge to redstone ford, beside the forge, mr. pears had erected on his tract a saw mill and grist mill, and afterwards built a slitting mill and the rolling mill above referred to. the latter was erected in or immediately after the year. by his operations here and at the redstone furnace of which latter he was the builder and first owner, as was been mentioned pears became involved in pecuniary difficulties, and in september, a judgment was obtained against him, to satisfy which james allen, sli. iitr. f fnvtt. c. mnty, sold, on the of decemlki, l ii, prars i rnphitir tract to george dorsey, mniioiiualiu county, va. for the sum of, the tract being described in the sherifl s deed as being in the townships of man allen and franklin, in fayette county, and containing one hundred and twelve acres, whereon are erected a forge, slittingand rolling mill, grist mill. mlie land, forge, sliitiii and rolling mills as before. two years later i feb. bsium the same property was conveyed, with ther lands adjoining, to thomas meason and daniel keller, for the consideration of s, embracing the forge, slittingand colling mill, and gristand saw mills erected on prophetic at the april term of. ouit in iaeson & co. obtained a judgment lor s ainst daniel keller, and morris morris, then h. rilt. f fayette county, being directed to recover on tlir judgment, made his return i seized ami took in execution a certain tract or parcel of land, situate, ivin, an. l bring in meuall. n and franklin lownsliij. s, in the county of fayl tte atoresaid, containing one hundred and twelve acres and allowanee for roads, etc. for which a patent was granted to jerennah pearse, dated november, and therein called prophetic, on which is erected a forge, rollingand slilling. mills, rist nil, aw mills, and other valual. lr l. uildings. the property so. eized was sold by the sherilf for syioo to col. isaac. leason, nov. it is stated that at this establishment, under the proprietorslii. ot col. mrason, was clone the fir. st pudling and rolling of l. ar iron we t of il, alleghenies and the rirrunistancrs which l. Rou lit al. out that result are related liy samuel c. lewis. of kdche. ster, pa, as follows thomas c. lewis father of the narrator, a welshman, who had worked in rolling mills in wales and was familiar with the proo. ss, of. uddling and rolling bars, left his nati e roimiry in. inly, and came to amerira, lamling in now york he visited several iron manufacturers in the east, and made strong efforts to induce them to erect mills for rolling bar iron. this he urged with many leeding irou man in new jersey and eastern pennsylvania, but his propositions were everywhere opposed, and rejected as visionary and impracticable, if not impossible. the narration procceds he then traveled westward until he got to connellisville, fayette co. there he met mr. isaac meason, sr. f dunbar furnace, to who he made known his object and business. mr. meason immediately saw the feasibility of the enterprise, and entered in to an agreement with him at a certain salary for three years, and if the mill was a succe. ss, he was then to be taken in to partnership and have one third of the profits. the place selected for the mill was at upper middletown, then better known as plumsock, on redstone creek, about midaway betweenbrownsville and connellisville, as mr. meason already had some forges there. the erecting of that mill was attended with a great deal of difficulty, as patternmakers and moulders were not very plenty, so that a great deal of his work fell on mr. lewis, who made nearly all the paterns. taking everything in to consideration, the mill was completed in a very short time, having been commenced some time in, and started about september, his brother came over when the work was prety well on, and as he was also a first rate mechanic, helped the work on very much . an incident is given here, as showing the opposition he met with in the erection of this mill. two iron masters from lancaster county, by the names of hughes and boyer, rode all the away on horseback, nearly two hundred miles, went to mr. meason, and tried to convince him that it was impossible to roll iron in to bars. mr. meason told them to go and talk to mr. lewis about it, which they did, and told him it was a shame for him to impose on mr. ileason, as it might ruin the old gentleman. mr. lewis replied to mr. hughes, you know you can eat? why, yes, he knew tha, t. well, how do you know it? he could not give a reason why, but he knew he could eat. well, says mr. lewis, i will tell you how you know it, you have done it before and that is why i know i can roll bar iron. i have done it befirc very well, said mr. hughes, go ahead, and when you are ready to start let us know, and we will come and see the failure. according to promise they did come on, but left perfectly satisfied of its success. the persons engaged in starting the works were thomas c. lewis, engineer george lewis, roller and turner sam. lewis, heater james lewis, catcher. henry lewis was clerk in the office. they were all brother. james pratt worked the refinery, and david adams worked the puddlingfurnace. it is not ascertained how long this first pudlingand rolling mill continued in operation, nor when its fires were finally extinguished. no vestiges of it are now remaining. a rolling mill but not including a pudling furnace, as in the case of col. meason s establishment was built and put in operation by john gibson about the year. on the right bank of the youghiogheny below connellsville. provance mccormick, esq. of connellsville, recollects his old mill as earlyas c. up on the death of john gibson it passed to his heirs, and was operated by thomas gibson for several years, after which it want in to disuse. the tract of land on which this mill stood was sold by daniel eogers as administrator, and is now owned by the pittsburgh and connellsville kailroad company, the building and loan association of connellsville, and the john ston heirs. coal mixing and coke manufacture. the earliest recorded mention of the use of coal in the region west of the allegheny mountains is found in the journal kept by col. james burd, when, in the fall of. he was in command of a detachment of two hundred of the king s trops, engaged in opening a road from braddock s old road at gist s plantation now mount braddock to the monongahela river at the mouth of dunlap screek, where it was proposed to erect a fort, and where he did erect such a work immediately afterwards. having procceded from gist s towards the monongahela to a point about fourth and a half miles from the river, he encamped there on the evening of the st of september, and on the following day moved on westward, and made in his j journal this entry, viz. the camp moved two miles to coal run. this run is entirely paved in the bottom with fine stone coal, and the hill on the south of it is a rock of the finest coal i ever saw. i burned about a bushel of it on my fire. the language of the journal shows clearly that he was not unacquainted with the use of coal, and it is an accepted fact that coal was mined east of the alleghenies, in virginia, as early as the year. but there was no mining of coal west of the mountains until, when the pens, who had been permitted under the divesting act of to retain their proprietary interest in certain large tracts of land in the state, sold rights to mine coal in the vicinity of pittsburgh. this was the first coal mining done on the waters of the ohio. since that time the busines wass on the of november, the legislature of pennsylvania passed an act for vesting the estates of the late pi uprietaries in this commonwealth. by the terms of this act the st ttp i. u i tip r. fuo. ooo in annual payments of flom, to i, est, heginning at the close of the revolutionary v i, proprietarie i their private and manor property, win. h lm ii ii, princely fortune. incraesed steadily and rapidly, and untold millions of tons of coal, mined along the monongahela and youghiogheny, have been boated down the great rivers of the southwest to supply the country from ohio to louisiana but by far the greater part of his vast amount has been mined at points north of the northern limits of fayette countj, operations being of course commenced along the lower and more accessible portions of the rivers, and working slowly up the streams as the navigation is improved or the lower supplies become exhausted, which latter condition is very far from being brought about yet, and will remain so for years to come. the coal operations on the blonongahela will be found in washington, uniontown, brownsville, and others towns on the route, and at stated points between the villages where these were distant from each other. then there were houses which did scarcely any business other than tlie selling of whisky to thirsty wayfarers. and there were along the route numerous taverns wdiich made no specialty, other than to give fair and decent entertainment for man and beast. tliese had no patronage either from the stage passengers or wagoners upon the road. the hitter with the drovers always clustered together at houses having capacious wagon yards, and kept especially for that class of customers. the number of public houses of all kinds which the national road brought in to existence was fully equal to one for each two miles of its entire length from cumberland to the ohio. it was said that in the mountain portion of the route the average was one to every mile, but in the part west of the laurel hill they were less frequent. the keepers of these houses, like the wagoners and the drivers of stages, and, in fact, like the greater part of the people living along the route, looked upon the cumberland road as being among the chiefest of earthly blessings, and would have regarded with affright the idea that it would ever be abandoned or superseded buy, other avenues and modes of travel. it was a general belief that the substantially built national road, with its firm foundation of packed stone, would remain smooth and serviceable for at least a quarter of a century, while some thought if would last for double that length of time, but the result proved the fallacy of his belief. in five years from the time of its opening the ceaseless beating of hoofs and the never ending roll and crunch of heavy wheels had worn out its solid bed, so that in many places it was almost impassable. this was particularly the case in the vicinity of the monongahela river, and also in the mountain region of the route, where much of the roadbed had been formed of soft sandstone. an appropriation was made by congress, and extensive repairs were made on the road, putting the worst parts of it in good condition. but it was of short duration. from that time frequent appropriations were called for, and continually repairs on the road were necessary. it became evident that the road would be a perpetual and ever increasing expense to the united states, without producing any income to pay for repairs. it had been built for the purpose of satisfying ohio and the west generally, and thus preventing that section from fostering projects of secession from the union. but that danger was now past, and the national road had become a heavy burden upon the government. in, gen. jackson was inaugurated i in february of it was cstiiuated ihiit tlie sum of, would be sufficient to repair tlie whole road on llie mcadani plan, and in may, a period of sixteen months, the superstratum or cover of reduced stone had been worn and washed away to an extent almost incredible, and proved that too great a reliance was placed upon the biyer of large stone, as there were not many of them of as good a quality as was first supposed. to have effected the repair in, as was contemplated in, would have required an additional sum of, making j, necessary to repsiir the road up on the best information to be obtained at that period. tlie utter destruction of the road was foreseen at that time unles measures were taken to repair it thoroughly, it being then in a most wretched condition. flejjort of richard ik l firut, capldn v. s. eiinhf ers, liid l,,f, n omitresl in decauher, the democratic party became the rule of public policy. the states rights doctrine of that party demanded the transfer of the national road from the general govi ernment to the states through which its route was laid. it was proposed that the road from cumberland to wheelingbesurrenderedto the states of pennsylvania, i maryland, and virginia. the people of the sections contiguous to the road were in dread that the united i states would a bandon the making of repairs and i suffer the road to fall into disuse, but if turned over i to the states its continuance and preservation would be assured, because, while the united states could not crect toll gates and collect tolls upon the road, the i states loould have the power to do so, and thus secure a revenue from the road, to keep it in preservation and repair. Pennsylvania, maryland, and virginia, would accept the road from the united states on certain conditions, among which was this, that congress should first make an appropriation sufficient in amount to put it in good condition by, macadamizing the roadi way in nearly its entire length, irom cumberland to the ohio. i in. the assembly of pennsylvania passed an i act for the preservation and repair of the cumberland i road, approved april in that year, reciting in its preamble that whereas, that part of the cumberland road lying within the state of pennsylvania is in many parts in bad condition for want of repairs, and as doubts have been entertained whether the united states have authority to crect toll gates on said road and collect toll, and as a large proportion of the people of this commonwealth are interested in said road and its constant continuance and preservation wherefore it proceeded to declare and enact that as soon as the consent of the government of the united states shall have been obtained, as hereinafter provided, william f. coplan, david downer, of fayette county, stephen hill, benjamin anderson, of washington county, and thomas endsley, of smithfield, somerset cn. Shall be and they are hereby appointtmj miiiiiiiioiiers. to build tollhouses and fri. ri i l iic at suitable distances on so much of the cuuibcrlaud luad as lies within the state of pennsylvania. that this act shall not have any force or effect until the congress of the united states shall assent to the same, and until so much of the said road as passes through the state of pennsylvania be first put in a good state of repair, and appropriation made by congress for erecting toll houses and toll gates thereon, to be expended under the authority of the commissioners appointed by this act. acts similar to this in effect, with regard to the acceptance of the national road, were passed by the legislatures of maryland and virginia, respectively on the d of january and of february, these acts of pennsylvania, maryland, and virginia caused a decision by the government in july, to repair the road etfectnally from end to end, and then to. cede it to the three states, after which the repairs were to be met by the tolls collected upon it. the system adopted, said capt. richard delafield, the engineer who had charge of the work of repair, was that extensively used in england, and known by the name of its inventor, mcadam. the condition of the road at this period made very extensive repairs necessary, commencing from the grade, there being neither side drains, ditches, nor culverts for draining the water, presenting no better condition for the basis of repairs on the mcadam system than what is called a rough grade, with the large bridges. rather than make a partial repair by distributing the sum appropriated over the whole line of one hundred and thirty two miles, the parts through the mountains, being in the worst condition, and from the face of the country most difficult to travel, were first commanced. the supposition of finding good stone in the bed of the road wherewith to make macadamized metal proved fallacious not a perch was found through the whole mountain district, the bed being composed of soft san ntnno. tlii when lirnkcn to four ounce pieces and vned fir a covering is in the course of three months reduced to sand and washed away by the heavy rains from the road in to the ditches and drains, making it worse than useless to depend upon any of the varieties of sandstone. under these circumstances but one course was left, and that was to procure the only suitable material the country iroduced, limestone. the natural position of this stiine is under the sandstone, and found only in the lowest valleys, often in the beds of creeks covered with several feet of earth, and distant from the line of the mad. through the mountain it is found in few positions. the expense of repairing the road with a good material, and the only one of this character found in the country, is for greater than anticipated before these facts were known. another heavy item in the expense of repair is the condition of the masonry this having been exposed for a long time to the weather without coping to throw off the rain and snow, is in a dilapidated condition, requiring a considerable portion to be renewed. under these eirrumslanees the cost of putting the road in such a enndiliuii as will justify toll being exacted is so f ir l. cyonil tliat at first anticipated as to make it proper to draw the partienlur attention of congress to the estimate for the year, li. iscd npon the facts herein stated. it will lie perreived that the sum asked for the serviee of tinyear is to finish all that part lying between unilierland and the monongahela river and the virginia line, and to finish the sixteen miles in virginia, making the sum required to repair the whole road on the mcadam plan not less than i, io, of which the resources of that region of country will mlvantageously admit of, being expended durin. the year. the above is fmni a t. delaficld s report, submitted in december, s. liavinreference to the general repairs of the cumberland road, commenced in. and continued, under his supervision assisted by capt. afterwards general george w. cass, to the of september, the further appropriation which he recommends for the service of the year has reference to. congress took favorable action on the recommendation of the engineer, and made the required appropriation by an act passed in june of that year. the parts of that act relative to the appropriation for repairs on the national road in pennsylvania, maryland, and virginia, and to the cession of the road to those states when the proposed repairs should be completed, are here given, viz. section. that for the entire completion of repairs of the cumberland road east of the ohio river, and other neclful improvements on said road, to carry in to ettect the provisions of an act of the general assembly of pennsylvania, eniitled an act for the preservation of the cumberland road, passed the fourth day of april, and of an act of the general assembly of the state of maryland, entitled an act for the preservation and repair of that part of the united states road within the limitsof the state of maryland, passed the d day of january, s, also an act of the general. ssenibly of virginia, entitled an act concerning the cumberland road, passed february the ih, s, the sum of three hundred thousand dollars be and the same is hereby appropriated, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be expended under the direction of the secretary of war, the money to be drawn out of the treasury in such sums and at such times a m, ay be required for the performance of the work. sectiu. v. that as soon as the sum by this act appropriated, or so much thereof as is necessary, shall be expended in the repair of said road, agreeably to the provisions of this act, the s. ame sh. all be surrendered to the states respectively through which said road passes, and the united states shall not thereafter be subject to any expense for repairing said road. capt. delafield, in his report, or, as it is termed, memoir on the progress of the repairs of the cumberland road east of the ohio to the of septembersays that the nature and progress of the operations of were continued to december of that year, when, the available means being absorbed, a cessation was put to the work, and all the stock and tools collected at points on the road favorable for renewing the work in the spring of. he continues that the spring proved very unfavorable, that the road was found to have been badly washed and damaged during the winter, that it had been hoped means would have bean available to recommence work with the opening of the season, but that, being disappointed in this particular, it became indispensable to dispose of all the stock and every article of property that would command cash or materials, and apply the limited means thus raised to the drainage of the road that it was not until july of that funds were made available for continuing the repairs, but that by about the middle of august most of the contractors had commanced thier operations, and that at the date of the report the repair on the whole line of the road was in active progress, that quarries of good limestone, before unlcnown, had been j discovered, that the crops of the farmer were above mediocrity, laborers were more numeroua than usual, owing to completion of parts of the chesapeake and ohio canal and baltimore and ohio railroad, and, finally, that with the means now available the work on the road will in all probability be brought to a close the bridges on the new location excepted by the date fixed in the contracts, the st of december. j the work, however, was not completed at the specified time. the division extending from a point five miles east of the borough of washington westward to the virginia line still lacked its macadamized j covering, and was not finished until late in the folj i lowing year but as all the work east of this division j had been done, and as this western part was then under contract for completion without delay, it was i considered that the united states government, by j the passage of the act of congress of jhne, and i by providing for the thorough repair of the cumberland road in its entire length east of the ohio river, nearly all of which had already been actualiy accomplished, had complied with all the conditions imposed by the states of pennsylvania, maryland, and virginia in thier acts of and. all that remained then to be done to complete the transfer of the road by the general government was its formal acceptance by the states, and this was done on the part of pennsylvania by the passage by the general assembly of an act for the preservation and re pair of the cumberland road, approved april, j, the third section of which act provided and dei clared that the surrender by the united states of so much of the cumberland road as lies within the i state of pennsylvania is hereby accepted by this state, and the commissioners to be appointed under this act are authorized to erect toll gates, on the whole or any part of said road, at such time as they may deem it expedient and proper to do so. the two commissioners appointed by the governor under this act proceeded, in, to erect toll gates, as provided, and the collection of toll on the great road was commanced immediately. this had the effect to clear the road almost entirely except in the mountain districts of the route of the immense droves, of horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs which had passed over it while it was a free tiiorough fare. but through the mountains there was no other route, and so the drovers were compelled to use that part of the road, and pay the tolls. the new system also brought into use upon this road very heavily built wagons, with wheels nine inches broad, drawn by six, and sometimes by eight, horses. wagons having wheels of this breadth of rim, and carrying loads not exceeding five tons weight each, were allowed to pass on a much tron g. ites were first erecteil, but most of tliese were displaced many ars ago by wooden ones. the mile posts along the line of the road re also of iron, and many of tliese are still standing. les proportionate rate of toll than was charged for narrow wheeled wagons, which were far more destructive to the road bed. it was this discrimination which brought the broad wheels in to extensive use on the cumberland road. i have frequently seen, says a former resident on the line of the cumberland road, from forty to fifty great concstoga six horse teams, carrying from five to six tons each, picketed around over night at one of the roadside taverns in the yards and on the commons, and all the other taverns about equaliy full at the same time. there were often two man with a team, who carried thier own bedding, but all these man and horses had to be fed and cared for. scarcely a day passed that did not see the main streets of the principal towns on the route crowded from end to end with these immense wagons, each of which had about one half the carrying capacity of a modern railway car. on the road between the towns they passed in almost continuous procession. there was, as early as, an adams express running over the line of the cumberland road, being started in the fall of that year by alvin adams founder of the now omnipresent adams express company, green, of baltimore, and maltby & holt, oyster dealers of the same city. it was first known along the road as the oyster line, being started with a main purpose of suplying the west with fresh oysters from baltimore during the fall and winter of. soon afterwards it became a regular express, not only continuing the oyster traflic, but carrying packages, and prosecuting a business similar to that of the express lines of the present day. they ran express wagons, each drawn by four horses, and having relays of teams at stations ten or twelve miles apart, and the business was continued in this away on the road until the opening of the pennsylvania railroad. in a war with france was imminent, and the government at washington, remembering the sympathy of louisiana and new orleans with france as the mother country, with a lingering dread of a western and alien combination, resolved to quicken the mail service in that direction. proposals were advertised for to carry a light express mail pouch, carrying short printed slips like telegrams, drafts, and paper money, on horschaik thmu h daily each way on the national road ircni wasliiiiirton to st. louis, and also from dayton, hiii, to new orleans, at the net speed of ten miles an lour, and stoping only at principal oflsces. it was laid off in sections, and all the sections were taken for a term of three years. the section over the mountain from cumberland to ltniontown. pa. was awarded to me at five thousand dollars a year. i associated with me my father in law, william morris, of monroe, and we performed the work very successfully in and, when the i war emergency was passed, and the service was discontinued, the government paying us eight hundred iiid thirty three dollars extra for leave to quit. it re, iired a relay of nine horses on the road at once, and three boy riders. one boy left cumberland at two o clock in the morning, winter and summer, who rode three successive horses seven miles each, and so with the other two boys, performing the sixty three miles in six hours and eighteen minutes. going east they l left uniontown daily at one o clock p. m. and rode the same horses back, and there was no office on this route where the mail was opened. at that time this express was the fastest overland mail in america, and it excited as much public interest as the arrival of a railroad train does now in a new town. after the withdrawal of this express mail line of mounted messengers there were put upon the road a number of light mail carriages to carry a through mail on fast time, making as few stops as possible. tliese formed what was known along the road as the monkey box line. each carriage was furnished with a secure box for the mail, sometimes in the front and sometimes in the rear end, which was balanced by the weight of three passengers none beyond that number being allowed to be taken, who paid an extra rate of fare in consideration of the faster time made, and the more comfortable accommodations aflbrded by the monkey box than by the regular mail coach lines. the passenger traffic over the route was ininiense and constantly on the increase until the businos if the road received the death blow by the opening of railroads across the aueghenies. the stage lines running when the road was surrendered to the states were those of stockton & co. lucius w. stockton, of uniontown, daniel moore, of washington. i n. and others and j. e. eeeside, of lancaster. the mails were carried by stockton & co. Who in t secured the coutiact fir four years to carry the great avestern mail over this road to wheeling, at the speed of four miles per hour, receiving for the service, per year. there was for a time intense rivalry between reeside s june bug line and the people s line of stockton & co. the competition became so spirited that passengers were carried by both lines at rates that were merely nominal. this was continued for a considerable time, and until both parties became nearly exhausted, when there came a cessation of hostilities, a return to the old prices, and a reorganization of the stage lines, the reeside line becoming the good intent in the proprietorship of william wurt, william still, alpheus shriver, and others, and the other the national road line, by daniel moore, l. w. stockton, j. c. acheson, and howard kennedy. the former prices were re established and amity restored, as far as the proprietors of the two lines were concerned, both occupying the same offices at the two ends of the route. but at the towns and stations along the road the passengers by the two lines still dined and supped at different and rival hotels, and the old feeling of animosity was kept alive between the drivers and other subordinate adherents of the good intent and national road companies. upon the completion of the baltimore and ohio railroad as far west as cumberland in, the business of the national road, great as it had previously been, was very largely increased on account of the easy eastern connection thus formed. during the succeeding period of eight years it was frequently the case that twenty five stages, each containing its full complement of nine inside and a number of outside passengers, pulled out at the same time from wheeling, and the same was true of the eastern terminus at cumberland. as many as sixteen coaches, fully laden with passengers, were sometimes seen in close and continuous procession crossing the monongahela bridge between west brownsville and bridgeport. the lines ran daily each way, and it was sometimes the case that thirty stages, all fully loaded witli passengers, stoped at one hotel in a single day. the monongahela navigation company completed its slack water improvements to brownsville in, and from that time, during the season of navigation in i irh year, a large proportion of the passengers coming liy tage westward from cumberland left the road at tlie monongahela and took passage by steemboat down the river from brownsville. in the year the stage lines on the national road carried over eighteen thousand passengers to and from the monongahela river steamboats, and the number so carried had been considerably larger than this in each of the i three preceding years. but the glory of the great thoroughfare was then nearing its final eclipse. another year of prosperity succeeded, but from the opening of the pennsylvania railroad to pittsburgh in, and the completion of the baltimore and ohio line to wheeling in december of the same year, the business of the cumberland road suddenly and rapidly declined travelers to and from the west were diverted to tlie new routes and easier mode of conveyance, and extra passenger coaches were no longer needed finally, the western mails were sent by the other routes, and the stages were withdrawn from this, the rumble of the broad wheeled freight wagons was gradually silenced along the rock laid road bed, and by rapid degrees the famous national highway lost its importance and became, as it is to day, merely an avenue of local travel. the only navigable waters of fayette county are the monongahela and youghiogheny rivers, and, in iiict, the latter stream can hardly be regarded as navigable, or capable of being made so to any useful extent. both these streams were made highways on the of april, at which date the assembly of pennsylvania enacted that the said rivers, so far up as they or either of them have been or can be made navigable for rafts, boats, and canoes, and within the bounds and limits of this state, shall be, and they are hereby declared to be, public highways. at the time when this was done there was in progress an immense emigration to kentucky and other southwestern regions bordering the ohio, and as a consequence the channel of the monongahela might almost have been said to be crowded with kentucky boats, keel boats, flat boats, and a multitude of every species of river craft, laden with the families, household efi ects, and merchandise of the emigrants who embarked principally at brownsville, and with produce from various points, all bound for the lower river. this kind of travel and transportation was kept up and increased for many years, until the days of steamboating commenced, but it was constantly liable to interruption and total suspension for months at a time in the summer and autumn seasons when the river was low and without the artificial means of raising the water to a navigable stage by locks and dams. in the assembly passed an act approved march th which provided that the governor be and he is hereby authorized to appoint three competent and disinterested persons, citizens of this commonwealth, one of whom shall be a practical surveyor, to view and examine the river monongahela from the junction of said river with the allegheny river to the point where the southern boundary of this state crosses said river whose duty it shall be to repair to the borough of pittsburgh, and to view and examine the aforesaid river from the point hereinbefore designated at the borough of pittsburgh to the point in the southern boundary aforesaid, and take the courses and distances of the several meanders of the said river between the points aforesaid, and also an accurate observation and admeasurement of the distances between the different ripples, and the elevation in feet and parts of a foot of the said ripples progressively above the horizon of pittsburgh, and that the commissioners shall, as soon as may be, after they shall have made the view and examination as aforesaid, present to the governor at the next sitting of the legislature an accurate plan of the same, with its several courses and distances, accompanied with a written report of thier proceedings, describing the distances between and elevations of the difterent ripples also the number of dams already made, and the most suitable places for constructing other dams, locks, works, or devices necessary to be made to render said river navigable through the whole distance and shall make, according to the best of their knowledge and judgment, an estimate of the probable expense necessary for the purposes aforesaid. the survey and examination of the river was not made as contemplated by this act, and on the of march, another act was passed reviving that of, and continuing it, with all its provisions, in force for the term of three years from the passage of the last act. under this authority commissioners were appointed, who made an examination of the monongahela, but nothing resulted from it in the way of improvement of the navigation of the river by the state. in the assembly passed an act approved march of that year to authorize the governor to incorporate a company to make a lock navigation on the river monongahela, to bear the name and style of the president, managers, and company of the monongahela navigation company. the act appointed andrew linn, esq. and hugh ford, of freeport james tomlinson, elisha hunt, george dawson, william hogg, jacob bowman, basil brashear, joseph thornton, and israel miller, of brownsville james w. nicholson and thomas williams, esq. of new geneva all the above of fayette county charles bollman, joel butler, and james p. stewart, of williamsport now monongahela city henry p. pearson and joseph alexander, of fredericktown, in the county of washington, with seven gentlemen of allegheny county and two of greene county, to be commissioners to open books for subscriptions to t lie stock of the company at pittsburgh and other jxiiiils. huiii the river. the capital stock of the company v is i, lie seventy eight thousand dollars, in two thousand six hundred shares of thirty dollars each. as soon as five hundred shares should be subscribed the governor was directed to issue the charter of the company, and it was enacted that as soon as a company shall have been incorporated by the governor to make a lock navigation on the monongahela river, he is hereby authorized and required to subscribe in behalf of this commonwealth for one thousand shares of the stock of said company at thirty dollars for each share, to be paid upon warrants drawn by the governor on the state treasurer in favor of the president and managers of said company. j by the terms of the act of incorporation, the com lany was rei uired, in making their improvements on j the river, t j erect at bogg s ripple a dam of the height three feet six inches at braddock s lower ri jple, a dam of the height of three i erl six inches at braddock s upper ripple, a dam of the height of three feet six inches at peter s creek ripple, a dam of the lieight of tour feet two inches at baldwin s ripi le, a dam f the height of four feet three inches at frye s ripple, a dam of the heiglit of three feet ten inches at forsyth s ripple a dam of ih. lieight of three feet eight inches at lirownsville ripple, a dam of the height of four feet six inches at smith s ripple, a dam of the lieight of four i eet eight and a half inches at heaton s ripple, a dam of the height of four feet five inches at muddy creek ripple, a dam of the height of four feet five inches at gilmore s rii ple, a dam of the height of three feet ten inches at little whitely ripple, a dam of the height of four feet four inches at geneva ripple, a dam of the height of three feet four inches at dunkard ripple, a dam of the ii. ight of three feet six inches and at cheat kiver ripple, a dam ol the li, ight ol three feet three inches, with the privilege of raising any or all the dams not to exceed six inches above the specified height, if it should be found necessary to do so. the company were empowered to from, make, crect, and set up any dams, locks, or any other device whatsoever which they shall think most fit and convenient to make a complete slack water navigation bi twecn the points aforesaid pittsburgh and the state linei, so as to admit a safe and easy i assagifor loailed barges, boats, and other crafts up, as well as down, said river and to use the water owcr created by their dams for the propulsion of machinery, or to sell or lease such water power, but not so as to injure, imjicde, or interrujit navigation on the river. it was prtjvided by the act that as soon as the eight firstnamed dams and locks shall be erec teil and completed, and the governor should have proper eviilence that they had been so completed in a workmanlike manner, he should thereupon issue his license or permit to the company to collect tolls from boats passing that part of the river. owners of dams which had been erected at certain points on the rivcifor mill purposes prior to the passage of the act were reijiiircd to raise such dams to the. specified lieight if they were not already up to it, and to keep them in repair and for so doing they were empowered to collect tolls from boats and other craft passing them. the company was required, under penalty of a forfeiture of their charter, to proceed to carry on the said work within five years from the date of the act, and to complete the slack water navigation of the first section from pittsburgh to the mouth of dunlap s creek in seven years thereafter, and to complete the second section from dunlap s creek to the mouth of cheat river in twenty five years from the passage of the act. these conditions were not complied with, and forfeiture resulted in. beyond this fact, nothing has been found to show what was the extent of the operations of the old monongahela navigation company during its existence, except that the books were opened in august, that the governor of pennsylvania subscribed on behalf of the commonwealth for one thousand shares of the stock as required, subscriptions having previously been received from individuals sufficient in amount to authorize the chartering and organization of the company under the act. it is evident that the amount of its cajiital stock, if fully subscribed and paid in, was insufticient i or the purposes intended, and that even if the iirojectcil improvements had been completed, as specified in the act, they would have been wholly inadequate to the requirements of navigation on the i monongahela. in the spring of, a few days after the expiration of five years from the passage of the act authorizing the monongahela navigation company, an act was passed by the assembly approved april d of the year nainedi taking the improvement of the monongalic la in to tlie lianils of the state, and providing that s domon krepps and joseph enochs, of fayette county, and william leckey, of pittsburgh, be and they are hereby appointed commissioners, who shall have power, and it shall be there duty, to case to he removecil all obstructions which impede or injure the navigation of said river Monongahela, by making a slope or inclined navigation from the Virginia state line to its junction with the allegheny river, and said ini iroveiimiit to commence at the mouth of dunlap s cre. k, in layette county, and for that purpose to ciiiplos iiiiahle persons to perform said work and lliat ten thousand dollars of the stock subscribed by the governor on behalf of this commonwealth in the stock of the monongahela navigation company be and is hereby appropriated to defray the expenses of removing the said obstructions. by another section of the act it was provided and declared that this act shall not go in to operation until the monongahela navigation company shall have first setled all accounts of said company, and have paid in to the treasury of fayette county alL the unexpended balance of money in their liands, if any be due, for the purpose of being applied agreeably to the provisions of this act, and until the monongahela navigation company shall also have relinquished their shares in the stock of said company, as well those held by individuals as those held by conqianics, which relinquishment shall have been certified and transmitted under the hand and seal of the iiresident and managers of said company, or a majority of them, to the governor, stating that they relinquish nil the rights, powers, and privileges in and to the navigation of the river monongahela vested in them by an act passed the of march, entitled, an act to authorize the governor to incorporate a company to make a lock navigation on the river monongahela, and from thenceforth said company shall cease and determine as if the said act had not been passed. the persons appointed as viewers and commissioners to examine the work done on the river by the first named commissioners, and to report to the governor whether or not, in their opinion, the money granted by the state had been judiciously expended, were henry heaton, of fayette, john brownlee, of washington, and john walker, of allegheny county. nothing has been found showing the nature and extent of the improvements made by the commissioners under this act, or how much the navigation of the monongahela was benefited by them, but it is evident that the expenditure of tlie small sum of ten thousand dollars on more than ninety miles of river channel could not have produced any very great results. a supplement to the act of april, for the improvement of the monongahela by the state, was passed and approved march, one of the sections of this supplementary act provided that all persons owning dams and locks on the monongahela, which were built or begun to be built, or raised to the required height, in pursuance of the provisions before mentioned of the act of, authorizing the incorporation of the navigation company, might petition the governor, setting forth the facts, whereupon the governor was required to appoint three commissioners to view such locks and dams, and upon their report to the governor that the improvements had been constructed agreeably to the terms of the act, he was required to grant to the owners of such improvements authority to collect tolls from all boats passing such locks and dams. in a report was made to the assembly of pen sylvania, giving the result of a survey of the river by e. f. gay, and favoring its improvement by the state, but nothing was done. in the late hon. anidrew stewart, of fayette county, made an effort in the congress of the united states to have the work done by the national government, as an extension, i under the act of, of the improvement of the navigation of the ohio to the national road at brownsville. congress provided for a survey of the river to brownsville, which was made in by dr. william howard, united states civil engineer. his plan was to build locks and low dams, eight in number, of four and a half feet lift, except that no. would be six feet, the object being to use them only when the river was low. congress having declined to authorize the i work, a public meeting held at waynesburg, greene co. nov. recommended and urged the improvement by the state. the movement was at once seconded by the citizens of pittsburgh, brownsville, and intermediate places, and legislation was sought and obtained. the actual improvement of the monongahela by the formation of a practicable slack water navigation was finally accomplished by the monongahela navigation company second of that name and style, which was incorporated under an act of assembly approved march, with an authorized capital of, in six thousand shares of each, with power to increase the number of shares to such extent as shall be deemed sufficient to accomplish the work. the persons appointed as commissioners to receive subscriptions to the stock were thomas h. baird, aaron kerr, ephraim l. blaine, william briant, sheshbazzer bentley, andrew gregg, john bowers, william vankirk, samuel bcatty, william hopkins, and james gordon, of washington county george dawson, benedict kimber, george hogg, james l. bowman, israel miller, david gilmore, e. p. oliphant, jeremiah davison, thomas wilson, tazewell p. martin, george cramer, yates s. conwell, thomas beatty, aaron bucher, john harshe, andrew stewart, samuel evans, isaac crow, george vance, james c. etington, robert brown, james c. ramsey, david b. rhoads, william everhart, westley frost, and samuel j. krepps, of fayette county and a number of gentlemen of greene and allegheny counties. when two thousand shares were subscribed the company was entitled to a charter, and might organize in not less than twenty days. upon organization the company was empowered to from and make, erect and set up any dams, locks, or any other device whatsoever which they shall think most fit and convenient to make a complete slack water navigation between the i ints hcrciii men liuiieil. to wit the city of pittsbiiiuh an. l thr vir iiiia state line and that the dams nvhieli tliey shall s, cmimnict for the purpose of slack water navigation shall not exceed in height four feet six inches and tiiat he locks for the purposes of passing steamboats, barges, and other craft up and down said river shall be of sufficient width and length to admit a safe and easy passage for steamboats, barges, and other craft, up as well as down said river. this act, like that which was passed for the creation of the old company in, authorized the company to use, lease, or sell the walir powcifrom the dams, and conferred on the individual owiurs of dams previously built if by tlicni raised to the required height the right to collect toll from boats passing down or up the river. by the terms of the act the company was required to commence work within five years, and to complete the improvement to the virginia line within twelve years from its passage, under penalty of forfeiture of charter. during the year i sufficient stock was subscribed to authorize the issue of a charter early in, and on the of february in that year the company i was organized by the election of officers, as follows by the sixth section ofthe state act of feb. chartering the united states bank, it was required, among other burdens imposed, to subscribe to the stock of this company, then in prospect, at the opening of its books, and. more when, of stock from other sources should have been expended on the work. this, until after the completion of the improvi ment to brownsville, was the company s entire capital basis, and much of this was never realized. in the summer of a careful survey of the river was made by an engineer corps, at the head of which was w. milnor roberts afterwards engineer of the northern pacifle railroad, and now or recently engaged in the service of the brazilian government, with nathan mcdowell and robert w. clarke, assistants. from pittsburgh to brownsville was found to be about. v, ihile, ana the asrcnt a little ov, t v, feet from r, i uwiisvillr tn th. Vir inia line, a littl. v. t. miles, accent irct totau, li miles, and tect. this would have renuiivd eventeii dams nf tour and approved june, authorized the company to construct the dams eight feet in height from pool to at first it was thought that ten dams of eight feet in height would be required to carry the work to the state line five below and five above the mouth of j dunlap s creek, but by an authorized increase of dam no.to ten feet, and those above brownsville three in number to whatever height the banks would allow, it was found that seven would be sufficient. dam and lock no. a mile above smithfield street, bridge, pittsburgh, was let by contract, dec. ij to j. k. and j. b. Moorhead. no. at braddock s upper ripple, was contracted re let, may, to coreys and adams. both these dams were put in use oct. though neither was entirely completed at the time. on the loth of july, lock and dam no. at watson s run, two miles above elizabeth, was let io bills & foreman and no. at frey s shoals, fifteen and a half miles below brownsville, to fenlon & patton changed in construction to fenlon & lonergan. the work was under the general direction of chief engineer roberts. the construction of nos. and, from the commencement of work until may, was under the personal supervision of george w. cass. in the contract for no. the company, to provide against a not improbable lack of funds, served the right to stop the work at any time, paying lur what had been done. in may, for the cause which h. ad been foreseen, they were obliged to avail themselves of this right, and for the same rea. son work on no. was suspended at the same time. the year brought great discouragement to the company. the ignited states bank broke, and failed to subscribe and pay its second, of the second, subscription of the state, the company was comiielled to receive a large portion in state l ijii ls, and having received them were compelled to sell them at a loss of fifty per cent. many of the dividual subscribers for stock resisted ayi irnt, while some were unable to pay. thecomiian. mr. l sio. iiuo, and had no money to pay with. eveiytliinu ri able was taken and sold on execution. in an effort was made to secure further aid from the state, but this was unsuccessful, for the condition of the state made the work wholly unremunerative. besido, in some of the ripples the fall was three and tonr left, and one, at the mouth of cheat river, six liut. ll was soon seen that this lan must be abandoned. accordingly the legislature, by a supplemental act, he fourth section of the act is as follows the said cnnipany niiitti il t. erect bocii dams as may bo necessary for the construechosen is a resident of any county through which the said improvemenl pass. provided, that all the locks below uie town of elizabeth, in gheny county, on said river be made one hundred and ninety feet a very strong effort was made to interest certain baltimore capitalists and persuade them to replenisli the company s treasury, so as to complete the slack water improvement to brownsville, and thereby make it a feeder to the baltimore and ohio railroad, which about that time was nearing cumberland, where it was thought it would be obliged to make a long halt. but the marylanders were too intent on pushing their great work to the ohio to engage in any side enterprise, especially one which they could not control. to all these reverses was added, in july, a breach of one hundred feet in dam no. which before it could be stopped, in, washed a hole forty feet deep. on may, the legislature had given the company power to borrow and mortgage its works and tolls, and more extended power to the same effect was given by act of april, but the company s credit was gone, and these powers were of no avail. for two years the work made no progress, except to decay. the whole project became a mortification to its friends and projectors, and a nuisauce to the navigation. its friends were almost ready to abandon it to the mercies of the floods and of an indignant public, when aid came from an unexpected source. the state s financial condition had become so depressed that the legislature, by act of july, and again by act of april, directed sales of all its corporation stocks, among them its, in this company. this induced a number of men of capital, enterprise, and of unfaltering faith in the ultimate success of the improvement to buy this stock, of course at a low figure, and thereupon to engage to repair and complete the work to brownsville, upon ten year coupon bonds, secured by a mortgage of the improvement and its revenues, to be applied first to old debts, second to interest, and then to reimburse to themselves the principal of their actual expenditure. these men were james k. moorhead, morgan robertson, george schnable, charles avery, thomas m. howe, john graham, thomas bakewell, j. b. moorhead, and john freeman. they did the work, chiefly through sub contractors, under the name of moorhead, robertson & co. their contract with the company was made nov. it was july, before they could get effectively at work, but they went at it with such energy and skill, with sylvanus lothrop for engineer, and j. b. moorhead for superintendent, that on the of november, dams nos. and being completed, and the breach in no. thoroughly repaired, the lower division of the monongahela improvement was formally opened from pittsburgh to brownsville and bridgeport. at the time of the opening there had been expended on the improvement exclusive of engineering and salaries of oflscers the sum of, viz. construction of dams and locks nos. and, repairing of damages on same, construction of nos. and, of the sum thus far expended, less than one half had been paid out of the stock. before the work was opened to brownsville in, the baltimore and ohio railroad had been completed to cumberland. the route of travel and trafiic from that place to brownsville was over seventy five miles of the hard, smooth national road, which then more than ever before was crowded with stage coaches laden to the full with passengers to and from the railroad terminus at cumberland, and the greater part of these passengers were now delivered to or received from the monongahela river steamboats at brownsville, and this continued during the navigation season in each year until the opening of the pennsylvania railroad to pittsburgh in. here were eight years of a rich harvest for the slack water and the eastern division of the national road. during that time the navigation carried between brownsville and pittsburgh more than two hundred and eighty thousand through passengers, a large proportion of whom passed by stage over the great road. in the same time more than four hundred and sixty two thousand way passengers were carried between the same points and the total passenger tolls for that period amounted to, from to the revenues had almost doubled, thereby enabling the company in to nearly extinguish its old floating debt, keep down the interest, and pay, of the principal of the, of bonds which had been issued to moorhead, robertson & co. in the report of sylvanus lothrop, the company s engineer, made to the president and managers in january of that year, he said, in reference to the slack water improvement, although but two years old, and just beginning to struggle in to notoriety as an avenue for the trade and travel between the east and the west, it has already yielded a revenue which, after paying expenses, ordinary repairs, and interest upon its large debt, exhibits a surplus equivalent to about eight per cent, upon its whole capital stock. this, i am inclined to think, is without an example in the history of our public works, and may, perhaps, be mentioned without offense as a most striking commentary upon the supineness and indifference and apparent want of sagacity which, a few years ago, while running after chimeras, would, but for the entlie number of through passengers carried in those years between the termini of the navigatiou,brownsville and pittsburgh, was for each. year as follows terprise of a few public spirited individuals, have suffered this great work, the most important to this city which has ever been constructed pittsburgh had no railroad then, to perish for the want of a few thousand dollars. it is a remarkable fact that with so many unanswerable arguments to recommend it to and enforce it upon the pulilic atfcnlion, no work in the country has ever encountered, rcatcr jlislacles than this. instead of ikiiil, ait oimlit to have been, fostered by ovir citizens and hailed by the inlialiitants of the monon aliela valley as a blessing to themselves, it met with nothing but the most chilling regards from the one, and with either the most violent prejudices or the most determined hostility from the other. and yet it has already lived to subdue and tritimph over both. it is now, i am happy to say, among the most popular of all our public im rovements. its present advantages are already universally felt, while its future is rapidly unfolding in prospects as flattering to the lamlholder of the moncuigahela as to the owners of the improvement tliemselves. the toll on coal over the entire length of the slackwater navigation was sii. h per thousand bushels, which is said to have hccn less than oin tburth part of the rates cliargeil loithe same di. slanee over the schuylkill navigation, which had been made the. standard for this company by the act of. yet the rate produced njucli ili sali fac tion among coal sliippers on the uper jiools ino. and i. who contended that the river ought o lie, that the st. ate had no power to autliori. e dams and locks and the collection of tolls or if that was to be done, there should at least be a sufecient number of dams to allow them to be made low enough to be juniped at high water. these arguiuents were urcd in arti. les urittcn for the newspai. ers. and at town nieelini heltllortlie the legislature of was appealed to in printed jiamphlets tor redress. the result was that the navigation company consented, in consideration that no further reduction of tolls should be asked for until its existing debts were paid, nor so as to disable dividends of eiglit per cent. ier annum from being made to the stockholders, to reiliice the tolls nih. n the pools nos. and on coal in hat lioats iuiended to go down the ohio, so that such lading could pass from brownsville to pittsburgh for i? i. per thousand bushels. j instead of s. as before, and the assembly so enacted by act of march, the agitation failed to accomplish the lowering of the dams, but a calm succeeded the lowering of the tolls on pools and, and the people were satisfied. the relations between the company and the coalowners became hijrmonious, and have ever since remained so. the latter found that their predictions of the utter worthlessness of coal lauds in case the high dams were allowed to remain were baseless, but that, ou the contrary, those lands were rising rapidly in value from year to year. this appreciation has been continual and rapid, especially in the later years, until the resent time, when coal lands along every part of the slack water navigation are eagerly sought for, as a certain source of wealth. notwithstanding that the tolls from freights and passengers continued about the same for many years, such was the rapid increase of the coal trade that at the end of the entire indebtedness to moorhead, eobertsdh & cn. was paid and, but for new debts incurred in. some additional rights, and a second lock al dam, and in. another costing about, rendered nece ary to accommodate the increased coal trade, and the extension above brownsville, the company would have been free of debt. the contrac. tors ibr the lock at no. took bonds for their work, and by a new issue of mortgage bonds in, oikii the company was enabled to pay for the lock at no. carry on ilie extension, and thus to pay out of the earnings its lirst cash dividend of four per cent, in. july, the extension of the work above brownsville had j been histponcil from time to time on account of the low eoiiilili ui ol the company s finances. in ii alliou ht that the interests of greene county and the upper i. irt of bayelte demanded the extension, i cl ruary in that year the legisla ulhorizing a new opening of books bordering on the river for sub scriplions to the stock to the amount of, to be expended, n the erection of locks and dams abo llrown. viile. the books were accordingly opened but no subscriptions secured. by the same act the opening of books in pittsburgh was authorized foi suliseriptions to the stock to pay the debt incurred on the work below brownsville, in excess of what preexisting stock had paid and in the event of failure to secure such suliseriptions, the company was authorized to. loulile the xisting stock and credit to each shai e its jiroiiortion of earnings used and to be used in paying that indebtedness. accordingly, the books haviiiu been opened in pittsburgh without results. the stock was doubled in, bringing the whole amount up to, this, however, gave no actual increase to tlie company s available means. in the fall of a renewed effort to obtain stock in fayette and greene to extend the work was determined upon, and some additional stock was subscribed in pittsburgh. the effort was earnestly pressed, but with no better success than before. notwithstanding these failures, the legislature, by act of jan. made it imperative upon the company to put locks and dams nos. and under contract, and have them completed. no. before june, and no. g before dec. the improvement to the state line was required to be completed before dec. but this requirement was relaxed by act of ajjril, so as not to require no. to be begun until locks and dams to carry the work from the state line to morgantown should. be put under contract, and with the completion of which no. was to be contemporaneous. in compliance with the act of jan. the company promptly put nos. and under contract. no. just above watkins bar, two miles above brownsville, to burns & ross and no. at rice s landing, ten miles farther up, to messrs. dull. they were constructed at a cost including the raising of dam no. and some dredging of about, and were completed and ready for use in november, thus opening the slack water navigation to geneva. the dams are constructed of logs, squaring at least a foot, built up perpendicularly from the bed of the river to near the water level, when they begin to slope on both sides to the comb, after the manner of an oldtime log cabin. they are tied together by cross timbers parallel with the line of the river, bolted to the longitudinal timbers so as to form a net work, with interstices of seven by nine feet filled with stone. their breadth at the base is about sixty live i ut their depth below the slopes as originuliy built is from three to six feet, though by reason of breaches they are now much deeper in places. dams and run straight across the river. no. is in threestraight lines of unequal length the middle one two hundred and eighty feet, the other two aggregating about four hundred and twenty feet, the middle one being at right angles with the channel, the other slo iing from it downwards to theshores, about twenty two leet from the line of the middle part. dam no. is a segment of a circle, about six hundred and five feet in length, curves up stream, having a versed sine of fifteen feet. dams and are also segments of a circle, with tlie convex sides upwards, and are each about six liinidred feet long. these, by reason of their increased it required more stone i, i cubic yards and timber to repair llio great breacll of ma. v, in dam no. tljan were used in its original height, thirteen and a half and fourteen feet, have the longest slopes on the lower sides. the others slope about equally above and below, from three to four feet of slope to one foot of rise. they are sheathed above with double courses of oak plank closely laid, five inches thick, spiked to the timbers and covered with gravel. the sheathing below is of heavy oak timbers or spars flattened to eight inches and spiked to the crib timbers. the dams are further secured at their ends by high strong cribs filled with stone, and above by double courses of heavy sheet piles, driven vertically in to the bed of the river to such depth as to be secure anchorage to the entire structure. in some cases, since their original construction, piles have been driven in below vertically and above slopingly. dam no. will be on rock, and will be otherwise fastened. all the original locks are one hundred and ninety by fifty feet in tlie chambers between the points or mitres of the gates and the side walls. the entire length of the walls is two hundred and fifty two feet, and their height tilj. iut twenty five feet. they are ten and twelve led tliiik, imilt of heavy blocks of dressed stone, hiid in livilrtiulic cement and securely clamped. except tliose at nos. and, which have rock bases, they are built up on heavy oak timber deeply laid and covered with heavy oak plank. each of the old locks contains over five thousand three hundred perches of stone. the new ones put in in addition to the original ones in locks nos. and are larger and eoiit iiii ii o iortionately more. these are twohundreil tiii l iiiin hy lilty six feet in the chambers, but built in oth. r respects as were the old ones. to show the facility with which boats are passed through these locks, the following quotation is given from the report of the board of managers to the stockholders, presented january of the present year ilssl i, viz. in twenty hours between midnight of tlie december last and the same hour of the ensuing night there were passed through lock no. forty two coal boats, forty six barges, ten flats, and two fuel boats, containing together an aggregate of, bushels, or about, tons of coal. a correspondingly increased amount could have bean passed during the twenty four hours had not the passage of boats been suspended during four hours of that day by the refusal of the pilots of some tow boats to pass down below out of the way of the boats seeking to leave the lock. the coal business on the monongahela, says the tibove qiioted report, has increased so largely in recent yetus that the presure for the passage of coalboats in time of a rise of the river has become very great at dain no. where there is only a single lock. as the necessity arose, a similar difficulty at locks nos. and was relieved by the construction of a second and enlarged lock at each of those points. the company has, therefore, in order to meet promptly the demands of the coal trade and afford every facility for rapid navigation, ordered a new lock, of larger dimensions than any heretofore constructed on their the receipts of the company from tolls during the improvement, to be built alongside of the present past year is as follows lock no. this work will be put under contract from coal and slack. and completed as speedily as possible and they have pqg. it also in contemplation to duplicate the lock at no. Steamboats, freight, etc. also on an enlarged scale. these improvements passengers. will fully accommodate, for many years to come, the still rapidly increasing coal trade out of polls nos. and, especially when the formation of a pool below following is a statement of the number of bushels dam no. Shall have been effected. of coal and. slack shipped from the several pools of the united states government, having completed the monongahela slack water during each month of lock and dam no. at hoard s rock, in west virjig yg. Jr, viz. ginia, are now proceeding with the construction of, tion of lock and dam no. by this company ti liii mu. nish a slack water navigation between pittsburgh ami. and will, we doubt not, open a market for the iron ores, coal, and lumber of that region of country, and this gives a total of ninety million thirty five aflbrd an avenue of trade and commerce of incalcuthousand three hundred and sixty bushels of coal, hible importance. it will, moreover, remove the obcoke, and slack shipped from the several pools of the struction to the navigation of the upper monongahela monongahela navigation company in the year, which has existed ever since the erection of lock and which is a total increase of a little more than six hundaiu no. by the government. dred and fifty thousand bushels over the business of. the erection of lock and dam no. which, as. the passenger business of was but little before stated, is expected to be completed during the more than one third that of the preceding year, this present year, by connecting with the government work being due to the opening of the railroad from we. st now iiartly in pr. h es nf, nn tiikti iii an. i purtly rcnibrownsville to pittsburgh in the spring of. the decrea, se will of course continue, and grow more marked as the railroads now in process of construction penetrate southward to west virginia. but the passenger trade is an item of small and ever lessening comparative importance to the navigation of the river. the natural resources of the country furnish its main busine. ss, and this wilil be the case in the future even more than it is at present. the works of the navigation company, when completed to the state line, will extend upon less than half of the improvable length of the monongahela river. it rises in the western slopes of that high cluster of mountains which now form the border lands of virginia and west virginia, and in which the james, the kanawha, the shenandoah, and the cheat have their sources. its longest branch is the tygart s valley river, which rises in randolph county, on which are beverly, philipi, and graf, ton, and an important affluent of. which is the buckhannon river, whicli rises in upshur countv, and on its charter, and furnish a complete slack water navigation not only iiii to but beyond the limit of the virginia state line. this work, when eompleteil, will furnish on the monongahela river the longest reach of slack water steamboat navigation in the united states, if not in the world. work, loek and dan, no. to etlier with the new locks at dams nos. w and. will require an expenditure of over four hundred thousand dollars, which must be provided for, either by an increase of the bonded debt or of the capital stock of the company. the amount heretofore charged on the books of the company to the account of construction is, which is the thriving town ot unckliimonu, which aspired to be the capital of the new state. its other chief branch, and that which is considered the monongahela proper, is the west fork, which rises also in upshur county, and on which are weston, in lewis county, and clarksburg, in harrison county. these two great branches unite near fairmount, in marion count, some thirty miles above morgantowu. at present the effort in west virginia is to carry the improvements to that place, where it will intersect the wheeling branch of the baltimore and ohio raili road. ultimately it may be extended to clarksburg, i some ninety miles from the state line, and even to i weston, some forty or fifty miles farther. all of i these branches drain a fertile but hilly country, and i are without any great falls to break the continuity, of their navigation. their borders are rich in ores and minerals, and in forests of some of the finest tim. ber in the nation. j the mineral treasures lying hidden beneath the i everlasting hills of the monongahela, and as yet j hardly beginning to be developed, will sustain and i swell the navigation of the river, and bring surpass ing prosperity to its valley. the monongahela improvement, which, as its opponents forty years ago prophesied, was to render the coal lands of the upper river worthless, has, instead, been largely, if not principally, instrumental in making them accessible, enhancing their value far beyond the wildest dreams of that day, and making their owners wealthy. while accomplishing this, after years of disaster and discouragement, the navigation company has also achieved success for itself, and its present prosperity is certainly well merited. this gratifying result is due in a very great degree to the energy, vigilance, and wise management of the president of the company, the hon. james k. moorliead. it is no detraction, says judge veech, from the fortitude and faith of his departed predecessors, who led it through the perils of its early history, to say that he had much to do in the inauguration of the plan which extricated it from those perils. intimately and practically acquainted with the construction, preservation, and management of its works from the beginning, it is not enough to say of him that his large interests in it have been the motive of his care, for he has ever shown a generous regard for the interests of all who have rights in its uses and revenues. is a defect in its laws to be remedied, or a wrong to be redressed requiring legislation? he procures it to be done. is a repair needed? he goes right to it, leading his efficient corps of subordinates, into whom he transfuses his spirit. are tolls to be modified and increased facilities for the safe and steady use of the navigation to be made? he invokes the counsel and co operation of the managers, and they are made accordingly. indeed, so completely has he become identified with the slack water that it has given to him his must famfliur sobriquet. his predecessors in the presidency of the company were james clarke, elected at the organization, in february, and held till october, thomas bakewell, pro tempore, from october, to january, then elected and held till the following october william eich, then elected and held till january, samuel r. johnston, january, to january, john b. butler, january, to july, when he entered the army as paymaster in the mexican war. mr. ,moorhead succeeded him as president pro tempore, holding till january, when he was elected, and has held the office of president of the company from that time continuously for more than thirty five years. the present officers of the monongahela navigation company are president, j. k. moorhead. secretary and treasurer, wm. bakewell. steamboat navigation on the monongahela was j commenced in the year, when the enterprise, i which had been built at bridgeport by daniel french and others, left that place under command of henry m. shreve, and passed down the monongahela, ohio, and mississippi rivers to new orleans, being the first boat that ever made the trip from pittsburgh to that j city and return. the dispatch was also built at bridgeport by the same parties, and went down the monongahela and ohio not long after the enteri prise. during the thirty years that succeeded the building of these two boats, before the opening of the slack water from pittsburgh to brownsville, the monongahela was navigated in the times of high water by a multitude of steamboats, of which it is impracticable to give the names, or any connected account. the first regular line boat that ran upon the monongahela slack water alter its completion between brownsville and pittsburgh, was the side wheeler louis mclane, so named for the first president of the baltimore and ohio railroad. with her, on alternate days, ran the consul, also a side wheeler. both these boats were regardeil as fast, the mclane being the more so of the two. after about four years service she was dismantled at brownsville, and parts of her used in the building of the pittsburgh and wheeling packet diurnal. the two line boats above mentioned were succeeded by the atlantic aud baltic, which were both very fast boats. they came out in. after three i or four years service the baltic was dismantled at bridgeport, and the other was put in use as a towboat. after a time she too was demolished, and her material used in building the stern wheeler hercules. the baltic and atlantic were succeeded in the line bv the luzerne and jefferson. while the former was buiidiiij. in s, the flood carried the hull off the ways and over the dams. it was caught at mckeesport, and towed into the youghiogheny, where it was comiileted. the. teflerson was built at mckeesport, and after her tour of duty on the slack water was dismantled at lirowusville. the luzerne was taken to the mi, is i. m, where she ran between eock island and oaliiia, and was finally snagged near the iowa slioie, above lyons. about the redstone was built by john s. pringle, now of west brownsville. she was put on the line, but ran only a few months, when she was sold to go in the lower ohio river trade but her career was ended soon afterwards, by the explosion of her boilers near carrollton, ky. the telegraph, built at california by mcfall, ran on the line for about twelve years, and was accounted a lucky boat. after her long career on the slack water she was dismantled at brownsville. some of her machinery was put in the scotia, recently built for the ohio. the geneva, stirnwheeler, ran on the line for a short time. ibout boo. the dunbar w. as built by john s. i ringlr aliout s. i for the monongahela trade, but being a little too huqc to jiass the locks conveniently, was sold to run on the lower hio and tennessee rivers. at the commencement of the war of she fell into the hands of the confederates. after the fall of fort henry she with several other boats was chased up the tennessee by the united static gunboats lexington, conestoga, and tyb r. hr passed pittsburg landing and eastport, and a short distance above the lattit. rs, iped h. r pursuers i y running up a rrerk which was too shoal or the federal gunboats to folb. w. i. ul sh. left her bones there, for the water fallin sbr was unable to uvt ba. k to the river, an. l was dismantled bv tb, conlrd, rales, who elisha bennett, chieftain, elector, and the present boats of the geneva line, the john snowdon, geneva, and germania. the franklin and gallatin ran together on the line for a few vrars, after which s. rviee the gallatin was sold to run as a ferry boat brtwi m. ar niphis, tenn. and the. rkausas shore of tlir mi msmppi. and the frankbeing phi. d in iho, iirva, whirh is lill on ihr line. the m ayrlte, whi. h was built al i. rownsville, was one of the finest boats ever running on the monongahela, as well as one of the most smecssful. she was sold to go in the lower ohio itiver trade, between cairo, and evansville, ind. the career of the elisha bennett was disastrous, ending in her total loss in. she was carried away from her wharf at brownsville, in the night, by flood and i ice, and crushed at dam no. the chieftain met the same fate at the same time. this last named boat and the elector were not put on the river to run in the regular geneva line, but in the people s line, an opposition which was put on about. this line was discontinued by their boats being purchased by the other company and run as boats of the regular line. i the pittsburgh, brownsville and geneva packet j company was incorporated under an act of assembly passed feb. with a capital of, and authority to increase to, the corporators named in the act were benjamin coursin, john j. house, mark boreland, william britten, clark breading, samuel h. Smith, joseph g. ritchie, and their associates, the object for which the company was incorporated being to run steamers for the carrying of passengers and freight on the monongahela river, which, however, they had been doing for years before the incorporation, this being the legalization, l. iut not the commencement, of the enterprise. the first president of the company was j. k. moorhead, who was succeeded by george w. cass, and he by adam. taeobs. nearly all the steamers already mantioned as having run on the. monongahela were of this line. thcpresenl lioats of the company making daily trips each way between pittsburgh and new geneva are the jidin snowdon, geneva, and gerthat the idea of making tlie youghiogheny a navigable stream was entertained at least as early as is shown by the fact that in thatyearan act of assembly was passed incorporating the youghiogheny navigation company. it afterwards appeared that the promoters of thiscompany had no intention of making improvements on the river, but to secure a charter which could not otherwise have been obtained in which was skillfully incorporated a section giving them power and authority to carry on a banking business in connellsville. the fact that the name of navigation company was used for the purpose shows the idea of river improvement was popular among the people at that time. in an act for the improvement of the state was passed approved march gth, by a section of which the sum of ioooo was appropriated, to be expended, under the direction of william l. miller, samuel rankin, and alexander plummer, for the improvement of the youghiogheny. this sum was expended by the commissioners for the purposes indicated, and work was done as far up the river as connellsville, but with little benefit to the navigation of the stream. in the connellsville and west newton navigation company was incorporated under an act approved april of that year, which provided and declared. that the said company shall have power to make and complete a lock navigation from the town of west newton, in the county of westmoreland, to the west end of main or spring street, in the borough of connellsville, in the county of fayette, and on the youghiogheny river. the capital stock was placed at six hundred shares of fifty dollars each, with power to increase to four thousand shares. the commissioners appointed to receive subscriptions to the stock were thomas r. davidson, george j. ashman, john mcburney, william r. turner, john smilie, robert bleakley, daniel kaine, noble c. mccormick, and james francis, of fayette county john c. plummer, j. b. oliver, joseph budd, bela smith, elias porter, daniel hoge, john boyd, john frick, and shellenberger, of westmoreland, and william l. miller, of allegheny county. the company was required to commence the work within two years and complete it within five years from the passage of the act. the youghiogheny navigation company was incorporated in, under an act passed for that purpose, approved april in that year. the commissioners appointed by the act to receive subscriptions to the stock of the company were james bell, alexander plummer, adam coon, moses robins, joseph markle, john klingeiismitb, jr. joseph lippincott, joseph gurty, henry null, john d. davis, and james may. the capital stock of the company was thirty thousand dollars in six hundred shares of fifty dollars each the power and authority granted being the construction of a lock navigation from the mouth of the river to the borough of west newton. nothing of importance or permanent value to the navigation of the youghiogheny was done by either of the above mentioned companies, though the lastnamed company did complete their improvement from the mouth to west newton, eighteen miles. two dams were built, under supervision of their engineer, james e. dav, and the slack water iiavi mtitin was formally opened to west newton by a celebration on the of november, the result, however, showed that the engineer had miscalculated the mighty power of the floods and ice in that river, or that the dams were too high or defectively con. structed. they lasted only a little over fourthteen years, with long intervals of uselessness for lack of repair, and the great ice flood of january, put an end to them. they are now in ruin, and the charter of the company extinct. in recent years and surveys of the river were made by parties under charge of maj. w. e. merrill, who, in his report, january, said, the whole of this distance has already been covered by surveys made under my direction in past years. the survey from mckeesport to west newton, nineteen miles, was made by lieut. f. a. maham s corps of engineers in. the survey from west newton to connellsville, a distance of twenty five and a half miles, was made in by my assistant, capt. t. s. sedgwick, as a part of the survey for the extension of the chesapeake and ohio canal from cumberland to pittsburgh. the report gives the total fall of the river from connellsville to mckeesport ibrty four and one third miles as one hundred and forty eight feet, requiring fifteen dams of ten feet lift each. the proposition to extend the chesapeake and ohio canal from cumberland to pittsburgh, as noticed in the extract given above from maj. merrill s report, has been under consideration from the time when the first surveys were made for that work. indeed, it appears that the idea was first entertained by gen. washington, who, immediately after the close of the revolutionary war, made extended journeys on horseback, examining the routes which were afterwards taken by the erie canal of new york, by the pennsylvania canals along the conemaugh and juniata, and by the james river canal in virginia, also examining the country from the potomac near cumberland, across the summit, by way of castleman s river, to the youghiogheny at turkey foot, and pronouncing the last named route to be the best of all. forty five years later about the same route was surveyed for the chesapeake and ohio canal by gen. bernard, assisted by lieut. col. totten, of the united states topographical engineers, and john l. sullivan, a distinguished civil engineer of massachusetts. gen. bernard had been an aide de camp to the emjm ior xapdloon, and afterwards minister of war to loui, l l, l, o, king of the french. he had surveyed the nmtc of the canal from georgetown, d. c, to cumberland, and estimated the cost at, the actual cost was. his survey of the proposed extension from cumberland to the ohio at pittsburgh showed in the seventy miles from cumberland over the summit, and by castleman s river to the youghiogheny, an ascent and descent of feet, to be overcome by two hundred and fortv six locks, the eutire cost of this section of the work being estimated at, from the mouth of castleman s river, by way of the youghiogheny and monongahela rivers, to pittsburgh, the fall was found to be six hundred and nineteen feet, necessitating the construction of seventy eight locks. the estimated cost of this division of the work was, total estimated cost of canal and slack water between cumberland and pittsburgh, total length of way, about one hundred and fifty five miles, and whole number of locks, three hundred and twenty four. gen. bernard estimated that the opening of this canal lietween cumberland and pittsburgh would, within six years from the time of its completion, enhance the value of lands along its route to the amount of eighty two millions of dollars. but the estimated cost of the work was too appalling, and the enterprise was abandoned, thoul h some other surveys were made after that time, iiuludiiilr tli i e made under direction of maj. merrill, as uhvady noticed. the old canal and slack water project lias even yet some adherents but this is an age of railways, and the opening of the well equipped and substantial line between pittsburgh and cumberland in extinguished forever all hope for the construction of a canal to connect the waters of tlie potomac and youghioghenv. the baltimore and ohio railroad company was the first corporation which made any actual movcnu nt towards the construction of a railway line tliroiigh the valleys of the youghiogluny and. monongalicla rivers. that company having been incorporated by the legislature of maryland at their december session in the year, applied to the general assembly of pennsylvania for authority to construct their road through this state to or towards a terminus on the ohio. to this petition the assembly resjionded by the passage of an act to authori a the baltimore and oliio railroad company to const nict a railroad through pennsylvania, in a diri ction iroin baltimore tothe ohio river. the act recited in its preamble, that it is in accordance with that liberal course of policy which has ever been pursued by this commonwealth to promote the facility of trade and intercourse between the citizens of pennsylvania and the citizens of her sister. states, and no doubt is entertained but the same motives ol policy will iiovcin the state of maryland, should an application at any time hereafter be made by the government of this state for leave to intersect the said railroad in the state of maryland by the construction of a railroad by the state of i cnnsylvania, or any company which may by law be incrporated lor such pur iosc. the company was reiuired to complete its road in pennsylvania within fifteen years from the passage of the act, otherwise the act to be void and of no effect. the time when the company commenced making surveys in pennsvlvania under authoritv of this act is not known, but the fact that the engineers of the baltimore and ohio company were engaged in preliminary surveys in this region as early as, for the purpose of securing a line of communication through to pittsburgh or other point on the ohio, is noticed in the report found in the newspapers of that time of a great railroad meeting, held at brownsville on the d o november in the year named, to promote the immediate construction of a railroad between cumberland and brownsville, and thence to wheeling and pittsburgh, at which it was announced that the chief engineer of the baltimore and ohio company had made an examination of this section of country, and had made his report to the effect that a railroad could be constructed between the places mentioned without the use of any inclined plane. the chairman of the meeting referred to, was george hogg vice presidents, david binns and michael lewis se. tetaries, g. h. bowman and john l. dawson committee to draft resolutions, james l, bowman, george dawson, robert clarke, jonathan binns, jr. and john snowdon, jr. the meeting resolved that it was expedient to hold a railroad convention at brownsville on thursday, the of the same month, to be composed of delegates from the district of columbia, and from towns, cities, and counties feeling an interest in the enterprise. no report of such a convention has been found, nor does it appear that any further public action was taken in the premises it is evident that the brownsville meeting of november d did not convene for the purpose of adopting or considering any definite plan of action, but merely to express in general terms approval of the project of a railroad line from the potomac to the ohio by way of brownsville. the examination of this section of country by the chief engineer of the baltimore and ohio railroad company jonathan knight, esq. of washington county, pa. was quickly followed by preliminary surveys, made with a view to find and determine on a practicable route for a railroad from cumberland to the ohio, these surveys were made into, and in tliat jiarlof the projected route passing through fayette county were located on the southwest side of the youghiogheny river, the route along the opposite side, where the present railroad runs, apparently being at that time regarded as impracticable. crossing fayette county and the monongahela river at brownsville, the route was surveyed thence into the valley of ten mile creek, and up that valley to its head from that point, crossing the dividing ridge totempleton run, it passed down the valleys of that stream and wheeling creek to the ohio at wheeling. leaving the proposed main line near the crossing of the monongahela, a branch road wassurveyedto pittsburgh, in accordance with the requirement of the ninth section of the act of feb. viz that , as a condition on which this act is granted, it shall be the duty of the said company, in case the railroad aforesaid, made in this commonwealth in pursuance of this act, shall not terminate at the ohio kiver in the vicinity of pittsburgh, to construct a lateral railroad simultaneously, on the same principles and plans of the main railroad, and which shall connect the city of pittsburgh with the main railroad. the preparations of the baltimore and ohio company for the construction of a railroad through somerset, fayette, and washington counties embraced not only the making of elaborate surveys, but also the purchase of the right of way from a great number of land owners, no less than one hundred and nineteen such deeds being recorded by them in fayette county in the year. but at that time the attention of the company was engrossed and their funds absorbed in the construction of their road between baltimore and cumberland, and as it had become apparent that they could not complete the pennsylvania part of the road within the required time of fifteen years from the passage of the act of, they asked an extension, which was granted by the general assembly of pennsylvania in a supplemental act, approved june, by the provisions of which the time in which the company were required to finish their road or roads in pennsylvania was extended four years, or to the of february, when the company had completed their road westward from baltimore to cumberland in there remained less than three years in which to construct the part lying in pennsylvania, under the requirement of the supplemental act of. a further extension of time was necessary, and was applied for to the pennsylvania assembly but in the mean time the pennsylvania railroad was being pushed westward to cross the alleghenies and make pittsburgh its western terminus, and now the business men, manufacturers, and people of influence in that city. who in and were ready to do all in their power to secure a railroad, even if it were but a branch from a main line, from the seaboard to wheeling, were now, in view of the prospective direct connection with philadelphia by the main line of the pennsylvania railroad in which many of them were also stockholders, entirely favorable to that road, and as wholly opposed to the support of a competing line commencing at the maryland metropolis, and to have its western terminus not at pittsburgh but at the rival city of wheeling. besides the opposition of the people of pittsburgh, the baltimore and ohio company had to encounter the determined opposition of the inhabitants of the country through which their railroad was to pass. this strong opposition arose principally from the belief that the proposed railway would supersede and ruin the national road, and consequently ruin themselves and the countrv. among those who took this superficial view of the matter was gen. henry w. beeson, of uniontown. he stoutly opposed the extension of the baltimore and ohio railroad west of cumberland through pennsylvania, and was thoroughly sustained by nearly all his neighbors. on one occasion he made a public speech, in which he furnished a careful calculation of the number of horseshoes made by the blacksmiths, the number of nails required to fasten them to the feet of the horses used on the road, besides a great amount of other statistical information, intended to show that the national road was better adapted to promote the public welfare than railroads. such arguments and others equally short sighted and ridiculous, had the effect to create and keep alive a determined and almost universal opposition to the railroad among the i inhabitants of the section through which it was pro posed to be built. this opposition, added to the combined influence of the city of pittsburgh and of the pennsylvania railroad, proved too powerful for j the baltimore and ohio railroad company to overj come in the assembly of this state and so that comi pany, after repeated ineffectual attempts to obtain a further extension of time for building their road through the state of pennsylvania, found themselves compelled to abandon the enterprise and complete their road from cumberland to wheeling through the state of virginia. years afterwards, however, i they accomplished one of the irincipal objects they then had in view the cxtmsic f their line to the city of pittsburgh h icusiiii roads already built by companies holding charters fnini i i iinsylvania. j the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad company was the first to open a line of railway within any j part of the county of fayette. this company was iucorpnrated by an act of the general assembly, api proved april, which conferred on the company authority to construct a railroad of single or double tracks from the city of pittsburgh, by the i course of the monongahela and youghiogheny rivers, to some suitable point at or near connellsville. by the provisions of the act, a large number of commisj sioners werr ai imiiited to receive subscriptions to the i stock of the ioiii iaiiy, those belonging to fayette i county lieiiil tlic rouowing named gentlemen , viz. i. tohn fuller, james c. cummings, samuel marshall, joseph torrance, william l. miller, thomas g. ewing, john doogan, thomas foster, daniel rogers, the charter of the company pi nviiled and declared that if the said company shall not commence the constriictiiin of tinsaid railroad within the term of five yl ar linm the passing of this act, or if after the compleliidi iii the said railroad the said corporation shiill siimi iihe same to go to decay and be impassalilc lor the irnn of two years, then this charter shall beciinie null and void, except so far as compels said company to make reparation for damages. the company was duly organized, but did not comply with tlio above named requirement by commencing the if the road at the specified time, and their lvaiirlii cs were therefore forfeited but on the of. alarch, an act was passed renewing, i extending, and continuing in force the charter of upon the same terms, conditions, and limitations i as were einlnacc d in the original act, and also making the additiiinal pruvi iiin that the said company shall have power. irnl discretion to select any route from pittsburgh to turtle creek which may be deemed most eligible and advantageous, and may extend said road beyond connellsville to smithfield, or any other point on the waters of the youghiogheny and within the limits of this commonwealth. tlie ilanse authorizing the extension of the road from connellsville to the maryland line was repealed the next day after its jjassage, but was re enacted on the d of april, by an act of the legislature of maryland, passed april, that state granted to the pittsburgh ami connellsville company authority to extend their roid from tli. s atc line to cunmerland. in april cth an art wa pa sril authorizing the uniontown and waynesburg railroad company chartered april, to transfer all its rights and franchises to this company, and they were accordingly so transferred. on the d of february, the chief engineer of the road, oliver w. barnes, submitted to the presifrom the report of the board of directors to the stockholders for, the following information is gained in reference to the construction of the road. contracts for construction were first let on division no. west newton to connellsville, and on that division the work was begun. this portion of the line was selected for the commencement as presenting the advantage of a locality which could most economically be brought into earliest profitable use, and when finished greatly promote the convenience of the company in the further prosecution of the work both eastwardly and westwardly. as a starting point, it was easy of access by river in furnishing men and material, provisions, etc. from this city pittsburgh, and when completed it was believed would materially accelerate the extension of the work to its western terminus, thus promising earlier communication between the markets of pittsburgh and the rich mineral and agricultural valleys of the youghiogheny and monongahela than could have been accomplished by a commencement at this city. the heavy character of the work on the sections embracing the sand patch tunnel demanded that it should be put under contract siniultanninsly with the first work, as it was the iipiniiin of the chief engineer that its vigorous prosecution wiimiii be required contemporaneously with the remainder to secure its completion within the period of his estimate for the entire line. with reference to the progress which had been made on the road up to the st of december, the date of the directors report, that docujnent sa s, on the division between west newton and connellsville the graduation, masonry, and ballasting of about twenty sections of one mile each are fully completed, and the remainder will be ready to receive the superstructure in the course of the present winter. the trails layini has been commenced, and will be vigorousl iii i d i mward. the first locomotive, the geort r vasliini loii, will be immediately placed n on the road, and will greatly promote the priii re s of the work on the superstructure in the trans iortation of the heavy material required. contracts had previously been made for tons of rails, to be paid ibr in allegheny county bonds, and to be delivered by boats at west newton. some of the iron had arrived at that point, and large quantities of ties were already delivered along the line. a contract had been made, several months before, with messrs. baldwin, of philadelphia, for two first class coal burning locomotives, one of which had already been received the george washington above mentioned, and the other would be ready for shipment during the month december, arrangements had been made for a moderate equipment of passenger, freight, and construction cars. depot grounds had been secured at west newton and connellsville, and thirteen acres, of coal lands hud been purchased contiguous to the line at the latter borough. amicable settlements for the right of way had been made in all cases but two within the limits of fayette county, and land for stations usually two acres at each place had been tendered to the company at port eoyal, smith s mill, jacob s creek, layton foot of big falls, old franklin ironworks, sniilie s run dawson, and at rist s run, below connellsville. the total expenditure on division no. connellsville to west newton up to dec. had been, the road was opened to connellsville in. beyond that place the amount of work done was small, only. having been expended on the division extending from connellsville to turkey foot prior to dec. and for a number of years after the opening of the road to connellsville very little was done on the line southward and eastward from that point. a very strong opposition to the road was developed among the people living along that part of the route, their principal argument against it being that the opening of a railroad through that section would ruin the traffic on the old national road, wiiiuh latter appeared to be regarded by them as paramount in importance to the securing of railroad facilities. finally, on the of april, the general assembly of pennsylvania passed an act, which provided and declared that all the rights, powers, i privileges, and franchises of every nature and kind whatsoever authorized or created by the act of as, sembly approved april, authorizing the incorporation of the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad company, and all supplements thereto, so far as the same or any of them authorize the construction of any line or lines of railway southwardly or eastwardly from connellsville, be and they are hereby reviikedand resumed by the commonwealth of pennsylvania and all the rights, powers, franchises, and privileges by the said act and its supplements con ferred upon the said corporation, for and in respect to all that portion of the lines southwardly and eastwardly from connellsville, be and the same are, by all and every authority in the legislature for that purpose vested, resumed, revoked, repealed, and put an end to but it was also provided that all the outlay and expenditure already made by the company on the line south and east of connellsville should be reimbursed by any other company wliirli iiiil ht be empowerend to complete the construction ol that portion of the line. among the reasons for this repeal of the charter, as set forth in the preamble of the act by which it was accomplished, were that the coin iiiy, by suiil act of and supplements created, have lailcd to complete the road therein provided or, and have so long delayed the construction of said road that now. after the lapse of years from the granting of full authority by the state, less than one half of said line of railroad has been constructed, and the line or lines east of connellsville authorized by the supplements to said act not having been completed or prepared for public use, and that in the opinion of the legislature said corporation, by the delay referred to and by the embarrassments, financial and otherwise, in which said corporation has come to be involved, have misused and abused the powers by said act conferred, and that in the opinion of the legislature it is injurious to the citizens of this commonwealth that the said company should any longer have or enjoy any right, franchise, or privilege to build or construct any railroad, branch, or extension of their existing railroad southwardly or eastwardly from connellsville. on the same day on which this repeal was passed, the general assembly also passed an act incorporating the connellsville and southern pennsylvania railway company, with power and authority to construct a railroad from connellsville to the maryland state line, at such point and by such route as to the directors may seem advisable, and to connect the same with any road or roads authorized by the state of maryland, and to connect the same with the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad, or any other road at or near connellsville now constructed or that may hereafter be constructed also to construct a road or roads from any point on the line named to the susquehanna valley. in the list of corporators there were named a large number of gentlemen of pennsylvania, and william b. ogden, j. d. t. lanier, l. h. meyer, and samuel j. tilden of new york. the capital stock authorized was ten millions of dollars, and the company was required to perfect its organization within three months from the passage of the act, and to proceed immediately to locate and construct said road, and to complete tlicir main line within three years. but the company thus incorporated did not comply with the requirements of the act as to the commencement and completion of the line. meanwhile, legal measures were taken on behalf of the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad company to secure a restoration of their charter for the line south and east of connellsville, and this was finally accomplished by the passage. tan. of an act repealing the act of april, and thus reinstating the coni kiny in the possession of their original powers and tvaiirhiscs as to the line between connellsville and the maryland boundary, but requiring them to commence the construction of the road within six months, and to complete it within three years from the passage of the act. another act was passed april st in the same year, autliorizing the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad company to construct branch roads, for the development of contiguous regions of country, from any point or points on their main line. operations were now resumed, and the construction of tlie road was pushed vigorously to completion. in february, the road from connellsville to falls city was finished, and trains ran regularly between those points on and after the of that month. as early as the d of the same month trains were aninunced to be running on schedule time from sand patch to cumberland. at about three o clock in the a ternoon of monday, the of april, the tiack was finished between pittsburgh and cumberland, by the laying. of the last rail, at a point where the track layers from both directions met, near forge bridge, three miles west of mineral point. immediately upon completion of the track a passenger train from pittsburgh the first one passing over the road east of confluence took aboard all present, messrs. latrobe and blanchard, of the baltimore and ohio railroad, and messrs. hughart, page, pendleton, stout, and turner, of the pittsburgh and connellsville road, and others, and started directly to cumberland, which was reached about dusk. when this first train left connellsville to proceed to the point where the track laying parties were approaching each other to complete the connection, nine car loads of rails were taken with it, drawn by locomotive no. in charge of mr. sampsel. at confluence these iron laden cars were detached, and taken thence to a point near brooke tunnel by locomotive no. of the baltimore and ohio railroad, while mr. sampsel, the engineer of no. who had previously declared he would run the first engine over the completed road, made good his promise on this occasion by taking the excursion train through to cumberland, pa. ssing by a zig zag track around the brooke tunnel, which was not then entirely completed. among the speeches in the aff airs of tiie rittlmi li and cdnnell. vilje and baltimore and ohio roads was that of b. h. latmlie, esq. who said that the road which he latrobe had commenced in. was now completed by the president, that the road had now allied itself with the llaliimorc and ohi. i, and that he predicted a l rilliaiit luture i or tlie line and the connection, a which has been completely verified during the ten years which have succeeded it. the road is now operated as a part of the baltimore and ohio railroad, having been leased bv that companv in december, the fayette county railroad company was incori porated by act of general assembly, passed may, i, with power and authority to construct a single or double railroad track from a iy ioint at ur near the borough of uniontowi to any point at ur near the borough of connellsville, in fayette county, and across the youghiogheny river, with the right to, connect with the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad at or near the borough of connellsville. the persons invested by the act with autliority to open books for subscriptions to the stock of the company were samuel a. gilmore, nathaniel ewing, john huston, andrew stewart, joshua b. howell, alfred patterson, daniel kaine, henry yeagley, john dawson, h. w. beeson, isaac beeson, smith fuller, ewing brownsfield, james veech, william thorndell, eleazer robinson, alpheus e. willson, william beeson, jacob murphy, william bryson, john k. ewing, samuel w. boyd, williammckean, john chaney, john freeman, george paull, samuel ni, xon, thoma. s b. searight, samuel oliphant, edmund beeson, john bierer, ellis b. dawson, armstrong hadden, george mcclean, isaac winn, robert patterson, thomas sturgis, jesse b. gardner, and alfred mcclelland. the authorized capital of the company was, in shares of sloo each. the first president of the company was hon. nathaniel ewing, to whom more than to any other person was due the credit of completing the road and putting it in operation. it was finished in its entire length in the last part of the year, and was formally opened for travel and traffic between uniontown and connellsville on the st of january, after the completion and opening of the line, the company met with financial embarrassments, which resulted in the sale of the road and equipment by the sherift on the d of september, it being then purchased by the stockholders, and the company reorganized. on the st of november, the road was leased by the company to the pittsburgh and connellsville company for ninety nine years. in december, it was leased by the latter company together with the main line from pittsburgh to cumlierland to the baltimore and ohio company, by which corporation it is at present operated. the southwest pennsylvania railway company was incorporated march, the corporators named were israel painter, alpheus e. willson, james e. logan, samuel dellinger, and christopher sherrick. the company were authorized to construct a railroad, with one or more tracks, from the pennsylvania railroad at or near greensburg, westmoreland co. pa. by, way of connellsville, to uniontown, fayette co. and thence to the boundary line of west virginia. the capital stock was s, an organization of the company was effected at greensburg, and thomas a. scott elected president. the route was located, and work on the line commenced without unnecessary delay. in the completed road extended from connellsville as far. south as mount braddock, and in the fall of s was opened to uniontown. railroad company, and the road was continued about seven miles southward from uniontown to fairchance. the line is now operated by the pennsylvania railroad company. the pittsburgh, virginia and charleston railway was first projected by a company which was incorporated by an act of assembly approved april, as the monongahela valley railroad company. by a supplemental act, approved march. the company was authorized to construct its railroad with single or double tracks from a point at or near the city of pittsburgh, by such route as the board of directors may determine, to a point at or near monongahela city, in washington county, and thence up either bank of the monongahela river to point at or near rice s landing, with power to construct such branches as the directors may deam necessary. february, an act was passed changing the corporate name of the company to that of pittsburgh, virginia and charleston railway company. the delays which are usual in the building of railways, except such as are undertaken by old and powerful companies, were encountered in the construction of this, and it was not until the spring of that the line was completed and opened from pittsburgh to west brownsville, thus giving to the boroughs of bridgeport and brownsville the first railroad communication they ever enjoyed, though no part of the road in operation is within the county of fayette. a railroad to run from brownsville to uniontown was projected by the brownsville railway company. work on the line was commenced by this company, and some grading was done between the two termini but financial difliculties intervened, and the road was sold at sheriff s sale, feb. to charles e. spear, and was afterwards merged with the pittsburgh, virginia and charleston railroad. the last named road and its franchises passed in may, to the control and management of the pennsylvania railroad company, by which it is now operated as the monongahela division of its lines. the redstone extension or branch of the pittsburgh, virginia and charleston railroad is now in process of construction, having been commenced by the pennsylvania railroad company in january, starting from the completed road west of the monongahela, it crosses that river by a bridge at the mouth of redstone creek, below brownsville, and runs from that point to hogsett s cut, about one mile north of uniontown, where it joins the southwest pennsylvania railroad. it is now being pushed rapidly to completion, and is expected to be opened about the st of june, thus giving a third line of railway communication between uniontown and pittsburgh, and from both these places to brownsville by a short branch extending to that borough from the main line near redstone creek. as this redstone branch road has an ea?v and unbroken descending grade in its entire length, it is expected that it will take all the immense amount of coke and other freight which now finds an outlet over the southwest pennsylvania road from stations south and west of mount braddock. it will also open in the redstone valley an immense area of coal lands which are now inaccessible. the mount pleasant and broad ford railroad company was incorporated april, with a capital stock of, the corporators named being daniel shupe, c. s. overholt, j. b. jordan, william j. hitchman, joseph r. stoufl er, a. o. tinstman, israel painter, c. p. markle, and james neel. the road was commenced immediately after the organization of the company, and was pushed with so much energy that the line was completed and opened on saturday, feb. on the d of january next preceding the opening of the road it was leased to the pittsburgh and connellsville railroad company, and afterwards by that lessee to the baltimore and ohio railroad company, by which latter corporation it is now operated in conjunction with the main line of road from pittsburgh to cumberland. surveys for the location of the route of the road were made by n. bailie, engineer. a c lmsiilcrame amount of work was done in the construct inn ot rul cits, building of bridges, and completion of most of the grading between uniontown and fairchance. but the financial difficulties and embarrassments usually encountered in the construction of new lines of railway were experienced by this company, and finally, in march, the road was sold by the sheriff on three judgments, which had been obtained against the company by john snider, the contractor. snider became the purchaser, and on the of august, he sold the property to the southwest penu vlvania railroad company, who comjdeted the road from unionthe brownsville and new haven railroad company was chartered feb. under tliu said they were on their way to the falls of the ohio to attack gen. clarke. the prisoners were separated and taken to different places of captivity at the indian towns, and there they remained excepting a few who escaped until the close of the revolutionary struggle. after the preliminary articles of peace had been signed nov. they were ransomed by the british officers in command of the northern posts and were sent to canada, to be exchanged for british it ims been bthted that the chief in command of this indian party vras tlie famuns cupt. brant, and tliat he afterwards professed mucli regret for tlie massncro of lochry and his men . tiio following memorial of escaped prisoners helonging to col. lochrj s command was presented to the supreme executive council, addressed to president bloore and indorsed july, itsj, viz. sir, we, tlio subscrihers, inhabitants of llie county of westmoreland, beg leave to represent to your excellency and council that we had the misfortune to be made prisoners of by tlie indians on the of august last and carried to montreal, and there kept in close confinement till the glh of may last, when we were so fortunate as to make uur escape, and after a long and fatigueing nuirch tlirough the wilderae got to this city yesterday at three o clock. as we are at present destitute of both money and cloatlies, without which we cmnot go home, we pray your exc y and council to take our case into consideration, and order us our i ay from the lime we were made pri oncrs to this. we were under the comnuind of colo. longhcry when taken, and have a list of all those, both officers and privates, who are now prisoners of that parly, which, together with ruch information as is in our power, e ready to give for the satisfaction of your exc y and council. we have the honour to be prisoners in the hands of the americans. in the spring of they sailed from quebec to new york, and from there returned home by way of philadelphia, having been absent twenty two months. but more than one half of those who went down the ohio with col. lochry never again saw their homes in the monongahela and youghiogheny valleys. besides the command of col. lochry, there also went out in clarke s expedition another company of men raised in westmoreland county principally in that part which is now fayette, under command of capt. benjamin whaley, the company being largely recruited by lieut, afterwards coloncl james pauu. this force embarked in flat boats on the monongahela at elizabethtown, and being joined at pittsburgh by capt. isaac craig s artillery, proceeded with other troops down the river to the appointed rendezvous at the falls of the ohio, arriving there late in the month of august. but the other forces failing to assemble at that jjoint the expedition was abandoned, and capts. whaley and craig, with their commands, returned on foot through the wilderness of kentucky and virginia, encountering innumerable perils and hardships, and being more than two months on the homeward journey. their arrival, as also the terrible disaster to col. lochry s command, was announced by gen. irvine who had in the mean time succeeded col. brodhead in the command of the western department in a letter to gen. washington, dated fort pitt, dec. as follows. capt. craig, with the detachment of artillery, returned here on the inst. ult?j. a col. lochry, of westmoreland county, pa. with about one hundred men in all, composed of volunteers and a company raised by pennsylvania for the defense of that county, started to join gen. clarke, who, it is said, ordered him to unite with him clarke at the mouth of the miami, up which river it was previously designed to proceed but the general, having changed his plan, left a small party at the miami, with directions to lochry to follow him to the mouth of the falls. sundry accounts agree that this party, and all of lochry s troops to a man, were waylaid by the indians and british for it is said they had artillery, and all killed or taken, not a man escaping, either to join gen. clarke or to return home. when capt. craig left the general he would not be persuaded but that lochry with his party had returned home. these misfortunes throw the people of this county into the greatest consternation, and almost despair, particularly westmoreland county luchry s party being all the best men of their frontier. at the present they talk of flying early in the spring to the eastern side of tlie mountains, and are daily flocking to me to inquire what support they may expect. the unsuccessful campaign of gen. clarke down the ohio was followed by two expeditions sent from avcstern pennsylvania against some settlements or villases on the iuskingum occupied by indian converts, usually kmiwn as the moravian indians. r otli thcsu rx icilitious were under command of col. david williamson, of washington county, and were made up of volunteers ivnm the region between the monongahela and i miio kiveix. it is not known or believed that any mm ivom what is now fayette county served in these campaigns under williamson, and tliey are only noticed here because they were connected in smne degree with col. crawford s indian campaign, which immediately followed them, and of which a more cxtomled narrative will be given. williamson s tirst expedition, consisting of between seventy five and one hundred men, went out late in the fall of. the reason for this movement against the peaceable moravian indians was that many of the frontiei men believed, or professed to believe, tliat tliey the moravians were. secretly in league witli the warlike savages who lived farther to the west that even if they did not fake active part in t ie tiv. iuenl raids and imtcheries, they did at least give shelter, sulisisienc, ami information to the shawanese and wyandnt warriors, and some even believed that the mnravians themselves mingled with the war parties and wielded the knife and tomahawk. williamson, in this expedition, did not intend to use lire ami sw. ird, but to induce the indians of the moravian towns to remove farther from the ohio, or, if he failed to acc nn ili h this, to take them all as prisoners to i ort pitt. with this intention he moved his force rapidly towards their towns on the muskingum. i ut ill ill time he had been forestalled in his projected work by a large party of the hostile indians who charged the moravians with being in league with the whites, and on this plea liad visited their towns, broken them up, driven the people away to sandusky, and carried the white moravian missionaries residing among them, prisoners to detroit. on his arrival at the towns, williamson found them deserted, except by a small party of the jloravians, who had been driven away, but who had been allov. ed by their captors to return for the purpose of gathering some corn which had been left standing in the fields near the villages. this party he took prisoners and marched them to fort pitt, where, however, they were soon after set at liberty by gen. irvine, the commandant. the second expedition led by col. avilliamson against the moravian settlements was made up, on the frontier in the latter part of february, and completed its bloody work in march, it was composed of volunteers mostly mounted from the country west of the monongahela, but no lists of their names or places of residence have been preserved, a fact which is not strange in view of the odium which has justly attached to the expedition and its barbarous work during the century which has followed its execution. in the winter of about one hundred and fifty of the moravian indians including many women and children, who had been driven awaj from their towns in the preceding autumn, were permitted byv the wyandot chiefs to return to them to secure the corn which was still left in the fields there, and to make preparations for a new crop. the kind manner in which gen. irvine had treated their people who had been carried as prisoners to fort pitt the previous fall had reassured them, so that they came back to the villages without much fear of violence from the whites east of the ohio. the weather in the month of february had been remarkably fine, so that war parties of indians from sandusky had been able to move earlier than usual, and had committed many depredations in the white settlements. as these inroads had occurred so early in the season it was generally believed by the settlers that the hostile parties had not come all the way from the sandusky towns, but that the outrages were either committed by moravians or by hostile indians from the west who had been sheltered by them, and had stunc, in liis life of brant, ii. says, a liand of lietwcen one and two liuiulred men from tlie settlements of tlie mononaliclu t lrned ont in quest of tlie marauders tlioso wlio had committed atrocn lies on tlie fioiilier east of tlie oliio, and part of whom were supposed to lie the moravians, ihirsung for vengeance, under tlie conmmnd of col. david williamson. on page of contributions to american history, published by the historical society of pennsylvania, is found the following itt inade the muskiugum settlements their base of operothers houses. this done they went to the other lations. it was declared that in either case the blame was chargeable on the moravians, and as a consequence jthe frontiersmen resolved to destroy them. the horirible story of the manner in which this was accomplished by williamson s men is told in the pennsylvania archives, page, as follows eelation of what frederick linebach was told by two of his neighbours living near delaware river, above easton, who were just returned from the monongahela that some time in february one hundred & sixty men, living upon monaungahela set off on horseback to the muskingum, in order to destroy three indian settlements, of which they seemed to be sure of being the touns of some enemy indians. after coming nigh to one of the touns they discovered some indians on both sides of the river muskingum. they then concluded to divide themselves in two parties, the one to cross the river and the other to attack those indians on this side. when the party got over the river they saw one of the indians coming up towards them. they laid themselves flat on the ground waiting till the indian was nigh enough, then of them shot the indian and broke his arm then three of the militia ran towards him with tomahawks when they were yet a little distance from him he ask d them why they had fired at him he was minister shebnshch s john bull s son, but they took no notice of what he said, but killed him on the spot. they then surrounded the field, and took all the other indians prisoners. the indians told them that they were christians and made no resistance, n hen the militia gave them to understand that they qiust bring thou as prisoners to fort pitt they seemed to be very glad. they were ordered to prepare themselves for the journey, and to take all their effects along with them. accordingly they did so. they ere asked how it came they had no cattle? they inswered that the small stock that was left them had deen sent to sandusky. in the evening the militia held a council, when he commander of the militia told his men that he. vould leave it to their choice either to carry the inlians as prisoners to fort pitt or to kill them when hey agreed that they should be killed. of this resolution of the council they gave notice to the inlians by two messengers, who told them that as they lad said they were christians they would give them ime this night to prepare themselves accordingly. hereupon the women met together and sung hymns & psalms all night, and so likewise did the men, and vept on singing as long as there were three left. in he morning the militia chose two houses, which hey called the slaughter houses, and then fetched he indians two or three at a time with ropes about heir necks and dragged them into the slaughter louses, where they knocked them down then they let these two houses on fire, as likewise all the towns and set fire to the houses, took their plunder, and returned to the monaungahela, where they held a vendue among themselves. before these informants came away it was agreed that men should meet on the of march to go to sandusky, which is about miles from the muskingum. the number of moravian indians killed was reported by williamson s party on their return at. eighty eight, but the white moravian missionaries in their account gave the number of the murdered ones as ninety six, sixty two adults, male and female, and thirty four children. the result of this expedition gave great mortification and grief to gen. irvine, who tried, as far as lay in his power, to suppress all accounts of the horrible details. by those who were engaged in the bloody work it was vehemently asserted that their action was generally approved by the people of the frontier settlements but it is certain that the statement was unfounded. col. edward cook, of cookstown now fayette city, the county lieutenant of westmoreland who had succeeded the unfortunate col. lochry in that office in december, in a letter addressed by him to president moore, dated sept. expressed himself in regard to this moravian massacre as follows. i am informed that you have it reported that the massacre of the moravian indians obtains the approbation of every man on this side of the mountains, which i assure your excellency is false that the better part of the community are of opinioa the perpetrators of that wicked deed ought to be brought tocondeiu punishment that without something is done by government in the matter it will disgrace the annals of the united states, and be an everlasting plea and cover for british cruelty. and the testimony of a man of the character and standing of col. edward cook is above and beyond the possibility of impeachment. even before the disbandment of the volunteers composing williamson s expedition the project had been formed for a new and more formidable one to be raised to inarch against the indian towns at sandusky, the headquarters of the hostile tribes that were so constantly and persistently depredating the frontier settlements east of the ohio. iniention of such a project is found in linebach s relation before quoted, where he says, it was agreed that six hundred men should meet on the of march to go to sandusky. whether this was the inception of the plan or not, it is certain that immediately afterwards it was known to, and favorably entertained by, nearly all the people living west of tlie laurel hill. as a matter of course, the first step to be taken was to lay the matter before the commandant at fort pitt, gen. irvine, to secure his countenance and approbation. tliat this was successfully accorai plished is shown by the following extract from a letter written by the general to president moore of the council, dated fort pitt, may, viz. a volunteer expedition is talked of against sandusky, which, if well conducted, may be of great serj vice to this country if they behave well on this occasion it may also in some measure atone for the barbarity they are charged with at muskingum. they have consulted me, and shall have every couni tenance in my power it their numbers, arrangements, etc. promise a prospect of success. there is in the tone of this letter an evident resolve on the part of the general that this new expedition should be very differl iit in cliaracter from that which had so recently and so barlxirouly executed vengeance against the unresisting moravians and this was afterwards made still, more apparent by his determined opposition to col. williamson. as commander. the direction and control of the projected expedition was, of course, with gen. irvine, as the commanding oflbcer of the deiiarlment. it was as carefully considered and as authoritatively planned as any militarv enterprise in the west during the revolution. as a distinct undertaking, it was intended to be effectual in ending the troubles upon the western frontiers of pennsylvania and virginia. its promoters were not only the principal military and civil officers in the western department, but a large proportion of the best known and most influential private citizens. according to the plan of the expedition, it was to be made up of volunteers, each one of whom was to equip himself with a horse, arms, and supplies and it was o iven out, and not doubted, that the state of pennsylvania would reimburse all who might sustain losses in the campaign. great exertions were made to induce men to volunteer, and the result was a rapid recruitment. imauy who were willing to serve in the expedition were unable to equip themselves for a campaign in the indian country, but in nearly all such cases some friend was found who would loan a horse or furnish supplies. the dangerous j and desperate nature of the enterprise was fully un derstood, yet such enthusiasm was exhibited in all the settlements that in the early part of may the, number of men obtained was regarded as sufficient for the successful accomplishment of the purjjoses of the campaign. the volunteers composing the expedition were nearly all from the country then comprised in the counties of westmoreland and washington. of those raised in the former county many were from the vicinity of uniontown and georges creek, and from the valleys of the youghiogheny and redstone. these collected at redstone old fort, where they were joined by men from the settlements lower down the monongahela and youghiogheny. crossing the ionongahela at the mouth of dunlap s creek, they proceeded northwestwardlj, receiving considerable accessions to their numbers from the settlements on ten mile and at catfish. from the latter point they moved on through washington county and across what is now known as the pan handle of west virginia where their numbers were still further augmented to the ohio river, at a point on its left bank opposite mingo bottom, the appointed rendezvous of the expedition, where the volunteers had been directed to assemble on the of may. the enthusiasm in favor of the expedition was so great in the settlements and among the volunteers that as early as the of the month a great proportion of them had made all their arrangements and were on their way to the place of meeting. but they did not all arrive at the time appointed, and it was not until the morning of the that the last of the volunteers had crossed from the virginia side to the rendezvous. when, on the same day, the forces were mustered on the mingo bottom, it was found that four hundred and eighty mounted men were present, ready and eager for duty. of this number fully three hundred were from washington county, while of the remainder the greater part were from the territory of the present county of fayette, only a comparatively small number having been raised in the other parts of westmoreland, and about twenty in the pan handle of virginia, following is a list of men from what is now fayette county who accompanied the expedition. the established fact that many, aside from the ordinary ari iuigemenls necessary for a month s absence not so much, however, from a presentiment of disaster as from that prudence wliich careful and thoughtful men are prone to exercise, executed deeds iu consideration of love and affectiou, and nniny witnees w ere called in to subscribe to last wills and testaments. the commander of the expeditiou, col. crawford, executed his will before departing on the fatal journey to the lieut. john rose usually mentioned in accounts of the expedition m j. itose, an aide de camp of gen. irvine, who had been detailed for same duty with the commander of this expedition, wrote to the genii ou the evening of the from mins m ll. it. ni, and in the letter ho d, ur number is actually four this was nore favorable result than had been a let written three days before gen. irat mingo bottom, all on horseback, with thirty days pi ovisions. u tluir number exceeds three hundred i am of opiniou they nuiy succeed, as their march will be so rapid they will probably, iu a great degree, effect a surprise. all were in high spirits. everywhere around there was a jdeasurable excitement. jokes were bandied and sorrows at parting with loved ones at home quite forgotten, at least could outward appearances be relied upon. nevertheles furtive glances up the western hillsides into tbo. deep woods kept alive in the minds of some the dangerous purpose ofall this bustle and activity. ftihern i dr marshal, of washington county, in a letter addressed to gon. irvine, dated may, s, claimed that of the s men composing ths forces of the expedition i were from his county, c from ohio county, a. and the remainder or, as he said, about m from the county of list which is not claimed to be a complete one, but which certainly embraces the greater part of those who went from this county is made up from various sources, but principally from the minutes of a court of appeal a military tribunal held at various times in the spring and summer of at uniontown, before alexander mcclean, sub lieutenant of the countv, viz. it was in the afternoon of the of may that the force was mustered and divided into eighteen companies, their average strength, of course, being about twenty six men . they were made thus small on account of the peculiar nature of the service in which they were to engage, skirmishing, firing from cover, and practicing the numberless artifices and stratagems belonging to indian warfare. anothers object gained in the formation of those unusually small companies was the gathering together of neighbors and acquaintances in the same command. fur each company there were then elected, a captain, a lieutenant, and an ensign. one of the companies was commanded by capt. john beeson, of uniontown another by capt. john hardin, with john lucas as lieutenant a third by capt. joseph huston, of tyrone, father of joseph huston, afterwards sheriff of fayette county and a fourth by capt. john biggs, with edward stewart as lieutenant, and william crawford, jr. nephew of col. william crawford, as ensign. one or two other companies were made up largely of men from the territory which now forms the counties of fayette and westmoreland, but of these the captains names have not been asscertained. among those captains chosen, says butterfield, in his narrative of the expedition, were mcgeehan, hoagland, beeson, munn, ross, ogle, john biggs, craig ritchie, john miller, joseph bean, and andrew plood, and james paull remembered, fifty years after, that the lieutenant of his company was edward stewart. after the several companies had been duly formed and organized, the line officers and men procceeded to elect field officers and a commandant of the expeditionary force. for the latter office there were two candidates. one of these was col. david williamson, who had previously led the expedition against the moravian indians on the muskingum, and his chances of election seemed excellent, because he was a resident of washington county, which had furnished two thirds of the men composing the forces. his competitor for the command was col. William crawford, whose home was on the youghiogheny river, near bradock s crossing, in what is now fayette county. he was a regular army officer in the continental establishment of the virginia line, well versed in indian modes of fighting, and had already made an enviable military record he enjoyed much personal popularity, and was also the one whom gen. irvine wished to see selected for the command. avhen the votes four hundred and sixty five in number were counted, it was found that williamson had received two hundred and thirty against two hundred and thirty five cast for col. crawford, who thereupon became commandant of the forces of the expedition. four majors were then elected, viz. in the minutes of uie millury court of appeal, before rererre o, i this entry, under date of june, capt. john beeson s company th. no keturu for duty, being au out on tlie expedition. it is not linowu tiiat capt. diggs was of fayette, but his lieutenant, ensign, and many of the men of his company were residents of this part of westmorelaud. gen. irvine wrote to gen. washington on the lt of may, i have taken some pains to get col. crawford appointed to command, and hujio he will bo. doddiidge, in hs notes page ca, says of ciawford that wlicn notified of his app antment it is said that he accepted it with api urcnt david williamson, of avasliington county, thomas gaddis and john mcclelland, of that part of westmoreland which is now fayette, and brinton, their rank and seniority being in the order as here named. daniel leet was elected brigade major. john slovcr, of fayette county, and jonathan zane were designated as guides or pilots to the advancing column. dr. john knight, post surgeon at fort pitt, had been detailed as surgeon to the expedition. instructions addressed to the officer who will be appointed to command a detachment of volunteer militia on an expedition against the indian town at or near sandusky had been forwarded by gen. irvine from fort pitt on the st of may. in these instructions the general expressed himself as follows the object of your command is to destroy with fire and sword, if practicable, the indian town and settlement at sandusky, by which we hope to give ease and safety to the inhabitants of this country but if impracticable, then you will doubtless perform such other services in your power as will in tlieir consequences have a tendency to answer this great end. previous to taking up your line of march it will be highly expedient that all matters respecting rank or command should be well understood, as far at least as first, second, and third. this precaution, in case of accident or misfortune, may be great import. ance. indeed, i think whatever grade or rank may be fixed on to have command, their relative rank should be determined. and it is indispensably necessary that subordination and discipline should be kept up the whole ought to understand that, notwithstanding they are volunteers, yet by this tour they are to get credit for it in their tours of military duty, and that for this and otlier good reasons they must , while out on this duty, consider themselves, to all intent, subject to the military laws and regulations for the government of the militia when in actual service. your best chance of success will bo, if possible, to effect a surprise, and though this will be difficult, yet by forced and rapid marches it may, in a great degree, be accomplished. i am clearly of opinion that you should regulate your last day s march so as to reach the town about dawn of day, or a little before, and that the march of this day should be as long as can well be performed. i need scarcely mention to so virtuous and disinterested a set of men as you will have the honor to command that though the main, object at present is for the purpose above set forth, viz. the protection of this country, yet you are to consider yourselves as acting in behalf of and for the united states, that of course it will be incumbent on you especially who will have the command to act in every instance in such a manner as will reflect honor on, and add re nitation to, the american arms, of nations or independent states. should any person, british, or in the service or pay of britain or their allies, fall into your hands, if it should prove inconvenient for you to bring them off, you will, nevertheless, take special care to liberate them on parole, in such manner as to insure liberty for an equal number of jjcople in their hands. there are individuals, however, who i think should brought off at all events should the fortune of throw them into vour hands. i mean such as h many relutivea by the imlians. and witnessed tlieir iiorrid niurdlrs and other deprediitiuns on so extensive. scaly, they became subjecu uf that iiiiliscriuiinntiiig thii stfor revenge wliich is such a prominent fuature in the savage character, and liaving liad a taste of blood and plnihlei, without risk or loss on their part, they resolved to go on and kill eveiy indian they could find, whether fiiend or fue. does not the tenor of gen. inint s instnulions to cul. ciawtord conipk ti ly dipruvc the alio gatiuus of loskicl, llecliewclder, and doddridge? deserted to the enemy siuce the declaration of independence. the forces of col. crawford commenced their march from mingo bottom early in the morning of saturday, the oth of may. there was a path leading from the river into the wilderness, and known as williamson s trail, because it was the route over which col. williamson had previously marched on his way to the moravian towns. this trail, as far as it extended, offered the easiest and most practicable route, but col. crawford did not adopt it, because it was a principal feature in his plan of the campaign to avoid all traveled trails or routes on which they would be likely to be discovered by lurking indians or parties of them, who would make haste to carry intelligence of the movement to the villages which it was his purpose to surprise and destroy. so the column, divided into four detachments, each under immediate command of one of the four field majors, moved up from the river bottom into the higher country, and struck into the trackless wilderness, taking a course nearly due west, piloted by the guides slcver and zane. the advance was led by capt. biggs company, in hich were found young william crawford ensign, james paull, john eodgcrs, john sherrard, alexander carson, and many other fayette county volunteers. through the depths of the gloomy forest, along the north side of cross creak, the troops moved rapidly but warily, preceded by scouts, and observing every precaution known to border w arfare, to guard against ambuscade or surprise, though no sign of an enemy appeared in the unbroken solitude of the woods. no incident of note ocurred on the march until the night of the of may, when, at their third camping place, a few of the horses strayed and were lost, and in the following morning the men who had thus been dismounted, being unable to proceed on foot without embarrassing the movements of the column, were ordered to return to jlingo bottom, which they did, but with great reluctance. on the fourth day they reached and crossed the muskingum eiver, and then, marching up the western side of the stream, came to the ruins of the upper moravian village, where they made their camp for the night, and found plenty of corn remaining in the iged fields of the christian indians. this encampment was only sixty miles from their startingpoint on the ohio, yet they had been four days in reaching it. during the latter part of their journey to this place they had taken a route more southerly han the one originally contemplated, for their horses iliad become jaded and worn out by climbing the liills and floundering through the swamps, and so the commander found himself compelled to deflect his line of march so as to pass through a more open and level country but he did this very unwillingly, for it led his army through a region in which they would be much more likely to be discovered by indian scouts or hunting parties. up to this time, however, no indians had been seen but while the force was encamped at the ruined village, on the evening of the of may, maj. brinton and capt. bean went out to reconnoitre the vicinity, and while so engaged, at a distance of about a quarter of a mile from the camp, they discovered two skulking savages and promptly fired on them. the shots did not take efl ect and the indians fled, but the circumstance gave col. crawford great uneasiness, for, although he had previously supposed that his march had been undiscovered by the enemy, he now believed that these scouts had been hovering on their flanks, perhaps along the entire route from mingo bottom, and it was certain that the two savages who had been fired on would speedily carry intelligence of the hostile advance to the indian towns on the sandusky. it was now necessary to press on with all practicable speed in order to give the enemy as little time as possible to prepare for defense. early in the morning of the the column resumed its march, moving rapidly, and with even greater caution than before. from the muskingum the route was taken in a northwesterly course to the killbuck, and thence up that stream to a point about ten miles south of the present town of wooster, ohio, where, in the evening of the. th, the force encamped, and where one of the men died and was buried at a spot which was marked by the cutting of his name in the bark of the nearest tree. from the lone grave in the forest they moved on in a westerly course, crossing an affluent of the mohican, passing near the site of the present city of mansfield, and arriving in the evening of the st of june at the place which is now known as spring mills station, on the pittsburgh, fort wayne and chicago railroad. there by the side of a fine spring they bivouacked for the night. in the march of the d they struck the sandusky river at about two o clock p. m. and halted that night in the woods very near the eastern edge of the plains, not more than twenty miles from the indian town, their point of destination. they had seen no indian since their dejiarture from the night camp at the moravian indian village on the muskingum, though they had in this day s march unknowingly passed very near the camp of the delaware chief wingenund. on the morning of the d of june the horsemen entered the open country known as the sandusky plains, and moved rapidly on through waving grasses and bright flowers, between green belts of timber and island groves such as few of them had ever seen before. such were the scenes which surrounded them during all of that day s march, and at night j they made their fireless bivouac on or near the site of tlie present village of wyandot, not more than ten miles from their objective pointy where as they believed the deadly and decisive blow was to be struck. two hours after sunrise on the the men were aijain in the saddle, and the four squadrons began their inarch, moving with greater caution than ever. a march of six miles brought them to the mouth of the little sandusky thence, having crossed the stream, they proceeded in a direction a little west of north, past an indian sugar camp of the previous spring which was all the sign that they had seen of indian ocupation, and passed rapidly on towards the wyandot town, the objective point of the expei dition, which, as the guide slover assured the comj mander, lay immediately before them within striking j distance. suddenly, at a little after noon, the site of the town came in fnll view through an opening in tlie timber, init to tlieir utter amazement they found only a cluster of deserted huts without a single ini habitant the village appeared to have been deserted for a considerable time, and the place was a perfect solitude. this was a dilemma which col. j crawford had not foreseen nor anticipated, and he at, once ordered a halt to rest the horses and give time for him to consider the strange situation of affairs, and to decide on a new plan of operations. the guides, slover and zane, and some others in i crawford s command were well acquainted willi the location of the indian town. john slover had previously been a prisoner with the miamis, and during his captivity with that tribe had frequently visited tlie wyandot village on the sandusky. in guiding tlie expedition there he had, of course, expected to find the village as he had before seen it, and was, like the rest, astonished to find it deserted. the fact, as afterwards learned, was that some time before crawford s coming, but how long before has never been delinitely ascertained, the indians, believing that their upper village was peculiarly exposed to danger from the incursions of the whites, had abandoned it and retired town the river about eight miles, where tliey gathered around the village of the half king, pomoacan and that was their location when the columns of col. crawford descended the sandusky. contrary to the belief of the pennsylvania and virginia settlers that the mustering of their forces and the march of their expedition was unknown to the indians, the latter had been apprised of it from tlie inception of the project. prowling spies east of the ohio had watched the volunteers as they left their hdines in the monongahela valley and moved westward towards the rendezvous they had seen the gathering of the borderers at mingo bottom, and had the location of the old a yantlot town was tlin present towu of i pper sandusky, or five miles he river, and on its oppos ic bank. shadowed the advancing column along all its line march from the ohio to the sandusky. swift runners had sped away to the northwest with every item of warlike news, and on its receipt, the chiefs and warriors at the threatened villages lost not a moment in making the most energetic preparations to repel the invasion. messengers were dispatched to all the wyandot, delaware, and shawauese bands, calling on them to send in all their braves to a general rendezvous near the half king s headquarters, and word ws sent to de peyster, the british commandant at detroit, notifying him of tlie danger threatening his indian allies, and begging that he would send them aid without delay. this request he at once acceded i sending a considerable force of mounted men, witlii two or three small pieces of artillery. these, however, did not play a prominent part in the tragedy which followed. the indian scouts who had watched the little army of crawford from the time it left mingo bottom. sent forward reports of its progress day by day, and from these reports the chiefs at the lower towns on the sandusky learned in the night of the d of june that the invading column was then in bivouac on the plains, not more than eighteen miles distdnt. the war pa ties of the miamis and shawauese had not come in to the indian rendezvous, nor had the expected aid arrived from the british post at detroit, but the chiefs resolved to take the war path without them, to hara and hold the advancing enemy in check as much possible until the savage forces should be augmented sufficiently to enable them to give battle with hope of success. accordingly, in the morning of the ot june, at about the same time when col. crawford was leaving his camp ground of tlie previous night to march on the deserted indian town, the great delaware chief, capt. pipe, set out from his town wi about two hundred warriors, and marched to the rendezvous, where his force was joined by a larger party of wyandots under their chief ghaus sho toh. wi them was. the notorious white renegade, simon girty. mounted on a fine horse and decked out in full indian costume. tlie combined delaware and wyandot forces numbered in all more than five hundred braves a screeching mass of barbarians, hideous in theli war paint and wild with excitement. after an orgit of whooping, yelling, and dancing such as savages were wont to indulge in before taking the war path the wild crowd relapsed into silence, filed out fromthi place of rendezvous, and glided away like a huge ser pent across the grassy plain towards the cover of i distant belt of forest. in the brief halt at the deserted village col. crawford consulted with his guides and some of the officer as to the most advisable course to be adopted undft the strange circumstances in which he found himsel placed. john slover was firm in the opinion that th inhabitants of the village liad removed to a town situ a few miles below. he also believed that other villages would be found not far away from the one which had been abandoned, and that they might be surprised by a rapid forward movement. zane, the other guide, was less confident, and not disposed to advise, though he did not strongly oppose a farther advance into the indian country. the commander, after an hour s consideration of the embarrasing question, ordered the column to move forward towards the lower towns. crawford s army and the combined indian forces under pipe and ghaus sho toh were now rapidly approaching each other. crossing the river just below the abandoned village, the pennsylvania horsemen pressed rapidly on in a northerly direction to the place which afterwards lio aiiie the site of upper sandusky. there was no j iiiiliration of the presence of the foe, but the very i sik uie and solitude seemed ominous, and the faces of i oflicers and men grew grave, as if the shadow of approaching disaster had begun to close around them. a mile farther on, a halt was ordered, for the gloom liad deepened over the spirits of the volunteers, until, for the first time, it found expression in a demand from some of them that the advance should be abandoned and their faces turned back towards the ohio river. at this juncture col. crawford called a council of war. it was composed of the commander, his aidede camp, eose, the surgeon. dr. knight, the four majors, the captains of the companies, and the guides, er and zane. the last named now gave his opinion promptly and decidedly against any farther advance, and in favor of an immediate return for to his mind the entire absence of all signs of indians was almost a sure indication that they were concentrating in overwhelming numbers at some point not far off. his opinion had great weight, and the council decided that the march should be continued until evening, and if no enemy should then have been discovered, the column should retire over the route by which it came. during the halt capt. biggs company, deployed as scouts, had been thrown out a considerable distance fto the front for purposes of observation. hardly had the council reached its decision when one of the scouts came in at headlong speed with the thrilling intelligence that a large body of indians had been discovered on the plain, less than two miles away.then, in hot haste, the volunteers mounted, formed, and moved forward rapidly and in the best of spirits, the retiring scouts falling in with the main body of horsemen as they advanced. they had proceeded nearly a mile from the place where the council was held when the indians were discovered directly in their front. if was the war party of delawares, under their chief, capt. pipe, the wyandots being farther to the rear and not yet in sight.when the americans appeared in full view of the delawares, the latter made a swift movemant to occupy an adjacent wood, so as to fight from cover, but col. crawford, observing the movemen t, instantly dismounted his men and ordered them to charge into the grove, firing as they advanced. before this vigorous assault the delawares gave way and retreated to the open plain, while crawford s men held the woods. the indians then attempted to gain cover in anothers grove farther to the east, but were repulsed by maj. leet s men , who formed crawford s right wing. at this time the wyandot force came up to reinforce the delawares, and with them was capt. matthew elliott, of the british army, dressed in the full uniform of an officer in the royal service. he had come from detroit, and arrived at the indian rendezvous a little in advance of the british force, but after pipe and ghaussho toh had set out with their braves to meet crawford. he now came up to the scene of confiict, and at once took command of both indian parties. on his arrival he immediately ordered the delaware chief to flank the americans by, passing to their left. the movement was successfully executed, and they held the position, much to the discomfort of the frontiersmen ,who, however, could not be dislodged from their cover. but they had no great advantage of position, for the indians were scarcely less sheltered by the tall grass of the plains, which almost hid them from view when dismounted, and afforded a considerable protection against the deadly fire of the pennsylvania marksmen .the fight commenced at about four o clock, and was continued with unabated vigor, but with varying success, through the long hours of that sultry june afternoon. through it all, the villanous simon girty was present with the delawares, and was frequently seen by, crawford s men for he was well knowu by many of them, riding on a white horse, giving orders and encouraging the savages, but never within range of the white men s rifles. the combined forces of the wyandots and delawares considerably outnumbered the command of col. crawford, but the latter held their own, and could not be dislodged by, all the artifices and fury of their savage assailants. when the shadows of twilight began to deepen over grove and glade, the savage hordes ceased hostilities aud retired to more distant points on the plains. the losses in col. crawford s command during the afternoon were five killed and twenty three wounded, as reported by the aide de camp. rose, to gen. irvine. one of the killed was capt. ogle, and among the oflscers wounded were maj. brinton, capt. ross, capt. munn, lieut. ashley, and ensign mcmasters. philip smith, a volunteer from georges creek, fayette county, received a severe wound iu his elbow, which some of the bonlurers climbed trees, and from their biisliy tops took deiidly aim at the beads of the enemy as tliey arose above ibe gras. s. daniel canon of fayette connty was conspicnons in this novel mode of warfare. he was one of the dead shots of the army lofty liididk place tlio reports of his unerring rifle gave evidence of the killing of savages. i do not know how many indians i killed, saiil he, afterwards, but i never s. iw the same head again above the grass after i shot at it. biillcr idd. protruded slightly from behind the tree which he had taken as a cover while firing. the losses of the indians were never ascertained. though doubtless greater than those of the whites, tliey were probably not very heavy, because the savage combatants were to a great extent hidden from view by, the tall grass which grew everywhere in the openings. a number of indian scalps were taken by crawford s men ,but no prisoners were captured on either side. at the close of the conflict of the of june tlie advantage seemed to be with the white men , for the foe had retired from their front, and they still kept possession of the grove, from which the red demons had tried persistently but in vain for nearly four liniirs to dislodge them. the officers and men of cul. crawford s command were in good spirits, and tlie commander himself felt confident of ultimate victory, for his volunteers had behaved admirably, exhibiting remarkable steadiness and bravery during the trying scenes of the afternoon. but the indians were by no means dispirited, for they had suflered no actual defeat, and they knew that their numbers would soon be augmented by the shawanese and others war parties who were already on their way to join them, as was also the british detachment which had been sent from detroit. the night bivouac of the wyandots was made on the plains to the north of the batle field, and that of the delawares at about the same distance south. far to the front of the indian camps, lines of fires were kept burning through the night to prevent a surprise, and the same precautionary measure was taken by col. crawford. outlying scouts from both forces watched each other with sleepless vigilance through the hours of darkness, aud frontiersmen and savages slept on their arms. it was the wish of col. crawford to make a vigorous attack on the indians at daylight on the morning of the tli, but, he was prevented from doing so by, the fact that the care of his sick and wounded was very embarrasing, requiring the services of a number of men ,and so reducing the strength of his fighting force. it was determined, however, to make the best preparations possible under the circumstances, and to attack with every available man in the following night. the indians had commenced firing early in the morning, and their fire was answerend by, the whites but it was merely a skirmish at long range, and in no sense a battle. it was kept up during the greater part of the day, but little harm was done, only four of crawford s men being wounded, and none killed. col. crawford, as we have seen, was not prepared for a close conflict, but he, as well as his officers and men , felt confident of their ability to defeat the enemy when the proper time should come, attrilniting the apparent unwillingness of the indians to come to close quarters to their having been badly crippled in the fight of the th. but the fact wa i that the savages were content with making a show of fight suflicient to hold their white enemies at bay while waiting for the arrival of their reinforcements, which fliey knew were approaching and near at hand. the day wore on. the red warriors kept up their desultory firing, and the white skirmishers reiilicd, while their comrades were busily and confidently making preparations for the intended night a saultj but it was a delusive and fatal confidence. suddenly, at a little past noon, an excited scout brought word to col. crawford that a body of white horsemen were approaching from the north. this was most alarming intelligence, but it was true.the british detachment from detroit butler s rangers had arrived, and were then forminga junction with the wyandot forces. but this was not all. almost simultaneously with the arrival of the british horsemen , a large body of shawanese warriors appeared in the south, in full view from col. crawford s position, and joined the line of the delawares. in this state of affairs the idea of an attack on the indian camps could no longer be entertained. the commandant at once called a council of war of his officers to determine on the course to be pursued in this dire emergency. tiieir deliberations were very short, and the decision unanimously rendered was to retreat towards the ohio. in pursuance of this decision, preparations for the movemant were at once commanced. the dead had already been buried, and fires were now built over them to prevent their disbeen nmdo sicli hy llie great lay, and liy tlie vcr. v iiad water whicli they liad itcen compelled to driiili, the only water wliit li could he found in the virinity of the hattle. ground being a stagnant pool which had formed ntider the routs of a tree which had been blown over. mnj. hose, in his re iort to gen. irvine, siid, wo were so much encnnihen il with our wounded aud sick ihat the whole day was s cnt in their covery and desecration by the savages. most of the wounded were able to ride, but for the few who were not, stretchers were prepared. these and others necessary preparations were completed before dark, and the volunteers were ready to move at the word of command. meanwhile, war parties had been hourly arriving to reinforce the indian forces, which had now become so overwhelming in numbers that any oflensive attempt against them would have been madness. as soon as the late twilight of june had deepened into darkness, all scouts and outposts were called in, the column was formed in four divisions, each under command of one of the field majors, as on the outward march, and the retreat was commenced, the command of maj. john mcclelland leading, and col. crawford riding at the head of all. usually in a retreat the post of honor, as of danger, is that of the rear guard, but in this case the head of the column was as much or more exposed than the rear, as the line of march lay between the positions held by the delawares and shawanese. that the advance was here considered to be the post of danger is shown by the fact that orders were given to carry the badly wounded in the rear.the indians had discovered the movement almost as soon as the preparations for it commenced, and hardly had the head of the column begun to move when it was fiercely attacked by, the delawares and shawanese. the voluntaers pushed on, fighting as they want, but they suffered severely, and soon after, miij. mclelland was wounded, and, falling from his horse, was left behind to the tender mercies of the savages.the division, however, fought its way clear of the indians, who did not then follow up the pursuit, probably for the reason that they felt doubtful as to the actual intent of the movement, thinking it might prove to be but a feint, covering the real design of a general assault so, fearful of some unknown stratagem or trap, they remained within supponing distance of the wyandots and dangers, and by failing to pursue probably lost the opportunity of routing, perhaps annihilating, the head division. when the advance guard received the attack of the delawares and shawanese, the others three divisions, which, although not wholly demoralized, were undoubtedly to some extent panic stricken, most unacountably abandoned mcclelland s command, and in disregard of the orders to follow the advance in a solid column, moved rapidly off on a line diverging to the right from the prescribed route. they had not proceeded far, liowever, before some of the companies became entangled in the mazes of a swamp, in which several of the horses were lost. during the delay caused by, this mishap, the rear battalion was attacked by the indians, and a few of the men were wounded, but the enemy did not push his advantage, and the divisions pushed on as rapidly as possible, and deflecting to the left beyond the swamp, and striking the trail by which they came on the outward march, came about daybreak to the deserted indian village on the sandusky, where they found the men of mcclelland s division, who had reached there an liour or two earlier, disorganized, panic stricken, and leaderless, for maj. mcclelland had been left for dead on the field, as before narrated and during the hurried march, or more properly the flight, from the scene of the fight to the abandoned village, the commander. col. crawford, had disappeared, and no one was able to give any information concerning him, whether he had been wounded, killed, captured, or lost in the woods. john slover, the guide, and dr. knight, the surgeon, were also missing. these facts, when known by the men , greatly increased their uneasiness and demoralizati m. at this point the deserted wyandot village, maj. williamson, as col. crawford s second in command, assumed the leadership of the forces, and after a brief halt the entire command, now numbering something more than three hundred and fifty men , continued the retreat over the route by which they had come on the outward march.the new commander, never doubting that tlie indians would pursue him in force, hurried on his men with all possible speed, keeping out the most wary and trusty scouts on his rear and flanks. the command passed tiie mouth of the little sandusky without seeing any signs of an enemy, but while passing through the plains, at about eleven o clock in the forenoon, the scouts discovered far in their rear a pursuing party, apparently composed of botli indians and white men .they were afterwards found to be wyandots and british rangers, all mounted. it was now the purpose of maj. williamson to cross the plain country and reach the shelter of the timber before being overtaken by the pursuers and the latter were equ. ally determined, if possible, to possess themselves of the woods in advance of the americans. the race was an eager and exciting one on both sides, but at last maj. williamson found that the indians weren gaining on him so rapidly that he would be compelled to stand for battle before reaching the timber. maj. rose, in his report of these operations to gen. irvine, said, tliough it was our business studiously to avoid engaging in the plains, on account of the enemy s superiority in light cavalry, yet they pressed our rear so hard that we concluded on a general and vigorous attack, whilst our light horse secured the entrance of the woods. the place where maj.williamson found himself compelled to stand at bay before the pursuing horde referring to one of tlie companies, which col. crawford bad selected and equiped for special duty as skirnuheri and scouts. noon of the of june, was near the creek called olentangy, a tributary of the scioto, near the eastern edge of the plains, where the column of col. crawford had first debouched from the shades of the forest into the open country on the morning of the d, when moving towards the wyandot town, which they found deserted. but the aspect of afliiirs was materially changed since that time.then they were advancing in high spirits and confident of victory over the savages, now, in headlong flight before the same barbarous foe, they were turing in sheer desperation to fight for their lives.the battle line of the pennsylvanians faced to the west, and in its rear, holding the edge of the woods, and ready to act as a reserve corps in case of emergency, was the company of light horsemen .the pursuing force, close upon them, attacked unhesitatingly and with fierce energy, first striking the front, then quickly extending their battle line around the left flank to the rear of williamson s force, which was thus compelled to meet the savage assault in three directions. but the panic and demoralization of the volunteers had entirely disappeared, and they met each successive onslaught with such cool bravery and steadiness, and fought with such desperation, that at the end of an hour from the commencement of the battle the enemy withdrew, discomfited, and apparently with heavy loss. perhaps the sudden cessation of their firing was in some degree due to the fact that just then a furious thunder storm, which had for some time been threatening, burst upon the combatants. the men were drenched and chilled to the bone, while much of their ammunition was rendered useless by the rain. this, however, operated tjuite as unfavorably to the indians as to the whites.as soou as the savages and rangers withdrew, maj. williamson, without a moment s delay, caused the dead to be buried and the wounded cared for, and then the retreat was resumed.capt. biggs company, which seems to have always held the post of danger, leading the advance in the outward march, now formed the rear guard, though its ranks were reduced to nine men and all its oflicers were missing. it was is of the yolnnteers in this flglit was tlii co uillcd and eigh afterwards relieved, however, and from that time each of the companies in turn took position to guard the rear of the retreating column. when williamson commenced his retreat from the battle field, the enemy, who had in the mean time scattered over the plains,soon concentrated and renewed the pursuit, firing rapidly but at long range. soou, however, they began to press the rear mori closely, throwing the volunteers into some disorder, which must have grown into a panic but for the coolness and intrepidity of the commander and maj. rose. these officers were unceasing in their efforts, constantly moving along the line, entreating the volunteers to keep solidly together and preserve unbroken the order of march, and warning them tliat if any should leave the column and attempt to escape singly or in squads they would certainly lose their scalps. finally they became steady, and the order of march was preserved unbroken during the remainder of the day. the indians kept up the pursuit, and occasionally attacked with much vigor, though, as williamson s force was now moving through the timbered country, the savages no longer held the relative advantage which they had possessed in fighting on the plains. the volunteers bivouacked that night june th on the sandusky river, about six miles from the battle field of the afternoon the enemy s force camped about a mile farther to the rear. unusual precautions were taken by maj. williamson to guard against a surprise during the night, and at the first streakings of dawn on the the men fell in to resume the march but hardly had the column been formed when the indians came up and opened fire ujion the rear. a lively skirmish followed, in which two of the men fell into the liands of the savages, but no disorder ensued. the retreat was continued steadily and in good order, and, much to jlaj. williamson s surprise, the indians suddenly abandoned the pursuit. the last shot from the savages was fired at a point near the present town of crestline. from there the column moved rapidly on in good order and without molestation to the ohio, which it crossed on the of june. on their arrival on the virginia side of the river, the men not being compelled to wait for a formal dischai ge, dispersed to their homes. having seen how maj. williamson with the main body of the troops reached and crossed the ohio river, let us return to trace the adventures and misfortunes of the brave col.crawford, his faithful friend dr. knight, and others who had become separated from the column and were struggling on through the wilderness, with dangers surrounding them on every side, in their endaevors to escape from the savages. when the volunteers commenced their retreat from the battle field of the and otli of june, at about nine o clock in the evening of tlie last mentioned day, col. crawford rode at the head of the leading division mcclelland s. a very short time afterwards they wore attacked by the delawares and shawanese, and as has already been mentioned the rear divisions left their position in the line of march and moved away to the right, leaving the front division to extricate itself from its perilous situation. they left in such haste that no little disorder ensued, in which some of the sick and wounded were left behind, though it is believed that all but two were finally saved from the enemy. while the indian attack on the advance division was in progress, col.crawford became anxious concerning his son john, liis nephew, william crawford, and his son in law, william harrison, and rode back to find them or re himself of their safety, but in this he was unsuccessful. while engaged in the search he was joined by, the surgeon, dr. knight, whom he requested to remain with and assist him. with this equest the doctor readily complied. he thought the missing men were in the front, but as the colonel assured him they were not, the two remained behind considerable time after the last of the troops had passed on, the commander in the meanwliile expressliimself in terms of indignation at the conduct of the three battalions in disobeying his orders by leaving the line of march and pressing on in their semi panic, forgetting the care of the sick and wounded, and jardless of everything but their own safety. after the last of the troops had passed on, and when crawford and the surgeon found it useless to remain longer, they followed as nearly as they could in the track of the larger column, which, however, by this time was a considerable distance away and lost to view iu the darkness. proceeding rather lowly on for the coloncl s horse had become jaded and nearly worn out by the fatigues of the day, they were soon after overtaken by two straglers whom came up from the rear, one of them being an old man and the other a stripling. neither of these had seen or knew anything about the two young crawfords and harrison. the coloncl and his three companions had not proceeded far when the sound of fire arms was heard in front of them and not very far away. it was from the attack which the savages made on the rear of the retre. ating column at the time when a part of it became entangled in the swamp, as has been mentioned. the noise of the firing before them caused crawford s party to turn their course in a more northerly direction, on which they continued for two or three miles, when, believing that they were clear of the enemy, they turned at nearly a right angle, now facing nearly east, and moving in single file, indian fashion. at about midnight they reached and crossed the sandusky river. near that stream they lost the old man, who had lagged behind, and was probably killed by indians. form the sandusky they continued in an easterly direction, but when morning came, they turned more southerly. early in the day the horses ridden by col. crawford and the boy gave out entirely and were left behind. early in the afternoon they were joined by capt. biggs and lieut. ashley, the latter mounted on biggs horse, and suffering severely from the wound received in the battle of the th. the captain had bravely and generously stood by the wounded lieutenant, and w. as now marching on foot by his side, resolved to save him if possible, even at the risk of his own life. and a fearful and fatal risk it proved to be. at almost precisely the time when biggs and ashley were found by col. crawford s party about two o clock p. m. on the jth of june, the main body of volunteers, under williamson, were facing to the rear, forming line of battle to meet the attack of the pursuing indians, as has already been noticed. the distance from the field where the battle was raging to the place where the party of fugitives were at that time was about six miles in a northwest direction. after being joinod by, biggs and ashley, the colonel and his companions moved on slowly being encumbered by the care of the wounded officer for about an hour, when their flight was interrupted by, the same thunderstorm that burst over the battle field of olentangy at the close of the conflict. being now drenched with the rain, and wearied by their eighteen hours flight, the commander thought it best to halt, and accordingly they made their night bivouac here, amid the most cheerless surroundings, wet, shivering, and in constant dread of being discovered by, prowling sav ages. early in the morning of the th the party pushed on in itearly the same southeasterly direction, recrossing the sandusky river. an hour or two after their start they came to a place where a deer had been killed. the best parts of the earcass had been cut off and wrapped in the skin of the animal, as if the owner had intended to return and carry it away. this they took possession of and carried with them, as also a tomahawk which lay on the ground near by, a mile or so farther on they saw smoke rising through the trees. leaving the wounded officer behind, in charge of the boy, the others advanced cautiously towards the fire. they found no person there, but they judged, from the indications, that some of the volunteers had been there, and had left the place only a short time before. lieut. ashley was then brought up, and they proceeded to roast the venison which they had captured. as they were about finishing their meal a white man was seen near by who, on being called to, came up very cautiously, and was recognized by col. crawford as one of his own men. he said he was the slayer of the deer, and that he had been frightened away from the carcass by the approach of the colonel and his companions. food was given him, and after eating he moved on with the party. ahout the middle of the afternoon they struck the route of the army s outward march, at a bend in the sandusky, less than two miles distant from the i lace where williamson s force had bivouacked the night before, and where, in the morning of the same day, the pursuing indians had made their last attack on the retreating column. they were still nearer to the camping place occupied by, the indians during the jirevious night, and it is difficult to understand how the practiced eye of col. crawford could have failed to discover the proximity of indians, but it is certain that such was the case, for when dr. knight and capt. biggs advised him to avoid following the trail, for fear of encountering the enemy, he replied with confidence that there was little danger of if, for the savages would not follow the retreating column after it reached the timbered country, but would abandon the pursuit as soon as they reached the eastern verge of the plains. from the point where they struck the trail at the bend of the river, then, they moved on over the route which had been passed by, the troops in their outward march. col. crawford and dr. knight, both on foot, led the way capt. bigs now riding the doctor s horse followed some fifteen or twenty rods behind, and in the rear marched the boy and the killer of. the deer, both dismounted. in this manner they proceeded along the south side of the river until they came very near the iihu e where williamson had made his camp of the previous evening. it does not appear that they had yet detected the proximity of an enemy, or that they were using more than ordinary precaution as they traveled. suddenly, directly in front of crawfjrd and knight, and not more than fifty feet from them, three indians started up in full view. crawford stood his ground, not attempting to gain cover, but the surgeon instantly took to a tree and raised his piece to fire, but desisted from doing so at the peremptory command of the colonel. immediately afterwards, however, capt. biggs saw the sav. iges and fired, but without effect. one of the indians came up to crawford and took him by, the hand, while anothers in like manner advanced and took the hand of the surgeon, at the same time calling him doctor, for they had previously been acquainted with each others at fort pitt. the indians told crawford to order biggs and ashley, with the two others man in the rear, to come up and surrender, otherswise they would go and kill them. the colonel complied, calling out to them to advance, but this was disregarded, and all four of them escaped, though biggs and ashley were afterwards taken and killed by, the savages. it was a arty of the delawares who captured col. crawford and dr. knight, and they immediately took their captives to the camj of their chief, wingei nund. the time this occurred was in the afternoon of the of june friday, only five days after the army had passed by, the same place in its outward march in the highest spirits, and with the brave crawford riding at its head, happily unconscious of the awful doom which awaited him. crawford and knight remained at the camp of the dclawares for three days. during their stay where in the evening of sunday, the th a party of outlying scouts came in, bringing the scalps of lieut. ashley and capt. biggs, as also the horses which had been ridden by those unfortunate ofhccrs. besides, crawford and knight, there were nine others white prisoners at the delaware camp, all half starved and guarded with the utmost vigilance by the seventeen i warriors who composed the war party at the camp. several of these savages were personally known to i on the morning of the the camp was broken up, and the warriors set out with their prisoncrs for the sandusky towns. all of them except crawford were taken to the old town at upper sandusky but the colonel was taken by a different route to the headquarters of pomoacan, the great sachem of the wyandots. there were two reasons for his being sent to that village, one of them being to have him guide his captors over the route by which he and knight had come, so that they might possibly find the horses which luid been left behind, and the others reason being to allow the colonel to see simon girty, who was known to be at the half king s town. girty was an old acquaintance of crawford s, as has been seen, and the latter had a foint hope that by a personal interview with the renegade he might be induced to use his influence with the indians to save the prisoner s life, or at least to save him from the torture by, fire. the hope was a vain and delusive one, as the event proved, but the doomed man in his extremity clung to it as drowning men catch at straws. his savage custodians well knew that he would g nothing by the interview with girty, hut they granted his request, apparently for the demoniac satisfaction of witnessing the despair and agony of his certain i disappointment. the prisoners bound for the old town arrived there the same evening. later in the night crawford and i his guards reached pomoacan s village, where ho had the desired interview with girty, during which he offered the wretch one thousand dollars to interfere and save his life. girty promised to do that he could, though he had not the slightest intention of keeping his word. he also told the colonel that his nephew, william crawford, and his son in law, william harrison, h. ad been captured by shawanese scouts, but that the chiefs of that tribe had decided to spare their lives, the latter portion of his statement being false,as he well knew. but the story, with the promise to intercede in his behalf, had the effect to allav for the time the colonel s worst fears. on the following morning june th crawford was informed that he must go to the old town, to join the others prisoners, so that all could be marched body to the village of the half king. under this order he was taken to the upper village, where he arrived about the middle of the forenoon, and there found the main body of the white prisoners, including dr. knight, and the delaware chiefs, pipe and wir. genund, whom had come there at an aerlier hour in the morning. here the hopes which had been raised crawford s mind by, the promise of girty were suddenly extinguished when wingenund approached him and painted his face black. the hypocritical chief, while he was performing the ominous operation, professed to be extremely glad to see the coloncl, and assured him that he was to be adopted as an indian but crawford was not deceived by this dissimulation, for he well knew that when the indians painted the face of a prisoner black it meant but one thing, that the person so marked had been doomed to death. all the other prisoners, including dr. knight, had previously been painted black by the implacable pelaware, capt. pipe. a little later in the day the whole party of pris oners, under their indian guards, moved out from the old town and took the trail down the river. col. crawford and dr. knight who were regarded by the indians as their principal prizes were marched some distance in the rear of the others, and were kept in charge by, no less personages than the chiefs wingenund and pipe. they had not proceeded far from the village before they passed the corpse of one of the prisoners who preeeded them. a little farther on they saw another, then another and another, four in all, killed by, their guards only a few minutes before, and all bearing the bloody marks made by, the scalping knife. they had supposed that their destination was the town of the wyandot sachem, pomoacan, but their hearts sank within themwhen, at the big springs, on the present site of upper sandusky, the indians le treaclierous wingenund was i ways professed great friendshif entertained by, the colonel at cttpt. pipe was also acqnaintod with tlie wyan lota had advanced m civiliz tion than had the ddaware ihey, long l. crol e th. l miii, uim. lii their priaoiiers, but th. i. i in their favur tl. al iimo their real destination was atoo well that m m cy was and wingenund, bing fi i crawford and knight, had from the half king, punina rbarity, for, as the wyatidot t m.asters of that section of eadful deed without the c w cou ld lightforwi acquainted with col. crawford, him, and had more than once house ou the youghiogheny. rford. farther on the ro. ad towards shawanese. and not only bad iiined the practice of burning the horrid custom among the i. had consequently regarded to be tauen to the home of the that they hail b. en deceived, ruel delawares, o be expected. the fact was lelerniined to inflict the fire urse to stratagem and deceit lis consent to the commission niliie poiveirol than they, left the trail leading to the wyandot headquarters and took that leading to the villages of the delawares. on this trail they proceeded in a northwesterly course until they reached little tymochtee creek, where crawford and knight, with their guards, overtook the other surviving prisoners, only five in number. here several squaws and young indians were met, and all the prisoners were halted and made to sit on the ground. the object of this movement became apparent when, a few minutes later, the five pri soners were set upon by the squaws and boys, who tomahawked and scalped them all. some of the boys took the warm and bloody scalps and repeatedly dashed them into tlie ftics of crawford and knight, who had also been seated on the ground a short distance away from but in full view of the butchery. of the prisoners who had set out from the old town only crawford and knight now remained. the march was resumed on the trail to pipe s town, the two prisoners being now separated and made to walk a hundred yards or more apart. ou their way they were met by, simon girty on horseback and accompanied by several indians. girty spoke to crawford and also to knight, heaping upon the latter the vilest epithets and abuse. as the party moved on they were met by many indians, all of whom maltreated the prisoners, striking them with clubs and beating theni with their fists. about the middle of the afternoon the party with their dejected captives arrived at a piece of bottom land on the east bank of tymochtee creek, where a halt was made, and it became at once apparent that witli this halt the journeying of one at least of the prisoners was ended. crawford and knight were still separated, and were not again allowed to hold any conversation together. knight was in charge of a peculiarly villanous looking indian named tutelu, who had been made his special guard, and who was to take him on the following day to the shawanese towns, which had been decided on as the place where he was to be put to death. the spot where the party halted on the banks of the tymochtee was the place where col. crawford was to die. it had been fully and finally decided by the chiefs that he should sutfer death by the torture of fire, and as all the barbarous preparations had been made there was but little delay before the commencemant of the infernal orgie.the fatal stake had already been set, and fires of hickory sticks were burning in a circle around it. about forty indian men and twice that number of. squaws and young indians were waiting to take part in the torturing of the unfortunate prisoner. immediately on his arrival the colonel was stripped naked and made to sit on the ground, with his hands firmly bound together and tied behind him. then the yelling, screeching crowd fell upon him and beat him without mercy until he was exhausted and covered with blood. when they had tired of this the victim was dragged to the centre of the fiery circle preparatory to the last act in the hellish drama. a rope had previously been tied around the stake near its foot, and now the others end of it was made fast to tlie cord with which his wrists were bound together. the rope was some six or eight feet in length, allowing him to pass two or three times around the stake. he could also sit or lie down at will. the infamous simon girty was present, and remained there during all the dreadful proceedings which followed. when crawford was led to the stake he called out to the renegade who stood among the foremost in the ring of savage spectators, asking him if they had determined to burn him to death, and upon girty s unfeeling rsply in the affirmative he replied that if so he would try to endure it with patience and die like a soldier and christian. then the vindictive capt. pipe addressed the savages with violent gesticulations, and at the close of his speech the assembled barbarians applauded with wild delight, whilst some of the crowd rushed in upon the prisoner and cut off both his aear ? as a prelude to the still more terrible tortures that were to follow, the indians closed in on the miserable man and fired charges jf imwdir into his unprotected body. more than fil ty times w us this repeated, and the pain thus inflicted could scarcely have been less than that produced by the flames. after this satanic procedure was concluded the fires which up to this time had been burning but slowly were replenished with fresh fuel, and as the heat grew more intense, and the sufleriiii, s of the victim became more and more exeruciatinl, the joy and shouting of the red devils rose hiirher and lii hur. burning at tlu sla iis universally regarded as among the most terrim tintures that liunian cruelty can inflict. but the i waro rliill s had prepared for the brave crawford an a nny iinao intense and protracted than that of the licking flames, they roasted him alive the fires were placed at a distance of some fifteen feet from the stake, and within that dreadrul lirch f. r three and a half hours he sufl cred analnio t iii mn, rival l. j. hysieal torment, which death would hav, trniiiiiatcil in cue tenth part the time if the fagots had ijeen jiiled close around him. as the fires burned down the indians seized burning brands and throw them at the victim, until all the space which his ti tinr allowed him was tiiickly strewn with coals and lairiiincnilnrs, cm which his naked feet must tread as he constantly moved around the stake and back in the delirium of his pain. to intensify and prolong the torture the savages applied every means that their infernal ingenuity could suggest, and which to describe or even to the mind with sickening horror. to simon girty, who was in prominent v the savage throng, crawford called out tremity of his agony, begging the wretch to end his misery by sending a ball through his heart. to this appeal girty replied, sneeringly, that he had no gun, at the same time uttering a brutal laugh of derisioa and pleasure at the hideous spectacle. if, as tradition has it, he had once been repelled in his attempted addresses to the colonel s beautiful daughter, sally crawford, he was now enjoying the satisfaction of a terrible revenge on her miserable father for the indignity. through it all the brave man bore up with as much fortitude as is possible to weak human nature, frequently praying to his heavenly father for the mercy which was denied him on earth. towards the last, being evidently exhausted, he ceased to move around the stake and lay down, face downwards, upon the ground. the fires being now well burned down the savages rushed in on him, beat him with the glowing brands, heaped coals upon his heaped live coals on his scalped head, but he was fast becoming insensible to pain, his end was near, and after a few more vain attempts by, the savages to inflict further torments death came to the rescue and the spirit of william crawford was free. it was on the of june, at about four o clock in the afternoon, that the torture commenced. the end came just as the sun was sinking behind the tops of the trees that bordered the bottom lands of the tymochtee. then the savages heaped the brands together on the charred and swollen body and burned it to a cinder, dancing around the spot for hours, yelling and whooping in a wild frenzy of demoniac exultation. it will be recollected that dr. knight was brought from the indian old town to the place of torture on the tymochtee with col. crawford, though the two were kept apart and not allowed to converse together. the doctor remained a horrified spectator of the burning of his superior officer until near the time of his death. on his arrival at the place. knight was fallen upon by, the indians and cruelly beaten. while crawford was in the midst of his greatest suffering simon girty came to where knight was sitting it ims been stated iu somn accounts of the jeatli of col. crawfori tliat the british captjtin, matthew elliot, was also present during tlie dre. adful scenes of the torture. it may have been so, but tha statement has. never been fully substautiated, hud there are serious doubts of its autlieniicity. s it was a tradition long after repeated by the delawares and wyaildots that crawford breathed his last just at the going down of the suu. biilkrjh hvs e. q, ulha agniml samliiakn. aii l tnkl him that he too must prepare for the same oiikal, and he need have no hope of escaping death iv tnrture, though he would not suffer at the same jihnc, but would be removed to the shawanese towns tn lie burned. soon after an indian came to him and still k him rep atedly in the face with the bloody sialp which had just been torn from crawford s head.tuwiiids the end of the diabolical scene, but while lawford was yet living, knight was taken away and nianlied to capt. pipe s house, some three frturths of a mile distant, where he remained during the night, se iirely bound, and closely guarded by, the indian tiuelu, who had him iu his especial charge. ill the morning june th his guard unbound him. and having again painted him with black, started out nil horseback, driving knight before him on foot, liiiunil for the shawanese towns, where the doctor was to sillier the torture. passing by the spot where claw lord had suffered on the previous day, they saw all that remained of the colonel, a few burned bones, when the indian told his horrified prisoner that this was his big captain. they moved on towards the southwest, on the trail to the shawanese town of av apatomica, nearly forty miles away. knight had not wholly abandoned the hope of escaping the torture, though his case looked wellnigh hopeless. he carried as cheerful a countenance as he could, concealed from his guard his knowledge of the import of the black paint on his face, and conversed with him as well as he could, pretendiug that he expected to be adopted into the shawanese tribe on arrival at their destination. tutelu asked him if he knew how to build a wigwam, and knight assured him that he was excellent at that business. all this pleased the indian, and to some extent threw him of his guard. tiie journey of the first day was about twenty five miles. at the night camp tutelu again bound his captive, and watched him closely through the night, so that the doctor, although he tried hard to free himself, did not succeed. at daybreak tutelu rose, stretched his limbs, unbound his captive, and renewed the fire, but did not immediately prepare to resume the journey.they had been greatly tormented by, gnats during the night, and the doctor asked him if he should make a smudge in their rear to drive the pests away. tutelu told him to do so, whereupon knight took two sticks one of them about a foot and a half in length, which was the largest he could find, and holding a coal between them carried it behind the indian as if to start the smudge, but as soon as he had got the right position suddenly turned and dealt the savage a blow over the head with all his strength, partially stunning him and knocking him forward head first into the fire. his hands were badly burned, but he immediately recovered himself, rose, and ran away, uttering a l. il. yell. the doctor seized the indian s gun and followed him, determined to kill him but in his eagerness he broke or disarranged the lock of the piece, so that he could not fire. this being the case he followed only a short distance, and then returned to the place where they had passed the night. here the surgeon lost no time in making preparations for a desperate attempt to effect his escape from the indian country. he possessed himself of tutelu a ammunition, his blanket, and an extra pair of moccasins, and without delay commanced his long journey, taking a course about east by north. all day he travelled without molestation or notable incident, and at night had emerged from the timbered country and entered the plains, where he made his lonely bivouac. but he was too uneasy and anxious to remain long, and so after two or three hours rest resumed his away, and travel ing all night, guided by, the stars, had crossed the open country and entered the forest to the east before daylight appeared. during this day june th he struck the track of the troops on their outward march, but having already received a severe lesson on the danger of following this he avoided it and took a north course, which he kept during the rest of the day. that night he camped in the forest and slept on undisturbed. the next morning he shaped his course due east, and moved on with greatly lightened spirits but exceedingly weak from lack of fod. he could shoot no game, ibr his utmost endeavors failed to put the lock of his gun into working condition, and finding at last that it was useless to make further attempts, and that the piece could be only an encumbrance to him, he threw it away. he caught a small turtle, and occasionally succeeded in taking young birds, all of which he ate raw. in this way, and by making use of nourishing roots and herbs, he suceeded in sustaining life through all the weary days of his journey to civilization. as he traveled eastward he found heavier timber, and saw everywhere great quantities of game, which was very tantalizing, as he could not kill or catch any, although nearly famished. for twenty day from the time of his escape from his guard tutelu, dr. knight traveled on through the wilderness, unmolested by, savages, but suffering terribly of hunger and cold, for he had not the means of making a fire, and on the evening of july d struck the ohio eiver about five miles below the mouth of beaver. on the he arrived safely at fort pitt, where he remained as surgeon of the was false, a weak, jjuny man, wliertat the indians ridiculed tuteln without mercy. in. leter from gi n. irvine to president bloore, dated fort pitt, jnly, lie says, his moment doctor knight has arrived, the surgeon i sent with the volunteers to sandusky he was several days in the hands of tlio indians, hnt fortunately made his escape from his keeper, who was condncling him to anotiier settlement to bo hound hnrned. he biings the ilisagrcaeble account that col. crauford and seventh virginia regimen t until after the dechira tion of peace. james paull was but a private soldier in the forces of col. crawford, but as lie afterwards became an officer of some distinction, and was for many years a very prominent citizen of fayette county, it is proper, to make special mention of his adventures, escape, and return from the disastrous expedition. when, on the evening of the oth of june, the forces of col. crawford commanced their retreat from battle island, and the combined delawares and shawanese j attacked the advance battalion under maj. mcclelland, it will be recollected that the three other divij sions precipitately abandoned the line of march and moved away on a route diverging to the west, and that soon afterwards the head of the column marched by, mistake into a bog or swamp, where a number of the volunteers lost their horses by, reason of their becoming mired in the soft muddy soil. among those who were thus dismounted were james paull, and the guide, john slover, who was also a fayette county man or rather a resident of that part of westmoreland which afterwards became fayette. of course they could not keep up with the mounted men of the column, and as the indians were then attacking the rear, their situation was a very critical one. under these circumstances instant flight was necessary, and accordingly paull and slover, with live other dismounted men, struck into the woods in a northerly direction, thinking it most prudent to keep at a distance from the route of the column. they continued on their course till the latter part of the night, when they suddenly found themselves floundering in the mud of a bog, and were then compelled to remain stationary until daylight enabled them to move with more certainty and safety. they then changed their course towards the west, but as they progressed gradually wore round more to the south, skirting the edge of the plains, until they found themselves headed nearly southeast. during the day two or three small parties of indians were seen to pass them, but by hiding in the long grass the party remained undiscovered. at about three o clock they were overtaken by the furious rain storm which as before noticed came down just at the close of williamson s battle with the indians and rangers. paull and his companions, being drenched and chilled through, made a halt, and remained stationary until evening. then they again moved on to the eastern edge of the plains, and thence into the forest. their route since the morning had been the are of a circle, heading successively west, southwest, soutli, southeast, east, and northeast, the latter being the direction of their course when they entered the woods. a few miles farther on they tu ned nearly due e. ist, thinking that they were far enough north of williamson s track to be comparatively free from danger of the pursuing savages. they had made rather slow, progress, for one of the men was suffering from rheumatism in one of his knees, and one of paull s feet was quite as much disabled by his accidentally stepping on a hot spade which some of the men using in the afternoon of the oth for baking bread in preparation for the retreat of that evening.on the following day june th the party continued on the same course, crossed the waters of the tributaries of the muskingum about noon, and at their camp of the same night cooking the flesh of a fawn which they had been fortunate enough to catch during the day, this being the second meal that they had eaten since leaving battle island. on their inarch of this day the man afflicted with rheumatism had fallen out, and the party now numbered but six. danger was now before them. they started on their way at davbrcak in the morning of the th, and had made some nine or ten miles progress, when, at about nine o clock in the forenoon, they fell intc ambuscade of shawanese indians, who had followed their trail from the plains. the savages fired on them and two of the men fell. paull ran for his life and made his escape, notwithstanding his burned foot, but slover and the other two men were taken prisoners and conducted back to the shawanese towns. paull iu his flight was followed by, two indians, but. he felt that his life was at stake, and strained his limbs to their utmost speed, regardless of the pain his disabled foot. his pursuers found that he wasi gaining on them and fired after him, but their shots passed harmlessly by he soon came to the bluff bank of a small stream, and unhesitatingly icapsd down. the savages came up to the bank, but there i gave up the pursuit. he soon discovered that he no longer followed, but he was still very cautious in his movements, using every precaution to cover his trail.that night he slept in the hollow trunk of a fallen tree. i from this time he pursued his way unmolested. passing down sugar creak, a tributary of the musi kingum, he came to the main stream at a place where it was too deep to ford, which compelled him to change his course up the river to a shallow place, where he crossed in safety and with ease.ne, by this crossing was an old indian camp, where there were a large number of empty kegs and barrels i lying scattered around. it was now nearly dark so he built a fire the first he had ventured to kindle since his escape from the ambuscade and cooked some of his venison he had shot a deer in this day s journey, it being the first time he had dared to discharge his gun, for fear it might bring indians upon i him the smoke, as he lay down to rest for the night, protecting him from the gnats and mosquitoes, which were very troublesome. two days after he made this night camp on the muskingum, james pauu reached the west bank of the ohio river at a point a short distance above the present site of bridgeport. a little higher up the river he found a favorable place for crossing, and building a rude raft he ferried himself to the virginia side without much difiiculty, and for the first time since the evening of the disastrous of june felt himself absolutely secure against capture. near the place where he landed on virginia soil he found a number of horses running loose. improvising a halter of twisted strips of elm bark, he commenced operations, having for their object the catching of one of the animals. for a long time his efforts were unavailing, but necessity compelled him to persevere, and at lust he succeeded in placing his rude halter bridle on the head of a rather debilitated old mare,on whose back he then mounted and started on bis homeward journey. at short creek he procured another horse and proceeded to catfish now washington, pa. where he stopped for some time on account of his foot being bedly inflamed and very painful. this soon became better under proper treatment, and he returned home to lis overjoyed mothers, who had been apprised of his arrival at catfish, but who had previously almost abandoned all hope of ever again seeing her son. john slover and the two others men who had been made prisoners by the shawanese party at the time when pauu made his escape from them were taken by, their captors back to the indian main body on the plains, and thence to the shawanese towns on mad river, which they reached on the lltli of june. on their arrival they were received by an indian crowd such as always collected on such an occasion, and were made to run the gauntlet between two files of squaws and boys for a distance of some three hundred yards to the council house. one of the men had been painted black though why the indians had thus discriminated against this man does not appear, and he was made a special target for the abuse and blows of the barbarous gang. he reached the door of the council house barely alive, but was then pulled liark and beaten and mangled to death, his body cut in iiieces, and these stuck on poles about the village. slover and the other man ran the gauntlet without fatal or very serious injury, but the latter was sent away the same evening to another village, and no more was heard of him. as to slover, l e was kept at the village for two weeks, during which time councils were held daily and war dances every night, to all of which he was invited and most of which he attended. the indians also assigned to him a squaw as a companion, with whom he lived in comparative freedom during his stay at the village. finally, a council was held, at which it was decided that he should be put to death by torture. the next day about forty warriors, accompanied by, george girty, an adopted delaware, a brother of simon and james girty, came early in the morning round the house where slover was. he was. sitting before the door. the squaw gave him up. they put a rope around his neck, tied his arms behind his back, stripped him naked, and blacked him in the usual manner. girty, as soon as he was tied, cursed him, telling him he would get what he had many years deserved. slover was led to a town about five miles away, to which a messenger had been dispatched to desire them to prepare to receive him. arriving at the town, he was beaten with clubs and the pipe ends of their tomahawks, and was kept for some time tied to a tree before a house door. in the mean time the inhabitants set out for another town about two miles distant, where slover was to be burnt, and where he arrived about three o clock in the afternoon.they were now at mac a chack, not far from the present site of west liberty, in logan county. here there was a council house also, as at wapatomica, but only a part of it was covered. in the part without a roof was a post about sixteen feet in height. around this, at a distance of about four feet, were three piles of wood about three feet high. slover was brought to the post, his arms again tied behind him, and the thong or cord with which they were bound was fastened to it. a rope was also put about his neck and tied to the post about four feet above his head.while they were tying him the wood was kindled and began to flame. just then the wind began to blow, and in a very short time the rain fell violently. the fire, which by, this time had begun to blaze considerably, was instantly extinguished. the rain lasted about a quarter of an hour. the savages were amazed at this result, and perhaps regarded it as an interposition of the great spirit oti behalf of the prisoner.tliey finally decided to allow him to remain alive until morning. when, as they said, they would recommance the torture, and devote the whole day to it. he was then unbound and made to sit on the ground, where he was beaten, kicked, and otherswise maltreated by, the indians, who continued dancing round him and yelling till nearly midnight.three guards were then detailed to watch him during the rest of the night he was again bound and taken to a house, where a rope was fastened about his neck and tied to a ijeam of the house. his guards kept awake taunting him about the torture he was to endure until towards morning, when two of them fell asleep, and not long afterwards j the other followed their example. soon they were all asleep, and when he was entirely sure that they were so slover commanced attempts to unbind himself. he had comparatively little difficulty in slipping the cords from one of liis wrists, which left him at liberty to work at the rope around his neck. this he j found much more securely tied, and he began to despair of loosening it, as the daylight had begun to appear and the indians would soon be on the alert. at last, however, he succeeded in untying the knots, i and rose from his painful position, free, but still in the greatest danger of discovery. stepping softly over the sleeping warriors, he quickly left the house, and ran through the village into a cornfield. near by he saw several imliaii horses grazing, j and having with no little difficulty cauulit cue of these, using the rope with which l. e had bicn buund as a halter, he mounted and n. de away, tirst slowly, then more rapidly, and finally with all the speed of which j the animal was capable. xo alarm had been given in the village, and he had therefore reason to believe that the indians were still ignorant of his scape. slover forced the horse to his utmost speed for a long time, but gradually his jiee slackened and grew slower and slower until aljout two o clock in the afternoon, when, finding it impossible to urge him beyond j a walking gait, he dismounted, left the animal, and pushed on on foot. he had heard the distant hallooing of indians behind him, showing him that he was i but he kept on, using every precaution to cover his trail as he proceeded. ko indians appeared, and he traveled on without a momen t s stop until ten o clock at night, when, being very sick and vomiting, he halted to rest for two hours. at midnight the moon rose, and he jiroceeded on, striking a trail, which lie kc. t lill dayli ht, and then, as a measure of precaution, lt ii. and struck through the woods along a ridge at a right angle from his previous course. this he continued for about fifteen miles, and then changed to what he judged to be his true course. form this point he met with no specially notable adventure. on the third day he reached the muskingum, on the next he reached and crossed the stillwater, and in the evening of the fifth day of his flight he camped within five miles of wheeling. up to this time he had not closed his eyes in sleep since he left his cabin and squaw companion at wapatomica. early on the following morning he came to the ohio river opposite the island at wheeling, and seeing a man on the other side, called to him, and finally induced him to come across and take him over in his canoe, though at first he was very suspicious and unwilling to cross to the west shore. on the of july slover reached fort pitt. col. crawford s nephew, william crawford, the colonel s son in law, william harrison, and john mcclelland, of fayette county, the third major of the expeditionary force, all lost their lives at the hands of the indian barbarians. it has already been, noticed that when the unfortunate colonel was at pomoacan s headquarters, on the niglit before he suffered the torture, he was told by simon girty that, his nephew and son in law had been taken prisoners but pardoned by, the chiefs. this false story of their escape form death reached the settlements by, some means, and the hearts of their relatives and friendsi were hus cheered by hopes of their ultimate return. no particulars of the time or manner of the deaths of harrison, mcclelland, or young crawford are known, except that mcclelland was shot from his horse in the first attack by, the delawarcs and shawanese on the night of the th, but the fact of their killing by the savages was established by, john slover, who, on coming to the upper shawanese town on the evening of the of june, saw there tlie mangled bodies of three men bloody, powder burned, and mutilated, who, the indians assured him, had been killed just before his arrival and two of these he at once recognized as the bodies of harrison and young crawford. the other he was not entirely sure of, but had no doubt that it was the corpse of maj. mccl land. at the same time the indians pointed out two horses, and asked him if he recognized them, to which he answered that he did, and that they were the ones which had been ridden by harrison and crawford, to which the indians replied that he was correct. john crawlbrd, the colonel s son, kept with williamson s forces on their retreat to the ohio, and reached his home on the youghiogheny in safety. he afterwards removed to kentucky, and died in that state soon after his settlement there. philip smith was, as we have seen, an active par ticipant in the battle of june th, in which he received a wound in the elbow. when the retreat commenced on the night of the th, he and a companion named son of v. ilentine crawford, of foj ette county. husband of tin. bcuutiful s. irhb crawford, the colonel s d. iugbtc at tlib lime when he volanteercd for crawford s expedition, pi sinitb was a resident of tbat part of westmoreland county wliicli t after becjune fnyetto. bis home being on a small tributary of george kankin became separated from their company, and i found themselves under the necesity of shifting for themselves. both had lost their horses, and they were without provisions, but had their guns and am munition. they struck off from the track of the troops, and for two days were successful in evading the savages. most of their traveling was done by, night. they suffered greatly for food, for, though i there was plenty of game, they were afraid to shoot it, for fear that the noise of their pieces would bring i indians upon them. they ate berries and roots, and once or twice were fortunate enough to catch young birds. afterwards they found an indian pony, which not daring to shoot smith killed with his tomahawk after repeated ineffectual strokes at it. the liver of the animal was then taken out and broiled, and it made what seemed to them a delicious meal. on the night of the th, as they were moving along, they were overtaken by, two others fugitives, mounted. the four now traveled on together for a time, when, on a sudden, as they had stopped at a stream, a party of indians fired on them from the high bank, and the two mounted men tumbled from their horses, dead. smith had just stooped to drink at the stream, and a ball whizzed over his head but he was unhurt, and seizing the gun of one of the dead horsemen , he leaped up the opposite bank and fled, but soon threw away his gun. his companion, rankin, had also escaped injury from the are of the savages, and was running for life ahead of smith. as the latter pressed on towards him, rankin, thinking that it was an enemy who was pursuing, turned to shoot him, but smith saved himself by, taking to a tree. this was repeated three times, but finally rankin discovered that he was being pursued, not by an enemy, but by his companion, smith. the latter then joined him, and the two ran on together and made their escape, traveling all night, and making no halt until the middle of the next forenoon, when they suddenly came upon an indian camp, which appeared to have been very recently left by, the party who had occupied it, as the fires were still burning, and a kettle of hominy was on one of them cooking. the fugitives were half famished, but dared not eat the inviting mess, fearing that it might have been poisoned. but there was another object lying near the fire which sent the blood curdling to their hearts. it was the still warm dead body of a man who had been murdered by the indians and scalped, evidently while alive, as the marks showed that he had drawn his hand across the scalpwound several times and smeared his face with blood from it. it was a sickening spectacle, and they were glad to fly from it and from the dangerous proximity of the camp fire, where they were liable at any moment to be surprised by, the return of the savages. they moved on in haste, and from that time saw no indians, nor any sign of any, though during the succeeding night they heard whoopings, apparently a long distance from them. at this warning they put out their fire and moved away, traveling the rest of the night. during the remainder of their flight no incident of an exciting nature occurred, and on the ninth day of their journey they reached the left bank of the ohio, foot sore, famished, and emaciated, but safe beyond reach of their savage enemies. nicholas dawson whose home was in that is now north union township, fayette co. was one of the volunteers under crawford. in the disorder of the night of the of june he became separated from his command and wandered away, with nothing to guide him in the right direction. while attempting thus to make his way alone he was met by, james workman and another straggler, who saw that he was heading towards sandusky, and consequently running directly into danger instead of escaping from it. they tried to convince him that he was wrong, but he obstinately insisted that he was not. finding it impossible to persuade him to change his course, they at last told him that as he would certainly be taken by, the indians if he kept on, and as it was better for him to die by the hands of wjiite men than to be tortured by, savages, they were determined to shoot him then and there unless he consented to turn his course and go with them. this was an unanswerable argument, and dawson finally yielded to it, though with a very bad grace. he changed his route, joined company with the two men and so succeeded in making his escape, and arrived in safety at his home beyond the monongahela. john sherrard, a private in the sandusky expedition, was a man well and favorably known among the early residents of fayette county, and as he was also one of col. crawford s most valuable men , it is not improper to make special mention of his services and adventures in the campaign. he does not come into particular notice until the afternoon of june th, when the northern and western borders of the grove known as battle island were fringed with the fire of the pennsylvanians rifles. in that conflict he held his own with the best among the volunteers, until in the excitemant of the fight he drove a ball into the barrel of his rifle without any powder behind it, and by, this means disarmed himself by rendering his piece useless. from this time he employed himself in bringing water to his comrades in the grove from a stagnant pool which he discovered beneath the roots of an up turned tree. this employment lacked the pleasurable excitement which was with the marksmen on the battle line, but it was quite as dangerous, for the balls whistled past him continually as he pa. ssed to and fro and it was also a service which could not be dispensed with, for the battle ground was entirely without water the river being more than a mile awav and the terrible heat of the afternoon brought extreme thirst to the brave men who held the flaming line on the edge of the timber. sherrard performed this service well, and was uninjured by, the bullets which flew so thickly about him. again,on the his rifle being still unserviceable for the reason before noticed, he was employed as a water carrier to the skirmishers. years afterwards he spoke of his experience on that day as follows after searching the grove around i was fortunate enough to find another supply, and again busied myself relieving the men of my company. at length, overcome with heat and fatigue, i sat down at the foot of a large oak tree, and in a short time fell asleep. how long i slept i cannot say. i was aroused by, some bark falling upon my head from above, which had been knocked off the tree by the enemy. i then resumed my task of carrying water. in the disorder of the retreat on the night of the ith, sherrard, like many others, became separated irom his command, and being left in the extreme rear, followed as well as he was able the trail of the three divisions which took the route to the southwest of the prescribed line of march. with him was daniel harbaugh, also irom fayette county, and together these two moved on in the darkness, expecting every moment to be coiiivonted by indians, but in some unaccountable way they escaped discovery by the savages during the night. early in the following morning, as they were riding through the woods, an indian was seen skulking in the undergrowth to their left. sherrard, whom was first to see the savage, instantly dismounted and took cover behind a tree, at the same time warning harbaugh to take a like precaution. the latter not seeing the indian and misapprehending the direction of tlio danger took the wrong side of his tr c, nml luiirj thus fully exposed was immediately shut, i. i i inj ilio fatal bullet in his right breast. he sunk to die eartli, moaning, lord liave mercy on me i am a dead man, and died in a few moments. sherrard, with his gun at his shoulder, watched closely for the indian, intending to send a l ullet through him, but the smoke of the savage s rifle hid him for a few seconds, and when this cleared away sherrard saw him running for his life and beyond the range of his piece. slierrard examined the body of his fallen companion and found that life has extinct. the ghastly features of the dead man and the suddenness of the event horrified and almost unmanned him, but, collecting liis thoul hts, in a mdiiioiit he took the saddle and brilat in his excitement he had left behind his blanket and provisions strapped to the abandoned saddle. in his present situation he could not think of losing these, so he returned to secure them. on reaching the spot he found that the savage had returned, stripped the scalp from harhaugh s head, and captured the dead man s horse, bridle, and gun. but he had not discovered the abandoncd saddle, and sherrard found it with the blanket and provisions undisturbed. these he at once secured, and having done so left the spot and rode swiftly away. no more indians were encountered by, him, and two or three hours later he had the good fortune to come up witli the retreating force under maj. villiamson. soon after he rejoined his company, the battle of the of june at olentangy creek occurred, as has been related. from this place sherrard marched with the column on its retreat to mingo bottom, and arrived in safety at his home, which at that time was at the house of mrs. paull, the mother of james. to her he brought ii the sad intelligence that her son was missing, and had not been seen nor heard of since the night of the th, wdien the troops left battle island. this ominous report nearly crushed the widowed mother, but she wa afterwards made happy by the return of her son i safety, as we have seen.some of the stragglers from the retreating column under williamson had reached the ohio considerably in advance of the main body. these stragglers ir mediately returned to their homes, and spread through the frontier settlements the most alarming and exagerated reports of the disaster which had befallen the expedition. these reports not only caused great grief and extreme anxiety for the fate of relatives and friends wlio were with the forces of col. crawford, but the wildest consternation also, for it was feared and believed that the victorious savages red and white ivould soon be across the ohio, and would carry devastation and butchery to the valleys of the monongahela and y ougliiogheny. when the grief and anxiety of the people was to a great extent allayed by, the return of the volunteers, and the consequent discovery that the disaster was by, no means i overwhelming as had at first been reported, the dreads of indian invasion still remained, and the bold fron. tiersmen , discarding the idea of waiting for the coming i of the foe and then merely standing on the defensive, began at once to urge the forming of a new expedition to carry the war into the heart of the indian i country, and to prosecute it to the point of extermination, or at least to the destruction of the wyandot, delaware, and shawanese towns, for they believed thati in no others way could security be hed for the settlemants along the border. it was the wish of the leadthe earliest reports which obtained currency were to the effect t the army of crawford was almost annihilated, and that the indians w pursuing them to the oliio, and would doultlcs cross the river and carij rapine and desolation through the border settlements. tlie fact wabi that, including all those killed in battle, those who afterwards died i wounds, those wlio suffered death at the hiinds of their savage captors and those who were missing and never heard from , the total loss suathat it should include, beside, volunteers from the militia of westmoreland and wasliington connies and the pan handle of virginia, as many regular continental troops as could be spared from fort pitt, and that it should be commanded by, gen. irvine n i erson. capts. robert beall and thomas moore, of the westmoreland county militia, wrote from near stewut s crossings, under date of june d, to gen. irvine, uforming of the sentiment of the people in favor of new expedition. the unfortunate miscarriage of he late expedition, they said, the common interest i f our country, and the loss of our friends induce to be thus forward in proposing another. we lo not wish to be understood as giving our own private sentiments, but of those of the people generally n our quarter for which purpose we are authorized address you, and from accounts well authenticated sure you it is the wish of the people on this side he monongahela river without a dissenting voice. from the west side of themonongahela, john evans, ieutenant of monongalia county, va. wrote irvine weclv later june th, informing him that indians lad made their appearance in that quarter, and that reat alarm was felt in consequence, adding, withut your assistance i much fear our settlements will reak. the defeat of col. crawford occasions much iread. in his reply to beall and moore dated june th jen. irvine said, inclination as well as duty is a lontinual spur to me, not only to acquiesce in, but to ncourage every measure adopted for the public good. four proposals on this occasion are so truly patriotic nd spirited that i should look on myself unpardonble were i to pass them unnoticed. in a letter if the same date, addressed to col. edward cook, ieutenant of westmoreland county, irvine said, your people seem so much in earnest that i am led o think, if other parts of the country are so spirited tnd patriotic, something may probably be done, but l. s it will take some time to come to a proper knowlilgv of this matter, and that must be accurately done, liuiv can be no harm in making the experiment. have no intimation of any plan being on foot in fv ashington county for this purpose, though it is said he people wish another expedition. the project of raising another force for the invasion f the indian country seems to have originated with he people of that part of westmoreland which is now ayette county. the manner in which it was pro sed to from it and carry it through to a successful ssue is indicated in a letter written by, gen. irvine o the secretary of war, gen. lincoln, on the st of july, from which the following extracts are made the disaster has not abated the ardor or desire for revenge as they term it of these people. a number of the most respectable are urging me strenuously to take command of them, and add as many continental officers and soldiers as can be spared, particularly oflicers, as they attribute the defeat to the want of experience in their officers. they cannot nor will not rest under any plan on the defensive, however well executed, and think their only safety depends on the total destruction of all the indian settlemen ts witliin two hundred miles this, it is true, they are taught by dear bought experience. they propose to raise by subscription six or seven hundred men , provisions for them for forty days, and horses to carry it, clear of expense to the public, unless government at its own time shall think proper to reimburse them. the st of august they talk of assembling, if i think proper to encourage them. i am by no means fond of such commands, nor am i sanguine in my expectations, but rather doubtful of the consequences and yet absolutely to refuse having anything to do with them, when their proposals are so generous and seemingly spirited, i conceive vould not do well either, especially as people too generally, particularly in this quarter, are subject to be clamorous and to charge continental officers with want of zeal, activity, and inclination of doing the needful for their protection. i have declined giving them an immediate, direct answer, and have informed them that my going depends on circumstances, and in the mean time i gave called for returns of the men who may be depended on to go, and the subscriptions of provisions and horses.the distance to lieadquarters is so great that it is uncertain whether an express could return in time with the commander in chief s instructions. as you must know whether any movements will take place in this quarter, or if you are of the opinion it would on any account be improper for me to leave the post, i request you would please to write me by express. but if no answer arrives before or about the st of august, i shall take for granted you have no objections, and that i may act discretionally. should it be judged expedient for me to go the greatest number of troops fit to march will not exceed one hundred.the militia are pressing that i shall take all the continentals along, and leave the defense of the fort to them but this i shall by no means do. if circumstances should s. em in rl quire it, i shall throw in a few militia with those regulars left, but under continental officers. there were good grounds for the alarm felt by the people between the ohio and the mountains, for a few days after the return of williamson s forces the indians appeared in large numbers along the west bank of the ohio, their main force being concentrated at mingo bottom, with smaller parties at various points on both sides of the river, and these were closely and constantly watched by several detachments of the militia of washington county.the settlers west of the monongahela were almost in a state of panic. col. marshal, of washington count, wrote gen. irvine on the of july, informing him that the people of that section were determined to abandon their settlements if a force was not sent to protect i them. a great number of the inhabitants moved from their homes to the shelter of the forts and blockhouses. nearly as much consternation prevailed in j the settlements east of the monongahela, and the general alarm was greatly increased by, the sudden j. ppearance of the enemy in westmoreland county, where, on the of july, they killed and scalped three sons of mr. chambers, and two days later, attacked and burned the old county seat of westmoreland, hannastown. this event was narrated in a letter written by, ephraim douglass to gen. james irvine, dated july g, as follows my last contained some account of the destruction of hanna s town, but it was an imperfect one tlie damage was greater than we then knew, and attended with circumstances different from my representation of them. there were nine killed and twelve carried off prisoners, and instead of some of the houses u ithoiit the fort being defended by our people, they all retired within the miserable stockade, and the enemy possessed themselves of the forsaken houses, from whence they kept up a continual fire upon the fort from about twelve o clock till night without doing any other damage than wounding one little girl within the walls. they carried away a great number of horses and evervthiue of value in the deserted houses, destroyed all the cattle, h reach, and burned all t cept two these they al it did not extend itsuli several houses round tli the same manner, and i either uuinlcicl or raw since suflered a similar w a day but they have beei of tl and ponltry within their liniises in the village exct lire to, but fortunately i laias to consume them luiitry were destroyed in i iilicr of unhappy ftimilies otr captives some have i in difi erent parts hardly i iscovered in some rpiarter country, and the poor inhabitants struck witli terror through the whole extent of our frontier. where this party set out from is not certainly known several circumstances induce the belief of their coming from the head of the allegheny, or towards niagara, rather than from sandusky or the neighborhood of lake erie. the great number of whites, known liy their language to have been in the party, the direction tlirir retreat when they left the j country, whirh was towards the kittanning, and no appearance of their narks either coming or going having been discovered liy the ollicer and party which the l eneralordered on that service bevond the river.sincerely to be wished, on account of the unfortunate captives who have fallen into their hands, that it may be true, for the enraged dehuvares renounce the idea of taking any prisoners but for cruel purposes of torture. intelligence of the attack on and destruction of hannastown did not reach gen. irvine, at fort pitt, until three days after the occurrence, and of course it was then too late for the commandant to send a force in pursuit of the savages with any hope of success. the indians who made the foray were from the north, mostly mingoes. the surviving prisoners captured at hannastown and miller s were taken to niagara and delivered to the british military authorities there. at the close of the war they were delivered up and returned to their homes. before the events above narrated. gen. irvine wrote july th to gen.washington, saying that the people were constantly growing more determined in i their efforts to raise a new force to operate against the sandusky towns, that solicitations to him to assist in. it and to assume the command were incresing daily, and that the militia officers had actually commenced preparations for the expedition. the news of the i descent of the savages on hannastown caused these preparations to be urged with greater energy by, the bolder and more determined men , while it increased the general alarm and apprehension in a great degree. gen. irvine, in a letter witten to president moore, of the executive council, on the loth of july, said, in reference to the probable results of this afliiir, i fear this stroke will intimidate the inhabitants so much that it will not be possible to rally them or persuade them to make a stand. nothing in my power shall be left undone to countenance and encourage them. notwithstanding gen. irvine s fears to the contrary, the raising of the new expedition was strenuously urged, and pushed forward with all possible vigor by the principal officers of the militia in this region. the commanding officers of companies at that time in what is now fayette county were capt. john beeson. capt. moses sutton. every person liable to do military duty was required to report to the commanding officer of the company in which he was enrolled. other than clearly established physical disability, or having served in the then recent campaign under col. crawford, very few pleas for exemption from service were deemed valid. men were required to perform regular tours of dutyat the several stations in anticipation of indian attlie destruction of hannastown was quickly followed by, other indian forays at various points along the border, and as the continual alarms caused by these attacks rendered it nece. ssary to keep large numbers of the militiamen constantly on duty at the stations, it soon became apparent that the requisite number of volunteers could not be raised and equipped for the new expedition by the time originally designated, which was the st of august. the incursions of the indians on the frontier of this country, said gen. irvine, in a letter written on the of july to the secretary of war, will unavoidably prevent the militia from assembling as soon as the st of august. indeed, i begin to entertain doubts of their being able to r. iise and equip the proposed number this season. under these circumstances the general thought it proper to extend the time of preparation for the expedition, and accordingly he directed that the forces should assemble on september instead of august st, at fort mcintosh, as a general rendezvous, and march thence to the invasion of the indian country. in the mean time the indians continued to grow bolder and more aggressive in their attacks along the border. on the night of the of september an indian force of two hundred and sixty warriors, under the renegade george girty brother of the infiimous simon, accompanied by a detachment of about forty british rangers from detroit, under capt. pratt, of the royal service, attacked the fort at wheeling, but were repulsed. other attempts were made by them during the day and night of the th, but with no better success. in the morning of the the besiegers withdrew from wheeling, but proceeded to attack rice s fort, some fourteen miles distant. there also they were repulsed, their loss being four warriors killed. these and others attacks at various points on the frontier materially dampened the ardor of the people the book contains a great number of entries simil. ir to those given above. it closes with minutes of business done at a court of appeal held at riffles fort, the thirtl day of september, an extended series of operations against the frontier settlements, and that among these projected operations was an attack in force on the post at wlieeling. this information he said he ff. iined by, bein present at their councils for several days while in i itiv it v, mol hilly understiinding every word tliat was uttered as he was entirely familiar with the delawm languages. the tale which he brought of ibese imithe indians against the white settlemen ts was not believed by cook. marshal, gaddls, and gen. irvine, but the result proved that slover had neither misunderstood nor falsified the intentions of the savages as expressed by their chiefs in council, with regard to the expedition, though the government had ordered that a considerable body of regular continental trooids should accompany it, in accordance with the requests of col. cook, col. marshal, and several of the more prominent among the officers of the militia between the monongahela and youghiogheny rivers. the minutes of the courts of appeal, before referred to, indicate that in what is now fayette county the men liable to railitarj duty were, after the st of august, much less disposed than before to volunteer for the expedition in preference to doing duty on the stations in the vicinity of their homes. on the isth of september, two daj s before the time which he had appointed for the rendezvous at fort mcintosh, gen. irvine addressed communications to col. edward cook of cookstown, now fayette city and col. marshal, respectively county lieutenants of westmorehind and washington, saying, i have this moment received dispatches from the secretary of war informing me that some regular troojis are ordered from below to assist us in our intended expedition. i am therefore to beg you will immediately countermand the march of the volunteers and others of your counties until further orders. as soon as i am positively assured of the time the troops will be here i shall give you the earliest notice. but the notification was never given, for the war between england and the united states was virtually closed, and with the approach of peace the secretary of war countermanded the order for the regulars to join in the expedition. a letter from tcu. lincoln to gen. irvine, dated september th, notified the latter that information had l een received from gen. washington to the effect th. it the indians are all called in by, the british government. it is evident that on the receipt of this communication, a few days later, irvine abandoned all idea of prosecuting the expedition, and on the of october, in a letter to col. cook, he said, i received your letter by, sergt. porter, and one last night from col. jiarshal, which is full of despondency. indeeil, by all accounts i can collect, it would be vain to insist on bringing the few willing people to the general rendezvous, as there is not the mo. st distant iros h ct that half sufficient would assemble. under tlii circumstance i think it will bo most advisiimc t.mivc up tlic mutter at cnice, and direct the provisions and otlicr articles be restored to the owners. about two weeks after gen. irvine wrote this letter lie received official notification from tiie secretary of war dated october i that the indian expedition had been abandoned, and thereui on the fact was officially communicated to the lieutenants of westmoreland and washington counties. this ended all thoughts of raising a force to invade the indian country, and it also closed the military history of this section of coiintrv for the western peunsylvania and virginia border, though none of these are found reported as having been committed within the territory which now forms the countv of favette. throfgh a period of about thirty years from the time when the first white settlements were m. ade between the monongahela and youghiogheny rivers there existed a controversy which more than once threatened to beak out in to open hostility between pennsylvania and virginia as to the ownership of the country lying to the westward of the laurel hill, both governments at the same time vigorously asserting their respective rights to jurisdiction over the territory in question. this dispute was partly in regard to the location of the east and west line forming the boundary between the two provinces afterwards states, but chiefly in reference to the establishment of the western boundary of pennsylvania, which would also be the eastern boundary of virginia in that latitude. the royal grant of pennsylvania to the first propria etary authorized the extension of its western limi a distance of five degrees of longitude west froi the delaware river, and the question of where end of those five degrees would fall was the princips one at issue in the long and bitter controversy whicl followed. by, the government and partisans of vii ginia it was confidently believed that under that gran pennsylvania s western boundary must be as far c as the laurel hill, which would give to their provi or state all the territory between that mouatai range and the ohio river while, on the contrarj pennsylvania insisted that the measurement of tb five degrees would extend her limits to a point sev eral miles west of the confluence of the aueghen and monongahela rivers. and it was the realizatii of the prospective importance of that point, the sil of the present city of pittsburgh, which first open the contest between the rival claimants of the cove territory, which embraced this key to the ohi valley, and to the inviting regions of the west. in the formation, plans, and brief operations of ohio company, which have already been noticed, is evident that the persons composing that company most of whom were virginians believed that the country about the forks of the ohio, and, in fact, all to the westward of the laurel hill, was withiu the. jurisdiction of virginia, or at least beyond that of pennsylvania. the first attempt to build a fort where pittsburgh now stands was made by, a company of virginians, under the virginian captain, trent. it was the virginia governor, dinwiddio, who sent washington on his mission in to the french posts on the allegheny, and who sent him again in to endeavor to take and keep possession of this region by military force and virginians, more largely than troops of any of the other provinces, marched with braddock in in the unsuccessful attempt to wrest this territory from the power of the french. thus the virginians, believing that the trans xvlleglieny country belonged to their province, had been forward iu all the measures taken for its occupation and defense, while pennsylvania had, up to that time, done little or nothing in that direction. but as early as the beginning of the year, pennsylvania, though making no active effort to hold and defend the bordering country allegheny and monongahela rivers, began to see the value and importance of the point at the head of the ohio, where capt. trent had commenced the erection of a fort for the ohio company afterwuds fort du quesne, and later fort pitt. the first entry which has been found in the official records of pennsylvania concerning the matter is as follows march, evidence sent to the house that venango and logstown, where the french forts are built, are in the province of pennsylvania. and a little later came virginia s rejoinder, in a letter written by, governor dinwiddle to governor hamilton, of pennsylvania, dated march, in which the former said, i am much misled by our surveyors if the forks of the monougahe. a be within the bounds of the province of pennsylvania. this may be regarded as the beginning of the controversy, but the defeat of washington and braddock, which followed soon after, caused the matter to be held in abeyance for a number of j ears for neither pennsylvania nor virginia thought it worth while to quarrel over their respective claims to a country which was in the full and absolute possession of the french. after the expulsion of the french power by, the military forces under forbes in, and the consequent occupation of the country by the english, the rival claims of pennsylvania and virginia were again revived but no collisions occurred nor was any very general dissatisfaction apparent until after the formation of the pennsylvania county of bedford, to extend across the mountains to the western limit of the province, covering the disputed territory west of laurel hill, claimed by, virginia to be within her county of augusta, which had been laid out thirty three years earlier.upon the erection of bedford march, the officers of that county were directed to collect taxes from the inhabitants west of the mountains for the establishmen t of courts and the erection of county buildings at bedford and this created a wide spread feeling of dissatisfaction, and a determination to resist thecollection, which state of affairs is noticed in a letter written by, robert lettis hooper, jr.to his excellency governor william franklin, of new jersey. the following is an extract from the letter, in question, viz. sir, a few days ago i was at redstone, when i had an opportunity of knowing the sentiments of the people of that part of the country with respect to the western boundaiy of pennsylvania, and find a great number of them are determined to pay no respect to the institution of the court at bedford. they believe the western boundary of pennsylvania will not extend so far a redstone settlement, and say it is an imposition to oblige them to pay taxes for building court houses, &c. in bedford county when there is the greatest probability of their being out of pennsylvania, and that they shall be obliged to contribute to publick uses in the new colony. these sentiments do not proceed from licentiousness in the people, nor from a desire to screen themselves from law as some would represent, but from believing themselves out of pennsylvania and being burthened with exorbitant taxes and mileage, which they are unwilling to pay till it is absolutely determined whether they are in pennsylvania or not. the sheriff of bedford county told me he had governor penn s orders to execute his office as far as the settlements did extend on the ohio, and even to the kenhaways, which the governor must know is fiir below the western boundary of pennsylvania and though he dare not attempt it, yet i think it my duty to inform your excellency that the settling of this country is much hindered by, these disputes, and that many respectable and substantial settlers are prevented from coming into it by these disputes, and to the great injury of the gentlemen who have obtained a grant on the ohio. after the erection of westmoreland county from the western part of bedford in, the popular dissatisfaction was less, but by no means wholly allayed and a considerable portion of the people still remained favorable to the claims of virginia. about the beginning of the year, lord dunmore, governor of virginia, developed his determination to use strong measures for the assertion of the claims of his province to jurisdiction over the disputed territory. to this, it was said, he was incited by, col. george croghau and his neijhew, dr. john connolly, an intriguing and ambitious p. arlisau residing at fort pitt. connolly had visited the governor at williamsburg, and now returned with a captain s commission, and power and directions from the governor to take possession of the monongahela country and the region around fort pitt, in the name of the king. upon this he issued his proclamation to the people in the vicinity of redstone and fort pitt to meet on the of january in the year named, to be embodied as virginia militia. miny assembled in uccordance with the proclamation but in the mean time connolly was arrested by, capt. arthur st. clair, as an officer of westmoreland county, and the militia were lor the time dispersed but after connollj s release he, with the aid of the militia, took possession of fort pitt, which he pretended to name, in honor of liis patron, fort dunmore. some of the means which he took to enforce the authority are set forth in the letter ad lressed to governor penn by, william crawcord, who as then presiding justice of the courts of westmoreland, and a resident in that part of the county which afterwards became fayette. it is luuper to state here that he soon afterwards turned against the pennsylvania interest, and became one of the most active partisans of virginia, and a civil officer under that governmen t.the letter in question was as follows sir, as some very extraordinary occurrences have lately happened in this county, it is necessary to write an account of them to you. that which i now give is at the request and with the approbation of the magistrates that are at present attending the court. a few weeks ago mr. connolly went to staunton va. t, and wa, sworn in as a justice of the peace for augu ia t. i. uiity, in which it is retended that the country around pittsburgh is included. he had before this brought from williamsburg commissions of the peace for several gentleman in this part of the province, but none of them, i believe, have been accepted of. a number of new militia officers have been lately appointed by, lord dunmore. several musters of the militia have been held, and much confusion ii is h fii orcasioned by, them. i am inlbrmed that the militia i composed of men without character and without fortune, and who would be equally averse to the regular administration of justice under the colony of virginia as they are to that under the province of pennsylv. ania. the disturbances which they liavr. i oilui i. l at pittsburgh have been particularly alaniiiiig to tlie iiihaliitants. mr.connolly is constantly surrounded with a body of armed men. he boasts of the countenance of the governor of virginia, and forcibly obstructs the execution of legal process, whether from the court or single magistrates. a deputy sheriff has come from augusta county, and i am told he has writs in his hands against capt. st. clair and the sheriff for tlic arrest and confinement of mr. connolly. the sheriff was last week arrested at pittsburgh for serving a writ on one of the inhabitants there, but was, after some time, discharged. oii monday last one of connolly s people grossly insulted jlr. mackay, aud was confined by him, in order to be sent to jail. the rest of the party hearing it, immediately came to mr. mackay s house and proceeded to the most violent outrages. sirs. mackay was wounded in the arm with a cutlass. the magistrates and those who came to their assistance were treated with much abuse, and the prisoner was rescued. some days before the meeting of the court a report was spread that the militia officers, at the head of their several companies, would come to mr. hanna s, use the court ill, and interrupt the administration of justice. on wednesday, while the court was adjourned, they came to the court house at hannastown, westmoreland county and paraded before it. sentinels were placed at the door, and mr. connolly went into the house. one of the magistrates was hindered by the militia from going into it til permission was first obtained from their commander. mr.connolly sent a message to the magistrates informing them that he wanted to communicate something to them, and would wait on them for that purpose. they received him in a private room. he read to them the inclosed paper, ltogether with a copy of a letter to you, which lord dunmore had transmitted to him, inclosed in a letter to himself, which was written in the same angry and undignified style. the magistrates gave the inclosed answer to what he read, and he soon afterwards departed with his men. their number w. as about one hundred and eighty or two hundred. on their return to pittsburgh some of them seized mr. elliott, of the bullock pens, and threatened to put him in the stocks for something which tliey deemed an affront offered to their commander. since their return a certain edward thompson and a young man who keeps store for mr. spear have been arrested by, them, and mr. connolly, who in person seized the young man, would not allow him time even to lock up the store. in other parts of the country, particularly those adjoining the river monongahela, the magistrates have been frequently insulted in the most indecent and violent manner, and are apprehensive that unless they are speedily and vigorously supported by government it will become both fruitless and dangerous for them to proceed to the execution of their oflces. they presume not to point out the measures proper for settling the present disturbances, but beg leave to recommen d the fixing of a temporary line with the utmost expedition as one step which in al probability will contribute very much towards producing that effect. for further particulars concerning the situation of the country i refer you to colonel wilson, who is kind enough togo on the present occasion to philadelphia. i am, sir, vour verv humble servant, to the honorable johx pexn, esquire. while at fort dunmore pitt, in the following september, the governor of virginia issued and caused to be published the following ordering mo to lake this country under my administrand as the evident injustice manifestly offered to his kinjesty by the immediate strides takeu by the proprietors of cnnsylvania in prosecution of their wild claim to this counry demand an immediate remedy, i do here by in his maesty s name requiro and command all his majesty s subjects the laurel hill to pay a due respect to this my proela. stiichy prohibiting the execution of any act of auhoriiy on behalf of the province of pennsylvania at their this country but, on the contrary, that a due regard and ntire obedience to the laws of his majesty s colony of virginia inder my administration beobserveil, to the end that regularity isue, and a just regard to the interest of his majesty in his quarter, as well as to the subjects in general, may be the onscquencc. given under my h ind and seal at fort dunmore, the publication of this proclamation by dunmore rought out the following i rom the governor of ponnylvania, viz. the honorable john penn, esquire, governor and comr in chief of the province of pennsylvania and counties f new castle, kent, and susscv, on delaware. whereas, i have received information that his excellency, ic earl of dunmore, governor general in and over his lajcsty s colony of virginia, hath lately issued a very e.traorinary proclamation, setting forth here is recited the substance f governor dunmore s proclamation of thclth of september. nd whereas, although the westein limits of the province of cnnsylvania have not been settled by any authority from the rown, yit it has been sufficiently demonstrated by, lines accuitely run by, the most skillful artists that not only a great if country west of the laurel hill, but fort pitt also are omprchended within the charter bounds of this province, a real part of which country has been actually settled, and is ow held under grants from the proprietaries of pennsylvania, nd the jurisdiction of this government has been peace ibly exrcisod in that quarter of the country till the late strange claim t np by the earl of dunmore in behalf of his majesty s colony f virginia, founded, as his lordship is above pleased to say. own undoubted property from the encroachment of others. i have thought fif, with the advice of the council, to issue this, my proclamation, hereby, requiring all persons west of laurel hill to retain their settlements as aforesaid made under this jirovince, and to pay due obedience to the laws of his government and all magistrates and other officers who hold commissions or ofiiecs under this government to proceed as nsual in the administration of justice, without paying the least regard to the said recited proclamation, until his majesty s pleasure shall bo known in the premises, at the same time strictly charging and enjoining the said inhabitants and magistrates to use their utmost endeavors to preserve peace and good order. given under my hand and the great seal of the said province, at philadeliihia, the twelfth day of october, in the year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy four, and in the fourthteenth year of the reign of our sovereign lord george the third, by, the grace of god, of great britain, france, and ireland, king, defender of the faifh, and so forth. by his honor s command. when lord dunmore had finished his campaign against the indians in, he returned to virginia by, way of redstone, and made a short stay at fort burd brownsville. while he was there november th connolly sent an officer with a summons to thomas scott who then lived on dunlap s creek to appear before the governor to answer for several offenses alleged to have been committed while acting under autjiority from penn. ylvania. mr. scott refused to pay any attention to the summons, and on the same day a number of armed men appeared at his house and i forcibly carried him to fort burd, where he was required either to give bail with two sureties to appear at the next court to be held for the county of augusta, at pittsburgh, december next following, or at any future day when the court should be held there, or to be committed to prison. he chose the former j and entered into a recognizance for his appearance.the records of the augusta court, under date of may, show that mr. scott, being bound over to this court for his acting and doing business as a justice under pennsylvania, in contempt of the earl of dunmore s late proclamation, was on hearing adjudged guilty, and committed to prison in default of bail. there is nothing found showing how long he remained incarcerated, but judge veech says he was not released until accumulated resentment and the begining of the war for liberty had burst his prison bonds and set many of connolly s captives this onti y george avilsun, gout. being confederate witli. a, rh. i persons, who on the in aad carried away bliij. otliel s to not aid fftili, t ii, aforesaid disturbers of the jh. iee, liei ordered that he be prosecuted on his to cul. george w iison, who lived iieai died in new jersey, while iu the co free. lu december following connolly issued a proclamation, with the object of preventing the col lection of taxes by westmoreland county officers, as, follows i whereas i am informed that certain persons, by written instructions directed to different people through this country, under the denomination of collectors, are apparently authorized to break open doors, cupboards, etc. and to commit summary acts of violence in order to extort money from the inhabitants under the appellation of taxes, these are therei fore to acquaint all his majesty s subjects that as there i can be no authority legally vested in any persons for j any such acts at this juncture, that such attempts to abuse public liberty are unwarrantable, and that all j ier. sons have an undoubted natural as well as lawful right to repel such violence and all his majesty s subjects are hereby, required to apprehend any person whatever who may attempt a seizure of their effects j in consequence of such imaginary authority, to be dealt with as the law directs. given under my hand at fort duumore, this day of december, john coxxolly. a copy of this proclamation was laid before the sujjreme executive council of pennsylvania by, capt. arthur st. clair on the th of january, and i in the minutes of the proceedings of the council on the same day appears the following captain st. i clair appearing at the board, and representing that william crawford, esquire, president of the court in westmoreland county, hath lately joined with the governmen t of virginia in opposing the jurisdiction of pennsylvania in that county, the board advised the governor to supersede him in his office as justice of the peace and common pleas. a supersedeas was accordingly issued. and edward cook was appointed his successor. that crawford bscame a pronounced and aggressive partisan of virginia immediately after his supersedure as presiding justice is shown by, the record of i the council on february. th next following. at the meeting of the council on that day the governor laid before them several letters he had received by, express from the magistrates of westmoreland county, comj plaining of violi iicr cuiiiniitted therein the breakj the iirisoin i, and uther outrages lately committed by the militia ia l people of virginia, and inclosing sundry de ni ti rn supporting these complaints. the i outrages, as it appeared, had been committed by, a party under the leadership of benjamin harrison a re. ident of that part of avestmoreland which became fayette, who acted, as he said, under authority of capt. william crawford, president of the court. among the depositions mentioned w. as that of charles foreman, which details the circumstances of the outrage, and is as follows personally appeared before us the subscribers, three of his majesty s justices of the peace for the county afore. said, charles foreman, who being duly sworn upon the holy evangelists of almighty god, doth depose and say that this morning, between twilight, being the day of february, he heard a noise at the jail, and getting out of his bed he saw a number of armed men breaking the door, and charging the prisoners then in jail to go about theii business and he heard john carnaghan, esquire, high sheriff of the county aforesaid, ask one benjamin harrison, who appeared to be their head man, whether they had any orders for their sodoing, upon which he read a paper, and said it was capt. william crawford s orders so to do and the said charles foremar further saith that he saw one samuel wilson make s push at one kobert hanna, esquire, with a gun, anc told him not to be so saucy, and a great deal of il tongue and further this deponent saith not. the opening of the picvolutiou soon after the event last mentioned drove dunmore from power in vii ginia, and this of course overthrew his friend connollj who fled from the scene of his exploits and took refug with the british. virginia, however, did not reli quish her claims in the disputed territory, but, on tb contrary, erected new counties upon it, establishe courts, built court houses, appointed civil and railits officers, and kept up a show of jurisdiction for man years. the virginia county of augusta was erected i november, s, to embrace all the western and nortl western parts of that colony, including as was the supposed by her legislators an immense territory is now in pennsylvania west of the meridian of tl western boundary of maryland. according to virginia claim, then, the jurisdiction of aug county for about thirty eight years after its from, tion extended over all the present county of fayetl except a strip on its eastern side, and over all thete ritory between the monongahela and ohio riv in october, the general assembly of virgin enacted i that a certain part of the territory of a gusta county, viz. beginning on the alleghei mountain, between the heads of potowmack, che and greenbrier rivers thence along the ridge mountains which divides the waters of cheat rh from those of greenbrier, and that branch of the m nongahela river called the tyger s tygart s valley, river to monongahela river theuce up the said, river and the west fork thereof to bingcrman s creek, on the northwest side of said fork thence up the said creek to the head thereof thence in a direct line to the head of middle island creak a branch of the ohio, and thence to the ohio, including all the waters of said creek in the aforesaid district of west augusta, all that territory lying to the northward of said boundary, and to the westward of the states of pennsylvania and maryland, shall be deemed, and is hereby declared to be, within the district of west augusta. the district so defined was divided into three counties by the same act, which declared that all that part of said district lying within the following lines, to wit beginning at the mouth of cross creek, thence up the same to the head thereof, thence eastwardly to the nearest part of the ridge which divides the waters of the ohio from those of the monongahela, theuce along the said ridge to the line jwhich divides the county of augusta from the said district, thence with the said boundary to the ohio, thence up the same to the beginning, shall be one district county, and be called and known by the name of ohio and all that part of the said district lying to the northward of the following lines, viz. beginning at the mouth of cross creak, and running iup its several courses to the head thereof, thence southeastwardly to the nearest part of the aforesaid dividing ridge between the waters of the monongahela and the ohio, thence along the said ridge to the head of ten mile creek, thence east to the road leading from catfish camp to redstone old fort, thence along the said road to the monongahela river, thence, crcssing the said river, to the said fort, thence along dunlap s old road to braddock s road, and with the same to the meridian of the head fountain of the potowmack, shall be one other distinct county, and be called and known by the name of yohogania county and all that part of the said district lying to the northward of the county of augusta, to the westward of the meridian of the head fountain of the potowmack, to the southward of the county of yohogania, and to the eastward of the county of ohio, shall be one other distinct county, and shall be called and known by the name of the county of monongalia. from the description of the boundaries of the new ijcounties, as recited in the act, it will be seen that jmonongalia county embraced the southern and isoiitliwestern portion of the present county of fayette that the northern and northeastern part was euvrii d by yohogania county, and that the division linr between these two was marked by braddock s the eastern limit as far northwest as the on the. sumnit of laurel hill, and thence by dunlap s path, or road, passing a little south of uniontown, to the mouth of dunlap s creek. from there the boundary between yohogania and monongalia continued westward, nearly along the line of the later national road, about two thirds the distance across the present county of washington, to the east boundary of ohio county. this county extended from the said eastern limits westward to the ohio river. prior to the erection of the new counties, courts had been held at fort dunmore for the old county of augusta, and the records of those courts are still in existence. the first record is of a court held at the place named on the st of february, and the last nov. in the mean time a primitive court house had been built for augusta county at augusta town, a prospective village about two miles west of the site of the present town of washington, pa. upon the formation of the three new counties courts were immediately established for them. of the three virginia counties, only one monongalia held its courts within the present limits of fayette. its court house was located on land of theophilus phillips, near new geneva. how long the courts were held there is not known, as no records of them can now be found. the court house of ohio county was at black s cabin, near west liberty. the records of yohog. ania county have been preserved, and are now in possession of a gentleman of washington, pa. they show that the first court of that county was held at fort dunmore pitt dec. and that the courts continued to be held there until aug. they were then held at the house of andrew heath for about two months, and after that until at the new court house on the plantation of andrew heath. this was on the west side of the monongahela, a short distance above, and in ritcliie, james rogers, thomas sm. allman, andrew swearingen, jolin stevenson, george vallandigliam, edward ward, joshua wiight, and richard yeates. the following named held comniissicns hiit were not sworn in thomas brown, james blackiston, john carmichael, benjamin harrison, iiicob uaymaker, isac leet, sr. james mcleiin, isaac moason, john neville, pliilip ross, and joseph vance. and the following named pcisons were also sworn in as civil and military officers of tlie connty sight of, the present town of elizabeth. tlie statement has frequent been made that the yohogania court was at one time held at redstone old fort, but this is a mistake, doubtless growing out of the fact that a board of virginia commissioners sat at that place in the winter of for the purpose of deciding on land claims and issuing certificates to settlers. finally, when the long controversy between the two states was settled by the assignment of the disputed territory to pennsylvania, the counties of monongalia and ohio, though greatly reduced in area, still retained their names as counties of virginia as tliey are of west virginia at the present time but yohogania, whose limits were wliolly within the territory yielded to pennsylvania, ceased to exist, and was thenceforward mentioned as virginia s lost county. in the royal grant to william penn, in, the territory embraced in it was described as all that tract or part of land in america,with all the islands therein contained, as the same is bounded on the east by delaware river, from twelve miles northward of new castletown unto the three and fortieth degree of northern latitude, if the said river doth extend so far northwards but if the said river shall not extend so far northwards, then by the said river so far as it does extend and from the head of said river the eastern bounds are to be determined by a meridian line to be drawn from the head of said river unto the said three and fortieth degree the said lands to extend westward five degres ia longitude, to be computed from the said eastern bounds and the said land to be bounded north by the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of northern latitude, and then by a straight line westward to the limits of longitude above mentioned. on the south the boundary was to be by the circular line from the river, twelve miles distant from new castle, unto the beginning of the fortieth degree of north latitude, and then by a due west line to the extent of five degrees of longitude from the i iver delaware. it was fouiid to be a very difficult task to establish the southern line of penn s grant against maryland, which latter iiruviiiic had been granted to cecelius calvert, a series of bitter disjiutes and rulliued, which during a period of fifty years brought about no progress towards the desired settlement. in the successors of penn and calvert entered into articles of agreement for fixing the boundary, and under this agreement a temporary line was run in as far west as the most western of the kittochtinny hills on the south line of the present county of franklin, pa. anil there the matter rested until, when a new agreement was made, and seven commissioners appointed for each proprietary to establish the line. these commissioners chose four surveyors to execute the work, viz. john lukens and archibald ieclean for pennsylvania, and john f. a. priggs and john hall for maryland. they immediately commenced. operations, but by reason of the great natural difficulties to bej overcome and the imperfection of their instruments and appliances, their progress was so slow that in the proprietaries residing in loudon became impatient, and in august of that year employed charles mason and jeremiah dixon, london astronomers and surveyors, to complete the work. these surveyors came to america at once and commenced operations, but it was nearly two years before they had finished the preliminary work at the eastern end and fairly started on the due east andwest line which has been since known by their names, mason and dixon s line. by the end of that year they had advanced as far west as the end of the temporary line of. in the spring of they again commenced work, and on the of june had reached the top of little allegheny mountain, but dared not proceed farther for fear of the indians. after that no progress was made until june, when the surveying party again took up the work, being then escorted by a party of warriors of the six nations to hold the threatening shawanese and delawares in check. the point where braddock s road crosses from maryland into somerset county, pa. was reached on the of august, and there the iroquois escort left them but they pushed on, crossing the youghiogheny and monongahela rivers, and in october came to the indian trail known as the warrior branch, near the second crossing of dunkard creek. the delawares and shawanese had been growing more and more threatening since the departure of the six nations warriors, and they now positively forbade any advance by the surveyors west of the crossing of the trail. the party could not proceed in defiance of this prohibition, and consequently thej line stopped at this point, beyond which it was not extended until about fifteen years later. the running of mason and dixon s line was the final establishment of the boundary between pennsylvania and maryland, but it established nothing with regard to the line between the formw state and virginia. the latitude of mason andi dixon s line is north, and neither con testant was willing to accept it as the correct boundary. the proprietaries of pennsylvania claimed under the royal grant a territory three degrees of s. tiitude in width, that is, from the beginning of the fortieth degree of north latitude to the beginnin of the three and fortieth degree of north latitudbi. they cont, ended that the beginning of the first degree, of north latitude is the equator, and the beginning of, the second degree is at the end of the first degree, or latitude north, therefore that the beginning of the fortieth degree is at the ending of the thirty ninth oundary of jurisdiction, which would at once settle ur present dispute without the great trouble and expense of running lines, or the inconvenience of keepng the jurisdiction in suspense. but dunmore made inal reply that under no circumstances would he conent to yield fort pitt and this the commissioners egarded as a close of the negotiations. the plan submitted by the commissioners at the ibove mentioned conference was based on a proposiion contained in a letter previously written by govrnor penn to dunmore, viz. that from the northwestern extremity of maryland the boundary of pennsylvania should run due south to the parallel this being the beginning of the degree of j northern latitude, and from there run due west i along that parallel to the end of five degrees of longitude from the delaware, and that from that point the western boundary should be run north in a serpentine course, corresponding with the meanders of the delaware, and so as to be five degrees of longitude distant from tliat river at every point. dunmore, in reply, ridiculed the idea of the serpentine line, but proposed that the west lino of pennsylvania should be run due south from the t oi th boundary of penn s grant, at a point five degrees of longitude west from the delaware on that parallel, and he gave a rather plausible reason for the proposition, viz. because the grant directs that the survey shall begin at a point on the south part of the boundary and proceed northward. it being usual always in like cases to proceed and extend the five degrees of longitude, and not to return to the south point, and draw it from thence. he thought this would be much more favorable for virginia, for he said, if my construction be the true one, then fort pitt by reason of the delaware river running very much eastwardly towards your northern bounds will probably be at least fifty miles without your limits. his idea which was not very clearly expressed was that the delaware river is many miles farther east at the forty third than at the fortieth degree of latitude, and that a corresponding gain to virginia would be made by extending the five degrees of longitude from the former latitude instead of from the latter. the propositions above mentioned were about the last of the negotiations between penn and dunmore, for both were soon after driven from power by the revolution. the next proposition for a settlement of the boundary is ibund in certain resolutions passed by the virginia legislature on the of december, one of which authorized the virginia delegates in the continental congress to propose the following i plan j that the meridian line drawn from the head of i the potomac to the northwest angle of maryland be extended due north until it intersects the latitude of i forty degrees, and from thence the southern boundary shall be extended on the said fortieth degree of latitude until the di. stance of five degrees of longitude from the delaware shall be accomplished thereon, and from the said point five degrees, either in every point, according to the meanderings of the delaware, or which is perhaps easier and better for both from proper points or angles on the delaware, with intermediate straight lines. this was identical with the plan before mentioned, by, which pennsylvania would lose a strip of considerable width north of mason and dixon s line, along the southern borders of the present counties of greene and fayette, and it embraced also nearly the same proposition as that which had been made by governor penu for a serpentine line, corresponding to the courses of the delaware, as a avestern boundary. the first practical official action towards a definite and final settlement was taken in by the appointment of george bryan, john ewing, and david rittenhouse, on the part of pennsylvania, and dr, james madison and robert andrews, on the part of virginia, is commissioners to meet in conference and determine the boundary. these commissioners met aug. at baltimore, md. where they made and subscribed to the following agreement we, naming the commissioners do hereby mutually, in behalf of our respective states, ratify and confirm the following agreement, viz. to extend mason and dixon s line due west five degrees of longitude, to be computed from the river delaware, for the southern boundary of pennsylvania, and that a meridian drawn from the western extremity thereof to the northern limit of said state be the western boundary of said state forever. this agreement of the commissioners was confirmed upon certain conditions as to land titles by the virginia legislature june, and by the general assembly of pennsylvania on the d of september in the same year. this ended the long controversy so far as agreement on the location of the boundary was concerned, but the work of running the line still remained, and this was found to be a. task much more difficult and troublesome than had been expected. in running their line jlason and dixon had computed a degree of longitude on that parallel to be miles yv perche s, and consequently that the line, from where it was left at the warrior branch trail, would have to be extended about twenty three miles westward to complete the five degrees of longitude from the delaware. but as some doubts had arisen as to the accuracy of this computation, it was determined to establish the western limit by astronomical observations, and, as considerable preparation was necessary for the execution of the work by this method, it was thought necessary in the mean time to run a temporary line, and in the spring of the presidententcouncilnf pennsylvania, under authoritv from the assciiilily, api iintcd alexander mcclean the renowned irveyor, wlio lived in fayette county for many years to meet one to be appointed by virginia and execute the work. reference to this matter is found in a letter dated july, addressed by president reed to col. james marshal, lieutenant of washington county, from which the following is an extract. it was much our wish and equally our intention to run the line this spring, but the state of virginia being invaded and the affairs of the government in great confusion there has not been the time or opp y that purpose which was necessary. besides that, upon inquiry we found the season was too far advanced for those astronomical observations which were necessary to run the line with exactness. we have therefore postponed the grand operation next spring. but, as we know it was highly necessary to have a partition of territory and jurisdiction, we proposed to virginia to run a temporary line, beginning at the end of masons & dixons, and measuring miles, that is by computation the five degrees of i longitude called for in the charter of king charles the d. this has been agreed to, & the state of virginia has sent orders to the surveyor of yeoghegany county to join with one to be appointed by us to that service. we have appointed alexander mcclean, esq. & this express carries up his commission and instructions for this purpose. should he have ocasion for a guard, or any other assistance from you, we make no doubt he will receive it. as soon as they have run the line & reported their proceedings we shall send up proclamations calling upon all those who shall fall into this state to conform to its laws and government, and hope you will soon be relieved fromthe anarchy and confusion which has reigned so long in your country from this unhappy dispute. on the of august president reed addressed thomas scott on the same subject, as follows. ave regret as much as any of the inhabitants of the county can do the delay of running the line, but the season was too far advanced before we got the answer from virginia to admit of the astronomical j observations which are necessary for an exact & accurate performance of this important post. the month of may is agreed by our men of science to be the only proper period, and there are divers instruments necessary which it will take some time to pre, pare. however, being sensible of the importance & i necessity of some boundary, as soon as we found it i impracticable to execute the business this spring proposed to the state of virginia a temporary line, extending mason & dixon s to the ohio, or miles. they accepted the latter, & about a month ago we sent off a commission to alex mcclean, esq, ap pointing him our agent for this purpose. we hope that by this time he has engaged in the service, as we learn from col. marshal that the gov. of virginia. had appointed their agent. i have been thus par ticular as well to obviate any mistakes on thia subject as to show j ou how anxious we have been run the line, and that the delays have been unavoidable. in a letter dated sept. addressed to presir, dent reed by alexander mcclean, he mentions that mr. madison the commissioner appointed by virginia to act with him in running the temporary hue ad only arrived on the last of august from the kaawha, and proceeds i have since conferred with him, and he appears utwardly willingly to co operate with me iu the lerformanceof the trust yet appears warmly attached the other state. inasmuch as i am yet doubtful hetherthe matter will be ended this season. howver it may be, i am determined this day to wrisk it, is being the day appointed for reudezvouz. we lave been much distressed in our preparations by leason of sudden excursions of the enemy washgton county being more immediately invested with le external as well as internal enemies of this state. our excellency s instructions requiring the lieuts. f that county to furnish the guard prevented me oni making application elsewhere, which has ocasioned at least a disappointment of ten. day, as i ave attended the appointments already twice, & the ruard or madison not in readiness. so many delays occurred intentional as was beeved on the part of virginia that nothing was acdhiplishcd in towards running the temporary ne. on the d of march, council received nd adopted the following report from a committee ppointed to consider the question of running the ne, viz. that council and your committee are unanimous opinion, from the great expences necessarily atsnding the compleating the line between this state nd virginia, it would be most prudent to defer it for ae present, and that a temporary line during the ontinuance of the present war, or till times are lore settled on the erontiers, may be made and agreed i at a small expence, which will answer every purse expected, and to effect which council will take e necessary measures. the work was ordered to proceed, and the first part f june set for the commencement. at the time named ol. mcclean repaired to the rendezvous, but neither ommissioner madison nor the virginia surveyor, oseph neville, appeared, and an armed party of irginians who had collected there prevented him om proceeding with the work. the circumstances nttending this occurrence, with some other matters i ertaining to the boundary, are set forth in the followig letter from mcclean to president moore, of the i ouncil, viz. i coll cook s, on mv way rnoji pitiscrnoir, tlli june, sir, to my great mortification, i am lead to in ini vdu that after every effort which prudence i am again prevented from ijunning ir line. the circumstances i presume you will be ixiuiis to know, they are as follows. viz. shortly lui my return from philadelphia, an expedition a lormed against sandusky by the volunteers of nth iiunties, which drew off a great number of the lilitia and arms. the situation of washington county was very distressing to appearance. i thought it not prudent to call any part of the guard irona thence altho impowered so to do. the lieut, of the county of westmoreland furnished me with a guard of one hundred and upward, but had not arms sufl icient to supply them about sevent were armed. we proceeded to the mouth of dunkard creek, where our stores were laid in, on the tenth day of june, and were prejiaring to cross the river that night, when a party of about thirty horsemen, armed, appeared on the opposite side of the river, damning us to come over, and threatening us to a great degree and several more were seen by our bullock guard, which we had sent over the river, one of which asked them if they would surrender to be taken as prisoners, with other language of menacing and hearing of a great number more who were on their way to their assistance. we held a council, the result of which was to appoint a committee to confer with them on the causes of their opposition the result of said conference you will see enclosed. this mob or banditti of villains are greatly increased since the supply bill has been published amongst them. in short the cry against taxes in specie is general, and in any imode, by a number of those who formerly adhered to virginia, and they think the running of the line will be a prelude to and increase the power of collecting them together with the idea of a new state, which is artfully and industriously conveyed under coverture by some of the friends of that state, as the only expedient to preveiit the running of the line. i have also to inform you that i have the most finished assurance that they have not the least desire to settle the line in any equitable manner, for the instructions of their commissioners if they have appointed any will doubtless direct them to begin at the end of maryland, which is not yet ascertained, neither can it be without the concurrence of that state, which i am fully persuaded was thrown in as a barrier to keep the evil day the further off, as i fell into company with a person of great consequence in that state on my way from philadelphia, who was big with the propriety of it, and quoted a gentleman of this country as the author of it. yet it would be out of character to say that the executive of virginia, who are so tender of duplicity on any occasion, should wrap their councils in darkened language. i think it would be much to tluir honour and the interest of this state, as well as those i nited, it their actions could be brought to correspond with their declarations. coil hayes, who was present on committee, was zealous to proceed against all opposition, but all to no purpose, other than to enrage the mob still more they proceeded to dare us to trial of their resolution and intention. i have just now been with general irwin, who is well disposed to render every service in his power, but as a continental officer he cannot interfere without instructions for that purpose. in short, every measure has been taken that might be thought prudent, but to no purpose their obstinacy is such that they never will submit until destruction overtakes them. i have therefore to request you will devise some mode that it may be accomplished speedily, as the enemies of this state are daily encreasing, and i find it is out of my power, unless a commissioner from virginia should appear, to proceed without open war, which, if you are determined upon, ou ll please to give me instructions agreeably, together with the necessary powers. i am just now informed that a meeting of some of the former subjects of virginia has been lately requested to choose officers to resume the government in this place, the result of which i ain not able to inform you. with the above letter was transmitted to president moore the following minutes of a conference between the boundary commissioners of pennsylvania and a j committee appointed for the purpose by the partisans of virginia, viz. with the several drafts of the imilitia of the s & battalions of westmoreland county, under the command of cul. benjamin davis, &c. when a number of the inhabitants of wa hington county, holding themselves yet under the jurisdiction of the state of airginia, appeared in opposition to us, under arms. and as the meeting of parties in sueh cases inraged with passion are frequently attended with? evil consequences, it was thought proper to ap ioint a committee to confer on the causes or reasons of saiil opposition on which henry vanmeter, jesse pigman, and george xcwland, of tlie opposite partie, were appointed a committee to confer with us and christopher hayes, lunry benson, and alexander jlcclcan a committee on behalf of pennsyhiinia after producing the several papers and instructions, together with corresponding letters of the council of a irginia, the said couimittce on the part of virginia refuse t. coiirui with the committee of pennsylvania in the jleasuie. untill linaily determined or proclaimed to he agreeable to the state of virginia, other than through furceable or dangerous measures, which might be attended with consequences truly evil. in the mean time, however, the legislature of virginia had given its formal assent to the runtiing of the line, and thereupon president moore sent to col. mcclean his instructions to proceed, viz. in council, philadelphia, july, enclosed you have a copy of a resolution of the legislature of virginia respecting the line between that state and ours, dated june, and copy of governor harrison s letter accompanying it, d. ated june, and also the order of f. in il of the loih inst. directing you to attend at the west. ud uf mason and dixon s line on monday, the of xovcmlier m xt. you arc then, in eonjunoiion with the surveyor to be appointed on the part of virginia, to proceed in running the line agreeable to your former direction. it will be advisable to call out the militia for guards from among those who live at some distance from the line, and we hope virginia will take the same precautions, to prevent heats and needless controversy. colonel hayes will continue his assistance under the former instructions. under this arrangement and these instructions, col. mclean, with joseph neville on the part of virginia, ran the temporary line in the fall of s. the boundary thus run was an extension of mason and dixon s line from the point where it was left in twenty three miles, and from that point which was afterwards proved to be about one and a half miles too far west due north to the ohio river. oa the d of february, mcclean reported the completion of the work to the council of pennsylvania. the permanent boundary line was run and established from the maryland line westward to the southwest corner of the state of pennsylvania in, under the direction of james madison, robert andrews, john page, andrew euicott, john ewing david rittenhouse, thomas hutchins, and john lukens the first four of whom were appointed by virginia, and the others by pennsylvania, commissioners to determine by astronomical observations the extent of five degrees of longitude west from the river delaware, in the latitude of mason and dixon s line, and to run and mark the boundaries which are common to both states, according to an agreement entered into by commissioners from the said two states at baltimore in, and afterwards ratified by their respeeti ve assemblies. about the beginning of june commissioners ewing and hutchins set out for the southwest corner of the state, as marked by the temporary line of, where they met madisoa and euicott. rittenhouse and lukens proceeded to wilmington, del. where they were afterwards joined by page and andrews. at each of these points aa observatory was erected, where the respective parties, by many weeks of careful astronomical observations, carefully adjusted their chronometers to the true time. th? astronomical observations being completed, on the of september the eastern astronomers set out to meet the other commissioners in the west in order to compare them together. messrs. ritten. house and andrews carried, with them the observations made at wilmington, while messrs. lukens and page returned home, not being able to endure the fatigues of so long a journey, nor the subsequent labor of running and marking the boundary line. mr. madison continued with the western astronoj mors till the arrival of messrs. rittenhouse and andrews, when the affairs of his family and publick station obliged him to relinquish the business at this stage and return home, after concurring with the other commissioners a to the principles on which the matter was finally determined. the difference in time between points five degrees of longitude distant from each other is twenty minutes, but on comparing chronometers it was found that the two observatories were twenty minutes one and one eighth seconds apart. the observatory at wilmington was also chains links west of the intersection of mason and dixon s line with the delaware river. this showed that the western observatory was chains links west of the end of the five degrees of longitude. that distance was thereupon measured back eastward on the line, the line corrected, and the permanent southwest corner of the state mai ked by a substantial post. in the joint report of the commissioners, dated nov. they say, the underwritten commisioners have continued mason and dixon s line to the termination of the said five degrees of longitude, by which work the southern boundary of pennsylvania is completed. the continuation we have marked by opening vistas over the most remarkable heights which lie in its course, and by planting on many of these heights, in the parallel of latitude, the true boundary, posts marked with the letters p and v, each letter facing the state of which it is the initial. at the extremity of this line, which is the southwest corner of pennsylvania, we have planted a squared, unlettered whiteoak post, around whose base we have raised a pile of stones. the corner is in the last vista we cut, on the cast side of an hill, one hundred and thirty four chains and nine links east of the meridian of tlie western observatory, and two chains and fifty four links west of a deep narrow valley through which the said last vista is cut. the advanced season of the year and the inclemency of the weather have obliged us to suspend our operations, but we have agreed to meet again at the southwest corner of pennsylvania on the tli day of next may to complete the object of our commision. in accordance with this agreement they met in the following year, ran and established the west line of pennsylvania due north from the southwest corner of the ohio river, and made a report of the same on the. d of august. in g, col. alexander mcclean and col. porter ran and completed the state lino northward from the ohio river to the lake. slavery and servitude. of the people who emigrated from the east to settle west of the laurel hill prior to, a large proportion were from Virginia and maryland, and report of tlio pcnnsjiva iiii coniuiissioners. many of them who had held slaves east of the mountains brought those slaves with them to their new homes in the west, for at that time the laws of pennsylvania recognized and tolerated the peculiar institution as fully as did those of virginia. among these were the crawfords, stevensons, harrisons, mccormicks, vance, wilson, and others. a most distinguished though non resident holder of bondmen in fayette county was george washington, whose improvements on his large tract of land in the present township of perry were made principally by their labor. frequent allusions to these servants are found in letters addressed to col. washington in and by valentine crawford, who resided on jacob s creek, and acted as general agent in charge of washington s lands and afiairs of improvement in this region. a few exttracts from those letters are given below, viz. your servants are all in very good health, and if you should incline selling them, i believe i could sell them for cash out here to different people. my brothers, william crawford, wants two of them, and i would take two myself. i write to let you know that all your servants are well, and that none have run away. i will go to simpson s washington s estate in the present township of perry to morrow morning and consult him farther on the affair, and do everything in my power for your interest. the thoughts of selling your servants alarmed them very much, for they do not want to be sold. the whole of them have had some short spells of sickness, and some of them cut themselves with an axe, causing them to lay by for some time. one of the best of stephens washington s millwright men cut himself with an adze the worst i ever saw anybody cut in my life. he has not been able to do one stroke for near a month. this happened in digging out the canoes. dear colonel, on sunday evening or monday morning, william orr, one of the most orderly men i thought i had, ran away, and has taken a horse and other things. i have sent vou an advertisement of liim. i am convinced he will make for some ship in potomac river. i have sent two men after him, and furnished them with horses and money. i have also written to my brothers, richard stevenson a halfbrother of crawford s, in berkeley, and james mccorraick to escort the men i sent, and to forward this letter and advertisement to you. i have sold all the men but two, and i believe i should have sold them but the man who is run away had a very sore foot, which was cut with an axe and was not long well, and john smith was not well of the old disorder he had when he left your house. i sold peter miller and john wood to one mr. edward cook for, the money to be applied to the use of building your mill. i sold thomas mcpherson and his wife and james lowe to maj. john mcculloch and jones ennis for, payable in six months from the date of sale. to my brother i sold william luke, thomas white, and the boy, john knight. he is either to pay you for them or he loses them in case you can prosecute your designs down the river the opening of a plantation on the virginia side of the ohio, between wheeling and the little kanawha. i took john smith nml william orr on the. same terms so that, in jiitii r. am accountable to you for the man if is iirvir l jt. i should have sold the whole of llii sii ants, agreeable to your letter, if i could have iro casli nr l ood pay, but the confusion of the times put it out nf my power. i only went down to fort pitt a day or two, and two of my own servants and two militiamen ran away. i followed them and caught them all town at bedford, and brought them back. while i was gone two of your men , john wood and peter miller, stole a quantity of bacon and bread, and were to have started that very iiinlit i gut liome, but a man of mine discovered tlieir ilesigii. i xild them immediately, and avould have suld tlio whole if i could, or delivered them to mr. simpson, but he would not be concerned with them at any rate. i am very sorry to inform you i received a letter from mr. cleveland of the june, wherein he seems to be in a good deal of distress. five of the servants have run away and plagued him much . they got to the indian towns, but by, the exertions of i one mr. duncan, a trader, he has got them again. j he has sent three of them up by, a man he had hired i with a letter to my brother william or myself to sell them for you, but the man sold them himself somei where about wheeling on this way up, and never brought them to us. he got pennsylvania currency for them, and gave one year s credit. this was very low, and he did not receive one. shilling. tiiis was contrary to cleveland s orders, as the latter wanted to raise some cash by, the sale to purchase provisii. ns. it is noticeable that crawford, in the corresponileiiee above quoted, never uses the word slave, but always servant. among the people employed on washi ington s improvements in fayette county there were i a few african slaves some of whom lived until within t the memory of people now living, but they m re principally white bondmen , such as, until the niiinj iug of the revolution,were continually sent t i america from gre. at britain for crime or other eau es and sold in to servitude on their arrival by the masters of the vessels which brought them over. tlie following advertisement of such a sale is from the virginia gazette of march, g just arrived. the xeptune, capt. arbuckle, with one hundred and ten hcaltliy servants, men , women , and boys ain. mj whom are many valuable tradesmen , viz. tailors, weavers, barbei s, blacksmiths, carpenters and joiners, shoenialmi, a stay maker, cooper, cabinet maker, bakc s, silversmith. i, m and silver refiner, and many otliers. the sale will en iinnn. o at leedstown, on the cappahnnnoe. on wednesday, the. th of this march. a reasonable credit will be allowed on giving approved security to on the st of march, s, the general assembly of pennsylvania passed an act for the gradual abolition of slavery, which provided and declared that all persons, as well negroes and muhittoes as others, who shall be born within this state from and after the passing of this act shall not be deemed and considered as servants for life or slaves and that all servitude for life or slavery of children in consequence of the slavery of their mothers, in the case of all children born within this state from and after the passing of this act as aforesaid, shall be and hereby, is utterly tiiken away, extinguished, and forever abolished. provided always, and be it further enacted, that every negro and mulatto child born within this state after the passing of this act as aforesaid who would in case this act had not been made have been born a servant for years, or life, or a slave shall be deemed to be, and shall be by, virtue of this act, the servant of such person, or this or her assigns, who would in such ease have been entitled to the service of. such child, until such child shall attain unto the age qf twenty eight years, in the manner and on the conditions whereon servants bound by, indenture for four years are or may be retained and holden. the law required that, in order to distinguish slaves from all others persons, each and every owner of slaves at the passage of the act should, on or before the st of november, register in the office of the court of the county this or her name and surname and occupation or proffesion, with the name, age, and sex of this or her slaves or servants for life or till the age of thirty one years and it further enacted, that no man or woman of any nation or colour, except the negroes or mulattoes who shall be registered as aforesaid, shall at any time hereafter be deemed adjudged or holden within the territories of this commonwealth as slaves or servants for life, but as free men and free women , except in the cases of slaves attending on delegates in congress from others states, foreign ministers and consuls, or nonresident travelers in or through this state, and also in the cases of slaves employed as seaman on vessels owned by, persons not residents in this state. in october, was passed an act to give relief to certain persons talcing refuge in this state with respect to their slaves, which provided that such refugees might hold their slaves notwithstanding the act of march, but the operation of the law of has to cease at the end of six months after the termination of the war of the revolution. on the of april, the general assembly passed an act to redress certain grievances within the counties of westmoreland and washington. this act was designed for the relief of certain persons living within the so called counties of yohogania, monongalla, and ohio, who had taken the oath of allegiance to virginia, and had, at the time of the passage of the act for the gradual abolition of slavery in this state, and for a considerable time thereafter, supposed that their places of residence were outside the limits of the state of pennsylvania, and had on that account neglected or been prevented from registering their slaves within the time required by, the provisions of the act. all such persons, inhabitants of the counties of westmoreland and washington, who could produce proof of their having taken the oath of allegiance to virginia before the establishment of the boundary line between the two states was agreed to, and whose names should be found in the records of the above mentioned virginia counties,were, by, the act of, declared to be to all intents and purposes free citizens of this state and it was further enacted, that it shall and may be lawful for all such inhabitants of the said counties who were on the d day of september, possessed of negro or mulatto slaves or servants until the age of thirty one years to register such slaves or servants, agreeable to the directions of the act aforesaid for the gradual abolition of slavery, on or before the st day of january next, and the said master or masters, owner or owners of such slaves or servants shall be entitled to liis or their service as by, the said act is directed, and the said slaves and servants shall be entitled to all benefits and immunities in the said act contained and expressed. and the clerks of the orphans courts, registers of the probate of wills, and recorders of deeds for westmoreland and washington counties were empowered to call on the late clerks of the virginia counties of yohogania, monongalla, and oh in for the papers and records in their custody relating to the taking of oaths of allegiance, probates of wills, granting of letters of administration, and recording of deeds and the said ex clerks of the virginia counties were required to deliver up such records and documents entire and tmdefaced, under penalty of a fine of five hundred pounds for refusal or neglect to do so, and such records and documents were then tn become a part of the records of westmoreland and washington counties. the passage of the law for the gradual abolition of slavery in pennsylvania was very oftensive to most of these who had come in to this region with their servants from the others side of mason and dixon s line. it has been said but with how much of truth is not known that gen. washington was greatly displeased by, the enactment, and the story even goes so far as to assert that he regarded it as a personal affront, and that this was the cause of this disposing of this real and personal property in fayette county. i however this may have been, it is certain that a j large proportion of the virginians and marylanders whom had settled with their slaves west of the laure l hill became so incensed at the adoption of this measure, and the establishment at about the same time of j the boundary line, by, which, to their surprise, they found themselves in pennsylvania and not within the i bounds of virginia, as they had supposed, that they sold out their possessions in the monongahela country i and removed with their slaves to the southwest. this was one of the principal causes for the commen cement j of the very extensive emigration from this section of country to kentucky, which set in about, and now it began to blend with another current and tempting plains of ohio. these early reni ival tokeiiltuli brought to our county overpuwcritig numbers of settlers from easteri pennsylvania and new jersey, who availed themselves of the oppoortii uity to buy out the improvements of the settlers up on easy terms, o this class of new settlers were the friends, who setlkj about urowns continued during a succeeding period of ten or fifteen years. among tlie number of residents of fayette county wlio registered slaves under the requirement of tlie an act supplementary and amendatory to the act for the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania has passed on the of march, among the several provisions of this act was one declaring that all persons owners of chil. lren born after march, who wnuld, uniu r the act of that date, be liable to serve till twciity eiirlit years of age, must , in order to hold uch rliildren to servitude, cause them to be registered on or before april, or within six in aililition to the owners of slaves already mentioned, tin r. lire i ouiul the following names of persons roui l iinl ives in fayette county in and prior to the year isii, viz. under the law of march, registries of children liable to servitude continued in fayette for more than half a century, and three hundred and fifty fourth such registries were made in the county during the period from feb. to jan. after which latter date none have been found in the records. the original counties of pennsylvania were philadelphia, chester, and buclcs, of whicli tlie western boundaries were indefinite. on the of may, an act was passed erecting the county of lancaster, to embrace all and singular the lands within the province of pennsylvania lying to the northward of octoraro creek, and to the westward of a line of marlced trees runing from the north branch of the said octoraro creek nortlieasterly to the river schuylkili. and the said octoraro creek, the line of marked trees, and the river schuylkill aforesaid shall be the boundary line or division between said county and the counties of chester and philadelphia. thus ihe nominal jurisdiction of lancaster county extended westward to the western limits of the province, including the territory which now forms the county of fayette. in the inhabitants of the western parts of lancaster county represented to the governor and assembly of the province that they were suffering great hardships by, reason of remoteness from the countyseal, the courts of justice, and the public offices, and prayed for the formation of a new county from that part of lancaster whereupon, on the of january, it was by, the general assembly enacted that all and singular the lands lying within the province of pennsylvania aforesaid to the westward of susquehanna, and northward and westward of the county of york, be and are hereby, erected in to a county named and hereafter to be called cumberland, bounded northward and westward with the line of the province, eastward partly with the river susquehanna and partly with the said county of york, and southward in part by, the said county of york and part by, the line dividing the. said province from that of maryland. for more than twenty years, a period covering the campaigns of washington and braddock and the york county had been erected a short time previously aug. to embrace all and singular the lands lying witliin the province of pennsylvania to the westward of the river susquehanna and southward and eastward of the south mountain, bounded northward and westward by, a line to be run from the said river susquehanna along the ridge of the said south mountain until it shall intersect the miiryland line, southward by, the said maryland line, and eastward by, the said river susquehanna. planting of the earlier settlements in the valleys of the youghiogheny and monongahela, cumberland continued to include the region west of the laurel hill range. on the of march, that region embracing the present counties of fayette, westmoreland, washington, allegheny, and contiguous country passed to the jurisdiction of bedford county, which was erected by, an act of that date, to include all and singular the lands lying and being within the boundaries following, that is to say, beginning i where the province line crosses the tuscarora mountain, and running along the summit of that mountain to the gap near the head of the path valley thence with a north line to the juniata thence with the juniata to the mouth of shaver s creek thence northeast to the line of berks county thence along the berks county line northwestward to the western bounds of the province thence southward, according to the several courses of the western boundary of the province, to the southwest corner of the province, and from thence eastward with the southern line of the province to the place of beginning. the territory of bedford county west of the laurel hill became westmoreland by, the passage feb. of an act erecting the last named county, to embrace all and singular the lands lying within the i province of pennsylvania, and being within the bouni daries following, that is to say, beginning in the i province line, where the most westerly branch, commonly called the south, or great branch of youghiogheny river crosses the same then town the easterly side of the said branch and river to the laurel hill thence along the ridge of the said hill, i northeastward, so far as it can be traced, or till it runs i into the allegheny hill thence along the ridge dividing the waters of the susquehanna and the allegheny rivers to the purchase line at the head of susquehanna thence due west to the limits of the province, and by, the same to the place of beginning. westmoreland county was divided in to townships by, the court of quarter sessions, held at robert hanna s house, april, before william j crawford, esq. and this associates, justices of the same court, the court proceeded to divide the said county i in to the following townships, by, the limits and de scriptions hereafter following, viz. then follows a description of the boundary lines of the several townships, viz. fairfield, donegal, huntington, mount pleasant, hempfield, pitt, tyrone, springhill, men alien, rostraver, and armstrong, the descriptions of the five townships embracing the present county of fayette being as follows tyrone. beginning at the mouth of jacob s creek, and running up that creek to the line of fairfield thence with that line to the youghiogheny thence along to the foot of laurel hill, to gist s thence by, burd s road to where it crosses redstone creek thence town that creek to the mouth thence with a straight line to the beginning. springhill. beginning at the mouth of redstone creek, and running thence a due west course to the western boundary of the province thence with the province line to the southern boundary of the province then east with that line to where it crosses the youghiogheny then with the youghiogheny to laurel hill then with the line of tyrone to gist s, and thence with that line to the beginning. menullen. beginning at the mouth of brown s run, thence due east to the top of laurel hill, and. westward to the limits of the province. rostraver. beginning at the mouth of jacob s creek, and running down the youghiogheny to where it joins the monongahela, then up the monongahela to the mouth of the redstone creek, and thence with a straight line to the beginning. donegal. to begin where the line of fairfield township intersects the county line, and to run along that line to where the youghiogheny crosses the same thence town the north side of the youghiogheny to the top of chestnut ridge thence along the top of i chestnut ridge to the line of armstrong thence up the loyal hanna to the mouth of the big roaring run, and thence up said run to the beginning. the project to form the county of fayette from the southern part of westmoreland was agitated as early as. the old county had in that year been shorn i of its territory west of the monongahela by, the erection of washington county, and now the project to reduce its limits still farther by, the formation of fayette met with strong opposition in the others parts. among the many remonstrances against it was the i following, a letter from christopher hays to president moore, dated sept. i have been informed by, bill printed for public consideration that the county of westmoreland will or is to be divided in to two counties unless opposed by, the public. if the new county should take place westmoreland county will be totally ruined, and in a short time will become an easy pray to the enemy, as the major part of what will be left to this county are at present in forts and blockhouses, scarcely able of suppoorting themselves, and of consequence will readyly be ruined it we rely on the protection of the lieutenants of the others county, i therefore would beg the favour of you, to use your influence & interest with the principle memlicrs of the assembly of this state to lave said bill made yoid & of none effect, and to move the seat of justice of this county in to some interior part of the county, & in so doing you will much oblige the distressed of westmoreland and your most obedient humble servant but the remonstrances failed to effect the purpose for which they were intended, and on the of september, the general assembly passed an act, which, after reciting in its preamble that a great number of the inhabitants of that part of westmoreland county circumscribed by, the rivers monongahela and youghiogeny and mason and dixon s line have by,their petition humbly represented to the assembly of this state the great inconvenience they labor under by, reason of their distauce from the seat of judicature in said county, proceeded to enact and declare that all and singular the lands lying within that part of westmoreland county bounded as hereinafter described beginning at monongahela river where mason and dixon s line intersects the same thence town said river to the mouth of speir s run thence by, a straight line to the mouth of jacob s creek thence by, the youghiogeny river to the forks of the same thence up the southwest branch of the said river, by, a part of bedford county, to mason and dixon s line thence by, said line to the monongahela river aforesaid, be and hereby, are erected into a county named and hereafter to be called fayette county. the county of fayette, as formed and erected by, the act of, embraced all that is within the present limits of the county west of the youghiogheny, but nothing on the others side of the river. on the th of february, an act was passed annexing to fayette the territory which it now embraces east and northeast of the youghiogheny, viz. all that part of westmoreland county beginning at the mouth of jacob s creek, thence up the main branch of the said creek to cherry s mill, thence along the road leading to jones s mill until the same shall intersect the line of bedford county, thence southwesterly by, the line of bedford county aforesaid until the same intersects the youghiogeny river, thence down the said river to the place of beginning. the act erecting the county provided, in one of its sections, that all taxes already laid within the bounds of the county of fayette by, virtue of any act of the general assembly of this state which are not already paid shall be collected by, the respective collectors within the bounds aforesaid and paid in to the hands of the treasurer of westmoreland county. but it appears that this matter of the collection of taxes at that time in fayette county was a very embarrasing one, that the attempt to make such coltlie part of the line from cherry s mill east to the line of somerset county being found to be obscure and not well defined, was run out and established by, commissioners appointed by, the governor for the purpose, under authority of an act passed march, su. the line along the crest of laurel hill, between fayette and somerset counties, being indefinite, has established under authority of an act of assembly passed april, by, john hanna, of somerset, and john r. lqve, of fayette, commissioners, under work has done by, h. s. holi rok. es. surveyor. lection met yith resistance, and that in various parts of tlie county, as well as in washington and westmoreland outrages and violence were not uncoin, mon. that the new county particularly menallen j township and the country on georges creek was then in a state of almost anarchy is shown by, the tenor of various letters and documents found in the archives of the state, though the occurrences and circumstances to which they refer cannot at the present time be fully understood. copies of some of the papers mentioned are here given, viz. later of secretarij armsfroiip to micheal huffnajle, of westmoreland county. de. r sir, your letter of the ult. has been received. the licentious disposition discovered in menallen township is not a little alarming, & in th opinion of council requires an early and vigorous correction. up on the receipt of this you will therefore assemble the magistracy of that part of the county, &with them adopt the most efficient measures to investigate the business and enforce the laws. the instructions of council respecting the opposition to assessment in menallen township i laid before the justices as directed, but they have not yet come to any resolution thereon some of them i and are of opinion that the reviving it at this distant time might be attended with more vexatious consequences than the suffering it to be forgotten will probably produce. for this reason, and iu consideration of their since peaceable demeanor, i should incline to agree with them that for the present, until the authority of the court becomes by, degrees and habitude of obedience more firmly established in the general acquiescence of all descriptions of people within the county, and a goal and others objects of popular terror be erected to impress on their minds an idea of the punishment annexed to a breach of the laws, the fouowing letter from christoiilier iliys to president moore, liltcil westmoreland county, si pt. shows tliiit the iissessment and collection of tuxes has forcibly resisted before the erection of fayette, viz. as our assessors was tiilviug their returns according to law, the opposers assembled under arms, drove tlicni off from tlieir deanty, fired guns at them, and say tliey will not piiy any taxes, nor be obedient to our laws, being they never took the outh of fidelity to this state, but moans to suppoort a new state. i should think it wonld not he amiss it the houourablo council would send a number of proclamations a ainst all those that is or will be in opposition of all laws and lawfull proceeding in this state, as there is. t number such in our territories, & will of consequence encourage n number more unless something done to oppose them the citizens of these two counties westmoreland and washington think it extremely heard to pay taxes & be nearly all summer under arms & receive neither pay nor provisions, as each man has to find mostly their own provisions while on lenient measures might pi oduceas good effects as the most rigorous ones that justice could adopt,were not the wisdom and directions of council opposed to this opinion. to these reasons for declining the prosecution of offenders if their identity could be made to appear which i think very doubtful might be added otiiers that i am distressed to be obliged to take notice of. the tax not having been assessed till after the division of the county, the authority of the commissioners of westmoreland then became justly questionable, and the total want of commissioners in this county to levy a tax of any kind, either for the state or to answer the exigencies of the county, and the conseqent inability of the trustees to perform the duties assigned them by, the legislature, may all be subjects of consideration in this case. for, from an unhappy misconeeption of the law for dividing westmoreland, this county has not an officer of any kind, except such as were created or continued by, the act or appointed by, council. denied a separate election of a member in council and representative in assembly till the general election of the present year, they unfortunately concluded that this inability extended to all the others elective officers of the county, and in consequence of this belief voted for them in conjunction with westmoreland. the trustees have appointed next monday to meet on and begin the partition line between this county and westmoreland on this condition, which col. maclean, who is to be executive person, has generously agreed to to pay all the expence at some future time, when it shall be iu their power to call up on the county commissioners for the money. and necsesity has suggested to us the expedient of building a tempoorary goal by, subscription, which is now on foot. the county commissioners are so such counteracted by, the rabble of this country that it appears hardly probable the taxes will ever be collected on the present mode. In the township of menallen in particular, which includes this place, agreeable to its limits in the duplicate, the terror of undertaking the duty of collector has determined several to refuse it under the high penalty annexed. two only have accepted it, and these have both been robbed by, some ruffians unknown, and in the night, of their duplicates. the inhabitants of the others townships have the act erecting the county provided, seal i. n ltj, tlmt ihis net shall not take effect until the first day of septeinln i, v lii h will in ihcyear of our lord, so fur as the assembly agreeable to the diieetiuiis uf the cuiisliiiitiun anu tlie laws now in force. and from mr. douglass letter it appears that the people of fayette had supposed that the same provision applied to the election of all county officers. not sono such lengtlis, but complain so much of the hardships and want of money that i fear very little is to be hoped from them. on the others hand, the hnkiny placi s. this county, however, and even this town, lias suirerecl l y them, though tliey came in tlie cliaracter of tliieves and not of robbers here that is, to uniontown. and yet nothing has been attempted hitherto to punish or bring them to justice, partly, perhaps, because there are not yet a sufficient number provoked by,their losses, but principally from the improbability of succeeding in the attempt. jiimes bell, of george t. nvnship nn on oath before nic, tlio suliscriljur, tlie fors i county the day of. jun ing shirt and trowsers, the other was a less sized man with a hunting shirt & trowsers on, and all their faces were streaked with black. my best compliments wait on your excellency and family. i take this oppoortunity to infonii your excellency that a cnsid niblr number cf inlialiitants formerly virginians, and in i p iiisitiiin tn tlio laws and governini iit olthis state i liavc now tiirneil lint open robbers, and o ii. dorinus that scare. two days pass that some luitraiic i not ciiiiiiiittt d in one part or others of this country, tho fayette and avashington counties seem, at present, to bo the principal seat of depredation. last wednesday the collector was robbed near besin s town, in fayette county, of about twenty two pounds in cash, this warrant and duplicate taken from him, and this person grossly abused. sundry others robberies liave been committed lately in washington and fayette counties, mostly on the property of the most noted defenders of the country during the late conflict. I would beg the favor of your excellency to send me the late acts of assembly by, my son in law, capt. henderson, and the favor shall be gratefully acknowledged by, sir, with the highest respect, ilonrdsr. the inhabitant. of stewart s crossings beg leave to represent your excellency that we wore much sur ris d on being presented with yc copy of a letter by, one of your worthy niombers, which was sent to your exeellency, informing you that a considerable number of ye inhabitants formerly virginians, in apposition to the laws and government of this state, have now turned out ojien robbers. wc are happy that we have it in our power to present this to your e. cellency by, tho hands of a gentleman, whom we hope will do us the ilonr to state us impartially in our fair character without respect of parties, as this gentleman is well acquainted with yo circumstance of ye whole matter in doing us the llonour of accompanying us in going in search of these kobbers and suppressing such burglars. we acknowledge we were brought up under yo government of virginia, and were ruled by, that government while the territorial disputes subsisted between the two stales, but when they thought propcrto adjust ye boundaries, we were willing to submit to ye laws of pennsylvania, and hope your e. xeellcncy will find us as true citizens as any belonging to yo state, as we have made it evident on every occassion. wo have always been willing to risque our all in the glorious cause we have been so long contending for, which wo can make nianife. t by, sundry gentleman who are as fully acquainted wilh us as the author of that letter which was sent to your excellency. and amongst others, col. Jlocieno who has suffered on fatigue,with those who seem at present to bo the objects of such malevolent ridicule without the least reason. wu were happy in believing that all party matters were buried in oblivion, but are greatly ooncorned to find the contrary. col. hays has related in another letter to your excellency, that those who bore the burden of yc war most now be ruled over liy i those who are enemies in tlicir hearts to yc state. avc i would appeal to ye knowledge and candour of the several officers who have commanded in this department, whether tho people thus stigmatized have been more backward in defense of our common rights than any of our neighbours. we most beg your excellency s pardon, for making so free, from ye most intolerable character your excellency had of us, but we shall refer you to that worthy gentleman major douglass, who is rnthcr bcuor acquaintea with us than col. hay? so makes bold to subscribe ourselves your excellency s most obedient and bumble servants. the act by, which fayette county was erected provided and declared that the justices of the peace commissioned at the time of passjng this act, and residing within the county of fayette, or any three of them, shall and may hold courts of general quarter sessions of the peace, and general gaol delivery, and county courts for holding of pleas and shall have all and singular the powers, rights, jurisdictions, and authorities, to all intents and purpo. es, as other the justices of courts of general quarter sessions, and justices of the county courts for holding of pleas in the others counties, may, can, or ought to have in their. respective counties which said courts shall sit and be held for the county of fayette on the tuesday preceding the courts of quarter sessions and common pleas in washington county in every year, at the school house or some fit place in the town of union, in the said county, until a court house be built and when the same is built and erected in the county aforesaid, the said several courts shall then be holden and kept at the said court house on the days before mentioned. under this provision and authority, the first term of the court of quarter sessions and common pleas for fayette county was held in the school house at uniontown on the fourth tuesday in december, before philip rogers, esq. and his associates, alexander mcclean, robert adams, john allen, robert ritchie, and andrew rabb, all justices in and for the county of westmoreland. the grand inquest was composed as follows john powers, ebenezer finley, henry swindler, john beeson, james ritter, nathan springier, thomas kendall, david hogg, william mcfarlane, samuel lyon, john patrick, thomas gaddis, jacob rich, edward hatfield, dennis springer, charles hickman, nathaniel breading, reuben camp, and hugh mccreary. the first business of the court was the admission of attorneys, viz. thomas scot, hugh m. brackenridgc, david bradford, micheal huffnagle, george thompson, robert galbraith, samuel irwin, and david redick. Where were brought before the court five cases of assault and battery, one of assault, and two of bastardy. the court proceeded to fix tavern rates, to license tavern keepers, and to subdivide the county into nine township, viz washington, franklin, lui additional township of fayetto county have been erected iis follows t. vronc, march, bedstone, december, salt lick, december, duubar, decombei, us bridgepoort, november, isl. i brownsville, november, connellsville, oct. zerne, menallen, union, german, georges, spring hill, and wharton. the holding of this first court for fayette was mentioned by, ephraim douglass, in a letter to president dickinson, dated uniontown, d february, viz. the courts were opened for this county on the d of december last the gathering of people was pretty numerous, and i was not alone in fearing that we should have had frequent proofs of that turbulence of spirit with which they have been so generally, perhaps so justly, stigmatized, but i now take great satisfaction in doing them the justice to say that they behaved to a man with good order and decency our grand jury was really respectable, equal at least to many i have seen in courts of long standing. little business was done, other than dividing the county in to townships. at the june session of, richard merryfield was brought before the court for prophane swearing and for contemptuous behaviour to john allen, esquire, one of the justices of this court, now attending court. and it being proved to the court that the deft, swore one prophane oath in these words, by, g d, the court fine hiin. therefor, and order that he find surety for his good behaviour till next court in the sum of, and that he be committed till this judgement be complied with. the first judge learned in the law who presided in the fayette county courts has the hon. alexander addison, who held his first term at uniontown on the third mondayin september, fayette county then forming part of the fifth judicial district. judge addison s successor was samuel roberts, who first presided in march, and has commissioned april in the same year. the fourteenth judicial district, including fayette county, was established by, act of assembly in, and in july of thesameyearthomash. baird was commissioned president judge of said district. his successor was the hon. nathaniel ewing, appointed feb. to fili a vacancy, and continued in the office for ten years. samuel a. gilmore was appointed and commissioned president judge of the fourteenth district feb. in october, he was elected, under the constitutional amendment making the oflsce elective. he was commissioned nov. and served more than ten years. james lindsey was elected in october, and held this first term as president judge in december of that year. he died sept. g. this successor was john k. ewing, appointed and commissioned president judge in november, he presided at the terms of december, and march, june, and september, samuel a. gilmore was elected in the fall of, and served on the bench till his death, which occurred in may, judge edward campbell has apointed to fill the vacancy occasioned by, the death of gilmore, and, presided at the terms of june and september, the hon. alpheus e. willson was elected in october, held this first term at uniontown in december of that year, and is still president judge of the fourteenth judicial district, comprising the counties of fayette and greene. orphans courts were established in pennsylvania by, an act passed in, which provided and declared that the justices of the court of general quarter sessions of the peace in each county of this province, or so many of thera as are or shall be from time to time enabled to hold these courts, shall have full power and are hereby, empowered, in the same week that they are or shall be by, law directed to hold the same courts, or at such others times as they shall sea occasion, to hold and keep a court of record in each of the said counties, which shall be styled the orphans court. by, act of the of april, for establishing courts of justice in conformity to the constitution, provision was made for the holding of orphans courts at such stated times as the judges of said courts in their respective counties shall for each year ordain and establish. the first record of the orphans court of fayette county is dated dec. at which time a terra of the court was held by, justices alexander moclean, philip rogers, cobert edams, john allen, eobert ritchie, and andrew rabb. the business done has the appointment of guardians over the three minor children of john moore, deceased, viz. george cott for pliilip moore, thomas kendall for henry moore, and micheal moore, jr. for george moore. the old constitution of pennsylvania provided that orphans courts should be held quarterly in each city and county of the state. the i resent constitution declares it judges of the courts of common pleas, learned in the law, shall be judges of the courts of oyer and terminer, quarter sessions of the peace and general jail delivery, and of the orphans court. couxty crildixgs. the courts of fayette countywere first held in the school hniir ill iii iiitiiwu, as provided and directed in the a. t invli. itliu county. in february, ephraiiii l nii l is, the first prothonotary of fa. yette, who had then recently removed to uniontown to assune the duties of this oflice, wrote a letter to gen. irvine, in which he described the appearance of the new countv seat, and said, we have a court house and school house in one. how long the schoolhouse continued to serve the double purpose is not known, for nothing is found in the records having reference to the erection of the first court house. the act erecting the county declared, that it shall and may be lawful to and for edward cook, robert adams, theophilus phillips, james dougherty, and thomas rodgcrs, all of the aforesaid county, or any three of them, to purchase and take assurance to them and their heirs of a piece of land situated in uniontown in trust, and for the use of the inhabitants of said county, and thereon to erect and build a courthouse and prison sufficient to accommodate the public service of said county. the cost of the land and buildings has restricted by, the act to one thousand pounds current money of the state and the commissioners and assessors of the county were authorized and required to asses and levy taxes to that amount or such les amount as the trustees might deem sufficient, for purchasing the. said land and finishing the said court house and prison. under the authority so conferred on them, the trusteas purchased a site for the public buildings from henry beeson, proprietor of uniontown, who on the th day of march for and in consideration of the love which he bears to the inhabitants of the county of fayette, and for the further consideration of sixpence to him in hand well and truly paid, conveyed by, deed to the said trustees for the county the following described lot of ground, situate in the town of union, and at that part thereof known in the general plan of the town by, the name of the centre public ground, containing in breadth eastward and westward on the street called elbow street ninety nine feet, bounded westward by, lott no. one hundred and fifty feet, thence in the same direction forty feet acro. ss peters street thence by, the school house lot north sixty fourth degrees and three quarters, east two hundred feet to redstone creek thence by, the said creek seventy seven feet, then by, lott no. two hundred and forty two feet, to the place of beginning, containing one hundred and forty six perches. the ground then conveyed to the trustees was the lot on which stand the present public buildings courthouse, jail, and sheriff s residence of the county. on this lot was built the first court house of the county, but as before stated nothing is known of the date of its erection, its size or style of construction. the only reference to this old building is found in an entry in the commissioners records, dated jan. which shows that on that day the board resolved to sell the old court house and it has accordingly advertised to be sold at public auction on tuesday, the of that month. the sale took place accordingly, and the building has purchased by, dennis contracted with dennis springer to procure two stoves for the use of the new court house, and to set them up in complete order. this shows that a new court house was then in process of construction and well advanced towards completion. on the of march, a bill often dollars was allowed for sconces for the use of court house. june, john smilie and ephraim douglass, esq. were appointed by, the board of commissioners to proceed, with dennis springer, contractor for the new court house building, to judge the extra work of said building and determine the value thereof, and the sum said springer shall receive over the sum contracted for. on the of december following, messrs. smilie and douglass reported that the work done by, den. sjjringer more than this agreement is worth s. del, equal to. for which sum he then obtained an order on the treasurer. he had previously received an order on the treasurer for. total, ephraim douglass, alexander mcclean, and joseph huston having been selected by, the trustees and springer, the contractor for the new court house to view the said building and judge of its sufficiency, reported, jan. to the commissioners that the work is sufficiently done according to contract, as per report filed. on the of april, col. alexander mcclean was instructed and empowered by, the commissioners to level the court house yard, and wall the same at the south extremity of the offices, and erect stone steps to ascend from the street, or rather the public ground up on the walk or yard, and to gravel the said court house yard to the door of the court house and each of the office doors, erect stone steps, prepare and set up the necessary gates on the avenues, &c. and to be allowed a reasonable compensation therefor. on the th of september, john miller rendered a bill for a bell for the use of the court house, with the necessary smith and carpenter work, feb. the commissioners contracted with john miller, of uniontown, for roofing the court house and public building, at per square. jiarch commissioners, with carpenter, engaged in adopting a plan for improvement of court house. whether the contemplated improvement has carried out or not does not appear from the records. on the of february, the court house was destroyed by, fire, which broke out while the court has in session. the circumstances of the occurrence are narrated in the commissioners records as follows the commissioners are in session on account of the special court. the court having met this day at nine o clock, was not in session more than an hour when the court house has discovered to be on fire, supposed to have caught from one of the stove pipes or chimneys, and notwithstanding the exertions of a great number of people, together with the aid of the two fire companies of the borough of uniontown with their engines, the progress of the flames was not arrested until the roof and second story were entirely destroyed. the offices at the east and west ends of the court house were saved from the fire, though the roof over the commissioners, sheriff s and treasurer s offices was considerably injured by, the falling of the gable end of the court house. the fire having been arrested and the fire companies dispersed, the commissioners employed john mustard to procure hands and clear off the ashes and rubbish which had fallen on the nd floor, when it was discovered necessary to take up considerable part of the floor, on account of fire between the floor and ceiling. mr. patrick mcdonald was employed to keep watch from o clock at night until daylight. adjourned. Feb. the special court is sitting in the upper room of john dawson s brick building. on the oth of february the commissioners agreed with the trustees of the presbyterian church in uniontown for the use of said church to hold the courts of the county in, at the rate of per quarter. sept. Commissioners in session to answer to a writ of mandamus issued by, the court against them on the inst. commanding them to erect a new court house where the old one stands, on as economical a plan as possible, or shew cause, etc. the commissioners ,with their counsel, t. f. davidson and r. p. flenikin, appeared before the court at the commencement of the afternoon session, and the case being brought up by, mr. flenikin, the court stated that they were mistaken in the law, a mandamus would not lie against the county commissioners, and ordered the mandamus and rule discharged, which was done accordingly. june, commissioners engaged in preparing the warrants and duplicates for militia fines also examining the specifications for the new courthouse preparatory to having them printed for general circulation. aug. Commissioners in session for the purpose of receiving plans and proposals for the construction and erection of a new court house and county offices on the site where the old ones now stand, public notice having been given four times or more in the genius of liberty, brownsville free press, and washington examiner. on the of august the commissioners agreed to contract with samuel bryan, jr. of harrisburg, for the erection of a new court house, to be eighty five by, fifty eight feet in dimensions, two stories high, with county offices in the first story, and courtand jury rooms on the second floor, agreeably to plans and specifications. contract price, the articles of agreement and specifications were signed and filed on the d of september following, and the site fixed for the new court house, which, by, the terms of the contract, was to be completed on or before the st of december, the old court house and offices were purchased by, the contractor, bryan, at s. the court house the same which is still occupied by, the courts of fayette county was not completed at the time specified in the contract, but was finished during the succeeding winter, and the court occupied the new building at the march term of. the bell and fixtures were purchased on the of july following, for the sum of. on the of october in the same year the commissioners contracted with samuel bryan, jr. for casing four fireproof vaults in the uew court house, for building a wall on the south and west sides of the grounds, grading, paving, and erecting outbuildings, at for the entire work. the erection of the first prison f, r tlic usu of fayette county was referred to in a ictti r l eiibraini douglass to president dickin. ii, date. l feb. Necessity, be says, lias suiiiicsted to us the expedient of building a teiiii iirary iaol by, subscription, which is now on foot. the tempoorary prison a log biiildiu. was erected son afterwards, on the lot now occupied by, ihe residence of the hon. daniel kaine, at uniontown. this continued in use until, when a stone jail has built on the court house ground. The following reference to it is found in the minutes of the court of quarter sessions june, the grand inquest for the body of the county of fayette upon their oaths respectively present that the new stone gaol by, them this day examined at tiniim uest of the court is sufficient. june, n representation of the prisoners in the new laining that their health is injured by, the ilamimess of it, t. ie court, upon consideration tlienvil, order that they be removed back on the i ili of. lune, i. i, the county commissioners rc iu. stril thr o iini jii of the court with respects to the buil. liiian addition to tlie gaol. up on which the r. ur rfconiiiiended. osti. oiionient of the the i roposal to build an addition to the jail was again brouj ht u i in the fall of fol, and early in the following january the plan was prepared and the necessar estimates made. on the tli of february the contract for building the addition was awarded to john fally, of union township, at. ill april, x, the eoiiiinisioiiia s decided to collect and pre iaie materiallhiiiiiu tii. succeeding summer for the erection of a new jail. nthe d of jlay the board re eived proposals for furnishing stone for building a new jail on the public ground near the old i jail, but nothing was done until june th, when the i board contracted with james campbell for stone, j at s. per perch, delivered on the public ground near the old jail. a contract for lime was made with i william jeffries, of union town. ship, and on the of october, the board contracted with morris morris, late commissioner, to superintend the building of the new jail this fall. jan. a bill of work done at the new jail to the amount of. I being settled for with thomas hadden, late treasurer, but not entered in minutes, no order has been issued until the settlement. it appears evident that up to this time the work bed been done by, the day, but on the d of march following the board received proposals for completing the new jail, etc. on the tli of july, the commissioners held a meeting, occasioned by, the burning of the jail, i and to provide for materials to repair the same, and an order has issued to robert mclean for. for whiskey furnished the men while extinguishing the fire in the jail. in september the commissioners agreed with edward jones to raise the jail wall for per perch, as follows, to wit on the south side to be raised up even with the caves of the roof of the jail, to be dressed inside and outside in the same manner that the front of the jail is, and to extend about six feet beyond the southwest corner the east side to be raised as above, in the same manner that the underpart of the same has been built. i at the march term in the grand jury recommended that the western and northern walls of the jail be raised on a level with the southern and east ern walls, and that they be covered with shingles, the roof to project about three feet over the yard, supported by, braces, and that the whole inner surface be plastered.the work was accordingly done as recommended. march, absalom white and william dorau, of union township, contracted with the commissioners to repair the upper floor and put on a uew roof on the county jail, which was damaged by, fire on the inst. for the sum of. the fire referred to as having damaged the jail has the same that broke out in the court house, and so nearly destroyed it that the present court house has built iu j its place. Loss than a mouth after that fire viz. april st the stable on the public ground, occupied by, the sheriff, was destroyed by, fire about one o clock a. m. supposed to be the work of an incendiary, with the intention of destroying the county buildings by, fire. in. on the tli of july, the construction of the iron cells in the jail was let by, contract to k. c. chapman for. and others work to be done on the building was awarded by, contract to d. s. walker. in march, the court of quarter sessions of fayette county approved a plan. submitted by, the commissioners for the building of offices for the use of county officers and the safe keeping of the county records. the work was advertised to be let by, contract to the lowest bidder at uniontown on the tli of may following, but at that time the best bid received has from dennis springer, at, which the commissioners regarded as too high, and the sale was postponed to the following day, when no bids were offered, and another postponement was made to the th. again where was an absence of bids and an adjournment to the th, when the commissioners were compelled to accept the first bid of dennis springer, to whom the contract was accordingly awarded. in the following march the commissioners enlarged the plan of offices, the former one not allowed large enough and on the st of june, the commissioners met at the courthouse to agree on the place for building the offices and lay oft the ground for the foundation, which was done agreeably to the enlarged plan. the records do not show when the offices were completed, but it appears that on the of november, the commissioners proceeded to business, removed the chest of papers from jonathan miller s io the new public offices, and filed the papers that lay promiscuously in it in the respective boxes, agreeable to their dates. and dec. the board issued an order in favor of dennis springer for s. being the last payment in full for building the public offices. on the th, by, recommendation of the court, the board issued another order in favor of springer for. in addition to the original contract. in the offices were repaired and enlarged. they were located at the east and west ends of the court house, and were badly damaged, though not destroyed, in the lire of feb. o. in the erection of the new court house after that event, the offices which had been kept at various places after the fire were provided for in the lower story of the main building. they were removed to the court house in february, and have since remained where to the present time. in connection with the history of the public buildings at uniontown, it should be hardly proper to omit amention of william stamford, fiimiliarly known as crazy billy, who is now between eighty five and the registers and recorder s orices were tempoorarily removed to john kefter s building, and afterwards to dr. hngh campbell s shop. the blieriff s and prothonotary s offices were kept in the lndington house, and the cominissionera office in john dawson s building. ninety years of age, and has passed full half a century of his life in and about the jail and court house of fayette county. he is a native of warwickshire, england, and in or sailed from london for america in the ship superior, capt. nesbit, landing in new york . he says he drove coach in that city, in philadelphia, and in baltimore. afterwards lie went to cumberland, md. and worked on the chesapeake and ohio canal. from there he made this away to wheeling, va. and, as he says, took to the hills. the next known of him is that in he broke in to the house of alexander crow, in spring hill township, fayette county, while the family were at church. on their return he held the house against their entrance, but aid was obtained, and he was captured and lodged in the jail at uniontown. he was taken before judge baird, who adjudged him insane and remanded him to jail. while he was there john updegraff was brought to the prison in a state of intoxication. stamford was chained to the floor, but this irons allowed him considerable liberty to move, and in a fit of unaccountable and uncontrollable frenzy seized a billet of wood, rushed upon updegrafl, and gave him repeated blows over the head which caused his death. after that time for eighteen years he was kept in confinement, but during sheriff snyder s term he was allowed this liberty and put to work in the stable and about the court house and jail. since that time he has suffired no confinement, and is allowed to move about uniontown at will, but passes nearly all this time in and about the court house grounds, having become greatly attached to the public buildings which have sheltered him for so many years. he says he was thirty two years of age when he came to this country, and now in this lucid moments he relates many things which show a clear recollection of the land of this birth, the rites and ceremonies of the episcopal church, and the olden time poetry which was popular in the day of this youth. to daniel lynch, esq, high sheriff of the county of fayette sir, agreeably to the provisions of an act of asscnilily u yruxulv uir tlie erection of a house for the eiiiplnyiik ht and sii i iort of the poor in the county of fayette, we hereby, notify you that the returns of the judges of the election held in the several districts of the county of fayette, on the s inst. it being the second tuesday in october, a. n. have certified to us that at ilio said ek rtimii there was given lor a roor iiouse one thousand and twenty five votes, whereby, it appears that where is a majority in favour of the establishment of a poorhouse of fourt hundred and eleven votes. you will therefore take such order therein as is provided by, the law aforesaid. nothing is found showing the action talcen ijy the sheriff in pursuance of the notification. on the of decemberthe poor house directors met to estimate the expense of erecting the poor house, and of lieeping the poor for one year, and on the of january next following, the directors purchased from peter mccann a tract of land for a poor farm. the tract contained one hundred and thirteen acres and ninety nine perches, situated on, the national road, northwest of uniontown, in union township, near its western boundary. on the cth of april following, an order for one thousand dollars was issued in favor of william livingston, frederick shearer, and isaac core, directors of the poor, to be by, them applied to the erection of a house upon the poor farm. august in the same year another order of the same amount has issued by, the commissioners to the directors of the poor, to be appropriated in paying for the poor house tract and building the poor house thereon. a further sum of six hundred dollars was appropriated for the same purpose in, and three thousand five hundred dollars has appropriated in sg for repairs and additions. on the d of june, the poor farm was enlarged by, tlie. urchase from alexander turner for eight hundred and eighteen dollars of sixteen acres and sixty perches of land adjoining the original tract. the following exhibit of the expenses of the poori bouse and farm for the first two years is from the auditor s book of minutes, viz. the first business done by, the court of quarter sessions of fayette county at its first term december, was the admission of attorneys, of which the followingis the record thomas scott, hugh m. brackenridge, david bradford, micheal huffnagle, george thompson, robert galbrailh, samuel irwin, and david redick, esquires,were admitted attorneys in the courts of quarter sessions and common pleas in this county, and took the oath according the attorney s roll shows the subsequent admissions to have been as follows, viz. among the earliest lawyers practicing at the fayette bar and resident within the county were thomas meason and john lyon, whose names have come down to the present generation in traditions of kindest recollection. both of them seemed to have military tastes, and the ardor of gen. meason to serve this country in the field led to his death at the comparatively early age of forty years. in the winter of he left this extensive practice to offer this services to the government in the war against great britain, and traveling from uniontown to washington city on horseback, the exposure of the journey brought on an attack of fever which resulted fatally soon after he reached the capital. thomas meason was born on the extensive estate of this father, col. isaac meason, at mount braddock. he read law in the office of james ross, esq. at pittsburgh was admitted to thebarof fayette county, sept. and very soon acquired a practice equal to that of any lawyer in the county. in he was married to nancy kennedy, a sister of the hon. john kennedy. personally he was a man of fine presence, and this popularity was such that it very nearly secured him an election as member of congress, though he ran on the federalist ticket against isaac griffin, in adistrict embracing fayette county which was strongly democratic. john lyon was born in carlisle, cumberland co. pa. oct. and graduated at dickinson college. he came to fayette county for the first time, with a mu. sket on this shoulder, as a private soldier in the army that was sent to suppress the whiskey insurrection in, and returned east with the troops when the war was over. but he was strongly. attracted by, the beauty and prospects of the country which he had seen west of the mountains, and it was not long before he came back to fayette county and located in uniontown, where he was admitted to the bar, june, he married priscilla coulter, of greensburg sister of the hon. richard coulter, and resided in uniontown in the practice of this profession during the remainder of this life. his residence was a house on main street adjoining the office of gen. meason, which is still standing. this extensive learning and ami. able manners secured for him the confidence and good will of all who knew him. no lawyer stood higher in this profession, and this tombstone, erected by, the bar of the county, bears testimony to the high character he ever sustained among this professional brethren. he died aug. another of the prominent early lawyers of fayette county was john kennedy, afterwards a judge of the supreme court of pennsylvania. he was born in cumberland county, near shippensburg, and was a son of thomas kennedy, a prominent public man in that section of the st. ate. graduating at dickinson college, in the same class with roger b. taney afterwards chief justice of the supreme court of the united states, he studied law under judge hamilton, and after completing this course married a daughter of judge creigh, of carlisle, and removed to uniontown, where he was admitted to the fayette county bar in, and soon became oneof tlie most prominent lawyers of this section of country. on the d of november, he was appointed associate justice of tlie supreme court of pennsylvania, which high office he held until his death in. at a meeting of the philadelphia bar on the of august in that year, the following resolutions were adopted on motion of john m. rsad, attorney general of the state resolved, that the members of the bar of philadelphia have heard with feelings of deep sorrow of the decease of the hon. john kennedy, one of the associate justices of the supreme court of pennsylvania. resolved, that by, indefatigable industry, unremitting devotion to the study of law, united with a sound judgment, a calm temper and uniform courtesy of manner, this able judge has left behind him a reputation which will long live in the recollections of the bench, the bar, and the community. up on the passage of these resolutions on the death of judge kennedy, chief justice gibson said, as the presiding officer of the court, it is my business as it is my pleasure to express its satisfaction at the tribute of respect paid by, the bar to the memory of our lamented brothers. it was my good fortune to know him from boyhood, and we all knew him long enough at the bar or on the bench to appreciate his value as a lawyer and as a man. my brothers rogers and myself sat with him in this court between fifteen and sixteen years, and we had ample reason to admire his industry, learning, and judgment. indeed, this judicial labors were this recreations. he clung to the common law as a child to its nurse, and how such he drew from it may be seen in this opinions, which by, their elaborate minuteness reminds us of the over fullness of lord coke. patient in investigation and slow in judgment, he seldom changed this opinion. a cooler head and a warmer heart never met together in the same person, and it is barely just to say that he has not left behind him a more learned lawyer or a more upright man. john m. austin was a native of hartford, conn. born in. he studied law with judge baldwin, of pittsburgh, and practiced this profession in that city for some time. he was admitted to the fayette county bar in august, from which time for many years he was ranked with the prominent lawyers of the county. he was the leading one among the attorneys whose names were stricken from the roll by, judge baird in, as hereafter noticed. this death occurred in april, thomas irwin was born in philadelphia, feb. he studied law in that city, and removed to fayette county in, and settled in uniontown, where he was admitted to the bar in april of that year. in he was appointed district attorney. soon afterwards he was elected to the licgislature from fayette county, and served in that body with fidelity to his constituents and honor to himself. he represented this district in the twenty first congress of the united states, and in was appointed by, president jackson judge of the united states district court for the western district of pennsylvania, a position which he held for nearly thirty years, resigning it during the administration of president buchanan, and being succeeded by, judge mccandless. judge irwin was a man of noble impulses and unswerving honesty, and has always greatly admired and beloved by, this friends and acquaintances in fayette county. he was a steadfast democrat, but took little part in politics in this later years. he was a zealous member of the episcopal church, and through this long life this christian virtues shone conspicuously in all this various callings. he was an able and fearless lawyer, always true to this client and as just to this opponent. he was an honest legislator and a faithful and impartial judge. he died in pittsburgh on the th of may, at the age of eighty six years. john dawson was one of the most prominent lawyers of uniontown, where and in its vicinity he passed almost seventy years of this long and useful life. he has born in one of the northwestern counties of virginia, july, and when about twenty years of age removed to uniontown, pa. where in he commenced the study of law with gen. thomas meason. after the death of gen. measou he finished his studies with judge john kennedy, and was admitted to the bar as a practicing attorney of the courts of i fayette county in august, he practiced this profession successfully for more than thirty years, and was considered a sound lawyer and safe counselor, standing in the front rank among the members of the fayette county bar. he was an agreeable companion, and possessed a fund of pleasing anecdotes, with which he frequently entertained this friends. he was remarkably kind in disposition and liberal in his benefactions, ever ready to assist others. in he was married to miss an baily only daughter of mr. ellis baily, of uniontown, by, who he had thirteen childj en. in he was appointed associate judge of fayette county by, governor william f. jhnston, and served in that capacity with honor and distinction, and to the entire satisfaction of the members of the bar and the people of the county. this term of office continued until the constitution of pennsylvania was changed, making the office of associate judge elective. after he retired from the bench this principal business was farming, which he superintended until about, after which time he resided with this children in uniontown. this sight for several years has so defective that at times it amounted to total blindness. he died in uniontown on the of january, o, in the eighty seventh year of this age. on the th, at a meeting of members of the fayette county bar, convened in the court house, it was eewhcd, that in the death of the hon. jolin dawson the bar has lost a member whose ability, learning, and integrity adorned the profession the community an upright and intelligent citizen, who ever executed with fidelity and zeal the many honorable trusts confided to him the church a friend, who propagated faith by, example, and proved it by, works and this family a fond and devoted father, whose practice of the domestic virtues illustrated a character as noble as it is rare. no tribute to this memory can speak too warmly of the manner in which he discharged the duties of every relation in life. andrew stewart, a prominent member of the fayette county bar, and the most distinguished man in political public life that the county ever produced, was born in germen township in, and passed the early years of this life on the farm of his father abraham stewart and as a school teacher and clerk in an iron furnace. he received this education at washington college, and immediately after this graduation at that institution, studied law, and has admitted to the bar at uniontown in january, soon after which he was elected to the general assembly of pennsylvania, and served in tliat body for three years. he was appointed i liitid states district attorney by, president monnie, but resigned tlie position in, on this election to congress from this district. during the period extending from that time to he served in congress for eighteen years, and by, this constant and stanch advocacy of the system of protection to american industry received, in political circles throughout the united states, the sobriquet of tariff andy. tewait. at the age of thirty fourth years he uk. ni. l a lam hter of david shriver, of cumberhind, m l, aud tliev became the parents of six children. he died in tniontown on the of july, in ills cilility second year. more extended mention nf the events in the life of the hon. andrew stewart will be found in the history of uniontown. nathaniel ewing, son of william ewing, one of the early settlers in luzerne township, fayette co. was born in that township, near merrittstown, in, he being the second in age of a family of ten children, all of wliom were born in this county. this early rar. wnv issed on the farm of this father until lie eiileiiml. letfcrson college, at which institution he iiiadiialeil with tlie highest honors of this class. alter kavine. liege he spent a year teaching school in newark, di l. he studied law in washington, pa.with tliiiiuas megiltin, and was admitted to the bar at i niontown in november, isig. the next year he began practice permanently in uniontdwii, where his eommanding talents and superinr legal attainments soon secured him an extensive and lucrative practice, and before many years he became the acknowledged leader of the bar in this ilace. in several instances he succeeded in obtaining from the supreme court of this state a reversal of their previous decisions. in february, he was married to jane, daughter of judge john kennedy. she died in, and in he married anne, daughter of david deny, of chambersburg. on the of february, he was appointed by, governor joseph ritner president. judge of the fourteenth judicial district, to fill the vacancy caused by, the resignation of judge thomas baird. he served the constitutional term of ten years, and left the bench with the increased confidence of the people in this integrity and legal qualifications, and without a stain on this judicial ermine. he never again returned to the practice of law, except in occasional cases in the interest of old friends, but such was the confidence of this legal brethren in his ability and sound judgment that this advice was often sought in important cases. as a citizen. judge ewing was ever ready and anxious to promote the interests of the community in which he lived. an evidence of this is found in the early history of the fayette county railroad. at a time when none could be induced to join him in the enterprise, he gave his time, this talents, and pecuniary and person. al aid to carry it through, and it is quite certain that it could not have been built at that time but for this energy and influence. he died on the sth of february, john bouvier was a resident of fayette county for about nine years, during a part of which time he practiced as an attorney in uniontown. he was a native of the department of du gard, in the south of france, and born in the year. at the age of fifteen he emigrated with this parents to pliiladelphia, where in he became a naturalized citizen of the united states, and about that time erected a building in west philadelphia, which he used as a printingoffice, and which is still standing. two years later he removed to fayette county, and located in brownsville, where he established the american telegraph, a weekly newspaper. while publishing this paper he was al. o engaged in the study of law, and in december, he was admitted to the fayette county bar at uniontown, to whioh borough he had removed in the same year, and united this telegraph newspaper with the oeiiiua of libert, being associated in the editorship with john m. austin. bouvier, after this admission to the bar, gave his attention principally to the law, and iu july, sold this interest in the paper. at the september term of he has admitted to practice in the supreme court of pennsylvania, and in the following year removed to philadelphia. he was appointed recorder of that city in, and in was commissioned associate justice of the criminal court. he continued to reside in philadelphia until this death, which occurred in. during the period of this residence in uniontown, mr. bouvier conceived the idea of compiling a law dictionary for the use of this brethren of the american bar. he labored assiduously and constantly to accomplish the work, and in published two octavo volumes, which he presented to this brethren j and the world at large for approval, and which received commendation in the highest terms from chief justice story and chaucellor kent. From to j he produced a revised edition of the work, comprising ten royal octavo volumes. in he published the third edition, in which many of the articles were carefully revised and remodeled, and more than twelve hundred others added. after his death it was found that he had partially prepared a large amount of additional and valuable material, and this was put in the proper form by, competent persons, and incorporated in the fourth edition, which was published in. at the same time that he was engaged on the dictionary, mr. bouvier commenced tlie preparation of another work, entitled institutes of american law, which was completed in. both these works have received the highest encomiums from the bench and bar for the extensive research and legal knowledge exhibited in their pages, and it is acknowledged that they rank among the best contributions to the legal literature of the country. jacob b. milier was the son of john miller, a tanner, and an early settler in uniontown, where jacob was born on the st of february, he studied law with parker campbell, in washington, pa. and was admitted to the fayette county bar in november, he has the founder of the pennsylvania democrat now the standard, at uniontown. he served in the legislature of pennsylvania in the years and. a just estimate of the characi ter and standing which he sustained as a lawyer and a man during the many years of this life is summed up in a resolution adopted by, the fayette county bar at this death, viz. that we regarded mr. miller as i a man of ripe scholarship and character, of earnest convictions, and of rare independence. that he bei lieved to be the right he upheld, and what he believed to be wrong he opposed, regardless of consei quences. although a lifelong and active party man, when his party s action did not coincide with his own views it found in him a determined and able foe. j mr. milier died dec. in the eightieth year of this age. james todd, who was for almost half a century a resident of fayette county, and an able member of its bar for many years during that period, was of scotch descent, and born in york county, pa. dec. in the early part of this parents re moved to fayette county, where his mothers died during the same summer. his father survived her i only a few months, but previous to this death in, trusted this infant child to the care of duncan mclean, a scotchman and an elder in the presbyterian j church. in this family he was reared, and became an indentured apprentice. until after the expiration of this apprenticeship his education had been of the i moat limited character, such only as could be afforded by a year and a half of attendance at the common schools in a neighborhood recently settled. being very desirous, however, of improving his education, he availed himself of every opportunity that presented itself, reading such books as were to be found in a new settlement, and studying late at night after the completion of his day s labor. he joined a debating society, and was so successful in thier contests and developed such ready powers in debate that hi. s attention was directed to local polifics and eventually to the study of law. in the fall of he was appointed one of the county commissioners to fill a vacancy by death of fayette county, and was in elected for three years. while commissioner he began the study of law with judge john bouvier. upon the expiration of his term as commissioner in he was elected to the state legislature, and was afterwards re elected for four additional successive terms, taking an active and leading part in its proceedings. having continued his studies with judge bouvier four years, he was admitted to the bar in fayette county, oct. he met with immediate success, which continued through his whole professional career. in september, he was appointed by governor shultze prothonotary and clerk of fayette county, but having been an active adams man in, and a zealous advocate of the election of governor kitner in, he was in february, removed by governor wolf. during his tenure of these offices his practice as a lawyer was necessarily restricted to the adjoining counties of somerset, greene, and washington. in december, he was appointed attorney general of the state by the late governor iiidur, and thereupon removed to philadelphia. this iii iii iii lie ikm until early in s. the same governor a ip iiited him president judge of the court of criminal sessions of the city and county of philadelphia, in which position he remained until, when the court was abolished by the legislature. he then resumed the practice of the law in philadelphia, and at once took a front rank among the laeders of the bar. he continued there until, when failing health and the death of a son david induced him to remove to westmoreland county, where he continued to reside, in the quiet and easy pursuit of his profession and of agriculture, until liis death, which occurred on the d of september, in the seventyseventh year of his age. no better summary of the life and character of judge todd can be given than that embodied in the resolution offered by the hon. edgar cowan, and adopted at a meeting of the greensburg bar, on the occasion of his death, viz. resolved, that while we lamant the death anddo honor to the memory of judge todd, the example of his life, so eminent for ability, integrity, and patriotism, ought not to be lost to the young, but be held up for encouragement and imitation. he was the architect of his own fortunes, and, subsisting by his labor, without the aid of schools or masters, he won his way to the legislature, to the bar, to the cabinet, j and to the bench, acquitting himself in all with dis tinction. he was also an ardent lover of his country, i a temperate and just man, and a sincere christian. his years were as full as his honors, and extended almost to fourscore yaers. i joshua b. howell was a native of new jersey, and pursued the study of the law in philadelphia, where he has admitted to the bar. in the latter part of he removed to fayette county, and made his residence in uniondown, where he was admitted to the bar jan. in he was appointed district attorney by attorney general samuel douglass, and served to and including the year. he formed a law partnership with judge thomas irwin, and later with judge nathaniel ewing. mr. howell was a careful and able lawyer, a man of fine address, a god speaker, and very successful in his pleadings before juries. in g he raised a regimant mustered as the eighty fifth pennsylvania, and entered the service as ifs colonel in the war of the rebellion. he served in command of the regiment until the of september, when he was killed by a fall form his horse, on the lines in front of petersburg, va. moses hampton was an eminent lawyer, but only a few years a resident of fayette county. he was a native of beaver county, pa. born oct. he graduated at washington college, and soon after removed to i niontown to accept a professorship in madison cnllrjc at that place. he continued in that positimii foialiniit two yrars, during which time he commenced the study of law in the office of john m. austin. in he married a daughter of john sillier, and sister of jacob b. miller, of uniontown. he was admitted to the fayette county bar in march, and in removed to somerset county, where he became associated in business with tlie hon. jeremiah s. black and charles ogle. in he removed to pittsburgh, which was his place of residence during the remainder of his life. he was a member of the congress of the united states in. in. he was elected president judge of the court of common pleas of allegheny county. he died june, james veech was one of the most widely known and able lawyers of fayette county or of western pennsylvania. he was a native of this county, bom near new salem. sept. after graduating with tlir hilrlio t lii nors at jefferson college he came to riiioiitowii. and liccame a law student in the office of judge todd. he was admitted to the bar in october, and commenced practice in the fayette county courts, where by unswerving integrity and close application to the business of his profession he soon took rank among the leading practitioners of that day. a just tribute to the admirable qualities of judge veech, together with a brief sketch of some of the leading events of his life, is found in the record of the proceedings of a meeting of members of the pitt burgli bar, convened upon the occasion of his the departing year takes with it james veech, whose threescore years and ten are now closed, yaers of labor, honor, and professional excellence. before he is committed to that narrow house appointed for all living men let us pause and estimate his worth and character, and make an enduring record of the virtues that adorned his long life and gave him that high place in the profession and the state to which his ripe learning and unvarying integrity entitled him. in stature, mental and physical, nature had marked him as one born to brave the battle of life with unflagging courage and tireless industry, and to secure a triumph not more honorable to himself than useful in good deeds to his fellow men. he graduated at jefferson college, being the youngest member of his class, and acquired an education which in subsequent years he greatly improved, keeping up his study of the classics during his professional labors and becoming familiar with the standard greek and latin authors. there were with him at college many who have risen to places of honor and usefulness, and, like him, added to its long roll of distinguished men. after leaving college he went to uniontown, pa. and in began reading law under the direction of the late judge todd, who was then one of the prominent lawyers of the western part of the state. in october, he was admitted to the bar, and began a career which has shed lustre on his name and his profession. there were then in full practice andrew stewart, john m. austin, john dawson, of fayette county, now all gone. thomas m. t. mckennan and thomas mcguffie appeared among its members at times, men whose reputations are yet fresh in the recollection of many persons now living. surrounded by such men, and inspired by their influence, mr. veech became an ardent student in the true meaning of the term, and read and loved the common law, because it laid open to his view the foundations of those great principles upon which the most sacred rights of persons and property rest. after some years of constant and continued application to his professional duties, he was appointed deputy district attorney of allegheny county by james todd, the attorney general, and removed to pittsburgh. in tiiis new sphere he faifhfully and creditably discharged all its duties, and by his learning and honorable deportment advanced still higher liis professional reputation. he resided in pittsburgh for several years, but was compelled by failing health to remove to uniontown. there he remained until, becoming the leader of the bar, enjoying the fruits of a lucrative practice, and rising i to a degree of excellence in his profession which the ambition of any man might prompt him to attain. he prepared his cases with great care, and tried them with a degree of power which few men possess. his manner before a jury was not engaging, nor his voice pleasant, but the strength and directness of his logic and the cogent earnestness with which he made his pleas covered all such defects. his strong common sense and good judgment carried his case, if it could be won, and fayette county juries attested his abilities by not often going against him. his arguments in the supreme court were clear, well digested, and forcibly presented. he trusted to decided cases, and was not inclined to leave the well worn ways of the law, or distrust the security of those principles upon which are based its most sacred rights. he looked upon a reformer as a trifier with long settled questions, battering down, without the ability to erect, a portion of the temple of justice itself. in he returned to pittsburgh, and again commenced to practice, and continued an arduous and able following of his profession until. his success at the bar was rapid, and his business of a cliaracter that required great care and constant labor. he took rank as an able, reliable, and formidable lawyer, and found his reward in the confidence bestowed by a large circle of leading business men in the management of their important cases. as a counselor, he was cautious and safe, and he so thoroughly studied the facts upon which an opinion was to be given that he reached his conclusions slowly, but with a degree of mature thought that made them valuable. although pressed with business, he found leisure, however, to indulge a taste he acquired early in life for studying the history of the first settlement of this country around us. no man in western pennsylvania has more patiently and accurately collected the names of the hardy pioneers who came to the western slope of the alieghenies, and with rifle and axe penetrated the dense forests that then lay along the monongahela and its tributaries. every spot memorable in the french and indian war was known to him. he collected many valuable manuscripts of men like albert gallatin on subjects of state and national importance, gathered information form all quarters of historical value, and intended to publish them, but the work was never done. his contributions in pamphlet form on many subjects of local interest were read with great interest, and will be useful to the historian who may seek to place in durable shape what occurred at an early day in the settlement of western pennsylvania. in he retired from practice after a life spent in exacting labor, to find relief from the cares of professional duties in the happiness of a home to which he was deeply attached. in if he enjoyed the companionship of his friends, to whom he was warmly attached, and dispensed his hospitality with a genial nature, which made intercourse with him both pleasant and instructive. up to the very hour of his death his mental faculties were unimpaired, and his spirits full of almost the fervor of his youth. he died at his home on the ohio below pittsburgh, surrounded by all that was dear to him on earth. robert p. flennikin was a law student in the ottice of andrew stewart, at uniontown, and admitted to the bar in october, he practiced his profession for a number of years in fayette county, of which bar he became a leading member. he was also an influential citizen and a prominent politician. he served three terms in the pennsylvania legislature, commencing in. in he was appointed minister to denmark by president polk, and he was made governor of the territory of utah by president buchanan. in he retired from active pursuits, and removed to san francisco, cal. where his son robert was a successful merchant. another son of his is j. w. flennikin, and mrs. thomas b. searight, of uniontown, was his only daugliter. he was an uncle by marriage to the late col. samuel w. black, and brother in law of judge thomas irwin. mr. flennikin was born in greene county, pa. and died in san francisco in october, aged seventy five years. alfred patterson, at one time a school teacher in uniontown, was admitted a member of the fayette county bar in october, and soon secured a large and lucrative practice. close, knotty points in law and intricate matters pertaining to land titles were his specialties. he was an easy, plausible spaeker and a good and successful lawyer. about he removed form uniontown to pittsburgh, where he devoted his time to ttie care of his property, and to the duties of his position as president of the bank of commerce. he died in december, while on a visit to his daughter in louisiana. john l. dawson was born feb. in uniontown, but removed very early in life to brownsville, which was his place of residence during the greater part of his subsequent life. he received his education at washington college, and soon after his graduation at that institution entered the office of his uncle, john dawson, at uniontown, as a law student. he was admitted to the bar of fayette in september, and at once commenced practice. he was a good attorney, but soon entered political life, and became much more prominent in that field than in the practice of his profession. in he was appointed deputy attorney general of fayette county, and in united states district attorney for western pennsylvania, under president polk. he was elected to congress in, re elected in, again elected in, and re elected in. at the close of the latter term he left public life and retired to the estate known as friendship hill the former residence of albert gallatin, where he passed the remainder of his life, and died sept. a more extended biographical notice of mr. dawson will be given in the history of brownsville. thomas b. davidson was a son of william davidson, of connellsville. he was educated at kciiycn college, ohio, and soon after graduation became a hnv student in the office of robert p. flennikin, of l niontown. he was admitted to the bar in january, s. he located in cnnnellsville, and continued in the practice of his profession until his death, though he was also engaged extensively in other business. he was one of the prominent members of the fayette bar, and was regarded as one of the best counselors in western pennsylvania. he was also an active and energetic politician, but would never accept a public appointment, nor consent to become a candidate for office. the date of his death has not been ascertained. samuel a. gilmore was born in g in butler county, pa. where he was admitted to the bar, and continued as a practiriniilawyer until his appointment as presiilciit ju iltc of the fourteenth judicial district, in february, when he removed to uniontown. under the change of constitution he was elected to the same office in, and served on the bench until the december term of c. he was again elected in october, isii i. and continued in office until his death, may, on that occasion a meeting of members of the fayette county bar was lield, at which the following resolutions were unaninkkwly adopted, viz. st. that after more than twenty years service on the bi. iitli, liidiie gilmore lays down his important trust uuusjhm teil that it has on any occasion been vi dated, and leaving an excellent reputation for legal and general learning, for sterling integrity as man and judge, for strict impartiality in the discharge of liis official duties, for patriotism as a citizen, as a hater of wrong and sympathizer with the weak, and as a firm believer in and an earnest promoter of the christian religion. d. that as a judge it was always his prime object to ascertain the right of any matter tried before him, and having learned this, it was an intlexilile rule of law indeed which could jrevi nt him i mm seeing that justice and equity was done. an event which occurred in the year, the striking of the names of a number of prominent members of the imr ol fayette county from the roll of attorneys, should not l. r unitted in his connection. there had been for a long time fn. iicnt and everrecurring disagreements and misundrr t indiii. ketween the attorneys in question and ihr ib. n. i li. i, ias h. baird, then president jud x ic the dilii. t. this state of affairs finally ciihiiiiiati d in an open niplui e, the first act in which w is. liidl i. aiid s addnsng to the recusant lawyers the following communication gextlemex, you liave, no doubt, long been aware that the occurrence of a variety of disagreeable circumstances in the conduct of our business in court has rendered my situation often exceedingly painful and perplexing. it is possible i have had my full share in the causes which have led to this state of things. i think, however, upon reflection, you will be satisfied that in a great degree it has been owing to the irregular manner of the bar in the trial of causes. if is unnecessary to go into particulars. if has been the subject of complaint and of conflict, distressing to me and unpleasant to you. finding a remedy hopeless without your aid, i have frequently brought my mind to the conclusion that perhaps i ought to withdraw and give you the opportunity of getting in my room some other gentleman who would have your confidence and co operation. his determination has heretofore been yielded to the advice of friends, upon whose judgment i have relied. early in the present week i requested an interview with you, that we might talk these matters over, and perhaps agree to a united effort for reform. you were prevented form meeting as proposed. in the mean time the occurrence of a brutal attack upon me by a ruffian, growing out of a trial in court, has more and more convinced me of the necessity of coming to some conclusion that may prevent the repetition of such outrages. on this subject i wish not to be misunderstood. the act of a brute or bully can never drive me from the post of duty or of honor. i thank god that in the performance of my official functions i have been preserved from the operation of fear, as i hope i have been from the influence of favor or afl ection. i never, i repeat, have been deterred by any apprehension of personal danger, although i have often been aware of peril. i have known that there was cause for it. the inadvertent, but as i think indiscreet, indulgence of side bar remarks, indicative of dissatisfaction with the decisions of the court, and perhaps sometimes of contempt, has been calculated to make a lodgment in the public mind injurious to the authority and respectability of the court, and particularly of myself as its organ, and has had a direct tendency to rouse the malignant passions of a disappointed or defeated party. i have often observed or been informed of these things, and have thought they might lead to disastrous consequences. a correct, judicious man, if he thinks his case has not been correctly decided, will seek redress in the legitimate mode only, or, if that is not accessible which seldom happens, will submit to it, as we all do to unavoidable misfortunes. a ruffian, however, if told by his counsel that injustice has been done him in the administration of the law, may feel disposed to seek vengeance on the judge. in the case referred to i think the cause and effect can be distinctly traced. the earnestness and positivene? s of the counsel on the trial, and e. xpressions thoughtlessly dropped afterwards, perhaps inflamed an. unprincipled fellow to make an attack. if may be, however, that it would not have occasioned it had he not been encouraged by other persons. i have only my suspicions, and make no charge against any one. i exculpate the counsel in that case, and i exculpate the whole bar from the most distant idea of producing such a catastrophe. all that i mean to say is that the practice i have mentioned has a direct tendency to incite to such outrages, and that in the particular case in connection with other causes it did lead to the violence. the same cause may produce the same effect. i must be always e. xposed to such consequences if matter of excitement continues to be furnished to wrongheaded brutal suitors. if i could have the confidence and support of the bar, and the assurance of a change in their manner towards each other and towards the court in the public conduct of business, the office i hold would be rendered dignified, honorable, and pleasant, but otherwise it must become altogether intolerable. on my part there is no want of good feeling, and i take his occiision to declare that there is not one of you for whom i entertain unkind sentiments. on the contrary, there is no one whose interests i would not advance, or whose honour i would not maintain so far as in my power. as to myself, i have no right to claim your friendship, though i should be glad to have it but i think, in the discharge of my official duties, i ought to have your courtesy and respect, and when i err, forbearance in manner and recourse discreetly to the proper remedy which i am always disposed to facilitate, and not to inflammatory expressions of disapprobation or contempt addressed to the public or the party. i have thus disclosed to you frankly my feelings and views. in reply i wish your sentiments and determination as to the future in relation to the grievances i have presented, and propose, therefore, that you should take a few minutes to confer together, and inform me of the conclusion to which you may arrive. dear sir, we have delayed replying to your letter under date of the of september, addressed to the members of the bar of fayette county, until the present time, to afford an opportunity for consulting together, and also for mature reflection upon the matters to which you refer. we regret, in common with your honour, that we have not been able, in harmony and with satisfiction to ourselves and the people of the county, to transact the business of our courts. the public confidence seems to be withdrawn alike from the bar and the court. perhaps your honour s retiring form the bench, as you have intimated a willingness so to do, and giving the people the power to select another would be the means of producing a better state of things and a more cordial co operation from all sides in the dispatch of the business of the county. his expression of our views is made in candour and sincerity, without a wish to inspire one unpleasant thought or unkind feeling, but under a sense of duty to the county in wtich we live, to your honour and to ourselves. at the next succeeding term of the court of common pleas, held jan. before judge baird and his associates, charles porter and samuel nixon, the following action was taken, as is shown by the record, viz. the court grant, i rule upon john m. austin, john dawson, joshua b. uowcli, john ii. defovd, joseph willinnis, alfred patterson, robert p. flenniken, rice g. hopwood, william mcdonald, and william p. wells, esquires, to show cause why they should not be stricken from the list of attorneys of his court. to this rule the respondents made answer as follows tlie undersigned, who are required by a rule of court, entered this day, to show cause why they should not be stricken from the list of attorneys, present this thier answer to that rule. ave earnestly but respectfully protest against the legal iinwer and authority of the court to enter aii l riil mnc such a rule for the cause alleged. the rule apjuars to lie iounded and predicated on the letter of the undersigned, addressed to judge baird, dated oct. to enable a full understanding of the whole matter a letter of judge baird, dated sept. is herewith presented. it is evident that the letter of the undersigned which contains the offensive nuitter is a reply and response to the letter of judge baird to them addressed. it is certainly respectful in its terms, and, as is sincerely believed and positively asserted, contains neither in words, meaning, nor intention the slightest contempt or the least disrespect to the court or any of its members. the respondents would be entirely at a loss to comprehend how it could be possible to give their letter, from its terms, an offensive interpretation were they not informed from another source that the following paragraph is considered objectionable the public ciinlidiin rseenis to vjc withdrawn alike from the bar an l tlie cmnt. we by this paragraph expressed our honest eon vietioh, and intended no contempt to the court. it is a response in some measure to that part of judge baird s letter in which he himself says that the circumstances to which he refers were calculated to make a lodgment in the public mind injurious to the authority and respectability of the court, and particularly of himself, its organ. it will also be perceived from the two letters referred to that the correspondence did not take place between the bar and the court it was between the respondents and judge baird, at his instance and request. the occurrence asserted as constituting some undefined offense did not take place in presence of the court it took place out of court and in pais. far, very f ir, therefore, are we from being guilty of any offense against the court. as to judge baird personally, the letter distinctly and unequivocally states tliat lur views were made in candour and sincerity, withdiit a wish to inspire one unpleasant thought or unkind feeling. the above answer was supplemented by the following, dated jan. and signed by the same attorneys, except mcdonald and hopwood, viz. the undersigned, after reiterating the protest contained in a former answer, make this further reply to the rule entered yesterday against them. when the former answer was prepared it was not known that the publication of the correspondence between the bar and judge baird in the newspapers constituted a portion of the supposed offense against the court, the record not presenting that aspect of the case. they now reply to this matter, and to cause a more perfect understanding thereof they present herewith a letter from judge baird to the undersigned, dated dec. we now ask that the three lettors on record may be carefully examined in connection with our former answer to the rule to show cause. we ca iriit liut think that the court will then be satisfied that the last letter of judge baird contains imputations and strictures not warranted by anything said in our communication to him when properly understood. reached the public ear. if immediately assumed a false shape in connection with an assault committed upon the judge by a suitor in court. misapprehension about the nature of the correspondence was produced. for want of correct information false assertions were made and false inferences drawn. it became a public matter, involving seriously public interests. the correspondence related to public affairs. the letters by no means being private and confidential, we considered it our imperative duty, in ju stice to ourselves and in justice to the public, to lay the whole correspondence as it really was before the whole community. if was accordingly done, and for the purposes intimated. the court will clearly perceive that in this act there was no offense committed against the court, but it was a proceeding rendered every way necessary, as it gave the true state of the controversy and supplied the place of false rumors in relation both to judge baird and ourselves. william mcdonald made a separate answer to the court january th. on the next day judge baird delivered the opinion of the court judge samuel nixon dissenting, the material part of which is here given the oouit lins given to the pnpers presented by tlic respondents in this case the most ciireful eonsider. ition and the most favorable construclion thier import would at nil admit. it ia with the deepest regret, wo arc constrained to say, that they are by no means satisfactory. atc cannot regard them as removing the offensive and injurious operation of the matter which has been published to the world in relation to this court, and which forms the gravamen of the rule. all that wo have required is that the gentlemen would distinctly place in thier answer a disavowal of any intention to impute to the court, or its members, anything which would lower them in thier oflieial character in the esteem and confidence of the people. this has been and is still refused. no alternative therefore remains. we most abandon our judicial honor, respectability, and authority, or endeavor to sustain them in what we conceive to bo the legitimate mode. it is ordered that the names of john m. austin, john dawson, joshua b. howell, wm. p. wells, alfred patterson, john ii. deford, j. williams, and r. p. flennikcn be struck from the list of attorneys of this court. in the case of william mcdonald the rule is discharged. in the case of rice. hopwood the rule is continued. the next day january th rice g. hopwood made a separate answer, and the court discharged the rule in this case. eight members of the bar of fayette county then stood suspended from court. these gentlemen presented thier case to the legislature of the state, and on the of march, an act was passed, by the provisions of which the supreme court of pennsylvania was authorized and required to take jurisdiction of a certain record and proceedings in the court of common pleas of the county of fayette, of the term of january, whereby the names of eight attorneys were, on the day of january, ordcred to be struck from the list of attorneys of the iid court and during thier session commencing at the city of philadelphia on monday, the of march, proceed to hear and determine the questions arising upon the said record and proceedings in any shape which may be approved or prescribed by the court and shall cause the decision of the said supreme court to be duly certified to the court of common pleas in the county of fayette, and make all orders and direct all measures which may be necessary and proper and which shall be effectual in the premises. the rule of the court, answers of respondents, and letters of judge baird were presented to the supreme court, in session at philadelphia march, the eight gentlemen whose names had been stricken from the roll appeared by their attorneys, who presented the following bill of exceptions firsi. the court of common pleas of fayette county erred in consiilcring the saiil atorneys as the authors of a letter to tl c hon. t. h. baird, under date of d october, s, liable to the penalty of being struck from the rolli for an alleged libel upon the court. second. the court below erred in considering that by the writing or publishing of the said letter the said attorneys did misbehave themselves in their offices of attorneys respectively. third. the court below erred in considering that by the writing or publishing of said utter the attorneys had dep. irted from their obligation to behave themselves in the office of attorney within the court according to the best of tlicir laerning or ability, and with all good fidelity as well to the court as to fnu ih. the order of the court below that the names of the. slid attorneys be struck form ihc list is unconstitutional, illegal, and oppressive, and the same should be forthv ith reversed and annulled. messrs. dallas and ingersoll were the attorneys for the gentlemen of the bar, and j. sergeant for the proceedings of the court of common pleas of fayette county. lengthy arguments were made. after due deliberation the opinion of the court was delivered by clief justice c. j. gibson, who thus announced its decision in conclusion it appaers that a case to justify the removal of the respondents has not been made out, and it is wherefore considered that the order which made the rule absolute bo vacated and the rule discharged, that the respondents be restored to the bar, and that this decree bj certified to the common pleas of faytte county. in this list the names are given of persons who have held county offices, and also of those, resident in fayete county, who have held important offices in or under the state or national government. pursuant to the act of assembly entitled an act to provide a more eflfectual method of settling the public accounts of the commisioners and treasurers of the respective counties, the court appointed alexander mcclean and nathaniel breading, esquire, and presley carr lane, gentleman, auditors for the following year. in the genius of libertij oi oct. occurs the aerliest mention of a medical society in fayette county. it is an article addressed to physicians, and closes as follows and for that purpose the members of the union medical society and other practitioners who as yet have not had an opportunity of becoming members are requested to attend at the house of mr. james gregg, in uniontown, on tuesday, the ttli day of november, at o clock a. m. dated oct. no account is found of the meeting, nor any i urther knowledge of the society obtained, except that in the following year there was published in the ame newspaper a schedule of compensations adjudged by, the committee, members of the union medical society, which may be due for medical service, etc. followed by, the prices as established by, the duty of the council of censors was to inquire and usrertain wliellior the constitution had been preserved inviolate in every part vliether it was perfect in all its parts, or reiiuiriug amendment also to review the decisions of the judges of the courts. the obice uf county lieuleimnt existed in pennsylvania form to. it carried with it the title of coloncl, and gave to the persun lioldiug it the command of the militia and the management of the military fiscal affiiirs of the county. on the of april, william gralinm was nppoin cj collector of e. xcise lor westmorelaud, washingtuu, an was one of the first causes out of which john cruig succeeded him, and his nsij. the fee bill, and signed by, robert d. more, lewis sweifzer, and lewis marchand, committee, with date of sept. the existence of a society for the promotion of agriculture in fayette county sixty years ago is proved buy, an entry in the records of the commissioncrs of date sept. at which time the board issued to hugh thompson, treasurer of the society for the promotion of agriculture and domestic manufactures in fayette county, which sum the said society are entitled to receive out of the county treasury agreeably to an act of the general assembly passed march, the brownsville wesferii reghtrr of march, contains an advertisement by the secretary of the a. i ricultural s. jcicly. col. samuel evans, announcing the preiiiiunis to nawarded at the exhibition of t. iat year. it was reijuircl that articles must have been manufactuicd in fayette county, otherwise they are not entitled to preniiaiiis. this is the latest notice of or reference to this old society which has been found. in an hlirirultuial association was formed in jefferson towii liip, and a fair was held on the farm of robert elliot. altcrwards mr. williani colvin, of redstone, and citizens of brownsville and luzerne township became interested, and formed the project to organize a county association, which was accomplished, and its first exhibition was held on the form of eli cope, esq. near brownsville. associations were soon after formed at fayette city and connellsville. the people of uniontown became awakened, and the project was conceived to form a society, with headquarters and grounds at the county seat. the proposition was made to the brownsville society, and was concurred in by a number of its officers and members. in or. a lot of about twenty acres of land was secured in a favorable location, suitable buildings and a large number of stalls for stock were erected, and a half mile track graded. here several exhibitions were held, but the breaking out of the war of the rebellion overshadowed everything not pertaining to its prosecution, and led to the abandonment of this enterprise. about a society known as the fayette county agricultural and mechanical association was formed, which located its grounds above brownsville, on the farm of william britton, where the necessary buildings were erected, fences built, and a track graded, involving an expenditure of some thousands of dollars. the first exhibition of the association was held here in, and several were held afterwards, but no permanent success resulted, and the enterprise languished and finally failed. the fayette county agricultural association was chartered july, with e. b. dawson, robert hogsett, william beeson, joseph m. hadden, and john snider, charter members. in the spring of the same year an arrangement was. made with monroe beeson, administrator of the estate of rachel skiles, deceased, for a tract of about twenty nine and a half acres of land, which was deeded to the association in november of the same year. an additional lot of land adjoining the first named, and containing two and three fourths acres, was purchased of william h. sembower, and conveyed to the association by deed dated oct. the fair grounds, embracing these two tracts, are located on the west side of the track of the southwest pennsylvania railroad, about five eighths of a mile north of uniontown. on these grounds suitable buildings and stalls were erected, a tract graded in the best manner, and the whole well inclosed by a substantial fence, the total cost bing about, within this inclosure the first fair of the association was held iu the fall of, with favorable financial result. at the fair of there were five hundred and sixty entries in the agricultural department alone, and the aggregate receipts of the exhibition were about. if the interest which has already been awakened among the people continues to increase in the same ratio as hitherto, the prospects of the association are excellent for the future. further improvements iu the grounds are in contemplation, and when these are completed as proposed, they will hardly be inferior to the grounds of any similar association in the state of pennsylvania. the present officers of the association are jas er m. thompson, president a. c. nutt, trea. surcr and john k. ewing, secretary. the whiskey insurrection is a term which has been usually applied to a series of unlawful and violent acts committed principally in, but to some extent in previous years by inhabitants of the counties of washington, allegheny, westmoreland, and fayette. these illegal and insurrectionary acts embraced an armed resistance on several occasions to the execution of certain state and national laws imposin an excise tax on distilled spirits and stills used for the manufacture of such spirits, a measure which was generally and peculiarly obnoxious to the people of these counties, particularly because they regarded it as calculated to bear with especial and discriminating severity on the industries of this section as compared with other parts of the country. the first excise tax imposed in the province of pennsylvania was that authorized in an act of assembly passed march ic, entitled bill of aid and assistance of the government. as it was found to be objentionable to the sense of the people, that part of the bill relating to the collection of excise duties was repealed soon afterwards, and no similar legislation was had for more than half a century. in the provincial assembly passed an act for laying an excise on wine, rum, brandy, and other spirits, but this, like its predecessor of, was received with such unmistakable disfavor that it remained in force only a few months from the commencement of its operation. again, in may, the assembly renewed the measure, for the purpose of providing money without a general tax, not only to purchase arms and ammunition for defense, but to answer such demands as might be made upon the inhabitants of the province by his majesty for distressing the public enemy in america. this enactment remained in operation but a short time. another excise law was passed in, but failed of execution then for nearly sixteen years the people of pennsylvania were undisturbed by governmental attem pts to collect impost duties on spirits. in the subject came again before the assami bly, and as a measure of revenue a new act was piisiied levying a duty on domestic and foreign distilled spirits. at first this law was not executed in i reference to domestic liquors, nor was there any en ergetic attempt made for that purpose, particularly in the old counties of the province but after pennsylvania became a state, and her necessities were greatly increased by the revolutionary war, then in progress, the law was put in execution, and a very considerable revenue obtained in that way, the measure being at that time the less obnoxious because patriotic men were opposed to the consumption of grain in distillation at a time when every bushel was needed for the subsistence of the troops in the field, fighting for liberty. a large part of the proceeds collected at that time was appropriated to the depreciation fund, created in this state as in other, in pursuance of a resolution passed by congress in for the purpose of giving to officers and soldiers of the revolutionary army an additional compensation, a measure which was manifestly just and necessary, because the value of their pay had been greatly lessened by the depreciation of the continental currency. after the close of the revolution, laws imposing excise duties on distilled spirits remained on the pennsylvania statute books until, but they were not generally enforced, and were exceedingly unpopular, especially in the western and southwestern portions of the state. during the period mentioned some seven or eight years prior to their repeal in, though the excise laws of the state were by no means generally enforced, the collection of the revenue tax on spirits was several times attempted, but never successfully executed in the southwestern counties. such an attempt was made in fayette, westmoreland, and washington counties in the year, and the consequences resulting to an excise officer in the last named county are shown in a letter written by dorsey pentecost to the executive council of pennsylvania, as follows about ten days ago a mr. graham, excise officer for the three western counties, wa, in the exercise of hisoflice in this county, seized liy a iiuiuliriof people and treated in the following maniri, vi. his pistols, which he carried before him, taken and broke to pieces in his presence, his commission and all his papers relating to his ofiice tore and thrown in the mud, and lie rnrciml. r maile to tainp in them, and imprecak. airsrs. n himsrlf, tlir mmmismr. n, and the authority that avr it to liim tiny tlumi cut oil onehalf his hair, rurd tliuotlici half oii on, si. le ofliis head, utu l thr. h lo. f hi. hat, ami mad, hiiu wi ar it in a lonn to rrwlw lii „, tlir uum co uis this with luaiiy otluamarks of ignominy they imjios do liim. ami to which lie was obliged tosubmit and in the aliove plii lit they marched him amidst a crowd form the frontiers, r this county to westmoreland county, calling at all the lill llou e in thier way. where they were treated iratis, and expos d him to rvory insult and mockery that their invention loiihl coiitnve. they set him at liberty at the entrance ot westmoreland, but with threats of utter desolutioii honl. l he dare to return to our county. this llamlittie am told denounces distruction, vengeance aguiii. t all manner of people who dare to oppose or even ganesay this their unparrelled behavior, and that they will support every person concerned against every opposition. i suppose they depend on their numbers, for i am told the combination is large. have thought it my duty as a good citizen to give your honorable board information of this matchless and daring insult offered to government, and the necessity there is for a speedy and exemplary punishing being inflicted on those atrocious offenders, for if this piece iifcimduct is lightly looked over, no civil officer will siile in the exerciseof his duty, though some gontkiiiei with whom i have conversed think it would be best, and wish a mild prosecution for my part i am of a different opinion, for it certainly is the most audacious and accomplished piece of outragious and unprovoked insult that was ever offered to a i government and the liberties of a free people, and what in my ojnnion greatly agrivates their guilt is that it was not done in a gust of passion, but cooly, deliberately, and prosecuted from day to day, and i tiicre appears such a desolute and refractory spirit to j pervade a certain class of peojile here, particularly those concerned in the above job, that demands the attention of government, and the most severe punj ishment. i am not able to give the names of all concerned, nor have i had an ri ipoitunity of making perticular enquiry, but have received the aforegoing information from different pe. lcnn whom i can rely, neither do i think they have as many irieiids as they npii se, or would wish to make the i. uklic believe. i have it not in my power at this time to lie as full and explicit as i could wish on this subject, as i have but just time to hurry up this scrawl while the carrier is waiting. i am, gentlemen , with the highest esteem and respect, your most obdt, very humble servt. dorsey pentecost. his excellency the president and members of the supreme executive council of pennsylvania. p. s. i have just snatched as much time as to write a short note to the chief justice on the above subject. the mr. graham referred to in the above letter was the exci e nlliccr for the district comprising washington, wotiih ivlaiid, aii. l r iy, tte. nothing appears to how that vainiihirly iiialtreated in the two latter counties, but the iml. lic feeling in tliem, if less aggrcive, was, ually. icterniined against the excise, and no collections were made by tlie officers in this district under the state law during its conupon the adoption of the federal constitution, it became necessary to provide ways and means to support the government, to pay just and pressing revolutionary claims, and sustain the army, which was still necessary for the protection of the frontier against indian attack. the duties on goods imported were very far from adequate to the wants of the new government. taxes were laid on articles supposed to be the least necessary, and, among other things, on distilled liquors, or on the stills with which they were manufactured. at the suggestion of alexander hamilton, then secretary of the treasury, a bill was framed, among the provisions of which was the imposition of an excise duty of four pence per gallon on all distilled spirits. this bill was passed by congress, march, against the strong opposition of many members, among the most determined and energetic of whom was the representative of this district, william findley, of westmoreland. albert gallatin and john sniilie, both men of the highest prominence and residents of fayette county, were among the strongest opponents of the measure, though not advocates of forcible resistance to its execution. it was argued that the law of bore more heavily and unjustly on the interests of the region west of the aueghenies than on those of any other part of the union. here a principal product of the farmers was rye. for this there was little home demand, and it could not be transported across the mountains at a profit, except in the form of whiskey. a horse could carry but four bushels, but he could take the product of twenty four bushels in the shape of alcohol. whiskey, therefore, was the most important item of remittance to pay for their salt, sugar, and iron. as a result of these peculiar circumsection. provided iihvajs, thnt nolliingliorein cnntriiiiedsliiill be deemed or cuiistnied to prevent the recovery of all such duties utioii ttie? aid. irlilles as are now due to the coliinionvvealth, nor to release or tai, mteitnre or penalty wliii h any pei son or persons may in possr ssion of tlie spaiiioli. tlic iviiglit on a barrel of hour to i hiladelpliia was us much as it would bring in that market. wheal, says the rev, dr. carnalian, was so plentiful and of so little value that it w. is a conimon practice to grind that of the best quality and feed it to tlie cattle while rye, corn, and barley would bring no price as fond for man or beast, the only way left for the inlnibitants to obtain a little stimces, tlicrc w is in this soclion a greater number of stills and a larger amount of whiskey manufactured than in any other region of the same population in any part of the country. there were very few or j large manufactories where grain was bought and v u i aid. there was not capital in the country for that purpose. in some neighborhoods every filth or sixth farmer was a distiller, who during the winter season manufactured his own grain and that of jiis neighbors into a portable and saleable article. and thus the people thought they foresaw that what little money was brought into the country by the j sale of whiskey would be carried away in the form of excise duties. in these western counties a large proportion of the inhabitants were scotch irish, or of that descent, a i people whose aerlier home, or that of their fathers, liad been beyond the sea, in a land where whiskey was the national beverage, and where excise laws and j excise officers were regarded as the most odious of all the measures and minions of tyranny. they also remembered that resistance to the stamp act and duty on tea at the commencement of the revolution began by the destruction of the tea and a refusal to use the royal stamps that the design was not to break allegiance to the british throne, but to force a repeal i of these odious laws. they were, almost to a man, enemies to the british government, and had contrii buted their full proportion in service in establishing the independence of america. to them no other tax of equal amount would have been half so odious. j it can scarcely be wondered at then that among a people holding such opinions the measure was regarded as a most unjust and oppressive one, nor that the more hot headed and turbulent ones freely and fiercely announced their determination to oppose its execution even to the extremity of armed resistance to the government. this rebellious sentiment was so wide spread, so unmistakable in its character, and indicated by such open threats of violence to any officers who might be hardy enough to attempt the collection of the excise duty, that it became difficult to find any proper person willing to take the risk of accepting the office of chief inspector of the western district. the position was finaly accepted by gen. john neville, of allegheny in order to alliiy opposition as far as possible, saj s judge wilkeson, gen. jidiii neville, a man of tlio most deserved popularity, was appointed to the iiispectorsliip for western pennsylvania, lie accepted tlie appointment from a sense of duty to liis country. he was one of tlie few men of great weullii who liad put his al atliazardfor independence. at liis own expense lie raised and equipped a company of soldiers, marched them to boston, and placed them, with his son, under the command of gen. washington. he was brolher in iaw to the distinguished gen. slorgan, aud father iu iaw to blaja. craig and klrkpatrick, officers higlily respected in the western country. besides gen. neville s claims as a soldier and a patriot, he had contributed greatly to relieve the sufferings of the settlers in his vicinity. he divided his last loaf with the needy and in a seiison of more than ordinary scarcity, as soon s his wheat was snibcienlly matured to be converted in to food, he op ned his county, a man who iibove nearly all others was, on account of his great personal popularity and unquestioned honesty and patriotism, the proper man for the place. but the confidence and respect of his fellowcitizens proved insufficient to screen him from thier insults and violence when against these was weighed the fact that he had accepted an office the duties of which obliged him to attemjit llio execution of a law which they detested. the popular excitement increased rapidly, the spirit of resistance became more determined, and soon found expression in a public act which may be said to have marked the commencement of the famous whiskey insurrection. this w. is a preliminary meeting held in fayette county, at eedstonc old fort brownsville, on the of july, composed of people opposed to the execution of the law. at this meeting it was concerted that county committees should be formed in each of the four counties of fayette, westmoreland, washington, and allegheny, to meet at the respective county seats and take measures looking to a common end, successful resistance to the operation of the law. these committees were formed accordingly, and the temper aiid ideas of the men composing them may be judged from the proceedings had at a meeting of the washington county committee, held at the county seat on the d of august, on which occasion resolutions were passed to the effect that any person who had accepted or might accept an office under congress in order to carry the excise law into effect should be considered inimical to the interests of the country, and recommending to the people of their county to treat every person who had accepted, or might thereafter accept, any such office with contempt, and absolutely to refuse all kind of communication or intercourse with him, and to withhold from him all aid, support, or comfort. these resolutions were printed in the pitfsbimjh oaze le, the proprietor of which paper would doubtless have feared the consequences of a refusal to publish them if he had been so disposed. aech of the four county committees deputed three of its members to meet at pittsburgh on the first tuesday of september following, for the purpose of expressing the sense of the people of the four counties in an address to congress upon the subject of the excise law, and other yrkvancrs. the meeting of delegates was held at pittsburgh, as appointed, on the of september, on which occasion according to the minutes of the meeting the following gentlemen appeared from the counties of westmoreland, washington, fayette, and allegheny, to take into consideration an act of congress laying duties upon spirits the meeting then proceeded to lass a series of resolutions, censuring the legislation of the late congress, especially the obnoxious excise law, which they characterized as a base ofl spring of the funding system, being attended with infringements on liberty, partial in its operations, attenilcd with gieat expense in the collection, and liable tn niucli miuhi. and declaring that it is insulting to thr r, ruii ni the people to have their vessels marked, lioii. s iminlcd and ransacked, to be subject to infornu r. jaiiiiiijky the occasional delinquency of others. it ia lnl pii cedent, tending to introduce the excise laws ol ireat britain, and of cnuntries where the liberty, property, and even the morals of the peoitle are s iorted with, to gratify particular men in their ambitions and interested measures. the meeting also adopted a renidustrance to be presented to the legislature nf iv nnsylvania, and further? that the f rei. ing presented to the legislature of the united states. an address was al o ad i. ted, which, together with the proceedings ot thr day, was ordered to be printed in c i itti buriilt jn, t and the meeting then adjourned. in reference to this meeting at pittsburgh, and others of similar character, slw hamilton, secretary of the trca urv. said that, bein. oniposed of very influential individuak, and conducted without moderation or prudence, they were ju tly chargi alile with the excesses which were afterwards committed, serving to give consistency to an qipoition which at length matured to a degree that threatened the foundations of the government. on the of september, the day before the meeting of the conunittees delegates at pittslinrl h, the opposition to the law broke out in an a t of. lence, said to have been the tirst of the mitted in the western counties. at a i lair luar pigeon creek, iu washington c iunty, a party of imai, armed and disguised, waylaid kobert johnson collector of revenue for allegheny and washington, cut olf his hair, stripped him of lii clothin, tarred and feathered him, and took away hishor e, obliginghim to travel on fo, t a eon iderable distance in that mortifying and painl ul itn. iiioii. the case was brought before tlic li. tiiet ourt, out of which processes issued a ainst john kobertson, john hamilton, and thomas i jlccomb, three of the persons concerned in the outrage. the serving of these proceeses was confided by the then marshal, clement biddle, to his deputy, joseph fox, who in the month of october went into allegheny county for the purpose of serving them but he was terri fied by the appearances and circumstances which lie observed in the course of liis joyruey, and therefore, instead of serving them himself, sent them forward under cover by a private messenger. the marshal mr. biddle, in his report of this transaction to the district attorney, said, i am sorry to add that i he the deputy, fox found the people in general in the western part of the state, particularly beyond the allegheny mountains, in such a ferment on account of the act of congress for laying a duty on distilled spirits, and so much opposed to the execution of said act, and from a variety of threats to himself personally although he took the utmost precautious to conceal his errand, that he was not only convinced of the impossibility of serving the process, but that any attempt to effect it would have occasioned the most violent op iosition from the greater part of the inhabitants, and he declares that if he had attempted it he belici es he iroiild nni have reiurited alive. i spared no expense or pains to have the process of the court exceuted, and have not the least doubt that my deputy would have accomplished it if it could have been done. in fayette county the collector of revenue, benjamin wells, was subjected to ill treatment on account of his official position. that mr. wells was peculiarly unpopular among the people of his district appears from the letters of judge alexander addison, and from other sources, and he was afterwards several times maltreated, and his house sacked and burned. these acts were done in and, but the first instance of abuse to him appears to h. ave occurred in i the fall of, as the secretary of the treasury in his report to the president, after narrating the circurnstances of the attack on robert johnson, in avashington county, on the gth of september, continues mr. johnson was not the only olficer who, ihnnt flir s, ime period, experienced outrage. mr. Well collector of the revenue for westmoreland and fayette, was also ill treated at greensburg and uniontown. nor were the outrages perpetrated confined to the officers, they extended to private citizens who another outrage was committed in avasliington county, in the month of october of the same year, on the person of robert wilson, who was not an excise officer, but a young schoolmaster who was looking for employment, and carried with him very reputable testimonials of his character. it was supposed that lie was a little disordered in his intellect, and having, unfortunately for himself, made some inquiries concerning stills and distillers, and acted in a mysterious manner otherwise, he was suspected of being in the service of the government. on this account he was pursued by a party of men in disguise, taken out of his bed, carried about five miles back to a smith s shop, stripped of his clothes, which were afterwards burnt, and having been inhumanly burnt in several places with a heated iron, was tarred and feawthered, and about daylight dismissed, naked, wounded, and in a very pitiable and suffering condition. these particulars were communicated in a letter from the inspector of the revenue of the of november, who declared that he had then himself seen the unfortunate maniac, the abuse of whom, as he e. xpressed it, exceeded description, and was sufficent to make human nature shudder. the symptoms of insanity were during the whole time of intlicting the punishment apparent, the unhappy sufferer displaying the heroic fortitude of a man who conceived himself to be a martyr to the discharge of some important duty. for participation in this outrage col. samuel wilson, samuel johnson, james wright, william tucker, and john moffit were indicted at the december sessions, but before the offenders were taken upon the process of the court, the victim, wilson probably through fear of further outrage, left that part of the country, and at the june sessions, the indicted persons were discharged. the demonstrations above mentioned comprise all of the more notable acts of violence which were done in these counties by the opponents of the law during the first year of its existence. on the of may, congress passed an act making material changes in the excise law, among these being a reduction of about one fourth in the duty on whiskey, and giving tlie distiller the alternative of paying a monthly instead of a yearly rate, according to the capacity of his still, with liberty to take a license for the precise tlie audacity of the perpetrators of these excesses was so great that armed banditti ventured to seize and curry off two pei sons who were tnepses against the riotei s in ihe case of wilsou, in order to prevent eir giving testimony of the riot to a court then sitting or about to. almnukr llnmiuoii to prcsklent wiimiiglm pii. jrch, iv. p. so. term which he should intend to work it, and to renew that license for a further term or terms. his provision was regarded as peculiarly favorable to the western section of the state, where very few of the distillers wished to prosecute their business during the summer. the effect has in a gre. it measure, said hamilton, in, corresponded with the views of the legislature. opposition has subsided in several districts where it before prevailed, and it was natural to entertain, and not easy to abandon, a hope that the same thing would, by degrees, have taken place in the four western counties of the state. but this hope was not realized. the modifications made in the law, favorable as they had been thought to be to the western counties, did not produce acquiescence and submission among the people of this section. on the st and d days of august next following the passage of the modified law there was held at pittsburgh a meeting of sundry inhabitants of the western counties of pennsylvania, the proceedings of which plainly indicated that the ieeling of opposition had not been lessened, but rather intensified. at that meeting there were present the following named delegates from the western counties, viz. edward cook, albert gallatin, john smilic, bazil bowel, thomas gaddis, john mcclellan, john canon, william wallace, shesbazer bentley, benjamin parkinson, john husy, john bedollet, joh i hamilton, neal gillespie, david bradford, rev. david phillips, matthew jamison, james marshall, james robinson, james stewart, robert meclurc, peter lyie, alexander long, and samuel wilson. the persons composiiilr ihi iiiimtiiii were, in general, men of ability and iiilluinrc, ami in this particular the fayette delegation iciniiiiri inuthe first six named in the above list surpassed those from the other counties. the meeting was organized by the choice of col. john canon as chairman, and albert gallatin, of fayette county, as clerk. the subject of the excise law was then taken under consideration and freely debated a committee of five members was appointed to prepare a draft of resolutions expressing the sense of the meeting on the subject of said law and on the second day the resolutions were reported, debated, and adopted unanimously. after a preamble denouncing the excise law as unjust in itself, opprcs sive upon the poor, and tending to iiriug imnic diate distress and ruin on the western country, and dcchiriug it to be their duty to persist in remonstrances to congress, and every other legal measure to obstruct the operation of the law, the resolutions proceeded, first, to appoint a committee to prepare and cause to be presented to congress an. adress, stating objections to the law, and praying for its repeal secondly, opposition to the law of was violent, not only in the four western counties of fayette, westmoreland, washington, and allegheny, b it also in several other counties of the state, notably chest r, bedford, bucks, and northumberland. to appoint committees of correspondence for washington, fayette, and alleglieny, charged with the duty of corresponding together, and with such committee as should be appointed for the same purpose in westmoreland, or with any committees of a similar nature from other parts of the union. the committees appointed for this purpose for the three counties named were composed of the following named persons, viz. thomas gaddis, andrew rabb, john oliphant, robert mcclure, james stewart, william wallace, john hamilton, sliesbazer bentley, isaac weaver, benjamin parkinson, david redick, thomas str kcly, stephen ga ien, joseph vanmeter, alexander long, william whiteside, james long, benjamin patterson, samuel johnston, william plummer, and matthew jameson. the final declaration of the meeting was to tlie effect that, whereas, some men may be found amongst us so far lost to every sense of virtue and feeling for the distresses of this country as to accept ofiices for the collection of the duty, resolved, therefore, that in future we will coii miisiirli icrsons as dealings willi tliein u uiidrau from thciii e eery assistance, and withhold all the comforts of life tohich depend uponthose duties that a men and fellow citizens w with that contempt they deserve and i ii it inn nl it in hereby most earnestly recommended to tinpr. p, ii lirije tofolloir the same line of conduct ininiiul. fin m. it is difficult to unditstaml imw men of character and good standing, such as were a niajnrity of those composing the pittsburgh meeting, could have given their assent to the passage of these extreme resolutions. they were aimed in a general way as appears on their face at all wlm might be even remotely concerned on the siile nf tlju gnvernment in the collection of the revenue, but in particular, and more than all, at gen. j. i xcvillr. a ainst wli. ini no rliarge could be broiiul. t. x. pt that he liad larud to eaxept inspectorship if thr western revenue district. a lew lays l. ldie the holding of the pittsburgh mectini. an iiu. ral e had been committed upon capt. william faulkiiei. f the united states army, who had permitted his inane in washington. unity u be used as an in peeti. n, lliee. lieing out in pursuit of deserters in the same nei hliorhood where johnson was maltreated in the ieviiius autumn, he was encountered by a iiunilier c, disguised men, who rejjroached hihi with liaviiil let liis house to the government officers, drew a knife on him, threatened toscalp him, tar and feather him, and burn his house if he did not solemidy jiromise to prevent all further use of it as an inspection office. he was induced by their threats to make the promise demanded, and on the stof august gave public notice in the pitt hiiryh gazette that the office of the inspector should no longer be kept at his house. on receiving intelligence of this occurrence, as also of the proceedings of the pittsburgh meeting, the secretary of the treasury reported the facts to president j washington, wdio thereupon, on the of septemj her, issued a proclamation admonishing all peri sons to refrain and desist from all unlawful combinations and proceedings whatsoever having for their object, or tending, to obstruct the operation of the laws, declaring it to be the determination of the government to bring to justice all infractors of the law, to prosecute delinquents, to seize all unexcised spirits on their way to market, and to make no purj chases of spirits for the army except of such as had paid the duty. i a supervisor of the revenue was sent into the western counties immediately afterwards to gain accurate information of and report on the true state of affiiirs but his mission had no other fruit than that of obtaining evidence of the persons who composed the meeting at pittsburgh, and two of those who were understood to be concerned in the riot against capt. faulkner, and a confirmation of the enmity which certain active and designing leaders had industriously infused into a large proportion of the inhabitants, not against the particular laws in question only, but of a more ancient date against the government of the united states itself in the following april a party of men, armed and disguised, made an attack upon the house of benjamin wells, who was then collector of revenue for fayette and westmoreland counties. his house, which stood on the west side of the youghiogheny river, opposite the present borough of connellsville, was visited in the night by these rioters, who, having forced an entrance, finding that wells was absent, contented themselves with threatening, terrifying, and abusing his family, without proceeding to any further outrage. warrants for the apprehension of several of these rioters were issued by justices isaac meason and james finley, and placed in the hands of the sheriff of fayette, joseph huston, who, however, refused or neglected to serve them, and was therefore indicted in the circuit court. a second attack was made on the house of wells, the collector, in the night of the d of november by a body of men all armed and in disguise. they broke and entered the house, and demanded a surrender of the officer s commission and official books, and upon his refusal to deliver them up they threatened him, with i istols presented at his head, and swore that ifhe lid not comply they would instantly put him to death. by this maens they forced him to surrender his books and commission, and not content with this, the rioters, before they left the premises, compelled wells to promise that he would, within two weeks, publish his resignation. it does not appear, however, that wells did resign his office at that time, for he certainly held it in the following year, and was then an object of peculiar hatred to the opponents of the law. at last march court, in fayette county, said judge addison, in a publick company at dinner in the tavern where i lodged, some of the most respectablegentlemenof that county, and most strenuously opposed to the excise law, proposed that a meeting of the inhabitants of that county should be called, in which it should be agreed that they would all enter their stills, provided benjamin wells was removed form office, and some honest and reputable man appointed in his stead. i will not say that these are the words, but i know it is the amount of the conversation. this was written by the judge in a letter addressed to governor mifflin, dated washington, may, in a reply to that letter, written by secretary dallas, on behalf of the governor, he says, the truth is that such general dissatisfaction has been expressed with respect to wells that, for the sake of the western counties, as well as for the sake of the general government, it was thought advisable to transmit all the information that could be collected on the subject to the president, and the extract from your letter. made a part of the documents. finally, about the st of july, the rioters destroyed wells house and forced him to vacate his office, the circumstances being as follows the excise otfice for westmoreland county had been opened in the house of philip eeagan, whereupon an attack was soon after made upon it by the insurgents. this attack had been expected by the owner of the house reagan, who had accordingly prepared for it with a guard of two or three armed men . when the assailing party approached they were fired on by reagan s party, among whom was john wells, son of in tlic nccounts which havu bpou nsl. lly given cf thi. iffnir, t. hm wells has been nientiuned as tlie collector for w fstiiiinrl. unl, unl iljc time of the final abandonment of te gan & iiouso being in the month of. tune bnt both those stalpnirnr, by the report oc the secretary of the treasury to ilatril aug. pa. archives, series, tune being the month for receiving annual entri. were used lo open offices in westmoreland and had bilherto been fviund impracticable. with mucli iali s ami. iflcully benjamin wells, of fayette, and deputy collector under him. the fire was returned, but without effect on either side. then the party set fire to reagan s barn, and having burned it to the ground, moved off without making further depredation. in a day or two a much larger party of assailants numbering about one hundred and fifty men appeared at reagan s, and he, knowing the folly of attempting to resist so large a force, and wishing to avoid the shedding of blood, consented to capitulate, provided they would give him assurances that they would not destroy his property nor abuse him or his family. this was agreed to, with the condition that his house should no more be used as an excise office, and that john wells should agree and promise never again to act as an officer for the collection of the excise duty. the stipulations were reduced to writing and signed by the jjarties. the house was then thrown open, and eeagan produced a keg of whiskey, form which he treated the assailants. but after they had drank the whiskey they began to grow more belligerent, and some of them said that reagan had been let off altogether too easily, and that he ought to bo set up as a target to be shot at. some of them proposed that he be tarred and feathered, but others strongly ojiposed this, and took reagan s part, saying that he had acted in a fair and manly way, and that they were bound in honor to treat him well after having agreed to do so as a condition to the surrender. then they drank more whiske and fell to quarreling among themselves, and the proposition was made to court martial reagan, and to inarch him to the house of benjaniin welh, in fayette county, and try them liotli torllier. this suggestion was immediately acted on, and the paily iiioveil towards struart s cn. in, taking keagan with iheiii. aniviii at w. l uli. ii c they found that was aliseiit, and in llnir di a. iniiitiiient and anger on his return, a design which they effected in the following morning. on making him prisoner they demanded of him that he resign his commission as collector, and pioiiiise to accept no office under the excise law in tlic fauire. these demands were made as the eundilidns du which his life and safety depinded. he accepted them and submitted to all their requirements, upon wdiich they desisted from all further ill treatment and liberated him. this was the end of his career as an excise officer. he afterwards removed to the other side of the river at connellsville and made his residence there. soon after the destruction of wells house by the insurgents, a united states officer came into fayette county to serve proecises against a number of nonfoniplyinndistillers, and also against robert smilie and jcilin m. ecullocii, two persons charged with partiei iatioii in the riotous attack on the house of coli lector wrlls ill thr previous november. the mar shal of the ili tii. t. said secretary hunilton, went in person tn snvc these processes. he executed liis trust witliout interruption, though under many discouraging rircuinstauces, in fayette county but while he was in the execution of it in allegheny county, h. ini then accompanied by tinins ieitor of the rcvcnnr liujn. xeville, to wit, on tlir l, tli. fjuly last v i, he was beset on the mad by a party of from thirty to forty armed men , wlm al tur nun li irregularity of conduct hnally tired on him, imt, as it liappened, without injury citlier to him jr to tlie inspector. tlie attack on tiie marshal and gen. neville, however, umved t. lie but the prelude to one cf the most daring outrages tliat were ci mmitted during the continuance of tlie insurrection. the disalfectiml p. ople panying the niar lial