DOCSLIB.ORG

[Pennsylvania County Histories]

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
[Pennsylvania County Histories] -9, s Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from This project is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniacoun05unse_0 MARK TWAIN’S scaap moK. PATENTS: UNITED STATES. GREAT BRITAIN. FRANCE. June 24.TH, 1873. May i6th, 1877. May i8th, 1877. TRADE MARKS: UNITED STATES. GREAT BRITAIN. Registered No. 5,896. Registered No. 15,979. DIRECTIONS. Use but little moisture, and only on the gummed lines. Press the scrap on without wetting it. DANIEL SLOTE & COMPANY, NEW YORK. I INDEX. From, SOME UNWKITI'EN HISTORY. i * it* HOW GOV. PIERPONT ONCE PAID THE OLD JOE DICKSON HOME¬ PITTSBURGH A VISIT. STEAD, NEAR PITTSBURG, Being R:i*e<l—A House That Was Arrangements for I ntertainlnsc Ex- Governor Fleming anti Early. Built in the Days When Comfort and Security from Indians and Wild Beasts Took Precedence Over Captain Charles W. Batchelor made a statement to the executive committee of Architectural Beauty and Finish. | the chamber of commerce yesterday re¬ Said to Be 128 Years Old—Interest¬ garding an incident which happened dur¬ ing Ancient History. ing the great civil war which he claims j 'tras never made public before. The com¬ Much interest is being manifested at mittee met at 2:30 yesterday afternoon to present among the citizens of Ems- I complete arrangements for entertaining worth and Clifton, a few miles from ex-Governor Fleming and party, of West Pittsburg down the Fort Wayne road, Virginia, who will arrive in this city over over the razing of what is supposed the Baltimore & Ohio to-morrow afternoon by some to be the oldest landmark of at 2 o’clock. Captain Batchelor’s state¬ the kind in Killbuck township, if not ment to the committee was as follows: in the Ohio valley. The house in ques¬ “West Virginians,” he said, “ought to tion was erected by Joseph Dickson be especially interested in Pittsburgh trom shortly before or about the beginning the tact that this city was once the seat of government of that state.” of the present century, according to “When and under what circum¬ the reckoning of some of the older res¬ stances?” asked half a dozen members of idents, while others maintain that it the committee in a chorus. was built in the year 1766, which would Shortly after the 'Old Dominion’ had make it 128 years old. Mr. Samuel Courtney, one of the oldest residents of been divided into two states,” continued the captain, “Governor Pierpont, who the township and a gentleman who is had just been elected chief executive of the well versed in the early history of the same, in speaking of the matter last 'New Dominion,’ got frightened at the evening inclined to the belief that the. raids the rebels under Moseby were old William Dickson house, which making into the new state stands on what is now known as the and he and his staff silently Brading property, is the oldest build- j folded their tents and stole over into ing of the kind in the locality. Said i Pennsylvania. I was in the custom house he: “The two houses in question here at the time, and Governor Pierpont were both built during the last cen- and his staff made their headquarters tury. They, with what is known as there tor about 10 days. But as the rebels the old Courtney homestead and the | did not make any more raids into West old Duff homestead, form a quartet of ' Virginia the governor and his staff slipped very old buildings. I doubt if there . back home as silently as they came away. are many older in the Ohio valley. } This, to my knowledge, has never been My impression is,” added he, “that the:, made public before, but I see no harm in old William Dickson house was erected telling it at this late date.'’1 J * about the year 1790. William Dickson. • The committee made final arrangements had three sons—John, Joseph and for furnishing refreshments to over 100 David. Owing .to a misunderstanding j West Virginia guests on hoard the train, with his father, Joe left home and was I and the furnishing of carriages to be disinherited, his father leaving a vast I placed at the disposal of the guests when tract of land, consisting of several I they arrive in the city. hundred acres, to the other children. J The committee extends a cordial invita¬ Joe, in the meantime, went to Missouri, I tion to all former West Virginians who where he erected a large flouring mill, are now located in Pittsburgh to attend which done, and having received his® the meeting at the chamber of commerce pay for the same, he returned home on rooms at 2:30 o clock to-iqorrow afternoon, horseback, his trip through the forest where an informal reception will take being regarded as remarkable in thosa ; place. It will be a pleasant opportunity days, for the country was full of In¬ to meet merchants and other West Vir¬ dians and all manner of wild beasts. ginians who wili be brought into closer However, after his return home, with business relations with this community the assistanec of his two brothers and by the opening of the new State Line my father, who in the meantime had railroad. married a sister. he purchased 275 '7 °f If-nd.for $500 and paid for it There are many reasons why the pro¬ SaLe of wfleat at 25 cents a bushei and corn at 10 cents a bushel posed monument should be erected, and the suggestion of Dr. Toner gains t0 calTied by canoes to Sawmill Run, a distance of about seven strength from the fact that the memorial miles. Said Mr. Courtney: “The could be placed near the point where the accident occurred to Washington, “which ?t1CtkhQ°tn <br°the!'s and father owned, at that time about 1,000 acres of land was the most perilous in his eventful on the Ohio river extending from what life.” He alludes to the fall from the raft Hnn01wwVllle station Jo Clifton sta¬ while crossing the Allegheny river at a tion. William Tueteberg, a former time when the stream was swollen and owner of the old Joseph Dickson house covered with floating ice. He escaped places its age at 12S years. I pur¬ drowning by swimming, and in company chased 160 acres of the Joseph Dick¬ with his guide took refuge on what was son property about thirty years ago subsequently known as Washington’s ^n<+v^Ve<^ mos^ the time since that island, but familiar to our people as Herrs m the old house until six years ago1 and Wainwrights. Dr, Toner thinks the The original house, which stands on spot where Washington landed on the the Beaver road, was built of logs and bank of the Allegheny after this hazard¬ contained two rooms. Later a stone ous exploit is deserving of a nation’s mon¬ addition was built to it, the basement ument to mark it, and the people of this .. ol which answered for a springhouse community will unanimously agree with inside of which was the finest spring* , him. We commend his letter to the care¬ m Allegheny county, the spring itself ful consideration of our readers. ’ being cut out of solid rock. In this springhouse my wife made thousands of. pounds of butter. As stated, the A WASHINGTON MONUMENT. spring was a remarkably fine one and in the early days was known all over J. M. Toner Suggests a Disposition ol the country, it being a watering place the Arsenal Property—Isaac for travelers of the Beaver road and Craig Indorses It. others. Yes,” said Mr. Tueteberg To the Editor of the Commercial Gazette: "there was about 275 acres in the tract purchased by Joseph Dickson and my I send you herewith a letter from Dr. recollection is that he paid $475 for it. Toner, the eminent historian of Wash¬ Joe Dickson had a family of four boys ington, D. C., who has done so much to and two girls, of whom William, James1 preserve Washington’s early journals, and Matilda are dead. Joseph and and enriched them with his annotations. John now live at New Castle, Pa., and The last one published is the “Journal Sarah—now Mrs. James Wilson—re-| of Col. George Washington, commanding sides in Virginia. The propertv was a ftepartminfc of Virginia’s troops, sent by sold some time ago by Mr. Tueteberg! Gov. Dinwiddle of Virginia across the to Thomas Parker. Recently it passed Allegheny mountains in 1754, to build into the hands of another party and it forts at the head of the Ohio.” The jour¬ is the latter who is removing the old nal was captured at Fort Necessity by land mark which in the early days the French. I would be greatly pleased furnished hospitality to many persons if you will start a movement for a monu¬ whose descendants will learn with a ment at the Allegheny arsenal as sug¬ pang of regret of its demolition. gested by Dr. Toner. I am sure not only Director Bigelow, but all good citi- ze)V? .Y'Ul back the move, and that a , sufficient sum can be raised by volun- (Jomnwraal contribution similar to that which the Pennsylvania State Society of the Cin¬ cinnati have ready to erect in Philadel¬ phia. Dr. Toner would have great in¬ PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING fluence in congress to pass a bill, such as he mentions in his letter.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine
    Early Development of Transportation 115 EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ON THE MONONGAHELA RIVER By W. Espy Albig* Although the traffic on the Monongahela River from Brownsville to the Ohio had advanced from the canoe of the Indian and the Kentucky boat of the emigrant of Revolu- tionary times, to a water borne traffic of no mean size in passengers and miscellaneous freight, and to more than a million bushels of coal annually before the Monongahela waterway was improved by the installation of locks and dams late in 1841, yet no records remain of the constantly increasing stream of commerce passing over this route be- tween the east and the west. Here and there remains a fragment from a traveller, a ship builder or a merchant giv- ing a glimpse of the river activity of the later years of the 18th century and the early ones of the 19th century. The Ohio Company early recognized the importance of this waterway, and in 1754 Captain Trent on his way to the forks of the Ohio by Nemacolin's and the Redstone trails, built "The Hangard" at the mouth of Redstone Creek. From April 17th, when he surrendered his works to the French and retreated in canoes up the Monongahela, this avenue became more and more important until the steam railways supplanted the slower traffic by water. The easy navigation of this stream led that man of keen insight, George Washington, into error, when, under date of May 27, 1754, he writes: "This morning Mr. Gist ar- rived from his place, where a detachment of fifty men (French) was seen yesterday.
    [Show full text]
  • The Principal Indian Towns of Western Pennsylvania C
    The Principal Indian Towns of Western Pennsylvania C. Hale Sipe One cannot travel far in Western Pennsylvania with- out passing the sites of Indian towns, Delaware, Shawnee and Seneca mostly, or being reminded of the Pennsylvania Indians by the beautiful names they gave to the mountains, streams and valleys where they roamed. In a future paper the writer will set forth the meaning of the names which the Indians gave to the mountains, valleys and streams of Western Pennsylvania; but the present paper is con- fined to a brief description of the principal Indian towns in the western part of the state. The writer has arranged these Indian towns in alphabetical order, as follows: Allaquippa's Town* This town, named for the Seneca, Queen Allaquippa, stood at the mouth of Chartier's Creek, where McKees Rocks now stands. In the Pennsylvania, Colonial Records, this stream is sometimes called "Allaquippa's River". The name "Allaquippa" means, as nearly as can be determined, "a hat", being likely a corruption of "alloquepi". This In- dian "Queen", who was visited by such noted characters as Conrad Weiser, Celoron and George Washington, had var- ious residences in the vicinity of the "Forks of the Ohio". In fact, there is good reason for thinking that at one time she lived right at the "Forks". When Washington met her while returning from his mission to the French, she was living where McKeesport now stands, having moved up from the Ohio to get farther away from the French. After Washington's surrender at Fort Necessity, July 4th, 1754, she and the other Indian inhabitants of the Ohio Val- ley friendly to the English, were taken to Aughwick, now Shirleysburg, where they were fed by the Colonial Author- ities of Pennsylvania.
    [Show full text]
  • County of Butler Comprehensive Plan
    THE COUNTY OF BUTLER COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PHASE I (RECONNAISSANCE REPORT) 1997 Prepared by the Butler County Planning Commission The preparation of th~sreport was financed in part through a State Planning Assistance Grant (SPAG) from the Department of Community and Economic Development, under the: provisions of Act 5A, approved June 30, 1995, as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Strategic Planning and Program Operations Office. p James L. Kennedy, Chairman William L. McCarrier Glenn L. Anderson PlanninP Commission Jeffrey M. Thompson, Chairman Howard L. Graham Paul M. Montgomery Theodore J. Walwik Howie J. Pentony Frank E. Uhl Kenneth M. Thomas James F. Peters Daniel D. Santoro Planning Director David P. Johnston TABLE OF CONTENTS m History and Historic Preservation ........................................... HHPl Native American Prehistory ............................................ HHPl Heritage of the Native American Period ................................... HHP2 The Early Historic Period: Pre-Settlement ................................... HHP3 Heritage of the Native-White and Colonial Conflicts in Butler County ............."P4 PlaceNarnes ..................................................... HHP4 DonatiodDepreciation Lands ........................................ HHP4 Initial Settlement of the County, 1790-1860 ................................ HHPS The Heritage of the Era of Settlement in Butler County ....................... HHP7 The Industrial Revolution - 1860-1945 ...................................
    [Show full text]
  • Ohio Is Unique Visual Depiction of the Complex and Varied Land Survey Systems in Ohio Attachments
    Ohio Is Unique Visual Depiction of the complex and varied Land Survey Systems in Ohio Attachments: Bureau of Land Management Prime Meridian Map Illustrates the original land subdivision systems in the contiguous US, designated by the locations of Prime Meridians. Note Ohio detail. Ohio Original Land Subdivision Map and Key Visually exemplifies the complexity of Ohio’s original land subdivision systems in comparison with other states. Key demonstrates the differences in basic measurement systems of the various regions within Ohio. Provided by the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio, Inc. 150 E. Wilson Bridge Rd., Suite 300; Worthington, OH 43085 Contact: Melinda Gilpin, Executive Director 614-761-2313 or [email protected] “Ohio is unique among the states of the Union in its variety of its land subdivisions. No other state has so many kinds of original surveys.” C.E. Sherman, Original Ohio Land Subdivisions, Volume III, Final Report, Ohio Cooperative Survey Example of a Metes and Bounds Survey Metes and Bounds Public Land Survey System (PLSS) States Principle Meridians and Baselines Map Bureau of Land Management A Very Brief Summary of Ohio Land Survey Subdivisions Virginia Military District • Only metes and bounds subdivision • Military bounty lands for Virginia soldiers Old Seven Ranges • 6-mi. sq. townships, 1785 section numbering • Surrounds Kimberly Grant Symmes Purchase • 6-mi. sq. townships, 1785 section numbering • Townships/ranges reversed Between the Miamis • Continues Symmes “system” Connecticut Western Reserve • 5-mi. sq. townships, privately subdivided • Includes Firelands, land to compensate residents of several Conn. towns burned during Revolution Ohio Company Purchase • 6-mi. sq. townships, 1785 section numbering • 1st large land purchase from federal government • Site of Marietta, 1st permanent settlement in NW Terr.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to the South Side Local Development Company Collection, 1982-2012 ______
    Guide to the South Side Local Development Company Collection, 1982-2012 __________________________________________________________ Collection Overview Title South Side Local Development Company Collection Identifier 2012-1 Creators South Side Local Development Company (SSLDC) Dates 1982-2012 (Bulk) Extent 248.91ft3 Repository Carnegie Library oF Pittsburgh, Southside Branch 2205 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Language English Standard Convention Description is based on DACS Abstract The South Side Local Development Company (SSLDC) is a South Side community-based non-proFit corporation. This collection contains grant materials, reports, meeting minutes, project planning papers, correspondence, urban planning drawings, and photographs pertaining to the organization’s operations in its 30- year run between 1982 and 2012. ______________________________________________________________________________ Administrative InFormation Acquisition Information The South Side Local Development Company donated this collection to the South Side Branch oF the Carnegie Public Library in 2012. Access and Use Restrictions There are no use restrictions. The collection is open For research upon request. Copyright Information Copyright For some materials has not been given to the Carnegie Public Library, which is the physical owner oF the materials. Permission granted by the library to use the materials does not 1 necessarily imply permission oF the copyright holder. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations oF original physical materials.
    [Show full text]
  • By Robert A. Jockers D.D.S
    By Robert A. Jockers D.D.S. erhaps the most significant factor in the settlement of identify the original settlers, where they came from, and Western Pennsylvania was an intangible energy known as specifically when and where they settled. In doing so it was the "Westward Movement.' The intertwined desires for necessary to detail the complexity of the settlement process, as well economic, political, and religious freedoms created a powerful as the political, economic, and social environment that existed sociological force that stimulated the formation of new and ever- during that time frame. changing frontiers. Despite the dynamics of this force, the In spite of the fact that Moon Township was not incorporated settlement of "Old Moon Township" - for this article meaning as a governmental entity within Allegheny County, Pa., until 1788, contemporary Moon Township and Coraopolis Borough - was numerous events of historical significance occurred during the neither an orderly nor a continuous process. Due in part to the initial settlement period and in the years prior to its incorporation. area's remote location on the English frontier, settlement was "Old Moon Township" included the settlement of the 66 original delayed. Political and legal controversy clouded the ownership of land grants that comprise today's Moon Township and the four its land. Transient squatters and land speculators impeded its that make up Coraopolis. This is a specific case study but is also a growth, and hostile Indian incursions during the American primer on the research of regional settlement patterns. Revolution brought about its demise. Of course, these lands were being contested in the 1770s.
    [Show full text]
  • War Council to Meet on the ‘FIFTEENTH of the MOON’; the Phases of the Moon Were Used As the Indians’ Way of Establishing Time
    THE PONTIAC COUNCIL & PONTIAC’S WAR* Historical background: 1763 *Variously referred to as Pontiac’s War, Pontiac’s Uprising, Pontiac’s Rebellion, or the Conspiracy of Pontiac. WHO: PONTIAC, or Obwandiyag (born ca. 1720 – April 20, 1769), was a Native American Ottawa war leader, remembered for his participation in the struggle against British occupation of the Great Lakes region that bears his name: Pontiac's War. Pontiac rose to great fame and importance during this war, and yet the documentary evidence of Pontiac's life is scanty. Much of what has been written about the chief has been based on tradition and speculation, and so depictions of him have varied greatly over the years. Beyond Pontiac himself, we turn to a literal cast of thousands on the 1763 stage: the CHIEFTAINS and WARRIORS of the Indian Nations of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions; the British SOLDIERS and OFFICERS who commanded and garrisoned the forts in the region; the British SETTLERS with the aim of moving westward from the crowded English/American colonies; the French HABITANTS who had lived in the region for generations; and the French & British TRADERS, all hoping to make their fortunes here. [For a list of important names see the last pages.] [portrait of Pontiac by John Mix Stanley, Detroit Historical Museum] Flag of New France 1760 Flag of Britain 1760 WHAT: It is said that Pontiac’s April 1763 COUNCIL on the ECORSE RIVER* was the largest Indian council attended by multiple Nations yet to meet in the western territory. Chiefs and warriors of the Great Lakes Nations were summoned together, and in a few weeks’ time over a dozen tribes would join the campaign.
    [Show full text]
  • HISTORICAL SOCIETY NOTES and DOCUMENTS the PHANTOM ATROCITY Kenneth A
    HISTORICAL SOCIETY NOTES AND DOCUMENTS THE PHANTOM ATROCITY Kenneth A. White scene has been a favorite of historians for years. The date is TheNovember 25, 1758. The place is the strategic Forks of the Ohio. A British army under the command of Brigadier General John Forbes warily approaches the French Fort Duquesne. The army marches in three columns, with a screen of provincial militia in ad- vance and guarding the flanks. The soldiers tread cautiously, alert for the smallest sign of danger. They had received word that the French had already abandoned the fort;yet two earlier columns, including a detachment from this same army under the command of Major James Grant, had been attacked and nearly destroyed near Fort Duquesne. Forbes's men have no intention of letting that happen to them. Grim reminders of the previous expeditions— in the form of unburied corpses litter the forest near the fort a warning to the unwary. Finally, as the sun sinks behind the tree-covered hills, the ad- vance units of the army break out of the forest into the clearing sur- rounding the fort and come to a sudden halt. There, before their eyes, are a number of stakes, each bearing the head of a Scottish Highlander killed at Grant's defeat two months earlier. Beneath each head a kilt is wrapped around the stake to mock the "petticoat warriors." The provincials, accustomed to the brutalities of frontier warfare, pause only briefly, then grimly continue forward. When the main body of the army reaches the clearing, however, the Highlanders do not react so stoically.
    [Show full text]
  • J8cboes from Tbe Lpaat
    533 J8cboes from tbe lPaat. PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE AFGHAN CAMPAIGNS OF 1878-79-80. THE "DEATH MARCH" THROUGH THE KHYBER PASS IN THE AFGHAN CAMPAIGN, 1878-79. By SURGEON-MAJOR G. J. H. EVATT, M.D., Medical Staff. [Now SURGEON-GENERAL G. J. H. EVATT, C.B., A.M.S.(R.).] RiJprinted from No. 82, Vol. xix., "Journal of the United Service Institution of India," 1890. (Continued from p. 427). CHAPTER V. ADVANCE TO JALALABAD. THE hospital remained at Dakka until March 25th, 1879, when it was relieved by a field hospital of the 2nd division, which division was then moving up the line of communications to allow the 1st division to push on to Gandamak. General Tytler and his brigade also moved forward at this time to J alalabad, and he was most careful to give strong escorts to the hospital. The writer has in war time been left in imminent danger on occasions without any escort whatever, surrounded by helpless hospital servants and defenceless doolie bearers. No soldier is ever exposed to such risks in ordinary war experience. Sir Sam. Browne was then at Jalalabad, where the headquarters of the 1st division were concentrated. A large hospital had formed there under Surgeon-Major Porter, Medical Staff, who had arrived out from Netley in March. On the writer joining this headquarters hospital his independent existence merged in the larger hospital. Advantage was taken of the stay at J ala,labad to visit the "many interesting Buddhist remains which surround this historic old town, and we found in Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Assimilation of Captives on the American Frontier in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1977 The Assimilation of Captives on the American Frontier in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Joseph Norman Heard Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Heard, Joseph Norman, "The Assimilation of Captives on the American Frontier in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries." (1977). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3157. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3157 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image.
    [Show full text]
  • Littleboroughs— Nestled in the First and Second Range of Hills South of Pittsburgh Beltzhoover and Allentown
    REMINISCENCES OF BELTZHOOVER AND ALLENTOWN Two Old-Time Western Pennsylvania Boroughs* C. A. Weslager is known, still less has been published, and the meager in- formation available is gradually disappearing about the two Littleboroughs— nestled in the first and second range of hills south of Pittsburgh Beltzhoover and Allentown. Allentown, the older of the two, was incorporated in 1869 and annexed to Pittsburgh in 1874. Beltzhoover, incorporated in 1875, became part of the city in 1898. Their former borough names are still used although they no longer have political significance. Ifyou hail a cab in downtown Pittsburgh and ask the driver to take you to Beltz- hoover or Allentown,he won't remind you that your destination should properly be referred to as the Eighteenth Ward. He will whisk you across the Smithfield Street Bridge, left on West Carson Street, and up cobbled Brownsville Avenue, one of the city's oldest and steepest streets, now called new Arlington Avenue. At the top of the hillyou will intersect Warrington Avenue, the main street of the two former boroughs. Here the driver probably will throw on his brakes and ask for your specific destination. If you say Millbridge Street (although there was never a mill or bridge to warrant the name), he willhave you there in a jiffy.But ifyou were to direct him to Maple Street, for example, the former name of Millbridge, he would look at you with a blank expression. No street exists today with that name. Maple Street never was an avenue lined with maples. Itderived Mr. Weslager received an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History for his contributions to the history of the Delaware Valley region and the State of—Delaware.
    [Show full text]
  • How the Americans Lost the Battle of Kekionga
    General Josiah Harmar’s Campaign Reconsidered: How the Americans Lost the Battle of Kekionga Michael S. Warner” Some jealousies took place, and reproaches ensued. Complaints, indeed, forever fol- low misfortune, as that is but too often the companion of misconduct. Humphrey Marshall, The History of Kentucky, 1812. General Josiah Harmar’s campaign against the “Indian ban- ditti” along the Maumee River in 1790 marks a watershed in the settlement of the Old Northwest and also in the evolution of Amer- ica’s military institutions. His expedition, the Constitutional re- public’s first attempt to impose its will by offensive arms, initiated four years of warfare on the part of the federal government to halt Indian depredations on the Ohio frontier. It was one in a series of events that led to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, to the abandon- ment by Great Britain of the forts still held on American soil, to expansion of the peacetime military establishment, and to the per- manent widening of the federal role in maintaining the nation’s security. Harmar’s campaign remains, paradoxically, both well known to scholars and in many ways not well understood. This state of affairs does not result from a dearth of information. Harmar’s con- temporaries could learn easily the outline of the campaign’s events and could infer from scattered but numerous clues the causes be- hind its failure. Since 1790 many more facts have come to light; yet, in spite of historians’ familiarity with the expedition, signifi- cant aspects of it are still unclear. The campaign’s climactic battle, for example, has never been accurately described and to this day remains nameless.
    [Show full text]