OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List Issue 138 ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 05 : Issue 138 Today's Topics: #1 Fw: Tid Bits - Part 64 ["Ohio Archives EV1" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <007b01c5b729$6c448860$0201a8c0@margaret> Subject: Fw: Tid Bits - Part 64 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: "Darlene & Kathi kelley" To: Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 12:12 AM Subject: Tid Bits - Part 64 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley August 8, 2005 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits -- Part 64 by Darlene E. Kelley notes by S. Kelly +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits - Part 64 William Starke Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans was born Sept. 6, 1819 at Kingston township, of Delaware County, Ohio, the son of Crandall Rosecrans and Jane Hopkins and the great-grandson of Stephen Hopkins, Colonial Governor of Rhode Island and a signer of the Declaration of Independence and, he also co-authored with John Adams, the draft of the Articles of Confederation. The family originally came from Amsterdam, Holland, first settling in Pennsylvaia and then moving to Ohio. William Rosecran's brother Sylvester Harden Rosecran was the first Bishop of Columbus Ohio. William Rosecrans was a graduate of the Class of 1842 at West Point, graduating # 5 in a class of 56 students. Among his classmates were: James Longstreet, Richard H. Anderson, Abner Doubleday, John Newton, George Sykes, Seth Williams, Lafayette McClaws, Alexander P. Stewart, John Pope, D.H.Hill, and Earl Van Dorn, having as his room-mates, James Longstreet and A.P. Stewart. He had entered the military academy at the age of fifteen. After graduation he entered the Engineer Corps of the Army as Second Lieutenent, serving the Government effeciently and well in various capacities until 1853, when he was promoted to First Lieutenent, and shortly after, to the great regret of his superior officers, resigned. >From this time until the breaking out of the rebellion, he devoted himself to civil engineering and kindered occupations, making his headquarters at Cincinnati, Ohio. His rise in business was astounding. He took over direction of mining in west Virginia, where his geological surveys pointed with remarkable accuracy to profitable new veins of coal. He became President of a navagation company formed to transport coal. He was also an inventor. Numbered among his inventions were odorless oil, a round lamp wick, a short practical lamp chimmeny, and a new and econimical method of manufacuring soap. When in the laboratory a safty lamp exploded and burned him terribly. He was bedridden for 18 months recovering from the burns. Just as his recovery from burns were coming to a conclusion the Civil War broke out. His first duties in the war were for the State of Ohio, when he became the drill master for the " Marion Rifles." After which he became the engineering officer that laid the plan for Camp Dennison, Ohio, and began the organization of Camp Chase and as Colonel eventually became the Commanding Officer of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which among its members were Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Stanley Matthews, a future Associate Judge of the Supreme Court. As brigadier-general in the United States Army, he went to West Virginia, fought the battle of Rich Mountain, and on the 23rd or 24th of July,1861, succeeded McClellan as commander of the Department of the Ohio, consisting of troops from West Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. While in command of that department he defeated the attempts of General Lee to penetrate West Virginia by Cheat Mountain and the Kanawha route, and subsequently by way of Romney, and along the B.& O. road. The Legislature of West Virginia passed a unanimous vote of thanks in recognition of his services in defending the State, which was followed soon after by a simular vote of thanks from the Legislature of the State of Ohio. In 1862, he submitted a plan for the campaign of that year auxiliary to that for the movements of the Army of the Potomac, which plan was highly approved by the general-in-chief and by the War Department. Early in April, 1862, he was ordered to Washington and sent to find and conduct Blencker's Division to General Fremont. He submitted to the War Department a plan for application of the forces under Generals McDowell, Banks, and Fremont to occupy the Shanandoah Valley and threaten communications with the South. In May, 1862, he was ordered to report to General Halleck, who commanded our army in front of Corinth, Mississippi. Was put in command of two divisions (Stanley's and Paine's) in front of that city, and when it was vacated by Bragg and Beauregard, he led the infantry pursuit until ordered to stop. In June, 1862, with two small divisions he confronted General Sterling Price, and fought the battle of Iuka. In connection with the mention of his general system of army management, it may be stated that he originated the making of photoprinting maps, and furnished his subordinate commanders with information maps of the regions of military operations; established convalescent hospitals for the treatment or discharge of chronic cases; organized colored men into squads of twenty five each, and equipped and employed them as engineer troops; employed escaped colored women in laundries and as cooks for hospitals, etc. On October 3d and 4th, 1862, with four divisions, he fought the battle of Corinth. By order of the President he was placed in command of the Department of the Cumberland and Army of the Ohio, relieving General Buel, Oct 30, 1862. He reorganized this army, and etablished an Inspector-General's system by detail from the line, also a Topographical Department by detail of Brigade, Division, and Corps Engineers, and a Pioneer Corps by detail of officers and men from the Infantry. He also reorganized both the cavalry and artillery. On December 31, 1862, and January 1 and 2, 1863, he fought the battle of Stone River, against the Confederates under General Bragg, and drove him behind the line of Duck River. >From June 23 to July 7, 1863, he conducted the campaign of Tullahoma, by which Bragg was driven out of hi intrenched camps ( at Shelbyville and Tullahoma ) in Middle Tennessee. After the battle of Stone River, he was tendered, almost simultaneously, a unanimous vote of thanks from Congress and from the States of Ohio and Indiana. >From July 7, 1863, to August 14,1863, he was bringing forward supplies, perfecting the organization of the army, and manoeuvering for Chattanooga, giving special attention to the rebuilding of a railroad, as a necessary pre-requisite to success. After Corinth, Rosecrans was given the command of the XIV Corps and promotion to major General. The promotion was back dated to march 1862 so that Rosecrans could outrank Major General Thomas. As Commanding General of the XIV Corps, Rosecrans secured the victory at Stones River ( Murfeesboro ) and immediately began the reorganization of the Corps into the Army of the Cumberland. He than embarked upon the Tullahoma Campaign and ousted the Confederates from Chattanoga with fewer than 500 casualties in thewhole army. Rosecrans was loved by the men of his Army but was harsh on his officers. A very problematic fault of Rosecrans was that once a battle began he became very excitable which led him to stutter and become very difficult to understand. Another problem of Rosecrans was he would micro-manage the movements of units himself instead of using the chain of command to direct movements. These problems were never more apparent that at Chickamauga. Rosecrans issued an order to General Wood ' to close in and support his left." This order created a hole in the Union Line which coincided with Longstreet's attack and led the Confederate victory. Because of the defeat Rosecrans was relieved of Command of the Army of the Cumberland and would eventually be given the command of the Department of Missouri until wars end. He felt that one act of measureless injustice and wrong which, stained the annuals of his otherwise spotless career. On resigning his commission, General Rosecrans went to California and became a citizen of that State. He was offered and declined the Democratic nomination for Governor of California in 1867. He was also offered the nomination for governor by the convention of Independant Republicans held at Marysville and declined. In 1868, he was nominated and confirmed as United States minister to Mexico, without consultation or knowledge on his part until notified thereof. He accepted this appointment on condition that he should be allowed carte-blanche to represent the good will of the American republic towards Mexico. In 1869 he returned to California and resumed the practice of his profession, namely, that of civil and mining engineering. It should be stated, however, that during his residence in Mexico he became thoroughly convinced that the mutual prosperity of Mexico and the United States would be promoted by the progress of Mexico under her own autonomy, and, acting in accordance with his carte-blanche, he urged the Mexican cabinet and other leaders to further and foster the construction of railroads. His efforts in this direction met with such success that the initiative period of Mexican development in regard dates from the time of these earnest efforts on his part. In 1869 he was also offered and declined the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio. In 1870 he memorialized Cogress urging the encouragement of commerce with Mexico. In 1872-3, at the influential people in this country, and on the invitation of the president of Mexico, he supervised the legislation in favor of railroad construction along the various States of that republic. As a result of his presence in the country, and counsel given by means of public discussion in the prominent newspapers of the republic, the legislatures of seventeen Mexican States passed unanimously resolutions urging the government to take favorable legislative action for encouraging the construction of railroads in Mexico. In six other States whose legislatures were not in session, the governors sent officially, strong messages to the general government in favor of fostering of such enterprises. Thus, practically, in twenty three States favorable legislaion was enacted asking the government to encourage railroad construction. In 1881 he was urged by the workingmen of California to allow his name to be used by the Democratic party as a candidate for the Forty-eighth Congress, and on his consent thereto was nominated and elected. He was re-elected to the Forty-ninth Congress. During each of his Congressional terms he was assigned, as representative, to important legislative and political duties. In June, 1885, he was appointed by President Cleveland to the Register of the United States Treasury, the duties of which office he performed with characteristic thoroughness and efficiency. Thus his caeer had been as useful and honorable in peace as it was patriotic and glorious in war. William S. Rosecrans died March 11, 1898 at Redondo, California and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits continued in Part 65. -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 3801 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Try www.SPAMfighter.com for free now! ______________________________ ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 19:36:29 -0400 From: "Ohio Archives EV1" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <008101c5b729$a2b01cc0$0201a8c0@margaret> Subject: Fw: Tid Bits - Part 65 A Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: "Darlene & Kathi kelley" To: Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 12:58 AM Subject: Tid Bits - Part 65 A Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives August 9, 2005 by Darlene E. Kelley +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know your Ohio Tid Bits - Part 65 A by Darlene E. Kelley notes by S. Kelly [ ] see 65B Memoires of Hon E. D. Mansfield. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits - Part 65 A. E.D. Mansfield My Personal Memories My father, Col Jared Mansfield, removed to the west in 1803, which in those days required a long journey, much time and a good deal of trouble. At that time there were then no public conveyances west of the Allegheny. Whoever went to Ohio from the East had to provide his own carriage and take care of his own luggage. At that time there was really but one highway fom the East to the West and that was the great Pennsylvania route from Philadelphia to Pittsburg. It professed to be a turnpike, but was really only a passable road, and on the mountains narrow and dangerous, It was chiefly traversed by the wagoners, who carried goods from Philadelphia to the West. A private carriage and driver, such as my father had to have, was the abhorrance of the wagoners, who considered it simply an evidence of aristocracy. They threatened and often actually endangered private carriages. My mother used to relate her fears and anxieties on that journey, and, as contrasted with the mode of travelling at the present day, that journey was really dangerous. Arrived at Marietta, Ohio, my father established his office there, for the next two years. At first, some trouble arose from differences of political opinions at Marietta. Political excitement at the election of Jefferson had been very high--- perhaps never more so. Gen. Rufus Putnam, my father's predeccessor as Surveyor-General, had been a Revolutionary officer and a Federalist, while my father was a Republican ( now called Democrat ), and supposed to be a partisan of Jefferson. This political breeze, however, soon passed over. The people of Marietta were, in general, intelligent upright people, and my father not one to quarrel without cause. The Putnams were polite, and my parents passed two years at Marietta pleasantly and happily. I, who was but a little child of three or four years of age, was utterly oblivious to what might go on in Marietta society. Two things, however, impressed themselves upon me. They must have occurred in the spring and summer of 1805. The first was what was called " The Great Flood." Every little while we hear about extraordinary cold, heat, or high water; but all these things have occurred before, The impression on my mind is that of the river Ohio rising so high as to flood the lower part of Marietta. We lived some distance from the Ohio, but on the lower plain, so that the water came up into our yard, and it seems to me, I can still recall wood and chips floating in the yard. However, all memories of such early years are indistinct, and can only be relied on for general impressions. As I was four years old at the time of the Marietta flood, it is probable that my impressions of it are correct. The other event which impressed itself on my mind was the vision of a very interesting and remarkable woman. One day, and it seems to have been a bright summer morning, a lady and a little boy called upon my mother. I played with the boy, and it is probably this circumstance which impressed it on my mind, for the boy was handsomely dressed, and had a fine little sword hanging by his side. The lady, asit seems to me, was handsome and bright, laughing and talking with my mother. That lady soon became historical --- her life a romance and her name a theme of poetry and a subject of eloquence. It was Madame Blennerhasset. [ see notes at end of series. 65B ]. It is seventy years since Wirt, in the trial of Burr, uttered his beautiful and poetic description of Madame Blennerhasset and the island she admired. Poetic as it was, it did less justice to the woman.[ Wirt was a trial lawyer in the Aaron Burr and Harman Blennerhasset trial. He was also a writer.] An intelligent lady who was intimate with her, and afterwards visited the courts of England and Frances, said she had never beheld one who was Mrs.Blennerhassett's equal in beauty, dignity of manners, elegence of dress, and all that was lovely in the person of woman. With all this, she was as domestic in her habits, as well acquainted with housewifery, the art of sewing, as charitable to the poor, as ambitious for her husband, as though she were not the " Queen of the Fairy Isle." She was as strong and active in body as she was graceful. She could leap a five rail fence, walk ten miles at a stretch, and ride a horse with the boldest dragoon. She frequently rode from the island to Marietta, exhibiting he skill in horsemanship and elogance of dress. Robed in scarlet broadcloth, with a white beaver hat, on a spirited horse, she might be seen dashing through the dark woods, reminding one of the flight and gay plumage of some tropical bird; but, like the happiness of Eden, all this was to have a sudden and disaterious end. The " Queen of the Fairy Isle " was destined to a fate more severe than if her lot had been cast in the rudness log-cabin.......... During my father's residence at Marietta there appeared in the Marietta papers a series of articles n favor of the schemes of Burr, and indirectly a separation of the Western and Eastern States. These articles were censored by another series, signed " Regulus," which denounced the idea of separating the States, and supported the Union and the administration of Jefferson. At the time, and to this day, the writer was and is unknown. They are mentioned in Hildreth's " Pioneer History," as a unknown author. They were in fact, written by my father, and made a strong impression at the time........... Here let me remark on the society of the past generation as compared with the present. There is aways in the Present time a disposition to exaggerate either by its merits or its faults. Those who take a hopeful view of things, and wonder at our inventions and discoveries, think that society is advancing, and we are going straight to the millennium. On the other hand, those who look upon the state of society today, espaecially if they are not entirely satisfied with their own ideas, are apt to charge society with degeneracy. They see crimes and corruptions, and assert that society is growing worse. Let me here assure the reader that this is not true, and that while we have all reason to lament the weakness of human nature, it is not true that society is declining. No fact is more easily demonstrated than that the society of educated people --- and they govern all others -- is in a much better condition now than it was in the days succeeding the Revolution. The principles and ideas that caused the French Revolution, at one time, brought atheism and free thinkers into power in Farnce, and largely penetrated American Society. Skepticism, or, as it was called, free thinkng, was fashionable; it was aided and strengthened by some of the most eminent men of the times. Jefferson, Burr, Pierrepont Edwards, of Connecticut, and many men of the same kind, were not only skeptics, but scoffers at Christianity. Their party came into power, and gave a sort of official prestige to irreligion. But this was not all; a large number of the revolutionary army were licentious men. Of this case were Burr, Hamilton, and others of the same stripe. Hamilton was not so unprincipled a man as Burr, but belonged to the same general caste of society. No one can deny this, for he published enough abou himself to prove it. Duelling, drinking, licentiousness, were not regarded by the better class of society as the unpardonable sins which they are now regarded. At the time wine, spirits, and cordials were offered guests at all hours of the day, and not to offer them was considered a want of hospitality.The consequence was that intemperance, in a good society, was more common than now, but probably not more so among the great masses of the people. Intemperance is now chiefly the vice of laboring men, but then it prevaded all classes of society. Judge Burnet, in his notes on the northwest, says that nine lawyers contemporary with himself, in Cincinnati, all but one died drunkards. We see, then, that with a large measure of infidelity, licentiousness and intemporance among the higher classes, society was not really in so good a state as it is now. At Marietta were several men of superior intellects who were infidels, and others who were intemporate; and yet this pioneer town was probably one of the best examples of the society of pioneer times. I have said that my father was appointed to establish the meridian lines. At that time but a part of Ohio had been surveyed, and he made Maritta his headquarters. In the rapid progress of migration to the West his surveys also were soon necessary in westen Ohio and Indiana. Indiana was then an unbroken wilderness, although the French had established the post of Vincennes. This was one of a line of posts which they established from the lakes to Gulf of Mexico with a view to holding all the valley of the Mississippi. There may have been a settlement at Jeffersonville, opposite of Louisville, bu except these there was a white settlement in Indiana. It became necessary to extend the surveyed lines through that State, then only a part of the Northwest Territory. For this purpose my father, in 1805, in the month of October, undertook a surveying expedition in Indiana. As it was necessary to live in the wilderness, preparations for doing so were made. The surveying party consisted of my father, three or four surveyors, two regular hunters and several pack horses. The business of the hunters was to procure game and bring it into camp at night. Flour, coffee, salt, and sugar were carried on the pack horses, but for all meat the party depended on the hunters. They went out early in the morning for game and returned only at night. As the surveying party moved only in a straight line, and the diatance made in a day was known, it was easy for the hunters to join the others in camp. It was in this expedition that some of these incidents occurred that illustrate the life of a backwoodsman. One day the hunters had been unfortunate, and got no game, but brought in a large rattlesnake, which they cut into slices and broiled on the coals. My father did not try that kind of steak, but the hunters insisted the flesh was sweet and good. One other day a hunter was looking into a cave in the rocks and found two panthers' cubs. He put them in a bag, and afterward exhibited them in New Orleans. Here let me say, that prosperity will never know the kinds and numbers of wild animals which once lived on the plains of the Ohio. Some already exterminated east of the Mississippi, and can only be found on the mountains of the West. A citizen of these days will probably be astonished to hear that the buffalo was once common in Ohio, and roamed even on the banks of the Muskingum; but such was the fact. A large part of Ohio was at one time a prairie, and the vegetation of the valley very rich. The wild plum, the pawpaw, the walnut, grapes and all kinds of berries were abundant, so that Ohio was as fruitful and generous to Indians and wild animals as it has since been to the white man. In he valleys of the Muskingum, the Scioto and the Miamis were Indian towns where they cultivated corn as white men do now. Marietta, Chillicothe, Circleville, Cincinnati, Xenia, and Piqua are all on the sites of old Indian towns. The wild animals and the wild Indian were as conscious as the civilized white man that Ohio was an inviting land ---- a garden rich in the products which God had made for their support. But man was commanded to live by labor; hence, when man, the laborer, came, he supplanted man, the hunter. The animals most common in Ohio were the deer, the wild turkey, squirrel, buffalo, panther, and wolves. All these were found near Marietta, and all but the buffalo subsequently near Cincinnati. It is not my purpose, however, to go into the natural history of Ohio. The inhabitants of the woods fast disappeared before the man of the spade. I, myself, saw birds and animals in the valleys of the Miamis which no man will hereafter see wild in these regions. I recollect one bird which made a great impression on me -- the paraquet -- much like the parrot, its colors being green and gold, but much smaller. This bird I have seen at Ludlow station in large flocks. I was told it was never seen east of Scioto. Our residence at Marietta lasted two years. In 1803, Ohio was admitted to the Union, with a constitution which continued until 1850. The first constitution of Ohio was, I thought, the best constitution I ever saw, for the reason that it had the fewest limitations. Having established the respective functions of governement, judicial, executive and legislative, it put no limitation on the power of the people, and in a democratic government there should be none. For half a century Ohio grew, flourished, and prospered under its constitution. It was the best and brightest period Ohio has had. It was the era of a great public spirit, of patriotic devotion to country, and of the building up of the great institutions of education which are now the strength and glory of the State. In forming educational institutions I had some part myself, and I look upon that work with analloyed pleasure. " ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits- continued in Part 65B. -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 3801 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Try www.SPAMfighter.com for free now! -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V05 Issue #138 *******************************************