Life and letters of Judge Thomas J. Anderson and wife

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Preface

I HAVE long thought that a memoir of my father, Judge- Thomas Jefferson Anderson, would interest his old friends. and neighbors, and their descendants. I do not claim that he was a man of distinction in our country, nor even in our state, nor that he possessed any exceptional ability. He was a plain unpretending citizen of considerable consequence only, in the town and county in which he long resided. But he was a most useful man, and his example thoroughly beneficial and wholesome in the formative period of the Commonwealth, and during the Civil War.

Lord Brougham, in writing of Charles Carroll says : "We do a thing of very pernicious tendency if we confine the records of history to the most eminent personages who bear a part in the events which it commemorates. There are often others whose sacrifices are nuich greater, whose perils are more extreme, and whose services are nearly as valuable as those of the more prominent actors, and yet who have from chance, or by the modesty of a retiring and unpretending nature, never stood forward to fill the foremost places, or occupy the larger spaces in the eye of the world. To forget such men is as inexpedient for the public service as it is unjust towards the individuals. But the error is far greater of those who in recording the annals of revolutions, confine their ideas of public merit to the feats of leaders against established tyranny, or the triumphs of orators in behalf of freedom. Many a man in the ranks has done more by his zeal and his self-devotion than any chief, to break the chains of a nation."

To this sentiment I subscribe, and hence have no apologies to offer for the publication of either the memoir, or the letters — the historic letters which follow. The life of a sincere and zealous though humble patriot in a great crisis of his country's history, is of far more importance to mankind than the theatrical career of a self-seeking, vain-glorious, aspiring leader, who rides rough-shod over others, bending them to his will, that he may reach the pinnacle of his own ambition.

The letters of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, in this volume, written to children across the sea during the Great Civil War. will be

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Preface

In my efforts to procure a copy of the Sweetser Impeach- :ment Memorial, found in the sketch of the Hfe of Judge Anderson, I made hundreds of inquiries, and wrote a great many letters, but failed to secure one till September, 1902, when through the kind assistance of Mr. C. B. Galbreath, Ohio State Librarian, and Mr. R. G. Thvvaites, Superintendent of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, I received a copy from the Library of that Society, at Madison, Wis. It was the only place where a copy •could be found I believe. Much other valuable data in this ■volume I only obtained after prolonged efforts.

James H. Anderson.

Cohunbus, Ohio, 1^04.

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JUDGE THOMAS J. ANDERSON AND WIFE

Chapter I

1NOW propose to write a short memoir or life of my father. The genealogy, usual in a biographical sketch, shall in this be brief. His great-grandfather William Anderson, of Scotland, descended from a family of considerable prominence,, born in the Highlands in 1693, implicated in the rising of 1715 in behalf of the Pietender, Prince James, son of James H, fled, in disguise, after the cruel suppression of this incipient rebellion, through England to Virginia, where British loyalists of his views ever found a warm welcome. It was not long after his arrival in America, until he received remittances, with which he bought real property in Maryland, and Virginia. He owned in 1738, and prior thereto, several plantations in the Conegochiege manor, in Prince George's county, Md., one of which called Anderson's Delight, he sold to Dr. Geo. Stewart of the city of Annapolis in 1739.^

It was soon after coming to the country, that a rich and beautiful valley far up the Potomac, on the North Branch, attracted his notice, and on it he encamped and built a hunting lodge. This valley has ever since been known as The Anderson

1 1 now have in my possession a survey and plat of this estate made October 24, 1739, by the deputy county surveyor. It is faded, discolored, worn, and bears the marks of age. It has made several long journeys. In the 18th century it was taken to "Virginia, thence in 1806 to Ohio, thence to Indiana, thence to Linn county, Missouri, whence it was sent to me about the year 1876 by my uncle James M. Anderson.

Bottom. On the south rose Knobley mountain, and the place included a part of the mountain side. When Hampshire county, Virginia, was erected, it embraced the Anderson Bottom which was only five miles from Fort Cumberland, constructed in 1754. When William Anderson' came to this part of Virginia, it was a wild region, a wilderness, and its inhabitants were mostly Indian savages. His cabin was probably more remote from civilization, and farther west than any other Anglo Saxon pioneer's. The adventurous French, following the water courses, early penetrated the interior of the country, and a few no doubt occupied wilds more distant from tidewater. Be that as it may, civilization had not }et reached him, and his time here for years, was n'ainly spent in the sports of the forest in which he took delight. During this period of virtual exile, he spent the greater portion of every year on his Maryland |)lantation.

He was a brave, sturdy man, and gallantly defended the infant settlements that soon made an appearance near his new home, from the murderous incursions of the Indians. His military experience now became of use to him, for while earnestly striving to avoid conflicts with the Indians, he was engaged in many. He recruited a company of soldiers in the Valley of Virginia, which joined Gen. Braddock's army at Ft. Cumberland, in June 1755, and although disastrously defeated by the French and Indians near Ft. Du Quesne, (July 9, 1755), the^e Virginians sustained their ancient reputation for valor. In war, William Anderson was a good soldier, in peace a good citizen. He died on the Anderson Bottom, in Hampshire county, Virginia, in 1797, at the great age of 104. He died as he lived, a devout member of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

He was the father of four children, two sons and two daughters. His daughter Agnes, sometimes called Ann, became the wife of Capt. William Henshaw, a Virginia gentleman who resided on his plantation on Mill Creek, near Bunker Hill, in Berkley county, Virginia, where his father, Nicholas, and grandfather John Henshaw, (of noble English blood) had resided.

' I have heard Benjamin Williams, (grandfather of Gen. John Beatty) say (in conversing with my father), that he was acquainted with my great-great-grandfather William Anderson, and with my great-grandfather Capt. Thomas Anderson, and have heard him describe their appearance. Mr. Williams came from Hampshire county, Va., to Ohio.

Capt, Henshaw became prominent and quite wealthy, owning large bodies of land in the valley of Virginia and elsewhere.

He accompanied Lord Dunmore to Chillicothe in 1774. With other Virginians he followed Washington to Massachusetts in 1775, and actively engaged in the siege of Boston. His colonial and Revolutionary military services were creditable, and his name is mentioned in local histories.^ Many descendantsare living in the Valley of Virginia. Sarah, William Anderson's other daughter, married a Mr. Wilkins. His son William was killed by the Indians in the mountains near home.

His son Thomas, my father's grandfather, was born on the old place on the Potomac in 1733, and early saw service in the Indian wars. He took part in several campaigns, and accompanied Dunmore's Expedition to Chillicothe. Whether to repel invasion, or to carry the war into the Indian country, he was ever ready. And when the encroachments of the mother country became insupportable, and the colonies called the people to arms, he responded at once, and left the farm, for the hardships, dangers and glories of the field. He fought bravely tbroughout the Revolutionary war, and was it is said, in command of his company at Yorktown, when Cornwallis surrendered. He was a frank, hardy frontiersman, whose experience as an Indian fighter was of use to him during our war for Independence. When his settlement or country needed a defender, he buckled on his armor, and went forth to battle; but he also loved the victories of peace, and when it dawned, he laid aside war's grim panoply, and thenceforth meekly cultivated the farm whereon he dwelt, and which, with other lands, finally became liis own by inheritance or by deed of gift.

His wife was a Miss Bruce, of Virginia, by whom he had ten children, seven sons, and three daughters : James, William, John, Jonathan, Joseph, Abner, George, Margaret, Rachel, and Elizabeth. Their birthplace was the same as their father's, the Anderson Bottom.

1 See Jacob's Life of Capt. Michael Cresap; History of Martinsburg, and Berkeley county, W. Va. ; Sketches by Hon. Charles J. Faulkner, late U. S. Minister to France, etc.

2 His great-granddaughter. Miss Valley Virginia Henshaw, a lady of culture and prominence, now resides in Berkeley county, W. Va. She is a -member of the William Henshaw Chapter of the D. A. R. and is State Ilegent of the D. A. R.

Thomas Anderson's choice for the Presidency in 1788 and 1792, was George Washington; in 1796, John Adams; and in 1800, and 1804, Thomas Jefferson. Like his father, he was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church. I shall again refer to Capt. Thomas Anderson,^ telling of his removal, from Va., to^ Ohio, and when and where he died.

His sons William, Joseph and Abner, took up arms against Great Britain in 181 2. Under Col. Sanderson they went from Fairfield county, Ohio, and William and Joseph are mentioned in Sanderson's report now on file in the office of the Adjutant General of Ohio. This report, and these soldiers are mentioned in the histories of Fairfield, and Franklin counties. Joseph, under Gen. W. H. Harrison, died in the service at Upper Sandusky,. Ohio, of camp fever. William was in the battle of Lake Erie, (Peiry's Victory,) lay sick a while at Put-in-Bay, and after the invasion of Canada, died at Maiden, or Fort Maiden. They were good soldiers, and true men. but were swept away by an enemy more relentless and destructive than the British and Indians — the poisonous malaria of the vast swamps of Northern Ohio.

Joseph, whose bones were unearthed a short time ago at Upper Sandusky, was never married. William, whose widow lived many years after his death, had four children : Hiram, Josiah and William, and a daughter named Sina, who married her cousin Levi, my father's brother. John, son of Thomas, married, settled in southern Indiana, and reared a large family. His brothers, Jonathan and Abner, remained single, unvexed by fretful, querulous wives. George died in infancy. Joshua Critchfield,^ was married to Margaret at the old homestead in Virginia, removing thence to a farm in Fairfield county, Ohio. William Eagle, married Rachel, at the same place, and settled on a farm in Wayne county, O. William's nephew, Thomas Eagle, married

1 Captain Thomas Anderson, soldier of the Revolution, died in October, 1806, and was buried in Fairfield county, Ohio. The following Revolutionary soldiers rest in Marion county cemeteries: Frazer Gray, Joseph Gillett, James Swinerton, Ebenezer Ballantine. Joshua Va"n Fleet, Nathaniel Wyatt, John Irey, Samuel Simson, Benj. Tickel, Israel Clark, Jay Riggin, David Potts, Buckeye Davis and Andrew Hyde. Abel Spaulding, Col. Jehial Wilcox, and James Landon, lie in Delaware county graveyards, though de-^ scendants live in Marion.

2 Hon. li. J. Critchfleld, late of Columbus, Ohio, belonged to this branch of the Critchfleld family. "William Williams, of Delaware county, Ohio, was a grandson of Joshua and Margaret Anderson Critchfleld. •

Elizabeth, and they settled on a farm near the home of William and Rachel. They were prosperous farmers, and good hospitable citizens, to whom my father occasionally paid visits.

James Anderson, my father's father, son of Capt. Thomas Anderson, was born on the old place in Hampshire county, February 17, 1768. Although very young, he was three months a soldier near the close of the Revolution. After completing his education, he opened a general store at or near Bunker Hill, in Berkeley county, A^a., where he was selling goods when Gen. Anthony Wayne's call for troops to march against the Western Indians, reached him. This was early in 1792, and the war feeling ran high. The people, restless under the humiliating defeat of Gen. Arthur St. Clair, in the Ohio country, (the Northwest Territory), the year before, (Nov. 4, 1791,) were impatient to avenge it, and wipe out the disgrace. James Anderson quit the traffic in goods, recruited a troop of horse, repaired to a place of military rendezvous, probably Ft. Cumberland, joined Wayne's Legion, was made an ■ensign, and at once began to prepare for the campaign.

In Wayne's army were soldiers of the Revolution, and raw recruits, but strict military discipline was enforced, on the march and beyond the (Jhio. Our young ensign was an enthusiastic admirer of his daring commander, and supported him with fidelity, and heroism. As he was something of a draughtsman and mathematician, he superintended the construction of most of Wavne's forts, in the country traversed northwest of the Ohio river, now known as Ohio and Indiana. In military discipline he was efficient, while far from being a martinet. Though firm, he was kind and patient, and ever watchful of the welfare of his men. Hence he stood well with all, particularly the volunteers who had never faced an enemy or seen service.

He was in several skirmishes with the Indians, and at the battle of Fallen Timbers August 20, 1794, his gallantry won him promotion. He was present at the treaty of Greenville,^ on the

1 The first treaty made with Ohio Indians, ceding Ohio lands, was in 1785; the next was made in 1786; the next was Wayne's treaty made August 3, 1795, with the W^yandots. and eleven other tribes. A treaty was made with the Wyandots September 29, 1817, providing for the Wyandot Reservation tnvelve miles square, at Upper Sandusky, its center being Ft. I'erree. This Reserve was ceded to the Government March 17, 1842. The third day of August, 1795, and remained with the army throughout the campaign, and until the objects of the expedition were fully accomplished. Indeed he continued in the service till after the death of his beloved commander, "Mad Antony Wayne," (as he was called), at Presque Isle, now Erie, Pa., on the 15th day of December, 1796.

While in the service, he was given three commissions : ensign, lieutenant, and captain. As an officer he was not only highly esteemed by the rank and file, but by his superiors, and received his several promotions for meritorious services and gallantry. Prior to his service under Wayne, in addition to his short Revolutionary service, James Anderson, had had considerable militiary experience in . Indian warfare on the Virginia frontiers.!

He was riot therefore, when he becariie a part of Wayne's Legion, a mere novice in the art of war, or Indian tactics. While he was in the service, he aided in suppressing the Whisky Insurrection, (to what extent or at what time I am unprepared to say,) tliat broke out in Western Pennsylvania, during the administration of President Washington.

Delawai'e Reserve, three miles square, that adjoined the Wyandot, was ceded August 3, 1829. The Seneca Reserve of 40,000 acres, in Seneca and Sandusky counties, was Ceded Feb. 28, 1831.

1 The papers, in the War Department, relating to Indian wars, not being classified or indexed, it is quite impossible to get much information from that source respecting the service of any soldier; but Gen. F. C. Ainsworth, in charge of that bureau, thinks that Congress will soon provide for the indexing and printing of these valuable papers, now of great interest to many Americans.

or Judoc Thomas J. Anderson and Wife

Chapter II

AFTER he returned from the wars, (1796), Capt. James Anderson, hke many another veteran, was restless and dissatisfied. The Old Dominion, was no longer the dominion of his 'heart. The towering mountains, fertile valleys, and clear swift streams of the region of his birth, had lost their inspiration and charm. He longed for the rolling savannas, and dense primeval forests beyond the Ohio. He was not at home very long before he found a maiden to his taste. Miss Priscilla House, daughter of John^ and Ruth Metcalf House, of Hampshire, to whom he was united in marriage by Parson Page, the nearest Episcopal Clergyman. This sacred tie was fortunate for both for it was productive of real and lasting happiness.

As Capt. Thomas Anderson,- had received but little money for his services during the Revolution, and had Ijeconie involved as surety for. old Revolutionary conu-ades, his son James, tried to persuade him to sell out, and remove to the infant State of Ohio. The Virginians of that day were attached to their homes, to the soil whereon they and their ancestors had dwelt, and this old soldier of the Revolution was not unlike the rest ; but he finallv yielded to the persistent entreaties of his gallant son, and consented to sell, and found a new home in a newer state. So on Februarv 26, 1806, his plantation, bottom land and mountain side, became the property of Col. Daniel Collins, and in the following month the Andersons began their toilsome western migration. Who shall describe the hardships of a journey from Hampshire county, Va., to Fairfield county, Ohio, in the month of March of that year! They reached Lancaster, then a little cluster of wooden houses, April 6th, 1806, and their farms on

1 John Hou.se owned a larse body of land in Hampshire county. His descendants occupy it now — li)OJ.

- My grandfather James Anderson, was appointed administrator of the estate of his father. Thomas Anderson, who died in October. 1806, leaving- quite an estate for that day. Letters of administration, and other papers, finely written, signed by the clerk of the courts of Fairfield county. Ohio. Hugh Boyle, fatlier-in-law of Hon. Thomas Kwing. are in my possession.

Clear Creek the next day. Those who then came to Ohio were, Capt. Thomas Anderson — his wife had died sometime before — and his children, and their families. And here, on his farm, in the month of October following his arrival, Thomas Anderson, the pioneer, the Revolutionary soldier and patriot, died of malarial fever, and was buried hard-by.

James and Priscilla House Anderson, were the parents of eleven children, ten of whom grew to be men and women. Levi, Thomas Jefiferson, John and Mahala, were born on the old place in Hampshire county ; Elizabeth. James Madison, Ruth, Rebecca, Hiram H. and Priscilla, were born in Fairfield county. Ohio. Several of the children of Capt. James Anderson,^ having settled in Clinton count)-, Indiana, he decided to join them. He thereupon sold his real and personal property in Ohio, and removed to that part of Indiana some years before his death, which occurred October 24, 1844. Nor did his devoted wife long remain behind, for she died on the 15th day of August, 1847, ^^ the age of seventy. 2

1 may say that the main employment and occupation during life, of Capt. James Anderson, was clearing and tilling his lands, and tending his flocks and herds ; but after coming to Ohio, for several years, he divided his time between agriculture and surveying. Like the people whence he came, he was very hospitable. Two classes particularly were always welcome, old soldiers and itinerant preachers. Revolutionary soldiers, Wayne's men, the soldiers of the war of '12, and the itinerant pioneer heralds of the cross, found his house a home. The prodigal hospitality which he dispensed, precluded the possibility of amassing wealth. He was also noted for his active and timely labors in behalf of needy pioneers, for his earnest support of religion, and of the Whig party. In his day he was accounted a good soldier, and a good patriotic citizen.

^ He and his wife moved to Washington township, Clinton county, Ind., in the fall of 1834 or early in 1835. All their children had already left Fairfield county. They all entered the married state, reared families, and lived to be old people. Capt. James Anderson had one son. Rev. H. H. Anderson, and one son-in-law, Rev. Alfred N. Cave (a chaplain), and seventeen grandchildren in our service during the Great Rebellion.

2 Their graves are side by . side in the "Old Abbot Graveyard," in Clinton county. Ind.

His political views are best shown by the names of the statesmen whose leadership he followed. Men were divided by party lines before and dnring the Revolution, as they have been since, but the influence of public men as individuals, was far more potent a century, or even half a century ago than now. Our ancestors followed the fortunes of a political leader, just as the people to-day adhere to a political party. Our party right OR WRONG, is the motto of a very large majority. It is shown in their blind devotion to party, in their refusal to acknowledge any merit in another party, or that any good can come out of it. Our party is altogether right : the other, or opposition, wholly wrong.

James Anderson was oidy twenty years old when George Washington, his first choice for the Presidency, was unanimously nominated for that high office in 1788. There was no political convention nor need of one to nominate our first President. The people were a unit for the man who was "first in war. first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" ; and the Presidential electors wdio were chosen in January, 1789. cast every ballot in February for George Washington.^

He was elected for four years from the fourth of March, ^ 1789, but did not take the oath of office, nor enter upon its duties till the 30th of April, the day he delivered his inaugural speech. James Anderson, was now, (1789) twenty-one, an ardent admirer of \Vashington, and cordial supporter of his administration.

1 "In event it appeared that amidst ttie discordance of opinion respecting the merits of the Federal Constitution there was but one sentiment throughout the United States respecting the man who should administer the government. On counting the votes of the electors of President and Vice President, it was found that General George Washington had their unanimous suffrage and was chosen President of the United States for four years from the 4th of March, 1780." From Life of Washington, by- Aaron Bancroft. D. D., written in 1807.

- It was not possible for Washington to reach New York, the tempor- •ary capital of the country by the 4th of March, for the official notice of his election was not received till April 14th. On the 16th of April he left Mt. Vernon for New York, and reached that city on the 2.3d. His journey thither was one continuous ovation. By a resolution of Congress, the oath of office was administered, and the Inauguration took place April 30th. It was in January 17S.T that Congress decided to change the seat of Government from -Philadelphia to New York city.

In 1792 he advocated his re-election. Washington, declining a third term, he espoused the cause of John Adams, in 1796; but in 1800, and 1804, his first choice was Thomas Jefferson. In 1808, and 1812, he supported James Madison; and in 18 1 6 and 1820, James Monroe. In 1824, Henry Clay was his favorite, but in 1828 he preferred John Quincy Adams. In 1832, Clay was again his favorite candidate, but in 1836, and 1840, he voted for his old comrade in arms (under Wayne) William Henry Harrison. The old soldiers who fought under Gen. Wayne, in his Indian campaigns, were pleased with the stand taken by Harrison, in behalf of "Wayne's men." He said they had suffered more hardships, and received less reward than any of our patriotic soldiers before or since ; and that if elected, one of his first acts would be an effort to have their wrongs righted and their just claims allowed. I have often heard James. Anderson's son John, repeat tliis. The substance of this will be found in Gen. W. H. Harrison's speech at Fort Meigs^ in 1840. When Henry Clay was again a candidate in

Note. What induced my ancestors, — people of intelligence and means — to settle in Faii-field county. Ohio, early in April 1806, I cannot say. Gen. Thomas Ewing: once told me that Clear Creek, where they settled, contained some of the finest scenery in the world. Gen. W. T. Sherman, in his "Memoirs, written by himself," says that his father commenced practicing' law in Lancaster, Ohio, in 1810, "and continued there till the time of his death in 1829. I have no doubt," he says, "that he was in the first instance attracted to Lancaster, by the natural beauty of its scenery, and the charms of its already established society." These considerations may pos- .sibly have influenced my grandfather and great-grandfather.

' The following extracts from a speech by Gen. William Henry Harrison, delivered at Ft. Meigs, during the Presidential Campaign of 1840, will be found in a book (in the State Library), compiled by A. B. Norton of Mt. Vernon, O. "I see many of my old companions here, [soldiers who fought under Wayne,] and I see not a few of the Revolutionary veterans around me. Would to God it had ever been in my power to have made them comfortable and happy, that their sun might go down in peace. But my fellow citizens, they [Wayne's soldiers] remain improvided for — monuments of the ingratitude of my country. It was with the greatest difficulty that the existing pension act was passed through Congress. But why was it restricted? Why were the brave soldiers who fought under Wayne excluded? Soldiers who suffered far more than they who fouglit in the Revolution proper. The Revolution in fact did not terminate until 1794, until the battle was fought upon the battle-ground [Fallen Timbers] upon which my eyes now rest, -f * * Until then the great highway to the West was the scene of unceasing slaughter. * * * i have said that the soldiers under Wayne experienced greater hardships than even the soldiers of the Revolution, and this is so. Everyone can appreciate the difference between an Indian and a regular war. * * * Well my fellow citizens, I can only say. that if it sliould ever be in my power to pay the debt due

1844, James Anderson was an earnest advocate of his election,, but died a few days before the close of the Presidential campaign.

I have now given his political record in respect to personal preferences in national contests, from which his views on the engrossing questions of his day may easily be inferred. His father, and grandfather were whigs during the Revolution. He and his sons were Whigs in later times.

In a letter in my possession his son, John, says: "He was a member of the Church of his ancestors, till he settled in Ohio, and then became a meml^er of the M. E. Church. He joined the M. E. Church, simply because there was no Episcopal Church in his neigborhood."

these brave but neglected men, tliat del)t shall first pf all be paid." The whole of this speech appears in Norton's book entitled, "The Great Revolution of 1840. Reminiscences of the Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign." In the "Preface" it is stated that "The songs waked the people up in 1S40, and played a very important part in the great revolution. In the cabins, upon the roads, in the towns and cities, everywiiere sweet voices were singing the songs for 'Tippecanoe and Tyler too.' .Those in this book * * * were the most popular in the days of log cabins, hard cider, etc. The Whigs sung them joyfully: every Harrison man loved a good song."

Chapter III

THOMAS JEFFERSON ANDERSON, the subject of this sketch, son of Capt. James Anderson, was born at the old homestead in Virginia, on the second day of April, 1801, less than a month after the inauguration of President Jefferson, in honor of whom he was named. He was called Thomas for another reason : it was the name of his grandfather. He spent five years of his life at the place of his birth, a beautiful, insulated, romantic spot, bounded by river and mountain : — frontage, the Potomac : background, Knobley mountain. Here on the banks of the historic river was the scene of his infantile gambols, where he whiled away the time till the removal of the familv. In Ohio, he attended school whenever the schoolmaster taught, which was not many months of the year ; and assisted his father and brothers in clearing, draining, fencing and tilling the land, and in caring for the stock until he was nearly a man.

The Andersons reached Lancaster, Ohio, as has been stated, ■on the sixth day of April, 1806, and their farms on Clear Creek the following day. This lovely valley was then a wild region, occupied by wild beasts, a few white settlers, and bands of roving Indians more or less hostile. After Wayne's treaty at Greenville, with the Indians, they were called friendly, yet white people in a settlement as remote as Fairfield county, particularly women and children, long stood in fear and were in more or less danger. Indians were occasionally slain by lawless white men, and retaliation sometimes followed. So the settlers had cause to fear the tomahawk of the skulking savage for many j^ears after my relatives came to Ohio. And the Indians were actually hostile, as the reader well knows, during the last war with Great Britain ; and for two or three years, the poor defenseless settler thought, when the twilight shadows began to fall, that every forest tree concealed the bloody tomahawk of the lurking savage. It was indeed a time to excite fear in the breast of the bravest, for the settlers were in constant danger, day and night, and but for the unwavering friendship of the Wyandots, many would have lost their lives.