Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/301

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COI^NTY.

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��at Clinton, Knox County ; also at Bellville. and one (according, to the recollection of Dr. Busli- nell) east of Lucas, on the Rocky Fork, near the eastern line of Monroe Township ; Thomas Coul- ter's cabin, near Perrysville, was converted into a block-house ; there was a block-house at Wooster, then a small village, and Capt. Mur- ray, of Gen. Beall's arm}^, was sent to Jerome- ville, where he erected a block-house for the protection of the settlers along the Lake and Jerome Forks. Many families, not near enough to get into these block-houses, or preferring to remain nearer their homes, collected together and fortified the strongest of their cabins. There was a good deal of fear and confusion along the frpntier, the settlers fearing that the Indian hordes of Tecumseh would soon be upon them. However, in a few days after the cowardly surrender of Hull, the frontier line was fairly protected. On the west end, at Upper Sandusk}-, was (len. Harrison, awaiting supplies and re-enforcements ; at Mansfield was Col. Kratzer with several companies of militia and two good block-houses ; at Wooster, (len. Beall was collecting an army, and between Wooster and Mansfield the difterent block-houses were rapidly garrisoned by the troops of Beall or Kratzer. The line was very quickly com- plete, though weak in places. Roads had been cut between these points so that any part of this line could be speedily re-enforced. This was the condition of things in Septemljer, 1812.

Early in September. Gen. Reasin Beall began raising a brigade for the protection of the frontier and the assistance of Gen. Harrison. As it is necessary to give pretty fully the par- ticulars of this expedition, a sketch of Gen. Beall's life may be appropriately inserted here.

Reasin Beall was born in Maryland, Decem- ber 3. 1769 ; removed with his parents, while yet young, to Washington County, Penn., where they made a permanent settlement. In 1790, Beall served in Gen. Harmar s campaign against

��the Indians, as an oflflcer in the Quartermaster's department, and was in the action under Col. Hardin, when that oflflcer was defeated near Fort Wayne, by the Indians under Little Turtle. Beall then returned to his friends in Pennsylvania, and was not in the disastrous campaign of Gen. St. Clair : but, when Wa3'ne took command of the army, and led it to vic- tory over the Miami Indians, he accompanied him in the capacity of Ensign. In this cam- paign he became intimately acquainted with Captain, afterward General, Harrison, who was on Gen. Wayne's staff. In 1793, he re- signed his position in the army and retiu-ned to his friends in Pennsylvania, where he was married to Miss Rebecca Johnson. In 1801, he removed with his family, and settled, for a short time, in Steubenville ; removing, in the fall of 1803 to New Lisbon, in Columbiana County. He was here when the war of 1812 began, holding the position of Clerk of the Court. He had served long enough in the army to give his mind a military turn, and to render his services desirable l)y the Govern- ment. Soon after his removal to New Lisbon, he was made Colonel of militia, and, a few years afterward, was promoted to Brigadier General, which office he held at the breaking- out of the war. When the news of the sur- render of Hull reached him, Gen. Beall put him- self at the head of his command, and marched to the relief of the settlements in Richland and Wayne Counties. His command was made up of a regiment from Jefferson and Han-ison Counties, a regiment from Columbiana, and a small draft from Stark, all of which rendez- voused at Canton, in Stark County, where Gen. Beall. being the senior otficer, took com- mand. While collecting and drilling his troops at Canton, Gen. Beall sent forward a few squad- rons in detachments, to reconnoiter the country west, afford pi'otection to the ti-embling settlers, and garrison the newly constructed block- houses, beginning his march with the main army

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