Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/302

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY,

��(about two thousand men), the hitter part of August.*

The General Government had no military stores from which supplies could be drawn, nor was it possible to obtain a sufficient quantity of cloth, or a reasonable number of lilankets, to supply the army then in the service with even one-half which the health and comfort of the troops required ; nor had the State any means of meeting the necessities of the troops on short notice. The consequence was that those who were unable to purchase their own neces- saries (and most of them were) suffered greatly. To supply the army with rations in a very sparsely settled frontier region, where the inhabitants were few in numljer and had not enough for themselves, and the commissary department destitute of funds to purchase or transport from a distance, was a matter of the utmost difficulty ; indeed, it presented a barrier almost insurmountable. With all these diffi- culties, Gen. Beall felt the necessity of pushing forward, his first day's march taking him to the Tuscarawas River, near where Massillon is now located. After halting here a few days, he continued his march into the present county of Wayne, and camped about three weeks on the west side of the town of Wooster. Here he erected a block-house, and was joined by two or three new companies. His camp here was called " Camp Christmas."' Here he learned of the Zimmer murder, and dispatched a company of men to that neighliorhood. This company returned in a few days, and reported that they were unable to find the Indians who committed the murder.

From Camp Christmas the arm}' continued its march west, so as to cover the border settle- ments, encamping the first night on the west bank of the Killbuck, cutting a road wide enough to permit the baggage wagons to pass.

about the 25th of September ; another, that he had arrived at Wooster, with the main body of his army, when the Zimmer and Copus tragedies occurred. As these tragedies occurred early in September, the above date is believed to be correct.
 * One authority fays, Gen. Beall began organizing his troops

��From there, ]:>y the most direct route, a road was cut to Jeromeville. At the latter place, Gen. Beall detached Capt. Murray to occupy the block-house, and at the same time sent forward a party of pioneers, under guard, to cut a road through to the State road, which had been opened from Zanesville to the mouth of Huron River. This party started west, about 12° north. About three miles from Jeromeville the army camped on a small stream, on what was subsequently known as the Griffin farm. This camp was called " Mus- ser," in honor of Maj. Musser, who commanded one of the regiments. They remained in this camp, in the northern part of Vermillion Town- ship, about two weeks, and it was during their sta}' here that the " Battle of Cowpens " occurred, referred to in the histor}' of that township.

The pioneers, who had been sent forward, cut the road through the north part of Vermill- ion and south part of Montgomery, passing two or three miles east of the present town of Ashland, and through Milton Township, in a northwesterly direction. This was known many years as "Beall's Trail," and was used as a common highway bj' the settlers. Gen. Beall then moved forward, aiming to keep between the enemy and the settlement, and encamped on a small stream near the present site of the village of Olivesburg, within the present limits of Richland County. This was called " Camp Whetstone." owing to the quality of stone found there, which made excellent whetstones. Remaining there aljout a week, he moved for- ward to the present site of the Shenandoah ; thence he turned southwest about one and a half miles, and again went into camp on the bank of a small stream, and on the north and south road, to better enable him t(j get forward supplies.

The troops of Gen. Beall had been called into service by the Governor of the State for the purpose of protecting the frontier settlements.

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