New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-10-05
THE EARLY PIONEERS OF OHIO.

The difficulties attendant such an enterprise a.
TIE FIRE; settlement Of Ohio cannot readlybe sppre-
bended by ihose who pass from Sew-York to Cincin-
natl in thirty six hours suffering neither from cold nor
hunger, end bu, little from fstigue. But in l77s the
roads scross tie Aegheries bat little better than
nature made the n, ard in consequence, very strong
tea ms were required transport small losds Of goods
and provisions The settlements inthe western part
o. Pernsylvenis were new and feeble, so that no
great assistance could be derived from hem The
mills imperfect, and cu Of access, the roads
lad the settlements fes. 50 that ernigrant- were
thrown principally on their own resources. The frst
colony was settled abou, two hundred miles below
Ptistureb. and their DeGrest neighbors were a.
Wheeling, The settlement Of which had been CON-
nenoed in ITO. Eighty miles 20 q neighbors house
make inconven'ent distance for sudden ernerssn-
cies In addition 10 the ordinary diiiicultie. OF the
work another wac found in the evaporation q: many
Indian ribes some Of whom were our enemies during
tie Revolutionary War and all Of whom felt more or
lees keenly the ressto-s encroachmens Of white ci
viiizston on territory which they called their
To colony si'uated like thu: which landed &. Mari
eta in l7ss q master mind indispensable
oesiiy to devi-e ways and means in all difficulties,
and have moral force enough 10 bend every will 10
Liz own. The very circumstances Of the cGse seemed
to require code Of rules in some respect. similar
10 thst which regulate armies Such code was
adoIted. 70 Ear a. 70 make the superin'eni-
ert q all the movements Of the colony during the
Journey and for some time after reaching the place Of
settlement. Tie Office ust have been one requir-
ing 20 small patience and talent and by the unani-
nous assent Of bis companions the man selected for
tLis difficult post combined in himself the frnes cour
age the most untiring patience. and the best jgdg-
nent. oil Of which he e1erted Ike good man in the
conscientious discharge Of hi duty. NJ name among
tie early setlers of Ohio II any in all her his
tory. Is more houored and spo-ss than that OF the
commander Of The frs colony north of the Ohio Ru'
fus Putnam.
There were no less than eleven revolutionary OH
Gers in the fret dea hmen Of the colouy OF forty
eight men, md Of the remainder quite number were
private soldiers in that war and It i not Improbable
that tie good order which prevailed amoog them "as
in rart attributable to their habits OF obedience to Gu
periors az learned IN the army
II will BE remeu bered tina. the names of Rufus
"Puinan and " Benjamin Upper were signed
TO the information which first led to the formation
of the Ohio Company. Both Of them we're officers in
the Revolutionary War, The a Brigat er General,
and tho other Colonel. "A d. Hildreh intnates,
Ner attention had been turned TO the Ohio Valley by
Gen. Washin eton during those dark and almost hope
less times when the triumph of the British seemed in
eyitable WASHINGTON sometimes spoke Of the West
"a place Of retreat in case OF defeat doubt
sideng the scheme Of independence there As fe,sbe
If their worst apprebensons should be realized
Rufus Putnam was descended from good New
England race of people, and was born April g. 1888
Hs father and Major General Israel Pu'nam, Of wolf
osD father when
was seven years old he was brought under the iufl'
ence of rough and iterate s,ep.father who ridI-
cuJedbooks and scholars unspsringly but Rufus was
hungry for knowedge spd his biographer states thar
he Obtained bic first spelling book and arithmetic by
the few pence which he received from travellers who
stopred at his step-fathtrs tavern. tn money he
invested in ammunition, with which he shoe game for
market He bad no teacher, but his natural Persever
anee took the place Of one Untaugh, also he learned
to rite. From the age OF sixteen to nnetee he was
working as an apprentice to the mill.wright trade
q a his master, although himself iiteraie gave Ru-
fus candles by which 10 study during the winter
Arithmetic. geography, and h srcr' occupied his
fine and 10 these he made gre It advancement. The
very diff culues Of his situation developed patience,
self-relcnce and hopefulnes-. At the age OF nine
teen he was possessed Of great muscular vigor and
endurance At tbs age he enlisted private soldier
and Cor two year. was in the army, the most of the
fine north Of Albany. " duris this period that
lis atte nton was fl g, turned engineering, and the
hcler mathematics although he did not make much
acvancemon, in them until years aiterward,
when Col Timothy Dwight, the father of President
Dwight OF Yale College aided him in his studies.
From this time, say from 1859 he practical sur
veyor, a. wos sf,erwgrd appointed by Washington
the frs, Surveyor General of the Uoited States.
When the revolution began. Putnam vas among
the fret 10 seize ara and hurry 10 the con bet the
REGIMENT in which he was q leurensnt-coonel was
stationed at Roxbury 1873 and it is fact, not gen.
eraly known that Rufus Putnam engineered the lines
of defense at that point 10 able manner as to ex-
cite the ad oiraiop OF Washington In l776, in the
win,er he plai ned and executed the frtifcaons of
Dorchester lights which led TO the ,cuaton Of
BostNn BY the British Tbs brilliant achievement
by a man who Rad bad previous education in the
schools At once placed him ~ marked msn IN
Wathinetoh's esteem, and from that time until me
close OF bis life be maintained the most friendly feel
ngs for Putnam frequently ntrusting hun with df-
cult and dang, enterprises, in wlih hs courage
and good judgment we're invaluable. N NE close
of this year Putnam resigned bis position az engineer
and accepted the command Of regiment in the
"Ma.sscluset,s line" Gen Washir gton accepted
tie resignation With evident regret and manv Halter
ing expressions At this time be wrote to Congress
ss follows:
"For want Of some establishment in the Depart
mepr Of Engineer agreeable 20 the plan laid before
Copgrtss il October last, Col Putnam who WA at the
read of il, has quilted and ,ase regiment IN the
State of Massaci usetts know of no other man t'-
erahly ell quail fed for the conducting Of that busi-
ness. None Of tie French gentlemen whom | have
seen with appointments in thai way appear to know
al, hing Of The matter"
,--- p,.ra,o,s rao;nent scted n cons nicuous part