The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-08-10
Letter from John Harmon, Esq.
n. al l..


To the Editor ofths Portage Sentinel:
, As you are aware, l was called upon OF
f the Fourth, at the celebration on the County
\ Fair Grounds, to respond to the toast, "Tht
q officers and soldiers OF the war Of 1884," ant
9 though you reported me as responding to it
the few words said can scarcely be called
a response. While those who responded tC
other toasts were previously notified anc
3 therefore prepared, l had no notice that
should be called upon, or that such toss
was pending, until It was announced at the
table. Had been before notified / SHOULD
have been prepared to do my best.
Perhaps it may not be too late now, to say
something of those times, when every patriot
: was expected to do his duty, in war or in
peace. was then young, just arrived al
twenty-five. The British king and his coun'
sellors had not, it appeared, given up The
hope of fre.subjugating the revolted colonies
and many outrages were committed by theil
authority. on American citizens on the "high
seas" and even in our own waters. They
claimed and exercised the right to board and
search our merchant vessels, and many thou.
sands of our citizens were impressed there
from, and compelled to serve in their wars
The depredations of the British on our com.
merce on the ocean were counted by mil
lions.
Jefferson, who was notoriously q man of
peace, sought to avoid war, and bring the
British to terms by a non.intercourse and by
laying an embargo on our vessels to prevent
their venturing on the ocean thus TO quit
dealing with those who misused and plum.
dered us. But that failed 10 cure the evil.
That way of avoiding war does better with
individuals than with nations. 1t distressed
many laboring people on both sides of the
water, but did not distress the British aris-
tocracy much, and they persevered in their
outrOges, hoping. as have ever believed, to
produce schism, and civil war among US,
and thus to divide, weaken, md finally sub.
due US. They employed emissaries among
US to create disaffection to the Union, and a
portion of the old federal party, opposed to
Jefferson's and Madison's administrations,
advocated dissolution of this Union and o
Northern Confederacy. heard one ofthem,
in 1907, leading one of the federal party
too, in this county, while denouncing the ad.
ministra ton of Jefferson declare that he
"preferred the British Constitution, monar.
chy and all, to our own; he hoped for divis.
ion of this Union, and that he would be in.
cluded in the northern division-thot if he
should not be included with New England
on division he would remove into it," He
was good man and good patriot at heart
but had been imbued with erroneous notions
by reading federal partisan newspapers and
had the satisfact ction afterwards to observe
hered as long as he lived. He had been
victim to the wiles of British emssaries, who
were increasingly employed in sowing dis
sensicns among US, until the close of the war
of 1912, when their efforts ceased with the
demise of the famous Hartford Convention,
when oil their hopes of re-conquering Amer.
lea, were finally blasted. The wisdom and
strength of our government, and the ntelli.
gence and patriotism of the people, was an
overmatch for British gold and British Gun.
ming.
The War Of 1912, was declared by our Gov.
ernment, June Is, 1912, by the votes in Con.
gress of the Democratic Republican mem.
bers, opposed by the whole Federal party in
Congress, by strong minority vote, and by
that party declared an unholy, wicked war,
und SO preached by a large portion of the
clergy of the eastern States. With them
and eastern capitalists, combined to withhold
the money from our government, the prose-
cution Of the war was much retarded. Our
north western frontier, in Ohio and Michi. !
gan, was much exposed, weak and defence
less. Congress had, the February previous,
the President to accept the servi.
ces of $4,000 volunteers and in Ohio sew
eral thousands had volunteered, encourage ed
10 do SO by the call of Governor Meiggs, and |
The example of such men as Lewis Cass,
then q resident of Zanesville, of Darean
of Chillicothe, and James Find
ley, of Cincinnati, who volunteered as pr.
Yates and were elected to command others
no less ardent and patriotic. In this county,
Col. John Campbell, afterwards a General
of Militia, called his regiment together on
The 23d of May, and volunteered as private,
and addressed his regiment, urging that
sufficient number should volunteer to form q
and TO enable them 10 elect their
officers. The volunteers as they turned out,
were marched in front OF the regiment, &C.
by stirring music, and urged by /
stirring appeals of Col. Campbell to "faH
ta," and after several marches and counter.
marches, it was announced that fifty one
men had volunteered, which, by the law,
would authorize US to elect our commission.
ed officers and the same evening we met
and elected Col. John Campbell. our Cap.
tain, Capt. Alva Day, first Lieutenant, Capt,
John CARTS, second Lieutenant, and Aaron
Weston, Ensign. Our two lieutenants are
still living. We also proceeded to elect
non-commissioned officers, and then went