Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-02-19
History of Ashtabula Township.
Written IN 1S5G-.trom tie Times.


The war of 1919 was calmitous to the
people of Ashtabula, in common with
those of the other infant settlements in
Northern Ohio, especially the borderers
on Lake Erie, on whose bosom floated
the British feet without opposition, dur
ing the fist half of the war, nearly.
Their fears were excited by frequent
alarms and expectations of INVASION by
the enemy. The most active and strong
men were called frequently out to reprl
such invasions, while Others must 90 to
replenish the army. Drawn away thus
from their avocaticns, from their homes,
the cultivation of their new farms, SO
necessary to their sustenance, and from
the needed care of their families, there
were great privations and sulftrings en-
dured. The settlement and improve
ment Of the country were retarded, and
well nigh suspended.
The difficulty of obtaining salt and
other necessaries from abroad, on account
OF their liability to seizure by the enemy
on the lake, and the high prices created
by such risk, was the source also OF great
suffering
The surrender of Detroit, by Gov.
Hull, to the British and their command
OF Lake Erie, kept the inhabitants on
the alert. 1t let in the savage allies OF
the English upon those OH our western
frontier, some of whom were massacred
by them, and the reut driven into the In-
terror settlements good distance to the
south of Sandusky and Huron, and to
the east of the Cuyahoga. Nor were
the people in the lake country east of the
Cuyahoga in state of conscious security.
Even the women felt it necessary to use
their endeavors to keep their husbands
and sons in readiness to meet the enemy.
The elder men who were exempt by law
from military duty, but had been soldiers
Of the American Revolution, formed
themselves into committees of vigilance,
and into companies with leaders, to
watch the motions of the enemy, to
counsel, and to fight, if the shores of
Ashtabula should be invaded. These
men, possessed OF military experience,
were useful guards and good advisers,
and contributed greatly to our cause also,
by iniusing much OF their still cherished
martial spirit into their juniors OF the
militia. Capt. John II. Read was a
brave and accomplished officer. He
commanded the regular company N, of
reiment N, of OLio militia, belonging to
Ashtabula. He kept his eye upon the
movements of the enemy, placed guards,
taking alternately ont of his company in
divisions of some eight or ten men, at
the landing, at the mouth of the Ashta-
bula. In one of these detachments of
guards, posted at this place, was John
Hall, the writer of this sketch, with
VIM. Foster, James Morecratt, Obed
Edwards, David White, Samuel Strong,
John Gordon and James Gordon, as
nearly as he can reeolect their names.
John Hall was chosen TO order and mar
shal the party, and to report their obser-
vations and doings. This was in May,
1918, it is believed. The guards discov-
cred sail, about passing mp the lake to-
wards Detroit, considerable distance
from shore. As it wohld have been
hazardous tor our own craft to sail SO far
from laud, we supposed this TO be an
enemy's boat laden with supplies, per-
haps, for Maiden. We fred upon her to
bring her 10. We gained nothing but a
return shot from her, as harmless as we