Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-11-16

Hon. Jas. Garfield has sent to the
Secretary of the Western Reserve His
torical Society the following letter,
which the Cleveland Herald publishes !:
HIRAM, Oct. IA, 1871.
Il. F. Goodman, Secretary, &C., CTere-
land, Ohio:
DEAR SIR While recently spend
ing a day in Dresden, Ohio, l called
on the venerable Geo. w Cass, whose
high character, marked ability and
wonderful memory make an hour spent
in his company long TO be remember
ed. He has been resident of Dres-
den since 1901, and has the most per-
feet recollection of the leading events
in the history of the State, and par
ticularly of the Muskineum Valley
Among many recollections of early
scenes and events in Ohio, the histor ry
of journey made by him in 1907 was
of peculiar interest to me, as afording
a basis for understanding the marvel
Gus growth of Ohio. Mr.. Cass, broth
er of the late Lewis Cass, is the son
of Jonathan Cass, who was an officer
in the sr.ny of the revolution, and af
ter the war was a major of infantry,
and served under Gen. Wayne, on the
Northwestern frontier, in the last de
eade of the 18th century. In 1897
Major Cass was on duty at Fort Ham
ilton, now Hamilton, Ohio. In June
of that year he received a furlough,
and, with his family, went to his home
in Exeter, N. H. At that period there
was but one settlement in what is now
Ohio, that at Marietta, begun in I18S.
There were, however, several military
posts viz: Fort Washington,now Gin
Fort Recovery, Fort Wayne, and Fort
Defiance. Beyond and between these
places lay the unbroken wilder
ness. The route taken by Major Cass
and his family was the shortest in dis
tance of any then possible. This is
the route as described to me by Mr..
Cass, who was eleven years old when
the journey was made. They pushed
up the Big Miami in keel boats to near
Fort Loramie and thence passed over
a portage of three miles, to the head,
waters of the st. Mary's river. That
stream they descended in batteau, and
were piloted by half breed Indian
MIR. Cass remembers seeing vast mum
bers of fish in the clear waters as they
descended. They passed down the
Maumee to the lake, and thence rowed
along the shore to Detroit. After
waiting at that point about ten days,
they took passage on board British
schooner, and landed just abo7e Mag
ara Falls. They were carted around
the Falls; and taking batteau, towed
along the southern shore of Lake On
talio, stopping nights and pitching
their tents in the unbroken wilderness
until they reached the mouth of the
OswegO river, which they assembled
until ttIcy-cnte4Aed- small lake, Mr.
Cass thinks it was Oneida lake auf
from that up a small stream, at the
head of which was wooden lock thro
which they passed down into the wa
ters of the Mohawk and thence to Al
bany. There they took stages to Bos
ton, and thence to Exeter. n. H The
whole journey consumed three month
the actual running time being seven
ty five days. The journey from Ham
ilton, Ohio, to Exeter, N H., can now
be made in thirty hours.
suggest to the Historical Societ.
that the precious personal reeollec
tions of such man as Mr.. Gas
should be preserved. He is a mos
amiable and intelligent gentleman, an,
one of the few who has seen the Who'll
! growth of Ohio, almost from the be
ginning of its territorial existence
Though now eighty five years of age
| few men know more fully the histor
Of events daily transpiring in the worl
f than he, and few their signeficanc
and tendency with more judgment.
t Very truly yours,