Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-03-15
on its school-room walls; and those
two Rogers groups in the coruers.-
N. E. Farmer.
OId.Time Politics.

AN OHIO SENATOR WHO DIED AT HI!
POST OVER HALF CENTURY SINCE
A HERO OF THE WAR OF 1917 AND 4
PARTICIPANT WITH JACKSON IN HIS
FLORIDA CAMPAIGN.
The subject of the following sketch
was the second brother of the late Mrs.
Margaret C. McCue, mother of Col. Jno
Marshall McCue. and widow of james
A. McCue, decd. He was also frs
cousin on his mother's side of the late
Jno. and Franklin McCue of the Long
Meadows, as also cousin to Jas. A. Nc
Cue and nearly related to other leading
families in Augusta
To the Editor of the Enquirer:
Among the really great and patriotic
men Ohio has sent forth to do her and
themselves honor there are but few SO
little known to the present generation,
yet few deserve to be remembered among
the old-time politicians more, than that
soldier, statesman, scholar, William
Allen Trimble, who died United States
Senator in December, 1921, at the young
age, for the eventful life he had led. of
thirty six years. He came of Revolu
tionary stock. His father. James Trim
BILE, was Captain in the Virginia line.
In 1888 he removed. with his family, to
Woodford county, Kentucky, in which
State the son received an excellent edu-
cation at Transylvania University, and
commenced the study of law at Paris.
KY, under the tuition of his kinsman,
Judge Robert Trimble, since deceased,
but then Judge of the United States
Court The death of the father caused
the removal of the family to Ohio, on
the invitation of Allen Trimble, who
was distinguished man in Ohio poll
tics. and is now remembered as Govern
or Trimble, who. as the eldest of the
sons of Captain Trimble, acted fathers
part. The law studies of Captain Trim
BILE were finished in the law office of the
late VIM. HI Creighton, of Chillicothe
the preceptOr at the time being q MEN,
ber of Congress.
The declaration of war against Great
Britain tested the politics as we'll as the
gallantry of young Trimble. He had
opened a law Office in Hillsboro when
war was proclaimed. At the time he
heard it he was on his way to Court in
another county, where he was to argue
his f rst law case, at West Union. Half
way between Hiilsboro and West Union
he met courier, well, mounted, "bloody
with spurring and fiery hot with speed"
who proclaimed the news, and showed
an order from General Duncan Nc
Arthur to raise quota of men to aid
in filing the regiment which Macarthur
afterward commanded. The ardent
Trimble, forgetting his law case, turned
his horses head, and the speech which
he intended to make for his client, in
Adams county, was made for his coun-
try the hext day at Hillsboro to the citi
zen soldiers who were present, as volun-
teers, in defense of their State. lLstead
of one company of one hundred and ten
men required, two companies were rais-
ed, and promptly mustered into service.
Young Trimble entered as high private
in the front rank, but when McArthur's
regiment was formed he was elected
Major of the Fourth United States In
fantry. These gallant men, with the
brigade of General Findlay, traversed
the thenfwilderness ofsOhio through the.
famed Black Swamp, distance of four
hundred miles to Detroit, to garrison
that fated fort, when victory was GER
tain, had it not been for the treason,
the drunkenness or the imbeciiity of
General Hull, who surrendered it with
out blow being struck in it's Defense
For this Hull was tried, convicted and
sentenced to death, but, in consequence
of his Revolutionary service, and the
feeling in the public mind in favor of
his gallant namesake and kinsman.-
Captain Hull, Of the frigate Constitu
tion, who had then just conquered the
English frigate President Madison
spared his life aud dismissed him from
public employment. The entire Ameri
can army, Including the Ohio troops,
then but few days. march to succor
the fort, were included by General Hull
in the surrender, and thus the regiments
of Coionels Macarthur and Cass were
made prisoners of war. With the men
anu officers OF McArthur's regiment,
the Major soon found himself prisoner
to the British, but was paroied, as were
most OF the others until exchanged. But
from the fact that the United States at
the time held but few prisoners of the
rank Of Major Trimble. an exchange
was difficult, and hence he was debarreG
from active duty in the field. He was
appointed Major ofthe Sixteenth United
Statet Infantry, new regiment to be
recruited in Ohio. While engaged in
recruiting ut Dayton, he made propo-
sition to General Harrison that if his
uncle, Allen Trimbie. was made Colo>
mel he, the Major, would enga ge to raise
battalion of five Hundred mounted
men, for the relief of Fort Wayne, then
beleaguered by the celebrated Indian
Chief Tecumseh, and this he would do
SO as to have horses aud men in Dayton
within ten days. These pledges, by the
most Getiye exertions, he redeemed, and
with the aid of these Highland and
Adams county volunteers, marched to
Fort Wayne and dispersed the Indians
forced them to evacua'G thRt town on
the Mississenewa River. thus enabling
Harrison with his army to march to
Fort Meigs. Soon after the exchange
of Major Trimble was efec ed, and he
Joined his regiment, which had been
consolidated with the Nineteenth,
which, commanded by Colonel Miller
at Lundy,s Lane, stormed British
battery and took 1t. The expedition
was SO hazardous that the commanding
General refused to give the order, but
asked Miller if with his regiment he
could take that battery. Miller's laconic
response, II a0iW try, SIR" has passed
into history, and in after years these
words were worn on the buttons of the
brave regiment. AS part of that COM
mand Major Trimble fought with it at
Chippewa, Niagara, and Lundy's Lane
The night of August IA. 1874. an assault
was made on the American lines by the
entire British army. Major Trimble
was stationed at Buffalo; but, feeling
confident that the attack would be made
that night, volunteered his services,
which General Gaines gladly accepted
The assault was made; the picked troops
of the enemy, led by Colonel Drum
mond and Colonel Scott, succeeded in
scaling Fort Erie, and captured at the
point of the bayonet several batteries,
ind were pressing forward to the point
where Major TrimbIe held his reserve
force. Eiated with this supposed vic
tory, Colonel Drummond shouted the
command to "give the id Yankees no
quarter" when Trlmble's command
fired and charged, hurliDg them to the
outside ditch. Colonel Drummond fell
and died almost at the feet of Major
Trimble. Colonel Scott also fell at the
same fire and bayonet charge. At a
second attack on Fort Erie, while with
his own regiment and in advance, after
storming and carrying two redoubts,
Mr.. Trimble fell, shot through the
Il