The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-19
THE SON OF FIVE STATES.
Sketch of the Life and Services of
General Thomas Posey,
The Last Territorial Governor of Indiana
A Man Who Would Have HOnOred
the Lineage of Washington.


diana Territory, was born in Virginia, on the
banks of the Potomac July 8, 1850. He was
the son of farmer, and grew up farmers
boy. His education was scanty, being con-
fined to those branches ordinarily taught in
the country schools of that day. The family
was respectable, but not wealthy, and the
high distinction afterward reached by Gen
eral Posey cannot be attributed to family
influence, nor the efforts of powerful friends
1t was the work of himself.
When nineteen years old, young Posey
left his paternal home and went into the
western part of the State, then the
frontier of civilization. He was,
no doubt, prompted to this
change, by spirit OF adventure and a desire
to find full scope for his daring nature.
Soon after locating in his new home, the &C.
casion offered for him to go soldering, and
he eagerly embraced it. 1t was in the year
of IVA, the year of Dunmores expedition
against the Indians, that he first put on the
knapsack and shouldered his musket Dun
more's army was in two divisions, one of
which was commanded by himself and the
other by General Lewis. The plan of the
campaign was for Dunmore to march to
Pttsburg and thence down the Ohio river to
the mouth of the Kanawha, where the united
army was to rendezvous. Lewis was to cross
the mountain, march down the Kanawha val
ley and join Dunmore. Posey was with Lewis,
and when that General reached the appointed
rendezvous he encamped, to await the
arrival OF his superior. But when Dunmore
reached Pittsburg he changed his mind, and
instead of going forward to join Lewis he
marched his army against the Shawanee
towns on the Scioto. On the 10th of October,
1774, Lewis was attacked by large body OF
Indians under Cornstaik, and one of the
bloodest battles ever fought by Indians and
white men took place. Seventy-five Virgin
ians were killed outright and 140 wounded,
while the loss of the Indians was still greater.
The latter were defeated and driven away,
and soon after peace was established at Camp
Charlotte by the treaty between Lord Dun
more and the Indians. The battle between
General Lewis and Cornstalk is known
in history as the battle of Point Pleas
ant Posey behaved with great galant-y,
giving evidence of the GOODNESS and bravery
which afterward made him one of the most
conspicuous figures in the military service
of his country.
The war having ended, Posey went back to
his home in western Virginia, but did not
long pursue his peaceful avocations. The
next year 1775) war broke out between the
colonies and Great Britain. Posey was
elected a member of the committee of CORE
spondence OF his county, similar committees
being chosen in the other counties of the
colony the purpose being to keep the people
advised of what was going on and to draw
them together in closer union. Shortly after
haA
company Of infantry and took it to the field
His commander was the Gen. Lewis under
whom he had already fought, and the
enemy against which he marched was led by
Lord Dunmore who had been Lewis's supe-
rior officer the year before. The two armies
met at Gwyn's Island and in the battle which
followed Dunmore was beaten and driven off
the field.
After the Virginia campaign had ended,
the regiment to which Captain Posey was at
tached Joined the army of Washington in
the Jerseys. The company then became a
part of regiment of picked men, armed
with the rifle and commanded by Colonel
Morgan, which did gallant service on many a
field AT Piscataway it was surrounded BY
the enemy and cut its way out in hand to
hand fight, which left many brave
man on the ground Afterwards it was
with Gates at Saratoga and helped compass
the surrender of Burgoyne there Suisse
quently Captain Posey was given command
of this noted regiment, and headed it at the
drawn battle of Monmouth. In 1878 the
regiment was sent to the relief of the people
of Wyoming whose calamites have been
made the subject of one of our finest poems.
In the spring of 1873, Colonel Posey Joined
the main army under Washington and was
assigned to the command of the Eleventh
Infantry. Subsequently his regiment was
transferred to the army of Wayne, and was
with it at the taking OF Stony Point. Mar
oh Of il,
this battle:
Colonel Fleury was the first to enter the
fort and strike the British standard Major
Posey mounted the works almost at the same
instant, and was the first to give the watch
word, The forts our own
After the taking of Stony Point, Colonel
Posey went to South Carolina, and subse-
quently to Yorktow at which place he wit
messed Cornwalliss surrender. In the win
ter of 1872 he served with Wayne in Geor-
gia, and on the oath of June, 1881, was in the
battle, near Savannah, fought with Gurister-
sligo and his Indian followers In this battle
Posey killed several Indians with his own
hands, displaying the greatest galantry
throughout the entire engagement After
this he served with Greene in South Carolina,
being with him when peace was declared.
During the Revolutionary war Colonel
Posey lost the wife of his youth. After the
peace he married again, and settled in Spot
sylvania county, Va.
In 1885 Colonel Posey was appointed colo
mel of the militia of his county, and the next
year was made county lieutenant an office
OF much honor and dignity. He continued
to act as county lieutenant and magistrate
until 1893, when he was again called into the
military service of his country
The Indians in the Northwest continued
hostile. Many had been the expeditions sent
against them, and many the chastsements
they had received, but they had not been
conquered. Washington determined to break
their spirit and subdue them, and with these
ends in view, he appointed Mad Anthony
Wayne to conduct an expedition against
them. He also selected Generals Wilkinson
and Posey as his lieutenants These men
were all revolutionary soldiers and had had
large experience in fighting the foe they were