FIVE DAYS AT TOLEDO.
Ordered _Paul_ and saddled him myself at Elmore, on the morning of July
seventeenth. In fact it was my usual custom, while riding through the
rural districts, to personally groom, feed and care for my horse, as I
learned soon after leaving Boston that, unless I attended to his wants
myself, he was most likely to be neglected by those in whose hands he
was placed, and from a selfish standpoint, knowing also the importance
of keeping him in the best possible condition, I never overlooked
anything which was likely to add to his comfort.
On my way from Elmore, I stopped for lunch at a country grocery, hotel
and saloon, four miles from this city. A small piece of bread, a bowl of
milk, and a few crackers covered my refreshment at the "Jack of All
Trades," as upon asking for a second piece of bread I was informed that
I had just eaten the last in the house. There being no further appeal, I
remounted and rode off in the direction of Toledo, where I lectured in
the evening at Lyceum Hall, under the auspices of Forsyth Post, being
introduced by Doctor J. T. Woods, a surgeon of our Volunteer Army
during the late war, and now an active comrade in the G. A. R.
Doctor Woods and I had a long and animated talk at the Boody House over
old times, and especially of Custer, who was greatly admired by both of
us, as he was by every one who knew anything of him. Doctor Woods had
collected a number of articles referring to the General which he thought
of especial interest, among others the following lines which seem to
bear the very impress of Custer's martial spirit:
"The neighing troop, the flashing blade,
The bugle's stirring blast.
The charge, the dreadful cannonade,
The din and shout are past.
No war's wild notes nor glory's peal
Shall thrill with fierce delight
The breast that nevermore may feel
The raptures of the fight."
When our conversation turned upon Toledo, it became more cheerful. The
city, after having survived many reverses of fortune, is now on the eve
of rapid development, and can hardly be said to have a rival in Northern
Ohio. The long and hard battle fought for the soil on which it now
stands is almost forgotten, and instead of arousing the interest of the
stranger with thrilling tales of massacre and war, the Toledoan now
points to the emblems of peace.
Not so far away but that the patriotic citizen may become familiar with
the place is the old battle-field of "Fallen Timbers," where "mad
Anthony Wayne" brought the Indians to bay, and having conquered, pursued
them for ten miles along the Maumee, until he reached Swan Creek, now
in the centre of the town.
This battle is one of the most dramatic in the records of Indian
warfare. It was at a time when the Wabash and Miami tribes had refused
to accept any overtures from the Americans, and when they were
determined to fight out their cause with the help of the British.
Knowing that pacific measures were then superfluous, and that the matter
must be decided by war, Wayne at the head of a splendid support, marched
to the Maumee, erected Fort Defiance at the junction of the Au Glaize,
and then proceeded to a point where he knew the forces of the enemy were
concentrated. The place was in every way favorable to the party in
possession--the river on the left, heavy thickets on the right, and in
front natural breastworks formed by fallen timbers, the result of a
tornado. Into this trap it was necessary to march in order to meet the
foe. Wayne's simple plan of attack was this: to rouse the savages from
their lair with an irresistible bayonet charge, "and when up, to deliver
a close and well-directed fire on their backs."
The result was a victory for the Americans. The Indians and their white
allies, completely routed, made a precipitous retreat, leaving the
battle-field covered with their dead. Hotly pursued, their cornfields
and wigwams destroyed on the way, they were finally ready to acknowledge
that peace was better than war. So ended the great battle of the Maumee,
one of the most fatal in its effect upon the destiny of the red race.
It was after this, when actual contest was over, and the Indians had
been provided for west of the Mississippi, that the Cincinnati Company
laid out a town on the present site and called it Port Lawrence, after
the famous flag-ship in which Perry met the British on Lake Erie. Later,
Major Stickney, a historic pioneer, whose sons, "One" and "Two" Stickney
are equally immortal, laid out Vistula, which afterwards joined Port
Lawrence, under a name destined to become a power in the State--Toledo.
The fortunes of the new town were fluctuating as April weather, and the
faith of property-holders must have grown weak through wavering. Most of
these hard times were due to malaria, which was bred in the neighboring
swamps and forests, and which was an ever-present menace; yet when the
cloud of contention lowered over the tract of land lying between the
territory of Michigan and the State of Ohio, Toledo, the very centre of
the trouble, being claimed by both, was animated enough, although her
neighbor, Monroe, was wont to vex her with such taunts as this:
"The potatoes they grow small, on Maumee,
And they eat them, tops and all, on Maumee."
Potato-tops must have possessed singular virtue, for there was no want
of spirit when the test came "On Maumee."
The "Toledo War," much talked of and laughed over in its day, is passing
slowly into oblivion, and now only an occasional grey-beard brings its
scenes back with amusing reminiscence. The cause of the trouble lay in a
mistake of Congress, which established an impossible boundary line
between Michigan and Ohio, so that the "bone of contention" was a tract
of land eight miles wide at the western end, and five at the eastern,
which both claimed. The people living in this tract were therefore
between two fires, some preferring to be governed by the laws of the
territory, and the others giving their allegiance to Ohio. The
respective governors were the principals in the quarrel, and showed a
strong disposition to fight, while the chief executive at Washington,
being unable to interfere, was obliged to assume the role of a
spectator, advising, however, that the interested parties defer action
until the convening of Congress.
The advantages were pretty evenly divided, except that Michigan, as a
territory, in attempting to prevent the State from enforcing her
supposed right, aroused a strong State pride among the "Buckeyes." The
militia was called out on both sides and Michigan threatened with arrest
those who should attempt to re-mark the boundary line--the compliment
being generously returned by Ohio.
In the midst of these hostilities the Legislature of Ohio created a new
county, calling it Lucas, after the Governor, which included a portion
of the contested territory, and had for its seat the town of Toledo. To
hold court at this county-seat without the intervention of the
authorities of Michigan would virtually decide the case in Ohio's favor,
but how this bold _coup d'etat_ was to be accomplished, and on the date
appointed--the seventh of September--was a question that puzzled the
Governor himself. General Brown, in charge of the Michigan militia, was
reported to be in Toledo at the time, with a force twelve hundred
strong; while Colonel Vanfleet, the Ohio warrior, was to rely upon the
stout hearts of a hundred men, who were to act as _posse_ for the
protection of the court.
When the judges, sheriff and attendants met at Miami to perfect their
plans, on Sunday the sixth of September, they were somewhat fearful of
the issue, and finally left the decision of the matter in the hands of
Colonel Vanfleet. This intrepid Leonidas immediately assumed the
championship of his State with admirable skill, and, walking up and
down, sword in hand, in front of his hundred followers, for a moment's
meditation, turned at last to the judges with these impressive words:
"If you are women, go home; if you are men, do your duty as judges of
the court. I will do mine. If you leave this matter entirely with me, I
will be responsible for your safety and insure the accomplishment of our
object; but if otherwise, I can give you no assurance!"
In the light of present knowledge, the reader of these words, while he
respects and admires the spirit in which they were uttered, and the man
who spoke them, cannot avoid a mild sense of amusement. But this is not
to the point. Matters proceeded seriously on that sixth of September,
1835. Vanfleet called for twenty volunteers, and these having quickly
responded to the call, the Colonel then informed his proteges, probably
not to their surprise, that the seventh of September would begin
immediately after midnight; that the law did not specify any time for
the opening of court, and that if they would rely upon his protection,
they could accomplish their purpose in the face of the foe.
"Governor Lucas wants the court held," he added, "so that by its record
he may show to the world that he has executed the laws of Ohio over the
disputed territory in spite of the vaporing threats of Governor Mason.
Be prepared to mount your horses to start for Toledo at precisely one
o'clock in the morning. I will be ready with my escort."
The appointment was met, and Toledo was reached at three o'clock. The
party proceeded directly to a school-house, and there court was held in
due form of law, its proceedings written out on bits of paper being
deposited in the tall crown of the clerk's hat. When business was over,
the entire party went to a tavern near by for refreshments. Just as the
men were about to indulge in a second cup of cheer, some one called out
that General Brown, with a strong force, was on his way to arrest them.
Glasses were dropped, the little matter of indebtedness to the
saloon-keeper was waived without ceremony, and a moment later not a sign
of the Ohio dignitaries remained.
When they had placed a sufficient amount of the contested soil between
themselves and General Brown, they halted upon a hill to fire a salute,
but at that time it was learned that the clerk's hat, containing the
all-important papers, had been knocked off his head by the limb of a
tree during the retreat. To return might mean capture and the failure of
their plan. To abandon the recovery of the missing hat would be equally
deplorable. Vanfleet accordingly sent back a small detachment to search
the road; "the lost was found," and, at last triumphant, a loud salute
was fired. To say that the men did not then let the grass grow under
their feet is but a mild assertion. It has been said by good
authorities, that if the retreating party had charged General Brown's
regiment with half the force they employed in getting away, they could
have routed a force twice its size. When Congress convened, however,
they had the satisfaction of having a favorable verdict pronounced upon
their "unlawful act, lawfully committed," although Jackson had
previously expressed himself in sympathy with the cause of Michigan. The
defeated party, to even up matters, was given the northern peninsula
between Superior and Huron, now her richest section.
During the course of the "war" Toledo was full of Michigan troops, who
left many anecdotes behind them and whose generally harmless behavior
raised many a laugh among the townspeople. As one of these stories goes,
Major Stickney, walking out into his garden one morning, noticed
something that looked like a human figure in his potato vines. He called
out to the mysterious object and asked what was going on there? The call
brought to his full length a soldier in uniform, who stretched up and
replied:
"Drafting potato-tops to make the bottoms volunteer, sir!"
And so, half in jest, and half in earnest, the affair continued and
ended.
[Illustration: AN OHIO FARM.]
When the forests were cleared away and the swamps drained, the dread
malaria partnership was dissolved; good health brought good cheer, and
prosperity followed. Very soon after the trouble with Michigan, the
Miami and Erie Canal was built, which has been one of the important
factors in making the "Corn City" so strong commercially. Besides this
great inland water-way, eight railways bring into her marts the
products of the rich farms of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
From her ports enormous quantities of grain are yearly shipped to
England either direct, or _via_ Montreal, and her people say, without
expecting to be contradicted, that no city in the United States can
point to such a wonderful development of commercial resources. This
scarcely suggests the time when Toledo was little more than the dead
carcass of speculation, the prey of the tax-gatherer, waiting the
resurrection that followed the War of the Rebellion, when men remained
her citizens simply because they had no money with which to get away.
Commerce takes the lead here, but there is one enterprise of which
Toledoans seem to be even prouder, and to see which they take the
visitor "whom they wish to impress with their greatness." This is the
thriving and truly imposing Milbourn Wagon Works, put into operation in
1875 and already become famous. The brick buildings are unusually fine
and, architecturally, would leave the uninformed stranger under the
impression that they might belong to some institution of learning.
I was enabled to see more of the city than I had expected, owing to an
unforeseen circumstance. A little friend who lived in Detroit, and who
was dying with consumption, had expressed a wish to come to Toledo to
see me and my horse before it was too late. I therefore remained longer
than I intended, that her friends might bring her down by boat, although
they hardly hoped that she would survive the journey. She was given the
pleasure of a quiet trip to Put-in-Bay, the well-known resort, and with
this and the gratification of seeing _Paul_, in whom she was deeply
interested, her visit ended.
Of all the strangers who come to this bright and busy city, active with
the impetus given it by fifty thousand souls, I doubt if any take more
keen delight in looking upon its business enterprises and individuality
than did this bright-minded girl, just about to relinquish her hold upon
earth. She knew nothing of the dark pages in its history, and only
guessed at the wealth and strength back of the thronged harbor. To her
it was a happy place--the temporary home of friends.