Hedgman
Simpson and Mildred Holmes
Early Life
Hedgman
Simpson was born August 12, 1788, in what was then the state of VA (now WV).[1]
He was believed to be one of as many as five sons and four daughters born to a
Robert Simpson. Of Robert, it is only known that he was born sometime prior to
1765. Nothing else definite is known of Hedgman's youth or parents.[2]
Hedgman’s first confirmed appearance in the Wood Co. was in 1809 when he was
listed on the Personal Property Tax roll. As would be common for many of his
years in Wood Co., his net worth was below the minimum, and he was not assessed
any tax that year. The same would be true for 1810-1812.[3]
The War
of 1812
Enlistment and Assembly
In
1812, Hedgman and many other young men from VA answered the call to go to the
northwest to meet the British after the surrender at Detroit of General Hull to
an inferior foe without a struggle.[4]
Hedgman became a 4th Sergeant upon enlistment at the grand pay of
eight dollars per month.[5]
[1]
Hedgman's birth date and the date of his marriage to Mildred Holmes were
recorded in a Bible belonging to his son, Robert, which was passed down to
Robert's daughter, Maggie. She would become Maggie Cummings, and died at the age
of 95 in Sanford, Florida, on Tuesday, December 13, 1983, at the Central
Florida Regional Hospital.
[2]
There are many family trees that present this connection as fact. I have not
seen any that present supporting documentation.
[3]
Wood Co. WV Personal Property Tax Lists. 1809, microfilm image 124, assessment
dated May 5. $0 tax due. 1810, microfilm image 136, assessment dated May 10. $0
tax due. 1811, microfilm image 153, assessment dated March. $0 tax due. 1812,
microfilm image 169, assessment dated March 4. $0 tax due. It is noted that in
1809 and 1810, Robert Simpson was physically close enough that he was assessed
the day before or the day after Hedgman.
[4]
General William Hull surrendered his superior forces (2,500) arrayed within
Fort Detroit to the attacking British (300 regulars, 400 militia and 600
Indians) under Major General Isaac Brock on August 16, 1812. The British
bombarded the fort on August 15, with the Americans losing several men
(killed or wounded) without ever returning a shot, as Brock had threatened to
turn over survivors (both soldiers and civilians) to the Indians to be
massacred if Hull did not surrender. Among the civilians who had sought refuge
in the fort were Hull’s daughter and grandchildren.
[5]
Militia Regimental structure was different from that of Regulars. Some sites state that an Infantry Regiment might have 4-6 Sergeants and 90 Privates.
Sergeants were responsible for training, discipline, marksmanship, and leading
troops in battle. Hedgman seems to have begun at the bottom as a fourth
Sergeant but rose to a third Sergeant by December 1812.
[6]
Military records, National Archives, Captain Wm Prince's Co., 1st Regiment Va.
Militia, commanded by Col. John Connell.
[7]
https://brookecountywvgenealogy.org/CONNELL.html
Page -2-
a hallowed spot in the
fledgling nation, as it had been the site of an important Revolutionary War
battle. While the site today is a WV State Park commemorating the Revolutionary
War battle, one structure, known as the Mansion House, still stands. The
Mansion House is a two-story log building erected as a tavern in 1796 by Walter
Newman.[8]
It would have undoubtedly been a favorite spot of the men in 1812. Today the
tavern is open as a museum. At Point Pleasant they were met by Brigadier
General Joel Leftwich. Correspondence between Leftwich and the Governor
indicates that there was a shortage of many items to supply the men who had
assembled. Notably they lacked adequate arms, tents and blankets. A letter
between Leftwich and the Governor dated October 3rd from Point
Pleasant provides some insight into camp conditions. Hedgman was probably in
camp at this time since he had only a short trip to make from Wood Co.
"I have the honor to inform your
Excellency that I arrived at this place on the 26th ult., at 3 o'clock P.M.
finding only a lieutenant and eighteen men part of the quota from the county of
Mason. A few days after which the troops began to come in briskly, and
detachments arrive almost daily. The whole of the field officers are now
present except Major McGuire, and from the morning reports of this day,
including a few that are absent on furlough, there are in camp 325 men,
officers inclusive. There have been no arrivals of troops from the Counties of
Hampshire, Hardy, Monongalia and Randolph. But it is understood that they are
in motion, and are expected in five or six days.
Those present are generally fine looking
men, in high spirits and healthy, and as far as I have yet observed, discover a
disposition to pay due respect to the commands of their officers. Among the
Rifle companies there is a considerable deficiency of Rifles. Those unarmed
appeared on their arrival to be much opposed to the idea of receiving muskets,
but the necessity of complying with the requisitions of your Excellency being
explained, the opposition appears mostly to have subsided.
Information has just been received that
the military stores and camp equipage are afloat on the Kanawha and will
probably be here tomorrow, a circumstance that will truly be pleasing to me and
gratifying to the troops who have heretofore camped in companies and
detachments under the direction of their officers, as best suited their
convenience and accommodation. From the best information I have received
respecting the route we expect to march as hinted in your Excellency's special
orders of the 4th ult., it is considered almost impracticable to march an army
with expedition without a traveling forge, for the procuring of which have made
arrangements, but am not yet certain that my purpose will be erected. The
difficulty of procuring cartridges appears to be insurmountable in consequence
of the scarcity of powder. Flints are stated to be in great demand towards the
place of destination.
Your Excellency will please to receive
these hints relative to inconveniences as arising from a consciousness of my
duty to make the representation. And be assured, Sir, that every exertion shall
be made in my power to cause the troops I have the honor to command to be
serviceable to our country, and an honour to the State from which they are
about to be detached. I anticipate the pleasure of having the troops shortly
arranged and equipped ready to execute the orders of your Excellency or the
Secretary of War."[9]
[8]
Brochure - Point Pleasant Battle Monument, Point Pleasant, W.Va.
[9]
Virginia Calendar of State Papers, Volume X, p 167, Point Pleasant, VA (now
WV), October 3, 1812.
Page -3-
Another
letter from General Leftwich to the governor dated October 12th sheds
more light on camp conditions and provides a bit of insight into their plans
for marching to the northwest. This letter also originated at Point Pleasant.
"I have at length the satisfaction
to inform your Excellency by Express, that the troops which I have the honor to
command have collected at the general rendezvous, except some small detachments
which are yet expected from the 14th and 106th Regiments which have not
produced but little more than half of their quotas.
A partial organization has been effected
for the better regulation and discipline of the troops subject to alterations
when the whole are collected, the last company of which came in last evening.
The organization shall now be effected immediately, and a correct return
forwarded to your Excellency From the Regimental morning reports of this day
there are in camp and on furlough, thirteen hundred and eleven men, including
Officers, and 319 Blankets are wanting. It seems impracticable to procure them,
without which the troops must evidently suffer greatly, as they have to act in
a very cold climate and at a severe season of the year. It is confidently hoped
that if possible the interposition of Government will remedy this
inconvenience. We are also in want of ammunition, axes, spades and shovels, and
such articles as are absolutely necessary, all of which might be readily
procured if we had funds. The Paymaster stationed here refused to reimburse the
Captain with the money they expended for provisions in conveying their
companies to this place. They have been at considerable expense, and murmured
on being refused the money they had expended for the public good. The Paymaster
did not think himself authorized by his instructions to satisfy such claims,
and it was with much difficulty I could silence their murmurings, by stating
some unintentional failure had produced this inconvenience, and the willingness
of Government to discharge such claims.
I rece'd a letter from the Honorable
Secretary at War directing me to march as soon as possible to the frontier of
Ohio, and report myself to the commanding officer of the N. W. army. The same
day I rece'd one from General Harrison, dated "Piqua, Sept'r 27th,"
in which I was informed that my destination is Wooster, in the County of Wayne,
45 miles west of Canton, and my route through New Lisbon and Canton. The
Virginia detachment and that from Pennsylvania unite at Wooster and form the
right wing of the army, to be commanded by the Senior Officer, and March to the
rapids of the Miami.
I am preparing with all possible speed to
hasten on to Wooster, and expect to start in a very short time. All the troops
not having arrived, I shall leave an officer at this place to conduct them
after us when they arrive.
I found it indispensable to appoint a
Brigade Staff pro tem., and have made some arrangements to get ammunition.
The military Stores arrived on the 4th
inst., without much injury. The Tents are distributed and a regular encampment
formed. The Infantry are furnished with arms and accouterments, and such of the
riflemen as are without Rifles will have muskets placed in their hands
tomorrow.
As we march up the Ohio, If your excellency shall have any communications to make relative to reimbursing the Capt's or furnishing pecuniary supplies to purchase indispensable requisites, an express could intercept us at Charleston on the Ohio. The troops appear brave and willing to encounter any inconvenience that can be surmounted, but that of blankets is insurmountable."[10]
[10] Virginia Calendar of State Papers, Volume X, p 168-169, Point Pleasant, VA (now WV), October 3, 1812.
Page -4-
March to the Maumee
As
can be seen from the above, Leftwich expected to march north before heading
west towards the northwest corner of Ohio. Instead, departing Point Pleasant on
October 20th, they first marched in a westerly fashion across Ohio
to Chillicothe (a town 46 miles south of Columbus). Being the site of the state
capital at the time, the Ohio General Assembly rolled out the red carpet for
the would-be heroes. A young private in the Petersburg (VA) Volunteers, Alfred
M. Lorrain, recorded in his journal that;
"... the Legislature, which was then in
session, gave us a splendid dinner, which was quickly followed by one from the
citizens. Here the festivals of Virginia were thrown entirely in the shade; for
we had not only the substantials, the bacon and cabbage of the Old Dominion,
but fowls and turkeys, pies, tarts, custards, and sweetmeats, and floating
islands, and all the luxurious variety that the generous daughters of the
Buckeye State could devise." Later reflecting on the event Lorrain
recorded, "Surely, we thought, there was nothing like the glory and
honor of war”.[11]
Harder
days were to come, and the cool comfort of fall soon became the sharp chill of
winter as they moved northward through Franklinton to Delaware, Ohio. Again, Private
Lorrain provided an insight into Hedgman's life.
Our "Indian Summer" was now
gone - our "paw-wah" days were over. As we left Chillicothe the bleak
North-Wester began to blow, the rains descended, and the snows drove til the
face of the whole country was clothed with the white, cold mantle of winter.
Through mud, and ice, and storms, and swollen streams we forced our way to
Franklinton, which was then the headquarters of the army. ... We moved on
through the plat of Columbus, where there was, at that time, only one house
erected ... Through most intolerable roads, and severe weather, we reached the
town of Delaware, which was even then a handsome village. But before reaching
this desirable spot, we were frequently stalled, and our baggage wagons broken
down.[12]
At
this point Hedgman's 6-month enlistment was one-third over. Until now 4th
Sergeant Simpson had probably been very busy with drilling the troops,
establishing camp discipline, marching, and feasting as recorded earlier. From
their encampment, Colonel John Connell of Hedgman's outfit wrote to the
Governor of Ohio on November 11th describing some of the supply
chain difficulties the army was experiencing.
''Agreeably to your orders 1 repaired to Point Pleasant with the Quota of men from Brooke, where we arrived on the 2nd of October. I confess that I felt disappointed on
[11]
The Helm, the Sword and the Cross; A Life Narrative, Alfred M. Lorrain,
published by Poe and Hitchcock, Cincinnati, 1867, page 106.
[12]
The Helm, the Sword and the Cross; A Life Narrative, Alfred M. Lorrain,
published by Poe and Hitchcock, Cincinnati, 1867, page 107.
Page -5-
finding that no person was authorized to pay the expenses of furnishing the troops boats, wagons, &c., the whole of which
was furnished by some Gentlemen of Brooke and myself.
The accounts of expenses will be
forwarded, and I hope will be immediately discharged. For want of funds the
troops were detained several days, and with the aid of Major Turner our
movements were slower than could have been wished.
General Harrison is now at this place
making arrangements for our further movements. The Paymaster Gen'l of the U.
States has decided that the Staff shall be taken from the line, or only receive
ten dollars per month. Under the laws of Virginia, which I conceive leave the
choice with the Colo' of each Regiment, I made the best selection in my power,
and should the General Assembly not Justify, but let the U. States absorb all
of the power of construing the State Laws, and of course compelling me to
select from materials not competent to discharge the duties. I shall with
regret retire to private life and await the fate of my country.
I am compelled from a sense of duty to
inform your Excellancy that several of the officers and privates have
shamefully abandoned the standard of their Country, and disgraced the name of
themselves as Virginians.
Capt. Peck of Harrison, and Lt. Larimore
of Hampshire, have both resigned, I believe more from Bashfulness than
inability. I hope their names will be blotted from the Records of Virginia. A
number of men have deserted, but are now daily bringing in, and some returning
of their own accord, fearing that which shall be fully inflicted, the
punishment of the law.
Please to accept my best respects, and
present them to my acquaintances now at Richmond in hopes of a successful
campaign."[13]
From
Delaware their route led north to the town of Upper Sandusky, arriving in early
January. Here the army stopped for a few days and awaited the arrival of their
five 18-pounders. During their wait they drilled and built block- and
storehouses and established the principal depot of the army in the northwest.
From there they proceeded north to Lower Sandusky (present day Fremont).
Private Lorrain categorized the village of Delaware as the fringe of American
civilization. He described the trip north;
"We passed only one cabin between it (Delaware) and Sandusky. The plains of Crawford presented nothing but a wild waste of crusted snow, through which we marched with excessive labor...... Our feast of "marrow and fat things" had also fled; and "soldier's fare" was the order of the day. When our rations were first issued while every man was hearty, and our appetites keen, our allowance was beggerly enough. But after a few cases of sickness and spells of hypo, our stores began to accumulate, we had enough provision, such as it was; but it was not the hams of Virginia, or the turkeys and tidbits of Ohio, but fresh beef and pork, and that frequently without a dust of salt. The bread,
[13]
Virginia Calendar of State Papers, Volume X, p 169-170, Camp Delaware, OH,
November 11, 1812.
Page -6-
which was sometimes made of damaged flour, was
truly disgusting. This, however, was a small item in the registry of our
sufferings."[14]
During
the long march, news arrived concerning General Winchester's move against the
British south of Detroit. The result of this news was a long hasty forced march
which proved futile. The battle was over long before the Virginia and
Pennsylvania troops could be of any assistance. Winchester's KY troops were slaughtered
near the banks of the River Raisin by their Indian captors after they had
surrendered. All of which was done in the presence of the British Generals who
made no attempt to stop the Indians. As a result, the war cry of the Kentuckians
from this time on became: Remember the
River Raisin! Of the march, Lorrain recalled;
"It was midnight, the ground covered with snow, the heavens profusely flaking down additional supplies, and our heavy-laden tents were rocked to and fro by the howling winds, when the troops were suddenly aroused by a call to arms. Orders were given for us to buckle on our knapsacks and blankets, and to be ready to march at a moment's warning. In a few minutes we were plunged into the dark and most interminable forest, bound through the Black Swamp to reenforce Harrison, who, after Winchester's defeat, had fallen back on the Carrying River. It was a dark, dark night. An experienced pilot led the van, and the whole detachment followed in Indian-file, every man taking care to keep in feeling relation to his predecessor. We plunged and plundered on through brush and brier, deep cracks, and rising waters, mingled with drift and ragged fragments of ice........ We had frequently to pass through what was called, in the provincialism of the frontiers, "swales" - standing ponds - through which the troops and packhorses which had preceded us had made a trail of shattered ice. Those swales were often a quarter of a mile long. They were, moreover, very unequal in their soundings. In common they were not more than half-leg deep; but sometimes, at a moment when we were not expecting it, we suddenly sank down to our cartridge-boxes. While fording such places our feet would get so benumbed that we seemed to be walking on bundles of rags; and it was really a luxury to come to a parenthesis of mud and mire, for then we could feel a returning glow of vitality. Occasionally a poor packhorse would fall down in his track - if tracks there were - to rise no more forever. It was heart-rending to see them roll their flashing eyes indignantly on the passing soldiers, as though to rebuke the madness of the people in driving to such an extremity of suffering. Droves of hogs, which had been abandoned to the wilds, grim, gaunt, and hungry as the grave, were squealing through the woods, and rooting up the snow; and under the relentless scourge of war the whole creation seemed to groan in pain. ... The first night and day we traveled, through disadvantages, thirty miles. At a late hour we approached an arena which bore a strong resemblance to terra firma; and scrapping away the snow, we spread our blankets under the naked canopy of heaven; for at the time of our departure from Sandusky we had left our tents standing, with all our camp equipage. How long we lay that night in a shivering condition before we fell asleep we could never ascertain; but I awoke in the morning from pleasant dreams, and in a profuse perspiration, and as I thought, under a heavy press of blankets; but when I threw up my arm to take an observation, and to see how the land lay, an avalanche of virgin snow, which had silently ministered to my comfort during the night, tumbled into my bosom, and quickly roused me to a recollection of my proper latitude and true bearings, and I found, by calculation, that I was bounded north, south, east, and west, by the Black Swamp. ... It will be recollected that we had left all our private stores behind, and had to commence on a new issue of rations. Although the United States owed us several
[14]
The Helm, the Sword and the Cross; A Life Narrative, Alfred M. Lorrain,
published by Poe and Hitchcock, Cincinnati, 1867, page 108. From Delaware, OH
to Sandusky, OH is a distance of about 90 miles.
Page -7-
successive back meals, yet these were
silently repudiated, and our allowance by no means satisfied the demands of
appetite. However, we had ground to lie on, and rousing fires to cheer us
through the night. About midnight a sudden volley of cries, wailings, and
unearthly howlings broke from every quarter of the dense forest around us. The
raw troops, who had never experienced anything analogous ... took it for
granted that all the northern tribes were charging upon us, front, flank and
rear, and they sprung to their feet. Pop! pop pop! went the sentinels. "To
arms! to arms!" cried the officers; and in a few minutes all the brave
reenforcement was found in battle array. Just then an old veteran came
snickering along the lines ... "Boys, did you never hear the wolves howl
before?" ... The interruption of rest added keenness to our hunger, so
that we were more than prepared for our scanty allowance the next morning. The
flour that each man received made a very respectable biscuit when kneaded. The
great difficulty seemed to be as to the modus operandi of cooking. Our culinary
utensils were left behind, and we had not yet been let into the Indian mode of
twisting the dough around a stake, and setting it up before the fire to roast.
After a brief consultation, we settled on the African method, and concluded
that we could get our cakes through in the pone style.[15]
As
was noted above, Hedgman had been at the Delaware, OH encampment prior to
leaving for Sandusky. Several men were left behind by General Leftwich to
procure supplies. John Mallory, one of those men, wrote to the Governor on
January 24, 1813. The letter gives some feel for that task and also indicates
that Hedgman and Leftwich departed from Sandusky for the rapids of the Maumee
River on January 18th. The engagement spoken of early in the letter was
the battle of the River Raisin.
"In a moment of hurry I seize my pen to drop you a few lines. At 4 o'clock this morning, I received a letter informing me that General Leftwich had received orders from General Harrison by express for the Va. troops to march without the least possible delay to the rapids of Miami of the lakes. On the 18th, General Harrison wrote General L. that Cols. Lewis and Allen had advanced to the River Raisin with about 300 men, and expected to be engaged with about the same number of British and Indians. The express that brought the last letters states that he saw a letter from General Purkins (who is at the rapids) stating that our detachment had attact the enemy in their fortification, carried and took possession of them. 18 of the enemy were found dead in the field. The number of wounded is not ascertained. Our loss was eight killed and wounded. But since it is thought that a cannonading has been heard in the direction of the R. Raisin. Whilist writing I have received information by Mr. Bartlett, who is field commissary Gen'l. that the above statement is correct, and Lewis drove the British and Indians 2 miles. It is probable the British have got a reinforcement from Malden, which is only 19 miles from the River Raisin. General Harrison has sent a reinforcement to Lewis but they have double the distance to march that the British have. General Harrison has given me liberty to go on with the army, provided I can get some person to attend here to purchase corn for the teams that are passing with their loads. I have loaded at this place within the last four days, 700 pack horses, 60 wagons, and 100 sleds with flour and Q. M. stores. I am giving $2 per bushel of corn delivered at upper Sandusky, and you must know from the quantity necessary to supply the army that it takes the cash by whole-sail. You may rest assured that we shall do something of consequence soon as we have a sufficiency of provisions forwarded, and all our Artillery was started the 13th from Sandusky for the rapids, and we have forwarded a sufficient supply of Ammunition. I cannot account for
[15]
The Helm, the Sword and the Cross; A Life Narrative, Alfred M. Lorrain,
published by Poe and Hitchcock, Cincinnati, 1867, page 110.
Page -8-
not having received a letter from you. I calculate that you have made
arrangements with the Bank of Virginia to settle with the Bank of Chilycothe. I
am tolerably fond of a soldier's life, if it was not for leaving my family.
Tell Colonel Cammil I am much obliged to
him for aiding Mr. Gordon in selling his leather, as he stated to me that he
would not of been able to of disposed of it if he had not of assisted him. I
hope you will write and tell the Col. that he may calculate on my writing to
him when I arrive at fort Malden. I must draw to a close, as the express is row
ready to start."[16]
Having
left Sandusky on the 18th Leftwich moved as fast as possible to his
rendezvous point at the Portage River. Here he joined General Harrison and
together they moved west to the rapids on the Maumee.[17]
As
they had moved westward, the troops passed through a field of standing Indian
corn. Several ears remained on the stalks. To cold and hungry troops who had
lived on reduced rations and "disgusting bread", this was too much to
resist. One member of the Petersburg Volunteers recalled;
"As soon as we entered the inviting
field the army broke in every direction, like a drove of frightened cattle.
Deaf to the commands of our officers, and regardless of all military order, we
tore down the precious ears and filled our pockets and our bosoms till we were
richly laden with the spoils of the field. With musket in one hand and an ear
of corn in the other, we marched on, greedily devouring the unstinted supply of
a merciful Providence. No pound cake ever tasted half so delicious.... We were
amazed that we had lived so long in the world and had never discovered before
the transcendent luxury of raw corn."[18]
Construction of Fort Meigs
By
the 24th of January it had begun to rain and continued to do so for
a week. Any movement was difficult, especially for the artillery. Then on the 31st
the temperature dropped sharply, the rain turned to snow, and the mud froze.
With solid footing once again, the army moved quickly onward, arriving at the
rapids on February 2nd. Due to the presence of shallow water at the
rapids of the Maumee, it was considered the natural place for an invading force
(either British or American) to cross the river in any land assault. By
commanding the rapids, a small force could control the flow of larger numbers
of men and supplies. Harrison, after much deliberation on whether or not to
press on immediately, chose to build a fort on the south side of the river. By
building on the south side he knew that his supply lines could not be cut off
by a sudden rise in the river level. However, the southern bank was somewhat
lower than the north side. To compensate for this difference, Harrison ordered
that provisions be made to elevate the fort's batteries. The structure was
named Fort Meigs, in honor of the Governor of Ohio, Return Jonathon Meigs.[19]
[16]
Virginia Calendar of State Papers, Volume X, p 182-183, Camp Delaware, OH,
January 24, 1813.
[17]
Harrison was already famous at this time because of the battle of Tippecanoe. He
was elected President in 1841.
[18]
The Helm, the Sword and the Cross; A Life Narrative, Alfred M. Lorrain,
published by Poe and Hitchcock, Cincinnati, 1867, pages 12-121.
[19]
In 1975 the Ohio Historical Society reconstructed the Fort as it had been
during Hedgman's time using Captain Woods' records and other early drawings and
sketches. The Fort, near present day Toledo, Ohio, is open to visitors on a
seasonal schedule.
Page -9-
Harrison
appointed an 1806 West Point graduate engineer, Captain Eleazor D. Wood, to
oversee construction of the plan which had been laid out by a classmate of
Wood's, Captain Charles Gratiot. Construction was the prime activity that
Hedgman and his men engaged in during his two-month stay. Though a couple of
assaults against the British were planned during this time, both were aborted
before contact was made with the enemy. Harrison desperately wanted a battle
before his men's six-month enlistments expired, but the weather never did
cooperate.
The
fort was constructed in the shape of an irregular ellipse, roughly 2,500 yards
in circumference, the perimeter stockaded with logs fifteen feet in length and
set three feet in the ground. Eight blockhouses of double timber and four
elevated batteries were erected, as were powder magazines and storehouses.
Timber and brush cleared from the site and if, not used as building material, were transformed into abatis, an entanglement of stakes and limbs used much in
the same manner as modern barbed wire. The abatis was then placed in front of
the vulnerable openings in the stockade caused by the placement of the
artillery batteries.
Captain
Wood, writing in his journal, recorded that the building of the fort:
"...... together with the ordinary
fatigues of the camp, was an undertaking of no small magnitude. Besides, an
immense deal of labor was to be performed in excavating ditches, making abitis,
and clearing away the wood about the camp and all this to be done, too, at a
time when the weather was extremely severe, and the ground so hard frozen that
it was almost impossible to open it with a spade and a pickaxes But in the use
of the axe, mattock and spade, consisted all the military knowledge of the army.
So we fell to work to busy ourselves, and heard nothing of the enemy."[20]
Both
General Harrison and Captain Wood had to leave the unfinished Fort to attend to
other duties. During their absence, Colonel Leftwich was left in charge. He
failed to press the work, and when Wood returned on February 20th, he
was appalled. He declared that Leftwich was an “…old phlegmatic Dutchman,
who was not even fit for a pack-horse master”.[21]
From
the above descriptions of the fort, one thing should be clear: there were no
barracks. Hedgman, and all of the other soldiers as well, spent the entire
winter on the shores of Lake Erie in tents. The weather, as Captain Wood noted,
was severe and there were very few things for the men to do when not building
or drilling. A Sergeant in another VA company recalled, "We visit each
other's tents ... sing, tell stories, play music, and drink grog when we can
get it, which bye-the-bye is not often, suttlers not being permitted to sell
spirits in the camp." When the weather finally did warm up a little
in March the rains came. With the construction, the concentration of men and
animals, and the rain, the inevitable result was mud. Artillery Captain Daniel
Cushing kept a diary during this time and on March 3rd recorded,
"The weather rainy and warm; the mud about 8 inches deep all over camp." By the 18th things had gotten worse and he wrote, "The whole country is inundated with water and broken ice. Our camp is overwhelmed with mud and water; my eyes never saw such a place for mankind to live in - not a tent in the whole encampment but what has more or
[20]
Journals of the Northwestern Campaign of 1812 and 1813 Under Major General
William H. Harrison, Bvt. Lt. Col. Eleazer D. Wood, Defiance College Press
1975, edited by Robert Boehm and Randall Buchman. Wood, an 1806 West Point
graduate, was responsible for the design and construction of many forts in the
northwest. He died in an assault of the British forces at Fort Erie on
September 17, 1814. Fort Wood, which became the base of the Statue of Liberty,
was named in his honor.
[21]
War of 1812, Benson Lossing; Harper & Brothers; NY, 1868, page 474.
Page -10-
less mud and water in it, and what makes
it much worse is for the want of wood. The timber is all cut off for a long
distance from camp and there are no teams to haul any for the men; not a bushel
of forage in this place; what teams we have cannot work, for they have nothing
to eat. Our men are very sickly; no wonder lying in mud and water and without
fire; not less than two or three men die every day, and I expect the deaths to
increase unless the weather changes very soon."[22]
On
about the first of March, as the snow was turning to mud, Hedgman became a 3rd
Sergeant. While his position in the company may have been somewhat elevated,
his pay remained at eight dollars per month. On the 16th of the
month, Company records show that he was issued a new blanket, one new pair of
shoes, and one short coat. Of course, by this point the weather hardships were
past.
Not
surprisingly, when the six-month enlistments were up for the VA and PA troops, they took their discharge papers and headed south. No amount of patriotic
speechmaking could sway them. As a result, the number of troops dropped
dangerously at the beginning of April. At one point the fort was at about
one-tenth of its optimum strength. Fortunately, fresh troops from KY arrived
before the British. Included in the group of VA men and officers to leave was
Hedgman, honorable discharge papers in hand. Those papers read as follows:
Head Quarters Fort Meigs
Hedgman Simpson third Sergeant in Captain
Wm. Prince's Company 1st Regt 1st Brigade Virginia Militia in the service of
the United States, N. W. Army having performed a term of duty of six months
agreeable to law is hereby honourably discharged and has to travel two hundred
and ninety miles to his place of residence. Given under my hand this 29th March
1813.
John Connell
Col. 1st Va Regt
Company
muster rolls show that 3rd Sergeant Simpson received $5.36 in travel
allowance for his 290-mile trip back to Wood Co.
Colonel
Connell again wrote to the Virginia Governor on May 5, 1813, from his home in
Brooke Co. As was noted earlier, most of the Virginia troops did not re-enlist
following their six-month tour of duty.
"You will have information before
this reaches you that the Virginia Brigade have returned home without having it
in their power to meet the enemies of our Country, and I hope without disgrace
to their parent State.
The imprudent advance of General Winchester from the rapids completely defeated the object of the campaign, and left us so far in the rear of time that no other alternative presented itself to the commander-in-chief but to advance to the rapids and there build a Fort sufficiently strong to protect the public stores; and from thence, if an opportunity
[22]
Fort Meigs and the War of 1812. Orderly Book of
Cushing's Company and Personal Diary of Captain Daniel Cushing; Harlow Lindley,
Editor, The Ohio Historical Society, 1975, pages 103-104.
Page -11-
offered, to attack the enemy. But the
term of service for which the troops from KY and Ohio - being about to expire,
they would not agree to volunteer for a longer term, and were discharged,
leaving the Pennsylvania and Virginia Brigades, the Petersburg, Pittsburg, and
Greensburg Blues, with a few Companies of Regulars, to finish and defend the
Fort. An attack from the enemy was expected, but they chose to content
themselves with the advantage they had gained. From the best information I
could obtain from some of those who were in the actions it was to them a dear
bought victory, and to us a melancholy reflection that it deprived us the
opportunity of seeing Malden, there to die or Conquer. That, I believe, was the
determination of the troops, and they appeared to have the highest confidence
in the Commander-in-Chief, and in my opinion it was by him justly merited.
You will have no doubt also learned that
the greater part of the Arms furnished by the State of Virginia to the Brigade
were left at Delaware, upper Sandusky, &c.
This was contrary to my opinion; I urged
the propriety of the men's returning the arms into the State, observing that a
loan was not a gift, and that the men were bound to carry and return them, if
not at a particular place at least in the regiment from whence they were
drafted.
This, however, was contrary to the
opinion of the majority of the officers then present; of course the men were
suffered to deposit the arms as above stated.
Knowing what an immense loss the State
will sustain, and believing that every stand of arms will be wanting to defend
us against our enemies, I would advise that measures be immediately adopted to
have the arms collected and secured, as they will be daily diminishing in
number and value. Should your Excellency think proper to direct that the arms
should be secured, and at the same time consider me a proper person to have it
done, I shall willing undertake the same for the good of my country, and
confide the business to such persons only as will discharge tis duty with
fidelity and for a reasonable compensation."[23]
Though
Hedgman and his men did not get to meet the British in open combat during his
time of duty, the somewhat apologetic and cynical tone expressed by Colonel
Connell is not justified. Their major work had been that of the construction of
Fort Meigs.[24]
Twice during 1813, after Hedgman's departure, the British and Indians mounted
sieges of the Fort, and twice the strong fortification played a major role in
their failure. The British were never able to mount a successful invasion of
the Northwest. This stagnation on land, coupled with Commodore Perry's
victories on Lake Erie, led to the American invasion of Canada from Detroit. It
was during this campaign in the Battle of the Thames that Tecumseh was killed,
thus relieving the Northwest frontier of its most feared and determined Indian
chief. In August of 1813, with the fear of invasion over, the six-month-old
structure was dismantled and burned. A smaller stockade, roughly fifty yards
square, was erected. This structure served until after the war, when in 1815 it
too was abandoned.
