Published: 2015-07-10
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Excerpt from Sketch of the Life and Public Services of Gen. Lewis Cass Lewis Cass was born at Exeter, in New Hampshire, on the 9th day of October, 1782. His father, Major Jonathan Cass, was a soldier of the Revolution, who enlisted as a private the day after the battle of Lexington. He served in the army till the close of the war, and was in all the important battles in the Eastern and Middle States, where he was distinguished for his valor and good conduct, and attained the rank of captain. He was afterwards a major in Wayne's army, and died at an advanced age, after a life of usefulness and honor, at his residence, near Dresden, in Muskingum county, Ohio. His son Lewis Cass, the subject of this biography, emigrated, at the of seventeen, to the then Northwestern Territory, and settled first at Marriet a; in the county of Washington. He was thus, as he was recently called by the convention of Ohio, one of the 'early pioneers' of that immense western region, which has already risen to such a magnitude in our own days, and is destined to attain one so much greater hereafter. The country north of the Ohio then contained one Territory and about twenty thousand people. Mr Cass bore his full shares in the toils privations, and dangers to which the defence of a new country, and its conversion from a primitive forest to the happy abodes of civilized man, are necessarily exposed. He read law at Marietta, and was admitted to the bar before the close of the Territorial Government. He commenced the practice, and, as was the custom then, visited the courts in a large district of the country, travelling on horseback, and encountering many difficulties unknown to the members of the bar at the present day. In 1806, he was elected a member of the Legislature of Ohio, and during the session he took his part the business of the day. He drafted the law which arrested the traitorous designs of Burr, and introduced an address to Mr Jefferson, which was unanimously adopted, expressing the attachment of the people of Ohio to the Constitution of the United States, as their confidence in that illustrious man. In March, 1807, he was appointed, by Mr Jefferson, marshal oi Ohio. In execution of the duties of that office, in the business of his profession, and in the occupation of a farm in Muskingum county, where he resided, he passed his time until 1812. Then our difficulties with England assumed a portentous aspect. Her multiplied aggressions left us no recourse but war; and the statesmen of the day prepared for it with firmness. As one of the preparatory arrangements, it was determined to march a considerable force to the northwestern frontier, to be ready for offensive or defensive measures, as circumstances might render it necessary. The command was given lo General Hull; and a regiment of regular troops, which had fought with credit at Tippecanoe, was assigned to him. To this were to be added three regiments of Ohio volunteers. As soon as this demand upon their patriotism was known, the citizens of that State hastened to the call of their country, and the force was raised without delay or difficulty. Mr Cass was among the volunteers, and was elected to the command of the third regiment. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.