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     Jefferson County has a military record of which none of her citizens need feel ashamed.  From the nature of the case nobody enlisted from her territory during the War of the Revolution, but it was the rendezvous of more than one expedition during that period, and Clark's body of pioneers who wrested all this Northwest from British control and saved this county and state to the American government, passed along the whole water front of the county, and probably made more than one landing along the shores.  One of his soldiers, John McGuire, had numerous descendants in Jefferson County, and there were others, such as John Sherrard in the Crawford expedition of 1782, these being only illustrations which might be considerably multiplied.
     At the outbreak of the War of 1812 the situation was somewhat different.  Although far from being thickly settled yet the county, which was somewhat larger than at present, was fully organized, and being not far from the frontier was naturally called upon for men.  A regiment of fourteen companies, 1,065 men, was organized, and did good service.  The regimental officers and those of thirteen of the companies were as follows:

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MEXICAN WAR.

     At the great soldiers' reunion at Steubenville in 1879, J. R. Marshall, of Dublin, Ohio, furnished a full and complete sketch of the Steubenville Greys, who represented Jefferson county in the Mexican War as Company I of the Third Ohio Regiment.  The officers and members of this company were as follows:
 

     There were three deaths from sickness, nine discharges for disability and sickness, and one desertion through the persuasion of an elder brother, who was leading a frontier life in Texas.  Most of the illness was chronic diarrhœa, and every man was on the sick list at some period.  Isaac B. Fisher was a remarkable instance of extreme emaciation.
     From Mr. Marshall's diary we learn that the Greys left Steubenville on June 4, 1846, on the steamboat "Wisconsin."  The The company numbered sixty-four men, including non-commissioned officers, and arrived at Cincinnati on the 6th, where they went into Camp Washington, four or five miles out of town.   Some recruits from Piqua brought the force up to sixty-nine men.  Company I had been fully equipped on leaving Steubenville with tents, mess chests, pans, etc.  They left Camp Washington on July 3 as part of the Third Regiment Ohio Volunteers, and took passage with four other companies on the steamer "Tuscaloosa" for New Orleans under command of Colonel Curtis.  The other division, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel McCook, took the steamer "New Era."  They arrived at New Orleans July 10, and camped on the battlefield, Camp Jackson, four miles below the city.  On July 13 they embarked on the brig "Orleans" and anchored off Brazos Island, Texas, July 20.  Four days later they were taken off by steamboat and landed, when they marched to Fort Brown near the mouth of the Rio Grande opposite Matamoras, Mexico, where they arrived August 5.  On August 18, Jonathan Chambers died and was buried the same day.  That night the regiment crossed the river and established Camp McCook on Mexican soil.  The third regiment was placed in General Taylor's division and called the Army of the Rio Grande.  On Feb. 2, 1847 it left for Comargo, 160 miles distant on the San Juan River three miles above where it enters into the Rio Grande, where was a partly finished fort called Ohio.  On February 17, three companies, including Company I, left Comargo under command of Colonel McCook to garrison the town of Meir, and perform escort duty from Comargo via Meir, Senalvo and Monterey.  General Santa Anna was advancing with 20,000 men on Taylor and Wool at Buena Vista, and on February 25 communication was cut off from General Taylor.  McCook 's force was ordered back to Comargo, where on March 7 was received news of the victory at Buena Vista on February 22 and 23.  Orders were given to advance on Monterey forthwith, and they started with some Virginia troops and others with 123 wagons of supplies for General Taylor.  There were plenty of rumors of attacks by Mexicans but none of them materialized, and relief was afforded Major Iddings of the First Ohio who was hemmed in at Senalvo and out of ammunition.  After anxiously expecting one of these attacks they met General Taylor, who had become a terror to the Mexicans.  A force of the enemy was pursued to Cadeveta, and some wounded

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prisoners recaptured, and the company marched to Buena Vista, arriving there on March 25th.  Here they remained until May 18, when they were discharged with the thanks of the Commander, General Wool.  They readied the mouth of the Rio Grande on June 5, and sailed on the 7th on the schooner Bounty for New Orleans, where they arrived on June 15.  The regiment was mustered out on June 21, and the men reached home about two weeks later, after an absence of a year and two months.

WAR OF THE REBELLION.

     The morning papers of Monday, Apr. 15, 1861, contained President Lincoln's proclamation announcing the fall of Fort Sumter, and calling for 75,000 volunteers.  Early in the day the old court house bell called the citizens together, and work of enrolling and drilling commenced at once.  On the following evening there was a more formal meeting at the court house at which an addition of forty-eight names completed the first company which was fully organized the following day, the 17th when its date of service began.  As arrangements had to be made for transportation and other formalities complied with, the company did not get away until Friday, the 19th.  At 12 o'clock noon on that day the company formed at old Kilgore Hall, now National theatre, and marched down Market street to the law building below Third recently razed.  Here an immense crowd had assembled, and Mrs. Mary K. Means, on behalf of the ladies of the city presented the soldier boys with a handsome flag, the response to her patriotic address being made by Capt. Anson G. McCook.  The men then marched to the C. & P. depot at the foot of South street, waiting for the train bearing other members of the First and Second Ohio regiments from Cincinnati and Columbus.  Soon the last handshake was given and the last cheers resounded as the train pulled out for the East.  Of course this was a sample of what was taking place all over the North.
     On the previous Monday morning there was practically not a soldier north of the Ohio or Potomac.  Before the week was out there were near a hundred thousand.  These two regiments went into camp at Lancaster, Pa., where they were fully organized and mustered into service on April 29th.  From there they went to Washington and participated in the first battle of Bull Run, in which fortunately none of the Steubenville company was killed, although two were captured and remained prisoners until Jan. 11, 1862.  The company was mustered out July 31, and most of the men re-enlisted for three years.  Following is the roster of Co. H, 2d. O. V. I.

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     This company saw service in West Virginia, in which three men were wounded, and was mustered out at Steubenville on Aug. 23, 1861.

CO. H, 1ST O. V. I.,
THREE YEARS SERVICE.

     This company was mustered in at Camp Corwin, O., Oct. 26, 1861, and mustered out Oct. 6, 1864.  Its leading battles were Shiloh, Apr. 7, 1862; Stone River, Dec. 31; Liberty Gap, June 23, 1863; Chickamauga, Sept. 19-20; Orchard Knob, September 23; Lookout Mountain, November 24; Mission Ridge, November 25; Buzzard Roost, Ga., May 8, 1864; Resaca, May 14; Adairsville, May 17; Burnt Hickory, May 27; Kenesaw, June 17; Chattahoochee River, July 6.  The following list gives each officer in the position finally held by him.

     When the company was mustered out quite a number were transferred to Company G, 18th O. V. I., and served until the close of the war.

CO. G, 2D REGIMENT O. V. I.

     The Second Regiment O. V. I., three years service was mustered in at Camp Dennison, O., Sept. 11, 1861 with Leonard Harris, Colonel, who was succeeded by Anson G. McCook, of Steubenville on Dec. 31, 1862, and was mustered out with the regiment, Oct. 10, 1864.  John Kell, Lieutenant Colonel (just promoted to Colonel) was killed at Stone River, Dec. 31, 1862.  The leading battles of the regiment were at West Liberty, Ky., Oct. 23, 1861; Piketon, November 9; Bridgeport, Ala., Apr. 29, 1862; Perryville, Ky., Oct. 8, 1862; Stone River; Rosecrans's Campaign, June 23, 1863; Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain; Mission Ridge; Buzzard Roost and Tunnel Hill, Ga., Feb. 25-27, 1864; Resaca; Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864.  Company G was recruited at Steubenville by James F. Serratt the latter part of August, and entered the service, Sept. 5, 1861 with the following members:

     A number re-enlisting were transferred to the 18th O. V. V. I. and served until the close of the war.

CO. K, 2D REGIMENT O. V. I.

     This was from Mitchell's Salt works, and Steubenville, taking an overflow from Captain Sarratt's Company.  The roster is as follows: