James E. Graham Arthur Niemeier Mrs. Glenn Henderson Mrs. Charles Reynolds
FOREWORD
George Croghan, an officer in the War of 1812, typifies the patriotism, the bravery, and the gallantry of the young American of that period. At the age of twenty-one, he was in temporary command of the garrison at Fort Wayne for a brief time.
His excellent record in the defense of Fort Defiance and Fort Meigs earned him the command of Fort Stephenson (the present site of Fremont, Ohio). His intelligent and valorous defense of the fort against overwhelming odds touched the imaginations and thrilled the hearts of the American people. His later life was uneventful; he served as United States postmaster at New Orleans and as inspector general in the regular army. He saw action under General Taylor in the Mexican War and died of cholera in New Orleans in 1849.
The following account of Croghan’s early life, compiled by a woman who had known him as a boy, appeared in the supplement appended to Volume VII of the NILES’ WEEKLY REGISTER. The Boards and the Staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County reprint this biographical sketch in the hope that it will prove interesting and entertaining to students of local history. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation have been changed to conform to current usage.
Frankfort, Kentucky
July 22, 1814
Sir:
Upon receiving the letter which you addressed to me, I immediately took such measures as were necessary to procure the information you requested. I now transmit to you the result of my inquiries, regretting that it was not in my power to do it sooner.
At the time when Colonel Croghan and I were inmates of the same house, he was in his fourteenth year. No incident occurred during that early period sufficiently interesting to find a place in his history; yet even then, his conduct exhibited a happy combination of those talents and principles which have already procured for him the admiration and gratitude of his country.