1 2

War of 1812 Drummer Boy: Gideon Hart

Gideon Hart was born in Hartford County, Connecticut, in July 1795. His father Dr. John Hart was in the Continen-tal Army during the Revolutionary War. Gideon followed in his father’s footsteps and served in the War of 1812. Because he was only a teenager he was a drummer boy with a Connecticut regiment.

Drummers served in all our early conflicts–the Revolu-tionary War, frontier battles, and the War of 1812. Later they served in the Mexican War and the Civil War. These young soldiers played a vital role, as they served as the primary means of communication between officers and

men. They were responsible for memorizing up to 40 beats to communicate to the soldiers they were marching into battle with. The drum and fife called troops to arms, signaled changes in strat-egy, and provided the cadence for marching.

Although army drummers were usually young adult males, some young boys were trained to take their place—even starting as young as eight years old. Some of the boys were carried on the shoul-ders of fellow soldiers, protected and endeared by their older companions. These young drummers were not intentionally put near dangerous areas of battles, but it wasn’t rare for them to receive injury as they marched with the troops to fight.

Gideon Hart came to Westerville shortly after the War of 1812 and settled on land that was grant-ed his mother as the widow of a Revolutionary War soldier. His home built in 1820 still stands on Hempstead Road.

Gideon moved 650 miles from Hartford County to Westerville. Gideon Hart’s home on 7328 S. Hempstead Rd.

THE WESTERVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARYLOCAL HISTORY RESOURCE CENTER NEWSLETTERSpring 2013

A Walk Through Westerville History

The War of 1812 in WestervilleIn 1812, throughout the small villages and farm communities of Ohio, tension was high as residents feared attack by the British and the Native American tribes who were their allies. In Westerville, husbands and sons were called to serve in the militia. Among the very earliest families to settle Blendon Township were the Griswold and Phelps families. When the local mi-litia was formed, Abram Phelps was the colonel and Edward Jr. was the captain. Isaac Griswold served also.

During the conflict between the Ohio settlers and the Native Americans in 1808, the local pioneers sent their women and children to the log cabin of Edward Phelps Sr. for shelter, be-cause it was considered the strongest and best constructed of the log homes in the area. But by 1812, it was decided that a new place of protection must be constructed. The settlers got together and built a log fort where Pioneer Cemetery is today. This was where the women and children went when the men left to serve in the militia. The door was built to withstand attack so was very heavy and required multiple people to latch it into place.

The militia men had to provide a lot of their own equipment and ammunition. During the conflict the settlers melted pewter pieces that they had brought with them when they migrated to Ohio. They poured the molten pewter into molds in order to make bullets to use in their mus-kets.

43

Timeline of the War of 1812

Jan . 1812U.S. declares war on Great Britain because they are stopping U.S. ships and taking sailors off and forcing them to serve in their navy

July 1812

U.S. General Hull enters Canada- first of three attempts of the U.S. forces to invade Canada. All failed.

April 1813U.S. forces capture city of York in Canada (present-day Toronto) and burn it to the ground

May 1813

Sept. 1813

Oct. 1813

Aug. 1814

Sept. 1814

Jan . 1815

Feb. 1815

Siege of Ohio’s Ft. Meigs by the British

Capt. Perry defeats British in the naval Battle of Lake Erie

Native American warrior Tecumseh killed in battle in Canada

British burn Washington D. C.

Battle of Baltimore- Frances Scott Key writes the Star-Span-gled Banner because the U.S. flag continues to fly during the fight at Ft. McHenry

The Battle of New Orleans- Andrew Jackson defeats the British

President Madison declares war over as the Treaty of Ghent is ratified ending the conflict

Spring local History ProgramsThe Local History Center is offering free guided walking tours of historic Uptown Westerville for elementary school classes. The walk takes approximately 90 minutes, making a loop through old Westerville. Students will be treated to stories of the founders of the community, residents who participated in the Underground Railroad, and information about homes and businesses. The Anti-Saloon Museum and local history displays at the Westerville Public Library are part of the tour.To schedule a tour, contact Beth Weinhardt at 259-5028 or at bweinhar@westervillelibrary.org

Walking Tours

Westerville HistoryThe Local History Center is scheduling programs for spring. Let us bring history to your classroom. We will share stories about the early pioneers of Westerville, show old photos of the town, and talk about the growth of and change in the com-munity with special emphasis on a transportation timeline. Classroom programs can be scheduled by contacting Beth Weinhardt at 259-5028.

Become a fan of “Westerville History” to see weekly posts, old photographs and upcoming events in the Westerville Local History community.

Activities

Vocabulary from Reading

musket: a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel

pewter: any of mixture of tin with small amounts of other metals (especially lead)

militia: civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

Do you know the lyrics to our National Anthem? Test your knowledge below by filling in the miss-ing words.

Oh, say, can you ____, by the ______ early light,What so _______we ______at the twilight’s last _______?

Whose broad _____ and bright _____ through the perilous _______,

O’er the ________ we watched, were so ________ streaming?

And the rockets’ ____ _____, the ______ bursting in air,Gave _____ through the night that our

_____ was still there.O say, does that star-spangled ________ yet ______

O’er the land of the ______ and the home of the _____?

If you had to go to the log fort like the pioneers during the war and could bring only three things, what would you choose?

1.

2.

3.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Answer Key

5 6