Captain Sholes Diary continued

Wherein Captain Stanton Sholes of the 2nd US Regiment of Artillery builds the first hospital in Cleveland… without using a nail or a sawed board.

Thomas Sidney Jesup (1788-1860) was a Major in the 19th Infantry when he commanded American forces at Cleveland. He served at Chippewa and Lundy’s Lane, and after the war held the position of Quartermaster General from 1818 until his death at age 72.

On the 12th [May 1813] two day before my receiving my orders I was joined by Lieut. Lewis Morgan of the 2nd R U.S. A. [2nd U.S. Regiment of Rifles, United States Army] with 18 soldiers. On the 15th I took up the line of march from Beaver Town to Cleaveland with between sixty and seventy in my company. The weather being fine, although the roads was bad we arived to our place of distenation on the 22d. of May. At this place I found Governor Meigs & several other officers, and about one hundred of the Ohio Militia. After making some arrangements for the defence of that place the governor set out for the interior of the state, leaving orders with me to commence fortifying that place to the best advantage in my power. But soon after Major Thomas S. Jesup was appointed to the command of that place. The first object in view was a hospital for the sick. I soon received orders from Major Jesup to commence building one as soon as posible. On the 10th of June we commenced building, and in the course of two weeks, had a hospital (nearly forty feet by fifteen) completely finished for the reception of the sick, in a neat stile with out a sawed bord. or a nail. So that the whole expence of this building to the United States was about sixty gills of whiskey. In the mean time we had dayly detached on fatigue, one third of our troops for the building a breast work to prevent the enemy landing, if they should attempt it.