Legionville was the first formal United States military basic training facility, established by Major General Anthony Wayne, in 1792, near present-day Baden, Pennsylvania to train the soldiers of the Legion of the United States.

History

After the disastrous defeat of Arthur St. Clair on November 4, 1791, (St. Clair's Defeat, near present Fort Recovery, Ohio) the U.S. Army was totally re-built. This new army was to be called the Legion of the United States and was based on the writings of Colonel Henry Bouquet and Maurice Saxe. Henry Knox, Secretary of War and President George Washington liked the idea of a Legion. In 1792 they brought Anthony Wayne out of retirement and gave him the rank of Major General and Commander-in-Chief of the Legion. The Legion was recruited and re-formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Elements of the old 1st and 2nd Regiments became the 1st and 2nd Sub-Legion. From June of 1792 to November 1792, the army was cantoned at Fort LaFayette in Pittsburgh.

In October 1792, General Wayne scoured the Ohio River for a suitable place to winter and train the army and get them away from the distractions of the city. Twenty-Two miles from Pittsburgh on the western bank of the Ohio and near the modern town of Baden, Pennsylvania, Wayne found a site that was perfect. This site was either near or on a former Indian Village called Logstown (circa 1744-1761). On November 28, 1792, Wayne disembarked with fanfare and good wishes from the citizens of Pittsburgh and in four hours disembarked at the new cantonment that he dubbed Legion Ville [116391]. An advance detachment had arrived on November 9 and had begun preparing for the arrival of the main army.

By December 1792, the fortification had grown to over 500 buildings and had a population five times larger than the small City of Pittsburgh. The camp was laid out on an east-west axis with ravines on the north, east and west. Four redoubts ringed the cantonment numbered 1-4. A ditch surrounding the entire housing area was over a mile long. Thirty-six men were garrisoned in each redoubt and an additional 120 men were stationed around the perimeter. Total guards were 260 men, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Single story huts were built for the enlisted men of the dragoons, infantry, artillery and rifle-corps. Officers of the dragoons and artillery had two-story barracks. Major General Wayne's house and the hospital were two-story log cabins with chimneys on both sides. The total area of the cantonment was about 35 acres. Estimates of the personnel at Legion Ville vary, but 2,500 is the popular figure.

After the men were properly housed, training started in earnest. The troops fired at targets every day as Wayne wanted marksmen. Bayonet drills, hand-to-hand combat, mock battles and overnight encampments outside the installation were common. The dragoons (cavalry) under the able leadership of Captain Robert MisCampbell built an obstacle course south of Legion Ville. The artillery lieutenants and captains built an artillery range. An auxiliary rifle range was built a half-mile west of the site. The troops were marched continually and battle formations and tactics taught to the new officers. Minor infractions were dealt with severely (lashing with a Cat-o-Nine Tails) and courts martial were common. Captain William Eaton who would lead the U.S. Marines ashore at Tripoli in 1806 was often the presiding judge. Some significant events that occurred at Legion Ville were the visit of Big Tree and Guyasuta with Wayne in March 1793 and the duel of Lieutenant Daniel Jenifer and Ensign William Pitt Gassaway. Gassaway was killed and buried in the unmarked military cemetery. Colonel Thomas Proctor visited the camp and stayed for months helping the artillery become proficient. On February 26, 1793, Dr. Joseph Strong of Connecticut climbed the western bank of the hill and drew a picture of the site in a letter to a friend, Dr.Mason Cogswell. This is the only known depiction of the site and located at Yale University. During the winter 16 additional soldiers died and were buried in an unmarked cemetery, the exact location of which is being determined by historians and archaeologists. Additional names of the dead buried at Legion Ville are: Private Henry Dundalo [116392], Private William Perry, Private James White, Private Randolph Hutchins, William Williamson, Private John Patterson, Private John Fry and Private Jarrett Rogers (Source National Archives).

As spring broke and the Native Americans were not interested in peace, George Washington gave the go-ahead for the campaign. On April 30, 1793, the largest flotilla of military barges ever assembled on the Ohio River departed Legion Ville for Fort Washington, Cincinnati, Ohio. On August 20, 1794, the Legion of the United States defeated the Indian Confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and on August 3, 1795, the Treaty of Greenville was signed opening the Northwest Territory to settlement. The discipline and intense training at Legion Ville was a critical factor in one of the most brilliant campaigns in United States history.

Research is still being done on Legion Ville. Although it isn't known for sure that all these men served there, they were in the Legion of the United States: William Henry Harrison, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, William Eaton, Zebulon Pike, Sr., Zebulon Pike, Jr., Henry Burbeck, Solomon Van Rensselaer and Leonard Covington.



General Wayne left Legion Ville intact. In 1824 the Harmony Society purchased the property. The property was later bought by the A.M. Byers Company who in turn sold it to National Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio. In 1973, the Anthony Wayne Historical Society was formed to preserve the site. Repeated attempts to purchase the site from National Tire failed. Senator John Heinz (see Heinz Senate Papers/keyword legionville) introduced a bill to make the site a national park, but President Jimmy Carter pocket-vetoed the bill due to a clerical error. National Tire and Rubber sold the site to Bogus Mouradian. Bogus Mouradian sold the property to Leroy Friend of Bridgewater who in turn sold it to Mitchell Unis of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania and Alex Barlamas of Ambridge, Pennsylvania, the current owners. Currently a developer from New York is interested in purchasing the site for commercial development. There are ongoing efforts to preserve this site.

References

Further reading

• Anthony Wayne and the Founding of the US Army, by Richard C. Knopf. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1960
• Anthony Wayne a Name in Arms, by Richard C. Knopf. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1960
• Legion Ville Rediscovered: A Forgotten Chapter in American History by Patrick R. Riley, 1993, Masters Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
• The West Point Orderly Books, 1792-1797, Transcribed by Richard C. Knopf.
• The Beginnings of the US Army, 1783-1812 by James Ripley Jacobs, 1945.
• Historical Register and Dictionary of the US Army, from its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903, Volume I and II, Washington, DC, GPO, 1903.
• Senator John Heinz State Papers, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

External links

• Legionville site maintained by the Anthony Wayne Historical Society
• Legionville at Beaver County History Online