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OSL PETITION TO MEIGS

To His Excellency Return J Meigs Esquire Governor and Commander in chief of the Militia of the State of Ohio.

We your Petitioners Inhabitants of the Township of Ashtabula in the County of Ashtabula & State of Ohio humbly shew that we together with many of the inhabitants of this, Geauge & Cuyhoge Counties have lately subscribed a petition to Your Excellency to Grant us the immediate use of five hundred stand of arms for our defence against our Common Enemy Being frontier Counties; and for the purpose of discharging the [illeg.] of a messenger to have been dispatched to carry the intention of sd. petition into effect, we deposited in the hands of an Officer of Our Brigade a sum which we deem'd sufficient for that purpose; but owing to some unforeseen circum- stances sd. Officer failed in discharging the duties of that important trust.

We Your Petitioners would further represent to Your Excellency that the township of Ashtabula can muster about 70 Efficient troops, and that upon a late occasion the whole company volunteerd their services in defense of their Country, but were not returned by reason the misconstruction of the Law by the Maj. -- Thus we are situated directly on the Souther shore of Lake Erie, and therefore imenently exposed to inrodes from our Enem y - That there are few or no arms in our Company that can be relied upon in actual engagement, being principally old hunting Guns brought in by emigrants

We therefore as a township pray your Excellency to grant us the use of sixty five stand of a rms for the safety and defense of the place with flints And we pledge ourselves for the patriotic use of them -- And as in duty bound will pray -- Officers soldiers & Citizens of the 4 Compy -- 1st Batta. 3d. Regt. 4th. Drige. 4 Don.

Ashtabula Aug 13, 1812 of Ohio Militia

[Here follow the subscribers' names.]