Toledo War

Toledo Strip

H5N1 long-running border dispute betwixt Michigan in addition to Ohio was eventually settled through a metro operation. At 1 A.M. on 7 September 1835, Colonel Mathias Van Fleet chose 30 of his best Ohio militiamen, each armed alongside a musket in addition to 2 pistols.

They rode into Toledo alongside members of the Lucas County Court to enforce the orders of Governor Robert Lucas. By candlelight in addition to alongside guards standing watch, the courtroom conducted its concern inward secret session.

This covert coming together of Ohio officials exercising jurisdiction inside the disputed Toledo Strip virtually settled the boundary disceptation that had raged for years alongside numerous skirmishes threatening confrontation betwixt the militias of the nation of Ohio in addition to the territory of Michigan.


The number that led to hostilities over the Ohio–Michigan boundary resulted from an inaccurate survey in addition to conflicting linguistic communication inward 4 documents. As Michigan moved closer to statehood, the precise boundary became increasingly important.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided for the admission of iii states, Ohio, Indiana, in addition to Illinois, in addition to specified that “if Congress shall uncovering it expedient, they shall conduct keep the authorisation to shape i or 2 [additional] states inward that share of the said [Northwest] Territory, which lies due north of an eastward in addition to W employment drawn through the southerly curvature or extreme of Lake Michigan” (1 Stat. 51).

The Ohio Enabling Act of 30 Apr 1802, every bit passed past times Congress in addition to signed past times the president, laid the northern boundary of Ohio as: “an eastward in addition to W employment drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan, running eastward after intersecting the due due north employment from the oral cavity of the Great Miami River, until it shall intersect Lake Erie, or the territorial line, in addition to thence alongside the same through Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line” (2 Stat. 173).

On the advice of an onetime fur trapper who was familiar alongside the remote expanse inward question, the Ohio Constitutional Convention added department 6 to Article VII of its novel constitution, proclaiming:

That if the southerly curvature or extreme of Lake Michigan should extend so far south, that a employment drawn due eastward from it should non intersect Lake Erie, or if it should intersect said Lake eastward of the oral cavity of the Miami river of the Lake, so in addition to inward that case, alongside the assent of the Congress of the United States, the northern boundary of the State shall travel established by, in addition to extend to, a direct employment running from the southerly extremity of Lake Michigan to the most northerly cape of the Miami Bay, Maumee, after intersecting the due due north employment from the oral cavity of the Great Miami river every bit aforesaid, thence, northeast to the Territorial employment in addition to past times the said Territorial employment to the employment of Pennsylvania. (2 Stat. 201)

When Congress admitted Ohio to statehood, it accepted the Ohio Constitution alongside the improver of department 6, but it did non expressly approve the added section.

Louis Joliet’s eighteenth-century map of the Great Lakes created the error. John Mitchell, a Virginia botanist, physician, in addition to swain of the Royal Society, accepted Joliet’s plot when he mapped western America for the British Lords of Trade. His drawing became the authorisation for the Proclamation Line of 1763 in addition to the Peace Treaty of 1782. Thomas Hutchins, geographer-general of the United States, endorsed it.

The mistake inward the maps arose from the false belief that a employment of latitude drawn eastward from the southern tip of Lake Michigan would nail Lake Erie somewhere due north of Maumee Bay. Lake Michigan genuinely extends so far that a employment of latitude drawn eastward from its southern extremity strikes Lake Erie southeast, non north, of Maumee Bay.

In 1807, 1809, in addition to 1811 the Ohio legislature instructed the state’s congressional delegation to conduct keep the national authorities ready its boundary line. On 20 May 1812, Congress directed the surveyor-general to score the boundary on a due east-west line, but the War of 1812 prevented immediate action.

After the war, on 22 August 1816, Deputy Surveyor William Harris discovered that a employment due eastward from the most southern indicate of Lake Michigan intersected Lake Erie 7 miles due south of the most northerly cape of Maumee Bay.

Harris plotted a employment direct from the southern tip of Lake Michigan to the northern cape of Maumee Bay inward conformity alongside department 6 of the Ohio Constitution, non inward accordance alongside the state’s enabling act.

The adjacent yr Governor Lewis Cass of the Michigan Territory protested that the employment took a strip of land, including the urban substance of Toledo, “seven miles in addition to forty-nine chains” broad from Michigan in addition to gave it to Ohio. On 24 June 1818, Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford agreed alongside Cass in addition to directed the commissioner of the Land Office to conduct keep the northern boundary of Ohio redrawn to handgrip alongside the social club of 1812.

The disceptation continued for years. Then, every bit progress halted inward Congress, a newly appointed acting governor of the Territory, twenty-seven-year-old, Virginia-born Stevens T. Mason, sent a alphabetic lineament to Ohio governor Lucas, stating that his legislature had passed a constabulary on 26 Dec 1834 opposing whatsoever measures to rob Michigan of its soil.

He said he had appointed iii commissioners to run into alongside a similar number from Ohio to accommodate the boundary. On 6 Feb 1835, Governor Lucas informed his legislature of Mason’s proposal. He said he did non wishing to appoint whatsoever commissioners in addition to requested the legislature to declare Ohio authorisation all the means to the Harris employment in addition to to direct local officials to practise jurisdiction over the Toledo Strip.

Michigan responded alongside a statute of 12 Feb 1835 “to preclude unusual jurisdiction” inside the limits of its territory, providing penalties of $1,000 fine or v years’ difficult project or both for persons other than Michigan officials exercising authorisation inward the area.

The confrontation grew. Both sides anticipated armed conflict. On nine March, Governor Mason wrote to General Joseph W. Brown, commander of the Michigan Militia Third Division:

[Y]ou volition perceive that a collision betwixt Ohio in addition to Michigan is instantly inevitable, in addition to yous volition thence travel prepared to run into the crisis .... You volition role every exertion to obtain the earliest data of the military machine movements of our adversary, every bit I shall assume the responsibleness of sending yous such arms, etc., every bit may travel necessary for your successful operation, without waiting for an social club from the Secretary of War, so shortly every bit Ohio is properly inward the field. (Killits, 140)

Governor Lucas alongside members of his staff in addition to General John Bell, commanding the 17th Division of the Ohio Militia, marched into Perrysburg inward the disputed territory alongside surveyors to attain down mark the Harris employment on 31 March.

Michigan conducted iii raids. Between midnight in addition to 3 A.M. on the morning time of 8 April, the sheriff of Monroe County in addition to his posse rode into Toledo, broke into 2 homes, in addition to seized a twosome of people.

Three days afterward they returned, pulled downward Ohio’s flag, dragged it through the streets, threatened around of the residents, in addition to indicted several persons for belongings Ohio office. Another laid on of nearly 200 posse men failed to bring whatsoever prisoners since most officers had fled.

As the armies prepared to engage, the president appointed 2 commissioners, Richard Rush of Pennsylvania in addition to Colonel Benjamin C. Howard of Maryland, who arrived inward Perrysburg on 6 April.

They conferred alongside the governors, examined a few witnesses, ordered running the Harris line, in addition to recommended to the residents of the expanse that they should select which authorisation to obey. But on 25 Apr a Michigan forcefulness of over 50 men captured nine members of the survey political party after firing nigh xl shots, i piercing the wearing clothing of a surveyor.

Hostilities continued. On xv July the deputy sheriff of Monroe County, Michigan, rode into Toledo in addition to made 150 arrests. When the deputy tried to arrest Two Stickney, the homo drew his knife in addition to inflicted a 4-inch slash to the manus of the Michigan officer. Later that twenty-four hours Michigan forces returned, broke into the local newspaper, demolished its press, in addition to arrested Stickney in addition to vi or 7 others.

On 6 September Governor Mason invaded Toledo alongside an armed militia of 1,200. They threatened to give notice the town, shot a horse, i time again damaged the paper office, in addition to laid give notice to a cornfield. Even after the secret 7 September coming together a few skirmishes continued. For example, on nine September a Michigan sheriff captured an Ohio sheriff inward a 100-shot battle inward which i homo was wounded.

President Jackson removed Mason from share in addition to appointed a novel territorial governor to attain harmony. Then, inward Oct the people of Michigan petitioned Congress for statehood, adopted a constitution, in addition to elected Mason their get-go governor. On 2 March 1836, the House Judiciary Committee reported a mouth to acknowledge Michigan to the Union, minus the 500-square-mile Toledo Strip but alongside the 20,000-square-mile Upper Peninsula.

The mouth became enmeshed inward the slavery controversy, so that Michigan, a costless state, was eventually paired alongside Arkansas, a slave state. Finally, on 7 Jan 1837, Toledo held a gala celebration every bit share of Ohio, in addition to Michigan was admitted to statehood on 26 Jan 1837.