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 INTERESTING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 
 
 Memoranda read by Geo. W. Harris, at a meeting of 
 the Hope Fire Connpany of Harrisburg, of \vhich he 
 ^vas an early member. 
 
 OEX. MICHiEL SIMPSON. 
 
 Ill this ceiitt^iiiiial ySaFor'oiir national 
 iiidepoiideuce, it is prop«r to bring to iio- 
 tii;e some of tijoae wlio were actively aud 
 eti'ectivfcly engaged in its achieveuieut, and 
 whose names li.ive nearly faded from tlie 
 reoolleclion of Llie public of the pi'esent 
 day. it afiords nie pleasure to bring to 
 public notice one who in my early years I 
 knew personally, and of whose kind and j^e- 
 uial manners I have pleasurable recollec- 
 tion. This is General Michael Simpson. 
 He was a native of this county, his father; 
 ■ TIibttI55T>i«tipson, owned o80 acres of land, 
 a part of which is now within the limits of 
 the upper part of Harrisburg. The patent 
 to Thomas Simpson is dated the 21st of 
 February, 1700, and this land adjoined that 
 afterwards the property of William Maclay, 
 on a part of which the state Capitol is built. 
 The land of Thomas Simpson was origin- 
 ally a part of about 1,200 acres surveyed in 
 1732 for proprietaries. It fronted on the Sus- 
 quehanna, and was afterward, in 1759, re- 
 surveyed; and in 1760 was patented in three 
 parts, of about the same quantity, to ihree 
 persons, whose christian name was Thomas. 
 The upper part, of aboutSSO acres and allow- 
 ance, was conveyed to Thomas M'Kcf; the 
 piece next below, of about 380 acres aiid al- 
 lowance, was conveyed to Thomas Forster, 
 and the lower piece, also of about 380 acres 
 and allowance, was patented to Thomas 
 Simpson. 
 
 Vext below the land of Thomas Simpson 
 lay a tract of about three hundred acres of 
 John Hanis, a part of which, viz, about one 
 hundred and eighty acres, afterward bc^- 
 longed to William Maclay, as above stated; 
 and next below was the Sve hundred acres 
 of John Hairis, on which Harrisburg 
 was Ittid out, the title to which, William 
 Maclay states, was obtained long after set- 
 tlement; the title to both tracts of John 
 Harris being dated 1733. Upon the death 
 of his fatheiv Michael, the subject of this 
 sketch, sold 1ms interest in this land of his 
 father; aud, I have been told, received in 
 payment for it continental money, which 
 became nearly worthless. 
 
 He was a revolutionary soldier. In the 
 latter part of his life, aud for a number of 
 years previous to Lis death, he resided ou a 
 farm on the Susquehanna in Yoi'k county, 
 about three miles below the Harrisburg 
 bridge. This valuable farm consisted of 
 several hundred acres, aud originally be- 
 longed to the first J6hu Harris, from whom it 
 was transmitted down till it came, through 
 his marriage with the widow Chesney, to 
 whom it then belonged, to the ownership of 
 General Simpson. He was a friend of the 
 father of the writer of this article, and when 
 quite young, perhaps ten or twelve years of 
 age, I, with one of my brothers, frequently 
 visited him, crossing the river in our log 
 
 '/ 
 
 1^. -:J...... H 
 
canoe (a kind of boat then much used here') 
 and returniug in the afternoon of the next 
 day. He occupied a large stone house 
 on the river bank, and lived plentifully. 
 He always received us with hearty good 
 will, and when we were seated at the table 
 he seemed to enjoy our healthy appetite 
 and would urge us to indulge it. He had 
 no children, and seemed to like young 
 company. He had a number of colo'-ed 
 servants, and they added to our pleasure in 
 roaming about the farm or listening to 
 their stories of hunting and other matters 
 in which they were interested. 
 
 The general was a good deal eccentric. 
 His parlor and entry were hung about with 
 deer horns, guns, an alligator, a large num- 
 ber of Indian and other curiosities. After 
 his death these were sold, and I have been 
 told that a considerable part of them came 
 into the hands of Landis, of Lancaster, and 
 formed a part of his exhibition in that city, 
 where music on a hand organ, then some- 
 what of a rarity about here, was ground 
 out by the hour, perhaps to the profit of 
 Laudis, but, 1 am inclined to think, to the 
 annoyance of the immediate neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 A sister of General Simpson became the 
 wife of Parson Eldei-, of the Paxton church. 
 
 The general left his splendid farm to his 
 nephew, Michael T. Simpson, who was 
 called after him; and it afterward came by 
 purchase to the ownership of Mr. Jacob 
 M. Haldeman. 
 
 General Simpson had on each side of the 
 lane leading toward the rear of his farm a 
 row of cherry trees of perhaps a third of a 
 mile or more in length. Some of them, 
 which ho rt'served for the use of his family 
 or friends, had a whisp of straw occasion- 
 ally extended around tliem. A man living 
 in Harrisburg was once asked, as I under- 
 stood, to assist the general with his grass 
 or grain harvest, but failed to come. But 
 afterwards, as was customary with many 
 others, he came lo get cberrres; and, wiih 
 out leave, he got upon one of the reserved 
 trees. This was told to tbe genera!, who in 
 excitemeTit called out to one of bis servants, 
 "Rome, Rome, get an axe." His man Rome 
 got an axe, and the general cot a Ions stick 
 and directing Rome to cut down the tr^e; 
 stood beneath it, and kept the man from 
 jumping down till the tree was felled. 
 
 'I'he general entered the revolutionary 
 army in 1775, as a second lieutenant; his 
 commission being dated the 25th of June, 
 1775; and he served in the company of Cap- 
 tain Matthew Smith and was attached to 
 the Quebec expedition. The regiment was 
 commanded by Colonel William Thomp- 
 son, of Cumberland coTinty, in this state. 
 LieutenantSimpson is memioned by Judge 
 Henry in his narrative of that campaign. 
 Judge Henry was the first president judge 
 of the common pleas of Daupbin county. 
 
 being commissioned on the 16Lh of Decem- 
 ber, 179tJ. One of the companies in that 
 expedition was that of Captain William 
 Hendricks, from Cumberland county, Penn- 
 sylvania, and another from Lancaster 
 county was commanded, as before men- 
 tioned, by Captain Matthew Smith. Henry, 
 then a lad of about seventeen or eighteen 
 years of age, was a private in tbe company 
 of Captain Smith. Others of the troops 
 were from Massachusetts, hhode island 
 and Connecticut, and perhaps some fiom 
 New Hampshire. Captain Daniel Morgan, 
 afterward of revolutionary fame, was along 
 with riflemen from Virginia. The entire 
 fi>irce amounted to abouc 1,100 men and 
 was under the command of General Ar- 
 nold. It was intended to co operate with 
 the army of General Montgomery, which 
 had entered Canada by tbe way of Cham- 
 plain and Montreal. The force under Ar- 
 nold was to advance by the Kennebec and 
 Chaudiere. 
 
 Judge Henry, in his narrative, speaks 
 kindly of Lieutenant Simpson. He says 
 that on one occasion, alter a fatiguing 
 march, they stopped on tbe side ot a river 
 swollen with rain, and running with a 
 rapid current and about 150 or iiOO yards 
 'u breadUi. But the provisions, tents and 
 camp equipage were on tbe opposite side 
 of tUe stream. "We supposed that tiie most 
 adventurous boatman would not dare the 
 passage across to us. But we were mis- 
 taken ; there were two men, and only two, 
 who had skill and courage to dare it ; need 
 Lieutenant Simpson, on an occasion like 
 this, be named. He, accompanied by John 
 Tidd, entered his empty boat. What skill 
 in boatmansbip? What aptitude with 
 the paddle was here exhibited. * * * 
 Simpson 'displayed his amazing skill.' 
 There was an eddy in tbe stream, but even 
 that was frightful. He came near being 
 pitched into the stream. The stream forced 
 nis boat down tbe liver, l)ut be recovered 
 and brought it up. Now W(^ a)lp ■ ^'R■ffi ||l 
 trembling fur the fate of our r-ieiids, and 
 anxious for our own accommodation, be- 
 gan to fear that he might be drawn under 
 tbe pitch. Quick, almost in a moment, 
 Simpson was with us, He called, in his 
 li.ud voice, lo Robert Dixon, James Old, a 
 messmate, and myself, to euter the boat. 
 We entered immediaiely. He pushed off, 
 attempting the start by favor of the eddy, 
 which was the main thing. He failed. 
 
 "Returning to the shore we were assailed 
 by a numerous band of soldiers, hungry 
 and anxious to be with their companions. 
 Simpson told them that be could not carry 
 more with safety, and would return for 
 them. But several jumped into tbe boat. 
 Simpson's countenance changed, and he 
 said, 'O God, men, we shall all die.' 
 They wculd not recede. Nearing the op- 
 posite shore some of the men leaped to the 
 
shore aud thus forced Ibe boat into the 
 stream. The boai. was carried under by 
 the violence of the current. I called out, 
 ''Simpson, we are going to heaven !" My 
 fall was head foremost. Simpson came 
 after me. His heels, at the depth of fifteen 
 feet or more, were upon my head and neck, 
 and these grinding on the gravel. We 
 were nearly together — 1 first, my friend 
 followed. The art of swimming, in which 
 I thought myself an adept, was tried, but it 
 was a topsy-turvy business ; the force of the 
 water thiew me often heels-ovei'-head. 
 After a few hundred yards, Simpson was at 
 my side ; but the force of the stream pre- 
 vented the exertion of swimming, yet its 
 impetuosity kept us up. it drove us to- 
 wards the other side of the river, against a 
 long ridge of perpendicular lock of great 
 extent. As we floated along an Irishman, 
 an excellent soldier, Edward Cavanaugh, 
 passing along, happened to come to the 
 river at the instant that my breast had 
 struck a tree. He cried out, 'Johnny, is 
 this you,' aud he dragged me out of the 
 water. Simpson immediately appearing, 
 he did him the same good otlice. Dixon 
 not being able to swim, it was supposed' 
 had been drowned; but he had stuck to the 
 side of the boat and was lodged in a pile of 
 drifc wood and was saved. We arrived at 
 the camp. Simpson was so mucLi exhilar- 
 ated by our escape that, seated on a stump, 
 he sang 'Plaio' in great glee. It became a 
 great favorite with us. I lost my knapsack, 
 my hat and my most precious rifle." 
 
 in a subsequent part of the narrative of 
 Judge Henry, Simpson is again mentioned : 
 "When thepaity,hungry and dejected, were 
 sitting about a tire, Simpson, to aiiimdte 
 the company, would sing 'Piatu.' His 
 sonorous vulce gave spirit to my heart, aud 
 
 to my 
 not so 
 correiit as that of Haniel, added strength 
 and vigor to our nerves." 
 
 Outhe next day, November 3, Henry 
 observes, that here, for the first time, 
 "Aaron Burr, a most amiable youth of 
 twenty, came to my view — he was then a 
 cadet, i' wHl require most cogent evidence 
 toconviiiC iny mind, that he ever intended 
 any ill u> his country, of late years, by his 
 various sj.eculations. Though diflering in 
 political opinion from him, no reason has 
 yet been laid before me to induce a belief 
 that he was traitorous to his country; how- 
 ever, take this as the wayward ideas of a 
 person totally excluded from a knowledge 
 of the secrets of the cabinet, who was 
 somewhat attentive to its operations so far 
 as newspaper information can elucidate." 
 Subsequently, Henry speass well of Simp- 
 son, when Dixon was struck in the leg by 
 a cannon ball that was fired near to Quebec, 
 from which wound he died. He speaks in 
 favorable terms of Dixon and observes that 
 
 tj.^...^..^,..^ ,...v^^ C---^ .^j^..... ^^ .^J ^^^, 
 
 the morality of die song, consolation 
 mind. In truth"the music, though i 
 
 he was a gentleman, and owned property in 
 West Hanover township, then in Lancaster 
 county, now in Dauphin; and he remarks 
 that the blood of Dixon was the tirst obla- 
 tion upon the altar ot Libeity at Quebec. 
 
 Henry was taken prisoner in the attack 
 upon Quebec, which took place upon the 
 first day of January, 1776. Simpson was 
 then away, under an order of Gen. Arnold 
 on the 29th of December, 1775, and was, 
 therefore, not engaged on the attack upon 
 the city. 
 
 Upon the termination of the attack upon 
 Quebec, Simpson returned with the balance 
 of the army. The regiment of Col. Thomp- 
 son had been engaged for the term of one 
 year, which expired on the 1st of July, 1776. 
 Portions of the regiment re-enlisted, and 
 Col. Thompson, having been appointed 
 brigadier general, the regiment came under 
 the command of Col. Hand, of Lancaster 
 county. Captain Smith being absent on 
 recruiting service and First Lieut. Steel hav- 
 ing been taken prisoner at Quebec, the 
 company was probably under the command 
 of Lieut. Simpson in the battle of Long 
 Island. 
 
 This regiment was the first regiment of 
 the Pennsylvania line. 
 
 Simpson was afterward appointed cap- 
 tain on the first of December, 1776. The regi- 
 ment wjs engaged iu the battle of Trenton 
 of the 26th of December, 1776; in that of 
 Princeton on the 3d of January, 1777; in 
 that of Brandywine on the 11th of Sept., 
 1777, and in the battle of White Plains on 
 the 24th of October, 1776. 
 
 In January, 1^79, he addressed a letter to 
 the supivme executive C')uucil containing a 
 request for clothing, which request, it ap- 
 pears, was not granted. The letter, writ- 
 ten in a fair, manly hand, was as follows: 
 
 To the Honorable the Supreme Executive ^ 
 Council of the State of Pennsylvania — \ ■ 
 Gentlemen: V)^en Captain Laug arrived 
 at camp I had obtained a furlough to go 
 home, after a fatiguing campaign, in par- 
 ticular from the 12th of August until the 
 army was ordered to march from Freder- 
 icksburg. I was in the infantry on the 
 enemy's line with Colonel Gest, under the 
 command of General Scott, when, in Sep- 
 tember last, a detachment with Colonel 
 Gest was surrounded by the enemy and 
 twenty-seven privates and two officers made 
 prisoners; they took my clothing, great 
 coat and boots. Not being able to get a 
 supply of clothing from Captain Lang I do 
 humbly request your honors to allow me a 
 supply out of the state store, viz: 
 
 Cloth for great coat. 
 
 1 pair of boots. 
 
 4 shirts and 4 pair of hose. 
 
 1 pair shoes and 1 pair buck'n breeches. 
 Michael Simpson. 
 Capt 1st Penna. Reg't. 
 
 Philadelphia, 12 Jan., 1779. 
 
\j^iiCt^ 
 
 [Endorsed ] 
 Capt. Simpson, Jan'y 12, 1779. Petition 
 dismisseil as being coutrary to a rule laid 
 d(>wn by tbe council not to deliver clothing 
 to any officer whose regiment was at camp 
 in any case except a prisoner and wounded. 
 
 The soldiers of the Peniisylvania line 
 were enlisted for three years or during the 
 war. About the 1st of January, 1781, hap- 
 pened the revolt of llie Pennsylvania line. 
 Tbe soldiers claimed their discharge, con- 
 tending that though the war was not 
 terminated, they were entitled to dis.'harge 
 at the termination of three years of service. 
 This cj[uesiiou arose daring the late war 
 and was decided in favor i/f the soldiers. 
 Tht; rH^iuiHUts were eveiiluilly c aisoli- 
 dated iu;o six regiments, and ihere being 
 supernumeiary officers, iSimpsuu retired 
 from the service. This was on or about 
 the 1st ot Jaiuiary, 1781. Fie had also 
 sei'ved in G-eneral Sullivan's campaign 
 against the northern Indians in 1779. Soon 
 after he left ihe army he got married. 
 
 A brother of Michael Simpson, William 
 Simpson, w.is at Bosio'i during its invest- 
 ment. 1 have heaid that seeing a cannon 
 ball from a Briiish gun rolling over the 
 plain, and not sufficiently estimating its 
 force, he put out his foot to arrest it, but 
 it brol<e his leg. This hnppened on the 
 27th of August, 1775, and the wouncl re- 
 sulted in his death. 
 
 As to tlie personal appearance of General 
 Simpson my cwn iinpressi9n is that he was 
 a iarge, powerful man near to six feet in 
 height; and a highly respectable aged lady 
 now residing in Harrisburg, confirms this 
 statement, and added that "he looked like 
 a general." 
 
 He had a remarkably loud, clear voice, 
 and I have it from en. dibble authority — 
 from one who had frequently percieved it 
 and wlio is now residing in Harrisburg, 
 that he could be heard across the Susque- 
 hanna in calling to his servants about the 
 farm, or to the boatmen on the opposite 
 side of the river, the river being there three 
 quarters of a mile or more in widih. The 
 general owned the ferry on the York county 
 side of the river, and for awhile leased tbe 
 Chambers ferry on the opposite or east side 
 of the river. Ttie water at that ferry, at 
 low water, was rather deeper than at the 
 ferry at Hanisburg. 
 
 I have been informed that when General 
 AVashington Avas in this neighborhood dur- 
 ing the disturbances in western Pennsylva- 
 nia, lie paid a visit to General Simpson at 
 his farm. Washington was at Hairisburg 
 in 1794 and went as far west as Bedford, 
 where he was on the 19th of October. 
 From this he turned toward the east, leav- 
 ing the army to proceed westward under 
 
 the command of General Hamilton. Wash- 
 ington reached Philadelpiiia on ihe 28th of 
 October, where congress was about to as- 
 semble in the month of November. If he 
 visited General Simpson it was probably 
 on his return from Bedford. 
 
 The song about Plato, I have been in- 
 f )rmed, was often sung by llie geneial. So 
 far I have not been able v\ trace it, or a part 
 of it might have been attaclied to this. 
 
 The general was married a sec )ud time. 
 His second wife was a widow lady of Bed- 
 ford, in this state, a remarkably tine look- 
 ing English woman. [ understand that he 
 was then about sevei ty years of age, and 
 his groooisuiau was twenty-tive. 
 
 The geneial is nuried in the grave yard 
 of the Paxton church. 1 undersLand that 
 he had tiie iron ! ailing which is now there, 
 pit-pared tor or plai'cd around the ground 
 which li(^ destined for hi> own burial place. 
 This laiiing, I thiuk, was the tiist one 
 erec ed in tlie Paxtou trave yard, and per- 
 haps was the first One erei ted in any grave 
 yarn in tiiis neiglib nhood. It was not then 
 cus (jmary here loftnce around the dead, or 
 to build s.fiendid trophies in their honor, 
 or to do mure tlian put over or near to thtir 
 resting [il.ice some inexpensive memorial, 
 sometime.-i — 
 
 " With uiiooutU rliymes an'l shapeless sculpture 
 decked," 
 
 but, generally, with mention of their name 
 and years, and sometimes days; their vir- 
 tues often biietly proclaimed; but their 
 faults or frailties unacknowledged. 
 
 General Simpson was possess'id of amia- 
 bLe qualities. He was a warm friend, kind, 
 liberal and obliging, and by his neigiihors 
 was liked and respected. 
 
 He died on' June 1, 1813, age 73. 1 have 
 heard that when lie died_ihe clock in his 
 house stopped. As to thi.s* 
 
 I do ivit ^<ay "now the truth may tic, 
 I say tue tale as 'twas said to me." 
 
 Whilst we are engaged in commemo 
 rating the events ot our revolutionary strug- 
 gle and rescuing from nblivion or bringing 
 to public notice the names and services of 
 those known to ns who risked their lives 
 and fortunes in a cause, by many consid- 
 ered doulitfiil in lesult for a considerable 
 time aftei' the conflict began, let us not for- 
 get that there were many others who died in 
 the hospital, the prison ship, or tlie battle 
 field, whose names and particular services 
 have been forgotten. As to these let us 
 say what some of them might have thought: 
 
 "Needs there the praise of the love written 
 
 record, 
 The name and the epitaph graved on the stone ; 
 The things that we lived for, let them be oui 
 
 story, 
 We ourselves remembered only by what -we have 
 
 done." 
 
 July, 1876. Geo. W. Hakkis. 
 
PLATO . 
 
 The following, discoveredin " Tlie Southern and Western Songster," is the 
 song sung by Lieutenant Simpson. In sentiment it resembles the poem 
 repeated, from memory, by President Lincoln, and which ivas written by 
 William Knox, of Scotland. 
 
 "Says Plato, Why should Man be Vain?" 
 
 Says Plato, why sliould man be vaii), 
 
 Since bounteous Heaven hath made him great; 
 Why look with insolent disdain 
 
 On those undecked with wealth or state ? 
 Can splendid robes, or beds of down, 
 
 Or costly gems that deck the fair ; 
 Can all the glories of a crown 
 
 Give health, or ease the brow of care ? 
 
 The sceptred king, the burthened slave, 
 
 The humble and the haughty die ; 
 The rich, the poor, the base, the brave 
 
 In dust without distinction lie. 
 Go search the tombs where monarchs rest, 
 
 Who once the greatest titles bore ; 
 The wealth and glory they possessed 
 
 And all their honors are no more. 
 
 So glides the meteor through the sky. 
 
 And spreads along a gilded train ; 
 But when its short-lived beauties die. 
 
 Dissolves to common air again. 
 So 'tis with us, my jovial souls, 
 
 hot friendship reign while here we stay ; 
 Let's crown our joys with flowing bowls, 
 
 When Jove us calls we must obey. 
 
■ MBI>JLMH,1 
 

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