The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West

The “ancient works” refer to a variety of earthworks spread across more than 90 acres “in direct lines, in squares and elevated mounds, including one dominant, conical burial mound thirty feet high” (48) found just to the north of Camp Martius. Curious about the origins of these ancient works, M. Cutler inquired of the Indigenous tribal leaders, who did not know. Later, it was determined that these mounds were as ancient as Roman sites. The presence of these works is a stark reminder that the white settlers were not the first people in the northwest, as there was a long history of cultural practices.

The term “Camp Martius” is Latin for “Field of Mars” (47). Camp Martius refers to the stockade built on the orders of Putnam for defense. It was a “great square structure with outer walls 188 feet in length” and was designed to house 864 people (47). During the Conflict with Indigenous Peoples, many citizens of Marietta would stay at the stockade at night.

The Embargo Act of 1807 prohibited American ships from carrying exports. It was passed “in the hope of strangling English commerce at sea” (171) and therefore avoiding a war. Its effect was devastating on the economy of Marietta, which depended on shipbuilding.