William Celebus

William Celebus (January 2, 1779 - December 12, 1836) was the founder of Celebus, New Jersey and set the stage for infter basdustrial growth in the eastern coastal region by removing Native American influence. He was raised by his mother and sent off to the military for two decades, in which he volunteered at the main hospital for the U.S. Army in Trenton in 1812 during the War of 1812. In 1820, Celebus was appointed a General in Trenton and was transferred to Fort Jackson, NJ in 1826, where he supervised Henry Gorshing until the two deserted their posts in 1832 to expand settlements in the region. After Native Americans pushed a large percentage of settlers from the region, including Gorshing, who ended up creating the Dominal Base, Celebus fought back and maintained dominance through 1833. When e xpeditions to find Gorshing failed, a small village was set up to facilitate growth and development until the death of Celebus in 1836 from dysentery.

Early Life
Celebus was born on January 2, 1779, the son of Charles Celebus and Mary Stallworth, in Trenton, New Jersey. His father was a military commander in the Revolutionary War and served under General George Washington. He joined the revolutionary force against the British at Yorktown near the mouth of the Chesapeake in Virginia. By September 28, 1781, when William was two years old, Charles was stationed at the frontlines of a siege that encircled British General Lord Cornwallis and his soldiers with a combined force. Two days into the beginning of the battle, Celebus was shot and killed, one of the 88 deaths in the battle. News didn't arrive at the Celebus household in Trenton until several weeks later, just before Christmas 1781. Young William was nearing three years of age and wouldn't understand the implications of his father's early death until his teenage years.

Celebus was raised by his single mother and maternal grandparents, the Stallworths, until his primary education concluded in 1797. At the age of 18, Celebus looked towards the military as a viable option for a future career. Failing to find anything in the intellectual or mechanical "arts," he joined the United States Army as a private. After basic training, he quickly progressed to Corporal by 1805. When the War of 1812 broke out on June 18, Celebus jumped at the chance to emerge as a war hero, but he was injured in a minor skirmish in early 1813. He was brought to a hospital in Baltimore and transferred back to Trenton in 1814 after the Battle of Baltimore sparked there. After recovering, he spent the remaining months of the war, embittered and disappointed, working as a volunteer in the main hospital for the U.S. Army in Trenton. After the Treaty was signed and the Era of Good Feelings rolled in, his commander promoted him as regional General in Trenton in 1820. A rearrangement operation to organize the New Jersey state army transferred him to Fort Jackson in the eastern part of the state in 1826. It was here that he supervised an up-and-coming office named Henry Gorshing, who was placed at his post under Celebus with "high honors."

Fort Jackson and Exile
Celebus and Gorshing quickly forged a bond as friends after a night of drinks and conversation on a bitter November night in 1828. They came back from a routine check at the Fort Jackson barracks, set a lantern on the table, and poured a few drinks of bourbon. Celebus talked of his ideas to expand eastward from Trenton to the Atlantic shoreline. Fort Jackson was 35 miles from Trenton and served as a direct military link. In early 1831, he established contact with the new general in Trenton. He proposed expanding Fort Jackson by pushing through open land to the east and ejecting the natives there. Two weeks later, Trenton's command denied the request. A back-and-forth took place between the two until October 21, 1831 when the Trenton general threatened to demote him if he kept up his requests.

In response, Celebus resigned from the post as General of Fort Jackson on October 29. At nearly 53 years of age, he moved back home to Trenton and corresponded with multiple soldiers at the fort through letters. one of those respondents was Henry Gorshing, who had been promoted as the second-in-command to General of the base. In a series of letters, Celebus attempted to persuade Gorshing to come with him to open territory to "take the land that the savages don't deserve." This plan was against the wishes of the federal government. His alternate correspondence with other soldiers spread like wildfire throughout the base in the early spring of 1832. In April of 1832, over one hundred men and women stationed on Fort Jackson quit their posts and protested against the base's stagnancy and lack of expansion.

Celebus arrived back on the base on April 26 and solidified his status as a leader when he stood at a makeshift podium and made his case for expansion to the east towards the shoreline. "I am well aware," he said in his loudest tone, "that the Trenton leadership will hear about this in the coming days. I welcome them to stop me." As a crowd gathered from the training grounds and from the barracks, the sound of applause gained momentum until over one hundred and twenty gathered their weapons and clothes into large bags over the course of two days. When the remaining loyalists looked towards Gorshing for leadership, he too announced his resignation and collected his things. Two days later, the settlement force set out in a wave for the Atlantic shoreline ten miles to the southeast. In a few days, the Trenton authorities heard about this "treacherous secession" and a militia set out for the shoreline to flank them.

Exodus
The ten mile trip to the eastern shoreline took its toll on the group of men and women by fatigue and exhaustion. Celebus had convinced them that they couldn't stop to rest or eat because they would be flanked by the Trenton authorities. Rightfully so, the General in Trenton had led the march towards the coast to intercept the squad. General Hopkins had sent one hundred soldiers as well to match the deserters. Celebus and Gorshing arrived at the shoreline with the settlement force on April 29, 1832. Coming through the trees from the west, an entire village of natives was bustling with activity. In seven minutes, the force wiped out the entire village of natives like a whiteboard. Celebus treated the event with a relative sense of apathy, although he regarded it as a necessary evil for his ambitious plans of expansion. He believed that the great United States army had not taken on the British Empire twice just to lose to the Native Americans.

Celebus sent an expeditionary force into the surrounding forest to find more people and supplies soon after. The following morning, on April 30, the soldiers at the shoreline settlement, who had organized a foundation complete with shelter and the starting materials for growth, prepared for battle as they were told that the Trenton authorities would root them out from the north. Indeed by the early afternoon, a crack in the forest tipped them off about the position of the militia. The battle began between the shoreline and the western forest. Celebus took aim and fired at General Hopkins, who took a shot to the knee. As the attacking line receded, the defending Celebus soldiers jumped at the chance and rushed towards the forest, shouting and jeering. Over 30 soldiers had been killed when the Trenton militia surrendered. Hopkins died in the forest that day, with his final words reported as, "You will be gone soon, but my blood will remain here."