USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of Allen County, Indiana, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 16
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" First reaching the gate of the esplanade, and finding it inaccessible, they deseended the river bank, and were soon admitted by the northern * gate. *
* Entering the general gateway, which was located about where now stands the residence of the late James B. Hanna, or Martin Knoll, on Wayne street-the fort then, with several acres of ground, being inclosed by a substantial fence-a few moments more and all was safety. The fort was gained, the north gate opened. and Oliver and his companions rode quickly in, to the great astonishment and joy of the little garrison."*
Soon, a concise account of the situation was prepared to he forwarded to Gen. Harrison, the faitbful Logan and his ehosen braves being the appointed messengers. Seeing an opportunity, Logan and his companions left the fort quietly, but being soon observed, were pursued and fired upon, but they eseaped unharmed, their exultant shouts announeing the fact that they had outstripped their pursuers and passed the guard line in safety.
Resuming the narrative of Capt McAfee, concerning the mission of Logan, the author proceeds : "On his way, he eluded all the vigilance of the enemy, got into the fort and returned with the information of its heing beseiged. He also brought intelligence that Stephen Johnston, a brother of the Indian Agent, had been killed in sight of the fort while attempting to escape as an express to Gen. Harrison, and that the Indians had tried every stratagem to get possession of the fort. This information was important as well as that from the Indians from the Auglaize, that there was no appearance of a British army having passed up ' the
* Miami of the the Lakes' (the Maumee of to-day). * * Early next morning, the army marebed for Fort Wayne, except the mounted volunteers, who remained till 12 o'clock to rest their horses and to elect a Major. R. M.
Johnson was chosen for the office. * The army arrived in the evening at Col. Adam's camp, at Shane's crossing of the St. Mary's; and Maj. Johnson came up at night and eneamped half a mile above the main army. On the morning of the 10th, some delay was caused by repairing broken wagons and making other necessary arrangements. The delay was not spent idly. Most of the different corps were paraded and drilled. Maj. Johnson's battalion was drilled on horseback by Capt. James Johnson, whose zcal and military informa- tion was surpassed by few men of his age and opportunities.
" The progress of the army was slow, and there was but very little water on the route. On the 11th, Lieut. Suggette, Adjutant of Johnson's battalion, was sent with twenty men from that battalion to reconnoiter in advance. Logan and two other Shawanoes went with them. They fell in with a party of Indians who fled immediately, leaving a young Pottawatomie chief mortally wounded. In the evening they returned, and their little encounter, being the first that had occurred, had some effect in raising the spirits of the troops.
" During the night, there was a number of alarms caused by the Indians attempting to approach and examine the camp. The army was now within twenty miles of Fort Wayne, at which it would be able to arrive next day. Very early next morning, the whole army was in motion, and expecting to incet the Indians at a well-known swamp about bve miles this side of the fort. As the army approached it, the horsemen, under Johnson and Adams, went round it to the right and left. It was about a mile long and three hundred yards wide, except where the road erosses it, at which place it was not more than one hundred yards wide. It was tolerably dry, and no enemy was seen about it, nor any appearance of one except a recent eneampiuent immediately beyond the swamp. About a mile further, a single Indian was seen and fired upon, which caused the army to form in line of battle, but, no others appearing, the march was resumed, and, about two hours before sunset, the troops arrived at the fort. Their arrival was the souree of no little joy to the garrison and the people, who had taken refuge in the fort. The Indians had fled, most of them, on the evening before, and some only a few moments hefore the appearance of the army. They were pursued by the Ohio horsemen, but without success. The fort had been elosely invested for ten or twelve days by the Indians, who had made several pieces of wooden eannon by boring out pieces of timber and strengthening them with iron hoops. The army encamped around the fort, where a few days hefure there had been a handsome little village, but it was now in ruins, having been burut down hy the Indians, together with the United States factory, which had been creeted to fur- nish the ungrateful wretehes with farming utensils.
" Until the Ist of September, the savages about the fort had professed friend- ship with the view to get possession of it by stratagem. Capt. Rbea, who eom- manded, was addicted to intoxication, for which, and his other misconduet, he was arrested by Gen. Harrison, but, on account of bis age, he was permitted to resign. The fort was well prepared to resist a siege by Indians, as it had plenty of pro- visions and water, and about seventy men, with four small field pieces. It is delightfully situated on the south bank of the Miami of the Lake, immediately below the formation of that river by the junction of the St. Mary's from the southwest with the St. Joseph's from the north. It is well constructed of bloek- houses and picketing, but could not resist a British force, as there are several eminenees on the south side from which it could be commanded by a six or nine- pounder. This is the place where the Miami Indians formerly had their prinei- pal town, and here many an unfortunate prisoner suffered death by burning at the
stake. * * -x- For more than a century before that time, it had been the chief place of rendezvous between the Indians of the lakes, and those of the Wabasb and Illinois, and had been much resorted to about 1756, and, previously, by Freneh traders from Canada."
During the siege, especially, the habit of intemperance had become so fixed upon Capt. Rhea as to render him wholly disqualified for the discharge of the important duties demanded by his position as commander of this post. Dissatis- faction had, for some time, been manifested touching his conduct, and it only required the presence of the commanding general to cause an inquiry to be made upon charges preferred by Lieuts. Ostrander and Curtis. The result of this investigation was that, owing to his habits of inebriety, he ought no longer to hold a commission ; but Gen. Harrison, in consequence of the advanced age of the aceused, gave him the alternative to resign, which was accepted, taking effeet January 1, 1813.
Two days after the arrival of the army at this point, Gen. Harrison separated his foree into' two detachments, the first composed of the regiments under Cols. Lewis and Allen, and Capt. Garrard's troop of horse, under Gen. Payne, aecom- panied by Gen. Harrison, the second under Col. Wells, accompanied by a hattalion of his own regiment, under Maj. Davenport (Scott's regiment), the mounted battalion under Maj. Johnson, and the mounted Ohio vol- unteers under Maj. Adamns. The purpose of this division was the destruction of the Indian villages round about in the immediate vicinity of Fort Wayne, as a means of cutting off their supplies and preventing their continuanee in the neighborhood. And as a further means to that end, it was determined, while destroying the villages, to eut up and destroy their corn and other products. This work was rapidly accomplished, and the expedition returned after an absence of less than a week. On the day preceding, however, a company of mounted rifle- men, under Col. Farrow, from Kentucky, was sent to destroy the Little Turtle Village, but with special orders not to molest the buildings erected for the benefit of Little Turtle at the expense of the United States, because of the great friend- ship of that chief for the white people.
In addition to the aforementioned precautions, to the end that the places of concealment in the immediate vicinity of the fort which enabled the Indians to make assaults upon the garrison unobserved, might be destroyed, Gen. Harrison next caused all the trees and undergrowth to be eut down and removed from the fort grounds, extending toward the confluenee of the St. Joseph's and St. Mary's
* Brice's History of Fort Wayne, pp. 218, 219.
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HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
to the site of Rudisell's Mill, and westward as far as St. Mary's, to the poiut where the Fort Wayne College now stands; thence southeast to about the point where the residenee of the late Allen Hamilton now stands, and to the Maumee on the east, ciuhracing almost the entire area of the city. This elearing was so thoroughly accomplished that, it is said by those whose carly residence here enabled them to know, a sentinel " on the hastions of the fort, looking westward, could see a rabbit running across the grounds as far as so small an object was dis- eernihle to the naked eye." By this means the soldiers were enahled to ohserve the approach of an onemy in time to bring the guns of the fort to hear upon any hostile movement.
On the 19th of September, Gen. Harrison made an official report of his pro- ceedings in this expeditiou to the War Department, when he was ready to sur- render his eommand into the hands of Gen. Winchester. Having done so, he returned to Piqua, where he took command of the force colleeting there, with the first division of Kentucky troops, which had already advanced for the re-enforce- ment of the Northwestern army, in preparation for a mounted expedition against Detroit. On the 20th, the General met those men at St. Mary's (Girty's town), the infantry not having arrived. Subsequently, he directed Maj. Johnson, with his dragoons, to return at once to Fort Wayne, aud there await further orders. They returned accordingly.
CHAPTER IV.
INDIAN TREATIES AT AND AFFECTING FORT WAYNE.
By the treaty of Greenville, Ohio, concluded on the 3d day of August, 1795, between Maj. Gen. Anthony Wayne, eorumandiog the army of the United States, and sole Commissioner for the good purposes above mentioned, "to put an end to a destructive war, to settle all controversies, and to restore hariuony and friendly intercourse between the said United States and Indian tribes "-and the "Sachems, Chiefs and Warriors" of " the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanoes, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel Rivers, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws and Kaskaskias-the first agreement concerning the lands and the grant thereof by the Indians at and in the vicinity of Fort Wayne was eonsun- uated. The scope and purpose of that treaty, so far as the purposes of this work are coneerued, can hest be determined hy a reference to some of the con- ference proceedings incident to the conclusion of the treaty as we find it. In these discussious, the principal subjeet of controversy, and which needed to he settled, was that in reference to the validity of cessions made by former treaties, in which, as the Indians claimed, they had not been fully represented. To Little Turtle, then, who best represented the interests and rights of the Miamis of this locality, let us look for an explanation of the matters in issue. Gen. Wayne having previously explained the basis upon which he expected to consummate this treaty, Little Turtle, in reply, said, " You have informed us that the treaty of Muskingum shall be the foundation on which the present treaty shall he founded. That treaty was held hy the six nations, and by a few young men of the Chippe- ways, Ottawas and Pottawatomies. We, Miamis and Wabash tribes, are totally unacquainted with it."
Other members of the council having spoken, Little Turtle added : " I wish to ask of you (elder brother) and my brothers present one question. I would be glad to know what lands have been ceded to you, as I am informed, in this particular. I expect that the lands on the Wabash and in this country belong to me and my people. I now take the opportunity to inform my brothers of the United States, and others present, that there are men of sense and understanding among my people, as well as among theirs, and that these lands were disposed of without our knowledge or consent. . I was yesterday surprised when I heard from our grandfathers, the Delawares, that these lands had been ceded by the British to the Americans, when the former were beaten hy and made peace with the latter, because you had before told us that it was the Wyandots, Delawares, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Sauckeys who made this cession."
On the following day, July 22, Little Turtle resumed, and addressing Gen. Wayne, said, " I hope you will pay attention to what I now say to you. I wish to inform you where your younger brothers, the Miamis, live; and also the Potta- watomies of St. Joseph, together with the Wahash Indians. You have pointed out to us the boundary line between the Indians and the United States ; but I now take the liberty to inform you that that line euts off from the Indians a large portion of country which has heen enjoyed hy my forefathers, time imme- morial, without restriction or dispute. The prints of my ancestors' houses are everywhere to he sven in this portion. I was a little astonished to hear you and my brothers, who are now present, telling each other what business yon had transacted together heretofore, at Muskingum, concerning this country. It is well known hy all my brothers present that my forefathers kindled the first fire at Detroit ; from thenee he extended his lines to the head- waters of Scioto, from thence to the month, from thence down the Ohio to the mouth of the Wahash, and from thence to Chicago, on Lake Michigan. At this place I first saw my elder brothers, the Shawanocs.
" I have now informed you of the boundaries of the Miami nations, where the Great Spirit placed my forefather a long time ago, and charged him not to sell or part with his lands, but to preserve thetu for his posterity. This charge has heen handed down to me. I was much surprised to find that my brothers differed so much from me on this subject, for their eondnet would lead me to suppose that the Great Spirit and their forefathers, had not given thein the same charge that Was given to me ; but, on the contrary, had directed them to sell their lands to any white man who wore a hat, as soon as he should ask it of them. Now, elder
brother, your younger brothers, the Miamis, have pointed out to you their country, and also to our brothers present. When I hear your remarks and proposals on this subject, I will he ready to give you an answer. I eatue with an expectation of hearing you say good things, hut I have not yet heard what I had expected."
Two days later, Gen. Wayne, addressing the Miamis, said : " I have paid attention to what the Little Turtle said two days since, concerning the lands which be claims. He said his father kindled the fire at Detroit, and stretched his line from there to the head-waters of the Scioto; thence down the same to the Ohio ; thence down that river to the mouth of the Wahash, and thence to Chicago, on the southwest end of Lake Michigan ; and ohserved that his forefathers had enjoyed that country undisturbed, from time immemorial.
" Brothers ! these houndaries inclose a very large space of country indeed; they embrace, if I mistake not, all the lands on which all the nations now present live, as well as those which have been ceded to the United States. The lands which have heen eeded within these three days have heen aeknowledged by the Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Wyandots, Delawares and Shawanoes. The Little Turtle says the prints of his forefather's houses are everywhere to be seen within these boundaries. Younger brothers ! it is true these prints are to be observed, hut at the same time we discover the marks of French possessions throughout this country, which were established long before we were born. These have since heen in the possession of the British, who must, in their turn, relinquish them to the United States, when they, the French and the Indians, will be all as one people
" I will point out to you a few places where I discover strong traces of these establishments; and first of all, I find at Detroit a very strong print, where the fire was first kindled by your forefathers ; next at Vincennes, on the Wahash ; again at Musquiton, on the same river ; a little higher up the stream, they are to he seen at Quitanon. I discover another strong trace at Chicago; another on the St. Joseph's of Lake Michigan. I have seen distinctly the prints of a French and of a British post, at the Miami villages, and of a British post at the foot of the rapids, now in their possession. Prints very conspicuous are on the Great Miami, which were possessed by the French forty-five years ago ; and another trace is very dis- tinctly to be seen at Sandusky."
" It appears to me that if the Great Spirit, as you say, charged your forc- fathers to preserve their lands entire, for their posterity, they have paid very little regard to the sacred injunction, for I see they have parted with those lands to your fathers, the French, and the English are now, or have heen, in possession of them all; therefore, I think the charge urged against the Ottawas, Chippewas and other Indians, comes with a bad grace, indeed, from the very people who, per- haps, set them the example. The English aud Freneh both wore hats, and yet your forefathers sold them, at various times, portions of your lands. However, as I have already observed, you shall now receive from the United States further valuable compensations for the lands you have eeded to them by former treaties. .
" Younger brothers! I will now inform you who it was who gave us these lands in the first instance ; it was your fathers, the British, who did not discover that care for your interests which you ought to have experienced."
On a subsequent day, Gen. Wayne further explained the grounds for the proposed treaty in the following language: " You will consider that the principal part of the now proposed reservations were made and ceded by the Indians, at an early period, to the French ; the French, hy the treaty of peace of 1763, ceded them to the British, who, hy the treaty of 1783, eeded all the posts and possessions they then held, or to which they had any elaim, south of the great lakes, to tho United States of America. The treaty of Muskingum embraced almost all these reservations, and has been recognized hy the representatives of all the nations now present, during the course of last winter, as the hasis upon which this treaty should he founded."
Frequently, during the progress of the conference, Little Turtle, as the master mind among the Indians, with the manifest desire to have all the repre- sentatives of tribes present fully understand all the details of the deliberations, harangued them upon the subject, requesting that they be not precipitate, but consider well what they were doing. He replied, also, to some of the statements of Gen. Wayne, who had spoken of the habitatious of the French and English traders at the Miamis' village and elsewhere, saying : " I will inform you in what manner the French and English occupied these places.
" Elder brothers ! These people were seen by our forefathers first at Detroit ; afterward they saw thewu at the Miami village-that glorious gate which your younger brothers had the happiness to own, and through which all the good words of our chiefs had to pass, from the north to the south, and from the east to the west. Brothers, these people never told us they wished to purchase our lands from us.
" Elder brothers ! I now give you the true sentiments of your younger brothers, the Miamis, with respect to the reservation at the Miami villages. Wo thank you for kindly contracting the limits you at first proposed. We wish you to take this six miles square, on this side of the river where your fort now stands, as your younger brothers wish to inhahit that heloved spot again. You shall cut hay for your cattle wherever you please, aud you shall uever require in vain the assistance of your younger brothers at that place.
" Elder brothers ! The next place you pointed to was the Little River, and said you wanted two miles square at that place. This is a request that our fatlı- ers, the French or British, never made us-it was always ours. This carrying- place has heretofore proved, in a great degree, the subsistence of your younger brothers. That place has brought ns, in the course of one day, the amount of one hundred dollars. Let us both own this place and enjoy in common the advantages it affords. You told us, at Chicago, the Freneli possessed a fort ; we have never heard of it. We thank you for the trade you promised to open in our country ; and permit us to remark that we wish our former traders may be continued and mixed with yours."
42
HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.
A day or two afterward, when the deliberations were nearly concluded, Gen. Wayne again spoke, addressing the Miamis; after reviewing generally the objec- tions stated by themu to the proposed terms, he said :
" I find there is sowie objection to the reservation at Fort Wayne. The Little Turtle observes he never heard of any cessions made at that place to the French. I have traced the lines of two forts at that point-one stood at the junction of the St. Joseph's and the St. Mary's, and the other not far removed, on the St. Mary's; and it is ever an established rule among Europeans to reserve as much ground around their forts as their cannon can command; this is a rule as well known as any other fact.
" Objection has also been wade respecting the portage hetween Fort Wayne and Little River, and the reasons produced are that the road has been to the Miamis a source of wealth ; that it has heretofore produced them $100 per day. It may he so; hut let us inquire, who in fact paid this heavy contribution? It is trne, the traders hore it in the first instance ; but they laid it on their goods, and the Indians of the Wabash really and finally paid; therefore, it is the Little Beaver, the Soldier, the Sun and their tribes who have actually been so highly taxed. The United States will always be their own carriers to and from their different posts. Why, then, should the United States pay the large sum of $8,000 annually if they were not to enjoy the privilege of open roads to and from their reservations ? This sumu the United States agree to pay for this and other considerations ; and the share which the Miamis will receive of this annuity shall be $1,000. * *
* The Miamis shall be at liberty, as usual, to employ themselves for private traders whenever their assistance may be required, and those people that have lived at that glorious gate (the Miami villages) may now rekindle their fires at that favorite spot, and henceforth, as in their happiest days, be at full liberty to receive from and send to all quarters the speeches of their chiefs, as usual, and here is the road the Miamis will remem- ber. "
The treaty was concluded on the 3d of August, all the provisions and stipu- lations having heen thoroughly considered and assented to by all the representa- tives of tribes present.
When the essential provisions had heen agreed upon, Little Turtle expressed lis satisfaction in the following forcible language: "Elder brother! Your younger brothers, the Miamis, now thank you for the sentiments you have expressed and for burying the hatchet. They offer, at the same time, their acknowledgments to their elder brother of the fifteen fires for throwing his toma- hawk, with so strong an arm, into the great ocean. We are convinced of the sincerity with which these actions are performed. I do not believe the hatchet was ever before buried so deep. I fancy it has always, heretofore, been cast into shallow, running water, which has washed it up on dry land, where some of our foolish young men have always found it, to involve their people in trouble."
The provisions of that treaty, especially affecting this locality, are the following : " And for the same cousiderations, and as an evidence of the returning friendship of the said Indian trihes, of their confidence in the United States and desire to provide for the convenient intercourse, which will be beneficial to both parties, the said Indian tribes do also cede to the United States the following pieces of land, to wit : One piece six miles square at or near the confluence of the rivers St. Mary's and St. Joseph's, where Fort Wayne now stands, or near it. Que piece two miles square on the Wabash River, at the end of the portage from the Miami of the lake and about eight miles westward from Fort Wayne.
" And the said Indian tribes will allow to the people of the United States a free passing by land and hy water as one and the other shall be found convenient through their country along the chain of posts hereinbefore mentioned, that is to say, from the commencement of the portage aforesaid, at or near Loramuie's store, thence along said portage to the St. Mary's and down the same to Fort Wayne, then down the Miami to Lake Erie ; * K
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