USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > History of Fort Wayne, from the earliest known accounts of this point, to the present period. Embracing an extended view of the aboriginal tribes of the Northwest, including, more especially, the Miamies with a sketch of the life of General Anthony Wyane; including also a lengthy biography of pioneer settlers of Fort Wayne. Also an account of the manufacturing, mercantile, and railroad interests of Fort Wayne and vicinity > Part 29
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"Saturday, September 10th, we expected to reach Fort Wayne, but thought, in all probability, we should have to fight our way, for the Indians lay at what was called the Black Swamp, five miles on this side of the fort, immediately on our road. We started after
* Charges of cowardice having been preferred against these two officers, after the ar- rival of the army at Fort Wayne, a court martial was ordered for their trial. Munday resigned and went home. Herring proved that he stood his ground till the whole guard had left him, and was therefore acquitted.
223
ARRIVAL OF THE ARMY AT FORT WAYNE.
early breakfast (if a few bare bones, boiled in water, could be called a breakfast) and marched with much caution. From St. Mary's we had moved in two lines, one on the right, and the other on the left of the road, at a distance of about one hundred yards therefrom, while the wagons kept the road. Sugget's spies went ahead, and on coming to where they had left the trail of the wounded Indian, they again took it, and after following it a short distance, found his dead body. When he found he could not survive, he broke bushes and covered himself over, and resigned to die. The Indians believe that if they lose their scalp, they will not be per- mitted to enter the favorite hunting ground which their tradition teaches them they are to inhabit after death. Hence they use every effort to prevent their enemies from getting the scalps of those slain in battle ; and during an engagement a number are always em- ployed in carrying off the dead. A short distance in advance of their camp, at the swamp, the spies returned with information that they were there, prepared to give us battle. A halt was made, and the line of battle formed. Col. Hawkins, of the Ohio mounted volunteers, had left the lines and gone some distance from the road. Being partly concealed by a clump of bushes, one of his men taking him for an Indian fired at him and shot him through. The ball entered between the shoulders and came out at the breast- which, however, did not prove mortal. We again took up the line of march, and in a short time came in sight of the smoke of the camp of the enemy."
At the first grey of the morning of the 10th of September, the distant halloos of the disappointed savages revealed to the anxious inmates of the fort the glorious news of the approach of the army. Great clouds of dust could be seen from the fort, rolling up in the distance, as the valiant soldiery, under General Harrison, moved forward to the rescue of the garrison ; and soon after daybreak, the army stood before the fort. The Indians had beat a retreat to the northward and eastward, and the air about the old fort resounded with the glad shouts of welcome to Gen. Harrison and the brave boys of Ohio and Kentucky !
And again, as on former occasions, "the Key of the northwest " had unlocked the great door of success; and the country, though not yet through with its trials and conflicts with a wily and relent- less foe, was safe, and destined soon to triumph over every obstacle. The prophetic words of Washington, years before, were again most fully realized; and the scene of the Miami village, more surely than ever, pointed to " a most important post for the Union."
:
CHAPTER XVIII.
All was flight, and for miles around, No red man was to be found.
Flight of the Indians on the approach of the army-The Fort besieged ten or twelve days-Wooden cannon made by the Indians-The little village around the fort destroyed-The occupants of the houses about the fort seek safety in the fort-The fort able to hold out against the Indians still longer-The old well of the fort -- Captain M'Afee's account-His prophecy and that of Captain Wells'as to the fu- ture of Fort Wayne -- Loss in the fort during the siege-Shooting an Indian in the St. Mary-Charges against Captain Rhea-Rhea permitted to resign-The army formed into two detachments to destroy the villages in the region of Fort Wayne- Destruction of corn and vegetables-The tomb of a chief-The village of Five Medals, near where Goshen, Ind., now stands-The tomb of an Indian sorceress- Evidences of British aid-Return of the divisions to the fort-Arrival of new re- cruits at Fort Wayne-A force sent to destroy Little Turtle Town-The ground now occupied by the city of Fort Wayne mainly cleared by order of Ganeral Har- rison- An imposing scene-All approach ent off-Gen. Harrison's report-Arrival of Gen. Winchester at Fort Wayne-Popularity of Gen. Harrison-Winchester to take command of the army-Dissatisfaction among the soldiers at the proposed change of generals -- A reconciliation-Gen. Harrison's return to Piqua-An expe- dition against Detroit-Movements of Gen. Winchester-Indians discovered-A party surprised, captured, and five killed.
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HE INDIANS had mainly fled the evening before the arrival of the army. Some, however, were courageous enough to re- main until within a few moments before the army reached the fort, who "were pursued by the Ohio horsemen, but without success." The fort had now been closely besieged for ten or twelve days ; and the Indians, in their efforts to capture it, had made several pieces of wooden cannon, which they strengthened with iron hoops. Previous to the commencement of the siege, there were several dwellings near the. fort, " forming," says M'Afee, " a handsome little village ; but it was now (on the arrival of the army), in ruins, having been burnt down by the Indians, together with the United States' factory,"
The occupants of the dwellings surrounding the fort, as the siege began, sought refuge within the garrison, where they remained in safety till the army arrived.
The fort, during the siege, was well supplied with provisions.
225
EARLY PROPHECY CONCERNING FORT WAYNE.
There was a good well# of water within the enclosure; and they had also four small field pieces. With these advantages, unless at- tacked by a formidable British force, they were well prepared to oppose the efforts of the Indians for several days longer.
Of the fort, at this period, which was the same built by order of Gen. Wayne, in 1794, in connection with other relations of this point, Captain M'Afeet said : " It is delightfully situated, on an eminence on the south bank of the Miami of the lakes, 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 con- structed of block houses and picketing, but could not resist a British force, as there are several eminences 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 principal town ; and here many an unfortunate prisoner suffered death by burning at the stake. It was here also, that Gen. Harmar suffered his army to be cut up and defeated in detachments after he had burnt the town in the fall of the year 1790. For more than a century before that time, it had been the principal place of ren- dezvous between the Indians of the lakes, and those of the Wabash and Illinois, and had been much resorted to about the year '56 and previously, by French traders from Canada. The Maumee is navi- gable for boats from this place to the lake, and the portage to the nearest navigable branch of the Wabash, is but seven or eight miles, through a level, marshy prairie, from which the water runs both to the Wabash and St. Marys. A canal at some future day will unite these rivers, and thus render a town at Fort Wayne, as formerly, the most considerable place in that country.
" The corn which had been cultivated in the fields, by the vil- lagers, was nearly all destroyed by the Indians; the remains served as forage for the mounted corps. Captain Wells, who was massa- ered at Chicago, had a handsome farm in the forks of the river, with some good buildings, which were all destroyed in the general devastation."
During the siege, the garrison lost but three men. From subse- quent information, it was believed that the Indian loss was about twenty-five. Eight were seen to fall. One Indian was killed at a distance of three hundred yards, while standing in the St. Mary's river. A soldier by the name of King, with a long heavy rifle, fired,
* The traces of this well are yet plainly to be seen. It was near the north west end of the fort, now to beseen just at the edge of the south side of the canal.
+ Author of the " History of the Late War in the Western Country," published in 1816. M'Afee was here in 181 3. It is from this old volume that the writer has been enabled to draw many valuable and interesting facts relating to the early History of Fort Wayne. M'Afee's words in reference to the construction of a canal by this point and the subsequent growth of a " town at Fort Wayne," have been most conclusively realized. The writer also learned from early settlers that the unfortunate Capt. Wells, (killed at Chicago) some years before the war of 1812, had often told persons here that "a big ditch " would one day be dug from the lake to this locality, in which boats would run-and that there would also be a large town here some day-but he was not believed, in fact, thought very immoderate in his calculations. (15)
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HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE.
and the ball took effect in the back of the savage, between his shoulders, and he fell into the water. This feat was witnessed by the whole garrison.
Immediately after the arrival of Gen. Harrison, Lieutenants Ostrander and Curtis, preferred charges against Capt. Rhea, and called upon Major Stiekney, the agent, as a witness. The General assembled his principal officers as a Board of Inquiry, and upon the testimony of the agent, that Rhea was drunk six days during the siege, the Board thought he ought no longer to hold a commission. Gen. Harrison, mainly because of his advanced age, granted Capt. Rhea the alternative of a resignation, (which he complied with,) to take effect the first day of January following.
The second day following the arrival of the army here, General Harrison formed his army into two detachments, with a view of de- stroying the Indian villages in the region of country lying some miles around Fort Wayne, the first division being composed of the regiments under Cols. Lewis and Allen, and Captain Garrard's troop of horse, under Gen. Payne, accompanied by Gen. Harrison. The second division, under Col. Wells, accompanied by a battalion of his own regiment, under Major Davenport, (Scott's regiment,) the mounted battalion under Johnson, and the mounted Ohio men under Adams.
In order that their means of subsistence might also be cut off, it was determined, while destroying the Indian villages in the region, to eut up and destroy their corn and other products.
After a march of a few miles, the troops under Payne came to the Miami villages, at the forks of the Wabaslı, where, finding the villages abandoned, the troops were ordered to cut up the corn and destroy the vegetables in the field adjacent, At this point, says M'Afee's account of the expedition, was observed " the tomb of a. chief, built of logs, and bedaubed with clay." This chief " was laid on his blanket, with his gun and his pipe by his side, a small tin pan on his breast, containing a wooden spoon, and a number of ear- rings and brooches-all deemed necessary, no doubt, on his jour- ney to the other world."
On the 16th of September, the body under Col. Wells had ad- vanced to the Pottawattamie village, known as Five Medals, on the Elkhart river, in what is now Elkhart county, near the town of Goshen. Having crossed the river, about three miles above the village, and formed in order of battle, "in a plain, thinly timbered," the division advanced to the right and left of the village, and then surrounded it; but, to the regret of all, the place was found de- sorted, the Indians having abandoned it two days before, leaving behind considerable quantities of "corn, gathered and laid on scaf- folds to dry, with abundance of beans, potatoes, and other vegeta- bles, which furnished an ample store of provisions for the men and forage for the horses. This village was called Five Medals, from a chief of that name, who made it his residence. On a pole, before
227
DESTRUCTION OF THE VILLAGE OF FIVE MEDALS.
the door of that chief, a red flag was hung, with a broom tied above it ; and on another pole at the tomb of an old women, a white flag was flying. The body of the old woman was entire, sitting upright, with her face towards the east, and a basket beside her, containing trinkets, such as owl and hawk bills and elaws, a variety of bones, and bunches of roots tied together ; all of which indicated that she had been revered as a sorceress. In one of the huts was found a morning report of one of Hull's Captains, also a Liberty Hall newspaper, printed at Cincinnati, containing an account of General Harrison's army. Several coarse bags, which appeared to have contained shot, and pieces of boxes with London and Malden printed on them, were also picked up in the cabin ; which proved that these Indians were intimately connected with the British, and had been furnished with information by some one, perhaps, in our own coun- try. This village, with some seventy acres of corn, was destroyed, and the same evening the army, on its return march, reached the Elkhart river ; and after a most fatiguing march, for those on foot, and from the effects of which one man died soon after the return of the division, the army arrived again at the fort on the 18th, a few hours after the body under Payne had returned."*
On the day previous to the return of these divisions, (17th), Col. Simrall, with a regiment of dragoons, armed with muskets, and numbering some three hundred and twenty men ; also a company of mounted riflemen, under Col. Farrow, from Montgomery county, Ky., had arrived at the fort ; and on the same evening of the return of the divisions under Payne and Wells, Gen. Harrison sent them to destroy Little Turtle Town, some twenty miles northwest of the fort, with orders not to molest the buildings formerly erected by the United States, for the benefit of Little Turtle, whose friendship for the Americans had ever been firm after the treaty of Greenville.
Colonel Simrall most faithfully performed the task assigned him, and on the evening of the 19th, returned to the fort.
In addition to these movements, General Harrison took the pre- caution to remove all the undergrowth in the locality surrounding the fort, extending towards the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Mary, to where now stands Budisill's mill, and westward as far as St. Mary, to the point where now stands the Fort Wayne College, thence south-east to about the point of the residence of the late Allen Hamilton, and to the east down the Maumee a short distance. And so well eleared was the ground, including a very large part of the entire limits of the present site of the city of Fort Wayne, that it was said by those who were here at that early day and to a later period, a sentinel " on the bastions of the fort, looking west- ward, could see a rabbitt running across the grounds as far as so small an object was discernable to the naked eye."
The seclusive points were thus cut off, and the Indians now had no longer any means of concealing their approach upon the fort; * M'Afee.
228
HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE.
and the scene thus presented by the destruction of the underbrush, including many trees, of some growth, was said to have been quite imposing indeed. Some thirty or forty acres, of what is now the Cole farm, extending to the junction of the rivers, and just opposite the Maumee, was then known as the Public Meadow, which, of course, was then, as it had long before been, a considerable open space.
The soldiers were thus readily enabled to observe the approach of any hostile movement against the fort, and to open the batteries, with formidable effect, upon any advance that might be made against the garrison, from any direction.
General Harrison now made an official report of transactions here to the War Department ; and about the 19th of September, Briga- dier-general James Winchester arrived at the Fort, with a view of taking command of the first division of Kentucky troops, which had early marched to reinforce the northwestern army.
General Winchester had seen service in the revolutionary strug- gle, as an officer of distinction, and at this period was somewhat advanced in years. Was a man.of some wealth, and resided in the State of Tennessee, where he is said to have " lived many years in a degree of elegant luxury and ease, which was not calculated to season him for a northern campaign in the forest."
General Harrison was ever a favorite with the soldiers, and there was probably no man in the country at this period who could com- mand a greater amount of esteem from the masses, or who could move at the head of an army with greater confidence and regard from the soldiers under him, both officers and privates, than he could ; and when General Winchester arrived, it was soon un- derstood that he was to take command of the forces. This pro- duced much uneasiness among the troops, not that Winchester was by any means an inferior officer, but that Harrison was the favorite ; and the boys wanted him to lead them. Indeed, so great was the aversion to the change, that many of the militia were disposed not to be under his command ; and it was with much difficulty that General Harrison* and the field officers succeeded in reconciling them to the change of officers.
As it is a matter most essential that all raw troops should have the largest confidence in their commander, so the militia, at this particular juncture of affairs, needed the greatest confidence in their commanding-general, and much of this was unfortunately lost to the men by a change of general officers.
The men being at length prevailed on to march'under General Winchester, with the confident belief that Gen. Harrison would sooner or later be reinstated, and again assume command of them,
* Says M'Afec : " The troops had confidently expected, that General Harrison would be confirmed in the command ; and by this time he had completely secured the confi- dence of every soldier in the army. He was affable and courteous in his manners, and , indefatigable in his attention to every branch of business. His soldiers seem to antici- pate the wishes of the general; it was only necessary to be known that he wished some- thing done, and all were anxious to risk their lives in its accomplishment."
229
MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMY UNDER GEN. WINCHESTER.
on the 19th of September, the command of the troops, by a gen- eral order, at the fort, were transferred to General Winchester, placing " any part of the infantry which he might deem necessary to the extension of his plans, at his disposal."
The same evening, after the issuance of this order, Gen. Harri- son started on his return, towards Piqua, to take command of the forces collecting in the rear; and to arrange for a mounted expedi- tion against Detroit-intending thus to make a coup de main on that point, marching by way of a route but little known, from Fort Wayne, up the St. Joseph, from thence to the head waters of the river Raisin. These troops consisted of three regiments from Ken- tucky, under Barbee, Payne, and Jennings; three companies of mounted riflemen from the same State, under Captains Roper, Ba- con, and Clarke ; also a corps of mounted men from Ohio, who had rendezvoused at Dayton on the 15th, in obedience to a prior call by Governors Meigs and Harrison, which they had made early in September, intending to employ them against some Indian towns, the corps being commanded by Col. Findley, who had again en- tered the service since the surrender of GeneralHull at Detroit.
On the 20th General Harrison met the mounted men and the regiment of Jennings at St. Mary's (Girty Town), the remainder of the infantry being still further in the rear. The General having left word at the fort here for Johnson's battalion and Col. Simrall's dragoons, which were not included in General Winchester's com- mand, to return to St. Mary's as early as possible, Major Johnson, on the morning of the 20th, in accordance therewith, took up his line of march, and after an advance of some twenty miles, was met by orders from General Harrison to return to Fort Wayne again, and there await further orders, with his dragoons, which was promptly complied with, excepting ensign Wm. Holton, with about twenty-five men of Captain Ward's company, who, refusing to obey orders, started to return home, to Kentucky. The next evening, the remainder of the corps under Johnson reached Fort Wayne again.
General Winchester had now removed his camp to the forks of the Maumee ; and early on the 22d of September, he moved down the north side of that stream, over very nearly the same route as that by which General Wayne's army had reached the Miami vil- lages in 1794, intending to go as far as Fort Defiance, at the mouth of the Auglaize, with a view of forming a junction there with the infantry in the rear, who were to come from the St. Marys, by way of the Auglaize,
Before leaving the forks of the Maumee, Winchester issued the following order :
" The front guard in three lines, two deep in the road, and in Indian files on the flanks at distances of fifty and one hundred yards, as the ground will admit. A fatigue party to consist of one captam, one ensign, two sergeants, and two corporals, with fifty men, will follow the front guard for the purpose of opening the road. The remainder of the infantry to march on the flanks in the following order : colonels Wells and Al-
1
230
HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE.
len's regiments on the right, and Lewis and Scott's on the left. The general and brig- ade baggage, commissaries and quartermasters' stores, immediately in the rear of the fatigue party. The cavalry in the following order: captain Garrard and twenty of his men to precede the guard in front, and equally divided at the head of each line ; a lieutenant and eighteen men in the rear of the whole army and baggage; the balance of the cavalry equally divided on the flanks or the flank lines. The regimental baggage wagons will fall according to the respective ranks of their commanding officers. The officers commanding corps previous to their marching will examine carefully the arms and ammunition of their respective corps, and see that they are in good order. They will also be particularly careful, that the men do not waste their cartridges. No loaded muskets are to be put in the wagons. One half of the fatigue party is to work at a time, and the others will carry their arms. The wagon master will attend to loading the wagons, and see that the various articles are put in, in good order, and that eachi wagon and team carry a reasonable load. The hour of march' will be 9 o'clock this morning. The officer of the day is charged with this order. The line of battle will be the same as that of General Harrison in his last march to Fort Wayne."
The March down the Maumee was continued with great precau- tion, and the camp strongly fortified every night, advancing only about five and six miles each day. Not many miles had been gained before a party of Indians were discovered, and the signs were strong that there were many more in the region. A volunteer company of spies having previously been organized, under Captain Ballard, Lieutenant Harrison Munday, of the rifle regiment, and Ensign Liggett, of the 17th U. S. Infantry, they were usually kept in advance to reconnoiter the country. On the 25th, Ensign Lig- gett having obtained permission to proceed as far as Fort Defiance, he was accompanied by four men of McCracken's company, from Woodford, Kentucky. Late that evening, while preparing some food, they were discovered by a Frenchman and eight Indians, who surprised them, with a demand to surrender, being postively as- sured that they would not be hurt, and also be permitted to wear their arms till they entered the British camp. With these condi- tions, says M'Afee's account,* they surrendered; but the Indians and Frenchman, as they walked on, concocted, in their own lan- guage, and executed the following plan for their destruction : Five of the Indians, each having marked his victim, walked behind and on one side of the men, and, at a given signal, fired upon them. Four of them fell dead-Liggett only escaped the first fire-he sprung to a tree, but was shot also while raising his gun to his face. Next day, Captain Ballard, with a part of his company, be- ing in advance, discovered the dead bodies, and a party of Indians watching near them. He formed his men for action, with the Mau- mee on his right; but not liking his position, and perceiving that the Indians were too strong for him, he fell back two hundred yards, and formed in a stronger position. The enemy supposing he had fled, filed off from their right flank, intending to surround him on his left, and cut off his retreat. He heard them pass by on his left without discovering him, and then filed off by the left in their rear, and by a circuitous route arrived safe at the camp.
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