USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume I > Part 12
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During this winter and the early spring the great intrigue reached a climax, and Wayne was required in April to send a detachment to make a fortification below the mouth of the Tennessee river, to overawe the proposed Louisiana army. It was just a little earlier that Lord Dor- chester, governor general of Canada, told a number of Indian chiefs that " he would not be surprised if Great Britain and the United States would be at war in the course of a year." As if in earnest of this declaration, Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe was ordered to establish a British post at the foot of the Maumee rapids, within the territory ceded by England to the United States. Not only the British, but the Spanish, were preparing to take advantage of a war alliance between the United States and France; the governor of Louisiana invaded the American territory, and during this critical spring of 1794, a messenger from the Spaniards came up to the Maumee to assure the Indians of the co-operation of the oc- cupants of the great river. It was not remarkable that under these circumstances, in the midst of these endless and mysterious intrigues which involved the fate of nations on both sides of the Atlantic, that the Indians boldly demanded that the northwest territory should be aban- doned, or that the advance of Gen. Wayne was marked by extreme caution. Another defeat like that of St. Clair would have been " inex- pressibly ruinous," as Washington himself declared, and would have involved the welfare of the young republic.
Wayne still remaining quiet, on the 30th of June, 1794, the Indians took the offensive at Fort Recovery. - In the morning of that day, under the walls of the fort, Major McMahon, with an escort of ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons, was fiercely assailed by a body of some 1,500 Indians. Assisted by a number of British agents and a few French Canadian vol- unteers, the Indians, during a period of about twenty-four hours, made several sallies upon the fort, but finding their efforts unavailable, retired. The loss to the garrison, however, was by no means trifling - twenty- two men being killed and thirty wounded, and three were missing; 22I
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horses were killed, wounded and missing. The Indians carried away their dead during the night, by the light of torches, so that only eight or ten of their warriors were found dead near the fort. Major McMahon, Capt. Hartshorne, Lieut. Craig and Cornet Torry, fell on this occasion.
Major-Gen. Scott with some 1,600 mounted volunteers arrived at Fort Greenville on the 26th of July, and now it was time to move. Wayne had waited patiently. Now he struck with rapidity considering that his way lay through unbroken primeval forests. On the 28th the army began its march upon the Indian villages along the Maumee. Some twenty-four miles to the north of Fort Recovery, Wayne built and garrisoned a small post which he called Fort Adams. From this, on the 4th of August, the ariny moved toward the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers, where it arrived on the 8th of August, Here a strong stockade fort, with four blockhouses for bastions, was erected and called Fort Defiance. On the 14th of August, Gen. Wayne wrote to the secretary of war: "I have the honor to inform you that the army under my command took possession of this very important post on the morning of the 8th inst .; the enemy on the preceding even- ing having abandoned all their settlements, towns and villages, with such apparent marks of surprise and precipitation, as to amount to a positive proof that our approach was not discerned by them until the arrival of a Mr. Newman, of the quartermaster-general's department, who deserted from the army near the St. Mary's. * * I had made such demon- strations, for a length of time previously to taking up our line of march, as to induce the savages to expect our advance by the route of the Miami villages, to the left, or toward Roche de Boeuf by the right, which feints appear to have produced the desired effect, by drawing the atten- tion of the enemy to those points, and gave an opening for the army to approach undiscovered by a devious, i. e., in a central direction. Thus, sir, we have gained possession of the grand emporium of the hostile In- dians of the west, without loss of blood. * * Everything is now prepared for a forward move to-morrow morning toward Roche de Boeuf, or foot of the rapids. * * Yet I have thought proper to offer the enemy a last overture of peace; and as they have every- thing that is dear and interesting now at stake, I have reason to expect that they will listen to the proposition mentioned in the enclosed copy of an address dispatched yesterday by a special flag [ Christopher Miller ], who I sent under circumstances that will insure his safe return, and which may eventually spare the effusion of much human blood. But should war be their choice, that blood be upon their own heads. America shall no longer be insulted with impunity. To an all-powerful and just God I therefore commit myself and gallant army."
- In his address to the Indians, as dispatched by Miller "to the Del- awares, Shawnees, Miamis, and Wyandots, and to each and every of them: and to all other nations of Indians northwest of the Ohio, whom it may concern," General Wayne said: "Brothers - Be no
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longer deceived or led astray by the false promises and language of the bad white men at the foot of the rapids; they have neither the power nor inclination to protect you. No longer shut your eyes to your true interest and happiness, nor your ears to this last overture of peace. But, in pity to your innocent women and children, come and prevent the further effusion of your blood. Let them experience the kindness and friendship of the United States of America, and the invaluable bless- ings of peace and tranquility." He urged them also -" each and every hostile tribe of Indians to appoint deputies " to assemble without delay "in order to settle the preliminaries of a lasting peace." The answer brought by Miller upon his return, on the 16th, was, " that if he (Gen. Wayne) waited where he was ten days, and then sent Miller to them, they would treat with him; but that if he advanced, they would give him battle."
Many of the Indians felt no little distrust as to their ability to defeat the great chief of the Americans who was making so masterful an ad- vance with sleepless vigilance. A man afterward known as Captain Wells, who, at the age of twelve years, had been captured in Kentucky and adopted by the Miamis, and who had lived to manhood and raised a family among them, began to feel a strange conflict in his mind. He had fought by the side of Little Turtle against both Harmar and St. Clair; and it was said of him, that afterward, in times of calm reflection, with dim memories still of his childhood home, of brothers and play- mates, he seemed to have been harrowed by the thought that amongst the slain by his own hand, may have been his kindred. He had resolved to break his attachment to the tribe, even to his wife and children. In this. state of mind, with much of the Indian characteristics, he invited Little Turtle to accompany him to the " Big Elm," about two miles east of Fort Wayne. Wells there told the chief his purpose. "I now leave your nation," said he, " for my own people. We have long been friends. We are friends yet until the sun reaches that height," indicating an hour. " From that time we are enemies. Then if you wish to kill me, you may. If I want to kill you I may." At the time indicated Wells crossed the river, and was lost to the view of his old friend and chieftain, Little Turtle. Moving in an easterly course to strike the trail of Wayne's forces, he was successful in obtaining an interview with the general, and thereafter proved the fast friend of the Americans. This movement of Wells was a severe blow to the Miamis. To Turtle's mind it seemed to be an unmistakable foreboding of speedy defeat to the confederated tribes of the northwest.
On the 15th of August, Gen. Wayne moved toward the foot of the rapids, and came to a halt a few miles above that point, on the ISth, and the next day began the erection of a temporary post for the recep- tion of stores and baggage, and began to reconnoiter the enemy's en- campment, which lay " behind a thick, bushy wood and the British fort." This was Fort Miami, situated at the foot of the rapids on the north- western bank of the Maumee, near the site of Maumee City.
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The post established by Wayne was named Fort Deposit. The Miamis were now undecided as to policy notwithstanding the fact that they had succeeded in defeating the former expeditions of Harmar and St. Clair. At a general council of the confederated tribes, held on the 19th of August, Little Turtle was most earnest in his endeavors to per- suade the Indians to make peace with Gen. Wayne. Said he, " We have beaten the enemy twice under different commanders. We cannot expect the same good fortune to attend us always. The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps. The nights and the days are alike to him, and during all the time that he has been marching on our villages, notwithstanding the watchfulness of our young men, we have never been able to surprise him. Think well of it. There is something whispers me, it would be prudent to listen to his offers of peace." But his words were little regarded. One of the chiefs of the council even went so far as to charge him with cowardice, which he readily enough spurned, for there were none braver or more ready to act where victory was to be won or a defense required, than Little Turtle. The council broke up, and Little Turtle, at the head of his braves, took his stand to give battle to the advancing army. The best account of the engage- ment is that given by Wayne in his report to Secretary Knox:
" At eight o'clock on the morning of the 20th the army again ad- vanced in columns agreeably to the standing order of march; the legion on the right, its flank covered by the Maumee: one brigade of mounted volunteers on the left, under Brigadier-General Todd, and the other in the rear, under Brigadier-General Barbee. A select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front of the legion, commanded by Major Price, who was directed to keep sufficiently advanced so as to give timely no- tice for the troops to form in case of action, it being yet undetermined whether the Indians would decide for peace or war.
" After advancing about five miles, Major Price's corps received so severe a fire from the enemy, who were secreted in the woods and high grass, as to compel them to retreat. The legion was immediately formed in two lines, principally in a close, thick wood, which extended for miles on our left and for a very considerable distance in front, the ground being covered with old fallen timber, probably occasioned by a tornado, which rendered it impracticable for the cavalry to act with effect, and afforded the enemy the most favorable covert for their savage mode of warfare. They were formed in three lines, within supporting distance of each other, and extending for near two miles, at right angles with the river. I soon discovered, from the weight of the fire and ex- tent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force in front, in posses- sion of their favorite ground, and endeavoring to turn our left flank. I therefore gave orders for the second line to advance and support the first; and directed Major-General Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the savages, with the whole of the mounted volunteers, by a circuit- ous route; at the same time I ordered the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, and rouse the Indians from their coverts at the
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point of the bayonet, and when up, to deliver a close and well-directed ยท fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them time to load again.
"I also ordered Capt. Mis Campbell, who commanded the legion- ary cavalry, to turn the left flank of the enemy next the river, and which afforded a favorable field for that corps to act in. All these orders were obeyed with spirit and promptitude; but such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry, that the Indians and Canadian militia and volunteers were driven from all their coverts in so short a time that, although every possible exertion was used by the officers of the second line of the legion, and by Generals Scott, Todd, and Barbee, of the mounted volunteers, to gain their proper positions, but part of each could get up in season to participate in the action; the enemy be- ing driven, in the course of one hour, more than two miles through the thick woods already mentioned by less than one-half their numbers. From every account, the enemy amounted to 2,000 combatants .* The troops actually engaged against them were short of 900. This horde of savages, with their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet possession of the field of battle, which terminated under the influence of the guns of the British garrison."
Both the foresight and the valor of Little Turtle were now no longer to be questioned. At the council, on the night before the attack, he saw the end of all their efforts against the army of Wayne; and the In- dians soon began to realize that their stronghold was lost.
Though it is not positively known whether Tecumseh was at the council or not, yet it is recorded in the narrative by Anthony Shane, that he led a party of Shawnees in the attack upon the army of Gen. Wayne. It was in this engagement that he first encountered the " white chief," William Henry Harrison, with whom, a few years later, he had so much to do. Says the account of Shane: " He occupied an advanced position in the battle, and while attempting to load his rifle, he put in a bullet before the powder, and was thus unable to use his gun. Being at this moment pressed in front by some infantry, he fell back with his party, till they met another detachment of Indians. Tecumseh urged them to stand fast and fight, saying if any one would lend him a gun, he would show them how to use it. A fowling-piece was handed to him, with which he fought for some time, till the Indians were again compelled to give ground. While falling back, he met another party of Shawnees; and, although the whites were pressing on them, he rallied the Indians, and induced them to make a stand in the thicket. When the infantry pressed close upon them, and had discharged their muskets into the bushes, Tecumseh and his party returned the fire, and then retreated
* There were about 450 Delawares, 175 Miamis, 275 Shawnees, 225 Ottawas, 275 Wyandots, and a small number of Senecas, Pottawatomies, and Chippewas. The number of white men who fought in defense of the Indians in this engagement, was about seventy, including a corps of volunteers froin Detroit, under the command of Captain Caldwell.
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till they had joined the main body of the Indians below the rapids of the Maumee."
To quote Wayne's report, " the bravery and conduct of every officer belonging to the army, from the generals down to the ensign, merit my highest approbation. There were, however, some whose rank and situ- ation placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point of view, and which I observed with pleasure and the most lively gratitude. Among whom I must beg leave to mention Brig .- Gen. Wilkinson and Col. Hamtramck, the commandants of the right and left wings of the legion, whose brave example inspired the troops. To those I must add the names of my faithful and gallant aids-de-camp, Captains De Butt and T. Lewis, and Lieut. Harrison, who, with the adjutant-general, Major Mills, rendered the most essential service by communicating my orders in every direc- tion, and by their conduct and bravery exciting the troops to press for victory. Lieut. Covington, upon whom the command of the cavalry now devolved, cut down two savages with his own hand, and Lieut. Webb one, in turning the enemy's left flank. The wounds received by Captains Slough and Prior, and Lieutenants Campbell, Smith [an extra aid-de-camp to Gen. Wilkinson ], of the legionary infantry, and Capt. Van Rensselear of the dragoons, Capt. Rawlins, Lieut. McKenny and Ensign Duncan of the mounted volunteers, bear honorable testimony of their bravery and conduct.
"Captains H. Lewis and Brock, with their companies of light infantry, had to sustain an unequal fire for some time, which they supported with fortitude. In fact, every officer and soldier who had an opportunity to come into action displayed that true bravery which will always ensure success. And here permit me to declare, that I never discovered more true spirit and anxiety for action, than appeared to pervade the whole of the mounted volunteers; and I am well persuaded that, had the enemy maintained their favorite ground for one-half hour longer, they would have most severely felt the prowess of that corps. But, while I pay this tribute to the living, I must not neglect the gallant dead, among whom we have to lament the early death of those worthy and brave officers, Capt. Mis Campbell, of the dragoons, and Lieut. Towles, of the light infantry of the legion, who fell in the first charge."
Of the killed and wounded in this engagement, according to the report of Gen. Wayne, the regular troops lost twenty-six killed, and eighty-seven wounded. Of the Kentucky volunteers, seven were killed and thirteen were wounded; and nine regulars and two volunteers died of their wounds before the 28th of the month. "The loss of the enemy was more than double that of the Federal army," and " the woods were strewn for a considerable distance with the dead bodies of Indians."
The army remained three days and nights on the banks of the Maumee, on the field of battle, during which time all the houses and cornfields were consumed and destroyed for a considerable distance both above and below Fort Miami, as well as within pistol shot of the garrison, who were compelled to remain quiet spectators of this general
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devastation and conflagration, which was Wayne's method of teaching the Indians that the British were powerless. Among the property de- stroyed were the houses and stores of Col. McKee, the British Indian agent, and principal stimulator of the war.
On the 27th, the army started upon its return march for Fort De- fiance, laying waste, as it moved, villages and cornfields for a distance of some fifty miles along the Maumee. While the American forces occupied position within range of the British fort at the rapids, from the afternoon of the 20th to the forenoon of the 23d, five letters passed between Gen. Wayne and Major Campbell, who commanded Fort Miami with 460 men and 12 cannon; the first coming from the British commander, enquiring the cause of the army of the United States ap- proaching so near his majesty's fort, asserting that he knew " of no war existing between Great Britain and America.". To this Gen. Wayne re- plied: " Without questioning the authority or the propriety, sir, of your interrogatory, I think I may, without breach of decorum, observe to you, that, were you entitled to an answer, the most full and satisfactory one was announced to you from the muzzles of my small arms, yesterday morn- ing, in the action against the horde of savages in the vicinity of your post, which terminated gloriously to the American arms; but, had it continued until the Indians, etc., were driven under the influence of the post and guns you mention, they would not have much impeded the progress of the victorious army under my command, as no such post was established at the commencement of the present war between the Indians and the United States." To which in turn, the British con- mander rejoined that the insults that had been offered the British, would, if repeated, compel him to have recourse to measures which the nations might regret. Wayne in reply reminded Campbell that he was com- mitting a hostile act in occupying a fort within the limits of the United States, and ordered him to retire peacefully within the limits of the British lines. To which the British commandant replied that he cer- tainly would not abandon the post at the summons of any power what- ever, until he received orders to that effect from those he had the honor to serve under, or the fortunes of war should oblige him so to act, and again warned Wayne to beware of the cannon.
Reaching Fort Defiance again, the army soon began improving the works, and here remained till the morning of the 14th of September, 1794, when the legion began its march for Kekionga, whither it arrived at 5 o'clock p. m., September 17, and on the following day the troops fortified their camps, while " the commander-in-chief reconnoit- ered the ground and determined on the spot to build a garrison." Work began on the fort September 24th and on the 17th of October Wayne forwarded a description of the works to the war department.
On the morning of the 22d of October, 1794, the fort was in readi- ness, and Lieut .- Col. Hamtramck assumed command of the post, with the following sub-legions: Capt. Kingsbury's Ist; Capt. Greaton's 2d; Captains Spark's and Reed's 3d; Capt. Preston's 4th; and Capt. Por-
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ter's of artillery; and after firing fifteen rounds of cannon, Col. Ham- tramck christened the post - Fort Wayne. Not less important than the shot that " echoed round the world " was the glad outburst of cannon, saluting the stars and stripes as it floated over this stockade fort in the heart of a boundless and lonely forest region. It signalled the birth of the imperial great west.
On the 28th of October, Gen. Wayne, with the main body of the regu- lars, took up his line of march for Fort Greenville, arriving there on the 2d of November. As the tidings of the victory of Wayne flew from town to town in the east, from settlement to settlement in the west, they awakened a thrill of inexpressible joy, that told how much more had been accom- plished than the most sanguine had dared to expect. Congress, by res- olution, complimented Wayne and his army. The heart of Washington was cheered as it had not been since he assumed the presidency. His administration was lifted beyond reproach; the continental policy he had so patiently fought for was forever established, the voice of faction which had embittered his life was hushed. The young republic sud- denly acquired a strength and vigor of policy which Washington and Hamilton had striven almost in vain to impart. The Indians of the south at once hushed their warlike demonstrations. Ninety days after the battle of the Maumee, Minister Jay was able to conclude a satis- factory treaty with Lord Grenville. This was effected on the 19th of November; and one of its main stipulations was that of a withdrawal, " on or before the first day of June, 1796, of all troops and garrisons, from all posts and places within the boundary lines assigned to the United States by the treaty of peace of 1783."
After the battle of the Maumee, Wayne had continued to invite the Indians to a friendly meeting, but they for some time seemed to be depending upon support from the British. While Wayne was inviting them to meet him at Greenville to conclude a treaty, Lieut .- Gen. Sim- coe, Col. McKee, and other officers of the British Indian department, persuaded Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, Buckongahelas and other dis- tinguished chiefs, to agree to hold an Indian council at the mouth of Detroit river.
But when the news of Jay's treaty reached the Indians, they felt their last hope of aid from the English fading away, and began seriously to think of peace. During the months of December and January, I794-5, small parties of Miamis, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Sacs, Delawares and Shawnees visited Gen. Wayne at his headquarters at Greenville, signing preliminary articles of peace, and agreeing to meet Wayne at Greenville on or about the 15th of June, 1795, with all the sachems and war-chiefs of their nations, to arrange a final treaty of peace and amity.
During the period that elapsed between the departure of Wayne for Fort Greenville until the 17th of May, 1796, Col. Hamtramck remained in command at Fort Wayne; and nothing of a very important nature occurred during that time, the garrison being principally occupied in
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receiving parties from the various tribes, issuing rations to them, and otherwise endeavoring to bring about friendly relations with the dis- heartened savages, who had grown weary of a losing cause.
'I'rue to their promise, in the early part of June, 1795, deputations from the different tribes began to arrive at Greenville. The treaty, which was one of much interest throughout, lasted from the 16th of June to the roth of August, many of the principal chiefs making strong speeches, and each nation openly and separately assenting to the articles and stipulations of the treaty. At the conclusion of his speech to the depu- ties on the roth of August, at the termination of the treaty, Gen. Wayne addressed the assemblage as follows: " I now fervently pray to the Great Spirit, that the peace now established may be permanent, and that it may hold us together in the bonds of friendship, until time shall be no more. I also pray that the Great Spirit above may enlighten your minds, and open your eyes to your true happiness, that your children may learn to cultivate the earth, and enjoy the fruits of peace and in- dustry. As it is probable, my children, that we shall not soon meet again in public council, I take this opportunity of bidding you all an affection- ate farewell, and wishing you a safe and happy return to your respect- ive homes and families."
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