USA > Kentucky > A history of the commonwealth of Kentucky > Part 33
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On the 19th the command of the troops was transferred by a general order of Harrison, to Winchester; at the same time, any troops deemed necessary to the plans of his suc- cessor, were magnanimously offered by the former officer. He now returned "to take command of the troops collect- ing in the rear, and to prepare for a mounted expedition against Detroit. He intended to make a coup de maint on that place, with a mounted force, which should march by an unfrequented route trom Fort Wayne, up the St. Joseph's to the head waters of the river Raisin." The troops with which this expedition was intended to be made. "were the three regiments from Kentucky, under Barbee. Poague and Jennings, with three companies of mounted riflemen from the same State, under captains Roper, Bacon and Clarke,
. * Dawson, 291. f M'Afee, 131. 1 A sudden and rapid attack on an enemy.
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and a corps of mounted men from Ohio. The latter was commanded by Colonel Finley, of the revolutionary ser- > vice.
This alert movement was, however, modified by a com- munication from the war department, on the 24th of Sep- tember, appointing General Harrison, "to the command of the north-western army," which was promised to be fil- led up to the number of ten thousand men. This des- patch contained this more pregnant instruction, that, "Hav- ing provided for the protection of the western frontier, you will retake Detroit, and with a view to the conquest of Upper Canada, you will penetrate that country as far as the force under your command will, in your judgment justify." This strain of unqualified and high expectation on the part of the administration, was corroborated by another despatch of the 23d inst., to the following purport: "You are already apprized of the solicitude of the government, that every thing that can be done, shall be done, towards recovering the ground lost, and extending successful opera- tions in Canada." Still most honorable discretion was left to the superior information and judgment of the General on the spot; and the contractor, commissary, and quartermaster's departments were placed under his orders. The extent of this command, and the difficulties attendant upon it, merit particular attention, in order to appreciate its discharge. The territory itself extended from the western frontier of Pennsylvania, to the territory of Missouri inclusive; the popu- lation was sparse and scattered, the principal enemy, that was to be attacked, was separated by a swampy wilderness of two hundred miles in extent, almost impassably deep in a wet season; the country generally the seat of the fierce and wily savages of the north-west. The troops to be employed against thexe antagonists, though of vigorous and manly bra- very, were undiciplined, and most ill provided for a win- ter campaign in this high northern latitude. Such is a faint sketch of the obstacles to success, in executing the high military trust. now confided with so much patriotic hope,
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to our young western General. The plan adopted to meet the duties incumbent upon him was, to collect the troops at four points, Wooster, Urbanna, Fort Defiance and St. Mary's. From these points the object of concentration for his troops, was the rapids of the Maumee. The forced ex- pedition at first adopted against Detroit, was now abandoned; because the infantry could not be in readiness to secure, and retain the acquisition, should it be made,
The base line of the new campaign, was, one drawn from Upper Sandusky along the southerly side of the swampy dis- trict, to St. Mary's, at the head of the river of the same name. These two places, with Fort M'Arthur between them, were intended as the depots for provisions, artillery and mili- tary stores. The troops at Defiance, in the fork of the Au Glaize and the Maumee, were intended to act as a corps of observation; and when the artillery should be brought to Upper Sandusky, then they were to advance to the Rapids. At Lower Sandusky, a corps of observation was also sta- tioned, which, with that at Defiance, would form the ex- tremeties of a new military base, when the army should have reached the advanced position mentioned on the Maumee. These arrangements covered the frontiers by the different corps, and kept the troops within the bounds of the ordi- nary contractors; while the quarter-masters were accumu- lating provisions farther in advance, and procuring means of transportation across the difficult district of country, so well termed the black swamp.
General Winchester was left at Fort Wayne, in the com- mand of the troops surrendered to him by General Harrison. The latter officer had proceeded to St. Mary's, where about three thousand men were collected, for the purpose of the expedition against Detroit already alluded to. This expe- dition, it will be recollected, had been abandoned by the com- manding General, for reasons which have been already as- signed. Whilst in this position, information* was receiv- ed by Quarter-master Thomas D. Carneal, that a large
* Dawson, 200. 2G*
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force of British and Indians, with artillery, was passing up the left bank of the Maumee, towards Fort Wayne. General Harrison immediately determined by a rapid march upon the confluence of the Au Glaize with the Manmee, to try and inter- cept the return of this detachment, knowing it would be met in front by the corps of Winchester. The force under the im- mediate command of the General at this time, consisted of some troops of cavalry from Ohio and Kentucky; the mounted corps of Finley"* of the former State, and of R. M. Johnson, belonging to the latter; together with the infantry regiments of Poague, Barber, and Jennings. The latter officer with his regiment, had previously been detached to erect an inter- mediate post between St. Mary's and the confluence of the Au Glaize, called Fort Jennings.
On the 30th of September, General Harrison set out on the proposed expedition; apprehensive that the infantry would too much retard his progress, after the first day's march, the two regiments were ordered to return; and the General, at the head of the cavalry, continued his march. No weather, or condition of a country could be more trying to the feelings and the subordination of irregular troops, than during this forced expedition of General Harrison. The rain fell in tor- rents; the flat beech woods were covered with water; and they were so swampy that the horses sank half leg deep at every step. On the close of the second day's march, the troops encamped in a bottom of the Au Glaize.
"A description of the bivouac of this night will serve for that of many similar ones which were passed by the Gen- eral and his troops during this campaign, with the excep- tion of the increase of suffering from the severe cold of winter. The troops being on a forced march, were not suffered to encamp, as long as there was light enough to march: they were formed as well as possible in an order of encampment, and guards placed out. The ground of the encampment here spoken of, was on the side of the Au-
* An old and distinguished infantry officer of Lee's legionary corps in_the American Revolution.
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Glaize river, in a flat beech bottom, which was nearly cov- ered by the water from the rain which fell in torrents during the whole night. The troops were without axes, and their tomahawks could effect nothing with the large green beech trees. Happy were they who could find a dry log in which a fire could be kindled; those who had not this good fortune were obliged to content themselves with passing the night - sitting on their saddles at the roots of the trees, against which they leaned and procured a little sleep. Being sepa- rated from the baggage, there were few who had any thing to eat, or spirits to drink. In a situation of this kind, men are peevish and ill-natured, in the venting of which a thou- sand circumstances continually occur. To prevent ebullitions of this kind, and to produce more pleasant feelings, the Gen- eral, seated round a small fire, with his staff, wrapped in his cloak, and taking the rain as it fell, directed one of his officers to sing an Irish glee: the humor of this song, and the determination which seemed to exist at head quarters to put circumstances at defiance, soon produced cheerfulness and good humor throughout the camp. The General was afterwards joined by a Kentucky officer, who sung a glee beginning with
"Now's the time for mirth and glee, Sing, and laugh, and dance with me."
"This became the favorite air, and in all situations of diffi- culty, whether suffering the peltings of the storm, or traversing the swamps up to the knees in mud and ice, it was resoun- ded in full chorus: the singular contrast between the words of their song and their actual situation, affording cause of mer- riment, and a fruitful source of whimsical remark."
The clouds which had overhung the countenances of the men were soon dispersed, and cheerfulness, if not content, was restored to the camp.
By day-break of the next morning, the march was resumed; the troops being required to be in readiness to mount by reveillee. In the course of the next day, the General was met by an officer from General Winchester, who informed him of
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the latter officer's arrival at Fort Defiance, and that the united body of British and Indians had retired down the Maumee. He then prosecuted his march, with a small escort, to Win- chester's camp, leaving his detachment to come up more at their leisure. He arrived late at night.
At this post, a revolt in Colonel Allen's regiment took place, which, for its honorable termination, as well as from motives of historical fidelity, requires to be mentioned. It has been but obscurely alluded to by General McAfee and Mr. Dawson.
Soon after General Harrison's arrival at camp, and after he had retired to enjoy some little repose, so welcome to any one, who had been exposed on the preceding comfortless and forced expedition; he found himself suddenly awakened by Colonel Allen, and Major M. D. Hardin. These officers were the bearers of the mortifying news, that Allen's regiment, ex- hausted by the hard fare of the campaign, and disappointed in the expectation of an immediate engagement with the enemy, had, in defiance of their duty to their country, and all the earnest impassioned remonstrances of their officers, determined to return home. These officers assured General Harrison that they could do nothing with their men; that their representa- tions were answered by insults alone. They begged the Gen- eral to rise and interfere, as the only officer who had any pros- pect of bringing the mutineers back to their duty. He re- fused to interfere at that time; but assured the gentlemen that he would attend to the serious object of their request, in his own way and at his own time. The officers retired; in the mean time General Harrison sent one of his aids to direct General Winchester to order the alarm, or point of war, to be beat on the ensuing morning, instead of the reveillee. This adroit expedient brought all the troops to their arms, the first thing in the morning. It diverted the spirits of the discontent- ed troops into a new channel of feeling; and prepared them for the subsequent events.
On the parading of the troops at their posts, General Win- chester was ordered to form them into a hollow square. Gen- eral Harrison now appeared upon parade, much to the surprise
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of the troops, who, from his late arrival in camp, were unap- prized of his presence. If the sudden and unexpected arrival of their favorite commander had so visible an effect upon the men, his immediate address to them fully preserved the im- pression. He began by lamenting that there were, as he was informed, considerable discontents in one of the Kentucky regiments: this, although a source of mortification to himself, on their account, was happily of little consequence to the gov- ernment. He had more troops than he knew well what to do with at the present stage of the campaign; he was expecting daily the arrival of the Pennsylvania and Virginia quotas. It is fortunate, said this officer, with the ready oratory for which his native Virginia is so famed, that he had found out this dissatis- faction before the campaign was farther advanced, when the discovery might have been mischievous to the public interests, as well as disgraceful to the parties concerned. Now, so far as the government was interested, the discontented troops, who' had come into the woods with the expectation of finding all the luxuries of home and of peace, had full liberty to return. He would, he continued, order facilities to be furnished for their immediate accommodation. But he could not refrain from ex- pressing the mortification he anticipated for the reception they would meet from the old and the young, who had greeted them on their march to the scene of war, as their gallant neighbors.
What must be their feelings, said the General, to see those whom they had hailed as their generous defenders, now return- ing without striking a blow, and before their term of plighted service had expired ? But if this would be the state of public sentiment in Ohio, what would it be in Kentucky? If their fathers did not drive their degenerate sons back to the field of battle to recover their wounded honor; their mothers and sisters would hiss them from their presence. If, however, the discontented men were disposed to put up with all the tannts and disdain, which awaited them, wherever they went, they were, General Harrison again assured them, at full liberty to go back.
The influence of this animated address was instantaneous. This was evinced in a manner most flattering to the tact and
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management of the commander. Colonel J. M. Scott, the senior Colonel of Kentucky, and who had served in the armies of Harmar, St. Clair, and Wayne, in the medical staff, now addressed his men. These were well known in the army as the "Iron Works," from the neighborhood from which they had come. "You, my boys," said the generous veteran, "will prove your attachment for the service of your country, and your General, by giving him three cheers." The address was attended with immediate success, and the air resounded with the shouts of both officers and men.
Colonel Lewis next took up the same course, and with the same effect.
It now became the turn of the noble Allen again to try the temper of his men. He begged leave of the General to ad- dress them: but excess of emotion choked his utterance; at length he gave vent to the contending feelings of his heart, in a broken, but forcible address, breathing the fire which ever burned so ardently in his breast. At the close of it, how- ever, he conjured the soldiers of his regiment to give the General the same manifestation of their patriotism and re- turning sense of duty, which the other Kentucky regiments had so freely done. The wishes of their high spirited offi- cer were complied with; and a mutiny was nipped in its bud, which might, if persisted in, have spread disaffection through the Kentucky troops, to the disgrace of our gallant State, and the lasting injury of the public cause. No troops however behaved more faithfully or zealously through the re- mainder of their service, till the greater part of them offered up their lives in defence of their country on the fatal field of Raisin.
General Harrison having quelled this unhappy disturbance, in the subordination of the troops, now made his arrange- ments with general Winchester, for the full command of the left wing. To this officer were committed the regulars under Colonel Wells, the regiments of Scott, Lewis and Allen, already mentioned, and the additional regiments under Colonels Poague, Barbee, and Jennings. Colonel Bodley, the quarter-master of this wing, an efficient and zealous officer of Kentucky, was
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fully empowered by General Harrison to draw upon the treasury for the carrying into effect all orders which he might receive from General Winchester, for the supply of his command.
It now became necessary for the commanding General to direct his attention to the arrangements for the accommodation of the troops, which were marching to his reinforcement from Pennsylvania and Virginia. These, together with the brigade of General Perkins, of the Ohio militia, constituted the right wing of the army. Not only provisions were to be collected for this body of men, but all the materiel of war, ammunition and artillery were yet to be obtained. It will hardly be be- lieved in the future history of America, that when but two pieces of disposable artillery of small calibre had, by the dis- graceful surrender of Hull, been left in the western country, and which the commanding General informed the Secretary at War, he had rather be without, cannon should have been sent to Pittsburg without their carriages. Yet such was the fact; and when the whole country supposed General Harrison was tho- roughly supplied with all the munitions of war, which the gov- ernment was so able to furnish; the trees were still growing about Pittsburg, out of which, the carriages of the artillery were to be manufactured .*
This was the state of protracted destitution of the army, in regard to a most important military arın.
Colonel Morrison, an old revolutionary officer, and Colonel William Piatt, had been appointed deputy Quarter-masters General in the service, to act at the head oft heir department in the north-western army. These officers were placed under the command of General Winchester; and he was fully informed of the general plan of the campaign by General Harrison,t and thus became responsible for the part assigned him, in the gene- ral operations of the military service.
General Tupper, of the Ohio militia, with the mounted troops which had accompanied General Harrison, a portion of whose time of service yet remained, was now destined to lead an ex- pedition against the Ottawa towns, on the eastern waters of the
· McAffee. ! Dawson, 3, for Harrisou's despatch.
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Au Glaize. But owing to some disagreement between Generals Winchester and Tupper, the causes of which have not been fully explained, together with great insubordination among the troops, the expedition was abandoned, and the troops were shortly after disbanded.
The commanding General had, however, previously pro- ceeded to organize the right wing of the army. Before re- suming the course of events in this part of the theatre of war, it will be necessary to complete the narrative of operations, on the extreme left of the military district.
The left wing of the army had now been confided to General Winchester, who had accepted it. at the solicitation of General Harrison, with the utmost harmony, rather than accept a com- mand on the Niagara. The great object of all the military exertions was. at this time, to accumulate a sufficient stock of provisions for the main expedition against Detroit.
In the interim, an expedition was deemed necessary for the protection of Indiana and Illinois territories; these had also been confided to general Harrison. The depredations of the Indians had become harassing and destructive. To effect this object, Gov. Shelby issued his proclamation, inviting volunteers for this purpose, under Major General Samuel Hopkins, (who had been designated by General Harrison.) to meet at Louisville, on the 18th of September. with at least thirty days' provision.
In compliance with this invitation, more * than two thousand volunteers assembled at Louisville. Red Banks, and at other places on the Ohio. upon their way to Vincennes. So over- flowing was the zeal of Kentucky, at this time, that the Gov- ernor had to turn back several hundreds at Louisville and Frankfort.
It was then, that a veteran in one of the companies that were turned back. remarked, "well, well, Kentucky has often glutted the market with hemp, flour, and tobacco, and now she has done it with volunteers."
At Vincennes, these troops were formed into four regiments, to be commanded by Colonels Samuel Caldwell, John Thomas,
* Mc.Affee, 157.
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James Allen, and Young Ewing; two brigades were formed of these, and placed under General James Roy, of early fame in the history of Kentucky, and General Jonathan Romsey. A fifth regiment was formed after this organization, under Colonel Samuel South. Early in October, this imposing corps was marched to fort Harrison, on the Wabash, where they drew ten days' provisions; after crossing this river to the west, the troops were informed, that the General intended marching to the Kickapoo village, on the waters of the Illinois river. This was stated by the guides, to be eighty-five miles distant, in a north- west direction; the army pursued this direction, sometimes varying to the north-east, and crossing several trails of Indians, which all bore to the westward, till the provisions and forage of the army were found to be alarmingly scarce. The General now undertook to act as guide himself, and changed the direction of the march to the west; but after proceeding one day on this course, a council was called, which was unanimously of opinion "that* in the starving situation of both men and horses, with a very uncertain prospect of finding the enemy soon, it was most proper to abandon the pursuit and return." The General, how- ever, requested the troops to continue the pursuit another day; but their sense of' suffering was too keen, and the uncertainty of the situation of' the enemy so utter, that "they unanimously took the direction to Vincennes, notwithstanding the remon- strances of the general officers." It hast since been ascer- tained, that the town which had been the destination of the ex- pedition, was situated sixty or seventy miles farther west. This ignorance respecting the topography of the Indian country, which has for so long a period embarassed our expeditions into their territory, ought long ago to have admonished govern- ment to execute a topographical survey of the Indian country. Such a survey, should exhibit the situation of every durable Indian village within the boundaries of the republic.
The insubordination exhibited by too large a portion of the Kentucky troops on this expedition, may not in justice be
* McAffee, 150, 160.
* General Hopkins, however, asserts in his letter to Gov. Shelby, that they were but twenty miles of. Miles' Reg. 3d-214.
2 H
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passed over, without the pointed censure and rebuke of history.
One of its great moral purposes is, to sit in judgment on the actions of mankind; and conscientiously to lift its small and still voice against every departure from the duties of life. These appeals, noiseless as they are, find their support and influence in the moral sense of mankind; and thus contributes to secure society in some degree, from their repetition.
The ardor of Kentucky, ever bordering on impetuosity, is constantly in danger of degenerating on suspicion, or dislike, into uncontrollable obstinacy. It is their national energy per- verted by want of adroitness, or other inaptitude, in its man- agement. The General himself, was debilitated in health; a most unfortunate circumstance, where so much must depend on personal influence, and physical energy, as in a command over irregular and undisciplined troops.
Still, this officer, after marching this formidable and promis- ing expedition back to fort Harrison, by the 6th of October, "without hardly obtaining the sight of an enemy," determined to use his exertions in the service of his country, with a perse- verance worthy of a better fortune.
Accordingly on the 11th of November, another party of about twelve hundred and fifty men set off, consisting of the regiments of Colonels Barbour, Miller, and Wilcox, with a small party of regulars under Major Zachariah Taylor, the intrepid and col- lected defender of fort Harrison, and a corps of rangers and scouts, under the command of Captains Washburn and Beckers, of Indiana. The provisions, military stores, &c., were em- barked on board of some boats commanded by Colonel Barbour.
A rise of the waters of the Wabash, impeded the ascent of the boats so much, that it was the 19th of the month before they reached the Prophet's town, below Tippecanoe creek. "Several days were spent in reconnoitering the country, and in destroying the evacuted villages,* in the neighborhood, to- gether with the corn and other resources, which had been left about them." The Prophet's town, "destroved about a twelve
· M'Afee, 161.
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month ago, by General Harrison, containing at this time about forty cabins; a Winnebago village, four miles lower down, on Ponce Passu creek, and near the Wabash, on the east side, containing about forty houses also; and a Kickapoo village, on the west side, containing about one hundred and sixty cabins; were all completely destroyed."
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