USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 17
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FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE OF PRISONERS.
rush. All the valuable stores fell prize to the savages, but the whiskey was nearly undoing them. It was carried to the respective camps, and for days they presented scenes of riot and revelry. The hot and mad- dening liquor was poured into birchen vessels, and the savages would crowd about, scoop it up in double-handfuls and quaff it off like so much water.
The effect may be imagined. While some sat apart totally overcome or wailing, whining and moaning in maudlin drunkenness, the major part were excited to beastly ferocity. Old quarrels were kindled afresh and jealousies among the different tribes awakened, and had not the poor squaws taken the precaution to hide all the weapons, there would have been a wholesale slaughter. As it was, some were killed, many were wounded, and others had their noses completely bitten off. The same evening two of the revelers came running directly towards the fort in all the vain-glory and pot-valor inspired by these deep potations, but being arrested by two leaden messengers, they leaped high into the air like a pair of wounded bucks and fell dead in their tracks.
FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE OF PRISONERS-CAPTURE OF MORE FORTS ANNOUNCED.
Horrible, indeed, was the fate of all the poor prisoners ! At night some Canadians came into the fort bringing appalling and sickening re- ports of the dreadful scenes enacted at the Indian camps. The soldiers, beginning to fear a like miserable fate, gathered about them, and, fro- zen with horror, listened to the shocking and frightful narratives. A deep gloom settled down upon the devoted garrison. Ten days after, naked corpses, gashed with knives, scorched with fire and mutilated out of all semblance to humanity, came floating down the pure waters of the Detroit, where fish came up to nibble and gnaw at the clotted blood that clung to their ghastly faces. We naturally hesitate to detail the awful tortures inflicted upon these unhappy prisoners. Sixty-four of the sixty-six were compelled to run the gauntlet, and were then sub- jected to all the numerous tortures that Indian ingenuity could devise. All, all their hellish skill was utterly exhausted in devising new modes of inflicting agony: The remaining two, who were too much exhausted to run the gauntlet, were inhumanly clubbed to death.
Not long after, the garrison saw issuing from the woods which ex- tended beyond the pastures in the rear of the fort, a line of savages painted entirely black, each bearing a scalp fluttering from the end of a pole. This was to announce the fate of Fort Sandusky, which had been attacked by a band of Hurons. Among the few survivors was the com- mandant, Ensign Paully, who had been brought to Pontiac's camp,
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
pelted by squaws and children with stones and sticks, and forced to sing and dance for the amusement of his tormentors. He was saved by a hideous old hag, who chose to adopt him in place of her deceased war- rior. Having no other alternative but the stake, poor Paully for a while did the honors of the Ottawa family. Gladwyn soon received a letter from this impromptu Indian husband, giving a full account of Fort Sandusky's capture. Paully had been informed that seven Indians whom he knew, were waiting at the gate to speak with him. He or- dered them to be admitted. Arrived at his quarters, two of the treach- erous scoundrels seated themselves on either side, the rest being scat- tered about the room. The pipes were lighted and pow-wowing began, when a reddy, who stood in the door-way, made the signal, and sud- denly the astounded Ensign was pounced upon and disarmed, while out- side could be heard the confused noise of yells and shrieks, the firing of guns and the hurried tramp of feet. Soon after, led forth by his cap- tors, Paully saw the parade ground strewn with the corpses of his butch- ered garrison. He was then put in a canoe, and as, amid thick dark- ness, the party pushed from the shore, their path was illumined by the sheets of flame bursting out on all sides from the doomed fort. On the heels of this news came the knowledge that two more strong bands of Ojibwas had joined Pontiac, swelling his force to near a thousand war- riors.
The sleepless garrison, worn out by fatigue and privations, and har- assed by constant petty attacks and alarms, were yet farther saddened by thickening tidings of disaster. Of all the posts scattered through the vast wilderness west of Niagara, their own and Fort Pitt alone held out. On June 15th a number of Pottawattamies approached the gate with four prisoners. The Indians wished an exchange, which was effected. They proved to be Ensign Schlosser and three privates from the post of St. Joseph, which stood at the head of Lake Michigan among the swamps and solitudes, and at an unmeasured distance from the abodes of civilization. On May 25th an officer learned that the fort was surrounded with savages, and that the parade was also crowded with them-all very insolent and disorderly.
While busying himself mustering together the Canadians, En- sign Schlosser heard a wild cry from the barracks. The sentinel at the gate was tomahawked and a free passage opened to the surging crowd without. In less than two minutes the fort was plundered, eleven men killed, and Schlosser with the only three survivors bound fast and carried to Detroit. Then came the awful news from Forts Machillim- ackinac and Miami and Presq' Isle-which we have already anticipa- red. Had American rangers garrisoned all these posts, some of them,
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CAPTURE OF MORE FORTS ANNOUNCED.
it is probable, might have been saved, but foreign troops were not well qualified, either by discipline or experience, for coping with the wily and snaky redmen of the west. It required a long and a peculiar kind of training.
On June 19th a rumor reached Gladwyn from without that the vessel he had some time previously sent to Niagara had appeared off Turkey Island, and was awaiting a favorable breeze to work up the stream. She had gone to Niagara where she remained until Cuyler's return making known the miserable fate of his enterprise. Taking him and the survivors aboard, the vessel hastened back to Detroit, and was now almost within sight of the fort, but how to safely reach it-there was the problem remaining to be solved! The river channel was in some places narrow, and nearly a thousand Indians, led on by such a plotter as Pontiac, were on the alert to obstruct a passage. Nothing was heard more of the vessel for several days, when a great commotion was visible among the redskins outside, large parties of whom could be seen passing down the river. In the evening came the news that the vessel was attempting to ascend the stream and that all the savages had gone down to prevent her, upon which two cannon were fired as an an- nouncement that the fort still stood.
Let us see how it fared on board the little ship so anxiously expected. She had entered the channel between the main shore and Fighting Island, having on board about sixty men, but only a few visible on deck. The rest were carefully kept concealed in the hope that thus an Indian attack might be induced. Just before reaching the narrowest part of the channel, the wind died away and the anchor was dropped. Right above, the redskins had erected on Turkey Island and behind a " blind" of bushes, a log breastwork. Ignorant of this but still wary and cautious, the crew kept strict watch for hours. At last night came down. The current plashed with a monotonous sound about the bows of the schooner, while on either hand the densely-wooded shores lay shrouded in deepest obscurity.
At length the keen-eyed sentinel in the shrouds thought he could dis- cern various moving objects. The men were quietly ordered upon deck and all made ready for resisting an attack. A hammer blow on the mast was to be the signal to fire. A flotilla of birch canoes, filled with dark, crouching forms, kept gliding stealthily down and about the ship, when suddenly the dark side of the slumbering vessel burst into a blaze of musketry. From the ponderous jaws of the cannon also was belched forth a hail of hurtling grape which flew tearing among the frail canoes, destroying several, putting the rest to flight, killing fourteen Indians and wounding many more. Recovering from their surprise,
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
the Indians commenced a fire from their concealed breastworks, upon which the schooner tripped her anchor and dropped down the river. Several days after she had better success, for although constantly fired on, she forced a channel and signalized her approach by sending a thick shower of grape among the huts of the Wyandot village, killing some and causing the rest to decamp yelpingly for the sheltering woods. Then furling her sails she lay peacefully at anchor beside her consort. :
The schooner brought the long-needed supplies, as also the import- ant news that the seven-year war was over and that peace had formally been declared between France and England. All Canada had been ceded to England, and the French about Detroit were subjects of King George. To many this news was exceedingly repugnant, and they went about the beleaguering hosts, asserting that the peace news was but a weak invention of Gladwyn ; that the French King would never aban- don his children, and that even then a great army was ascending the St. Lawrence, while another was coming over from the Illinois. Pon- tiac and his dusky bands clung tenaciously to this delusive hope, and he showed no let-up in his zeal and activity, but sent a message to Glad- wyn strongly urging his surrender, adding that eight hundred Ojibwas were daily expected, and that all his influence could not prevent them from taking the scalp of every resisting Briton. The friendly invitation was rejected with scorn.
The Ottawa chief now made a determined effort to range the Cana- dians on his side and force them to take an active part. He called them to a grand council and harangued them with all the tact, fervor and eloquence of which he was the well-known master. He concluded thus : " You must be either wholly French or wholly English ! If you are French, take up that war belt and lift the hatchet with us ! but if English, then we declare war upon you. My brothers, I know this is a hard thing, but there is no choice. Look upon the belt and let us hear your answer ?"
One of the Canadians made an answering speech, in which he held up the French King's proclamation, telling all his Canadian children to sit quiet and obey the English till he came, and pertinently asked Pon- tiac what he could reply to that. The Ottawa chief sat for a moment silent, mortified and perplexed, but made other speeches, the result of which was that he secured the enlistment of a lot of low, swaggering trappers, voyageurs, half-breeds and other nondescript vagabonds of the woods who were hanging about attired in Indian leggins and ornaments. The better class of Canadians, however, were shocked at this defection and protested against it. Pontiac, however, shook hands with the rene- gades, gave them a grand feast of dogs the next day, and the next night
14
OLD MAJOR CAMPBELL BUTCHERED.
a mixed party of these whites and Indians entrenched themselves neat the fort.
OLD MAJOR CAMPBELL BUTCHERED-INDIANS SEND DOWN FIRE RAFTS.
At daybreak they were detected; the gate was thrown open and Lieutenant Hay, with a picked party, rushed forth and dislodged them. It happened that a soldier who had been several years a Delaware pris- oner, knelt down before one of the savages, who had been killed in the sortie, tore away the scalp and shook it exultingly towards the fugitives. This act excited wonderful rage among the Indians and proved the death warrant of poor Major Campbell. The same evening a white man was seen running briskly towards the fort, closely pursued by Indians. The panting fugitive was admitted by the wicket, and proved to be Paully, the commandant of Sandusky, who, as stated, had married an old squaw and was so profoundly disgusted with his bargain that he prefer- red to risk his death rather than longer endure her odious embraces.
Through him the horrified garrison heard of Major Campbell's fate. The Indian who had been that morning killed and scalped proved to be a nephew to Wasson, a great Ojibwa chief. On hearing of the death, the infuriated uncle blackened his face in sign of revenge, assembled party, and repairing to Meloche's house, where Campbell was confined, they seized, bound and shot him to death with arrows, and then muti- lated his body in a most barbarous manner. His heart was eaten to make them courageous, a practice not uncommon among Indians after killing a foe of acknowledged bravery, and of which we shall give hereafter a most notable instance in the case of the gallant Major Sam McColloch, of West Virginia. Pontiac, according to some, was privy to the act, but according to others, he was greatly incensed at it and Wasson was obliged to fly to Saginaw to escape his fury. Lieutenant McDougal had previously made good his escape.
The two armed schooners now commenced to diversify the monotony of the long siege by tacking every now and then up and down the river and battering the Indian camps and villages. They soon became to the Indians objects of revengeful hate, and attention was turned to their destruction. One night in July a blazing raft, formed of two boats tied together by ropes and filled with pitch-pine and other combusti- bles, was sent down, but missed. Several nights after, the look-out saw a vivid, glowing spark on the water above, which grew brighter and brighter, and larger and larger, till it arose in a forked flame and then burst out into a conflagration. It was a fire raft and narrowly missed the vessels, passing down between them and the fort, brightly gilding their tracery of ropes and spars, lighting up the bastions and formal rows
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
of palisades, disclosing the white Canadian cottages on either shore and revealing the dusky margin of the gloomy forest, behind and in front of them lines of dusky savages, who expectantly stood opposite to watch the effect of their artifice.
Lo and behold, now a flash is seen! a loud thunder breaks the stillness and a shower of grape drives the disappointed spectators under cover. Undeterred by these failures, the savages commence a third raft, much larger and different and more formidable in construction than the others, but on hearing that Gladwyn had moored boats connected by chains far in advance of the ships, they found their four days' work would be in vain and desisted.
It was now several months since the commencement of the siege. The Indians had displayed a higher degree of steadiness and per- sistence than had ever been displayed in their history, but some now commenced to flag in their zeal. A few Wyandots came to the fort and begged for peace, which was granted. Pottawattamies followed, who, upon delivering up the captives among them, were also allowed peace. The fort, however, was still closely besieged by the Ottawas and Ojibwas.
In the meantime, without the knowledge of the weary garrison, a strong reinforcement was on its way. Captain Dalzell had left Niagara with twenty-two barges, bearing two hundred and eighty men, with cannon, ammunition, &c. Passing Presq' Isle, they viewed with sur- prise its scorched and blackened block-house and the mines and breast- works made by the Indians: thence they went to Fort Sandusky-or rather its site-and marching inward, they burnt a Huron village, de- stroyed their crops, and successfully made their way up Detroit river, under cover of a heavy fog. As soon as the mists had rolled away, the garrison were summoned to behold the approaching convoy. A salute from the fort was at once answered from the boats, and all apprehen- sion of its having fallen into the enemy's hands, was removed. The savages opened a hot fire, and managed to kill and wound fifteen of the troops, who belonged to the fifty-fifth and eightieth regiments, together with-last, but by no means least-twenty American rangers, headed by the gallant Major Rogers.
The ardent Dalzell wished to lose no time, and strongly insisted with Gladwyn that the hour was at length come when an overwhelming blow should be delivered to Pontiac. He asked permission to march out the following night and attack Pontiac's camp. Gladwyn, better ac- quainted with the strength and character of the foe he had opposed to him, was decidedly averse to the movement, but finally yielded a re- luctant consent. Pontiac had lately moved his camp from the mouth
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A FIERCE AND DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
of Parent's Creek, and was now posted several miles above, behind a great marsh, where his camp could be secure against the ship's cannon. Preparations were now actively made for an attack, but, by an inex- cusable carelessness, the design was made known to a few Canadians.
A FIERCE AND DESPERATE STRUGGLE AT BLOODY RUN.
About two o'clock on the morning of July 31st, the devoted band, two hundred and fifty, all told, filed noiselessly out into the road and commenced their march, flanked on the water side by two large bat- teaux, each bearing a swivel on the bow. Lieutenant Brown had the advance, Captain Gray the centre, and Captain Grant the rear. The night was still, close and sultry, and the men marched in a light un- dress. The watch dogs barked as they passed the row of Canadian cot- tages, and the aroused inmates heard the heavy, measured tramp, tramp, tramp, and looked on the spectral band with alarm. Little did they think-these regulars never do-that Indian scouts watched every step of their progress, and that Pontiac, duly apprised of the projected attack, had broken up his camp, and was in rapid march against them, backed by all his warriors.
Scarce two miles from the fort, Parent's Creek-from that night called Bloody Run-descended a wild and broken defile and entered the Detroit amid a rank growth of grass and sedge. A few rods from its mouth the road crossed it by a narrow wooden bridge. Just beyond the bridge, the land rose in abrupt ridges parallel to the little stream, their tops garnished with rude entrenchments formerly made by Pontiac to protect his camp. Here were, too, piles of fire-wood, besides strong picket fences.
What choicer ground could be selected for a battlefield! So thought the astute and crafty Pontiac, and behind all these obstructions and en- trenchments crouched his swarthy warriors, lying with gleaming eyes and panting bosoms but silent as snakes, as they heard the distant foot- fall of the foes they had so long waited for in vain. The fearless little command pushed rapidly through the dark towards the bridge, which was dimly visible in front, the ridges beyond seeming like a wall of blackness.
The advance was half way across the bridge and the main body just entering upon it, when a horrible din of blood-curdling yells and shrieks burst all at once out of the surrounding blackness, accompanied by the blaze and rattle of musketry, Half the advance melted away ; the stunned and appalled survivors shrank back in affright, causing a sudden recoil of the whole body. Dalzell was the first to recover. Raising his bugle voice above the horrid clamor, he rallied his men,
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
hurried to the front, and led them to the attack. Again the crouching redskins poured in a murderous, withering volley, and again the little command was checked: but their gallant leader shouted forward ! and they dashed over the bridge and charged up the heights beyond.
Charged what ! Not a redskin was there to oppose them ! None could be found anywhere ! Yet still their mysterious rifles flashed out constant destruction, and their screeching war whoops made the night hideous. The English forged forward amid the pitchy darkness, and soon became inextricably enmeshed amid a maze of outhouses and en- closures. The fire became hotter and hotter on the side of the Indians. To advance further would be a cruel and useless slaughter. There was nothing left but to retire and wait till daylight. Grant's company re- crossed the bridge and took station on the road. A small party was left in advance to hold the foe in check, while the rest followed, and until the dead and wounded could be placed on board the boats. Be- fore this difficult task was completed, heavy volleys were heard in the rear. It came from a large force of the savages stationed in Meloche's house and orchards. Grant pushed forward and drove them from the orchards and house at the point of the bayonet. From two Canadians found there, they learned that the savages had passed to the rear in great numbers, determined to occupy the houses and cut them off from the fort.
Instant withdrawal became their only salvation, and the men slowly and in order commenced their painful retreat. They did not meet with severe opposition until they had reached a cluster of outhouses con- nected by strong fences. Behind these was concealed a strong force of Indians, who suffered the advance to pass without a shot, but when the centre and rear came directly abreast of their ambuscade, they raised a horrid yell, and poured forth a regular feu d'enfer. The decimated sol- diers were hardly saved here from a most disastrous panic. The river was on one side, and no escape but by the road. They broke ranks and crowded down upon each other like a flock of sheep, and had it not been for the presence and coolness of Dalzell, the confused retreat would have degenerated into a disgraceful rout. Like Braddock a few years before, he stormed, rebuked and beat back his men into ranks, and a random fire was at length returned.
It was still night, and nothing could be seen of the foe. The con- stant flashes of their guns only served to indicate their whereabouts ; while a demoniac medley of yells and whoops and savage clamor drowned all voices. Into one house from which issued a fatal fire, Ma- jor Rogers and his Rangers burst their way, rushed in and expelled them. Captain Gray, while charging a large gang of redskins behind
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A BLOODY REPULSE.
some fences, fell mortally wounded. No sooner, however, did the men resume their retreat, before the savages were at them again, hanging on their rear, picking off stragglers, and scalping the dead and wounded. The eye of the brave Dalzell caught sight of a wounded sergeant rais- ing himself on his hands and gazing mutely after his retreating com- rades. He rushed back to the rescue, but was himself shot dead, and none to turn back for him. The loss of the harassed command would have been much greater had not Major Rogers occupied a strong house commanding the road, made a most obstinate defence, and thus covered the retreat.
Meanwhile Captain Grant had made a stand in advance, and all as they came up, rallied around him, and made good the retreat with the exception of Rogers and his men, who, cooped up in the house spoken of, was besieged by full two hundred fierce and yelling savages. The batteaux which had gone down to the fort to discharge the wounded, at length returned to a point opposite this house and opened a fire from their swivels, thus enabling Rogers to reach the fort with no further loss. At about eight o'clock, after six hours of constant marching and fighting, the shattered detachment entered the fort once more, having lost full sixty of their number in killed and wounded. The loss to the enemy, led by Pontiac in person, was comparatively trifling. The ras- cals were greatly elated at their success, and sent runners far and near with the news, and fresh forces began to arrive daily.
A BLOODY REPULSE-SIEGE ABANDONED-DEATH OF PONTIAC.
Well ! Time passed on, nothing of note happening in the conduct of the siege until the memorable night of September 4th. The schooner Gladwyn had been sent to Niagara with dispatches. She was now returning, having on board Horst, master, Jacobs, mate, a crew of ten Provincials and six Iroquois, supposed to be friendly. On entering the Detroit, the Indians asked to be put ashore, which request was foolishly granted, they no doubt revealing to Pontiac the weakness ot the crew. At nightfall the wind fell and the ship was compelled to anchor about nine miles below the fort. It grew exceedingly dark and those aboard kept up an incessant watch. Meantime three hundred and fifty savages had stealthily glided down the current in their birch canoes and were close upon the vessel before seen. Only time to fire one cannon ere the hungry horde were beneath the bows and clambering up her sides with their knives clenched tight between their teeth. A close fire of musketry seemed to have no effect, so, dropping their guns; the crew made at them with spears and hatchets and attacked the 10
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
boarders with such tremendous energy that in a few minutes they had killed twice their own number.
Only for a moment, however, was the swarm of assailants checked. Horst, the master, was killed ; several of the crew were disabled, when Jacobs, as he saw the assailants clambering over the bulwarks, called out lustily to blow up the ship. This desperate order saved the vessel. Some Wyandots heard the command and told the rest, when the panic- stricken crowd leaped overboard and were seen diving and swimming away in every direction to escape the expected explosion. The schooner reached harbor without further molestation with six of her crew unhurt. The enemy lost nearly thirty.
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