USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan > Part 13
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The savagery of the massacre at an end, those of the Americans who were not wantonly tomahawked en route were marched into Detroit. There, as in the days of the Revolution, human lives were peddled about among the residents for redemption in cash or barter. Household goods, money, clothing and provisions were offered by the citizens as the price for the lives of the prisoners. Many a volunteer owed his existence to the sacrifice of the northern housewives, who literally stripped their homes in offering ransom, and bargained their last treasures in competition with money paid for scalps by the British.
Angered by the determination of the citizens to prevent the massacre of their country- men, Procter ordered several of the most active offerers of ransoms to leave the country. Regardless of the terms of Hull's surrender, the property of Americans generally was given over to plunder. Only such property as was specially marked as being that of Cana- dians or British sympathizers was exempt from pillage.
In the meantime General Harrison was actively engaged in recruiting a sufficient force to avenge Winchester's disaster. Upon hearing of the latter's defeat he dispatched Surgeon McKeehan and two men from Portage river, in Ohio, to Malden. The surgeon bore medi- cines and money for the relief of the American prisoners and wounded, and carried a letter from Harrison addressed to any British officer. The party was met at the Maumee rapids by several British and Indians. Notwithstanding the humane and peaceful object of its advance, it was set upon, one man was killed and the surgeon and his remaining com- panion were taken to Malden as prisoners. There Dr. McKeehan was promptly placed in irons and subjected to every insult. Needless to say, neither the money nor medicine was devoted to the relief of the suffering Americans.
Early in February, 1813, according to the journal of Lieutenant Joseph Harwell, one of Harrison's command, "the general established his advance post at the foot of the (Maumee) rapids. He ordered the fortification of the position, as it was his intention to make this point his grand depot. The fort erected was afterward named Meigs, in honor
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of Governor Meigs. Harrison ordered all the troops in the rear to join him immediately. He was in hopes by the middle of February to advance on Malden and strike a blow that would in some measure retrieve the misfortunes that had befallen the American arms in this quarter."
Harrison was unable, however, to make any attempt against Malden until March. On the 2d of that month a most hazardous expedition was undertaken. Of this Lieutenant Harwell wrote as follows: "About two hundred and fifty men volunteered to go on an enterprise of the most desperate nature. On Friday, the 26th, the volunteer corps destined for this duty were addressed on parade by General Harrison, who informed them that when they had got a sufficient distance from the fort they were to be informed of the errand they were upon, and that all who then wished could return, but not afterwards. He repre- sented the undertaking as in a high degree one of peril and privation; but he promised that those who deported themselves in a gallant and soldier-like manner should be rewarded, and their names forwarded to the general government.
"The corps took up its line of march and concentrated at what is now Lower San- dusky, where was then a blockhouse, on the site of Fort Stephenson, at that time garrisoned by two companies of militia. On the morning of the 2d of March they left the blockhouse with six days' provisions and had proceeded about a half mile when Captain Langham (in command) ordered a halt. He addressed the soldiers and informed them of the object of the expedition, which was to move down to Lake Erie, to cross over the ice to Malden, and in the darkness of night to destroy with combustibles the British fleet and the public stores on the bank of the river. This being done, the men were to retreat to the point of the Maumee bay, when their retreat was to be covered by a large force under Harrison. At this time, independent of the garrison at Malden, in that vicinity was a large body of Indians, and it required a combination of circumstances to render the enterprise successful."
Passing Portage river, the party encamped on the shore of the lake and on the next day advanced across the ice to Middle Bass island, a distance of seventeen miles. On break- ing camp the following day it was discovered that the ice to the north was unfavorable. Then, too, "sled tracks were discovered on the ice going in the direction of Malden. They were presumed to have been made by two Frenchmen who left Sandusky the day before the corps of Langham. They (the Frenchmen) had then stated they were going to the river Huron, which was in an opposite direction. The officers now felt assured they were inimical to their designs and were on their way to give the British notice of the Ameri- cans' intentions. It being the intended route to go by the Western Sister island to elude the spies of the enemy, the guides gave it as their opinion that it was impossible to go to Malden; that the river Detroit and the lake from the Middle Sister were doubtless broken up, and that there was only possibility of getting as far north as the Middle Sister; but as the distance from that to the Detroit river, eighteen miles, had to be performed after night, they could not attempt going, being fully satisfied that they could not arrive at the point of destination, and as the weather was and had been soft, that, should a southerly wind blow up, the lake would inevitably break up, and they might be caught on it or one of the islands. Captain Langham called the guides and officers together. He stated that he had been instructed to go no farther than the guides thought safe, asked the opinion of the officers, who unanimously decided that it was improper to proceed, and that they should return. The party returned by way of Presque Isle, at which point they met General Harrison with a body of troops. From thence they proceeded to Fort Meigs in safety.
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"Harrison had determined to regain Detroit, but the weather had proved unfavorable for the transportation to Fort Meigs of a sufficient body of troops for such an object. His force there was diminished soon after his arrival, by the expiration of the term of service of a part of those at the rapids, and nothing more was left for him but to remain on the defensive. Satisfied that in his weakened condition the enemy would make a descent from Malden upon the fort as soon as the ice broke up in the lake, he left in March for the interior, to hasten on all the troops he could raise to the fort's defense. On the 12th of April he returned at the head of a detachment of troops and applied himself with great assiduity to completing the defenses."
Procter's command, accompanied by about eighteen hundred Indians under Tecumseh, attacked Fort Meigs on the Ist of May. The British placed their guns on an eminence across the river and opposite to the fort, the allies taking position in the rear of the Americans, who had not yet finished building their fortifications. Procter encouraged the allies by promising to deliver the person of General Harrison over to Tecumseh, immedi- ately the fort was taken. The Americans had not completed their wells; they had no water save that obtained from the river, under constant fire. For three days the British batteries kept up a continuous shelling of the fort and on the third day the English succeeded in mounting a mortar battery within two hundred and fifty yards of the American entrench- ments. The savages climbed trees and from such vantage points poured in a galling fire upon the American rear. Procter then demanded the surrender of the garrison, but received a curt reply from Harrison to the effect that "should the fort fall into your hands. it will be in a manner calculated to do you more honor and to give you larger claims upon the gratitude of your government than any capitulation could possibly do." In anticipa- tion of an attack in force upon Fort Meigs, General Harrison had forwarded minute par- ticulars regarding his position to Governors Shelby of Kentucky and Meigs of Ohio, and had asked for reinforcements if such were available. So faithfully had Shelby and Meigs endeavored to accede to Harrison's request that at the time Procter was demanding a sur- render, General Clay of Kentucky was at the head of the rapids with a substantial com- mand. Upon the juncture of the two American forces, Procter was forced to raise the siege. He retreated to Amherstburg with all his forces save that portion of the savages whose disgust even the persuasion of Tecumseh failed to overcome; these Indians openly deserted the British arms, refusing to aid further in the prosecution of the war.
In the last day's fighting at Fort Meigs, the Kentucky volunteers under Colonel Dud- ley were ordered to attack and spike the guns of the British battery across the river. This accomplished, they were to return at once to the fort in boats. The Kentuckians, though successful in their sortie, fell victim to their own bravery. Instead of returning at once as ordered, they remained to fall in with a large party of Indians, who easily effected a cap- ture after a brief pitched battle. After surrendering, the Kentuckians were tomahawked and scalped in full view of Procter, many of their number falling in this way. Tecumseh had given orders expressly directing his men to respect the surrender, but the massacre was only stopped upon his arrival. Infuriated at the sight, he tomahawked one of his own chiefs for disregarding the order and demanded to know where Procter was. Seeing the English commandant at length, Tecumseh exclaimed: "Why have you not made an end of this slaughter; why did you allow it? "Sir," said Procter, "your Indians cannot be commanded." "Begone!" retorted the chieftain, with great disdain, "you are unfit to com- mand; go and put on petticoats." Colonel Dudley was tomahawked and scalped before
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Tecumseh's arrival and but about one hundred and fifty of Dudley's eight hundred men escaped.
On July 20th Procter again laid brief siege before Fort Meigs, then in command of General Green Clay of Kentucky, but soon directed his attention to an attack upon Fort Stephenson, near Sandusky. This movement proved disastrous to the English and Procter again retired to Malden early in August, after having lost severely in the fighting and by the continued desertions of the Indians.
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CHAPTER XII.
Continuation of War of 1812-Americans Gain Control of Lake Ontario-Perry Given Com- mand of Lake Erie-British Compelled to Evacuate Capital of Upper Canada-Fall of Fort George-Perry's Victory on Lake Erie-Description of the Battle-Procter Prepares to Retreat-Speech of Protest by Tecumseh-British Evacuation of De- troit-American Armies Invade Canada-Pursuit of Procter-Battle of the Thames -Death of Tecumseh-General Cass Assumes Command at Detroit-Expedition to the North-Progress of War in the East-Indian Depredations About Detroit- Treaty of Ghent.
In the meantime the Americans, under Admiral Chauncey, had secured control of Lake Ontario. Following this a young naval officer, Oliver Hazard Perry, then stationed in the east, had applied for transfer to the lakes. This granted, Chauncey gave him command of Lake Erie. Perry was ordered to Presque Ile (Erie, Pennsylvania) to command there a naval establishment, at which it was hoped to create a superior fighting force on the lake. On Perry's arrival, March 27, 1813, he found under construction six American ships, mostly inferior affairs. His equipment, armament and crew were of necessity to be trans- ported for the most part, either from Albany or Philadelphia, but he met every obstacle with the same characteristic energy and courage that afterward helped so materially to turn the war in favor of the American arms.
The ships while building were frequently threatened by the appearance of the enemy, but the presence of treacherous shoals and a tortuous entrance to the harbor in which opera- tions were being carried on made the position practically immune from attack. In April, Chauncey took aboard his fleet the army of General Dearborn, which was transported from the New York shore across Lake Ontario to York (now Toronto), then the capital of Upper Canada and an important British supply depot. The enemy were forced to evacu- ate York and on May 27th the army under Dearborn and the fleet under Chauncey, who was accompanied by Perry, attacked Fort George near the mouth of the river Niagara. After the fall of Fort George, Perry returned to Lake Erie with a few small ships and completed the fitting of his fleet.
Both General Harrison and the secretary of war were desirous that Perry should lead a land expedition toward the Cuyahoga river, to assist the former, but Perry was deter- mined to demonstrate the vital importance of promptly securing control of Lake Erie. His fleet was in readiness by the last of July and on August Ist he proceeded to act upon his own responsibility. The protecting sandbars at Presque Ile which had placed him beyond reach of the enemy, now, however, proved a serious menace, as two of the ships were of greater draught than the water gauge over the bar. Immediately contriv- ing a plan by which to extricate himself, Perry submerged several large barges alongside the two troublesome ships. Making them securely fast, he pumped the water from the barges, thus so buoying his vessels as to enable them to pass the shoals in safety.
The British fleet, which had been hovering about in the vicinity of Presque Ile during the completion of Perry's fleet, had later retired to Malden, there to await the refitting of the brig "Detroit." After leaving Presque Ile, Perry anchored at Put-in-Bay. His flotilla
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consisted of the ships "Lawrence" and "Niagara," twenty guns each, and seven smaller vessels,-one of four guns, one of three, two of two and three of one, a total of fifty-four guns. On September 10th the enemy's fleet, under Commodore Barclay, a seasoned com- mander who had fought under Nelson at Trafalgar, sailed from Malden to the attack. After a hot engagement lasting three hours, Perry sent the following famous message to General Harrison at Sandusky : "We have met the enemy and they are ours." A descrip- tion of the battle is taken from Perkins' "The Late War."
On the 10th of September, at sunrise, the British fleet, consisting of one ship of nine- teen guns, one of seventeen, one of thirteen, one of ten, one of three and one of one, amount- ing to sixty-four, and exceeding the Americans by ten guns, under the command of Com- modore Barclay, appeared off Put-in-Bay, distant about ten miles. Commodore Perry immediately got under way, with a light breeze at southwest. At ten o'clock the wind hauled to the southeast, which brought the American squadron to the windward, and gave them the weather gauge. Commodore Perry, on board the Lawrence, then hoisted his union jack, having for a motto the dying words of Captain Lawrence, "Don't give up the ship," which was received with repeated cheers by the crew.
He then formed the line of battle, and bore up for the enemy, who at the same time hauled his courses and prepared for action. The lightness of the wind occasioned the hos- tile squadrons to approach each other but slowly, and prolonged for two hours the solemn interval of suspense and anxiety which precedes a battle. The order and regularity of naval discipline heightened the dreadful quiet of the moment. The hostile fleets gradually neared each other in awful silence. At fifteen minutes after eleven a bugle was sounded on board the enemy's headmost ship, the Detroit; loud cheers burst from all their crews, and a tremendous fire opened upon the Lawrence, from the British long guns, which from the shortness of the Lawrence's she was obliged to sustain for forty minutes without being able to return a shot. Commodore Perry, without waiting for the other ships, kept on his course in such gallant and determined style that the enemy supposed he meant immediately to board. At five minutes before twelve, having gained a nearer position, the Lawrence opened her fire, but the long guns of the British still gave them greatly the advantage, and the Lawrence was exceedingly cut up without being able to do but very little damage in return. Their shot pierced her sides in all directions, killing the men in the berth deck and steerage, where they had been carried to be dressed.
One shot had nearly produced a fatal explosion; passing through the light room, it knocked the snuff of the candle into the magazine; fortunately the gunner saw it and had the presence of mind immediately to extinguish it. It appeared to be the enemy's plan to destroy the commodore's ship; their heaviest fire was directed against the Lawrence, and blazed incessantly from all their largest vessels. Commodore Perry finding the hazard of his situation, made all sail and directed his other vessels to follow, for the purpose of closing with the enemy. The tremendous fire, however, to which he was exposed soon cut away every brace and bowline of the Lawrence and she became unmanageable. The other vessels were unable to get up, and in this disastrous situation she sustained the main force of the enemy's fire for upwards of two hours, within cannister distance, though a consider- able part of the time not more than two or three of her guns could be brought to bear on her antagonists.
The utmost order and regularity prevailed during this scene of horror; as fast as the men at the guns were wounded they were carried below and others stepped to their places ; the dead remained where they fell until after the action. At this juncture the enemy believed the battle to be won. The Lawrence was reduced to a mere wreck; her deck was streaming with blood and covered with the mangled limbs and bodies of the slain; nearly the whole of her crew were either killed or wounded; her guns were dismounted, and the commodore and his officers helped to work the last that was capable of service. At two, Captain Elliott was enabled, by the aid of a fresh breeze, to bring his ship (the Niagara) into close action in gallant style, and the commodore immediately determined to shift his
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flag on board that ship; and giving his own in charge of Lieutenant Yarnell, he hauled down his union jack, and taking it under his arm, ordered a boat to put him on board the Niagara. Broadsides were leveled at his boat and a shower of musketry from three of the enemy's ships. He arrived safely and hoisted his union jack, with its animating motto, on board the Niagara.
Captain Elliott, by direction of the commodore, immediately put off in a boat to bring up the schooners, which had been kept back by the lightness of the wind. At this moment the flag of the Lawrence was hauled down. Any further show of resistance would have been a useless sacrifice of the relics of her brave and mangled crew. The enemy were at the same time so crippled that they were unable to take possession of her, and circumstances soon enabled her crew again to hoist her flag.
Commodore Perry now gave the signal to all the vessels for close action. The small vessels, under the direction of Captain Elliott, got out their sweeps and made all sail. Find- ing the Niagara but little injured, the commander determined upon the bold and desperate expedient of breaking the enemy's line; he accordingly bore up and passed the head of the two ships and brig, giving them a raking fire from his starboard guns, and also a raking fire upon a large schooner and sloop, from his larboard quarter, at half pistol shot. Having gotten the whole squadron into action, he luffed and laid his ship alongside the British commodore. The small vessels having now got up within good grape and cannister dis- tance on the other quarter, enclosed their enemy between them and the Niagara, and in this position kept up a most destructive fire on both quarters of the British until every ship struck her colors.
The engagement lasted about three hours, and never was victory more decisive and complete. More prisoners were taken than there were men on board the American squadron at the close of the action. The principal loss in killed and wounded was on board the Law- rence, before the other vessels were brought into action. Of her crew twenty-two were killed and sixty wounded. When her flag was struck but twenty men remained on deck fit for duty. The loss on board of all the other vessels was only five killed and thirty-six wounded. The British loss must have been much more considerable. * * This interesting battle was fought midway of the lake, between the hostile armies who lay on the opposite shores, waiting in anxious expectation its result.
Ten days after Perry's memorable victory his fleet transported Harrison's army to Put-in-Bay and thence to Middle Sister island. Procter, at Amherstburg, fearing an attack on Malden, had sent the heaviest portion of his baggage up the river. Tecumseh, who still adhered to the British cause, protested against what he perceived to be preparations for retreat. In a formal speech to Procter the chief said: "You told your red children that you would take good care of your garrison here, which made our hearts glad. Listen! When we were last at the rapids, it is true we gave you little assistance. It is hard to fight people who live like ground hogs. (At the siege of Fort Meigs, Harrison constructed bomb proofs by shallow tunneling. ) Father, listen! Our fleet has gone out; we know they have fought; we have heard the great guns; but we know nothing of what has happened to our father with one arm (Commodore Robert H. Barclay). Our ships have gone one way, and we are much astonished to see our father tying up everything and pre- paring to run away the other, without letting his red children know what his intentions are.
"You always told us to remain here and take care of our lands; it made our hearts glad to hear that was your wish. Our great father, the king, is the head, and you represent him. You always told us you would never draw your foot off British ground; but now, father, we see that you are drawing back, and we are sorry to see our father doing so with- out seeing the enemy. We must compare our father's conduct to a fat dog, that carries his tail on his back, and when afrighted, drops it between its legs and runs off. Father, listen! The Americans have not yet defeated us by land; neither are we sure that they
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have done so by water; we therefore wish to remain here and fight our enemy should they make their appearance. If they defeat us we will then retreat with our father. At the battle of the rapids, last war, the Americans certainly defeated us; and when we returned to our father's fort at that place, the gates were shut against us. We were afraid that it would now be be the case; but instead of that we now see our British father pre- paring to march out of his garrison. Father, you have got the arms and ammunition which our great father sent for his red children. If you have an idea of going away, give them to us and you may go and welcome, for us. Our lives are in the hands of the Great Spirit. We are determined to defend our lands, and if it be His will, we wish to leave our bones upon them."
Regardless of the taunts of his ally, Procter, who was a stranger to courage, pushed forward his plans for retreat, and finally evacuated Detroit on September 28th. Many of the smaller guns, a portion of the lighter stores and all supplies that could be readily moved, were transported across the river to Windsor. Amherstburg was as hastily aban- doned after whatever valuable property that could not be removed had been burned to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Americans. Halting at Windsor, the Malden force was joined by the British garrison from the fort at Detroit and the entire command accompanied by a flotilla of small craft, made its way hastily up stream. Harrison had been joined at Put-in-Bay by a force of thirty-five hundred Kentucky volunteers, under Governor Shelby of that state, and the combined armies, numbering easily five thousand men, landed on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie on September 29th, disembarking a short distance below Amherstburg. Proctor, however, had acted too quickly and had shown the Americans a clean pair of heels. At Malden the Americans found only a few terrified women and non-combatants, who begged for their lives, fearing that the Kentuckians or "long knives," as they were called, meant to avenge the massacre of their comrades who had fallen at the river Raisin. By this time Procter was understood to be in full flight along the shores of Lake St. Clair. Colonel Richard M. Johnson, who had been stationed at Fort Meigs in command of a troop of Kentucky volunteer cavalry, had been ordered to proceed to the Raisin. Stopping only long enough to bury the bodies of those slain in the Browns- town massacre, Johnson's men, numbering more than one thousand, reached Sandwich on October Ist. In recognition of the readiness with which Kentucky had responded to the call for troops for the protection of the frontier, Fort Lernoult, at Detroit, was at this time named Fort Shelby, in honor of Kentucky's governor, who, though an elderly man, had braved the fatigue of long forced marches in leading his men to the northwest. Harrison and Shelby left Detroit with somewhat more than three thousand troops on October 2d, in pursuit of Procter, who was reported as being encamped with the Indians under Tecum- seh on the Thames river in Canada. Simultaneously Perry proceeded up the river with sev- eral ships en route to Lake St. Clair to aid in supporting the American land column.
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