USA > Michigan > History of Michigan, civil and topographical, in a compendious form; with a view of the surrounding lakes > Part 19
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Captain Heald was captured under the walls of Chicago. Gen. Hull, while in Canada, actuated by a fear of the hostile Indians, had sent an order for Lieutenant Heald to evacuate that post, and to return to Fort Wayne. The garrison had at that time the amplest means of defence, but the order was received on the 9th of August, and left nothing to the discretion of the commandant. Captain Wells, who was not at that time connected with the Indian department, having substantial grounds to doubt the fidelity of the Potawattamie tribe, advised that the fort should be immediately evacuated before the Indians should have time to concentrate around it ; but his advice was disregarded. In consequence of this neg- lect, before the occupants had made arrangements to leave the fort, about four hundred Indians had collected in the neigh- borhood. A promise was made that all the surplus stores of the fort should be at their disposal if they would forbear harassing the garrison on their march. It was conceived that a large quantity of powder and whiskey, which had been collected in the fort, would be an impolitic gift to the In- dians : and Captain Heald therefore ordered the powder to be
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
thrown into the well, and the whiskey wasted. This was accordingly done. During the night, by some means which are not known, the Indians received intimation of this fact, and regarded the waste as an infringement of their vested rights. The act naturally tended to exasperate them greatly, and they therefore assembled in considerable numbers around the fort. It was then suggested by Captain Wells and Mr. Kenzie, an Indian agent, that a retreat would be unsafe at that time, but without effect. The whiskey having been destroyed and the ammunition lost, the means of defending the fort were gone ; and the garrison, comprising several families, twelve militia men, and also fifty-four regular troops, took their line of march from the fort. When about a mile from the fort, the Indians were perceived making provisions for an attack, and the garrison prepared for a defence. After a short conflict, Capt. Heald surrendered ; when several women, chil- dren, and about half his garrison had been killed. The prisoners were distributed among the tribes, and on the fol- lowing morning the fort was burned to the ground. Captain Wells was an early victim to this disastrous conflict. Dis- appointed at the blind wilfulness of Captain Heald, in ac- cordance with the habits of the savages in fits of disap- pointment, he had blackened his face, and was thus found among the slain. Captain Wells was a remarkable man. He had been captured, when a mere child, by the Indians, and was adopted by Mackinac, the Little Turtle, one of the fiercest warriors who had figured in Indian history. During the sanguinary defeats of Harmar and St. Clair, Captain Wells had commanded an Indian force of about three hun- dred young warriors. These were posted immediately in front of the artillery, and covering themselves behind logs and posts under knowls on which the guns were placed, they lite- rally heaped up around the guns the bodies of the artillerists. After that contest, Wells, foreseeing the advancing power of the whites, resolved to abandon the savages. His mode of expressing his determination was peculiar to the savage cus- tom. Being alone in the wilderness with his adopted father, he remarked : "When the sun reaches the meridian, I leave
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you for the Whites ; and whenever you meet me in battle, you must kill me, as I shall endeavor to do the same to you." Capt. Wells shortly after joined the army of Gen. Wayne, and by his knowledge of Indian customs was of essential service to the American forces, and fought with signal success. When, however, the war was concluded, and peace was restored be- tween the Indians and the United States, he returned to his fos- ter-father, the Little Turtle, and continued in unbroken friend- ship with him until the latter died in 1812. It is alleged, that when his body was found by the Indians at Chicago, they drank his blood, as they had imbibed a superstition that they should thus inherit his extraordinary military endow- ments.
After the capitulation of Detroit, the British established a provisional government in Michigan, and left a small force in charge of the fort. The Indians who had assisted them in this undertaking, claimed large rewards for their services, and were permitted to ravage the houses of the defenceless inha- bitants of Michigan. They were compelled to submit to the atrocities of the savages, or to exile themselves in self-defence to remote regions.
The scene of the military operations of the Government in 1813 comprised the whole north-western frontier of the United States. To prosecute the campaign, the army of the West was organized with General Harrison as the com- mander, and was stationed at the head of Lake Erie; the army of the centre was stationed between the two lakes, On- tario and Erie, and was commanded by General Dearborn ; and the army of the north occupied the shores of Lake Champlain, and was commanded by General Hampton. The design of this campaign was to subjugate Canada, and they had little to fear from the strength which the Governor-ge- neral could array against them. On the British side, the de- fence of the upper provinces was committed to Cols. Proctor and Vincent ; and Lower Canada was left in charge of Gen. Cheaffe, who was to act under the cognizance of the Gover- nor-general. General Harrison had therefore more especially the command of the region upon Lake Erie. Having pro-
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gressed as far as Sandusky, he despatched Gen. Winchester to the Maumee in advance of his troops. Gen. Winchester had sent out a foraging party to the River Raisin, and it ar- rived at that place on the 18th of January, 1813. There they dislodged a body of the Indians. On the next day, Gen. Winchester, having a force of about a thousand men, joined the advance party, and encamped on the north bank of the River Raisin. At the commencement of the winter Gen, Harrison's head-quarters were at Franklinton in Ohio. Gen, Winchester remained at Fort Defiance, with about eight hun .. dred men, comprised of the most respectable young men of Kentucky, until information was received that French Town was in danger from the British and Indians. A force was despatched to Presqu' Isle, there to remain till it should be joined by the main body of his army. He was warned of the approach of the British from Malden, but he made no extra- ordinary efforts in self-defence. On the 22d, early in the morning, his force was attacked by the combined force of the British and Indians under Proctor, and the noted Indian chiefs, Round-Head and Split-Log. The left flank, under Major Madison, defended themselves with the utmost vigor and success, but being without any general commander, it soon fell back. An attempt was then made to retreat across the river ; but that movement was anticipated, and the savages were posted in a position to oppose their progress. During the night, Gen. Winchester had taken lodgings upon the op- posite side of the river, at the house of Col. Robert Navarre, and was not therefore prepared to make a defence. Major Madison, who had fought with so much gallantry, was soon informed by Gen. Winchester, who was then a prisoner, that the party had been surrendered. He had, however, taken the precaution to enter into a formal stipulation with Gen. Proctor to protect his troops from the ferocity of the savages after they should have surrendered.
The battle of the River Raisin developes one of the most in- famous transactions which marked the operations of the war of 1812. Gen. Winchester having arrived at French Town, en- camped on the banks of the Raisin, which now constitutes tho
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French Town side of the river, and while Col. Lewis and Ma- jor Madison seemed to be on the alert, the American troops oc- cupied a greater part of the night in ranging about the village. During the evening, a Frenchman brought information that a force, consisting of British and Indians, supposed to comprise about three thousand men, were about to march from Malden soon after he left that place. This information, however, seemed to be discredited, because no preparations of any con- sequence were made in the American camp to guard them- selves against surprise. Guards, however, were placed as usual around the encampment, although no picket guard was placed on the road through which the enemy might be sup- posed to advance. The night was extremely cold, and on the morning of the 22d. the reveille beat as usual at day- break. A few minutes after three, guns were fired in quick succession by the centinels. The troops were soon formed, and the American camp was immediately attacked by a hea- vy fire from the British, with bombs, balls, and grape shot. At night the British had taken advantage of the darkness, and planted their cannon on the right behind a small ravine. The fire from the cannon was suddenly succeeded by a gene- ral discharge from the fire arms of the British regulars, to- gether with the onset of the savages with the most fiendish yells.
The regulars of the British soon approached within reach of the fire arms of Lewis's camp, and they were soon repulsed in the left and centre. Gen. Winchester having arrived from the opposite bank of the river with a reinforcement, opposed to the heavy fire of the British, and unprotected by any breast- work, soon fell back. The order was then given for the re- treating troops to rally behind a fence and the second bank of the river, to incline toward the centre, and take refuge be- hind the pickets. This order was either not heard or under- stood ; and the necessary consequence was, that the retiring line, being pressed by the British, and attacked on their right by the Indians, retreated in great disorder over the river.
In the mean time the right wing was attempted to be rein- forced by a detachment sent out from the pickets of the Ame- rican camp, together with Colonels Lewis and Allen, who
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exerted their efforts to rally the retreating soldiers, and also those who had been scattered through the gardens and pick- ets of the village. This, however, was done without success. The suddenness of the attack, the want of preparation, and the British force, whose vigorous onset, together with the In- dians, who made the battle-field more horrible by their yells, caused a general panic among the American troops. Indians were stationed upon almost every avenue which could com- mand a retreat, and upon the edge of the bordering forests. A long narrow lane leading from the village, and which the soldiers attempted to pass through, was guarded on both sides by Indians ; and the retreating Americans were shot down in great numbers. A party of a hundred men, who had fled to the borders of the woods, were surrounded and mas- sacred with the tomakawk ; while the flying soldiers were met at every point by the Indians, who, with that refinement of cruelty which belongs to their vindicative character, brained them with the war elub and the hatchet.
Col. Allen behaved with extraordinary courage during the whole action, having several times endeavored to rally his men, but without success, although he was wounded in the thigh. Having escaped about two miles from the spot where the action had chiefly raged, and exhausted, from the loss of blood as well as from fatigue, sat on a log, when he was seen by an Indian, who knew from his dress that he was an officer of distinction, and therefore wished to take him prisoner. Coming near the American, the savage, who was an Indian chief, threw his gun across his lap, and told him to surrender. At the same time another Indian, who advanced with hostile at- titude, was laid dead at his feet by one stroke from the sword of Col. Allen ; Col. Allen, one of the most respectable citizens of Kentucky, was then shot by a third Indian. Detached parties of men, who had escaped to those points where escape seemed possible, were shot down, and their unburied bodies were left to feed the wolves and Indian dogs. About three quarters of a mile from the village, Gen. Winchester and Col. Allen, together with a few others, were captured at a bridge, and taken to the British lines after having been stripped of
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their coats. It is affirmed that Round-Head, who, together with Split-Log, commanded the savages, was seen arrayed in his dress on that occasion.
While these scenes were passing around, Majors Graves and Madison had maintained their position within the pickets of the American camp, although assailed by Proctor and his savages. A cannon was posted by the British behind a house about two hundred yards down the river. By this the camp was con- siderably annoyed. No ground, however, was yielded. " Ne- ver mind me, but fight on," said Major Graves, a gallant offi- cer, to his soldiers, while he bound up his own wound which had been received in the knee.
. The American army having been routed, a flag was seen advancing from the British lines, and conveying an order from Gen. Winchester, directing the officers of the Ameri- can forces to surrender them prisoners of war. Col. Proctor demanded an immediate surrender, and threatened if this was denied, the village should be burned, and the Indians should be permitted to go forward in an indiscriminate massacre. He was answered by Major Madison, that it had been custo- mary for the Indians to massacre the wounded and prisoners after a surrender, and that he would not agree to any capitu- lation which General Winchester might direct, unless the safety and protection of his men were stipulated. "Sir," said Col. Proctor, " do you mean to dictate to me ?" " No," said Madison ; " I mean to dictate for myself, and we prefer selling our lives as dear as possible, rather than be massacred in cold blood." A surrender was accordingly agreed upon in the following terms : that private property should be respected ; that the next morning sleds should be sent to convey the sick and wounded to Amherstburgh ; and that the side arms of the officers should be restored to them at Malden. These terms were perfected, while the Indians commenced a general plun- der. Major Madison having received information of this con- duct, ordered his men to exclude all Indians from his line, and if they came into the lines and attempted violence, to shoot or charge them with the bayonet.
These troops were comprised, in a great measure, of volun-
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teers from some of the most respectable families of Kentucky, young men of chivalrous character, in the full bloom and glory of ripening manhood.
But the crowning disgrace of this transaction remains to be described. While the principal part of the Indians went to Stony Creek, about six miles below Malden, a few stragglers remained, who went from house to house in quest of plunder. The prisoners of the British still remained at French Town. About sunrise, a large body of Indians, comprising about two hundred, returned, painted black and red ; and a council being held, it was determined to massacre the Americans in revenge for the loss of their warriors. The savages soon began to yell, and to plunder the houses of the inhabitants. Breaking into the houses where the wounded prisoners were lying, they stripped them of their blankets, and then brained them with their toma- hawks. Two of the houses, which contained a greater part of the prisoners, were set on fire, and most of the wounded were consumed. Those who were able to crawl about, and who en- deavored to escape from the windows, were wounded with the hatchet and pushed back into the flames ; while others on the outside were killed, and thrown into the conflagration, others were massacred and left in the highway. Major Woolfolk, the secretary to Gen. Winchester, was shot through the head, and left in the street, where he was partly devoured by the hogs before he was removed .* The few prisoners who re- mained were taken towards Malden, but as soon as they be- came by their weakness unable to march, they were massa- cred, and left dead upon the road. Thus ended this affair of the River Raisin, a foul blot on the character of General Proctor.t
"Their very graves are gone, and what are they ? The tide washed down the blood of yesterday ! And all was stainless, and on thy clear stream Glassed with its dancing light the sunny ray, But o'er the blacken'd memory's blighting dream, Thy waves would vainly roll."
* See Life of Gen. Harrison, by Moses Dawson.
t It is stated, by a respectable citizen of Monroe, formerly an Indian trader, that the Indians were provided with whiskey at Stoney Creek, by the British, in order to excite them to this massacre.
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The information of the capture of Gen. Winchester reached Gen. Harrison while on the way to aid the American Gene- ral. As there was, therefore, no benefit in advancing, Gen. Harrison was induced to stop at the Rapids, where he con- structed a fort, called Fort Meigs. At that place he was be- sieged by Gen. Proctor, with a force of about one thousand regulars and militia, and twelve hundred Indians, for the space of nine days. Finding this siege ineffective, Gen. Proctor soon retired to Malden. Gen. Harrison then pro- ceeded to Franklinton, leaving the fort in charge of Gen. Clay. A remforcement, of about twelve hundred men, was sent out from Kentucky. Gen. Harrison, on returning to the fort, was summoned to surrender to the British, but his reply was worthy of Leonidas. He answered, " That he would not, while he commanded, surrender to a force urged on by savage allies." General Harrison was soon reinforced by eight hun- dred men under General Clay. They destroyed the batteries which had been erected on the other side of the river. Soon afterwards a sortie was made from the fort, and the British and Indians fled, pursued by Col. Dudley. In their advance, however, they soon came upon an ambush of the Indians, and only one hundred and fifty of their men escaped. This ambush was laid under the direction of Tecumseh. The suc- cessive disasters which had befallen the Territory of Michi- gan covered it with gloom, and it was feared that the British power would gain the ascendancy upon the north-western frontier ; although the operations of Gen. Harrison upon the Ohio frontier occasionally threw flashes of hope across the darkness. The actual position of Michigan, in connection with the war, was not, however, altered until the action of Commodore Perry with the British fleet on the 10th of Sep- tember, 1813, which connected Michigan once more with the Union, by the establishment of a free passage for the American forces across Lake Eric.
Ohio and Kentucky had aroused at the call of Gen. Hull for aid at the commencement of the north-western campaign, and a force was raised consisting of about seven thousand men from Kentucky, and about half of that num-
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ber from the adjoining State of Ohio. Virginia and Penn- sylvania had also furnished their quota of men for the same objects. But these troops, taken, as they were, from the vo- lunteers of the several States, exhibited more of courage and patriotism in the cause of their country, than military disci- pline and subordination. An army constituted of such men were actually on the advance through Ohio to the aid of Gen. Hull when they received the information of liis sur- render at Detroit. A general confederation of Indians upon the north-western frontier, similar to that which had before been established by Pontiac, had also been effected by Te- cumseh, aided by his brother, the Prophet. This alliance, instigated by the British against the United States, harassed the Americans on every side.
The great disadvantage which was experienced by the Ame- ricans in conducting the war, was, the fact that they were cut off from all aid from the Eastern States by the way of Lake Erie. It was an important object, therefore, for the American cause to obtain the command of that inland sea. That lake was watched with lynx-eyed vigilance by a British fleet under the command of Commodore Barclay, which constantly hovered around the Canadian shores. In order to secure the command of the lake, an American fleet was built under great disadvantages at Erie, in Pennsylvania, a port on the lake shore. She was placed under the command of a young officer, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. The fleet of Commodore Perry could not cross the bar at the mouth of the Erie harbor with her armaments, and he was watched with sleepless scrutiny by the British commander, under the conviction, that if he ven- tured out at all under these circumstances he would be de- feated. Commodore Perry was induced to ride at anchor for some days in the harbor of Erie. At this trying juncture, the British fleet somewhat relaxed its vigilance, and in September retired to the upper end of the lake. The American com- mander then sallied across the bar, and prepared his fleet for action. The American and British fleets were now both on the wide expanse of Lake Erie, the tonnage of both fleets was about equal, and a young American officer was about to con-
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tend with Commodore Barclay, a veteran in the British ser- vice, and on the boasted element of the British navy.
On the evening of the 9th of September, 1813, Commo- dore Perry called alongside the ship of Capt. Elliot, and left word that he wished to see Capt. Elliot and Capt. Brevoort in the evening on board the Lawrence. The unhealthy con- dition of the crew was at that time stated. But, after delibe- ration, it was determined, if opportunity presented, to attack the enemy in the Detroit River. Captain Elliot was to lead and attack the ship Detroit at her moorings, and Commodore Perry was to silence the battery which covered her on the main land, and act as circumstances required. At daylight on the next morning, while the anchors were a peak and the crew were shaking out the top-gallant sails, the enemy was discovered near the Middle Sister, an island in Lake Erie, coming down under a light sail. After beating out of Put in Bay, the fleet ranged alongside of the Lawrence, when Capt. Brevoort was requested by Commodore Perry to name the different ships of the enemy. This he did. The following was found to be the force of the British squadron :
Ship Detroit, 19 guns, 1 on pivot, 2 howitzers.
Queen Charlotte, 17 guns, 1 do.
Schooner Lady Prevost, 13 guns, 1 do.
Brig Hunter, 10 guns.
Sloop Little Belt,
3 guns.
Schooner Chippeway, 1 gun, 2 swivels.
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The squadron of the United States consisted of the
Brig Lawrence, 20 guns.
Niagara, 20 guns.
Caledonia,
3 guns.
Schooner Ariel,
4 guns, one burst early in the action.
Scorpion, 2 guns.
Somers,
2 guns and 2 swivels.
Sloop Trippe, 1 gun.
Schooner Tigress, 1 gun.
Porcupine, 1 gun.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
After the force of the enemy was discovered, the arrange- ment of the previous evening was reversed, and it was de- termined by Commodore Perry to attack the flag-ship him- self, to oppose the Caledonia to the Hunter, the Niagara to the Royal Charlotte ; and the rest of the American fleet were or- dered to attack their opponents by signal, and act according to the circumstances. At that time the wind was light and ahead, but finally changed in favor of the Americans. Pre- vious to the action, the Ariel and Scorpion were ordered to take post on " the weather bow and ahead " of the Lawrence, in order to draw off a part of the fire of the enemy, as they carried long guns, which did great execution.
The action was commenced by the British from their flag- ship before a gun was fired from the American squadron, as the last were at too great a distance. At length a fire was opened upon her by the Lawrence, and as they neared, it was commenced by the whole fleet. The breeze soon freshened, and the Niagara shot ahead ; Lieut. Turner of the Caledonia was requested by Capt. Elliot to put his helm up, and permit him to pass to the relief of the Lawrence. About that time the ball of the Niagara getting short, the hold was broken up for the purpose of procuring some of thirty-two pounds, which was stored as ballast ; when it was found that the Niagara had received several shots between wind and water. Several having been killed and wounded on board the Niagara, and after she had repaired her rigging, which had been conside- rably damaged, a boat was despatched to the Lawrence for large ball. At the same time a boat was descried coming from the Lawrence to the Niagara, whose top-sails were thrown aback for the purpose of allowing her to come along- side. It was Commodore Perry. He was met at the gang- way by Captain Elliot and Captain Brevoort. " I am afraid," says he, " the day is lost, these d-d gun boats have sacrificed me." " No," said Elliot, " take charge of my battery, and I will bring them up, and save it ;" and immediately departed for that ohjeet in the same boat.
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