History of Monroe County, Michigan, Part 10

Author: Wing, Talcott Enoch, 1819-1890, ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York, Munsell & company
Number of Pages: 882

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About daylight on the morning of the 22d of January, 1813, a large force of British and Indians, under Colonel Proctor and the celebra- ted Indian chiefs Round-Head and Split-Log, attacked the camp of the Americans. The at- tack was made all along the lines, but the British forces were more particularly led against the upper camp occupied by Major Madison and Colonels Lewis and Allen, and the Indians against the lower camp occupied by Colonel Wells. The British were unsuccessful at their part of the line, where the Americans fought with great bravery and were protected to some extent by pickets, which being placed some distance from the woods afforded the Kentucky riflemen a fine opportunity to shoot the enemy down as they were advancing. An attempt was then made by the British to use a field piece just at the edge of the woods, by which they hoped to prostrate the pickets and batter down the houses; but the Kentuckians with their sharpshooters picked the men off as fast as they attempted to load it, so that they were forced to abandon the attack and suffer a re- pulse.

While these things were happening at the upper camp, a very different state of things existed at the lower one. The attack of the Indians was so impetuous, the position so in- defensible, and the American force at that point so inadequate (consisting of only 200 men) that notwithstanding the bravery and courage of Colonel Wells and his men, it was impossible to hold the position. Colonels Lewis and Allen attempted to take a re-enforcement to the right wing to enable Colonel Wells to retreat up the river on the ice under cover of the high bank to the upper camp, but before they arrived with their re-enforcements at the lower camp, the fire of the savages had become so galling that Colonel Wells was forced to abandon his posi-

tion. This he attempted to do in good order, but as soon as his men began to give way, the Indians redoubled their unearthly yells and the impetuosity of their attack, so that the re- treat speedily became arout. In this condition they were met by Colonel Allen, who made every effort in his power to call them to order and lead them into safety in the upper camp; but notwithstanding the heroic efforts of Colonel Allen and his earnest protestations and com- mands, they continued their disorderly flight, and from some unexplained and unaccountable reason, but probably on account of an irretriev- able panic caused by the terrible cries and war- whoops of the savages, instead of continuing up the river to the upper camp, they fled diag- onally across the river, up to the Hull road (so called) which led to Maumee, and attempted to escape to Ohio.

Then the flight became a carnage. The In- dians, seeing the disorder of the Americans, who thought of nothing save running for their lives and escaping the tomahawks of the sav- ages, having warriors posted all along the woods which lined or were within a short distance of the river, now raised the cry that the Americans were flying, which cry was echoed by thousands of warriors, who all rushed to the spotand out- stripped the fleeing soldiers. Some followed them closely in their tracks and brained them with their tomahawks from behind ; some posted themselves on both sides of the narrow road and shot them down as they were passing; finally some of the savages got in advance and headed them off at Plumb Creek, a small stream about a mile from the River Raisin. Here the panic-stricken soldiers, who had thrown away most of their arms to facilitate their flight, hud- dled together like sheep, with the brutal foe on all sides, were slaughtered; and so closely were they hemmed in that after the battle forty dead bodies were found lying scalped and plundered in a space two rods square. The savages tore the scalps from their heads and carried them in triumph to Malden to receive the prizes prom- ised by the British Government.

While these bloody scenes were in progress on the south side of the Raisin, the remainder of the troops under Graves and Madison were manfully defending themselves in their camp. The British had planted a howitzer within 200 yards of the camp, behind a small house on the road to Detroit, but it was soon silenced by

THE MASSACRE AT THE RIVER RAISIN.

the Kentucky sharpshooters behind the stout pickets. The conflict was maintained until about ten o'clock, when Proctor withdrew his troops to the woods with the intention of either abandoning the conflict or awaiting the return of the savages from the feast of blood beyond the Raisin. Navarre and his brothers had taken possession of an old horse-mill a short distance from the camp, where they continued to do good service with their rifles during the engagement. After the withdrawal of Proctor's troops, the Americans quietly breakfasted, and while eating, a white flag was seen approach- ing. Major Madison, supposing it was a flag of truce to enable the British to bury their dead, went out to meet it, when to his aston- ishment and mortification he found it borne by one of Winchester's staff, accompanied by Proctor, with an order from Winchester for the unconditional surrender of all the troops as prisoners of war. The gallant Madison re- fused to obey the order for surrender. Win- chester then went to Madison in charge of an Indian and told him that his own life and the safety of the army depended upon his prompt and unconditional surrender. Madison again declined, but finally agreed to surrender upon the condition that all private property should be respected ; that sleds should be pro- vided next morning to remove the sick and wounded to Malden; that in the meantime they should be protected by a gnard ; and that their side-arms should be restored to them on their arrival at Malden, to which Colonel Proctor agreed. Madison trusted to his prom- ises, but the word had scarcely been passed to the foe, before the Indians began plundering. Proctor forfeited his word, abandoned the wounded prisoners, and left them to be mur- dered by the bloody savages.

General Winchester, impressed with the be- lief that an attack would not be made, had re- tired the night before without having made any arrangements for safety or dispatch in case of an attack. Colonel Francis Navarre from the bottom of the stairs, with his sten- torian voice aroused General Winchester and his aids, urging them to make all possible haste, as the enemy were upon them, for the firing was distinctly heard. The General and his aids were greatly confused by being thus awakened from a sound sleep, all clamoring for their horses, which were in Colonel Na-

varre's stable, and the servants scarcely awake enough to realize their situation or equip them with dispatch. The luckless commander be- came very impatient to join his forces, three- quarters of a mile distant, and to gratify his desire, Colonel Navarre offered his best and fleetest horse, which had been kept saddled all night, as Navarre, in common with the French inhabitants, expected an attack before morn- ing. On this horse he started for the camp, but on the way finding that a large number of his troops were then fleeing on the Hull road, he followed after them to rally them and if possi- ble to regain the day. On his way he was taken prisoner by an Indian said to have been Jack Brandy, who knew by his clothing that he was an officer and therefore spared his life, but stripped him of his clothes and nearly frozen brought him to Colonel Proctor. Colonel Proctor persuaded the Indian to deliver the General into his hands.

With General Winchester as his prisoner, Colonel Proctor felt that he could dictate terms to that portion of the troops under command of Major Madison in the upper camp, who had thus far made a successful resistance.

Colonel Allen was also taken prisoner about the same time. He had behaved with extra- ordinary courage during the whole action in striving to rally his men, although wounded in the thigh. He was finally killed by an Indian while held a prisoner.

On the morning of the 23d of January, 1813, the General and prisoners started for Malden, not, however, until the Indians had violated the first article of the agreement, by plunder- ing the settlement. But finally all departed except the sick and wounded American sol- diers, who were left in the two houses of the upper camp to await the coming of the sleds on the morrow. Only two or three British sol- diers were left in charge of them, a neglect which was shameful and criminal on the part of Proctor. The last and most disgraceful scene in this bloody tragedy was yet to be en- acted. The sleds that were to take the ili- fated sufferers to Malden never came. In their stead came the next morning three hundred Indians painted black and red, determined on massacring the wounded American prisoners in revenge for the loss the day before. The slaughter soon commenced in earnest. Break- ing into the houses where the Americans were,

HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

they first plundered and then tomahawked them. The houses were set on fire, and those within were consumed; if any attempted to crawl out of the doors or windows, they were wounded with the tomahawks and pushed back with bayonets into the flames ; those that happened to be outside were stricken down, and their bleeding and dying bodies were thrown into the burning dwellings. Major Woolfolk, the secretary of General Winchester, was killed in the massacre.

Thus perished in cold blood many of Ken- tucky's noblest heroes. Their death filled with sorrow many homes south of the Ohio. But little is known of the private history of those brave spirits who traversed a wilderness of several hundred miles and gave up their lives for their country-who died, alone, wounded, and unprotected, in a settlement far from the abode of civilization. Their memory should be preserved so long as the massacre of the River Raisin is remembered among men.

Never should Americans forget the heartless and diabolical policy adopted by England in enlisting in her cause the reckless animosity of the aborigines, without restraining their ruth- less spirit. Colonel Proctor richly deserves the lasting condemnation of history for leaving his wounded prisoners to the mercy of infuri- ated and intoxicated savages.

But few of the killed were ever buried; their bones lay bleaching in the sun for years. Five years after, on July 4, 1818, a company of men under the charge of Colonel John Anderson, of Monroe, went to the battle grounds and col- lected a large quantity of the bones and skulls (it was noticed that all the skulls showed marks of the tomahawk), and they were buried with appropriate ceremonies in the old grave- yard on the west side of Monroe street, between Front street and First street, in the now city of Monroe. Two years after, however, it was not uncommon to find a skull fractured by the fatal tomahawk; hidden away in some clump of bushes, where the dogs and wild beasts had dragged the bodies to devour their flesh.

The collection of the bones of the massacred Kentuckians which occurred July 4, 1818, was in compliance with measures taken by a public- spirited meeting at which General Lewis Cass presided, held in Detroit the 22d of June, at which time a committee was appointed for the purpose. On the Sth of August, 1818, the re-

mains were exhumed, and under the escort of the committee were removed to Detroit and buried in the Protestant burying ground, with military honors, and accompanied by a large concourse of citizens to their new resting-place.

Early in 1834 the boxes containing the re- mains were removed to the city cemetery on Clin- ton street, in the city of Detroit, and in Septem- ber, 1834, they were again removed by Colonel Brooks, who carried them, with other skulls and bones collected in Monroe, to Frankfort, Kentucky, where they were received by an immense concourse of Kentuckians, and the venerated remains were deposited with appro- priate ceremonies in the State Cemetery of Kentucky. The inscription on the boxes con- taining the remains was, " Kentucky's Gallant Dead, January 18, 1813, River Raisin, Michi- gan."

It is a well-attested fact that early on the morning after the surrender a council was held by the Indian chiefs, when it was determined to kill, tomahawk and scalp, in revenge for their losses, all prisoners who were unable to march; that Colonel Proctor, after providing for the removal of the wounded of his own army to Malden, did not in accordance with his positive assurances provide (with few ex- ceptions) for the removal of prisoners captured ; that the prisoners were marched through snow nearly two feet in depth, and as fast as their strength gave out were tomahawked by the Indians. At Sandy Creek, three miles north of the River Raisin, the British army encamped the first night, and a large number of bodies of the captives were found tomahawked and without scalps. Quite a number of those that were able to walk were taken by the Indians to Detroit; those that gave out were toma- hawked, their scalps taken, and left to die ; while many that endured the march were hawked about the streets of Detroit, and sold or ransomed at prices varying from $10 to $100-for any price that exceeded the value of a scalp. Indians, for weeks after the massacre, came into Detroit with prisoners, from whom they were in many instances ransomed by citizens of Detroit.

Medard Couture, the father of Samuel Cou- ture, now of California, and son of Mrs. James Knaggs, formerly Mrs. Couture, is well re- membered by many of our residents, and died at Monroe. He, with Doctors Bower and Hunter,

DR. BOWER'S ACCOUNT OF THE MASSACRE.

had charge of the hospital, a house near by, belonging to John Jerome, in which were forty-five wounded, among others Major Mad- ison and Captain Hart, a brother of Mrs. Henry Clay. The building was fired, and Couture and Doctor Bower were stripped and tied by a band of Chippewas, and stood near the blazing ruins in momentary expectation of death. An old Ottawa chief by the name of Wau-gon, who had been a friend of Couture before the war, was reeling with drunkenness in the road near by. Couture beckoned to him; he came to him, recognized him and com- prebending the horrors of his condition, put his fingers to his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. Immediately several Indians came running to the spot.

" Take care of him," said Wau-gon, pointing to Couture, " he is my son ; his father lies dead in the yard and I am now his father. Don't harm him." He gave Couture the name of Sa-gus-na, which signifies " Be Brave."

Couture, understanding that he was now safe, interceded successfully with his Indian father for the life of Doctor Bower. He was taken to Detroit and afterwards Couture saw him on their march to the Thames. Doctor Bower, who was surgeon's mate of the Fifth Kentucky Regiment, gives the following ac- count of the murderous scene :

" Yours of the 5th instant, requesting me to give you a statement respecting the late dis- aster at Frenchtown, was duly received. Rest assured, sir, that it is with sensations the most unpleasant that I undertake to recount the in - famous and barbarous conduct of the British and Indians after the battle of the 22d of Jan- uary. The blood runs cold in my veins when I think of it.

"On the morning of the 23d, shortly after light, six or eight Indians came to the house of Jean Baptiste Jereaume, where I was, in com - pany with Major Graves, Captains Hart and Hickman, Doctor Todd, and fifteen or twenty volunteers, belonging to different corps. They did not molest any person or thing on their first approach, but kept sauntering abont until there was a large number collected (say one or two hundred), at which time they com- menced plundering the houses of the inhabit- ants, and the massacre of the wounded prison- ers. I was one amongst the first that was taken prisoner, and was taken to a horse about

twenty paces from the house, after being di- vested of part of my clothing, and commanded by signs there to remain for further orders. Shortly after being there, I saw them knock down Captain Hickman at the door, together with several others with whom I was not ac- quainted. Supposing a general massacre had commenced, I made an effort to get to a house about one hundred yards distant, which con- tained a number of wounded, but on my reaching the house, to my great mortification, found it surrounded by Indians, which precluded the possibility of my giving notice to the unfortu- nate victims of savage barbarity. An Indian chief of the Tawa tribe of the name of MeCarty, gave me possession of his horse and blanket, tell- ing me by signs to lead the horse to the house which I had just before left. The Indian that first took me, by this time came up, and man- ifested a hostile disposition towards me, by raising his tomahawk as if to give me the fatal blow, which was prevented by my very good friend McCarty. On my reaching the house which I had first started from, I saw the In- dians take off several prisoners, which I after- wards saw in the road, in a most mangled con- dition, and entirely stripped of their clothing. " Messrs. Bradford, Searls, Turner and Blythe, were collected round a carryall, which con- tained articles taken by the Indians from the citizens. We had all been placed there. by our respective captors, except Blythe, who came where we were entreating an Indian to convey him to Malden, promising to give him forty or fifty dollars, and whilst in the act of pleading for mercy, an Indian more savage than the other, stepped up behind, tomahawked, stripped and scalped him. The next that at- tracted my attention was the houses on fire that contained several wounded, whom I knew were not able to get out. After the houses were nearly consumed, we received marching orders, and after arriving at Sandy Creek, the Indians called a halt and commenced cooking ; after preparing and eating a little sweetened gruel, Messrs. Bradford, Searls, Turner and myself received some, and were eating, when an Indian came up and proposed exchanging his moccasins for Mr. Searl's shoes, which he readily complied with. They then exchanged hats, after which the Indian inquired how many men Harrison had with him, and, at the same time, calling Searls a Washington or

HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

Madison, then raised his tomahawk and struck him on the shoulder, which cut into the cavity of the body. Searls then caught hold of the tomahawk and appeared to resist, and upon my telling him his fate was inevitable, he closed his eyes and received the savage blow which terminated his existence. I was near enough to him to receive the brains and blood, after the fatal blow, on my blanket. A short time after the death of Searls, I saw three others share a similar fate. We then set out for Brownstown, which place we reached about 12 or 1 o'clock at night. After being exposed to several hours' incessant rain in reaching that place, we were put into the Council-house, the floor of which was partly covered with water, at which place we remained until next morn- ing, when we again received marching orders for their village on the River Rouge, which place we made that day, where I was kept six days, then taken to Detroit and sold. For a more detailed account of the proceedings, I take the liberty of referring you to a publica- tion which appeared in the public prints, signed by Ensign J. L. Baker, and to the publication of Judge Woodward, both of which I have particularly examined, and find them to be literally correct, so far as came under my notice."

The fate of Captain Hart was a very sad one. He had been wounded, and when the Indians came up to the hospital he offered a friendly Pottawatomie chief by the name of Os-a-med $100 if he would conduct him safely to Malden. The chief attempted the service, threw his blanket over the captain, lifted him upon his pony and started for Detroit. They had pro- ceeded but a short distance before Captain Hart fell from his saddle with a bullet in his brain, fired by a Chippewa. This Indian stripped him and scalped him, leaving his body a prey to the wolves. In the night, after the Indians had departed, Conture, with the help of a set- tler by the name of Chovin, buried the body of Captain Hart in a hollow made by the roots of a fallen tree, first covering it with bark.

As some controversy subsequently arose as to the manner and time of Captain Hart's massacre, I here add the statement of Judge Laurent Durocher, a member of our territorial Legislature, for many years a Judge of Probate for the county of Monroe, and his statements are regarded reliable by many of our citizens

now living. I also add the statement of P. Lecuyer to Major Charles Larned, of Detroit, less than two months after the massacre, to- gether with the letter of the Hon. Daniel S. Bacon, addressed to the Hon. R. McClelland.

The following is Judge Durocher's narrative of Captain Hart's massacre :

" In the action of January 22, 1813, Captain Hart received a wound in one of his ankles. He was taken prisoner by a Pottawatomie In- dian about the same time that General Win- chester was taken in the attempt to rally the flying soldiers, and near the place where the general was captured. After Captain Hart was murdered, the Indian who took him captive declared that he intended to have saved bis life. When the captain was taken, his captor made him remain on the horse he had been riding, and led the animal, with his rider upon him, toward the battle ground. He then made signs to Captain Hart to follow him up the River Raisin, to get out of the way of the other Indians. On their way up the river, about 100 rods west from the battle ground, the In- dian stopped at the house of Antoine Campeau and made signs to Captain Hart to proceed, which he accordingly did. On arriving in front of Francis Lasselle's house, which was about forty rods up the river from Campeau's, he stopped the horse in the road and hailed ; and when Lasselle partially opened the front door, Captain Hart earnestly entreated that he would save him from the hands of the Indians. . Lasselle answered sorrowfully that it was out of his power to save him; that in the morning, at the beginning of the action, several Indians, mostly Wyandots, had come into the yard back of his (Lasselle's) house, and asked who were within, particularly inquiring if any Ameri- cans were there; and on being answered by Lasselle from an upper window that there were no Americans there, and no one at all ex- cept women and children, the Indians had warned him not to suffer any one to come in, and to keep his doors and window shutters closely shut, for if an American were found in his house every one in it should be killed and all the buildings should be destroyed.

" As the road appeared clear of Indians, Mr. Lasselle thought the best and only way for Cap- tain Hart would be to proceed with his captor to his brother, James Lasselle, whose influence with the Indians would save him, and said

DEATH OF CAPTAIN HART.

that he himself would accompany the captain but for the apprchension that, in his absence, some Indians might come into his house and commit acts of pillage and cruelty or murder. During this conversation the Indian already mentioned had overtaken Captain Hart, and Francis Lasselle spoke to him and entreated him in the most earnest manner to take good care of the captain, to which he signified his willingness.

"Captain Hart in despair followed the In . dian. Unfortunately, in the next house (which was abont fifteen rods distant from the dwel- ling of Lasselle) were five Delaware Indians, who had entered it seeking for plunder, and had found some whisky and become intoxi- cated. This Lasselle did not know. As the Indian and Captain Hart came in front of his house, the Indians within the house called to the one in the road to come in. He went to the gate, leading the horse on which Captain Hart was, tied the halter to the gate-post, and went in. One of the Indians from within, standing at the door, leveled his rifle at Cap- tain Hart and shot him in the breast. An . other ran and scalped him and tomahawked him, and left the body stretched in the road almost naked. Then the Indian who had cap- tured Captain Hart, feeling very much grieved at the outrage, threatened to avenge his death ; and would have killed the one who shot the captain, had it not been for the interference of the others, who prevented him.

" As the Indians had threatened and warned the inhabitants that they should not remove the bodies of Americans lying exposed in the roads or elsewhere, the body of Captain Hart remain- ed on the same spot until in the night, when one Joseph Ruland (who occupied the house), with some others, took it and placed it in a potato hole from which the potatoes had been previously taken ont, and covered it up well until the next night. The next day Messrs. Chovin, Campeau and St. Cosme dug a grave in a thicket back of a field, on Robert Navarre's farm, and under the protection of the darkness of the night, wrapped up the body in a piece of carpet and buried it there.

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History of Monroe County, Michigan, Part 10

Author: Wing, Talcott Enoch, 1819-1890, ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: New York, Munsell & company Number of Pages: 882

Author: Wing, Talcott Enoch, 1819-1890, ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York, Munsell & company
Number of Pages: 882