USA > Ohio > A history of the state of Ohio, natural and civil > Part 10
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It appears, that the Indians knew the plan of Dunmore's campaign, and took the best means of defeating it. Their operations were so secretly managed, that Lewis knew of their approach only fifteen minutes before they attacked him. By hemming him into a corner, they intended to destroy Lewis and his army; and had that been effected, Lord Dunmore, with his thousand men, would, in all probability, have been destroy- ed also. CORNPLANTER intended to prevent the junction of Lewis and Dunmore. The Virginians, (with what truth we do not positively now know,) did believe, that Dunmore, while at Wheeling, received dispatches from his government, in which, he was instructed to patch up a peace with the Indians, and make them friendly to England, and unfriendly to the colonists. Those who thought so, said, hence, the change of his plan, in not joining Lewis, at Point Pleasant. That Dunmore had a good understanding with the principal Indian chiefs, before Lewis reached him near Charlotte, is certain, otherwise he would not have ordered Lewis back with a force, which might have been otherwise greatly needed.
Before Dunmore had reached the Ohio river the people about
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Wheeling, in the early part of the month of June, had sent out a force under Colonel Augus McDonald of about four hundred men, who penetrated into the Indian country, as far as the mouth of the Wappatomica, near where Dresden now is, on the Muskingum river. Jonathan Zane, Thomas Nicholson and Taddy Kelly were their pilots. They destroyed the Indian towns along the Muskingum river, exasperated the Indians greatly, killed one Indian, and returned as they came, carry- ing with them, a few prisoners, which were exchanged in the autumn, at the treaty of Dunmore's camp Charlotte, near Pick- away Plains.
After his campaign was ended, Earl Dunmore soon abandoned his colonial government, and went off to England.
Congress declared us an independent nation 4th July 1776, and in 1778, they sent out a small force under General McIn- tosh, for the defence of the western frontiers. This force arrived at Pittsburgh, and descended the Ohio, thirty miles, and erected a fort at the mouth of Beaver creek, where Beav- er is now, and called it 'FORT MCINTOSH'. This little fort, was well supplied with provisions, and had in it, a six pounder. In the autumn of that year, McIntosh was ordered, by Congress, to penetrate the Indian country and destroy the towns on the Sandusky river. With one thousand men, he attempted to obey his orders, but on reaching the Tuscarawas river, near Zoar he concluded to go no farther, but erect a fort and tarry there. He erected a fort and called it LAURENS, in honor of the president of Congress.
Provisioning the fort, and leaving colonel John Gibson and one hundred and fifty men in it, to stay there until spring, McIn- tosh returned to Pittsburgh, with the remainder of his force .. This fort was on the bank of the Tuscarawas, in the present county of Tuscarawas, near the canal, three miles north of Zoar. The Indians soon learned the existence of this fort, and in January 1779, they approached it, stole the horses, in the night, belonging to the garrison, and taking the bells off · them, sent the horses to a distance from the fort, and secreted themselves beside the path which led through the high prairie
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
grass near the garrison. Having thus secreted themselves, in the high weeds and grass, they rattled the horse bells, at the end of the line of those farthest from the fort, who formed this ambuscade. The stratagem succeeded perfectly : sixteen men, from the fort, were sent out for the horses, and of these, four- teen, were killed by the Indians, the other two, were made prison- ers, and but only one of them returned, after the peace, or was ever heard from by his friends.
On the evening of the same day, the Indians, marched slowly, in single file, across the prairie, in full view of our people in fort Lawrens. Dressed and painted, in their best war style they thus marched along, in full view, to the number of eight hundred and forty seven warriors. Having shown themselves, they took their position on a high piece of ground, on the oppo- site side of the river, south of the now town of Bolivar, and so near the garrison, that they could be heard distinctly, and easily from the fort. This body of Indians continued to invest the fort, during six weeks, at the end of which time, they pre- tended to go off, but, in reality, divided into small parties, they continued in the vicinity, for the purpose of doing mischief, more effectually, in which, they but too well succeeded. Colo- nel Gibson and his men, supposing the Indians to be gone off, started off Colonel Clark, of the Pennsylvania line, with some twelve or more invalids, to Fort McIntosh, but being way- laid, the most of them were killed by the Indians, about two miles from the fort. The Colonel and three others, saved their lives, by running to the garrison. A party from the fort, on the same evening, made a sortie and recovered the dead bodies of the invalids, and buried them in front of the gate, at the fort.
Three or four days after this disaster, General McIn- tosh, with seven hundred men, arrived, bringing provisions. Overjoyed at the sight of this relief, Gibson's command, fired volleys, of firearms in honor of the occasion. The pro- visions were on packhorses, and these horses taking fright at the firing of the guns, ran off into the woods, and scat- tered the provisions through the forest and prairies, far and. wide all around the fort. Thus it was mostly lost or fell into
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the hands of the Indians. After McIntosh arrived, he recov- ered the bodies, or rather skeletons of those who fell, when the horses were stolen. These bodies had been mangled by wolves and other wild animals. To revenge themselves on the wolves, the men made a pit, put the dead bodies of the soldiers into it, and covered them so as to leave a pit, so slight- ly covered as not to bear a wolf. On the summit of the pile, they placed a piece of meat. Next morning, they found seven wolves in the pit, which after shooting the wolves, they then covered up and made it the grave of the soldiers and the wolves.
For two weeks before McIntosh arrived, the garrison had been on short allowance of sour flour and bad meat. Two men had died from eating wild parsnips, and four others nearly shared their fate, but were saved by medical aid. After the arrival of the provisions, forty of the men made themselves sick by eating to excess. Those who had suffered so much, and so long, were now relieved, and marched back to Fort McIntosh. On the second day of their march, great num- bers of their friends met them, bringing provisions, and con- solation for the sufferers. Major Vernon now took the com- mand of Fort Laurens, but abandoned it altogether in the au- tumn of 1779. We find, though, that this fort was occupied again, so far as to hold an Indian treaty here, in the winter of 1785. And the same winter George R. Clark, Richard Butler and Arthur Lee, commissioners, held a treaty at Fort McIntosh, 21st January, 1785, which was ratificd 2d June, 1785, as the journal of the old congress shows, unless it be expunged by order of the United States senate.
There was a campaign against the Indians, in 1782, in the spring, only six years before the first settlement at Marietta. This expedition was commanded by Colonel Williamson. In 1772 the Moravian missionaries established a missionary sta- tion on the upper part of the Muskingum river. They built several villages, and induced many christian Indians to settle in the now counties of Tuscarawas and Coshocton. These K
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
christian Indians, were finally, either all murdered, or driven away by Colonel Williamson and his party, in 1782. Anoth- er expedition immediately afterwards started from Wheel- ing under Colonel Crawford; it pressed forward to Upper San- dusky, was finally defeated; Crawford was taken prisoner and burnt to death at the stake, within the now limits of the county which bears his name. Those who wish for a full account of this last expedition, in all its horrors of detail, may consult Dod- dridge's notes, Heckewelder's narrative, Loskiel's Moravian missions, or any similar publication, relative to that period. For ourselves, we wish a moment's respite, from Indian war- fare, and to say, in conclusion, that there was one expedition after another, year after year, from about Wheeling, and along the Ohio river, above that point, into the Indian country, from the year 1774, up to 1782-3. All these expeditions were unauthorized by law, they began wrong, were badly conducted, and ended in nothing beneficial to the white settlements. These expeditions were undertaken at the expense of indivi- duals, without the aid of the nation or of any state authority. There was no good discipline among these militia, who suffer- ed dreadfully, on their painful marches, without a sufficiency of food, raiment, or of arms and ammunition. They exaspe- rated, but did not conquer the enemy. The Indians managed their affairs pretty much in the same way until the nation final- ly put an end to the whole business under General Wayne. For the honor of human nature would that these things had never been. Having related briefly indeed what was going forward in the eastern half, of what is now Ohio, ever since the French were expelled from the country, in 1763, up to 1782 or 3, which was the last of those fatal efforts to estab- lish our dominion over the Indian nations, during that period; we now descend the Ohio river to ascertain what had been doing in that part of Kentucky, adjacent to us.
In 1754, James McBride had traversed some part of Kentucky. His flattering account of the country, when he returned home, induced Daniel Boon, thirteen years af- terwards to visit the same country, in company with McBride
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DIFFERENT LAND CLAIMS.
and others. The whole company were slain by the Indians, except Boon, who returned to North Carolina in 1771. Eight years afterwards, Boon, accompanied by his family and forty men, from Powel's valley in North Carolina, traversed the wil- derness and finally settled on Kentucky river, at a place which they named Boonsborough.
Immediately after the declaration of Independence, Con- necticut set up a claim, to what is now New Connecticut, in common parlance; that is, the north part of Ohio, above latitude 41° north. Virginia claimed Ohio below that line, as being with- in the limits of her charter. The United States claimed all the territory within our limits, as having been conquered by common exertions and common treasure, which congress wan- ted with which to pay off the national debt. In the mean- time, Virginia passed an act, forbidding any one to settle on this territory, until this dispute should be settled. Congress contended that all the territory which belonged to the British crown, had passed of right into the possession of the whole na- tion, as a sovereign. Virginia contended, that to deprive any one state of any portion of its territory, was to dissolve the whole Union. Having thus had the best of the argument, with true Virginia liberality, she consented to give away, the whole sovereignty to the nation, of all the lands which lay northwest of Ohio river, on condition, that Virginia should retain the right of soil of all the country between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers. With this land, Virginia intended to reward her soldiers of the revolutionary war. But Virginia requir- ed other states to do the same, by their soldiers. This sub- ject at that day, greatly agitated the public mind, but, finally Virginia by a formal deed, relinquished all her right and title, to all the country northwest of the Ohio river, ex- cept as before excepted. Thus congress became the peacea- ble owner of all this vast region of country.
Congress had an eye, to this country, as a fund with which, to discharge the national debt of gratitude to our able defend- ers, in the war of the revolution ; to those who were the na- tional creditors, for money borrowed of them, or others claim-
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
ing payment of the nation, for sums due to them. As soon as the war was fairly ended with England, the country north- west of the Ohio river became the subject of public discussion, for the reasons which we have assigned; hence the attention of the old congress to this country at so early a period. The very first thing to be done, was to acquire the country from the Indians. This was attempted by congress, by appointing commissioners to treat with them. Such commissioners had already repeatedly been appointed and had met the Indians at Pittsburgh, Fort McIntosh, &c., and after this as we shall see, constant efforts were made by congress to treat with the Indi-
ans. It is hardly necessary to relate all the circumstances attending these treaties, so we will only mention the several times of holding them. Those who wish to see all these trea- ties, may consult the volume of Indian treaties, now lying be- fore us, published by congress a few years since.
At a very early day, in our revolutionary war, Virginia had promised all her soldiers, who served in that war, lands, wheth- er they were regulars, militia, or belonged to the navy. As soon as that contest was closed, the legislature convened at Richmond, on the twentieth day of October, 1783, and during that session passed "an Act for surveying the land given by law to the officers and soldiers on continental and state estab- lishment, and for the navy." This act passed on the seven- teenth day of December 1783. It authorised deputations from these lines-continental, militia and navy to appoint a survey- or for each line. This act recognized the officers, deputed by those lines, by name, and authorized those officers or any three of them to appoint their surveyors. On the same day, on which the act passed, Richard C. Anderson, a Colonel in the army, was appointed principal surveyor for the continental line of the army, by the officers named in the act, as authoriz- ed to appoint the surveyor. On the 20th day of July, 1784, Colonel Anderson opened his office, for entries, at Louisville, Kentucky. The tract appropriated to these soldiers, in Ken- tucky, lay between Green and Cumberland rivers. Having exhausted that tract, Colonel Anderson closed his office for
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INDIAN TREATIES.
Kentucky, August 1st, 1787, and opened it for entries of land in Ohio. This land lay between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers. Colonel Anderson died, in October, 1826. The office was closed until ALLEN LATHAM, ESQUIRE, his son-in-law, re- ceived the appointment of principal surveyor, and opened his office at Chillicothe in July, 1829.
INDIAN TREATIES, BY WHICH THE LANDS IN OHIO WERE PURCHASED.
By the treaties with the Indians of 1785-6, congress ac- quired the lands watered by the Muskingum, Scioto, Little and Great Miami rivers. In 1788, another treaty was made, by which the country was purchased, from the mouth of the Cuy- ahoga river to the Wabash, lying south and east of a certain line, mentioned in the treaty. The Indians were dissatisfied with this treaty, and it was not relied on by our government. In 1795, twelve tribes attended on General Wayne and treat- ed with him, for the sale of a considerable portion of the now territory, included within our limits. In 1805, seven tribes sold to the United States, all that part of New Connecticut, lying west of the Cuyahoga river. In this treaty the Connec- ticut people joined and paid four thousand dollars to the Indi- ans, and agreed to pay them twelve thousand dollars more. In 1807, that part of Ohio which lies north of the Maumee, and east of a meridian line, passing through the mouth of the Au -- glaize rivers was purchased of the Indians. . In 1808 a slip of territory two miles wide, was acquired by treaty, running from the western boundary of the Western Reserve to the Maumee river, at the rapids. And in the same treaty another slip one hundred and twenty feet in width, was acquired also, running along the bank of the Maumee! These cessions were intended for roads. By all these several treaties, the United States acquired four-fifths of this state. That portion of the ceded tracts above latidude 41º north, extending from Pennsylvania on the east, to the western limits of Sandusky and Seneca counties, was given by congress to Connecticut, K*
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
and is called, the Western Reserve, or New Connecticut. It extends one hundred and twenty miles from east to west, and on an average is fifty miles in width, from north to south. Its area contains about three million eight hundred thousand acres. Five hundred thousand acres of this tract, off the west end, the state of Connecticut gave to certain sufferers by fire, in the revolutionary war. A part of the ceded lands, lying along the Ohio river, including the mouths of the Muskingum and Hockhocking rivers, was sold by the old congress, to the Ohio Company. This was the first sale of lands before the present constitution of the Uni- ted States was adopted. It was sold for one dollar an acre, payable in congress notes, at twenty shillings in a pound, whereas the interest on those notes made them worth twenty- eight shillings and sixpence on the pound at that time. These securities were funded under the constitution of the United States, and became a part of the national debt, from that time forward until paid off within the few last years. So the Ohio company made a very bad bargain for themselves with con- gress. John Cleves Symmes, of New Jersey, was the next purchaser of land in Ohio-he bought of the old congress, the land lying between the mouths of the two Miamies, and extend- ing northerly, so as to contain six hundred thousand acres. Symmes gave sixty-six cents an acre for his land.
On the 13th day of July, 1787, congress assumed the juris- diction of this territory and passed an ordinance for its gov- ernment, by the provisions of which ordinance, the territory was to be governed by a Governor, Secretary, and three Judges. The President appointed these officers. These per- ' sons were to make the laws and execute them. This form of defective government was to continue, until the North Western Territory contained five thousand free white male inhabitants over twenty-one years of age, when the people were authoriz- ed to elect a legislative house of assembly. The house of representatives of the United States' congress, were to nom- inate a legislative council, and this legislative council and the assembly were authorized to appoint a delegate, to congress.
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DIFFERENT LAND CLAIMS.
This second grade of colonial government was to continue un- til the population of each part of the North Western Territory into which it was eventually to be divided, (not less than three nor more than five states) amounted to sixty thousand. Then this colonial government was to cease, and such territo- ry was to become a state, and be admitted into the Union, on the same footing with the original thirteen states. This act of the old congress of 1787 contained other provisions of the ! greatest value. By that ordinance there was never to be either slavery or involuntary servitude in the territory northwest of the Ohio river. All the larger streams were declared forever to be highways, and remain free from all obstructions, to all who wished to navigate them. They were declared to be highways, and so to remain forever. These are the most ma- terial provisions of this ordinance of the old congress.
Virginia had reserved the land lying between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers, which she gave to her soldiers of the rev- olution, belonging to the continental army, as a reward for their services. This we call the Virginia military tract. And the United States had promised her soldiers who served during the war of the revolution, lands for their services; so congress laid off' a tract for that purpose lying south of New- Connecticut, extending from the Ohio river on the east, to the Scioto on the west. This is the United States military tract. There were some refugees, during the revolutionary war, from Nova Scotia, to whom congress gave a slip of land extending from the Muskingum opposite Zanesville to the Sci- oto, at Columbus; it is several miles in width. The remain- ing part of the state was surveyed by congress and is now mostly sold. That portion of our state, not until then pur- chased of the Indians, was ceded to us during Mr. Monroe's administration, except some small reservations. In the Uni- ted States' lands, the Virginia military, and in part of Symmes' purchase, the original owner obtains his patent from the Uni- ted States' land office. Lands ceded to Ohio, by congress, on condition of making certain canals, our Governor and Se- cretary of staté give deeds to the purchasers of those lands.
FIRST SETTLEMENT OF OHIO.
PERIOD SECOND.
THIS PERIOD COMPRISES THE TIME DURING WHICH THE TERRI- TORIAL GOVERNMENT EXISTED, COMMENCING APRIL 7TH, 1788, AND ENDING ON THE ADMISSION OF OHIO INTO THE UNION, AS A STATE, FEBRUARY 19TH, 1803.
THE Ohio company, and John Cleves Symmes, having pur- chased, the lands, as we have stated, the company having purchased the tract on the Ohio river, including the mouths of the Muskingum and Hockhocking rivers; and Symmes, the country between the Miamies-the Ohio company, early in April, 1788, took possession of their land at the mouth of the Muskingum, and Symmes, in the autumn of the same or next year, settled near the mouth of the Great Miami at the North Bend, where General Harrison, his son-in-law, now resides, on the same farm.
Under the act of congress of July 13th 1787, Arthur St. Clair was appointed Governor of the North Western Territory. Samuel H. Parsons, James M. Varnum and John Armstrong were appointed Judges. The latter not accepting the office, John Cleves Symmes was appointed in his place. Winthrop Sargeant was appointed Secretary.
The Governor and Secretary, and Messrs. Parsons and Var- num followed Rufus Putnam and associates, to the mouth of the Muskingum where they had settled on the 7th of April preceding. These officers landed at Marietta on the 9th of July 1788. Judge Symmes joined them soon after their arrival.
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
It was on Wednesday morning July 9th 1788, that Arthur St. Clair, governor of the North Western Territory, arrived at Fort Harmar. This fort had been previously erected by Gener- al Harmar, on an elevated piece of ground, opposite, and west of the mouth of the Muskingum river. On the 15th day of July, the governor published the ordinance, of congress for the gov- ernment of the Territory. He published also the commissions of himself, of the secretary, and those of the Judges, Samuel H. Parsons and James M. Varnum.
Having assembled the people of Marietta, he addressed them in a speech of some length, explaining to them, the ordinance of congress under which they had settled down in a vast wilder- ness. Three days after the delivery of this speech, St. Clair sent a letter to the judges, calling their attention to the subject of organizing the militia. Instead of attending to this all impor- tant matter, and without even answering the governor's letter, these Judges on the 27th of July, sent St. Clair, what they called "a projet" of a law for dividing real estate. This bill was so loosely drawn up that had it become a law, the non-resi- dent owners of land, would have been swindled out of all their lands, by the resident proprietors. This projet was rejected by the governor. On the 26th day of July, St. Clair by pro- clamation, created the county of Washington, having within its limits. about one half of the present state of Ohio. He erected a court of probate about this time. He divided the militia "into two classes "senior" and " junior" and organized them, by appointing their officers.
In the senior class, Nathan Cushing, captain; George Inger- sol, lieutenant; James Backus, ensign.
In the junior class, Nathan Goodale, Charles Knowls, cap- tains; Wanton Casey, Samual Stebbins, lieutenants; Joseph Lincoln, Arnold Colt, ensigns.
The governor proceeded to appoint civil officers, to wit : Ru- fus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, and Winthrop Sargeant, jus- tices of the peace. On the 30th of August, the governor es- tablished a court of Quarter Sessions, and appointed several
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
other justices of the peace, viz: Archibald Cary, Isaac Pierce, and Thomas Lord, Esquires, giving them power to hold the court of Quarter Sessions. They were in fact, judges of a court of common pleas. Return Jonathan Meigs, (our late governor) was appointed clerk of this court of Quarter Sessions. Ebenezer Sproat was appointed sheriff of the county of Washington. William Callis was appointed clerk, of the supreme court, Ebenezer Sproat was appointed colonel of the militia. Rufus Putnam was appointed Judge of Probate, and R. J. Meigs, junior, clerk of that court.
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