USA > Ohio > A history of the state of Ohio, natural and civil > Part 16
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The army reached the Maumee on the thirtieth day of June,
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only fifteen days after they had left Dayton. Within this time, they bad marched one hundred and twenty miles, built block houses, at suitable points on their route ; cut their roads through a dense forest; and marched through, about forty miles of swamp, knee deep, at every step, to the men. Doctor Eustis, the secretary of war, had despatched a special messenger, to General Hull, conveying a letter dated the 18th day of June, the same day which the President signed the act declaring war. This messenger, with a letter specially sent to Governor Hull, by the secretary of war, overtook the army in the black swamp, on the 26th day of June. In this letter, the secretary forgot to mention, as a trifling circumstance, the declaration of war, but, hinted that something of that sort, might be expected, soon. Four days after the reception of this letter, General Hull reached the lower end of the rapids, of the Mau- mce, and passed over the river in boats. He chartered a lake vessel to carry his most valuable baggage and effects, from the Maumee, to Detroit. In this vessel, he put his trunk, contain- ing all his official papers, and a full account of his strength; the names of all his officers, payrolls of his army, and every thing which could be of much value to the enemy, and ordered this vessel off, past Malden, the British garrison, which it must pass, in order to arrive at Detroit. This vessel, thus freight- ed, under the command of a Lieutenant and thirty men, fell necessarily into the possession of the enemy, at Malden. Any man of sense must have known such would be the result, of such folly.
The British legation, at Washington city, had sent express- es with the news of war to all their posts on the upper lakes, whereas the first news of the war that our army received, was through a common newspaper, which reached them through the common mail route. The army arrived at Detroit on the 5th of July, and being quite fatigued, after their toilsome march, they rested several days. On the 2d of July, General Hull received a letter from the Secretary of war, informing him that war was declared. On the 9th he received another letter, from the Secretary, directing him, if consistent with
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the safety of his post to take Malden, and extend his con- quests around him. Hull, in reply, said that his force was in. sufficient to make the attempt. On the next day he reitera- ted the same opinion in another letter to Doctor Eustis, and then on the twelfth of July, without receiving any addi- tional force, and his baggage-wagons had not then yet arri- ved, only in part; early in the day, he crossed over the river into Canada, and issued a most boastful proclamation, in which he invited the Canadians to join his standard. He continued at Sandwich, where he had landed, three days, re- conoitering the country, and collecting provisions. On the 15th a party under Cass attempted to cross the Ducks, a stream, four miles from Malden. They crossed the creek, drove the enemy from the bridge and the ford, and returned again to Sandwich.
On the first of August, General Hull learned that the Brit- ish had taken Mackinaw on the 17th of July, and were on their way to attack him. Mackinaw was under the command of Lieutenant Hanks, and fifty-six men, who had no knowledge of the war, until they were summoned to surrender the fort, to the enemy. The force which took Mackinaw, amounted to about six hundred soldiers, from Malden, besides Indians. This news of the loss of Mackinaw, filled the mind of General Hull with consternation. He saw nothing to prevent the approach of all the savages of the northwest. By this time, Hull's artil- lery had reached him and he had provisions sufficient for about fifteen days. On the 7th day of August, Hull issued an order for the army to recross the river into Detroit. This order was so unexpected by the army that it fell upon it like a thunder bolt. All confidence in the commander-in-chief, was lost, in an instant, and the men with difficulty obeyed their own offi- cers. However on the 8th they recrossed the river, and took . post at Detroit. On the 14th, General Brock, the British commander-in-chief, took a position opposite Detroit, and be- gan to fortify it by erecting batteries. On the next day he summoned Hull to surrender, which he utterly refused to do, in reply. Brock opened his batteries and threw bombs during
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the night, for the purpose of diverting Hull's attention from what Brock was then doing. In the morning it was discovered that the enemy had landed at Springwells. Having thus landed in safety, and without opposition at 10 o'clock A. M., he marched in columns twelve deep, to attack the American garrison. The fort, or as our soldiers used to call it, "the sheep pen," was so situated, that the enemy could approach within two hundred yards of it, before the guns of the garri- son could injure them. A detachment of the American force however, was sent out, and judiciously posted to prevent the advance of the enemy. But at the very moment, when every American in the army, except its commander, was rea- dy and anxious to begin the mortal combat, with an enemy of inferior numbers, consisting mostly of either raw militia, or of Indians; what were the emotions of our army, when they were ordered into the fort, and to lay down their arms? They reluctantly obeyed, and a white flag was raised, on the fort. Without shedding a drop of blood-without firing a single gun, the fort, with all its cannon, taken with Burgoyne, at Sarato- ga, from the British, with a vast amount of powder, lead, can- non balls, and all the munitions of war-all-all were surren- dered, unconditionally surrendered, to the enemy. The enemy himself, must have doubted his own senses on that occasion. Let us see, twenty-five hundred men with all their arms; twen- ty-five pieces of iron cannon, and eight brass ones; forty barrels of powder, all were surrendered without firing a gun, to about one thousand militia and a few Indians! It was even so done by General Hull, Madison's commander-in-chief of the North Western army.
Colonels McArthur and Cass, with about four hundred of the very best troops, in the army, had been despatched ( just at the very moment, they would be most needed) under the pretence of guarding the wagons, with the provisions, which Governor Meigs of Ohio, was forwarding to the army. These troops under McArthur and Cass had marched about. forty miles into the country, among the whortleberry hills of
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Michigan and then marched back again, without seeing any provisions, until they had arrived within about nine miles of Detroit, on their return. Here they were refreshing them- selves, on the products of some bee-hives and a fat steer, which they had just killed. Here they were met by a flag of truce borne by a British officer, and a file of men, from whom they learned that they were prisoners of war! They marched for- ward to Detroit, laid down their arms on the pavement, and were marched into the fort, which was then so crowded that there was scarcely room for them to lie down in it.
Captain Brush who was guarding the provisions was inclu- ded in the capitulation, as well as the provisions themselves: and as if that were not enough, all the troops who were then marching to join Hull's army, we presume, amounting to ten thousand in all, were also surrendered. These, however, never gave themselves up, but returned home.
Thus ended this expedition. The militia were allowed to return home on their parol of honor not to serve in the war until exchanged. They were landed on our shore along lake Erie, at different points. The company from Circleville, com- manded by captain Bartholomew Fryatt, lieutenant Richard Douglas, and ensign Pinney, were landed at the mouth of Hu- ron river from an open boat, in which seventy-two of the com- pany, had come from Detroit. From thence they made their way home through Mansfield, Mt. Vernon, Newark and Lan- caster, on their route. Other companies landed at Cleveland and so came across the state to their homes, on the Scioto river.
. General Hull and the regular officers, and soldiers were reserved for the triumphant entry of the British officers, into Montreal and Quebec. Thither they were taken, and Hull himself, seated in an old, ragged, open carriage, was drawn through the streets of Montreal, and thus exhibited as a raree show, to the natives there assembled. But the heart sickens at the recital; and we dismiss Hull, and his expedition, with the single remark, that he was afterwards tried for his con- duct by a court martial on three charges, viz: First, for
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treason; second, cowardise, and third, unofficer like conduct. He was found guilty of the two last, condemned to death, and pardoned by the President, who had appointed such an inef- ficient creature to his high station of commander-in-chief of the North Western army. He was broke though, and we do not regret to state, is long since dead. We now return to Ohio.
Before the surrender of Hull's army, the then Governor of Kentucky, Charles Scott, had invited general Harrison, gover- nor of Indiana territory, to visit Frankfort to consult on the subject of defending the northwestern frontier. This was early in July, before Hull's disaster. Governor Harrison had visited Governor Scott, and finally on the 25th of August, 1812, having accepted the appointment of major general of the Kentucky militia, escorted by lieutenant colonel Martin D. Hardin, of Allen's regiment, by riding all night, reached Cincinnati, at 8 o'clock in the morning of the 27th of that month. On the 30th of August he left Cincinnati, and fol- lowing the regiments, which he was about to command, and who were marching to Piqua, he overtook them forty miles on their route, below Dayton, on the morning of the thirty-first. These troops as he passed them from rear to front gave their General three hearty cheers of welcome. On the 1st of Sep- tember, these troops reached Dayton. As they were marching between Dayton and Piqua, Harrison was overtaken by an express from the war department, informing him that he was on the 22d of August, appointed a brigadier general in the Uni- ted States army, to command all the troops in Indiana and Illinois territories. Until he could hear from the government after the fall of Hull's army was known, and acted on, Harri- son declined accepting this commission. On the 3d of Septem- ber the troops arrived at Piqua, Harrison now learned that Fort Wayne was about to be beseiged by the Indians, he therefore despatched colonel Allen's regiment, and three com- panies from his other regiments with instructions to make for- çed marches for the relief of the garrison. A regiment of Ohio volunteers seven hundred strong, he ordered forward to
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Shane's crossing of the Sta. Mary's. Early on the 6th of Sep- tember, he ordered forward all the remaining troops. On the 8th they overtook Allen's regiment at Girtystown on the Sta. Mary's. On the 19th a reconoitering party of twenty men was sent forward. The enemy learning the near approach of our army, abandoned all their positions around the fort and fled off in dismay. Before this time, twenty days, General James Winchester of Tennessee, an old revolutionary officer, had been appointed a brigadier general, and while he was in Lex- ington, Kentucky, on his way to join Hull's army, he was or- dered to take the command, temporarily, of all the troops in Ohio. To him, therefore, Governor WILLIAM HENRY HARRI- sox, resigned that portion of his assumed command, if we may so call it. However, Winchester's command lasted but a few days, for on the 17th September, 1812, Harrison was appoin- ted COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, of all the troops, in the North Wes- tern Territory. He was ordered, as soon as practicable to retake Detroit.
On taking command of the troops, he found them in their summer clothes, without a sock or a mitten for winter. Many of them were without shoes. In this case, the General ap- plied to the government, but through fear of their not attend- ing to this matter, Harrison addressed a letter, which was re- published all over Kentucky and Ohio, calling on the weal- thier citizens to contribute these articles forthwith to their patriotic defenders. This call was attended to and these arti- cles saved many from being frost bitten. In this address the eloquent General asked, "can any citizen sleep easy in his bed of down, while the centinel who defends him, stands in a Canadian climate, clad only in a linen hunting shirt?" Af- ter his appointment, Harrison pushed forward to Defiance, at the mouth of the Auglaize. Leaving this post under the com- mand of Winchester, we find him, at Franklinton on the 13th of October. Here he established his head quarters.
But it is necessary that we should go back, and learn what else had been doing in this state, by others, besides those with Harrison.
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In March 1812, Colonel John Miller was ordered to raise a regiment of infantry in Ohio. He sent his subaltern officers into different parts of the state to enlist soldiers; this was early in May. In July, these recruits rendezvoused at Chillicothe, but, they amounted to only one hundred and forty men. These troops were placed under the command of captain Angus Lewis Langham, lieutenant George W. Jackson and ensign John E. Morgan, and were ordered off to the frontiers. They marched to Piqua, where leaving ensign Morgan, with about forty pri- vates, to guard that place, and erect suitable works of defence, Captain Langham joined Winchester at Defiance.
Just about this time, Fort Wayne was attacked by the Indi- ans, and Colonel John Johnston, the Indian agent, at Piqua having lost a brother, in the attack on that fort, was induced to ask for the force, which ensign Morgan commanded, to be stationed at the agency house. These men, under Morgan crected two block houses, at Piqua. Johnston in the meantime was engaged in holding councils with the Indians, in order to prevent their joining the common enemy.
GENERAL TUPPER'S EXPEDITION.
In July 1812, General Edward W. Tupper, of Gallia county, had raised about one thousand men, for six months duty. They were mostly volunteers and infantry, but they were accom- panied by Womeldorf's troop of cavalry, of Gallia county. 'This force was mostly raised in what are now Gallia, Law- rence and Jackson counties.
They marched under the orders of General Winchester through Chillicothe and Urbana and on to the Maumee river. Hav- ing reached the Maumee in August, we believe, of that year, an Indian or two, had been discovered, about their camp, Gen- eral Winchester ordered Tupper to follow the enemy, and dis- cover his camp, if one was near. For this purpose, Tupper ordered out, a small party to reconnoitre the country. This party pursued the Indians some six miles or more, and return- ed without finding any enemy. Winchester was offended, and
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ordered Tupper to send out a larger force, but, the troops with their half starved horses, and without a sufficiency of ammuni- tion, refused to go. Winchester, in a rage, ordered Tupper him- self to go with all his mounted men. Obeying this order, as he was just about to march, a Kentucky officer, came to him and offered to join the party, in any situation, which Tupper should assign him. Tupper appointed him, his aid, but, soon afterwards, taking Tupper aside, he showed him Winchester's orders, appointing this Kentuckian, to command the reconoiter- ing party! This conduct so irritated Tupper and his troops, that they applied to the commander-in-chief to be allowed to serve under him. This was some time afterwards, as soon as Gen- eral Harrison had assumed the command of all the Northwestern army. Tupper moved down the Maumee near to the lower end of the rapids, where they usually crossed, at a fording place. The Indians in large numbers showed themselves, on the side of the river opposite Tupper's camp. He attempted to cross the river with his troops in the night. The current was rapid, his horses and men were feeble, being half starved, and the rocky bottom was slippery. The current swept away some of the horses and infantry into the deep water. Seeing this, dis- heartened those who were left behind on the eastern bank of the river so that only a small number of men crossed over the Maumee. Those who had crossed, had wetted their ammuni- tion, and finally all returned back into their camp before day. 'The Indians were hovering about the camp, and a few were killed on both sides.
Finally, all the British Indians, along the river, anywhere near by, collected all their forces, and attacked Tupper and his troops on all sides. The enemy had, from one thousand to twelve hundred men, whereas, from sickness, and various casu- aities, our force, amounted to only about eight hundred men, and they were badly supplied with provisions and ammunition. However, they fought bravely, drove off the enemy, and killed and wounded a large number of his warriors. Their own loss was trifling, losing only twenty or thirty in all, in the action.
The enemy acknowledged the loss of upwards of fifty kill-
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ed; one hundred and fifty wounded. It is highly probable that their loss was at least, three hundred. Our troops were all sharpshooters, and real backwoodsmen, who were well accus- tomed to the use of the rifle, in the woods, where they dwelt, when at home. The fate of the enemy would have been much more disastrous, had not our new recruits, half starved, as they were, while pursuing the flying enemy fallen in with a drove of fat hogs, in a corn field. Leaving the pursuit of the enemy, they killed many hogs, until attacked by the Indians, and los- ing four men killed, they turned on the enemy, and drove him over the river. The British returned to Detroit, and our troops returned to fort McArthur.
MISSISINEWAY EXPEDITION.
On the 25th of November 1812, General Harrison ordered a detachment of six hundred men, mostly mounted, to march from the head quarters, at Franklinton, to attack and destroy the Indian towns, on the Missisineway river, one of the head waters of the Wabash river. The expedition consisted of Sim- eral's regiment, of Kentucky volunteer dragoons of six months men; Major James V. Ball's squadron of United States dra- goons; Captain Elliot's company of the 19th regiment of infan- try ; a small company of volunteer riflemen, from about Greens- burg, Pennsylvania, commanded by Captain Alexander; the Pittsburgh Blues, volunteer light infantry, commanded by Cap- tain James Butler; Captain Markley's troop of horse, from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania; Lieutenant Lee's de- tatchment of Michigan militia; and Captain Garrard's troop of horse, from Lexington, Kentucky. All these troops amount- ed to six hundred men, who were mounted; and they were commanded, by Lieutenant Colonel John B. Campbell, of the United States 19th regiment, and James V. Ball, a Major of the United States dragoons. Marching from Franklinton, this expedition passed through Xenia to Dayton, where they were delayed some days, before they could procure the horses neces- sary for them in addition to those they had already. They
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here drew their provisions for ten days, which they carried along with them through the forests, in their route. They here too, drew each man an axe, which being made of cast iron, or pot metal, in some eastern state, broke into many fragments, as soon as used, by the soldiers, in the Indian country. Hav- ing drawn their horses, axes and provisions, for ten days, they marched from Dayton, and passing near where Greenville now is they finally reached the Missisineway. This stream they followed downwards. Having arrived within twenty miles of the Indian town, located highest on the stream, Colonel Camp- bell, called a council of war, to ask the advice of his officers, what line of conduct it was best for the expedition, now to pur- sue? This was on the evening of the third day from Green- ville. Their advice was, to march all that night, and take the enemy by surprise. The march continued all night, and, had not some Kentuckian given an Indian yell, when the Indian village was entered very early in the next morning, the ene- my would have been taken by surprise. As it was, however, eight warriors were killed, and forty two, men, women and children were taken prisoners. This, was the first of a succes- sion of villages.
Monceytown, in Delaware county, Indiana, is near the place, where this, then, Indian town was. Pressing forward, they de- stroyed three other Indian towns lower down the river and re- turned to the site of the first destroyed town. They had lost only a few men, and had killed many of the enemy, and had taken forty or fifty prisoners. On this spot, where the first town had been destroyed, early on the morning of the 18th of December, they were attacked by several hundred Indians. The dra- goons met the enemy, and dislodged his warriors, from the cov- ert, where he had assailed them, in the edge of a forest, behind some old fallen timbers. Driving him from his position, our troops killed many Indians, and drove off his forces into the woods. Forty dead bodies of the enemy were found, on the battle ground, the remainder were carried off by him. We lost twelve killed and about three times that number were wound-
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ed. Our dragoons lost a large number of horses, which the enemy shot, in the battle.
The objects of the expedition, having been accomplished, the troops returned, by easy marches, to New Lexington, where leaving the wounded, Campbell returned without molestation from the enemy, to Greenville, where he arrived on the even- ing of the 24th of December 1812. The roads were in as hor- rible a condition as frost, snow, mud and ice could make them, as the weather changed from the time of the commencement to the completion of the expedition. Their horses were almost starved, the soldiers were one and all, more or less frost bitten, so far as their noses, ears and toes were concerned, in the pro- cess. They were badly supplied with provisions and even ammunition was wanting. The expedition returned early in January.
In this expedition, among the killed, at Monceytown, was the brave Captain Pierce of Zanesville, who fought bravely and fell on the morning of the 18th of December. Lieutenant Waltz was also slain. He belonged to Markley's troop of cav- alry. These officers were deeply lamented, by all who knew them. They had given evidence of capacity, as well as pru- dence and valor.
This expedition was commenced and carried on during the same time, that Bonaparte, was retreating from Moscow. The weather was so severe in Ohio and Indiana, when our troops were on their return, that they suffered severely. Not toes and ears only, were frost bitten, but the very soles of the so !- diers' feet suffered. Not less than one hundred and eighty men, of this expedition, were thus frost bitten. We had forgotten, inadvertently, to mention the wounded, they were, captain Trotter, lieutenants, Hedges, Basey and Hickman.
The object, of this expedition, was to prevent the enemy from having a place of safety, from whence, he could issue, and interrupt the intercourse between our settlements and Fort Wayne, then occupied by our troops. It was to drive him far- ther off on to the St. Joseph's of Michigan, so that he could 26
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not waylay our parties, as they were passing and repassi. g, between our settlements and troops, then concentrating on the Maumee river. These, in short, were the reasons, (and very sound ones, too,) which General Harrison assigned in his letter to the secretary of war, dated 15th November 1812, for send- ing out this expedition. The result answered his expectations in full.
Having determined on a winter's campaign, for the recove- ry of Detroit and Michigan Territory, it was the commanding General's intention, to occupy a line of posts, from Fort Wayne, to the foot of the Maumee rapids, inclusive. For this purpose, Winchester occupied Forts Wayne and Defiance. With this view, Perkins's brigade, in part, had been marched forward to Lower Sandusky. This brigade was from the north- ern counties of Ohio. They repaired an old stockade, which had been erected to protect an old United States store-house there. This was done early in December. By the tenth of that month, a battalion of Pennsylvanians arrived at Upper- Sandusky, under the command of Lieutenant Hukill, bring- ing twenty-one pieces of artillery from Pittsburgh. General Harrison, immediately thereafter, sent a regiment, of the same troops, to the same place. He also ordered there, some companies of Virginians, and on the twentieth he arrived there in person, and there established his head quarters. It was there, that he received Campbell's official account of the Mis- sisineway expedition. This news and other circumstances necessarily drew the General into the interior, to Chillicothe, to consult with Governor Meigs, about the means to be used, to keep open a communication between the Upper Miami, and the Maumee river, and to hasten forward, men and provisions. In expectation of information from General Winchester, that he had descended the Maumee to its rapids, and taken post there, by General Harrison's orders, the army at Upper Sandusky, was now employed in cutting roads, erecting bridges, and moving forward, towards the Maumee, the can- non, provisions, and heavy baggage. General Harrison, re- turning from the interior to head quarters, hearing nothing
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