USA > Ohio > A history of the state of Ohio, natural and civil > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32
215
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
command, Harrison had left the garrison, instead of obeying his orders to assist with all his power, Wood, the engineer, had done nothing, except to tell the men "they were not obliged to labor!" He even burnt for firewood the timber on hand intended for pickcts! Harrison now learned from a messenger from the River Raisin, that the enemy would leave Malden, on the 7th of April, to invest our fort with a large force, well provided with all the munitions of war.
THE SEIGE OF FORT MEIGS.
Learning this fact, every effort was now made to complete the defences of the fort, and prepare for the approaching attack. The intervals of guard and fatigue duty, were employed in practising the troops, and in performing military evolutions. Information arrived, that Tocumsch had reached Malden, from the Wabash, with six hundred warriors.
The savages began to hover around the fort, and on the 28th the British army, appeared in Maumee Bay, ascending it in many small vessels accompanied by a large number of open boats. The Indians marched along upon the land, ascending towards the garrison.
TECUMSEH, WALK-IN-THE-WATER and SPLITLOG commanded three thousand savages; and the British regulars and Canadi- ans amounted to one thousand men. The whole force, was commanded by the newly-made major general Proctor.
HARRISON was extremely anxious to send a messenger to general Green Clay, who he knew must be not far off, by this time, coming from Kentucky, and moving forward to strength- en this post. Captain WILLIAM OLIVER of Cincinnati, offer- ed his services as the messenger, whose services were gladly accepted. Accompanied by one white man, and one Indian, and escorted a short distance by cighty dragoons, Captain OLIVER made his way towards the object of his destination with sure but rapid footsteps.
We leave him and go back to the fort, and there find Har- rison addressing all his command, duly assembled in martial
216
HISTORY OF OHIO.
array in front of their General. This popular address was answered by shouts of applause and devotion.
Instantly the enemy's gun-boats were seen disgorging their troops, guns and munitions of war, on the site of the old British fort Miami on the southwest side of the upper end of Maumee bay. Having performed this service, they took in and conveyed over the Maumee river, on to its eastern shore their red allies, who forthwith invested our garrison, yelling hideously all around it.
Next morning the General issued a patriotic general order, which was read to the troops. One third of the whole garri- son, was ordered into the trenches, all the time night and day. These were relieved every three hours. Captains GRATIOT and Wood were the engineers who planned and superintended the construction of these defences. All was now animation. The enemy was constructing his batteries; our men were laboring on their defences. Around our fort was a space some hundred yards or more in width clear of trees. Not liking to venture on this open space, the savages went beyond it, and climbed up the trees, from whence they killed several and wounded still more of our men. Sorties to shoot down these aerial combatants, as so many squirrels,were frequent, and an occasional grape shot took effect on them. The Indian yell, and the constant blaze of their rifles, produced an excellent effect in our camp and the men labored constantly and with great effect on the defences. On the 30th the enemy's batte- ries were completed, and his artillery fixed on them, under a heavy fire from our fort not without effect. On the morning of the 1st of May, it was discovered by our officers, that the batteries of the enemy were completed, mounted with guns, and at 10 in the forenoon, he was seen to be loading his pie- ces, and preparing for his grand attack on our fort.
By this time our troops had completed their grand traverse twelve feet high, on a twenty feet base, and three hundred yards long, running along on elevated ground through the mid- dle of the fort, calculated to ward off the balls of the enemy. The tents in front of this traverse which had previously hid-
217
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
den this defence from the enemy's view, were by order of the General, all removed within fifteen minutes, behind it, leaving the mere bank of earth, for the enemy to open his batteries upon. John Bull, however, was determined to fire away his ammunition from these batteries of his, at our fort; so he fired away during about three days in succession, to no effect upon us.
Presuming that the enemy would change his position of at- tack to the east side of the river where he could do us some real injury, our people had prepared such a defence. On the morning of the 3d of May, the enemy opened upon our fort, such a battery, on which he had mounted three pieces of can- non and a howitzer. They were placed on our left up a ravine in some bushes. A few eighteen pound shot drove off this force, and totally silenced their guns, for a while at least.
On the 4th it rained hard all day. A new battery was dis- covered, though, on the east side of the Maumee. A traverse was instantly made to defend our fort from its artillery. Sev- eral men were killed and wounded on both sides. A British officer was killed with a rifle ball by lieutenant Gwynne. The Pittsburgh and Petersburgh volunteers now reduced by death to about one hundred men, were the only disposable force in the garrison; so large were the works, compared with the troops in the fort. These were reserved for any sudden emer- gency, and lay in the centre of the garrison near the General. About midnight, the officer of the day informed the General that some persons were at the gate who wished to see him. Harrison arose and going to the sallying port on the river, there found major Trimble of Kentucky, captain WILLIAM OL- IVER of Ohio and several privates. They were received with great joy. They had descended the river in a skiff and had left general Clay at the head of the rapids. He was moving downwards in his open boats, and would be at the fort between three and four o'clock in the morning. This was the report of captain Oliver, the safely returned messenger, who had so cheerfully volunteered his services on this occasion.
28
S
218
HISTORY OF OHIO.
Now was Harrison's time to raise the siege, by attacking the enemy on both sides of the river, and taking his batteries. This was the instant determination of the General, and he despatched captain Hamilton of Ohio, to general Clay, order- ing him to land from six to eight hundred men, on the west bank of the river; to attack the enemy's batteries, spike his guns, cut their carriages in pieces, and destroy his property. Having done this, to ascend the river to their boats, and cross over the Maumee, and join those in the fort. The residue of the brigade was ordered to land on the east side of the river, and enter the fort. The regular troops under colonel Miller, and the Pittsburgh and Petersburgh volunteers, were ordered to hold themselves in readiness, for a sortie, to attack the ene- my's batteries, on the east side of the river at the same moment, in which, the attack was made on the western side of the Maumee.
The conception of these simultaneous attacks, was a noble one, and now let us see, how it was executed.
The day of the 5th of May dawned, the sun arose and shone until 8 o'clock in the forenoon, before Clay and his brigade appeared to the garrison. The night was dark, and the pilot refused to proceed in the darkness. Hamilton met Clay, about the middle of the rapids, and delivered his orders to him. Clay selected Dudley, his oldest colonel, for the command of the detachment, who were to attack the British garrison, and eight hundred men, volunteered to serve under him. They landed on the western shore, marched furiously to the batteries of the enemy; slew, or drove off, all his troops, at these batteries, spiked all the guns, cut their carriages into small pieces, pull- ed down all the poles on which the red cross of St. George was flying, and then abandoned themselves to a real frolic.
Here, we leave them and go over to Clay and his remaining troops. Six boats contained all the remainder of the brigade, after Dudley had left it. In the foremost one, near the shore on which fort Meigs was, Clay was seen approaching the fort, assailed by a host of savages on that flank. Four boats' crews, by winds and waves, were compelled to land and fight their
219
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
way to the fort. General Clay, did the same. Harrison sent out Major Alexander of the Pennsylvania volunteers, to aid and protect the Kentuckians. The Indians increased in numbers on this flank, and finally, crawled along from stump to stump, to within, one hundred and fifty yards of the fort. Boswell (newly arrived,) Alexander and Herring, were ordered to charge them, which they did, with alacrity. The savages were driv- en off, and Clay, and his four hundred men safely entered the fort. All this was done before Dudley reached the British works. And at the moment when Dudley and his detachment began their attack on the enemy's batteries, Colonel John Mil- ler with two hundred and fifty men, consisting of United States regulars, Pennsyvlania and Virginia volunteers and Sebree's Kentucky militia, in all, two hundred and fifty men, being ready, and drawn up in a ravine near the east end of the fort, marched rapidly, ascending the hill along the ravine until with- in two hundred yards of the enemy's batteries, they came into an open, level plain. Here they were fired upon, by three com- panies of British regulars, on their right; two companies of Canadian militia; and TECUMSEH and his warriors, on their left. In front, the enemy's three pieces of cannon, a howitzer and two hundred men, poured down upon our troops, a storm of lead and iron. Assailed by four times their own numbers, they were compelled, at the end of one hundred yards, to close up their lines. Then with the fury of the tornado, and the storm, they swept away all opposition. They spiked and rendered useless the enemy's guns and mortar, drove off, killed, wound- ed or captured all this hostile force.
Miller and his men returned to the garrison. On both sides of the river, the sorties were victorious. So the noble concep- tion of Harrison, had been nobly executed, on both sides of the Maumee.
After this last sortie, a British officer, major Chambers, bearing a flag of truce, was seen crossing the river from the enemy's side of the Maumee, and he landed on the beach under our fort. Major Hukill the general's aid, was sent to receive him. The officer told his errand; that he came to demand the
220
HISTORY OF OHIO. 4
surrender of the garrison. Major Hukill told him, that such a demand was useless. But the officer insisted on seeing the general; so blindfolding him, major Hukill conducted him into the presence of General Harrison. The whole conversation on that occasion was reduced to writing on the spot. Its au- thenticity is placed beyond a doubt.
The conversation between Major Chambers and General Harrison was as follows viz:
MAJOR CHAMBERS. General Proctor has directed me to de- mand the surrender of this post. He wishes to spare the effu- sion of blood.
GENERAL HARRISON. The demand under present circum- stances, is a most extraordinary one. As general Proctor did not send me a summons to surrender on his first arrival, I had supposed that he believed me determined to do my duty. His present message indicates an opinion of me that I am at a loss to account for.
MAJOR CHAMBERS. General Proctor could never think of saying any thing that would wound your feelings. The char- acter of general Harrison as an officer, is well known. Gen- eral Proctor's force is very respectable, and there is with him a larger body of Indians, than ever was assembled before.
GENERAL HARRISON. I believe I have a very correct idea of general Proctor's force; it is not such as to create the least apprehension, for the result, whatever shape he may be pleased to give it, hereafter. Assure the General however, that this post will never be surrendered to him, on any terms. Should it fall into his hands, it will be in a manner, calculated to do him more honor, and give him higher claims, on the gratitude of his government than any capitulation could possibly do.
Immediately afterwards, Chambers returned as he came, over the river, to Proctor.
We return to Dudley and his detachment, at the enemy's batteries, which they had taken, and then had given them- selves up to exultation, at their success. The enemy had retreated entirely beyond Dudley's sight or hearing, and had then concentrated his forces, red and white. While a few Indi-
221
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
ans, near Dudley, drew the attention of his men, a large detach- ment, three times Dudley's number approached him, at the bat- teries, and, and rushing on our exulting troops, in a few min- utes, killed forty or fifty Kentuckians; wounded some seventy- five and captured five hundred and fifty prisoners. One hun- dred and fifty, on our extreme left of this detachment, escaped to their boats, crossed the river, and reached fort Meigs in safe- ty, carrying their wounded along with them.
The enemy now found himself in a very crippled condition. His guns and mortars were rendered useless; and he had lost more in killed, wounded and prisoners, than the besieged. Proctor agreed to an exchange of prisoners, and also to account for the difference hereafter, Harrison having taken more pris- oners than Proctor.
Our loss during the siege, was as follows : killed eighty-one; wounded one hundred and eighty nine; total killed and wound- ed, two hundred and seventy. Sixty four, were killed in the sorties, and one hundred and twenty-four wounded. The remainder, eighty-one, were killed and wounded within the fort. Dudley's detachment is not included in this estimate. Proctor finding himself completely baffled, in all his attempts to take this garrison, set himself seriously to work, to draw off his forces, in the best order he could do. During the succeed- ing three days and an half, he labored with this view, and on the 9th day of May, 1813, at noon, annoyed seriously, by our artillery, he sailed down the bay, and soon disappeared from the view of our garrison.
General Harrison, satisfied that Proctor would not return very soon, left the fort and went to Lower Sandusky, where he arrived on the 12th day of May. Here he found governor Meigs, and a large force of Ohio militia, who had come to relieve fort Meigs. Passing onwards, through Upper San- dusky and Delaware, to Franklinton, he found the entire road covered with Ohio militia, all pressing forward to raise the siege of Fort Meigs. Not one of these militia being needed at that time, the General, on the 16th at Franklinton issued a general order, dismissing these troops. The order s*
222
HISTORY OF OHIO
was drawn up, in highly complimentary terms to their zeal and patriotism, as follows:
" HEAD QUARTERS, Franklinton, May 16th, 1813. 5
" The commanding general has observed with the warmest gratitude, the astonishing exertions which have been made by his excellency, governor Meigs, and the generals and other militia officers of this state, in collecting and equiping a body of troops for the relief of camp Meigs. But the efforts of these men would have been unavailing, had they not been seconded by the patriotic ardor of every description of citizens, which has induced them to leave their homes, at a most critical sea- son of the year, regardless of every consideration, but that of rendering service to their country. The General found the road from Lower Sandusky to this place, literally covered with men, and amongst them many who had shared in the toils and dangers of the revolutionary war, and on whom, of course, there existed no legal claims for military services. The Gen- eral has every reason to believe, that similar efforts have been made in Kentucky. He offers to all those brave men from both states, his sincere acknowledgments; and is happy to in- form them, that there is at present no necessity for their lon- ger continuance in the field. The enemy has fled with pre- cipitation from camp Meigs, and that fort is in a much better situation to resist an attack, than when the last siege was commenced.
" By order of the general, " R. GRAHAM, Aid."
Against this order, loud complaints were made, by those who had come forward to see some fighting. But, the secre- tary of war, by a confidential order to the General, had for- bidden his calling out any more militia, until we had full and free possession of lake Erie. The same order commanded him to employ and rely on regular troops. It also forbid any further attempts to retake Detroit, until Perry's fleet com- manded the lake. These injunctions were to be obeyed by Harrison, not divulged; so he bore all the complaints of the
223
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
militia, in silence. He was ordered, also, to aid all he could, in fitting out a force, now in a state of great forwardness, with which, to contend on the lake, for the supremacy on this in- land sea.
Keeping all these orders in view, he moved rapidly to Chil- licothe, and finally to Cincinnati, encouraging the recruiting service, looking into the quarter master's and commissary's departments, as he went forward. At Newport, the General found the 24th regiment of United States infantry, from Nashville, Tennessee. These, he instantly ordered off to Franklinton, and they marched there. The General himself ' following them, to the same place, sent for deputations from our friendly Indians. When they arrived, he held many long talks with them.
General Clay, now in command of Fort Meigs, informed Harrison, that the enemy was preparing to invest that fort with a large force. The 24th regiment had already marched some days previous, to Sandusky. These the General followed, and overtook below Upper Sandusky. From these troops, three hundred of the stoutest men were selected, to make a forced march, to relieve Fort Meigs. The swamp was dry on the surface, but not enough so, to bear a man's weight; so down he went knee deep, and now the difficulty was to draw out his feet, the earth being dry on the surface. The General pressed forward without halting night or day, and arrived at the garrison on the 28th at nightfall. Colonel Anderson, colonel Gaines, and their Tennessee detachment, reached the garrison within a few hours after the General.
No enemy appeared, but, towards the latter part of June, the General learned, that one hundred Indians had left the river Raisin in canoes for Lower Sandusky. Nothing required his presence any longer at Fort Meigs. On the 1st of July, Har- rison left the fort and went to Lower Sandusky. Here, on the 2nd, Colonel Ball with a squadron of horse met Harrison, according to his orders. With these, Harrison immediately marched for Cleveland. The secretary of war had ordered boats built at the mouth of the Cuyahoga in which to trans-
224
HISTORY OF OHIO.
port the army over the lake. These boat builders were com- manded by major, now general Jesup of the United States army. Cleveland, too, at that time, had in its hospital seventy-five wounded soldiers. A company of volunteers from Chillicothe, was there, and acted as boat builders and nurses to Dudley's wounded men. Harrison, while here, inter- changed communications with Perry at Erie, and received orders from the secretary of war to call out the militia. He returned on to the Sandusky river, and learned that Proctor was on the point of landing on our coast, a force of five thou- sand men. July 20th, the enemy ascended Maumee bay in a large number of boats and landed on our shore. That night Captain McCune of the Ohio militia, (and from Muskingum county, we believe,) was despatched by Clay to Harrison, informing him of Proctor's landing. Harrison was at Lower Sandusky at this time.
Where this town now stands, there was an old picketing on a piece of land, secured to us for a garrison and Indian trading house, by General Wayne's treaty of 1795. It was a small work, large enough for two hundred men, not more. This little stockade was called fort Stevenson, at the time, Harrison lay there. The defence of this little stockade was committed to major George Croghan, a youth of twenty-one years of age, and to Captain Hunter, lieutenants Baylor, Johnson and Meeks; ensigns Ship and Duncan, and one hundred and sixty privates. They were all young, athletic, bold and intrepid men. The remainder of Harrison's force were marched to the Seneca old town, some miles, on the river above fort Stevenson. The latter force consisted of only one hundred and forty men. Harrison's own positition, was chosen as the best, about which, to collect the troops, momentarily expected from the interior. It was a good point from whence reinforcements might be des- patched, either down the river, or up it, and to protect the vast amount of property collected at Upper Sandusky. Captain McCune was ordered to inform General Clay, that in case, his garrison was seriously invested by the enemy, every effort would be made to relieve him; but, to beware of being taken by
225
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
surprise. Captain McCune returned on the 25th. He arrived near the garrison towards day, after encountering many Indian encampments. By good management, address, and the fleetness of his horse, he reached the fort in safety. During the next three days, the enemy resorted to all sorts of stratagems to draw out our garrison. Not succeeding in any of these, and remembering his former discomfiture, while investing this post, on the 28th of July, he embarked on board his vessels, and sailed out of the Maumee, for Sandusky bay. While the Brit- ish sailed down the lake, Tecumseh and his warriors, went across the swamp in the direction of Sandusky river. They numbered four thousand, and filled the woods with their par- ties, between the Maumee and Sandusky rivers. On the 29th the Indians swarmed like bees in the woods, about Harrison's camp, and all along the Sandusky river. At night he received intelligence from Clay, that the enemy had left him. Calling a council of war, general Harrison, propounded to it this question, " is fort Stephenson tenable?" The council decided, "it was not tenable." In pursuance of this decision, Harri- son sent orders to major Croghan to abandon the fort, destroy the public property and retreat to Seneca, provided the enemy were about to invest his fort with heavy cannon. This order was carried by a Mr. Connor and two Indians, who lost their way, and did not reach the fort until the next day at 11 o'clock in the forenoon. Croghan was of the opinion that he could not retreat with his force, without the total destruction of his command, and in his answer, which he expected the enemy would take from the bearer, he informed the General, that he had determined to maintain his position. This despatch reach- ed the General in safety. Not perfectly understanding all the motives which dictated such an answer, refusing to obey a po- sitive order of the commanding general, Harrison sent an es- cort under colonel Ball of the dragoons, to arrest and bring to head quarters, major Croghan. In the meantime colonel Wells was put in command of Fort Stephenson. This detach- ment of dragoons, sent on this errand, near Sandusky, fell in
29
226
HISTORY OF OHIO.
with twelve Indians, and killed eleven out of the twelve. Cap- tain James Ryan, now of Chillicothe, then a subaltern officer of the Pittsburgh volunteers, killed one of these savages, by one blow of his heavy broadsword. The savage had his tom- ahawk upraised and was just about to throw it at Ryan, when himself was laid low, never to rise again.
Colonel Wells assumed the command for a very short time, inasmuch as Croghan, on his reaching head quarters, instant- ly removed every shade of suspicion that he had intended to disobey the General. Tarrying, therefore, all night with Har- rison, who treated him with the greatest kindness; next mor- ning he was escorted back in safety, and placed in command as before.
CROGHAN'S DEFENCE OF FORT STEPHENSON.
On the 31st of July a reconoitering party from the lake, twenty miles distant, saw the enemy enter Sandusky bay. August Ist, at noon, this party passed Croghan, on its way to Seneca, and informed him that the enemy had entered Sandus- ky bay, and was then ascending it with his gun boats.
Within three hours after the reception of this intelligence, Croghan and his troops saw the enemy with his gun boats, cannon, and all his means of annoyance, on the spot, ready to commence the storming of their little stockade. The enemy had come to invest this post, with one thousand British and as many Indians. The former were commanded by general Proc- tor himself; the latter by Dixon. Out of the most pure regard for our troops in Fort Stevenson, (if Proctor could be believed) he sent on his arrival, major Chambers of the regulars, and Dixon of the Indian department, to summons the garrison to surrender. Croghan sent ensign Ship, with a flag to meet these gentlemen. Chambers and Dixon, "besought Ship, to spare the effusion of blood-what a pity, said they, that you and Croghan, such fine young men, should be butchered by savages." Ship replied, that "when they took the garri- son, none would be left to be butchered by an enemy." At
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.