Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 13

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149

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Doctor Allison, of the First United States Regiment, and who had been appointed the sur- geon-general to the army, displayed a great share of military zeal in action by encouraging the broken ranks and assisting the officers to rally them to the charge. Although there might have been full employ in the line of his profession, yet cir- cumstances would not admit that attention in the confusion of the battle.

Even the women exerted themselves upon this day, and drove out the skulking militia and fugi- tives of other corps from under wagons and hiding places by firebrands and the usual weapons of their sex. We lost about thirty of them, many of whom were inhumanly butchered, with every inde- cent and aggravated circumstance of cruelty that can be imagined, three only making their escape.

Sunday, the 20th of November .- Cloudy weather, with light southwest wind all day. The Chickasaw Indians have departed this evening to their own country with some presents from the governor, and though not quite equal perhaps to their expectations, yet they seem tolerably well contented with them. A boat has returned this day, after an unsuccessful essay to ascend' the

Miami to Fort Hamilton. The navigation of that river has been found by the troops at almost all times extremely difficult, and should never be at- tempted but when the Ohio has a great superiority of height.

Tuesday, November 22d. - Cloudy, calm weather all day. Major Zeigler has returned with his command from Fort Jefferson after a very fatiguing march, the flat part of the country being under water, and the whole road extremely deep and miry. The Miami river is not now fordable and 'tis probable it will not again be, until the next summer. Some wounded officers returned with Major Zeigler; and the garrison consisted of one hundred and sixteen men, and there were there forty wounded, of officers and privates, when he left. No Indians have been seen upon his march, but a great many of their tracks observed, and two men, missing from his detachment, are sup- posed to be taken by them. Three men of the Second United States Regiment deserted last night, with a boat, down the river.

* *

Thursday, Novmber the 24th .- Strong wind from the west, with rain nearly all day. General Scott and about two hundred Kentucky militia have arrived at Cincinnati, upon a projected expe- dition to the Indian country, but there can be no doubt it must fail. It was proposed to assemble fifteen hundred men, and they were generally turning out, I am informed, with great spirit on the report that Fort Jefferson was invested, but, upon its being contradicted, they have dispersed to their homes. The present opportunity would certainly be a very favorable one for an incursion to the Indian country, and productive of very happy effects. And unless some stroke shall be made in this winter to damp the spirits of the enemy, they will probably give us much trouble in the spring.

Friday, November 25th .- Very strong wind from the west, with a small flight of snow last night; moderate wind from the same quarter dur- ing the day, and cold, cloudy weather. We have information of small parties of Indians in the neighborhood of Forts Hamilton and Jefferson.

Saturday, November 26th .- Moderate west- erly wind, and fair, cold weather all day. General Scott'and the militia have returned to Kentucky, upon certain information that the expedition can not now be carried forward.

Sunday, November 27th .- Light easterly wind,

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and snow, till four P. M., with moderate weather all day. Two inches have fallen, upon a level. About forty men of the Second Regiment, under a subaltern officer, have been detached for the Mus- kingum this day.

Wednesday, November 30th .- Calm all day and fair weather. The waters of the Ohio have been rising for some time and are now high, with a probability of their remaining up, as there are, at present, strong indications of rain. Major Ham- tranck departed this evening for Vincennes, with Captain Beattie's company. He took along with him two Indians, who came from the Aubashe last summer, to visit their wives in captivity at this garrison.

* # .

Thursday, December 8th .- Weather fair, and light wind from the west. The Governor has de- parted from the territory for Philadelphia, by the way of Louisville, Lexington and through the wil- derness; and by his absence, my duty as adjutant- general ceases.

APPENDIX.

Wednesday, February the 1st (1792) .- Strong northwest wind all last night, and moderate, from the same quarter, during the day; some small flights of snow in the morning and the residue fair. In motion at seven o'clock, and arrived upon the field of action at half past ten; distance, eight miles. To conceive of the various conflicts and emotions of my mind, upon a view of this melan- choly theatre of our recent misfortunes, 'tis essen- tial to become an actor in a similar scene of trag- edy; to view brave companions falling around you in every quarter, without a possibility of avenging themselves; and to be exposed for more than two hours and a half to a most galling and heavy fire, without a single ray of hope or consolation, but that the enemy, deriving courage and confidence from the reduced numbers and thinness of our ranks, would rush on to closer quarters and suffer us to sell our lives in the charge of the bayonet. Despair then, I know, would have steeled our nerves, and engaged, man to man, every soldier acting more than hero, would have glutted his own and country's vengeance in the blood of our infernal foe. Although the whole field was covered with twenty inches of snow, yet, at every tread of the horse's feet, dead bodies were exposed to view, mutilated, mangled and butchered with the most savage barbarity; and, indeed, there seems to have

been left no act of indecent cruelty or torture which was not practiced on this occasion, to the women as well as men.

Upon a review of this ground, I find that the sketch I have made of it is a tolerably correct one. The immediate spot of the encampment ap- pears very strong, and is certainly so defensible against regular troops that I believe any military man who has not had the fatal experience of the late misfortune would have unhesitatingly have pitched upon it. It is, however, (I must confess) surrounded by close woods, thick bushes and old logs, which afford the best cover for an Indian attack; but these appear now to be very much in- creased since I observed them before the action.

In riding around our lines, I was astonished to see the amazing effect of the enemy's fire; par- ticularly from the artillery of the front line, on, to and around the left flank, and beyond the artillery of the rear. Every twig and bush seems to be cut down, and the saplings and larger trees marked with the utmost profusion of their shot. Our own fire seems very loose, and, even the artillery, to have been directed with very little judgment.

The ground of the militia encampment is con- firmed in my mind to have been the proper position for the army. It is the same high flat which has been heretofore described, and capacious enough to have admitted of any extent of lines. It has been reconnoitered this day, on, forward two miles and a half, upon a course northwesterly, where the path again crosses the stream that was in front of our encampment, and where it runs to the northeast, a circumstance that serves to evince pretty clearly that it is the Saint Mary's. In the meandering of this water from the left of the battle ground on to the west, north, and so toward the east, two branches of nearly equal width with the main stream, one at half a mile, and the other at a mile's distance, empty themselves into it; and at the confluence of those, as well as at the place of crossing, before mentioned, are some con- siderable encampments which, beyond a doubt, were occupied by the Indians on the night pre- ceding our defeat; so that had Colonel Oldham sent forward the parties which he was directed to do we might have acquired such information of the enemy as would have enabled us at least to have fought them upon our own terms, and, perhaps, given a very different complexion to the fortunes of that day.

We have all been very busily engaged since our arrival upon this ground in rendering the

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BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO.

last solemn rites to the victims of war, searching for the artillery (but without effect), and burning the wagons and such of the gun carriages as have been materially injured, in order to take off the iron-work. We have collected about three tons, and buried many of our dead; but this task has been so arduous (the bodies being frozen down to the ground, quite covered with snow, and breaking to pieces in tearing them up) that it has not been fully completed. Indeed, it seemed to be the la- bour of days; and the provisions of the men and provender for the cavalry (very much worn down by their severe marches) is too nearly exhausted to render it in any degree proper to bestow this time-more particularly, as we must almost imme- diately expect thawing weather, and that the coun- try will in consequence be long rendered impassa- ble. .

Monday, April 23d, 1792 .- *

* Ensign Turner, of the levies, supposed to have been killed in the action of the 4th of November, we are in- formed has arrived in Philadelphia. Being close pursued by some Indians in the retreat, and finding resistance vain, he submitted himself and was car- ried to Detroit, where a private gentleman ran- somed him for an inconsiderable sum of money. He learned while a prisoner that the enemy in ac- tion amounted to fifteen hundred men under the command of Blue Jacket, and that they had nine hundred more at no great distance. They ac- knowledge only thirty killed. #

* *

Thursday, November 22d, 1792 .-* * * A man by the name of Rennels who deserted from Fort Jefferson last summer and has been with the Indians, arrived here this day. He reports that he had been almost starved after leaving the fort before he could fall in with any of their towns or camps; that his first discovery was of a very large war party, two or three hundred strong, who had just halted for the night; that he rushed suddenly into the midst of them and was immediately sur- rounded by them with guns, bows and arrows, clubs and tomahawks, but, throwing away a rifle that he had with him, they seized upon him, de- claring after he had informed them who he was, whence he came, etc., that he should be burned to death when the sun went down. He, however, by assuming a cheerful countenance and endeavoring to be very useful in helping them to form their camp, make their fires, and other services, averted

this fate, and, in a couple of hours, became adopted amongst them, his head shaved, painted, etc., as is their custom upon such occasions, and has since, by his own account, been much in favor with them. He relates that he has been with them to the Brit- ish posts, Michilmackinac particularly. That they are there equipped with all the necessaries to come to war against the United States-march out upon these occasions under English colours, and are received when they return with scalps with mili- tary parade and every mark of approbation and encouragement. This man has brought to me from Michilmackinac a couple of small memorandum books in manuscript which I left in the field upon the 4th of November at General St. Clair's defeat. They were sewed up under a blank cover to my ad- dress, but without any information of the person sending them to me.

GENERAL WAYNE'S CAMPAIGN.

The effect of St. Clair's disastrous de- feat was to strengthen the resolution of the people. congress and the public authorities to crush the Indian power at all hazards. General Anthony Wayne succeeded to the command of the military forces in 1792 and proceeded to organize his army at Hobson's Choice, near Fort Washington, and after spending some time waiting the tardy action of congress. and in drilling his troops at Ludlow Station. whence General St. Clair started in 1791. left that station on October 7, 1793. and moved forward to Fort Hamil- ton, and thence to Fort Greenville, where they arrived on the 13th and went into en- campment there, remaining at this post dur- ing the winter and spring and until the mid- summer of 1794. waiting General Wayne's attempts to make peace with the Indians and preparing the forces for battle if the effort failed. On the 28th of July. 1794. General Wayne, having been joined by General Scott with sixteen hundred mounted Kentuckians, left his quarters at Fort Greenville

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and moved forward to. the Maumee. By the 8th of August the army had arrived near the junction of the Au- glaize with that stream, and commenced the erection of Fort Defiance at that point. The Indians having learned from a deserter of the approach of Wayne's army. hastily abandoned their headquarters at Auglaize, and thus defeated the plan of Wayne to surprise them. for which object he had cut two roads, intending to march by neither. On the morning of the 20th he moved for- ward to attack the Indians, who were en- camped on the banks of the Mau- mee. at Fallen Timbers. about two miles south of the site of Maumee City. From Wayne's report of the battle, we make the following extract :

The legion was on the right. its flank covered by the Maumee. One brigade of mounted volunteers on the left. under Brig- adier-General Todd, and the other in the rear, under Brigadier-General Barbee. A select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front of the legion, commanded by Major Price, who was directed to keep sufficiently advanced so as to give timely no- tice for the troops to form in case of action, it being yet undetermined whether the In- dians would decide for peace or war. After advancing about five miles, Major Price's corps received so severe a fire from the enemy, who were secreted in the woods and high grass. as to compel them to retreat. The legion was immediately formed into' two lines, principally in a close. thick wood. which extended for miles on our left and for a considerable distance in front. the ground being covered with old fallen tim- ber. The savages were formed in three lines, within supporting distance of each

other, and extending for nearly two miles at right angles with the river. I soon dis- covered. from the weight of the fire and ex- tent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force in front. in possession of their favorite ground, and endeavoring to turn our left flank. I therefore gave orders for the second line to advance and support the first. and directed Major-General Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the savages. with the whole force of the mounted volun- teers, by a circuitous route. At the same time I ordered the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, and rouse the In- dians from their coverts at the point of the bayonet. and when up, to deliver a close and well-directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them time to load again. I also ordered Captain Campbell. who commanded the legionary cavalry, to turn the left flank of the enemy next the river. All these orders were obeyed with. spirit and promptitude: but such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry that the Indians and Canadian militia and volunteers were driven from all their coverts in so short a time that. though every possible exertion was used by the officers of the second line of the legion, and by Generals Scott. Todd and Barbee of the mounted volunteers to gain their proper positions, but part of each could get up in season to participate in the action, the enemy being driven, in the course of one hour. more than two miles through the thick woods, by less than half their num- bers. From every account the enemy amounted to two thousand combatants. The troops actually engaged against them were short of nine hundred. This horde of sav- ages, with their allies, abandoned themselves

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BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO.

to flight, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet possession of the field of battle. The loss of the Americans in this battle was thirty-three killed and one hundred wounded. The loss of the Indians was far more. The woods were strewed for a con- siderable distance with the dead bodies of Indians and their white auxiliaries, the latter armed with British muskets and bayonets. We remained three days and nights on the banks of the Maumee, in front of the field of battle, during which time all the houses and cornfields were consumed and destroyed for a considerable distance, both above and below Fort Miami, as well as within pistol shot of the garrison. Indian hostilities were now at an end. and in the summer of 1795 the peace was perfected by Wayne's treaty. made at Fort Greenville, where the army headquarters had been again established, in the fall of 1794. The most important of the provisions made at this council was that by which the last remnant of Indian title to the lands in this part of the state was re- moved. The Greenville treaty was the negotiation which secured and perpetuated the peace won in Wayne's battle.

General Anthony Wayne was born in Chester county. Pennsylvania, January I, 1745. After leaving school he became a surveyor, and paid some attention to phi- losophy and engineering. He entered the army of the Revolution in 1775. and was made brigadier-general in 1777. He was in the army during the war. and particularly distinguished himself in the battles of Bran- dywine, Germantown and Monmouth. His attack on Stony Point, in July, 1779, an almost inaccessible height. defended by six hundred men and a strong battery of ar- tillery. was the most brilliant exploit of the

war. At midnight he led his troops, with unloaded muskets, flints out, and fixed bayonets, and without firing a single gun carried the fort by storm, and took five hun- dred and forty-three prisoners. The crown- ing acts of his life were his victory over the Indians on the Maumee, and the treaty of Greenville. in 1795. His life of peril and glory was terminated in 1796, in a cabin at Presque Isle (now Erie, Pennsylvania). His remains were there deposited, at his own request, under the flagstaff of the fort. on the margin of Lake Erie, and were re- moved in 1809. by his son, to Radnor churchyard. Delaware county, Pennsyl- vania. Wayne was certainly a remarkable man, and one of the most gallant officers of the Revolution.

SCALPING DAYS HEREABOUTS.

BY STEPHEN D. CONI".

Few. if any. of the American settlers had a more difficult task to pacify the Indian than those who came west with the ordinance of 1787 and began to settle the vast Northwest Territory. That part of the territory includ- ing the Ohio valley at Cincinnati and the Miami valley at Hamilton was the first bat- tle ground after the ordinance of 1787. The various accounts of the marches, expeditions, skirmishes, outbreaks and battles with the Indians of Generals St. Clair, Wayne and Harmar are graphically given in the fore- going pages.

The keynote of these accounts is "de- fense." It was necessary for the settlers to protect and defend themselves. But did the Indians do all the attacking and scalping? So one is led to believe by various authori- ties-but not so. The following is given as evidence in the case.

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The twenty-seventh number of "The Centinel of the North Western Territory," the first newspaper published in the terri- tory, contains an item of interest to Hamil- tonians and residents of Butler county. Saturday, May 17, 1794, is the date of the paper issued at Fort Washington (Cincin- nati). The item speaks for itself, and reads as follows :

PUBLIC NOTICE.

Whereas, many good citizens of this territory, with a design to check the incursions of the hos- tile Indians, now at war with the people of the United States, have voluntarily entered into, and subscribed their names to certain articles, each name having a sum annexed thereto, and have severally bound themselves, their heirs, etc., to pay the same, as in the said articles is mentioned.

We, the subscribers therefore, being nomi- nated and appointed to superintend the business of collecting and paying the money thus sub- scribed, thereby give notice, that the following arrangement is made, for the reward to be given for the Indian scalps taken and produced within the period of the eighteenth of April last past, and the twenty-fifth of December next ensuing, and within the boundaries following, to-wit: begin- ning on the Ohio ten miles above the mouth of the Little Miami, on a direct line, thence north- wardly, the same distance, from the same Miami, until it shall extend twenty-five miles above where Hamar's trace first crosses the said Miami, thence due west of the Great Miami, thence southwardly, keeping the distance of ten miles from the said Great Miami, to the Ohio, thence up the middle of the said Ohio, to the beginning; that for every scalp, having the right ear appendant, for the first ten Indians who shall be killed, within the time and limits aforesaid, by those who are subscrib- ers to the said articles, shall, whenever collected, be paid the sum of one hundred and thirty-six dol- lars, and for every scalp of the like number of Indians, having the right ear appendant, who shall be killed, within the time and limits aforesaid, by those who are not subscribers, the federal troop excepted, shall, whenever collected, be paid the sum of one hundred dollars, and for every scalp, having the right ear appendant, of the said sec- ond ten Indians who shall be killed within the

time and limits aforesaid, by those who are not subscribers to the said articles, except before ex- cepted, shall whenever collected, be paid the sum of ninety-five dollars.

Cincinnati :

LEVI WOODWARD, DARIUS C. ORCUTT, JAMES LYONS.

Columbia:

WM. BROWN. IGNATIUS ROSS, JOHN REILY,

Committee.

Of the signers to this notice, two of them, Darius C. Orcutt and John Reily, aft- erwards became residents of Hamilton. Mr. Orcutt was agent for Israel Ludlow to lay out lots and contract with persons wishing to purchase. He was one of the early pio- neers of the country. He was a pack-horse master with St. Clair's army, and was on the ground on the day of the disastrous de- feat. He was one of the second couple mar- ried in the Miami country. He was united at Cincinnati to Miss Sally McHenry, in 1790. (The first couple married were Dan- iel Shoemaker to Miss Elsie Ross, a few days before). Mr. Orcutt owned lot No. 145 in Hamilton, on which he built a hewed log house, which was afterward weather- boarded. It is the same house where Wil- liam Murray lived, but was removed fifty years after, in consequence of the works of the Hydraulic Company encroaching on the site. Mr. Orcutt afterwards lived a long time in Rossville, was constable of St. Clair township many years, and finally died in Rossville in indigent circumstances.

John Reily was a pioneer of Butler county. At various times he was postmas- ter, sheriff and clerk of the county, besides holding other minor positions. The Hamil- ton chapter of the Daughters of the Amer-

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ican Revolution have named their chapter in honor of him.

The present boundaries of the advertise- ment would be as follows: Southern boun- dary. Ohio river ; eastern boundary, territory comprised of the northeast corner of Cler -. mont county, about three-fourths of Warren county, small strip of Greene county, about two miles wide extending northward almost full length of county; northern boundary, Montgomery county, of which about one- half of it was in the territory including the present city of Dayton ; western boundary, part of Montgomery county. very small part of Preble county, southeast corner Butler county and Hamilton county.

Thus it is seen that all of Butler county east of the Miami was included and most all of the western part including the follow- ing towns and villages: Oxford, Somer- ville, Darrtown, Collinsville, Bunker Hill, Reily and Philanthropy. The western line was thus drawn in Butler county between Oxford and College Corner and parallel to the Miami.

The chief difficulty in ascertaining the above boundaries was fixing the direction given in the advertisement of "above where Hamar's trace first crosses the said Miami." From the history of Warren county, however, "Hamar's trace" was fixed as lying between Lebanon and Caesar's creek. The road or "trace" was the route pursued by General Josiah Hamar in 1790 in going from Fort Washington to Old Chillicothe.

Pretty good scalping territory-was it not! What wouldn't Simon Kenton and Uncle Jason, of "Alice of Old Vincennes," have given to have known of the above ad- vertisement ? 7

This hunting ground of Indian scalps included the territory now comprised in the parts of six counties.

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Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 13

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1149

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149