USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio, containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its general and local history : with descriptions of its counties, principal towns, and villages > Part 59
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sleeping under a tree. To avoid discovery, he deviated from a straight tract, and rapidly hurried to the upper plain, where, as he had expected, he found a number of Indian horses grazing. Day was then fairly breaking. He untied the cord from the other arm, which by this time was very much swelled. Selecting, as he thought, the best horse he could see, he made a bridle of the cord, mounted him, and rode off at full speed. About 10 o'clock, the horse gave out. Slover then had to travel on foot with all possible speed ; and between musquitoes, nettles, brush, briars, thorns, &c., by the time he got home, he had more the appearance of a mass of raw flesh than an animate being.
The history of the expedition of Lord Dunmore against these towns on the Scioto, in 1774, we derive from the discourse upon this subject delivered by Chas. Whittlesey, Esq., before the historical and philosophical society of Ohio, at Columbus, in 1840.
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In August, 1774, Lord Dunmore collected a force of 3,000 men, destined for the reduc- tion of their towns on the Scioto, situated within the present limits of Pickaway county. One half of the corps was raised in Botetourt, Fincastle, and the adjoining counties, by Col. Andrew Lewis, and of these, 1,100 were in rendezvous at the levels of Green Briar on the 5th of September. It advanced in two divisions ; the left wing, commanded by Lewis, struck the great Kenhawa, and followed that stream to the Ohio. The right wing, attend- ed by Dunmore in person, passed the mountains at the Potomac gap, and came to the Ohio somewhere above Wheeling. About the 6th of October, a talk was had with the chiefs of the Six Nations and the Delawares, some of whom had been to the Shawanese towns on a mission of peace. They reported unfavorably. The plan of the campaign was to form a junction before reaching the Indian villages, and Lewis accordingly halted at the mouth of the Kenhawa on the 6th of October for communication and orders from the commander-in- chief. While there he encamped on the ground now occupied by the village of Point Pleasant, without entrenchments or other defences. On the morning of the 10th of October, he was attacked by 1,000 chosen warriors of the western confederacy, who had abandoned their towns on the Pickaway plains to meet the Virginia troops, and give them battle before the two corps could be united. The Virginia riflemen occupied a triangular point of land, between the right bank of the Kenhawa and the left bank of the Ohio, accessible only from the rear. The assault was therefore in this quarter. Within an hour after the scouts had reported the presence of the Indians, a general engagement took place, extending from one bank of one river to the other, half a mile from the point.
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Colonel Andrew Lewis, who seems to have been possessed of military talent, acted with steadiness and decision in this emergency. He arrayed his forces promptly, and advanced to meet the enemy, with force equal to his own. Col. Charles Lewis, with 300 men, form- ing the right of the line, met the Indians at sunrise and sustained the first attack. Here he was mortally wounded in the onset, and his troops receiving almost the entire weight of the charge, were broken and gave way. Col. Fleming with a portion of the command, had advanced along the shore of the Ohio, and in a few moments fell in with the right of the Indian line, which rested on the river.
The effect of the first shock was to stagger the left wing, as it had done the right, and its commander, also, was severely wounded at an early stage of the conflict ; but his men succeeded in reaching a piece of timber land, and maintained their position until the reserve under Col. Field reached the ground. It will be seen by examining Lewis's plan of the engagement, and the ground on which it was fought, that an advance on his part, and a retreat of his opponent, necessarily weakened their line by constantly increasing its length, if it extended from river to river, and would eventually force him to break it or leave his flanks unprotected. Those acquainted with Indian tactics inform us, that it is the great point of his generalship to preserve his flanks and overreach those of his enemy. They continued, therefore, contrary to their usual practice, to dispute the ground with the perti- « nacity of veterans along the whole line-retreating slowly from tree to tree, till one o'clock, P. M., when they reached a strong position. Here both parties rested, within rifle range of each other, and continued a desultory fire along a front of a mile and a quarter, until after sunset.
The desperate nature of this fight may be inferred from the deep-seated animosity of both parties towards each other, the high courage which both possessed, and the consequences which hung upon the issue. The Virginians lost one half their commissioned officers and 52 men killed. Of the Indians, 21 were left on the field, and the loss in killed and wounded is stated at 233. During the night, the Indians retreated and were not pursued.
Having failed in this contest with the troops while they were still divided in two parties,
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they changed their plan and determined at once to save their towns from destruction by offers of peace.
Soon after the battle was over, a reinforcement of 300 Fincastle troops, and also an ex- press from Lord Dunmore, arrived, with an order directing this division to advance towards the Shawanese villages without delay. Notwithstanding the order was given in ignorance of the engagement, and commanded them to enter the enemy's country unsupported, Col. Lewis and his men were glad to comply with it, and thus complete the overthrow of the allied Indians.
The Virginians, made eager with success, and maddened by the loss of so many brave officers, dashed across the Ohio in pursuit of more victims, leaving a garrison at Point Pleasant. Our next information of them is, that a march of eighty miles, through an un- trodden wilderness, has been performed, and on the 24th of Oct., they are encamped on the banks of Congo creek, in Pickaway township, Pickaway county, within striking distance of the Indian towns. Their principal village was occupied by Shawnees, and stood upon the ground where the village of Westfall is now situated, on the west bank of the Scioto, and on the Ohio canal, near the south line of the same county. This was the head-quar- ters of the confederate tribes, and was called Chillicothe ; and because there were other towns, either at that time or soon after, of the same name, it was known as Old Chillicothe. One of them was located at the present village of Frankfort, in Ross county, on the north fork of Paint creek, and others on the waters of the Great Miami. In the mean time, Lord Dunmore and his men had descended the Ohio to the mouth of the Great Hockhocking, established a depot, and erected some defences called Fort Gower. From this point he probably started the express directed to Lewis, at the mouth of Kenhawa, about fifty miles below, and immediately commenced his march up the Hocklocking into the Indian coun- try. For the next that is known of him, he is in the vicinity of Camp Charlotte, on the left bank of Sippo creek, about seven miles southeast of Circleville, where he arrived before Lewis reached the station on Congo, as above stated. Camp Charlotte was situated about four and one-half miles northeast of Camp Lewis, on the farm now [1840] owned by Thos. J. Winship, Esq., and was consequently farther from the Chillicothe villages than the posi- tion occupied by the left wing. There has been much diversity of opinion and statement respecting the location of the true Old Chillicothe town, and also in regard to the positions of Camp Charlotte and Camp Lewis. The associations connected with those places have given them an interest which will never decline. This is probably a sufficient excuse for presenting here, in detail, the evidence upon which the positions of these several points are established.
It was at the Chillicothe towns that Logan delivered his famous speech. It was not made in council, for he refused to attend at Camp Charlotte where the talk was held, and Dunmore sent a trader by the name of John Gibson to inquire the cause of his absence. The Indians, as before intimated, had made propositions to the governor for peace, and probably before he was aware of the result of the action at Kenhawa. When Gibson arrived at the village, Logan came to him, and by his (Logan's) request, they went into an adjoining wood and sat down. Here, after shedding abundance of tears, the honored chief told his pathetic story .* Gibson repeated it to the officers, who caused it to be published in the Virginia Gazette of that year. Mr. Jefferson was charged with making improvements and alterations when he published it in his notes on Virginia ; but from the concurrent tes- timony of Gibson, Lord Dunmore, and several others, it appears to be as close a representa- tion of the original as could be obtained under the circumstances. The only versions of the speech that I have seen are here contrasted, in order to show that the substance and senti- ments correspond, and that it must be the production of Logan, or of John Gibson, the only white man who heard the original.
Williamsburg, Va., Feb. 4, 1775.
The following is said to be a message from Captain Logan, an Indian warrior, to Gov. Dunmore, after the battle in which Colonel Charles Lewis was slain, delivered at the treaty :
"I appeal to any white man to say that he ever entered Logan's cabin but I gave him meat ; that he ever came naked but I clothed him.
New York, Feb. 16, 1775. Extract of a letter from Va .-
" I make no doubt the following speci- men of Indian eloquence and mistaken valor will please you, but you must make allowan- ces for the unskillfulness of the interpreter."
"I appeal to any white man to say, if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry and I gave him not meat ; if ever he came cold or naked and I gave him not clothing.
" During the course of the last long and
* Affidavit of John Gibson, Jefferson's Notes, appendix, p. 16.
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" In the course of the last war, Logan re- mained in his cabin an advocate for peace. I had such an affection for the white people, that I was pointed at by the rest of my na- tion. I should have ever lived with them had it not been for Col. Cresap, who, last year, cut off, in cold blood, all the relations of Logan, not sparing my women and chil- dren. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human creature. This called upon me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed 'many, and fully glutted my revenge. I am glad there is a prospect of peace on account of the nation ; but I beg you will not entertain a thought that any thing I have said proceeds from fear. Lo- gan disdains the thought. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan ? No one."
bloody war, Logan remained in his tent an advocate for peace. Nay, such was my love for the whites, that those of my own country pointed at me as they passed by and said, ' Logan is the friend of white men.' I had even thought to live with you, but for the injuries of one man, Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cool blood, and unpro- voked, cut off all the relatives of Logan; not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human creature. This called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. Yet, do not harbor the thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan ? Not one."
The right hand translation is literally the same as the copy given in Jefferson's Notes, page 124, and is doubtless the version given out by himself at the time.
It was repeated throughout the North American colonies as a lesson of eloquence in the schools, and copied upon the pages of literary journals in Great Britain and the Continent. This brief effusion of mingled pride, courage and sorrow, elevated the character of the na- tive American throughout the intelligent world ; and the place where it was delivered can never be forgotten so long as touching eloquence is admired by men.
Camp Charlotte was situated on the southwest quarter of section 12, town 10, range 21, upon a pleasant piece of ground in view of the Pickaway plains. It was without permanent defences, or, at least, there are no remains of intrenchments, and is accessible on all sides. The creek in front formed no impediment to an approach from that quarter, and the country is level in the rear. Camp Lewis is said to be upon more defensible ground on the north- east quarter of section 30, same township and range. The two encampments have often been confounded with each other.
Before Lord Dunmore reached the vicinity of the Indian towns, he was met by a flag of truce, borne by a white man named Elliott, desiring a halt on the part of the troops, and requesting for the chiefs an interpreter with whom they could communicate. To this his lordship, who, according to the Virginians, had an aversion to fighting, readily assented. They furthermore charged him with the design of forming an alliance with the confederacy, to assist Great Britain against the colonies in the crisis of the revolution, which every one foresaw. He, however, moved forward to Camp Charlotte, which was established rather as a convenient council ground, than as a place of security or defence. The Virginia militia came here for the purpose of fighting, and their dissatisfaction and disappointment at the result amounted almost to mutiny. Lewis refused to obey the order for a halt, con- sidering the enemy as already within his grasp, and of inferior numbers to his own. Dun- more, as we have seen, went in person to enforce his orders, and it is said drew his sword upon Colonel Lewis, threatening him with instant death if he persisted in farther disobedience.
The troops were concentrated at Camp Charlotte, numbering about 2,500 men. The prin- cipal chiefs of the Scioto tribes had been assembled, and some days were spent in negotia- tions. A compact or treaty was at length concluded, and four hostages put in possession of the governor to be taken to Virginia. We know very little of the precise terms of this treaty, nor even of the tribes who gave it their assent. It is said the Indians agreed to make the Ohio their boundary, and the whites stipulated not to pass beyond that river. An agreement was entered into for a talk at Pittsburgh in the following spring, where a more full treaty was to be made ; but the revolutionary movements prevented.
When the army returned, they took the route by Fort Gower, (see p. 49,) where, on the 5th of November, and 10 days after the arrival of Lewis at Camp Charlotte, the officers held a meeting " for the purpose of considering the grievances of British America : an officer present addressed the meeting in the following words :"
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Gentlemen,-Having now concluded the campaign, by the assistance of Providence, with honor and advantage to the colony and ourselves, it only remains that we should give our country the stronger assurance that we are ready at all times, to the utmost of our power, to maintain and defend her just rights and privileges. We have lived about three months in the woods, without any intelligence from Boston, or from the delegates at Philadelphia. It is possible, from the groundless reports of designing men, that our countrymen may be jealous of the use such a body would make of arms in their hands at this critical juncture. That we are a respectable body is certain, when it is considered that we can live weeks without bread or salt ; that we can sleep in the open air without any covering but that of the canopy of heaven ; and that we can march and shoot with any in the known world. Blessed with these talents, let us solemnly engage to one another, and our country in par- ticular, that we will use them for no purpose but for the honor and advantage of America, and of Virginia in particular. It behooves us, then, for the satisfaction of our country, that we should give them our real sentiments by way of resolves, at this very alarming crisis.
Whereupon the meeting made choice of a committee to draw up and prepare resolves for their consideration ; who immediately withdrew, and after some time spent, therein, re- ported that they had agreed to and prepared the following resolves, which were read, maturely considered, and agreed to nem. con. by the meeting, and ordered to be published in the Vi ginia Gazette :
Resolved, That we will bear the most faithful allegiance to his majesty King George the Third, while his majesty delights to reign over a brave and a free people ; that we will, at the expense of life and every thing dear and valuable, exert ourselves in the support of the honor of his crown and the dignity of the British empire. But as the love of liberty and attachment to the real interests and just rights of America outweigh every other considera- tion, we resolve, that we will exert every power within us for the defence of American liberty, and for the support of her just rights and privileges, not in any precipitous, riotous, or tumultuous manner, but when regularly called forth by the unanimous voice of our countrymen.
Resolved, That we entertain the greatest respect for his excellency the Rt. Hon. Lord Dunmore, who commanded the expedition against the Shawanese, and who, we are confi- dent, underwent the great fatigue of this singular campaign from no other motive than the true interests of the country.
Signed by order and in behalf of the whole corps.
BENJAMIN ASHBY, Clerk.
Notwithstanding the evidence above produced, derived from the American Archives, it is said that the troops, who had wished to give an efficient blow, reached Virginia highly dissatisfied with the gov- ernor and the treaty : the conduct of the governor could not be well explained by them, " except by supposing him to act with reference to the expected contest with England and her colonies-a motive which the colonists regarded as little less than treasonable."*
Of the feeling in camp towards Dunmore at the time of the treaty, we have some evidence in the statement of the late venerable Abrm. Thomas, one of the early settlers of Miami county, published in the Troy Times, in 1839.
We (Dunmore's army) lay at the mouth of the Hocking for some time. One day, as I was going down to the boats, I met Dunmore just leaving them. He expressed his fears that Gen. Lewis was attacked by the Indians. The men had noticed Dunmore for several days with his ear close to the water, but did not then suspect the reason. He told me he thought he heard the roaring of guns upon the water, and requested me to put my ear to it, and although it was ten or twelve [28] miles distant, I distinctly heard the roar of mus- ketry. The next day we took up the line of march for Chillicothe, up the Hockhocking. On the second or third day, some Indians came running into the camp, beseeching Dun- more to stop Lewis's division, which had crossed the Ohio and was in full pursuit of the Indians; to use their own words, " like so many devils, that would kill them all." This was the first certain information our men had of that battle. On the solicitation of the savages, Dunmore twice sent orders to check the progress of Lewis, but he refused to obey them,
* Annals of the West.
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until Dunmore himself took command of the division and led them back to the Ohio. The troops were indignant at the conduct of Dunmore, and believed his object was to give up both divisions of the army to the Indians. It was thought he knew the attack would be made at Point Pleasant about the time it took place, calculated on the defeat of Lewis, and Jed our army into the defiles of the Hocking, that they might the more easily become the prey of infuriated savages, flushed with recent victory. An incident occurred here, show- ing the state of feeling among the men. At the time the Indians who came into the camp were sitting with Dunmore in his tent, a backwoodsman passing, observed them and stepped around the tent. When he thought he had them in range, he discharged his rifle through the canvass, with the intention of killing the three at once. It was a close cut-it missed : the man escaped through the crowd and no one knew who did it. From this time until he left the camp, Dunmore tried to conciliate what he could by indulgence and talking ; but this would not have availed him had he not taken other precautions, for many in the camp believed him the enemy of their country and the betrayer of the army.
The chief, Cornstalk, whose town is shown on the map, was a man of true nobility of soul, and a brave warrior.
At the battle of Point Pleasant he commanded the Indians with consummate skill, and if at any time his warriors were believed to waver, his voice could be heard above the din of battle, exclaiming in his native tongue, " Be strong !- be strong!" When he returned to the Pickaway towns, after the battle, he called a council of the nation to consult what should be done, and upbraided them in not suffering him to make peace, as he desired, on the evening before the battle. " What," said he, " will you do now? The Big Knife is coming on us, and we shall all be killed. Now you must fight or we are undone." But no one answering, he said, " then let us kill all our women and children, and go and fight until we die." But no anwer was made, when, rising, he struck his tomahawk in a post of the council house and exclaimed, " I'll go and make peace," to which all the warriors grunted " ough ! ough !" and runners were instantly dispatched to Dunmore to solicit peace.
In the summer of 1777, he was atrociously murdered at Point Pleasant. As his mur- derers were approaching, his son Elinipsico trembled violently. "His father encouraged him not to be afraid, for that the Great Man above had sent him there to be killed and die with him. As the men advanced to the door, the Cornstalk rose up and met them : they fired, and seven or eight bullets went through him. So fell the great Cornstalk warrior- whose name was bestowed upon him by the consent of the nation, as their great strength and support." . Had he lived, it is believed that he would have been friendly with the Americans, as he had come over to visit the garrison at Point Pleasant to communicate the design of the Indians of uniting with the British. His grave is to be seen at Point Pleasant to the present day.
The last years of Logan were truly melancholy. He wandered about from tribe to tribe, a solitary and lonely man ; dejected and broken-hearted by the loss of his friends and the decay of his tribe, he resorted to the stimulus of strong drink to drown his sorrow. He was at last murdered, in Michigan, near Detroit. He was, at the time, sitting with his blanket over his head before a camp fire, his elbows resting on his knees, and his head upon his hands. buried in profound reflection, when an Indian, who had taken some offence, stole behind him and buried his tomahawk in his brains. Thus perished the immortal Logan, the last of his race .*
CIRCLEVILLE, the county seat, is on the Ohio canal and Scioto river, 26 miles s. of Columbus, and 19 N. of Chillicothe. It was laid out in 1810 as the seat of justice, by Daniel Dresbach, on land origi- nally belonging to Zeiger and Watt, and the first lot sold on the 10th of September. The town is on the site of ancient fortifications, one of which having been circular, originated the name of the place. The
* From Henry C. Brish, Esq., of Tiffin, Seneca county, who derived the circumstances from Good Hunter, an aged Mingo chief, and a familiar acquaintance of Logan.
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old court-house, built in the form of an octagon, and destroyed in 1841, stood in the centre of the circle. Few, if any, vestiges remain of these forts, but we find them described at length in the Archælo- gia Americana, published in 1820. The description and accompany- ing cut are appended.
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Ancient Fortifications at Circleville.
There are two forts, one being an exact circle, the other an exact square. The former is surrounded by two walls, with a deep ditch between them ; the latter is encompassed by one wall, without any ditch. The former was 69 feet in diameter, measuring from out- side to outside of the circular outer wall ; the latter is exactly 55 rods square, measuring the same way. The walls of the circular fort were at least 20 feet in height, measuring from the bottom of the ditch, before the town of Circleville was built. The inner wall was of clay, taken up probably in the northern part of the fort, where was a low place, and is still considerably lower than any other part of the work. The outside wall was taken from the ditch which is between these walls, and is alluvial, consisting of pebbles, worn smooth in water, and sand, to a very considerable depth, more than 50 feet at least. The outside of the walls is about five or six feet in height now ; on the inside, the ditch is at present generally not more than 15 feet. They are disappearing before us daily, and will soon be gone. The walls of the square fort are at this time, where left standing, about 10 feet in height. There were eight gateways, or openings, leading into the square fort, and only one into the circular fort. Before each of these openings was a mound of earth, perhaps four feet high, 40 feet perhaps in diameter at the base, and 20 or upwards at the summit. These mounds, for two rods or more, are exactly in front of the gateways, and were in- tended for the defence of these openings.
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