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 61
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At the point where this trail crosses Silver creek, Frederick Daniels and others in 1814, discovered painted on several trees various devices, evidently the work of Indians. The bark was carefully shaved off two-thirds of the way around, and figures cut upon the wood. On one of these was delineated seven Indians, equipped in a particular manner, one of which was without a head. This was supposed to have been made by a party on their re- turn westward, to give intelligence to their friends behind, of the loss of one of their party at this place ; and on making search a human skeleton was discovered near by.
Franklin Mills is 6 miles west of Ravenna on the Cleveland road, Cuyahoga river and Mahoning canal. In the era of speculation a large town was laid out here, great prices paid for " city lots," and in the event large quantities of money exchanged hands. It however ¡possesses natural resources that in time may make it an important manufacturing town, the Cuyahoga having here two falls, one of 17 .and the other of 25 feet. The village is much scattered. It con- tains 1 Congregational, 1 Baptist, 1 Episcopal and 1 Methodist church, 4 mercantile stores, 2 flouring mills, 2 woollen factories, and about 400 inhabitants.
The noted Indian fighter, Brady, made his celebrated leap across the Cuyahoga about 200 yards above the bridge at this place. The
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appearance of the locality has been materially altered by blasting rocks for the canal. Brady's pond-so called from being the place where he secreted himself on the occasion related below, from a
Brady's Pond.
published source-is about 23 miles from the village, and a few hun- dred yards north of the road to Ravenna. It is a small but beauti- ful sheet of water, the shores of which are composed of a white sand, finely adapted to the manufacture of glass.
Capt. Samuel Brady seems to have been as much the Daniel Boone of the northeast part of the valley of the Ohio, as the other was of the southwest, and the country is equally full of traditionary legends of his hardy adventures and hair-breadth escapes. From undoubted authority, it seems the following incident actually tran pired in this vicinity. Brady's resi- dence was on Chartier's creek on the south side of the Ohio, and being a man of herculean strength, activity and courage, he was generally selected as the leader of the hardy border- ers in all their incursions into the Indian territory north of the river. On this occasion, which was about the year 1780, a large party of warriors from the falls of the Cuya- hoga and the adjacent country, had made an inroad on the south side of the Ohio river, in the lower part of what is now Washington county, on which was then known as the set- tlement of " Catfish Camp," after an old Indian of that name who lived there when he whites first came into the country on the Monongahela river. This party had murdered several families, and with the "plunder" had recrossed the Ohio before effectual pursuit could be made. By Brady a party was directly summoned, of his chosen followers, who hastened on after them, but the Indians having one or two days the start, he could not overtake them in time to arrest their return to their villages. Near the spot where the town of Ravenna now stands, the Indians separated into two parties, one of which went to the north, and the other west, to the falls of the Cuyahoga. Brady's men also divided ; a part pursued the northern trail, and a part went with their commander to the Indian village, lying on the river in the present township of Northampton, in Summit county. Although Brady made his approaches with the utmost caution, the Indians, expecting a pursuit, were on the look-out, and ready to receive him, with numbers four-fold to those of Brady's, whose only safety was in hasty retreat, which, from the ardor of the pursuit, soon became a perfect flight. Brady directed his men to separate, and each one to take care of himself ; but the Indians knowing Brady, and having a most inveterate hatred and dread of him, from the numerous chastisements which he had inflicted upon them, left all the others, and with united strength pursued him alone. The Cuyahoga here makes a wide bend to the south, including a large tract of several miles of surface, in the form of a peninsula : within this tract the pursuit was hotly contested. The Indians, by extending their line to the right and left, forced him on to the bank of the stream. Having, in peaceable times, often
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hunted over this ground with the Indians, and knowing every turn of the Cuyahoga as fa- miliarly as the villager knows the streets of his own hamlet, Brady directed his course to the river, at a spot where the whole stream is compressed, by the rocky cliffs, into a narrow channel of only 22 feet across the top of the chasm, although it is considerably wider be- neath, near the water, and in height more than twice that number of feet above the cur- rent. Through this pass the water rushes like a race-horse, chafing and roaring at the confinement of its current by the rocky channel, while, a short distance above, the stream is at least fifty yards wide. As he approached the chasm, Brady, knowing that life or death was in the effort, concentrated his mighty powers, and leaped the stream at a single bound. It so happened, that on the opposite cliff, the leap was favored by a low place, into which he dropped, and grasping the bushes, he thus helped himself to ascend to the top of the cliff. The Indians, for a few moments, were lost in wonder and admiration, and before they had recovered their recollection, he was half way up the side of the oppo- site hill, but still within reach of their rifles. They could easily have shot him at any moment before, but being bent on taking him alive, for torture, and to glut their long-delayed revenge, they forbore to use the rifle ; but now seeing him likely to escape, they all fired upon him ; one bullet severely wounded him in the hip, but not so badly as to prevent his pro- gress. The Indians having to make a considerable circuit before they could cross the stream, Brady advanced a good distance ahead. His limb was growing stiff from the wound, and as the Indians gained on him, he made for the pond which now bears his name, and plunging in, swam under water a considerable distance, and came up under the trunk of a large oak, which had fallen into the pond. This, although leaving only a Amall breathing place to support life, still completely sheltered him from their sight. The Indians, tracing him by the blood to the water, made diligent search all round the pond, Sut finding no signs of his exit, finally came to the conclusion that he had sunk and was drowned. As they were at one time standing on the very tree, beneath which he was concealed,-Brady, understanding their language, was very glad to hear the result of their deliberations, and after they had gone, weary, lame and hungry, he made good his retreat to his own home. His followers also returned in safety. The chasm across which he leaped is in sight of the bridge where we crossed the Cuyahoga, and is known in all that i gion by the name of " Brady's Leap."
Garrettsville, 12 miles NE. of Ravenna, on the Mahoning river, where there is considerable water power, has 4 churches, 4 stores, 1 woollen, 1 chair and 1 axe factory, 2 flouring mills, and about 400 inhabitants. Campbellsport, 3 miles SE. of Ravenna, has 1 linseed oil, 1 woollen factory and several warehouses, it being an important point of shipment on the canal. Mogadore, 14 or 15 miles sw. of R., on the line of Summit, has about 200 inhabitants, and is noted for its extensive stone-ware manufactories. Deerfield, 15 SE. of R., has a Methodist and Disciple's church, and about 200 inhabitants. Windham, 13 miles N. E. of R. has 1 academy, 3 churches, 3 stores, and about 400 inhabitants.
PREBLE.
PREBLE was formed from Montgomery and Butler, March 1st, 1808 : it was named from Capt. Edward Preble, who was born at Portland, Maine, August 15th, 1761, and distinguished himself as a naval commander in the war of the revolution, and particularly in the Tripolitan war, and died on the 25th of August, 1806. The soil is various : the southern part is a light rich soil, and is interspersed by numerous streams : the remainder of the county is upland, in places wet, but fertile when brought under cultivation. There is an
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abundance of water power for milling purposes, and large quanti- ties of flour are manufactured. The principal productions are corn, oats, wheat, swine, wool, flax-seed and beef cattle. The following is a list of the townships in 1840, with their population.
Dixon, 1281
Israel, 1538 Monroe, 1176
Gasper, 836
Jackson, 1257
Somers, 1823
Gratis, 1950
Jefferson, 2165
Twin, 1676
Harrison, 1696 Lanier, 1624
Washington, 2459
The population of Preble, in 1820, was 10,237; in 1830, 16,296 ; and in 1840, 19,481, or 47 inhabitants to a square mile.
Eaton, the county seat, is 24 miles west of Dayton, 94 west of Columbus, and 9 east of the state line. It was laid out in 1806, by
County Buildings at Eaton.
William Bruce, then proprietor of the soil. It was named from Gen. Wm. Eaton, who was born in Woodstock, Ct., in 1764, served in the war of the revolution, was graduated at Dartmouth in 1790, was appointed a captain under Wayne, in 1792, also consul at Tunis in 1798; in April, 1804, he was appointed navy agent of the United States, with the Barbary powers to co-operate with Hamet, bashaw, in the war against Tripoli, in which he evinced great energy of character: he died in 1811. He was brave, patriotic and gen- erous.
The turnpike from Dayton west leads through Eaton, and one also connects the place with Hamilton. The village contains 1 Presby- terian, 1 Methodist and 1 Public church, 1 book, 2 grocery and 4 dry goods stores, 1 or 2 newspaper printing offices, I woollen factory, 1 saw mill, and about 1000 inhabitants. Near the town is an over- flowing well of strong sulphur water, possessing medicinal properties. About two miles south is Halderman's quarry, from which is ob- tained a beautiful grey clouded stone : at the village is a limestone quarry, and the county abounds in fine building stone.
About a mile west of Eaton is the site of Fort St. Clair, erected in the severe winter of 1791-2. At this time, Fort Jefferson was the farthest advanced post, being forty-four miles from Fort Ham-
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PREBLE COUNTY.
ilton. This spot was chosen as a place of security, and to guard the communication between them. General Wilkinson sent Major John S. Gano, belonging to the militia of the territory, with a party to build the work. General Harrison, then an ensign, commanded a guard, every other night, for about three weeks, during the build- ing of the fort. They had neither fire nor covering of any kind, and suffered much from the intense cold. It was a stockade, and had about 20 acres cleared around it. The outline can yet be dis- tinctly traced.
On the 6th of November, 1792, a severe battle was fought almost under the cover of the guns of Fort St. Clair, between a corps of riflemen and a body of Indians. Judge Joel Collins of Oxford, who was in the action, gives the following facts respecting it, in a letter to James M'Bride, dated June 20th, 1843.
The parties engaged were a band of 250 Mingo and Wyandot warriors, under the com- mand of the celebrated chief Little Turtle, and an escort of 100 mounted riflemen of the Kentucky militia, commanded by Capt. John Adair, subsequently governor of Kentucky. These men had been called out to escort a brigade of pack-horses, under an order from General Wilkinson. They could then make a trip from Fort Washington past Fort St. Clair, to Fort Jefferson, and return in six days, encamping each night under the walls of one of these military posts, for protection.
The Indians being elated by the check they had given our army the previous year, in defeating St. Clair, determined to make a descent upon the settlement then forming at Columbia, at the mouth of the Little Miami. Some time in September, 250 warriors struck the war pole, and took up their line of march. Fortunately for the infant settle- ment, in passing Fort Hamilton they discovered a fatigue party, with a small guard, chop- ping fire-wood, east of the fort. While the men were gone to dinner, the Indians formed an ambuscade, and on their return captured two of the men. The prisoners informed the Indians, that on the morning previous-which must have been on Friday -- that a brigade of some 50 or 100 pack-horses, loaded with supplies for the two military posts in advance, had left Fort Hamilton, escorted by a company of riflemen, mounted on fine horses, and- that if they made their trip in the usual time, they would be at Fort Hamilton, on their return, Monday night. Upon this information, Little Turtle abandoned his design of breaking up the settlement above Cincinnati, and fell back some 12 or 15 miles, with a view of intercepting the brigade on its return. He formed an ambuscade on the trace, at a well-selected position, which he occupied through the day that he expected the return of the escort. But as Captain Adair arrived at Fort Jefferson on Saturday night, he per- mitted his men and horses to rest themselves over Sunday, and thus escaped the ambus- cade. On Monday night, when on their return, they encamped within a short distance of Fort St. Clair. The judge says: " The chief of the band of Indians being informed of our position, by his runners, concluded that by a night attack, he could drive us out of our en- campment. Accordingly he left his ambush, and a short time before day-break, on Tues- day morning, the Indians, by a discharge of rifles and raising the hideous yells for which they are distinguished, made a simultaneous attack on three sides of the encampment, leaving that open next to the fort. The horses became frightened, and numbers of them broke from their fastenings. The camp, in consequence of this, being thrown into some con- fusion, Captain Adair retired with his men, and formed them in three divisions, just beyond the shine of the fires, on the side next the fort ; and while the enemy were endeavoring to secure the horses and plunder the camp-which seemed to be their main object-they were in turn attacked by us, on their right, by the captain and his division ; on the left, by Lieut. George Madison, and in their centre, by Lieut. Job Hale, with their respective divisions. The enemy, however, were sufficiently strong to detail a fighting party, double our num- bers, to protect those plundering the camp and driving off the horses, and as we had left the side from the fort open to them, they soon began to move off, taking all with them.
" As soon as the day dawn afforded light sufficient to distinguish a white man from an Indian, there ensued some pretty sharp fighting, so close, in some instances, as to bring in use the war-club and tomahawk. Here Lieut. Hale was killed and Lieut. Madison wounded. As the Indians retreated, the white men hung on their rear, but when we pressed them too close, they would turn and drive us back. In this way a kind of running
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fight was kept up until after sun-rising, when we lost sight of the enemy and nearly all our horses, some where about where the town of Eaton now stands. On returning from the pursuit, our camp presented rather a discouraging appearance. Not more than six or eight horses were saved ; some twenty or thirty lay dead on the ground The loss of the enemy remains unknown : the bodies of two Indians were found among the dead horses. We gathered up our wounded, six in number, took them to the fort, where a room was assigned them as a hospital, and their wounds dressed by Surgeon Boyd, of the regular army. The wound of one man, John James, consisted of little more than the loss of his scalp. It appeared from his statement, that in the heat of the action, he received a blow on the side of his head with a war-club, which stunned so as to barely knock him down, when two or three Indians fell to skinning his head, and in a very short time took from him an unusually large scalp, and in the hurry of the operation, a piece of one of his ears. He recovered, and I understood, some years afterwards, that he was then living. Another of the wounded, Luke Vores, was a few years since living in Preble county.
" By sunset on the day of the action, we had some kind of rough coffins prepared for the slain. For the satisfaction of surviving friends, I will name them, and state that in one grave, some fifty paces west of the site of Fort St. Clair, are the remains of Captain Joab Hale ; next to him, on his left, we laid our orderly sergeant, Matthew English ; then followed the four privates, Robert Bowling, Joseph Clinton, Isaac Jett and John Williams. Dejection and even sorrow hung on the countenances of every member of the escort, as we stood around or assisted in the interment of these, our fellow comrades. Hale was a noble and brave man, fascinating in his appearance and deportment as an officer. It was dusk in the evening before we completed the performance of this melancholy duty. What a change! The evening before, nothing within the encampment was to be seen or heard but life and animation. Of those not on duty, some were measuring their strength and dexterity at athletic exercises ; some nursing, rubbing and feeding their horses ; others cooking, &c. But look at us now, and behold the ways, chances and uncertainties of war. I saw and felt the contrast then, and feel it still, but am unable further to describe it here !"
Between the site of Iort St. Clair and Eaton is the village grave- yard. This cemetery is adorned with several beautiful monu- ments. Among them is one to the memory of Fergus Holderman, who died in 1838. Upon it are some exquisitely beautiful devices, carved by "the lamented Clevenger," which are among his first attempts at sculpture. The principal object of attraction, however, is the monument to the memory of Lieut. Lowry and others, who fell with him in an engagement with a party of Indians commanded by Little Turtle, at Ludlow's spring, near the Forty Foot Pitch in this county, on the 17th of October, 1793. This monument has recently been constructed by La'Dow & Hamilton, of Dayton, at an expense of about $300, contributed by public-spirited individuals of this vicinity. It is composed of the elegant Rutland marble, is about 12 feet in height, and stands upon one of those small artificial mounds common in this region. The view was taken from the east, beyond. which, in the extreme distance in the forest, on the left, is the site of Fort St. Clair. This Lieut. Lowry was a brave man. His last words were : "My brave boys, all you that can fight, now display your activity and let your balls fly !" The slain in the engagement were buried at the fort. On the 4th of July, 1822, the remains of Lowry were taken up and re-interred, with the honors of war, in this grave yard, twelve military officers acting as pall-bearers, fol- lowed by the orator, chaplain and physicians, under whose direction the removal was made, with a large concourse of citizens and two military companies. The remains of the slain commander and soldiers have been recently removed to the mound, which, with the
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monument, will "mark their resting place, and be a memento of their glory for ages to come."
--
Lowry's Monument.
We give a letter narrating an account of this action, written by Gen. Wayne to the secretary of war, and dated "Camp, southwest branch of the Miami, six miles advanced of Fort Jefferson, October 23d, 1793."
The greatest difficulty which at present presents, is that of furnishing a sufficient escort to secure our convoy of provisions and other supplies from insult and disaster ; and at the same time retain a sufficient force in camp to sustain and repel the attacks of the enemy who appear desperate and determined. We have recently experienced a little check to our convoys, which may probably be exaggerated into something serious by the tongue of fame, before this reaches you. The following, however, is the fact, viz : Lieut. Lowry, of the 2d sub-legion, and Ensign Boyd, of the 1st, with a command consisting of 90 non-com- missioned officers and privates, having in charge 20 wagons belonging to the quarter-master general's department, loaded with grain, and one of the contractor's, [wagons,] loaded with stores, were attacked early on the morning of the 17th inst., about 7 miles advanced of Fort St. Clair, by a party of Indians. Those gallant young gentlemen-who promised at a future day to be ornaments to their profession-together with 13 non-commissioned offi- cers and privates, bravely fell, after an obstinate resistance against superior numbers, being abandoned by the greater part of the escort upon the first discharge. The savages killed or carried off about 70 horses, leaving the wagons and stores standing in the road, which have all been brought to this camp without any other loss or damage, except some trifling articles.
LITTLE TURTLE, whose name has been mentioned in the preceding pages, was a distinguished chief and counsellor of the Miamis, by whom he was called Meshekenoghqua. He commanded the Indians at St. Clair's defeat. We annex a sketch of him from Drake's In- dian Biography.
It has been generally said, that had the advice of this chief been taken at the disastrous
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fight afterwards with General Wayne, there is but little doubt but he had met as ill-success as General St. Clair. He was not for fighting General Wayne at Presque Isle, and inclined rather to peace than fighting him at all. In a council held the night before the battle, he argued as follows : " We have beaten the enemy twice, under separate commanders. We cannot expect the same good fortune always to attend us. The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps ; the night and the day are alike to him. And during all the time that he has been marching upon our villages, notwithstanding the watchfulness of our young men, we have never been able to surprise him. Think well of it. There is some- thing whispers me, it would be prudent to listen to his offers of peace." For holding this language, he was reproached by another chief with cowardice, which put an end to all farther discourse. Nothing wounds the feelings of a warrior like the reproach of cowardice, but he stifled his resentment, did his duty in the battle, and its issue proved him a truer prophet than his accuser believed.
Little Turtle lived some years after the war, in great esteem among men of high stand- ing. He was alike courageous and humane, possessing great wisdom. "And," says Schoolcraft, " there has been few individuals among aborigines who have done so much to abolish the rites of human sacrifice. The grave of this noted warrior is shown to visitors, near Fort Wayne. It is frequently visited by the Indians in that part of the country, by whom his memory is cherished with the greatest respect and veneration."
When the philosopher and famous traveller, Volney, was in America, in the winter of 1797, Little Turtle came to Philadelphia, where he then was, and who sought immediate acquaintance with the celebrated chief, for highly valuable purposes, which in some measure he effected. He made a vocabulary of his language, which he printed in the appendix to his travels. A copy in manuscript, more extensive than the printed one, is in the library of the Philosophical Society of Pennsylvania.
Having become convinced that all resistance to the whites was vain, he brought his nation to consent to peace, and to adopt agricultural pursuits. And it was with the view of soliciting congress and the benevolent society of Friends for assistance to effect this latter purpose, that he now visited Philadelphia. While here he was inoculated for the small pox, and was afflicted with the gout and rheumatism.
At the time of Mr. Volney's interview with him for information, he took no notice of the conversation while the interpreter was communicating with Mr. Volney, for he did not understand English, but walked about, plucking out his beard and eye-brows. He was dressed now in English clothes. His skin, where not exposed, Mr. Volney says, was as white as his ; and on speaking upon the subject, Little Turtle said : " I have seen Span- iards in Louisiana, and found no difference of color between them and me. And why should there be any ? In them, as in us, it is the work of the father of colors, the sun that burns us. You white people compare the color of your face with that of your bodies." Mr. Volney explained to him the notion of many, that his race was descended from the Tartars, and by a map showed him the supposed communication between Asia and America. To this, Little Turtle replied : " Why should not these Tartars, who resemble us, have come from America ? Are there any reasons to the contrary ? Or why should we not both have been in our own country ?" It is a fact that the Indians give themselves a name which is equivalent to our word indigine, that is, one sprung from the soil, or natural to it.
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