History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, Part 14

Author: N. N. Hill, Jr.
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 826

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The Indians, emboldened by the meager success of Harmar's command, continued their depreda- dations against the Ohio settlements, destroying the community at Big Bottom. To hold them in check, and also punish them, an army under Charles Scott went against the Wabash Indians. Little was done here but destroy towns and the standing corn. In July, another army, under Col. Wilkin- son, was sent against the Eel River Indians. Be- coming entangled in extensive morasses on the river, the army became endangered, but was finally extricated, and accomplished no more than either the other armies before it. As it was, however, the three expeditions directed against the Miamis and Shawanees, served only to exasperate them. The burning of their towns, the destruction of their corn, and the captivity of their women and chil- dren, only aroused them to more desperate efforts to defend their country and to harass their in- vaders. To accomplish this, the chiefs of the Miamis, Shawanees and the Delawares, Little Turtle, Blue Jacket and Buckongahelas, were en- gaged in forming a confederacy of all the tribes of the Northwest, strong enough to drive the whites beyond the Ohio. Pontiac had tried that before, even when he had open allies among the French. The Indians now had secret allies among the Brit- ish, yet, in the end, they did not succeed. While they were preparing for the contest, St. Clair was gathering his forces, intending to erect a chain of forts from the Ohio, by way of the Miami and Maumee valleys, to the lakes, and thereby effect- ually hold the savages in check. Washington warmly seconded this plan, and designated the

junction of the St. Mary's and St. Joseph's Rivers as an important post. This had been a fortification almost from the time the English held the valley, and only needed little work to make it a formid- able fortress. Gen. Knox, the Secretary of War, also favored the plan, and gave instructions con- cerning it. Under these instructions, St. Clair organized his forces as rapidly as he could, although the numerous drawbacks almost, at times, threat- ened the defeat of the campaign. Through the summer the arms and accouterments of the army were put in readiness at Fort Washington. Many were found to be of the poorest quality, and to be badly out of repair. The militia came poorly armed, under the impression they were to be pro- vided with arms. While waiting in camp, habits of idleness engendered themselves, and drunken- ness followed. They continued their accustomed freedom, disdaining to drill, and refused to submit to the regular officers. A bitter spirit broke out between the regular troops and the militia, which none could heal. The insubordination of the mi- litia and their officers, caused them a defeat after- ward, which they in vain attempted to fasten on the busy General, and the regular troops.

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The army was not ready to move till September 17. It was then 2,300 strong. It then moved to a point upon the Great Miami, where they erected Fort Hamilton, the first in the proposed chain of fortresses. After its completion, they moved on forty-four miles farther, and, on the 12th of October, began the erection of Fort Jefferson, about six miles south of the present town of Green- ville, Darke County. On the 24th, the army again took up its line of march, through a wilderness, marshy and boggy, and full of savage foes. The army rapidly declined under the hot sun; even the commander was suffering from an indisposition. The militia deserted, in companies at a time, leav- ing the bulk of the work to the regular troops. By the 3d of November, the army reached a stream twelve yards wide, which St. Clair sup- posed to be a branch of the St. Mary of the Man- mee, but which in reality was a tributary of the Wabash. Upon the banks of that stream, the army, now about fourteen hundred strong, en- camped in two lines. A slight protection was thrown up as a safeguard against the Indians, who were known to be in the neighborhood. The Gen- eral intended to attack them next day, but, about half an hour before sunrise, just after the militia had been dismissed from parade, a sudden attack was made upon them. The militia were thrown

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into confusion, and disregarded the command of the officers. They had not been sufficiently drilled, and now was seen, too late and too plainly, the evil effects of their insubordination. Through the morning the battle waged furiously, the men falling by scores. About nine o'clock the retreat began, covered by Maj. Cook and his troops. The re- treat was a disgraceful, precipitate flight, though, after four miles had been passed, the enemy re- turned to the work of scalping the dead and wounded, and of pillaging the camp. Through the day and the night their dreadful work con- tinued, one squaw afterward declaring "her arm was weary scalping the white men." The army reached Fort Jefferson a little after sunset, having thrown away much of its arms and baggage, though the act was entirely unnecessary. After remain- ing here a short time, it was decided by the officers to move on toward Fort Hamilton, and thence to Fort Washington.

The defeat of St. Clair was the most terrible re- verse the Americans ever suffered from the Indi- ans. It was greater than even Braddock's defeat. His army consisted of 1,200 men and 86 officers, of whom 714 men and 63 officers were killed or wounded. St. Clair's army consisted of 1,400 men and 86 officers, of whom 890 men and 16 officers were killed or wounded. The comparative effects of the two engagements very inadequately represent the crushing effect of St. Clair's defeat. An unprotected frontier of more than a thousand miles in extent was now thrown open to a foe made merciless, and anxious to drive the whites from the north side of the Ohio. Now, settlers were scat- tered along all the streams, and in all the forests, ex- posed to the cruel enemy, who stealthily approached the homes of the pioneer, to murder him and his family. Loud calls arose from the people to defend and protect them. St. Clair was covered with abuse for his defeat, when he really was not alone to blame for it. The militia would not be controlled. Had Clarke been at their head, or Wayne, who succeeded St. Clair, the result might have been different. As it was, St. Clair resigned; though ever after he en- joyed the confidence of Washington and Congress.

Four days after the defeat of St. Clair, the army, in its straggling condition, reached Fort Washing- ton, and paused to rest. On the 9th, St. Clair wrote fully to the Secretary of War. On the 12th, Gen. Knox communicated the information to Con- gress, and on the 26th, he laid before the Presi- dent two reports, the second containing sugges- tions regarding future operations. His sugges-

tions urged the establishment of a strong United States Army, as it was plain the States could not control the matter. He also urged a thorough drill of the soldiers. No more insubordination could be tolerated. General Wayne was selected by Washington.as the commander, and at once pro- ceeded to the task assigned to him. In June, 1792, he went to Pittsburgh to organize the army now gathering, which was to be the ultimate argu- ment with the Indian confederation. Through the summer he was steadily at work. "Train and dis- cipline them for the work they are meant for," wrote Washington, "and do not spare powder and lead, so the men be made good marksmen." In December, the forces, now recruited and trained, gathered at a point twenty-two miles below Pitts- burgh, on the Ohio, called Legionville, the army itself being denominated the Legion of the United States, divided into four sub-legions, and provided with the proper officers. Meantime, Col. Wilkinson succeeded St. Clair as commander at Fort Wash- ington, and sent out a force to examine the field of defeat, and bury the dead. A shocking sight met their view, revealing the deeds of cruelty enacted upon their comrades by the savage enemy.

While Wayne's army was drilling, peace meas- ures were pressed forward by the United States with equal perseverance. The Iroquois were in- duced to visit Philadelphia, and partially secured. from the general confederacy. They were wary,. however, and, expecting aid from the British, held aloof. Brant did not come, as was hoped, and it was plain there was intrigue somewhere. Five. independent embassies were sent among the West- ern tribes, to endeavor to prevent a war, and win over the inimical tribes. But the victories they had won, and the favorable whispers of the British. agents, closed the ears of the red men, and all' propositions were rejected in some form or other. All the embassadors, save Putnam, suffered death. He alone was able to reach his goal-the Wabash Indians-and effect any treaty. On the 27th of December, in company with Heckewelder, the Mo- ravian missionary, he reached Vincennes, and met thirty-one chiefs, representing the Weas, Pianke- shaws, Kaskaskias, Peorias, Illinois, Pottawatomies, Mascoutins, Kickapoos and Eel River Indians, and concluded a treaty of peace with them.

The fourth article of this treaty, however, con- tained a provision guaranteeing to the Indians their lands, and when the treaty was laid before Congress, February 13, 1793, that body, after much discussion, refused on that account to ratify it.

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A great council of the Indians was to be held at Auglaize during the autumn of 1792, when the assembled nations were to discuss fully their means of defense, and determine their future line of action. The council met in October, and was the largest Indian gathering of the time. The chiefs of all the tribes of the Northwest were there. The representatives of the seven nations of Canada, were in attendance. Cornplanter and forty-eight chiefs of the New York (Six Nations) Indians re- paired thither. "Besides these," said Cornplanter, "there were so many nations we cannot tell the names of them. There were three men from the Gora nation; it took them a whole season to come; and," continued he, "twenty-seven nations from beyond Canada were there." The question of peace or war was long and earnestly debated. Their future was solemnly discussed, and around the council fire native eloquence and native zeal shone in all their simple strength. One nation after another, through their chiefs, presented their views. The deputies of the Six Nations, who had been at Philadelphia to consult the "Thirteen Fires," made their report. The Western bound- ary was the principal question. The natives, with one accord, declared it must be the Ohio River. An address was prepared, and sent to the President, wherein their views were stated, and agreeing to abstain from all hostilities, until they could meet again in the spring at the rapids of the Maumee, and there consult with their white brothers. They desired the President to send agents, "who are men of honesty, not proud land-jobbers, but men who love and desire peace." The good work of Penn was evidenced here, as they desired that the embassadors "be accompanied by some Friend or Quaker."

The armistice they had promised was not, how- ever, faithfully kept. On the 6th of November, a detachment of Kentucky cavalry at Fort St. Clair, about twenty-five miles above Fort Hamil- ton, was attacked. The commander, Maj. Adair, was an excellent officer, well versed in Indian tac- tics, and defeated the savages.

This infraction of their promises did not deter the United States from taking measures to meet the Indians at the rapids of the Maumee " when the leaves were fully out." For that purpose, the President selected as commissioners, Charles Car- roll and Charles Thompson, but, as they declined the nomination, he appointed Benjamin Lincoln, Beverly Randolph and Timothy Pickering, the 1st of March, 1793, to attend the convention, which,

it was thought best, should be held at the San- dusky outpost. About the last of April, these commissioners left Philadelphia, and, late in May, reached Niagara, where they remained guests of Lieut. Gov. Simcoe, of the British Government. This officer gave them all the aid he could, yet it was soon made plain to them that he would not object to the confederation, nay, even rather fav- ored it. They speak of his kindness to them, in grateful terms. Gov. Simcoe advised the Indians to make peace, but not to give up any of their lands. That was the pith of the whole matter. The British rather claimed land in New York, under the treaty of 1783, alleging the Americans had not fully complied with the terms of that treaty, hence they were not as anxious for peace and a peaceful settlement of the difficult boundary question as they sometimes represented.

By July, "the leaves were fully out," the con- ferences among the tribes were over, and, on the 15th of that month, the commissioners met Brant and some fifty natives. In a strong speech, Brant set forth their wishes, and invited them to accom- pany him to the place of holding the council. The Indians were rather jealous of Wayne's continued preparations for war, hence, just before setting out for the Maumee, the commissioners sent a letter to the Secretary of War, asking that all warlike demonstrations cease until the result of their mis- sion be known.

On 21st of July, the embassy reached the head of the Detroit River, where their advance was checked by the British authorities at Detroit, com- pelling them to take up their abode at the house of Andrew Elliott, the famous renegade, then a British agent under Alexander McKee. McKee was attending the council, and the commissioners addressed him a note, borne by Elliott, to inform him of their arrival, and asking when they could be received. Elliott returned on the 29th, bring- ing with him a deputation of twenty chiefs from the council. The next day, a conference was held, and the chief of the Wyandots, Sa-wagh-da-wunk, presented to the commissioners, in writing, their explicit demand in regard to the boundary, and their purposes and powers. "The Ohio must be the boundary," said he, " or blood will flow."

The commissioners returned an answer to the proposition brought by the chiefs, recapitulating the treaties already made, and denying the Ohio! as the boundary line. On the 16th of August, the council sent them, by two Wyandot runners, a final answer, in which they recapitulated their

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former assertions, and exhibited great powers of reasoning and clear logic in defense of their po- sition. The commissioners reply that it is impos- ble to accept the Ohio as the boundary, and declare the negotiation at an end.

This closed the efforts of the Government to ne- gotiate with the Indians, and there remained of necessity no other mode of settling the dispute but war. Liberal terms had been offered them, but nothing but the boundary of the Ohio River would suffice. It was the only condition upon which the confederation would lay down its arms. " Among the rude statesmen of the wilderness, there was exhibited as pure patriotism and as lofty devotion to the good of their race, as ever won ap- plause among civilized men. The white man had, ever since he came into the country, been encroach- ing on their lands. He had long occupied the regions beyond the mountains. He had crushed the conspiracy formed by Pontiac, thirty years be- fore. He had taken possession of the common hunting-ground of all the tribes, on the faith of treaties they did not acknowledge. He was now laying out settlements and building forts in the heart of the country to which all the tribes had been driven, and which now was all they could call their own. And now they asked that it should be guaranteed to them, that the boundary which they had so long asked for should be drawn, and a final end be made to the continual aggressions of the whites; or, if not, they solemnly determined to stake their all, against fearful odds, in defense of their homes, their country and the inheritance of their children. Nothing could be more patriotic than the position they occupied, and nothing could be more noble than the declarations of their council." *

They did not know the strength of the whites, and based their success on the victories already gained. They hoped, nay, were promised, aid from the British, and even the Spanish had held out to them assurances of help when the hour of conflict came.

The Americans were not disposed to yield even to the confederacy of the tribes backed by the two rival nations, forming, as Wayne characterized it, a " hydra of British, Spanish and Indian hostility." On the 16th of August, the commissioners re- ceived the final answer of the council. The 17th, they left the mouth of the Detroit River, and the 23d, arrived at Fort Erie, where they immediately

·dispatched messengers to Gen. Wayne to inform him of the issue of the negotiation. Wayne had spent the winter of 1792-93, at Legionville, in col- lecting and organizing his army. April 30, 1793, the army moved down the river and encamped at a point, called by the soldiers "Hobson's choice," because from the extreme height of the river they were prevented from landing elsewhere. Here Wayne was engaged, during the negotiations for peace, in drilling his soldiers, in cutting roads, and collecting supplies for the army. He was ready for an immediate campaign in case the council failed in its object.

While here, he sent a letter to the Secretary of War, detailing the circumstances, and suggesting the probable course he should follow. He re- mained here during the summer, and, when apprised of the issue, saw it was too late to attempt the campaign then. He sent the Kentucky militia home, and, with his regular soldiers, went into winter quarters at a fort he built on a tributary of the Great Miami. He called the fort Green- ville. The present town of Greenville is near the site of the fort. During the winter, he sent a de- . tachment to visit the scene of St. Clair's defeat. They found more than six hundred skulls, and were obliged to "scrape the bones together and carry them out to get a place to make their beds." They buried all they could find. Wayne was steadily preparing his forces, so as to have every- thing ready for a sure blow when the time came. All his information showed the faith in the British which still animated the doomed red men, and gave them a hope that could end only in defeat.

The conduct of the Indians fully corroborated the statements received by Gen. Wayne. On the 30th of June, an escort of ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons, under command of Maj. McMahon, was attacked under the walls of Fort Recovery by a force of more than one thousand Indians under charge of Little Turtle. They were repulsed and badly defeated, and, the next day, driven away. Their mode of action, their arms and ammunition, all told plainly of British aid. They also ex- pected to find the cannon lost by St. Clair Novem- ber 4, 1791, but which the Americans had secured. The 26th of July, Gen. Scott, with 1,600 mounted men from Kentucky, joined Gen. Wayne at Fort Greenville, and, two days after, the legion moved forward. The 8th of August, the army reached the junction of the Auglaize and Mau- mee, and at once proceeded to erect Fort Defiance, where the waters meet. The Indians had abandoned

* Annals of the West.

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their towns on the approach of the army, and were congregating further northward.

While engaged on Fort Defiance, Wayne received continual and full reports of the Indians- of their aid from Detroit and elsewhere; of the nature of the ground, and the circumstances, favorable or unfavorable. From all he could learn, and considering the spirits of his army, now thoroughly disciplined, he determined to march forward and settle matters at once. Yet, true to his own instincts, and to the measures of peace so forcibly taught by Washington, he sent Christopher Miller, who had been naturalized among the Shawanees, and taken prisoner by Wayne's spies, as a messenger of peace, offering terms of friendship.

Unwilling to waste time, the troops began to move forward the 15th of August, and the next day met Miller with the message that if the Amer- icans would wait ten days at Auglaize the Indians would decide for peace or war. Wayne knew too well the Indian character, and answered the mes- sage by simply marching on. The 18th, the legion had advanced forty-one miles from Auglaize, and, being near the long-looked-for foe, began to take some measures for protection, should they be at- tacked. A slight breastwork, called Fort Deposit, was erected, wherein most of their heavy baggage was placed. They remained here, building their works, until the 20th, when, storing their baggage, the army began again its march. After advancing about five miles, they met a large force of the ene- my, two thousand strong, who fiercely attacked them. Wayne was, however, prepared, and in the short battle that ensued they were routed, and large numbers slain. The American loss was very slight. The horde of savages were put to flight, leaving the Americans victorious almost under the walls of the British garrison, under Maj. Campbell. This officer sent a letter to Gen. Wayne, asking an explanation of his conduct in fighting so near, and in such evident hostility to the British. Wayne replied, telling him he was in a country that did not belong to him, and one he was not authorized to hold, and also charging him with aiding the Indians. A spirited corre- spondence followed, which ended in the American commander marching on, and devastating the In- dian country, even burning McKee's house and stores under the muzzles of the English guns.

The 14th of September, the army marched from Fort Defiance for the Miami village at the junc- tion of the St. Mary's and St. Joseph Rivers. It

reached there on the 17th, and the next day Gen. Wayne selected a site for a fort. The 22d of Oc- tober, the fort was completed, and garrisoned by a detachment under Maj. Hamtramck, who gave to it the name of Fort Wayne. The 14th of October, the mounted Kentucky volunteers, who had be- come dissatisfied and mutinous, were started to Fort Washington, where they were immediately mustered out of service and discharged. The 28th of October, the legion marched from Fort Wayne to Fort Greenville, where Gen. Wayne at once established his headquarters.

The campaign had been decisive and short, and had taught the Indians a severe lesson. The Brit- ish, too, had failed them in their hour of need, and now they began to see they had a foe to contend whose resources were exhaustless. Under these circumstances, losing faith in the English, and at last impressed with a respect for American power, after the defeat experienced at the hands of the "Black Snake," the various tribes made up their minds, by degrees, to ask for peace. During the winter and spring, they exchanged prisoners, and made ready to meet Gen. Wayne at Greenville, in June, for the purpose of forming a definite treaty, | as it had been agreed should be done by the pre- , liminaries of January 24.

During the month of June, 1795, representa- tives of the Northwestern tribes began to gather at Greenville, and, the 16th of the month, Gen. Wayne met in council the Delawares, Ottawas, Pottawato- mies and Eel River Indians, and the conferences, which lasted till August 10, began. The 21st of June, Buckongahelas arrived ; the 23d, Little Turtle and other Miamis ; the 13th of July, Tarhe and other Wyandot chiefs ; and the 18th, Blue Jacket, and thirteen Shawanees and Massas with twenty Chippewas.

Most of these, as it appeared by their statements, had been tampered with by the English, especially by McKee, Girty and Brant, even after the pre- liminaries of January 24, and while Mr. Jay was perfecting his treaty. They had, however, all de- termined to make peace with the "Thirteen Fires," and although some difficulty as to the ownership of the lands to be ceded, at one time seemed likely to arise, the good sense of Wayne and the leading chiefs prevented it, and, the 30th of July, the treaty was agreed to which should bury the hatchet for- ever. Between that day and the 3d of August. it was engrossed, and, having been signed by the various nations upon the day last named, it was finally acted upon the 7th, and the presents from

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the United States distributed. The basis of this treaty was the previous one made at Fort Harmar. The boundaries made at that time were re-affirmed ; the whites were secured on the lands now occu- pied by them or secured by former treaties ; and among all the assembled nations, presents, in value not less than one thousand pounds, were distributed to each through its representatives, many thousands in all. The Indians were allowed to remove and

punish intruders on their lands, and were permitted to hunt on the ceded lands.

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History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, Part 14

Author: N. N. Hill, Jr. Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Number of Pages: 826

Author: N. N. Hill, Jr.
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 826