USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, Volume Three > Part 20
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In some instances, a chief would march along with the army, apparently zealous in the work of the campaign, only to be found at last leading the savage foe in a night attack against those for whom he had professed friendship. Others there were, who proved their devotion on the weary march and in the clash of combat. A pathetic instance is here recorded that is worthy of a place in the annals of the State.
Captain James Logan, Shawnee chief, was detailed on a scouting expedition to the Rapids by General Harrison. In company with two companions he set out upon the mission, but encountering the enemy in considerable force, he retreated to the camp of General Winchester, where he truthfully reported the incidents of the excursion. Some of the soldiers who heard him, however, doubted his story and openly accused him of treachery. Keenly sensitive and smarting under the unjust imputation, he firmly and silently resolved that by some daring and desperate exploit against the enemy he would demonstrate his fidelity to the Americans and establish his claim to their confidence and respect. By an exhibition of his worth he would put to shame the calumnies of his accusers.
On November 2, 1812, he set forth with his two companions on a second expedition, determined to bring back a scalp or a prisoner, or die in the attempt. As the little party proceeded toward the Rapids, they unexpectedly fell in with a British officer, the eldest son of Colonel Elliott, and five Indians. Realizing that taken at this disadvantage resistance would probably be in vain, Logan advanced boldly with
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assurances of friendship to greet the British officer. Unfortunately, among the Indians under Elliott, was a chief, Winemac by name, who personally knew Logan, and was fully aware of his friendship for the Americans. Nothing daunted, however, the latter persisted that he was going to the Rapids to give information to the British. After some conversation he proceeded on his way, accompanied by Elliott and the five hostile Indians, who suspiciously watched every movement of Logan and his companions. Wine- mac proposed to the British officer to seize the three and bind them. Elliott answered that they were completely in his power, and that if they attempted to escape he could run them down or shoot them. Logan overheard the conversation. It had been his purpose to travel on until nightfall and then make an effort to escape under shadow of darkness. Now fearing that he might be overpowered at any moment, he resolved upon the desperate expedient of extri- cating himself from his perilous position by suddenly facing and fighting the enemy, a purpose which he quietly communicated to his two companions. For a time they moved on in silence. Then Logan suddenly turned and shot down Winemac. One of his compan- ions shot Elliott. At the next round an Ottawa chief fell mortally wounded. A little later another of the enemy met the same fate, and the two remaining Indians fled into the forest, leaving behind the horses of their slain comrades. Near the close of the combat Logan himself was shot, the ball passing downward through the breast and lodging under the skin of his back. One of his companions was shot through the
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thigh; the other escaped unhurt. The two who were wounded mounted two of the horses and rode back to Winchester's camp, twenty miles away. The third Indian, after taking the scalp of the Ottawa chief, returned on foot, reaching the camp next morning.
There was none now to question the fidelity of Logan, but he had won the confidence of those to whom he was devoted at the cost of his life. After two days of terrible agony, borne with the fortitude peculiar to his race, without a regret or a murmur, he breathed his last. "More firmness and consummate bravery has seldom appeared on the military theater," wrote General Winchester to General Harrison. "He was buried," said Major Hardin, "with all the honors due his rank, and with a sorrow as sincerely and generally displayed as I ever witnessed."
Logan was named after General Logan of Kentucky, by whom he was captured when a child. His mother was a sister of Tecumseh and the Prophet. In the summer preceding the events here narrated, he spent an entire night in an effort to dissuade Tecumseh from his warlike designs, while the latter urged him to join the British. Failing to agree they parted, never to meet again. Logan in physique and bearing was a noble representative of his race. Just before his death, when he realized that his hours were num- bered, he asked Major Hardin to use the money due him for his services for the removal of his family to Kentucky where his children might be educated after the manner of the whites. He was assured that everything possible would be done to carry out his wishes. The tribe to which he belonged, however,
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refused to give up the family, and they disappeared behind the veil that obscures the fate of the primitive children of the forest. Another Logan, a Mingo chief, has been immortalized for his reputed eloquence. It remains for the poet or the novelist to perform a like service for Captain James Logan, the Shawnee chief, who in the camp of General Winchester, vindi- cated his honor and died as became a soldier and a patriot.
In the meantime Winchester had reached the Rapids of the Maumee River, January 10, 1813. Instead of remaining there and establishing a stockade where it had been planned to accumulate stores for a combined army movement against the enemy, he listened to the urgent requests of the citizens of Frenchtown for aid against the attacks of the British and Indians. The latter were at Malden, eighteen miles distant from Frenchtown, which was on the Raisin River. Nearly seven hundred men were sent to the relief of Frenchtown under the command of Colonels Lewis and Allen. General Winchester perceiving that he sent them into the very jaws of the enemy, three thousand strong, and fearing the result, followed with two hundred and fifty more men. Frenchtown was taken, but just after Winchester arrived, the British and Indians appeared in force and overwhelmed the American troops. The brutal English commander, Proctor, permitted a general massacre of the prisoners and wounded, by the Indian contingent. The snow was deep and the soldiers so exhausted that most of them fell into the hands of the cruel enemy. Only thirty- three escaped and returned to the Rapids. Winchester
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himself was taken prisoner, and thus another disaster had befallen American arms in the Michigan Territory.
General Harrison had apprehended Winchester's danger and had hastened to the Maumee River. He arrived at the Rapids the very day after this disaster. The next morning, to prevent the enemy from cutting him off from his base of supplies, Harrison retreated to Portage River and awaited the arrival of expected reinforcements of troops and artillery, which were delayed by heavy rains and did not arrive until January 30. On February I, with 1,700 men and a few pieces of artillery, Harrison again advanced to the foot of the Rapids, where he chose a more commanding eminence than that selected by Winchester, and com- menced the construction of a strong fort which, in honor of the Governor of Ohio, he named Fort Meigs.
A hollow square was formed on the hill. Trees were felled and breastworks were at once thrown up around the army. The troops ate their ration of parched corn and worked vigorously and cheerfully all day long. Trenches were dug; logs were split and planted on end to form a defensive wall of "picketings" or palisades; blockhouses were raised; and gradually under the direction of Captain Wood of the engineers' corps, the fort took substantial and commanding form. At first it covered nine acres, but the area was extended until it included fourteen acres. When the outer works were completed, grand transverse embankments were built across the enclosure, and later, when the besiegers approached, the tents were taken down, and each mess excavated under the embankment rooms that they occupied as substitutes. These were care-
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fully drained, so that inconvenience from the dampness would be reduced to a minimum. A well was com- menced, but, unfortunately, was not completed before the siege began.
It was Harrison's original purpose, while the river and lake were still frozen, to make a swift march down the Maumee, across to Malden, surprise the British, and destroy the little fleet at that post. A change in the weather, however, prevented the execution of his plans, and the bold enterprise was abandoned.
One afternoon in the latter part of April, two strangers on horseback appeared on the opposite bank of the river. They halted and surveyed with evident interest the fort on the hill, then nearing completion. Some of the officers within the fort, regarding the action suspicious, had a shot from one of the heavy guns fired at the intruders. The earth was torn up in their immediate vicinity and they soon galloped out of sight. It was learned afterwards that the two men were Proctor and Tecumseh.
The investment of Fort Meigs began April 27. Conservative estimates of the forces under the com- mand of the British fix the total at 2,560, of whom 1200 were Indians. When the siege began, Harrison had a much smaller force, which was afterward augmented to 2,000 men. He realized that Fort Meigs must stand as a defense for all the territory north of the river. He therefore doubled his energies tc strengthen the works and provision the place for a long siege. The forest was cleared away for a con- siderable distance from the fort to give the artillery free play.
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THE RISE AND PROCE
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The Indians crossed the river, April 29, and the in- vestment of the fort was soon complete. From this day firing was frequent and spirited. On the night of April 30, the British sent a gunboat up near the fort and opened fire point blank upon the works with little effect. In the morning twilight the boat was towed down the river beyond the reach of the guns on the hill. A vigorous bombardment was kept up from the British batteries across the river, from two hundred and fifty to five hundred and fifty shots being fired daily at the fort in the early part of May.
A thrilling story is told of the removal of the maga- zines of the fort to a place of safety. At first the pow- der was kept in wagons under shelter of the earthworks. As the siege progressed it was realized that there was great danger of the blowing up of the magazines. A number of men volunteered to move the powder to a small blockhouse, excavate a receptacle and bury it beyond the reach of cannon shot. The enemy evidently suspected this, for they trained their guns on the blockhouse. Red-hot shot fell hissing around. Finally a shell dropped through the roof, and lodging in the framework, sent forth scintillating sparks from its writhing fuse. The workmen threw themselves to earth, expecting to hear the thunderous explosion which would end their earthly careers. One of them for- tunately had the presence of mind to seize a boathook, pull the hissing bomb to the ground, and jerk the burning fuse from its socket. With feverish excite- ment the work of the little band of volunteers was soon completed, and the magazines were securely covered.
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On the night of May 3, a gun and mortar battery supported by about two hundred British regulars was transported under cover of the darkness across the river and planted behind earthworks about four hundred yards from the fort. On the following morn- ing Proctor sent to Harrison a peremptory demand to surrender. But the British were not dealing with Hull. "Assure the General," wrote Harrison in reply to Proctor, "that he will never have this post surrendered to him upon any terms. Should it fall into his hands it will be in a manner calculated to do him more honor, and to give him larger claims upon the gratitude of his government than any capitulation could possibly do."
At about midnight May 4, Harrison received word that General Clay was approaching with 1,200 Kentuck- ians, who had halted only about two hours' march distant, and were awaiting orders. Harrison at once directed that General Clay send eight hundred men from his forces for the purpose of landing on the other side and attacking the enemy's batteries. In the meantime he took advantage of the opportunity for planning a sortie which he designed sometime previous. This sortie was to be made upon the side of the fort commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Miller of the Nineteenth United States Infantry, simultaneously with the attack to be made upon the enemy's batteries by the detachment under Colonel Dudley, from General Clay's reinforcements.
The duty assigned to Colonel Dudley was performed with soldierly ability and execution. He landed his men in good order. He then advanced to the
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enemy's batteries and carried four of them instantly, putting the British regulars and Indians to flight. The victory was complete and decisive, and if Dudley had obeyed orders implicitly, he and his brave men would have been the victors of that day. Harrison's orders when he planned this attack, were: "The bat- teries must be taken, the cannon spiked, the carriages cut down; and the troops then must return to their boats and cross over to the fort." But Dudley's im- petuous Kentuckians, flushed with victory, pushed on in pursuit of the flying enemy. Their commander tried to stop them, but in vain, and they ran full into an awaiting ambush of Tecumseh and his Indians, three times the number of the Kentuckians.
General Harrison saw the whole event from the rampart of the fort. He beckoned and shouted for them to retreat; they thought they were cheered on. "They are lost! they are lost!" he exclaimed; "can I never get men to obey my orders?" He offered a thousand dollars to the man who would cross the river and carry a warning to Colonel Dudley. Lieutenant Campbell attempted this but it was too late. The Kentuckians fought bravely but vainly, and of eight hundred Americans that an hour before had been victors, all were slain or captured except one hundred and fifty. Colonel Dudley himself was killed in attempting to cut his way through to the river.
In this connection, however, is to be recorded the most disgraceful incident of this siege. It stands as a shame to a Christain and civilized nation. When Dudley's prisoners were taken down to the British headquarters, which was Fort Miami, the Indians were
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given free play upon them. They, the Indians, amused themselves by firing at will among the prisoners. Those Indians who desired to select individual victims were permitted to do so. They led their captives to the very gates of Fort Miami, and under the eye of General Proctor and in the presence of the British army tomahawked and scalped them. This work of devilish savagery, approved by the British, continued for nearly two hours, during which twenty defenseless prisoners were massacred in the presence of the British authorities to whom they had surrendered.
While this massacre was going on, the Indian chiefs were holding a council. In this council, the Potta- wattomies, who were painted black, were for a general massacre. In truth their warriors were carrying that plan out at the very moment. The Miamis and Wyandots were on the side of humanity, and opposed this. During this dispute as to how the carnage should be conducted, Tecumseh and the British Colonel Elliott came upon the scene. When Tecumseh beheld the slaughter he flourished his sword and cried: "For shame, desist; it is a disgrace to kill a defenseless prisoner." To the great joy of Dudley's men, his orders were obeyed. By this single act the Indian Tecumseh displayed more humanity and civilization than Proctor and his British associates.
Notwithstanding Dudley's defeat, the complete success of his attack on the British batteries inspired Colonel Miller in his sortie. He sallied from the fort at the head of three hundred men, and assaulted the enemy's works, manned by three hundred and fifty regu- lar British troops and five hundred Indians. The bold-
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ness and rapidity of the attack dazed the enemy. They were driven from their batteries, their cannon spiked, and Colonel Miller returned to the fort with forty-two prisoners. Considering the inequality of numbers between the Americans and British, this sortie must be regarded as one of the most heroic and brilliant actions of the war.
Proctor now saw that the further investment of Fort Meigs was impracticable. He had tested to his sorrow, the fighting spirit of the Americans. He found that though the contest was unequal, they, fewer in numbers as they were, were more than a match for his trained regulars and his blood-thirsty allies. He asked for a cessation of hostilities. During this time arrangements were made for the exchange of prisoners. Tecumseh agreed to surrender his prisoners provided some Wyandots held by General Harrison were deliv- ered up.
The disheartening results of the siege caused Proctor's Indian allies to abandon him, and the Canadian militia were discontented and wanted to go home. The greatest disappointment fell to the Prophet. He had been promised the Territory of Michigan for his reward. Tecumseh was equally disgusted. Proctor had promised him the body of General Harrison against whom he was filled with hatred and revenge since the battle of Tippecanoe. Angered at the failure on all sides, the Indians left; Tecumseh, however, was held o the enemy by receiving a commission and the pay of a brigadier-general in the British army.
In the siege of Fort Meigs the American loss was eighty-one killed and one hundred and eighty-nine
1 e
·
.
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wounded. This does not include the killed and wounded under Colonel Dudley. The British under Proctor had five hundred and fifty regulars, eight hundred Canadian militia and fifteen hundred Indians. During the truce Proctor, in a communication to General Harrison, promised to furnish a list of his killed and wounded, but he never kept his promise. On May 9, 1813, at noon, Proctor embarked his men under the artillery fire of the fort and sailed away, humiliated, defeated and disappointed. Thus ended the thirteen days' siege of Fort Meigs. Its capture would have been a serious blow to the country, and a frightful calamity to Ohio. It contained nearly all the military stores, provisions and supplies of the Northwestern Army, and was the sole protection against the in- vasion of the State by the British.
Realizing this situation, while the siege was on Governor Meigs called out the full strength of the Ohio militia and led them in person to relieve Fort Meigs. He had proceeded as far as Lower Sandusky when he met General Harrison on his way to Cincinnati who informed him of the raising of the siege and the retreat of Proctor and Tecumseh. General Harrisor dismissed the militia in the following complimentary order issued from his heaquarters at Franklinton May 16, 1813:
"The Commanding General has observed, with the warmest gratitude, the astonishing exertions which have been made by His Excellency Governor Meigs and the generals and other militia officers of this State in collecting and equipping a body of troops for th relief of Camp Meigs. But the efforts of these me:
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would have been unavailing had they not been seconded by the patriotic ardor of every description of citizens, which has induced them to leave their homes, at a most critical season of the year, regardless of every consideration, but that of rendering service to their country. The General found the road from Lower Sandusky to this place literally covered with men, and among them many who shared in the toils and dangers of the Revolutionary War, and on whom, of course, there existed no legal claims for military services. The General has every reason to believe that similar efforts have been made in Kentucky. He offers to all those brave men from both States his sincere acknowledgment, and is happy to inform them that there is at present no necessity for their longer con- tinuance in the field. The enemy has fled with pre- cipitation from Camp Meigs, and that fort is in much better situation to resist an attack than when the last siege was commenced."
This order disbanding the militia created great dissatisfaction in Ohio. There was an intense feeling against the British, and a general desire among the people to participate in the war. It was therefore a great disappointment when Harrison dismissed the troops. His complimentary references in his order did not satisfy the public. General Harrison's policy was the result of the direct orders of the Secretary of War, who, in a confidential letter forbade the calling out of any more militia until Lake Erie was free from British domination. This letter also stopped all fur- ther efforts toward recovering Detroit. These orders were confidential and secret, and General Harrison had
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to obey them, and at the same time receive without explanation, the bitter opposition and criticism to which they gave rise.
General Harrison needing more troops, and with the orders of the Secretary of War forbidding the use of the militia, proceeded to Cincinnati and thence to the Newport Barracks, in Kentucky, hoping to secure regular troops. Here he found the Twenty Fourth Regiment of the United States which he ordered to Franklinton.
CHAPTER IX. THE COUNCIL AT FRANKLINTON SIEGE OF FORT MEIGS DEFENSE OF FORT STEPHENSON PERRY'S VICTORY
W ITH the abandonment of the siege of Fort Meigs there was a cessation of hostilities on both sides for several months. General Harrison in the meantime was giving much consideration to the organization of his troops, and also to the question of the attitude of certain Indians in the war. His experience in his campaigns had taught him much on this last problem. He saw that a most dangerous element in the conflict was the Indian allies of the British. He was aware that Tecumseh was endeavoring to draw to his support the Ohio Indians as well as certain tribes in Indiana and Illinois. It had been the policy of the United States not to employ friendly Indians in its service. There was an exception made in the case of James Logan, Tecumseh's nephew, whose heroic death was recorded in the last chapter. General Harrison's advice to the Indians was to remain neutral-"keep hands off." This, in their native innocence, they could not understand, expecially those who were friendly to the Americans, when they saw the British helped by their own friendly allies. Knowing that some of the tribes were friendly to the Americans, and that others were treacherously representing them- selves to be so, General Harrison called a council of the leading chiefs to find out just where they stood and what they would do in the emergency.
This council was held at Franklinton, now a part of Columbus, June 21, 1813. It was one of the most important events of this period, and through it General Harrison found what Indians could be depended upon. The Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, and Senecas
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