USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, Volume Two > Part 19
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Captain Pipe and Captain Wingenund, accompanied rith Monseys and Delawares; Mathew Elliott, in his apacity as British captain, attended by Alexander AcCormick, an ensign, bearing a British flag; also five ther Englishmen and Frenchmen; with stragglers from arious tribes bringing up the rear; the whole troop umbering one hundred and forty men. They en- amped before Salem, the British flag being raised ver Elliott's tent. They were welcomed and entertained y Heckewelder, who minutely recites the subsequent vents in his Narrative. Soft words were uttered in ne ears of Heckewelder by Pomoacan and Elliott, hile some of the party proceeded to Gnadenhutten nd Schoenbrunn. The object of this martial embassy as to do away with the missions, if not by the toma- awk and the torch, certainly by securing the mission- ies, their assistants and chief converts, numbering all about one hundred families, who were to be irried captive to Detroit. The story is one of pathetic id tragic details; of hypocrisy and honeyed lies by the idians; of suffering and anguish on the part of the foravians, whose houses were looted and property :stroyed; whose peaceful and picturesque villages came the scenes of drunken riot, hideous dancing id indescribable yells and war whoops. The mission- ies of the three towns were, after many days, as- mbled at the encampment in Elliott's tent. The oils of the three villages were divided among the yandots, who "dressed themselves in the clothes ich they had stolen, and strutted about the camp th childish vanity." De Schweinitz sympathetically Is of the departure: "On the morning of Monday,
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the eleventh of September, the whole body of Christiar Indians, with the missionaries and their families, lef Salem, closely guarded by some Delaware and Wyando warriors. They travelled in two divisions, the on in canoes on the Tuscarawas, the other on land driving the cattle, of which there was a large herd.
"It was a sad journey. They were turning thei backs upon the scenes of more than eight years' in dustry, and of a Christian communion never equale in the history of the Indians. They were leavin behind rich plantations, with five thousand bushe. of unharvested corn, large quantities of it in stor hundreds of hogs and young cattle loose in the wood poultry of every kind, gardens stocked with an abur dance of vegetables, three flourishing towns, each wit a commodious house of worship, all the heavy article of furniture and implements of husbandry-in shor their entire property, excepting what could be carrie on pack-horses or stowed in canoes."
The little band of exiles, entering upon a twen year period of wanderings in strange lands, follow the river to the site of Goschochgung, whence mai of the Indians dispersed, leaving the captives in char; of the Half-King and the Wyandots, "who grew har and insolent, in their treatment of their prisone striking their horses until they were mad with frig and plunged through swamps at a fearful rate, refusi the mothers time to nurse their babies, and pushi forward in a wild, reckless career." By the first f October, the party reached the Sandusky, and hee Pomoacan, "not deigning a word of explanation r an offer of assistance, drew off his band to Upper Sa-
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isky and left the captives to their fate." Deserted us in a howling wilderness, without provisions and 1 game to be seen, they were thrown upon their own sources. Selecting a site on the river, suitable for eir habitation, they erected small log cabins and thered once more about their forest altars. It is lled by De Schweinitz, "Captives' Town," and was one le above the junction of the Sandusky and Broken eek, in what is now Antrim Township, Wyandot bounty. Their little hamlet built, Pomoacan, sudden- appeared, proclaimed himself their chief and "an- nunced that he would organize them into war parties ad lead them against the Americans." Before how- éer, he could carry out this intended iniquity, Winge- Ind and Captain Pipe's brother brought them a mmons from de Peyster to appear at Detroit "for 1 al." It was a journey of peril and suffering that eded on November 8, 1781, when, says Heckewelder, laving survived a dreadful night, we were approach- ilg a fine town, in which we hoped to be so fortunate a to meet with some one hospitable person, who could finish us with an early and warm breakfast which were so much in need of; we had to stand on the cawbridge a long time, until the pleasure of the nmandant, who resided at the east end of the town Vs known; we were permitted to proceed; curiosity hd drawn the inhabitants into the street to see what Ind of people these were; the few cloaths we had on or backs, and those tattered and torn, might cause tem to cast looks of contempt on us; but we did not fd this to be the case. After standing some time i the street, opposite the dwelling of the commandant,
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we were brought in before him, where we, on an emp stomach, shivering with cold, worn down by t journey, and not free from rheumatic pains, aga had to stand, until we had undergone a kind of € amination." Here we temporarily leave the Moravil exiles while we resume the course of events in te Ohio country.
Clark, now located at Louisville, had never aba- doned his determination to accomplish the capture f Detroit and thus destroy the British stronghold in te west. In the autumn of the year 1779, Clark, s colonel of the Illinois-Virginia regiment, had calleca council of war at the Falls of the Ohio, to consider te practicability of a military expedition against te British, either at Detroit or the Floridas, for the lat r were then in the British possession. Several Kentucy captains were present at this council, but nothing cate of the deliberations as Colonel Clark was occupid the ensuing year, and more, with military movemers which we have related. But Clark was indefatigat ;. Towards the close of 1780 we find him in Virgini, assisting the Continental forces in resisting the captie of Richmond by the British. At this time Clak secured the approval of Governor Jefferson, to 1e proposed Detroit expedition. Washington also su- ported the proposition, by writing to Jefferson vy minute suggestions as to the equipment of Clar's proposed army of two thousand. Washington hd long contemplated the purpose of this expeditil, hoping the Continental powers might enter into t. Disappointed in this he said: "The State of Virgila has determined to undertake an expedition whic I
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ave ever had in view, and which I wished to carry nto execution by a Continental force; but you (Brod- ead) are sufficiently acquainted with the situation f our affairs, both as to men and supplies, to know hat it has been impossible to attempt it. It is the eduction of the post at Detroit."
Following the lengthy instructions of Washington, Governor Jefferson on February 13, 1781, wrote General Clark that preparations were on foot to execute le proposed plans. Jefferson and the Virginia au- lorities made Clark a Brigadier-General of the forces the expedition. Colonel John Gibson was to be lark's second in command and was to gather the nmunition and supplies at Fort Pitt. But conditions oved most unfavorable to the project. Clark wanted vo thousand men. They could not be spared from e Continental Army, which the Revolution had duced to a dangerous degree of depletion. And the lonies of Pennsylvania and Virginia, which were pected to supply Clark's recruits, were in no position
respond; the men of the fighting population felt at they were needed nearer home, and moreover ontinental money had become so worthless that cruits were likely to go practically unpaid. Other eans of raising men failing, a military draft was tempted. But, as revealed by the reports of the unty lieutenants, in the Virginia State Papers, the position was well nigh irresistible. But Clark, says historian, English, failing at one point turned pefully to another and never relaxed his efforts. was found that Gibson, then in command at Fort Itt, and his regiment could not be spared for the
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campaign and Clark hastened to Fort Pitt, whence he wrote most appealing letters to Washington and Jeffer son for aid. Finally, Clark, undaunted by failure o1 every hand, left Fort Pitt, June 15, 1781, not wit] two thousand men as contemplated, but with les than four hundred. Additional troops were expecte to overtake him, on the way, but none ever did. O August 4th, Clark's command reached Fort Henr at Wheeling, at which point a delay was intended unt the arrival of a force under Colonel Archibald Lochr -sometimes printed Laughery-but Clark's soldier, were restless and disposed to desert and Clark r luctantly pushed on down the river.
Colonel Archibald Lochry was the county lieutenai of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and at Clark earnest solicitation had assembled a command of or hundred and twenty county militia, comprising company of volunteer riflemen raised by Capta Robert Orr, and two companies of rangers und Captains Samuel Shannon and Thomas Stockley- also spelled Stokely-and a company of horsem under Captain William Campbell. These "companie were of course small, as, says English, "there were b one hundred and seven men in the party when th passed down the Ohio."
Lochry's reënforcement reached Fort Henry August 8th, four days after the departure of Clar, who had now gone twelve miles further down the rivy, leaving for Lochry some provisions and a travellig boat with directions to follow as soon as possib; Lochry's men, after preparing some temporary boas for the transportation of men and horses, which (-
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:upied ten days, proceeded to overtake Clark. Arriv- ng at the latter's last stopping point, they found he had gone on down the river the day before, leaving behind or Lochry's benefit, Lieutenant Creacraft-or Cray- :roft-with a few men and a boat for transportation of horses, but without either provisions or ammunition, both of which Lochry greatly needed. Clark also left vord that he would wait the arrival of Lochry at the nouth of the Kanawha, but when the belated party reached that point they found that Clark had been obliged, in order to keep his men from deserting, to ›roceed down the river, leaving only a letter affixed o a pole, directing Lochry to follow on down the river. But the river was low and none of the Lochry party new the channel and their supplies were so exhausted hat they abandoned the attempt to overtake Clark with their whole force, deciding rather to send Captain Shannon with seven men in a "swift moving boat," o overtake Clark, if possible, and inform him of the listressing situation.
During the absence of Captain Shannon, Lieutenant saac Anderson was left in command of his company. This, says English, under ordinary circumstances, was wise determination, and would doubtless have been uccessful but for an overwhelming and unexpected lisaster which occurred to Captain Shannon and most f his men. They were captured by the Indians and vith them the letter to Clark, unfortunately disclosing he helpless condition of Lochry's party and also evealing the fact that Clark's party had preceded nd the American forces were thus divided. In short he whole scheme of advance was made known to
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the Indians, who hastily collected, three hundred strong, from various tribes, under able leaders, about eleven miles below the mouth of the Great Miami
The Indians forced Shannon's party, under promise of release, to station themselves at the upper end o an island, now called Lochry, located about three mile below a creek, also called Lochry, which flows into the Ohio from Indiana, a small stream, the course of which is the dividing line between Ohio and Dearborn coun ties. These "decoy prisoners" of Shannon's company were to hail Lochry's soldiers when appearing an induce them to surrender on the plea that the Indian warriors, gathered on the adjacent shore, were over whelmingly in the ascendancy. The Lochry part however were attacked before reaching the island probably at or near the mouth of the Lochry Creek where the Americans had stopped their boats an taken their horses ashore to graze. It was Augus 24th and Lieutenant Anderson in his journal says "Colonel Lochry ordered the boats to land on th Indiana shore, about ten miles below the mouth ( the Great Meyamee (Miami) River, to cook provision and cut grass for the horses, when we were fired o by a party of Indians from the bank. We took t our boats, expecting to cross the river, and were fire on by another party in a number of canoes, and soo we became a prey to them. They killed the colon and a number more after they were prisoners. Th number of ours killed was about forty. They marche us that night about eight miles up the river and er camped." It was an indescribable massacre, forty two were shot or tomahawked and scalped in col
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ood, among them Colonel Lochry. The surviving rty-two men were made prisoners. The assaulting dians divided the plunder and the prisoners and set ;next day for their Ohio towns, meeting before parating, a party of British-one hundred rangers, cording to Butterfield-and numerous Indians, all der Captains Alexander McKee, Andrew Thompson d Simon Girty.
The main portion of this force hastened on to the hio to watch Clark and his army, which had taken arters at Louisville. The gory disaster, which (stroyed Lochry's force and put an end to Clark's jans was followed by an episode of thrilling interest, Incerning which authorities are somewhat in conflict, t which must not go unrecorded in our narrative. According to the Draper Manuscripts and the ashington-Irvine correspondence, George Girty and seph Brant, the celebrated Mohawk chief, were with ad presumably directed the Indians who intercepted ad killed or captured the members of Lochry's party. st why Brant should have been there, so far away fim home, at that time, is not clear and Stone, the Eographer of Brant, makes no mention of it. But the titimony of the above authorities, accepted by Butter- fld, is that after the defeat of Lochry, when George (rty and Brant, having started on their return to the Indian centers, met the British force under McKee lad Simon Girty, the latter and Brant fell into a serious baercation. Captain Brant, so runs the story, elated icer the success of his encounter with Lochry, and rf ther excited by potations of fire water, unduly cbasted of his prowess and achievements before Simon
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Girty, whose envy was unduly aroused. The renegade probably also under the influence of his favorite beve age, bluntly told the imperious Brant that he lie The insult was instantly resented and the savag Thayendanego (Brant), according to the person. statement (in 1864) to Mr. Draper by Mrs. Sara Munger, then the only surviving child of the famot Simon Girty, "struck a sword blow across the righ side of Girty's head, inflicting an ugly wound over tl right ear to the top of his head, so that the beatir of his brain was plainly discernible-the wound wi three inches long and when healed over could lay one finger lengthwise in the place." It came nearly te minating the career of the venturesome Girty, who, soon as he was able retired to Upper Sandusky whe he remained during the winter of 1781-2. He ev after carried a deep scar upon his forehead, alwa explaining that he had received the saber-cut in battl Mrs. Munger, further stated to Mr. Draper that aft the affair, "Brant shed tears and fell on his knees ar begged Girty's forgiveness and Girty forgave hir they subsequently served together but Girty alwa represented that Brant never placed himself whe there was danger."
It was quite certain now that Clark's invasion the interior was frustrated and it required mu persuasion on the part of McKee and Brant to indu the Indians to proceed further toward the Falls pursuit of Clark. On September 9th, when with thirty miles of Louisville, the Indian leaders learn that Clark had abandoned his expedition, whereup the British and many Indians immediately began '
CHIEF JOSEPH BRANT
Born about 1742 and died 1807. Mohawk Indian chief and most distinguished warrior of the Six Nations. He took part in Pontiac's Wars. His sister Molly was the wife of Sir William Johnson.
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Girty, whose envy was unduly aroused. The ren ТИАЯЯ НЯЯГОТ НЯТНО
probably also under the influence of his favorite foido nsibal iwsdoM .508[ barb bas SATI tuods prod
The instfew whoM itgieciHlyer sepritadi antsqt Hos Thayendanego (Brant), according .noandel msilliV/ 112 to stiw to statement (in 1864) to Mr. Draper by Mrs. Munger, then the only surviving child of the Simon Girty, "struck a sword blow across th side of Girty's head, inflicting an ugly wound ovn right ear to the top of his head, so that the U of his brain was plainly discernible-the wound three inches long and when healed over could la finger lengthwise in the place." It came near minating the career of the venturesome Girty, p soon as he was able retired to Upper Sandusky he remained during the winter of 1781-2. H after carried a deep scar upon his forehead, explaining that he had received the saber-cut in Mrs. Munger, further stated to Mr. Draper tha the affair, "Brant shed Tears und fell on his kne beused Ginny's forgiveness and Girty forgave they wil merih med Together but Girty reppenulo man never placed himself there was
It ww ww wwww now that Clark's inva. the intern Tocuted and it required persuasion Full of Mckee and Brant to the Indiana wo and further toward the . pursuit of Clark Do September 9th, when thirty miles of Lawvale, the Indian leaders in that Clark had alen bmed his expedition, when the British and many Indians immediately logan
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disperse and set out for their Canadian and Ohio settlements. However, according to Butterfield, two hundred Wyandots and Miamis, under McKee and Brant, moved southward into Kentucky "to attack some of the small forts and infest the roads." McKee and Brant's party, with which was George Girty, succeeded in killing a number of men, women and children at Long Run; after which, these warriors, too, returned to their homes.
Clark's men found their way back to their Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Virginia homes as best they could and thus ended the fond dream of the intrepid com- mander that he might be the hero of the capture of Detroit.
"I am sorry to hear," afterwards wrote Washington, "of the failure of General Clark's expedition, of which I was always doubtful, as it was to be carried on with militia. But of this I am convinced, that the pos- session or destruction of Detroit is the only means of giving peace and security to the western frontier, and that when it is undertaken, it should be by such a force as should not risk a disappointment."
CHAPTER XV. THE MORAVIAN MASSACRE
F the disappointment of Clark was great, that he could not accomplish his long-cherished plan to seize the British stronghold on the Detroit River, it must have been in great measure alleviated y the fact that when his disbanded men, after wearied ourneyings, reached their homes, they learned of the American victory and the British surrender at York- own, which occurred on October 19, 1781.
On the 6th of November, 1781, General Irvine made fficial announcement of "the great and glorious news" f the surrender of Cornwallis, and ordered thirteen ieces of artillery to be fired in Fort Pitt at ten o'clock. And Mr. Chapman, in "Old Pittsburgh Days, " adds, he further glorious proclamation was that "The com- missaries will issue a gill of whiskey, extraordinary, to ne non-commissioned officers and privates upon this yful occasion." As the higher officials and the citi- ens were not limited to a gill, extraordinary, there is o doubt that the glad news was ratified in right yal style in the good town of Pittsburg.
American independence was assured and the Rev- lution in the Seaboard States was at an end. Not ) however in the trans-Allegheny country. There ne story with many bloody and harrowing details as to continue for more than a decade.
We left captive Moravian missionaries in the pres- ice of de Peyster, on that bleak November day after heir journey of more than two hundred miles from heir Ohio homes. Their examination was delayed by le French commandant, until the arrival of Captain ipe, who was to be the principal witness, if not the ain accusant. Hearing that the wily chief had come
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and lay encamped near the Detroit fort, Zeisberge: trustfully turned to him for friendly treatment, sending him a string and speech, imploring him to appeal to de Peyster in behalf of the captive missionaries tha they might be restored to their Ohio homes and Indian converts. "How sad it is," Zeisberger writes in hi journal, "to know that our fate depends upon a savag and he, the bitter enemy of the Gospel, when we ar among persons who call themselves Christians." Cap tain Pipe accepted the string and speech but made n promises. The trial took place in the council-chambe of de Peyster's quarters, the next day after Captain Pipe entered Detroit with his Delaware and Ming bands, exultantly whooping and brandishing the scalp of their victims. The Delaware chief addressed d Peyster in "a very remarkable and spirited manner, stating he had obeyed orders and brought the Christia: Indians captive to Detroit and then he briefly plea for the safety of the Moravians, stating they were in nocent of wrong against the British. After a searchin examination of the missionaries, during which Zeis berger made a lengthy statement of the Moravia attitude towards the British and Americans, d Peyster gave his verdict which was that he was nc opposed to these missionaries preaching the Gosp among the Indians, but that they must not meddl with the war; they could return to their converts an that they might do so with comfort he would suppl them with clothing from the public stores.
De Schweinitz in commenting on the above even justly remarks, that the readiness with which c Peyster accepted the explanation of Captain Pif
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presents his character in a favorable light when com- pared with that of Hamilton. Like his predecessor, de Peyster encouraged the cruelties of Indian warfare, "but these belonged to that inhuman policy which the Americans had, by this time, learned almost as well as the English." But while Hamilton pursued it with violent vindictiveness, de Peyster regarded it as a necessary evil. "The one was a vulgar ruffian; the other, a high-toned gentleman."
Thus honorably released, Zeisberger and his party hastened back to their families and people at Cap- tives' Town, where they related to their rejoicing friends the narrative of their journey and happy acquittal.
The Moravian exiles longed for their homes on the Tuscarawas, but those, alas, were desolate and ruined; he ruthless result of the destructive invasion of Po- noacan, Captains Elliott and Pipe and their British und tribal forces, in the early fall of 1781, as previously lescribed. The heartless despoilers however had left few Indian converts in the three Tuscarawas centers, ut these remaining Moravian dwellers were in im- nediate danger not only from the hostile Indians of he West but also from the suspicious whites on the )hio frontier. It was deemed best by the colonial military authorities that these Moravian villages be ompletely broken up and the few tribesmen, lingering herein, be persuaded to move further away or seek ort Pitt for protection. To carry this decision into ffect, a company of some seventy-five Pennsylvania orderers, commanded by Colonel David Williamson, et out for these towns, in November 1781. This was hile the Zeisberger exiles were on their way to Detroit.
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Colonel Williamson, on arriving at the Tuscarawas villages, found them practically destroyed and nearly deserted, only a few Indians remaining in them. These he made prisoners, among them, Shebosh, the famous half-breed convert, and carried them to Fort Pitt. But Colonel John Gibson, at that time commandant of the fort, released them, and they, in spite of threaten- ing dangers, returned to their devastated villages.
The Detroit refugees, therefore, resolved to remain at Captives' Town and pursuant to that determination and as a thank offering for their deliverance, they pro- ceeded to erect a temple of worship, which by the first of December was completed and dedicated "a structure of poles laid horizontally between up right stakes, the crevices being filled with moss"- a crude structure but harboring the faith of a simple folk as steadfast and ardent as that of the early Chris- tian martyrs.
But their religious zeal did not put clothing or their backs nor nourishing food in their starving bodies It was a winter of unusual severity; the provisions a Captives' Town soon gave out and there was no source of supply to make good the want. "Many a time,' in that winter, wrote Mrs. Zeisberger, "the Indian shared their last morsel with me, for many a time spent eight days without any food of my own." I1 the midst of this distress, some of the converts, whon Williamson had carried off to Pittsburg, returning took refuge amid their friends at Captives' Town.
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