USA > Ohio > Seneca County > History of Seneca County : Containing a detailed narrative of the principal events that have occured since its first settlement down to the present time > Part 8
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* The land upon which Camp Seneca was built, is now owned by Joel Risdon, and R. M. Titus. It is about nine miles from Lower Sandusky, and one mile south of the nor- thern boundary of the county,
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horrible cruelty. For if the Indians fighting with him, would forbear such conduct, it would prove, that the British could al- so restrain theirs if they wished to do it. He humorously told them he had been informed that General Proctor had promised to deliver him into the hands of Tecumthe, if he succeeded against Fort Meigs, to be treated as that warrior might think proper .* "Now, if I can succeed in taking Proctor, you shall shall have him for your prisoner, provided you will agree to treat him as a squaw, and only put petticoats upon him ; for he must be a coward who would kill a defenseless prisoner."+
In the month of June, while at Franklinton, General Harri- son was informed that Fort Meigs was again invested. Al- though he doubted the intention of the enemy to attack that place, at this time, he promptly started a reinforcement to its relief, and on the 28th, reached there in person. It proved to be a false alarm, and the general returned to Lower Sandusky, on the first of July, and on the following day set off for Cleve- land, on business connected with the public stores, and the building of boats for transporting the army across the lake .- On the 23d, a body of eight hundred Indians were seen to pass Fort Meigs, for the purpose, it was supposed, of attacking Fort Winchester. Two days afterwards, the British and Indians appeared in great numbers before Fort Meigs, then commanded by General Clay. In the meantime, Captain Oliver, accompa-
* We find the following note in Dawson, on this subject : " There is no doubt that when Proctor made the arrangement for the attack on Fort Meigs with Tecumthe, the latter insisted, and the former agreed, that General Harrison, and all who fought at Tip- pecanoe, should be given up to the Indians to be burned. Major Ball, of the dragoons, ascertained this fact from the prisoners, deserters and Indians, all of whom agreed to its truth."
On the supposition that this statement be true, it proves that Tecumthe meditated the violation of the agreement he made with General Harrison, at Vincennes, in 1810, that in the event of a war, prisoners, and women and children should be protected. On Do other occasion is he known to have departed from the spirit of his engagement.
+ M'Afee.
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nied by Captain McCune, was sent to apprise the commander- in-chief of the fact; and reached him at Lower Sandusky, with certain information that the united force of the enemy, principally Indians, was not less than five thousand-a greater number than had ever before assembled on any occasion during the war. General Harrison, with remarkable accuracy of judgment, as the result proved, came to the conclusion, that this investment of Fort Meigs was a feint, made by the enemy, to call his attention to that place, while Lower Sandusky or Cleveland, was really the point on which the next attack would be made. He immediately removed his head-quarters to Camp Seneca, nine miles above Lower Sandusky. From this place he could fall back and protect Upper Sandusky, or pass by a secret rout, to the relief of Fort Meigs-two points to be de- fended-Lower Sandusky being of comparatively little impor- tance. Major Croghan was left at Lower Sandusky, with one hundred and sixty regulars, for the defense of Fort Stephen- son. There were about six hundred troops at Camp Seneca- a force too small to advance upon Fort Meigs. Captain Mc- Cune was sent back to General Clay, with the information, that as early as the commander-in-chief could collect a suffi- cient number of troops, he would relieve the fort. The day after the return of the express, the enemy raised the siege .- As had been anticipated by General Harrison, the British sailed round into Sandusky Bay, while the Indians marched across the swamps of Portage river, to aid in the projected attack on Lower Sandusky.
As early as the 21st of April, of this year, General Harri- son, in a letter to the secretary of war, in speaking of the ul- terior operations of the campaign, remarked : "I shall cause the movements of the enemy to be narrowly watched ; but in the event of their landing at Lower Sandusky, that post cannot be saved. I will direct it in such an event to be evacuated .-
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The stores there are not of much consequence, excepting about five hundred stand of arms, which I will cause to be re- moved as soon as the roads are practicable-at present it is im- possible." These arms were subsequently removed. Just be- fore the express from Fort Meigs reached General Harrison, he in company with Major Croghan and other officers, had ex- amined Fort Stephenson, and concluded that it could not be defended against heavy artillery; and, if the British should approach it by water-which would raise a presumption, that they had brought their heavy artillery-the fort must be aban- doned and burnt, provided a retreat could be effected with safe- ty. In the orders left with Major Croghan, it was stated :- " Should the British troops approach you in force with cannon, and you can discover them in time to effect a retreat, you will do so immediately, destroying all the public stores .* You must be aware, that the attempt to retreat in the face of an Indian force, would be vain. Against such an enemy, your garri- son would be safe, however great the number." .
On the 29th, General Harrison was informed that the siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned. "The scouts sent out by him, reported that from the indications, they believed an attack was meditated by the Indians, then lying in numbers on the south side of Fort Meigs, upon Upper Sandusky. Upon this information, a council of war was called, composed of McAr- thur, Cass, Ball, Paul, Wood, Hukill, Holmes and Graham, who were unanimously of opinion, that as Fort Stephenson was untenable against heavy artillery, and as it was relatively an unimportant post, that the garrison should not be reinforc- ed, but withdrawn, and the place destroyed. The following . order was forthwith sent to Major Croghan : "Sir : Immedi- ately on receiving this letter, you will abandon Fort Stephen-
* The amount of stores at this place was inconsiderable : every thing valuable had been previously removed.
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son, set fire to it, and repair with your command this night to head-quarters. Cross the river, and come up on the other side. If you should find, or deem it impracticable to make good your march to this place, take the road to Huron, and pursue it with the utmost circumspection and dispatch." The bearer of this dispatch losing his way, it did not reach Major Croghan until eleven o'clock of the next day. The major was then of opin- ion that he could not retreat with safety, as the Indians were around the fort, in considerable numbers. A majority of his officers concurred in the opinion that to retreat was unsafe, and that the post could be maintained at least until further instruc- tions were received from head-quarters. The major, therefore, promptly returned the following answer : "Sir : I have just received yours of yesterday, ten o'clock, P. M., ordering me to destroy this place, and make good my retreat, which was re- ceived too late to be carried into execution. We have deter- mined to maintain this place, and, by Heavens, we can."- The strong language of this note, was used on the supposition that it might fall into the hands of the enemy. It reached the general on the same day, who, not fully understanding the mo- tives under which it was written, sent Colonel Wells next mor- ning, escorted by Colonel Ball, and a detachment of dragoons, with the following order :
" JULY 30th, 1813.
" SIR-The general has just received your letter of this date, inform- ing him that you had thought proper to disobey the order issued from this office, and delivered to you this morning. It appears that the information which dictated the order was incorrect ; and as you did not receive it in the night, as was expected, it might have been proper that you should have reported the circumstance and your situation, before you proceeded to its execution. This might have been passed over ; but I am directed to say to you, that an officer who presumes to aver, that he has made his resolution, and that he will act in direct opposition to the orders of his general, can no longer be intrusted with a separate command. Colonel
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Wells is sent to relieve you. You will deliver the command to him, and repair with Colonel Ball's squadron, to this place. By command, &c. "A. H. HOLMES, Ass't. Adjutant General."
In passing down, the dragoons met with a party of twenty Indians, and killed seventeen of them. When Major Croghan reached head-quarters, he explained to the general his motives in writing the note, which were deemed satisfactory. In the mean-time, the scouts had reported to General Harrison, that the Indians had not gone in the direction of Upper Sandusky. Upon receiving this information, Major Croghan was directed to resume his post, with written instructions of the same im- port as had been previously given.
On the evening of the 31st of July, some scouts sent out by General Harrison, discovered the British within twenty miles of Fort Stephenson, approaching the place by water. It was after twelve o'clock, however, on the next day, August 1st, be- fore these scouts, in returning to Camp Seneca, by Lower San- dusky, communicated this information to Major Croghan, and in a few hours afterwards the fort was actually invested by the British and Indians. A flag was now sent from the enemy de- manding a surrender. The messenger was informed that the commandant and garrison were determined to defend it to the last extremity. The attack was promptly commenced, and gallantly sustained. The result was glorious to the American arms, and covered the gallant Croghan and his officers and men, with honor. Only one man was killed, and but seven wounded, belonging to the garrison. The loss of the enemy was not less than one hundred and fifty, in killed and wound- ed.
General Harrison, when informed of the attack on Fort Ste- phenson, paused before moving to its relief. He was hourly expecting considerable reinforcements from the interior, but had not with him at Camp Seneca, a disposable force of more
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than eight hundred men, the fifth of whom were cavalry, who, in the thick woods extending the greater part of the way, be- tween that place and Lower Sandusky, would have been of lit- tle use. The remainder of these eight hundred men were raw recruits. To have marched upon an enemy, several thousand strong, with such a force, would, in all human probability, have resulted in its total destruction. Again, in moving to Fort Stephenson, he must necessarily leave the camp at Seneca with one hundred and fifty sick soldiers in it, exposed to the Indian tomahawk ; while Upper Sandusky, at which were ten thou- sand barrels of flour, besides other supplies of public stores, indispensable for the main objects of the campaign, was equal- ly liable to be attacked and destroyed by Tecumthe, who, with two thousand warriors, was then lying in the swamp, between that point and Fort Meigs, ready to strike upon either Camp Seneca or Upper Sandusky, in the event of General Harri- son's moving to Fort Stephenson. Under these circumstances, he was bound by every military principle, to retain that posi- tion in which he could, with the most certainty, accomplish the best results. He therefore determined to wait, for a time, at least, the progress of events, hoping that reinforcements would arrive before the fort could be reduced. On the night of the 2d, he was informed that the enemy was retreating, and early next morning having in the night been reinforced by three hundred Ohio militia, he set out for the fort attended by the dragoons, and directing the remainder of the disposable force to follow under Generals Cass and McArthur. Upon reaching the fort, the general was told by a wounded sergeant of the British troops, that Tecumthe was in the swamp, south of Fort Meigs, ready to strike at Upper Sandusky, on the first oppor- tunity. This information, corroborative of what he had before heard, induced the commander-in-chief to direct General Mc-
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Arthur, who had not yet reached the fort, to return to Camp Seneca with all possible dispatch.
In his official report of this affair, General Harrison said : " It will not be among the least of General Proctor's mortifica- tions to find that he has been baffled by a youth, who has just passed his twenty-first year. He is, however, a hero worthy of his gallant uncle, George R. Clark." The president imme- diately conferred the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel, on Ma- jör Croghan.
Shortly afterwards an attack was made in some public prints upon the conduct of General Harrison, in regard to the defense of Fort Stephenson. Major Croghan promptly replied to it, by forwarding to a newspaper in Cincinnati, a communication under date of Lower Sandusky, August 27th, 1813, in which he gives the reason already stated, for disobeying General Har-+ rison's order to destroy the fort, and retreat to Camp Seneca, and says :
"I have with much regret seen in some of the public prints, such misrepresentations respecting my refusal to evacuate this post, as are calculated not only to injure me in the estimation of military men, but also to excite unfavorable impressions as to the propriety of General Harrison's conduct relative to this af- fair.
" His character as a military man is too well established to need my approbation or support. But his public services enti- tle him at least to common justice. This affair does not fur- nish cause of reproach. If public opinion has been lately mis- led respecting his late conduct, it will require but a moment's cool, dispassionate reflection, to convince them of its proprie- ty. The measures recently adopted by him, so far from de- serving censure, are the clearest proofs of his keen penetra- tion and able generalship."
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The letter concludes with the following paragraphs, alike honorable to the soldier and the gentleman :
" It would be insincere to say that I am not flattered by the many handsome things which have been said about the defense which was made by the troops under my command ; but I de- sire no plaudits which are bestowed upon me, at the expense of General Harrison.
" I have at all times enjoyed his confidence, so far as my rank in the army entitled me to it. And on proper occasions received his marked attention. I have felt the warmest attach - ment for him as a man, and my confidence in him as an able commander remains unshaken. I feel every assurance that he will at all times, do me ample justice ; and nothing could give mne more pain than to see his enemies seize upon this occasion to deal out their unfriendly feelings and acrimonious dislike- and as long as he continues (as in my humble opinion he has hitherto done) to make the wisest arrangements and most judi- cious disposition, which the forces under his command will jus- tify, I shall not hesitate to unite with the army in bestowing up- on him that confidence which he so richly merits, and which has on no occasion been withheld."
As soon as this invasion of the territory of Ohio was known, Governor Meigs called upon the militia of the state to repel the enemy. The appeal was promptly and nobly responded to, but the abandonment of the siege of Fort Meigs, and the gal- lant defense of Fort Stephenson, rendered their services unne- cessary. When the militia were disbanded, without an oppor- tunity of meeting the foe, or being employed in the main expe- dition against Canada, there was much discontent among them. To allay this feeling, General Harrison met them at Upper San- dusky ; and, through the governor, made known the reasons for their being disbanded. These were, mainly, that to retain in camp all the Ohio troops then embodied, was impossible, as
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the embarkation on the lake could not be effected under fifteen or eighteen days, and so large a force, even for a short time, would consume the provisions provided for the support of the . campaign. The delay in moving upon Canada arose from a cause which General Harrison could not then publicly explain, lest it should reach the enemy. Under the plan of the cam- paign, he was not to cross the lake until he had the full co-ope- ration of Commodore Perry's fleet. The period when this could be obtained, was uncertain. Under such circumstances, the retention of so large a body of militia, in camp, would have defeated the plan of the campaign. At the same time, the commander-in-chief bore his testimony to the fact, that the ex- ertions made by Governor Meigs to assemble the militia, and the promptitude with which the call had been met, was truly astonishing, and reflected the highest credit on the state .- Some of the disbanded officers, however, met together, not- withstanding this explanation, and in a moment of popular dis- content, passed resolutions to the effect, that they were greatly disappointed in not being kept in service, and that there was something mysterious in the conduct of General Harrison .- The cool reflection of these officers, and a subsequent knowl- edge of the whole plan of the campaign, have long since caus- ed them to regret their course on this occasion ; and, to admit with a frankness honorable to their character, that they had done great injustice to the commander-in-chief.
Active preparations for the expedition against Upper Cana- da were now making. The call by General Harrison, on the governor of Kentucky, for volunteers, was promptly respond- ed to, by the venerable Shelby, who, in a patriotic appeal to the people of that state, appointed the 31st of August for the rendezvous of the troops at Newport. Public attention was now directed with great intenseness, to the rival fleets on Lake Erie. About the 2d of August, the vessels under Commodore
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Perry were finally equipped. On the 5th, General Harrison visited the fleet, and furnished the commander with a compa- ny of soldiers, to act as marines, who were afterwards ack- nowledged to have performed a valuable service. Col. John- son, with his mounted regiment, was recalled from Kentucky to the frontiers. Every exertion was made along the whole line from Cleveland to Fort Meigs, to hasten on the stores, while Governor Shelby was steadily advancing with a strong body of mounted men towards the scene of action. In the midst of these active preparations, in which the energy of the commander-in-chief was everywhere perceptible, he received, on the 12th of September, at Seneca, a note in which Commo- dore Perry says :
" We have met the enemy and they are ours-two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and a sloop."
This important and glorious news spread, with the rapidity of an electric shock, throughout the whole line of the army, and as it reached the various detachments, pressing on to the shore of the lake, it quickened their speed, and awakened a burning desire to achieve a victory equally brilliant, over the enemy under Proctor.
On the 20th, the embarkation commenced from the mouth of Portage river. On the 26th, the army reached the Middle Sister-having touched at Put-in-bay, where a general order of debarkation, of march and of battle, was issued by the com- mander-in-chief, which, for lucid minuteness and military acu- men, has been pronounced by competent judges, to be unsur- passed in its kind. On the morning of the 27th, the final em- barkation of the army commenced, in sixteen vessels, and up- wards of eighty boats. The sun shone in all his autumnal beauty, and a gentle breeze hastened on the ships to that shore, on which it was anticipated the banner of our country would have to be planted, amid the thunder of British arms, and the
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yells of ferocious Indians. While moving over the bosom of the lake-every eye enchanted with the magnificence of the scene, and every heart panting for the coming opportunity of avenging their country's wrongs-the beloved commander-in- chief caused the following address to be delivered to his army :
"The general entreats his brave troops to remember, that they are the sons of sires whose fame is immortal ; that they are to fight for the rights of their insulted country, while their opponents combat for the unjust pretensions of a master .- Kentuckians ! remember the River Raisin ; but remember it only whilst victory is suspended. The revenge of a soldier cannot be gratified upon a fallen enemy."
When this stirring appeal was read, on each vessel, and in each boat, the shouts of " Harrison and victory," rose, succes- sively, from an army of freemen, and went booming over the rippling waters. The landing was effected at four o'clock, with a celerity and an order, as remarkable as the spectacle was beautiful and grand ; and, about sun-down, the army en- tered Malden in triumph, heralded by the national air of " Yankee Doodle."*
* Life of Harrison.
CHAPTER VIII.
Attempt to assassinate Gen. Harrison-James Montgomery-Pleasant township-Fort Seneca-Peter Pork-William Spicer-Bloom town- ship-Elizabethtown-Bloonville-Silver creek-Scipio township- Republic-Seneca county Academy.
WHILE Gen. Harrison was at Camp Seneca, he narrowly es- caped being murdered by an Indian. It appears that the friend- ly Indians of the Delaware, Shawanese, and Seneca tribes had been invited to join him. A number had accepted the invita- tion, and had reached Seneca before the arrival of the Ken- tucky troops. All the chiefs, and no doubt the greater part of the warriors, were favorable to the American cause ; but be- fore their departure from their towns, a wretch had insinuated himself among them, with the intention of assassinating the commanding general. He belonged to the Shawanese tribe, and bore the name of Blue Jacket, but was not the celebrated Blue Jacket, who signed the treaty of Greenville with Gen. Wayne. He had formerly resided at the town of Wapakonet- ta ; he had, however, been absent for a considerable time, and had returned but a few days before the warriors of that town set out to join the American army.
He informed the chiefs, that he had been hunting on the Wabash, and at his request, he was suffered to join the party which were about to march to Seneca. Upon their arrival at Mc Arthur's block-house, they halted and encamped for the pur-
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pose of receiving provisions from the deputy Indian agent, Col. Mc. Pherson, who resided there.
Before their arrival at that place, Blue Jacket had communi- cated to a friend of his, (a Shawanese warrior,) his intention to kill the American general, and requested his assistance ; this his friend declined, and endeavored to dissuade him from at- tempting it, assuring him that it could not be done without the certain sacrifice of his own life, as he had been at the Ameri- can camp, and knew that there was always a guard around the general's quarters, who were on duty day and night.
Blue Jacket replied, that he was determined to execute his intention at any risk-" that he would kill the general, if he was sure that his guards would cut him in pieces not bigger than his thumb-nail."
No people on earth are more faithful in keeping secrets than the Indians, but each warrior has a friend, from whom he will conceal nothing. Luckily for General Harrison, the friend of the confidant of Blue Jacket was a young Delaware chief, named Beaver, who was also bound to the general by the ties of friendship. He was the son of a Delaware war-chief of the same name, who had, with others, been put to death by his own tribe, on the charge of practicing sorcery.
General Harrison had been on terms of friendship with the father, and had patronized his orphan boy, at that time ten or twelve years of age. He had now arrived to manhood, and was considered among the most promising warriors of his tribe: to this young chief, the friend of Blue Jacket revealed the fa- tal secret. The Beaver was placed by this communication in an embarrassing situation, for should he disclose what he had heard, he betrayed his friend, than which nothing could be more repugnant to the feelings and principles of an Indian warrior. Should he not disclose it, consequences equal, or even more to be deprecated, were likely to ensue. The assas-
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sination of a friend, the friend of his father, whose life he was bound to defend, or whose death to avenge, by the same princi- ple of fidelityand honor which forbid the disclosure.
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