USA > Ohio > Auglaize County > History of western Ohio and Auglaize County, with illustrations and biographical sketches of pioneers and prominent public men > Part 28
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"We attended on this occasion, at the particular request of the chiefs, and I can truly say, that this was altogether the most solemn and orderly funeral I have ever attended; and was said to be conducted entirely after their ancient Indian style. We were the only white people present."
TECUMSEH.
The name of this celebrated chief signifies "shooting star." The place of his birth and date are not known with certainty. Howe, in his History of Ohio, fixes the locality at Piqua, an Indian town, on Mad river. "His father's name was Pukeesheno, which means, I light from flying. He was killed in the battle of Kanhawa, in 1774. His mother's name was Meetheetashe, which signifies, a turtle laying her eggs in the sand. She died among the Cherokees. She had, at one birth, three sons: Ellskwatawa, which signifies, a door opened, was called the Prophet; Tecum- seh, the orator ; and Kumshaka, a tiger that flies in the air."
Tecumseh, like Napoleon, in his boyish pastimes exhibited a passion for war; he was the acknowledged leader among his companions, by whom he was loved and respected, and over whom he exercised an unbounded influence. "It is stated that the first battle in which he was engaged, occurred on the site of Dayton, between a party of Kentuckians under Colonel Benjamin Logan, and some Shawnees." At the age of seventeen he accompanied marauding bands of warriors along the Ohio. It is related of him, that at one time he participated in the capture of a num- ber of boats near Limestone, when every person on board the vessels was killed, except one person, who was burnt alive. After witnessing the horrible torture, he expressed his abhorrence of the act, and by his eloquence persuaded his party never to burn any more prisoners." The story, if true, accords to him a hu- manity that was not practiced by any tribe or nation in the North- West Territory. If he did succeed in inducing his party to dis- continue the practice, there is an abundance of evidence to show that many captives were tortured after that time.
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Tecumseh was inclined to stoutness, but possessed, withal, the agility, perseverance and endurance, peculiar to Indian char- acter. In the early part of his life he became addicted to intem- perance; but when he reached the age of manhood, he per- ceived the danger of the habit, and resolved to quit so vile a practice. "Beyond one or two glasses of wine he never after- wards indulged." That he was endowed with a genius that
TECUMSEH.
towered above his cotemporary chiefs, there is no doubt. It is believed by writers that he secretly admired the manhood and customs of white people.
All histories agree in the statement that Tecumseh led a wandering restless life. Drake, in his life of this celebrated chief, relates that for a time "he was established on Deer creek, near the site of Urbana, where he engaged in his favorite amuse- ment of hunting. While residing on this creek, an incident oc- curred, which greatly enhanced his reputation as a hunter. A
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number of Shawnees of his own age proposed to bet with him, that they could each kill as many deer, in the space of three days, as he could. Tecumseh promptly accepted the overture. The parties took to the woods and at the end of the stipulated time, returned with the evidences of their success. None of the party, except Tecumseh, had more than twelve skins; he brought in over thirty - nearly three times as many as any of his com- petitors. From this time he was generally conceded to be the greatest hunter in the Shawnee nation." At later dates he re- sided at Greenville, at Wapakonetta, at the mouth of the Auglaize river, at Fort Wayne, and on the Wabash river.
Tecumseh became prominent as a warrior about 1804, and would probably have gained distinction in any nation in the world. The Indians generally regarded him as endowed with supernatural powers. He was entirely devoted to the interests of his countrymen, and, in the Indian wars, obtained great celeb- rity as one of the bravest and most sagacious of the warriors. He led in many of the terrible inroads which the savages made into the territory of Kentucky. And no one could boast of hav- ing plundered more houses, or having intercepted more boats on the Ohio river, than he. So much has been written in Chap- ter IX, concerning his military career, that it will not be neces- sary to make note of that part of his history.
The love of gain with the common Indian was the crowning motive. Tecumseh was an exception. Clothes and other valu- ables of spoil had often been his ; yet he invariably wore a deer- skin coat and pantaloons. He had frequently levied subsidies to a comparatively large amount ; yet he preserved little or nothing for himself.
A military man, a Mr. James, in an article published in a London journal soon after the death of Tecumseh, states that, "He (Tecumseh) was an excellent judge of position, and not only knew, but could point out the localities of the whole coun- try through which he had passed."
"His facility of communicating his information, was dis- played in his description to General Brock of the country through which his army, after crossing the Detroit river, would necessarily pass to reach Detroit. Tecumseh, taking a roll of elm bark, and extending it on the ground, drew forth his scalping knife, and with the point etched upon the bark a plan of the country, its hills,
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woods, rivers, morasses, and roads ; a plan which, if not as neat, was, for the purpose required, fully as intelligible, as if it had. been drawn by a military draughtsman. Pleased with this un- expected talent in Tecumseh, General Brock took off his sash, and placed it around the body of the chief. Tecumseh received. the honor with evident gratification, but was, the next day, seen without his sash. General Brock, fearing something had dis- pleased the chief, sent his interpreter for an explanation. The. latter soon returned with an account that Tecumseh, not wish- ing to wear such a mark of distinction, when an older, and, as he said, abler warrior than himself was present, had transferred. the sash to the Wyandot chief, Round-Head."
"The life of Tecumseh, as an individual, at times exhibits deeds of fidelity, prompted by his noble nature when not influ- enced by his sordid ambition. As an individual he was brave: and generous, but led warriors of hyena-like propensities. To. keep these in check sometimes demanded an iron hand."
As a matter of historic fairness, it should be stated that all the record we have of Tecumseh and his Indians has come to us from their enemies. The Indians have had no chance to tell their story. There are many indications that the narratives which have descended to us respecting the designs of Tecumseh, have not been given in entire impartiality. .
In the death of Tecumseh "the hope of the prairie and lake. tribes became extinct." The danger to the settlements was over. The calumet was again smoked, and friendly relations restored between the two races which were never again seriously inter- rupted in Ohio.
ELLSKWATAWA, THE PROPHET.
The name EllsKwatawa signifies, a door opened. He is often referred to as the "One Eyed Prophet," from his being blind in one eye. The brother of Tecumseh was an orator of great renown, and a religious teacher. Much has been said and written about this impostor that can not be relied upon by one, desiring to know the truth. Samuel G. Drake, in his "Aboriginal Races of North America," quotes from a well written article in a foreign period- ical, (The New Monthly Magazine), in which the statement is made that. "during the first fifty years of EllsKwatawa's life he was remarkable for nothing except his stupidity and intoxication. In his fiftieth year, while in the act of lighting his pipe, he fell
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backward in his cabin, upon his bed; and, continuing for some- time lifeless, to all appearances, preparations were made for his interment ; and it was not until the tribe was assembled, as usual on such occasions, and they were in the act of removing him, that he revived. His first words were, "Don't be alarmed. I have seen heaven. Call the nation together, that I may tell them what has appeared to me." When they were assembled, he told them that two beautiful young men had been sent from heaven by the
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ELLSKWATAWA, THE PROPHET.
Great Spirit, who spoke thus to him: "The Great Spirit is angry with you, and will destroy all the red men unless you refrain from drunkenness, lying and stealing, and turn yourselves to him, you shall never enter the beautiful place which we will now show you." He was then conducted to the gates of heaven, from whence he could behold all its beauties, but was not permitted to enter. After undergoing several hours' tantalization, from extreme desire of participating in its indescribable joys and pleasures, he was dis- missed. His conductors told him to tell all the Indians what he
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had seen ; to repent of their ways, and they would visit him again. The same author states, that, on the Prophet's visiting the neigh- boring nations, his mission had a good effect on their morals.
This story is at variance with facts. The Prophet was born in 1768. If he received the revelation at the age of fifty years, the important event must have occurred about 1818. The author of the article quoted should have placed the date of the revelation about the year 1802.
Secondly, it is not true that his preaching had a good effect on the morals of the nations he addressed ; for it is known to a cer- tainty that none would hear him but the most abandoned young warriors of the tribes he visited, and their miserable condition in colonizing themselves upon the Wabash, in 1811, is well known.
It is reported, on the authority of a Mr. Chadbury, an English gentleman, at one time a resident of Quebec, that the Prophet, at the age of fifteen, disappeared from his relatives, and was considered as finally lost. That he strolled to Quebec, and from thence to Montreal, where he engaged to pilot a vessel to Halifax, at which point he remained for several years ; and in this period of time received an education that enabled him to act the part of prophet and medicine man.
In his intercourse with the British he no doubt learned that a comet would appear in the year 1811,-a fact that he and Tecumseh used with considerable effect in their prophecies.
After five years of continuous effort, the Prophet, assisted by Tecumseh, collected a motley horde, of a thousand warriors, gathered from among the Shawnees, Delawares, Wyandottes, Pottawottomies, Ottawas, Kickapoos, Chippewas and other na- tions, and located themselves on territory that had previously been ceded to the United States. Tecumseh and the Prophet sent messages to General Harrison, in which they asserted that the territory ceded to the United States at the treaty of Fort Wayne, was made by irresponsible parties - that the chiefs who nego- tiated the treaty had no authority to cede the lands of the nations. Tecumseh and the Prophet finally visited General Harrison at Vincennes to make known their grievances. The General re- ceived them and consented to discuss the questions at issue. The Prophet, however, instead of proceeding at once to set forth his complaints, indulged in many singular antics with the intention, as he expressed it, of conjuring the white man, after which strange
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exhibition he paused and made an imperious demand that the United States surrender the lands which had been ceded by treaty with the several separate tribes. At the conclusion of the Prophet's harangue, Tecumseh delivered his celebrated philippic, the sub- stance of which, is given on page 136, of this work.
The alternative being war, General Harrison accepted the challenge and the council broke up with both parties resolved upon hostilities, Tecumseh departed to enlist the nations of the South, and the Prophet betook himself to Tippecanoe to hold the dis- puted territory until his brother should return.
While Tecumseh was in the South, the Indian aggressions still continuing, Governor Harrison decided to penetrate to the Prophet's town and bring about some adjustment of existing diffi- culties. Accordingly, on the 6th of November, 1811, he encamped · with a force of nine hundred men, within a mile of the Prophet's headquarters. At four o'clock the next morning, the Indians at- tacked the American force, in which they suffered a signal defeat.
The defeated Indians were greatly exasperated with the Prophet, and reproached him in bitter terms for the calamity he had brought upon them, and accused him of the murder of their friends who had fallen in the action. It seems, that after pro- nouncing some incantations over a certain composition which he had prepared on the night preceding the action, he assured his followers that, by the power of his art, half of the invading army was already dead, and the other half in a state of distraction ; and that the Indians would have little to do but rush into their camp; and complete the work of destruction with their tomahawks "You are a liar," said one of the surviving Winnebagoes to him, after the action, "for you told us the white people were dead, or crazy, when they were all in their senses, and fought like the devil." The Prophet appeared dejected, and sought to excuse himself on the plea that the virtue of his composition had been lost by a circumstance of which he had no knowledge until after the battle. His sacred character was so far forfeited that the Indians bound him with cords, and threatened to put him to death.
With the battle of Tippecanoe the Prophet lost his popularity and power among the Indians. His magic wand was broken, and the mysterious charm by means of which he had, for years, played upon the superstitious minds of this wild people, scattered through a vast extent of country, was dissipated forever.
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The Prophet seems to have passed out of notice during the remainder of the war of 1812, as no mention is made of him by writers of those years. Drake, in his "History of the Aboriginal Races of North America," states, that "after the termination of the war of 1812, he received a pension from the government of Great Britain, and resided in Canada. In 1826, he was prevailed upon to leave that country, and went, with others, to settle beyond the Mississippi. At the same time also went the only surviving son of Tecumseh."
The date in the foregoing statement is incorrect. Henry Harvey in his history of the conviction of Polly Butler for witch- craft, states that the Prophet was a resident of Wapakoneta in June, 1823, and that he was instrumental in having her convicted. It is not known how long he resided in Wapakoneta. The Shaw- nees who adhered to Tecumseh until his defeat and death at the Thames, probably felt that they were outcasts in their own nation, as they had been barred from participating in the annuities and land grants bestowed upon their brethren for neutrality in the war of 1812; as a result of that feeling, it is probable that the Prophet, Bluejacket, and Tecumseh's only surviving son, de- parted for the "Far West," about 1824 or 1825.
It is not known with any degree of certainty, when or where the Prophet died.
BLUE JACKET.
It has been remarked by writers that the cruelty and blood- thirsty character of the Indians of the Northwest Territory, greatly exceeded their practices, prior to 1760. The intrusions of the English on their territory, and the harsh measures practiced against them, no doubt intensified an inborn spirit of retaliation that reached a climax in the Indian wars of Ohio. The premiums paid for American scalps did much to cultivate savage cruelty. It is no wonder, therefore, that wars continued through three gen- erations should produce a race of Indians, whose bravery and skill in the defense of their rights, should baffle the efforts of the armies sent against them. And it is not surprising, that individ- uals should arise in the different tribes, noted for their desperate daring and bravery in their attacks on the common enemy. They had a long list of such warriors, who became leaders of the tribes.
Many chiefs are known, only, in history, for their prowess and bravery in the engagements in which they participated.
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Nothing is known of the earlier portion of their lives, and little of the latter part of them. This is especially true of Blue Jacket. There is nothing known of him with certainty until the defeats of Harmar and St. Clair. In those engagements he served as a subordinate officer under Little Turtle. In those two battles, he so distinguished himself, that he was made commander-in-chief at the Battle of the Fallen Timbers.
It is said that on the night preceding that battle a council was held in which seven Indian nations were represented. The ex- pediency of attacking Wayne at Presque Isle was then considered. Blue Jacket warmly favored the proposition, and Little Turtle in a speech of much ability opposed it. Blue Jacket's advice and influence, however, prevailed. A battle was fought with despera- tion, and the Indians were disastrously defeated. (The details of the battle are given on pages 227-8).
The Indians were greatly discouraged after their defeat, and no one more so, than Blue Jacket. They were, indeed, in a pitiable condition. Many councils were held, resulting in a desire to treat for peace. Preparations were about completed in October, for Blue Jacket, at the head of a deputation of chiefs, to proceed to Greenville to sue for peace, when the mission was arrested by. the receipt of a message from Governor Simcoe, inviting him to attend a meeting to be held at the mouth of the Detroit river, on the Ioth of October. Blue Jacket consented, which caused a delay of the peace negotiations until the next year.
After the Detroit meeting, he moved to Wapakoneta, and at- tended the Greenville meeting the next fall. After moving to Wapakoneta, he engaged in the liquor traffic, in which business he continued until about 1825 or 1826, when he and the Prophet, and a few Shawnees from Indiana, emigrated to the West and joined the Shawnees in western Missouri. His history, after leav- ing Wapakoneta, and date of his death are unknown.
In the treaty made at Maumee Rapids in 1817, provision was made for his family at Wapakoneta, in which James, George and Charles Blue Jacket received, each, about one thousand acres in the reservation. James Blue Jacket engaged in the sale of whiskey at the time of his father's departure, and continued in the business until the emigration of the Indians to Kansas in 1832.
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CAPTAIN LOGAN, OR SPEMICA LAWBE.
This distinguished chief and Indian ally of the Americans, was born in Southern Ohio about the year 1774, and was taken prisoner along with the famed Grenadier Squaw and others, by Colonel Benjamin Logan, at a Macochee village in Logan county in 1786. The troops were wrought up to such a frenzy by the engagement that it was with much difficulty that the officers were able to save the life of the subject of this sketch. General Wil-
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CAPTAIN LOGAN, OR SPEMICA LAWBE.
liam Lytle, who participated in the engagement, states that "a young man by the name of Curner had been to one of the springs to drink. He discovered the young savage by my side, and came running toward us. The young Indian supposed he was advancing to kill him. As I turned around, in the twink- ling of an eye he let fly an arrow at Curner, for he was armed with a bow. I had just time to catch his arm, as he discharged the arrow. It passed through Curner's dress and grazed his side. The jerk I gave his arm undoubtedly prevented his killing
20 HA C
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Curner on the spot. I took away his arrows, and sternly repri- manded him."
General Logan took the boy home with him and sent him to school until "he acquired considerable education, when he gave him his liberty and his own name." His mother was a sister of Tecumseh and the Prophet. He was in no way related to Logan the Mingo chief, but was equally as great, and in the hands of a Jefferson would have been equally celebrated.
After the surrender of Detroit in 1812, it soon became apparent that an attack would be made on Fort Wayne. At that time there were many women and children in the garrison, who, in case of an attack, would have been detrimental to its defense, and it therefore became necessary to have them speedily removed to a place of safety. By order of the military authorities, Colonel Johnston of Piqua assembled the Shawnee chiefs, and stating the case requested volunteers to bring the women and children from Fort Wayne to Piqua. Logan immediately arose and offered his services, and soon started with a party of mounted Indians, all volunteers. They reached the post, received their interesting and helpless charge, and safely brought them to the settlement through a country infested with marauding bands of hostile savages. The women spoke in the highest terms of the vigilance, care and delicacy of their faithful conductors. It is said that Logan did not sleep from the time that he left Piqua until he returned.
When General Harrison reached Piqua, September 5th, 1812, he requested Colonel Johnston to furnish him a sufficient number of Indian spies to reconnoiter Forts Wayne and Defiance to ascertain the position and movements of the enemy. The spies detailed to go to Fort Wayne were placed under the com- mand of Captain Logan. On the trip to Fort Wayne, he and his comrades eluded the vigilance of the enemy, got into the fort, and returned with the information of its being besieged. He also brought intelligence that Stephen Johnston, a brother of the Indian agent at Piqua, had been killed in sight of the fort, while attempting to escape as an express, and the Indians had tried every stratagem to get possession of the fort.
As soon as General Harrison received the information that the fort was besieged, he ordered a forced march of a sufficient number of troops for its relief. Logan and two other Shawnees
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acted as scouts, but before the relief reached the fort, the enemy beat a hasty retreat.
General Harrison, while at Fort Defiance in November, 1812, directed Logan to take a small party of his tribe, and reconnoiter the country in the direction of the rapids of the Maumee. The chief and his scouts met a body of the enemy, and were compelled to make a hasty retreat from the superior number of the enemy. They were so closely pursued that they were obliged to separate for safety in their retreat. Logan, Captain Johnny, and Bright-Horn, each succeeded in making his escape to General Winchester's command. On the occasion of his interview with General Harrison, concerning his escape, General Perkins, commander of the Kentucky troops, without the slightest ground for such a charge, accused Logan of treach- ery, and of giving intelligence to the enemy. Indignant at the unjust accusation, he resolved to distinguish himself in a man- ner that would leave no doubt as to his loyalty to the United States.
He, accordingly, on the 22d, proceeded down the Maumee in company with his faithful companions, Captain Johnny and Bright-Horn. After going about ten miles down the river, on the north side, they were surprised by a party of six Indians and a white man, named Elliott, the eldest son of Colonel Elliott of infamous memory. The Indians were commanded by Winne- mac, a Potawatamie chief. Logan made no resistance, but, with great presence of mind, extended his hand to Winnemac, who was an old acquaintance, and proceeded to inform him that he (Logan) was going to the Rapids to give information to the British. That he was tired of the American service, and was just leaving Winchester's army to join the British. Winnemac was not satisfied with this declaration, and disarmed Logan and his companions. After marching several miles, Logan's address was such as to inspire confidence in his sincerity to a degree that Winnemac restored to them their arms. After marching a few miles further, Winnemac became suspicious again, and proposed to Elliott to seize and tie them. Elliott replied that it was unnecessary, that if they attempted to escape they could be shot down, or easily run down with their horses. This conversation was overheard by Logan, who had previously intended to go on peaceably till night, and then make his escape; but he now
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decided to make an attack on them at the first favorable oppor- tunity. As they were marching along Logan succeeded in com- municating his design to Captain Johnny and Bright-Horn. Their guns being loaded each put a bullet into his mouth to facil- itate the reloading of his gun. Captain Johnny afterward related that fearing that the man at his side had observed his movement in putting the bullet into his mouth, adroitly dispelled the impression by remarking "Me chaw heap tobac."
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