USA > Ohio > Auglaize County > History of western Ohio and Auglaize County, with illustrations and biographical sketches of pioneers and prominent public men > Part 5
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Pursuant to his instructions from the Secretary of War, Gen- eral St. Clair proceeded to organize an army. He repaired to Pittsburg at the close of April to mobilize his forces for an early campaign. From Pittsburg he went to Lexington, Kentucky, and from thence to Fort Washington, where he arrived on the 15th of May. At that time, the United States troops in the west amounted to but two hundred and sixty-four non-commissioned officers and privates fit for duty ; of these, seventy-five were at Fort Washington, forty-five at Fort Harmar, sixty-one at Fort Steuben, and eighty-three at Fort Knox (Vincennes). "About the 15th of July the whole of the first United States regiment, amounting to two hundred and ninety-nine non-commissioned officers and privates, arrived at Fort Washington, under orders from General St. Clair."
General Butler, who had been appointed second in command, was employed during the months of April and May in recruiting troops in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. But the work progressed so slowly that the necessary number of troops were not secured until the first week in September. In accordance with the powers with which General St. Clair was in- vested, he made a call for one thousand one hundred and fifty militia, from the district of Kentucky, to supply the deficiency of the regular troops. Of this number only about four hundred and eighteen Kentucky militia appeared at Fort Washington to join the expedition. When these recruits reached Cincinnati, no proper provision had been made for their subsistence, clothing and equipment. The officers at the head of the war department were mainly responsible for this deplorable state of affairs. Col- onel William Duer was chief commissary and contractor, and Samuel Hodgdon, another satellite of the public offices, was chief
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quartermaster. Colonel Duer's only appearance in the campaign was at the Treasury Department, where, as Knox, the Secretary of War, wrote to St. Clair, he was in attendance in March, and drew $70,000, as reported by a committee of Congress.
In a report of the supplies in the quartermaster's depart- ment, it is stated that there was a deficiency in quantity and qual- ity of tents, pack-saddles, kettles, knapsacks and cartridge boxes. Worse than this, the powder was poor or injured, the arms and accoutrements out of repair, and not even proper tools to mend them. Of six hundred and seventy-five stand of arms at Fort Washington (designed by St. Clair for the militia), scarcely any were in order; and with two traveling forges furnished by the quartermaster, there were no anvils. "As the troops gathered slowly at Fort Washington, after wearisome detentions at Pitts- burg and upon the river, a new source of trouble arose, in the habits of intemperance acquired and indulged in by the idlers. To withdraw them from temptation, St. Clair was forced to re- move his men, now numbering two thousand, to Ludlow's station, about six miles from the fort ; by which, however, he more than doubled his cost of providing for the troops. Here the army continued until September 17th, when, being two thousand three hundred strong, including the garrisons of Forts Washington and Hamilton, and exclusive of militia, it moved forward to a point upon the Great Miami, where Fort Hamilton was built, the first in the proposed chain of fortresses. "Having completed this fort, the army on the 4th of October, continued its march toward the Miami village, and at a point about forty-two miles in advance of Fort Hamilton, the army halted and erected another fort, which was called Fort Jefferson. This fort was on a site which lies about six miles south of the present town of Greenville, Darke County, Ohio. The army was delayed five or six days, on the march from Fort Jefferson, on account of the want of provisions ; and the season was so far advanced that sufficient green forage could not be procured for the horses.
The first move made by the Indian chiefs upon hearing of St. Clair's forward progress, was to dispatch the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, at the head of a small party of spies, to watch the motions of the American army and report its advancement. This work he accomplished most faithfully. So well were the Indians kept informed of its march, and of the failure of the Americans
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to send forward a sufficient number of scouts, that they were all soon greatly inspired with hopes of surprising their enemy. Their courage and determination were thus kept up. At the proper time, they, too, advanced."
The following from the journal of General St. Clair is a record of the movements of the army commencing with Octo- ber 24th, 1791 :
"October 24th, 1791 .- Named the Fort Jefferson, (it lies in lat. 40° 4' 22" north,) and marched, the same Indian path serv- ing to conduct us about six miles, and encamped on good ground and an excellent position - a rivulet in front, and a very large prairie, which would, at the proper season, afford forage for a thousand horses, on the left. So ill this day that I had much diffi- culty in keeping with the army.
25th. - Very hard rains last night; obliged to halt to-day, on account of provisions; for though the soldiers may be kept pretty easy in camp, under the expectation of provisions arriving, they cannot bear to march in advance, and take none along with them. I received a letter from Mr. Hodgden by express; thir- teen thousand pounds of flour will arrive on the 27th.
"26th. - A party of militia, sent to reconnoiter, fell in with five Indians and suffered them to slip through their fingers; in their coup articles to the value of twenty-five dollars were found and divided.
"28th. - Some few Indians about us; probably those the militia fell in with a day or two ago. Two of the levies were fired on about three miles off ; one killed; two of the militia like- wise; one of them got in; the other missing; supposed to be taken.
"30th. - The army moved about nine o'clock, and, with much difficulty made seven miles, having left a considerable part of the tents by the way; the provision made by the quartermaster for that purpose was not adequate; three days' flour issued to the men, to add the horses that carried it to his arrangements: (an ambiguous expression) the Indian road still with us. The course this day north 25° west.
"3Ist. - This morning about sixty of the militia deserted ; it was at first reported that one-half of them had gone off, and that their design was to plunder the convoys (of provisions, etc.) which were upon the roads. Detached the first regiment in pursuit of them, with orders to Major Hamtramck to send a sufficient guard back with (the convoy under) Benham, and to follow the militia about twenty-five miles below Fort Jefferson, or until he met the second convoy, and then return and join the army.
4 : HAC
.
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"Ist November. - Benham arrived last night; and to-day the army halted, to give the road cutters an opportunity of getting some distance ahead. * *
* * I am this day considerably recovered, and hope that it will turn out what I at first expected it would be, a friendly fit of the gout come to relieve me from every other complaint.
"On the third of November, the main army, consisting of about fourteen hundred effective men, moved forward to a point near which Fort Recovery was afterward erected. Here, on the head waters of the Wabash river, among a number of small creeks, the army encamped. The details of the encampment here, and the disastrous defeat of Novmber 4th, are extracted from the commanding general's letter to the Secretary of War, on his return to Fort Washington.
"The right wing, composed of Butler's, Clark's, and Patter- son's battalions, commanded by Major General Butler, formed the first line; and the left wing, consisting of Bedinger's and Gaither's battalions, and the second regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Darke, formed the second line, with an inter- val between them of about seventy yards, which was all the ground would allow. The right flank was pretty well secured by the creek ; a steep bank and Faulkner's corps, some of the cavalry, and their picquets, covered the left flank. The militia were thrown over the creek, and advanced about a quarter of a mile, and en- camped in the same order. There were a few Indians who ap- peared on the opposite side of the creek, but fled with the utmost precipitation, on the advance of the militia. At this place, which I judged to be about fifteen miles from the Miami village, I determined to throw up a slight work, the plan of which was con- certed that evening with Major Ferguson, wherein to have depos- ited the men's knapsacks and everything else that was not of abso- lute necessity, and to have moved on to attack the enemy as soon as the first regiment was come up. But they did not permit me to execute either ; for on the 4th, about half an hour before sunrise, and when the men had been dismissed from parade, (for it was a constant practice to have them all under arms a considerable time before daylight), an attack was made upon the militia. These gave way in a very little time, and rushed into camp through Major Butler's battalion, (which, together with a part of Clark's, they threw into considerable disorder, and which, notwithstanding the exertions of both these officers, was never altogether reme- died,) the Indians following close at their heels. The fire, how- ever, of the front line checked them; but almost instantly a very heavy attack began upon that line; and in a few minutes it was extended to the second likewise. The great weight of it was di- rected against the center of each, where the artillery was placed, and from which the men were repeatedly driven with great slaugh- ter. Finding no great effect of our fire, and confusion beginning
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to spread from the great numbers of men who were falling in all quarters, it became necessary to try what could be done by the bayonet. Lieutenant Colonel Darke was accordingly ordered to make a charge with a part of the second line, and to turn the left flank of the enemy. This was executed with great spirit. The Indians instantly gave way, and were driven back three or four hundred yards; but for want of a sufficient number of riflemen to pursue this advantage, they soon returned, and the troops were obliged to give back in their turn. At this moment they had entered our camp by the left flank, having pushed back the troops that were posted there. Another charge was made here by the second regiment, Butler's and Clark's battalions, with equal effect, and it was repeated several times, and always with success; but in all of them many men were lost, and particularly the officers, which, with so raw troops, was a loss altogether irremediable. In that I just spoke of, made by the second regiment and Butler's battalion, Major Butler was dangerously wounded, and every officer of the second regiment fell except three, one of which, Mr. Greaton, was shot through the body.
"Our artillery being now silenced, and all the officers killed except Captain Ford, who was badly wounded, and more than half of the army fallen, being cut off from the road, it became necessary to attempt the regaining it, and to make a retreat if possible. To this purpose, the remains of the army were formed as well as circumstances would admit, toward the right of the encampment, from which, by the way of the second line, another charge was made upon the enemy, as if with the design to turn their right flank, but in fact to gain the road. This was effected, and as soon as it was open the militia took along it, followed by the troops, Major Clark, with his battalion, covering the rear.
"The retreat, in those circumstances, was, as you may be sure, a very precipitate one; it was, in fact a flight. The camp and the artillery were abandoned; but that was unavoidable, for not a horse was left alive to have drawn it off, had it otherwise been practicable.
"But the most disgraceful part of the business is, that the greatest part of the men threw away their arms and accoutre- ments, even after the pursuit, which continued about four miles, had ceased. I found the road strewed with them for many miles, but was not able to remedy it; for, having had all my horses killed, and being mounted upon one that could not be pricked out of a walk, I could not get forward myself, and the orders I sent forward, either to halt the front or to prevent the men from part- ing with their arms, were unattended to. The route continued to Fort Jefferson, twenty-nine miles, which was reached a little after sun-setting.
"The action began about half an hour before sun-rise, and the retreat was attempted at half an hour after nine o'clock. I.
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X
have not yet been able to get returns of the killed and wounded, but Major General Butler, Lieutenant-Colonel Oldham, of the militia, Major Ferguson, Major Hart, and Major Clark are among the former; Colonel Sargent, my Adjutant-General, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Drake, Lieutenant-Colonel Gibson, Major Butler, and the Viscount Malartie, who served as Aid-de-Camp, are among the latter and a great number of captains and subalterns in each.
1
"I have now, sir, finished my melancholy tale-a tale that will be felt sensibly by every one that has sympathy for private dis- tress or for public misfortune. I have nothing, sir, to lay to the charge of the troops, but their want of discipline, which, from the short time they had been in service, it was impossible they should have acquired, and which rendered it very difficult, when they were thrown into confusion, to reduce them again to order, and is one reason why the loss has fallen so heavy on the officers, who did everything in their power to effect it.
"Neither were my own exertions wanting; but, worn down with illness, and suffering under a painful disease, unable either to mount or dismount a horse without assistance, they were not so great as they otherwise would, and perhaps ought to have been.
"We were overpowered by numbers; but it is no more than justice to observe that, though composed of so many different species of troops, the utmost harmony prevailed through the whole army during the campaign.
"At Fort Jefferson I found the first regiment, which had returned from the service they had been sent upon, without either overtaking the deserters, or meeting the convoy of provisions. I am not certain, sir, whether I ought to consider the absence of this regiment from the field of action as fortunate or otherwise. I incline to think it was fortunate, for I very much doubt whether, had it been in the action, the fortune of the day had been turned ; and, if it had not, the triumph of the enemy would have been more complete, and the country would have been destitute of every means of defence.
"Taking a view of the situation of our broken troops at Fort Jefferson, and that there were no provisions in the fort, I called upon the field officers, viz: Lieutenant-Colonel Darke, Major Hamtramck, Major Ziegler and Major Gaither, together with the Adjutant-General, Winthrop Sargent, for their advice what would be proper further to be done; and it was their unanimous opinion, that the addition of the first regiment, unbroken as it was, did not put the army on as respectable a footing as it was in the morn- ing, because a great part of it was now unarmed ; that it had been found unequal to the enemy, and should they come on, which was possible, would be found so again; that the troops could not be thrown into the fort, both because it was too small, and that there were no provisions in it ; that provisions were known to be on the
X
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road, at the distance of one, or at most two marches; that, there- fore, it would be more proper to move, without loss of time to meet the provisions, when the men might have the sooner an opportu- nity of some refreshment, and that a proper detachment might be sent back with it, to have it safely deposited in the fort. This advice was accepted, and the army was put in motion at ten o'clock, and marched all night, and the succeeding day met with a quantity of flour. Part of it was distributed immediately, part taken back to supply the army on the march to Fort Hamilton, and the remainder, about fifty horse loads, sent forward to Fort Jef- ferson. The next day a drove of cattle was met with, for the same place, and I have information that both got in. The wounded who had been left at that place were ordered to be brought to Fort Washington by the return horses.
"I have said, sir, in a former part of this letter, that we were overpowered by numbers. Of that, however, I have no other evidence but the weight of the fire which was always a most deadly one, and generally delivered from the ground-a few of the enemy showing themselves afoot, except when they were charged ; and that, in a few minutes our whole camp, which extended above three hundred and fifty yards in length, was entirely surrounded and attacked on all quarters. The loss, sir, the public has sus- tained by the fall of so many officers, particularly General Butler and Major Ferguson, cannot be too much regretted; but it is a circumstance that will alleviate the misfortune in some measure, that all of them fell most gallantly doing their duty. I have had very particular obligations to many of them, as well as to the survivors, but to none more than Colonel Sargent. He has dis- charged the various duties of his office with zeal, with exactness, and with intelligence, and on all occasions afforded me every as- sistance in his power, which I have also experienced from my Aid-de-Camp, Lieutenant Denny, and the Viscount Malartie, who served with me in the station as a volunteer.".
The following comments on the deportment of General St. Clair in the engagement is taken from Howe's "Historical Collec- tions of Ohio," Vol. II, p. 225 :
"During the engagement General St. Clair and General But- ler were continually going up and down the lines ; as one went up the other went down the opposite side. St. Clair was so se- verely afflicted with the gout as to be unable to mount or dismount a horse without assistance. He had four horses for his use; they had been turned out to feed over night and were brought in before the action. The first he attempted to mount was a young horse, and the firing alarmed him so much that he was unable to accom- plish it, although there were three or four people assisting him.
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He had just moved him to a place where he could have some advantage of the ground, when the horse was shot through the head, and the boy holding him through the arm. A second horse was brought and the saddle and bridle of the first disengaged and put on him ; but at the moment it was done the horse and servant who held him were killed. The general then ordered the third horse to be got ready and follow him to the left of the front line, which by that time was warmly engaged, and set off on foot to the point designated. However, the man and horse were never heard of afterwards, and were supposed to have both been killed. Gen- eral St. Clair's fourth horse was killed under the Count de Malar- tie, one of his aids, whose horse had died on the march.
"On the day of the battle St. Clair was not in his uniform; he wore a coarse cappo coat and a three-cornered hat. He had a long queue and large locks, very gray, flowing beneath his beaver. Early in the action, when near the artillery, a ball grazed the side of his face and cut off a portion of one of his locks. It is said that during the action eight balls passed through his clothes and hat. After his horses were killed he exerted himself on foot for a con- siderable time during the action with a degree of alertness that surprised everybody who saw him. After being on foot some time, and when nearly exhausted, a pack horse was brought to him. This he rode during the remainder of the day, although he could hardly prick him out of a walk. Had he not been furnished with a horse, although unhurt, he must have remained on the field.
"During the action General St. Clair exerted himself with a courage and presence of mind worthy o fthe best fortune. He was personally present at the first charge made upon the enemy with the bayonet and gave the order to Colonel Darke. When the enemy first entered the camp by the left flank, he led the troops that drove them back, and when a retreat became indispensable, he put himself at the head of the troops which broke through the enemy and opened the way for the rest and then remained in the rear, making every exertion in his power to obtain a party to cover the retreat; but the panic was so great that his exertions were of but little avail. In the height of the action a few of the men crowded around the fires in the center of the camp. St. Clair was seen drawing his pistols and threatening some of them, and ordering them to turn out and repel the enemy."
General Knox assigned as reasons for St. Clair's defeat, Ist, the deficiency of good troops ; 2d, the want of appropriate training among those he had; 3d, the lateness of the season. The committee of the House of Representatives appointed to investi- gate the matter, reported the causes: Ist, the delay in preparing estimates, etc., for the defense of the frontiers, and the late pas-
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sage of the act (March 3d) for that purpose ; 2d, the delay caused by the neglects in the quartermaster's department ; 3d, the lateness of the season when the expedition was commenced ; 4th, the want of discipline and experience in the troops ; and especially exonor- ated General St. Clair from all blame in connection with the dis- aster. J. H. Perkins in his "Annals of the West," cites two causes that seem to have been overlooked by the Secretary of War and the Committee of Congress, viz., the surprise by the Indians, who were not expected by the army; and the confusion produced by the flying militia.
Unfortunately the same ill feeling between the officers of the militia and regulars was exhibited the evening previous to the battle, that was so prevalent in Harmar's campaign. Late in the evening a reconnoitering party of regulars advanced a mile be- yond where the militia were encamped, and Colonel Oldham, who commanded the militia, was ordered to have the woods thor- oughly examined by the scouts and patrols, as Indians were known to be hanging about the outskirts of the army. In all this St. Clair seemed to have done his entire duty, as far as sickness would permit him.
"During the night, Captain Slough, who had charge of the advanced party of scouts, found so large a body of savages gath- ered about him, that he fell back and reported his observations to General Butler. But the general, for reasons unexplained, made no dispositions in consequence of this information, and did not report it to the commander-in-chief. Colonel Oldham also obeyed his orders, the woods were searched, and the presence of the . enemy detected ; but he, too, reported, through Captain Slough, to General Butler, beyond whom the information did not go.
"The death of General Butler in the engagement, in regard to which there are many conflicting statements, precluded the possi- bility of any explanation on his part of his conduct, so much cal- culated to mislead the commander-in-chief, and so to endanger the safety of the army, as this withholding of indispensible informa- tion at such an important juncture. It is only known that there was an unfriendly feeling existing between Generals St. Clair and Butler, during the whole progress of the campaign.
"According to St. Clair's account of it, the difficulty first arose on the march to Fort Jefferson. Butler, in St. Clair's ab- sence, changed the order of march, and on his arrival an alterca- tion occurred between them, the result of which was, St. Clair asserts, 'that he afterward seldom came near me.' Subsequently, at Fort Jefferson, Butler proposed to proceed at once with one
-
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thousand men, and take post at the Miami village, in advance of the march of the remainder of the army. St. Clair received the proposition with undisguised contempt, and that circumstance greatly heightened the animosity between them. These alterca- tions produced, it appears, so much mutual aversion between the parties, that, during the subsequent part of the campaign, little intercourse was maintained between them. * *
"Captain Slough in his evidence given before the committee of Congress, deposed that he was sent out during the night with a party of observation, that he saw a large body of Indians going toward the camp, apparently for the purpose of reconnoitering it, and that in that belief he had hastened back to the militia camp, to communicate the information he had received. 'I halted my party,' said he, 'near Oldham's tent, went into it, and awakened him, I believe about twelve o'clock. I told him that I was of his opinion, that the camp would be attacked in the morning, for I had seen a number of Indians, I proceeded to the camp, and as soon as I had passed the camp guard, dismissed the party, and went to General Butler's tent. As I approached it, I saw him come out of the tent, and stand by the fire. I went up to him, and took him some distance from it, not thinking it prudent that the sentry should hear what I had seen. I also told him what Colonel Oldham had said, and that, if he thought proper, I would go and make the report to General St. Clair. He stood some time, and after a pause, thanked me for my attention and vigilance, and said as I must be fatigued, I had better go and lie down.'
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