USA > Ohio > Auglaize County > History of western Ohio and Auglaize County, with illustrations and biographical sketches of pioneers and prominent public men > Part 9
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Talleyrand characterized the United States, in speaking to the Emperor Napoleon, as a giant without bones. If the diplo- mat were here to-day he would find the National sentiment stronger than at any period since the Revolution; nor will the pages of history show a more splendid example of self-sacrific- ing vindication of National integrity than the late civil war. It is the crowning glory of the century, and a free people, having an abiding faith in the strength and permanence of their politi- cal institutions, may look forward with supreme confidence as they march onward in the path to imperial greatness.
At the conclusion of Judge Hunt's address, the Sidney Cor- net Band headed the procession, playing a slow march, followed by the military company from Portland, Indiana. The Sons of Veterans came next, followed by the G. A. R. Post of Fort Recovery. Then came the catafalque on which the remains were placed, drawn by four horses. The Executive Board of the Mon-
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umental Association followed the catafalque and a procession of young ladies, representing the different states of the Union, brought up the rear.
The procession slowly marched from the church through the village to the park, where the grave had been prepared to receive the remains. Prayer was offered by Rev. O. S. Greene, after which General Shanks delivered the dedication address. Three salutes were fired by the military over the graves of the soldiers. The scene was an impressive one, and will long be remembered by those who witnessed it.
CHAPTER VII.
WAYNE'S CAMPAIGN.
The defeat of St. Clair's expedition was a great disappoint -. ment to the general government, and alarmed the entire popula- tion west of the Alleghanies.
The whole frontier now lay open to the inroads of a cruel enemy, flushed with two diastrous victories.
On the recommendation of General Knox, President Wash- ington urged upon Congress the necessity of immediately enlist- ing an army of five thousand troops for the protection and defense of the citizens of the Northwestern Territory. We are amazed, at the present day, at the opposition that was brought to bear against the measure. For a time it seemed that selfishness, per- sonal and partisan jealousies, were in the majority. They pro- tested that the frontier was not worth the sacrifice of blood and treasure it was costing ; that the nation had not the money neces- sary to carry on the war; that, by withdrawing from the North- western Territory, and by making the Ohio river the boundary, and, by treating with the Indians, a peace might be restored to this frontier.
After much bitter controversy and opposition to the bill, Con- gress arose to the emergency by the passage of it. To appease the opposition, Washington appointed embassies to treat with the Indians. General Putnam and Heckewelder, the missionary, vis- ited the tribes on the Wabash and were kindly received. The peace messengers, Colonel Hardin to the northwest, and Major Truman to Sandusky, carried with them under flags of truce, medals, presents and messages from the Secretary of War and President Washington. The medals, gifts and messages were- taken by the Indians, and the bearers of them were slain.
Caleb Atwater, the first historian of Ohio, while acting as- Indian agent at Prairie du Chien, in July, 1828, states that he saw the medals and speeches in the possession of the elder Caray Man- nee, the principal chief of the Winnebagoes. .
"The principal medal was a large one, of copper, six inches in:
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diameter, and purported, no doubt truly, to have been made, at the expense of a gentleman of Philadelphia, and by him sent as a token of General Washington's friendship to the Indians."
The Indians in every instance would hear of no terms of peace that did not promise the removal of the whites from the northern side of the river.
GENERAL WAYNE.
After securing the passage of the bill for recruiting an army of five thousand men, President Washington had yet another crit- ical task to perform. Bitter rivalries existed among the large number of generals without commands, now that the Revolution- ary War was over. Many of them aspired to the command of the new army to be raised. It was a difficult matter for the Executive to select a man suited in all respects for such a charge. General Morgan, General Scott, General Wayne, Colonel Darke, and Gen- eral Henry Lee, all received consideration. From the names
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enumerated, General Wayne was selected. Some idea of the jeal- ousies that prevailed may be formed from the letter written by General Lee, then Governor of Virginia, to President Washing- ton, in which he stated that the appointment caused "extreme dis- gust" among all orders in the Old Dominion.
But to students of to-day, it is plain that Washington acted from a judgment that was far in advance of the critics of his appoinment.
Of all men, Wayne was the best fitted for the great campaign. In the Revolutionary War no other general, American, British, or French, won such a reputation for hard fighting and great cour- age. He had been taught in a school of experience, for the early campaigns in which he took part were waged against the gallant generals and splendid soldiery of the British king.
In the spring of 1792 the recruiting of the army was com- menced; and in June General Wayne moved to Pittsburgh and proceeded to organize and drill an army that should be capable of subduing the savage nations of the Northwest. "Train and discipline them for the service they are meant for," said Wash- ington, "and do not spare powder and lead, so the men be made marksmen."
In December, 1792, the newly recruited forces were moved down the river, twenty-two miles to a point called Legionville. The army, having been called by that name, was divided into four sub-legions. At this point the troops were exercised in all the evolutions that were considered necessary to render them efficient soldiers in a campaign against savages. Firing at a mark was practiced daily, and rewards given to the best marksmen. The troops soon attained an accuracy that gave them confidence. "The dragoons received thorough drills in the use of the broad-sword, whilst the infantry were led to place entire confidence in the bay- onet, as the certain and irresistible weapon before which the sav- ages could not stand."
On the 30th of April, 1793, General Wayne broke camp and proceeded down the river to Cincinnati, intending to quarter his troops at Fort Washington. But on his arrival he found the vicinity of the fortification unsuitable for drills and maneuvers, and he chose a site one mile further down the river. As it was the only place he could find that met with his approval, he called his encampment "Hobson's Choice." The army remained at this
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point until October 7th, 1793, waiting for the report of the United States Peace Commissioners.
The efforts of the United States government to establish treaties of peace and friendship with the hostile tribes of the northwestern territory began in the early part of 1792 and was continued until August 16th, 1793. In October of that year the army moved to Greenville, eighty miles north of Cincinnati, where it went into winter quarters. The effective force under General Wayne, October 23rd, was three thousand six hundred and thirty men. In addition to this force there were a number of men who became known far and wide, of friendly Choctaw Indians, under the command of a chief, called General Hummingbird. These Indians performed the duties of scouts during the campaign. In- cluded with these there were also a number of wild white Indian fighters. "They were far more useful to the army than the like number of regular soldiers or ordinary rangers.
"It was on these fierce backwoods riflemen that Wayne chiefly relied for news of the Indians, and they served him well. In small parties, or singly, they threaded the forest scores of miles in advance or to one side of the marching army, and kept close watch on the Indians' movements. As skilful and hardy as the red war- riors, much better marksmen, and even more daring, they took many scalps, harrying the hunting parties, and hanging on the outskirts of the big wigwam villages. They captured and brought in Indian after Indian, from whom Wayne got valuable informa- tion. The use of scouts, and the consequent knowledge gained by the examination of Indian prisoners, emphasized the difference between St. Clair and Wayne. Wayne's reports are accompanied by many examinations of Indian captives. Among these white scouts there were some who were known far and wide for their personal prowess and daring adventures. They were all men of great bodily strength, and endowed with wonderful powers of en- durance, agility and eyesight, and who were masters in the use of their weapons. Several of them had been captured by the In- dians when they were children, and had lived for years with them before their restoration to the whites; so that in their captivity they acquired the speech and customs of the different tribes.
"William Wells was a man of such extraordinary prowess as to merit special notice. He was captain of the mounted division of spies. Attached to Wells' command were the following men :
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Mahaffey, Robert McClellan, one of the most active men on foot that ever lived; William Miller, Henry Miller and May, former Indian captives. "
"Wells was taken captive by the Miamis, when he was a boy twelve years of age, and grew to manhood among them, liv- ing like any other young warrior; his Indian name was Black Snake, and he married a sister of the great warchief, Little Turtle. He fought with the rest of the Miamis, by the side of Little Turtle, in the victories that the Northwestern Indians gained over Har- mar and St. Clair, and during the battle it is said he killed several soldiers with his own hand. Afterward, he became harassed by the thought that perhaps he had slain some of his own kindred; dim memories of his childhood came back to him, and he resolved to leave his Indian wife and half-breed children and rejoin the people of his own color. Tradition relates that on the eve of his departure he made his purpose known to Little Turtle, and added, 'We have long been friends; we are friends yet, until the sun stands so high (indicating the place) in the heavens; from that time we are enemies and may kill one another.' Be this as it may, he came to Wayne, was taken into high favor, and served with signal success until the end of the campaign."
"Captain Wells and his four companions were confidential and privileged gentlemen in camp, who were only called upon to do duty upon very particular and interesting occasions. They were permitted a carte blanche among the horses of the dragoons, and when upon duty went well mounted; whilst the spies com- manded by Captain Kibby went on foot, and were kept constantly on the alert, scouring the country in every direction."
"One of Wells' fellow spies was William Miller. Miller, like Wells, had been captured by the Indians when a boy, together with his brother Christopher. When he grew to manhood he longed to rejoin his own people, and finally did so, but he could not persuade his brother to come with him, for Christopher had become an Indian at heart. In June, 1794, Wells, Miller and a third spy, Robert McClellan, were sent out by Wayne with special instructions to bring in a live Indian, in order that he could inter- rogate him as to the future intentions of the enemy. McClellan, as has been stated, was remarkably swift of foot, and afterward became a famous plainsman and Rocky Mountain man. They proceeded with cautious steps through the Indian country, and
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crossed the St. Mary's river, and thence to the Auglaize river, without meeting any straggling party of Indians. In passing up the Auglaize they discovered a smoke ; they then dismounted, tied their horses, and proceded cautiously to reconnoiter the enemy. They found three Indians camped on a high, open piece of ground, clear of brush or any underwood. As it was open woods, they found it would be difficult to approach the camp without being discovered. Whilst they were reconnoitering, they saw not very far distant from the camp, a tree which had lately fallen. They returned and went round the camp so as to get the top of the fallen tree between them and the Indians. The tree-top being full of leaves would serve as a shelter to screen them from obser- vation. They went forward on their hands and knees, with the noiseless movements of the cat, till they reached the tree-top. They were now within seventy or eighty yards of the camp. The Indians were sitting or standing about the fire, roasting venison, laughing, and making other merry antics, little dreaming that death was about stealing a march upon them. Arrived at the fallen tree, their purpose of attack was soon settled; they deter- mined to kill two of the enemy and make the third prisoner. Mc- Clellan, being swift of foot, was to catch the third one, whilst to- Wells and Miller was confided the duty of shooting the other two. One of them was to shoot the one on the right, the other the one on the left. Their rifles were in prime order, the muzzles of their guns were placed on the log of the fallen tree, the sights were- aimed for the Indians' hearts - whiz went the balls, and both Indians fell. Before the smoke of the burnt powder had risen six feet, McClellan was running at full speed, with tomahawk in hand, for the Indian. The Indian, having no time to pick up his gun, bounded off at the top of his speed, and made down the river ; but by continuing in that direction he discovered that McClellan would head him. He turned his course and made for the river. The: river here had a bluff bank about twenty feet high. When he came to the bank he sprang down into the river, the bottom of which was. a soft mud, into which he sank to the middle. While he was try- ing to extricate himself out of the mud, McClellan came to the top of the high bank, and, without hesitation, sprang upon him as he was wallowing in the mire. The Indian drew his knife; Mc- Clellen raised his tomahawk, told him to throw down his knife, or he would kill him instantly. He threw down his knife, and sur-
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rendered without any further effort at resistance." The others . came up and secured the prisoner, whom they found to be a white man; and to Miller's astonishment it proved to be his brother Christopher. The scouts brought their prisoner, and the scalps of the two slain warriors, back to Wayne. At first Christopher was sulky and refused to join the whites; he was, therefore, put in the guard-house. After a few days he became more cheerful, and said he had changed his mind. Wayne set him at liberty, and he not only served valiantly as a scout through the campaign, but acted as Wayne's interpreter. Early in July he showed his good faith by assisting McClellan in the capture of a Pottawattamie chief.
The high bank from which the leap was made must have been in the vicinity of where the Glynwood pike crosses the Auglaize river.
"On one of Wells' scouts he and his companions came across a family of Indians in a canoe by the river bank. The white, wood rangers were as ruthless as their red foes, sparing neither sex nor age ; and the scouts were cocking their rifles when Wells recognized the Indians as being the family into which he had been adopted, and by which he had been treated as a son and brother. Springing forward he swore immediate death to the first man who fired, and then told his companions who the Indians were. The scouts at once dropped their weapons, shook hands with the Miamis, and sent them 'off unharmed."
After the erection of Fort Greenville and other buildings necessary for the accommodation of the army, a detachment was sent to re-occupy the ground made memorable by the disastrous defeat of St. Clair, over three years before. The detachment reached the locality on Christmas day, 1793, and built a stockade which was significantly called Fort Recovery. During the con- struction of the stockade a reward was offered for every human skull found on the battlefield. Six hundred of these relics were collected and buried within the stockade. Said one of the legion, "when we went to lie down in our tents at night, we had to scrape the bones together, and carry them out to make our beds."
After the construction of the stockade and block-houses, the place was garrisoned and placed in charge of Captain Alexander Gibson, when the remainder of the troops returned to Greenville.
From Fort Recovery spies went out daily ; some of them
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penetrating the wilderness as far as the mouths of the St. Mary's and Auglaize rivers, and brought in reports, daily, of the move- ments of the Indians. But a short time elapsed before it was dis- covered that the British garrisons at Detroit and on the Maumee river were the instigators of the assaults for which the savages were making preparations. The Chickasaw Indian spies reported that white men and Indians were patroling the country in different directions. One party of the scouts discovered a large party of white men and Indians at Girty's town (St. Mary's) moving in the direction of the Shawnee towns on Mad River.
On the 30th of June, an escort of ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons, under the command of Major McMahon, arrived at Fort Recovery in charge of a provision train and encamped around the walls of the fort. Soon after their arrival they were attacked by a force of more than a thousand Indians led by the celebrated chief, Little Turtle.
"They assailed the fort with great fury, rushing up to within fifty yards of it, some of them carrying axes and hatchets for the purpose of cutting down the pickets ; but they were met with such a galling fire from the fort that they recoiled and in a short time retreated to the woods. They, however, rallied a second time, but kept at a more respectful distance, and kept up a heavy and con- stant fire during the remainder of the day. The garrison, in the mean time, kept up a brisk and most effective fire throughout the day. At the approach of night the enemy withdrew. The night was foggy and very dark, which afforded the Indians an oppor- tunity to remove their dead and wounded by torchlight, which occasionally drew a fire from the garrison. The enemy succeeded in removing all their dead, except eight or ten bodies that lay near the walls of the garrison.
The attack was renewed the next day, but was attended with results no more successful than on the previous day. Late in the afternoon, the enemy withdrew in disgrace from the field on which they previously had gained the greatest victory in the history of their race.
"During the engagement on the second day, a man, judged to be a person of some distinction, from a three-cornered hat and plume and gay apparel which he wore, was seen moving about among the Indians, but at too great a distance from the fort, it was thought, to be reached by a rifle shot. However, a friendly Chick-
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asaw Indian, who was in the fort, loaded his gun with more than a double charge of powder, and fired at him. He was not seen afterward, but the next day his three-cornered hat and plume were found on the ground.
The individual who wore the cocked hat is probably the "Captain Cartier" in J. B. Naylor's novel entitled "Under Mad Anthony's Banner."
There is but little doubt that the British and Indians ex- pected to find the cannon, hidden by the Indians after St. Clair's defeat, and to use them in their assault upon the fort. The In- dians turned over a great number of logs during the assault in search of the cannon. Fortunately the guns had been found by the troops of the garrison, and did good service during the siege.
During the siege the balls were heard continually striking against the pickets and logs of the block-house. After the Indians had retired, it was observed that the outside of the pickets and block-houses were everywhere perforated with bullets, and a num- ber of ounce balls were picked up on the outside, fired at such a distance as not to have momentum sufficient to penetrate the logs.
The loss of the enemy in the two days, is believed, was very heavy, but the exact number will probably never be known. Isaac Paxton, who was in the engagement, was of the opinion that the number of Indians could not have been less than fifteen hundred.
According to the official report, made at the time, there were twenty-two killed and thirty wounded. Among the killed were Major McMahon, Captain Hartshorn, and Lieutenant Craig. Among the wounded were Captain Taylor, of the dragoons, and Lieutenant Darke, of the legion. Captain Gibson, who commanded the fort, behaved with great gallantry, and received the thanks of the commander-in-chief, as did every officer and soldier of the garrison, and the escort, who were engaged in that most gallant and successful defense.
On the 28th of July, 1794, Wayne's army left Fort Greenville on the march into the Indian country. It was the best disciplined army that ever went to battle in the Western country. The fight- ing capacity of the soldiers, acquired by nearly eighteen month's of severe military drill, caused much talk among the frontiermen themselves, and gave them confidence. A Tennessee private in writing home remarked "that hunters were apt to undervalue the
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soldiers as marksmen, but that Wayne's riflemen were as good shots as any hunters he had ever seen at any of the many matches he had attended in the back-woods." They marched twelve miles that day, and encamped on the banks of Stillwater creek, a branch of the Miami. On the following day they inarched fifteen miles and encamped a mile beyond Fort Recovery, at one o'clock in the afternoon. The next morning (July 30th), Captain Gibson, com- mander of Fort Rocovery, joined the main army. They marched twelve miles this day, and encamped at three o'clock P. M. on Beaver creek, four miles west of the Mercer county reservoir. The army rested a day at this point to give the pioneers time to construct a bridge across a swamp through which the creek flows. An additional corps was, also, ordered to clear a road from the swamp to the St. Mary's river. The bridge across the swamp was constructed by cutting blocks six feet long from large trees, and setting them in a vertical position in two rows in the water and soft mud, which was about five feet deep. On these blocks string- ers were laid and across them split timber to form the floor of the bridge. Portions of the bridge are still to be seen in the swamp. On the Ist of August, the bridge and road being completed, the army moved forward before sunrise, and marched twelve miles to the St. Mary's river, where they arrived at three o'clock, and en- camped on a beautiful prairie. There they remained two days and built Fort Adams, and left a company of a hundred men to pro- tect it under the command of Lieutenant Underhill.
"At some time within the two days, Newman, a member of the quartermaster's corps, deserted, and went over to the enemy, acquainting them of the plans of the campaign." It had been Wayne's design to reach the headquarters of the savages, Grand Glaize, undiscovered, and in order to do this, he had caused two roads to be cut, one toward the foot of the rapids (Roche de Bout), the other to the junction of the St. Mary and St. Joseph, while he pressed forward between the two; and this stratagem, he thinks, would have been successful but for the deserter referred to. On the third of August a tree fell upon General Wayne, which might have put an end to his existence; but, fortunately, he was not so much injured as to prevent him from riding slowly the next day. On the 4th of August they marched ten miles and encamped at three o'clock in the afternoon. The day following they marched fifteen miles and encamped at four o'clock P. M. The weather
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was extremely warm, and water was so scarce that they were .obliged, at times, to dig holes in boggy places to obtain a scanty supply. On the 6th the army marched twelve miles through a drizzling rain, and encamped at two o'clock P. M. At some time in the day they crossed a trail where twenty Indians had passed.
After a march of six miles, on the 7th, they passed the Upper Delaware town on the Auglaize river. The inhabitants had evacuated the village a short time before the arrival of the army.
On the 8th of August the army marched at five o'clock in the morning and reached the junction of the Auglaize with the Mau- mee river at half-past ten o'clock.
Over half the distance traversed on the morning of the 8th was through luxuriant cornfields in roasting ears. The army en- camped a short distance above the junction of the two rivers. General Wayne, in his report to the Secretary of War, in referring to the locality, writes : "We have gained possession of the grand emporium of the hostile Indians of the West, without the loss of blood. The very extensive and highly cultivated fields and gar- dens show the work of many hands. The margin of those beauti- ful rivers, the Miamis of the lake (or Maumee) and Auglaize, appear like one continued village for a number of miles, both above and below this place; nor have I ever before beheld such immense fields of corn, in any part of America, from Canada to Florida."
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