USA > Ohio > Wyandot County > Past and present of Wyandot County, Ohio; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievemen, Vol. I > Part 10
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
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they camped at Shoenbrun, Tuscarawas county, the 30th at Butler Spring in Holmes county, the 31st at Newkirk Spring, within Wayne county, north of Lake Odell. In Richland county they slaked their thirst at a spring now in Mansfield and camped at Spring Mills the night of the 1st of June. The night of the 2d they camped by the Sandusky at a spring near Leesville. The 3d they emerged from the tall forests into the open plain, about 9 o'clock and spent the night near the Little Sandusky. The 4th they cautiously advanced to the place of destination, a Wyandot town in Crane township of Wyandot county. It was vacant and showed evidences of having been deserted for weeks. Here was general disap- pointment. The expedition could not be a surprise. A coun- cil decided to march to the lower villages. An hour later the men complained that they only had provisions in reserve for five days more. Guide Zane boldly advised retreat and it is said Crawford endorsed his counsel. But brave men, volun- teers conducting a campaign at their own expense could not bear the thought of returning home without seeing the enemy and doing something in defense of their loved ones. They compromised by agreeing to go forward the remainder of that afternoon but no longer. Soon the scouts came back with word that they had seen Indians. Quickly the little army was alert and eager for the conflict. The Indians were seen has- tening into a grove on a rising knoll, since called Battle Island. Crawford discerning the advantage of this position ordered part of the men to dismount and advance rapidly. This prompt action secured them an advantageous position which proba- bly saved the army from being overwhelmed. Then followed a sharp battle in which 500 Delawares, 600 Wyandots and Lake Indians, aided by two companies of British from Fort San- dusky, fought for three hours to retake the lost position and at sunset withdrew defeated. The morning of the 5th the enemy were shy of the fatal rifles of Crawford's men. When pressed they would shrink back and conceal themselves in the tall prairie grass. The army was weary from a long forced march, some were sick, nineteen wounded were to be cared for, and the day was hot and sultry. But the men were full of confidence, and orders were cheerfully obeyed. About 3 o'clock affairs took a serious change. A large body of Shaw- nees joined the enemy, and additional Lake Indians were seen coming from the north. Then to the consternation of the vol
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unteers a large body of well trained cavalry came galloping into view. Quickly the word flew from lip to lip that they were Butler's Rangers from Detroit. Indians and British were arriving every hour. A council was held and it is said that even then some daring propositions were made, but they de- cided to retreat over the route they had come as soon as dark- ness should favor. Major McClelland was to have charge of the front, the wounded were to be kept in the center, and Wil- liamson and Leet were to keep back the enemy in the rear. It was 9 o'clock before they were ready to start. The enemy had anticipated their purpose and began a fierce attack in front. Major McClelland was fatally wounded and had to be left on the field. The rear was sharply assaulted. Major Leet with ninety men charged the enemy and broke through their ranks and threw them into confusion, but kept on to the west for an hour and then turned sharply to the south and passed through the northeast corner of Marion county, struck the Owl creek and Vernon river trail to Coshocton and then over the route of Bougart on to Mingo Bottom. Leet's bold move must have confused the enemy, for it seems, according to all accounts, there was no systematic attack on the rear of the main body until long after daylight of the sixth. Craw- ford not knowing that McClelland had fallen, complained of undue haste and neglect of the wounded. Then missing his son, son-in-law, nephew and Lieutenant Rose, he rode toward the rear, loudly calling their names and was seen no more by the army.
The main body, much confused by the attack of the Del- awares and Shawnees in the front and by some of the com- panies becoming entangled in a marsh where a good many horses were lost, reached the deserted village of the Wyan- dots about daylight of the 6th. Here a halt was called, and scattered companies came in until they numbered nearly three hundred. Crawford was missed and Colonel Williamson as- sumed command and assisted by Lieutenant Rose soon brought order out of chaos and the retreat continued. Toward the mid- dle of the forenoon the British light horse and mounted In- dians began to make their appearance and annoy the rear and flanks by making bold rushes, each time growing more irri- tating. Near where a small stream enters the Whetstone, Wil- liamson hastily drew up a part of his men, resolved to teach the enemy a lesson and if possible put a stop to these harass-
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ing dashes. The enemy came on as if expecting to annihilate their foe when they were met with such a deadly fire from the ambushed Americans that many a trooper fell to the earth and the others got out of range as soon as possible. It was soon over, but they were so severely punished that they did not attempt another attack on the rear, but contented them- selves with firing at long range and picking up stragglers. This has been called the Battle of the Olentangy and deserves much more notice than I have time to give it. The troop went into camp at the Leesville Spring and during the night were not disturbed. Early the morning of the 7th of June they were in the saddle. The enemy made their appearance and fired a few shots from a safe distance ; the last shot was not far west of where Crestline now stands and then they abandoned the pursuit. No stop was made at Spring Mills unless it was to slake the thirst and fill their canteens, but they passed on to the spring now in the city of Mansfield and ate their scant lunch. That was 123 years ago today. Let our imagination remove this city with its business blocks, busy shops and lovely homes for a few minutes, that we may reclothe this hill with its primitive forest of magnificent arches, whispering leaves, and sublime silence and watch this tired little army come in and see the weary men fling themselves from the saddles, quench their thirst from these springs, give drink to their horses, eat a hurried meal, remount and hasten on.
The night of the 7th the front camped by the Rainey or Newkirk Spring while the rear stopped at a spring above Long lake. Two men died in the camp of the rear guard. They were buried in one grave and a log heap was burned over them to keep the Indians from finding the grave and scalp- ing the dead. The enemy did not molest them in this camp, which was not broken until noon of the 8th. From here for- ward discipline was relaxed and by easy marches they reached Mingo Bottom, on the 13th. Leet and his company had just arrived and a few others who had outran the main body were also there. On the 14th 380 men were discharged, others came straggling home until the total loss of men did not exceed sev- enty. The state of Pennsylvania afterward paid the men and settled their losses. It is much to be regretted that no com- plete roster of this gallant troop has ever been found.
Capt. William Caldwell was in command of the British and Indians. He was wounded shortly after the retreat com-
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menced and Lieut. John Turney succeeded to the command. Caldwell in his report now on file with the English archives of the war says: "Our losses are very inconsiderable. One ranger killed, myself and two wounded; Le Vellier, the inter- preter killed; four Indians killed and eight wounded.
* The enemy were totally demoralized." Survivors of Craw- ford's army, neighbors of the writer's mother, gave quite a different account of the British-Indian losses. They never admitted that the Americans were whipped by the Indians but it was the presence of British cavalry and the rumor of artillery that induced them to retreat. The fact that about 300 retreated in one body and ninety in another is evidence that they were not totally demoralized. The confusion of the en- emy must have been equal to that of the Americans or they would have fallen on the flank and rear and totally destroyed the army. America had no more accurate marksmen than were in this troop, men accustomed to Indian fighting, and who took deliberate aim before pulling the trigger. It is not probable, nor believable, that the foe tried for three hours to retake the lost position of Battle Island and only lost four killed and eight wounded. Leet's descendants claimed there were fifteen dead Indians left when they were run out of the grove and others dead or wounded were being carried out by their comrades.
The Allisons, intimate friends of Colonel Crawford, claim that Pipe in a fiery speech just prior to the burning of Craw- ford, stirred the Indian blood by saying, "The blood of a hun- dred of our brothers slain in battle calls for vengeance." Many are the tales of how saddles were emptied by the fatal volley fired at the Rangers and Indians near the Olentangy. One thing is true, the Rangers never after came near enough to receive another such volley. We have a right to be proud of the fact that the retreat was skillfully and successfully con- ducted and the battle against large odds no disgrace to the splendid reputation of the American volunteer.
Why did the expedition fail to accomplish expected re- sults ? Well, some things must be charged to the unavoid- able. Our government at that time, strained by the cost of the Revolutionary war, felt too poor to send out an expensive expedition of regular troops who could conquer and hold every foot as they advanced. General Irvine was forced to yield to the demands for protection and was therefore compelled to
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resort to a cheap expedition, the cost of which was first borne by the volunteers and their friends. Congress made up at that time of eastern men evidently did not comprehend the situation in the west, and even General Washington does not seem to have fully apprehended the gigantic effort England was making to sneak into our national backdoor until the St. Clair defeat of 1791 gave him a shock that opened his eyes. The fatal mistake of the Crawford campaign was to suppose that they could surprise the British Indians. No sooner had Irvine given the order to raise and equip an army than tories acting as British spies carried the news to Indian runners, stationed along the border, who hastened with all speed to Detroit and informed De Peyster, who really had as much time to get his men on the field as had Irvine. Every Indian town was speedily alarmed and the haughty warriors painted and plumed themselves and hurried to their rendezvous; and, confident of their numbers, were just as impatient for the conflict as were the whites. The little army was watched from the moment it left Mingo Bottom, to the hour of battle. No sooner was the camp vacated each morning than cunning In- dian spies slipped in to hunt for any scrap of evidence of the intentions of the volunteers and carried it to headquarters. Crawford, careful to guard against surprise or ambuscade, rushed on to his fate, not knowing that he must fight a com- bined army of English and Indians. Irvine naturally shielded his own reputation in this matter by saying his orders were not exactly obeyed, yet no great blame can be charged against him, hence we come back to the conclusion, the disaster was unavoidable.
Colonel Crawford vainly searching for his missing rela- tives, met Dr. Knight and begged him to go with him. They fell in with Captain Biggs and Lieutenant Ashley (the latter wounded) and four others. Before they were aware of it they were isolated from the troops. Recognizing the folly of following in the wake of the army they journeyed north about an hour and then turned due east. Crawford's exhausted horse had to be left and part on foot and part on horseback they kept on until about noon of the seventh. Butterfield says they bore to the southeast and struck the trail of the main army near Leesville and soon after walked into an ambuscade of Delaware Indians. Knight and the others prepared to fight. Crawford persuaded them to surrender. He had good rea-
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son to think they would be turned over to the British as pris- oners of war because of the presence of English troops dur- ing the battle. They were taken to the Delaware camp where were nine other prisoners. From this camp they were all taken to a camp near Upper Sandusky, the village of the Half King. From here Crawford was taken to the village where he had an interview with Simon Girty, who promised to exert his influence to save his life, with probably no intention of do- ing it. Crawford was carefully kept out of sight of the Half King and returned to the Delaware camp. A day or two later Pipe and Wigeund, Delaware chiefs of fame, came in. Craw- ford had seen these men before and they professed great pleas- ure at meeting him. They may have been glad but it was not the joy of friendship but that of the tiger waiting to consume his prey. Pipe with his own hand painted Crawford, Knight and the others black, and started them toward the Wyandot village, but soon the course was changed in the direction of the Delaware village on the Little Tymochtee. During the journey four of the prisoners were tomahawked by the war- riors. At the village all the prisoners were made to sit on the ground and squaws and boys sunk their tomahawks into the brains of five and tore the scalps from their heads, leav- ing Crawford and Knight for another occasion. A brutal squaw cut off the head of John McKinley and it was tossed against the prisoners and kicked about on the ground.
It was here Crawford and Knight gave up all hope of life. After an hour of this grewsome entertainment they were commanded to get up and move on. It was then about 1 o'clock of the 11th of June. In a short time they met Simon Girty and Elliott (and some say McKee). Girty spoke to Crawford, but made no effort to save his life. As they neared the Big Tymochtee every Indian boy or squaw they met struck the captives in the face with their fist or a stick. At last they came to the stream near which was a fire and a stake about fifteen feet high set in the ground. On the opposite side was a low knoll with a grove of trees on it. A company of thirty or forty warriors and about sixty squaws and boys were gath- ered about the fire. Crawford was now stripped naked and ordered to sit down. His hands were tied behind him and a rope passed between them and tied to the stake, allowing length sufficient to walk about twice around the stake and to lie down. Crawford asked Girty if they intended to burn him
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and the white savage answered yes. He replied that he would try to endure it like a man. At this point Chief Pipe made a speech at the conclusion of which the Indians all set up a yell and the warriors grasped their guns and shot Crawford's body full of burnt powder from heels to neck. They crowded around him and when they drew away blood was trickling down his neck and shoulders as if his ears had been cut off. The fire was made about twelve feet from the stake and con- sisted of hickory poles ten or twelve feet long, so laid on as to burn off in the middle leaving each end a firebrand. Three or four Indians at a time would each take up a pole and press the fiery end against the naked body of their victim, then others, with fresh brands, would take their places. No mat- ter which way he turned he was met and poked with the blaz- ing fagots, thus slowly roasting the flesh until in places it fell from the bones and the air was made foul with the stench. After enduring this awful torture without uttering a word or making an outcry the suffering man, delirious with pain, turned to Girty and begged him to shoot him. At first this inhuman ingrate made no reply, but to the second urgent ap- peal he answered: "I have no gun," and turning to a red savage he made some sneering remark and laughed as if the painful scene greatly delighted him. Crawford was walking on a bed of hot coals and his smoking feet were burned to a crisp. At last he grew faint and fell on his face. Immediately a savage tore the scalp from his head and a hideous old squaw scooped a wooden shovelful of hot coals and poured them on his head and back. He struggled to his feet and for a few moments longer staggered back and forth calling on God to have mercy on his soul and to take care of his family. He then fell to rise no more and pitying angels threw back the portals of death through which the spirit of this noble pa- triot and unselfish hero passed into the presence of a compas- sionate Judge where he could bathe his released soul in the cooling River of Life. If vengeance can be a satisfaction to wicked hearts, surely British malignity and savage cruelty could rejoice together over a scene like this. Let the curtain drop. Though the thick mist of nearly a century and a quar- ter hides the awful scene, yet the yell of the savage and the laugh of the white demon still resound in our ears and dis- turb our dream of man's final brotherhood.
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Crawford died like a hero. If, as has been said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, then may we not say the blood of our martyred forefathers is the seed of ten thou- sand happy homes? Yea, more, the grandest free common- wealth on the face of earth. England thought to hold back this beautiful Ohio country as a herding place for tawny In- dians, indolent savages. But thank God the power of liberty could not be staid by the hand of monarchy. The smoke of our blazing cabins and cherished martyrs cleared away and freedom's hand planted a constitutional government. O Eng- land, look, see the mighty tide of immigration rise above the Alleghenies and sweep with resistless flow across the hills and plains of Ohio, and behold the wilderness changed into blooming fields rich with the fruitage of faithful husbandry. In fifty years from the time you bought the scalps of our an- cestors of the frontier, one million and a half of people had settled on the banks of the Ohio. But once again look, O ye lords of England! Today there are four and a quarter mil- lions of people in this one state. Count the church steeples pointing toward the heaven of the God we worship; count the school houses of country and town with their thousands of well dressed girls and boys; count the villages and cities each a free republic; count the factories sending the smoke of industry high into the clouds; count the railways with their flying palaces; measure the wheat and the oil that are feed- ing and lighting all parts of the earth. Then fall on your knees, O ye lords of England, and thank the mighty God that you were not permitted in your years of despotism to retain a land like this to make it a habitation of cruel savages.
The following is a part of the narration of Dr. Knight, who was captured with Colonel Crawford:
The Colonel and I were taken into an Indian camp which was about one half a mile from the place where we were captured. On Sunday evening five Delawares who had posted themselves at some distance further on the road brought back to the camp where we lay Captain Biggs' and Lieutenant Ashley's scalps, with an Indian scalp which Captain Biggs had taken in the field of action. They also brought in Biggs' horse and mine. They told us the other two had got away from them.
Monday morning, the 10th of June, we were paraded to march to Sandusky, about thirty-five miles distant. They
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had eleven prisoners of us, and four scalps, the Indians being seventeen in number. Colonel Crawford was very desirous to see a certain Simon Girty, who lived among the Indians, and was on this account permitted to go to Tarhe the same night with two warriors to guard him, having orders at the same time to pass by the place where the Colonel had turned out his horse, that they might if possible find him. The rest of us were taken to the old town which was within eight miles of the new.
Tuesday morning, the 11th, Colonel Crawford was brought out to us on purpose to be marched in with the prisoners. I asked the Colonel if he had seen Mr. Girty; he told me that he had, and that Girty had promised to do everything in his power for him, but that the Indians were very much enraged against the prisoners, particularly Captain Pipe, one of the chiefs.
He likewise told me that Girty had informed him that his son-in-law, Major Harrison, and his nephew, Williams Crawford, were made prisoners by the Shawanese, but had been paroled. This Captain Pipe had come from the towns about an hour before Colonel Crawford and had painted all the prisoners' faces black.
As he was painting me he told me that I should go to the Shawanese town and see my friends. When the Colonel ar- rived he painted him black, also told him he was glad to see him, and that he would have him shaved when he came to see his friends at the Wyandot town.
When we marched the Colonel and I were kept back be- tween Pipe and Wungenin, and two Delaware chiefs, and the other nine prisoners were sent forward with another party of Indians.
As we went along we saw four of the prisoners lying by the path tomahawked and scalped. Some were at the dis- tance of half a mile from each other. When arrived within half a mile of where the Colonel was to be executed we over- took the five prisoners that remained alive.
The Indians had caused them to sit down on the ground as they did also, the Colonel and me at some distance from them. I was then given in charge of an Indian fellow to be taken to the Shawanese town.
At the place where we were made to sit down there were a number of squaws and boys who fell on the five prisoners
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and tomahawked them. There was a certain John McKinley among the prisoners, formerly an officer in the Thirteenth Virginia regiment, whose head an old squaw cut off, and the Indians kicked it about on the ground.
The young Indian fellows came often where the Colonel and I were, and dashed the scalps in our faces. We were then conducted along toward the place where the Colonel was after- wards executed.
When we came within half a mile of it, Simon Girty met us, with several Indians on horseback ; he spoke to the Colonel but I was about one hundred and fifty yards behind, and could not hear what passed between them. Almost every Indian we met struck us either with sticks or their fists.
Girty waited until I was brought up and then asked, was that the doctor ? I told him yes, and went toward him, reach- ing out my hand, but he bid me begone, and called me a d-d rascal, upon which the fellow in charge pulled me along. Girty rode up after me and told me that I was to go to the Shawanese towns.
When we had come to the fire, the Colonel was stripped naked, ordered to sit down by the fire, and then they beat him with sticks and their fists. Presently after I was treated in the same manner.
They then tied a rope to the foot of a post about fifteen feet high, bound the Colonel's hands behind his back and fastened the rope to the ligatures between his wrists. The rope was long enough for him to either sit down or walk around the post once or twice and return the same way.
The Colonel then called to Girty and asked him if they in- tended to burn him. Girty answered yes. The Colonel said that he would take it all patiently. Upon this Captain Pipe, the Delaware chief, made a speech to the Indians, to about thirty or forty men, sixty or seventy boys and squaws. When the speech was finished, they all yelled a hideous and hearty assent to what he had said.
The Indians then took their guns and shot powder into the Colonel's body from his feet as far as his neck. I think not less than seventeen loads were discharged.
They then crowded about him and to the best of my ob- servation cut off his ears. When the throng had dispersed a little I saw the blood running from both sides of his head in consequence thereof.
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The fire was about six or seven yards from the post to which the Colonel was tied. It was made of small hickory poles, each about six feet long. Three or four Indians by turns would take up individually one of these burning pieces of wood and ap- ply it to his naked body, already burned black with the pow- der. These tormentors presented themselves on every side of him so that whatever way he ran around the post they met him with burning fagots and poles. Some of the squaws took wide boards upon which they put burning coals and hot embers and threw them on him so that in a short time he had nothing but coals of fire and hot ashes to walk on.
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