USA > Ohio > Wyandot County > Past and present of Wyandot County, Ohio; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievemen, Vol. I > Part 9
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This plan also indicates the exact location of various points of interest in old Upper Sandusky, which, with the exception of the graveyard and the William Walker house, which still stands on the southwest corner of Walker and Fourth streets, have long since entirely disappeared from view. Thus on the outlot No. 49 which is bounded on the north by Walker street, and on the east by Third street, south by Wyandot avenue, and west by an alley or the continua- tion of Spring street stood the ruins of Fort Ferree. Upon the same lot, and directly northeast from the fort, stood the Indian jail, which, constructed of hewn timbers, and stand- ing upon the point of the bluff, jutted beyond the street line into Third street. A house which was occupied a year or two later by those connected with the land office, etc., also stood upon outlot No. 49. The council house stood on inlot No. 90. Directly north of it is shown the graveyard, which occupied the crest and slope of the bluff, and a space equal to four in- lots or one acre, is bounded on the west by Fourth street, north by an alley, east by Spring street and south by John- ston street. The enclosure contains the remains of the mem- bers of the Walker, Garrett, Williams, Armstrong, Clark, Hicks and Brown families, beside those of many others, a majority of whom were either part or full-blooded Wyandot Indians. Again glancing at this map of the town, we find that William Walker's residence stood on inlot No. 211, or near the southwest corner of Walker and Fourth streets. His store was south from his house, and occupied a portion of inlot No. 193. Clark's house rested in the center of Walker street, near the west line of Third. "Garrett's Tavern," which stood near the northeast corner of Wyandot avenue and Fourth street, occupied portions of inlots 159 and 160, as well as Fourth street. Hick's habitation rested partly on inlot 70 and Fifth street. Hick's house, William Walker's
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house and the council house were the only frame buildings in the town while it was occupied by the Indians.
Brown's cabin was directly south from the council house on inlot No. 19, and Armstrong's dwelling stood near the center of outlot No. 12. Other buildings, though probably they were not of much value, were standing in 1843, upon in- lots No. 56, 106, 156, 165, 212, and 217, but the names of the original owners or occupants are not given. It will thus be observed that the first residents of this locality-the Indians and their friends of mixed blood-chose the most dry and picturesque sites as positions for their council house, jail and dwellings.
Having explained how, when and by whom the town was laid out, we will now glance at some of the early white in- habitants.
The Indians departed in July, 1843, and their old haunts were soon after occupied by a number of those who became permanent settlers, though by reason of the fact that these lands, or lots were not placed upon the market until two years later, they were for a brief period only "squatters." In October, 1843, the United States Land Office was removed from Lima, Ohio, to Upper Sandusky, and when at the same time Col. Moses Kirby as receiver and Abner Root, as regis- ter, came on and established their offices in the council house, they found that those who had preceded them here as resi- dents were Andrew McElvain, his brother Purdy McElvain and Joseph Caffee. Col. Purdy McElvain, then receiver of the land office, died at Upper Sandusky in April, 1848. The following month this office was removed to Defiance, Ohio. Andrew McElvain was the proprietor of a log tavern which, standing on the grounds now occupied by the brewery, had but very limited capacities for the entertainment of men and beasts. Col. Purdy McElvain had been here for a num- ber of years, employed as United States Indian agent, while Colonel Caffee was engaged in farming and land specula- tions. He had a considerable portion of the original town- plat sown to wheat in the fall of 1843. At the same time George Garrett, whose wife was one-quarter Wyandot, and who was the father of Joel Garrett, kept the "Garrett Tav- ern." The town was surveyed by Lewis Clason, of Cincin- nati, in November or December, 1843. At the time William Brown was engaged in surveying the reservation which had
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been vacated by the Indians the preceding summer. John Hall, Esq., Upper Sandusky's first lawyer, was numbered among the residents in 1844, also Chester R. Mott, Esq., Wy- andot's first prosecuting attorney. During that year, too, October 12th, Col. Andrew McElvain was commissioned as the first postmaster of the town. Wyandot county was erected in February, 1845, and soon after Upper Sandusky was chosen as the county seat. Then began a lively boom for the new town.
COLONEL CRAWFORD'S FATE
THE EXACT SPOT WHERE THE GREAT CRAWFORD WAS CRUELLY BURNED AT THE STAKE BY THE INDIANS
[From the Upper Sandusky Chief, December, 1904.] To the Editor of The Chief:
On the 11th of June, 1782, Col. William Crawford was burned at the stake by the Wyandot and Delaware Indians about half a mile northeast of the site of Crawfordsville, in this county. No man knows the exact spot where the execu- tion occurred. The Indians, Dr. Knight and Simon Girty knew exactly where the burning took place, but as to the par- ticular point where the cruel deed was done the balance of mankind must be content with hearsay and tradition. Colonel Butterfield tried to locate the tragic spot in the light of first and second-hand hearsay; and others seek now to walk to the exact spot in the light given by Colonel Butterfield.
Early in October, 1853, my father with his family moved onto the old Myron Buell farm, at Crawfordsville, and our dwelling house was within half a mile and in plain sight of the High Bank, on Tymochtee creek, close to which, all agree, Colonel Crawford was burned. The traditions from the whites and Indians agree that the execution took place in this lo- cality. The Indians were numerous and better acquainted with the exact place and its environments than were the few whites.
The first white settler within the present limits of Wyan- dot county was Henry Lish, who settled near the mouth of Tymochtee creek, about the year 1818. Settlers began to pour in rapidly in 1821, and never stopped coming until the public land was all taken and the county was completely settled.
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This settlement of the county commenced less than forty years from the time of Colonel Crawford's cruel execution.
The burning of Crawford was contrary to the customs of the Wyandots, and it strained the friendly relations hitherto existing between the Wyandots and the Delawares. Such an unusual event would naturally make a deep impression on the minds of the Indians of both tribes. They all had an oppor- tunity of knowing the exact spot where the tragedy was con- summated and all must concede that they did know. Many of the actual participants in Crawford's execution, not only lived here when the white settlers began to move into the county forty years later, but they continued to live here until their final removal west of the Mississippi in 1843.
The old settlers were a hardy, long-lived people, and many of them were active here until after the close of the Civil war. The Wyandots had only been gone ten years when we moved into the county. At that time the large timber on and in the neighborhood of the High Bank had never been disturbed. The environments were about the same as they had been for a hundred years. Certainly the relative positions of the creek and the High Bank had not materially changed since 1783. During the long years of my residence in sight of the spot I always understood that the burning occurred under the wal- nut trees in the bend of the creek, just across the stream from the High Bank. This general description brought the tragic spot within the compass of less than an acre of land, and that was as close as we ever cared about getting to the "exact spot."
I never heard this location disputed until in 1876, when the Crawford monument was dedicated, and then, and at dif- ferent times since, old men living remote from the field and very seldom having seen it, fortified with little morsels of hearsay, persist in putting a pin in the "exact" spot where Colonel Crawford died at the stake.
One hundred and twenty-two years ago Colonel Crawford died ; he was a noble, good man, a pioneer of our pioneers. His place of sepulchre was the place of his execution, and like one of the great leaders of old, no man knows to this day the exact place of his burial. The Tymochtee remains, the "Bend" remains; the High Bank remains, and these monu- ments retain their relative position substantially as they have existed for the last one hundred and fifty years.
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The actors in the tragedy have long since joined the silent majority, but the early, undisputed tradition yet lives in the memory of living witnesses and under the walnut trees, in the bend of the creek, just across from the High Bank is the "exact spot," where the great Colonel Crawford was burned at the stake.
ALLEN SMALLEY.
COLONEL CRAWFORD'S ARMY
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE ROUTE OF OUR EARLY HERO AND HIS PARTY
[From A. J. Baughman's History of Richland County, Ohio.]
Colonel Crawford's army, consisting of 480 men, mounted on good horses, left Mingo Bottom, two and a half miles be- low Steubenville, on the 25th of May, 1782, on their long jour- ney through the wilderness to the Sandusky Plains, near the present village of Wyandot, Wyandot county, north of Upper Sandusky.
They were all volunteers from the immediate neighbor- hood of the Ohio, with the exception of one company from Ten Mile in Washington county. Here an election was held for the office of commander-in-chief for the expedition. The candidates were Colonel Williamson and Colonel Crawford; the latter was the successful candidate. When notified of his appointment it is said that he accepted it with apparent reluctance.
The army marched along "Williamson's trail," as it was then called, until they arrived at the upper Moravian town, in the fields belonging to which there was still plenty of corn on the stalks, with which their horses were plentifully fed during the night of their encampment there.
Shortly after the army halted at this place two Indians were discovered by three men, who had walked some distance out of the camp. Three shots were fired at one of them, but without hurting him. As soon as the news of the discovery of Indians had reached the camp more than one-half of the men rushed out, without command, and in the most tumul- tuous manner, to see what had happened. From that time Colonel Crawford felt a presentiment of the defeat which followed.
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The truth is that, notwithstanding the secrecy and despatch of the enterprise, the Indians were beforehand with our people. They saw the rendezvous on the Mingo Bottom, knew their number and destination. They visited every encampment im- mediately on their leaving. The army came west by the way of Gnadenhutten, thence northwest to the Killbuck, some dis- tance north of Millersburg, Holmes county. "Thence," says Dunlevy, in his application for a pension, "we marched up the Killbuck," and on Thursday evening, May 30, the army en- camped for the night at a big spring, ten miles south of Wooster.
During the night one of the soldiers died. The army then moved westward along the north side of Odell's lake, and thence to the Blackfork, near the place where the Indian village of Greentown was founded a year later. This brought the army to Richland county, and thence pursuing a northwesterly course, it struck the Rockyfork and came up by where Lucas now stands, and on to the "Big Spring"-Mansfield. The spring referred to is known as the Clapp spring, near the north- west corner of Adams and Fourth streets.
Here the army halted for rest and dinner, after which the march was resumed, and the Rockyfork was still followed until a "Fine Spring" was reached, which is now known as the Wentz spring at Spring Mills, where a halt was made for the night of June 1st. On the morning of June 2d the march was resumed, going almost due west, and crossing the Black- fork of the Mohican a little north of Shafer's Hollow, a short distance west of which they reached the headwaters of the Sandusky river, and passed on to the present village known as Leesville, where the next halt was made.
It has been claimed that the army came through Helltown. But this is quite improbable as Helltown was not on their route. Helltown was on the Clearfork, a mile below Newville, and Greentown was on the Blackfork, two and a half miles above Perrysville. Helltown was five miles southwest of Greentown, and was then occupied by the Indians.
It has also been claimed that upon reaching the Blackfork, north of Shafer's Hollow, that the army turned down the stream and went as far north as Shelby before the mistake was discovered, that the stream was the Blackfork and not the Sandusky. Upon this statement a finely-spun tale is given that the mistake resulted in the defeat of the army at Battle
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Island a few days later. But it seems quite improbable that Colonel Crawford would be thus misled to leave the well- beaten Wyandot trail and wander down through the track- less swamps of the Blackfork.
Butterfield, in writing of the campaign says: "The proj- ect against Sandusky was as carefully considered and as authoritatively planned as any military enterprise in the west during the Revolution." But yet it met with disaster and de- feat. The fates seemed against it. The Indians were watch- ful and vigilant, and were thoroughly informed concerning the campaign and had their spies and runners posted all the way along the route from Mingo Bottom to the Sandusky country. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, and when the army arrived at its destination, the savage foe was prepared to meet it.
In all ages of the world people have been more or less superstitious, as some are today, although a general denial may be made, to the contrary. Even some Mansfield people have refused when traveling to occupy a room number thir- teen in a hotel, or to have thirteen at a table.
The following incident of the Crawford campaign is given. The first day out from Mingo, a fox got into the lines of the army. The troops surrounded it, but in spite of their utmost efforts to capture it, the fox escaped, which the soldiers took to be an ill-omen and the word was passed from one to another that if the whole army could not capture a fox, what success could they expect against the Indians. In every com- pany of men there will be a number who will be credulous, some who are superstitious, and it has been stated that the soldiers of Crawford's army lost confidence in the success of the campaign on account of the fox incident, and that in the end may have contributed somewhat to the defeat which fol- lowed.
In the contests between the Highlanders and Lowlanders of Scotland, it was believed-
"Which spills the foremost foeman's life, That party conquers in the strife."
The fate of a battle was often anticipated by observing which party first shed blood. It is said that the Highlanders under Montrose were so deeply imbued with this idea, that,
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. on the morning of the battle of Timperoor, they murdered a defenseless herdsman, whom they found in the field, merely to secure an advantage which they believed to be of much consequence to their party. These incidents are given to. show that even brave soldiers may be affected by superstitious ideas.
It has been well stated that if Socrates died like a philos- opher, Colonel Crawford died like a hero, and patriot and martyr.
"The spot where Crawford suffered," says Col. John John- ston, "was but a few miles west of Upper Sandusky, on the old trace leading to the Big Spring, Wyandot town. It was on the right hand of the trace going west, on a low bottom on the cast bank of the Tymochtee creek."
THE COLONEL CRAWFORD EXPEDITION
INTERESTING ADDRESS ON THE CRAWFORD EXPEDITION (1782) DE- LIVERED BEFORE THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING .OF THE RICHLAND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
By Rev. Joshua Crawford, a kinsman of Colonel William Crawford
No incident in Ohio's history has attracted more wide- spread attention than the Crawford campaign of 1782 against the Sandusky Indians. Yet, only recently have the real causes that led to it been carefully studied and deserved credit given to the heroic patriots who unselfishly ventured life and prop- erty therein. Undeservedly it has been characterized as a band of marauding butchers whose sole intent was to put to death the remnant of the Moravian Indians, and represented as supplemental in purpose to the Gnadenhutten massacre of March 8, 1782, when ninety-six Indians, said to be inoffensive, were ruthlessly put to death. To correctly understand the causes that led to this memorable expedition we should keep in mind a few historical facts which I will here briefly notice. England was the actual enemy at war with America; the In- dians were employed as her allies. The Revolutionary war had waned in the east on account of the capture of Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. No treaty of peace had been made and the bitter feeling of the English and their tory constituency of the west had increased rather
JACOB NEWMAN FREE
COLONEL WILLIAM CRAWFORD
€
=
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than diminished. By the aid of the most atrocious and un- scrupulous agents ever employed by a civilized government, England had hired the western Indians to perform deeds of extreme cruelty. She paid the savages to kill and scalp Amer- ican settlers, to burn their buildings and destroy their crops. In addition to this she promised that the Indians should have the region north of the Ohio as a perpetual hunting ground. A few English officers may have mildly reprimanded the In- dians because of shameful deeds, but the authorities never broke with them nor withheld the reward. In proof of this culpable conduct on the part of Britain many facts can be cited. For example the Indian chief Brant was dressed in the uniform of a British captain at Cherry Vale on December 10, 1778, where fifty men, women and children were murdered in cold blood. English officers were present during the awful carnage of Wyoming Valley and saw the helpless and inno- cent white people slain, and pretended they could not control the Indians, yet they never severed their relations with them, but tried to justify themselves by exaggerated accounts of American retaliation. In the summer of 1781 Colonel Luchry and a party of forty men were butchered near the mouth of the Little Miami after they had surrendered and protection promised. Girty, McKee and Elliott, ingrate and renegade white men, were employed agents of England, and the two lat- ter wore the British uniforms of captains in the battle of San- dusky Plains and witnessed the torture of Crawford without making remonstrance. Guns and ammunition were furnished the savages by Britain and her coat of arms was etched on their powder horns. It may seem out of place in these days when England is making a loud boast of love and friendship for America, but nevertheless, it is an undeniable fact that the basest deeds and most cruel brutalities that stain the annals of border warfare are directly chargeable to English influence.
The Crawford campaign'was forced on the country by the oft-repeated excursions of these British hirelings and their numerous deeds of murderous cruelty. Six hundred miles of our western frontier had been mercilessly harassed until there was scarcely a mile but had witnessed scenes of savage mur- der and bloodshed. It blazed with midnight fire and was red with innocent blood. Painted Indians with scores of scalps dangling from their belts boasted to British agents of their Vol. 1-7
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horrid work and received pay for these evidences of inhuman crime. These barbarous marauding parties continued to ran- sack the settlements, and commit these deeds of butchery until a spirit of just revenge swelled the bosoms of our pioneer fathers and Gnadenhutten was one of the results. They had suffered under the lash of constant fear until human for- bearance could endure no longer and all feeling of compassion for an Indian was driven from their breasts. I cannot re- frain from admiring the Boones, Wetzels, Bradys, Kentons, Ross, Leets, Poes and others even if they did occasionally skin the top of an Indian's head, nor would I have blamed them much if they had peeled the heads of a few British officers who incited the savages to these dreadful outrages.
Heartrending tales and pitiful appeals for protection were daily poured into the ears of General Irvine, then in command of the American forces west of the Alleghenies with head- quarters at Pittsburgh. Something must be done to protect the settlers or give up the Ohio valley. The center from which these Indian forays came was the Sandusky plains. From this quarter scores of marauding parties were sent to all parts of the frontier. It was a strategic point for the allies of Great Britain. The English headquarters were at Detroit and from thence arms and other war supplies were sent down the lakes . and up the Sandusky river to the head of canoe navigation, where the portage to the head waters of the Scioto river was only a few miles and thus they could reach all parts of the west and southwest. Many were the visits of warriors from the west to this place to obtain supplies. It was thought by Irvine and his advisers that an effective blow struck here de- feating the Indians and destroying their villages would give the settlers rest and might result in a treaty of peace with them which would stop their excursions until a treaty with Great Britain should be effected. The plan was based on the hope of taking the Indians by surprise. It was laid before General Washington and received his approval. The continental troops at Fort Pitt were only sufficient for defense, and the enterprise was too dangerous for militia. Therefore General Irvine issued a call for volunteer horsemen. Each man was to furnish his own horse and thirty days' provisions. Mingo Bottom was fixed upon as the place and May 20, 1782, as the time of rendezvous. Volunteering progressed rapidly. Men who did not own a horse and equipage were furnished the
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same by others who could not go. The troops were to be per- mitted to elect all their own officers, but General Irvine was not slow to make it known that he desired that Col. William Crawford should be chosen leader.
Colonel Crawford did not fully endorse the plan of the campaign. He objected on the ground that they could not reap the full benefit of victory should they win. His own plan outlined three years before was to build a line of forts as they advanced and garrison and provision these that in case of defeat in open fight they would have a rallying point, and thus hold every inch of ground they won. This plan was after- ward adopted, in the main, by Wayne, in his advance north- ward from Cincinnati. An Indian town had no essential value, the houses being made of bark and hence it would work no great discomforts to them if a few villages were destroyed. Crawford hesitated about volunteering until his son John, nephew William (son of Valentine Crawford) and son-in- law William Harrison, had enlisted and they finally persuaded him to do the same.
The volunteers began to gather on the 20th and proceeded to organize under the county marshals. Crawford going by the way of Pittsburgh, reached the rendezvous on the 22d, was elected chief in command the 24th, and Colonel William- son was made field major, and second in command. Thomas Gaddis, John McCelland, - Brickston were elected field majors and Daniel Leet, brigadier major. General Irvine sent Lieutenant Rose of the continentals to be aide de camp to the commander, and Dr. Knight to be surgeon. John Slover, Jonathan Zane and John Nichols were chosen guides. Among the troops were many experienced scouts and Indian hunters such as Wetzel, Brady, Ross, Pentecost and the two Poes. Every man understood the desperate character of the enter- prise. Crawford had made his will and bade his family an affectionate farewell before leaving. Touching scenes were witnessed as these brave men left to defend home and loved ones, there were streaming eyes, prolonged handshakes, and goodbye kisses as there would be now should the hope of the home go off to war.
The troop consisting of 480 well mounted men left Mingo Bottom the 25th of May, entering a great forest with scarcely a stick amiss (but we will speak of the places as now named to make the line of march understood). The night of the 29th
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