USA > Ohio > Picturesque northwestern Ohio and battle grounds of the Maumee Valley, an art and historical work of the worthwest section of the Buckeye State > Part 4
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VIEW IN MARBLEHEAD STONE QUARRY
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY.
Iroquois were encamped near the British Fort Miami with their right resting on Swan Creek.
Among them were the infamous trio, MeKce, Girty and Elliott, declaiming against peace and urging them to battle. There were also among the Indians seventy white rangers from Detroit dressed in Indian costume under the lead of Captain Caldwell. The Indian forces were com. manded by Blue Jacket, a Shawnee chieftain, and Little Turtle, chief of the Miamis. On the even- ing before the battle the Indians held a council to determine what course to pursue as they knew Wayne was rapidly approaching their encamp- ment. ยท Little Turtle was averse to battle and in council said : "We have beaten the enemy twice under separate commanders. We cannot expect the same good fortune always to attend us. The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps. The night and the day are alike to him. During all the time that he has been marching upon our villages, notwithstanding the watchful- ness of our young men, we have never been able to surprise him. Think well of it. There is something whispers me it would be well to listen
IN THE PASTURE FIELD
to his offers of peace." But Blue Jacket leaped up in the council and silenced Little Turtle by accusing him of cowardice. Little Turtle replied : "Follow me to battle."
The Indians then swept up through the woods in long columns and took up what they deemed an im- pregnable position on and around Presque Isle Hill where a tornado of a year or two before had thrown down the forest trees, interlacing them in such a manner as to form a covert for the savages and rendering it very difficult for cavalry to operate among the fallen timbers. The Indians formed in three long lines at supporting distances apart, their left resting on the river and their right extending some two miles into the forest at right angles to the river. Wayne halted at the Roche de Boeuf on the 19th and hastily con- structed light works for the protection of his
PICKING PEACHES
supplies and baggage which he named Fort Deposit. On the morning of August 20th, he marched on down the river knowing that the Indians were near and that a battle was imminent. Wayne sent for- ward a battalion of the mounted Kentuckians with instructions upon discovering the savages, to retreat in feigned confusion in order to draw the Indians out of their covert and increase their confidence. The Kentuckians went far enough in advance to give Wayne time to form his troops in perfect order after the firing should begin. Major Price led the advance guard of mounted militia, and after an hour's march he received such a hot fire from the Indians hidden in the tall grass and trees as to compel him to retreat upon the main body. Wayne immediately drew up his infantry in two lines, placed the legionary cavalry on the right next the Maumee to assail the left flank of the savages and sent the volunteer cavalry under Scott, Todd and Barbee to the left to turn the right flank of the Indians and prevent them from performing a like service for the Americans Wayne then gave orders for the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, rouse the Indians from their covert and pour a well directed fire upon their backs, charging briskly with the bayonet and not giving the Indians time to reload their pieces or reform their lines. The first line of the Legion obeyed the order with great promptitude and impetuosity. In the face
OHIO CATTLE READY FOR THE MARKET
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
T
SPIEGEL GROVE. The old home of President Hayes at Fremont.
of a deadly fire they rushed upon the savages among the fallen trees and prodded them from their hiding with the cold steel. The first line followed up the fleeing, painted horde with such swiftness and fury, pouring a destructive fire upon their backs, that but few of the second line caught up in time to participate
in the action. Many of the Indians tried to flee across the river but were cut down in the midst of the stream by the cavalry. The woods were strewn for miles with dead and wounded savages and with white Canadian militia painted and dressed in Indian costume. In the course of one hour the whole force of the enemy was driven more than two miles through the thick woods.
Says Wayne in his official report of the battle : "From every account the enemy amounted to two thousand combatants. The troops actually engaged against them were short of nine hundred. This horde of sav- ages, with their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet possession of the field of battle, which terminated under the influence of the guns of the British garrison."
Owing to the impetuosity of Wayne's first charge, the battle was too brief to be very sanguinary in its results, though the Americans lost thirty - three killed and about one hundred wounded. This loss occurred mainly at the first fire of the savages, when they lay hidden in their covert, taking deadly aim as the first line of the legion swept down upon them. The legionary cavalry next the river suffered
CLINTON STREET AND WABASH BRIDGES OVER MAUMEE RIVER, DEFIANCE.
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
CLOVER LEAF BRIDGE OVER MAUMEE AT GRAND RAPIDS.
severely at the first fire of the Indians. The dragoons gal- loped boldly among the Indians their horses leaping over the fallen logs, and dodging in and out among the trees.
The troopers swung their long sabres, with terrible effect among the dismayed and yell- ing savages. The loss of the Indians was far more serious than that of the Americans, though the number of killed and wounded was never defi- nitely known, as many of them were dragged or carried off the field and rescued by their flee- ing friends. The Indian dead numbered at least one hundred, and were found strewn along all the way to the British fort.
THRESHING WHEAT.
The victorious Americans pursued the flying savages to the very walls of Fort Miami. The Indians con- fidently expected the British to throw open the gates of the fort and admit them to its protection, but to their surprise and indignation the British basely abandoned them in the hour of their defeat, and they were obliged to scatter in the forest for safety from the American bayonets, the British looking on with apparent unconcern at this humilation and defeat of their late allies. Wayne seriously contem- plated storming the British fort, and rode up with his aides to within a few hundred feet, and surveyed it through his glasses from all sides. Wayne's inspection of the fort had shown him that it was very strong, mounting many heavy guns, and having a large garrison of regular troops. Moreover, the fort was protected by a deep ditch in front of the lofty earthern parapet, sur- mounted by strong abattis. He saw
HORTICULTURAL SCENE ON J. W. FARNSWORTH'S FARM. Near Waterville, Lucas County.
that it would cost the lives of many of his soldiers, so he wisely concluded not to sacrifice his troops, and precipitate war between the two countries by making the attack. The Americans contented them- selves with proceeding immediately to burn and de- stroy all the supplies and buildings without the walls of the fort, McKee's residence among the number. While this ravaging and burning was go- ing on, the British stood sullenly by their guns, it is said, with lighted torches, but not daring to fire, well knowing what the result would be. After razing and burning everything within the vineinity of the fort, Wayne sent out his cavalry and de- stroyed the Indian villages for miles up and down the river. After staying in the vicinity of the fort for three days, Wayne marched slowly back to Fort Defiance.
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
OLD POWDER MAGAZINE ON JOHNSON'S ISLAND, Used in Civil War, 1861-65, When Confederate Prisoners Were Kept There.
Measured by its duration and the numbers engaged, this conflict was not one of the great struggles of the world: but estimated by the issues involved, the interest at stake, it was one of the most important bat- tles in the history of the race. The peopling of a vast empire, the devel- opment of untold riches, the spread of a beneficient civilization, all awaited the result of that cautious march of Wayne's little legion, and their valorous and irresistible charge among the fallen timbers of the Maumee.
FORT STEPHENSON, NOW FREMONT, IN HISTORY .- The Sandusky country in aboriginal his- tory, possesses a peculiar charm and fascinating interest. During that period of years which fills western
annals with the story of intrigue and bloody conflict, the plains and prai- ries of the Sandusky Valley were the home of the most powerful and most generous of the savage nations.
Less than a century ago, these plains, now covered by a thriving city, presented an interesting variety of the scenes of Indian life-primi- tive agriculture, rude cabins, canoe building, amusements and the coun- cil tire. Tradition goes back a cen- tury farther, and makes the locality of this city the seat of a still more interesting people: a people who, for a time, preserved existence by neu- trality, while war, which raged with shocking ferocity, effected the ex- tinction of the neighboring tribes. Nothing is known of the aboriginal occupation of Ohio previous to 1650, but according to a tradition of the Wyandots, during the long and
CONFEDERATE CEMETERY JOHNSON'S ISLAND, NEAR SANDUSKY.
THE FINDLAY CLAY POTTERY FACTORY, FINDLAY.
bloody wars, between the Eastern and Western tribes, there lived upon the Sandusky a neutral tribe of Wyandots, called the Neu- tral Nation. They occupied two villages, which were cities of refuge, where those who sought safety never failed to find it. These villages stood near the lower rapids of the Sandusky River where Fremont now stands. This little band preserved the in- tegrity of their tribe and the sacred character of peacemakers. All who met upon their threshold met as friends, for the ground upon which they stood was holy. It was a beautiful institution; "a calm and peaceful island looking out upon the world of waves and tempests." The Wyandot tradition represents them as hav- ing separated from the parent stock during the bloody wars with their own tribe and Iroquois, and having fled to the Sandusky River for safety. The tradition runs, that, at the lower rapids, two forts were erected, one for the Iroquois or Six Nations, the other for their enemies. These traditions, handed down along the generations for nearly two centuries, may, perhaps, be
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
inaccurate in detail, but the general fact of the ex- istence of two such towns, near the head waters of navigation on the Sandusky River is entitled to as much consideration as any other fact of early Indian history.
Just when the Wyandots finally migrated to the plains of the Sandusky is not known. Colonel Smith, in his narrative, claims to have visited, in 1757, a town on the "Little Lake"-which was the name given Sandusky Bay-named Sonyen- deand, which was probably in Erie County. Al- though he ascended the river, he makes no men - tion of a village at the lower rapids. "When we came to the falls of Sandusky," says the narra- tive, "we buried our birch bark canoes, as usual, at a large place, for that purpose, a little below the fall: at this place the river falls about eight feet over a rock, and it was with much difficulty that we pushed up our wooden canoes." The Wyandots were the guardians of the great council fire: they alone had the privilege of sending mes- sengers with the well known credentials, wampom and tobacco, to summon other tribes to meet their
INTERIOR VIEW OF FORD GLASS WORKS AT ROSSFORD.
-
SECTION OF FORD GLASS WORKS AT ROSSFORD.
nnele, the Wyandot, when an important subject required deliberation.
The Wyandots were the keepers of the Grand Calumet, and were acknowledged to be at the head of the great Indian family. Lower San- dusky became the principal war seat of the Wyan- dots, and "Tarhe, the Crane," the principal war chief, lived here until Wayne's victory and the treaty of Greenville in 1795. Crane led his warri- ors from Lower Sandusky against General Wayne, and he, himself, carried the Grand Calumet.
The first mention of an Indian village at Lower Sandusky is made by Colonel Bouquet, in his report of 1764, where he speaks of the Wyan- dot village "Junque-in-dundeh." near the falls of Sandusky, on an Indian trail leading from Fort Pitt in a northwestly direction. We have no sat- isfactory knowledge of this Indian village which occupied the hill, rising toward the east from the head waters of navigation, until about 1780 when the well known borderer, Samuel Brady, at the
suggestion of George Washington, came here as a spy, to learn. if possible, the strength of the In- dians, and the geography of the country. The name Sandusky is derived from the language of the Wyandots. The pronunciation of word was "Sa-un-dus-tee." Its significance has been a matter of some question and dispute, but ac- cording to the best authorities, it meant "water within water pools." or a river or water course where water stands in pools. The name having this peculiar signification, in early times, was used to desig- nate the whole country along the Sandusky River, and the village at this point was called Lower Sandusky.
Photo
THE DALZELL GLASS FACTORY, FINDLAY.
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
AN IDEAL HAY-MAKING DAY ON THE FARM.
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
Affairs at Lower Sandusky during this long period of border war, extending from the open- ing of the Revolution to the celebrated victory of General Wayne possesses a peculiar interest. This was an important military center, and every narrative relating to the place is a glimpse into the enemy's camp. The Wyandots had corn fields all along the river bottom, which were cul- tivated by the squaws and boys, each family hav- ing a small field with no fences between them. The plains now covered by the lower part of the city of Fremont were cleared land when first seen by white men and, except the tract used for the village, the councils, the racing and gaming, bore corn season after season. The northwestern part of Ohio being almost an impenetrable swamp, the Sandusky River became the common thorough- fare of all the Ohio tribes. War parties usually came to this point on foot, or on horses captured in the white settlements, and when captives were to be taken further, as most of them were, canoes were used for transportation. Probably more cap- tives were brought to Lower Sandusky than to any
WOOD COUNTY INFIRMARY.
BIG CONCRETION IN BED OF CREEK, HURON COUNTY
other place in Ohio. This place was a retreat where prisoners were brought and disposed of, many be- ing sent to Detroit and Canada. So far as is known, not a prisoner was tortured here at the stake, and in most cases captives who passed the gauntlet safely and bravely were kindly treated. A certain class of writers, who depend upon a vivid imagination to supply deficiencies of information, have made the Indian gauntlet an institution of the most shocking cruelty. It is true severe tortures were often in- flicted upon prisoners, the degree depending much upon their fortitude and presence of mind, for Do people admired bravery as the Indians did. But the gauntlet was rather a place of amusement than punishment, unless the offense had been one worthy of particular revenge. The gauntlet track of the Wyandots, here at Lower Sandusky, has been almost
dositively located, on what is now known as North Front street in this city. According to the description, the lines of the savages extended from the corner of Front and Cro- gan streets, to the Old Kessler House corner, and the council was probably held on the site of the business blocks on the west side of Front street. The fact that Daniel Boone was brought through Lower Sandusky, while in captivity is wor- thy of mention, because of the cele- brity of that unequaled hero of border annals.
About the year 1780, a party of negroes were captured by the Indians in Virginia and brought to the Sandusky River, where they were held as slaves. They were placed in charge of a peninsular tract of land, about six miles down the river, which they cultivated for the Indians, no doubt to the great
A COUNTRY FARM SCENE, NEAR BOWLING GREEN.
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
ON THE PUBLIC SQUARE, BUCYRUS, CRAWFORD COUNTY.
satisfaction of the squaws, upon whom devolved the menial labor. The peninsular became known as "Negro Point," or in common parlance "Nigger Bend," a name which is familiar to us all, and which it has retained ever since-a period of a century or more.
It should be remembered, that, in their treaties and convey- ances of the Great West to Great Britain, the Indians did not part with their title to the land. They simply placed themselves under the protection of Great Britain and their lands were to be held in trust for them and their heirs. Hence, the Indians were justified in contending for the possession of their inheritance.
True, it is, they had no title papers, signed by man or by any human authority, but they be- lieved that the Great Spirit had given them their happy hunting grounds, and when they saw the "pale faces" settling and build- ing on their domains, and killing the game which was given them to live upon, they were roused to resistance. They had no court to try their titles, but that court of last resort, the court of force, a trial by wager of battle, and their arguments were not made by attorneys, but by the rifle, the tomahawk and the scalping knife. The recital of their cruelties cur- dles the blood with horror-the burning of Colonel Crawford in 1782, the destruction of St. Clair's army in 1791, the butch - ery of Harmar's men, were at- tended by scenes and incidents of indescribable cruelty. The final contests over the right to occupy the Northwest took place on the banks of the Maumee River in 1794, in the Battle of Fallen Tim- bers, and had a powerful influ- ence in settling the title to the lands in Sandusky County. By the treaty of Greenville, the Indians ceded to the United States, among other parcels of land, "Two miles square at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River," which was the first land in Sandusky County ceded by the Indians to the United States. The tract was afterwards surveyed by the United States, and the lines of that survey are now the boundary lines of the City of Fremont. It is a fact worthy of note, and one of which we may well be proud, that the title to every foot of Ohio soil was honor- ably acquired from the Indians.
The people of Fremont are fortunate in having preserved nearly in its original form and appearance, by the thoughtfulness which set it apart and adorned it as a park, the place of one of those picturesque events of war, which, from the first, fastened
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, Norwalk, Huron County.
EVENING ON SANDUSKY BAY,
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
AN OUTING.
the public attention. It was not necessary to dig it out of oblivion, and there was no danger that any one should say that local pride had magnified a thing which the world had forgotten. In every history of our country it has been caught up by the historian, as a brilliant picture with which to enliven his pages. Fort Stephenson was from the first an historic place, and Major Croghan's de- fense of it was recognized as an heroic act, worthy of being described in the noblest words that history can use.
In 1813 there was no city of Fremont. Even Lower Sandusky, as the spot was called, had not yet become a civilized town, and only marked the place where a village of Wyandot Indians had long been known. Fort Steph- enson covered the pretty knoll now occupied by the City Hall, Birchard Library and the Monument. But what was it? A feeble earthworth, surrounded by a ditch and stockade, with a little blockhouse at the southwest corner, which served as a sort of a bastion to sweep the ditch. Its garrison was s mere handful of men; its only artillery a single six-pound gun. No legalized white settlement had, at this time, been made on the lake shore in Ohio
CALIFORNIA WINE GO
1
VIEW OF THE OIL DERRICKS IN DISTANCE FROM LIMA
west of the new village of Cleveland, as the tide of civilized migration had only lately crossed the Ohio. The whole north- western quarter of the State, therefore was In- dian territory, and its tribes, confederated by the genius of Tecumseh, a man of no ordinary power, were banded with the red na- tions of Indiana and the Great West to resist the further advance of the whites. The forts were only isolated outposts, in the midst of hostile terri- tory, built to protect the communications of the army with the more dis- tant posts at Chicago and Detroit. For this purpose Fort Stephenson was built,
CORN CUTTING IN BLACK SWAMP
here at Lower Sandusky, on the hostile side of the river, so that a crossing might always be in the power of our troops. Here was the promise of a frontier place of importance, both for trade with the Indians, in times of peace, and a depot of supplies for interior settlements, as they might be formed. The name Stephenson was probably given to the fort owing to the fact that Colonel Stephenson at one time commanded the post, and it is supposed to have been built under his direction in 1812. The walls of the fort were made of logs, some ronnd and some that on one side, averaging about eighteen inches thick and ten feet high, set perpendicularly in the earth. cach picket crowded closely against the other, and sharpened at the top. The walls euclosed about one acre of ground, on a bluff formed by the hills, bounding the valley of the river on the east, and a ravine, running in a northeastly direction, cutting through the bluff north of the fort. After Major Croghan arrived at Fort Stephenson he labored day and night to put it in a state of defense. He had a ditch six feet deep and nine feet wide dug around
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
B &
POTATO DIGGING, SANDUSKY COUNTY.
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
LAKE SHORE LIMITED TAKING WATER AT SANDUSKY.
it outside, throwing the earth against the foot of the pickets, and grading it sharply down to the bottom of the ditch. Later in the year, an additional area, equal to the area of the original fort, was added to the enclosure. In order to prevent the enemy from scaling the walls, should they succeed in leaping the ditch, Major Croghan had large logs placed on top of the fort, and so adjusted that the least weight should cause them to fall from their position and erush all who might be below. Fort Stephen- son was wisely located to give protection to our growing settle- ments, and to become the nucleus of a vigorous colony. It is only when we remember all this that we fully appreciate its mili- tary importance and the necessity of holding it with a firm and determined grasp.
About this time, the English, taking advantage of the dis- satisfaction of the Indians, as they supposed they had a right to do, made alliance with them and gave Tecumseh the rank of a general in their army. Out of this alliance grew the great peril of the frontier. Only a little while before, the fort where Chicago now stands had surrendered, upon a promise of protec- tion to the lives of the garrison, by the English, but the savages
1 had disregarded the agreement which the English troops were not strong enough to enforce and the prisoners had been massacred. A still more fear- ful and hopeless peril lurked about the cabin door of every white settler of the West. Even death by the tomahawk and scalping knife seemed mercy itself compared to the atrocious tortures which all the tribes, but the Wyandots, were in the habit of inflicting upon their captives, and of which we have so fearful a picture in the blood curdling story of the capture and death of Colonel Crawford, a little earlier in our history. It may well have been that the expectation of such a fate, if they surrendered, nerved the hearts and arms of Major Croghan and his little garrison, to dare any fate but that, and to resolve to die, if need be, but never to be taken.
General William Henry Harrison, a wise and brave man, who, both before and afterward. signalized his courage and skill, was in command of the department at this time, with headquarters at Fort Seneca, or Seneca Town, as it was some- times called, about nine miles south of Fort Stephenson. Several days before the British had invested Fort Meigs, General Harrison, with Major Croghan and some other officers, had examined
VIEW OF OIL DERRICKS.
10
E.&K.R.R.
ADRIAN NS I
FIRST RAILROAD IN NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Erie & Kalamazoo Railway, opened for business between Adrian and Toledo in fall of 1836. Now part of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway System.
the heights which surround Fort Stephenson and, as the hill on the opposite side of the river was found to be the most commanding emi- nence, the General had some thought of removing the fort to that place. and Major Croghan declared his readiness to undertake the work. But the General did not authorize him to do it as he believed that if the enemy intended to invade our territory again, they would do it before the removal could be com- pleted. It was then finally concluded that the fort, which was calculated for a garrison of only 200 men, could not be defended against the heavy artillery of the enemy : and that if the British should approach it by water, which would cause a presumption that they had brought
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