The history of Madison County, Ohio, Part 25

Author: Brown, Robert C; W.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, W.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > Ohio > Madison County > The history of Madison County, Ohio > Part 25

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The attacks upon the Kentucky settlements were frequent, the Indians and English combining their forces in some of them. . Boonesboro was attacked in August, 1778, by 500 Indians under the command of Capt. Du Quesne, an English officer. and carrying the union jack. the national flag of England, as his standard. The noted scout, Daniel Boone, was in command of the station, and after a ten days' siege the Indians were repulsed. For the next year, the forests were alive with Indians, and

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in June, 1780, a force of 600 English and Indians, under the command of Col. Byrd, of the English Army, and Blackfish, a Shawnee chieftain, descended from the north upon Martin's and Ruddell's Stations, which were located on the Licking River. They captured and sacked both of them, which made no resistance, and with the prisoners and booty returned to Ohio and Detroit whence they came. Estill's Station was surrounded by a party of Wyandots in May, 1782, who, finally retiring. were followed by Capt. James Estill, and defeated him at Little Mountain. In August of the same year, a force of 600 Shawnees, Wyandots, Miamis, Delawares and English, commanded by Col. McGee, of the English Army, and the noted renegade. Simon Girty, attacked Bryant's Station, five miles northeast of Lexington, but a re-enforcement arriving, they were compelled to retreat. The Kentuckians, against the advice of their more experienced leaders, started in pursuit with a force of about 170 men, and on the 19th of August, were ambushed at Blue Licks, losing 60 killed and 7 captured.

The people of Kentucky, seeing the defenseless state of their settle- ments, resolved to strike a blow against the Indians of Ohio that would put an end to these frequent raids. With this object in view. Col. George Rogers Clark, in September, 1782, organized a force of 500 Indian fight- ers at the mouth of Licking River, where he was subsequently joined by an equal number of backwoodsmen from other localities. With this force of 1,000 men, Gen. Clark made a rapid march upon the Shawnee towns of Upper and Lower Piqua. A slight skirmish occurred at the mouth of Mad River, the present site of Dayton, but upon reaching the villages on the Miami found them deserted. He completely annihilated these towns, burn- ing and destroying the buildings, stores and crops. A detachment was sent to the Indian village at Loramie's Station (in Shelby County) where a similar desolation was enacted, and every vestige of town and station swept away. Loramie, who kept a trading-post at this point, fled with the Indians, and finally settled in the same business on the present site of Kansas City, where he died. The savages made no resistance, except to fire from the bushes on stragglers, by which two men lost their lives. This campaign so completely crushed the power of the Indians and imbued them with such a wholesome fear of the " Long Knives " that they never again ventured upon an invasion of Kentucky in force.

In 1786, the Mackacheek towns (in Logan County) were destroyed by Gen. Benjamin Logan, after whom that county was subsequently named. He burned eight towns, destroyed many fields of corn, took seventy-five prisoners and killed twenty warriors. Gen. William Lytle, who was then but sixteen years of age, took part in this, and was instrumental in captur- ing a number of prisoners, Moluntha, the great Sachem of the Shawnees, and the Grenadier squaw being among those captured. Col. McGary, who was blamed for the defeat at Blue Licks, basely murdered Moluntha, after he had been taken prisoner by young Lytle. Before any of the others could interfere to save his life, McGary grabbed an ax from the Grenadier squaw who was standing near, and sank it to the eye in the chief's head, who died without a struggle. There was a large block-house of huge size and thickness, at one of the upper towns, which had been built by the English, and this also was burned. Four years later Gen. Harmar, with a force of about 1,500, left Fort Washington for the Indian towns at the

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junction of the St. Mary's and St. Joseph's Rivers (Allen County, Ind.). They burned seven villages. destroyed many thousand bushels of corn and much other property. In October, 1790, the army started on its homeward march, having accomplished its object, but soon afterward a portion of the force that had been sent back to the villages for the purpose of bringing on a battle with the Indians, was furiously attacked and defeated with the loss of 160 men, and the army then continued the homeward movement in a demoralized condition.

Throughout the following winter the Ohio settlements were constantly harassed by bands of hostile Indians and many unfortunate stragglers tom- ahawked and scalped. Each settlement was forced to do its own fighting, and every man went armed to the teeth. Dunlap's Station was surrounded by 400 savages, but as it lay on the east bank of the Big Miami, not far from Fort Washington, the Indians soon gave up the siege. They still, however, kept at their work of running off stock and murdering the settlers whenever the opportunity offered, even getting so bold in the summer of 1791 as to venture under cover of night into the streets of Cincinnati.

In August, 1791, Col. James Wilkinson, at the head of 550 mounted men, made an expedition through the Western Ohio counties and the valley of the Wabash. burning villages, destroying crops and capturing young Indians and squaws. In November of the same year occurred the most ter- rible defeat to the American arms in the annals of Indian warfare. Gov. Arthur St. Clair left Fort Hamilton in October, and on the 12th of that month began constructing Fort Jefferson. After its completion, he contin- ued his journey, and, on the 4th of November, was fiercely attacked on a branch of the Wabash River at a point since known as Fort Recovery, in the southwest corner of Mercer County, Ohio. The battle lasted three hours, when the Americans were routed and driven from their camp, losing 890 men and 16 officers killed and wounded, besides their artillery, baggage and supply trains. The savages glutted their vengeance and reveled in the blood and booty of that unfortunate army. Gen. James Wilkinson now took command of the troops, and the early winter of 1792 was passed in an expedition to the scene of St. Clair's defeat, where the bleaching bones cov- ering the ground were gathered and interred. Skirmishes between the opposing forces were common, but no general engagement occurred. The line of forts built by St. Clair were garrisoned and new ones erected.

Thus matters stood in the spring of 1793, when a new actor came upon the scene in the person of Gen. Anthony Wayne, known historically as " Mad Anthony." Troops were rendezvoused and drilled, and, on October 7, he left Fort Washington at the head of 3,600 men. Passing Forts Hamil- ton and St. Clair, his rear guard was attacked and defeated ere reaching Fort Jefferson, which stood six miles south of the present town of Greenville, in Darke County. At the latter place, he erected Fort Greenville and camped for the winter, sending a force of men to the scene of St. Clair's disaster, who built Fort Recovery. This point was strongly garrisoned, and the men kept ever ready to meet the foe, who constantly harassed the forts. On the 30th of June, 1794, Fort Recovery was attacked by 1,500 Indians and English, who were repulsed and driven from the field after an engagement of two days' duration. In July, Gen. Wayne was re-enforced by 1,600 mounted Kentuckians, and immediately moved against the enemy. He

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erected Fort Defiance at the junction of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers (in Defiance County), and here the Indians sued for peace. Not heeding the wily and treacherous savages, Gen. Wayne kept on the march, reaching the Maumee Rapids, Lucas County, August 20, 1794, and on that date fought the memorable battle of the Fallen Timbers in sight of the English at Fort Miami, defeating the Indians with great loss. The army camped three days on the battle-field and then began its return to Fort Greenville, where it spent the following winter. This campaign was the finishing stroke that broke the power of the Indian tribes of the Northwest, brought about the treaty of Greenville and the peace of 1795.

For the benefit of the reader, we will here state that by the treaty of peace previously made in 1785, at Fort McIntosh, with the Wyandot, Dela- ware, Ottawa and Chippewa nations, as well as the one held at Fort Finney, on the Big Miami, in 1786, with the Shawnees, and assented to at Fort Harmar, in 1789, by the Delawares, Wyandots. Pottawatomies, Sacs, Otta- was and Chippewas, Madison County was included in the territory ceded to the United States; yet those treaties were of short duration and were broken by the Indians, whenever and wherever the opportunity offered. By the treaty of Greenville, ratified August 3, 1795, the former treaties were recognized and the following became the boundary between the whites of Ohio and the Indian tribes : Beginning at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River ; thence up the same to the portage leading to the Tuscarawas River ; down the Tuscarawas to the forks (the town of Bolivar) ; thence in a south- westerly direction to Loramie's store on the Great Miami River (in Shelby County) ; thence taking a northwest course to Fort Recovery, the scene of St. Clair's defeat ; thenee in a southwesterly course to the Ohio. opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River. All the territory east and south of this line was ceded to the United States, by which the Government acquired two- thirds of the present area of Ohio, and a portion of Indiana. The following tribes participated in this event and gave their consent to the cession, viz. : the Shawnees, Delawares, Miamis, Wyandots, Ottawas, Potta- watomies, Chippewas, Eel Rivers, Piankeshaws, Weas, Kickapoos, and Kas- kaskias.

The conspiracy in the summer of 1763, planned and executed under the leadership of the great Pontiac, chief of the Ottawas, had failed, and he was murdered at Cahokia, Ill., whither he had fled; Cornstalk, the celebrated chief of the Shawnees, met a like fate at Point Pleasant, in 1777 : while Logan, the mighty sachem of the Mingoes, wandered from tribe to . tribe a solitary, lonely man, mourning the loss of his family and the decay of his nation, until he, too, fell a victim, near Detroit, Mich., to the assassin's keen edged tomahawk in the hands of an Indian to whom he had given offense. Besides these three great leiders, the following is a list of those chiefs who were prominent in the Indian wars of Ohio, up to the treaty of Greenville :

Shawnees-White Cap, Black Hoof, Red Pole. Long Shanks, Captain Reed, Blue Jacket, Civil Man, Black Wolf, Snake, Turkey, Moluntha, Kakiapilathy (the Tame Hawk), Captain Johnny, Blackfish, and Captain John Lewis.

Delawares-Captain Pipe, who burnt Col. Crawford ; Wicocalind (or White Eyes), Kelelamand (or Col. Henry), Hengue Pushees (or the Big

HENRY WARNER. (DECEASED)

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Cat), Grand Glaize King, Tommy Killbuck, Capt. Buffalo, Capt. Crow, Red Feather, Bohongehelas, Billy Siscomb and Black King.

Wyandots-Tarhe (the Crane), the Half King and his son, Cherokee Boy ; Black Chief, Leather Lips, who was executed by order of Tecumseh, in Franklin County, twelve miles north of Columbus, on the charge of witchcraft, in June, 1810; Walk in the Water, and Big Arm.

Munsees-Hawkinpumiska,' Reyutueco, Peyainawksey, and Puckon- sittond.

Senecas-Coffee Houn, Wiping Stick, Civil John and Big Turtle.

Miamis-Meshekenoghqua (the Little Turtle), who was the most famous Indian leader of his time, and commanded the united tribes in every battle from 1790 to 1795, Nagohquangogh (or Le Gris), Long Legs, White Loon, Richeville, The Owl, White Skin, Silver Heels, Big Man, Double Tooth, Crooked Porcupine, Sunrise, King Bird, Big Body, Stone Eater, Poor Raccoon, Open Hand, Young Wolf, Flat Belly, Butterfly, and Tiger Face.

Pottowatomies-Nawac, White Pigeon, Windigo, Winnemac, Five Medals, Thupenebue, Run, Le Blanc, No Name, Mogawgo, and Black Bird.

Ottawas-Little Otter, Dog, Bear's Legs, Wewiskia, Augooshaway, Big Bowl, Stump-tail Bear, Neagey, Machiwetah, Sawgamaw, Bear King, and White Fisher.

Piankeshaws-Black Dog, Big Corn. Lightning, and Three Thighs.

Weas-Little Fox, Little Beaver, Little Eyes, Painted Pole, Long Body, and Negro Legs.

Eel Rivers-Charley, Earth, Ploughman, Night Stander, Swallow, and Gun.

Kickapoos-Cat, Otter, Duck, Keeawhah, Persuader. Brave, Standing, Josey Renard, Bear, Dirty Face, Black Tree, and White Blanket.

Chippewas-Mesass, Bad Bird, Young Ox. Little Bear, Young Boy, Spark of Fire, Ball, Big Cloud, Cat Fish, Bad Legs, and Little Thunder. Sacs-Tepakee and Kesheyiva.

The Mingoes (of Ohio), do not seem to have developed any noted chiefs after Logan, on account, perhaps, of their steady decay and absorption by the other tribes. The notorious white renegade, Simon Girty, was leader of the Mingoes, and wielded a powerful influence among the Indians of the Northwest. He was born on an island in the Susquehanna River, in 1741. His father's name was also Simon, and his mother's maiden name was Crosby. The father was killed in a drunken frolic, leaving four sons, viz. : Thomas, James, George and Simon. The widow subsequently married John Turner, and bore him one son, John. During the French war the family were captured by the Indians, the elder Turner, burnt at the stake. and the balance were taken into captivity ; Thomas escaped ; James was adopted by the Shawnees ; George by the Delawares ; and Simon by the Senecas. To what tribe the mother, and child, John Turner, were assigned, is unknown. After peace was declared, they all returned to civilized life. and settled in the vacinity of Pittsburgh, Penn.

During the Revolutionary war, the Girty boys joined the Indian allies of the English, and all became noted for fiendish cruelties to prisoners. Simon was the most conspicuous, and took a leading part in the Indian war which followed the Revolution. He was present at the burning of Col.

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Crawford ; and Dr. Knight says that he looked with devilish delight upon the horrible scene, and taunted the doctor with a similar fate. Soon after the close of the conflict, he married Catherine Malott, who bore him five children, viz. : John (who died in infancy), Ann, Thomas, Sarah and Pre- daux, whose descendants are numerous and respectable. Simon Girty died near Amherstburg, Canada, February 18, 1818. In appearance, he has been described as a man with dark, shaggy hair, low forehead, contracted brows, meeting above a short, flat nose, sunken eyes of a grayish color, and thin, compressed lips, "while all the vices of civilization seemed to center in him, and by him engrafted upon those of the savage state, without the usual redeeming qualities of either."

After the treaty of 1795, peace gradually settled over the Northwest Territory, and settlers began to pour into the rich valleys of the Ohio and its tributaries. In 1805, another treaty was concluded, and a large tract of country north and west of the Greenville treaty line was obtained by the Government. About this time the great Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, had risen to the head of his nation, and his influence was hostile to the United States. Born at the Indian town of Old Piqua (in Clark County) in 1768, he had grown up during the bitter struggle between the whites and his peo- ple for the possession of Ohio. His father, Puckeshinwa, was a chief, and fell at the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. Tecumseh was never satisfied with the action of his race in signing away their heritage by treaty, and after reaching power was continually plotting mischief against the whites, in which he was ably seconded by his scheming brother Laulewasikaw, bet- ter known as the Prophet. He finally concocted a grand scheme of uniting all the Indian tribes in an alliance against the whites. With this in vicw he began visiting the different nations for the purpose of perfecting his plans, and while upon one of these trips to the Indians of the South, in 1811, Gen. William Henry Harrison marched at the head of a large force into the Wabash country. Here, on the now famed battle-ground of Tippe- canoe, he was furiously attacked by the savages under the leadership of the Prophet, whom he defeated with great loss, after a stubborn, well-fought battle.

The war of 1812 was soon after brought on by the arrogance and audacity of the English Government, and Tecumseh cast his fortunes with the English. In October, 1813, was fought the memorable battle of the Thames, in Canada, Gen. Harrison commanding the Americans, with Gen. Proctor and Tecumseh at the head of the English and Indians. Here the great Shawnee chieftain fell, while bravely fighting in the van of the con- tending forces, and thus the Indian alliance was forever dissolved.

Through the treaty enacted in 1807, at Detroit, Mich., with the Wyandots, Ottawas, Pottawatomies and Chippewas, all of Ohio north of the Maumee was ceded to the United States. In 1808, the same tribes, together with the Shawnees, granted a traet two miles wide for a road through the Black Swamp. In 1817, the Shawnees, Wyandots, Pottawatomies and other tribes ceded nearly all their remaining territory in Ohio, receiving in return a tract of land ten miles square surrounding Wapakoneta ; a tract of twenty-five square miles on Hog Creek, adjoining the above; and a tract of forty-eight square miles surrounding Lewistown. In 1818, fourteen square miles were added to the latter tract, and twenty square miles to the reserva-

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tion at Wapakoneta. The same year, the Miamis surrendered their claims to the remaining Indian territory in Ohio west of the St. Mary's River and north of the Greenville treaty line. The last title of the Delawares was purchased in 1829; and, in 1831, all of the reservation lands around Lew- istown, Hog Creek and Wapakoneta were ceded to the Government. The Wyandot Reservation, of twelve miles square, around Upper Sandusky, was purchased in 1842, and the following year the last Indian left Ohio for the West. Thus, after a struggle of more than three-quarters of a century, the red sons of the forest were forced to give way before the strength and prow- ess of the white race, and were fruitless in their attempts to stem the onward march of civilization.

It is estimated that from the French war of 1754 to the battle of the Maumee Rapids in 1794, a period of forty years, there had been at least 5,000 people killed or captured west of the Alleghany Mountains. Eleven organized military expeditions had been carried on against the Western Indians prior to the war of 1812, seven regular engagements fought, and about 1,200 men killed. More whites were slain in battle than there were Indian braves killed in military expeditions, and by private raids and mur- ders ; yet, in 1811, all the Ohio tribes combined could not muster 2,000 warriors.

The geographical position of the territory composing Madison County, placed it in the direct route between the Indian towns on the Scioto and those on the Miamis and Mad River. It therefore became one of the favor- ite hunting grounds of the Shawnees, Wyandots, Delawares, and Mingoes. In its forests and on its prairies they followed the chase ; along its elear running streams thev pitched their tents and drank the pure waters of its beautiful springs. For generations ere the permanent settlement of the whites, the Indian wigwams were annually erected on the banks of Big and Little Darby, Deer Creek, Paint, Oak Run and their tributaries, hunting the wild denizens of the forest and angling the finny tribe from the waters of these streams. In subsequent years, when their heritage had slipped from their grasp, they still lingered around those hallowed spots, taking, as it were, a last farewell of the lands dotted with the graves of their ancestors.

The Wyandots had three villages on the Scioto, in the vicinity of the site of Columbus. They were among the bravest of the Indian tribes, and flight in battle was by them considered disgraceful, even when fighting at a disadvantage. It was an old adage with those most conversant with the character of this tribe that "a Wyandot brave would not be taken alive," and Gen. Harrison looked upon them as among the finest warriors of the race. In 1774. a skirmish took place near the site of Columbus, between a party of soldiers belonging to Lord Dunmore's army, under the command of Col. William Crawford, and a band of Indians who were pursued to this point, here overtaken and defeated. It was from Darby, a chief of the Wyandot nation, who lived near the site of Plain City, that the largest stream in Madison County took its name.

The Mingoes had an ancient village on the land subsequently settled by James Ewing, northwest of Plain City, but in 1786, when Gen. Logan destroyed the Mackacheek towns in Logan County, the Indians deserted this village. In the life of Jonathan Alder, who was taken prisoner in childhood and adopted by the Mingoes, he says that a white man named

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Butler, lived among the Indians, and carried on a blacksmith shop at this point. When James and Joshua Ewing settled here in 1798, the remains of the huts and shops were still to be seen, while extensive fields of corn had evidently been cultivated in that vicinity.

It is not our intention to attempt to give the location of every spot where the Indians camped in Ma lison County, as to do so would be utterly impossible. They pitched their wigwams wherever their fancy dictated. sometimes on running streams, again close to springs, but always where water could be obtained without much trouble. In the early days, an Indian trace ran from the site of Franklinton to Old Chillicothe (north of Xenia). It passed through the present site of Georgesville, Franklin County ; thence in a southwest direction to the large spring in Oak Run Township, subse- quently known as "Springer's Spring;" thence to Old Chillicothe. In after years, this spring was frequently pointed out by Jonathan Alder as a favorite camping ground of his tribe during his captivity among the Indians. The trace spoken of was afterward known as " Chenoweth's trace," which it derived from two brothers named Chenoweth, who lived on Big Darby, in Franklin County, upon the line of this trail, as early as 1799. John Cheno- weth, a son of one of these brothers, was born in Mason County, Ky., Sep- tember 15, 1793, came to Madison County in 1820, and is now residing in London. Two other traces are known to have passed through Madison, viz., one up the banks of Big Darby, and another from the Indian towns on the Scioto, to those on Mad River, and the Big and Little Miami Rivers, passing through the site of London, in a northwesterly direction.

Of the many favorite camping grounds scattered over this county, the following have been pointed out to us as those most frequently used. Im- mediately south of London, on the Toland estate, close to a spring, and on the northeast side of Oak Run, was a place much used for camping, while across the creek, on an elevated point between Oak and Sutton's Run, was used as a burving-ground. Their dead were generally interred in gravel- banks, away from wet or damp ground; some were buried very deep, while the graves of others were quite shallow. Their mode of burial was that most common to the American Indians. Graves have been found in every portion of Madison County, and their bones exhumed from many of its gravel banks. Directly north of the court house on Oak Run, the Indians camped, off and on, for several years, while a similar camp was in the east part of the town, south of Mr. Richman's residence. The farm originally settled by Thomas Jones, west of London, on Walnut Run, was much frequented on account of two deer licks located thereon, which made it an excellent hunting ground. In graves opened upon this farm were found stone axes, and pottery-ware, the jars being filled with a dark deposit of some sort, which was entirely decayed, the jars falling to pieces when brought in contact with air and light. An interesting find in one of these graves was a large elk horn, split open at the butt, hollowed out and filled with the tips of deer horns. One of the corpses was clasping the horn in his bony fingers, which evidently signified that the number of deer tips inclosed in the elk horn pointed to the owner thereof as having slain that many deer during his earthly career. There were also found on this farm numerous flints and arrow-heads, as well as a steel tomahawk. Another camping ground in Union Township was on Deer Creek, upon the estate of James Q. Minshall.

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Quite a noted ground was on Paint Creek, in Stokes Township, on ac- count of the fine pasturage in that vicinity. It was located near where Grassy Point Church now stands. Others were on the land of Elijah Chenoweth, on Deer Creek, and the farm of Thomas Petticord, on Glade Run; one on Glade Run in Deer Creek Township, upon the farm originally owned by George G. McDonald, and another on Deer Creek, in Somerford Township, immediately north of Cartzdafner's Mill. On Little Darby. in the southeast corner of Monroe Township, close to the big mound, was a well-known camping place, while in the northeast corner of Jefferson Town- ship, near a big spring on the farm of R. C. Stuckey, was often referred to by Jonathan Alder as a favorite spot. Near the mouth of Three-Mile Run, on the farm of James Millikin, the Indians had a camping ground ; also on the land of James Dun, in Jefferson Township. Close to a big spring on the land of M. A. Baskerville, in the southeast part of Paint Township, was also a favorite place. In each of those places the rings of carth thrown up by the Indians to prevent the water from running under their tents, are yet visible. Wherever those are seen, they mark the place in which the Indians had their rude abodes.

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The history of Madison County, Ohio, Part 25

Author: Brown, Robert C; W.H. Beers & Co., pub Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, W.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1180

Author: Brown, Robert C; W.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, W.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1180