The history of Montgomery county, Ohio, containing a history of the county, Part 27

Author: W.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1214

USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > The history of Montgomery county, Ohio, containing a history of the county > Part 27

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PIONEER THANKSGIVING.

The first official Thanksgiving Day was that of the 25th of December, 1788, designated by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair. There were then within the Ter- ritory about one hundred white inhabitants, equally divided between the two feeble settlements, on the Ohio River-one at Marietta, the other at Columbia.

Families and colonies were arriving from the East. Men who had served in the wars; veterans of the Revolution who had exhausted their fortunes in the long struggle for independence, were to be the pioneers of the West; sons of dead hero patriots were bringing to the rich lands of the Ohio Valley dependent mothers and children. Disquiet among the Indian tribes of the upper country, the frequent appearance of their war parties on the banks of the Ohio, had kept. the pioneers in settlements south of that river. It became evident, however, that the people could not be longer restrained from venturing into the rich lands to the north. In January, 1788, Col. Robert Patterson, of Lexington, Ky., went to Limestone to complete arrangements for a colony to locate at the old block- house on the Indian shore of the Ohio, opposite the mouth of the Licking River. This was in pursuance of the plan adopted in the fall of 1786, to establish a

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

post there from which to operate against the Indians in the effort to secure the Miami Valley for the white settlers. The first thing to be done was to establish a base of supplies on the Ohio, somewhere near the mouth of the Licking River. Delays occurred, and there was very little accomplished, until information came of the success of John Cleves Symmes in securing the contract with the Treas- ury officials for the purchase of the lands between the Miami Rivers. This added interest to the enterprise among the many who felt the necessity of locating to provide for their families.

THE SYMMES PURCHASE.

The first survey of lands northwest of the Ohio was that of the seven ranges of Congress lands at the southeastern corner of the State. The second survey was that of the Ohio Company, on the Muskingum River. The next survey was that of the Symmes purchase.

In July, 1787, Congress authorized Commissioners of the Treasury to sell lands in the Northwest Territory, in tracts of not less than 1,000,000 acres. Under this act, John Cleves Symmes made application, August 29, 1787, for the purchase of the lands lying within the following limits: "Beginning at the mouth of the Big Miami River, thence running up the Ohio to the mouth of the Little Miami, thence up the main stream of the Little Miami River, to the place where a line to be continued due west from the western termination of the north- ern boundary line of the grant to Messrs. Sargeant, Cutler & Co., shall intersect the said Little Miami River, thence due west, continuing the said northern line to the place where the said line shall intersect the main branch or stream of the Big Miami River, thence down the Big Miami to the place of beginning."

Symmes and his coadjutors seem to have been satisfied that there would be no check in their negotiation for these lands, for, on November 26, following, he issued his manifesto, setting forth the fact of his purchase and plan of colo- nization. The next month, the first land warrant was issued, thus worded:

No. 1. Miami Land Warrant.

[SEAL.] This entitles Benjamin Stites his heirs or assigns, to locate one seetion, in which the fee of six hundred and forty acres shall pass, subject to the terms of settlement. December 17 1787. (Signed) JOHN CLEVES SYMMES. (Countersigned) BENJAMIN STITES.

The land was located as appears in the following note written upon the warrant:

"Speshel .- At the point betwixt the mouth of the little miame and the Ohio in the pint."

The Treasury Commissioners denied having made a contract with Judge Symmes, and were disposed to repudiate his claim. In the meantime, July, 1788, he had started West with a colony of sixty persons, in fourteen four-horse wagons, arriving at Pittsburgh August 20. After stopping there two days, and a short delay at Marietta, he reached Limestone, Ky.

Mathias Denman, of Springfield, N. J., had purchased from Judge Symmes the fractional section on the Ohio opposite the mouth of the Licking River, and the section north of the fraction. After his arrival at Limestone, hearing of the colony that proposed to settle in the Miami Valley, Denman went to Lexington, and, on the 25th of August, entered into an agreement with Col. Robert Patter- son and John Filson, by which a settlement was to be effected on the land above described. Under this arrangement, Denman sold to Patterson and Filson each a one-third interest in the land.

September 15, Col. Patterson and Mr. Filson, with others, started from Lexington to mark out a road north to the Ohio. On the 22d, they had crossed the Ohio, and were at the proposed site of the new town, Losanteville. That

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

day their numbers were increased by the arrival of Judge Symmes with a party from Limestone; Col. Patterson and the other Kentuckians, being armed, ac- companied Symmes as escort up the Miami Valley on an exploring expedition. They followed the trail up the center of the valley; after two days' march, John Filson became uneasy at the Indian sign, and started alone to return to the Ohio, but was never seen or heard of again. The point at which he left the party " was not far from the northern boundary line of Hamilton County, and northeast corner of Colerain Township." At a point forty miles in the interior, the explorers discovered a party of Indians, but, upon Symmes' refusal to allow them to be killed, most of the Kentuckians left him and returned to the Ohio. With the rest of his party, Symmes crossed over to the Big Miami, followed down - the stream for several miles, and returned to the Ohio via the Mill Creek Valley, and met again the Kentuckians who had separated from him in the interior. It being certain that John Filson had been killed by the Indians, some arrange- ment was made by which Israel Ludlow became the owner of Filson's one-third interest in the Losanteville land. -

Judge Symmes, having returned to Limestone, at once began the organiza- tion of a larger party to explore his Miami lands. Two surveyors, Maj. Benja- min Stites and Capt. John Dunlap, were to accompany the party. Maj. Stites had recruited a colony for settlement upon his land at the mouth of the Little Miami, and was also to command the expedition.

COLUMBIA.

In November, they started, and within a few days landed at the mouth of the Little Miami River, erected block-houses, built cabins for the settlers who were with them, named the settlement Columbia, and, with but little delay, two exploring parties set our, the one to ascend the Little Miami River, the other to ascend the Big Miami.

Maj. Stites with his party ran the line due north from the block-houses op- posite the Licking, up the center of the valley to the north line of the 9th range of townships, a point on the Big Miami above the mouth of Honey Creek.

These surveying parties were surrounded with danger; they were in an enemy's country, with roving war parties all around them, and, to prevent sur- prise and disaster, it was necessary to keep flankers out all the time; one-half would stand guard while the others cooked the meals; at night, they bivou- acked without fires, and every man would be on guard from 3 o'clock in the morning until after daylight. Judge Symmes, in writing to his agent in New Jersey, Capt. Jonathan Dayton, referred to these parties as follows: " Whether they will succeed is uncertain; the two surveyors are both celebrated partisans, and have been long used to surveying in perilous places."

December 12, Capt. Kearsey, with a company of forty-five United States soldiers from Fort Harmar, arrived at Limestone, under orders to accompany parties of settlers as a protection to the proposed Miami stations. A Sergeant and eighteen men were at once sent down to Columbia as a re-enforcement to the surveying parties.

THE CINCINNATI SETTLEMENT.

December 24, Col. Robert Patterson, Mathias Denman, Israel Ludlow, a Mr. Tuttle, Capt. Henry, and about twelve others, left Limestone in boats as a colony for the proposed settlement at Losanteville. The river was running full of ice, and they had stormy weather, and probably stopped at Columbia for a day or two, and finally landed at the high bank on the Ohio opposite the mouth of the Licking River, December 28. Within a few days, under the direction of Mr. Ludlow, who was a civil engineer, the lines of the streets were established and

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

the plat of the town staked off; and on the 7th of January, 1789, a distribution of donation lots to the thirty actual settlers there present was made, and the pioneers began clearing up for their cabins.

NORTH BEND.

Judge Symmes was active in the interest of the settlement which he pro- posed to locate at the mouth of the Big Miami River.

January 29, he, with his family, a number of settlers, and Capt. Kearsey, with the rest of his company of soldiers, started in boats from Limestone, land- ing at Columbia for the detachment that had been sent there as a garrison. February 2, finding that the low lands around the mouth of the Big Miami were almost entirely submerged, a landing was made several miles above the proposed town site. Huts were erected for temporary shelter, and in them the colony lived for six weeks. It was Capt. Kearsey's intention to occupy old Fort Finney, at the mouth of the Miami, but this purpose was defeated by the high waters that cut off communication between the fort and the main land; dis- pleased at the situation, he embarked with his command for the Ohio Falls early in March. Upon application of Symmes, Maj. Wyllis ordered a Sergeant and eighteen men from the Falls as a protection to the North Bend settlement.

THE MAD RIVER COUNTRY.

Maj. Stites and his party had thoroughly explored the valley from Honey Creek to the Ohio, and, being so pleased with the lands around the mouth of Mad River, he at once began negotiations for their purchase.

To satisfy himself of their value, and to better understand the nature of the lands, Judge Symmes determined to make a trip up the valley himself.

In February, with a small party and an armed escort, he started on the ex- pedition. At Mad River, he found a small band of Indians in camp, but was soon on friendly terms with them, all eating supper together. Several days were spent in examining the country up Miami, Mad River and Stillwater Val- leys, when the party returned safely to the river settlements, reporting that some of the land they had seen " was worth a silver dollar an acre."

In April, a party of six surveyors, under John Mills, in camp near Mad River, were fired upon by the Indians early in the morning; two of the party, Mr. Holman of Kentucky, and Mr. Wells, of Delaware, were killed.

By Maj. Stites' representations, others became interested in his project for locating a colony at the mouth of Mad River, and in June, 1789, he, for himself, John Stites Gano, and William Goforth, bargained with Symmes for the whole of the seventh range of townships, which included the lands about the mouth of Mad River. They at once began maturing plans for the settlement. The town was to be called Venice; was to be laid off in squares of eight half-acre lots in each. The two principal streets were to cross at right angles at the center of the plat. Spaces were to be reserved in each of the four quarters thus laid off for market houses and public squares. One whole square was to be given to the first Bap- tist Church formed in the town. To "each other denomination of pious and well and religiously disposed people, who worship the God of Israel, formed in the town within two years after the founding of the settlement," was to be given a half-acre lot. Three half-acre lots were to be given for " a capitol, a court house and a gaol." Out-lots were to contain five acres, and to be sold for $25 each. Half-acre in-lots were to be sold at $4 each.

The articles of agreement for the purchase, and between the parties, were signed June 13, 1789, "at the block-houses near Columbia, commanded by the above-named Benjamin Stites." One stipulation of this agreement was that a

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

road should be immediately cut from Columbia to the city of Venice. Mad River was to have been named the Tiber.

This scheme fell through in consequence of the Indian hostilities, and by reason of the delay in negotiations between Symmes and the Government.

DETAILS OF PROGRESS.

Judge Symmes was unfortunately delayed in all of his negotiations with the Government for the purchase of these lands. He had started from the East before his contract was closed; and, from the fact that he had brought a party of settlers with him, he was forced, although reluctantly, to enter upon the lands before receiving notice of the favorable termination of the treaty at Fort Harmar. He had faith, however, that the Gevernment would issue to him a patent for the lands, and protect him in their possession.

Three colonies were now successfully located in the purchase, and only needed the presence of troops to insure prosperity. He issued warrants upon which thousands of acres of land were located, yet he did not receive his patent until by act of Congress in 1792, fixing the boundaries of the purchase to con- form to his proposal of June 11, 1788, for 1,000,000 acres fronting on the Ohio and extending inland between the Big and Little Miamis, the whole breadth of the country so far back as an east and west line to include the 1,000,000 acres exclusive of reservations. The consideration to be paid by him was 66 cents per acre.

The Government was to furnish a plat of the purchase, but, by reason of Indian hostilities, the surveys could not be made at that time; and it was after- ward shown that, to include 1,000,000 acres, a tract so narrowed would extend northwardly beyond the source of the Little Miami River, and possibly the In- dian boundary line; and thus the matter rested until, in September, 1794, a patent was granted for as much land as was paid for at that time, amounting, including reservations, to 311,682 acres, between the Miamis from the Ohio River front, extending in the interior to the north line of the third range of town- ships; a line from river to river about two miles north of Lebanon.

Judge Symmes, however, did not release his claim to the residue of the 1,000,000 acres lying north of this patent.

The Sergeant at North Bend, in June or July, 1789, marched his squad to the Losanteville settlement, to which point most of the settlers soon afterward followed.

FORT WASHINGTON.

In that summer, Maj. John Doughty, of the United States Army, built Fort Washington in the center of the plat of Losanteville. It was garrisoned with 140 United States soldiers, and for the next six years was the base of operations against the Indians.

Small stations and strong block-houses were erected in favorable places around Losanteville and Columbia, and up the Little Miami, Mill Creek and the Big Miami Valleys. Cabins were put up near them, and patches of ground were cultivated by the settlers, who would thus push out into the Territory. These outposts were subject to the bloody attacks of Indians, but they were always repulsed.

The extreme outposts were located as follows:

On the Big Miami, twelve miles in the interior; the one on Mill Creek, five miles from Losanteville; and the one on the Little Miami, nine miles out from Columbia.

December 29, Gen. Josiah Harmar arrived with a re-enforcement of 300 men, and assumed command of the Western Army. The troops then at Fort Wash- ington were Kearsey's, Strong's, Pratt's and Kingsbury's companies of United States Infantry, and Ford's Artillery.

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

HAMILTON COUNTY.

January 2, 1790, Gov. Arthur St. Clair, being then at Losantevelle, by proclamation of that date, established the Symms purchase as a county, giving it the name of Hamilton County, with the following-described boundaries: Be- ginning on the Ohio River at the confluence of the Little Miami; thence down the Ohio to the mouth of the Big Miami; thence up the Big Miami to the Standing Stone Forks (Loramie Creek); thence in a line to be drawn due east to the Little Miami River, and down said Little Miami River to the place of beginning. This line was never surveyed or located. Gen. Hutchings, United States Surveyor General and Geographer, appointed Israel Ludlow to survey the lands lying between the Miamis. This work he began in the winter of 1791-92, under protection of a strong military escort; but, the Indian troubles coming on, and for other reasons, the work was not completed until 1801 or 1802. The Miami tract survey extended to the Indian boundary line, and in the upper valley was bounded on the east by the Ludlow line, the dividing line surveyed by Col. Israel Ludlow, between the Virginia military lands and the Symmes purchase; this line begins at a point on a branch of the Little Miami River, in the northeast corner of Madison Township, Clark County, and runs north, twenty degrees west, to the head-waters of the Scioto River in Logan County, intercepting the Indian boundary line near the head spring of the Buch- ingehelas (Bohongehelas) Branch of the Great Miami.

At the time of the organization of Hamilton County, the proper civil offi- cers were appointed; a militia company was organized, and Israel Ludlow was appointed Captain.

INDIAN TROUBLES.

The Shawnees declared that the treaty at Fort Harmar had been made by young Indians who were neither chieftains nor delegates, and that the Indian shore of the Ohio must be kept clear of settlements; that the tribes regarded the new settlements in the Miami Valley as encroachinents upon their lands, and as such they would be resisted. To this end, a large number of warriors from these tribes gathered in the Scioto Valley and formed a large camp near the Ohio; boats were captured, and many emigrants tortured and killed. In April, an expedition was organized at Limestone against them, consisting of the mili- tia company of Cincinnati, Kentucky troops under Col. Scott, and a force of regulars from the garrison at Fort Washington, all under the command of Gen. Harmar; some in boats and some by land advanced to the Scioto, but found that the Indians had dispersed.

July 15, Gov. St. Clair, by authority of Congress, called upon Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky for troops to operate under Gen. Harmar against the villages around the head-waters of the Miami, Maumee and Wabash Rivers. At the same time, an expedition was to march under Maj. Hamtramck from Fort St. Vincennes.

GEN. HARMAR'S EXPEDITION.

Gen. Harmar left Fort Washington on the 30th of September, 1790, with a force of 1,133 militia, commanded by Col. John Hardin, of Kentucky, and 320 regulars in command of Majs. Wyllis and Doughty, with Capt. Ferguson's com- pany of artillery and three guns.

Their camp on the fourth night was on Turtle Creek, within the present bounds of Warren County! The next day, they crossed the Little Miami and camped on Cæsar's Creek, three or four miles from the present site of Waynes- ville; the trace from there ran up to the Old Chillicothe town, destroyed in 1780, over to Mad River, thence across to Honey Creek, and the burned Piqua towns on the Big Miami; on up Loramie's Creek, and west to the St. Mary's,

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

and down to the villages, at the junction of the St. Mary's and the St. Joseph's Rivers, at which point the mounted militia arrived October 14, and found the villages abandoned and partially burned. Gen. Harmar, with the main force, came up three days later.

The army burned seven villages in the vicinity, and destroyed 20,000 bushels of corn and a great amount of other property belonging to the Indians, and to the French traders who were settled there.

On the 19th, the Indians attacked a strong party of militia that were out scouting, driving them back to camp in a panic; on the 21st the army started on the return march to Fort Washington; but, on the next day, against his own judgment, Gen. Harmar permitted Col. Hardin, with a detachment of 360 men, io go back to the villages to bring on a fight with the savages. This detach- nent was attacked furiously, and defeated with a loss of 160 killed and miss- ng, and 20 wounded. At noon the next day, the march was resumed. The force, in a very demoralized condition, arrived at Fort Washington on the 3d of November.

The Indian loss in numbers was trifling, and they immediately organized arge parties to attack the settlements, and through the entire winter of 1790-91, he Miami Valley was full of war parties from the Northern tribes, organized to attack Ohio River settlements and weak outposts of the army. These parties would come down the rivers in canoes as far as the mouth of Mad River, some- imes as far as the mouth of Twin Creek, arrange hunting parties and a camp of supplies, then begin their attacks on picket posts and the smaller settlements. All able-bodied men promptly responded to every call for defense, and those who were able to travel considered it their first duty to obey a summons to join a party going to attach the Indian villages. Each man was armed with his own fint-lock squirrel rifle, or flint-lock musket, which he kept constantly loaded at is side, day and night, at home or in the field at work. Each wore powder horn and bullet-pouch, and had a supply of patching, and carried a large knife, und dressed in homespun clothes. Their surroundings required them to be ready for duty at any instant. Officers and men were armed alike.

At the close of the year 1790, there were eight flourishing settlements on the Upper Ohio, and the three between the Miamis, with their advance stations.

During the winter, 400 warriors appeared before Dunlap's Station, on the ast bank of the Big Miami, and for twenty-six hours besieged the garrison of hirty-five regulars and fifteen settlers; two of the latter were wounded, and Abner Hunt, a surveyor, was captured and cruelly murdered within sight and hearing of the block-house. The Indians tied him to a sapling, and built a large ire near enough to slowly burn him to death; then, as he became less sensible o pain, cuts were made in his flesh to renew the acute suffering; and finally he savages applied burning brands to his naked bowels.

The savages, fearing that re-enforcements would arrive, raised the siege, put remained close to the settlements until in June or July, destroying the rops, running off cattle and horses, and killing whoever might venture out. They became so daring that often, at night, they would skulk through the streets of Cincinnati, while some of the band would destroy the gardens and utbuildings.

By act of Congress, three strong expeditions were to be fitted out on the Ohio for advance against the Wabash and Maumee tribes. May 23, 1791, Gen. Charles Scott, of Kentucky, marched against the Wabash towns, destroying nany of the most important ones in the lower valley.

Gov. St. Clair ordered a second expedition to the upper Wabash towns, and Jol. James Wilkinson, of the army, was assigned to the command.

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

EXPEDITION TO THE UPPER WABASH,

August 1, 1791, Col. Wilkinson left Fort Washington with 550 mounted men. The first night, they camped at the head of Mill Creek (near where Ham- ilton now stands); the second day, they marched thirty miles, and went into camp near the present site of Eaton, and continued their course to the north for two days, then turned west toward the Wabash, which stream they followed to the Ohio, destroying villages, growing grain and crops of all kinds, and taking back as prisoners many squaws and young Indians.

In the meantime, Gov. St. Clair had been busy with preparations for a larger expedition, that he was to command in person; with headquarters at Lud- low Station, a small stockade six miles from Cincinnati, up Mill Creek, he or- ganized a force of 2,300 soldiers and 600 militia, with artillery, cavalry, and all the appointments of a complete army. It was the most formidable force ever before seen in the West. Under instructions from the Secretary of War, Gen. St. Clair was with this army to move north to the junction of the St. Joseph's and St. Mary's Rivers and build a large fort; then a line of forts to protect his communication with Fort Washington.

ST. CLAIR'S EXPEDITION AND DEFEAT.

September 17, they marched to a point on the east bank of the Great Miami River and built Fort Hamilton; then marched forty-four miles, and, on October. 12, commenced to construct Fort Jefferson, six miles south of where Greenville now stands; October 24, resumed their march, with difficulty making seven miles a day, reaching a branch of the Wabash; November 3, threw up earth- works; were attacked by the Indians at daylight November 4. After three hours' hard fighting, the Americans were totally routed and driven from camp, with the loss of all their artillery, baggage and supply trains, and 890 men and 16 officers killed and wounded. The retreat was continued thirty miles to Fort Jefferson. It was the most disastrous campaign that had ever been made in the West.

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The history of Montgomery county, Ohio, containing a history of the county, Part 27

Author: W.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1214

Author: W.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1214