History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 22

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1314

USA > Pennsylvania > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 22

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When the advance-guard received the attack of the Delawares and Shawanese, the other three divis- ions, which, although not wholly demoralized, were undoubtedly to some extent panic-stricken, most un- accountably abandoned McClelland's command, and in disregard of the orders to follow the advance in a solid column, moved rapidly off on a line diverging to the right from the prescribed route. They had not proceeded far, however, before some of the companies became entangled in the mazes of a swamp, in which several of the horses were lost. During the delay

caused by this mishap, the rear battalion was attacked by the Indians, and a few of the men were wounded, but the enemy did not push his advantage, and the divisions pushed on as rapidly as possible, and de- flecting to the left beyond the swamp, and striking the trail by which they came on the outward march, came about daybreak to the deserted Indian village on the Sandusky, where they found the men of Mc- Clelland's division, who had reached there an hour or two earlier, disorganized, panie-stricken, and leader- less, for Maj. McClelland had been left for dead on the field, as before narrated ; and during the hurried march, or more properly the flight, from the scene of the fight to the abandoned village, the commander, Col. Crawford, had disappeared, and no one was able to give any information concerning him, whether he had been wounded, killed, captured, or lost in the woods. John Slover, the guide, and Dr. Knight, the surgeon, were also missing. These facts, when known by the men, greatly increased their uneasiness and demoralization.

At this point (the deserted Wyandot village), Maj. Williamson, as Col. Crawford's second in command, assumed the leadership of the forces, and after a brief halt the entire command, now numbering something more than three hundred and fifty men, continued the retreat over the route by which they had come on the outward march. The new commander, never doubting that the Indians would pursue him in force, hurried on his men with all possible speed, keeping out the most wary and trusty scouts on his rear and flanks. The command passed the mouth of the Little Sandusky without seeing any signs of an enemy, but while passing through the Plains, at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the scouts discovered far in their rear a pursuing party, apparently composed of both Indians and white men. They were afterwards found to be Wyandots and British Rangers, all mounted. It was now the purpose of Maj. William- son to cross the Plain country and reach the shelter of the timber before being overtaken by the pursuers ; and the latter were equally determined, if possible, to possess themselves of the woods in advance of the Americans. The race was an eager and exciting one on both sides, but at last Maj. Williamson found that the Indians were gaining on him so rapidly that he would be compelled to stand for battle before reach- ing the timber. Maj. Rose, in his report of these operations to Gen. Irvine, said, "Though it was our business studiously to avoid engaging in the Plains, on account of the enemy's superiority in light cav- alry, yet they pressed our rear so hard that we con- cluded on a general and vigorous attack, whilst our light-horse3 secured the entrance of the woods."

The place where Maj. Williamson found himself compelled to stand at bay before the pursuing horde

1 Excepting that of Maj. Brinton, who was wounded. His division was now commanded by Brigade-Major Daniel Leet.

2 It was believed at the time by his officers and men that Maj. Mc- Clelland was killed outright, and this was doubtless the reason why no effort was made to save him from capture. The belief was erroneous, as will hereafter be showu.

3 Referring to one of the companies, which Col. Crawford bad selected and equipped for special duty as skirmishers and scouts.

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

of Wyandots and British Rangers, in the early after- noon of the 6th of June, was near the creek called Olentangy,1 a tributary of the Scioto, near the eastern edge of the Plains, where the column of Col. Craw- ford had first debouched from the shades of the forest into the open country on the morning of the 3d, when moving towards the Wyandot town, which they found deserted. But the aspect of affairs was materi- ally changed since that time. Then they were ad- vancing in high spirits and confident of victory over the savages, now, in headlong flight before the same barbarous foe, they were turning in sheer des- peration to fight for their lives.

The battle-line of the Pennsylvanians faced to the west, and in its rear, holding the edge of the woods, and ready to act as a reserve corps in ease of emer- gency, was the company of light-horsemen. The pur- suing force, elose upon them, attacked unhesitatingly and with fierce energy, first striking the front, then quickly extending their battle-line around the left flank to the rear of Williamson's force, which was thus compelled to meet the savage assault in three directions. But the panic and demoralization of the volunteers had entirely disappeared,2 and they met each successive onslaught with such cool bravery and steadiness, and fought with such desperation, that at the end of an hour from the commencement of the battle the enemy withdrew, discomfited, and appa- rently with heavy loss. Perhaps the sudden cessa- tion of their firing was in some degree due to the faet that just then a furious thunder-storm, which had for some time been threatening, burst upon the combat- ants. The men were drenched and chilled to the bone, while much of their ammunition was rendered useless by the rain. This, however, operated fuite as unfavorably to the Indians as to the whites.

As soon as the savages and Rangers withdrew, Maj. Williamson, without a moment's delay, caused the dead to be buried and the wounded3 cared for, and then the retreat was resumed. Capt. Biggs' company, which seems to have always held the post of danger, leading the advance in the outward march, now formed the rear-guard, though its ranks were reduced to nine men and all its officers were missing. It was

afterwards relieved, however, and from that time each of the companies in turn took position to guard the rear of the retreating column.

When Williamson commenced his retreat from the battle-field, the enemy, who had in the mean time scattered over the Plains, soon concentrated and re- newed the pursuit, firing rapidly but at long range. Soon, however, they began to press the rear more closely, throwing the volunteers into some disorder, which must have grown into a panic but for the cool- ness and intrepidity of the commander and Maj. Rose. These officers were unceasing in their efforts, constantly moving along the line, entreating the vol- unteers to keep solidly together and preserve unbroken the order of march, and warning them that if any should leave the column and attempt to escape singly or in squads they would certainly lose their scalps. Finally they became steady, and the order of march was preserved unbroken during the remainder of the day. The Indians kept up the pursuit, and occasion- ally attacked with much vigor, though, as William- son's force was now moving through the timbered country, the savages no longer held the relative ad- vantage which they had possessed in fighting on the Plains.

The volunteers bivouacked that night (June 6th) on the Sandusky River, about six miles from the battle-field of the afternoon; the enemy's force camped about a mile farther to the rear. Unusual precautions were taken by Maj. Williamson to guard against a surprise during the night, and at the first streakings of dawn on the 7th the men fell in to re- sume the march ; but hardly had the column been formed when the Indians came up and opened fire upon the rear. A lively skirmish followed, in which two of the men fell into the hands of the savages, but no disorder ensued. The retreat was continued steadily and in good order, and, much to Maj. Wil- liamson's surprise, the Indians suddenly abandoned the pursuit. The last shot from the savages was fired at a point near the present town of Crestline. From there the column moved rapidly on in good order and without molestation to the Ohio, which it crossed on the 13th of June. On their arrival on the Vir- ginia side of the river, the men not being compelled to wait for a formal discharge, dispersed to their homes.

Having seen how Maj. Williamson with the main River, let us return to trace the adventures and mis- fortunes of the brave Col. Crawford, his faithful friend Dr. Knight, and others who had become sepa- rated from the column and were struggling on through the wilderness, with dangers surrounding them on every side, in their endeavors to escape from the savages.

When the volunteers commenced their retreat from the battle-field of the 4th and 5th of June, at about

1 This battle of Olentangy was fought on a plain about five miles southeast of Bucyrus, Ohio.

" Before the fight Maj. Williamson addressed his men, telling them that the only possible chance they had of escaping death and probably torture was to stand solidly together and fight with the determination selves by flight there would be but faint hope that any of them wouldl ever again see their homes. The aide-de-camp, Maj. Rose, rode along the line, cheering the men lyy his own coolness and apparent confidence. "Stand to your ranks," he cried, in clear, ringing tones, and with his slightly foreign accent; "take steady aim, fite low, and waste not a single shot ! Be steady, steady, for all our lives depend upon it !" These admunitions from their officers, and the evident hopelessness of escape by flight, caused them to stand firm, resolved to fight to the last, with no thought of surrender.

3 The loss of the volunteers in this fight was three killed and eiglit wounded; that of the enemy was not known, but must have been much greater.

never to yield ; that if they should break and endeavor to save them- ' body of the troops reached and crossed the Ohio

101

THE REVOLUTION.

nine o'clock in the evening of the last-mentioned day, Col. Crawford rode at the head of the leading division (McClelland's). A very short time after- wards they were attacked by the Delawares and Shawanese, and (as has already been mentioned) the rear divisions left their position in the line of march and moved away to the right, leaving the front di- vision to extricate itself from its perilous situation. They left in such haste that no little disorder ensued, in which some of the sick and wounded were left behind, though it is believed that all but two were finally saved from the enemy. While the Indian attack on the advance division was in progress, Col. Crawford became anxious concerning his son John, his nephew, William Crawford, and his son-in-law, William Harrison, and rode back to find them or assure himself of their safety, but in this he was un- successful. While engaged in the search he was joined by the surgeon, Dr. Knight, whom he re- quested to remain with and assist him. With this request the doctor readily complied. He thought the missing men were in the front, but as the colonel assured him they were not, the two remained behind a considerable time after the last of the troops had passed on, the commander in the meanwhile express- ing himself in terms of indignation at the conduct of the three battalions in disobeying his orders by leaving the line of march and pressing on in their semi-panic, forgetting the care of the sick and wounded, and regardless of everything but their own safety.

After the last of the troops had passed on, and when Crawford and the surgeon found it useless to remain longer, they followed as nearly as they could in the track of the larger column, which, however, by this time was a considerable distance away and lost to view in the darkness. Proceeding rather slowly on (for the colonel's horse had become jaded and nearly worn out by the fatigues of the day), they were soon after overtaken by two stragglers who came up from the rear, one of them being an old man and the other a stripling. Neither of these had seen or knew anything about the two young Crawfords and Harrison.

The colonel and his three companions had not proceeded far when the sound of fire-arms was heard in front of them and not very far away. It was from the attack which the savages made on the rear of the retreating column at the time when a part of it he- came entangled in the swamp, as has been mentioned. The noise of the firing before them caused Crawford's party to turn their course in a more northerly direc- tion, on which they continued for two or three miles, when, believing that they were clear of the enemy, they turned at nearly a right angle, now facing nearly east, and moving in single file, Indian fashion. At about midnight they reached and crossed the San- dusky River. Near that stream they lost the old man, who had lagged behind, and was probably killed by Indians.

From the Sandusky they continued in an easterly direction, but when morning came, they turned more southerly. Early in the day the horses ridden by Col. Crawford and the boy gave out entirely and were left behind. Early in the afternoon they were joined by Capt. Biggs and Lieut. Ashley, the latter mounted on Biggs' horse, and suffering severely from the wound received in the battle of the 4th. The captain had bravely and generously stood by the wounded lieutenant, and was now marching on foot by his side, resolved to save him if possible, even at the risk of his own life. And a fearful and fatal risk it proved to be.

At almost precisely the time when Biggs and Ashley were found by Col. Crawford's party (about two o'clock P.M. on the 6th of June), the main body of volunteers, under Williamson, were facing to the rear, forming line of battle to meet the attack of the pursuing In- dians, as has already been noticed. The distance from the field where the battle was raging to the place where the party of fugitives were at that time was about six miles in a northwest direction. After being joined by Biggs and Ashley, the colonel and his companions moved on slowly (being encumbered by the care of the wounded officer) for about an bour, when their flight was interrupted by the same thunder- storm that burst over the battle-field of Olentangy at the close of the conflict. Being now drenched with the rain, and wearied by their eighteen hours' flight, the commander thought it best to halt, and accord- ingly they made their night bivouac here, 1 amid the most cheerless surroundings, wet, shivering, and in constant dread of being discovered by prowling sav- ages.

Early in the morning of the 7th the party pushed on in nearly the same southeasterly direction, recross- ing the Sandusky River. An hour or two after their start they came to a place where a deer had been killed. The best parts of the carcass had been cut off and wrapped in the skin of the animal, as if the owner had intended to return and carry it away. This they took possession of and carried with them, as also a tomahawk which lay on the ground near by. A mile or so farther on they saw smoke rising through the trees. Leaving the wounded officer behind, in charge of the boy, the others advanced cautiously towards the fire. They found no person there, but they judged, from the indications, that some of the volunteers had been there, and had left the place only a short time before. Lient. Ashley was then brought up, and they proceeded to roast the venison which they had cap- tured. As they were about finishing their meal a white man was seen near by, who, on being called to, came up very cautiously, and was recognized by Col. Crawford as one of his own men. He said he was the slayer of the deer, and that he had been frightened away from the carcass by the approach of the colonel

1 The place where they encamped that night is about two miles north of Buey rus, Ohio.

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

and his companions. Food was given him, and after eating he moved on with the party.

About the middle of the afternoon they struck the route of the army's outward march, at a bend in the Sandusky, less than two miles distant from the place where Williamson's force had bivouacked the night before, and where, in the morning of the same day, the pursuing Indians had made their last attack on the retreating column. They were still nearer to the camping-place occupied by the Indians during the previous night, and it is difficult to understand how the practiced eye of Col. Crawford could have failed to discover the proximity of Indians, but it is cer- tain that such was the case, for when Dr. Knight and Capt. Biggs advised him to avoid following the trail, for fear of encountering the enemy, he replied with confidence that there was little danger of it, for the savages would not follow the retreating column after it reached the timbered country, but would aban- don the pursuit as soon as they reached the eastern verge of the Plains.

From the point where they struck the trail at the bend of the river, then, they moved on over the route which had been passed by the troops in their out- ward march. Col. Crawford and Dr. Knight, both on foot, led the way; Capt. Biggs (now riding the doctor's horse) followed some fifteen or twenty rods behind, and in the rear marched the boy and the killer of the deer, both dismounted. In this manner they proceeded along the south side of the river until they came very near the place where Williamson had made his camp of the previous evening. It does not appear that they had yet detected the proximity of an enemy, or that they were using more than ordinary , terview with the renegade he might be induced to precaution as they traveled. Suddenly, directly in use his influence with the Indians to save the prison- - er's life, or at least to save him from the torture by fire. The hope was a vain and delusive one, as the event proved, but the doomed man in his extremity clung to it as drowning men catch at straws. His savage custodians well knew that he would gain nothing by the interview with Girty, but they granted his request, apparently for the demoniac satisfaction of witnessing the despair and agony of his certain disappointment. front of Crawford and Knight, and not more than fifty feet from them, three Indians started up in full view. Crawford stood his ground, not attempting to gain cover, but the surgeon instantly took to a tree and raised his piece to fire, but desisted from doing so at the peremptory command of the colonel. Imme- diately afterwards, however, Capt. Biggs saw the sav- ages and fired, but without effect. One of the Indians came up to Crawford and took him by the hand, while another in like manner advanced and took the hand of the surgeon, at the same time calling him " doc- tor," for they had previously been acquainted with each other at Fort Pitt.

The Indians told Crawford to order Biggs and Ash- ley, with the two other men in the rear, to come up and surrender, otherwise they would go and kill them. The colonel complied, calling out to them to advance, but this was disregarded, and all four of them es- caped, though Biggs and Ashley were afterwards taken and killed by the savages.

It was a party of the Delawares who captured Col. Crawford and Dr. Knight, and they immediately took their captives to the camp of their chief, Winge-

nund. The time this occurred was in the afternoon of the 7th of June (Friday), only five days after the army had passed by the same place in its outward march in the highest spirits, and with the brave Crawford riding at its head, happily unconscious of the awful doom which awaited him.

Crawford and Knight remained at the camp of the Delawares for three days. During their stay there (in the evening of Sunday, the 9th) a party of out- lying scouts came in, bringing the scalps of Lieut. Ashley and Capt. Biggs, as also the horses which had been ridden by those unfortunate officers. Besides Crawford and Knight, there were nine other white prisoners at the Delaware camp, all half-starved and guarded with the utmost vigilance by the seventeen warriors who composed the war-party at the camp. Several of these savages were personally known to Crawford'and Knight.

On the morning of the 10th the camp was broken up, and the warriors set out with their prisoners for the Sandusky towns. All of them except Crawford were taken to the old town at Upper Sandusky ; but the colonel was taken by a different route to the head- quarters of Pomoacan, the great sachem of the Wyan- dots. There were two reasons for his being sent to that village, one of them being to have him guide his captors over the route by which he and Knight had come, so that they might possibly find the horses which had been left behind, and the other reason being to allow the colonel to see Simon Girty, who was known to be at the Half-King's town. Girty was an old acquaintance of Crawford's, as has been seen, and the latter had a faint hope that by a personal in-

The prisoners bound for the old town arrived there the same evening. Later in the night Crawford and his guards reached Pomoacan's village, where he had the desired interview with Girty, during which he offered the wretch one thousand dollars to interfere and save his life. Girty promised to do what he could, though he had not the slightest intention of keeping his word. He also told the colonel that his nephew, William Crawford, and his son-in-law, Wil- liam Harrison, had been captured by Shawanese scouts, but that the chiefs of that tribe had decided to spare their lives, the latter portion of his statement being false, as he well knew. But the story, with the promise to intercede in his behalf, had the effect to allay for the time the colonel's worst fears.

103

THE REVOLUTION.

On the following morning (June 11th) Crawford : left the trail leading to the Wyandot headquarters was informed that he must go to the old town, to and took that leading to the villages of the Delawares. On this trail they proceeded in a north westerly eourse until they reached Little Tymochtee Creek, where Crawford and Knight, with their guards, overtook the other surviving prisoners, only five in number. Here several squaws and young Indians were met, and all the prisoners were halted and made to sit on the ground. The object of this movement became appa- rent when, a few minutes later, the five prisoners were set upon by the squaws and boys, who tomahawked and scalped them all. Some of the boys took the warm and bloody scalps and repeatedly dashed them into the faces of Crawford and Knight, who had also been seated on the ground a short distance away from but in full view of the butchery. join the other prisoners, so that all could be marched in a body to the village of the Half-King. Under this order he was taken to the upper village, where he arrived about the middle of the forenoon, and there found the main body of the white prisoners, including Dr. Knight, and the Delaware chiefs, Pipe and Wir .- genund, who had come there at an earlier hour in the morning. Here the hopes which had been raised in Crawford's mind by the promise of Girty were sud- denly extinguished when Wingenund approached him and painted his face black. The hypocritical chief,1 while he was performing the ominous operation, pro- fessed to be extremely glad to see the colonel, and assured him that he was to be adopted as an Indian ; but Crawford was not deceived by this dissimulation, for he well knew that when the Indians painted the face of a prisoner black it meant but one thing,-that the person so marked had been doomed to death. All the other prisoners, including Dr. Knight, had previously been painted black by the implacable Delaware, Capt. Pipe.

A little later in the day the whole party of pris- oners, under their Indian guards, moved out from the old town and took the trail down the river. Col. Crawford and Dr. Knight (who were regarded by the Indians as their principal prizes) were marched some distance in the rear of the others, and were kept in charge by no less personages than the chiefs Win- genund and Pipe. They had not proceeded far from the village before they passed the corpse of one of the prisoners who preceded them. A little farther on they saw another, then another and another, four in all, killed by their guards only a few minutes before, and all bearing the bloody marks made by the scalp- ing-knife.

They had supposed that their destination was the town of the Wyandot sachem, Pomoacan, but their hearts sank within them2 when, at the Big Springs, on the present site of Upper Sandusky, the Indians

Of the prisoners who had set out from the old town only Crawford and Knight now remained. The march was resumed on the trail to Pipe's town, the two prisoners being now separated and made to walk a hundred yards or more apart. On their way they were met by Simon Girty on horseback and accom- panied by several Indians. Girty spoke to Crawford and also to Knight, heaping upon the latter the vilest epithets and abuse. As the party moved on they were met by many Indians, all of whom maltreated the prisoners, striking them with clubs and beating them with their fists. About the middle of the after- noon the party with their dejected captives arrived at a piece of bottom-land on the east bank of Ty- mochtee Creek, where a halt was made, and it became at once apparent that with this halt the journeying of one at least of the prisoners was ended. Craw- ford and Knight were still separated, and were not again allowed to hold any conversation together. Knight was in charge of a peculiarly villanous-look- ing Indian named Tutelu, who had been made his special guard, and who was to take him on the follow- ing day to the Shawanese towns, which had been de- cided on as the place where he was to be put to death.

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History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 22

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 1314

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1314