Part 5 (1/2)

[3] The fate of Capt. Hart was peculiarly distressing.--He had received a flesh wound and particularly distinguished himself by his undaunted bravery. After the capitulation, Capt. Elliot, who had been a cla.s.s mate with him at Princetown college, waited on Capt. Hart, and unsolicited, promised him his protection declaring that the next morning he would have him taken to his own house at Malden, where he should remain until his recovery.--But Elliot broke his promise and left him to his fate! On the next day a band of savages came into the house where he was confined, and tore him from his bed. But he bargained with one of them and gave him a considerable sum of money to have himself taken to Malden. They set off, and after travelling as far as the river Aux Sables, they were met by a fresh band of Indians, who shot the Captain upon his horse, and tomahawked and scalped him! Numbers were put to death after they had been several days in custody. At Sandy Creek an Indian approached a volunteer of the name of Blythe and proposed to exchange his mocasins for Blythe's shoes--with this he readily complied; after this they exchanged hats; the Indian then raised his tomahawk and struck Blythe on the shoulder which cut into the cavity of his body: Blythe then caught hold of the tomahawk and attempted to resist but on one of his fellow prisoners telling him that his fate was fixed, he closed his eyes and received the savage blow that terminated his existence. Hamilton deposed that when the prisoners were marching from Raisin to Detroit, they came up to where one of the prisoners was burning, the life just expiring, and an Indian kicking the ashes off his back.

The dead were denied the rites of sepulture;[4] the living were treated with the greatest indignity. The prisoners were generally stripped of their clothing, rifled of their cash, and the swords of the officers given to the savages. Men whose education, talents and character ought to have ent.i.tled them to respect, had their feelings grossly outraged.

[4] I was told by several of the inhabitants of Frenchtown while at Detroit, that they had frequently seen the hogs and dogs devouring the bodies of the Americans and that it was not uncommon to see them running about with skulls, legs, arms, and other parts of the human system in their mouths.

The advance of Gen. Winchester to the river Raisin, was not authorised by the orders of Gen. Harrison; the motives of the Gen. were no doubt good, but to his imprudence is attributed the failure of the campaign.

He was induced to make the movement in consequence of the earnest solicitude of the inhabitants of that place, who were threatened with a general ma.s.sacre by the Indians.

As soon as General Harrison learnt the exposed situation of Gen.

Winchester's corps, he ordered a detachment from Gen. Perkins' brigade under Col. Cotgreaves, to march with all possible expedition to his relief--but so much time was spent in _preparation_, that it only arrived in hearing distance at the commencement of the battle, and then suddenly retraced its steps.

Why a commanding officer, situated as Gen. Winchester was within a few hours march of Malden, and liable every moment to be surprized, should suffer his men to be encamped in detached and exposed situations, in the manner they were, is a question not yet explained. The night before the battle a Frenchman arrived from Malden, and informed that the enemy had commenced their march. This information which was made known to Gen. Winchester, was disregarded. His quarters were three or four hundred yards from Camp. He did not arrive at the scene of action till the right wing had begun to give way.

I cannot forbear to notice in this place a circ.u.mstance that reflects the greatest l.u.s.tre on the military character of the Kentuckians. On their march from Fort Defiance to the rapids, the horses were worn out and nearly famished for want of forage. The men themselves were dest.i.tute of many articles of the first necessity. Yet these circ.u.mstances did not in the least damp their ardor. When the horses were no longer able to draw, these gallant sons of Mars harnessed themselves to the sleds, and in this manner, with cheerfulness and alacrity, conveyed their baggage sixty miles through frost and snow--thus, manifesting an intrepidity of character which rivals that of Greece or Rome.

Yet these were men, whose homes, for the most part, were the seats of elegance and wealth--but their spirits were not to be broken by adversity. Notwithstanding they were compelled to travel on foot and with scarcely a covering for their backs, in the dead of winter, from Malden to Buffalo, and from thence to Kentucky, a distance of eight hundred miles, still not a murmur escaped their lips! Their honest hearts sprung forward with the elastic hope, that their wrongs would be avenged and the day of retribution arrive.

After the defeat of Gen. Winchester, General Harrison retreated from the rapids eighteen miles, and took a position at Portage river. It being found impracticable to remove all the provisions a considerable quant.i.ty was destroyed.

On the 30th Gen. Harrison dispatched Capt. Lamont, Doctor M'Keehan and a Frenchman with a flag of truce to Malden. They encamped the first night near the rapids and hoisted the white flag; but this was not respected--the Indians fired upon them while asleep, killed Lamont, wounded Dr. M'Keehan and took the Doctor and the Frenchman prisoners.

Governor Meigs having promptly ordered out two regiments of Ohio militia to reinforce General Harrison; the army again advanced to the rapids, and commenced building Fort Meigs. Gen. Crook's brigade in the mean time were busily employed in fortifying at Upper Sandusky.

Gen. Harrison having learnt that a body of Indians were collected at Presque Isle, near the mouth of the Miami, marched from his camp at the rapids, on the 9th of February, at the head of a detachment of his army, to attack them; The enemy fled--our troops pursued them almost to the river Raisin, but finding it impossible to overtake them, the troops returned to camp much exhausted with fatigue. Such was their desire to come up with the foe, that they marched sixty miles in twenty one hours.

On the 27th February, a detachment of one hundred and fifty men, under Capt. Langham, left the Rapids for the purpose of destroying the Queen Charlotte, near Malden--the ice was found too far decayed to accomplish the object of the expedition.

On the 15th of April a desperate rencontre took place on the Miami, a few miles below fort Meigs, between ten Frenchman, from the river Raisin, and about an equal number of Indians, both parties were in canoes, and they maintained the fight till the greater part on both sides were either killed or wounded.

The army was now engaged incessantly in strengthening the posts of Fort Meigs, Upper Sandusky, and Fort Stephenson. General Harrison left the army for the purpose of consulting with Gov. Meigs, and for expediting the march of the reinforcements. No event of moment occurred during the remainder of the winter.

In March, workmen began to cut timber at Erie, for the purpose of building two 20 gun brigs--the requisite number of s.h.i.+p-carpenters arrived at that place.

The term of service of the greater part of the militia composing the north-western army having expired, new levies from Ohio and Kentucky were ordered on to supply their places. But these not arriving in season, the Pennsylvania brigade generously volunteered their services for another month, to defend Fort Meigs, which was menaced with an attack. This conduct was the more honorable, as this corps had undergone incredible hards.h.i.+ps during the winter, in dragging the artillery and stores from Sandusky to the Rapids.[5]

[5] A private in the Petersburgh volunteers draws the following picture of a soldier's life: It describes the march of his company at the time of Winchester's defeat. ”On the second day of our march a courier arrived from Gen.

Harrison, ordering the artillery to advance with all possible speed; this was rendered totally impossible by the snow which took place, it being a complete swamp nearly all the way. On the evening of the same day news arrived that Gen. Harrison had retreated to Portage river, 18 miles in the rear of the encampment at the Rapids. As many men as could be spared determined to proceed immediately to reinforce him. It is unnecessary to state that we were among the first who wished to advance. At 2 o'clock the next morning, our tents were struck, and in half an hour we were on the road. I will candidly confess, that on that day I regretted being a soldier. On that day we marched thirty miles under an incessant rain; and I am afraid you will doubt my veracity when I tell you, that in eight miles of the best of the road, it took us over the knees and often to the middle. The Black Swamp, 4 miles from Portage river and 4 miles in the extent would have been considered impa.s.sable by all but men determined to surmount every difficulty to accomplish the object of their march. In this swamp you lose sight of _terra firma_ altogether--the water was about six inches deep on the ice, which was very rotten, often breaking through to the depth of four or five feet.

”The same night we encamped on very wet ground but the driest that could be found the rain still continuing. It was with difficulty we could raise fires; we had no tents, our clothes were wet, no axes, nothing to cook in, and very little to eat. A brigade of pack horses being near us, we procured from them some flour, killed a hog (there being plenty of _them_ along the road;) our bread was baked in the ashes and the pork we broiled on the coals--a sweeter meal I never partook of. When we went to sleep it was on two logs laid close to each other, to keep our bodies from the ground. Good G.o.d! what a pliant being is man in adversity.

”The loftiest spirit that ever inhabited the human breast would have been tamed amid the difficulties that surrounded us.””

On the 20th of April, Gen. Harrison returned to Fort Meigs and began to prepare for the approaching storm. Patrolling parties were frequently sent out to discover the movements of the enemy, who had been discovered on the margin of the lake.

On the 26th the advance of the enemy made its appearance on the opposite sh.o.r.e, and after reconnoitering a few minutes withdrew.--On the 27th they returned, but were soon made to retire by the b.a.l.l.s from the fort. Ever since the General had arrived in camp, the greatest diligence was displayed by the officers and soldiers. Fortifications of various description were carried on with unparallelled exertions.

Every moment of the Gen. was occupied in directing the works. He addressed the men in a most masterly and eloquent manner, on the situation in which the fortune of war had placed them, and of the importance of every man's being vigilant and industrious at his post.

This address converted every man into a hero; it inspired them with a zeal, courage and patriotism never surpa.s.sed.

On the 28th the enemy commenced a very brisk fire of small arms--in the evening the Indians were conveyed over the river in boats and surrounded the garrison in every direction. Several of Col. Ball's dragoons volunteered to reconnoitre the enemy's camp, but before they had got far from the fort they were fired on by the Indians and compelled to return.

On the 29th the siege began in earnest, all communication with the other posts was cut off. The firing was kept up the whole day. The enemy had progressed so far in the construction of their batteries during the night, that they afforded them sufficient protection to work by day light. A man was this day mortally wounded as he was standing near the General.