38 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. CHAPTER IX. WAR OF 1812 AS FAR AS CONCERNS WOOD COUNTY - GEN. HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN-GEN. PROCTOR'S ADVANCE- FIRST SIEGE OF FORT MEIGS -DUDLEY'S DEFEAT. IT is designed to treat of the events of the war of 1812 only as such events are connected with the local history of Wood county, though at times the chain, of connections carries the story beyond local bounds. It was just about eighteen years before Hull's arrival at the Rapids, and the disgraceful termination of his campaign at Detroit, that Gen. Wayne, and his gallant little army, won martial renown on the Maumee, by a victory which terminated an Indian war, began almost a half century before, when the Colonial troops fought under the English flag. Wayne's campaign turned all eyes to the Maumee river, and his victory filled the Nation with WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 39 joy. Hull's surrender startled the Nation, and filled the land with sorrow and humiliation. Wayne's battle gave the country an empire and peace; Hull's cowardice lost the Northwest, and turned the frontier settlers over to the mercy of the Indians and British. When the Nation rejoiced over Wayne's success in 1794, there were only five thousand people, north of the Ohio, to shouts their gladness; when Hull surrendered (1812), and uncovered her whole northern frontier, Ohio alone had 250,000 people to tell him of their indignation, and come to the rescue of the Flag. The whole country, east and west, was aroused to the gravity of the situation. Fortunately the martial spirit, the heroism of '76, had not gone to decay. England did not have a long season of rejoicing. Her pride was soon touched in a tender place. On the Atlantic, three days after the surrender of Detroit, the frigate "Constitution " ("Old Ironsides") came up with the British man of war, "Guerriere," and engaged her in battle. The English captain, Dacres, though a boastful fellow who had been sending challenges to the Americans, fought desperately, but "Old Ironsides" knocked his ship to pieces within thirty minutes after the first broadside. As if by a singular coincidence, the commander of the "Constitution" was Capt. Isaac Hull, nephew of the man who disgraced the Flag at Detroit. This victory of the sailors, for whose rights the war was started, created great enthusiasm. In Kentucky, Isaac Shelby, the old hero of King's Mountain, was governor. His proud spirit was stirred at the perfidious course of the English, and the humiliation of the Americans, at Detroit. Military camps were at once established, and soon Kentucky troops were marching to the northern frontier. In Tennessee, too, the volunteers, under the lead of Andrew Jackson, were marching to subdue the hostile Creeks, stirred to war by the advice and example of Tecumseh. Thence Jackson marched to the Gulf to expel the British. William Henry Harrison, governor of Indiana Territory, was now appointed commander of the Northwestern forces. He was in the prime of manhood, had learned war under Wayne, been on the frontier nearly twenty years, and but recently had won a victory at Tippecanoe, in which he showed the courage and fighting qualities of a general, and gained great favor with his soldiers, especially the Kentuckians who were with him. The new commander had a great task before him. It was to keep, the Indians in subjection, recover Detroit and the Northwest, and invade Upper Canada. His soldiers were raw recruits, scantily equipped. When he took command, even cannon were being made at Pittsburg to replace those lost by Hull. The enemy had command of Lake Erie, so that the only route to Detroit lay through some portion of the wilderness and by way of the Maumee Rapids, over which troops, munitions and supplies had to go. The whole country south of the Maumee to the Greenville Treaty line belonged to the Indians, and was unsettled. There were already two routes open: First, Hull's trace; second, Wayne's old trail, by way of the Auglaize and Maumee. Gen. Harrison established a third, by way of Upper Sandusky, thence down the banks of the Sandusky river by way of Fort Ball (Tiffin) and Lower Sandusky (Fremont) to the lake, or, from Lower Sandusky across the swamp to the Maumee Rapids, as might suit. Though Gen Harrison made every possible exertion, he found it impossible to get his force equipped and ready for a campaign before winter set in. Gen. Edward W. Tupper, with a light Ohio brigade of nine-months' men, from Gallia, Lawrence and Jackson counties, had advanced to Fort McArthur, from which place a detachment of his men advanced, and drove off the British and Indians who were at the Maumee, gathering the corn in the deserted fields of the late settlers. At the opening of the year 1813, Gen. Winchester occupied the left of the army, at Defiance; the Ohio brigade (Tupper's), the center, at Fort McArthur, and Gen. Harrison with the Virginia and Pennsylvania troops and some regulars, was with the right, at Upper Sandusky. The troops were from Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and some from Virginia; also a regiment of regulars the total amounting to less than five thousand men. The point of concentration, for a move on Detroit, was the Maumee Rapids. Gen. Winchester, whose command consisted of Kentuckians and some regulars, under Col. Welles, advanced along the north bank of the Maumee from Defiance, and reached the Rapids January 10, 1813. Here he made some temporary camp defenses for his supplies, and remained until the 17th, when he imprudently acceded to a petition from the people at' Frenchtown on the river Raisin, asking for protection from the Indians and British. Cols. Lewis and Allen, with about six hundred men, were dispatched thither, and, after a sharp fight, drove the enemy out, and sent word back to the Maumee for reinforcements, as they were only eighteen miles from Malden, where Proctor lay with his whole force. 40 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Winchester now committed a second grave error. Instead of immediately withdrawing his troops from their perilous position at the Raisin, he took all the forces he dare spare at the Rapids, 250 men, and marched to Frenchtown to join his victorious soldiers, where he made his third fatal blunder. He allowed his men to go into open camp, without regard to position, or any sort of defensive lines. During the night, Proctor approached with his main force, and planted his artillery within 300 paces of Winchester's camp. The dawn of light on the morning of the 22nd of January was ushered in by the loud peals of Proctor's cannon, and a shower of canister, grape and shell, accompanied by the savage war-whoop of the Indians. The raw volunteers, taken by surprise, soon became demoralized, and were cut down like grass. Col. Lewis' men, who had been posted behind a heavy picket fence, held their ground, and would have made the enemy purchase a costly victory, but for Gen. Winchester, who had fallen a prisoner, and now sent him word to surrender, under Proctor's promise of protection from the savages. The result was that many of the Americans, including the wounded, were mercilessly butchered by the Indians, and those of the wounded, who had been taken to houses, were burned. The American loss, including prisoners, was 934. Of these, 397 were killed or missing. Less than fifty men escaped from the field. The shocking deeds of murder and torture which followed on that night, and the succeeding day, were such as to cause a thrill of horror, at hearing even the partial details. [Among the sad incidents was that related of Capt. Hart, a brother of the wife of Henry Clay, who offered a Pottawatamie one hundred dollars to take him safely to Malden, but they met a Wyandot who claimed the prisoner. A quarrel followed, and was settled by an agreement to kill the prisoner and divide his clothes and money.] The massacre at the River Raisin did more to embitter Americans and create a deep seated, unforgiving spirit toward the Indians, than any other occurrence, up to that time, in the history of the young nation. Yet the butchery was committed under the English flag, and under the eyes of the British commander, in whose employ the Indians were. The savages were less blamable in this case than the infamous Proctor. Gen. Harrison, who was at Upper Sandusky, got word on the 16th that Winchester had arrived at the Rapids, and that he had in view an expedition of some kind against the enemy. This made the Commander uneasy, and he at once set out for Lower Sandusky, where Gen. Perkins, who had come from Wooster, was in command with a regiment and a battalion, leaving word for Maj. Orr to follow with the artillery, which had just arrived from Pittsburg, by way of Wooster, as fast as possible. At Lower Sandusky the General sent forward a battalion under 'Maj. Cosgrove, and learning there, from a courier, what Winchester was doing, he ordered Gen. Perkins to put the rest of his troops in motion across the swamp. Harrison started out in a sled and reached the Rapids, on horseback, on the loth, leaving his sled at the Portage river. Perkins and Cosgrove lost a day in trying to cross, and with their best efforts, floundering in ice and water, only reached the Rapids on the night of January 21. Impatiently the Commander waited at the Rapids for these men. Early next morning, the Commander hurried forward his forces, but it was too late. That very morning, as they were filing out of their camp, on the Maumee, their overmatched comrades were being slaughtered at Frenchtown, and they soon met the few flying fugitives from the battlefield, and learned that the day was lost-the little army destroyed. The troops turned back to the Rapids, and next morning destroyed their temporary fortifications, and Harrison retired behind the Portage, camping below the forks of the river, near where Pemberville is, in the northwest corner of Section 11, Freedom township. The unfortunate loss of the left wing of his army so disabled Gen. Harrison that he was forced to wage defensive, instead of aggressive, warfare for a time. It was through no fault of his own. He had counted on the frosts of winter to give him a solid road across the Black Swamp. A January thaw, at the critical time, prevented a rapid march from Lower Sandusky to Winchester's rescue. Had the stone pike now connecting Fremont and Perrysburg been in existence, the soldiers could have made the march in one day instead of three. Winchester's mistake could have been rectified, and doubtless Proctor would have been routed. Fort Meigs would not have been built, and more than likely the Americans would have invaded and held Upper Canada. Bad roads have more than once played an important part in deciding the fate of armies and destinies of nations, and for very bad roads, the Black Swamp, in an early day, could have drawn the prize in most any contest. At his camp, on the Portage, Gen. Harrison was joined by Gen. Leftraech, of Virginia, with his brigade and most of the artillery train, which, on account of heavy rains, and the almost impassable roads, did not ar- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 41 rive until the 30th of January. On the 1st of February he again advanced to the Maumee, and built Fort Meigs, and from this position decided to make aggressive, or defensive, warfare as best suited his purpose. Now, while the soldiers are working on the fortifications, let us take a brief survey of the old military route, known to the early settlers, who made use of portions of it later on for a road, as Harrison's trail. Take a pencil and sectional map of Wood county; put the pencil point at the county line on the east side of Section 13, Freedom township, a few rods south of the center; mark due west most across the section, then turn and go northwest through the corner of Section 111, near the center of the south line, thence directly to Harrison's old camp ground, below the forks of the river, about half a mile. Here the troops, in trying to march to Winchester's aid, in January, 1813, spent a day in fruitless attempts to cross the river, and finally turned up the river to the northwest corner of Section 23, where they crossed and went to the north branch, in Section lo, about midway between the railroad bridge and section line, not far from the cemetery. From here push the pencil, in a northwesterly course, to a point about forty rods north of the southwest corner of Section 27, Perrysburg township. Northwest of this point, about eighty rods, the McCutchenville road is crossed; then bear to the west and cross the northeast corner of Section 29, the southwest corner of 20; the northwest corner of 19, and pass out of the northwest corner of 18, into River Tract No. 65, on which the fort was built. The trail deviated from a direct line in places, but preserved the general course, nearly on the line we have indicated. As was said of Hull's Trace, it would be hard to select a better route under the conditions that then existed. The site chosen for the fort, on the south bank of the Maumee, has a commanding view of the surrounding country and of the river above and below, and is a point of great natural strength for defensive warfare. It was named Fort Meigs, in honor of Return J. Meigs, whose zeal and patriotic efforts were in the highest degree commendable. The military situation there at the time will be best given by an extract from a letter written by Gen. Harrison himself, from the Rapids, to John Armstrong, Secretary of War, dated February 11, 1813: SIR:-Having been joined by Gen. Leftraech, with his brigade, and a regiment of the Pennsylvania quota, at Portage river, on the 30th ultimo., I marched from thence on the 1st instant, and reached this place on the morning of the 2d, with an effective force of about sixteen hundred men. I have been since joined by a Kentucky regiment, and Gen. Tupper's Ohio brigade, which has increased our numbers to two thousand non-commissioned officers and privates. I accordingly ordered the whole of the troops of the left wing, excepting one company for each of the six forts in that quarter-the balance of the Pennsylvania brigade, and the Ohio brigade, under Gen. Tupper, and a detachment of regular troops and twelve-months' volunteers, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Campbell, to march to this place as soon as possible, believing I should be able to advance from hence by this day or tomorrow; and if it were not in my power to take heavy artillery for the siege of Malden, I should be enabled to scour the whole country-disperse the Indians-destroy all the shipping of the enemy and the greater part of their provisions, and leave a portion at, or near, Brownstown until a further supply of cannon and stores could be brought up., Such was my plan when I marched from Portage river on the 1st instant, and my situation was such as to authorize the strongest hopes of success. Although the aggregate amount of all the effective men, in all the corps above mentioned, was only a number that will greatly surprise you to be furnished with so many nominal brigades, and the period of service of the Kentucky and Ohio troops was rapidly terminating-some of them expiring about the middle of the month, and all before the last of it-I had established with them the principle that I had a right to march them to any point before the day which would complete their fourteen-months' tour; and I know them too well to believe that they would abandon me in the country of the enemy. Provisions and ammunition were also on the road from the Sanduskys and McArthur's block-house, in considerable quantities, and measures taken to supply the means of transportation for the advance from this place. These fair prospects have been entirely destroyed by circumstances which no human being could control. The present is precisely the season, in common years, when the most intense frosts prevail in this country, giving the most perfect security and facility in passing the lakes, rivers and swamps with which it abounds. For the last twelve or fifteen days, however, it has been so warm that the roads have become entirely broken up, and for a considerable distance in our rear absolutely impassable for wagons or sleds, and can with great difficulty be traversed with single horses. A number of wagons and sleds, loaded with ammunition and other munitions of war, have been eighteen days coming from Upper Sandusky, and are yet twentyfive miles off. Eight days they were stopped by an uncommon freshet in the Tymocta, and have been two more in getting twenty-five miles. The weather has even affected the ice of the lake. On the evening before last, I went with a detachment in pursuit of a body of Indians, who were driving off the cattle from a small French settlement about fourteen miles from this place. We pursued them for about twenty-six miles upon the ice, which was so weak in many places that a 6-pounder, which was taken with us, broke through, and was nearly lost, as did several of the officers who were mounted. I have waited with an anxiety which I cannot describe for a change in the weather; and until this day I never abandoned the hope of being able to execute the plan which I had formed. I can no longer indulge such hopes. Indeed, I fear I shall be censured for having cherished them too long, and that I have sacrificed the public interests in a vain pursuit. I have no hesitation, however, in asserting that I have it in my power to satisfy the government that their wishes would have been accomplished but for the unfortunate event of the River Raisin, and others over which I could have no control; and that, until a few days since, my calculations of succeeding were supported by the opinion of every general and field officer in the army. It remains for me to inform you of the disposition I shall make of the troops for the remaining part of the winter. A battalion of the militia, lately called out from this State, with the company of regular troops now at Fort Winchester, will garrison the posts upon the waters of the Auglaize and St. Mary's. The small block-houses upon Hull's trace, will have a subaltern's command in each. A company will be placed at Upper Sandusky, and another at Lower Sandusky. All the rest of the troops will be brought to this place, amounting to from fifteen to eighteen hundred men. I am 42 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. erecting here a pretty strong fort-capable of resisting field artillery at least. The troops will be placed in a fortified camp, covered on one flank by the fort. This position is the best that can be taken to cover the frontiers, and the small posts in the rear of it, and those above it on the Miami and its waters. The force placed here ought, however, to be strong enough to encounter any that the enemy may detach against the forts above. Twenty-five hundred would not be too many. But, anxious to reduce the expenses during the winter within as narrow bounds as possible, I have desired the governor of Kentucky not to call out, but to hold in readiness to march, the fifteen hundred men lately required of him. All the teams which have been hired for the public service will be immediately discharged, and those belonging to the public, which are principally oxen, disposed of in the settlements, where forage is cheaper, and every other arrangement made which can lessen the expenses during the winter. Attention will still, however, be paid to the deposit of supplies for the ensuing campaign. Little remains to complete these. Immense supplies of provisions have been accumulating upon the Auglaize river, and boats and pirogues prepared to bring them down as soon as the river opens. I shall have the honor to give you a more particular account of these in a few days. It was Gen. Harrison's design to make this advance post not only a central depot of army supplies, but to concentrate force enough here to hold the enemy at bay until a fleet might be constructed on the lakes to operate with the land forces for the recapture of Detroit and the invasion of Canada. They had scarcely got to work on the fort when the spies brought word of a large encampment of Indians down the bay about twenty miles. Harrison at once took 600 men, and made a night march down the river on the ice. Lieut. Joseph H. Larwill, who had charge of the only cannon with the command, had the misfortune to break through the ice with both horses and gun, which, in the darkness and cold weather, were saved with much difficulty. The troops arrived at their destination only to find deserted camp fires, the Indians having left for Malden the day before. The command returned to the fort, which they reached about sunset, making a march of over forty miles on the ice in less than twenty-four hours. On the 26th of February, Capt. Langham, of the regulars, led a force of 250 men, who volunteered for the occasion, on a desperate expedition, the purpose of which was to be disclosed when they got a sufficient distance from the fort. It was nothing less than to march to the lake, by way of Lower Sandusky and Sandusky river, from the mouth of which they were to cross on the ice to Malden, where undercover of darkness they were, with combustibles, to destroy the British fleet and public stores at the river bank. This done, they were to make a rapid retreat on twenty-four sleds sent along for the purpose, to the point of Maumee Bay, where Harrison was to meet them with a strong force, and cover their retreat. It was a hazardous enterprise, for besides the British garrison, there was a large body of the Indians camped at Malden. Capt. Langham's force, after leaving the lake shore, marched to Middle Bass island on the ice in a storm of wind and snow. Here the weather began to moderate, and the ice north of them seemed to be broken up. The weather was softening all the time, and the guides believed it unsafe to venture across, lest the ice should break up and imprison them on the Canada shore, or on one of the islands. So, after a council of officers and guides, the expedition was abandoned, and the corps returned by way of the Bay point, where they met Gen. Harrison with a body of troops, and all returned to Fort Meigs. One of those singular illusions which arise from natural causes, but which, unexplained, sometimes create consternation among soldiers and sailors, as well as other people, is related as an incident of that expedition. When the soldiers struck the lake at Sandusky, some of them soon came into camp, in great alarm, at what appeared to be a considerable body of men in the distance, advancing on the ice. More careful investigation proved it to be the sun's rays reflecting on the ridges of ice thrown up in places. These bold, enterprising dashes of the Americans, while acccomplishing no direct results, were a useful school to the raw volunteers, and put a restraint upon the marauding expeditions of the enemy. The work of constructing the fort went on steadily meantime. Early in March Gen. Harrison left for the interior of the State to arouse the authorities to the needs of his army, and to hurry forward reinforcements. He especially appealed to the governors of Ohio and Kentucky. Both States responded, Kentucky more than generously. Under the lead of the old veteran Shelby, she voted three thousand men, though only fifteen hundred were asked for by Harrison. This latter quota, organized into four light regiments. under Cols. Dudley, Caldwell, Cox and Boswell, which formed a brigade under Gen. Green Clay,. was on the march, early in April, fully equipped for war. Harrison already had information that Proctor was planning an expedition against the fort at Maumee Rapids, and, gathering up what few troops could be spared at the outposts and on detached duty, hurried to Defiance where, with about four hundred men, he embarked in boats and descended the Maumee to Fort Meigs, April 12th. All energies were now bent to putting the fortifications in a good state of defence. On the morning of April 28, sure enough, one of Harrison's spies, Peter Navarre, brought word that Proctor, with an army of two thousand men, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 43 was sailing up Maumee Bay, convoyed by two gun-boats. Soon this mongrel crowd of British and savages landed at old Fort Miami, about a mile below and across the river from Fort Meigs, went into camp and began to plant batteries. Their heavier guns consisted of 24-pounders. In the night a battery of twelve guns also was planted across the river nearly opposite Fort Meigs. Rain fell incessantly, but for all this Proctor pushed on his preparations for the siege. Meantime, Harrison had not been idle; his men were busy throwing up a traverse, or earthen wall, twelve feet high, across the fort, for their better protection. This performance had been screened from the British by the tents of the Americans. Couriers had previously been dispatched to the posts in the rear to apprize them of what was going on. Harrison knew, however, that his little force was insufficient, and that his antagonist was daily augmenting his numbers by recruits arriving, especially of savages. He knew that Gen. Clay, with his Kentuckians, was on the march, and he was anxious to get word to him of the peril the fort was in. To dispatch a courier to him now was difficult, for the woods about the fort was swarming with Indians. At this critical time, however, a gallant young Virginian, connected with the commissary department, Capt. William Oliver, volunteered to carry a message to Gen. Clay. Oliver, who was of slender form and but little over twenty-one years of age, was one of the most courageous men in the army, and few have equaled him in successfully carrying out dare-devil enterprises in war. He had, the year before, saved the little garrison at Fort Wayne by breaking through a cordon of 600 savages, who, under the old chief, Winnemac, were besieging the post, and delivering a dispatch to the commandant. Speaking of this incident at Fort Meigs, Gen. John E. Hunt says: Oliver asked the commander to let two men go with him, and the three left the Fort about two o'clock at night. While they were crossing a ravine near the fort, the Indians heard them and gave the alarm. Soon swarms of red skins were on the move. Oliver's party reined up their horses; their safety now depended on keeping perfectly still. The dumb animals. as if realizing the danger, stood as mute as stones until the savages had passed, when the horsemen dashed on, but soon after found out they were pursued by half a score of mounted warriors. The pursuit was kept up until Oliver was within one mile of the stockade at Portage, eighteen miles from the fort, where the weary riders rested, after which they resumed their journey, and reached Gen. Clay at Defiance. Just before Oliver arrived at Defiance, a gallant young Kentuckian, Capt. Leslie Combs, had volunteered to carry a dispatch to Harrison telling him that help was coming. Combs, in his make-up for dangerous enterprises, was a good counterpart of Capt. Oliver, and his adventure down the Maumee is best told in his own story delivered before the Wood County Pioneers at Bowling Green, July 4, 1877: It was decided that some one should be sent at once to Gen. Harrison that we were on the road to relieve him. I was captain of the spies, and I thought it my duty to go. I asked for a good canoe, and took four of my men, two brothers named Walker, Paxton and Johnson and a young Shawnee, named Blackfish. After getting down the river about fifty miles all right, our progress over the rapids was more difficult. It was like catching a man by the heels and pulling him downstairs. Blackfish was in the stern with a steering oar, while I was at the bow, looking out our course and watching for surprises, and the other four men took turns at the oars. When we got to Rush-de-boo Joe Paxton said, " Captain, let us land and take it afoot. I would rather be scalped by Indians than be drowned in this dd river;" we went on, however, in the boat, but it was morning before we reached the last bend in the river and, as we turned the point and saw the old flag at the fort, we gave a great cheer. At first we saw only a solitary Indian, and our Shawnee thought it was one of his own tribe or, possibly, at least. a friendly Indian, but a moment later the woods swarmed with them, when he suddenly exclaimed, "Pottawatamie, by ." They opened fire on us at once, and we fired back. Johnson was soon shot through the body and mortally wounded, and Paxton was wounded. At last when we saw all hope of our getting to the fort cut off, we landed on the British side and took to our heels, those who could, each for himself. When I got back to Gen. Clay, I was pretty badly used up; I started May 1, and got back May 3. Capt. Oliver was there, and ready to start out on the same errand from which I had just returned. At Fort Meigs there was anxiety and suspense; many a searching glance swept up the river to catch some signal, or sound, of the expected aid. Not only were men needed, but the fort was. short of ammunition, of which Gen. Clay was bringing a supply. On the first of May the English batteries opened, in a dismal rainstorm. The cannonade was severe and almost continuous for five days, but not nearly so destructive and deadly as the English had hoped; though, at the start, it was trying to the nerves of the raw volunteers. On the second night, under cover of darkness, the British artillerists crossed to the south side of the river, with cannon and mortars, and planted two batteries on a knoll in the thicket less than three hundred steps east of the fort. Harrison's engineers had anticipated this danger by throwing up short cross traverses, which prevented the iron hail from doing the deadly work its projectors had planned. This move by Proctor indicated that he knew the weak condition of the fort, or else it showed poor generalship on his part, in exposing a detachment so that the main force could not protect them in case of assault from the garrison. On the fourth day, Gen. Proctor sent Maj. Chambers with a pompous demand for the immediate surrender of the fort. "Tell your general," said Harrison, " that when he gets this fort, it 44 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. will be under circumstances that will do him more honor than a thousand surrender." Gen. Harrison had learned that day, from two deserters, that Proctor was discussing the feasibility of a night assault on the fort, and that very night, about midnight, the sentries fired on some approaching men, and the camp was aroused. It was a happy surprise, and nobody hurt. The disturber was the gallant Oliver, accompanied by Maj. Trimble and fifteen men, in a boat, with the glad tidings that Gen. Clay, with his 1,200 Kentuckians, was a few miles above, and desired orders. This was inspiring news to the anxious, mud-bespattered garrison, and none realized the importance of the arrival more than Gen. Harrison. Clay had heard the roar of the cannon at Defiance, and had been hurrying forward as fast as possible, with eighteen large scows, carrying supplies and ammunition. Harrison lost no time, but sent Capt. Hamilton and a guide, in a canoe, to meet Gen. Clay, with orders that he should land B00 men at a designated point on the north bank of the river, march down, capture the batteries opposite the fort, spike the guns and throw them down the river bank; after which they were directed to immediately return to their boats and cross to Fort Meigs. The remainder of the force was to land on the south bank and fight their way into the fort with such help as the garrison could give them. For this purpose Gen. Harrison planned two sorties: one on the upper side of the fort to cover the entrance of Clay's forces; the other on the British battery on the east, near the. present Hayes dwelling. These operations were intended to be simultaneous, or so nearly so as to prevent the British from concentrating their fire on any one point. It was a well-conceived plan for the destruction of the two batteries nearest the fort, and the safe landing of the boats with the supplies and ammunition; but it is difficult with inexperienced troops to carry out, under fire, all the details necessary to complete success, and this case was not an exception. We may, however, picture in our minds one of the most exciting and thrilling scenes of war, in the arena at the Maumee Rapids, that May morning in 1813. The present beautiful panorama with its time-worn scars, the smooth, grassy slopes, the ruins of the old garrison well, the sunken graves, the well-rounded ridges marking the old line of intrenchments, and the quiet, pretty cities on the opposite sides of the river is a very striking contrast to the fearful scene of battle on that spring morning. It was a death struggle disclosing some of the lines of blue and scarlet, scarcely discernible in the canopy of smoke and the rattle of musketry, told where the battle raged, and the startling shouts of the savages were heard, blended with the almost continuous and deafening roar of cannon. The Kentuckians were exasperated and desperate because of the butchery of their brethren the previous year, at the River Raisin. The Indians were crazed and blood-thirsty with the promise of Proctor, that the garrison should be turned over to them, including Harrison, who was especially hated by Tecumseh, for a carnival of blood and feast of vengeance. Col. Dudley, who had command of the detachment on the north bank of the river, charged and captured the batteries as directed, spiked eleven of the guns, and dispersed the enemy. Here a fatal error was committed. Capt. Combs with his scouts pursued the fleeing Indians into the woods, and was soon drawn into a serious fight in which the savages, behind logs and trees, had all the advantage. Col. Dudley naturally felt it his duty to hurry to the relief of his scouts. It. was in vain that Gen. Harrison signaled him from the fort, to return. When the victorious Kentuckians followed in hot pursuit, Harrison exclaimed in anguish, "They are lost! They are lost!" Proctor, seeing his opportunity, rallied his forces and placed himself between the Americans and the river, and when Dudley's men turned from a fruitless pursuit of the Indians, the plain, where Maumee now stands, became the scene of a bloody contest, in which the Kentuckians were soon overwhelmed, and all killed or captured. The prisoners were forced to run the gauntlet, and many were butchered after the battle was over. Harrison, at Fort Meigs, was powerless to aid Dudley. He had two separate battles raging on the south side, and the safety of the boats and supplies depended on his success there. Even his artillery was useless to protect Dudley's men, so intermingled were the combatants. This unfortunate affair is known in the war records as the I Capture of Clay's detachment." The gallant Dudley was killed and scalped, and five of his captains and one lieutenant met a similar fate. On the south side the Americans met with better success. Gen. Clay kept down the south shore, but not finding an officer there, as arranged, to show him where to land, he attempted to cross over and join Dudley, but was prevented by the swift current, and finally made a landing on the south bank, and got into the fort, under a WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 45 pretty hot fire, with only fifty men. Col. Boswell, with the remainder of the force, drifted down and attempted to join Dudley; but before he became involved in the fight he was ordered to return to the south side and go into the fort, which he did after a hard contest, in which he was aided by the garrison. The Kentuckians were zealous, and brave to fatal rashness, in their anxiety to visit punishment on the Indians and British. But the severe lesson in discipline here taught was not lost on them in later service. In the meantime the garrison troops were busy in another direction. Col. John Miller, of the 19th Regulars, with about 400 men, of which two companies were volunteers, led an assault, under a galling fire from the Indians secreted in the woods, on the battery east of the fort, and captured it. This battery was protected by two companies of British grenadiers and infantry, and as many Canadian militia, and a swarm of Indians. As a part of the British were in retreat toward the river, Maj. Todd, with a company of men, sallied out of the fort and captured about fifty prisoners. There yet remained a very important part of the programme to be completed; that of getting the boat supplies into the fort. This was accomplished, according to a British account of the siege, afterward published, by a bit of strategy, or shrewd diplomacy, on the part of Gen. Harrison. From the English account, it seems that while hostilities had ceased temporarily, under a flag of truce, sent out by Gen. Harrison, to effect an exchange of some prisoners, the Americans were busy in the peaceful occupation of unloading the boats. This day of exciting war, stirring episodes, deeds of heroism, bloodshed and savage cruelty, practically closed the siege. There was desultory cannonading until the 9th, when Proctor having been deserted by many of his savage allies, who had tired of the siege, embarked that day on his boats and went down the bay. Before they left they gave Fort Meigs a parting volley, which killed and wounded about thirty Americans. " However," says one of the garrison, " we were glad to see them off on any terms. The next morning we could leave the ditches, and walk about with something more of an air of freedom than we had done for the last fourteen days; and here I wish I could present to the reader a picture of the condition we found ourselves in when the withdrawal of the enemy gave us time to look at each other's outward appearance. The scarcity of water had put the washing of hands and faces, much less our clothing, out of the question. Many had scarcely any clothing left, and that which they wore was so begrimed and torn by our residence in the ditches, and other means, that we presented the appearance of scarecrows. " Many incidents, during the siege, of personal bravery, tragic sadness, and some of grotesque mishaps, that, under less serious circumstances, would have been laughable, took place. Such is, a part of the history of all sieges and of all wars. Lieut. Walker, while out hunting waterfowl some time before the siege began, was killed and scalped, and his is the only grave there now marked by a headstone. The grave of Lieut. McCullough, who was killed during the siege, while talking to Gen. Harrison, was for a time enclosed by a wooden picket, long since fallen into decay. Being short of cannon balls, Harrison offered a gill of whisky for every ball delivered to the magazine keeper. Over eight thousand were thus gathered in. These, of course, represented only a small per cent. of the number fired into the fort, and exclusive of the shells, which usually exploded, but were buried so deep in the mud that they did little harm. For safety against these, the men had holes dug under ground behind the traverse and covered with plank. When the warning signal of the coming of these dangerous visitors was given, each fellow scud into his hole like a prairie dog. When, finally they were driven out of these by rains, and had to stay in their tents, a man was usually kept on guard, and when he would give the alarm, each soldier would rush out and watch the fiery-tailed messenger of death (they were fuse shell), and if it came dangerously near, leave or throw themselves flat on the earth. In this trying experience, the men sometimes got so weary that they fell asleep and could not be aroused by the death warning signal. Another serious danger menaced them constantly. The savages climbed up and hid themselves in trees, and elevating their range sent leaden messengers into the fort, occasionally disabling or killing a man. There formerly stood a fine elm tree * not far from the river bank, in the upper part of Maumee, from the top of which, as told by the soldiers, many a bullet came across the river to the fort. Finally, as the story goes, a particularly audacious Indian "buck " got up into the tree, and after firing into the fort, made the most tantalizing banters, by vulgar gestures and otherwise, for the * B. Trombla, writing in 1895, states that the elm was cut down by Charles Croft, prior to erecting a building there, which was used for brewery purposes. The block in the present great elm was placed there by Wm. Russell, of Perrysburg, in which to place a flagstaff on fete days. 46 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.Americans to shoot him if they could. About this time a marksman in the fort, resting his gun across the parapet, fired, and the Indian fell out of the elm, head first, after which there was no more firing from that tree. The gun with which this feat was said to have been performed, was afterward owned by Peter Manor, and in later years by Jared Cotherell, of the " Mad Anthony Restaurant," Fort Wayne, and is now reported to be in possession of the Indiana State Historical Society, at Indianapolis. The writer once had an opportunity of inspecting the piece. It is an unusual gun of its kind, of the flint-lock pattern, of extraordinary length, weight and caliber, and after seeing it, one cannot doubt that, well charged, it would kill an Indian at a mile range, and,, possibly too, the man who had the nerve to fire it. It is a monster of a gun, and was said to have belonged to Harrison's headquarters during the siege, and tradition says that the Commander presented it to Manor, who was one of his trusted scouts. The visitor now at the old ruins of the fort, will notice the place where there was once a well. That well, sixty feet deep, was dug in great haste and walled with stone. It was about the only resource the garrison had for water, and so sudden was the coming of the besiegers that the well was uncompleted when they came, and the distance to the river, covered by the enemy's guns, made the water supply from that source very uncertain. The fort, as originally laid out and constructed, was oblong shaped and embraced nearly eleven acres of land, but was found too large to be properly manned with a small force, and, soon after the besiegers left, was cut down to about half its original dimensions. The walls consisted of palisades, fourteen feet, sunk four feet into the ground, with embankments of earth on each side; a deep outside ditch and a broad, shallow one inside, with bastions, at regular intervals, mounted with cannon. It is thus seen that with a full complement of men and supplies, and ably commanded, Fort Meigs was, for those days, a formidable earth fortification, and could only have been successfully assailed with a large force and at great sacrifice of life. The estimated force under Proctor was 3,200 men, of which about half were Indians. The Americans had, including that part of Gen. Clay's force which reached the fort, about 1,200 men. The loss of the Americans in the siege, aside from Dudley's losses, were 8o killed and 180 wounded. Of Proctor's losses there have never appeared any official data from which to make an estimate. RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE