INTRODUCTION - 25 realm as soon as the number of white inhabitants would warrant. The Federal Government now established territorial government over the same. Let us not forget before leaving this part of our subject one beautiful feature in that great ordinance, engrafted upon it by slave owners, and which teaches a lesson. for meditation, when the passions of party strife will admit of sober reflection, and give the better part of our nature nobler impulses and a larger field : "No man shall be arrested for his mode of worship or his religious sentiments. The utmost good faith shall be observed toward the Indians; that their lands shall never be taken from. them without their consent, unless in just and lawful war. "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crime whereof the Party shall have been duly convicted," etc. Now companies began to be organized in the Atlantic states for the purpose of establishing colonies in this territory. The Ohio Company , formed of officers of the army and soldiers of the revolution, located between the Muskingum and the Hockhocking rivers. The government owed many of these large sums of money and had nothing to pay them with but land. They took their lands at one dollar per acre, and paid for it in scrip or oilier evidences of debt for revotutionary services. The purchase included about one and a half millions of acres. John Cleves Symmes, of New Jersey, purchased 54,000 acres between the Little Miami and the Great Miami for sixty cents an acre. General Rufus Putnam, with his Tarty, settled near the mouth of the Muskingum on, the 7th day of April, 1788. One remarkable' feature in all these early settlements is the fact that the colonists were generally men of culture, refinement and high moral worth: They framed simple codes of laws and published them by nailing them against trees. The ordinance which organized the government was placed in the hands of a governor and three judges. General Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor, and. immediately proceeded to organize 'his council. The whole country north of the Ohio river, between the Muskingum and Hockhocking, was designated as the county of Washington, with Marietta, of course, as the County seat. Marietta was named in honor of Marie Antoinette, the unhappy queen of Louis XVI., and in token of gratitude for the aid furnished by France In the revolution. Here 'the first civil court was held for the northwestern territory, on the 2d day of September, 17881. Mathias Denman, of New Jersey, purchased a section. of land and a fraction, for which he paid five shillings per acre. He laid out a town and called it Losanteville, which was afterwards changed into Cincinnati. How the price of land has increased in that section! HER COMMERCE. The commerce of Cincinnati for the year ending January 1, 1879, amounted, in value of goods imported and exported, to $409,446,803. For. the present year, with the renewed activity in business of all kinds; the great production in agricultural and mining districts, the increase in manufactures sand the higher values, it is easy to see that they will aggregate fully $500,000,000. Of 26 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. the sum for last year, $185,000,000 were for exports, and $223,000,000 imports. Among the former may be mentioned pork and hog products at a value of over $10,000,000; 'groceries, $5,000,000; cotton $10,000,000; whisky, $18,000,000; malt liquors, $2,000,000; boots and shoes, $5,500,000; butter, $1,250,000; coffee, $5,000,000; furniture, $5,000,000; hardware, $5,000,000; oil, $3,000,000; tobacco, $15,000,000. In imports there were cattle valued at $8,000,000; coal,. $3,000,- 000; coffee, $5,500,000; cotton, $10,000,000; flour, $3,000,000; boots and shoes, $3,500,000; hardware, $5,600,000; hogs valued at $12,000,000; sugar, $6,500,000; tobacco, S10,000,000; whisky, $7,000,000; wheat $4,000,000. Vincennes, near the western line of Indiana, was also made the county seat of another county, bounded on the south by the Ohio river, on the east by the Great Miami, and on the west by the Wabash, larger than several states of the Union. St. Clair proceeded to the Mississippi where a few huts on the left. bank formed another settlement. Here he established the county of St. Clair, embracing nearly the whole of Illinois. It would be a source of great pleasure to record here some of the very many incidents, of a most thrilling. nature, connected with the' early settlements along the Ohio river and along the mouths of the Miami And Muskingum. But, admonished by the fact that too many of our pages are being taken possession of by these reminiscences, I will only describe a few of the expeditions that were organized from time to time to subdue the savages, because all or nearly all of these had a tendency to rescue the valley of the Sandusky and northwestern Ohio from the owners, who by force of circumstances and without paper title, were the monarchs of the soil. These expeditions are given in the abstract without regard to chronological nicety. For detail, the kind reader will of course peruse more general and extended history. General Clark was a military leader of Kentucky, stationed at the falls. He was a man of great force of character and considerable military ability. When he heard of the disastrous battle at Blue- Licks, he resolved to pursue and punish the Indians. He formed a junction with Colonels Floyd mid Logan, which gave him a force of about one thousand men. Colonel Boon joined the army as a volunteer. They crossed the Ohio on the 30th of September, 1782, and commenced their march up the Little Miami. They reached the old town of Chillicothe, where they chastised the Indian's terribly and destroyed their town, their goods and their crops,. and returned victoriously. Again, in the fall of 1786, General Logan organized another great campaign against the savages in Ohio, in which many prominent men from Kentucky took part. It was the intention of the General to make this expedition the finishing stroke in the war against the savages. Colonel Floyd and General Logan with their troops again marched on the Indian villages on the Scioto, and laid them waste, killing many savages. Simon Kenton accompanied this expedition. All the villages were burnt, and nearly all the inhabitants were slain or taken captives. A region of forty miles wide and one hundred miles. in length, was laid utterly desolate. The company, under the command of Simon Kenton, took no prisoners. It was INTRODUCTION - 27 their object to wreak such terrible vengeance upon the savages that they would never again make raids upon the. settlements. The party with General Clark was less successful. His provisions became exhausted and a large number of his men deserted him to keep from starvation. Without accomplishing anything, he with his half-starved men, returned to the falls of Ohio, covered. with shame and confusion at the unmerited disgrace of their arms. The unfortunate General never recovered from the blow. He sunk into profound melancholy, in which at length he died, aged and poor. The failure of Clark excited the vindictive Shawnees on the Wabash, and urged them on to further outrages. The winter following, the depredations of the savages were extended all along the frontier of Pennsylvania and Virginia, a distance of over three hundred miles. It is estimated that between 1783 and 1790, the Indians killed, wounded and took captive, fifteen hundred men, women and children, and destroyed property worth fifty thousand dollars, which sum at that time was considered immense. There were no millionaires in those days. Fortunes were not made and lost in one stroke. Men were not made rich or ruined by the sale or purchase of railroad stocks, and there were no "bulls" nor "bears" in Wall street; hence there was no Black Friday in that struggle for life. Fortunes made and lost in a day, speculations in railroad, steamboat and mining stocks, Black Fridays in gold, and the making of millionaires in a day, are the things of a faster age. For better or for worse? GENERAL HARMAR'S EXPEDITION. In the. fall of 1790, Gen. Harmar, at the head of three hundred regular troops, and about one thousand militia, was ordered to march upon the Indian towns along the lake and chastise them to such a degree as to arrest all future depredations. On the 21st of September this expedition rendezvoused at Fort Washington, and on the-following day commenced their march upon the Miami villages. It took them seventeen days' hard marching over A rough and swampy country before they came into the vicinity of the enemy. Meantime, provisions became scarce. The General found himself under the necessity of Sweeping the forest with numerous small detachments, and as the woods swarmed with Indians, most of these parties were cut off. At length the expedition, thus greatly reduced, came within a few miles of an Indian town. Here Captain Armstrong was ordered, at the head of thirty regulars, and Col. Hardin, of Kentucky, with one hundred and fifty militia, to Advance and reconnoitre. In the execution of this order they suddenly found themselves in an ambuscade by a large body of Indians, who immediately opened fire upon them. The militia gave way, and the regulars attempted a more orderly retreat. The Indians, with tomahawks held high in the air, rushed upon and completely surrounded the troops. The regulars attempted to open a passage with their bayonets, but they were all destroyed except their captain and one lieutenant, who made their escape. The loss of the militia was Very trifling. Notwithstanding this heavy blow, Gen. Harmar advanced upon the 28 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. villages, which he found deserted and in flames, the Indians themselves having fired their houses. He also found here several hundred acres of corn, which he destroyed. Marching on to the other villages he found them destroyed in the same manner, and he, also destroyed the corn near there. Then the army commenced its retreat from the Indian country, supposing the Indians to be sufficiently punished. After a march of about ten miles on the homeward route, the General received news which led him to suppose that the Indians had returned to their burning villages, and he immediately detached eighty regular troops, with nearly. all of the the former under the command of Major Wyllys, and the latter under Col. Hardin, with orders to return to the villages and destroy such of the enemy as presented themselves, The detachment countermarched with all possible speed to the appointed spot, fearful only that the enemy might have noticed their return and, escaped again before they could reach them. The. militia, in loose order, took the advance. The regulars brought up the rear. Just as the troops were nearing the town, a number of Indians were observed, and a sharp action immediately ensued. Shortly the savages fled and were hotly pursued by the militia, who in the ardor of the chase were drawn into the woods, quite a . distance from the regulars. Suddenly several hundred Indians appeared from the opposite quarter, rushing with loud yells. upon the regulars, thus unsupported by the militia. Major Wyllys, a brave and experienced officer, formed his men into a square and endeavored to gain a more favorable spot, but was prevented by the impetuous attack of the Indians. In spite of the heavy fire poured in upon them, they rushed upon the bayonets and hurled their tomahawks with fatal accuracy. Putting the bayonets aside with their hands, or clogging them with their bodies, they were quickly mingled with the troops, where they used their knives With such terrible effect, that in two minutes the bloody struggle was over. Major Wyllys fell, one lieutenant and seventy-three privates.. One captain, one ensign and seven privates, three of whom were wounded, were the sole survivors of this short but desperate encounter. The loss of the Indians was about equal.' The attack was as finely conceived as it was boldly executed. When the militia returned from the pursuit of the flying party it was too late for help. They soon effected their retreat to the main body, with a loss of one hundred and eight killed and twenty-eight wounded. This, dreadful slaughter so reduced Gen. Harmar's army, that he was happy to return to Fort Washington with the fraction he had left, having utterly failed in his mission. This disaster was followed by a loud demand for a greater force to form a new expedition, which was also accomplished, as we shall presently see. ST. CLAIR'S EXPEDITION. By an act of Congress of 1781, Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the northwestern territory, was also appointed Major-General and Commander-in-Chief of the military forces. An army of two thousand men assembled at Fort Washington. An expedition was organized against the Indians on the Maumee. A blockhouse was erected twenty miles north of Cincinnati, and called Fort Hamilton. INTRODUCTION - 29 Twenty miles further north they erected. and garrisoned another fort and called it St. Clair. Still another further on was called Fort Jefferson. Five or six weeks were employed at these works. Provisions became scarce, and at a point about ninety Miles from Fort Washington, sixty Kentuckians, disgusted with the proceedings, shouldered their muskets, and in defiance of all authority, commenced their march homeward. Gen. St: Clair was daily expecting fresh supplies, and fearing that the deserters might secure them, sent quite a force to protect the provisions. This left him only about 1,400 men. November had come with its storms and rains. They were compelled to cut their way through a dense forest, over wet soil, and the movement of their artillery was attended with great difficulty. Gen. St. Clair was aged, infirm, and suffering greatly with gout. Somebody was certainly to blame for undertaking a campaign at this season under these circumstances, and the sequel will show that they were out-generaled by the Indian. chiefs. On the. third of November they reached a point one 'hundred and twenty-five miles north of Fort Washington, and still fifty miles south of the Indian towns on the Maumee, which they were on the march to destroy. It was a dismal day; the ground was covered with snow, and the feet of the soldiers were soaked with water. Cutting their way through the pathless forest they readied a creek, a confluent of the Wabash. Here they camped for the night. The militia were sent across the creek, and bivouacked in two parallel lines, with a space of about two hundred feet between them. Soon they had a fire in this intermediate space, illuminating the forest far and wide. No scouts were sent out, for all were nearly perishing with cold and fatigue, and there were no signs of any foe. But the shrewd savages were watching every movement, and, having assembled around the camp in great numbers, each selected his position behind some tree where be could be protected and remain unseen. St. Clair's men were huddled closely together, without any Protection, hovering around their fire. On the other side of the creek the regulars were stationed around their fires, also, fully revealed to the savages. The troops could not well have been put into a more exposed position. The night passed away quietly. Meanwhile, the savages were preparing for the slaughter.The day had dawned, and the militia were preparing their breakfast in thoughtless confusion, when the yell of a thousand savages and the discharge of musketry fell upon their ears. Every Indian had a soldier for a target; scarcely one missed his aim. The slaughter was terrible. The militia became panic stricken, and fled with utmost haste, many of them. without their guns. They plunged pell-mell through the creek and through the first lines of the regulars, and stopped a tumultuous, helpless mass at the second. All this was the work of fifteen Minutes.  Now the little army of less than a thousand men were, huddled together in terror-stricken. Confusion, and exposed to a deadly fire from every direction. No foe to be seen, except, when a savage would make an exchange of trees. 'There was no room. for bravery, except to meet death without a tremor. There was no room for heroism, because the enemy was invisible. Col. Drake was in command of the second line of regulars, and stopped the flight of the militia. He formed his line and charged into the forest. The wary Indians retired before him, while the bullets from all around were 30 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. rapidly striking down his. men. As Drake drew back his position, the Indians closed In like the waves of the sea.. It seems that a large body of, sharp-shooters had been detailed especially to attack the artillerymen. In a short time every man at the guns was shot down. Within one hour from the commencement of the attack, one-half of St. Clair's men were either killed or wounded., and nearly every horse was Shot. The Indians killed over nine hundred of St. Clair's army, took seven field-pieces, two hundred oxen, a great many horses, but no prisoners. The wounded were tomahawked and scalped on. the spot. The Indians lost but sixty-six warriors. For the Governor's official account of this disaster, see Abb. History of Ohio, page 324. The Governor was himself not wanting of bravery. He did all he could under the circumstances. Eight bullets passed through his clothes and hat. He had three horses killed under him. The men who tried to bring up the fourth horse fell dead with the animal, and the invalid Governor was compelled to retreat on foot, which he did with wonderful alacrity. An old, worn-out horse was overtaken and the Governor put upon that, and but for that. timely aid he would have been left upon the field to fall into the hands of the savages. Greatly would they have rejoiced at the opportunity to apply the torture of Crawford to another "Big Captain." We are compelled, for want of space, to omit recording any of the very many thrilling scenes connected with this sad page of frontier history, and will only mention the remarkable fact that amongst the camp followers there were no less than two hundred and fifty women--they, with a great many of the rnen in the ranks, taking it for granted that there would. be no fighting; that the Indians would sue for peace; that garrisons would be established,. under whose protection they and their husbands might find new homes. Fifty-six of these were killed, and tortured even more brutally than the men. Some accounts state that even two hundred of these women fell victims to savage barbarity. Some time after this disaster an old squaw was heard to say that "her 'arm got very tired that day scalping white men." thirty miles away. The troops never stopped in their retreat until Fort Jefferson was reached, On reaching the fort and finding the provisions exhausted there, it was thought best to proceed on and meet the wagons loaded with provisions that were expected every day, and could not be more than one or two days' marches away. So the army, exhausted and terrified as it was, pressed on at ten o'clock that night and met the wagons the next morning. A part of the flour was immediately distributed, and the balance sent on to the fort. The main body now proceeded to Cincinnati and reported at Fort Washington. Three distinguished Indian chiefs led the battle—Blue Jacket, Buckongahelas and Little Turtle. These were men of remarkable ability. Little Turtle, especially, took great interest in bringing his tribe to, adopt civilization. He inquired of Gen. Harrison respecting the organization of the national government. He met Kosciusko in Philadelphia, in 1812, and quite a warm friendship spiting up between them. Little Turtle lived several years after the late war, and was esteemed for his wisdom. courage and humanity. His grave is near Fort Wayne. INTRODUCTION - 31 The most simple explanation of the defeat of St. Clair is, that he was out-generaled by chiefs who were his superiors in. Indian Warfare. And shall we ask the question why such humane chiefs would-allow these horrible atrocities to be perpetrated before their own eyes? Let us take the Yankee way by asking a question to answer another. Were not the inquisitions, the crusades, the burnings at stake carried on under the preaching of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, pleading for love to God and your fellow-man, scenes of atrocity equal to these in all their horror? GENERAL WAYNE'S CAMPAIGN. St. Clair's defeat raised a fearful storm of indignation against him. He was a man greatly esteemed tor many manly traits of character. He was sincerely devoted to the public welfare. He was born in 1734. He received a liberal education, studied medicine; joined the army and was with Gen. Wolf at the storming of Quebec, in 1763. In the revolutionary war he was appointed Major-General and stationed at Ticonderoga. Before he was appointed Governor of the northwestern territory, he was a member of the Continental Congress, and succeeded Hancock as chairman. He continued in office as Governor until he was removed in 1802, by Thomas Jefferson. He died on the 31st day of August, 1818, poor in means, at the age of eighty-four. The sad fate of St. Clair's army spread grief and mourning amongst the frontier settlements. Those in the Miami country were abandoned. Many of the pioneers went with the army across the Ohio river. The Indians crowded their ravages upon the settlements, and became so bold as to appear in the streets of Cincinnati to spy out a plan for an attack upon Fort Washington. It was nearly a year before Congress took any action in the matter. Depredations on the frontier were constantly going on. Gen. Scott; soon after the St. Clair disaster, achieved a complete victory over the Indians, near the river, but statistics of the same are not very accessible, and particulars are wanting. New troops were gathered at the falls of the Ohio for another expedition, under the leadership of Anthony Wayne, whose impetuosity gave him the name of "Mad Anthony." Wayne was born in Easton.; Pennsylvania, on the 18th day of January, 174-5. He was a 'surveyor at eighteen years of age. In 1775 he raised a regiment of volunteers, and became its Colonel. He became a. Brigadier-General, and was at Brandywine. He led the capture of Stony Point. In 1792 Gen. Washington appointed him successor of St. Clair in command. over the army of the northwest. In September, of 1793, Gen. Wayne had so far organized his army as to be ready to move into the Indian county. He reached Fort Jefferson by rapid marches. This fort was situate about twenty-five miles southwest of Sidney, the county seat of Shelby county. He fortified the camp well, and called it Grreenville, now the seat of justice of Darke county. Here he made winter quarters. Commissioners had been sent to the Indians, who failed to conclude a peace, inasmuch as the Indians demanded that all the white settlements should be removed across the Ohio river, and the northwest 32 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. belong exclusively to the Indians. ThiS meant resistance. Both sides prepared for war. On the 17th day of October, 1793, Lieutenant Lowry and ensign Boyd, with ninety men, while escorting to camp Greenville a train of twenty wagons loaded with grain and stores, were attacked by the Indians, under the leadership of Little Turtle. The Americans were totally routed, losing both officers, fifteen men, seventy horses and all their wagons. On. the 24th day of August, the Governor of Kentucky had furnished Wayne with sixteen hundred mounted volunteers, under the command of Gen. Scott. In December, Wayne moved upon the place where St. Clair was routed, built a fort and called it Fort Recovery. The place is now in Mercer county, and within one mile of the Indiana state line. It was on Christmas day when they pitched their tents on the old battle ground. Before the Men could make their beds they had to carry away the bones, which they buried the next day. Amongst these were six hundred skulls. In many cases the sinews still held the bones together. Here one company of artillery and one of riflemen were left. The rest returned to Fort Greenville. General Wayne then advanced up the Auglaize to the Maumee. Here in the very heart of the enemy's country, he constructed a fort and called it " Fort Defiance," a very appropriate name. He put up two block houses directly, between the junction of the two great streams. Stout' palisades enclosed nearly two acres of' ground. A wall of earth outside of the pickets was faced with logs. Beyond that a ditch was dug fifteen feet wide, eight feet deep, filled by water from the Auglaize. The Indians in this region were far advanced in civilization, by their intercourse with the French, and the country around was well cultivated. More than a thousand acres were in corn. Apple and peach orchards had been started.. General Wayne returned. to Greenville, leaving the fort garrisoned. The troops under his command now numbered about three thousand. As far as could well be ascertained, the Indian's numbered about two thousand: Many British officers and Canadian troops were associated with them, still encouraging the savages to resistance. General Wayne was under full instructions from General Washington as to the manner of procedure. The Indians watched all these works closely and resolved to make a desperate effort to capture the forts. On the 30th of June, 1794, some fifteen hundred Indians with several companies of Canadians, with faces blackened and in Indian costumes, led by British officers in full uniform, made a furious attack on Fort Recovery. Major McMahon was encamped just outside of the works with one hundred and fifty troops. The enemy rushed upon the detachment and assailed the fort from every side, but were repulsed and compelled to abandon the field, where on the 4th day of November, 1791, they had gained so great a victory. Major McMahon, lieutenant Drake and twenty other officers were killed and thirty wounded. The loss of the enemy was very heavy ; the exact number was never ascertained until it was disclosed- at. the treaty of Greenville. Gen. Wayne obeyed very closely the instructions of General Washington even to the minute rules of laying off a camp. Fort. Defiance was one hundred and three miles from Greenville. Now Wayne pressed forward INTRODUCTION - 33 and down the Maumee to the rapids, some forty-five miles, and within seven miles of the old English Fort Miami, erected Fort Deposit. The army that assembled here numbered two thousand regulars and eleven hundred riflemen, commanded by Gen. Scott. Scouts now ranged through the forest, one of whom, William Wells, was captured, and who had been raised by the Indians and deserted them, joining his own people. He was the adopted son of Little Turtle. On the 13th day of August, Gen. Wayne issued a very interesting proclamation to the Indian chiefs; requesting them to meet him in general council, for the purpose, of agreeing upon terms of peace. His proposition was rejected in substance. They sent back to Wayne a message, saying: "If Gen. Wayne will remain where he is for ten days, and then send Miller to us, we will treat with him; but if he advances we will give him battle." Gen. Wayne had already sent his army on the march and met the messengers on their return, near. Fort Meigs. They stated that the Indians were dressed and painted for war: At 6 o'clock of the morning of the 20th day of August, Wayne advanced from Fort Deposit and took position at Presque Isle. Here they met and routed the savages and British forces from Detroit. The victory was complete, and amongst the dead enemies were many whites, Armed with British muskets and. bayonets. The Americans encamped for three. days Within sight of the British fort. , Messages were passed between Gen. Wayne and the commander of the fort, as to the right of the British to its occupation. Major Campbell refused to give up the fort, whereupon Gen. Wayne carefully inspected the works. The ritish had four hundred and fifty men and ten pieces of artillery. It was decided not to attack the fort. Gen. Harrison, afterwards President of the United States, was aid to Gen. Wayne in this campaign. Now Gen. Wayne sent out his cavalry, which laid-waste the whole valley of the Maumee for fifty miles. Winter approached, and the Indians were destitute of homes and provisions. In September another fort, forty-seven miles from Fort Defiance, was erected, and named after the General, Fort Wayne. Leaving a garrison here, Gen. Wayne returned to Greenville on the 20th day of November. The Indians, thus left in utter destitution, were also anxious for peace. Accordingly, in July following; a general council was called to meet near Greenville, represented on the part of the Indians by the chiefs east of the Mississippi river. Negotiations continued for six weeks. On the 3d 'day of August the treaty was signed. Gen. Wayne signed in behalf of the United States. The following tribes were represented: Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Ottawas, Chippewas, Potawatomies, Miamis, Eel Rivers, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshas and Kaskaskias. The treaty of Greenville ended for a time the war with the savages east of the Mississippi. This was in reality the end of the war Of the revolution. Gen. Wayne never received. the honors that were due him from his country for the great services he had rendered. At the close of the year 1796, returning from Detroit to the eastern states, he was taken sick in a log cabin at Presque Isle, now Erie, Pennsylvania, which at that time was a small hamlet in the wilderness. After a short illness he died, and at his request was buried under the flag of the fort. - 3 - 34 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. According to the Treaty of Paris, in 1783, the British military post at Detroit, and all the other forts within the recognized boundaries of the United States, were to have been withdrawn "as soon as convenient." Yet for more than ten years they not only retained these posts, but supplied the savages with munitions of war, and urged them to, and helped them on, in. their atrocities against the frontier settlers. John Jay was sent over to England, as a special minister, to urge the amicable evacuation of these forts, (Fort Meigs was one of them), and with much difficulty succeeded in obtaining a promise that his request. should be complied with before the 1st day, of June, 1796. The posts at Detroit and Maumee were accordingly delivered over to Gen. Wayne. Thereupon the whole of the northwestern territory was organized into five counties. Washington county embraced all the territory between the Muskingum. and the Little Miami, extending from the Ohio river forty miles north, with Marietta the seat of justice. All that portion between the Little and Great Miami, within forty miles of the Ohio river, was called Hamilton county, Cincinnati the county seat, Knox county embraced the land between the Great Miami and the Wabash, also bordering on the Ohio river, with Vincennes its county seat, and where. Gen. Harrison, while Governor of the territory, built a two-story brick house for a residence, (which the writer saw in August, 1876, while stumping Indiana for Tilden). The county of St. Clair included the settlements on the Illinois and Kaskaskia rivers, as well as those on the upper Mississippi, with Kaskaslda for its seat of justice. Wayne county embraced all the Maumee, Raisin and Detroit rivers, with Detroit for its county seat, taking in the whole of Michigan and a part of Indiana.. This vast region, then embracing but very few and very small settlements of white people, reaching from Fort Pitt to the Mississippi river, over howling forests and oceans of prairies, is now teeming with millions of happy, prosperous and intelligent people. Where once the birch canoe was the only mode of travel over the still waters of the Ohio and Mississippi, the stately steamboat, with its comforts and luxuries, is "queen of all she surveys," while railroads and telegraph lines cut the country in every direction, furnishing means to interchange both thought and traffic. We will not undertake a more extended description of the various settlements made in Ohio after the treaty of Greenville, and refer the kind:read or to the more elaborate history of Ohio, confining ourselves more closely hereafter to events particularly tending to affect the subject of our task. Early in the year 1796, arrangements were made to establish a colony in that part of Ohio known as the Western Reserve. A surveying party was sent out, which, coasting along the shores of Lake Erie, landed on the 4th of July at the mouth of a little stream called Conneaut. Here they celebrated their landing day and the anniversary of the birthday of the republic at the same time. This company consisted of fifty--two persons, only two of whom were females, Mrs. Stiles and Mrs. Gunn. There was one child.. The next morning they commenced the building of a large blockhouse, which was to be their dwelling place and store house at the same time, and called it "Stow Castle." This little colony suffered very much from exposure, want of food, INTRODUCTION - 35 the inclemency of the following winter, and disease incidents to frontier life. Emigrants began to flock into the. Reserve in considerable numbers, and commenced settlements in various places—some of these fifteen or twenty miles away from the nearest white neighbor. The hardships encountered by these isolated settlers are easier imagined than described. It required a full day's journey to find a neighbor to assist in sickness, or any other emergency. As early as 1755 there was a French trading post on the banks of the Cuyahoga river, near the mouth of which the beautiful city of Cleveland now stands. Ten years after the landing of the pioneers at Conneaut, a Moravian missionary, Zeisberger by name, with several Indian converts, left Detroit in a vessel called the Mackinaw, and 'cast anchor at the mouth of the Cuyahoga. They then ascended the stream ten miles to the deserted village of the Ottawas; where they settled, and called the place "Pilgrim's Rest." In the fall of 1796, the surveyors, who landed at Conneaut, advanced to the mouth of the Cuyahoga and laid out the plan of 'a city which they named Cleveland, in. honor of Gen. Moses Cleveland, the agent of the land company. He was a lawyer of Canterbury, Connecticut,' a man of note and wealth. During the year 1790, the Connecticut Land. Company constructed the first road on the Reserve. It ran from the Pennsylvania line to Cleveland. From 1799 to 1800 there was but one white family in Cleveland—that of Major Carter. Emigrants soon flocked in and made quite a little colony in 1301. The Indians soon commenced coming to Cleveland to do their trading. They spent the winter in hunting, and in the spring flocked to Cleveland, traded off their furs, and returned to their homes on the Sandusky and Maumee. Other companies of emigrants followed from time to time. The emigrants to Ohio from New England and the middle states usually traveled, in wagons until they struck the Ohio, at Wheeling. They then took boats and floated down the river several hundred miles, locating here and there, wherever friends had advised. them to go, or interest led. In the year 1796, the whole white population of the northwestern territory was estimated at 5,000 souls. They were generally scattered along the banks of the Muskingum, Scioto and Miami, and their affluents, to within fifty miles of the Ohio riven Cincinnati then contained one hundred log cabins, about one dozen frame houses, and six hundred inhabitants. Col. Massie,. a Virginian, in 1795, having secured large bodies of excellent land west of the Scioto, upon the branches of Paint creek, erected a station near the mouth of the creek, and soon after laid out a, town. three miles above, This town the Indians called Chillicothe, 'Which means town. The town increased very rapidly in proportions. Emigrants were constantly arriving. It was the first town west. of the mountains which was built in peace and quietude, undisturbed. by Indian atrocities. Other emigrants ascended the Muskingum to Zanesville. The settlements on the Detroit and Maumee rivers were annexed to the county of Wayne. Detroit was the seat of justice. Two full regiments garrisoned, these forts in 1798. Five counties comprised the whole north- 36 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. western territory. Forty miles above. Chillicothe there were three or four cabins near the right bank of the Scioto, at Franklinton, now incorporated within the city of Columbus. A few vagabond whites, who had given up civilization' for barbarism, were scattered amongst the Indians, and as the settlements of the pioneers were extended along the trails of the Indians, the savages, both white and red; retreated further into the interior. New counties began to be organized in proportion as new settlements sprang up in every direction. For eight years Cincinnati had been the centre of military preparations, and the sounds of the bugle, the fife and drum reverberated through her streets and along the hills that fringed the beautiful stream. Now all was peace and order, and the him of busy life took the place, of war and preparations for. war. Cincinnati started on her great mission of commercial greatness. The strongest tide of emigration flowed into the valley of the Scioto, so famous for its fertility, its level plains and rich bottom lands. The Governor organized a new county, called Ross, of which Chillicothe was the seat of justice.. There were then but three cabins between this town and the Hockhocking river. The country about Lancaster belonged to. the Wyandots, where they had a town of bark huts, containing a population of about five hundred, who gradually withdrew to their brethren at .Upper Sandusky. This year (1798), as shown by the census taken at this time, the population of the territory amounted to five thousand free white males. The people were therefore entitled, by the ordinance of 1787, to what was called a second grade of territorial government. Gov. St. Clair accordingly issued a proclamation ordering an election to be held in the several counties on the third Monday of December, following, to elect twenty representatives to serve as a Lower House of the Territorial Legislature. The men elected were gentlemen of the first order of intelligence and patriotism, and were unsurpassed by any legislative body that has met in Ohio at any time hitherto. They met at Cincinnati on the first Monday in February, 1799." Edward Tiffin was one of them. He was afterwards elected Governor, as we shall presently see. This Territorial Legislature nominated ten men to the President of the United States to serve as a Legislative Council. The first regular session of the Legislature was to be held at Cincinnati on the 16th, but did not organize until the 20th of September, and continued for nearly three months. It is said that the address of the Governor was remarkable for its polished diction. Capt. William H. Harrison, subsequently President of the United States, was elected first delegate to Congress. Congress, in order to prevent large bodies of land from falling into the hands of speculators who would check emigration by greatly advancing the price, devised a mode of survey and sale, by which the public, lands should be laid off into small tracts and held open for sale to any individual. In 1800 Trumbull county was organized in the Western Reserve, and an immense population flowed in from Pennsylvania. In 1801 the state of Connecticut relinquished her claim of jurisdiction of the Western Reserve, and received a title in fee simple of the soil from the United States. In the session of 1800, Congress divided the northwestern territory into INTRODUCTION - 37 two parts. The eastern portion, which contained 80,000 square miles, embraced the regions of Ohio and Michigan. This was still called the northwestern territory. The balance, called the Indian territory, comprised all the country from the Great Miami to the Mississippi, and from the Ohio river on the south to Lake Superior, and the sources of the Mississippi on the north, containing 180,000 square miles, now embraced in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. ORGANIZATION OF OHIO AS A STATE GOVERNMENT. In consequence of his awful defeat, Gov. St. Clair became very unpopular, as shown by the first election of Governor. The census of 1800 showed a population over which he presided of 42,000, a number large enough to entitle the territory to admission into the Union as a state. Petitions were presented to congress for that purpose. On the 30th day of April, 1802, an act was passed by Congress, authorizing the call of a convention to form a state constitution for a state to be called the State of Ohio. The convention assembled at Chillicothe on the 1st day of November, and on the 20th of the same month a constitution was ratified and signed by the members. It became the fundamental law of the state without being left to a vote by the people, and remained such for nearly fifty years thereafter. The constitution created three departments of government—executive, legislative and judicial. The legislature was composed of a senate and house of representatives. The judiciary department was vested in the supreme court, circuit courts, and justices of the peace. The judges were elected by joint ballot of both houses of the legislature , for a period of seven years. The justices of the peace were elected by the people of each township for three years, as now. St. Clair, as a candidate for Governor, received but few votes. Edward Tiffin was almost the unanimous choice. The boundaries of the state were fixed as they now are. By act of congress the sixteenth section in each township was set apart for the use of schools: The salt springs were reserved to the state, and three per cent. of the proceeds of the sale of the public lands was to be used for the construction of roads. The first legislature organized seven new counties. There were now fifteen. The whole northwestern part, being more than one-half of the state, was in the possession of Indians. The first court in Greene county was held in a log cabin. Gen. Benjamin Whitman was the presiding judge. He had a friend by the name of Davis, who had a mill near by. While the court was in session, Davis and another man, whom Davis had accused of stealing his hog, had a fight, and Davis whipped him. With his hair and clothes badly disheveled and bruises on his face, he came into court, and approaching the table where the judge sat, addressed his neighbor thus : "Ben., I have whipped that cussed hog thief. What's the damage ? What's to pay ? There's my purse. Take what's right." He put down his purse and shaking his clenched fist at the judge, continued : "Ben., if you'd steal my hog I'll be hanged if I wouldn't whip you too." Eight dollars paid fine and costs. There is also a good story told that occurred some time afterward while 38 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. Judge Tappan was on the bench in Some county in the Miami valley. The court was held in a log cabin and a stable close by was used as a. jail. trial had just been closed and the judge was charging the jury. The defendant in the case was a man. who had an enemy in the crowd. This man spoke out occasionally and. approvingly of what the judge said. He was an old friend of Judge Tappan and felt perfectly at liberty in speaking. to the judge at any time, as he pleased. Judge Tappan was near-sighted, and when this man. inthe crowd would repeat his interruptions by saying, "That's right ! give it to him judge," "Give it to him old gimlet eye," etc., the judge stopped in his charge to the jury, and asked : " Who is thatman making this disturbance ?" The man spoke up and said : "It's this old horse, judge !" Judge Tappan then spoke up quickly and said : "Sheriff ! take that old horse to the stable and feed him on bread and water twenty-four hours!" The order was promptly executed and the' court proceeded. There was neither a pleasure carriage nor a bridge in the state at this time. Men wore homespun and buckskin clothes. Women wore linsey woolsey ; and flax, hemp and wool were all the materials from which clothing was constructed for Sunday wear, spun by the family and woven . by the family or at the loom of some neighbor. Settlers were compelled to keep dogs for.the protection of their calves, sheep, hogs and poultry. As a general rule the rifle was used to keep the family in meat from the game in the forest.  Ohio was now a state and a member of the Federal Union, starting on her proud career. The first legislature met at Chillicothe on the first day of March, 1803. The territorial laws were, so far as was thought practicable, embraced in the new state laws. Judges were elected, courts organized, the practice regulated and provisions made for the election' of justices of the peace. A secretary, an auditor and a treasurer of state were appointed. and their duties prescribed. Laws were passed for leasing school lands and salt reservations. Senators were elected to Congress .and laws passed for the election of members to the House of Representatives. While this legislature was in session the treaty for the purchase of Louisiana was concluded with France under President Jefferson. The second General Assembly met in Chillicothe in December, 1803. At this session laws were passed enabling aliens to hold title to lands ; to make appropriations of the three per cent. fund for roads., to improve the revenue system, to regulate the duties of justices and constables, to regulate the Common law and chancery practice of the state. (In 1809-10 the laws were revised.) Gen. Lewis Cass was the first person admitted to practice law in ,the northwestern territory., About this time the Indians, who had behaved well from the time of the treaty of Greenville, began to resist the tide of emigration setting in westward. The celebrated Tecumseh, aided and encouraged by British influence and supported lay his brother, "The Prophet," soon made it evident that the west was again about to experience a repetition of savage warfare. In 1811 Gen. Harrison, Governor of the Indian Territory, residing at Vincennes, marched against the town of "The Prophet," upon the Wabash, INTRODUCTION - 39 and arrived at Tippecanoe on the 6th of November. This was their principal town. Here he was met by Indian messengers with whom an agreement was made that hostilities should not take place before the next morning and that then an amicable conference should be held. Just before day-break, however, the savages, in violation of their engagement, made a sudden and furious attack upon the troops in their encampment. Nothing but the precaution of sleeping in order of battle, on their arms, saved the troops from a total defeat. Nineteen-twentieths of Gen. Harrison's men had never been in any battle, but they behaved in excellent manner; like veterans. Gen. Harrison, had only about seven hundred men. The Indians were nearly a thousand. strong. The Americans lost thirty-seven killed and one hundred and fifty wounded. The Indians lost forty killed. The number of wounded was unknown. The little town of The Prophet was laid in ashes. The Indians were left very much enraged against the government. Harrison returned to Vincennes. An incident must be recorded here that occurred in that year which, in its bearing on the future of America, was worth more than a thousand battles. "A steamboat started from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River bound .for New Orleans." The Indian name of Tecumseh means "Crouching Panther." The name of "The Prophet" was "Olliuachica." They were twin brothers of the Shawnees tribe. .."The Prophet" was an orator of great renown and a religious teacher. Tecumseh, from his abilities as a warrior and statesman, would have attained eminence in any nation of the globe. They were born near Chillicothe. The result of the battle of Tippecanoe, no doubt, drove thousands of the Indians into the service of the British in the late-war with the UnIted States. the elements for which were then already gathering proportions. In 1812 the second war :with Great Britain commenced. A council of Indians and British met at Malden in Canada. A Wyandot Chief, Walk-in-the-Water, a great warrior and orator, was present. Round Head, another Wyandot Chief from Canada, and two other Wyandot Chiefs, together with Tecumseh and his brother, pledged their support to the British. Black Hoof, another Wyandot Chief, was friendly to the Americans. He is spoken of. as a noble, generous man, and. a great orator. So was also Between-the-logs, another Wyandot Chief whom the author once saw at Tymochtee. INCIDENTS IN THE WAR OF 1812-FORT MEIGS, FORT STEVENSON. Return J. Meigs was Governor of Ohio. William Hull was Governor of the Territory of Michigan. HuH was ordered to raise troops and take charge of the post at Detroit: Ohio raised three regiments of volunteers for three months. They rendezvoused at Dayton and, when joined by a regiment of regulars, numbered 2,500 men. They reached the. Maumee, at Perrysburgh on the 30th of June, 15 days after leaving Dayton, with 160 wagons. The road had to be cut for nearly the whole distance, 120 miles, through swamps and dense forests. They crossed the Maumee in boats and reached Detroit on the 5th of The British erected a fort on the opposite side of the river, and on the 15th of August, Gen. Brock, the British commander, 40 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. summoned Hull to surrender. This being refused, they commenced to bombard and storm the fort. The British force Consisted of seven hundred regulars and six hundred savages. The Americans, except their commander, were anxious and ready for battle. Their numbers' exceeded that of the enemy by two to one. When every soldier in the fort was waiting for the order to fire, they were ordered to lay down their arms, which they reluctantly obeyed and a white flag was raised on the fort. "Without shedding a drop of blood," says Atwater, without firing a single gun, the fort with all its cannons, taken with Burgoin at Saratoga from the British, with a vast amount of powder, lead, cannon balls and all munitions of war, all, all were unconditionally surrendered to the enemy. Let us see: 2,500 Men with all their arms ; 25 pieces of iron cannon, and 8 brass ones; 40 barrels of powder—all were surrendered to about 1,000 militia and a few Indians. Cass and McArthur were amongst the prisoners. The whole of Michigan fell into the hands of the British. Two years thereafter Gen. Hull was tried before a court martial and sentenced to be shot for cowardice, but President Madison remitted the sentence. After the disaster of Gen. Winchester, Gen. Harrison withdrew his forces from the Maumee to the Sandusky. .Early in February he returned to the Maumee, however, 'and established his extreme advance post at the left bank and built Fort Meigs. He had a force of 2,000 men. In early spring Proctor moved upon this fort with 3,200 men, 1,800 of whom 'were Indians under Tecumseh. Proctor was certain of success and promised Tecumseh to deliver Gen. Harrison over to him as a captive. After four days' firing frolic his batteries, Proctor demanded the surrender of the fort. This was refused. Harrison having anticipated the attack had sent messengers to the Governors of Ohio and Kentucky for aid. The call was promptly responded to, and troops were sent forward immediately. By this time the Indians had completely invested the fort. Twelve hundred Kentuckians were now nearing the fort and received orders from Gen. Harrison to land on the opposite side of the river, and spike the guns of the British battery. Gen. Clay landed his Kentuckians as ordered. Col. Dudley led the attack on the batteries and drove the British from the guns and spiked them. Had Gen. Harrison's orders been promptly obeyed and had the Kentuckian's returned to the' fort as they were ordered, all would have been well ; but the troops were so determined to finish the 'work, that instead of returning, they disobeyed and followed a band of. Indians who led them into an ambush. Gen. Harrison and his officers shouted to them from the fort, to return, but they persisted in their pursuit when, on a sudden, twice their number of Indians rose up and cut off their retreat. They opened a severe fire upon the troops and those that were not Slaughtered were taken captives, and made to run the gauntlet. As soon as Tecumseh heard of this butchery, he ran up and stopped the carnage. In the night following, the savages were cooking their meal in a large kettle over the fire, close by their camp. They had strings tied to each ration. On some of these strings was the flesh of Americans they had slain. INTRODUCTION - 41 Gen. Harrison kept up the fire from the fort for some time into the night: Before morning Proctor raised the seige and left. From the command under Col. Dudley of eight hundred men, only one hundred and fifty escaped. All the rest were either killed or taken prisoners. The loss of the garrison during the seige was one hundred and eighty-nine. Harrison repaired. to the southern part of the state for re-enforcements, leaving Gen. Green Clay in command of the fort. On. the 20th of July, scouts reported that Proctor was again ascending the river, with a force of 5,000 men, including Indians under the command of Tecumseh. The:Indians alone numbered 4,000. There were but a few hundred men defending the fort and the situation looked hopeless. Tecumseh instituted a sham fight near the fort to draw the garrison out, and many of the men were of the opinion that the fight was between .the Indians and the arriving troops from southern Ohio. It was almost impossible to restrain the men in the fort from making an. attack upon the Indians. They were on the verge of a mutiny, and it required all the cool resolution that Gen. Clay was possessed of to keep order. Proctor again raised the seige and withdrew to the mouth of the Sandusky. A vigorous attack upon the fort and in the absence of help from the outside, the surrender of it would by all human probability have been a question of a few hours. The ignorance of Proctor as to the condition of the fort, was the bliss of Gen. Clay. The closing scenes of' the late war in the west, and especially the battle of Fort Stevenson and Perry's victory on Lake Erie, being in the valley of the Sandusky river and near the mouth of the bay, seem to make a very proper commencement of the history of. Seneca county, and at the same time close the Introduction, which gave the reader a bird's-eye view and a short history of the north-western territory. CHAPTER - I. BATTLE OF FORT STEVENSON- HARRISON AND CROGHAN--FORT SENECA-DEFEAT OF THE BRITISH - WIPINGSTICK - PERRY'S VICTORY ON LAKE ERIE-BATTLE OF THE THAMES-DEATH OF TECUMSEH. WHERE the beautiful little city of Fremont now stands, there was once a small Indian town, composed of wigwams on the high banks of the river, and some near the shore. This town was inhabited by Wyandots, who' had several other towns along the banks of the Sandusky river. They distinguished between these Sandusky towns by calling one the "Little Sandusky," the other "Upper Sandusky" and this lower one "Lower Sandusky." The whites afterwards added another Sandusky at the mouth of the river and called it Sandusky City, which still bears that name. At this Lower Sandusky, which retained that name for a long time, General Harrison had a fort erected and. pickets put up enclosing about one acre of land, and called it Fort Stevenson. The pickets around the fort had old bayonets put into them near the top, to prevent scaling them with ease. It was both a garrison' and a trading house. The works were not sufficient to hold more than two hundred men. The defense of this fort was entrusted to a heroic young man by the name of George Croghan, who was. then major, and but twenty-one years old. The only piece 'of artillery in the fort was one iron six pounder, which, at this writing, is still mounted on its carriage, standing on the ground where the fort used to be, and is familiarly- known amongst the people of Fremont by the name of "Old Betsy." About twelve miles up the river, on the left bank, was another stockade called Fort Seneca, with one hundred and forty men, where Gen. Harrison had taken position to rendezvous his troops, and from which he could protect the large amount of property which was collected along the valley of the river. Gen. Harrison was informed of the approach of the British and the Indians, and sent Mr. Connor and two Indians (Senecas) to Major Croghan, with instructions to abandon the fort, burn it and all the stores he could not take away 44 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. and report to Fort Seneca. But the messengers got lost in the woods, and did not reach Fort Stevenson until it o'clock next day. Major Croghan, being of opinion that he could not retreat, sent back the following answer: "SIR—I have just received yours of yesterday, 10 o'clock p. ordering me to destroy this place, and make good my retreat. It came too late to be carried into execution. We have determined to maintain this place, and, by Heavens, we can!" Gen. Harrison immediately sent Colonels Wells and Ball, supported by a corps of dragoons, with a very severe reprimand to Major Croghan, and relieving him of duty, putting Col. Wells in command. Major Croghan returned to Fort Seneca with the dragoons as a prisoner. Gen. Harrison was fully satisfied with the major's explanation and immediately restored him to his command, with instructions. Soon the scouts reported the advance of the British, while the Indians began to show themselves on the opposite side of the river. The British gunboats came in sight and landed troops one mile below the fort. The Indians, four thousand strong, displayed themselves in all directions. The British placed in position a five and a half-inch howitzer to open fire upon the fort. Gen. Proctor sent Major Chambers with a flag to summon a surrender. Major Croghan dispatched ensign Shipp out of the gates to meet him. After the usual ceremonies, Major Chambers said: "General Proctor demands the surrender of the fort., as he is anxious to spare the effusion 'of blood," etc.. To this, ensign Shipp replied that the commander would defend the fort to the last extremity, etc., and that if the fort should be taken there would be none left to massacre. The enemy then opened fire with their six-pounders from the boats, and the howitzer on shore, which was continued through the night with, very little effect. Maj. Croghan reserved his fire. He, however, occasionally fired his gun from different points to make it appear as if he had several pieces at his command. The fort was surrounded by a dry ditch, nine feet wide and six feet deep. On the middle of the north line of the fort there was a block house from which this ditch could be raked in either direction, by artillery. Here the piece was placed, loaded with slugs and grape shot. Now, the artillery of the British was placed on the shore about two hundred and fifty yards from the fort. BATTLE OF FORT STEVENSON - 45 From this battery and the howitzer they poured an intense fire upon the northwest corner of the fort. Late in the night Gen. Proctor ordered an aasault. They came within twenty paces of the fort before they could be. discovered. Then a galling fire was poured upon them from the fort; but the British pressed forward and leaped. into the ditch, led by Col. Short. The masked port hole was then quickly opened, and the six-pounder. spit grape and slugs through the crashing bones and quivering nerves of more than three hundred men, at the very mouth of the gun. The carnage was terrible. Fifty fell at the first discharge. tumultuous retreat ensued. Two other assaults were easily repelled by the riflemen. Col. Short had just ordered his men to leap the ditch, cut down the pickets and give the Americans no quarter, when he fell into the ditch, mortally Wounded. He hoisted his. white handkerchief on the end of his sword and begged for that mercy, which, a moment before, he had ordered to be denied to his enemy. The assault lasted about one-half hour. The loss of the enemy was not less than one hundred and fifty. The garrison reported one killed and seven slightly wounded.. In the gloom of the night the British hastened away with their boats, leaving, in their haste, one boat loaded with clothing and military stores.' On the next morning seventy stand of arms and some pistols were picked up around the fort. So far, general history. In connection with this, one of the most brilliant military achievements in the late war with Great Britain, we will relate an incident that, as far as my. knowledge and research extends, has never been published. The Reverend James Montgomery, who was appointed agent for the Seneca Indians under President Monroe, a sketch of whose life is found elsewhere in these pages; took charge of his agency in 1819. He here became intimately acquainted with all the chiefs of the Senecas. Amongst these was a man known by the name of Wipingstick. He was a very intelligent and trustworthy Indian, highly honorable and reliable. He often related to Mr. Montgomery the following narrative concerning the part he was ordered to take in the affair at Fort Stevenson. I am. indebted to Mrs. Sally Ingham, the only surviving child of Mr. Montgomery, a sketch of whose life will also be given herein, for the narrative. She,. too, often heard Wipingstick relate the affair to her father: Gen. Harrison had learned enough of Wipingstick to trust him. On the day before' the battle at Fort Stevenson, Gen. Harrison sent Wipingstick with a letter to Major Croghan, with instructions and a 46 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY signal. When the Indian arrived near the fort, and to make himself agreeable to the British and the Indians, he cursed the Americans in the most approved style. When he saw that the coast was clear and that he was himself unobserved, he approached the fort, peeped through the pickets, wrapped the paper, with his handkerchief, into a ball and threw it over the pickets into the yard. Lounging around under the bushes a little while, he observed his handkerchief, in the same form, fly over the pickets again, falling outside. It contained an answer from Major Croghan to Gen. Harrison. With this Wipingstick made his way through the forest to Fort Seneca, and reported to Gen. Harrison the same night. This was the evening before the battle, which was fought on the 2d day of August, 1813. Wipingstick was a Seneca chief, filen about thirty years old, and had a wife and one child. He was a man possessed of many noble traits Of character, truthful, hospitable, friendly and honorable. He was five feet four inches high, squarely and compactly built, very muscular and active. He had a pleasant, open face, pleasing voice and was very talkative. At the war-dances he was the leader, and carried a war-club about eighteen inches long, with a ball at the end of the handle and a swell at the other end. This club was cut full of hieroglyphics and was painted red. He danced with the club in his hands, swinging it, yelling and whooping, which he kept up for a long time, and until the sweat would drop from his face. He attended Mr. Montgomery's funeral, and seemed very much affected by the loss of his old friend. The families of Montgomery and Wipingstick were very intimate. On the next day, after the battle of Fort Stevenson, Gen. Harrison came down, but the Indians had fled across the country in the direction of Fort Meigs, and the British down the river. BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE-BATTLE OF THE THAMES-DEATH OF TECUMSEH. Now both parties made vigorous preparations for a naval battle, to decide as to who should be master of the lake and its shores. Detroit was still in the hands of the British. In a few months the government had nine vessels ready for service, carrying fifty-four guns, and manned by about six hundred sailors and marines. The fleet anchored just off the mouth of Sandusky bay, and sailed from there to Put-in-Bay, a harbor on one of the islands of the lake, arid about BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE - 47 thirty miles from Malden, where the British fleet was riding at anchor. Commodore Barclay had six vessels, carrying sixty-four guns, manned by about eight hundred men. On the morning of the loth of September, 1813, at sunrise, the British fleet was discovered, in full sail, in the distant west. Commodore Perry immediately got under way and formed in line of battle, bearing down upon the enemy. He hoisted his flag with the motto: "Don't give up the ship!" which was greeted by the cheers of the crew. For two hours the hostile fleets approached each other with that dead silence that always characterizes the immediate attack at sea. Everything on the American fleet was order and discipline; no noise no bustle. The men stood at their guns with lighted matches, watching the enemy, waiting for orders and occasionally glancing at the coun-tenance of their young commander. At fifteen minutes after eleven a bugle was sounded on the Detroit, the advance ship of the enemy. Loud cheers burst from all their crew, and a tremendous fire was opened upon the Commodore's flag-ship, the Lawrence, which she was compelled to sustain for forty minutes, on account of the shortness of her guns, without firing a shot. Now all the other vessels of the enemy were drawn around the Lawrence, with the determination to destroy her first. Perry's other vessels could not come to her aid for want of wind, For two hours the doomed vessel withstood this terrible bombardment, while but two of her guns could be used in her defense. Through all this, perfect discipline was observed among Perry's men. The Lawrence was reduced to a wreck. Mangled bodies were scattered all around. All the crew, except three or four, had been either killed or wounded. The last gun, fit for service, was worked by the Commodore himself, and his officers. It was now 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Capt. Elliot, of the Niagara, brought his vessel into close action. Commodore Perry left the Law-rence in charge of Lieutenant Yarnell, and, taking a boat, went over to the Niagara, where again he hoisted his flag with the dying words of Lawrence. He brought all his vessels within pistol-shot of the boats of the enemy, and opened a murderous fire from all his boats, which was kept up until every ship of the enemy struck its colors. The engagement lasted three hours. Never was a victory more decisive and complete. The American squadron took more prisoners than they themselves had men on board. The principal loss of the Americans was on the Lawrence, where, of her crew, twenty-two were killed and sixty wounded. The loss of all the other vessels was but five killed and thirty-six wounded. The British loss was more severe. 48 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNtY. Commodore Barclay, who had lost an arm at Trafalgar, now lost the other also, and received a severe wound in the hip beside. The loss on the American ships in all, killed and wounded, was one hundred and twenty-four. The loss of the British was over two hundred, killed and wounded, and six hundred were taken prisoners. Every British vessel was taken. Commodore Perry sent word to Gen. Harrison, at Fort Meigs, saying: "We have met the enemy and they are ours." The next day the funeral obsequies of the fallen officers, on both sides, took place near the margin of the bay, in an appropriate manner. Tile crews from both fleets united in the ceremony. What a lesson! Yesterday both parties were engaged in deadly strife., to-day they join their sympathies, associate as brothers to pay the last tribute of respect to their fallen companions. On the 29th of September Gen. Harrison took possession of Detroit, there being no force there to resist him, and again the whole peninsula was thus restored to the United States,. Gen. Proctor, with his army and disheartened Indians, was on a rapid retreat into the heart of Canada. The river Thames, which empties into lake St. Clair, then ran through a wild, unbroken forest. Proctor was pressing his retreat along its valley. Gen. Harrison left Detroit on the 2d day of October, to pursue the foe, with a force of over 3,000 men. The mounted infantry were commanded by Col. Johnson, of Kentucky. Proctor was overtaken on the 5th, at a point where the Thames protected one flank of his army, and a great marsh the other. The ,Indians were stationed in the forest beyond the swamp. This spot was about eighty miles northeast of the mouth of the river. Proctor had under his command one thousand British regulars and eighteen hundred Indians, under the Command of Tecumseh. The British were routed and ran away. Gen. Harrison then turned upon the Indians, routing and killing them. Proctor's loss was sixty--nine, killed and wounded, and six hundred prisoners. The Indians left, one hundred and fifty dead upon the battle-field, Tecumseh amongst them. This Col. Johnson here mentioned was Col. Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, who afterwards, in, 1836, was elected Vice-President of the United States. The reader, who remembers the wonderful presidential campaign of 184o, will also remember how hard the Democrats tried to prove that Col. Johnson himself killed Tecumseh, and how equally hard the Whigs tried to prove that it was not true. The question is still an unsettled one. Mr. Abbott, in his history of Ohio, proves the WHO KILLED TECUMSEH.? - 49 utter falsity of the assertion that Johnson killed Tecumseh, while Mr. Knapp, in his history of the Maumee valley, is so well convinced of the fact that he proves it, even by affidavits, beyond all question of doubt. - 4 -