OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: The War of 1812 in Ohio [1] *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 August 20, 1999 *********************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio The Kelley Family Collections Newspaper article, Plains Dealer compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925 And Then They Went West by Darlene E. Kelley 1998 *********************************************************************** The War of 1812 in Ohio --- Part 1 Hull's Campaign-- 1812 On April 12, 1812-- Governor Return J. Meigs, of Ohio, issued an order to the Major Generals of the middle and western divisions of the state to bring respective proportions of their men to rendezvous at Dayton on April 29th. May 20th-- William Hull arrives in Dayton on his way to take over command of the Army. May 25th-- Hull takes over command of the army at Dayton. June 1st -- Army marches from Dayton to Staunton, a small village on the east bank of the Miami River. June 6th -- Meigs holds a council with the Shawnee, Mingo, and Wyandot chiefs at Urbana and gets them to agree to adhere to the terms of the Treaty of Green Ville [1795]. Army leaves Staunton for Urbana. June 7th -- Army arrives in Urbana. June 9th --Council is held at Urbana by Hull and Meigs with 12 chiefs of the Shawnee, Mingo, and Wyandot nations to obtain their permission to march the Army through their territory. Permission was granted. June 10th -- 4th United States Regiment under the command of Lt. Col James Miller arrives at Urbana to Hull's force. June 11th -- Col Duncan McArthur and his regiment are detached to cut a road for the Army as far as the Scioto River. June 16 -- Army moves to King's Creek, three miles from Urbana. Fort McArthur, consisting of two blockhouses, is begun on the banks of the Scioto, strengthed by stockades. June 18th -- WAR IS DECLARED. June 19th -- Army arrives at Ft McAthur. June 21st -- Col James Findlay and his regiment are ordered to cut a road from Ft. McArthur to Blanchard's Fork. June 22nd -- Army marches only 16 miles from Ft.McArthur, stops because of rain. Erects Ft. Necessity. A detachment of Capt Andrew Dill's company left as a garrison for Ft. McArthur. June 25th -- Army marches to Ft Findlay, blockhouses with a stockade on the southwest side. June 26th-- Col Lewis Cass and his regiment sent ahead to cut a road to the Rapids of the Maumee River. The balance of Capt Andrew Dill's Company left as a garrison for Ft Findley. June 30th -- Army arrives opposite the scene of the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The baggage is put on a small boat under orders to go to Detroit. Thirty officers and privates are put on board to protect it under the command of Capt. Cyrenius Chapin. A second open boat for the sick is sent along. July 1st -- Army moves away from Rapids of the Maumee. Lt Davidson and a detachment are left to build a blockhouse. July 2nd -- Army arrives at the River Raisin. July 3rd -- Army arrives at River Huron. July 4th -- Army builds a bridge over River Huron. July 5th -- Army leaves River Huron, moves past Brownstown, Maguage, Rivers DeCorce and Roach, and arrives at Spring Wells, the lower end of the Detroit settlement, opposite Sandwich. July 6th -- Col Lewis Cass is sent with a flag of truce to Malden, commanded then by Col. Thomas B. St. George. He is refused admission. July 7th -- Five pieces of artillery are brought down from Ft. Detroit and placed on the banks in front of the army opposite Sandwich. A council is held by Hull with chiefs of th Wyandot, Shawnee, Pottawattamie, Seneca, and Mohawk. The Indians profess to be friends of the United States. July 8th -- Hull moves the army to the rear of Detroit to be out of the way of bombardment from Sandwich July 11th -- McArthur's regiment is sent by Hull to Spring Wells to decoy the British from Detroit. This trick works and British troops moved to a spot opposite McArthur's men. Jul 12th -- The regiments of James Miller amd Lewis Cass cross into Canada in the morning without opposition, the entire movement taking only 15 minutes. The crossing place is about 1 mile above Detroit. The American encampment is made on the farm of British Col Baubee and headquarters are established in a brick house on the farm. Hull issues a proclamation to Canadians offering them protection if they do not oppose the Americans. Jul 13th -- Capt. Henry Ulty with 40 men is sent to Malden to reconnoiter. About 9 miles from the camp he find a place where there had been about 200 Indians [near a bridge over Turkey Creek]. A farmer tells them that many Indians are inthe neighborhood. This causes a general alarm and the camp of the army is fortified with a breastwork on all sides except that next to the river. Jul 14th -- A detachment from James Sloan's calvalry is sent up the river to reconnoitre. At 8 P.M. it is reported that a body of Indians had gone up the river. Col Duncan McArthur with 100 men is sent to pursue them, together with a rifle corps from James Findley's regiment. They find nothing that night. Jul 15th -- Col Duncan McArthur's force comes up with the Indians at the Ruskin River, 24 miles above Sandwich, but the Indians flee. Capt Richard Smyth's Detroit dragoons sent to River Thames to get provisions. They encamp 1/2 mile from its mouth near the house of Issac Hull, a nephew of Gen Wlliam Hull. Next day, they continue up the river, secure all boats they can find, and take back 200 barrels of flour,400 blankets, guns, and military stores, for which receipts are given. They return to camp on the 17th. July 16th -- Col's Lewis Cass and James Miller are sent towards Malden with 280 men. Jul 17th -- Michillimackinac falls. The British force which takes it consists of 46 regulars, 260 Canadian Militia, and 715 Indians. The army proceeds to a bridge over Aux Canards River. A debate ensues as to whether to hold it. It is decided not to do so and the army marches back to camp-- a fatal mistake. In the evening the British re-take the bridge and defend it with breastwork. Meanwhile, the British ship, the Queen Charlotte, sails up the straits, firing on the American side. Hull stays at Sandwich, but issues a general order stating that when the United States takes Malden, private property, will be held sacred. Jul18th -- Col Duncan McArthur and his men are sent to relieve Capt Josiah Snelling's company about 1 mile above the Aux Canards bridge at the Petit Cote settlement. Mc Arthur goes off to reconnoitre the bridge and finds the the planks have been torn off and a battery erected at the south end of it, manned by 60 regulars,150 Canadian militia, 25 dragoons,and 50 Indians. Nearby is the Queen Charlotte. At first skirmish takes place when Mc Arthur's men are fired upon and the Indians charge across the bridge, but they are driven back by the Americans. Tecumseh then stops the Indian retreat and rallies his men and a second skirmish takes place. Mc Arthur sends back for ammunition and then retreats. Col Lewis Cass is sent with 150 men and a 6-pounder to reinforce McArthur. The two meet at Turkey Creek Bridge about sunset, nine miles from camp. Both forces return to Petit Cote for the night. Next day they return, fire a few shots and return to camp. Jul 21st --Gen Hull returns to Detroit, leaving the army on the Canadian side. Hull stays in Detroit and the command of the army devolves upon Duncan McArthur. Jul 24th -- Maj James Denny is sent with the three companies of militia [117 men], against the Indians on the Aux Canards River. He marches on the night of the 24th and forms an ambush at Petit Cote the next morning. A French-Canadian spy is captured. on the 25th they march in view of the enemy. A few Indians come up at noon, are fied upon, and flee. Later a battle ensues and the Americans retreat to Turkey Creek Bridge. They have six killed and two wounded. The British supposedly have double this number of casualties. Jul 28th -- The report that Michillimackinac has fallen reaches Detroit and the actions of Gen Hull in Upper Canada are arrested. Aug 4th -- Maj Thomas Van Horn is sent to reinforce Capt Henry Brush's supply detachment which is at the River Raisin with supplies destined for Detroit. Van Horn's detachment runs into an ambush of Indians near Brownstown and he retreats to the River DeCorce. Of his detachment of 24 men, 17 are reported killed and several wounded. Aug 7th -- A council is held at headquarters with the purpose of making an immediate attack on Maiden. All unnecessary baggage is ordered sent back to Detroit. The army is to have seven days provisions on hand. However, after these plans are made, the whole army is ordered to return to Detroit. Aug 8th -- Six hundred men are sent under Col James Miller to relieve Henry Brush. They run into trouble on the 9th about 2 miles below the Maguage Village. The British and Indians retreat about two miles, at which time the United States troops stop their pursuit. In this skrmish 18 were killed and 60 wounded of the American force. The British troops were under the command of Maj Adam Muir. Aug 10th -- Col James Miller becomes ill and the whole detachment returns to Detroit rather then continuing on to relieve Capt Henry Brush at River Raisin, only 22 miles away. Aug 12 -- Maj James Denny evacuates the fortifiction at Gowles on the canadian shore, the last American force left in Canada. A boat with a flag of truce is sent from Detroit to sandwich, the headquarters of Gen Isaac Brock. Hull denies he sent the flag. At this juncture the col's of the Ohio Volunteers and Gen J. Taylor of Kentucky counsel together and suspect the abilities and fidelity of Gen Hull. A letter is sent to Gov Return J. Meigs by Lewis Cass asking that reinforcements be sent, which letter is endorsed by the Col's and Gen Taylor. Aug 13th -- The British are seen marching up from Sandwich to a point directly oppsite Detroit, but Hull will not allow them to be fired upon and thus they continue unmolested. Aug 15th -- The British are building batteries on their side of the river and the Americans are dong the same on their side. Gen Hull is undetermined what to do. Col's Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur are against capitulating.Gen Hull then sends a letter to Gen Brock saying that the Americans would not capitulate. Gen Brock then tells Hull to surrender or be exterminated. However, as soon as Hulls refusal to surrender is received by the British, they opened fire on Detroit. The Americans return the fire and silence the enemies guns for a few minutes. Maj. Thomas Jessup and Quartemaster Dugan go to Spring Wells to locate a battery there as it looks as if the British will try a crossing from Sandwich at that point. The Queen Charlotte is also in this area. Maj. Jessup wants a 24-pounder there but Hull only allows a 6-pounder and refuses to let Jessup take a detachment across the river. Cross fire begins in the Spring Wells area and is kept up untl late at night. About 11P.M. the British land at Spring Wells and advance toward the fort without opposition. American forces are not allowed to fire on them, though the British keep up the fire on the fort. Aug 16th-- Gen William Hull raises a white flag and goes to see Gen Isaac Brock. The British firing ceases and the capitulation is under way. At noon the British troops under Brock, march into the fort at Detroit and the American forces march out. Col Duncan McArthur, who was not at the fort at the time of the capitulation, arrives back just in time to be included in the surrender and when he hears of it he goes back to the River Rouge. At This point British officers show him the capitulations and he must surrender. A garrison of 250 British is placed at the fort at Detroit under Col Henry Procter. *********************************************** continued in part 2-- Harrison's 1st Campaign--.