OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: The War of 1812 in Ohio [5]
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Darlene E. Kelley
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374
August 23, 1999
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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
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Ohio in the war of 1812--Part 5

On Jan 19, 1813, Col Lewis is determined to hold the town and await
reinforcements and meanwhile, Winchester with 250 men began his march
for the River Raisin. When Harrison learns of Lewis' campaign, he orders
Perkins' Brigade at lower Sandusky to march to the Rapids. Jan 20th--
Gen Winchester arrived at the River Raisin and encamps on the right of
the detachment. Col Wells commands the reinforcement. Winchester
establishes himself on the south side of the river, 300 yards from the
lines. Jan 21st-- A place for encampment of the whole of Winchester's
army is found and plans are made to fortify it the next day. Meanwhile,
reinforcements are on the way. Maj William Cotgreave and the artillery
are on their way, but only get to Maumee Bay because of bad weather.
Early the next mornng they resume their march and get as far as 15 miles
from River Raisin. At the Rapids, Harrison receives a dispatch from
Winchester asking for 1000 to 1200 more troops. Perkins' brigade arrives
at the Rapids on the evening of the 22nd and the remaining Kentuckians
under Gen Payne are ordered to join Winchester, which they do on the
22nd. The entire force thus was larger than even Winchester had deemed
sufficient. Jan 22 -- This is the day of the River Raisin defeat. The
Americans lost upwards of 290 killed, massacred, and missing. Only 33
escaped. The British took 547 prisioners, the Indians about 45. About
3-400 of the British force were killed or wounded. The British--Indian
force had amounted to about 2,000. Jan 23rd-- Col Procter arrives at
Amherstburg with the American prisioners. They are kept there until the
26th when they divided into two parties. One group leaves the 26th, the
other 27th. They go across country to Ft George where they are paroled
and sent home by way of Erie and Pittsburgh. General Winchester and Maj.
Madison are sent to Montreal and thense to Quebec where they are
confined untl the spring of 1814. Meantime, the blockhouse at the Rapids
is distroyed by the retreating Americans, who flee to Portage, 18 miles
away and there establish a fortified camp. Jan 31-- Dr. Samuel McKeehan
of the Ohio Militia is sent with a flag to Malden to determine the
situation of the wounded. He is refused and arrested by Procter, then he
is sent to Montreal by way of Ft George and Kingston, Mar 2nd. On Aug
3rd --1812, William Wells sets out for Fort Dearborn from Ft Wayne,
arrives there on the 12th. Aug 14th Capt Nathan Heald, the commander of
Ft Dearborn, distributes stores to the Pottawattamies and Winebagoes
gathered there. Black Partridge, and Indian Chief tells Mr Griffith, an
interpreter, that " leaden birds had been singing in his ear,' that they
[the Americans] ought to be careful on the march they were going to
take. he said the Indians had been holding councils discussing the
commencing of hostilities. That 5 to 6 hundred Indians were now in the
neighborhood of the fort. Aug 15th -- On the morning the troops, 70 of
them, with some women and children begin ther march out of Ft Dearborn.
They proceed about a mile from the fort when the front guard is attacked
by savages, who are posted behind a sandbank. William Wells is killed,
among others, his heart taken out and eaten by the chiefs  Sept 24th --
Gen Harrison is at Piqua and there receives orders to take command of
the 8th Military District, which includes the Northwestern Army. The
order for taking this command was dated Sept 17th, 1812.
Sept 27th -- Gen Harrison sends an express to Pittsburgh, ordering
artillery and supplies from thence to proceed to Georgetown on the Ohio
and from thence New Lisbon and Canton to Wooster.
Oct 1st -- Gen Harrison marches his troops in rain and mud, past Ft
Jennings, where foot troops are halted.
Oct 5th -- Gen Harrison, at St Mary's, is informed that Indians are
again collecting to attack Ft Wayne. He sends a detachment of 1,500
mounted volunteers under Col Allen Trimble to Ft Wayne and then on to
White Pidgeon's Town on the headwaters of St Joseph's of the Lake, about
60 miles from Ft Wayne. When Trimble arrives at Ft Wayne, 1/2 of his
command refuses to go further, and he takes the part which will advance
and destroys the Indian villages.
Nov 15th -- Gen Harrison informs the War Department that he does not
think it now safe to move to the Rapids until one million rations have
been accumulated there.
Dec 10th --A battalion of Pennsylvanians reaches Upper Sandusky with 21
pieces of artillery brought by Lt Hukill from Pittsburgh. Gen Harrison
arrives there on the 20th and establishes it as his headquarters. 
Jan 18th, 1813, Gen Harrison, at Lower Sandusky, plans to move forward
with some artillery under the command of Maj Cotgreave for the Rapids.
Jan 29th -- Gen Harrison arrives at the Rapids, dispatches Capt Hart,
the inspector general, to Winchester at Frenchtown with news of the
movements in the rear and instructions to hold the position at
Frenchtown. Harrison had reached the Rapids quickly as he had traveled
by sled and outrun the reinforcements for Winchester's Army.
Nov 25th, 1812, The Expedition against Mississiniway was led by Lt Col
John B. Campbell. On this day the troops leave Franklinton. The
detachment is composed fo Col Simrall's dragoons, a squadron of calvery
under Maj Ball, Elliott's Company of U S Infrantry, Alexander's 12
months volunteer riflemen, and Butler's Company of Pittsburgh
volunteers. All men were mounted, a total of 600. They go to Dayton,
thense to Greenville. They leave this latter place on Dec 14th for the
Indian towns, 80 miles distant. On the 16th they decide to attack the
vllages early the next morning. They take the first village that very
night with little resistance as most of the Indians are gone. On the
17th they take Silver's Heel'sTown and destroy everything. They encamp
on the Mississiniway River. An attack made on the major village on the
18th. In this battle 8 men are killed and 48 wounded. They then return
to Greenville. as a result of this expedition, the Delaware tribe on
White River and others in the region accept peace terms and come within
the American frontiers.
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Continued in part 6 --