OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: The War of 1812 in Ohio [6] *********************************************************************** 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 26, 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 *********************************************************************** Ohio in war of 1812-- part 6 The first siege of Ft Meigs-- Jan 22, 1813-- After hearing of Winchester's defeat, Harrison calls a staff meeting to decide upon future movements. It was concluded to retire a short distance in the rear on the road from the Rapids and to keep the British from attacking that place. Supply lines to be kept open from Sandusky.[ Winchester's camp had been on the north side of the river, an injudicious place.] Jan 30th -- Gen Leftwich arrives at the Portage River with his brigade, a regiment of Pennsylvania troops, and most of the artillery. Feb-- Ft Meigs is begun. The camp is 2500 yards in circumference, all picketed with timbers, 15 ft long, with three feet in the ground, except at the blockhouses and batteries. The timbers are 10-12 inches thick. Blockhouses are of double timbers. Col Eleazer Wood is in charge of the construction. Feb 1st-- Gen Harrison marches his entire force of 1700 men to the Rapids, encamps on the southwest side of the river and orders all the troops in the rear to join him. Feb 3rd-- The Gov of Kentucky [Shelby] signs an act to call out 3,000 militiamen, most of which are to relieve troops already in the field. Feb 9th --Gen Harrison had planned an attack upon Malden over the frozen lake. However, the ice is so thin, that he cannot do it. A trial of the ice is made this day. Feb 11th -- Gen Harrison sends a dispatch to the Sec of War telling him that the campaign for the winter is over. The Sec of War wants Harrison to discharge all of the militia and depend wholly upon Federal troops for the rest of the winter. Harrison refuses. He returns to Cincinnati and leaves Gen Leftwich in charge of Ft Meigs. Leftwich does a very poor job and, when he leaves, Maj Amos Stoddard assumes the command of the post. Feb 26th-- The Sec of War orders Col R.M. Johnson to hold in readiness a regiment of mounted volunteers to serve from 4-6 months after actually being called into service. Feb, late. --Gen Harrison sends out an expedition to burn the British vessels at Malden by going across Lake Erie via the Bass Islands in sleighs. but the ice is not hard enough and the expedition returns. Mar 22nd-- Col R. M. Johnson puts out an order for raising a regiment of mounted volunteers in Kentucky. April 8th-- Col James Ball arrives at Ft Meigs with 200 dragoons. Apr 12th -- Gen Harrison arrives at Ft Meigs, bringing with him about 300 men. he had come because he had heard that the British were investigating the post. Apr 26th --The enemy are discovered at the mouth of Maumee Bay. Apr 28th-- Capt William Oliver is sent to Gen Green Clay to persuade him to hurry his force down the river. The British and Indians land near old Ft Miamis and across from Ft Meigs. They begin building three batteries during the night. Two were gun batteries with four embrasures, situated high up the river than Ft Meigs; the other was a bomb battery, a little below the fort. Apr 29th--The guns of Ft Meigs fire on the British batteries and progress in the construction of the batteries is considerably impeded. Apr 30th -- A number of boats loaded with British and Indians are seen crossing the river on the southeast side of Ft Meigs. The British fix cannon in their batteries. May 1st -- The British batteries are completed. Inside Ft Meigs the grand traverse is built. 12' high, 29' wide, and 300 yards long. All tents are moved to the rear of it. Maj Amos Stoddard is killed by British fire. May 2nd-- The siege continues. May 3rd -- Gen Green Clay's force is at Defiance. The British take three artillery pieces and a howitzer to the left of Ft Meigs on the same side of the river as the fort and open fire. They are forced out of their first position by fire from the fort, but reopen at another place. May 4th -- The seige of Ft Meigs is continued. British still fire from the Ft Meigs side of the river, but with less vehemence. Gen Geen Clay's 1200 men start the descent of the river from Defiiance in 18 boats. It is too dark when the force arrives to debark. They encamp about a mile from Ft Meigs. May 12th -- Gen Harrison orders 800 men of Green Clay's detachment to land and spike the British cannon and then return when this was done. The balance of Clay's force to land on the Ft Meigs side of the river and come to the fort. Green Clay orders Co William Dudley at the head of the right, Maj Shelby on the left, and Capt Morrison in the center. Dudley's men are sucessful in spiking the cannon, but whe they do not follow orders to return to Ft Meigs they are attacked and taken by the enemy. They are taken to Ft Miamis and there the Indians fire upon them, as prisoner, until Tecumseh stops the massacre. Meanwhile Gen Harrison orders a sortie from the Fort under the command of Col John Miller to stop the British batteries on the fort side of the river. He and his 350 men are sucessful and 41 prisoners are taken. Th British force had consisted of 200 regulars, 150 Canadians, and 500 Indians. A second sorties is made from the fort against the Indians on the fort side of the river, At first this sortie is sucessful, but when Harrison calls them bck, his men are fired upon by the Indians. Col Henry Procter sends Maj Peter Chambers to Harrison, requesting the surrender of Ft Meigs. Harrison refuses. May 9th -- The sige is lifted and the British-Indian force retreats. May 10th -- An Ameican party is sent across the river to bury the dead. They find 45 bodies, including that of Dudley. About 70 of Dudley's force killed. American losses at Ft Meigs were 81 and 189 wounded. May 11th-- Gov Return J Meigs called out 500 mounted men to reinforce Ft Meigs. They arrive at Lower Sandusky this day. *********************************************** To be cntinued in part 7.