OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: The War of 1812 in Ohio [11] 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Darlene E. Kelley
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374
September 11, 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 war of 1812--

Letter from Harrison to Head Quarters, N.W. Army--
Portage River, 15 miles from Miami Rapids.  Jan. 26th, 1813.

Sir;

I have the honor to enclose herewith a duplicate of my letter of the
25th Inst. Together with the official report to Col Lewis to Genl
Winchester of the Action of the 18th Inst.

That you may enable to judge of the propriety of the steps which were
taken by me previously to the unfortunate event at the River Raisin. I
proceed to give you an account of the situation of the Troops and the
arrangement I had made for their advance-- The left wing of the Army
under the orders of Genl Winchester, consisted of the 6 Regts. Kentucky
Troops, a Battalion of Ohio Infantry, & the detachment of Regulars under
Col Wells-- The importance of keeping a considerable force on this line
after the advance of the army from its vicinity to the Indian Tribes of
the Wabash & Lake Michigan induced me to direct Genl Winchester to take
with him 3 Kentucky Regts & the Regular Troops only-- With these
amounting to about 1300 Men, he marched from his camp 5 miles below the
mouth of the Auglaize River on the 31st. Ult. On the evening before, he
had dispatched an Express informing me of his intentions to march the
next morning.-- This Express was sent through the woods to Genl Tupper's
Camp, 4 miles advanced of Urbanna, upon Hulls road-- A violent snow
storm prevented it from reaching Genl Tupper, until the 9th Inst., and
was not until the 11th that it came to me at upper Sandusky-- I
immediately gave orders for several droves of hogs, which had been
stopped on their route, to proceed towards the Rapids-- & I directed the
Artillery to be prepared to progress as soon as the Genl's arrival at
the Rapids, should be announced. which I directed him to do by an
Express to be sent immediately to upper Sandusky-- Not hearing from the
Genl for some days, I began to conclude that his progress had been
stopped b a considerable thaw which took place about the 1st of the
month.-- On the evening of the 16th Inst, I received a letter from Genl
Simon Perkins, enclosing a letter from Genl Winchester, to him of the
15th, informing of his arrival at the Rapids on the 10th, and that it
was his intentions to advance against the enemy, & directing Genl
Perkins to send the information. I dispatched an express wih the
enclosed letter [ No 2 ] by the direct route to the Rapids & set out
myself, to lower Sandusky & reached there on the evening of the 17th. On
the morning of the 18th, the battalion which Genl Winchester applied
for, marched from lower Sandusky. About 2 o'clock on the morning of the
19th, a letter from Genl Winchester was recieved of which enclosed ia an
Extract [ No 3 ]. I gave immediate orders for the 2nd Regt of Perkins'
Brigade, which consists of 2 Regts only, to march immediately for the
Rapids & proceeded thither myself. On my way, I received the Genl's
letter of the 18th, informing me of the success of Col Lewis. A copy of
which I have the honor to enlose to you from the Rapids. My arrival at
the latter place on the morning of the 20th, I found that Genl
Winchester had marched the proceeding day. Having left Genl Payne with
about 300 of the Kentucky Troops. It was not until late on the 21st
Inst, that Maj Cotgrove was able to extricate his baggage & the piece of
artillery he had in charge, from the Horrid swamp, which separates the
Miami & Sandusky Rivers-- He encamped that evening near the Miami Bay &
by marching early on the following morning, he had advanced within 15
miles of the River Raisin, when he was informed of the total defeat of
our Troops there-- The 2nd Regt of Genl Perkins Brigade arrived on the
21st & I immediately ordered the remaining part of the Kentucky Troops
under Genl Payne to proceed with all possible expedition for the River
Raisin.  I was still uneasy for the Troops there, but supposing that
Genl Winchester had obtained the best information of the strength of the
disposable force of the enemy, and as I had sent him 300 Men more then
he deemed sufficient for maintaining his ground. [ See his letter of the
21st. No 4 ] And as there were a thousand reasons, which made it
necessary to maintain, if practicable-- I did not think it proper to
order a retreat although the advance in the instance was contrary to my
wishes and opposed to a principle by which I have been ever governed in
Indian Warfare, ie never to make a detachment, but under the most
perfect circumstances. Amongst the many reasons why the [illeg] at the
River Raisin should be maintained is the protection of the French
inhabitants, was not the least the greater part of these people had
received our Troops with open arms-- Many of them had sallied out of
their hovers upon the arrival of Col Lewis with their arms in their
hands & and had even, in the opinion of some of our officers, won the
pretense [?] of valour from our Troops. They attacked & killed the
straggling Indians whenever they were sent and their hovers were all
open to our fire & they offered to give up the whole of their provisions
which yet remained to them upon condition , that they should not again
be abandoned to the fury of the savages or subjected for what they had
done to be [illeg] in the prisons of Malden. I had also bee informed
that the supplies  to be procured there were considerable. See [illeg]
letter and the assistance to be derived from the Carioles of the Indians
[?] was an object of greater importance. The former of these motives had
made so much an impression upon the minds of the Genl & hisTroops, that
I am persuaded nothing but a order to retreat would have produced
obedience upon the latter.  These reasons together with the respect
which it was necessary to [illeg] to the opinion of an officer of high
rank & experience whose opportunity of procurring the most correct
information was much better than mine-- produced the determination to
support rather withdraw the detachment from the River Raisin.-- Indeed
it appears that there was not time for either after my arrival at the
Rapids. When I left upper Sandusky, the artillery was ordered to be sent
out immediately to the Rapids escorted by three hundred men. Detachments
were also ordered for the pack horses, waggons & sleds, which were
constantly progressing thither. An other Battalion could have also been
withdawn from upper Sandusky, so that the Troops at the Rapids would
have been daily increased. On this day they would have amounted to 2500
with two pieces of Artillery and four or five days more the Virginia
Brigade & a Pennsylvania Regt would have increased them to 3800. A
further supply of Artillery by the 5th of Feb., the whole force of 4500
which I contemplated assembling at the Rapids would have been there with
provisions & minitions of war in abundance. I should have been able to
advance to the Rapids again this day or tomorrow but for a most
unfortunate rain which has broken up the Roads so as to render them
impassible for the artillery although it s affixed on sleds. The whole
train is stopped 25 miles from this  place.  I have reason to believe
that the Miami River has broken up.

I have the honor to enclose to you a report made to me by Maj.
McClanahan, the Senior of the two Officers who escaped from the action
at the River Raisin. It requires no comment from me.

I have the Honour to be with Great Respect.
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More Letters to follow--