OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 765 Today's Topics: #1 Abbots History of Ohio - Chapter 1 ["Maggie Stewart" To: OH-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <03f701bf27f3$f0b393a0$0300a8c0@local.net> Subject: Abbots History of Ohio - Chapter 16 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Transcribed by Kay L. Mason Chapter XVI The Miami Settlements While the little colonists, near the mouth of the Muskingum, were advancing so happily, Judge John Cleves Symmes was making vigorous movements for the settlement of his large purchase, of six hundred thousand acres, between the Great and Little Miami Rivers. He was disposing of smaller tracts to private individuals and companies, that he might encourage the establishment of colonies along the banks of the Ohio down to what was called the North Bend, twenty-three miles below the mouth of the Little Miami. Major Benjamin Stiles purchased of him ten thousand acres, and organized a colony of twenty families, principally from New York and New Jersey to rear their homes in a region which seemed to combine everything which was attractive in soil, situation and climate. This little colony was composed of families in industry, energy, and high moral worth. They have left numerous descendants who perpetuate and honor their names. Weary must have been the journey in their canvas-covered emigrant wagons, from New York to the wild passes of the Alleghenies. Fatiguing in the extreme must have been their task in toiling, for a hundred miles, through the gorges and over the cliffs of this almost pathless and gigantic chain of mountains. Delighful must have been the change when, reaching the waters of the Ohio, they exchanged their wagons for the capacious barque, with its convenient cabin, affording room to move around with entire freedom from fatigue. It was delighful autumnal weather. The barge, or ark, as it was sometimes appropriately called, floated down the placid current of the stream for sev- eral hundred miles through enchanting scenery, while the inmates enjoyed al- most perfect rest from their toils. They had intelligence to appreciate the wonderful world of freshness and beauty which was opening before them. They had culture of mind and manners, and congeniality of sympathies, which enabled them to live harmoniously together. There was nominal peace with the Indians, so that they had nothing to fear, save from small vagabond bands of Indians robbers, whom, with suitable precautions, they could easily repel from be- hind their bullet-proof bulwarks. They reached the mouth the of Little Miami about the middle of November, 1788. Here they found a fine stretch of land, much of it covered with forest whose gigantic growth indicated the richness of the soil. On the west side of the river Major Stiles proceeded to lay out in the woods in town, which he called Columbia. Immediately all hands combined in raising a large block-house, for the storage of their goods and for protection against the Indians. They then erected humble log cabins for the individual families. Thus was commenced the first settlement in the Miami country, about six months after the little hamlet of Marietta began to rise upon the banks of the Muskingum. While these things were transpiring, Mathias Denman, of New Jersey, formed a partnership with Robert Patterson and John Filsom, of Kentucky, and pur- chased a tract of several hundred acres farther down the river, immediately adjoining Major Stites' colony. Filsom remained to survey the purchase and to lay out the plan of a town, while Denham and Patterson returned to New Jersey to raise a party of colonists. Unfortunately Filsom, while engaged in the survey, was waylaid by straggling Indians and shot. Still Denham and Patterson pressed on with their enterprise, and engaged a colony of twenty persons, and in the midwinter, amidst masses of floating ice, descended the Ohio to a point five miles below Columbia, and directly opposite the mouth of the Licking River. Here, according to a pre-matured plan, they laid out their town, to which they gave the rather peculiar name of Losanteville. It is said that an eccentric Frenchman, on board their boat, coined the name from the words L'os ante ville, which he translated, not very correctly, "The village opposite the mouth." This whimsical name, however, was soon abandoned, and the classical one of Cincinnati was given to a spot destined to attain ever increasing renown in the history of our country. The land of the township was laid off in lots, which were offered as a gift to volunteer settlers. In Burnett's Notes it is stated: "A misapprehension had prevailed, as appears from some recent publications, in regard to the price paid by the proprietors for the land on which the city stands. The original purchase by Mr. Denham included a section and a fraction of a section, for which he paid five shillings per acre in Contin- ental certificates, which were then worth, in specie, five shillings on the pound; so that the specie price per acre was fifteen pence." Judge Symmes was a man of great energy of character, and was indefatigable in his exertions to sell his land and establish colonies. The latter part of January, 1789, the judge himself set out from New Jersey, with a large party of emigrants, for the faroff Miami country. Under the most favorable circum- stances this was a toilsome journey of many weeks. It was a very unpropitious season of the year to undertake it. But the emigrants were anxious to be at their new homes by the opening of the Spring. They suffered, however, very much by the way, and incurred serious peril from storms among the mountains and masses of ice in the river. It was the design of Judge Symmes to found a city at a point on the Ohio called North Bend, from its being the most northern point of the Ohio, below the mouth of the Great Kanawha. This point was not far from midway between Cincinnati and the subsequent eastern boundary of Indiana. The flat-bottomed watercrafts called arks, or Kentucky boats, in which the emigrants descended to Ohio, were immensely structures, and really quite attractive in their appearance. These boats were built of stout oaken plank, fastened by wooden pines to frames of timber. The well-protected cabin was in the stern, with the smoke curling gracefully from its stove-pipe chimney. The cattle, the stores and the furniture, were in the bows. In the center were seen picturesque groups of men, women and children, in pleasant weather, thus joyously floating along, their only motive power being the gentle current of the stream. If the wind were chill or the rain were falling, there was ample shelter and warmth at the fireside. When the boats reached their destination they were broken up, and the materials of which they were composed were great value in the con- struction of the new homes of the emigrants. Judge Symmes was a man of much influence. At his earnest solicitation General Harmar sent General Kearcy to accompany the judge, with forty-eight soldiers, rank and file, to protect the settlements in the Miami country. the judge and his party, with their all-important military escort, reached the Bend early in the Spring. They found here an elevated plateau presenting admirable accomodations for their settlement. A little village of log huts speedily arose, which extended entirely across the neck of the peninsula formed by the bend in the Ohio and a corresponding bend of the Great Miami. Every individual belonging to the party received a donation lot, which he was bound to improve as the condition of obtaining a title. The town received the name of North Bend. It has since become somewhat noted as having been the residence of President William Henry Harrison. The number of emigrants rapidly increased, being encouraged by the pre- sence of the soldiers. The Indians, however, who still, in large numbers occupied the valleys of the two Miamis, contemplated these operations with much jealousy. They not only foresaw that these rapidly growing settlements would soon drive them from their homes, but they also suffered many outrages from lawless white men whom no sense of justice or humanity could control. On one occasion a delegation of several chiefs called upon Judge Symmes, to complain of the frauds which had been practiced upon them. These frauds were undeniable and atrocious, and the perpetrators of them deserved to be hung. Judge Symmes endeavored to explain that these men had no connection with his colony, and that he had no more power to restrain them than they had to control the conduct of bad young Indians of other tribes. He assured them that the government of his country, which country consisted of thirteen fires or nations, had sent him to the Miamis in the spirit of friendship. He showed them the flag of the Union, with its stars and stripes, and explained to them its significance. He exhibited to them the American eagle, with the olive-branch in one claw, emblematic of the peace which his country desired will all people, and with the instruments of war and death in the other claw, indicating that, if others preferred hostility, his country was always pre- pared to meet them. The sagacious chiefs listened to these explanations attentively, but with evident anxiety. There were thoughtful men, uneducated, but endowed with much native intelligence. The chiefs had come to the Bend, accompanied by quite a retinue, and had encamped a little outside of the vllage. They professed to be in some degree satisfied with the explanation of Judge Symmes, though, in that explanation, they found no restitution for the frauds which had been practiced upon them. On their way home, they passed near Columbia, where Major Stiles had com- menced his colony. Some of the Indians stole, as we should say, but as they said, took a number of horses, in compensation for the injuries they had re- ceived from the white traders. The theft was soon discovered, and a party of soldiers sent out in pursuit to follow their trail. Judging from the signs that they had nearly approached an Indian encampment, one of their party Captain Flynn, was sent forward cau- tiously to reconnoiter. He was surprised, taken captive and carried into the Indian camp. Here he was treated with apparently as much humanity as it, un- der similar circumstances, he had been captured by civilized men. He was nei- ther bound nor closely guarded. Being a man of extraordinary strength, watching his opportunity, he sprang from the midst of his captors, and made his escape, strange to say, unpur- sued. There were a number of Indian horses grazing near the spot which the soldiers had reached. They STOLE these horses, as the chiefs said, and with them returned to Columbia. But the soldiers said they TOOK them in compen- sation for the horses which those Indians had stolen, over whom the chiefs professed not to be able to exert any control. Major Flynn, in making his escape, had thrown away his rifle. After a few days the chiefs came to Major Stites, at Columbia, bringing back Captain Flynn's rifle, and complaining of the loss of their horses. After consider- able discussion the matter was amicably adjusted, and most of the lost horses were restored. There were now three little villages of log huts in the Miami country, Columbia, Cincinnati and North Bend. Though bound together by a common dan- ger, there was a very strong rivalry between them. For some time Columbia took the lead. It was the eldest of the three, the largest in population, and decidedly the most attractive in the arrangement and style of its buildings. But a detachment of troops had been sent from Fort Harmar, as we have already recorded, to North Bend. Greatly to the displeasure of Judge Symmes, the com- mander of the military force, Ensign Luce, declared that Cincinnati was the more appropriate place for the location of the fort which he was directed to construct. Regardless of the remonstrances of the judge, he insisted that he was at liberty to select such a spot for it as, in his judgment, was best calculated to affort protection to the Miami settlers. Mr. Burnet, in his notes, gives the following account of the motives which influenced the en- sign to remove his command to Cincinnati, and to commence his important works there: "Ensign Luce, viewing his duty in that light, put up a small temporary work, sufficient for the security of his troops, regardless of the earnest entreaty of the judge, to proceed at once to erect a substantial, spacious block-house, sufficient for the protection of the inhabitants of the village. The remonstrances and entreaties of the judge had but little influence on the mind of this officer. In despite of them all he left the Bend and pro- ceeded to Cincinnatie with his command, where he immediately commenced the construction of a military work. That important move was followed by very important results. It terminated the strife for supremace, by removing the only motive which had induced former emigrants to pass the settlements above and proceed to the Bend. As soon as the troops removed from that place to Cincinnate, the settlers at the Bend, who were then the most numerous, feel- ing the loss of the protection on which they had relied, became uneasy, and began to follow. Ere long the place was almost entirely deserted, and the hope of making it even a respectable town was abandoned. "In the course of the ensuing Summer, Major Doughty arrived at Cincinnati, with troops from Fort Harmar, and commenced the construction of Fort Wash- ington, which was the most important military work in the territory belonging to the United States. About that time there was a rumor in the settlement, said to have been endorsed by the judge himself, which goes far to unravel the mystery in which the removal of the troops from the Bend was involved. It was said and believed, that while the officer in command at that place was looking out very leisurely for a suitable site on which to build the block-house, he formed an acquaintance with a beautiful black-eyed female, who called forth his most assiduous and tender attentions. She was the wife of one of the settlers at the Bend. Her husband saw the danger to which he would be exposed if he remained where he was. He, therefore, resolved at once to remove to Cincinnati, and very promptly executed his resolution. "As soon as the gallant commandant discovered that the object of his ad- miration had changed her residence, he began to think that the Bend was not an advantageous situation for a military work, and communicated that opinion to Judge Symmes, who strenuously opposed it. His reasoning, however, was not as persuasive as the sparkling eyes of the fair dulicinea, then at Cincinnatie. The result was a determination to visit Cincinnati, and examing its advan- tages as a military post, which he communicated to the judge, with an assur- ance that if, on examination, it did not prove to be the most eligible place, he would return and erect the post at the Bend. "The visit was quickly made, and resulted in the conviction that the Bend could not be compared with Cincinnati as a military position. The troops were accordingly removed to that place, and the building of the block-house com- menced. Whether this structure was on the ground on which Fort Washington was erected, by Doughty, cannot now be ascertained. That movement, produced by a cause whimsical and apparently trivial in itself, was attended with results of incalculable importance. It settled the question whether North Bend or Cincinnati was to be the great commercial town of the Miami Country. "Thus we see what unexpected results are sometimes produced by circum- stances apparently trivial. The incomparable beauty of a Spartan dame, pro- duced a ten years' war, which terminated in the destruction of Troy. And the irresistable charms of another female, transferred the commercial emporium of Ohio, from the place where it had been commenced, to the place where it now is. If this captivating American Helen had continued at the Bend, the garri- son would have been erected there. Population, capital and business would have centered there, and there would have been the Queen City of the West. Emigration rapidly increased, and these emigrants began to scatter, in small parties of eight or ten families. But there were increasing acts of outrage, on the part of the Indians and of unprincipled white men. The in- dications of approaching hostilities were such that, in the Summer of 1789, Major Doughty was sent, from Fort Harmar, with one hundred and forty regular troops, for the defense of the Miami settlement. It was under these circumstances that he selected the post, for the erec- tion of the post, to which we have alluded, at Cincinnati, opposite the mouth of the Licking, on a reservation of fifteen acres of land belonging to the Federal government. Here he commenced the structure of Fort Washington, which afterwards became so distinguished in the annals of those days. These were probably the works which Ensign Luce visited, and to the erection of which he decided to contribute his resources. The principal building was a large two-story block-house, one hundred and eighty feet in length. The upper story projected two feet beyond the lower, and the whole building was divided off into barracks for the soldiers, and and was well provided with portholes. The whole was surrounded with strong palisades, flanked by block-houses, at each corner, projecting ten feet from the line of stockades, so that cannon could be brought to rake the walls. The principal entrance faced the river. It was twelve feet wide by ten feet high, and was protected by strong wooden doors. In front there was a fine esplanade, eighty feet wide. The whole exterior was whitewashed, and the massive structure presented a very imposing and handsome appearance. Very fine gardens were constructed by the officers, around the fort, which were decorated with flowers, and which produced an abundance of vegetables and small fruit. In December of 1789, General Harmar, with three hundred regular troops, arrived, and Fort Washington became the headquarters of the Northwestern army. Soon after, it became the residence of the governor. The population of the Miami settlements had now so increased that Gover- nor St. Clair, early in January, 1790, thought that the time had come when it was expedient to organized civil government there. Previous to this time no civil government and no judicial tribunal had existed in that portion of the country. For mutual protection, the emigrants had held a public meeting under a large tree, and adopted a code of regulations for themselves. By-laws were formed, and punishments decreed for certain offenses. Every person present pledged himself to aid in carrying these provisions into execution. A judge was appointed, William M'Millan, and a sheriff, John Ludlow. The first culprit brought before this tribunal was Patrick Grimes. He was accused of theft. A jury was summoned. The crime was clearly proved, and he was sentenced to received thirty-nine lashed on the bare back. The punish- ment was inflicted that evening. Soon after, a writ was issued for the arrest of another culprit. He es- caped, and took refuge in the fort. The commandant assumed that the military power was the only legitimate authority which existed in the settlement. He considered the self-organized government of the people was an impertinence, an interference with his prerogatives. He, therefore, protected the culprit, and sent an abusive note to Judge M'Millan. The judge, who was a high-spirited man, sent back, settling the commandant at defiance. The military pride of the commandant was touched. The next morn- ing he send a sergeant and three armed men to arrest the judge for disre- spect to the constituted authorities. The judge was a man of large frame, and remarkable alike for both strength and agility. He was sitting quietly in his cabin when the sergeant's guard entered for his arrest. The judge sprang to his feet, declaring that he would never be taken alive, and assailed his foes with the fury with which a lion would repel attacking bull- dogs. For fifteen minutes the unequal conflict raged. The sergeant himself was soon prostrated and disabled by herculean blows from such weapons as the irate judge could grasp. Speedily another assailant was placed "hors de com- bat". The two others, severely wounded, fled, and left the judge master of the field. He was badly wounded, but he was the undisputed victor. This was the first conflict between the civil and military authority in the Northwestern Territory. The intrepid judge had heroically and success- fully maintained his cause. Upon the arrival of the governor, he was well- pleased that the judge had maintained the civil authority so valiantly, in opposition to military arrogance, and appointed him one of the justices of the quorum. The territorial judges accompanied the governor to Cincinnati, where the Executive Council was convened, and the civil and military departments were organized the same as in Washington County. The whole country, north of the Ohio River, from the Hockhocking River to the Great Miami, was designated as the County of Hamilton, in honor of Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury. Cincinnati was declared to be the seat of justice for the county. The government, as thus organized, consisted of three justices of the peace, four captains of militia, four lieutenants, four ensigns, a court of quarter sessions, consisting of three associate justices, a clerk, and a sheriff. Cincinnati having thus become the seat of justice, as well as the head- quarters of the army, began to assume a degree of importance which gave it quite the ascendancy over the other small towns springing up around it in the wilderness. All the citizens felt their increased importance. It became the center of rural fashion and refinement. Ambitious frame houses began to be reared in the place of logs huts. Emigrants of intelligence and enter- prise were lured to the new emporium. During the Summer of 1790 forty log huts were reared, adding very considerable to the grandeur of the town. A new settlement was about this time commenced on the Great Miami River, about forty miles north from Cincinnati, which was called Coleraine. Several families took farms in that region, but, for mutual protection, it was ne- cessary to have their houses clustered together, and all united in building a stockade for mutual defense. The incursions of the savages were every month becoming more frequent, and there was an alarming prospect of a general state of war. Lieutenant Kingsbury was, therefore, sent to Coleraine, with a small detachment of troops and one piece of artillery. Governor Arthur St. Clair was a man of great activity and energy. But, unfortunately for himself, he was prone to neglect his own private interests in devotion to the public welfare. Immediately after organizing the government of Hamilton County, he proceeded down the river to the Falls of the Ohio, near where Louisville now stands. Here he spent several days in organizing a government for the little secluded settlement, far away in the wilderness there, and then directed his steps, through a narrow Indian trail, a distance of a hundred and thirty miles, to the hamlet of Vincennes, on the Wabash. Between the Falls of the Ohio and Vincennes there was not a single white inhabitant. It was a vast, silent, houseless wilderness, now and then tra- versed by hunting bands of Indians. In this portion of the Northwestern Territory, which in now mainly included within the limits of the State of In- diana, he organized the County of Knox. It was so named in honor of the Sec- retary of War. This vase county, larger than several of the States of the Un- ion, was bounded on the south by the Ohio River, on the east by the Great Miami, and on the west by the Wabash. Vincennes was the seat of justice. The energetic governor then proceeded westward several hundred miles, through a pathless and almost unexplored wilderness, of almost illimitable prairies and boundless forests, to a little hamlet on the upper Mississippi, called Ca- hokia, where a few bold pioneers had built their huts, probably for the pur- pose of trading with the Indians for furs. Here the governor organized the county of St. Clair. It embraced the whole vast territory between the Wabash on the east, the Ohio on the south, and the Mississippi on the west. Two years had now elapsed since the Mayflower, floating down the Ohio, had landed its energetic party of emigrants at the mouth of the Muskingum. The settlements in that region, and the population had so rapidly increased that the militia rolls of the county comprised four hundred and forty-seven men, fit for military duty. Of these, one hundred and three were heads of families. The whole population amounted to twenty-five hundred souls. During the two years quite a number of individuals had been cut off by the lurking savages. Eighteen months had passed since the settlement in the Miami country. The increase there had been fully as rapid as in Washington County. They already counted a population of two thousand souls. They had also the advantage of quite a large detachment of regular troops stationed at Fort Washington. In both regions the annoyance and danger from the Indians had been continually increasing. The settlers were compelled to protect themselves with great care within their fortified stations, and in their block-houses. It was no longer deemed safe to extend their settlements farther into the country. Con- centration rather than dispersion became essential. The Indians loitered around the settlements, and it was observed that they were carefully studying the nature of the defenses. It became unsafe to venture from their inclosures. Many had been waylaid, robbed and murdered in their advance from one settle- ment to another. The foe lurked under every bush and covert. Many negro slaves, preferring freedom with the Indian to slavery under the white man, had fled from their masters in Kentucky, and found refuge and a cordial welcome in the wigwam of the savage. These negroes were often not unwilling to avenge the intolerable wrongs which they had received from their oppressors. The danger had become so great that a "reign of terror" may be said to have commenced in all these hamlets. The executive council issued a decree, or- daining it to be a penal offense for any one to harbor an Indian or a negro, without first reporting him to the military commandant. All male settlers were commanded to go armed on every occasion. When at work in the fields sentinels were always to be posted in some position which would enable them to give warning on the approach of danger. Several of the Shawanese tribes had repudiated the treaty of peace, and the Wabash tribes had not been par- ties to it. It is not known that any of the tribes who had signed the treaty had proved false to their pledges. The foe assailing the settlements was invisible and unpronounced. On the seventh of August, 1789, a surveying party was out in the Miami country. It consisted of Mr. Mathews, a surveyor, with four assistants and a guard of seven soldiers. One morning, just before leaving the camp, they were all gathered around their fire, taking breakfast, when two guns were fired upon them, from Indians in ambush. One man fell, instantly killed. The other bullet passed through the bosom of Mr. Mathews' shirt, just grazing the skin. As the men sprang to their feet, the forest seem to resound with the war- whoop of the savages, and another more deadly volley was poured in upon them. Six of the soldiers fell dead. Of the whole party of twelve, five only re- mained. This was the work of an instant. The survivors fled in various di- rections, and, after enduring great suffering, reached places of safety. The settlements in the vicinity of Cincinnati, were perhaps more exposed than those on the Muskingum. They were in what is called the old war-path of the savages. Nearly all the Indian trails from Lake Erie, led down the Valleys of the Miamis to the Ohio. Thence the savage warriors crossing the river in their canoes, ascended the Valley of the Licking, spreading desolation and death among the settlements in Kentucky. The tribes on the upper waters of the Great and Little Miami, and in the Valleys of the Sandusky and the Mau- mee, had been almost entirely under the influence of the British, and through the influence of the British traders, as we have mentioned, they still con- tinued hostile in their feelings. In September, 1790, General Josiah Harmer collected quite a large force where Covington now is, on the Kentucky side of the river, opposite Cincin- nati. An expedition was then arranged to sweep through the whole Miami Valleys, with a resistless force which should punish the guilty and overawe, by the exhibition of power, all the Indian tribes. General Harmar was appointed com- mander, with three hundred Federal troops and eleven hundred and thirty-three volunteer militia, from Pennsylvania, Western Virginia and Kentucky. This gave him an army of more than fourteen hundred men - a large force for those days and that region. Colonel John Hardin was in command of the Kentucky volunteers, and Major John Paul led the battalion of Pennsylvani and Virginia volunteers. Encumbered with baggage, they were compelled to cut a road along the narrow was trail of the Indian. Thus, it was seventeen days before they could reach the Indians towns on the Maumee. The savages consequently had ample noticeof their approach. They fled, and carried off with them everthing which was transportable, and set fire to their huts. It was the fifteenth of October when General Harmanr reached what was called the Great Village of the Miamis. For sometime he was quite embarrassed to know what course to follow. To pur- sue the Indians would indeed be like giving chase to a flea upon the moun- tains. To return from so expensive and imposing a campaign, to which the whole country had been directed, having accomplished nothing, would indeed be humiliating. After the tarry of a few days, General Harmar sent out detachments to a small neighboring villages, which they also found deserted. Five of these they burned, besides destroying large quantities of corn and other vegetables. In one of these excursons the fresh trail of a large party of Indians was discovered. The commander immediately sent a party of two hundred and thirty men in pursuit. Eighty of these were regular troops. The remaining one hun- dred and fifty were Kentucky volunteers. They were all under the command of Colonel Hardin, of Kentucky. After a march of six miles, without meeting with any signs of a foe, they were crossing a narrow plain, borered by thickets, when suddenly they were attacked by a large number of Indians, completely encircling them, in am- buscade. Strange as it appears, the Kentucky volunteers, terrified probably by the remembrance of the massacre of Blue Licks, broke and fled, to a man, without returning a shot. The regular troops were left alone to combat an unseen foe, of whose numbers they were entirely ignorant. The conflict was short and bloody. The largely outnumbering savages fired with unerring aim upon their clearly defined foes, and, in a few moments, every man had fallen, except two or three privates and two or three officers. The escape of some of these seemed almost miraculous. In the confusion of the rout and carnage, as Ensign Hartshorn was fran- tically running, he stumbled over a decaying log beneath which there chanced to be a small cavity. Unseen he crept into it and drew the withered leaves around him. Thus he remained in the most dreadful agonies of suspense, till the savages had retired. There chanced to be a marshy pond overgrown with tall grass and reeds, within six hundred feet of the battle ground. Captain Armstrong plunged into the pond so burying himself in the water and mire as merely to be able to breathe. Here he remained during the long hours of the afternoon and the night. The exhultant savages rushed from their coverts upon the plain. They built their triumphant fires. They yelled, they danced, they clashed their weapons in the exuberance of their demoniac joy. They scalped and mangled the bodies of the slain. They scalped the wounded while still living, and then like incarnate fiends tortured them to death, the shrieks of the victims blending with the war cries of their tormentors. In the morning the savages retired and Captain Armstrong succeeded in reaching his friends in safety. Two days after this disaster, General Harmar, being satisfied that nothing more could be accomplished, commenced his return. Colonel Hardin was inten- sely chagrined by the disastrous and disgraceful result of his expedition. He was very anxious to retrieve his reputation before he should return to meet his fellow citizens in Kentucky. After the army had advanced about ten miles on their homeward route, he represented to Gen. Harmar that the savages, whose scouts were known to be extremely vigilant, would undoubtedly have been apprised of the retirement of the troops, and would be that time have returned in large numbers to their old homes. He, therefore, urged that he should be allowed to take five hundred militia, and sixty regulars, to march back ra- pidly upon the town, and attacking the savages by surprise, inflict upon them signal vengeance. The expedition was immediately organized and sent forward on its march. The wary Indians, who seemed often on these occasions to manifest more military sagacity than the white men, kept themselves informed of every movement. They stationed a small body of warriors at a carefully selected spot, who, after a short conflict, fled in a direction not towards the town. The whole body of the militia pursued them pell-mell, while the regulars slowly continued their march along the trail. The savages having thus adroitly separated their foes, fell with their whole force upon the little party of regulars. The bravery and impetuously of this attack were extraordinary in the highest degree. The savages actually threw down their rifles and rushed with the tomahawk, two or three to one, upon the bayonets of the soldiers. All except nine were speedily killed. The Indians then, as if satisfied with their accomplishments, retired into their fastness. General Harmar, with the remainder of his force, returned from his inglorious campaign to Fort Washington. His loss amounted to one hundred and eighty-three in killed and thirty-one wounded. The effect of this campaign exasperated and encouraged the Indians. The war whoop resounded through all their tribes. Those Indians who were disposed to friendly relations were overpowered by the impetuous flood of savage en- thusiasm. All the settlements in the Great Valley, in Western Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, were alike menaced. The emigrants had much more to lose and much more cause to dread war than had the Indians. The farm-houses of the settlers were widely scattered. The burning of a frontier village, with the scalping and torturing of men, women and children, was a horror which no language can exaggerate. To burn the wigwam of a savage was comparatively a light catastrophe. He had no household furniture. A few hours' labor would replace his hut. He was in no danger, either himself, his wife or his children of being scalped and tortured. The perils to which the frontiers were exposed were terrible. In view of them the stoutest heart might quail. In vview of them the most earnest peti- tions were sent to President Washington to authorize the raising of a force sufficiently powerful effectually to protect the frontiers. President Wash- ington had in person witnessed all the horrors of savage warfare. He knew well how to sympathize with these suffering pioneers. Promptly he persuaded Congress, in the session which terminated on the third of March, 1791, to authorize him to raise a regiment of regulars and two thousand volunteers, to serve for six months. Immediate and vigorous measures were adopted for a new campaign. -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #765 *******************************************