Crawford County, Ohio - Chapter 3: Indian Occupancy, 1912 (part 2 of 2)

On July 4, 1805, another treaty was signed at Fort Industry between the United States and the Wyandots and other tribes, by which the eastern boundary of their reservation was a meridian line, starting at a point on Lake Erie, 120 miles west of the western boundary of Pennsylvania, thence south to the Greenville treaty line. This line was the present west boundary of Erie and Huron counties; it passed through Crawford county giving the present eastern seven miles to the United States, the western thirteen miles being reserved to the Indians. It touched the Greenville treaty line about two miles east of what is now Cardington, in Morrow county. All east of this north and south line, north of the Greenville treaty line, extending to the Cuyahoga river was now open to settlement. For this territory the Indians were given goods to the amount of $20,000, and were to receive in addition $7,500 in goods annually. From this new territory Richland county was created in 1807, and it included the four eastern miles of what is now Crawford county, all of Auburn, Vernon and Jackson, and the eastern two miles of Jefferson and the eastern four miles of Polk. Between the western boundary of Richland county and the eastern boundary of the reservation, a three mile strip was left unattached, the present three eastern sections of Cranberry, all of Sandusky and the three western sections of Jefferson and Polk. For some years the Indians remained peaceful, their severe losses in their constant wars having so greatly reduced their numbers that they realized, without help, all further opposition to the Americans was hopeless.

This peace would have continued but for the actions of the British in forcing the war of 1812. England for several years had been stopping American ships on the high seas, seizing seamen on those vessels and impressing them into the British navy on the ground they were British seamen. Many American born sailors were thus seized, and to all protests the British government turned a deaf ear. The British also instigated the Indians in the northwest to recommence their depredations against the Americans, and Tecumseh organized the savage tribes, and when war was declared by the United States Tecumseh and nearly all the northwestern Indians joined their forces with the British, with headquarters at Detroit. Tarhe "The Crane," was chief of the Wyandots at that time, and assisted by Between-the-Logs, another Wyandot chief, urged their tribe to remain neutral, which the majority of them did, very few Wyandots following the lead of Tecumseh. At the breaking out of the war, the first year in the northwest, the Americans met with a constant succession of reverses.

In July, 1 81 2, Gen. William Hull, in command at Detroit, surrendered that post to the British and Indians, without firing a gun. The allied army consisted of a thousand British and six hundred Indians. The force surrendered was 2,500 men, with thirty-three cannon, arms and ammunition. Just prior to the surrender a detachment of five hundred had been sent south to guard some supplies coming from Ohio. These were a part of Hull's arrtiy and were surrendered also, and as they were returning they were met by a company of British soldiers who astonished them with the statement that they, too, were included in the capitulation. The American troops were released on parole. A number started home on foot, others were transported in boats across Lake Erie to the mouths of the Sandusky, Huron and Cuyahoga rivers, and left at those points to go overland the nearest route to their homes, many passing through Crawford as the nearest way home.

Gen. William Henry Harrison was placed in command of the army in the northwest in September of 1812, the objective point of this campaign being to regain Detroit from the British. Gen. Harrison immediately established a line of defense across the state from Wooster through Crawford county, to Upper Sandusky and St. Mary's to Ft. Wayne. The army was divided into three divisions, the left composed of the Kentucky troops and the Seventeenth and Eighteenth U. S. regulars under Brigadier General Winchester ; their route was up the Miami, with the base of supplies at St. Mary's, Auglaize county. The central division was composed of 1,200 of the Ohio militia and eight hundred mounted infantry under Brigadier General Tupper, with their base of supplies at Fort McArthur (Kenton, Hardin county). The right was composed of three brigades of militia from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio, and were to assemble at Fort Ferree, a fort erected at Upper Sandusky, where Gen. Harrison had his headquarters. During the early winter these troops were assembling at the three different points a large number of the right division marching to their post through Crawford county. On October 22, Gen Harrison wrote to the war department: "I am not able to fix any period for the advance of the troops to Detroit. It is pretty evident that it cannot be done, on proper principles, until the frost shall have become so severe as to enable us to use the rivers and the margin of- the lake for the transportation of our baggage on the ice." He also stated that to go from Columbus to Upper Sandusky, for every team employed in transporting supplies it would require two teams loaded with forage for their subsistence, and that at Upper Sandusky it was necessary to accumulate not only provisions for the men but forage sufficient for at least two thousand horses and oxen, that would necessarily have to be employed in advancing the main expedition. During November and December Gen. Harrison did what he could toward improving the roads.

While at his headquarters on the Sandusky, Tarhe, the Wyandot chief, called on Gen. Harrison, and suggested that a meeting of the Indians be held, as it was his opinion many of the Indians had been deceived into joining the British forces. In response to this, a council of Indians, both friendly and unfriendly, was held on the American side of the Detroit river at Brownstown. The Wyandots were then the leading and most powerful Indian nation, and Tarhe, their chief, sent a strong message urging them to remain neutral. Tarhe's message was received in sullen silence, and Round Head, a Canadian chief, and a Wyandot, made a bitter speech against the Americans, which was endorsed by practically all present. The British were represented at the council by two agents, Elliott and McKee, and Elliott, seeing the spirit of the Indians, made a very insulting speech, boasting of the victories already achieved, and alluding to the President of the United States as a squaw, and saying: "If she receives this as an insult and feels disposed to fight, tell her to bring more men than she ever brought before. If she wishes to fight me and my children she must not burrow in the earth like a ground hog* where she is inaccessible. She must come out and fight fairly." The leading chief of the Wyandots present was Between-the-Logs, the chief orator of that nation, and to the insulting speech of Elliott he made a dignified reply:

"Brothers, I am directed by my American father to inform you that if you reject the advice given you, he will march here with a large army, and if .he should find any of the red people opposing him in his passage through this country, he will trample them under his feet. You cannot stand before him.

"And now for myself, I earnestly entreat you to consider the good talk I have brought, and listen to it. Why should you devote yourselves, your women and your children to destruction? Let me tell you, if you should defeat the American army this time you have not done! Another will come on, and if you defeat that still another will appear that you cannot withstand; one that will come like the waves of the great water, and overwhelm you and sweep you from the face of the earth.

"If you doubt the account I give you of the force of the Americans, you can send some of your own people, in whom you have confidence, to examine their army and navy. They shall be permitted to return in- safety. The truth is your British father lies to you and deceives you. He boasts of the few victories he gains, but never tells you of his defeats, of his armies being slaughtered, and his vessels being taken on the big waters. He keeps all these things to himself.

"And now, father, let me address a few words to you. Your request shall be granted. I will bear your message to the American father. It is true none of your children appear willing to forsake your standard, and it will be the worse for them. You compare the Americans to ground hogs, and complain of their mode of fighting. I must confess that a ground hog is a very difficult animal to contend with. He has such sharp teeth, such an inflexible temper, and such an unconquerable spirit, that he is truly a dangerous enemy, especially when he is in his own hole. But, father, let me tell you, you can have your wish. Before many days you will see the ground hog floating on yonder lake, paddling his 'canoe toward your hole, and then, father, you will have an opportunity of attacking your enemy in any way you may think best."

This closed the council, the Canadian Indians remaining with the British, while the Ohio Wyandots followed the advice of Between-the-Logs. Tarhe made another attempt and sent another message to his Canadian Wyandot kinsman: "Let all the Wyandots abandon the British. They are liars and have always deceived the Indians. They built Fort Miami, as they said, to be a refuge to the Indians. When wounded and bleeding, after our defeat by Gen. Wayne, we fled to their fort for protection, they shut the gates against us." Later in the campaign Tecumseh threw this same treacherous act up to Gen. Procter. It referred to a campaign when "Mad Anthony" Wayne defeated the British and Indians, and the British sought refuge in Fort Miami, and closed its gates against their fleeing Indian allies. He called attention to several other acts of perfidy of the British but it had no effect on his Canadian people, although nearly all the Wyandots in Ohio remained on the side of the Americans ; only a very few joinmg the British.

During the war of 1812 Gen. Harrison had his headquarters much of the time along the Sandusky river. He established Fort Ferree, the present site of Upper Sandusky ; Fort Ball at Tiffin and Fort Seneca half way between Tiffin and Fremont. This latter place had been a trading post over a century, established by the French, and here was Fort Stevenson.

On December 17, 181 2, Gov. Meigs sent a message to the State Legislature appealing for aid for the Ohio militia at Sandusky, in which he said : "The situation of the men as to clothing is really distressing. You will see many of them wading through the snow and mud almost barefooted and half naked. Not half the men have a change of pantaloons, and those linen."

In January, 1813, Gen. Harrison marched from Upper Sandusky to the Maumee and about January 20 erected Fort Meigs, on the south side of the river just above where Perrysburg now is, and for the balance of the winter supplies and troops were sent forward and the fort strengthened. Toward the last of April the fort was besieged by Gen. Procter and Tecumseh with two thousand British and Indians, but the small force there made .so determined a resistence until re-inforcements arrived under Gen. Clay, that on May 5, the allies gave up the siege and retired. Gen. Harrison sent word to Gov. Meigs that more troops were needed, and they were soon on their way to the different posts. On May 8 the commander at Fort Ferree wrote that five hundred men had arrived that day and a thousand more would be there the next day.

On July 21 Gen. Procter and Tecumseh again laid siege to Fort Meigs with four thousand British and Indians, Gen. Clay being in command of the Fort. The British general, Procter, left Tecumseh to watch the Fort, while he, with five hundred British troops and eight hundred Indians, marched to Lower Sandusky (Fremont) to capture Fort Stevenson, which was garrisoned by one hundred and fifty men under Major Crogan, a young man of twenty-one. They arrived before the Fort on August- ist, 1813, and Procter demanded its surrender under the threat that its defense against his superior force was hopeless, and if they were compelled to capture the place, it would be impossible for him to restrain the savagery of the Indians, and the entire garrison would be massacred. The demand was refused and on August 2d the attack commenced, and after several hours of fighting the enemy endeavored to take it by assault but were repulsed with great slaughter. Gen. Harrison was at the time at Fort Seneca, nine miles up the river, with a large force of troops, and Procter fearing an attack in return gave up the attempt and returned to Detroit. Their loss was perhaps one hundred and fifty killed and wounded. The American loss was one killed and seven wounded.

mand of the Governor, Return Jonathan Meigs. It was impossible to care for so many, besides the enemy had abandoned their attempt to capture Fort Meigs and retired to Detroit, and the pressing need for the militia had passed, so all but two thousand were disbanded and sent home, an order which was received with the greatest disapproval by the disbanded troops, and led to indignation meetings in which severe resolutions were passed against Gen. Harrison.

On September lo, 1813, Perry gained his signal victory on Lake Erie and Gen. Harrison pushed forward into Michigan to retake the fort. Reaching Detroit he found the place deserted, the British and Indians having retired across the river into Canada. On October 2d, Gens. Harrison and Shelby, with 3,500 Ohio and Kentucky troops, started after the retreating army and overtook the allied forces at the river Thames, eighty miles from Detroit. A battle followed on October 5, in which Tecumseh was slain, which so demoralized his Indian followers that they immediately took flight. A large number of the British were killed or captured and the rest fled. This was the final battle of the northwest, and from that time the settlers of northwestern Ohio were no longer disturbed by the British or Indians. The war, however, continued in the east and south, until the last battle was fought at New Orleans, on January 8, 181 5, by Gen. Jackson, who, with six thousand men, administered a crushing defeat to Gen. Packenham's force of 12,000. The troops of Packenham were the pick of the British army, the survivors returning to Europe in time to take part in the battle of Waterloo, while the troops of Jackson were the raw militia of Kentucky, Tennessee and the Northwest, but every man a marksman. In the repeated charges of Packenham against the breastworks of the Americans the world was given an example of the height to which disciplined soldiery can be brought.

During the war of 1812, in the battles along the Maumee, the brutal murderings by the Indians of the soldiers after they had surrendered, were of frequent occurrence. Unarmed prisoners were butchered and scalped; huts containing the wounded were set on fire, the infuriated savages surrounding the burning buildings, and as the maimed and crippled soldiers endeavored to escape they were bayonetted back into the flames. Some prisoners were taken by the Indians to their towns to undergo death by torture. During this war the English endeavored to curb the cruelties of their Indian allies, but it was generally useless, and it was only on a few occasions that

The Wyandots being at peace with the Americans, and Harrison's headquarters for his principal army of advance during the war being in what was Crawford county from 1820 to 1845, there were no disturbances in this section; in fact at the time of the War of 1812 to 1 8 14, there was not a single settler on any land within the borders of the county, it was still an unbroken wilderness, crossed by a military road in the south and another through where Bucyrus is now located, with Indian trails covering the county in various directions.