Yale University Library 39002005681862 __^^___ i$f|y iliiiiiii Mi Km HHBpBn?"'l..ri.-J" >' w "*.' Mr ap : '"I,."' i! 1 MSB- ffdBFs s !, t t iifc;' 1' I ¦i|;^i^;-^il BiJobiiCf! 011^^1^^^^^^ Mm ¦MB Cnl4- 283 D /w tie faiati^kg if ti CeWigt, w. ^f 1933 F^'T'gin'*''*^""' PETER NAVARRE The famous scout, under General Harrison The EARLY HISTORY OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY By JOHN E. GUNCKEL PRESS OF THE HADLEY PRINTING CO. TOLEDO, OHIO 1902 Copyrighted, 1902 by JOHN E. GUNCKEL All rights reserved Cyvl4.^B3 to tSe mtmotv ot t^t jFallm ^etot0 ot tSe eatlte0t fetcusffl^ f ot tfteit €ovinttf& iplaff. to|)o ate 0kepmg in untnatKrti stabtd in Illustrations. Peter Navarre Toledo in 1795 Toledo in 1902 Turtle Island and Lig-ht House Bay View Park Ottokee .... General Anthony Wayne Fort Defiance Fort Miami .... Fort Deposit Roche-de-Boeuf Presque Isle Hill and Turkey Foot Rock The Maumee Rapids at Turkey Foot Rock The Return of Turkey Foot Rock The First Log- Cabin . General William Henry Harrison Governor Return Jonathan Meigs Fort Meig's, facing the River and Maumee city Fort Meigs ; the Ravine Fort Meigs ; Northerly section Fort Meigs ; Rear view- Fort Meigs ; Harrison Point The Burial Ground of Col. Dudley and his men Fort Meig-s ; The Harrison Well "Old Betsy Crogan" .... Indian Villiages Tecumseh Perry's Willow, Put-in-Bay The Grave of General Anthony Wayne The Maumee Elm .... Page. Frontispiece 1415 21232528 3132 34 35 37 3840 444752 545558 59 6263 64 69 73 77 8387 88 Illustrations — Concluded. Head of the Maumee Rapids The Upper Valley The Maumee River and Valley The Maumee River and Valley The Old Maumee Court House Traveling in the 19th Century Traveling- in the 20th Century Page. 9091969799 100 101 Contents. Pag e The Maumee Valley. Its importance in the early history of the country 19 Hon. D. W. H. Howard- His knowledge of the Indians. Gov ernment agent 19 Turtle Island and Light House. Its first occupants. Who named after .......... 20 Presque Isle ; meeting place of Indians 22 Bay View Park ; its early history 22 The Manhattan District . 22 Judge Francis L. Nichols ; a pioneer. His interest in the district 22 The Buffalo Syndicate. Value of land .... 24 Ottokee, Indian chief ¦ 26 Original owners of the land at the mouth of the river • • 26 Friendliness of the Indians • • 26 Inter-marriage of Ottawas and Pottawatamies ... 26 Advance of the white man -26 Hunting and fishing. Fur trading ...... 26 Exchange of muskets, powder, cloth and novelties for furs ¦ 26 Bad whiskey introduced 26 Secret work of the British 26 Treaty of 1776 violated 26 The northwest territory 27 Depredations of the Indians on the frontier .... 27 General Arthur St. Clair, inaugurated Governor of the territory 27 Indians unite with Canada 27 Contents — Continued. General Harmer ordered to the front. Reg-ulars and militia Advance through the forest Surprised by the Indians A serious defeat Indians bolder General Washington uneasy General St. Clair called to command the army " Beware of a surprise " . ... Loss of men in the forest ; sufferings of his men Indians again surprise the army General St. Clair's defeat, and retreat Fort Recovery ....... The second defeat of the Americans Americans aroused to action ; insist upon protection from Indian invasion General Anthony Wayne called by " popular consent " His army ; his marches through the forest Arrives at the Maumee Rapids ..... Council Elm, at Grand Rapids General Wayne's knowledge of Fort Miami Builds Fort Deposit Holds council with Lieut- William Henry Harrison Rouche-de-Beouf The Battle of Fallen Timbers "Mad "Anthony Result of the battle Turkey Foot Rock ; its past and present Death of Chief Turkey Foot Page. 27 27 272727 2829 2929 2929 29 29 29293030 30 30 33 33 33 33 33 3636 39 Contents— Continued. The only monument in the valley General Wayne's march to the Maumee bay He passes Fort Miami, occupied by the British He builds Fort Industry, now Toledo Block Houses ; company left in charge of the fort Major Campbell, of the English army, demands an explana tion of Wayne's presence in the valley. General Wayne's reply Wayne retires from the valley . He marches to Fort Greenville Treaty of Greenville signed Peace restored between United States and Indians The rapid settlement of the valley. Advance of the white man- Cultivation of the land- Erection of houses. In crease of emmigration .... General treachery of the Indians Progress of Americans arouses England's jealousy Secret hand of the British, urging the Indians on President Madison Indians on the war path War declared between United States and England General William Henry Harrison in command Army rendezvous at Dayton .... Regfulars and militia. The army advances toward the north Following- General Wayne's trails through the forest Arrival at the Maumee Rapids .... General Winchester in command of the left wing . Fort Winchester built Page. 41 41 41 41 41 42 43 43 4343 43 4545 45 4545 454645 4646 46 4646 10 Contents — Continued. Depredations at Frenchtown American army appealed to for protection General Winchester to their rescue .... His march on the ice to the River Raisin The surprise, the battle, the surrender of the Americans Treachery of General Proctor, the British commander . The massacre of the River Raisin The site of the massacre Thirty-seven American soldiers escaped to the Maumee valley General Harrison at the Rapids He builds Fort Meigs Peculiarity of the name Return Jonathan Meigs Governor Return Jonathan Meigs Fort Meigs substantially built. Block houses Details of the fort Arrival of General Proctor and his army Tecumseh, and his Indians The siege of Fort Meigs. Force engaged. Heavy firing May 1, 3 and 5 • • General Proctor demands immediate surrender Flag of truce ; English officers at the fort The interview. Its result. The firing resumed General Clay and his brave Kentuckians Colonel Dudley in command of the army on the west shore " Order to spike the guns " " Indian war-whoop too much for Kentuckians " Terrible battle. Surrender of Colonel Dudley's army • Massacre of the Americans, in sight of the British Fort Miami Page. 48 48 48 48 48 4849 49 49 5151 51 51 51 53 53 53 56 56 56 56575757606060 11 Contents — Continued. General Proctor raises the siege. Retreats to Amherstburg- General Proctor returns ; his second failure to capture the fort Peter Navarre, the scout His journey to Fort Stephenson Major George Crogan ....... Defence of Fort Stephenson General Proctor, by water, and Tecumseh, by land, arrives at the fort Demands immediate surrender .... "If you take this fort you will find nobody left]to surrender it ' Killing work of Crogan's cannon "Old Betsy Crogan" Proctor's hasty retreat. Flight of the Indians Major Crogan's famous victory Death of Peter Navarre Battle of the Thames Americans killed in defense of Fort Meigs Interments at Fort Meigs The " Pittsburgh Blues " ... ... The Great Northwest Territory . . . • . Americans sacrificed in the engagements Plea for preservation of the forts, battlefields and burial grounds The Indians of the Maumee Valley Tecumseh, " Shooting Star," chief of the Shawnees Battles engaged in. His history. His death - Chiefs Turkey Foot ; Baw Beese : Black Hawk The last of the Indians taken to their reservations in the far west Page. 61 61 65 65 67 67 66 67 6767686868 686870 7071717172 74 7679 80 81 12 Contents — Concluded. Two famous trees . The willow tree, at Put-in-Bay Battle of Lake Erie The British fleet. Vessels engaged. The battle. The victory Commodore Perry's message to General Harrison : " We have met the enemy and they are ours." British surrender Perry's messag-e to the Secretary of the Navy The graves at Put-in-Bay. " British and Americans sleep side by side " The elm tree at Maumee The Indian sharp-shooter. "He could pick off our men at the river " " We dropped him from the tree " The Maumee Valley ........ Its early history. Present beauty and wealth. Commercial center Louis de Frontenac Father Pere Marquette ; his Christian influence over the Indians • ¦ Who discovered the Maumee River? .... The Maumee Valley and country Its sacred holdings worthy of recognition, especially from the rising generation Page. 82 8282 82 8484 85 86 868689898992 92 92 98 13 TOLEDO IN 1795 Fort Industry as it was when occupied by General Wayne in August, 1794-5, Now the easterly corner of Summit and Monroe Streets. 14 THE CITY OF TOLEDO IN 1902 15 PRE FAC E THE following pages contain a brief history of the struggles and conflicts for the possession of the Northwest Territory. The facts are gleaned from original muster roles, orders, letters, manuscripts, and personal interviews with men who were partici pants in the engagements of the battles fought along the lines of the early frontier, and which finally centered in the Maumee Valley, and on Lake Erie. Through these successful conflicts the American people gained all the territory now comprising the great states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The brave men who sacrificed their lives were volunteers from Pennsyl vania, Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. And to the present generation it should be a matter of the very greatest importance the preserva tion of the forts, the battle fields, and the burial grounds of the sev eral thousand men who were killed and buried on the banks of the Maumee river, and whose graves to-day are unmarked, and in a few years more will be almost forgotten and unknown. While the compilation does not tell thfe whole story of the early history of this valley, it is sufficiently complete to convey to the minds of all, the incidents, the perils and struggles of pioneer life which the intrepid leaders and their courageous followers had to contend. We believe the facts, connecting the defence of the north west frontier, are interesting and in which the American people should take pride, and the details of which cannot be too often told to the younger generations. The Early History of the Maumee Valley. NO series of events in the entire history of this country are more interesting or form a stronger link in the successful struggles for national independence than those connected with the early history of the Maumee Valley. It is surprising that in the many histories of the United States no prominence is given to the cam paigns that gave to America the empire of the Northwest. Less than one hundred years ago Northwestern Ohio was a dense forest. If- is always interesting to learn who occupied the land in and about any paticular section of the country long before the white man pushed his way into the unknown forest and wilds of the west. Par ticularly is this interesting if the information comes directly from men whose knowledge of the Indians dates prior to personal experi ences, and when it is obtained from chiefs of many tribes, and especially from aged Sachems who gave to some of our earlier settlers the history of their ancestors. And later from the writings of those brave men who fought in the Indian frontier wars. And still later from official reports approving the many incidental facts. To the late Hon. D. W. H. Howard we are indebted for the many links of facts connecting the unwritten history of this famous valley. There has been no person in the Maumee Valley whose life's experience has been so closely in touch with its early history as Mr. Howard. To the pioneers of Ohio and Michigan no man's face has been more familiar, no voice better known, no name more frequently spoken. For nearly a century he lived in the valley, from infancy to death. He saw the Maumee Valley grow from a wilder ness, inhabited almost entirely by the Indians, until it became the 19 abode of hundreds of thousands of enterprising people. He was per sonally acquainted with all of the chiefs of the tribes of Indians who made this valley their camping grounds. He was familar with their traditions, and naturally sympathized with them in their sorrows; and finally, as government representative, accompanied them, the last of the red men in the valley as tribes or part of tribes, to their reservation toward the setting sun. The Autumn leaves of 1897 covered no grave the occupant of which holds a closer and dearer memory in the hearts of his country men than does D. W. H. Howard. In this valley, as well as in other lands it has always been the custom of the American Indians to select for their camping grounds the most commanding and beautiful portions of the country. From Turtle Light, around whose base the clear waters of Lake Erie play at will, to the junction of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers, at Fort Defiance, a distance of some seventy miles, there is scarcely a tract of land bordering these romantic rivers but has been the camping and hunting grounds of the most intelligent tribes of Indians. Turtle Light was built in 1831, on a natural island. It was re built in 1867. Prior to 1831 the island was the home of sea gulls, and Vv^as annually visited by the Indians, "Who secured the hundreds of dozens of eggs in season." Turtle Light was named after the Indian chief, Little Turtle, whose wigwam was located "under the elms on Presque Isle." This chief, it is so recorded in many oflicial reports, was the person who laid the plans and so successfully de feated Generals Harmer and St. Clair in the early frontier cam paigns. He was one of the chiefs who signed the agreement at Fort Greenville. Of him. General Clay wrote, "he was a brave, dignified warrior with a touch of human sympathy for wounded soldiers. He proved himself to be true to his promises and was granted special 20 TURTLE ISLAND AND LIGHT HOUSE— Lalie Erie favors and privileges from the government. He was given a white man's burial at Ft. Wayne after the war of 1812." Presque Isle, one of the most beautiful natural wooded spots along the lake shore was for many years the meeting place of visiting tribes of Indians who came from Michigan, and as far east as Niagara Falls. Through the friendly disposition of the chief Little Turtle this place was the rendezvous of Indians who started on their semi-annual hunting tours through the dense forests of the valley, the low land and marshes of the surrounding country. At the mouth of the Maumee river, and extending into the bay, and nearly opposite Presque Isle, is Bay View Park. It is the site selected by the city of Toledo, and approved by the State Commis sion for the Ohio Centennial and Northwest Territory Exposition, which was to be held in 1903, "to fitly commemorate the deeds par ticipated in by the state and its citizens during the first century of its existence, and representing the immense growth and develop ment of the Great Northwest Territory." Bay View Park with its 250 acres of beautiful landscape, and its long line of bay and river frontage, with one of the finest and most complete harbors on fresh water, cost the city of Toledo some $350,000.00. By virtue of its location it is destined to be one of the social centers of the valley. There should be a monumeiit erected on the park, at the entrance of this historic river, in full view of the lake and every passing vessel, in commemoration of the fallen heroes who are sleeping along the shores ; who, in their life time, achieved honor, fame, and by their patriotism and bravery gained an empire. All the territory around Bay View Park has been known for many years as the Manhattan district. No man living is more fami liar with the early history of this portion of the valley than Judge Francis L. Nichols, now in his 97th year of age. He came here when 22 BAY VIEW PARK The meeting grounds of the Indian tribes in the early days. 23 the Indians controlled the country, and the remnants of the tribes on the west side of the river were under the charge of the great chief Ottokee. Judge Nichols ate from the same table with this chief and his two wives, and the continual feast of all kinds of game lingers fresh in his memory. He saw the famous orator, the chief Wauseon, together with several hundred other Indians buried on the high grounds of Bay View Park. He saw the last remnants of the tribes, including his friend Ottokee, taken to their reservation farther west. In 1826 a syndicate formed by Buffalo capitalists purchased about 800 acres of land, covering Bay View Park, paying for the same $15.00 per acre. He saw this land gradually increase in value, the town of Toledo rapidly becoming one of the most thriving cities of the lakes, and sold some of the land for $3,500.00 per acre. Judge Nichols is now old in years, but has the vitality of a man of forty; active mind, splendid memory, particularly of his early days, and lives in a beautiful home facing the peaceful river, surrounded by relatives, friends, books, pictures, everything that makes a perfect home to his liking. His greatest delight is looking out over the river watching the rapid progress of civilization, enjoying the realization of his early predictions that this valley would produce a city of great social and commercial importance. As a large, heavily- ladened vessel was slowly steaming out the harbor, he said: "What changes in fifty years. To-day the river and bay is filled with vessels of all kinds, carrying to and fro the great products of the grandest country on earth. Young man, you will never know how to appreciate the work of the early settlers of this valley. The soldiers and pioneers who are resting in their last sleep along the banks of the Maumee, you owe to their memory monuments that should reach the clouds. Ohio and the entire country should be proud of the Maumee Valley." 24 OTTOKEE The chief who opposed war, was friendly to the whites, and the last to leave the valley. He was the original owner of the land at the mouth of the river, known as the Manhattan District. The chiefs. Little Turtle and Ottokee, representing the Shawnee^ Ottawa and Wyandotte nations, "by ancestral right" claimed all the land. below the rapids, including the mouth of the river, vir tually controlling the fishing and hunting grounds of the valley. O-wing to their friendly disposition other tribes frequently visited them. The Pottawatomies, who lived on the banks of the River Raisin, in Michigan, were annual visitors, who came for the pur pose of hunting the deer, turkey and other game. The squaws and young men remaining at Presque Isle and Bay View Park while the braves went hunting. As a natural result of these visits the Ottawas inter-married with the Pottawatomies. "The friendship of these two tribes continued until the land was occupied wholly by the whites, and the two tribes were taken together to their new homes." The slow advancement of the white man, and the gradual occu pation of the hunting and fishing grounds, soon aroused a feeling of jealousy and a desire to drive these intruders from the valley, and this invasion had a telling effect upon the peaceful Ottawas. Prior to this there existed a very friendly feeling between the whites and the Indians inhabiting the bay shore, to such an extent that muskets, powder, bullets, clothing and other articles, were exchanged for furs. In time, bows, arrows, clubs and war axes were replaced by modern weapons. Bad whiskey also was introduced, and was the cause of many disturbances among the savages ; in fact, it was one of the great evils which opened the gap of bitter hatred between the whites and the Indians. Whiskey, unfair dealing and the rapidly increasing white population on the frontier, together with the secret hand of the British, who occupied Canada, instigating the chiefs, resulted in starting the Indians in their bloody warfare against the frontiersmen, which soon was followed by war. The treaties following the war of 1776, gave to the United States 26 five great States, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin^ which comprised the original Northwest Territory. On July 15th, 1788, General Arthur St. Clair was inaugurated as governor of this territory. The Indians of the lake being in close and friendly relationship with Canada and England, and seeing the rapid advance made by the Americans in the newly acquired terri tory, formed a secret alliance with the chiefs, with the sole purpose of driving back the advancement of the whites along the frontier. The depredations and terrible murders committed by the Indians soon aroused the Americans and it was necessary to protect the lives of the people inhabiting the territory along the Ohio line. For this protection a small body of regulars, men who served in '76, enlisted and were placed under command of Brigadier-General Har mer, with orders to march against the Indians and, "Inflict such punishment as would prevent future depredations." On September 30th, 1790, General Harmer, with 450 regulars, started for Fort Washington (now Cincinnati) to execute the plans of President Washington. He was reinforced in Southern Ohio bjr one thousand militia; men from Ohio and Kentucky. The Indians being advised of this movement concentrated their forces in Western Ohio, along the rivers. General Harmer met with but little resist ance in his difficult march through the dense forest until he arrived at what is now known as Fort Wayne, where, on October 22nd, 1790, he was surprised by an overwhelming number and met a most dis astrous defeat. The Indians in this engagement were commanded by Blue Jacket and Little Turtle, with about 3,000 warriors. Presi dent Washington expressed himself as being greatly distressed at General Harmer's misfortune. The Indians became bolder in their depredations, and many murders were committed, which have often been repeated in the various histories of Ohio. General Washing- 27 GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE The hero of The Battle of Fallen Timbers. Born in Chester County, Penna., January 1, 1745. Died at Presque Isle, (Erie,) Penna., December 15, 1796. 28 ton, for the second time, expressed himself as being "determined that these murderous Indians must be driven away from the settle ments and back of the frontier lines as defined by treaties." He accordingly designated General St. Clair to take command, "and forever surpress the Indian invasions." The parting words of Gen. eral Harmer were; "Beware of a surprise." On September 17th> 1791, with an army of 2,000 regulars and 1,000 militia. General St- Clair marched from Fort Washington to, and erected Fort Ham ilton, on the Great Miami. This was the first of the line of forts extended to Lake Erie. "On October 12th, he constructed Fort Jefferson. On Novem ber 4th the army reached the Wabash river, where it was met by the combined Indian forces, under command of the chiefs, Tecumseh, Little Turtle, Turkey Foot and Blue Jacket, who were closely watching and concentrating their forces in advance of General St. Clair. He did not expect to meet any great force until he arrived at the Maumee Rapids, but so completely was he taken by surprise that his men became bewildered and lost control of their senses." They were surprised by an overwhelming force of savages at what is now called Fort Recovery; he met a most unfortunate defeat. Every officer and more than two-thirds of the men engaged were killed and wounded. The official report showing 550 killed and 200 ' wounded, the remainder scattered in the forest. This was the second defeat of the Americans in one year. Ohio settlements were now in greater danger than ever. The Indians becoming more ventursome and came nearer the settle ments. The people in the east, in adjoining states, became alarmed. Finally, by popular consent. General Anthony Wayne, of Penn sylvania, the daring hero of the Revolution, was selected by Presi dent George Washington, "To protect the frontier and put down these Indian attacks." 29 In June, 1792, General Wayne, with a thoroughly disciplined army, proceeded to Pittsburgh and floated on "hugely built rafts down the Ohio river to Cincinnati. The new army, when assem bled at Fort Greenville, in the fall, comprised about 1,900 regulars and 1,500 mounted volunteers from Kentucky." In the spring of 1794, General Wayne started with his little army toward the Maumee Val ley. Stopping at the junction of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers, "we pitched our tents on a most beautiful point, and orders were g-iven to at once build a fort, and one that would defy the enemy. This fort was named Fort Defiance. All during our marches through the forest, at no time were we in a position to be taken by surprise by the Indians. We kept them in advance all the time. Each stop we made, every camp, was well guarded by day and night." General Wayne followed the Maumee river down to the "Great Rapids," now Grand Rapids, one of the most beautiful and picturesque villages in Ohio; at this point, the army crossed the river, and "under a large spread ing elm tree a council was held, where a last attempt was made by General Wayne to bring peace; but the chiefs. Little Turtle, Turkey Foot, Blue Jacket and Black Hoof, representing seven Indian nations, absolutely refused. This was on August 18th. How far we could drive the Indians toward the lake we could not tell, for we sus- picioned that the English were behind them well established in some fort or secreted in some ravine waiting an opportunity to take us by surprise, but sad experiences taught us a lesson. The council held under the elm resulted in orders being given to take •our time in following the river bank, and keeping a steady lookout for trouble." General Wayne knew that Fort Miami was occupied by the British. This fort, now in good condition, is on the western bank of the river, about seven miles from Toledo. It was established in 1680 by an expedition sent there by Louis de Frontenac, the French 30 FORT DEFIANCE Block Houses as they were in the early days. governor of Canada. In 1774 it was a military post. For a long time it was abandoned. In 1794 it was occupied by the British as a military post, and held as such until General Wayne defeated the Indian allies under the chiefs Turkey Foot, Little Turtle and Blue Jacket, in the battle of Fallen Timbers. This fort was evacuated by the British garrison July 11th, 1795. j^^:^^^' '^^ FORT MIAMI Facing the Maumee River. 32 The Battle of Fallen Timbers. Leaving a sufficient force of men to guard ammunition and pro visions at Fort Defiance, and forcing the Indians to slowly retreat before his steady march, down the Maumee river. General Wayne carefully followed the river bank until arriving at a point a short distance above the present site of the village of Waterville, where he deposited all his superfluous baggage, erecting a fort, calling it Fort Deposit. Satisfied that the enemy were in advance and prepar ing for a fight, on August 19th he held a council of war, "At the bluff, to the left of the rock known as Roche de Boeuf . A plan of march and battle was submitted to Lieutenant William Henry Harrison. This officer was then but 21 years of age, and the military judgment of the subaltern manifested itself as general-in-chief nineteen years after wards, at Fort Meigs. Lieutenant Harrison's plan was adopted." On the morning of August the 20th, General Wayne slowly advanced down the river. "His cavalry following the rocky shores, while his main army marched irregularly through the forest, driving the scouting Indians deeper into the woods, until they finally took a stand selected by the chief, Turkey Foot, as their battle ground." This was chosen on account of a recent hurricane which felled the forest trees, making, what the Indians thought, an almost impass ible barrier against any force that the Americans could bring against them. It was the natural fortification for Indians. Picket firing had ceased. The .whites and Indians were face to face. Without a moments hesitation, and to the terrible surprise of the Indians, General Wayne came down upon them like the rush of a mighty wind, a second hurricane. The soldiers showed the fiery 33 FORT DEPOSIT Where General Wayne deposited his surplus baggage before the battle of Fallen Timbers 34 ROCHE-DE-BOEUF— (Standing Rock) Where General Wayne and Lieutenant Harrison held the council before the battle of Fallen Timbers. 35 and irresistible courage and daring of their commander. The battle was short and destructive to the Indians. It was so fierce that it forever frightened the Indians from undertaking to fight the Amer icans alone, without the support of the Brifish. It is of great interest to note a portion of General Wayne's official report of this famous battle. " Savages were formed in three lines within supporting distance of each other, and extended for two miles at right angles with the river. The ground being cov ered with fallen timbers made it impracticable for our cavalry to act with effect, and afforded the enemy the most favorable covert for their mode of warfare. I found it necessary to come down upon the Indians with all my force, and with a rush. No Indian can stand in front of a bayonet. The battle was short, but fierce. The Indians were driven in great confusion for two miles down the river. One of the Canadians, taken prisoner in the action, estimated the force of the Indians at 1,400. He also stated that about 70 Canadians were •with them, and that Colonel McKee, Captain Elliott and Simon Girty were in the field. Americans lost 33 killed and 100 wounded." This engagement settled all savage warfare in the Northwest. The work of General Wayne, at this battle, gave him the surname, by all the Indians in the valley, of " Che-no-tin, or the Whirlwind." Several months after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, a number of Pottawatomie Indians arrived at Fort Wayne, where they expressed a desire to see " The Wind," as they called General Wayne. When asked for an explanation of the name they replied that, " at the bat tle he was exactly like a hurricane which drives and tears every thing before it." To-day this famous battle ground is marked by a large boulder, familiarly known throughout the valley as "Turkey Foot Rock." It gained its name from the following true incident. 36 PRESQUE ISLE HILL AND TURKEY FOOT ROCK. The scene of the battle of Fallen Timbers. 37 THE MAUMEE RAPIDS, At Turkey Foot Rock, Sulphur Spring. 38 Upon this rock the Indian chief, Turkey Foot, stood during the thickest of the fight, and while waving his tomahawk over his head, trying to encourage his warriors, he was shot and killed, falling upon the rock. After the battle he was buried near the rock, "a few feet from where he fell." The rock is about six feet long, three feet wide, and about four feet high, weighing, perhaps, three tons. Upon its surface are dis tinct tracks of turkey feet, rudely carved by Indians with their tomahawks. No Indian ever approached the rock without placing upon it a piece of tobacco. The late Hon. D. W. H. Howard wrote: "In single file they passed it without halting, or uttering a word. Each in silence and sorrow placing his tribute there. This was done until the last wig wam was torn down, and I took the Indians to the government reser vation in the far west." Recently greater fame has been added to the -rock. In the im provement of the county road, near where the rock rested, it was found necessary to remove this monument of the Battle.j,6f Fallen Timbers. The impression gained credence that the people of the rapids and the township, did not appreciate the real worth of their prize, and that the rock was to be destroyed. This aroused the sleeping patriotism of the good people of Toledo, and without con sulting any one, quietly took possession of the rock, removing it to the city. When this was made known to the citizens of Maumee and Perrysburg all the pent up patriotism of the pioneers, followed by the like love of country by the rising generation, burst forth on the line of "Mad" Anthony's charge. The monument which had rested for over a century, on the banks of the Maumee, and which represented the most thrilling and interesting history that ever recited the progress of a people, mysteriously disappeared. 39 THE RETURN OF TURKEY FOOT ROCK Reception and jollification of the citizens of Maumee and the valley. 40 When those who were interested in its removal were satisfied that it would be taken care of and preserved, it was returned. The return of the stone was received by the citizens of the val ley, at Maumee, with an ovation seldom equalled in the historic village. It was escorted to its original resting place, where it now is, being the only memorial commemorating General Wayne's great victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. In the Battle of Fallen Timbers there were no British soldiers engaged, and yet it was fought almost wholly under the British guns at Fort Miami, and when the Indians retreated they passed directly under the guns of the British fort, which remained silent. The defeat of the Indians of the Maumee valley broke the spirit of the tribes. After completely routing the Indians, General Wayne followed them down the river, passed the silent Fort Miami, where, upon a high bank, overlooking the river and the low lands, he rapidly con structed a military fort, on August 23rd, 1794, and this was built so expeditiously that he called it Fort Industry. This fort, or Block Houses, as it was familiarly known. General Wayne left in charge of a small but efficient force by which it continued to be occupied for several years. The dimensions of the fort were about 200 by 250 feet. It was at this fort, in after years, where the Indians, through their several chiefs, made the first overtures of permanent peace, and expressed regret at their "misunderstanding the motives of the white men in occupying territory they believed the Great Spirit had given them for their exclusive use." Fort Industry is on the easterly corner of Summit and Monroe streets ; the site is now occupied by a substantial building, and known as Fort Industry Block. It is in the heart of the business portion of the city of Toledo. 41 On August 21st, 1794, while General Wayne was resting a few miles below Maumee, and along a ravine near Fort Miami, he had occasion to send an unofficial message to the British commander, Major Campbell, at Fort Miami, reminding that officer that the British held this post in violation of the treaty of peace of 1783. In reply Major Campbell addressed the following note to General Wayne : "An army of the United States of America, said to be under your command, having taken post on the banks of the Miami (Mau mee), for upwards of twenty-four hours, almost within reach of the guns of this fort, being a post belonging to His Majesty, the King of Great Britain, occupied by His Majesty's troops, it becomes my duty to inform myself as speedily as possible in what light I am to view your making such near approaches to this garrison. I have no hesitation on my part to say that I know of no war existing between Great Britain and America." To this General Wayne replied : "Without questioning the authority or propriety, sir, of your interrogation, I think 1 may, without breach of decorum, observe to you, were you entitled to an answer, the most full and satisfac tory one was announced to you from the muzzles of my small arms yesterday morning in the active engagement against the horde of savages in the vicinity of your post, which terminated gloriously to the American arms, but had it continued until the Indians were driven under the influence of the post you mention, they would not have much impeded the progress of the victorious army under my command, and no such fort was established at the commencement of the present war between the Indians and the United States." Major Campbell replied, the next day with the statement, that he had foreborne to resent the insults which had been offered to the British flag flying at the fort. 42 "But," he concluded "should you, after this, continue to approach my post in the threatening manner that you are at this moment doing, my indispensable duty to my King and coun try will oblige me to recourse to those measures which thousands of either nation may hereafter have cause to regret." After this communication was received General Wayne and staff reconnoitered Fort Miami in every direction. It was found to be a strong fort, the front covered by the Maumee and protected by four guns. The rear had two regular bastions furnished with eight pieces of artillery, the whole surrounded by a wide ditch, about 25 feet deep from the top of the parapet. It was supposed to have been garrisoned by 450 soldiers. General Wayne then sent a note to Major Campbell stating, in effect, that the British government had no right to occupy the terri tory and demanded an immediate evacuation of the fort. To this no reply was received. Recognizing the strength of the position that he had occupied, General Wayne withdrew his army to Fort Deposit, satisfied with the results of his campaign, having accomplished all the Govern ment required of him. On August 27th, 1794, he started with his main army for Fort Defiance and remained there for several weeks. On September 5th he returned to Cincinnati. During the Winter and Spring of 1795, General Wayne and his staff spent most of their time in holding councils with leading chiefs of the tribes engaged in the Battle of Fallen Timbers ; the result of these, " smokes of pipes of peace," was concluded at Fort Greenville on August 3rd, 1795, where a treaty was signed by all interested parties. This restored peace and tranquility on the Northwest frontier. A more friendly relationship existed between the Indians and the advancing white men which resulted in the establishment of many 43 trading posts along the frontier, the building of roads, the erection of log cabins,. the clearing of timber, planting of corn and other pro ducts. THE FIRST LOG CABIN Built in the Maumee Valley, near Fort Miami, 44 Incidents Which Led to the War of 1812 and 1813. Ohio was admitted into the Union in 1803, the first State carved out of the Great Northwest Territory. The people from the Eastern States naturally looked to Ohio for new settlements. The country had been reported, " rich in land, heavily timbered, beautiful rivers, and the woods full of game." Immigration began to pour into the State. "The large covered wagons from Pennsylvania were dotted here and there throughout the valleys, and civilization began in earnest in this new world." England' saw this rapid advancement and occupation of the land along the frontier, and her dissatisfaction showed itself by the sud den appearance of ships on the lakes, and an army centered at the head of Lake Erie. The British were not slow in forming an alli ance with the many tribes of Indians, and urged them on to commit the terrible depredations throughout Ohio and adjoining territory. Bolder and bolder they became, carrying their murderous warfare as far south as the Ohio River. The British — "threw a barrier across the Northwest, and, through the Indians warned the Americans that all the territory occupied by them would soon become English property." The entire country was aroused. A requisition was made by President James Madison upon Gov ernor Meigs, of Ohio, for 1,200 militia. The Major Generals of the Western and Middle Divisions received orders to rendevous at Dayton. On June 26th, 1812, the United States declared war against England. 45 On account of — "Commercial differences between Great Britain and the United States." On September 17th, 1812, General William Henry Harrison, then at Piqua, Ohio, was made Commander-in-Chief of the North western army. General Harrison was a native of Virginia, and at the time of his appointment was 39 years old. His army consisted of regular troops, rangers, volunteers and militia from Ohio and Kentucky and detached militia and volunteers from Virginia and Pennsylvania. His orders were — " To go to Detroit, following the northerly direction trail, via Fort Wayne and Fort Defiance. The latter place to join General James Winchester, commanding the army of the frontier." At Dayton and Fort Greenville, subject to call of General Har rison, there were about 2,000 able bodied men, regulars and volunteers. Under command of General Winchester, stationed at Fort Wayne and Fort Defiance, there were 2,700 men. Out of this army, of nearly 5,000 men, there were to be divided at the various established forts and posts a sufficient force at each to protect the storage of ammunition and provisions, and to guard the settlements from marauding bands of savages. When General Harrison took personal command of the North west army, at the Maumee Rapids, he had about 2,300 men. Fort Defiance, as built by General Wayne in 1794, was in ruins, and it was necessary to erect another fort. This was done, and completed on October 15th, 1812, and named Fort Winchester by General Harrison. It was built along the higher and precipitous west bank of the Auglaize river, an important tributary to the Mau mee, a line of apple trees, built by the early French settlers, alone intervening. It was about eighty yards south of the ruins of Fort Defiance, and extended about 600 feet, on the highest ground. General Winchester was placed in command of the left wing of the army. 46 GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON Ninth President of the United States. Born at Berkley, Virginia, February 9, 1773. Died at Washington, D. C, April 4, 1841. 47 Battle of the River Raisin. It was not the intention of touching upon the movements of General Winchester's army, but the conflict and terrible disaster which followed him at Frenchtown (now Monroe, Michigan,) is too interesting and too important not to give a short report. The British and Indians, at Frenchtown, and the immediate ter ritory, were committing such horrible depredations among the few scattered settlers along the River Raisin, that word was sent to General Winchester imploring protection. He was quick to act, and on January 19th, 1813, with about 900 men, he marched down the Maumee and along the lake shore, frequently upon the ice, crossing the main land and arriving at a point " where we found an opening in the forest, at the edge of the settlement," at sundown. General Winchester divided his little army into two divisions, the main, under himself, camping on the north side of the river, and the other, under Colonel Lewis, on the south bank, the latter with 200 men. General Winchester committed the folly of encamping in open ground, neglecting the precaution of erecting earthworks. At day break, on January 22nd, his army, of about 700 men, were aroused by the discharge of grape shot, from a British battery, erected within 300 feet on the north side of the camp, and the yells of the Indians, who had surrounded them on all sides. The result was inevitable. The battle was short but terrible. General Winchester was taken prisoner. The two hundred men, under Colonel Lewis, were stationed behind pickets and defended themselves with resolution. General Henry A. Proctor, who 48 was in command of the British, represented to General Win chester that, if he desired to save the lives of the men surren dered under his command, now about 450, from being massacred by the Indians, he could do so by ordering the immediate surrender of Colonel Lewis' command. General Winchester, influenced by these representations, sent a flag of truce across the river, ordering the remainder of the troops to surrender. The enemy being vastly superior in numbers, and ammunition of the Americans nearly expended, they surrendered, on condition of being protected from any indignities by the Indians. Proctor agreed to these terms, but the catastrophe which followed is horrible to relate. With a few exceptions the miserable captives were massacred by the savages, with the most shocking barbarity. Officers and soldiers were tomahawked in cold blood. The mangled bodies of their vic tims of savage atrocity were scattered along the banks of the river. But thirty-seven men escaped. The British officers claimed — "We had no control of the In dians when they began their massacre." One of the men, who had escaped, reported to General Harri son that, "The scene of massacre which followed our surrender was the most hideous sight ever witnessed by man." As evidence bearing upon this report, and also touching upon the site of the surrender of the American army, about fifty-five years after, the old Michigan Southern Railroad Company found it necessary, on account of heavy floods, to raise the bridge crossing the river Raisin at Elm Avenue, to 2 feet 4 inches. The raising of the bridge necessitated a regrade of Elm Avenue. It was done with teams and scrapers. From an official report we get this — "In the use of the scrapers a number of skeletons were un earthed, many with heads split open, some with bullet holes in 49 them, thus identifying them as some of the men who were massacred." From the most authentic sources the site of the Battle or Massacre of the Raisin is in the immediate vicinity of the Elm Avenue crossing of the present Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. General Harrison followed General Winchester, but meeting the few who had escaped and learning of the terrible disaster, con cluded to return to Fort Meigs. 50 The Siege of Fort Meigs. On February 1st, 1813, General Harrison began the construction of a fort, at a point about ten miles above the city of Toledo, and upon a site overlooking the river and valley for many miles. Trees were felled, breast works were thrown about the whole army. Several weeks were occupied in, digging trenches, splitting logs, raising block houses, and when completed, on February 16th, he named it Fort Meigs, in honor of the patriotic Governor of Ohio, Return Jonathan Meigs. The peculiarity of his name. Return Jonathan Meigs, often causes one to ask why "Return"? Governor Meigs had been a soldier, a Senator, and Postmaster General of the United States. He was named after his father Jonathan Meigs, with the addition of "Return" because of the following circumstances: Jonathan Meigs had a sweetheart, a very pretty Quaker girl, who was destined to become the grandmother of our governor. To young Jonathan's plea for grace and favor at her hand her lips said, no; while her heart said, yes. The unhappy youth, with shattered hopes and a broken heart, turned from her to face alone the cold, unsympathizing world. With bowed head he crossed the meadow field, and as he was about to climb the rail fence he turned his head to take a farewell look. Their eyes met, she beckoned him to return with her hand. His face brightened. She called to him in her prim Quaker parlance — " Return Jonathan." The sweet voice sounding across the fragrant meadow, was to him the pardon of a queen. His heart was light, he hastened to her side, and, that he might always hear the words spoken by the same voice, when she softly called the 51 GOVERNOR RETURN JONATHAN MEIGS United States Senator, from Ohio, I808-'10. Governor of Ohio, 1810-M4. United States Postmaster, 1814-'23. Born at Middletown, Conn., December 1740. Died at the Cherokee Agency, January 28, 1823. 52 name of their first born, the father named the boy — " Return Jonathan Meigs." Fort Meigs, proper, covered a space of nine acres, but this was increased to fourteen acres, after the second siege. It was the most important and imposing of the fortifications in the Maumee Valley and the Great Northwest. The most prominent feature, and which has been so well preserved, is the breastwork, extending along the river bank about 1,200 feet. From this line of fortification, which is about 70 feet above the river bed, the vision extends for many miles up and down the river, presenting a landscape view seldom seen in American scenery. A deep ravine ran through the fort. Caves were made for the retreat of the men. These rooms were shot proof, and bomb proof, except in the event of a shell falling into the traverse and at the south of the caves. Anticipating that the British would advance as soon as the ice broke up in the river, General Harrison recognized the importance of making the fort "the grand bulwark of defence for the thousands of square miles of territory lying between the Ohio river and the great lakes; he therefore applied himself earn estly to the strengthening of Fort Meigs." He was not surprised to learn that General Proctor, commander of the British forces, and Tecumseh, chief in command of the Indians, early in April, made their appearance on the left bank of the Maumee, occupying Fort Miami. According to British reports. General Proctor's force con sisted of 1,100 regulars and Canadian militia, accompanied by a train of artillery, attended by two gun boats, and Tecumseh's Indians, numbering about 2,100. One of the battery guns was a 24- pounder. General Harrison, to defend the fort, could not muster over 1,000 men. On April 27th the enemy established their gun bat teries, directly opposite the fort, known as British Point, and on the 53 FORT MEIGS Facing the river and Maumee City. Showing the line of fortifications where were stationed the gun and mortar batteries, the block houses and lookouts. Below, to the right, are the graves of Lieut. Walker, and Lieut. McCullough, the last of whom was shot while conversing with General Harrison. The graves are unmarked and known to but a few pioneers living in the valley. 54 FORT MEIGS The natual ravine where the soldiers were quartered during the siege in 1813. 55 29th the siege began in earnest, as firing continued briskly on both sides. General Harrison gave his personal attention to every detail, seeming to be indifferent to the danger to which he was exposed ; cannon balls plowed the earth at his feet. On April 30th the enemy towed a gun boat up the river and fired for several hours at the fort, but without effect. On May 1st over 300 shots were fired from the shore battery, and eight Americans were wounded. May 2nd and 3rd 600 shots were fired, with the result of killing six, and wounding twenty men. On the afternoon of May 3rd a boat was seen to start across the river toward the fort, bearing a flag of truce. A British officer, Major Chambers, landed at the foot of the hill, under the fort. Major Hukill, General Harrison's aid, was sent to meet him. The officer told his errand, that he came to demand the surrender of the garrison. Major Hukill replied that such a demand was useless. But the officer insisted on seeing General Harrison. So blindfold ing him. Major Hukill conducted him into the presence of the gen eral. The whole conversation was reduced in writing. Its authen ticity is placed beyond doubt. Major Chambers — " General Proctor has directed me to demand the surrender of the post. He wished to spare the effusion of blood." General Harrison — "The demand, under present circumstances, is a most extraordinary one. As General Proctor did not send me a summons to surrender on his first arrival, I had supposed that he believed me determined to do my duty. His present message indi cates an opinion of me that I am at a loss to account for." Major Chambers — " General Proctor could never think of saying anything that would wound your feelings. The character of Gen eral Harrison, as an officer, is too well known. General Proctor's 56 force is very respectable, and there is with him "a large body of Indians, larger than was ever assembled before." General Harrison — " I believe I have a very correct idea of General Proctor's force ; it is_ not such as to create the least appre hension for the result, whatever shape he may be pleased to give it hereafter. Assure the general, however, that this spot will never be surrendered to him on any terms. Should it fall into his hands, it will be in a manner calculated to do him more honor, and give him higher claims on the gratitude of his government than any capitulation could possibly do." Major Chambers shook hands with the general and took his departure. Immediately after his return there followed a continu ous heavy firing. At twelve o'clock, on the night of May 4th, Captain William Oliver brought the message to General Harrison that General Clay, with about 1,200 Kentuckians, was approaching down the river in flatboats, and was within two hours of the fort. Under orders of General Harrison, 800 of the men, under command of Colonel Dud ley, landed on the British side of the river, near the battlefield of Fallen timbers, and by a rapid and secret march were to come down upon the enemy's batteries, spike their cannon, and then retreat under cover of Fort Meigs. The other division of 400 men came down the river upon the side occupied by the Americans, and when within a short distance from the fort they discovered Indians in great numbers hidden in the forest. After hard fighting they suc ceeded in reaching the fort with but little loss. The conflict upon the eastern side of the river attracted the attention of the British, and heavy cannonading followed from their guns stationed on the banks opposite Fort Meigs. The flring was so heavy and continuous that the Americans did not hear their artillery or notice the cannon 57 FORT MEIGS The northerly section facing Fort Miami. 58 *^ '^^ c f>i>,'^. " ' v~ y ^ '' .i- y/"* ?^ -•^ T ¦' J V' * -B-'*'ti.- J / , i* "* . *.*¦ •>•'*' ^ / « ' ¦<*'¦% ; *¦ ' ¦its-, • ' >v " REAR VIEW OF FORT MEIGS Showing the portion of the Grand Traverse where the soldiers retired in artificial caves, in command of one of the militia men who stood upon the embankment and forwarned them of every shot. "He was so skillful he could predict the destination of every ball. One day there came a shot that seemed to defy his calculations. He stood silent, motionless, perplexed. In the same Instant he was swept into eternity." 59 balls plowing the hillsides. While the foe was engaged in this act Colonel Dudley's Kentuckians rushed down upon the rear, took their batteries, spiked their guns, gaining a most glorious victory. " If Colonel Dudley had retreated to the rear," said General Harrison, "as I had commanded him to, happy would it have been for him and his men ; but unfortunately the Indians raised their war- whoop in the forest, and that was more than any Kentuckian ever could stand, so our victors rushed madly to meet their mortal foe." Colonel Dudley pursued the enemy far into the forest, to such a distance that General Proctor was enabled to throw from his camp, at Fort Miami, a sufficient force to intercept, kill and capture all but 150 of those brave and most unfortunate men. The surrender was made to the British, and not to the Indians. The prisoners, 685 men, were taken down to Fort Miami, and there was enacted a tragedy that will never be forgotten by those who claim kinship, either in blood or patriotism; to that devoted band. Approaching the fort, and in the fort, the men were stripped, scourged, shot and tomahawked by the Indians, under the eyes of the British officers, whose weak protest against this appalling cruelty bears conviction that they were worse men at heart than the savages themselves, whom they encouraged. It comes from English authority that the flesh of some of the prisoners was boiled and eaten by the Indians, and in the vicinity of the British officers' headquarters. It was Tecumseh who put an end to this carnage. He upbraided Proctor for not preventing the massacre, and told him he was unfit to com mand. So sincere was Tecumseh's protest against the manner of killing the prisoners that he held a council of chiefs and informed Proctor that the Indians would desert him. In fact, so great became their dissatisfaction, and the heavy firing from Fort Meigs continuing, 60 that, on May 5th, the Indians retired to the forest, " away from Proctor's camp." There was no firing from the British guns from May 6th to the 10th. On the 11th Proctor raised the siege and returned down the river, and sailed out upon the lake. He retreated to Amherstburg. After Proctor's departure a detachment from General Harrison's army was sent to gather up the dead, and the majority of the bodies found through the woods were brought to Fort Meigs and buried. One of the men, who entered Fort Miami and' and saw the result of the massacre, wrote the following : " My face turned white as snow when I looked down over the fort and saw more than a hundred of my fellow comrades all lying in one rriass of blood, so that it was impossible to recognize my most intimate companion." ' Believing that the British would again visit the Maumee valley. General Harrison at once began the repairing of the fort. On July 20th the enemy was again seen ascending the river. General Proctor had returned with about 5,500 men. On July 26th the British infantry secreted themselves in the ravine below Fort Meigs. The Indians were stationed a mile below the camp of the English. To deceive the Americans they commenced a sham battle among themselves, in hopes of enticing the garrison to the aid of their comrades, and while the fort wa-s deserted the enemy's cavalry, which was hiding in the woods behind the fort, were to make a dash from their concealment and capture the fort, but the ruse did not prove successful. It was a cunning stratagem, and had it not been met with equal cunning the result of the war would have been different. General Proctor, finding their efforts in vain, and not being sure of the friendship of certain tribes of Indians, the British army, comprising about 4,900 whites and Indians, for the second time 61 FORT MEIGS— (Harrison Point.) Where General Harrison stood watching the movements of Colonel Dudley's attack upon the opposite side of the river. If^f^ ' '6^/'' '¦ THE BURIAL GROUND OF COL. DUDLEY AND HIS MEN 'On May 6, 1813, after the massacre of Col. Dudley and his men, we brought to Fort Meigs the remains of Col. Dudley and about one hundred and thirty Kentuckians and buried them there." Howe's Historical Collection of Ohio, 63 departed. It is recorded in a number of letters from prominent men that " several tribes of Indians refused to accompany the Brit ish, notwithstanding great inducements of money and promises of land were made by the English." In these trying times, with the forests filled with savage bands of Indians, no men connected with the army were of greater serv ice, and whose duties were so continually surrounded with hard ships and danger, as the scouts. THE HARRISON WELL Which supplied the garrison with water. Fort Meigs. 64 Peter Navarre and the Defence of Fort Stephenson. Among the most trustworthy and daring scouts, under General Harrison, none received greater honors and proved a more devoted patriot to his country than Peter Navarre. This famous scout was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1785, and at the age of 22 moved to the mouth of the Maumee river, where he built a cabin and engaged in the fur trade. His business required many journeys through the forest, visiting the tribes of Indians whose camping and hunting grounds were along the lake shore. Navarre thus became familiar with the many trails leading to the interior. The war of 1812-13 closed the fur trade and Navarre enlisted, as a scout, in the American army, under General Harrison. Naturally his work centered in the Maumee valley. Among the most important scouting expeditions, and which always seemed to be the first in Navarre's mind, was, when he took a message from General Harrison to Major Crogan, at Fort Stephen son (now Fremont, Ohio). On July 27th, 1813, Navarre reported to General Harrison that Proctor and his army was about to sail down the river, across the lake to Sandusky Bay, and up the river of the same name, to attack Fort Stephenson. General Harrison immediately called his officers and held a council ; the agreement was that. Major Crogan, with his small force, could not hold the fort, and it was decided to send a message at once to him, ordering him to abandon the fort, destroy it by fire, and retreat to Fort Seneca, about nine miles south of Fort Stephenson. The fort, which was calculated for a garrison of 200 men, could not 65 be defended against the heavy artillery of the enemy. Peter Navarre was chosen as the scout to carry the following message to Major Crogan; " Should the British troops approach your force, with cannon, and you discover them in time to effect a retreat, you will do so immediately, destroying all the public stores." Following is Peter Navarre's reply to a letter of inquiry: " General Harrison asked me if I could take a message to Major Crogan before Proctor, with his forces, could arrive at Fort Stephenson. I told him I could. I feared nothing. I knew that Tecumseh was enroute for the same place by land with about 2,000 Indians. But I followed the bay- shore trail in advance of them. General Harrison gave me the message, a small piece of paper, which I folded and sewed in between the collar of my woolen shirt. I left Fort Meigs at sun down on July 29th. I had fairly followed the trail through the forest when, just as it began to get dark, one of the most terrific thunder storms that I ever passed through came upon me. It rained for hours. It was the worst night I ever spent in the forest. Soaked to the skin, and with the night darker than any I ever saw before, I was compelled to wade through water for miles. I had to swim several streams, and to avoid the Indians I had to swim the San dusky river twice. I did not arrive at Fort Stephenson until in the afternoon of July 31st, when I delivered the message to Major Crogan. Tecumseh, with 2,000 Indians, followed a few miles in my rear, but he had a better trail. Soon after I arrived Major Crogan sent a reconnoitering party to the forest and found that his fort was surrounded by Indians, Tecumseh having arrived. He was satisfied that it would not be safe to retreat. Early on August 1st, I saw Proctor's three vessels coming up the river around the bends. Major Crogan sent me back with a reply to General Harrison in effect that he would hold the fort. I arrived at Fort Meigs on the morning of August 2nd." 66 Major Crogan was a young man, 22 years of age, and was placed in command of Fort Stephenson by General Harrison. The fort was defended by but one gun and 160 men — young men. General Proc tor's force consisted of 427 regulars, with about 2,000 Indians, who surrounded the fort. On the morning of August 1st, General Proctor demanded the surrender of Fort Stephenson, with threats of a general massacre in case of refusal. The young commander, worthy of the blood that bounded in his veins, answered: " If you take this fort you will find nobody left to surrender it. Rather than yield, the garrison will die to the last man." About four o'clock in the afternoon the enemy fired its first gun at the fort, from one of the boats. The firing con tinued at intervals during the night. To induce the belief that Major Crogan had more than one gun, he changed the piece from one place to another. During the night the enemy had planted two cannon on a small hill about 250 yards from the fort. By this move ment Major Crogan concluded that Proctor intended storming the fort. He at once strengthened that point. Under cover the cannon was removed to the block house, in a position from which it could rake the ravine. The embrasure was masked, and the cannon loaded with a double charge of slugs and grape shot. As was anticipated, "a column of 350 British regulars, followed by Indians, attempted the assault." With shouts of the men, the yells of the Indians, and the dis charge of the musketry, the enemy, certain of victory, rushed up the narrow enclosure. Suddenly there was a pause. The masked port hole was seen to open, and the six-pounder, at a distance of forty feet, poured such destruction among them that but few who entered the ditch proper were fortunate enough to escape. The Indians quickly retreated to the forest. 67 The total loss of the enemy was 156. The loss of the garrison was one man killed. The assault lasted but half an hour. The white flag of the mortally wounded leader was seen through the gloom, depending from his sword point, as he feebly asked, that mercy, which a short time before he had directed his men to deny. General Proctor beat a hasty retreat. He sailed to Amherst burg. The English veterans had gone up against a new generation. The cannon used by Major Crogan, at this famous battle, now stands at the fort overlooking one of the most beautiful, and prosper ous cities of Ohio. The cannon is familiarly known as "Old Betsy Crogan," and is prized very highly by the citizens of Fremont and people generally. The complimentary letter, from General Harrison to Major Crogan, immediately upon the receipt of the report of the victory, was taken by Peter Navarre. After peace had been restored in the Northwest, Peter Navarre lived along the lake shore, at the i-nouth of the Maumee river, respected and loved by all who knew him. He died in East Toledo, March 20th, 1874, in the 89th year of his age. It is often asked who was, and what became of General Proctor? Henry A. Proctor was born in Wales, 1765. He was in command of a regiment in Canada, in 1812. He defeated the Americans, under General James Winchester, at Frenchtown, in 1813. Was repulsed by General Harrison, at Fort Meigs ; by Major Crogan, at Fort Stevenson; and by General Harrison at the battle of the Thames, October 5th, 1813. This battle forever broke up the confederacy of the English and Indians against the United States. 800 out of 875 British Regulars surrendered to General Harrison. The battle was so quickly decided that few were killed on either side. General 68 "OLD BETSY CROGAN" Cannon used by Major George Crogan against the British in the defence of Fort Stephenson, August 1st and 2d, 1813. 69 Proctor made his escape with a squadron of dragoons. He died at Liverpool, England, in 1859. Time has accumulated many papers, official and unofficial, which contain interesting and valuable detailed reports of the daily transactions of the men in an about Fort Meigs. The many narrow escapes ; the experiences of the men in the block houses ; and the exposed positions during the heavy and continued firing of the enemy from the batteries almost directly opposite the fort; the ven turesome expeditions of the outlaying picket men; the miraculous escape of " reconnoitering squads, who, frequently under cover of night were beyond the enemies' lines ; together with the days and nights of anxiety and distress ; the suffering of the wounded, with out a word of complaint coming from their lips ", all these are facts which should be carefully studied by our young people. From the most reliable sources, possible to obtain, we learn that the Americans lost during the siege of Fort Meigs, in killed 87 ; wounded 189. From sickness and other causes 137 deaths. It is impossible to estimate the importance of the success of General Harrison in this war. Detroit had surrendered, and the conquering English were pressing forward with vigor and determin ation to "wipe the Yankees from off the face of the earth," but the British were stopped, on the banks of the Maumee, and after two determined sieges were withstood. In the immediate vicinity of the fort are buried not only those who were killed in its defence, or died during its occupation, but also many of the dead who fell in the attack upon the British batter ies upon the opposite side of the river. The facts are well estab lished that interments were made at three points adjacent to the fort. These are to the eastward, the burial place of the dead recovered from Colonel Dudley's disasterous fight. To the southward, the burial 70 ground of the "Pittsburgh Blues." And to the westward, the garri son burial ground. The entire grounds covering about 55 acres. Of the " Pittsburgh Blues," a scout who performed distinguished service under General Harrison said, of this famous Pennsylvania regiment: — "They were men nearly of a size; strong, muscular, and natural athletes. Brave, to a man. They wore blue Jackets, made by the good women of Pittsburg-h ; hence the name, ' Pittsburgh Blues'." From records at command, and they are many, it is difficult to state the exact number of interments in and about Fort Meigs, but a fair estimate would be 1275 men. Out of the Northwest, saved by the brave "Mad" Anthony Wayne, and the gallant Harrison, we have six of the greatest States in America, Ohio, Indiana. Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. And now where the Indian warhoop was sounded a century ago, to-day there are millions of men and women engaged in peaceful pursuits, surrounded by all the luxuries of civilization. The lives of about 2200 American heroes were sacrificed in the engagements of the Northwest against the combined efforts of the Indians and the British, and to-day these brave soldiers are sleeping on the hill sides overlooking this historic valley. Here are buried the remains of Colonel Dudley and his brave Kentuckians. Lieutenants Walker and McCullough, and the famous "Pittsburgh Blues." Heroes from the east, and the south, all sleeping away the centuries unhonored and unsung in nameless and almost forgotten graves. Nature has provided these patriots with beautiful resting places and the exact burial grounds are known only by the memory of a few persons who have been spared beyond the years allotted to man. Such is the brief history of the Maumee Valley. 71 From the well preserved fortifications of Fort Meigs, Fort Miami or Presque Hill at Turkey Foot Rock, can be seen the most sacred spots in this beautiful valley. As far as the eye can see there presents to the stranger a scene of natural beauty and grandeur dotted with fascinating surprises, and between all flows the historic river, now rippling over stony ridges, then peacefully flowing on to the lake. Standing on these natural monuments, sur rounded by the dead, and seeing signs of decay and neglect on all sides, the question naturally comes to us, has the west no sons whose gallant and brave deeds have earned places in the hearts of their prosperous and happy ancestors ? Must these heroes of the past, these men who gave to us all this beautiful and rich valley, be forgotten? Must their graves remain unmarked and no monuments erected to commemorate their glorious deeds and fearless acts ? The silent answer comes to every true American, to the Pioneers of the valley, go ask the shining river whose waters were stopped by the dead bodies of our brave soldiers, and it will tell a tale of deeds and noble daring. Go ask the smiling valley whose harvests bloom above the unmarked graves, it will tell many a sad story of the brave who slumber there. Dudley's men knew no dread of danger, when the Indian yell rose above the clamor and din of battle ; gallantly they struggled, gallantly they fell, and yet not a single monument is seen in all this fertile valley, in honor of the memories of that heroic band, that the young might be informed of the kind of metal of which their ancestors were made of, and to interest them in the cir cumstances and occurrences that befel the lion hearted men who braved hardships and dangers, who won an Empire, and trans formed a wilderness into a garden that to them the keeping of the heritage must be transmitted, and that they should deem it worthy of preservation for all time to come. 72 INDIAN VILLIAGES. (From an old drawing— 1793.) The villages of the several tribes of Indians at the meeting of the waters of the Au Glaize and Miami-of-the-North (Maumee) Rivers. 73 The Indians of The Maumee Valley. The problem of the origin of the North American Indian has never been satisfactory solved by those who have made a line of study of this interesting subject. Information brought together from a scattered condition of researches, mostly received through traditional sources, it is believed that the Indians originally came from Asia, via Behring Strait. The names of all the nations and tribes who occupied the territory south of the great lakes, with their more noted chiefs, together with the many wars between themselves, would form an extensive catalogue, and occupy more space than this condensed history calls for. It is sufficient to mention the prominent and most powerful nations and their chiefs. The early day historians, who carefully traced the origin of the tribes of Indians who made their homes in this valley, and adjacent tributary territory, found that many of the tribes, who considered themselves as — " Old resident land marks ", had occupied the country since the 18th century. In the eastern states and in Canada, wars were numerous between nations. The most powerful becoming con querors through the introduction of fire arms. Bands of Indians deserted from their nations and called themselves Tribes. The weaker nations were defeated in battles, and left the east for the quiet wilderness of the west. The Ottawas were first found in Canada, on the upper Ottawa river. In 1646 the Iroquois drove them from their homes, and they wandered farther west, following the Wyandottes, to the "western end of Lake Erie." The Pottawa tomies were the first to secure fire-arms. The name meaning " Fire Makers." 74 The Ojibwa, Ottawa and Pottawatomie tribes were designated as the "Three Fires." The Wyandottes were in the Maumee Valley generations before the Shawnees, Ottawas or Pottawatomies, and they always claimed the right to occupy the land at the western end of Lake Erie. The Fries were among the first Indians who came from the north and occupied all the territory southeast of the lake. Lake Erie was named after this tribe, " On account of their peaceful natures, and sudden anger, which soon died away and they always lived in peace among themselves." The Wyandottes and the Senecas were blood relations. Both nations lived in Canada. The Wyandottes on the north side of the St. Law rence River, the Senecas on the opposite side. A warrior of the Wyandottes wanted a Seneca woman for his wife. She replied that he was no warrior, that she saw no scalps upon the pole in front of his wigwam. The Wyandotte started at once for the woods, he met a hunting party .of the Senecas, killed them all, returned and placed seven scalps before his home. The Senecas soon discovered the loss of their companions, and learning the cause, declared war. History informs us that these two nations were the greatest in number of all the Indians in the east, but by the continued wars, whenever they met, either singly or in bands, the knife was drawn, until the nations were reduced to tribes. All that was left of these two great nations finally settled in the Maumee Valley. From the very best authority possible to obtain, after years of research, we find recorded in a Canadian library the following— " In 1680 the French Governor of Canada reported that the following tribes of Indians live in the villages at the western end of Lake Erie. The names of the tribes appearing as they came to the Maumee Valley. Wyandottes, Shawnees, Pottawatomies, Senecas, Ottawas, Dela- wares, Miamis, Eries, Iroquois, Kickapoos, Choctaws, Foxes, Sacs, 75 Hurons, Sioux, Cherokees, Mohicans, Tonawandas, and Wees, the largest number in any one tribe being 900 warriors, the smallest (Kickapoos) 300 warriors." All these tribes represented a population of about 9,000 Indians. The Maumee Valley was an important commercial center. Fort Miami being the great trade center for all Indians west of Lake Erie. Major B. Stickney, of Toledo, long an Indian agent in this valley, in a lecture delivered in Toledo, February 28, 1845, said; "I learn from the Wyandottes, a nation of great influence and power, that prior to this century all the Indians west of this valley were at war with all the Indians of the east, and it was not until the great chiefs, Tecumseh, Little Turtle and Turkey Foot, became such powerful leaders, did the wars cease between these now greatly reduced nations." So many different tribes were in this valley that in their coun cils it was necessary to have interpreters between the tribes as it was between the Indians and the United States officers. "The Indians in the valley, from generation to generation, handed down to their ancestors the tradition that the land, with all its valuable hunting privileges, was theirs, and not until their solitude was dis turbed by the French and English did the old chiefs begin to prophecy the disruption of their race. It is interesting to note some of the leading Indian chiefs who figured conspicuously in the valley. In 1763 Pontiac, a celebrated chief of the Ottawas, was the leader in the "Pontiac wars." He led the unsuccessful attack on Detroit in 1763, and submitted to the British in 1766. He was killed in 1769. Pontiac often visited the tribes in this valley, and for many years his speeches were quoted by the Indians. Among the most noted chiefs of the country there was none whose name was more familiar and who swayed a greater power than Tecumseh. He was of three at a birth. One was a "Prophet" and always 76 TECUMSEH.. Tecumseh was a member of the Turtle tribe of Indians, of the Shawnee Nation. Born on the banks of the Great Miami River in the year 1768. He had great influence over all Indians, and was engaged in neariy every battle participated in by Indians. "His face was finely proportioned; his nose inclined lo the aquiline, and his eye displayed none of that savage and ferocious triumph common to the Indians. When a young man his favorite pastime was canoeing on the Miami. He was killed in the battle of The Thames, October Sth, 1813." 77 claimed Southern Ohio as his permanent home. He was a dreamer, and claimed to have many supernatural relations made to him. The great eclipse of the sun in the summer of 1805, a knowledge of which he obtained by some means, he said : "It would bring dark ness over the sun." His dreams and prophecies ceased after his terrible defeat at the battle of Tippecanoe, November 7th, 1811, when General Harrison won a great victory. The third never ap peared in history. Tecumseh means " Shooting star," and the chief received this appellation from the following incident. When a young man his companions discovered his wonderful power of ora tory and magnetism in which he held the savages. He was sent to represent his tribe and others, in an Indian council of the Creeks, in Southern Illinois, to solicit their aid in fighting the Indians of the east. While the Creeks were impressed with his eloquence, they refused to follow his advice, and in such terms that Tecumseh be came very angry. In his wrath he said — " I will go straight to my people on the great lake, and when I get there I will stamp my feet upon the earth and shake down the stars." A month later the In dians saw a bright comet in the northern skies. They believed that Tecumseh had kept his word, and that he had supernatural power equal to his brother, the "Prophet." The Creeks prepared for war. Left their village and soon appeared before Tecumseh, calling him " Shooting Star." They followed his advice, but to their sorrow. The tribe was almost annihilated. " Returning to their village a band." Tecumseh was five feet, ten inches in height ; well formed for activity and endurance of fatigue. His eloquence was nervous, concise and impressive ; his words were few but always to the pur pose. The late D. W. H. Howard said of him — " His friendship was steadfast ; his promises were sacredly kept ; his anger was 78 dreadful, His revenge was like all Indians, though often cherished in secret, was horrible and effective as it was certain." He visited in person all the tribes east of the Mississippi river and the lakes, exciting them to war. The first battle in which he was engaged occurred on the site of Dayton, between a party of Kentuckians under Colonel Benjamin Logan, and a band of Shawnees. He was then but 17 years of age. After the commencement of hostilities between the United States and Great Britain he joined the British. He was in nearly every battle with the Americans from the time General Harmer's defeat to that of the " Battle of the Thames, in Canada," where he was killed, on October Sth, 1813, by an officer of General Harrison's staff. Colonel Johnson, of the mounted Kentucky Regiment. When he fell he was in his 44th year of age, and held the commission of Brigadier General in the British army. Second to the most important chief, who claimed the valley as his home, was Little Turtle, the distinguished chief and councellor of the Miamis. He was the most eminent forest-warrior and statesman of his time. At the great Indian council held at Fort Defiance when he had learned of the approaching of General Wayne and his army towards the Maumee, he said — "Now listen, the Americans are led by a chief who never sleeps. Day and night are alike to him. During all the time that he has been advancing north and marching upon our villages, notwithstanding the watchfulness of our young men, we have never bsen able to surprise him. He eats our corn in perfect calmness. Think well of what I say. Listen; there is something whispering to me that we should be prudent and hearken to his proposals of peace." After the battle of " Fallen Timbers " he reminded the chiefs, in a council held at Grand Rapids, that — " The American General swept the valley like a wind storm, as I verily predicted." 79 There has been but few individuals among the aborigines who have done so much to abolish the rites of human sacrifice as Little Turtle. He and Tecumseh never approved of burning prisoners at the stake. He visited President Washington, at Philadelphia, and was treated with great courtesy. He died at Fort Wayne, and for many years the Indians of all nations visited his grave. The cele brated chief, Turkey Foot, of the Ottawas, who commanded the bat tle of " Fallen Timbers," claimed the right, by possession, to a great portion of the land in this valley. " He was a man who disapproved of unfair warfare, a great fighter, and was buried, where he fell, at Turkey Foot Rock, August 20th, 1794." Baw Beese, the "good natured chief, of the Pottawatomies," was always considered a lead ing spirit in general councils. " Through the influence of Little Turtle and Baw Beese, on January 9th, 1798, a contract was signed by them, as representing nine tribes of Indians, and by the agents of the United States government, granting them all the land virtu ally embraced in the lower Maumee valley." The British, through Tecumseh, soon after the signing of the contract, began negotiations with the Indians for the land, and offering high prizes for every American scalp brought to Fort Maiden. The contract was broken, and the land remained under the condition in the Greenville treaty. There were many other noted chiefs whose names are familiar to our pioneers, among them. Black Hawk, Blue Jacket, Ottokee, and Black Hoof. As a rule, when a tribe of Indians left a country, particularly if they were taken to a place where game was more plentiful, they sel dom expressed a desire to return. It was not so, however, with the Shawnees and Ottawas ; they were unwilling to leave the valley, and whenever opportunity favored, a warrior revisited his early hunting grounds. The Maumee Valley was noted for its great 80 abundance of wild animals, whose furs were sought after by the whites. Of the few remaining Indians, in the valley, during the life time of the late D. W. H. Howard, of them he wrote^ " With all their foibles and vices there is something fascinating in the In dian character, and one cannot long associate with them without having a perceptible growing attachment. The Indian is emphatic ally the natural man, and it is an easy thing to make an Indian out of a white man, but very difficult to civilize or christianize an In dian. I haye known a number of whites who had been taken pris oners by the Indians when young, and without exception, they formed such attachments that after being with them for some time they could not be induced to return to their own people. There was a woman among the Shawnees, supposed to be an hundred and five years of age, who was taken prisoner, at Dayton, when young. She was found, but nothing could get her to return to her people." The only record available of the time when the last Indian left the valley, is the official report to the government by Mr. Howard, em braced in the following — "The last of the Indians to leave the Maumee Valley were camped on Buttonwood Island, just above Fort Meigs. They remained on this island for several weeks pre paratory to their trip across the plains, and by steamer to their new homes in the Neosho Valley. I had charge of this sad duty, and on June 24th, 1838, as agent for the government, I took 800 Indians, representing seven different tribes, to the far west. A few old chiefs remained." 81 Two Famous Trees. The Willow Tree — The Battle on Lake Erie. At the time of the troubles on the Maumee the British com manded the great lakes, and were preparing to carry on a war of conquest. The stringent order to General Proctor was — " The resources of the enemy on the great lakes must be overcome." The British fleet was commanded by Commodore Robert Hariat Barclay, an able officer who had served with distinction under Nel son. His fleet consisted of six vessels, 63 guns and 440 men. On the evening of September 9th, 1813, the British fleet lay off Amherst burg, and on the morning of the 10th, sailed towards Put-in Bay, " to sweep the lake." Commodore Oliver Hazzard Perry, about 28 years of age, with an experience of 14 years' active service, commanded the American fleet of 9 vessels, 54 guns, and 416 men. Commodore Perry, after being advised of the plans of the British commander, retired to Put in Bay. "We put in there," so wrote one of the officers, "to get ready to lick anything that came our way. At sunrise, on the morn ing of the 10th, Commodore Perry saw the enemy's fleet ' up the lake.' We immediately got under way, to meet them. At 11 o'clock the British came down towards us with a fair wind, and colors fly ing. At 11:45 a. m., Barclay opened the fight. It was but a short time until the English were hemmed in and raked with grape and cannister, 'until every vessel had struck her colors." As soon as the victory was assured. Commodore Perry wrote his famous dispatch to General Harrison, at Fort Meigs, with whom 82 PERRY'S WILLOW— Put-in Bay, Lake Erie. Where are buried British and American officers. 83 he had been ordered to co-operate, on the back of an old letter which he rested on his navy cap — " We have met the enemy, and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop. Yours, with great respect and esteem, O. H. Perry." This was taken by the hands of Midshipman Hugh Nelson Page, who was sent with prisoners of war to General Harrison. At 4 o'clock Commodore Perry wrote the following official re port of the battle to secretary of the navy — "U. S. Brig Niagara, September 10, 1813, 4 P. M. The Honorable William Jones, Secretary of the Navy. Sir — It has pleased the Almighty to give the arms of the United States a signal victory over the enemy on this lake. The British Squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop have this moment surrendered to the force under my com mand, after a sharp conflict. I have the honor to be. Sir, very respectfully your obedient ser vant, O. H. Perry." Commodore Perry received the surrender on board the Law rence. One by one the Brirish officers offered their swords, which he requested them to retain. Never before was a victory more complete. It gave us control of the lakes. Commodore Perry received from Congress a vote of thanks and a medal. In the battle of Lake Erie out of the great number of lives lost on both sides — "The bodies of only five officers and eight men were recovered and buried under a beautiful willow tree on Put-in Bay island, near the water's edge." This giant monument of nature, this mute witness of that fear ful naval battle kept a faithful guard over the resting place of the sacred dead who slumber at its base. 84 For eighty-seven years no other monument marked the graves. A heavy chain encircles the spot which protected the hallowed soil from footsteps of the crowds who annually throng the island. As had been expected, time claimed the old tree. The storms of April, 1900, found the willow an easy mark, and it fell but to be carted away." In one common grave sleep the remains of friend and foe, for there are two British naval officers resting in peace, and the trav eller of either nation must pay respect to both American and Brit ish heroes. Perhaps no battle ever fought on land or water has been spoken of or written about in prose and poetry more frequently and with greater applause and appreciation than Commodore Perry's victory at Put-in Bay, and yet no effort, aside from local annual floods of patriotic talk, has been made by the government to have placed upon this spot a monument in honor of this great victory and in memory of the fallen heroes. Before time removes the temporary mark patriotic people should erect a lasting and befitting monument to commemorate the valor of the victims of the battle of Lake Erie. Commodore Perry was born at South Kingston, R. I., August 23d, 1785. He died at Port Spain, Trinidad, August 23d, 1819. 85 The Elm* Tree— At the Siege of Fort Meigs. During the siege of Fort Meigs, and on one of the most trying days. May 4th, 1813, the officers and men at the fort were seriously annoyed by some Indian marksman who was stationed in one of the heavily leaved trees upon the opposite side of the Maumee river, and at such a height that "he could pick off our men as they went to the river to wash." So perfect was the aim of this Indian that he killed one man, and wounded several at the river before he could be located. Or ders were given forbidding soldiers to leave the fort for the pur poses named. The officer of the day selecting " a squad of men, the best sharp shooters, ordered them to watch the smoke from the tree, discover the culprit and drop him." It was not long until the head of the Indian was seen above the thick foliage, looking for a soldier to fire at. In a very short time the commanding officer received the fol lowing — " We discovered the Indian and we dropped him from the tree." To-day, on the west bank of the Maumee river and within the corporate limits of the historic village of Maumee stands the fa mous Elm tree, which is held, by the citizens, as equally an import ant memorial of the early days as the forts and battlefields of the Maumee valley. 86 THE GRAVE OF GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE. General Wayne returned to Erie, Pennsylvania, early in the winter of 1 796. He remained but a short time until he was prostrated with what proved a fatal illness. He died December ISth, 1796. At his request, he was buried under the old flag-staff, at the block house, Fort Erie, on the bluff commanding the entrance to the harbor. 87 THE MAUMEE ELM. Made famous on account of the Indian sharp-shooter stationed in the tree to kill the soldiers who ventured too near the river bend, at Fort Meigs, 1813. The Maumee Valley. When the United States declared war against the Indians, in 1794 ; and, in 1812 against the Indians and British combined, the theatre of military operations and conflicts centered in the Maumee Valley. Measured by the short duration, and the numbers engaged, the conflicts were the most important battles in the history of America. The victory of General Wayne destroyed the Indian power, as a power alone. The victory of General Harrison destroyed the combined Indian and English power in the Northwest. In these decisive campaigns there was displayed a heroism that will live while immortality shall crown a human being. In some of the bat tles the American forces were completely or nearly wiped out ; but few lived to tell the tale. As nearly every foot of the soil' has been made sacred by the deeds of heroism, a few lines about the past and present of the Maumee Valley may be of general interest. Louis de Frontenac, the French Governor of Canada, from 1672 to 1682, was quite successful in his trading with the Indians of his dominion. He had the spirit of an explorer, and learning that the country at the western end of Lake, Erie abounded in fur animals he crossed the Detroit river and slowly worked his way into the unknown territory, unexplored by the white man. His experiences with the Indians did not prove successful. "Three years were spent in exploring this extensive region, and in endeavoring to secure the alliance of the savages, and the gains of the fur trade. The sufferings of his men were exceedingly severe and the difficult situations in which they frequently found themselves required that tact found in Frontenac. Jt was not, however, until the Christian 89 HEAD OF THE MAUMEE RAPIDS 90 THE UPPER VALLEY. 91 influence of Father Pere Marquette had extended in the interior, and along the lake shore, did Frontenac again venture beyond the mouth of the Detroit river." In the fall of 1679 Frontenac made his first appearance in the Maumee Valley. " He was the first white man to explore the boundaries of this river, known as the Miami-of- the-lake. He found the Indian trails, coming from the west and north, from the many Indian villages of the interior, all centering at a point on the river bank at a high bluff extending beyond the natural bed of the river. This was the meeting place of the Indians of all Nations and tribes for commercial purposes. In the spring of 1680, Louis de Frontenac established at this point, a trading post, and called it Miami." For many years it was the most noted spot along the lake, and was occupied by Frontenac until his death, at Quebec, November 28th, 1689. When the English took possession of Canada, they at once stationed a company of soldiers at this place, built several block houses, an irregular parapet, and called it Fort Miami. It has been known as such ever since. From this well preserved fort the valley presents a most magnificent view. Out of the conflicts and struggles of the past ; through the shadows and mists of long ago ; through the energy and untiring perseverance of the inhabitants, the Maumee Valley to-day is a country rich in coirimercial interests and advantages; a land unexcelled for yielding all kinds of products. It is an inter esting valley to travel through. The surface is generally high and level. The forests were so dense, in the early days, that the branches and foliage were almost impenetrable to the rays of the sun, and when viewed at a distance it appeared like an immense blue wall stretching across the horizon. Nearly all this 92 natural beauty of forest-wilderness has disappeared. With the exceptions of a few patches of woods, and here and there mammoth oaks and graceful elms lording it over the valley, this forest has been changed to a garden of unusual grandeur. General Wayne, in his daily journal, kept by Mr. George Will, under date of August 28th, 1794, wrote the following — "We have marched for four or five miles through corn fields, and there is not less than a thousand acres of corn in the valley between Fort Defiance and Presque Isle Hill. There are also many orchards of apple trees, and they show age. Truly a beautiful, rich land." In 1816 the government sent an agent to lay out a town, at the point best calculated for commercial purposes. That agent sounded the river from its mouth, and fixed upon Perrysburg as the proposed center of trade in the valley. The town was laid out in the fall of the same year, and named after Commodore Perry, by Hon. Josiah Meigs, then Controller of the Treasury. The village of Maumee was laid out in 1817, by Major William Oliver and others, within what has been the reservation of the 12 mile square, at the foot of the rapids. Great interest naturally centers in this historic village. It was always the favorite place for Indians. Part of General Wayne's battle of Fallen Tim bers was within the limits of the town. Where the court house now stands was the beginning of the terrible massacre of Col. Dudley's brave men. In this village there are a few descendents of the cele brated chief, Little Turtle. Men and women who have lived all their lives in the valley, respected and loved by all who knew them. We are indebted to them for the following interesting memorandum, having been in my possession for twenty-five years. "On August 3rd, 1795, General Anthony Wayne concluded a treaty of peace with the Indian Nations of the north and west, at Fort Greenville, and 93 the names of the chiefs and the tribes present we herewith record. There were present the chiefs Little Turtle, Tecumseh, Ottokee, Blue Jacket, Baw Beese and others who signed the agreement, which was satisfactory to all. With these chiefs, and who told them to sign the contract, were these warriors : 240 Pottawatomies, 381 Delawares, 46 Chippeawas, 73 Miamis, 104 Ottawas, 180 Wyandottes, 143 Shawnees, 19 Kickapoos and 12 Wees. We now have peace and no more war." The Maumee river is a most remarkable stream, taking its rise in the rich lands of the upper valley, with a fall of eighteen feet per mile for seven miles, it flows with alternate smooth and broken cur rent in a winding north-easterly direction uniting with the waters of the Maumee Bay at the city of Toledo, one of the most prosperous cities in our land ; a monument in itself commemorating the deeds done by the heroes who sleep around its busy limits. With a present population of some 150,000 souls it is destined to be one of the most prominent commercial centers of the United States. The first steamboat plying between Perrysburg, and "the lower landings at Manhattan," was named "Walk-in-the-Water," and was piloted by Captain David Wilkinson. It made its first trip, June 30, 1815. Fifteen years after, when the people from the east and south began to locate permanently in the valley, on one of the trips of this famous little steamer, there was aboard a gentleman who was one of the escaped prisoners at Dudley's massacre. He came all the way from Kentucky, on horseback, to visit the battle ground and place of massacre. Landing at Maumee he walked directly to the present site of the old court house, and said — " It was here I saw 40 of my comrades tomahawked, and I ran the gauntlet." A resident of the village expressed surprise that he should remember the place. To this the old soldier replied — "Oh, I had a 94 good many reasons laid on my back to recollect it. I ran the gaunt let between a line of several hundred savages, and each had a tomahawk or a ram rod made of hickory. I crept on my hands and knees to Fort Meigs." Beginning at the site of the old court house there was enacted a scene of hideous cruelty and massacre that, while the details have been often in print, in American reports, it will be of interest to note what the English said of Colonel Dudley and his brave men. In the London New Monthly Magazine, December, 1826, written by a British officer, we find the following — " The victory obtained over Colonel Dudley, and his men, was deeply embittered by an act of cruelty, which, as the writer of an impartial memoir it becomes my painful duty to record, a cowardly and treacherous band of Indians, selecting their victims commenced what proved to be'the most hideous massacre ever recorded in the annals of war. The appeals of the poor Americans were answered with the toma hawk and scalping knife. Tecumseh, the great chief of all the tribes, having been appraised of what was going on, appeared sud denly in the midst of these murderous cowards and cried — ' Oh, what will become of my Indians ?' He asked for Proctor, and why he did not stop this inhuman massacre. 'Sir,' said Proctor, 'your Indians cannot be commanded.' To which Tecumseh replied in a loud tone — 'Begone, you are unfit to command. Go and put on petticoats.' " In this massacre there were butchered hundreds of brave men, many of them were buried along the line of a trail extending from Battery Hill to Fort Miami, a distance of nearly two miles. Colonel Dudley's men were all Kentuckians, and the people of the United States, the citizens of Ohio, and the patriots of the great State of Kentucky owe to the memory of these fallen heroes, who sacrificed 95 1 THE MAUMEE RIVER AND VALLEY. A view taken from British Point, Maumee City. The head of navigation and the foot of the rapids. 96 THE MAUMEE RIVER AND VALLEY A view taken from British Point, opposite Fort Meigs. From this site the British, under General Proctor, stationed their guns during the siege of Fort Meigs, 1813. their lives that we, and the future generations, may enjoy a country so grafid and rich as America, monuments that will last for all time to come. Their graves to-day are scattered and unmarked on the banks of the Maumee. No greater spot in the valley is more appropriate and befitting the memory of these pioneer soldiers than the old court house and its immediate surroundings. It is hoped that success may crown the efforts of the Daughters of the Revolution, and the members of the Maumee Valley Pioneer and Historical Association, in their work to secure this site for permanent headquarters, and to estab lish a historical museum within its walls. They should not want for means to carry out this noble project. This, then, is the condensed history of the Maumee Valley, and the readers will agree after perusing these pages, and visiting the old forts and battle grounds, listening to the ripple of the waters at the many rapids, viewing the ever changing scenery along the valley, that there is no greater historical spot in America. From the windows of the cars of the Toledo and Maumee Valley Electric Railway, which follows the banks of this historic river, can be seen Fort, Industry, (corner of Summit and Monroe streets, Toledo); Fort Miami; the old Maumee Court House; Colonel Dud ley's battle field ; Presque Hill and Turkey Foot Rock, Wayne's battle ground of Fallen Timbers; and the most prominent of all land marks, of the early days. Fort Meigs, from whose well preserved embankments there presents to the eye a -scene of unequalled beauty and surprising grandeur, which must be seen to be appreciated. There is a charm, a fascination, a something that awakens the true patriotism of an American, lingering in the vallej^, not defined by any other of nature's realms. 98 THE OLD MAUMEE COURT HOUSE.— (The site of Col. Dudley's Defeat.) Negotiations are now pending for the purchase of this historic land-mark, and transforming it into the " Maumee Valley Memorial Hall," for the collection of relics and articles pertaining to the eariy history of the Valley. It will be under the management of the Daughters of the Revolution and The Maumee Valley Pioneer and Histor ical Association. 99 Out from the buried past come a thousand pleadings from the dead heroes whose graves are scattered over the valley asking for that recognition due their memory from a patriotic, home loving people. THE STAGE COACH Used between Toledo, Cleveland and Buffalo, in the early part of the Nineteenth Century. Time, between Toledo and Buffalo, about sixteen days. 100 "THE TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED," Of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, making the remarkable time, from Toledo to Buffalo, in six hours. 298 L 89300 2006 £ w- .....