A Journal of Two Campaigns of the Fourth Regiment of U.S. Infantry Part 4

Capt._ Snelling's_ Company.

Killed--Joseph Tibbetts. Wounded--Ithiel Hathway,--Goodenough.

--Total 3.

The late Capt. _Welch's_ Company.

Killed--Corporal James Mitch.e.l.l; Corporal David L. Thompson; Levi Cary private--Wounded--Lieut. Geo. Gooding; Sergeant Montgomery Orr, dead; Corporal John Rice; Jona Crowell, dead; Daniel Gilman, dead; Stephen Pettis; Wm. Pomroy; Lucius Sallis; Jas. Stevenson, dead; Samuel Tibbetts, dangerous.--Total 10.

Capt. _Barton's_ Company.

Wounded--Daniel Kearness, dead; Lewis Taylor, dead; Lemuel E.

Welch, dead; John Clark; Robert Douglas; Wm. Foster; Souther; Wm.

Turner.--Total 8.

Capt. _George W. Prescott's_ Company.

Wounded--John Sandborn, dead.

Capt. _R. B. Brown's_ Company.

Wounded--John Yeomans, dead; Bliss Lovell, dangerous. Augustus Bradford.--Total 3.

Capt. _Cook's_ Company.

Wounded--Sergeant Henry Munn; Nathan Snow, dead; Amos Rice, dead; Daniel Lee, dead; Dennison Crumby, dead; Robert Thompson; Charles Coger, dangerous; Wm. M. Saunders; Daniel Rogers.--Total 9.

Lt. _Albright's_ detached 1st. and 7th regiment.

Killed--Isaac Butler. Wounded--Sergeant Walcott Babbit; Sergeant Nathan Fairbank; Samuel Potter, badly; Lewis Margum; Elisha Nappe.--Total 6.

Killed--1 Capt., 2 Corporals, 19 privates. Wounded--3 Subalterns--6 Sergeants--2 Corporals--1 Musician--44 Privates.

Whole number, killed and wounded of the army--188.

GEN. HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN

At the retaking of Detroit, and the defeat of the army under Gen.

Proctor, extracted from the "_View of the N.W. Campaign_," by Samuel R. Brown.

The chagrin and disappointment, added to the serious loss of the fine army, under Gen. Hull, cast a temporary gloom over the whole union, but this sentiment soon subsided, and all felt the necessity of immediate action. Pennsylvania and Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, all felt eager to wipe away the deep stain on our national character.

Volunteers every where presented themselves, and but a short period elapsed before an army was ready, as if by magic, to retrieve the fortune of arms. A leader was wanting--all eyes looked with a common impulse upon the hero of TIPPECANOE; the united voice of the people of the west called on the Governor of Kentucky to dispense with all formalities, and General _William Henry Harrison_, was brevetted a major general, with directions to take command of the north-western army.

On the 3d of September, the Indians made a furious a.s.sault on Fort Harrison. They kept up a brisk fire the whole night, and one time had actually succeeded in making a breach in the defences of the place.

The roofs of the buildings were several times on fire; one of the blockhouses was burnt. Captain Taylor, however, succeeded in defending the post and finally beat them off. The scene was enough to try the soul of a hero. There were but eighteen effective men in the fort, and two of them, in a moment of despair, leapt the pickets to escape. The night was dark--the yelling of several hundred savages, and the cries of the women, were sufficient to excite terror in the stoutest heart.

On the 4th of September, Gen. Harrison arrived at Urbana and a.s.sumed the command of the north-western army. The rapids of the Miami of the Lakes were fixed upon as the point of concentration, the several corps of which were to move in the following directions:--two thousand Pennsylvania volunteers under General Crooks, were to move from Pittsburgh along the sh.o.r.es of lake Erie: Gen. Tupper's brigade of Ohio volunteers were to take Hull's route from Urbana to the Rapids: fifteen hundred Virginians, under Brigadier Gen. Leftwich, were to take the same route, whenever they should arrive. Gen. Payne's brigade of Kentucky volunteers, with the 17th U. States' regiment, Col. Wells, were to advance to Fort Wayne, and descend the Miami; such was the disposition of the forces which were to const.i.tute the _new_ army.

A considerable Indian force appeared before Fort Wayne on the 5th.

They invested the place closely for several days; they burnt the U.

States' factory and many other valuable houses. A brother of Gov.

Meigs, and two soldiers were killed near the fort.

Gen. Harrison marched with the brigade of Gen. Payne and the regulars to relieve fort Wayne--the enemy fled at his approach.

There was now a favorable moment for making the Indians feel the effects of the war. An expedition was accordingly projected against several towns within two days march of that place. The whole force was divided and placed under the command of Gen. Payne and Colonel Wells.

The former was directed to destroy the Miami towns at the forks of the Wabash; and the latter to go against the Potawatamie villages at Elk Hart.

The commander in chief accompanied Gen. Payne on the expedition: four of the Miami villages were burnt, three of which were remarkably flouris.h.i.+ng. All their corn was cut up and piled, in order that it might rot before the enemy could return to prevent it. Colonel Wells was equally successful; he destroyed several villages and returned to camp without loss.

At this time General Winchester arrived at Fort Wayne and General Harrison resigned the command of the detachment under General Payne and Col. Wells, to him, in obedience to the arrangements of the war department. Considerable discontent and murmuring was observable among the troops when they were informed of the change, but on being addressed by Gen. Harrison, they appeared better satisfied.

On the 4th October brigadier general Tupper received orders to proceed to the rapids with the whole of the mounted force, in condition for service; but in consequence of the _counter orders_ of General Winchester, the movement was not executed. General Tupper made an exposition of the causes which produced the failure of the expedition.

This exposition very clearly proved that both Winchester and Tupper were incapable of command.

On the 25th November, the celebrated partizan chief, Logan,[2] died of his wounds.--This loss was regretted by the whole army. He was a brave and enterprising warrior, sincerely attached to the Americans, and possessed a powerful influence over the Indians.

[2] He in company with Capt. Johney and Brighthorn, had been sent by Gen. Winchester to make discoveries at the rapids.

They had not proceeded but a few miles when they were taken prisoners by five Indians under Winnemac, and a son of Col.

Elliott. Logan told them they had come to join them: this induced them to permit Logan and his a.s.sociates to carry their arms and to march before them. Logan determined to rescue himself or die in the attempt; he communicated his intentions to his comrades and when a suitable opportunity offered, they turned upon their enemy and each one brought his man to the ground; the remaining three fired upon Logan's party and wounded Logan and Brighthorn. Logan altho'

mortally wounded exchanged a second shot with the enemy, when he and Brighthorn jumped upon the horses of two of those they had just slain and left Capt. Johney to cover the retreat which he did in a gallant manner, after having scalped Winnemac. Winnemac was the chief that commanded at Tippecanoe. Young Elliot was among the slain--his body was afterwards taken up by his father, and conveyed to Malden.

On the 8th November a detachment of 600 men, commanded by Colonel Campbell, left Franklinton on an expedition against the Miami Indians, living on the head waters of the Wabash. On the 17th of December, they arrived at one of the Mississinway villages, surprized & killed five warriors, and took thirty-seven prisoners. They burnt three other villages three miles further down the river, and then returned to the first town destroyed, and encamped. About an hour before the dawn of day, they were attacked in the camp. The fire commenced on the right line, commanded by Major Ball, who sustained and returned it till day light, when the Indians were charged and dispersed with the loss of thirty killed. Our loss was eight killed and twenty-five wounded--several mortally. A great number of horses were killed, several officers were wounded: lieutenant Waltz, of the Pennsylvania troop was shot through the arm, but not satisfied, he again attempted to mount his horse, and in making the effort was shot through the head.--The prisoners were treated with humanity, even the warriors who ceased to resist, were spared, which is not the usual custom in expeditions against the Indians. The sufferings of the men from cold, hunger and fatigue, on their retreat from Mississinway, were beyond measure. They were in the centre of an Indian country. The terrible Tec.u.mseh was known to be within a few hours march. The sick and wounded were to be carried on litters; their march was slow, tedious and circ.u.mspect. At night only half of the men could sleep, while the other were on guard. They suffered greatly from the inclemency of the weather; numbers were frost bitten. Pleurisy and bad colds afflicted almost the whole corps. Why the Indians suffered them to escape total destruction, is unaccountable.

Perhaps the death of their celebrated PROPHET, who is supposed to have been killed in this affair, was the cause of their not harra.s.sing our men in their retreat.

The officers of Major Ball's squadron, who sustained the brunt of the action and who were complimented by General Harrison, in a general order, for their valor and good conduct, were Major Ball, Captains Hopkins and Garrard of Kentucky; Captains Markle and M'Clelland, of Pennsylvania.

On the 14th of December the left wing of the army moved from Fort Winchester to the Rapids. At this time the Ohio troops were at Fort M'Arthur--the Pennsylvanians at Mansfield and the Virginians at Delaware.--General Harrison fixed his head quarters at Upper Sandusky.

The provisions and military stores, and the trains of artillery having reached the different depots, the hopes of the nation, that victory would soon crown the efforts of the north-western army, were cherished in confidence.

On the 14th of January, Col. Lewis advanced towards the river Raisin.

On the 18th he found the enemy in force, and disposed to dispute the possession of the place. He attacked them in the town; on the first onset the savages raised their accustomed yell. But the noise was drowned in the returning shouts of the a.s.sailants. They advanced boldly to the charge, and drove them in all directions. On the first fire sixteen of the Indians fell--about forty were killed. Col. Lewis'

party lost twelve killed, and fifty-two wounded.

On the 18th Gen. Winchester followed with a reinforcement, and concentrated his troops, amounting to eight hundred men, at the village of Frenchtown--six hundred of which were posted behind a picket fence--two hundred which composed the right wing were encamped in an open field entirely uncovered.

On the 22d they were attacked by a combined British force under Tec.u.mseh and Proctor. The attack commenced on the right wing at beating of reveille. Our troops were immediately ready for the reception of the enemy. The right wing sustained the shock for about twenty minutes, when overpowered by numbers, they retreated over the river and were met by a large body of Indians who had been stationed in their rear. This party finding their retreat cut off, resolved to sell their lives as dear as possible, and fought desperately--few of these escaped. The left wing with Spartan valor, maintained their ground within their pickets.

The enemy's regulars made three different charges upon them; they advanced in platoons to charge the pickets, keeping up a brisk fire.

Our men within the pickets, with the most determined bravery and presence of mind reserved their fire until the enemy advanced within point blank shot. They then opened a cross fire upon them--their pieces well levelled--and in this manner mowed down his ranks till he retreated in confusion.

Gen. Winchester and Col. Lewis had been taken prisoners in an early part of the battle, in attempting to rally the right wing. At 11 o'clock a flag arrived from General Winchester to Maj. Madison, who commanded in the pickets, informing our men he had surrendered them prisoners of war, and requested their compliance; whereupon a capitulation took place, and they were immediately marched off for Malden. The Americans lost nearly four hundred men in killed, wounded and missing. Among the officers, Col. Allen and Captains Hickman, Simpson, (a member of Congress) Mead, Edwards, Price and M'Cracken.

During the whole of the action a heavy canonade was kept up by six pieces of artillery. The courage of the men was never more severely tested. The party that retreated at the commencement of the battle, were pursued, surrounded, and literally cut to pieces. Some succeeded in getting three miles from the scene of action, but were overtaken and ma.s.sacred. The snow was crimsoned the whole distance with the blood of the fugitives.

After the capitulation, the American commanding officer remonstrated with General Proctor, on the necessity of protecting the wounded prisoners from the fury of the savages. That officer pledged himself to attend to it, but he _forgot to keep his word_: they were left without the promised protection, and on the morning of the 23d, horrible to relate, the _allies_ of a _christian king_, stripped, scalped, tomahawked and burnt all of them who were unable to walk.[3]