F » ; .IP* H*£>KK*. f4 ti THK,K»L skskft ptf>Ter/Afc-,75 M' e *» ' LI B R.AFLY OF THE UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS )°H1 IIUHDIS WSTOtUCAL SURVEY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/fortrecoveryhistOOfraz r -WtCATAtOGBB Fort Recovery & OF ILL U& Fort Recovery An Historical Sketch Depicting lis Role in the History of the Old Northwest By Ida Hedrick Frazier Revised Edition Columbus, Ohio THE OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1948 FORT RECOVERY MONUMENT To the Heroes of Defeat and Victory FORT RECOVERY An Historical Sketch Fort Recovery was erected in the winter of 1793-4 by a detach- ment of General Anthony Wayne's army consisting of eight com- panies of infantry and artillery under Major Henry Burbeck. It was placed on the site of St. Clair's Defeat on the left bank of the Wabash River, about 23 miles from Fort Greene Ville, where the town of Fort Recovery, Mercer County, Ohio, now stands. The fort was garrisoned with some 200 men and put under the command of Captain Alex Gibson. On June 30, 1794, ninety riflemen and about sixty rangers under Major William McMahon were attacked by Indians as they left Fort Recovery. McMahon and his men had convoyed a supply train from Wayne's army to the fort and were returning with 325 pack-horses. The major and several of his men were killed as they attempted to return to the garrison. Inside the fort Gibson covered their retreat as best he could. The Indians, some fifteen hundred strong, took about twenty-five captives and most of the horses. They then attacked the garrison. The fort was besieged for two days but withstood the attack and the Indians became discouraged and withdrew. Settlement of the Northwest To understand the importance of the resistance to this Indian attack it is necessary to know at least in brief the story of the campaigns in the western part of what is now Ohio in the 1790's. One of the great problems that faced the new American gov- ernment at the end of the Revolutionary War was the organization and use of the western territory. The Continental Congress finally formulated the Ordinance of 1787 to prescribe the general princi- ples to be used in the government of the territory northwest of the Ohio River. Even after the ratification of the Constitution in 1789 the Ordinance continued to be the basis of development for the states of the Old Northwest. Simultaneously with the inauguration of American government in the territory, permanent settlement of the region was begun with the authorization of a grant of land to the Ohio Company. The Ohio Company was the outgrowth of an endeavor by some of the officers of the Revolutionary War to secure bounty lands they considered due them for their services. Manasseh Cutler of Massa- chusetts, a minister, doctor and chaplain, was active in the service of the Ohio Company and was appointed to purchase lands on the Muskingum River. He contracted for the sale of 1,500,000 acres to the Ohio Company. To begin actual occupation of the company's grant, forty-eight men left Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, in the winter of 1787-8. Traveling overland to western Pennsylvania, they built flatboats on the banks of the Youghiogheny and floated them down the Ohio River. On April 7, 1788, they landed at the mouth of the Muskingum River and began a settlement which they named Marietta in honor of Queen Marie Antionette of France, who gave aid to the colonies during the dark days of the Revolution. Another grant was obtained from Congress for the purchase of 400,000 acres between the Miamis, and a settlement was begun at Losantiville, later called Cincinnati. Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest General Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor of the new territory. St. Clair was born in Scotland in 1734 and came to America in 1758. He served in the French and Indian War, and was with General James Wolfe at Quebec. He served in the battles of Ticonderoga and Princeton, and later was made a major-general. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, and afterwards became its president. He arrived at Marietta on July 9, 1788, with his credentials as governor of the Northwest Territory. He enjoyed the respect and confidence of the entire people. His friendship with Washington secured for him the appointment, on March 4, 1791, of commander-in-chief of the army in the western country. Indian Resistance to Settlement The Treaty of Fort Harmar, signed in January, 1789, proved ineffectual in placating the Indians, who considered the newly set- tled regions part of their hunting grounds. Attacks back and forth across the Ohio River by Kentuckians and Indians kept hard feel- ings very much alive and made treaty settlement impossible. It was finally decided that military action against the Indians was the only way to quiet the frontier, and in September, 1790, St. Clair sent General Josiah Harmar against them. Many Indian villages were burned, but the object of the expedition — intimidating the Indians — was not accomplished. Subsequent expeditions by Gen- eral Charles Scott and Colonel James Wilkinson fell with fury upon the Miami and Ouiatenon nations, but only served to arouse more desperate efforts on the part of the Indians to harass the invaders. A peace mission by Colonel Thomas Proctor failed dismally. GENERAL ARTHUR ST. CLAIR Hero in Defeat To carry on the war more vigorously, Little Turtle (Michi- kinikwa), chief of the Miamis, and Buckongehelas, chief of the Delawares, formed a confederacy of all the tribes of the Northwest, and called to their assistance the warriors of the Wyandot, Kick- apoo, Chippewa and Potawatomi tribes. The confederacy received aid from Simon Girty and Blackstaffe, famous renegades, McKee and Elliott, agents in the British Indian Department, braves from distant Lake Superior and Joseph Brant, noted half-breed Indian. Sto Clair Builds an Army Petitions were sent to President George Washington asking him to authorize a sufficient force to protect the frontier. He per- suaded Congress to authorize him to raise a regiment of regulars and 2000 volunteers to serve six months. St. Clair was appointed major-general and placed in command of the army, with General Richard Butler second in command. Congress appropriated thirty-seven thousand dollars for equip- ping the army for this expedition, which had for its object the erection of a military post at the junction of the St. Marys and St. Joseph rivers (now the site of Fort Wayne, Indiana) and posts of communication connecting with Fort Washington. In the quarter-master's department things progressed slowly. Tents, pack-saddles, camp-kettles, knapsacks and cartridge boxes were all deficient in quantity and quality; powder was poor or damaged; accoutrements were out of repair; and no tools were available. Of 675 stands of arms at Fort Washington, very few were in order, and with two traveling forges there were no anvils. General Butler was employed to obtain recruits, and as they appeared in Fort Washington, after long periods of detention at Philadelphia and prolonged travel on the river, a new source of trouble arose from the intemperance indulged in by the recruits. To remove them from temptation, St. Clair placed 2000 of them at Ludlow's Station, six miles from Fort Washington. They came principally from the states of New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. St. Clair issued a call for 1150 militia from the district of Kentucky, but only 418 appeared to join the expedition. 6 Wilderness Campaign On September 10, 1791, St. Clair's army left Fort Washington and marched into the wilderness. The whole of his command con- sisted of two small regiments of six months' levies, a few cavalry and two batteries of light guns. Calvin Young, in his Life of Little Turtle, states that two hundred and fifty women accompanied the expedition, some following the fortunes of their soldier-husbands, some as camp-followers. It was not thought that the Indians would attack so large an army, and it was hoped that settlement would be made and homes established. St. Clair described the order of march of the army as follows: "When the army was in march it was preceded by a small party of riflemen with the surveyor to mark the course of the road, as both the geography and topography were unknown to us. Scouts were sent out to scour the country every way. "Then followed the road cutters, the advance guard, then the army in two columns, with a piece of artillery in front, center, and rear. In the space between the two columns marched the remain- ing artillery; then the horses with the tents and provisions. Within the columns marched the cavalry in file, and without them, at the same distance, a party of riflemen and scouts. Then followed the rear guard at a proper distance." The army proceeded to the eastern bank of the Great Miami River and built Fort Hamilton and, at a point forty-two miles in advance, Fort Jefferson, six miles south of the present site of Greenville. In these forts were built barracks for one hundred men, a guard room and two store-houses for provisions. The work was done almost entirely by the labor of the men, though some use was made of oxen in drawing timber. As the army moved through the wilderness, Indians were seen occasionally and shots were ex- changed with small parties of braves. A few men were killed or taken prisoners. It is quite certain that every movement of the army was known to the Indians. As St. Clair approached the Miami towns, he was putting his men within easy striking distance of the most formidable Indian confederacy in the Northwest. But broken in health, he was a weak, elderly man, courageous and anxious to do his duty, but totally unfit for the responsibilities of such an arduous expedition. Many times, because of sickness, it was doubtful whether he could continue his command. Another circumstance that caused St. Clair much anxiety was the fact that an unfriendly feeling existed between himself and Butler throughout the course of the campaign. According to the account given by St. Clair, the difficulty arose on the march to Fort Jefferson. Butler, in St. Clair's absence, changed the order of march, and when the latter arrived an altercation occurred, after which, said St. Clair, "he . . . seldom came near me." Butler also proposed that he proceed at once with one thousand men and establish a post at the Miami villages in advance of the re- mainder of the army. St. Clair treated this proposition with un- disguised contempt, which greatly heightened the animosity between them. Encampment on the Wabash On the evening of November 3, 1791, the army encamped on the banks of the Wabash River, which was thought to be the St. Marys. It was still more than fifty miles from the intended desti- nation, the Indian villages on the Maumee. The army, being much fatigued by a long march, encamped on a knoll with a creek on the front and right and a ravine on the left. The first line of the army, commanded by General Butler and composed of bat- talions under Thomas Butler, William Clarke and Robert C. Pat- terson, lay in front of a creek about twelve yards wide. The second line consisted of two battalions and the second regiment of regulars commanded by Lieutenant-colonel William Darke, two hundred feet to the rear and parallel with the first. The militia advanced about a quarter of a mile across the creek bottom and camped in two lines on high ground. Between the two lines of militia was a space of only seventy yards, which was all the site would permit. St. Clair concerted plans with Major Ferguson of the artillery for throwing up a small earthwork the next day wherein to deposit the knapsacks and heavy luggage. To add to the discomfort of a dark dreary evening, snow began to fall and thin ice covered the creek. The men cut down trees and made warming fires which illumined the forest for many miles and served as a guide to the Indians in their attack. Captain Jacob Slough of Kentucky stated that he was sent out during the night with an observation party and saw a large body of Indians going toward the camp, apparently for the purpose 8 of reconnoitering it, and that he hastened back to the militia camp to communicate the information. "I halted my party," he said, "near to Colonel William Old- ham's tent, went into it, and awakened him at twelve o'clock. I told him I was of the opinion that the camp would be attacked in the morning. I then went to General Butler's tent, and as I approached it, he came out and stood by the fire. I told him what I had seen, and if he thought proper I would go and report to General St. Clair. He stood some time, and after a pause, thanked me for my attention and vigilance, and said as I must be fatigued I had better go and lie down." The Indians Strike The night passed quietly. Through its long hours the Indians were moving through the forest selecting advantageous positions for the conflict which opened with the coming of day. On November 4, 1791, soon after daybreak, through the un- broken forest and over the elevations and the intervening lowlands, resounded the Indian war-whoop. While the soldiers were prepar- ing their breakfast, having returned from parade and roll-call, the undisciplined militia was suddenly attacked from every side by a large body of painted savages. From concealed places, ravines and trees, the Indians kept up an unceasing discharge of musketry. Seeing no foe, but beholding their comrades falling on every side, the demoralized militia, thinking only of safety, dashed across the creek into the camp of the regulars, passing the first line and stop- ping at the second, helpless. Oldham, in a vain effort to rally the militia, went down to his death. The regular troops were drawn up in two lines, with the artillery in the center. Cannonading and musketry-fire from these lines began with many balls shattering the trees and bury- ing themselves in the timber, but doing little harm to the Indians. But for momentary glimpses, the bewildered soldiers knew the presence of the enemy only by the rapidity with which their comrades fell dead and wounded by their side. A volley from the artillery in the front rank drove the Indians away, but they soon returned and resumed the conflict with increased fury, charging with tomahawks. 9 William Wells, the Blacksnake, a white boy who had been captured by the Miamis and adopted by Little Turtle, had com- mand of three hundred Indian warriors in this battle. They were posted immediately in front of the artillery under a knoll, in positions behind logs and trees. With unerring aim they picked off the artillerists, one by one, until the dead bodies of the whites were heaped up almost as high as their pieces. But one officer, Captain Ford, survived the carnage. St. Clair and Butler rode up and down the lines encouraging their men to persevere in their attack. General Butler, shot first through the arm and then through the body, was removed to his tent where he continued to give orders to his men until death re- lieved his suffering. St. Clair was not dressed in uniform at this time, but wore a coarse dark coat and a three-cornered beaver hat, beneath which extended his thick flowing gray hair caught in a queue. It is recorded that eight bullets passed through his coat and hat and that four horses were £hot under him. Whatever criticism may be made of his ability and judgment, no one ever accused him of cowardice. Defeat and Flight After a large portion of the army had fallen, after bayonet charges had failed, after artillerists had been stricken at their posts, it became apparent that the remnant of the army could be saved only by immediate flight, at the cost of abandoning the wounded. When it became known that Butler and nearly all the officers were casualties, retreat was sounded. St. Clair was the last to leave the field. With Darke and a few surviving officers, he resolved upon the desperate expedient of charging upon the flank of the Indians and regaining the road over which they had come. This being effected, the militia entered and Clarke tried to cover the retreat. His death and that of many other officers at this time threw the remnant of the army into a panic. The Indians, overcoming the confusion at the unexpected flank movement and retreat, quickly rallied and pursued the army along the road. The battle was lost beyond all saving, and with one- half of the army dead or wounded, the fugitives began a dis- orderly retreat to Fort Jefferson, pressed at every step by the victorious foe. Finally arms, artillery carriages, wagons and camp equipment — all were abandoned. Bayonets were detached and 10 thrown away to make flight easier through the timber. Some removed their shoes and surplus clothing in order to gain speed in their escape. The pursuit continued for about four miles. The exultant savages then returned to plunder the camp, to torture the dying and to scalp and disfigure the dead. The army arrived at Fort Jefferson about sunset, and an account was taken of the losses. Adjutant-general Winthrop Sar- DEATH OF GENERAL BUTLER - OLD PRINT gent made this record: "The troops have all been defeated and although it is impossible at this time to ascertain our loss, yet there can be no doubt that one-half of the army is either killed or wounded." St. Clair decided that, as there was no room for the men and provisions in the fort, he would leave the sick and wounded there, and at ten o'clock that night he proceeded with the remnant of the army to Fort Washington, where he arrived on November 8. Reports and Repercussions Lieutenant Ebenezer Denny, after a perilous journey, reached Philadelphia a month after the battle and, with the secretary of war, gave an account of the defeat to Washington. After his guests had departed and he was alone with his secretary, the President 11 UHWIKS" 1 N\H«Ot$ L \BfcW gave way to the following storm of anger and wrath: "It's all over — St. Clair is defeated — routed — the officers nearly all killed! The men by the wholesale— the rout complete! A surprise into the bargain! Here in this room I took leave of him and wished him success and honor. 'You have your instructions,' I said, 'from the Secretary of War. I had a strict eye to them and I will add — Beware of a surprise.' He went off with that solemn warning ringing in his ears. And yet to suffer that army to be cut to pieces, hacked, butchered, tomahawked by a surprise. The very thing I guarded him against! Oh, God! He is worse than a mur- derer! The blood of the widows and orphans be upon St. Clair! How can he answer for it to his country!" Then more calmly he said, "Lear, this must not go beyond this room. I looked hastily through the dispatches, but not all the particulars. I will hear him without prejudice. He shall have full justice." In a letter dated Fort Washington, November 9, 1791, to the secretary of war, St. Clair described the battle: "On the 4th, about half an hour before sunrise, and when the men had just been dis- missed from the parade (for it was a constant practice to have them all under arms a considerable time before daylight), an attack was made upon the militia. Those gave way in a very little time, and rushed into camp, through Major Butler's battalion, which, to- gether with part of Clarke's, they threw into considerable disorder, and which, notwithstanding the exertions of both those officers, was never altogether remedied, the Indians following close at their heels; the fire, however, of the front line checked them, but almost instantly a heavy attack began upon that line, and in a few minutes it was extended to the second likewise; the great weight of it was directed against the center of each, where the artillery was placed, and from which the men were repeatedly driven with great slaugh- ter; finding no great effect from our fire, and confusion beginning to spread from the great number of men who were falling in all quarters, it became necessary to try what could be done with the bayonet. "Lieutenant-Colonel Darke was accordingly ordered to make a charge with part of the second line, and to turn the left flank of the enemy. This was executed with great spirit. The Indians instantly gave way, and were driven back three or four hundred 12 yards; but, for the want of a sufficient number of riflemen to pursue this advantage, they soon returned, and the troops were obliged to give back in their turn. At this moment they had entered our camp by the left flank, having pursued back the troops that were posted there. "Another charge was made here by the Second regiment, Butler's and Clarke's battalions, with equal effect, and it was re- peated several times, and always with success; but in all of them many men were lost, and particularly the officers, which, with some raw troops, was a loss altogether irredeemable. In that I just spoke of, made by the Second regiment and Butler's battalion, Major Butler was dangerously wounded, and every officer of the Second regiment fell except three, one of whom, Mr. Greaton, was shot through the body. "Our artillery being now silenced, and all the officers killed except Captain Ford, who was badly wounded, more than half of the army fallen, being cut off from the road, it became necessary to attempt the regaining it, and to make a retreat if possible. To this purpose, the remains of the army were formed, as well as circumstances would admit, towards the right of the encampment; from which, by the way of the second line, another charge was made upon the enemy, as if with the design to turn their right flank, but, in fact, to gain the road; this was effected, and as soon as it was open the militia took along it, followed by the troops, Major Clarke, with his battalion covering the rear. "The retreat in those circumstances was, you may be sure, a very precipitate one; it was, in fact, a flight. The camp and the artillery were abandoned, but that was unavoidable; for not a horse was left alive to have drawn them off had it otherwise been practicable. But the most disgraceful part of the business is that the greatest part of the men threw away their arms and accouterments, even after the pursuit, which continued about four miles, had ceased. I found the road strewed with them for many miles, but was not able to remedy it; for, having had all my horses killed, and being mounted upon one that could not be pricked out of a walk, I could not get forward myself, and the orders I sent forward, either to halt the front, or to prevent the men parting with their arms, were unattended to. The rout continued quite to Fort Jef- ferson, twenty-nine miles, which was reached a little after sun- 13 setting. The action began about half an hour before sunrise, and the retreat was attempted at half an hour after nine o'clock." St. Clair lost 39 officers killed and 593 men killed or missing; 22 officers and 246 men were wounded. The officers killed were Major-general Butler; Lieutenant-colonel Oldham of the Kentucky militia; Majors Ferguson, Clarke and Hart; Captains Bradford, Phelon, Kirkwood, Price, Van Swearingen, Tipton, Smith, Purdy, Piatt, Guthrie, Cribbs and Newman; Lieutenants Spear, Warren, Boyd, McMath, Burgess, Kelso, Read, Little, Hopper and Lickins; Ensigns Cobb, Balch, Chace, Turner, Wilson, Brooks, Beatty and Purdy; Quartermasters Reynolds and Ward; Adjutant Anderson; and Doctor Grasson. The officers wounded were Lieutenant-colonels Gibson, Darke and Sargent; Major Butler; Captains Doyle, Trueman, Ford, Bu- channen, Darke and Slough; Lieutenants Greaton, Davidson, De Butts, Price, Morgan, McCrea, Lysle and Thomson; Adjutants Whistler and Crawford; Ensign Bines; and Viscount Malartie. Seven pieces of artillery and all the baggage, ammunition and provisions left on the battlefield, fell into the hands of the Indians. The stores and other public property lost in the action were valued at $32,810.75. The casualty figures above do not include the civilians with the army. It is thought that the Indians lost about one hundred and fifty warriors in this battle. After the defeat, St. Clair left for Philadelphia to report to President Washington. Meanwhile, James Wilkinson was placed in command of the small garrison at Fort Washington. Late in January, 1792, he led a force of about 200 regulars and 150 volun- teers to attack the Indians. Cold weather stopped the campaign at Fort Jefferson. The regulars were sent back to Fort Washington. With the volunteers, Wilkinson advanced to the site of the defeat and buried some of the dead. An unsuccessful campaign was bound to challenge the govern- ment, the wisdom of Congress and the patience of the people. The efforts of the British and Indians had to be overcome before the Republic could achieve the independence which it thought was secured by the Paris Treaty of 1783. Wash- ington carefully studied the list of officers for a reliable suc- cessor to St. Clair. 14 Hero of Stony Point Succeeds Si. Clair Henry Lee, Daniel Morgan, Anthony Wayne, Scott and Darke were all considered. Of these, Wayne, who had gained distinc- tion at the Battle of Brandywine, who had led his division in the thickest of the fight at Germantown, and whose brilliant exploits at an important post on the Hudson had won for him the title, "The Hero of Stony Point," was considered the most desir- able successor to the unfortunate St. Clair. The recommendation of Wayne was confirmed by Congress. Lee, then governor of Virginia, wrote Washington of "the extreme disgust existing among all orders in 'The Old Dominion.' " But the President had made / GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE "The Chief Who Never Sleeps' 15 his selection not hastily, nor through partiality or influence, and was not affected by idle words. This appointment caused the English people some solicitude. Earlier a British representative to the American government had written home that Wayne was the most active, vigilant and enter- prising officer in the American army, but his talents were purely literary. But they seemed to be sufficient for all occasions. Wayne Builds an Army Wayne promptly accepted the appointment but found few officers who would accept the subordinate positions they were asked to fill. He proceeded to Pittsburgh in June, 1792. Con- gress increased enlistment to some 5000 men and this army be- came known as "The Legion of the United States." Toward the close of the summer Wayne moved his camp to a position on the Ohio River and remained there during the winter. Washington gave Wayne instructions respecting the campaign, the order of march, the importance of guarding against surprise, and insisted that the men be taught to load while running, that they be trained for service, that no powder and lead be spared and that they be made good marksmen. The men were drilled with stern discipline, and the troops exercised in all the evolutions necessary to render them efficient soldiers. Firing at a mark was practised and a reward given to the best marksman. Wayne taught the dragoons to rely on the broadsword as all-important to victory. The riflemen were made to see how much success depended on their coolness, quickness and accuracy, while the infantry was led to place entire confidence in the bayonet as the weapon before which the savages could not stand. Retracing the Wilderness Trail On August 6, 1793, Wayne left his headquarters near Fort Washington and marched into the Indian country. At a point six miles north of Fort Jefferson he encamped on a branch of the Stillwater and constructed a large fortification. This he named Greene Ville in honor of General Nathanael Greene, his comrade in the Revolution. Later on a town was built here which received the name of Greenville. 16 Wayne spent the winter in this commodious encampment, with comforts and necessities for his army. On December 23 he sent out a detachment to build a fort on the site of St. Clair's Defeat. The expedition consisted of eight companies of infantry and a detachment of artillery. They arrived on the ground Decem- ber 25, but before they could pitch their tents they had to scrape away the bones that lay thick upon the ground. Six hundred skulls were found and buried. Having performed this sad duty, Wayne's orders were executed and a fortification was built, to which an appropriate name was given — Fort Recovery — in com- memoration of the site being recovered from the Indians, who had won possession of the ground in 1791. One company of riflemen and one of artillery, under com- mand of Captain Alexander Gibson, remained, and the others returned to the encampment at Fort Greene Ville. The little com- pany enjoyed comparative quiet for six months, performing routine duties, strengthening the post, cutting the timber away from the stockade so there would be no covert for enemies close to the fort. Battle of Fort Recovery The Indians had been much interested in the erection of Fort Recovery and made preparations to destroy the small gar- rison there and to secure the fort for themselves. On June 30, 1794, a large force, consisting of several hundred Indians, a number of Canadians dressed in Indian costume, a number of British 4HL FORT GREENE VILLE Wilderness Refuge 17 officers dressed in scarlet, accompanied by Little Turtle, the leader of the Miamis, and warriors from various tribes, the number being variously estimated at from 1500 to 2000, made a furious attack on the garrison of about 200 men. They were repulsed with great loss, but renewed the attack, keeping up a heavy and con- stant fire during the day, which was returned with spirit and effect by the garrison. The night being dark and foggy, the Indians removed their dead and wounded from the field by torchlight. The morning light revealed but eight or ten bodies of Indians on the ground. The enemy renewed the attack next morning and continued it during the day, but were compelled to retreat with loss and dis- grace from the field where they had been so proudly victorious on November 4, 1791. A number of Wayne's men fell in the victorious defense of the fort and their remains were buried within the stockade. The Indian loss was very great, but by their manner of concealment, the number of dead and wounded could not be ascertained. Having made the attack with a determination to succeed or die in the attempt, a number of chiefs and warriors perished before the idea was abandoned. Reference was made to the loss they had sustained when the chiefs met later for peace negotiations: "Our hearts are sorry and afflicted to see the graves of our brothers who fell last year." From the extent of the Indian encampment., which was square and regular, and their line of march in seventeen columns, forming a wide and extended front, their numbers could not have been less than 1500 or 2000 warriors. It would also appear they were in want of provisions, as they killed and ate a number of pack- horses in their encampment on the evening after the assault and some at their next encampment seven miles from Fort Recovery. It would appear that the British and Indians were expecting to find the artillery that was lost on November 4, 1791, and hid by the Indians. This had been effected by turning over fallen timbers, or logs, placing the cannon, and then turning the logs back to their former positions, over the cannon. The Indians were observed during the assault turning over logs, trying to find the cannon and other plunder which they had hid at the time of St. 18 Clair's Defeat. Fortunately the cannon had been discovered by the Americans, and the field pieces were mounted in the fort and used in its defense. Victory and Peace Throughout the campaign Wayne kept himself well informed of the movements and designs of the enemy. He sent messengers to offer terms of friendship, but the pride of the Indians prevented any favorable results. At a council of war Little Turtle coun- seled peace. He recognized in Wayne qualities which other lead- ers whom he had defeated did not possess. Standing before the council he said: "We have beaten the enemy twice under separate commanders. We can not expect the same good fortune always to attend us. The Americans now are led by a chief who never sleeps; the night and the day are alike to him. And all the time that he has been marching upon our villages we have never been LITTLE TURTLE Indian Warrior and Counselor of Peace 19 able to surprise him. Think well of it. Something whispers to me that it would be prudent to listen to his offers of peace." The subsequent Battle of Fallen Timbers was one of General Wayne's great victories. His army burned and destroyed the growing crops of the Indians and laid waste their villages. When winter came, many starving Indians begged subsistence at Detroit. The Indian power was broken. The British officers and agents could not stimulate the Indians to recommence hostilities. The Indians finally had been made to understand that the Americans were so numerous that they could bring into the arena of warfare more than fifty warriors to their one, and that sooner or later they would be destroyed if they continued the fight. In June, 1795, the members of various tribes met at Fort Greene Ville for the purpose of negotiating peace with the vic- torious Americans. A treaty was signed by Wayne, several other officers, his aid-de-camp, interpreters and guides on behalf of the FALLEN TIMBERS MONUMENT The Indian Federation Broken 20 United States, and on the part of the Indians by chiefs and repre- sentatives from the following tribes: Delawares, Shawnees, Chippewas, Ottawas, Miamis and Eel Rivers, Weas and Pianka- shaws, Kickapoos and Kaskaskias, Potawatomies and Wyandots. The final treaty was signed on August 3, exchanged August 7, laid before the United States Senate on December 9 and ratified December 22, 1795. By this treaty the Indians ceded about 25,000 square miles of territory to the United States, besides sixteen separate tracts, including lands and forts. The Indians received in consideration of these cessions goods to the value of $20,000 as presents, and were promised an annual allowance of $9,500 to be distributed equally to the parties of the treaty. Wayne, declaring the council at an end, said: "I now fervently pray to the Great Spirit that the peace now established be per- GREENE VILLE TREATY MARKER The Northwest Opened 21 manent, and that it will hold us together in the bonds of friend- ship until time shall be no more. I also pray that the Great Spirit may enlighten your minds and open your eyes to your true happi- ness, that your children may learn to cultivate the earth and enjoy the fruits of peace and industry." Rufus King, the historian, said that "never after that treaty, to their honor be it remembered, did the Indian tribes violate the limits which it established. It was a grand tribute to General Wayne that no chief or warrior who gave him the hand at Green- ville ever lifted the hatchet against the United States. There were malcontents on the Wabash and Lake Michigan, who took sides with Tecumseh and the Prophet in the War of 1812, but the tribes and their chiefs sat still." Hisloric Importance of Fort Recovery The siege of Fort Recovery could not be considered a victory for Wayne's army since it suffered heavy casualties, but it was an important strategic defeat for the Indians and their allies, the British. The Indians had acted in what was considered by English authorities as too hasty a manner. Alexander McKee and others had hoped the Indians, who had collected in rather large numbers, would confine their activities to cutting off communication lines and attempting to draw Wayne out of his forts where they would have a chance to surprise him. The Indians would not be held and their chance was lost. Randolph C. Downes, in his Council Fires on the Upper Ohio says: "The attack on Fort Recovery was the beginning of the end. . . . Wayne was at once on his guard and there was no chance for a surprise. Above all, the Indians, having captured no supplies, had no means of subsistence. The Indian army at once broke up, never again to assemble in such a force. The confederacy had failed. The issue of Fallen Timbers and the Treaty of Greenville had been decided." 22 ^™ Gen. A.Waijne — -- Gen. A. St. Clair »..*. Q en _ j_ Harmor THE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS, 1790-94 23 Commemoraiing the Battleground September 10, 1851, was designated "Bone-burying Day st Fort Recovery. Five thousand people witnessed that day a pro- gram dedicated to the men who died in St. Clair's Defeat. A Committee on Resolutions recommended measures be taken to mark properly the sites of the battleground and Fort Greene Ville. William McDaniel of Fort Recovery and Hiram Bell of Greenville were appointed to present memorials to the United States Congress to that effect. Petitions were presented to succeeding sessions of Congress to appropriate funds for a monument, but many years passed without results. There seemed to exist a sense of indifference on the part of the Nation's representatives in suitably marking the graves of fallen heroes. To give guidance to the project a "Monumental Association" was formed consisting of the following members: Capt. J. S. Rhodes, J. H. Johnson, J. S. Clum, E. T. Hastings, J. L. Anthony, Jacob Dumbauld and H. Gilbert. The association arranged a lec- ture by A. A. Graham, secretary of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, at the close of which plans were considered for a centennial celebration in 1891. It was decided that October 14, 15 and 16, were more suitable for an outdoor meeting than the date of the battle, November 4. The centennial was observed with the cooperation of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. Each morning, at sunrise, a salute of thirteen guns was fired and a procession marched to a grove where exercises were held. Judge F. C. Lay- ton of Celina presided as master of ceremonies. The speakers during the Centennial Celebration were Governor James E. Camp- bell and Hon. John Sherman; Major Blackburn, Judge Samuel F. Hunt, and Colonel William E. Bundy of Cincinnati; Adjutant- general E. B. Finley of Bucyrus; General W. H. Gibson of Tiffin; Hon. T. J. Godfrey of Celina; General J. P. C. Shanks and Hon. David Baker of Portland, and Representative M. K. Gantz of Troy. One of the events of the celebration was the removal of the remains of the soldiers from the village cemetery, where they had been reinterred forty years before. The bones, which had filled thirteen coffins at the time of burial, September 10, 1851, were placed in two large black-draped caskets. The caskets lay in state 24 during the three days of the centennial in the First Church of Christ, under a guard of honor. On the last afternoon of the celebration the remains of the soldiers were placed in their third resting place at Memorial Park in Fort Recovery, Ohio. A wood and iron railing enclosed the place for a period of more than twenty years. The remains were again removed and a fourth and final interment was made in 1912. Two boxes, each seven feet long, two feet wide, and eighteen inches high, containing all that was mortal of the soldiers who fell in St. Clair's Defeat and Anthony Wayne's Victory, were placed in a crypt in the foundation of Memorial Monument at Fort Recovery, Ohio. Fori Recovery Monument Hon. W. E. TouVelle, national representative of the Fourth Congressional District, was successful in 1908 in securing the pas- sage of a bill authorizing the erection of a monument on the battlefield of Fort Recovery and appropriating $25,000 for that purpose. The bill was made a law by the signature of President William H. Taft. Senator Marcus A. Hanna had been interested in the presentation of a bill at a previous session of Congress. Hon. John Sherman had given his influence to the undertaking, as did United States Senator Theodore Burton, Hon. Robert Gordon of St. Marys, General J. Warren Keifer of Springfield and others. Speaker Joe Cannon saw the justice of TouVelle's request, and the matter in due form was given a hearing. More than fifty years had passed from the time the petitions had been originally pre- sented to Congress until TouVelle presented his bill before the House of Representatives, April 10, 1908. Work was begun on the monument early in 1912, and it was completed in November of the same year. It was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on July 1, 1913, on the one hundred and nineteenth anniversary of the battle at Fort Recovery. Services were held on the school grounds adjoining the park. TouVelle, ' k The Father of the Monument," whose address of distinct literary value was enhanced by eloquent diction, was the speaker of the day. George F. Burba, secretary of Governor James Cox, suggested that the remains of General Arthur St. Clair, which were buried in an obscure village in Pennsylvania, be removed to Fort Recovery and interred with suitable honors among the men he so gallantly led on that fatal day. General J. Warren Keifer of Springfield, 25 Ohio, gave an address rich in historical data and sympathetic in defense of St. Clair in the defeat of 1791. The exercises were concluded at the monument later in the evening by the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic. Marshal of the Day James H. Johnson and Veteran John Donor escorted Miss Belle Noble Dean, great-great-great-great-grand- daughter of St. Clair, to the monument where she unveiled the pioneer figure as the last act of the day's ceremonies. The monument, of North Carolina gray granite, stands on a terrace thirty-five feet square. There are two bases, one eighteen feet, six inches square, and the other, fourteen feet, four inches square. The height of the shaft is ninety-three feet, four inches. The entire height from foundation to apex is one hundred and one feet, six inches. A heroic figure, typifying a frontiersman, stands on the west side of the shaft. This figure, nine feet high, is one of the most impressive features of the monument. With face stern and unyielding, leg and foot striding forward, flint-lock in one hand, PIONEER ADVANCING TO THE WEST 26 coon-skin cap in the other, and nowder-hom slung from the shoul- der, the figure seems to be advancing to the West. A bronze tablet ornaments each of the four sides of the base, containing historical data on the battles. Thirty-two medallions, each twenty-two inches in diameter, eight on each side of the base, bear the names of officers slain in the two battles. Generals St. Clair and Anthony Wayne did not lose their lives on this battlefield, but the War Department approved their names being carved on medallions on the west — the front side of the monument. This side also con- tains the dedicatory inscription. The inscriptions on the monument were written by Ida Hedrick Frazier and Elma Johnson Rapp of Fort Recovery. The following inscription appears on the west tablet: "This monument is erected to commemorate the valor and perpetuate the memory of the heroic soldiers who here were slain in those two memorable conflicts of the Northwest Territory — The Defeat of Arthur St. Clair and the Victory of Anthony Wayne. "It marks the sacred spot where lie buried the fallen heroes who so bravely met and gallantly fought the savage foe; who as advance guards entered the wilderness of the west to blaze the way for freedom and civilization; who sacrificed home and life to the great duty of securing for future generations vast dominions and great institutions. "It stands as a loving tribute of a people in grateful appre- ciation of the undaunted courage and patriotic devotion of the illustrious dead. "And may this lofty shaft forever proclaim the glorious achievement and undying fame of the Heroes of 1791 and 1794." On the north tablet are the following words: "This Monument was erected by the Congress A. D. 1912." On the east tablet is an account of the defeat of St. Clair and the victory of Anthony Wayne. On the south tablet is the "Roll of the Dead." Relics of Defeat and Victory The site on which Fort Recovery was built lies on the left bank of the Wabash River, about four miles from its source, and one mile east of the eastern boundary of the state of Indiana. It is interesting to note that the river first flows east through Darke County, then north to Mercer County and northwest to this 27 place, having meandered more than sixty miles from its source which is only a few miles south of the village. As the treaty of peace was signed at Fort Greene Ville soon after the erection of Fort Recovery, the fort was soon abandoned and later used by early settlers as a place in which to live. As early as 1821 pioneers had begun to clear the forest and build log cabins. Forty or more years after the battle, musket balls and grape-shot were found imbedded in the trunks of trees twenty or thirty feet above the ground. When the trees on the lowland in the river valley were burned, melted lead ran from their trunks, discoloring them so much as to be perceived at a con- siderable distance. Muskets, swords, bayonets and other arms were found on the battlefield a half century after they had fallen from the grasp of their owners. One cannon, left at the time of St. Clair's Defeat, was found in the mud of a small creek near the battlefield and later became the property of a Cincinnati artillery company. The base of the flagstaff planted over Fort Recovery by General Anthony Wayne in 1793-4 was found also. This relic was taken to Columbus, Ohio, by the Harrod-McDaniel Grand Army Post at the time of a reunion in that city. It was returned to Fort Recovery, where it has been carefully treasured for more than a half century, and is one of the most highly prized relics of the Fort Recovery Museum. In June, 1851, a skull was discovered on the battlefield un- earthed by rain from a pit where the bodies of soldiers had been buried. A thorough search resulted in finding sixty or more skeletons in good state of preservation. A mass meeting was called at the Celina courthouse, and arrangements were made for reinterment of these remains, many of which bore the marks of bullet, scalping knife and tomahawk. These were placed in thirteen coffins and two large boxes. Later, in 1872, when excavation was being made for a building on a street adjacent to the fort site, S. H. Warnock and his son discovered a coffin containing remains supposed to be those of Butler. At the time of General James Wilkinson's expedition to bury the remains of St. Clair's soldiers in 1792, the body of Gen- eral Butler was found in his shattered tent and was buried. Beyond any doubt these were Butler's remains. They were reinterred by the side of the fallen heroes at the time of the celebration held on July 4, 1876. The coffin was made of walnut boards and put to- 28 gether with wrought-iron nails. It was taken to the cabinet shop of John Thompson, where it was restored. The Revolutionary Memorial Trails Commission, created by the Ohio General Assembly, on its tour of historic points in western Ohio, visited Fort Recovery in 1932. A committee from the Fort Recovery Welfare Association and other citizens met with the Trails Commission. In viewing Memorial Park and making inquiry as to the location of the old fort, it was suggested by members of the commission that the fort site be properly marked and, if possible, the land obtained and turned over to the State for proper marking and administration. The Fort Recovery Welfare Association at once formulated plans for the purchase of the Sunderman property, the known location of the fort, the flagstaff and the well. It was obtained along with other adjacent real estate comprising more than ten acres, and deeded to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. Fori Recovery Rebuilt The reconstruction of F'ort Recovery in 1935 by the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and the Works Prog- ress Administration recreates the scene of one of the most stirring episodes in Indian warfare in the State. The present stockade is a representation of the original structure and is approximately FOR RECOVERY RECONSTRUCTED 29 a third of its size. It occupies a part of the site of the original stockade. It is ninety feet square, with blockhouses at the corners, connected by palisades of spiked upright logs. The original fort is known to have contained other buildings. Museum and Library A library and museum building was erected on a site adjacent to the reconstructed fort and was dedicated October 16, 1933. The Business and Professional Women's Club, headed by Mrs. A. W. Neely, sponsored the formation of a Fort Recovery Library in 1928. That organization cooperated with the Library Board of Trustees in securing funds for the erection of the Library and Museum Building. INTERIOR— FORT RECOVERY Showing Original Well 30 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA 973.42F86F1948 C001 FORT RECOVERY; AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OEPI