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FORT WAYNE IN OLD THUS.We arc in possession of an old and scarcely readable paper pubfishod in March, 1843, which contains a letter that seems (ohave been furnish ed by Colonel David Morris of Miami county O., to Col. J. II. McMakcn, formerly of this city, now deceased. Col. Morris was, at the time of the expedition of which we write, First Sergeant in Captain Ashton's company of Harmcr's Campaign in September and October 1730—now 00 years since. It is the only real authentic account in some respects which we have seen of that expedition, and we now put it in print to perpetuate it for use when wo shall compile the already partly published Early History of Fort Wayne.— Besides serving our own purpose it will be of interest to some of our readers.A SKRTCH OFGENERAL HARMSS’S CAMPAIGN IN 1790,By David IIaxiltox Morris, who was First Sergeant in Capt. Josepii Ashton’s company ofthat expedition.Fort Washington was the place of rendezvous; Gen. Hardin with a regiment of mounted riflemen, and Major Fountain witli a troop of. horse from Kentucky, and some militia from Pennsylvania, joined Harmer here.On the 29th of September we took up our line of march for the Miami Village, near where Fort Wayne now stands, and proceeded four miles.— On the 30th we moved forward on the old Indian trail, leading to the old Chillichothe town, on the Little Miami river, and after several days' marching arrived. Here we fired of our guns and reloaded again.In the evening we encamped about one mile above where Jas. Galloway lives; the next day we crossed Mad river, and encamped a little below where New Carlisle now stands. Here we killed twenty cows that were all condemned on account of injuries received from the stronger cattle. The next day wo crossed Indian creek, which name I gave it myself, in honor of I,ene-watemau, an old Shawnee chief; and the same day crossed Lost creek in Miami county ; in the evening wo encamped two miles nortfi of Staunton. On the following day we crossed the big Miami, just above where Piqua town is now located ; some Indians had crossed the river just before us, in a canoe and left it. They had previously killed a cub bear ; the skin they had cut into small pieces, and placed on stumps ; from this circumstance we were satisfied that we were discovered. This evening we encamped near the upper Piqua ; next day moved forward for St Marys ; about mid day, seven of the enemy were discovered, and were pursued by the scouting party. One of them was taken ; he proved to be a half breed, about twenty yeais old, and a sullen dog he was.We crossed Loramie next morning, where Clark or Logan bu rned their village some ten years before. To-day we crossed over the summit level to St. Marys, and encamped. Heio a council of war was held, in which it was determined that Gen. Hardin with a detachment from the army should proceed by forced marches to the Maumee villages (Fort Wayne) in order to intercept the Indians in their flight, and if passible to secure their goods and peltries, in this they were disappointed, as all the buildings were on fire when the detachment arrived. Directly after General Hardin took possession of the town two Indians rode into the plain west of the St. Josephs river, and were fired upon. The next day the horses were found, and it was supposed from the quantity of blood discovered, that they were both killed. Gen. Harmer came up two days after Gen. Harden had taken possession of the place. The next day two Indians were discovered ; one of them was shot down but not killed ; a young Kentuckian attempted to dispatch him; his pistol snapped ; the Indian raised his rifle and shot him through the body, whichved fatal, and bo died the next day. We laythis encampment for several days; a great deal of corn, beans, Ac., were destroyed.On the 10th of Oclober, in the evening, Capt. McClure killed Capt. Pauk, a Delaware chief.— On the 17th remained stationary ; this day six brass kettles were found buried in the hazel thicket containing $32. On the 18th Gen. Harden was sent up the St. Josephs to burn two towns, the one twelve * and the other eighteen t miles from our camp. At the same time Gen. Harmer marched down the Maumee to Girty’s town and encamped. JGen. Harden destroyed the Indian towns, and on his return was attacked about ten miles from Fort Wayne, near the late Capt. Hull’s farm [now joining Heller’s Corners] at Ed River. When the Indians tired upon them, the Kentucky mounted Riflemen wheeled their horses and made for the camp, leaving the Pennsylvania Militia, and regular soldiers a pre; ity of the enemy ; but or vate soldiers ever retuvncThe 19th was spent in ■ fired throughout the day, escaped the massacre, bulOn the 20th we broke camped at night six or set mec Villages. About mil a spy and our principal many years a prisoner am who had been left behind of the Indians—camo ii that about 120 Indinns In opposite Fort Wayne. Oi intelligence, it was resolvt detachment back and disp was put under the comma jor Willis, Captains Ashtc the regulars, Major Founts the Kentucky horse com and Saunders of the Kenti —the names of the other ten. The troops were pi possible. Between day arrived at the fording of as our men entered the ri' a brisk fire on them. Ms in gaining the bank, and troops, discovered the ina concealed in ambush, and til the main body of the a er—at that moment he wi time the right and left Hi tucky mounted men had small party of Indians on defeated, the horsemen the horsemen were separ, the savages fell upon our fury. Major Willis wa cha’rging the enemy. Ca; the stratagem of the enen coming upon the back of I ful havock in their ranks-the opinion that 40 of the The Indians gave way ai the St. Josephs with grei diers, Capt. Ashton says on this occasion, by gig with their bayonets.Richardville, a Miami ■ this engagement, and rela blood, and that he could i dead bodies.An affecting incident to be noticed. An old In rushed into the river by was shot down near him. and seized him, no doubl scalp from his enemies, also. He drew them to between them, where heSome blame has beer, a for not returning to susta certainly without found: tuckian, who was wound the river, reported that tl ly routed and flying, gagement all the reguU Capt. Ashton and six prr In both engagements tl mlilitia killed.* This town stood whc cated.f Near Dawson's mill.j Givtystown was loca the north side of the Mau it Chillicothe, and this ha to error : they supposet Ross county, Ohio, and mcr’s defeat in that regie at what is onlled Banner's of F. Comparet, Esq , jus portion of the Americans gephs, below where Jphr attacking the Indians in tl their ambush and dispersiI connot, in justice to my feelings, close this communication without saying a word in commendation of Gen^ Harmer. I knew hiin intimately, for I was fayorcd with his personal friendship, and was in serveice under his immediate command four years, eight months and 21 days; and through the whole of the campaign which I have heen writing, ,1 quarterd within 20 feet of the General's Marquee.The reader will perceive from this fact that I had the best opportunity of observing everything that passed ; and fliy recollection is greatlv assisted from my having ketp an orderly book, in which I recorded every order given by the General, and every circumstance I thought worthy of being remembered’. But to return, and to conclude, I regard Gen. Harmer as a veteran soldier, an accomplished gentleman, and especially as the sincere friend of the poor soldier. •DAVID II. MORRIS, Sen. Honey Creek, Miami Co., Oct. 8th 1842.DESTINY OF TRE ENGLISH LAN GUGE.The time seems fast approacing when the English language will exercise over the other languages of the world a predominance which our forefathers little dreamt uf. When Lord Bacon aimed at futurity in his writings, he sat himself to write Latin: “I do not conceive,’ he says,“that the I^atin volumes, being the universal language, may last as long as books last” Milton —“being content with these islands as my world’ —confined himself in his great works to the language of these islands: he “cared not to be once named abroad,” though perhaps he “might have attained to that” had he desired it. So little was English literature known in France two hundred years ago that in certain directions given for tho arrangement of a library all English books are passed over with the curt observation, “vix mare transmittunt. According to Waller, it was a crowning achievement of Cromwell’s vast mind that our language is spoken even “under the tropic,” The language of Britain crossed the sea long before its literature, for in Swift’s time the literature is spoked of as being still confined “to these two islands.” Dr. Johnson, abuut a century ago, when applying to Britain a passage in the “Somniuin Scipionia” of Ciccero—“omnis enim terra qum colitur a vobus, angusta verticibus lateribus latior, parva vussdam insula est”—proceeded to apply to our island the continuations of the same passage, forbidding us to liopo that its its renown will ever pass the stream of Ganges or the cliffs of Caucasus.But one of our Elizabethan poets, the gentle Daniel, who has been spoken of as the Atticusof hissge, surmised that better things were in store for us. After lamenting that the speech of our “scarce-discovered isle” is so little known to the rest of the world, he expresses a wish as follows:“Oh that the oeean did not bound or style lVithin these strict and narrow limits so;But that the melody of oar sweet isle Might now be heard to Tiber, Arne, and Po; That they might know how far Thames doesThe music of declined Italy!”Despairing its gaining grouud in Italy, he foresees its triumph in America:“Who knows whether We may vent The treasure of our tongue ? To what strange shoresThis gain of our best glory may be sont,T’ enrich unknown nations with our stores T What worlds in the yet unformed Occident May come refind witli accents that are ours?” The poet’s aspiration are now fulfilled. Soon after he wrote this passage the English language was planted on a narrow slip of land on the Western continent; it grew apace, and its prospect are now the most splendid that the world has ever seen. The entire number of persons who speak certain languages of Northern Europe—language of considerable literary repute—is not equal to the number simply added every year, by the increase of population, to those who speak English language in England and America alone. There are persons now living who will in all probability see it the vernacularjanguage of one hundred and fifty million of the earth's civilized population. Although French is spoken by a consider- 1 able proportion of the population in Canada, and i although in the United Elates there is a large { and tolerably compact body of German-speaking ( Germans, there languages must gradually melt away, as the Welsh and the Gaelic have melt- 1 cd away before the English in our own island.— 1 The time will speedily be here when a gigantic ] community in America—besides rising and important colonies if Africa and Australia—we speak the same language, and that the language of a nation holding a high position among the empires of Europe. When this time shall have ar- ] rived, the other language of Europe will be re- ] duccil to the same relative position with regard to the predominant language as that in which the Basaue stands to the Spanish or tlie Finnish to !
Newspaper Details
Dawsons Fort Wayne Weekly Times
Fort Wayne, Indiana, US
Sat, Sep 10, 1859
Page 3
Full Page
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Mary D.
USA 31 Oct 2023
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