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FORT WAYNE IK OU) TIMBS.I connot, in justice to my feelings, dose thisWe arc in possession of an old and scarcely readable paper pubfished 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 Captain Ashton's company of Harmcr's Campaign in September and October 1730—non-years since. It is the only real autiientic account in some respects which we have seen of that pedition, and we now put it in print to perpetuate it for use when we 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.GENERAL HAHMKB’B CAMPAIGN IN 1790,By David IIaxiltox Morris, who was First Sergeant in 0apt. JosEi-n 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 trom 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 Little Miami river, and after several days' marching arrived. Here we tired 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 north 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 ~ 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 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, which proved fatal, and bo died the next day. We lay in this encampment for several days; a great deal of corn, beans, Ac., were destroyed.On the 10th of October, 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 wn and encamped. JGen. Harden destroyed the Indian towns, and . j 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 prey to the savage barbarity of the enemy ; but ouo officer and four pri-ite soldiers ever returned to the camp.The 19th was spent in camp ; the cannon was fired throughout the day, in hopes that'somc had caped the massacre, but none came in.On the 20th we broke ground or home ; encamped at night six or seven miles from the Mau-:c Villages. About midnight David Williams, ;py and our principal guide, who had beeniv years a prisoner among th~ , J: '„ Indians hohud been left behind to observe the motions of the Indians—camo into camp and reported that about 120 Indinns had collected in the bend opposite Fort Wayne. On the reception of this intelligence, it was resolved in council, to send a detachment back and disperse them. This force was put under the command of Gen. Harden, Major Willis, Captains Ashton and Frothingham, of the regulars, Major Fountain and Capt. Gaines of the Kentucky horse company, Capt. McMullen and Saunders of the Kentucky mounted Riflemen —the names of the other officers I have forgotten. The troops were put in motion as soon as possible. Between daylight and sunrise they arrived at the fording of the Maumee. As soon l our men entered the river, the Indians opened brisk fire on them. Major Fountain succeeded l gaining the bank, and being in advance of the troops, discovered the main mody of the enemy concealed in ambush, and gave orders to halt- until the main body of the army got across the riv-it that moment he was shot dead. By this the right and left flank composed of Kentucky mounted men had gained the bank. A small party of Indians on each wing, lied as if defeated, the horsemen pursuing. As soon as the horsemen were separated from the footmen, the savages fell upon our people with the utmost fury. Major Willis was killed iu the act of charging the enemy. Capt. McMullen discovered the stratagem of the enemy—wheeled about and coming upon the back of the Indians made dreadful havock in their ranks—Capt. Ashton was of the opinion that 40 of the enemy fell the first fire. The Indians gave way and were driven aetoss the St. Josephs with great slaughter. Two soldiers, Capt. Ashton says, signalized themselves on this occasion, by gigging the foe, like fish, with their bayonets.Richardville, a Miami chief now dead, was in this engagement, and related tliat the river run blood, and that he could cross the river on the dead bodies.An affecting incident occurred that deserves to be noticed. An old Indian had two boys who rushed into the river by his side. One of them was shot down near him. He dropped his gun and seized him, no doubt in order to save his scalp from his enemies. The other was kilted also. He drew them to the shore and sat down between them, where he was killed.Some blame has beer, attached to Gen. Harmer for not returning to sustain Gen. Harden. It is certainly without foundation. A young Kentuckian, who was wounded in tho wrist while in the river, reported that the enemy was completely routed and flying. In this sanguinary engagement all the regulars were killed, except Capt. Ashton and six privates, making in all 83. In both engagements there were one hundred mlilitia killed.* This town stood wliero Cedar ville is non cated.j- Near Dawson's mill. (Spenccrville.) j Girtystown was located on Taber’s farm, tho north side of tlio Maumeo river. Girty called it Ckillicothe, and this has led some historians into error: they supposed it was Chillicothe in Ross county, Ohio, and plasc the scene of Warmer's defeat in that region. The defeat occurred at what is called Banner’s Ford, near the residence of F. Cornparet, Esq , just below Fort Wayne. A portion of the Americans crossed the Litt le 8t . Josephs, below where John’s mill now stands, and attacking the Indians in the rear, drove them from their ambush and dispersed thornraately, for I was fayqred with his personal friendship, and was in Berveice under his immediate command four years, eight months and 21 days; and through the whole of the campaign which I have been 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 thy recollection is greatly 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 ^RS ENGLISH LANGUOR.The time seems fast approacing when the English language will exorcise over the other languages of tho world a predominance which oui forefathers little dreamt of. 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: be “cared not to be named abroad,” though perhaps he “might haveattflinai) thuf” Karl ho rlncimH if S/a lihlo u-ooattained to that” had lie desired it. So little 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, “vi: transmittunt According to Waller, it : crowning achievement of Cromwell’s vast that our language is spoken even ‘ 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, about s century ago, when applying to Britain a passage in the “Somniuin Scipionia” of Ciccero—“omiu-enim terra qum colitur a vobus, angusta verticibus lateribus latior, parva viisedam 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 his age, surmised that better things were in storeof the world, he expresses a wish as follows:“Oh that the oeean did not bound or style IVithin 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 fore-es 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 our: The poet’s aspiration are now fulfilled. Soon after he wrote this passage the English language i planted on a narrow slip of land on the West-continent; it grew apace, and its prospect are r the most splendid that the world has ever s. The entire number of persons who speak certain languages of Northern Europe—language of considerabie literary repute—is not equal tothe number simply added every year, by the crease of population, to those who speak English language in England and America alone. ’fiierc. now living who will in all probability it the vernaculafjanguage of one hundred and flfty million of the earth's civilized population. Although French is spoken by a considerable proportion of the population in Canada, and 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 melted away before the English in our own island.— 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 arrived, the other language of Europe will be reduced to the same relative position with regard to the predominant language as that in which the Basque stands to the Spanish or tlie Finnish to the Russian. For such predominance the English language, possesses udinirable qualifications; standing, as it does, midway between the Germanic and Scandinavian branches of the ancient Teutonic, and also uniting the Teutonic with tho Rlt; m inic in a manner to which no other language has any pretension.... A jpriso was given in 1791* by tho Academy at Berlin for an essay on the comparison of fourteen ancient and modern languages of Europe, and in that essay the author, Jenisch, assigns the palm of general excellence to the English; it has also ben allowed by other German critics that in regard to the qualifications which it possesses for becoming a general inter preter of the literature of Europe, not even their own lauguagc can compete with it.—Edinburgh Eeciew.POLITICAL MOVEMENTS.In another part of to-day’s Intelligencer will he found a manifesto, addressed to the Whigs of Virginia by the Central Committee of that State, appointing the 14th of December next as the day on which the proposed “Convention of the Opposition” shall be held in tho city of Richmond,and recommending the appointment of delegates from all the counties and cities of the State. It will be obsearved that this Convention is avowedly preliminary to a National one, intended to be held hereafter, “with the view of collecning, harmonizing, and organizing the conservative union sentiment of the country.”The Opposition in all parts of Virginia appear to have received this proposition with hearty ap proval, and meetings have already been promptly held in many places for the appointment of delegates, its object being to promote concilia and harmony among conservative men throughout the Union, it is to be hoped that the Convention may be so constituted as to command. our political his-mguration of tory.As in the present disintegration of parties it is obvious that much of our current political senti-held in a state of solution propitious to the forming of a new combinations, it is perhaps not extraordinary that certain of our Democratic contemporaries should see in this movement of of the Virginia Whigs “a sign of tho times” too important to be disregarded. We accordingly observe that some among them have already assumed to sit in condemnation of tho motive and object of this political conference, which they ' r is directed to the formation of a “coalit-” between the Northern and Southern Oppo-on. We believe the Democracy of Virginia not entirely harmonious among themselves their choice of the men and measures to be supported by “the party” in the next Presidential canvas, while they aie, as a body, at vehement issue with many of their political brethren other parts ofthe Union—with the Democracy of Pennsylvania, for instant, who advocate the protective policy, and w itli the Democracy of Iowa, who repudiate tho Dred Scott decision. We apprehend, however, that it is not held crintnal among Democrats who favor the strictest construction of the orthodox creed to recommend “a sinking of minor differences” for the good of the country, and incidentally, we presume, for the good of the party, with whose success they naturally believe the welfare ofthe country to be identified. Without questioning the soundness of this latter judgement, we may simply suggest that a policy held to be so resonable and imperative in its application to discordant Democrats may possibly appear equally wise and incum bent when commended to tho acceptance of the Opposition in different parts of the Union, who, as they have no difficulties more intractable than those the Democracy expect to surmount at Charleston, may with a patriotism equal to that of the latter hope to effect a concert of action which shall be promotive of the public peace and welfare.—National Intelligencer.
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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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