WHERE the beautiful little city of
Fremont now stands, there was once a small Indian town,
composed of wigwams on the high banks of the river, and some
near the shore. This town was inhabited by Wyandots,
who had several other towns along the banks of the Sandusky
river. They distinguished between these Sandusky towns
by calling one the "Little Sandusky," the other "Upper
Sandusky" and this lwoer one "Lower Sandusky." The
whites afterwards added another Sandusky at the mouth of the
river and called it Sandusky City, which still bears that
name.
At this Lower Sandusky, which retained that name for a
long time. General Harrison had a fort erected
and pickets put up enclosing about one acre of land, and
called it Fort Stevenson. The pickets around the fort
had old bayonets put into them near the top, to prevent
scaling them with ease. It was both a garrison and a
trading house. The Works were not sufficient to hold
more than two hundred men. The defense of this fort
was entrusted to a heroic young man by the name of George
Croghan, who was then major, and but twenty-one years
old. The only piece of artillery in the fort was one
iron six pounder, which, at this writing, is still mounted
on its carriage, standing on the ground where the fort used
to be, and is familiarly known amongst the people of Fremont
by the name of "Old Betsy."
About twelve miles up the river, on the left bank, was
another stockade called Fort Seneca, with one hundred and
forty men, where Gen. Harrison had taken position to
rendezvous his troops, and from which he could protect the
large amount of property which was collected along the
valley of the river. Gen. Harrison was informed
of the approach of the British and the Indians, and sent
Mr. Conor and two Indians (Senecas) to Major Croghan,
with instructions to abandon the fort, burn it and all the
stores he could not take awayPage 44 -
and report to Fort Seneca. But the messengers got lost
in the woods, and did not reach Fort Stevenson until 11
o'clock next day.
Major Croghan, being of opinion that he could
not retreat, sent back the following answer:
"SIR - I have just received
yours of yesterday, 10 o'clock p. m., ordering me to destroy
this place and make good my retreat. It came too late
to be carried into execution. We have determined to
maintain this place, and, by Heavens, we can!"
General Harrison
immediately sent Colonels Wells and Ball,
supported by a corps of dragoons, with a very severe
reprimand to Major Croghan, and relieving him of
duty, putting Col. Wells in command. Major
Croghan returned to Fort Seneca with the dragoons as a
prisoner.
Gen. Harrison was fully satisfied with the
major's explanation and immediately restored him to his
command, with instructions. Soon the scouts reported
the advance of the British, while the Indians began to show
themselves on the opposite side of the river. The
British gunboats came in sight and landed troops one mile
below the fort. The Indians, four thousand strong,
displayed themselves in all directions. The British
placed in position a five and a half-inch howitzer to open
fire upon the fort. Gen. Proctor sent Major
Chambers with a flag to summon a surrender. Major
Croghan dispatched ensign Shipp out of the gates
to meet him. After the usual ceremonies, Major
Chambers said:
General Proctor demands
the surrender of the fort, as he is anxious to spare the
effusion of blood," etc.
To this, ensign Shipp
replied that the commander would defend the fort to the last
extremity, etc., and that if the fort should be taken there
would be none left to massacre.
The enemy then opened fire with their six-pounders from
the boats, and the howitzer on shore, which was continued
through the night with very little effect. Maj.
Croghan reserved his fire. He, however,
occasionally fired his gun from different points to make it
appear as if he had several pieces at his command.
The fort was surrounded by a dry ditch, nine feet wide
and six feet deep. On the middle of the north line of
the fort there was a block house from which this ditch could
be raked in either direction, by artillery. Here the
piece was placed, loaded with slugs and grape shot.
Now, the artillery of the British was placed on the shore
about two hundred and fifty yards from the fort.
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utter falsity of the assertion that Johnson killed Tecumseh,
while Mr. Knapp, in his history of the Maumee valley,
is so well convinced of the fact that he proves it, even by
affidavits, beyond all question of doubt.
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END OF CHAPTER I - |
