Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1891 — SOME HISTORIC SPOTS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SOME HISTORIC SPOTS.

WHERE THE INDIANS FOUGHT TO HOLD THE NORTHWEST.

Vatfl* Gronnd* qt tha War* of Mad Anfttij Wayne »nd U Pllam Henry Harri- — la Association to Brect Monuments VpM the .Sites of the 0;d Forts in the } JUaram Talley—Negrlected Graves of the ' Vsroctof Ferry’s Victory.

HE national movements t o mark by appropr i at e monuments points of historical Interest have suggested to the citizens of Northwestern Ohio and Northeastern Indiana the preservation of the sites of the battle-fields and forts along the Maumee River rendered conspicuous in the early history of the Northwest

Territory by the memorable campaign •f Gen. Wayne against the Indians and tte subsequent campaigns of the war of MIS. Some time ago, says a correspon4eot of the Chicago Tribune, there was •rganlzed the Maumee Valley Monutnental Association, an organization with headquarters at Toledo. Ohio, whose President is Rutherford B. Hayes, elected to succeed the late Chief Justice

'Waite. The Secretary is John C. Lee of Toledo. The Vice Presidents are R. S. Robertson, Fort Wayne, Ind.; S. H. Cateiy, Delta, Ohio; R. C. Lemmon, Toledo. R. B. Mitchell, Maumee, Ohio, 4s Treasurer. Other ofticersare Thomas Dunlap. Toledo; Daniel F. Cook, Maumee; J. Austin Scott. Ann Arbor, Mich.; Asher Cook, Porrysburg,- Ohio; Samuel Young, Toledo: Reuben B. Mitchell, Maumee: Joel Foot, Tontogany, Ohio; 1 JF. B. Randall, Fort Wayne; and Foster JL Warren, Sylvania, Ohio. v The association has been engaged for '■▼e-years in efforts to secure possession of the most important historica points, •uch as forts and battle grounds in the lfanmee Valley, and to have them marked by suitable monuments. It has "been decided - that the following are "Worthy of commemoration: Fort Industry, the site of Toledo: Fort Miami, 'Sear Maumee City; Fort Defiance, at Defiance; Fort Meigs, near Perrysburg; Fort Wayne, at Fort Wayne; the battlefield of Fallen Timbers, near Watorville; and the o d burial ground on Put-in-Bay. Island, in Lake Erie. Of these forts Industry, Miami, Defiance, Meigs, and Wayne and the battlefield of Fallen Timbers were strategic points or points of defense or of offense In the victorious campaign of “Mad Anthony" Wayne against the Indians in 1704, and all figured conspicuously in

Dn war of 1812. Their location is correctly indicated on the map above. After the defeat of Gen. St Clair, Nov. 4,1790, the Indians, inflamed by hatrod

and encouraged by successes, committed the most outrageous depredations and the grossest barbarities on the settlers. Unsucccssful campaigns against the Savages only stimulated their carnage, |Hnd in 1793 Gen. Anthony Wayne was charged with abating it. He was a cautious soldier who wa ted for advantage

ud then made bold dashes for victory. lIU (treat vigilance won him the name •mt “Black Suake” from tho Indians, and 'Abe vigor of his lighting when he was ••eeured of the advantage another of •Hurricane.” For the same trait he jh(td tong been known as “Mad Anthony. ” Gen. Wayno advanced from Fort Washington (Cincinnati) to Fort Greenville (Greenville, Ohio), whence ho sent a detachment to take possession of the positloalostby St. C air. 'i his was accomolished aud a fort bnilt flailed Fort lfoctd’ory. Wayne then eorftinued his advance • against the village-o F-then Miami tribe ladfaus, and Aug 8. 1794, reached , •®be confluence of the Anglaize and the ; ““Miami of the Lakes,” now the Maumee River, where he erected Fort Defiance, giving it a name appropriate to the conditions of its building and destined to perpetuity in the name of the present 'A3m traces • this fort are. still well

defined. It is situated at the angle of the- ’kfaumeo and Auglaize Rivers, and has been subject to some Injury by the flroslon of the waters, which have washed away portion* .of the northern and eastern satiqnts, and the point is 9lowly receding* though many years will elapse beforeits destruction Is complete. It is* to mark the spot by a granite, monvtftfent with suitable inscription, for ih.r ■ 1

which it is estimated §5,000 will be sufficient From Fort Defiance Gen. Wayne, under Instructions from Washington, offered the Indians peace. In a council of Indians Little Turtle, a chief who is said to have possessed a degree of statesmanship that would have won him fame in diplomatic * circles of European courts, advised peace. His counsels were overthrown by the younger chiefs, who boasted of previous victories. Tuitle cautioned them against the new warrior that the Father at Washington had sent against them, but they were obstinate and voted for war. Gen. Wayne advanced and pitched his camp near Watervtlle. 'the next ciay (Aug. 20, he gave battle to the Indians, who were intrenched behind some trees that had been prostrated by a tornado, whence the name of the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Wayne came upon the savages like the wind that had laid low the forest, his soldiers partaking of his own irresistible courage. It was this battle that won for Wayne the cognomen of “Cho-no-tin” or Hurricane. This battlefield lies on the river and is cultivated for farming purposes There aro about twelve and one-third acres that it is proposed to purchase at an estimated cost of sloU.p«r aero, and erect at a conspicuous point a granite monument, so as to bring the total cost within §5,000. Uhn. Wayne pursued the Indians even under th£ guns of the British Fort Miami, but passed on down the river to the mouth of Swan Creek, where he constructed a military fort, which, owing to the industry of hls army in its construction, ho named Fort Industry. This

f(?rt Wayno garrisoned and it was occupied for a number of years. Its dimensions were about 300 by ISO feet, and its site is now tho busiest part of the city of Toledo, at tho intersection of Monroe street and Summit avenue. All trace of ■it was long ago obliterated, but the fact of its location at the point indicated is preserved in the designation of a block of buildings named Fort Industry Block. It is proposed to mark tho spot by the erection of a granite monument w.th a suitablo inscription. If the city will give the privilege of the use of the street corner for tho purpose it is estimated the monument can be put in position for ©5,000. Fort Miami, which was first established as a trading post in 1080, and occupied for military purposes subsequently by the British, and abandoned by them after tho treaty of 1795, is the oldest of all those historical points. The northeastern angle of the work and a portion of each adjoining certain, together with the greater part of tho demilune in advance of the northern front, are still in a fair state of preservation. Tho river front has been destroyed. The sito is part of the plat of Maumee City, occupying about five and a half acres. Pari of it is orchard. It is estimated that the site can be purchased for ©2,500, and a ©5,030 monument in granite will suffice to mark the location of tho fort. Upon the completion of Fort Industry General Wayne led his army back up the river to the village of the Miamis, and there, on Oct. 22, a fort having been completed, fifteen rounds of cannon were fired - and the fort named Fort Wayne, and so tho present city of Fort Wayne, Ind., was begun. Tho furt was

jlo. ated at the confluence of the St Joe And St. Mary’s Rivers,. forming the on the highest iandin the State" of Indiana, and this has given the name of “Summit City” to the city now there. It overlooks the scene of Harmar’s defeat in 1790. Wayne then returned to 1 Greenville Ohio., where he represented the United States in the treaty negotiations of 1795. j; A considerable part of the site of the old fort belongs to the city of Fort

Wayne, the remainder being n6w occupied by the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad. Except the well no trace of the fort nbw Ojtfsts, and the part of the site not occupied by the railroad or the city Streets Is reduced to a small triang’o whfch Is inclosed by an Iron fence. It Is proposed to erect within this triangle a monument similar to those suggested for the other points of

interest. The other two points determined upon for commemoration, Fort Meigs and the Put-in-Bay burial ground, belong to the period of the war of 1812, when the Maumee Valley became again the scene of military operations The hero of this campaign was Gen. William Henry Harrison, who in February, 1813, erected and established Fort Meigs, ten miles from Fort Industry. While the work was In progress two unsuccessful attacks were made by Tecumseh. Gen. Harrison and Tecumseh had first met in arms at the battle of Fallen Timbers, and they met again here, each commanding. Tecumseh is described as “one of the most splendid specimens of his tribe, celebrated for thoir physical proportions and fine forms—tall, athletic and manly —dignified, graceful, tho beau ideal of an Indian chief.” The victory was with Gen. Harrison, and Tecumseh was killed during the war. Tho outlines and works of Fort Meigs are nearly all preserved, and no plow had been permitted to run over tho graves of tho dead. It is embraced in the farm of Michael and Timothy Hayes, who for the twenty years of their ownership have not permitted any desecration of the graves, of which there aro several hundred, almost wholly unmarked. They contain -the names of those who were killed in the battle, who died during its occupation, and those who wore killed in the attack on the Britisn batteries at Fort Miami, across the river. The area ot land necessary to include the fort and the graves is about fifty-five acres, valued at §IOO an acre. Tho works themselves are in such a good

state of preservation as to constitute their own best monument, and it is proposed only to purchase the land, erect one large monument in Fort Meigs to cost ©10,030, and three others at ©5,000 each to mark the burial places, making a total of ©25,0 0. Fort Mo : gs was named in honor of General Me gs, but ho selected for the village just east th'e name of Perrysburg, in commemoration of the hero of the naval victory on Lake Erie. On tho 10th of September, 1813, Cotnmodoro Perry, commanding the American fleet on Lako Krie, fought the Hr tish near tho island of West Sister and captured tho entire fleet, with all officers and men,.but after a bloody light and with much loss of men. He announced to Gen. Harrison, commanding the Army of the Northwest, “We have met the enemy and they are ours. ” He buried his dead on the Island of Put-in Bay, now one of the most important ports on Lake Erie. This burial-ground is about sixty feet from the shore of the lake, and in itscent r stands a willow tree, at the foot of which a rough block of stone is said to mark the exact location of the graves. Some years ago, by voluntary contribution, a circular enclosure of wooden posts connected by a chain was put up, but the posts have rotted and the enclosure is broken. Put-in Bay is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every yoar, and the condition of this burial ground is a reproach and shame to tho (are and generosity of the nation for which the dead there bur ed fought and gave up their lives. The burial ground is included in an area which was conveyed by Mr J. De Rivera to the corporation in trust for the public. Tfeo

nature of the conveyancers such as to assure the spot auainst obliteration, but no steps have been taken to specially mark it. It is proposed to inclose it with an iron chain fence of neat desitfn and replace the rough block by a small granite shaft suitably inscribed. The Improvement indicated would cost about 82,50 a \ To carry out aU-those plans of the association a bill was intrbdueed Into the United States Seaato by Senator Sher-

man calling for an appropriation suN ficient to preserve these old landmarks of the early history of the country as indicated above. The total cost would be 860,500. Recommendations in accord with the plans of the association have been made to the War Department by B't Brig Gen. Poe, Colonel of Engineers,' and favorably indorsed by Brig. Gen. Casey, Chief of Engineers.

GEN. ANTHONY WAYNE.

TECUMSEH.

MAP SHOWING FORTS IN THE MAUMEE VALLEY.

OLD FORT TOLEDO.

FORT WAYNE IN EARLY TIMES.