Crawford's Defeat by the Indians
Encyclopedia
"Crawford’s Defeat by the Indians" is an early American folk ballad principally written by Doctor John Knight, survivor of the 1782 Crawford Expedition
. The expedition was intended to destroy American Indian
towns along the Sandusky River
and was one of the final operations of the American Revolutionary War
. The ballad, "Crawford's Defeat," contains a great deal more history than poetry, however. It was long after a favorite song upon the frontier and was sung to various tunes. In fact, Doctor Knight's narrative was an immediate success. Its depiction of a brave officer's death at the hands of fiendish savages drew wide admiration and scenes of a rolling landscape delighted eastern land speculators. Though a year elapsed before Indian Atrocities: Narratives of the Perils and Sufferings of Dr. Knight and John Slover was printed, the delay apparently did nothing to reduce its appeal. If anything, the delay probably increased public interest, for all the while the ballad, "Crawford's Defeat," was being sung. Another ballad, titled "Saint Clair's Defeat", was later based on "Crawford's Defeat". It depicts the Battle of the Wabash
, which was fought on November 4, 1791, in the Northwest Territory
between the United States
and the Western Confederacy
of American Indians.
, and possibly song form until it caught the attention of a printer. If the ballad was printed before July 1786, the printing would have had to occur east of Pittsburgh, since that area lacked a press until then.
Actually, several individuals have been credited with composing the ballad. According to David Williamson’s
daughter, William McComb wrote "Crawford’s Defeat." Then again, a volunteer by the name of William Robinson believed that Major Thomas Gaddis
composed part of the ballad. Most persistent, however, is the belief that Dr. John Knight wrote the ballad.
Nevertheless, "Crawford’s Defeat" may have been edited by a balladeer knowledgeable in the structure and characteristics of eighteenth-century composition. For instance, the ballad includes several clichés
that were common in popular literature at the time, among them, "come all ye good people," and "I make no great doubt."
As for what tune, or tunes, "Crawford’s Defeat" was originally performed to, that is impossible to determine unless a broadside
were to surface with the melody indicated. Even so, we could only be sure of one tune to which the ballad was sung. Still, the meter
is a common one, and there are many tunes that would fit nicely with the words. Based on the rhythm of the lyric, "Crawford’s Defeat" could very easily be contained in a 3/4
or 6/8
time signature
. In his "Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky," Consul Willshire Butterfield indicates that the vast majority of the volunteers were of Scotch-Irish descent. Thus, it's likely that whatever tune "Crawford’s Defeat" was originally performed to was a popular Scottish or Irish folk song; for instance, a song such as "Last May A Braw Wooer," "Kellyburn Braes," "Bonnie Dundee," "Bonnie Strathyre," Or Even "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms."
According to Pennsylvania folklorist Samuel Preston Bayard
, when "Crawford’s Defeat" was first issued, it might have undergone oral variations, depending on who it was exposed to. Local loyalty, differing information, misunderstanding, and textual corruption may have been factors in its alteration.
For example, "A Song on the Death of Colonel Crafford" is one of a collection of ballads gathered by Mary Olive Eddy of Perrysville, Ashland County, Ohio
. This abbreviated version of "Crawford's Defeat" was obtained from a school copybook dated approximately 1822. It is only nineteen stanzas
long.
Another version of the ballad, entitled "Crawford's Defeat," is included by Frank Cowan
in his "Southwestern Pennsylvania in Song and Story." This version, with twenty-four stanzas, was supplied to Cowan by the historian C. W. Butterfield, who, in turn, got it from Robert A. Sherrard, the son of a Crawford volunteer by the name of John Sherrard. A new stanza was inserted, with the intention of honoring local heroes:
Other portions of "Crawford’s Defeat" can be found in the Draper Manuscript Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society
. Among his letters and interview notes are five fragments varying in length from one to fourteen stanzas. These fragments are significant in terms of what they reveal regarding the progressive alteration which occurred as some stanzas were forgotten or left out, others stitched together, and wholly new verses composed. Further illustrating such changes is the "old song" recalled by Stephen Burkarn, a Crawford volunteer, in 1845.
The tendency to remake the ballad is also recognized in a fragment recited to Draper in 1863 by Elizabeth Willis of Brown County, Ohio
, who was the daughter of a Crawford volunteer by the name of John Gunsaulus. Evidently, in the heat of battle, Gunsaulus sat down on a log and sang a song until his gun cooled off. Mrs. Willis remembered a few lines about her father:
In view of such alterations, deletions, and additions, it is not surprising that the ballad was remembered as longer than the twenty-four stanzas. One of Draper’s informants recalled the song as having thirty-two stanzas. Another claimed that it had sixty-two!
Broadsides of "Crawford's Defeat" can be found in the collections of the College of William and Mary
, University of Arizona
, Brown University
, University of Delaware
, Fordham University
, Northern Illinois University
, and the American Antiquarian Society of Worcester, Massachusetts
. The most widely circulated edition of "Crawford's Defeat" was presumably published as a reprint in late 1791 or early 1792, given that it was printed on the same broadside as another ballad, titled "St. Clair’s Defeat, a New Song," about a battle fought in November 1791. In general, eighteenth-century ballads were turned out as quickly as possible and sold to printers in order to capitalize on the public’s interest in the sensational. Printers then arranged for ballads to be sold throughout the surrounding region by peddlers who typically shared in the profits.
In the third stanza of the above-mentioned reprint, the year given is right. However, the date is occasionally incorrect. The army actually crossed the Ohio River
on Friday, May 24th, 1782, and elected its officers, the volunteers distributing themselves into eighteen companies. The following morning the army started west.
The tenth stanza mentions "brave Major Light," which may have been a typo. Although there is no record of a Major Light, there is certainly evidence of Major Daniel Leet’s participation. Another common variant mentions Major Thomas Gaddis, third in command:
Stanza Fourteen also contains a typo. "Captain Rase" is actually a reference to Captain Ezekiel Rose. It’s not entirely unlikely that the author may have been referring to Gustavus Heinrich de Rosenthal
, who served under the name "John Rose." However, Rosenthal was elected adjutant with the rank of Major
, not Captain
. Ironically, Cowan’s "Southwestern Pennsylvania in Song and Story" contains yet another typo. It incorrectly lists a "Captain Ross" instead of Captain Rose.
According to the testimony of Private John Clark of Ohio County, West Virginia
, the manner of Captain John Hoagland's death was as pictured in the ballad. Clark states that he and Hoagland with two other soldiers became separated from the retreating army, and at night saw a distant campfire. They debated as to whether to approach or avoid it. Finally Hoagland, despite warnings, went to the fire and was immediately shot.
Stanza Seventeen incorrectly states "all that’s able to go, the rest we must leave." Crawford’s orders specified that the wounded were to be transported, either on horseback or by bier. None were to be left behind on the retreat, which began after dark on the night of June 5th.
The spelling of the last name "Majaster" in the eighteenth stanza is also a printer’s error. While an Ensign McMasters appears to have participated in the Battle of Sandusky, documentation of this soldier's fighting "many battles his country to save," has yet to be uncovered. Major John B. McClelland’s
service records, on the other hand, provide grounds for another variation:
As indicated, McClelland was wounded and fell from his horse. Several of the men who were part of the expedition said that on the retreat, the horsemen rode over McClelland, and it was the general belief that he was killed where he fell. Such, however, was not the case. As indicated in the following verse, Crawford and Knight were captured, and Slover soon afterward. As for McClelland and Harrison, their tortured corpses were recognized by Slover when he was captured and taken to the Shawnee village of Wapatomika
.
"Crawford's Defeat" effectively encouraged a patriotic fervor. In fact, the resentment of western settlers toward eastern politicians was considerable, and not without cause. Amid the bloodshed of indiscriminate Indian raids, appeals to Philadelphia for regular troops failed to bring significant reinforcements; the feeble response from the seaboard continuing until the slaughter of Arthur St. Clair’s
army in 1791, which finally jolted President Washington
to take action.
on the recording. Other musicians that performed on "Crawford’s Defeat by the Indians" include Elizabeth Crowe, who plays cello
and spoons; John McClellan, a descendant of John B. McClelland
and Thomas Gaddis
, who plays guitar
and percussion
; Jaclyn Bradley Palmer who performs vocals
; Vincent Polowy, who plays guitar and six-string banjo
; Erica Tompkins, who plays fiddle and bodhrán
; and Julie Wesolek, who plays tin whistle
and piccolo
. "Crawford’s Defeat by the Indians" was produced by John McClellan and Bryan Patrick and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Bryan Patrick for Jungle Recording Studio, Lorain, Ohio
.
Crawford expedition
The Crawford expedition, also known as the Sandusky expedition and Crawford's Defeat, was a 1782 campaign on the western front of the American Revolutionary War, and one of the final operations of the conflict...
. The expedition was intended to destroy American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
towns along the Sandusky River
Sandusky River
The Sandusky River is a tributary to Lake Erie in north-central Ohio in the United States. It is about long and flows into Lake Erie at Sandusky Bay.-Course:...
and was one of the final operations of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The ballad, "Crawford's Defeat," contains a great deal more history than poetry, however. It was long after a favorite song upon the frontier and was sung to various tunes. In fact, Doctor Knight's narrative was an immediate success. Its depiction of a brave officer's death at the hands of fiendish savages drew wide admiration and scenes of a rolling landscape delighted eastern land speculators. Though a year elapsed before Indian Atrocities: Narratives of the Perils and Sufferings of Dr. Knight and John Slover was printed, the delay apparently did nothing to reduce its appeal. If anything, the delay probably increased public interest, for all the while the ballad, "Crawford's Defeat," was being sung. Another ballad, titled "Saint Clair's Defeat", was later based on "Crawford's Defeat". It depicts the Battle of the Wabash
St. Clair's Defeat
St. Clair's Defeat also known as the Battle of the Wabash, the Battle of Wabash River or the Battle of a Thousand Slain, was fought on November 4, 1791 in the Northwest Territory between the United States and the Western Confederacy of American Indians, as part of the Northwest Indian War...
, which was fought on November 4, 1791, in the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Western Confederacy
Western Confederacy
The Western Confederacy, also known as Western Indian Confederacy, was a loose confederacy of North American Natives in the Great Lakes region following the American Revolutionary War...
of American Indians.
History
Although news of the defeat raced across the frontier, the inclusion of lesser-known facts supports the notion that the western frontier was the place of origin, and that "Crawford’s Defeat" would have circulated in manuscriptManuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
, and possibly song form until it caught the attention of a printer. If the ballad was printed before July 1786, the printing would have had to occur east of Pittsburgh, since that area lacked a press until then.
Actually, several individuals have been credited with composing the ballad. According to David Williamson’s
David Williamson (Pennsylvania)
David Williamson was a Colonel in the Pennsylvania militia during the American Revolutionary War. He was born near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He led the expedition that murdered 100 Moravian Delaware Indians at the town of Gnadenhutten, Ohio. It became known as the Gnadenhutten massacre...
daughter, William McComb wrote "Crawford’s Defeat." Then again, a volunteer by the name of William Robinson believed that Major Thomas Gaddis
Thomas Gaddis
Thomas Gaddis was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was born December 28, 1742, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia and married Hannah Rice in 1764; the same year he built Fort Gaddis, a refuge from the Indians, located on the Catawba Trail. In fact, Pennsylvania and Virginia...
composed part of the ballad. Most persistent, however, is the belief that Dr. John Knight wrote the ballad.
Nevertheless, "Crawford’s Defeat" may have been edited by a balladeer knowledgeable in the structure and characteristics of eighteenth-century composition. For instance, the ballad includes several clichés
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
that were common in popular literature at the time, among them, "come all ye good people," and "I make no great doubt."
As for what tune, or tunes, "Crawford’s Defeat" was originally performed to, that is impossible to determine unless a broadside
Broadside (music)
A broadside is a single sheet of cheap paper printed on one side, often with a ballad, rhyme, news and sometimes with woodcut illustrations...
were to surface with the melody indicated. Even so, we could only be sure of one tune to which the ballad was sung. Still, the meter
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
is a common one, and there are many tunes that would fit nicely with the words. Based on the rhythm of the lyric, "Crawford’s Defeat" could very easily be contained in a 3/4
Triple metre
Triple metre is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 or 9 in the upper figure of the time signature, with 3/4, 3/2, and 3/8 being the most common examples...
or 6/8
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
. In his "Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky," Consul Willshire Butterfield indicates that the vast majority of the volunteers were of Scotch-Irish descent. Thus, it's likely that whatever tune "Crawford’s Defeat" was originally performed to was a popular Scottish or Irish folk song; for instance, a song such as "Last May A Braw Wooer," "Kellyburn Braes," "Bonnie Dundee," "Bonnie Strathyre," Or Even "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms."
According to Pennsylvania folklorist Samuel Preston Bayard
Samuel Preston Bayard
Samuel Preston Bayard was an internationally known folklorist and musicologist. He received a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University in 1934 and later earned an M.A...
, when "Crawford’s Defeat" was first issued, it might have undergone oral variations, depending on who it was exposed to. Local loyalty, differing information, misunderstanding, and textual corruption may have been factors in its alteration.
For example, "A Song on the Death of Colonel Crafford" is one of a collection of ballads gathered by Mary Olive Eddy of Perrysville, Ashland County, Ohio
Perrysville, Ohio
Perrysville is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 816 at the 2000 census. The area was first permanently settled around 1811. One of the settlers, Judge Coulter, picked the most beautiful spot for a village with the intentions of naming it Coulterville...
. This abbreviated version of "Crawford's Defeat" was obtained from a school copybook dated approximately 1822. It is only nineteen stanzas
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
long.
Another version of the ballad, entitled "Crawford's Defeat," is included by Frank Cowan
Frank Cowan
Frank Cowan was an American lawyer, doctor, writer, and former secretary to U.S. President Andrew Johnson....
in his "Southwestern Pennsylvania in Song and Story." This version, with twenty-four stanzas, was supplied to Cowan by the historian C. W. Butterfield, who, in turn, got it from Robert A. Sherrard, the son of a Crawford volunteer by the name of John Sherrard. A new stanza was inserted, with the intention of honoring local heroes:
- They were Sherrard and Rogers and Paull of renown
- They marched with Crawford to the SanduskyUpper Sandusky, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 6,533 people, 2,744 households, and 1,682 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.2 people per square mile . There were 2,910 housing units at an average density of 555.1 per square mile...
town - Where they bravely did fight till the battle was done
- And without a scar they returned safely home
Other portions of "Crawford’s Defeat" can be found in the Draper Manuscript Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society is simultaneously a private membership and a state-funded organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of North America, with an emphasis on the state of Wisconsin and the trans-Allegheny West...
. Among his letters and interview notes are five fragments varying in length from one to fourteen stanzas. These fragments are significant in terms of what they reveal regarding the progressive alteration which occurred as some stanzas were forgotten or left out, others stitched together, and wholly new verses composed. Further illustrating such changes is the "old song" recalled by Stephen Burkarn, a Crawford volunteer, in 1845.
- Gentlemen, gentlemen, listen to me
- Our late expedition you quickly shall see
- We went to fight MingoesMingoThe Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
but before we had done - The EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, the Tories, the ShawneesShawneeThe Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
came on
- We crossed the Ohio as you understand
- With brave Colonel Crawford, who took the command
- He marched away in May, eighty-two
- Of brave volunteers, their number was few
- Our number, four hundred, eighty and nine
- To take the Sandusky it was our design
- When only three Indians to us did appear
- They never murmured their journey was hard and severe
- And they were a great way in their enemies land
- But still, we marched on with our small chosen band
- ‘Till we came to the plains, that beautiful place
- Where we met with the Indians, a vile Tory race
- They thought to surround us and kill us all there
- But they were mistaken, most of us got dear
- Our battle began on the Fourth day of June
- About two o’clock in the afternoon
- We fought them till dark, ‘till we could no more see
- Our killed and wounded were twenty and three
- But they did not fight us so hard the next day
- They were carrying their dead and wounded away
- We killed three to one, it was always agreed
- But now we must try for the road with all speed
The tendency to remake the ballad is also recognized in a fragment recited to Draper in 1863 by Elizabeth Willis of Brown County, Ohio
Brown County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 42,285 people, 15,555 households, and 11,790 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 17,193 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile...
, who was the daughter of a Crawford volunteer by the name of John Gunsaulus. Evidently, in the heat of battle, Gunsaulus sat down on a log and sang a song until his gun cooled off. Mrs. Willis remembered a few lines about her father:
- As for John Gunsaulus, he fought like a man
- In the midst of the battle he sat down to sing
- There was our brave little Jack
- With a red coat and hairy cap
In view of such alterations, deletions, and additions, it is not surprising that the ballad was remembered as longer than the twenty-four stanzas. One of Draper’s informants recalled the song as having thirty-two stanzas. Another claimed that it had sixty-two!
Broadsides of "Crawford's Defeat" can be found in the collections of the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
, and the American Antiquarian Society of Worcester, Massachusetts
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society , located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and national research library of pre-twentieth century American History and culture. Its main building, known also as Antiquarian Hall, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark...
. The most widely circulated edition of "Crawford's Defeat" was presumably published as a reprint in late 1791 or early 1792, given that it was printed on the same broadside as another ballad, titled "St. Clair’s Defeat, a New Song," about a battle fought in November 1791. In general, eighteenth-century ballads were turned out as quickly as possible and sold to printers in order to capitalize on the public’s interest in the sensational. Printers then arranged for ballads to be sold throughout the surrounding region by peddlers who typically shared in the profits.
In the third stanza of the above-mentioned reprint, the year given is right. However, the date is occasionally incorrect. The army actually crossed the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
on Friday, May 24th, 1782, and elected its officers, the volunteers distributing themselves into eighteen companies. The following morning the army started west.
The tenth stanza mentions "brave Major Light," which may have been a typo. Although there is no record of a Major Light, there is certainly evidence of Major Daniel Leet’s participation. Another common variant mentions Major Thomas Gaddis, third in command:
- Like a hero of old, Tom GaddisThomas GaddisThomas Gaddis was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was born December 28, 1742, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia and married Hannah Rice in 1764; the same year he built Fort Gaddis, a refuge from the Indians, located on the Catawba Trail. In fact, Pennsylvania and Virginia...
was right - To tell all his men to stand up and fight
- With courage he bravely gave the command
- Like a Grecian, that hero in battle did stand
Stanza Fourteen also contains a typo. "Captain Rase" is actually a reference to Captain Ezekiel Rose. It’s not entirely unlikely that the author may have been referring to Gustavus Heinrich de Rosenthal
Gustave Rosenthal
Gustavus Heinrich de Rosenthal was a Baltic German soldier and nobleman born in Estonia, with the Title of Baron and last name of von Wetter-Rosenthal, a junior line of the von Wetter-Tegenfelden's . He came into conflict with another man and was forced to flee the country after killing him in a...
, who served under the name "John Rose." However, Rosenthal was elected adjutant with the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, not Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
. Ironically, Cowan’s "Southwestern Pennsylvania in Song and Story" contains yet another typo. It incorrectly lists a "Captain Ross" instead of Captain Rose.
According to the testimony of Private John Clark of Ohio County, West Virginia
Ohio County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,427 people, 19,733 households, and 12,155 families residing in the county. The population density was 447 people per square mile . There were 22,166 housing units at an average density of 209 per square mile...
, the manner of Captain John Hoagland's death was as pictured in the ballad. Clark states that he and Hoagland with two other soldiers became separated from the retreating army, and at night saw a distant campfire. They debated as to whether to approach or avoid it. Finally Hoagland, despite warnings, went to the fire and was immediately shot.
Stanza Seventeen incorrectly states "all that’s able to go, the rest we must leave." Crawford’s orders specified that the wounded were to be transported, either on horseback or by bier. None were to be left behind on the retreat, which began after dark on the night of June 5th.
The spelling of the last name "Majaster" in the eighteenth stanza is also a printer’s error. While an Ensign McMasters appears to have participated in the Battle of Sandusky, documentation of this soldier's fighting "many battles his country to save," has yet to be uncovered. Major John B. McClelland’s
John B. McClelland
John B. McClelland was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by American Indians during the Crawford Expedition and tortured to death at the Shawnee town of Wakatomika, which is currently located in Logan County, Ohio, about halfway between West Liberty, Ohio and...
service records, on the other hand, provide grounds for another variation:
- There was Major McClellandJohn B. McClellandJohn B. McClelland was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by American Indians during the Crawford Expedition and tortured to death at the Shawnee town of Wakatomika, which is currently located in Logan County, Ohio, about halfway between West Liberty, Ohio and...
, another as brave - Who fought many battles, his country to save
- On the plains of Sandusky, received such a wound
- Not able to go, he was left on the ground
As indicated, McClelland was wounded and fell from his horse. Several of the men who were part of the expedition said that on the retreat, the horsemen rode over McClelland, and it was the general belief that he was killed where he fell. Such, however, was not the case. As indicated in the following verse, Crawford and Knight were captured, and Slover soon afterward. As for McClelland and Harrison, their tortured corpses were recognized by Slover when he was captured and taken to the Shawnee village of Wapatomika
Wakatomika
Wakatomika was the name of two 18th century Shawnee villages in what is now the U.S. state of Ohio. The name was also spelled Wapatomica, Waketomika, and Waketameki, among other variations, but the similar name Wapakoneta was a different Shawnee village....
.
"Crawford's Defeat" effectively encouraged a patriotic fervor. In fact, the resentment of western settlers toward eastern politicians was considerable, and not without cause. Amid the bloodshed of indiscriminate Indian raids, appeals to Philadelphia for regular troops failed to bring significant reinforcements; the feeble response from the seaboard continuing until the slaughter of Arthur St. Clair’s
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair was an American soldier and politician. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office...
army in 1791, which finally jolted President Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
to take action.
Recordings
The only known recording of "Crawford’s Defeat by the Indians" was performed by Jaclyn Bradley Palmer & Ceud Mìle Fàilte in preparation for the 230th anniversary of the Crawford Expedition. It is based on the familiar melody of "Bonnie Dundee" and includes a brief interlude, "Fortune Favours the Strong," written by Paul Kirk, who plays fiddleFiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
on the recording. Other musicians that performed on "Crawford’s Defeat by the Indians" include Elizabeth Crowe, who plays cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and spoons; John McClellan, a descendant of John B. McClelland
John B. McClelland
John B. McClelland was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by American Indians during the Crawford Expedition and tortured to death at the Shawnee town of Wakatomika, which is currently located in Logan County, Ohio, about halfway between West Liberty, Ohio and...
and Thomas Gaddis
Thomas Gaddis
Thomas Gaddis was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He was born December 28, 1742, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia and married Hannah Rice in 1764; the same year he built Fort Gaddis, a refuge from the Indians, located on the Catawba Trail. In fact, Pennsylvania and Virginia...
, who plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
; Jaclyn Bradley Palmer who performs vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
; Vincent Polowy, who plays guitar and six-string banjo
Banjo guitar
The banjo guitar, is known by many names: guitar banjo, guitjo, banjar, banjitar or ganjo. It is a six-string banjo with the neck of a guitar. It is tuned like a guitar and can be played by guitarists who desire the sound of a banjo...
; Erica Tompkins, who plays fiddle and bodhrán
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
; and Julie Wesolek, who plays tin whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
and piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
. "Crawford’s Defeat by the Indians" was produced by John McClellan and Bryan Patrick and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Bryan Patrick for Jungle Recording Studio, Lorain, Ohio
Lorain, Ohio
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....
.
Lyrics
- Come all you good people wherever you be
- Pray draw near a while and listen to me
- A story I’ll tell you which happened of late
- Concerning brave Crawford’s most cruel defeat
- A bold hearted company, as we do hear
- Equipped themselves, being all volunteer
- Their number four hundred and eighty and nine
- To take the Sandusky town was their design
- In seventeen hundred eighty and two
- The twenty-sixth of May, I tell unto you
- They crossed the Ohio, as I understand
- Where brave Colonel Crawford, he gave the command
- With courage undaunted, away they did steer
- Through the Indian country without dread or fear
- Where Nicholson, Slover, and Jonathan Zane
- Conducted them to the Sandusky plain
- Now brave Colonel Crawford, an officer bold
- On the fifth day of June, did the Indians behold
- On the plains of Sandusky, at three the same day
- Both armies did meet in a battle array
- The Indians on horseback, Girty gave the command
- On the side of the plains, they boldly did stand
- Our men, like brave heroes, upon them did fire
- Until backward the Indians were forced to retire
- Our rifles did rattle and bullets did fly
- And some of our men, on the ground there did lie
- And some being wounded, to comrades they said
- "Fight on, brother soldiers, and be not dismayed!"
- Then brave Colonel Williamson, as I understand
- He wanted two hundred men at his command
- If the same had been granted, I make no great doubt
- That he soon would have put the proud Indians to rout
- For this brave commander, like a hero so bold
- Behaved with courage, like David of old
- Who with the Philistines, he used to war
- And returned safe home without receiving a scar
- There was brave Major Brinton, the first in command
- In the front of the battle he boldly did stand
- With courage and conduct, his part did maintain
- Though, bullets like hail, in great showers they came
- And as this brave here was giving command
- The rifle balls rattled on every hand
- He received a ball, but his life did not yield
- He remained with the wounded men, out on the field
- Brave Biggs and brave Ogle received each a ball
- On the plains of Sandusky, it was their lot to fall
- And not these alone, but several men
- Had the honor to die on the Sandusky plain
- There was brave Captain Munn, like a hero of old
- Likewise, Captain Ross, who was another as bold
- Received each a ball but did not expire
- Though into the camp, they were forced to retire
- There was brave Captain Hoagland, I must not go past
- He fought out and bravely while the battle did last
- And on the retreat, to a fire did he go
- What became of him after, we never could know
- There was Major McClelland, another as brave
- He fought many battles, his country to save
- On the plains of Sandusky, he received a wound
- Not being able to go, he was left on the ground
- There were Sherrard and Rogers, with Paull of renown
- They marched with Crawford, to the Sandusky town
- Where they bravely did fight, till the battle was done
- And without a scar they returned safe home
- Our officers all so bravely did fight
- And likewise, our men, two days and a night
- Until a reinforcement of Indians there came
- Which caused us to leave the Sandusky plain
- Then said our commander, since we have lost ground
- By superior numbers they do us surround
- We’ll gather the wounded men, and let us save
- All that’s able to go, and the rest we must leave
- There was brave Colonel Crawford upon the retreat
- Likewise Major Harrison and brave Doctor Knight
- With Slover, McClelland, and several men
- Were unfortunately taken on the Sandusky plain
- Well, now they have taken these men of renown
- And dragged them away to the Sandusky town
- And there in their council condemned for to be
- Burnt at the stake by most cruel Girty
- Like young Diabolians, this act they pursued
- And Girty, the head of the infernal crew
- This renegade white man was a stander-by
- While there in the fire, their bodies did fry
- The scalps from their heads, while alive they did tear
- Their bodies with red hot irons, they did sear
- They bravely expired without ever a groan
- Which might melt a heart that was harder than stone
- After our heroes were burnt at the stake
- Brave Knight and brave Slover, they made their escape
- And with Heaven’s assistance, they brought us the news
- So none, need the truth of these tidings refuse
- Now, from East unto West, let it be understood
- Let everyone arise to revenge Crawford’s blood
- And likewise, the blood of these men of renown
- That were taken and burnt at the Sandusky town