Siege of Fort Wayne
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Fort Wayne took place during the War of 1812
, between United States
and American Indian
forces in the wake of the successful British
campaigns of 1812.
, Native American tribes on the Northwest frontier had been growing bitter at the U.S. presence there. Encouraged by other British/Native American victories at places such as Fort Dearborn and Detroit
, native tribes began to undertake campaigns against other smaller American outposts.
Fort Wayne
, in northeast Indiana Territory
, had fallen into disrepair in the years leading up to 1812. As a frontier outpost stationed in a busy Native American town, the garrison was often insubordinate, and Captain Jame Rhea had allowed many of the buildings to deteriorate. The walls, once strong enough to withstand cannon balls, had not been maintained. Although there was a good well inside the fort, the food stores had gotten low by September.
The garrison first learned of the fall of Fort Dearborn on 26 August, when Corporal Jordan returned after escaping the massacre. On 28 August, Stephen Johnston, the assistant trade factor at Fort Wayne, was killed a mile away from Fort Wayne. The news was met with alarm, and John Johnston
of Piqua, Ohio
sent Shawnee
Captain Logan
to help evacuate women and children to the relative safety of Ohio.
In September 1812, Indians from the Potawatomi
and Miami tribe
s, led by Chief Winamac
, gathered around Fort Wayne. Captain James Rhea sent letters to John Johnston and Ohio
Governor Return Meigs
to ask for assistance. The growing Indian threat outside the fort led Rhea to begin drinking heavily. On several occasions Rhea invited Indian delegates into the fort to discuss terms of peace with the Indians (mostly to ensure his own personal safety).
On 4 September, Potawatomi chiefs Winamac
and Five Medals
approached the fort under a flag of truce and asked to speak to Captain Rhea. Rhea, who had been drinking, met them at the gate and asked if they were meeting for peace or war. Winamac replied "I don't know what to tell you, but you know that Fort Mackinac
is taken, Detroit is in the hands of the British, Fort Dearborn has been taken, and you must expect to fall next, probably in a few days." Rhea invited Winamac to his quarters, where they shared wine. Rhea declared Winamac to be his friend, and invited him back for breakfast the next day. Winamac interpreted feigned friendship as cowardliness, however, and prepared for battle.
Morning 5 September, the siege
began when Chief Winamac's forces attacked two soldiers returning from an outhouse
. The Native Americans assaulted the fort from the east side and burned the homes of the surrounding village. The Indians constructed two wooden cannons and were able to trick the garrison into thinking they had artillery besieging the fort as well.
Captain Rhea was again drunk, and "took to his quarters, sick." The Indian Agent at Fort Wayne, Benjamin Stickney, was recovering from an illness, but took command of the fort with Lieutenants Daniel Curtis and Phillip Ostrander organizing the defense. Chief Winamac came to the gate again, that evening, and was admitted- unarmed- with thirteen of his men. As they talked, Winamac revealed a knife that he had hidden, and a fur trader, Antoine Bondie, jumped forward to save the life of Stickney. Winamac left the fort, and the Native American forces opened fire at about eight o'clock PM. Winamac's forces tried to set the fort on fire, and while the garrison- about 70 soldiers and some civilians- tried to keep the walls wet, they returned fire with muskets and howitzer
s. The battle lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon on 6 September, when the American Indian forces retired to a safe distance from the fort. The fighting resumed at nine o'clock that night.
Efforts were already underway to reinforce Fort Wayne after the news of Fort Detroit reached Newport Barracks
. General James Winchester
was commander of the Northwestern Army, but Kentucky Governor Charles Scott had just appointed Indiana Territory
Governor William Henry Harrison
as Major General of the Kentucky Militia and authorized him to relieve Fort Wayne, and Harrison was at Newport Barracks to assume command of the militia. Harrison wrote a letter to Secretary of War William Eustis
explaining the situation and apologizing for taking unauthorized action, then quickly organized a militia force of 2,200 men and marched North to the fort. A small scouting party led by Fort Wayne sutler William Oliver and Ohio Shawnee Captain Logan
arrived at Fort Wayne during a lull in the fighting, and raced through Winamac's army into the fort. They delivered the news that a relief effort was underway, and again rode through Winamac's siege to report to Harrison that the Fort was still under U.S. control.
Although the scouting party came with welcome news, Harrison also received a report that a force of 400 Native Americans and 140 British regulars under Tecumseh
was marching towards Fort Wayne. Harrison now raced North in an attempt to beat Tecumseh to Fort Wayne. By 8 September, Harrison had reached the village of Simon Girty
on the St. Marys River, and was joined by 800 men of the Ohio militia under Colonel Adams and Colonel Hawkins at Shane's Crossing.
Harrison's army was harassed along the way, and although no hostile Native Americans actually engaged in combat, they had an effect. The army rarely camped at night without the alarm being sounded and men roused to battle positions. Sergeant Thomas Polly was accidentally shot and killed when troops thought they detected Indians in the woods. While the army marched through the Great Black Swamp
, Colonel Hawkins, of the Ohio Militia, became stuck and was shot through the chest when one of his men thought he was struggling with a hostile Indian. Another soldier, Miller, was granted leave to return home, but not before his compatriots dunked him in the river and baptized him "in the name of King George, Aaron Burr
, and the Devil!"
On 11 September, Winamac attempted one last attack on Fort Wayne, and suffered several casualties. Suddenly, on 12 September, the attack was broken off, and Winamac's forces crossed the Maumee River and disappeared into the woods. Harrison's relief army marched towards the fort, uncontested by Winamac. The Potawatami/Miami force retreated into Ohio
and Michigan Territory
. Harrison took Rhea's sword and had him arrested. A Board of Inquiry was convened, but allowed Rhea to resign out of respect for his years of service. Harrison then placed Lieutenant Philip Ostander (one of the two lieutenants who had relieved Rhea) in command of the fort.
, which had become an important Miami town since the establishment of Fort Wayne in 1794. The division marched uncontested to the Forks, which was evacuated when they arrived. The village surprised many in the Kentucky militia, whose houses and towns were not as well built as this Miami town. The town was completely destroyed, as well as any crops that they Miami had not had time to remove. Other villages nearby were also destroyed, and some men in the division robbed the wooden tomb of a recently deceased chief before burning it. No American Indians were encountered, and the division had no casualties during their expedition.
The second division was composed of two infantry regiments under Colonel Samuel Wells (the eldest brother of recently killed William Wells
) and Colonel Scott, as well as a cavalry regiment under Colonel Johnson and mounted militia from Ohio under Colonel Adams. They marched to the Elkhart River
, where they destroyed the village of Chief Five Medals, as well as all unharvested crops. The second division also found a recently built tomb with a white flag flying near it. It contained a female corpse sitting upright, and was filled with artifacts. There was some disagreement about how to treat the tomb, but some men finally raided and destroyed the tomb. The division did not search for more villages, but returned to Fort Wayne. On the return march, however, several men suddenly became very ill, and one man fell over dead without explanation. The division arrive at Fort Wayne on 18 September, telling stories of the Curse of Five Medals Village.
The day before, 17 September, Colonel Simrall arrived at Fort Wayne with 320 Dragoons and a company of mounted riflemen under Colonel Farrow. After they had rested, General Harrison sent them to the Eel River to destroy yet more Miami villages. Simrall's expedition destroyed everything they found on the river, except property that had belonged to the recently deceased Chief Little Turtle.
General James Winchester arrived next at Fort Wayne, and relieved Harrison of command. Harrison took his militia force to Piqua, Ohio
, where he joined with 1,000 additional men of the Kentucky militia. Harrison received news that he, now, was in command of the Northwestern Army, and he then set out on yet another expedition to destroy villages, this time on the St. Joseph River
. General Winchester, meanwhile, departed Fort Wayne on 22 September to recapture Fort Detroit when he received news that a hostile force was marching towards Fort Wayne. This force, under Major Adam Muir, consisted of British Regulars, Canadian militia, and thousands of Native Americans. Near Defiance, Ohio
, two scouting parties met each other, and the U.S. scouting party was captured. The five men under Ensign Liggett were marched part way back to the British camp, then killed. Their bodies were later discovered, but two separate parties of men who had been sent to retrieve the bodies suspected traps and returned to the American camp. Winchester finally sent a large contingent of militia under Captain Garrard, which engaged hostile Native Americans, but finally retrieved the bodies of the dead scouts.
When General Harrison learned of the British Army marching towards Fort Wayne, he rushed to join General Winchester. The two armies combined forces on 2 October, and Muir withdrew to Canada.
Fort Wayne, meanwhile, became endangered when both General Harrison and General Winchester left. Harrison ordered Colonel Allen Trimble to Fort Wayne with 500 mounted militia and a company of dragoons. A band of American Indians threatened the fort, but they fled at the approach of Trimble's dragoons. Trimble, following orders, then continued on towards the Eel River to seek and destroy Indian villages, but he could only convince 250 of his men to go on this mission. Two villages were destroyed before fear of Native American reprisals forced Trimble to return to Fort Wayne.
in December, 1812. Influential Miami Chief Pacanne
had remained neutral in this latest war, but after the destruction of so many Miami villages (many were also neutral), he openly declared for the British.
The defeats at the Battle of Fort Harrison
and at Fort Wayne caused many Native Americans to lose confidence in their chiefs. Many of them turned instead to the influential leadership of Tecumseh
and joined his confederacy. No major Indian attacks occurred in the Indiana Territory
for the rest of the war, but it was not until Tecumseh's defeat at the Battle of the Thames
that the Indian threat was really eliminated.
On 7 July 1813, Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson
arrived at Fort Wayne with 700 dragoons and a flotilla of flatboats with supplies. As the last boat came into view of the fort, however, it was suddenly attacked, and the three men manning the boat were killed. Johnson's dragoons chased the attackers for over ten miles, but were never able to catch them. Johnson then led raids on several Native American villages- including Five Medals' village, as retribution for the attacks, but all of the villages were evacuated as the army approached, and a heavy summer rain kept the dragoons from burning any villages. Frustrated with his failure to encounter any Native Americans, Johnson escorted the empty flatboats back to Ohio. Unknown to him, a force of over a thousand Native Americans under Robert Dickson
passed through White Pigeon's Town on their way to join Tecumseh at Detroit- just days after Johnson had tried to destroy the village.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, between United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
forces in the wake of the successful British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
campaigns of 1812.
Background
Since 1811, after the severe defeat at the Battle of TippecanoeBattle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
, Native American tribes on the Northwest frontier had been growing bitter at the U.S. presence there. Encouraged by other British/Native American victories at places such as Fort Dearborn and Detroit
Siege of Detroit
The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit, or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was an early engagement in the Anglo-American War of 1812...
, native tribes began to undertake campaigns against other smaller American outposts.
Fort Wayne
Forts of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne in modern Fort Wayne, Indiana, was established by Captain Jean François Hamtramck under orders from General "Mad" Anthony Wayne as part of the campaign against the Indians of the area. It was named after General Wayne, who was victorious at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Wayne may have...
, in northeast Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
, had fallen into disrepair in the years leading up to 1812. As a frontier outpost stationed in a busy Native American town, the garrison was often insubordinate, and Captain Jame Rhea had allowed many of the buildings to deteriorate. The walls, once strong enough to withstand cannon balls, had not been maintained. Although there was a good well inside the fort, the food stores had gotten low by September.
The garrison first learned of the fall of Fort Dearborn on 26 August, when Corporal Jordan returned after escaping the massacre. On 28 August, Stephen Johnston, the assistant trade factor at Fort Wayne, was killed a mile away from Fort Wayne. The news was met with alarm, and John Johnston
John Johnston (Indian Agent)
John Johnston was an Indian agent in the United States Northwest Territory. He was born on 25 March 1775 near Ballyshannon in the North of Ireland. His father was Scottish and his mother was a Huguenot. He left Ireland when he was eleven years old, travelling to America with a priest and a...
of Piqua, Ohio
Piqua, Ohio
Piqua is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,738 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood of 1913....
sent Shawnee
Shawnee
The 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...
Captain Logan
Captain Logan
Captain Logan was a scout during the War of 1812, serving under General William Henry Harrison. There exist two apparently conflicting theories regarding Captain Logan's identity:* Was Captain Logan's first name James or John?...
to help evacuate women and children to the relative safety of Ohio.
In September 1812, Indians from the Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
and Miami tribe
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
s, led by Chief Winamac
Winamac
Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a laison between New France and the natives of the Lake Michigan region...
, gathered around Fort Wayne. Captain James Rhea sent letters to John Johnston and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Governor Return Meigs
Return J. Meigs, Jr.
Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the fourth Governor of Ohio, fifth United States Postmaster General, and as a U.S. Senator.-Biography:...
to ask for assistance. The growing Indian threat outside the fort led Rhea to begin drinking heavily. On several occasions Rhea invited Indian delegates into the fort to discuss terms of peace with the Indians (mostly to ensure his own personal safety).
On 4 September, Potawatomi chiefs Winamac
Winamac
Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a laison between New France and the natives of the Lake Michigan region...
and Five Medals
Five Medals
Five Medals first appeared in eastern records after the Battle of Fallen Timbers. He was a leader of the Elkhart River Potawatomi. He disappears from the records shortly after the end of the War of 1812...
approached the fort under a flag of truce and asked to speak to Captain Rhea. Rhea, who had been drinking, met them at the gate and asked if they were meeting for peace or war. Winamac replied "I don't know what to tell you, but you know that Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island...
is taken, Detroit is in the hands of the British, Fort Dearborn has been taken, and you must expect to fall next, probably in a few days." Rhea invited Winamac to his quarters, where they shared wine. Rhea declared Winamac to be his friend, and invited him back for breakfast the next day. Winamac interpreted feigned friendship as cowardliness, however, and prepared for battle.
Siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
began when Chief Winamac's forces attacked two soldiers returning from an outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
. The Native Americans assaulted the fort from the east side and burned the homes of the surrounding village. The Indians constructed two wooden cannons and were able to trick the garrison into thinking they had artillery besieging the fort as well.
Captain Rhea was again drunk, and "took to his quarters, sick." The Indian Agent at Fort Wayne, Benjamin Stickney, was recovering from an illness, but took command of the fort with Lieutenants Daniel Curtis and Phillip Ostrander organizing the defense. Chief Winamac came to the gate again, that evening, and was admitted- unarmed- with thirteen of his men. As they talked, Winamac revealed a knife that he had hidden, and a fur trader, Antoine Bondie, jumped forward to save the life of Stickney. Winamac left the fort, and the Native American forces opened fire at about eight o'clock PM. Winamac's forces tried to set the fort on fire, and while the garrison- about 70 soldiers and some civilians- tried to keep the walls wet, they returned fire with muskets and howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
s. The battle lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon on 6 September, when the American Indian forces retired to a safe distance from the fort. The fighting resumed at nine o'clock that night.
Relief
Newport Barracks
Newport Barracks was a military barracks on the Ohio River, across from Cincinnati, Ohio in Newport, Kentucky. It was operational from 1803 until 1894.-History:In 1803, James Taylor Jr. solicited the help of his cousin, James Madison, who was then U.S...
. General James Winchester
James Winchester
James Winchester was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a brigadier general during the War of 1812. He commanded the American forces at the Battle of Frenchtown, which led to the Massacre of the River Raisin....
was commander of the Northwestern Army, but Kentucky Governor Charles Scott had just appointed Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
Governor William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
as Major General of the Kentucky Militia and authorized him to relieve Fort Wayne, and Harrison was at Newport Barracks to assume command of the militia. Harrison wrote a letter to Secretary of War William Eustis
William Eustis
William Eustis was an early American statesman.He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and studied at the Boston Latin School before he entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1772. He studied medicine under Dr. Joseph Warren and helped care for the wounded at the Battle of Bunker...
explaining the situation and apologizing for taking unauthorized action, then quickly organized a militia force of 2,200 men and marched North to the fort. A small scouting party led by Fort Wayne sutler William Oliver and Ohio Shawnee Captain Logan
Captain Logan
Captain Logan was a scout during the War of 1812, serving under General William Henry Harrison. There exist two apparently conflicting theories regarding Captain Logan's identity:* Was Captain Logan's first name James or John?...
arrived at Fort Wayne during a lull in the fighting, and raced through Winamac's army into the fort. They delivered the news that a relief effort was underway, and again rode through Winamac's siege to report to Harrison that the Fort was still under U.S. control.
Although the scouting party came with welcome news, Harrison also received a report that a force of 400 Native Americans and 140 British regulars under Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
was marching towards Fort Wayne. Harrison now raced North in an attempt to beat Tecumseh to Fort Wayne. By 8 September, Harrison had reached the village of Simon Girty
Simon Girty
Simon Girty was an American colonial of Scots-Irish ancestry who served as a liaison between the British and their Native American allies during the American Revolution...
on the St. Marys River, and was joined by 800 men of the Ohio militia under Colonel Adams and Colonel Hawkins at Shane's Crossing.
Harrison's army was harassed along the way, and although no hostile Native Americans actually engaged in combat, they had an effect. The army rarely camped at night without the alarm being sounded and men roused to battle positions. Sergeant Thomas Polly was accidentally shot and killed when troops thought they detected Indians in the woods. While the army marched through the Great Black Swamp
Great Black Swamp
The Great Black Swamp, or simply Black Swamp, was a glacially caused wetland in northwest Ohio, United States, extending into extreme northeastern Indiana, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until the late 19th century...
, Colonel Hawkins, of the Ohio Militia, became stuck and was shot through the chest when one of his men thought he was struggling with a hostile Indian. Another soldier, Miller, was granted leave to return home, but not before his compatriots dunked him in the river and baptized him "in the name of King George, Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
, and the Devil!"
On 11 September, Winamac attempted one last attack on Fort Wayne, and suffered several casualties. Suddenly, on 12 September, the attack was broken off, and Winamac's forces crossed the Maumee River and disappeared into the woods. Harrison's relief army marched towards the fort, uncontested by Winamac. The Potawatami/Miami force retreated into Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
. Harrison took Rhea's sword and had him arrested. A Board of Inquiry was convened, but allowed Rhea to resign out of respect for his years of service. Harrison then placed Lieutenant Philip Ostander (one of the two lieutenants who had relieved Rhea) in command of the fort.
Punitive Expeditions
On 14 September, Harrison sent out two divisions from Fort Wayne with orders to destroy any Native American village they found as punishment for the siege on Fort Wayne. The first division was composed of two infantry regiments under Colonel Allen and Colonel Lewis, as well as a cavalry regiment under Captain Garrard. General Harrison and General Payne led this division to The Forks Of The WabashThe Forks Of The Wabash
Historic Forks of the Wabash is a historic museum park near Huntington, Indiana, that features site several historic buildings, trails and remnants of the Wabash and Erie Canal...
, which had become an important Miami town since the establishment of Fort Wayne in 1794. The division marched uncontested to the Forks, which was evacuated when they arrived. The village surprised many in the Kentucky militia, whose houses and towns were not as well built as this Miami town. The town was completely destroyed, as well as any crops that they Miami had not had time to remove. Other villages nearby were also destroyed, and some men in the division robbed the wooden tomb of a recently deceased chief before burning it. No American Indians were encountered, and the division had no casualties during their expedition.
The second division was composed of two infantry regiments under Colonel Samuel Wells (the eldest brother of recently killed William Wells
William Wells (soldier)
William Wells , also known as Apekonit , was the son-in-law of Chief Little Turtle of the Miami. He fought for the Miami in the Northwest Indian War...
) and Colonel Scott, as well as a cavalry regiment under Colonel Johnson and mounted militia from Ohio under Colonel Adams. They marched to the Elkhart River
Elkhart River
The Elkhart River is a tributary of the St. Joseph River in northern Indiana in the United States. It is almost entirely contained in Elkhart County. It begins southeast of Millersburg just across the county line in Noble County. It flows generally westward through Benton and then turns...
, where they destroyed the village of Chief Five Medals, as well as all unharvested crops. The second division also found a recently built tomb with a white flag flying near it. It contained a female corpse sitting upright, and was filled with artifacts. There was some disagreement about how to treat the tomb, but some men finally raided and destroyed the tomb. The division did not search for more villages, but returned to Fort Wayne. On the return march, however, several men suddenly became very ill, and one man fell over dead without explanation. The division arrive at Fort Wayne on 18 September, telling stories of the Curse of Five Medals Village.
The day before, 17 September, Colonel Simrall arrived at Fort Wayne with 320 Dragoons and a company of mounted riflemen under Colonel Farrow. After they had rested, General Harrison sent them to the Eel River to destroy yet more Miami villages. Simrall's expedition destroyed everything they found on the river, except property that had belonged to the recently deceased Chief Little Turtle.
General James Winchester arrived next at Fort Wayne, and relieved Harrison of command. Harrison took his militia force to Piqua, Ohio
Piqua, Ohio
Piqua is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,738 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood of 1913....
, where he joined with 1,000 additional men of the Kentucky militia. Harrison received news that he, now, was in command of the Northwestern Army, and he then set out on yet another expedition to destroy villages, this time on the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Maumee River)
The St. Joseph River is an tributary of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio, and northeastern Indiana in the United States, with headwater tributaries rising in southern Michigan. It drains a primarily rural farming region in the watershed of Lake Erie. It shares its name with the St...
. General Winchester, meanwhile, departed Fort Wayne on 22 September to recapture Fort Detroit when he received news that a hostile force was marching towards Fort Wayne. This force, under Major Adam Muir, consisted of British Regulars, Canadian militia, and thousands of Native Americans. Near Defiance, Ohio
Defiance, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,465 people, 6,572 households, and 4,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,562.4 people per square mile . There were 7,061 housing units at an average density of 670.0 per square mile...
, two scouting parties met each other, and the U.S. scouting party was captured. The five men under Ensign Liggett were marched part way back to the British camp, then killed. Their bodies were later discovered, but two separate parties of men who had been sent to retrieve the bodies suspected traps and returned to the American camp. Winchester finally sent a large contingent of militia under Captain Garrard, which engaged hostile Native Americans, but finally retrieved the bodies of the dead scouts.
When General Harrison learned of the British Army marching towards Fort Wayne, he rushed to join General Winchester. The two armies combined forces on 2 October, and Muir withdrew to Canada.
Fort Wayne, meanwhile, became endangered when both General Harrison and General Winchester left. Harrison ordered Colonel Allen Trimble to Fort Wayne with 500 mounted militia and a company of dragoons. A band of American Indians threatened the fort, but they fled at the approach of Trimble's dragoons. Trimble, following orders, then continued on towards the Eel River to seek and destroy Indian villages, but he could only convince 250 of his men to go on this mission. Two villages were destroyed before fear of Native American reprisals forced Trimble to return to Fort Wayne.
Aftermath
The siege of Fort Wayne prompted Harrison to order punitive expeditions against the Miami which culminated in the Battle of the MississinewaBattle of the Mississinewa
The Battle of the Mississinewa, also known as Mississineway, was an expedition ordered by William Henry Harrison against Miami Indian villages in response to the attacks on Fort Wayne and Fort Harrison in the Indiana Territory. The battle is significant as the first American victory in the War of...
in December, 1812. Influential Miami Chief Pacanne
Pacanne
Pacanne was a leading Miami chief during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Son of The Turtle , he was the brother of Tacumwah, who was the mother of Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville. Their family owned and controlled the Long Portage, an 8 mile strip of land between the Maumee and Wabash...
had remained neutral in this latest war, but after the destruction of so many Miami villages (many were also neutral), he openly declared for the British.
Battle of Fort Harrison
The Siege of Fort Harrison was an engagement that lasted from 4 September–15 September 1812. The first American land victory during the War of 1812, it was won by an outnumbered United States force garrisoned inside the fort against a combined Native American force near modern Terre Haute,...
and at Fort Wayne caused many Native Americans to lose confidence in their chiefs. Many of them turned instead to the influential leadership of Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
and joined his confederacy. No major Indian attacks occurred in the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
for the rest of the war, but it was not until Tecumseh's defeat at the Battle of the Thames
Battle of the Thames
The Battle of the Thames, also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was a decisive American victory in the War of 1812. It took place on October 5, 1813, near present-day Chatham, Ontario in Upper Canada...
that the Indian threat was really eliminated.
On 7 July 1813, Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson was the ninth Vice President of the United States, serving in the administration of Martin Van Buren . He was the only vice-president ever elected by the United States Senate under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment. Johnson also represented Kentucky in the U.S...
arrived at Fort Wayne with 700 dragoons and a flotilla of flatboats with supplies. As the last boat came into view of the fort, however, it was suddenly attacked, and the three men manning the boat were killed. Johnson's dragoons chased the attackers for over ten miles, but were never able to catch them. Johnson then led raids on several Native American villages- including Five Medals' village, as retribution for the attacks, but all of the villages were evacuated as the army approached, and a heavy summer rain kept the dragoons from burning any villages. Frustrated with his failure to encounter any Native Americans, Johnson escorted the empty flatboats back to Ohio. Unknown to him, a force of over a thousand Native Americans under Robert Dickson
Robert Dickson (fur trader)
Robert Dickson was a fur trader, and later an agent for the Indian Department in Upper Canada, who played a prominent part in the War of 1812....
passed through White Pigeon's Town on their way to join Tecumseh at Detroit- just days after Johnson had tried to destroy the village.