Gazing Towards Fort Dearborn

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Fate Of Prisoners

Old Fort Dearborn

"...fate of more of the prisoners...".

Chicago--Among the prisoners who have recently arrived at this place (says the Plattsburg paper of the 21st ult.) from Quebeck, are James VanHorn, Joseph Knowles, Paul Grommow, Elias Mills, Joseph Bowen, Nathan Edson, Dyson Dyer, James Cobrin and Phelim Corbin, of the First regiment of U. S. infantry, who survived the massacre at Fort Dearborn or Chicago, on the 15th of August, 1812." [Source]

Apparent Even To The Enemy

Unknown Source

The New Nation Grows... included a section entitled, "A Cowardly Commander Surrenders Detroit."

"The day after the Fort Dearborn massacre General William Hull surrendered Detroit to General Brock, the British commander. Hull's incompetence and cowardice were apparent even to the enemy."

"...[an] account was written by Thomas Vercheres de Boucherville, a French Canadian serving in the British army."

Where The Fort Dearborn Massacre Occurred

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The Chicago Massacre

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The garrison at Fort Dearborn, at the mouth of the Chicago river, together with the few civilians of the neighborhood--men, women, and children--left the place for a long overland march of three hundred miles through the woods of Michigan, on August 15, 1812.  The ill-starred General Hull was in command at Detroit, expecting a battle with the British force, and he had sent orders by an Indian runner to the commander at Fort Dearborn, to move his command to Detroit, after disposing of the government stores and property as he thought fit.

Turned Her Face To Heaven

The first part of the story of Mrs. Susan Simmons' and her daughter who were in captivity after the Fort Dearborn Massacre.

Source [Where Mrs. Simmons Was Captured]

Site of the Fort Dearborn Massacre

Heroes and Heroines of the Fort Dearborn Massacre: A Romantic and Tragic ... By Noah Simmons, included the following, about Mrs. Susan Simmons:

It was an awful moment for the poor woman but as she had often done before in the last twelve days when overcome with grief and almost famished with hunger, she turned her face to heaven and reposed her trust in her creator, her only source of hope and consolation...she ran rapidly down the line reaching the goal bleeding and bruised, but with [her infant] unharmed.

From The story of old Fort Dearborn:

At the time that Fort Dearborn was built, the site of Chicago had been known to the civilized world for a hundred and thirty years.

Stories about the Fort Dearborn massacre (War of 1812 era) here and here.

Helm's Story

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"The first disaster [after the culmination of the tensions of the pre-cursors of the War of 1812] came at Chicago, where Fort Dearborn had stood for a dozen years. Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, second in command, lived to tell the story.  Captain Heald got the information of War being declared, and on the 8th of August got Gen. Hull's order to evacuate the post of Fort Dearborn by the route of Detroit, or Fort Wayne, if practicable."


From The New Nation Grows... .

1812 Site Of Chicago And Events There

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Captain William Griffith

From The Pictorial History of Fort Wayne, Indiana: A Review of Two ..., Volume 1:

"...Quartermaster Sergeant (later Captain) William Griffith, one of the survivors of the Fort Dearborn massacre... ."

"Detroit was surrendered the day before the Chicago Massacre took place. As soon as information of the tragedy reached Detroit, Judge Woodward appealed to Colonel Proctor in behalf of the prisoners and possible survivors of the Massacre at Fort Dearborn. The information given by Judge Woodward in this letter to Colonel Proctor probably came from William Griffith, a survivor who had reached Detroit." [Source]

"...William Griffith, afterward a captain of General Harrison's spies. He joined Harrison's army after his escape to Michigan, was placed in command of the spies, and received two wounds in the skirmish at the Moravian towns a few days before the battle of the Thames, but participated also in the latter engagement."

"He was the son of William Griffith, Sr., a farmer of Welsh descent whose home was near the present site of Geneseo, NY. His sister, Mrs. Alexander Ewing, removed with her husband to Michigan in 1802 and thence to Piqua Ohio in 1807 from which place William Griffith probably came to Chicago. He died in 1824, leaving two sons and a daughter and was buried near old Fort Meigs, Ohio." [Source]

The Fate Of The Simmons Family

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On the 14th of March 1810, John Simmons enlisted in Captain Whistler's Company, First Regiment, United States Infantry, afterward commanded by Captain Nathan Heald, and was assigned to duty at Fort Dearborn on the site of the city of Chicago.

Such was the [vulnerable] condition of Fort Dearborn on the seventh day of August, 1812, when Captain Heald received the order from Gen. Hull [to evacuate], who had reported to the war department on July 29th that he would send "at once."  Why, therefore, Captain Heald faltered for seven days is a serious question. The inexplicable delay gave the Indians an opportunity to collect their warriors from the Pottawatomie villages in the vicinity.

When the attack was made, Corporal John Simmons, from his position near the great cottonwood known as the Massacre Tree, loaded and fired as rapidly as possible... .  Finally covered with wounds he fell to rise no more. 

 No sooner had Mrs Simmons seen her husband fall...[when the enemy] struck his bloody weapon into the heads of every child within killing them instantly [including young David Simmons].

Mrs. Simmons discovered that the delight...of the [enemy] was much enhanced by tormenting their prisoners... . She therefore summoned all her marvelous fortitude to prevent any expression of the anguish which was crushing her great soul [and continued her stoicism during her entire captivity of eight months].

The story of other survivors here and another victim here.