Hawk Feather Gift From Tecumseh Descendant

British Guns Opened On Detroit

Source

The same day that Major Denny evacuated Sandwich the ground he left was occupied by a British detachment, and the erection of batteries was commenced under the direction of Capt. [M.C.] Dixon of the Royal Engineers. The work was prosecuted with such diligence that on the 15th, five guns were in position all of which commanded the fort at Detroit. At noon that day, Lieut. Col. Macdonell and Captain Glegg were sent by General Brock to Hull under a flag of truce to demand the immediate surrender of Detroit. Hull returned a bold answer stating that he was ready to meet any force the British might send against him, and refusing to comply with the demand. The same afternoon the British guns...opened on Detroit with shot and shell and were replied to...from the other side of the river which, however, failed to do the British batteries the slightest injury, although the cannonade continued for several hours. During the night Tecumseh with Colonel Elliot, Capt. McKee and 600 Indians landed on the American shore two miles below Spring Wells, and five from Detroit. There they remained in concealment until the following morning, when General Brock and his white troops crossed over at Spring Wells.

Also Known As The Battle Of The Oak Woods

Source

The second British victory was the surrender of Hull at Detroit. Before it, however, and after Brownstown, was the battle of the Oak Woods. In this battle the Indians were more than one half the British forces. According to official reports, the British regulars and the Canadians broke and fled in confusion, leaving Tecumseh and his...[fighting force] to bear the brunt of the battle. They fought well, but this battle was a victory for our forces. The first of our soldiers killed in this battle was shot from ambush by an Indian, and scalped. [Source]

The Mutual Destruction Of Tecumseh And Colonel Whitley

Source

From Pioneer Collections...(recollections of Aura P. Stewart of St. Clair County, Michigan):

"...an account of a very singular and daring old man by the name of Whitney [sic; it's Whitley], a Kentuckian, and at the time about seventy years old.  "...Col. Whitney's [Whitley's] adventures and death at the Battle of the Thames.  It appeared that....[he] was an old resident of Kentucky, and had fought many a battle with the Indians on the bloody ground."


"...in their search they first came to Colonel [Whitley], and about four rods distant lay Tecumseh, both dead on the battlefield.  My father [Mr. Stewart] had seen Tecumseh often in Detroit and pointed him out to the officer who never saw him before.  The shout that Tecumseh was dead brought all of the parties together to see him...".

Tecumseh Statue

"Who killed Tecumseh is a question that cannot be answered, buy Judge Connor, my father, and many others believe that Colonel [Whitley] went into battle with a desire to meet Tecumseh, and it is possible that he killed him; General Harrison and his officers lamented the death of the old veteran...".

Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, And The Schemes Of The British Agents

A preliminary view of Indian affairs will enable us to understand this commencement of the war. By the combined counsels and schemes of the British agents, and some of the principal chiefs among the Indians, the seeds of hostility were sown among them soon after the peace of Greenville, and were gradually nurtured into war.

At that time, Little Turtle and Blue Jacket were the leading chiefs among the northwestern tribes. They had disagreed about the manner of opposing [General Anthony] Wayne s army. The plan of Blue Jacket was adopted, and eventuated in the total defeat of the Indians, as predicted by the other. After this event, Little Turtle continued friendly to the United States. He was of opinion, that the Indian tribes were unable to contend against the Americans; that no material aid would be furnished them by the British; and that would only be the means of their losing more of their lands. Blue Jacket had more confidence in the British; he thirsted for revenge against the Americans; and he wished to regain the lands which had been ceded by the treaty of Greenville. [Source]


Also see the Aug 2013 post, Native American And British Influence At The Close Of The Revolutionary War.

Drama At Toronto Bay

Source

An excerpt from The battle of York; ...:

The Parliament had but recently completed its sittings and festivities were still being maintained. A little girl of six narrated that her mother, Mrs. Grant Powell, had issued invitations for a party on the evening of the 26th, the supper table had been laid and she had been dressed to see the company arrive. Only one lady and no gentlemen came, when later on her father hurried in saying the American fleet had been sighted, and he and the other volunteers had been ordered under arms. Then may have come the scene so graphically told by our poet, Charles Mair, in the stirring lines in his Drama of Tecumseh.

"What news afoot? Why every one's afoot and coming here 

York's citizens are turned to warriors 

The learned professions go a-soldiering 

And gentle hearts beat high for Canada. 

For, as you pass, on every hand you see 

Through the neglected openings of each house 

Through doorways, windows, our Canadian maids 

Strained by their parting lovers to their breasts, 

And loyal matrons busy round their lords 

Buckling their arms on, or, with tearful eyes 

Kissing them to the war." 

March Against Prophet's Town

Source

Tecumseh was assisted in his enterprise by his brother, who was known by the name of the Prophet.
Some great movement against the whites was obviously in preparation. Determined to take the initiative, the United States assembled a force of regulars and militia in 1811, and placing it under the command of Harrison, directed him to march against the Prophet's town of Tippecanoe and demand the restoration of such property as had been carried off by the Indians. If his request was refused, he was to proceed and enforce the claim.

Accordingly Harrison, losing no time in delay, arrived before the town on the 6th of November. Here he was met by messengers from the Prophet, deprecating hostilities and promising that all differences should be adjusted on the morrow. Relying in part on this stipulation, yet alive to [possible] treachery...Harrison was perplexed what to do... .

 He resolved finally to encamp for the night on...a position affording the best means of defence in the vicinity. His mistrust of the enemy was so great, however, that he encamped his men in order of battle, and directed them to rest on their arms, hence if attacked in the night, they would be ready instantaneously for the contest.

They were attacked and there was a battle.

The Junction

Source

View At Junction Of The Thames And M'Gregor's Creek

From Electric Scotland:

"Tecumseh considered the point at the junction of the Thames and McGregor’s Creek the best place to make a stand against General Harrison’s Kentuckians who were pursuing them, but the stand was finally made further up the river at Moraviantown where the British were defeated and Tecumseh killed."

Pre-War Meeting At Grouseland

Grouseland, Harrison's Home In Vincennes, Indiana

Even Ft. Knox commandant Captain Floyd, recently arrived from New Orleans, drew a dagger in defense of the Governor. Tense moments passed as Tecumseh's men shouted and brandished their edged weapons. Finally, the soldiers enforced the governor's dismissal of the Shawnee, into leaving Grouseland, the governor's house. The next day Tecumseh issued an apology, apparently having lost his legendary self-possession. [Source]


From an article in the Tribune-Star:

"On Aug. 14, 1810, Capt. George Rogers Clark Floyd of the 7th U.S. Infantry, the new commandant at Fort Knox, watched as 80 canoes of Shawnees, “painted in the most terrific manner,” arrived for the parley."
"At the meeting on Aug. 15 attended by 400 armed warriors wearing war paint, Tecumseh insisted that the Treaty of Fort Wayne was illegitimate and asked Gov. Harrison to nullify it."
"At one point, Tecumseh’s temper flared and he called Harrison “a liar.” The talks nearly erupted. Potawatomi chief Winamac, a friend to Gov. Harrison, soothed the passions of the Shawnee and the meeting was postponed until the following afternoon."

To The Petite Cote

Source (Page 266)

Taken from The War On The Detroit The Chronicles Of Thomas Vercheres de Boucherville....:

"During the month of July we had several skirmishes with the enemy [Americans], the most important one being at the bridge over the Canard River, between Sandwich and Amherstburg and about three miles from the latter village."  "Here we had a picket composed of a company of infantry and some artillery men in charge of the fieldpieces stationed there, besides some [Indians] for patrol duty."  "The Americans attacked this picket but were forced to retire in great haste."

"One day in July a band of Indians composed of Shawnees with Tecumseh at their head, besides some Ottawas and Potawatomi came to my store...and asked me if I would go with them to Petite Cote, three miles beyond our picket at River Canard, to deliver a blow to the enemy."

From the American perspective:

Source

Massacre Of Prisoners At Fort Miami?

Incident Near Site #3

On the surrender of Dudley's command the prisoners were marched down to Fort Miami with an escort, and there, under the eye of Proctor and his officers, the Indians, who had already plundered them and murdered many on the way, were allowed to shoot, tomahawk, and scalp more than twenty of them. This butchery was stopped by Tecumtha [Tecumseh], who proved himself to be more humane than his British ally and brother officer, Henry Proctor. [Source]

What Was At Stake

Captives of Cupid: A Story of Old Detroit,  by Annetta Halliday Antona, centered upon the lives and loves of those who lived in Detroit.  Some of the characters were real, including Tecumseh, Pierre Navarre, and others.

"The war of 1812 had broken out and the young Republic of the United States, from its eastern to its western boundary, labored in the throes of a bloody struggle which, if terminated unsuccessfully, signified the loss of all that the Revolution, at the cost of innumerable lives, had striven to obtain."

Major Amos Spafford

Major Amos Spafford

The Spafford Family (Amos Spafford and Olive Barlow) of Perrysburg, Ohio.  

A story about the escavations at the Amos Spafford farm here (full article here):
"The farm was destroyed, along with other family farms, when the British and Indians from Fort Malden, Canada, lead by Captain Peter Latouche Chambers and Shawnee chief Tecumseh, invaded the settlement in August 1812 after the fall of Detroit." 

A 23 January 1812 letter from Major Amos Spafford to Governor Return Jonathan Meigs (transcript here).

Biography Of Col. Richard M Johnson

The Authentic biography of Colonel Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky was published in 1833.

Richard Mentor Johnson, the third son of Colonel Robert Johnson, was born in the autumn of 1780/1, in Kentucky, which was then a county in Virginia.  After some local schooling, Richard M. Johnson attended Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and then studied law.  He represented the citizens of Scott County, Kentucky, when he was quite young, and took his seat in the U.S. Congress in October of 1807.  While in Congress the whole country was in an uproar when the British frigate Leopard attacked frigate Chesapeake.

Source

The other dispute referenced above occurred in 1802 when the Spanish Intendant closed the Port at New Orleans to the United States, in violation of a treaty.  War was anticipated, especially in the Western States.  Richard Johnson, at age 20, volunteered for military service and was elected to command a company.  The dispute was settled peacefully.

Richard M. Johnson, while still a member of Congress, offered to be an aid to General Harrison, who was then in charge of the Kentucky troops as well as his own Indiana soldiers, and also offered to recruit for the military.

Other posts relating to Richard Johnson here.

Richard M. Johnson

He was thought to have been the soldier who killed Tecumseh in battle.

Source

Richard Mentor Johnson

Richard M. Johnson, a Kentucky politician, was Martin Van Buren's Vice President.  One of the most unique aspects of his life, however, was his common-law marriage to Julia Chinn, who was 1/8 black.  He and Julia had two daughters.  After Julia's death, he had two other common-law marriages with slave women.

Tecumseh's Bones

GUY ST-DENIS PAPERS

1980-2005, n.d. [predominately 1991-2005]  RG77

Brock University Archives

This collection forms part of a larger set of private manuscripts, and consists of correspondence and

materials collected by Guy St-Denis during his investigation into the mystery surrounding Tecumseh’s bones. This research was conducted over the course of some fifteen years and culminated in the publication of Tecumseh’s Bones in 2005 by McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Heroics In Ohio

 "When the Fort is taken there will be none left alive to massacre."*

Obedience to his superior in all matters of duty is no degradation, but rather an honor, to the true soldier but history furnishes a few examples of a patriotism that rises above all other considerations. Such was Croghan's action at Fort Sandusky during the war of 1812.

General Harrison had ordered Croghan to destroy the supplies, then abandon and destroy Fort Sandusky. The soldiers were to then join General Harrison. Croghan disobeyed Harrison's orders, replying (see below):

*Ensign Edmund Shipp on behalf of Croghan to a landing party of British soldiers threatening a massacre of the American troops at Fort Sandusky if it was not surrendered to the British force

The British were not leaving without a battle, and marched forward towards the fort with an order to give no quarter to the besieged within the fort.  The approaching British were mowed down by the one strategically placed artillery piece in the fort.  The British under General Proctor and their Indian allies, under Tecumseh,  scattered and retreated.

Even though no quarter was expected by the Americans from the British, the defenders of the fort risked their own lives to aid wounded British soldiers who were left behind.

 From The line of fire, or, The advance guard of civilization in America.

Eluding Tecumseh

From Pioneer Collections, Volume 4, by the Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan (recollections of Aura P. Stewart of St. Clair County, Michigan):

After a visit of two weeks my father [Harvey Stewart] returned to Michigan and at the proper time went up to the Thames and himself his brother and five hired men entered the harvest field [at the Ransom farm in Canada] and were progressing finely in securing the grain [for the distillery].

 At this time Tecumseh was with a band of his Indian warriors stationed a few miles above where my father was at work with his men. Previous to this, war had broken out between England and the United States and my father had consulted Esquire Jacobs about his remaining in Canada long enough to secure his grain and settle some other business matters and was informed that he could and as his office was civil and military he would protect him.

But some envious and loyal person had informed Tecumseh that seven Americans were at work in a field some distance below and urged their capture. Tecumseh's feelings being hostile to all Americans, he sent sixteen of his band all mounted on horses to take my father and his men prisoners, but fortunately a friend of my father's on learning that Tecumseh was about to send a band of his warriors mounted his horse and ran him to the field where my father was at work and gave timely notice.

 The messenger told my father that he must leave the field instantly or he would be a prisoner within ten minutes. My father expressed a wish to go to the other side of the field to get his coat as it contained his pocket book papers and all of his money, but his friend insisted that it would not be safe to do so, and he and his men rushed to the river, jumped into a canoe, and rowed down as fast as possible for about a mile when my father jumped on shore at his boarding house to get his clothes.

He had just entered the house when the band of Indians came up. On seeing them the lady of the house requested my father to jump down cellar which he thought not safe to do if the house was searched. He jumped through the window and entered the harvest field where her husband was at work and went to work with the other men. The Indians were told that there were seven men in the field and when they saw the six men in the canoe they hesitated, giving them time to cross the river and enter the woods.

They found lodgings that night at a French house near the mouth of the Thames and the next day took the road leading to the river St Clair and crossing over at Harsen's island hired a friendly Indian to take them across... .

See this post also taken from the Recollections of Aura P. Stewart.

From War And Game

War And Game's post, Go March To Canada.

Jennings Township War of 1812 Marker

Near Fort Jennings, Ohio:

THE WAR OF 1812

IN THE NORTHWEST

On June 18, 1812, a war began which is considered to be the final phase of the 

American Revolution.  In the Northwest, early actions were disastrous to the 

United States.  The British, under General Proctor, and the Indians, under Tecumseh,

captured Mackinac Island; took Fort Dearborn (Chicago); forced General Hull to

surrender his army at Detroit; and massacred General Winchester's army on the 

River Raisin at Frenchtown (Monroe, Michigan).  The way was open for an invasion of Ohio.

In the spring and summer of 1813, the enemy failed in two attempts to take Fort 

Meigs, General Harrison's bastion on the Maumee.  The tide turned in favor of

the Americans.  In August, Major Croghan made his staunch stand at Fort Stephenson

(Fremont), and, in September, Commodore Perry swept the British fleet from the Lakes

in the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-In-Bay.  General Harrison then invaded Canada 

and in October 5th won a decisive victory in the Battle of the Thames.  Tecumseh

was killed in this battle and the war, to all intents was over in the northwest.

Erected in 1955

Jennings Township Trustees