The following is a portion of a journal kept by a militia soldier from Woodford county Kentucky named George Dale who, along with who I think was his brother Leroy, survived Dudley’s bloody defeat on May 5, 1813, ran a murderous gauntlet of vengeful Indians then shipped to a British POW camp near Detroit. Traveling with the Dales were 2other men he fails to name
To learn more about Dudley’s battle click on this link: Dudley's Defeat May 5, 1813
To learn more about Dudley’s battle click on this link: Dudley's Defeat May 5, 1813
The Drama Begins
Note: I read one account where the writer said after leaving the Toledo area, the ships sailed to the mouth of Sandusky. that's true because, the British, having failed in their attempt to capture Ft. Meigs had turned their sites on the American Fort Stephenson near Fremont. However, I doubt the British took the American prisoners with them. Why?
1. They were about to fight an American force near Fremont, why would they want more Americans (the prisoners) present in the area?
2. POWs use a lot or resources, food, shelter, GUARDS. Using fighters as guards would not be an effective use of manpower.
3. Most importantly, Dale tells us that he was sent to Detroit, not the Sandusky Bay. He wrote: "I wanted much rather spent the time with jolly Kentuckians who I left at Detroit"
1. They were about to fight an American force near Fremont, why would they want more Americans (the prisoners) present in the area?
2. POWs use a lot or resources, food, shelter, GUARDS. Using fighters as guards would not be an effective use of manpower.
3. Most importantly, Dale tells us that he was sent to Detroit, not the Sandusky Bay. He wrote: "I wanted much rather spent the time with jolly Kentuckians who I left at Detroit"
Yes, the men could have first been taken to Sandusky Bay then to Detroit, but the question is, Why?
We now set out for Fort Meigs and arrived
about dark. A small garrison was stationed here, most of the pickets being cut
away and the fort redone quite small; they were a kind of queer looking chaps.
I wanted much rather spent the time with jolly Kentuckians who I left at
Detroit, although they treated us shyly and curtly.
Note: He wrote that Ft. Meigs had been “redone
quite small” which tells us that he was there after October of 1813,
Next morning we left for Fort Defiance. We
had gone up the river several miles when we heard a noise. Presently I heard
men talking but knew it to be Indians. We directly got in sight of them when
five or six came running toward us. We all were seized with the blues, but one
spoke to us in pretty good English and said they were friends. We went but a
little further till we saw some white men. They had sunk a prorogue loaded with
flour, which they were bringing down for these Indians, and had sent for them
to come after it.
Note: Dale doesn’t say anything about horses so we
have to assume the men were traveling on foot.
It’s approx. 46 miles from Ft. Meigs to Defiance so the assumption is
they spent the night mid-way which would have been in the vicinity of Grand
Rapids, Ohio. There was a campsite there
Dudley’s men had used on their way to Ft. Meigs in May, 1813,
When we got to Fort
Defiance it was getting dark. We hailed the garrison, and asked to be ferried
over. They seemed loath to come, but at length we satisfied them that we did
not intend to take the fort, so we were ferried over in a little canoe.
Note: My
guess is they were traveling on the south side of the Maumee River. Thewoud have had to cross the Maumee to get over to Fort
Meigs. To travel on the north side they would have to have cross the river again,
travel west to Defiance and cross the river a 3rd time to get across to Ft. Defiance. If I’m correct
they would have arrived on the east side of the Auglaize River somewhere near the end
of E. Front St. in Defiance.
Human
nature: It was getting dark when the Dale’s arrived and the men in the fort
were probably settled in for the day.
You can see how they might be a little miffed at having to go out, get
a canoe and paddle across the Auglaize and pick up Dale, Leroy and 2
others. Plus, being “ferried over in a little canoe” this
might have involved 2 trips.
When we entered the commissary’s room, I
handed him my passport, as soon as he saw my name, he rose up and took me by the
hand, saying we were at home. It was Doctor Hereby of Frankfort KY, who was in
the battle with me. He made his escape to this place, and was appointed to act
as surgeon and commissary. He said Leroy and I were to stay with him, but the
other two had to seek lodging elsewhere. We partook of a most excellent supper
of fish, coffee, and pancakes. He insisted that we would stay with him several
days to rest and tell him the whole Indian tale, (we sat up nearly the whole
night) but we told him we were bound for old Kentucky without delay. We took breakfast with him and bid him
farewell. The Doctor had pleaded with me hard for my stick which I refused him
but I came away and forgot it.
Note:
A “Passport”
was a document that showed that a soldier had either been discharged or
paroled. It was similar to today’s
military pass. Without it a man could be
arrested as a deserter.
We went to the other two men and found them
thoroughly well fuddled. They seemed slow about starting, so we left them and
saw them no more. That night we got to Fort Brown which was evacuated, the wind
was blowing which kept boards a rattling. It appeared like a haunt for the
savage fiends of the infernal region.
Note: Dale describes
his traveling companions as “thoroughly well fuddled,” which I assume
means they had gotten drunk the night before and were sleeping it off.
We passed on about a quarter mile, then turned
from the trace towards the river, and settled for the night. We kindled a
little fire, eat supper and lay down first wrapping up the fire. We were truly
neither afraid, not knowing but the Indians would attack us through the night.
Indeed those two men we had left were as much dread to us as the savages
expressing and showing anger towards us in the morning for not introducing them
to the Doctor and asking quarters for them. Late at night, we were awakened by
the barking of a fox which made my teeth chatter together, as fast as a ground
hog’s thinking it was an Indian’s dog. We prepared for running away but set
still and listened a while, and found out it was Reynard. We were very cold, so
we made up some fire, thinking it was too late for the evening to be in motion,
we then lay down and slept well until daylight.
 |
| A "Reynard" was a fox like animal |
We now shoved out for Fort
Jennings. It was a cloudy, dismal looking day. We got into a bottom of thick
heavy timber, where we meet a man on horseback. We were almost touching before
we saw each other. Which completely electrified both parties, but suddenly a
great joy ensued. We passed a ways and met several more.
Note: This gives us some idea of how dense the
forest was at the time. Dale descried
how close he was to man on horseback before he even saw him.
night came on before we
reached the fort, but we trotted along until we reached the gate, which was
standing open, and we walked in. We went to a door which was also open they
were in high glee, some singing, some swearing, and some laughing. We spoke and
knocked several times, but no one noticed it. At length we stepped in. They all
hushed up and looked as wild as buck rabbits, every gun was setting by the
door, completely in our possession had we been enemies. We inquired for the
commanding officer, when a drunken man came forth and received our passports. We
asked him where we could stay. He replied we can all sleep together. I did not
like the idea at all for they looked like owners of those scoundrels full as
much as the savages I had left. But we decided
to stand up to the rack fodder or ….
Old martial looking officer, told us his ….. Gain that he had been sent there with five ….
And drunk the whisky and it was all gone to a …. Of two Barrels, which would
last them a little more than one week, then they would as soon as they could
pack it …. Way to Fort Amanda from whence they had been detached and from there
drank their way through to Greenville. They were a caution, they were very inquisitive
about where we were from, where we had been, and where we were going and what
amount of money we had & in fact they asked us many scores of food
questions. And to tell the truth a lie not (as I have permission to do ;) they
were entire brutes in hence shape. One of them was a dish faced Dutchman with
about half sense and two thirds drunk at that; he was a cook. He had a large
tin pan of butter and commenced frying, he came to us, took up our liquor and
run it down him like soap suds in a sink hole, and all the rest followed
suit without any invitation, then would gurgle down (not drink) their own
without asking us to partake. This Dutchman as I have afore said came to us and
said :”Boys tus you luf Fruters” we answered in the affirmative “Well Ize coin
to Kif you sorn terecly,” they all eat and left plenty, but never asked us to eat
one mouthful; for all I had been living on the
dainties of the northwest so long I could not say that cared to partake
of theirs; for I kept my eye on the cook all the while we eat of our own cold
cut, and lay down but slept none. I put my large knife under my head and showed
the tomahawk, so to bring them to their sober senses if they disturbed us. We
took care to lie outside next to the gate and to add to our wakefulness, they
left the gate open (naught ever being in danger). This great commanding officer
was John Scott. I tell his name so that if he sees my little book he may be
ashamed, and sin no more. We left here some time before day light leaving them
all in the close embrace of all of theirs. We thought we should be safer in the
… about daybreak than here, (the Indians usual time of attack). We went on a mile
or two and waited for light. It being dark, we could not keep the road. We had
to trudge all alone seeing no person through the day.
Note: Records show that the government was moving
supplies out of the forts along the Auglaize River and sending them to Ft.
Meigs with intentions of abandoning all the posts by September 1814.
“Vouchers No. 19, 20, 12, 13, 14, 22 and
23 are for transporting flour from sundry places on the order of Gen. McArthur
on 24th September, 1814 because the posts are to be abandoned.
Voucher #13:
75 bbls. From Ft. Winchester to Fort Meigs
at $5.00 per bbl., $375.00; for 10 bbls. From Fort Jennings to Fort Meigs at
$5.00 per bbl. For 25 bbls. From
Fort Amanda to Fort Meigs at $5.00 per bbl., $125.00,
for 220 bbls from Fort Marys (St. Marys) to Fort Wayne at $7.00 per bbl.,
$1,540.00 for 10 bbls. From Fort Loramie’s to Fort Wayne at $8.50 per bbl.,
$85.00, for 27 bbls from Piqua to Fort Wayne at $10.00 per bbl, $270.00 by
virtue of the above order of Gen. McArthur of 24th September 1814. (Admitted by Second Comptroller).
Note: By the end of 1813, there were very few
militia soldiers in the field in Ohio.
The war in the west was basically over and it was expensive keeping
troops in the field. Judging from Dales
description of the conditions at the fort (open gate, shady characters, and the
fact that he seems to have actually feared for his life causes me to wonder if
the men at the fort were not soldiers at all, but a group of rag tag contractors hired to move the
supplies mentioned in the letter above.
The Long Journey Home
