James Johnson And The Johnson Boys

The Johnson Clan; 

Indian Fighters, Indian Captives, and Indians Meet the Johnson Boys, Briefly

   

 The Johnson Boys

1788

Henry Johnson was was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 4, 1773 and his brother John was born around 1775. The boys were sons of James and Catherine (Demoss) Johnson. The following is Henry's written account about how he and his brother escaped from the Indians.

When I was about eight years old, my father having a large family to provide for, sold his farm with the expectation of acquiring larger possessions farther west. Thus he was stimulated to encounter the perils of pioneer life. He crossed the Ohio River and bought some improvements on what was called Beach Bottom Flats, two and a half miles from the river, and three or four miles above the mouth of Short Creek.

Captured

Soon after he came there, the Indians became troublesome. They stole horses and various other things and killed a number of persons in our neighborhood.

When I was between eleven and twelve years old, I think it was in the fall of 1788, I was taken prisoner with my brother John, who was about eighteen months older than I. The circumstances are as follows: "One Saturday evening we were out with an older brother, and came home late in the evening; one of us had lost a hat and John and I went back the next day to look for it. We found the hat, and sat down on a log and were cracking nuts-after a short time we saw two men coming down from the direction of the house; from their dress we took them to be two of our neighbors, James Perdue and James Russell. We paid but little attention to them till they came quite near us. To escape by flight was now impossible and we had been disposed to try it. We sat still until they came up near us, one of them said, "How do, broder." My brother then asked them if they were Indians and they answered in the affirmative, and said we must go with them.

"One of them had a blue buckskin, which he gave my brother to carry, and without further ceremony we took up the line of march for the wilderness, not knowing whether we should ever return to the cheerful home we had left; and not having much love for our commanding officers, of course, we obeyed martial orders rather tardily. One of the Indians marched about ten steps before us and the other about the same distance behind us. After travelling some distance we halted in a deep hollow and sat down. They took out their knives and whet them and talked some time in the Indian tongue, which we could not understand. I told my brother that I thought they were going to kill us, and I believe he thought so too, for he began to talk to them, and told them his father was cross to them and made them work hard, said that they did not like hard work, that he would rather be a hunter and live in the woods. This seemed to please them for they put up their knives and talked more lively, and pleasantly to us. We returned the same familiarity and many questions passed between us; all parties were very inquisitive. They asked my brother which way to his home and he told them the contrary way every time they would ask him, although he knew the way very well; this would make them laugh; and they thought we were lost and that we knew no better.

The Plan

"They conducted us over the Short Creek hills in search of horses, but found none; so we continued on foot. Night came on us and we halted in a low hollow, about three miles from Carpenter's Fort and about four miles from the place where they first took us. Our route being somewhat circuitous and full of zigzags we made headway but slowly. As night began to fall in around us I became fretful; my brother encouraged me by whispering to me that we would kill the Indians that night. After they had selected the place of encampment one of them scouted around the camp, while the other struck fire, which was done by stopping the touch holes of the gun and flashing powder in the pan.

After the Indian got the fire kindled he reprimed the gun and went to an old stump to get some dry tinder wood for the fire; and while he was thus employed my brother John took the gun, cocked it and was about to shoot the Indian; but I was alarmed, fearing that the other might be close by and be able to overpower us; so I took hold of the gun and prevented the shot. I at the same time, begged him to wait till night and I would help him to kill them both. The Indian that had taken the scout came back about dark.

We took our suppers, and talked some time and went to bed on the naked ground to try to rest and study out the best mode of attack. They put us between them that they might be better able to guard us. After a while one of the Indians, supposing we were asleep, got up and stretched himself down on the other side of the fire and soon began to snore. John, who had been watching every motion, found they were sound asleep and whispered to me to get up. We got up as carefully as possible. John took the gun which the Indian struck fire with, cocked and placed it in the direction of the head of one of the Indians; he then took a tomahawk and drew it over the head of the other; I pulled the trigger and he struck at the same time; the blow falling too far back on the neck, only stunning the Indian; he attempted to spring to his feet, uttering most hideous yells. Although my brother repeated the blows with some effect the conflict became terrible and somewhat doubtful. The Indian, however, was forced to yield to the blows he received upon his head, and, in a short time, he lay quiet and still at our feet.

After we were satisfied that they were both dead, and fearing there were others close by, we hurried off and took nothing with us but the gun I shot with. We took our course towards the river, and in about three quarters of a mile we found a path which led to Carpenter’s Fort. My brother here hung his hat that we might know on our return where to turn off to find our camp. We got to the fort a little before daylight. We related our experience, and adventure, and a small party went back with my brother and found the Indian that had been tomahawked; the other had crawled away a short distance.

This remarkable act of heroism was recognized by the United States Government, for they granted these brothers a large tract of land that embraced the site of the killing of these two Indians. The boys later sold the land and moved into what is now Monroe County, where Henry told the above story

Now It's their Father's Turn

   

 

James Johnson, father of Henry and John Johnson was born in 1732 in Virginia. According to early writers, all his life James Johnson had been a frontiersman - first in Virginia, then in Maryland and later in Pennsylvania. His life had been full of stirring events and hardships. He had served in two wars, the French and Indian War and the War of Independence. He had undergone all the tests of skill and endurance of a Ranger on the frontier and had been in many encounters with hostile Indians. He is recorded as being "Strong, fearless and ambitious for his family." In 1785 he moved his young family through the wilderness from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania into Jefferson County, Ohio where he built a small log cabin and cleared a few acres of land. The youngest of his large family was a daughter of five and the eldest a son of perhaps twenty-three. With two horses, a cow, and such farm implements and household articles as they could carry, they made their way to the banks of the Ohio, and then crossed it to their new home on Short Creek.

Carpenter's Fort had been built on Short Creek to protect the few families in the neighborhood from the troublesome Indians. Life was crude, simple and difficult.

Additional fields had to be cleared, fenced and planted before crops could be grown to carry them thru the coming winter. The log cabin had to be enlarged and log barns built for the live stock. Food and clothing had to be secured for the large family. There was plenty of hard work for James and his grown children. The Indians stole their horses and cattle, and killed a number of persons. It was quite as important to know how to use a rifle and to swing an ax. Within a few years with the help of the grown sons, productive fields were teeming with crops of corn, beans and buckwheat; a garden was providing vegetables; the buildings were made comfortable, and the spinning wheel and loom were humming.

 

The Johnson's Sure Had Bad Luck With Indians

In 1793, when he was passed sixty years of age, James Johnson was sent out from Fort Henry block house at Wheeling, Virginia, with Capt. William Boggs, Robert Maxwell, Joseph Daniels and a ___ Miller to explore the headwaters of Stillwater Creek, now in Harrison County. At night they were surprised by the Indians. Capt. Boggs was scalped after being shot. His companions fled, Johnson and two others succeeding in reaching the block house.

Later that same year (1793) while in camp on McIntire Creek with ___ McIntire and John Layport, two neighbors, the Indians attacked them. James Johnson was captured after a hard struggle but his two companions were killed.

He was taken to Sandusky and cruelly punished by the savages.

Likely route from capture to Sandusky

Approx. 140 miles

Forced to run the gauntlet, he barely escaped with his life.

Finally it was decided to burn him at the stake.

After the kindling had been lighted and his captors were dancing about him torturing him, a heavy rainstorm put out the fire. This was taken as a sign of disfavor on the part of the Great Spirit and he was given his freedom as a favored prisoner. He lived two years with the Indians on the lookout continually for a good opportunity to escape.

On one occasion British traders sought to obtain his liberty but without avail. He was released in 1795 as terms in Wayne's Greenville Treaty.

Even the Indians Thought The Boys Were Heros

Greenville, Ohio  1795

A group of Indians who were in Greenville at the time of the treaty signing asked one of Wayne's soldiers what had become of the two boys that killed the Indians 7 years earlier. When told that both of them were still at home with their parents, the leading Indian said, "You have not done right; you should have made them Kings."

When their father James finally returned home from capture, he was so emaciated, hairy and tattered that his own wife and children did not recognize him.

One More Thing.  I forgot to mention James Johnson was my 5th Great Grandfather and his sons Henry and John were my 5th Great Uncles. And yes, I'm very very proud of them.

"If a man did wrong, they sent him across the Ohio.

This Blog Is Not For the Faint Of Heart

How dangerous was the Ohio/Kentucky frontier?  An interview with an early Kentucky pionee woman, Mrs. General Webb said it best;,  

"In early times the people were honest to each other. If a man did wrong, they sent him across the Ohio.

In previous blogs I've purposely avoided writing too many gruesome details of what life was like on the frontier, particularly in the Ohio and Kentucky territories thinking it really served no purpose. That all changed after reading a book called "Frontier Memories II," a collection of interviews by Rev. John Dabney Shane as compiled from the Draper manuscripts. Through his interviews with early settlers Shane helps dispel the perception that life was like a typical romanticized Daniel Boone movie, when in fact it was anything but. It was a brutal existence where life was cheap and death waited just outside the cabin door. So for those who still believe the frontier was a wilderness utopia with occasional problems with Indians, buckle up because here's a dose of reality as the interviewers would say, "straight from the horses mouth."

How Dangerous Was the Southern Ohio Frontier?

  

Scalping didn't kill the victim but it did give him/her and awful haircut

The Inventory

During the 10 year period 1780 to 1789, Indians, with the help of their British allies had murdered over 1500 settlers in Kentucky and along the north side of the Ohio River. In a letter dated, May 7, 1782, a British officer sent a letter and eight packages to Sir Federick  Haldimand, British Governor of Canada containing the scalps of 983 men, women and children the Indians had murdered on the frontier.
 

May it please your excellency,

At the request of the Seneca Chief, I hereby send your Excellency, under the care of James Hoyd, eight packages of scalps, cured, dried, hooped and painted with all the triumphal marks of which the following is the invoice and explanation:

No. 1. Containing forty-three scalps of Congress soldiers, killed in different skirmishes. These are stretched on black hoops, four inches in diameter. The inside of the skin is painted red with a small black spot to denote their being killed with bullets; the hoops painted red, the skin painted brown, and marked with a hoe’ a black circle all around to denote their being surprised in the night; and a black hatchet in the middle, signifying their being killed with that weapon.

No. 2. Containing ninety-eight farmers killed in their houses; hoops red, figure of a hoe, to mark their profession; great white circle and sun, to show they were surprised in the day time; a little red foot to show that they stood upon their defense and died fighting for their lives and families.

No. 3. Containing ninety-seven of farmers; hoops green to show they were killed in the fields; a large white circle with a little round mark on it , for a sun to show it was in the daytime; black bullet mark on some, a hatchet mark on others.

No. 4. Containing one hundred and two of farmers, mixture of several of the marks above; only eighteen marked with a little yellow flame, to denote their being prisoners burnt alive, after being scalped; their nails pulled out by the roots and other torments. One of these latter being supposed to be an American clergyman, his hand being fixed to the hook of his scalp. Most of the farmers appear, by their hair, to have been young or middle aged men, their being but sixty-seven very gray heads among them all, which makes the service more essential.

No. 5. Containing eight-eight scalps of women; hair long, braided in Indian fashion, to show they were mothers; hoops blue, skin yellow ground, with little red tadpoles, to represent by way of triumph the tears of grief occasioned to their relatives; a black scalping knife or hatched at the bottom to mark their being killed by those instruments. Seventeen others, hair very gray, black hoops, plain brown colors, no marks but the short club or castete to show they were knocked down dead, or had their brains beat out

No. 6. Containing one hundred and ninety-three boys scalps of various ages. Small green hoops, whitish ground on the skin, with red tears in the middle and black marks, knife, hatchet or clubs as their death happened.

No. 7. Containing two hundred and eleven girls, scalps big and little, small yellow hoops, white ground tears, hatchet and scalping knife

No. 8. This package is a mixture of all the varieties above mentioned to the number of one hundred and twenty-two, with a box of birch bark, containing twenty-nine little infants scalps of various sizes; small white hoops with white ground.”

While Indians did on occasion kidnap children and raise them as their own, as the list shows, that wasn’t always the case, and because a scalp meant bounty money, if it had hair it was scalped regardless of age.

Frontier Trophies

During the 10 year period 1780 to 1789, Indians, with the help of their British allies had murdered over 1500 settlers in southern Ohio and across the Ohio River in northern Kentucky.  In a letter dated, May 7, 1782, a British officer sent a letter and eight packages  to Col. Haldiman, the British Governor of Canada, containing the scalps of 983 men, women and children the Indians had murdered on the frontier. 

 

Note: While the interviews were conducted with white people, it should be remembered that while the brutality and savagery of the Indians mentioned in the interviews below, actions perpetrated by whites on the Indians were often equally savage and in some cases, far more horrendous.  For and example click on this link: 

Gnadenhutten Massacre - Ohio History Central

Family Murdered

"It was the morning just after breakfast. The Indians were at the door before we seen them. The dog baked and I went to the door with the child in my arms, and as soon as I came out, one Indian took hold of me and another pulled the child from me and took it by the legs and knocked it's brains against the wall and then went into the house killed my mother and two other little children and after taking all out of the house they wanted to carry with them, and they stripping all the clothes off my mother and the children they killed, they then drew the dead bodies out of the house and set it on fire and it was burnt."

A Captive

"Washington County, Ohio. Mrs. Cunningham who was taken captive, when her house was raided by Indians, and several family members killed and scalped, stated upon her return from captivity that for ten days all she had to eat was the head of a wild turkey and three paw paws. That the skin on her feet was scalded by the frequent wading of the streams and upon arrival at a Delaware village, when she removed her stockings and shoes her skin and nails came off with them."

Dog Food

"In 1778 Nicholas Dyfert was made a prisoner and given to an old squaw to replace a son that had been killed. He suffered severely from hunger on his way to Canada. One day when almost famished, he observed his new mother make several attempts to eat a hot dumpling, which she could not master for the want of teeth. After rolling it around her mouth for some time, she cast it to her dog; but hardly had the animal seized it in his teeth, when Dyfert caught him by the ears and after a long shake he forced the dainty morsel from his jaws and transferred it to his own. The inference of her son with her will displeased the old woman and seizing him by his ears, which freedom he dared not resist, she shook him until he restored the dog with his dinner."

Using the Child As Bait

• 

"Miss Noaks went out to her brother's cabin, all within a few yards of each other, she went into her brother's cabin, her brother had gone to bed, his wife and child with him. She sat down on the bedside and was relating something that had happened in the other cabin. When she came in she had neglected to, as was customary, to bar the door.  An Indian slipped up and put his gun through, leaning against the chink of the door Miss Noak's turned her eye and seeing it screamed. Her brother raised up to get his gun, just over where he lay, and the Indian fired. The ball passing through his sisters arm, and killing the brother. They then rushed into the house and scalped the brother, jerking his head upon a chest that set there. The sister scuffled under the bed and while they were trying to get her out (she clinging to the bed stock behind as they tried to drag her out, the bed would still drag). the old man came out and fired and they ran out. The child lay all the while in the bed. How the wife escaped we know not. There were 1/2 dozen Indians. When the gun fired they thought there was an alarm and they did not know the real strength of the Indians. A man, George Trumbo and wife (they were not man and wife, he was under age and his father wouldn't let him marry, they had a child however and when he got of age he married her) ran out of their cabin. The man couldn't run the fastest, 2 Indians saw them and took after them by moonlight. She saw they were gaining on her and dropped her child which was about 6 months old, and she hid in the bough of a tree that had fallen. The Indians stopped and tried to make the child cry, to get her to come back and then they killed it and passed on. They were followed the next day about 30 miles but were not overtaken, they were Cherokees and this was at Hartgrove's Station a a collection of farms."

Young Boys Out For A Ride

"Bob & Nathan MC Clure & John McClure and John Ping and three others, seven in all pursued seven Indians that had killed a boy. Two boys were going to English Station, probably from Hartgrove's and were on a horse. The Indians had waylaid the trace they were on and shot. The horse was shot and killed and when it fell confined the leg of the foremost boy. The Indians ran up, killed and scalped him. The one behind was loose and made his escape. They were cousins neither had been touched by the shot. In the pursuit the Indians passed on and turned back and way laid the trail and fired. They fought three hours with the scouting party, trying to get the advantage over each other. Nathan McClure was wounded as were two of the Indians. Both mutually withdrew. That night they left Nathan MC Clure in a sink and were to return the next morning with a horse. In they morning they found his gun and a dead wolf, but his body was torn all to pieces. They pursued further but never met with the Indians any more."

A Nasty Indian Game

His captors had tied his wrists together and drawn them over his knees after which a stick was passed under his knees and over the wrists and a rope tied to it between them then thrown over a limb of a tree. His tormentors then drew him up a distance and let him fall by slacking the rope; continuing their hellish sport until the concussion extinguished the vital spark.

 In other words, they pulled him up by the legs and kept letting him fall on his head until he finally died.

 A Rather Grotesque Kid's Game

The carcass of the Indian, a remarkably large fellow was left unburied for a time and the boys about the fort took turns in playing Indian, so they termed it, and with the tomahawk of it's former possessor; each running up and giving the head a hack with a tiny war-whoop.  

EPILOGUE

In the period 1788 - 1789, almost 1,500 men, women and children were murdered by Indians along the Ohio River, and 2 years later (1791) one-forth of the entire United States army (650 soldiers) along with 150 women and 50 children were massacred at Fort Recovery, 30 miles southwest of Lima, Ohio, and I'll bet this was never taught in your Ohio or even American History class. The stories you' just read were from actual interviews with people who experienced life on the frontier in Ohio.

People often  tell me they don't enjoy history because they can't relate to it. What they may not realize is that of the many of the men and women mentioned in this blog and the 932 men, women and children people killed at the battle at Fort Recovery in 1791 could in fact be their genetically related ancestor.  You can't find more relevance than that.

 

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If you would like learn more about Fort Amanda and the patriots who served there, these books can be purchased locally, on the net or by contacting me at djohnson43@att.net

     

                 $20                                                              $15

Available at;
Readmore's Hallmark stores in Lima, Ohio (E. Elm st., Eastgate and Flanders ave.

Casa Chic (109 W. Auglaize st)  in Wapakoneta, Ohio

The Allen County Museum (620 W. Market st) in Lima, Ohio 

Amazon.com

If you'd like a signed copy email me at djohnson43@att.net and I'll send you the details.

 

The 4th of July at Fort Amanda

The 4th of July at Fort Amanda

1813

 When one visits historic sites, particularly those where the only thing remaining is a marker, it’s often easy to get lost in the beauty and serenity of the place and lose sight of what the place actually looked like at the time of the event. In the case of Fort Amanda, it’s easy to stand at the obelisk and visualize a John Wayne western fort and all the Hollywood hoopla that goes with that but the truth is, Fort Amanda was not the quiet picturesque site we see today but was in fact a noisy, ugly and smelly place. 

Fortunately for us, an ensign stationed at Amanda (William Schillinger) kept a daily journal of daily activities at Fort Amanda from February until August 1813.   

From his writings we have a very good idea of what the site looked like at the time.  

A Tour of Fort Amnda in 1813

July 4th, 1813
It's Sunday, the 4th of July 1813. The first thing you notice upon entering the fort is the unpleasant smell, a combination of smoke from the chimneys and campfires, manure from the corrals and animal pens southwest of the fort, not to mention a latrine that was not properly closed. The next thing you notice is the noise. Ft. Amanda is a busy place so the air is filled with the sounds of men barking orders, singing, yelling and cursing at one another. Add to this the sounds of blacksmith shop, the boat building area across the river and the animal sounds emanating from the animal pens on the outside of the walls.

There is very little grass remaining inside the enclosure the result of the high foot traffic and construction work and with all the recent rains, the dirt has turned into a muddy quagmire with potholes everywhere filled with water.

The trail from St. Marys rising up from the southwest and leading to the new gate opening is also a muddy mess and slippery because of all the wagon traffic and one has to be especially careful walking down the ramp to the river.

The blockhouses have been repaired and are now functional. Unlike the perfectly round logs like those seen in movies, they’re rough hewn timbers stacked upon each other with horsehair and mud stuck in between the logs to prevent draft and keep out the weather, bugs, squirrels rats and other creepy crawlers. They’re built for functionality not beauty. There are several sheds lining the walls where materials are stored, some open and some with sides to protect them from the weather. There is also a woodpile inside the walls for the men to gather and use for heating and cooking.

Walking out the gate to the southeast, the first thing you see are the corrals and building where the butchering is done. There is absolutely no grass in this area either and the smell is overpowering. This is a large corral area as hundreds of animals are kept there at any given time. It’s almost spring so there are fewer hogs waiting to be slaughtered now that the summer months are approaching and beef will be the main meat source. The animals are brought to Amanda “on the hoof” because it’s cheaper than paying a contractor to transport the meat. You are surprised to see chickens and ducks running loose.  No, Fort Amanda was not the most pleasant place to live but it was home for the time being. 

How Did the Men at Fort Amanda Celebrate  July 4, 1813

The answer, they didn't.  Unfortunately things weren't quite as festive for the men at Fort Amanda that year or at the other forts along the Auglaize River for that matter.  The week before, a measles epidemic struck Fort Amanda with a vengeance. The company had just returned from Fort Winchester and because of the large numbers of sick men there, some of Hosbrook's company apparently contacted the disease while they were there and brought it back to Amanda with them.   Many of the men, including Schillinger, were complaining of flu like symptoms (diarrhea ad stomach cramps).

On July 4th: Schillinger wrote "Our men many of them sick prevented us from Celebrating the Day in the usual way"  Schillinger wrote in his journal that at one point less than a dozen men of his company were fit for duty.  So many of the men were sick with the measles in 1813 it was decided to cancel any kind of celebrations.  It must have been a very depressing place.   That didn't stop Captain Benaugh, the forts Forage Master . He took a horse and rode to St. Marys so he could join in the festivities there.

Notice the weather fluctuations at Fort Amanda in 1813:

Of the 180 days the soldiers were on active duty, 80% (144) were either cool, rainy or cold. Only 20% (36) of the days were warm or pleasant. No wonder sickness was a constant problem at Fort Amanda.

Frontier Medicine for Measles

Measles can affect the eyes, causing them to become red and swollen, which creates extreme sensitivity to light. In 1812, the common treatment was a potion called “eye water.” In the field, soldiers made eye water by taking the scrapings from a green ozier root, mixing it with water and dropping it into the patient’s eyes several times a day. Seriously ill soldiers at Amanda were placed in darkened cabins to protect their eyes from the sunlight..

On June 20th, Schillinger wrote "took a walk out with Sergant Bradbury this afternoon to get some root to make Eye water, Got some, found A Bee Tree or swarm of bees in a tree - A number of our men sickening. for the meazels." The 2 men made rounds administering the "eye water" to the sick soldiers.

Have the Brits Gotten over all this?

As I was writing this blog I began to wonder if sentiments in Britain had changed any over the past 208 years.   What I found was "Yes and No."

In 2019 The Sun newspaper in London wrote:
The Anglo-American "Special Relationship" is much celebrated, at least on this side of the pond. So if you find yourself in the Mother Country on Independence Day, while Americans worldwide celebrate their separation from Britain, there are several places where you can, eat, boogie and drown your sorrows over loosing the colonies.

You don’t need to be in the US to celebrate Independence Day, here are some of the events going on to mark the day.

The American Museum in Bath will be hosting an Independence Day celebration on July 6 which will include a barbecue, live music and a picnic

Balthazar restaurant in Covent Garden will host a week-long celebration from June 29 to July 6, serving up their famous American menu and cocktails

Unico Lounge in Manchester is hosting a cocktails night on the Fourth of July itself

The Courtyard Cinema in Edinburgh is showing three films over the weekend, as well as hosting an American barbecue and selling US themed drinks

Some Sore Losers

While they might raise a pint with you to join the celebration, you can bet behind those laughs and smiles, some are thinking privately, "good riddance mate." :-)  Somemay even be wearing T-shirts like this on;

Fair enough because behind your laughs and smiles you can be thinking to yourself, "That's OK,. we beat you guys..............TWICE!  :-) 




 

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If you would like learn more about Fort Amanda and the patriots who served there, these books can be purchased locally, on the net or by contacting me at djohnson43@att.net

        $20                                                                $15

Available at;
Readmore's Hallmark stores in Lima, Ohio (E. Elm st., Eastgate and Flanders ave.
Casa Chic (109 W. Auglaize st) in Wapakoneta, Ohio
The Allen County Museum (620 W. Market st) in Lima, Ohio
Amazon.com

If you'd like a signed copy email me at djohnson43@att.net and I'll send you the details.

If you're looking for a speaker related to this subject for your group, simply email me at djohnson43@tt.net. I do not charge speaking fees.