The Enemies at Fort Amanda's Gate

 Two questions usually come up in conversations about Fort Amanda; Question 1:  "Were Indians ever shot at by soldiers at Ft.  Amanda?"   Answer Yes.

Question 2: "Did British ever come as far south as Fort Amanda?"  Answer Yes.

 Question 1

"Were Indians ever fired on by soldiers at Ft.  Amanda?"

Yes and missed.

There were 5 blockhouses at Fort Amanda. Each manned 24 hours a day with soldiers serving as sentries /lockouts on four-hour shifts.

 

 May 8th, 1813, William Schillinger, an Ensign stationed at Amanda wrote in his journal that one of the sentinels saw 2 Indians     approaching the fort at 4:00 AM.   He fired at them and missed.

Schillinger, Lieutenant David and another soldier immediately set out looking for any signs of the Indians.  They followed the river trail about 6 miles* and found signs they thought were made by 2 or 3 Indians. 

Note* Six miles from Ft. Amanda is near the intersection of St. rt. 81 and Old Defiance Trail.

Three days later (May 11th,) the sentries at Fort Logan** saw 3 Indians skulking around the fort and shot at them but missed. Some of the soldiers followed them about 8 miles before returning to the fort. 

Note ** Fort Logan was located on the west bank of the Auglaize Rive 2 miles west of Wapakoneta.

 Why were the Indians were approaching Ft. Amanda at 4:00 in the morning.  Here's one possibility.  They could have been part of the group on Indians that massacred Dudley’s force at Fort Meigs on May 5th. Whether the footprints led north or came from the north the timeframe suggests they were heading home.  Another possibility is the Indians were watching for activity that might suggest the soldiers there were preparing to go Fort Meigs to assist the garrison there.  And lastly, the Indians may have been young warriors, testing their bravery or even the result of a dare.  Boys will be boys.

Question 2:

Did the Brits ever come as far south as Fort Amanda?

Answer: Yes, to surrender.

In July, 1813, the British made a second and halfhearted attempt to capture Fort Meigs.  The last week of July. Major General Henry Procter and his Indian allies under Tecumseh withdrew after a failed attempt to lure American forces out of the fort using a staged mock battle, compounded by heavy rain and lack of success.

 Near evening, Saturday July 24th, a lone British soldier showed up at the gate of Fort Amanda to surrender.  What's interesting about Schillinger’s journal entry that day is he writes about the incident as if it was an afterthought.  

Curious thought , “One of the British Deserters came to fort this evening.” The one  word "One of the British Deserters.  Was he expecting more deserters.>

Schillinger and the Prisoner

 Did Schillinger spend time chatting with the prisoner?   Appears he did.

 Captain William Sebree of the Kentucky militia made a drawing of Fort Meigs while stationed there in 1813.  On the same day, the British deserter came to Fort Amanda, Schillinger drew a sketch in his journal that has a striking resemblance to the drawing Sebree made of Fort Meigs.   Schillinger had never been to Fort Meigs so the sketch in his journal must have been.  There are marked similarities in Sebree’s map and Schillingers sketch,  

 

An intriguing question is, "Did Schillinger draw his sketch based on a conversation with the British soldier or did the Brit draw it himself?  Interesting thought.