Ohio History Journal

THE BIRTHPLACE OF LITTLE TURTLE.     BY CALVIN YOUNG. It may not be improper to acquaint the reader with what is to be found in the following pages, -the design of which is to add some new facts to the history of Little Turtle, a dis- tinguished Chieftain of the Miami tribe; to portray some new historical sidelights that have heretofore never been published and to revise and enlarge on a former article written by myself

on the birthplace of the above named chieftain published in the Twentieth Volume of the Ohio Archaeological and His- torical Reports  for  1911. Last but not least this sketch has been prepared at the earnest request of several noted and worthy friends. We are indebted to the fol- lowing authors for valuable information: Dillon's "His- tory of Indiana," Abbott's "History of Ohio," Bryce's "History of Fort Wayne," W. S. Blatchley, former State Geologist of Indiana, J. P. Dunn's "True Indian Stories," Lossing's "Field Book of the War of 1812," "Hand Book

of North American Indians," E. A. Allen's "History of Civiliza- tion," F. E. Wilson's "Peace of Mad Anthony" and possibly some other authors. To all of which we make respectful ac- knowledgments. We especially owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. J. M. Stouder (105)

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106       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

of Fort Wayne, Indiana, to F. E. Wilson of Greenville, Ohio,

and to Mr. C. K. Lucas of Huntington, Indiana, for courteous

favors rendered and for valuable suggestions. We also wish to

say we have made every effort possible in this sketch to lay

before the reader nothing but the most reliable record of facts

to be found anywhere. To make this work reliable, readable

and entertaining has been the cherished object of the author.

We respectfully dedicate the following pages to the young

and rising generation, and to every true-born American who

desires more perfect knowledge of the greatest Indian Chieftain

that ever appeared in the annals of American History. Cicero

said, "Not to know what happened before we were born is to

remain always a child. For what were the life of man did we

not combine present events with the recollection of past ages ?"

Consequently future generations will hold us responsible if we

fail to honestly and faithfully preserve the records of pioneer

times.  Our children should be taught the spirit of genuine

patriotism through a correct knowledge of the sufferings and

hardships of our pioneer fathers and mothers in the early settle-

ment of our country.

E. A. Allen, in his "History of Civilization", tells us, that

the American Indians, their ancestors and kindred tribes be-

longed to the Turanian race.   Other writers term  them  the

Mongoloid family, and some eminent men of science tell us

there is strong evidence that there have been three distinct

creations of the human race at different periods of the world's

history, and each at different locations, viz. the African, or

Black Race, which made its appearance on the east coast of

Africa; the Yellow, or Turanian Race, which belongs to America

and are indigenous to the American soil; the Aryan, or White

Race, which first made its appearance in northern Europe, or in

Central Asia. However, we take it for granted that the Amer-

ican Indian has been a bona fide resident of the wilds of

America for untold centuries.

 

The echo of the red man's voice

Resounded through the vale,

It lingered on the evening air,

It floated on the evening gale.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.           107

 

It was borne along the mountain side,

It drifted through the glen;

It died away among the hills,

Far from the haunts of men.

 

His face was flushed with hues of health,

His arms and feet were bare;

He had a lithe and active form,

A scalp of raven hair.

Behind the hills he passed from sight,

A sunken, fallen star;

Until his voice is faintly heard

Still calling from afar.

The Miami Indians belonged to the great Algonquin family

with whom every student of American ethnology is quite fa-

miliar. The first account we have of the Miami Indians was

by the French who found them in 1658, at Green Bay, Wis-

consin; other branches of the tribe lived still later in north-

eastern Illinois, northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio. It

seems from these locations that they had gradually moved south-

east until they possessed the entire western part of Ohio as far

south as the Ohio river, and east to the Scioto river, giving their

name to three rivers, and to one county each in Ohio and In-

diana. Of the entire Algonquin family there were perhaps none

more stable, heroic and resolute than this Miami tribe.    In

stature, for the most part, the Miamis were of medium height.

well built, with heads rather round than oblong. Their counte-

nances were agreeable rather than sedate or morose; swift on

foot and excessively fond of racing, both on foot and horse.

Little Turtle was six feet high, slender and muscular.    He

had complete control of himself at all times, could smile in the

depth of anger, was able, fluent, earnest and logical in speech, a

cunning and adroit diplomat and was remarkably dignified in

appearance.

Colonel John Johnson, Indian agent, says, "Little Turtle was

a man of wit, humor and veracity, fond of the company of gentle-

men and delighted in sumptuous meals and good eating." A

writer quoted by Mr. Drake says, "He saw Little Turtle soon

after St. Clair's defeat at Montreal and also described him as

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108      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. about six feet high, sour and morose, and apparently crafty and subtle." The Mohicans were also a branch of the Algonquin family, and first known to the English and Dutch occupying both banks of the upper Hudson river in New York, and the territory as far east as the Connecticut valley, also extending north almost

to Lake Champlain. In 1664 they were at war with the Mohawks, and were com- pelled to remove to the Sus- quehanna river and settle near Wyoming, Pennsylvania. They afterward removed to the Ohio region, where they finally lost their identity. However, as early as 1721 a band of the Mohicans found their way to Indiana, where they had a village on the Kankakee river in which Little Turtle's mother was born and reared. The Mo- hicans were generally well built. As fighting men they were perfidious, accomplish- ing their designs by treachery, using stratagem to deceive their enemies and to make their most hazardous attacks under cover of darkness.

The village where Little Turtle was born in 1752 was located on the north tributary of Eel river, twenty miles north- west of Fort Wayne, Whitley County, Indiana, on lands now owned by William Anderson, in Section 9, Smith Township. This north tributary is known today as the Blue river branch near its junction at the Blue River Lake, to which it furnishes an outlet only a short distance away. The village stood on the west side of the river on a high, sandy point of land, surrounded

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         109

 

on three sides by a great bend in the river. A wide prairie

marsh skirted these high lands north and south, but on the east

the high banks were near each other, making it an easy ford

to the north bank of the lake, only a few hundred yards to the

eastward. The Blue Lake covered possibly five hundred acres.

Near the foot of the hill immediate to the south a fine spring

of water bubbled forth underneath the shade of a beautiful grove

of large oak trees. A short distance to the south of the spring,

nestling in the middle of the prairie, was a small lake containing

three or four acres, and so very deep that the water looked a

dark blue. It was called by the Indians Devil's Lake from the

fact that something mysterious had appeared in or near it, en-

tirely unknown to Indian lore, during a dusky summer evening,

at which the Indians became terribly frightened and ran all the

way to Fort Wayne, then a frontier outpost.

Many times, about 1863, and for a number of years later,

the writer was on this peculiar ancient village site, where Little

Turtle was born, and where he spent nearly all his life. This

always seemed to me like enchanted ground. I have heard the

solemn bark of the lonesome fox, the weird scream of the

Canada lynx, also the shrill notes of the great northern loon

as he floated by high in the clear blue atmosphere. Along the

river banks were Indian trails worn several inches deep, which

not only spoke of primitive, but also of recent times, as it was a

flourishing village in 1812 and possibly was not entirely de-

serted until 1846, at which time the Indians were nearly all re-

moved to the west. Numerous burial places in the vicinity could

still be located as late as 1856, in which the consecrated dead

had been enclosed in pole pens as a temporary protection to

the body. A catlinite peace pipe was found in 1884, by Mary

(Gross) Boggs, on the surface of a near-by field. A valuable

cache of flint implements was plowed out a short distance down

the river a few years ago, which fell into the hands of careless

parties, and were soon lost or destroyed. Some very fine slate

ornaments, tube whistles, and other similar objects were found

recently near Coulter Lake, a mile below.

The site of this village is still uncleared, and, no doubt,

contains many hidden and curious remains of prehistoric times.

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110      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. An Indian trail led from this village northwest to the Elkhart river; another, southeast to the Miami villages, at the head of the Maumee (now Fort Wayne); a third, southwest down Eel river and the Wabash, and still another almost due west to Tippecanoe Lake and the Kankakee river. Blue River Lake is only a short distance and in plain view to the southeast. No doubt Little Turtle as a child and youth spent many happy hours about this enchanted spot. On this account the reader will pardon us if we make a slight digression

in describing more fully the lakes of northern Indiana. We can do no better at this point than to quote from Prof. W. S. Blatchley, above mentioned: "The lakes of northern Indiana are the brightest gems in the corona of the state. They are the most beautiful and expressive features of the landscape in the region wherein they abound. Numbered by hundreds they range in size from an area of half an acre up to five or six square miles. With the fertile soil, the great beds of gravel and myriads of boulders, large and small, they are to be classed as mementoes of the mighty ice sheets, which in the misty past covered the

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        111

 

northern two-thirds of the state. Outside of the counties in

which they occur but few of the citizens of Indiana know of

their presence, their beauty and their value. Their origin, their

fauna and flora, the causes of their gradual diminution in size

and final extinction are likewise known by but few.

"By the red man these lakes were more highly appreciated

than by his more civilized Caucasian successor, for the reason

that the Indian stood much nearer to wild nature than we. On

the higher ridges overlooking these lakes he had his village sites.

Over their placid waters he paddled his birch-bark canoe and

from their depths he secured with hook and spear fishes suf-

ficient to supply his needs, while mussels and the roots of the

water lilies added variety to his daily food, while fowls by

myriads in their migrating seasons came and went, stopping to

feed upon the lakes, thus offering him many a chance to test

his marksmanship with bow and arrow, while the skins of the

muskrat, otter, and beaver, which he trapped about the marshy

margins, furnished him protection against the cold. Thus it

will be seen that his very existence depended often times upon

these living bodies of water.

"It is little wonder, therefore, that he remained in their

vicinity until driven westward by the conquering white man,

leaving only the signs of his feasts-vast piles of shells, bones,

and pit ovens - as reminders of his former presence and former

glory."

Blue River Lake lies two miles northwest of Cherubusco,

and is in Sections 9, 1O, 15 and 16, Smith Township of Whitley

County, Indiana. It is oblong in shape, narrower at the eastern

end, is about one and one-quarter miles long by one-half mile

in average width. It has an area of about 420 to 500 acres, and

a very uniform depth of 40 to 60 feet. The area of shallow water

is of medium width, rather broad on the east, south and west

sides, and narrower on the north. The shores at most points are

rather abrupt, the surrounding country being of a rolling type.

Blue river heads in Green township, Noble county, from a

chain of small lakes that range across the north side of the town-

ship, including Sand, Long, Dock and Bowen Lakes. It finally

empties into Blue River Lake for a few rods only on the west

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112      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

end, and then takes a southwest course by Columbia City, and

a few miles below empties into Eel river. This lake thus re-

ceives its waters from upper Blue river and from springs along

its sides and bottom. It is well stocked with food fishes.

Dr. Dryer speaks of the midsummer vegetation about the

shores of this lake as follows: "Aquatic vegetation in great

variety and profusion furnishes a botanist paradise. There are

pond weeds, water shield, bladder wort, yellow pond lilies, duck

weed, cat-tail, pickerel weed, smart weed, and numerous other

varieties."

This lake is the only locality in northeastern Indiana known

to the writer where the famous and splendid American lotus

occurs. Here it is as abundant as the white water lily. Its

flowers are difficult to procure because they are gathered by

numerous visitors as fast as they open. With their leaves rolled

up, and rocking like a boat, or expanded into an orbicular shield

20 or 30 inches in diameter and flapping in the wind, they pre-

sent an interesting and attractive sight. The water in Blue

River Lake in midsummer has the appearance of muddy coffee,

and through the Whole season teems with plant and animal life.

Such a lake as this would repay a thorough and prolonged

biological examination, and would furnish the naturalist with

material enough for several years study.

Tippecanoe Lake, the head of Tippecanoe river, lays to the

westward, possibly sixteen miles, and reaches the remarkable

depth of 125 feet. It seemed that nature had provided here with

a lavish hand an ideal home for the red man. The soil was

productive for Indian corn, and the writer saw the old Indian

fields red with strawberries in June. Wild grapes, wild plums,

hazel-nut bushes, acorns and wild berries of all kinds grew near

by in abundance. There were red deer, wild turkeys, prairie

chickens and pheasants, river and lakes teeming with fish, and,

over all a scenic beauty that the poet with his pen could not

describe nor the artist with brush portray. All the beauty and

poetry of Indian lore, it seems, were represented here as the

floating clouds of summer long ago drifted o'er the deep blue

sky. Such was the birthplace and home of Little Turtle, the

great Miami chieftain.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         113

In order to identify this location as Little Turtle's village,

and if possible to leave no doubt in the mind of the future student

of history, I will state here that this site is just twenty miles

northwest of Fort Wayne, which agrees in distance with the very

best authorities on the subject now in hand. We refer the reader

to the "Hand Book of the North American Indians," "Bulletin

30", Vol. I, page 771, published by the Bureau of American

Ethnology, Dillon's "History of the State of Indiana", page 495,

also to Bryce's "History of Fort Wayne", published in 1868,

page 227.

A little over two months after Little Turtle's death, which

occurred at Fort Wayne, July 14th, 1812, General Harrison

ordered Colonel Simrall, on September 1₇th following, to destroy

Little Turtle's village twenty miles northwest of Fort Wayne,

but not to destroy Little Turtle's house built by the government

for him. This dwelling consisted of a substantial log house about

eighteen by twenty feet square. The personal examination of

those grounds, and the village site fifty years ago, and the settle-

ment of the early settlers at that time, when the Indians were

still present, fully corroborate the statement herein made. An

especially good witness was Mr. Robert Walburn, an old trapper

and hunter, who killed the last red deer known to run wild in

Whitley County, in 1870. This gentleman informed the writer

of the above-stated facts.

One of the first settlers of Smith township, Whitley County,

was one Mr. Martin, who arrived with his family about 1840.

His cabin stood within three or four miles of this village. He

had a son, Hiram, who several times narrowly escaped from the

wolves. The Miami Indians were still there at that time. The

writer knew this man after he had reached middle life, and

enjoyed many interesting talks with him about the wild animals,

and Indians, who were still there in his boyhood days. His

memory was very clear and accurate concerning the old village.

The main branch of Eel river is crossed by the old Indian

trail (now the Goshen road) only eleven miles northwest of

Fort Wayne. This could not have been the stream on which

this village was located, as that stream was twenty miles from

old Fort Wayne, or nine miles beyond the above point.

8-Vol. XXIII.

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114      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. The Miami villages at the head of the Miamis were then called by their Indian name Ke-ki-on-ga, signifying in English "blackberry patch." As previously stated, Little Turtle's father was a Miami chief, and his mother was a Mohican. According to Indian custom; he was a Mohican, and received no advantage from his father's rank. Consequently, he was not a chief by descent. However, his talents having attracted the notice of his fellow tribesmen, he was made chief of the Miami's while com- paratively a young man. When twenty-four years of age we

hear of him with Burgoyne advancing from the north in his dis- astrous campaign against Saratoga, where he finally surrendered to General Gates, October 17th, 1777. During the summer of 1780 we find the gallant and unfortu- nate LaBalm, a native Frenchman, who had sailed the year pre- vious from France with LaFayette, at Kaskaskia and later at Vincennes. Here he recruited fifty or sixty men, and in the fall of the same year proceeded up the Wabash on his adventure against the trading post of Kekionga. The sudden appearance of a foe unknown as to character, numbers and designs, threw the

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        115

 

Indians into great alarm and caused them to flee in all directions.

After remaining a short time and making plunder of the goods

of some of the traders and Indians, he retired to near the Aboite

creek, a tributary from the west into Little river, eight miles

southwest of Fort Wayne, where he encamped. These traders,

having invited the Indians to follow and attack LaBalm, soon

rallied the warriors of the village and vicinity under the lead of

their war chief, the Little Turtle, and falling upon them in the

night massacred the entire party. Not one is said to have sur-

vived to relate the sad story of the expedition. It seems that

Little Turtle's time was employed during the decade immediately

following 1780, as a leader in various war expeditions against

different parts of the frontier, especially Ohio river points, and

the outposts of Kentucky.

In one of these expeditions to Kentucky he captured a boy

about eleven years old by the name of William Wells, whom he

adopted. Wells grew up to manhood and became a favorite of

Little Turtle and wife. In time he won and married his adopted

sister, Little Turtle's beautiful daughter, and thus became in fact

the son-in-law of Little Turtle.  He also became a valuable

interpreter on numerous occasions between the Indians and

whites. Little Turtle had another daughter who married a chief-

tain by the name of Wak-shin-gah, and became the mother of

Kil-so-quah. The latter now resides near Roanoke, Huntington

County, Indiana, on a little farm with her son and daughter.

She was 103 years old last May, and is the last full-blood Indian

in the northwest living in the Wabash or Maumee valleys.

The first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory

was on the seventh of April, 1788, at Marietta, by General Rufus

Putnam, composed of forty-seven person. A certain rivalry

existed between two gentlemen as to who should cut down the

first tree upon landing at Marietta. Captain Daniel Davis by

accident selected a buckeye tree, and the other person a beech.

Mr. Davis felled his tree first on account of its soft wood. Con-

sequently Ohio was called from this incident the "Buckeye State."

Cincinnati was settled on December 28th, 1788. This year was

famous in the history of western emigration, as no less than

twenty thousand persons, men, women and children, passed the

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116      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. mouth of the Muskingum during the season on their journey down the Ohio river. In a very short time a territorial govern- ment was established, with General Arthur St. Clair as Governor. The treaty of Paris in 1783, following the American Revo- lutionary War, did not bring peace with the Indian tribes of the northwest. The British, meanwhile, kept on good terms with the Indians, intrigued with them, and encouraged them in their hostilities against the Americans, which continued with savage fury. Murderous incursions by the Miamis and confederated

tribes from the Maumee and western countries were frequently attended with savage cruelties. The government decided upon immediate aggressive movements. To delay was only to encour- age the Indians in their obstinacy, and the British in their unscrupulous work of feeding, clothing and equipping the Indians for their depredatory incursions against the Americans. The first army in this Indian war organized by the general government was placed under command of General Josiah Harmar. His arrangements being completed, he left Fort Wash- ington September 30th, 1790, with 320 regulars and 1,133 militia

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        117

 

and drafted men, making in all 1,453 men. General Harmar

arrived at the Miami villages October 17th, and found them all

deserted. He proceeded immediately to burn them and destroyed

20,000 bushels of corn. The 18th was spent in a fruitless attempt

to locate the Indians. On the 19th Colonel Hardin led a detach-

ment of three hundred men including a small number of regulars.

They followed along an Indian trail to the northwest for about

fifteen miles, or to within one mile of the present village of

Cherubusco, and to within five miles of Little Turtle's famous

village. Through the neglect of Colonel Hardin to give the com-

mand to move forward Falknor's company was left in the rear,

possibly a mile or more. The absence of Falknor at the time

became apparent. Major Fontaine, with a portion of the cavalry,

was at once sent in pursuit of him with the supposition that he

was lost. At this time the report of a gun in front of the detach-

ment fell upon the attentive ear of Captain Armstrong in com-

mand of the regulars. When Armstrong informed Colonel

Hardin that the fires of the Indians had been discerned the latter

believed that the Indians would not fight and rode in front of

the advancing columns. The detachment was soon fired on from

an ambuscade both skilfully designed and vigorously executed

by the skill and genius of the commanding Miami chief, Little

Turtle, at the head of not more than one hundred and fifty war-

riors. The Indians on this occasion gained a complete victory,

having killed nearly 100 men. The rout of Colonel Hardin and

Captain Armstrong continued until they arrived that evening at

the camp of General Harmar. Little Turtle still recruited his

Indian army and slowly followed the trail to near Harmar's

encampment, which was still located at the old Miami village site,

at the head of the Maumee. On the evening of the twenty-first

of October at 10 o'clock General Harmar left camp and started

on his return to Fort Washington. Little Turtle, who was im-

mediately apprised of this fact, was in possession of the old

Miami village early on the morning of the 22nd. Colonel Hardin,

surmising that the Indians had returned to the burned village,

solicited General Harmar to let him return and inflict a more

severe chastisement upon them. The request was granted and

Colonel Hardin with Major Wyllys was sent back with a detach-

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118      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. ment of 400 men. They too soon became entangled in the snares of the wily Little Turtle, who, on the point of land between the St. Joseph and the Maumee, inflicted another serious defeat to the American arms. Majors Hall and Fontaine, with a detach- ment of militia was to pass around the village at the head of the Maumee, cross the St. Mary's and the St. Joseph, gain the rear of the Indian encampment unobserved and await an attack by the main body of the troops in front. Those consisting of Major M. Mullins' battalion, and the regulars under Major Wyllys were

to cross the Maumee at the usual ford and thus surround the savages. The game was spoiled by the imprudence of Major Hall, who fired prematurely upon a solitary Indian and alarmed the encampment. The startled Miamis were instantly seen flying in different directions. The militia under Major Hall and the cavalry under Fontaine, who had crossed the river, started in pursuit in disobedience of orders, leaving the regulars under Wyllys, who had also crossed the Maumee, unsupported. The latter was attacked by Little Turtle and the main body of the Indians, and driven back with great slaughter.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        119

 

Richardville, a half-blood about 10 or 12 years of age, was

in the battle, and in later life often asserted that he could have

crossed the stream upon the bodies dryshod. This man suc-

ceeded Little Turtle as Chief, and died at Fort Wayne in 1840.

The above statement is from Lossing (Field Book of the War

of 1812), who visited Fort Wayne in 1860. We also have an-

other statement by this same Richardville taken from Bryce's

"History of Fort Wayne." His recollection of the way the In-

dians stole along the bank of the river near the point long since

known as Harmar's ford, was most thrilling. Not a man among

the Indians, said he, was to fire a gun until the white warriors

under Harmar had gained the stream and were about to cross.

Then the red men in the bushes, with rifles leveled and ready

for action, just as the detachment of Harmar began to near the

center of the Maumee opened a sudden and deadly fire in the

stream, until the river was literally strewn from bank to bank

with the slain, one upon the other, both horses and men, and the

water ran red with blood. While this was going on at the ford,

Majors Hall and Fontaine were skirmishing with parties of In-

dians a short distance up the St. Joseph. Fontaine, with a num-

ber of his followers, fell at the head of his mounted militia in

making a charge. He was shot dead, and as he fell from his

horse was immediately scalped.  The remainder, with those

under Hall and Fontaine, fell back in confusion toward the

ford of the Maumee and followed the remnant of the regulars

in their retreat. The Indians, who suffered a heavy loss, did

not pursue. General Harmar at about this time, it seems, had

lost all confidence in the militia and decided to return to Fort

Washington at once. A considerable number of the regulars of

General Harmar's army had followed Washington and other

generals in the war of the Revolution.

The slain of this little army were buried in the low bank

near the ford of the Maumee, on the present site of Fort Wayne,

Indiana.

The writer recently viewed the location of Harmar's ford,

which lies at the foot of Harmar Street, Fort Wayne, Ind. It

shows no sign of blood and carnage today. General Harmar

was forced to struggle homeward to Fort Washington as best

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120      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. he could, a greatly disappointed commander. It was indeed a dreary march. Notwithstanding the loss that the Indians had suffered they became more angry than ever. All the western tribes made common cause with the Miamis and banded together in more open warfare, so that the settlers were kept in constant fear of the tomahawk and scalping knife. It may be mentioned here that in the spring of 1791 the President appointed Governor St. Clair Major General, and placed him in command of the army in place of General Harmar,

who resigned on his return to Fort Washington. Colonel Richard Butler was promoted to General and placed second in command. It was resolved to make another campaign against the Indians in the summer of the year above mentioned. As other and various au- thors have so often and beau- tifully set forth in detail the preparation, march and arrival on the banks of the Wabash of St. Clair's army on the evening of November 3rd, 1791, we deem it unnecessary to repeat it here; but turn our attention to Little Turtle, who with great intelligence, craft and courage sought to

form a great confederacy among the western tribes, together with Blue Jacket, the great chief of the Shawanese, and Buckonga- halas, chief of the Delawares, with other northwestern savages, whose object was to drive the white settlers beyond the Ohio river. These Chiefs, in combination with Girty, McKee and Elliott, and other renegades, headed a band of warriors whose discipline had probably never been equaled in Indian warfare.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         121

 

Nothing but a decisive blow by a large and well-organized force

could quell the uprising being now formulated by their leaders.

The poet well describes the situation at this time when he

says:

"They rise by stream and yellow shore,

By meadow, moor and fen;

By weedy rock and torrents' roar

And lonesome forest glen.

 

"From many a weedy, moss-grown mound

Start forth a war worn band.

As when of old they caught the sound

Of hostile arms and closed around

To guard their native land."

The Indians, at the instigation of the British, contended for

the Ohio river as the boundary of the United States. To get

control of the upper lakes, and the valuable fur trade around

them, was a favorite scheme of the British statesmen. It was

even proposed as a sine qua non at the time, by the British com-

missioners who negotiated the Treaty of Peace in 1814, that

the Indians inhabiting that portion of the United States within

the limits established by the Treaty of 1783, should be included

as the allies of Great Britain in the projected pacification, and

that the boundaries be settled for the Indian territory upon a

basis which would have operated to surrender to a number of

Indians, not to exceed a few thousand, the right of sovereignty

as well as of soil over nearly one-third of the territorial dominion

of the United States, inhabited by more than one hundred thou-

sand of its citizens.

When the British left Fort George, at the foot of Broad-

way, New York, November 25th, 1783, they left their flag fly-

ing. It was believed that the absence of British authority in

the United States would be only temporary, hence the continua-

tion of the Indian wars in the northwest at their behest. The

final war of 1812 is justly termed the second war for American

Independence. The second war gave to every true-born Amer-

ican an idea of absolute independence forever from British

thraldom.

It seems that Little Turtle was watching with an eagle's

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122      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. eye for another opportunity to strike the American army. The coming victory over St. Clair was clearly the result not of over- whelming numbers, but of superior generalship. Here on the banks of the Wabash about daylight on the morning of Novem- ber 4th, 1791, Little Turtle assailed St. Clair's army in front, on both flanks, and also at the rear near the close of the action, which was about half-past nine o'clock in the morning. At this time it became necessary to make a charge in order to clear the way to the road, so as to permit the retreat of the remnant of

the army, which was hurled headlong down the trail, southward for a distance of three or four miles, with terrible slaughter by the victorious and triumphant Indian warriors. No such defeat had heretofore occurred in American his- tory, not even that of General Braddock in 1775. Down to the present time it has only been surpassed once, the disastrous de- feat of General Custer on the Big Horn, June 25th, 1876. St. Clair's defeat was described by one Mr. Thomas Irwin in a diary which he kept at the time. He was a wagoner in St. Clair's army. He says, "That battle always reminded him of a

• 18
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        123

furious thunder storm that comes up quick and rapidly, and

soon disappears, leaving havoc and desolation in its path."

The escape of Stephen Littell was remarkable. At the

commencement of the battle he was in the extreme advance.

Being unable to keep up with his comrades in their precipitate

flight, he sprang aside and hid in a dense thicket as the yell-

ing savages rushed by in hot pursuit. Here he remained some

time in dreadful suspense as the roar of the battle died away

in the distance, the Indians being in full chase of the flying

army. He then ventured slowly forward until he reached the

scene of the night's encampment. Awful was the scene pre-

sented to him there, the bodies of some seven hundred of the

killed and wounded encumbering the ground for the space of

about three hundred and fifty yards. It was a cold, frosty

morning. The scalped heads presented a very revolting spectacle.

A peculiar vapor or steam ascended from them all. Many of

these poor creatures were still alive, and groans were heard on

all sides. Several of the wounded, knowing that as soon as the

savages returned they would be doomed to death by torture,

implored young Littell to put an end to their misery. This he

refused to do. Being anxious as to the fate of his father, and

seeing among the dead one who bore a strong resemblance to

him, he was in the act of turning over the body to examine

the features when the exultant and terrific shouts of the re-

turning savages fell upon his ear, and already he could see

through the forest the plumed warriors rushing back. It so

chanced that an evergreen tree of very dense foliage had been

felled near where he stood. It was his only possible covert. He

sprang into the tree and turned its branches as well he could

around him. Scarcely had he done this when the savages came

bounding upon the ground like so many demons. Immediately

they commenced their fiend-like acts of torture upon all the

wounded. The scenes he continued to witness were more awful

than the imagination could possibly conceive. Here our sub-

ject remained until a suitable time arrived for him to make his

escape, which he did-the only one left to tell the sad story

of the awful battlefield.

• 19
 

124      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. In justice to General Arthur St. Clair, the commanding officer of the army on November 4th, 1791, I will say that a committee was appointed by the House of Representatives to inquire into the cause of the disaster that fatal day. The con- clusion of this committee, after the most patient and careful in- vestigation, was that the defeat was due chiefly to the gross and various mismanagement of others and should in nowise be im- puted to the commander-in-chief. With his dismissal from office as governor of the North- west Territory, November 22nd, 1802, the public life of Major

General St. Clair terminated. Broken in health and fortune, he now returned, at the age of sixty-eight, after a life spent largely in the service of his adopted country, to the Ligonier valley, western Pennsylvania. He had never been reimbursed by his government for the private means spent by him during the war of the Revolution. In addition to this, during the Indian campaign in 1791, he had again advanced his personal credit to the public service, and the officers of the government, for more or less technical reasons, now and thereafter turned a deaf ear to his appeals for reim- bursement or succor. He struggled earnestly from year to year

• 20
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         125

 

to retrieve his broken fortunes, but when the years of the em-

bargo came, and the values of all property in America suffered

such terrible depreciation, he was compelled to stand by and see

the last of his property, real and personal, sold by the sheriff,

and himself left at nearly eighty years of age absolutely penni-

less, dependent upon the charity of his family and friends. In

referring to this execution St. Clair himself wrote, "They left

me a few books of my classical library, and the bust of John

Paul Jones, which he sent me from Europe for which I was

very grateful."

One of his sons built him a log cabin on a small piece of

land on Chestnut Ridge, five miles west of Ligonier. Here he

lived in honorable poverty until August 31st, 1818, when he

died from the effects of an injury sustained in being thrown

from a wagon while driving to town.

Thus this hero of two wars, and of countless deeds of faith-

fulness, bravery and self-denial in times of peace, was quietly

interred in the little burying ground of the neighboring hamlet

of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

By a strange and sad coincidence General Clark, conqueror

of the Great Northwest, and General St. Clair were both per-

mitted to die in poverty, neglect and obscurity. Both met a

similar fate at about the same age and in the same year.

The language of the epitaph upon the simple stone which

was afterwards erected at the grave of St. Clair by his Masonic

brethren has often been quoted and should still carry its earnest

appeal to men of our time. It is as follows:

"The earthly remains of Major General Arthur St. Clair

are deposited beneath this humble monument which is erected

to supply the place of a nobler one due from his country."

It was nearly a year before the general government made

another attempt for the conquest of the northwestern tribes,

who, it seems, had so far been invincible in spite of all the ef-

forts brought to bear upon them.

The next commander-in-chief of the American army to ap-

pear upon the arena of western warfare was General Anthony

Wayne, who arrived at Fort Washington in April, 1793, with

a well-organized army of some twenty-six hundred troops.

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126      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

On the 13th of October, 1793, General Wayne arrived on

the present site of Greenville, Ohio, at which location he built a

fort and remained until July 28th, 1794.

On October 1₇th, just four days after Wayne arrived at

Greenville, Little Turtle made a dash on a baggage and provision

train on the trail seven miles north of Fort St. Clair (now

Eaton, Ohio). The convoys were under command of Lieu-

tenant Lowry, and Ensign Boyd, and were loaded with supplies

and provisions for the army. In the affray which followed

thirteen noncommissioned officers and privates were killed, in-

cluding Lieutenant Lowry, and seventy pack horses were killed

or driven away.

This incident shows plainly that Little Turtle was by no

means idle, but was constantly hanging on the outskirts of

Wayne's army, ever ready to strike a blow if the opportunity

should present itself.

During the winter Wayne sent a detachment to the site of

St. Clair's defeat, twenty-three miles north of Greenville, and

built Fort Recovery. This post was garrisoned and placed in

command of Captain Gibson.

On the 30th of June, 1794, Little Turtle attacked this post

with a numerous body of Indians and was repulsed with heavy

loss.

General Wayne, as before noted, left Greenville July 28th,

1794, and encamped the first night seven or eight miles north of

that place in the vicinity of what is now Beamsville. It has

been said that this was the time and place which Little Turtle

suggested for a night attack on General Wayne, but was op-

posed by nearly all of the other chiefs in the council, and per-

haps the most favorable opportunity was thus permitted to pass

by. This statement, however, does not agree with that of Lieu-

tenant Boyer, who was with the army. In his Journal he says,

"that the army marched twelve miles on July 28th, and en-

camped on Stillwater, and that on the second night they en-

camped one mile beyond Fort Recovery. This is no doubt the

true statement, and indicates that Wayne followed practically

the same route as St. Clair. In the meantime Wayne was not

• 22
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        127   molested and arrived at the Fallen Timber, August 20th, in sight of Fort Miami, the British garrison on the Maumee. On the night before the battle, it is said, the Indians held a council to decide what action should be taken. Blue Jacket was in favor of battle, but Little Turtle, who plainly foresaw the final trend of events by this time, was in favor of making peace. The latter said, "we have beaten the enemy twice under separate commanders. We cannot expect the same good fortune always to attend us. The Americans are now led by a Chief

who never sleeps; the night and day are alike to him, and dur- ing all the time he has been marching upon our village, not- withstanding the watchfulness of our young men, we have never been able to surprise him. Think well of it. There is some- thing whispers to me, it would be prudent to listen to his offers of peace." Being reproached for cowardice, which was foreign to his nature, he laid aside resentment, and took part in the battle on the morrow, leaving the leadership to his opponent. The result of the battle proved his sagacity and wisdom.

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128       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

After the victory of the Fallen Timber by General Wayne

the army returned to Fort Defiance, on the 27th, having laid

waste to villages and cornfields on both sides of the Maumee,

for at least fifty miles.

The Indians were utterly disheartened by their great defeat

and considered themselves very dishonorably treated by the

British officers, who had spurred them on to the battle and then

had abandoned them, and were eager for peace.

On the 17th of September, Wayne reached the Miami vil-

lages, where he located another stockade, which was called Fort

Wayne. Leaving a garrison here the rest of the army set out

on their return to Fort Greenville, which post they reached on

the 2nd of November, where they went into winter quarters.

This campaign accomplished its intended object. The In-

dians were thoroughly humbled and subdued, their houses were

destroyed, their country ravaged, their supplies consumed. They

no longer cherished any hope of being able to check the advance

of the white man. In this state of extreme suffering, they were

anxious for such terms as the conqueror might dictate.

Early in January, 1795, movements were made for the as-

sembly of a general council of the Indian tribes of the North-

west to enter into a treaty of peace and friendship.  Little

Turtle was the principal leader of the Indian forces that de-

feated General Harmar on the Maumee river in October, 1790,

and General Arthur St. Clair on the Wabash, November 4th,

1791, and he and Blue Jacket were among the foremost leaders

of the Indians in their conflict with General Wayne's army in

1794. Nevertheless, he urged the Indians to make peace with

this "Chief-who-never-sleeps," after their defeat by the whites.

He joined in the treaty at Fort Greenville, August 3rd, 1795,

having arrived at that post on the 23rd of June.

"I am the last to sign it, and will be the last to break it,"

he said. Faithful to his promise he remained passive and

counseled peace on the part of his people until his death at Fort

Wayne, July 14th, 1812.

Even his enemies paid tribute to his memory. His remains

were interred about the center of the old orchard, with all his

adornments, implements of war, a sword presented to him by

• 24
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        129   General Washington, together with a medal with the likeness of Washington thereon. All these objects were laid by the side of the body and hidden beneath the sod in one common grave. It is said that one Mr. J. P. Hedges and others knew the exact spot up to about 1860. Mentioning the orchard in the center of which Little Turtle was buried calls to mind the his- toric renown of the famous old apple tree of more recent years, which stood alone, a silent, historic memento of years gone by, revered by both white and red men. It was out of this tree that an Indian during the siege of Fort Wayne in 1812 was

shot by one of the soldiers from the fort, at a distance of many hundred yards. In an exulting spirit one of the besiegers was in the habit of climbing the tree each day for several days, and throwing his arms much like the rooster flaps his wings when crowing, would utter a noise very like this fowl. This challenge was finally answered by the crack of a doubly charged rifle from the fort and the Indian was seen to fall. This tree has long since died and fallen to the ground, and remains only in the distant memory of the citizens of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne. 9-Vol. XXIII.

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130      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Bryce tell us, "that Little Turtle died in his lodge or camp at

the old orchard, a short distance north of the confluence of the

St. Mary and St. Joseph, in the yard fronting the house of

his son-in-law, Captain William Wells. He had suffered for

many months previous with the gout and came here from his

place of residence at Little Turtle's village on Blue river, about

twenty miles northwest of Fort Wayne, to be treated by the

United States army surgeon at the Fort. It was a solemn and

interesting occasion.

After the treaty of Greenville, Little Turtle had remained

the true and faithful friend of the Americans and the United

States government, and was very much beloved and respected by

all who knew him. Tecumseh strove hard to gain his confidence

and aid, but without effect, for nothing could move him from his

purpose of peace and good will toward the Americans. In the

language of one who was present at his burial, "His body was

borne to the grave with the highest honors by his great enemy,

the white man. The muffled drum, the solemn march, the funeral

salute announced that a great soldier had fallen."

We are informed by Mr. J. M. Stouder, who has been a life-

long citizen of Fort Wayne, from good authority that his winding

sheet was a green blanket of beautiful design and that the funeral

oration was delivered by Chief Coessie, a grandson.

The treaty of Greenville having been held during the sum-

mer of 1795, in a great council of chiefs and warriors, negotia-

tions continued for six weeks. On the third of August the treaty

was signed, General Wayne acting as commissioner plenipoten-

tiary in behalf of the United States. The following tribes were

represented, being twelve in number, viz.: The Wyandots, Dela-

wares, Shawanese, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Miamis,

Eel Rivers, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeskas and Kaskaskias. The

boundary lines between the Indian lands and those of the United

States were here permanently located.

At the close of the year 1796, General Wayne, returning from

Detroit to the Eastern states, was taken sick in a humble log cabin

at Presque Isle, on the shores of Lake Erie (now Erie, Pa.).

Here, after a short illness, he died.  General Wayne did not

receive during his life the honors to which he was entitled for the

• 26
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        131   services he had rendered his country. Had he failed in his cam- paign all the southern Indians, from the Savannah river to the Mississippi, would undoubtedly have combined with the north- western tribes, and scenes of devastation, woe and death would have ensued, which even the imagination can scarcely exaggerate. We are informed that the plan of attack on St. Clair's army the morning of November 4th was conceived by Little Turtle alone in opposition to the opinion of almost every other chief. His shrewdness and ability as a great military commander were never excelled by any other Chieftain.

At the Greenville treaty the new government presented Little Turtle and other participating chiefs a beautiful silver medal, which was highly prized by the savages. This medal was a fac- simile of the Red Jacket medal, except that the date engraved thereon was 1795. It was oblong in shape and four by six inches in size. The Red Jacket medal was presented to Chief Red Jacket in the spring of 1792, at Philadelphia, by President Wash- ington. It is now in the custody of the Buffalo Historical Society. From time immemorial loyalty has been rewarded by the con-

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132       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

ferring of land and titles of nobility, by the personal thanks of

the sovereign, the presentation of medals and the bestowal of

knightly honors, the insignia of which were hung on the breast

of the recipient. With the Indian chief of the western tribes it

was the same.

The following is a complete description of the Greenville

treaty medal: On the obverse side President Washington is rep-

resented in uniform, bareheaded, facing to the right and present-

ing a pipe to an Indian chief, who is smoking it. The Indian is

standing and has a large medal suspended from his neck. On the

left is a pine tree at the foot of which lies a tomahawk. In the

background is a farmer plowing. Below, in exergue, "George

Washington, President, 1795". On the reverse side appears the

arms and crest of the United States on the breast of an eagle. In

the eagle's right talon is an olive branch; in the left, a sheaf of

arrows; in its beak, the motto "E pluribus unum"; above, a glory

breaking through the clouds and surrounded by thirteen stars.

It seems that the Little Turtle medal is now lost, as we have

so far failed to find it among any of his descendants, or to learn

where any of them have disposed of it. It was not interred with

him at his burial, as its absence was especially noticed from all

the things that were taken from the grave. Its present location

seems to be entirely unknown to any person now living.

However, one of these medals were presented to Wa-pa-man-

qua, or White Loon, a Wea chief, and secured from one of his

descendants in Oklahoma, by D. B. Dyer of Augusta, Ga. It is

now in the public museum of Kansas City, Mo. Another was

presented to She-mock-in-wak, or Soldier, as he was commonly

called, chief of the Eel river Miamis. We learn that one of the

above-named chiefs of Miami County, Indiana, whose name was

John Eveline, sold this medal about 1906 to parties in Chicago

whose names we are unable to learn. So this is about all we are

able to say concerning any and all of the Greenville treaty medals

given out by the government at the treaty in 1795, to the various

chiefs and warriors there assembled.

After Little Turtle's death, Pesh-e-wak succeeded him as

Chief of the Miamis. He was better known on the frontier as

John B. Richardville. This chief was born on the St. Mary's

• 28
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.           133 river near the present Fort Wayne, about 1761. Inheriting noble French blood on his father's side, his abilities were such, it is said, as well adapted him to direct the affairs of the Miamis. He

spoke French and English fluently, as well as his native Indian tongue, and for many years his house on the banks of the St. Mary's river, about four miles from Fort Wayne, was known as

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134      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

the abode of hospitality. At the time of his death, August 13th,

1841, Pesh-e-wak was about eighty years old, and was regarded

as the wealthiest Indian in North America. His property is

said to have been valued at more than a million dollars.

Early in 1797, accompanied by Captain Wells, his son-in-law,

Little Turtle visited President Washington at Philadelphia, where

he met General Koskiusco, the latter presenting him with his own

pair of elegantly mounted pistols.

Although Tecumseh endeavored to draw him away from his

peaceful relations with the whites his efforts were in vain. Little

Turtle signed the following treaties with the United States:

Greenville, August 3rd, 1795; Fort Wayne, June 17th, 1803; Vin-

cennes, August 21st, 1805; Fort Wayne, September 30th, 1809.

From the time he signed the treaty of Greenville, he lived in amity

with and was a friend of the American people.

To the honor of all true-born Americans, a grateful govern-

ment has recently paid a just debt of love and esteem to the heroes

who died on the battlefield of Fort Recovery, by the erecting and

unveiling, on July the 1st, 1913, a granite shaft 101½ feet high,

with a base 35 feet square. A heroic figure, typifying the early

scout and settler, stands on the northern side of the shaft. This

figure is nine feet high, and is one of the most impressive features

of the monument. With face stern and unyielding, foot and leg

striding forward, flintlock and powder horn in hand, it seems to

be ever advancing toward the great Northwest of which this

region was once typical. It represents the conquest of the North-

west, the progress of the nation and the advancement of civiliza-

tion. Above all it commemorates the lives which were sacrificed,

that all this might be achieved, and seems to cast over all sur-

roundings the calm and quiet of a benediction. The dedication

took place on the one hundred and nineteenth anniversary of

Little Turtle's second attack on Fort Recovery, and in the one

hundred and twenty-second year after the first battle. This monu-

ment is composed of North Carolina granite, and was erected

through an appropriation by the general government, of twenty-

five thousand dollars, secured by the personal efforts of Congress-

man W. E. Touville.

Little Turtle had somewhat of a remarkable mind, was for

• 30
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        135   many years the leading spirit among the Miamis, was surpassed for bravery and intelligence perhaps by none of his race. He was of an inquiring turn of mind, and never lost an opportunity to gain some valuable information upon almost every subject or object that attracted his attention. He sought by every means in his power during the latter days of his life to relieve his people from every debasing habit, encouraging them only in the more peaceful, sober and industrious relations of life. Each evening he is said to have called the children of the village together, telling them an amusing story and giving them a short lecture in

which he advised them to be industrious, shun strong drink and not to take anything that did not belong to them. It is said of Little Turtle that he never was intoxicated, and did all in his power to keep his pe ple from drink. He urged the Indians to avoid it by word and example, and gained the rare distinction of securing the first prohibition law against the liquor traffic ever enacted by the United States government. He visited the legislatures of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, as well as Con- gress, and begged for the prohibition of intoxicating liquors among the Indians. In a speech which was taken down in short-

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136       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

hand at the time, he denounced drink as a ruinous evil that de-

stroyed great numbers of his tribesmen's lives, that caused the

young men to say, "We had better be at war with the white peo-

ple, for this liquor that they introduce into our country is more

to be feared than the gun or the tomahawk. More of us have

died since the Treaty of Greenville than we lost by the years of

war before, and it is all owing to the introduction of this liquor

among us."

In 1798 he traveled from his home in Indiana to Philadelphia

to plead with President John Adams for protection for the In-

dians against the whisky traffic, telling him that liquor had de-

stroyed three thousand Indians alone during the preceding year.

However, he failed to secure any results at this time.

In 1801 he again visited the east and interested the Baltimore

yearly meeting of Friends in behalf of his cause. The meeting

appointed a committee to go with him to Washington to present

the matter to President Jefferson. The President looked into the

subject and sent a special message (the first of the kind ever

given) to Congress that resulted in the passing of the act of

March ₃₀th, 1802, in which Congress empowered the President

to take steps to eliminate the traffic from the Indian country.

Thus Little Turtle is the real father of the first prohibition law

ever enacted in this country.

In the month of January, 1812, Little Turtle warned General

Harrison by a messenger of the signs of an approaching war with

Great Britain, expressing for himself his attachment to the gov-

ernment of the United States. It seems that shortly after his

death a part of the Miamis at least, were inclined to adhere to

the British and to show signs of hostility, so much so that a little

over two months after his death, General Harrison was compelled

to order Colonel Simrall with a regiment of dragoons, armed with

muskets and numbering some three hundred and twenty men, also

a company of mounted riflemen under Colonel Farrow, to destroy

Little Turtle's town, some twenty miles northwest of Fort Wayne,

with strict orders not to molest the buildings formerly erected

by the United States for the benefit of Little Turtle, whose friend-

ship for the Americans had ever been firm after the Treaty of

Greenville. Colonel Simrall most faithfully performed the task

• 32
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.        137 assigned him, and on the evening of the 19th returned to the fort. The house of Little Turtle, built by the government, was thus preserved. The writer has often talked with an old trapper and hunter, by the name of William Gaff, who died about 1867. This old trapper had frequently camped for several weeks, twenty or twenty-five years before, in the famous Little Turtle house, shortly after all the Indians had left. He said he had drank water out of an old gourd from the spring at the foot of the hill.

"Deserted was his own good hall, His hearth was desolate; Wild weeds had gathered on the wall, The wolf howled at the gate." Forest and prairie fires finally destroyed the last vestige of all Indian remains, and Little Turtle's village became a thing of the past. "Away those winged years have flown to gain the mass

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138       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

of ages gone." Later, about 1839, a number of the Miamis, with

other tribes, were taken west by way of Cincinnati and the Ohio.

They stopped at Greenville long enough to pay a last visit of

respect to the old home of Tecumseh and the Prophet. In this

connection a strange incident was related by one Mr. Steven

Hiland, an old gentleman, who lived in Greenville, O., in 1880,

but had been a citizen of Hamilton County, Ohio, in early

days. He stated that when the Indians saw the tomb of Gen-

eral Harrison at North Bend, and learned that it was the grave

of the old hero of Tippecanoe, they at once expressed a desire

to land and pay a last tribute of respect to the departed dead.

This privilege being granted, they then assembled around his

tomb, kneeling and uttering words in their native tongue, after

which they arose and resumed their journey. The interpreter

afterward informed the commanding officer that what the In-

dians said in substance at the tomb of General Harrison was

this, "Farewell Ohio and your bravest warrior."

"Adieu to the graves where my forefathers rest,

For I must be going to the far distant west;

I've sold my possessions, my heart fills with woe,

To think I must leave them. Alas, I must go.

 

"Farewell, ye tall oaks in whose pleasant green shade

In childhood I sported, in innocence played;

My dog and my hatchet, my arrows and bow,

Are still in remembrance. Alas, I must go.

 

"Adieu, ye loved scenes which bind me like chains,

Where on my gay pony I chased o'er the plains,

The deer and the turkey I tracked in the snow,

But now I must leave them. Alas, I must go.

 

"Adieu to the trails which for many a year,

I traveled to spy the turkey and deer;

The hills, trees and flowers that pleased me so

I must now leave. Alas; I must go."

Little Turtle's name was spelled and also pronounced dif-

ferent ways, but at the Treaty of Greenville it was spelled Me-

she-kin-no-quah. Mr. J. P. Dunn, author of "The Indian Stories,"

says. "This name was commonly known as "The Little Turtle,"

• 34
 

The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         139   but that is not what his name means. Literally it means "the great turtle's wife," but it is not in that sense that it applied to this great chief. The Miamis have specific names for the most common turtle: At-che-pong, for snapping turtle; Ah-koot- yak, for the soft-shelled turtle; We-weet-chah, for the box turtle; and Me-she-kin-no-quah, for the painted terrapin. This last is the commonest of all the turtles in this region, and the most gaudily colored, which probably explains its Indian name, for who should be handsomely dressed if not the wife of the

Great Turtle, who typifies the earth and who was the chief beneficent manitou of the Algonquin tribes in the olden times? But when it came to translation the interpreters knew no specific English name for the painted terrapin, which is a little turtle, never growing more than six or eight inches across. They con- veyed the ideas as well as they could by saying, "The Little Turtle." "The Little Turtle was probably a puny infant, which may account for his name, for a more sprawling, helpless, look- ing creature than a newly hatched, painted terrapin can hardly be imagined."

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140      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

He was thirty-nine years old at the time of St. Clair's de-

feat, and sixty years old at the time of his death. It seemed

that his grave had been lost to all human knowledge, and that

the most diligent search in recent times had failed to locate

the exact place of his burial. Thus, after sleeping in an un-

known grave for a number of years in the vicinity of his former

glory, his remains were accidentally found on July 4th, 1911.

Two brothers, Albert and Charles Lockner, who had contracted

to build a house for Dr. George W. Gillie on Lawton Place,

lot 28, near the west bank of the St. Joseph river, while engaged

in digging the cellar, uncovered the supposed remains of the

great Miami War Chief.

We herewith give the account of the finding of the grave

as related by Mr. J. M. Stouder, of whom we will have more to

say later. The date of the discovery will hereafter be of in-

terest to the citizens of Fort Wayne and Allen County, and

indeed, to all persons interested in the early settlement of the

Northwest Territory. The Lockner brothers soon found a num-

ber of Indian skeletons in digging out the cellar, which was,

no doubt, the last burying ground of the Miamis at Fort Wayne.

Noticing that whatever was in the graves was appropriated by

the laborers, the contractors called off the crew, and with the

assistance of Dr. George Gillie proceeded to finish the cellar and

to dig the drain for the same. In this cellar drain the grave

of Little Turtle was found. The finders had no idea of the

identity of the body. About the neck of the chief was found

the string of silver beads and crosses, and in the few remain-

ing tufts of hair on the back of the skull was the string of white

shell beads. The hair was also tied with a buckskin thong, and

from the description given by the Lockner brothers, was well

preserved.  The vermilion plait was beneath the Chieftain's

knees, the silver armlets on his arms, and the anklets and the

famous sword, guns and remnants of the pistols were at his

side. The various other implements had been placed in dif-

ferent parts of the grave and had probably become disarranged

in the digging of the drain. On the breast were the silver

disks believed to be medals. They were fastened together by

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         141   means of a buckskin thong and are shown in the collection just as they were found. About a month later Mr. J. M. Stouder had occasion to visit the house of Albert Lockner and asked to see the Indian relics that he knew he had in his possession as he always was interested in such discoveries. He was immediately struck by the apparent wealth and importance of the find and began an investigation as to the identity of the remains of the person in the grave. Early in his research work he became convinced that

Albert and Charles Lockner and Dr. Gillie had discovered the grave of Little Turtle. He says that he was greatly indebted to Miss Eliza Rudisell, Mr. Howard Hanthorn and Mr. Charles Warden for the assistance they gave him in identifying the grave of the greatest chief of his time. The articles taken from the grave are: Eight silver brace- lets; two silver anklets; one heavy metal bracelet; three silver medals; four silver brooches; one pair of silver earrings; six pendants; one string of silver beads; twenty-three silver crosses

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142      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

each one inch long; one sword, which we are certain is that

presented to the Chief by General George Washington; one

string of white silver beads; four metal buttons; one small

pocket knife; one large clasp knife of very odd design; one

drinking cup; one metal spoon; one pair of shears; one hammer;

one gun barrel, from which rotten portions of the stock fell when

it was lifted from the grave; one pair of bullet molds; one

flint lock; the remains of a pistol; three large knives; one pair

of steel spurs; one ax; one tomahawk; and copper kettle con-

taining, when found, beans and corn, which went to a fine

powder when exposed to the air. We are satisfied that the grave

of no ordinary Indian would have contained this costly and

various display of riches, and that this is undoubtedly an acci-

dental and genuine find of the remains of Little Turtle.

W. D. Schiefer, of the Schiefer Shoe Store, says that

while he resided on the old Barnett place in 1875 a man named

Hedges, who had been present at the burial of Little Turtle,

had pointed out to him the exact location of the grave, as well

as he could remember, without any suggestions from any one.

Although he had not been in the locality since Spy Run had been

laid out, Mr. Schiefer located the spot within one hundred feet of

the place where the grave was uncovered.

The standing of Mr. J. M. Stouder, a hardware dealer at 122

East Columbia St., Fort Wayne, Ind., who identified the grave

and its remains, preserved the relics and marked the spot at his

own expense for all time, is high. Too much credit can not be

given this man. In justice to historical facts relating to the find

and identity of this long-lost grave, it is said, "That Mr. Stouder

is an almost life-long citizen of Fort Wayne, that he is regarded

by his fellow townsmen as a straightforward, upright, enterpris-

ing citizen. He is a member of high standing in the Free Mason

Lodge, highly esteemed by all who know him." This discovery is

regarded as genuine by the people of Fort Wayne and vicinity, as

well as by all scientific and historical experts, who have seen fit

to investigate this most remarkable and important discovery,

historically considered, of recent times.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.         143

William Geakie, of the city of Fort Wayne, has in his pos-

session in his safe vault, in the First National Bank, the gold

watch that belonged to Little Turtle and worn by him for

many years. The watch is beautiful in design and workman-

ship. It was purchased in England at a cost of approximately

$400.00, was presented to the Chief by the British during the

time the English government was currying the favor and agitat-

ing the Indians in uprisings against the new republic. It was a

bribe both pure and simple, conceived by the duplicity of Eng-

lish statesmen. At the death of Little Turtle the watch became

the property of the succeeding chief and went on down the line

of the successive leaders of the tribe until it reached George

Godfrey, whose father was the last real chief of the Miamis

in this section of the country.

George Godfrey, who lived on the reservation south of the

city, became ill of a complication of diseases. Seven years ago

he was brought to the Hope Hospital for treatment, his condi-

tion was hopeless and he realized that he could not recover. He

had become a member of the Masonic Lodge many years be-

fore at the request of Mr. Geakie, who was one of his closest

friends, a member of the Scottish Rite, a Knight Templar and a

Shriner. Two weeks before his death came, he urged Mr.

Geakie, who was his daily visitor at the hospital, to accept the

watch as a last token of friendship. For several years it had

been locked in the safe at the Dallas & Green jewelry store.

When Mr. Geakie toured Europe several years ago he took the

watch with him, and one of the most noted jewelers in London

cleaned and repaired the timepiece. Though nearly 150 years

old the watch still keeps perfect time.

Robert Koerber, of Trenkley & Koerber, was shown the

watch. He at once became very much interested, recognizing

it as one of the rare old English makes. He took the numbers

of the case and works, and the name of the makers, Motobis

& Company, of Liverpool, England. On the back of the watch

are engraved the initials of John Richardville Godfrey, who

married into Little Turtle's family, and became a chief. The

watch is now held as a priceless relic by William Geakie, of Fort

Wayne.

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144      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications. On August 4th, 1913, the writer, in company with Mr. J. M. Stouder, paid a visit to Roanoke, Huntington County, 16 miles southwest of Fort Wayne, where we called on Dr. S. Koontz, who kindly directed us to the home of Kil-so- qua (The Setting Sun), about a mile distant. This woman is a granddaughter of the chief, Little Turtle, and was born in May, 1810, making her now about 104 years of age. Found her enjoying reasonable health for one of her age, with eye-

sight somewhat dim, seated in a great-arm rocking chair. After introduction and presents of tobacco and other trinkets, the smoking of tobacco finished, a conversation followed through the son, Tony, as interpreter, as she herself speaks no English. Mr. Stouder mentioned the accidental find of the grave of her grand- father, and of the care he had taken to place a marker over the remains so that the exact spot could never again become lost, and of the prospect in the near future of a suitable monument to mark the grave. The writer of these pages confirmed this statement of facts, having seen the marble slab with name and

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.                                         145

 

date thereon, "Little Turtle, Born 1752. Died 1812."                                     She

asked about the relics found with him which she thought were

unquestionable, and seemed very much pleased when informed

that they were all together in one case in a fireproof building

and would be sacredly preserved, and when we left the place

she desired her son to inform us that she fervently thanked God

for the interest the two white men took in honoring her with a

visit, and especially for the tribute of honor paid by them to her

distinguished grandfather.

A copy of the "Journal Gazette" containing the article at

the time of the discovery was taken to her and before her son

had scarcely commenced to read it to her, she gave a very ac-

curate account of the location of the grave and came within a

few hundred feet of telling where it was located. She told of

the sword and described the different things which were buried

with him on account of his rank. She claimed that she had

seen him often and remembered distinctly of combing his hair

and of being his favorite child, said that during her younger

days she had often visited his grave. She has a vivid recollec-

tion of what was called the falling of the stars November 13th,

1833. Her father was Wak-shin-gay, a son of Little Turtle;

her mother was a daughter of Chief She-wock-e-wish, one of

the bravest Miami warriors. Born in May, 181O, and still living

in fairly good health is a distinction that Roanoke is proud of.

A government grant of land was made to her father in Ohio, but

he traded it for 320 acres near Roanoke. He farmed it for

sixteen years and died in 1846. Her husband's bones and relics

are in a box in Dr. Koontz's office at Roanoke; these remains

will be reburied at Kil-so-qua's side at her death. His body was

taken up at her request some four years ago, as the site was

soon to be lost, the ground being cleared and farmed over. Her

memory was so accurate, that she located the grave within six

inches of the skull, after the men had given up all hopes of

finding the remains.

Kil-so-qua married a half-breed, French and Indian, by the

name of Revarre, who died nearly sixty years ago; two children

only remain, both of whom are now with her. Anthony Revarre,

10 Vol. XXIII.

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146      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.      147

 

whose Indian name is Wah-pl-mon-quah (White Loon), has

always remained with his mother, taking good care of her and

acting as interpreter for her when strangers give them a call. A

few months ago her daughter arrived here from the Miami reser-

vation, Oklahoma, where she has a home of her own. Her name

is Mary E. Taylor, her Indian name is Town-no-com-quah (Blow-

ing Snow), and she is assisting to take care of her aged mother.

She is quite a genteel and courteous lady, with an English educa-

tion, writing very plainly her name and address, her Indian name

and its meaning, for me. There are no grandchildren, so this

branch of Little Turtle's family will shortly become extinct.

The bones of Chief Coessie were taken up from the same

location at the same time as those of Mr. Revarre, the husband of

Kil-so-qua, and expressed to Columbia City with the understand-

ing that they were to be buried on the Court House grounds, and

a suitable monument in time to be erected thereon. But a storm

of opposition from the citizens for the time has delayed the

execution of this design. So the remains of Coessie, a grandchild

of Little Turtle, are now held in the Columbia City Bank, owned

by the McClellan brothers. They still hope at some future time

to accomplish their object and erect a statue suitable to his name

and honor. He was a son of Ma-kah-ta-mon-quah or Black

Loon; Kil-so-qua's father was Wak-shin-gay. Their only sister's

name was Wan-man-go-pith or Sweet Breeze. She was mar-

ried to William Wells, the adopted son of Little Turtle.

These three children, Ma-kak-ta-mon-quah, Wak-shin-gay,

and Wan-man-go-pith, are all of Little Turtle's family of which

we have any record. The descendants of William Wells now

inhabit the region of the lower Maumee valley. One, Mr. J. M.

Wolcott, a recent mayor of Maumee City, is one of the descend-

ants of William Wells, also another family by the name of Gilbert.

We here refer the reader to a sketch in 18th volume of Ohio

Archaeological and Historical Reports, by N. B. C. Love, con-

cerning this branch of the family. The remnants of the Miamis

were conducted to their reservation west of the Mississippi by

Alexander Coquillard in 1847 and 1851. There still remained

about 600 Indians on the reservation near Peru, Indiana, in 1854,

but nearly all of these followed in a short time afterward. The

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148       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

last remnant of the tribe now reside on the Quapaw reservation

in Oklahoma and number about fifty souls.

Pontiac was assassinated in 1767 at a great Indian council

in Illinois, near St. Louis. He had just finished a war speech

wherein he favored the continuance of war against the English.

An Indian of the Peoria tribe was present as a spy to report the

proceedings of this council to the English. This Indian at the

close of the speech plunged his knife into his heart and the great

Chieftain fell dead upon the spot.

Tecumseh was killed in the battle of the Thames, Oct. 5th.,

1813, at the head of 2500 Indian allies. Mr. Caleb Atwater tells

us that he fell at the very first fire of the Kentucky dragoons,

pierced by several bullets. Thus both of them died a violent

death, one while engaged in stirring up strife, turmoil and war,

the other in battle, in a terrific assault against his inveterate

enemies, the Americans. Both died with enmity and vengeance

against the pale face.

Not so with Little Turtle. After a comparative study of

those three great Indian Chieftains we are convinced that Little

Turtle had a wider conception of the future welfare and well-

being of his race than either of the two former Chieftains, and

in contrast to them died in peace and friendship with the Ameri-

cans, and was by them laid to rest beside the peaceful waters of

the river St. Joseph. It has been said that the sun of Indian

glory set with him, and when Little Turtle and Tecumseh passed

away the clouds and shadows which for two hundred years had

threatened, gathered around their race in the starless night of

death.

He was the noblest Roman of them all, for, like Pontiac,

thirty years before, he was the soul of fire. Every one who reads

these pages and the final treaty of Greenville will be impressed

with his high courage and the manly stand which he took for his

race and the hunting grounds of his fathers.

And in conclusion, will say that we have reason to be con-

cerned lest we have failed to properly convey in suitable language

the noble attributes of character, commensurate with the sterling

qualities of soul, body and mind, which Little Turtle possessed

to a marked degree.

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The Birthplace of Little Turtle.              149   And now to this child of the forest may peace be to his ashes, and may his spirit dwell in the happy hunting grounds of the Indian race forever.   'Tis weary watching wave by wave And yet the tide heaves onward We climb like corals grave by grave But pave a path that's sunward.   We're beaten back in many a fray, But newer strength we borrow; And where the vanguard camps today The rear shall rest tomorrow.



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