342 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
Detroit. This latter officer was
cowardly in character and incompetent
in fitness. The scenes are transferred
to the Maumee. Harrison builds
Fort Meigs and the two sieges follow, in
both of which Tecumseh and
Procter are the leading commanders. The
siege of Fort Stephenson,
August 1, was the highwater mark of
Tecumseh's daring and general-
ship. No incident in American history
surpasses it for thrilling action
and surprising results. George Croghan, the boy with 160 Kentucky
backwoodsmen, repulses Procter and his
army of trained troops and
Tecumseh with 1,000 braves. Gurd does
not due full justice to this
event, so honorable to American arms and
bravery.
From now on the story is one of British
failure. Procter begins
his retreat across the Detroit and up
the Thames. Tecumseh has lost
his faith in the ability and even honor
of Procter and foresees the
triumph of the Long Knives, but refuses
to retreat further and com-
pels Procter to take a stand "where
McGregor's creek empties into the
Thames." But on a pretext, Procter
continued his retreat, followed by
Tecumseh. Harrison and the Americans finally overtook the allies
at the Indian village of Moraviantown,
on the banks of the Thames.
Here the curtain fell on the dramatic
life of Tecumseh, who at this
time was a brigadier in the British
army. Followed by some of the
lesser chiefs, at the head of a thousand
braves, the Shawnee dressed
in his usual costume of deer skin,
passed down the lines to note the
disposition of the troops. "Round
his head was wound a white silk
handkerchief, from which floated a white
ostrich plume." He fell early
in the encounter. Mr. Gurd does not enter
into the controversy as to
who killed Tecumseh. "His mighty
war cry resounded high above the
noise of battle. Suddenly he was seen to
stagger and fall. Swiftly
the words, 'Tecumseh is dead,' passed
down the line. Overwhelmed
by this crowning calamity, the Indians
turned and fled. The faithful
body guard of the great chief carried
the body of their dead leader
deep into the recesses of the
enshrouding woods. Down the dim forest
aislesthey bore him and so he passes
from the scene."
Mr. Gurd has produced a faithful
portrait of the great chieftain
and pays splendid and worthy tribute to
the nobility of his nature and
to his patriotic service in behalf of
his race.
COLONEL ORLANDO J. HODGE.
Colonel Orlando J. Hodge, one of the prominent
figures in Ohio
history during the present generation,
passed away at Cleveland, Ohio,
on the evening of April 16, 1912. On the
evening of the day in ques-
tion he had been invited to address the
members of the Cleveland
Chamber of Commerce, who on that evening
held their annual meet-
ing. He delivered a very interesting and
impressive speech, at the
close of which he said: "When you
men of the Cleveland Chamber