HARMAR'S CAMPAIGN.
[Through the courtesy of Mr. Frazer E.
Wilson of Greenville,
Ohio, the author of several articles on
Wayne's campaign and the
Greenville Treaty, we herewith publish,
from a duplicate of the original
MS., a letter written by one Thomas
Irvin, who participated in Harmar's
advance and retreat. The document has a
double interest, the first hand
information which it imparts and the
crude but direct style of expression,
typical of the scholarship of the pioneers.--EDITOR.]
Dear Sir The army on Harmars Campaign
Left
for Washington about the Last of
September 1790
for the Indian towns followed the trace
made By
Genrl Clark from Kentucky in October
1782 which
passed reading halted there one Day
until the Regular
troops Came up formed the Line of March
there one
Line on Each Side of Said trace to Be
about 40 yards
on Each Sides from it a Strong front and
Rear gard
the Baggage in the Center Encamped at
Night in the
Same way passed where Sharron is and
where Lebanon
in the County of Warren Stands went Some
Distance
west of Waynesvill and Xenia Crossed Mad
river
about 10 miles from Dayton Struke the
Great Miamia
at the old Piqua Town that Sd Genrl
Clark had
went against and Destroyed Crossed the
River
( )t Distance above had a pritty (
-an trace from there to the old french
Store on
what is Since Called StMarys had a good
India
-an trace from there to the Maumee Town
as
it was then Called the 2d Morning after
we Left
StMarys 8 or 10 mounted men went out in
Search
of Some horses that had Been Lost over
Night
Started a Smart young Indian with a Bow
and
arrow They took him prisioner Brought
him to
Camp there was 2 of the troops Could
Speak the Indian
tounge very well he and they Spoke
freely together
(393)
394 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
he Stated the Indians at first intended
to make
a Stand at the Towns give that up and
inten
-ded to move their families and Burn
their
Towns 600 men were Drafted from the
Different Comp
-anies put under the Command of Col
Hardin of
Kentucky he Being the 2d in Command
to proceed as Quick as Possible to the
Towns which
they Did and when they got there found
what the
prisoner Stated true the Town stood on
the
East Side of the St Joseph River on the
Bank of it
There was 2 Indians under the Bank when
the army
got there was Discovered trying to
Escape I Expect Both
Killed one of them was found in the
Brush that Day the adva
-nce was in the Towns 2 or 3 Days Before
the Rear got up
after the Rear arrived and Rested one
Day a Detachm
ent of 400 men was ordered out with a
view to
ascertain which way the Indians had gone
to
Draw 2
Days provisions and Be out over Night
there was
25 mounted men attached to the Same all
placed under the Corn
-mand
of Col Trotter of Kentucky Crossed the
river opposite
to where the Town Stood went a west
Course a Short Dis
-tance after we Crossed the Mounted men
Started 2 Indians
Killed Both and Lost one man marched all
Day
( ) Saw Considerable Sign But ( )
Scattered we marched in Excellent order
Being a
volunteer in Sd Detachment and allong
with the front
gard the 1st Day Could See the movements
the Six pounder
was Discharged at head quarters about
Sun Set the Col
Concluded it was Done to Call in Sd
Detachment
we marched into Camp a while after Night
Turned out Next Morning to perform the
2d Days Service
Started Early in the Morning under the
Command of
Col Hardin Crossed the River at the Same
place
went a North Course got on to an Indian
trail
Shortly after we Crossed followed it
after going
about 4 miles There was 2 or 3 Indian Dogs
Came out
of the woods among the troops and run
off again The Col
Harmar's Campaign. 395
ordered a Halt and ordered the Captns of
Companies
to take post on the right and Left of Sd
trace and
Keep a Sharp Look out our Company went
to the
Left was ordered by the Col to go Round
a Bushy Nole
or Small hill out of Sight of Sd trace
and
Keep a Sharp Look out there and there
remain
untill we could get orders to March he
Sent Major
Fountain with 5 or 6 mounted men in
advance on Sd trace
when they returned informed the Col that
they had Seen a
great Deal of fresh sign on Sd trace and
that they
appeared to be retreating as fast as
Possible The Col
was keen to pursue and in the hurry
forgot to give orders
to our Company They had marched over one
mile
Before the found out the mistake our
Company had
marched in front the 1st Day and in the
rear the 2d
after waiting a Considerable time we
moved to the
trace found they had been gone Some time
pursued after
went with Major Fountain he stated that
he had
Been in advance found the Indians was
retreating as
fast as Possible he thought could Be
Soon overtaken
Stated the Col had Entirely forgot to
give orders to
our Company When he Started we had gone
over half
a mile with the Major meet 2 Mounted men on
the
Retreat Each had a wounded man Behind
him appe
-ared to Be very Bloody they Called out
for Gods Sake retr
-eat you will Be all Killed there is
Indians enough
to Eat you all up we then Could hear the
firing and
yelling went over a Small River there
meat the poor
fellows retreating and the Indians after
firing and
yelling we formed a Line across the
Trace and took
trees intending to give them a fire if
they Came up
Col Hardin Col Hall and Major Fountain
and one
or 2
more on horse Back halted with us The
Indians Came within 80 or 90 yards and
halted
I Expect they Seen the Men on horse Back
Stop
Then we Stopped the pursuit and Covered
the
retreat tarried there untill Dark or
untill all the
retreating party passed by us as none of
them halted
396
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
with us But the Sd officers it was after
Night Before
we arrived in Camp Col Hall informed me
that they Detach
was Completely Defeated he was near the
front
when the Indians fired on them The trace
Led through
a Small or narrow prairie heavy timber
on Both Sides
on the Right of it the timber and
(woods) was within 20
Step of Sd trace The Indians had Kindled
a fire at the far
End of Sd Prairie and Left some trinkets
at it which
Caused a halt when the front arrived at
it the Indians
that moment give them a deadly fire from
the right The
men Sallied toward the Left and (
received) another from
there out of the woods on that Side The
men Being
in Single file retreated as far as they
Could I never Could
Learn how many was Killed in that Scrape
There
was a Number Killed and wounded if there
had Been
flankers out as Should have Been the
Indians
Could not have got so great an advantage
over
them There was no Detachment Sent out
next Day to
ascertain how many was Killed or to Bury
the Dead
We remained in Camp 2 or 3 Days after
There
was 2 or 3 Indians Killed while we
remained in Camp
after Sd Detachment was Defeated I was
well acquainted
with Col Hall Rode Behind him that night
of Sd retreat
across the river and was in his Camp
next Morning
Fairmount Miami Co
Ohio