Ohio History Journal
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The Croghan Celebration. 75
I greet thee! Thou art just in time To tell of victory most sublime, Though told in unconnected rhyme; Thou art welcome in Ohio.
But since thou canst thyself speak well, Now let thy thundering voice tell What bloody carnage then befell The foes of great Ohio. (And then she thundered loud.)
PROCTOR'S REPORT OF THE BATTLE OF FORT STEPHENSON. The following letter, recently unearthed by Col. Webb C. Hayes in the Canadian Archives at Ottawa, is most interesting as giving General Proctor's own account of the battle in which he was so badly worsted. It is addressed to Sir George Provist, Lieut. General, at Kingston, and reads: "SIR: It being absolutely requisite for several urgent reasons that my Indian force should not remain unemployed, and being well aware |
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I was, very contrary to my judgment, necessitated to go to the Miami, in the vicinity of the enemy's fort, where I remained a few days in the hope that General Harrison might come to the relief of the fort which was invested in the Indian mode, when finding that the Indians were returning to Detroit and Amherstberg I moved to Lower Sandusky where, however, we could not muster more hundreds of Indians than I might reasonably have expected thousands. The neighborhood of Sandusky, and the settlement on the Huron river, eight miles below it, could have afforded cattle sufficient to have fed my whole Indian force for some time, had they been induced to accompany us. Sandusky is |
76 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
nearly fifty miles by water from Lake
Erie and nearly forty miles from
several points whence strong
reinforcements might be expected; I could
not therefore with my very small force
remain more than two days,
from the probability of being cut off
and of being deserted by the few
Indians who had not already done so.
The fort at Sandusky is composed of
blockhouses connected by
picketing which they flank, and is
calculated for a garrison of five or six
hundred men. On viewing the fort I
formed an opinion entirely different
from any person under my command. The
general idea being that that
garrison did not exceed fifty men, and
that the fort could be easily
carried by assault. On the morning of
the 2d inst. the gentlemen of
the Indian Department, who have the
direction of it, declared formally
their decided opinion that unless the
fort was stormed we should never
be able to bring an Indian warrior into
the field with us, and that they
proposed and were ready to storm one fan
of the fort, if we would
attempt another. I have also to observe
that in this instance my judg-
ment had not that weight with the troops
I hope I might reasonably
have expected. If I had withdrawn
without having permitted the assault,
as my judgment certainly dictated, much
satisfaction would have followed
me and I could scarcely have reconciled
to myself to have continued to
direct their movements. I thus with all
the responsibility resting on me
was obliged to yield to circumstances I
could not possibly have pre-
vented. The troops, after the artillery
had been used for some hours,
attacked two fans, and impossibilities
being attempted, failed. The fort,
from which the severest fire I ever saw
was maintained during the
attack, was well defended. The troops
displayed the greatest bravery,
the much greater part of whom reached
the fort and made every effort
to enter; but the Indians who had
proposed the assault and had it
not been assented to would have ever
stigmatized the British character,
scarcely came into fire, before they ran
off out of its reach. A more
than adequate sacrifice having been made
to Indian opinion, I drew off
the brave assailants who had been
carried away by a high sense of honor
to urge too strongly the attack. I
enclose a disembarcation return to
show how small my disposable force was.
The enemy had a six-pounder
and a smaller one in the fort. I also
enclose a return of the killed,
wounded and missing. Our loss though
severe and much to be regretted,
is less, everything considered, than
could have been expected. You will
perceive that the Indian force is seldom
a disposable one, never to be
relied on in hour of need, and only to
be found useful in proportion as
we are independent of it. Ten Indians
were surprised on a plain near
Sandusky and were cut to pieces. The
Indians have always had a dread
of cavalry of which the enemy have a
considerable number. A troop of
the 19th would be of the greatest
service here in the confidence they would
give to our mounted Indians. I have
experienced much deficience in my
artillery, another officer at least is
absolutely requisite, and one of
The Croghan Celebration. 77
science and experience. The enemy's
defences are composed of wood;
if we knew how to burn them as they did
ours at Fort George, Mr.
Harrison's army must have been destroyed
long since. The enemy's ves-
sels are out of Presqueisle Harbor, and
so decidedly stronger than ours
that Captain Barclay has been
necessitated to return to Amherstburg,
and with all haste to get the new vessel
ready for sea, where she will
be in eight or ten days at furthest, and
then only wants hands.
Whatever may happen to be regretted may
be fairly attributed
to the delays in sending here the force
your Excellency directed should
be sent. Had it been sent at once, it
could have been used to the greatest
advantage, but it arrived in such small
portions and with such delays
that the opportunities have been lost.
The enemy are in great numbers
at Presqueisle and have been already
reinforced at Fort Meigs. Gen.
Harrison's headquarters are near Lower
Sandusky where he arrived on
the 3d inst. I must now look for the
enemy from two quarters and
will have to meet them with my small
force divided, for the Indians will
make no stand without us. You will
probably hear of the enemy's landing
shortly at Long Point, where they may
gain the rear of the Center Divi-
sion and also affect my supplies. An
hundred and fifty sailors would have
effectually obviated this evil. I
apprehend the enemy's rapid advance
to the River Raisin in force, and
establishing himself there, which he
can do surprisingly soon. If I had the
means I would establish a post
at that river, but not having two or
three hundred men to send there
it is not in my power. I must entreat
your Excellency to send me
more troops, even the 2d Battalion of
the 41st Regt., though weak,
would be extremely acceptable. If the
enemy should be able to establish
themselves in the Territory it will
operate strongly against us with our
Indian allies. Your Excellency may rely
on my best endeavors, but I
rely on the troops alone, and they are
but few and I am necessitated to
man the vessels with them. I have never
desponded, nor do I now,
but I conceive it my duty to state to
your Excellency the inadequateness
of my force.
I have the honor to be with much
respect, etc.,
HENRY PROCTOR,
Brigadier General Commanding.
The British War Office contains the
following brief records of the
attack on Fort Stephenson, as mentioned in the colonial
correspondence
of that time.
"HEADQUARTERS, KINGSTON, UPPER
CANADA, Aug. 1, 1813.
"My Lord - The arrival of Mr.
Dickson from the mission with 2,000
Indian warriors, has enabled me to
resume offensive operations with the
left division of the Upper Canada army
under the command of Brig.
Gen. Proctor. Maj. Gen. Harrison having
shown some of his cavalry
78 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
and riflemen in the Michigan territory,
a forward movement has been
made by the Indian warriors, upon
Sandusky, from whence they will
unite with Tecumseh's band of warriors,
employed in investing Fort
Meigs.-George Provost." Also:
"St. Davids, Niagara Frontier, Aug.
25, 1813. Maj. Gen. Proctor
having given way to the clamor of our
Indian Allies to act offensively
moved forward on the 20th ult. with
about 350 of the 41st regiment and
between 3,000 and 4,000 Indians and on
the 2nd inst. attempted to carry
by assault the block houses and works at
Sandusky where the enemy had
concentrated a considerable force.
He however soon experienced the timidity
of the Indians when ex-
posed to the fire of musketry and cannon
in an open country and how
little dependence could be placed on
their numbers. Previous to the
assault they could scarcely muster as
many hundreds as they had before
thousands, and as soon as it had
commenced they withdrew themselves
out of the reach of the enemy's fire.
They are never a disposable force.
The handful of his Majesty's troops
employed on this occasion dis-
played the greatest bravery; nearly the
whole of them having reached
the fort and made every effort to enter
it; but a galling and destructive
fire being kept up by the enemy from
within the block houses and from
behind the picketing which completely
protected them and which we
had not the means to force, the Major
General thought it most prudent
not to continue longer so unavailing a
combat; he accordingly drew off
the assailants and returned to Sandwich
with the loss of 25 killed, as
many missing and about 40 wounded.
Amongst the killed are Brevet
Lieut. Col. Shortt and Lieut. J. G.
Gordon of the 41st Regt."
"The Military Occurrences of the
War of 1812," by William James.
an English publication of the time,
contains the following story of Gen-
eral Proctor's campaign against Fort
Stephenson on the Sandusky, which
is a typical British account, showing
the writer's patriotic bias:
"The American headquarters were at
Seneca-town, near to San-
dusky Bay on Lake Erie. Fort Meigs,
already so strong, had its works
placed in a still more vigorous state of
defence; and a fort had since
been constructed on the west side of
Sandusky river, about 40 miles
from its mouth, and 10 from the
general's headquarters. It stood on a
rising ground, commanding the river to
the east; having a plain to the
north and south, and a wood to the west.
The body of the fort was
about 100 yards in length and 50 in
breadth, surrounded outside of all
by a row of strong pickets, 12 feet over
ground; each picket armed at
top with a bayonet. Next to and against
this formidable picket was an
embankment, forming the side of a dry
ditch, 12 feet wide, by seven
feet deep; then a second embankment or
glacis. A strong bastion and
two blockhouses completely enfiladed the
ditch. Within the fort were the
hospital, military and commissary
store-houses, magazines, etc. As far
as we can collect from the American
accounts, the fort mounted but one
6-pounder; and that in a masked battery
at the northwestern angle. The
The Croghan Celebration. 79
number of troops composing the garrison
cannot exactly be ascertained.
One American account states that the effective
force did not amount to
160 men, or rank and file.
"Major General Proctor when he
landed near the mouth of San-
dusky river, on the 1st of August, had
it is admitted no other white
troops with him than the 41st regiment.
An American editor says that
the major general, previous to his
appearance on the Sandusky, had
detached 'Tecumseh with 2,000 warriors,
and a few regulars, to make a
diversion favorable to the attack upon
Fort Stephenson; and yet the
same editor states Major General
Proctor's force before the fort, on
the evening of the 1st, at 500 regulars
and 700 Indians.' Of the latter
there were but 200 and they, as was
generally their custom when the
object of assault was a fortified place,
withdrew to a ravine, out of
gun-shot, almost immediately that the
action commenced. Of regulars
there were two lientenant-colonels, four
captains, seven subalterns, (one
a lieutenant of artillery) eight staff,
22 sergeants, seven drummers, and
241 rank and file, including 23
artillerymen; making a total of 391
officers, non-commissioned officers and privates.
"On the morning of the 2nd the
British opened their artillery
consisting of two light 6-pounders, and
two 5½ howitzers upon the fort;
but without producing the slightest
impression; and the different Am-
erican accounts, as we are glad to see,
concur in stating, that the fort
'was not at all injured' by the fire
directed against it. Under an im-
pression that the garrison did not
exceed 50 or 60 men, the fort was
ordered to be stormed. Lieut. Col.
Shortt at the head of 180 rank and
file, immediately advanced toward the
northwest angle; while about 160
rank and file, under Lieut.-Col.
Warburton, passed around through the
woods skirting the western side of the
fort, to its south side. After
sustaining a heavy fire of musketry from
the American troops, Lieut.-Col.
Shortt approached to the stockade; and
with some difficulty, succeeded
in getting over the pickets. The instant
this gallant officer reached the
ditch he ordered his men to follow and
assault the works with the
utmost vigor. The masked 6-pounder,
which had been previously pointed
to rake the ditch, and loaded 'with a
double charge of leaden slugs,' was
now fired at the British column, 'the
front of which was only 30 feet
distant from the piece.' A volley of
musketry was fired at the same
instant and repeated in quick
succession. This dreadful and, as to the
battery, unexpected discharge killed
Lieut.-Col. Shortt, and several of his
brave followers; and wounded a great
many more. Still undaunted, the
men of the 41st, headed by another
officer, advanced again to carry the
masked 6-pounder, from which another
discharge of 'leaden slugs' aided
by other volleys of musketry, was
directed against them, and cleared
the 'fatal ditch' a second time. It was
in vain to contend further; and
the British retired, with as many of
their wounded as they could carry
away.
"Lieut. Col. Warburton's party,
having a circuit to make, did not
80 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
arrive at its position till the first
assault was nearly over. After a
volley or two, in which the British
sustained some slight loss, the troops
at this point also were ordered to
retire. The loss amounted to 26
killed, 29 wounded and missing, and 41
wounded (most of them slightly)
and brought away; total 96. The
Americans state their loss at one
killed and seven wounded. Considering
the way in which they were
sheltered, and the circumstances of the
attack altogether, no greater
loss could have been expected.
"The American editors seem
determined to drag the Indians, in
spite of their confirmed and to an
American well-known habits, within
the limits of the 'fatal ditch.' 'The
Indians,' says Mr. Thomson, 'were
enraged and mortified at this
unparalleled defeat; and carrying their
dead and wounded from the field, they
indignantly followed the British
regulars to the shipping.' 'It is a fact
worthy of observation' says Mr.
O'Connor, 'that not one Indian was found
among the dead, although it
is known that from three to four hundred
were present.' A brave
enemy would have found something to
praise in the efforts of Colonel
Shortt and his men, in this their
'unparalleled defeat;' but all is forgotten
in the lavish encomiums bestowed upon
Major Croghan and the band
of 'heroes,' who 'compelled an army,'
says an American editor, 'much
more than 10 times superior,' to
relinquish the attack."
LAST SURVIVOR OF FORT STEPHENSON.
A group of distinguished visitors
entering unannounced the
Blue Room at the White House, during the administration of
President Hayes, were surprised to find
the beautiful mistress
of the house sitting on the floor,
needle and thread in hand,
while before her half reclining on the
central divan, sat an old
soldier in the uniform of an ordnance
sergeant of the United
States Army.
The callers, who were Sir Edward
Thornton, the British
Minister, with some English friends,
were about to retire, when
Mrs. Hayes looked up from her work, saw
them, and laughingly
called them to stay. She rose from the
floor, shook hands warmly
with the old man, and parrying his
thanks and assuring him that
his uniform was now perfect, handed him
over to the care of
her son.
The story is one of her many kindly,
self-unconscious acts.
One of her sons, visiting the Barnes
Hospital at the Soldiers'
home near Washington, had examined the
list of soldiers living
there and discovered that one was a
veteran of Fort Stephenson,