Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1840-10-17
Respectfully,
G.. CROGHAN.
Sr. LOUIS. Oclnhar 2l. ISL

| ST. LOUIS, October 81, 1910.
| DEAR CoLoNEL--At your request state to yon
the substance of our several conversations touch
| ing your opinion of Gen. Harrison, ind your
happy difference with that distinguished officer
| The first conversation which took place between
| us was at Fort Stevenson, where you commanded
| in the early part of September, 1913, when MAYOR
| Wood and myself were on our way to recnnnoitrc
| the Sandusky Bay. and TO have conference with
| Commodore Perry, on the subject Of our joint OPP
erations against the enemy. That conversation is
perhaps the better recollected, inasmuch it has
often been referred to in subsequent converse
| tions since the war and from the fact that you
| did me the compliment to say that you made
| memorandum Of the principle upon which had
acted in respect to meeting of the field officers,
| with Brig Gen. Cass, which took place soon after
nv arrival from Fort Meigs, and but few weeks
after your gallant defence of Fort Stevenson.
which took place while was at Fort Meigs.
In reply to my enquiries respecting General Har-
rson's plan of operations at TippecanOe, you re.
piled that the selection Of his position was the best
to be found the place Of encampnent; that his
formation Of the different corps of bis army in the
| encampment, was made with view to hold every
officer and every man ready for action upon the
ground where they slept. That Gen. flarrison's
| vigilance had previously been he subject of re-
mark and admiration among The troops, and ii was
that night increased. That you had several oppor
tunites of seeing him in the fUrepbrt OF tie night
and ut or near the time the battle commenced
That you saw him frequently in the course of the
battle and heard him giving his orders, aud with
great distnctness urimating his troops--and that
| no man could have been more collected or fearless
in battle than Harrison was upon that OCCASION.
In speaking of the battle Of Fort MeigS Major
| Wood and yourself concurred in the opinion that
General Harrson's plan of defence was uneXcep-
| tonabe, and that the victory at that place was far
| in hmm res and
mate consequences than had been conceded, even by
many of the friends of the General that shade
| had been cast over that victory, by the untoward
disaster of the loss of Colonel Dudley and his Reg-
ment who, after defeating the British on the left
| bank of the river, were led into an ambuscade OF
| Tecrrnsch's Indians, where they were cut OF in
an attomp. to do more than they had been ordered
to do. 1t was not possible, Wood and yourself
believed, for the General 10 restrain save them
| occupied as he on the right bank of the river
| in tie hottest Of the battle, neal mile from the
point where the ambuscade was formed on the left
You both assured that the movement of CO...
Dudley and his Regiment was contrary to the
orders of the General, who had 20 means of cor
rec;ing the fatal error into which the impetuosity
of this fine corps of brave Kentucky volunteers had
| led them.
In respect to Fort Stevenson, you and Mnjor
| Wood--than whom have never known more gal
liant, nor more promising officer, and who after
|
| BILE fame i'll battle under my command at Fort
Erie,--coucurred fully in the opinion lnt it would
| or might have been, attended with fatal COnsc-
quences to the Northwestern frontier for General!
Harrison to have broken up the nucleus Of the army,
then assembling at Camp Seneca, and marched TO
your assistance at Fort Stevenson His general
and field officers were reported to have expressed
the same opinion III council Of war at the time o.
attack. You expressed then, and subsequently,,
your satisfaction, and that Of your officers and
men, that you were permitted to continue the con-
flict alone. Major Wood and myself sustained
you in this impression. YOu were both Of the
opinion that movement ON the part Of the Gen.
erOl, with the unnstructed troops, such as most OF
those with him at the time known to be,
might put it in the power Of TGcunseh, ana his
army Of sayages--repored 10 be upwards Of three
tbousand-to cripple, and possibly overpower the
troops at Camp Seneca il not in the intervening
thick woodlands. In this event tie frontier, for
many hundreds of miles. would have been laid
open to savage depreciation which could not have
been checked before the arrival of the chIralry Of
kentucky under Governor Shelby. That gallant
army did not arrive until near the middle of Sep
TENDER, 1913.
| The loss OF the Nucleus of ElarriSln's nrny at
Camp Seneca, at any time before the arrival OF
Governor Shelby, might have protraced onr opera
tons upon that frontier, until the following year
when we might have found such reininrcements on
LicabIe for US to profit by Perrys brilliant victory
on Lake Erie
You have repeatedly assured me that the cores
pOndence between General Harrison and yourself
was not intended BY you for publication, and thai
you had shown it only to such persons as You con-
sidered TO be the mutual friends OF both Genera
Harrison and yourself, and that You believed INC
Generals apparent neglect to do you aud your OIL
GERS and men that Justice which you deemed your.
self and them entitled to, not the result of any
design on his part TO injure you Or them.
Unwilling as am TO appear in the newspapers
or to interfere in any way with the political con
troversy which is now going on between the advo
Gates and the opponents of the present adminiStra,
tioD not strictly compatible with my official station
can never hesitate to do an oct of Justice to those
with whom have served in the defence of our be-
loved country, and more especially when Sian
, dered as General Harrison has been by the blinC
votaries Of the evil spirit of pary-many of whom
know to be mere handles, who have never to m
} knowledge, seen the fash of On eneny'S gun
nor even made an effort to enter big swamp il
search of foe.
With great esteem. your friend,
S EDMUND P. GAINES.
3 Cot. GEORGE CRoGHAN.
!