The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-10-22

memorandum of the principle upoE which
| had acted in respect to a meeting of the field
officers, with Brig Gen. Cass, which, teok place
soon after my arriral from Fort Meigss and but
a few weeks after yoUr gallant deience,of Fort
Stephenson, which took place while .I,was at
Fort Neigs.
.Infsepy TO my enquiries respecting general
HaTiion's plan of operations At Tippecanoe,
you replied that the selection of his position
was the best to be found near the place Of en-
eampmeTs; that his formation OF the different
corps ofhts army in the encampment, wa
made with view to hold every officer and ev-
eTy man ready for action npon the ground
where theyS!ept That Gen. Hawison's vigi.
lance had previously been the subject of re-
marx and admiration among the troops, and
it was that night increased. Chat y.sn had
several opportunities of seeing him in tbe fore
part of the night and at or near the tiae the
battale commenced. That you saw him fire.
quently ia the course of the battle, and heard
blm giving has orders, and with great distinct
ness aninating his tToops-and that no nan
could have been mere collected or fearless in
battle than Harrison was upon that occasion.
Ia speaking Of the battle of Fort Meigs,
Major Wood and yourself concuned in the
opinen that General harrison's plan obedience
was unexceptionable, ard that the victory at
that place was far more important in its imme
dtdte results and ultimate consequences than had
been conceded, even By many of the friends
of the GeneFal that shade had been cast over
that victory, BY the untowaTd disaster of the
loss of Colonel Dudley and his Regiment; who,
after defeating the British on the left bank OF
the river, were led into an ambuseahe of Te-
e'iInSeh's Indians, where they were cut off in
an attempt to do more than they had been or.
dered TO do. 1t was not possible as Wood
and yourself believed, for the General TO res
train or save them-occupied as he was on the
right bank of the river, in the hottest OF the
battle, near a mile from the point where the
was formed on the left. You both
assured me that the movement of Col Dudley
and his regiment was contrary TO the orders of
the General, who had no means of correcting
the fatal error into which the impeuosity Of
this fine corps of brave Kentucky volunteers
had led them.
In respect to Fort Stephenson, you and Ma |
jor Wood-than whom | have never known |
more gallant, nor more promising officer, and |
who afterwards repeatedly covered himself
with imperishable fame in battle under nv |
command at Fort Eric honoured fully in the |
opinion that it would, or might have been at |
tended with fatal consequences to the North |
western frontier for General Harrison 10 have |
broken up the nucleus of the army, then assem-
bling at Camp Seneca, and marched to your as |
sistance at Fort Stephenson. His general and |
field officers were reported TO have expressed
The same opinion in a council of war at the |
time of attack You expressed then, and snb- |
your satisfaction, and that of your
officers and men, that you were permitted to
continue the conflict alone. Major Wood and
myself sustained you in this impression. You
we're both Of the opinion that movement on
The part OF the General, with the uninstructed
Of fhcca will 81 h.
line were kuGWn to be, might put il in the
power of Tecumseh, am. -! hi@ army ofsaVages-
exported to be upwards of three thousana-..cc
ripple, and possibly oveIpower the troops at
Camp Seneca, if not in the intervening thick
woodlands. In this event, the frontier, for
many hundreds of miles, would have been laid
open to savage depredation-which could not |
have been checked before the arrival OF the |
chivalry of Kentucky under Governor Shelby. |
That gallant army did not arrive until near the |
middle of September, 1878.
The loss of the nucleus of Harrison's army
at Camp Seneca, at any time before the arrival
of Governor Shelby, might have protracted
our operations upon that frontier, until the
following year, when we might have found
such reinforc ements on the part of England as
10 have rendered il impracticabe for US to pro-
fit by Perry's brilliant victory on Lake Erie.
You have repeatedly assured me that the
between General Harrison and
yourself was not intended by you for publica-
ton, and that you had shown it only to such
persons as you considered TO be the mutual
friends of both General Harrison and yourself,
and that you believed the Generals apparent
neglect 10 do you and your officers and men
that justice which you deemed yourself and
them entitled to, was not the result of any de-
81 en- on his part 10 injure you or them.
Unwilling as am TO appear in the newspa-
pers, or to interfere in any way with the polit
ical controversy which is now going on be-
tween the advocates and the opponents of the
present administrs ton, not strictly compatible
with my official station, can never hesitate TO
do an act of justice to those with whom have
served in defence of our beloved country, and
more especially when slandered, as General
Harrison has been by the blind votaries Of the
evil spirit of party-many of whom know TO
be mere handles, who have never, to my know
ledge, seen the flash of an eneIny's gun-nor
even made an effort TO enter big swamp in
search of a foe.
With great esteem, your friend,
EDMUND P. GAINES.