Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1840-10-01
from the Providence Journal.
Mis~statelnents Of tho Clio he
respecting Gen. Harrison.
Providence. Sent. 70. l94O.

?
My Dear Sir.-ln my former letter 10
you, 1 stated that the fleet Of CommoI
dors Perry, was created at the recon-
mcnda,ion Of Gen. Harrison. The edi-
tors Of the Globe say, that Armstrong
recommended IL; aud II is probable that
he and other private citizens (for sucfs
Armstrong then was) entertained The
same opinion Of lis expediency But
they dare not deny that General HART
sou, the commander Of the array, recon-
}. mended u.
! The Globe further contends, that "the
Secretary insisted Oh getting possession
Of the lake, before the army embarked
at Ciereiand, aud that Harrison" who
apprehended the possible deI.a, OF Perry,
aud calculated, ~ that event, the great
difficulty Of moving The army from CIeve-
land to the head Of the lake) "says, ma
letter 10 the Secretary, that he could see
no reason why Cleveland should be pre-
ierred as the point Of embarkaiion for the
troops, but preferred the head Of thc
like" Now, when il is considered that
Cleveland was by land nearly 200 miles
from tho enemy at Maiden, ut the head
provisions for the campaign were already
at the latter place, could better advice
have been gwen But, what is more,
The advice Of Gen. Harrison IN this par
ticulurs was in II great measure actually
followed, the Globe to the contrary not
wlbslandnng for the army never AS
semblro a, Cleveland, bu, at Seneca, or
the Sandusky ,and embarked at the mouth
OF that river, which, compared with
Cleveland, is near Tho head of the lake,
nDd Gol. Johnson's regiment, actually
did march round the head OF the lake. AS
Harrison first proposed to The Secretary
IN these words /: "The lake being pos
sessed by our ship ps, and the heavy hug
gage taken'along its margin,' the tr"ps
would find no difficulty 10 the land route. "
The whole affair was therefore planned
aud executed nearly with HE views of
Gen. llalrIsoQ ;-and hence the asser-
ton of the. Globe, that "he co,respon-
dence ot Harrison and The Secretary prores
The neV a'rosaion hai The former planned
!, The campaign 10 be utterly false, Is itself
utterly iaIso for although their plans
materially, Uttered, that oi iarrisur, wa<
in IA great measure actually adopted and
executed, aud, what Is more, was crVwb-
cd with complete success.
\ The concluding paragraph Of fine
Globe runs thus
"lt may be that the fact Of his being
controlled by the Secretary to pursue
plan opposed to his own, operated on
Harrison TO prevent his making the prop
IL
stores at Cleveland, and Pery's fleet,
which owed their preservation alone tor
! The heroism OF Croghan." Wha, in tho
name Of common sense had Croehan tO
do with tbe preservation oi the stores ~
Cleveland, or the fleet at Erie They
were both protected by regiments OF OHIO
and Pennsy lvanla militia; called out ior
the purpose by the respective Govern
ors, and by 400 or 500 sailors and mir
rines in the fleet, whilst Croghap was
cooped up in block house, sixty miles
from Cleveland, and 100 from Erie, with
100 men, and the roads nearly Impassa-
bic. Would the British, With the 500
or GOO men that were repulsed by Cro-
CHAN, have attempted TO march to Clevc-
land, had they captured his fort, vhcn
Harrison's army was only nine miles oft,
AN army which shortly alter prsoe,s
and captured The British army Oh thew
own shores Perhaps HE editors oi tho
Globe would dodge tire absWdHy, by
saying that Croshan repuIssd and er'p-
pied force destined to land at CAeye-
land and Erie, and this explanations W
certainly the best calculated u Tire two
for guIling their readers but w Offering
il they must take care 10 conceal tbe
fact, that the feet at Erie sailed on the
very day after Croghan made his gallant
defence, IN pursuit oi the enemy Snt}
would gladly have met the IN, had the COM
modore known where to 6rd them. IL "
worthy OF remark THAT Com. Perry, us
SOON as the victories were achieved by
himself and Harrison, addresses letter
of thunks 10 Gen. Mead Of Afop'vi'Ie,
for the protection his regiments had giveW
10 The lleet whilst building bW 10 Gro
CHAN lac had nothing to say, havmg never
heard OF blm while his fleet WIS M Ere,
The idea Of his allording the least as-
sistance to protect the Hcet is therefore
utterly absurd.
VIII tho hardy sons Of Ohio and Penn
sylvanla, who lcit their farms and work
shops and marched in regiments to Cleve-
land aud Erie, and endured the priva-
tions Of camp HE, thank the Globe iov
saying that Col. Croghan, with $50 pcw
from 90 to 100 miles distant, protected
tho places assigned to their charge, aud
which they faithfully defended W'D
the sons OF the keystone Suite 50 UNDER
value their own military services ~
will they upgratclully tear from The brow
of General Harrison the laurebs Won by
hrn IN a battle that restored peace aud
prosperity to llo whole north western
frolaIer Docs It accord with the opIn-
ions expressed by tbsir Ps.rivt,c Govern
~ ~ b,s annual message To the Lea'~la-
uire, wherein be SAYS, "hs Gtesstng u
thousands ei noDen aud children, rescued
from he seaiping knife y The ruthless sor-
osc Of he wiiderness, and from the still
more sarage Proctor, rest on Ha,,iso"
and hs gallant army ?''
Akin to this palpable misrepresenia-
A. Al. ..sl