Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-12-23
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
GEN HARRISON AND THE WESTERN CAMPAIGN


The reader will find below very interesting
letter from General LESLIE COMBS, of Kentucky,
10 Mrs TAYLOR, of North Bend, daughter of the
lamented President HARRISON. The letter, as the
reader will perceive, written at the instance OF
Mrs. TAYLOR, who naturally desired the testimony
of living witness SO reliable and extensively
known as General COMBS, and one who could speak
from personal knowledge, as gallant participation
in the arduous and bloody campaign Of the North
west under her illustrious father, whose military
fame she deems to have been unjustly dealt with.
LEXINGTON, (KY) NOVEMBER IS, 1854
To Mrs. ANNA T. H. TAYLOR,
Daughter Of Gen. Wm Henry Harrison,
late President Of the United States.
My DEAR MADAM: Your letter calling my attention to
Heades History Of the Second War with Eng
land was duly received You ask me to yindicate the
memory Of your deceased father from the "ipjustice
therein done him as military man, and direct my at
tenion particularly the following paragraph on pages
LOG and 1877:
When Tscumseh reached again the British in Canada
he found the American army at Fort Meigs Harrison
after Wmchesers defeat insead Of pushing on IN pursuit.
had retreated He brave general b lacked the energy
and romptness necessary 10 Efficient eoma,onder lars
far these qualities seemed confined TO tie English cscerS
Tearing 10 ours the single one Of caution !"
Now this brief extract naturally divides itself into
three parts
lst That Gen. Harrison although brave man, lacked
the energy and prompncss necessary to On ehcient COM
mander.
ID That these qualities (viz energy and promptaess)
seemed thus far to be confined to the English officers,
leaving to the single one of caution
And Sd. That Gen. Harrison, after Gen. Winchesters
defeat at Raisin instead of ereGg the Maumee
river ought have pushed in pursuit Of the enemy
1t seems to me that the letter Of Col CHARLES s. Topp
recently published in the National Integencer ought to
be sufficient to satisfy all impartial minds that MIR.
Headey has done your father and his brother officers great
Injustice but as you have also invited my humble tes
timony in the case it shall be given Whether or not it
will at all influence the historian to modify his state
mcnt in these particulars will depend on his own love
of truth
In order to understand fully the merits Of the question,
it be remembered that when the command OF the
Northwestern army conferred upon Gen. HARRISON
that entire region Of country from Lake Erie to the MIS-
sssippi river, comprising five or six independent
States and filled with millions Of civilized inhabitants
was one unbroken Wilderness mostly in possession OF
hostile and Infatuated savages.
The state Of Ohio was itself full of Indian towns be-
yond Columbus Urbana, and Dayton, towards the
Lakes; in one Of which Tecuseh and the Prophet had
been and had many influential relatives The army,
under Hull had been surrendered at Detroit, and all
Michigan Territory given up to the British The forts at
Chicago and MdcaU had been taken and their garrsons
massacred Fort Wayne had been closely beleaguered,
and all its surrounding inhabitants driven of or toma
too had the fate Of the little settlement at the foot
Of the Maumee Rapids where Toledo now stands.
nominal army Of ten thousand men was assigned to
Gen. Harrison TO protect that whole exposed frontier
recover Michigan, and conquer Upper Canada OF this
the greater portion than eourths, to be
six months militia, drawn from Ohio, Kentucky Penn
sylvania, and Virginia; and the remainder newly re-
cruited regulars generally commanded by young and
inexperienced officers.
There was not wagon road or navigable stream to
be relied upon transport his munitions Of war and the
aIyap ol Isx,cn ~
his army and consequently the left wing, under Gen.
Winchester frequently the verge Of starvation
during the months Of October November, and Decem-
Der, 1872
rson encountered and during this time with his
troops and inadequate means in country full OF
swamps and almost impossible morasses. shall not
dwell upon them. Even after forty years occupation
and labor by the white of the roads nearly
impossible during the winter season, unless when hard
frozen.
Having driven back the enemy and relieved Fort Wayne
Gen. Harrison destroyed all the hostile Indian towns on
the Elkheart and Wabash rivers, and afterwards
sent force under Col. Campbell to dispense large
body Of warriors collected the Missssnawa towns
This being accomplished in brilliant STYLE Gen. Harri
son prepared to invade Upper Canada soon as the
swamps and the lake sufficiently frozen to admit the
passage Of his baggage wagons and artillery The Br
sh had command Of the lake when it was open for you
will remember that Peys glorious victory not gain
ed till the following 10th Of September Thus matters
stood on the 30th December, 1872.
The Maumee Rapids, the scene OF Wayne's great VIC
tory the necessary point Of concentration for his
army previous his contemplated rapid advance upon
Maiden and Detroit From this point the left scing under
Gen. Winchester composed of the Kentucky volunteers
and the 18th regiment of United States infantry was
camped foryfour miles up the river old Fort De-
fance the cene consisting of Ohio militia, under Gen.
Topper on HuPs trace, eighty miles from the Rapids,
towards Urbanna; and the right aing, at Upper Sam
dusky over one hundred miles distant.
At the named place Gen. Harrison established his
headquarters so be in position to hasten his
he could keep eye Lake Erie and protect that from
tier from any sudden invasion.
Gen. Winchester had received orders as he had
accumulated certain amount OF provisions to advance
to the Rapids throw up temporary breasworks and COM
building huts, to induce the enemy to believe he
going into winter quarters 1t was indispensable to
occupy this positionhe subsequent site of Fort Megs
stores and munitions Of which to be forwarded
from the other wings Of the army.
From the 22d to the Both Of December Gen. Winches-
ter making active preparations for this change OF po
stion, which to bring him much nearer to the
envy Having provided for the sick and assigned guard
to protect them, well garrison for old Fort De-
fsnce, the march for the Rapids commenced the
Kentucky who had joined the army on its march, was
dispatched with verbal message to the commanderin
chief giving information Of his movement, and that he
oud dpait his further orders at The Rapids. Inasmuch
the messenger forced to &c foot through path
less wilderness Of hundred miles in extent nfest-
ed by hostile Indians, Gen. Winchester feared he might
be killed captured and his dispatches thus obtained by
the British il fully committed to writing, and he there
fore only gave him brief saying that his commu-
ncation might be entirely relied upon by Gen Harrison
The weather had been unusually open for the season.
and the ground consequently soft On the next day,