The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-08-24
More Incidents OF the war Of
1919 In the Northwest.
BIZ JOHN HARMON.

ht tne ClOse oi my last communication
mentioned the sickness OF several of our Oh.
GERS and n.commissioned officers at Csps.
Downing's, on the River Raisin-the death
and burial Of one Of them, Sergeant John
the darkness of the night OF
August 18th. 1919, and the stampede Of most
Of the Ohio troops there, who were able to
travel. Sergeant Wright was good soldier,
and beloved by all his fellows, He leftd
family in Rootstown, Portage County. He
was brother to James Wright, Esq, now
and long a resident of Rootstown..
About 90 of Campbell's company were
too sick to travel, and some more stayed by
them as friends to aid in the care Of the sick,
making 26 in all, / believe, who remsinsd
at their quarters, risking their lives thus
placed at the mercy Of the British and 1ndi.
ans, the latter of whom soon made their ap.
pearance among US in considerable numbers,
and some Of whom were disposed to plurder
from the prisoners but mono Of them cared
to wound or murder US. But, as few of Us
had anything to excite their cupidity, they
did not annoy US much. Our arms, those
that hud not been carried off by our retreat.
ing friends, were taken by the British off.
GERS next day. My own trusty rife had dis.
appeared mysterously from the place had
deposited it in Lasalle's mill, where we
lodged on the night of the stampede, and from
some remark of fellow soldier, about to
leave that evening, who seemed to grudge it
to the British, presumed it was carried back
to Ohio. But l never saw nor heard of it
afterward. 1t was said that one or two threw
their rifles into the mill pond. My tomahawk
I deprived Of its handle, hid in my knapsack
and carried home; and l afterwards gave it
to friend John Gardner, when he went out
in Capt. A. Lusk's company to guard the
frontier. One Indian came to Downing's a
day or two after the capitulation, rainy day,
wearing woter-soaked, collapsed and timber
fur'hat, t,insisted on swapping hats with Lieut..
Day, and wore off much better hat than
his old one, which had no doubt been plum.
dered from some other white man. One In.
dian demanded and carried off the silver
watch carried by our principal nurse-the
very amiable and kind John Smith, Of MIN.
tua,-the watch, belonging also, believe,
to Lieut.. Day. 1t was our good fortune that
the Indians had not then been maddened by
the loss Of their own friends, as they had al.
terwards, at the time of Winchester's defeat.
A day or two, perhaps more, after the retreat
Of our friends, the British officer there, Capt.
Elliott, offered some OF US on open boat to
navigate down the lake to Cleveland, and OF
our company, Corporal Daniel Burroughs,
Jr., Job Thompson, Jr., VIM. Goodman, Jr.,
Ebenezer Buckley and one more whose name
do not recolecl, availed themselves Of the
opportunity to 60 on their way homeward.
Others Of us, think 9 in all, were, on Au.
gust 25th, taken on board of another open
boat, on which was Capt. Elliott and few
soldiers and were carried to the British fort,
Maiden, on Detroit River, some two or three
miles from its mouth. OF those al. all but
John Smith, were invalids, and some were
very sick. Of the latter were Lieut.. Day,
and Sergeant Lewis Day, of Deer6eld, John
McManus and Corpara John Turner, of Ra-
VIENNA, who were SO low as to be unfit to be
moved thus. Sergeant Day died the morn.
ing of the 26b, and John Turner lived only
to get to Cleveland, to the residence of Judge
Kingsbury, now Newburgh, where he linger.
ed short time and died. Orderly Sergeant
Day, (brother to Lieut.. Day) and Corporal
Turner, were kind, good hearted men, and
good soldiers. Sergeant Day was indeed
much beloved by all. He left wife and
children in Deerti,ld, who afterwards became
residents of Edinburg. ...- ...,
Our quarters at Maiden were in the Iud.
an Council house near the river bank, some
20 or 80 rods above the fort !; and there we
found large number of Ohio1ns, who were
also of the Ohio volunteers, some of whom
died while we were there. The sick had to
lie on the bare floor of the large building
with only, in most cases, blanket for both
bed and covering and ou' food was salt
pork, and that not the sweetest, peas that
would not boil soft, and bakers bread which
was loathed, as it appeared to taste Of lime.
One of the sick, who had been at that house
some days before us, lying on the bare floor,
had his flesh so worn from his hips that the
nip bones appeared to be bare. For our
part, we soon got leave TO occupy a small
house in town, back of the fort, where sen.
inels were placed over US at the door, and
70 keep out Indians, of whom there appeared
% be thousands on the Commons about the
own, and the council house. In that small
rouse our sick had better quarters, and soft.
er bedding; but the sentnels would some.
.Ime let saucy Indians in among us, who,
though they dared not kill any, delighted to
show us what they could do. One OF the
linsy rascals came in with his knife drawn
and struck my brother Z1cheus Harmon, in
.he breast with the hilt of his knife and
knocked him down among the sick on the
1oor. 1t was not hard blow !; but he was
20 weak he was scarcely able to stand.-4-
Among the Indians about the fort, were sew.
eral who had hunted about our county. and
we're known to us. George Vincent, ,oras