Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-08-24
Thomas Christians Adventures with
The EnCiauS

Anything pertaining to the early history
OF the Maumee Valley, whether of a civic
or military character, is read with interest
| by all classes of citizens, and should be
placed in form for preservation. We
| therefore take pleasure in transferring tC
our columns the following account Of Thos
Christians s adventures with the Indians al
the celebrated defeat of Dudley, from the
Paris, KY, True Kentuckian:
Soon after the defeat of General Win
chester, near the river Raisin, by the Brit
ish and Indians, under the British General
Proctor, which occurred in January, 1918,
there was a call by our country for more
help, to which many of US responded by
volunteering our services to her assistance.
Companies and regiments were soon
formed in every direction, One Of Ken
tucky's bravest men, Col. Dudley, raised a
regiment which assembled at Lexington,
and which I joined at that place,
AS soon as our regiment was made
up and ready for travelling, we were
hurried across the country into Ohio,
to Fort Defiance, in the fork of the St. Jo-
seph's and Augalaize rivers. In the mean
time General Harrison had built Fort
Meigs, at the rapids of the Maumee river,
and anticipating an attack We were called
Immediately to his assistance, and when
we arrived there the fort was already be-
sieged by the British and Indians, under
Proctor and Tecumseh, whom we attacked,
and being dismayed at the arrival of rein
forcements and our bold attack, they re
treated leaving their cannons, which we
spiked and ran into the Maumee river.
The enemy was apparently so demoralized,
and ourselves being flushed with victory,
and being fresh troops and unaccustOmed
to Indian warfare, we were easily decoyed
into the woods in pursuit of them; but we
had not pursued them far until ~e found
ourselves involved in a labyrinth of diff
culties from which bat very few Of Us were
ever extricated. Col. Dudley and many
of our regiment were soon killed, and the
remainder surrendered to Proctor; but he
was not able to protect US from the Indians
and then commenced the sickening details
of butchering unarmed men. The cOun-
tenances of the Indians we're distorted 10y
the most heartIess and helhSh passions
that ever defOrmed the human face, besides
being painted in the most hideOus manner
that could be invented by savage ingenuity.
i They robbed and insulted all of us, and
then went around manning and numbering g
the men In the most malicious man
ner. The British seemed to have some
sympathy lOI us, duu Oru6IGu us IDLO III
old deserted fort about a mile distant
which they thought might be some protoc.
ton to US. But the Indians continued tc
murder our men as we hastened to the fort
Several men were killed very near to me,
and I expected all the time to be killed
Just as got near the entrance Of the fort
! several Indians grabbed me, and being q
stout man and feeling the necessity OF max,
| ing desperate effort, 1 sprang forward
the buttons flew, and left my coat and the
Indians behind; but as soon as l escapes
| they tomnhawked an old man by the name
of Bradshaw so close to me that his blood
and brains few all over me. The fort die
not afford much protection after all, fol
the Indians invaded it, and would have
murdered every one Of US, had no
even the savage heart of TecamseE
sickened at the revolving spectacle, an6
caused him to withdraw his Indians. As
| soon as the Indians were withdrawn, the
British conducted the remainder Of US tC
! the NEaumee River, put us upon some
| small hat-bottomed open boats, and foatec
us down into Lake Erie and put us aboard
British man-of-war, where we were inhu
namely treated by a reckless set of adven
! turers; but we were finally parOled anC
! turned loose on land at the mouth of Huron
river, without anything to make our way
as best we could through wilderness bacI
10 our friends.