Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-06-24
THE SIEGE OF FORT MEIGs,

| view of the renewed interest in those matters
proceeding from the visit paid this locality by n
fow Of the brave veterans who, like Col. O'FAL-
LON, were engaged in its defence, the state
ment will unqucstonably prove highly Interest,"
ing to all our readers.
1t was on tine first dav Of February. 1918. that
the Army Of General Harrison pitched their tents
upon and adjacent to the ground where Fort
Meigs was erected aud commenced the siOckndc
which was afterwards surrounded by ditch
and cmbankm nts embracing several acres of
| ground. The snow was very deep upon the
ground, and the weather extremely cold and
although the troops were raw and greatly unac-
customed to such severe expos ure, their ardour
mover abatcd. Under many deprivatons they
performed their several duties with zeal and
alacrty, that zeal and alacrity which spring
from the soldiers deep confidence in the tiled
skill aud courage Of his commander, and his
! warm attachment to his person. Early IN April
| 1918, the garrison of Fort Megs numbered about
| 800 effective men, two brigados Of MALTA hav-
! ing been discharged in consequences of the ter
| minAtion of their period OF service. This fact
! being carly ascertaincd by the British general
commanding at Ma lden, an expedition against
! Fort Meigs was Immediately projected. His
army Of British au1 Indians was near 4 900
strong, and he gave his Indian allies the most
! confident assurances, that he could carry the
! Fort by storm, should bis invitation to General
| Harrison tosurcnder with the honors Of r.a,, pe
| refused. He had heavy park Ut artillery, and
| this with the imagined weakness of our defences
! he iancled Would give him ready aud easy
! conquest oftle Fort And ii was even stpua-
| ted between the British general and the celebra-
! ted Teeumthc, that, should the garrison be tn-
Ken, and General Harrison remain alive, the
| American commander was to be delivered TO the
! Indian, who designed to wreak upon linn his
! savage rchgchce for the death of his many
bfates aud warriors who fell at the battle Of Tip
| pecanoe. Vain calculation Vain this prcnied-
! itatcd purpose Of base aud barbaruus malice
The God Of battles was with the brave Ameri-
can general, and he was reserved by wise and
| tar-sceinS Providence, to be in after times, the
| r1ud hope, the high bl lessing, the bright pr s.
| pect the noble dcliverer OF his country.
Fort Meigs was invested and canonaded with
| bomb shells and red hot balls for seven dafs,
during which timl General Harrison was ever
at the point of danger planning aud directing t
defence, and By his manner. his voice, his sG-
! gaciOus conduct, and his undaunted courage, in
! spring his officers and men with an abiding
| confidence uf ultimate victory. General Proctor
was at length driven to ccuess that he was con-
tending with comman lei whose courage and
military talents were equal to any emergency
! aud de-r'ir o. ieueeming the pledge he had Civ
! en- to his army, IN make an easy conquest Of the
| garrison, and being informed by intercepted COM
| muncation, that Gen. Harrison was in daily ex-
| pectation of reinforccmentS, he determined to ef-
Of accomplishing by open warfare. He calcula-
ted by timely and well concerted deception TO
| decoy into an ambuscade, large detachment OF
our garrisOn-then scarcely sufficient TO effectual-
! ly man the defences. Should he succeed in this,
! the ready sqt"!Gea cf M .i.c E.,7t wHnlh inevitably
follow. Suddenly brisk aui sharp firing was
heard in thick woods near the Fort, through
which passed the road to the interior. The
alarm strongly represented, as it was designed
to do, an Indian engagement. Shortly after
wards, loud wailing and gr0ans were heard, as
would aturallY proceed from wounded and dy-
ing men. The whole garrison at once concluded,
that an attack was made on our brothers in
arms on their way to our reii f, and who had the
trongest elaine to our assistance. Not SO how
ev er, with General Harrison. lie alone was in-
c'edulIus. Many Of his officers waited upon hip,
and almost demanded permission 10 fly to the
rescue. For II time the greatest eXcitment pre-
vailed in the garrison at the idea Of the sacrifice
of their gallant comrades, without attemt to-
save them. Gen. larrson's saEacity caught
the design of the enemy in moment, and il rs
qured the exercise of all his powerful influence
and authority TO subdue the impetuosity OF his
officers aud men, and to convince them of this
cunning device of the enemy, planned for their
distrGcuoH.
About two o'clock on the morning of the & tn Of
MAY, 1913, two officers came expressly from
General Green CiSy. who had passed the Indian
lines under e0Fer Of night, at the most imminent
that General Clay with his brigade OF kentucky
militia, was encamped OF the rive. few miles
above the Fort, to which lie would proceed early
that morning. This WAS most cheering intelli-
genee n Gen. Harrison; and with this addition
to his force, he determined at once to commence
Gifnnsive operation, by attacking the enemy at
every assailable point, disoge them from their
position, destroy their batteries, and thus ter
inmate the seige Of Fort Meigs. With this
view two Off GERS were immediately despatched
to General Clay with nrlers To land about a
mile abOVe the Fort the opposite side Of the
river, d. taehment af SEQ m IN nm Ter one of his
most trustworthy officers. To move upon the
British batteries, to carry them, spike the can
non, destroy the ammunition With their carriages
and Immediately upon the accomplishment of
this, to cross the river to the Fort nh Ter c0yer Of
cur artillery.
The brave Col. Dudley did inf most gallant
nanner take the British batteries and spiked
SOME pieces Of tkeir eauHan but too conf lent
OF his oyg strepgh, and ignoFsDs of that of enemc,
TO be 5000 III ide available, he WAS induced, 10
Thsatiea of his Instructions, to occupy the
ground taken uatil the enemy Lad time 10 col
lect their forces in aR adjacent woods, into
which he was eunningly enced by firing Hf
few indians where, after bloody conflict, che
largest part Of his e0mmaud wss taken,
Gen. Harris'n aisPla yed , in the judgement OF
al bis officers, the highest order at military tai
ent aGriag tlrc soige--fOx hIs eff i.ieat pIans of
-
cdmpnlert. as eoVec for his men-thc manner
of protecting his magazine the object eoustant
attack-as well as for the plan, direction, and
most opportune execution OF the grand objects of
the two sorties, made by detnehneH,s frnm the
garrison 0f Fort Meigs on the 9th of May 1913.
The first sortie was directed against that por-
ton of the Indians, and Canada militia. inves-
ting the south and west end of the Fort, for the
purpose of drawing them from the river, whilst
Gen. Ciay's detachment was ef4etins its en-
trance into the Fort.
The second sortic commenced its movement
just at the moment of the appearance, On the ep-
posite side, Of Dudley's detachment, advancing
upon the British batteries, having the double ef-
feet nf engaging the lHlians ana preventing
them from crossing the river 20 cooperate
against Dudley, and accomplishing the destrue-
ton of the enemy's batteries O1 the southeast
side Of the river.
On no occasion during the last war, were
greater honors acquired than by Gen. Harrison,
who coaceived and directed, and the gallant
men Eho executed his orders in these lWO bril-
iant sorties.
In both engagements our troops, whilst tteriy
exposed, advanced upon and repulsed the enemy
sheltered as he was by his position, aud outnum-
beTng our men % [.
iB tle last sOrtle our men marched as firmly
as veterans to the very months Of the British
cannon, receiving, unmoved, their. constant fire
of,pIape shet, accompanied by NEST Calling
ami destructive fire frnm thousands Of indians
and Mafitia Oa oar front AID lanks. Although
large number Of our men feii and perished on
the bed of h0nOr. their surviving comrades never
paused III their forward march until the batteries
with large portion OF the British regulars in
charge of them we're captured, and the whole
Indian ard malitia force was dispersed and rout-
ed. Thus ended the memorable siege OF Fort
Meigs.
- - -s-------
Tn the estimation Of The Baltimore Anerlcda,
it's singular and sal that personal bemishes
aIe hereditary. and that, il father is cursed
with any distressing defect, his chiil will very
likely have ii also. Now there is Schuylcr Col
fax, for instances his baby was born with