The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-11-03
From the Kew York Ledger.
OHIO AND TECUMSEH.
BY HON. JOHN SHERMAN, UNITED
STATES SENATOR FROM OHIO.

umn in the Ledger. The long strus
gle with the Indian tribes, the blood
fights on lake and land with Britis
and Indians, and the hardships. Or
vations and perils OF the early Sc
tiers Of Ohio, make a subject for hi,
tory as varied and instructive, if nc
50 dramatic, as the Conquest Of Mex
co. Some day the hand Of a skillfI
master will group them into NOR
than one yOiumn, as full Of intere:
and adventure as the best chapter {
Prescott. The materials for such
history are ample. Some of the earl
settlers wrote as well as they fought
The leading events are recorded Il
official reports, and the lesser fnci
dents Of our local history have bee
preserved in letters, sketches, colleC
tions and books. Perhaps the best {
these is Judge Burnets 'Notes on tn
Northwestern Territory" The col
umh you asked me to fill WOul
scarcely serve for a chronological ts
BILE Of principal events, but it will
enough TO remind your readers of tn
wonderful changes made by a singl
generation Of hardy men and womel
who, within the measure of one life
have converted the Northwest Terri
tory from savage wilderness int,
the home of more than ten million
of prosperous Christian people. Ny
life does not 60 back far enough Z
enable me to speak from memory, bu
my parents were pioneers, and som
of my neighbors, now living, remem
Der when Ohio was organized as
State, and several of them fought
with British and Indians at place
now occupied Dy towns and'cities.
In 1877, when the Ordinance ant
Constitution of the United State:
were adopted, Ohio was an almos
unbrOken forest, full of wild game
and inhabited by powerful tribes o
Indians, who made their stand OF
this their favor;te hunting ground
against the approach of the whit
man, with more tenacity and cOUr-
age than ever before or since. The
first settlement was established il
l7SS at Marietta, on the Ohio river
under the superintendence Of Genera
Rufus Putnam, and was cOmpOseC
mainly of Massachusetts soldiers, who
had served in the Revolution. They
certainly did not show much Yankes
sagacity in the selection of land, fol
this purchase" is, as a body, the
poorest agricultural land in the State
though including some beautiful val
leys. This settlement was followed
soon by several Others near Cincinna.
Ii, on what Is known as the Symmes
purchase. In 1875, the whole white
population Of the Northwest was esti.
mated at fifteen thousand; and in lSOC
the census showed 45, 1855. This sec.
ton now contains more than ten
millions, and Ohio alone has a popu-
latiOn Of near three millions, or as
many inhabitants as all the Ameri-
can colonies had when they declared
their independence. The productions
rand property of Ohio are now more
than twOfold in value the productions
and property Of the United States
during Or at the close of the Revolu-
tiOnary war. A growth 50 eXtraordin-
AIRY was only achieved by sufRerings
and trials that we can form no con-
ception OF. Indians, wild beasts, for
t1sts1 famine, feyers, poverty, finan-
clal panlcS ndreVulsiOns-eVeF form
of evil to which man can be subject
were in their turn met and overcome.
L know the readers of the Ledger viii
agree with me that out of their trials
have come as hardy and intelligent
a race Of men and women as can be
found in any portion of the world.
The history of Ohio during this time
naturally divides itself into, first, its
civil history, which includes the
opening Of farms, the growth of towns
and cities, and the DEVELOPMENT of
civil and social habits, laws and in
stitutlons; and secondly, its military
history, which includes the long and
bloody stuggle with the Indian tribes.
They were aided almost always by
the British as our fathers called
the English soldiers, agents and trad
ers, and generally with a bitter en-
phasis on the word British" which
evineed the strong feeling Of hostility
that the combination Of Proctor and
reeumseh, the British and Indians.n
stamped upon Western pioneers. This
contest so far as Ohio was locally
concerned, ended in 1913, by the bat
tie Of the Thames, where Proctor was
utterly defeated and Tecumseh,killed.
From that the Indians in Chic were
either scattered vagabonds, or lived
in small bands was the reservations
The last of these was the remnant
Of the once powerful tribe of Wyan-
dots, who, in 1876, were crowded from
their home in Wyandot county, Ohio
to the Kansas river.
During the whole period of the ear
ly settlement, from 1T87 to 1913, an ir-
regular war existed between the Indi-
ans and the settlers. Treaties were
fr1lfr~
ed. 1t is the same old story since the
discovery Of America by Columbus,
but in Ohio the struggle was check
cred by many battles and some sad
defeats. In 1870, the murders and
depredatiOns by the Indians became
so general that the Government fitted
out strong expedition under Gener-
al Harmer, but it resulted disastrous 4
ly. During the following year a much I
more formidable force, under General [
st. Clair, was sent against the Indi- I
ans; but this again, after partial sue |
ceesses, was surprised and disastrous /
ly defeated. In 1894 a still greater /
force was Organized, under the COM (
mand Of General Wayne, the "Iad |
Anthony" Of the Revolution; and .
this expedition resulted in the utter
a. : 60
defeat OF the Indians, the burning of
their towns, and soon the evacuation
Dy the British Of the Western forts.
Then came the treaty of Greenville,
by which the Indian title tOthe larg-
er part OF Ohio was eXtinguished.
The details of this treaty, of which
we have q full record, show that near
~ all the tribes of the Northwest mar
ticipated, and that they exhibited a
great deal of cunning and eloouence.
When they were gathered in Coun-
ell, General Wayne made them a
speech. He told them that the Great
Father was anxious TO be at Deace
with them, He said that the white
people were poor and needy, and wan
ted some land on which to raise corn
70 feed their children, and that he
was authorized to pay them ten thou
sand dollars in money and large an
nuities and a great many blankets /
and other goods, and would give them
guns and powder to kill game with. .
They took time to consider, and when 4
they again met in council the next 4
day, Turkee, the chief of the Wyan- I
dots, said they had considered the .
speech Of their Elder Brother, and the .
Great Spirit had been good to them, /
and had told them a way TO have
peace with their white brothers "Our 4
Elder Brother tells US that the white .
men are POOR and needy, and want T.
land to raise corn, and he offers US 1
much money and blankets for our
land. Now let the Great Father give 4
70 these poor people all this money 1
and annuities and blankets and goods {
and let them go back TO the land 1
from which they came and be rich
and happy"
But neither courage nor cunning
availed the Indian. At this day, when
we forget his barbarOus atrocities, we
pity his fate; bat an immutable law
made them fall before the white men,
whether Quakers, Puritans, or pio-
neers; and the remnant Of the tribes