Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-03
THE ELOODY RAIslN.

csyepty yedIo dS'' ep"h sno RIVER
psisin, where Monroe now stanos' oc-
in.-rsd the most dreadful event in the
s;s.o-y ea.l of the white man on the soil OF
W;chie N. As soon AS possible after the
sn,rsnder of Detroit, IN August, 1872.
sun.ber army WAS organized oy General
sho;eon 10 retrieve the disaster. It's
20 wing consisted almost exclusively
sii sii.tnckv volunteers. under General
ysmes Winchester. IL advanced with
s aat difficulty through the wilderness
eMastern esMst Ohio. hut reached the rapids
o. In Nouruee on the 10Th OF January.
o. W. Winchester was advised of the oc-
neU ns.;an of Frenchtown, nov Monroe.
cup ,,sn companies of Canadian militia
sah ahont four hundred Indians. The
aMnSaa.nckiaps. ana strengthened by Well
Ell rso;nent of!reeuiar5. finding The
sh,t ,hirtv-ejciit miles distant, were
w oor 10 march at once against them
es al.bouoh the Americans had no re
en ,a ,p;.hia supporting distance exeep
g ssy hundred that would ba left 2.
.n ,ao;ds. while the British at Maiden
Is eichtesn miles from Erenchtown
od .,d march 200 men straight across
81 lao to reinforce their comrades, II Was
ss.a,mined to move at once to attack.
uoh W. ,hat with but 665 of the brave Ken
-".,, o.. bnrderers. Colonel Lewis com
.~srded the little detachment. with
caionel Allen. Majors Graves and Mad
~ az his next subordinates. They
ssssnced rapidly upon the eneny's pc
e;.;on marchiug n part of the way upon
Aa ne of the lake and river, attacked
h,;skly on the 18th, and drove the Brit
~ end Indians more than two miles,
n;,b loss themselves of twelve kilief.
and tueaty-fve wounded. The picket
" enclosures and few dwellings of
Frsnehtown stood upon the north banh
At.ba Raisin. General Winchester NJ
,;,sd ON the evening of the 10Th with ,
Enforcement of 80 regulars, moved
.s,oss on the ice and encampsd III tn
oosnirc TO the right OF Lewis, who occu
Nh q iaro. stockade III the village. snf
ac;ent against musketry, but worthless
aa,,nst aruttery. Lewls had space o.
bis left. within the inclosnre, Tor tn
rhola Of the regulars, but Wlnchestei
uoui,l not put them there, from poini
~ military etiquette which entitle.
raonlars to the post of honor on th
rght. As he was, his new camp was
wholly exposed, and he even negiectei
IN ocsupy some outlying houses and III
closures which commanded his flank
The NJ xt day he did not iutrench, ba'
postuGred the work to the 22d, and h'
took ouarters at the house of Cvlone.
Navarro. nearly n mile distant, on tn
other side Of the river.
The mistake of position and the dc
Law in fortifying were fatal. Dnriul
the night of the 2lst the infamous Proc
tor swiftly marched 100 Indians ant
whites upon the sleeping Americans.
The weather was intensely cold: not
picket was thrown out upon the road b,
which Proctor was advancing, and hi
blood thirsty sayages were almost upo
the camp before its occupants, arouse
by the roar of cannon and rattle oi
musketry, could stand to arms. The,
were thoroughly surprised, but soon go'
coarageons!y ut work, stood their groun'
temporarily and rapidly thinned tbs
ranks of the assailants. Tho brunt o.
the first attack naturally fell upon the
exposed regulars, and they had to Givs
way in few minutes under the mur
derous fire rained upon them at shor'
range. Winchester met them as he camt
B up from his distant lodgings and trief
Il 70 reform them within the stockades OF
E he left OF Lewis. but they were deaf Il
s tis appeals and fed through the deer
by which they had come from the Rap
H.. Winchester and Lewis were taken
All Allen killed in the effort to rally til,
fugitives. The Indians pursued IN larg'
numbers and cut them down remorSe
lessly. A similar fate soon overlook tbs
left Of the volunteers, which was broken
many of the men shot from behind ths
Nolt garden fences as they fled, ans
others tomahawked and soalped in tbs
woods west of tho village. One party
Of twenty surrendered. but all wer'
butchered at once, except the lieutenant
in command. Forty others had gon
three miles before they were taken,
when more than half of them were kill
cd on the spot. Winchester ard Levi
fell into the hands of the Indians, bu'
we're saved by Proctor with some diff
foulty.
Only the Kentuckians in the center
under Major Madison, were now left
They were we'll protected, ut leas'
against small arms, and for four hour.
held tho enemy at bay. So destructive
was their fire that they killed outright
thirteen of the sixteen men handling
British gun. Even Proctor was appail
Cd at his losses, and suspended the NJ
tack, while flag of truce was sent to
Madison. 1t bore an order to surrendei
from Winchester; but the fearless de
fender. recognizing Kim now AS merel,
aptisoner in tho hands Of the enemy,
refused to obey it. Proctor threatened
general massacre. but in vain. Mad
Son still stood to his front. when the
enemy finally guaranteed him safety
and protection, and he, too, surrender
I'd. The Indians at once began to plan
Ger the captiyes, who resumed theii
arms for moment, and made spirit
ed edbayonet chaige, and drove off the
plllaeers.
Oa the 22d the British returned to
Maiden with all tho prisoners able t.
march. None were left to guard the
BADLY wounded save Major and som.
interpreters. Two American surgeons
we're attending them. Early in the day
W Indians. who had gone with Proctor
70 Stony Creek and stopped there for n
oflef csrouse, came back to Frenchtown,
ana IN ferocious, drunken council de-
e,Ied to murder the helpless captives.
Mih the utmost rapidity, amid savage
yeiis and taunts, they were tomahawked
and scalped, and the buildings they oc-
copei plundered and fired. Sons who
ssFawled mserably from the burning
"SAo SSiLcu diil nQil0i btCn. N
iew were able to stand and were march
suon' but as fast rs they became ex-
lausted they sh red the fate of the rest.
= van must be drawn over details of the
.ofror. But thirty three escaped from
sss @s attacks and massacre; 397 perished,
S' remained alive, but as prisoners AT
laiden. For every scalp taken pre-
I.um was paid by the British.
lne bodies of the slaughtered were
,aostiy left to illustrate the beautiful
remark of Goldsmith: "rhere are no
sssats SO precious as those with which
asasen hedews the brow of the unburied
.uier The middle of October fol
ppS'hg the massacre. a detachment of
saeulacAians, returning viotorious,y
non TIE battle of the Thames. stopped
@dTfenchtown to mourn their dead and
ss'uect and inter the skeletons of sixty
Sse OF their helpless victims. Thirty
M Years later, in September. 1S49, by
s'uer OF the Legislature of Kentucky,
qesntity of bones disclosed by the
auins OF street i'll Monroe. we're born
'ne State cemetery, at Frankfort,
,s au buried with fitting rites. With
sueiQ went a box of Lo,ao xvh,oh had