Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26
COLLEGE BOYS PLUCK
Wonderful Feat of a Seven
teen-year Lad.
FOUGHT A WHOLE ARMY
HELD FIT. STEPHENSON AGAINST
BRITISH AND INDIANS
Beat Back the Tide of Invasion and
Saved the Northern and
Western Frontier.
FOUGHT A WHOLE ARMY
Written for The Evening Star

people believed that the Canadian provinces
would be glad to be liberated from British
rule. and with the approach of victorious
army of invasion would seize the opportu-
nifty of freeing themselves. But it was the
other way. Instead of submitting to inva-
sicn. Canada became the invader. The In
dian tribes defeated at Tippecanoe, saw
their opportunity for revenge. and under
the lead of Tecumpseh, gathered to the
British standard. The army under General
Hull, which was to invade upper Canada,
was driven back almost at the outset, and
instead of the tidings OF victory which the
nation had expected. there arrived the
dreadful news that Hull and his whole
army had surrendered at Detroit. Attempts
to regain the lost ground resulted in a series
of disasters filled with the horrors of In
dian massacre.
II was then that George Croghan, seven
teen years old at the time. got his chance.
He had hurried home two years before from
Williams and Mary College in Virginia,
where he was taking postgraduate course
in law, to take part in the defense of his
western home against the Indians. Crog-
han was the son of Major William CrOghan
of the revolutionary army, and his mother
was sister of General George Rogers
Clarke. one of the famous founders of civil
iZation IL the northwest.
Young Croghan had been appointed vol
nnteer aid to Colonel John F. Boyd in the
battle OF Tippecanoe on November Z, ISL
and In 1912, when war with England began,
he was appointed captain of infantry.
1t was merely As a precaution against
remote possibilities that in the summer of
1872 Fort Stephenson had been built on the
lower Sandusky river. frontier fort In
those days was simple affair. consisting
mainly of a stOckade and blOckhOuse. A
blockhOuSe was constructed on the north
west corner and another in the middle of
the north side of the fort. The space in
closed by the StOCkade was about one hun
dred yards in one direction and about fifty
IN the other. And this shanty of fort was
Boon to become a rock of defense, which
rolled back a wave of invasion that was
filling the western country with alarm.
Facing Crisis.
In the summer of 1913 the northwest was
lost to the Americans, and a British force.
under Maj. Gen. Proctor was advancing
upon Ohio, cOasting the lake shore in boats,
while the Indian allies. under Tecumpseh.
made their way by land Gen. Harrison,
the victor of TippecanOe. was In command
of the American army All his supplies
were at Upper Sandusky. and he had a
force of about $40 regulars and militia
with which TO maintain his position against
900 British regulars and militia, accom-
panied by TeCUmpseh and his Indians,
making the British force several thousand
strong 1t was reported that Tecumpseh.
with 1000 Indians. was moving straight
upon harrison D1Se OF SuplllGS DN Inc Ill
rect road from the west To check this
flank movement upon his communications
Harrison established himself at Seneca, ten
miles in the rear of Fort Stephenson.
Against the advance of the British up the
Sandusky river the only obstacle was Fort
Stephenson.
The stockade dignified by that title was
garrisoned by 16D soldiers. Young Croghan
was the officer in command. He had be-
come major Of the 1Tth Regiment. United
States Infantry. He had strengthened the
fort much possible by building two
additional blockhouses and by constructing
q ditch about eight feet deep and wide.
One iron six-pounder cannon was all that
he had IN the way OF artillery. Gen. Har-
rison did not consider the place tenable
against regular siege. and in orders left
with Maj Croghan he said: should the
British troops approach you in force with
cannon. and you discover them in time TO
effect a retreat. you will do so Immediately.
destroying all the public stores. You must
be aware 10 attempt to retreat in the face
Of an Indian force would be vain. Against
such enemy your garrison would be
safe. however great the number
But Croghan had no notion of retreating.
He was eager to fight, and full of conf
dence in his ability to hold the fort; 1t
was. therefore, great blow to him when.
on July %. 1913. Gen. Harrison, having
learned that the approaching enemy had
cannon, sent positive orders to abandon the
fort. BY the time the dispatch bearers ar
rived the Indians were prowling in the
woods around the fort. Croghan regarded
retreat as impossible and thought 1t likely
that his reply would be intercepted so he
gave Il tone of defiance He wrote:
Il have just received yours of yesterday
10 o'clock pm, ordering me to destroy this
place and make good my retreat. which was
received too late to be carried into eXecu-
ton We have determined to maintain this
place. and, by heavens. We can
But the message got through and Cen
eral Harrison would not brook what looked
like INSTRUMENTATION He immediate or
fered Colonel Wells of Croghan's own regi-
nent to supersede CrOghan in comma nd
Colonel Wells had an escort of Dragons
and on the road the party had a brush with
the Indians, killing seventeen of them. Ma
5or CrOghan promptly reported to hes dquar-
tiers at Seneca and made such satisfactory
explanations that he was restored to com
mand with discretionary authority to hold
The fort or abandon ii, as he saw fit
A Gritty Little Band
Saturday August l. 1913. the British land
ed at the mouth of the river and began the
attack the afternoon OF the same day Te-
cumpseh with about 1900 Indians occupied
>the woods In the rear. to cut off retreat
and intercept endorsements. General Por-
ter sent flag of truce to the fort. demand
3ng immediate surrender. Major Croghan
Bent Second Lieutenant Shepp to meet the
party. The British officers, after receiving
D. formal refusal to surrender, plead with
him not to persist In a hopeless defense
Look at our immense body Of Indians"
said Captain Dixon of the Royal Engineers.
who commanded the Indian allies of the
British. 1T is a great pity that so fine a
young man as you, and your commander is
represented to be. should fall into the hands
Of the savages. Sir. for Gods sake sur
render, and prevent the dreadful massacre
that will be caused by your resistance"
Lieutenant .Shepp coolly replied: When
the fort shall be taken, there will be none
to massacre.
As Lieutenant Shepp turned back to the
fort Indian attempted to snatch his
sword. Capt. Dixon at once interfered
Major Croghan. who was standing on the
famparts, saw the occurrence and II heats
his blood.
Croghan's Plain Speech.
Professor James ID. Butler of Madison,
Wis. had II from his grandfather, Israel
Harris. who was with Ethan Allen. that
what the doughty fighter did say was not
'1n the name Of the great Jehovah and the
continental congress" when summoning the
British commander to surrender as his
story has II. but Come out of here.
you id old rat" Both history and tradi-