The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-06-26

this fort and its occupancy the year
following its erection. He says:
Sometime after the completion OF
the fort the general returned with his
army to Fort Pitt, leaving Colonel
John Gibson, with a command of one
hundred and fifty men, to protect the
fort until spring. The Indians were
soon acquainted with the existence
of the fort. The first annoyance the
garrison received from the Indians
was sometime in the month of Janu-
ary. In the night time they caught
most Of the horses belonging to the
fort, and taking them off some ais
tance in the woods, they took off their
| bells and formed an ambuscade by
the side of a path, leading through
high grass of prairie little distance
from the fort. In the morning the
Indians ratified the horses bells at
the further end of the line of the am
buscade. The plan succeeded. A ia
tigue of sixteen men went out for the
horses and fell into the snare. Four
tOOh WOiC Ou IiC bpOIy JWO WCiS
taken prisoners, one of whom was
given up at the close of the war, the
other was never heard of.
General Benjamin Biggs, then a
captain in the fort, being officer of
the day, requested leave of the col
onel to go out with the fatigue party
which fell into the ambuscade. No,
said the colonel, this fatigue party
does not belong to a captains COM
mand. When l shall have occasion
to employ one of that number l shall
be thankful for your services; at pres
ent you must attend to your duty in
the fort. On what trivial circum-
stances do life and death sometimes
depend.
THE AMBUSCADE.
"In the evening of the day of the
full war dress and painted, marched
in single file through prairie in view
of the fort. Their number as count
ed from one of the bastions, was eight
hundred and forty y-seven. They then
went into camp on an elevated piece
of ground at small distance from
the fort, on the opposite side of the
river. From this camp they frequent
ly held conversations with the so
diers in the garrison. In these con-
versations they seemed to deplore the
long continuance of the war and hoped
for peace. but were much exaspereted
at the Americans for attempting 10
penetrate so far into their country
This great body of Indians continued
their investment of the fort as long
as they could obtain subsistence,
which was about six weeks.
"The commander supposing the
whole number of the Indians had gone
off, gave permission to Colonel CLARK
of the Pennsylvania line, to escort the
invalids to the number of eleven or
twelve, to Fort Mcintosh. The wnolc
number of this detachment was tif-
teen. The wary Indians had left a
party behind for the purpose of doing
mischief. These attacked this party
of invalids and their escort about
three miles from the fort, and killed
the whole Of them, with the excep-
captain, who ran back to the fort On
the same day detachment went out
from the fort, brought in the dead,
and buried them with the honJrs Of
war in front of the fort gate
I'm three or four days after this dis
aster relief of seven hundred men,
under General Mcintosh arrived at the
fort with supply of provisions, a
great part of which was lost by an
untoward accident. When the relief
had reached within a hundred yards
of the fort, the garrison gave them
salute of general discharge of mus
kerry, at the report of which the pack
horses took fright. broke loose and
scattered the provisions in every di-
rection through the woods, so that
the greater part of it could never be
recovered again"
Another account of the ambuscade is
quoted by DR.. s. p. Hildreth in Silli-
mans journal, and is as Follows:
During the cold weather, while the
Indians were lying about the tort,
although none had been seen for a
few days, party of seventeen men
went out for the purpose of carrying
in firewood. which the army had cut
before they had left the place, about
forty or fifty rods from the fort. Near
the bank of the river was an, ancient
mound, but behind which lay guam
tity of wood. A party had been out
for several preceding mornings and
brought in wood. supposilg the In
dians would not be watching the fort
in such cold weather. But on that
fatal morning the Indians had con-
cealed themselves behind the mound,