Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1908-09-04

Dudley failed to spike were plaved
upon our camp, and the rear of our
troops during the skirmish with tbe
Indians, with much vlgor and consid.
cradle effect.
Colonel Miller of the 18th Regulars.
with $50 men, stormed the batteries
in the ravine at our left in the most
gallant manner, soon had comnlete
possession, and the guns were dis.
mounted, the enemy being pursued
some distance. In this assault our
loss was 80 killed and three times
that number wounded. Captain. taf
terwards Colonel Croghan was mar.
ticularly distinguished in this action,
while the volunteers from Petersburg
(Va) were highly commended for
their cool and intrepid conduct while
approaching the batteries under a
heavy fire of musketry.
During the siege General Proctor
had the audacity to summon General
Harrison to surrender, and was very
properly told that if he ever got nos.
session of Fort Meigs it would be un.
der such circumstances that would
give him greater claims upon the
gratitude of his country than he pos
sibly could have by the Fort being
surrendered-or words to that effect.
General Proctor, without troubling
us further, on the morning of the
ninth, raised the siege and left for
Maiden. The prisoners he had taken
were carried down to Huron and there
landed.
Second Siege of Fort Meies.
On the Goth of July, at the solicita.
tion of Tecumseh, General Proctor re.
turned with larger force, while
General Harrison was at Lower San.
dusky. 1t was to be attempted, ac-
cording to Tecumsehs plan, to draw
the garrison from the fort by ruse,
as it proved too strong and well equip
ped to be taken by assault.
The force of the enemy that ascend
ed the Maumee under the command
of General Proctor and Tecumseh,
was 5000 men, while the number of
Indians was greater than ever before
assembled on any occasion during the
war, while the defenders of Fort
Meigs amounted to only a few hun.
dred under command of General
Green Clay.
Capt. McCunes' Narrow Escape.
General Harrison was at Lower San
dusky, now Fremont, and Captain Nc.
CIne was sent to apprise Gen. Harri-
son of the situation. He did so and
was ordered by Gen. Harrison to re.
turn and inform Gen. Clay to be par
ticularly cautious against surprise,
and every effort would be made to re.
lieve the fort. Captain McCune ar
rived near the fort about day break
on the morning of the 26th, accom-
| panied by James Doolan, French
Canadian. AS they left the woods
they were intercepted by a party o9
| Indians. Immediately they retreated
al full gallop on the high bank of the
river for several miles, pursuedby the
Indians also mounted. Coming to a
deep ravine they put up from the
river in a southerly direction, when
they turned to the river bottom, but
soon found themselves confronted by
an impossible swamp. The Indians
seeing their dilema galloped to the
ravine to head them off McCune and
his companion turned upon their
own track for the fort, gaining
several hundred yards from pur-
suers. The Indians followed with all
| speed. Just as they neared the fort
| McCune dashed into a thicket across
his course, on the opposite side OF
which other Indians were huddled
awaiting their prey. When this party
of Indians had thought them to be
their prisoners, McCune suddenly
wheeled his horse, followed by Doolan,
escaped from the thicket by the pas
sage he had entered, and galloped
around into the open space between
them and the river, where the pur-
suers We're checked by the fire from
the blockhouse at the western angle
of the fort. After their arrival their
horses dropped from fatigue.
| The arrival of McCune, who brought
the intelligence that Harrison would
not come with any troops unless the
enemy lay regular siege to Fort
Meigs, undoubtedly saved them from
the ingeniously devised stratagem of
| Tecumseh, as that scheme was at
once entered into by the enemy.
Failure of Tecumseh's Plot.
In the afternoon of the same day
the British infantry were secreted in
the ravine below the fort, and the cav
airy in the woods above, while the
Indians were stationed in the forest,
on the Sandusky road, not far from
the fort. About an hour before dark
they began sham battle among
themselves, to deceive the Americans
into the belief that a battle was go
ing on between them and reinforce
ments for the fort, in the hope of en-
ticing the garrison to the aid of their
comrades, 1t was managed with SO
much skill that the garrison Instantly
flew to arms, impressed by the In
dian yells, intermingled with the roar
OF musketry, that a severe battle was
| being fought and the lives oF tho -