The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1952-09-18

Wayne's victory
over the Indians there more than $50
years ago-August 20, 1894.
The grassy plot is Fallen Timbers
State Park-a beautiful place now.
But in summer, 1894, it was covered
with a thick wind-fall left by some
long gone cyclone and in and around
it more than 1000 Indians swarmed.
A thick woods extended many miles
on its west and south of it for miles
the forest was just as dense.
In and around the little patch of
fallen trees and broken trunks a few
less than 900 of Anthony Wayne's
trained and disciplined soldiers ended
in 40 minutes of actual fighting the
Indian wars which had lasted for two
decades in what now is Ohio. So
came safety for the white people to
go into the woods and break the for
est into settlements and out of it
/ came the great state of Ohio as it Is
today.
In October, 1890, the Indians had
completely routed the army of Gen.
Josiah Harmar in the woods now
Darke and Miami counties, and in
November, 1871, almost had annihi-
lated the army of Gen. Arthur st.
Clair in another disastrous defeat.
So Wayne had trained and drilled his
troops carefully and long.
Wayne's w report to the War
Department related that he had in
tended to surprise the Indians at
present Defiance, Defiance County,
but that a deserter had warned the
savages and they had fled to the field
of fallen timbers. That had been on
August 8, 1894.
Right there was where Wayne lost
10 days and so gave the Indians a
chance to bring up reinforcements,
dig in and get themselves set "while
the peace parley went on" The State
Department then as now had an OBJ
session that peace might be attained
through talk instead of fighting and
in accord with it Wayne sent out a
o n EN- delegation - Christian
Miller, who once had lived with the
Shawnees.
Miller went to the Indians with a
message of friendship from, the white
Americans and with them quibbled
back and forth for a week. Then he
came back and met Wayne, impatient
at the delays, on August Is, with the
Indians message that if the white
army would wait 10 days at Defiance
| the Indians meantime would decide on
peace or a Apparently it sound
ed much like the peace parleys of a
century and a half later.
Wayne did not fool around with the
situation longer. On August IS, his
army arrived just south of present
Waterville, put up a light fort which
they named Fort Deposit" because
there they deposited their baggage
and supplies. 1t took them all day
the 10Th but by eight o'clock next
morning the army was ready to move
ION an attack on the Indians. The
savages then were camped at and
around a hill called "Presque ISLE"
two miles south of Maumee.
Wayne reported that "the legion
was on the right, its flank covered by
the Maumee. One brigade of mount
ed volunteers was on the left and the
other was in the rear. A select bat
TALON of mounted volunteers moved
in front of the legion, directed to
keep far enough ahead to give timely
notice for the troops to form in case
of action" 1t still was undetermined
whether the Indians would decide for
peace or war.
After advancing five miles the ar
my found out whether it was to be
peace or war. The battalion of vol
unteers ran into such a severe fire
from the enemy, hidden among the
fallen trees and high grass, that il
was compelled to retreat.
The legion Immediately was forced
in two lines. 1t was in the close,
thick woods. The ground all around
was covered with the fallen timber
left by some past tornado. This
gave the Indians excellent cover fol
their own particular kind of warfare
They were formed in three lines with,
in supporting distance of each other
and extending for nearly two miles al
right angles with the river.
From the weight of their fire and
the extent of their lines Wayne de-
cided that the Indians were in full
force in front and in possession OF
their favorable fighting ground.
They were bent on turning the
white mems left flank. Wayne's ar,
my advanced, its second line support
ing the first and the whole force OF
mounted volunteers moving around
the fallen timbers to attack the In
dams right flank.
At the same time Wayne's front
line advanced with trailing arms to