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Re: Fort Washington



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-------

Thanks. That helps to clear up the conflict.

I have sent this before but it seems to fit into the subject right here
again:
from "Life and Times of Lewis Wetzel" by C. B. Allman
There is a description of General Harmers offensive on the Indians of
Western OH.  He had some 3,000 poorly equipped soldiers, some not even
having guns (so what's new?)
They attacked Indian Villages Sept. 1790 on the Maumee R and burned their
villages.  The Indians were then able to defeat Gen. Harner.
"When the army got back to Ft. Washington (now I know where that was) Nov 3
it had lost 183 men and 37 wounded."  Harmer only maintained control over
his army by threatening to fire on them.
    "This of course did not lull the fears of the settlers, while it
encouraged the Indians to go out and whoop things up some more.  In fact
they got so bad something had to be done, so Arthur St. Clair, then gov. of
the OH terr. was chosen as the man to strike the blow that would take the
wind out of them.
    Like Gen. Harmar, Gen. S.t Clair had good intentions but a poor army.
It was underfed and ill-equipped and the 2,300 men composing it had a large
assortment of inferior persons as far as soldiering is concerned.  St.
Clair's plan was to build a line  forts or stockades up through Ohio and
thus awe the red men by the white man's powers.
    St. Clair's force proceeded slowly.  First went scouts to spy out the
land.  Then came cutters to chop trees and make a road.  Following them were
the advance guard and then the army in two columns ending with four pieces
of artillery.  In the lead were horses with tents and provisions and cattle.
Cavalry marched in file on the flanks and outside of the horsemen ranged
riflemen and scouts.  Such a cavalcade must have seemed to the watching
Indians something like a circus parade.  Movements of this army of course
could not be kept secret.
    After much hardship a fort or two were put up and then one cold morning
when the men were huddled around the campfires Indians appeared in swarms
and virtually exterminated them.  The Americans lost 677 killed and 271
wounded, while the Indians' death toll was estimated at 150.  And there were
only about half as many Indians as Whites in the fray."
    Then Washington replaced St. Clair with Mad Anthony Wayne who defeated
the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

    There is a man with a Lewis Wetzel website who says there are many
inacuracies in this book and seems to really dislike the author.  I hope the
above is fairly correct.  What probably is correct, is the extreme prejudice
that was felt by the settlers.  It wasn't pretty and they were the illegal
tresspassers on the Indian lands but had the attitude that it was their
right to be there.
Laurel

-----Original Message-----
From: kevin and rika <kevrik@shaka.com>
To: sinclair@zilker.net <sinclair@zilker.net>
Date: Sunday, February 21, 1999 4:05 PM
Subject: Fort Washington


>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@zilker.net.
>[ For more information, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>-------
>
>According to Allan Eckert , Fort Washington was started in June , 1789 . He
>states the location as "a little east of Broadway where 3rd St. now crosses
>it ."
>Losantiville was already in existance . Again , from Eckert : Losantiville
>"was begun with 4 cabins , the first of which was built on what is now
Front
>St. east of and close to Main St." The initial survey "extended from
present
>Broadway to Central Ave and from the Ohio River as far north as Seventh
>Corner." This information is from "A Sorrow in Our Hearts".
> Washington was livid when he heard of St.Clair's defeat , and "gave full
>vent to his anger , empurpling the air with oaths" The "white-haired
veteran
>of Trenton and Brandywine was a murderer whose callousness was matched only
>by his stupidity" ("Patriarch" by Richard Norton Smith) Smith says
>Washington quickly suppressed his emotions and promised St.Clair full
>justice.             Kevin
>
>[
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