tucky, with his volunteers. Major James Paul, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, who commanded a battalion of volunteer militia, from western Pennsylvania, and Virginia, also joined this army. General Harmar having completed all his preparations, crossed the Ohio river, and following the old Indian war path, visited the Indian villages on the head waters of the Little Miami. From those towns, he struck across the woods, on to the Great Miami, where Piqua now is, and marching forward when he came to where Loramies's station has since been, three Indians were discovered early in the morning viewing his encampment. These were followed by some mounted men, one Indian was taken prisoner, but the other two escaped. Next morning, the army crossed the St. Mary's river, and Colonel Hardin and Major Paul, beat up for volunteers, to go to the Indian town, ahead, supposed to be about forty miles distant. Six hundred volunteers marched forward under these officers, in advance of the main army, and arrived at the Indian village on the second day afterwards. The Indians had mostly fled, on the approach of Hardin and Paul, but some savages remained, and exchanged a few shots with our men. The Indians had burnt their wigwams. This detachment remained in the Indian town four days before Harmar came up with his baggage, having had to cut a road along which his teams and waggons could travel. After Harmar arrived, he tarried one week in the deserted town. In the meantime, the Indians were collecting from all quarters, around him. Every party sent out from our army, was waylaid and defeated. A party under Colonel Hardin, fell into an ambuscade and many of his men were killed. Twenty three out of thirty fell in that skirmish. General Harmar finally concluded to return to Fort Washington, and actually marched eight miles on his return, when he received information that the enemy had taken possession of their town as soon as he had left it. Harmar ordered Hardin to return and attack the enemy. This officer beat up again for volunteers, and a considerable number of men volunteered their services. Hardin, and his Kentucky and Pennsylvania volunteers, returned, attacked and drove be

fore him, the enemy, until they had crossed the Maumee, in their front, and the St. Mary's on their left. Hardin had marched down the St. Mary's on its northern bank, to its junction with the St. Joseph's. Here Captain William Crawford who commanded the Pennsylvania volunteers, crossed the Maumee, and attacked the Indians who lay on the north bank of the St. Joseph's, and drove the enemy up that river, several miles, and returned triumphantly, over to Fort Wayne, or rather where that town now is.

Colonel Hardin, with his men crossed over the St. Mary's and followed the Indians up the St. Joseph's on the south side of that river, but marching carelessly along, on the low lands adjoining the river, he permitted the Indians to take possession of the high grounds, south of him, by which means, he got defeated with great loss, considering his small command.

In these different engagements, Harmar lost one hundred and eighty men, from the time of his leaving Covington, until his return to Fort Washington. Some accounts place the loss even higher than that number. On the whole, though Harmar boasted of a victory, yet in common parlance it is called Harmar's defeat. Major Wyllis and Lieutenant Farthingham, of the regulars, fell, fighting bravely; and fifty of their men, were left dead on the field. Of the militia under Hardin, nine officers were killed, and one hundred private soldiers, whereas Captain William Crawford lost very few men. Why Colonel Hardin left the heights south of him, unoccupied, we never could learn. After this severe action, Hardin and Crawford joined the main army, and it returned to Fort Washington.

The effects of this unfortunate expedition, were very soon severely felt, along the whole line of the Kentucky and Ohio frontier. All the counties in Kentucky, and Western Virginia, immediately petitioned General Washington to commit the entire defence of the frontier to their militia, unmixed with regulars; so that these troops might be forthwith drawn out to punish the exulting foe. Though General Washington returned a conciliating answer to these petitions, presented to him,

by their representatives in congress, yet he did not yield to them. But he had the good fortune to persuade congress to authorize him to raise a regiment of regulars, and two thousand volunteers for six months; to appoint, also, a Major General, and a Brigadier General, to be continued in command so long as necessary. This was in the session of 1791, which ended 3d of March in that year.

Under this act of congress, General Scott of Kentucky, was sent out in May, with a body of troops against the Indian towns on the Wabash. And another expedition was sent to the same towns in September, of that year, under the command of General Wilkinson. Some Indian villages were burnt, their corn destroyed, and some few warriors were killed; some old men, women and children were captivated, but all this rather exasperated, than conquered the hostile spirit of the enemy.

ST. CLAIR'S CAMPAIGN AND DEFEAT.

Under the authority of the act of congress of 1791, Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the North Western Territory, had been appointed Major General and Commander-in-chief. He was empowered to treat with the Indian tribes; to be in fact a military, as well as civil Governor of the Territory. President Washington did his duty faithfully; he appointed all the officers, for the campaign, but the nation was poor and weak, especially in the west. Every exertion was made to raise an army and provide provisions and arms for it, and to concentrate it as early as possible in the season, but it was September before it was ready to march; nor was it even then completed in any respect as it deserved to be. It assembled at Fort Washington. On the 17th day of September, 1791, the army left Fort Washington, and cut a road through the wilderness, to where Hamilton now stands. Here a fort was erected, and called Fort Hamilton. It was on the east bank of the Great Miami river, about twenty miles within the present limits of this state. Having completed this fort

and garrisoned it, St. Clair marched some twenty miles northward and erected Fort St. Clair, and marching twenty miles or more, farther, due north, he established another military post, and called it Fort Jefferson. It is some six miles south of the present town of Greenville in Darke county. Having garrisoned this post, on the 24th day of October 1791, St. Clair's force, was reduced to less than two thousand men with whom he marched, in the direction of the Indian villages on the Maumee, which Indian towns it was his object to destroy. This march was slow, over a wet country, covered with a dense forest, which had to be cleared, for his baggage waggons and artillery trains. The Indians began to hover about his army, and skirmishes became more and more frequent. To increase his difficulties, desertions took place daily, and finally, sixty men deserted in a body, and returned on their way to Cincinnati. To bring back those deserters, and protect the provisions, which were behind the army moving forward slowly, St. Clair despatched Major Hamtramack, with a sufficient force. By this time, the main army was only fourteen hundred strong, which moved forward to where, afterwards Fort Recovery was erected, within the limits of Mercer county, or on the line, between it and Darke county.

Here, on the head waters of the Wabash river, among a number of small creeks, thirty feet in width, on the third day of November 1791, Governor St. Clair, who was sick at the time, encamped with the remaining troops. The right wing of the army, under the command of General Butler lay in front of a creek, twelve yards wide, and this force formed the first line. The second line, seventy yards behind the first, was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William Darke. There were two rows of fires between these lines, and there was snow on the ground. The right flank was supposed to be protected by a small creek, with high steep banks, and a small body of troops. The left flank, was covered by a body of cavalry, and by piquets. The militia crossed the creek, and advanced about eighty rods, in front of the main army,

and encamped in two lines, and they had two rows of logs on fire. When the militia crossed the creek in front of the regulars a few Indians appeared, but they precipitately fled, on the approach of the militia. At this place, St. Clair intended to have thrown up a breast work, as soon as Hamtramack returned, with the baggage, while the main body of the army pressed forward to the Indian towns on the Maumee, leaving the baggage here, under Hamtramack's care. This he said, afterwards, was his then intention. About half an hour after daylight, immediately after the militia were dismissed from parade and roll call, they were attacked by the enemy, with the utmost fury. The militia fled, in an instant, and came running into the regulars' camp, and spread terror and confusion where they ran. These flying militia, rushed quite through Butler's line, and were hardly stopped by the second line of regulars. The officers exerted themselves, to the utmost, to restore order, which though, was not entirely done. The Indians pressed close upon the very heels of the flying militia, and instantly engaged Butler's command, with great intrepidity and fury. The action forthwith became warm, and the enemy passing round the first line within fifteen minutes after the first attack, the whole army was surrounded by the Indians. The artillery was posted in the centre of each wing which the enemy attacked with the greatest violence, mowing down the artillerists, in great numbers. The enemy fired from the ground, and from every tree around, and were only seen when flying from covert to covert. At length, the enemy boldly marched up to the very mouths of the cannon, and fought with the daring courage of men, whose trade is war, and who are impelled to vigorous exertions by all the motives which operate on the savage mind. It was soon perceived that while our soldiers were falling every moment before the bullets of the enemy, yet, hidden, as that enemy was, little impression was made on the Indians. It was then resolved, that Lieutenant Colonel Darke, should charge the enemy with the bayonet, at the head of the second line, which he commanded. This charge was made, by nearly all that line,