Elsie on the Hudson Part 14

"I do," said Grandma Elsie; "and from the expression of the faces of the others present I am quite sure that they do also."

"Yes, indeed, papa; I am sure we do!" cried Lucilla and Grace in a breath, Percy Landreth, Elsie, and Ned joining eagerly in the request; and the captain at once began.

"Fort Stephenson was built in 1812; the garrison consisted of 160 men under the command of Major George Croghan, then but twenty-one years of age. It was on the 31st of July, 1813, that it was invested by a large force of British and Indians under the command of Proctor. The fort was not a strong one; its chief defences were three block houses, circ.u.mvallating pickets from fourteen to sixteen feet high, and a ditch about eight feet wide and as many feet deep; they had one iron six-pounder cannon. Of course, swords and rifles were not lacking, and the men were Kentucky sharpshooters.

"General Harrison heard that the British were moving against Fort Stephenson. He had visited the fort, and felt convinced that it could not be held against an attack with heavy artillery, so had said to Major Croghan: 'Should the British approach you in force with cannon, and you can discover them in time to effect a retreat, you will do so immediately, destroying all the public stores. You must be aware that to attempt a retreat in the face of an Indian force would be vain.

Against such an enemy your garrison would be safe, however great the number.'

"On learning of the intended descent of the British upon Fort Stephenson, Harrison held a consultation with his officers--McArthur, Holmes, Graham, Paul, Hukill, Wood, and Ball. They were unanimously of the opinion that Fort Stephenson could not be successfully defended against an enemy approaching in such force, and that Major Croghan ought immediately to comply with his general's standing order to evacuate."

"Moving order, I should think, father," laughed Lucilla.

"Yes," returned the captain with a smile; "but knowing Croghan's innate bravery, Harrison feared he would not move promptly, so sent him another order to abandon the fort. It was carried by a white man named Connor and two Indians. They started at midnight and lost their way in the dark. So they did not reach the fort until the next day about eleven o'clock, and by that time the woods were swarming with Indians.

"Major Croghan called his officers together and consulted them in regard to a retreat. A majority were of his opinion--that such a step would be disastrous, now that the Indians swarmed in the woods, and that the post might be maintained.

"Croghan immediately sent a reply to Harrison's order, saying it had come too late to be carried into execution, that they had determined to maintain the place--that they could and would do so. It was a disobedience of orders, but not so intended. The gallant young major thought that the previous order, which spoke of the danger of a retreat in the face of an Indian force, justified him in remaining, as that force was already there when this second order reached him.

"But the general considered it disobedience, which could not be permitted. He at once sent Colonel Wells to Fort Stephenson to supersede Croghan, and ordered Croghan to headquarters at Seneca Town.

Colonel Wells was escorted by Colonel Ball with his corps of dragoons.

On the way they were attacked by about twenty Indians, and quite a severe skirmish ensued. Seventeen of the Indians were killed."

"Papa, did Major Croghan go to the general? and was he very cross to him?" asked Ned.

"He went promptly, made a full and satisfactory explanation to General Harrison, and was directed to go back to his command the next morning; which he did, feeling more than ever determined to maintain his post in spite of British and Indians. General Harrison kept scouts out in all directions to watch the movements of the enemy. On the evening of Sat.u.r.day, the 31st of July, one of those parties, lingering on the sh.o.r.e of Sandusky Bay, about twenty miles from Fort Stephenson, saw that Proctor was approaching by water. They made haste to return to headquarters with their information, stopping on the way at Fort Stephenson and making it known there.

"Croghan was watchful, wide awake to the dangers that surrounded them.

A good many Indians had been seen upon the high ground on the eastern side of the Sandusky River, but had scampered away on being fired at from the six-pounder in the fort.

"At four o'clock in the afternoon the British gunboats, bringing Proctor and his men, were seen at a turn in the river more than a mile distant. They were greeted by shots from the six-pounder, but they came on; and at a cove somewhat nearer the fort, opposite a small island in the stream, they landed with a five-and-a-half-inch howitzer.

"At the same time the Indians showed themselves in the woods on all sides. In this attacking force there were four hundred British and several hundred Indians. And Tec.u.mseh was stationed upon the roads leading from Fort Meigs and Seneca Town with almost two thousand more.

These were intended to intercept any re-enforcements that might be coming to Croghan's a.s.sistance. Having thus, as he thought, cut off Croghan's retreat, Proctor sent Colonel Elliott and Captain Chambers to demand the instant surrender of the fort. With them was Captain Dixon of the Royal Engineers, who was in command of the Indians.

"They came with a flag of truce, and Croghan sent out Second-Lieutenant Shipp, as his representative, to meet the flag.

"The usual salutations were exchanged, then Colonel Elliott said, 'I am instructed to demand the instant surrender of the fort, to spare the effusion of blood, which we cannot do should we be under the necessity of reducing it by our powerful force of regulars, Indians, and artillery.'

"'My commandant and the garrison,' replied Shipp, 'are determined to defend the post to the last extremity, and bury themselves in its ruins rather than surrender it to any force whatever.'

"'Look at our immense body of Indians,' interposed Dixon. 'They cannot be restrained from ma.s.sacring the whole garrison, in the event of our undoubted success.'

"'Our success is certain,' eagerly added Chambers.

"'It is a great pity,' said Dixon, in a beseeching tone, 'that so fine a young man as you and as your commander is represented to be, should fall into the hands of the savages. Sir, for G.o.d's sake surrender, and prevent the dreadful ma.s.sacre that will be caused by your resistance!'

"'When the fort shall be taken there will be none to ma.s.sacre,' Shipp coolly replied, for it was not long since, at Fort Meigs, he had had dealings with the same foe. 'It will not be given up while a man shall be able to resist.'

"He was just turning to go back to the fort, when an Indian sprang from a bushy ravine near at hand and tried to s.n.a.t.c.h his sword from him. The indignant Shipp was about to despatch the Indian, when Dixon interfered. Then Croghan, who was standing on the ramparts watching the conference, called out, 'Shipp, come in, and we'll blow them all to ----!' At that, Shipp hurried into the fort, the flag was returned, and the British immediately opened fire from their gunboat and the five-and-a-half-inch howitzer which they had landed, beginning the attack before proper arrangements could be made.

"It seems the Indians had had an alarm and let the British know of it.

A Mr. Aaron North, knowing nothing of the proximity of British or Indians, was riding through the wood, drawing near the fort on the other side of the Sandusky, when he discovered a large body of Indians scattered along the river bank and half concealed by the bushes. He wheeled his horse and fled in the direction of Seneca. The startled Indians fired several shots after him, but without hitting him. The Indians doubtless told the British of all this, and Proctor thought the horseman a messenger to Harrison to inform him of the attack upon Fort Stephenson, and that the result would probably be that re-enforcements would be sent to Croghan, would beat back Tec.u.mseh, and fall upon him at Sandusky.

"All night long the five six-pounders which had been landed from the British gunboats, and the howitzer, played upon the stockade without doing any serious damage. Occasionally the besieged answered with their one cannon, which they moved from one blockhouse to another, to give the impression that the garrison had several heavy guns. But their supply of ammunition was small, and Croghan was too wise to waste it. He determined not to use any more in firing at random in the dark; so ordered Captain Hunter, his second in command, to place it in the blockhouse at the middle of the north side of the fort, so as to rake the ditch in the direction of the northwest angle--the point where the enemy would be most likely to make the a.s.sault, because it was the weakest part.

"That was done before daylight, and the gun, loaded with a half-charge of powder and a double charge of slugs and grapeshot, was completely masked.

"During the night the British had dragged three of their six-pounders to a place in the woods where the ground was higher than the fort and about 250 yards from it. Early in the morning they began a brisk fire upon the blockade from those and the howitzer."

"Oh, papa, how dreadful!" exclaimed Elsie. "Did all of our men get shot?"

"No; the cannonade produced very little effect, and Proctor grew very impatient. The long hot day was nearly done, and the Indians were becoming restless. At four o'clock in the afternoon he ordered all his guns to fire upon that weak northwest angle.

"Then Croghan and his men set to work to strengthen it as much as possible. They piled bags of sand and sacks of flour against the pickets there, which materially broke the force of the cannonade. At five o'clock a dark thunder cloud was seen in the west and the thunder seemed like the echo of the enemy's cannon. Then the British came on in two close columns, led by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Short and Lieutenant Gordon. At the same time a party of grenadiers, about 200 strong, under Lieutenant-Colonel Warburton, took a wide circuit through the woods to make a feigned attack upon the southern front of the fort, where Captain Hunter and his party were stationed.

"There was in the fort at the time a man named Brown, a private of the Petersburgh volunteers, with a half-dozen of his corps and Pittsburgh Blues. To them was entrusted the management of the six-pounder in the fort, for Brown was skilled in gunnery.

"The British artillery played incessantly upon the northwestern angle of the fort, causing a dense smoke, and under cover of that a storming party under Lieutenant-Colonel Short advanced to within fifteen or twenty paces of the outworks before they were discovered by the garrison. But they were Kentucky sharpshooters, and every man of them was at his post. Instantly they poured upon the a.s.sailants a shower of rifle b.a.l.l.s sent with such deadly aim that the British were thrown into confusion. But they quickly rallied. The axemen pushed bravely forward over the glacis, and leaped into the ditch to a.s.sail the pickets. Short was at their head, and when a sufficient number were in the ditch behind him, he shouted, 'Cut away the pickets, my brave boys, and show the d----d Yankees no quarter!'

"Now the time had come for the six-pounder to make itself heard. The masked port flew open instantly, and the gun spoke with terrible effect. Slug and grapeshot streamed along that ditch overflowing with human life, and spread awful havoc there. Few of those British soldiers escaped. The second column of the storming party made a similar attempt, but was met by another discharge from the six-pounder and another destructive volley of rifle-b.a.l.l.s."

"Was anybody killed, papa?" asked Ned.

"Yes, a good many were," replied his father. "Colonel Short, Lieutenant Gordon, Laussaussie of the Indian Department, and 25 privates were left dead in the ditch, and 26 of the wounded were made prisoners. Three other officers were slightly wounded, but escaped.

The rest of the attacking party retreated in haste and disorder.

"It was not until after that disaster that Warburton and his grenadiers reached the south front of the fort. When they did, Hunter's corps a.s.sailed them with a destructive volley, and they fled for shelter to the adjacent woods. It is said that Lieutenant-Colonel Short, when he fell, twisted a white handkerchief on the end of his sword, asking the mercy he had exhorted his men not to show to the Americans."

"Oh, I hope they did show it to him, papa," said Elsie.

"I think they would have done so had opportunity offered," said the captain; "but he was found dead in the ditch."

"And were any of our people killed?" she asked.

"One man was killed and 7 were slightly wounded; while, according to the most careful estimates, the loss of the British in killed and wounded was 120. They behaved most gallantly, getting no a.s.sistance from the cowardly Indians, who kept themselves out of harm's way in a ravine near by.

"The a.s.sault had lasted only about half an hour. Lossing tells us, 'The dark storm cloud in the west pa.s.sed northward, the setting sun beamed out with peculiar splendor, a gentle freeze from the southwest bore the smoke of battle far away over the forest toward Lake Erie, and in the lovely twilight of that memorable Sabbath evening the brave young Croghan addressed his gallant little band with eloquent words of praise and grateful thanksgiving. As the night and the silence deepened, and the groans of the wounded in the ditch fell upon their ears, his generous heart beat with sympathy. Buckets filled with water were let down by ropes from the outside of the pickets; and as the gates of the fort could not be opened with safety during the night, he made a communication with the ditch by means of a trench, through which the wounded were borne into the fort and their necessities supplied.'"

"Oh, how good and kind he was!" exclaimed Grace. "I am proud of him as one of my countrymen. Is he still living, papa?"

"No, daughter; he died in New Orleans on January 8, 1849."

"The anniversary of the great victory there in the War of 1812! Was he not rewarded for his gallant defence of Fort Stephenson?"

"Yes; he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for his gallantry, and some twenty years later Congress voted him a gold medal in acknowledgment of it. In 1846 he joined Taylor's army in Mexico and served with credit at the Battle of Monterey."

"You have given us an interesting tale, captain," remarked Cousin Ronald as the story seemed to have come to an end--"one that was really new to me; for I have read but little about that war--which I hope we can always refer to as the last between the mother country and this, my adopted one--the native land of my bonny young wife," he added with a loving and admiring look at Annis.