At the beginning of the last century Harmar’s route was easily traced through Warren County, running north of Mason and west of Lebanon.[79] On September 30 the regulars under General Harmar left Fort Washington, by way of the same route, it would seem, as the militia. Captain Armstrong’s record for the day reads: “The army moved from Fort Washington, at halfpast ten o’clock, A. M.,—marched about seven miles N. E. course—hilly, rich land. Encamped on a branch of Mill creek.” How one can understand from this record that Harmar’s route followed what later became known as the “old Wayne Road” or “old Hamilton Road” up Mill Creek Valley is beyond the ken of the present writer. Encamping on the night of September 2 on Muddy Creek, Warren County, General Harmar lay one mile south of the militia encampment.[80] On the day following he moved through Hardin’s camp, which was located a few miles southwest of Lebanon, and rested one mile in advance on Turtle Creek. Here the divisions of the army united, and here the line of march was formed, according to Armstrong’s journal, on September 3.
A. H. Dunlevy, a pioneer in this neighborhood west of Lebanon in 1798, left record that near his home on the old route was the site of one of Harmar’s camps—possibly that of Colonel Hardin. A half acre was cleared and several graves were then visible there. “The brush,” he wrote, “was piled in heaps around the camp. These brush heaps were decayed in 1798 but made fine harbors for snakes and as the warm sun of spring came out, I think hundreds of them could be seen in an hour passing from one brush heap to another. I used to amuse myself in watching their movements and noting their peculiar colors. Every kind of snake seemed to nestle together in those brush heaps.”[81]
On the fourth the combined army moved in a northwesterly direction through the Turtle Creek Valley and, continuing over the hilly region northeast of Lebanon, crossed the Little Miami at what has long been known as Fish-pot Ford about six miles northeast of Lebanon.[82] Moving up the east bank of the river, camp was pitched one mile north of the crossing-place on Cæsar’s Creek.[83] The route the day following was up the river on the famous war path toward the Indian Chillicothe and Piqua towns in the valleys of that and the Mad River, along the general alignment of the Little Miami Railroad. Marching ten miles, according to Captain Armstrong, the army encamped “at five o’clock on Glade creek, a very lively, clear stream.”
On the sixth, the site of old Chillicothe was reached; “recrossed the Little Miami,” says Armstrong, “at half past one o’clock, halted one hour, and encamped at four o’clock on a branch.” Morris’s account from the thirtieth of September reads: “Thirtieth, we moved forward on the old Indian trail leading to the old Chilcothie town, on the little Miami, and after several days marching, arrived at the place where the town once stood. Here we fired off our guns; and in the evening, having recrossed the river, encamped about a mile above, near where James Galloway now lives.”
The old Indian trail ran from Chillicothe to Old Piqua across Mad River Township, Clark County, where, five miles west of Springfield, Tecumseh was born. After Clark’s destruction of this village in 1780, its inhabitants moved across to the Great Miami where New Piqua was built, and which was destroyed by Clark in 1782. The path Harmar now followed bore toward the northwest, taking him to the site of the later Piqua on the Great Miami. Armstrong’s journal reads: “7th.... Passed through several low praries, and crossed the Pickaway fork of Mad river.... Encamped on a small branch, one mile from the former. Our course the first four miles north, then northwest.—Nine miles.”
The Irwin MS., from the point of union of Harmar and Harding, reads: “formed the Line of march there which was in Two Lines one on the right and one on the Left of sd Trace a strong front and Rear guard on Said Trace the Baggage in the Center Passed near where the Town of Lebanon Stands in Warren County west of Waynesville and Xenia Crossed Mad river perhaps 10 miles from Dayton Struck the great Miami near the old Piqua Towns that was Detroyed By sd Genl. Clark Crossed the Miami some Distance above Them.”
For the journey between the two Miamis the Morris journal is perhaps most definite: “On the day following, we crossed Mad river, and camped near New Carlisle,[84] in Clark county, and within one mile of Epee town, located precisely where Elnathan Cory now lives. This town gave name to the creek on which it stood, now called Honey-creek.... Here we killed 20 cows intended for beef.... The next day we crossed Indian creek ... and same day crossed Lost Creek in Miami county.... On this evening, we encamped at a spring, on the farm formerly owned by Nathaniel Gerrard, and about two miles from the town of Troy. Gen. Harmar gave to this spring, the name Tea Spring, as he and his officers refreshed themselves there, on that beverage.”
Armstrong’s record for the eighth and ninth is: “The army moved at halfpast nine o’clock. Passed over rich land, in some places a little broken: passed several ponds, and through one small prarie, a N. W. course.—Seven miles. 9th—The army moved at halfpast nine o’clock. Passed through a level, rich country, well watered: course N. W.,—halted halfpast four o’clock, two miles south of the Great Miami.—Ten miles.”
These commonplace records do not in any way represent the real state of affairs; perhaps they suggest only the topics of conversation of the vanguard of scouts and guides that led the army. The little band of troops was now in the heart of the enemy’s country. The face of the land was covered with forests, broken here and there by patches of bush and prairie. That the Indians knew of their advance, there was little doubt. When, where, or how they would oppose that advance, no one knew. The Great Miami was now reached and soon the strategic portage of the St. Mary would be taken possession of. The course would then be down grade to the Miami towns on the Maumee. Would the enemy rally here on the watershed crest near the old French fort on the Loramie? Such speculations as these occupied many more minds, it may confidently be believed, than thoughts of the streams or prairies crossed. The records left us tell only of the commonplaces, leaving the human element to the imagination. Yet this can be better conceived if the route is correctly outlined.
On the tenth of September Harmar crossed the Great Miami River. “At the crossing,” wrote Armstrong, “there is a handsome high prairie on the S. E. side.” “On the following day,” reads the Morris record, “we crossed the big Miami, a little above the town of Piqua, near Manning’s old mill.... This evening we encamped not far from upper Piqua.” This agrees with the Irwin MS. previously quoted.