[ [2] He in company with Capt. Johney and Brighthorn, had been sent by Gen. Winchester to make discoveries at the rapids. They had not proceeded but a few miles when they were taken prisoners by five Indians under Winnemac, and a son of Col. Elliott. Logan told them they had come to join them: this induced them to permit Logan and his associates to carry their arms and to march before them. Logan determined to rescue himself or die in the attempt; he communicated his intentions to his comrades and when a suitable opportunity offered, they turned upon their enemy and each one brought his man to the ground; the remaining three fired upon Logan's party and wounded Logan and Brighthorn. Logan altho' mortally wounded exchanged a second shot with the enemy, when he and Brighthorn jumped upon the horses of two of those they had just slain and left Capt. Johney to cover the retreat which he did in a gallant manner, after having scalped Winnemac. Winnemac was the chief that commanded at Tippecanoe. Young Elliot was among the slain—his body was afterwards taken up by his father, and conveyed to Malden.
[ [3] The fate of Capt. Hart was peculiarly distressing.—He had received a flesh wound and particularly distinguished himself by his undaunted bravery. After the capitulation, Capt. Elliot, who had been a class mate with him at Princetown college, waited on Capt. Hart, and unsolicited, promised him his protection declaring that the next morning he would have him taken to his own house at Malden, where he should remain until his recovery.—But Elliot broke his promise and left him to his fate! On the next day a band of savages came into the house where he was confined, and tore him from his bed. But he bargained with one of them and gave him a considerable sum of money to have himself taken to Malden. They set off, and after travelling as far as the river Aux Sables, they were met by a fresh band of Indians, who shot the Captain upon his horse, and tomahawked and scalped him! Numbers were put to death after they had been several days in custody. At Sandy Creek an Indian approached a volunteer of the name of Blythe and proposed to exchange his mocasins for Blythe's shoes—with this he readily complied; after this they exchanged hats; the Indian then raised his tomahawk and struck Blythe on the shoulder which cut into the cavity of his body: Blythe then caught hold of the tomahawk and attempted to resist but on one of his fellow prisoners telling him that his fate was fixed, he closed his eyes and received the savage blow that terminated his existence. Hamilton deposed that when the prisoners were marching from Raisin to Detroit, they came up to where one of the prisoners was burning, the life just expiring, and an Indian kicking the ashes off his back.
[ [4] I was told by several of the inhabitants of Frenchtown while at Detroit, that they had frequently seen the hogs and dogs devouring the bodies of the Americans and that it was not uncommon to see them running about with skulls, legs, arms, and other parts of the human system in their mouths.
[ [5] A private in the Petersburgh volunteers draws the following picture of a soldier's life: It describes the march of his company at the time of Winchester's defeat. "On the second day of our march a courier arrived from Gen. Harrison, ordering the artillery to advance with all possible speed; this was rendered totally impossible by the snow which took place, it being a complete swamp nearly all the way. On the evening of the same day news arrived that Gen. Harrison had retreated to Portage river, 18 miles in the rear of the encampment at the Rapids. As many men as could be spared determined to proceed immediately to reinforce him. It is unnecessary to state that we were among the first who wished to advance. At 2 o'clock the next morning, our tents were struck, and in half an hour we were on the road. I will candidly confess, that on that day I regretted being a soldier. On that day we marched thirty miles under an incessant rain; and I am afraid you will doubt my veracity when I tell you, that in eight miles of the best of the road, it took us over the knees and often to the middle. The Black Swamp, 4 miles from Portage river and 4 miles in the extent) would have been considered impassable by all but men determined to surmount every difficulty to accomplish the object of their march. In this swamp you lose sight of terra firma altogether—the water was about six inches deep on the ice, which was very rotten, often breaking through to the depth of four or five feet.
"The same night we encamped on very wet ground but the driest that could be found the rain still continuing. It was with difficulty we could raise fires; we had no tents, our clothes were wet, no axes, nothing to cook in, and very little to eat. A brigade of pack horses being near us, we procured from them some flour, killed a hog (there being plenty of them along the road;) our bread was baked in the ashes and the pork we broiled on the coals—a sweeter meal I never partook of. When we went to sleep it was on two logs laid close to each other, to keep our bodies from the ground. Good God! what a pliant being is man in adversity. "The loftiest spirit that ever inhabited the human breast would have been tamed amid the difficulties that surrounded us."
[ [6] It is worthy of remark that but two soldiers were shot in the north-western army; and so unfrequent was desertion that from the time I joined it, till its departure from Fort George, not a solitary instance occurred; at least none come to my knowledge, although I made frequent enquires as the fact. I am not willing to attribute this extraordinary fidelity to the public service, to the superior patriotism of the people of the west or a nice sense of the force of moral obligations. The cause is evident—the officers are generally more attentive to their men, than those of the northern army.
[ [7] This proficiency is applicable only to the regulars and twelve months volunteers. The militia officers did not at tend to it.