by Michael Aye
The attack would take place at first light. Gesslin’s scouts would sneak back in before daybreak and ascertain that things were as they had been last evening and that nothing had changed. If anything had changed, they would back out and warn the others if there was time. If not, a single shot would alert the group that something was amiss.
As the first rays of sun crept over the horizon, men mounted their horses. Little puffs of fog came from the animals as they snorted, and their hot breaths collided with the early morning chill. A heavy layer of frost covered the ground. Obvious tracks could be seen where the advanced party had walked through the frost, together at first and then separating into different directions. Jonah and Moses sat astride their horses ready to be off.
The man next to Jonah reached into a sack and pulled a twist of chewing tobacco out. He bit off a chew, and then, as he was putting the twist back into the sack, he addressed Jonah, “Care for a chew, Mr. Lee?”
“Thank you, no. I never chew before breakfast.”
“Don’t blame you,” the man said, chewing on the twist. “Been known to turn a man’s innards.”
“I’ve heard the same thing,” Jonah replied, not sure who he’d heard it from. In truth, he didn’t chew but felt obliged to be diplomatic in his refusal.
“Sun is directly behind us,” Moses volunteered.
That would mean the British would be looking directly into the sun as they approached. Visibility would be less, and the Americans would be on them before the British knew it. It had not been taken into consideration during the planning but was a definite advantage.
“Lord is looking after us,” Moses commented.
`The word was given to move out, and the horses were walked until they reached the top of the rise overlooking the objective. Once there, they charged as a group and then at the last minute broke off into three separate groups. The British were ill-prepared for the attack. Complacency brought on by poor leadership, half rations, and a longing for home could all be cited as reason.
Not more than a dozen or so shots rang out as the mounted rifles swept down on the sleeping settlement. Most of the British soldiers put up very little fight. A few of the less demoralized set fire to a storage building. The soldiers guarding the keelboat and barge put up a stiff resistance, but the sheer number of Americans made it futile to continue. One brave soul did manage to set the barge on fire. With the storage house and barge on fire, the American army posted a guard on the British, and then the rest of the soldiers laid down their weapons and began fighting the fires.
With the Americans occupied, several Indians took the opportunity to attack the soldiers guarding the bridge and tried to destroy it. Soon, the rest of the Americans were alerted to the fight going on at the bridge and reinforced the soldiers there. Jonah and Moses were part of the relief column and soon found themselves under a withering fire. The Indians were putting up a much stiffer fight than the British had. Men were falling as ball after ball found its mark.
“They’re in the trees,” Jonah shouted to Moses.
A musket ball plowed into a bridge support Jonah was hiding behind. Sprayed by splinters from the wood, Jonah could feel the sting as they hit his face. Looking at the hole, it was obvious whoever fired the shot was in a higher position. That could only be the trees. No wonder the soldiers who thought they were under cover were falling.
Jonah watched the trees and was paid off for his vigilance. An Indian moved from where he’d been hiding to get a shot at some unsuspecting soldier. Jonah’s long rifle was primed and loaded. Seeing the Indian move from behind the big branch, Jonah took quick aim and fired. His aim was true. The Indian jerked as the ball struck home, toppling the Indian backwards and out of the tree.
Grinning like a possum, Jonah yelled at his friend, “See that shot?”
“It was middling good,” Moses shouted back then ducked as a ball kicked up dirt not a foot from him.
Jonah’s eyes were starting to sting from the acrid gunpowder. There was little breeze about, and the fog of spent gunpowder was cutting down on visibility, making it difficult to see the enemy.
The battle had been going on over an hour when the Americans started fording the creek above and below the Indians to outflank them. As the soldiers started to close in, an Indian jumped from behind his cover and shouted defiantly at the Americans.
Realizing the brave was the leader of the Indian confederacy, Jonah took aim at the mighty Tecumseh, but before he could pull the trigger the Indian disappeared from sight. Frustrated, Jonah gave a yell and charged over the bridge. He was immediately followed by Moses and the Kentuckians. Coughing and choking from the smoke, they reached the other side of the bridge in time to see the Indian retreating on horseback.
With his chest heaving, one of the soldiers gasped, “This is why I’m not in the infantry.”
Unable to speak, Jonah couldn’t help but agree.
The fires on the barge and storehouse were put out, and General Harrison had parties of men led by an officer inspect and inventory the goods. The storehouse had been full of muskets, ammunition, and the last of the food that had been left for the garrison there. The inventory of the barge was much the same, except to the disappointment of Captain Hampton; the personal effects found on the barge were those of General Proctor’s family.
Hampton did find out that General Proctor had left the previous morning. The area had been left under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Augustus Warburton. However, Lieutenant Colonel Warburton had gone up river to meet with General Proctor. It seemed the alliance with the Indians was falling apart. Tecumseh had sent Colonel Elliot to Lieutenant Colonel Warburton demanding to know where Proctor was going to take a stand and fight.
It seemed Moraviantown was the next likely place. With this information, General Harrison decided to rest his army the remainder of the day here. Tomorrow morning they would march to Moraviantown. Will we meet the British there? Jonah wondered. Is that where Proctor will choose to make his stand? One question after another filled his mind.
Walking to the creek, he passed three men covered with blankets. Good men who had given their all. The fight at the bridge would be listed as a skirmish if listed at all. However, three had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Six more were wounded. Would they be remembered in the same light as General Harrison or Commodore Perry? Not likely, yet they were just as important. Especially to the loved ones left behind. They had salvaged over one thousand muskets in the storehouse that the British had tried to burn down.
But was all the muskets, the food, and bridge… worth even one life? Shaking his head, Jonah found it hard to justify. A gunshot rang out and Jonah was momentarily startled.
Moses spoke, explaining the gunshots. “The general must feel we’ll meet the Redcoats tomorrow, as he has ordered several cows be slaughtered. The men will rest and eat well tonight.”
“So the ice has melted,” Jonah stated.
“I was thinking more like a last supper,” Moses replied.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Campfires lit up the landscape as Harrison’s army feasted on beef taken from farmer’s pastures. Jonah, Moses, Clay Gesslin, and James Hampton had gathered around one of the fires on the outer perimeter, having had their fill of beef, fresh bread, and coffee. They lay on bedrolls with their belts loosened and moaning over having eaten too much.
“There’s no way around it,” Hampton was saying. “Proctor is running scared. He knows he has the whole American army after their Redcoat arses for letting the red devils slaughter our men at the River Raisin.”
“I’m not so sure,” Gesslin responded. “Those Indians of his put up a good fight at the bridge today.”
“Huh!” Hampton snorted. “That was Tecumseh himself, not Proctor. You see what a job he did, took us two hours to overpower a handful of savages. It’s a good thing he isn’t calling the shots for the British; otherwise,
we might be back in Detroit or Ohio somewhere.”
“Well, Tecumseh has shown more leadership,” Jonah said, speaking for the first time. “Think of all the stragglers and military stores we’ve taken with little or no opposition at all. We faced the most we’ve met today. Aside from the Indians, the British left such a weak guard there was little doubt they’d be taken.”
“We should have already taken the British,” Gesslin threw out.
“No,” Jonah replied. “Not before taking control of the Great Lakes. Had we tried we may have faced a much different opposition.”
“I agree with Jonah,” Hampton said. “We had to take control of the overwater supply route.”
“Well, tomorrow, we’ll likely come face to face with General Proctor,” Gesslin volunteered. “Colonel Johnson is convinced the British will have to stand and fight at Moraviantown. Not only are the Indians calling him a coward, but according to the troops we captured today, so are the officers. He’ll have to make a stand soon or face a court martial and disgrace if not a firing squad.”
“Shhh!” The men turned to Moses. “Riders coming,” he said, “a large group.”
The men quickly gathered their weapons, not sure if the riders were friendly or not. A challenge rang out in the dark. One of the sentries had stopped the riders. Soon, there was a call for the sergeant of the guards.
“Let’s see what this is about,” Gesslin said, and the group closed with the sentries. “What is it?” Gesslin asked as they approached, not wanting to startle a man with a loaded gun.
Actually, there were two men. One of them spoke, “Evening Captain. We got a whole passel of Injuns who want to see the general. The leader says they want to make a treaty.”
“This sounds interesting,” Hampton said. “Mr. Lee, maybe we should inform our leader and see if it’s convenient for him to receive these noble warriors.”
Harrison was more than eager to meet with the Indians. The Indian leader was Walk-in-the-Water, and with him rode sixty followers. It seems that they had also become very frustrated with the British and decided to make peace with the Americans. A big to-do was made over their decision to desert the British. Food was served in great quantity but no alcohol was given, much to the Indians’ disappointment. The Americans, Harrison promised, would always be friends with the Indians and not turn their back as the Redcoats had done.
During the pow-wow, Walk-in-the-Water confirmed General Proctor had given his word to Tecumseh that they would fight. Just outside of Moraviantown was where they would make their stand.
A thick swamp was to one side and the Thames River on the other. That left a narrow passage that would be easy to defend. Harrison immediately made plans to move out at daybreak. He was also assigning Colonel Wood the job to reconnoiter the areas Walk-in-the-Water had described. Little did Harrison and the American army know, but they were being scouted also.
Tecumseh and General Proctor descended the river very quietly and made a reconnaissance of Harrison’s camp. After seeing the outlay of the camp, Tecumseh wanted to spring a surprise attack. Proctor refused, feeling it would be dishonorable, stating they would meet the enemy at Moraviantown.
Angry with Proctor for his unwillingness to attack, Tecumseh decided to stay close and keep a watch over the American army. He and a few of his chiefs spent the night at the house of a friendly mill owner. If Harrison’s army headed toward Moraviantown, he would gallop ahead and warn the British.
Rumors quickly spread throughout the encampment: the Shawnee’s are surrendering. Before that rumor could be dispelled, and the truth that only sixty or so had decided not to fight was made known, than the whispered rumors spread that they’d meet the British come tomorrow.
Jonah and Moses made their way back to the campsite. “Do you think it will be tomorrow?” Jonah asked his friend.
“If not tomorrow, then the next day,” Moses replied. Both men knew Proctor could not continue to run.
“We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last few days in our attempt to bring the British to battle. Now that it’s almost here, I thought I’d be excited,” Jonah admitted to his friend. “However, all I am is tired.”
“It’s not just the travel,” Moses said. “It’s also the weather. I don’t ‘spect you’re any different than most. We are all bone weary.” Stretching out on his bedroll and pulling his blanket up to his chin, Moses gave a sigh. “That little trapper’s cabin was a sight better than this,” meaning sleeping under the stars. “We could have even built a fire tonight.”
“True,” Jonah replied, with a yawn and then continued, “However, it’s on the other side of the creek. You want to ride back over there? Moses!”
The only reply Jonah got was the constant sound of a deep sleep. Apparently, I’m not the only one tired, he thought as he closed his eyes.
The gray light of dawn was making its way on the eastern horizon. Men moved as shadows. Breakfast had already been eaten, horses saddled, and fires put out.
“Notice the general’s personal belongings are all being put into one of the wagons that will be in the rear.”
Moses nodded but didn’t reply.
Gesslin, with a company of mounted rifles, had been assigned the point once again. “Problem is,” Gesslin snorted, “once they learn your name, they can’t forget it. Means we got to go to bed earlier so we can get up earlier, and if you don’t move quick-like, it means you get no coffee.”
So that’s it, Jonah thought. Gesslin hasn’t had his coffee. As the riders made their way out of the field in which they had camped, lights could be seen from a farmhouse. The lowing of cows could be heard.
“Ready for milking,” Moses volunteered.
No sooner had he spoken, than a man with a lantern walked out of a back door and headed toward a barn. As the mounted rifles drew abreast of the house, a woman rushed from the house. She looked both ways nervously as Gesslin halted the riders. She was obviously frightened, and the way she kept looking side to side, she was afraid she was being watched. By who was the question… was it the enemy, her husband or who?
“Sir,” she whispered. “There’s a bunch of those red devils lying in wait. They plan to ambush you when you pass by. I… just wanted you to know, sir.” Then the lady dashed back into the house.
Gesslin motioned the company to move out but didn’t speak until they were several hundred yards down the road, and then he halted the column again. “Men, did you hear?” he asked. “There’s an ambush up ahead. I don’t know how she knows, but as skittish as she was, I believe her. We’ve been warned now. We will split into two columns, one on the right under Mr. Lee, and I’ll take the left side. First sign of trouble we ride like hell. Shoot anything that moves… except me or Mr. Lee.” This brought a chuckle as Gesslin knew it would. “Any questions?”
When none were asked, he wheeled his horse around and men rode left and right. The sun was rising now and a small creek could be seen just ahead.
“Likely spot,” Jonah volunteered.
“My thoughts as well,” Gesslin replied.
Several clicks could be heard as men eased the hammers back on their long rifles. Obviously, they felt the same way. Still, the men eased along as if they had not a care in the world. The cry of a war whoop was heard as a Shawnee brave dashed out of the woods wielding a war ax. Moses’ gun was lying across his saddle with the barrel pointing toward the brave. He simply pulled the trigger and the warrior was knocked backwards, a huge hole in his chest. Several shouts and war whoops were heard as the Indians rose up from their hiding places to fire at the Americans.
When the mounted rifles dug into the flanks of their horses and charged, the Indians panicked and tried to retreat. However, the Kentuckians rode them down. A few of the riders were pulled from their horses by the braves, but another rider was right there to help.
Instead of the Americans, it was the Indians who wer
e taken completely by surprise. In no time, the Indians had been easily dispatched, with only a few minor wounds to the mounted rifles. What should not have shocked Jonah but did was the number of Indian scalps hanging from rifle barrels. Tired they may be, these men were ready to fight. Anybody who didn’t believe it had only to look at the dripping scalps.
Chapter Thirty
After the skirmish with the Indians, the point riders rode without mishap for the next ten miles. Seeing riders ahead, the point man signaled the rest of the group, who quickly found cover. There were three riders in the group.
Seeing it was Hampton, Jonah called out from his position but didn’t show himself immediately. “You there… hold up.” The surprise was complete. Then, before showing himself, Jonah spoke out, “A man of words you may be, but not a man of the woods.”
Riding out from his cover, he spoke again. “It’s a hellish brave man, you are. If we’d been Tecumseh’s Indians, you’d be scalped by now.”
As other men rode out shaking their fresh scalps to emphasize Jonah’s point, Hampton swallowed hard.
“We were told to expect you,” Colonel Woods said, taking advantage of his rank.
“So were those,” Jonah replied, nodding toward the dangling scalps. He was not concerned about the colonel or his rank, but hated to think how easily they could have lost their lives had his group been Indians.
“Had you run up on the same bunch as we did,” Gesslin said, backing up Jonah. “You would likely be goners or making your report to General Proctor instead of General Harrison.” The colonel and Hampton were quick to realize their blunder.
“How far back is General Harrison?” Colonel Woods asked.
“I’m not sure, sir,” Gesslin replied, now all military. “They were to be about an hour back but that was before we were set upon. After jawing with you these past few minutes, I’d say they can’t be more than half an hour behind.”