Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/227

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAI^D COUNTY

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��towns on the Muskingum to the Sandusky River. The British were jealous of the power of these missionaries over the Indians ; the traders hated them because they stood in their way in selling rum to other Indians, and the Americans feared them because they were neutral, refusing to aid either side. The Brit- ish were the main ones in causing their removal. Through the notorious Girty and Elliott, two renegade whites, well known in border histor}^, the command for their removal was given. The}' were ordered to leave their peaceful homes, their schools, their churches, their fieldsof vegetables and grain, and repair to a colder part of the territory- and there begin anew.

They were commanded to move September 10, 1784, and, abandoning all that was dear on earth to them, they set out on their perilous journey. Their route was up the river, thence up the Waldhoning, and on north by a little west, thi'ough the townships of Hanover, Green, and northwesterly through the county, turning west near the western boundary-, went on to the site of Bucyrus. where they established their camp. Among the company was Mar}- Heckewelder, daughter of the missionary, John Heckewelder, supposed to 1)e the first white fe- male child born in Ohio. She thus describes the march :

'^Our journey was exceedingl}' tedious and dangerous ; some of the canoes sunk when on the creeks and rivers, and those that were in them lost all their provisions and everything they had saved. Those that went by land di'ove the cattle — a pretty large herd. The savages now drove us along, the missionaries with their families usually in the midst, sur- rounded by their Indian converts. The roads were exceedingly bad, leading through a con- tinuation of swamps. We went by land through Goseuchguenk [Coshocton] to the Waldhoning, and then parti}- l:»y water and partly along the banks of the river to Sandusky Creek." From

��the nature of the ground. Dr. Hill thinks the Black Fork is meant.

Not long after the removal of these Indians occurred the raid by Col. Williamson and the brutal massacre of many of these peaceful sons of the forest as they were gathering their corn. This was the next March, and the act stands unequaled on the annals of war for brutality and wickedness. This is also narrated in the history of Ohio. The act aroused the animos- ity of all other Indians, who, though not agreeing with the 3Ioravian converts in their attitude, yet, because many of them were Delawares and Wyandots, felt called upon to revenge the deep injury done to their rela- tions.

Capt. Pipe and other warlike spirits at once took the war path, determined to revenge the injury. News of the impending uprising of the Indians reached the borders of Pennsyl- vania, and excited great fear. Another expedi- tion was at once raised, to again go against the Moravian Indians, a second time wrongly supposed to be the cause of all the trouble. Nearly fi^-e hundred men gathered at the de- serted Mingo town near the site of Steubenville, and, electing Col. William Crawford commander, started across the country for the old Moravian towns on the ^luskingum, thinking there might still be Indians there, and also the towns being nearly on a direct route to the new settlements on the Sandusky River.

They found the Indian towns deserted of in- habitants, and, gathering suflBicient corn to feed their horses, pushed on for the towns on the Sandusky.

Mr. C. W. Butterfield, of Bucyrus, has made '■ Crawford's campaign ' an especial study, and given the results of his study in an excel- lent and exhaustive work of nearly four hun- dred pages. It is not the intention here to note the campaign any further than it relates to Richland County. As a campaign, its history is o;iven elsewhere.

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