200 The Winning of the West 



press orders of the commandant at Detroit. 9 These 

 warriors insisted on the Christian Indians abandon- 

 ing their villages and accompanying them back to 

 Sandusky and Detroit; and they destroyed many 

 of the houses, and much of the food for the men 

 and the fodder for the horses and cattle. The Mo- 

 ravians begged humbly to be left where they were, 

 but without avail. They were forced away to Lake 

 Erie, the missionaries being taken to Detroit, while 

 the Indians were left on the plains of Sandusky. 

 The wild Indians were very savage against them, 

 but the British commandant would not let them be 

 seriously maltreated, 10 though they were kept in 

 great want and almost starved. 



A few Moravians escaped, and remained in their 

 villages; but these, three or four weeks later, were 

 captured by a small detachment of American militia, 

 under Colonel David Williamson, who had gone out 

 to make the Moravians either move further off or 

 else come in under the protection of Fort Pitt. 

 Williamson accordingly took the Indians to the fort, 

 where the Continental commander, Colonel John 

 Gibson, at once released them, and sent them back 

 to the villages unharmed. 11 Gibson had all along 

 been a firm friend of the Moravians. He had 



9 Haldimand MSS. De Peyster to Haldimand, October 

 5th and 2ist, 1781; McKee to De Peyster, October i8th. 



10 Do. December n, 1781. 



11 Gibson was the old friend of the chief Logan. It is only 

 just to remember that the Continental officers at Fort Pitt 

 treated the Moravians even better than did the British offi- 

 cers at Detroit. 



