210 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



These Kentuckians thus slaughtered, belonged to the best 

 families in Kentucky, and the news of their untimely fate 

 clothed all the people of that state, in mourning. Mrs. Hen- 

 ry Clay, lost a brother, who was taken prisoner, wounded, kill- 

 ed, tomahawked and scalped by the savages — Nathaniel G. S. 

 Hart, inspector general of the army. 



For a disaster so dreadful, who is to be blamed? Not gen- 

 eral Harrison, because he never ordered such a rash move- 

 ment of Winchester's force, nor even authorized, or counte- 

 nanced it. Indeed, Harrison had no knowledge of the move- 

 ment until Winchester's express informed him of Lewis' move- 

 ment at Lower Sandusky, sixty or seventy miles distant from 

 the rapids. Harrison despatched three hundred men, however, 

 and a piece of artillery, to the rapids. The roads were so bad 

 that the cannon did not reach the rapids until after the fatal dis- 

 aster. On the morning of the 19th, at four o'clock, another ex- 

 press arrived from the rapids and confirmed the former report 

 that Lewis had marched to the River Raisin. A regiment and 

 a battalion lay at Lower Sandusky, and this regiment was in- 

 stantly marched off to the rapids. The General immediately 

 marched himself, thither across the Black Swamp. He travel- 

 ed forty miles in a day, leading his horse frequently and jump- 

 ing from bog to bog. He traveled thus all night, and reached the 

 rapids on the morning of the twelfth. General Winchester with 

 all his disposeable force, had left there in the night preceding 

 Harrison's arrival. Nothing now could be done but wait for 

 the arrival of the regiment, which was on its march from Lower 

 Sandusky. Harrison now clearly foresaw Winchester's inevi- 

 table fate. He had thrown himself into the very jaws of the 

 enemy, beyond the reach of succor; but all that Harrison 

 could do, was done by him. 



On the evening of the 22nd, Perkins's regiment and a battal- 

 ion of other militia arrived at the rapids. The news of Win- 

 chester's defeat, also reached the rapids, late on the same even- 

 ing. Harrison now called a council of his officers, to take into 

 consideration what steps should then be taken? The unani- 

 mous opinion of this council was in favor of falling back eigh- 



