226 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



with twelve Indians, and killed eleven out of the twelve. Cap- 

 tain James Ryan, now of Chillicothe, then a subaltern officer 

 of the Pittsburgh volunteers, killed one of these savages, by 

 one blow of his heavy broadsword. The savage had his tom- 

 ahawk upraised and was just about to throw it at Ryan, when 

 himself was laid low, never to rise again. 



Colonel Wells assumed the command for a very short time, 

 inasmuch as Croghan, on his reaching head quarters, instant- 

 ly removed every sha<le of suspicion that he had intended to 

 disobey the General. .Tarrying, therefore, all night with Har- 

 rison, who treated him with the greatest kindness; next mor- 

 ning he was escorted back in safety, and placed in command 

 as before. 



CROGHAN's defence of fort STEVENSON. 



On the 31st of July a reconoitering party from the lake, 

 twenty miles distant, saw the enemy enter Sandusky bay. 

 August 1st, at noon, this party passed Croghan, on its way to 

 Seneca, and informed him that the enemy had entered Sandus- 

 ky bav, and was then ascending it with his gun boats. 



Within three hours after the reception of this intelligence, 

 Croghan and his troops saw the enemy with his gun boats, 

 cannon, and all his means of annoyance, on the spot, ready to 

 commence the storming of their little stockade. The enemy 

 had come to inve!=t this post, with one thousand British and as 

 many Indians. The former were commanded by general Proc- 

 tor himself; the latter by Dixon. Out of the most pure regard 

 for our troops in Fort Stevenson, (if Proctor could be believed) 

 he sent on his arrival, major Chambers of the regulars, and 

 Dixon of the Indian department, to summons the garrison to 

 surrender. Croghan sent ensign Ship, with a flng to meet 

 these gentlemen. Chambers and Dixon, "besought Ship, to 

 spare the effusion of blood — what a pity, said they, that you 

 and Croghan, such fine young men, should be butchered by 

 savages." Ship replied, that "when they took the garri- 

 son, none would be left to be butchered by an enemy." At 



