230 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



the, delivered a letter from governor Meigs to general Harrison 

 at Seneca, informing him of the arrival at Upper Sandusky, of 

 the entire mass of militia, in the Scioto valley, and of vast 

 numbers from all parts of the state ; and that they now expected 

 to be employed in active service or they would not be likely to 

 obey another call. The General went to Upper Sandusky to 

 confer with Meigs, and inform him of the orders of the war 

 department, not to employ militia at all, if regulars could be 

 procured, but if not, then only militia enough to make up the 

 deficiency of seven thousand regulars. Two thousand men 

 for six months, was all that Harrison felt authorised to employ 

 from Ohio. These Meigs selected, but for forty days only. 

 That being done, Harrison was compelled to dismiss them as 

 of no use, except to consume the provisions. Many of the 

 militia officers thus necessarily dismissed, assembled and pass- 

 ed inflammatory resolutions against the General, for obeying his 

 orders. The officers of the regular army answered them in 

 the same way, by resolutions. 



From the land, we now turn our attention' awhile, to our own 

 sea, lake Erie. Lieutenants Perry and Elliot, had been order- 

 ed to lake Erie with several hundred sailors, early in the sum- 

 mer of 1812, and they were not idle. They had seized and 

 captured at different times, several British vessels, and they 

 had destroyed such vessels as they could not carry into our 

 harbors. Ship carpenters had been busily engaged, in build- 

 ing vessels of war, at Erie in Pennsylvania. Several ships 

 were fitted up, which had been employed, as merchant vessels, 

 and severals others were built, expressly for warlike purposes. 

 Finally, nine vessels were gotten ready for service, carrying, 

 in all, fifty-four guns. General McArthur, had sent twenty- 

 five active seamen, from fort Meigs, to join Perry's fleet. The 

 war, on the ocean had driven these sailors from the Atlantic 

 frontier; they had joined our army and now volunteered their 

 services to Perry, and materially contributed to his success, 

 as their naval commander cheerfully acknowledged. McAr- 

 thnr had taken possession of fort Meigs, general Clay being 

 sick, had resigned the command temporarily to McArthur. 



