The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Death of Captain Wells, by Anonymous
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Title: The Death of Captain Wells
Author: Anonymous
Release Date: July 21, 2021 [eBook #65890]
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WELLS ***
Captain William Wells
THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WELLS
Prepared by the Staff of the
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
1954
i
One of a historical series, this pamphlet is published
under the direction of the governing Boards of the Public
Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOOL CITY OF FORT WAYNE
- B.F. Geyer, President
- Joseph E. Kramer, Secretary
- W. Page Yarnelle, Treasurer
- Mrs. Sadie Fulk Roehrs
- Willard Shambaugh
PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD FOR ALLEN COUNTY
The members of this Board include the members of the Board of Trustees of the
School City of Fort Wayne (with the same officers) together with the following
citizens chosen from Allen County outside the corporate City of Fort Wayne.
- James E. Graham
- Arthur Niemeier
- Mrs. Glenn Henderson
- Mrs. Charles Reynolds
1
FOREWORD
The character of William Wells remains an enigma,
for his life has long been obscured by conflicting accounts
of his role in Indian affairs. At one time, William Henry
Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory, thought him
untrustworthy and believed that he should be removed from
his position as Indian agent. Wells often appeared to his
contemporaries as a turncoat and a traitor to his own people
because of his sympathy with the red men. Other accounts,
chiefly by his military associates, are earnest tributes to
his strength and valor. Captain Allan H. Dougall, author of
the following article, considered Wells only a “celebrated
Indian fighter.”
Captain Dougall relates the death of Wells at the Massacre
of Fort Dearborn, on the site of the present city of
Chicago. His account first appeared in the FORT WAYNE
DAILY GAZETTE, December 18, 1887. The Boards and the
Staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
reprint the item in the hope that it will interest and inform
local readers. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation have
been changed to conform to current usage.
3
In July, 1812, Captain Nathan Heald, then in command
of Fort Dearborn, notified General William Hull that he was
being surrounded by a furious band of Indians who were in
communication with Tecumseh; Heald desired aid immediately.
General Hull sent an express to Fort Wayne to speed
the immediate relief of Captain Heald and his command.
Hearing of the proposed expedition, Captain William Wells
volunteered to go to the relief of Captain Heald and to act as
escort for the soldiers. His offer was accepted; on August
3, 1812, he set out with thirty hand-picked Miami warriors,
who were friendly, fully equipped, and full of hope and courage.
Wells had been stolen by the Miami when he was a boy
of twelve; soon afterward he was adopted by Little Turtle,
their great chief. He served with the Indians at the outbreak
of hostilities in 1790 and was present at the defeat of St.
Clair near Fort Recovery, Ohio. It is said, however, that
he then began to realize that he was fighting against his own
kindred, and he soon resolved to leave the Indians. Therefore,
he asked Little Turtle to accompany him east of Fort
Wayne to a point on the Maumee known as the “Big Elm.”
When the two had reached this spot, Wells said: “Father,
we have long been friends; I now leave you to go to my own
people. We will be friends until the sun reaches the midday
height. From that time we will be enemies. If you want to
kill me then, you may. If I want to kill you, I may.” He
then crossed the Maumee River and set out for General
Wayne’s army. Sometime after reaching Wayne, he was
made captain of a company of scouts. Later he settled north
of the St. Mary’s River on a farm which is still known as
Wells Reserve. At this time he served as Indian agent and
as justice of the peace. Wells also rendered valuable services
to General Harrison, governor of the territory.
4
“...we have long been friends...”
5
Nothing unusual occurred on the journey of Captain
Wells to Fort Dearborn with his Miami warriors. He arrived
safely on the evening of August 12, but he was too late
to have any influence on the question of the evacuation of the
fort. Captain Heald had already determined to follow out
General Hull’s instructions by agreeing to deliver the fort
and its contents to the Indians. The supplies of muskets,
ammunition, and whisky were very large; and it appears
that Captain Heald had thought of leaving them as they were.
On learning this, Captain Wells told him that it was madness
to hand over these supplies, which would only serve to excite
the already infuriated Indians. In this opinion, Captain
Wells was ably supported by John Kinzie and some of the
junior officers, who prevailed on Captain Heald to destroy
the supplies. Accordingly, on the night of the thirteenth,
he caused all surplus ammunition and arms to be destroyed
and all the whisky to be thrown into Lake Michigan. In the
afternoon of the fourteenth, a council was held between the
whites and the Indians, at which the Potawatomi professed to
be highly indignant at the destruction of the whisky and ammunition;
they made numerous threats which plainly showed
their murderous intentions.
Black Partridge, who was one of the most influential
of the Potawatomi chiefs, had been friendly to the whites
since the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, when he had received
a medal from General Wayne. In the evening Black Partridge
came to the fort and entered Captain Heald’s headquarters.
“Father,” he said, “I come to deliver up to you the medal I
wear. It was given me by the Americans, and I have long
worn it as a token of mutual friendship. But now our young
men are resolved to imbrue their hands with the blood of the
whites, and I cannot restrain them. I will not wear a token
of peace when I am compelled to act as an enemy.”
As the number of Indians about the fort was constantly
increasing, Captain Heald at last decided to evacuate the
fort, which he should have done before. On the morning of
August 15, 1812, the troops commenced to move out of the
fort; by some strange and weird choice of the drum major,
a dead march was played as they marched.
6
to deliver up to you the medal
7
They advanced along the lake shore, keeping near the
water east of the sand hills and banks; these elevations partially
screened them from view. The group had not proceeded
far, when to their surprise the five hundred Potawatomi
who had volunteered as an escort suddenly filed to
the right and rapidly disappeared among the sand hills. As
soon as the Indians were out of sight on the west side of the
hills, they crouched down to hide their movements and ran
ahead some distance to form an ambuscade. Then they
awaited the coming of the troops. Riding ahead, Captain
Wells had observed their movements; with his experience he
knew immediately that the party would be attacked. He returned
to the troops, dismounted, assembled the soldiers,
and marched them forward. When the little band had reached
a point about one and a half miles from the fort, the Indians
opened fire on them. The company of soldiers charged up
the bank and over the sand hills, firing as they advanced,
while the Indians returned the fire with deadly effect from
their sheltered position. As soon as the fighting commenced,
the friendly Miami who had come from Fort Wayne and had
stood by their adopted brother, Captain Wells, and their
white allies, deserted them and took no part in the fight.
Captains Wells and Heald and their small body of troops,
fighting against fearful odds, succeeded in dislodging the
enemy from their sheltered position; but the Indians were so
numerous that part of them were able to outflank the soldiers
and to take possession of their horses and baggage.
During the fight a young Indian crept up to the baggage
wagon, which contained twelve children, and tomahawked
and scalped all of its occupants. Captain Wells, after fighting
desperately, was surrounded and stabbed in the back.
His body was horribly mangled; his head was cut off, and
his heart was cut out and eaten by the savages. They thought
that some of the brave captain’s courage and skill would thus
be imparted to them. He was indeed a fearless officer and
a celebrated Indian fighter, but the odds against him had
been too great. Fifty-two whites were killed, including
twenty-six soldiers, twelve militiamen, two women, and
twelve children.
Captain Heald ordered a retreat and withdrew the small
remnant of his command. A parley ensued, and Heald surrendered
on the condition that lives be spared. The soldiers
then marched back to the fort, which was immediately plundered
and burned by the Indians.
It is sentimental nonsense to attribute the massacre
8
to the failure of Captain Heald to act promptly at the time
of the evacuation. The experiences and records of those
who lived with and had dealings with Indians show beyond all
doubt that as a race they are treacherous by nature. The
more the government and individuals do for them, the more
treacherous and unreliable they become.
CAPTAIN ALLAN H. DOUGALL
FORT WAYNE DAILY GAZETTE, December 18, 1887
Transcriber’s Notes
- Silently corrected a few typos.
- Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.
- In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WELLS ***
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