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HARRISON TO

No 38) Head Quarters N.W. Army

Portage River 15 Miles from the Miami

Rapids 26th. Jany 1813

Sir

I have the honor to enclose herewith a Duplicate of my letter of the 25th Inst. Together with the official report of Colo Lewis to Genl Winchester of the Action of the 18th. Inst.

That you may be enabled to judge of the propriety of the steps which war taken by me previously to the unfortunate event at the River Resin I proceed to give you an account of the situation of the Troops and the arrangement I had made for their advance -- the left wing of the army under the immediate orders of Genl. Winchester Consisted of the 6 Regts. Kenty. Troops a Battalion of Ohio Infy. & the Detachment of Regulars under Colo. Wells -- The importance of keeping a considerable force on this line after the advance of the army from its Vicinity to the Indian Tribes of the Wabash & Lake Michigan induced me to direct Genl.Winchester to take with him 3 Ky Regts & the Regular troops only -- With these amounting to about 1300 Men he marched from his Camp 5 Miles below the mouth of the Auglaize River on the 31st. Ult. on the Evg. Before he had dispatched an Express informing me of his intentions to march the next mong. -- This Express was sent through the woods to Genl Tuppers Camp 4 miles advanced of Urbanna Upon Hulls road -- A Violent Snow storm prevented it from reaching Genl. Tupper until the 9th. Inst. and it was not until the llth that it came to me at Upper Sandusky -- I immediately gave orders for several droves of hogs which had been stoped on their route to proceed towards the Rapids -- & I directed the artillery to be prepared to progress as soon as the genls arrival at the Rapids should be announced which I directed him to do by an Express to be sent immediately to U Sandusky -- Not hearing from the Genl for some days I began to conclude that his progress had been stoped by a Considerable thaw which took place about the 1st of the Month -- On the Evg. of the 16th Inst I received a letter from Genl Perkins enclosing one from Genl Winchester to him of the 15th informing of his arrival at the rapids on the 10th that it was his intention to advance against the Enemy & directing him (Genl Perkins) to send information I dispatched an express with the en- closed letter No 2 by the direct route to the Rapids & set out myself to Lower Sandusky & reached it on the Evg of the 17th. On the Morng of the 18th the Battalion which Gnl. Winchester applied for marched from lower Sandusky -- About 2 oClock on the Morng. of the 19th. A Letter from Genl Winchester was received of which the enclosed is an Extract No 3. I gave in immediate orders for the 2nd Rgt of Perkins Brigade which con- sists of 2 Rgts only to march immediately for the rapids & proceeded thither myself On my way I received the Gnls letter of the 18th informing me of the success of Colo. Lewis a Copy of which I had the honor to en- close you from the Rapids My arrival at the Latter place on the morng of the 20th. I found that Genl. Winchester had marched the proceeding day Having left Gejl. Payne with about 300 of the Kenty Troops It was not until late on the 21st Inst. that Major Cotgrove was enabled to extricate his baggage & the peice of artillery he had in Charge from the Horrid swamp which seperates the Miami & Sandusky Rivers -- He encamped that Evg near the Miami Bay & by marching early on the following morng he had he had advanced within 15 miles of the River Resin when he was informed of the total defeat of our troops there -- The 2nd Rgt of Perkins Bri- gade arrived on the 21st & I immediately ordered the remaining part of the Kenty Troops under Genl Payne to proceed with all possible expedition for the River Resin-- I was stilluneasy for the Troops at there but supposing that Genl Winchester had obtained the best information of the strength of the disposable force of the Enemy, and as I had sent him 300 Men more than he deemed sufficient for Maintaining his ground (Bee his letter of the 21st No 4) And as there were a thousand reasons which made it necess- ary to maintain it if practicable -- I did not think it proper to order a retreat altho the advance in the instance was Contrary to my wishes and opposed to a principle by which I have been ever governed in Indian Warfare ie never to make a Detachmt. but under the Most perfect[?] cir- cumstances -- Amongst the many reasons why the [illeg.] at the River Resin should be maintained -- the Protection of the French Inhabitants was not the least the greater part of these people had received our Troops with open arms -- Many of them had sallied out of their Hovers upon the arrival of Colo Lewis with their Arms in their hands & had even in the opinion of some of our officers won the pretence[?] of valour from our Troops. they attacked & killed the straggling Indians whenever they sent them their hovers were all opened to our fire & they offered to give up the whole of the provisions which yet remained to them upon Condition that they should not again be abandoned to the fury of the savages or subjected for what they had done to be [illeg.] in the prisons of Malden ---I had also been informed that the supplies to be procured there were considerable -- see [illeg.] letter and the assistance to be derived from the Carioles of the Indians [?] was an object of greater importance The former of these motives had made so much an impression upon the minds of the Genl & his troops that I am persuaded nothing but a reiter- ated order to retreat would have produced obedience upon the part of the latter -- These reasons together with the respect which it was necessary to [illeg.] to the opinion of an officer of high rank & Experience whose opportunity of procuring the most Correct information was much better than mine -- produced the determination to support rather than withdraw the detachment from the River Resin -- Indeed it appears that there was not time for either after my arrival at the Rapids When I left Upper Sandusky the artillery was ordered to be sent on immediately to the Rapids escorted by three Hundred men -- Detachments were also ordered for the Pack Horses Waggons & sleds which were constantly progressing thither -- An other Battalion could also have been drawn from Upper Sandusky so that the troops at the Rapids would have been almost dally encreased -- On this day they would have amounted to 2500 with two peices of artillery & four or 5 days more the Virga Brigade & a Pensylvania Rgt would have encreased them to 3800 a further supply of artillery By the 5th of Feby the whole force 4500 which I Contemplated assembling at the Rapids would have been there &provisions & minitions of war in abundance -- I should have been enabled to advance to the Rapids again this day or tomorrow but for a most unfortunate rain which has broken up the Roads so as to render them impassable for the Artillery altho it is fixed on sleds -- The whole train is stopped 25 Miles from this -- I have reason too believe that the Miami River has broken up.

I have the honor to enclose you a report made to me by Major McClanehan the Senior of the two officers who escaped from the action at the River Resin It requires no comment from me

I have the Honour to be with great Resp

81, 82