Peter Davis [Doddridge County], His Journal, 1812.
Extracted From
History Of Harrison County West Virginia
by Henry Haymond
(Morgantown: Acme Publishing Company, 1910)
307-11
September 20.
We started from Captain Nathan Davis and that day marched and
encamped at the widow Marsh's.
September 21.
We encamped at the foot of the Dry Ridge.
September 22.
We encamped at Sharp's.
September 23.
We encamped on the bank of the Ohio about one mile below
Marietta.
September 24.
We arrived at Parkersburg at the mouth of the Little Kanawha
where we laid two days.
We embarked and arrived at Belleville and on the 28th. we arrived at the mouth of Mill Creek.
September 29.
We passed Letart's Falls and encamped two miles above Point Pleasant.
September 30.
We arrived at Point Pleasont [sic] where we laid until the 20th of October,
there we drew our arms, knapsacks, tents, clothes and two months pay.
October 20.
We left Point Pleasant and crossed over the Ohio River into the State
of Ohio and encamped in a field on the bank of the river.
October 21.
We arrived and encamped at Gallipolis which is about four miles
below Point Pleasant and encamped in the town,
October 22.
We laid by and nothing particular occurred that day.
October 23.
We still laid there and we had a soldier drummed out of camp for
selling government supplies.
About twelve o'clock we struck our tents and marched away. We passed through poor and uneven land and crossed Big Raccoon Creek. Went two miles and encamped in a field on the ___ at the sign of the white horse.
October 25.
We struck our tents and marched away at ten o'clock through very
poor and uneven land with very few inhabitants. We reached the Sciota
Salt Works, which are about twenty miles and nearly destitute of water.
October 26.
We struck and went on down Salt Creek fifteen miles and encamped
in New Richmond, which is about three-quarters of a mile from the Big
Sciota. and it a very rough poor country until we got to our camping
ground.
October 27.
We start and it being a very rainy day, which rendered it very disagreeable
and after marching nine or ten miles we had to wade the Sciota
River, and from thence four miles to Chillicothe, where we encamped on
the edge of the town on the bank of the Big Sciota.
October 31.
We struck our tents and waded the river, it being a cold blustering
morning and marched fifteen miles and encamped on the Pickaway
plains.
November 1.
We started through the plains and at the distance of four miles we
passed a small town called Jefferson, and at the distance of three miles
we passed another small town called Circleville. Not far from the Walnut
plains we passed some praries and encamped on a large creek, which is
twenty one miles from where we encamped in the plains.
November 2.
We started and marched up the Sciota and encamped in a town
called F__.
November 4.
Marched twelve miles.
November 5.
Marched thirteen miles and encamped near,a emall [sic] town called Delaware
situated on Whetstone River, a fork of the Big Sciota. Here we laid from
the 5th. November until the 21st. of December, in which time there was
nothing in particular occurred. At this place we met with General Harrison
and several Indian Chiefs of the Shawnee Nation.
December 21.
Started and arrived at Norton at 3 o'clock and here we continued
until the 2nd. day of January, 1813, for the purpose of guarding the
stores, which was at a Fort called Fort Monroe.
January 2, 1813.
We started for upper Sandusky. The day before we started it began
to rain and it continued to rain all day and a part of the night, and then
it began to snow, and at 11 o'clock the snow was half leg deep. We went
four miles and encamped at ___. We continued there the next
day. The fourth day the snow ceased falling and we started, the snow
being about knee deep, and we reached the block house in the Sandusky
plains, which is eleven miles, and it being extremely cold. The next
day we started very early and marched fifteen miles and encamped in the
plain with the Pennsylvania troops and here we laid until the __ of
January.
About four miles from this stands a town of the Indians called Greentown. These Indians are of the Wyandotte nation. The time we laid here there came part of another Nation of the Wyandottes that lived at Greentown, it was them that fought against General ___ at the rapids of the Maumee, and after four days General Harrison concluded a peace with them by their promising to go in the front of the battle if called on.
January 23.
In the evening it began to rain. The snow began to melt and it being
a level piece of ground, the water ran into our tents. We were baking and
cooking and preparing to march to the Rapids. It was about three hours
when our fires were all out and about three o'clock the water was knee
deep in our tents, and we were obliged to retreat from our tents and build
a fire on higher ground, where we continued until day, it being a very
rough night. When daylight came we had to wade to our tents to hunt
our baggage, which we found floating about the tents.
About 11 o'clock we started and it being very level we had to wade sometimes knee deep. We continued our march for eight miles and encamped on a piece of woodland but very low and muddy. That night it began to snow. In the morning we marched two miles and were stopped by a small river, it being very high. Here we continued two days, and in that time we built two canoes but at the expiration of the two days it was so extremely cold that the river froze completely so that it bore the troops comfortably. We all crossed safely and that day we marched eighteen miles and encamped in a piece of woodland very level and rich.
January 28.
We took up the line of march at nine o'clock and marched, through
very low and swampy land. The next morning we marched fifteen miles
and came to where General Harrison was lying with about two thousand
men from Ohio and Kentucky.
January 29.
The whole command marched seven miles.
February 1.
Marched eight miles and reached the Rapids of the Maumee. Marched
four miles on the ice down the river and encamped on the South East
side of the River.
Before we left camp General Harrison sent three men to Malden with a flag of truce to get leave to bury our dead at General Winchester's defeat at the River Rasin [sic]. When we stopped some of our men went across the river and found the white flag with one of the men shot, tomahawked and scalped and the other two were taken prisoners, one of them being wounded.
March 10.
This day Lieutenant ___ and another man went down the
river a fowling. About two miles down the other man not being well left
the Lieutenant and returned to camp. He had not left him far until he
said he heard the Lieutenant shoot and after a little he heard another gun
fire.
The next day the Lieutenant was found about one mile lower down shot, tomahawked and scalped and put under the ice.
March 30.
This day received my discharge and Captain John McWhorter his company
and Captain L and Captain Prince and Simmons and their companies
left Camp Meigs for the purpose of returning home. When we left
the fort we had to wade, and we waded two miles and encamped on a
branch of the river.
March 31.
March six miles and crossed C___ River, Went eight miles further
and encamped on a branch of the Sandusky River.
April 1.
Marched six miles and reached the C___ Block House. Here we
continued until the next day and our Ensign and some of our men went
to the Lower Sandusky for provisions.
April 2.
This day we marched over about four miles of dry land passing two
miles below Sandusky, a small town lying on Sandusky River, which the
Indians had left that day. We travelled ten miles and encamped on the
Sandusky River.
April 3.
Had a hard and rough march of about 25 miles and reached Sandusky
Fort.
April 4.
Marched 15 miles and camped at the Sciota Block House.
April 5.
This day we reached Fort Monroe in the township of Marlborough in
the State of Ohio.
Here the journal ends and same was not continued on account of sickness.