GENERAL HARMAR’S CAMPAIGN
Prepared by the Staff of the
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
1954
One of a historical series, this pamphlet is publishedunder the direction of the governing Boards of the PublicLibrary 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 theSchool City of Fort Wayne (with the same officers) together with the followingcitizens chosen from Allen County outside the corporate City of Fort Wayne:
- James E. Graham
- Arthur Nieneier
- Mrs. Glenn Henderson
- Mrs. Charles Reynolds
FOREWORD
General Josiah Harmar’s ill-fated campaign in 1790was the first of three historic expeditions against the Indiansin the Old Northwest. The defeat of General Arthur St. Clairfollowed in 1791, and the victory of General Anthony Waynein 1794.
The first article in this pamphlet identifies the exactsites of the Indian villages around the three rivers. Thedestruction of these villages was one of the objectives ofHarmar’s campaign. The journal of one of Harmar’s soldiersand admirers provides a firsthand account of thisexpedition and is printed as the second article. The thirdarticle is a speech delivered by James McGrew at a meetingof the Maumee Valley Monumental and Historical Associationon August 15, 1888.
The Boards and the Staff of the Public Library of FortWayne and Allen County present this publication in the hopethat it will increase interest in local history. Grammar,spelling, and punctuation have been changed to conform tocurrent usage.
INDIAN VILLAGES NEAR FORT WAYNE
On October 15, 1790, Colonel Hardin and a detachmentof six hundred of General Harmar’s men reached the Indiantowns at the forks of the Maumee River. The destructionof these towns was the object of General Harmar’s expedition.When Colonel Hardin’s command arrived at the towns,they found them abandoned by the Indians. The principalone, called Omee Town, had been burned. On the seventeenth,General Harmar and the remainder of the armyjoined Colonel Hardin.
Most readers know that there were a number of Indianvillages at and near the junction of the St. Mary’s and St.Joseph rivers, but few persons know the exact location ofthese towns. To add to the general information which wehave heretofore given on Fort Wayne’s early history, wepresent the testimony of a writer who wrote a supplementto the official account sent to the War Department. Thatwriter included some details which could not go into the officialreport. The s