Portions of the Delaware tribe, the principal tribe in this section of the state, through all the bloody Indian Wars were steadfast
friends of the whites and did all they could to restrain their young men. Sometimes however, they were unsuccessful.
In these conflicts between the Indians and white men, the Indians inflicted severe punishment and cruelty upon the white
settlers. But on the other hand the white men wages on and influenced by the desire for revenge often resorted to undue
cruelty towards the Indians. The white settlers have often been judged by many people to have been as barbarous and
uncivilized as the ignorant savage.
There is one conflict between the Delawares and a small band of scouts from Pennsylvania which is interesting to Magnolia
history, for those same scouts helped to settle Magnolia.
It was the latter part of March or early in April 1793 that Gen. Anthony Wayne’s Army broke camp at Legion Fields,
Pennsylvania, and proceeded down the Ohio River.
As a precautionary measure, spies or scouts were sent out to range at will through the territory west and north of the river.
They were to report promptly any unfavorable condition of affairs at a certain states rendezvous.
One of these parties was composed of five trusty men, Caption Downing, Isaac Miller, John Cuppy, George Foulk, and John
Dillon. Their station was opposite the Mouth of Yellow Creek, on Tumbleson’s Run at the farm of Jacob Neisly. They were
well adapted to their task, because of their skill in woodcraft and the fact that Dillon and Foulk had been captured by the
Indians in boyhood, and had grown to manhood among them. These men had just escaped a short time before.
The party left their place of hiding for a scout in April, 1793. They crossed the Ohio River at the mouth of Yellow Creek,
followed up the north branch to near its source, and then directed their course west to the head waters of Sandy. After
reconnoitering for miles around without discovering any sign of Indians, they came to the conclusion there were none about.
Up to this time they had not discharged a gun from fear of being discovered. The rations with which they had supplied
themselves on starting were nearly exhausted and they concluded it would be safe to kill some game. Downing shot a deer
and another of the party, a turkey. This was on the morning of the fourth day out, between Little Sandy and Indian Run.
As they had not yet eaten breakfast, they concluded to prepare the meal. Miller was kindling a fire; Foulk was preparing the
turkey for roasting; Downing was in the act of bending down a sapling upon which he intended to hand his deer that he might
more easily skin it; and Cuppy was sitting at the root of a tree examining the gun on his lap.
A part of the Indians numbering eighteen or twenty of the Delaware and Wyandot tribes heard the firing and detected the
locality of the scouts. They divided their force into two parties with the purpose of approaching them from a different course,
one of which was from a direction the scouts would be most likely to take in an effort to escape.
While Cuppy was engaged examining his gun, he happened to look up and saw at a distance an Indian moving about peering
through the underbrush. He immediately sprang to his feet and gave the alarm. As soon as the Indian saw he was discovered,
he turned and ran; and as he did so, Cuppy fired at him, but without effect. Miller and Foulk snatched up their guns and gave
chase. The ground was sparsely timbered. Miller was in the advance when Foulk called to him to halt, for he knew that just as
soon as the Indian reached a more heavily timbered piece of ground he would stop behind a tree and shoot Miller as he
approached. Thereupon Miller turned about and he and Foulk started for the place they had left. Meanwhile the other party of
Indians, numbering six or eight, made their appearance in another direction. They were bold and demonstrative.
Downing said to Cuppy and Dillon; “Let us stand together and defend ourselves to the last.”
“No.” replied Dillon, “each one for himself” and suiting his action to the sentiment, started on a run.
Downing and Cuppy kept together and moved cautiously along the higher ground towards the forks of the Sandy. As the
Indians pressed upon them too closely, they would turn and raise their guns as though they intended to shoot. Then the
Indians would jump around, throw their hands, and run upon their hands and knees, evidently for the purpose of diverting the
aim of the whites.
By degrees they became bolder and advanced closer. Downing taking advantage of a good opportunity, shot the nearest,
which had the effect of keeping the others at a greater distance.
Soon after, Downing and Cuppy caught up with Dillon, who appeared much exhausted as though about to fall.
Dillon begged “for God’s sake” that they would help him. As Downing turned and saw his face, he discovered that he was
choking with his necktie. Dillon in his haste to loosen it and assist his breathing pull the wrong end and made it tighter.
Downing cut the neckerchief with his knife, thereby releasing him. Dillon immediately took a fresh start and was soon out of
sight. Downing and Cuppy were both past middle age and somewhat fleshy. They had both run until exhausted, and knew
they could not hold out much longer.
Downing said to Cuppy, “I can’t go any farther; I’ll stand and fight under this thorn bush if I die.” And stand he did. At the
same time Cuppy got behind a tree and both awaited the approach of the savages, determined to make the best resistance
possible.
They had not long to wait, for soon the Indians were seen approaching. Downing reserved his fire until the foremost Indian
came within close range. Taking deliberate aim he fired and brought him down. The others returned a volley which cut the
bushes around Downing and Cuppy but did not striker either. Miller and Foulk hearing the firing hastened in the direction from
which it came and before aware of it were among the Indians. Miller espied one of unusual size with a silver half-moon
hanging on his breast and in the act of loading his gun. Just as Miller was drawing a bead upon him, the chief saw him, gave a
yell, and sprang behind a tree. Miller soon discovered that he was so surrounded that it would be impossible to protect himself
behind a tree, thereupon he determined upon flight as the only hope of safety for his scalp. Quick as thought, he sprang from
the upper bank and ran across the bottom or swamp toward the north branch of the stream.
The Indian left Downing and Cuppy, threw down their guns, drew their tomahawks, gave a scalp yell and gave chase after
Miller. At one time they were so near that he recognized a tall warrior known among the whites as Tom Jilleway.
After Miller crossed Little Sandy and was in an open plain, he thought as he afterwards expressed it ‘Now legs for it.” He
always considered himself swift on foot, and now he put in his best efforts for about a mile and a half until he reached the
highlands or ridge. He stopped to look back and listen, but he could neither hear nor see anything of the Indians. After resting
a short time, he concluded to return to the place where they were first surprised, in the hope of finding the rest of his
company.
As they were not there and the day was far advanced, he decided upon making for the company’s place of rendezvous on the
east side of the Ohio River. He continued to travel as long as he could see his way until he reached Yellow Creek. Here under
a fallen tree that lay up from the ground, he made a bed of leaves upon which he slept soundly amid the howling of wolves
and screeching of wildcats. Next day he crossed the Ohio at the mouth of Yellow Creek and reached the place of rendezvous
where he ground Downing, Cuppy and Dillon safe and unhurt, except that Downing’s face was much swollen and his eyes
bloodshot from exertion.
In the evening of the next day, Foulk made his appearance and reported that at the time the Indians started after Miller, he hid
himself in the brush. When they were out of sight, he crossed over a branch of the Sandy, the same that is now called Indian
Run from this identical fight, and secreted himself on a hill where he could overlook the plans south without being observed.
He could see the Indians in camp not a mile distant and was satisfied from his knowledge of their ceremonies that two of their
number had been killed. In discussing the matter, the company was of the opinion that they had the best of the fight and that
they made a fortunate escape.
In October, 1793, these same five scouts, Dillon, Miller, Downing, Cuppy and Foulk made an excursion, passing through
Sandy Township and probably through the vicinity of Magnolia, to a point within about six miles of the villages of the Huron
Indians on the Huron River in the present county of Huron in this state. Here at daybreak as soon as they could see the sights
on their rifles, they made an attack upon and Indian Camp. One of the Indians becoming uneasy from some cause took up his
gun and came out, standing between the scouts and the camp fire. Foulk declared with an oath that he would shoot him. He
did so, when they rushed upon the camp and killed two more savages. The Indian who Foulk had first shot was not yet dead,
but Foulk declared that he had begun the task and he’d finish him. He drew his tomahawk, buried it in the Indians Brain, and
scalped him. The scouts then returned to their rendezvous on the Ohio River.
In August, 1812, when Gen. Hull had surrendered all our armies in the West and North to the British, and there was no
organized force to quell the attacks of the Indians, there came a report to the settlers of Magnolia and Sandy Township that
the Garver settlement, southwest of Canton, was wiped out and that 400 Indians were prowling about in the north bend of the
Sandy Creek.
The consternation among the settlers was terrible, was in its most civilized from was terrible to think of, but war and possible
capture by so relentless and barbarous a foe, struck terror to the souls of even the sturdy woodsmen of the valley and all
feared for the safety of their scalps.
All the settlers looked to Downing as the man who should lead them into battle and he was not found wanting. He gave orders
for a gathering of the settlers with all arms and ammunition available. He directed the woman and children to hide in the corn
fields. Downing with his three sons, two sons-in-law, and sixty brave and study pioneers armed in all sorts of ways marched
in single file to meet the enemy. They passed on their march through the place where East Sparta is now situated to the
summit that place and the Bethlehem settlement, now called Navarre.
Here they heard shooting. Capt. Downing called his men together and ordered: “now, Boys, double quick and strike them with
a dash!” The pioneers charged valiantly up the ridge with incredible swiftness, only to find another party of white settlers
who, like themselves, were searching for the 400 braves and not finding them were shooting mark.
During that same fall James Downing, Jr., who organized a company of troops was elected its captain and marched to the
front. The regiment to which the company was assigned encamped at Wooster on Christmas Day and names the bivouac
“Camp Christmas.” From there they marched to Fort Meigs at which place, and Fort Stevens, they wintered.
Downing returned home with his men at the end of the war and entered the land adjoining his father, now owned by John
Elson, formerly owned by Jacob Painter, Esq.
He married Miss Nancy Hewitt of Virginia. He cleared up a fine farm on which he enclosed the burial ground with a fine stone
wall where the remains of himself and wife, his father and mother, and other relatives are interred. This Downing burial
ground which is located on a small knoll a little north of Magnolia and Waynesburg Road.
| INDIAN CONFLICTS |
