On the 30th of April 1793, Wayne departed from Legionville, with an army disciplined to his entire satisfaction, and which, owing to his judicious plan of operation, had perfect confidence in itself. He had adopted the very wise and creditable determi nation of banishing whiskey entirely from his camp; he justly denominated it a baneful poison.
In six days the army arrived at Fort Washington, near the village, now the city of Cincinnati, and took up a position about a mile below that place. The government was still exceedingly anxious, if possible, to bring the war to a close without the necessity of a battle. General Wayne was, therefore.
delayed in his operations by the positive orders of the president. The people of the United States were adverse in the extreme to an Indian war, and to comply with their known wishes in this respect at tempts were again made at negotiation. A very highly respectable commission was sent forward to treat with the Indians. But their pretensions con tinued to be so extravagant, still insisting upon the Ohio as their boundary, and refusing to enter into negotiations except on that basis, that but one course was left. It remained for the power of the sword to settle the controversy, and General Wayne accordingly was directed to do the utmost in his power to render the result favourable to his country; being again told by the secretary at war that a defeat would be pernicious in the highest degree to her best interests. The secretary proceeded to say: " Your arrangements having been prepared for this event, if no unforseen cir cumstances should occur to prevent your proceed ing, nothing further remains, but to commit you and the troops employed under you to the protec tion of the Supreme Being: hoping you and they will have all possible success in the measures you may be about to undertake, to prevent the murder of helpless women and children." The correspondence that passed between General Knox, the secretary of war, and Wayne, during this period of highly excited interest, is extremely interesting, and reflects the utmost credit upon both those gentlemen.
In conformity with the powers vested in him, Wayne, haling called for a reinforcement of a thou sand mounted men from Kentucky, advanced and took up a position further in the enemy's country. His object was to keep the savages in check,and then to strike with effect when a favourable opportunity presented itself. He assured the secretary of war
that, knowing the critical situation of his infant country, and feeling for the honour and reputation of the government, which he pledged himself to support with his latest breath, he would in no way commit his legion unnecessarily, and unless power fully supported, would content himself with secur ing the frontier and protecting the posts and army during the winter. The troops in the autumn had suffered not only with the fevers usual to the season, but had been visited with the influenza and the small-pox.
During the remainder of the autumn and part of the winter, he contented himself with a further advance into the country, securing his army care fully as he proceeded; anxious to receive further directions from the war department, with which his communications, on account of his great dis tance, were very unfrequent. In the middle of winter he sent a strong detachment to the fatal battleground, where so many of the heroes of St. Clair's army had unfortunately perished, in order to erect a redoubt, collect the scattered bones of those unfortunate men, and pay the last honours to their memory. The enterprise was successful; and a pleasure, yet not unmixed with mournful recol lections, was derived from the opportunity of rendering these last sad offices to the remains of the illustrious dead.
The cunning foe, under pretence of opening ne gotiations for peace, but really with the design of prying into the situation of the general's forces, sent him a pacific message. Anxious, as he knew the government to be, to secure a peace, though he distrusted the sincerity of their professions, Wayne did all in his power to produce the desired result. At one time, appearances seemed so much to justify the expectation of an amicable settlement, that Big-Tree, a Seneca warrior of high standing, who, from his friendly feelings towards the country had joined the army, in a fit of exasperation at the thought of peace, committed suicide. " I have lost" said he, "a very dear friend, the friend of my heart, General Richard Butler." He had sworn to sacrifice three enemies to the manes of his departed friend, and seeing his chance of revenge most probably at an end, he killed himself.