In 1790 there were five hundred acres of cleared land at and around the junction of the three rivers. Four years later, on the seventeenth of September, 1794, General Wayne’s army reached the Maumee villages. The next day that distinguished commander designated the spot on which to build a fort. On October 22, the work was finished; and Colonel Hamtramck, after fifteen rounds of cannon were fired, called it Fort Wayne. DAWSON’S FORT WAYNE DAILY TIMES, October 15, 1860 A SOLDIER’S JOURNAL Colonel Joseph McMaken has obligingly furnished us for publication the following interesting sketch of General Harmar’s campaign. The writer, Colonel David H. Morris, Miami County, Ohio, was a sergeant in the expedition and kept a journal of the most interesting occurrences. Colonel Morris still has his journal and, at the request of Colonel McMaken, transcribed this sketch. It may therefore be relied on as correct; it is, indeed, corroborated by the statements of the late Chief Richardville and other old residents of Fort Wayne. “Fort Washington was the rendezvous. Colonel Hardin, with a regiment of mounted riflemen, and James Fontaine, with a troop of cavalrymen from Kentucky and militiamen from Pennsylvania, joined Harmar here. On September 29, 1790, we began our march and proceeded four miles toward the Maumee villages near where Fort Wayne now stands. On the thirtieth of September we moved forward on the Indian trail leading to the old Chillicothe town on the Little Miami River. When we arrived there after several days’ marching, we fired our guns and reloaded them. “In the evening we encamped about one mile above James Galloway’s residence. The next day we crossed Mad River and encamped a little below the site of New Carlisle. Here we killed twenty cows that had been condemned because of injuries received from the stronger cattle. The next day we crossed Indian Creek, which I named in honor of an old Shawnee chief; the same day we crossed Lost Creek in Miami County. In the evening we encamped two miles north of Staunton. On the following day we crossed the Miami River, just above where Piqua is now located. Indians who had crossed the river just before us had left their canoe. They had killed a cub bear, cut the skin into small pieces, and placed it on stumps. From this circumstance, we were sure that we had been discovered. That evening we encamped near Upper Piqua and the next day moved toward the St. Mary’s River. About midday seven Indians were discovered and pursued by the scouting party. One of them was taken; he proved to be a half-breed about twenty years old, and a sullen dog he was!