Boardman 9 Sept 1812Eli Baldwin to Elijah Boardman at New Milford
Sir, I hardly know what to write there has been so much bustle and confusion here for a few days past consequent on General Hull's shamefull capitulation [of Detroit] that no other business can be properly attended to. Our frontiers having been left intirely defenseless and exposed to the ravages of the savages, it became necessary to call out the militia as soon as possible. So promptly was the order obeyed that in one week the militia of the Reserve were in readiness and a quarter part of them had actually marched to Cleaveland and Huron—a distance from fifty to one hundred miles.... This part of the country is now in a state of tranquility. The men are not yet discharged, which makes it extremely bad on account of the seeding which ought at this time to be done, especially for those who calculated to sow new ground which cannot be logged for want of hands. The damage to the Reserve will be at least fifty thousand dollars as our thousand men are now taken from their occupations at a time when it is all important for them to be at home. Since the fall of Detroit we are told (although all is confusion and we know not what to believe) the Indians have turned their attention towards Fort Wayne but we hope that has been so reinforced that they will not be able to make any impression there. General Wadsworth has stationed the men taken from the Reserve mostly at Huron to watch the movements of the Indians and is waiting for orders from the War Department to know whether a part of the men can be discharged or their place supplied by the Regular drafted militia. These troops from Kentucky had been ordered to join General Hull before his treasonable surrender took place....
Since the fall of Detroit we know little about the situation of the settlements of Michigan but have [learned] by people fleeing from there that the Indians have not much disturbed the French settlers but have plundered the settlers from the states of nearly all their property. They have also broke up two or three small settlements between Detroit and the Firelands but have not yet killed any of the inhabitants. The British are said to have removed all the public stores and all the Navy artillery from Detroit to Fort Malden from which it should seem that they do not expect to hold it very long.