Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Sandusky, Indian operations at

On May 16, 1763, a party of Indians appeared at the gate of Fort Sandusky. The commander, Ensign Paulli, admitted seven of them as friends and acquaintances. They smoked awhile, when, at a preconcerted signal, they seized the ensign and carried him out of the room, where he saw the dead body of his sentry and of others of the garrison. All had been massacred by the treacherous Indians. They also killed the traders, seized their stores, and carried the ensign to Detroit as a trophy (see Pontiac). In 1782, flushed with success against the Christian Indians on the Muskingum, 480 men marched, under Colonels Williamson and Crawford, to complete their destruction by assailing them at Sandusky. They designed, at the same time, to strike a blow at the Wyandotte town. They fell into an Indian ambush near Sandusky, and, attacked by an overwhelming force, were compelled to retreat. Many stragglers were killed, and, while Williamson escaped, Crawford and others were made prisoners. The colonel and his son-in-law were tortured and burned at the stake, in revenge for the cold-blooded murder on the Muskingum.