• • • v* 
 
 
 •A < S 
 
 
 
 4 o 
 
 \ ^ 
 
 
 
 
 V oL' ' o 
 
 

 
 
 ■^ vV • tCCv 88 A ^n «^* * £1113$ ' & • 
 
 ,0 
 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 "*W 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 >,* <v v- °yi%^* ,<& 
 
 *** 
 
 ^.^t*°o /\>^\ ^.^i>o ^\w 
 
 
GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 
 
 CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE 
 
 jFor pmfttrut of tfyt stuitr& g>tnit& 
 
 
 1 
 
 PHILADELPHIA.— PUBLISHED BY JESPER' HARDING., 
 
 Stereotyped by L. Johnson, Philadelphia. 
 1840. 
 
 Orders (postage paid) promptly attended to,— Price? f 10 per 1000, or $1.50 per 100. 
 
A SKETCH 
 
 1 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES 
 
 OF 
 
 GEN. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 
 
 The prominent position now occupied by i 
 General Harrison before the American people, 
 Tenders it peculiarly proper that a brief sketch j 
 of his life and public services should be laid j 
 before his fellow-citizens ; for although his j 
 public acts, both in a civil and military capa- 
 city, have been for the lasting glory and ho- 
 nour of our whole country, yet in consequence 
 of his having resided for the greater part of 
 his life among the patriotic and chivalric inha- 
 bitants of the western states, they are more 
 familiar with his history than those who reside 
 in the east and north. It was this acquaint- 
 ance with the man, or rather — to make use of 
 the endearing appellation by which he has been 
 ■universally known — it was this acquaintance 
 •with the Washington of the West, that has 
 there produced such a general and ardent feel- 
 ing in his favour ; that the people have, in de- 
 spite of party dictation, borne him triumph- 
 antly along, for the highest office in their gift, 
 until there is now no doubt but he will be 
 elected by a most decisive majority. 
 
 It will be apparent that our efforts to com- 
 press the materials of his eventful life in the 
 compass of a few pages, have compelled us to 
 omit all those minute illustrations of particular 
 facts, which have in reality given to his life 
 all the beauty of romance. To see, a youth of 
 eighteen years of age, leaving his kindred, and 
 friends, and paternal roof, and inspired by a 
 lofty patriotism, marching into the savage wild- 
 erness, and battling with the enemies of his 
 country; and then in a few years to find him 
 in the councils of the nation, exerting himself 
 to promote the civil institutions he had so gal- 
 lantly defended in the field ; and then again 
 leading the armies of our country to victory at 
 the dreadful midnight conflict of Tippecanoe, 
 and at the hard-fought seige of Fort Jtfeigs, and 
 the still more brilliant victory of the Thenars*, 
 together open a field for meditation, which it 
 is impossible to express in the few pages we 
 iiave devoted to the history of his life, To 
 
 have pursued a subject of this kind in all its 
 details, would have been grateful to our feel- 
 ings, but the brevity of our plan will forbid it. 
 We must leave the reader to fill up for him- 
 self the many omissions we are compelled to 
 make. 
 
 'We ought to state that this compilation is 
 principally taken from the valuable and authen- 
 tic history of McAffee on the late war, and 
 from the excellent biographical works of Daw- 
 son and Judge Hall. 
 
 William Henry Harrison was born in Vir- 
 ginia, on the 9th of February, 1773. His 
 father, Benjamin Harrison, was one of the 
 patriots of the Revolution. He was a very 
 distinguished member of the first Congress of 
 the United States, which met at Philadelphia, 
 in 1774, and was one of the most conspicuous 
 of the signers of the Declaration of Indepen-. 
 deuce. He afterwards rendered important 
 services to his country, by his energetic and 
 patriotic measures as governor of his native 
 state, Virginia. This eminent patriot died in 
 1791; leaving his son, William, under the 
 guardianship of his friend, the celebrated Ro- 
 bert Morris. 
 
 Young Harrison was educated at Hampden 
 Sydney College, and, by the advice of his 
 friends, turned his attention to the study of 
 medicine. But about the period when he had 
 completed his education, soon after the death 
 of his father, the increased and barbarous hos- 
 tilities of the Indians on our northwestern bor- 
 ders, began to excite a feeling of indignation 
 through the whole country. In this general 
 excitement our young student participated so 
 warmly, that he resolved to relinquish his pro- 
 fessional pursuits, and join the army destined 
 to the defence of the Ohio frontier. 
 
 The war in this part of our country was then 
 assuming a very alarming aspect. The Indian 
 tribes, who had been in the service of Great 
 Britain during our revolutionary struggle, had 
 not yet laid down the tomahawk ; but still per-- 
 

LIFE OF GENERAL HA RRISON. 
 
 3 
 
 sisted in their ruthless hostilities, and in the 
 almost daily commission of their savage atro- 
 cities. From the year 1783, when Great Bri- 
 tain acknowledged our independency, and war 
 with the mother country ceased, up to the year 
 1791, it was estimated that more than fifteen 
 hundred of our hardy borderers had fallen vic- 
 tims to the rifle and scalping knife of their 
 savage foes. Our northwestern frontier pre- 
 sented an appalling scene of rapine, conflagra- 
 tion, and wanton destruction of life and pro- 
 perty. Many of our border settlements had 
 been crushed in their infancy, and all had 
 been retarded in their growth. Expedition 
 after expedition, fitted out to oppose them, 
 had met with the most disheartening losses ; 
 
 1 finally a gallant army, under Brigadier 
 General Harmer, which had been sent ex- 
 pressly to chastise these savages, had been 
 signally defeated by them, and almost annihi- 
 lated. Of the few experienced officers who 
 escaped from Harmer' s defeat, nearly all, worn 
 out with the fatigues of a service so harassing, 
 and shrinking from a warfare of so dangerous 
 and barbarous a nature, had resigned their 
 commission ; and a feeling of dismay began to 
 pervade the whole community. 
 
 Such was the gloomy aspect of affairs, when 
 the ardent and generous patriotism of young 
 Harrison prompted him to give up the comforts 
 and luxuries that surrounded him at home, 
 and peril his life in defence of his fellow- 
 countrymen. 
 
 He received the commission of an ensign in 
 the United States Artillery, in the autumn of 
 the year 1791, when only eighteen years of 
 ag§: and hastened immediately to join his re- 
 giment, which was then stationed at Fort 
 Washington. He arrived at that post a few 
 days after the unfortunate defeat of General St. 
 Clair, near the Miami villages, by the confede- 
 rate Indians, under the command of the cele- 
 brated chief, Little Turtle. This disastrous 
 defeat, in which St. Clair's army was destroy- 
 ed, with the loss of nearly a thousand men, 
 killed or taken prisoners, left the whole of our 
 northwestern frontier exposed to the ravages 
 of a merciless enemy, and added greatly to the 
 general consternation before existing. 
 
 In this state of things, our government saw 
 the necessity of adopting immediate and effi- 
 cient means to put an end to this savage con- 
 flict. Another army was promptly raised, and 
 the command given to General Anthony Wayne, 
 a gallant and skilful officer, who had earned a 
 brilliant reputation in the Revolutionary War. 
 Wayne's Legion, as his army was called in 
 the new organization, assembled at Pittsburg, 
 in the summer of 1792 ; and in the ensuing 
 month of November, they left that place, and 
 went into winter quarters, at Legionville, on 
 the Ohio, twenty-two miles below Pittsburg. 
 
 About thi s time, Harrison was promoted to' 
 lieutenant; at id shortly after, he joined Wayne's 
 Legion. Hi. s fearlessness and energy, with 
 his strict attei ^ on t0 discipline, soon attracted 
 the notice of 1 ds commander-in-chief, himself 
 a bold and darin g soldier, and a rigid disciplina- 
 rian ; and Gene ra ^ Wayne, not long after his 
 arrival, selected him as one of his aids-de- 
 camp, at the age oi " nineteen. 
 
 We have enter e ^ tnus minutely into this 
 detail, because we w i sn t0 point it out at how 
 early an age, and ii * wnat trying times, young 
 Harrison was thou, ?*** worthy of honourable 
 distinction. 
 
 Lieutenant Harriso n acted as aid to General 
 Wayne during the wl. '°^ e °f the ensuing cam- 
 paigns; and his bravt TV and gallant conduct 
 throughout were such, that he was repeatedly 
 officially noticed in tern ,s °f die highest enco- 
 mium. The war was c onducted by General 
 Wayne with all the coo! 'daring of a veteran 
 soldier and the sagacity oi " a prudent general, 
 until finally, on the 20th i tf August, 1794, he 
 fought the bloody and des j ?erate battle of the 
 Miami, in which the confedei ' 8,e(J Indians, with 
 their allies, were totally defea ted. Their heavy 
 losses in this battle so dishean °ned the Indians, 
 that, in a few months after, t!, ' e 7 entered into 
 negotiations for a treaty of pea " (J > giving hos- 
 tages for their good faith ; and thus, with the 
 close of this war, were extinguish ?ed what may 
 be considered the last embers o. our revolu- 
 tionary struggle. In his despatc. ^ to the Se- 
 cretary of War, after this decisi 've victory, 
 General Wayne, in mentioning th ose whose 
 good conduct made them conspicuo us on this 
 occasion, says: " My faithful and gal lant aids- 
 de-camp, Captains Be Butts and T • Lev/is, 
 and Lieutenant Harrison, with th ° Adju- 
 tant-general, Major Mills, rendered th e most 
 essential service, by communicating my orders 
 in every direction, and by their conduc t and 
 bravery exciting the troops to press foi ' vic- 
 tory." 
 
 Soon after this battle, Lieutenant Harrison 
 received the commission of a captain, and v. 'as 
 placed in command of Fort Washington, th\e 
 most important station on the western frontier.-' 
 He remained in the army till the close of the 
 year 1797, when, as there was no longer an 
 opportunity to serve his country in the field, 
 he resigned his commission, to commence his 
 career of civil services. He was almost im- 
 mediately appointed secretary, and ex-officio, 
 lieutenant-governor of the Northwestern Terri- 
 tory ; which then embraced the whole extent 
 of our country Tying northwest of the Ohio 
 river ; thus receiving his first civil appoint- 
 ment in that part of our country which he had 
 periled his life to defend. 
 
 While in this station, he entered so warm- 
 ly into the interests of the people, and his in- 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 telligence, and the kindness and urbanity of 
 his manners rendered him so popular, that 
 when, in the following year, they became en- 
 titled to representation in the councils of the 
 nation, they almost unanimously elected him 
 their first delegate to Congress. Mr. Harrison 
 was, at this time, about 26 years of age. 
 
 He took his seat in the House of Represen- 
 tatives, at the first session of the sixth Con- 
 gress, in December, 1799. There were then 
 in Congress some of the ablest and most en- 
 lightened statesmen, ami some of the most 
 eloquent men, our country has ever produced. 
 Yet in this severe ordeal, the abilities and man- 
 ly energies of Mr. Harrison soon commanded 
 universal respect. At this period, the all-en- 
 grossing subject in the West, and one in which 
 our whole country had a deep interest, was 
 the sale of our public lands. The manner in 
 which these lands had been hitherto disposed 
 of, had created great dissatisfaction among the 
 
 peop! 
 
 Thev had heen sold only in large 
 
 tracts; the smallest of which included, at least, 
 four thousand acres. Our hardy yeomanry, 
 with limited pecuniary mean?, were thus shut 
 out from all chance of competition with wealthy 
 speculators and grasping monopolists, in the 
 purchase of these lands — the poorer emigrants 
 were becoming disheartened at the chilling 
 prospects before them, and the settlement of 
 the new country was gre itly retarded. Fully 
 aware of the impolicy and injustice of this 
 state of things, and true to the trust confided 
 in him, Mr. Harrison's earliest legislative ef- 
 forts were made to overthrow this pernicious 
 system. He aroused the attention of Con- 
 gress to the consideration of this important 
 subject, and evinced so intimate an acquaint- 
 ance with the farts and business details con- 
 nected with it, that he was appointed chairman 
 of a committee raised to examine into and re- 
 port on the existing mode of disposing of the 
 public lands. After a proper investigation, he 
 presented a report, accompanied by a bill, the 
 principal object of which was to reduce the 
 size of the tracts of public land offered for sale, 
 to such a smaller number of acres as would 
 place them within the reach of actual settlers. 
 This masterly report, which was the joint pro- 
 duction of himself and Mr. Gallatin, together 
 with the great ability and eloquence with 
 which he defended his bill from the powerful 
 opposition it encountered in the House, gained 
 Mr. Harrison a reputation rarely attained by so 
 young a statesman. The bill was carried tri- 
 umphantly in the House, and finally, after some 
 amendments, passed the Senate. The result 
 was, that the public lands, instead of being of- 
 fered only in large tracts, of which four thou- 
 sand acres was the smallest size, were now to 
 be sold in alternate sections and half sections — 
 the former containing 610, and the latter 320 
 
 acres each. The point gained was of immense 
 importance, since, from the low price of these 
 lands, and the small amount of purchase mo- 
 ney required to be paid, they were now with- 
 in the reach of nearly all the poorer emigrants 
 and actual settlers, who felt a natural desire to 
 own the fee simple of their homes, and of the 
 lands they subdued from the wilderness. Thou- 
 sands of the hardy and industrious farmers of 
 our Northern and Middle States, and many of 
 the poorer planters of the South, availed them- 
 selves of the fair field which was now opened 
 for emigration and enterprise ; and we may 
 justly consider this happy,result, which Mr. 
 Harrison was so instrumental in producing, as 
 one of the leading causes of the rapid settle- 
 ment and prosperity of our western country. 
 
 In the year 1300, the Northwestern Territo- 
 ry was divided. That part of the old territo- 
 ry, included within the present boundaries of 
 Ohio and Michigan, retained its former name; 
 and the immense extent of country northwest 
 of this, was made a separate territory, and re- 
 ceived the name of Indiana. Soon after this 
 division had taken place, Mr. Harrison resign- 
 ed his seal in Congress, and was appointed 
 governor of the new territory. This appoint- 
 in nt gave great satisfaction to the people of 
 Indiana, with whom the patriotic exertions of 
 Mr. Harrison had rendered him deservedly 
 popular ; and it was, at the same time, the 
 strongest evidence of the confidence with which 
 the general government relied upon his inte- 
 grity, prudence, and capacity for civil govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The extent of Indiana was almost bound- 
 less. The small population it then contained 
 was thinly scattered through a vast wilderness, 
 and only three settlements of any note existed 
 within its territory. One of these was at Vin- 
 cennes, the capital ; another at the Falls of the 
 Ohio, one hundred miles distant from Vincen- 
 nes : and the third was on the Mississippi, at 
 a distance of more than two hundred miles 
 from the capital. The communication between 
 these remote points was, at all times, difficult 
 and toilsome, and often attended with great 
 danger. There existed no practicable roads, 
 and nearly all the intermediate country was 
 occupied by the Indians, or overrun by their 
 hunting-parties. Most of those savage tribes, 
 though professing to be friendly, were restless 
 and dissatisfied ; and their leading chiefs still 
 nursed a moody hope of revenge for the mor- 
 tifying defeat they had sustained, six years be- 
 fore, at the battle of the Miami. Artful and 
 treacherous, numerous, warlike, and thirsting 
 for plunder, they kept this remote frontier in 
 continual excitement and alarm. The angry 
 feelings of our hardy borderers were frequent 
 ly roused by some robbery or atrocious viO' 
 lence committed by the more evil-disposec 
 
 
 j 
 
 J 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 d 
 h 
 
 ■-. 
 
 i 
 it 
 
 I 
 
 k 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 among their savage neighbours, and quarrels 
 often ensued, which threatened the peace of 
 the whole community. 
 
 Such was the existing state of things in In- 
 diana Territory, when Mr. Harrison was ap- 
 pointed to the administration of its govern- 
 ment. As governor of a frontier territory so 
 peculiarly situated, Mr. Harrison was invested 
 with civil powers of the most important nature, 
 as well as with military authority. Besides 
 the ordinary power which he held, ex officio, 
 as governor, he had the sole power of di- 
 viding the district into counties and townships, 
 and was appointed the general superintendent 
 of Indian affairs. He had likewise the unusual 
 power of conferring on a numerous class of 
 individuals a legal title to large grants of land, 
 on which they before held merely an equita- 
 ble claim. His sole signature was sufficient, 
 without any other formality, to give a valid 
 title to these extensive and valuable tracts of 
 land. Possessed of this immense power, op- 
 portunities were continually before him of 
 accumulating a princely fortune ; but the scru- 
 pulous sense of honour, which has always 
 characterized Mr. Harrison, would never per- 
 mit him to speculate in lands over which he 
 had any control. And it is a fact worthy of 
 note, that during the whole time that he held 
 this important trust, he never availed himself 
 of his peculiar advantages to acquire a single 
 acre of land; — no shadow of suspicion ever 
 doubted his disinterestedness, and not a mur- 
 mur ever accused him of partiality, or even of 
 unnecessary delay in the performance of this 
 delicate duty. We mention this only to show, 
 that the integrity of Mr. Harrison is not merely 
 theoretical but practical ; and that it has always 
 shone with the purest lustre when assailed by 
 the strongest temptations. 
 
 In 1803, Mr. Jefferson appointed Governor 
 Harrison sole " commissioner to enter into any 
 treaties which may be necessary with any In- 
 dian tribes, northwest of the Ohio, and within 
 the territory of the United States, on the sub- 
 ject of their boundaries or lands." By virtue 
 of this, or a similar authority, during the sub- 
 sequent course of his administration, Harrison 
 effected thirteen important treaties with the 
 different tribes, on the most advantageous 
 terms; and obtained from them, at various 
 times, the cession of large tracts of land, 
 amounting, in all, to more than sixty millions 
 of acres, and embracing a large portion of the 
 richest region in our county. 
 
 In their frequent intercourse with Governor 
 Harrison, the Indians had learned to respect 
 his undaunted firmness, and were, at the same 
 time, conciliated by his kindness of manner 
 and considerate forbearance. This, with his 
 intimate knowledge of the Indian character, 
 is the true secret of the remarkable success 
 
 that has uniformly attended every treaty he 
 has attempted to effect. * 
 
 The various and arduous duties of the go- 
 vernor of Indiana required, for this office, a man 
 of very superior abilities — one possessed of 
 stern integrity and prudent moderation, accom- 
 panied by the most unwavering firmness. Such 
 a man Governor Harrison, in the long course 
 of his administration, fully proved himself to 
 be. The plainest evidence of this, to those 
 who are not familiar with the history of Indi- 
 ana during this period, is the fact, that, for 
 thirteen years, at every successive expiration 
 of his term of office, he was re-appointed, at 
 the earnest solicitation of the people of the ter- 
 ritory, and with the public expression of the 
 most nattering approbation on the part of our 
 chief executive. And this too, notwithstand- 
 ing the entire change which had taken place 
 within that time in the ruling politics of the 
 country — his first appointment having been 
 made by Mr. Adams, his second and third by 
 Mr. Jefferson, and his fourth by Mr. Madison. 
 The following extract from the resolution, 
 unanimously passed by the House of Repre- 
 sentatives of Indiana, in the year 1809, re- 
 questing the re-appointment of Governor Har- 
 rison, will show the estimate which along ac- 
 quaintance had taught them of his worth : — 
 
 " They (the House of Representatives) can- 
 not forbear recommending to, and requesting 
 of, the President and Senate, most earnestly 
 in their own names, and in the names of their 
 constituents, the re-appointment of their pre- 
 sent governor, William Henry Harrison, — be- 
 cause he possesses the good wishes and affec 
 tions of a great majority of his fellow-citizens : 
 — because they believe him sincerely attached 
 to the Union, the prosperity of the United 
 States, and the administration of its govern- 
 ment; — because thev believe him in a supe- 
 rior degree capable of promoting the interest 
 of our territory ; from long experience and 
 laborious attention to its concerns, from his 
 influence over the Indians, and wise and dis- 
 interested management of that department ; 
 and because they have confidence in his vir- 
 tues, talents, and republicanism." 
 
 If necessarv, we might fill a goodly volume 
 with extracts from public documents of a simi- 
 lar nature; but what stronger proof than this 
 could we have of the popularity of Governor 
 Harrison, and of the entire confidence with 
 which the people relied on his integrity and 
 ability as a statesman ? 
 
 In the year 1805. the celebrated Indian chief, 
 Tecumthe, and his notorious brother, the 
 Shawanese prophet, Ol-li-wa-chi-ca, (some- 
 times called Els-kwa-taw-a,) began to create 
 disturbances on the frontiers of Indiana. Te- 
 j cumthe was a bold and daring warrior; saga- 
 1 cious in council and formidable in battle. The 
 
6 
 
 LIFE OF ' GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 prophet was a shrewd impostor ; cunnii ig? art- 
 ful, and treacherous ; — and they were le agued 
 together by the tie of mutual interests . and 
 a common hatred to the whites. The o bject 
 of these crafty intriguers was to form, by \ heir 
 own influence and the aid of foreign emissar ies, 
 a combination among all the northwest) -rn 
 tribes of Indians — with the hope, that by a 
 simultaneous attack, they might destroy all tl ie 
 whites, or force them from the Valley of th e 
 Mississippi. But their designs were soon 
 known to Governor Harrison, and, aware of 
 his dangerous situation, his prudence and wise 
 policy enabled him, for several years, to hold 
 his savage neighbours in check. The follow- 
 ing extract from a speech, which he delivered 
 to the legislature of Indiana, in 1809, will 
 serve to show that he fully understood the na- 
 ture and cause of the excitement then existing 
 among the Indians. — " Presenting, as we do," 
 said Governor Harrison, "a very extended 
 frontier to numerous and warlike tribes of the 
 aborigines, the state of our relations with them 
 must always form an important and interesting 
 feature in our local politics. It is with regret 
 that I have to inform you, that the harmony 
 and good understanding which it is so much 
 our interest to cultivate with those our neigh- 
 bours, have, for some time past, experienced a 
 considerable interruption, and that we have 
 indeed been threatened with hostilities, by a 
 combination formed under the auspices of a 
 bold adventurer, who pretended to act under 
 the immediate inspiration of the Deity. His 
 character as a prophet would not, hovyjrer, 
 have given him any very dangerous influence, 
 if he had not been assisted by the intrigues 
 and advice of foreign agents, and other dis- 
 affected persons, who have for years omitted no 
 opportunity of counteracting the measures of 
 the government with regard to the Indians, 
 and filling their naturally jealous minds with 
 suspicions of the justice and integrity of our 
 views towards them." 
 
 Two years subsequent to this, in 1811, from 
 petty aggressions, the Indians proceeded to 
 more open violence, and acts of decided hos- 
 tility. The warwhoop was again heard yell- 
 ing within the limits of the territory, and 
 ifevery day brought fresh accounts of the per- 
 petration of those atrocious deeds of depreda- 
 tion and murder, which always gives the first 
 intimation of a savage war. From motives of 
 humanity as well as policy, Governor Harrison 
 had always endeavoured to avoid a war with 
 the Indians ; but when this result became un- 
 avoidable, he promptly adopted the most ener- 
 getic measures within his limited resources, 
 •to place the territory in a posture of defence. 
 At his own earnest request, and at the solicita- 
 tion of the people, the president, soon after, 
 directed him to march with an armed force 
 
 towards the principal place of rendezvous of 
 the hostile Indians, the Prophet's Town, on 
 the Wabash, near the mouth of the Tippecanoe, 
 where this crafty impostor had assembled a 
 body of more than a thousand fierce warriors, 
 ready to obey his will. 
 
 Governor Harrison immediately assembled 
 five hundred of the militia and volunteers of In- 
 diana. These, with a regiment of United States 
 infantry, consisting of three hundred and fifty- 
 men, commanded by Colonel Boyd, and a small 
 body of volunteers from Kentucky, constituted 
 his whole available force — amounting in all to 
 about nine hundred effective men. As soon 
 a s he had disciplined these troops, and trained 
 both the regulars and militia in the Indian 
 mode of warfare, he took up his line of march 
 towards the Prophet's Town. 
 
 He left Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, about 
 sixty miles above Vincennes-, on the 28th of 
 October, 1811. Profiting by his own early 
 experience, [this was seventeen years after the 
 battle of Miami,] and the remembered exam- 
 ple of his old friend and commander, General 
 Wayne, his inarch through a wild country, to 
 Tippecanoe, was conducted with so much 
 skill and prudence, that he avoided all danger 
 of ambusccxle or surprise from .the savage foe. 
 On the 6th of November, the army arrived 
 within five or six miles of the Prophet's 
 Town. According to the instructions he had 
 received from the president, General Harri- 
 son immediately sent in a flag of truce, to 
 endeavour to open an amicable negotiation with 
 the hostile Indians. To this overture, the 
 prophet returned a deceitful reply: — he pro- 
 fessed the most pacific intentions, and agreed 
 to meet Harrison the next day in council, with 
 his chiefs, to settle definitely the terms of peace. 
 But Harrison knew too well the treachery 
 of his artful antagonist to allow himself to 
 be deceived by his speeious professions, or 
 lulled into any fancied security. He carefully 
 selected the most eligible and defensible posi- 
 tion for his encampment, and ordered his troops 
 to lie upon their arms all night, that they 
 might be in readiness at a moment's warning, 
 to repel any sudden attack of the enemy. The 
 sequel proved that these precautions were 
 wisely adopted. An anxious night passed 
 away without interruption : but about four 
 o'clock, on the following morning, two hours 
 before daylight, a sentinel at one of the out- 
 posts discovered an Indian creeping stealthily 
 towards the camp. He immediately gave the 
 alarm, and almost at the same instant a strong 
 body of the enemy rushed towards the en- 
 campment, with the most savage yells. They 
 made a furious charge on the left of the camp; 
 and so sudden and desperate was their onset, 
 that the guard stationed in that quarter gave 
 way, at first, to their fierce assailants. But 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 these brave troops soon rallied, and retrieved I 
 the ground they had lost. The camp fires i 
 were extinguished with all possible haste, and 
 the battle was now waged on more equal terms. 
 Our gallant troops fought with the most daring 
 intrepidity, and their savage foes evinced a 
 desperate, valour worthy of a better cause. 
 The battle raged with great fury till the dawn 
 of day, when a simultaneous charge was 
 made upon the enemy, on either flank, and 
 they were speedily put to flight with great 
 loss, and the battle terminated. During all 
 this time, the false prophet had been seated at 
 a safe distance from the field of battle, chant- 
 ing a war-song, and promising victory to his 
 deluded brethren. 
 
 The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the 
 most spirited and best fought actions recorded 
 in the annals of our Indian wars. The num- 
 bers and the weapons on either side were near- 
 ly equal : and the Indians, contrary to their 
 usual custom, fought hand to hand, and with 
 the fiercest bravery. Every man in this battle 
 encountered his share of danger, but no man 
 was in more personal peril than Governor 
 Harrison himself — well known to many of the 
 Indians, and the object of their peculiar at- 
 tack — his fearless and unshrinking exposure, 
 makes it seem almost a miracle that he should 
 have escaped unwounded. In referring to the 
 coolness and intrepidity of Governor Harrison 
 on this occasion, we cannot refrain from mak- 
 ing the following extracts from a journal pub- 
 lished in 1816, by a private soldier who fought 
 in this battle and who could have had no inte- 
 rested motives for his publication : — " General 
 Harrison," he says, " received a shot through 
 the rim of his hat. In the heat of the action 
 his voice was frequently heard, and easily dis- 
 tinguished, giving his orders in the same calm, 
 cool, and collected manner, with which we 
 had been used to receive them on drill or pa- 
 rade. The confidence of the troops in the 
 general was unlimited." The same writer, 
 in speaking of Harrison's kindness to the sol- 
 diers, and his influence over them, remarks : — 
 " He appeared not disposed to detain any man 
 against his inclination ; being endowed by na- 
 ture with a heart as humane as brave, in his 
 frequent addresses to the militia, his eloquence 
 was formed to persuade ; appeals were made 
 to reason as well as feeling, and never, were 
 they made in vain." 
 
 An incident that occurred at this time is 
 worth recording. The night before the bat- 
 tle, an individual belonging to the camp, who 
 had been missing, was arrested near the go- 
 vernor's marquee, under very suspicious cir- 
 cumstances. He was tried by a court martial 
 for desertion to the enemy, and for an attempt 
 to assassinate the governor. Sufficient evi- 
 dence was found to convict him, and he was 
 
 sentenced to death ; yet such were the humane 
 feelings of Harrison, that he could not induce 
 himself to sign the order for his execution. 
 As the criminal attempt had been made against 
 his own life, he felt himself privileged to ex- 
 ercise his benevolence towards the offender, 
 and the misguided wretch was suffered to 
 escape the just punishment of his crime. It 
 would have been more in accordance with the 
 principles of strict justice, to have allowed the 
 law to take its own course in this instance, 
 but the circumstances of the case were very 
 peculiar, and Governor Harrison's conduct 
 evinced a magnanimity and humanity of heart 
 rarely equalled. 
 
 The importance of the victory at Tippeca- 
 noe cannot be too highly estimated. It quell- 
 ed the haughty spirit of the discontented and 
 hostile Indians, and defeated the plan, which 
 they had almost matured, of attacking and de- 
 stroying our scattered border settlements in 
 detail. Had we lost this battle, our army must 
 have been annihilated — the whole of our de- 
 fenceless frontier would have been left to the 
 mercy of sanguinary and unsparing savages, 
 and the consequent loss of life and destruction 
 of property would have been almost incalcul- 
 able. 
 
 The president, in his message to Congress, 
 dated December 18th, 1812, makes the follow- 
 ing honourable mention of this battle : "While 
 it is deeply to be lamented," says Mr. Madi- 
 son, " that so many valuable lives have been 
 lost in the action which took place on the 9th 
 ult., Congress will see with satisfaction the 
 dauntless spirit and fortitude victoriously dis- 
 played by every description of troops engaged, 
 as well as the collected firmness which dis- 
 tinguished their commander, on an occasion 
 requiring the utmost exertion of valour and 
 discipline." 
 
 The legislature of Kentucky, -at their en- 
 suing session, expressed their high sense of 
 Governor Harrison's good conduct on this 
 occasion, by the following complimentary re- 
 solution : 
 
 " Resolved, That in the late campaign 
 against the Indians, on the Wabash, Governor 
 W. H. Harrison, has, in the opinion of this 
 legislature, behaved like a hero, a patriot, and 
 a general ; and that for his cool, deliberate, 
 skilful, and gallant conduct, in the late battle 
 of Tippecanoe, he deserves the viafmest 
 thanks of the nation." 
 
 This encomium came from those whose 
 friends and neighbours had participated in the 
 late campaign, and who were consequently 
 familiar with its details, and with the merits 
 of the commander. 
 
 War was declared against Great Britain in 
 1812. Prior to this event, British agents had 
 for a long time been tampering with the dis- 
 
8 
 
 LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 contented Indians within our territory, and had 
 bribed them with presents, and furnished them 
 with fire-arms, to induce them to renew their 
 hostilities against our country. The crafty 
 and daring Tecumthe, too, was once more in 
 the field. Urged on by his savage eloquence, 
 by their own native love for war and plunder, 
 and by the atrocious intrigues of foreign agents, 
 the northwestern Indians again raised the \vr:- 
 whoop, and commenced their barbarous system 
 of warfare. Their cruel murders and depre- 
 dations became of frequent occurrence, and 
 the wailing of bereaved mothers and orphans, 
 and the bitter complaints of those who h:ul 
 escaped from the conflagration of their plun- 
 dered homes, excited the commiseration of 
 our hardy borderers, and roused a general 
 feeling of indignation. (Such was the state of 
 excitement in our frontier settlements in the 
 summer of 1812. 
 
 Immediately after the declaration of war, 
 our western governors promptly adopted even- 
 measure in their power, for the defence of their 
 respective states and territories. But, conscious 
 of the great abilities and experience of Harrison, 
 they placed the utmost reliance on his counsels, 
 and looked on him as the leader, under whom 
 they might hope for success against the com- 
 mon enemy. He aided Governor Edwards 
 in placing the frontier of Illinois in a posture 
 of defence, and, soon after, was invited by 
 Governor Scott, of Kentucky, to a co:it'< :ence 
 in relation to the Kentucky troops, which had 
 been raised for the defence of the frontier. 
 He accepted this invitation, and met Governor 
 Scott at Frankfort, where he was receiver 
 with the acclamations of the people, and with 
 the highest civil and military honours. These 
 public marks of the high estimation in which 
 Harrison was held by the people, were shortly 
 after followed by proofs still more flattering. 
 of their confidence in his patriotism, his abili- 
 ties, and his military skill. 
 
 Governor Scott had levied an armed force 
 of more than five thousand militia and volun- 
 teers, commanded by some of the ablest men 
 and most experienced officers in the state. 
 Two thousand of these troops were ordered 
 for immediate service ; and they had no sooner 
 learned that they were destined to march to the 
 aid of their fellow-countrymen on the frontier, 
 than they at once unanimously expressed the 
 most earnest desire to be placed under the 
 command of Governor Harrison. This desire 
 was responded to by the wishes of the people 
 throughout the state. The laws of Kentucky, 
 however, would not permit any other than a 
 citizen to hold a command in the state militia. 
 In this dilemma, Governor Scott consulted 
 with the venerable Shelby, (the governor 
 elect,) the Hon. Henry Clay, and other distin- 
 guished citizens of the state ; and by their 
 
 unanimous advice he gave Harrison a brevet 
 commission of major-general in the Kentucky 
 militia, with express authority to take com- 
 mand of the gallant troops about to march to 
 the frontier. This was a bold and unprece- 
 dented measure, but one that gave unbounded 
 satisfaction to both soldiers and citizens, and 
 one fully warranted by the peculiar exigencies 
 of the case. These facts speak volumes in 
 favour of the remarkable popularity which 
 General Harrison enjoyed in a population of 
 brave and chivalric people. 
 
 About this lime the cowardice and imbecility 
 of General Hull tamely surrendered to the 
 British the important post of Detroit, with the 
 gallant force which composed its garrison. 
 This event spread consternation, far and wide, 
 through the western country, and greatly in- 
 creased the difficulty and arduous nature of 
 Governor Harrison's duties. He immediately 
 organized the brave troops under his command, 
 and commenced a course of rigid discipline 
 and military training, with the confident hope 
 of retrieving the disasters consequent upon the 
 I cowardly surrender of Detroit. 
 
 Soon after, he was appointed a brigadier- 
 general in the service of the United States. 
 But, as the chief command of the western army 
 was conferred on General Winchester, Harrison 
 declined accepting the commission tendered 
 him, and gave up his command, to return to 
 Indiana, and resume the duties of his territo- 
 rial government. 
 
 General Winchester was an old revolution- 
 ary soldier, and a brave and meritorious officer; 
 but one who was not, like Harrison, possessed 
 of the enthusiastic confidence of the army. 
 Governor Harrison exerted every effort in his 
 power to reconcile the troops to this change. 
 But soon after he left them, their displeasure 
 at having been deprived of their favourite 
 commander was not confined to murmurs, but 
 created disaffection and almost mutiny. 
 
 No sooner was the President made aware 
 of the condition of the army, and of the 
 almost unanimous wishes of the western peo- 
 ple, than he immediately appointed Harrison, 
 in place of Winchester, commander-in-chief 
 of the northwestern army. The despatch 
 conveying this appointment overtook him on 
 his way to Indiana, and he returned without 
 delay to the army. 
 
 The powers conferred on Harrison, as com- 
 mander-in-chief of the northwestern army, 
 were of great extent, and he was left to exer- 
 cise them according to his own *mrestricted 
 judgment. In the despatch .containing this 
 appointment, dated September 17th, 1812, the 
 Secretary of War says : — " You will command 
 such means as may be practicable, exercise 
 your own discretion, and act in all cases 
 according to your own judgment;" — thus 
 
LIFE OF GENERA^ HARRISON. 
 
 conferring upon him extraordinary and almost 
 unlimited power. We refer to this, merely 
 that we may here notice the remarkable fact, 
 that, though vested with unusual powers, Ge- 
 neral Harrison was never known, during the 
 whole of his command, to exercise his author- 
 ity in an unjust or oppressive manner. His 
 measures were energetic, but always qualified 
 by his characteristic moderation and humanity, 
 and by a regard for the feelings of even the 
 meanest soldier in his camp. 
 
 The duties that devolved on General Harri- 
 son, in his new station, were arduous beyond 
 description. The troops under his command, 
 though brave, were mostly inexperienced and 
 undisciplined recruits ; and the army was 
 badly equipped, and nearly destitute of bag- 
 gage and military stores. With these limited 
 means, and under these unfavourable circum- 
 stances, he was required to defend an immense 
 extent of frontier, stretching along the shores 
 of the great northern lakes, whose numerous 
 harbours and rivers were easy of access to the 
 enemy. In addition to this, the roads leading 
 to those points which most required defence, 
 were nearly impassable, and lay, for hundreds 
 of miles, through a wilderness swarming with 
 hostile Indians, and through gloomy and dan- 
 gerous swamps, where the troops, though 
 little encumbered with baggage, could advance 
 but slowly, and with great fatigue. Under all 
 these difficulties, the spirits of the soldiers 
 were sustained by the presence and example 
 of their favourite commander, who animated 
 them in their fatigues, and cheerfully endured 
 the same hardships and privations which they 
 encountered. 
 
 The autumn and early part of the winter 
 were spent in active and laborious preparations 
 for the approaching, summer campaign ; road« 
 were cut, depots formed, forts built, and a few 
 expeditions were sent out to protect our out- 
 posts, and keep the enemy in check. One of 
 these expeditions, consisting of a detachment 
 of six hundred men, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Campbell, was sent by General Harrison 
 against a fortified Indian village, from which 
 our troops had suffered much annoyance. This 
 enterprise was conducted with great skill and 
 success. The village was attacked in the 
 most gallant manner, and, after a desperate 
 action of more than an hour, was carried at the 
 point of the bayonet. From the general order 
 issued by Harrison, on the return of this expe- 
 dition, we make the following extract, which 
 will convey some idea of the humane and gene- 
 rous feelings that have always characterized 
 both his public and private conduct. After 
 awarding these gallant troops the high meed 
 of praise which their bravery had won, he goes 
 on to say, — " But the character of this gallant 
 , detachment, exhibiting, as it did, perseverance, 
 
 fortitude, and bravery, would, however, be 
 incomplete, if, in the midst of victory, they 
 had forgotten the feelings of humanity. It is 
 with the sincerest pleasure that the general 
 has heard that the most punctual obedience 
 was paid to his orders, in not only saving all 
 the women and children, but in sparing all the 
 warriors who ceased to resist ; and that even 
 when vigorously attacked by the enemy, the 
 claims of mercy prevailed over every sense of 
 their own danger, and this heroic band respect- 
 ed the lives of their prisoners. Let an account 
 of murdered innocence be opened in the records 
 of Heaven, against our enemies alone. The 
 American soldier will follow the example of 
 his government: and the sword of the one 
 will not be raised against the fallen and help- 
 less, nor the gold of the other be paid for the 
 scalps of a massacred enemy." What a con- 
 trast do these noble sentiments present to the 
 atrocious conduct of the British general, Proc- 
 tor, who, at the cruel massacre at Rasin River, 
 and elsewhere, basely permitted unresisting 
 prisoners of war to be butchered, by his savage 
 allies, in cold blood. 
 
 Late in the season the army went into win- 
 ter quarters, at their strongly fortified position 
 on the banks of the Miami, near the rapids, 
 which was called Camp Meigs, in honour of 
 the patriotic governor of Ohio. Leaving the 
 army at that station, General Harrison pro- 
 ceeded to Cincinnati to procure reinforcements 
 of men, and supplies of provisions and military 
 stores, for the approaching campaign. But 
 early in the spring, intelligence was received 
 that the British were making extensive prepa- 
 rations, and concentrating a large force of 
 regular soldiers, Canadians, and Indians, to 
 besiege Fort Meigs. On obtaining this informa- 
 tion, General Harrison hastened to his camp, 
 and exerted the most strenuous efforts to pre- 
 paie for this threatened attack of the enemy. 
 His presence cheered the troops, and he in- 
 spired them with fresh ardour, on the approach 
 of the enemy, by an eloquent address, in which 
 he alluded modestly, but in the most animating 
 manner, to the neighbouring battle-field, where 
 General Wayne had gained the brilliant victory 
 of the Miami, and where he himself had won 
 the brightest of his earlier laurels. 
 
 On the 23th of April, 1813, the scouts 
 brou <rht in intelligence of the arrival of the 
 enemy. On the same day a strong force of 
 British and Indians ascended the river in boats, 
 and disembarked, partly on the southeastern 
 shor<^ and partly on the opposite side of the 
 river. Here they immediately commenced 
 the construction of three powerful batteries. 
 Corresponding traverses were made within 
 the fort, and every approach of the enemy 
 was met and foiled with consummate skill 
 and bravery. 
 
10 
 
 LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 On the first of May, the batteries of the 
 enemy being completed, they opened a heavy 
 cannonading, which was returned with equal 
 vigour from the fort. This cannonading was 
 continued without intermission for five days ; 
 but owing to the skilful dispositions of Gene- 
 ral Harrison, it was attended with very little 
 loss on our side. 
 
 ■■ On the fifth of May, a gallant reinforcement 
 of Kentuckians, under General Clay, fought 
 their way to the camp ; and Harrison, availing 
 himself of this occurrence, promptly ordered 
 a sortie to be made from the fort to destroy 
 the batteries of the enemy. The detachment 
 ordered to this service, consisted of three hun- 
 dred and fifty men, a part of whom were regu- 
 lars and the remainder volunteers and Ken- 
 tucky militia, under the command of Colonel 
 Miller, of the United States army. These 
 brave troops attacked a body of British regu- 
 lars, and Indians of more than double their 
 number ; but the impetuosity of their charge 
 was irresistible, and after a severe struggle, 
 they drove the enemy from the batteries. 
 They spiked the cannon, took a large number 
 of prisoners, and having fully accomplished 
 their object, returned in triumph to the fort. 
 This sortie was one of the most sanguinary 
 and desperate actions fought during the whole 
 war, and its brilliant success was richly me- 
 rited, by the intrepid gallantry of the brave 
 troops engaged in it. 
 
 Thwarted by the skilful dispositions of Har- 
 rison, and by the battle, or rather succession 
 of battles, fought on the fifth, Proctor was com- 
 pelled to abandon the siege of Fort Meigs ; and 
 on the eighth of May he broke up his camp, 
 and retreated in disappointment and disgrace. 
 
 Thus terminated the glorious defence of 
 Fort Meigs. Harrison soon after left General 
 Clay in command of that important post, and, 
 unwearied in his exertions, proceeded to more 
 difficult and arduous duties, at other exposed 
 stations. 
 
 The unceasing efforts of the British, and the 
 restless spirit of Tecumthe, allowed our troops 
 but little time to recover from their severe 
 fatigues. In less than two months after the 
 siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned, the 
 Indians assembled a formidable body of more 
 than five thousand warriors, under their most 
 noted chiefs, and again threatened an attack 
 on that fortress. On receiving this intelli- 
 gence, General Harrison, with a small body 
 of regulars, hastened to Fort Meigs, by forced 
 marches, and fortunately arrived there before 
 the enemy. Leaving a reinforcement with 
 General Clay, he returned without delay to 
 his more active duties. 
 
 During the whole of this interesting cam- 
 paign, the vigilance and the intrepidity of Ge- 
 neral Harrison, with the bravery of hi» soldiers, 
 
 enabled him to keep a far superior force of the 
 enemy in check, and to protect the wide ex- 
 tent of our exposed frontier. 
 
 At about the period when the enemy in- 
 vested Fort Meigs for the second time, they 
 made a desperate attack on Fort Stephenson, 
 a temporary depot at Lower Sandusky, which 
 was bravely and successfully defended by Ma- 
 jor Croghan, of the regular service. 
 
 We lay before our readers the following 
 short extracts from an address to the public, 
 relative to this affair, which was voluntarily 
 published by the general, field, and staff offi- 
 cers of General Harrison's army. After ex- 
 pressing their " regret and surprise, that charges 
 as improper in form as in substance should 
 have been made against General Harrison, dur- 
 ing the recent investment of Lower Sandus- 
 ky," they go on to say: — " He who believes 
 that with our disposable force, and under the 
 circumstances which then occurred, General 
 Harrison ought to have advanced upon the 
 enemy, must be left to correct his opinion in 
 the school of experience. 
 
 " On a review of the course then adopted, 
 we are decidedly of the opinion, that it was 
 such as was dictated by military wisdom, and 
 by a due regard to our circumstances, and to 
 the situation of the enemy. * * * * And with a 
 ready acquiescence, beyond the mere claims of 
 military duty, we are prepared to obey a gene- 
 ral, whose measures meet our most deliberate 
 approbation, and merit that of his country." 
 
 The chivalrous and noble-spirited Croghan, 
 who was one of the signers of the above ad- 
 dress, about the same time published another 
 paper on this subject, dated from Lower San- 
 dusky, in which he says : — " I have with much 
 regret seen in some of the public prints such 
 misrepresentations respecting my refusal to 
 evacuate this post, as are calculated not only 
 to injure me in the estimation of military men, 
 but also to excite unfavourable impressions as 
 to the propriety of General Harrison's conduct 
 relative to this affair. 
 
 " His character as a military man is too well 
 established to need my approbation or support. 
 But his public service entitles him at least to 
 common justice. This affair does not furnish 
 cause of reproach. If public opinion has been 
 lately misled respecting his late conduct, it 
 will require but a moment's cool, dispassion- 
 ate reflection, to convince them of its propriety. 
 The measures recently adopted by him, so 
 far from deserving censure, are the clearest 
 proofs of his keen penetration and able ge- 
 neralship." 
 
 Disappointed in their hopes of plunder, and 
 dispirited by the numerous defeats they had 
 sustained, the savage allies of the British had 
 become discontented; the second siege of Fort 
 Meigs had been abandoned, and gradually the 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 11 
 
 enemy entirely withdrew from our territory, 
 and concentrated their forces at Maiden, their 
 principal stronghold in Upper Canada. It will 
 thus be seen, that the skill with which Gene- 
 ral Harrison had conducted his defensive ope- 
 rations, the only resource left him in the face 
 of a superior foe, had been eminently success- 
 ful ; and had not only protected our widely 
 extended frontier, but had eventually forced 
 the enemy to retire, mortified and humbled 
 by defeat, from our country. 
 
 The activity and enterprise of General Har- 
 rison did not long permit the enemy to rest, 
 after their retreat from our territory. He im- 
 mediately commenced preparations for carry- 
 ing the war into their own country, and formed 
 his plan for the capture of Maiden, and the 
 conquest of Upper Canada. 
 
 Commodore Perry had been instructed to 
 co-operate with General Harrison, with the 
 fleet under his command, and by a happy co- 
 incidence, that gallant hero gained his glorious 
 victory on Lake Erie, and captured the entire 
 squadron of the enemy, just about the time 
 when General Harrison had matured his plans 
 for the invasion of Canada. 
 
 On the 27th of September, the troops em- 
 barked at Sandusky Bay, and advanced towards 
 Maiden, expecting to find the British and In- 
 dians encamped there in full force. But upon 
 landing on the Canada shore, they found that 
 Proctor, disheartened by his recent defeats, 
 had abandoned that stronghold, after having 
 destroyed the fort and navy-yard ; and had re- 
 treated with his regulars and savage allies to 
 Sandwich. Our army encamped at Maiden, 
 ■and the patriotic troops could not restrain their 
 exultation, on having gained possession of the 
 fdrtress from which had issued, for years past, 
 those ruthless bands .of savages, which had 
 swept over our extended frontier, like the wing 
 of the destroying angel, leaving death and de- 
 struction only in their path. 
 
 Our army advanced rapidly in pursuit of the 
 enemy, and overtook them on the 5th of Oc- 
 tober, at a place which is destined to be re- 
 membered, as the battle-ground of one of the 
 most remarkable and decisive actions fought 
 during the war. 
 
 General Proctor, having had his choice of v 
 ground, occupied a strong position, flanked on 
 the left by the river Thames, and on the right 
 by a swamp, beyond which were posted two 
 thousand Indians, under Tecumthe. But Proc- 
 tor committed an irretrievable error, in placing 
 his regular soldiers in open order, and extend- 
 ing his line by placing the files at a distance 
 of three or four feet from each other. 
 
 The American army advanced in order of 
 battle, and when in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood of the enemy, the reconnoitring parties 
 brought in intelligence of the dispositions 
 
 Proctor had made. Harrison, with the rapid 
 decision of an able general, instantly availed 
 himself of the error of his opponent, and or- 
 dered Colonel Johnson to charge the enemy's 
 line in column, with his regiment of mounted 
 Kentuckians. The extended and weakened 
 line of the enemy could offer but a feeble re- 
 sistance to the charge of these gallant troops, 
 who dashed through their ranks with over- 
 whelming impetuosity, and formed and attacked 
 them in the rear. Panic-struck by this bold 
 and unexpected manoeuvre, and at being as- 
 sailed both in front and rear, the British threw 
 down their arms in dismay, and the whole army 
 was captured, with the exception of a few who 
 escaped by an early flight with Proctor. The 
 Indians attacked our troops on the left, and 
 fought with great fierceness and daring, until 
 repulsed with great slaughter. < 
 
 The decisive and important battle was thus 
 fought and won in a space of time almost 
 incredibly short, and with a very trifling loss 
 only on our side. All the baggage of the 
 enemy, and their valuable military stores, to- 
 gether with the official papers of Proctor, fell 
 into our hands ; and several pieces of brass 
 cannon, which had been taken from the British 
 in our revolutionary victories, but which Hull 
 had shamefully surrendered at Detroit, were 
 again captured from our ancient foe. 
 
 The united force of the British regulars 
 and Indians engaged in this battle amounted 
 to more than 2800 — the number of our troops 
 was less than 2500 — and those were princi- 
 pally militia and volunteers. The venerable 
 Governor Shelby commanded the Kentucky 
 volunteers in this battle, and General Cass, the 
 late secretary of war, and the heroic Perry, 
 acted as volunteer aids to General Harrison. 
 This brilliant victory, following up the capture 
 of their fleet on Lake Erie by the gallant Per- 
 ry, entirely destroyed the force of the enemy 
 in Upper Canada, and put an end to the war 
 on our northwestern frontier. 
 
 On receiving the news of this glorious 
 event, the thanks of Congress were expressed 
 to General Harrison in the warmest manner. 
 Among many others whose grateful feelings 
 found utterance on this occasion, the Hon. 
 Langdon Cheves observed, on the floor of 
 Congress, that — " The victory of Harrison 
 was such as would have secured to a Roman 
 general, in the best days of the republic, the 
 honours of a triumph." A sentiment which 
 was fully responded to in the complimentary 
 notices which he received from every part of 
 the Union. 
 
 Having entirely defeated the enemy in Up- 
 per Canada, General Harrison advanced with 
 a part of his army to the Niagara frontier, and 
 thence to Sackett's Harbour, where he left 
 the troops, and proceeded to the seat of go- 
 
12 
 
 LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 vernment. On his way thither, he passed 
 through New York and Philadelphia, in which 
 cities he was received with the most flattering 
 marks of public honour and distinction. After 
 the necessary delay of a few days at Wash- 
 ington, General Harrison proceeded to Ohio, 
 where important duties required his presence. 
 
 In the plan for the ensuing campaign, to the 
 surprise and regret of the public, General Har- 
 rison was designated for a service, far inferior 
 to that which lie had a right to expect. Re- 
 gardless of the memorable victories which this 
 gallant and experienced officer had won, and 
 unmindful of the various and important ser- 
 vices which he had rendered to his country, 
 the Secretary of War saw fit to assign to him 
 the command of a district where he would be 
 compelled to remain inactive, while others 
 were appointed to those more arduous duties, 
 which-he had heretofore fulfilled with so much 
 honour to himself and to the nation. As if 
 still unsatisfied with the insult which he had 
 offered to General Harrison, the Secretary of 
 War, on the 25th of April, 1814, appointed a 
 subordinate officer i,o a separate command 
 within his district, and notified him to that 
 effect. On the receipt of this notification, Ge- 
 neral Harrison instantly addressed a letter to 
 the Secretary, tendering his resignation, with 
 a notification thereof to the President. " As 
 soon as Governor Shelby heard of the resigna- 
 tion of General Harrison, he lost no time in 
 addressing the President in his usual forcible 
 terms, to prevent his acceptance of it; but un- 
 fortunately for the public interests, the Presi- 
 sident was then on a visit to Virginia, to which 
 place the letters from General Harrison and 
 Governor Shelby were forwarded, and that of 
 the latter was not received until after the Se- 
 cretary, Armstrong, without the previous 
 consent of the President, had assumed to 
 himself the high prerogative of accepting the 
 resignation. The President expressed his great 
 regret that the letter of Governor Shelby had 
 not been received earlier, as in that case, the 
 valuable services of General Harrison would 
 have been preserved to the nation in the ensu- 
 ing campaign."* 
 
 In this resignation General Harrison evinced 
 the true patriotism and disinterestedness which 
 always marked his conduct. He would cheer- 
 fully have devoted his services to his country, 
 even in an appointment inferior to that which 
 should have been assigned to him ; but he 
 was too high-principled to retain his rank, by 
 yielding assent to a measure which he con- 
 sidered to be subversive of military order and 
 discipline ; and though his own fortune had 
 been shattered by neglect of his private af- 
 for the benefit of the public, yet he 
 
 fairs, 
 
 Dawson, 
 
 I 
 
 scorned to receive the pay and emolument* 1 
 of his office, when he was no longer permit- 
 ted to perform its duties actively and honour- 
 ably. 
 
 It would be difficult at this period to trace 
 out the true motives that induced the Secretary 
 of War to the unjustifiable course he pursued' 
 in this affair. But some knowledge of those 
 events of the war in which he bore a part, 
 with a little insight into human nature, would 
 suggest that the leading causes which prompted 
 him, were the envy and jealousy which a nar- 
 rowminded man would naturally feel, on con- 
 trasting his own feeble efforts and abortive at- 
 tempts, with the consummate skill, the brilliant 
 victories, and the almost uniform successes off 
 another. That he had acted in an arbitrary^ 
 and unwarrantable manner, was afterwards^ 
 clearly proved. And in the investigation which 
 took place in Congress in the winter of 1816— 
 17, it became so evident that General Harrison; 
 had been treated with great injustice by the 
 War Department, that a resolution, giving him 
 
 A GOLD MEDAL AND THE THANKS OF CONGRESS, 
 
 was passed with but one dissenting voice in 
 both houses of Congress. 
 
 The leading events in the campaigns of 
 1812-13, the gallant defence of Fort Meigs, 
 and the decisive victory of the Thames, are 1 
 lasting memorials of General Harrison's mili- 
 tary genius. Yet, for these isolated actions, 
 he deserves far less praise than for the skilful 
 operations, and the Fabian policy, which led 
 to these and other successes. The prudent 
 care and indefatigable exertions by which he 
 provided for his army in a wild and devastated 
 country ; the promptness and unwearied ac- 
 tivity with which he met and defeated the 
 schemes of his antagonists, and the admirable 
 skill with which he held in check an enemy 
 far superior in numbers, and with a small force 
 protected an extended line of frontier, and 
 guarded the lives and property of thousands of 
 his fellow-citizens, betokened a genius of the 
 highest order, with a vigorous mind constantly 
 on the alert. 
 
 Soon after his resignation, in the summer 
 of 1814, Mr. Madison evinced his unabated 
 confidence in the abilities and integrity of Ge- 
 neral Harrison, by appointing him to treat with 
 the Indians, in conjunction with his old com- 
 panions in arms, Governor Shelby and General 
 Cass. And in the following year, he was 
 placed at the head of another commission, 
 appointed to treat with the northwestern tribes. 
 The advantageous treaties made in both these 
 cases, afforded new instances of the unfailing I 
 success that has always attended General Har- ' 
 rison's negotiations with the Indians. 
 
 In 1816, he was elected, by a large major- 
 ity, a member of the House of Representatives I 
 in Congress, from Ohio. In this station, he 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 
 erved, greatly to his own honour, and to the 
 atisfaction of his constituents, until 1819; 
 vhen, on the expiration of his term of service, 
 10 was chosen to the Senate of the State 
 egislature. 
 
 In 1824, he was elected a senator of the 
 United States from Ohio. While serving in 
 his high station, he commanded universal 
 espect. His views as a statesman were libe- 
 al and extended; his remarkable readiness in 
 Jebate soon rendered him a prominent member ; 
 ind the nervous and impassioned eloquence, 
 ind classical felicity of illustration with which 
 le enforced his arguments, gained him much 
 influence. 
 
 In 1828, ne was appointed by Mr. Adams 
 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo- 
 tentiary to the Republic of Colombia. He 
 accepted this appointment, and repaired, with- 
 out delay, to the scene of his duties, where he 
 was received with every demonstration of 
 respect. He found this unhappy country in a 
 deplorable condition ; the people ignorant of 
 their rights, and almost in a state of anarchy, 
 and Bolivar apparently about to assume the 
 despotic power of a military dictator. Shocked 
 at this state of things, with the frankness of an 
 old soldier he wrote his celebrated letter to 
 Bolivar, from which, as we have not space for 
 the whole letter, we take the liberty of quoting 
 the following extracts : — 
 
 " I contend," said General Harrison, "that 
 the strongest of all governments is that which 
 is most free. We consider that of the United 
 States as the strongest, precisely because it is 
 the most free. It possesses the faculties, 
 equally to protect itself from foreign force, or 
 internal convulsion. In both it has been. suf- 
 ficiently tried. In no country on earth would 
 an armed opposition to the laws be sooner or 
 more effectually put down. Not so much from 
 the terrors of the guillotine and the gibbet, as 
 from the aroused determination of the nation, 
 exhibiting their strength, and convincing the 
 factious that their cause was hopeless." 
 ***** * 
 
 " In bestowing the palm of merit, the world 
 has become wiser than formerly. The suc- 
 cessful warrior is no longer regarded as enti- 
 tled to the first place in the temple of fame. 
 Talents of this kind have become too common, 
 and too often used for mischievous purposes, 
 to be regarded as they once were. In this 
 enlightened age, the mere hero of the field, and 
 the successful leader of armies, may, for the 
 moment, attract attention. But it will be such 
 as is bestowed on the passing meteor, whose 
 blaze is no longer remembered, when it is no 
 longer seen. To be esteemed eminently great, 
 it is necessary to be eminently good. The 
 qualities of the hero and the general must be 
 devoted to the advantage of mankind, before 
 
 B 
 
 he will be permitted to assume the title of their 
 benefactor; and the station which he will hold 
 in their regard and affections will depend, not 
 upon the number and splendour of his victories, 
 but upon the results and the use he may make 
 of the influence he acquires from them." 
 
 " If the fame of our Washington depended 
 upon his military achievements, would the 
 common consent of the world allow him the 
 pre-eminence he possesses ? The victories 
 at Trenton, Monmouth, and York, brilliant as 
 they were, exhibiting as they certainly did the 
 highest grade of military talents, are scarcely 
 thought of. The source of the veneration and 
 esteem which is entertained for his character, 
 by every description of politicians, the mo- 
 narchist and aristocrat, as well as the repub- 
 lican, is to be found in his undeviating and 
 exclusive devotedness to the interest of his 
 country. No selfish consideration was ever 
 suffered to intrude itself into his mind. For 
 his country he conquered ; and the unrivalled 
 and increasing prosperity of that country is 
 constantly adding fresh glory to his name." 
 
 We regret that our limits will not permit us 
 to insert the whole of this vigorous and beau- 
 tiful production. But the few passages we 
 have quoted contain a fair specimen of the 
 noble sentiments which characterize this letter, 
 and give evidence of the pure republican prin- 
 ciples which have ever distinguished this emi- 
 nent statesman. 
 
 General Harrison remained in Colombia 
 but a short time, having been recalled by the 
 present administration, soon after it came into 
 power. 
 
 Since his return from this mission, he lias 
 lived in comparative retirement, in Ohio, the 
 state of his adoption. With the most enticing 
 opportunities of accumulating wealth,, during 
 his long government of Indiana, and superin- 
 tendency of Indian affairs, he acquired none ; 
 his honest and scrupulous integrity was proof 
 against the golden temptations. His time and 
 best energies were devoted to the service of 
 his country, and his own interests were ever, 
 with him, a secondary consideration. He 
 therefore retired without the spoils of office, 
 and with onlv a competency .barely sufficient 
 for his support; but rich in a reputation 
 undimsned by a single tarnish, and in the 
 honour and respect of all his fellow-citizens. 
 
 General Harrison is now sixty-five years of 
 age : (about six years younger than President 
 Jackson ;) but such have been the activity and 
 temperate habits of his past life, that he enjoys 
 his moral and physical energies in remarkable 
 vigour. In person he is tall and thin ; his 
 features are irregular, but his eyes are dark, 
 keen, and penetrating; his forehead is expan- 
 sive ; his mouth peculiarly indicative of firm- 
 ness and genius ; and his countenance is high* 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL HARRISON. 
 
 ly expressive of intelligence and benevolence. 
 His manners are plain, frank, and unassuming, 
 and his disposition is cheerful, kind, and ge- 
 nerous, almost to a fault. In his private inter- 
 course, he is beloved and esteemed by all who 
 know him. In the various civil and military 
 offices he has held, he has always been mode- 
 rate and forbearing, yet firm and true to his 
 trust. No other commander has ever been 
 more popular with our militia, and the true 
 secret of this cannot be better explained than 
 by his own reply, when asked how he had 
 gained this influence: "By treating them," 
 said he, " with aflection and kindness, by al- 
 ways recollecting that they were my fellow- 
 citizens, whose feelings I was bound to re- 
 spect; and by sharing with them, on every 
 occasion, the hardships which they were 
 obliged to undergo." 
 
 In the republican institutions of our country, 
 birth and parentage are comparatively of very 
 little importance ; and no candidate for public 
 favour can found thereon the slightest claim 
 to the respect or the support of his fellow- 
 citizens. We have happily shaken off the 
 thralling prejudices of the old world, and a 
 title to office and honourable distinction is not 
 with us hereditary ; but every man must earn 
 his own good name, and his claim to the favour 
 of the people, by his own good deeds. Yet, 
 aware, as every one must be, of the powerful 
 influence of early education, it is worthy of 
 remark, as well as gratifying to know, that a 
 candidate for public office, in whom we feel 
 an interest, passed all the early years of his 
 life with the brightest examples constantly be- 
 fore him ; and under the parental tuition of one 
 of those illustrious patriots, whose memory is 
 revered by every true-hearted American. It is 
 pleasing to know, that his first political senti- 
 ments were imbibed in a school of the purest 
 republican principles. And when we trace up 
 the career of this individual, from the spring- 
 time of his youth, to the summer of his man- 
 hood and to the early autumn of his years, 
 and see those principles closely adhered to 
 throughout, we can scarcely resist the con- 
 viction, that his future course will be consistent 
 with the past ; and that, with matured aWitk^ 
 he will be still more conspicuous for^Ais-fce 
 publican principles, his moderation in office, 
 his firm integrity, and his extended and en- 
 lightened views as a statesman. Such were the 
 early advantages of William Henry Harrison ; 
 such has been his course thus far through life ; 
 and such is now the bright promise to a realiza- 
 tion of which we may safely look forward, 
 should the people see fit to place him in office. 
 
 The friends of General Harrison found no 
 claim on his military services. His own sen- 
 timents on this subject we have already quoted; 
 and his friend? would scorn, as much as he 
 
 would, any attempt to dazzle a single one of 
 his fellow-citizens by the glory of his military 
 renown, brilliant though it be. They would 
 rather point to his numerous civil services, in 
 the forty years he has devoted to his country ; 
 to the various and important offices he has so 
 ably filled — in the territorial governments, in 
 the Legislature of his own state, in the House 
 of Representatives and Senate of the United 
 States ; and to the high order of abilities 
 displayed in his speeches in Congress, in his 
 public acts, and in his voluminous public cor- 
 respondence. And we here take occasion to 
 say, that all his letters and public papers 
 have been exclusively written by himself; 
 and that so far from his having called in the 
 mental aid of another, to prepare his messages 
 and despatches, as some of our distinguished 
 men have condescended to do, he has never 
 even employed an amanuensis, to perform the 
 manual labour of his correspondence. His 
 ruling principles through life appear to have 
 been, an ardent love for his country, and an 
 earnest desire to serve her best interests ; with 
 a devotion to the pure republican maxims of 
 the Revolution, always unwavering and con- 
 sistent; unlike the scheming politicians of a 
 more modern school, whose own interest is 
 the polar star that guides them, whatever may 
 betide their country. 
 
 With tried patriotism, with abilities of the 
 highest order, with integrity pure as the unsul- 
 lied snow, and with the truest republican 
 principles, William Henry Harrison is now 
 before his fellow-citizens, as a. candidate for 
 the highest office in their gift. In 'the long 
 course of his public life, he has always been 
 a staunch advocate of popular rights, and is 
 therefore truly the candidate of the people. He 
 comes before them, not with a crowd of pam- 
 pered and still-grasping officials to intrigue 
 and bribe for him, but with the noble frank- 
 ness of an honourable and high-minded man, 
 willing and desirous to be judged impartially 
 by his fellow-citizens, and ready to abide by 
 their honest decision. 
 
 SlaB&der Refuted. 
 
 y k\ tbg j»ar 1820, while General Harrison was 
 *injfch^(JS5pate of Ohio, the criminal law of that 
 State was revised and amended. A bill was at 
 that time introduced for the punishment of crimi- 
 nals, who had been convicted of larcenies of any 
 amount less than fifty dollars. Public whipping 
 was first proposed as a proper punishment; but 
 from motives of humanity, the House of Repre- 
 sentatives, after much deliberation, adopted fine 
 and imprisonment, as a more suitable mode of 
 punishing this class of criminals; and a clause 
 was added to this bill, declaring that when such 
 convicts could not pay their fines and costs, their 
 services, for a limited time, should be sold out to 
 any one, who would pay their fines and costs for 
 them. In this form, the bill passed the house by 
 
LIFE OF GENERAL 
 
 ON. 
 
 15 
 
 almost unanimous vote ; and when it was sent to 
 the Senate for their concurrence. General Harris|jn 
 voted in favour of it, as a substitute for the barba- 
 rous punishment of public whipping, and " as the 
 most mild and humane mode of dealing with the 
 offenders for whose cases it was intended." This 
 bill, it must be remembered, applied only to con- 
 victed criminals. Yet, out of this plain and simple 
 matter, which, in truth, is but another illustration 
 of General Harrison's characteristic benevolence 
 and humanity, his reckless opponents have coined 
 the base falsehood of his having voted to sell white 
 men into slavery, for mere debt. 
 
 But the pure and spotless life of-General Harrison, 
 his unblemished honour and integrity, and the faith- 
 fulness and ability with which he has fulfilled the 
 duties of the many high offices with which he has 
 been intrusted, have left his enemies no weapons 
 against him, except those to which they now so 
 unblushingly resort, — vile falsehoods, and pitiful 
 and slanderous misrepresentations. 
 
 The I<og Cabin and Hard Cider 
 Candidate. 
 
 Gen. Harrison, when parting from a regiment of 
 his soldiers, just after the Indian war, said to them : 
 " Gentlemen, if you ever come to Vincennes, you 
 will always find a plate and a knife and fork at my 
 table, and I assure you that you will never find my 
 door shut and the string of the latch pulled in." 
 
 The above represents the veteran HARRISON, 
 as he now lives, a Private Citizen, in the act of 
 welcoming an old soldier into his Cabin, where he 
 had 'some friends at dinner. He introduced him 
 thus — " Gentlemen, here is one of my old com- 
 rades who has done battle for his country, and he 
 will take a seat with us at table." The Soldier, 
 thus introduced, was received with open arms and 
 joyful hearts, by the company. 
 
 An EBo^tieiit Kec©rd. 
 
 William H. Harrison was born in Virginia on 
 the: 9th of February, 1773. 
 
 In 1 791, when 19 years of age, he was appoint- 
 ed by Washington an Ensign in our infant army. 
 
 In 1792, ho was promoted to the rank of Lieu- 
 tenant; and in } 793, joined the legion under Gen. 
 Wayne, and in a few days thereafter, was selected 
 by him as one of his Aids. 
 
 On the 24th of August, 1794, he distinguished 
 
 himself in the battle of the Miami, and elicited the 
 most flattering written approbation of Gen. Wayne. 
 In 1795, he was madea Captain, and was placed 
 in command of Fort Washington. 
 
 In 1797, he was appointed, by President Adams, 
 Secretary of the Northwestern Territory and ex 
 officio hi. Governor. 
 
 In 1798, he was chosen a delegate to Congress. 
 In 1801, he was appointed Governor of Indiana, 
 and in the same year, President Jefferson appointed 
 him sole Commissioner for treating with the In- 
 dians. 
 
 In 1809, he was re-appointed Governor of In- 
 diana by Madison. 
 
 On the 7th November, 1811, he gained the great 
 victory of TIPPECANOE. 
 
 On the 11th September, 1812, he was appointed 
 by Madison, Commander-in-Chief of the North- 
 western Army. 
 
 On the 1st May, 1813, the siege of Fort Meigs 
 commenced — lasted five days, and was terminated 
 by the brilliant and successful sortie of Gen. Har- 
 rison. 
 
 On the 31st July, 1S13, the battle of Fort Ste- 
 phenson occurred. 
 
 On the 5th October, 1813, he gained the splendid- 
 victory of the THAMES, over the British and 
 Indians under Proctor. 
 
 In 1814, he was appointed by Madison one of 
 the Commissioners to treat with the Indians, and 
 in the same year, with his colleagues Gov. Shelby 
 and Gen. Cass, concluded the celebrated treaty of 
 Greenville. 
 
 In 1815, he was again appointed such Commis- 
 sioner, with Gen. Mc Arthur and Mr. Graham, and 
 negotiated a treaty at Detroit. 
 
 In 1816, he was elected a member of Congress- 
 
 In January, 1818, he introduced a resolution in 
 honour of Kosciusko, and supported it in one of the 
 most feeling, classical and eloquent speeches ever 
 delivered in the House of Representatives. 
 
 In 1819, he was elected a member of the Ohio 
 Senate. 
 
 In 1824, he was elected Senator in Congress, 
 and was appointed, in 1825, Chairman of the Mili 
 tary Committee, in place of Gen. Jackson, who 
 had resigned. 
 
 In 1827, he was appointed Minister to Colombia, 
 and, in 1829, wrote his immortal letter to Bolivar, 
 the deliverer of South America. 
 
 Of him Col. Johnson (Vice-President) thus 
 spoke in the House of Representatives whilst a 
 member of that body : 
 
 " Of the career of Gen. Harrison, I need not 
 speak — the history of the west is his history. For 
 forty years he has been identified with its interests, 
 its perils, and its hopes. Universally beloved in 
 the walks of peace, and distinguished by his ability 
 in the councils of his country, he has been yet more 
 illustriously distinguished in the field. During the 
 late war, he was longer in actual service than any 
 other General Officer ; he was, perhaps, oftener in 
 action than any one of them, and never sustained a 
 defeat." 
 
 Such is the man, who, still enjoying his untar- 
 nished fame and glory, and standing on a proud and 
 lofty eminence where neither malice or envy can 
 assail him, is now summoned by his grateful coun- 
 trymen to leave the quiet walks of private life to 
 guide the councils of the nation, " and deliver the 
 country from the dangers which encompass it. 
 
 And he will be her deliverer ! 
 
ed 
 ► 
 
 f 
 B 
 
 
 
 ■s 
 
 H 
 
 ■= 
 
 ft 
 
 ft 
 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 CD 
 
 •a 
 
 » 
 
 Oq 
 CD 
 

 
 .• A 
 
 
 
 
 4 o*. 
 
 
 *b^ 
 
 
 
 *4Q^ 
 
 W :" 
 
 
 \T>V 
 
 
 W 
 
 ***** 'jSK ; /"\ '-OT?' **% • 
 
 : W 
 
 
 
 ^ J 
 
 *,<* 
 ^^~ 
 
 
 
 ■^.J 
 
 ^o^ 
 
 V ■•9^" ^°% V ^f** ^ 
 
 +». 
 
 4 < 
 
 

 
 \D 'o . » • A <. 
 
 o « 
 
 » ' 
 
 •V v^->* %'^v v^-\»* %- 
 
 ;t. -ucustine ^ u ♦ < Wtf I 
 
 ^;±,% FLA. 
 
 ■/.' .-\?nn' 
 
 
 
 W 
 
 x°-^ 1* 
 
[|f ; j 
 
 I if 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 011 895 538 9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ifirtf Cr 
 
 LUitiitiEzIfif