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TES TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOiM, 
 
 COMPILED FROM 
 NILES' REGISTER AND OTHER AUTHENTIC JIECOR: 
 
 BIT "WIIiXiliLBI OGBE^f ^Il^T.S, 
 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE UNI/: 
 
 LT^HFD BY DIFF GREEN, EuiTOR OF IHE « PILO :, AND CbSUlN'- Sf hiiOHkiLR, 
 BALTiMDRE ; KOGAN & THOMPSON AND T. K. ?; P. G. COLLINS/PfllLADELPHIA. 
 

 
 Tas comniler of the following pages was for nearly twenty years connected with 
 " NiLf.s' Rei;istkh," either as associate or p-incipal editor of that work. In October 
 last he rctirei"' from it; but since O'.'.NERAI HARRISON'S nomination for the pre- 
 'I'leiicy, numerous applications huvc beevi addressed to him from different sections of 
 ihe country, by individuals seekiog official -information illustrative of the character 
 and services . f that veteran soldi^^r-statesman. Such information as is embraced in 
 the pages of the " Rkgistkr"* iius always been promptly and cheerfully given. 
 But he thought he could relieve himself from the necessity of answering every 
 individual applicant, and perfori' an acceptable service to the friends of general 
 Harrison, by making a synopsis of all the docuaients, &c., in the "Register," and 
 publishing it in the whig newspapers. He had not, however, advanced far in 
 that task, before he discovered tiiat it would bv. utterly impracticable to compress 
 within the limits of a newspaper the va'* • of testimony which is necessary to 
 do full justice to his character, a' ' 'i,' ' ^ reasonable curiosity of the public; 
 
 especially that younger portion, wi ' : flors in the busy scenes of the lato 
 
 war with Great Britain. He, thv .•',:.■ ::n arrangement with general Duff 
 
 Green for the publication of the io.i ■■: epilation ; for which he claims no 
 
 credit, and is fully sensible that it aboum '"* evidences of the haste with which 
 
 it was prepared for the press. But he has free from all comments which might 
 
 reflect upon general Harrison's former risSi> d, and confined himself exclusively to 
 documentary evidence, which no one, :'an ipule. 
 
 Neither is it submitted in the spirit of pr selytism; but with a sincere desire to do 
 justice to a pure patriot, whose well-earnei famr- has been shamelessly traduced for 
 the most vile and selfish purposes; aiu! wh' ther he is, or is not elected president of 
 the United States, it is due to his character 'that the evidences of his devotion to the 
 interests of his country should be more vvidely dilfused among the people. The com- 
 piler must remark, however, that every (iocumeni from the pen of general Harrison 
 affords conclusive proof of his ability t > Jo his own " lurif.ing," as well as his own 
 '[fighting;" for they are characterized by a *iold, man'y, and vigorous style, and abound 
 with those graceful and well-turned p'?riods which mark the practised Writer and 
 accomplished scholar. It will also be seen, in the notices of the enthusiasm of the 
 people during the late war, that he was hailed as "Tue Washington of thk 
 West," and was the Jirst American, since the death of the "Father of his Country'^ 
 whose services in the cause of civil liberty were compared with those of that great 
 benefactor of the human race. The compiler believes that a " Second Washington" 
 will not appear among mankind ; and with a sentiment of general Harrison, (which 
 contains an admonition to the American people that should be inscribed on every 
 ballot-box in the country in letters of gold,) offered in reply to a toastf drunk in his 
 honor at Cincinnati, in September, 1828, he submits the " Text-Book" to the sober 
 judgment of the people. 
 
 Bv GENEiiAi, Haiiuison: — Electioneering tricks, designed by the great enemy of 
 mankind for the destruction of free governments, by preventing a free expression of the 
 public wilL 
 
 * It may be well to stale, that the "Register" is admitted to be good authority by all par- 
 ties, and rhal it is admitted as evidence in tlie courts of law, 
 t " 'I'liiit lie dared to be konesl in the worst of times." 
 
THE 
 
 TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF GENERAL WILLIAM HENRT HARRISON.* 
 
 To the catalogue of those who have distinguished themselves by an early victory 
 over sloth, sensuality, and ease, and by a magnanimous oblation of life and personal 
 services at the shrine of patriotism and military glory, it becomes our pleasing task to 
 add the conqueror of Tippecanoe and the hero of the Thames. 
 
 Major-general XVILLIAM HENRY HARRISON is descended from one of 
 the oldest and most respectable families in Virginia. Through the earliest records of 
 the colonies, the name of Harrison may be traced in the highest order of office ; but 
 our particular information respecting it goes no farther back than the great-grandfather 
 of our present subject, who, though he died young, filled the chair of the house of 
 delegates of that province. His son, too, the grandfather of our William Henry, was 
 a man of considerable wealth, and of vast influence in the colonies ; and at his death 
 left several sons, of whom some held considerable rank afterwards, not only in the 
 legislative assembly of the state, but in the provincial army during the revolutionary 
 war. Benjamin, the eldest of these, and the father of our hero, rendered himself par- 
 ticularly conspicuous by his prompt adoption of the cause of the colonies, in defiance 
 of the suggestions of self-interest, which, at that period, would have dictated an adhe- 
 rence to the cause of the mother country. His possessions in the country were large, 
 his personal influence was extensive and commanding, and the consideration in which 
 he was held by the royal government, was of a nature to secure to him every advantage 
 he could reasonably hope to derive from the favor of the crown. Insensible, however, 
 to every personal solicitation, he, on the first breaking out of the revolutionary troubles, 
 without hesitation or delay formed the generous resolution to cling to the cause of his 
 country ; in defence of her rights and independence, to put his property, his life, and 
 all his hopes on the hazard of the die ; nay, if it should be necessary, to lay them all 
 down as a sacrifice in the struggle ; and, in a word, to rise or fall with the fortunes of 
 America. Zeal so very disinterested naturally inspired the people with confidence in 
 his fidelity, while of his talents he had already given such ample proofs, as evinced 
 his qualifications for offices of the highest trust; he was therefore elected by his coun- 
 trymen to represent the state of Virginia in the continental congress, during the suc- 
 cessive sessions of 1774, 1775, and 1776; and in 1777, declining a re-election to 
 congress, was chosen speaker of the lower branch of the state legislature, in whic' 
 office he continued to act till the year 1782, when he was appointed governor of Vi 
 ginia in the room of governor Nelson, who had resigned. In all these dignified 
 stations, his conduct was so decided and beneficial to the country, and he on ever' 
 occasion evinced so much spirit, patriotic zeal, and wisdom, that, with each successi^ 
 gradation of office, he rose in the esteem, affection, and confidence of his fellow-citizens, 
 till at length he reached the high form graced with the Washingtons, the Henrys, the 
 Randolphs, and the other illustrious men who formed that splendid constellation < ; 
 worthies, which will immortaUze the new world. 
 
 In the unwearied discharge of these most important duties, we find him employo( 
 during the whole of the revolutionary war. Looking to the journals of congress, n- ■ 
 see them filled with repeated testimonials of the implicit trust reposed in his tale... 
 and fidelity by that august body. There he appears as one of the three memb' - 
 
 * Tliis memoir is chiefly extracted from a memoir publislied in "JViles' Register" of 1816, a';d 
 copied from tlie "Port Folio." The events subsequent to ISlSare taken from a very interestiii',' 
 biography of general Harrison, from the pen of I. R. Jackson of Philadelphia, and receiK., 
 Iiublished in that city. 
 
^ THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 nominated to proceed to Washington's camp in the vear 1775 in i . 
 the army to extend their term of service : alZlj o7 Z ' i '° P"'""''" 
 
 determine whether New Ynrh «lmnM tl\ j' ? . ^^^ committee appointed to 
 that celebrated committee sty edth bo.r 1 '"f " "^'^""1''^ ' ''''" ''^^^' '^'''■™^" o^ 
 Je- dignified than memoralSlselyTn wh 1 7h\ ^ '"'^' '^'""""" "^ ^'^"^ "« 
 ration of Independence, was deha'ed momentous subject, the Decla- 
 
 behind Inm tluee ^onf the^ul st-ofwhom -".1"'''"^' '° *^'^ ''"■^^^'^"^' '--"S 
 
 ^ .^o ,., .. u. --; - ^^X:^t--i:^ri:^^^ j 
 i^r^rrrt;;St:tarrir^r^f^"^"^^ 
 
 his fortune, he had a pe ennial s^ril .f ? '^.^^'^'^ j^'^^^^^'^ to the improvement of 
 "pon public concerns,^and rs t Ji^wa-o^n ' "! l''°'t ''''' ^° ^"''^^^'>- "^^^^towed 
 
 away in that state. His e "abU hmen? ^^R 1 ? '^ '^°'"'""'' ^'^ ^°° «'""'" '^^^'i-^hed 
 comfort, and liberal but co r c 'hoSi I t :Jn"^ T -^ model of elegant 
 
 sided; yet, owing to the causes al3v mem 1 k ' ^°^^^«'-' P'^'" good ser.se pre- 
 and this suggestfd to hh^Uae expediL^v "f T ' *^^l^"'^'""« •'^'S^" t° ^^" to waste; 
 wo^d,ual,|.hemfor,ucSu:r3;L?^^^^^^^ education as' 
 
 from which in due time he Sas «;«! to Hamn \'^n ^^'''i '' " Srammar-school, 
 completed his fourteenth yeaT when b^ Hampden College, where he remained till he 
 county. There he remained tHl he ll^'IT""''^ '° '" ^''"^''^y '» Southampton 
 beingponounced byX inndpal weltS fi^ y^^' ^' -'"'^h time, 
 
 for which he was de'tined'l^; riS he was n aee ??'"""l '" ^'"'"^ '^^ P'^^^^^' 
 tuition of doctor Leiner a uStU^lr^h • ? "^ *^°'" '^ ^^°" P"'oJ ""Jer the 
 and, in the spring o Si wa em to P^Tadlf ■'?'^«'''':'V'^"'^'"^ '" ^"''^'-"'1' 
 
 enter upon merely to D-ritifvfhat n-„„»i " proie»sion wliicti he had consented to 
 
 nent professors of Inf day^ n\X f'""' w ' ''''^''°" ^' "^^'^ ^'"'^ =»" ^'^'^ ^""- 
 of .heL,-on aeSoJirof th^rTe^vTc ; r'n'dS bThlriat; 1,'"'""'^^^ ^'"°'" ^'^'^ ^^^^' 
 revolution, was insufficient to shake his nnrnncJ P f . """I "'" P'"''S^'^^^ ^^ the 
 lieu of the medical was he nn.«.L ITT' ^,"',^^'^' profession to choose in 
 
 his brother had jt^Z tZ e^ .dt;t .:" taUl^„r" T'' '^"f °"' ^ 
 his father fell short of what would be necessary to the I , ^ fT^ "^'"^'''y '"*' ^^ 
 original scheme of life. necessary to the successful prosecution of his 
 
 ^^t^"BZ:'^S^,!Z^i ^-^'^ '^^P-'^"'' ' ^^« ^-i'y influence 
 '• •>■«« related to attorney-grneS^^^^^^ ''''"''' i" '^i^ ^velfare, 
 
 - and Mr. Randolph. 'onTe-4' ^^oS ertt;"of ^^^^^ to Mrs. M^^hing.' 
 
 ^^Jl^. to^:r;:'tS:'- £:ir^-7- ^-ef ii::i::^'^aii^rr 
 
 to ac,!;p;of it, as ininLb mor rr^^Itl 'T^ '" T"'""' 'T'''"'' ^^'•^'^^ 
 
 •^ .- Ihcr situation that h^ could ho^ to ael re^e; iu^t'f " ,'"^"''T' 'f " 
 
 •■"•J would not meet the innrr.h-ifiln f f.^""^^" >? justly apprehensive that hs 
 
 Lecshouldsolicit h eonmS'^^^^^^^ '"'^"''^'^ '' ^'-t general 
 
 ' ;<:^-n^.^aS^^f;^i^ 
 .^. - -dance at h. JouST^J^ S r ^tl^X::! --~ 
 
 ^' 'i^i. ti<: C fir 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 5 
 
 obiect of the summons was to dissuade him from going into the army, flew to tho 
 war-office, received his commission in the first regiment of United States infantr., 
 thence hastening to judge Wilson, took the necessary oaths before him, and then pre; 
 ceeded with those documents in his pocket to the house of his patron and friend, wh 
 expressed his entire disapprobation of the step he had taken, but said that he woulii 
 no longer oppose it ; and added, " You are going to a fine country, where, if yoa 
 should leave the army, you may establish yourself to advantage." The regiment in 
 which he was commissioned was then employed on the western waters, under general 
 St. Clair ; and from subsequent events it would seem as if Mr. Morris had spoken in 
 the spirit no less of the prophet than the friend ; for that very country soon after 
 became the scene of his fame, and the high-road to his fortune and honor. 
 
 After spending in Philadelphia a few weeks, during which he was employed in the 
 recruiting service, he proceeded to join his regiment, and arrived at Fort Washington 
 in the north-western territory, a few days after the defeat of general St. Clair's army 
 by the Indians. His arrival is yet remembered by several persons at Cincinnati, 
 who, when he became a man of consequence and popularity in that country, took 
 pleasure in describing his person. The ensign might have been forgotten, but the 
 governor and the major-general buoyed up all the minute circumstances which would 
 have sunk with the poor subaltern officer to the bottom of oblivion. Accordingly, we 
 are told that ensign Harrison, when he joined his corps, was a stripling of nineteen 
 years of age ; tall, thin, puerile in his person, and to all appearance but wretchedly 
 qualified for the hardships to which a soldier is liable in the wilderness. Yet with 
 such a frame, softened by all the comfort and delicacy in which the wealthy families 
 of the southern states rear up their children, was our military novice at ouce exposed 
 to the most trying circumstances. 
 
 The broken remains of general St. Clair's army were every day arrivhig at the 
 fort, naked, broken down, and dispirited. The period of service of the militia had 
 expired : the detachment of the second regiment of regulars that was in the action 
 under St. Clair, was entirely cut up, and thus the task of maintaining the line of 
 posts that had been erected, or establishing new ones, and of affording convoys for 
 provisions, devolved upon an inconsiderable body, composed of between three and 
 four hundred of the first regiment, and the miserable fragments of general St. 
 Clair's shattered army. The situation of our young soldier was now such as 
 might well have discouraged the stoutest heart, and disposed him to listen to the admoni- 
 tions of his friends in Philadelphia — nay, so formidable was the prospect before him, 
 that a friend whom he met by accident at the fort, after giving him a lively pic- 
 ture of the excessive hardships to which he must necessarily be exposed, with a 
 frame and constitution so wholly unequal to it, exhorted him to resign his commission 
 and return home again, assuring him that even though he should be able to sustain 
 those hardships, it was scarcely possible he should resist the seductive habits of intem- 
 perance which at that time prevailed in the army. All these remonstrances were 
 unavailing. Taking counsel partly from his own private inclination, and partly 
 from a nice sensibility to shame, which suggested, in exaggerated colors, the impro- 
 priety of retreating from his purpose in such a crisis, and perhaps a little too from 
 the apprehension of being ridiculed by his former associates, he determined to perse- 
 vere, and was soon after appointed to the command of a detachment of twenty men 
 ordered to escort a number of pack-horses to Fort Hamilton ; a duty which, though 
 it was attended with singular difficulties, distresses, and privations, and with all the 
 hardships incident to Indian warfare, such as lying out unsheltered and exposed to 
 the inclemency of the weather, to rain and snow, and wind by night as well as by 
 day, he accomplished to such perfect satisfaction, that he received the public thanks 
 of general St. Clair for his conduct. 
 
 Soon afterwards general St. Clair set out for Philadelphia, and early in January, 
 1792, general Wilkinson being appointed colonel of the second regiment, took the 
 command of the army. Of this event general Harrison always speaks with pleasure, 
 as making a very interesting era in his life. 
 
 The successive defeats of Harmar and St. Clair pointed out to government the na 
 cessity of adopting a more effectual mode of repressing the Indians, or in other wortis. 
 of calling into action against them a larger force and a more cautious system of opera- 
 tions. Negotiations for peace, therefore, were set on foot, in order, if possible, tu 
 
 a2 
 
6 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-EOOK. 
 
 bring the savages to reason, at the same time that an act of congress was passed for 
 ra.sing a considerable army ; and in order to provide against that error which had 
 occasioned the two past defeats, viz. the want of discipUne in the troops. The whole 
 of the year 1792, and the winter and spring of 1793, were employed in raising men, 
 and instructing them in military discipline. The new troops were stationed under 
 general Wayne, at first a few miles below Pittsburg, and then descending the Ohio, 
 wore encamped upon its banks below Cincinnati, where Harrison joined them, in 
 Jui:e, 1793, and was appointed second aid-de-camp to the commander-in-chief, having 
 bet'i in the preceding year raised to a lieutenancy in the first regiment. 
 
 In September, it being understood that the negotiations with the Indians had failed 
 of eflfect and were broken off, the army, consisting of four thousand five hundred 
 effective regulars, including some troops of dragoons, and of an auxiliary force of two 
 thousand mounted militia under the command of general Scott, marched to Green- 
 ville; but an early setting in of the frost rendered it advisable to put the troops into 
 winter quarters, huts were built, and a system of discipline, calculated for the kind of 
 warfare in which they were to be employed, was diligently put in practice. Here 
 young Harrison devoted himself to the study and practice of his profession with such 
 success, that he obtained the confidence of his commander and the attachment of his 
 associates. 
 
 It was not, however, till the latter end of June, 1 794, that general Wayne was 
 enabled to march from Greenville, the enemy retreating before him as he advanced. 
 He took and destroyed the town of the Indians, and advanced upon the British fort 
 lately built at the foot of the rapids of the Miami river. The Indians had collected in 
 that neighborhood, and on the 20th of August opposed the march of the American 
 army, who soon routed them, and driving them to within a short distance of the 
 Britisli fort, encamped in full view of it. In this battle Harrison's conduct received 
 the warmest applause from general Wayne. He had been appointed by the general 
 to assist in forming the left wing of the regular troops; a task of extreme difficulty, 
 owing to the thickness of the woods in which they were posted, and he accomplished 
 it with great skill and effect. 
 
 Thus completely vanquished and humiliated, the Indians sued for peace; in the 
 winter an armi^:tice was granted to them, and in the August following a treaty termi- 
 nated all their differences, and, with those, the war. 
 
 In the autumn of 179.5, Mr. Harrison, now a captain, was married to the youngest 
 daughter of John Cheeves Symmes, esq., one of the judges of the north-western ter- 
 ritory ; and on the departure of general Wayne for the Atlantic states, was continued 
 by him in his post of aid-de-camp, and left in the command of Fort Washington. 
 In the former of these offices he remained till the death of general Wayne, which 
 happened in the course of the following year. 
 
 In 1797 captain Harrison finding the country reposed in peace, left the army, and 
 was in a few weeks afterwards appointed secretary of the north-western territory in 
 the room of W. Sergeant, esq., who was raised to the office of governor of the Mis- 
 sissippi territory. In the year 1799, he was sent as a delegate to congress from the 
 north-v.'estern territory, and had an active share in bringing through congiess the law 
 for changing the defective system that had been in use for the sale of public lands, 
 and in introducing the plan now in operation. Ho was in fact the person who origi- 
 iiaed that measure, the happy effects of which upon the treasury of the United 
 |-^!'-.es are now acknowledged by every one; for it has been ascertained, that the 
 In; ,iense growth of population which enabled that territory in a short time after to 
 b.y.ime one of the states, and at this time not one of the smallest, arose altogether 
 fro'ii that plan. 
 
 When the Indiana territory was formed out of a part of the north-western, Mr. Har- 
 rison was appointed, by Mr. Adams, the first governor of it; and in the year 1801, 
 removed to the cajjital of it (Vincennes) with his family. At the exjuration of three 
 years, for which he had been appointed, he was again nominated to that ollice by 
 Mr. Jefferson, and continued to retain it under Mr. Madison till he was called to the 
 <• '..rnand of the nortli-western army after the fall of Detroit. 
 
 Hiring his administration he directed his attention to the disciplining of the militia, 
 uik; exerted himself in endeavoring to civilize and better the condition of tlie Indian 
 L.'-iijes that fell under his superintendence. In his letters to governor Scott of Ken- 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK- 7 
 
 tucky, which have been published, and in his speeches to the Indiana legislatare, he 
 strenuously recommended the system of the old republics, under which military in- 
 struction was commenced at school. In consequence of that recommendation, the 
 United States gave a section of each township of Indiana for the use of schools, and 
 an entire tovraship near Vincennes towards the establishment of a college, for the 
 express purpose of military instruction. 
 
 Of his anxiety to secure the Indians from inquietude and the aggressions of the 
 whites, to promote their civilization, and to induce them to raise domestic animals as 
 a substitute for the wild game which was rapidly decreasing, his speeches and mes- 
 sages to the legislature of Indiana bear abundant testimony ; while the many advan- 
 tageous treaties he made with them, prove his popularity with that singular race of 
 beings. But a still stronger proof is this :— A few of the party attached to the 
 prophet, gave out that the tribes who signed the treaty at Fort Wayne in 1809, were 
 overawed by a large force into that measure, contrary to their inclination. This was 
 a foul aspersion ; for the truth has been established beyond controversy, that at the 
 time of negotiating there were no more than thirty soldiers along with governor Har- 
 rison, while the Indians amounted to more than eighteen hundred — and he was 
 entirely in their power, having sle^t at a house half a mile from the fort surrounded 
 by ^ multitude of Indians. 
 
 The civil administration of general Harrison as governor of the territory, though 
 not attended with such splendid circumstances as his military achievements, do him 
 no less credit. A minute detail of his conduct in that high office would be out of its 
 place in such an article as this, and could not be very interesting to the reader. For 
 the present purpose it is sufHcient to state that his management of the territory ob- 
 tained the universal applause of the people, and the unqualified approbation of the 
 general government. One event of it, however, merits particular description, as well 
 on account of its important efiects upon the public concerns, as of its serving to 
 illustrate the character of general Harrison— we meon the expedition on the Wabash, 
 in the autumn of 1811, which ended in the victory of Tippecanoe. 
 
 [Official details of the battle of Tippecanoe, the defence of Fort Meigs, and the 
 victory over Proctor at the Thames, &c. are inserted in subsequent chapters, and it is not 
 necessary to give them here. They were, indeed, glorious achievements, and reflected 
 the highest honor upon the victorious general, who was greeted as " the Washington 
 
 of the West."] 
 
 On receiving the news of the victory of the Thames, the thanks of congress were 
 expressed to general Harrison in the warmest manner. Among many others, whose 
 grateful feelings found utterance on that occasion, the hon. Langdon Cheves ob- 
 served, 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 honors of a 
 triumph.' A sentiment which was fully responded to, in the comphmentary notices 
 which he received from every part of the union. 
 
 Having entirely defeated the enemy in Upper Canada, general Harrison advanced 
 with a part of his army, to the Niagara frontier, and thence to Sackett's Harbor, 
 where he left the troops, and proceeded to the seat of government. On his way 
 thither, he passed through New York, and Philadelphia ; in which cities he was 
 received with the most flattering marks of public honor and distinction. After the 
 necessary delay of a few days at Washington, 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 Harrison was designated for a service, far inferior to that which he had a right 
 to expect. Regardless of the memorable victories which this gallant and experienced 
 officer had won, and unmindful of the various and important services 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 ap- 
 pointed to those more arduous duties, which he had heretofore fulfilled with so much 
 honor 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 ofiicer to a separate command within his district, and notified 
 him to that effect. On the receipt of this notification, general Harrison instantly 
 addressed a letter to the secretary, tendering his resignation, with a notificatiou 
 
8 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 thereof to the president. 'As soon as governor Shelby heard of the resignation of 
 general Harrison, he lost no time in addressing the president in his usual forcible 
 terms to prevent his acceptance of it; but unfortunately for the public mterests, the 
 president '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 secretary, Armstrong, without the puevious consent of 
 THE PRESIDENT, had assuiucd to himself the high prerogative of accepting the resig- 
 nation. The president expressed his gi'eat 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 ensuing campaign.' 
 
 Soon after his resignation, in the summer of 1814, Mr. Madison evinced his una- 
 bated confidence in the abilities and integrity of general Harrison, by appointing him 
 to treat with the Indians, in conjunction with his old companions in arms, governor 
 Shelby, and general Cass. And in the following year, he was placed at the head oi 
 another commission, appointed to treat with the north-western tribes. 1 he advan- 
 tageous treaties made in both these cases, afforded new instances of the untaiimg 
 success, that has always attended general Harrison's negotiations with the Indians. 
 
 In 1816, he was elected, by a large majority, a member of the house of representa- 
 tives in congress, from Ohio. In this station he served, greatly to his own honor and 
 to the satisfaction of his constituents, until 1819 ; when, on the expiration of lus term 
 of service, he was chosen to the senate of the state legislature. 
 
 In 1824 he was elected a senator of the United States from Ohio. While ser^■lng 
 in this high station, he commanded universal reflect. His views as a statesman 
 were liberal and extended ; his remarkable readiness in debate soon rendered him a 
 prominent member; and the nervous and impassioned eloquence, and classical telicity 
 of illustration, with which he enforced his arguments, gained him much mfiuence. 
 
 In 1828, he was appointed by Mr. Adams, envoy extraordinary and minister pleni- 
 potentiary to the Republic of Col.mbia. He accepted this appointment, and repaired, 
 without delay, to the scene of his duties, where ho was received with every demon- 
 stration of respect. He found this unhappy country in a deplorable condition— .he 
 people ignorant of their rights, and almost in a state of anarchy, and Bo ivar ap- 
 parently about to assume the despotic power of a military dictator. Shocked at tins 
 state of things, with the frankness of an old soldier, he wrote his celebrated letter to 
 Bolivar, which is inserted at length in subsequent pages. , . ^ „ , , 
 
 General Harrison remained in Colombia but a short time, havmg been recalled by 
 cencral Jackson, soon after he came into power. , • nu- 
 
 Since his return from this mission, he has lived in comparative retirement, in Ohio, 
 
 the state of his adoption. With the most enticing opportunities of accumula mg 
 
 wealth, during his long government of Indiana, and supenntendency of Indian 
 
 affairs, he acquired none ; his honest and scrupulous integrity was proot against he 
 
 golden temptations. His time and best energies were devoted to the service of his 
 
 counti-/, and his own interests were ever, with him, a secondary consideration. He 
 
 therefore retired without the spoils of office, and with only a competency barely sufh- 
 
 cicnt for his support; but rich in a reputation undimmed by a smgle tarnisli, and in 
 
 the honor and respect of all his fellow-citizens. , , . *i.o oMk-it^ 
 
 General Harrison is now sixty-six years of age; but such have been the activity 
 
 and temperate habits of his past life, that he enjoys his moral and physical energ e, 
 
 in remarkable vigor. In person, he is tall and thin; his features are irregular, but 
 
 his eyes are dark, keen, and penetrating; his forehead is expansive; his mouth pecu- 
 
 liirlv indicative of firmness and genius; and his countenance is highly expressive ol 
 
 inlelli-ence and benevolence. His manners are plain, frank, and unassuming, and 
 
 his disposition is cheerful, kind, and generous, almost to a fault. In his private inte- 
 
 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 moderate and forbearing, yet hrm and 
 
 true to his trust. No other commander has ever been more popular with our mil t.a 
 
 and the true secret of this cannot be better explained than by his own 'i^Ply. J^ ^^ 
 
 asked how he had gained this influence: 'By treating them,' said he, 'with affection 
 
 and indness, by allays recollecting that they were my fellow-citiz.ens, -hose lee mg 
 
 I was bound to respect; and by sharing with them, on every occasion, the hardships 
 
 which ihcy were obliged to undergo.' " 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BATTtE OF TIPPECANOE, ETC. 
 
 The preceding memoir presents a most interesting and graphic account of the 
 nature and value of the services of General Harrison, and ought to convince any- 
 reasonable man that he possesses, in an extraordinary degree, all those qualifications 
 which should adorn a brave soldier and an enlightened statesman, and that he is " pecu- 
 liarly fitted to bring back the government to that old and beaten track in which it 
 was marching to prosperity and greatness," until perverted to the base purposes of 
 party, and used to crush, instead of to protect, the interests of the people. The 
 foul spirit of detraction has, however, been at work, and it is the design of the follow- 
 ing pages to exhibit, from official sources, the evidences of his public services, and 
 the estimation in which they were held by the government and the people; and thus 
 enable the friends of the peoples' candidate to repel error and establish truth. 
 
 His celebrated battle with the Indians was fought on the night of the 7th of 
 November, 1811, on the Wabash river, at a place called TIPPECANOE, in sight 
 of the Prophet's town, and lasted for two hours. Thirty-seven Americans were 
 killed, and one hundred and fifty-one wounded. Among the killed were colonels 
 Owen and Shelby, captain Spencer, and both of his subalterns, captain Berry of 
 Croydon, and captain Baen of the regular army. Governor Harrison was shot 
 through the hat and slightly wounded. The American force consisted of eight 
 hundred men ; three hundred and fifty of these were of the 4th regiment United 
 States infantry, and the remainder volunteer cavalry and riflemen from the state of 
 Kentucky and the territory of Indiana, of which territory Harrison was then 
 governor'. The force of the Indians is not stated with accuracy, but it greatly out- 
 numbered the American troops ; and they sufl'ered great loss in killed and wounded. 
 The Indians, it was believed, were instigated to hostilities against our peaceful citizens, 
 by the British government, and completely armed and equipped out of the king's 
 stores at Maiden. " Indeed," said gov. Harrison, in a letter to colonel J. M. Scott, 
 of Frankfort, Kentucky, (see vol. i. Niles' Reg. p. 311.) "they were much better 
 armed than the greater part of my troops; every Indian was provided with a gun, 
 scalping knife, tomahawk and war club, and most of them with a spear, whilst the 
 greater part of the riflemen had no other weapon than a rifle." The governor had 
 marched up to the Prophet's town in the evening, and held a conference with him, 
 when it was agreed to hold a council the next morning. A negro, however, deserted 
 to the Indians, and told them that the governor had but about three hundred men, 
 that he had a large quantity of goods with him, and that the next day, when 
 thev were in council, he intended to fall upon them and destroy them. This in- 
 formation, it is supposed, induced the Indians to make the attack in the night, when 
 they rushed upon the American troops with extraordinary rapidity. But they were 
 not " surprised," as has been asserted; for it will be seen, by referring to Niles' Reg. 
 vol. ii. p. 56., that three captains, one ensign, and the surgeon and assistant surgeon 
 of the 4th regiment United States infantry, have published certificates and statements 
 relative to the battle, in which the prudence and skill of governor Harrison are 
 represented in the most honorable light. " The whole of the men slept upon their 
 arms, with their accoutrements upon them, and the lines were formed in FROM 
 FOUR TO SIX MINUTES after the firing of the first gun, with astonishi7ig 
 regularity and order ,-" — which could not have been accomplished in a dark night, 
 without a previous arrangement predicated upon a supposed attack ! The American 
 troops fought with the most determined bravery, and the Indians, inspired by the 
 presence of their Prophet, and their thirst for blood and plunder, obstinately main 
 tained their ground for two hours. Cols. Daveiss, Owen, White, Geiger, judge 
 Taylor, major Floyd, and captains Berry, Baen and Spencer, performed prodigies of 
 valor. Three Indians attacked colonel E. Geiger in his tent at one time, he killed 
 one and vanquished the other two, when he Avas wounded in the arm. Major Floyd 
 
 \ 
 
10 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 fought like Cssar, " in his shirt tail," and clothed himself with victory. The slaiigh 
 ter was, indeed, dreadful, for the Indians came to the point of the bayonet with 
 their tomahawks, and only ceased the struggle with the loss of life. After the 
 battle gov. Harrison took possession of about five thousand bushels of corn, 
 belonging to the Indians, and burned the Prophet's town. (See Niies' Reg. vol. i. 
 p. 238.) 
 
 There was another unfounded statement in relation to this brilliant affair which at- 
 tracted ihe notice of some of the brave officers who participated in it. A corres- 
 pondent of the National Intelligencer, in a letter to the editor of that publication, 
 dated February 22, 1817, recorded in Niles, vol. xii. p. 90, said : — 
 
 " In Dr. Ramsay's history of the American Revolution, continued by Dr. Smith to 
 the treaty of Ghent, I find in pages 142, 3, and 4, of the 3d volume, an account of 
 the transactions which preceded the battle of Tippecanoe, so essentially diiferent from 
 the facts, particularly that part which states that general Harrison encamped his troops 
 on ground selected or pointed out by the Indians, that I am induced, from regard to 
 historic truth, and the reputation of a distinguished officer, to request the publication 
 of the following extract from McAffee's history of the war in the western country, 
 and the subjoined statements of the honorable Waller Taylor, now a senator from 
 Indiana, and lieut. col. Snelling, of the army, then a captain in the 4th United States 
 regiment of infantry. Justice. 
 
 THE EXTRACT. 
 
 "To this it was observed, that as the Indians seen hovering about the army, had 
 been frequently invited to a parley by the interpreters, who had proceeded some distance 
 from the lines for the purpose ; and as these overtures had universally been answered 
 by menace and insult, it was very evident that it was their intention to fight ; that 
 the troops were in high spirits and full of confidence ; and that advantage ought to 
 be taken of their ardour to lead them immediately to the enemy ; to this the governor 
 (Harrison) answered, that he was fully sensible of the eagerness of the troops ; and 
 admitting the determined hostility of the Indians, and that thoir insolence was full 
 evidence of their intention to fight, yet he knew them too well to believe that they 
 would ever do this, but by surprise, or on ground which was entirely favorable to 
 their mode of fighting. He was therefore determined not to advance with the troops, 
 until he knew precisely the situation of the town, and the ground adjacent to it, par- 
 ticularly that which intervened between it and the place where the army then was — 
 that it was their duty to fight when they came in contact with the enemy — it was 
 his to take care that they should not engage in a situation where their valor would 
 be useless, and where a corps upon which he placed great reliance would be unable to 
 act ; that the experience of the last two hours ought to convince every officer, that 
 no reliance ought to be placed upon the guides, as to the topography of the country ; 
 that relying on their information, the troops had been led into a situation so unfavor- 
 able, that but for the celerity with which they changed their position, a few Indians 
 might have destroyed them. He was therefore determined not to advance to the town, 
 until he had previously reconnoitered, either in person, or by some one on whose 
 judgment he could rely. Major Daveiss immediately replied, that from the right of 
 the position of the dragoons, which was still in front, the opening made by the low 
 grounds of the Wabash could be seen ; that with his adjt. D. Floyd, he had advanced 
 to the bank, which descends to the low grounds, and had a fair view of the cultivated 
 fields and the houses of the town ; and that the open woods, in which the troops then 
 were, continued without interruption to the town. Upon this information, the gover- 
 nor said he would advance, provided he could get any proj)er person to go to the town 
 with a flag. Captain T. Dubois, of Vincennes, having offered his services, he was 
 despatched with an interpreter to the Prophet, desiring to know whether he would 
 now comply with the terms that had been so often j)R)posed to him. The army was 
 moved slowly after in order of battle. In a few moments a messenger came from 
 captain Dubois, informing the governor that the Indians were near him in considerable 
 numbers, but that they would return no answer to the inter[)reter, although they were 
 sufficiently near to hear what was said to them, and that upon his advancing, they 
 constantly endeavoured to cut him off from the army. Gov. Harrison, during this 
 last effort to open a negotiation, which was sufficient to show his wish for an accom- 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 11 
 
 modation, resolved no longer to hesitate in treating the Indians as enemies. He there- 
 fore recalled captain Dubois, and moved on with a determination to attack them. He 
 had not proceeded far, however, before he was met by three Indians, one of them a 
 principal counsellor to the Prophet. They were sent, they said, to know why the 
 army was advancing upon them — that the Prophet wished if possible to avoid hos- 
 tilities ; that he had sent a pacific message by the Miami and Patawatamie chiefs, 
 who had come to him on the part of the governor — and that those chiefs had unfor- 
 tunately gone down on the south side of the Wabash. A suspension of hostilities 
 was accordingly agreed upon; and a meeting was to take place the next day between 
 Harrison and the chiefs, to agree upon the terms of peace. The governor further 
 informed them, that he would go on to the Wabash and encamp there for the night. 
 Upon marching a short distance further he came in view of the town, which was 
 seen at some distance up the river upon a commanding eminence. Major Daveiss 
 and adjt. Floyd had mistaken some scattered houses in the fields below for the 
 town itself. The ground below the town being unfavorable for an encampment, the 
 army marched on in the direction of the town, with a view to obtain a better situation 
 beyond it. The troops were in an order of march, calculated by a single conversion 
 of companies, to form the order of battle, which it had last assumed, the dragoons 
 being in front. This corps soon however became entangled in ground covered with 
 brush and tops of fallen trees. A halt was ordered, and major Daveiss directed to 
 change position with Spencer's rifle corps, which occupied the open fields adjacent to 
 the river. The Indians seeing this manoeuvre, at the approach of the troops tovi'ards 
 the town, supposed that they intended to attack it, and inmiediately prepared for 
 defence. Some of them sallied out, and called to the advance corps to halt. The 
 governor upon this rode forward, and requested some of the Indians to come to him, 
 assured them that nothing was farther from his thoughts than to attack them — that 
 the ground below the town on the river was not calculated for an encampment, and 
 that it was his intention to search for a better one above. He asked if there was any 
 other water convenient beside that which the river afforded ; and an Indian with whom 
 he was well acquainted, answered, that the creek which had been crossed tvi^o miles 
 back, ran through the prairie to the north of the village, A halt was then ordered, 
 and some officers sent back to examine the creek, as well as the river above the town. 
 In half an hour, brigade-major Marston Clarke and major Waller Taylor returned, 
 and reported that they had found on the creek every thing that could be desired in an 
 encampment — an elevated spot, nearly surrounded by an open prairie, with water 
 convenient, and a sufSciency of wood for fuel. An idea was propagated by the ene- 
 mies of governor Harrison, after the battle of Tippecanoe, that the Indians had forced 
 him to encamp on a place, chosen by them as suitable for the attack they intended. 
 The place however was chosen by majors Taylor and Clarke, after examining all the 
 environs of the town ; and when the army of general Hopkins was there in the fol- 
 lowing year, they all united in the opinion, that a better spot to resist Indians was 
 not to be found in the whole country. 
 
 The above account taken from McAfift'e's history of the war in the western coun- 
 try, as it relates to the situation of the camp occupied by the army under the command 
 of governor Harrison, on the night between the 6th and 7th of November, 1811, is 
 entirely correct. The spot for the encampment was selected by col. Clarke, (who acted 
 as brigade-major to general Boyd,) and myself. We were directed by governor Har- 
 rison to examine the country up and down the creek until we should find a suitable 
 f.lace for an encampment. In a short time we discovered the place on which the army 
 encamped, and to which it was conducted by us. No intimation was given by the 
 Indians of the wish that we should encamp there, nor could they possibly have known 
 where the army would encamp until it took its position. The only error in the above 
 extract is, in saying that major Clarke and myself were sent hack, by which it would 
 appear that the army retrograded to take up its encampment ; this is not the fact, the 
 army filed off in front of the town at right angles to the Wabash to reach its encamp- 
 ment. It has ever been my belief that the position we occupied was the best that 
 could be found anywhere near us, and I believe that nine-tenths of the officers were 
 of that opinion. We did not go on the Wabash above the town, but I am certain 
 that there was no position below it that was eligible for an encampment. 
 
 Fcbruarij 22, 1817. Waller Tatlor. 
 
^^ THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 My situation as a platoon officer nrpvpnt«,i ,»,„ v • 
 transactions above related, so £ ^ Sle J th^il '7"^ ^rT'' '^"°^'^'i«-« of the 
 army under general Harrison by^ifsLff officer hH '^' '^jy^'^-t of the 
 extract from McAffee's history I have no b.«^> ^' "^ T'^^^^y P'^'-"^'^^ the 
 
 substantially correct ; and that in mv onininn ^h '" T'"^ '^^' ^ ^'^'^'"^ it t« be 
 camped con^bined th'e adv^n^ s 7 ZTlll 'and "a S"f "'^f '''■ ^^^ - 
 
 (orhottom-landasiiisealLdjSgrth^Ltlt^^^ 
 
 J. SXELLIXG, 
 
 TV-a5At«^^an, February 28, 1 8 1 7." *"'" ''°'°"'^' ^''^ Infantry. 
 
 by'^ptiStta'dtftrirse^^^^ °^^« ^^"•«. communicated 
 
 December, ,811, and ,^i^:P:: mL'TX i^^^^^^^^^^^ "' ^^ ^-'^'^ «^'-. 
 
 « To Me Senate and House of Representatives of the United States. 
 
 I lay before congress two letters received from governor Harrison af ih t ^• 
 
 Territory reporting the particulars and the issue of t^e exSdt on nn , K '^''"* 
 
 " Whir'r-°' r'^'fr '^? ■" ^^y communication ofSember 5 '" '" ^°"- 
 
 actrwhich^ott:™^^^^^^^^ m uTt^rr'"^''^ ir^^ '^- ^'- '- - ^^^ 
 
 dauntless spirit a„dUuI ti^^ d'p^^^^^^^^^^ eT ylLrio^onheT ''' 
 engaged, as well as the collected firmness which distiLuiZd tC r^!. ? °°P' 
 
 occasion requiring the utmost exertions of valor and difciptne ^"'"'"''"'^«'- °" ^° 
 
 It may reasonably be expected that the good efiects of fhi^ rrif.r.i i r . ^ :,• 
 persion of a combination of savages which appears to h.vph '^''*t^"'^ '^''■ 
 
 greater extent, will be experienced not only in a^Ssation of the '^^'^^'^S to a 
 
 WttsAm^/o«, December 18, 1811. '^^'^^^ Madisow. 
 
 Vincennes, November 18, 1811 
 
 resSt"^l"n':Sirb;tlt^^h^^o:rL'.efm7c:^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 Indians under ,he control of the Shawanoe prophet ThadprevoLv tw"T "^ 
 ma letter of the 2ncl instant, of my proceedLg^ previously to'Iy a Sal It thtvT 
 million river, where I had erected a blockhouse for the protection of fhrL i ut 
 
 was obliged to leave, and as a depository for our heavy CgaLe a„d s-h n/ "^ ^ 
 visions as we were unable to transport in wa^^ons On fhl "1 r°"v ^o^^ 
 
 I had on the preceding day avoided the dangerous pass of S creek bv dm n 
 
 My order of march hitherto had been similar to that used by general Wavne- th.t 
 is, the infantry were in two columns of files on either side of the road nn H h^ ' i 
 riflemen and cavalry in front, in the rear, and on the hnk/ W oi M '"7"'"^ 
 
 unfavorable for the action of caval.y th^y werTptelun he 1' but tvfie^et l^ 
 otherwise thev were made to exchange positions with one of the mounted rifle corp" 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 13 
 
 Understanding that the last four miles were open woods, and the probability being 
 greater that we should be attacked in front than on either flank, I halted at that dis- 
 tance from the town and formed the army in order of battle. The United States 
 infantry placed in the centre, two companies of infantry and one of mounted riflemen 
 on each flank formed the front line. In the rear of this line was placed the baggage, 
 drawn up as compact as possible, and immediately behind it a reserve of three compa- 
 nies of militia infantry. The cavalry formed a second line at the distance of three 
 hundred yards in the rear of the front line, and a company of mounted riflemen the 
 advanced guard at that distance in front. To facilitate the march, the whole were 
 then broken off in short columns of companies, a situation the most favorable for 
 forming in order of battle with facility and precision. Our march was slow and cau- 
 tious, and much delayed by the examination of every place which seemed calculated 
 for an ambuscade. Indeed the ground was for some time so unfavorable that I was 
 •obliged to change the position of the several corps, three times in the distance of a 
 mile. At half-past two o'clock we passed a small creek at the distance of one mile 
 and a half from the town, and entered an open wood when the army was halted and 
 again drawn up in order of battle. During the whole of the last day's march parties 
 of Indians were constantly about us, and every effort was made by the interpreters to 
 speak to them, but in vain — new attempts of the kind were now made, but proving 
 equally ineffectual, a captain Dubois, of the spies and guides, offering to go with a 
 flag to the town, I despatched him with an interpreter to request a conference with the 
 prophet — in a few moments a message was sent by captain Dubois to inform me that 
 in his attempt to advance, the Indians appeared in both his flanks, and although he 
 had spoken to them in the most friendly manner, they refused to answer, but beckoned 
 to him to go forward, and constantly endeavoured to cut him off from the army. 
 Upon this information I recalled the captain, and determined to encamp for the night, 
 and take some other measures for opening a conference with the prophet. Whilst I 
 was engaged in tracing the lines for the encampment, major Daveiss, who commanded 
 the dragoons, came up to inform me that he had penetrated to the Indian fields ; that 
 the ground was entirely open and favorable ; that the Indians in front had manifested 
 nothing but hostility, and had answered every attempt to bring them to a parley with 
 contempt and insolence. It was immediately advised by all the ofRcers around me to 
 move forward. A similar wish indeed pervaded all the army — it was drawn up in 
 excellent order, and every man appeared eager to decide the contest immediately. 
 Being informed that a good encampment might be had upon the Wabash, I yielded to 
 what appeared to be the general wish, and directed the troops to advance, taking care, 
 however, to place the interpreters in front, with directions to invite a conference with 
 any Indians they might meet with. We had not advanced above four hundred yards, 
 when I was informed that three Indians had approached the advanced guards and had 
 expressed a wish to speak to me. I found upon their arrival that one of them was a 
 man in great estimation with the prophet. He informed me that the chiefs were much 
 surprised at my advancing upon them so rapidly — that they were given to understand 
 by the Delawares and Miamies whom I had sent to them a few days before, that I 
 would not advance to their town, until I had received an answer to my demands made 
 through them. That this answer had been despatched by the Patawatamie chief, 
 Winemac, who had accompanied the Miamies and Delawares on their return ; that 
 they had left the prophet's town two days before with a design to meet me, but unfor- 
 tunately taken the road on the south side of the Wabash. I answered that I had no 
 intention of attacking them until I discovered that they would not comply with the 
 demands which I had made — that I would go on and encamp at the Wabash, and in 
 the morning would have an interview with the prophet and his chiefs, and explain to 
 them the determination of the president — that in the mean time no hostilities should 
 be committed. He seemed much pleased with this, and promised that it should be 
 observed on their part. I then resumed my march, we struck the cultivated grounds 
 about five hundred yards below the town, but as these extended to the bank of the 
 Wabash there was no possibility of getting an encampment which was provided with 
 both wood and water. My guards and interpreters being still with the advanced 
 guard, and taking the direction of the town, the army followed and had advanced 
 within about one hundred and fifty yards, when fifty or sixty Indians sallied out, and 
 with loud exclamations called to the cavalry and to the militia infantry, which were 
 
 B 
 
14 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. * 
 
 on our right flank, to halt. I immediately advanced to the front, caused the army to 
 halt, and directed an interpreter to request some of the chiefs to come to me. In a few 
 moments the man that had been with me before made his appearance. I informed 
 him that ray object for the present was to procure a good piece of ground to encamp 
 on, where we could get wood and water— he informed me that there was a creek to 
 the north-west which he thought would suit our purpose. I immediately despatched 
 two officers to examine it, and they reported that the situation was excellent. I then 
 took leave of the chief, and a mutual promise was again made for a suspension of hos- 
 tilities until we could have an interview on the following day. I found the ground 
 destined for the encampment not altogether such as I could wish it— it was indeed 
 admirably calculated for the encampment of regular troops that were opposed to regu- 
 lars, but it afforded great facility to the approach of savages. It was a piece of dry 
 oak land, rising about ten feet above the level of the marshy prairie in front (towards 
 the Indian town) and nearly twice that height above a similar prairie in the rear, 
 through which and near to this bank ran a small stream clothed with willows and 
 other brush wood. Towards the left flank this bench of highland widened considera- 
 bly, but became gradually narrower in the opposite direction, and at the distance of 
 one hundred and fifty yards from the right flank, terminated in the abrupt point. The 
 two columns of infantry occupied the front and rear of this ground at the distance of 
 about one hundred and fifty yards from each other on the left, and something more 
 than half that distance on the right flank— these flanks were filled up, the first by two 
 companies of mounted riflemen amounting to about one hundred and twenty men, 
 under the command of major-general Wells of the Kentucky militia, who served as a 
 major; the other by Spencer's company of mounted riflemen which amounted to 
 eighty men. The front line was composed of one battalion of United States infantry 
 under the command of major Floyd, flanked on the right by two companies of militia, 
 and on the left by one company. The rear line was composed of a battalion of United 
 States troops under the command of captain Baen, acting as major, and four companies 
 of militia infantry under lieutenant-colonel Decker. The regular troops of the line 
 joined the mounted riflemen under general Wells on the left flank, and colonel 
 Decker's battalion formed an angle with Spencer's company on the left. 
 
 Two troops of dragoons, amounting in the aggregate to about sixty men, were en- 
 camped in the rear of the left flank, and captain Parke's troop, which was larger 
 than the othpr two, in the rear of the front line. Our order of encampment varied 
 little from that above described, excepting when some peculiarity of the ground made 
 it necessary. For a night attack the order of encampment was the order of battle, 
 and each man slept immediately opposite to his post in the Ime. In the formation of 
 my troops I used a single rank, or what is called Indian file — because in Indian war- 
 fare, where there is no shock to resist, one rank is nearly as good as two, and in that 
 kind of warfare the extension of line is a matter of the first importance. — Raw troops 
 also manoeuvre with much more facility in single than in double ranks. It was my 
 constant custom to assemble all the field officers at my tent every evening by signal, 
 to give them the watch word and their instructions for the night — those given for the 
 night of the 6th were, that each corps which formed a part of the exterior line of the 
 encampment, should hold its own ground until relieved. The dragoons were directed 
 to parade dismounted in case of a night attack, with their pistols in their belts, and to 
 act as a corps de reserve. The camp was defended by two captains guards, consist- 
 ing each of four non-commissioned officers and 42 privates — and two subalterns 
 guards of twenty non-commissioned officers and privates. The whole under the com- 
 mand of a field olRcer of the day. — The troops were regularly called up an hour 
 before day, and made to continue under arms until it was quite light. On thft 
 morning of the 7th I had risen at a quarter after four o'clock, and the signal for call 
 ing out the men would have been given in two minutes, when the attack commenced. 
 It began on our left flank — l)ut a single gun was fired by the sentinels or by the guard 
 in that direction, which made not the least resistance, but abandoned their officer and 
 fled into the camp, and the first notice which the troops of that flank had of the dan- 
 ger, was from the yells of the savages within a short distance of the line — but even 
 under those circumstances the men were not wanting to themselves or to the occasion. 
 Such of them as were awake, or were easily awakened, seized their arms and took 
 their stations ; others which ware more tardy, had to contend with the enemy in the 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. , 15 
 
 doors of their tents. The storm first fell upon captain Barton's company of the 4tli 
 United States regiment, and captain Geiger'a company of mounted riflemen, which 
 formed the left angle of the rear line. The fire upon these was excessively severe, 
 and they suffered considerably before relief could be brought to them ; some few In- 
 dians passed into the encampment near the angle, and one or two penetrated to some 
 distance before they were killed. I believe all the other companies were under arms 
 and tolerably formed before they were fired on. The morning was dark and cloudy — 
 our fires afforded a partial light, which, if it gave us some opportunity of taking our 
 positions, was still more advantageous to the enemy, affording them the means of 
 taking a surer aim — they were therefore extinguished as soon as possible. Under all 
 these discouraging circumstances, the troops (nineteen twentieths of whom had never 
 been in action before) behaved in a manner that never can be too much applauded. 
 They took their places without noise and with less confusion than could have been 
 expected from veterans placed in a similar situation. As soon as I could mount my 
 horse, I rode to the angle that was attacked — I found that Barton's company had suf- 
 fered severely and the left of Geiger's entirely broken. I immediately ordered Cook's 
 company and the late captain Wentworth's, under lieutenant Peters, to be brought up 
 from the centre of the rear line, where the ground was much more defensible, and 
 formed across the angle in support of Barton's and Geiger's. My attention was 
 then engaged by a heavy firing upon the left of the front line, where were stationed 
 the small company of United States riflemen, (then however armed with muskets,) 
 and the companies of Baen, Snelling, and Prescott of the 4th regiment. I found 
 major Daveiss forming the dragoons in the rear of those companies, and understanding 
 that the heaviest part of the enemy's fire proceeded from some trees about lifleen or 
 twenty paces in front of those companies, I directed the major to dislodge them with 
 a part of the dragoons. Unfortunately the major's gallantry determined him to ex- 
 ecute the order with a smaller force than was sufficient, which enabled the enemy t& 
 avoid him in front, and attack his flanks. The major was mortally wounded and his 
 party driven back. The Indians were however immediately and gallantly dislodged 
 from their advantageous position, by captain Snelling at the head of his company. 
 In the course of a few minutes after the commencement of the attack, the fire ex- 
 tended along the left flank, the whole of the front, the right flank, and part of the 
 rear line. Upon Spencer's mounted riflemen, and the right of Warwick's company, 
 which was posted on the right of the rear line, it was excessively severe ; captain 
 Spencer and his first and second lieutenants were killed, and captain Warwick was 
 mortally wounded — those companies however still bravely maintained their posts, but 
 Spencer had suffered so severely, and having originally too much ground to occupy, I 
 reinforced them with Robb's company of riflemen, which had been driven, or by mis- 
 take ordered from their position on the left flank towards the centre of the camp, and 
 filled the vacancy that had been occupied by Robb with Prescott's company of the 
 4th United States regiment. My great object was to keep the lines entire, to prevent 
 the enemy from breaking into the camp until day light, which should enable me to 
 make a general and effectual charge. With this view I had reinforced every part of 
 the line that had suffered much ; and as soon as the approach of morning discovered 
 itself, I withdrew from the front line Snelling's, Posey's (under lieutenant Albright) 
 and Scott's, and from the rear line, Wilson's companies, and drew them up upon the 
 left flank, and at the same time I ordered Cook's and Baen's companies, the former 
 from the rear and the latter from the front line, to reinforce the right flank ; foreseeing 
 that at these points the enemy would make their last efforts. Major Wells, who com- 
 manded on the left flank, not knowing my intentions precisely, had taken the com- 
 mand of these companies, and charged the enemy before I had formed the body of 
 dragoons with which I meant to support the infantry ; a small detachment of these 
 were however ready and proved amply sufficient for the purpose. The Indians were 
 driven by the infantry at the point of the bayonet, and the dragoons pursued and 
 forced them into a marsh, where they could noi be followed. Captain Cook and 
 lieutenant Larebee had, agreeably to my order, inarched their companies to the rigb* 
 flank, had formed them under the fire of the enemy, and being then joined by the 
 riflemen of that flank, had charged the Indians, killed a number, and put the rest to a 
 precipitate flight. A favorable opportunity was here oiiered to pursue the enemy 
 
 2 
 
16 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 with dragoons, but being engaged at that time on the other flank, I did not observe it 
 until it was too late. 
 
 I have thus, sir, given you the particulars of an action which was cert linly main- 
 tained with the greatest obstinacy and perseverance by both parties. The Indians 
 manifested a ferocity uncommon even with them — to their savage fury our troops 
 opposed that cool and deliberate valor which is characteristic of the christian 
 soldier. 
 
 The most pleasing part of my duty (that of naming to you the corps and indivi- 
 duals who particularly distinguished themselves) is yet to be performed. There is, 
 however, considerable difficulty in it — where merit was so common it is almost im- 
 possible to discriminate. 
 
 The whole of the infantry formed a small brigade under the immediate orders of 
 colonel Boyd. The colonel throughout the action manifested equal zeal and bravery 
 in carrying into execution my orders, in keeping the men to their posts and exhorting 
 them to fight with valor. His brigade-major Clark, and his aid-de-camp George 
 Croghan, Esq. were also very serviceably employed. Colonel Joseph Bartholomew, 
 a very valuable officer, commanded under colonel Boyd the militia infantry ; he was 
 wounded early in the action, and his services lost to me. Major G. R. C. Floyd, the 
 senior of the fourth United States regiment, commanded immediately the battalion of 
 that regiment, which was in the front line ; his conduct during the action was entirely 
 to my satisfaction. Lieutenant-colonel Decker, who commanded the battalion of 
 militia on the right of the rear line, preserved his command in good order ; he was, 
 however, but partially attacked. I have before mentioned to you that major-general 
 Wells, of the fourth division of Kentucky militia, acted under my command as a 
 major at the head of two companies of mounted volunteers ; the general maintained 
 the fame which he had already acquired in almost every campaign and in almost every 
 battle which has been fought with the Indians since the settlement of Kentucky. Of 
 the several corps, the fourth United States regiment and two small companies at- 
 tached to it, were certainly the most conspicuous for undaunted valor. The compa- 
 nies commanded by captains Cook, Snelling and Barton, lieutenants Larebee, Peters, 
 and Hawkins, were placed in situations where they could render most service and en- 
 counter most danger, and those officers eminently distinguished themselves. Captains 
 Prescott and Brown performed their duty also entirely to my satisfaction, as did 
 Posey's company of the seventh regiment, headed by lieutenant Albright. In short, 
 sir, they supported the fame of American regulars, and I have never heard that a sin- 
 gle individual was found out of the line of his duty. Several of the militia compa- 
 nies were in nowise inferior to the regulars. Spencer's, Geiger's, and Warwick's 
 maintained their posts amidst a monstrous carnage, as indeed did Robb's after it was 
 posted on the left flank ; its loss of men (seventeen killed and wounded) and keeping 
 its ground is sufficient proof of its firmness. Wilson's and Scott's companies charged 
 with the regular troops and proved themselves worthy of doing so. Norris's company 
 also behaved well ; Hargrove's and Wilkin's companies were placed in a situation 
 where they had no opportunity of distinguishing themselves, or I am satisfied they 
 would have done it. This was the case with the squadron of dragoons also. After 
 major Daveiss had received his wound, knowing it to be mortal, I promoted captain 
 Parke to the majority, than whom there is no better officer. 
 
 My two aids-de-camp, majors Hurst and Taylor, with lieutenant Adams of the 
 fourth regiment, the adjutant of the troops, aflbrded me the most essential aid, as 
 well in the action as throughout the campaign. 
 
 The arrangements of captain Pratt in the quartermaster's department were highly 
 judicious, and his exertions on all occasions, particularly in bringing off the wounde<l, 
 deserve my warmest thanks. But in giving merited praise to the living let me not 
 forget the gallant dead. Colonel Abraham Owen, commandant of the eighteenth 
 Kentucky regiment, joined me a few days before the action as a private in captain 
 Geiger's company ; he accepted the appointment as volunteer aid-dc-camp to me; he 
 fell early in the action. The representatives of his state will inform you that she 
 possessed not a better citizen nor a braver man. Major J. H. Daveiss was known as 
 an able lawyer and a great orator; he joined me as a private volunteer, and on the 
 recommendalioc of the officers of that corps, was appointed to command the third 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK, 17 
 
 troop of dragoons. His conduct in that capacity justified tlieir choice; never was 
 there an officer possessed of more ardor and zeal to discharge his duty with propriety, 
 and never one who would have encountered greater d.inger to purchase military lame, 
 captain Baen, of the fourth United States regiment, was killed early in the action ; 
 he was unquestionably a good officer and valiant soldier. Captains Spencer and 
 Warwick, and lieutenants McMahan and Berry, were all my particular friends ; I 
 have ever had the utmost confidence in their valor, and I was not deceived. Spen- 
 cer was wounded in the head — he exhorted his men to fight valiantly — he was shot 
 through both thighs, and fell, still continuing to encourage them — he was raiseJ up 
 and received a ball through his body, which put an immediate end to his existence ! 
 Warwick was shot immediately through the body : being taken to the surgery to be 
 dressed, as soon as it was over (being a man of great bodily vigour and still able to 
 walk) he insisted upon going back to head his company, although it was evident thai 
 he had but a few hours to live. 
 
 All these gentlemen, sir, captain Baen excepted, have left wives, and five of them 
 large families of children ; this is the case too with many of the privates among the 
 militia who fell in the action or who have died since of their wounds. Will the 
 bounty of their country be withheld from their helpless orphans, many of whom 
 will be m the most destitute condition, and perhaps want even the necessaries of 
 life 1 With respect to the number of Indians that were engaged against us, I am 
 possessed of no data by which I can form a correct statement. It must, however, 
 have been considerable, and perhaps not much inferior to our own ; which, deduct- 
 ing the dragoons, who were unable to do us much service, was very little above 
 seven hundred non-commissioned officers and privates ; I am convinced there were at 
 least six hundred. The prophet had three weeks before four hundred and fifty of his 
 own proper followers. I am induced to believe that he was joined by a number of the 
 lawless vagabonds who live on the Illinois river, as large trails were seen coming 
 from that direction. Indeed, I shall not be surprised to find that some of those who 
 professed the warmest friendship for us were arrayed against us — 'tis certain that one 
 of this description came out from the town and spoke to me the night before the 
 action. The Patawatamie chief whom I mentioned to have been wounded and 
 taken prisoner in my letter of the 8th inst., I left on the battle ground, after 
 having taken all the care of him in my power. I requested him to inform those 
 of his own tribe who had joined the prophet and Kickapoos and Winebagoes, that if 
 they would immediately abandon the prophet and return to their own tribes, their past 
 conduct would be forgiven, and that we would treat them as we formerly had done. 
 He assured me that he would do so, and there was no doubt of their compliance. 
 Indeed, he said, that he was certain that they would put the prophet to death. I 
 think upon the whole that there will be no further hostilities : but of this I shall be 
 enabled to give you some more certain information in a few days. 
 
 The troops left the battle ground on the 9th inst., it took every wagon to transport 
 the wounded. We managed, however, to bring off the public property, although 
 almost all the private baggage of the officers was necessarily destroyed. 
 
 It may perhaps be imagined, sir, that some means might have been adopted to have 
 made a more earlier discovery of the approach of the enemy to our camp the morning 
 of the 7th instant, but if I had employed two-thirds of the army as out-posts it would 
 have been ineffectual, the Indians in such a night would have found means to have 
 passed between them. Placed in the situation that we were, there is no other mode 
 of avoiding a surprise, than by a chain of centinels so close together that the enemy 
 . cannot pass between without discovery. And having the army in such readiness 
 that they can get to their alarm posts at a moment's warning. Our troops could 
 not have been better prepared than they were, unless they had been kept under arms 
 the whole night, as they lay with their accoutrements on, and their arms by their 
 sides, and the moment they were up they were at their posts. If the centinels and the 
 guard had done their duty, even the troops on the left flank would have been pre- 
 pared to receive the Indians. 
 
 I have the honor to enclose you a correct return of the killed and wounded. The 
 wounded suffered very much before their arrival here, but they are now comfortably 
 fixed, and every attention has been and shall continue to be paid to them. Doctor 
 8 b2 
 
18 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK- 
 
 Foster is not only possessed of great professional merit, but is moreover a man of 
 feeling and honor. 
 
 I am convinced, sir, that the Indians lost many more men than -we did — they left 
 from thirty-six to forty on the field. They were seen to take off not only the wounded 
 but the dead. An Indian that was killed and sculped in the beginning of the action 
 by one of our men, was found in a house in the town ; several others were also found 
 in the houses, and many graves which were fresh dug : one of them was opened and 
 found to contain three dead bodies. 
 
 Our infantry used principally cartridges containing twelve buck shot which were 
 admirably calculated for a night action. 
 
 I have before informed you, sir, that colonel Miller was prevented by illness from 
 going on the expedition — he rendered essential service in the command of Fort Harri- 
 son ; he is an officer of great merit. 
 
 There are so many circumstances which it is important for you to know, respecting 
 the situation of this country that I have thought it best to commit this despatch to my 
 aid-de-camp, major Taylor, who will have the honor of delivering it to you, and whi? 
 will be able to give you more satisfaction than I could do by writing. Major Taylor 
 (who is also one of our supreme judges) is a man of integrity and honor, and you 
 may rely upon any statement he may make. 
 
 With the highest respect, I have the honor to be, sir, your humble servant. 
 
 William Henry Harrison. 
 
 P. S. Not a man of ours was taken prisoner, of three scalps which were taken 
 two of them were recovered." 
 
 The battle of Tippecanoe placed a complete check to the hostilities of the Indians 
 in that quarter, and enabled governor Harrison to resume his civil duties ; and on the 
 meeting of the territorial legislature, in November, 1811, he addressed the members in 
 the following speech, inserted in Niles, vol. i. p. 321. 
 
 " Gentlemen of the legislative council, and 
 
 Gentlemen of the house of representatives, 
 
 The execution of an order received from the President of the United States, at the 
 head of a bodv'of our troops, prevented me from meeting you at the time to which you 
 were prorogued by my last proclamation. Although this circumstance may produce 
 some personal inconvenience to you, and perhaps a little additional expense to the ter- 
 ritory, it will not I am sure be regretted, when it is recollected that the result of the 
 expedition which I had the honor to command is a complete victory over the hostile 
 combination of Indians which had been formed by the Shawanese prophet. It is with 
 equal pleasure and pride, gentlemen, that I have it in my power to inform you that in 
 an action where undaunted valor was conspicuous in every corps, our own militia be- 
 haved in a manner to do credit to themselves as well as the territory. 
 
 The numerous duties which claim my attention at this time, gentlemen, will prevent 
 me from giving my opinion upon such subjects as require legislative provision. The 
 most important of these, however, you will find discussed at length in my former ad- 
 dresses. Permit me to recommend to you industry and concord in the discharge of 
 your functions, and be assured of my cordial co-operation in every measure which 
 may be calculated for the benefit of our constituents. 
 
 Wm. H. Harrisojt, 
 
 Vincennes, \9th Nov, 
 
 To his excellency WiT.-Ljxyi Hf.nrt HxnKians, governor and commander-in-chief 
 in and over the Indiana territory. 
 
 Sir — The house of representatives of the Indiana territory in their own name, and 
 in behalf of their constituents, most cordially reciprocate the congratulations of your 
 excellency on the glorious result of the late sanguinary conflict with the Shawanoe 
 pro[)liet, and the tribes of Indians confederated with hirii : when we see disi)layed in 
 behalf of our country not only the consummate abilities of the general, but the 
 heroism of the man ; and where we take intx) view tlic benefits which must result to 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 19 
 
 that country, from those exertions ; we cannot for a moment withhold our meed of 
 applause. 
 
 We shall cordially and industriously endeavour to co-operate with you, sir, in such 
 measures as may best comport with the immediate interests of our territory — and 
 although we may lament the occasion which gave rise to the necessary delay of legis- 
 lative business, yet we feel it to be our duty as patriots, as representatives, and as men, 
 to submit without a murmur to any inconvenience which the good of our common 
 coimtry may require. 
 
 Gex. W. Johxsox, 
 Speaker of the house of representatives. 
 Representatives Chamber, 
 November, 1811. 
 
 Gentlemen of the house of representatives, 
 
 Believing as I do that the highest reward which a republican soldier can receive, is 
 the approbation of his fellow-citizens, I cannot be otherwise than highly gratified at 
 the applause which you have been pleased to bestow on my conduct as commander of 
 the late expedition. It has ever been mj' wish, gentlemen, to deserve the confidence 
 of your constituents. To promote their welfare and happiness, has been, for years, 
 the great object of my cares, and if in the late action it had pleased the Almighty to 
 seal with my life the victory, which was to ensure their safety, the sacrifice would 
 have been cheerfully made. 
 
 Wm. II. Haiiuison." 
 
 The following resolutions were also passed by the legislature of Kentucky, and pub- 
 lished in Niles, vol. i. p. 391. 
 
 Legisi.ati7RE of Kentucky, Jan. 7, 1812. 
 
 Resolved, By the senate and house of representatives of the state of Kentucky, in 
 the late campaign against the Indians upon the Wabash, governor Wm. Henry Har- 
 rison has behaved like a hero, a patriot, and a general ; and that for his cool, delibe- 
 rate, skilful and gallant conduct in the battle of Tippecanoe, he well deserves the 
 warmest thanks of his country and the nation. 
 
 Resolved, That the governor of this state be requested to transmit a copy of the 
 above resolution to governor Wm. Henry Harrison." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 GOVERNOn HARHISOIf APPOINTEn A BHIGADIER-GEIfERAI. IIT THE UNITED STATES 
 ARMY, BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES; AND MAJOR-GENERAL BY 
 THE GOVERNOR OF KENTUCKY, WITH THE COMMAND OF THE KENTUCKY 
 TROOPS, &C. 
 
 In August, 1812, governor Harrison was appointed a brigadier-general in the army 
 of the United States, by president Madison, and major-general by the governor of the 
 state of Kentucky, with the command of the Kentucky troops. The former appoint- 
 ment he refused to accept ; but he resigned the government of the territory of Indiana 
 and continued the campaign with the brave Kentuckians. On the 11th of September, 
 1812, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the north-western army, by president 
 Madison. 
 
 The following paragraphs from Niles, in reference to his movements. &c.. are inte- 
 resting. 
 
 In vol. iii. p. 25, the editor of that work says — 
 
 " The governor of Kentucky, learning the critical situation of general Hull, deter 
 mined to send a reinforcement of volunteers to general Payne, so as to make his whole 
 forve three thousand four hundred strong. He also appointed governor Harrison a 
 major-general, to have the command of the Kentucky troops, by brevet, a procedure 
 
20 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 extremely well calculated to give confidence to the army of that state in the field. 
 Richard M. Johnson, a member of congress from Kentucky, proposed to raise six com- 
 panies (five hundred men) of mounted infantry, volunteers, to march immediately for 
 Detroit, and to trust to the liberality and justice of congress for indemnification. A 
 meeting was to be held at Georgetown on the 31st ult. ; and from the spirit of Ken- 
 tucky, though the proposition was made only on the 25th of the same month, we 
 ■venture to say that this body of men is in the field — perhaps at Urbanna, or beyond it 
 Major-general Harrison left Lexington on the 29th ult. to join the army in Ohio — 
 Colonel Poague's regiment of five hundred mounted riflemen were prepared to march. 
 The augmentation of the troops and the appointment ^f Harrison, was the last act 
 of good old general Scott, as governor of Kentucky : his venerable fellow soldier who 
 succeeded him, colonel Shelby, on coming into office, made a further augmentation of 
 the troops ; so that the whole force from Kentucky, marched to Ohio and the Indiana 
 territory, will amount to six thousand men, in actual service. These things will never 
 be forgotten." 
 
 In the same volume, pp. 40. 57. 107. 154. 315, we find the annexed editorial notices : 
 
 "Major-general Harrison was received with shouts of applause by the army of 
 volunteers assembled in the state of Ohio. We have full faith that he will do all that 
 is expected of him. The troops are well supplied. It is stated that the whole body, 
 six thousand strong, has marched towards Fort Wayne." 
 
 " Many detachments of volunteers are still marching from Kentucky to the frontiers, 
 nnder the command of the much beloved Harrison. We confidently trust that glory 
 will attend them." 
 
 "The British are making use of every means to defend themselves in Canada, and 
 appear determined to dispute every inch of ground. The surrender at Detroit has 
 given them great spirit and energy. On the other hand, gen. Harrison is by this time, 
 in all probability, in Upper Canada, and due efforts are made to keep the forces in 
 Lower Canada in check until the proper time arrives to pay that country a visit; a 
 period not far distant, from present appearances. 
 
 Language fails when we attempt to speak of the people of Ohio and Kentucky as 
 they deserve. Almost every man able to carry a musket seems willing to use it in 
 defence of his country. More persons have marched from Kentucky than were 
 wanted ; and about twelve hundred have returned home severely mortified, but holding 
 themselves in readiness for some future occasion. At the call of their beloved Harrison, 
 great numbers of mounted riflemen have marched to join him for an excursion of 
 thirty or forty days, finding themselves with provisions. These corps are designed 
 to break up and destroy the Indian tribes, and lay waste their country. The deluded 
 murderers have brought themselves to destruction — through British influence. Many 
 private letters from the western country inform us that the late depredations of the 
 savages have wrought the people into a fury of resentment and vengeance. They 
 will exact a terrible guarantee for the future safety of the frontiers. 
 
 It was the original design of government that gen, Winchester, a very reputable 
 gentleman and an old revolutionary officer, should have the command of the army, 
 destined, in the first instance, for the relief of general Hull, and, since his surrender, 
 intended to regain the ground lost, &c. In consequence of which, after his arrival at 
 Fort Wayne, general Harrison on the 19th ult. took leave of the army in a very affec- 
 tionate manner, and set out for the Indiana territory with a body of troops, to break 
 up the settlements of the savages. But the Pkesident of the United States, 
 
 SEEING THE CONFIDENCE THAT THE WESTERN PEOPLE IN GENERAL REPOSED IN 
 
 OEN. HAnuisoN, HAD APPOINTED HIM coMMANDEB-iN-CHiEF, The commission for 
 this purpose reached him a few days after his resignation of it to general Winchester ; 
 and it appears he resumed it about the 23d of the same month at Fort Wayne, from 
 whence a detachment of troops under general Winchester has marched to Fort De- 
 fiance, where it is said a large body of allies, three thousand strong, were collected. 
 We are without particulars, but hope this report is true, believing it impossible they 
 can escape Harrison and Winchester with their mounted riflemen, who amount to more 
 than that number, Their whole force exceeds ten thousand men." 
 
 " Many pieces of cannon have been sent from the neighbourhood of Pittsburg for the 
 nortn-vvcstern army. In every preparation and arrangement we discover an invariabU 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 21 
 
 intention to do the business effectually. Harrison's measures will, at all times, secure 
 him a communication with Ohio, in case the enemy's force brought against him is 
 powerful enough to resist him, or to attempt to cut off his suppHes, of which, however, 
 there does not appear any probabiUty. But ' caution is the parent of security.' We 
 look for a very interesting detail from the general." 
 
 " General Harrison arrived at Chilicothe about the 26th ult. to consult with governor 
 Meigs, it is stated, on business of importance. The Sciota Gazette informs us that he 
 will not accept the commission of a brigadier-general in the United States army, but 
 continue the campaign as major-general of the Kentucky quota, after which it is his 
 intention to retire into private life. He has resigned the government of the Indiana 
 Territory, in a very handsome letter to the secretary of state. We trust the services 
 of this beloved man, uniting in himself the entire confidence of the western people.- 
 whose prudence, patience, and perseverance have given security to the frontiers, threat- 
 ened by the most formidable combinations of wliite and red savages that ever were 
 known, will not be lost to his country. 
 
 One hundred wagon loads of provisions have been sent from Erie to meet Harri- 
 son's army at the Rapids of the Miami. We see nothing in the west like going into 
 winter quarters." 
 
 " We have the pleasure to learn that the patriotism of the western volunteers is steady, 
 continued, and invincible. They cheerfully bear their privations without a murmur, 
 and always ready, in season and out of season, to perform any duty required. They 
 have no ' constitutional objections' against proceeding to Canada, but all pant for the 
 time to arrive when humbled Maiden shall atone for surrendered Detroit." 
 
 Extract of a letter to the editor of the " Register," vol. iii. p. 282. 
 
 Chilicothe, Dec. 22, 1812. 
 
 " Dear Sir — It is probable you are desirous to know what is going on in this 
 quarter at this important period. General Harrison, who has lately removed his head- 
 quarters from Franklinton to Delaware, is, it is said, about to proceed, and perhaps 
 has already commenced his march to Sandusky, with a view, it is most probable, of 
 concentrating the whole force of the north-western army, either at that place or at the 
 Rapids of the Miami — most probably at the latter. The different divisions have been 
 lying at different points for some time past. The left wing, composed of a regiment 
 of regulars commanded by col. Wells, and the Kentucky volunteers, the whole under 
 the command of gen. Winchester, is at the Rapids, to which place it lately proceeded 
 from Fort Winchester, (late Fort Defiance.) The right wing is composed of the 
 detachments from Pennsylvania and Virginia. That from Pennsylvania, under the 
 command of brig. gen. Crooks, has been some time at Mansfield. The detachment 
 from Virginia, commanded by brig. gen. Leftwick, has been lying at Delaware. The 
 centre of the army is composed of Ohio volunteers and militia, under command of 
 brig. gen. Tupper, and a regiment of regulars under command of col. Miller. Gen. 
 Tupper's brigade is at Fort M'Arthur. The whole force will probably amount to 
 seven or eight thousand. Such a force, principally brave, hardy 'backwoodsmen,' 
 
 C0M5IANDED Br THE WASHINGTON OF THE WesT THE EXCELLENT, THE UNIVER- 
 SALLY BELOVED Harrison, will be able to accomplish evert thing which 
 
 CAN BE EXPECTED OF THEM." 
 
 Proclamation of R. J. Meigs, governor of Ohio, Niles, vol. iii, p. 39. 
 
 " "VVhereas, the United States are now at war with Great Britain, whose forces 
 are aided by savages of the most ferocious nature — and the frontiers of the state of 
 Ohio are exposed to their cruelties and depredations, as well as to the machinations 
 of traitors and spies — creating discontent among our citizens, and giving to our ene- 
 mies information of our situation, force, and movements. 
 
 In order, therefore, as far as lays in our power, to prevent such cruelties, machina- 
 tions, treachery, and spying, 
 
 I issue this my proclamation, exhorting the citizens and inhabitants of the state of 
 Ohio to a strict observance of all their duties as such, requiring all military officers 
 according to their rank, to be strict in their attention to discipline, arms, and order of 
 all those under their command; and to hold themselves in constant readiness for ac- 
 tive service. 
 
 _ Also, requiring all magistrates, conservators of the peace, and all civil officers and 
 
22 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 others, to be vigilant in the apprehension and commitment of such traitors and spies, 
 in order that they may be dealt with according to law. R. J. Meigs, 
 
 Governor of Ohio. 
 
 Piqua, September 2, 1812. 
 
 Felimu ciJizens, 
 
 At a moment like this, I appeal to your valor and patriotism. 
 
 Major-general Hahrison will rendezvous a respectable force of Kentucky volun- 
 teers at Dayton, on the 15th instant, for a short expedition. Gen. Harrison desires 
 to add to his troops any number of volunteers from the state of Ohio, who will serve 
 on an expedition not exceeding thirty days. All those who will embrace this favor- 
 able opportunity of distinguishing themselves under an able commander, and of ren- 
 dering the state of Ohio a valuable service, will, in their equipments and movements, 
 follow the directions of general Harrison hereto subjoined. R. J. Meigs, 
 
 Governor of Ohio. 
 
 VOLUNTEEHS "WANTED ! 
 
 Any number of volunteers, mounted, and prepared for active service, to continue 
 for twenty-five or thirty days, will be accepted to rendezvous at the town of Dayton, 
 on the Big Miami, on the ISth inst. It is expected that the volunteers will provide 
 themselves with salt provisions and a proportion of biscuits. Those who are unable 
 to provide themselves will be furnished if possible. 
 
 Those brave men who may give their services on this occasion, may be assured, 
 that an opportunity for distinguishing themselves will be afforded — I shall command 
 the expedition in person, and the number of troops will be entirely adequate to the ob- 
 ject proposed. 
 
 I wish also to hire a number of substantial horses. Fifty cents per day will be 
 allowed for each horse which is provided with a saddle and bridle. 
 
 Those patriotic citizens, who are unable to afford their personal assistance, will 
 render essential service to their country by furnishing the horses — which must be 
 deUvered in Dayton on the 14lh instant, to a person who will be authorized to receive 
 and receipt for them. William Hesrx Hahrison." 
 
 Extract from the reply of governor Meigs to the memorial of the citizens of Chi- 
 licothe, Ohio, on the subject of protecting the frontiers. Niles, vol. iii. p. 61. 
 
 "At Greenville, blockhouses and a stockade are forming. Stations will be pre- 
 served at Lormies and St. Mary's. On the Urbana route to Maume, Fort Manary and 
 Fort M'Arthur are reinforced and the works enlarged by the erection of additional 
 blockhouses and piquets. At Urbana, general T upper has nearly eight hundred six- 
 months' troops, in good order ; which, if offensive operations should be resumed, will 
 be placed under the order of general Harrison — if defensive only, they may be placed 
 at different stations, to cover the frontiers. Governor Harrison has been appointed 
 major-general by brevet, by the executive of Kentucky, and is now marching to this 
 place five regiments of infantry, one of riflemen, one of dragoons, and one of mounted 
 riflemen, making in the aggregate more than four thousand men. To these will be 
 added colonel Well's regiment of the United States troops, now under the command 
 of general Harrison, he being brigadier-general in the service of the United States. 
 These forces will not be idle ; they will soon engage the attention of the Indians from 
 our frontiers ; and it is highly fortunate, that the forces are to be commanded by gene- 
 ral Harrison, in whom is united the confidence of the inhabitants of the west." 
 
 Extract from the general orders of general Harrison in relation to colonel Campbell's 
 heroic expedition against the Massassineway villages, December, 1812. See Niles, 
 vol. iii. p. 331. 
 
 " The general cannot pass by the opportunity that is afforded him, by bestowing 
 deserved commendation upon a detachment of his army, without recurring to the 
 merits of the other corps. They have not had, as yet, their wishes gratified in meet- 
 ing the enemy ; but they have, nevertheless, performed hard service under great de- 
 prrvations. The Ohio brigades are exerting themselves with vigor and effect in per- 
 fecting their discipline, and performing some works requiring great labor. Those from 
 Virginia and Pennsylvania are vieing with each other in the path of duty and disci- 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. ^3 
 
 T.HnP to a de-ree rarely equalled and never excelled. Since their arrival at Sandusky, 
 JnroperLnsfS suSdiJation everyvvhere prevails, and the infamous pnnc.pK tha 
 Jheclaims of patriotism would be satisfied by marching to the Imes and lookmg at 
 he etTy t so completely exploded, that the general believes his authority would 
 be sc3' ufficientto protect from the vengeance of the soldiery the wretch who 
 should have the temerity to insult them by suggesting it. The general is happy in 
 S Sat /I ol Inluckians are not behind the other corps of the army in the 
 belieMng inai /u» uw sat sfaction that he cannot find 
 
 "'^.oC;^that the b'.^iJe with wh ch he first took the field, and whose disci- 
 Z^hLb^n Confirmed and extended under the immediate direction of his worthy 
 ^ ^ LnPr«l Winchester have borne with fortitude and cheerfulness an unex- 
 '^^::^t^^ article of the ration The |en.al records the cir 
 cumstances for the edification and example of the rest of the army. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BEFEAT OF GENERAL WII.CHESTER AT THE HIVEB KAISI^ ON THE ii3D OF JA- 
 NUAKT, 1813, SIEGE OF FOn"" MEIGS, dCC. 
 
 The defeat of general Winchester and the savag. cruelties inflicted upon the Am(y 
 
 rican nrtoners by the Indians, caused a feeling of deep despondency throughout the 
 rican prisone s ^y me ^^ ^.^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^j^,,^ p^.^. 
 
 Z^Z l^c^^^o^i^lSlope that Harrison and the hrave spirits that ac 
 TomvZvZnare rather stimulated than daunted hy them-pantmg to avenge the 
 bZTdeed And we confidently trust that his ulterior objects wil rather be accele. 
 Sy the increased ardour of his troops, than retarded by this unfortunate aflair. 
 
 The following is general Harrison's account of the melancholy affair, contained m 
 aletfer ftom him it governor Meigs, dated. Head-quarters, Carrying nver, 24th of 
 
 'rSa^lit-T^it" f 'which'l expressed so much apprehension in my letter 
 
 to y?u from iower Sandusky, has happened. The f^^ta^^-^^-^-H^ttenTd 
 w J reinforced by general Winchester with two hundred and fifty men. He attendea 
 TLTtook the command at the river Raisin on the 20th and on the 22d he was 
 at'tacked at reveille, by a considerable British and Indian force wi h six pieces of 
 frtUlerv the Iroops being surprised, and the ground unfavorable, had but little oppor- 
 Sy of tn^Lgto advantage. They were surrounded and broke in twenty or 
 Jwenfy-five nlules. A major and captain and about twenty-five privates were aU 
 
 ''I'hfd tt thrt hurXed and sixty men with me about three miles above the Rapids, 
 Whereihe news first reached me. I immediately ordered them to prepare to march; 
 rnd set ourJith my staff to overtake a detachment of three hundred men that had 
 set ou S r^orn^ng for the river Raisin. I overtook them at the distance of six 
 mles but before the other troops (colonel Andrews' Ohio regiment) came up it was 
 Scertained that the defeat was complete, and it was the unanimous opinion of gene- 
 rals pT-, Perkins, and the field officers, that we should return. A «3etach.nent o 
 Ihe amount of one hundred and seventy of the most active men, was sent forward 
 ^fth dTlns to proceed as far as possible to assist those who w-e -tunate^^^^^^^^^^ 
 to escape- there were however but few, the snow was so deep that the tugitives weie 
 entiere'xhau ed in running a few miles ; those that did get off efiected it by tum- 
 infdln to Sie lake and secreting themselves. I believe there were not more than 
 fofty o'Sfty that got a mile from%he scene of action, and the greater part of them 
 
 ""TvirwereV affairs of any army in a more prosperous situation than ours before 
 the un ortunate step of marching theWhment to the nver Raism ; it -^ -ad« -t 
 only without any authority from me, but in opposition to my views Every thing 
 'n my power was, however, done to prevent any disaster and ^^f-^'^Zn^^J'^^. 
 pushed on with as much rapidity as possible; major Cotgreve s battalion, the firs; 
 
24 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 in the army, was within fourteen miles of the scene of action, when he heard of the 
 defeat, and three hundred regular troops were also on their way. I remained at the 
 Eapids with one regiment only. In justice to general Winchester, I must observe, 
 that I have understood that the measure (marching the detachment to the Raisin river) 
 was forced upon him by his officers ; but, whatever may have been the cause, and 
 however great the calamity, both as it regards the nation and individuals, it is certainly 
 not irreparable. By the unanimous advice of the general and field officers, I took, 
 this position yesterday, for the purpose of forcing a junction with the troops in the 
 rear, and to cover the very valuable convoy of artillery and stores that are coming 
 from Upper Sandusky. Unless the weather is very unfavorable, I shall be at the 
 Rapids again in four or five days, and shall certainly give the enemy an opportunity 
 of measuring their strength with us in another contest. For myself, I feel no doubt 
 as to the result, and if I can judge of the disposition of the troops, from the manner 
 in which they received an address from me yesterday, a desire of avenging their lost 
 companions and retrieving their country's disgrace is the predominant passion that 
 occupies their minds. 
 
 I know not what proportion the prisoners of general Winchester's late troops bear 
 to the killed ; some of the French who have come in, report the latter at five hundred 
 and others at eight hundred. The detachment amounted to near one thousand. 
 
 I am, with much regard, dear sir, your humble servant, Wm. H. Haruisow. 
 His excellency governor Meigs." 
 
 We next find general Harrison at the Rapids (of the Miami.) A letter to the 
 editor of the " Register" (vol. iii. p. 408) says : — 
 
 " The general had taken a strong position, fortified his camp, and planted his 
 artillery. The term of service of two brigades of Ohio militia having expired, it is 
 intimated he may wait for reinforcements, from that state and Kentucky, now on the 
 way to join him. Fhom all that we see of Harrison, we trust he will pct 
 
 IN A good claim to THE BRILLIANT TITLE THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY HE IS IN 
 
 DELIGHT TO GIVE HIM — 'THE WASHINGTON OF THE West.' It is Stated that three 
 persons, sent by him with a flag of truce to the officer commanding the enemy, have 
 been murdered. 
 
 From the accounts we have of the success of the recruiting service in all parts of 
 the United States, there are the strongest reasons to believe a number of regulars suf- 
 ficient for all the purposes required will be had by the time they are wanted. Various 
 detachments are about to proceed to the Niagara frontier, with a view, no doubt, to 
 co-operate with general Harrison." 
 
 Extract of letter to the editor of the "Register," dated Chilicothe, February 18, 
 1813, vol. iv. p. la. 
 
 " General Harrison having been informed that a large body of Indians were assem- 
 bled at Presqu'isle, marched from his camp at the Rapids on the 9th inst. at the head 
 of a detachment of his army, in order to attack them. Upon the arrival of the 
 detachment at Presqu'isle, they found that the Indians had decamped. Our troops 
 pursued them until they came within eight miles of the River Raisin ; when finding 
 that they could not come up with them, and being exhausted, they returned to camp. 
 Such was the ardour of the troops to overtake the enemy, that they marched sixty 
 miles in twenty-one hours." 
 
 General Harrison returned to the Rapids and built a fort, which he called Fort 
 Meigs, but, at about this time the enemies of the country got up a very pretty little 
 account of his capture, with a view to have an effect upon the Netv Hampshire 
 election .' which was then about to take place. On the 16th of March, 1813, he re- 
 paired to Chilicothe to hasten the reinforcements for the north-western army ; from 
 thence he proceeded to Cincinnati on the same patriotic duty. On the 2d of 
 April, in the same year, he left Cincinnati for Fort Meigs, and on the 26th, that 
 fort was besieged by the British and Indians. 
 
 "On that day," says a letter to William Creighton, jun. esq. (Niles, vol. iv. p. 191.) 
 "the enemy's columns showed themselves opposite to Fort Meigs. On the 27th, some 
 Indians crossed the river in the rear of the fort. On the 1st, 2d and 3d of May, the 
 enemy opened their batteries and kept up an incx;ssant and tremendous fire, from five and 
 a half and eight and a half inch howitzers, one twenty-four pounder and several lighter 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 25 
 
 pieces. The shell? and balls, durinc; that period, showered ia the fort, hut lit'c'e execution 
 wasdone: oiilj' ei^ht or tenmen killed, during that period in the fort. Silas .M'Culloch, 
 a brave and gallant man, is among the slain. On the night of the 3d, the enemy 
 erected a gun and mortar battery, on this side of the river, within two hundred and fifty 
 yards of our lines, but were sijon forced to take a more respectfid distance. About 13 
 o'clock on the night of the 4th, an officer arrived in a boat from general Clay, to infonn 
 the general of his approach, and that he would reach Fort Meigs in about two 
 hours. 
 
 General Harrison determined on a general sally, and sent an officer to general Clay, 
 directing him to land eight hundred men some short distance above, to attack and 
 carry the enemy's batteries, spike the cannon and destroy the artillery. General Clay 
 was unfortunately delayed longer than he expected in passing the Kapids, and the de- 
 tachment destined to make the attack did not reach the landing until near nine o'clock 
 — this, however, did not prevent thera from making the attempt, and never was any- 
 thing more completely successful ; the four batteries were immediately taken possession 
 of, and their defenders driven off, and their cannon spiked. The work was done, but 
 that confidence which always attends militia when successful, proved their ruin. Al- 
 though there was time sufficient to return to the boats before a reinforcement arrived 
 to the enemy, they remained upon the ground, in spite of the repeated calls which 
 were made from the fort to bring them back to their boats, and' sufli^red themselves to 
 be amused and drawn into the woods by some feint skirmishing, while the British 
 troops and an immense quantity of Indians were brought up ; a severe action then 
 took place. The British immediately intercepted the retreat of our men to the plain 
 and the river, where they would have been under cover of our cannon : about one 
 hundred and fifty only out of nearly eight hundred effected their escape to the boats. 
 When the balance of general Clay's force made its appearance and attempted to land 
 above the garrison, their flank was attacked by a large body of Indians. 
 
 General Harrison immediately ordered out a detachment consisting of a part of the 
 19th United States regiment, about one hundred twelve-months' volunteers and some 
 militia; they however succeeded in driving the enemy entirely off, pursuant to the 
 plan general Harrison had formed. 
 
 An attack was then made upon the batteries on this side of the river, conducted by 
 colonel Miller, of the 1 9th regiment, with part of his regiment, the aforesaid volun- 
 teers, and the few militia ; this attempt was successful. The enemy were driven from 
 their works — a number killed, and two British officers and forty-one privates brought 
 into camp. 
 
 This attack was intended to be simultaneous with that on the other side, and 
 it was nearly so. Notwithstanding the loss sustained by the Kentucky militia, the 
 events of the day have been honorable to the American arms." 
 
 Copy of a letter from general Wm. H. Harrison to the Secretary of War. 
 
 " Head- Quarters, Camp Meigs, 91 h May, 1813. 
 
 SiH — I have the honor to inform you that the enemy having been several days 
 making preparations for raising the seige of this post, accomplished this day the 
 removal of their artillery from the opposite bank, and about 12 o'clock left their 
 encampment below, were soon embarked and out of sight. I have the honor to 
 enclose you an agreement entered into between general Proctor and myself for 
 the discharge of the prisoners of the Kentucky militia in his possession, and for 
 the exchange of the officers and men of the regular troops which were respectively 
 possessed by us. My anxiety to get the Kentucky troops released as early as 
 possible, induced me to agree to the dismission of all the prisoners I had, although 
 there was not as many of ours in general Proctor's possession. The surplusage is to 
 be accounted for, and an equal number of ours released from their parole, v^henever 
 the government may think proper to direct it. 
 
 The two actions on this side the river en the .5th, were infinitely more important 
 and more honorable to our arms, than I had at first conceived. In the sortie 
 made upon the left flank, captain Waring's company of the 19th regiment, a detach- 
 ment of twelve-months' volunteers under major Alexander, and three companies 
 of Kentucky militia under colonel Boswell, defeated at least double the number ol 
 Indians and British mihtia. 
 
 4 C 
 
26 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 The sortie on the right was still more glorious ; the British iTatteries in thaf 
 direction were defended by the grenadier and light infantry companies of the 41st 
 regiment, amounting to two hundred eflectives and two companies of militia, flanked 
 by a host of Indians. The detachment sent to attack this consisted of all the men off 
 duty belonging to the companies of Croghan and Bradford of the 17th regiment, 
 Langham, Elliott's (late Graham's) and Waring's of the 19th, about eighty of major 
 Alexander's volunteers, and a single company of Kentucky militia under captain 
 Sebry, amounting in the whole to not more than three hundred and forty. Yet 
 the event of the action was not a moment doubtful, and had not the British troops 
 been covered in their retreat by their allies, the whole of them would have been 
 taken. 
 
 It is not possible for troops to behave better than ours did throughout — all the offi- 
 cers exerted themselves to execute my orders, and the enemy who had a full 
 view of our operations from the opposite shore, declared that they had never seen 
 so much work performed in so short a time. 
 
 To all the commandants of corps I feel particular obligations. These were colonel 
 Miller of the 19th infantry, colonel Mills of the Ohio militia, major Stoddard of the 
 artillery, major Ball of the dragoons, and major Johnson of the Kentucky militia. 
 Captain Gratiot of the engineers having been for a long time much indisposed, the 
 task of fortifying this post devolved on captain Wood. It could not have been placed 
 in better hands. Permit me to recommend him to the president, and to assure yoa 
 that any mark of his approbation bestowed on captain Wood, would be highly grati- 
 fying to the whole of the troops, who witnessed his arduous exertions. 
 
 From major Hukill, acting inspector-general, my aid-de-camp, major Graham, lieu- 
 tenant O'Fallon, who has done the duty of assistant adjutant-general in absence 
 of major Adams, and my volunteer aid-de-camp John Johnson, esq., I received the 
 most useful assistance. 
 
 I have the honor to enclose you a list of the killed and wounded during the seige 
 and in the two sorties ; those of the latter were much greater than I had at first 
 expected. 
 
 Want of sleep and exposure to the continued rains which have fallen almost every 
 day for some time past, renders me incapable of mentioning many interesting particu- 
 lars ; amongst others a most extraordinary proposition of general Proctor, on the 
 subject of the Indians within our boundary — this shall form the subject of a commu- 
 nication to be made to-morrow or the next day, and for which I shall provide a safer 
 conveyance than that which carries this. Ail the prisoners and deserters agree in 
 saying, that the information given to major Stoddard by Ryland, of the British having 
 launched a sloop of war this spring is incorrect, and the most of them say that the 
 one which is now building will not be launched for many weeks. 
 
 I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your humble servant. 
 
 Hon. John Armstrong, Secretary of War. Wm. Henrt Harbison. 
 
 P. S. — Captain Price of the regiment of light artillery, and the twentieth regulars, 
 prisoners with general Proctor, were taken on the N. W. side of the river, with the 
 Kentucky militia. We had no prisoners taken on this side during the siege." 
 
 " Head-quariers, Fort Meigs, 9th May, 1812. 
 Genehal orders. — The information received by the general, and the movements 
 of the enemy indicating their having abandoned the siege of this post, the general 
 congratulates his troops on having completely foiled their foes and put a stop to that 
 career of victory which has hitherto attended their arms. He cannot find words to 
 express his sense of the good conduct of the troops of every description and of every 
 corps, as well in maintaining and returning the heavy fire of the enemy, as for their 
 assiduity and patience in the performance of those laborious duties which the occasion 
 called for. Where merit was so general — indeed, almost universal — it is difficult to 
 discriminate. The general cannot, however, omit to mention the names of those 
 whose situation gave them an opportunity of being more particularly useful. From 
 the long illness of captain Gratiot, of the corps of engineers, the arduous and im- 
 portant duties of fortifying the camp devolved on captain Wood, of that corps. In 
 assigning to him the first palm of merit, as far as it relates to the transactions within 
 the works, the general is convinced that his decision will be awarded by every indir 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 27 
 
 vidual in camp who witnessed his indefatigable exertions, his consummate skill in pro- 
 viding for the safety of every point, and in foiling every attempt of the enemy, and 
 his undaunted bravery in the performance of his duty in the most exposed situations. 
 An unfortunate wound in the commencement of the siege deprived the general, after 
 that time, of the able services of major Stoddard, of the artillery, whose zeal and 
 talents had been eminently useful. Captain Gratiot, in the remission of a severe ill- 
 ness, took charge of a battery, and managed it with ability and effect. Captain 
 Cashing, of the artillery, and captain Hall, of the seventeenth infantry, (but doing 
 duty with the former corps) were extremely active and attentive to their post. Colonel 
 Miller and major Todd, of the nineteenth United States infantry ; majors Ball, of 
 the dragoons, Sodwick and major Ritzer of the Ohio mililia, and major Johnson of 
 the Kentucky militia, rendered the most important services. To each of the above 
 gentlemen, as well as to each captain, subaltern, non-commissioned officer and private 
 of their respective commands, the general gives his thanks and expresses his warmest 
 approbation ; also to adjutant Brown, Mr. Peters, conductor of artillery ; Mr. Lion, 
 principal artificer; Mr. Timberlee, and to sergeants Henderson, Tommes and Mel- 
 drum, who severally had charge of batteries and block-houses. The battery managed 
 by serj:eant Henderson was, as the enemy confessed, managed with peculiar efficacy 
 and effect with respect to the sorties which were made on the .5th inst. The subse- 
 quent information which has been received from the prisoners, has given the gallant 
 troops which were engaged on those occasions additional claims upon the gratitude of 
 their general. It is ascertained that in both instances the enemy far out-numbered 
 our troops. The general gives his thanks to brigadier-general Clay, for the prompti- 
 tude with which the detachment of his brigade were landed, and the assiduity shown 
 by him in forming them for the attack on the left. To colonel Boswell a.nd major 
 Fletcher, for their gallantry and good conduct in leading them in the charge made on 
 the enemy, and to captains Dudley, Simmons and Medcalf, the subalterns, non-com- 
 missioned officers and privates, for the distinguished valor with which they defeated 
 the enemy. The general has in the order of the 6th inst. expressed his sense of the 
 conduct of the regular troops and volunteers, which were engaged in the sorties on 
 the left flank, but he omitted to mention captain Sebry's company of Kentucky militia, 
 whose gallantry was not surpassed by that of any of the companies which fought by 
 their side. The Pittsburgh Blues, led by lieutenant M'Gee, in the illness of their 
 gallant captain sustained the reputation which they had acquired at Massassineway. 
 The Petersburg volunteers and lieutenant Drum's detachment, discovered equal in- 
 trepidity. To the detachments from the seventeenth and nineteenth Unit^ States' 
 regiments under their respective commanders, captains Croghan, Bradford, Langham, 
 Elliot, Nering, the honorable task was assigned of storming the British batteries, 
 defended by two hundred British grenadiers and light infantry, flanked by a host of 
 Indians and two companies of Canadian militia. Colonel Miller speaks in the highest 
 terms of the captains before mentioned, and lieutenants Campbell, Gwyn, Lee, Kep- 
 cheval and Rees, and of ensigns Shep, Hawkins, Harrison, Alitchell and Stockton. 
 The general requests colonel Miller, major Todd, and each of the officers above named, 
 together with all the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers wlio were en- 
 gaged on the 5th instant to accept his thanks. The general is under the highest 
 obligation to his staff for their conduct, as well in the action of the 5th as for the 
 assistance he received from them throughout the sifge. Major Hukill, the acting in- 
 spector-general, distinguished himself by his assiduity in forwarding the part of oirr 
 works which was most necessary, and which was most exposed to the fire of tha 
 enemy. From major Graham, his aid-de-camp, his volunteer aid-de-camp J. Johnsoiv 
 esq., and from lieutenant O'Fallon, acting assistant adjutant-general, as well as from 
 the deputy quarter-master Mr. Eubank, he received the greatest assistance. It rarely 
 occurs that a general has to complain of the excessive ardor of his men, yet such ap- 
 pears always to be the case whenever the Kentucky militia are engaged. It is indeed 
 the source of all their misfortunes. They appear to think that valor alone can accom- 
 plish anything. The general is led to make this remark from the conduct of captain 
 Dudley's company of the regiment, as he has understood, that that gallant 
 
 officer was obliged to turn his espontoon against his own company to oblige them to 
 desist from a further pursuit of the enemy, in compliance with an order from tlia 
 general. Such temerity although not so disgraceful, is scarcely less fatal than cow 
 
28 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 ardice. And in the instance above, had it been persisted in, would have given a dif- 
 ferent result to the action, as the whole of the enemy's force which were placed near 
 the batteries would have been precipitated upon the rear of our detachment. The 
 pursuit being stopped, allowed time for a new disposition under cover of our cannon, 
 and the enemy's batteries were attacked and carried without any difficulty. 
 
 (a Copy) John O'Fallow, 
 
 Acting assistant adjutant-general. 
 
 (GIHCtTLAR.) 
 
 Lower Sandusky, Camp Resolution, May 12, 1813. 
 To all Volunteers of the State of Ohio, on their march to Fort Meigs. 
 
 The British and their barbarian allies have abandoned the siege of Fort Meigs. 
 
 It is fortunate for the savages that they retired before your arrival at the point of 
 destination. — From the zeal, promptitude, and perseverance which has animated all 
 those free and brave men, who have marched with, followed, and are following me, I 
 entertain the belief, that we should have drove our red enemies from the state of Ohio 
 — but they have fled. General Harrison, I am pleased to inform you, is in camp, ad- 
 joining. Return to your homes ; — I thank you. The frontiers shall be safe. 
 
 R. J. Meigs, governor of Ohio. 
 
 GENERAI; ORDEBS. 
 
 Head-Quarters, iV, W. Army, Franklinton, May 16, 1813. 
 
 The commanding general has observed with the warmest gratitude, the astonishing 
 exertions which have been made by his excellency governor Meigs, and the general 
 and other militia officers of this state, in collecting and equipping a body of troops for 
 the relief of Fort Meigs ; but the efforts of these gentlemen would have been unavail- 
 ing if they had not been seconded by the patriotic ardor of every description of 
 citizens; which has induced them to leave their homes at a most critical season of 
 the year, regardless of every consideration, but that of rendering service to their coun- 
 try. The general found the road from Lower Sandusky Hterally covered with men — 
 and amongst them many of those who had shared in the toils and dangers of the re- 
 volutionary war, and from whom, of course, there existed no legal claims for military 
 service. The general has every reason to believe that similar efforts have been made 
 in Kentucky. He offers to all these brave men from both states his sincere acknow- 
 ledgments, and is happy to inform them, that there is at present no necessity for their 
 longer continuance in the field. The enemy has fled with precipitation from Fort 
 Meigs ; and that fort is in a much better situation to resist an attack, than when the 
 late siege commenced. 
 
 The quarter-master and commissaries are directed to furnish the troops of every 
 description upon their return, with provisions and forage in the same manner as the 
 troops which have been called regularly into service. 
 
 By the general, 
 
 Rd. Graham, aid-de-camp 
 
 Copy of a despatch from major-general William H, Harrison, to the secretary at 
 war, dated Head- Quarters, Lower Sandusky, May 13, 1813. 
 
 Sir — Having ascertained that the enemy (Indians as well as British) had entirely 
 abandoned the neighbourhood of the Rapids, I left the command of camp Meigs with 
 general Clay, and came here last night. It is with the greatest satisfaction I inform 
 you, sir, that I have every reason to believe, that the loss of the Kentucky troops in 
 killed on the north side of the river does not exceed fifty. On the 10th and 11th 
 instant I caused the ground which was the scene of the action, and its environs, to be 
 carefully examined, and after the most diligent search forty-five bodies only of our 
 men were discovered — amongst them was the leader of the detachment, captain Dud- 
 ley. No other officer of note fell in the action. I have strong reason to believe that 
 a considerable number of the Kentuckians effected their retreat up the river to Fort 
 Winchester. General Proctor did not furnish me with a return of the prisoners in 
 his possession, although repeatedly promised. His retreat was as precipitate as it 
 could properly be, leaving a number of cannon ball, a new elegant sling-carriage for 
 cannon, and other valuable ai-liclcs. The night before his departure two persons that 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 29 
 
 were employed in the British gun-boats (Americans by birth) deserted to us. The 
 information they gave me was very interesting — they say that the Indians, of which 
 there were from sixteen hundred to two thousand, left the British the day before their 
 departure in a high state of dissatisfaction, from the great loss which they had sus- 
 tained in the several engagements of the 5th, and the failure of the British in accom- 
 plishing their promise of taking the post at the Rapids. From the account given by 
 these men, my opinion is confirmed of the great superiority of the enemy which were 
 defeated by our troops in the two sallies made on the .nth instant. That led by colonel 
 Miller did not exceed three hundred and fifty men, and it is very certain that they de- 
 feated two hundred British regulars, one hundred and fifty militia, and four or five 
 hundred Indians. That American regulars (although they were raw recruits) and 
 such men as compose the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Petersburg Virginia vo- 
 lunteers, should behave well, is not to be wondered at— but that a company of militia 
 ehould maintain its ground against four times its numbers, as did captain Sebry's of 
 the Kentucky, is truly astonishing. These brave fellows were at length, however, en- 
 tirely surrounded by Indians, and would have been entirely cut off, but for the gal- 
 lantry of lieutenant Gwynne of the nineteenth regiment, who, with part of captain 
 Elliott's company, charged the enemy and released the Kentuckians. I inclose you 
 a hst of the killed and wounded during the whole siege. It is considerably larger 
 than I had supposed it would be when I last wrote to you— but it is satisfactory to 
 know that, they did not bleed uselessly— but in the course of successful exertions. 
 The return does not embrace those who fell on the north-west side of the Miami. 
 
 You will also receive herewith a monthly return of the troops at camp Meigs for 
 the last month ; the communication with the other posts being cut off, the returns 
 were not received. A copy of general Clay's report to me of the manner of his execut- 
 ing my order for the attack on the enemy's batteries, is likewise forwarded, by which 
 it will be seen that my intentions were perfectly understood, and the great facility with 
 which they might have been executed is apparent to every individual who witnessed 
 the scene. Indeed the cannon might have been spiked, the carriages cut to pieces, 
 the magazine destroyed, and the retreat effected to the boats without the loss of a man, 
 aa none were killed in taking the batteries, so complete was the surprise. 
 
 An extensive open plain intervenes between the river and the hill upon which the 
 batteries of the enemy were placed; this plain was raked by four of our eighteen 
 pounders, a twelve and a six. The enemy, even before their guns were spiked, 
 could not have brought one to bear on it. So perfectly secured was their retreat that 
 one hundred and fifty men who came off effected it without loss, and brought off some 
 of the wounded, one of them upon the backs of his comrades. The Indians followed 
 them to the woods, but dared not enter into the plain. 
 
 I am unable to form a correct estimate of the enemy's force. The prisoners varied 
 much in their accounts ; those who made them least, stated the regulars at five hun- 
 dred and fifty, and militia at eight hundred ; but the numbers of Indians were beyond 
 comparison greater than have ever been brought into the field before ; numbers arrived 
 after the seige commenced. I have caused their camps on the south-east side of the 
 nver to be particularly examined, and the general opinion is, that there could not have 
 been fewer on that side than one thousand or twelve hundred ; they were indeed the 
 efficient furce of the enemy. 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your favors of the Uth, 18th, and 
 28th ult. and 4th instant. 
 
 I am sorry to inform you that major Stoddard died the night before I left the Rapids, 
 of a lock-jaw, produced by a slight wound from a fragment of a shell which struck 
 him on the thigh. Several have died in this way from their great and unavoidable 
 exposure to the cold ; but perhaps there never were so many instances of desperate 
 wounds being likely to do well. 
 
 The gallant captain Bradford will recover. 
 
 t shall go from here to Upper Sandusky, and shall take ray station at Delaware or 
 Franklmton, until the troops are assembled. General Clay who commands at thn 
 liapids, IS a man of capacity and entirely to be relied on. 
 
 I have the honor to be, with great respect, sir, your humble servant. 
 
 __ , - , Wm. Hkniit HAnnisoir. 
 
 Ine hon, John Armstrong, Secretary at War" 
 
30 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 In some editorial comments upon the glorious events detailed above, the editor of 
 the Kegistor said : 
 
 " We now begin to see the fruition of our hopes in the gallant exertions of the 
 western people and their beloved chieftain Harrison, whose official despatch, inserted 
 below, will warm the heart of every American. The bonds of the unholy alliance 
 between the British and the savages received a sensible blow in the capture and de- 
 struction of the stores at York ; and Harrison, at the scalp-collecting Maiden, will 
 sever the barbarous tie between the ^ defenders of the faith' and the murderers uf tht 
 wounded. The frontier will soon be relieved of the lurKlng savage and more wicked 
 English, and Harrison's brave force be able to operate with that effect we have hoped, 
 and at all times, believed it would. But the deeds recorded are the best commentary 
 on the valor of the west." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE PETTICOAT SLANnin NOBLE REPLT TO GEIfEHAI. PROCTOll's INSOLEUT DE» 
 
 MAND TO SURRENDER FORT MEIGS BATTLE OF LOWER SANDUSKY CAPTUHJS 
 
 OF MALDEN. 
 
 We have now arrived at the circumstances which gave rise to the " Petticoat 
 story /" one of the most base and unprincipled slanders ever circulated against a brave 
 and honored patriot, and which would have secured to the author all the honors of 
 the " second section," if he had originated it during " The second War of Independence." 
 
 The true version of the story is as follows : 
 
 The following paragraph, says Niles, vol. iv. p. 238, is from the Chiiicothe Fredo- 
 nian of June, 1813. "The fact is positively stated, and, in what has really happen- 
 ed, we have strong collateral proofs of its verity. But it is of a nature so important 
 tliat the testimony in support of it ought to be known to the world, that such a horrid 
 contract may not rest on a newspaper paragraph. We hope the respectable editor of 
 the ' Fredonian' will favor us in this respect. ' It is a fact no less dishonorable to the 
 British nation, than true, that general Proctor, in order to induce general Tecumseh 
 to join him with his forces in the late attack on Fort Meigs, agreed that general Har- 
 bison should be delivered up to the Indians, to be disposed of as they should think 
 proper /" 
 
 On the 21st of June, in the same year, general Harrison held a council with the 
 chiefs of the Delaware, Shawanoe, Wyandot, and Seneca tribes of Indians, to the 
 number of about fifty. " In the general's talk," said the Franklin Chronicle of that 
 date, (Niles, vol. iv. p. 313,) "he observed, that he had been induced to call them 
 together from certain circumstances having come to his knowledge, which led him 
 to su.spect the fidelity of some of the tribes, who had manifested a disposition to join 
 the enemy, in case they succeeded in capturing Fort Meigs. That a crisis had 
 arrived which demanded that ail the tribes who had heretofore remained neutral, should 
 take a decided stand either for or against us ; that the president wished no false friends, 
 and that it was only in adversity that real friends can be distinguished ; that the pro- 
 posal of general Proctor to exchange the Kentucky prisoners for the friendly tribes 
 within our borders, indicated that he had given them to understand that those tribes 
 were willing to raise the tomahawk against us; and that in order to give the United 
 States a guarantee of their good dispositions, the friendly tribes should either move, 
 with their families into the settlements, or their warriors should accompany him in the 
 ensuing campaign, and fight for the United States. To this proposal the chief and 
 warriors unanimously agreed ; and observed that they had long been anxious for an 
 oj)pi>rturiity to fight for the Americans. 
 
 We cannot recollect the precise remarks that were made by the chiefs who spoke, 
 out Tar/if, (the Crane,) who is the principal of the Wyandots, and the oldest Indian 
 in the Western Wilds, appeared to represent the whole assembly, and professed in tb» 
 name of the friendly tribes, the most indissoluble attachment for the American go- 
 vernment, and a determination to adhere to the treaty of Greenville. 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 31 
 
 The general has promised to let the several tribes know when he should want their 
 services; and further cautioned them, that all who went with him must conform to A/j 
 mode of warfare; not to kill or injure old men, women, children, nor prisoners. 
 That, by this means, we should be able to ascertain whether the British tell the truth 
 when they say, that they are not able to prevent Indians from such horrid cruelty ; 
 for if the Indians under him (general Harrison) would obey his commands and re- 
 frain from acts of barbarism, it would be very evident that the hostile Indians could be 
 easily restrained by their commanders. The general then informed the chiefs of the 
 agreement made by Proctor, to deliver him to Tecumseh in case the British succeed- 
 ed in taking Fort Meigs ; and promised them that if he should be successful, he would 
 deliver Proctor into their hands ; un condition that they should do him no other harm 
 than to put a petticoat on him — ' for,' said he, ' none but a coiuard or a squaw would 
 kill a prisoner.' 
 
 The council broke up in the afternoon ; and the Indians departed the next day for 
 their respective towns." 
 
 We append the following noble and modest reply to Proctor's insolent demand to 
 surrender Fort Meigs. It is recorded in Niles, vol. iv, p. 260. 
 
 " We are authorized to state, (says a Cincinnati paper,) by an officer of general 
 Harrison's staff, that the paragraph which appeared in the late Chilicothe Fredonian, 
 relatively to the answer which was given by the general to the demand of his surrender 
 to general Proctor, is not correct. The answer there attributed to the general, was 
 made by a soldier of our army, who being upon the bank of the river with some 
 others, a British soldier called to them and observed, that they ' had better hang out 
 the white flag and surrender.' The American answered, 'general Hull has not yet 
 arrived ; until he comes you may save yourselves the trouble of asking for a surren- 
 der.' The conversation which took place between general Harrison and major Cham- 
 bers, of the British army, who was sent by general Proctor to demand the surrender, 
 was as nearly as can be recollected, as follows : 
 
 Major Chambers — General Proctor has directed me to demand the surrender of this 
 post. He wishes to spare the effusion of blood. 
 
 General Harrison — The demand, under present circumstances, is a most extraordi- 
 nary one. As general Proctor did not send me a summons to surrender on his first 
 arrival, I had supposed that he believed me determined to do my duty. His present 
 message indicates an opinion of me that I am at a loss to account for. 
 
 Major Chambers — General Proctor could never thinkof saying any thing to wound 
 your feelings, sir. The character of general Harrison, as an officer, is well known. 
 General Proctor's force is very respectable, and there is with him a larger body of 
 Indians than have ever before been embodied. 
 
 General Harrison — I believe I have a very correct idea of general Proctor's force, 
 it is not such as to create the least apprehension for the result of the contest, whatever 
 shape he may be pleased hereafter to give to it. Assure the general, however, that he 
 will never have this post surrendered to him upon any terms. Should it fall into his 
 hands, it will be in a manner calculated to do him more honor, and to give him larger 
 claims upon the gratitude of his government, than any capitulation could possibly 
 do." 
 
 The following is the official account of the circumstances cunnected with the in- 
 vestment of Lower Sandusky, which general Harrison's enemies have endeavored to 
 pervert to his disadvantage ; but from the letter of the gallant colonel Croghan, and the 
 certificates of general Cass, (formerly secretary of war and now minister to France,) 
 it will be seen that his conduct on that occasion was dictated by military wisdom and 
 a due regard to the circumstances and situation of the enemy. 
 
 Copy of a letter from general Harrison to the Secretary of War, inserted in Niles, 
 vol. iv. p. 388. 
 
 " Head- Quarters, Seneca Town, Aug. 4, 1813. 
 
 Sin — In my letter of the 1st inst. I did myself the honor to inform you that one of 
 my scouting parlies had just returned from the lake shore, and had discovered, the day 
 before, the enemy in force near the mouth of the Sandusky bay. The party had not 
 
32 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 passed Lower Sandusky two hours before the advance, consisting of Indians, appeared 
 before the fori, afld in half an hour after a large detachment of Eritis-h troops ; and in 
 the course of the niglit they commenced a cannonading against the fort with three six- 
 pounders and two howitzers; the latter from gun-boats. The firing was partially an- 
 swered by major Croghan, having a six-pounder, the only piece of artillery. 
 
 The fire of the enemy was continued at intervals, during the 2d inst., until about 
 half after 5 P. M. when finding that their cannon made little impression upon 
 the works, and having discovered my position here, and apprehending an attack, an 
 attempt was made to carry the place by storm. Their troops were formed in two 
 columns, lieutenant-colonel Short headed the principal one, composed of the light and 
 battalion companies of the 41st regiment. This gallant officer conducted his men to 
 the brink of the ditch, under the most galling and destructive fire from tlie garrison, 
 and leaping into it was followed by a considerable part of his own and the light com- 
 pany ; at this moment a masked porthole was suddenly opened, and a six-pounder, 
 with an half load of powder and a double charge of leaden slugs, at the distance of 
 thirty feet, poured destruction upon them, and killed or wounded nearly every man 
 who had entered the ditch. In vain did the British officers exert thems<^!ves to lead 
 on the balance of the column ; it retired in disorder under a shower of shot from the 
 fort, and sought safety in the adjoining woods. The other column, headed by the gre- 
 nadiers had also retired, after having suffered from the muskets of our men, to an 
 adjacent ravine. In the course of the night, the enemy, with the aid of their Indians, 
 drew off the greater part of the wounded and dead, and embarking them in boats 
 descended the river with the utmost precipitation. In the course of the 2d inst 
 having heard the cannonading, I made several attempts to ascertain the force and 
 situation of the enemy ; our scouts were unable to get near the fort, from the Indians 
 which surrounded it. Finding, however, that the enemy had only light artillery, and 
 being well convinced that it could make little impression upon the works, and that any at- 
 tempt to storm it would be resisted with effect, I waited for the arrival of two hundred 
 and fifty mounted volunteers, which on the evening before had left Upper Sandusky. 
 But as soon as I was informed the enemy were retreating, I set out with the dragoons 
 to endeavor to overtake them, leaving generals M'Arthur and Cass to follow with all 
 the infantry (about seven hundred) that could be spared from the protection of the 
 stores and sick of this place. I found it impossible to come up with them. Upon my 
 arrival at Sandusky, I was informed by the prisoners that the enemy's forces consisted 
 of four hundred and ninety regular troops, and five hundred of Dixon's Indians, com- 
 manded by general Proctor in person, and that Tecumseh. with about two thousand 
 warriors, was somewhere in the swamps, between this and Fort Meigs, expecting my 
 advancing, or that of a convoy of provisions. As there was no prospect of doing any 
 thing in front, and being apprehensive that Tecumseh might destroy the stores and 
 small detachments in my rear, I sent orders to general Ca-ss, who commanded the 
 reserve, to fall back to this place, and to general M'Arthur with the front line to 
 follow and support him. I remained at Sandusky until the parties that were sent out 
 in every direction returned — not an enemy was to be seen. 
 
 I am sorry that I cannot transmit you major Croghan's official report. He was 
 to have sent it to me this morning, but I have just heard that he was so much ex- 
 hausted by thirty-six hours of continued exertion as to be unable to make it. It will 
 not be amongst the least of general Proctor's mortifications to find that he has been 
 baffled by a youth who has just passed his twenty-first year. lie is, however, a hero 
 worthy of his gallant uncle, general George R. Clark. 
 
 {'aptain Hunter, of the 17th regiment, the second in command, conducted himself 
 with great propriety ; and never were a set of finer young fellows than the subalterns, 
 viz. lieutenants Johnson and Bayler of the 17th, Anthony of the Slth, Meeks of the 
 7th, and ensigns Shipp and Duncan of the 17th. 
 
 The fc)lli)wing account of the unworthy artifice and conduct of the enemy will 
 excite your indignation. Major Chambers was sent by general I'roctor, acroni))anied 
 by colonel Elliott, to demand the surrender of the fort. — They were met by ensign 
 Shipp. The major observed, that general Proctor had a number of cannon, a large 
 body of regular troops, and so many Indians whom it was impossible to control ; and 
 if the furt was taken, as it must be, the whole of the garrison would be massacreiL 
 
 Mr. Shipp aiiswercd, that it was llie determination of major Croghan, bis olncers 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 33 
 
 and men, to defend the garrison, or he buried in it : and that they mi^ht do the>ir 
 best Colonel Elliott then addressed Mr. Shipp, and said, 'You are a fine young man; 
 I pity your situation; for God's sake surrender, and prevent the dreadful slaughter 
 that must follow resistance. Shipp turned from him with indignation, and was imme- 
 diatel}' taken hold of by an Indian, who attempted to wrest his sword from him. 
 Elliott pretended to exert himself to release him, and expressed great anxiety to get 
 him safe in the fort. 
 
 I have the honor to enclose you a copy of the first note received from major Crog- 
 han. It was written before day : and it has since been ascertained, that of the enemy 
 there remained in the ditch, one lieutenant-colonel, one lieutenant and twenty-five 
 privates : the number of prisoners, one sergeant and twenty-five privates ; fourteen of 
 them badly wounded : every care has been taken of the latter, and the oHicers buried 
 with the honors due to their rank and their bravery. All the dead that were not in 
 the ditch, were taken off in the night by the Indians. It is impossible, from the cir- 
 cumstances of the attack, that they should have lost less than one hundred. Some of 
 the prisoners think that it amounted to two hunilred. A young gentleman, a private 
 in the Petersburg volunteers, of the name of Brown, assisted by fiv^ or six of that 
 company and of the Pittsburgh Blue?, who were accidentally in the fort, managed the 
 six-pounder which produced such destruction in the ranks of the enemy. I have the 
 honor to be, &c. Wm. Hf.nut Hariiison. 
 
 N. B. Of our few wounded men, there is but one that will not be well in less than 
 six days." 
 
 Extract of a letter from colonel Croghan, to his friend at Seneca Town, published 
 in supplement to Niles, vol. viii. p. 183. 
 
 " Ltiwer SandusJii/, August 27, 1813. 
 
 "I have with much regret seen in some of the public prints, such misrepresent'5- 
 tions 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 unfavorable impressions as ti> 
 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 services entitle him at least to common justice — this atfair 
 does not furnish causes of reproach. If public opinion has been hastily misled 
 respecting his late conduct, it will require but a moment's cool, dispassionate 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 
 generalship. It is true, that I did not proceed immediately to execute his order to 
 evacuate this post ; but this disobedience was not (as some would wish to believe) 
 the result of a fixed determination to maintain the post contrary to his most positive 
 orders, as will appear from the following detail, which is given to explain my con- 
 duct. 
 
 About ten o'clock on the morning of the 30lh ult. a letter from the adjutant-gene- 
 ral's office, (dated Seneca Town, July 29th 1813,) was handed me by Mr. Conner, 
 ordering me to abandon this post, burn it, and retreat that night to head-quarters. 
 On the reception of the order, I called a council of officers, in which it was deter- 
 mined not to abandon the place, (at least until the further pleasure of the general 
 should be known,) as it was thought an attempt to retreat in open day, in the face of 
 a superior force of the enemy, would be more hazardous than to remain in the fort, 
 under all its disadvantages. I therefore wrote a letier to tlie general couched in such 
 terms as I thought were calculated to deceive the enemy, should it fall into his hands, 
 which I thought more than probable — as well as to inform the general, should it be so 
 fortunate as to reach him, that I would wait to hear from him, before I should proceed 
 to execute his order. This letter, contrary to my expectations, was received by the 
 general, who (not knowing what reasons urged me to write in a tone so decisive) 
 concluded very rationally, that the manner of it was demonstrative of a most positive 
 determination to disobey his orders under any circumstances. I was therefore sus- 
 pended from the command of the fort, and ordered to head-quarters; but on explain- 
 ing to the general my reasons for not executing his order, and my object in using the 
 «tyle I had done, he was so perfectly satisfied with the explanation, that I was i.mme- 
 diately reinstated m the command. 
 5 
 
34 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 It will be recollected, that the order above alluded to, was written on the night pre- 
 vious to my receiving it ; had it been delivered to me (as was intended) that night, 
 I should have obeyed it without hesitation ; its not reaching me in time, was the only 
 reason which induced me to consult my officers on the propriety of waiting the gene- 
 ral's further order. 
 
 It has been staled also, that ' upon my representations of my ability to maintain 
 this post, the general altered his determination to abandon it.' This is incorrect. 
 No such representation was ever made. And the last order I received from the gene- 
 ral, was precisely the same as that first given, viz. : ' Tliat if I discovered the ap- 
 proach of a large British force by water, (presuming they would bring heavy artillery) 
 time enough to eflcct a retreat, I was to do so ; but if I could not retreat with safety, 
 to defend the post to the last extremity.' 
 
 A day or two before the enemy appeared before Fort Meigs, the general had recon- 
 noitred the surrounding ground ; and being informed that the hill on the opposite 
 side of Sandusky completely commanded the fort, I offered to undertake, with the 
 troops under my command, to remove it to that side. The general, upon reflection, 
 thought it best not to attempt it, as he believed that if the enemy again appeared on 
 this side the lake, it would be before the work could be finished. 
 
 It is useless to disguise the fact, that this fort is commanded by the points of high 
 ground around it ; a single stroke of the eye made this clear to me the first time I 
 had occasion to examine the neighborhood, with the view of discovering the relative 
 strength and weakness of the place. 
 
 It would be insincere to say that I am not flattered by the many handsome things 
 which have been said about the defence which was made by the troops under my 
 command : but I desire no plaudits which are bestowed upon me at the expense of 
 general Harrison. 
 
 I have at all times enjoyed his confidence so far as my rank in the army entitled 
 me to it, and on 'proper occasions received his marked attention. I have felt the 
 warmest altachment for him as a man, and my confidence in him as an able com- 
 mander remains unshaken. I feel every assurance, that he will at all times do me 
 ample justice ; and nothing could give me more pain than to see his enemies seize 
 tipon this occasion to deal out their unfriendly feelings and acrimonious dislike — and 
 BO long as he continues (as in my humble opinion he has done) to make the wisest 
 arrangements and most judicious disposition which the forces under his command 
 will justify, I shall not hesitate to unite with the army in bestowing upon him that 
 confidence which he so richly merits, and which has on no occasion been withheld. 
 Your friend, Georgk Cuoghax, 
 
 Major seventeenth infantry, commanding Lower Sandusky." 
 
 " Lower Sfncca Town, Aiis;ust 26, 1813. 
 The undersigned, being the general field and staff officers, with that portion of the 
 north-western army under the immediate command of general Harrison, have ob- 
 served with regret and surprise that charges, as improper in the form as in the sub- 
 stance, have been made against the conduct of general Harrison during the recent 
 investment of Lower Sandusky. At another time, and under ordinary circumstances, 
 we should deem it improper and unmilitary thus publicly to give any opinion respect- 
 ing the movements of the army. But public confidence in the commanding general 
 is essential to the success of the campaign, and causelessly to withdraw or to with- 
 hold that confidence is more than individual injustice ; it becomes a serious injury to 
 the service. A part of the force, of which this portion of the American army con- 
 sists, will derive its greatest strength and efficacy from a confidence in the command- 
 ing general, and from those moral causes which accompany and give energy to pub- 
 lic opinion. A very erroneous idea respecting the number of the troops then at the 
 disposal of the general, has doubtless been the primary cause of these unfartunate 
 and unfounded impressions. A sense of duty forbids us from giving a detailed view 
 of our strength at that time. In that respect, we have fortunately experienced a verj 
 favorable change. But we refer the public to the general's official report to the secre- 
 tary of war of major Croghan's successful defence of Lower Sandusky. In that will 
 be found a statement of our whole disposalile force, and he who believes that with 
 liucn a force, under the circumstances which llien occurred, general Harrison oughj- 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 35 
 
 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 mihtary wisdom and by a due regard to 
 our own circumstances and to the situation of the enemy. The reasons for this 
 opinion it is evidently improper now to give, but we hold ourselves ready, at a future 
 period, and when other circumstances shall have intervened, to satisfy every man of 
 its correctness who is anxious to investigate and willing to receive the truth. And 
 with a ready acquiescence, beyond the mere claims of military duty, we are prepared 
 to obey a general, whose measures meet our most deliberate approbation, and merit 
 that of his country. 
 
 Lewis Cass, Brig. Gen. U. S. A. 
 
 Samuel Wells, Col. 17 R. U. S. I. 
 
 Th. D. wings. Col. 28 R. U. S. I. 
 
 Geo. Paul, Col. 27 R. U. S. I. 
 
 J. C. BAnxLETT, Col. and Q. M. G. 
 
 Jas. V. Ball, Lieut. Col. 
 
 Robert Morrison, Lieut. Col. 
 
 Geo. Tod, Maj. 19 R. U. S. L 
 
 Wm. Trigg, Maj. 28 R. U. S. I. 
 
 James Smiley, Maj. 28 R. U. S. L 
 
 Rd. Graham, Maj. 17 R. U. S. I. 
 
 Geo. Choohan, Maj. 17 R. U. S. L 
 
 L. HuKiLL, Maj. and Ass. In. Gen. ^ 
 
 L. D. Wood, Maj. Engineers." 
 
 The following reply to a letter from general Proctor, relative to the sick and 
 wounded prisoners at the battle of Lower Sandusky, is eminently characteristic of 
 his humanity. See Niles, vol. iv. p. 419. 
 
 " Head-quarters, Eighth Military District of the United States, August 10, 1813. 
 
 SiK — Your letter addressed to the officer commanding at Lower Sandusky, was 
 forwarded from thence to me, and received this moment. Upon my arrival at Fort 
 Sandusky on the morning of the 3d instant, I found that major Croghan, conformably 
 to those principles which are held sacred in the American army, had caused all the 
 care to be taken of the wounded prisoners that his situation would permit. Having 
 with me my hospital surgeon, he was particularly charged to attend to them, and I am 
 warranted in the belief that every aid that surgical skill could give was afforded. 
 They have been literally furnished too with every article necessary in their situation 
 which our hospital stores could supply. 
 
 Having referred to my government for orders respecting the disposition of the 
 prisoners, I cannot with propriety comply with your request for an immediate 
 exchange. 
 
 But I assure you, sir, that as far as it depends upon me, the course of treatment 
 which has been commenced towards them, whilst in my possession, will be con- 
 tinued. 
 
 I have the honor to be, sir, your humble servant, 
 
 Wm. H. Harrison, 
 Major-general commanding Eighth United States Military District. 
 
 » 
 
 The next achievement in the career of general Harrison was the capture of Mai- 
 den, September 23, 1813. General Harrison's own letters give the best account of 
 the capture. The following are recorded in Niles, vol. v, p. 117. 
 
 "Extract of a letter from major-general Harrison to the secretary of war, dated head- 
 quarters, Bass Island, 22d Sept. 1813. 
 
 The greater part of the troops are here with me, and the whole will, I believe, be 
 up by 12 o'clock. I shall procet^d as far as the Middle Sister, in the course of to-night 
 and to-morrow, and in the following night get so near the enemy's coast as to land 
 two or three miles below Maiden by eight o'clock in the morning. These pr>ispects 
 may, however, be retarded by adverse winds. Commodore Perrj gives me every 
 ssistance in nia power. 
 
36 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 Copy of a letter from major-general Harrison to the war department. 
 
 Hcud-quarlers, Am hers, f burg, Sept. 23, 1813. 
 
 Sin — I have the honor to inform you that I landed the army under my command 
 about three miles below this place at three o'clock this evening, without opposition, 
 and took possession of the town in an hour after. General Proctor has retreated to 
 Sandwich with his regular troops and Indians, having previously burned the fort, 
 naNy-yard, barracks, and public store-houses; the two latter were very extensive, 
 covering several acres of ground. I v\ ill pursue the enemy to-morrow, although there 
 is no probability of my overtaking him, as he has upwards of one thousand horses, 
 and wc have not one in the army. I shall think myself fortunate to be able to collect 
 a sufficiency to mount the general officers. It is suppos 3d here that general Proctor 
 intends to establish himself upon the river French, forty miles from Maiden. I have 
 the honor to be, &c. Wm. H. Hahkisos. 
 
 Copy of a letter from commodore Peny to the secretary of tlie navy. 
 
 U. S. schooner Ariel, Maiden Harbor, '22d Sept. 1813, .5 P.M. 
 
 Sin — I have the honor to acquaint you that the army under major-general Harrison 
 have this moment marched it. to Maiden without opposition, and that the squadron are 
 now at anchor oft' the town. I have the honor to be, &c. O. H. Pekkt. 
 
 Extract of a letter from colonel Smith, of the rifle regiment, to colonel A. Y. Ni- 
 choll, inspector-general, dated 
 
 Lower Sandtifl-y, Octnher 2d, 1813. 
 
 I have already collected 520 of my regiment. — The last accounts from the general 
 state that he was in pursuit of Proctor, who had evacuated Maiden a few hours before 
 he landed. I fear he will make his escape. I leave here immediately for Portage, and 
 probably head-quarters, to procure transport for my detachment. 
 
 Copy of a letter from major-general Harrison to governor Meigs, dated 
 
 Head-qiiar/ers, Amhersthu.rg, 27th of Sept e ruber, 1813, 10 o clock, P.M. 
 
 Dear Sik — The enemy have given up this important place without opposition ; 
 having destroyed the fort and all the public buildings, which were immensely exten- 
 sive and valuable, particularly the navy-yard. 
 
 Proctor was yesterday at Sandwich, with his regulars and Indians. It is supposed 
 he is bending his course to the river French, there to fortify and make a stand. I 
 shall follow him as soon as I collect a few horses to mount the general officers and 
 some of the staff. 
 
 A miserable French pony, upon which the venerable and patriotic governor of Ken- 
 tucky was mounted, is the only one in the army. 
 
 We landed three miles below the town. I wish your troops to remain at one of the 
 Sanduskys for orders. Your friend, Wm. H. HAniiisos." 
 
 A short time after the surrender of Maiden, general Harrison took possession of 
 Detroit, which event was succeeded by the glorious Battle of the Thames, which 
 took place on the .5th of October, 1813. The details of this ever memorable battle, 
 and the previous movements of the army, an,« ontained in the following letters to 
 the secretary of war, inserted in Niles, vol. v. pp. 129 — 130. 
 
 " Extract of a letter from genera! Harrison to the department of war. 
 
 Hedd-qnarters, Smuhvich, U. C. 30fh Sept. 1813. 
 
 Sir — General Proctor has with him four hundred and seventy-live regidars of the 
 forty-lirst and Newfoundland regin\ents ; sixty of the tenth regiment of veterans ; 
 forlV-iive dragoons ; and from six hundred to one thousand Indians. Some deserters 
 who left him the night before last, give tlie latter as the number. The citizens of 
 Detroit suppose the former to be correct. 
 
 The Oltawas and Ghippewas have withdrawn from the British, and have sent in 
 three of their warriors to beg for peace, proniising to agree to any l(-rnis that I shall 
 ])rescribe. I have agreed to receive them upon condition of their giving hostages for 
 their fidelity, and immediately joining us with all their warriors. The Wyandots, 
 Miamies, and the band of Delawares, which had joined the enemy, are also desirous 
 to be received upon the same terms. 
 
 'J'he celebrated chief Main I'ock is at the head of the hostile band on the Detroit 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 37 
 
 side of the strait. Tecumseh heads that which remains with the British. The inlia- 
 bitants of Detroit, who were in daily communication with them, make the former from 
 one thousand to twelve hundred. Their object in dividing their force was to make a 
 night attack upon the part of the army which crossed over to Detroit, or that which 
 remained on this side, by a junction of their force some miles above. 
 
 A detachment of the army, and some of the vessels of war, will set out for the 
 reduction of Mackinac and St. Josephs, in a few days. 
 
 I have the honor to be, with great respect, sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 Hon. John Armstrong, secretary of war. Wm. H, HAanisoisr. 
 
 Extract of a letter from general M'Arthur to the secretary of war. 
 
 Detroit, Oct. eth, 1813. 
 
 You have no doubt been advised by the commanding general, that Maiden and this 
 place were abandoned by the enemy previous to the arrival of our army, and that all 
 the public buildings, &c., were destroyed. On our arrival at Sandwich, my brigade 
 was ordered across the river to disperse some Indians, who were pillaging the town, 
 and to take possession of this place. Information was received that several thousand 
 Indians had retired a small distance into the woods, with instructions to attack general 
 Harrison's army on its passage, for the purpose of retarding its progress ; consequently 
 my brigade was left to garrison this place. 
 
 Since general Harrison's departure, five nations of Indians, viz. the Ottaways, Chip- 
 peways, Pattawatamies, Miamies, and Kickapoos, who were but a few miles back, 
 have come in for peace, and I have agreed that hostilities should cease for the present, 
 on the following conditions : ' They have agreed to take hold of the same tomahawk 
 with us, and to strike all who are or may be enemies to the United States, whether 
 British or Indians.' They are to bring in a number of their women and children, 
 and leave them as hostages whilst they accompany us to war. Some of them have 
 already brought in their women, and are drawing rations. 
 
 I have just received a note from general Harrison, advising that he had last evening 
 overtaken general Proctor's force, and had gained a complete victory ; that all the 
 principal officers, general Proctor excepted, were in his possession, which no doubt 
 ends the war in this quarter. I have the honor, &c. Duncan M'Arthur, 
 
 Brig. Gen. U. S. Army. 
 
 Copy of a letter from general Harrison to the department of war. 
 
 Head-quarters, near Moravian Town, on the River Thames; 
 
 80 miles from Detroit, bth October, 1813. 
 Sir — I have the honor to inform you, that, by the blessing of Providence, the army 
 under my command has this evening obtained a complete victory over the combined 
 Indian and British forces under the command of general Proctor. I believe that nearly 
 the whole of the enemy's regulars are taken or killed. Amongst the former are all the 
 superior officers excepting general Proctor. My mounted men are now in pursuit of 
 him. Our loss is very trifling. The brave colonel R. M. Johnson is the only officer 
 whom I have heard of that is wounded ; he badly, but I hope not dangerously. 
 I have the honor to be, with great respect, sir, your obedient, humble servant, 
 
 Wsi. H. Hahkison. 
 The hon. John Armstrong, Secretary at War. 
 
 Copy of a letter from major-general Harrison to the secretary of war. 
 
 Head-quarters, Detroit, 'dth Oct. 1813. 
 
 Sir — In my letter from Sandwich of the 30th ultimo, I did myself the honor to 
 inform you that I was preparing to pursue the enemy the following day. From various 
 causes, however, I was unable to put the troops in motion until the morning of the 2d 
 inst., and then to take with me only about one hundred and forty of the regular troops, 
 Johnson's mounted regiment, and such of governor Shelby's volunteers as were fit for 
 a rapid march, the wholo amounting to about three thousand five hundred men. To 
 general M'Arthur (with about seven hundred effectives) the protecting of this place 
 and the sick was committed. General Cass's brigade and the corps of heutenant- 
 colonel Ball were left at Sandwich, with orders to follow me as soon as the men 
 received their knapsacks and blankets, which had been left on an island in lake Erie. 
 
 The unavoidable delay at Sandwich was attended witti no disadvantage to us, 
 
 D 
 
38 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 General Proctor had posted himself at Dalson's, on the right bank of the Thames, (or 
 Trench,) fifty-six miles from this place, where I was informed he intended lo fortify 
 and wait to receive me. He must have believed, however, that I had no disposition 
 to follow him, or that he had secured my continuance here, by the reports that were 
 circulated that the Indians would attack and destroy this place upon the advance of 
 the army ; as he neglected to commence the breaking up the bridges until the night 
 of the 2d inst. On that night our army reached the river, which is twenty-five miles 
 from Sandwich, and is one of four streams crossing our route, over all of which are 
 bridges, and, being deep and muddy, are unfordable for a considerable distance into 
 the country ; the bridge here was found entire, and in the morning I proceeded with 
 Johnson's regiment to save, if possible, the others. At the second bridge, over a branch 
 of the river Thames, we were fortunate enough to capture a lieutenant of dragoons 
 and eleven privates, who had been sent by general Proctor to destroy them. From 
 the prisoners I learned that the third bridge was broken up, and that the enemy had 
 no certain information of our advance. The bridge having been imperfectly destroyed, 
 was soon repaired, and the army encamped at Drake's farm, four miles below Dalson's. 
 
 The river Thames, along the banks of which our route lay, is a fine deep stream, 
 navigable for vessels of considerable burden, after the passage of the bar at its mouth, 
 over which there is six and a half feet water. 
 
 The baggage of the army was brought from Detroit in boats protected by three 
 gun-boats, which com. Perry had furnished for the purpose, as well as to cover the 
 passage of the army over the Thames itself, or the mouths of its tributary streams ; 
 the banks being low and the country generally open (prairies) as high as Dalson's, 
 these vessels were well calculated for that purpose. Above Dalson's, however, the 
 character of the river and adjacent country is considerably changed. The former, 
 though still deep, is very narrow, and its banks high and woody. The commodore 
 and myself therefore agreed upon the propriety of leaving the boats under a guard of 
 one hundred and fifty infantry, and I determined to trust to fortune and the bravery 
 of my troops to effect the passage of the river. Below a place called Chatham, and 
 four miles above Dalton's, is the third unfordable branch of the Thames ; the bridge 
 over its mouth had been taken up by the Indians, as well as that at M'Gregor's Mills, 
 one mile above. Several hundred of the Indians remained to dispute our passage, and 
 upon the arrival of the advanced guard, commenced a heavy fire from the opposite 
 bank of the creek as well as that of the river. Believing that the whole force of the 
 enemy was there, I halted the army, formed in order of battle, and brought up our 
 two six-pounders to cover the party that were ordered to repair the bridge — a few shot 
 from those pieces soon drove off the Indians, and enabled us, in two hours, to repair 
 the bridge and cross the troops. Colonel Johnson's mounted regiment being upon 
 the right of the army, had seized the remains of the bridge at the mills under a heavy 
 fire from the Indians. Our loss upon this occasion, was two killed and three or four 
 wounded, that of the enemy was ascertained to be considerably greater. A house 
 near the bridge, containing a considerable number of muskets, had been set on fire — 
 bst it was extinguished by our troops and the arms saved. At the first farlii above 
 the bridge, we found one of the enemy's vessels on fire, loaded with arms and ordnance 
 stores, and learned that they were a few miles ahead of us, still on the right bank of 
 the river with the great body of the Indians. At Bowles' farm, four miles from tlie 
 bridge, we halted for the night, found two other vessels and a large distillery filled with 
 ordnance and other valuable stores to an immense amount in flames — it was impos- 
 sible to put out the fire — two twenty-four pounders with their carriages were taken, 
 and a large quantity of balls and shells of various sizes. The army was put in mo- 
 tion early in the morning of tne 5th. I pushed on in advance with the mounted regi- 
 ment, and requested governor Shelby to follow as expeditiously as possible with the 
 infantry : the governor's zeal and that of his men enabled him to keep up with the 
 cavalry, and by nine o'clock we were at Arnold's Mills, having taken in the course of 
 the morning two gun-boats and several batteaux loaded with provisions and ammu- 
 nition. 
 
 A rapid at the river at Arnold's Mills affords the only fording to be met with for a 
 considerable distance, but, upon examination, it was found too deep for the infantry. 
 Having, however, fortunately taken two or three boats and some Indian canoes on 
 the spot, and obliging the horsemen to take a footman behind each, the whole were 
 
n 
 <s 
 
 bfl 
 
 B 
 
 a 
 
 H 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 39 
 
 safely crosseJ by twelve o'clock. Eiijht miles from the crossing, we passed a farm 
 where a part of the British troops had encamped the night before, under the command 
 of col. Warhurlon. The detachment with general Proctor had arrived the day before 
 at the Moravian towns, four miles higher up. Being now certainly near the enemy, 
 I directed the advance of Johnson's regiment to accelerate their march for the purpose 
 of procuring intelligence. The officer commanding it, in a short time sent to inform 
 me, that his progress was stopped by the enemy, who were formed across our line of 
 march. One of the enemy's wagoners being also taken prisoner, from the information 
 received from him, and my own observation, assisted by some of my ofncers, I soon 
 ascertained enough of their position in order of battle, to determine that which it was 
 proper for me to adopt. 
 
 I have the honor herewith to enclose you my general order of the 27th ult., pre- 
 scribing the order of march and of battle when the whole army should act together. 
 But as the number and description of the troops had been essentialjy changed, since 
 the issuing of the order, it became necessary to make a corresponding alteration in 
 their disposition. From the place where our army was last halted, to the Moravian 
 towns, a distance of about three and a half miles, the road passes through a beach 
 forest without any clearing, and for the first two miles near to the bank of the river. 
 At from two to three hundred yards from the river a swamp extends parallel to it, 
 Uiroughout the whole distance. The intermediate ground is dry, and although the 
 trees are tolerably thick, it is in many places clear of underbrush. Across this strip 
 of land, its left appeyed upon the river, supported by artillery placed in the wood, 
 their right in the swamp covered by the whole of their Indian force, the British troops 
 were drawn up. 
 
 The troops at my disposal consisted of about one hundred and twenty regulars, of 
 the twenty-seventh regiment, five brigades of Kentucky volunteer militia infantry, 
 nnder his excellency governor Shelby, averaging less than live hundred men, and col. 
 Johnson's Regiment of mounted infantry, making in the whole an aggregate some- 
 thing above three thousand. No disposition of an army, opposed to an Indian .'orce, 
 can be safe, unless it is secured on the flanks and in the rear. I had therefore no 
 difticulty in arranging the infantry comformably to my general order of battle. Gene- 
 ral Trotter's brigade of five hundred men, formed the front line, his right upon the 
 road and his left upon the swamp. General King's brisade as a second line, one 
 hundred and fifty yards in the rear of Trotter's, and Chiles's brigade as a corps of 
 reserve in the rear of it. These three brigades formed the conunaiid of major-general 
 Henry •, the whole of general Desha's division consisting of two brigades, were 
 formed en pofence upon the left of Trotter. 
 
 Whilst I was engaged in forming the infantry, I had directed col. Johnson's regi- 
 ment, which was still in front, to be formed in two lines opposite to the enemy, and, 
 upon the advance of the infantry, to take ground to the left, and forming upon that 
 flank to endeavour to turn the right of the Indians. A moment's reflection, however, 
 convinced me that from the thickness of the woods and swampiness of the ground, 
 they would bo unable to do any thing on horseback, and there was no time to dis- 
 mount them and place their horses in security ; I therefore determined to refuse my 
 left to the Indians, and to break the British lines at once by a charge of the mounted 
 infantry ; the measure was not sanctioned by any thing that I had seen or heard of, 
 but I was fully convinced that it would succeed. The American backwoodsmen ride 
 better in the woods than any other people. A musket or rifle is no impediment to 
 them, being accustomed to carry them on horseback from their earliest youth. I was 
 persuaded too that the enemy would be quite unprepared for the shock, and that they 
 could not resist it. Conformably to this idea, I directed the regiment to be drawn up 
 in close columns, with its right at a distance of fifty yards from the road, (that it 
 might be in some measure protected by the trees from the artillery,) its left upon the 
 swamp, and to charge at full speed as soon as the enemy delivered their fire. The 
 few regular troops of the twenty-seventh regiment, under their colonel (Paul) oc- 
 cupied, in column of sections of four, the sm ill space between the road and the river, 
 for the purpose of seizing the enemy's artillery, and some ten or twelve friendly 
 Indians were directed to move under the bank. The crotchet formed by the front 
 line and general Desha's division was an important point. At that place, the vene- 
 rable governor of Kentucky was pasted, who at tlie age of sixty-six preserves all the 
 
40 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 vigor of youth, the ardent zeal which distinguished him in the revohitionary war, 
 and the undaunted bravery which he manifested at King's Mountain. With my 
 aid-de-camp, the acting as.sistant adjutant-general captain Butler, my gallant friend, 
 commodore Perry, who did me the honor to serve as my volunteer aid-de-camp, and 
 brigadier-general Cass, who having no command tendered me his assistance. I placed 
 myself at the head of the front line of infantry, to direct the movement of the cavalry 
 and give them the necessary support. The army had moved on in this order but a 
 short distance, when the mounted men received the fire of the British line and were 
 ordered to charge ; the horses in the front of the column recoiled from the fire ; an- 
 other was given by the enemy, and our column, at length, getting in motion, broke 
 through the enemy with irresistible force. In one minute, the contest in front was 
 over ; the British officers, seeing no hopes of reducing their disordered ranks to order, 
 and our mounted men wheeling upon them and pouring in a destructive fire, imme- 
 diately surrendered. It is certain that three only of our troops were wounded in 
 this charge. Upon the left, however, the contest was more severe with the Indians. 
 Col. Johnson, who commanded on that flank of his regiment, received a most galling 
 fire from them, which was returned with great effect. The Indians still further to the 
 right advanced, and fell in with our front line of infantry, near its junction with Desha's 
 division, and for a moment made an impression upon it. His excellency governor 
 Shelby, however, brought up a regiment to its support, and the enemy receiving a 
 severe fire in front, and a part of Johnson's regiment having gained their rear, 
 retreated with precipitation. Their loss was very considerable in the action, and 
 many were killed in their retreat. 
 
 I can give no satisfactory information of the number of Indians that were in the 
 action, but they must have been considerably upwards of one thousand. From the 
 documents in my possession, (general Proctor's official letters, all of which were 
 taken,) and from the information of respectable inhabitants of this territory, the 
 Indians kept in pay by the British were much more numerous than has been gene- 
 rally supposed. In a letter to general de Rottenburg of the 27th instant, general 
 Proctor speaks of having prevailed upon most of the Indians to accompany him. 
 Of these it is certain that fifty or sixty Wyandot warriors abandoned him.* 
 
 The number of our troops was certainly greater than that of the enemy, but when 
 it is recollected, that they had chosen a position that effectually secured their flank, 
 which it was impossible for us to turn, and that we could not present to them a line 
 more extended than their own, it will not be considered arrogant to claim for my 
 troops the palm of superior bravery. 
 
 In communicating to the president through you, sir, my opinion of the conduct of 
 the oflicers who served under my command, I am at a loss how to mention that of 
 governor Shelby, being convinced that no eulogium of mine can reach his merit. 
 The governor of an independent s-tate, greatly my superior in years, in experience and 
 in military character, he placed himself under my command, and was not more re- 
 markable for his zeal and activity, than for the promptitude and cheerfulness with 
 which he obeyed my orders. The major-generals Henry and Desha, and the briga- 
 diers Allen, Caldwell, King, Chiles, and Trotter, all of the Kentucky volunteers, 
 manifested great zeal and activity. Of governor Shelby's staff, his adjutant-general, 
 colonel M'Dovvell, and his quarter-master-general, colonel Walker, rendered great 
 service, as did his aids-de-camp, general Adair, and majors Barry and Crittenden. 
 The military skill of the former was of great service to us, and the activity of the two 
 latter gentlemen could not be surpassed. Illness deprived me of the talents of my 
 adjutant-general, colonel Gaines, who was left at Sandwich. His duties were, how- 
 ever, ably performed by the acting assistant adjutant-general, captain Butler. My 
 aids-de-camp, lieutenant O'Fallon, and captam Todd, of the line, and my volunteer 
 aids, John Speed Smith, and John Chambers, esq. have rendered me the most import- 
 ant service from the opening of the campaign. I have already stated that general 
 Cass and commodore Perry assisted me in forming the troops for action. The former 
 is an oflicer of the highest merit, and the appearance of the brave commodore cheered 
 and animated every breast. 
 
 ♦ A British officer of higti rank assured one of my aidi-de-canip, that on the day of our 
 )andin|i. general Proctor had, at his disposal, upwards of three thuusand Indian warriors, but 
 asseiiud that tile greatest part liiid left him previous to the action. 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 41 
 
 It would be useless, sir, after stating the circumstances of the action, to pass 
 encomiums upon colonel Johnson and his regiment. Veterans could not have mani- 
 fested more firmness. The colonel's numerous wounds prove that he was in the post 
 of danger. Lieutenant-colonel James Johnson, and the majors Payne and Thomp- 
 son were equally active, though more fortunate. Major Wood of the engineers, 
 already distinguished by his conduct at Fort Meigs, attended the army with two six- 
 pounders. Having no use for them in the action, he joined in the pursuit of the 
 enemy, and with major Payne of the mounted regiment, two of my aids-de-carop, 
 Todd and Chambers, and three privates, continued it for several miles after the rest of 
 the troops had halted, and made many prisoners. 
 
 I left the army before an oflicial return of the prisoners, or that of the killed and 
 wounded, was made out. It was, however, ascertained that the former amounts to 
 six hundred and one regulars, including twenty-five officers. Our loss is seven killed 
 and twenty-two wounded, five of which have since died. Of the British troops 
 twelve were killed and twenty-two wounded. The Indians suffered most — thirty- 
 three having been found upon the ground, besides those killed in the retreat. 
 
 On the day of the action, six pieces of brass artillery were taken, and two iron 
 twenty-four pounders the day before. Several others were discovered in the river, and 
 can be easily procured. Of the brass pieces, three are the trophies of our revolution- 
 ary war that were taken at Saratoga and York, and surrendered by general Hull. 
 The number of small arms taken by us, and destroyed by the enemy, must amount to 
 upwards of five thousand ; most of them had been ours, and taken by the enemy at 
 the surrender of Detroit, at the river Raisin, and colonel Dudley's defeat. I believe 
 that the enemy retain no other military trophy of their victories than the standard of 
 the fourth regiment. They were not magnanimous enough to bring that of the forty- 
 first regiment into the field, or it would have been taken. 
 
 You have been informed, sir, of the conduct of the troops under my command in 
 action ; it gives me great pleasure to inform you, that they merit also the approbation 
 of their country for their conduct, in submitting to the greatest privations with the 
 utmost cheerfulness. 
 
 The infantry were entirely without tents, and for several days, the whole army 
 subsisted upon fresh beef without bread or salt. 
 
 I have the honor to be, &c, 
 
 WlLHAM H. HARRIS027. 
 
 GeneralJohn Armstrong, secretary ofivar, 
 
 P, S. General Proctor escaped by the fleetness of his horses, escorted by forty 
 dragoons and a number of mounted Indians." 
 
 Perry's glorious victory on Lake Erie and the victory of the Thames, diffused the 
 greatest animation and joy througliout the United States. The cities were illu- 
 minated, and every tongue sounded the praises of the heroes, whilst the press teemed 
 with complimentary notices. The following from Niles, vol. v, p, 145, describes 
 several of the illuminations. 
 
 "At Philadelphia. — Agreeable to permission granted by the mayor, the capture 
 of general Proctor's army by the United States army under general Harrison, was 
 celebrated in this city on the evening of the 21st October by a brilliant illumination 
 — the suburbs also exhibited their usual degree of patriotic feeling, and even the town 
 of Camden (opposite) was lit up. 
 
 The transparencies in different parts of the city were so numerous, that it would 
 be a vain task to attempt a particular description of them — we shall therefore tiotice 
 a few only, without any design, however, to disparage others. 
 
 The most conspicuous we saw, were those of the house of Jacob G. Kotch, comer 
 of Ninth and Market streets — the Market street front presented five different trans- 
 parencies, in front of as many large windows. 
 
 The basement story presented two ; the western window contained a shaft of a 
 fluted Doric column, round which was a scroll containing a phrase from general 
 Harrison's official letter — ' // has pleased Providence ,' on the summit of the shaft 
 was a bust, with a scroll above, inscribed, ' Harbison.' 
 
 On the wiudow adjacent was a similar shaft, with a scroll containing the sentence 
 6 
 
42 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 from commodore Perry's letter — ' It has pleased the Almighty^ and on the summit a 
 bust presented by the scroll, inscribed ' PERnr.' 
 
 On the middle story, west window, was a female figure, large as life, with the 
 American shield, the stripes in the lower field, and the stars on a blue ground in the 
 upper; beneath the feet of the figure, which represented Amekica, was a lion 
 crouching, with the foot of a figure on its neck ; from the mouth of the figure issued 
 a label inscribed, ' Virtue, Liberty, Independence.' 
 
 On the east window was a representation of an American general officer, and two 
 Indian chiefs at his feet; the glittering tomahawk and scalping knife were on the 
 ground ; and from the mouth of one of the Indians issued a label with the words 
 ' Accept our submission.' 
 
 In the attic window was a naval trophy ; the ground work the American flag, over 
 which appeared in relief, a pennant, inscribed, ' Free trade and sailors' rights.' 
 
 The west part of Mr. Kotch's house in Ninth street, was illuminated and decorated 
 in another but elegant style ; the numerous windows exhibited wax lights tastefully 
 interspersed with huuquels and flower vases of a great variety of kinds, and wreaths, 
 festoons, and garlands of laurel, myrtle, oak, palm, and grape leaves. 
 
 The front of the house of Mr. Mills, architect, in George street, between Eighth 
 and Ninth, was beautifully illuminated ; in the front there was a large transparency 
 of military action, the flight of the enemy and the pursuit, in a very beautiful style. 
 
 At the corner of Eighth and Race streets was erected a triumphal arch of about 
 forty feet elevation and diameter, illuminated; and bearing a portrait and emblems 
 commemorable of the glorious events. 
 
 At the corner of Third and Chesnut, there was a veiy elegant transparency: a 
 portrait of a general officer at full length, with military apparatus. This transpa- 
 rency was very well executed. 
 
 The theatre presented a variety of transparencies and an illumination of colored 
 lamps ; the effect was beautiful ; but only one transparency was new, the rest were 
 from the painter's loft. 
 
 In several houses we could perceive transparencies of ships, and mottoes, all signi- 
 ficant of that event. 
 
 At the adjutant-general's office the British flag, on which was written in large 
 characters, ' taken at Erie.' The immense crowd which was collected to see the 
 British flag ^ taken at Erie' is inconceivable; several bands of music and co.mpanies 
 of ladies visited this spectacle so exhilarating. 
 
 It was observed by a lady in the group, ' that a victory like Perry's, which gave 
 security and repose to two hundred thousand families, who had a week before never 
 went to sleep with the certainty of escaping conflagration or the tomahawk until 
 morning, was a true occasion for rejoicing.' 
 
 A tradesman's house between Third and Fourth, in Market street, displayed at 
 every window a series of shields in transparent colours, on each of which was inscribed 
 the names of some of our gallant countrymen — amongst whom were Fike, King, 
 Clirystie, Wonls, Crnghan, Johnson — Rogers, Decatur, Hull, Lawrence, Perry, 
 Jones, Bainbridge, Chauncey, Burroughs, Allen, Moffat, Wooster. Elliot. 
 
 Mr. Murray, engraver, had an exquisite transparency. And there were several 
 which we should have wished to have stayed and seen, but the current of beauty which 
 swam along the streets left little opportunity to dwell for any sufficient time on the 
 transparencies generally. 
 
 The town at ten o'clock displayed a scene of silence and tranquillity, such as no 
 city or country in the universe could show the like; it was not the sullen command 
 of despotism, or the agonizing curfew, that bade slaves retire to darkness and sorrow ; 
 but a free and happy people, elated by the glory and safety of their country, and the 
 achievements of their gallant defenders, entering with the order of honorable virtue 
 into the celebration of their happiness, and vindicating their claim to the eternal en- 
 joyment of their liberties and right, by a reverence for social order. Philadelphia, at 
 half an hour after exhibiting the streets crowded with beauty, in numbers equal at 
 'east to any city of the world, was as quiet and undisturbed by the footsteps of the 
 passenger, as the prairies of Louisiana — it was an exquisite sensation to view, at half 
 past nine o'clock, the gay, giddy, cheerful, happy, innocent crowd, pressing without 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 43 
 
 rudeness or ill nature along the well-paved footways. In an hour all disappeared-the 
 windows which were illuminated with joy, had discharged their tnbute to public 
 rladness— they were now dedicated to silence and repose— the .streets presented their 
 accustomed appearance, and the lamps seemed reluctant to show the passenger las 
 way, jealous of the blaze that had concealed their usefulness the preceding part oi 
 the evening. — Aurora. 
 
 At New Youk.— On Saturday evening, Octoher 23, pursuant to a resolution of 
 the common council, the Ciif/ Hall was illuminated in honor of the recent successes 
 of the American arms in Upper Canada. That magnificent structure, by far the 
 most splendid pile of architecture in America, and not exceeded by many m Europe, 
 was li-hted throughout its spacious front, (comprising upwards of fifty wmdows and 
 divisions in the portico,) to the tower or cupola on the centre, as well as in its exten- 
 sive wings, containing about thirty windows. The transparent naval pamtings used 
 at the former celebrations in the city hotel were here displayed, with the addition of 
 the dying injunction of the gallant Lawrence, ' Z>on7 give up the skip. 
 
 Tammany Hall next claimed the attention of the thousands of admiring spec- 
 tators Over the principal entrance of this building was exhibited a well executed 
 emblematic transparency, painted by Mr. Holland, representing the Indian chiefs 
 surrendering to general Harrison, soliciting peace, and delivering their women and 
 children as hostages, with a view of the battle of Lake Erie, and commodore Perry 
 leaving his ship for the Niagara. , * ■ , 
 
 The Theatre presented a transparent painting, exhibitmg the American eagle 
 spreading over a considerable portion of the globe, and pointing with its beak to the 
 motto from Perry's immortal despatch, ' We have met the enemy, and they are ours: 
 The front of this massy edifice was ornamented with variegated lamps. 
 
 The Naval Pa^iorama, next adjoining, exhibited a mechanical transparency, 
 representing, in continual and rapid motion, a Harriet striking a I'eacock m its breast, 
 with other figures and suitable devices and inscriptions. 
 
 At the Debtor's Prison, in letters of fire, appeared, ' We have met the enemy, S(C. 
 
 Go ye and do likewise.'' . , m, . i, t j 
 
 Washington and IWechanics' Halls were illuminated. The custom-house also, and 
 
 the different hotels, public houses, and markets, joined in the brilliant and gratifying 
 
 '^From the battery were seen two of commodore Lewis's gun-boats, superbly deco- 
 rated with lamps of various colors. The commodore's barge was ornamented with 
 patriotic transparencies, and in the course of the evening, a discharge of rockets from 
 liis boat enlivened the scene. — Columbian. 
 
 At Richmond.— The illumination took place by recommendatioa of the mayor a* 
 
 follows : — 
 
 Fellow Citizens— Again, 'BY blessing of puotibence, we ahe tictoriols. 
 The complete victory obtained over the combined Indian and British forces, under the 
 command of general Proctor, who has himself doubtless ere this graced the tnunr.ph 
 of our most gallant general Harrison, will give us entire possession of the Lanadas: 
 and operate more powerfully to the restoration of peace, than the mediation of any 
 power on earth. Give vent to your feelings ; think of Perry who paved tlie way, 
 of Harrison, whose intrepid valor has thus so nobly achieved the victory. Let an 
 illumination generally take place throughout our city on the evening ot to-morrow, 
 under this restriction only ; that by ten of the evening, they be all extinguished— the 
 safety of our city requires that I should urge this precaution— when it is most 
 ardently wished, that every citizen will retire with grateful hearts to their respective 
 
 abodes. . ■ .u- 
 
 Doubtless every patriotic sentiment will lead our citizens to concur in this recom 
 
 mendation. But let the houses of absentees, of orphans, &c., which may noi be 
 
 lighted on this memorable occasion, be respected. 
 
 Mayors office, Su7iday evening, 10 P. M. Robert Gkf.enhow, Mayor." 
 
 The following account of the Richmond illumination is from the " Virginia Pa 
 
 "- The iUuminatim, in this city, on Monday evenuig last, was by far the most splen. 
 4 
 
44 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 did we have ever witnessed, and in every respect suited to the occasion. Before the 
 sable clouds of nisht had enveloped the city in darkness, the illumination commenced, 
 and the names of ' Perry, Harrison, and Chauncey,' soon shone with distinguished 
 lustre in every quarter. Every thing like base, sordid avarice, yielded to the finer 
 feelings of patriotism ; and with few exceptions, a just sensibility pervaded every 
 bosom. Many transparent and appropriate paintings presented themselves to the view; 
 but it would be invidious to notice the exertions of any particul;u individual, where 
 all performed their duty. To crown the climax, and give a zest to joy, the ladies of 
 Kichmond were seen descending in lovely groups from Shockos Hill to the main 
 street, there to ornament and embellish the scene. The most perfect harmony and 
 good order prevailed ; and the ladies roamed about in full security, free and undis- 
 turbed. In short, but one sentiment seemed to exist: the sunshine of joy and exul- 
 tation illuminated every countenance, and none was found 
 
 'So lost to virtue, lost to manly thought,' 
 
 as to dare interrupt this delightful banquet of the mind, by the least improper conduct. 
 To be sure, the civil authority, much to their credit, took every necessary step to 
 prevent disorderly behavior ; but we rejoice to say, sensual pleasures were forgotten, 
 while the names of ' Perry, Harrison, and Chauncey,' dwelt on every tongue. At 
 nine, the streets were generally clear of the crowd, and at ten o'clock, agreeably to 
 the mayor's request, every light was extinguished." 
 
 The following paragraphs appeared in the Democratic Press and Richmond In- 
 quirer. See Niles, vol. v, p. 149. 
 
 "General Harrison (says the Democratic Press) has added a new manoeuvre to the 
 science of military tactics — the charging bayonet on horseback ; which may afford 
 some ingenious Englishman an opportunity of discovering a method of counteracting 
 it, just as captain Manby has explained to the enlightened John Bull the American 
 secret of conquering at sea. 
 
 General Harrison's detailed letter (says the Richnond Inquirer) tells us every 
 thing that we wish to know about the officers except himself. He does justice to 
 every one, but to Harrison— and the world must, therefore, do justice to the 
 man who was too modest to be just to himself. We ask what heart is there that 
 does not bow with gratitude to the gallantry of Shelby, who has shone in two wars, 
 and of Perry, who conquers on both elements 1" 
 
 In the same volume, p. 132, we find the general orders of general Harrison, detail- 
 ing the plan for the debarkation of his troops into Canada. It is too long for in- 
 sertion here, but is another evidence that he can " do his own Jii^hfing as well as his 
 ovm writing.'" The following order, however, issued on the day of the debarkation 
 of his troops, is highly honorable to his humanity. Niles, vol. v. p. 149. 
 
 "OEIfERAL OnUER. 
 
 The general entreats his brave troops to remember that they are the sons of sires 
 whose fame is immortal : that they are to fight for the rights of their insulted coun- 
 try, whilst their opponents combat for the unjust pretensions of a master. ^ 
 
 "Kextuckians — remember the river Raisin ; but remember it only whilst the vic- 
 tory is suspended. The revenge of a soldier cannot be gratified upon a fallen enemy. 
 By command, Robert Butler, assistant adjutant-general." 
 
 On the 29th day of September, 1813, he issued his proclamation reinstating the 
 civil authorities at Michigan. Niles, vol. v. p. 173. 
 
 " By William Henry Harrison, major-general in the army of the United States, and 
 commander-in-chief of the Eighth Military District, 
 
 A PROCLAMATION. 
 
 The enemy having been driven from the territory of Michigan, and a part of the 
 army under my conunand having taken possession of it, it becomes necessary that the 
 Mvil government of the territory should be re-established, and the former officers re- 
 new the exercise of their authority ; I have therefore thought proper to proclaim, that 
 all appointments and commissiojis which have been derived from Brhish officers, aro 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. ' 45 
 
 at an end ; that the citizens of the territory are restored to all the rights and privileges 
 which thej' enjoyed previously to the capitulation made by general Hull on the 15tli 
 of August, 1812. Under the present circumstances, and until the will of the go- 
 vernment be known, I have thought proper to direct that all persons having civil 
 offices in the territory of Michigan, at the period of the capitulation of Detroit, re- 
 sume the exercise of the powers appertaining to their othces respectively. la the 
 present dispersed state of its population, many officers are. doubtless, absent. In all 
 cases thus situated, the last incumbent who resigned the office, will resume the exer- 
 cise of its duties. The laws in force at the period above mentioned, will be re-es- 
 tablished and continue in force until repealed by the proper authority. 
 Given at Head-quarters, the 2Uth day of September, 1813. 
 
 Wm, H. Harrison. 
 
 Ha^^^g, in conjunction with the gallant Perry, (whose victory* on Lake Erie on 
 the ever memorable 10th of September, 181.3, struck terror to the foe, and forever 
 destroyed her boasted claims to supremacy on the ocean,) taken quiet possession of 
 Upper Canada, they issued the following proclamation. Pviles, vol. v. p. 215. 
 
 " By William Henry Harrison, major-general in the service of the United States, 
 commander-in-chief of the north-western army, and Oliver Hazard Perry, captain ia 
 the navy, and commanding the fleet of the United States, on Lake Erie, 
 
 A PROCLAMATION. 
 
 Whereas, by the combined operations of the land and naval forces under our com- 
 mand, those of the enemy within the upper district of Upper Canada have been cap- 
 tured or destroyed, and the said district is now in the quiet possession of our troops: 
 it becomes necessary to provide for its government : — Therefore, we do hereby pro- 
 claim and make known, that the rights and privileges of the inhabitants, and the laws 
 and customs of the country, as they existed or were in force at the period of our arri- 
 val, shall continue to prevail. All magistrates and other civil officers are to resume 
 the exercise of their functions ; previously taking an oath to be fi\ithful to the go- 
 vernment of the United States, as long as they shall be in possession of the country. 
 The authority of all militia commissions is suspended in said district, and the officers 
 required to give their parole, in such way as the officer, who may be appointed by the 
 commanding general to administer the government, shall direct. 
 
 The inhabitants of said district are promised protection to their persons and pro- 
 perty, with the exception of those cases embraced by the proclamation of general 
 Proctor, of the ult. which is declared to be in force, and the powers therein as- 
 sumed transferred to the officer appointed to administer the government. 
 
 Given under our hands and seals, at Sandwich, this 17th of October, 181.3. 
 
 (Signed) Wm. H. Harrison. 
 
 Oj-iver H. Pkrut." 
 
 On the 28th of October, 1813, general Harrison arrived at New York, having left 
 his army in winter quarters at Sacket's Harbor, where commodore Chauncey, having 
 brought it from Fort George, was about to lay up his fleet for the season. On the 
 1st of December, 1813, the citizens of New York entertained him at Tammany 
 Hall, by a public dmner, which was got up in the most splendid style. His toast 
 was; 
 
 " ' The Freedom of the Seas, and the adoption by our government of that Roman 
 maxim, which secured to the citizen his inviolabihty.' Which was responded to by 
 twelve clieers .'" Niles, vol. v. p. 251. 
 
 On the 9lh of December, 1813, (Niles, vol. v. p. 263,) general Harrison partook of a 
 public entertainment at Philadelphia. His suit was also invited. The regular 
 toasts being drunk, the general rose, and "with much expressiveness of manner," 
 said — 
 
 * The following is a copy of Perry's letter to General Harrison announcing llie event. 
 
 United States Brig magara, off the Western Sister, September 10, 1813, 4 P. M. 
 Dear general— We have met tlie enemy and they are ours— two ships, two brigs, ona 
 Eciiooner, and a sloop. Yours with great respect and esteem, 
 
 GtNEBAL \V. U. Harrison. Oliveu Hazard Perrv. 
 
46 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 « Gentlemen— Permit me to offer you a volunteer toast, and verj- briefly to state 
 the motive which prompts me to take one of the regular toasts of the day as a mean 
 of communicating n.v opinion. Believing, as I do, that a sentiment is gaming ground 
 unfri-ndiy to republicanism and injurious to the nation, and knowmg from ray own 
 experience, that the sentiment is not well founded, I will give you 
 
 The militia of the United States— they possess the lioman s[.irit, and when our 
 government shall think proper to give them that organization and disciplme of which 
 they are susceptible, they will perform deeds that will emulate those of the legions 
 ledby Marcellus, and Scipio." 
 
 He also stopped a short time in Baltimore, and was waited upon, and congratulated 
 by the citizens. 
 
 «It would seem," says Niles, vol. v. p. 264, "as if general Harrison, and commo- 
 dore Perry had agreed to praise each other ; for while the former speaks of the 
 commodore, his officers and men with rapture, the latter is no less eloquent in praise 
 of the general, and the brave men under him." 
 
 "In the signal victory," said the Boston Chronicle, (Niles, vol. v. p. 263,) "gamed 
 over Barclay's fleet, and Proctor's army, it is impossible to separate the brave and 
 victorious commanders, Perry and Harrison. The circumstances are mdeed very 
 striking. Harrison sent reinforcements to assist Perry, and the action terminated m 
 the capture of the whole British fleet. In return commodore Perry, volunteered with 
 Harrison, and assisted him in the capture of the British army. 
 
 In the followmg letter Perry does justice to the zeal of Harrison and his gallant 
 
 United States schooner Ariel, September 15, 1813. 
 
 SiH— The very great assistance, in the action of the 10th inst., derived from those 
 men you were pleased to send on board the stiuadron, render it a duty to return you 
 my sincere thanks for so timely a reinforcement. In fact, sir, I may say, without 
 those men the victory could not have been achieved; and equally I assure you, that 
 those officers and men behaved as became good soldiers and seamen. Those who 
 were under my immediate observation, evinced great ardor and bravery. Captain 
 Brevort, of the second regiment of infantry, serving on board the Niagara, I beg leave 
 to recommend particularly to your notice : he is a brave and gallant officer, and as far 
 as I am capable of judging an excellent one. I am convinced you will present the 
 merit of this officer to the view of the honorable secretary of war, as I shall to the 
 honorable secretary of the navy. 
 
 Very respectfully, I am, sir, your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) Olivek H. Pehkt. 
 
 Major-general W. H. Harrison, commander-in-chief of the N. W. Army. 
 
 Commodore Perry, also, while at Albany, spoke in the highest terms of eulogium 
 of the Kentucky volunteers, and in strains of admiration of the veteran Shelby. He 
 represented them as ' brave even to imprudence,' as < liberal, generous, and humane, 
 almost to a fault.' " 
 
 Governor Snyder of Pennsylvania, in his annual message to the legislature of that 
 state, December 10, 1813, (see Niles, vol. v. p. 257,) speaking of the recent 
 glorious victories on water and land, said — _ v • . •<■ 
 
 "As a prelude we refer with pride to the glorious victory on Lake Erie, which if 
 ever equalled, was, in naval warfare never excelled. A victory not less brilliant in its 
 achievement than important in its effects ; not less honorable to the nation, than to the 
 highly distinguished Perry who commanded, and to the brave officers and men whx) 
 composed that heroic force. Already is the brow of the young warrior Croghan en- 
 circled with laurels, and the blessings of thousands of women and children 
 
 KESCUED FKOM THK SCALPISTe KSIFE OF THE BUTHLESS SAVAGE OF TUB WIL- 
 DERNESS AND FROM THE STILL MORE SAVAGE PrOCTOR REST ON HaRRISOS 
 
 AND HIS GALLANT ARMY. Chauuccy, though not equally successful with the 
 renowned hero of Lake Erie, has sought and deserves to be so. On that element 
 claimed by Britain as her exclusive domain, tlie American flag waoed triumphant in 
 every equal conflict." 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 47 
 
 James Maclison, president of the United States, in his annual message, dated 
 December 7, 1813, (Niles, vol. v. p. 346,) said — 
 
 " The success on Lake Erie having opened a passage to the territory of the cnemv, 
 the officer commanding the north-western army transferred the war thither ; and 
 rapidly pursuing the hostile troops fleeing with their savage associates, forced a 
 general action, which quickly terminated in the capture of the British, and dispersion 
 of the savage force. 
 
 This result is signally honorable to major-general Harrison, by whose military 
 talents it was prepared; to colonel Johnson and his mounted volunteers, whose impe- 
 tuous onset gave a decisive blow to the ranks of the enemy ; and to the spirit of the 
 volunteer militia, equally brave and patriotic, who bore an interesting part in the 
 scene ; more especially to the chief magistrate of Kentucky at the head of them, 
 whose heroism, signalised in the war which established the independence of his 
 country, sought, at an advanced age, a share in hardships and battles for maintaining 
 its rights and its safety. 
 
 The eflect of these successes has been to rescue the inhabitants of Michigan from 
 their oppressions, aggravated by gross infractions of the capitulation which subjected 
 them to a foreign power; to allienate the savages of numerous tribes from the 
 enemy, by whom they were disappointed and abandoned ; and to relieve an extensive 
 region of country from a merciless warfare which desolated its frontiers, and imposed 
 on its citizens the most harrasing services." 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 GENERAL HARUISON TAKES COMMAND OF THE EIGHTH MILITARZ DISTRICT 
 
 BESIGNS HIS COMMISSION, AND RETURNS TO HIS FARX AT NORTH BF.ND 
 
 APPOINTED A COMMISSIONER TO TREAT WITH THE INDIANS ELECTED A 
 
 MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES HIS 
 
 SERVICES IN CONGRESS RESOLUTION AND SPEECH IN FAVOR OF ERECTING A 
 
 MONUMENT TO THE MEMORY OF KOSCIUSKO DEMANDS AN I N-yESTIGATIOX 
 
 OF HIS ACCOUNTS WHILST IN COMMAND OF THE EIGHTH MILITARY DISTRICT 
 GOLD MEDAL, AND THE THANKS OF CONGRESS VOTED TO HiM. 
 
 In January, 1814, general Harrison resumed at Cincinnati, the command of the 
 eighth military district, but on the 8th of May ensuing, resigned his commission in 
 the army. The reasons which induced him to take this step, are so fully and satis- 
 factorily stated in a most valuable pamphlet, recently published in Cincinnati, 
 entitled, "Skelches of the Civil and Military Services of William Henri/ Harrisan. 
 By Charles S. Tudd, late an inspector-general in the United States army, and Ben- 
 jamin Drake, author of the life of Black Hawk, S(c." that the compiler takes the 
 liberty of inserting them here. 
 
 "The course of public opinion during the winter," say the authors of the 
 pamphlet, " indicated very decidedly that general Harrison ought to be invested with 
 the chief command in the next campaign. Commodore Perry, who had witnessed 
 the exertions, the skill and bravery of general Harrison, addressed to him about this 
 period, a letter, in which he says, ' You know what has been my opinion as to the 
 future commander-in-chief of the army. I pride myself not a little, I assure you, on 
 seeing my predictions so near being verified ; yes, my dear friend, I expect to hail you 
 as the chief who is to redeem the honor of our arms in the north.' The veteran 
 general McArthur, another eye-witness to the career of general Harrison, wrote io 
 him early in 1814, from Albany, New York, from which the following is an extract: 
 ' You, sir, stand the highest with the militia of this state of any general in the 
 service, and I am confident, that no man can fight them to so great an advantage ; and 
 I think their extreme solicitude may be the means of calling you to this frontier.' 
 But from causes, which it is difficult at this time to explain, general Armstrong's 
 feelings and opinions in relation to general Harrison, had undergone a material change. 
 His letter of the 14th May, 1814, enciosiiig the plan of the campaign, as submitted 
 
48 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 to the president on the 30th of April, fully authorizes the inference that general Har- 
 rison would not be assigned any command in the active operations of the approaching 
 campaign. All of the troops in the eighth military district, excepting garrisons for 
 Detroit and Maiden, were to be held in readiness to move down the lake to Buffalo, 
 and general McArthur was designated for the command of those corps, including the 
 seventeenth, nineteenth, twenty-fourth, and twenty-eighth regiments of regulars. 
 This arrangement of all the disposable force in the north-west, while it left general 
 Harrison to remain in the eighth military district, was made after the receipt at the 
 war office of his letter of the 13th of February, 1814, in which he expresses his 
 views and feelings arising from the interference of the secretary in withdrawing 
 general Howard from his command. That letter concludes with the following de- 
 claration : ' Apart from the considerations of my duty to my country, I have no in- 
 ducement to remain in the army, and if the prerogatives of my rank and station as 
 the commander of a district, be taken from me, being fully convinced that I can render 
 Ko important service, I should much rather be permitted to retire to private life.'* 
 
 This was the condition of things, when the secretary persevered in interfering with 
 his prerogatives, as the commander of the district, by despatching to major Holmes, 
 a subordinate officer at Detroit, an order to take two hundred men from that post, and 
 proceed on board commodore Sinclair's fleet, destined to Macinaw, This proceeding, 
 on the part of the secretary, was a gross invasion of military propriety ; and whatever 
 may have been the design, it authorized general Harrison to suppose it was not the 
 intention of the secretary to respect his rank as commander of the district. The 
 order not only passed hy the general, but was derogatory to the rank of colonel 
 Croghan, the immediate commander of the post. That gallant young officer spoke 
 of this course without reserve ; and in a letter to general Harrison, made the following 
 appropriate remarks : ' Major Holmes has been notified by the war department, that 
 he is chosen to command the land troops which are intended to co-operate with the 
 fleet against the enemy's force on the upper lakes. So soon as I may be directed by 
 you to order major Holmes on that command, and to furnish him with the necessary 
 troops, I shall do so ; but not till then shall he, or any other part of my force, leave 
 the sod.'f In another letter to general Harrison, he remarks : ' I know not how to 
 account for the secretary of war's assuming to himself the right of designating major 
 Holmes for this command to Macinaw. My ideas on the subject may not be correct ; 
 yet for the sake of the principle, were I a general commanding a district, I would be 
 very far from suffering the secretary of war, or any other authority to interfere with 
 my internal police.'* This order to major Holmes would authorize the inference that 
 the secretary may have had other correspondence with him or other inferior olficers 
 of the district. It was evidently a course of conduct indicating a very diiierent state 
 of feeling towards the only successful general of the previous campaigns, from that 
 implied by the unlimited powers confided to him in 1812-'13. Of the impolicy and 
 great indelicacy, of a secretary at war interfering in the internal arrangements of the 
 district confided to a commanding general, abundant evidence is allbrded in the un- 
 mililary order given to colonel Johnson in June, 1813, to march to St. Louis. 
 Colonel Johnson and his regiment were anxious to participate in the contemjilated 
 movements into Canada, and were exceedingly mortified with this order, interfering 
 as well viith their wishes as with the internal police of the commanding general. It 
 was on this trying occasion ihat colonel Johnson, on the 4lh of July, appealed to 
 general Plarrison, to countermand the order ; but the general regarded it as so impera- 
 tive that he would not disobey it. In the colonel's letter, he expressed the wish, 
 'to serve under a general who was brave, skilful, and prudent ;' but general Harri- 
 son would only so far modify the order, as to permit colonel Johnson and his regiment 
 to take Kentucky in the route to St. Louis, in the hope that the horses might be re- 
 cruited, and additional volunteers obtained. In the history of the late war in the 
 west, it is stated, that ' he had scarcely reached Kentucky, before general Harrison had 
 been authorized to recall him, by a letter from the war department, in which the 
 secretary expressed his regret ihat the order for his march had ever reached general 
 Harrison, and that the latter, knowing the impropriety of the order, had not on that 
 grouna delayed its execution. "§ 
 
 » DawBon, 435. t McAITee, 117. J McAfTee, 418. } McAifee, 337. 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 49 
 
 Immediately upon the receipt, by general Harrison, of the notification of the order 
 to maior Holmes, he sent to the war department a resignation ot his commission in 
 the army; accompanied by a letter of the same date, to the president of the United 
 States. The felicity of style, and nobleness of sentiment which characterize that 
 letter, warrant its introduction into tliese sketches : 
 
 Head-quarters, Cincinnati, May 11, 1814. 
 
 Df.ati Sir— I have this day forwarded to the secretary of war my resignation of 
 the commission I hold in the army. 
 
 This measure has not been determined on, without a reference to all the reasons 
 which should influence a citizen, who is sincerely attached to the honor and interests 
 of his country ; who believes that the war in which we are engaged is just and ne- 
 cessary • and that the crisis requires the sacrifice of every private consideration, which 
 could st'and in opposition to the public good. But after giving the subject the most 
 mature consideration, I am perfectly convinced, that my retiring from the army is as 
 compatible with the claims of patriotism, as it is with those of my family, and a pro- 
 per regard for my own feelings and honor. 
 
 I have no other motives in writing this letter than to assure you, that my resigna- 
 tion was not produced by any diminution of the interest I have always taken ni the 
 success of your administration, or of respect and attachment for your person. The 
 former can only take place, when I forget the repubhcan principles in which I have 
 been educated ; and the latter, when I shall cease to regard those ieelings, which must 
 actuate every honest man, who is conscious of favors that it is out of his power to 
 
 repay. ^1'°^ "^^' '^'=- 
 
 ^ -^ HAnRisoiy. 
 
 James Madison, Esq., President United States. 
 
 As soon as governor Shelby understood that general Harrison had forwarded his 
 resignation, he addressed a letter lo the president, urging him to decline an acceptance. 
 The president was 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 re- 
 ceived, until after Armsirong,ivithout the previous consent of the president, had taken 
 upon himself the high prerogative of accepting the resignation. The president ex- 
 pressed his great regret that the letter of governor Shelby had not been received at an 
 earlier date, as in that case the valuable services of general Harrison would have 
 been preserved to the nation in the ensuing campaigns. 
 
 As that letter was written by a veteran soldier who had served under general Har- 
 rison, and also under Gates, Greene, and Marion, of the revolutionary war, by which 
 he was enabled to judge of their comparative merits, we insert it, that the present 
 generation may form some idea of the loss sustained by the nation, in the resignation 
 of general Harrison, produced by the course of general Armstrong in the war office, 
 
 Frankfort, May 15, 1814. 
 Deah SiTi— The interest I feel for the prosperity of our beloved country, at all 
 times, but especially in the common cause in which she is at present engaged, will, I 
 flatter myself, be a sufficient apology for addressing you this letter. The motives 
 which impel me, arise from considerations of public good, and are unknown to the 
 gentleman who is the subject of the letter. 
 
 It is not my intention to eulogize general Harrison ; he is not in need of that 
 aid, his merits are too conspicuous not to be observed ; but it is my intention to ex- 
 press to you with candor, my opinion of the general, founded on personal observation. 
 A rumor has reached this state, which, from the public prints, appears to be be- 
 lieved, that the commanding general of the northern army may be removed from 
 that command. The circumstance has induced me to reflect on the subject, and give 
 the decided preference to major-general Harrison, as a successor. Having served a 
 campaign with general Harrison, by which I have been enabled to form some opi- 
 nion of his military talents, and capacity to command, I feel no hesitation to declare to 
 you, that I believe him to be one of the first military characters I ever knew ; and, m 
 addition to this, he is capable of making greater personal exertions than any olficer 
 with whom I have ever served. I doubt not but it will hereafter be found, that the 
 command of the north-western army, and the various duties attached to it, has been 
 7 E 
 
50 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 one of the most arduous and dilTicuIt tasks ever assigned to any officer in the United 
 States ; yet he surmounted all. 
 
 Impressed with the conviction, that general Harrison is fully adequate to the com- 
 mand of the northern army, should a change take place in that division, I have ven- 
 tured thus freely to state my opinion of him, that he is a consummate general, and 
 would fill that station with ability and honor ; and that if, on the other hand, any 
 arrangement should take place in the war department, which may produce the resig- 
 nation of general Harrison, it will be a misfortune which our country will have 
 cause to lament. His appointment to the command of the northern army would be 
 highly gratifying to the wishes of the western people, except some who may, per- 
 haps, be governed by sinister views. 
 
 I confess the first impressions upon my mind, when informed of the defeat of 
 colonel Dudley's regiment, on the 5th of May last, were unfavorable to general Harri- 
 son's plans ; but on correct information, and a knowledge of his whole plans, I have 
 no doubt but they were well concerted, and might, with certainty, have beeti executed 
 had his orders been strictly obeyed. I mention this subject, because Mr. H. Clay 
 informed me that he had shown you my letter, stating the impressions which that 
 affair had first made upon my mind, on information that was not correct. 
 
 Hoping that my opinion of this meritorious officer will not be unacceptable to you, 
 I have candidly expressed it, and hoping the apology stated in the preceding part of 
 this letter, will justify the liberty taken of intruding opinions unsolicited. 
 
 I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 Isaac Suelbt. 
 
 His Excellency, James Madison, President United States." 
 
 Having resigned his commission, he retired to his farm at " North Bend," fifteen 
 miles below Cincinnati; and in the summer of that year he was, with governor 
 Shelby and general Cass, appointed to treat with some of the tribes of north-western 
 Indians. Governor Shelby declined the appointment, in consequence of his official 
 duties, says the pamphlet referred to, and general Adair was selected in his place. 
 I'he result of this commission was a treaty with the Indians at Greenville. In 1815 
 he was appointed the head of another commission to treat with the Indians relative 
 to the territory held by them previous to the war ; and in the council which was held 
 at Detroit, he succeeded in making satisfactory treaties with nine important tribes. 
 
 At the congressional election of 1816, general Harrison was elected a member of the 
 hjuse of representatives of the United States, for the state of Ohio, by a majority of 
 more than one thousand votes over the aggregate number given to six competitors, 
 and took his seat on the 2d of December. On the 6th of that month he ofiered the 
 following, which was agreed to without a division. 
 
 " Resolved, That the military committee be instructed to inquire into the expediency 
 of providing by law for the relief of such of the officers and soldiers, who, having 
 faithfully served in the armies of the United States, are now in distressed circuin 
 stances, and who, not having received wounds or disal)ilities, whilst in actual service, 
 are excluded from the benefits of the pension laws, and that the said committee report 
 by bill or otherwise." 
 
 On the 30th of January, on his motion, the military committee was instructed to 
 inquire into the expediency of granting a bounty of one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land to all non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the army, who, having been enlist- 
 ed previous to the 24th of December, 1811, are not entitled to said bounty, but who, 
 having served faithfully through said war, have obtained an honorable discharge. 
 
 These propositions laid the foundation for the measures which so materially benefit- 
 ed the widows and orphans of the brave soldiers of the late war, who were objects of 
 general Harrison's special care. 
 
 During the session of 1817 — 18, a bill was before the house to increase the com- 
 pensation of members of congress from six dollars per day to nine dollars per day, and 
 a motion being made (January G, 1818) to strike out "nine" and insert "six" dollars 
 as the daily compensation, general Harrison said that 
 
 '• in explaming what would otherwise appear an inconsistency in the vote he was 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 51 
 
 about to give, he was aware that in order to preserve in congress talents of a proper 
 grade, and to enable men of moderate property to come to congress without loss, a 
 higher compensation was necessary than had heretofore been allowed to members of 
 congress. But," said he, "holding, as we do, the key of the treasury, we ought not 
 to do ourselves even justice, before we do it to others whose claims are stronger, and 
 of longer standing. Whenever justice shall be done to the sufferers in the war of 
 the revolution, and not till then, I shall be prepared to do justice to ourselves." 
 
 [The revolutionary pension bill had not then become a law, though it did pass 
 before the close of that session.] 
 
 On the day following, (.January 7,) the same bill being on its third reading, general 
 Harrison said, " he was persuaded that the members of the house who had voted for 
 a compensation beyond the ancient allowance of six dollars, had voted under great 
 embarrassment, pressed as they were on the one hand by a sense of duty and justice, 
 and on the other by that delicacy which must be felt when they were acting as judges 
 in their own cause. He thought, however, that there was a mode by which their 
 feelings might be saved, and which, if adopted, would be as highly acceptable to the 
 people as it would be honorable to their representatives. It would evince a disinte- 
 restedness and magnanimity whicii could not fail to produce the most happy effects, 
 and finally fix the compensation at the sum which their disinterested judgments 
 should deem right. Being satisfied that it was a question to be determined rather by 
 feeling than argument, he would say no more, but submit a resolution to recommit 
 the bill, witli instructions to amend it so far as to fix the compensation for the pre- 
 sent cortgress at six dollars, and for the ensuing congresses at eight dollars." 
 
 The motion to recommit, &c., was lost, however, by a large majority, and the bill 
 passed as it stood, (applying to the existing congress,) by yeas 109, nays 16 ; general 
 Harrison voted in the negative. (See Niles, vol. xiii, p. 328.) 
 
 On the 20th of January, 1818, he introduced the following resolution, and advo- 
 cated it in the eloquent speech inserted below. See Niles, vol. xiii. pp. 357, 384. 
 
 "Resolved, That a committee be appointed jointly with such committee as may be 
 appointed by the senate, to consider and report what measures it may be proper to 
 adopt, to manifest the public respect for the memory of general Thaddeus Kosciusko, 
 formerly an officer in the service of the United States, and the uniform and distin- 
 guished friend of liberty and the rights of man. 
 
 The public papers have announced an event which is well calculated to excite the 
 sympathy of every American bosom. Kosciusko, the martyr of liberty, is no more ! 
 We are informed that he died at Soleure, in France, some time in October last. 
 
 In tracing the events of this great man's life, we find in him that consistency of 
 conduct which is the more to be admired as it is so rarely to be met with. He was 
 not at one time the friend of mankind, and at another the instrument of their op- 
 pression, but he preserved throughout his whole career those noble principles which 
 distinguished him in its commencement — which influenced him at an early period of 
 his life to leave his country and his friends, and in another hemisphere to fight for the 
 rights of humanity. 
 
 Kosciusko was born and educated in Poland, of a noble and distinguished family — 
 a country where the distinctions in society are perhaps carried to greater lengths than 
 in any other. His Creator had, however, endowed him with a soul capable of rising 
 above the narrow prejudices of a cast, and of breaking the shackles which a vicious 
 education had imposed on his mind. 
 
 When very young, he was informed, by the voice of Fame, that the standard of 
 liberty had been erected in America ; that an insulted and oppressed people had deter- 
 mined to be free, or perish in the attempt. His ardent and generous mind caught 
 with enthusiasm the holy flame, and from that moment he became the devoted soldier 
 of liberty. 
 
 His rank in the American army afforded him no opportunity greatly to distinguish 
 himself. But he was remarked throughout his service, for all the qualities which 
 adorn the human character. His heroic conduct in the field, could only be equalled 
 by his moderation and aflability in the v^falks of private life. He was idolized by the 
 soldiers for his bravery, and beloved and respected by the officers for the goodness of 
 his heart, and the great qualities of his mind. 
 
52 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. , 
 
 Contributing greatly, by his exertions, to the establishment of the independence of 
 America, he might have remained, and shared the blessings it dispensed, under the 
 protection of a chief who loved and honoured him, and in the bosom of a grateful 
 and affectionate people. 
 
 Kosciusko had, however, other views. It is not known that, until the period I am 
 speaking of, he had formed any distinct idea of what could, or indeed what ought, to 
 be done for his own. But in the revolutionary war he drank deeply of the principles 
 which produced it. In his conversations with the intelligent men of our country, he 
 acquired new views of the science of government and the rights of man. He had 
 seen too that to be free it was only necessary that a nation should will it, and to be 
 happy it was only necessary that a nation should be free. And was it not possible 
 to procure these blessings for Poland] For Poland, the covmtry of his birth, which 
 had a claim to all his efforts, to all his services'! That unhappy nation groaned 
 under a complication of evils which has scarcely a parallel in history. The mass of 
 the people were the abject slaves of the nobles — the nobles, torn into factions, were 
 alternately the instruments and the victims of their powerful and amliitious neigh- 
 bours. By intrigue, corruption, and force, some of its fairest provinces had been se- 
 parated from the republic, and the people, like beasts, transferred to foreign despots, 
 who were again watching for a favorable moment for a second dismemberment. To 
 regenerate a people thus debased — to obtain for a country thus circumstanced, the 
 blessings of liberty and independence, was a work of as much difficulty as danger. 
 But to a mind like Kosciusko's the difficulty and danger of an enterprise served as 
 stimulants to undertake it. 
 
 The annals of these times give us no detailed account of the progress of Kosci- 
 usko in accomplishing his great work, from the period of his return from America to 
 the adoption of the new constitution of Poland, in 1791. This interval, however, of 
 apparent inaction, was most usefully employed to illumine the mental darkness which 
 enveloped his countrymen. To stimulate the ignorant and bigoted peasantry with 
 the hope of future emancipation — to teach a proud but gallant nobility that true glory 
 is only to be found in the paths of duty and patriotism — interests the most opposed, 
 prejudices the most stubborn, and habits the most inveterate, were reconciled, dissi- 
 pated, and broken, by the ascendancy of his virtues and example. The storm which 
 he had foreseen, and for which he had been preparing, at length burst upon Poland. 
 A feeble and unpopular government bent before its fury, and submitted itself to the 
 Russian yoke of the invader. But the nation disdained to follow its example ; in 
 their extremity every eye was turned on the hero who had already fought their battles 
 — the sage who had enlightened them, and the patriot who had set the example of 
 personal sacrifices to accomplish the emancipation of the people. 
 
 Kosciusko was unanimously appointed generalissimo of Poland, with unlimited 
 powers, until the enemy should be driven from the country. On Ids virtue the nation 
 reposed with the utmost confidence ; and it is some consolation to reflect, amidst the 
 general depravity of mankind, that two instances, in the same age, have occurred, 
 where powers of this kind were employed solely for the purposes for which they were 
 given. 
 
 It is not my intention, sir, to follow the Polish chief throughout the career of vic- 
 tory, which, for a considerable time crowned his efforts. Guided by his talents, and 
 led by his valor, his undisciplined, illy armed militia charged with effect the veteran 
 Russian and Prussian : the mailed cuirassiers of the great Frederic, for the first time, 
 broke and fled before the lighter and appropriate cavalry of Poland. Hope filled the 
 breasts of the patriots. After a long night, the dawn of an apparently glorious day 
 broke upon Poland. But to the discerning eye of Kosciusko, the light which it shed 
 was of that sickly and portentous appearance, indicating a storm more dreadful than 
 that which he had resisted. 
 
 He prepared to meet it with firmness, but with means entirely inadequate. To the 
 advantages of numi)ers, of tactics, of discipline, and inexhaustible resources, the 
 combined despots had secured a faction in the heart of Poland. And if that country 
 can boast of having produced its Washington, it is disgraced also by giving birth to 
 a second Arnold. The day at length came which was to decide the fate of a nation 
 and a hero. Heaven, for wise purposes, determined that it should be the last of 
 Polish liberty. It was decided, indeed, before the battle commenced. The traitoi 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 53 
 
 Poniski, who covered with a detachment the advance of the Polish army, abandoned 
 his position to the enemy, and retreated. 
 
 Kosciusko was astonished, but not dismayed. The disposition of his army would 
 have done honor to Hannibal. The succeeding conflict was terrible. When the 
 talents of the general could no longer direct the mingled mass of combatants, the arm 
 of the warrior was brought to the aid of his soldiers. He performed prodigies of 
 valor. The fabled prowess of Ajax, in defending the Grecian ships, was realized by 
 the Polish hero. Nor was he badly seconded by his troops. As long as his voice 
 could guide, or his example fire their valor, they were irresistible. In this unequal 
 contest, Kosciusko was long seen, and finally lost to their view. 
 
 'Hope for a season bade the world farewell, 
 And freedom shriek'd when Kosciusko fell.' 
 
 He fell covered with wounds, but still survived. A Cossack would have pierced 
 his breast, when an officer interposed. ' Suffer him to execute his purpose,' said the 
 bleeding hero, ' I am the devoted soldier of my country, and will not survive its liber- 
 ties.' The name of Kosciusko struck to the heart of the Tartar, like that of Marius 
 upon the Cimbrian warrior. The uplifted weapon dropped from his hand. 
 
 Kosciusko was conveyed to the dungeons of Petersburgh — and, to the eternal 
 disgrace of the empress Catharine, she made him the object of her vengeance, when 
 he could no longer be the object of her fears. Her more generous son restored hira 
 to liberty. The remainder of his life has been spent in virtuous retirement. Whilst 
 in this situation in France, an anecdote is related of him which strongly illustrates 
 the command which his virtues and his services had obtained over the minds of his 
 countrymen. 
 
 In the late invasion of France, some Polish regiments, in the service of Russia, 
 passed through the village in which he lived. Some pillaging of the inhabitants 
 brought Kosciusko from his cottage. ' When I was a Polish soldier,' said he, address- 
 ing the plunderers, 'the property of the peaceful citizen was respected.' 'And who 
 art thou,' said an officer, 'who addresses us with this tone of authority 1' 'I am 
 Kosciusko.' — There was magic in the word. It ran from corps to corps. The march 
 was suspended. They gathered round him. and gazed, with astonishment a;id awe, 
 upon the mighty ruin he presented. ' Could it indeed be their hero,' whose fame- 
 was identified with that of their country 1 A thousand interesting reflections burst 
 upon their minds ; they remembered his patriotism, his devotion to liberty, his tri- 
 umphs, and his glorious fall. Their iron hearts were softened, and the tear of sensi- 
 bility trickled down their weather-beaten faces. We can easily conceive, sir, what 
 would be the feelings of the hero himself in such a scene. His great heart must have 
 heaved with emotion, to find himself once more surrounded by the companions of 
 his glory ; and that he would have been upon the point of saying to them : — 
 
 'Behold your general, come once more 
 To lead you on to laurel'd victory. 
 To fame, to freedom.' 
 
 The delusion could have lasted but for a moment. He was himself, alas! a 
 miserable cripple ; and, for them ! they were no longer the soldiers of liberty, but the 
 instruments of ambition and tyranny. Overwhelmed with grief at the reflection, he 
 would retire to his cottage, to mourn afresh over the miseries of his country. 
 
 Such was the man, sir, for whose memory I ask from an American congress, a 
 slight tribute of respect. Not. sir, to perpetuate his fame — but our gratitude. His 
 fame will last as long as liberty remains upon the earth ; as long as a votary offers 
 incense upon her altar, the name of Kosciusko will be invoked. And if, by the common 
 consent of the world, a temple shall be erected to those who have rendered most 
 service to mankind, if the statue of our great countryman shall occupy the place of 
 the 'most worthy,' that of Kosciusko will be found by his side, and the v/reath of 
 laurel will be entwined with the palm of virtue to adorn his brow." 
 
 In the House of Representatives, January "2, 
 Mr. Harrison, of Ohio, offered the following resolution. 
 Resolved, That this house, entertain the highest respect for the memory of genera] 
 
54 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 Kosciusko, his services, &c. the members thereof will testify the same by wearing 
 crape on the left arm for one month. 
 
 After some debate, Mr. Harrison withdrew his resolution altogether." 
 
 On the above the National Intelligencer remarks : — " The short debate on this 
 question is reserved, but shall certainly be given at a future Jay, in justice to the 
 subject. It is enough now to state, that the merits of Kosciusko, the advocate of 
 freedom, and the friend of man, were fully admitted ; but, it was shown, that no 
 such respect as was now proposed had been paid to any of the departed worthies 
 native or foreign, who had aided in the achievement of our independence, except in 
 the single case of general Washington, which was admitted to be an exception to all 
 general rulers. Having, as recently as 1810, refused a like tribute to the memory of 
 colonel William Washington, on his decease, it was too late now, it was deemed, to 
 commence a new system in this respect." 
 
 The above are but a few evidences of general Harrison's zeal, ability, and usefulness 
 in the house of representatives, and of his great desire to promote individual happiness, 
 and the national honor and vi-elfare. He was ready and eloquent in debate ; and in 
 the minor details of duty his conduct was marked by the most exemplary punctuality 
 and attention, especially to the interests of his immediate constituents. 
 
 On the nth of March, 1816, the speaker of the house of representatives of the 
 United States laid before that body the following letter from General Harrison, solicit- 
 ing an inquiry into the expenditure of public money in the eighth military district, 
 while under his command ; which was read and referred to the committee on public 
 expenditure. See Niles, vol. x. pp. 46 and 88. 
 
 "North Bend, Ohio, Dec. 20, 1815. 
 
 "Sir — I should apologize for this intrusion upon the time of the house of represent- 
 atives, if I considered the subject upon which I address them exclusively of a private 
 and personal nature. Although the investigation I solicit is of the utmost importance 
 to myself, it will, I conceive, be readily admitted, that both the national honor and 
 interest are deeply concerned in the result. My object is to obtain an inquiry into the 
 expenditure of public money within the eighth military district, whilst under my com- 
 mand, and particularly whatever relates to the supplies of provision by the speciij 
 commissaries of the United States, and under the contract of Messrs. Orr and Greely. 
 My reasons for making this application, and the particular claim I conceive myself to 
 have upon the indulgence of the house of representatives, are most respectfully sub- 
 mitted to them, through you, sir, in the following statement : — 
 
 Shortly after the adjournment of congress in 1814, I was informed that the honor- 
 able Mr. Fisk, the chairman of a committee which had been appointed to inquire into 
 some complaints of the army contractors, had declared to one of the western delega- 
 tion, that documents had been submitted to that committee which were deeply injurious 
 to my public character, I immediately addressed a letter to Mr. Fisk of Vermont, 
 demanding an explanation of this declaration. From the answer of this gentleman I 
 learned that I had mistaken him for another of the same name, a representative from 
 the state of New York, and who was the chairman of the committee alluded to. To 
 the latter, at the commencement of the last session of congress, a similar letter was 
 sent. In his answer he denied having used the expressions concerning me, which had 
 been made to the committee supported by authentic documents, chiefly my own letters, 
 all showing a wonderful inconsistency in the orders given to the contractors for sup- 
 plying the army with provisions. Being perfectly convinced that these documents 
 were very artful mutil;itions of my letters to the contractors and the secretary of war, 
 I transmitted to Mr. Fisk, through the honorable Mr. Hawkins of Kentucky, all the 
 original letters and papers in my possession relating to the subject of the supplies I 
 had demanded of Orr and Greely. These papers were accompanied l.y an explanatory 
 statement from me, and a request to Mr. Hawkins to bring the alfair before congress, 
 should he deem it necessary to the vindication of my character. It was not until very 
 late in the session that Mr. Fisk could spare a moment from his public duties to devote 
 to mj- affair. In the answer, however, with which he honored me, he was pleased to 
 «!xprcss much satisfaction at the information contained in my memoir, and to add, that 
 'i{ the documents (which accompanied it) had been exhibited to the committee of 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. S5 
 
 investigation, they would, he was persuaded, have made an impression upon the minds 
 of that committee diflerent from that produced by the imperfect information which 
 was received.' That a committee should have thought proper to investigate the con- 
 duct of a general oflicer commanding an army, without his knowing it, and to suffer 
 their minds to receive unfavorable impressions concerning him, upon the imperfect 
 information furnished by his enemies, is, I am persuaded, a novel procedure with the 
 representatives of the people, who are the guardians of their rights and privileges, I 
 am confident, however, that the committee acted from no previous hostility to me ; 
 and I attribute their conduct to inadvertency, produced by the pressure of important 
 business at the momentous period of our aflairs. It is nevertheless certain, that these 
 impressions of the committee have been communicated to others, and malice and hatred 
 have given them currency in a considerable portion of the union. To resist this tor- 
 rent of calumny, I have no alternative but to solicit an investigation. If the granting 
 of this favor is beyond the merits of an officer who has spent the greatest portion of 
 his life in the service of the public, it will be accorded to the claims of the nation, and 
 to the vindication of the lionor and character of the countiy. The annals of the late 
 war will not record the treachery of a second Arnold, but they will give to posterity 
 an instance of military crime scarcely less detestable than that foul blot in our revolu- 
 tionary history. If any other officer of high rank and trust can be truly charged 
 with a crime so disgraceful as that of speculating upon the funds of his army, it will, 
 in the estimation of the world, detract largely from the blaze of renown with which 
 the achievements of Brown and Jackson have encircled the nation ; and I humbly 
 conceive, that no pains should be spared to ascertain the guilt or innocence of the 
 late war, for the diversion of the public funds to individual purjioses would have been 
 equally fatal with treason, and merits punishment as severe. For myself, I was well 
 aware that the treasury could scarcely answer the weighty demands which were 
 made upon it by the military department ; and knowing, as I well did, the heroic valor 
 of our countrymen, in common with every patriot — I believed that America had no 
 cause of alarm but for the inadequacy of her fiscal arrangements. To some it may 
 appear idle to speak of punishing a man for a miUtary crime who no longer holds a 
 military commission. The right of the government to do this, however, is in my 
 opinion incontrovertible. The principle being as well settled as any other in relation 
 to the proceedings and jurisdiction of courts martial, which are derived from the 
 ' custom of war.' It was the practice of all the ancient republics, and in England, 
 from whence we derive our military as well as our civil common law ; the precedent 
 was established in the case of lord George Sackville, who for alleged misconduct at 
 the battle of Minden, was brought before a military tribunal and cashiered long after 
 his resignation had been accepted. If in the inquiry I solicit, any thing should ap- 
 pear to create a doubt as to the purity of my conduct in the command of the army 
 'that was entrusted to me, let a court martial decide my fate. I promise most solemnly 
 to admit its jurisdiction and abide its decision. 
 
 I make this application to the house of representatives with the fullest confidence 
 that it will not be rejected : It is the only reward I claim for a long course of laborious 
 and faithful service. The greater the latitude which is given to the inquiry, the 
 better shall I like it : and I most respectfully request tliat it may embrace the follow- 
 ing points : Whether any supplies were ever demanded by me of the contractors, Orr 
 and Greely, which were not called for by the state of the array, and warranted by the 
 conditions of their contract : Whether any injustice was done to the said Orr and 
 Cfteely, by any order given by me to the purchasing or special commissaries of the 
 army : Whether there is reason to believe that any sentiment of hostility existed in 
 my mind towards the said contractors, and which operated injuriously to their inter- 
 ests, either by forcing them to do what was unnecessary, or withholding from them 
 any thing that they had a right to claim : Whether there is any reason to believe that 
 any connection (other than that which the relations of our commissions necessarily 
 produced) existed between myself and any of the stalT officers of the army ; and 
 generally whatever relates to the expenditure of public money for the support of the 
 north-western army, as far as I may have been concerned. 
 
 These points will embrace every thing that any but a military tribunal is competent 
 to decide. The inquiry will, I trust, produce a perfect conviction that the measures* 
 
56 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 which were adopted, were those alone by which the subsistence of the army could 
 have been maintained. 
 
 I have forwarded to the representatives of the district in which I live, a number of 
 original documents with an explanatory statement, these, together with the testimony 
 of colonel Morrison, late quartcr-master-general, and Mr. Piatt, late purchasing commis- 
 sarv, both of whom will be at the seat of government, will furnish every information 
 necessary to my vindication. With the highest consideration, I have the honor to be, 
 sir, your humble servant, 
 
 Wm. Hknut IlAnnisoTT, 
 Late major general in the United States army. 
 
 The honorable the speaker of the house of representatives. 
 
 On the 29th of April the whole subject was referred to the secretary of war, with 
 directions to report thereon at the next session. 
 
 At the next session, the secretary of war made a report, which was referred to a 
 select committee, at the head of which was colonel Richard M. Johnson, the present 
 vice-president of the United States. On the 22d of January, 1817, the committee 
 made the following report. See Niles, vol. xi. p. 396. 
 
 '' The select committee of the house of representatives, to whom \\d.s referred 
 the letter and documents from the acting secretary of war, on the subject of general 
 Harrison's letter, ask leave to Report — That they have investigated the facts involved 
 in this inquiry-, by the examination of documents, and a great number of most re- 
 spectable witnesses, personally acquainted with the transactions from which the 
 inquiry originated. And the committee are unanimously of opinion, that general 
 Harrison stands above suspicion, as to his having any pecuniary or improper connec- 
 tion v.'ith the officers of the commissariat for the supply of the army ; that he did not 
 wantonly or improperly interfere with the rights of the contractors, and that he was, 
 in his measures, governed by the proper zeal and devotion to the public interest 
 
 The committee beg leave to be discharged from the further consideration of the 
 subject ; and as the papers refer in part to the conduct and transactions of the con- 
 tractors of the north-western army, where accounts are unsettled, and only incident- 
 ally involved in this inquiry, that the papers be transmitted to the department of 
 war. 
 
 After the report was read, Mr. Hulbkiit said, that having the honor to be one of 
 the committee who made the report which was tlien before the house, he felt it his 
 duty to make a few remarks upon it. 
 
 The committee, he said, considered the subject an important one. It was in- 
 teresting to the public, and highly and especially so to general Harrison. The cha- 
 racter of that gentleman had been impeached. They, therefore, determined to make 
 the investigation as full and thorough as should be in their power. With such views 
 and sentiments they entered upon the inquiry. They had notified a gentleman who 
 bad made charges in writing against the general, and requested his attendance upon 
 the committee, and he had more than once attended. They had read and considered 
 all the documents and papers which they could obtain, and which they thought calcu- 
 lated to throw light on the inquirv, and had examined many respectable witnesses, 
 and the investigation had resulted in a tirm belief, and a unanimous oi)inion of the 
 committee, that the insinuations and complaints which had been made against general 
 Harrison, and wliich were the fomidation of his application to congress, were unmerit- 
 ed, groundless, and unjust. 
 
 Mr. Hulbert said it gave him pleasure to make these declarations. He considered him- 
 self doing an act of justice to an injured individual. He said he must acknowledge, that 
 he had entertained impressions very unfavorable to the general. The complaints, 
 which had been made against him, had spread far and wide. The banc and antidote 
 had not gone together. He. rejoiced that this inquiry had been made, and he had ni> 
 he-itation in saying, that, so far as the report of the committee should defend, befora 
 the public, the conduct and character of general Harrison, it would promote tlio causft 
 of truth and justice. 
 
 Mr. Hulbert said, that the general had been charged with unjust and oppressdvo 
 conduct, in relation to the contractors in the army under his command. He said he 
 was entirely satisfied that the geaeial had interfered only in those cases, where he 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 57 
 
 thought his duty to the public imperiously required it. In saying this, he meant to 
 cast no imputation upon the contractors ; he spoke only of what he beUeved to be the 
 motives of general Harrison. 
 
 The most serious accusation against the general was, that, while he was command- 
 er-in-chief in the west, regardless of his country's good, he was in the habit of man- 
 aging the public concerns with a view to his own private interest and emolument. — 
 Mr. Hulbert said he could not refrain from pronouncing this a false and cruel accusa- 
 tion. He was confident that directly the reverse was true. There luas the. most satis- 
 factory evidence, that the general, in the exercise of his official duties, in his devotion 
 to the public interest, had neglected his private concerns, to his material deiriment and 
 injury. In a word, said Mr. Hulbert, I feel myself authorized to say, that every 
 member of the committee is fully satisfied, that the conduct of general Harrison, in 
 relation to the subject matter of this inquiry, has been that of a brave, honest, and 
 honorable man ; that, instead of deserving censure, he merits tlie thanks and applause 
 of his country." 
 
 Tiie committee was discharged from the further consideration of the subject, and 
 the papers transmitted to the war department. 
 
 The enemies of general Harrison's fame have endeavoured to pervert the proceed- 
 ings in the senate in 1816, in relation to the proposition to present him with a gold 
 medal and the thanks of congress, and thus to create an impression that he was 
 deemed unworthy of such a distinguished honor. The following is a faithful 
 account of the proceedings. 
 
 In Niles, vol. x. p. 125, will be found the following among the proceedings of the 
 senate, on the 13th of April, 1816. 
 
 "The senate resumed the consideration of the joint resolution directing medals to 
 he struck, and, together with the thanks of congress, presented to major-general 
 Harrison and governor Shelby, and for other purposes. 
 
 After some discussion on the expediency of adopting such a resolution at this time, 
 and of coupling the name of general Harrison and governor Shelby — 
 
 Mr. LACOCK moved to amend the resolution by striking therefrom 'major-general 
 William Henry Harrison.' 
 
 This motion was determined in the affirmative by the following vote : 
 
 Yeas — Messrs. Dana, Gaillard, Gore, Hunter, King, LACOCK, Mason, N. H. Ro- 
 berts, Tait, Thompson, Tichenor, Turner, Varnum — 1.3. 
 
 Nays — Barbour, Barry, Condict, Horsey, Macon, Morrow, Ruggles, Talbot, Wells, 
 Williams— 11. 
 
 The further consideration of the subject was then postponed to a day in next week, 
 on motion of Mr. Roberts." 
 
 On the 20th of the same month, Niles, vol. x. p. 151, " The senate resumed the 
 consideration of the resolution for presenting medals and the thanks of congress to 
 major-general Harrison and governor Shelby. On the question to concur in the 
 previous decision to strike out the name of major-general William Henry Harrison, 
 it was decided in the negative, as follows : 
 
 YetM— Messrs. Campbell, Daggett, Gaillard, Gore, King, LACOCK, Mason, N. H. 
 Mason, Va. Roberts, Tait, Tichenor, Turner, Varnum — 13. 
 
 Nays — Messrs. Barbour, Barry, Chace, Condict, Harper, Horsey, Macon, Morrow, 
 Ruggles, Sanford, Talbot, Wells, Williams, Wilson — 14. 
 
 The resolution was then, on motion of Mr. Horsey, recommitted to the military 
 committee." ^ 
 
 When governor Shelby heard of the effort in the senate to strike out general 
 Harrison's name, he wrote to his old commantler, under date of May 16th, 1816, as 
 follows ; " Don't let the conduct of the senate disturb your mind. I hope their resolu- 
 tion has been laid over as to both of us. The moment I heard of the course it was 
 Uke to take, I wrote instantly to Mr. Clay, and expressed my regret that it had been 
 introduced, and how mortified I should feel to be noticed, if you were not included, 
 who had render^ ten times more service to the nation than I had." 
 
58 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 The military committee did not report on the subject at that session; but at the next 
 session,, on the 34th of March, 1818, (Niles, vol. xiv. p. 185,) Mr. Dickerson, of 
 the United Slates senate, formerly governor of New Jersey, and recently secretary of 
 the navy, a man of the purest patriotism, and the most honorable character, agreeably 
 to notice given on the previous day, asked leave to introduce a resolution oflering 
 the thanks of congress to major-general Wm. Henry Harrison and Isaac Shelby, 
 late governor of Kentucky, for their distinguished bravery and good conduct in cap- 
 turing the British army, under the command of major-general Proctor, at the battle 
 of the Thames, in Upper Canada, on the 5th of October, 1813. 
 
 I should not, said, Mr. Dickerson, at this late day, highly as I think of the merits 
 of those officers who, in co-operation with the hero of Lake Erie, turned the tide of 
 war in our favor, bring forward the present resolution, if no similar attempt had 
 heretofore been made in their favor, but would leave their fame to rest upon the testi- 
 mony of impartial history, which has already done ample justice to their characters. 
 
 Two years ago, a resolution like the present, was reported to this house by the 
 chairman of the committee on military affairs, by direction of that committee. This 
 resolution was opposed on two grounds, applying solely to general Harrison, as I 
 have been informed (for I had not then the honor of being a member of this body) — 
 the first, that an inquiry was at that time depending before the house of representa- 
 tives, into the official conduct of general Harrison, as commander-in-chief of the 
 north-western army, upon charges which, if well founded, were calculated essenti- 
 ally to injure his character; the second, that a rumor prevailed, that general Harrison 
 had discovered some reluctance in pursuing Proctor and his army, after Perry's victory 
 on Lake Erie, and that he had been forced to the pursuit by the remonstrances of go- 
 vernor Shelby, and that this information had beeji derived from the declarations of 
 governor Shelby. These charges, utterly unfounded, as they turned out to be, were 
 deemed a sufficient reason for postponing a decision of the report of the committee, 
 until the result of the inquiry before the house of representatives should at least be 
 known. The resolution, after some discussion, was referred to the committee who 
 reported it, further to consider and report thereon. As the session was near to its 
 close, no further report was made, and indeed no further report could with propriety 
 have been made, until the investigation before the house of representatives should be 
 brought to a termination. This did not happen till the 23d of January, 1817, a little 
 more than u month before the termination of a very important session, when the 
 public business of the most pressing kind required the entire attention of congress, 
 so that this subject could not with propriety have been renewed until the present 
 session. 
 
 As the friends of general Harrison have in their power completely to obviate every 
 obiection heretofore made to the passage of this resolution, it is their duty to bring 
 this subject again before congress, more especially as the journals of this house, if 
 left unexplained, imply a censure upon the conduct of general Harrison, which cer- 
 tainly was never intended. I will confess, for one, from a perusal of the journals of 
 this iiouse, the military reputation of general Harrison, sunk in my estimation : and I 
 believe this confession might be made by three-fourths of the citizens of the United 
 States, who read the proceedings of congress, and who had not an intimate know- 
 ledge of the character and conduct of general Harrison. I should reproach myself 
 for having suffered such an impression to be made upon my mind if the means of 
 correcting it had also been found upon our journals ; those journals did not then afford 
 the means of correct information upon this subject, nor do they till this day. 
 
 As to the first objection, that an investigation was depending in the house of repre- 
 Lsentatives, into the official conduct of general Harrison, the result of that investigation 
 was in the highest degree honorable to his character. The committee to whom the 
 (subject was referred, were unanimously of opinion that general Harrison stood above 
 suspicion of being implicated in the charges exhibited against him, and that in his 
 whole conduct as commander-in-chief of the north-western army, he was governed by 
 a laudable zeal for, and devotion to, the public service and interest. 
 
 The second objection made to the passage of the resolution, if well founded, was 
 calculated to give to governor Shelby the entire and exclusive merit of having urged 
 the pursuit of Proctor and his army. But Shelby, generous as he is brave, disclaims 
 this exclusive merit, in a letter which I will beg leave to read, denies La the most posi- 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 59 
 
 live terms having used the language ascribed to him, and he gives to general Harrison 
 the highest praise for his promptitude and vigilance in pursuing Proctor; for the skill 
 with which he arranged his troops for meeting the enemy, and for his distingui*ed 
 bravery during the battle. He states that the duties of general Harrison, as command- 
 er-m-chief of the north-western army, were in the highest degree arduous ; but thaU 
 Irom the zeal and fidelity with which they were performed, they could not have been 
 committed to better hands. Of these particulars no one could know better, no one 
 could judge better, than governor Shelby. I have many other documents and papers 
 to show that governor Shelby was not mistaken in the statements which lie ha-s 
 made, which I will read if any doubt shall be expressed upon this subject I trust 
 however, that no such doubt will be entertained, and am confident that honorable 
 gentlemen will now, upon a full knowledge of the facts, feel a pleasure in awardin- to 
 general Harrison that testimony of applause which a sense of duty induced them for- 
 merly to withhold. 
 
 I shall not pronounce any encomiums upon the gallantry of the venerable patriot, 
 the intrepiu hero, governor Shelby. His distinguished services during the late war, as 
 well as those of the revolution, will be remembered to the latest posterity— of him and 
 the brave officers and men who, under the command of general Harrison, achieved 
 the glorious victory at the battle of the Thames, one sentiment pervades the union 
 that they merit every mark of distinction which congress, and a grateful country can 
 
 Mr. Dickerson then oflTered the following resolution : 
 
 Resolved, by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of 
 America, m congress assembled. That the thanks of congress be, and they are herebv 
 presented to major-general William Henry Harrison, and Isaac Shelby, late governor 
 ol Kentucky, and through them to the officers and men under their command for 
 their gallantry and good conduct in defeating the combined British and Indian forces 
 under major-general Proctor, on the Thames, in Upper Canada, on the fifth day of 
 October, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen, capturing the entire British army 
 vvith their baggage, camp equipage, and artillery ; and that the president of the United 
 States be requested to cause two gold medals to be struck, emblematical of this 
 triumph, and presented to general Harrison, and Isaac Shelby, late governor of Ken- 
 
 The resolution was modified, by striking out the word « entire," in the seventh line 
 ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, and was subsequently passed by the unani- 
 mous vote of the senate. 
 
 On the 30th of March, this joint resolution was sent to the house of representatives, 
 (Niles, vol. XI v. p. 103,) read three times, and passed, " with one dissenting voice ■"' 
 and on the 4th of April, it received the approval of the president. It is inserted in 
 IN lies, vol. XIV. p. 208, signed according to law. 
 
 The medal is about two inches in diameter ; on the face is a bust of general Har- 
 rison, encircled with the words '^Major-General William H. Harrison:' On the 
 reverse, a female figure, with a spear in her right hand, is in the act of placing with 
 her eft, a laurel crown upon some military trophies, from which is suspended a 
 scroll, bearing the words, " Fort Meigs, Battle of the Thames." It is beautifully 
 executed, and the material is of the finest gold. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OENEHAI, HAERISON DECLIITES A HE-ELECTION TO C0NGHE9S ELECTED TO THE 
 
 STATE SEKATE OF OHIO FALSE CHAHGE AGAINST HIM ABOUT "SELLIIfG DEBTORS 
 
 JxV CEHTAIjr cases" APPOINTED IWIIflSTER TO COLOMBIA RECALLED HT GENE- 
 RAL JACKSON HIS LETTER TO BOLIVAR. 
 
 General Harrison declined a re-election to congress; but yielding to the solicitations 
 ot his friends, he consented to become a candidate for a seat in the state senate of 
 Ohio, to which he was elected in the fall of 1819. In that body he rendered import- 
 
60 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 ant services to the state; but his conduct as a state senator gave rise to one absurd 
 charge, which cannot be better explained and refuted, than by nisert.ng the following 
 Sfrom him in reply to the editor of the •'Hamilton, (Butler co. Ohio) IntelU- 
 
 eencer," in which paper it first appeared. , „„, r. i looi 
 
 S ' << North Bend, Zid December, IS'21. 
 
 Sir— In your paper of the 15th instant, I observed a most violent attack upon 
 eleven other members of the late senate and myself, for a supposed vote given at the 
 last session for the passage of a law to ' sell debtors in certam cases. If such had 
 been our conduct, I acknowledge that we should not only deserve the censure which 
 the writer has bestowed on us, but the execration of every honest man in socie y. 
 An act of this kind is not only opposed to the principles of justice and humanity, 
 but would be a palpable violation of the constitution of the state, which every legis- 
 lator is sworn to support; and sanctioned by a house of representatives and twelve 
 senators, it would indicate a state of depravity which would lill every patriotic bosom 
 with the most alarming anticipations. But the fact is, that no such proposition was 
 ever made in the legislature or even thought of. The act to which the water 
 alludes, has no more relation to the collection of ' debts,' than it has to the discovery 
 of longitude. It was an act for the punishment of offences against the slate and that 
 nart of it which has so deeply wounded the feelings of your corresponden , was 
 passed by the house of representatives, and voted for by the twelve senators, under the 
 Lpression that it was the most mild and humane mode of dealing with the offenders 
 for whose cases it was intended. It was adopted by the house of representatives as a 
 part of the general system of criminal law, which was then undergoing a coniplete 
 revision and amendment; the necessity of this is evinced by the following facts, 
 for several years past, it had become apparent that the Penitentiary system was becom- 
 ing more and more burdensome at every session ; a large appropriation was called tor 
 to meet the excess of expenditure, above the receipts of the establishment. In he com- 
 mencement of the session of 1820, the deficit amounted to near twenty thousand dollars. 
 This growing evil required the immediate interposition of some vigorous legislaUve 
 measure; two were recommended as being likely to produce the effect; first, placing 
 the institution under belter management ; and secondly, lessening the number ot con- 
 victs who were sentenced for short periods, and whose labour was found of course to 
 be most unproductive. In pursuance of the latter principle, thefts to the aaiount ot 
 fifty dollars, or upwards, were subjected to punishment in the Penitentiary, i»stead ot 
 ten dollars, which was the former minimum sum; this was easily done. But the 
 crreat difliculty remained to determine what should be the punishment of those nu- 
 merous larcenies belo^y the sum of fifty dollars. By some, whipping was proposed 
 by others, punishment by hard labor in the county jails, and by others, it was thought 
 best to make them work oa the highways. , . • 
 
 To all these there appeared insuperable objections: fine and imprisonment was 
 adopted by the house of representatives, as the only alternative ; and as it was well 
 known that these vexatious pilferings were generally perpetrated by the most worthless 
 vagabonds in society, it was added that when they could not pay the fines and costs, 
 which are always part of the sentence and punishment, their services should be sold 
 out to any person who would pay their fines and costs for them. This was the 
 clause which was passed, as I believe, by a unanimous vote of the house and stricken 
 out in the senate, in opposition to the twelve who have been denominated. A little 
 further trouble in examining the journals, would have shown your correspondent that 
 this was considered as a substitute for whipping, which was lost in the senate, and in 
 the house by a small majority, after being once passed. 
 
 I think, Mr. Editor, I have said enough to show that this obnoxious law would not 
 have applied to 'unfortunate debtors of sixty-four years,' but to infomous oftenders, 
 who depredate upon the property of their fellow-citizens, and who, by the constituUon 
 of the state, as well as the principle of existing laws, were subject to involuntary ser- 
 vitude. I must confess I had no very sanguine expectations of beneficial effects from 
 this measure, as it would apply to convicts who had attained the age of maturity 
 But I had supposed that a woman or a youth, who was convicted of an oftence, and 
 remained in jail for the payment of th. fine and costs imposed, might with great 
 advantage be transferred to the residence of some decent, virtuous private family, 
 whose preceot and example would greatly lead them back to the paths of virtue, i 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 61 
 
 would appeal to the candor of your correspondent to say whelher if there were an 
 individual confined under the circumstances I have mentioned, for whose fat? he was 
 interested, he would not gladly see him transferred, from the iilthv enclosure of a 
 jail, and the still more filthy inhabitants, to the comfortable mansion of some virtuous 
 citizen, whose admonition would check his vicious propensities, and whose authority 
 over him, would be no more than is exercised over thousands of apprentices in our 
 country, and those bound servants, which are tolerated in our, as well as in every 
 other state in the Union. Far from advocating the abominable principles attributed 
 to me by your correspondent, I think that imprisonment for debt, under any circum- 
 stances but those where fraud is alleged, is at war with the best principles of our 
 constitution, and ought to be abolished. I am, sir, your humble servant, 
 
 i^'^Sned) Wm. Henry Harrison." 
 
 "In the autumn of 1822, general Harrison, being a candidate for congress, publish- 
 ed a short address to the voters of his district, in which he sums up his political prin- 
 ciples. We subjoin a portion of it,* breathing the pure spirit of sound republicanism. 
 
 ' I believe, that upon the preservation of the union of the states depends the exist- 
 ence of our civil and religious liberties ; and that the cement which binds it together 
 is not a parcel of words, written upon paper or parchments, but the brotherly love 
 and regard which the citizens of the several states possess for each other. Destroy 
 this, and the beautiful fabric which was reared and embellished by our ancestors 
 crumbles into ruins. From its disjointed parts no temple of liberty will again 
 be reared. Discord and wars will succeed to peace and harmony— barbarism 
 will again overspread the land; or, what is scarcely better^ some kindly tyrant 
 will promulgate the decrees of his will, from the seat where a Washington and 
 a Jefferson dispensed the blessings of a free and equal government. 1 believe it, 
 therefore, to be the duty of a representative to conciliate, by every possible means, the 
 members of our great political family, and always to bear in mind that as the union 
 was effected only by a spirit of mutual concession and forbearance, so only can it 
 be preserved.' 
 
 In the year 1824, the legislature of Ohio elected general Harrison to the senate of 
 the United States, in which body, soon after taking his seat, he succeetied general 
 Jackson as chairman of the committee on military alTairs. While a member of that 
 body, among other measures, he strongly advocated a bill giving a preference, in the 
 appointment of cadets to the military academy at West Point, to the sons of those 
 who had fallen in battle, in their country's service. 
 
 While in the senate, John Randolph, of Virginia, took occasion to renew an old 
 charge against general Harrison, of his having been a black-cockade federalist of '98, 
 and of having voted for the alien and sedition laws of that period. As soon as Mr! 
 Randolph had taken his seat, general Harrison rose, and with remarkable coolness and 
 temper, considering the virulent and unprovoked character of the attack, he observed : 
 'that the extraordinary manner in which his name had been brought before the 
 senate, by the senator from Virginia, probably required some notice from him though 
 he scarcely knew how to treat such a charge as had been advanced against him 
 seriously. The gentleman had charged him with being a black-cockade federalist of 
 98, and with having voted for the standing army and the alien and sedition laws. Ho 
 had not so fertile a memory as the gentleman from Virginia, nor could he at command 
 call up all the transactions of nearly thirty years ago. He could say, however, that at 
 the time alluded to, he was not a party man in the sense the senator from Virginia 
 used. He was a delegate of a territory which was just then rising into importance, 
 and having no vote on the general questions before congress, it was neither his duty 
 nor the interest of those whom he represented to plunge into the turbulent sea of 
 general politics which then agitated the nation. There were questions of great im- 
 portance to the north-western territory before congress, questions upon the proper 
 settlement of which, the future prosperity of that now important portion of the Union 
 greatly depended. Standing as he did, the sole representative of that territory, his great- 
 est ambition was to prove himself faithful to his trust, by cherishing its interests, and 
 nothing could ha ve been more suicidal or pernicious to those he represented, than for 
 
 * Sketches, &c. 
 F 
 
62 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-EOOK. 
 
 him to exasperate either party by becoming a violent partisan, without the power of 
 aiding either party, because he had no vote on any political question. This was his 
 position, and although he had his political principles as firmly fixed as those of the 
 gentleman from Virginia, it was no business of his to strike where he could not be 
 felt, and where the blow must recoil upon himself and those whom he represented. 
 He wore no cockade, black or tri-colored, at that day — and never wore one but when 
 he was in the military service of his country. But he was seriously charged with 
 the heinous offence of association with ftderal gentlemen. He plead guilty — he 
 respected the revolutionary services of president Adams, and had paid him that cour- 
 tesy which was due to him as a man and as chief magistrate. He also associated 
 with such men as John Marshall and James A. Bayard — was the acknowledgment 
 of such guilt to throw him out of the pale of political salvation ? 
 
 On the other hand he was on intimate terms with Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Gallatin, and 
 with the whole Virginia delegation, among whom he had many kinsmen and dear 
 friends. They were his principal associates in Philadelphia, in whose mess he had 
 often met the gentleman who was now his accuser, and with whom he had spent 
 some of the happiest hours of his life. It was true, as the senator had alleged, he had 
 been appointed governor of the north-western territory by John Adams — so had he been 
 by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He was not in congress when the standing 
 army was created, and the alien and sedition laws were passed, and if he had been, he 
 could not have voted for them, and would not if he could. It was not in his nature 
 to be a violent or proscriptive partisan, but he had given a firm sufiport to the repub- 
 lican administrations of Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. He hoped the senator from 
 Virginia was answered — he was sure the senate must be wearied with this frivolous 
 and unprofitable squabble.' " 
 
 In the latter part of the year 1828, general Harrison was appointed minister 
 plenipotentiary to the republic of Colombia, and sailed on his mission the 10th of 
 November, from New York, in the United States ship Erie. He arrived at Bogota 
 on the 5th of February, 1829, and presented his credentials on the 27th, and was 
 received in the most flattering manner. Niles, vol. xxxv. p. 181, and vol. xxxvi. p. 121. 
 
 The official government journal, at Bogota, (Niles, vol. xxxvi. p. 134,) on announcing 
 his arrival, said : — " We congratulate Colombia on beholding the interest which is 
 manifested by the government of the United States, to cultivate the friendly relations 
 with this republic, by sending among us so distinguished a citizen as general Harrison. 
 The government has full confidence that his permanent residence in this capital, 
 will contribute generally to strengthen the harmony and good understanding which 
 happily exist between the two nations." 
 
 General Jackson was inaugurated president of the United States on the 4th of 
 March, 1829, and on the 8th of that month, or thirty-one days after general Harrison 
 reached Bogota, he was recalled; and Thomas P. Moore, of Kentucky, appointed his 
 successor. 
 
 The above facts are a sufficient refutation of the charge, that he was recalled in 
 consequence of his interference in the political affairs of Colombia ; for the govern- 
 ment of the United States could not have been officially informed of his arrival at 
 Bogota at the time the appointment was conferred upon Mr. Moore : and it will, also, 
 be seen that general Harrison's celebrated letter to Bolivar, inserted in subsequent 
 pages, was written more than six months after Mr. Moore's appointment, and 
 not delivered to Bolivar until general Harrison's official duties had terminated — for 
 Mr. Moore arrived at Bogota in September, and was presented on the 26th of that 
 month, on which day general Harrison had his audience of leave ; and on the next 
 day, when general Harrison was a private citizen, the letter was written. Bolivar 
 was absent when general Harrison took his leave ; but it is evident, from the follow- 
 ing extract from the address of the council, that the most friendly relations existed 
 between him and the government, at the time of his departure, and that it had no 
 cause to complain of his private or official conduct. 
 
 " In expressing to you, sir, the sentiments of this council towards your govern- 
 ment, it is agreeable to me to declare, that the hopes formed by Colombia, when the 
 appointment was announced of so distinguished a general, and one of the most emi- 
 nent citizens of the oldest republic of America, had been realized by your residence 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 63 
 
 in this capital, as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary near tJds 
 government ; and therefore it is highly satisfactory to me to show the high esteem 
 Which your personal qualities have inspired." 
 
 The following is his letter to Bolivar, which has commanded general admiration by 
 the beauty and energy of its style, and the sound and patriotic admonitions which mark 
 every sentence. It is, indeed, a most eloquent appeal to the best and most noble feel- 
 ings of our nature, and alone should win for the author the respect and admiration of 
 every lover of civil liberty. 
 
 "Bogota, 27 th September, 1829. 
 
 " Sin — If there is any thing in the style, the matter, or the object of this letter, which 
 is calculated to give offence to your excellency, I am persuaded you will readily forgive 
 it, when you reflect on the motives which induced me to write it. An old soldier 
 could possess no feelings but those of the kindest character towards one who has shed 
 80 much lustre on the profession of arms ; nor can a citizen of the country of Wash- 
 ington cease to wish that, in Bolivar, the world might behold another instance of the 
 highest military attainments, united with the purest patriotism, and the greatest capa- 
 city for civil government. 
 
 Such, sir, have been the fond hopes, not only of the people of the United States, 
 but of the friends of liberty throughout the world. I will not say that your excellency 
 has formed projects to defeat these hopes. But there is no doubt that they have not 
 only been formed, but are, at this moment, in progress to maturity, and openly avowed 
 by those who possess your entire confidence. I will not attribute to these men impure 
 motives ; but can they be disinterested advisers T Are they not the very persons who 
 will gain most by the proposed change? — who will, indeed, gain all that is to be 
 gained, without furnishing any part of the equivalent? That that, the price of their 
 future wealth and honors, is to be furnished exclusively by yourself? And of what 
 does it consist ? Your great character. Such a one, that, if a man were wise, and 
 possessed of the empire of the Cassars, in its best days, he would give all to obtain. 
 Are you prepared to make this sacrifice for such an object ? 
 
 I am persuaded that those who advocate these measures have never dared to induce 
 you to adopt them, by any argument founded on your personal interests ; and that, tn 
 succeed, it would be necessary to convince you that no other course remained to save 
 tlie country from the evils of anarchy. This is the question, then, to be examined. 
 
 Does the history of this country, since the adoption of the constitution, really exhi- 
 bit unequivocal evidence that the people are unfit to be free? Is the exploded opinion 
 of a European philosopher, of the last age, that " in the new hemisphere man is a 
 degraded being," to be renewed, and supported by the example of Colombia ? The proofs 
 should, indeed, be strong, to induce an American to adopt an opinion so humiliating. 
 
 Feeling always a deep interest in the success of the revolutions in the late Spanish 
 America, I have never been an inattentive observer of events, pending and posterior 
 to the achievement of its independence. In these events, I search in vain for a single 
 fact to show that, in Colombia at least, the state of society is unsuited to the adoption 
 of a free government. Will it be said that a free government did exist, but, being 
 found inadequate to the objects for which it had been instituted, it has been superseded 
 by one of a different character, with the concurrence of a majority of the people ? 
 
 It is the most difficult thing in the world for me to believe that a people in the pos- 
 session of their rights as freemen, would ever be willing to surrender them, and submit 
 themselves to the will of a master. If any such instances are on record, the power 
 thus transferred has been in a moment of extreme public danger, and then limited to 
 a very short period. I do not think that it is by any means certain, that the majority 
 of the French people favored the elevation of Napoleon to the throne of France. 
 But, if it were so, how different were the circumstances of that country from those of 
 Colombia, when the constitution of Cucuta was overthrown ! At the period of the 
 elevation of Napoleon t(j the first consulate, all the powers of Europe were the open 
 or secret enemies of France ; civil war raged within her borders ; the hereditary king 
 possessed many partisans in every province ; the people, continually betrayed by the 
 factions which murdered and succeeded each other, had imbibed a portion of their 
 ferocity, and every town and village witnessed the indiscriminate slaughter of both 
 inea and women, of all parties and principles. Does the history of Colombia, sinco 
 
64 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 the expulsion of the Spaniards, present any parallel to these scenes? Her frontiers 
 have been never seriously menaced ; no civil war raged ; not a partisan of the former 
 government was to be found in the whole extent of her territory ; no factions contended 
 with each other for the possession of power; the executive government remamed in 
 the hands of those to whom it had been committed by the people, m a fan election. 
 In fact no people ever passed from under the yoke of a despotic government, to the 
 enioyment of entire freedom, with less disposition to abuse their newly-acquired power, 
 than those of Colombia. They submitted, indeed, to a continuance of some of the 
 most arbitrary and unjust features which distinguished the former government. It 
 there was any disposition, on the part of the great mass of the people, to effect any 
 change in the existing order of things; if the Colombians act from the same motives 
 and upon the same principles which govern mankind elsewhere, and in all ages, they 
 would have desired to take from the government a part of the power which, in their 
 inexperience, they had confided to it. The monopoly of certain articles of agricultural 
 produce and the oppressive duty of the Alcavala, might have been tolerated, until ttie 
 last of their tyrants were driven from the country. But when peace was restored, 
 when not one enemy remained within its borders, it might reasonably have been sup 
 posed that the people would have desired to abolish these remains of arbitrary govern- 
 ment, and substitute for them some tax more equal and accordant with republican 
 
 ^"on^lhecontrary, it is pretended that they had become enamoured with these despotic 
 measures, and so disgusted with the freedom they did enjoy, that they were more than 
 willing to commit their destinies to the uncontrolled will of your excellency. Let me 
 assure you, sir, that these assertions will gain no credit with the present generation, 
 or with posterity. They will demand the facts which had induced a people, by no 
 means deficient in intelligence, so soon to abandon the principles for which they had 
 so gallantly fought, and tamely surrender that liberty which had been obtained at the 
 expense of so much blood. And what facts can be produced 1 It cannot be said that 
 life and property were not as well protected under the republican government as they 
 have ever been ; nor that there existed any opposition to the constitution and laws, 
 too strong for the ordinary powers of the government to put down. 
 
 If the insurrection of general Paez, in Venezuela, is adduced, I would ask, by what 
 means was he reduced to obedience 1 Your excellency, the legitimate head ot the 
 repubUc, appeared, and, in a moment, all opposition ceased, and Venezuela was restored 
 to the republic. But it is said that this was effected by your personal influence, or 
 the dread of your military talents; and that, to keep general Paez, and other ambitious 
 chiefs, from dismembering the republic, it was necessary to invest your excellency 
 with the extraordinary powers you possess. There would be some reason m this it 
 you had refused to act without these powers ; or, having acted as you did, you had 
 been unable to accomplish any thing without them. But you succeeded completely, 
 and there can be no possible reason assigned why you would not have succeeded, with 
 the same means, against any future attempt of general Paez. or any other general. _ 
 
 There appears, however, to be one sentiment in which all parties unite; that is, 
 that, as matters now stand, you alone can save the country from ruin, at least, trom 
 much calamity. They differ, however, very widely, as to the measures to be taKen to 
 put your excellency in the way to render this iuiportant service I he lesser, and 
 more interested party, is for placing the government in your hands for hie ; either witti 
 your present title, or with one which, it must be confessed, better accords with the 
 nature of the powers to be exercised. If they adopt the less offensive title, and if they 
 weave into their system some apparent checks to your will, it is only for the purpose 
 of masking, in some degree, their real object, which is nothing short of the establish- 
 ment of a desiwtism. The plea of necessity, that eternal argument of all conspirators, 
 ancient or modern, against the rights of mankind, will be resorted to, to induce you to 
 accede to their measures; and the unsettled state of the country, which has been 
 desiffncdly produced by them, will be adduced as evidence of that necessity. 
 
 There is but one way for your excellency to escape from the snares which have 
 been so artfully laid to entrap you, and that is, to slop short m the course which, 
 unfortunately, has been already commenced. Every step you advance, under the 
 irilluence of such counsels, will make retreat more dillicult, until it will become imprac- 
 Ucabie. You will be told that the iiUeiuion is only to vest you with authority to 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. ^5 
 
 correct wliat is wrong in the administration, and to put down the factions, and that, 
 when the country once enjoys tranquillity, the government may be restored to the 
 people. Delusive will be the hopes of those who rely upon this declaration. The 
 promised hour of tranquillity will never arrive. If events tended to produce it, they 
 would be counteracted by the government itself. It was the strong remark of a former 
 president of the United States, that, ' Sooner will the lover be contented with the first 
 smiles of his mistress, than a government cease to endeavour to preserve and extend 
 its powers.' With whatever reluctance your excellency may commence the career ; 
 with whatever disposition to abandon it, when the objects for which it was commenced 
 have been obtained ; when once fairly entered, you will be borne along by the irre- 
 sistible force of pride, habit of command, and, indeed, of self-preservation, and it will 
 be impossible to recede. 
 
 But it is said that it is for the henefit of the people that the proposed change is to 
 be made ; and that by your talents and influence aldne, aided by unlimited power, the 
 ambitious chiefs in the different departments are to be restrained, and the integrity of 
 the republic preserved. I have said, and I most sincerely believe, that, from the state 
 into which the country has been brought, that you alone can preserve it from the 
 horrors of anarchy. But I cannot conceive that any extraordinary powers are neces- 
 sary. The authority to see that the laws are executed ; to call out the strength of the 
 country to enforce their execution, is all that is required, and is what is possessed by 
 the chief magistrate of the United States, and of every other republic ; and is what 
 was confided to the executive, by the constitution of Cucuta. Would your talents or 
 your energies be impaired in the council, or the field, or your influence lessened, when 
 acting as the head of a republic ] 
 
 I propose to examine, very briefly, the results which are likely to flow from the 
 proposed change of government : First, in relation to the country ; and, secondly, to 
 yourself, personally. Is the tranquillity of the country to be secured by it"? Is it 
 "possible for your excellency to believe, that when the mask has been thrown off, and 
 the people discover that a despotic government has been fixed upon them, that they 
 will quietly submit to it 1 Will they forget the pass-word, which, like the cross of 
 fire, was the signal for rallying to oppose their former tyrants ] Will the virgins, at 
 your bidding, cease to chant the songs of liberty which so lately animated the youth 
 to victory 1 Was the patriotic blood of Colombia all expended in the fields of Vargas, 
 Bayaca, and Carebobo 1 The schools may cease to enforce upon their pupils the love 
 of country, drawn from the examples of Cato and the Bruti, Harmodius and Aristogi- 
 ton ; but the glorious example of patriotic devotion, exhibited in your own Hacienda, 
 will supply their place. Depend on it, sir, that the moment which shall announce 
 the continuance of arbitrary power in your hands, will be the commencement of com- 
 motions which will require all your talents and energies to suppress. You may suc- 
 ceed. The disciplined army, at your disposal, may be too powerful for an unarmed, 
 undisciplined, and scattered population ; but one unsuccessful effort will not content 
 them, and your feelings will be eternally racked by being obliged to make war upon 
 those who have heen accustomed to call you their father, and to invoke blessings on 
 your head, and for no cause but their adherence to principles which you yourself had 
 taught them to regard more than their lives. 
 
 If, by the strong government which the advocates for the proposed change so stre- 
 nuously recommend, one without responsibility is intended, which may put men to 
 death, and immure them in dungeons, without trial, and one where the army is every 
 thing, and the people nothing, I must say, that, if the tranquillity of Colombia is to be 
 preserved in this way, the wildest anarchy would be preferable. Out of that anarchy 
 a better government might arise ; but the chains of military despotism once fastened 
 upon a nation, ages might pass away before they could be shaken off. 
 
 Bnt I contend 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 sufficiently tried. In no country upon earth would 
 an armed opposition to the laws be sooner or more effectually put down. Not so 
 much by 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 caus^ 
 was hopeless. No, sir, depend upon it, that the possession of arbitrary power, by 
 9 
 
66 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 the government of Colombia, will not be the means of securing its tranqnillity ; nor 
 will the danger of disturbances solely arise from the opposition of the people. The 
 power, and the military force which it will be necessary to put in the hands of the 
 governors of the distant provinces, added to the nature of the country, will continually 
 present to those officers the temptation and the means of revolt. 
 
 Will the proposed change restore prosperity to the country 1 With the best in- 
 tentions to do so, will you be able to recall commerce to its shores and give new life 
 to the drooping state of agriculture 1 The cause of the constant decline, in these great 
 interests, cannot be mistaken. It arises from the fewness of those who labor, and the 
 number of those who are to be supported by that labor. To support a swarm of 
 luxurious and idle monks, and an army greatly disproportioned to the resources of 
 the country, with a body of officers in a tenfold degree disproportioned to the army, 
 every branch of industry is oppressed with burdens which deprive the ingenious man 
 of the profits of his ingenuity, and the laborer of his reward. To satisfy the con- 
 stant and pressing demands which are made upon it, the treasury seizes upon every 
 thing within its grasp — destroying the very germ of future prosperity. Is there any 
 prospect that these evils will cease with the proposed change ] Can the army be 
 dispensed with 1 Will the influence of the monks be no longer necessary 1 Believe 
 me, sir, that the support which the government derives from both these sources will 
 be more than ever requisite. 
 
 But the most important inquiry is, the effect which this strong government is to 
 have upon the people themselves. Will it tend to improve and elevate their character, 
 and fit them for the freedom which it is pretended is ultimately to be bestowed upon 
 them 1 The question has been answered from the age of Homer. Man does not 
 learn under oppression those noble quaUties and feelings which fit him for the enjoy- 
 ment of liberty. Nor is despotism the proper school in which to acquire the know- 
 ledge of the principles of republican government. A government whose revenues 
 are derived from diverting the very sources of wealth from its subjects, will not find 
 the means of improving the morals and enlightening the minds of the youth, by 
 supporting systems of liberal education ; and, if it could, it would not. 
 
 In relation to the effect which this investment of power is to have upon your 
 happiness and your fame, will the pomp and glitter of a court, and the flattery of 
 venal courtiers, reward you for the troubles and anxieties attendant upon the exercise 
 of sovereignty, everywhere, and those which will flow from your pecuUar situation] 
 Or power, supported by the bayonet, for that willing homage which you were wont to 
 receive from your fellow-citizens 1 The groans of a dissatisfied and oppressed people 
 will penetrate the inmost recesses of your palace, and you will be tortured by the 
 reflection, that you no longer possess that place in their affections, which was once 
 your pride and your boast, and which would have been your solace under every re- 
 verse of fortune. Unsupported by the people, your authority can be maintained only 
 by the terrors of the sword and the scaffold. And have these ever been successful 
 under similar circumstances 1 Blood may smother, for a period, but can never extin- 
 guish the fire of liberty, which you have contributed so much to kindle, in the bosom 
 of every Colombian. 
 
 I will not urge, as an argument, the personal dangers to which you will be exposed. 
 But I will ask if you could enjoy life, which would be preserved by the constant 
 execution of so many human beings — your countrymen, your former friends, and 
 almost your worshippers. The pangs of such a situation will be made more acute, 
 by reflecting on the hallowed motive of many of those who would aim their daggers 
 at your bosom. That, like the last of the Romans, they would strike, not from hatred 
 to the man, but love to the country. 
 
 From a knowledge of your own disposition, and present feelings, your excellency 
 will not be willing to believe that you could ever be brought to commit an act of 
 tyranny, or even to execute justice with unnecessary rigor. But trust me, sir, that 
 there is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest 
 feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power. The man who, in the 
 beginning of such a career, might shudder at the idea of taking away the life of a 
 ff^llow being, might soon have his conscience so seared by the repetition of crime, 
 iriat the agonies of his murdered victims might become music to his soul, and the 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 67 
 
 drippings of his scaffold afford ' blood enough to swim in.' History is full of such 
 examples. 
 
 From this disgusting picture, permit me to call the attention of your excellency to 
 one of a different character. It exhibits you as the constitutional chief magistrate of 
 a free people, giving to their representatives the influence of your great name and 
 talents, to reform the abuses which, in a long leign of tyranny and misrule, have 
 fastened upon every branch of the administration. The army, and its swarm of 
 officers reduced within the limits of real usefulness, placed on the frontiers, and 
 no longer permitted to control public opinion, and be the terror of the peaceful 
 citizen. By the removal of this incubus from the treasury, and the establishment of 
 order, responsibility, and economy, in the expenditures of the government, it would 
 soon be enabled to dispense with the odious monopolies, and the duty of the alcavala, 
 which have operated with so malign an effect upon commerce, and agriculture, and, 
 indeed, upon the revenues which they were intended to augment. No longer op- 
 pressed by these shackles, industry would everywhere revive : the farmer and the 
 artisan, cheered by the prospect of ample reward for their labor, would redouble their 
 exertions ; foreigners, with their capital and skill in the arts, would crowd hither, to 
 enjoy the advantages which could scarcely, elsewhere, be found : and Colombia 
 would soon exhibit the reality of the beautiful fiction of Fenelon — Salentum rising 
 from misery and oppression, to prosperity and happiness, under the counsels and 
 direction of the concealed goddess. 
 
 What objections can be urged against this course 1 Can any one acquainted with 
 these circumstances of the country, doubt its success, in restoring and maintaining 
 tranquillity ? The people would certainly not revolt against themselves ; and none 
 of the chiefs who are supposed to be factiously inclined, would think of opposing the 
 strength of the nation, when directed by your talents and authority. But it is said, 
 that the want of intelligence amongst the people unfits them for the government. Is 
 it not right, however, that the experiment should be fairly tried 1 I have already 
 said that this has not been done. For myself, I do not hesitate to declare my firm 
 belief, that it will succeed. The people of Colombia possess many traits of character 
 suitable for a republican government. A more orderly, forbearing, and well-disposed 
 people are nowhere to be met with. Indeed, it may safely be asserted, that their 
 faults and vices are attributable to the cursed government to which they have been so 
 long subjected, and to the intolerant character of the religion, whilst their virtues are 
 all their own. But, admitting their present want of intelligence, no one has ever 
 doubted their capacity to acquire knowledge, and under the strong motives which 
 exist, to obtain it, supported by the influence of your excellency, it would soon be 
 obtained. 
 
 To yourself, the advantage would be as great as to the country ; like acts of mercy, 
 the blessings would be reciprocal ; your personal happiness secured, and your fame 
 elevated to a height which would leave but a single competition in the estimation of 
 posterity. In bestowing the palm of merit, the world has become wiser than formerly. 
 The successful warrior is no longer regarded as entitled to the first place in the temple 
 of fame. Talents of this kind have become too common, and too often used for mis- 
 chievous 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 upon 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 he will be permitted to assume 
 the title of their benefactor ; and the station which he wiU hold in their regard and 
 affections will depend, not upon the number and the splendor 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 monarchist and aristocrat, as well as the republican, is 
 \o be fauiid in his undeviating and exclusive devotedncss to the interest of his coimUy. 
 
68 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-EOOK. 
 
 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. General, the course which he pursued is 
 open to you, and it depends upon yourself to attain the eminence which he has 
 reached before you. 
 
 To the eyes of military men, the laurels you won on the fields of Vargas, Bayaca 
 and Carebobo, will be forever green ; but will that content you 1 Are you willing 
 that your name should descend to posterity, amongst the mass of those whose fame 
 has been derived from shedding human blood, without a single advantage to the hu- 
 man race ! Or, shall it be united to that of Washington, as the founder and the 
 father of a great and happy people ? The choice is before you. The friends of 
 liberty throughout the world, and the people of the United States in particular, are 
 waiting your decision with intense anxiety. Alexander toiled and conquered to 
 attain the applause of the Athenians ; will you regard as nothing the opinions of a 
 nation which has evinced its superiority over that celebrated people, in the science 
 most useful to man, by having carried into actual practice a system of government, 
 of which the wisest Athenians had but a glimpse in theory, and considered as a 
 blessing never to be realized, however ardently to be desired 1 The place which you 
 are to occupy in their esteem depends upon yourself. Farewell. 
 
 W. H. Hahrison." 
 
 General Harrison arrived at New York on the 16th of February, 1830, and pro- 
 ceeded to his farm at " North Bend." A short time after his return, he partook of a 
 public dinner tendered to him by the citizens of Cincinnati as a mark of their high 
 respect for his private virtues and distinguished public services. 
 
 " In June, 1831,* he was chosen to deliver the annual discourse before the Hamil- 
 ton county Agricultural Society. In this address, he gave evidence of being a sound 
 practical farmer, combining theory and practice, in regard to crops and herds, with 
 the same ready success, that in other days he had applied military principles to the 
 movement of armies, A single extract from this valuable discourse is all that our 
 limits will permit : J 
 
 'The encouragement of agriculture, gentlemen, would be praiseworthy in any 
 country : in our own it is peculiarly so. Not only to multiply the means and enjoy- 
 ment of life, but as giving greater stability and security to our political institutions. 
 In all ages and in all countries, it has been observed that the cultivators of the soil 
 are those who are least willing to part with their rights, and submit themselves to 
 the will of a master. I have no doubt also, that a taste for agricultural pursuits, is 
 the best means of disciplining the ambition of those daring spirits, who occasionally 
 spring up in the world, for good or for evil, to defend or to destroy the liberties of 
 their fellow-men, as the principles received from education or circumstances may- 
 tend. As long as the leaders of the Roman armies were talien from the plough, to 
 the plough they were willing to return. Never, in the character of general, forgetting 
 the duties of the citizen, and ever ready to exchange the sword and the triumphal 
 purple, for the homely vestments of the husbandman. 
 
 The history of this far-famed republic is full of instances of this kind ; but none 
 more remarkable than our own age and country have produced. The fascinations of 
 power and the trappings of command were as much despised, and the enjoyment of 
 rural scenes, and rural employments as highly prized by our Washington, as by Cin- 
 cinnatus or Regulus. At the close of his glorious military career, he says, ' I am pre- 
 paring Ui return to that domestic retirement which it is well known I left with the 
 deepest regret, and for which I have not ceased to sigh through a long and painful 
 absence,' 
 
 Your efforts, gentlemen, to diffuse a taste for agriculture amongst men of all de- 
 scriptions and professions, may produce results more important even than increasing 
 the means of subsistence, and the enjoyment of life. It may cause some future con- 
 queror for his country, to end his career 
 
 'Guiltless of his country's blood.' 
 • • • » • • » 
 
 ♦ Sketches, &c. 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 69 
 
 To the heart-cheering prospect of flocks and herds feeding on unrivalled pastures , 
 fields of grain, exhibiting the scriptural proof that the seed had been cast on good 
 
 ground ^how often is the eye of the philanthropic traveller disgusted with the dark, 
 
 unsightly manufactories of a certain poison — poison to the body and the soul. A 
 modern '.Eneas or Ulysses might mistake them for entrances into the Infernal Regions ; 
 nor would they greatly err. But unlike those passages which conducted the Grecian 
 and Trojan heroes on their pious errands, the scenes to which these conduct the un- 
 happy wretch who shall enter are those, exclusively, of misery and woe. No relief 
 to the sad picture ; no Tartarus there, no Elysium here. It is all Tartarian darkness, 
 and, not unfrequently, Tartarian crime. I speak more freely of the practice of con- 
 verting the material of the ' staff of life' (and by which so many human beings yearly 
 perish) into an article which is so destructive of health and happiness, because in that 
 way I have sinned myself; hut in that way I shall sin no more.'* 
 
 In 1831, pending an application in congress for the settlement of the accounts of 
 J. Symmes Harrison, late receiver of public moneys at Vincennes, colonel Richard M, 
 Johnson, now vice-president of the United States, in alluding to the father of the 
 late receiver, spontaneously bore the following well merited tribute to his old com- 
 mander : 
 
 ' Who is general Harrison 7 The son of one of the signers of the declaration of 
 independence, who spent the greater part of his large fortune in redeeming the 
 pledge he then gave, of his ' fortune, life and sacred honor,' to secure the liberties of 
 his country. 
 
 Of the career of general 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 ia 
 the councils of his country, he has been yet more illustriously distinguished in the 
 field. 
 
 During the late war, he was longer in active service than any other general officer ; 
 he was, perhaps, oftener in action than any one of them, and never sustained a de- 
 feat.' 
 
 In 1833, general Harrison delivered, by appointment, at Cheviot, Hamilton county, 
 Ohio, an address in commemoration of the 4th of July, which was subsequently 
 published by the committee of arrangements. It presents a summary of the causes 
 which led to the revolutionary war, and a lucid exposition of the constitution of the 
 United States. His interpretation of that instrument is in strict accordance with the 
 celebrated resolutions of Virginia and Kentucky, of 1798. 
 
 Being desirous of making a fair representation of the views of general Harrison, 
 on all important public matters, we now introduce two documents touching his opi- 
 nion on the subject of slavery. In the year 1 822, when he was a candidate for congress, 
 his opponents, for the purpose of defeating his election, charged him with being a pro- 
 slavery man— that he had owned slaves, and had been in favor of introducing slavery 
 into Indiana. In refutation of this sweeping charge, general Harrison published an 
 address, from which we take all of that portion relating to the subject of slavery. It 
 is in these words : 
 
 ' Being called suddenly home to attend my sick family, I have but a moment to 
 answer a few of the calumnies which are in circulation concerning me. 
 
 I am accused of being friendly to slavery. From my eariiest youth to the present 
 moment, I have been the ardent friend of Human Liberty. At the age of eighteen, 
 I hecunie a member of an Abolition Society established at Richmond, Virginia; the 
 object of which was to ameliorate the condition of slaves and procure their freedom 
 by every le^al 7ncans. My venerable friend, judge Gatch, of Clermont county, was 
 also a member of this society, and has lately given me a certificate that I was one. 
 The obligations ivhich I then came under I have faithfully performed. I have been 
 
 * '■ SoniP ypars since, general Harrison established a distillery on his farm, to convert his sur- 
 plus cnrii into whisky. .Soon perceiving the bad consequences of such a nianulactory, upon 
 the siirroiiiulin^' popu'lation, he cheerfully eacounlcred pecuniary sacrifice by alwUshui|i hia 
 manufactory of that baneful article." 
 
70 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 the means of liberating many slaves, but never placed one in bondage. I deny that 
 my vote in congress in relation to Missouri and Arkansas, are in the least incompati- 
 ble with these principles. Congress had no more legal or constitutional right to 
 emancipate the negroes in those sections of Louisiana without the consent of their 
 owners, than they have to free those of Kentucky. These people were secured in 
 their property by a solemn covenant with France when the country was purchased 
 from that power. To prohibit the emigration of citizens of the southern states to 
 the part of the country, the situation and climate of which was peculiarly suited to 
 them, would have been highly unjust, as it had been purchased out of the common 
 fund. Particularly, too, when it is recollected that all the immense territory to the 
 north-west of the Ohio had been ceded by Virginia, and with an unexampled liber- 
 ality, she had herself proposed, that by excluding slavery from it, to secure it for the 
 emigration of those states which bad no slaves. Was it proper, then, when her re- 
 served territory was in a great measure filled up, to exclude her citizens from every 
 part of the territory purchased out of the common fund ] / loas the first person^ to 
 introduce into congress the proposition that all the country above Missouri (which 
 having no inhabitants was free from the objection made to Missouri and Arkansas) 
 should never have slavery admitted into it. I repeat what I have before said, that as 
 our union was only effected by mutual concession, so only can it be preserved. 
 
 My vote against the restriction of Missouri in forming her constitution was not a 
 conclusive one ; there would have been time enough, had I continued to be a member, 
 before the question was decided, for my constituents to have instructed me, and I 
 should have rejoiced in an opportunity of sacrificing my seat to my principles, if they 
 had instructed me in opposition to my construction of the constitution. Like many 
 other members from the non-slaveholding states, of whom I mention Shaw, Holmes, 
 Mason of Massachusetts, Laman of Connecticut, and Baldwin of Pennsylvania, I 
 could see nothing in the constitution which I had sworn to support, to warrant such 
 an interference with the rights of the states, and which had never before been attempt- 
 ed. And where is the crime in one set of men not being able to interpret the consti- 
 tution as other men interpret it 1 As we had all sujorn to support it, the crime 
 would have been in giving it a construction which our consciences would not sanc- 
 tion. And let me ask, for what good is this question again brought up! It has 
 been settled, as all our family differences have been settled, on the firm basis of mu- 
 tual compromise. And patriotism, as well as prudence, devoted the effects of that 
 awful discussioji to eternal oblivion. Is it not known, that from that cause the great 
 fabric of our Union was shaken to its foundation 1 Is it not known that Missouri 
 would not have submitted to the restriction, and that the other slave-holding states 
 had determined to support herl But for this compromise, the probability is, that at 
 this moment we might look upon the opposite shore of Ohio, not for an affectionate 
 sister state, but on an armed and implacable rival. What patriotic man would not join 
 the gallant Eaton in execrating the head and the hand that could devise and execute 
 a scheme productive of a calamity so awful 1 
 
 Upon the whole, fellow-citizens, our path is a plain one ; it is that marked out as 
 ■well by humanity as duty. We cannot emancipate the slaves of the other states 
 without their consent, but by producing a convulsion which would undo us all. For 
 this much to be desired event, we must wait the slow but certain progress of those 
 good principles which are everywhere gaining ground, and which assuredly will ulti- 
 mately prevail.' 
 
 It is proper to remark, that this society, originally established by the Quakers, but 
 not confined to them, was, according to the statement of judge Gatch, a ' Humane 
 Society ;' and it seems to have been of a character to which no exceptions were taken 
 in Virginia. A number of the citizens of Richmond were members, and its princi- 
 ples were not understood to be at all in conflict with the rights guarantied to the 
 owners of slaves, by the constitution and the laws of the land. Within a few months 
 after his first connexion with this society, general Harrison, then but eighteen years 
 of a"-c, removed from Virginia, since which tin;e he has never attended one of its 
 meetings, nor been either directly or indirectly connected with any society touching 
 the question of slavery. 
 
 The other document upon this subject, is taken from a speech made by general 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 71 
 
 Harrison, at Vinccnnes, Indiaria, in May, 1835, on the occasion of a public dinner 
 having been given to him by the citizens of that place. 
 
 ' I have now, fellow-citizens, a few more words to say on another subject, and 
 which is, in my opinion, of more importance than any other that is now in the course 
 of discussion in any part of the Union. I allude to the societies which have been 
 formed, and the movements of certain individuals in some of the states in relation to 
 a portion of the population in others. The conduct of these persons is the more 
 dangerous, because their object is masked under the garb of disinterestedness and be- 
 nevolence ; and their course vindicated by arguments and propositions which, in the 
 abstract, no one can deny. But however fascinating may be the dress with which 
 their schemes are presented to their fellow-citizens, with whatever purity of intention 
 they may have been formed and sustained, they will be found to carry in their train 
 mischief to the whole Union, and horrors to a large portion of it, which, it is probable, 
 some of the projectors and many of their supporters have never thought of; the 
 latter, the first in the series of evils which are to spring from their source, are such as 
 you have seen perpetrated on the fair plains of Italy and Gaul, by the Scythian 
 hordes of Attila and Alaric ; and such as most of you apprehended upon that memora- 
 ble night, when the tomahawks and war clubs of the followers of Tecumseh wero 
 rattling in your suburbs. I regard not the disavowals of any such intention upon the 
 part of the authors of these schemes, since, upon the examination of the publications 
 which have been made, they will be found to contain the very facts, and very argu- 
 ments which they would have used, if such had been their object. I am certam that 
 there is not, in this assembly, one of these deluded men, and that there are few within 
 the bounds of the state. If there are any, I would earnestly entreat them to forbear , 
 to pause in their career, and deliberately consider the consequence of their conduct to 
 the whole Union, to the states more immediately interested, and to those for whose 
 benefit they profess to act. That the latter will be the victims of the weak, injudi- 
 cious, presumptuous, and unconstitutional efforts to serve them, a thorough examina- 
 tion of the subject must convince them. The struggle (and struggle there must be) 
 may commence with horrors such as I have described, but it will end with more 
 firmly riveting the chains, or in the utter extirpation of those whose cause they 
 
 3xlvOCSlt6 
 
 Am I wrong, fellow-citizens, in applying the terms weak, presumptuous, and un- 
 constitutional, to the measures of the emancipators'? A slight examination will, I 
 think, show that I am not. In a vindication of the objects of a convention which 
 was lately held in one of the towns of Ohio, which I saw in a newspaper, it was said 
 that nothing more was intended than to produce a state of public feeling which would 
 lead to an amendment of the constitution, authorizing the abolition of slavery in the 
 United States. Now can an amendment of the constitution be effected without the 
 consent of the southern states 1 What then is the proposition to be submitted to 
 them 1 It is this :— ' The present provisions of the constitution secure to you the 
 right, (a right which you held before it was made, which you have never given up,) 
 to°manage your domestic concerns in your own way ; but as we are convinced that 
 you do not manage them properly, we want you to put in the hands of the general 
 government, in the councils of which we have the majority, the control over these 
 matters, the effect of which will be virtually to transfer the power from yours into our 
 hands.' Again, in some of the states, and in sections of others, the black population 
 far exceeds that of the white. Some of the emancipators propose immediate aboli- 
 tion. What is the proposition then, as it regards the states and parts of states, but 
 the alternatives of amalgamation with the blacks, or an exchange of situations with 
 them 1 Is there any man of common sense who does not believe that the emanci- 
 pated blacks, being a majority, will not insist upon a full participation of political rights 
 with the whites ; and when possessed of these, they will not contend for a lull share 
 of social rin-hts also ] What but the extremity of weakness and folly could induce 
 any one to think, that such propositions as these could be listened to by a people so 
 intelligent as the southern states 1 Further, the emancipators generally declare that 
 it is their intention to effect their object (although their acts contradict their assertion; 
 by no other means than by convincing the slave-holders that the emancipation of the 
 slaves is called for, both by moral obligation and sound policy. An unfledged youth, 
 at the moment of his leaving (indeed, in many instances, before he has leit it) tii* 
 
72 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 theological seminary, undertakes to give lectures upon morals to the countrymen of 
 Wythe, Tucker, Pendleton, and Lowndes, and lessons of political wisdom to states, 
 whose affairs have so recently been directed by Jefferson and Madison, Macon and 
 Crawford. Is it possible, that instances of greater vanity and presumption could be 
 exhibited 1 But the course pursued by the emancipators is unconstitutional. I do 
 not say that there are any words in the constitution which forbid the discussions they 
 are engaged in ; I know that there are not. And citizens have the right to express 
 and publish their opinions without restriction. But in the construction of the consti- 
 tution, it is always necessary to refer to the circumstances under which it was framed, 
 and to ascertain its meaning by a comparison of its provisions with each other, and 
 with the previous situation of the several states who were parties to it. In a portion 
 of these, slavery was recognised, and they took care to have the right secured to them • 
 to follow and reclaim such of them as were fugitives to other states. The laws ot 
 congress passed under this power, have provided punishment for any one who shall 
 oppose or interrupt the exercise of this right. Now can any one believe, that the in- 
 strument which contains a provision of this kind, which authorizes a master to pursue 
 his slave into another state, take him back, and provides a punishment for any citizen 
 or citizens of that state who should oppose him, should, at the same time, authorize 
 the latter to assemble together, to pass resolutions and adopt addresses, not only to 
 encourage the slaves to leave their masters, but to cut their throats before they 
 do so 1 
 
 I insist, that if the citizens of the non-slaveholding states can avail themselves of 
 the article of the constitution, which prohibits the restriction of speech or the press 
 to publish any thing injurious to the rights of the slaveholding states, that they can go 
 to the extreme that I have mentioned, and effect any thing further which writing or 
 speaking could effect. But, fellow-citizens, these are not the principles of the consti- 
 tution. Such a construction would defeat one of the great objects of its formation, 
 which was that of securing the peace and harmony of the states which were parties 
 to it. The hberty of speech and of the press, were given as the most effectual means 
 to preserve to each and every citizen their own rights, and to the states the rights 
 which appertained to them, at the time of their adoption. It could never have been 
 expected that it would be used by the citizens of one portion of the states for the 
 purpose of depriving those of another portion, of the rights which they had reserved 
 at the adoption of the constitution, and in the exercise of which, none but themselves 
 have any concern or interest. If slavery is an evil, the evil is with them. If therti 
 is guilt in it, the guilt is theirs, not ours, since neither the states where it does not 
 exist, nor the government of the United States can, without usurpation of power, and 
 the violation of a solemn compact, do any thing to remove it without the consent of 
 those who are immediately interested. But they will neither ask for aid nor consent 
 to be aided, whilst the illegal, persecuting, and dangerous movements are in progress, 
 of which I complain: the interest of all concerned requires that these should be 
 stopped immediately. This can only be done by the force of public opinion, and 
 that cannot too soon be brought into operation. Every movement which is made by 
 the abolitionists in the non-slaveholding states, is viewed by our southern brethren as 
 an attack upon their rights, and which, if persisted in, must in the end eradicate those 
 feelings of attachment and affection between the citizens of all the states, which was 
 produced by a community of interests and dangers in the war of the revolution, 
 which was the foundation of our haj)py union, and by a continuance of which, it can 
 alone be preserved. I entreat you, then, to frown upon the measures which are to 
 produce results so much to be deprecated. The opinions which I have now given, I 
 have omitted no opportunity for the last two years to lay before the people of my own 
 state. I have taken the liberty to express them here, knowing that even if they should 
 unfortunately not accord with yours, they would be kindly received.' 
 
 The attempt has been made to show that these two documents are inconsistent with 
 each other. A careful comparison of them, however, must bring the candid inquirer 
 for trutb, to a different conclusion. On this, as well as upon all other questions upon 
 which general Harrison has been called to act or express himself, there is an exhibi- 
 tion of the same consistency of opinion and character which lias marked the whole 
 of his eventful life." 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 73 
 
 To the above we append the following: ^^ ^^ ^ . 
 
 From the Charlesion (S. C.) Courier. , „ . , 
 
 Ofi^eral HiRRisoN.-We give below further evidence of general Harrison s 
 soundness onThesuSct of abolition. No further confirmation is needed by us, s.nce 
 our knowledge of hi! Vincennes speech, and his recent renewed avowal of it in an 
 extract of a letter from him, published in our paper ; but it is right, slandered as he 
 has been and sIm is on this subject, that the public should be put in possession of a 
 tias been ana sim therefore not only publish the subjoined letter, but call 
 
 Tpl th^ToLrable JohTlvi^ Bet^, of Ge^l, to make puilic the letter in his 
 posseslil^n, referred to by general Harrison, as containing a more full exposition of hi. 
 
 sentiments and views. 
 
 From the New Orleans Bee. 
 n TT.«T,Tsnv— Abolition.— The opinions of general Hamson,m respect 
 
 to S.:™ Sr^u^h, atdXTowers of confess to interfere with the instituUons 
 of slavery, have been so repeatedly expressed, and in so --J ^.^f ^.^j^ ^ ^JttJr" 
 congress his public speeches and private correspondence, hat the following letters 
 rrehar'di; needed to satisfy the skeptical of his entire soundness upon that absorbing 
 Tpc The evinces heretofore laid before the public, were sufficient to convince 
 In^y^neo en lo human testimony, that the slave ^^^'f had not a fos^^er fne^^^^^^^^ 
 William Henry Harrison, or one who would more rigidly guard the rights ^ec^rea to 
 them by our sL^ed Constitution. Lest there should be any l^ng"'"g,f ""^t "i the 
 pubTic mind we lay before our readers the following document, which will set all cavil 
 L restexcepT with those who would not believe, " though one should rise from the 
 dead." 
 
 ^^y ^^^^- "Cincinnati, 25th November, 1836. 
 
 My hear sik-I answer the questions you proposed to me this morning, with 
 
 ^'rlrt'TdTnot believe that congress can abolish slavery in the states, or m any 
 
 ing TuestTons, similar to those made by you, and I answered them more at length than 
 I have now done, but to the same import. ^ ^ Harrisoi.. 
 
 In haste, yours truly, . •„„,;" 
 
 To Thomas Sbo, jr., of New Orkans, now in Cincinnati. 
 
 These were the sentiments of general Harrison less than four years ago The 
 r Jfnrm to the views he has always expressed upon this question ; and, what is more 
 TtL purp se, theTconform to elery let of his life, when called upon either - h 
 capacity of legislator to vote, or, as l citizen of influence and weight of character, to 
 
 address the people upon the subject. ■ „ ,u„ ,i„tp of the above 
 
 General Harrison's opinions have undergone no change since the date ot the aDove 
 
 letter His whl course concerning our domestic institutions has been decided, firm, 
 
 and without change. , c /-. s /- 
 
 From the Charleston (S. C.) Courier. 
 GB..RA. Harrison and AROLixioK.-We give place, with pleasure to the M- 
 lowinK letter from a distinguished Georgian, in answer to our recent call on mm 
 addinl another to the already multiplied proofs of general Harrison b soundness ou 
 the slave question. uSavannah, April 11,1 840. 
 
 Gextlemex-You call upon me, in your paper of the 8th inst.. to make public « 
 10 G 
 
74 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 letter, addressed to me by general Harrison, on the subject of abolition. I have 
 already replied to a similar request, made by the editor of the Daily Telegraph, a 
 paper published in this city: but as I know not if that paper (which has been recently 
 established) is on your list of exchanges, and feel that the liberality of your conduct, 
 towards a political opponent, gives you an undoubted claim to the respect and courtesy 
 of his friends. I repeat the substance of that answer. 
 
 The letter in question was written in 1836, in anticipation of a state of things 
 which did not occur. It was, therefore, not made public, and I fear has not been pre- 
 served. At least, after a diligent search among my papers, I have been unable to find 
 it Its contents, however, are perfectly within my recollection, and I do all that is in 
 my power to comply with your request, by stating them, as I have done to the editor 
 of the Telegraph. The letter embraced three points. 
 
 First: General Harrison denied the right of congress to abolish slavery in the states, 
 or in the District of Columbia. 
 
 Second: He expressed the opinion that the tariff compromise ought to remain 
 undisturbed. 
 
 Third : He repudiated the practice of making appointments to office the reward of 
 partisan service. 
 
 This was the purport of the letter. I did not ask general Harrison's opinion, 
 because I doubted it. Having been in intimate intercourse with him for several years, 
 I knew that his views on this subject were in accordance with my own. 
 
 I am, very respectfully, gentlemen, your obedient servant, 
 
 J. Macphersok Behhiex." 
 
 "In 1835,* at the celebration of the forty-seventh anniversary of the settlement of 
 Ohio, held in Cincinnati, general Harrison was among the invited guests; and in 
 reply to some complimentary toast, offered by the committee of arrangement, referring 
 to general Wayne and himself, general Harrison took occasion to speak of the claims 
 of the subordinate officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of the regular army 
 in the west, under Harmer, St. Clair, and Wayne, who brought the war of the revolu- 
 tion to a close, by the victory of the Miami of the Lake. In this address, the claims 
 of these soldiers were presented in a strong, touching, and beautiful manner. From 
 the many admirable sentiments contained in this speech, we cannot forbear quoting 
 the following: 'No more fatal idea can be entertained, than that our republic is to be 
 preserved either by the wealth of our citizens or the amount of the revenue of the 
 government. The brightest eras of the republics which have existed, were those 
 when honorable poverty prevailed, and when patriotism was best rewarded.' 
 
 In the autumn of 1837, general Harrison delivered a discourse before the Philoso- 
 phical and Historical Society of Ohio, on the aborigines of the Ohio, which has since 
 been published in the first volume of the Transactions of that body. It embraces 
 about fifty pages of the work, and is among the most valuable contributions which 
 have yet been made to that society. This discourse, written with classic elegance, in 
 pure Saxon, is ingenious and profound, presenting the results cf much close and accu- 
 rate observation upon the ancient works and aborigines of the valley of the Ohio. 
 Having space but for a single extract, we take the following, on the reproduction of 
 the forest upon the banks of the Ohio, after it has once been destroyed. The subject 
 is introduced by the author to prove the great antiquity of the ancient mounds and 
 fortifications of this region. 
 
 ' The process by which nature restores the forest to its original state, after being once 
 cleared, is extremely slow. In our rich lands, it is, indeed, soon covered again with 
 timber, but the character of the growth is entirely different, and continues so, through 
 many generations of men. In several places on the Ohio, particularly upon the farm 
 which I occupy, clearings were made in the first settlement, abandoned, and suffered 
 to grow up. Some of them, now to be seen, of nearly fifty years' growth, have made 
 BO little progress towards attaining the appearance of the immediately contiguous 
 forest, as ti) induce any man of reflection, to determine, that at least ten times fifty 
 years would be necessary before its complete assimilation could be effected. The sites 
 of the ancient works on the Ohio, present precisely the same appearance as the cir- 
 
 ♦ Sketches, &c. 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 75 
 
 cumjacent forest. You find on them, all that beautiful variety of trees, which gives 
 such unrivalled richness to our forests. This is particularly ihe case on the fifteen 
 acres included within the walls of the work at the mouth of the Great Miami, and 
 the relative proportions of the different kinds of timber, are about the same. The first 
 growth on the same kind of land, once cleared, and then abandoned to nature, on the 
 contrary, is more homogeneous — often stinted to one, or two, or at most three kinds 
 of timber. If the ground had been cultivated, yellow locust, in many places, will 
 spring up as thick as garden peas. If it has not been cultivated, the black and vi'hite 
 walnut will be the prevailing growth. The rapidity with which these trees grow for 
 a time, smothers the attempt of other kinds to vegetate and grow in their shade. 
 The more thrifty individuals soon overtop the weaker of their own kind, which sicken 
 and die. In this way, there is soon only as many left as the earlh will well support 
 to maturity. All this time the squirrels may plant the seed of those trees which 
 serve them for food, and by neglect suffer them to remain, — it will be in vain ; the 
 birds may drop the kernels, the external pulp of which have contributed to their 
 nourishment, and divested of which they are in the best state for germinating, still it 
 will be of no avail : the winds of heaven may waft the winged seeds of the syca- 
 more, cotton-wood and maple, and a friendly shower may bury them to the necessary 
 depth in the loose and fertile soil — but still without success. The roots below rob 
 them of moisture, and the canopy of limbs and leaves above intercept the rays of the 
 sun, and the dews of heaven : the young giants in possession, like another kind of 
 aristocracy, absorb the whole means of subsistence, and leave the mass to perish at 
 their feet. This state of things will not, however, always continue. If the process 
 of nature is slow and circuitous, in putting down usurpation and establishing the 
 equality which she loves, and which is the great characteristic of her principles, it is 
 sure and effectual. The preference of the soil for the first growth, ceases with its 
 maturity. It admits of no succession, upon the principles of legitimacy. The long 
 undisputed masters of the forest may be thinned by the lightning, the tempest, or by 
 diseases peculiar to themselves ; and whenever this is the case, one of the oft-rejected 
 of another family, will find between its decaying roots, shelter, and appropriate food ; 
 and, springing into vigorous growth, will soon push its green foliage to the skies, 
 through the decayed and withering limbs of its blasted and dying adversary — the soil 
 itself, yielding it a more liberal support than any scion from the former occupant. It 
 will easily be conceived what a length of time it will require for a denuded tract of 
 land, by a, process so slow, again to clothe itself with the amazing variety of foliage 
 •which is the characteristic of the forests of this region. Of what immense age, then, 
 must be those works, so often referred to, covered, as has been supposed by those 
 who have the best opportunity of examining them, with the second growth cifier the 
 ancient forest state had been regained ?' " 
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 
 GENERAL HAnRISON NOMINATED AS A CANDIDATE TO THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT 
 OF THE UNITED STATES LETTER TO THE OFFICERS OF THE MARYLAND CON- 
 VENTION LETTER TO SHERRDD WILLIAMS LETTER TO JOHN H. PLEASANTS 
 
 RELATIVE TO SELLING WHITE MEN LETTER RESPECTINB THE CHARGE THAT 
 
 HE HAD BURNT A MORAVIAN TOWN IN CANADA NOMINATED BT THE NA- 
 TIONAL DEMOCRATIC ANTI-MASONIC CONVENTION LETTER TO HARMER DENNT 
 
 ' NOMINATED BY THE NATIONAL CONVENTION AT HARRISBURG HIS LETTER 
 
 ACCEPTING THE NOMINATION, &C. 
 
 In the spring of 1836, general Harrison was spontaneously nominated as a candi- 
 date for the presidency of the United States by the people, and the nomination was 
 confirmed by the state conventions opposed to the election of Mr, Van Buren, From 
 his replies to the officers of the different conventions, directed to inform him of his 
 nomination, we select the following to the officers of the Maryland convention, recorded 
 in Niles, vol. I. p, 128, which is characterized by that mddest, yet manly, spirit which 
 marks his communications. 
 6 
 
76 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 "North Bend, 9th February, 1836, 
 
 Gentlt-mex — Your letter, covering the proceedings of the convention by which I 
 was nominated tiieir candidate for the presidency of the United States was received in 
 the due course of the mail, and the resolutions they contained, are such as to create 
 m my bosom feelings of gratitude towards the people of Maryland, which will be 
 cherished to the last moment of my existence. These feelings were greatly increased 
 from the reflection that, with a very few exceptions, I was personally unknown to the 
 members of the convention, and, exclusively of some of her statesmen, with whom 
 I have served in the national councils, but to a few others of her citizens. With 
 thousands^ of those of some other states I have been associated in scenes, where the 
 difficulties and dangers, to which we were in common exposed, have created a feeling 
 of attachment and partiahty, which is often found to warp the judgments of good 
 men, and induce them to bestow their confidence and suffrages on those possessing 
 inferior qualifications. Having no advantages of this kind to boast of in relation to my 
 fellow-citizens of Maryland, I am gratified with the reflection, considering the pre-emi- 
 nent talents of several of those from whom their selections might have been made, that 
 I am indebted for the distinction with which they have honored me, to the greater 
 length of my public services, and the belief that in the discharge of the variou* and 
 important trusts which have been committed to me, the confidence of my country has 
 never been betrayed nor its interests sacrificed. This is precisely the ground which I 
 wish to occupy. Conscious of many deficiencies and imperfections, I have endea- 
 vored to supply the place of the qualities I wanted by unwearied zeal and undeviating 
 fidelity. 
 
 How delightful is the reflection that by an assembly so enlightened and free as that 
 of the late Maryland convention, the character in which I so ardently desire to stand 
 before my countrymen should be accorded to me. In relation to the freedom with 
 which the choice was made, gentlemen, I venture to assure you, that should your 
 eflforts to place me in the executive chair of this great nation, prove successful, that 
 the influence and patronage of that oflice shall never be used to control or impair it, 
 in any of your future deliberations. And that if in the year 1839 your own great 
 emporium or any other place, should be the theatre for the exhibition of another na- 
 tional convention, it shall be, as far as my efforts can effect it, what that of 1835 pur- 
 ported to be, ' an assembly fresh from the people, the true representation of their un- 
 biassed wishes, the faithful echo of their opinions.' 
 
 This declaration is made with a perfect consciousness of the Httle confidence which 
 is given to pledges of any kind, made by persons situated as I am. I know that they 
 have been made and violated in every age and in every country, where men have de- 
 pended for their advancement to the highest offices on the good opinion of their 
 countrymen. But in almost every instance the deceiver has been found possessed of 
 grasping and insatiable ambition, (of which the germs might have been discovered in 
 his previous conduct,) and generally united with commanding genius and splendid 
 talents. There is, I trust, nothing in my previous conduct to show that I possess the 
 former character, and utterly ^lisclaiming the latter, my sole reliance, for preserving 
 the good opinion of my countrymen, is the preservation of that character for fidelity 
 to my engagements, which the convention, which you, gentlemen, represent, as well 
 as others of my fellow-citizens have been pleased to allow to me. 
 
 With high consideration, I am, gentlemen, your humble servant, 
 
 Wm. H. HAiiuisosr. 
 To Wm. Bradley Tyler, president, 
 
 Robert W.Bowie, Henry V. Somermlle, Reuben Tall, Henry S. Stites, v. presidents, 
 Joseph H. Nicholson, John Bozman Kerr, secretaries" • 
 
 In April, 1836, the hon. Sherrod Williams, a member of congress from Kentucky, 
 addressed the following letter to general Harrison, and his competitors for the office 
 of president. The reply of general Harrison, inserted below, may be found in Niles, 
 vol. li. pp. 23, 24. 
 
 " Washington, April 7, 1836. 
 
 Sin — I consider it the right of every citizen of the United States to ask and de- 
 mand, and to be fully informed of the political principles and opinions of those who are 
 candidates for the various offices in tlie gift of the people, and the imperious duty of 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 77 
 
 the candidate to frankly and fully avow and declare the opinions which he entertains. 
 I, therefore, as a voter, a citizen, and an individual, feeling a deep and abiding interest 
 in the welfare and prosperity of our common country, and an ardent desire to see the 
 perpetuity of our free and happy form of government, take the liberty of asking you 
 to give me your opinion and views on the following subjects : 
 
 First : Will you (if elected president of the United States) sign and approve a bill 
 distributing the surplus revenue of the United States, to each stale, according to the 
 federal population of each, for internal improvements, education, and to such other 
 objects as the legislatures of the several states may see fit to apply the same 1 
 
 Second : Will you sign and approve a bill distributing the proceeds of the sales of 
 the public lands to each state, according to the federal population of each, for the 
 purposes above specified ? 
 
 Third : Will you sign and approve bills making appropriations to improve navigable 
 streams above ports of entry 1 
 
 Fourth : Will you sign and approve (if it becomes necessary to secure and save 
 from depreciation the revenue and finances of the nation, and to aflbrd a uniform 
 sound currency to the people of the United States) a bill (with proper modifications 
 and restrictions) chartering a bank of the United States 1 
 
 Fifth : What is your opinion as to the constitutional power of the senate or the 
 house of representatives of the congress of the United States, to expunge or obliterate 
 from the journals the records and proceedings of a previous session ] 
 
 A frank, plain, and full answer to the foregoing inquiries is respectfully and earnestly 
 solicited. Your answer is desired as soon as possible. I intend this and your answer 
 for publication. 
 
 I have the honor to be your humble and obedient servant, 
 
 Sherrod Williams." 
 
 "North Bend, May 1, 1836. 
 Sin — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th ultimo, 
 in which you request me to answer the following questions : 
 
 First: ' Will you, if elected president of the United States, sign and approve a bill 
 distributing the surplus revenue of the United States, to each state according to the 
 federal population of each, for internal improvement, education, and to such other 
 objects as the legislature of the several states may see fit to apply the same V 
 
 Second : ' Will you sign and approve a bill distributing the proceeds of the sales of 
 the public lands to each state, according to the federal population of each, for the 
 purposes above specified !' 
 
 Third : ' Will you sign and approve bills making appropriations to improve navi- 
 gable streams above ports of entry !' 
 
 Fourth : ' Will you sign and approve (if it becomes necessary to secure and save 
 from depreciation the revenue and finances of the nation, and to alTord a uniform 
 sound currency to the people of the United Slates) a bill, with proper modifications 
 and restrictions, chartering a bank of the United States!' 
 
 Fifth : ' What is your opinion as to the constitutional power of the senate or 
 house of representatives of the congress of the United States, to expunge or obliterate 
 from the journals, the records and proceedings of a previous session V 
 
 From the manner in which the four first questions are stated, it appears that you 
 do not ask my opinions as to the policy or propriety of the measures to which they 
 respectively refer; but what would be my course, if they were presented to me 
 (being in the presidential chair of the United Slates) in the shape of bills, that had 
 been duly passed by the senate and house of representatives. 
 
 From the opinions which I have formed of the intention of the constitution, as to 
 cases in which tlie veto power should be exercised by the president, I would have con- 
 tented myself with giving an affirmative answer to the four first questions ; but, from 
 the deep interest which has been an<l indeed is now felt in relation to all the subjects, 
 I think it proper to express my views upon each one separately. 
 
 I answer, then, first : That the immediate return of all the surplus money which 
 is, or ought to be, in the treasury of the United Slates, to the possession of the peo- 
 ple from whom it was taken, is called for by every principle of policy and, mdoed, of 
 safety to our institutions ; and I know of no mode of doing it better than that 
 
 G 2 
 
78 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 recommenced by the present chief magistrate, in his first annual message to congress, 
 in the following words : ' To avoid these evils if. appears to me thai the most safe, 
 just, arul ft deral disposition which could be made of the surplus reve7iue, would be 
 its nppcn-tionment among the several states according to the ratio of representation.^ 
 
 This proposition has reference to a state of things which now actually exists, with 
 the exception of the amount of money thus to be disposed of; for it could not have 
 been anticipated by the president that the surplus above the real wants or convenient 
 expenditures of the government would become so large, as that retaining it in the 
 treasury would so much diminish the circulating medium as greatly to embarrass the 
 business of the country. 
 
 What other disposition can be made of it, with a view to get it into immediate 
 circulation, but to place it in the hands of the state authorities'? So great is the 
 amount, and so rapidly is it increasing, that it could not be expended for a very con- 
 siderable time on the comparatively few objects to which it could be appropriated by 
 the general government ; but the desired distribution amongst the people could be 
 immediately effected by the states, from the infinite variety of ways in which it might 
 be employed by them. By them it might be loaned to their own banking institutions, 
 or even to individuals — a mode of distribution by the general government, which I 
 sincerely hope is in the contemplation of no friend to his country. 
 
 Second: Whilst I have always broadly admitted that the publit lands were the com- 
 mon property of all the states, I have been the advocate of that mode of disposing of 
 them, which would create the greatest number of freeholders; and I conceived that in 
 this way the interests of all would be as well secured as by any other disposition ; 
 but since, by the small size of the tracts in which the lands are now laid out, and the 
 reduction of the price, this desirable situation is easily attainable by any person of 
 tolerable industry, I am perfectly reconciled to the distribution of the proceeds of the 
 sales, as provided for by the bill introduced into the senate by Mr. Clay ; the interests 
 of all seem to be well provided for by this bill ; and as, from the opposition which has 
 hitherto been made to the disposition of the lands heretofore contemplated bj' the 
 representatives of the new states, there is no probability of its being adopted, I think 
 it ought no longer to be insisted on. 
 
 Third : As I believe that no money should be taken from the treasury of the United 
 States to be expended on internal improvements but for those which are strictly na- 
 tional, the answer to this question would be easy, but from the difficulty of determining 
 which of those that are from time to time proposed, would be of this description. 
 This circumstance, the excitement which has already been produced by appropriations 
 of this kind, and the jealousies which it will no doubt continue to produce if persisted 
 in, give additional claims to the mode of appropriating all the surplus revenue of the 
 United States in the manner above suggested. Each state will then have the means 
 of accomplishing its own schemes and internal improvement. Still there will be 
 particular cases when a contemplated improvement will be of greater advantage to 
 the Union generally, and some particular states, than to that in which it is to be 
 made. In such cases, as well as those in the new states, where the value of the 
 public domain will be greatly enhanced by an improvement in the means of com- 
 munication, the general government should certainly largely contribute. To appro- 
 priations of the latter character there has never been a very warm opposition. Upon 
 the whole, the distribution of the surplus revenue amongst the states seems likely to 
 remove most, if not all, the causes of dissension of which the internal improvement 
 system has been the fruitful source. There is nothing, in my opinion, more sacredly 
 incumbent upon those who are concerned in the administration of our government, 
 than that of preserving harmony between the states. From the construction of our 
 system, there has been, and probably ever will be, more or less jealousy between the 
 general and state governments ; but there is nothing in the constitution — nothing in 
 the character of the relation which the states bear to each other, which can creato 
 any unfriendly feeling, if the common guardian administers its favors with an even 
 and impartial hand. That this may be the case, all those to Whom any portion of 
 this delicate power is intrusted, should always act upon the principles of forbearance 
 and conciliation ; ever more ready to sacrifice the interests of their immediate consti- 
 tuents, rather than violate the rights of the other members of the family. Those 
 who pursue a dill'erent course, whose rule is never to stop short of the attainment of 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 79 
 
 all which they may consider their due, will often be found to have trespassed upon 
 the boundary they had themselves established. The observations with which I shall 
 conclude this letter, on the subject of the veto power by the president, will apply to 
 this as well as your other questions. 
 
 Fourth : I have before me a newspaper, in which I am designated by its distinguished 
 editor, " The bank and federal candidate." I think it would puzzle the writer to 
 adduce any act of my life which warrants him in identifying me with the hiterest of 
 the first, or the politics of the latter. Having no means of ascertaining the senti- 
 ments of the directors and stockholders of the Bank of the United States, (which is 
 the one, I presume, with which it was intended to associate me,) I cannot say what 
 their course is likely to be in relation to the ensuing election for president. Should 
 they, however, give me their support, it will be evidence, at least, that the opposition 
 which I gave to their institution in my capacity of representative from Ohio, hi congress. 
 proceeded, in their opinion, from a sense of duty which I could not disregard. 
 
 The journals of the second session of the thirteenth, and those of the fourteenth 
 congress, will show that my votes are recorded against them upon every question in 
 which their hiterest was involved. I did, indeed, exert myself in the senate of Ohio, 
 to procure a repeal of the law, which had imposed an enormous tax upon the 
 branches which had been located in its boundaries at the request of the citizens. The 
 ground of those exertions was not the interest of the bank ; but to save what I con- 
 sidered the honor of the state, and to prevent a controversy between the state officers 
 and those of the United States. 
 
 In the spring of 1834, 1 had also the honor to preside at a meeting of the citizens 
 of Hamilton county, called for the purpose of expressing their sentiments in relation 
 to the removal of the public money from the custody of the bank, by the solo 
 authority of the executive. As president of the meeting, I explained at some length 
 the object for which it was convened, but I advanced no opinion in relation to the 
 rechartering of the bank. 
 
 A most respectful memorial to the president in relation to the removal of the 
 deposites was adopted, as were also resolutions in favor of rechartering the bank ; but, 
 as 1 have already said, this was not the purpose for which the meeting was called, and 
 not one upon which, as presiding officer, I was called upon to give an opinion, but in 
 the event of an equal division of the votes. 
 
 As a private citizen, no man can be more entirely clear of any motive, either for 
 the rechartering the old institution, or creating a new one under the authority of the 
 United States. I never had a single share in the former, nor, indeed, in any bank, 
 with one exception ; and that many years ago failed, with the loss of the entire stock. 
 I have no inclination again to venture in that way, even if I should ever possess the 
 means. With the exception above mentioned, of stock in a bank, long since broken, 
 I never put out a dollar at interest in my life. My interest being entirely identified 
 with the cultivation of the soil, I am immediately and personally connected with 
 none other. 
 
 I have made this statement to show you that I am not committed to any course in 
 relation to the chartering of a bank of the United States ; and that I might, if so 
 disposed, join in the popular cry of denunciation against the old institution, and upon 
 its misconduct, predicate an opposition to the chartering of another. 
 
 I shall not, however, take this course, so opposite to that which I hope I have 
 followed through life, but will give you my sentiments clearly and fully, not only 
 with regard to the future conduct of the government on the subject of a national 
 bank, but in relation to the operations of that which is now defunct. 
 
 I was not in congress when the late bank was chartered, but was a member of the 
 thirteenth congress, after its first session, when the conduct of the bank, in its 
 incipient measures was examined into ; and believing, from the result of the inves^tiga- 
 tion, that the charter had been violated, I voted for the judicial investigation, with a 
 view of annulling its charter. The resolution for that purpose, however, failed ; and 
 shortly after, the management of its affairs was committed to the talents and integrity 
 of Mr. Cheves. From that period to its final dissolution, (although I must confess I 
 am not a very competent judge of such matters,) I have no idea that an Lnstitutioii 
 could have been conducted with more ability, integrity, and public advantage than it 
 has been. 
 
y 
 
 so THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 Under these impressions, I a?ree with general Jackson in the opinion expressed in 
 one of his messages to congi'ess, from which I make the following extract : ' That a 
 hank of the United States, competent to all the duties luhich may be required by the 
 £rovernment, might be so organized as not to infringe on our delegated powers, or 
 ike reserved tights of the states, I do not entertain a doubt.' But the period for 
 rechartering the old institution has passed, as Pennsylvania has wisely taken care to 
 appropriate to herself the benefits of its large capital. 
 
 The question, then, for me to answer, is whether, under the circumstances you 
 state, if elected to the office of president, I would sign an act to charter another 
 hank. I answer, I would, if it were clearly ascertained that the public interest in 
 relation to the collection and disbursement of the revenue would materially suffer 
 without one, and there were unequivocal manifestations of public opinion in its 
 favor. I think, however, the experiment should be fairly tried, to ascertain whether 
 the financial operations of the government cannot be as well carried on without the 
 aid of a national bank. If it is not necessary for that purpose, it does not appear to 
 me that one can be constitutionally chartered. There is no construction which I can 
 give the constitution which would authorize it, on the ground of affording facilities to 
 commerce. The measure, if adopted, must have for its object the carrying into effect 
 (facilitating at least the exercise of) some one of the powers positively granted to the 
 general government. If others flow from it, producing equal advantages to the 
 nation, so much the better; but these cannot be made the ground for justifying 
 a recourse to it. 
 
 The excitement which has been produced by the bank question, the number and 
 respectability of those who deny the right to congress to charter one, strongly recom- 
 mend the course above suggested. 
 
 Fifth : I distinctly answer to this question, that, in my opinion, neither house of 
 congress can constitutionally expunge the record of the proceedings of their prede- 
 cessors. 
 
 The power to rescind certainly belongs to them ; and is, for every legitimate pur- 
 pose, all that is necessary. The attempt to expunge a part of their journal, now 
 making in the senate of the United States, I am satisfied could never have been made 
 hut in a period of the highest party excitement, when the voice of reason and gene- 
 rous feeling is stifled by long protracted and bitter controversy. 
 
 In relation to the exercise of the veto power by the president, there is, I think, an 
 important difference in opinion between the present chief magistrate and myself. I 
 express this opinion with less diflSdence, because I believe mine is in strict accord- 
 ance with those of all the previous presidents to general Jackson. 
 
 The veto power, or the control of the executive over the enactment of laws by the 
 legislative body, was not unknown in the United States previously to the formation 
 of the present federal constitution. It does not appear, however, to have been in much 
 favor. The principle was to be found in but three of the state constitutions ; and in 
 but one of them (Massachusetts) was the executive power lodged in the hands of a 
 single chief magistrate, One other state (South Carolina) had, indeed, not only 
 adopted this principle, but had given its single executive magistrate an absolute nega- 
 tive upon the acts of the legislature. In all other instances it has been a qualified 
 negative, like that of the United States. The people of South Carolina seem, how- 
 ever, not to have been long pleased with this investment of power in their governor, 
 as it lasted but two years; having been adopted in 1776, and repealed in 1778 ; from 
 which time the acts of the legislature of that state have been entirely freed from ex- 
 ecutive control. Since the adoption of the constitution of the United States, the 
 veto pruicii)le has been adopted by several states; and until very lately, it seemed 
 to be rapidly growing into favor. 
 
 Before we can form a correct opinion of the manner in which this power should 
 he exercised, it is proper to understand the reasons which have induced its adoption. 
 In its theory, it is manifestly an innovation upon the first principle of republican 
 government — that the majority should rule. Why should a single individual control 
 the will of that majority. 
 
 It will not be said that there is more probability of finding greater wisdom in the 
 executive chair, than in the halls of the legislature. Nor Ciin it possibly be sup- 
 |>o.jed, that an individual residing in the centre of an extensive country, can be as 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-EOOK. 81 
 
 well acquainted with the wants and wishes of a numerous people, as those who come 
 immediately from amongst them — the partakers, for a portion of the year, in their 
 various labors and employments ; and the witnesses of the effects of the laws in their 
 more minute as well as general operations. 
 
 As far, then, as it regards a knowledge of the wants and wishes of the people, wis- 
 dom to discover remedies for existing evils, and devising schemes for increasing the 
 public prosperity, it would seem that the legislative bodies did not require the aid of an 
 executive magistrate. But there is a principle, recognised by all the American con^'ti- 
 tutions, which was unknown to the ancient republics. They all acknowledge rights 
 in the minority, which cannot rightfully be taken from them. Experience had shown 
 that in large assemblies, these rights were not always respected. It would be in vain 
 that they should be enumerated, and respect for them enjoined in the constitution, 
 A pojiuiar assembly, under the influence of that spirit of party which is always dis- 
 coverable in a greater or less degree in all republics, might and would, as it was 
 believed, sometimes disregard them. To guard against this danger, and to secure the 
 rights of each individual, the expedient of creating a department independent of the 
 others, and amenable only to the laws, was adopted. Security was thus given against 
 any palpable violation of the constitution, to the injury of individuals, or of a minority 
 party. But it was still possible for a wilful and excited majority to enact laws of the 
 greatest injustice and tyranny, without violating the letter of their charter. 
 
 And this I take to be the origin of the veto power, as well in the state governments, 
 as that of the United States. It appears to have been the intention to create an um- 
 pire between the contending factions, which had existed, it was believed, and would 
 continue to exist. If there was any propriety in adopting this principle in the go- 
 vernment of a state, all the reasons in favor of it existed in a tenfold degree for incor- 
 porating it in that of the United States. The operations of the latter, extending 
 over an immense tract of country, embracing the products of almost every clime, and 
 that country divided too into a number of separate governments, in many respects in- 
 dependent of each other and of the common federal head, left but little hope that they 
 could always be carried on in harmony. It could not be doubted that sectional inte- 
 rests would at times predominate in the bosoms of the immediate representatives of the 
 people and the states, and combinations formod destructive of the public good, or un- 
 just and oppressive to a minority. Where could a power to check these local feelings, 
 and to destroy the effects of unjust combinations, be better placed than in the hands 
 of that department whose authority, being derived from the same common sovereign, is 
 co-ordinate with the rest, and which enjoys the great distinction of being at once the 
 immediate representative of the whole people, as well as of each particular state 1 
 
 In the former character, the interests of the whole community would be rigidly sup- 
 ported, and, in the latter, the rights of each member steadfastly maintained. The re- 
 presentation from the state authorities in the electoral colleges, I consider one of the 
 most felicitous features in the constitution. It serves as an eternal memento to the 
 chief magisti-ate that it is his duty to guard the interests of the weak against the 
 unjust aggressions of the strong and powerful. From these premises, you will con- 
 clude that I consider the qualified veto upon the acts of the legislature, conferred by 
 the constitution upon the president, as a conservative power, intended only to be used 
 to secure the instrument itself from violation, or, in times of high party excitement, 
 to protect the rights of the minority, and the interests of the weaker members of the 
 Union. Such, indeed, is my opinion, and such we must believe to be the opinion of 
 nearly all the distinguished men who have filled the executive chair. If I were 
 president of the United States, an act which did not involve either of the principles 
 above enumerated, must have been passed under very peculiar crcumstances of pre- 
 cipitancy or opposition to the known public will, to induce me to refuse to it my 
 sanction. 
 
 If the opinion I have given of the motives of the framers of the constitution, in 
 giving the veto power to the president, is correct, it follows, that they never could 
 have expected that he who was constituted the umpire between contending parties, 
 should ever identify himself with the interests of one of them, and voluntarily raze 
 himself from the p'roud eminence of leader of a nation to that of chief of a party 
 I can easily conceive the existence of a state of things by which the chief magistrate 
 of a state mav be forced to act upon party principles ; but sucli a course is entirely 
 11 
 
82 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-EOOK. 
 
 opposed to all the obligations which the constitution imposes on a president of the 
 United Slates. The immense influence he possesses will always give to his party 
 the preponderance, and the very circumstance of its being an executive party will 
 be the cause of infusing more bitterness and vindictive feeling in these domestic con- 
 tests. Under these circumstances, the quahfied veto given by the constitution may, 
 if the president should think proper to change its character, become as absolute in 
 practice as that possessed by the kings of England and France. From the great 
 variety of local interests acting upon the members of the two houses of congress, and 
 from the difficulty of keeping all the individuals of a large party under the control 
 of party discipline, laws will often be passed by small majorities adverse to the inter- 
 ests of the dominant party ; but if the president should think proper to use the veto 
 power for the purpose of promoting the interests of his party, it will be in vain to 
 expect that a majority so large as two-thirds in both houses would be found in oppo- 
 sition to his wishes. In the hands of such a president, the qualified veto of the con- 
 stitution would in practice become absolute. 
 
 I have, upon another occasion, expressed my views upon the danger of a dominant 
 executive party. It may, perhaps, be said, that the chief magistrate will find it impos- 
 sible to avoid the influence of party spirit. Several of our chief magistrates, how- 
 ever, have been able to escape its influence ; or, what is the same thing, to act as if 
 they did not feel it. As one mode of avoiding it, it would be my aim to interfere 
 with the legislation of congress as little as possible. The clause in the constitution 
 which makes it the duty of the president to give congress information of the state of 
 the Union, and to recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge 
 necessary and expedient, could never be intended to make him the source of legisla- 
 tion. Information should always be frankly given, and recommendations upon such 
 matters as come more immediately under his cognisance than theirs. But there it 
 should end. If he should undertake to prepare the business of legislation for the 
 action of congress, or to assume the character of code maker for the nation, the per- 
 sonal interest which he will take in the success of his measures will necessarily con- 
 vert him into a partisan, and will totally incapacitate him from performing the part of 
 that impartial umpire, which is the character that I have supposed the constitution 
 intends him to assume, when the acts passed by the legislature are submitted to his 
 decision. I do not think it by any means necessary that he should take the lead as a 
 reformer, even when reformation is, in his opinion necessary. Reformers will be 
 never wanting when it is well understood that the power which wields the whole 
 patronage of the nation will not oppose the reformation. 
 
 I have the honor to be, with great consideration and respect, sir, your humble 
 servant, 
 
 W. H. Harrisojv-. 
 
 To the honorable Sherrod Williams." 
 
 In September, 1836, the following correspondence took place between general Har- 
 rison and John H. Pleasants, esq., relative to the charge (see p. 60) of his enemies, 
 that he was in favor of " selling white men." — Niles, vol. li. p. 94. 
 
 "Richmond, September \5th, 1836, 
 
 Dear Siu — Your political opponents in the state of Maryland have, for some 
 time, been actively urging against you a new charge, that of selling white men, which 
 probably had no inconsiderable effect in the recent elections in that state, and which 
 is evidently much relied upon to influence the approaching elections throughout the 
 United States. I enclose you a paper (the Baltimore Republican) containing the 
 charge in full; and I beg of you, as an act of justice to yourself and your friends, to 
 enable me to refute a charge against the uniform tenor of your life, which, I am well 
 aware, has been replete with instances of distinguished private liberality and public 
 sacritice. 
 
 With the highest respect, I have the honor to be your fellow-citizen, 
 
 General Wm. H. Harrison, John H. Pleasants. 
 
 Richmond, September 15, 1836, 
 Dear Sir — I acknowledge the receipt of your favor of this date. I have before 
 heard the accusation to which it refers. On my way hither, I met yesterday with a 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-EOOK. 83 
 
 young gentleman of Maryland, who informed me that a vote of mine in fihe senate of 
 Ohio had been published, in favor of a law to sell persons imprisoned under a judg- 
 ment for debt for a term of years, if unable otherwise to discharge the execution. I 
 did not for a moment hesitate to declare that I had never given any such vote, and 
 that if a vote of that description had been published and ascribed to me, it was an 
 infamous forgery. Such an act would have been repugnant to my feelings, and in 
 direct conflict with my opinions, public and private, through the whole course of my 
 life. No such proposition was ever submitted to the legislature of Ohio ; none such 
 would for a moment have been entertained ; nor would any son of hers have dared to 
 propose it. 
 
 So far from being willing to sell men for debts which they are unable to discbarge, 
 I am, and ever have been opposed to all imprisonment for debt. Fortunately, I have 
 it in my power to show that such has been my established opinion, and that, in a 
 public capacity, I avowed and acted upon it. Will those who have preferred the 
 unfounded and malicious accusation refer to the journals of the senate of the United 
 States, second session, nineteenth congress, page 325 — it will there be seen that I 
 was one of a committee which reported a bill to abolish imprisonment for debt. When 
 the bill was before the senate, I advocated its adoption, and on its passage voted in its 
 favor. See senate journal, first session, twentieth congress, pages 101 and 102. 
 
 It is not a little remarkable, that, if the efibrt I am accused of having made to 
 subject men to sale for the non-payment of their debts had been successful, I might, 
 from the state of my pecuniary circumstances at the time, have been the first victim. I 
 repeat, the charge is a vile calumny. At no period of my life would I have consented 
 to subject the poor and unfortunate to such a degradation ; nor have omitted to exert 
 myself in their behalf, against such an attempt to oppress them. 
 
 It is sought to support the charge by means of garbled extracts from the journals 
 of the senate of Ohio. The section of the bill which is employed for that purpose, had 
 no manner of reference to the relation of creditor and debtor, and could not by possi- 
 bility subject the debtor to the control of his creditor. None know better than the 
 authors of the calumny, that the alleged section is utterly at variance with the charge 
 which it is attempted to found upon it, and that so far from a proposition to invest a 
 creditor with power over the liberty of his debtor, it had respect only to the mode of 
 punishing public offenders, who had been found guilty, by a jury of their fellow-citi- 
 zens, of some crime against the laws of their state. That was exclusively the import 
 and design of the section of the bill, upon the motion to strike out which, I voted in 
 the negative. So you perceive that, in place of voting to enlarge the power of cre- 
 ditors, the vote which I gave concerned alone the treatment of malefactors, convicted 
 of crimes against the public. 
 
 I would extend this letter to an inconvenient length to go fully into the reasons 
 which led me at the time to an opinion in favor of the proposed treatment of that 
 class of offenders who would have fallen within its operation, nor is such an expose 
 called for. The measure was by no means a novelty in other parts of the country. 
 In the state of Delaware there is an act in force, in similar words with the section of 
 the bill before the Ohio senate, which has been made of late the pretext of such insi- 
 dious invective. Laws, with somewhat similar provisions, may probably be found in 
 many of the states. In practice the measure would have raehorated the condition of 
 those who were under condemnation. As the law stood, they were liable under the 
 sentence to confinement in the common jail, where offenders of various degrees of 
 profligacy — of different ages, sex, and color — were crowded together. Under such 
 circumstances, it is obvious that the bad must become worse, whilst reformation could 
 hardly be expected in respect to any. The youthful offender, it might be hoped, 
 would be reclaimed, under the operation of the proposed system ; but there was great 
 reason to fear his still greater corruption amid the contagion of a common receptacle 
 of vice. Besides, the proposed amendment of the law presupposed that the delinquent 
 was in confinement for the non-payment of a fine and costs of prosecution, the pay- 
 ment of which was a part of the sentence ; it seemed, therefore, humane, in respect 
 to the offender, to relieve him from confinement which deprived him of the means of 
 discharging the penalty, and to place him in a situation in which he might work out 
 his deliverance, even at the loss, for a time, of his personal liberty. 
 
 But I forbear to go further into the reasons wiiich led me, sixteen years ago, as a 
 
^'^ THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 member of the Ohio senate, to entertain a favorable opinion of an alteration xvhich 
 was proposed in the criminal police of the state. It is certain, that neither in respect 
 10 myself, nor those who concurred with me, was the opinion at the time considered 
 as the result of unfriendly bias towards the poor or unfortunate. Nay, the least 
 objection which I could have anticipated, even from the eager and reckless desires to 
 assail me, was a charge of unfriendliness to the humble and poor of the communitv 
 1 am my dear sir, with great respect, your humble servant, 
 J. H. Pleasants, esq- Wm. H. Haurisoi.. 
 
 The following letter (see Niles, vol. H. p. 150) was addressed by general Harrison 
 
 n rehZ r ^^ ''''"Tl "^ ^°'^'^'.^"' '" ''^'^ '"^ ^ '^"^ ^^1-^-'^"^ information 
 rn relation to a charge of his political opponents, that he had " wantonly burned a 
 
 Moravian town in Canada, with all their provisions, and that but for the humanity of 
 
 commodore Perry, in furnishing them with flour, they must have perished with 
 
 r.„^ T . "York, October 8, 1836. 
 
 txE^TLEMEN— In answer to your inquiry in relation to the burning of the town 
 occupied by the Moravian Indians, near to the scene of the action of the river Thames, 
 in die year 1813 I state, that it was not burned by my order, but by order of a major- 
 general of the Kentucky m.htia, after I had left the army, on my return to DetroiL 
 his gentleman has always been opposed to me in politics; but, although he was 
 blamed by others, I thought he was perfectly justifiable in doing so, because the 
 Indians to whom It belonged had fought against us in the action, and if the town had 
 been left, it would have afforded a place of rendezvous for the hostile Indians durin- 
 the winter, which would have enabled them g.eatly to annoy our outposts and the 
 settlements of Detroit In war, nothing is more common than the destruction of the 
 houses, even of our friends, where they can be used to advantage by the enemy, 
 ihus genera Jackson very properly destroyed all the houses of American citizens in 
 front of his hnes near New Orleans. No general who does not do so, where tlie 
 necessity occurs, would deserve to have an army intrusted to him. 
 
 I will add, that there were no provisions or stores of any kind in the town, as they 
 had all been consumed by the British troops and Indians, nor was there a barrel of 
 flour, belonging to our army, within fifty miles. The story, therefore, of the Morar 
 vians being supplied by commodore Perry, is a wilful fabrication. I am, respectfully 
 ^- Wji. H. Hariusok." 
 
 It is now generally admitted, that the opponents of the administration failed to elect 
 general Harrison in November, 1836, in consequence of their distrust of their own 
 strength; for the returns clearly indicate that, with proper exertions, several states, 
 and especially Pennsylvania, which cast their votes for Mr. Van Buren, could have 
 been secured to hun. The result, however, incited the friends of general Harrison to 
 renewed efforts m his support, and he was again nominated as a candidate by the 
 people. •' 
 
 In 1838, he was nominated by the National Democratic Anti-Masonic Convention, 
 which assembled at Hamsburg, Pa. ; and in reply to the president, who communicated 
 the official proceedings, he stated that the following were " among the principles to be 
 adopted by any executive sincerely desirous to restore the administration to its original 
 simplicity and purity, viz. : '' 
 
 I. To confine his service to a single term. 
 
 II. To disclaim all right of control over the public treasure, with the exception of 
 such part of i as may be appropriated by law, to carry on the public services, and 
 that to be applied precisely as the law may direct, and drawn from the treasury agree- 
 ably to the long established fonns of that department. 
 
 III. That he should never attempt to influence the elections, either by the people 
 or the state legislatures, nor sufl'er the federal officers under his control to take any 
 other part in them than by giving their own votes, when they possess the right of 
 
 IV. That in the exercise of the veto power, he should limit his rejection of bills 
 to.hrst: !MJch as are, in his opinion, unconstitutional; second: «uch as tend to en- 
 croach on the righu of the states or individuals; third: Such as involving deep iiv- 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 85 
 
 tcrests, may, in his opinion, require more mature deliberation or reference to the will 
 of the people, to be ascertained at the succeeding elections. 
 
 V. That he should never suffer the influence of his office to be used for purposes 
 of a purely party character. . 
 
 VI. That in removals from office of those who hold their appomtments during the 
 pleasure of the executive, the cause of such removal should be stated, if requested, to 
 the senate, at the time the nomination of a successor is made. 
 
 And last, but not least in importance, 
 
 VII. That he should not suffer the executive department of the government to he- 
 come the source of legislation : but leave the whole business of making laws for the 
 Union to the department to which the constitution has exclusively assigned it, until 
 thev have assumed that perfected shape, where and when alone the opinions of the 
 
 • 1_U1 * * * * * 
 
 executive may be heard. 
 
 The question may perhaps be asked of me, what security I have m my power to 
 offer, if the majority of the American people should select me for their chief magis- 
 trate, that I would adopt the principles which I have herein laid down as those upon 
 which my administration would be conducted ; I could only answer, by referring to 
 my conduct, and the disposition manifested in the discharge of the duties of several 
 important offices, which have heretofore been conferred upon me. If the power 
 placed in my hands has, on even a single occasion, been used for any purpose other 
 than that for which it was given, or retained longer than was necessary to accomplish 
 the objects designated by those from whom the trusts were received, I will acknow- 
 ledge that either will constitute a sufficient reason for discrediting any promise I may 
 make, under the circumstances in which I am now placed." 
 
 On the 7th day of December, 1839, GENERAL V^M. H. HARRISON, of 
 Ohio was unanimously nominated as the candidate of the opponents of the administra- 
 tion, for the office of president, and JOHN TYLER, of Va., their candidate for the 
 office of vice-president of the United States, by the national convention which assembled 
 at Harrisburgh, Pa., comprising delegates from the states of Maine, New Hampshire, 
 Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New .Tersey, Penn- 
 sylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, 
 Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Alabama, and Michigan. The delegates 
 were among the most respectable and intelligent citizens of their respective states, 
 and the nominations were made after the most calm and deliberate consideration ; 
 every individual being deeply impressed with the necessity of sacrificing mere per- 
 sonal preferences, for the purpose of insuring unity of action and success in the con- 
 test. The spirit which animated the convention governed the individuals who had 
 been placed before it as candidates by the people ; and the noble and disinterested 
 letter of Mr. Clay, gave that body the strongest assurance that the nominations would 
 receive the cordial support of every man desirous " to bring about a salutary change 
 in the government." That assurance has been realized ; and never were the friends 
 of the honor and happiness of the nation more closely united in the struggle against 
 the " spoilsmen." „ ^ ,, , 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, of Ohio, and JOHN TYLER, of Va., having 
 been unanimously nominated, a committee, composed of one member from each of 
 the twenty-two states represented in the convention, was appointed to communicate 
 the fact to them, to which they returned the following replies : 
 
 « North Bend, ^9th Dec. 1839. 
 
 Gentiemen— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter from 
 Harrisburg of the 7th instant. . . 
 
 However objectionable in the opinions of many of our fellow-citizens, may be the 
 mode of selecting a candidate for the two highest offices of the government by a 
 general convention, the peculiar circumstances in which the party opposed to the 
 present administration were placed, seem to have left them no alternative to secure 
 that unity of action so necessary to their success. The number of states represented, 
 and the exalted characters of the delegates to whom the delicate task of nominating a 
 candidate was committed, leaving no room to doubt that their decision was in accord- 
 ance with the wishes of the majority of their constituents, I accept with gratitude \he. 
 
^^ THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 nomination which, in obedience to a resolution of the convention, you have done me, 
 gentlemen, the honor to communicate. 
 
 But however high I may value this evidence of the attachment and confidence of 
 BO large a portion of my fellow-citizens, I must beg you to believe, gentlemen, that 
 no one IS more thoroughly convinced than I am, that in selecting a retired and un- 
 pretcndmg individual to be their candidate, the convention were influenced by circum- 
 stances often occurring in popular governments to set aside the higher claims of other 
 citizens although founded upon the possession of the most distinguished talents, and 
 the performance of the most eminent services to their country, united to efrery other 
 quality necessary to the discharge of the duties of chief magistrate of this great 
 republic. ° 
 
 It may, perhaps, be expected that I should embrace this occasion to declare the prin- 
 ciples upon which the administration will be conducted, if the efforts of my friends to 
 place me in the presidential chair should prove successful. But having, in a letter to 
 the honorable Harmer Denny, and in another to the honorable Sherrod Williams, both 
 ot which have been made public, given my views at some length of the character and 
 extent of the powers vested by the constitution in the president, I consider it unneces- 
 sary to repeat them here. 
 
 I deem it, however, gentlemen, proper at this time to renew the assurance here- 
 tofore frequently made, that should I be elected to the presidency, I will under no 
 circumstances consent to be a candidate for a second term. 
 
 With the highest consideration, gentlemen, for yourselves and those you represent. 
 I am, your fellow-citizen, w w w 
 
 / ,, ^, W. U. HAnaisojf. 
 
 lo the honorable John Owen, of North Carolina, 4-c." 
 
 GOYERNOK TYLEr's REPLY. 
 
 r. rr-L . . , . " ^Williamsburg, Va. Dec. 16, 1839. 
 
 Gentlemen— The nomination which, as the organs of the late Harrisbur- con- 
 vention, you have communicated to me, is accepted with a sensibihty greatly aug- 
 mented by the fact, that whilst it is a result in no way contemplated by me, it was 
 attended by the unanimous concurrence of that enlightened and patriotic body To 
 have my name associated with that of the eminent patriot who is put in nomination 
 for the first office, is oi itself regarded by me as no ordinary honor. His long and 
 faithful services to the country, at the council board and in the field, have won for 
 him a distinguished name in history, and furnish the surest guarantee that should he 
 be elevated by the popular voice to the chief executive office, his administration of 
 governmental affairs will be just, and prudent, and wise. With the constitution for 
 his guide, and the good of his country his only aim, I doubt not but that his exertions 
 would be exclusively directed to uphold the one, and to advance the other The 
 friend and supporter of Jeflerson, of Madison, and Monroe, and the immediate 
 descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, can be none other than 
 true to his early republican creed, and the devoted advocate of free principles and of 
 popular rights. I have the honor to be, gentlemeh, your obedient servant, 
 
 TohnOwen,esq. and others of the cow^mittee" ^^^ ^^^^' 
 
 We also append Mr Clay's letter to governor Thomas Metcalfe, general Lcshe 
 Combes, and the other delegates from Kentucky to the convention. 
 
 n mu ,,. " Ashland, Nov. 2Q,\Q29. 
 
 ^l^'r^ffi""". P^^''" T, ^H'*' ^^' ^'^''" '"^'^'^ «*" '"y "'^"le. i« connexion 
 wi h the office of president of the United States, furnishes the motive, as I trust ,t 
 will form he apology, for this note. I address it to you, because our common resi- 
 dence in the same state appears to me to render you the most appropriate repository 
 and organ of what I wish now to say. ' ^ 
 
 The convention at Harrisburg to designate candidates of the opposition to the pre- 
 ^n federal administration, for the offices of president ;aid vice-president of the United 
 btates, has been recommended, and the propriety of it has been generally concurred 
 in by al who agree as to the necessity of a change in the general administration. It 
 appcare.1 to me to be tlie best, if not the only practicable method of reconciling and 
 uniting those who, coinciding in the general principle, entertained different views as 
 
THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 87 
 
 to the most suitable candiJates for those high offices, and I have accordingly fre- 
 quently expressed, and now repeat the expression of my conviction of the expediency 
 of an entire and cordial acquiescence in the recommendations of the convention. 
 
 In the mean time, appeals, directly and indirectly, have been made to me by a 
 highly respectable convention holden in Pennsylvania, and by private individuals, to 
 decline giving my consent to the use of my name, upon the ground that a distin- 
 guished citizen of the state of Ohio, is the first choice of the opposition jn Pennsyl- 
 vania, and in the opinion of that convention wfould be more likely to conciliate 
 general support than I should. I have been also addressed by various respectable 
 and intelligent citizens of New York, directly and indirectly recommending me to 
 decline the contest in behalf of another eminent citizen, who has been distinguished 
 in both the military and civil service of the United States. 
 
 Whilst I have been thus urgently but respectfully approached, numerous private 
 citizens and public meetings and conventions in various parts of the United biates, 
 (one of these conventions, indeed, in Pennsylvania itself,) have done me the honor Uy 
 express their confidence in me, and to intimate their wishes that I might be the can- 
 didate of the opposition for the office of chief magistrate. 
 
 It is perfectly manifest that I cannot comply with all these conflicting opinions and 
 wishes, nor, I apprehend, with any one of them, without disobliging the others. 
 
 Under these embarrassing circumstances, I have thought it most ailvisable to leave 
 to the convention at Harrisburg the free selection of candidates, as being the assembly 
 to which, by common consent, that important duty has been referred. Representing, 
 as it probably will, all parts of the United States, bringing together the feelings and 
 views of all, and comparing and weighing the local information which it will derive 
 from every portion, it will be most competent to make a nomination acceptable to the 
 great majority of hs constituents. That it will be faithful to the high Uust confided 
 to its judgment and patriotism, cannot be doubted ; and having a full view of the 
 whole ground, it will be more likely to make a selection agreeable to the great body 
 of the opposition than any separate convention could do, however enlightened and 
 patriotic it may be. If the Peimsylvania convention, to which I have just alluded, be 
 right in supposing that the distinguished citizen whom it prefers would be more likely 
 to be successful than any other, he ought to be nominated, and undoubtedly, for that 
 reason, will be nominated by the Harrisburg convention, should it entertain the same 
 opinion. 
 
 With a just and proper sense of the high honor of being voluntarily called to the 
 office of president of the United States by a great, free, and enlightened people, and 
 profoundly grateful to those of my fellow-citizens who are desirous t'> see me placed 
 in that exalted and responsible station, I must, nevertheless, say, in entire truth and 
 sincerity, that if the deliberations of the convention shall lead them to the choice of 
 another as the candidate of the opposition, far from feeling any discontent, the nomi- 
 nation will have my best wishes and receive my cordial support. 
 
 And, gentlemen, I hope that you, my friends and neighbors, will excuse the liberty 
 I take in expressing to you my anxious desire that, discarding all attachment or par- 
 tialhy to me, and guided solely by the motive of rescuing our country from the dan- 
 gers which now encompass it, you will heartily unite in the selection of that citizen, 
 although it should not be me, who may appear to be most likely, by his election, to 
 bring about a salutary change in the administration of the general government — a 
 change without which we shall be mocked by the forms, and stript of the substantial 
 benefits of free institutions. 
 
 From the tenor of this note, I scarcely need observe that you are at perfect liberty 
 to make such use of it as in your discretion may seem proper. I am, with high re- 
 spect, your friend, Heniiy Clay. 
 
 To governor Thomas Metcalfe, general Leslie Combes, and the other delegates 
 from Kentucky to the Harrisburg convention." 
 
 The compiler has now completed the official record of general HAKRISON'S ser- 
 vices, and given the evidences of the impression they made upon the mind of a 
 grateful people, at a period when party spirit did not dare to asperse the fame of our 
 patriots to elfect its unhallowed purposes. He has, however, omitted many documents 
 
S8 THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 and facts which more fully illustrate his energy and valor in the field, his wisdom 
 and love of country in council, and the generosity and magnanimity which have uni- 
 formly marked his conduct when the welfare and happiness of his fellow-citizens were 
 involved. Yet he beUeves the array of testimony presented, is sufficient to convince 
 every honorable opponent of general Harrison's, that the charges of imbecility and 
 cowardice are the mere ebulitions of malignant partisans, and that he has rendered 
 more important services to the country than any man living, and possesses every 
 qualification to enable him to administer the government upon the true constitutional 
 pnnciples. To his friends it will indeed be gratifying : and the compiler believes it 
 will stimulate them to persevere in the holy cause in which they are engaged. With 
 his earnest prayers that then: efforts may be successful, he respectfully takes his 
 leave. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 The following anecdotes and incidents in the life of general Harrison, have been 
 collected from various authentic sources. 
 
 A curious anecdote is on record, illustrative of the cheerful temper and intrepidity 
 of general Harrison's father, who was identified with every turn in the fortunes of his 
 country ; at a period when that country was convulsed by a struggle in which all 
 its rights and very existence were involved. Elbridge Gerry, a delegate from Mas- 
 sachusetts, as slender and spare as Mr. Harrison was vigorous and portly, stood be- 
 side Harrison, whilst signing the Declaration. Harrison turned round to him with a 
 smile, as he raised his hand from the paper, and said, "When the hanging scene 
 comes to be exhibited, I shall have all the advantage over you. It will be over ^with 
 me in a minute, but you will be kicking in the air half an hour after I am gone." 
 
 The following is a copy of the message of Tliomas Jefferson, nominating general 
 Harrison sole commissioner to treat with the Indians. 
 
 I nominate William Henry Harrison, of Indiana, to be a Commissioner to enter 
 mto ANT treat!/ or treaties which may be necessary, with any Indian tribes, north- 
 west of the Ohio, and within the territory of the United States, on the subject of the 
 boundary, or lands. 
 
 (Signed) Thomas Jeffehson-. 
 
 The message containing these nominations was transmitted to the Senate of the 
 United States, on the 3d day of February, 1803, read on the 4th, and on the 8th 
 taken up for consideration, when the nomination of William Henry Harrison, above 
 recited, received the unanimous sanction of that honorable body. 
 
 In September, 1809, governor Harrison held a council at Fort Wayne, and nego- 
 tiated a treaty with the Miamies, Delawares, Patawatamies, and Kickapoos, by which 
 he succeeded in purchasing from those tribes an extensive tract of country on both 
 sides of the Wabash, and extending up that river more than sixty miles above Vin- 
 cennes. The tribes who owned these lands were paid for them by certain annuities 
 which they considered a satisfactory equivalent. 
 
 Tecumseh was absent when this treaty was made, and the Prophet, not feeling 
 himself interested, had not opposed it ; but on the return of Tecumseh, some months 
 after, both he and his brother expressed great dissatisfaction, and even threatened to 
 put to death all those chiefs who had signed the treaty. Hearing this, and anxious 
 too to ascertain their intentions from themselves if possible, governor Harrison de- 
 spatched messengers to invite them both to Vincennes, and to assure them that any 
 claims they might have to these lands were not affected by the treaty ; but that if they 
 would come to Vincennes and exhibit their pretensions, and they should be found to 
 be valid, the lands would be given up or an ample compensation made for them. 
 Tecumseh came, without his brother — and though the governor, having no confidence 
 in his good faith, had requested him not to bring with him more than thirty warriors, 
 he came with four hundred, completely armed. The governor held a council on the 
 12th of August, 1810, at which Tecumseh and forty of these warriors were present 
 The governor was attended by the judges of the supreme court, several officers of the 
 army, Winnemack, a friendly chief, and a few unarmed citizens. A sergeant's guard 
 of twelve men was likewise placed near him, but as the day was exceedingly sultry, 
 and they were exposed to the sun, the governor, with his characteristic humanity, 
 directed them to remove to a shaded spot at some distance. 
 
 Tecumseh addressed this council with a speech, in which he openly avowed the 
 designs of himself and his brother. He declared it to be their intentron to form a 
 coalition of all the red men, to prevent the whites from extending their settlements 
 13 H 2 89 
 
^^ THE TIPPECANOE TEXT-BOOK. 
 
 farther west— and to establish the principle that the Indian lands belonged in common 
 to all the trihos, and could not be sold without their united consent. He again avow- 
 ed their intention to put to death all the chiefs who had signed the treaty at Fort 
 Wayne, yet, with singular inconsistency, he at the same time denied all intention to 
 make war, and declared that all those who had given such information to the governor 
 were liars. This was aimed particularly at Winnemack, from whom the governor 
 had received a timely notice of the designs of Tecumseh and his brother 
 
 Governor Harrison replied to Tecumseh in a mild and conciliatory tone, explaining 
 the treaty at Fort Wayne, and clearly proving that all the chiefs whose tribes had any 
 claims upon the land ceded at this time to the United States, were present at the 
 treaty and had voluntarily signed it— and that they had sold these lands for an annuity 
 which they considered a sufficient compensation. The interpreter to the Shawnees 
 explained the governor's speech io the warriors of that tribe, but when the interpreter 
 to the Patawatamies was about to begin. Tecumseh interrupted him in a rude and 
 insulting manner, using the most vehement language and the most violent gesticula- 
 tion and loudly declaring that all the governor had said was false, and that he and 
 tae United States had cheated and imposed upon the Indians. As he uttered this, 
 h:s warriors sprung to their feet, and began to brandish their tomahawks and war- 
 cubs, their eyes all fiercely turned upon the governor. Harrison rose immedi- 
 ately and drew his sword. The friendly chief Winnemack cocked a pistol with which 
 he was armed, and some of the officers in attendance drew their weapons and stood 
 on the defensive. During this critical moment not a word was spoken, until the 
 guard came running up and were about to fire on the Indians, when the governor 
 with singular coolness and presence of mind, restrained them. He then turned to 
 Tecumseh, and calmly but authoritatively told him that " he was a bad man— that he 
 would hold no further talk with him— and that he must' now return to his camp, and 
 take his departure from the settlements without delay." The council was immediate- 
 ly broken up, and Tecumseh and his warriors, awed by the coolness and intrepidity 
 of the governor, withdrew in silence. 
 
 The next morning Tecumseh, finding that he had to deal with a man of firmness 
 and undaunted bravery, whom he could neither intimidate by his audacious violence 
 nor disconcert by his cunning manoeuvres, solicited another interview with the gover- 
 nor, and apologized for the improprieties he had committed at the council the day 
 before. ^ 
 
 Still anxious to conciliate this haughty savage, the governor afterwards paid him a 
 visit to his own camp, with no other attendant than the interpreter. Tecumseh re- 
 ceived him with courtesy and much attention ; his uniform kindness and inflexible 
 firmness having won the respect of the rude warrior ; but he still persisted in rigidly 
 adhering to the pohcy he had avowed at the council on the preceding day. 
 
 ' The following is an extract from the official report of Gen. Wayne, of the 27th of 
 August, 1794, giving an account of his celebrated battle of Maumee : 
 
 " The bravery and conduct of every officer belonging to the army, from the gene- 
 rals down to the ensigns, merit my highest approbation. There were, however, 
 some whose rank and situation placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point of 
 view, and which I observed with pleasure and the most lively gratitude : among whom 
 I beg leave to mention brigadier-general Wilkinson, and colonel Hamtramack, the 
 commandants of the right and left wings of the legion, whose brave example inspired 
 the troops ; and to these I must add the names of my faithful and gallant aids-de- 
 camp, captains De Butts and T. Lewis, and lieutenant Harrison, who, with the ad- 
 jutant-general, Major Mills, rendered the moat essential service by comnumicutimr 
 my orders m every direction, and by their conduct and bravery excitins the troops 
 to press for victory." j a i- 
 
 The conduct of governor Harrison, in administering the affairs of the Indiana ter- 
 ritory, was repeatedly approved by the legislative council and house of representatives. 
 Jn I8O0, tlie former, in reply to the message of the governor, say: 
 
 "The confidence which our fellow-citizens have uniformly had in your adminis- 
 tration, has been such that they have hitherto had no reason to be jealous of the un- 
 limited power which you possess over our legislative proceedings. We, however, 
 cannot help regretting that such powers have been lodged in the hands of any one/ 
 
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