THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY From the library of Walter Colyer Albion, Illinois Purchased 1926 A §77.3 &23L cop. 2 ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY ^ / tzfi^t jfT/tfr / 1^0 Eippiucotfs Catrinrt histories of tfje itatrs. ILLINOIS. M GUhfc U»VEHlTy OF iujiuis «2E®IH)GE 3B CD) ffi E fa S ©LAKICS «,*»*"*??**« lc^©q.w[et m asTroaaii es E ILL. EN© IS PHILADELPHIA JLJB. LIPPING ©TT & C 1856 the HISTORY OF ILLINOIS, PEOM ITS (Purlfest Siftlrnmd tn tip IfrtmA €\m. EDITED BY W. H. CARPENTER, AND T. S. ARTHUR. PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1857. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by T. S. ARTHUR AWD W. H. CARPENTER, the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. W.3 PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. There are but few persons in this country who have not, at some time or other, felt the want of an accurate, well written, concise, yet clear and reliable history of their own or some other state. The want here indicated is now about being sup- plied ; and, as the task of doing so is no light or superficial one, the publishers have given into the hands of the two gentlemen whose names appear in the title-page, the work of preparing a series of Cabi- net Histories, embracing a volume for each state in the Union. Of their ability to perform this well, we need not speak. They are no strangers in the literary world. What they undertake the public may rest assured will be performed thoroughly ; and that no sectarian, sectional, or party feelings will bias their judgment, or lead them to violate the integrity of history. The importance of a series of state histories like those now commenced, can scarcely be estimated. Being condensed as carefully as accuracy and interest of narrative will permit, the size and price of the volumes will bring them within the reach of every family in the country, thus making them home-read- ing books for old and young. Each individual will, 615089 8 publishers' preface. in consequence, become familiar, not only with the history of his own state, but with that of other states : — thus mutual interest will be re-awakened, and old bonds cemented in a firmer union. In this series of Cabinet Histories, the authors, while presenting a concise but accurate narrative of the domestic policy of each state, will give greater prominence to the personal history of the people. The dangers which continually hovered around the early colonists ; the stirring romance of a life passed fearlessly amid peril; the incidents of border war- fare; the adventures of hardy pioneers; the keen watchfulness, the subtle surprise, the ruthless attack, and prompt retaliation — all these having had an im- portant influence upon the formation of the American character, are to be freely recorded. While the progres- sive development of the citizens of each individual state from the rough forest-life of the earlier day to the polished condition of the present, will exhibit a pic- ture of national expansion as instructing as it is inte- resting. The size and style of the series will be uniform with the present volume. The authors, who have been for some time collecting and arranging materials, will furnish the succeeding volumes as rapidly as their careful preparation will warrant. PREFACE. The history of Illinois presents many points of singular interest. The villages of Cahokia, Kaskas- kia, and Vincennes were founded by French mission- aries at a very early period ; and the territory formed a part of the French possessions in America until it was ceded to Great Britain in 1763. The romantic expedition of George Rogers Clarke wrested it from the latter power during the Revolutionary War, though it received very little increase of population from im- migration until after the commencement of the present century. Since then its delicious climate, and the unexampled fertility of its soil, has been duly appre- ciated, while the vast works of internal improvement, either completed or in rapid course of construction, attest the energy and enterprise of its people. The 9 10 PREFACE. author of this book has endeavoured to exhibit the progress of the State in its several stages of growth; and it is believed that nothing has been omitted that might be regarded either as interesting in itself or as characteristic of its inhabitants. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The French in Canada — Samuel Champlain — The Jesuit missionaries form the first permanent white settlement — Father Claude Allouez — The Illinois — Fathers Marquette and Dablon — Grand Indian council at St Mary's — Mar- quette and Jolliet explore the Mississippi — Their visit to the Illinois Indians — Hospitality and kindness of the latter — Their manners and customs — Marquette visits the Arkansas — Close of the exploration — Return to Green Bay — Death of Marquette — His remains removed from the wilderness — Reverent conduct of the Kiskakon In- dians Page 19 CHAPTER II. Robert de la Salle — Aided by Frontenac, obtains a patent of nobility and the grant of Fort Frontenac — His prosperity and visit to France — Schemes favoured by Colbert — First vessel on Lake Erie — Voyage to Green bay and Hlinois — Builds Fort Crevecoaur — Loss of the Griffin — Descends the Mississippi and takes possession of its valley in the name of France — Voyage of La Salle to France for mili- tary and naval stores — On his return lands in Texas — Dis- asters in Texas — Unfortunate expedition in search of the 11 12 CONTENTS. Mississippi — Attempts an overland journey to the French settlements in Illinois — Mutinous conduct of his men — Death of La Salle — His character — Fate of his com- panions Page 34. CHAPTER III. Progress of French colonization — Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Peoria founded — Expedition of D'Iberville — Discovers the mouth of the Mississippi — Letter from M. Tonti to M. de La Salle preserved by the Indians — D'Iberville builds Fort Biloxi and returns to France for reinforcements — First meeting of France and England in the Mississippi valley — Return and death of D'Iberville — Fort Chartres founded — Expedition of D'Artaguette, governor of Illinois, against the Chickasas — His defeat and death — Extracts from the letters of Vivier, a French missionary, showing tho state of colonization in Illinois during this period — Territorial difficulties between France and England — Extract from a letter written by Father Marest 46 CHAPTER IV. English and French territorial claims examined — Commence- ment of hostilities and conduct of Colonel Washington — Brief sketch of the war from 1756 to 1760— Treaty of peace in 1763 between France and England — Native hos- tility to the English — Conspiracy of Pontiac — Nine forts captured — Failure of his attack on Detroit — Conciliatory policy of England — Death of Pontiac — Condition of Illinois under the British domination — Government proclamation —Annals of Illinois from 1765 to 1778 56 CONTENTS. 13 CHAPTER V. Causes which brought ahout the American Revolution— Em- ployment of Indians hy the British — The Illinois settle- ments the grand sources of Indian hostilities — George Rogers Clarke — Sends spies into Illinois — His interview with Patrick Henry — Receives instructions to attack the British posts in Illinois — Expedition to Kaskaskia — John Saunders — Stratagem hy which Kaskaskia was captured — Cahokia surrenders Page 71 CHAPTER VI. The capture of the British post at Vincennes — Complimentary resolution of the Virginia legislature — Negotiations of Clarke with the Indians — His mode of treating them — The Meadow Indians attempt his life — Affecting and romantio Incident — Fort Vincennes recaptured by Colonel Hamil- ton, governor of Detroit, and the whole garrison, consist- ing of one officer and one private, allowed to march out of the fort with the honours of war — Expedition of Colonel Clarke against Vincennes — Incidents on the march — Fort Vincennes retaken by the Americans — Governor Harrison's letter to Colonel Clarke CHAPTER VII. )C The " County of Hlinois" organized by the Virginia legisla- ture — North-western territory ceded to Congress — Virginia grants lands to Clarke and his soldiers — Claims of the United States on Indian lands — Indian objections to these claims — Agency of the British in provoking Indian hosti- 2 14 CONTENTS. lilies — General Harmar is appointed commander-in-chief, and is defeated by Little Turtle — General St Clair's di- sastrous defeat — Renewal of the attempt to negotiate a peace — Indian manifesto — General Wayne marches to subdue the Indians — Erects Fort Recovery — Fort Recovery at- tacked by Little Turtle — Fort Defiance erected — The In- dians finally defeated — Treaty of Greenville — Condition of Illinois during this period — Beneficial results of General Wayne's expedition against the Indians Page 106 CHAPTER VIII. American settlements in Illinois — Character and mode of life of the Illinois backwoodsman — Annals of border warfare from 1786 to 1796— Anecdote of Little Turtle — Character and designs of Tecumseh — His interviews with General Harrison — Tecumseh's visit to the South — Battle of Tippecanoe — Frustration of Tecumseh's plans — Joins the British at Fort Maiden 125 CHAPTER IX. Causes which led to the renewal of war between Great Bri- tain and the United States in 1812 — Disastrous commence- ment of the war — Fort Chicago ordered to be evacuated — The garrison wish to remain in the fort — Captain Heald attends the Indian council alone, protected by the guns of the fort — The ammunition and liquor destroyed, and the goods distributed among the Indians — Arrival of Captain Wells — The garrison leave the fort — Attacked by the In- dians on their march — Mrs. Helm's account of the action — Cruel and faithless conduct of the Indians after the sur- render of the soldiers — Kindness of Wau-bee-nee-mah to CONTENTS. 15 Mrs. Helm — Heroic conduct of Mrs. Heald — Fate of the captives Pagt 148 CHAPTER X. Expedition of General Hopkins and Governor Edwards against the Indian villages on tho Illinois — Americans defeated at Frenchtown — The massacre on the banks of the Raisin — Fort Meigs erected by General Harrison — General Procter attacks Fort Meigs and defeats Colonel Dudley — Noble and humane conduct of Tecumseh — Gal- lant defence of Fort Stephenson — Retreat of Procter to Fort Maiden — Defeat of the British fleet on Lake Erie by Commodore Perry — Invasion of Canada by General Har- rison — Battle of the Thames — Death of Tecumseh — Hli- nois defended against the Indians during this period by its native militia, under the title of "Rangers" — The character of the rangers — Exploits of Tom Higgins — Peace restored between Great Britain and the United States, and termination of the hostile incursions of the Indians 16-4 CHAPTER XI. Rapid increase of population in Hlinois — Hlinois admitted into the Union as an independent state — Its constitution — Indian title to possession gradually extinguished — Land, the origin of all the difficulties between the Indians and whites — Early life of Black Hawk — His account of the treaty of 1804 — The American government attempts to in- duce the Indian tribes to live in peace — Some account of the Sioux and Chippewa Indians — Attack on the keel-boats by the Indians — Black Hawk imprisoned — Treaty of Prai- rie du Chicn — Keokuk — Indians notified to leave the coun- try cast of the Mississippi — Refusal of Black Hawk — Correspondence between General Gaines and the Secretary 16 CONTENTS. of War — The Sao village abandoned on the approach of the military — Treaty between Black Hawk and General Gaines Page 181 CHAPTER XII. Black Hawk and his men recross the Mississippi — Defeat of Major Stillman and his party — Conduct of Captain Adams — The bodies of the Americans killed in the battle shame- fully mutilated by the savages — The massacre at Indian Creek — Major Demont's skirmish with Black Hawk — De- feat of Black Hawk by General Hervey — General Atkinson defeats him at the Mississippi — Capture and speech of Black Hawk — Treaty with the Indians — Progress of Black Hawk through the United States — Restored to his native country 196 CHAPTER XIII. The Mormons, or " Latter-Day Saints," settle in Hlinois and build the city of Nauvoo — Biography of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon sect — His discovery of the golden plates — Persecuted by his neighbours — Translates the golden plates — Description of the "Book of Mormon" — The Spaulding manuscript — First settlement of Mormons at Kirtland in Ohio — The Mormons driven from Ohio and Missouri — The city of Nauvoo built by the Mormons — The Nauvoo Legion incorporated — Attack on the Nauvoo Ex- positor^ — Joseph and Hyrum Smith arrested and lodged in Carthage jail — The citizens of Carthage attack and kill the prisoners — The Mormons exhorted to peace and sub- mission by their leaders — Tho Mormons settle in the valley of the Great Salt Lake — The present prosperous condition of tho Mormons accounted for 213 CONTENTS. 17 CHAPTER XIV. The Illinois and Michigan canal — Its great commercial importance — Governor Bond brings the subject before the legislature of Illinois — Canal commissioners appointed and the first estimate made — A company chartered — The charter repealed — Canal lands given by Congress — A board of commissioners appointed and authorized to employ suitable engineers, surveyors, and draughtsmen to deter- mine the route of the canal — An act passed for the con- struction of the canal on a more enlarged scale — The work stopped through the failure of the public credit — The work completed by means of the " Shallow Cut" — The Illinois Grand Central Railroad — The public debt of Illinois Page 2J3 CHAPTER XV. Education among the early pioneers — The establishment of common schools — School funds in Illinois — Particulars respecting some of the principal colleges — The physical geography of Illinois — Its minerals and manufactures — Growth of towns and cities in Illinois — Springfield- Chicago — Alton — Kaskaskia — Climate — The climate of the interior of Illinois beneficial in cases of consumption — Population 242 2* - HISTORY OP ILLINOIS. CHAPTER I. The French in Canada — Samuel Champlain — -The Jesuit mis- sionaries form the first permanent white settlement — Father Claude Allouez — The Illinois — Fathers Marquette and Da- hlon — Grand Indian council at St. Mary's — Marquette and Jolliet explore the Mississippi — Their visit to the Illinois In- dians — Hospitality and kindness of the latter — Their man- ners and customs — Marquette visits the Arkansas — Close of the exploration — Return to Green Bay — Death of Mar- quette — His remains removed from the wilderness — Reverent conduct of the Kiskakon Indians. The discoveries of Verrazani, a mariner in the service of France, having given that country a title to certain parts of the Western Conti- nent, in 1627 Samuel Champlain obtained from Louis XIII. a patent of New France, and en- tered upon its government. The territory so called included the whole basin of the St. Law- rence, together with Florida, or the country south of Virginia. The genius of Champlain, the founder of Quebec, could have devised no better method for extending the power of France on the American continent than by an alliance with the Hurons, and the establishment of mis- 19 20 HISTORY OP ILLINOIS. [1665. sionaries. Jesuit missionaries were therefore commissioned to form alliances with the savage tribes that inhabited the western wilds. Every tradition bears testimony to the worth and virtues of these men. They may have had faults, the natural result of a stringent adherence to an ascetic religion ; but they endured with invinci- ble fortitude, hunger, cold, and nakedness, under the influence of an irrepressible religious en- thusiasm. They carved the cross and the name of Jesus on the bark of the trees of the forest ; and the rise of several towns of importance amid the forests and prairies of the far West is histo- rically connected with their labours. In August, 1665, Father Claude Allouez founded the first permament white settlement on Lake Superior, among the kindly and hos- pitable Indians of the North-west. He soon lighted the torch of Catholicism at the council fires of more than twenty nations. He came in peace, the messenger of religion and virtue, and he found friends. The Chippewas gathered around him to receive instruction. Pottawato- mies, Sacs, Foxes, and even Illinois, an hospita- ble race, having no weapon but the bow and arrow, diminished in numbers by wars with the Sioux and the Iroquois, came to rehearse their sorrows in the hearing of this devoted mis- sionary. His curiosity was roused by their ac- count of the noble river on which they dwelt, 1G68.] MARQUETTE AND DABLON. 21 and which flowed toward the south. " They had no forests, but, instead of them, vast prairies, where herds of deer, and buffalo, and other animals grazed on the tall grasses." They ex- plained also the wonders of their peace-pipe, and declared it to be their custom to welcome the friendly stranger with shouts of joy. " Their country," said Allouez, "is the best field for the gospel. Had I leisure, I would have gone to their dwellings, to see with my own eyes all the good that was told me of them." In 1668 additional missionaries arrived from France, who, following in the footsteps of Father Allouez, Claude Dablon, and James Marquette, founded the mission at St. Mary's Falls, on the shores of Lake Superior. While residing at St. Mary's, Father Marquette resolved to explore the Mississippi, of whose magnificence he had heard so much. Some Pottawatomy Indians having heard him express this resolution, at- tempted to turn him from his purpose. " Those distant nations," said they, "never spare the stranger — the great river abounds with monsters which devour both men and canoes." "I shall gladly," replied Marquette, "lay down my life for the salvation of souls." Such was the noble spirit of this brave and worthy missionary, such his entire devotedness to the sacred principles of that religion of which he was the humMe expounder. 22 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1673. Continued and peaceful commerce with the French having confirmed the attachment of the Indian tribes inhabiting Canada and the North- west, a friendly alliance was now sought with them which was well calculated to extend the power of France on the continent. In May, 1671, a grand Indian council was held at the Falls of St. Mary's. At this council, convoked by the agents of the French government, it was announced to the tribes assembled from the banks of the Mississippi, the head springs of the St. Lawrence and the Red River, that they were placed under the protection of the French king, formal possession being taken of Canada and the North-west by officers acting under his authority. The Jesuit missionaries were pre- sent to consecrate the imposing ceremonial. A cross of cedar was erected ; and by its side rose a column of similar wood, on which was engraved the lilies of the Bourbons. The authority and faith of France being thus proclaimed, " the whole company, bowing before the image of man's redemption, chantea to its glory a hymn of the seventh century." On the 10th of June, 1673, Father Marquette, who had long entertained the idea of exploring the Mississippi, the great river of the West, ac- companied by Jolliet, five Frenchmen, and two Algonquin guides, ascended to the head of the Fox River, and carrying their two bark canoes 1673.] EXPLORATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 23 across the narrow portage which divides the Fox River from the Wisconsin, launched them upon the waters of the latter. The guides now left them, and for seven days they floated down the stream, between alternate prairies and hill-sides, beholding neither man nor beast — through the solitudes of a wilderness, the stillness of which overawed their spirits. At length, to their inex- pressible joy, their frail canoes struck the mighty waters of the Mississippi, rolling through ver- dant prairies, dotted with herds of buffalo, and its banks overhung with primitive forests. Having sailed down this noble stream for about sixty leagues, they discovered, toward the close of June, an Indian trail on its western bank. It was like the human footsteps which Robinson Crusoe saw in the sand, and which had not been effaced by the rising of the tides or the rolling of the waters. A little footpath was soon found, and, leaving their companions in the canoes, Marquette and Jolliet determined to brave alone a meeting with the savages. After following the little path for about six miles they discovered an Indian village. First imploring the protection of Divine Providence, they made known their presence to the Indians by uttering a loud cry. "At this cry," says Father Marquette, "the Indians rushed out of their cabins, and having probably recognised us as French, especially seeing a < black gown,' or 24 HISTORY OP ILLINOIS. [1673. at least having no reason to distrust us, seeing we were but two, and had made known our coming, they deputed four old men to come and speak with us. Two carried tobacco-pipes well adorn- ed, and trimmed with many kinds of feathers. They marched slowly, lifting their pipes toward the sun, as if offering them to him to smoke; but yet without uttering a single word. They were a long time coming the little way from the village to us. Having reached us at last, they stopped to consider us attentively. I now took courage, seeing these ceremonies, which are used by them only with friends, I therefore spoke to them first, and asked them who they were. 'We are,' said they, 'Illinois;' and in token of peace they presented us their pipes to smoke. They then invited us to their village, where all the tribe awaited us with impatience. These pipes are called in the country calumets." Our travellers having arrived at the village, an aged chief bid them welcome to his cabin with uplifted hands, their usual method of re- ceiving strangers. "How beautiful," said the chief, " is the sun, Frenchman, when thou comest to visit us ! Our whole village awaits thee ; thou shalt enter in peace into all our dwellings." A grand council of the whole tribe was now held, which Marquette addressed on the subject of the Christian religion, informing them at the same time that the French king had subjugated 1673.] VISIT TO THE ILLINOIS. 25 their enemies, the Iroquois, and questioning them respecting the Mississippi and the tribes which inhabited its banks. The missionary hav- ing finished, the sachem of the Illinois arose, and spoke thus : — " I thank thee, black gown, and thee Frenchman," addressing M. Jolliet, * for taking so much pains to come and visit us ; never has the earth been so beautiful, nor the sun so bright as to-day ; never has our river been so calm, nor so free from rocks, which your canoes have removed as they passed ; never has our tobacco had so fine a flavour, nor our corn appeared so beautiful as we behold it to-day. Here is my son that I give thee, that thou mayest know my heart. I pray thee to take pity on me and all my nation. Thou knowest the Great Spirit who has made us all ; thou speakest to him and hearest his word; ask him to give me life and health, and come and dwell with us that we may know him." « Say- ing this," says Marquette, " he placed the little slave near us, and made us a second present, an all-mysterious calumet, which they value more than a slave ; by this present he showed us his esteem for our governor, after the account we had given of him ; by the third he begged us, in behalf of the whole nation, not to proceed fur- ther, on account of the great dangers to which we exposed ourselves. I replied that I did not fear death, and that I esteemed no happiness 26 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1673. greater than that of losing my life for the glory of Him who made all." This council was followed by a festival of Indian meal, fish, and the choicest products of the prairies. The town, consisting of about 800 cabins, was then visited. Its inhabitants, who had never before seen a Frenchman, gazed at them with astonishment, and made them pre- sents. "While we marched through the streets," says Marquette, " an orator was constantly ha- ranguing, to oblige all to see us without being troublesome ; we were everywhere presented with belts, garters, and other articles, made of the hair of the bear, and wild cattle, dyed red, yellow, and gray. These are their rarities ; but not being of consequence, we did not burden ourselves with them. AVe slept in the sachem's cabin, and the next day took leave of him, pro- mising to pass back through his town in four moons. He escorted us to our canoes with nearly six hundred persons, who saw us embark, evincing in every possible way the pleasure our visit had given them." The following is a brief abstract from the account given by Father Marquette of the man- ners and customs of the Illinois Indians at the period of his visit. Happily, the Jesuits were men of learning and observation, who felt the importance of their position ; so that while faith- fully discharging the duties of their religious 1673.] CUSTOMS OF THE INDIANS. 27 profession, they carefully recorded the progress of events around them : — "To say 'Illinois' is, in their language, to say i the men,' as if other Indians compared to them were beasts. They are divided into se- veral villages, some of which are quite distant from each other, and which produces a diversity in their language, which in general has a great affinity for the Algonquin. They are mild and tractable in disposition, have many wives, of whom they are extremely jealous ; they watch them carefully, and cut off their noses and ears when they do not behave well ; I saw several who bore the marks of their infidelity. They are well formed, nimble, and very adroit in using the bow and arrow. They use guns also, which they buy of our Indian allies, who trade with the French; they use them especially to terrify the nations against whom they go to war. These nations have no knowledge of Europeans, are unacquainted with the use of either iron or copper, and have nothing but stone knives." When the Illinois go to war, a loud cry is made at the door of each hut in the village the morn- ing and evening before the warriors set out. " The chiefs are distinguished from the soldiers by a scarf, ingeniously made of the hair of bears and wild oxen. The face is painted with red lead, or ochre, which is found in great quantities a few days' journey from the village. They live 28 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1673. by game, which is abundant in this country, and on Indian corn. They also sow beans and melons. Their squashes they dry in the sun, to eat in the winter and spring. Their cabins are very large, and lined and floored with rush mats. They make all their dishes of wood, and their spoons of the bones of the buffalo. Their only clothes are skins ; their women are always dressed very modestly and decently, while the men do not take any pains to cover themselves. " It now only remains for me to speak of the calumet, than which there is nothing among them more mysterious or more esteemed. Men do not pay to the crowns and sceptres of kings the honor that they pay to it. It seems to be the god of peace and war, the arbiter of life and death. Carry it about you and show it, and you can march fearlessly amid enemies who, even in the heat of battle, lay down their arms when it is shown. Hence the Illinois gave me one, to serve as a safeguard amid all the Indian nations that I had to pass on my voyage." Such is the account left by Marquette of the condition of the Illinois Indians at the time of his visit, in 1673. Taking leave of these hos- pitable savages, our adventurous travellers once more launched forth on the broad waters of the Mississippi. As they floated down this noble river day after day, they gradually entered on the richer scenery of a southern climate. The 1673.] VISIT TO THE ARKANSAS. 29 sombre pines of the woods of Canada, the forests of oak and maple, were by degrees exchanged for the lofty cottonwood, the fan-like palmetto, and the noble arborescent ferns of the tropics. They began to suffer from the increasing heat, and from legions of musquitoes which haunt the swampy margin of the stream. At length they arrived at that part of the stream which, up- wards of a century before, had been discovered by De Soto and his ill-fated companions, in the country of the warlike Chickasaws. Here they were attacked by a fleet of canoes filled with Indians, armed with bows and arrows, clubs, and axes ; but when the old men got a fair view of the calumet or peace-pipe, which Marquette con- tinually held up to view, their hearts were touched, and they restrained the impetuosity of their young warriors by throwing their bows and arrows into the two canoes, as a token of peace and welcome. Having been hospitably enter- tained by these Indians, they were escorted the following day by a deputation in a canoe, which preceded them as far as the village of Akamsea (Arkansas). Here they were received most kindly ; the natives continually bringing wooden dishes of sagamity^ — Indian corn — or pieces of dog flesh, which were, of course, respectfully de- clined. These Indians cooked in earthen pots, and served their food on earthenware dishes ; were very amiable and unceremonious, each man 3* 30 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1673. helping himself from the dish, and passing it on to his neighbor. It was here that the travellers wisely termi- nated their explorations. "M. Jolliet and I," says Marquette, " held a council to deliberate on what we should do, — whether we should push on, or rest satisfied with the discoveries we had made. After having attentively considered that we were not far from the Gulf of Mexico, the basin of which is 31° 40' north, and we at 33° 40', so that we could not be more than two or three days' journey off; that the Mississippi undoubt- edly had its mouth in Florida or the Gulf of Mexico, and not on the east, in Virginia, whose seacoast is 34° north. Moreover, we considered that we risked losing the fruit of our voyage if we fell into the hands of the Spaniards, who would undoubtedly make us prisoners ; and that we were not in condition to resist the Indians who infested the lower parts of the river. All these considerations induced us to return. This we announced to the Indians, and after a day's rest prepared for it." On their return, they left the Mississippi at the thirty-eighth degree of latitude, and entered the Illinois river, which greatly shortened their voyage. The country through which this river flows was found to be full of fertile and beautiful prairies, abounding in wild ducks, swans, parrots, and turkeys. The tribe of Illinois living on its 1674.] marquette's second visit. 31 banks entreated Marquette and his companions to come and live with them ; but as Marquette intimated his anxiety to continue his voyage, a chosen party conducted him by way of Chicago to Lake Michigan ; and before the end of Sep- tember all were once more safely landed at Green Bay. Jolliet returned to Quebec to announce the discoveries they had made, whilst Marquette remained to preach the gospel to the Miamies, near Chicago. Father James Marquette having promised the Illinois Indians to return among them to teach them the gospel, had great difficulty in keeping his word. The hardships of his first voyage had brought on a disease which deterred him from undertaking a second. His malady, however, abating, and having obtained the permission of his superiors, he set out for this purpose in the month of November, 1674, with two men, one of whom had already made his first voyage with him. During a month's navigation on the Illi- nois lake — Lake Michigan — his health became partially restored ; but when winter set in, his old malady returned with increased violence, and he was forced to stop in the river which leads to the Illinois. Here he spent the winter in such want of every comfort, that his illness constantly increased. The ice breaking up on the approach of spring, and feeling somewhat better, he continued his voyage, and at length 32 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1674. was enabled to fulfil his promise to the Illinois, arriving at their town on the 8th of April, where he was enthusiastically received. Being com- pelled to leave them by the return of his malady, he resumed his voyage, and soon after reached the Illinois lake. His strength gradually failed as he sailed along the shores of the lake, and his men despaired of being able to carry him alive to the end of his journey. Perceiving a little river, with an eminence on the bank not far from its mouth, at his request his com- panions sailed into it, and carried him ashore. Here they constructed a "wretched bark cabin, where they laid him a3 little uncomfortably as they could ; but they were so overcome by sad- ness that, as they afterward said, they did not know what they were doing." Perceiving his end approaching, he called his companions and embraced them for the last time, they melting in tears at his feet. He then directed that his crucifix, which he wore constantly around his neck, should be held before his eyes ; and after repeating the profession of his faith, he devoutly thanked God for his gracious kindness in allow- ing him to die as a humble missionary of Jesus Christ, and above all to die as he had always prayed that he might die, — in a rude cabin in the forests, destitute of all human aid. He afterward became silent, his whole appearance denoting that he was conversing inwardly with 1674.] DEATH OF MAKQUETTE. 83 God. His countenance then suddenly bright- ened with a smile, and he expired without a struggle. His two poor broken-hearted companions, after shedding many tears over his inanimate body, carried it devoutly to the grave, and raised a large cross near it, to serve as a mark to pass- ers by. Did the savages respect that cross? They did. "VVe can pronounce no higher eulogium on Father James Marquette, than the fact that the Kiskakon Indians, to whom he had preached the gospel, returning from hunting on the banks of Lake Illinois, repaired to the missionary's grave, and, after mature deliberation, resolved to act with their father as they usually did with the best beloved of their own tribe. They reverently disinterred the remains, and putting them into a neatly-constructed box of birch bark, removed them from the wilderness to the nearest Catholic church, where they were solemnly buried with appropriate ceremonies. 34 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1674. CHAPTER II. Robert de la Salle — Aided by Frontenac, obtains a patent of nobility and the grant of Fort Frontenac — His prosperity and visit to France — Schemes favoured by Colbert — First ves- sel on Lake Erie — Voyage to Green Bay and Illinois — Builds Fort Crevecceur — Loss of the Griffin — Descends the Missis- sippi and takes possession of its valley in the name of France —Voyage of La Salle to France for military and naval stores — On his return lands in Texas — Disasters in Texas — Un- fortunate expedition in search of the Mississippi — Attempts an overland journey to the French settlements in Illinois — Mutinous conduct of his men — Death of La Salle — His character — Fate of his companions. About the time of the death of Father Mar- quette there dwelt, at the outlet of Lake Ontario, Robert Cavalier de la Salle, an adventurer of good family, who was educated by the Jesuits. He was engaged in the fur trade with the In- dians, in the prosecution of which he had ex- plored Lakes Ontario and Erie. His energy and ability having attracted the attention of Fronte- nac, the French governor, he repaired to France, and, aided by Frontenac, obtained a patent of nobility, a monopoly of the trade with the Iro- quois, and an extensive tract of country in the neighbourhood of Fort Frontenac, on the condi- tion of his keeping the fort in an effective state. Around this stronghold soon clustered the huts 1678.] SCHEMES OF LA SALLE. 35 of Indians and the dwellings of French traders. Their flocks and herds increased, pasture-land and corn-covered clearings opened up the forest ; groups of Iroquois built their cabins in the envi- rons ; the missionaries commenced their labours ; canoes multiplied upon the borders of the lake ; and La Salle, but yesterday a poor adventurer, suddenly found himself invested with all the power and opulence belonging to a feudal sove- reign in the wilderness. But his ambitious spirit would not let him rest contented with what he had acquired. Having heard of the mighty river of the far West, and the discoveries of Marquette, his imagination be- came inflamed, and he was induced to undertake schemes of colonization and aggrandizement which ended in disaster and death. In 1677 La Salle sailed to France and sought an interview with Colbert, then prime minister. To him he proposed the union of New France with the valley of the Mississippi, and suggested their close connection by a line of military posts. He proposed also to open the commerce of Eu- rope to them both. Colbert listened with delight to the gigantic schemes of the young enthusiast, and a royal commission was soon procured, em- powering him to explore the valley of the Mis- sissippi, and giving him an exclusive monopoly in the trade of buffalo skins. On the 14th of July, 1678, La Salle sailed 36 HISTORY OF ILLIXOIS. [1678. from France with all needful supplies for the voyage, and merchandise for the Indian trade, and in the month of September arrived again at Fort Frontenac. Having built " a wooden canoe' ' of ten tons burden — the first that ever sailed on the Niagara river — he ascended that river to the vicinity of the great falls, and, above them, com- menced building a ship of 60 tons burden, which, in the summer of 1679, was launched on the waters of Lake Erie, amid a salvo from his ar- tillery and the chanting of the Te Deum. In this vessel, which was called the Griffin, La Salle sailed across Lake Erie, and up the Detroit or strait which separates it from that limpid sheet of water, to which he gave the appropriate name of Lake St. Clair ; and having escaped from storms on Lake Huron, and constructed a trad- ing-house at Mackinaw, on Lake Michigan, he cast anchor in Green Bay. In Green Bay La Salle bartered his goods with the natives for a rich cargo of furs, with which the Griffin was loaded and sent back to Niagara, that the peltry might be sold and a re- mittance made to his creditors. In the mean time La Salle and his companions, pending the return of the Griffin with supplies, ascended Lake Michigan to the mouth of the St. Joseph, where the missionary Allouez had established a station, and to which he now added a fort, known as the Fort of the Miamies. His whole fortune de- 1680.] DIFFICULTIES OF LA SALLE. 37 pended on the return of the Griffin, and of her no tidings were heard. Wearied with delay, he resolved to explore the Illinois territory; and leaving ten men to guard his little fort, La Salle, with a chosen body of thirty followers, ascended the St. Joseph's river, and transporting his bark canoes across a short portage, entered the Kan- kakee, a branch of the Illinois river. Descend- ing its narrow stream, the travellers reached by the end of December an Indian village on the- Illinois, the natives of which were absent on a* hunting expedition. Being in great want of provisions, La Salle took advantage of their ab- sence to help himself to a sufficiency of maize, of which his followers found large quantities- hidden in holes under their wigwams. The corn — f^~ having been shipped they again set sail, and on' the 4th of January, 1680, entered Lake Peoria. The Illinois Indians on the banks of this lake- were friendly, and here La Salle erected another fort. As no tidings had been received of his missing vessel, to proceed farther without sup- plies was impossible ; his followers became dis- couraged, and in great despondency he named his new fort " Crevecceur," — broken-hearted — in memory of his trials and misfortunes. La Salle now perceived that he must go back himself to Frontenac for supplies ; and to pre- vent the entire stagnation of discovery during- his absence, he requested the Jesuit missionary,. 4 38 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1682. Father Hennepin, who accompanied the expedi- tion, to go to the Mississippi and explore that stream to its source, whilst Tonti, a veteran Italian, was chosen to command in his absence, with instructions to endeavour to strengthen and extend his relations among the Indians. He then, in the month of March, 1680, with only three companions, set off on foot to travel a dis- tance of at least 1200 miles through marshes and melting snows, through thickets and forests, with no supplies but what the gun afforded, a blanket, and a few skins with which to make moccasins, or Indian shoes. No record exists of what befel him on that long journey, which he, however, finally accomplished. La Salle found, as he fully expected, that the Griffin had been wrecked ; that his agents had cheated him; and that his creditors had seized his goods. His courage overcame every diffi- culty; and by midsummer, in 1680, he returned once more to his little garrison in Illinois, with a body of new adventurers, large supplies of merchandise, and stores for rigging a brigantine. But disasters had befallen his agents during his absence, and the post in Illinois was deserted. Having succeeded in finding Tonti, and collect- ing his scattered followers, he constructed a ca- pacious barge, and in the early part of January, 1682, La Salle and his company descended the Mississippi to the sea. 1684.] LA SALLE'S RETURN TO FRANCE. 39 They landed on the bank of the most western channel, about three leagues from its mouth. On the 7 th, La Salle -went to reconnoitre the shores of the neighbouring sea, while Tonti examined the great middle channel. They found there two outlets, beautiful, large, and deep. On the 8th they reascended the river a little above its confluence with the sea, to find a dry place be- yond the reach of inundations. Here they pre- pared a column and a cross, and to the said column they affixed the arms of France, with this inscription: "Louis le Grand, Roi de France et de Na- varre, REGNE NEUVIEME AVRIL, 1682." The Te Deum was then sung, and after a salute of fire-arms the column was erected by La Salle, who laid claim to the whole of the Mississippi valley for the French king, with the usual for- malities. After erecting another fort, called St. Louis, and giving the title of Louisiana to the newly discovered territory, La Salle, in the autumn of 1683, returned in triumph to France. The account given by him of the extraordinary beauty of the Mississippi valley created the ut- most enthusiasm among the French people. Pre- parations were immediately commenced by the agents of the king to provide an extensive outfit, and on the 24th of July, 1684, four ves- sels, having on board two hundred and eighty persons, ecclesiastics, soldiers, mechanics, and 40 niSTORY or Illinois. [1685. emigrants, left Hochelle full of ardour and ex- pectation for the far-famed country of Louisana. The soldiers had for their commander Joutel, a man of courage and truth, who afterward be- came the historian of this disastrous expedition. Misfortunes overtook them from the very commencement of their voyage. Difficulties arose between La Salle and the naval com- mander, which impeded the voyage; and on the 10th of January, 1685, they unfortunately passed the mouth of the Mississippi. La Salle soon perceived their error, and wished to return ; but this the commander of the fleet refused to do, and they continued their course until they arrived at the Bay of Matagorda, in Texas. Completely tired of disputes with Beaujeau, the naval commander, and conjecturing that the numerous streams which had their outlet in the bay might be branches of the Mississippi, or might lead to its discovery, La Salle resolved to disembark. As the vessels entered the harbour, the store-ship, on which the infant colony mainly depended, was completely wrecked by the care- lessness of the pilot. Calming the terrible energy of his grief, La Salle, by the aid of boats from the other vessels, succeeded in recovering a part of the cargo, but night coming on, and with it a gale of wind, the store-ship was utterly dashed to pieces. To add to their distress, a party of Indians came down to the shore to 1685.] SETTLEMENT IN TEXAS. 41 plunder the wreck, and murdered two of the volunteers. Several of the men who had now landed be- came discouraged, and returned to the fleet, which immediately set sail, leaving La Salle with a desponding company of two hundred and thirty souls, huddled together in a miserable fort, built with fragments of the wreck. Stimu- lated to extraordinary efforts by the energy and example of La Salle, a beautiful spot was select- ed, and a more substantial and comfortable fort constructed. La Salle was the architect, and marked the beams, mortices and tenons himself. This was the first settlement made in Texas. Desperate and destitute as was the situation of the settlers, they still exceeded in numbers those who landed in Virginia, or who embarked on board the Mayflower, and possessed "from the bounty of Louis XIV. more than was contributed by all the English monarchs together, for the twelve united colonies on the Atlantic." The summer of 1685 was spent in the con- struction of this second fort, which was named Fort St. Louis, and La Salle, having finished its erection, set out with a selected party in canoes, in search of the Mississippi. After an absence of about four months, he returned in rags, hav- ing lost twelve or thirteen of his men, and com- pletely failed in his object. His presence, how- ever, as usual, inspired hope; and in Aprils 4* 42 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1687. 1686, another expedition was attempted, which was lured into the interior by brilliant fictions of exhaustless mines on the borders of Mexico. This expedition returned without effecting any other discovery than that of the great exuberance and fertility of the soil in the immediate neigh- bourhood of the fort. La Salle had succeeded in obtaining a supply of maize and beans and five horses from the Indians, but had suffered greatly ; and of the twenty men he had taken with him only eight returned, the remainder having either fallen sick, died, or deserted. Affairs had been equally unprosperous at Fort St. Louis during his absence. The only remain- ing ship was a wreck, and the colony had been rapidly thinned by privation, misery, and expo- sure, until there remained nothing but a mere handful of desperate, disappointed men. Amid the ruin of all his prospects, once so proud and flourishing, La Salle alone remained undaunted; and, as a last resource, determined to visit the French settlements in Illinois, or, if .necessary, his feudal domain in Frontenac, in order to bring aid to his perishing colony. On the 12th of January, 1687, La Salle set out on his last expedition, accompanied by Joutel, across the prairies and forests of Louisiana. In his company were two men, Duhaut and L'Arche- Veque, who had both embarked capital in this enterprise. Each regarded the other for imme- 1687.] CONSPIRACY OF DUHAUT. 43 diate purposes as his friend ; and both were ac- tuated by a spirit of bitterness and animosity against La Salle, whom they regarded as the author of all the calamities that had befallen them. Moranget, a nephew of La Salle, was also one of the party following the tracks of buf- faloes, who choose by instinct the best routes, y*- La Salle marched through groves and plains of astonishing fertility and beauty; now fording the rapid torrents, and now building a bridge by throwing some monarch of the forest across the stream, until he had passed the Colorado and came to a branch of the Trinity River. On the 17th of March, 1687, the whole party engaged in a buffalo hunt. Duhaut and L'Ar- cheveque, having been successful, sent their com- mander word, who immediately despatched his nephew Moranget to the camp. When Moran- get came to the spot where Duhaut and the rest were stopping, he found they had reserved for themselves the very best parts of the buffaloes ; and hasty and passionate, not considering where he was, nor with whom he was dealing, he "took from them their choice pieces, threatened them, and spoke harsh words." This enraged the mu- tinous spirits of Duhaut and his companions, who secretly took counsel together how to effect the destruction of Moranget and his associates. Night came on apace, and Moranget and his party having supped, wearied with their day's 44 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1687. travel, laid themselves down to sleep on the prairie. Liotot, the surgeon, now took an axe, and with a few strokes killed Moranget and his comrades. Having good reason to fear the re- sentment of La Salle, the murderers next resolv- ed to kill him also. Surprised at his nephew's delay, La Salle went forth on the 20th to seek him. Perceiving at a distance hirds of prey, hovering as if over carrion, and suspecting him- self to be in the immediate neighbourhood of his men, La Salle fired a gun, which was heard by the conspirators, who were thus made aware of his approach. Duhaut and his associate hasten- ed secretly. to meet their victim — the former skulking in the grass, the latter showing himself. "Where," said La Salle to L'Archeveque, "is my nephew?" Before an answer could be re- turned, Duhaut fired, and La Salle fell dead on the prairie. The murderers then approached, and, with cruel taunts, stripped the corpse, leav- ing it naked and unburied, to be devoured by the wild beasts of the wilderness. Thus perished La Salle, and with him that colonial settlement which he had attempted to form. His fortitude and bravery must ever com- mand admiration, while his cruel and undeserved death awakens feelings of pity and indignation. Although he was not the discoverer, yet he was certainly the first settler of the Mississippi val- ley, and the father of colonization in the "far 1687.] CHARACTER OF LA SALLE. 45 West." As such his memory is imperishable, and will ever be honoured. The Illinois settlements of Peoria, Kaskaskias, and Cahokia, are the fruit of La Salle's labours. It is true he did not found these places, yet he gave them their inhabitants, for it was by those whom he led into the West that they were peopled. Perseverance and courage, combined with a noble ambition to promote the interests of his country, led him into a gallant but unsuccessful career of enter- prise. He did what he could to benefit his country; and if he had lived he might have achieved much more splendid results. Duhaut now assumed the command, seized on the effects of La Salle and his friends, and took up his line of march toward the Indians. At- tempting to grasp at an unequal share of the spoils, Duhaut and Liotot were themselves mur- dered, and their reckless and blood-stained asso- ciates, unfit for civilized life, took refuge, among the savages. Joutel, the brother of La Salle, the surviving nephew, and four others, after daring countless dangers, reached the Arkansas, where they found two Frenchmen left there by Tonti on his return from a fruitless research after La Salle. The handful of men who were in the fort erected by La Salle in Texas appear to have been murdered by the Indians. The fort itself was afterward dismantled by the Spaniards. 46 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1683. ! CHAPTER III. Progress of French Colonization — Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Peoria founded — Expedition of D'Iberville — Discovers the mouth of the Mississippi — Letter from M. Tonti to M. de La Salle preserved by the Indians — D'Iberville builds Fort Biloxi and returns to France for reinforcements — First meet- ing of France and England in the Mississippi valley — Re- turn and death of D'Iberville — Fort Chartres founded — Ex- pedition of D'Artaguette, governor of Illinois, against the Chickasas — His defeat and death — Extracts from the let- ters of Vivier, a French missionary, showing the state of colonization in Illinois during this period — Territorial diffi- culties between France and England — Extract from a letter written by Father Marest. The village of Kaskaskia, in Randolph county, is probably the oldest European settlement in Il- linois, and in early times was a place of consi- derable importance, being the very centre of French colonization. It is not easy to fix the date of its foundation, but it appears to have been established by the French as early as 1683. Father Gravier may be properly regarded as the founder of the Illinois mission, he having been the first to form a grammar of their lan- guage. Soon after the settling of Kaskaskia, the missionary Pinet gathered a flock at Caho- kia, while Peoria rose near the ruins of Fort Crevecceur. 1699.] EXPEDITION of d'iberville. 47 In 1698 the bold and energetic D'iberville, having obtained authority to establish a colony in Louisiana, sailed from France with two ships, having on board a number of emigrants, and well provided with supplies and munitions of war. On the 31st of January he anchored in the Bay of Mobile. In two barges, each carry- ing twenty-four men, and commanded by himself and his brother Bienville, he sailed westward along the coast in search of the Mississippi. Its deep and turbid flood, bearing on its waters vast quantities of timber, the spoils of western forests, guided them to its mouth, and on the 2d of March, 1699, the Mississippi was entered for the first time from the sea. D'iberville, who had expected a more expanded outlet, at first had his doubts, which were however soon dissipated as he ascended the majestic ocean stream, and met with certain memorials of the visit of his unfortunate predecessors. These were a portion of a Spanish coat of mail, a relic of De Soto's, and the following letter written by Tonti to La Salle, which had been carefully preserved by the Indians, and on which for thirteen years they had looked with wonder and awe. "At the Village of the Quinipissas, 20th of April, 1685. " Sir : — Having found the column on which you had placed the arms of France overthrown by the driftwood floated thither by the tide, I caused a new one to be erected about seven leagues 48 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1699, from the sea, where I left a letter suspended from a tree. All the nations have sung the ca- lumet. These people fear us extremely since your attack upon their village. I close by say- ing that it gives me great uneasiness to be obliged to return under the misfortune of not having found you. Two canoes have examined the coast thirty leagues toward Mexico and twenty-five toward Florida." After exploring the country, D'Iberville re- turned to the Bay of Biloxi, between the Missis- sippi and the Mobile waters. Here he built a fort, with four bastions and twelve cannon, and leaving Bienville, his brother, in command, re- turned to France for reinforcements. During his absence, De Bienville, in the month of September, 1699, while engaged in taking soundings in the Mississippi, about twen- ty-five leagues from its mouth, beheld, to his great chagrin, a British corvette of twelve guns slowly ascending the stream. He immediately sent notice to the intruder that he was within the limits of a country discovered by the French, who had erected strong defences a few miles farther up the river. This intimation had its effect. The ship was put about and stood to sea again, but not until its captain had protested against the encroachment, asserting that the English "had discovered that country fifty years before, that they had a better right to it than 1706.] DEATH OF d'iberville. 49 the French, and would soon make them know it." The bend in the river where this interview took place is still called the "English Turn." This was the first meeting of England and France in the Mississippi valley, and from that period till the termination of the war in 1763, these rival nations were almost constantly en- gaged in hostilities. D'iberville died at Havana on the 9th of July, 1706, his excessive toils in the service of his country having brought on a fever from which he never afterward recovered. The French na- tion, and the colonists, sustained in his death a loss which was irreparable. The success of a colony depends altogether on the energy of the colonists and a prudent em- ployment of their resources. Two descriptions of settlers came out with D'iberville. The first, unaccustomed to manual labour, thought only of making their fortunes by the discovery of gold and silver mines, or by the Indian trade. The second, which were by far the most numerous, were not only poor, but idle ; and looked for as- sistance to the bounty of France, instead of to their own industry. Hence, thirteen years after D'Iberville's first expedition to the Mississippi, although two thousand five hundred settlers had been transported into Louisiana, yet, in 1712, the whole country contained only four hundred, 5 50 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1712. the rest having perished, principally through their own folly and improvidence. The settlements in Illinois were more pros- perous. The French in that country had im- bibed a love for the chase, in common with the Indians, who had also taught them how to culti- vate maize or Indian corn. In their turn the French introduced the cultivation of wheat ; and the climate being mild, and the soil fertile, the settlements slowly and gradually advanced in population, while they appear to have somewhat retrograded in civilization. Father Marest, writing from Kaskaskia, to- ward the close of 1712, describes the Illinois as "much less barbarous than the other Indians. Christianity, and their intercourse with the French, have by' degrees somewhat civilized them. This is particularly remarked in our vil- lage, of which the inhabitants are almost all Christians, and has brought many French to establish themselves here, three of whom we have recently married to Illinois women." The French who had domiciliated themselves among them were at first regarded by the sa- vages with suspicion and distrust; but conciliated by their conduct, and by the labours of the mis- sionaries, they gradually became so attached to the new comers, that a Frenchman could travel anywhere without fear and in perfect safety. The French villages, although upward of one 1732.] FORT CHARTRES BUILT. 51 hundred leagues from each other, were built with such narrow streets, that their inhabitants could carry on an easy conversation with each other across the way. The pursuits of the young men consisted in ascending the rivers for furs and peltries, and in negotiating marriages. On their return, dances and narrations of their adventures signalized their holiday of repose. During the years 1718 and 1719 the French settlements of Cahokia and Kaskaskia beinor i n - o creased by emigration from Canada, and from France by way of New Orleans, M. de Bois- briant was commissioned by the French govern- ment to build Fort Chartres, for the use of the "Mississippi Company," an association which after bringing pecuniary ruin on France resigned its charter to the crown in 1732. The French had now constructed missionary stations along the Mississippi from Canada to New Orleans. So determined were they on the acquisition of territory that, where they were un- able to take formal possession of the soil, they endeavoured to establish their title to its pre- occupation by sinking plates of metal with suita- ble inscriptions in the ground, or by carving the Bourbon lilies on the bark of the forest trees. The English had long viewed these continental acquisitions of territory with jealousy and alarm. The commercial spirit of the French, however, did not keep pace with their ambition. Failing 52 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1736. to furnish the Indians with articles suited to their wants, the English traders took advantage of this error, and drew the traffic to themselves by offering better supplies of goods at lower prices. Louisiana having come again under the charge of the French government, after the failure of the Mississippi Company, it was determined to punish the Chickasas, who, devoted to the English, constantly interfered with the trade on the Mississippi. Accordingly, the forces of France, from New Orleans to Detroit, were sum- moned, and on the 10th of May, 1736, D'Arta- guette, governor of Illinois, led a body of French and Indians to the appointed place of rendez- vous. Having waited for ten days without the other forces arriving, D'Artaguette, fearful of exhausting the patience of his Indian allies, or- dered the onset. Two Chickasa stations were successfully carried, but in attacking the third unhappily D'Artaguette was dangerously wound- ed. The Illinois Indians seeing their commander fall, instantly took to flight, leaving him, Yin- cennes, a brave Canadian, and the Jesuit Senat in the hands of the enemy. The latter could have fled, but refused to do so ; and regardless of danger, mindful only of duty, remained to offer the consolations of religion to his dying commander. After the Indian custom, the wounds of the captives were staunched and they 1740.] PEACE WITH THE CHICKASAS. 53 were received into the cabins of the Chickasas and feasted bountifully. Five days afterward Bienville arrived from the south, but too late to be of any service. He found the Chickasas on their guard and well defended in a log-house, which the English- traders had aided them to fortify, and in vain attempted to drive them from their position. On the 27th of May, having failed in the assault, he commenced an inglorious retreat. The Chic- kasas now brought forth their captives, whose valour, friendship, and piety could not save them. It was the hour of barbarian triumph, and the ferocious savages danced around the flames which slowly consumed their victims. In 1739 a renewal of the war was attempted. A French army nearly four thousand strong took up its quarters at Fort Assumption, on the site of Memphis. But from the summer of 1739 to the spring of 1740 this force was wasted by sickness ; and a detachment sent into the country of the Chickasas meeting with mes- sengers from the enemy, who supplicated for peace, the calumet was gladly accepted, and the troops withdrawn. During the next ten years the settlers of Illinois enjoyed almost uninterrupted peace and prosperity. Religious in their habits and mo- derate in their desires, they lived in close friend- 54 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1750. ship with the surrounding Indians, an 74 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1775. to my knowledge, were glad, by going to a foreign country, to escape being brought to the bar of a court of justice in their own. They protected by your arms ! They have nobly taken up arms in your defence ; have exerted a valour amid their constant and laborious industry, for the defence of a country whose frontier was drenched in blood, while its interior parts yielded all its little savings to your emoluments. And believe me, the same spirit of freedom which actuated these people will accompany them still. God knows that I do not at this time speak from any motives of party heat. I deliver the genuine sentiments of my heart. However superior to me in general knowledge and experience the re- spectable body of this house may be, yet I claim to know more of America than most of you, — having seen that country and been conversant with its people." Such was the state of the question between England and her colonies at the commencement of the war. From an early period in the revolutionary war, an alliance with Indians had been contemplated •by both parties. We have seen that they were employed by both France and England in the contest between them. It is a well-known his- torical fact, that the question about the employ- ment of Indians was discussed not only in the British Parliament but in Congress. Washing- ton himself advised this step in a letter to Con- 1776.] GEORGE ROGERS CLARKE. 75 gress on the 19th of April, 1776,* in which he said, that as the Indians would soon be organized in support of one side or the other, he would suggest that they be engaged for the colonies ; and on the 3d of June Congress empowered him to raise two thousand of them for service in Canada. On the 17th of June, Washington was authorized to employ them where he pleased, and to offer them rewards for prisoners. f That In- dians were present as the allies of England on the field of battle cannot be denied. We have seen that, up to the period when the British gained possession of the Illinois country, its forests and prairies had been exempted from the evils of war. But at the commencement of the revolutionary struggle, those once peaceful wilds became the nurseries of hostile bands of Indians, who, instigated by the British, and sup- plied by them with arms and ammunition, deluged the American frontiers with blood. The first American settlements west of the Alleghanies were made in Kentucky, the early history of which abounds in the most thrilling narratives of border warfare. The character of Boone is well known ; but we have now to introduce to the notice of the reader George Rogers Clarke, who, although a Virginian by birth, is deservedly cele- * Sparks's Washington, vol. iii. p. 364. t Secret Journals, vol. i. pp. 43-47. 76 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1777. brated, not only as one of the ablest defenders of the Kentucky frontier, but as having most successfully arrested the ravages of the Indians. Col. Clarke comprehended, at an early day, the whole policy of the British. He found that the sources of Indian devastation were Detroit, Vincennes, and Kaskaskia. Arms and clothing were supplied at these military stations as stimu- lants to the bloodthirsty warriors ; and he rightly judged that, by the capture of the British posts, the evil would be remedied. Such being the conclusions of Clarke, in the summer of 1777 he sent two spies to Kaskaskia, who reported that great activity prevailed among the French population of that place ; that the Indians were encouraged in their predatory excursions by the inhabitants generally, and more especially by English agents ; and that the French and Indians had been told by English traders and others that the Virginians and Kentuckians were the most cruel and barbarous people on earth. They also reported that strong evidence of affection for the Americans existed among some of the inha- bitants. In December, 1777, Col. Clarke hastened to Williamsburg, the capital of Virginia, and sub- mitted to Governor Patrick Henry his plan of attack on the Illinois settlements. His scheme received the approval of the governor and council. The preliminary arrangements were soon made. 1778.] ORDERS TO CLARKE. 77 Twelve hundred pounds were advanced to defray the expenses of the expedition, and orders were issued to the Virginia commandant at Fort Pitt to supply Clarke with ammunition, boats, and all other necessary equipments. On the 4th of February, 1778, Col. Clarke commenced his march, furnished with two sets of instructions — one public, authorizing him to pro- ceed to the Kentucky frontier for its defence ; and the other private, ordering an attack on the British post at Kaskaskia, from which we make the following extract : — " You are to proceed with all convenient speed to raise seven companies of soldiers, to consist of one hundred and fifty men each, officered in the usual manner, armed and properly equipped for the enterprise ; and with this force attack the British force at Kaskaskia. "It is conjectured that there are many pieces of cannon, and military stores to a considerable amount at that place, the taking and preserva- tion of which would be a valuable acquisition to the State. If you are so fortunate, therefore, as to succeed in your expedition, you will take every possible measure to secure the artillery and stores, and whatever may advantage the State. "For the transportation of the troops, provi- sions, &c. down the Ohio, you are to apply to the commanding officer at Fort Pitt for boats ; 7* 78 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1777. and, during the whole transaction, you are to take especial care to keep the whole destination of your force secret; its success depends upon this. Orders are therefore give to Captain Smith to secure the two men from Kaskaskia. Similar conduct will be proper in similar cases. " It is earnestly desired that you show humanity to such British subjects, and other persons, as fall in your hands. If the white inhabitants at that post and neighbourhood will give undoubted evidence of their attachment to this State (for it is certain they live within its limits) by taking the test prescribed by law, and by every other way and means in their power, let them be treated as fellow-citizens, and their persons and property duly secured. Assistance and protec- tion against all enemies whatever shall be afforded them, and the commonwealth of Virginia is pledged to accomplish it. But if these people will not accede to these reasonable demands, they must feel the miseries of war under the i direction of that humanity that has hitherto dis- tinguished Americans, and which it is expected you will ever consider as the rule of your con- duct, and from which you are in no instance to ^depart." These instructions, considering the provoca- tions that existed, are in the highest degree honourable to the governor and council. It was found impossible, however, to raise more than 1777.] EXPEDITION AGAINST KASKASKIA. 79 three companies ; and with these Colonel Clarke descended the Ohio, where he took possession of and fortified Corn Island, opposite the present city of Louisville, Kentucky. Here he was joined by Captain Bowman, and a company from Kentucky under Captain Dillard. He now dis- closed to the troops their real destination, many of whom received the tidings with unbounded applause. These gallant sons of Kentucky thought with their commander that the secret of Indian hostilities lay somewhere in the West, and the whole detachment was eager to be con- ducted thither. There were others, however, to whom the perils of the expedition were less in- viting. On the morning appointed for starting, Captain Dillard discovered, to his great mortifi- cation, that a number of his men had deserted. The disappointment was cruel, and its conse- quences alarming. A party on horseback sent after the fugitives captured seven or eight of them, but the rest had dispersed through the woods. These fugitives, after enduring more hardships than those who followed Clarke, finally obtained shelter in a fort, into which they were for some time indignantly refused admission. After reviewing his little army, and equipping it after the Indian fashion for a march across the country, on the 24th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, Colonel Clarke sailed down the Ohio, and landed on an island at the mouth 80 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1777. of the Tennessee River. Here he encountered a party of hunters who had recently come from Kaskaskia, and from whom he learned that the garrison was commanded by one M. Rocheblave, that the militia were well disciplined, and that spies were stationed along the Mississippi River, who were directed to keep a sharp look-out for the Kentuckians. The hunters also informed Clarke that the fort which commanded the town was kept in order as a place of retreat, but had nc regular garrison, and that the military defences of the place were attended to merely as a matter of form, and not from any belief in the necessity of being prepared for any sudden attack, which was not at all expected in that quarter. The hunters thought that by a sudden surprise the place might be easily captured, and having offered their services as guides, John Saunders was chosen to conduct the expedition. The boats were now dropped down to a point on the Illinois shore, and concealed a little above the place where Fort Massac was afterward built, and the little army took up its line of march through the wilderness. Having travelled upward of one hundred miles, on the third day their guide became so bewil- dered that he could no longer direct their course. A suspicion immediately arose among the men that he intended to betray them, and they de- manded his instant death. He begged, however, 1778.] ARRIVAL OF CLARKE'S EXPEDITION. 81 to be allowed to go a short distance and try to find the way. Permission was granted by the commander-in-chief, and a guard ordered to ac- company him, by whom he was told that if he did not conduct the army into the hunter's road to Kaskaskia, which he had so frequently tra- velled, and which led through a country that no woodsman could well forget, he should be hanged. After searching for some time, the poor fellow exclaimed, "I know that clump of timber," and immediately pointed out the direction of Kas- kaskia, his innocence being at once clearly esta- blished. On the 4th of July, 1778, Clarke's party, with their garments torn and soiled, and a three weeks' growth of beard, approached Kaskaskia, and secreted themselves in the woods in its neigh- bourhood. Here they halted till dark, detach- ments having been sent forward to reconnoitre the village ; these soon returned and reported that " the militia had been called out the day before ; but as no cause for alarm apparently existed, they had been dismissed, and that every thing was quiet — that there was a number of men in the town, and but few Indians, the greater part having recently left." Clarke now determined to turn to good account the terror with which the English had inspired the minds of the Kaskaskians against the Vir- ginians and Kentuckians. He rightly judged 82 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1778. that if lie was fortunate enough to gain posses- sion of the town, and then endeavoured bj his conduct to confirm the fears of the Kaskaskians, that when undeceived there would be a natural revulsion of feeling, and they would become valuable friends and allies. This policy was com- pletely successful. The assailants were formed into three divisions, two of which received orders to cross the river and invest the town, while the third, which was commanded by Colonel Clarke himself, took possession of the fort. This plan of attack succeeded admirably. The fort was immediately taken, and its governor, M. Roche- blave, made prisoner, while the other two divi- sions, having crossed the river, entered the town and intimidated the inhabitants by a succes- sion of Indian yells. In a moment men, women, and children ran screaming in all directions, "Les long couteaux! Les long couteaux!" The long knives ! the long knives ! and the streets were immediately cleared. In about two hours the inhabitants were all disarmed and the town com- pletely at the mercy of its invaders. During the night the troops, in obedience to orders, continued to patrol the place in small parties, in every possible direction, yelling and whooping in the most approved Indian fashion, while the people remained quiet in their houses. Next day the soldiers were removed to the sub- urbs, and the inhabitants allowed to walk about 1778.] CAPTURE OF KASKASKIA. 83 the streets. As soon, however, as they were seen congregating together, Clarke had some of them arrested and put in irons without allowing them to speak a word. This display of military despotism entirely subjugated the Kaskaskians, who, filled with the utmost consternation, ex- pected neither mercy nor compassion. At last M. Gibault, the village priest, and five or six elderly gentlemen, obtained permission to wait on Clarke. If they were surprised at the sudden capture of their town, they were much more astonished at the personal appearance of the captors. The clothes of Clarke and his men were ragged and dirty, and their aspect frightfully savage and disgusting. So com- pletely had the expedition confounded all ranks and distinctions, that the deputation were at a loss whom to address as the commander-in-chief. Colonel Clarke being pointed out, the priest, in a subdued and humble voice, which indicated what he felt, said: — "That the inhabitants ex- pected to be separated, never to meet again on earth, and they begged for permission through him to assemble once more in the church to take a final leave of each other." Colonel Clarke, aware that he was suspected of hostility to their reli- gion, carelessly replied that the Americans never interfered with the religious opinion or practices of others, but left every man to worship God as he pleased, and that they might hold a meeting 84 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1778. in their church if they pleased, but on no account must a single person leave the town. An at- tempt at further conversation was sternly re- pelled, and the deputation abruptly dismissed. The priest and people presently assembled in the church, and the houses were all deserted. The solemn, mournful chant ascended. The af- fecting service closed after being protracted to an unusual length, and the priest with a second deputation waited on the stern conqueror to ex- press, in the name of the village, " their thanks for the indulgence they had received." The de- putation now sought to plead with Clarke on the subject of their separation, and endeavoured to apologize for their conduct. They assured him that they did not understand the nature of the contest between the English and the Americans ; that they were precluded by the remoteness of their situation from obtaining accurate informa- tion; that some of their number had expressed themselves in favour of the Americans, and others would have done so if they dared; and that their conduct had been influenced by the British commandant, whom they supposed they were bound to obey. " They were sensible," they said, " that their present situation was the fate of war, and they could submit to the loss of property, but they begged not to be separated from their wives and children, and requested to 1778.] CLARKE'S ADDRESS. 85 be permitted to retain some clothes and provi- sions for their future support !" Colonel Clarke having gained his object, and seeing them overcome by their fears, now re- solved to try the effect of that lenity and gene- rosity of conduct which had been all along se- cretly intended as the ultimatum of this stern, painful, though necessary policy. He therefore suddenly addressed them thus : — " What do you take us to be ? Do you think we are savages — that we intend to massacre you all ? Do you think Americans will strip women and children, and take the bread out of their mouths? My countrymen disdain to make war on helplessness and innocence ! It was to pro- tect our own wives and children from Indian barbarity and cruelty that we have penetrated this wilderness. We have conquered this, and will subjugate every other British post where savages are supplied with arms and ammunition to murder us. We do not war against Frenchmen. The King of France, your former master, is our ally. His ships and soldiers are fighting for the Ame- ricans. Go and enjoy your religion, and wor- ship where you please. Any insult offered to it will be immediately punished. Your friends in confinement shall be released. Your fellow- citizens may dismiss all apprehensions, and are quite at liberty to conduct themselves as usual. No man's property shall be molested. We are 8 86 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1778- convinced that you have been misinformed, and have been prejudiced against Americans by Bri- tish officers. We are your friends, and have come to deliver you from British authority and usurpation." The effect this speech was electric. The air immediately resounded with the joyous huzzas of the inhabitants for freedom and the Ameri- cans. The people once more assembled in the church, not with tears, but with grateful and happy countenances. The Te Deum was sung. The cannon roared. The bells rang a merry peal, and the utmost hilarity everywhere prevailed. Thus, by a happily concerted plan, the town of Kaskaskia was conquered, the authority of the British overthrown, and the government of the Americans, and those principles of liberty for which they contended, established firmly in the affections of its inhabitants. Colonel Clarke, having effected this most desi- rable revolution, next turned his attention to the small village of Cahokia, situated about sixty miles higher up the Mississippi. Some gentle- men of Kaskaskia who were apprized of his in- tentions, offered to accompany the detachment which, with Major Bowman at its head, was or- dered to surprise that post. They assured Colo- nel Clarke that the people of Cahokia were their relations and friends, and they had no doubt of their acting in unison with them when the cir- 1778.] SURRENDER OF CAHOKIA. 87 cumstances in which they were placed should be explained. Several Kaskaskia gentlemen pre- ceded the detachment to announce to the Caho- kians the change of government. This expedi- tion was also successful, and the post was taken without bloodshed. Indeed, there was not a dozen British soldiers in the garrison. The Ca- hokians were at first very much alarmed when the cry of " Les longs couteaux" was raised, but their fears were speedily "allayed. The people took the oath of allegiance, and in a few days the ut- most harmony prevailed. Cahokia was at this time a place of considerable trade, it being a depot for the distribution of ammunition and arms to the Indians. A considerable body of the latter were encamped in the neighbourhood, but they dispersed on the approach of the Ame- ricans. 88 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1778. CHAPTER VI. The capture of the British post at Vincennes — Complimentary resolution of the Virginia legislature — Negotiations of Clarke with the Indians — His mode of treating them — The Meadow Indians attempt his life — Affecting and romantic incident — Fort Vincennes recaptured by Colonel Hamilton, Governor of Detroit, and the whole garrison, consisting of one officer and one private, allowed to march out of the fort with the honours of war — Expedition of Colonel Clarke against Vin- cennes — Incidents on the march — Fort Vincennes re-taken by the Americans — Governor Harrison's letter to Colonel Clarke. Notwithstanding his brilliant and almost unexpected success at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, Colonel Clarke felt that there was no certainty of his retaining these places so long as the Bri- tish military station at Fort Vincennes remained unconquered. His force was too small to allow him to throw a garrison into Kaskaskia and Ca- hokia, and leave him a sufficiency of military strength with which to attempt the subjugation of Fort Vincennes. In this state of perplexity, Colonel Clarke resolved to advise with M. Gi- bault, the Roman Catholic priest of Kaskaskia, who was also the priest of Vincennes, and to obtain from him a knowledge of the defences of the fort, and of the best way to effect its re- 1778.] CAPTURE OF VINCENNES. 89 duction. M. Gibault informed him that Governor Abbot had gone to Detroit on business ; that a military expedition against the fort was wholly unnecessary ; that the inhabitants were mostly French, and pledged himself to bring them over to the side of the Americans if Colonel Clarke would permit him to use his influence for that purpose. The offer of M. Gibault was accepted, and through his agency and influence the inha- bitants threw off their allegiance to the British, the garrison was overpowered and expelled, and the American flag displayed from the battle- ments. Colonel Clarke had now by policy rather than by force effected the reduction of all the British posts in Illinois ; and on the 23d of November, 1778, the legislature of Virginia passed the fol- lowing complimentary resolution : — " Whereas, authentic information has been received that Lieutenant-Colonel George Rogers Clarke, with a body of Virginia militia, has re- duced the British posts in the western part of this commonwealth, on the river Mississippi and its branches, whereby great advantage may ac- crue to the common cause of America, as well as to this commonwealth in particular : — " Resolved, That the thanks of this house are justly due to the said Colonel Clarke, and the brave officers and men under his command, for their extraordinary resolution and perseverance, 8* 90 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1778. in so hazardous an enterprise, and for the im- portant services thereby rendered their coun- try." The British posts in the West having been reduced, Clarke next endeavoured to conciliate and win over to the American cause the numerous and powerful Indian tribes inhabiting this ex- tensive region. It was in this wild and danger- ous diplomacy that his genius especially displayed itself. He had carefully studied the Indian character. His policy was not to invite the In- dians to form treaties, because he was satisfied that they always interpreted such invitations as an evidence of fear and weakness on the part of those who gave them. He therefore maintained the strictest reserve, let the Indians make the first overtures ; and when he made presents, did it with an apparently parsimonious hand, as if he gave them away unwillingly. His first coun- cil with the red sons of the forest was held at Cahokia in September, 1778 ; and as it is some- what remarkable, a brief account of it deserves to be given. The parties having met, both white and red, Clarke waited for the Indians to make the first offer of alliance. When this was done, and the bloody belt of wampum and the flag sent them by the British stamped upon in token of rejec- tion, Clarke guardedly replied that he would think over their proposal, and give them an 1778.] NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE INDIANS. 91 answer the next day. He advised them not to shake hands with the Americans, as peace was not concluded, and it would be time enough to fraternize when they could give them their heart also : the council was then adjourned. The following day the Indians having collected to- gether to hear the answer of the "Big Knife," as they termed the Americans, Clarke addressed them as follows : " Men and warriors, pay attention to my words. I am a man and a warrior, not a councillor ; I carry war in my right hand, and in my left peace. I am sent by the great council of the Big Knife and their friends, to take possession of all the towns occupied by the English in this country, and to watch the motions of the red people. I know there is a mist before your eyes. I will dispel the clouds, that you may clearly see the causes of the war between the Big Knife and the Eng- lish ; then you may judge for yourselves which party is in the right. And if you are warriors, as you profess to be, prove it by adhering faithfully to the party which you shall believe to be entitled to your friendship, and not show yourselves to be squaws." Colonel Clarke then explained, at some length, the cause of the diffi- culty between the English and Americans, and concluded his harangue in the following inde- pendent strain : — " You can now judge who is in the right. I 92 HISTORY OP ILLINOIS. [1778. have already told you who I am. Here is a bloody belt and a white one ; behave like men, and don't let your being surrounded by Big Knives cause you to. take up one belt with your hands while your hearts take up the other. If you take the bloody path, you shall leave the town in safety, and may go and join your friends, the English. We will then try, like warriors, who can put the most stumbling-blocks in each other's way, and keep our clothes longest stained with blood. As I am convinced you never heard the truth before, I do not wish you to answer until you have taken time to consult. We will therefore part this evening, and when the Great Spirit shall bring us together again, let us speak and think like men with but 'one heart and one tongue.' " This speech produced the desired effect. The next day, the Indian council fire having been re- kindled with more than usual ceremony, the Red men united with the " Big Knife," and promised to fight no more for the English against the Americans. In this and other negotiations there is no doubt that the success of Clarke with the Indians depended mainly on the fact that France was the ally of the United States, the Indians always retaining a profound regard for their first " Great Father," the French king. The negotiation of Colonel Clarke with the Meadow Indians is so characteristic and romantic that we must not omit to narrate a few circum- 1778.] INDIAN NEGOTIATIONS. 93 stances connected with it. These Indians at- tempted the life of Clarke in consequence of having been proffered a very large reward in case of success. Their plot was detected, and the leading Indians, having been secured, were every morning led to the council-house in chains, where he whom they had attempted to kill was daily engaged in forming friendly alliances with their red brethren. By this means they were led to see the futility of their project. After a while the American commander ordered their irons to be struck off, and in his quiet way, full of scorn, said : — " Everybody thinks you ought to die for your treachery upon my life, amid the sacred deli- berations of a council. I had determined to in- flict death on you for your base attempt, and you yourselves must be sensible that you have justly forfeited your lives ; but, on considering the meanness of watching a bear and catching him asleep, I have found out that you are not war- riors, only old women, and too mean to be killed by the Big Knife. But as you ought to be punished for putting on breech-clothes like men, when you have acted like women, they shall be taken off, and plenty of provisions shall be given you for your journey home, as women don't know how to hunt ; and during your stay you shall be treated in every respect as squaws." Having thus addressed them, Clarke turned away without 94 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1773. noticing them further, and commenced a con- versation with his surrounding friends. The children of the prairie were unaccountably stirred by this treatment. They had looked for anger, not contempt — confinement, not liberty. They took counsel together, and presently a chief came forward, made a speech, and offered the belt and calumet. The interpreter was about to translate the words of friendship, but Clarke sternly forbid him, and a sword lying on the table, he took it up, and with one blow severed the calumet, the sacred symbol of proffered peace, accompanying the stroke with the cutting remark that "he did not treat with women." The of- fending Indians now asked the intercession of their red brethren who had been admitted to friendship, and several chiefs belonging to those tribes arose and pleaded in their behalf. But the anger of the American commander was not to be thus assuaged, and aware of the vulnerable points of Indian character he replied, "that the Big Knife had never made war upon the Indians ; and that when Americans came across such peo- ple in the woods, they commonly shot them as they did wolves, to prevent their eating the deer." All this wrought more and more on the offending tribe. Again they took counsel, and then two young men came forward, and covering their heads with their blankets, sat down before the impenetrable commander. Then two aged chiefs 1778.] INDIAN NEGOTIATIONS. 95 arose, and while one of them explained to Colonel Clarke that these two young men offered their lives as an atonement for the offences of their tribe, the other once more proffered him the calumet. Colonel Clarke, his officers, soldiers, and the assembled tribes beheld in silence those two young Indian patriots. Anxiety and sym- pathy with the proffered victims who thus nobly presented themselves as a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the "Big Knife," was now depicted on every countenance. With difficulty suppress- ing his emotions, Colonel Clarke approached the young men, and bade them be uncovered and stand up. "I am glad to find," said he, warmly, "that there are men among all nations. With you, who alone are fit to be chiefs of your tribe, I am willing to treat ; through you I am ready to grant peace to your brothers ; I take you by the hands as chiefs worthy of being such !" He then introduced the two young Indian patriots to the American officers as well as to the French and Spanish gentlemen who were present, and afterward to the chiefs of the other tribes. This clemency on the part of Clarke, together with his high appreciation of Indian merit, caused the name of the white negotiator to be everywhere respected, while the tribe in question became the firm allies of the Americans. Colonel Clarke now began to be apprehensive for the safety of Fort Vincennes. Although he 96 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1779. had appointed Captain Helm commandant of that place, on being apprized by M. Gibault of its capture, he had never been able to afford it a garrison. On the 29th of January, 1779, Colo- nel Vigo brought intelligence that Governor Hamilton of Detroit had reduced the inhabit- ants, re-established the British power, and was only awaiting the return of spring to attempt the recovery of Kaskaskia and Cahokia, preli- minary to a general assault along the whole line of the Kentucky frontier. The intelligence brought by Col. Vigo about the recapture of Fort Vincennes was in sub- stance as follows : — Governor Hamilton appeared before the fort on the 14th of December, 1778, with an army of thirty regulars, fifty French volunteers, and four hundred Indians. The peo- ple living in the neighbourhood of the fort made no effort to defend it; and the only garrison within its walls was Captain Helm and a private soldier called Henry. Seeing the troops at a distance, they loaded a cannon which they placed in the open gateway, and the commandant of the fort, Captain Helm, stood by the cannon with a lighted match. When Governor Hamilton and his military approached within hailing distance, Helm called out with a loud voice, "Halt!" This show of resistance made Hamilton stop and demand a surrender of the garrison. "No man," exclaimed Helm with an oath, » enters here until ! 1779.] EXPEDITION AGAINST VINCENNES. 97 I know the terms." Hamilton replied, "You shall have the honours of war." Helm hereupon surrendered the fort, and the whole garrison, con- sisting of the American commandant and one private, marched out, and received the customary mark of respect for their brave defence. The situation of Clarke now became perilous. There was little probability of his maintaining his position in Cahokia and Kaskaskia, as his army was too small to stand a siege, and he was in too remote a part of the country to obtain as- sistance. Detached parties of hostile Indians sent out by Captain Hamilton began to appear in Illinois. As the only means of escape from the difficulties of his position, Clarke determined to anticipate his enemy by striking the first blow. Having learned from Colonel Vigo that a portion of the army at Fort Vincennes was absent on marauding expeditions with the Indians, that the garrison consisted of about eighty regular sol- diers, three brass field-pieces, and some swivels, Clarke immediately proceeded to make prepara- tions for an expedition against the fort. On the 7th of February, 1779, he commenced his march with a force of one hundred and seventy-five men, Captain Rogers having been previously despatched in a boat, with forty-six men and two four-pounders, with orders to sail up the Wabash, station themselves a few miles below the mouth of the White River, suffer no- 98 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1779. thing to pass, and wait there for further instruc- tions. For six days Clarke and his men pur- sued their toilsome course over the drowned lands of Illinois ; and on the 13th, after enduring the greatest privations that could possibly ex- haust the spirits of men, they arrived at the Little "Wabash. The forks of the stream at this point are three miles apart, and the opposite heights of land five miles even in the ordinary state of the water. The winter had been unu- sually wet, and at the time of Clarke's arrival, the whole of this country was submerged, gene- rally "three feet deep, never under two, and frequently four." Through this dreadful country the expedition was compelled to make its way until the 18th, when they arrived so near Vin- cennes that they could hear the morning and evening guns of the fort. There was a little Irish drummer in the party who possessed an uncommon talent for singing comic Irish songs. Colonel Clarke, ever fertile in expedients, while his men were wading up to their arm-pits in mud and water, in order to divert them, placed the Irishman on his drum, which readily floated, and the tallest man in the company was ordered to be his pilot, while he entertained the exhausted and toiling soldiers with his comic and musical powers. On the evening of the 18th they encamped within nine miles of the town below the mouth 1779.] PROGRESS OF THE EXPEDITION. 99 of the Embarrass river. Here they were detained till the 20th, having no means of crossing the river. On that day a boat was captured, and her crew detained, and in it the men and arms were safely transported to the opposite shore. From the crew of this boat they learned that the French population of Vincennes were favourable to the Americans, and that not even a suspicion of the expedition had reached the British gar- rison. The last day's march, February 21st, was the most toilsome. Another sheet of water had to be crossed, which, from the soundings, was as- certained to be up to the arm-pits. "Here," says Clarke, " I unfortunately spoke in a serious manner to one of the officers ; the whole were alarmed without knowing what I said. I viewed their confusion for one minute — whispered to those near me to do as I did — immediately put some water in my hand, poured on powder, black- ened my face — gave the warwhoop, and marched into the water without saying another word. The party gazed, fell in one after another without a murmur, like a flock of sheep. I ordered those near me to give me a favourite song of theirs ; it soon passed through the line, and the whole went on cheerfully." Colonel Clarke had intended to have had the troops transported across the deepest part of the water, but when about waist-deep, one of the 100 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1779. men said that he thought he felt a path. On examination it was found to be so ; and concluding that it passed over the highest ground, it was carefully followed, and the march was continued to a place called "the Sugar Camp" without the least difficulty, where there was about half an acre of dry ground, at least not under water, where they took up their lodgings for the night. In the morning Clarke addressed his followers in a spirited manner, and led the way into the water as before, up to his middle. "As we ge- nerally marched through the water in a line, before the third entered, I halted and called to Major Bowman, ordered him to fall in the rear with twenty-five men, and to put to death any man who refused to march ; as we wished to have no such person among us." This order was re- ceived with a shout and huzza, and every man followed his commander, cheered on by the cry of the advance guard, that the water was getting shallower, and sometimes with the favourite cry of seamen, "Land! land!" "Getting to the woods on the other side, where the men expected land, the water was up to their shoulders. But gaining the woods was of great consequence ; all the shorter men and weakly hung to the trees, and floated on the old logs, until they were taken off by the canoes. The strong and tall got ashore and built fires. Many would reach the shore and 1779.] ARRIVAL AT VINCENNES. 101 fall with their bodies half in the water, not being able to support themselves without it. This was a delightful dry spot of ground of about ten acres." An Indian canoe was captured soon after, on board of which was found nearly half a quarter of buffalo-beef, some corn, tallow, kettles, &c, which to men in so exhausted a state proved a most invaluable acquisition. "Broth was imme- diately made and served out to the weakly, with great care ; most of the army got a little ; but a great many gave their part to the weakly, jocosely saying something cheering to them. This little refreshment, and fine weather in the afternoon, gave renewed life and energy to the whole party." The invaders having captured one of the in- habitants of the town, who was shooting ducks in its neighbourhood, Clarke sent by him a letter to the citizens, informing them "that he should take possession of their town that night," and desiring those friendly to the Americans to re- main in their houses, and those who were the friends of the British to retire to the fort and " fight like men." This letter, from its imposing character, had a wonderful effect. It increased the confidence of those friendly to the cause of the Americans, and the dismay of those who regarded them with hostile feelings. It was thought that the expedition was from Kentucky, 9* 102 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1779. no one dreaming that it could possibly be from Kaskaskia, in the flooded condition of the country. On the 23d of February, a little before sun- set, the whole detachment advanced toward the fort. After marching and countermarching around an eminence on the prairie in front of the town and garrison, and displaying several sets of colours, in order to enhance their appa- rent numbers as much as possible, Lieut. Bayley, with fourteen men, were sent to attack the fort. The assailants approached within thirty yards, where, concealed by a bank, and safe from the guns of the enemy, they immediately opened fire on the fort. This, however, was attributed by the British to some drunken Indians, who had saluted the fort in that way before ; and until a British soldier was actually shot down through a port- hole, no one even suspected the attempt to be in earnest. On the morning of the 24th, at 9 o'clock, Col. Clarke sent a flag of truce with the following characteristic letter : — "Sir, — In order to save yourself from the impending storm that now threatens you, I order you immediately to surrender yourself, with all your garrison, stores, &c. &c. For if I am obliged to storm, you may depend upon such 1779.] SURRENDER OF VINCENNES. 103 treatment as is justly due to a murderer. Be- ware of destroying stores of any kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession, or hurting one house in town. For, by heavens, if you do, there shall be no mercy shown you, " G. R. Clarke. " To Gov. Hamilton." The response of the British commander was as follows : — " Governor Hamilton begs leave to acquaint Colonel Clarke, that he and his garrison are not disposed to be awed into any action unworthy British subjects." The attack was now renewed with vigour, and the whole American force advanced within fifty yards of the fort. The cannon of the besieged, owing to the awkward elevation of the platforms, were perfectly useless, every shot flying far over the heads of the assailants, while, no sooner was a port-hole opened, than a dozen rifles were di- rected toward it, and every thing swept away before them. The garrison, becoming discou- raged, could no longer be kept to their guns ; and the British commandant, apprehensive of being taken at discretion if he continued the contest, sent a flag, asking a truce for three days. This was refused, and on the same day the fort was 104 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1779. surrendered, and the garrison made prisoners of war. On the 25th, the star-spangled banner once more waved on the battlements of the cap- tured fort, Captain Helm was reinstated as commandant, and thirteen British cannon fired in commemoration of the victory. The British power in Illinois was thus over- thrown by the efforts of Colonel Clarke in 1778 and 1779, and little more remains for us to record. The history of Illinois, between the surrender of Vincennes in 1779 and the treaty of peace between England and the United States in 1783, is a blank, and contains nothing worthy of notice. Colonel Clarke remained in command of the territory he had conquered until the peace of 1783, when his official duties ceased, under the following order from the executive of Virginia : Sir, — The conclusion of the war, and the dis- tressed situation of the state with regard to its finances, call on us to adopt the most prudent economy. It is for this reason alone I have come to a determination to give over all thought for the present of carrying on an offensive war against the Indians, which, you will easily per- ceive, will render the services of a general officer in that quarter unnecessary, and will therefore consider yourself as out of command. But, be- 1783.] LETTER OF THANKS TO CLARKE. 105 « fore I take leave of you, I feel myself called upon, in the most forcible manner, to return you my thanks and those of my council for the very great and singular services you have rendered your country, in wresting so great and valuable a territory from the hands of the British enemy ; repelling the attacks of their savage allies, and carrying on a successful war in the heart of their country. This tribute of praise and thanks, so justly due, I am happy to communicate to you as the united voice of the executive. I am with respect, sir, Yours, &c. Benjamin Harrison. 106 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1783. CHAPTER VII. The "County of Illinois" organized by the Virginia legislature — North-western territory ceded to Congress — Virginia grants lands to Clarke and his soldiers — Claims of the United States on Indian lands — Indian objections to these claims — Agency of the British in provoking Indian hostilities — General Har- mer is appointed commander-in-chief, and is defeated by Little Turtle — General St. Clair's disastrous defeat — Re- newal of the attempt to negotiate a peace — Indian manifesto — General Wayne marches to subdue the Indians — Erects Fort Recovery — Fort Recovery attacked by Little Turtle — Fort Defiance erected — The Indians finally defeated — Treaty of Greenville — Condition of Illinois during this period — Beneficial results of General Wayne's expedition against the Indians. The conquest of Illinois by Colonel Clarke in 1778 brought that territory under the jurisdic- tion of the Virginia commonwealth, to whom the inhabitants cheerfully took the oath of allegiance, and an act was passed by the legislature in Oc- tober, 1778, to establish the "County of Illi- nois." Colonel John Todd received the appoint- ment of civil commandant. In the spring of 1779, bearing his commission, he visited Kaskas- kia and Cahokia, organized a temporary govern- ment, and for the first time administered jus- tice in the name and by the authority of the republic. The administration of Colonel Todd 1783.] CIVIL COMMANDANTS. 107 in Illinois was both patriotic and popular. He was killed at the battle of Blue Licks, fought against the Indians in 1782. Timothy de Mon- brum succeeded Colonel Todd, whose official sig- nature is found to land grants and other docu- ments in the archives of Randolph county. How long he administered the civil affairs of Illinois we know not, and whether any other person immediately succeeded him is equally doubtful. At the close of the American revolution, the confederated states were without any special bond of union. It was necessary to adjust as speedily as possible the conflicting territorial claims of the states, to endeavour to liquidate that debt in which the whole of them were so deeply involved, and by wise and just negotiation with the Indian tribes, for lands on which to form settlements, to prevent the desolating hor- rors of border warfare. To meet the wants of the period a government more suitably adapted to the times than the "Old Continental Con- gress" became requisite. Happily that patriot- ism which had enabled the states to fight side by side for their mutual independence, now drew them together into those closer bonds of union which we trust are destined to be indissoluble. By the treaty of peace made by the United States with England in 1783, large territories which had not been granted to individuals were 108 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1784. ceded to the United States. But these lands were included within the limits of particular states which had been chartered by English law, and were then in the actual possession of the aborigines. The first step toward the con- solidation of the Union was the cession of these public lands, by the several states which claimed them, to the government of the United States. The states thus became more firmly united to- gether by mutual interests, having this property held by the United States government in com- mon for the benefit of all. By the gradual sale of the lands means were provided for the liquidation of the revolutionary debt. The most important cession was the immense region known as the "North-western Territory." This tract of country of course included the " County of Il- linois,' ' organized by the Virginia legislature, and ceded to Congress in 1784. The commissioners sent as delegates to Con- gress, to make this cession of the " County of Illinois," were Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee, and James Monroe ; and the deed of cession contained, among other conditions, the following: — f "That the necessary and reasonable expenses incurred by Virginia in subduing any British posts, or in maintaining forts and garrisons within and for the defence, or in acquiring any part of the territory so ceded or relinquished, 1790.] lands to Clarke's regiment. 109 shall be fully reimbursed by the United States. That the French and Canadian inhabitants and other settlers of the Kaskaskias, Fort Vincennes, and the neighbouring villages, who have pro- fessed themselves citizens of Virginia, shall have their possessions and titles confirmed to them, and be protected in the enjoyment of their rights and liberties. That a quantity, not exceeding, one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land: promised by Virginia, shall be allowed and granted to the then Colonel, now General. George Rogers Clarke, and to the officers and soldiers of his regiment who marched with him when the posts of Kaskaskia and Vincennes> were reduced, and to the officers and soldiers that have been since incorporated in the said regiment, to be laid off in one tract, the length of which not to exceed double the breadth, in such place on the north-west side of the Ohio as a majority of the officers shall choose; and to be afterward divided among the officers and soldiers, in due proportion, according to the laws of Vir- ginia." But although this cession of Illinois to Con- gress was made in 1784, the ordinance to organ- ize the north-western territory, which provided for a territorial government, was not passed until 1787; and the Illinois country remained without any regular government till March,. 1790, when Governor St. Clair organized tho- 10 110 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1790. county that bears his name. Hence for a period of six years there was no executive, legislative, or judicial authority in the country. The peo- ple were a "law unto themselves," and good feeling, harmony, and fidelity to engagements predominated. In order to give the reader an intelligible view of those causes which contributed to the progress and settlement of Illinois, it is neces- sary to refer to the annals of Indian warfare, or the contests which took place between the United States and the aborigines from 1790 to 1795. We have seen that most of the tribes adhered to England during the revolutionary struggle. When the war ceased, however, England made no provision for them, and transferred the terri- tory north-west of the Ohio and the Alleghanies to the United States without any stipulations as to the rights of the natives. The United States, regarding the lands of the hostile tribes as for- feited, proceeded not to buy the lands of the savages, but to grant them peace, and dictate their own terms as to boundaries. These pro- ceedings produced discontent, and brought about a war between the United States and the In- dians. To render the nature of this war clearly un- derstood, it is necessary to remind the reader that the French made no large purchases from the Indians, so that the treaty of Fontainebleau 1790.] INDIAN TREATIES. Ill in 17G3 transferred to England only small grants about the various forts, Detroit, Vin- cennes, Kaskaskia, &c. ; and when at the close of the revolutionary war Great Britain made over her western claims to the United States, she made over nothing more than she had re- ceived from France. At this period, therefore, 1790, with the exception of the old French vil- lages of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Prairie du Rocher, Fort Chartres, Village k Cote, Prairie du Pont, and a few families scattered along the Wabash and Illinois Rivers, the whole of the territory north-west of the Ohio and the Alleghanies, in- cluding the Illinois country, was the abode of the untamed savage. How to throw open these immense regions to the American settlers with- out driving the natives to desperation was now a problem which engaged the ablest minds. Before, however, any movement beyond the Ohio was attempted, efforts were made to secure settlements by treaties with the north-western tribes, and the treaty of Fort Stanwix was made with the Iroquois in 1784, that of Fort Mcin- tosh with the Delawares, Wyandots, &c. in 1785, and in 1786 the treaty of Miami was made with the Delawares, Wyandots, and Shawanese. By these treaties these several Indian tribes sur- rendered a large tract of country north-west of the Ohio, on condition of their enjoying the friendship of the United States and a regular 112 IIISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1790. supply of merchandise. But the other Indian tribes objected to the treaties on the ground that the consent of a general council was abso- lutely necessary to convey any part of the lands to the United States. The Chippewas, Ottawas, Kickapoos, Potawatomies, Kaskaskias, and above all, the Miamies, wished the Ohio to be a perpetual boundary between the white and red men of the West, and would not sell a rod of the region north of it. While negotiations were going forward, the frontier settlements were held in daily alarm and terror by the hostile and murderous incur- sions of the savages; and, between 1783 and 1790, it was proved by documents laid before Congress that not less than fifteen hundred and twenty white men, women, and children were either murdered or carried into captivity by the Indians. Negotiations having failed, Congress finally resolved to put a stop to these barbari- ties. On the 30th September, 1790, General Har- mar commenced his march from Fort Washing- ton to attack the Miami towns. After a march of seventeen days he reached the great Miami village, which he found deserted by its inhabit- ants. Two strong detachments being subse- quently defeated by Little Turtle, Harmar re- turned to Fort Washington on the 14th of De- cember. 1791.] DEFEAT OF ST. CLAIR. 113 In 1791 an additional force was raised, and Major-General St. Clair, governor of the "North- western Territory," was invested with the com- mand. General St. Clair, though a veteran of the Revolution, and possessed of talents and experience, was old and infirm, and exceed- ingly unpopular with part of his army. After the campaign had commenced, he was so affected by the gout that he could neither mount nor dismount his horse without assistance. His army, at first consisting of two thousand regu- lars and a large body of militia, rapidly dimi- nished in numbers by desertion and sickness during its march through the wilderness. On the 3d of November he reached a small tributary stream of the Wabash, about twelve yards in width; here the army encamped for the night. On the 4th of November, about half an hour be- fore sunrise, and immediately after the American troops had been dismissed from parade, Little Turtle, at the head of fifteen hundred warriors, commenced a furious attack on the encampment. Lurking under such cover as the woods afforded, they poured a continuous and destructive fire into the ranks of the Americans. The troops were raw, but the officers were veterans; and for three hours they strove to maintain the honour of their arms with a bravery which deserved a better fate. St. Clair himself, despite of his illness, was borne on a litter into the thickest of 10* 114 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1791. the fight, from whence he issued his orders with coolness and determination. Gallant and re- peated charges were made with the bayonet, and always with a temporary success. But almost every officer in the American army, and nearly one-half of the regulars and militia, being either killed or wounded, a retreat was ordered. "It was in fact a flight," says St. Clair. "The camp and the artillery were abandoned — but that was unavoidable, for not a horse was left alive to have drawn it off had it otherwise been practicable. But the most disagraceful part of the business is, that the greatest part of the men threw away their arms and accoutre- ments, even after the pursuit, which continued about four miles, had ceased. I found the road strewed with them for many miles, but was not able to remedy it ; for, having had all my horses killed, and being mounted on one that could not be pricked out of a walk, I could not get forward myself; and the orders I sent forward either to halt the front, or to prevent the men from part- ing with their arms, were unattended to. The rout continued quite to Fort Jefferson, twenty- mine miles, which was reached a little after sun- setting." The troops were afterward marched back to Fort Washington, in good order, where they arrived on the 8th of November. The loss of the Americans in killed and wounded during -this disastrous battle was nearly six hundred; 1792.] WAYNE'S CAMPAIGN. 115 that of the Indians only fifty-six. It was, in fact, a second Braddock's defeat. The whole country, and particularly the fron- tier, was now filled with terror and despondency. The victorious savages could not now be expect- ed to exercise any forbearance or make terms, and would naturally attack the settlements with a greater degree of boldness and ferocity. Gene- ral St. Clair earnestly requested to be tried by court-martial; but the want of a sufficient num- ber of surviving officers to constitute such a court, prevented his request from being granted. His case was, however, referred to a committee of the House of Representatives in Congress, by whom he was exculpated; and as Washington continued to extend to him his esteem and con- fidence, he escaped the effects of popular resent- ment. In 1792 Washington submitted a plan for an- other campaign. General Wayne was appointed commander-in-chief. The number of troops in- tended for this service was considerably aug- mented, and efforts were made to give them a thorough military training before they took the field. In the mean time the justice of the war was arraigned ; and it was urged, that if the in- tentions of government were just and humane, those intentions ought to be made fully known to the Indians, among whom the opinion exten- 116 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1792. lively prevailed, th?t the sole object of the war was to deprive them of their lands. On the other hand, it was urged that it was too late to inquire into the justice of the war ; that the war existed; that many innocent per- sons were exposed to savage butchery ; and that it was better, by the proper organization of a more effective force, to bring the contest to a speedy close, than to protract it from year to year. While preparations were making, Con- gress, however, once more •determined to try to bring about an adjustment of the difficulties by peaceful negotiations with the tribes ; and Colo- nel Harden and Major Trueman, two brave Kentuckians, were sent to them, both of whom were barbarously murdered. General Rufus Putnam, of Ohio, was also appointed a commis- sioner, with the following instructions : — "You will make it clearly understood, that we want not a foot of their land, and that it is theirs, and theirs only; that they have the right to sell and the right to refuse to sell, and the United States will guarantee to them the said just right. " That it is not only the sincere desire of the United States to be at peace with all the neigh- bouring Indian tribes, but to protect them in their just rights against lawless, violent white men. If such should commit any injury on the person or properties of a peaceable Indian, they will be regarded equally as the enemies of the 1793.] INSTRUCTIONS TO TRUEMAN. 117 general government as the Indians, and will be punished accordingly." That the same conciliatory spirit of humanity and justice pervaded the instructions given to Colonel Trueman, is evident from the following passage : — "Brothers, — The President of the United States entertains the opinion that the war which exists is founded in error and mistake on your parts. That you believe the United States want to deprive you of your lands, and drive you out of the country. Be assured this is not so : on the contrary, that we should be greatly gratified with the opportunity of imparting to you all the blessings of civilized life ; of teaching you to cultivate the earth and raise corn ; to raise oxen, sheep, and other domestic animals ; to build comfortable houses, and to educate your chil- dren, so as ever to dwell upon the land." In the mean time the hostile Indians held a grand confederacy, at which it was settled that the Ohio must for the future be the boundary line between the white men and the Indians ; they also denied the validity of the treaties made with the Indian tribes, on which the United States rested her claims to Indian lands beyond those boundaries. This council was one of the largest ever held by the Indians. The answer of the head warriors to the American commis- sioners clearly expresses their ground of com- 118 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1793. plaint, and the real sentiments which actuated the Indians : — " Brothers, — A general council of all the In- dian confederacy was held, as you well know, in the fall of the year 1788, at this place, (Fort Harmar;) and that general council was invited by your commissioner, Governor St. Clair, to meet him for the purpose of holding a treaty with regard to the lands mentioned by you to have been ceded by the treaties of Fort Stanwix and Fort Mcintosh. "Brothers, — We are in possession of the speeches and letters which passed on that occa- sion, between those deputed by the confederated Indians and Governor St. Clair, the commis- sioner of the United States. These papers prove that your commissioner, after having been in- formed that no bargain or sale of any part of these Indian lands would be considered as valid or binding, unless agreed to by a general coun- cil, nevertheless persisted in collecting together a few chiefs of two or three nations only, and with them held a treaty for the cession of an immense country, in which they were no more interested than as a branch of the general con- federacy, and who were in no manner authorized to make any grant or concession whatever. " Brothers, — How then was it possible for you to expect to enjoy peace, and quietly to hold these lands, when your commissioner was in- 1793.] INDIAN MANIFESTO. 119 formed that the consent of a general council was absolutely necessary, to convey any part of them to the United States ? "Brothers, — You say, < the United States wish to have confirmed all the lands ceded to them by the Treaty of Fort Harmar, and also a .small tract at the rapids of the Ohio, claimed by General Clarke for the use of himself and his warriors. And in consideration thereof, the United States would give such a large sum of money or goods as was never given at any one time for any quantity of Indian lands.' "Brothers, — Money to us is of no value, and to most of us unknown ; and, as no consideration whatever can induce us to sell the lands on which we get sustenance for our women and children, we hope we may be allowed to point out a way by which your settlers may be easily removed, and peace thereby retained. "Brothers, — We know that* these settlers are poor, or they would never have ventured to live in a country which has been in continual trouble ever since they crossed the Ohio. Divide, there- fore, this large sum of money which you have offered to us among this people. " Brothers, — You have talked to us about con- cessions. It appears strange that you should expect any from us, who have been defending our just rights against your invasions. We want 120 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1793. peace. Restore to us our country, we shall be enemies no longer. "Brothers, — You have talked also a great deal about pre-emption, and your exclusive right to purchase Indian lands, as ceded to you by the king at the treaty of peace. "Brothers, — We never made any agreement with the king, nor with any other nation, that we would give to either the exclusive right of purchasing our lands ; and we declare to you that we consider ourselves free to make any bar- gain or cession of lands, whenever and to whom- soever we please. If the white people, as you say, made a treaty that none of them but the king should purchase of us, and that he has given that right to the United States, it is an affair which concerns you and him, and not us ; we have never parted with such a power. "Brothers, — We desire you to consider that our only demand isthe peaceable possession of a small part of our once great country. Look back, and review the lands from whence we have been driven to this spot. We can retreat no farther, because the country behind hardly af- fords food for its inhabitants ; and we have there- fore resolved to leave our bones in this small space to which we are now confined. "Brothers, — We shall be persuaded that you mean to do us justice, if you agree that the Ohio shall be the boundary line between us. If you 1793.] ATTACK ON FORT RECOVERY. 121 will not consent thereto, our' meeting will be al- together unnecessary. "Done in general council, at the foot of the Maumee rapids, the 13th day of August, 1793. NATIONS. Wyandotts, Shawanese, Seven Nations < 3F Canada, Cherokees, MlAMIES, Mess-asagoes, Ottawas, CnippEWAS, Mohicans, Mansees, Connoys, Delawares, POTAWATOMIES, Nantakokies, Senecas of the Glaize, Creeks." This of necessity closed the negotiations. The United States would not consent to make the Ohio the boundary line, and both sides now pre- pared for a renewal of hostilities. On the 13th of October, 1793, General Wayne marched about six miles in advance of Fort Jef- ferson, and established his head-quarters for the winter at Greenville. Having fortified his camp, he sent a detachment to take possession of the battle-ground on which St. Clair had been de- feated, and to erect a fort on the spot, which was called "Fort Recovery." On the 30th of June, 1794, Fort Recovery was attacked by Little Turtle, at the head of fifteen hundred warriors. Although repelled, the assailants rallied and returned to the charge, 11 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [179-4. and kept up the attack through the whole of the day and a part of the following. On the 26th of July, General Wayne was re- inforced by a body of sixteen hundred volunteers from Kentucky, and on the 28th moved forward into the heart of the hostile country. On the 8th of August he arrived at the junction of the Auglaize and the Miami rivers, and there erected Fort Defiance. Here he receiyed full and accu- rate information about the Indians, their num- bers, and the nature of the ground they occupied ; and considering the spirit of his troops, officers, and men, he determined to march forward and settle matters at once. Yet, acting under orders from President Washington, Wayne once more endeavoured to bring the Indians to a peaceful treaty. He therefore sent Christopher Miller, who had been naturalized among the Shawanese, with a flag, offering to confer with deputies ap- pointed for that purpose. Unwilling to waste time, however, the troops moved forward on the 15th of August, and on the 16th met Miller re- turning. He brought word that if the Ameri- cans would wait ten days, the Indians would decide for peace or war ; to which Wayne only replied by resuming his march. On the 18th of August, the army being in the immediate neighbourhood of the enemy, General Wayne ordered a slight fortification to be erected, wherein to place the heavy baggage during the 1794.] wayne's victory. 123 expected battle. Early on the morning of the 20th of August, the position of the enemy hav- ing been previously reconnoitred, the army moved toward the Indian encampment. The Indians had shown considerable military judgment in selecting their position. They had formed their lines in a dense forest, which, having been over- whelmed by a tornado, was impracticable to artillery and cavalry, while at the same time it afforded the savages a very suitable covert for their mode of warfare. After a march of about five miles, the advance, under Major Price, was briskly attacked by the Indians concealed in a thicket of tall grass and underwood, and com- pelled to retreat. General Wayne immediately ordered the mounted riflemen to make a circuit far to the left, and operate upon their right flank and rear, and the infantry to advance and rouse the Indians from their coverts at the point of the bayonet; when they were up, to deliver a well-directed fire, and then charge with the bayonet, so as not to give the savages time to load again. These orders were promptly exe- cuted ; and so irresistible was the bayonet charge, that the Indians were driven from their position and completely routed before the mounted rifle- men could take part in the action. The action was fought almost under the guns of a British fort — all the houses and stores around the fort being destroyed, notwithstanding the remon- 124 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1795. strances of the British commandant. General Wayne presently burnt the Indian villages and cornfields for upward of fifty miles on either side of the Miami river ; and this, more than the battle, brought them completely into subjection. During the winter their cattle and dogs died, and they were themselves half famished. An ex- change of prisoners took place soon after the battle, and finally a treaty of peace and friend- ship with the United States was signed at Green- ville, on the 7th of August, 1795, which the In- dians faithfully observed till the war of 1812. The historical annals of Illinois during this period only record a series of Indian incursions, which were bravely repelled by the settlers. The subjugation of the Indians in the Miami country by General Wayne, in 1794, and the treaty that grew out of it, brought peace to the borders of Illinois. Indeed, the beneficial re- sults of Wayne's expedition can hardly be over- rated. It opened a fine region of country to a civilized population. It quieted the Indian ex- citement, and stopped their inroads into the set- tlements. It allayed factious feelings at home, while abroad it hastened a pending negotiation, by which a treaty of friendship and commerce was made between England and the United States advantageous to both countries. 1786.] INCREASE OF SETTLERS. 125 CHAPTER VIII. American settlements in Illinois — Character and mode of life of the Illinois backwoodsman — Annals of border warfare from 1786 to 1796— Anecdote of Little Turtle— Character and designs of Tecumseh — His interviews with General Harrison — Tecumseh's visit to the South — Battle of Tippe- canoe — Frustration of Tecumseh's plans — Joins the British at Fort Maiden. The romantic exploits of General Clarke in 1788, and his conquest of the British military stations in the West, made known the fertile plains of Illinois to the people of the Atlantic states, and excited a spirit of emigration to the banks of the Mississippi and the Wabash. Some of the soldiers who accompanied Clarke subse- quently returned and settled on the lands allot- ted them by the United States. Illinois was at this time, to a considerable extent, in the posses- sion of the aborigines ; and during the Indian war, the origin and history of which has been given in the previous chapter, the American set- tlements were greatly distressed by hostile in- cursions. Of all the Indians the Kickapoos were the most formidable and dangerous neighbours, and from 1786 to 1796, a period of ten years, kept 11* 126 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1786. the settlements in a state of continual alarm. Owing to the remoteness of their situation, the borderers were thrown entirely on their own de- fences. They had to carry their rifles while labouring in their cornfields, and often at night had to keep guard over their own houses. As none but the most vigorous and athletic ven- tured to establish themselves in the neigh- bourhood of hostile Indians, the Illinois back- woodsmen were remarkable for their great physi- cal strength and courage, which was nerved into tenfold hardihood by their continual struggles with the savages. These western pioneers, in their half-civilized condition, adopted a costume greatly resembling that of the Indians them- selves. A fur cap, buckskin pantaloons or leg- gings of dressed deer-skin, ornamented after the Indian fashion, with a loose hunting-shirt, the capacious bosom of which, sewed as a wallet, contained a store of jerked beef and bread, tow for wiping the barrel of the rifle, and other sylvan requisites — girt around the waist with a belt, to which was constantly attached a toma- hawk and scalping-knife, with mocassins or In- dian shoes to his feet, and a rifle over his shoul- der : such was the ordinary costume of an Illi- nois backwoodsman. The habitations of the Illinois settlers were log huts, surrounded by palisades, which were made bullet proof for pro- tection against their Indian foes, and in close 1786.] LIFE IN THE BACKWOODS. 127 proximity to a strong timber fort called a block- house, to which they retired in cases of emer- gency. As the forest clearing expanded around the log hut of the settler, many were the fari- naceous delicacies that covered his table ; promi- nent among these were the Johnny or journey- cake, made of corn meal; hominy, or pounded maize thoroughly boiled, and other savoury pre- parations of flour and milk, in addition to the rich variety of game afforded by the chase. The furniture of their dwellings was of the simplest description. Most of the articles in common use were of domestic manufacture. Utensils of metal were extremely rare. The table furniture usually consisted of wooden vessels, and their bedding of the shaggy skins of the deer, bear, and buffalo. The use of stoves was unknown; and the huge fireplaces, filled with bright blazing logs, were favourite nestling places dur- ing the long winter evenings, when the snow- storm swept gustily around the rude dwelling, or the forest trees swayed heavily to and fro in the wintry blast. The opportunities of the pioneers to educate their children were very scanty. If the mother could read, while the father was in the cornfield, or with his rifle on the prairie, she would barri- cade the door as a security against prowling savages, gather her little ones around her, and by the light that came in from the crevices in 128 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1786. the roof and sides of the cabin, teach them the rudiments of knowledge from the fragments of some old book. During the whole period from 1786 to 1796 the people were under the jurisdiction of the North-western Territory. Their morals were pure, and there was but little necessity for the administration of either civil or criminal law. Notwithstanding the rough points in their cha- racter, these backwoodsmen were proverbial for hospitality and kindness to strangers. There is something peculiarly interesting in the rural simplicity of these settlers. The grosser vices were unknown among them. Ardent spirits, that outrage on morals, social order, and religion, had been introduced among them only in small quantities. Thefts and other crimes were ex- tremely few, and fraud and dishonesty in deal- ings seldom practised. The Moores, Ogles, Le- mens, and other families, were of unblemished morals, and were impelled by a love of freedom to leave the banks of the Potomac for the prairies of Illinois. These hardy borderers, when they visited the cities on the Atlantic seaboard, were regarded by the inhabitants as a sort of barbarians, while they in their turn despised the citizen as one sunk in softness and effeminacy. Those from the North-western Territory, when introduced into the more settled countries east of the Allegha- 1786.] BORDER WARFARE. 129 nies, were surprised to find that all houses were not made of logs and chinked with mud, and that all dishes and tableware were not of pewter and wood. To them the luxuries of tea and coffee were unknown ; they " wondered how peo- ple could show a fondness for such slops, and regarded cups and saucers as indications of a de- praved taste and unmanly luxury, or, at most, only adapted to the effeminate or the sick." In 1786 the Indians attacked an American settlement near Bellefontaine, Monroe county, killed James Andrews, his wife, and daughter, James White and Samuel McClure, and took two girls, daughters of Andrews, prisoners. One of these died with the Indians, the other was ransomed by the French traders. The In- dians had previously threatened the settlements, and the people had built and garrisoned a block- house, but this family was out and defenceless. This was the first settlement formed by emi- grants from the United States, and was esta- blished by Mr. James Moore in 1781. Early in the spring of 1788, William Biggs, John Vallis, and Joseph and Benjamin Ogle, were attacked by Indians near Bellefontaine. John Vallis was killed and William Biggs taken prisoner. The Kickapoo warriors treated the latter kindly, offered him the daughter of a brave for a wife, and proposed to adopt him into their tribe. He was finally liberated by the 130 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1790. French traders, and afterward became a resi- dent of St. Clair county, a member of the terri- torial legislature, and judge of the county court. The following year the settlements were greatly harassed by the Indians, who frequently stole the horses and killed the cattle of the settlers. Six of them attacked three boys when only a few yards from a block-house. One of the boys was struck with a tomahawk in three places, scalped, and yet recovered; the others escaped unhurt. Two men were attacked on a load of hay, one of them being killed, and the other scalped. Several other massacres took place in the same year in the American bottom, and on the road to St. Louis. In 1790 the Illinois settlers were attacked by a party of Osage Indians, who stole their horses. They pursued the Indians and fired upon them. One of the Americans getting in advance of his party was killed and scalped. The same year James Smith, a Baptist preacher from Kentucky, was taken prisoner by the Kickapoo Indians. A female and her child, who were with him, were despatched with the tomahawk. Having retreat- ed a few yards down the hill, he fell on his knees in prayer for the poor woman they were murdering, and in that attitude was taken by the Indians. They immediately loaded him with the plunder they had collected, which they compelled him to carry, until the heat of the day 1791.] BORDER WARFARE. 131 and the weight of his burden finally overpowered his strength, and he sank in a state of exhaustion at their feet. They then consulted together to destroy him, and as they frequently pointed their guns toward him, Smith bared his breast, and pointed upward to signify that the Great Spirit was his protector. Seeing him in the at- titude of devotion, and hearing him sing hymns, which he did to relieve his mind from despond- ency, they came to the conclusion that he was a "great medicine," holding daily intercourse with the Great Spirit, and must not be put to death. They accordingly relieved him of his burdens and treated him kindly. He was taken to the Kickapoo towns on the Wabash, from whence he was in a few months ransomed by the inhabitants of New Design, who greatly va- lued and respected his ministerial labours. In May, 1791, one John Dempsey was at- tacked by the savages, but made his escape and gave the alarm. A small party of settlers, com- manded by Captain Hall, started soon after in pursuit. The Indians took to the trees, the whites did the same, fighting with great pru- dence and bravery. The Indians being double the number of their adversaries, a sharp run- ning fight was kept up for several hours, the Americans pursuing from tree to tree until night put an end to the conflict. Five Indians were 132 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1793. killed, without the loss of a man or of a drop of blood on the other side. The settlements in Illinois were strengthened during the year 1793 by the arrival of emigrants from Kentucky, and among them was a family of the name of Whiteside. A party of Kicka- poos, during a predatory excursion into the Ame- rican bottom, stole nine horses from the settlers. William Whiteside, accompanied by eight of his neighbours, started in pursuit, and followed the trail of the depredators as far as the Indian camp on Shoal Creek. Here they found three of the horses, which they immediately secured. The party then, small as it was, divided into two bodies, four men in each, and agreed to at- tack simultaneously the Indian camp from oppo- site sides. The signal of attack was to be the firing of Whiteside's gun. Two Indians were immediately killed, and several others slightly wounded. Believing themselves surrounded by a large force, an old chief approached in their behalf, and begged for quarter. But as soon as the chief discovered the insignificant number of the whites, when compared with his own party, he became indignant and called aloud on his braves to return and retrieve their honour. But they had fled beyond the reach of his voice ; and Captain Whiteside, although the Indian exerted all his force and sought to get possession of his gun, deeming it dishonourable to destroy an un- 1795.] BORDER WARFARE. 133 armed man who had previously surrendered, compelled him to retreat without serious injury. The intrepid band being at this time in the heart of the Indian country, where hundreds of Indian warriors could be raised in a few hours time, Captain Whiteside prudently resolved to retire with the horses they had recovered; and after travelling night and day, without halting to eat or sleep, they reached the settlements in safety. Two of the Whiteside family fell victims to the Indians during the following year. In the year 1795 the family of Mr. McMahan was attacked by Indians, who killed his wife and four children before his face, and laid their bodies in a row on the floor of his own dwelling. Making prisoners of McMahan and his only daughter, they departed for their towns. On the second night of their encampment, McMa- han, finding the Indians asleep, put on their moccasins and made his escape. He arrived at the settlement just as the neighbours were bury- ing his family. They had enclosed the bodies in rude coffins, and were engaged in putting the sods on their grave as he came in sight. He looked on the newly-formed hillock, and raising his eyes to heaven in pious resignation, said, "They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided." His remaining daughter was afterward ransomed by the charitable contributions of the settlers. The 12 134 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1802. same year the Whitesides and others, to the number of fourteen, attacked an Indian encamp- ment at the foot of the bluffs west of Belleville. In the skirmish Captain William Whiteside re- ceived a shot in the side, and was wounded, as he thought, mortally. As he fell, he exhorted his sons to fight bravely and not let the Indians touch him. One of his sons, who was disabled by a shot in the arm, sat down and examined the wound of his father. Finding that the ball had glanced along the ribs and lodged against the spine, he gashed the skin with his knife, and having extracted the bullet, held it up exultingly, exclaiming, " Father, you are not dead yet !" The old man instantly jumped on his feet, saying, " Come along, boys, I can still fight them !" Such were the instances of indomitable energy and courage which distinguished the men who defended the frontiers of Illinois in those days of peril. The defeat of the confederated Indians in 1794, by General Wayne, brought peace to the frontiers of Illinois. A few horses were occa- sionally stolen, and in 1802 two Americans were killed, but no attack was made on the settle- ments. Families again took up their abodes on the prairies — emigrants from the states cluster- ed around them, and the cultivation of the soil was pursued without fear of molestation. During the period which elapsed between 1802 and 1810 1802.] FORMATION OF THE TERRITORY. 135 no events of an important character occurred to interrupt the quiet routine of peaceful life upon the frontiers. While Illinois was a part of the North-western Territory, it was divided into only two counties, Randolph and St. Clair. In 1800, by an act of Congress, the whole of the North-western terri- tory, including Illinois, with the exception of the state of Ohio, was named Indiana, and Wil- liam H. Harrison, subsequently President of the United States, was appointed its governor. Il- linois continued a part of Indiana until Febru- ary 3d, 1809, when, by another act of Congress, all that part of the Indiana Territory which lies west of the Wabash River, and a direct line drawn from that river and Fort Yincennes due north, to the territorial line between the United States and Canada, was formed into a separate territory by the name of Illinois. Ninian Ed- wards, then Chief-justice of Kentucky, was ap- pointed governor, and Nathaniel Pope, Esq., a resident of Kaskaskia, secretary of the territory. In 1810 new settlements had been formed in Gallatin, Johnson, Union, and Jackson counties, and the census gives the population of the terri- tory at 12,284 inhabitants. Although the quietude of the Illinois settle- ments was undisturbed between 1802 and 1810, yet mischief was gathering in other quarters, which ultimately brought on a renewal of Indian 136 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1802. hostilities. Notwithstanding the treaty of Green- ville ceded to the United States an extensive tract of country north-west of the Ohio, and although settlers had located themselves on the tract thus ceded, the project of making the Ohio a boundary line between the white men and the Indians was still entertained by a consider- able portion of the Indian tribes. Little Turtle, the Miami warrior, at one time strenuously supported this project ; but after his defeat by General Wayne, frequent visits to Philadelphia and Washington had convinced him of the utter impossibility of effecting his object. He had, therefore, become an advocate for peace, and a friend of the whites ; and, at the time of which we are speaking, was living quietly and comfortably on Eel River, in Indiana, in a house erected for him by the American govern- ment. Among the many characteristic anecdotes of this celebrated chief, the following will be read with interest : — On the 6th of November, 1792, Little Turtle defeated Major Adair, who commanded a de- tachment of mounted volunteers from Kentucky. The Miami chief directed the attack with his usual skill, and a large party of Indians rushed on the encampment with great fury. A bloody conflict ensued. The Indians were driven through and about six hundred yards beyond the Ame- rican camp, but were again rallied by Little 1802.] LITTLE TURTLE AND MAJOR ADAIR. 137 Turtle, and fought desperately. At this moment about sixty Indians made an effort to turn the right flank of the Americans. Major Adair, foreseeing the consequence of this manoeuvre, ordered a retreat, which was effected with great regularity ; and, as was expected, the Indians pursued them to their camp, where a halt was made, another battle fought, and the Indians finally driven from the ground. Some year^ afterward, in 1805-6, when General Adair was register of the land-office in Frankfort, Captain Wm. Wells, the Indian agent, passed through that place on his way to Washington, attended by a deputation of warriors, among whom was Little Turtle. General Adair called on his old antagonist, and in the course of conversation the incident above related being alluded to, General Adair attributed his defeat to his having been taken by surprise. Little Turtle immediately remarked with great pleasantness, "A good ge- neral is never taken by surprise." This famous chief died at Fort Wayne, on the 14th of July, 1812, and was buried with the honours of war. But although Little Turtle had discovered the futility of attempting to make the Ohio the boundary line between the white and Indian population, and had become the advocate of peace, it was otherwise with the Shawancse chief Tecumseh, who, from his boyhood to the period when he fell in the prime of life, nobly fighting 12* 138 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1805. for his country, fostered an invincible hatred to the whites. This hatred was not confined to the Americans. Circumstances induced him to fight under English colours, but he neither loved nor respected them. He knew their professions of sympathy were hollow, and that they cared no- thing for the rights of the Indians. Tecumseh was a patriot. He loved his country, and this made him a statesman and a warrior. He saw his countrymen driven from their hunting grounds, their morals debased, and their means of sub- sistence taken from them. He sought to ascer- tain the cause of these evils, and traced it to that flood of white immigration which, having sur- mounted the Alleghanies, was now pouring suc- cessive waves of population into the Mississippi valley, above whose dense and peaceful forests had curled for innumerable ages the smoke of the rude wigwams of his ancestors. The habits of intoxication acquired by the Indians having totally unfitted them for making heroic exertions, Tecumseh sought to effect a reformation in this respect, and to unite them together into a grand confederacy, so as to ren- der the purchase of land by the United States impossible, without the consent of all the tribes. Knowing his countrymen to be prone to super- stition, he determined, through the agency of his brother, to employ its influence in effecting his purpose. 1805.] MOVEMENTS OF TECUMSEH. 130 Suddenly his brother began to dream dreams and see visions, and to profess himself inspired by the Great Spirit to direct the Indians in the way they ought to go to preserve to them the hunting grounds of their ancestors, and to re- store them to their former condition of happi- ness and independence. The work of reforma- tion and union now went on rapidly. Pilgrims came from the most distant tribes to the head- quarters of the prophet, whose fame, and the di- vine character of whose mission, was spread far and wide, until, at length, a combination of In- dians more formidable than any which this con- tinent has ever witnessed, was nearly completed. But the battle of Tippecanoe, fought during the absence of Tecumseh, and in violation of his or- ders, completely frustrated all his designs, and rendered him, to the close of his gallant though unsuccessful struggle, a mere accessory to Eng- land in the war which followed. It was in the year 1805 Tecumseh entered on the great work he had so long contemplated. He was then about thirty-eight years of age. General Harrison was at this time governor of Indiana and superintendent of Indian affairs, and in both capacities had difficult and arduous duties to perform. In 1807, Governor Harrison, hearing of extraordinary movements among the savages, charged them with an attempted insur- rection, but was assured by the Prophet that 140 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1810, their only object was to effect a reformation among the Indians. In 1808 Tecumseh and his brother were still quietly extending their influ- ence among the Indian tribes ; and in the month of June they removed from Greenville to the banks of the Tippecanoe, a tributary of the Up- per Wabash. In 1809 Tecumseh met Governor Harrison, and claimed the lands which had been previously ceded by the Miamies, "because they belonged to all the tribes, and could not be parted with except by the consent of all." Governor Harrison took no notice of his claim, and the chief departed to redouble his exertions in the formation of the Indian confederacy. In 1810 the hostile intentions of Tecumseh and his fol- lowers were placed beyond a doubt. General Harrison was revisited, and notified of the con- federacy, and of the determination of the In- dians to resist any further cession of territory to the United States, unless made with the con- sent of all the tribes. The governor replied, "that he would make known those views to the president, but there was no probability of their being attended to." "Then," said Tecumseh, " the Great Spirit must determine the matter. It is true the president is so far off that he will not be injured by the war. He may sit still in his town and drink his wine, while you and I will fight it out." It was then proposed to Tecumseh that in the event of a war, he should use his in- 1S11.] INTERVIEW WITH TECUMSEH. 141 fluence to prevent those cruelties which were usually practised by the Indians. To this Te- cumseh cheerfully assented, and it is due to his memory to say that he kept his word. In 1811 Tecumseh again sought an interview with General Harrison, to whom he announced his intention of going south to induce the tribes to unite with the northern and western Indians in the confederacy. He also promised to visit the president and settle all difficulties with him on his return, and requested that the Americans would not survey a certain tract of land which had been ceded to them, as the Indians who were coming to settle at Tippecanoe would want it for a hunting ground. He apologized for the mur- ders which the Indians had committed in 1810, and said they ought to be forgiven, and that the Indians had set the whites an example of for- giveness. The governor replied, " That the moon which they beheld (it was then night) would sooner fall to the earth, than the president suffer his people to be murdered with impunity. And that he would put his warriors in petticoats sooner than give up the country which he had fairly acquired from the rightful owners." After many conferences with British officers at Detroit, Tecumseh left that post, and with a party of thirty warriors, mounted on horses, shaped his course for the south. Passing through the country of the Choctaw and Chickasa In- 142 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1811. dians, among whom his mission was unsuccessful, he continued his journey to Florida, where he met with complete success among the Seminoles. From their boyhood the warriors of that country had heard of Tecumseh, of his feats in the buf- falo chase, of the bloody wars which he had conducted, and of his fierce and transcendent eloquence. At this time Colonel Hawkins was holding a grand council with the Seminoles at Tookabatcha, the Indian capital of Florida. It was evening, and an autumnal sun shone on the bronzed faces of five thousand Indians gathered within that ancient town, which never looked so gay and populous as then. Colonel Hawkins had just finished his address when Tecumseh and his party marched into the square. They were entirely naked, except their flaps and ornaments. Their faces were painted black and their heads adorned with eagle plumes, while buffalo tails trailed after them, suspended by bands which went around their waists. Similar appendages were also at- tached to their arms, and were made to stand out by means of thongs. Their appearance was hi- deous, and their bearing stately and ceremonious. After making the circuit of the square they ap- proached the chiefs, and cordially shaking them with the whole length of the arm, exchanged tobacco, a common ceremony with the Indians, denoting friendship. For several consecutive 1811.] TECUMSEH WITH THE SEMIXOLES. 143 days Tccumseh appeared in the square to de- liver his "talk," and all ears Were anxious to listen to it; but he refused to explain the object of his mission until Colonel Hawkins had con- cluded his business, and departed. That night, at a grand Indian council, held in the great Round House, Tecumseh recounted, in a long speech, full of fierce, fervid eloquence, the wrongs of the Indians, and the object of his mission. He exhorted his hearers to return to their primitive customs, to throw aside the plough and the loom, and to abandon an agricul- tural life, which was unbecoming Indian war- riors. He told them that after the whites had obtained possession of their country, cut down its beautiful forests, and stained the clear waters of their rivers with the washings of their manu- factories, the Indian would be subjected to in- sult and oppression, and be rendered a toiling and servile slave on the soil of which he was once the proprietor and master. He exhorted them to assimilate in no way whatever with the grasping, unprincipled American race, who de- spised their alliance, and only sought in every treaty to defraud them of their hunting grounds. He concluded by announcing that the British, their former friends, had sent him from the big lakes to procure their services in expelling the Americans from all Indian soil, and that the 144 niSTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1811. king of England was ready to handsomely re- ward all who would fight for his cause. A prophet, who composed one of the, party of Tecumseh, next addressed the council. He said that he frequently communed with the Great Spirit, who had sent Tecumseh to their country upon this mission, the nature of which that great chief had just explained. He declared that the Indians who joined the war party should be so perfectly shielded from all harm, that none would be killed in battle, and that the Great Spi- rit would surround them with quagmires which would swallow up the Americans as they ap- proached. A short time after daylight the audience adjourned, more than half of them having already resolved to go to war against the Americans. While at Tookabatcha, Tecumseh took up his residence with a chief called the "Big "Warrior," who, despite of the entreaties of his guest, re- mained true to the United States; more, how- ever, from fear of the consequences of a war than from any love of the Americans. Tecum- seh, after talking with him for some time to no purpose, pointed his finger in his face and em- phatically said, "Tustinuggee Thlucco, your blood is white. You have taken my red sticks and my talk, but you do not mean to fight. I know the reason. You do not believe the Great Spirit has sent me. You shall believe it. I 1811.] ACTIVITY OF TECUMSEH. 145 will leave directly, and go straight to Detroit. When I get there, I will stamp my foot upon the ground, and shake down every house in Tookabatcha." The Big Warrior said nothing, but puffed his pipe, and enveloped himself in clouds of smoke. Afterward he thought much upon this remarkable speech. The common Indians, believing that Tecum- seh actually possessed the power to fulfil his threat, began to count the time it would take the Shawanese chief to reach Detroit. One day a mighty rumbling was heard in the earth ; the houses of Tookabatcha reeled and tottered, and reeled again. The people ran out, vociferating, "Tecumseh has got to Detroit! Tecumseh has got to Detroit! We feel the shake of his foot!" Such was the manner in which the mission of Tecumseh was conducted. His persuasive voice was listened to one day by the Wyandots on the plains of Sandusky ; on the next, his commands were issued on the banks of the Wabash; at one time he was seen paddling his canoe on the waters of the Mississippi, and visiting the different nations on its shores; at another bold- ly confronting Governor Harrison in the council house at Vincennes. ^e continued his labours, neither elated by success nor discouraged by failure, until his plans for a gigantic confede- racy, when on the eve of completion, were frus- trated by the rashness of his brother. 13 146 HISTORY OP ILLINOIS. [1811. While Tecumseh was thus actively engaged at the south, the Prophet's town on the Tippe- canoe became the grand rallying centre for the restless and dissatisfied among the Indian tribes. The Prophet had neither the caution, the talent for command, nor the judgment and wisdom of his brother. Hence, when Tecumseh, the mas- ter-spirit, departed, and he was left to himself, he was incapable of controlling the bold and reckless savages who assembled around him ; and rash and presumptuous himself, he allowed them to rob and murder the settlers in the neighbour- hood of the town, until he brought upon himself the armies of the United States, and by his de- feat destroyed all confidence in the sacredness of his character, and crushed into irretrievable ruin that grand confederacy which it had cost 'Tecumseh years of toil, suffering, and privation ■to establish. The battle of Tippecanoe was fought on the '7th of November, 1811, only a few days before Tecumseh returned from the south. Nothing could exceed his grief and indignation, when his brother attempted to palliate his conduct. Te- cumseh seized him by the hair of his head, and threatened to take his life. He immediately an- nounced to Governor Harrison that he had returned, and was ready to make the proposed visit to the president. The governor gave him .permission to go, but not at thp head of a large 1812.] TECUMSEII JOINS THE BRITISH. 147 delegation The haughty chief, who, in his in- terviews with the governor, was always accom- panied by several hundred Indians, completely armed, had no wish to appear before "his great father the president" stripped of his power, and therefore declined going at all. In June, 1812, Tecumseh had an interview with the Indian agent at Fort Wayne, in which he disavowed his intention to make war on the United States, and reproached General Harri- son for having marched against his people dur- ing his absence. After listening with frigid indifference to the response of the agent, he quitted the council house, and departed for Fort Maiden, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard. 148 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. CHAPTER IX. Causes which led to the renewal of war between Great Britain and the United States in 1812 — Disastrous commencement of the war — Fort Chicago ordered to be evacuated — The garrison wish to remain in the fort — Captain Heald attends the Indian council alone, protected by the guns of the fort — The ammunition and liquor destroyed, and the goods dis- tributed among the Indians — Arrival of Captain Wells — The garrison leave the fort — Attacked by the Indians on their march — Mrs. Helm's account of the action — Cruel and faith- less conduct of the Indians after the surrender of the soldiers —Kindness of Waubeeneemah to Mrs. Helm — Heroic con- duct of Mrs. Heald — Fate of the captives. The angry international feelings, occasioned by the war of independence, were not quieted by the peace of 1783. Mortification on the one hand and resentment on the other continued long after the war had terminated. The break- ing forth of the French revolution involving all Europe in hostilities, it was impossible for the United States to avoid feeling the effects of the terrible struggle which then agitated the civil- ized world. The extraordinary efforts of Eng- land, by sea and land, called for all her resources of men and money, and she claimed the right of impressing her own seamen wherever they might be found. American merchantmen were 1812.] war of 1812. 149 frequently stopped by British cruisers on the high seas, and such seamen impressed into ser- vice as English subordinate officers thought pro- per to claim as Englishmen, Scotchmen, or Irish- men; a proceeding perfectly unjustifiable, and involving not unfrequently the liberty of native American citizens. These wrongs were endured for a considerable time, for the sake of the profitable carrying trade; and the United States was rapidly rising in importance as a neutral power, when England, by her Orders in Council, and Napoleon, by his Berlin Decrees, at once swept her commerce from the ocean. Every American merchant- man, laden with French merchandise, being liable to be seized by British cruisers, and a considerable quantity of the shipping of the United States having been thus taken, all com- mercial intercourse between the two countries was at length suspended, and on the 20th of June, 1812, Congress authorized a declaration of war. A particular account of all the events of this war belongs to the history of the United States ; a general notice of its progress is, however, necessary, and without which no history of Illi- nois would be complete. At the commencement of the war, the armies of the United States sus- tained a succession of defeats and losses. An abortive attempt having been made to invade 13* 150 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. Canada, the British retaliated by capturing De« troit and all the American posts in Michigan. With the loss of Michigan, the United States lost all control over the north-western tribes; who, scattering themselves among the frontier settlements, committed the most horrible atro- cities. While the British army, under General Brock, lay before Detroit, a terrible tragedy was enact- ed at Chicago, Illinois. By the treaty of Green- ville, a tract of land six miles square was ceded to the United States, at the mouth of the Chi- cago River. In 1804 a small fort was erected there, which was garrisoned by a company of United States troops, about fifty in number, many of whom were invalids. A few French and Canadian families settled in the vicinity of the fort; and this little community, who were almost isolated from the rest of the civilized world, previous to the war of 1812, furnished no incidents worthy of notice. When war was declared, the commandant at Chicago received orders to evacuate the fort. The garrison consisted at this time of a single company, commanded by Cap- tain Heald, the subordinate officers being Lieu- tenant Helm and Ensign Roman, and Dr. Van Voorhees, its surgeon. The orders came from General Hull, who was commander-in-chief of the north-western army, and were sent to the 1812.] FORT CHICAGO. 151 garrison through the agency of Winnemeg, or Catfish, a friendly Indian of the Pottawatomie tribe. General Hull's despatch directed Cap- tain Heald "to evacuate the fort at Chicago if practicable, and in that event to distribute all the United States property contained in the fort, and the United States factory or agency, among the Indians in the neighbourhood, and repair to Fort Wayne." By the conquest of the American posts in Michigan, the English had obtained complete command of that territory; and as the United States could no longer con- trol the savages, the necessity of withdrawing the garrison from Fort Chicago was obvious. When Captain Heald read General Hull's de- spatch to the garrison next morning, on parade, Lieutenant Helm and Ensign Roman hazarded a remonstrance. "We do not," said they to Captain Heald, "believe that our troops can pass in safety through the country of the Potta- watomies to Fort Wayne. Although a part of their chiefs were opposed to an attack upon us last autumn, they were actuated by motives of private friendship for some particular individuals, and not from a regard to the Americans in general ; and it can hardly be supposed that in the present excited state of feeling among the Indians, those chiefs will be able to influence the whole tribe, now thirsting for vengeance. Besides, our march must be slow, on account of 152 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. the women and children. Our force, too, is small. Some of our soldiers are superannuated, and some of them are invalids. We think, there- fore, as your orders are discretionary, that we had better fortify ourselves as strongly as possi- ble, and remain where we are. Succour may reach us before we shall be attacked from Macki- naw; and, in case of such an event, we had better fall into the hands of the English, than become victims of the savages." Captain Heald replied that his force was not sufficiently strong to contend with the Indians; and that he should be censured if he did not evacuate the fort, when the prospect of a safe retreat to Fort Wayne was so apparent. He had the utmost confidence in the Indians, and deemed it advisable to as- semble them, and distribute the public property among them, and ask them for an escort to Fort Wayne, under the promise of their receiving a considerable sum of money if they should con- duct the garrison there in safety. The officers and soldiers said but little more upon the sub- ject, and kept aloof from their commander, con- sidering his project as little short of madness. The Indians presently began to assemble from the neighbouring villages, in answer to the sum- mons of Captain Heald; and on the 12th of August, 1812, a council was held in the neigh- bourhood of the fort. It was attended, how- ever, only by Captain Heald on the part of the 1812.] FORT CHICAGO. 153 garrison. His officers and soldiers refused to accompany him, although requested to do so. They had heard that a massacre was intended, and when Captain Heald left the fort, they opened its port-holes, and pointed the loaded cannon in the direction of the Indian encamp- ment, so as to command the entire council. This circumstance and their absence caused the savages to postpone their meditated design. Captain Heald, after informing the assembly that he should distribute among them the goods in the storehouses, together with the ammunition and provisions with which the garrison was sup- plied, requested them to furnish him with an escort to Fort Wayne, promising them a liberal reward for this service, in addition to the pre- sents he was about to make them. The Indians were profuse in their professions of friendship and good-will, and immediately promised him the desired escort. The soldiers, alarmed at the danger by which they were menaced, urged the impolicy of fur- nishing the Indians with arms and ammunition to be used against themselves, and the argument struck Captain Heald with so much force, that he resolved to destroy the military stores and liquors. On the next day, August 13th, the remaining articles in the storehouses were dis- tributed among the Indians, but the ammunition was thrown into a well, and the liquor poured 154 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. into the river. Notwithstanding all the pre- cautions taken to avoid suspicion, the Indians, ever watchful, beheld with indignation the de- struction of the muskets, and the loss of their much-loved "fire-water." On the 14th the desponding garrison were somewhat cheered by the arrival of Captain Wells, with fifteen friendly Miamies. He had heard at Fort Wayne of the order to evacuate Fort Chicago, and knowing the hostile intentions of the Indians, had made a rapid march through the wilderness to protect, if possible, his sister, Mrs. Heald, and the officers and garrison from certain destruction. But he came too late. The ammunition had been destroyed, and on the pro- visions the enemy were rioting. His only alter- native was to hasten the evacuation of the post, and every preparation was made for the march of the troops on the following morning. In the afternoon of the 14th, a second council was held with the Indians, at which they expressed great indignation at the destruction of the promised ammunition and liquor by the garrison, and murmurs and threats were heard on every side. Attempts were made to appease their anger by several chiefs, who, although they participated in the hostile feelings of their tribe against the Americans generally, still retained a personal regard for the troops and the settlers in the vicinity; but all their efforts were in vain. 1812.] RETREAT FROM THE FORT. 155 The reserved ammunition, twenty-five rounds to a man, having been distributed, and the bag- gage wagons prepared for the sick, the women, and children, the whole party, anticipating a fatiguing if not a disastrous march through the wilderness, retired for a little rest, the sentinels, as usual, keeping watch and ward during the night. The fatal morning of the 15th at length dawned brightly on the world, and the sun shone in unclouded splendour upon the glassy surface of Lake Michigan. Very soon a message was received from To-pee-na-bee, a friendly chief of the St. Joseph's band, warning the garrison, that the Indians who had promised to be their escort contemplated mischief. About nine o'clock the troops left the fort with martial music, and in military array. Captain Wells, with his face blackened, after the manner of the Indians, led the advance guard at the head of his friendly Miamies; the garrison with loaded arms, and the baggage wagons with the sick, the women, and children, followed, while the Pottawatomie Indians, about five hundred in number, who had pledged their honour to escort them in safety to Fort Wayne, brought up the rear. The party took the road along the lake shore. On reach- ing the point where a range of sandhills sepa- rate the prairie from the beach, about a mile and a half from the fort, the Pottawatomies, in- 156 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. stead of continuing in the rear of the Americans, defiled to the right into the prairie, to bring the sandhills between them and the troops. This divergence had scarcely been effected, when Captain Wells, who was considerably in advance with his Miamies, rode furiously back, and ex- claimed, "They are about to attack us; form instantly, and charge upon them." These words had scarcely been uttere^ before a volley of balls from Indian muskets behind the sandhills was poured in upon them. The troops were in- stantly formed into lines, and charged up the bank. One man, a veteran of seventy, fell as they ascended. The Miamies fled at the com- mencement of the action. Their chief, brandish- ing his tomahawk, charged the Pottawatomies with treachery, and declared that he would be the first to head a party of Americans, and punish them for their duplicity. He then gal- loped after his companions, who were scouring over the prairie. The American troops behaved most gallantly, and sold their lives dearly. They fought desperately till two-thirds of their number were slain ; the remainder, twenty-seven in number, surrendered, having first stipulated for their own safety, and for that of their wives and children. The heroic resolution of one of the soldier's wives deserves to be recorded. She had frequently heard that the Indians subjected their prisoners to tortures worse than death, and 1812.] mrs. helm's narrative. 157 resolving not to be taken alive, continued fight- ing until she was literally cut to pieces, although assured by the savages who sought to effect her capture, that she would be well treated. The narrative of Mrs. Helm, the wife of Lieu- tenant Helm, is exceedingly graphic. "Our horses pranced and bounded, and could hardly be restrained, as the balls whistled around them. I drew off a little, and gazed on my husband and father, who were yet unharmed. I felt that my hour was come, and endeavoured to forget those I loved, and prepare for my approaching fate. While I was thus engaged, the surgeon, Dr. Voorhees, came up, badly wounded. His horse had been shot under him, and he had re- ceived a ball in the leg, and every muscle of his countenance was quivering with the agony of terror. He said to me: 'Do you think they will take our lives ? lam badly wounded, but I think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives by promising them a large reward. Do you think there is any chance?' "'Dr. Voorhees,' said I, «do not let us waste the few moments that still remain to us in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few moments we must appear before the bar of God. Let us endeavour to make what preparation is yet in our power.' ' Oh, I cannot die !' exclaimed he; 'I am not fit to die — if I had but a short time to prepare — death is awful!' I pointed to u 158 niSTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. Ensign Roman, who, though mortally wounded, and nearly down, was still desperately fighting with an Indian, on one knee. 'Look at that man,' said I; 'at least he dies like a soldier!' 'Yes,' replied the unfortunate man, with a con- vulsive gasp, 'but he has no terrors of the future — he is an unbeliever.' "At this moment a young Indian raised his tomahawk at me. By springing aside, I avoided the blow, which was aimed at my skull, but which descended on my shoulder. I seized him around the neck, and while exerting my utmost efforts to get possession of his scalping-knife, which hung in a scabbard over his breast, I was dragged from his grasp by another and an older Indian. The latter bore me, struggling and re- sisting, to the lake. Notwithstanding the rapi- dity with which I was hurried along, I recog- nised, as I passed them, the lifeless remains of the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous to- mahawk had stretched him upon the very spot where I had last seen him." Though plunged by her captor into the lake, and held there, she soon perceived that it was not his intention to drown her, as she at first supposed, because he held her in such a position as to keep her head constantly above the water. She became reassured, and looking at him earn- estly, recognised, despite of his paint, a cele- brated chief called the Black Partridge, the 1812.] mrs. helm's narrative. 159 "white man's friend." When the firing ceased, she "was borne from the water, and conducted up the sandbank. It was a beautiful day in Au- gust, but the sun was intensely hot, and walking through the sand in her drenched condition was inexpressibly painful. She stopped and took off her shoes, to free them from the sand with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw seized and carried them off, and she was obliged to proceed without them. When they gained the prairie, she was met by her father, who told her that her husband was safe, and only slightly wounded. She was then led gently back to the Pottawa- tomie encampment. As she approached one of the wigwams, the wife of Wau-bee-nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois River, was standing near, and seeing her exhausted condition, seized a kettle, dipped up some water from a little stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up with her hand gave it to Mrs. Helm to drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many atrocities, touched her most sensibly, but her attention was soon diverted to another object. The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as re- mained after the troops had marched out. The cattle had been shot down as they ran at large, and lay dead or dying around. "An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary scenes sc 160 HISTOItY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. lately enacted, seemed possessed by a demoniacal ferocity. She seized a stable fork, and assaulted a wounded soldier, "who lay groaning and writh- ing in the agony of his wounds, aggravated by the heat of the sun. With a delicacy of feeling scarcely to have been expected under such cir- cumstances, Wau-bee-nee-mah stretched a mat across two poles between me and this dreadful scene. I was thus spared in some degree a view of its horrors, although I could not entirely close my ears to the cries of the sufferer. But why dwell upon this painful subject? Why de- scribe the butchery of the children, twelve of whom, placed together in one baggage wagon, fell beneath the merciless tomahawk of a young savage ?" This atrocious act was committed after the whites had surrendered. Captain Wells, who was a prisoner, and as yet unharmed, when he beheld this murderous trans- action, declared that the Indians had violated the conditions o** surrender. Enraged beyond measure, he exclaimed, "If this be your game, I will kill too;" and turning his horse's head, started for the place where the Indians had left their squaws and children. Several warriors immediately followed in pursuit, and discharged their rifles at him, as he galloped across the prairie. He laid himself flat on the neck of his horse, and was apparently nearly out of the reach of his pursuers, when a ball from 1812.] MURDER OF CAPTAIN WELLS. 161 one of the rifles took effect, killing his horse, and severely wounding himself, so that he was again taken prisoner. As the savages came up, Winnemeg and Wa-ban-see, two of their number, and both his friends, endeavoured to protect him ; they had already disengaged him from his horse, and were supporting him, when a Pot- tawatomie Indian, drawing his scalping-knife, stabbed him in the back, and he fell dead in the arms of his friends. The heart of Captain Wells was afterward taken out, cut in pieces, and dis- tributed among the tribes. After having been scalped, his mutilated remains were left un- buried, as were also those of the children mas- sacred, as above stated, and the soldiers and women slain in the battle. The next day, Billy Caldwell, an Indian chief, collected the dismem- bered remains of Captain Wells, and buried them in the sand. Captain Heald and his wife were both taken prisoners, and were sent across the lake to St. Joseph's, the day after the battle. Captain Heald had received two wounds, and his wife seven. Mrs. Heald fought like a heroine. The horse on which she rode during the engagement was a fine, spirited animal, and the Indians were anxious to obtain it uninjured, so that their shots were principally aimed at the rider. Her captor being about to pull off her bonnet, in order to scalp her, young Chaudonnaire, an Indian of the 14* 162 HISTORY OP ILLINOIS. [1812. St. Joseph's tribe, who knew her, came to her rescue, and offered a mule he had just taken for her ransom, to which he added a promise of ten bottles of whisky. The latter temptation was too strong to be resisted. Her captor, how- ever, perceiving her to be wounded, observed that she might die, and asked if he would give him the whisky any how ; this Chaudonnaire pro- mised to do, and the bargain was concluded. Captain Heald was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee River, who, seeing the wounded and enfeebled state of Mrs. Heald, generously released his prisoner, that he might accompany his wife. The Indian who had so nobly released Captain Heald, on returning to his tribe, found them so dissatisfied with his con- duct, that he hastened back to reclaim his pri- soner. News of his intentions, however, pre- ceded his appearance; and Chaudonnaire and other friendly Indians put Mr. and Mrs. Heald into a bark canoe, which a Pottawatomie chief paddled a distance of three hundred miles along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan to Macki- naw, where they were kindly received by the British commander, and on being sent as pri- soners to Detroit, were finally exchanged. Mrs. Helm received a slight wound in her ankle, had her horse shot under her, and after passing through the scenes already described, accompanied the family of Mr. Kenzie to De- 1812.] RANSOM OF CAPTIVES. 163 troit. Her husband, though wounded and taken prisoner, was subsequently liberated from his captivity through the kindness of Mr. Thomas Forsyth, an Indian trader. The captive soldiers with their wives and children were dispersed among the different vil- lages of the Pottawatomies, upon the Illinois, Wabash, Rock, and Milwaukee Rivers. The greater part of them were ransomed at De- troit the following year. Those that remained among the Indians experienced moie kindness than was to be expected from an enemy so merciless. 164 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1812. CHAPTER X. Expedition of General Hopkins and Governor Edwards against the Indian villages on the Illinois — Americans defeated at Frenchtown — The massacre on the banks of the Raisin — Fort Meigs erected by General Harrison — General Procter attacks Fort Meigs and defeats Colonel Dudley — Noble and humane conduct of Tecumseh — Gallant defence of Fort Stephenson — Retreat of Procter to Fort Maiden — Defeat of the British fleet on Lake Erie by Commodore Perry — Inva- sion of Canada by General Harrison — Battle of the Thames — Death of Tecumseh — Illinois defended against the Indians during this period by its native militia under the title of "Rangers" — The character of the Rangers — Exploits of Tom Higgins — Peace restored between Great Britain and the United States, and termination of the hostile incursions of the Indians. The success of the British and Indians in the North-western Territory in the campaign of 1812 excited the Americans to renewed and vigorous efforts. Such was the martial spirit enkindled, that a call for fifteen hundred volunteers was answered by more than two thousand, who as- sembled at Louisville, under General Hopkins, to vindicate the honour of their country. This force was designed to operate against the Indian villages on the Wabash and Illinois Rivers. Some of the resident warriors of these localities had participated in the massacre at Chicago, and the cries of the murdered children and women called 1813.] MASSACRE ON THE RAISIN. 165 for vengeance. On the 14th of October, 1812, the army of General Hopkins crossed the Wa- bash, and commenced its march over the prairies of Illinois. The country traversed by the troops abounded with game, and nothing could restrain them from firing at it. Their insubordination increased with the difficulties of their march. Encountering a prairie fire, they became alarm- ed for their safety; and, despite the remon- strances of their general, returned home. About the same time Colonel Russel, with three companies of United States Rangers, and Governor Edwards of Illinois, with a party of mounted riflemen, moved toward the frontiers of Illinois. These troops were under orders to act in conjunction with General Hopkins. Though disappointed by the desertion of the volunteers, they persevered in their enterprise, destroyed one of the Indian towns, pursued the Indians into a swamp, and after killing about twenty of them, returned in safety to the American camp. • The campaign of 1813 opened disastrously. The Americans were defeated at Frenchtown, many of those who surrendered being subse- quently massacred by the Indians. Of the en- tire detachment, eight hundred strong, one-third were killed in the battle, and only thirty-three escaped the massacre which followed, on the shores of the river Raisin. 166 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1813. Throughout the winter of 1812 General Har- rison was encamped at the rapids, nearly desti- tute of troops, the time for which the volunteers enlisted having expired. Foreseeing that the British would attempt to seize the favourable military position he occupied, he employed the winter in building Fort Meigs. After the dis- aster at Frenchtown, reinforcements were imme- diately sent forward, under General Clay, to strengthen the position of Harrison at the rapids. It was not until the latter part of April that General Procter commenced military operations against Fort Meigs. Having been advised of the approach of General Clay, Harrison sent orders to the latter to send a strong detachment across the river, with directions to carry the British batteries, spike the cannon, and retreat in their boats to Fort Meigs, before the main army of the British, encamped a few miles above, could be put in motion. Colonel Dudley, having under him some eight hundred men, was charged with the execution of this order. Possibly from misunderstanding the object of Harrison, he never communicated the precise nature of his instructions to his subordinates. The troops were landed, the batteries and the cannon spiked, but instead of returning to the boats, they eagerly gave chase to a small party of Indians and Ca- nadians, who showed themselves on the skirts of the woods. The result was that their retreat was 1813.] HUMANITY OF TECUMSEH. 167 intercepted by Procter with the entire British force, and the whole detachment, with the ex- ception of about one hundred and fifty men, was either killed or taken. The unfortunate prisoners, huddled together in a ruined fort, were soon after attacked by the Indians, who, breaking through the feeble guard, commenced an indiscriminate massacre. " While this carnage was raging, a thundering voice was heard in the rear and in the Indian tongue, and Tecumseh was seen advancing on horseback with the utmost speed to where two Indians were in the act of killing an American. The indignant chief sprang from his horse, caught one by the throat, the other by the breast, threw them to the ground, and then drawing his scalping-knife and tomahawk, interposed between the Americans and Indians, daring any one of the hundreds that surrounded him to attempt the murder of another American. Awed by this vigorous con- duct, the savages immediately desisted from their work of slaughter. He then demanded where the British general was, and eying him at a distance, sternly demanded why he had not put a stop to the barbarities of the Indians. < Sir,' said Procter, i your Indians cannot be command- ed.' * Begone !' retorted Tecumseh with disdain. i You are unfit to command, go and put on petti- coats !' " On the 9th of May, General Procter, having 1G8 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1813. heard of the success of the American arms in other quarters, raised the siege of Fort Meigs, and moved off with all his forces. Subsequently he attacked Fort Stephenson, which was defended by Major Croghan, then in the 21st year of his age, at the head of one hundred and fifty men. After making such a disposition of his troops as to prevent the escape of the garrison, he sum- moned Croghan to surrender, threatening the garrison with an Indian massacre in case of re- fusal. Major Croghan replied, "When the fort shall be taken there will be none left to massa- cre, as it will not be given up while a man is able to fight." The fort in fact was so totally indefensible, in the opinion of General Harrison, that he had ordered it to be evacuated. But the bearer of the despatch missed his way; and when the order was received, a large party of Indians had already surrounded the works, rendering it more hazardous to retreat than to remain. No sooner was Croghan' s reply received by the British general, than a brisk fire was imme- diately concentrated against the north-west angle of the fort. The intention being evidently to make a breach in that quarter, Major Croghan caused it to be strengthened by bags of sand and flour ; while, under cover of night, he placed his single six-pounder, well charged with slugs and grape-shot, in such a position as to command the point of attack. The fire of the besiegers 1813.] RETREAT OF PROCTER. 169 was kept up during the night of the 1st of Au- gust and till late in the evening of the 2d, when a storming party of three hundred and fifty men advanced to the assault under cover of smoke and darkness, and approached unseen to within twenty paces of the walls. The musketry now opened upon them, but with little effect; the ditch was gained, and in a moment filled with men. At that instant the masked cannon, only thirty feet distant, opened upon the assailants, killing twenty-seven and wounding as many more. The broken column was reformed, and the ditch again filled, but the cannon being again discharg- ed with similar effect, the besiegers became dis- heartened, and abandoned the attack, and the little fort was saved with the loss of a single man. Procter hastily retreated into Canada, and was followed on the 27th of September, 1813, by General Harrison, who landed on the Canadian shore a little below Fort Maiden. At his ap- proach the British general retreated to the Mo- ravian towns, having first set fire to Fort Maiden, and destroyed the stores. After a march of five days, the troops under Harrison reached the spot where the British and Indians had encamped the night before, on the banks of the Thames. Colonel Wood, having been ordered to reconnoitre the enemy, soon re- turned with the intelligence that the British and 15 170 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1813. Indians were awaiting their approach in battle array, a few miles beyond. Procter's force con- sisted of about eight hundred regulars and two thousand Indians, the latter being commanded by Tecumseh. The British regulars were drawn up with considerable skill and judgment on a narrow strip of timber land, their right resting on a swamp, their left on the river. Still farther to the right were the Indian allies under Tecumseh. Procter, however, committed a serious error in drawing up his men with intervals of three or four feet between the files, as troops thus posted are rarely able to resist a charge of cavalry. When the American troops, amounting in number to about three thousand men, had made their preparations for battle, General Harrison ordered a cavalry charge on the regulars, and Colonel Richard M. Johnson to confront the In- dians. The British regulars, broken at the first onset, immediately surrendered, while Procter fled from the field as soon as he saw the effect of the charge, and escaped by the swiftness of his horse. It was, however, a more serious af- fair with the Indians. The battle was begun by Tecumseh with great fury, and on account of the nature of the ground, and the impervious cha- racter of the thickets, the cavalry charge was unsuccessful. Colonel Johnson immediately or- dered his men to dismount, and placing himself at their head, succeeded after a desperate con- 1813.] BATTLE OF THE THAMES. . 171 test in breaking through the ranks of the In dians and gaining their rear. The warriors however still refused to yield, and Colonel John- son now directed his men to fight them in then- own way. Collecting their strength on the right, the Indians attempted to force a passage through Desha's brigade, and were beginning to make some impression when a regiment of Ken- tuckians, under the aged but gallant Shelby, drove them with great slaughter from the field. But the combat was not yet over. The voice of Te- cumseh was distinctly heard in every part of the battle animating his warriors, and around him they gathered to the number of fifteen hundred, resolved to conquer or die by the side of their chief. Colonel Johnson now advanced at the head of his column to the spot where Tecumseh and his devoted followers still maintained the desperate conflict. Being conspicuous by his uniform and the white horse on which he rode, Johnson was dangerously wounded, and at the same time the brave and gallant Tecumseh was slain. The Indians now gave way on all sides. Near where Tecumseh had fallen, about thirty Indians were found literally cut to pieces. They left one hundred and twenty warriors on the field, but the death of Tecumseh was more weak- ening to them than the loss of half their nation. They no longer attempted to renew the war, and 172 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1813. peace having been granted, they became the al- lies of the Americans. Tecumseh fell respected by his enemies as a great and magnanimous chief. He was unques- tionably the most formidable savage that ever lifted a tomahawk against the Uuited States. Of a most dignified and commanding aspect, brave in war and eloquent in council, he was well fitted to gain the affections of the Indians, and to stimulate their courage during the most desperate encounters. General Harrison used to say of him that " he possessed the two most essential characteristics of a gentleman — self- respect and self-possession." Born without a title to command, such was his native greatness that no one disputed his precedence. Had his lot been cast in a different state of society, he would have been its ornament and its head. He fell nobly battling for the rights of the Indians. The British government, having previously ap- pointed him a brigadier-general, afterward grant- ed a pension to his widow and family. During the whole of this period the Illinois settlements, being greatly harassed by the hos- tilities of the Indians, were defended by a local force of "rangers." The military strength of the United States was engaged in the de- fence of the older states of the Union, and Illinois was left to rely on the patriotism and courage of its local forces. Governor Edwards 1812.] INDIAN MURDERS. 173 deserves to be commemorated as having contri- buted greatly to the safety of this remote terri- tory, by his prompt and vigorous exertions. His patriotism and magnanimity of soul impelled him to employ his own wealth in the service of his country ; and he relieved the necessities of the rangers by advancing their pay out of his own private funds. The year 1813 opened with gloomy prospects to the far-off and exposed territory of Illinois. On the 9th of February, ten Indians, despite of the vigilance of the rangers, contrived to murder two families at the mouth of Cache River, on the Ohio, seven miles from the Missis- sippi. In the month of March, David McLain, a minister of the gospel, and a Mr. Young, were attacked by Indians at Hill's Ferry, on the Kaskaskia River. Mr. Young was killed and scalped, but Mr. McLain, disengaging himself from his horse, which had been shot under him, made his escape into the woods, pursued by se- veral Indians. All the savages presently gave up the chase but one, who, being an athletic fel- low, continued the pursuit, apparently deter- mined not to lose his prey. Mr. McLain was at this time encumbered with a thick overcoat, having wrappers on his legs and spurs on his feet. Perceiving himself followed by a solitary Indian, he halted, made signs of surrender until his pursuer had approached within a 15* 174 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. [1813. few feet. Evading the bullet which the latter fired at hirn, he suddenly assumed an air of de- fiance, and put forth all his strength to make his escape. The contest continued in this manner for upward of an hour, during which time the Indian fired at the fugitive no less than seven times, in one instance wounding him in the arm. During the intervals between the shots, Mr. McLain contrived to throw off first his overcoat, and then his boots, and having made some con- siderable distance in a timbered bottom adjacent to the river, as a last resource he plunged into stream and swam across it diagonally, thus ef- fecting his escape. At this time, and within a period of six weeks, sixteen men, women, and children fell victims to savage ferocity in Missouri and Illinois. To protect themselves from these sanguinary incur- sions, the inhabitants constructed a chain of forts. "We have now," they write, "nearly finished twenty-two family forts, extending from the Mississippi, nearly opposite Bellefontaine, to to the Kaskaskia River, a distance of sixty miles. Between each fort, spies are to pass and repass daily, and communicate throughout the whole line which will be extended to the U. S. Saline, and from thence to the mouth of the Ohio. Rangers and mounted militia, to the amount of five hundred men, constantly scour the country from twenty to fifty miles in advance of our set- 1813.] BATTLE OF ROCK ISLAND. 175 tlements, so that we feel perfectly easy as to an attack from our