USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Discovery and conquests of the Northwest, with the history of Chicago, Vol. I > Part 36
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Harrison had just received from the governor of Kentucky the appointment of major general by brevet, and to him was given the command of 2, 000 Kentucky troops, which the patriotic governor had raised for the defense of the northwest. To these were added 700 Ohio volunteers, who joined the Kentucky forces at Piqua, Ohio, from whence they advanced toward the objective point with all possible speed.
When within seventeen miles of the place, General Harrison wrote to the secretary of war as follows: "The necessary arrangements for the procuring of provisions and ammunition, added to the trouble of establishing an issuing commissary department, in con- sequence of the failure of the contractor, has prevented me from reaching Fort Wayne as soon by one day as I expected. I shall, however, reach it to-morrow; but I have every reason to believe it will not be without a severe contest. No information has been received from the fort since the 3d inst., and should the Indians have been assisted by a British detachment, I fear it would not have been able to hold out. A small detachment which I sent to endeavor to penetrate to the fort has just returned, without accomplishing their object, al- though they defeated a small party of the enemy."+
The next day, the 12th of September, General Har- rison arrived at the place, when the Indians, as they had not been reinforced by the British, fled in hot haste, some to their wilderness lodges, and others to the military headquarters of their English father, still breathing vengeance.
Since the destruction of Chicago there were no white inhabitants in the whole territory of Illinois, north of a line drawn from Shawneetown to Greenville, Bond county, thence to the Mississippi river, a little north of Alton, except some sparse settlements on the west
* Howes' Great West; Brice's History of Fort Wayne. t Dawson, page 290.
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Expedition against Indian Towns.
bank of the Wabash, opposite Vincennes, the old town - of Peoria, which had never been brought within the jurisdiction of the territorial government, and Prairie du Chien, which was then within the limits of Illinois territory. At the latter place lived thirty-seven fami- lies of mixed nationalities, consisting of French, Eng- lish, half-breeds and Americans. An Indian agent named Campbell, appointed by the governor of Illinois, acted as magistrate, to dispense justice, and appears to have exercised these functions to the entire satisfaction of his motley charge. Among his judicial records, which are still extant, are his fees for marrying, which were 100 pounds of flour, while his fees for divorce were 200 pounds. *
The whole territory was divided into two counties- St. Clair and Randolph-and Ninian Edwards was governor. It contained 12,284 inhabitants, 168 of whom were colored slaves.
While General Harrison was marching to the relief of Fort Wayne, an expedition was set on foot against the Kickapoo towns on the Illinois river, which was to be composed of 2,000 men, raised by Governor Shelby, of Kentucky, and 350 United States rangers and Illi- nois volunteers, stationed at Camp Russell, where Edwardsville, Ill., now stands, subject to the orders of Ninian Edwards, then governor of Illinois.
The command of the Kentucky volunteers was given to General Hopkins, who was to move up the Wabash, destroy the Indian towns on its west bank, and then march westward across the country, to form a junction with the rangers from Camp Russell. He reached Fort Harrison on the 26th of October, 1812, where Captain Taylor, with his little handful of men, who had just distinguished themselves by their desperate de- fense of the place, joined his expedition, and he turned his course to the west into the Illinois prairies.
After continuing his march three or four days, the signs of insubordination became apparent among the restive spirits which composed his army. Most of
* See early history of Prairie du Chien, by D. S. Durrie, Librarian of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
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Indian Village Burned.
them were raw recruits, who had never seen a shot fired in earnest. Many of them, when they enlisted, mistook a spirit of wild adventure for patriotism; but after a few days of camp discipline, with the possibility of a tough Indian battle, or worse, an ambuscade, before them, they became unruly. This spirit unfortunately spread from rank to rank, till a majority of the army shared it, and General Hopkins was forced to return, without making any further attempts to form the expected junc- tion with the forces from Camp Russell.
Meantime the forces under Governor Edwards marched single handed against the Indian towns on the Illinois river. Says Governor Reynolds, in his history of his own times: "Colonel Russell marched in the campaign and seemed to take, considerably, the imme- diate command under Governor Edwards. Judge Pope, Nelson Rector and a Lieutenant Mclaughlin, of the army, acted as aides. Colonel Russell was a plain old man dressed in Kentucky jeans or linsey, seemed to need no aides and had none, but was a good and efficient officer himself. We left Camp Russell, marched up the northwest side of Cahokia creek, nearly to its source, thence across the prairie to Macoupin creek, not far above the present Carlinville. The privates (and myself one) did not know or care much where we were marched, whether into danger or a frolic. We crossed the Sangamon river east of the present Spring- field, and passed not far on the east of the Elkheart grove. We next reached an old Indian village on Sugar creek, where we saw on the bark of the wigwams much painting, generally the Indians scalping the whites. We set it in flames, and traveled in the night toward Peoria. We were afraid that the Indians would know of our approach and leave the villages. We traveled on till toward midnight, and camped. We had guides along who conducted the army to the village of Pottawattamie Indians known as the Black Partridge Village, * situate at the Illinois river bluff opposite the upper end of Peoria lake. We camped within four or
* The same who the previous year had saved the life of Mrs. Helm, as told in relation of the Chicago massacre.
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Black Partridge's Village Attacked.
five miles of the village, and all was silent as a grave- yard-as we expected a night attack as was the case at Tippecanoe. When troops are silent, sulky and savage, they will fight. One thing I recalled, I had a white coat on me, and I considered it too white at night. I hulled this coat off in double-quick time. It is said every one with a white coat on in the battle of Tippe- canoe was killed. The next morning in a fog, our com- pany of spies met two Indians, as we supposed, and our captain fired on them. Many of us, before he shot, begged for mercy for the Indians, as they wanted to surrender. But Judy* said anybody will surrender when they cannot help it, and that he did not leave home to take prisoners. I saw the dust rise off the Indian's leather shirt when Judy's bullet entered his body.
"The wounded Indian commenced singing his death song, the blood streaming out of his mouth and nose. He was reeling, and a man from the main army, Mr. Wright, came up within a few yards, but the Indian had just pointed his gun at some of us near him, when we darted off our horses, quick as thought, and pre- sented the horses between him and us. But Wright was either surprised, or something else, and remained on his horse. The Indian, as quick as a steel trap, shot Wright, and expired. The other Indian, sup- posed to be a warrior, proved to be a squaw; but be- fore the fact was known, many guns were fired at her. It is singular that so many guns fired at the squaw missed her, but when the whites surrounded her and knew her sex, all was over. She cried terribly, and was taken prisoner, and at last delivered over to her nation. Many of the French in the army understood her language, and made her as happy as possible. In this small matter I never fired my gun, as I saw no oc- casion for it."
The foregoing words of Governor Reynolds have been used to show the ruling spirit of the expedition, which was the first one ever sent against the Indians of Illinois by the Americans. After relating these advent-
* One of the spies.
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Peoria Attacked.
ures, which certainly reflect no credit on those engaged in them, the same historian proceeds to give a history of the burning of Peoria by Captain Craig, and says:
" While the army were in the neighborhood of the old village of Peoria, Captain Craig had his boat lying in the lake adjacent to Peoria. * *
The Cap- tain, supposing the few inhabitants of Peoria favored the Indians, burnt the village. Thomas Forsyth, Esq., was in the village at the time, acting as Indian agent, appointed by the government, but Craig and none others knew it, except at Washington city. It was supposed by the president that Mr. Forsyth would be more serviceable to both sides if his old friends, the Indians, did not know his situation. He acted the honorable part to ameliorate the horrors of war on both sides, and risked his life often among the Indians to obtain some of the prisoners who had been captured at the massacre at Chicago. In the rage of Captain Craig, he placed the inhabitants of Peoria (all he could capture) on board his boat, and landed them on the bank of the river, below Alton. These poor French were in a starving condition, as they were turned away from their homes, and left their stock and provisions. They were landed in the woods ---- men, women and chil- dren-without shelter or food."*
Before the army of Governor Edwards left the neigh- borhood, it entered the village of Black Partridge, opposed only by a few shots from the swamps around it. The warriors had fled, and a few wretched squaws and children were all the prisoners taken. The village, with its stores of corn, was burned. The rangers only remained a few hours, but while there a stately warrior approached the place until within rifle shot, discharged his gun at the invaders, laughed defiantly, and walked
* Captain Craig's expedition was executed by the authority of Gov- ernor Edwards. It consisted of an armed boat which was rowed or poled up the Illinois river, for the purpose of taking Peoria, where some of the early French settlers lived in harmonious relations with the Indians, and were accused of furnishing them the means where- with to make war on the Americans. Mr. Craig, in his official dis- patches, admits that he abducted the French inhabitants from Peoria, and that he made them furnish their own rations. See Balance His- tory of Peoria, pages 30 and 31.
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Black Hawk's Narration.
away with the lofty gait that only an Indian can
assume. This brave was supposed to be Black Part- ridge.
While these events were transpiring in Indiana and Illinois, the English were taking steps to secure the alliance of the Sacs and Foxes, who then occupied the country along Rock river. Robert Dickson, an English fur trader, who lived at Prairie du Chien, was the Eng- lish agent to accomplish this design; and to this end he visited all the tribes along the Mississippi. Black Hawk was then a young chief of more than common promise, and readily became a disciple to the teachings of the English emissary. His remarkable career now began, which made him a conspicuous actor in the last Indian war in Illinois, which terminated in 1832. The Sacs and Foxes, of whom he was a subordinate chief, were then in their glory and prime, and as a bulwark of defense against them, the United States had built Fort Madison in 1804, on the west bank of the Missis- sippi, opposite to the Des Moines rapids. The consent of the Sacs and Foxes for the construction of it had been obtained under a pretense that it was only to be used as a trading post.
The following extract of a statement from Black Hawk is a concise piece of documentary history, which adds interest to the points treated on by general his- tory, and furnishes some items not noticed by any other writer. His statement begins by disclaiming against a treaty executed at St. Louis in 1804, by which his peo- ple, unwittingly, as he says, relinquished a part of their territory, after which his story runs as follows. It is copied verbatim from Smith's History of Wisconsin:
"Black Hawk proceeds to relate that some time after this treaty was made, a war chief with a party of soldiers came up the Mississippi in keel boats, and encamped a short distance above the head of the Des Moines rapids, and commenced cutting timber and building houses; this was at the site of Fort Madison, and within the country ceded by the treaty. He also says that council after council was held in the Indian villages, to ascertain what was the intention of the
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Black Hawk's Narration.
Americans in building at that place; and having learned that the soldiers had great guns with them, he and a number of his people went down the river to see what was doing, and they found the whites were building a fort.
" The chiefs held a council with the officers of the party, which Black Hawk did not attend; but he says, 'he understood that the Americans' war chief had said, they were building houses for a trader who was coming there to live, and would sell the Indians goods very cheap, and that the soldiers were to remain to keep him company.' The Indians were pleased at this informa- tion, but doubted its truth, and were anxious that the building should be discontinued, and that the soldiers should descend the river again. Many more Indians arrived, the whites became alarmed, and an attempt was made by a dancing party of the Indians to enter the fort by stratagem, but it was frustrated; and Black Hawk acknowledges that if it had been successful, and the Indians had got into the fort, all the whites would have been killed, as the British soldiers had been, at Mackinaw, many years before."
The Indians returned to Rock Island, and the fort party received a reinforcement from St. Louis.
Black Hawk proceeds with the following relation: "Soon after our return from Fort Madison, runners came to our village from the Shawnee prophet (while others were dispatched by him to the villages of the Winnebagoes) with invitations for us to meet him on the Wabash. Accordingly a party went from each village.
"All of our party returned, among whom came a prophet, who explained to us the bad treatment the different nations of Indians had received from the Americans, by giving them a few presents, and taking their land from them. I remember well his saying, 'If you do not join your friends on the Wabash, the Ameri- cans will take this very village from you.' I little thought then that his words would come true. We agreed not to join him, and he returned to the Wabash, where a party of Winnebagoes had arrived, and prepar-
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Black Hawk's Narration.
ations were making for war; a battle soon after ensued, in which several Winnebagoes were killed.
"As soon as their nation heard of this, they started war parties in different directions: one to the mining country, one to Prairie du Chien, and another to Fort Madison. This last returned by our village, and ex- hibited several scalps which they had taken. Their success induced several other parties to go against the fort. We arrived in the vicinity during the night. The spies that we had sent out several days before, to watch the movements of those at the garrison, gave the following information: 'that a keel boat had arrived from below, that evening, with seventeen men; that there were about fifty men in the fort, and that they marched out every morning at sunrise, to exercise.'"
Black Hawk then relates his stratagems to destroy the soldiers when they came out, and for the Indians to rush into the fort. They were unsuccessful: three whites were killed-the Indians besieged the fort for three days, during which time an attempt was made to set fire to it, by means of arrows. It succeeded so far as to fire the buildings several times, without effect, as the fire was soon extinguished. The ammunition of the Indians being expended, and finding they could not take the fort, they returned home, having had one Winnebago killed, and one wounded, during the siege.
Soon after their return, news reached them that a war was going to take place between the British and Americans. Runners continued to arrive from different tribes, all confirming the report of the expected war. The British agent, Colonel Dickson, was holding talks with, and making presents to the different tribes. Black Hawk says: "I had not made up my mind whether to join the British, or remain. neutral." But he soon afterward took an active part with the British, having been, as he alleges, "forced into war by being deceived." His own account of the causes of his con- duct is as follows:
"Several of the chiefs and head men of the Sacs and Foxes were called upon to go to Washington, to see their Great Father. On their return they related what
4.27
Black Hawk's Narration.
had been said and done. They said the Great Father wished them, in the event of a war taking place with England, not to interfere on either side, but to remain neutral. He did not want our help, but wished us to hunt and support our families and live in peace. He said that British traders would not be permitted to come on the Mississippi to furnish us with goods, but we should be well supplied by an American trader. Our chiefs then told him that the British traders always gave us credits in the fall for guns, powder and goods, to enable us to hunt and clothe our families. He re- plied, that the trader at Fort Madison* would have plenty of goods; that we should go there in the fall, and he would supply us on credit, as the British traders had done. The party gave a good account of what they had seen, and the kind treatment they received. "This information pleased us all very much. We all agreed to follow our Great Father's advice, and not in- terfere with the war. In a short time we were ready to start to Fort Madison to get our supply of goods, that we might proceed to our hunting grounds. We passed merrily down the river, all in high spirits. I had determined to spend the winter at my old favorite hunting ground on Skunk river, and left part of my corn and mats at its mouth, to take up when I returned; others did the same. Next morning we arrived at the fort and made our encampment. Myself and princi-
pal men paid a visit to the war chief at the fort. He received us kindly and gave us some tobacco, pipes and provisions. The trader came in, and we all rose and shook hands with him, for on him all our dependence was placed, to enable us to hunt and thereby support our families. We waited a long time, expecting the trader would tell us that he had orders from our Great Father to supply us with goods; but he said nothing on the subject. I got up and told him in a short speech what we had come for, and hoped he had plenty of goods to supply us, and told him he should be well paid in the spring; and concluded by informing him that we
* On the Mississippi, in the Sac and Fox country.
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Black Hawk's Narration.
had determined to follow our Great Father's advice and not go to war.
" He said he was happy to hear that we intended to remain at peace. That he had a large quantity of goods; and that if we made a good hunt, we should be well supplied; but remarked that he had received no instructions to furnish us anything on credit-nor could he give us any, without receiving the pay for them on the spot.
"We informed him what our Great Father had told our chiefs at Washington, and contended that he could supply us if he would, believing that our Great Father always spoke the truth. But the war chief said that the trader could not furnish us on credit, and that he had received no instructions from our Great Father at Washington. We left the fort dissatisfied, and went to our camp. What was now to be done we knew not. We questioned the party that brought us the news from our Great Father, that we should get credit for our winter supplies at this place. They still told the same story, and insisted upon its truth. Few of us slept that night; all was gloom and discontent.
"In the morning a canoe was seen ascending the river. It soon arrived, bearing an express, who brought intelligence that La Gutrie,* a British trader, had landed at Rock Island with two boats loaded with goods, and requested us to come up immediately, be- cause he had news for us, and a variety of presents. The express presented us with tobacco, pipes and wampum.
"The news ran through our camp like fire in the prairie. Our lodges were soon taken down, and all started for Rock Island. Here ended all hopes of our remaining at peace, having been forced into war by be- ing deceived.
" Our party were not long in getting to Rock Island. When we came in sight and saw tents pitched, we yelled, fired our guns and commenced beating our drums. Guns were immediately fired at the island, re-
* La Gutrie, or La Goterie, was an Indian trader at Portage des Sioux-a Canadian Frenchman, probably of mixed blood.
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Black Hawk's Narration.
turning our salute, and a British flag hoisted. We landed and were cordially received by La Gutrie, and then smoked the pipe with him, after which he made a speech to us, that had been sent by Colonel Dick- son, and gave us a number of handsome presents, a large silk flag and a keg of rum, and told us to retire, take some refreshments and rest ourselves, as he would have more to say to us on the next day.
"We accordingly retired to our lodges, which had been put up in the meantime, and spent the night. The next morning we called upon him and told him that we wanted his two boat loads of goods to divide among our people, for which he should be well paid in the spring with furs and peltries. He consented; told us to take them and do as we pleased with them .. While our people were dividing the goods he took me aside and informed me that Colonel Dickson was at Green Bay with twelve boats, loaded with goods, guns and ammunition, and wished me to raise a party imme- diately and go to him. He said that our friend, the trader at Peoria, was collecting the Pottawattamies, and would be there before us. I communicated this infor- mation to my braves, and a party of 200 warriors were soon collected and ready to depart. On our arrival at Green Bay we found a large encampment and were well received by Colonel Dickson and the war chiefs that were with him. He gave us plenty of provisions, tobacco and pipes, and said he would hold .a council with us the next day.
"In the encampment I found a large number of Pot- tawattamies, Kickapoos, Ottawas and Winnebagoes. I visited all their camps and found them in high spirits. They had all received new guns, ammunition and a variety of clothing. In the evening a messenger came to me, to visit Colonel Dickson. I went to his tent, in which there were two other war chiefs and an interpreter. He received me with a hearty shake of the hand and presented me to the other chiefs, who shook my hand cordially and seemed much pleased to see me. After I was seated Colonel Dickson said: ' General Black Hawk, I sent for you to explain to you
-
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Black Hawk's Narration.
what we are going to do, and the reasons that have brought us here. Our friend, La Gutrie, informs us in the letter you brought from him what has lately taken place. You will now have to hold us fast by the hand. Your English Father has found out that the Americans want to take your country from you, and has sent me and his braves to drive them back to their own country. He has likewise sent a large quantity of arms and am- munition, and we want all your warriors to join us.'.
" He then placed a medal around my neck and gave me a paper* (which I lost in the late wart) and a silk flag, saying: 'You are to command all the braves that will leave here the day after to-morrow to join our braves near Detroit.' I told him I was very much dis- appointed, as I wanted to descend the Mississippi and make war upon the settlements. He said he had been ordered to lay the country waste around St. Louis; that he had been a trader on the Mississippi many years; had always been kindly treated, and could not consent to send brave men to murder women and children. That there were no soldiers there to fight; but where he was going to send us there were a number of soldiers, and if we defeated them, the Mississippi country should be ours. I was pleased with this speech; it was spoken by a brave.
"The next day arms and ammunition, tomahawks, knives and clothing were given to my band. We had a great feast in the evening, and the morning following I started with about 500 braves to join the British army. The British war chief accompanied us. We passed Chicago. The fort had been evacuated by the American soldiers, who had marched for Fort Wayne. They were attacked a short distance from that fort and defeated. ¿ They had a considerable quantity of pow- der in the fort at Chicago, which they had promised to the Indians; but the night before they marched they destroyed it. I think it was thrown into the well. If
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