Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 51

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724

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Clark's expedition was thus far a complete suc- cess. Rocheblave, proving recalcitrant, was

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placed in irons and sent as a prisoner of war to Williamsburg, while his slaves were confiscated, the proceeds of their sale being divided among Clark's troops. The inhabitants were easily conciliated, and Cahokia having been captured without bloodshed, Clark turned his attention to Vincennes. Through the influence of Pierre Gibault-the Vicar-General in charge at Kaskas- kia-the people of Vincennes were induced to swear allegiance to the United States, and, although the place was afterward captured by a British force from Detroit, it was, on Feb. 24, 1779, recaptured by Colonel Clark, together with a body of prisoners but little smaller than the attacking force, and $50,000 worth of prop- erty. (See Clark, Col. George Rogers.)

UNDER GOVERNMENT OF VIRGINIA .- Seldom in the history of the world have such important results been achieved by such insignificant instru- mentalities and with so little sacrifice of life, as in this almost bloodless campaign of the youthful conqueror of Illinois. Having been won largely through Virginia enterprise and valor and by material aid furnished through Governor Henry, the Virginia House of Delegates, in October, 1778, proceeded to assert the jurisdiction of that commonwealth over the settlements of the North- west, by organizing all the country west and north of the Ohio River into a county to be called "Illinois," (see Illinois County), and empowering the Governor to appoint a "County-Lieutenant or Commandant-in-Chief" to exercise civil author- ity during the pleasure of the appointing power. Thus "Illinois County" was older than the States of Ohio or Indiana, while Patrick Henry, the elo- quent orator of the Revolution, became ex-officio its first Governor. Col. John Todd, a citizen of Kentucky, was appointed "County-Lieutenant," Dec. 12, 1778, entering upon his duties in May following. The militia was organized, Deputy-Commandants for Kaskaskia and Cahokia appointed, and the first election of civil officers ever had in Illinois, was held under Colonel Todd's direction. His record-book, now in posses- sion of the Chicago Historical Society, shows that he was accustomed to exercise powers scarcely inferior to those of a State Executive. (See Todd, Col. John.)

In 1782 one "Thimothe Demunbrunt" sub- scribed himself as "Lt. comd'g par interim, etc." -- but the origin of his authority is not clearly understood. He assumed to act as Commandant until the arrival of Gov. Arthur St. Clair, first Territorial Governor of the Northwest Territory, in 1790. After the close of the Revolution, courts

ceased to be held and civil affairs fell into great disorder. "In effect, there was neither law nor order in the 'Illinois Country' for the seven years from 1783 to 1790."

During the progress of the Revolution, there were the usual rumors and alarms in the "Illinois Country" peculiar to frontier life in time of war. The country, however, was singularly exempt from any serious calamity such as a general massacre. One reason for this was the friendly relations which had existed between the French and their Indian neighbors previous to the con- quest, and which the new masters, after the cap- ture of Kaskaskia, took pains to perpetuate. Several movements were projected by the British and their Indian allies about Detroit and in Can- ada, but they were kept so busy elsewhere that they had little time to put their plans into execu- tion. One of these was a proposed movement from Pensacola against the Spanish posts on the lower Mississippi, to punish Spain for having engaged in the war of 1779, but the promptness with which the Spanish Governor of New Orleans proceeded to capture Fort Manchac, Baton Rouge and Natchez from their British possessors, con- vinced the latter that this was a "game at which two could play." In ignorance of these results, an expedition, 750 strong, composed largely of Indians, fitted out at Mackinaw under command of Capt. Patrick St. Clair, started in the early part of May, 1780, to co-operate with the expedition on the lower Mississippi, but intending to deal a destructive blow to the Illinois villages and the Spanish towns of St. Louis and St. Genevieve on the way. This expedition reached St. Louis, May 26, but Col. George Rogers Clark, having arrived at Cahokia with a small force twenty-four hours earlier, prepared to co-operate with the Spaniards on the western shore of the Mississippi, and the invading force confined their depredations to kill- ing seven or eight villagers, and then beat a hasty retreat in the direction they had come. These were the last expeditions organized to regain the "Country of the Illinois" or capture Spanish posts on the Mississippi.

EXPEDITIONS AGAINST FORT ST. JOSEPH .- An expedition of a different sort is worthy of mention in this connection, as it originated in Illinois. This consisted of a company of seventeen men, led by one Thomas Brady, a citizen of Cahokia, who, marching across the country, in the month of October, 1780, after the retreat of Sinclair, from St. Louis, succeeded in surprising and cap turing Fort St. Joseph about where La Salle liad erected Fort Miami, near the mouth of the St.

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Joseph River, a hundred years before. Brady and his party captured a few British prisoners, and a large quantity of goods. On their return, while encamped on the Calumet, they were attacked by a band of Pottawatomies, and all were killed, wounded or taken prisoners except Brady and two others, who escaped. Early in January, 1781, a party consisting of sixty-five whites, organized from St. Louis and Cahokia, with some 200 Indians, and headed by Don Eugenio Pourre, a Spaniard, started on a second expedition against Fort St. Joseph. By silencing the Indians, whom they met on their way, with promises of plunder, they were able to reach the fort without discovery, captured it and, raising the Spanish flag, formally took possession in the name of the King of Spain. After retaining pos- session for a few days, the party returned to St. Louis, but in negotiating the treaty of peace at Paris, in 1783, this incident was made the basis of a claim put forth by Spain to ownership of the "Illinois Country" "by right of conquest."

THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD .- At the very outset of its existence, the new Government of the United States was confronted with an embarrass- ing question which deeply affected the interests of the territory of which Illinois formed a part. This was the claim of certain States to lands lying between their western boundaries and the - Mississippi River, then the western boundary of the Republic. These claims were based either upon the terms of their original charters or upon the cession of lands by the Indians, and it was under a claim of the former character, as well as by right of conquest, that Virginia assumed to ex- ercise authority over the "Illinois Country" after its capture by the Clark expedition. This con- struction was opposed by the States which, from their geographical position or other cause, had no claim to lands beyond their own boundaries, and the controversy was waged with considerable bitterness for several years, proving a formidable obstacle to the ratification of the Articles of Con- federation. As early as 1779 the subject received the attention of Congress in the adoption of a resolution requesting the States having such claims to "forbear settling or issuing warrants for unappropriated lands or granting the same during the continuance of the present (Revolu- tionary) War." In the following year, New York authorized her Delegates in Congress to limit its boundaries in such manner as they might think expedient, and to cede to the Government its claim to western lands. The case was further com- plicated by the claims of certain land companies

which had been previously organized. New York filed her cession to the General Government of lands claimed by her in October, 1782, followed by Virginia nearly a year later, and by Massa- chusetts and Connecticut in 1785 and 1786. Other States followed somewhat tardily, Georgia being the last, in 1802. The only claims of this charac- ter affecting lands in Illinois were those of Vir- ginia covering the southern part of the State, and Connecticut and Massachusetts applying to the northern portion. It was from the splendid domain north and west of the Ohio thus acquired from Virginia and other States, that the North- west Territory was finally organized.

ORDINANCE OF 1787 .- The first step was taken in the passage by Congress, in 1784, of a resolution providing for the temporary government of the Western Territory, and this was followed three years later by the enactment of the celebrated Ordinance of 1787. While this latter document contained numerous provisions which marked a new departure in the science of free government -as, for instance, that declaring that "religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged"-its crowning feature was the sixth article, as follows: "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said Territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."

Although there has been considerable contro- versy as to the authorship of the above and other provisions of this immortal document, it is worthy of note that substantially the same lan- guage was introduced in the resolutions of 1784, by a Delegate from a slave State-Thomas Jeffer- son, of Virginia -though not, at that time, adopted. Jefferson was not a member of the Congress of 1787 (being then Minister to France), and could have had nothing directly to do with the later Ordinance; yet it is evident that the principle which he had advocated finally received the approval of eight out of the thirteen States,- all that were represented in that Congress-includ- ing the slave States of Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. (See Ordinance of 1787.)

NORTHWEST TERRITORY ORGANIZED .- Under the Ordinance of 1787, organizing the Northwest Territory, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, who had been a soldier of the Revolution, was appointed the first Governor on Feb. 1, 1788, with Winthrop Sargent, Secretary, and Samuel Holden Parsons,

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James Mitchell Varnum and John Cleves Symmes, Judges. All these were reappointed by President Washington in 1789. The new Terri- torial Government was organized at Marietta, a settlement on the Ohio, July 15, 1788, but it was nearly two years later before Governor St. Clair visited Illinois, arriving at Kaskaskia, March 5, 1790. The County of St. Clair (named after him) was organized at this time, embracing all the settlements between the Wabash and the Missis- sippi. (See St. Clair County.) He found the inhabitants generally in a deplorable condition, neglected by the Government, the courts of jus- tice practically abolished and many of the citizens sadly in need of the obligations due them from the Government for supplies furnished to Colonel Clark twelve years before. After a stay of three months, the Governor returned east. In 1795, Judge Turner held the first court in St. Clair County, at Cahokia, as the county-seat, although both Cahokia and Kaskaskia had been named as county-seats by Governor St. Clair. Out of the disposition of the local authorities to retain the official records at Cahokia, and consequent dis- agreement over the county-seat question, at least in part, grew the order of 1795 organizing the second county (Randolph), and Kaskaskia became its county-seat. In 1796 Governor St. Clair paid a second visit to Illinois, accompanied by Judge Symmes, who held court at both county-seats. On Nov. 4, 1791, occurred the defeat of Gov- ernor St. Clair, in the western part of the present State of Ohio, by a force of Indians under com- mand of Little Turtle, in which the whites sus- tained a heavy loss of both men and property- an event which had an unfavorable effect upon conditions throughout the Northwest Territory generally. St. Clair, having resigned his com- mand of the army, was succeeded by Gen. Anthony Wayne, who, in a vigorous campaign, overwhelmed the Indians with defeat. This resulted in the treaty with the Western tribes at Greenville, August 3, 1795, which was the begin- ning of a period of comparative peace with the Indians all over the Western Country. (See Wayne, (Gen.) Anthony.)

FIRST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATION .- In 1798, the Territory having gained the requisite population, an election of members of a Legislative Council and House of Representatives was held in accord- ance with the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787. This was the first Territorial Legislature organized in the history of the Republic. It met at Cincin- nati, Feb. 4, 1799, Shadrach Bond being the Delegate from St. Clair County and John Edgar

from Randolph. Gen. William Henry Harrison, who had succeeded Sargent as Secretary of the Territory, June 26, 1798, was elected Delegate to Congress, receiving a majority of one vote over Arthur St. Clair, Jr., son of the Governor.

OHIO AND INDIANA TERRITORIES .- By act of Congress, May 7, 1800, the Northwest Territory was divided into Ohio and Indiana Territories; the latter embracing the region west of the pres- ent State of Ohio, and having its capital at "Saint Vincent" (Vincennes). May 13, William Henry Harrison, who had been the first Delegate in Con- gress from the Northwest Territory, was ap- pointed Governor of Indiana Territory, which at first consisted of three counties: Knox, St. Clair and Randolph-the two latter being within the boundaries of the present State of Illinois. Their aggregate population at this time was estimated at less than 5,000. During his administration Governor Harrison concluded thirteen treaties with the Indians, of which six related to the ces- sion of lands in Illinois. The first treaty relating to lands in Illinois was that of Greenville, con- cluded by General Wayne in 1795. By this the Government acquired six miles square at the mouth of the Chicago River; twelve miles square at the mouth of the Illinois; six miles square at the old Peoria fort; the post of Fort Massac; and 150,000 acres assigned to General Clark and his soldiers, besides all other lands "in possession of the French people and all other white settlers among them, the Indian title to which had been thus extinguished." (See Indian Treaties; also, Greenville, Treaty of.)

During the year 1803, the treaty with France for the purchase of Louisiana and West Florida was concluded, and on March 26, 1804, an act was passed by Congress attaching all that portion of Louisiana lying north of the thirty-third parallel of latitude and west of the Mississippi to Indiana Territory for governmental purposes. This in- cluded the present States of Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, the two Dakotas and parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Mon- tana. This arrangement continued only until the following March, when Louisiana was placed under a separate Territorial organization.

For four years Indiana Territory was governed under laws framed by the Governor and Judges, but, the population having increased to the re- quired number, an election was held, Sept. 11, 1804, on the proposition to advance the gov- ernment to the "second grade" by the election of a Territorial Legislature. The smallness of the vote indicated the indifference of the people on

EDWARD COLES Governor Dec. 5, 1822-Dec. 6, 1826 (1826-1830 see Ninian Edwards)

JOHN REYNOLDS Governor Dec. 6, 1830-Nov. 17, 1834

WILLIAM L. D. EWING Governor Nov. 17, 1834-Dec. 3, 1834

JOSEPH DUNCAN Governor Dec. 3, 1834-Dec. 7, 1838

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the subject Out of 400 votes cast, the proposition received a majority of 138. The two Illinois counties cast a total of 142 votes, of which St. Clair furnished 81 and Randolplı 61. The former gave a majority of 37 against the measure and the latter 19 in its favor, showing a net negative majority of 18. The adoption of the proposition was due, therefore, to the affirmative vote in the other counties. There were in the Territory at this time six counties; one of these (Wayne) was in Michigan, which was set off, in 1805, as a sep- arate Territory. At the election of Delegates to a Territorial Legislature, held Jan. 3, 1805, Shad- rach Bond, Sr., and William Biggs were elected for St. Clair County and George Fisher for Ran- dolph. Bond having meanwhile become a mem- ber of the Legislative Council, Shadrach Bond, Jr., was chosen his successor. The Legislature convened at Vincennes, Feb. 7, 1805, but only to recommend a list of persons from whom it was the duty of Congress to select a Legislative Council. In addition to Bond, Pierre Menard was chosen for Randolph and John Hay for St. Clair.

ILLINOIS TERRITORY ORGANIZED .- The Illinois counties were represented in two regular and one special session of the Territorial Legislature dur- ing the time they were a part of Indiana Terri- tory. By act of Congress, which became a law Feb. 3, 1809, the Territory was divided, the west- ern part being named Illinois.

At this point the history of Illinois, as a sepa- rate political division, begins. While its bounda- ries in all other directions were as now, on the north it extended to the Canada line. From what has already been said, it appears that the earliest white settlements were established by French Canadians, chiefly at Kaskaskia, Cahokia and the other villages in the southern part of the American Bottom. At the time of Clark's in- vasion, there were not known to have been more than two Americans among these people, except such hunters and trappers as paid them occasional visits. One of the earliest American settlers in Southern Illinois was Capt. Nathan Hull, who came from Massachusetts and settled at an early day on the Ohio, near where Golconda now stands, afterward removing to the vicinity of Kaskaskia, where he died in 1806. In 1781, a company of immigrants, consisting (with one or two exceptions) of members of Clark's command in 1778, arrived with their families from Mary- land and Virginia and established themselves on the American Bottom. The "New Design" set- tlement, on the boundary line between St. Clair

and Monroe Counties, and the first distinctively American colony in the "Illinois Country," was established by this party. Some of its members afterward became prominent in the history of the Territory and the State. William Biggs, a mem- ber of the first Territorial Legislature, with others, settled in or near Kaskaskia about 1783, and William Arundel, the first American mer- chant at Cahokia, came there from Peoria during the same year. Gen. John Edgar, for many years a leading citizen and merchant at the capital, arrived at Kaskaskia in 1784, and William Mor- rison, Kaskaskia's principal merchant, came from Philadelphia as early as 1790, followed some years afterward by several brothers. James Lemen came before the beginning of the present cen- tury, and was the founder of a large and influ- ential family in the vicinity of Shiloh, St. Clair County, and Rev. David Badgley headed a colony of 154 from Virginia, who arrived in 1797. Among other prominent arrivals of this period were John Rice Jones, Pierre Menard (first Lieutenant-Governor of the State), Shadrach Bond, Jr. (first Governor), John Hay, Jolın Messinger, William Kinney, Capt. Joseph Ogle; and of a later date, Nathaniel Pope (afterward Secretary of the Territory, Delegate to Congress, Justice of the United States Court and father of the late Maj .- Gen. John Pope), Elias Kent Kane (first Secretary of State and afterward United States Senator), Daniel P. Cook (first Attorney- General and second Representative in Congress), George Forquer (at one time Secretary of State), and Dr. George Fisher-all prominent in Terri- torial or State history. (See biographical sketches of these early settlers under their re- spective names.)

The government of the new Territory was organized by the appointment of Ninian Ed- wards, Governor; Nathaniel Pope, Secretary, and Alexander Stuart, Obadiah Jones and Jesse B. Thomas, Territorial Judges. (See Edwards, Ninian.) Stuart having been transferred to Missouri, Stanley Griswold was appointed in his stead. Governor Edwards arrived at Kas- kaskia, the capital, in June, 1809. At that time the two counties of St. Clair and Randolph comprised the settled portion of the Territory, with a white population estimated at about 9,000. The Governor and Judges immediately proceeded to formulate a code of laws, and the appoint- ments made by Secretary Pope, who had preceded the Governor in his arrival in the Territory, were confirmed. Benjamin H. Doyle was the first Attorney-General, but he resigned in a few

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months, when the place was offered to John J. Crittenden-the well-known United States Sen- ator from Kentucky at the beginning of the Civil War-but by him declined. Thomas T. Crittenden was then appointed.

An incident of the year 1811 was the battle of Tippecanoe, resulting in the defeat of Tecumseh, the great chief of the Shawnees, by Gen. William Henry Harrison. Four companies of mounted rangers were raised in Illinois this year under direction of Col. William Russell, of Kentucky, who built Camp Russell near Edwardsville the following year. They were commanded by Cap- tains Samuel Whiteside, William B. Whiteside, James B. Moore and Jacob Short. The memo- rable earthquake which had its center about New Madrid, Mo., occurred in December of this year, and was quite violent in some portions of Southern Illinois. (See Earthquake of 1811.)

WAR OF 1812 .- During the following year the second war with England began, but no serious outbreak occurred in Illinois until August, 1812, when the massacre at Fort Dearborn, where Chicago now stands, took place. This had long been a favorite trading post of the Indians, at first under French occupation and afterward under the Americans. Sometime during 1803-04, a fort had been built near the mouth of Chicago River on the south side, on land acquired from the Indians by the treaty of Greenville in 1795. (See Fort Dearborn.) In the spring of 1812 some alarm had been caused by outrages committed by Indians in the vicinity, and in the early part of August, Capt. Nathan Heald, commanding the garrison of less than seventy-five men, received instructions from General Hull, in command at Detroit, to evacuate the fort, disposing of the public property as he might see fit. Friendly Indians advised Heald either to make prepara- tions for a vigorous defense, or evacuate at once. Instead of this, he notified the Indians of his in- tention to retire and divide the stores among them, with the conditions subsequently agreed upon in council, that his garrison should be afforded an escort and safe passage to Fort Wayne. On the 14th of August he proceeded to distribute the bulk of the goods as promised, but the ammunition, guns and liquors were de- stroyed. This he justified on the ground that a bad use would be made of them, while the Indians construed it as a violation of the agree- ment. The tragedy which followed, is thus de- scribed in Moses' "History of Illinois:"

"Black Partridge, a Pottawatomie Chief, who had been on terms of friendship with the whites,

appeared before Captain Heald and informed him plainly that his young men intended to imbrue their hands in the blood of the whites; that he was no longer able to restrain them, and, surrendering a medal he liad worn in token of amity, closed by saying: 'I will not wear a token of peace while I am compelled to act as an enemy.' In the meantime the Indians were riot- ing upon the provisions, and becoming so aggres- sive in their bearing that it was resolved to march out the next day. The fatal fifteenth arrived. To each soldier was distributed twenty-five rounds of reserved ammunition. The baggage and ambulance wagons were laden, and the gar- rison slowly wended its way outside the protect- ing walls of the fort-the Indian escort of 500 following in the rear. What next occurred in this disastrous movement is narrated by Captain Heald in his report, as follows: 'The situation of the country rendered it necessary for us to take the beach, with the lake on our left, and a high sand bank on our right at about three hundred yards distance. We had proceeded about a mile and a half, when it was discovered (by Captain Wells) that the Indians were prepared to attack us from behind the bank. I immediately marched up with the company to the top of the bank, when the action commenced; after firing one round, we charged, and the Indians gave way in front and joined those on our flanks. In about fif- teen minutes they got possession of all our horses, provisions and baggage of every description, and finding the Miamis (who had come from Fort Wayne with Captain Wells to act as an escort) did not assist us, I drew off the few men I had left and took possession of a small elevation in the open prairie out of shot of the bank, or any other cover. The Indians did not follow me but assembled in a body on top of the bank, and after some consultation among themselves, made signs for me to approach them. I advanced toward them alone, and was met by one of the Potta- watomie chiefs called Black Bird, with an inter- preter. After shaking hands, he requested me to surrender, promising to spare the lives of all the prisoners. On a few moments' consideration I concluded it would be most prudent to comply with this request, although I did not put entire confidence in his promise. The troops had made a brave defense, but what could so small a force do against such overwhelming numbers? It was evident with over half their number dead upon the field, or wounded, further resistance would be hopeless. Twenty-six regulars and twelve militia, with two women and twelve children, were killed. Among the slain were Captain Wells, Dr. Van Voorhis and Ensign George Ronan. (Captain Wells, wlien young, had been captured by Indians and had married among them.) He (Wells) was familiar with all the wiles, stratagems, as well as the vindictiveness of the Indian character, and when the conflict began, he said to his niece (Mrs. Heald), by whose side he was standing, 'We have not the slightest chance for life; we must part to meet no more in this world. God bless you.' With these words he dashed forward into the thickest of the fight. He refused to be taken prisoner, knowing what his fate would be, when a young

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 51

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857- Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 724

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724