Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 52

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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red-skin cut him down with his tomahawk, jumped upon his body, cut out his heart and ate a portion of it with savage delight.

"The prisoners taken were Captain Heald and wife, both wounded, Lieutenant Helm, also wounded, and wife, with twenty-five non-com- missioned officers and privates, and eleven women and children. The loss of the Indians was fifteen killed. Mr. Kinzie's family had been entrusted to the care of some friendly Indians and were not with the retiring garrison. The Indians engaged in this outrage were principally Pottawatomies, with a few Chippewas, Ottawas, Winnebagoes, and Kickapoos. Fort Dearborn was plundered and burned on the next morning." (See Fort Dearborn; also War of 1812.)

Thus ended the most bloody tragedy that ever occurred on the soil of Illinois with Americans as victims. The place where this affair occurred, as described by Captain Heald, was on the lake shore about the foot of Eighteenth Street in the present city of Chicago. After the destruction of the fort, the site of the present city of Chicago remained unoccupied until 1816, when the fort was rebuilt. At that time the bones of the vic- tims of the massacre of 1812 still lay bleaching upon the sands near the lake shore, but they were gathered up a few years later and buried. The new fort continued to be occupied somewhat irregularly until 1837, when it was finally aban- doned, there being no longer any reason for maintaining it as a defense against the Indians.

OTHER EVENTS OF THE WAR .- The part played by Illinois in the War of 1812, consisted chiefly in looking after the large Indian population within and near its borders. Two expeditions were undertaken to Peoria Lake in the Fall of 1812; the first of these, under the direction of Governor Edwards, burned two Kickapoo vil- lages, one of them being that of "Black Part- ridge," who had befriended the whites at Fort Dearborn. A few weeks later Capt. Thomas E. Craig, at the head of a company of militia, made a descent upon the ancient French village of Peoria, on the pretext that the inhabitants had har- bored hostile Indians and fired on his"boats. He burned a part of the town and, taking the people as prisoners down the river, put them ashore below Alton, in the beginning of winter. Both these affairs were severely censured.

There were expeditions against the Indians on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi in 1813 and 1814. In the latter year, Illinois troops took part with credit in two engagements at Rock Island- the last of these being in co-operation with regu- lars, under command of Maj. Zachary Taylor, afterwards President, against a force of Indians supported by the British. Fort Clark at Peoria

was erected in 1813, and Fort Edwards at War- saw, opposite the mouth of the Des Moines, at the close of the campaign of 1814. A council with the Indians, conducted by Governors Edwards of Illinois and -Clarke of Missouri, and Auguste Chouteau, a merchant of St. Louis, as Government Commissioners, on the Mississippi just below Alton, in July, 1815, concluded a treaty of peace with the principal Northwestern tribes, thus ending the war.

FIRST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE. - By act of Congress. adopted May 21, 1812, the Territory of Illinois was raised to the second grade-i. e., em- powered to elect a Territorial Legislature. In September, three additional counties-Madison, · Gallatin and Johnson-were organized, making five in all, and, in October, an election for the choice of five members of the Council and seven Representatives was held, resulting as follows: Councilmen-Pierre Menard of Randolph County ; William Biggs of St. Clair; Samuel Judy of Madison; Thomas Ferguson of Johnson, and Benjamin Talbot of Gallatin. Representativos- George Fisher of Randolph; Joshua Oglesby and Jacob Short of St. Clair; William Jones of Madi- son; Philip Trammel and Alexander Wilson of Gallatin, and John Grammar of Johnson. The Legislature met at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, the Coun- cil organizing with Pierre Menard as President and Jolin Thomas, Secretary; and the House, with George Fisher as Speaker and William C. Greenup, Clerk. Shadrach Bond was elected the first Delegate to Congress.

A second Legislature was elected in 1814, con- vening at Kaskaskia, Nov. 14. Menard was con- tinued President of the Council during the whole Territorial period; while George Fisher was Speaker of each House, except the Second. The county of Edwards was organized in 1814, and White in 1815. Other counties organized under the Territorial Government were Jackson, Mon- roe, Crawford and Pope in 1816; Bond in 1817, and Franklin, Union and Washington in 1818, making fifteen in all. Of these all but the three last-named were organized previous to the passage by Congress of the enabling act author- izing the Territory of Illinois to organize a State government. In 1816 the Bank of Illinois was established at Shawneetown, with branches at Edwardsville and Kaskaskia.

EARLY TOWNS. - Besides the French villages in the American Bottom, there is said to have been a French and Indian village on the west bank of Peoria Lake, as early as 1711. This site appears to have been abandoned about 1775 and a new

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village established on the present site of Peoria soon after, which was maintained until 1812, when it was broken up by Captain Craig. Other early towns were Shawneetown, laid out in 1808; Belleville, established as the county-seat of St. Clair County, in 1814; Edwardsville, founded in 1815; Upper Alton, in 1816, and Alton, in 1818. Carmi, Fairfield, Waterloo, Golconda, Lawrence- ville, Mount Carmel and Vienna also belonged to this period; while Jacksonville, Springfield and Galena were settled a few years later. Chicago is mentioned in "Beck's Gazetteer" of 1823, as "a village of Pike County."

ADMISSION AS A STATE .- The preliminary steps for the admission of Illinois as a State, were taken in the passage of an Enabling Act by Congress, April 13, 1818. An important incident in this connection was the amendment of the act, mak- ing the parallel of 42° 30' from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River the northern boundary, instead of a line extending from the southern extremity of the Lake. This was obtained through the influence of Hon. Nathaniel Pope, then Delegate from Illinois, and by it the State secured a strip of country fifty-one miles in width, from the Lake to the Mississippi, embrac- ing what have since become fourteen of the most populous counties of the State, including the city of Chicago. The political, material and moral results which have followed this iniportant act, have been the subject of much interesting dis- cussion and cannot be easily over-estimated. (See Northern Boundary Question; also Pope, Nathaniel.)

Another measure of great importance, which Mr. Pope secured, was a modification of the provision of the Enabling Act requiring the appropriation of five per cent of the proceeds from the sale of pub- lic lands within the State, to the construction of roads and canals. The amendment which he secured authorizes the application of two-fifths of this fund to the making of roads leading to the State, but requires "the residue to be appropri- ated by the Legislature of the State for the encouragement of learning, of which one-sixth part shall be exclusively bestowed on a college or university." This was the beginning of that system of liberal encouragement of education by the General Government, which has been at- tended with such beneficent results in the younger States, and has reflected so much honor upon the Nation. (See Education; Railroads, and Illinois & Michigan Canal.)

The Enabling Act required as a precedent con- dition that a census of the Territory, to be taken

that year, should show a population of 40,000. Such a result was shown, but it is now confessed that the number was greatly exaggerated, the true population, as afterwards given, being 34,020. According to the decennial census of 1820, the population of the State at that time was 55,162. If there was any short-coming in this respect in 1818, the State has fully compensated for it by its unexampled growth in later years.

An election of Delegates to a Convention to frame a State Constitution was held July 6 to 8, 1818 (extending through three days), thirty-three Delegates being chosen from the fifteen counties of the State. The Convention met at Kaskaskia, August 3, and organized by the election of Jesse B. Thomas, President, and William C. Greenup, Secretary, closing its labors, August 26. The Constitution, which was modeled largely upon the Constitutions of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, was not submitted to a vote of the people. (See Constitutional Conventions, especially Conven- tion of 1818.) Objection was made to its accept- ance by Congress on the ground that the population of the Territory was insufficient and that the prohibition of slavery was not as ex- plicit as required by the Ordinance of 1787; but these arguments were overcome and the docu- ment accepted by a vote of 117 yeas to 34 nays. The only officers whose election was provided for by popular vote, were the Governor, Lieutenant- Governor, Sheriffs, Coroners and County Commis- sioners. The Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Public Printer and Supreme and Circuit Judges were all appointive either by the Governor or General Assembly. The elective franchise was granted to all white male inhabitants, above the age of 21 years, who had resided in the State six months.

The first State election was held Sept. 17, 1818, resulting in the choice of Shadrach Bond for Governor, and Pierre Menard, Lieutenant- Governor. The Legislature, chosen at the same time, consisted of thirteen Senators and twenty- seven Representatives. It commenced its session at Kaskaskia, Oct. 5, 1818, and adjourned after a session of ten days, awaiting the formal admis- sion of the State, which took place Dec. 3. A second session of the same Legislature was held, extending from Jan. 4 to March 31, 1819. Risdon Moore was Speaker of the first House. The other State officers elected at the first ses- sion were Elijah C. Berry, Auditor; John Thomas, Treasurer, and Daniel P. Cook, Attorney-General. Elias Kent Kane, having been appointed Secre- tary of State by the Governor, was confirmed by

THOMAS CARLIN Governor Dec. 7, 1838- Dec. 8, 1842

THOMAS FORD Governor Dec. 8, 1842- Dec. 9, 1846

AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH Governor Dec. 9. 1846- Jan. 10, 1853

JOEL A. MATTESON Governor Jan. 10, 1853-Jan. 12, 1857

WILLIAM H. BISSELL Governor Jan. 12, 1857-March 15, 1860

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the Senate. Ex-Governor Edwards and Jesse B. Thomas were elected United States Senators, the former drawing the short term and serving one year, when he was re-elected. Thomas served two terms, retiring in 1829. The first Supreme Court consisted of Joseph Phillips, Chief Justice, with Thomas C. Browne, William P. Foster and John Reynolds, Associate Justices. Foster, who was a mere adventurer without any legal knowl- edge, left the State in a few months and was succeeded by William Wilson. (See State Officers, United States Senators, and Judiciary.)

Menard, who served as Lieutenant-Governor four years, was a noteworthy man. A native of Canada and of French descent, he came to Kas- kaskia in 1790, at the age of 24 years, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was hos- pitable, frank, liberal and enterprising. The fol- lowing story related of him illustrates a pleas- ant feature of his character: "At one time there was a scarcity of salt in the country, and Menard held the only supply outside of St. Louis. A number of his neighbors called upon him for what they wanted; he declined to let them know whether he could supply them or not, but told them to come to his store on a certain day, when he would inform them. They came at the time appointed, and were seated. Menard passed around among them and inquired of each, 'You got money?' Some said they had and some that they had not, but would pay as soon as they killed their hogs. Those who had money he directed to range themselves on one side of the room and those who had none, on the other. Of course, those who had the means expected to get the salt and the others looked very much dis- tressed and crestfallen. Menard then spoke up in his brusque way, and said, 'You men who got de money, can go to St. Louis for your salt. Dese poor men who got no money shall have my salt, by gar.' Such was the man-noble-hearted and large-minded, if unpolished and uncouth." (See Menard, Pierre.)

REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL TO VANDALIA .- At the second session of the General Assembly, five Commissioners were appointed to select a new site for the State Capital. What is now the city of Vandalia was selected, and, in December, 1820, the entire archives of the State were re- moved to the new capital, being transported in one small wagon, at a cost of $25.00, under the supervision of the late Sidney Breese, who after- wards became United States Senator and Justice of the Supreme Court. (See State Capitals.)

During the session of the Second General

Assembly, which met at Vandalia, Dec. 4, 1820, a bill was passed establishing a State Bank at Vandalia, with branches at Shawneetown, Edwardsville and Brownsville. John McLean, who had been the first Representative in Con- gress, was Speaker of the House at this session. He was twice elected to the United States Senate, though he served only about two years, dying in 1830. (See State Bank.)

INTRODUCTION OF THE SLAVERY QUESTION .- The second State election, which occurred in August, 1822, proved the beginning of a turbu- lent period through the introduction of some exciting questions into State politics. There were four candidates for gubernatorial honors in the field: Chief-Justice Phillips, of the Supreme Court, supported by the friends of Governor Bond; Associate-Justice Browne, of the same court, supported by the friends of Governor Edwards; Gen. James B. Moore, a noted Indian fighter and the candidate of the "Old Rangers," and Edward Coles. The latter was a native of Virginia, who had served as private secretary of President Monroe, and had been employed as a special messenger to Russia. He had made two visits to Illinois, the first in 1815 and the second in 1818. The Convention to form a State Constitu- tion being in session at the date of the latter visit, lie took a deep interest in the discussion of the slavery question and exerted his influence in securing the adoption of the prohibitory article in the organic law. On April 1, 1819, he started from his home in Virginia to remove to Edwards- ville, Ill., taking with him his ten slaves. The journey from Brownsville, Pa., was made in two flat-boats to a point below Louisville, where he disembarked, traveling by land to Edwards- ville. While descending the Ohio River he sur- prised his slaves by announcing that they were free. The scene, as described by himself, was most dramatic. Having declined to avail them- selves of the privilege of leaving him, he took them with him to his destination, where he eventually gave each head of a family 160 acres of land. Arrived at Edwardsville, he assumed the position of Register of the Land Office, to which he had been appointed by President Mon- roe, before leaving Virginia.

The act of Coles with reference to his slaves established his reputation as an opponent of slavery, and it was in this attitude that he stood as a candidate for Governor-both Phillips and Browne being friendly to "the institution," which had had a virtual existence in the "Illinois Country" from the time Renault brought 500

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slaves to the vicinity of Kaskaskia, one hun- dred years before. Although the Constitution declared that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall hereafter be introduced into the State," this had not been effectual in eliminating it. In fact, while this language was construed, so long as it remained in the Constitution, as prohibiting legislation authorizing the admission of slaves from without, it was not regarded as inimical to the institution as it already existed; and, as the population came largely from the slave States, there had been a rapidly growing sentiment in favor of removing the inhibitory clause. Although the pro-slavery party was divided between two candidates for Governor, it had hardly contemplated the possibility of defeat, and it was consequently a surprise when the returns showed that Coles was elected, receiv- ing 2,854 votes to 2,687 for Phillips, 2,443 for Browne and 622 for Moore-Coles' plurality being 167 in a total of 8,606. Coles thus became Governor on less than one-third of the popular vote. Daniel P. Cook, who had made the race for Congress at the same election against McLean, as an avowed opponent of slavery, was successful by a majority of 876. (See Coles, Edward; also Cook, Daniel Pope.)

The real struggle was now to occur in the Legis- lature, which met Dec. 2, 1822. The House organized with William M. Alexander as Speaker, while the Senate elected Thomas Lippincott (afterwards a prominent Presbyterian minister and the father of the late Gen. Charles E. Lippin- cott), Secretary, and Henry S. Dodge, Enrolling and Engrossing Clerk. The other State officers appointed by the Governor, or elected by the Legislature, were Samuel D. Lockwood, Secretary of State; Elijah C. Berry, Auditor; Abner Field, Treasurer, and James Turney, Attorney-General. Lockwood had served nearly two years previously as Attorney-General, but remained in the office of Secretary of State only three months, when he resigned to accept the position of Receiver for the Land Office. (See Lockwood, Samuel Drake.)

The slavery question came up in the Legisla- ture on the reference to a special committee of a portion of the Governor's message, calling atten- tion to the continued existence of slavery in spite of the ordinance of 1787, and recommending that steps be taken for its extinction. Majority and minority reports were submitted, the former claiming the right of the State to amend its Con- stitution and thereby make such disposition of the slaves as it saw proper. Out of this grew a resolution submitting to the electors at the next

election a proposition for a convention to revise the Constitution. This passed the Senate by the necessary two-thirds vote, and, having come up in the House (Feb. 11, 1823), it failed by a single vote-Nicholas Hansen, a Representative from Pike County, whose seat had been unsuccessfully contested by John Shaw at the beginning of the session, being one of those voting in the negative. The next day, without further investigation, the majority proceeded to reconsider its action in seating Hansen two and a half months previ- ously, and Shaw was seated in his place; though, in order to do this, some crooked work was nec- essary to evade the rules. Shaw being seated, the submission resolution was then passed. No more exciting campaign was ever had in Illinois. Of five papers then published in the State, "The Edwardsville Spectator," edited by Hooper Warren, opposed the measure, being finally rein- forced by "The Illinois Intelligencer," which had been removed to Vandalia; "The Illinois Gaz- ette," at Shawneetown, published articles on both sides of the question, though rather favoring the anti-slavery cause, while "The Republican Advocate," at Kaskaskia, the organ of Senator Elias Kent Kane, and "The Republican," at Edwardsville, under direction of Judge Theophi- lus W. Smith, Emanuel J. West and Judge Samuel McRoberts (afterwards United States Senator), favored the Convention. The latter paper was established for the especial purpose of supporting the Convention scheme and was promptly discontinued on the defeat of the meas- ure. (See Newspapers, Early.) Among other supporters of the Convention proposition were Senator Jesse B. Thomas, John McLean, Richard M. Young, Judges Phillips, Browne and Reynolds, of the Supreme Court, and many more; while among the leading champions of the opposition, were Judge Lockwood, George Forquer (after- ward Secretary of State), Morris Birkbeck, George Churchill, Thomas Mather and Rev. Thomas Lip- pincott. Daniel P. Cook, then Representative in Congress, was the leading champion of freedom on the stump, while Governor Coles contributed the salary of his entire term ($4,000), as well as his influence, to the support of the cause. Gov- ernor Edwards (then in the Senate) was the owner of slaves and occupied a non-committal position. The election was held August 2, 1824, resulting in 4,972 votes for a Convention, to 6,640 against it, defeating the proposition by a majority of 1,668. Considering the size of the aggregate vote (11,612), the result was a decisive one. By it Illinois escaped the greatest danger it ever en-

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countered previous to the War of the Rebellion. (See Slavery and Slave Laws.)

At the same election Cook was re-elected to Congress by 3,016 majority over Shadrach Bond. The vote for President was divided between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay and William H. Crawford-Adams receiving a plurality, but much below a majority. The Elect- oral College failing to elect a President, the decision of the question passed into the hands of the Congressional House of Representatives, when Adams was elected, receiving the vote of Illinois through its only Representative, Mr. Cook.

During the remainder of his term, Governor Coles was made the victim of much vexatious litigation at the hands of his enemies, a verdict being rendered against him in the sum of $2,000 for bringing his emancipated negroes into the State, in violation of the law of 1819. The Legis- lature having passed an act releasing lıim from the penalty, it was declared unconstitutional by a malicious Circuit Judge, though his decision was promptly reversed by the Supreme Court. Having lived a few years on his farm near Edwardsville, in 1832 he removed to Philadelphia, where he spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring there, July 7, 1868. In the face of opprobrium and defamation, and sometimes in danger of mob violence, Governor Coles per- formed a service to the State which has scarcely" yet been fully recognized. (See Coles, Edward.)

A ridiculous incident of the closing year of Coles' administration was the attempt of Lieut .- Gov. Frederick Adolphus Hubbard, after having tasted the sweets of executive power during the Governor's temporary absence from the State, to usurp the position after the Governor's return. The ambitious aspirations of the would-be usurper were suppressed by the Supreme Court.

An interesting event of the year 1825, was the visit of General La Fayette to Kaskaskia. He was welcomed in an address by Governor Coles, and the event was made the occasion of much festivity by the French citizens of the ancient capital. (See La Fayette, Visit of.)

The first State House at Vandalia having been destroyed by fire, Dec. 9, 1823, a new one was erected during the following year at a cost of $12,381.50, toward which the people of Vandalia contributed $5,000.

EDWARDS' ADMINISTRATION .- The State elec- tion of 1826 resulted in again calling Ninian Edwards to the gubernatorial chair, which he had filled during nearly the whole of the exist- ence of Illinois as a Territory. Elected one of the

first United States Senators, and re-elected for a second term in 1819, he had resigned this office in 1824 to accept the position of Minister to Mexico, by appointment of President Monroe. Having become involved in a controversy with William H. Crawford, Secretary of the Treasury, he resigned the Mexican mission, and, after a period of retirement to private life for the first time after he came to Illinois, he appealed to the people of the State for endorsement, with the result stated. His administration was unevent- ful except for the "Winnebago War," which caused considerable commotion on the frontier, without resulting in much bloodshed. Governor Edwards was a fine specimen of the "old school gentleman" of that period-dignified and polished in his manners, courtly and precise in his address, proud and ambitious, with a tendency to the despotic in his bearing in consequence of having been reared in a slave State and his long connec- tion with the executive office. His early educa- tion had been under the direction of the celebrated William Wirt, between whom and himself a close friendship existed. He was wealthy for the time, being an extensive land- owner as well as slave-holder and the proprietor of stores and mills, which were managed by agents, but he lost heavily by bad debts. He was for many years a close friend of Hooper Warren, the pioneer printer, furnishing the material with which the latter published his papers at Spring- field and Galena. At the expiration of his term of office near tlie close of 1830, he retired to his home at Belleville, where, after making an un- successful campaign for Congress in 1832, in which he was defeated by Charles Slade, he died of cholera, July 20, 1833. (See Edwards, Ninian.)

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 52

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