USA > Illinois > Illinois, historical and statistical, comprising the essential facts of its planting and growth as a province, county, territory, and state, Vol. I > Part 22
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The white population of the Territory at this time was esti- mated at nine thousand, and the number of Indians, who occupied the larger portion, was supposed to be about eighteen thousand.
On June 16, the governor and judges formed themselves into a legislative body and enacted a code of laws for the government of the Territory. Most of these were copies of those heretofore existing, with which the people were already tolerably familiar.
The appointments of officers already made by the secretary were generally concurred in.+
The new government having been thus successfully inaugura- ted, the governor next turned his attention to the organization of the militia. In this task he encountered fresh difficulties. Although the contest over the appointment of civil officers had been bitter, that for military honors was equally acrimonious.
Letter in Edwards' "Illinois, " 28.
+ The list as amended was as follows: Benjamin H. Doyle, attorney-general, having resigned, the office was tendered to John Jordan Crittenden of Kentucky, who declined, and Thos. Leonidas Crittenden was appointed. Robert Morrison, adjutant- general, vice Wm. Rector, resigned. For Randolph County: Robert Morrison, clerk of the general court ;. Benjamin Stephenson, sheriff; Wm. C. Greenup, clerk of the county-court. For St. Clair County : Wm. Arundel, recorder ; John Hay, clerk of the court of common pleas, which office he held until his death in 1845; John Hays, sheriff, which office he held until 1818; Enoch Moore, coroner; John Mess- inger, surveyor.
245
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
In order to avoid the charge of affiliating with any faction, the governor adopted the plan of permitting each company to elect its own officers, and the latter to chose those for the regiment. Senator Pope, with whom he advised, severely criticised this course, and in commenting upon one of his appointees thus recommended said, he knew him to be a scoundrel.
The machinery of the territorial government had been scarcely set in motion before the executive was required to give earnest attention to his ex-officio duties as superintendent of Indian affairs. The era of peace and prosperity which had continued for nearly twenty years in the Territory was about to be disturbed once more by the "rude alarms" of war. It has been already pointed out that the cessions of such large portions of the lands of the different tribes, between 1803 and 1809, to the whites had given rise to much dissatisfaction among the native proprietors, who believed that their rights had been bartered away for a song. Sentiments of jealousy and enmity were aroused, which required but little fanning to be kindled into a blaze of war. The great Tecumseh, with his brother, the Prophet, took the lead in attempting to excite the dissatisfied tribes to revolt. They were untiring in their efforts to sow and foster the seeds of discontent, alleging that the Americans would soon overrun the entire country, and the red men be driven across the Mississippi. These representations were urged with such vehemence that attacks by marauding bands upon the defenceless settlements of Illinois and Missouri began to be of more or less frequent occurrence, resulting in the loss of many lives and the destruc- tion of considerable property. Demands were made upon the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos to deliver up the perpetrators of these outrages. Frequent interviews and councils were held between the governor and his agents on the one hand and lead- ing chiefs on the other, to see if some satisfactory arrangement could not be effected which would prevent further hostilities. The chiefs, though friendly in their demeanor, very emphatically contended that they had causes of grievance against the whites no less serious than those which the latter urged against the Indians-in a word, that wrongs had been committed on both sides.
From the temper of the savages displayed in these conferences,
246
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
and information carefully collected, together with the fact of the commission of further depredations, Gov. Edwards was convinced that the larger portion of the Indians in Illinois were only waiting for a more thorough organization and a favorable oppor- tunity to make war upon the white settlements of the Territory.
A careful enumeration of the warriors of the different tribes residing in Illinois at this time, made under the direction of the governor, showed the following result:
Pottawatomies on the Illinois River 350 Pottawatomies on the Little Calumet, Fox, and
Kankakee rivers 180
Pottawatomies and Ottawas near Chicago - 300
Kickapoos and mixed near Peoria Lake and on the Little Mackinaw River 330
Sacs and Foxes on Rock River I 400
Winnebagos -
450
Making in all 3010, which would indicate a hostile population of about 15,000, very far exceeding that of the whites. It will be seen that no Piankashaws nor the remnants of the Illinois, both of whom were friendly, were included in the estimate.
The battle of Tippecanoe, from which was taken one of the favorite political war-cries of Harrison's presidential campaign, was fought Nov. 6, 1811. Gen. Harrison, with a force of 700 strong, was attacked with unwonted ferocity, early in the mor- ning, by Tecumseh with a superior force. After an obstinate and bloody contest, the enemy was repulsed and driven off the field; not however without inflicting a severe loss upon the Americans, 37 of whom were killed, 25 mortally and 126 seri- ously wounded. The Indian losses were still greater.
Illinois was not without its representation on both sides of this sanguinary contest. The Pottawatomies and Winnebagos were there, and also the Kickapoos, the latter of whom were especially distinguished by their fierce assaults and determined courage. Capt. Isaac White from Gallatin County, who com- manded a company of militia, was among the slain. Here also fell the gallant Col. Joe Daviess at the head of his command.
The defeat of Tecumseh only serving to intensify the spirit of war among the savages, Gov. Edwards, without delay, proceeded
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247
INDIAN DISTURBANCES.
to make such preparations as his means permitted, for the defence and protection of his Territory. In advance of the action of congress providing for the organization and equipment o. volunteer companies, he called out the militia, and advanced large sums from his private means for the purchase of arms, the building of stockade forts, and the establishment of a line of defensive works from the Missouri to the Wabash rivers,*
In 181I, however, congress provided by law for ten compa- nies of mounted rangers, constituting the seventh regiment, to protect the frontiers of the West, the command of which was entrusted to Col. Wm. Russell of Kentucky. Four of these companies were raised in Illinois, and were placed under the commands respectively, of Capts. Samuel Whiteside, William B. Whiteside, James B. Moore, and Jacob Short. Five indepen- dent cavalry companies were also organized for the protection of settlements on the lower Wabash, of which Willis Hargrave, William McHenry, Nathaniel Journey, Thomas E. Craig, and William Boon were respectively commanders.
If there were wanting any evidence to vindicate the judgment of the governor regarding the hostile intentions of the savages, and the necessity for making vigorous preparations for defence, it was soon furnished by the massacre of the garrison of Fort Dearborn at Chicago, August 15, 1812. The story of this un- provoked collision, the bloodiest that ever occurred between the whites and Indians in Illinois, is as follows:
Chicago was a designation applied indifferently by explorers to rivers, posts, and routes, as early as 1675. A French trad- ing-post, mission, and fort existed under that name before 1700, but their precise location can not be now determined. By the treaty of Greenville, the Pottawatomies ceded six miles square of territory at the mouth of the Chicago River, "where a fort formerly stood." This is the first official connection of the name with a definite locality of which we have any record. It was a favorite trading-post of the Indians, and in 1803-4 the United States built a fort on the south side, and near the mouth of the Chicago River, which was called after a general of the army and then secretary-of-war, Fort Dearborn. It consisted of two block-houses, with a parade-ground and sally-
* Edwards' " Illinois, " 68.
-
248
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
port, surrounded by a stockade. In July, 1812, the garrison was composed of seventy-four men commanded by Capt. Nathan Heald. The other officers were Lieut. Linai T. Helm, Ensign George Ronan, and Surgeon Isaac V. Van Voorhis; John Kinzie being the principal trader.
During the preceding April, much alarm had been excited by a hostile demonstration against some settlers at a farm known as "Lee's place," about four miles from the fort up the south- branch of the river, which had resulted in the killing of Liberty White, the tenant, and a French employé.
Perceiving the growing animosity of the savages, and fearing that it would not be possible to hold the fort in the event of an attack, Gen. William Hull, in command at Detroit, directed its evacuation, and, as is generally stated, the distribution of the property among the Indians as a peace-offering. Capt. Heald, however, in his report on this point says, "leaving it to my dis- cretion to dispose of the public property as I thought proper." These orders were brought to the fort Aug. 9,* by Winnemeg, a friendly Pottawatomie chief, who was well informed in regard to the hostile plans of the Indians, and it is said strongly urged, that as the fort was well provisioned and in good condition to stand a siege, that the order be disregarded; and further that if the fort were evacuated, that it be done at once, leaving every- thing in statu quo, before the Indians could concentrate and prepare for an attack. But Capt. Heald, who it would now seem, was singularly blind to his perilous situation, decided to notify the neighboring tribes of the order to abandon the fort, and of his intention to divide the goods among them. This action of the commandant, it is asserted, was strongly opposed by the other officers, and by John Kinzie, who pointed out the danger of such a proceeding. The Indians upon being notified of the order became insolent and unruly, entering the fort in defiance of the sentinels. They had been advised by Tecumseh of the fall of Mackinac, July 17, of the proposed attack upon Detroit, and had been urged by that chief with whom they had already acted, and in whose judgment they had great confidence, to take up arms against the Americans, and the garrison at Fort Dearborn afforded them the opportunity.
* Capt. Heald's " Report"-Mrs. Kinzie says Aug. 7.
249
MASSACRE AT CHICAGO.
Aug. 12, the Indians having assembled in council, as invited by the commander of the Fort, it was agreed that in consid- eration of the delivery to them of the goods in the fort, the Indians should furnish the garrison an escort and safe passage to Fort Wayne. In this conference, entirely distrusting the sincerity and good faith of the Indians, it is claimed that the other officers refused to participate; Aug. 13, Capt. William Wells, who was an uncle of Mrs. Heald, arrived from Fort Wayne with thirty friendly Miamis, to aid in escorting the garrison to that place.
The next day (14th), when the property, consisting mostly of broadcloth, calico, and paints, was distributed, the Indians did not fail to notice that a large portion of the supplies promised, according to their understanding, had been withheld. Their suspicion of bad faith on the part of the whites having been thus aroused, was confirmed, and their indignant resentment inflamed to the highest pitch when while prowling around the fort during the following night they saw the muskets which they so much coveted broken and destroyed, and the casks of spirits which they still more desired, rolled to the river bank, the heads knocked in, and the liquor poured into the stream. Capt. Heald on this point remarks: "the surplus arms and ammuni- tion, I thought proper to destroy, fearing they would make bad use of it, if put in their possession. I also destroyed all liquor · on hand, soon after they began to collect."
The violation of what is supposed was the original agreement, had been insisted upon, it is said, by the other officers, and will- ingly assented to by Capt. Heald, who saw when too late, how dangerous it would prove to carry it out in its fullest extent. The wrath of the Indians on being thus deprived of the coveted stores was deeply felt and vehemently expressed; and Black Hawk who passed by the fort soon after, in speaking of the transaction said: "that if they [the whites] had fulfilled their word to the Indians, I think they would have gone safe."
While the destruction of ammunition, guns, and liquor was undoubtedly an aggravating circumstance, which was made use of by the Indians as a justification of their own bad faith, it is more than probable that the attack which followed would have been made in any event. It had been fully determined upon.
250
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
Black Partridge, a Pottawatomie chief who had been on terms of friendship with the whites, appeared before Capt. 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 had 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 "rioting upon the provi- sions," and becoming so aggressive in their bearing that it was resolved to march out the next day. The fatal 15th arrived. To each soldier was distributed twenty-five rounds of reserved ammunition. The baggage and ambulance wagons were laden, and the garrison slowly wended its way outside the protecting walls of the fort-the Indian escort of five hundred following in the rear. What next occurred in this disastrous movement is narrated by Capt. 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 Capt. 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 fifteen minutes they got possession of all our horses, provisions, and baggage of every description; and finding the Miamis 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 the 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 Pottawatomie chiefs, called Black Bird, with an interpreter. 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 his request, although I did not put en- tire confidence in his promise." The troops had made a brave defence, but what could so small a force do against such over-
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251
THE WAR OF 1812.
whelming 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 Capt. Wells, Dr. Van Voorhis, and Ensign Geo. Ronan. Capt. Wells,“ when quite young, had been captured in Kentucky by the Miamis and adopted into their tribe. He had lived with them, taking an Indian woman for his wife, until manhood, when he decided to return to his friends and relatives, and adopt the customs of civilized life. He was familiar with all the wiles, strategems, as well as the vindictiveness of the Indian character, and when the conflict began he said to his niece, 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, know- ing what his fate would be, when a young redskin cut him down with his tomahawk, jumped upon his body, cut out his heart, and ate a portion with savage delight.+
The prisoners taken were Capt. Heald and wife, both wounded, Lieut. Helm, also wounded, and wife, with twenty - five non- commissioned 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 Chippwas, Ottawas, Winnebagos, and Kickapoos. Fort Dear- born was plundered and burned on the next morning.+
* Capt. Wells, a brother of Gen. Samuel Wells of Kentucky, was twice married to Indian women, one of whom was a daughter of Little Turtle-his adopted father. When the captain decided to sever his connection with the Indians, he said to Little Turtle, "Father, we have been long friends. I now leave you to go to my own people. We will be friends until the sun reaches its midday height. From that time we will be enemies; and if you want to kill me then, you may; and if I want to kill you, I may." He was afterward joined by his wife and children, who were well educated, and after the peace of Greenville, by Little Turtle, who resided with him .- "Fort Dearborn," by Hon. John Wentworth.
+ Lossing's " Field-Book of 1812."
# Without exception, historians have relied for their facts in regard to the Massacre at Chicago, which ought to be more properly described as the massacre of Fort Dearborn, upon the account given of the event by Mrs. Juliette A. Kinzie, wife of
252
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
The declaration of war against Great Britain by congress was made June 19, 1812. The Pottawatomies, with portions of other tribes in Illinois, openly sided with the British. Their success at Chicago had increased their self-confidence and deepened their hostility. Gov. Edwards decided to anticipate further attacks, by himself assuming the offensive. Although his experience as a military commander had been limited to a brief service as major in a Kentucky militia regiment, he determined to take the field in person.
Constructing a fort at Camp Russell, near Edwardsville, where he made his head-quarters, he collected a force of three hundred and fifty mounted volunteers; and was soon afterward joined by Col. William Russell with portions of two companies of rangers, numbering one hundred officers and men. Having sent out small detachments which had successfully attacked and driven off several bands of the enemy from the immediate frontiers, on Oct. 18, he began his march to Peoria. He expected to cooperate with Gen. Hopkins, who, with a force of two thousand troops from Kentucky, had been ordered to disperse the Indians and break up their villages on the Wabash and Illinois rivers.
The governor organized his force into two regiments, one of which was commanded by Col. Charles Rector, and the other by Col. Benjamin Stephenson; Col. Wm. Russell was placed second in command. In addition to the two companies of rangers, Capt. Samuel Judy had an independent company of spies. The governor's staff consisted of Secretary Nathaniel Pope, Nelson Rector, and Robert K. McLaughlin.
John H. Kinzie, who was the son of John Kinzie. This embodies the facts as under- stood by them, and as reported by Mrs. Margaret Helm, a step-daughter of John Kinzie. Naturally the accounts of any military movement which resulted disastrously, is colored against its commander, by those who have suffered from it, either the loss of property or friends. Of course it was for the pecuniary interest of Mr. Kinzie as sub- Indian agent, to have the troops remain and hold the fort, and he would be inclined to criticise the actions of the officer in command, which were opposed to his own views. While this is so, it must be admitted that the statements in Mrs. Kinzie's narrative bear upon their face the appearance of truth and fairness. It was not pub- lished however until twelve years after the death of Capt. Heald, who never had the opportunity of replying to its strictures.
For interesting information concerning Fort Dearborn, the Massacre, and fate of the prisoners, consult "Fort Dearborn," an address by Hon. John Wentworth, No. 16, Fergus' Historical Series; also, "The Massacre of Chicago," by Mrs. John H. Kinzie, No. 30, Fergus' Hist. Series.
253
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INDIANS.
After a march of five days, having burnt two Kickapoo vil- lages en route, the army came in sight of the enemy at the head of Peoria Lake. Here an Indian and his squaw, approaching for an interview, were mercilessly shot down by the spies, the leader exclaiming that they had not left home to take prisoners.
It is a deplorable fact in connection with this and other campaigns against the Indians, that the innocent were made to suffer with the guilty. The hostile bands lived in the same villages with those who were really friendly toward the whites, and it was impossible to discriminate between friends and foes. The village, which was the object of this attack, was that of Black Partridge and Gomo, who had done all in their power to prevent their warriors from arraying themselves against the United States, and knowing their own friendly feelings, had evidently no apprehension of being thus attacked. When the town was first seen the Indians were preparing breakfast, and the "children playing on the green." Upon seeing an armed force approach, they proceeded to get away hurriedly, on foot and on horseback, as best they could, but, as was supposed, to form in order of battle. But there was really no resistance to the assault, the whites shooting down all of the fleeing inhabi- tants that came within their range. Thirty of the redskins were reported killed and several wounded. Their town with its valuable stores, was burned. Four prisoners, and eighty head of horses were captured. The loss of the assailants was one man wounded. Among the rangers in this expedition were John Reynolds and Thomas Carlin, both afterward governors of the State. It is to be hoped, for the sake of humanity, that the blood-curdling report of the governor, with his cen- tre, and right and left wings, charging upon an unprepared and defenceless Indian village, with the terrible array of "killed, wounded, and missing," which he is careful to state, however, was, according to the reports of the Indians, altogether too- highly colored.
Not meeting with, or hearing from Gen. Hopkins, who had decided to abandon the expedition .after reaching the head- waters of the Vermilion, Gov. Edwards returned to Fort Rus- sell, after an absence of thirteen days.
In the meantime, Capt. Thomas E. Craig had been dispatched
254
ILLINOIS-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL.
with a company and two boats to capture the ancient French village of Peoria. It had been represented to the governor as being a seditious place, whose inhabitants were in sympathy with the Indians. They were traders, hunters, and voyageurs, as were the dwellers in other French villages, and were estima- ted to number over two hundred.
The captain was an energetic, uncouth frontiersman, whose characteristics were those of a fighter rather than a diplomat. His hatred of the red men obscured every other feeling. Arriving at the town, he and his men visited the houses in search of evidence to establish the disloyalty of the owners. Especially was he suspicious of and prejudiced against, the well-known Indian agent, Thomas Forsyth, who was not only thoroughly reliable, but whose relations with the government were of a confidential nature. Early on the morning of November 8, his boat having been blown ashore in a storm, he heard several shots, as many as ten, he says in his report, which in fact had been fired by some hunters at game. Craig, however, supposing that they came from an attacking party, shelled the woods, and prepared for battle; but on advancing no enemy was found. Reporting the incident to Forsyth and others who made light of it, he became enraged, and charged them all with being in league with the Indians. He therefore made prisoners of every one he could find in the town, men, women, and children, seventy- five in all, including Forsyth, whose commission was shown Craig, but which he pronounced a forgery-and "burnt down about half the town."
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