USA > Indiana > Vermillion County > Biographical and historical record of Vermillion County, Indiana : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Cleveland, with accompanying biographies of each; a condensed history of the state of Indiana; portraits and biographies of some of the prominent men of the state; engravings of prominent citizens in Vermillion county, with personal histories of many of the leading families, and a concise history of the county and its villages > Part 11
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Up to this time the Indiana territory be- longed by conquest to the State of Virginia.
In January, 1783, the General Assembly of that State resolved to cede the territory to the United States. The proposition made by Virginia was accepted by the United States, and the transfer confirmed early in 1784. The conditions of the transfer of the territory to the United States were, that the State of Virginia should be reimbursed for all expen- ditures incurred in exploring and protecting settlers in the territory; that 150,000 acres of land should be granted to General Clark and his band of soldiers, who conquered the French and British and annexed the terri- tory to Virginia.
After the above deed of cession had been accepted by Congress, in the spring of 1784, the matter of the future government of the territory was referred to a committee con- sisting of Messrs. Jefferson, of Virginia; Chase, of Maryland; and Howell, of Rhode
Island; which committee, among other things, reported an ordinance prohibiting slavery in the territory after 1800, but this article of the ordinance was rejected.
The ordinance of 1787 has an interesting history. Considerable controversy has been indulged in as to who is entitled to the credit of framing it. This undoubtedly belongs to Nathan Dane; and to Rufus King and Timothy Piekering belongs the credit for the clanse prohibiting slavery contained in it.
Mr. Jefferson liad vainly tried to secure a system of government for the Northwestern Territory excluding slavery thercfrom. The South invariably voted him down.
In July, 1787, an organizing act without the slavery clause was pending, which was supposed would secure its passage. Congress was in session in New York. July 5 Rev. Manasseh Cutler, of Massachusetts, came to New York in the interest of some land spec- ulators in the Northwest Territory. He was a graduate of Yale; had taken the degrees of the three learned professions-medicine, law and divinity. As a scientist, in America his name stood second only to that of Franklin.
He was a courtly gentleman of the old style. Ile readily ingratiated himself into the confidence of Southern leaders. He wished to purchase 5,500,000 acres of land in the new Territory. Jefferson and his ad- ministration desired to make a record on the reduction of the public debt, and this was a rare opportunity. Massachusetts representa- tives could not vote against Cutler's scheme, as many of their constituents were interested in the measure; Sonthern members were already committed. Thus Cutler held the key to the situation, and dictated terms, which were as follows:
1. The exclusion of slavery from the Territory forever.
AAM
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2. Providing one-thirty-sixth of all the land for public schools.
3. Be it forever remembered that this compaet declares that religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good govern- ment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall always be encouraged.
Dr. Cutler planted himself on this plat- form, and would not yield, stating that unless they could proeure the lands under desirable conditions and surroundings, they did not want it. July 13, 1787, the bill became a law. Thus the great States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wis- consin-a vast empire-were consecrated to freedom, intelligence and morality.
October 5, 1787, Congress elected General Arthur St. Clair Governor of the North- western Territory. He assumed his official duties at Marietta, and at onee proceeded to treat with the Indians, and organize a Terri- torial government. Ile first organized a court at Marietta, consisting of three judges, himself being president of the court.
The Governor with the judges then visited Kaskaskia, for the purpose of organizing civil government, having previously instructed Ma- jor Hamtramck, at Vincennes, to present the poliey of the new administration to the ser- eral Indian tribes, and ascertain their feelings in regard to aeqniescing in the new order of things. They received the messenger with cool indifference, which, when reported to the Governor, convinced him that nothing short of military foree would cominand compliance with the civil law. He at onee proceeded to Fort Washington, to consult with General Harmar as to future action. In the mean- time he intrusted to the Secretary of the Territory, Winthrop Sargent, the settlement of the disputed land claims, who found it an ardnous task, and in his report states that
he found the records had been so falsified, vouchers destroyed, and other crookedness, as to make it impossible to get at a just settlement, which proves that the abuse of publie trust is not a very recent discovery.
The General Court in 1790, acting Gov- ernor Sargent presiding, passed stringent laws prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liq- nors to Indians, and also to soldiers within ten miles of any military post; also prohib- iting any games of chance within the Terri- tory.
Winthrop Sargent's administration was highly eulogized by the citizens. He had succeeded in settling the disputed land qnes- tion satisfactory to all concerned, had estab- lished in good order the machinery of a free, wise and good government. In the same ad- dress Major Hamtramek also received a fair share of praise for his judicious management of public affairs.
The consultation of Governor St. Clair and General Harmar, at Fort Washington, ended in deeiding to raise a large military force and thoroughly chastise the Indians about the head of the Wabash. Accordingly Vir- ginia and Pennsylvania were called upon for troops, and 1,800 men were mustered at Fort Steuben, and, with the garrison of that fort, joined the forces at Vineennes under Major Hamtramck, who proceeded up the Wabash as far as the Vermillion River, destroying villages, but without finding an enemy to oppose him.
General Harmar, with 1,450 men, marched from Fort Washington to the Maumee, and began punishing the Indians, but with little success. The expedition marehed from Fort Washington September 30, and returned to that place November 4, having lost during the expedition 183 men killed and thirty- one wounded.
General Harmar's defeat alarmed as well
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as aronsed the citizens in the frontier counties of Virginia. They reasoned that the sav- ages' success would invite an invasion of frontier Virginia.
A memorial to this effect was presented before the State General Assembly. This memorial caused the Legislature to anthorize the Governor to use such means as he might deem necessary for defensive operations.
The Governor called upon the western counties of Virginia for militia; at the same time Charles Scott was appointed Brigadier- General of the Kentucky militia, now pre- paring for defending their frontier.
The proceedings of the Virginia Legisla- ture reaching Congress, that body at once constituted a board of war consisting of five men. March 9, 1791, General Knox, Secre- tary of War, wrote to General Scott reeom- mending an expedition against the Indians on the Wabashı.
General Scott moved into the Indian set- tlements, reached the Wabash; the Indians principally fled before his forces. IIe de- stroyed many villages, killed thirty-two war- riors and took fifty-eight prisoners; the wretched condition of his horses prevented further pursuit.
March 3, 1791, Congress invested Govern- or St.Clair with the command of 3,000 troops, and he was instructed by the Secretary of War to march to the Miami village and es- tablish a strong and permanent military post there. The Secretary of War gave liim strict orders, that after establishing a permanent base at the Miami village, he seek the enemy with all his available force and make them feel the effects of the superiority of the whites.
Previous to marching a strong force to the Miami town, Governor St. Clair, June 25, 1791, authorized General Wilkinson, witlı 500 mounted men, to move against the In- dians on the Wabash. General Wilkinson
reported the results of this expedition as fol- lows: " I have destroyed the chief town of the Ouiatenon nation, and have made prisoners of the sons and sisters of the King; I have burned a Kiekapoo village, and cut down 400 acres of corn in the milk."
EXPEDITIONS OF ST. CLAIR AND WAYNE.
The Indians had been seriously damaged by Harmar, Scott and Wilkinson, but were far from subdued. The British along the Canada frontier gave them much encourage- inent to continue the warfare.
In September, 1791, St. Clair moved from Fort Washington with a force of 2,000 men and a number of pieces of artillery, and No- vember 3 he reached the headwaters of the Wabash, where Fort Recovery was afterward erected, and here the army camped, consist- ing of 1,400 effective men; on the morning of November 4 the army advanced and en- gaged the Indians 1,200 strong.
The Americans were disastrously defeated, having thirty-nine officers and 539 men killed and missing, twenty-two officers and 232 men wounded. Several pieces of artil- lery and all their provisions fell into the hands of the Indians; estimated loss in prop- erty, $32,000.
Although no particular blame was attached to Governor St. Clair for the loss in his ex- pedition, yet he resigned the office of Major- General, and was succeeded by Anthony Wayne, a distinguished officer of the Revo- lutionary war.
General Wayne organized his forces at Pittsburg, and in October, 1793, moved west- ward from that point at the head of an army of 3,600 men.
Ile proposed an offensive campaign. The Indians, instigated by the British, insisted that the Ohio River should be the boundary between their lands and the lands of the
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United States, and were sure they could maintain that line.
General Scott, of Kentucky, joined General Wayne with 1,600 mounted men. They erected Fort Defiance at the month of the Auglaize River. August 15 the army moved toward the British fort, near the rapids of the Maumee, where, on the morn- ing of August 20, they defeated 2,000 Indians and British almost within range of the guns of the fort. About 900 American troops were actually engaged. The Ameri- cans lost thirty-three killed and 100 wound- ed, the enemy's loss being more than double. Wayne remained in that region for three days, destroying villages and erops, then re- turned to Fort Defiance, destroying every- thing pertaining to Indian subsistenee for many miles on each side of his route.
September 14, 1794, General Wayne moved his army in the direction of the de- serted Miami villages at the confluence of St. Joseph's and St. Mary's rivers, arriving October 17, and on the following day the site of Fort Wayne was selected. The fort was completed November 22, and garrisoned by a strong detachment of infantry and artillery commanded by Colonel John F. Hamtramck, who gave to the new fort the name of Fort Wayne. General Wayne soon after con- cluded a treaty of peace with the Indians at Greenville, in 1795.
ORGANIZATION OF INDIANA TERRITORY.
On the final success of American arms and diplomaey in 1796, the principal town within the present State of Indiana was Vincennes, which comprised fifty houses, presenting a thrifty appearance. Besides Vineennes there was a small settlement near where Law- reneeburg now stands. There were several other small settlements and trading-posts in the present limits of Indiana, and the num-
ber of civilized inhabitants in the Territory was estimated at 4,875.
The Territory of Indiana was organized by act of Congress, May 7, 1800, the material features of the ordinance of 1787 remaining in foree, and the inhabitants were invested with all the rights and advantages granted and secured by that ordinance.
The seat of government was fixed at Vin- cennes. May 13, 1800, William Henry HIar- rison, a native of Virginia, was appointed Governor, and John Gibson, of Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Territory; soon after Will- iam Clark, Henry Vanderburg and John Griffin were appointed Territorial Judges.
Governor Harrison arrived at Vincennes January 10, 1801, when he called together the Judges of the Territory to pass such laws as were deemed necessary for the new govern- ment. This session began March 3, 1801.
From this time to 1810, the principal sub- jects which attracted the citizens of Indiana were land speculations, the question of Afri- ean slavery, and the hostile views and pro- ceedings of the Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, and his brother, the Prophet.
Up to this time the Sixth Article of the ordinance of 1787, prohibiting slavery, had been somewhat neglected, and many French settlers still held slaves; many slaves were removed to the slave-holding States. A ses- sion of delegates, elected by a popular vote, petitioned Congress to revoke the Sixth Ar- ticle of the ordinance of 1787. Congress failed to grant this, as well as many other similar petitions. When it appeared from the result of a popular vote in the Territory, that a majority of 138 were in favor of organizing a General Assembly, Governor Harrison, Sep- tember 11, 1804, issued a proclamation, and called for an election to be held in the several connties of the Territory, January 3, 1805, to choose members of a House of Represent-
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atives, who should meet at Vincennes Feb- rnary 1. The delegates were elected, and assembled at the place and date named, and perfected plans for Territorial organization, and selected five men who should constitute the Legislative Council of the Territory.
The first General Assembly, or Legisla- ture, met at Vincennes July 29, 1805. The members constituting this body were Jesse B. Thomas, of Dearborn County; Davis Floyd, of Clark County; Benjamin Park and John Jolinson, of Knox County; Shad- rach Bond and William Biggs, of St. Clair County, and George Fisher, of Randolph County.
July 30 the Governor delivered his first message to the Council and House of Repre- sentatives. Benjamin Park, who came from New Jersey to Indiana in 1801, was the first delegate elected to Congress.
The Western Sun was the first newspaper published in Indiana, first issued at Vin- cennes in 1803, by Elihn Stout, of Kentucky, and first called the Indiana Gazette, and changed to the Sun July 4, 1804.
The total population of Indiana in 1810 was 24,520. There were 33 grist-mills, 14 saw-mills, 3 horse-mills, 18 tanneries, 28 distilleries, 3 powder-mills, 1,256 looms, 1,350 spinning wheels. Value of woolen, cotton, hemp and flaxen cloths, $159,052; of cotton and woolen spun in mills, $150,000; of nails, 30,000 pounds, $4,000; of leather, tanned, $9,300; of distillery products, 35,950 gallons, 816,230; of gunpowder, 3,600 pounds, $1,800; of wine from grapes, 96 barrels, $6,000, and 50,000 pounds of maple sugar.
During the year 1810, a commission was engaged straightening out the confused con- dition of land titles. In making their report they, as did the previous commissioners, made complaints of frauds and abuses by officials connected with the land department.
The Territory of Indiana was divided in 1809, when the Territory of Illinois was erected, to comprise all that part of Indiana Territory west of the Wabash River, and a direct line drawn from that river and Vin- cennes due north to the territorial line be- tween the United States and Canada. For the first half century from the settlement of Vincennes the place grew slowly.
The commandants and priests governed with almost absolute power; the whites lived in peace with the Indians.
The necessaries of life were easily pro- cured; there was nothing to stimulate energy or progress. In such a state of society there was no demand for learning and science; few could read, and still fewer could write; they were void of public spirit, enterprise or ingennity.
GOVERNOR HARRISON AND THE INDIANS.
Immediately after the organization of In- diana Territory, Governor Harrison directed lis attention to settling the land claims of Indians. He entered into several treaties with the Indians, whereby, at the close of 1805, the United States had obtained 46,000 square miles of territory.
In 1807 the Territorial statutes were re- vised. Under the new code, the crimes of treason, murder, arson and horse-stealing were made punishable by death; burglary, robbery, hog-stealing and bigamy were punish- able by whipping, fine and imprisonment.
The Governor, in his message to the Leg- islature in 1806, expressed himself as belier- ing the peace then existing between the whites and the Indians was permanent. At the same time he alluded to the probability of a disturbance in consequence of enforce- ment of law as applying to the Indians.
Although treaties with the Indians defined boundary lines, the whites did not strictly
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observe them. They trespassed on the In- dian's reserved rights, and thus gave him just grounds for his continnous complaints from 1805 to 1810. This agitated feeling of the Indians was utilized by Law-le-was-i-kaw, a brother of Tecumseh, of the Shawnee tribe.
He was a warrior of great renown, as well as an orator, and had an unlimited influence among the several Indian tribes.
IIe used all means to concentrate the com- bined Indian strength to annihilate the whites. Governor Harrison, realizing the progress this Prophet was making toward opening hostilities, and hoping by timely action to check the movement, he, early in 1808, sent a speechi to the Shawnees in which he advised the people against being led into danger and destruction by the Prophet, and informed them that warlike demonstrations must be stopped.
Governor Harrison, Tecumseh and the Prophet held several meetings, the Governor charging them as being friends of the British, they denying the charge and protesting against the further appropriation of their lands.
Governor Harrison, in direet opposition to their protest, continued to extinguish Indian titles to lands.
While the Indians were combining to pre- vent any further transfer of lands to the whites, the British were actively preparing to use them in a war against the Americans.
Governor Harrison, anticipating their de- signs, invited Tecumseh to a council, to talk over grievances and try to settle all differ- enees without resort to arıns.
Accordingly, August 12, 1810, Tecumseh, with seventy warriors, marched to the Gov- ernor's house, where several days were spent without any satisfactory settlement. On the 20th, Tecumseh delivered his celebrated speech, in which he gave the Governor the
alternative of returning their lands or meet- ing them in battle. In his message to thie Legislature of 1810, the Governor reviewed the dangerous attitude of the Indians toward the whites as expressed by Tecumseh. In the same message he also urged the establish- ment of a system of education.
In 1811 the British agent for Indian af- fairs adopted measures calculated to seeure the Indians' support in a war which at this time seemed inevitable.
In the meantime Governor IIarrison used all available means to counteract the British influence, as well as that of Tecumseh and the Prophet, with the Indians, but without suc- cess.
The threatening storm continued to gather, receiving increased force from various causes, until the Governor, seeing war was the last resort, and near at hand, ordered Colonel Boyd's regiment to move to Vincennes, where a military organization was about ready to take the field.
The Governor, at the head of this expedi- tion, marehed from Vincennes September 26, and eneamped October 3 near where Terre IIaute now stands. Here they completed a fort on the 28th, which was called Fort Har- rison. This fort was garrisoned with a small number of men under Lieutenant Miller.
Governor Harrison, with the main army, 910 men, marched to the Prophet's town on the 29th, where a conference was opened, and the Indians plead for time to treat for peace; the Governor gave them until the following day, and retired a short distance from the town and encamped for the night. The In- dians seemed only to be parleying in order to gain advantage, and on the morning of No- veinber 7, at 4 o'clock, made a desperate charge into the camp of the Americans. For a few moments all seemed lost, but the troops soon realizing their desperate situation, fought
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with a determination equal to savages. The Americans soon routed their savage assail- ants, and thins ended the famous battle of Tippecanoe, victoriously to the whites and honorably to General Harrison.
The Americans lost in this battle thirty- seven killed and twenty-five mortally wound- ed, and 126 wounded. The Indians left thirty-eight killed on the field, and their faith in the Prophet was in a measure destroyed. November 8 General Harrison destroyed the Prophet's town, and reached Vincennes on the 18th, where the army was disbanded.
The battle of Tippecanoe secured peace but for a short time. The British continued their aggression until the United States de- clared war against them. Tecumseh had fled to Canada, and now, in concert with the Brit- ish, began inroads upon the Americans. Events of minor importance we pass here.
In September, 1812, Indians assembled in large numbers in the vicinity of Fort Wayne with the purpose of capturing the garrison. Chief Logan, of the Shawnee tribe, a friend to the whites, succeeded in entering the fort and informing the little garrison that General Harrison was coming with a force to their relief, which nerved them to resist the furious savage assaults.
September 6, 1812, Harrison moved with his army to the relief of Fort Wayne. Sep- tember 9 IIarrison, with 3,500 men, camped near the fort, expecting a battle the follow- ing day. The morning of the 10th diselosed the fact that the enemy had learned of the strong force approaching and had disappeared during the previous night.
Simultaneous with the attack on Fort Wayne the Indians also besieged Fort Har- rison, then commanded by Zachariah Taylor, and succeeded in destroying considerable property and getting away with all the stock. About the same time the Indians massacred
the inhabitants at the settlement of Pidgeon Roost.
The war now being thoroughly inaugurated, hostilities continued throughout the North- west between the Americans and the British and Indians combined. Engagements of greater or less magnitude were of almost daily occurrence, the victory alternating in the favor of one or the other party.
The Americans, however, continued to hold the territory and gradually press back the enemy and diminish his numbers as well as his zeal.
Thus the war of 1812 was waged until De- cember 24, 1814, when a treaty of peace was signed by England and the United States at Ghent, which terminated hostile operations in America and restored to the Indiana set- tlers peace and quiet, and opened the gates for immigration to the great and growing State of Indiana as well as the entire North- west.
CIVIL MATTERS.
The Legislature, in session at Vincennes February, 1813, changed the seat of govern- inent from Vincennes to Corydon. The same year Thomas Posey, who was at the time Senator in Congress, was appointed Governor of Indiana to succeed Governor Harrison, who was then commanding the army in the field. The Legislature passed several laws necessary for the welfare of the settlement, and General Harrison being generally suc- cessful in foreing the Indians back from the settlements, hope revived, and the tide of im- migration began again to flow. The total white population in Indiana in 1815 was es- timated at 63,897.
GENERAL REVIEW.
Notwithstanding the many rights and privileges bestowed upon the people of the Northwestern Territory by the ordinance of
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1787. they were far from enjoying a full form of republican government. A freehold estate of 500 acres of land was a necessary qualification o become a member of the Legislative Council. Each member of the House of Representatives was required to possess 200 acres of land; no man could cast a vote for a Representative but such as owned fifty acres of land. The Governor was in- vested with the power of appointing all civil and militia officers, judges, clerks, county treasurers, county surveyors, justices, etc. IIe had the power to apportion the Repre- sentatives in the several counties, and to convene and adjourn the Legislature at his pleasure, and prevent the passage of any Territorial law.
In 1809 Congress passed an act empow- ering the people of Indiana to elect their Legislative Council by a popular vote; and in 1811 Congress abolished property qualifi- cation of voters, and declared that every free white male person who had attained to the age of twenty-one years, and paid a tax, should exercise the right of franchise.
The Legislature of 1814 divided the Terri- tory into three judicial circuits. The Gov- ernor was empowered to appoint judges for the same, whose compensation should be $700 per annum.
The same year charters were granted to two banking institutions, the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of Madison, authorized cap- ital $750,000, and the Bank of Vincennes, $500,000.
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