USA > Indiana > Centennial history and handbook of Indiana : the story of the state from its beginning to the close of the civil war, and a general survey of progress to the present time > Part 3
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The settlement on Corn Island consisted of a sufficient number of rude cabins built from the timber growing on the island, and it took on the character of a real "settlement" by virtue of the families that had thus far accompanied the expe-
Early Indiana Types .- From Dillon's History of Indiana.
dition, which were now apportioned ground for gardens, and an interesting passage in "Clark's Memoir" is to the effect that when word was carried back to the people on the Monongahela "great numbers moved down," and that this was "one of the principal causes of the rapid progress of the settlement of Kentucky."
Clark lingered at Corn Island the better part of June, 1778, still hoping to swell his little force. but with disheartening results. According to William H. English, who is the leading au-
* The name, which was adopted after Clark's occupancy, seems to have been borrowed from a tradition that the first corn in that region was raised there. The island is described as a nar- row tract about four-fifths of a mile long by five hundred yards at its greatest breadth. If it now existed the Pennsylvania rail- road bridge from Jeffersonville to Louisville would pass directly over it. A heavy timber growth originally protected it from the ravages of the river, but with the removal of this protection, it gradually disappeared until washed away entirely. Colonel R. T. Durrett, of Louisville, did what he could to get that city to pro- tect the historic spot, but without avail.
* Clark's Memoir.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY AND HANDBOOK OF INDIANA
thority on all relating to this campaign, "it is probably a fair conclusion that Clark brought with him to the falls about one hundred and fifty men : that thirty-five or forty were added to his forces while at the falls ; that he left not exceed- ing ten guards on Corn Island and took with him on the Kaskaskia campaign about one hundred and seventy-five men. It is possible that the officers should be added to the number, but it is the author's belief that the effective force with him in the campaign against Kaskaskia did not at any time exceed two hundred, which was cer- tainly less than half the number he at one time expected."*
Further Difficulties; Clark's Determination. -Clark's own words reveal at once the situation and the character of the man. "I was sensible," he says, "of the impression it would have on many, to be taken near a thousand (miles) from the body of their country to attack a people five times their number, and merciless tribes of In- (lians, then allies and determined enemies to us. I knew that my case was desperate, but the more I reflected on my weakness the more I was pleased with the enterprise."
To quote Mr. English again: "He had en- countered unexpected obstacles and disappoint- ments from the time his recruiting commenced. He had estimated that the complete success of his enterprise required a force of five hundred men. . and here he was with less than two hundred. It was a turning point, not only in his life, but, possibly, in the destiny of his country, for if the expedition had broken up then who knows what would have been the future of the vast territory northwest of the Ohio river, or where would have been the present boundaries of the United States? . He realized that inaction was now his greatest dan- ger, and that an immediate movement against the enemy was the best and only way to hold his forces and win success."
Clark Divulges His Real Object; Attempts at Desertion .- It was not until the eve of the day set for departure that Clark divulged to his men his real object. He says :
"After my making known my instructions almost every gentleman espoused the enterprise and plainly saw the utility of it, and supposed
they saw the salvation of Kentucky almost in their reach; but some repined that we were not strong enough to put it beyond all doubt. The soldiery in general debated on the subject, but determined to follow their officers. Some were alarmed at the thought of being taken at so great a distance into the enemy's country, that if they should have success in the first instance they might be attacked in their posts without a possi- bility of getting succor or making their retreat. Some dissatisfaction was discovered in Captain Dillard's company, consequently the boats were well secured and sentinels placed where it [ was] thought there was a possibility of their wading from the island. My design was to take those from the island down on our way who would not attempt to desert, but got out- generaled by their lieutenant, whom I had previ- ously conceived a very tolerable opinion of. They had, by swimming in the day, discovered that the channel opposite their camp might be waded, and a little before day himself and the greater part of the company slipped down the bank and got to the opposite shore before they were discovered by the sentinels. Vexed at the idea of their escape in the manner they did, as one of my principal motives for taking post on the island was to prevent desertion, and intending to set out the next day I was undetermined for [a] few minutes what to do, as it might take a party several days to overtake [them], and, having no distrust of those who remained, the example was not immediately dangerous, but might prove so hereafter ; and recollecting that there was a num- ber of horses [belonging] to gentlemen from Harrodsburg, I ordered a strong party to pursue them, and for the foot and horse to relieve each other regularly, and so put to death every man in their power who would not surrender. They overhauled them in about twenty miles. The de- serters, discovering them at a distance, scattered in the woods ; only seven or eight were taken. The rest made their way to the different posts ; many who were not woodsmen almost perished. The poor lieutenant and the few who remained with him, after suffering almost all that could be felt from hunger and fatigue, arrived at Har- rodstown. Having heard of his conduct [ they ] would not, for some time, suffer him to come into their houses nor give him anything to eat. On
* "Conquest of the Northwest."
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY AND HANDBOOK OF INDIANA
the return of the party the soldiers burnt and hung his effigy."*
THE ILLINOIS CAMPAIGN
The Outlook .- The first objective of Clark's general campaign was Kaskaskia and two or three minor posts on the Mississippi river within the present State of Illinois. The departure of the little army of less than two hundred men from Corn Island on June 24, 1778, properly marks the beginning of a military adventure that for reckless courage, heroic performance, good luck and great results hardly finds a parallel. The force the leader had counted on as necessary to success was hardly more than half filled out, and the difficulties to be met were an unknown quantity, though enough was known to make the invasion with the force at hand seem, by every probability, a foolhardy adventure. Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Vincennes were, or were supposed to be, well fortified points, equipped with troops and cannon ; that these English troops would be re-enforced by the French inhabitants of those settlements was more than likely, and a yet more formidable factor to reckon with was the Indians, who were numerous about the French towns and almost certain to be hostile to the Americans. Collectively, English, French and Indians were numerous enough to swallow up the little band of audacious invaders. Clark's own words, in his "Memoir," show that he believed Vincennes alone to have contained "near four hundred militia, with an Indian town adjoining and great numbers continually in the neighborhood." Add to all, as an influence on the morale of the sol- diers, they were bound for wilderness regions "near a thousand miles from the body of their country," where in case of reverses, their chances for getting back were exceedingly slender. It was, indeed, as one historian expresses it, "a dangerous and doubtful mission."
A Spectacular Start .- The appreciation of the dangers was doubtless quickened by the very first experience of the men as they left Corn Island in their boats-that of shooting the falls of the Ohio, which was a feat by no means free from risk ; and as if all things conspired to breed awe. an almost total eclipse of the sun cast its weird
gloom over the visible world while the hazardous trip was made down the boiling rapids ; which, as Clark says, "caused various conjectures among the superstitious."
Whatever the effect on the superstitious, how- ever, it nowise deterred the expedition, which from the moment of starting proceeded with a vigor and celerity that was well symbolized by that preliminary rush down the rapids, the jour- ney down the river being pushed day and night by relays of oarsmen. Fearful of the strength of Vincennes and mingling caution with his courage, Clark resolved to first attack the settlements on the Mississippi river, the reason being that he might, in case of reverse, escape into Spanish ter- ritory across the river : or, if successful. he might. as he expressed it. "pave our way to the posses- sion of Post St. Vincent." The first objective point was Kaskaskia. on the Mississippi, in what is now Randolph county, Illinois, and in order to avoid detection in the approach, the plan was to debark before reaching the Mississippi and march across country northwestward, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles.
A Wilderness March and the First Success. -This plan was carried out. Four days and nights of rowing brought them to a point on the Ohio below the mouth of the Tennessee river. known as Fort Massac, a former French strong- hold that had been abandoned. This place had formerly been connected with Kaskaskia by an old French military road that was now mostly obliterated, and this was to be Clark's land route. though it seems to have been little better than no road. Fortunately, at their debarking place they fell in with a party of hunters, and one of these was utilized as a guide over the obscure trace. As there were no pack horses, the men had to carry such impedimenta as was necessary to their maintenance on the way, and thus handi- capped, suffering sometimes from thirst and hun- ger. they marched for six days over a rough wilderness country. On the evening of the Fourth of July they approached their goal. after ten consecutive days of strenuous labor and hard- ships, having been without food the latter part of the march. They entered the place by night. undiscovered, found access to the garrison, which "was so fortified that it might have successfully fought a thousand men," and without the firing . of a gun captured town, fort and soldiers. The
* Memoir. The editorial brackets are in English's work.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY AND HANDBOOK OF INDIANA
surprise of the garrison was as sudden and com- plete as that of Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen, and the boldness with which Clark took control of the streets of the town cowed the French inhabitants utterly. Among the latter the belief had been fostered that Americans were little better than savages. Nothing short of savage treatment and expulsion from their homes was anticipated, and the next day a delegation of citizens, headed by the priest, waited humbly upon Clark with the pathetic request that they be allowed to take leave of each other; that families be not sep- arated, and that the women and children be per- mitted to keep their clothes and a small quantity of provisions. The conqueror diplomatically let this fear work for a while, then deftly won them over and strengthened his position by the assur- ance that they might have all the rights and lib- erties of American citizens, further imparting to them the news that the king of France had joined with the Americans in this war with England. As a result of this, Clark tells us, "The scene was changed from an almost mortal dejection to that of joy in the extreme-the bells ringing, the church crowded, returning thanks; in short, every appearance of extravagant joy that could fill a place with almost confusion."
Further Operations on the Mississippi .- This was an auspicious beginning for the con- quest of the northwest, but it was only a begin- ning. Further up the Mississippi were three other French settlements-Prairie du Roche, St. Philips and Cahokia-that had to be reckoned with, and Clark, with characteristic vigor, at once despatched one of his officers, Major Jo- seph Bowman, with thirty men mounted on horses that belonged to the French, to surprise those points. Their capture was facilitated by a number of the Kaskaskians who had friends and relatives at the places named, and who ac- companied Bowman, much elated with their newly-acquired importance as American citizens. The success of this expedition was complete. There was no resistance. Possession was taken of the fort which had been established at Ca- hokia, the principal town, and before Bowman's return nearly three hundred additional French- men had taken the oath of fidelity to the United States .*
Father Gibault and Vincennes .- These oper- ations, which may be regarded as constituting the first chapter of Clark's campaign, put him in possession of the Illinois country ; but Vincennes and the Wabash country were of equal impor- tance. From the French priest, Father Gibault, he learned that the British commandant there, Governor Abbott, had gone with his force on some business to Detroit, and this informant, who was won over completely to the American cause, suggested that with his influence Vin- cennes might be secured without even the trouble of an expedition against it, his proposition being that he go thither as an emissary. The plan pleased Clark, and ten days after the taking of Kaskaskia, Gibault, a Doctor Lafont and their retinue departed for the Wabash post. Arriving there, a day or two spent in explaining matters sufficed, and the inhabitants repaired in a body to the church, there to take the oath of allegiance and assume the status of American citizens. To further win their confidence, an officer was elected from their own number, and the fort was garrisoned with the citizen soldiery, under the American flag. The report of this success to Clark he speaks of in his "Memoir" as "joyful news," for he adds, "without the possession of this post all our views would have been blasted." Subsequently, he sent one of his officers, Captain Leonard Helm, to take command of the fort, and Captain Bowman was put in charge at Cahokia.
An Interval of Diplomacy .- The seven months intervening between the capture of Kas- kaskia and the final march against Vincennes seem quiet and uneventful by comparison with the more brilliant performances of the cam- paign, but during that time Clark was demon- strating in another way his eminent capacity for the work in hand. The region north of the Ohio had to be held as well as captured, and the estab- lishing of amicable relations with the French and Indian inhabitants were quite as essential as spectacular victories when it came to permanent possession. The policy observed toward the French has already been indicated briefly. It was, in the first instance, the cultivation of a wholesome fear, by which Clark gained and held the ascendency, and, in the second, an exercise of justice and friendliness that quite won the simple-minded Gallic woodsmen, who had no great reason to love English rule. A more diffi-
* Bowman's letter to George Brinker.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY AND HANDBOOK OF INDIANA
cult task was to establish an influence with the Indians, who were not only many in number, but separated into tribes and distributed over a vast territory, and who, in large part, had already come under English influence. It was here that Clark revealed a sagacity of method that would hardly have been possible to one with a less inti- mate knowledge of Indian character. In his "Memoir" he devotes considerable space to these Indian transactions, affording interesting glimpses of this sort of diplomacy and of the characters of both Clark and the savages. The thing that made it possible was the bold inroad, the vigor and the decisive successes of the "Big Knives," as the Americans were called. The French and Indians were closely in touch, and the news of the operations at the French settle- ments not only speedily traveled far and wide through the wilderness, but was made duly im- pressive by the French traders, who in this re- spect became valuable allies to the conquerors. As a consequence, the various tribes, ignorant of the invader's real force and apprehensive of his power, took the first step toward conciliation, and, as we are told, "came in great numbers to Cahokia in order to make treaties of peace with us."*
Clark's Mastery of the Indians .- Putting the garrison at Kaskaskia in charge of a Captain Williams, Clark devoted his time to these treaties, which, he says, "were probably conducted in a way different from any other known in America at that time." The custom had been to conciliate the savages with a great display of presents, thus as- suming a suing attitude that was often construed as fear. Aside from the fact that he had no presents to give, that was not Clark's policy. He met them with the lordly demeanor of a con- queror, and while he observed the elaborate cere- monies so dear to the savage heart, he kept his ascendency at every turn of the diplomatic game. His blunt directness and his fairness had their effect, and his perfect fearlessness-a trait that is respected above all others by the Indian-made him master of the situation. An instance may be cited to illustrate this. Cahokia was full of Indians from at least a dozen different tribes. and Clark privately confesses that he was "un- der some apprehension among such a number of devils," but if so the "devils" never knew it.
Soon after his arrival one of the bands laid plans to murder his guards and carry him off bodily. and the attempt, or its first motion, rather, was actually made in the dead of night, but was frus- trated by his vigilance. The town was stirred up and some of the conspirators caught. Clark, as- suming an air of indifference, simply said that. as they had disturbed the peace of the place, the townsmen could do with them as they saw fit.
OF
CAPTURED BY DOL. GEO ROGERS-CLARK FROM THE ERINS- FEB 25. 1779.
PESULILIG NITHE US ACQUIRING THE GREAT NORTHWEST TERRITOR EMBRACING THE STATES OF
Monument Marking the Site of Fort Sackville, Located at Vincennes. Captured by Col. George Rogers Clark, February 25. 1779.
but privately he directed that the chiefs of the band be arrested and put in irons; which was done by the French inhabitants, thus prov- ing their new allegiance. Thus manacled, these chiefs were brought to the council day after day, but not permitted to speak. Finally, their irons were taken off and Clark condescended to say to them that, though their conduct deserved death, yet he regarded them as "only old women, too mean to be killed by the 'Big Knives'." He
* Clark's Memoir.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY AND HANDBOOK OF INDIANA
told them that so long as they remained they should be treated as squaws, and when they were ready to go home, provisions would be given them, as women did not know how to hunt ; with which he turned from them with contemptuous indifference. This drastic humiliation was, per- haps, the most scathing punishment that could be visited upon an Indian brave, and the agitated chiefs tried to approach him with a speech and a pipe of peace, but he declined to hear them, broke the pipe and told them that "the 'Big Knife' never treated with women, and for them to sit down . and not be afraid."
The next move astonished even Clark. After a "most lamentable speech," two young braves of the band were offered to be put to death as an atonement for the guilt of all. Of this in- cident Clark quaintly says: "It would have sur- prised you to have seen how submissively those two young men presented themselves for death, advancing into the middle of the floor, sitting down by each other and covering their heads with their blankets to receive the tomahawk. This stroke prejudiced me in their favor, and for a few moments I was so agitated that I don't doubt but that I should, without reflection, have killed the first man that would have offered to have hurt them."*
The upshot of this was quite on a par with the poetical justice usually observed in fiction. Clark ordered the two heroic young warriors to rise, greeted them as men, and then and there conferred on both of them the degree of chief, presented them as such to the French and some Spanish gentlemen who were present, and had the garrison salute them.
Following the attempt to kidnap Clark, and while the effect upon the other Indians was yet uncertain, he simulated the utmost indifference to danger, remaining in his lodgings away from the fort, apparently without guard, though really with fifty armed men concealed in the building, and even assembling a number of the citizens for a dance the night following the dis- turbance.t The result of it all was a vast in- crease of prestige, and his reputation as a great chief spread far and wide.
During these treaties at Cahokia, which con- tinned through the mouth of September, 1778,
an "amazing number of savages," as Clark ex- presses it, attended, some of them coming a dis- tance of five hundred miles, and in his letter to Mason, as many as ten tribes are specified be- sides others included in a general reference.
Captain Helm at Vincennes .- Meanwhile, Captain Helm at Vincennes ably seconded the work of Clark by successful treaties with the Indians of the Wabash, chief among these being the Piankeshaws, whose village was adjacent to Vincennes, and whose chief, Tobacco's Son, a man of considerable standing in the country, proved to be a stanch friend to the Americans un- til his death.
OPERATIONS AGAINST VINCENNES
Work Accomplished ; Governor Hamilton on the Scene .- These and other diplomatie pro- ceedings and a few minor events occupied the autumn of 1778 and served to very much lessen the influence of Governor Hamilton, of Detroit, among the Indians. Otherwise it may well be doubted whether Clark, with all his capacity and resourcefulness, could have held the possessions he had gained. But now other troubles were brewing. Word had traveled to Governor Ham- ilton, of Detroit, of the occupancy of the Wabash and Illinois country ; unknown to Clark, he had organized a military force for the recapture of the lost territory, and now, swooping down by way of the Wabash on the feeble garrison at Vincennes, he had again planted the British flag there. This was about the middle of December.
An Alarm; Clark's Uncertainty .- The first knowledge Clark had of it was in January when the alarming report followed him to one of the French villages that the British were marching on Kaskaskia. The oncoming army proved to be a scouting party from Vincennes that, on discovery, turned promptly back, but it confirmed a suspicion in Clark's mind aroused by the fact that for some time he had received no word from Captain Helm. It in- vested the situation with a new danger. How strong a force Hamilton might have he did not know, and it was more than probable that a march against Kaskaskia would be next in or- der. His own position was disheartening. News of his success had been sent to the seat of gov- ernment in Virginia and he had expected rein-
ยท Letter to Mason.
+ Clark's letter to Mason.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY AND HANDBOOK OF INDIAN.A
forcements, but not even a word in return had he received. The term of enlistment of his men having expired, and his instructions being silent on this and other contingencies that arose he had tided over these difficulties by, as he says, "usurp- ing all the authority necessary to carry my points." But his military force had been de- pleted until there were but little more than a hundred of the American soldiers, and how far the French militia could be depended on when it came to a real test was problematical.
settlements of Kentucky and the whole western frontier was contemplated.
A Critical Situation .- All that Clark had done bade fair to be undone, with worse to fol- low. To a weaker man it might have looked like a lost cause, but Clark's resolution and prompt action in the matter is one of the proofs of his essential greatness as a military leader. His chances of reinforcement from Virginia were slight as against the chance of Hamilton's army being augmented by Indians to an over-
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34
Hutchins' Map of the Original "Indiana." 1778. This map precedes the organization of Indiana Territory by twenty-two years. It covers a considerable part of what is now West Virginia. ( See page 41. for detail -. )
A Friend From Vincennes-Francis Vigo .- In the midst of this uncertainty as to Hamilton and his intentions there hailed fresh from Vin- cennes Francis Vigo, a friendly Spaniard, with full news of the situation there to the effect that Hamilton had an army of six hundred men, consisting of British regulars, Canadian French and Indians ; that his emissaries were diligently at work among the Indians, both north and south of the Ohio; that an attack would be made on Kaskaskia in the spring (the intervening coun- try being considered now too difficult of pas- sage), and that a further campaign against the
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