USA > Indiana > Huntington County > History of Huntington County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 7
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Spain planted a colony in Florida in 1565; the French settled Port Royal, Nova Scotia, in 1605, and two years later the English colony at. Jamestown, Virginia, was established by a company chartered by the crown. The French then extended their settlements up the St. Law- rence River and along the shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie. Before the middle of the seventeenth century, Jesuit missionaries and fur traders had pushed their way westward into the very heart of the Indian
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country. In 1660 a mission was founded by Father Mesnard at or near Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the same year Father Claude Allouez made his first pilgrimage into the interior. Upon his return to Quebec, two years later, he urged the authorities there to encourage the establishment of missions among the Indians, each mission to be accompanied by a colony of French immigrants, but it does not appear that his recom- mendations were acted upon, or that any effort was made to establish permanent settlements in the region he had visited. After a short stay in Quebec, Father Allouez made a second journey to the country about the Great Lakes, and this time he was accompanied by the missionaries Claude Dablon and James Marquette.
In the year 1671 Father Marquette founded the Huron Mission at Point St. Ignace. The next year the region south of that mission was visited by Alloucz and Dablon. In their explorations they met the chicfs and head men of the tribes that then inhabited the country about the head of Lake Michigan and are supposed to have traversed that part of Indiana lying north of the Kankakee River. These Jesuit missionaries were probably the first white men to visit the territory claimed by the Miami Indians, though some writers state that Robert Cavalier, Sicur de la Salle, crossed the northern part of Indiana on the occasion of his first attempt to discover the Mississippi River in 1669. This is quite likely an error, as the Jesuit Relations give an apparently well-authen- ticated account of a voyage made by La Salle down the Ohio River in 1669-70. If La Salle and his associates landed on the right bank of the Ohio during that voyage, they were doubtless the first white men to set foot upon Indiana soil. In his report of his voyage down the Ohio, La Salle mentions "a very large river (the Wabash) coming into it from the north."
In 1671 or 1672 La Salle crossed the northwest corner of the state, and in 1673 Marquette and Joliette crossed over from Mackinaw to the Mississippi River, which they descended as far as the Indian Village of Akamsea, not far from the mouth of the Arkansas River. Six years later La Salle established Fort Miami "at the mouth of the St. Joseph River of Lake Michigan, then called the River Miamis." This fort was destroyed by deserters in the spring of 1680, but the following January it was rebuilt "on the right bank of the river at its mouth." After several futile attempts, La Salle succeeded in descending the Missis- sippi River to its mouth, where on April 6, 1682, he laid claim to all the territory drained by the great stream and its tributaries in the name of France, giving to this vast domain the name of Louisiana, in honor of the French king. This claim included Huntington County, as well as the entire State of Indiana.
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The claim of France was not yielded by other European nations without a contest. Spain claimed the interior of the North American continent through the discoveries and expeditions of Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto, and the English laid claim to the same region because of royal grants of land "extending westward to the South Sea." The claims of both Spain and England were ignored by the French, however, and that nation began the work of building a line of posts through the Mississippi valley to connect their canadian settlements with those along the gulf coast near the mouth of the great river. In July, 1701, Cadillac founded the post of Detroit. The next year Sieur Juchereau and Father Mermet were commissioned to establish a post and mission "at or near the mouth of the Ohio River." Some historians have endeavored to show that this post was located where the City of Vincennes, Indiana, now stands, but the known facts do not bear out such a statement, even though the exact location of the post is not certain.
There appears to be considerable uncertainty as to when and where the first post was established within the present State of Indiana. There is a vague account of a French post having been founded at the head of the Maumee River, where the City of Fort Wayne is now situated, as early as 1672. This is probably an error, as old maps of the Wabash Valley bearing date of 1684 show no posts within the present limits of the state. Goodrich & Little's History of Indiana says: "It is certain that Post Miami (Fort Wayne) was established in 1705," but the authors give no corroborative evidence that such was the case.
Quiatenon was situated on the Wabash River, eighteen miles below the mouth of the Tippecanoe River and not far from the present City of Lafayette. W. H. Smith's History of Indiana (p. 17) says: "The best record is that this was the first post established in what is now Indiana by the French. No effort was ever made to plant a colony there, but it became in time quite a prominent trading point. There are reasons why this point should have been selected as the best pos- sible place for the establishment of a post. It was the largest village of the Quiatenon Indians, was in the center of the beaver country, and was easily accessible. It was, also, the head of navigation, so to speak, on the Wabash. That is, it was where the cargoes had to be transferred, owing to the rapids in the river, from the large canoes which were used on the lower Wabash, to the smaller ones that were used between Quiatenon and the portage to the Maumee. For trading purposes no better place on the Wabash could have been selected."
Vincennes is universally conceded to be the oldest permanent settle- ment in the state, but the date of its establishment is veiled in the same uncertainty as that which attaches to other posts. There is a tradition Vol. I-4
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that some French traders located there about 1690, married Indian wives and in time induced other Frenchmen to locate there, but La Harpe's journal, which gives a rather comprehensive account of the events that occurred in the Mississippi Valley from 1698 to 1722, makes no mention of such a settlement. David Thomas, of New York, visited Vincennes about the time Indiana was admitted into the Union as a state, and after making investigations wrote: "About the year 1690 the French traders first visited Vincennes, at that time a town of the Piankeshaw Indians, called Cip-pe-kaugh-ke. Of these the former obtained wives and raised families. In the year 1734 several French families emigrated from Canada and settled at this place. The first governor, or command- ant, was M. St. Vincent, after whom the town was named."
In another place in his manuscript Thomas gives quite a different account of the founding of the post and the name of the commandant. Says he: "About the year 1702, a party of French from Canada de- scended the Wabash river and established posts at several places on its banks. The party was commanded by Captain St. Vincennes, who made this his principal place of deposit, which went for a long time by no other same than 'The Post.' "'
The reader will notice the difference in the name of the founder as given by Thomas, as well as the date of the establishment of the post. In one place he says it was M. St. Vincent and in another it is given as Captain St. Vincennes. His real name was Francois Margane (or Morgan) de Vincennes, but the date when he first visited the Wabash Valley is not definitely settled. Dillon, in his History of Indiana, says: "It is probable that before the year 1719 temporary trading posts were erected at the sites of Fort Wayne, Quiatenon and Vincennes. These posts had, it is believed, been often visited by traders before the year 1700."'
Dillon is regarded as good authority. If his statement is correct, it is more than likely that some of the early traders visited what is now Huntington County before the beginning of the eighteenth century, and they may have traded trinkets for furs where the City of Huntington now stands. The forks of the Wabash, about two miles west of the city, was a favorite spot for Indian councils and gatherings at a very early date, and though there is no evidence that a post was ever located there, it is not beyond the limits of possibility that some of the early French explorers stopped there on their voyages up and down the river and formed friendly relations with the Miami Indians.
General Harmar visited Vincennes in 1787 and wrote to the secre- tary of war that the inhabitants informed him that the post had been established sixty years before. This would indicate that the town was
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founded about 1727, which is perhaps not far from the correct date. Monette says it was settled in 1735, and Bancroft agrees that date is "not too early."
The conflicting claims of the French and English culminated in what is known in history as the French and Indian war. In 1759 Quebec was captured by the British and the following year the French government surrendered all the posts in the interior. Soon after the surrender Major Rogers, an English officer, took possession of the post at Detroit and sent detachments of troops to the posts at Fort Wayne and Quiatenon. By the Treaty of Paris, February 10, 1763, all that part of the Province of Louisiana lying east of the Mississippi was ceded to Great Britain, and what is now the State of Indiana became subject to British domination.
In April, 1763, a great council of Indians was held near Detroit, at which the Ottawa chief, Pontiac, known as "high priest and keeper of the faith," one of the greatest Indian orators of his day, revealed to his fellow chiefs the will of the Great Master of Life, as expounded by the Delaware prophet, and called upon them to unite with him in a grand uprising for the expulsion of the hated British, the recovery of their hunting grounds and the preservation of their national life. He showed them how the English were in undisputed control of the lands along the Atlantic coast and pointed out that the region about the Great Lakes and the broad valley of the Ohio were still in the hands of the Indians. He was wise enough to see that between these two sections the Allegheny Mountains formed a natural boundary, behind which he urged the Indian chiefs to assert the Red Man's supremacy. Taught by the defeat of the French that he could expect no assistance from that people, he depended entirely upon the loyalty of his own race to carry out his plan. His oratory and logic won the day. Encouraged by other chiefs, when informed that the English were coming to take possession of the posts surrendered by the French, he sent back the defiant message: "I stand in the way !"
Pontiac's warriors captured the posts at Fort Wayne and Quiatenon, but the one at Vincennes was not molested, because it was still held by a French garrison, with which Pontiac was on friendly terms. His war ended, however, as all contests end in which an inferior race attempts to resist the onward march of a superior one, and the subjection of the Indian tribes was made more complete by Colonel Bouquet's march into the interior of the country, forcing the natives to enter into treaties to keep the peace. On October 10, 1765, St. Ange, the French commander at Vincennes, turned over the post to a detachment of British soldiers, under command of Captain Sterling, who immediately promulgated a
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proclamation prepared by General Gage formally taking possession of all the territory ceded to Great Britain by the Paris treaty. From that time until the beginning of the Revolutionary war, the English established but few posts in their new possessions, but those at Fort Wayne, Quia- tenon and Vincennes were strengthened and at the commencement of the Revolution were occupied by small garrisons, the British depending largely upon the strength and loyalty of their Indian allies to prevent the colonists from encroaching upon the Ohio Valley-a mistaken idea, as the history of subsequent events will show.
In December, 1777, Gen. George Rogers Clark presented to the Virginia Legislature a plan for the capture of the British posts in the Northwest, particularly . those at Kaskaskia, Vincennes and Detroit. Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia, approved Clark's plan, and the Assembly appropriated £1,200 to defray the expenses of a campaign against the posts. Clark made his preparations with the greatest secrecy, and early in the spring of 1778 four companies of infantry, commanded by Capt. Joseph Bowman, John Montgomery, William Harrod and Leonard Helm, rendezvoused at Corn Island, in the Ohio River, opposite the present City of Louisville. On June 24, 1778, this little army em- barked in small boats and drifted down the Ohio River to Fort Massac. There the boats were concealed and the march overland toward Kas- kaskia was commenced. That post capitulated on the 4th of July, with- out a struggle, and Clark sent Captain Bowman against the post of Cahokia, near the present City of East St. Louis, which also surrendered without resistance.
Encouraged by these two bloodless victories, Clark began his prep- arations for the reduction of Vincennes. At Kaskaskia he learned that Father Gibault, a French priest, was favorable to the American cause and determined to enlist his co-operation. A conference was arranged with the priest, who admitted his sympathy for the American colonies, but on account of his calling declined to become an active participant in a movement which might subject him to severe criticism and destroy his usefulness in the church. Nevertheless, he recommended a Doctor Lafonte, whom he knew to be both capable and reliable, to conduct the negotiations for the surrender of Vincennes, and even promised to act as adviser to Doctor Lafonte if he could do so without exposure. Accord- ingly, Doctor Lafonte explained to the French people living at Vincennes that they could break the yoke of British domination by taking the oath of allegiance to the American cause. This they did cheerfully, and sur- prised the Indians in the vicinity by displaying a new flag over Fort Sackville, which guarded the post. They explained to the Indians that their old father, the King of France, was once more in control, and was
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mad at them for forming an alliance with the English, advising them at the same time to make peace with the Americans to prevent their lands from being deluged with blood. Captain Helm was sent to take command of the post, but this proved to be a barren victory.
In October, 1778, the Virginia Legislature formally assumed au- thority over the territory conquered by Clark and passed an act provid- ing that "All citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, who are already settled, or shall hereafter settle, on the northwestern side of the River Ohio, shall be included in a distinct county, which shall be called Illinois county," etc. By this act the states of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio were claimed by the Colony of Virginia. Before the provisions of the act could be applied to the newly conquered territory, Henry Hamilton, the British lieutenant-governor at Detroit, started down the River Wabash with a force of 480 men-30 regulars, 50 volunteers and 400 Indians-to rein- force the posts. On December 15, 1778, he recaptured the post at Vin- cennes, the American garrison at that time consisting of Captain Helm and one man, though this little garrison of two refused to surrender until promised the honors of war. Immediately after the surrender the French citizens were disarmed and before many days a large force of hostile Indians began to assemble near the post.
Clark was now in a perilous position. His army, never very strong, was weaker than when he left Corn Island in June, and it was essential that part of his force should be detailed to hold the posts already cap- tured. It was in the dead of winter, he was far removed from his base of supplies, provisions were scarce, and there were no roads open through the country over which his men must march on foot against Vincennes. Yet, in the face of all these difficulties, Clark refused to abandon his campaign. When he learned, late in January, 1779, that Hamilton had weakened his garrison by sending his Indian allies against the frontier settlements, he resolved to attack the post. Hamilton's object was to collect a large body of Indians at Vincennes early in the spring, and, as soon as the weather would permit, drive out the Americans. Knowing this to be the plan of the British commander, Clark realized that prompt action was imperative. He therefore built a large galley or bateau, called the "Willing," which left Kaskaskia on February 1, 1779, with a supply of ammunition and provisions, two four-pounder cannon, four swivel guns and forty-six men, under orders to drop down the Missis- sippi and ascend the Ohio and Wabash to Vincennes as quickly as possible.
With the remaining 170 men available for the purpose, Clark began the march of 160 miles across the country. His men were frequently compelled to wade through creeks and marshes where the water came
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up to their waists, but all obstacles were overcome, and on the morning of February 18, 1779, the little army was near enough to hear the report of the sunrise gun at Fort Sackville. For three days Clark waited in the swamps for the arrival of the "Willing." A hunter from the fort was captured, and from him Clark learned that Hamilton had but eighty men in the fort. Fearing the return of some of the Indians before the Willing put in an appearance, Clark determined to attack at once. On the morning of the 21st two canoes were secured, in which the men were ferried over the Wabash. Clark then wrote the following proclamation, which he sent to the people of Vincennes by the hunter who had been captured a few days before :
"To the Inhabitants of Post Vincennes :-
"Gentlemen : Being now within two miles of your village with my army, determined to take your fort this night, and not being willing to surprise you, I take this method to request such of you as are true citizens and willing to enjoy the liberty I bring you, to remain still in your houses ; and those, if any there be, that are friends of the king, will instantly repair to the fort and join the hair-buyer general and fight like men. And if any such as do not go to the fort shall be discovered afterward, they may depend on severe punishment. On the contrary, those who are true friends to liberty may depend on being well treated ; and once more request them to keep out of the streets. For every one I find with arms on my arrival, I shall treat him as an enemy.
"G. R. CLARK."'
Clark's allusion to Hamilton as the "hair-buyer general" had ref- erence to that officer's attempt to incite the savages to greater cruelty by placing a price upon the scalps of white settlers and the colonial troops.
In his report on the expedition, Clark says that he had various ideas on the supposed results of his proclamation. He watched the mes- senger enter the village, and saw that his arrival there "created some stir," but was unable to learn the effects of his communication. . A short time before sunset he marched his men out where they could be seen. In his report of this movement, he says: "In leaving the covert that we were in, we marched and countermarched in such a manner that we appeared' numerous."
The ruse was further strengthened by the fact that Clark had several stands of colors, which were fastened to long poles and carried in such a manner that they could be seen above the top of the low ridge, behind which his "handful of men" were performing their maneuvers, thus creating the impression that he had several regiments at his command. A number of horses had been captured from duck-hunters near the post. These were now mounted by "orderlies," who rode about in various
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directions as though engaged in carrying orders from the commanding general to his subordinates. One of these orderlies would disappear behind one of the ridges and soon a flag would appear above the crest, moving toward a common center. Occasionally strains of martial music could be heard as the "regiments" took their places in the formation for the attack.
These evolutions were kept up until dark, when Clark moved out and took a position in the rear of the village-that is, on the side farthest away from the Wabash River. Lieutenant Bayley was ordered to take fourteen men and open the attack on the fort. One man in the garrison was killed in the first volley. A number of the citizens, who had managed to keep their arms concealed from the British, came out and joined the besiegers. This addition to his forces enabled Clark to extend his lines until the fort was surrounded. After a siege of two days and three nights, Clark demanded a surrender on the morning of the 24th, when he sent the following message to Hamilton :
"If I am obliged to storm, you may depend on such treatment as is justly due a murderer. Beware of destroying stores of any kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession-for, by heavens ! if you do, there shall be no mercy shown you."
Hamilton replied that he was "not to be awed into doing anything unworthy of a British soldier," and the firing upon the fort was renewed. Clark's men were all skilled in the use of the rifle, and they did not waste their ammunition. Their bullets found their way through every crack and crevice with deadly effect. Some of the soldiers begged for permis- sion to storm the fort, but Clark felt that it was much safer to adhere to his tactics of harassing Hamilton until he was ready to surrender. He had not long to wait, for in a little while a flag of truce was displayed above the walls of the fort and Hamilton asked for an armistice of three days. Clark, suspecting that Hamilton was merely hoping to delay oper- ations until some of his Indians would hear of the siege and come to his relief, promptly refused to grant the request. The British commander then asked Clark to come into the fort for a parley. Some officers might have acceded to this request, but Clark was not of that class. He refused thus to place himself within his enemy's power, but offered to meet Ham- ilton for a conference at the church, some eighty yards from the fort. As there was nothing else to be done, the British commander, accompanied by Captain Helm, who was a prisoner, came out to the church. Again he asked for a suspension of hostilities for three days and again his request was flatly denied, Clark informing him that the only terms he considered was "Surrender at discretion." This was a bitter pill to the haughty Briton, but it had to be swallowed. The fort, with all its stores, arms
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and munitions of war, passed into the hands of the Americans and the next morning the people of Vincennes saw the Stars and Stripes floating from the flagstaff.
Two days later the Willing arrived, and with this addition to his force Clark felt that he could hold the post against any body that might attempt to recapture it. Learning that some supplies were on the way down the Wabash to Hamilton, Clark sent out a detachment to intercept the boats and prevent their turning back, in case the men in charge of them heard of the surrender. On the 29th about $50,000 worth of goods were thus captured and added to the supplies that had been surrendered with the fort.
Clark's army had been so weakened by the arduous campaign, and Washington and his generals were conducting such a vigorous campaign against the British in the East, that reinforcements could not be ob- tained, hence the movement toward Detroit had to be postponed. In 1780 a French officer named La Balme, who had come over with La Fayette, enrolled a force of about sixty men at Vincennes and Kaskaskia and marched up the Wabash River, with the intention of capturing the post at Fort Wayne, after which he would increase his force and move against Detroit. His expedition was not encouraged by the authorities, but late in the summer he set out on his mission. This expedition passed up the Little River, through what is now Huntington County, to the portage between that stream and the St. Mary's, descending the latter to the Indian Village of Kekionga (Fort Wayne), which was found deserted, the Indians and traders having fled at the approach of La Balme. After plundering the stores of the traders, the expedition retired down the Little River to the mouth of the Aboite Creek, about four miles east of the present Town of Roanoke, where a camp was established. The In- dians, upon learning that many of La Balme's men were French-a nation with which the Miamis had always been on friendly terms-were disposed to let the incident pass without further notice, but the traders, chagrined at their losses, finally succeeded in inciting them to attack the camp. A strong force of warriors, led by Little Turtle, surrounded the camp, and in the fight that ensued every man of La Balme's little expedition was killed. This battle was fought but a short distance east of the present County of Huntington.
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