USA > Indiana > Knox County > Vincennes > History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 18
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the Protestant, cemetery he expressed surprise. He was accompanied to the Protestant cemetery, and the neglected grave hunted up, and after cut- ting the briars and scraping away the moss on the plain slab lying on the grave, we found the date of his death erroneously given. This satisfied us that the plain slab had been placed there by some good Samaritan not ac- quainted with the facts connected with his death. In the remarkable will executed in his declining years it is provided that after death `his body should be disposed of in any manner his executors might see proper. This clause particularly caused remarks and his friends doubted his sanity at the time of its execution. He died at the home of Betsy La Plante, who lived in a rented frame house on the southwest side of Main street, midway be- tween Fourth and Fifth streets. She was a poor French woman and at- tended him in his last sickness and until his death, March 22, 1836, and never received any compensation for her services. He was buried in the Protestant cemetery on March 23, 1836, with the honors of war."
During the earlier years of his life Colonel Vigo was an important factor in the affairs of Kaskaskia as well as Vincennes. After Clark's arrival and capture of Kaskaskia, "it was a very difficult matter," says Judge Law, "to induce the French inhabitants of the place to take the continental scrip which Clark and his soldiers had brought along with them; and it was not until after Colonel Vigo went there and gave his guaranty for its redemption that they would generally receive it. Peltries and piastres were the only currency known to these simple and unsophisticated Frenchmen. They could neither read nor write, and Colonel Vigo had great difficulty in ex- plaining the operations of this new financial arrangement to them. 'Their commandants never made money,' was the only reply to the Colonel's ex- planation of the policy of the Old Dominion in these issues. But notwith- standing the Colonel's guaranty, the paper was not in good credit, and ulti- mately became very much depreciated. The Colonel had a trading establish- ment in Kaskaskia after Clark's arrival. Coffee was one dollar per pound. The poor Frenchman coming to purchase was asked 'what kind of pay- ment he intended to make for it?' 'Douleur,' said he. And when it is recol- lected that it took about twenty continental dollars to purchase a silver dollars' worth of coffee, and that the French word 'douleur' signifies 'grief' or 'pain,' perhaps no word, either in the French or English languages, ex- pressed the idea more correctly, than 'douleur' for 'continental dollars.' At any rate, it was truly 'douleur' to the Colonel, for he never received a single dollar in exchange for the large amount he had taken in order to sustain Clark's credit. The above anecdote I had from the Colonel's own lips."
It has long been a mooted question with historians as to whether Clark sent Vigo from Kaskaskia to Vincennes to supply Helm with provisions, or to ascertain the exact strength of the British post, or whether Vigo just happened to be at the Old Post on a business mission when he acquired, and subsequently communicated, the important information relative to the Brit- ish stronghold here, which proved of such vital importance to Clark. Mr.
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English, with whom the writer agrees, says Vigo was sent by Clark to look after the needs of Captain Helin, and that Clark had no knowledge of Ham- ilton's presence at Vincennes at the time. Consul Wilshire Butterfield, the learned historian, writes rather voluminously on Vigo's visit to Vincennes at that time, and the circumstances that occasioned it, taking issue with sev- eral of his contemporaries, and placing a different construction from them on the language pertaining to the events as set forth in the memoirs of Clark. This historian even denies the capture of Vigo and the fact that Vigo was taken before Hamilton as a prisoner, assailing the authenticity of the generally accepted story, thus making fiction of what have been hither- to considered facts. Mr. Butterfield says :*
"In Law's Vincennes (pp. 26-30), there is an extended account of Vigo's visit to Vincennes and his return, which is replete with errors. ... Law adds subsequently (p. 55), more errors : 'It was entirely through the means of Father Gibault that Hamilton released Col. Vigo,' etc. . ... The errors of Judge Law to be especially noted and guarded against are: (1) There were no reinforcements soon to be sent from Detroit to Vincennes after Gov. Abbott's departure. (2) Capt. Helm was not in command of Fort Sack- ville without a single soldier under him. (3) Vigo did not go to Vincennes at the request of Clark-was not sent there by the latter. (4) Vigo was not seized by the Indians, plundered of everything he had and taken a prisoner before Hamilton. (5) Vigo was not paroled by Hamilton in Vincennes. (6) Hamilton did not release Vigo upon any condition whatever, or at the request of any persons-he simply escaped from Vincennes, where Hamil- ton had detained him and on his way to St. Louis called upon Clark at Kaskaskia."
Continuing at length in this vein of criticism, Mr. Butterfield concludes his comments, relative to Vigo's visit to Vincennes, as follows:t
" ... Mann Butler, who, while writing his History of Kentucky, was in communication with Vigo, says (p. 70) : 'After all his successes with the Indians, Col. Clark began to entertain great apprehensions for St. Vincents (Vincennes). No news had been received for a considerable length of time from that place, till on the 29th of January, 1779, Col. Vigo, then a mer- chant in partnership with the governor of St. Louis, now (1834) a venerable and highly respectable citizen of Vincennes, brought intelligence that Gov- ernor Hamilton had marched an expedition from Detroit, which had in De- cember captured St. Vincents, and again reduced it under the power of the British.' That January 29th was the day Vigo reached Clark there can be no doubt. Bowman's Journal in the archives of the Department of State, Washington-(Letters to Washington, vol. 33, p. 90). Clark to Mason- Clark's Campaign in Illinois, p. 62. Dillon's Indiana (ed. of 1859), p. 137.
* Butterfield, Conquest of George Rogers Clark's Conquest of the Illinois and Wabash Towns, 1778-1779, pp. 689, 690, 691, 692.
1 Butterfield, History of George Rogers Clark's Conquest of the Illinois and the Wabash Towns, 1778-1779, pp. 686, 687, 688, 689.
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In Bowman's Journal as printed in Clark's campaign in the Illinois, p. 99, the date is given as the 27th, but this is an error. In a letter dated February 3d, written by Clark to the governor of Virginia he speaks of Vigo's ar- rival the day previous (Calendar of Virginia State Papers, Vol. I, pp. 315- 316) ; but this is explained from the circumstances that the letter was in reality written January 30th. Concerning Vigo's visit to Vincennes and his subsequent calling on Clark in Kaskaskia, the latter says: (1) 'Yester- day, I fortunately got every intelligence that I could wish for by a Spanish gentleman who made his escape from Mr. Hamilton.' (Letter to the Governor of Virginia from Kaskaskia, Feb. 3 [Jan. 30] 1779-Calendar of Virginia State Papers, vol. I, pp. 315-316). (2) 'But in the height of the hurry, a Spanish merchant who had been at St. Vincents (Vincennes) arrived and gave the following intelligence' (Letter to the Gov. of Va., April 29, 1779, from Kaskaskia-Jefferson's Works, Vol. I, p. 22211). (3) 'In the height of our anxiety, on the evening of the 29th of January, 1779, Mr. Vigo, a Spanish merchant, arrived from St. Vincents (Vincennes), and was there at the time of its being taken [by Hamilton] and gave me every intelligence I could wish to have.' (Letters to Mason, Nov. 19, 1779-Clark's Cam- paign in the Illinois, pp. 62, 63.) (4) 'On the 29th of January, 1779, in the height of the hurry, a Spanish merchant, who had been at Post Vincennes arrived and gave the following intelligence.' (Clark's memoir in Dillon's Indiana (ed. of 1859), p. 137.] Bowman's Journal in the Dept. of State MSS., has this to say of Vigo's arrival, of the information he imparted to Clark: 'Mr. Vigo, a Spanish subject, who had been at Post St. Vincent (Vincennes) on his lawful business, arrived (Jan. 29, 1779) and gave us in- telligence that Gov. Hamilton and thirty regulars with fifty French volun- teers and about four hundred Indians, had come last Nov. (Dec.) and taken that fort with Capt. Helm and several other Americans, who were there, with a number of horses designed for the settlement of Kentucky, etc.'"
Mr. Butterfield, in the same connection, further remarks: "But Rey- nolds (see his Pioneer History, p. 101, edition 1887) says 'Vigo was sent to Vincennes by Clark as a spy ; that he was captured by the Indians and taken to Hamilton, who suspected the character of his mission; and that he was released on the ground of being a Spanish subject, and having influential friends among the French residents.' The only assertion in this that is not error (and that one is stated inferentially) is that Vigo had influential friends among the French residents."
It is presumed that Mr. Butterfield knows what he is "talking about," and, likewise, Mr. Reynolds, and it is also presumed that Judge Law knew what he was talking about when he published in his Colonial History of Vincennes (edition 1858 pp. 28, 29) the statement he gave expression to in a public address nineteen years previous, when he said, in reference to Col- onel Vigo's visit to Vincennes: "When on the Embarrass river he was seized by a party of Indians, plundered of everything he possessed, and brought a prisoner before Hamilton, then in possession of the place, which,
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with his troops, he had a short time before captured, holding Captain Helm a prisoner of war. Being a Spanish subject, and consequently a non-com- batant, Governor Hamilton, although he strongly suspected the motives of his visit, dared not confine him; he accordingly admitted him to his parole, on the single condition, that he should daily report himself at the fort," etc. Judge Law was a personal friend of Colonel Vigo. The two men were frequently in one another's society, and it would be strange, in- deed, if they failed to confide in each other. Judge Law says Colonel Vigo had "the most powerful memory he ever knew." It is, therefore, reasonable to suppose that when Law questioned Vigo with reference to his visit to Vincennes, his capture, and subsequent release, the loyal Spaniard vividly recalled every incident bearing relation to these events. At any rate, there was nothing bombastic, sensational or spectacular about Colonel Vigo. He was not guilty of magnifying things, and his recital of his experiences was no doubt given without any attempt at coloring. Judge Law was a high- minded, honorable gentleman, and loved the truth too well to distort it. What he, as well as many other eminent historians have said in reference to Colonel Vigo's capture by Indians on the Embarrass, and his subsequent ap- pearance before Hamilton as a prisoner and his release, will stand, at least until controverted by evidence more substantial than a mere affirmation un- supported by material facts. This in reference to Vigo's capture and de- tention. Judge Law is frequently quoted by some of the most reliable his- torians of the country, and all that he has written or said on colonial history is regarded by them as being authentic. Law had better facilities than Butterfield for gathering the true facts in the case, and, consequently, was less liable to err in his presentation of them.
Among his stanchest friends Colonel Vigo reckoned John Badollet, and the ties of affection which bound the two men were only severed by the grave. Their separation, however, was of short duration, as it was only a year after Colonel Vigo sought "his chamber in the silent halls of death" until he was joined in the realms beyond by the spirit of his bosom companion. John Badollet was foremost among the citizens of his day, and the many virtues he possessed will continue to be recalled by the people of Old Vincennes for a long time to come. He was a native of Switzerland, and was born in the city of Geneva in the year 1758. His father was a Lutheran minister, and the son inherited from him a spirit of goodness and benevolence which characterized all his acts. While not overzealous in church work, but dispensing charity lavishly and unostentatiously, he was a devout Christian and never lost an opportunity to attend religious devotions. Badollet and Albert Gallatin were natives of the same town in Switzerland, and an attachment formed between them in their youth ripened into the most fervent friendship after they became citizens of the United States. Both young men arrived in this country in the year 1776, Gallatin coming over several months in advance of Badollet, and later sending the latter money by which he was enabled to make the trip. Their destination was
JOHN BADOLLET
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some settlement in the state of Pennsylvania, where they located and formed a copartnership in business. While residents of the province of Pennsyl- vania both were honored with positions of trust. Mr. Gallatin was subsequently given a portfolio in the cabinet of President Jefferson, and Mr. Badollet, at the request of Mr. Gallatin, took up his residence at Vin- cennes, where, through the personal influence of the latter, he was several years later appointed registrar of the public land office. The faithfulness with which he discharged his official duties is attested by the fact that during all of his administration of the exacting and complicated requirements of that office, extending over a period of nearly thirty-five years, his work was prac- tically errorless, and he never invited the criticism of his superiors, nor in- curred the displeasure of a patron. He continued to hold the responsible position of registrar until the year 1836, when he resigned, his son Albert becoming his successor. John Badollet acted in the capacity of one of the commissioners to adjust land grants in the district of Vincennes, receiving his commission from the United States government. In 1816 he was one of the members of a convention that framed the first constitution of the state of Indiana, and a conspicuous and prominent figure of that distin- guished body, engrafting into the celebrated document some of its wisest provisions. As a member of the convention of Indiana, he was placed on the most important committees, proving himself always wise, resourceful and considerate in the promulgation of laws. John Badollet was a man close to the hearts of the people and by them frequently had thrust upon him official honors he did not seek. Among the important public positions he was called upon to fill was that of a member of the board of trustees of the Vincennes university. Colonel Vigo was also one of the trustees of the university, and both received their appointment at the same time, in the year 1806, and aided in the organization of the first board created for the government of that institution. On the chapel walls of the university is a crayon drawing of these two men, reproduced from oil paintings of the originals, enclosed in a single frame, suggestive of the close relationship ex- isting between them.
The Western Sun* of 'August 5, 1837, contains the following mention of Mr. Badollet : "Died, on Saturday, the 29th of July, 1837, in this place, John Badollet, Esq., aged eighty-two years. Mr. Badollet was for a num- ber of years registrar of the land office in this place, which situation he re- signed some time last year. He was a member of the convention that framed the constitution of Indiana, and in every situation in life was honest, faithful and just. He lived without an enemy and died regretted and mourned by all."
John Badollet had the distinction of having been the first registrar of the first public land office established in the west, and received his appoint- ment in 1804. In 1836, as already stated, he was succeeded by his son
* The Western Sun, Centennial Edition, July 4, 1904.
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Albert, who held the position until March, 1840. The latter's successors, with date of the beginning of their respective terms, were as follows: Dr. H. Decker, April, 1844; John Meyers, 1845; James S. Mayes, January, 1847; John C. Clark, 1849; John R. Jones, 1853; James S. Mayes, Septem- ber, 1856. For some reason, not definitely known today, the office was closed June 12, 1850, and reopened by an order from the executive head of the department of public lands April 23, 1853, when the appointment of Jones as registrar was made. In December, 1861, the office was abolished.
The first receiver of the land office at Vincennes was Nathaniel Ewing, grandfather of William L. Ewing, Jr., who received his appointment in May, 1807. Nathaniel Ewing was another of the pioneer citizens who was honored with position and power. He was a man of sterling worth, wealthy and influential, and an evidence of his honesty and ability in the discharge of the duties of his position is had in the fact that he was allowed to hold the office through the workings of four or five different administrations, volun- tarily tendering his resignation in 1824. His immediate successor was John Cleves Simms Harrison, son of Governor Harrison, who took charge in February, 1824. He was succeeded by John D. Wolverton, June, 1830; he by James P. Drake, August, 1834; he by John Love, July, 1838; he by Thomas Scott, March, 1841 ; he by Samuel Wise, the uncle of Messrs. Louis and John B. Wise, who are the only male descendants of this numerous and prominent pioneer family now living. The successor of Mr. Wise was R. N. Carnan, father of William Carnan ; he by John C. Heberd, great uncle of William Heberd; he by J. H. E. Sprinkle, father of Wythe Sprinkle; he by George E. Greene, father of Ex-Mayor Greene. The last receiver was the late Abner T. Ellis, who took charge of the office in January, 1861. On December 20th of that year the office was permanently closed. Mr. Ellis at this time was one of Vincennes' most prominent citizens, and held the important position of president of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. He was a brilliant lawyer, a refined and highly educated gentleman, and lived in an elegant colonial mansion on Second street, now the home of the Pastime Club. Judge Ellis' daughter, Miss Lucy, was the acknowledged belle of Vincennes in the early sixties, her personal charms and rare accom- plishments winning her a legion of admirers.
When the land office was discontinued in 1853 nearly all of the public domains in Indiana had been disposed of-"and that was the reason," says Dr. Sunth, "for the closing of the establishment here at that time ; but some swamp and hilly lands were yet owned by Uncle Sam, and the office was reopened by executive order to make a finale disposition of them. To facili- tate the sale of these waste lands, congress passed a special act, reducing the price of them to twelve and a half cents per acre. There were many superior small tracts scattered over the state termed 'lost lands,' where no owners were visible, and many swamp lands that could be easily reclaimed, hence there was soon a rush to the Vincennes land office, and soon there was done, in this city, truly a 'land office business;' for home-seekers and
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speculators crowded the office in real Oklahoma style, and but a few months elapsed until all the lands in the state were entered, and Vincennes ceased to be the Mecca of land brokers. In less than fifty-five years nine-tenths of the wild Indian lands of this vast Indiana territory have been retrieved by the Caucasian race, through the hands of industry and thrift, and advanced to the present pinnacle of civilization, refinement and power, and until 'Hoosierdom' is at a premium in science, literature and art."
CHAPTER XV.
THE CONCEPTION OF CLARK'S NORTHWESTERN CAMPAIGN
GEORGE ROGERS CLARK LEAVES VIRGINIA TO BECOME A CITIZEN OF KENTUCKY- A TOWER OF STRENGTH WITH PEOPLE OF ADOPTED STATE-ELECTED TO LEG- ISLATURE-URGES NEEDS OF HIS CONSTITUENTS BEFORE GOVERNOR HENRY AND LEGISLATURE-PROCURES GUNPOWDER FROM VIRGINIA FOR PROTECTION OF KENTUCKY SETTLEMENTS-THE VOYAGE WITH THE AMMUNITION- REVEALS TO GOVERNOR PATRICK HENRY PLANS OF HIS PROPOSED CAM- PAIGN AGAINST BRITISH IN NORTHWEST TERRITORY-EXPEDITION LEAVES CORN ISLAND UNDER DISTRESSING CONDITIONS-THE VOYAGE DOWN THE OHIO TIIE MARCH FROM FORT MASSAC TO KASKASKIA-THE BEWILDERED GUIDE-ARRIVAL OF CLARK AND HIS MEN AT KASKASKIA-THE SURPRISED NATIVES-CAPTURE OF TIIE FORT-ROCHBLAVE, COMMANDANT, TAKEN PRISONER TO VIRGINIA-COUNCILS WITII TIIE INDIANS.
The conquest of the Northwest Territory furnished a great drama of change, revealing Vincennes, alternately, in the grasp of three of the most powerful nations upon the face of the globe, and creating four characters which stand forth with distinctive boldness and striking individuality. First and foremost among them is George Rogers Clark, in a role calling for a dis- play of patriotic and heroic acting so powerful, impressive, eloquent and thrilling, so replete with terrible realism, that the fulsome comments of some historical critics but convey a faint conception of its marvelous interpreta- tion. Pierre Gibault and Francis Vigo are two other personages who ap- pear in the full flare of the lime-light of commendation, and the echoes from the stinted plaudits they elicited while on the stage of action will gather strength with the passing years and continue to resound in the mental cor- ridors of coming generations as long as patriotism and love of country re- main holy themes with the American people; while the fourth character- Henry Hamilton-conspicuous only because of the plutonian shades that surround it, will grow darker and more fiendish the oftener the bloody scenes and incidents of the powerful historical tragedy are recalled.
To comment upon the magnitude, as well as magnificence of design, the perseverance and zeal preceding its inauguration, the valor and patriotism displayed in its consummation, the bravery and skill and tact required in
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its execution, and the momentous results to the whole nation following the last act in the great drama without first giving a formal introduction to the chief actor, would be to slight the author, commander and executive head of an expedition that is unparalleled in the military annals of the old or new world.
George Rogers Clark was born in Albermarle County, Virginia, of Eng- lish and Scotch parents, in 1752. His early education was obtained in the log school houses of the Old Dominion. In the studies of mathematics and geography he was very proficient, his application to these branches no doubt being stimulated by a desire to adopt surveying as a profession, an avocation that would enable him to satiate an innate desire for adventure; and he quitted school at the age of seventeen fully equipped for the work. It was not long thereafter until the confines of his native county became too small for him, and in 1775 his love for adventure and gain led him for the third time across the mountains into Kentucky. He had, prior to this time, com- manded a company of militia in Dunmore's war, and his army experience, together with the pursuits of a surveyor, had imparted to his fine physique additional strength and agility and a soldierly bearing, while his counte- nance. aglow with vigor and health, denoted the activity of a mind filled with noble and inspiring thoughts .* Returning to the home of his father in the fall of that year, he was importuned to do military service with the Virginia Continentals in the east, but the wild fascinations of the trackless wilder- nesses he had just visited created such a longing within him to return that he refused to accept the tempting offer of an army officer's commission. The spring of 1776 found him again plodding the mountain passes and path- less forests towards Kentucky, which he proposed to make his future home, that he might more readily be enabled to realize his dream of empire and formulate the plot for enacting the great drama of change in the Northwest Territory, in which fate had cast him to play such an important part. While his penetrating mind unfolded to his mental vision the resourcefulness of the vast country that lay beyond the Ohio river, and he had already con- jured up in his youthful brain the plan for acquiring it, his first thoughts were of the people of Kentucky and those from his own state who had pre- ceded, and were yet to follow, him into the wilds of a country which at that
* Quite a number of historians, who have written learnedly and exhaustively on the exploitations of George Rogers Clark, make no reference to the physical appear- ance of the man. Governor Reynolds, however, is a notable exception, and in his splendid Pioneer History of Illinois describes our hero thusly: "Colonel Clark him- self was nature's favorite, in his person as well as mind. He was large and athletic, capable of doing much; yet formed with such noble symmetry and manly beauty that he combined much grace and elegance, together with great firmness of character. He was grave and dignified in his deportment; agreeable and affable with his soldiers, when relaxed from duty ; but in a crisis-when the fate of his campaign was at stake, or the lives of his brave warriors were in danger-his deportment became stern and severe. His appearance, in these perils, indicated, without language, to his men, that every soldier must do his duty."
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