USA > Indiana > Knox County > Vincennes > History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
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"Brothers: Listen to me. I speak to you about matters of importance, both to the white people and to yourselves. Open your ears, therefore, and attend to what I shall say. Brothers, this is the third year that all the white people in this country have been alarmed at your proceedings. You threaten us with war; you invite all the tribes to the north and west of you to join against us. Brothers, your warriors who have lately been here deny this; but I have received the information from every direction. The tribes on the Mississippi have sent me word that you intended to murder me, and then to commence a war upon our people. I have also received the speech you sent to the Pottawattomies, and others, to join you for that purpose; but if I had no other evidence of your hostility to us, your seizing the salt I lately sent up the Wabash is sufficient. Brothers, our citizens are alarmed, and our warriors are preparing them- selves, not to strike you, but to defend themselves and their women and children. You shall not surprise us as you expect to do. You are about to undertake a very rash act. As a friend, I advise you to consider well of it; a little reflection may save us a great deal of trouble, and prevent much mischief; it is not yet too late. Brothers, what can be the inducement for you to undertake an enterprise when there is so little probability of success? Do you really think that the handful of men you have about you are able to contend with the Seventeen fires ?- or, even that the whole of the tribes united could contend against the Kentucky fire alone? Brothers, I am myself of the Long Knife fire. As soon as they hear my voice you will see them pouring forth their swarm of hunting-shirt men as numerous as mosquitoes on the shores of the Wabash. Brothers, take care of their stings. Brothers, it is not our wish to hurt you. If we did, we certainly have power to do it. Look to the number of our warriors to the east of you, above and below the Great Miami; to the south, on both sides of the Ohio, and below you also. You are brave men, but what could you do against such a multi- tude? But we wish you to live in peace and happiness. Brothers, the citizens of this country are alarmed. They must be satisfied that you have no design to do them mischief, or they will not lay aside their arms. You have also insulted the government of the United States by seizing the salt that was intended by other tribes. Satisfaction must be given for that also. Brothers, you talk of coming to see me, attended by all of your young men. This, however, must not be so. If your intentions are good you have no need to bring but a few of your young men with you. I must be plain with you. I will not suffer you to come into our settlements with such a force. Brothers, if you wish to satisfy us that your intentions are good, follow the advice I have given you before-that is, that one or both of you should visit the President of the United States, and lay your grievances before him. He will treat you well, will listen to what you have to say and, if you can show him that you have been injured, you will
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receive justice. If you will follow my advice in this respect it will convince the citi- zens of this country, and myself, that you have no design to attack them. Brothers, with respect to the lands that were purchased last fall I can enter into no negotiations with you on that subject. The affair is in the hands of the President. If you wish to go and see him I will supply you with the means. Brothers, the person who delivers this is one of my war officers. He is a man in whom I have entire confidence. What- ever he says to you, although it may not be contained in this paper, you may believe comes from me. My friend Tecumseh, the bearer is a good man and a brave war- rior. I hope you will treat him well. You are yourself a warrior, and all such should have esteem for each other."
The governor's messenger was very courteously received by Tecumseh, who took upon himself the responsibility of doing the honors which prop- erly devolved on the prophet, and when the messenger started on the re- turn trip to Vincennes Tecumseh gave him a letter to the governor wherein he announced, among other things, that within a few days he would again visit Vincennes. Accordingly, on the 27th of July, he marched into Vin- cennes at the head of about three hundred warriors, accompanied by twenty or thirty women and children, whose presence greatly excited as well as alarmed the inhabitants. The militia, however, were on hand to avert an uprising, having been augmented by troops from Kentucky, which swelled their ranks to probably seven hundred and fifty, exclusive of two companies of regulars and a detachment of dragoons which the governor had taken the precaution to place around the borders of the town. There is no doubt but what the large number of soldiers had a disquieting effect upon the mind of the irrepressible chieftain. At any rate, he made haste in declaring that it was not his intention to make war against the United States. That he was not sincere in this declaration was shown in his subsequent maneuvers, for no sooner had the conference been brought to a close than he made preparations to proceed down the Mississippi with twenty or thirty of his trusty lieutenants, for the purpose of inducing the Chickasaw, Creek and Choctaw tribes of the southland to join his powerful confederacy.
And thus ended the last earthly conference between two great repre- sentatives of two great races of people-one who swayed as if with a magic wand the mighty hosts of a tribal confederation-the other, whose military genius, ripe statesmanship and pure patriotism made him conspicuous among the long line of illustrious men who have been placed at the head of the gov- ernment of the greatest nation on earth.
Military duties necessitating the absence of General Harrison from Vin- cennes. John Gibson, secretary of the territory, in 1812 assumed guberna- torial authority. At the first session of the legislature over which he pre- sided, February, 1813, the seat of government was declared to be at Cory- don, and in December, 1813, the honorable body convened at the new capi- tal. This was the year when the territory, owing to the absence of troops, offered poor defense against the savage hostiles. There were, however, no general outbreaks on the part of the Indians, notwithstanding their out- rages in the settlements and along the trails were of frequent occurrence.
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The few militiamen who were pressed into service went about armed with long knives as well as rifles, while many of the rangers provided themselves with tomahawks.
Thomas Posey was appointed in 1813 to succeed William Henry Har- rison as governor of Indiana territory. At the time of his appointment he was a United States senator from Tennessee and had been an officer in the Revolution. He arrived in Vincennes in May and immediately began prep- arations for a series of expeditions against the Indian settlements, after which he went to Corydon to preside at the December session of the gen- eral assembly. In his first message to the legislature he gloomily remarked that "the present crisis is awful, and big with great events. Our land and nation is involved in the calamity of war. But we are under the protecting care of the beneficent Being who has, on a former occasion, brought us through an arduous struggle and placed us on a foundation of independence, freedom and happiness. He will not suffer to be taken from us what He, in His great wisdom has thought proper to confer and bless us with, if we make a wise and virtuous use of His good gifts. .
. Although our affairs at the commencement of the war wore a gloomy aspect, they have brightened and promised a certainty of success, if properly directed and conducted, of which I have no doubt; as the president and heads of de- partments of the general government are men of undoubted patriotism, talents and experience, and who have grown old in the service of their coun- try. . It must be obvious to every thinking man that we were forced into the war. Every measure consistent with honor, both before and since the declaration of war, has tried to be on amicable terms with our enemy. . You who reside in various parts of the territory have it in your power to understand what will tend to its local and general advantage. The judiciary system would require a revisal and amendment. The military law is very defective and requires your immediate attention." The remainder of the message was devoted to the advocacy of good roads in all directions ; to the importance of education, and a recommendation for the establish- ment of public schools, which had been made possible by an appropriation of public lands by congress.
With the advent of Governor Posey, the territory, from an impetus given by Harrison, began to improve, and there was quite an influx of peo- ple from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, which was increased during the following year. The Indians had become more submissive, and Har- rison's power over them after the battle of Tippecanoe was as great as that of Clark's when he first came into the Northwest Territory. Harrison's military and executive ability, not only won him fame, but it produced last- ing results for good in all of the frontier settlements, bringing order out of chaos. People in the east soon learned of the desirable change, and made their way in considerable numbers into the territory. The Indians, it seems, at this period had decided to do better. They realized even before this that Tecumseh and the prophet had erroneous ideas regarding the government's
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right to treat for their lands, and concluded many treaties. The poor Miamis, however, were in a sorrowful plight, and the winter of 1814 found nearly a thousand of them in sheer destitution at Fort Wayne, where they had assembled to throw themselves on the mercy of charity to prevent star- vation. The goodly villagers harkened to the plea, and relieved the distress of the dejected savages, whom hunger had made gentle. The response for help was generous and concerted, evoking expressions of gratitude from the recipients and winning their lasting friendship.
The act of congress, passed in 1809, empowering the people of Indiana territory to elect members of the legislative council by popular vote, and which was designated as the property qualification of voters, was supplanted by a subsequent act in 1811, which eliminated the qualification clause, and extended the right of voting for members of the general assembly and for territorial delegate to congress to every free white male person who had attained the age of twenty-one years, and who, having paid a county or ter- ritorial tax, was a resident of the territory and had resided in it for the period of one year. By an act of congress passed in 1814, the right of suf- frage in Indiana territory was extended "to every white male person having a freehold in the territory and being a resident of the same." During this same year, by a congressional act, the house of representatives of Indiana territory was authorized to lay off the territory in five districts, in each of which the qualified voters were empowered to elect a member of the legis- lative council; and, in compliance with said act, the members of the house convened at Corydon in June, 1814, and divided the territory into districts. By this division the counties of Knox and Washington were made to con- stitute one district. Gibson and Warrick another; the counties of Harrison and Clark one district ; Jefferson and Dearborn counties one district, and the counties of Franklin and Wayne one district .*
The general assembly, in session at Corydon, August 14, 1814, passed an act dividing Indiana territory into three judicial districts, and making provision for holding terms of the courts therein, defining the jurisdiction of such courts, and investing the governor with power to appoint a pre- siding judge in each circuit, and two associate judges of the circuit court in each county, and the salaries of the judges were fixed at seven hundred dol- lars each per annum.
This was the same year that charters were granted by the general as- sembly to the Bank of Vincennes and to the Mechanics' bank at Madison. The former institution was authorized to raise a capital stock of seven hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars. It was duly organized, with Nathaniel Ewing at the head of the organization, and flourished until the state gov- ernment was established, when it merged into the State Bank and its branches. The Madison bank, the capital stock of which was five hundred
* Dillon, History of Indiana Territory.
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thousand dollars, also became a branch of the State Bank about the same time.
The last regular session of the territorial legislature was held at Cory- don in December, 1815, at which a memorial was adopted praying for au- thority to adopt a constitution and state government, which document was laid before congress by Mr. Jennings, territorial delegate, on December 28, 1815. On April, 1816, the president approved the bill, enabling the people of Indiana territory to form a constitution and state government, and pro- viding for the admission of such state into the union on an equal footing with the original states. At an election held in the several counties for the selection of members to a convention to form a state constitution, John Johnson, John Badollet, William Polk, Benjamin Polk and John Benefiel, residents of Vincennes, were sent from Knox County. The convention was held at Corydon June, 1816, and after remaining in session for thirteen days, completed the important work assigned it. The first state election occurred on the first Monday in August, 1816, and resulted in the selection of Jonathan Jennings, as governor, Christopher Harrison, lieutenant gov- ernor, and William Hendricks was elected to represent the new state in the house of representatives of the United States. The first general assembly elected under authority of the state constitution commenced its session at Corydon, November 4, 1816. Knox County's population at this time was 8,068, of which 1,391 were white males of twenty-one years of age and over.
It would not be proper to close this chapter of incidents, which bear such close relationship to Vincennes, without a reference to one of the most important events which took place during the existence of Indiana terri- tory, and in which many citizens of the Old Post were active participants- the battle of Tippecanoe.
Immediately following General Harrison's last conference with Tecum- seh at Vincennes, in July, 1811, and when the American people, lashed into a frenzy by the repeated outrages of the British, were eager to administer another chastisement to the mother country, he applied to President Madi- son for authority to prepare the frontiers for the approaching contest, set- ting forth the attitude of Tecumseh, who was in league with the English, and the direful consequences that would follow were his designs permitted to mature. The president at once supplied him with armed forces from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, with instructions, however, "to abstain from hostilities of any kind whatever, and to any degree not indispensably re- quired." This certainly made his position at once disadvantageous and trying. Before his very eyes he saw the enemy preparing for battle ; * be- hind him lay a defenceless population, from which all the able-bodied men had been drafted, or had volunteered to form the army; on the right and
* Extract from Life of William Henry Harrison, published by Grigg, Elliott & Collins, Philadelphia, 1840.
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left stretched the forest, which it was impossible to guard, and through which the foe could, at any moment, fall back upon the unprotected settlers in the rear, and carry the torch and knife to the home and throats of every family. General Harrison had not the authority to attack until blood had stained the tomahawk, or the victim had writhed beneath the torture, he could not even unsheath his sword. Every advantage was conferred upon the enemy. In the defile of the mountain, on the plain, by night or by day, in detachments, or en masse, he might come on, when, where, and as he chose. But a brief period elapsed before the grossest outrages upon the settlers afforded abundant cause to strike. The genius of Harrison- "the man who never lost a battle," who has never yielded to his country's foes, was equal to the crisis; and by a master stroke of policy he conquered every disadvantage, and moved down with an army of eight hundred men upon the prophet's town, where all the hostile Indians were assembled and before Tecumseh had returned to his visit to the southern tribes.
When it was made known in Kentucky that Harrison was preparing to march against the Indians, many Kentuckians were desirous of joining his expedition. Among the number were prominent citizens who had attained an eminence at home in civil and military life, and won distinction in the field of letters. Those who applied and enlisted were Samuel Wells, a ma- jor general in former Indian wars; Joseph H. Daviess, an eminent lawyer of great military ambition; Col. Owen, a veteran in the Indian war; Col. Kreiger, and Messrs. Croghan, Q'Fallon, Thipp, Chum and Edwards, who afterwards gained enviable notoriety as officers in the United States army.
In September, 1811, General Harrison left Vincennes with a force of about eight hundred well-drilled soldiers, proceeding on the march up the Wabash. The expedition halted at Terre Haute, where a fort was built and named Fort Harrison. After remaining for several days the army proceeded northward, reaching the mouth of Vermilion creek on October 31st, where a block-house was built for the storing of supplies. Conforming to orders which the president had issued, General Harrison halted in his advance towards the Tippecanoe village while he was within the boundaries of United States territory, and, by the intervention of the Miami and Deleware tribes, endeavored to induce the phophet to deliver the murderers of his band and the large number of horses they had stolen from the white settlers. The prophet and his followers were very insolent towards the messengers and disdainfully rejected the demand. In order to shatter all hopes of accom- modation, the prophet detached a small war party to open hostilities, with the result that American sentinels were fired on, and one of them was severely wounded. The Deleware chiefs notified the governor that in his dealings with the prophet and his subjects a resort to force was the only means by which satisfaction for injuries committed or security for the future could be obtained. From the same source he learned that the strength of the prophet's forces was increasing daily, and that he had gathered about him a force of about one thousand braves, mostly young men. The march which
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the chivalrous Harrison and his gallant army were making was one fraught with many hardships, perils and dangers, requiring the fording of streams, filled with floating ice, and long stretches across prairie lands, where the howling winds chilled to the marrow. The snow-covered earth was the only couch available, on which the men lay with their clothes and accoutrements on, or sat with their backs against trees, courting sleep, the reins of the bridle clenched in their hands, momentarily expecting an attack from the treacherous enemy.
On the night of November 6th, five miles in advance of him, Harrison discovered the outlines of the prophet's town. Capt. Toussaint Dubois, ac- companied by an interpreter, was despatched with a flag to the Indians, to ascertain from the prophet whether he still refused to comply with the terms so often proposed to him. The army was made to advance slowly toward the town, in order of battle. Ere long from Captain Dubois came a mes- senger informing the governor that the Indians in great numbers were with- in hailing distance, but that they would return no reply to the interpreter, and as he advanced they attempted to cut him off from the army. On being thus informed Governor Harrison resolved to make no further attempts at pacification, but to treat the Indians henceforth as common enemies. He promptly recalled Capt. Dubois and immediately determined on moving for- ward for an attack. He had only proceeded a short distance, however, when he was accosted by three Indians, one of whom was the prophet's chief ad- visor. They demanded to know why the army was advancing upon the vil- lage, stating they had been sent forth for the purpose of ascertaining. The trio further declared to the governor that the prophet was desirous of avoid- ing hostilities ; that he had placed in the hands of a Miami and Pottawattomie chief, who had called at the request of the governor, a message telling the latter he was for peace; that the messengers had gone down on the shore of the Wabash opposite from the one over which the governor and his men traveled. This interview averted hostilities, and resulted further in an agree- ment for holding of a council the next day between the general and the chiefs at which terms of peace were to be discussed. The governor then voluntarily gave the information that he would withdraw to the Wabash and go into camp for the night.
When the Indians had departed the governor called his officers and told them he was quite certain, from their language, as well as their peculiar ac- tions, they were planning for an attack on him before morning. Having been thus unintentionally forewarned, he concluded it prudent to be forearmed, and accordingly ordered his men to go into camp that night arrayed for bat- tle ; to lie down with their clothes on, and to sleep on their arms.
Marching a short distance, still in the direction of the town, it was ascer- tained that the ground below the town was ill-adapted to an encampment, and the army pushed forward, thinking perhaps beyond the village a more suitable camping place might be found. Suddenly a halt was called, and some officers detailed to go forth and make an examination of a creek that ran Vol. 1-20
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near the town and of the river which flowed above it. In about half an hour Brigadier Major Clark and Major Taylor returned, having found an ideal spot on the creek, to which the army repaired. The location was hard- by the mouth of the Tippecanoe, from which the name of the subsequent bat- tle was derived. The spot was on an elevated piece of ground, rising about ten feet above the level of a marshy prairie. The two columns of infantry occupied the front and rear. The right flank, being about eighty yards wide, was covered by Capt. Spencer's company consisting of eighty men. Major Wells, with two companies of mounted riflemen, occupied the left flank. Major Floyd's battalion of United States infantry occupied the front, and was flanked on the right by two companies of militia infantry, and on the left by one company of the same troops. Capt. Baen, who commanded as major, with a battalion of United States infantry, and Col. Decker, with four companies of militia infantry, occupied the rear. The cavalry, under Da- viess, were encamped in the rear of the front line. The distance from camp to the town was less than a mile.
General Harrison's knowledge of the Indian mode of warfare had led him to anticipate a night attack, and he had therefore given the order for "each corps to maintain its ground at all hazards until relieved." The dra- goons were directed, in such an event, to parade dismounted, swords on and their pistols in their belts, and to await orders. The guard for the night consisted of two captains' commands of forty-two men and four non-com- missioned officers each ; and two subalterns' guards of twenty men and non- commissioned officers, the whole under command of the field officer of the day.
When the shades of night had fallen the men, fatigued by the march and the work incident to fortifying the camp, retired to take a much-needed rest, and soon no sound disturbed the tranquility of the dark and rainy night save the footsteps of the sentinel keeping his lonely vigil.
*At a quarter before four on the morning of the 7th General Harrison was up, seated before his fire, conversing with gentlemen of his mess, who reclined on blankets awaiting the order of a general turn out of the troops. The orderly drummer was prepared to sound the reveille. Shortly after four o'clock General Harrison was joined by General Wells, Colonel Owen and Colonel Daviess. The troops had been called before daylight and when the first gray glint of dawn appeared it found them in arms. One of the sentries observed an Indian creeping towards him in the grass, and fired. The re- port of the shot was immediately greeted by the war cry, followed by an at- tack on the left flank. The first onset was received by Capt. Burton's com- pany of regulars and Capt. Keiger's company of mounted riflemen, forming the left angle of the rear line. The assault was fierce, but the troops, who had lain on their arms, made a gallant resistance. Excessive firing and the fierceness of the attack were features calculated to carry terror to the
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