USA > Indiana > Posey County > History of Posey County, Indiana > Part 2
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
in December, 1778. When he entered the place there were but two Americans at the post, Helm and a man by the name of Henry, Colonel Clark having in the meantime turned his attention to other points. Helm and Henry were arrested and a number of the French citizens disarmed. When the news reached Clark at Kaskaskia he made prepa- rations for his famous march to Vincennes. Hitherto he had not gone there himself, the work of winning over the people having been done by Father Gibault and the treaties having been made by the agency of Helm. He now gathered together a force of 170 men and on Feb- ruary 5, 1779, crossed the Kaskaskia river and proceeded to Vincennes. In January he had learned that Hamilton had sent his Indians to the frontier and to block up the Ohio, expecting them to return to Post Vincennes in the spring, bringing their friends with them in great enough numbers to drive all Americans out of the West. This left Hamilton with eighty men in the garrison, three pieces of cannon and some swivels mounted, but they were repairing the fort and expected reënforcements. The stores of most of the merchants of the town had been taken to provide for Hamilton's men, but they were expecting a large supply of all kinds of provisions in the spring. It seemed that the blow must be dealt at once before these plans of the British could be consummated. Clark's situation was a perilous one, cut off from Virginia and his source of reënforcements and supplies. He had only a few weeks left before all would be lost, for if the enemy were left to proceed in peace with their preparations there was no possibility of his being able to cope with them. He called upon Major Bowman to evac- uate the fort at Cahokia and join him, and immediately gave orders to prepare for the march on Vincennes. The inhabitants of Kaskaskia rallied enthusiastically to his support and provisions and clothing to withstand the coldest weather were soon provided. It was decided to send a vessel by water to carry the stores and arms. A large Mis- sissippi boat was purchased and fitted out as a war vessel so that she might force her way if necessary. Two four-pounders and four large swivels were placed in position and she was manned by forty-four men under Captain John Rodgers. He embarked the fourth of February with orders to force his way up the Wabash as far as White river and there await further orders. In case he found himself discovered he was to do all the damage possible without running the risk of losing his vessel, and not to leave the river until he had lost all hope of the arrival of the land forces. Clark placed much reliance upon this vessel, as the craft was much superior to anything the enemy could muster. Having gotten her started, he took the remainder of his men, 170 in number, and on the fifth of February crossed the Kaskaskia on his way to Vincennes. The march was fraught with the greatest hardship. for not only was the weather cold, but the plains were covered with several
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
inches of water through which the little band was forced to wade day by day. Everything possible was done by the commander to keep the men in good spirits. He allowed them to shoot game on all occasions and to make feasts on it after the style of the Indian war dancers. Each company in turn invited the others to feast with them and entertained them with singing and stories. Thus the soldiers were led without a murmur to the banks of the Little Wabash, arriving there on February 13. A camp was formed on a small elevation on the bank of the river and Clark ordered his men to construct a boat, pretending all the time to believe that the crossing of the river would be a piece of little boy play. The boat was finished the next day and a small company was selected to make the first trip to the other side. They were privately instructed as to the sort of report they should make and told to find a spot of dry land if possible. They found half an acre of dry land and, marking the place, returned with a very encouraging report. On the fifteenth the work of crossing began. Fortunately the day was warm for the season. The channel at this point was about thirty yards wide. A scaffold was built on the opposite shore, which was about three feet in water, and the baggage was landed in this manner. The horses next swam across and received their loads at the scaffold. The men were then ferried over the river and the little army again took up the march in water knee deep. Much bantering and jollying was indulged in and it kept up the spirits of the men to a remarkable degree and by night they were encamped on a pretty height. They were in high spirits at their success thus far and indulged that night in extravagant specula- tions of their future prospects of crossing the main stream, taking Vin- cennes and marching on Detroit. However, the next day they marched in a driving rain and Clark discovered that the whole Wabash valley was overflowed and that he could be easily approached by the enemy. That night they spent miserably in the wet without sufficient provisions. The next day they continued their march in search of the Wabash. They found no dry land and were compelled to spend the night in the water. After such an experience the morning gun of Vincennes sounded sweet as a dinner horn when they heard it at sunrise on the eighteenth. They were able by this to locate the river and reached it about 2 o'clock. They tried to steal boats by means of rafts but met with no success that day or night. The next day intelligence was brought to Clark that two fires were within a mile of their camp. He at once sent a canoe down the stream to meet the vessel with their stores and am- munition and bring it with all possible haste to their aid. Their food supplies were now entirely exhausted and they were in a critical condi- tion. At noon the next day the river sentinel brought in five French- men from Vincennes and from them they learned that their presence was not known as yet. The men were pretty nearly exhausted and had lost
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
courage when the last day's march to Post Vincennes began on the twenty-first. They had to cross the main stream of the Wabash now and there was no time to construct boats. Encouraged by Colonel Clark, who painted his face black and gave a war whoop, the whole company plunged to their necks in ice-cold water. They succeeded in making the other shore, although they had to be encouraged in heroic ways by their leader and by his most devoted followers, one in partic- ular being a little drummer boy who beat the advance under the most discouraging and disheartening circumstances. The other shore was gained in safety and they found a sugar camp where there was half an acre of dry land and here remained for the night. They continued the next day and came to a copse of timber called "Warrior's Island," in full view of the fort and town. From a prisoner captured while shoot- ing ducks it was learned that the town was full of Indians and that to- gether with them and the troops there were about 600 men. Meantime the boat with ammunition and supplies had not been heard from. A bold letter requesting those who wished to fight to gather at the fort and those who wished to remain loyal to the Americans to keep in their houses was dispached to Vincennes, and upon receiving no reply Clark displayed his force in such a way that they appeared numerous, march- ing back and forth for some time, and finally occupying the heights back of the town. Fourteen men were then sent to fire upon the fort, while the main body took possession of the strongest part of town. Clark then ordered Hamilton to surrender. This being refused the fight- ing began, and an hour later Clark dictated the terms of surrender on February 24, 1779. Hamilton was kept as a prisoner till the next June and then was sent to Virginia. It appears that he was a savage as much as any of the Indians and offered a reward for every American scalp lock. Clark organized a military government at Vincennes and left Helm in charge while he returned to Kaskaskia by boat. Here he was reënforced by a command under Captain George. About this time the Delawares murdered and plundered a party of traders on White river. Captain Helm · was sent to make war upon them. They soon sued for peace and Colonel Clark required them to find a neighboring tribe who would vouch for their future good behavior. The Piankeshaws went security for them. This not only warned the Delawares but secured the respect of the neighboring tribes. Meantime the preparations for establishing civil government in Indiana went on in Virginia, to which State this territory belonged by right of conquest. Colonel John Todd came to the settlements and the military government maintained by Clark at Vincennes gave place to civil and criminal courts in June, 1779. The giving out of land grants began and the courts adopted the opinion that they were at liberty to dispose of the entire region that in 1742 had been given to the French at Vincennes by the Piankeshaw
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
Indians. The whole country accordingly was divided among the mem- bers of the honorable court. From the first invasion of this section by Clark until 1783, when the war with Great Britain was concluded, there was a succession of wars along the border, sometimes resulting in vic- tory for the Americans and sometimes for the other side. However, Clark succeeded in holding the country, which, upon the establishment of the Republic in 1783, was ceded by Virginia to the United States.
When the transfer was finally consummated in 1784 the work of ex- tinguishing Indian titles began. In 1787 the "Northwest Territory" was created and Major-General Arthur St. Clair was elected by Con- gress governor of the territory. He was instructed to ascertain the real'attitude of the Indians, do all in his power to secure their friendship toward the government and quiet as many titles as possible. Governor St. Clair established headquarters at the new settlement of Marietta, Ohio, where he organized the government of the territory and in 1788 held the first session of court and the necessary laws for the administra- tion of affairs were passed. This done, the governor, accompanied by the judges, proceeded to Kaskaskia for the purpose of organizing the government there. Meantime, Major Hamtramck, commander at Vincennes, had received instructions to ascertain the temper of the In- dians along the Wabash and be prepared to report the exact situation. On April 5, 1790, a Frenchman by the name of Antoine Gamelin was sent out of Vincennes with speeches to all the tribes. He visited nearly all the tribes of the Wabash country and those of the St. Joseph and St. Mary's rivers, but was coldly received, owing to dissatisfaction created among the Indians by English misrepresentation. A full account of the situation reached St. Clair at Kaskaskia in June, 1790. The Governor, being satisfied that there was no prospect of a peaceful settlement of affairs with the natives of Indiana, resolved to visit General Harmer at his headquarters at Fort Washington and there consult with him in regard to an expedition against the hostile tribes. Meantime, Winthrop Sargent, secretary of the territory, was to send resolutions to Congress in regard to the lands and settlers on the Wabash, and also to go to Vincennes, lay out a county there and appoint civil and military offi- cers. Sargent found great difficulty in adjusting claims to land, as previous to this time the most important deals had been committed to loose sheets of paper, many of which had been stolen or lost. To set- tle such matters Congress in 1791 passed an act to give lands not to exceed 400 acres to any one person to those having made improve- ments under a supposed grant for the lands. In the summer of 1790 the court of Vincennes passed the following laws :
I. An act to prohibit the giving or selling of intoxicating liquors to Indians residing in or coming into the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river, and for preventing foreigners from trading with Indians therein.
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
II. An act prohibiting the sale of spirituous or other intoxicating liquors to soldiers in the service of the United States, being within ten miles of any military post within the territory of the United States northwest of the River Ohio, and to prevent the selling or pawning of arms, ammunition, clothing or accoutrements.
III. An act for suppressing and prohibiting every species of gambling for money or other property and for making void contracts and pay- ments made in consequence thereof, and for restraining the disorderly practice of discharging arms at certain hours and places.
The conference between Governor St. Clair and General Harmer at Fort Washington resulted in the determination to send a powerful force to whip the Indians of the Wabash into submission. The President had empowered St. Clair to call upon Virginia for 1,000 troops and on Pennsylvania for 500, and he now exercised this authority. Three hun- dred of the Virginia militia were ordered to join the forces at Fort Steuben and with them march to Vincennes and join the command of Major Hamtramck, who had orders to proceed up the Wabash and at- tack any Indian tribe with forces not superior to his own. The remain- ing 1,200 men were ordered to join the regular troops at Fort Wash- ington, of which there were about 400 effective men under General Harmer. All was in readiness by September and General Harmer marched from Fort Washington on the thirteenth of that month at the head of 1,450 men. This force reached Maumee on the seventeenth and the work of punishing the Indians began, but the expedition did not result in any permanent gain, for the American forces were about as sorely punished as the Indians, and the latter refused to sue for peace. A detachment of 340 militia and sixty regulars under Colonel Hardin was defeated at Maumee on October 22 and the next day they started back to Fort Washington, reaching there November 4, having lost in the expedition 183 killed and thirty-one wounded. The Indians sus- tained a similar loss. While these operations were going on Major Hamtramck marched up the Wabash from Vincennes as far as the mouth of the Vermilion river, destroyed several deserted villages, but returned without meeting the enemy. The Indians continued their hos- tilities and the inhabitants of the frontier settlements took alarm. Dele- gates of Ohio, Monongahela, Harrison, Randolph, Greenbrier, Kanawha and Montgomery counties of Virginia sent a memorial to their gov- ernor calling attention to their exposed situation, to the inability of the Continental troops to be of any use to them and calling upon the State of Virginia for protection. The legislature of Virginia then au- thorized the governor to take such measures as he deemed necessary for the protection of the settlements until the national government had time to act. The governor immediately called upon the military com- manding officers in the western counties of Virginia to raise several
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
small companies by the first of March, 1791. Charles Scott was ap- pointed Brigadier-General of the militia of the district of Kentucky with the authority to raise 226 volunteers to protect the most exposed parts of the district. Congress was appraised of the need for protection on the frontier and, upon consideration of the situation, created a board of war for the district of Kentucky, this board being composed of Briga- dier-General Scott, Henry Innis, John Brown, Benjamin Logan and Isaac Shelby. On March 9, 1791, General Henry Knox, secretary of war, sent a letter of instructions to Brigadier-General Scott recommend- ing an expedition of mounted men, not over 750, to proceed against the Wea villages along the Wabash. Accordingly, on the twenty-third of May Scott crossed the Ohio at the head of 800 mounted men, reach- ing the Wabash on the first of June. He destroyed all the villages around Ouitenon and several Kickapoo towns, killing thirty-two war- riors and taking fifty-eight prisoners. A few of the most infirm were released in order that they might spread the news all up and down the Wabash, as Scott's command, not being well enough mounted, could not go up the river. On March 3, 1791, Congress provided for raising and equipping a regiment for the protection of the frontier and about 3,000 men were placed at the disposal of Governor St. Clair, who was instructed by the secretary of war to establish at the Miami village a strong and permanent military post, and in the process of his advance to that point to establish along the Ohio such posts of communication with Fort Washington as he deemed expedient. The post at Miami was intended to keep the Indians in that section of the country in check and the secretary of war insisted that it be established in any event and that it be strongly garrisoned. In case terms were arranged with the hostile tribes the establishment and maintenance of this post was to become a part of the treaty of peace. Previous to the establish- ing of this post at the Miami village Governor St. Clair sent Brigadier- General Wilkinson to conduct a second campaign in the Wabash coun- try. Wilkinson mustered his forces and on July 20, 1791, started at the head of 525 mounted volunteers, well armed and provisioned for thirty days. On August 7 he came with this force to the village of Ke-na-pa-com-a-qua, on the northern bank of the Eel river, six miles above the junction of that stream with the Wabash. Here he killed six warriors, took thirty-four prisoners and totally destroyed the village. These Indians belonged to the Kickapoo tribe. The army encamped on the ruins that night and the next day started for the Kickapoo village on the prairie, but was unable to reach it on account of the impassable condition of the route he selected. These three expeditions by Harmer, Scott and Wilkinson resulted in great damage to the Indians but did not restore peace. They believed the American policy to be one of extermination and were goaded to desperation. Contrary to the treaty
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
of Paris, the British government was still maintaining posts at Niagara, Detroit and Michilimacinac, and from these points not only incited the hostile Indians against the Americans, but actually rendered them every possible assistance in the way of stores and provisions. This condition continued until the English posts were withdrawn by a second treaty in 1796.
In September, 1791, Governor St. Clair prepared to carry out the orders of the secretary of war and left Fort Washington with 2,000 men. On November - the main body of the army, comprising about 1,400 men, moved forward and encamped at the headwaters of the Wabash, where Fort Recovery was afterward built. Here he was surprised by the Indians, who attacked his force about half an hour before sunrise, which is their favorite hour for making war on their enemies. The Indians were 1,200 strong and were led by the chiefs Little Turtle, Blue Jacket and Buck-ong-a-helas, who had secreted their forces and watched the enemy until such a time as they could deal a crushing blow. The white army was cut to pieces and there were lost in the engagement thirty-nine officers killed, 539 men killed and missing, twen- ty-two officers and 232 men wounded, and all the baggage, ammunition and provisions, and several pieces of artillery. The property lost in this engagement was valued at $32,800. The most deplorable aspect of the disaster was the fate of more than 100 women who were following the fortunes of their husbands. Very few escaped the brutality of the vic- torious savages, who proceeded to avenge their real and imaginary wrongs by the most unspeakable atrocities. Believing that the white men had been making war to acquire land, they stuffed sand and clay in the eyes and down the throats of the dying and dead. Governor St. Clair felt the force of this defeat very keenly and, although he was in no way to blame, he resigned upon leading the remnant of his disheart- ened army back to Fort Washington.
St. Clair was succeeded by the brilliant and distinguished Anthony Wayne, who became famous in the Revolutionary war. Early in 1792 the general government made provisions for the reorganization and strengthening of the army and in June of that year Wayne came to Pittsburgh, where he remained until October, 1793, organizing and training his army. Then at the head of 3,600 effective men he moved to Fort Washington. During all this time efforts were being made to bring the Indians to a peaceable adjustment of affairs. Major Ham- tramck, who was still at Vincennes, succeeded in concluding a peace treaty with the Wabash and with the Illinois tribes, but the tribes more directly under the influence of the British refused to be reconciled, would not listen to the speeches of friendship presented to them and tomahawked several of the messengers sent to them. They had been greatly encouraged by their victory over St. Clair and believed them-
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HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
selves equal to the forces mustered by Wayne. They insisted on the Ohio river as the boundary line between their possessions and those of the United States and determined to defend their claims in battle if necessary rather than make any further concessions.
On July 26, 1794, Major-General Scott joined General Wayne with 1,600 mounted volunteers and two days later the united forces proceeded to the Maumee river and, arriving at the confluence of that stream with the Auglaize, they erected Fort Defiance. August 15 Wayne moved his army toward the British fort at the foot of the rapids of the Maumee and here gained a decisive victory over the combined Indian and British forces. The enemy was completely routed and demoralized and after the engagement the woods were full of the dead bodies of Indians and red coats shot down in flight. In the return march to Fort Defiance the villages and corn fields on either side of the Maumee were de- stroyed, as well as everything within a large radius of the fort. The next movement on the part of Wayne was to the confluence of the St. Joseph and the St. Mary's rivers, where stood the deserted villages of the Miamis. Here a fort was erected and garrisoned by a strong detach- ment of infantry and artillery under Colonel John F. Hamtramck, who named the place Fort Wayne. The Kentucky volunteers who had come in the command of Scott returned to Fort Washington, where they were mustered out of service. General Wayne marched to Greenville and took up his winter quarters and began negotiations with the Indians. Finally, in August, 1795, a general treaty of peace was concluded with all the hostile tribes which had been contesting the territory of the United States beyond the Ohio river. This was known as the Treaty of Greenville and it opened the way for the rapid settlement of all the lands of the Northwest Territory. In July, 1796, a treaty with Spain was entered into by the United States and the British withdrew from their posts in the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river.
The next thing of importance to our present story was the organiza- tion of the territory of Indiana in 1800, immediately following which the attention of Governor Harrison was called by the federal government to the necessity of making a final adjustment of affairs with all Indians still holding claims to lands within the limits of the territory. In the course of the next five years he succeeded in closing several treaties with the Indians by which 46,000 square miles of land were added to those already obtained by the government. This land acquired by Gov- ernor Harrison included all that lying on the borders of the Ohio river, between the mouth of the Wabash and the western boundary of Ohio. Among these treaties was the one which ceded Posey county to the white man. Settlement had already begun within its borders before the treaty was consummated.
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· HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY
In his message to the territorial legislature in 1806 Governor Har- rison congratulated the people upon the fact that peace had been brought about with the Indians and the lands opened to civilized devel- opment. He advanced the opinion that further war would not be nec- essary unless the Indians were driven to arms by a succession of injus- tices. However, he remarked by the way that the Indians were already making complaints which were far from being groundless. While the laws provided the same punishments for offenses committed against the Indian as against a white man, the laws were so administered that in every case the Indian got the worst of it, whether he was the offender or the one against whom the offense was committed. Crimes against him went unpunished, while he was severely punished even for the smallest crime against his boasted superior. From the time the treaties were closed in 1805 until 1810, the Indians complained bitterly against the encroachments of the white men on ground which belonged to them- selves, and of the unjustifiable killing of many of their number. In laying the matter before Governor Harrison an old chief used these words: "You call us your children ; why do you not make us happy as our fathers, the French, did? They never took from us our lands; in- deed, they were in common between us. They planted where they pleased; they cut wood where they pleased; so did we. But now if a poor Indian attempts to take a little bark from a tree to cover him from the rain, up comes a white man and threatens to shoot him, claiming the tree as his own." It is more to the credit of the Indian than anything else that these continued offenses should end in war. In the midst of their tribulation and unrest there arose a prophet among the red men. This was none other than the brother of Tecumseh, the crafty Shawnee. His name was Law-le-was-i-kaw, but upon assuming the character of the prophet he took the name of Pems-quat-a-wah, or the Open Door, signifying that he was the means of opportunity for his people.
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