USA > Indiana > Rush County > History of Rush County, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana territory, and the State of Indiana > Part 8
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Governor Harrison, according to his message to the Legislature in 1806, seemed to think that the peace then existing between the whites and the Indians was permanent; but in the same document he referred to a matter that might be a source of trouble, which in- deed it proved to be, namely, the execution of white laws among the Indians-laws to which the latter had not been a party in their enactment. The trouble was aggravated by the partiality with which the laws seem always to have been executed; the Indian
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was nearly always the sufferer. All along from 1805 to 1810 the Indians complained bitterly against the eneroaehments of the white people upon the lands that belonged to them. The invasion of their hunting grounds and the unjustifiable killing of many of their peo- ple were the sources of their discontent. An old chief, in laying the trouble of his people before Governor Harrison, said: "You call us children; why do you not make us as happy as our fathers, the French, did? They never took from us our lands; indeed, they were common between ns. They planted where they pleased, and they cut wood where they pleased; and 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."
The Indian truly had grounds for his complaint, and the state of feeling existing among the tribes at this time was well caleulated to develop a patriotic leader who should carry them all forward to victory at arms, if certain concessions were not made to them by the whites. But this golden opportunity was seized by an unworthy warrior. A brother of Tecumseh, a "prophet" named Law-le-was-i- kaw, but who assumed the name of Pems-quat-a-wah (Open Door), was the crafty Shawanee warrior who was enabled to work upon both the superstitions and the rational judgment of his fellow In- dians. He was a good orator, somewhat peenliar in his appearance and well calenlated to win the attention and respect of the savages. He began by denouncing witchcraft, the use of intoxicating liquors, the custom of Indian women marrying white men, the dress of the whites and the practice of selling Indian lands to the United States. He also told the Indians that the commands of the Great Spirit re- quired them to punish with death those who practiced the arts of witchcraft and magic; that the Great Spirit had given him power to find out and expose such persons; that he had power to cure all diseases, to confound his enemies and to stay the arm of death in siekness and on the battle-field. His harangues aroused among some bands of Indians a high degree of superstitious excitement. An old Delaware chief named Ta-te-bock-o-she, through whose in- fluence a treaty had been made with the Delawares in 1804, was accused of witchcraft, tried, condemned and tomahawked, and his body consumed by fire. The old chief's wife, nephew (" Billy Patterson ") and an aged Indian named Joshua were next acensed of witchcraft and condemned to death. The two men were burned at the stake, but the wife of Ta-te-boek-o-she was saved from
AOCD-CHANDLER, SUL.
THE SHAWNEE PROPHET.
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death by her brother, who suddenly approached her, took her by the hand, and, without meeting any opposition from the Indians present, led her out of the council- house. He then immediately returned and checked the growing influence of the Prophet by exclaiming in a strong, earnest voice, " The Evil Spirit has come among us and we are killing each other."-[ Dillon's History of Indiana.
When Gov. Harrison was made acquainted with these events he sent a special messenger to the Indians, strongly entreating them to renounce the Prophet and his works. This really destroyed to some extent the Prophet's influence; but in the spring of 1808, having aroused nearly all the tribes of the Lake Region, the Prophet with a large number of followers settled near the mouth of the Tippe- canoe river, at a place which afterward had the name of "Prophet's- Town." Taking advantage of his brother's influence, Tecumseh actively engaged himself in forming the various tribes into a con- federacy. He announced publicly to all the Indians that the treaties by which the United States had acquired lands northwest of the Ohio were not made in fairness, and should be considered void. He also said that no single tribe was invested with power to sell lands without the consent of all the other tribes, and that he and his brother, the Prophet, would oppose and resist all future attempts which the white people might make to extend their set- tlements in the lands that belonged to the Indians.
Early in 1808, Gov. Harrison sent a speech to the Shawanees, in which was this sentence: " My children, this business must be stopped; I will no longer suffer it. You have called a number of men from the most distant tribes to listen to a fool, who speaks not the words of the Great Spirit but those of the devil and the British agents. My children, your conduct has much alarmed the white settlers near you. They desire that you will send away those people; and if they wish to have the impostor with them they ean carry him along with them. Let him go to the lakes; he can hear the British more distinctly." This message wounded the pride of the Prophet, and he prevailed on the messenger to inform Gov. Harrison that he was not in league with the British, but was speak- ing truly the words of the Great Spirit.
In the latter part of the summer of 1808, the Prophet spent sev- eral weeks at Vincennes, for the purpose of holding interviews with Gov. Harrison. At one time he told the Governor that he was a Christian and endeavored to persuade his people also to become Christians, abandon the use of liquor, be united in broth-
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erly love, etc., making Mr. Harrison believe at least, that he was honest; but before long it was demonstrated that the "Prophet" was designing, eunning and unreliable; that both he and Tecumseh were enemies of the United States, and friends of the English; and that in case of a war between the Americans and English, they would join the latter. The next year the Prophet again visited Vincennes, with assurances that he was not in sympathy with the English, but the Governor was not disposed to believe bim; and in a letter to the Secretary of War, in July, 1809, he said that he , regarded the bands of Indians at Prophet's Town as a combination which had been produced by British intrigne and influence, in antic- ipation of a war between them and the United States.
In direct opposition to Tecumseh and the prophet and in spite of all these difficulties, Gov. Harrison continued the work of extin- guishing Indian titles to lands, with very good success. By the close of 1809, the total amount of land ceded to the United States, under treaties which had been effected by Mr. Harrison, exceeded 30,000,000 a res.
From 1805 to 1807, the movements of Aaron Burr in the Ohio valley created considerable excitement in Indiana. It seemed that he intended to collect a force of men, invade Mexico and found a republie there, comprising all the country west of the Alleghany mountains. He gathered, however, but a few men, started south, and was soon arrested by the Federal authorities. But before his arrest he had abandoned his expedition and his followers had dispersed.
HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN.
While the Indians were combining to prevent any further trans- fer of land to the whites, the British were using the advantage as a groundwork for a successful war upon the Americans. In the spring of 1810 the followers of the Prophet refused to receive their annuity of salt, and the officials who offered it were denounced as "American dogs," and otherwise treated in a disrespectful manner. Gov. Harrison, in July, attempted to gain the friendship of the Prophet by sending him a letter, offering to treat with him person- ally in the matter of his grievances, or to furnish means to send him, with three of his principal chiefs, to the President at Wash- ington; but the messenger was coldly received, and they returned word that they would visit Vincennes in a few days and interview the Governor. Accordingly, Aug. 12, 1810, the Shawanee chief with 70 of his principal warriors, marched up to the door of the
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Governor's house, and from that day until the 22d held daily inter- views with His Excellency. In all of his speeches Tecumseh was haughty, and sometimes arrogant. On the 20th he delivered that celebrated speech in which he gave the Governor the alternative of returning their lands or meeting them in battle.
While the Governor was replying to this speech Tecumseh inter- rupted him with an angry exclamation, declaring that the United States, through Gov. Harrison, had "cheated and imposed on the Indians." When Tecumseh first rose, a number of his party also sprung to their feet, armed with elubs, tomahawks and spears, and made some threatening demonstrations. The Governor's guards, who stood a little way off, were marehed up in haste, and the In- dians, awed by the presence of this small armed force, abandoned what seemed to be an intention to make an open attack on the Gov- ernor and his attendants. As soon as Tecumseh's remarks were interpreted, the Governor reproached him for his conduet, and com- manded him to depart instantly to his camp.
On the following day Tecumseh repented of his rash act and re- quested the Governor to grant him another interview, and pro- tested against any intention of offense. The Governor consented, and the council was re-opened on the 21st, when the Shawanee chief addressed him in a respectful and dignified manner, but re- mained immovable in his policy. The Governor then requested Tecumseh to state plainly whether or not the surveyors who might be sent to survey the lands purchased at the treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809, would be molested by Indians. Tecumseh replied: "Brother, when you speak of annuities to me, I look at the land and pity the women and children. I am authorized to say that they will not receive them. Brother, we want to save that piece of land. We do not wish you to take it. It is small enough for our purpose. If you do take it, you must blame yourself as the cause of the trouble between us and the tribes who sold it to you. I want the present boundary line to continue. Should you eross it, I assure you it will be productive of bad consequences."
The next day the Governor, attended only by his interpreter, visited the eamp of the great Shawanee, and in the course of a long interview told him that the President of the United States would not acknowledge his elaims. "Well," replied the brave warrior, "as the great chief is to determine the matter, I hope the Great Spirit will put sense enough into his head to induce him to direet you to give up this land. It is true, he is so far off he will not be
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
injured by the war. He may sit still in his town and drink his wine, while you and I will have to fight it out."
In his message to the new territorial Legislature in 1810 Gov. Harrison called attention to the dangerous views held by Tecumseh and the Prophet, to the pernicious influence of alien enemies among the Indians, to the unsettled condition of the Indian trade and to the policy of extinguishing Indian titles to lands. The eastern settlements were separated from the western by a consider- able extent of Indian lands, and the most fertile tracts within the territory were still in the hands of the Indians. Almost entirely divested of the game from which they had drawn their subsistence, it had become of little use to them; and it was the intention of the Government to substitute for the precarious and scanty sup- plies of the chase the more certain and plentiful support of agri- culture and stock-raising. The old habit of the Indians to hunt so long as a deer could be found was so inveterate that they would not break it and resort to intelligent agriculture unless they were compelled to, and to this they would not be compelled unless they were confined to a limited extent of territory. The earnest lan- guage of the Governor's appeal was like this: "Are then those extinguishments of native title which are at once so beneficial to the Indian and the territory of the United States, to be suspended on account of the intrigues of a few individuals? Is one of the fair- est portions of the globe to remain in a state of nature, the haunt of a few wretched savages, when it seems destined by the Creator to give support to a large population, and to be the seat of civili- zation, of science and true religion?"
In the same message the Governor also urged the establishment- of a system of popular education.
Among the acts passed by this session of the Legislature, one authorized the President and Directors of the Vincennes Public Library to raise $1,000 by lottery. Also, a petition was sent to Congress for a permanent seat of government for the Territory, and commissioners were appointed to select the site.
With the beginning of the year 1811 the British agent for Indian affairs adopted measures calculated to secure the support of the savages in the war which at this time seemed almost inevitable. Meanwhile Gov. Harrison did all in his power to destroy the influ- ence of Tecumseh and his brother and break up the Indian confed- eracy which was being organized in the interests of Great Britain. Pioneer settlers and the Indians naturally grew more and more
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aggressive and intolerant, committing depredations and murders, until the Governor felt compelled to send the following speech, substantially, to the two leaders of the Indian tribes: "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 north and west of you to join against us, while your warriors who have lately been here deny this. The tribes on the Mississippi have sent me word that you intended to murder me and then commence a war upon my people, and your seizing the salt I recently sent up the Wabash is also sufficient evidence of such intentions on your part. My warriors are preparing themselves, not to strike yon, but to defend themselves and their women and children. You shall not surprise us, as you expect to do. Your intended act is a rash one: consider well of it. What can induce you to undertake such a thing when there is so little prospect of success? Do you really think that the handful of nien you have abont you are able to contend with the seventeen 'fires?' or even that the whole of the tribes united could contend against the Ken- tucky 'fire' alone? I am myself of the Long 'Knife fire.' As soon as they hear my voice you will see them pouring forth their swarms of hunting-shirt men as numerous as the musquitoes on the shores of the Wabash. Take care of their stings. It is not our wish to hurt you; if we did, we certainly have power to do it.
" You have also insulted the Government of the United States, by seizing the salt that was intended for other tribes. Satisfaction must be given for that also. You talk of coming to see me, attend- ed by all of your young men; but this must not be. If your inten- tions 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. My advice is that you visit the President of the United States and lay your griev- ances before him.
"With respect to the lands that were purchased last fall I can enter into no negotiations with you; the affair is with the Presi- dent. If you wish to go and see him, I will supply you with the means.
" The person who delivers this is one of my war officers, and is a man in whom I have entire confidence; whatever 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 warrior; I hope you will treat him well. You are
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yourself a warrior, and all such should have esteem for each other."
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The bearer of this speech was politely received by Tecumseh, who replied to the Governor briefly that he should visit Vincennes in a few days. Accordingly he arrived July 27, 1811, bringing with him a considerable force of Indians, which created much alarm among the inhabitants. In view of an emergency Gov. Harrison reviewed his militia-about 750 armed men-and station- ed two companies and a detachment of dragoons on the borders of the town. At this interview Tecumseh held forth that he intended no war against the United States; that he would send messengers among the Indians to prevent murders and depredations on the white settlements; that the Indians, as well as the whites, who had committed murders, ought to be forgiven; that he had set the white people an example of forgiveness, which they ought to follow; that it was his wish to establish a union among all the Indian tribes; that the northern tribes were united; that he was going to visit the southern Indians, and then return to the Prophet's town. He said also that he would visit the President the next spring and settle all difficulties with him, and that he hoped no attempts would be made to make settlements on the lands which had been sold to the United States, at the treaty of Fort Wayne, because the Indians wanted to keep those grounds for linnting.
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Tecumseh then, with about 20 of his followers, left for the South, to induce the tribes in that direction to join his confederacy.
By the way, a lawsuit was instituted by Gov. Harrison against a certain Wm. McIntosh, for asserting that the plaintiff had cheated the Indians ont of their lands, and that by so doing he had made them enemies to the United States. The defendant was a wealthy Scotch resident of Vincennes, well educated, and a man of influence among the people opposed to Gov. Harrison's land policy. The jury rendered a verdict in favor of Harrison, assessing the damages at $4,000. In execution of the decree of Court a large quantity of the defendant's land was sold in the absence of Gov. Harrison; but some time afterward Harrison cansed about two-thirds of the land to be restored to Mr. McIntosh, and the remainder was given to some orphan children.
Harrison's first movement was to erect a new fort on the Wabash river and to break up the assemblage of hostile Indians at the Prophet's town. For this purpose he ordered Col. Boyd's regiment of infantry to move from the falls of Ohio to Vincennes. When the military expedition organized by Gov, Harrison was nearly
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ready to march to the Prophet's town, several Indian chiefs arrived at Vincennes Sept. 25, 1811, and declared that the Indians would comply with the demands of the Governor and disperse; but this did not check the military proceedings. The army under com- mand of Harrison moved from Vincennes Sept. 26, and Oct. 3, en- conntering no opposition from the enemy, encamped at the place where Fort Harrison was afterward built, and near where the city" of Terre Haute now stands. On the night of the 11th a few hos- tile Indians approached the encampment and wounded one of the sentinels, which caused considerable excitement. The army was- immediately drawn up in line of battle, and small detachments. were sent in all directions; but the enemy could not be found. Then the Governor sent a message to Prophet's Town, requiring the Shawanees, Winnebagoes, Pottawatomies and Kickapoos at that place to return to their respective tribes; he also required the Prophet to restore all the stolen horses in his possession, or to give satisfactory proof that such persons were not there, nor had lately been, under his control. To this message the Governor received no answer, unless that answer was delivered in the battle of Tip- pecanoe.
The new fort on the Wabash was finished Oct. 28, and at the re- quest of all the subordinate officers it was called "Fort Harrison," near what is now Terre Haute. This fort was garrisoned with a small number of men under Lieutenant-Colonel Miller. On the 29th the remainder of the army, consisting of 910 men, moved toward the Prophet's town; about 270 of the troops were mounted. The regular troops, 250 in number, were under the command of Col. Boyd. With this army the Governor marched to within a half mile of the Prophet's town, when a conference was opened with a distinguished chief, in high esteem with the Prophet, and he informed Harrison that the Indians were mnuch surprised at the approach of the army, and had already dispatched a message to him by another route. Harrison replied that he would not attack them until he had satisfied himself that they would not comply with his demands; that he would continue his encampment on the Wabash, and on the following morning would have an interview with the prophet. Harrison then resumed his march, and, after some difficulty, selected a place to encamp-a spot not very desir- able. It was a piece of dry oak land rising about ten feet above the marshy prairie in front toward the Indian town, and nearly twice that height above a similar prairie in the rear, through which
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and near this bank ran a small stream clothed with willow and brush wood. Toward the left flank this highland widened consid- erably, but became gradually narrower in the opposite direction, and at the distance of 150 yards terminated in an abrupt point. The two columns of infantry occupied the front and rear of this ground, abont 150 yards from each other on the left, and a little more than half that distance on the right, flank. One flank was filled by two companies of inounted riflemen, 120 men, under com- mand of Major-General Wells, of the Kentucky militia, and one by Spencer's company of mounted riflemen, numbering 80 men. The front line was composed of one battalion of United States in- fantry, under command of Major Floyd, flanked on the right by two companies of militia, and on the left by one company. The rear line was composed of a battalion of United States troops, under command of Capt. Bean, acting as Major, and four companies of militia infantry under Lieutenant-Colonel Decker. The regular troops of this line joined the mounted riflemen under Gen. Wells, on the left flank, and Col. Decker's battalion formed an angle with Spencer's company on the left. Two troops of dragoons, about 60 men in all, were encamped in the rear of the left flank, and Capt. Parke's troop, which was larger than the other two, in rear of the right line. For a night attack the order of encampment was the order of battle, and each man slept opposite his post in the line. In the formation of the troops single file was adopted, in order to get as great an extension of the lines as possible.
BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE.
No attack was made by the enemy until about 4 o'clock on the morning of Nov. 7, just after the Governor had arisen. The attack was made on the left flank. Only a single gun was fired by the sentinels or by the guard in that direction, which made no resist- ance, abandoning their posts and fleeing into camp; and the first notice which the troops of that line had of the danger was the yell of the savages within a short distance of them. But the men were courageous and preserved good discipline. Such of them as were awake, or easily awakened, seized arms and took their stations; others, who were more tardy, had to contend with the enemy in the doors of their tents. The storm first fell upon Capt. Barton's company of the Fourth United States Regiment, and Capt. Geiger's company of mounted riflemen, which formed the left angle of the rear line. The fire from the Indians was exceedingly severe, and
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men in these companies suffered considerably before relief could be brought to them. Some few Indians passed into the encampment near the angle, and one or two penetrated to some distance before they were killed. All the companies formed for action before they were fired on. The morning was dark and cloudy, and the fires of the Americans afforded only a partial light, which gave greater advantage to the enemy than to the troops, and they were there- fore extinguished.
As soon as the Governor could mount his horse he rode to the angle which was attacked, where he found that Barton's company had suffered severely, and the left of Geiger's entirely broken. He immediately ordered Cook's and Wentworth's companies to march up to the center of the rear line, where were stationed a small com- pany of U. S. riflemen and the companies of Bean, Snelling and Prescott. As the General rode up he found Maj. Daviess forming the dragoons in the rear of these companies, and having ascertained that the heaviest fire proceeded from some trees 15 or 20 paces in front of these companies, he directed the Major to dislodge them with a part of the dragoons; but unfortunately the Major's gal- lantry caused him to undertake the execution of the order with a smaller force than was required, which enabled the enemy to avoid him in front and attack his flanks. He was mortally wounded and his men driven back. Capt. Snelling, however, with his company immediately dislodged those Indians. Capt. Spencer and liis 1st and 2nd Lieutenants were killed, and Capt. Warwick mortally wounded. The soldiery remained brave. Spencer had too much ground originally, and Harrison re-enforced him with a company of riflemen which had been driven from their position on the left flank.
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