USA > Indiana > Pioneer history of Indiana : including stories, incidents, and customs of the early settlers > Part 2
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In 1752 M. Duquesne, governor of New France, ordered George Washington, who, with others, was attempting to survey some lands near where the city of Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania, now stands to desist and leave the country. Duquesne stated that the French government claimed all the territory bordering on the Ohio river and its many tributaries; basing that claim on the discoveries made by LaSalle, in the latter part of the seventeenth century. This was a beginning of the long and bloody war between England's American col- oniies and the French inhabitants of New France. In many battles between the French and English people from 1752 to 1763, for the supremacy in America, the French inhabitants who occupied the different stations in what is now Indiana, knew but little about the war and there were many isolated stations in that territory whose people did not know until several years afterwards that France had ceded her North American possessions to England.
After England came into possession of New France, the posts at Quebec, Montreal, Detroil and other stations in that territory established strong garrisons and adopted concilia- tory measures to win the Indians from their allegiance to France. This was hard to do. Pontiac, who would not give
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up the hope that his great father, the king of France, would again come into power, fought many determined battles against the English and would not be consoled. Finally he went to St. Louis to see his old friend, St. Ange, who coun- seled him to submit and give to England the same loyality that he had to France, telling him that France had not sold his land nor would the English take it away from him. This, in a measure, satisfied the great Pontiac and he went back home, coming down the Mississippi, up the Ohio and the Wabash. Telling his people that there would be no more war, he discarded his rank and went into private life as a hunter.
A tradition that has come all the way down from genera- tion to generation was often told by the Indians, as follows: The great chief, Pontiac, in destroying bands of Indians op- posing his confederation, captured mostly women and child- ren who were sold by his agents to the resident French at the different posts, receiving in exchange guns, powder, lead, flints, tomahawks and blankets. He was killed by an assasin in the woods where East St. Louis now stands, because sev- eral years before, one of his bands of warriors had captured the women and children of a hunting party of Illinois Indians while they were drying meats and fish on the shores of lake Michigan and Pontiac ordered them all sold into slavery ex- cept a beautiful woman who was the wife of the chief of the hunting party, whom he took for his wife. While making a visit to St. Ange, at the village of St. Louis, this injured woman hunted up some of her kindred and assisted them in murdering Pontiac. The hold this great chief had on the people of his confederation was so firm that when they learned of his murder they brought on a war of extermina- tion and before it was over the Illinois Indians were nearly all killed. The beautiful woman who caused his death was re-captured and burned at the stake.
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CHAPTER II.
GEORGE ROGERS CLARK AND THE ENGLISH.
TREATMENT OF INHABITANTS OF NORTHWEST BY ENGLISH-
THEIR INDIAN ALLIES-CLARK'S RESOLVE TO REDUCE THE FORTS-HIS ALLIANCE WITH THE FRENCH INHAB- ITANTS-REDUCTION OF FORT KASKASKIA-REDUCTION OF POST VINCENNES-CAPTAIN LEONARD HELM IN CHARGE OF VINCENNES-VINCENNES RECAPTURED BY LIEUT. GOV- ERNOR HAMILTON-ATTEMPT OF HAMILTON TO DISLODGE CLARK AND DRIVE HIM FROM THE TERRITORY-CAPTURE OF FRANCIS VIGO-CLARK'S MARCH FROM KASKASKIA TO VINCENNES-CAPTURE OF VINCENNES-REGAINING THE CONFIDENCE OF THE INDIANS-LATER ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES OF CLARK.
After reading Theodore Roosevelt's extensive work on "Winning the West," William E. English's elaborate history of the conquest of the Northwest territory and "The Life of George Rogers Clark" and John P. Dunn, Jr.'s "American Commonwealth," in which his Hannibal of the west is one of the many subjects treated by him in an entertaining and in- structive manner, it may seem presumptuous to attempt to write about that subject, but to attempt to write a a pioneer history of Indiana without detailing the heroic work of the hero of the Northwest territory, would be like presenting the play of "Hamlet" with Hamlet left out.
George Rogers Clark was born in Albermarle county, Virginia, November 19, 1752. In early life, he, like Wash- ington, was a surveyor, preparing himself for his work as a pioneer in a new country. In 1774 he served as an officer in
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Dunmore's war. In this way he first became acquainted with the western country. In 1775 he first visited Kentucky. At that time he was a Major. That fall he returned to Virginia and commenced making preparations to move to the west the next spring. Having moved and become a fixture there, he set about to aid the people and that section of the country to which he had attached himself. The advantages were ob- vious but its distance from the settled colonies and its ex- posure to hostile Indian tribes, rendered his occupation very perilous. Clark was not an ordinary man-his mind was very comprehensive. He knew no danger and was in full vigor of young manhood, with energy and determination that would surmount all difficulties.
As we before noted, during all the time the French had control of the territory that is now Indiana they made no per- manent improvements, having intermarried and adopted the habits of the Indians, living in bark and skin tepees. There were fewer than a hundred white families at post Vincennes ;. at Ouiatenon, Wea prairie, near Lafayette, not more than fifteen or twenty families and at the Twightee village, now Ft. Wayne, Indiana, about ten families.
From 1763 up to the time that Vincennes was captured by George Rogers Clark, the English people established but few posts. They only strengthened those that the French had at Ft. Miami (Fort Wayne) and the stations on the Wea prairies, Ouiatenon and post Vincennes. At these stations, after the commencement of the Revolutionary war, there were British officers with a small command of British troops that gathered around them a band of Indians who were placed un- der partisan officers. These officers sent them out in detach- ments to prey upon the unsuspecting settlers who were then upon the borders of the Ohio east of what afterward became Louisville, Kentucky, and into Virginia. Those from Vin- cennes directed their depredations principally against the scattered settlements in northern Kentucky. This condition of things continued until George Rogers Clark captured Lieutenant Governor Hamilton and his band of partisans at. Vincennes in 1779.
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After the treaty between France and England, the British authorities, on coming into possession of that vast empire, did everything in their power to keep improvements from be- ing made. There were several propositions made to the king by his British subjects of England and by his Amer- ican colonies, who had means, for permission to make extensive improvements in the rich country bordering on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and to plant colonies in many places. All of these propositions were rejected. The few settlements which were made got along the best they could without any protection. This immense territory had Indian towns and villages scattered all over it. There were many desperadoes who left the colonies and made their homes among the Indians. In most these free-booters were fu- gitives from justice.
When the war for independence came these desperate characters, through the influence of British agents, declared their allegiance to the British crown. They, through their intercourse with the Indians, did much to cause them to take up the hatchet against the Americans. These Indians and their partisan allies were organized into detachments to go to the western borders of the American colonies to murder, scalp and capture the inhabitants. As an inducement for them to do this bloody work, they were offered as a reward, one pound for children and women scalps or for them as prisoners; three pounds for a man's scalp, no reward for him as prisoner, and five pounds or twenty dollars for young and come- ly women prisoners. The white villians who were with their Indian allies, were, if possible, more lost to human sympathy than the Indians. They seem to have lost all human feeling and would kill and destroy the helpless people whom they found on the borders. Ignoring all restraint they deliberate- ly went into the settlements where they had formerly lived and where their kith and kin resided. The pleading of the helpless and aged mother or the wail of the infant, seemed to be music to the ears of these brutal butchers. After killing and capturing all they could, they burned and destroyed the homes and such property as they could not carry away. Go-
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ing back with their fiendish Indian allies to the British posts, they were received with great military parade as if they were returning heroes from a great victory. They received the reward for their scalps and then five pounds for the young women prisoners, who were turned over to the British officers and traders to a life of servitude. A thousand deaths would have been preferable to the violated and insulted womanhood that these poor helpless victims, mothers and fair daughters of Virginia and Kentucky had to indure. The continued raids made by the Indians and their more brutal allies, be- came so damaging to the exposed settlements that there was great danger of their being broken up.
General Clark heard the appeal of these abused people and determined to avenge the many deaths caused by these barbarians. Having explored the rurrounding country of his new home and seen much of the Indians, he learned that the continual hostility that they showed toward the white people was caused by the British commanders and their emissaries at Detroit, Kaskaskia and Vincennes and that these posts would retard the settlement of the new country. He was convinced that the thing to do was to reduce these forts and made a statement of these facts to the Virginia legislature in December, 1777, outlining a plan for the successful accom- plishment of this purpose. It was approved by Governor Henry and his council, and twelve hundred pounds was ap- propriated for the expenses and four companies of men were raised for the expedition. In the spring of 1778 they rendez- voused at Corn Island in the Ohio river, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The four companies were commanded by Cap- tains Joseph Bowman, Leonard Helm, John Montgomery and William Harrod.
The memoirs of Clark say that-"On the 24th of June, 1778, we left our camp and ran up the river for a mile in order to gain the main channel and shoot over the falls. I knew that spies were on the river below and that I might fool them, I resolved to march a part of the way by land. The force, after leaving such as were not able to stand the march with their companies, was very much reduced in num-
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bers and much smaller than I had expected.
"Owing to the many difficulties I had to encounter, I found it was best to change my plans. As the post of Vin- cennes at that time had a considerable force of British and In- dians and an Indian town was adjoining, there were large num- bers of Indian warriers there all the time. I regarded Vin- cennes of much more importance than any of the others, and had intended to attack it first, but finding I could not risk such a hazardous undertaking, I resolved to go to Kaskaskia. There were several villages along the Mississippi river but they were some distance apart. I had acquainted myself with the fact that the French inhabitants in these western villages had great influence over the Indians and were re- garded with much favor by them, as they had been their old allies in former war before the English captured the country from them; so I resolved, if possible, to attach the French to our interests. I had received a letter from Colonel Campbell, from Pittsburg, informing me that France had formed an alliance with the Colonies. As I intended to leave the Ohio at Ft. Massac, three leagues below the mouth of the Ten- nesee river, I landed on a small island in the mouth of that river in order to prepare for the march. A few days after starting a man named Duff and a party of hunters coming down the river were stopped by our boats. They were for- merly from the States and assured of their loyalty. They had been at Kaskaskia only a short time before and could give us all the intelligence we wanted. They said that Gov- error Abbot had left Vincennes and gone to Detroit; that Mr. Rochblave commanded at Kaskaskia; that the militia was in good condition and would give us a warm reception if they knew of our coming; that spies were constantly kept on the Mississippi and all hunters, Indians and others, had orders to keep a close lookout for the rebels; that the fort was kept in good order and that the soldiers were much on parade. They had been taught that we were a lot of desperate men, especi- ally the Virginians. The hunters said if the place could be surprised, which they hoped we might do, they thought there would be no resistance and they hoped we would take them
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and let them aid in the capture. This I concluded to do and they proved true men and valuable to the expedition. No part of the information pleased me more than that the inhabitants viewed us as more savage than the Indians and I was deter- mined to improve upon this if I should be so fortunate as to get them into my possession.
Having everything ready, we moved down to a small gulley a short distance above Ft. Massac, in which we con- cealed our boats and started to march. On the fourth of July, in the evening, we got within a few miles of the town, where we lay until nearly dark. Keeping spies ahead we started on the march and took possession of a house where lived a large family, on the banks of the Kaskaskia river, less than a mile . from the town. These people informed us that a short time before the militia had been under arms but had concluded that the cause of the alarm was without foundation; that there were a large number of men in town and that the Ind- ians had all gone and everything was quiet. Boats were soon secured and the command crossed the river. With one of the divisions I marched to the fort and ordered the other two divisions into different quarters of the town. If I met with no resistance, at a certain signal a general shout was to be given and certain parts were to be immediately possessed and the men of each detachment who could speak the French language, were to run through every street of the town and proclaim what had happened and inform the inhabitants that every one who should come on the street would be shot down. This had the desired effect. In a very short time every ave- nue was guarded to prevent anyone from escaping to give the alarm to other villages.
"I don't suppose that greater silence ever reigned among the inhabitants of a place than did over those of this post. Not a person was to be seen, not a word to be heard from them for some time; but the troops, by my order, kept up the the greatest noise all over the town during the whole night. In two hours time all the inhabitants were disarmed and in- formed that if they made an attempt to escape they would immediately be put to death.
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"The morning after the capture a few of the principal men had been arrested and put in irons. Soon afterward M. Gibault, the village priest, accompanied by some aged citizens, waited on me and said the inhabitants expected to be separated, perhaps never to meet again, and they begged the privilege of again assembling in their church, there to take leave of each other. I told the priest that we had noth- ing against their religion; that that was a matter the Ameri- cans left every man to settle with his God and that the peo- ple could assemble at their church if they wished to but they must not attempt to escape. Nearly all the population as- sembled at the church. After the meeting a deputation con- sisting of Gibault and several other persons waited on me and said that their present situation was the fate of war and that they could submit to the loss of property but they asked that they might not be separated from their wives and children and that some clothes and provisions might be allowed for their support. I feigned supprise at this request and abruptly exclaimed-'Do you mistake us for savages? I am almost certain you do, from you language. Do you think that the Americans intend to strip women and children; or take the bread out of their mouths? My countrymen disdain to make war on helpless innocents. It was to prevent the horrors of Indian butchery upon our wives and children that we have taken arms and penetrated this remote stronghold of British and Indian barbarity, and not the despicable prospects of plunder.' I further told them as the King of France had united his powerful arms with those of the Americans, the. war in all probability would not continue long, but that the inhabitants of Kaskaskia were at liberty to take which side. the pleased without the least danger either to their families or their property, nor would their religion be any source of disagreement, as all religions were regarded with equal res- pect by the American laws and that any insult offered to. it would be immediately punished. Then I said-'And now to prove my sincerity, you will inform your fellow citizens that they are quite at liberty to conduct themselves as usual with- out the least apprehension. I am now convinced from what
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I have learned since my arrival among you that you have been misinformed and prejudiced against us by the British officers and your friends who are in confinement shall be im- mediately released.' In a few minutes after the delivery of this speech, the gloom that had rested on the minds of the inhabitants of Kaskaskia had passed away. Their arms were restored to them and a volunteer company of French Militia joined a detachment under Captain Bowman, when that officer was despatched to take possession of Cahokia. The inhabit- ants of this small village readily took the oath of allegiance to the State of Virginia." The news of the treaty of alliance between France and America and the influence of the mag- nanimous conduct of Clark, induced the French village to take the oath of allegiance to the State of Virginia.
The memoirs of Clark proceed --. "The post of Vincennes. was never out of my mind and from something that I had learned, I had reason to suspect that M. Gibault, the priest, was favorable to the American interest, previous to our arrival in the country. He had great influence over the people at this. period and Post Vincennes was under his jurisdiction. I had no doubt of his loyalty to us and I had a long conference with him about Post Vincennes. In answer to my questions he said-that he did not think it worth while for any military preparations to be made at the falls of Ohio, for the attack on Post Vincennes, although the place was strong and there was a great number of Indians in its neighborhood, who, to his knowledge, were generally at war; that Governor Abbot had a few weeks before, left the place for some business at Detroit. He expected when the inhabitants were fully ac- quainted with what had passed at Illinois and the present happiness of their friends and made fully acquainted with the nature of the war, that their sentiments would greatly change. He told me that his appearance would have great weight even among the savage and if it were agreeable to me he would take this business on himself, having no doubt of his being able to bring the place over to the American inter- ests without my being at the trouble of marching against it. As his business was altogether spiritual, he wished that an-
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other person might be charged with the temporal part of the embassy, but he said he would privately direct the whole and named Dr. Lafont as his associate. This was perfectly agreeable to what I had been secretly aiming at for several days. The plan was immediately settled and the two doctors with their attendant retinue, among whom I had a spy, set about preparing for the journey and on the fourteenth of July started with an address for the inhabitants of post Vin- cennes, authorizing them to garrison their town themselves, which was intended to convince them of the great confidence we put in them. All this had the desired effect. M. Gibault and his party arrived and after a day or two occupied in ex- plaining matters to the people, they all acceded to the pro- posal (except a few emissaries left by Governor Abbot, and they immediately left the Country) and went in a body to the church, where the oath of allegiance was administered to them in a most solemn manner. An officer was selected, the fort garrisoned and the American flag displayed, to the astonishment of the Indians, and everything settled far beyond our most sanguine hopes. The people here began to immed- iately put on a new face and talk in a different style and act as perfect freemen, with a garrison of their own and the United States at their elbow. Their language to the Indians was immediately altered. They began as citizens of the United States and informed the Indians that their old father, the King of France, was come to life again and was mad at them for fighting for the English. They said they would advise the Indians to make peace with the Americans as soon as they could, otherwise they might expect the land to be very bloody.
"The Indians began to think very seriously throughout the country. This was now the kind of language they got from their ancient friends of the Wabash and Illinois. Through the means of their correspondence spreading among the nat- ions there was a decided change in all the neighbroring tribes of Indians.
"M. Gibault and party accompanied by several gentlemen from post Vincennes, returned to Kaskaskia about the fourth
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of August with the joyful news. During his absence on this business, which caused me great anxiety, (for without that post all my work would have been in vain), I was engaged in regulating things in the Illinois. The reduction of these posts was the period of the enlistment of our troops. I was at a great loss at this time to determine how to act and how far I might venture to strain my authority. My instructions were silent on many important points as it was impossible to foresee the events that would take place. To abandon the country and all the prospects that opened to our view in the Indian department at this time, for want of instructions in certain cases, I thought would amount to a reflection on our Government as having no confidence in me and I resolved to usurp all the authority necessary to carry my points. I had the greater part of the troops reenlisted on a different estab- lishment; commissioned French officers to command a com- pany of young Frenchmen; established a garrison at Cahokia commanded by Captain Bowman and another at Kaskaskia commanded by Captain Williams. Post Vincennes remained in the situation as mentioned. I sent Captain John Mont- gomery to the Government with letters and dispatches and again turned my attention to Post Vincennes. I plainly saw that it would be highly necessary to have an American officer at that post and Captain Leonard Helm appeared to be suited in many ways for the position. He was past the meridian of life and well acquainted with Indian life and their disposi- tions. I sent him to command that post, also appointed him agent for the Indian affair of the Wabash.
"About the middle of August Captain Helm started out to take possession of his new command. An Indian chief called "Tobacco's Son," a Piankashaw, at this time, was residing in the village adjoining Post Vincennes. He was called by the Indians-"The Grand Door of the Wabash;" and as there was nothing to be undertaken by the League on the Wabash with- out his consent, I discovered that to win him was of signal importance. I sent him a spirited compliment by M. Gibault -he returned it. I now, by Captain Helm, touched him on the same spring that I had the inhabitants and sent a speech
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with a belt of wampum, directing Captain Helm how to man- a'ge if the chief was pacifically inclined or otherwise. The Captain arrived safely at Post Vincennes and was received with acclamation by the people. After the usual ceremony was over he sent for Grand Door and delivered my letter to him. After having it read he informed the Captain that he was happy to see him-one of Big Knife's chiefs-in this town. It was here that he had joined the English against him, but Grand Door confessed that he always thought they looked gloomy. He said that as the letter was of great importance, he would not give an answer for some time; that he must collect his counsellors on the subject and was in hopes that the Captain would be patient. In a short time he put on all the courtly dignity that he was master of and Captain Helm followed his example. It was several days before the busi- ness was finished as the proceedings were very ceremonious.
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