USA > Indiana > Marshall County > Tippecanoe in Marshall County > The Tippecanoe battle-field monument; a history of the association formed to promote the enterprise, the action of Congress and the Indiana legislature, the work of the commission and the ceremonies at the dedication of the monument > Part 4
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ยท History records the precautions taken by General Harrison that the soldiers who fell and were buried on this field might remain buried here together undisturbed for all time. These plans were frustrated by the Indians who, after the expedition had started on
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Report of Commission.
GENERAL BENJAMIN HARRISON. [1864]
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
its return, dug up the bodies and after rifling, gave them to the Indian dogs. It is therefore most fitting, as the bones of the sol- diers do not rest together on this battle-field, as brave soldiers should, that the Nation and State of Indiana should erect this or- nate granite shaft, rising above the trees, which now, as then, stand on this hallowed spot, as a tribute of gratitude to the valor and sac- rifices of all soldiers who took part in the famous Indian Battle of Tippecanoe, fought on these grounds November 7, 1811. Every honor we can pay the memory of the heroes of this battle-field is merited and earned.
This monument and the cause for which it so eloquently speaks will silently, but none the less forcibly, express to the com- ing generations in a measure, our gratitude to the brave men who fought here and sacrificed so much in our behalf. It will inspire our children and their children to a greater love of our country, whose liberty and freedom they enjoy, and urge them to maintain the highest type of good citizenship and obedience to the law, and yet while peace-loving, to be ever ready to protect the Nation, and the States it represents, from insult, invasion and acquisition. In re- turn for all they may do for our country they will find a grateful peeople ready to honor and do them homage.
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Report of Commission.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, JR.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
It is regrettable that on this occasion the regiment of regulars which fought under Gen. William Henry Harrison, which was or- ganized in Revolutionary days and which has been a brave and powerful unit in protecting our country in all the wars that have since followed, and on the frontier, affording the settlers protec- tion from the Indians, should at this time be stationed so far away as to make it impossible for the regiment to be present and have a share in the honors paid to it. It is pleasing, however, that another regiment, the 10th U. S. of our army, represents them. It is also regretable that the State of Kentucky did not send some of its citi- zen soldiers here, as did the State of Indiana, to take part in the ceremonies. For the first time in ninety-seven years have armed men of the United States army and the citizen soldiers of Indiana, been encamped upon these grounds and have paraded side by side, as they did on that memorable 7th day of November, 1811.
As I am a volunteer speaker on your program and you are some- what wearied by long standing, I shall bring my remarks to a close. It is most pleasing to be present upon this occasion, for as a direct descendant of Gen. William Henry Harrison, I view with natural pride the tribute paid to him as a citizen, civil official and soldier, and the tribute to the patriotism, deeds of valor and sacrifices of those who served under him, which made possible the successful ter- mination of their campaign, and in so short a time the development of this great agricultural and manufacturing State. For myself and all the descendants of William Henry Harrison, I express the deepest gratitude for this beautiful and permanent recognition of military services ; also the many expressions of appreciation, of his character and services to his country. His love of country and willingness to die for it, if necessary, was transmitted to a grandson, Benjamin Harrison, who was also a soldier, serving in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, was the means of teaching me through my father to respond to the needs of our country when it called for volunteers to protect it and stand for what was right and just in 1898.
I thank you Chairman Reser for the courtesy of calling upon me to speak upon this occasion, and trust, fellow citizens, you ap- preciate the embarrassment of my situation.
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Report of Commission.
TIPPECANOE MONUMENT.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
ERECTED JOINTLY BY THE NATION AND THE STATE, IN MEMORY OF THE HEROES WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE NOVEMBER 7, 18Il.
THIS MONUMENT COMPLETED AND DEDICATED NOVEMBER 7, 1908.
H .
EAST TABLET.
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Report of Commission.
PRIVATES KILLED IN ACTION
JAMES ASBERRY, EDWARD BUTNER, JONATHAN CREWELL, THOMAS CLENDENNAN, WILLIAM DAVIS,
FRANCIS BONAH, JOSEPH BURDITT, LEVI CARY, MARSHALL DUNKEN, DEXTER EARLL,
PETER HANKS
HENRY HICKEY,
HENRY JONES, WILLIAM KING,
DAVID KEARNS, ABRAHAM KELLY,
DANIEL LEE,
DANIEL MCMICKLE,
WILLIAM MEEHAN, JACK OBAH,
ISAAC M. NUTE, JOHN OWSLEY, AMOS ROYCE,
KADER POWELL, JOHN SANDBORN, JOSEPH SMITH,
SAMUEL SAND,
JAMES SUMMERVILLE, LEWIS TAYLOR,
WILLIAM TISSLER,
JOSEPH TIBBETTS,
IRA T. TROWBRIDGE, JOSEPH WARNOCK, ABRAHAM WOOD,
LEMAN E. WELCH,
ISAAC WHITE,
JOHN YEOMANS.
SOUTH TABLET.
The Commission decided to place upon the monument the names of all those who died before the army started on its return march, which gives a total of forty-six names instead of the thirty-seven who were killed outright.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
Afternoon Exercises.
TIPPECANOE BATTLE-FIELD, November 7, 1908. 1 o'clock.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Hon. Job S. Sims, and the following prayer was delivered by the Rev. A. L. Miller, of Battle Ground :
O God of Infinite love, we thank Thee for Thy revelation to man, and for Thy manifold blessings, and for the uplift to nations that a faith in Thee has brought.
We rejoice in the material prosperity of our great nation, in the well-earned achievements of her history, in the enlargement of her intellectual vision, and in the embodiment of the Spirit of the Man of Galilee in bringing about the peaceful relations among the nations of the world.
We art taught in Thy Word that Thou art pleased with heroic struggles for the right, and that future generations may profit, Thou hast ordained that memorials may be kept that these imbibing the spirit of the struggles, may be able to fight life's battles in their own time, and to write their page in history well.
As we are assembled on this historic ground today that has been made memorable by the decisive battle fought thereon nearly a century ago, and which has been sanctified by the blood of brave men in a heroic struggle for civilization and right, we pray that we may be impressed with the sanctity of this occasion, and that we may play our part in the great drama of life with as much love for the right, and as courageously, as did those whose names and deeds we honor today ; and we pray that the exercises of this day may be to us an inspiration for holy living, and that this monu- ment, so silent, yet so majestic, dedicated today to the memory of a just cause, may be a constant reminder that noble deeds still live in the minds and hearts of the American people.
We pray, O Lord, for the righteous maintenance of our people, for our President and his advisers ; for the Governors of our States, and for all in official position. We pray for the man of wealth and for the man in poverty ; for the man of intellectual renown, and
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Report of Commission.
for the man who is less fortunate; for the man who is living holy life, and for the man who is desecrating life, that somehow in the onward march of civilization and truth, as God presides over the destiny of nations, there may be realized in every community and every household the monument of righteousness, that speaks in tones of Infinite love, and represents the greatest sacrifice the world has ever known. And then when the last page in life's book has been written, and when nations will be no more, we shall gather about Thy throne as heroes of a just cause, and bring forth the royal diadem and crown Jesus King of kings and Lord of lords. We ask it all in His name. Amen.
Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
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MISS JUNE WALLIS.
[5]
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Report of Commission.
PRESENTATION OF MONUMENT TO STATE AND NATION.
THE HON. JOB S. SIMS :
To the Honorable Secretary of War and to the Governor of the State of Indiana-On Sunday, May 1, 1892, the grand army posts of the City of Lafayette met with the post at Battle Ground, and it was decided to form a monument association. Each year after that meetings were held at which the children decorated the graves of the dead, the choirs of Battle Ground sang patriotic music, and stirring addresses were made by eminent men. The result was the creation of a mighty sentiment in favor of the erection of a monu- ment, which culminated in the passage of bills through the legisla- ture of Indiana and Congress, appropriating a total of $25,000. Your commissions, acting jointly as one commission, met and or- ganized January 6, 1908. They selected the site for the monu- ment; they selected the design submitted by McDonnell & Sons ; they selected the material ; they awarded the contract to McDonnell & Sons, February 12, 1908, for $24,500; at the request of the commission, inscriptions were written by Alva O. Reser, most of which were adopted.
Our work is before you. If it meet with your approval we ask that you accept this monument in the name of the Nation and the State, and we know that you, Governor Hanly, will freely pledge the faith of the State to care for it, along with these grounds, in accordance with the spirit of the State Constitution and the man- date of the national act. Tippecanoe County appropriated $750, and tablets have been erected to seven of the officers who lost their lives in this battle.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR J. FRANK HANLY.
Governor J. Frank Hanly accepted the monument on behalf of the State as follows :
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument Commission-Out of the patriotic impulse of a grate- ful people-the endeavor and zeal of the members of the Tippe- canoe Battle-field Memorial Association- the efforts of the Senator from Tippecanoe and of one of the State's distinguished members of Congress-the action of State Assembly and National Congress -the intelligence, courage and faithfulness with which you have discharged your duties in the selection of design and material- the genius of the architect who planned and of the artist who fash- ioned its accompanying statue-and the skill and patience of the mechanics who constructed it, there arises this day this splendid shaft, beautiful in design, magnificent in proportions and enduring in character.
As we stand in its silent, solemn presence we admit without dis- sent that you have planned wisely and have builded well. The quar- ries of Wisconsin and the granite hills of Vermont lay piled before us in lasting tribute upon soil we love-soil hallowed by heroic deeds and sanctified by sacrificial blood.
And now in the name and in behalf of the people of Indiana Territory, and in the name and in behalf of the people of this now proud and mighty State, of all who were, of all who are, and of all who shall be, I accept it from your hands with pride and gratitude, and do now dedicate it forever to the memory of those who here, ninety-seven years ago, beneath these trees, amid November's gray and lagging dawn, battled for and won an empire, richer now by far than any land the world then knew.
Here these trees-these sturdy, stately trees-oaks, surviving monarchs of a forest gigantic, now long since extinct-have watched with unfailing vigilance through the changing seasons of a hundred years, less only three, the unbroken slumber of our dead. Amid the storms and snows of winter they have stood, unwearied sentinels, waiting with perfect faith the coming of the hour when returning spring should clothe anew their naked boughs with foliage, and bring again the throb of life to every sleeping twig and tissue. Through the heat of summer, lifting high and ever
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Report of Commission.
higher their plumed and emerald-jeweled arms toward the blue beauty of the arched and vaulted sky, they have spread their shad- ows like a sun-flecked mantle above these mounds our loving hands have fashioned.
Amid the sad and transient glories of the autumn, dropping their leaves like mortal tributes laid upon the bier of one beloved, they have wrapped these graves about with robes of scarlet, of russet and of gold; and have sighed farewells and requiems amid moaning winds and chill November rains. From this vale-encircled, river-belted hill, thrown up by Nature's giant hands, they have looked upon the miracles of morning and of night-the birth and death of day-five times ten thousand times, and have caught with unvoiced joy the gleam and lost with silent grief the glint of rising and of setting suns.
And now this monument-joint tribute of Republic and of Com- monwealth-raises its form and summit far above these regal chil- dren of the primal past that the vigil of a century may not be broken when they, falling, shall cease to watch above our dead.
They have all but lived their day. Vigils for them soon will be no more, but this imposing shaft which you have builded will sur- vive their fall and speak in silent eloquence through all the gath- ering, multiplying years of the valor and the courage of those who struggled here-who fought and fell.
It will become a shrine for Freedom's devotees. About it men will gather to recount the deeds it commemorates and in its presence renew with high resolve their vows of constancy to home and friend and country. The children of a later generation than we will know will play about the exedra where we now stand and pause to spell the names engraved upon these entablatures-names held in trust for them with granite grip-and spelling them grow still with awe.
Thenceforth the graves assembled yonder will hold for them a deeper meaning, and the spots where Daviess fell, where Spencer died, and where Owen yielded up his life will each grow rich with consecrated memories.
It is peculiarly fitting that the State and the Nation should unite in erecting this monument. The battle fought here affected the destiny of both. Here Indiana's and Kentucky's sons, citizen- soldiers, frontiersmen, fresh from cabin homes builded in primeval forests-stood with the trained and disciplined infantry of the general government-stood and held this trembling hill against a horde of crafty, cruel, savage foes, and bore themselves as stal-
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
wart, fearless men-stood amid the mystery and the darkness until the light of day crept in among the trees-stood and fought and would not yield. The field was held and the victory won, not by the regulars alone, but by the volunteers as well, by men in uniform and by men in woodsman's garb-by those whose trade was war and by those who fought only to protect their cabin homes and those they loved from the peril of torch and knife.
The present State of Indiana contains 35,885 square miles of territory, stretching from the Great Lakes to the Ohio River. Through the battle waged here this was opened to settlement and a pathway made to statehood. What changes the intervening years have wrought! Then there were less than 25,000 people living in the area named; now there are 2,775,708. Then the accumulated wealth was nil; now more than $1,700,000,000. Then, as a people, we were without schools, without culture, without literature; now our schools are among the best in all the world, our people are cul- tured, and the fame of our literature nation-wide. Then we had no history ; now our history is inspiring and is linked forever with that of a mighty Nation.
By this battle the power of Tecumseh and the savage tribes he led was broken forever, the people of Ohio and Kentucky were made secure in the possession of their homes and an empire aggregating more than 200,000 square miles of territory was freed from the peril of Indian massacre. From this domain four states have been carved-Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. These, with Ohio, are today sufficient in territory, in natural resources, in ac- cumulated wealth, in population, in culture and in power to con- stitute a nation within themselves. Then there were in all the Re- public but 7,250,000 people; now these five States alone have a population of more than 17,000,000, and their wealth is many times greater than the aggregate wealth of all the country then. They would constitute in population, in natural resources, in accumulated wealth, in the culture, intelligence, individuality and initiative of their people a far greater nation than that sought to be erected from the slave States in 1860. Their population is one-half great- er, and the excess of their wealth almost beyond comparison. And y et those States were great enough in all the elements of nationalty to carry on for four years such a war as the world has rarely seen.
Here the foundation of a great man's fame was laid and the name of Tippecanoe linked forever with that of Harrison. Tip- pecanoe, Fort Meigs and the Thames were but steps in the evolu-
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Report of Commission.
tion of a life replete with signal service, ennobled by great endeavor and crowned in its closing days with the highest preferment a par- tial people could bestow.
Commissioned by Washington a lieutenant in the army at 18, he rose to high rank and great command. Given the command of the Northwestern army in 1812, he was instructed to act in all cases according to his own discretion and judgment, a latitude rarely given to the commander of an American army .
He held many civil offices, secretary of the Northwest Territory, delegate in Congress, State Senator, Governor of Indiana Terri- tory, presidential elector, representative in Congress, United States Senator, Minister to Columbia, and President of the United States.
He never faltered in the discharge of any duty nor shrank from the responsibilities of any position. He commanded armies with ability, discretion and skill and served in civil office with conspicu- ous fidelity.
He often received honorable mention in the reports of his su- periors, was complimented on the field of battle for gallantry in action, received the thanks of general assemblies and of Congress, and died beloved by all the people.
He loved the government he served and in his inaugural ad- dress made high plea for the Union: "It is union that we want- not a party for the sake of that party, but a union of the whole country for the sake of the whole country."
Scion of a sturdy, intellectual and martial ancestry, he added to its achievements and its fame and became the ancestor of a de- scendant greater yet than himself or any that had preceded him.
The lives of grandsire and of grandson exemplify and accent- uate the truth of the grandson's words, "A great life does not go out, it goes on."
The life of William Henry Harrison did not go out, it went on ; it still goes on and will go on. Other generations shall rise to be blessed by its influence and called to noble endeavor by its deeds. It flowered again and ripened anew in the life of the great grand- son whose fame we but recently commemorated in the capital city of the State in a statue of bronze, with music, oratory and song.
Neither shaft of granite nor statue of bronze is needed to per- petuate the memories of these men, but we do well to build these memorials and to dedicate them to their memories. In the act of conception, building and dedication we bespeak our gratitude and voice our hearts' desire to be like them in purity of purpose, in lofti- ness of courage and in the exalted character of service rendered.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
It is meet that this shaft should rise to mark the spot where those who struggled here contended, and that the granite form and mar- tial visage of him who commanded here should rise above the dead who in life he here led to battle and to glory.
To private soldier, regular and volunteer, in uniform and in frontier garb, to officer and command, to those who fell, and to those who fought and lived, we dedicate this stately obelisk.
They were representatives of a conquering race, founders of States, builders of empire, prophets of a new earth, torch-bearers of a new civilization, evangels of a precious gospel.
General Carmen, in the name and in behalf of the sovereign Commonwealth of Indiana, I present to you, as the representative of the Government of the United States of America, this evidence of a grateful people's love and veneration for those who died in the founding of that Commonwealth, in the building of that Nation.
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Report of Commission.
GENERAL E. A. CARMEN.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
ADDRESS OF GEN. E. A. CARMEN.
General Carmen, in accepting the monument on behalf of the Secretary of War, said :
Governor Hanly, Members of the Commission and Fellow-Citi- zens-It gives me great pleasure to be with you this beautiful day, to participate in your tender of tribute to the memory of William Henry Harrison, a man of military renown and high civic virtue, and the gallant men who, under his command here on this historic field nearly a century ago, won a victory that advanced the frontier line of civilization into the great northwest and established one of the great landmarks of the nation's history. Not until late on Thursday last did I know that it was expected I would be with you today, and I have had neither time nor opportunity to prepare an address fitting the occasion. This perhaps is not to be regretted, for those who have addressed you have given more satisfactorily than I can the salient points in the life, character and deeds of the man and his associates we this day honor. It remains for me in behalf of the Secretary of War and the Congress of the United States the very pleasant duty of thanking and congratulating you, Governor Hanly, and the members of the monument commission, and all who have been associated with you, upon the zeal, energy and good taste and economy you have shown in the work, and in be- half of the United States we accept the beautiful tribute you have erected to the memory of the father of the great northwest and the brave men who served under him.
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Report of Commission.
COLONEL JOHN W. WARNER.
Col. John W. Warner, of Lafayette, on the day of the dedication of the Tippecanoe monument, had charge of all the military. After the exercises at the monument, under the direction of Colonel Warner, two battalions of the Tenth Regiment, U. S. Infantry, from Fort Benjamin Harrison, under com- mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil, gave a beautiful dress parade.
Addresses in Behalf of
MONUMENT PROJECT
Delivered on Battlefield at Various Times
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Report of Commission.
HON. M. E. CLODFELTER.
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Tippecanoe Battle-field Monument.
ADDRESS BY THE HON. M. E. CLODFELTER. (At Battle Ground, Sunday, June 26, 1892.)
Ladies and Gentlemen-I congratulate you upon the interest manifested by you in the purposes, aims and objects of this meet- ing. You have a great county and a beautiful and wealthy city. All your surroundings denote a vigorous and prosperous people. I see in front of me a large number of old soldiers-the remnants of the war of 1861.
They have experienced the horrors of war in all their reality, though years have passed since the close of that gigantic struggle ; yet the memory of the suffering, hardships, devastation and death it occasioned are indelibly stamped upon your minds. Knowing these things as you do, you prefer peace to war, but at all times a peace consistent with the honor and integrity of your country.
There are soldiers in times of peace as well as in times of war. It is our patriotic duty as soldiers of peace to do all in our power, consistent with the preservation of our form of government, to avoid war and its baneful consequences ; but if the integrity of our country is threatened, or the lives or liberty of our people threat- ened or invaded, the spirit of patriotism must be kept alive and burning to meet the occasion. Those who respond to their coun- try's call in times of emergency, must not be forgotten by their country or their countrymen.
Monuments erected in honor of the heroic dead, serve as an in- spiration to the living. The mantle of government will soon rest upon the young men of the future, and they should be prepared to assume that responsibility in keeping with the patriotism and loyalty of the past.
This is a historic spot. The battle fought and the victory won by General Harrison and his men was the beginning of the end of Indian warfare in the great Northwest Territory. A monument erected upon this sacred spot will not only do honor to the brave men who won the victory, but will serve to impress upon the minds of the coming generations the historic importance of the place and the events which it commemorates. I again congratulate you for your enterprise in this worthy undertaking, and trust that you may be successful.
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