USA > Louisiana > The history of Louisiana : from the earliest period, Volume II > Part 21
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On the nineteenth of August, the country suffered a great deal from a hurricane, the ravages of which exceeded those hitherto known by any of the inhabi- tants. Several buildings were blown down in New- Orleans, particularly a very large and elegant market house.
At their second session, a supreme, district and par- ish courts were organized: the first was to be com- posed of three judges, and Hall, Mathews and Der- bigny were, accordingly, appointed. The state was divided into seven districts, in which a court was to be holden, in each parish, except the first, by a district judge, who had the same jurisdiction as the late terri- torial superior court. In the first district the court was to be holden in New-Orleans only.
The parish courts were continued on the same foot- ing, except that of New-Orleans, to which the juris- diction of a district court was given.
". The arms of the United States were unsuccessful on the northern frontier, during the year 1812: gen-
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eral Hull surrendered his army to the enemy, who possessed themselves of the whole Michigan territory. General Van Ranselaer was more fortunate at the battle of Queen-town, where he drove off the assail- ants, with a considerable loss, particularly that of their leader general Brock.
The navy acquired much eclat: the British frigates Guerriere, Macedonian and Java, were taken by cap- tains Hull, Decatur and Bainbridge; the sloop of war Alert, by captain Porter, and the brigs of war Detroit and Caledonia by lientenant Jones.
The United States lost the brigs Nautilus and Vixen and the sloop of war the Wasp.
On the 13th of February, 1813, congress authoriz- ed the president of the United States, to occupy and hold that part of West Florida, lying west of the river Perdido, not then in the possession of the United States. Orders for this purpose were sent to Wilkin- son, who immediately took measures with commodore Shaw, and the necessary equipments being made, the forces employed in this service reached the vicinity of fort Charlotte, in the night between the 7th and Sth of April, having on their way dispossessed a Spanish guard, on Dauphin island, and intercepted a Spanish transport, having on board detachments of artillery, with provisions and munitions of war. Don Gayeta- no Perez, who commanded in fort Charlotte, received the first information of Wilkinson's approach from his drums. The place was strong and well supplied with artillery, but the garrison consisted of one hundred and fifty effective men only, and was destitute of pro- visions, as the troops depended upon the town for daily subsistence. Don Gayetano capitulated on the thirteenth. The garrison was sent to Pensacola, but the artillery of the fort was retained, to be accounted
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for by the United States: with part of it, Wilkinson established a small fortification on Mobile point, which commanded the entrance of the bay; he left colonel Constant in command at fort Charlotte, and returned to New-Orleans, which he left a few days after, being ordered to join the army on the frontiers of Canada.
General Flournoy, of Georgia, was sent to com- mand the forces on the Mississippi.
The British had sent emissaries from Canada, among the southern Indians, with a view to induce them to take up the hatchet against the frontier in- habitants of Georgia and the Mississippi territory. Those men were successful among the Creeks, who, on the 20th of June, manifested their hostile tem- per by the massacre of several individuals of their own tribes, who were friendly to the United states. 'This event was not, however, followed by any posi- tive act of hostility against the United States, till the 13th of September, when they committed a sudden, unprovoked, and dering outrage against them.
Major Beasley had been sent to command a small garrison, which it had been deemed proper to put in fort Mimms, in the Ten au settlement of the Miss's- sippi territory; a Creek Indian came and informed him, in an apparently friendly manner, that he was to be attacked within two days: having made his communication, he departed and was hardly out of . sight when twenty or thirty of his countrymen came in view, and forcibly entered the fort. In the attempt to shut the gate, Beasley was killed: the garrison re- venged his death by that of all the assailants. This first party was. however, soon followed by a body of about eight hundred: the garrison was overpowered, the fort taken and every man, woman and child in it
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slaughtered, with the exception of four privates, who. though severely wounded, effected their escape, and reached fort Stoddard.
This misfortune was considerably heightened by the circumstance of a number of the settlers near the fort having sent their families there for protection: the number of white persons who thus perished amount- ed to three hundred and fifty. The garrison made a most obstinate defence; two hundred and fifty In- dians were killed, and the number of the wounded could not be known.
This event broke up the settlement: its inhabitants sought the protection of the white people, at Mobile and forts Stoddard and St. Stevens.
A forty-fourth regiment of infantry had been or- dered to be raised, and exclusively employed in the state of Louisiana and West Florida. Colonel G. T. Ross, to whom the command of it had been given. entered on the recruiting service carly in the month of October.
On the first account of the disaster at fort Mimms, very large parties of the militia of the states of Ten- nessee and Georgia, volunteered their services, and took the field under generals Jackson and Floyd, to avenge their countrymen. The first blow was struck on the third of November, at the Tallusa'che towns, where one hundred and eighty-six warriors were killed, and eighty-four women and children made prisoners: the militia had five men killed and forty- one wounded A week after Jackson, with about two thousand Tennessee volunteers, fell on the Indi- ans at Talledoga and defeated them, killing three hundred warriors: he had only six men killed and eighty wounded.
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On the eighteenth a division of the Tennesssee vol- unteer militia, under general White, destroyed the towns of Little Oakfulkee, Genalga and Hillsbe .; in an action in which he had not a man killed or wounded, and he killed sixty Indians a :. d made two hundred and fifty-six prisoners.
General Floyd, with nine hundred and sixty men, of the Georgia militia, and three hundred and fi ty friendly Indians, attacked fifteen hundred hostile Creeks, at Antossee and Tallassee. He burnt up- wards of four hundred houses, and killed two hun- dred warriors, including the kings of the two towus. His loss was seven killed and fifty-four wounded.
Congress, on the seventeenth of December, laid a general embargo.
In the latter part of that month, Flournoy, by or- der of the United States, made a requisition of one thousand men of the militia of the state, to be employ- ed in the service of the United States, during six months, unless sooner discharged. Cla borne com- plied with the requisition immediately.
The arms of the United States were more success- ful on the northern frontier during this year, than in the preceding, yet but little advantage was obtained. The enemy made considerable havock on the Ches- apeake, in the towns of Hampton, Havre de Grace, Georgetown and Frederickton.
The navy acquired much glory: the British ships Detroit and Queen Charlotte, brig Hunter, schooners Lady Prevost and Chippewa, and sloop Little Belt, were taken by commodore Perry. The brigs Pea- cock and Boxer by captain Lawrence and lieutenant Brown, the schooners Dominica and Highflyer by a privateer, and captain Rodgers. The United States lost-the frigate Chesapeake, and schooners Viper, Asp, Julia and Growler, and brig Argus.
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The legislature began its third session on the third of January 1814, but did not pass any very impor- tant act.
General Claiborne, at the head of a detachment of the Mississippi territory, on the twenty-third of January, burned the town of Etchenachaca, (holy ground) and routed the Indians. Two days after, general Floyd was attacked, on liis encampment, forty-eight miles west of Catahouchee; but the en- emy retreated after a severe conflict. The loss of the general was twenty-two killed and twenty-seven wounded.
A decisive blow was at last struck on the twenty- seventh of March, when general Jackson attacked the enemy's entrenchments, and, after an action of five hours, completely defeated them, killing seven hundred and fifty warriors, and taking two hundred and fifty women and children. His loss was twen- ty-five killed and one hundred and five wounded.
Congress, on the fourteenth of April, repealed the embargo and new importation laws.
In the course of that month the banks in New. Orleans ceased to pay specie for their notes.
Lieutenant colonel Pearson, with two hundred and fifty of the North Carolina militia, and seventy friendly Indians, having scoured the banks of the Alabama, made six hundred and twenty-two men, women and children prisoners.
Official accounts were received at Washington city of the fall of Bonaparte; the restoration of Louis XVIII. and the consequent general pacifica- tion in Europe. These events leaving to Great Britain a large disposable force. and offering her the means of giving to the war in America a char- acter of new and increased activity and extent; al-
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though the government of the United States did not know that such would be its application, nor what particular point or points would become objects of attack, the president deemed it advisable to strengthen the line of the Atlantic and the gulf of Mexico. His directions were accordingly commu- nicated by the secretary of war to Claiborne, to or- ganize and hold in readiness a corps of one thous- and militia infantry, the quota of Louisiana, also a re- quisition made on the executive of the several states, for ninety-three thousand five hundred men. Clai- borne lost no time in carrying the views of the gene- ral government into execution.
The Creek Indians having sued for peace, power was given to Jackson to conclude it. This was donc at Fort Jackson, on the ninth of August.
This treaty strongly marks the temper of the United States' agent. It begins by stating that an unprovoked, inhuman and sanguinary war, waged by the hostile Creek Indians, against the United States, has been repelled, prosecuted and determined suc- cessfully on the part of the latter, in conformity with the principles of national justice and honorable warfare, and consideration is due to the rectitude of the proceding, dictated by instructions relating to the re-establishment of peace; that prior to the conquest of that part of the Creek nation, hostile to the United States, numberless aggravations had been committed against the peace. the property and the lives of the citizens of the United States and those of the Creek nation in amity with them, at the mouth of Duck river. fort Mimms and elsewhere, contrary to national faith, and an existing treaty; that the United States, previously to the perpetra- tion of such outrages, endeavored to secure futuro
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amity and concord between the Creek nation and their citizens, in conformity with the stipulations of former treaties, fulfilled with punctuality and good faith, their engagements to the Creek nation, and more than two thirds of the whole number of chiefs and warriors, disregarding the genuine spirit of ex- isting treaties, suffered themselves to be instigat- ed to violations of their national honor, the res- pect due to the part of the nation faithful to the United States, and the principles of humanity, by impostors, denominating themselves prophets, and by the duplicity and misrepresentations of foreign emissaries, whose governments are at war, open or understood, with the United States .- Wherefore:
The United States demand an equivalent for all expenses, incurred in prosecuting the war to its ter- mination, by a cession of all the territory belonging to the Creek nation, within certain limits, expressed in the treaty.
The United States guaranty to the Creek nation the integrity of the rest of their territory.
They demand, that the Creek nation abandon all communication and cease to hold any intercourse with any British or Spanish post, garrison or town, and that they shall not admit among them any agent or trader, who shall not have authority, to hold com- mercial or other intercourse with them, from the United States.
The United states demand an acknowledgement of the right of establishing military posts and trad- ing houses, and to open roads within the territory, guarantied to the Creek nation, and a right to the free navigation of all its waters.
The United States demand the immediate sur- render of all the persons and property of their citi-
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zens and their friendly Indians, and promise to re- store the prisoners they made in the nation, and the property of any of its members.
The United States demand the capture and sur- render of all the prophets and instigators of the war. whether foreigners or natives, who have not sub- mitted to the arms of the United States, or become parties to the treaty, if ever they shall be found within the territory, guarantied by the United States to the the nation by the treaty.
The Creek nation being reduced to extreme want and not having, at present, the means of subsistance, the United States, from motives of humanity, will cor tinue to furnish, gratuitously, the necessaries of life, until crops of corn be considerad competent to yield the nation a supply, and will establish trading houses among them to enable the nation, by indus- try and economy, to purchase clothing.
The Creek nation acceding to these demands, it is declared. that a permanent peace shall ensue, from the date of the treaty forever, between the Creek nation and the United States, and the Creek nation and the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Coctaw nations.
Early in the month of August, the British brig Orpheus, brought several officers of that nation to the bay of Apalachicola, with several pieces of ar- tillery. Their object was to enter into arrange- ments with the chiefs of the Creek nation of Indians for obtaining a number of their warriors to join the British force, which was soon expected, and in- tended for the attack of the fortification which Wilkinson, after he had taken fort Charlotte, had established at Mobile point, and the possession of which was considered as an object of great impor-
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tance towards the execution of ulterior operations, which were meditated against Louisiana. These officers easily succeeded in rallying a number of Indians around the British standard. Individuals from almost all the tribes, who dwelled to the eastward of the Choctaws, joined the Creeks: they were supplied with arms and drilled.
Soon after, colonel Nichols arrived at Pensacola. He had sailed from Burmndas with a few companies of infantry, and touched at the Havana, in expec- tation of obtaining, from the captain general of the island of Cuba, a few gun-boats and small vessels. with permission to land his men and some artillery at Pensacola. Ile obtained no aid: but it is ima- gined the captain general did not seriously object to his effecting a landing at Pensacola, as he did so without any effort made by the Spanish officers there, to maintain the neutrality of the place. He was soon joined by the officers of his nation, who had preceded him in West Florida, accompanied by a very considerable number of Indians. He establish- ed his head quarters in the town, from which he issu- ed, on the twenty-ninth of August, his proclamation to the people of Louisiana.
He announced, that on them the first call was then made to assist in the liberation of their natal soil, from a faithless and weak government. To Spaniards, Frenchmen, Italians and Englishmen, whether resi- dents or sojourners in Louisiana, application was made for assistance. The colonel said he had brought a fine train of artillery and every thing requisite, was heading a large body of Indians, commanded by British officers, and was seconded by numerous British and Spanish fleets. His object was to put an
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end to the usurpation of the United States, and restore the country to its lawful owners.
He gave assurances, that the inhabitants had no need to be alarmed at his approach, as the good faith and disinterestedness, which Britons had manifested in Europe, would distinguish them in America. The people would be relieved from taxes, imposed on them to support an unnatural war: their property, their laws, their religion, the peace and tranquility of their country, would be guarantied by men, who suffered no infringement of their own.
The Indians, he added, had pledged themselves, in the most solemn manner, to refrain from offering the slightest injury to any but the enemies of their Span- ish or British fathers. A French, Spanish or Brit- ish flag, hoisted over any house, would be a sure pro- tection, and no Indian would dare to cross the thresh- old of such a dwelling.
Addressing himself to the people of Kentucky, he observed, they had too long borne with grievous im- positions; the whole brunt of the war had fallen on their brave sons. He advised them to be imposed on no longer, but either to revenge themselves under the standard of their forefathers, or observe the strictest neutrality: assuring them, that, if they complied with his offers, whatever provisions they might send down would be paid in dollars, and the safety of the persons accompanying them, as well as the free navigation of the Mississippi would be guarantied to them.
He called to their view, and he trusted to their ab- horrence, the conduct of those factions which had hurried them into a civil, unjust and unnatural war, at a time, when Great Britain was straining every nerve in the defence of her own and the liberties of the
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world; when the bravest of her sons were fighting and bleeding in so sacred a cause; when she was spending millions of her treasure, in endeavoring to put down one of the most formidable and dangerous tyrants, that ever disgraced the form of man; when groaning Europe was almost in her last gasp; when Britain alone shewed an undaunted front; when her assassins endeavored to stab her; from the war, she had turned on them, renovated from the bloody, but successful struggle; Europe was now happy and free, and she now hastened justly to avenge the insult. He besought them to shew they were not collectively un- jast, and leave the contemptible few to shift for them- selves; to let the slaves of the tyrants send an embassy to the island of Elba, to implore his aid, and let eve- ry honest American spurn them with united con- tempt.
He asked, whether the Kentuckians, after the expc- rience of twenty-one years, could longer support those brawlers for liberty, who called it freedom, when them- selves were free. He advised them not to be duped any longer and accept of his offers, assuring them what he had promised be guarantied to them on the sound honor of a British officer.
In an order of the day for the first colonial battal- jon of the royal corps of marines, colonel Nichols in- formed them they were called upon to perform a duty of the utmost danger, and to begin a long and tedious march through wildernesses and swamps, and their enemy, being enured to the climate, had a great advantage over them: but he conjured them to re- member the twenty-one years of glory and toil of their country, and to resolve to follow the example of their noble companions, who had fought and shed their blood in her service; to be equally faithful and trust
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in their moral discipline, and the least and most per- fidious of their enemies would not long maintain him- self before them.
He added, that a cause, so sacred as that which had led them to draw their swords in Europe, would make them unsheath them in America, and use them with equal credit and advantage. In Europe their arms had not been employed for the good of their country only, but for that of those who groaned in the chains of oppression, and in America they were to have the same discretion, and the people they were now to aid and assist, groaned under robberies and murders, com- mitted on them by the Americans.
He said, the noble Spanish nation had grieved to see her territories insulted, having been robbed and despoiled of a portion of them, while overwhelmed with distress and held down by chains a tyrant had loaded her with, while gloriously struggling for the greatest of all possible blessings, true liberty; the treacherous Americans, who call themselves free, had attacked her, like assassins, while she was fallen; but the day of retribution was fast approaching; these atrocities would excite horror in the hearts of British soldiers, and would stimulate them to avenge the op- pressed.
He recommended to his men to exhibit to the Indi- ans the most exact discipline, and be a pattern to those children of nature; to teach and instruct them, with the utmost patience, and correct them when they de- serve it; to respect their affections and antipathies and never give them a just cause of offence.
He concluded by reminding them, that sobriety above all things, should be their greatest care: a sin- gle instance of drunkenness might be their ruin, and he declared in the most solemn manner, that no con-
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sideration whatever should ever induce him to forgive a drunkard.
Emissaries were sent, with copies of this proclama- tion, over the country, between Mobile river and the Mississippi.
On the capture of the island of Guadaloupe, by the British, most of the privateers, commissioned by the colonial government, unable to find a shelter in the West India islands, resorted to lake Barrataria, to the west of the city of New-Orleans, for supplies of water and provisions, recruiting the health of their crews and disposing of their prizes, which they were unable to do elsewhere. At the expiration of the period, during which their commissions, from the governor of Gua- daloupe, authorized them to cruize, these people went to Carthagena, where they procured commissions, au- thorizing the capture of Spanish vessels: the neutrali- ty of the United States, preventing vessels thus cap- tured from being brought to their ports, they were brought to Barrataria. Under that denomination was included all the coast on the gulf of Mexico, between the western mouth of the Mississippi and that of the river or bayou Lafourche. Near the sea between those streams are the small, large and larger lakes of Bara- taria, communicating with one another by bayous, the numerous branches of which interlock each other. A secure harbor afforded a shelter to the vessels of those people, who had established near it a small vil- large, in which they met individuals from the settle- ments of Attakapas and Lafourche, and the right bank of the Mississippi, and even New-Orleans, who, hav- ing but few competitors, purchased merchandize on advantageous terms, and obtained good prices for the provisions they brought. Besides privateersmen, the
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village was resorted to by interlope and negro tra- ders from foreign ports; and it was reported, that some of the Barataria people were addicted to pirat- ical pursuits. 'The violation of the laws of neutrality, the fiscal regulations and those against the importation of slaves, by the men of Barataria, though persisted in for a number of years, had not, till very lately, attract- ed the notice of the general or state government. Commodore Patterson had just received orders, from the secretary of the navy, to disperse those maranders, the schooner Carolina had been ordered to New- Orleans, for that purpose, and colonel Ross, of the forty-fourth regiment, had been directed to co-operate in this measure. These officers were now making preparations for this purpose.
On the thirty-first of August colonel Nichols, ad- dressed a letter to Lafitte, the most influential indi- vidual at Barataria, informing him of his arrival at Pensacola, for the purpose of annoying the only enemy Great Britain had in the world, and called on him and his brave followers to enter into the service of Great Britain, in which he should have the rank of a captain, and lands would be allowed to them all, according to their respective ranks on a peace taking place.
An officer of the marine corps was despatched with this letter, and the commander of the king's ships at Pensacola, wrote also to Lafitte, referring him to captain Lockyer, of the Sophia, who was sent to convey Nichols' emissary. On the third of Sep- tember, those letters were delivered to a brother of Lafitte, who was absent. He amused his visitors and encouraged them to hope he would come into their views, but asked the delay of a fortnight be-
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