History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I, Part 61

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York
Number of Pages: 1094

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In the meantime the door of the flag-officer's room was pur- posely left ajar, so that he could hear what was said in the hall between the two Colonels.

When Colonel Croghan came in, he reported to Colonel Butler that the troops just passing were under command of Major -, that they were the advance of General -'s Brigade of Regulars, who would reach there the next day; that this advance had made a forced march of thirty-six miles that day, on account of the militia's leaving, of which they had learned by the express sent them, thinking possibly they might be needed, etc.

. All this reached the flag-officer's ear at nightfall. The next morning he was hoodwinked and put across the river, and led some distance, too far off to see anything of the force or fortifica- tions of the place, when he was let loose with a flea in his ear. It had its desired and designed effect, for the enemy kept at a respectful distance, and made no attack.

In February, 1814, Colonel Butler determined to attack some of the advanced posts of the enemy, and Captain Holmes, with a detachment of regulars and some Michigan rangers and militia, was directed to march against Fort Talbot, situated about one hundred miles eastward on Lake Erie; or, if he should deem it more advisable to make an attack on the enemy at Delaware, he was authorized to change his destination to that place. On March 3 they had a skirmish with the British at Longwoods, but no important results were secured, and the force returned to Detroit. About this time Colonel But- ler obtained leave to return to Kentucky; and the command at Detroit devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Croghan ; soon after, on March 21, the Americans evacuated Malden.

The presence of Indians in the vicinity of Detroit made the obtaining of fuel of any kind, especially dry wood, almost impossible; and the troops during the winter made free use of the stockade and the fences of some of the inhabitants. In 1824 Con- gress appropriated $500 to the heirs of Mr. Brush, and $363.60 to Solomon Sibley for fences destroyed. And as late as 1830, $70 was appropriated to James Abbott to pay a similar claim.

During 1814 the Indians again became trouble- some, and the following letter was addressed to the adjutant-general of the Territory :

To Col. McDougall :

DETROIT, 21st April, 1814. SIR,-

The threatening manner of the Indians of the River Huron renders it essential that an expedition should march against them in thirty-six hours ; the least delay would prove dangerous; it would allow them to concentrate. Could not one hundred and fifty or two hundred militia be collected ? Use your utmost en- deavors to effect it.

Let to-morrow, ten o'clock A. M., be appointed as the hour of rendezvous. Tell the militia they will be kept only for ten days.

Yours,

G. CROGHAN, Lt. Col. Com'd.

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On the original order is this endorsement :

MEM .- 21st April, 1814, I complied with the above order, and drafted seven orders to the respective Captains of the Ist Reg't, which were signed by Colonel Godfroy, to assemble their com- panies at Detroit to-morrow at ten A. M. In the afternoon Colonel Croghan countermanded these orders, and the militia were directed to hold themselves in readiness at a moment's warning for marching at the Indians.

GEO. MCDOUGALL, A. G. T. M.

In April, 1814, Captain Arthur Sinclair, of the U. S. Navy, was placed in command of a fleet of five vessels for an expedition against Mackinaw. They left Detroit about the first of July, and effected a landing at Mackinaw; but finding the post too strong for them, they returned on August 23. On July 20, 1814, General Harrison concluded a treaty of peace at Greenville with some of the Indian tribes, after which a number of Indians returned with Colonel Cass to Detroit to assist in fighting the unfriendly tribes, who were continually traversing the country and troubling the inhabitants.

The Indians were so bold that they attempted to drive off cattle in full view of the fort; and the guns had to be opened upon them to make them desist. One of their exploits, which took place on Septem- ber 15, 1814, as narrated by William McVey to Judge Witherell, was as follows:

David and William Burbank and myself were sitting down at the Deer Park, on the Macomb (now the Cass) farm, near where Lafayette street crosses it, watching our cows. Mr. McMillan and Archy passed us. We spoke to them about some apples they were eating. They passed on towards some cows that were feed- ing near the bushes,-the bushes then came down to near where the Capitol now stands. We kept our eyes on them, thinking danger might be near. When they approached within gunshot of the bushes, we saw three or four guns fired, and Mr. McMillan fall. The Indians instantly dashed upon them and took off his scalp. Archy, on seeing that his father was killed, turned and ran towards us with all the speed that his little legs could supply. A savage on horseback pursued him. As he rode up, and stooped to seize him, the brave little fellow, nothing daunted, turned and struck the horse on the nose with a rod which he happened to have in his hand. The horse turned off at the blow, and Archy put forth his best speed again. Again the Indian came on, but a second blow made the horse sheer off again; and this was repeated several times, until, fearful of losing his prize, the savage sprang from his horse, seized the boy and dragged him off to the woods, and thence he was taken to Saginaw.

In order to stop these forays, Governor Cass

called for volunteers, and a company was raised consisting of Judge Moran, Judge Conant, Captain Francis Cicotte, James Cicotte, George Cicotte, Colonel H. J. Hunt, General Larned, William Meldrum, John Meldrum, James Meldrum, James Riley, Peter Riley, John Riley, Lambert Beaubien, John B. Beaubien, Joseph Andre, dit Clark, Louis Moran, Louis Dequindre, Lambert la Foy, Joseph Riopelle, Joseph Visger, Jack Smith, Ben Lucas, and John Ruland, with Governor Cass in command. They were mounted on ponies, and armed with shot-guns, rifles, swords, and even tomahawks. They moved along up the bank of the river to the Witherell farm, the west line of which is now Dequindre street, rode up a lane to the woods back of the town, and found an Indian camp, from which the Indians had just fled; so sudden

was the surprise that the Indians left their meat roasting on sticks before a fire. They also found the hat of Archy McMillan. Fol- lowing closely after the Indians, they came upon them in rear of the Cass farm and killed several; at least, an old squaw, who came into town a few days after, so reported. After this skirmish, the company marched to the Rouge, drove a band of savages out of that settlement, and returned to Detroit on the evening of the same day.

The same month Governor Cass wrote from De- troit to General McArthur, who was probably then at Urbana, Ohio:

The Indians have recommenced hostilities on every side of us. They are murdering the people and breaking up the settlements. There is now a large force of them in the immediate vicinity of this place, most probably within a mile, with the avowed purpose of attacking the town. We have no force adequate to the defense of the country, and none of the description proper for the pursuit of Indians. My opinion is that you should hasten on with the mounted men with all possible expedition.

Soon after, on October 9, General McArthur ar- rived with seven hundred mounted riflemen to pro- tect the city. Not long after General Brown's army, at Fort Erie, was in a critical condition, and McAr- thur determined to form a junction with him. He went up to Lake St. Clair, crossed into Canada, and proceeded to Dover, defeating the enemy several times. But on learning that General Izzard had abandoned Fort Erie, the detachment returned, reaching Sandwich on November 17.

In January, 1815, Governor Shelby called for one thousand militia to relieve the troops under Mc- Arthur. By this time the war was practically ended. The British officials, however, persisted in their search of American vessels, and in July, 1815, several vessels, while passing Fort Malden, were stopped and examined for British deserters. Gover- nor Cass sent a strong remonstrance to the com- mandant at Fort Malden, but it was of no avail. In addition to these difficulties, Indians from the other side came over and plundered the inhabitants on Grosse Isle and other islands.

On October 4, 1815, D. R. Macomb found several Indians encamped upon his land at Grosse Isle, and near by the remains of several of his cattle, which, it was evident, the Indians had killed. He remon- strated, and the Indians threatened; one of them levelled his gun at Macomb, and was instantly shot by one of Macomb's men.

The Canadian authorities took up the quarrel on behalf of the Indians, and offered a reward of five hundred dollars for the arrest of the murderer. As the offense was committed on American soil, Gover- nor Cass was justly incensed at their interference, and by proclamation required all citizens to resist by force any attempt by Canadian authority to apprehend the man while within American jurisdic- tion.

These occurrences caused much bitter feeling ;

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and for many years the sentiment along the border was the opposite of what it is to-day.

Date of Reoccupation.

The date of the reoccupation of Detroit by the American troops in 1813 has been the subject of much controversy.

September 28 was settled upon by a few persons as the date, and was so celebrated in 1876. It was not claimed, however, that the date was confirmed by any official dispatch, or sustained by definite written or oral testimony from any individual who was con- temporary with the occurrence. It was merely an opinion, founded chiefly upon a comparison of dates. So much prominence was given to it by reason of the celebration referred to, that it seems desir- able, in assigning another date, to be very full and exact.

In obtaining materials for this work, an amount of testimony has been gathered which, from its character and completeness, fixes the date of reoc- cupation as September 29 with a certainty which admits of no controversy. The evidence upon which the date of September 29 rests is as follows : In an address delivered before the Historical So- ciety, which numbered among its members the lead- ing men of Detroit, Captain Henry Whiting said : " Detroit was occupied on September 29." He gives this date separate from all others ; if he had been at all in error, it is reasonable to suppose that some correction would have been made in the vol- ume containing his discourse, which was published by the Historical Society; or that General Cass, who was himself engaged in the war, and was a member of the Society, and probably one of his audience, would have corrected publicly so import- ant a date, if a mistake had been made. General Cass, however, not only did not attempt to correct the date, but he endorsed its correctness by allow- ing it to be given in his Life, prepared by W. T. Young, and published by Markham & Elwood in 1852, while he was still living. On page 65 Mr. Young says, "On the 29th of September General Harrison moved up to Sandwich, opposite Detroit, crossed over, and took possession of the town and territory."

In Volume I. of Michigan Territorial Laws, as reprinted by the State in 1871, on page 145, is an Act of October 4, 1814, which provides for the ap- pointment, by the governor, of three auditors to in- quire into and liquidate debts due to the Territory, or to the County of Wayne. The Act specially provides that "all debts accruing before the 16th of August, 1812, and those which have accrued since September 28, 1813," shall be kept separate. This Act was passed so soon after the war that it is rea- sonable to presume that the dates given in it were

the actual dates. About the date of August 16, there has been no controversy. If the Americans entered on the 28th, as has been claimed, the Act in all probability would have provided for the settle- ment of debts accruing on and from that day, instead of specially providing for the settlements of debts accruing after that date.

Volume V., of Niles' Register, page 174, contains the following, from the Chillicothe Fredonian :

DETROIT, October 11, 1813.

On the 27th ult. we landed on the Canada shore three miles below Malden, and marched up to its ruins without opposition the same afternoon. We found Malden burnt; all movable public property either taken away or destroyed; and the enemy flown. The next day we marched on in pursuit towards Sandwich; arrived there on the 29th; crossed over to Detroit the same day, where we were greeted with tearful eyes and joyous hearts by the poor plundered inhabitants.

A letter from Governor Isaac Shelby to General Harrison, dated Frankfort, April 21, 1816, contained in Todd and Drake's Life of Harrison, page 94, says, " It is well recollected that the army arrived at Sandwich in the afternoon of the 29th of Septem- ber." On page 98 of the same book, the date is reiterated in the following words :

When the army reached Sandwich on the 29th, General Mc- Arthur was detached, with his brigade, to retake possession of Detroit, which for thirteen months had been in possession of the British and Indians. The latter did not leave it until startled by a few rounds from one of our vessels. On the same day the Gen- eral, seizing the first moment to abrogate the martial law in force by Proctor, re-established the civil government of Michigan, to the great joy and relief of the inhabitants.

Colonel C. S. Todd, one of the authors of the book just quoted, was an ensign at the time, and was afterwards promoted.

General McArthur, in a letter to the Secretary of War, dated October 6, 1813, given in Volume V., page 129, of Niles' Register, says, "On our arrival at Sandwich, my brigade was ordered across the river to disperse some Indians who were pillaging the town, and to take possession of the place." John McDonald, who was a soldier in the army, and author of " Western Sketches," published in 1838, in narrating the life of General Duncan McArthur, says, "On the 28th we passed the Aux Canards. * * The next day we reached Sandwich, at two o'clock in the afternoon. At the same time the fleet came up the river to Detroit *

* * Ball's legion and McArthur's brigade passed over to De- troit."

Moses Dawson, a soldier in Harrison's army, and afterward editor of the Cincinnati Advertiser, pub- lished a Life of General Harrison at Cincinnati in 1824, and on page 421 he says, "The army left Malden on the 28th, and entered Sandwich on the

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29th ; and General McArthur's brigade crossed over and took possession of Detroit. On the same even- ing General Harrison issued his proclamation for re-establishing the civil government of the terri- tory."

In 1816 Robert B. McAfee, a soldier of the War of 1812, published at Lexington, Kentucky, a " His- tory of the Late War in the Western Country." In his preface he says, "In procuring materials for this work, the author is greatly indebted to General Harrison and Governor Shelby for the many valu- able documents they furnished, particularly their correspondence with the War Department, and with each other. *

* * Most of these papers will remain in the possession of Colonel C. S. Todd, sub- ject to be examined by any person who may wish to see the authorities on which any statement in this history is founded."

On page 374 he states that "General McArthur went over with his brigade and took possession of Detroit ; and, on the same evening, General Harri- son issued his proclamation for re-establishing the civil government.'

It is well known that Harrison's proclamation was dated September 29, and it is given in full, and so dated, in Volume V. of Niles' Register, page 173.

S. R. Brown, in his " Views of the Campaigns of the Northwestern Army," published at Philadelphia in 1815, on page 64 says, " On the 28th we reached Aux Canards. * The next day we reached Sandwich, * and the brigades of McArthur and Cass crossed over to Detroit."

In Volume I., page 275, of a work entitled “ A Full and Correct Account of the Military Occur- rences of the Late War between Great Britain and the United States of America," by W. James, Lon- don, 1818, the author says, "On the 29th General Harrison was enabled to send another portion of his force, under Brigadier-General McArthur, across to the opposite town of Detroit."

In the Life of Commodore Perry, written by Alex- ander Slidell Mckenzie - who had the use of Perry's papers from his son, G. C. Perry - this passage oc- curs, Volume I., page 300: "The army took pos- session of Sandwich on the 29th. * On * * the same day General Harrison embarked with General McArthur's brigade, seven hundred strong, in the squadron, and proceeded with Captain Perry to take possession of Detroit."

This ends the evidence, and such evidence must end the controversy.

Distress after the War.

After Proctor's defeat, Detroit was so full of fam- ished savages that the rations issued to them failed

to satisfy their hunger, and their squaws and children sought among the refuse of the slaughter-houses for any morsel that could be eaten. It was not the savages alone that were hungry. There was great scarcity of provisions, and much suffering among all classes for several years. On February 26, 1814, President Madison addressed the following letter to Congress :

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States :

It has appeared that, at the recovery of the Michigan Territory from the temporary possession of the enemy, the inhabitants thereof were left in so destitute and distressed a condition as to re- quire from the public stores certain supplies essential to their sub- sistence, which have been prolonged under the same necessity which called for them.

The deplorable situation of the savages, thrown by the same event on the mercy and humanity of the American commander at Detroit, drew from the same source the means of saving them from perishing from famine; and in other places the appeals made by the wants and sufferings of that unhappy description of people have been equally imperious.

The necessity imposed by the conduct of the enemy in relation to the savages, of admitting their co-operation, in some instances, with our arms, has also involved occasional expense in supplying their wants; and it is possible that a perseverance of the enemy in their cruel policy may render a further expense for like purpose inevitable. On these subjects an estimate from the Department of War will be laid before Congress, and I recommend a suitable provision for them.

JAMES MADISON.

Further information of the deplorable condition of Michigan at this time is contained in the following extract from a letter, dated March 5, 1815, from Judge Woodward to James Monroe, Secretary of State :

The desolation of this territory is beyond all conception. No kind of flour or meal to be procured, and nothing for the subsist- ence of the cattle. No animals for slaughter, and more than half of the population destitute of any for domestic or agricultural purposes.

The fencing of their farms entirely destroyed by the incursions of the enemy, and for fuel for the military. Their houses left without glass, and in many instances even the flooring burnt. Their clothing plundered from them by the Indians. It is a literal fact, and it will scarcely be deemed permissible to shock the feel- ings of human nature so much as to state it, that the inhabitants of the river Raisin have been obliged to resort to chopped hay boiled for subsistence. Many, possessing neither firmness of mind or body sufficient to sustain the calamities with which they have been assailed, have sunk into the asylum where the wicked cease to trouble and the weary are at rest.

In response to these statements, on May 25, 1815, the Secretary of War authorized Governor Cass to distribute fifteen hundred dollars to the settlers of the Raisin, and the money was expended in flour.

The following official order gives details of the methods employed to distribute the relief afforded by the General Government :

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ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE OF MILITIA, HEAQUARTERS, DETROIT, Sept. 23, 1815. 5

MILITIA GENERAL ORDERS.

The Governor is authorized by the War Department to issue to the indigent and distressed people of the Territory such relief of provisions from the public stores as their necessities may require. In order that the public bounty may not be misapplied, the Gov- ernor has determined that a certificate shall be given by the com- manding officer of the company in whose bounds the applicant resides, stating his infirmity or inability to support himself, which certificate shall, if the person be of the Roman Catholic Religion,

be countersigned by the Reverend M. Richard and a Justice of the Peace; and if the person be not of the Roman Catholic Re- ligion, it shall be countersigned by two Justices of the Peace. * * * The Governor will not injure the officers of the Territory by supposing, for a moment, that they will not cheerfully lend every assistance, as well to help the indigent and distressed, as to prevent improper persons from obtaining that bounty which, as it is generously bestowed, should be sacredly applied.

By command of His Excellency the Commander in Chief. GEO. MCDOUGALL, Adj. Gen'l of Michigan.

CHAPTER XLII.

THE SURRENDER OF DETROIT. - AN ANALYSIS AND REVIEW OF "HULL'S TRIAL," "HULL'S MEMOIRS," AND "DEARBORN'S DEFENSE."

SHORTLY after the surrender of Detroit, General Hull was officially charged with treason, cowardice, unofficerlike conduct, and neglect of duty. His trial on these charges began at Albany on January 3, and ended on March 28, 1814. He was acquitted of treason, but found guilty of the other charges.

So far as I am aware, the evidence introduced at the trial, and the publications that grew out of it, have never been reviewed by any resident of De- troit; and after careful inquiry and examination, 1 am confident that no one has ever examined the question in the light of facts that are now accessible. When the gathering of material for this work was begun, I did not expect to devote much space to Governor Hull or his administration. Information that has fallen in my way compels me, in the interest of truth, and of those whom he and his defenders denounce, to review certain statements made by him and by others in his behalf. Some of the at- tempts to defend him are marvels of mendacity, and it is doubtful if the annals of history afford an in- stance of more persistent effort to excuse crimes and blunders. than the endeavors made to excuse and defend General Hull. In their efforts at de- fence, both General Hull and his friends claimed that President Madison was a cowardly political trickster ; Secretary of War Eustis, a possible traitor; General Henry Dearborn, a fool or a knave, or both; Colonel Cass, a Catiline, and that, in fact (this is the logic of his defense and defenders), all of his subordinate officers as well were without wis- dom or honesty, and animated in all their conduct, after the surrender, by the basest of motives.

It is creditable to General Hull that he was able to find defenders among his relatives, and equally creditable to them that they state their relationship. No one, therefore, need be misled into thinking that they viewed the affair from an unprejudiced stand-point. "Hull's Memoirs," first published in a newspaper, were subsequently gathered and printed in book form, and thus found their way into many libraries. General H. A. S. Dearborn pub- lished a reply, in defense of his father, in the Ameri- can Statesman, of Boston. In 1824 it was reprinted

in a thin octavo by Edgar W. Davies of Boston, but apparently only a few copies were issued ; the writer after much research has only found a single copy. The defense of General Dearborn has, therefore, been almost lost sight of. Fortunately, however, the manuscript of Dearborn's reply, with other important and original letters, have been preserved, and I shall quote therefrom.

It is proper to state here that the distinguished historian, Benson J. Lossing, in a letter to the writer, dated March 18, 1882, says: "To your allusion to Dearborn's Defense of his father, General Dear- born, I reply that I have never seen it and am ignorant of its contents. The pamphlet to which you allude (" Hull's Surrender of Detroit") was an article written by me for the American Historical Record, and printed in pamphlet form by a grand- son of General Hull. It was prepared with all the light in my possession, and with a sincere desire to discover and record the truth."

Inasmuch as Mr. Lossing was not in possession of all the facts, his mild defense of General Hull cannot be deemed to have the force it would otherwise pos- sess. Rev. James Freeman Clarke, in his Life of Gen- eral Hull, alludes to Dearborn's defense, but it is charitable to believe that he saw only a portion of it.

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History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I, Part 61

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York
Number of Pages: 1094