History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 11

Author: Durant, Samuel W. cn
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : D.W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 772

USA > Michigan > Eaton County > History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan > Part 11
USA > Michigan > Ingham County > History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan > Part 11

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

* This description of troops was raised among the American set- tlements, and was famous in all the wars preceding the Revolution for efficiency against the Indians.

HISTORY OF INGHAM AND EATON COUNTIES, MICIIIGAN.

During the night succeeding his appearance, the detach- muent under Rogers kept a sharp lookout lest the chief in- tended treachery, but the hours passed quietly, and in the early morning Pontiac returned to the English camp and informed Rogers that he was willing to allow the English to remain in the country and to give them the same treat- ment bestowed upon the French, provided they showed him proper respect. To these propositions Rogers agreed, and the peace-pipe was smoked in silence by the chiefs and officers of the opposing parties, and harmony reigned be- tween them.

On the 12th, the weather having cleared, the troops moved forward, and soon after arrived at the head of the lake. IIere, notwithstanding the promises of Pontiac, Rogers learned that a force of 400 warriors was lying in wait at the mouth of the Detroit River to cut him off.

But the threatened danger was swept aside by the power- ful wand of the chieftain, who ordered the path cleared for the English, and the command continued unmolested up the river.

In the mean time Licut. Brehm had been sent forward with a letter to Capt. Bellestré, the French commandant at Detroit, informing him of the conquest of Canada, and that Maj. Rogers was deputed by the English commander to re- ceive the surrender of the post. But that officer was highly indignant at the summons, and flatly refused to give up his command.

Upon receipt of this intelligence Maj. Rogers sent for- ward Capt. Campbell with a copy of the capitulation of Montreal, and a letter from M. Vaudreuil (late governor- general ), directing that the place should be given up in ac- cordance with the terms made between himself and the English commander-in-chief. This had the desired effect, and Capt. Bellestré relnetantly hauled down his colors and yielded the place.

This event occurred on the 20th of November, 1760, in the presence of a great number of Indians, who had as- sembled to witness the change of masters. Their astonish- ment at the treatment bestowed upon the French garrison knew no bounds, for they had supposed that they would be massacred by Maj. Rogers' command. The French soldiers were sent down the lakes, and the Canadians were allowed to remain in peaccable possession of their homes and prop- erty upon taking an oath of allegiance to the English gov- ernment, which they at once proceeded to do. An officer was dispatched to take possession of the posts Vincennes and Quiatenon, on the Wabash, and Fort Miami, on the Maumce, was also occupied.

Rogers took upon himself the duty of procceding up Lake Huron and taking possession of Mackinac, the second most important place held by the French in the West ; but the lateness of the season and stormy weather compelled his re- turn after reaching the outlet of the lake, and Mackinac, Green Bay, Ste. Marie, and St. Joseph remained in their hands until the following year, when a detachment of the Sixtieth Royal American Regiment touk possession of them, and only the posts on the Mississippi remained in their possession.

By the " Treaty of Paris," signed in February, 1763, between Great Britain and France, the latter ceded all her

Canadian possessions to the former, and both the British government and the American colonists fondly hoped, and generally believed, that an era of peace and prosperity would follow the transfer.

But these fond anticipations were doomed to disappoint- ment. The calm which succeeded the long war was of short duration. The English government failed to under- stand the necessity of treating the Indians as original owners of the soil and as deserving of at least courteous attention. The contrast between the French and the English in this respect was marked, and the Indians did not fail to notice it. The former had uniformly treated them as equals, and had paid particular deference to their chiefs and principal men ; while the latter looked upon the red race as vaga- bonds and dependants, whom it was the privilege of any English subject to kick out of the way without ceremony. Encroachments were continually made upon their domain by unauthorized agents, through petty chiefs, and by the strong hand of might. Even the Iroquois, or Six Nations, who had been the allies of the Dutch and English since the days of Champlain, began to murmur, and it is well known that they had refused to come to the aid of Braddock in 1755 principally because the expedition was in the interests of the Ohio and other land companies, who were encroach- ing upon their ancient domain.

Scarcely had the English taken possession of the various French posts when complaints began to be heard among the Indians ; and the French inhabitants of Canada, and on the borders of Michigan, naturally sympathized with them in their grievances. As early as 1761-62 secret plots were laid for the capture of the English garrisons, but they were for the time being frustrated by the vigilance of Capt. Campbell, in command of Detroit.

PONTIAC'S WAR.

The gathering storm, which had been so long muttering like a summer tempest in the west, at length broke with such fury that nearly everything was swept before it. The leading spirits in this fierce onslaught upon the English were Pontiac in the West and Guyasutha, or Kiasota, the latter a Seneca of the band living upon the Allegheny River. Another prominent actor in the drama was a celc- brated "Prophet," who arose among the Delawares, and, like " Peter the Hermit," preached a crusade against the enemies of his race. Ile claimed to be inspired (like many another impostor before and since his day), and wrought the minds of the savages up to a frenzy of warlike en- thusiasm. Pontiac, also, found it convenient to lay ex- travagant claims to special communion with the Great Spirit, and proelaimed that he had been commanded to drive the " English dogs" from the face of the earth and re- occupy the land. The French inhabitants of Canada cir- culated the report that the King of France had been sleep- ing, but was now awake, and his white-coated legions and armed ships were advancing up the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi Rivers to exterminate the English and repossess the country.

The plans of Pontiac for the accomplishment of his grand designs were of extraordinary magnitude. He sent his embassies, bearing the great war-belt, to every nation

SURRENDER OF DETROIT TO CAPTAIN ROGERS.

dwelling between the head of the Mississippi and the Mex- ican Gulf. They penetrated the northern wilds around Lake Nipissing and the Ottawa River, and visited the head-springs of the Ohio and Mississippi, urging a general uprising of all the nations. IIad the chief possessed the facilities of the commissariat and pay-departments of modern armies, it is more than probable that he would have collected and maintained such an overwhelming force as would have swept the country like a besom of destruction, and forced the English colonists into a narrow belt along the sea-coast.

As it was, the result of the great scheme was the band- ing together of nearly all the Algonquin nations in a league against the English. By the latter part of the year 1762, Pontiac had visited the nations and fully matured his plans for a simultaneous onslaught upon the posts and frontier settlements extending from Mackinac to the borders of the Carolinas.

Various rumors of the great conspiracy had from time to time reached Maj. Gladwyn, in command at Detroit, but, so far as he could understand, there were so few reasons for an outbreak, and the savages kept the matter so nearly a profound secret, and lounged about the posts with so much of their accustomed taciturnity and quiet demeanor, that all suspicion was disarmed, and the major deemed the rumors but the imaginings of some distorted dream.

At the outbreak of the Pontiac war the post at Detroit was garrisoned by about 120 regular troops, and there were in addition, available for defense, some forty engagés and fur traders. There were also two armed schooners, the " Beaver" and the " Gladwyn," anchored in the stream, and the fort mounted a few light guns on the bastions. The inclosing stockade was about twenty-five feet in height, and there were within the work about 100 straw- and bark- roofed houses besides the barracks. A wide passage-way, called by the French chemin du ronde, encircled the town next to the stockade.

The last grand council, preparatory to the commencement of military operations, was held with the various tribes at the river Ecorces, about ten miles below Detroit, at which Pontiac made a powerful speech that worked his followers up to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. On the evening before the intended attack upon the fort, the war- riors held a great war-dance out of sight of the garrison, but sufficiently near to carry the sound of the war-drum to their ears and enable them to see the glare of the council- fire upon the surrounding forest.

The night of the 6th of May was a sleepless and anxious one to the English commander, and extraordinary precau- tions were taken to prevent a surprise ; but nothing was attempted, and the morning of the next day dawned clear and beautiful.

The plan for capturing the fort was well devised, and, but for the warning given Maj. Gladwyn by an Ojibwa maid, would in all probability have been successfully carried out. The plan was that Pontiac, at the head of sixty chiefs and warriors, with rifles shortened by being cut off and carried under their blankets, should ask admission to the fort on pre- tense of holding a council with the commander and of renew- ing their former friendship. Pontiac was to make a speech,

and at a certain point present a wampum belt in a peculiar manner, which was to be the signal for the attack. The chiefs were to fire on the officers and fall on them with the toma- hawk, while the warriors, who were to carelessly assemble outside, were to seale the works and massacre the garrison.

On the morning of the 7th of May, 1763, Pontiac appeared at the head of a band of sixty stately chiefs and braves, and was readily admitted by Gladwyn, but the haughty chief- tain was evidently somewhat disturbed at the warlike ap- pearance of the garrison, which was under arms and going through with various manœuvres, while the officers were all accoutred for instant service. The chief scanned the sur- roundings with a vigilant eye, and inquired of the major why so many of his young men were carrying their guns, to which Gladwyn replied that they were taking their usual exercise.

The council convened and the chiefs seated themselves on the ground around their leader, while the English offi- cers occupied seats opposite. We quote from Parkman's " Conspiracy of Pontiac" the following description of Pen- tiac and his band :

" All were wrapped to the throat in colored blankets. Some were crested with hawk, eagle, or raven plumes; others had shaven their heads, leaving only the fluttering scalp-lock on the crown; while others, again, wore their long black hair flowing loosely at their hacks or wildly hanging ahout their brows like a lion's mane. Their hold yet crafty features, their cheeks besmeared with ochre and ver- milion, white lead, and soot, their keen, deep-set eyes gleaming in their sockets like those of rattlesnakes, gave them an aspect grim, uneonth, and horrible. For the most part, they were tall, strong men, and all had a gait and hearing of peculiar stateliness."

The council was opened, the business of going through with the farce progressed quietly, but for reasons best known to himself Pontiac failed to give the preconcerted signal. Some writers contend that at one point he raised his arm as if to signal the onslaught, but at a sign from Gladwyn there was a sudden roll of drums and the clash of arms without and the officers half drew their swords. The chief was cowed, and finally sat down evidently greatly perplexed. Gladwyn made a brief reply to Pontiac, assur- ing him of the friendship of the English so long as they deserved it, but threatening vengeance upon the first evi- dence of treachery.

The council broke up and Pontiac and his followers were allowed to depart, the chief making many protestations of friendship and promising to return in a few days with his squaws and children and shake hands with the English.

Early on the following morning he appeared with three of his chiefs, bearing in his hand the sacred calumet, or peace-pipe, beautifully carved and ornamented. He offered the pipe to the English officers and protested his friendship, saying that " evil birds had sung lies in their ears." On his departure, as a further pledge of his amicable designs, he presented the pipe to Maj. Campbell.

In the same afternoon he invited the young men of all the tribes to a game of ball on the common near the fort which ended in a series of unearthly yells from the victors. The noise was so sudden and appalling that the long roll was beaten aud the troops were ordered under arms in ex- pectation of an attack. While all these deceptive opera- tions were transpiring Pontiac was in close consultation

HISTORY OF INGHAM AND EATON COUNTIES, MICHIGAN.

with the Pottawattomie and Wyandot chiefs as to the best plans for circumventing the English. He was a most eon- summate dissembler, and played his game in a manner wor- thy of a Talleyrand. But it would not do. Gladwyn had seen too much of Indian character to be duped, and at length Pontiac, finding further subterfuge of no avail, threw off the mask and made open and vigorous war.

Ilis last attempt to gain possession of the fort by treachery was made on the morning of the 9th of May, when, at the head of a throng of warriors from all the nations pres- ent, he presented himself at the gate and demanded ad- mittance, to which demand Gladwyn replied that the chief could enter, but his warriors must remain outside. Baffled in every attempt, he turned in a rage and walked towards his followers, who laid flat upon the ground just beyond the range of the musketry of the fort. As he approached they leaped up and ran off, filling the air with whoops and yells.

They massacred an Englishwoman and her family living outside the fort, and, paddling to the Isle au Couchon, murdered an English soldier who had been a sergeant in the regular army.

The chief took no part in these bloody outrages. When he found his arrangements all circumvented, he walked with hasty strides and in a towering rage towards the river, and, leaping into his canoe, crossed to the Canadian side and ordered the Ottawa village to at once remove to the western shore that his people might be all together. Such was the alacrity with which they obeyed him that at nightfall the squaws had transported the entire village-lodges, pro- visions, utensils, and children-to the bank of the stream, ready for the crossing, which was accomplished during the following night.

The attack upon the English posts had been well ar- ranged, and was nearly simultaneous from Mackinac to Virginia. Fort Sandusky was captured on the 16th of May; Fort St. Joseph, on the St. Joseph River, on the 25th ; Fort Miami, where Maumee City now stands, on the 27th; Quiatenon, on the Wabash, a few miles below where Lafayette, Ind., now stands, on the Ist of June; Michilimackinac on the 4th of June; and Presqu' Isle on the 16th of the same month. Green Bay was evacuated on the 21st of June. Thus, at almost one fell swoop, all the English posts in the West, with the exceptions of Fort Pitt, Niagara, and Detroit, were taken and destroyed, and their garrisons either massacred or carried away as pris- oners. It was by far the most terrible catastrophe that had befallen the colonies since the settlement of the country.

Only a single post escaped attack. Niagara was con- sidered too strong for assault, but Fort Pitt was surrounded by a powerful body of savages under Guyasutha, and be- sieged for weeks until relieved by the gallant Col. Bou- qnet in Angust, after a weary march over the mountains, and after fighting one of the most obstinate and bloody battles ever recorded, in the heart of Westmoreland Co., Pa .*

When Pontiae sat down to a regular siege of Detroit his

force was estimated by intelligent Canadians at about 820 warriors, divided substantially as follows : Ottawas, 250; Pottawattomies, under their chief, Ninivay, 150; Wyan- dots, under Takee, 50; Ojibwas, 200 under Wasson, or Shingobwassin, and 170 under Sekahos. This enumera- tion included only those present and under the immediate command of Pontiac. Reinforcements were from time to time added, and it is probable that the whole number which operated against Detroit considerably exceeded 1000. To those accustomed to the formidable numbers of modern armies these figures seem contemptible ; but to the little garrison in that border fortress, hemmed in and cut off from succor, the bloodthirsty sons of the forest tribes were truly a terror, for they well knew that in their hands no mercy need be expected.

From this time the siege was pressed more or less vig- orously for many months. Never in the history of the Indian race has such persistency been shown. When we consider that they rarely make provision for sustaining their war expeditions beyond what each one may carry upon his person, and that they depend almost wholly upon the pro- ceeds of the chase and the fishery, it is indeed remarkable that Pontiac should have kept a strong foree constantly in the field for nearly fifteen months, hemming the garrison of Detroit closely within their fortifications, baffling almost every attempt to succor the place by water, and reducing the English to the last extremity. By bold and skillful leadership, and the exercise of a wonderful military genius, he was enabled to defeat a strong force which foolishly sought him in the field with severe loss, and to drive it back within the defenses.

To keep his commissariat supplied he resorted to the ex- pedient of issuing his own individual due-bills, or notes of hand, drawn on birch-bark and signed with the figure of an otter, the totem of his tribe. These obligations, according to good authority, he conscientiously discharged to the last farthing. It is the only instance where an Indian poten- tate established a system of finance and redeemed bis promises.

Gladwyn, at the commencement of the siege, thinking perhaps it was only the sudden impulse of passion, and that he might allay the storm by timely offers of redress for any grievances which they might have, resolved to try the effect of negotiation. Pontiac, however, was too cunning, and, under pretense that he could only treat with a deputa- tion of officers, succeeded in persuading the commander to allow Maj. Campbell, for whom the Indians had always professed great respect, and Lieut. MeDougal to visit his camp. But when once the veteran Campbell was in his power he again threw off the mask, and detained the offi- cers as prisoners. McDougal soon after escaped, but Maj. Campbell was kept closely guarded, until in an unfortunate. moment he was treacherously murdered by Wasson, chief of the Ojibwas, in revenge for the loss of a nephew, killed in a skirmish a few days before. Some accounts say that Pontiac was privy to the murder, while others aver that the Ojibwa chief was obliged to flee for his life.

The garrison was supplied for a time with provisions by a friendly Canadian, M. Baby, who served the English at the peril of his own life; but with every effort it was more

* The force under Guyasutha was probably composed of Senecas, Delawares, and Shawanoes.

SURRENDER OF DETROIT TO CAPTAIN ROGERS.

than once on the point of abandoning the place and es- caping to Niagara.

Pontiac tried to persuade the French inhabitants of the region to unite with him against the English ; but through fear of the consequences, respect for the treaty between France and England, or other important reasons, they steadily refused to comply with his wishes. Notwithstand- ing this refusal the chief continued to treat them with courtesy, paid them for all the provisions which were taken, and guarded them from the depredations of his young warriors.

' Gladwyn had sent one of his vessels with a small crew to Niagara for assistance, which managed to escape the sav- ages waiting to attack her at the entrance to Lake Erie, and proceeded safely on her voyage. In answer to the call Lieut. Cuyler had set out from Niagara on the 13th of May, and embarked above the falls with ninety-six men in bateaux, carrying a plentiful supply of provisions and munitions for the beleaguered garrison at Detroit.

On the 28th of the month the convoy reached Point Pelée, about thirty miles east of the mouth of the Detroit River, and here they landed, hauled up their bateaux, and proposed to eneamp, when, suddenly, they were attacked by a war-party of Wyandots who had been watching them. The men fought desperately for a few moments, when they broke in a panic and fled to their boats; but the Indians followed them and captured all but two of the boats and more than sixty of the troops. Lieut. Cuyler, wounded, and about thirty of the men, escaped in two boats and returned to Niagara.

The Indians, taking their prisoners, proceeded up the river, and on the 30th appeared in sight of the fort. The garrison turned out and thronged to the landing, where they gave three cheers, and a salute was fired, they thinking that supplies and reinforcements were at hand and their long and exhausting vigils at an end. Suddenly they be- held the naked forms of the savages standing up in the boats and making frantic gestures, and their hearts sank within them as they realized the catastrophe which had befallen their luckless comrades. The doomed prisoners were taken to the Indian camps and tortured to death, a few at a time, during several successive days.

Troops of Pottawattomies passed in sight of the fort bearing scalps held aloft on poles, the borrid trophies of St. Joseph, Sandusky, and other posts, while Ojibwas and Wyandots came with whoops and yells to reinforce the besiegers.

Towards the last of June a great commotion was noticed among the Indians, who were thronging southward in large numbers, evidently bent upon some new mischief. Soon word was received from the friendly Canadian, M. Baby, that the schooner sent to Niagara for reinforcements had returned and was endeavoring to come up the river. Upon hearing this two guns were fired to let the people on board know that the fort still held out, and the garrison awaited, with great anxiety, the result.

About sixty men were on board the vessel, the most of whom were ordered to keep below the bulwarks, that the Indians might not know their numbers. The breeze died away, and the vessel was obliged to anchor in the narrowest

part of the channel, between Fighting Island and the main land. The savages had constructed a breastwork of logs behind the bushes on Turkey Island, and here a great swarm of them laid concealed waiting for the schooner. For a long time after coming to anchor nothing disturbed the stillness of the night, but, at length, the sentinel dis- covered dark moving forms gliding over the quiet waters. The Indians were stealthily closing around the vessel in their canoes, hoping to surprise her. But her officers were alive to the danger of their situation, and the men were or- dered to their posts in perfect silence. When the enemy had approached within a few rods the blow of a hammer upon the mast gave the signal, and sudden as a glare of lightning the vessel burst into flame from stem to stern. Cannon and musket did their deadly work ; several of the canoes were cut to pieces, fourteen Indians were killed, many wounded, and those remaining unhurt sought the shore amid yells of rage and consternation. Recovering from the surprise, they commenced firing upon the vessel, when she prudently dropped down into the broader channel below and remained for several days, until at length a favorable wind enabled her to come up to the fort.

The two armed vessels were a source of great annoyance to the Indians. With a favorable breeze they had on sev- eral occasions made sail, and, coming abreast of the Indian camps, sent shells and canister among them with damaging effeet, at one time routing the whole Ottawa population from their huts. To rid themselves of these dangerous customers the Indians constructed a large raft, and, loading it with combustibles, set it on fire and sent the whole down the river. It was not properly directed, and passed harm- lessly down the stream.

The first attempt was made on the 10th of July, and on the 12th, nothing daunted by their failure, the enemy sent another and larger one down; but this passed harmlessly between the vessels and the fort, and burned itself out on the river below. A third attempt was made, but Gladwyn managed so skillfully that the Indians became at length discouraged, and gave up the attempt.

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History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan, Part 11

Author: Durant, Samuel W. cn Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia : D.W. Ensign & Co. Number of Pages: 772

Author: Durant, Samuel W. cn
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia : D.W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 772