USA > Michigan > History of Michigan, civil and topographical, in a compendious form; with a view of the surrounding lakes > Part 10
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When Rogers arrived near the mouth of the Detroit River, he was requested by the Indians who had accompanied him to call in the warriors of the party who had collected at that point, to cut off the detachment ; and he spent one day in in- terchanges of kindnesses, for the purpose of securing their friendship. On the next day he received the following letter from Bellestre through M. Babee :-
" SIR-I received the letter you wrote me, by one of your officers ; but as I have no interpreter, cannot fully answer it. The officer that delivered me yours, gives me to understand that he was sent to give me notice of your arrival to take pos- session of this garrison, according to the capitulation made in
* I am indebted for a full account of this expedition to the Journal of Major Ro- gers, its commander. See that Journal, passim.
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Canada ; that you have likewise a letter from Monsieur Vau- dreuil, directed to me. I beg, Sir, you will halt your troops at the entrance of the river, till you send me the capitulation and the Marquis de Vaudreuil's letter, that I may act in con- formity thereto.
" I am surprised there is no French officer sent to me along with you, as is the custom on such occasions. I have the honor to be, &c., &c. DE BELLESTRE." " To Mr. Rogers, Major, and commander of the English detachment."
Soon after this, a French party beat a parley on the western shore, and M. M'Cormick was sent over to enquire the object, and soon returned with the following letter, which was pre- sented through Captain Barrager ;-
" Detroit, 25th Nov. 1760.
"SIR-I have already, by Mr. Barrager, acquainted you with the reasons why I could not answer particularly the letter which was delivered me the 22d instant by the officer you sent to me. I am entirely unacquainted with the reasons of his not returning to you. I sent my Huron interpreter to that nation, and told him to stop them should they be on the road, not knowing positively whether they were inclined to favor you or us ; and to tell them from me they should behave peaceably ; that I knew what I owed to my General, and that when the capitulation should be settled, I was oblig- ed to obey. The said interpreter has orders to wait on you, and deliver you this.
" Be not surprised, Sir, if along the coast you find the in- habitants upon their guard. It was told them you had seve- ral Indian nations with you, to whom you had promised per- mission to plunder, nay, that they were even resolved to force you to it. I have therefore allowed the said inhabitants to take to their arms, as it is for your safety and preservation, as well as ours ; for, should those Indians become insolent, you may not, perhaps, in your present situation, be able to subdue them alone.
" I flatter myself, Sir, that as soon as this shall come to hand, you will send me by some of the gentlemen you have
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
with you, both the capitulation and Monsieur de Vaudreuil's letter. I have the honor to be, Sir,
" Your very humble and obedient servant.
" To Major Rogers. . "PIGN BELLESTRE."
On the next day Rogers advanced five miles up the river, and encamped. He here despatched Captain Campbell, ac- companied by M. Barrager and Babee, with their parties, and they carried to Bellestre the letter which is here affixed :-
"SIR-I acknowledge the receipt of your two letters, both of which were delivered to me as yesterday. Mr. Brheme has not yet returned. The inclosed letter from the Marquis de Vaudreuil will inform you of the surrender of all Canada to the king of Great Britain, and of the great indulgence granted to the inhabitants ; as also of the terms granted to the troops of his Most Christian Majesty. Capt. Campbell, whom I have sent forward with this letter, will show you the capitulation. I desire you will not detain him, as I am deter- mined, agreeable to my instructions from General Amherst, speedily to relieve your post. I shall stop the troops I have with me at the hither end of the town till four o'clock, by which time I expect your answer. Your inhabitants will not surprise me ; as yet I have seen no other in that position, but savages waiting for my orders. I can assure you, Sir, the in- habitants of Detroit shall not be molested-they and you com- plying with the capitulation ; but be protected in the quiet and peaceable possession of their estates ; neither shall they be pillaged by my Indians, nor by yours that have joined me.
" I am, &c.,
" R. ROGERS." " To Capt. Bellestre, commanding at Detroit."
As soon as this last letter had been sent, he pushed his boats up the Detroit River, and drew up his detachment in a field within half a mile of the fort. He was there soon joined by Capt. Campbell, accompanied by a French officer, who stated that he bore M. Bellestre's compliments, signifying that he was under the command of the English. Lieutenants Lefflie and M'Cormick, accompanied by thirty-six Royal Americans, were then sent to take possession of Detroit. The French gar-
ENGLISH TAKE POSSESSION OF MICHIGAN. 97
rison surrendered their arms, and the first English flag was raised upon the fort amid the shouts of seven hundred Indians collected around that station, who exulted that their predic- tion respecting the crow was verified .*
Contrary to the expectations of the English, the savages around Detroit seemed amazed at the submission of the French, expressed gratitude that they were not massacred, and declar- ed, that " they would always for the future fight for a nation thus favored by Him that ruled the world." Rogers having arrived at the fort, received a plan and a list of the stores from the commandant, disarmed the militia, and administered to them the oath of allegiance. The commandant Bellestre and the prisoners of war were placed under the care of Lieutenant Holmes and thirty Rangers, to be escorted to Philadelphia. A party of twenty men were also sent to bring the French troops from the posts on that side of Lake Erie,t and a com- pany under the charge of Captain Campbell was placed in command of Detroit.
Having made a treaty with several tribes of Indians in the neighboring country, Major Rogers advanced toward Lake Huron, for the purpose of taking possession also of Michili- mackinac. The ice in that lake, however, obstructed his pas- sage, and he could not proceed by water. He therefore serious- ly meditated crossing the country by land to that fort. He was informed by the Indians that such a journey was impracticable without snow-shoes ; and he was accordingly obliged to re- turn to Detroit without accomplishing that object. The am- munition which he had taken from the stores being deposited at Detroit, he departed from this fort on the 21st of December, 1760, for Pittsburgh, leaving Captain Campbell in charge of the station. Thus the French power in Michigan was for- ever overthrown.
* See Rogers's Journal, passim.
t These forts are termed by Rogers Mimmie and Gatanois. Rogers's Jour- nal, p. 229.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
CHAPTER VII.
Social condition of Michigan after the Conquest -- Policy of Pontiac-Outbreak of the Pontiac war-Siege of Detroit-Battle of Bloody Bridge -- Hostile de- monstrations around Michilimackinac-Speech of Menavavana-Speech of a Chippewa chief to Henry the Trader-Wawatam -- Destruction of Michili- mackinac -- Arrival of Bradstreet-Indians dispersed.
THE social condition of Michigan was not much altered by the transfer of its dominion from the French to the British government. The French subjects were permitted, by the capitulation of Montreal, to remain in the country, in the en- joyment of their civil and religious rights ; and the fur trade was prosecuted upon the lakes with much energy by English companies, who employed French agents in its prosecution. So far as the advancement of agriculture and colonization were concerned, the policy of England in Michigan was not better than that of France. About the year 1763 the British mo- narch issued a proclamation, restricting the extinguishment of native title. The English governors were prohibited by this proclamation to issue grants of land, excepting within certain prescribed limits ; and the English subjects were also forbid- den to make purchases of the Indians, or settlements, without those bounds .* 'These grants, purchases, and settlements, were, however, made, and they form an important part of the ancient claims to land, afterwards adjudged by the land board of Michigan. Even after the treaty which granted the right of possession to the limited states, this power was assumed on the part of its inhabitants. Settlements were made by the French along the principal streams of the lakes. The farms scattered upon the banks of the rivers were of narrow form, surrounded by pickets, which are now the French mode of enclosure ; and the cottages, about fifty in number, on the strait of Detroit, with orchards by their side, were constructed of logs, with roofs of bark or thatched with straw. It is stat-
* Report on land claims in Michigan, by the land board.
CONDITION OF MICHIGAN AFTER THE CONQUEST. 99
ed by a contemporary of that period, that wheat was sown in rows. Potatoes were first introduced by the English. The Canadian French were an affable and contented class of men, preserving the same habits as now prevail among them throughout the state." Schools were unknown, and the in- struction of the children continued to be derived from the Catholic priests. Coin began to be introduced under English jurisdiction, while peltries were chiefly the circulating medium. The first horses used at Detroit were introduced from Fort Duquesne, and these were taken from the English by the In- dians at Braddock's defeat.t
But the English government, although it had succeeded to the dominion of the north-western lakes, did not inherit the friendship of the Algonquin tribes in that quarter. The tribes of Indians in this region at first regarded the white men as in- truders, and the smile which played upon the countenance of Pontiac, when he first met the detachment of Rogers on the shore of Lake Erie, only tended to conceal a settled hatred ; as the setting sunbeam bedazzles the distant thunder-cloud. He had made professions of friendship to the English, doubt- less as matter of policy, until he could have time to plot their destruction. The French had been friends to his race. They had lodged in the same wigwam, drank at the same stream ; they had hunted and fought side by side, and were mixed in blood.
Pontiac believed, and that conviction was probably sought to be strengthened, that it was the design of the English to drive him back from his lands. The French, doubtless, felt that dissatisfaction at the inroads of the English which was natural to a conquered people, although they professed, and in a great measure practised, neutrality. As a harbinger of some great calamity, it was believed in the superstition of the day that a black and sulphureous matter, of the color and consis- tency of ink, which rained on Detroit in 1762, and which was said to have been bottled and used for that purpose, portended
* Documents in manuscript, submitted by John R. Williams.
t The present small but hardy race of horses in Michigan, are of Norman stock, but diminished in size by stinted fare, hard usage, and the cold.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN,
important events which were approaching .* Down to that period Michigan had rested in quietude, while war blazed at a distance. Its streams had rolled their liquid silver to the lakes, broken only by the fish which flashed in their cur- rent, or the swan which floated upon their surface. Vegeta- tion flourished alone. Roses bloomed and died only to be trampled by the deer or the savage ; and strawberries studded the ground with rubies where the green and sunny hill-sides reposed amid the silence like sleeping infants in the lap of the forest. The rattlesnake glided undisturbed through its prairies ; and the fogs, which hung in clouds over the stagnant marshes, spread no pestilence. The panther, the fox, the wolf, and the bear, roamed fearless through the more retired parts of the domain, for there were none to dispute with them their inheritance. But clouds thickened. 9 In the darkness of midnight and the solitude of the wilderness, the tomahawk and the scalping knife were forged for their work of death. Counsels were held by the lake tribes, in which was discussed their new position in regard to the power which had advanced upon their lands. They determined on revenge. Speeches were made under the voiceless stars, which were heard by none save God and their allies ; and the war-song echoed from the banks of lakes which had never been pressed by the footstep of civilized man. The war belt was circulated through the remotest Indian villages, and savage bands were marshalled for the approaching storm.
The period now arrived in which was enacted the most impressive and dramatic scene in the history of Michigan, Pontiac, the Algonquin chief, was the master spirit who brought this drama into action ; and from its origin to its ter- mination he was the prominent figure upon the stage. It may be safely alleged that no American savage has exhibited a more marked character, in his power of mind to grasp great designs, or in his bold and strong arm in carrying them into execution, He had evinced great judgment and clearness of discrimination in his interviews with Major Rogers. He
* See Carver for this fact.
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sought to inform himself of the discipline of the English forces, inquired the mode of manufacturing cloth and iron ; and, even wishing to see England, offered a part of his country to the English commandant if he would take him there. He also had stated to the English that he was willing to remain in subordination to the king of Great Britain, pay a yearly tribute in furs, and call him his uncle .* After the surrender of the country, he intimated that he was also ready to encourage the settlement of the English in his country so long as they treated him with respect ; but that if they failed in this, he should exclude them from it and " shut up the way .?? These remarks might have been merely policy, but at all events it is clear that he did not consider himself conquered.
No sooner, therefore, were the English established on the lakes, than he projected the design of undermining their pow- er in this quarter by destroying their forts. His plan was to attack the English posts at the same time by stratagem, to massacre their garrisons, take possession of these points, and oppose the advance of the British upon the north-western waters. He presumed, on good ground, that the success of the Indians in this enterprise would establish their confidence, and combine them in one general confederacy against the English government. In his operations, facts to excite their passions were furnished in the conduct of the British soldiers, who had not endeavored to conciliate the Indians, and in the cold indifference manifested by the English traders, which was strongly contrasted with the sociality and kindness of the French. Some of his own tribe, the Ottawas, had been dis- graced by blows from the English intruders. After the plan of his policy had been matured in his mind, Pontiac called a grand council of warriors at the river Aux Georce, and he there addressed them with great vigor and eloquence. Ta- king advantage of that superstition which belongs to the In- dian character, he stated that the Great Spirit had appeared to & Delaware Indian in a dream, in which the course of the In-
* Rogers's account of North America.
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dians at this crisis was clearly prescribed. He told them that the Great Spirit had ordered them to abstain from ardent spirits, to cast away the manufactures of the white inen, to re- turn to the use of the skins of wild beasts for clothing, and to resume their bows and war-clubs. "Why," said the Great Spirit to the Delaware, " do you allow these dogs in red cloth- ing, (the English), to enter your country and take the land I gave you ? Drive them fromit ; and when you are in distress I will help you." He also showed them a belt, which he pre- tended to have received from the French king, urging him to drive out the British, and secure the return of the French. The speech of Pontiac had its full effect; for the motives urged appealed to the pride, interest, superstition, and nation- ality of the savages. Belts and messages were soon after sent to the Indians along the whole line of frontier, stretching a thousand miles on the lakes, in order to secure their co-ope- ration .* Among those who were inclined to join this plot were the Miamies, the Ottawas, the Chippewas, the Wyandots, the Potawatamies, the Mississagas, the Shawanese, the Otta- gamies, and the Winnebagoes ; and their plan was successful in reducing at the same time the forts of Le Bœuf, Venango, and Presque Isle ; on Lake Erie, Green Bay, St. Joseph ; on the St. Joseph river in Michigan, Miami Ouaitonon ; upon the Wabash, Sandusky and Michilimackinac. Pittsburg, Ni- agara, and Detroit, only escaped.
During the month of May, 1763,t the attack was com- menced on these several posts about the same time, be- fore any suspicion had been excited on the part of the English. It broke out like lightning from the midnight cloud. Pitts- burgh and Niagara were regularly fortified, and the Iroquois, who had attacked these posts, were unsuccessful in razing them. The first fort was saved by the expedition of Col. Bonquet, who dispersed the besiegers with the bayonet.
Detroit # was then deemed, from its location, the most impor-
* Cass.
t Carver says the date of Pontiac's siege was in 1762. Henry was an actor in that scene, and is entitled to most credit.
# This name is derived from the French word Detroit, signifying that it was on the strait between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
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WAR OF THE PONTIAC CONFEDERACY.
tant English post, as it commanded an extensive region of navigation and trade upon the upper lakes, and stood at the very broad gate of the north-western waters. At the city the Detroit River is about half a mile wide. The possession of this post would break the allegiance of the French inhabit- ants on the river, and form a chain of operation for the sava- ges from Lake Michigan to Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Pontiac determined, therefore, to undertake its capture in person. At that time the town was garrisoned by one hundred and twen- ty-two men and eight officers, of whom Major Gladwyn, who had succeeded Captain Campbell, was commandant .* It was environed by three rows of pickets, forming nearly a square. At each corner, and over the gates, there were erected block- houses ; and between the houses and pickets there was a cir- cular space, called the Chemin du Ronde, which formed a place of deposite for arms. Anchored on the river in front of the town, were two armed vessels, one called the Beaver, for the purpose of its defence ; and the fort was protected by three mortars-two six-pounders and one three-pounder. These, however, were badly mounted, and seemed to be better calcu- lated to terrify the Indians than for substantial defence. In the limits of the town there were also about forty-two traders and persons connected with the fur trade, who were provided with provisions and arms, besides the few families who were settled within the palisade. Most of the houses were enclosed within the pickets, for the purpose of securing them by the protection of the fort, while only a few French farms were scattered along the banks of the river.t
The plan which was devised by Pontiac to destroy the fort of Detroit, exhibited remarkable cunning as well as strategy. He had ordered the Indians to saw off their rifles so as to conceal them under their blankets, gain admission to the fort, and, at a pre-concerted signal, which was the delivery of a belt of wampum in a certain way, to rush upon the
* Cass
+ For valuable facts connected with the war of the Pontiac confederacy, I am indebted to the discourse of Lewis Cass, our minister to France, before the His- torical Society of Michigan.
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troops, massacre the officers, and open the gates to the war- riors on the outside, who should stand ready to co-operate with those within. In order to carry this plan into execution,. he encamped at a little distance from Detroit, and sent word to Major Gladwyn that he and his warriors wished to hold a council with the English commandant on the following day, that " they might brighten the chain of peace." This was the 8th of May, 1763. The council was granted. On the eve- ning of that day, an Indian woman, who had been employed by Major Gladwyn to make him a pair of elk skin moccasins, which he intended to present to a friend, brought them to the fort. These were finished in so handsome a manner, that he requested the woman to take back the remainder of the skin, and make them into others for himself. He- then paid her for those which she had made, and ordered his servant to see her from the fort. Having arrived at the gate which looks out upon the Detroit River, she lingered as if her busi- ness had been unfinished ; and this conduct excited some re- mark. The servant of the commandant was ordered to in- quire the reason of her delay, but he could procure no satis- factory answer. At length the commandant called her within the fort, and inquired why she loitered about the gate, and did not hasten home before they were shut, so that she might complete the moccasins at the proper time. She replied that the commandant had treated her with great kind- ness, and that she did not wish to take the skin away, as he prized it so much, because she could " never bring it back." Something seemed to be struggling in her bosom for utter- ance, and at length, after a promise that the disclosure should not turn to her disadvantage, and that, if profitable, she might be rewarded, this Indian woman, named Catharine, developed the plot. Major Gladwyn mentioned his apprehensions to the officer next in command, but he deemed it a mere trick to frighten him, and not worthy of consideration. The night was occupied in making the proper preparations ; the ammu- nition was examined and arranged, and every man within the fort, both trader and soldier, was directed to be prepared for
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sudden and active service .* The defences of the fort were strengthened, the arms made ready, and during the night guards were kept upon the ramparts. The war songs and dances of the Indians, which generally precede any important enterprise, breaking upon the silence of midnight, only strengthened his suspicions that the Indian woman had told the truth. In the morning of the 9th, about ten o'clock, Pon- tiac and his warriors repaired to the fort of Detroit, and they were immediately admitted to the council-house, where they were received by Major Gladwyn and his officers. During their progress toward the fort, the savages had noticed a re- markable parade of soldiers upon the ramparts and within the town, and that the officers in the council chamber, and also the Governor, had each pistols in their belts. When the In- dians were seated on their skins in the council chamber, Pon- tiac inquired what was the cause of this extraordinary mili- tary preparation ; and he was told that it was necessary to keep the soldiers to rigid discipline. The council commenced by a speech from Pontiac, in which he professed the utmost friendship for the English ; and as he approached the period of the concerted signal, the delivery of the belt of wampum, his gesticulations became more violent. Near the period which had been described by the Indian woman as the time when the belt was to be delivered, and the fire upon the gar- rison commenced, the Governor and his officers drew their swords from their scabbards ; and the soldiers of the fort, who had been drawn around the doors of the council-house, which had been intentionally left open, made a clattering upon the ground with their arms. Pontiac, whose eagle eye had never quailed in battle, turned pale and trembled, and deli- vered the belt in the usual manner ; while his warriors looked at each other with astonishment, but continued calm.t
Pontiac's speech having been concluded, Major Glad wyn commenced his answer ; but instead of thanking Pontiac for his professions of friendship, he accused him of being a traitor ; and in order to convince him of his knowledge of the plot, he
· Carver. f Ibid.
14
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
advanced toward the chief who sat nearest, and drawing aside his blanket, disclosed the shortened rifle. He advised him at the same time, to leave the fort before his young men should discover the design and massacre the Indians ; and assured him that his person should be held safe until he had advanced beyond the pickets, as he had promised him safety. As soon as the warriors had retired from the gates of the fort, they gave the yell, and fired upon the English garrison. They then proceeded to the Commons, where an Englishwoman and her two sons resided. These they massacred and scalped. The cannibalism of the savages at that time is exhibited in the fact that a respectable Frenchman was requested to repair to their camp and partake of some soup. He complied with this invitation, and after he had finished his repast, was told that he had eaten a part of this English woman .* About three miles np the river Detroit, and in full view of the city, is an island, which is named from the fact that it was former- ly used as a pasturing ground for stock. It is called Isle de Corhonor, and stands like a fortress guarding the entrance of the upper lakes. A Frenchman by the name of Jocelyn, who was herding cattle on this island, and a discharged ser- geant from the fort, and his family, with the exception of one, were also massacred about the same time by the savages ;t and the siege of Detroit was then regularly commenced.
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