USA > Michigan > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Michigan : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests Volume I > Part 16
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to leave the island of Mackinaw, with its fortifications and choosing a new site on which to locate. By the signing the treaty of Ghent, on the 28th of December, 1814, the island of Mackinaw again passed into the possession of the United States, which made necessary the transfer of the British garrison to some other point. Where that point should be was to be determined by the anxiety of the British officers in command in America, to retain control of the passage between the upper and lower lakes, and possibly to found another Gibraltar, whose guns should com- pel obedience to the royal mandates; but more especially the anxiety to retain the prestige among the Indian tribes for which they had labored so hard and had enjoyed so long. It is a matter to be noted that the news of the signing of the treaty, and the consequent close of the war, was so long in reaching the northwestern frontier, that hostilities did not cease in the vicinity of Mackinaw until late in the spring of 1815. The messenger who was sent with the dispatches and orders relative to carry- ing out of the treaty was two months on the road from York, (now Toronto), to Mackinaw; and rumor had ample time to convey to the post commander the general nature of the news which he might expect to learn officially, in due time. It was not until May 11, 1815, that Lieu- tenant Colonel McDonall, in command at Mackinaw, received the official dispatches, with a copy of the treaty, and instructions for turning over that post to the United States military authorities, and to select some place in the same neighborhood which could be a point of defense and offense, and there to erect temporary quarters for the garrison and shelter of the government stores, and to remove his command thither.
By these instructions McDonall was sorely perplexed. His services on the frontier had made him spokesman on behalf of the king with the Indian tribes of the whole northwest. The country included in his com- mand was, to use his own words, "greater in extent than the whole of Lower Canada;" and from his intimate relations with the Indian tribes, and the promises he had held out to them, it seemed to him that in re- linquishing the island of Mackinac, the favorite place of resort of numer- ous tribes, for a long period, who were accustomed to gather there from regions as far distant as the basin of the Mississippi, and the Red River of the North, he would be leaving them to a fate which they did not de- serve, at the same time the British would lose the influence which they long sought and exercised over these copper skinned allies. To him. therefore, it seemed politic, if not absolutely necessary, that the new post should be so situated as to be easily accessible to the Indians, and capable of being made of even greater strategic importance that their old loca- tion on Mackinac Island, while it must be such as to ensure the respect of the allied tribes and cause them to look with disdain upon Mackinac as the representative of an inferior power.
Lying across the northern end of Lake Huron and separated from the main land of the upper peninsula of Michigan by the Strait of Detour, is an island, at the mouth of St. Mary's river, twenty by thirteen miles in extreme length and breadth, and comprising an area of about one hundred and twenty square miles. Its shores are lined with beautiful harbor bays, thickly studded with small islands, whose high surfaces are covered by a dense growth of perennial green. Streams and small woodland lakes are numerous on the island, and the hardwood forests as well as the "black growths" of pine and spruce add greatly to the beauty of the landscape. On the west side of this point is the Detour strait, the pathway of the immense commerce of the great lakes passing through the St. Mary's river. On the eastern side of the lower portion of the island, called the point, is a spot which seems to have been chosen more for its beauty than because it possessed any advantages of military strat-
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egy ; here the British flag floated for a period of thirteen years, in defiance of the treaty of Ghent, its award of the boundary commissions there- under, and the comity of nations. During their stay neither citizens nor civilians seem to have been laggard in providing for their own com- fort, apparently expecting that this was to be their permanent home.
It was not until 1828 that the evacuation of the last British post on the great lakes was finally effected, and in the public documents or rec- ords of the United States government concerning this matter, or any matter pertaining to the occupancy or abandonment of Drummond Island by the British, there is nothing to be discovered except one letter, which follows :
"FORT BRADY, November 13, 1828.
"SIR : I have the honor to inform you that I have received a letter from the officer commanding the British troops at Drummond island, informing me that he had received orders from the commander of the forces to turn over the public buildings to our government, and requesting me to send an officer to receive them. I have this day sent Brevet Lieutenant Simonton to receive them, with directions to employ a respectable citi- zen to take charge of them for the present. The British troops are to leave here by the 15th or 18th.
"With great respect,
"(Signed) D. WILcox, Captain 5th Regiment Commanding.
"Colonel R. Jones, Adjutant General, Washington, D. C."
This proceeding appears to have closed the incident of British occu- pation in the United States.
CHAPTER IX BATTLE OF MORAVIAN TOWN
PROCTOR OPPOSED BY TECUMSEH-CONCENTRATE AT MORAVIAN TOWN- "REMEMBER THE RAISIN"-HARRISON OVERTAKES PROCTOR-AMERI- CANS BREAK THE BRITISH LINE-DEATH OF TECUMSEH-A MORTIFYING DEFEAT-TROPHIES AND PRISONERS-RESULT OF BATTLE AND TECUM- SEH'S DEATH.
The crushing blow dealt by Commodore Perry to the British arms in the naval battle on Lake Erie in September was followed up vigorously by General Harrison with his army in Canada. The British and Cana- dians realized that with the recent defeats at Sandusky and Miami, their power was waning and that some decision was demanded in regard to their future movements. General Harrison was massing his forces in Ohio for an invasion of Canada and had a large force assembled, only waiting the collection of sufficient boats to transport his troops.
PROCTOR OPPOSED BY TECUMSEH
General Proctor called a council of war which the chieftains of the various Indian tribes were summoned to attend. After a brief exposition of the condition of affairs Proctor proposed that the forts of Detroit and Amherstburg together with the various public buildings should be destroyed and that the troops and Indians should retire to Niagara. Upon this proposal there was a division of sentiment among the Indian chiefs, but Tecumseh, who was present, whose proud and impetuous spirit could not easily adapt itself to the idea of retiring before his ene- mies, had no sooner heard the conclusion of the address of Proctor than he arose and began an impassioned speech, accompanying his warlike ex- pressions with wild gesticulation protesting against the infamy of aban- doning their position without first using every exertion for its defense. He assailed the commanding officer in violent terms, accusing him of cowardice; and after having compared his conduct to that of Capt. Barclay, whose conduct he praised in the most extravagant terms. His speech was a marvel of native eloquence and made a deep impression. "Father," he thundered, "Listen to your children! You see them all now before you. The war before this, our British father gave the hatchet to his red children, when our old chiefs were alive. They are now dead. In that war, our father was thrown on his back by the Americans, and our fathers took them by the hand without our knowledge and we are afraid our fathers will do so again at this time. Summer before last when I came forward with my red brethren and was ready to take up the hatchet in favor of our British father, we were told not to be in a hurry, that he had not determined to fight the Americans.
"Listen! When war was declared, our father stood up and gave us the tomahawk, and told us he was now ready to strike the Americans-
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that he wanted our assistance; and that he would certainly get us our lands back, which the Americans had taken from us.
"Listen! You told us that time to bring forward our families to this place. We did so, and you promised to take care of them, that they should want for nothing, while the men would go out and fight the enemy-that we were not to trouble ourselves with the enemy's garri- sons, that we knew nothing about them, and that our father would attend to that part of the business. You also told your red children that you would take good care of their garrison here-which made our hearts glad.
"Listen ! Father, listen ! Our fleet has gone out; we know they have fought; we have heard the noise of the great guns, but we know nothing of what has happened to our father with one arm (alluding to Captain Barclay at the battle of Lake Erie, who lost an arm while serving under Nelson at Trafalgar). Our ships have gone one way and we are much astonished to see our father here, tying up everything and preparing to run away the other, without letting his red children know what his intentions are. You always told us to remain here and take care of our lands; it made our hearts glad to hear that this was your wish. Our great father, the King, is the head and you represent him. You always told us you would not draw our feet off British ground; but now, father, we see you are drawing back, and we are sorry to see our father doing this without meeting the enemy. We must compare our father's conduct to a fat animal that carries its tail upon his back, but when it is fright- ened, drops it between his legs and runs away.
"Listen, father! The Americans have not yet defeated us by land ; neither are we sure that they have done so by water, we therefore wish to remain here and fight our enemy should they make their appearance. If they defeat us, we will then retreat with our father. At the battle of the Rapids, last war, the Americans certainly defeated us; and when we retreated to our father's fort at that place. the gates were shut against us. We are afraid that it would now be the case; but instead of that now, we see our British father preparing to march out of his garrison. "Father! You have got the arms and ammunition which our great father, the King, sent for his red children. If you have any idea of going away, give them to us, and you may go your way. in welcome. for us. Our lives are in the hands of the great spirit; we are determined to defend our lands, and if it is his will, we wish to leave our bones upon them."
INDIANS SUPPORT THE GREAT CHIEF
No sooner had this startling speech ended, than all the chiefs present started up to a man, brandishing their tomahawks in the most mena- cing manner, vociferated their full approval of his words. The scene was most imposing and dramatic ; the council room where the conference took place was a large building with a lofty vaulted roof, which echoed back the wild yells of the savages; while the threatening attitude and characteristic costumes of the Indians formed a striking contrast to the calm demeanor and military dress of the officers grouped around the walls. It is easy to imagine, however, that the prominent and attractive figure in the picture was Tecumseh himself; his tall, powerful and graceful form, his athletic proportions, admirably set forth by his close- fitting buckskin dress, richly ornamented, while a head dress of a large white ostrich feather rested upon his brow, offering a striking contrast with the deep copper color of his skin, and the raven black hair, his features illuminated by the brilliancy of his piercing black eyes-all
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forming a singularly wild and imposing tableau. He was a wonderful .man, and it was not difficult to imagine that he could be terrible.
CONCENTRATE AT MORAVIAN TOWN
Some degree of quiet being restored, General Proctor, through the medium of his interpreters, explained the motives which influenced him in his decision and finally succeeded in prevailing upon the chiefs to consider a second proposal. which was to retire to the Moravian village about half way between Amherstburg and the outposts of the center division of the British army, and there await the approach of the Americans. The troops were immediately set at work, destroying the fortifications and burning such of the stores as could not be removed with convenience. The destruction of the buildings consumed consid- erable time and when the work was finished the forts of Detroit and Amherstburg presented a scene of ruin and desolation.
Early in the last week of September the troops of the two garrisons proceeded up the River Thames, a stream navigable for small craft. and emptying into Lake St. Clair. The bridge near Amherstburg, hav- ing been destroyed by Proctor's rear guard on their retreat, was speedily repaired by the U. S. troops, who had crossed the lake in boats after the Lake Erie victory, at Put-in-Bay, and were now hastening after the retiring enemy.
".REMEMBER THE RAISIN "
They were overtaken on the first of October, Gen. Harrison having assigned to Colonel Lewis Cass the charge of the troops at their debark- ation from the vessels. He formed the troops into line for the march. and issued a general order which closed with the memorable words : "Kentuckians, remember the River Raisin: but remember only when victory is suspended. The revenge of a soldier cannot be gratifed upon a fallen enemy." This intensely significant sentiment was immediately taken up by the Kentucky and Ohio troops and formed the battle cry "Remember the Raisin." On crowded ships; on hostile shore, on the line of march, in camp after the clash of arms. men whispered or shouted. "Remember the Raisin;" at the outset of every encounter the sharp. quick cry "Remember the Raisin" spurred the men on to victory. Certainly it was but human that these brave patriotic men. drawn from the flower of Kentucky's chivalry, of all ranks, should have been inspired to the utmost by the remembrances of that fatal day at Frenchtown, when blood was poured out in the carnage permitted or encouraged by men and officers, from whom every impulse of humanity our soldierly honor seem to have departed. Who can blame them for harboring feelings of animosity towards an enemy so destitute of the simplest forms of mercy and human consideration for their unfortunate victims? Who allowed, without a protest, the most barbarous atrocities to be perpetrated by their monstrous savage allies, thirsting for blood ?
General Harrison's army was quite destitute of means of pursuing. expediently, the retreating enemy. Proctor had stripped the country of provisions and stores, and collected upwards of one thousand horses for the use of his flying army. The only horse in our army at that time and on that march was a small French pony which was placed at the service of the venerable Governor Shelby of Kentucky, who was then sixty-five years of age, but as full of military ardor, and the laudable desire for administering retributive justice on the cowardly Proctor and his men, as any of the young officers about him.
The sudden flight, betraying cowardice in Proctor, served in a measure
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to alienate his Indian allies. Tecumseh and other warriors were furious that no resistance was to be offered or attempted. In his own behalf and of all the chiefs and warriors Tecumseh addressed a "talk" to Proctor, in which he used plain language to express his displeasure at the treatment they had received.
HARRISON OVERTAKES PROCTOR
By forced marches, diversified by skirmishes with scattered parties of the enemy's force, Gen. Harrison overtook Proctor near the Moravian town on the river Thames, eighty miles northeast from the Detroit river. On the evening of the fifth of October he forced the enemy to a fight, which was a fierce one though not of long duration, resulting in a com- plete victory. The road by which the Moravian Town was reached ran part way through a dense beech forest, along the bank of the little river distant from it but a few hundred yards, the ground intervening being high and dry. Across the strip of land the British and Indian force was drawn up when General Harrison reached them. The American army was then formed for attack. General Trotter's brigade formed the front line, his right upon the road, his left upon the swamp. Gen- eral King's brigade as a second line, one hundred and fifty yards in the rear of Trotter's, with Child's brigade as a reserve corps in the rear of both. The three brigades were commanded by Major General King. The whole of General Decha's division of two brigades was formed upon the left of Trotter. Colonel Johnson's regiment of mounted men were drawn up in close column, its right resting near the road, its left upon the swamp. The duty of this regiment was to charge upon the enemy at a sharp gallop, to be followed by the infantry charge with the bayonet. This was a new manœuvre in military tactics suggested by the exigency of the occasion and was successful in every way. The few regulars of the Twenty-seventh Regiment under Colonel Paull occupied in columns of four the small space between the road and the river for the purpose of seizing the enemy's artillery. The crochet, formed by the front line, and General Desha's division was an important formation. At this spot Governor Shelby was posted, while General Harrison with his aids, General Cass, Commodore Perry and Captain Butler, took station at the head of the front line of infantry.
AMERICANS BREAK THE BRITISH LINE
The army moved in this order a short distance when the mounted men received the British fire, and were ordered to charge. The contest in front was over in two minutes, the enemy were unable to reform their disordered ranks, and our mounted men, under Colonel R. M. Johnson, charging upon them with destructive effect, they soon surrendered.
DEATH OF TECUMSEH
The contest on the left was more severe and of longer duration. Colonel Johnson there engaged with the Indians, who poured upon his command a galling fire, which he returned with great damage to his opponents. A part of the Indian force advanced and attacked our front line of infantry near its junction with Desha's division. They made a temporary impression, but as soon as Governor Shelby came up with a regiment and the enemy being fired upon both in front and rear, they made a precipitate retreat, losing a large number in killed. Colonel
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Johnson was severely wounded in this engagement, during which he came into close personal combat with the famous Shawnee warrior and chief, Tecumseh, when the shot came that disabled the colonel. He was in the act of springing upon him with his tomahawk when his adversary drew a pistol from his belt and shot him dead on the spot.
It has since been the matter of controversy at various times whose really was the distinction of having killed Tecumseh and it was con- tended that it could not be actually proved, but it has been established beyond any cavil that the great chief fell before Colonel R. M. Johnson. "On the night after the engagement," says a writer who was with Proc- tor at the Thames, one of his officers, "while we were seated around a fire in the forest, partaking on the very battle ground of the meat which General Harrison's aids-de-camp were generously and hospitably toast- ing for us on long pointed sticks or skewers and which, half famished as we were, we greedily ate without the accompaniment of either salt or bread, the painful subject was discussed and it is not less an eulogy to the high-minded Tecumseh than a justice to General Harrison to say that that officer was the very first to deplore his death; while the senti- ments he expressed when the circumstances and manner of his death were made known were such as to reflect credit on himself as a man, a Christian and a soldier." The news could not be believed that Tecumseh was really dead as reported, but that the body was that of another chief ; and several officers of the Forty-first Regiment, in order to determine the matter for themselves visited the spot where Tecumseh lay and there they identified the body before them as that of the late powerful and intelligent chieftain, for they all knew him very well and therefore there was no possibility of being mistaken."
A MORTIFYING DEFEAT
The loss of this battle, while it was not a great affair in a military sense, was the source of great mortification to the British and General Proctor was severely criticised and censured by the soldiers and officers for incompetency and indifference. It was charged openly that his dis- position of his forces for the attack from the enemy was ridiculous and that it was made particularly with reference to covering the removal of his family and his effects from the town.
The number of men in his command was estimated by General Har- rison at about or over two thousand. It is certain that just before Proc- tor fled from Malden he had then at least three thousand Indians, but great numbers left him in disgust with his pusillanimity ; not many Brit- ish officers were killed, but the white prisoners captured numbered about six hundred. The slaughter among the Indians was great, exceeding all others. Lieutenant Richard Bullock of the Forty-first Grenadiers reported in his regiment three sergeants and nine rank and file killed and fifty total wounded.
In preparing to leave the rendezvous at Put-in-Bay for the invasion of Canada, Harrison's army was delayed some days. It is said by cer- tain persons in Canada that Harrison made an attempt to land in Col- chester township, but was prevented from doing so by John Naudel, the Chippewa chief, and his Indians.
There is a tradition that a few horses of the Americans were stam- peded and captured by the Canadians and Indians. Among them was a fine Arabian stallion which was hidden by one Drouillard until the war was over. Many of the horses in the neighborhood showed the Arab strain and tradition points to this stallion as their progenitor.
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TROPHIES AND PRISONERS
Among the trophies of this Thames victory there were taken a num- ber of field pieces and several thousand stand of small arms; most of the latter and two of the former were those taken from General Hull. Ex- cepting one standard, all the emblems of conquest acquired during the campaign by the British were here.
Among the prisoners captured were all the superior officers of the British forces except General Proctor. He made his escape by the fleet- ness of his horse. General Cass was prominent among those who were distinguished for personal bravery and received commendation from the commanding general, especially rendering important service in form- ing line of battle rendered very different by the nature of the ground. Woods, marshes and streams surrounded them, requiring all the knowl- edge and discretion of a military veteran, which Cass possessed in an eminent degree. He led the chase after the flying Proctor who had fled very soon after the firing commenced. He was not able to overtake this valiant officer, but was obliged to be content with the capture of his carriage, baggage and all his papers relating to the operations of his department.
RESULT OF BATTLE AND TECUMSEH'S DEATHI
General Harrison's official account of this battle does ample justice to the brave men and officers who participated in it. "Having no com- mand himself," says General Harrison, "he tendered me his assistance. I have already stated that General Cass and Commodore Perry assisted . me in forming the troops for action. The former was an officer of the highest merit and the appearance of the brave young commodore fresh from his recent victory cheered and animated every heart."
The enemy was now driven from the northwestern frontier. Soon after the battle an armistice was concluded with the hostile Indians and General Harrison sailed down the lake to Buffalo with about thirteen hundred troops. General Cass was left in command at Detroit. No military movement of note occurred during the winter of 1813-14. The Indians having lost their great leader, Tecumseh, were generally dis- posed to remain quiet and seek an alliance with our people.
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CHAPTER X THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE
A VIEW FROM "THE OTHER SIDE"-BRITISH FLAG SHIP OPENS BATTLE- CRIPPLED BRITISH FLEET-FROM PERRY'S OFFICIAL REPORT-PERRY'S SQUADRON IN ACTION-BARCLAY'S SQUADRON IN ACTION.
[From Richardson's "War of 1812"]
The period was now fast approaching when the fruits of so much toil and privation were to be wrested from our grasp, and the extensive line of territory, both original and acquired, so gallantly defended by a single regiment against the repeated invasions of the enemy, for a period of fifteen months, was to fall beneath the efforts of numerical strength. Since the capture of "Detroit" the Americans had been indefatigable in their exertions to establish a superiority of naval force on which they well knew depended the ultimate success of their arms. Buffalo was the har- bor selected for the construction of their flotilla, though five vessels of Perry's fleet were built at Erie harbor. Work was pushed rapidly and these harbors soon presented a formidable appearance.
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